Battlefields of Killzone
The Hunted
Ch.1 Tracking the Nuisance
As told by Private Hans Gabiavo, Gunner 2nd Class
Even via their atmospheric masks, their oddly civilized alien ascent roared through the auto cannon's gunfire.
"God damn it Lucas! I told you I'm low on ammunition! Reload that belt feed!"
"I'm going as fast as I can! You try to do this without your gloves on! It's bloody hot!"
It was the first time the inferiors had pulled one over us. The mighty Helgan Empire, the Masters of the Blitzkrieg, and the Fist of Scolar Visari, had fallen prey to the first casualty. May I avenge my comrade's soul tenfold for his curiosity; a single ISA rat had been hiding under the bridge we were crossing a moment ago. I can only imagine he had heard it's scuttling, for when he looked over the edge, gun up and eyes opened like he was trained to do, a silenced round exited from his helm. I saw his body fall over the low railing, the spray of his gray matter pattering against another's armor. Everyone backed away from the scene in question, while I readied myself in my turret. It wouldn't have been the first time I had reacted to a possible threat, pulling back the firing lever between the barrels of the Mark IV ROC Weapon, it's reassuring 'Kerr-CHECK' of the chamber loading one of hundreds of .50 caliber rounds, and tightening my harness. Oblivious to the outside world, Private Lucas was laying idle across the APC's metal benches, only half of his tactical gear on his person. Just before the urge of kicking him in his cranium had taken effect, Elite Commandant Trevino's voice crackled over my headset.
"Attention all units! Man down! Man down! Prepare for possible engagement!"
His body jolted upwards, turning his head towards me with glowing eyes, "What the hell's going on?"
"Someone just got killed, you lazy ass. Get over here and prepare!"
Trevino's voice caught my attention again, "Squad A and B hold your position. Squad C, move to the rear and investigate the underside of the bride. Sniper units priority. I want nothing to survive beneath us!"
Not a moment after saying this, shots began to ring out. I had turned the turret to my left, from which the original source of disorder had started, and was surprised to see muzzle flashes from directly before of me in the terrain ahead.
"Engagement confirmed! All units advance and fire at will! Kill those human insects!"
Now, as I space my bursts of fire, I lay cover for my brethren, sighting at least 2 weakly camouflaged scum fall beneath my anguish.
"Well, get your damn gloves on and load the blasted belt! I'm risking my helm for your stupidity!"
"If you want the blasted belt so bad, you get your padded arse down from there and put it on yourself!"
"Fine! Take my position!" Reluctantly, I unlash myself from my belt harness and climb down. As Lucas replaces me, clumsily resting his weight on my shoulder and clipping himself in, I reach down to retrieve the ammunition belt. Due to the heat generated by the auto cannon's firing, the belt feeding system tends to heat up quickly, hence the former operator's difficulty. Even with my thick ploy-fiber gloves, the entering end of the belt feed stings my hands. Once the heavy system clips into the weapon's chamber, I pat Lucas on his flank.
"Pull the firing lever in the center on the weapon. That will load it, and then pull the triggers simultaneously to fire. Aim strait, and for God's sakes don't shoot one of us!"
"I know, I know. Just let me kill someone!"
Fool… I don't know how he made it though academy…
As the auto-cannon erupts into life once more, I make my way to the weapons rack, remove my HG-CQ Assault Rifle from it's space, load my vest with it's drum magazines, and click off the safety.
"Lucas, I'm going out. Cover my positions along the way, understood?"
"Yes, sir. Bring back a souvenir while you're at it?"
My patience thins, "Bloody fool…" Leaning near the rear hatch, I smack the hatch release with an open palm, the door heavily falling to the weathered concrete below. From the darkness of the interior of the APC, the pale sky of this so called 'autumn' welcomes my dark stature; a rather worn looking bridge extends away from me, roughly eighty meters down. My vehicle 2nd in line, the rest of the convoy lies before me, two more APC's and a Wolf Spider Tank guarding our rear. The Carrier's guns in the rear are blocked by the other remaining APC and another Wolf Spider in the front lines, but the number and dominance of our comrades and firepower should easily clean up this mess.
Shouldering my weapon, I close my eyes for a moment, visualizing my targets.
"Obstacles of Scolar Visari's visions… that's all humans will be. Helgan has bred us to concur them… Visari has gathered us… and now I will aid my comrades to victory!"
With a deep breath, my eyes snap open and my mind shifts to flight or fight. My body turns itself round the edge of my vehicle, my rifle raised my line of sight clear. My legs bring me into a sprint, tunnel vision ensuing and my hearing becoming a bit clearer. I spot a flash of fire in the distance, my mind registering it's first target and my trigger finger squeezing.
"Die! You filthy human…"
BANG! BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
A heavy tremor knocks me off of my feet, the four explosions making themselves known from the rear. Straining to regain my footing, I retrieve my dropped weapon, "Bloody Hell! What was…"
CRACKLE…
No more than 3 meters away, the bridge begins to splinter and crack.
