Author's Note: Part three of this little diddy of a story, again...about four pages long on my Microsoft Word. The fun begins here, as Sierra and Delta Squard go into battle in hopes to distract the Locust Hordes into coming out while Wraith go in to retrieve the Resonator! Again, to those that are fans of Gears, this is a fanfic. It won't be exactly as you want it to be, but that's the fun thing about Fanfics. You can create it in however way you want it -- as long as it stays close enough to the general story. I hope all of you enjoy this post, I put a lot of effort into it...as did my co-writer. And yes, I have a co-writer whom wishes to remain silent until further notice. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gears of War, or Epic Games. I do not own any of the characters other than my own...which is Sera, all of Sierra Squad and Wolf, as well as Wraith ( whom technically belongs to my co-writer). Warning!! This will contain violence and language. If you don't like that sort of thing, then don't read! Otherwise...enjoy.
Gears of War
Chapter Three - Let the Fun Begin
With the briefing done, throughout the entire compound squads that would be participating in this assignment we're being briefed by members of Military Intelligence. Six other COG units would be deploying themselves on the field along with Delta and Sierra. The amount of men and women they were placing meant the success of said mission was of the highest priority. It was expected that this mission succeed or they die trying. To the last man, woman and bullet until the insertion team retrieved the Hammer of Dawn laser designator. Like hounds out of hell, the APCs roared onto the corpse strewn ground.
Three others followed close behind, taking up formation behind the one that Delta and Sierra were taking. Accompanying squads were Wolf, Omega, Vandal, Foxtrot, Roughneck and Nova respectively. These would be the "bait" that would set up a perimeter a couple blocks from the suspected tunnel of which the precious designator was taken.
Inside the lead APC, it was clear that Sera's new "cherries" were nervous. Within the tight confines, buckled with thick yellow/black striped restraints did each member find something to do to keep their minds off the upcoming battle. Unlike the hardened veterans that seemed so relax, even daring to catch a few minutes of sleep...joking...laughing! At a time like this?! Nikolai kept tapping his boot against the metal floor while the massive Jerome kept flicking the on and off switch on his chain bayonet. In their minds, they couldn't figure out how calm and composed each member was. Their squad leader didn't seem at all scared, nor were anyone else in their squad. Delta even seemed like they were enjoying themselves! The one they call the "Cole Train" was talking adamantly about Thrashball to the one they call "Baird" who seems to have no interest in what he's saying and the one they call "Dom" snoozing lightly in the back against the rear hatch.
Suddenly the comms speakers within the APC crackled to life, "Well, well, well...if it isn't the glory dogs of Delta. It's fine time to have us some real heroes with us, ain't it boys?" a mocking voice sneered with the accompanying sounds of hoots and calls in the background. It was Sgt. Gavi Loken of Wolf Squad, Deltas "rival". "Hell, maybe we should just have a barbeque and have Delta do our job." Boys being boys. "How about a bet eh? Whoever bags the most Locusts buys the rounds if and when we get back eh?"
"You're on." Dom said with a large grin as his eyes fluttered open.
Marcus grunted and peered at him from the side, "You're kidding, right?" Biting down on her bottom lip, Aasera suppressed the laugh as her gaze shifted between the two best friends, a small, seemingly fragile hand moving up into her raven locks. "Because you still owe me twenty bucks." her brother said as he fiddled with his Gnasher, inserting the shells out of sheer boredom.
Dom opened his mouth to say something, then shut it and grunted.
"That's okay…" Sera started, licking her dry lips as they reached their destination, "I'll take all the kills for you. I could really use a cold one…or hard liquor…"
"Sera…." Marcus drawled, peering at her in that overly protective way that a brother does.
Grunting and waggling her brow at Baird, who laughed and said something about 'that's my future wife' to Cole and got Marcus' hand to the back of his head. Once the APC came to a complete stop, Marcus and Sera hopped out, their heavy boots thudding fiercely against the ground.
"So what were you saying, Loken?" she said in a tone that resembled her brother's drawling tone.
