AN: The character Commander Michelle Fell as well as the AU that this story is set in belongs to Commando Wolf and are used with her express permission. Obviously XANA, XANA's monsters and Lyoko belong to someone else entirely.
Although a sort of tag to her story Code: Ascension it is not associated with it and can't be considered in universe if you're also reading that story.
The metal landscape, rendered in a foreboding green monochrome by the IR enhanced night vision goggles, stretched out as Captain Bill and his squad moved as silently as possible down the corridor. A quick check of the handheld EMF scanner showed the way ahead to be clear of specters. It also had another role, helping guide the small squad to the projection room of this particular supercomputer complex. XANA had spared the nearby cities from nuclear destruction, probably to protect the computer. The implication was twofold, there was a large human population that needed to be saved and the facility was important and thus needed to be destroyed. As such the Sky Team was called in to deal with the facility while ground forces concentrated on evacuating the civilians.
However, bombing raids had failed to destroy the compound owing to the use of shield like projections of energy. Having found the facility to be impervious to air attacks and with no one willing to try any sort of cyber attack a squad was chosen to infiltrate and destroy the place from the inside. But now that squad was technically off mission, heading not for the computer core but the energy projection room. And Commander Michelle Fell, assigned to the ground detail as punishment for going AWOL (absent without leave for those who don't know) didn't have a problem with it at all. She had agreed that going directly to the computer room, likely to be both heavily guarded and shielded, would be a suicide mission. She was not, however, so sure that Bill had the best idea in heading to the projection room. But she had taken a liking to his shy personality and willingness to explain things patiently and in terms that made sense even to those with little technical background. That he was a fellow pilot further helped his case and in the end she had accented to the revised plan.
The EMF scanner showed a long trail of very strong field lines headed into a mass that registered off the scale. Grunting in satisfaction and putting the device away, Captain Bill signaled the squad to turn and led them directly to a dead end. Frowning in frustration, three of the marines assigned as escorts whispered, "What the fuck are you doing, trying to deliberately get us killed? Are you that..."
"Shut your trap." Commander Fell snapped. "He's probably smarter than all of us put together." She turned to watch the entrance to their hallway without noticing the grateful smile Bill flashed her. Inwardly she knew he'd never forgive himself if this didn't end well. While being an expert with explosives and technology, or so his file claimed, he had a self consciousness that was probably borne of having barely scraped by basic and of still being the least athletic member of the squad. Her observation was confirmed by his panting, heavier than the rest of his squad mates by a respectable margin.
Putting away the scanner, Bill took out two cans that looked like they contained spray paint, shook them and with a loud hiss released the contents at the wall. One marine threw a dangerous, disparaging look then let out a gasp and stood slack jawed as the solid steel alloy wall bubbled and melted away. A second can and the 4 inch thick wall had a brand new hole that was just large enough to accommodate a human. Turning to look at the marines she mouthed a disrespectful told you so before scrambling through the tunnel behind her new friend. Directing a questioning look at Bill now that they were away from the jarheads he answered "metal dissolver. They use it to cut metal when it's too dangerous to have an open flame around. The maintenance tech who told me about the stuff described it as a liquid torch."
Smiling, Commander Fell looked back at the hole in the wall, "I can see why." She opened her pack and handed Bill his laptop as he gestured impatiently for it then took up what looked like a good defensive position and watched the room for any sign of danger. Fortunately none came and her attention snapped back to Bill as he closed his laptop with what looked like a devious smirk. Having set the laptop down he looked around and pulled the backpack off of his shoulders then opened it and began to expertly shape the explosives he brought along. With what looked like practiced ease he placed the explosives on the various machines before going back to his laptop. Pulling a concealed thumb drive out of one compartment he pressed a few keys and noted with satisfaction that a countdown had begun. Leaving the laptop concealed he brushed his hands over it as if saying goodbye to an old friend and headed towards the hole he had made. "We have three minutes to get the hell out of here."
"Three!" The marine leader just barely avoided shouting. "It took us twenty fucking, long shit filled minutes to get in here and you."
"Shut up and run you dumb asshole!" Commander Fell's voice cut into the tirade. "Something tells me we'll be able to just walk out the front door."
