The ground was wet. Mud splashed all around the prowling squad. Victor was leading the pack, slowly he trudged through the brown slush. It seeped up in his pants, but his mind was fixated on the rest of the world. His eyes crawled across the landscape, slowly, awaiting any danger. He had his trusty shotgun in his hand with his finger wrapped tightly on the trigger. Dusk was rolling in on the begotten city once again. Night was coming. Sun gave it's last shed of light on the twisted metal and fallen concrete. Victor made his way though a maze of old burnt out cars. Seeming as though they were placed there by someone else. It was a depressing sight, but also a normal one to them.
"Can we get back to the base now?" a voice from the back of the squad squeaked. Victor took his time in looking back. "One more sweep around, none of us want any snipers putting bullets in our heads while we sleep. Am I right?" No one answered, it sounded rhetorical and was, however it easily silenced the protester.
Victor started walking once again, the squad did the same with no question. He kept his senses sharp, leaving no piece of land unattended too. "Hey! What the hell is that?" a woman shouted and pointed into the orange sky. Victor and the rest saw nothing at first. Squinting, they tried again. "I've never seen anything like it" the woman continues on. I was a group of three or four pod type objects, falling from the sky. It was unlike anything the Combine had ever used. Thus raising the first question. Could it really by the Combine's?
"They find a new way of transportation?" a man questioned from the back. "Where did they come from?" Victor directed the question at the woman who first spotted them. "I don't know, they just sort of appeared there." she said clueless. The pods continued down, eventually landing out of sight. Heads then shifted the Victor, who quietly stood there thinking. "What do you think Vic?" a soldier blurted out what everyone thought. Victor thought more as he looked at the sky, "Beats me, but I sure as hell know we got bigger problems" he then loosened his muscles. "Let's pack it in people" he gestured the safe symbol with his hands. People gave a sigh of relief to themselves and quickly turned to head back.
On the way back, Victor still thought about the pods. He acted like it didn't bother him, but it was still eating at him. He did keep reassuring himself that they were to far away to cause any damage, still he wondered. Although City 17 was a violent place, it still felt ordinary and routine, something like this is troubling. He tried not to think about it.
They returned to the base. A burrow underneath an old bridge, part of a subway tunnel, very livable for Victor and the rest of the crew. The guard was waiting for them, standing on top of the metal door. "You guys are early" he remarked. "Nothings heading this way, I think I'm starting to get paranoid with these patrols" Victor said. "Starting too?" the guard replied sarcastically. "We saw some weird...like pods or something in the sky" someone said from within the throng. Victor was hoping no one would mention it, he didn't feel like hearing it.
"What? Really, what were they?" the guard asked curiously. Before the man could say, Victor turned around and interrupted "We don't know but they were to far away to bother us" Victor explained, sounding irritated. It was quiet, the crowd silently acknowledged him. "Now, morning patrol get some rest" he said, then leaving the place alone. The guard pulled up the metal door with it's chain. It pulled up like a bridge on a mote.
The station was always surprising active during the evening. It seems everyone would try to get as much sleep as they could, but it was the only time they felt safe so they didn't want to waste it. Victor sat on an old wooden bench, slowly sipping his Breen water. He preferred vodka, but it was hard to come by in a post apocalyptic wasteland. He stared at the rest of the rebels and refugees. Some were playing cards, others were reading or talking to someone else. Some just sat there like Victor, thinking.
"Something on your mind Vick?" a voice came from the side of him. He looked over and saw the well respected rebel leader Barney. "Or is that tainted Breen water getting to your head, like I said it would" he says with a comedic tone. He goes back to his drink "Ah, we just saw something weird today." Barney then quickly switches to a serious face "What?".
Victor took a big sip of the water "Some new form of transportation or something."
"What do you mean?" Barney asked, eager for answers. "Some pods falling from the sky, I don't know" Victor tried to elaborate.
"How far were they?" Barney asked. "Eh, out in the city somewhere."
Barney took a breath of relief "Well then whats the big damn deal, who cares if they're way the hell out there" he said.
"I guess, it just seemed out of place. You know?" Victor said, still concerned. "You're just being paranoid, you always were. What have I told you about that?" Barney said rhetorically. "Yeah, I guess" Victor said but still not completely convinced. "Well, I got to get some sleep, morning patrol tomorrow" he said as he got up and walked pass Barney. "Good night, don't let the head crabs bite" Barney's fading voice uttered.
Victor stumbled into his room. It was nothing more than a hollowed supply closet or some sort of storage room, depressing and gray. He would have liked to sleep with the rest of the group out on mattresses in the middle of the main room, but everyone insisted that he had his own room, being the captain of the station.
He trudges to his bed and squatted down on the dirty mattress. He didn't realize he was exhausted until that moment. He laid back and grabbed his old comforter. He took off his ski cap and kicked off his shoes. Mud was covering his socks, but Victor was to tired to care. He then placed his head on the pillow less bed. He was still thinking about the pods, but gave way quickly to his fatigue. He then nodded off to another black night.
"Vick...hey Vick...Mr. Vick" the words were distant and annoying. Victor slowly opened his eyes, rather raw from the night before. "Vick, come on buddy, I think I'm getting a message from Kleiner, probably important" Barney said as he stood in his door way wearing the same Metro Police outfit. Victor began to rise in his bed, wearily. He rubbed his eyes, still feeling exhausted "Alright...alright I'm up." Barney gave no hesitation "Come on" he said leaving Victor.
