Chapter 8 The Arrival
Max
April 23, 2014
4:19 PM
20 Miles To Portland
Highway 26
Karma - Jamie N Commons
It was time to take the fight to Neo-Chrysalis and put a stop to this fracture in time once and for all. Captain Cage and Admiral Penske rallied their forces to Portland to defend the attack on the city. I was to be made tip of the spear in this battle alone. I was the only person with the right knowledge to know how to stop the world from ending. Even if I was just a small teenage hippy being sent to go to war with the most dangerous terrorist occult since ISIS. The most fearsome quantum terrorist to initiate the most devastating attack since 9/11. There was no need to fear. Super Max is here.
As Chrysalis troops prepped themselves for war, I had to be Chrysalis's weapon in this fight against Neo-Chrysalis. So I obviously had to prep myself too. As well as all my companions from Arcadia Bay who've I requested to volunteer in this fight. Chloe Price, Rachel Amber, David Madsen, and Frank Bowers. All who were fighters that were bold enough to join me in death in this battle for Portland and the world as a whole. Their bravery helped me survive my discord with Arcadia and my feud against the owed me to return the courageousness they've shown until now.
To prepare myself for this suicide mission, I had to dress myself in combat gear. I wore a tube top shirt, a harness, a skirt, a scarf around my waste, and boots for my choice of combat clothing. Chloe wore a combat vest over a Chrysalis military shirt and a combat beanie. Rachel wore a sleeveless combat jacket over a tank top and harness. David wore an official Chrysalis military uniform. Frank wore a leather combat vest over a red shirt and a beanie.
We also had to equip ourselves with weapons too. Chloe and I arm ourselves with some standard P36 pistols. Rachel arms herself with dual magnums and a Barrett 50Cal sniper rifle. Frank just has a standard P36 side arm for his weapon of choice. David is equipped with a G36C assault rifle and a side arm. We all get inside a military truck and we're off to Portland via convoy of trucks, escort bikes, and helicopters from above. The five of us split into two separate trucks. Chloe, David, and I got on a truck carrying Secretary Brown, Mayor Hales, Captain Cage, and a dark skinned soldier who was Cage's second in command Lieutenant Mason. Rachel and Frank were being transported on a separate vehicle carrying Admiral Penske and Senator O'Donohue.
Our first objective entering the attack on Portland was to extract the Secretary, Mayor, and Senator to the checkpoint in Beaverton, the district next to Portland, where Chrysalis forces wer gathering locals for evac. A place where Chrysalis would be protecting locals living in Portland to safety away from the subjection in the city. The convoy enters a freeway to both Beaverton and Portland were civilian vehicles are packed on the left lane and Chrysalis and PPB (Portland Police Bureau) vehicles sped up on the right lane. Exactly where we were driving en route to Beaverton.
The city was not in good shape. We could see skyscrapers lit on fire, dark clouds flooding the sky from above, and a huge beam streaming upwards forming a large opening in the air. Like Loki's wormhole from the Avengers or the mothership from Independence Day. I could even see stars of fire raining down from above like Michael Bay's Armageddon. Now that's what I call a disaster film in a nutshell. All you need is a bunch of flying alien robots and spaceships in the air and you have combination of the Avengers movie and Transformers Dark of the Moon. But there weren't any aliens flying in the air and at least there wasn't that. Unless those shooting stars that were slowly descending in the air was just meteor shower launching aliens to the ground, there was no telling what I was in for.
This was it. This was my vision come true just like the tornado. Just as I envisioned six months until now. Doesn't all my nightmares come true these days? The big worm hole portal in the sky was undoubtedly coming from the Chrysalis tower from downtown. This is what Crosby has planned along since the day we met in the office. If not, before we even started to know each other. You won't win Crosby. Just like Jefferson and Prescott. Like Jefferson alone, Crosby was to good to be true and he'll loose like my other deceptive mentor. How many more mentors will I share bad blood with? I can't seem to trust anyone anymore. Like Palpatine manipulated Anakin to the dark side. If you ask me, I'll never turn to the dark side of the force. The good guys shall win and the bad guys shall loose.
