Alright, this one has been sitting on my mind for a while now!
Yeah, probably the first REALLY serious fic I have ever really written.
Oh, HUGE NOTE by the way. In this story, the IS DOES NOT have Absolute Barrier, making them killable. They're just really hard to kill for most people in this.
Also, this is MAJOR AU and people will be out of character. You have been warned.
EDIT: Formerly known as Legion of the Damned, but I made the mistake of using a title that was a registered trademark. Yeah, you should've seen my face when I read that. My exact words? "Oh... oh fuck." Okay, maybe not that overdramatic but you get the point. Now the Legion of the Damned is simply called the Eternally Damned, since I still wanted their nicknames to fit.
So, here goes.
"Go go go!" I yelled as the hatch opened, "Come on, Legion One, we don't have all day!"
The ISs above fired down on us as we crossed the beachhead, raining death and destruction upon the pearly white sand, staining it with blood. Roars of jet engines and helicopter engines filled the air, along with the sound of machine guns and missiles being exchanged.
"Open fire!" I designated a blue IS in the air that was sniping us with a laser rifle as soon as we took four steps on the beach and started shooting with my M4A1 carbine, "Take the IS down!" I contacted our boat driver who had gone a significant distance away, "Narukami, provide support!"
"Yessir!" the sound of a M5 machine gun filled the background noise, shooting at the blue IS.
"Got it sir!" three voices rang out as gunfire began to pepper the flying sniper.
"Going for its weapon!" Lucas, our sniper yelled, "Buy me a little time!"
"You heard him!" an explosion in the background, "Quick, take some cover in the crater! Better than standing out here in the open!"
"This is Overlord, do you copy Legion One?"
"Overlord, this is Legion Leader! We have made it onto the beachhead with the other squads. Unsure of status. We are currently engaging a blue IS Sniper!"
BANG!
"Taken out sir!" Lucas proclaimed as he wiped his black hair out of his face, "Though I'm concerned about those-"
"Get down!" I dived for him and tackled him as four blue drones suddenly began shooting at us, a small bit of sand getting in my eyes, but I'll live.
"Saved my life, thanks sir." Lucas gasped for breath in shock, "I was about to comment on those drone looking things."
"Take them down, Legion." I calmly ordered as I raised my carbine once again and began firing, destroying the drones. That was rather easy, actually. They don't move very fast, most likely they're used for support, but that's the problem when you're sniping alone is simply put, you don't have any support at all.
"What is this, target practice?" Alucard chuckled as he holstered his M9 side arm and pulled out his Mossberg 590 shotgun.
"Don't get cocky." I warned him, "Lucas, kill shot."
"Easy peasy," he lined up the shot, and since the IS didn't have any other weapons on it, a clip of sniper rifle shots and it was gone. One bullet straight through the head. I thought these things were supposed to have this invincible shield them that protected them from everything even after they exhausted their power. Nah, that would be crazy. What am I thinking? Then again we're killing teenage girls. With super weapons.
Just another day for a Damned.
That is what we, Legion Team, one of many squads that make up the Eternally Damned, which is the name for the first one thousand rebels against the IS hierarchy are called alongside all the other squads, who have been sentenced to eternal damnation upon this world, with never a moment of peace until we have changed the world. No one else afterwards was called this. When the IS pilots speak of the Eternally Damned, they speak only in fear, in whispers as not to tempt that we will come for them next.
You may be asking just how we have defeated an IS. Yes, it has defeated navies, fleets of airships, and the mightiest of tanks. But in the end, that's because those things are run by computers. They compare nothing to human potential and the sheer ingenuity of the human mind and what it can do when pressed.
The same thing goes for our limits. One may be surprised what he can do when pushed to the edge.
This is our story. One written in blood, sweat, tears and all of that cliché stuff.
"Overlord, this is Legion Leader, we've mopped the floor with the IS Sniper. Requesting permission to move on ahead towards the objective."
"Negative on that one, Legion Leader. Phalanx Squad is in some trouble approximately one mile due south from your position, something about two ISs at once, which was unplanned for. Assist Phalanx Squad and then move in to the objective."
