"Look at this," Annie had knelt low to the ground, touching a lake of bright orange blood.
"Elite?" Reiner scuffed at it with his boot, frowning.
"No, it's from a Hunter."
"A Hunter?" Bertolt paled as he went to typing down the data into the logs. Ymir went over, glancing at it and found a few fleshy worms writhing in it still. It was rather fresh but what could have caused it? She glanced about at the odd crystalline structure. The architecture was sharp and sleek. Not a single sign or clue as to what the underground place was.
"Here's the body," Reiner called out as Ymir was brought back from her observations. The group quietly moved to find the singed corpse—smoke still coiled from the burnt worms. However, it was the armor that caught Ymir's attention. It had a clean hole through its torso plate as if a concentrated beam of firepower was mercilessly unleashed.
"Jesus," Reiner muttered. The smell coming off of it reminded Ymir of a bar on some backwater planet that served 'teriyaki dippers'.
"Is it from a Plasma weapon?" Ymir asked, kicking the Hunter's foot and earning a few writhing worms falling off its body. They slowly curled up and died.
"Maybe," Bertolt went to touch the wound but frowned.
"It's not," Annie stood up, "they don't have a weapon that strong to go through it in one blast. Not even a fuel rod canon is a clean kill."
"Why would they hurt their own member? There's nothing else here." Ymir kept her focus on the numerous ventilation systems and halls. It was like an elaborate maze.
"I already said—it could not have been them."
"But what if it was? Who else is down here with us?"
"Give me questions I can answer, Langnar." Annie responded, slowly going deeper into the place. Ymir didn't disobey Annie's silent order and watched her back as she followed with the rest.
The passages were massive and sparse. What was the reason for the size of the place? Did they drive cars or trucks? Was it a secret dock?
A loud bray erupted from down the main tunnel, causing the group to stop and listen. Flashes of bright lights dances across the walls around the corner. The outlines of something and the disturbed grunt were seen in only glimpses until there was nothing more. When it was quiet Annie signaled for them to close the distance. Ymir felt that lump in her throat at the realization they had nothing to take cover behind. Whatever had that weapon that did in the Hunter no doubtingly was going to use it on them. As they crept against the corner's wall, Annie ordered Bertolt and Ymir to take point. Effortlessly, the two rolled out, assault rifles up and index fingers ready to squeeze, but only a smoking grunt corpse was on the ground.
"Clear," Ymir sighed, "but stay alert."
The squad went to the fresher corpse, staring down at it. The grunt's face had been incinerated and the blue blood nearby was burned and broiling. Its digits twitched as Reiner stole its needler and put it into his bag.
"We saw this happen just a few moments ago," Ymir kept glancing around, "whatever did this is silent and high in maneuverability."
"Look how clean this kill is," Annie told the group.
"Yeah! Easier for it to kill us!" Ymir growled then kept her assault rifle up, feeling spooked. It was one thing to be forced to chase after aliens but to find the possibility of more? It was getting to her.
"We caught it in battle," Bertolt spoke almost breathlessly, "and it only took four seconds to kill this grunt. Four seconds of whatever it uses."
"Isn't that scary!?" Ymir told them.
"Someone, anyone, watch with me, stop squawking!" Ymir walked in circles around the group, ready to fire at anything that so as much moved.
"…If we had this sort of firepower…" Annie stopped before standing.
"Our new objective is to eliminate the thing and take its weapon."
"What?! You said you just wanted to check this out! Our orders were to secure a crate that the Covenant were transporting! We got ourselves into a mess coming down into here!" Ymir couldn't believe what they were saying. She knew that Annie made that objective on the spot because their communication was being fried by some disruptor.
"You heard the woman," Reiner glared at Ymir, walking up to her and sizing her up.
"We're Helljumpers. Not some pussies who wimp out the moment we step into shit." He growled. Ymir spat at his feet, pushing him away.
"Better start acting like one, Langnar," Reiner shoved her back and went to walking by Annie. The smaller girl simply faced Ymir and then shook her head, leading the group deeper into the unknown.
"Whatever." Ymir told the group.