"Madam Secretary, Neo-Chrys just took out Air Force One and Marine One," said Mayor Hales. "We cannot extract you by air."
"Cage, what's the status of the other convoy's?" asked Secretary Brown.
"PPB reports surface streets are compromised," replied Cage. "Hundreds of heavily armed mercenaries have struck Portland simultaneously. We're also getting reports of unknown hostiles taking the city by storm."
"Any word on casualties?" asked Brown.
"Downtown Portland evacuated," replied Hales. "Preliminary reports are below expectations."
"Caulfield, if there's anything of this attack we don't know about, you should tell us now," suggested Brown.
"As I've explained before, Madam Secretary," I begin. "Crosby is using that hole in the sky to intertwine this world with another one. We have to stop him by midnight or the world is no more. That's all I can tell you."
"Madam Secretary, we're taking you to the Beaverton outpost located on 106 Southwest Scholls Drive," said Admiral Penske on comm. "That's where civilians are being evacuated for refuge until the heavy fighting dies down."
"Hales, I want troops on the streets and these terrorist dealt with," ordered Brown.
"NORAD scrambled two hundred FA38s," said Lieutenant Mason. "They're less than five minutes out."
"Madsen, these girls can handle themselves?" asked Brown. "They're too young to be brought into a severely dangerous matter like this."
"Say no more," replied David. "The girls and I barely survived a shootout at a lodge. Don't underestimate their chances of survival. They're mature enough for this fight. You count on that, Madam."
I pull the slide if my pistol and look through my seat window and over to the driver's window to see a Chrysalis helicopter flying next to our truck and up front above our lane on the freeway. I can also see jet fighters zooming through the air and into the city for a dog fight. Which must've been the FA38s sent by NORAD as Lieutenant Mason just mentioned. I take another glance at the once beautiful home away from home I always desired since Chloe and I were little brats that is now ground zero. Hell on earth as we knew it. I was starting to hate Crosby more than I hated Jefferson. If I ever wished to put Jefferson's head on a spear, I'd wish the same for Crosby. Even more so than ever.
"This is what Crosby planned all along," I said. "Project Elysium was both the conduit and origin that would summon the world of Elysium in of itself and cripple the time space continuum across the world."
I see the top of a skyscraper explode like dynamite. Whatever caused the explosion, it was worse than the explosion on the Chrysalis tower. It was like seeing the World Trade Center on fire when I was six years old. Then suddenly, one of the meteorites falling from the sky hit the helicopter flying in front of us on impact rendering it immobile and causing it to hit the road, a police car to roll of the road, and to disgorge on the road like a tumble weed.
The police car that was disemboweled hit the truck but rolled off to the other lane. The totaled helicopter almost hit our truck, but rolled over it instead. We brace ourselves inside the vehicle as the totaled chopper misses us. Then another meteor blows up in our face from atmosphere when it plummet to the road ahead and dismantles a Chrysalis truck, two police cars, and bikes off the road. A biker from one of the police bike flies off his bike and hits the front window of our truck as he tumbles over. And if karma wasn't a bitch enough, yet another shooting star plummets to freeway setting off a bigger explosion on impact and causing our truck to loose control and tilt to the ground. I roll off my seat and land my spleen before passing out from the shock of the crash.
As I struggle to win back my consciousness, my eyesight attempts to adjust to better visuals and I start crawling out of the truck that's now upside down. I could see that everyone including Chloe had already got out through the disembarked front of the vehicle. Though the driver was killed, I could see David helping out Secretary Brown get out when my vision returns to normal. I've managed to survive what William could not.
"Captain Cage, get to her cover!" shouted David, as Brown ran off.
Then I see chloe come after me to help me.
"Come on, Max!" she shouted. "The meteors got us zeroed! The stinger's our only chance!"