"Roger that Overlord." I nodded, "Legion, Phalanx is in some trouble, we're getting them out of the frying pan." I switched comms back to Overlord, "Overlord, any details on the two we're dealing with?"
"Phalanx reports that one of them seems to be nullifying their shots, somehow stopping the bullets in the air. The other one apparently is wielding a multitude of guns that it can switch at will."
"Thanks Overlord. Legion is Oscar Mike." I reloaded my carbine, "Narukami, follow-"
BOOM!
"What the hell?!" Sousuke suddenly pulled out his M32 Grenade Launcher and spun around, "IS! Coming in hot!"
It was red or crimson, I can't really tell. I DO know that it started firing orange-ish energy bolts.
"Go, get back!" I ordered to the team, "Narukami, come in! Narukami, please respond!"
The IS mercilessly fired upon our boat. Damnit, you got him! There's no need to desecrate his dead body!
Before I knew what I was doing, I had taken aim and started firing on the IS out of pure rage. I know it could blast me to kingdom come due to the fact those lasers were very fast unlike the last one where its lasers were rather slow firing.
"Die you little bitch!" I snarled, pumping lead into the IS that fired back on me. I rolled to the left on instinct to avoid a very nasty laser to the arm before continuing to open fire.
"Leader… I'm… egh…" Narukami's voice crackled over the comm unit, "Just… lemme aim. It… was an honor to serve under you… Legion Leader. I'll see you in hell."
Before the IS could shoot at me again, a loud eruption of machine gun fire filled the air as bullets riddled the shoulder pods that fired the lasers on the red IS, with said pods exploding. With its offensive capabilities down, the rest of Legion Team moved in to assist me in its destruction.
As the IS fell, exploding, it veered towards Narukami's ship.
"Adios." was Narukami's final word as the IS collided with his ship.
"Sir…?" Sousuke broke the silence that had only been broken at first by the flickering flames.
"We're going to make sure he receives a proper burial when we finish this." I growled, "Overlord, we've taken out the other IS, is Phalanx still in need of assistance?"
"Phalanx is still in need of assistance, Legion."
"Overlord… mark Narukami as KIA. Supposedly killed during a surprise attack but actually killed going out with a bang to take out the IS that ambushed us."
"…Understood. Move out, Legion."
We silently jogged over to Phalanx's location.
I saw the IS that stopped bullets in its tracks. Pilot was some gray haired girl. Hm, it seems that she keeps moving whenever their gunboat gives assistance. That ability probably requires focus. Well, let's provide a distraction.
"Legion, aim for the other one, the orange IS." I aimed down the scope, "Fire on my mark."
"Why aren't we aiming for the black one?" Lucas asked.
"Orange and Black are working in tandem with each other. Most likely they are long time partners. Threatening one will force the other to pick emotions or mission." I told him coolly with no hint of guilt in my voice. I had lost my feelings of guilt a long time ago. You can say I'm not human. I'm fine with that. Hell, I might as well be Alex fucking Mercer at this point, "Smoke her."
Our squad opened fire on the orange one, and suddenly the black one froze for a split second before going to guard the orange one.
"Phalanx Leader, this is Legion Leader. We'll get that black IS to show its weakness, so if its blocking us shooting, you guys need to take it out."
"Copy that Legion Leader. Also, thanks for saving our asses. Hell, we weren't expecting two of them here!"
"Just helping our a fellow Damned," we chuckled at our nickname. Yeah, if you're part of the Eternally Damned, we all know you're pretty much fucked. After all, it was the first thousand, right?
There's only 23 of us left. Twenty three Damned souls still walking the Earth, fighting for the rest of our lives for freedom.
We took out the black one fairly quickly. Hell, when you've got oncoming fire from three sides, it's pretty hard to win.
Not that that stopped me, but I digress.
"Black IS taken down!" Sousuke reported as he launched a grenade right into the pilot's face, "Anyways-"
He didn't get to finish as a bright flash of light that originated from the black IS lit up our world. When it subsided, I saw him in the sand, with a giant round in the stomach.