"No… the bridge! Get the hell off the bridge!!"
CRUNCHCRAKLECRUNCH!
Just as my comrades realize what peril their lives had just fallen into, a 30 meter section of the bridge shifts two feet downward.
"COME ON, DAMN IT! GET OOOOFF!!!"
I sling my rifle over a shoulder and begin to run towards the ever-developing fissure. One of the turret gunners of an APC manages to climb out, another screaming at his jammed harness. As the gunner and another comrade make their way towards me, the bridge shifts another handful of centimeters, possibly its last shift of the now fated structure.
CRRRRRRUNCH…
As those two leap toward me, the bridge finally gives way, the road disappearing from sight. Both of them collide with the edge of the road, their arms grasping for a handhold. My now adrenaline soaked body reaches for the soldier to my right, hands grasping his thick, padded shoulders. "I've got you man! I've got you! Pull! Get up!"
As he struggles to save himself, my comrade on the left begins to slip.
"Help! Damn it I'll fall!"
"Hold on I said! Hold on!"
I heave the man in my arms as best as I can, pulling him by his gear straps and getting him to his waist.
"I said I'm FALLING!"
"I SAID I'm COMING! HOLD ON!"
"RaaaAAAAHHH!"
A piece of concrete falls from one of his hands, my brother hanging by the other.
"No no no NO NO!"
Just as I reach for him…
The rest of the concrete breaks away.
"NOOOOOooooooo…"
My body collapses, my hand still grasping for his life. My eyes follow him on his way to his demise, the lost portion of the bridge smashing into the ground at least 50 meters down. The APC's and tank followed a split second afterwards, its own weight crinkling and exploding into plumes of debris. I did not see where my lost comrade fell… he disappeared into the flames.
Time has seemed to stop at this moment…
The image of my comrade falling… imaging his defeated expression behind his mask… seeing and almost feeling his anger towards his unjustly fate…
An unjust fate…
He had not the chance to experience a worthy death, shot down until he could not fire back… the only way to die honorably…
And somehow, his anguish channeled to me from the smoke below, his energy seemingly charging my blood, my breath doubling in volume and my fingers gripping the crumbled stone beneath me. I begin to rise, my grip shifting from the edge to the sling of my weapon, taking it in one hand.
Beside me, my saved brother rolls to his back and props himself up.
"Thank you, sir…"
"I ask not that you thank me, but to instead except that your fate did not end here. Honor those who just fell now by completing their kill count. Have you your weapon?"
"No sir, it is lost."
As he stands up, I push my rifle to his chest.
"Take this then."
Reaching to my thigh, I pull upon a strap to draw my service pistol.
"But sir, what about…"
"No buts! Now come on! AVENGE THEM!"
Within one deep breath, my boots begin to pound beneath me, my vision tunneling and my destination vengeance. As I run, I vaguely notice my APC, Lucas spraying fire wildly.
"You filthy animals! You freaking, filthy animals! You'll pay!! YOU"LL PAY!!!"
The next event along my sprint was of Elite Trevino's laying more cover fire, his body leaning over one edges of his tank, a corpse of one of our own beneath his Squad Automatic Weapon as a support.
Ahead, the terrain changes from worn asphalt to beige dust, the bridge fading to the beginnings of a wide plain. Boulders, mounds of dirt, and other debris littered the edge of road, flashes of automatic weapons firing from over or between the cover. As I charge headlong, my pistol kicks rapidly. Its discharges only slightly calm my raging mind, the possibility of my lead entering my enemies flesh my only hope to satisfaction. Death and bloodlust becomes me as my free hand reaches for a grenade, my thumb flicking the pin free, and hurling the weighted explosive towards a group of muzzles. As it sails behind the rocks, curses and exclamations proceed; one ISA scrambles over the rocks to become ripped apart in our fire, the other's blood splattering along the boulders as the grenade detonates.
"Take that you primitive… UUFFFF!!!"
A driving force contacts my side, the force spinning my body round as I fall. My weight unforgivingly connecting with the ground, my breath escapes me.
"Ah… shit…"
Realizing my life had not ended yet, my hands search my tender side, returning with no blood. As I reach again in disbelief, I feel a hole in the material of my vest, pulling out a mangled spare magazine for my pistol.
"Whew…"
I rollover to my belly, realizing I had also fortunately fallen behind a crumbling stone formation. Retrieving my pistol from the side, I drag my torso against the low wall for a moment. Just as I take no more than two breaths;
"Sir! Are you hurt?!"
A comrade crashes beside me, his back to the wall and his orange goggles fixed to mine.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Returning the favor!"
Kneeling up, the man I saved begins to fire, his posture correct and his firing in bursts, picking his targets. A hail of return fire ricochets across the rock, my comrade ducking just in time.
"Good show, man! And damn it don't worry about me! Cover my 3 o'clock while I take your 9."