He felt like falling back down in his bed, but knew Barney would just come back. He swung his legs over the bed. It was cold, as always. In the morning everything felt as if it had a coat of ice on it. Victor rose out of the bed, legs feeling shaky. As he slipped on his shoes he uttered to himself "Ugh, I miss coffee."
When Victor entered the room he saw a rebel trying to get a signal on a small television monitor. He was fiddling with the antenna on top of it. Barney stood there watching. A fuzzy picture of what seemed to be Dr. Kleiner's face. "There! Right there!" Barney shouted. The man with the antenna froze and the picture came in clear. "Barney...Barney is that you!?" Kleiner said with his face up to the screen. "Yeah it's me Doc. What's the word?" Barney asked. "Existential! Truly amazing!" he yelled into the screen. "What is it?" Barney asked earnestly. Victor was also curious, but Kleiner did tend to get excited over small things. "I may have discovered a new species!" he said raising a finger in the air like a true scientist. "I saw a...there is a...just watch!" Kleiner took a small monitor and held it up the the screen. "This was a transmission that came from one of our outposts near the shoreline" he said as the monitor trickled on.
It came on and showed a black monster. It had human arms but much larger, it's teeth oozed with saliva. It's head came so far back. It's spiked tail whipped out in front of it. Victor had seen a lot of creatures, scary creatures, but this one took the cake. It looked like some sort of demon from the bible. Something on a cave painting. It may have been on a screen, but it was almost right there in front of him. He felt his stomach knot up and a shiver go down his spine.
The alien on the screen then easily swung his tail into a rebel soldier, bursting out his chest. He then grabbed another helpless man and crushed his head like a melon. It quickly took it's tail and stabbed a woman trying to run up the beach. It pierced right through her skull without a stopping even a bit. The beast looked at the camera and smashed it's head into it, the screen went black.
Kleiner pulled the monitor away and put his head in it's place. "Wonderful isn't it?" he said in a cheery tone. "So what Doc? Another monster that can kill us no problem. What are you so happy about?" Barney asked, seemingly unaffected by the video. "Yes, but there is a part two, to this epic" Kleiner put the monitor up to the screen again. It shuttered back in, the camera was in the same position but the setting was different. This time Combine soldiers were on the scene. The same monster was there and the soldiers frantically fired at it. The bullets didn't seem to do much damage, only made the thing angrier. It easily took it's tail and swatted them away like flies. Their lifeless bodies flew everywhere. Even the Combine was wisped away by this beast. Then Victor saw something that was even more troubling. A second one jumped into the background. It was just as terrifying as the first.
Victor gulped. Kleiner pulled the monitor away once again. "That's what I like about them" proclaimed Dr. Kleiner. He started again "Much like the antlions, if we're able too control these...things, then we will have yet another gain on the Combine, all we need is one of their bodies too study, we could learn all sorts of things about it's anatomy, and possibly how to control it " he said. "I don't know Doc, these things don't look like they'll let us just strap a leash on it" Barney protested. "Well of course not, that's where you come in Victor" he said with a fake smile. Victor was numb for a moment, he was in disbelief, thinking that Dr. Kleiner asked him to face this monster. "You're the closest outpost to the shore. All you need to do is restrain or kill one and bring it back to my lab" he explained.
Victor took a step forward "Kleiner, you've got to be kidding? You expect me to get a hold of one of these things, somehow hide it from the Combine and drag it halfway through the city to your" he said annoyed. "Well...you make it sound so hard" Kleiner said stupefied. "Alright hold on" Barney stepped in. "Vick if you can get one of those things we'll create a channel of refugees and rebels to discreetly get it to Kleiner's lab." He explained the new plan. "All you need to do is capture one" he said. "Ok, fine" Victor gave in but didn't feel happy about it.
Victor slowly pushed the shells into his shotgun. He had a knot in his stomach, but tried to suppress it. He didn't want to show fear in front of the other rebels. The hearty Russian known as Vlad walked up to Victor, he then dropped a giant steel ring on the ground followed by a heaping pile of chain. In his deep slow voice "This is what we'll use to snag 'em." Victor looked up at him, intimidated. He took a gulp "Well, that will do fine, thank you Vlad" he let out. The monster of man then stomped away, leaving the chains in front of Victor. He then knelt down and began to secure his shoes, something he learned to do before hand. After nearly being rundown and killed by Metro Cops while fleeing to a rebel base. He had to desert them and run with his socks, he learned the hard way to always secure his shoes. He wore tennis shoes, he was extremely lucky to find a pair in his size. Most of the other men were envious.
Then a familiar voice spilled his ears "I don't know about this one Vick." He gave way of his boot tying and looked up, he saw the nervous his best friend. Frank, the African American he met while running from the first raided shelter. They'd lived with each other for five years in City 17, never taking their eyes of each other's back. They really were best friends, blood brothers. "Come on now, no alien is a match for the us, especially with the Incredible Hulk over there" Victor said optimistically pointing at Vlad. Frank gave out a weak laugh, then quickly went back to his serious face "I don't know man, I got a bad feeling about this" he admitted. Victor got up he inched over to Frank and gracefully placed his hand on the man's shoulder "Relax, I got your back, no alien is going to kill you without going through me first" he patted the Frank's shoulder. He let our a small but earnest smile "Alright buddy, but I get the first shot" he said back to him. "No problem" Victor winked. Victor abruptly released his hand and went for his shotgun "Alright, get your shit together, we're going to the beach" he addressed to Frank.