"The hell do you know ..."
"RUN!" Bill's shout, so utterly uncharacteristic, stopped the argument as he dashed past his guards. Pulling the rifle and undoing the safety as he moved and heard the others running after him and answered, "In about 38 seconds the projection system will pull all available power into it. A minute after that the air defense shields will be thrown around the supercomputer. A minute after that my explosives detonate and an EMP that a small solar flare would be proud of will fry the supercomputer while the power unleashed in the projection room levels this base."
Commander Fell nodded approvingly as she passed the normally shy and reserved demolitions expert. Of course the plan actually had to work and the idea of using computers to make it happen rankled her. But at the same time something told her this Bill guy could be taken at his word and wasn't the type to unnecessarily risk lives. Maybe it was just that he had read the orders, recognized that they were a FUBAR waiting to happen and ignored them to come up with his own plan. Heck, maybe it was just that running out of a place rigged to explode barely seconds after they got out while fighting robots, possessed humans and hybrids was too much fun to pass up.
The crack of weapons fire brought everyone to full alertness. The sizzling sound of a specter forming caught one marine's attention and he whipped around to fire at the forming polymorph. The sound of his weapon was nearly deafening even through the ear protection. Bill looked forward and noticed two kankerlots moving towards them. The sound of their laser charging was inaudible over the sound of automatic rifles firing. But it wasn't invisible to the night vision equipment and with a couple of three shot bursts the robots exploded into a shower of parts.
The wall beside one marine flared brightly in IR as droplets of molten steel sprayed out, searing the exposed arm of a gunnery sergeant. He hissed in pain and turned to fire at the attackers who suddenly came out of a doorway. His rounds missed completely but the specter fizzled out of existence anyway. Across XANA's compound a high pitched whine began and grew in intensity as the projection hardware spooled up to 100% power and beyond. Lights flickered and flared across the base as its power grid struggled to meet the sudden demand for power.
"Two minutes!" Bill called out to his squad. "And when the system adjusts to the new power volume XANA's specters may get more powerful."
The three marines cursed as one, and briefly considered killing the two officers before deciding to abandon them and their crazy plan. With a sudden motion they stopped, and whirled, jamming the buts of their rifles into both Bill and Michelle's face. Laughing at the confused and angry expressions on both officers now bloody faces they ran off towards the freedom of the building's exit. They didn't quite make it as they were cut off by a pair of medium krabes. The red shelled creatures were similar to the larger ones XANA used to back up tarantulas but sized to patrol indoor spaces. Their laser bolts missed the marines but showered the group with boiling metal as they dropped into a crouch to fire at the laser lens'.
Behind Bill and Michelle a newly formed specter took shape, forming into an evil and larger version of Captain Bill. Striding forward XANA watched impassively as the two human officers scrambled to their feet and began to run. He let them catch up to their squad, now fully aware of what had to be the most useless case of sabotage ever encountered. Deciding to let the humans see just what it was they had walked into, XANA directed the specter to race ahead and it easily disarmed the three marines. It laughed darkly as the captain and commander stopped short.
The sharp, high sound of a laser was met with a sharp hiss of pain as the concentrated bolt of light burned into one marine's leg. Another bolt seared into the leg at a different spot. Even through the false light of the night vision the agony was clear in the man's face. So was the terror of being tortured to death this way. The laser light cauterized the wound, preventing any hope of bleeding to death. Instead he would lay there, enduring the burns XANA inflected and feeling his limbs slowly die as they got starved for blood. Not even a laser would to one of the major arteries in the legs would kill him quickly.
The specter's hand crackled with electricity as Bill fired on the krabes and Michelle fired on it. Bullets hit a projected force field and fell to the ground harmlessly, little green flashes smeared across the night vision display as some of the kinetic energy from the bullets was dissipated as light. Quickly deciding on a new course of action, Bill tossed his rifle to the ground in front of him and reached for some of the explosives he carried. Before XANA, who was occupied with disarming Michelle, realized what was happening a lump of C4 landed between the krabes. Roughly grabbing commander Fell, Bill pulled her away from the specter and rolled on top of her.
