Chapter one of my new story... ah hell, here we go...

Anyway, this is the sequel to G.U.N.'s Requiem: Choir of Shadows, and it'll help to read that first. (But you can still read this, it just helps latter on, doesn't matter a whole lot right now.)

This is the prologue if anything, but one hell of an opening act none the less.

Well, have fun reading this, and remember to aim for the head!

Shoot em in the head, SHOOT EM IN THE HEAD! (Bonus points to whoever catches that reference)

"Alright, are we on...? Good, this is news anchor Terra Sylome reporting for NSC. I am here in downtown Westopolis, where the city is under siege by what we believe to be aliens! As you can see, they seem to appear using vortexes in the sky. We are unsure as to how or why they are here, but they are without a doubt hostile! The city is being evacuated and the local G.U.N. force are doing what they can to combat the aliens. They are... wait... I'm... I'm being told we have to move to a new location, our area isn't safe anymore. I'm going to... what in the hell... oh my god..."

BOOM

FZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTT

"Ah shit!" Private Parts yelled as his pistol ran dry. He ducked back behind the demolished APC as another wave of plasma bolts flew by his head. He ejected the clip from his pistol and slammed in a new one, poised to fire once more.

"Son of a bitch! Why don't they just die!?" He thought as he pressed against the flipped vehicle's side. He jumped out and squeezed off a few shots, then ducked into hiding once again as they returned fire.

He could hear the sounds of combat all around him, he could hear the shouts of victory, and the cries of death. Chaos filled his mind as he scanned his surroundings, buildings and vehicles burned, sirens wailed, craters filled the ground, the roads were torn apart... and above his head, the sky was on fire, releasing demons by the dozens. It was like hell itself was attacking, bringing punishment for the sins and the damnations committed by the human race.

Parts was never very religious, but considering the circumstances... he was willing to believe anything.

Plasma struck the vehicle, igniting flames on it's hull, and Parts jerked away as the APC was struck over and over again. He heard the sound of automatic fire springing to life beside him, and he turned to the other soldier who'd survived the battle so far.

She wore the same gear as he did, a dark blue suit of Kevlar, crowned with a steel helmet and a dark tinted visor, the combat uniform of G.U.N., a rainbow patch was also sewn into her shoulder sleeve. She fired her M4A1 Carbine into the attacking creatures, jumping back as a bolt passed her by inches.

"Ma'm!" Parts shouted, "What're we gonna do?"

She looked over at the Private, "I was hoping you'd have something" She replied, "I've got no idea!"

Parts looked around for some way of escape. There were burning vehicles, destroyed streets, corpses everywhere… not very much in the ways of escaping… but wait…

He saw it, a clear alley across the street, maybe 50 meters, they could make escape through there. Parts turned back to the other, "Corporal! What about that alley!?" He asked as he pointed across the street.

The Corporal turned and saw their route, "You think we can make it?" She asked over the sounds of plasma flying over their heads.

"Do we have a choice?" Parts asked, "It looks like it's that, or we can stay here and get hammered by a bunch of pissed off monsters!"

The other nodded, "Alright, sounds like a plan" She said as she popped out of cover once again to spray the creatures with bullets. Parts stuck himself out and fired off several shots as well, then flew back once the fire focused on them once more.

"One my signal!" The Corporal yelled, she pulled a grenade from her vest and pulled the pin. She hurled it over the burning APC and strait at the attacking monsters. "Move!"

The grenade went off, and the two made a mad dash across the open street, attracting more fire then they had before. They made it halfway before they had to drop behind a downed as the fire became to intense.

Parts looked around franticly, and he could see the street burning in front of him. The entire block was on fire, the massive buildings that once touched the sky now stand engulfed in flame, lighting up the darkened city with it's hellish flames.

But now was not the time to be mesmerized, he heard the Corporal shout out "Round 2!" and throw a grenade. He steeled himself and waited for the bang…

RUN!

The two made a second dash across the street, barley making to the alleyway as a wall of plasma struck where they had been. They continued running, they weren't going to take any chances. They rounded corners and ran deeper into what was quickly becoming a labyrinth.

They finally slowed to a stop when they believed they'd lost the their attackers. They breathed sighs of relive of tried to calm down. "Permission to sit down Ma'm" Parts asked.