The man smirked and sized her up just as she did the same to him. Now, because she was Marcus' sister, she got a lot of shit before, while, and after he got out of the prison. Most thought her incapable of doing a man's job, and when she proved them wrong…she was automatically taken in like a sister to them.
A very large grin curved on her face as she tipped her head back, "How about you and I see how many we kill. If you lose…I get your leave time. That is to say, we ever get out of this shithole." she wagered.
Loken's smirk remained as he wagered something a little more heftier than leave time, seeing as NONE of them would be getting any at any point in the next couple of years. While some sniggered, the Delta Squad leered…and Sera, well, she just wore an expression that stated she wouldn't be losing any time soon.
"And just to make sure you don't cheat…we'll make sure a Geobot stays right behind you. Hey Baird, can you hack into it and make sure it does what it's supposed to do as well as record how many he kills?" the dark-haired vixen asks as she kicks her heel idly against the ground.
Baird continued to leer at Loken before nodding his head sternly and moving to one of the Geobots that belonged to Loken and his squad. Marcus grumbled and pulled his sister aside, "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
Nodding, her eyes never left the man as her grin got wider, and more frightening, "I've never been more certain. Alright, perhaps we should all get ready to go on in?"
The APCs screeched to a roaring halt as they reached their destination. Men and women dismounted their vehicles, all of them armed to the teeth and ready to raise hell. Eight squads, Loken's own Wolf Squad joined up with Delta and Sierra, exchanging a warm "greeting" before the battle started. Not all of the Gears were armed with Lancers, some fielded the Gnasher and even a couple had a Longshot sniper rifle. At least half of them carried a Locust scrounged weapon, let it be the Hammerburst to a torque bow.
Quickly they dispersed to their pre assigned positions, the APCs parked in the back for a quick and speedy get away. Already the ground was trembling, already the Locusts were aware of human feet treading upon what used to be a flourishing city...now, nothing but a necropolis...a city of the dead. Magnificent buildings that would have stretched to the skies were husks of their former glory...vehicles lay strewn about mangled and the road themselves littered with debris. All around them…the signs of humanities struggle to survive were apparent.
All the COG soldiers comms came alive as Colonel Hoffman's gruff toned voice tickled in their ear. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time to earn your pay. We have detected a steady seismic activity in your vicinity so you know what that means. Good luck to you all. Hoffman out."
"All right! Let's give them hell!" Snarled Loken as he positioned his squad inside the burnt out ruins of a cafe to Sierras left, of course on her right wing was Delta, positioned behind a barricade of destroyed cars.
The ground was becoming ever more shaky, her 'cherries' nervously scanned the ruined city...eyes darting to every sound...shrieks, guttural growls that seemed to echo all around them. Then it happened.
"Oh shit! Locusts! A fuck load of them!" a Gear from Omega Squad cried, followed by the chaotic roar of a Lancer.
Suddenly, they came. The air was filled with the deafening roar of gunfire, explosions and curses. Rounds, both COG and Locusts crisscrossed through the sky. The Horde came, charging without fear nor hesitation. The first wave of drones, roaring with weapons firing. They badly outnumbered the gears, yet their lack of intelligence and the fact that they were simply cannon fodder was one of their greatest weaknesses.
"Pour it on! Pour it on!" cried a Gear from Foxtrot.
"Get some! Get some! Get some!" Roared Izzy as his Lancer roared in his hands, blasting a Drone in the face...but one of many more.
Now all they had to do was hold the line...hold until the crazy SOB's that were sent after the Hammer of Dawn came back to the surface. By the time the Gears had set up position and made themselves known within the shadows of a massive burned out business tower...something moved. At first, one could mistaken it as a trick of the eye…but no...it wasn't. Or was it?
Patiently waiting, inserted by a Stealth Raven ahead of the COG Gears did the insertion team make it's move. They moved like specters in a graveyard, using not only the shadows as their shield from Locust eyes, but the newly and secretly developed light-bending active camouflage. Powered by a small generator installed into their specialized armor, this field could bend light around their user rendering them all but invisible. of course when they moved, one could notice a distorted image moving about. Just one of many specialist devices that this insertion team was equipped. After all, they were going into the belly of the proverbial beast and required the latest and best equipment that COG minds could offer.