"Damn… rail gun." Lucas growled as he shot the pilot just to make sure she was dead, "AVENGE OUR BRETHREN!"
With newly inspired passion we took down the orange IS and killed the pilot, Phalanx Squad delivering a brutal team coup de grace on her. I never knew spines could bend like that, but never mind that.
"Overlord, this is Legion, our assist for Phalanx is over and we're heading over to our main objective. Also… Sousuke is KIA."
"Copy that Legion Leader. Anything else?"
"Not for now. Over and out, Overlord."
You must be wondering how we take out an IS so easily, even if I had explained it before with all the philosophy stuff. Yeah, our bullets do the equivalent of like, 2 shield points or whatever health like system they run on.
Squads of four, right? So each time we fire a shot that hits (and we're pretty damn accurate), that's at least 8 damage. At least since there's higher powered weapons like a sniper rifle. Combine that with high fire rate, so you're talking about doing a lot of damage over time. Take into account our backup or support we usually have, and you're talking about decimation of enemies here.
My IS kill count? I've never killed one in a one on one fight, but I've dealt the most damage to… six.
"Man, we keep losing people today… it's never happened to us before," Lucas shook his head as I covered out six.
"This time we went up against the best of the best. These guys are the representatives, and we're doing a squad assault. Usually we're going up against them with all out armies charging in. This is different." Alucard explained, "Unfortunately, we did lose good people today."
We kept pushing towards our objective. We didn't' run into any custom IS pilots, but there were a few in the mass production models. Bah, those kids hadn't seen real combat at all. Are they getting so desperate as to send untrained children now?
We let them live, of course, since we aren't monsters. I can tell who's ready to kill us and who's stepping onto the battlefield, scared and isolated. The latter get to live.
I heard rustling behind us when we reached a clearing, and lo and behold it was a guy piloting an IS.
"The Traitor To Mankind himself," I snarled, opening fire, "Ichika Orimura."
"Setsura, shield!" he blocked my bullets and I ceased fire, "So, I take it you're the ones who killed my friends?!"
"If you're talking about the blue one with the sniper rifle," Ichika frowned, "The red one with great swords," his frown deepened, "The orange one with a bajillion guns," He started glaring, "AND the bitch with the gigantic cannon, then yes."
"You BASTARD!" he charged at me, but I simply dodged. Bah, this kid doesn't know really combat. He's used to an IS battle most likely, "Laura was not a bitch!"
"Really, 'cause she did kind of kill my good friend Sousuke, who actually had a wife who didn't beat him to kingdom come." I threw a grenade, but he blocked again, "Oh, and you're friend with the great swords desecrated my friend Narukami's body after blowing up the boat by continuously shooting it afterwards. SO glad he got to kill her."
"Shut up!" Ichika yelled as he charged again.
"Leader." Alucard said in a low voice, "Leave this one to me."
"Why? Why shouldn't I end this traitor's life here?"
"I have a personal score to settle with this asshole," Alucard removed his glasses and hat then threw them aside, "Hey, remember me?"
"A-alucard?!" Ichika's concentration faltered, "Is it you?!"
"Yes. Ah, I still remember all those years ago, when you visited me one day as an old friend. Remember? When we laughed about old times when men had freedom? Then the next day apparently some assassin is hiding out in our slums, and who do I find other than you destroying the entire place, not caring about all the innocents you're killing as you scream something about avenging your dear 'Houki-chan'? You may have lost your girlfriend to an assassin, but at least she died a dignified death."
"How is that dig-"
"Because of YOU, the structures collapsed on MY girlfriend, who I found pinned under, bleeding, bruising, and dying. With her last breaths she told me she loved me but I couldn't get my response out fast enough." I saw unwept tears in Alucard's eyes, "YOU THOUGHT JUST BECAUSE IT WAS FOR YOUR GIRLFRIEND WHO WAS AN IS PILOT ALONG WITH THE FACT YOU'RE FUCKING IMMUNE TO ALL OF THIS INEQUALITY 'CAUSE YOU GOT THE FEMALE POPULATION WANTING TO GET INTO YOUR PANTS YOU COULD DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANTED!"