"Granted" The Corporal panted, sitting down herself. The alley they were in was surprisingly clean, there weren't any bodies around, and there wasn't much grime to speak of… they'd found a pretty good resting spot it seemed.

Parts placed his pistol on the ground and reached for his helmet. He took it off and rubbed his head, looking around the abandoned area. He looked over and saw his reflection in the Corporal's visor.

He could see his shaved head and tanned skin, his brown eyes were faded, and he could barley make out the bags under his eyes. "Corporal Syllvia?" Parts asked.

"Yes Private?" She replied as she placed her carbine on the ground near her, resting her arms.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" He asked, "I mean, one moment we're on our way to a party, and the next we're getting slaughtered by a horde of aliens that came out of fucking nowhere! I mean what the hell!?"

"I don't know Private… I'm getting HQ on the line right now" Syllvia said as she turned on her radio.

"HQ, HQ, this is Corporal Syllvia of the 42nd Infantry Division, please respond, over" She said into her radio, and waited for a reply.

The reply took longer then expected, but they got someone, "This is HQ, what is your status Corporal? Over" The male voice asked over the comm.

"We were en-route to the G.U.N. Ball when we were attacked by these... things!" She explained, "A Private and I were the only ones to survive the attack, we fell back to an alleyway and need orders, over"

There was another pause, "Understood, squads are scattered all over the city, and we've been unable to organize" HQ said, "What is your present location? over"

Syllvia looked around… she wasn't sure, Parts shook his head, he didn't know either, "Unknown, we couldn't tell what street we were attacked on, and we've ran through several streets I'm sure" Syllvia said, "But I believe we are somewhere near the inner city, over"

"Make your way to Locklear Drive, a transport carrying a vital piece of equipment crashed there, and several squads have linked up to protect it, we need every available soldier to defend the transport" HQ said, "If you happen to meet up with any others, direct them to Locklear Drive, over"

"Understood, but what exactly are we defending?" She asked, "And don't say it's classified, there's nothing to hide in this hell, over"

There was a pause over the radio, Private Parts put his helmet back on and gripped his M1911A1 pistol, "The transport was carrying a Chaos Emerald from a security vault to HQ, but was attacked before it could reach us, over"

A Chaos Emerald…? "Understood, we're on our way, over and out" Syllvia said as she cut the transmission.

Private Parts starred at her in wonder, "A Chaos Emerald, here?" He asked, "Could that be why those… things attacked?"

The Corporal shook her head, "I don't know, but we need to get moving" She said, standing up and bringing her weapon into her arms. Parts stood as well, checking his clip… he'll be fine.

"First, we find out where we are, second, we make out way to Highwind Drive, understood?" Syllvia asked.

Parts nodded, "Got it"

"Good, then let's move out" She said as they took off, continuing down the alleyway.

They dashed down the alley and rounded another corner, but this time, they ran right into a demon. It stood at 8 feet, towering over the soldiers. It's dark leathery skin looked as hard as Kevlar, and it's clawed limps shined against the distant flames. It locked it's glowing yellow eyes on the pair, and even though it lacked a mouth, It released a deafening roar.

"Fuck!" Parts yelled as the two opened fire. They poured rounds into the dark creature, but they seemed to have no affect. It roared once more and closed the gap between it and the soldiers, and raised it's claw to cleave the pair. Syllvia emptied her clip and went for another as she backed up, the bullets struck the creature, but it did not fall. Parts fired his pistol's last shots into the creature's neck, but this time it got a reaction. It gripped it's neck and gurgled, like it was trying to roar.

Syllvia slammed in a fresh clip and unloaded into the creature once more, but this time it tumbled and bled. It shouted ne more cry as it fell to the ground with a thunderous THUMP. For a moment, nobody moved, but Syllvia soon marched to the downed creature and squeezed the trigger, filling it's head with bullets... yeah, it was dead. The two surveyed their kill, the adrenaline fresh in their blood.

"I've seen dozens of these things... and it took all of that just to kill one?" Parts asked as he stared at the motionless body.

Syllvia shook her head, "I guess they're resistant... takes alot to bring em' down" She said as she looked the creature over, "We need to keep moving... let's hook up with another squad, maybe they'll have some idea what's going on"

Parts reloaded his pistol and nodded, "Sounds like a plan Ma'm" he said.