"Langnar, watch our flank," Annie ordered, forcing her to give them three of them space. She couldn't hear what they whispered to each other. It was always like that since day One. Ymir was left behind or kept out of discussions. She knew she wasn't the best to be around. During squad orientation, she was picked last and the commander forced her onto Squad Titan, the top three students at the academy. However, the trio didn't like it at all and fought tooth and nail to have her moved out, but the commander was adamant. So she stayed. Even now after ten missions it was a squad of three with an extra part. Only this time Ymir was really feeling the coldness of it. They were going over plans and tactics and they were just going to pack her along. She was forever the benched kid.
Then something glinted in a dark corner. It would have been easy to miss but Ymir took note when the others didn't. She glanced ahead, seeing they weren't paying attention to her at all. She scanned the room, finding it was quiet and clear, and went over to pick up the thing. She was going to tell them she found something, but spite held her tongue. They never let her in on any of the details so she would keep this to herself.
She tossed it up and down in her hand, turning it every so often, watching it shimmer and throb with illumination. It was a bauble of some sort—all smooth and silver except for a crystal-blue circle in the middle on each side.
"Langnar—" Annie was cut off as a highly focused beam shot between them, aiming straight towards Ymir.
She quickly jumped to the side but her ankle was caught in it and all she knew was a blinding white hot pain that shot up her body.
"FUCK!" She fell off to the side in a heap, holding her leg. It felt like it was boiling as she shot a glance down to see her skin blistering and whatever armor that was there had been melted off.
"FUCK!" She hissed.
Annie raised her pistol, sinking in a whole clip into the mysterious shooter. Bertolt and Reiner shot, too, until sparks were flying and then an explosion went over Ymir's head.
Debris went everywhere as an electrical whirl screeched and then disappeared.
It was quiet except for the zapping and crackling of fried circuits.
"Fuck!" Ymir held herself more, gritting her teeth, and squeezing her leg right above the burn, wishing she could cut off the circulation so she wouldn't have to feel it.
"Did the weapon get damaged?" Bertolt was quickly on the smoking machine that caused it all, searching it.
"Reiner, get in there," Annie ordered as she went down, hastily glancing and then smiling—smiling of all things—as she pried the weapon off the creature or robot?
"It's intact!" Bertolt was ecstatic.
"Fucking hell! Give me one of your medkits!" Ymir roared but was ignored.
"This is perfect," Reiner murmured, staring at it in wonder.
"Guys! Help!"
"…the colonies would be so happy."
Wait.
What?
"Colonies?"
"Fucking UNSC won't know what hit them if we can use this as a prototype."
"What are you talking about?" Ymir had to bite her tongue from groaning. All the pain was making her delirious. Did she hear right?
Were they going to make UNSC pay?
…but why…
"Hey!" Ymir shouted, knocking the trio out of their trance. Annie stared at her as Reiner reacted as if she just magically appeared there.
"What the fuck are you guys going on? I need fucking help! I am injured! And whaddya mean make UNSC pay?!"
"That thing only was on her foot for two seconds and look what happened," Bertolt spoke slowly. Annie nodded.
"It went through her shield like it was nothing."
"What would happen if it was shot point blank at someone's head?" Reiner added.
Ymir immediately shot her gun up, pointing at all three of them.
"Fucking stop joking! I don't find this funny!"
"Test it on her," Annie murmured, throwing the foreign laser at him, "see what'll happen to her helmet."
"What will we do with the body?"
Ymir shot at their feet as a warning.
"I will fuck you all up if you fuck—" her gun was kicked out of her hand before she knew it. Reiner had a choke hold on her as he dragged her to wherever Annie pointed.
"Let me go!" Ymir struggled but her fucking ankle kept flooding her whole body with pain.
Can't think.
Can't think.
"Here," a harrowing howl was heard as Ymir was thrown to the side and she felt her leg dangle. She scrambled, earning another blinding shot of pain, as she looked behind her to see a gaping hole that led into an inky abyss.
"Shoot her in the head. See if her helmet could handle it. Then push her down and out," Annie ordered, taking a few steps back with Reiner.
"Understood." Bertolt raised the weapon.
He took aim.
Without hesitation, he squeezed the trigger as a blinding blue light pierced through the dark and a scream echoed throughout the complex, alerting the small Covenant force that was two floors down.