Squeezing his eyes shut he pressed his weight onto the commander and ignored her rather violently worded protests to get off of him. He didn't have many friends and though the thought of losing one he'd just so recently progressed towards making was painful, the thought of letting her die was worse. The thought her hating him for this however, actually hurt worse than the shockwave that washed over them and the feel of the shrapnel hitting the back of his legs, vest and helmet. Commander Fell glared at him as she shoved him off of herself but then flashed an appreciative smile as she turned her head and saw the Krabes struggling to flip themselves over and get back on their feet.
Then with a sudden shout she flung herself on top of Bill, somehow managing to grab her sidearm in the process. The specter phased and flickered slightly as it advanced while ignoring the rounds from her heavy pistol. As a last ditch effort to save the man who'd saved her, she got up and charged the specter, taking out her combat knife to slash at it. But fast as she was, the specter was almost infinitely faster and grabbed her wrist, twisted it painfully and shifted its position to allow it to be behind her with a hand around her waist. Michelle looked, glared actually, at Bill as he scrambled to his feet. "Get out of here," she yelled before being cut off by a jolt of electricity.
Shaking his head no, Bill watched in satisfaction as the specter dissolved, dropping the commander unceremoniously to the ground as it lost cohesion and disappeared altogether. Across the building alarms wailed as XANA realized what was happening. Trapped within its own shield as the energy barrier sliced data cables and it's interference prevented wireless transmission, the agents of XANA still in the supercomputer channeled all of the power still contained within the back-up systems and directed it against the shield. Against the power capacity of a system designed to shield an entire base however, the effort was futile.
Thinking the same thing at exactly the same time, Commander Fell and Captain Bill ignored their weapons, ignored the two krabes that were still comically moving their legs in the air and rocking on their shells to grab the injured marine. Each officer grabbed one shoulder and hauled him up then wrapped arms around his waist and put his arms over their shoulder. The remaining two marines took up point positions, amazed that the two people they were prepared to leave to XANA's lack of mercy were now risking their own lives to carry out their wounded comrade.
Flying high over the city and its XANAified base, a small group of fighters and one small troop transport plane radioed each other frantically to keep the aerial battle in check. Lasers were exchanged with bullets as planes and creatures maneuvered to get the shot. Violent combat ceased suddenly as the anti-air fire of tarantulas and missile sites from the ground became uncoordinated. Simultaneously the powerful creatures that were being projected from the ground fizzled out of existence. What had been a life or death battle suddenly became a turkey shoot as the trained pilots of Sky Team cleaned up the sky in support of their temporarily ground bound members.
In the projection room the laptop that Bill left behind counted down the final few seconds then instructed a slight pulse be emitted from the projectors into the room. The detonators, energized by the pulse of electricity, triggered their attached explosives. Deep within the facility the shield surrounding the supercomputer collapsed, filling the entire vault with crackling electricity. Circuit boards exploded as currents a few thousand times the maximum ratings of the components were induced by the writhing electromagnetic fields of the collapsing shield. Impressive pits were scored into the metal walls as bolts of lightning vaporized large sections of them. Above, the projection building erupted into a towering column of light that lasted for just a split second. A deep rumbling was heard, punctuated by loud blasts as secondary explosions rocked the base; caused by power generators that had been overloaded by the main explosion destructively discharging their pent up energy.
The infiltration team was tossed out of the building like rag dolls by the explosion. Still shell shocked by the experience, the entire five person infiltration team slowly turned around and lay in awe of the sound and sight of the now destroyed base. Tingling and an slight burning sensation was left behind by the severe electromagnetic pulse as the group pushed themselves up off the ground. The collective groan of pain the action elicited from their battered bodies was drowned out by the sound of debris raining down and the that too was drowned out by the rapidly approaching transport aircraft. As they flew away commander Fell looked back at the burning mass and smiled as she turned towards Bill, "not bad..." The surprise in his face was enough to make her laugh and seal their friendship. "In fact, I'll go so far as to say good work."
A/N #2 - Yes I know, marines never leave people behind and they're rightfully proud of that. There are still some bad apples and the stress of fighting a war against a technological virus that can turn thin air into a deadly killing machine must take its toll. Plus the squad was somewhat off mission.