David helps me out of the totaled truck and everybody is now shooting their guns in the air. Chloe is firing her gun toward the incoming stars with Rachel, Frank, and Cage's men including Mason. David does the same. Cage finds cover behind the tilted truck that was Rachel and Frank's as well for Mayor Hales, Senator O'Donohue, and Admiral Penske. And now David just ordered me to use to a stinger missile turret mounted on one of the derelict trucks that was stuck on a hole in the bridge. Like I'm a demolish specialist to anyone. Wasn't like I had a lot of choice. It raining firing balls and I had to do something about it.
"Be ready to move!" I shout to everyone.
I sprint my way to the stinger to commandeer it and I jump onto the wrecked truck to do so. Once I land on the hood of the truck, I end up slipping and break my fall by gripping my right on the edge and looking down to the low road where sirens were heard and another convoy passed. I climb over the edge of the hood and into the cockpit of the mounted stinger gun. I try activating the missile turret and it's activated and ready to fire some rockets.
"Tracking multiple groups, I'll call em as I seem em," said David on comm.
It was now my job to shoot down the incoming stars before they plummet to the ground. The targeting system on the turret was able to automatically track down the shooting stars and allow the smart missiles to trace the movements of the stars. I would fire when ready.
"Here they come," said David.
"Keep em off of us!" shouted Chloe on comm."Don't let them get through!"
I shoot down the fire balls with smart rockets successfully. This turret had a good targeting system for tracing movements.
"Good shot!" shouted Chloe.
"Left side! Left side!" shouted David."Dead ahead! Engage!"
I turn the turret to my left and shoot the oncoming projectiles to the left dead ahead. It was me against a whole pack of kamikaze stars. I've definitely never seen this much action since Armageddon. Boy do I love how that movie ends with Steven Tyler. Even better than how Thelma and Louise ended, if not. I shoot the rest of the bothersome flies as their airborne before they plummet. Just how much more of this action can I survive?
"Hella yeah!" shouted Chloe. "Watch your flank! Coming around ninety degrees!"
I turn the turret around ninety degrees and shoot more fiery debris out of the sky. One of the shooting stars almost hit me, but not before I could barely shoot it in time as it blew up in my face.
"Nice hella shootin', sista!" said Chloe.
I was no longer going to be able to hold the meteors off for long. Then I ran out of missiles. I could no longer hold off the eagles in the sky and there was on shooting star about to impact and incinerate my ass.
"Max, get the hell out of there!" warned Chloe.
I don't even think twice before hurrying my way out of the cockpit climbing my way over the now collapsing stinger truck and leap straight off the truck before the fire star could collide and bombast on impact. Karma's such a bitch. Then yet another fucking shooting star is about to bombard me into smithereens. It was thirty feet from impact and there was no time to take evasive action. I raise my hand and try to rewind my way out this, but before I could activate my rewind, a rocket is fired towards the star and is subdued from impact. Next thing I see is a fighter jet flying over the vicinity and hovering over the freeway. Overlooking our distress. Apparently, someone flying the jet was kind enough to save our skins.
"Cage, this is Lynch," said the pilot on the jet fighter. "Responding to your mayday call. Standing by for tasking."
"Lynch? Is that you?" asked Rachel on her comm. "Holy shit man! What brings you here?"
"How's it hanging, Amber?" said the pilot named Lynch. "I was in the neighborhood. Figured after owed you one after Bolivia."
"Lynch, we are en route to Beaverton with the Secretary," said Cage on his comm. "Request establishment overhead. Provide armed overwatch."
"WILCO. Be advised, I'm all you got. The bulk of my squadron is down or engaging hostile activity."
"Understood, we'll make it work," said Cage. "Cage out.
"You two knew each other?" asked Frank.
"It's a long story," answered Rachel. "We'll talk about it later."
"Rachel..."
"We'll talk about it later."
"Madsen, sitrep," requested Cage.