"T-that's not true!"
"Save it, I'm sure your bitchy friends in hell can listen to your sorry excuses!" Alucard leapt up, winding a punch. Ichika brought out his shield-
And Alucard broke it.
"Tch, as if some puny shield is going to stop me from avenging her. I might've broken my arm but that's a small price to pay…" he snarled, "Cynthia, hear my pleas! Grant me strength from the life beyond!" he turned around, "Lucas, Leader, get out of here."
"…Alucard…" Lucas breathed out.
"Go! Fulfill the mission. That's what we're best at," he blocked Ichika's sword with his shotgun, "Now go!"
"We're coming back to get you when we finish," I clenched my fist as we continued on.
Lucas and I, the final two of Legion Squad, pressed on.
Halfway there, we found out Phalanx and the other four squads, Company, Battalion, and Unit had all been wiped out.
That means there are literally three Damneds still alive.
We heard laughter as well, that belonged to Alucard. Looks like he killed Ichika… at the cost of his life judging from his radio transmission.
Eventually we found where we were supposed to be going, which was some research facility looking place.
"So, we're just about-GAH!" I spun around and found myself face to face with the target.
White Knight.
[Music: Welcome To The Black Parade, by My Chemical Romance]
When I was, a young boy
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band
He said son when you grow up
Will you be, the savior of the broken?
The beaten and the Damned?
"Lucas…" I whispered to myself as I saw the blood drip down the blade. White Knight cast him off, his bloody tumbling away, dirtying the soil with blood.
He said, will you, defeat them?
Your demons and all the non believers
The plans that they have made?
"So you are the final one."
Because one day, I'll leave you
A phantom to lead you in the summer
"So what if I am?" I shot back, courage and hatred overflowing from me, "Today, White Knight, you will be killed."
TO JOIN THE BLACK PARADE!
And so the battle began. I instinctively started firing.
When I was, a young boy
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band
He said son when you grow up
Will you be, the savior of the broken?
The beaten and the Damned?
I paced backwards to behind a wall, still shooting.
Sometimes I get the feeling
She's watching over me
And other times I feel like I should go
Wait, supplies. What do I have left? Okay, my knife, a frag grenade, and three magazines for my carbine, and four for my M9.
It'll have to do.
Went through all, the rise and fall
The bodies in the streets
And when you're gone we want you all to know
"I delighted in killing your comrades," White Knight spoke as she cut my damn gun in half, "Why don't you just accept the world the way it is?"
We'll carry on, we'll carry on!
And though you're dead and gone, believe me
Your memory will carry on, we'll carry on
"Because I don't give into fear." I leapt back and avoided a decapitating slice, then opened fire with my pistol, "And as for the male IS pilot, why the hell did you all support him?"
And in my heart, I can't contain it
The anthem won't explain it!
A world that sends you reeling
From decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all
"Hmph, I didn't actually expect it to be like that." White Knight kept hacking at me but missed as I dodged like crazy, "The fact he was friendly to all and already placed females above males helped though."
"Yeah, well, he was a fucking traitor to man, that's for sure."
"My brother was not a traitor to anyone!"
So paint black and take it back
Let's shout loud clear
Do you fight it to the end
We hear the call
TO CARRY ON!
We'll carry on
"Brother, eh?" A psychotic grin crossed my face, "Well, I'm not really sorry to tell you, but he's dead."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah. Alucard had a score to settle. Ichika, the little shit, got Alucard's girlfriend killed while chasing an assassin. He got what he was coming to him."
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on, we'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on
"How dare you call him such!" I took a small hit as I felt hairs being chopped, but countered with a punch to White Knight's face.
On and on we carry through the fears
Disappointed faces your peers
Take a look at me
'Cause I could NOT CARE AT ALL
"I don't give a damn what you think about him, but that doesn't sit right with me." Dropping the pistol, I went to work with my knife, "But remember this, as the last of the Eternally Damned, I WILL SEND YOU TO THE HELL FROM WHICH YOU CAME! AAAAAGH!"
Do your die, you'll never make me
Because the world, will never take my heart
I looked down and saw blood. She got me with the sword.