Syllvia gave the creature a swift kick before turning and ordering, "Move out"

The two continued on, searching for any route to return to the main street that wasn't blocked. They followed the sounds of gunfire, hoping that it wouldn't be gone before they reach it. The two finally emerged into the open street, and bore witness to a scene unlike any they'd seen before. The street was alive with combat, the entire block had been turned into a warzone. Dozens of soldiers fought for their lives against the invading hordes, bullets and plasma filled the air, and the cries of the fallen flooded the night.

Syllvia and Parts ducked back into the alley to avid the chaos. They didn't know what to do, or even how to help, it was pure hell. They watched as men were mowed down right in front of them, and how the bullets all failed to penetrate the creature's skin. Plasma flew right past Corporal Syllvia, and smashed into a soldier who was unlucky enough to be there.

There was little organization, and the creatures were making short work of the scattered soldiers. Holding a position near the alleyway was a lone soldier, standing behind a totaled car and unloading his weapon into the enemy. His shots smashed against the creatures, and only managed to get their attention. He fired fiercely, aiming high and putting several rounds through their eyes, taking a few down.

Three of the demotic creatures now marched toward the totaled car, which the lone man stood. Battered and bloodied, he stood and fought the hellspawns. He clenched his MP5 and fired into the nearing group, his rounds impacting with dull THWOOPS, barley breaking their stride. He emptied his entire clip into them, but it did nothing to halt their advance.

The two soldiers knew they had ot help. They opened fire to get the attention of the creatures, a task in which they were successful, as two of them turned to face this new threat. All three creature's were unarmed, instead they bared their claws and drew closer, growling as they approached.

The pair aimed for the head, but this group continued to draw closer, even increasing their pace. Parts and Syllvia poured everything they had into the group, downing one as they came. The other alien reached the pair, and despite the hail of gunfire, smacked Private Parts clear back into the alleyway with the back of it's hand. The creature finally fell as Syllvia pumped it's head full of lead, and it sunk to the ground.

Syllvia turned to see the man finishing off the creature, putting pistol round strait through it's eyes. The Corporal dashed to help Parts up, "You okay Private?" She asked.

"Peachy" Parts groaned as she helped him up. He steadied himself and stood up, "Now what do we do?"

Just then, the man they had saved dashed into the alley with them, narrowly avoiding a plasma bolt. His suit was darker then there's, and a red patch with the number 4 was sewn onto her shoulder. He reloaded his MP5 and faced them, "Thanks" He said, "I'd bitten off a little more then I could chew"

"No problem" Syllvia said, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

He shook his head, "I've got no damned clue, these bastards just fell right out of the damn sky and started tearin up the place"

"Damn…" Syllvia cursed, "I don't think anybody knows what's going on"

"Lance Corporal Pinkus, 4th Marine Davision" Pinkus said, introducing himself.

Pairs quirked an eyebrow, "A Marine?"

He nodded, "Aye, I was part of a detachment heading to the G.U.N. ball"

"Small world" Parts said.

A grenade detonation spurred them back to the raging conflict taking place on the street. "Shit!" Syllvia cursed, she took another look out into the battlefield, "There's nothing we can do, we need to continue onto our objective"

She turned to the marine, "Corporal Syllvia, 42nd Infantry Division" She said, Pinkus stood up strait as she announced it.

"Ma'm" He said, "I'll link up with you"

"Good, we need to get the hell over to Locklear drive, we've been told to defend a downed transport that was carrying a Chaos Emerald" The Corporal briefed, "Lance, do you know how to get there?"

Pinkus gapped, "A Chaos Emerald? Here in Westopolis? Yeah, I know how to get there"

"And you can navigate through this hell?" Syllvia asked.

Pinkus nodded, I believe so, it's the same city… mostly…"

Syllvia nodded, "Alright then, Pinkus, you take point, Parts, you bring up the rear, lets m… ove…" She stopped mid order and looked to the sky.

The bloodied clouds parts slowly, and instead of sunlight, a bright blue light shined through the clouds, bright enough to make her wince. The three stopped and starred in wonder of the light. But their amazement soon turned to fear as a beam shot from the sky and smashing into the ground. The blast hit the street where they had been, and the results were devastating.

They shielded their eyes as the light blinded them, and the wind rushed by like a hurricane, knocking them off their feet. The street shook, and the buildings shifted all around them. The air roared and for a moment, their senses were overwhelmed. Slowly, the light faded, and the trio opened their eyes... and gasped.