"We got mercs all over the freeway," reported David, looking down the low road from the edge of gap caused by an explosion on the freeway. "They got RPGs targeting another convoy on the freeway. Dead ahead, lower level. What's the call, Cage?"
I get back up on my feet and rejoin the rest of my squadron posted at the cliff side of the damaged freeway. I could see mercs posted around every corner of the lower level. We needed to strategize our plan to protect the Secretary, Mayor, Senator, and Admiral from the all the heat and get them to safety to that other convoy. It was the Captain's call and he gave his orders.
"Amber, that's Barrett 50Cal you got equipped there right?" asked Cage. "You can provide sniper support with that weapon while we get the Secretary down there."
"Understood," said Rachel. "You get the Secretary down there while I provide cover fire."
Rachel lies down on her stomach and aims her sights downwards to the lower level. The rest of us hook ourselves up to the fence of the freeway to rope down to the lower level and try and hold off the heat from down there. Chloe and I hook our tightropes on the fence with everyone else to engage on the lower level.
"Everybody rappel down!" shouted David, making sure everyone's hooked up. "Go, go!"
"We got to make quick or the folks inside are dead meat," said Cage.
Once everyone including ourselves is hooked on, we slide down via our ropes and land safely on the ground floor. Time to fight some more boogies.
"We're on ground, Rachel," I say. "Full head count."
Every one of us finds some cover to hold off the merc and take the heat off the other convoy taking fire from infantry.
"We got ground troops all around," said Lieutenant Mason.
"I see them!" said Rachel on comm. "Protect the Secretary!"
"Several mercs inside the big rig trailer," instructed Chloe. "Lower freeway right side."
Rachel clips down the mercs on the big trailer with ease. There were many more mercs to wipe clean from the sight and mind. Nothing Rachel couldn't handle.
"More MG trucks advancing on the right," instructed Frank.
"Take cover by the vehicle!" said Rachel via comm.
We all brace ourselves behind cover from the MG fire as Rachel snipes away the gunner on the truck. We then push forward for more cover.
"Moving," I say.
"Dead ahead!" shouts Chloe. "We got another MG truck dropping infantry!"
"Stay in cover! I'll direct you to move when you're clear!"
"We're taking heavy fire from all directs!" I shout.
As usual, Rachel snipes the bastards better than a storm trooper could. Clearing a path for us to push forward the convoy under siege.
"Push through! Those people in the vehicles are running out of time!"
"Taking fire from snipers on the overpass!" shouted Mason.
"They're right on us, Rachel," said David. "Behind the support columns."
"Amber, we need covering fire now!" shouted Cage.
"Dammit, Rachel!" muttered Chloe. "We're taking fire from high!"
"Dammit, Rachel!" muttered Frank. "Keep em off of us!"
"They've got fucking snipers on the overpass!" shouted Chloe. "Use your scope, Rachel!"
"Those mercs aren't gonna snipe themselves, Rachel!" muttered David. "Do something!"
"Rachel, take out those snipers!" I harass.
"I'm trying, dammit! Keep covering the Secretary!"
Rachel targets the boogies posted on the overpass and clips them down like flick fire darts. Like Frank on the mini gun, Rachel was out with the gladiator in this war against Neo-Chrysalis. What would we do without a girl like her? From bonafide Blackwell girl, to LA pop star wannabe, to Chrysalis agent, to Arcadian vigilante, and now gladiator in this heavy fighting, we could all be proud Rachel was alive for this day to come.
We all try holding off the infantry on the lower ground to cover the Secretary, Admiral, and all the other important people to Oregon. Meanwhile, Rachel cleans house above the overpass where mercs take cover behind the signs and concrete fence. After that, it was time push through to the vehicles once last time.
"Clear. Get to the vehicles!"
Then a mercenary on an upper parking lot to the right fired an RPG at the angle of Rachel's position. The rocket from the RPG missed Rachel, but exploded a car next to her causing the cliff to crumble. It was time for her to get off the freeway.