They paused for a moment, another large horde of freaks making way to the battle only blocks away. After a pause, at an unspoken word did the camouflaged team sprint to the massive emergence hole. God knew what else was being summoned to the fight, and the active camo's power source could only sustain itself so long. Spying the energy counter, he still had about twenty to twenty five minutes left of power. After that, they'd have to entirely rely on their stealth and evasion skills.
The beacon that was beeping constantly on his ocular sensor kept a steady pulse. That pulse was the locator that was built into each Hammer of Dawn designator as a fail safe. Just in case illegal tampering was detected, it would self destruct, but alas...said self destruct must be inoperable due to the Horde being able to get possession of it. The massive Locust made cavern seemed empty for now, and it was then one of the infiltrators deactivated his camouflage. Even without the personal cloaking field, the person was a shadow. Unlike the heavily armored gears that were commonly seen, this particular person wore a bodysuit of the deepest black, atop of that did he wear what seemed like a scaled down and even lighter form fitting version of the standard Gear battle armor.
The specter's face was hidden by a full face mask, a re-breather system across the mans nose and mouth. His eyes covered by specialized ocular arrays that gave off an eerie green glow, a thin red laser beamed out…moving where his head moved. Around him, the rest of his squad deactivated their cloak suits and with only a few quick and silent hand gestures, did they descend into the mouth of hell itself. "Command, Wraith is making descent acknowledge." Into the massive Locust made hole did Specialist Seth Raldoran lead his unit in hopes of reaching the Hammer before it fell into the wrong hands.
Now was not the time to joke and play around, albeit randomly screaming out how many kills a person had, it was still done in all seriousness. Quick on her feet, Sera slammed her shoulder up against a desecrated van and peered out from the side, her Torque Bow clicking to life as it charged and prepared to fire. Honey-brown hues squinted, her bottom lip betwixt pearly white teeth as she concentrated and aimed from afar. Firing the bow, the explosive head stuck to a Sniper and, even as it struggled to pull the bow out, exploded into tiny Locusts bits that the Kryll would feed on later in the night. Grinning from ear-to-ear, the Fenix twin went for her next target.
Chaos. That's what you'd call this particular moment. Everyone was everywhere, each squad spread out…but Delta remained close to Sierra, just like Sierra remained close to Delta.
Sniffing, she grunted and made a noise, turning ever so gracefully as one of her team muttered, "What the hell is that smell?!"
Replacing the Torque with her Lancer she revved up the bayonet just in time for a wretch to lunge onto Jerome's back, connecting with it and sawing it in half. Luckily, Jerome had managed to slice it's hands off his shoulders just when the jagged teeth of Aasera's chainsaw had hit the Wretch.
"That smell, just so you know…is either a wretch or a Locust. Keep your eyes peeled, your ears open…and always, ALWAYS be prepared!!" she spat, returning to her spot to see the Locust moving in. "SHIT! Fall back! FALL BACK!!" Sera hollered, waving them all away…yet blind firing like mad at the same time, even managing to take down a few Drones, and a Theron Guard.
But suddenly, as Marcus screeched at her from across the way, she felt a something punch into her shoulder, then a flaring pain that made her eyes water up. Still, Fenix ignored it and grunted for everyone to keep moving as she backed up and continued to fire. As a last herald before going into hiding, she lunged and tagged a locust in the arm with a frag then hightailed it just in time for when the grenade went off. Marcus pulled her all the way back and barked out at Jack, "Jack…we need medical aid here!!"
Sera snorted and slapped her brother, "I'm fine. It's just a flesh wound, for god's sakes!" she shouted. Still, she took the medical aide and peered at her brother. "Tell me I at least cleared it?" she asked.
Marcus and Baird grinned strongly, "I'd say you just added about ten to fifteen to your already high score." Marcus said, staring at her with pride and worry.
"Niiiiice." she drawled, "Have the guys gotten out yet?"
"No…but they don't have much time left."