An entire section of the block was gone, with only a gaping hole left in it's wake. Smoke and fire lined the pit, and anyone who survived was blown away from the crater. Parts looked back to the sky, and gasped once more, "Mother of god..."

The clouds began to shift, and all over the city, lights began to fill the sky. All at once, they fired... the entire city shook.

"Let's get the hell out of here..." Syllvia whispered, "Pinkus, move out"

The promised time, huh? Well then, time to go and fulfill this promise.
"Fire in the hole!" The Sergeant yelled as he tossed the grenade into the alien group. It detonated, blowing haf of the creatures to a bloody pulp. The three soldiers fired away at the threat below them, ducking and weaving to avoid the oncoming plasma fire. The PFC turned to look behind him, and knew they were cornered, the entire road had been uprooted and the highway now towered high above the soldier's heads.

Their own platform had been raised from the shifting city, putting them above their attackers. They emptied their clips into the dark creatures, the rounds drilled into their heads, downing them one after the other. The PFC reloaded and took aim at a creature that was holding a different weapon then the others. But the creature fired first, rings of plasma shot from the weapon. The PFC had no time to react.

The rings burned strait through his armor and seared his flesh, he fell backwards… dead.

"SHIT! Man down!" The Sergeant yelled as he took cover behind a broken slab of concrete. The Corporal in the group primed another grenade, but was stuck by a plasma bolt before he could throw it. He collapsed to the ground, and was reduced to a smear by his own grenade.

The Sergeant reloaded his pistol and stayed down, there were at least a dozen of those things down there… he was going to die.

"Stay down!" A voice called out, the Sergeant didn't see the owner, but he heard what happened next. The creatures roared and plasma was fired wildly. He could hear the creatures being killed one after the other, and the roars soon died down.

The Sergeant panted hard and lifted himself up, gasping as he took in the image before him.

Not a single creature stood, every one of them lie dead. And what fell them? Not a battalion, not a platoon, not even a squad, one figure stood in the ring of destruction.

The Sergeant left his cover and looked out at his savior...

The ground behind him exploded, and he swerved to see it. Beams struck the uprooted highway and created a chain reaction of explosions all along the buildings.

"Shit! I've gotta-" The Sergeant began, but as he turned to run, he looked up... and was blinded by the light...

"Oh hell naw..." Parts muttered as he exited the jeep they had "commandeered"

Locklear Drive was now split into several sections, split up by the shifting city and the gaping holes. What they found was a dead end, a massive wall of stone now separated them from the rest of the street. A strip mall ran along the separated road, the store's windows were mostly shattered, with either empty shelves or blood covered floors left behind.

The ground shook again, and the trio knew the city was shifting again. Pinkus could see several buildings fall in the distance, crashing to the ground in a wave of debris. The city had grown dark from the bloodied clouds above, the Marine could only make out the silhouettes of the falling buildings.

The three walked down the street, stepping over rubble and debris. "This IS Locklear Drive, right?" Corporal Syllvia asked as she surveyed the grim scene before her. Sirens continued to wail, the sounds of battle continued, and the stench of dead filled the air... Westopolis had become hell on Earth.

Pinkus nodded, "Yeah, and if you don't believe me, ask this here sign" He said as he picked up a knocked over street sign that read LOCKLEAR DR. -

"I think I'll take your word for it Marine" The Corporal replied. HQ said the was a transport with a Chaos Emerald here, but she didn't see anything. For all she knew, it could have fallen down one of the craters that now filled the city. She turned on her radio and tried to contact HQ, "HQ, HQ, this is Corporal Syllvia of the 42nd Infantry, reporting from Locklear Drive, over"

Static...

"HQ, I repeat, HQ, this is Corporal Syllvia reporting from Locklear Drive, please specify where the Chaos Emerald is located, please respond, over" She tried again.

Static...

"Damn" She muttered, "No response, I guess HQ's having it's own problems"

There were several wreaked cars along the road, but nothing that would pass as a G.U.N. military transport. "Ma'm!" Pinkus called out from the one of the stores in the strip mall, "I do believe I've found something". There was a large black van smashed into the building, which coincidently, was an pottery shop. Pinkus had noticed this and checked it out, and was now looking at two dead G.U.N. agents at the wheel.