Though you try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we want to play this part
"Declare yourself a traitor, subordinate to me and I'll get you help."
Won't explain, or say I'm sorry
Unashamed, I'm gonna show my scar
"Heh, you know… look where you got me. You see that scar? That was from my first IS kill. I'm not guilty of anything I've done."
Give a cheer, for all the broken
Listen here, because it's who we are
I'm just a man, not a hero.
Just a boy, we wanna sing this song
I'm just a man, not a hero.
"Where's your confidence now, as you lie, bleeding and dying?" White Knight scoffed then laughed evilly.
My vision started to give out, but I… have to win… no one… else will have this chance!
I… don't… CARE!
With the last of my strength, I pulled myself in, grunting in pain as the sword ran deeper through me. Not that White Knight noticed, though, in her laughter.
I pulled the pin… and as she laughed…
WE'LL CARRY ON, WE'LL CARRY ON
I shoved the primed grenade into her mouth and kept her mouth shut.
And though you're dead and gone, believe me
Your memory will carry on, we'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on
"That… will kill you from the inside out!" I laughed, "Your shields can't get you there… and so, I might die, White Knight, but know that the one who had the last laugh in this, the one who defeated you was-"
Do your die, you'll never make me
Because the world, will never take my heart
Though you try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we want to play this part
And it all went white. But I'm alive…
Do your die, you'll never make me
Because the world, will never take my heart
"Overlord… no… Phantom Task…"
"Yes, Legion Leader?"
"Legion Leader, KIA. White Knight, killed. Mission accomplished. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to take an eternal nap. See you on the other side, Phantom Task. Honor working with you."
Though you try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we want to play this part
And it all went dark.
=(+)=
You stand here, looking at the gravestone set here.
You've walked the legendary path, the path of Legion many times.
It starts at the beachhead. There is a gravestone that has been placed where Narukami was killed. Metal artists from all around the world came to recreate the ship he last sailed.
His last words are etched onto its hull.
The craters where the team took shelter and took out Blue Tears has been preserved, as it is considered sacred ground for the world now.
The one mile trail down the beach still remains, footprints ingrained for eternity. The bloodstains are, at least. The team had neglected to treat their wounds in order to save Phalanx team, or at least that's what the released supports said.
The shell that killed Sousuke still remains there, as a memorial to a soldier that fought for freedom. No one ever forgot him. His gravestone is marked by a mega sized statue of the Demoman of Team Fortress 2, apparently a note found in his locker said something about wanting that for his gravestone.
Then the IS known as Byakushiki is but a rust pile now where it lies. It was rumored when Alucard's body was found, he had a wider than humanly possible smile on his face despite a gaping hole in his chest.
Looks like he accomplished his mission.
His grave was a golden statue of him, life size of course, triumphantly holding up the broken pieces of Byakushiki's sword.
Lucas' grave was a rather bland one, but there was a marble statue of his smile, which never really faltered, polishing a sniper rifle.
And then you see the last grave.
"The Hero of Mankind."
You resist chuckling. There was never just one hero of mankind. Many heroes die for a world like this.
Who could've deserved such a title on their gravestone anyways?
You know you didn't deserve such a title, being a Damned man anyways, but it didn't stop them.
You turn around to footsteps, and behind, you see a group of people. Young couples, that's new. The men leave the women behind, as they know the history of what occurred here. Despite the world being the way it is now, women know there are some places they shouldn't be.
The men lean down next to the gravestone and whisper thanks. Thanks for making the world it is today, apologies on how their parents could've live in a world like this.
But know you know your job has been completed.
And you fade into the sunlight.
In case you didn't realize it, the whole second person part was the character being a ghost, waiting until he knew the world was fine before leaving.
Oh, did it shock you when you found it he was on Phantom Task?
Yeah, I've had that thought sometimes. It would be AWESOME if Phantom Task were the good guys. Unfortunately I think the light novels have stopped, which makes me pretty sad. I'm not sure though, but I know I'd like to see the entire series finished.
Anyways, leave a review if you feel like it. Have a nice day!