Act 1.
Ashes…
Part 1: 14 Years after E-Day
A military prison can be an unforgiving place… But as cold and hard as the steel and concrete can feel, it can sometimes pale in comparison to the ruthless, unsympathetic demeanor of the men who run it. This is the hand that has been dealt to me, Marcus Fenix, an accomplished soldier who has spent the past several years paying for a single indiscretion any loving son would have made. Charged with Dereliction of Duty for abandoning my post, I was left to rot-alone-in an otherwise vacant prison. With Locust Horde on the prison's doorstep.
As I lay in my cot, I could look up to the site of wretches running about above my cell. They screamed and screeched as their putrid saliva seeped threw the bars of cold steel that were the only things separating me from them. A rancid smell began to over filled my room. It was enough to make anyone puke or turn away in disgust, but I on the other hand was nether disgusted nor frightened by these small yet threatening creatures for I, in my day, had faced things far worse.. Things that a child wouldn't ever dare to dream about, and sometimes I wish that I never did ether.
I stood up on my rickety bed and looked out my prison cell door's small window. It was oddly quiet other than the usual screams, loud bombings from the air raids and never ending fighting going on outside the prison walls. However it was too quiet in the prison itself. No chatter or cursing from the few other prisoners or the guards mocking and yelling right back. Just the sound of scratching and screeching coming from wretches and the trickling of the slimy water dripping off my sink. I figured everyone was probably at lunch or at the occasionally gatherings in the main room but even so, usually they awake everyone for things such as that and why were their wretches everywhere?
I laid back down on my cot and shut my eyes again just telling my self they were probably at lunch and it really didn't matter to me because I only ate when I had too. The food here was the most horrible substance to ever bee called eatable. The cleanest water here had a green tint to it and lets not even talk about how "wonderful" our prison cells were.
I was slowly drifting back off to sleep when I herd someone's foot steps slowly walking down the hallway. I knew it couldn't be a prisoner's foot steps, for they were much to light and discreet, stopping every now and then cautiously as if to check before walking any farther. The closer they got the louder they became until I saw a figure standing threw the small window on my cell door. I blinked trying to refocus my eyes to see who it was when I heard a familiar voice say, "Jack, rip that door!". I froze for a second in disbelief of the voice. Could it be? I was almost cretin… I knew that voice… In fact, I did know that voice.
I jumped out of my bed and watched as a spark started on my cell's door and circled around the knob. Suddenly the mysterious figure kicked open my cell door revealing the man's voice I knew all to well. Dom.. Dominic Santiago. Holding back my overwhelming feeling of relief and joy I stood up straight with a somewhat serious face and asked him a simple question any other reasonable man would want to know if his best friend kicked down his cell door,
"What are you doing here?"
"Getting you out! What else would I be doing here in a dump like this? It really smells here ya know.. Anyway, Here take these and put this on, you will need it." Dom said as he threw a duffle bag full of standard issue COG armor with a Hammer burst assault rifle and a Snub pistol.
"Your going to get into a lot of trouble for doing this.." I said as grabbed the bag that seemed to be made out of nothing more that a flimsy cheap plastic that one would buy at a dollar store.
"Ha your really excited to see me aren't you Marcus? I can feel the overwhelming confusion yet joy coming from behind that solid cold look you always hide behind. Well, I won't get into too much trouble. Not any more Things have changed. Now lets go!" Dom replied as he began to walk out my cell as if to say your coming or else I will drag you out my self.
"What about the other prisoners? We cant just leave them here and even if we do what about the guards?" I asked before he walked out the door so I could change.
"There already gone…"
"Gone?! What do you mean gone??" I replied franticly.
"Hoffman pardoned everyone. They already left." Dom shut the door and stood patently outside
"Looks like they forgot to wake me up for the leaving party if you will" I implied as I changed into my armor. I felt so much better changing out of those rags they called prison uniforms.
"So what was it like in prison?" Dom said smiling with more of a smirk than a smile.
"You don't want to know.." I replied as I loaded my weapons.
"Yes I do" Dom quickly answered
"No, you don't" I answered right back
"Yes, I do!" Dom snapped back
"Lets go we are wasting time." I walked out of my cell in my full COG certified armor with loaded assault rifle and pistol at my side ready to be used in battle. I started for the door.
"Yeah your right.. Command doesn't know I'm in here rescuing you so they could air raid us at any time." I heard Dom say as he started to follow me.
"That's right now lets….wait… what did you just say?" before he could get a reply out, we heard a soft rawer that only began to get louder and suddenly the whole building began to shake. Dom quickly grabbed his radio, "6 4 this is Delta 2 I am inside the guards prison! Hold your fire! I repeat hold your fire!"
"Roger that Delta 2 Holding fire. Advise you relocate ASAP!" A voice called out over the radio.
"Man if command knew I was here to get you I would be in some deep shit," Dom said, "but welcome back to the army solider!"
"Ha yeah I cant wait for Hoffman's wonderful uplifting grace when he sees me and when he finds out that you risked your ass to come find me." I said sarcastically.
"Ha ha come on Marcus he is so desperate right now, he would take anyone.. Its that bad out there.. Things only got worse after you left." Dom started to walk toward the door "I don't know what we are going to do about this… This whole war is getting out of our hands.. However, Hoffman did say he had good news. We are really going to have to pull something out of our asses."
I looked around the prison. There was rubble everywhere. I was surprised the walls were still standing after everything this prison had went threw.
"Ok we can go back the way I came threw the guards quarters, takes time but its safe. Or we can go right into the fight. Your choice" Dome said
"Lets take the guards quarters… I got to warm up and work out the kinks."
"Ok sounds good to me. If I know you like I think I do, then it won't take you long to get the hang of it again."
" Yeah… I can't wait."