Syllvia walked over and inspected it herself. She noticed the inside was not a normal layout, and a noticeable lever was sitting on car roof. She opened the door and reached over the bodies, pulling the lever. There was a loud SWISH, and Parts whistled.

"Jackpot" Parts exclaimed as he viewed the vehicle's contents. Encased in a clear box was a red glowing gem, one unlike the Private had ever seen. Easily the size of his fist, it shined with a kind of dark brilliance. Syllvia came around and stared, "Men, I do believe we've found a Chaos Emerald..."

Parts looked around, "Wasn't there supposed to be other squads here?" He asked, noticing the lack of people around.

Another flash of light filled the sky as a beam struck the city once more, shaking the ground and illuminating the area. It was then that Syllvia looked down and finally noticed what exactly she'd been stepping over...

"Oh fuck" She groaned as she took count of just how many bodies were spewn along this street. She didn't know how the hell she didn't notice them all before, they must have looked like stone or something, but now she could see the ground was littered with the bodies of G.U.N. soldiers and the black creatures, a whole war seemed to have been fought on this street.

"I think we know what happened to everyone else..." Parts muttered. The wind suddenly decided to blow, and the stench of the dead overpowered the Private. He covered his mouth and lurched over, gagging and tasting his own bile. The others kept their cool, but they covered their noses until the wind stopped blowing.

That's when they heard the growls.

They pointed their weapons down the opposite side of the street, and quickly noticed they were out in the open. They stood behind cars and watch the road ahead, waiting for something to come... and come it did.

A dozen of the black creatures came charging down the street, weapons in hand. "Open fire!" Syllvia called out, and the three squeezed their triggers. The aliens fired back as they continued to advance, paying no mind to the bullets piercing their skin. Syllvia took careful aim with her M4A1 Carbine and fired bursts at the advancing mob, striking the neck and head.

They ducked as the waves of plasma struck their cover, tearing the vehicles apart. They quickly realized that the cars wouldn't make very good cover, but with plasma bolts striking everything around them, they were to pinned down to move. Pinkus went prone and fired from underneath the car, firing bursts as the Corporal was.

One of the creatures was felled, but the rest continued to get closer, closing at 100 meters. Parts popped up and fired off a few shots before being pinned. He was about to pop up again when he heard something new… it was like a screeching sound…

He peeked over the car and gasped. They were no longer fighting just the creatures on the ground, the sky was now filled with strange, bat like creatures. Even from a distance they looked human size, and they must have been 80 meters or so away. They screeched and soared towards the pinned soldiers.

"New targets, these fucker are airborne!" Parts yelled as he fired at the bats. He struck one, and it screeched and fell from the sky.

"Parts, Pinkus, bring the big ones down" Syllvia ordered, "I'll handle the air!" She aimed high and fired into the swarm. There were several dozen of the things, and they came must faster then the ones on the ground. The rounds ripped right through them, knocking them out of the sky.

Things were looking bleak. They were backed into a corner, pinned under intense fire, with a mob of enemies closing in... time to do or die...

Pinkus took careful aim down his sights, and released five 3-round bursts at the charging creatures The first 3 struck one in the chest, merely slowing it down, but the second two struck it in the head, bringing it down.

50 meters...

One by one, the airborne monsters dropped like flies under the Corporal's fire, but they still kept coming. "Fuck! Need support!" Syllvia yelled as the remaining eight bats got to close, 20 meters and closing.

Parts aimed high and fired into the fliers, bringing down a pair. Pinkus sat up into a kneel and fired as well, knocking four of them out of the sky. Syllvia ran dry and reloaded her clip, and unfortunately Pinkus ran out at the same time, reloading as well.

Parts ducked down as a plasma bolt shot over his head and fired at the remaining pair of bats. He shot three rounds, but only one of them connected, striking it in the head and killing it.

The remaining bat dived for the soldier, soaring through the air like a torpedo. Parts pulled the trigger, but all he got was a click. "Oh fuck me..."

It crashed right into him, sending him flying. Parts screamed and tumbled backward with the bat right ontop of him. "Private!" Syllvia yelled as he flew back. She aimed for the bat ontop of him, but they were moving around to much to get a clear shot.

Parts's helmet was knocked off his head, and the monstrous bat ontop of his opened it's jaws and snapped wildly at him. He grabbed it's neck and pushed the jaw away, holding the thrashing creature's teeth less then a foot away from his face.