"On the contrary, sir!"
My gaze follows his jabbing finger; a dark silhouette catches my eye. Parallel with the wall I had fallen to, a gaunt figure crawls out from underneath the bridge. Upon closer inspection, the figure is outfitted in black attire and gear, yet it moved with a certain sluggishness; its left arm drooped idly as the rest of the body leaned against cover.
"That's not one of ours, is it sir?"
A second glance its clothing, green goggles instead of orange, the answer became clear.
"No, that's an ISA assassin!" That's the man who destroyed the bridge!!"
"That Bastard! KIIIIIIILL HIM!!!"
As if we had previously rehearsed, my comrade and I raise our weapons in unison and fire. Divits of sand kick about him, our initial shots making contact as it ducked its body behind cover. Irony ensues, for when my emptied weapon responds with a dull 'click', the rifle beside me also ceases.
"Reloading!"
Why the hell were we trained to announce to the whole damned battle…"HAAARHGargle…"
I turn and face the odd noise, blood pulsing from both the entry and exit wounds of my comrade's throat. As his falling body brushes against mine, my gaze traces back to the assassin's position, it's weapon outstretched in one hand towards me.
I didn't even hear the shot, and just like that, my partner's life empties over my feet.
"Damn… you… RAAAAH!"
In a blur I reach for my original weapon, close the rifle's reloading latch, and pull the firing lever. I do not even hesitate to pull the trigger before my goggles level with my point sight, the butt stock pounding my shoulder like a piston. The assassin leaps over the low wall and begins to sprint towards its allies, the weapon suddenly spewing rounds in rapid succession towards me.
"Oh, no you don't!"
My finger releases for a moment, my pupils focusing on the dark blotch in my sights. My brain tells my arms to lead my target by a few decimeters, the assassin struggling to scurry up a high dirt mound.
"You're MINE!"
Just as the dark enemy reaches the top, my finger clutches the trigger. The rifle responds thrice; crimson liquids splash from the targets shoulder. In an almost graceful manner, it spins round, then falls over the edge.
For only a moment I feel a wave of satisfaction, but it slips away as I realize that he had not died instantly. My temper flaring, I reach for my last grenade, arm it, and wildly hurl it in the direction of my frustrations. It clears the mound, pauses, and then explodes.
I cannot tell if I heard a death cry. A string of fire from a set of auto-cannons dampened the noise.
"I hope your death to be intensely slow…"
I reach down to retrieve my pistol, but notice a change in atmosphere; no longer do I hear ISA fire. I peak over the thick stone, and to my surprise, see no more targets.
"They're retreating… we have them on the run! Come on!" I take a motion to pursue, but am interrupted by Trevino's voice.
"All units stand down. I repeat, cease-fire. Regroup and hold positions."
"What!?"
Rising from my position, I begin to stomp back to my commander. Trevino pushes aside his improvised sandbag, leans his machine gun over a shoulder and faces me.
"You heard me, regroup and hold."
"That's bull crap! Did you just see what happened? We just lost half of our unit! We have to finish them off!"
"Did you just see what happened?! THEY just caused the loss of half of our unit. We need to stand down until reinforcements come. Then we continue."
My blood boiling, I step inches away from his chest, "And let them escape! What kind of bloody order is that?!"
He matches my step, the only thing separating our faces were his armor and mine, "It's the commands I was given! I have specific orders for our unit to pursue the ISA squad, but only to engage when necessary! We wait for reinforcements! Period! Now get back to ranks!"
"Tell that to those who just fell…"
Despite the rising urge to raise my weapon to him, I stifle my rage, but manage to at least voice my mind. Roughly throwing my rifle sling over a shoulder, I begin my way back to my vehicle.
Why the hell would we only pursue, but only to observe? Since when was this unit changed form a Shock Troop to a Recon unit? What the hell makes these ISA rodents so important that we cannot destroy them now?
These thoughts plagued my mind on the short walk back to my APC. One thought screams the loudest, however.
When can I avenge my brothers…"Well, well, you're not dead! That's good to know."
Lucas leans an elbow over his turret mount, facing me.
"Shut up, you fool…"
"So, you want to come back up here?"
"No… stay up there if you prefer. I need some peace."
"Good! Because I wasn't going to let you, otherwise. I do favor this to the hard benches down below."
My fading adrenaline, mixed with agitation and annoyance, causes my body to numb slightly. Wishing not to deal with Lucas, I merely lean against the side of my armored transport and breathe. Flashes of memory flicker within my goggles, the ghosts of each brother I witnessed die questioning the timing of my own fate. The curious soldier, the trapped gunner, the fallen brother and my comrade who was assassinated…
Their memories will empower me in my next battle, and will destroy those who oppose us. That is my promise to my comrades, Scolar Visari, and my home.
Vengeance will strengthen me, Visari will guide me, and only fate can stop me. That is the Helgan way.