We made our way up the stairs and threw a couple of the rooms picking up what little ammo the guards had left behind. Starting toward the near by steel door, I could smell something horrible. It didn't smell like the rancid stench from the Locus. It had to be something else. Ignoring the smell I pushed on the door. Locked… Not having much time nor patients for the locked door I began to kick it down. Finally after a few kicks, the door swung open reveling half of a corps hanging from a noose.
"Nice…" I said
"OMG, holly Jesus tap dancing Christ!! Shit!" Dom said grabbing at his nose, "what the hell were they doing in this prison!"
"Like I told you before.. You don't want to know.."
"I believe you now… I wonder where the other half is…."
"I don't"
I started my way threw the door ducking under the rotting corps. It must have been there for a while because it reeked of death and had white ooze dripping out of it.. I was about a few feet away from the door when I heard Dom yell in a sudden surprised fear. I spun around somehow managing to pull my gun up from my side in mid turn and aim right where Dom's last known position was. I lowered my weapon as I looked down at Dom who had fallen flat on his ass onto the floor. It looked as if the other half of the corps had found him.
"Quit playing twister with the lower half of the corps and come on." I said as I let out a slight sigh of relief.
"And I was winning too…" Dom complained as he threw the corps off quickly.
"Ha ha yeah I bet you were."
"He had me beat with his right leg on green tho"
"You're a looser I hope you know that Dom"
"Your just mad you still owe me $20 from the last time me and you played that game!"
"You still remember that..?"
"Hell yeah I do"
A helicopter flew past the gaping hole in the wall letting a blast of air in from the spinning blades.
"Nice!" Dom shouted
"Who was that?" I asked
"That was Victor Squad. They are clearing this sector."
"They are going to need more choppers…"
I walked threw the next door onto the balcony overlooking the main heart of the prison. I looked down at the room and remembered all the horrible hours spent in this area… all the touchier the prisoners went threw to all the stupid movies they made us watch. I could remember the guard's cold faces and actions that I sometimes wondered if they were even human themselves. I didn't let it catch my attention long and keep moving down the balcony. Trying the door, sure enough it was locked as well but this time kicking wouldn't be enough.. I looked up to the right and saw a circuit breaker that would more than likely release the doors locks. I aimed for the circuit breaker and just slightly taped my trigger releasing a few bullets onto the barker. The orange light went out and the door clicked open.
As we moved onto the prison wall, headed to the prison blocks, I got a good whiff of fresh air. It was nice to be able to see the sky and out side the prison's walls and not worry about having to go right back in to stay. I took a few steps and heard something ahead. Dom hearing it as well, looked at me questionably. I motioned to keep moving but my body language and my serious expression indicated for us to keep our guard up.
We moved closer to the tower. It was quiet. I moved behind a stone column and looked at Dom as he did the same. I peered over my cover just in time to catch the sight of someone or something's head before it took cover again. Suddenly I could smell the awful stench that brought me back so many memories of fighting on the streets. I knew then it had to be the Locus. Nothing could ever compare to that smell. I peered over my cover this time with my Snub pistol. I waited for my chance.. As soon as the Drone poked his head up trying to do the same as me I let a clip out into his head and upper torso.
This action led to the other remaining Locus around to start there fire. I quickly hid my head again and waited for them to stop. As soon as I heard their guns click from lack of ammo I jumped from behind my cover and unloaded on them. Dom took out the two on the left as I took out the one on the right. When I saw there was no more Locus to be bothered with, I started toward the tower once again stepping over the dead body parts.
"Delta 1 we are on our way to your location" Dom called out over his radio
"Roger that Delta 2 we are clearing the aria for extraction over"
We made our way down the tower and out into the prison yard. As we approached the broken columns Dom announced into the radio once more
"Ok Delta 1 we are ready for extraction over"
"Negative Negative Delta 2! Enemy groups coming up on your right! We are taking heavy fire"
I flanked left as Dom distracted the enemy's fire toward him. I reloaded and started to unloaded. With Dom right with me, we gave them what they asked for the moment they crossed our paths. Blood everywhere… If felt so good again. To be in the middle of battle with my best friend. To feel the power behind every shot fired from my gun. To be tearing up their asses for what they had done to our precious world… our planet.. Sera. Suddenly I could hear over the radio the choppers were having difficulties of their own. I looked up to the sky as one caught fire and started hurdling toward the ground. "IM HIT! IM HIT!" came over the radio as the chopper fell behind 2 buildings and a burst of flames up lifted over the tops of the buildings.
"6 4 is down, I repeat 6 4 is down! We are aborting mission! I am currently retrieving Delta 2 now!" Hearing this over my radio I knew at that point that means for us to get our asses out of there immediately. After the last Drone went down Dom and I both started to move toward our extraction point. About half was I could feel the ground beneath us start to quiver. Dom looked at me. I looked back at him.
"Delta 1 there is something moving below ground" The King Raven announced over the radio
"I see it to Raven, what are we looking at here?"
"To hell if I know but I am getting Delta 2 out of there now!"
"Marcus!," Dom yelled, "We got to get to the Raven now!" I started running toward the chopper that just landed a few yards in front of us. I could feel the trimmers getting worse. Something big was coming. Really big… As we ran to the Raven, a man lent his hands out to help us up. As soon as the rubber on the bottom of my shoe touched the chopper, I felt the earth begin the crack and crumble beneath us. We started to lift of the ground just in time. I turned to looked back to see what was going on. The ground seemed to explode into a fountain of dirt and as the dust cleared I saw a long spider like leg reach out at us nearly hitting the chopper. "A Corpser.." Dom whispered. I watch it scream in anger and destroy the prison. I was a little happy watching the prison go. I had only spent 4 years there but it seemed like much longer…