"Fuck! They're right on top of us!" Pinkus yelled as he fired at the advancing aliens. During the distraction, the creatures had charged on the soldiers position, tossing their weapons aside and roaring like mad.

At 30 meters and closing, the two soldiers shifted their fire and unloaded into them. Three of them fell under the fire, but the remaining six closed the gap in seconds. "MOTHER FUCKER!" Syllvia yelled as the creatures attacked.

Syllvia dropped her empty rifle and drew her pistol, plugging the black creature that had leapt over her car in the head. Pinkus threw himself at a creature with a yell, smacking it with the butt of his gun, knocking it off it's feet.

Parts gripped the combat knife on his chest and unsheathed it, and stabbed the bat on top of him in the head. It screeched and thrashed, but Parts held firm, twisting the knife as blood spurted all over his face.

It finally stopped moving, and fell limp onto the Private's chest, bleeding onto his vest. He grunted as he pushed the carcass off him, wincing as he felt the wound in his chest where the bat had drilled through his vest.

He stood and saw the battle infront of him. Four of the creatures were attacking the pair of soldiers, who were fighting wildly. They ducked and weaved between the creature's swings and jabs, firing quickly any change they could.

He knelt down and picked up his pistol, but was met with one of the creatures heading strait for him. His pistol was empty, and his knife was wedged into the dead bat... he was defenseless.

The creature roared and swung at Parts. The Private made a snap decision, performing a combat roll under the creature's claw, barley missing it. He quickly ejected the empty clip and slammed in a new one as the creature turned to face him.

He fired strait into the monster's skull, bringing it down after three shots. He dashed to others, aiming his pistol for the creature's heads. Pinkus ducked under a swing and fired his MP5 into one of the monsters skulls, killing it. But another came up from behind him and smacked him, knocking him to the ground. The monster raised his claw to skewer the Marine, but was stopped as it's brains were blown out.

Syllvia screamed, one of the monsters had attacked her from behind and slashed her back. Her vest was torn apart and she fell to the ground. "Corporal!" Parts shouted in anger as he fired his weapon.

Fury made his aim falter, and the rounds went through the creature's chest instead. The two remaining creatures turned to the biggest threat and charged him. Parts screamed as he fired at the creatures once more, bringing one more before he was backhanded across the street, smashing strait into the crashed van that carried the Chaos Emerald. The glass shattered as he hit the Emerald's container, and the fragments lodged themselves into his body armor. The Emerald rolled across the floor to rest between the soldier's legs.

His vision blurred, his mind swam, and he was fairly certain he was leaking in some way. He heard dull thumps as the creature came closer, and he slowly reached for his pistol, only to find that he had dropped it in the fall.

His breathing became ragged, his sight darkened, and his mind seemed to wind down, "So this is how it all ends… damn, guess I'll miss the end of the world party" The Private thought as everything dimmed.

The dark alien growled as it picked up a plasma weapon another creature had dropped, and pointed it at the soldier.

"Well… it's been fun… here's hoping there's something to all that religious crap…"

Private Jerry Parts closed his eyes for the last time...

PWEEW

Lance Corpoal Isaac Pinkus groaned as he picked himself of the ground, "Mother fucker... what ha-" He said, but stopped when he saw the black creature knock the Private across the street, smashing right into the van.

He froze, what the hell was he going to do? He furiously looked around for his weapon, spotting it on the ground and picking it up. He raised it to the creature and pulled the trigger, but was rewarded with a CLICK.

"Fuck" He cursed as he checked himself... "Fuck!" He cursed again... he was out of ammo. He threw the rifle down and drew his pistol. He tried to fire once more, but as before, no result. The slide shot back and the action slide open... his pistol jammed.

The sky lit up again and a beam hit the ground across the street, shaking the ground and knocking the Marine off his feet. He fell onto his knees and stared as the monster picked up an alien weapon and aim inside the vehicle...

PWEEW

The creature roared as plasma struck it's side, it stumbled and turned in the direction of the shot. All Pinkus saw was a golden streak, and in the blink of an eye, the creature was cleaved in two.

The Marine picked himself up once more and stared in wonder, he couldn't believe what had just happened. But then he saw who exactly had saved the Private... it was a hedgehog... a black hedgehog.

The dark fur and the red streaks sent a warning through the Lance Corporal, he knew who that was, and he knew they were probably safer with the monster. The black hedgehog gripped the alien weapon firmly in his hand as he stared into the van, eying the emerald.

But before he ran to the Private's aid, he saw a second blur... a blue one.

The blue blur stopped next to the dark one, and Pinkus recognized the other as a hedgehog as well... a famous hedgehog. They both starred into the van, until the dark one stepped inside...

"Shadow..." Sonic murmured as the dark hedgehog stepped into the van. He starred at the bloodied soldier that lie in the back, glass and gore all around him. His eyes were closed shut, and his chest was still...

Shadow looked back at the blue hedgehog behind him before walking up to the man, passing the chaos emerald. He brought his gloved hand up to the man's neck and held it there for a few moments.

Shadow sighed and shook his head, he turned and exited the van, picking up the emerald as he left. Sonic sighed and looked away, that was when he saw the other soldier. He starred back at the blue hedgehog, until he snapped to his side, tossing a handgun aside dashing over to another pile of corpses shouting, "Corporal!"

Sonic saw him kneel down and dashed over there himself. He saw the soldier picking another injured soldier off the ground, her armor was torn and covered with gashes. The man took her helmet off to reveal a face with light peach skin, and with short dark hair, her light blue eyes were wide open, starring up at the sky... Her chest was still.

The man did the same thing Shadow did, putting his fingers to her neck. After a moment he too sighed, he slowly lowered her to the ground and with care, he closed her eyes. He reached for something around her neck, a chain from which a set of tags dangled, he gripped it firmly and lifted it over her head, pulling it free.

He held her dog tags lightly as they swayed and jingled in the chaotic wind. The man removed his own helmet and tossed it aside, showing his face. His head was shaved in a buzzcut, there were cuts and blood along his head. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, and they held many emotions, too many for the hedgehog to count.

He slowly stood, locking eyes with the hedgehog for a moment, before silently walking past him. He walked to the van moving like he was in a trance, passing the dark furry without a glance. He stepped into the van and keeled infront of the lost soldier, he removed his tags as well.

Sonic walked over to Shadow, standing with him as the soldier left the van, clenching the other's tags. Shadow didn't know why he was still standing here, but for some reason, he couldn't pull himself away from the man's almost trance-like behavior.

The soldier looked at the two for a few moments, shifting his gaze between the two hedgehogs... until he turned and started walking down the upturned street.

Sonic could feel that the soldier was shattered... broken... he'd seen that behavior before, that walk, that stare... the man was lost. He didn't know what happened before they got here... he had ended up speaking with Shadow, and he had gotten caught up in the moment... if he'd only been here a little sooner...

The soldier slowly walked down the street they had come from, unarmed, with only the dog tags of his fallen comrades in his hands. The two watched as the sky parted and beams struck the city, buildings crumbled and the streets were lit up with flames...

And so the city burned…

"Come on Sonic..." Shadow whispered, but the hedgehog didn't move, he watched the man walk down the shattered path, leave a trail of despair in his wake. Shadow placed his hand on Sonic's shoulder, jarring his attention, "Let's go..."

I understand the large hearts of heroes...

The courage of present and all times...

I am the man. I suffered. I was there...

How... depressing... ah well, that's how it is with my stuff!

If anyone saw the plea I posted in my last story, the one where I'd take any character I get and put them in the story, know that I'm serious! I used a man named Private Jerry Parts as one of the main guys... do you understand my seriousness now?

So, once again, if you leave a name/profile for a G.U.N. soldier in your review (Or you can message me), I'll use it and put it in the story, I will use EVERYTHING I get (but please try and make it something good), mostly, I just need names (There's alot of soldiers in G.U.N., and I can't think up names for them all!)

A little bit of a heads up, Kain and Davidson WILL be coming in next chapter, I couldn't very well leave them out of this, now could I? Refrences and characters from the first story will be brought up, so if you haven't read it yet, you should go do so.

Also, if you've read my preview on Sonadow (Yes, this IS a Sonadow, just not one focused on them... or romance in general...), now you see what I'm talking about. This is the stuff you'll come to expect (It'll get even better later on, I'm getting used to this style of writing)

So, thank you for reading, and if you can find it in your heart, please review (Constructive criticism is highly appreciated... but some encouragement would be nice too...)

I'll update whenever I finish new chapters and feel they're good enough... no deadlines... no deadlines ever...

Thank you all, and goodnight!