"Get the hell out of there, Rachel!" warned Chloe. "The freeway's coming down!"
Rachel quickly lassos her tightrope on the edge and instantaneously slides down as another rocket hit the freeway and damages the edge even more.
"SHIT!" cried Rachel.
The tether on the rope snaps when the explosion from the RPG fire damages the edge and Rachel falls flat on her back. Frank races over to her to help her up.
"Rachel, you okay?!" shouted Frank. "Come on, babe! Get up. Don't go down on me now."
"I won't," replied Rachel, taking her boyfriend's hand.
The fight was not over yet. More falling stars hit the overpass and this time, releasing some kind of monstrous shadow figures. Zombie-like creatures that looked liked deformed humans and had red glowing eyes and black flame on their skin. Then another falling star hits the overpass unleashing a brute-like creature from the sky. The demonic brute had evil red eye and flaming skin like the zombie-like demons, the silhouette of a gorilla or a golem like creature and had horns on it's head. The creature looked as if it were guarding the gates of hell.
The brute drummed it's fist on his belly muscles and roared like a Bengal tiger. The brute demon leaped off the overpass and landed on the lower level attacking some of the remaining mercs that were still on their feet. The brute shoved the mercs away from it's path and brutally tossed them around like rag dolls. Then it was coming for us.
"What the fuck is that?!" shouted David.
"Everyone take that thing down!" ordered Cage.
We all lit up the monster with bullets, but our ammunition is less than effect on the beast itself. The demon charges at our ass like a rhino and everyone takes evasive maneuvers. Before I could take my maneuvers, the demon me down on my when it charges and it now hover over me willing to maul me to death. I begin to panic going down my an angry titan.
"Max, look out!" shouted Chloe.
The demon snarls and roars as it tempt to pound me with it's big ass fist. I dodge it's attacks by rolling around to the left and right. I couldn't dodge this angry beast flat on my ass forever. The beast attempt to pound me with it's bare fist for one last blow until a sniper bullet shoots the beast in the dead in the head and send it bursting into dust. Killing the beast for good and saving my skin. It was Rachel's sniper bullet that saved me getting brutally mauled to death. I owed her one.
"Max, are you okay?!" shouted Chloe, coming over to help me up. "The fuck were you thinking?! That thing could've killed you!"
"Can it, Chloe!" I mutter, grabbing her hand. "We need to get a move on now!"
More stars falling from the sky summoned more demons on the ground. Many of them were a bunch of shadow zombies roaming the area, a few were more brutes. I hear a voice echo through my brain and then see a mirage of crows flying around hawking and snow on the ground. I could still see the walking demons through the mirage The voice in my head belonged to Chronos.
"Imagine yourself in a frozen forest. Imagine somewhere calm. Imagine somewhere safe. Surrender yourself to your dreams."
"Max! Snap out of it!" muttered Chloe, getting my attention. "We got to go now!"
The mirage had vanished and faded. I was no longer hallucinating and was snapped back to reality. He hold off the demons as we make a break for the convoy.
"Get on the radio and find the status of the other convoys!" ordered Cage.
"The rear vehicles were diverted as soon as we were hit!" said a voice from comms, which had come from the other convoy. "Admiral Penske is secure!"
The admiral had already boarded another convoy while we were fighting on the lower roads to protect the Secretary. That was a relief.
"Good work, people!" commented Cage. "We need to get this convoy moving! Get the Secretary in the middle vehicle! We're gonna be fighting every inch of the way!"
"Everyone in the truck!" ordered David. "Single file! Move, move, move!"
Our team secures the Secretary, the Mayor, and Senator inside the middle vehicle and we were ready to depart. David, Chloe, and I take the truck in front of the Secretary's. Rachel and Frank get on the Secretary's truck. David gets on the wheel, I call shotgun, and Chloe rides in the back.
"Update all," said David on his comm. "Blue route is go."
David hops onto the drivers seat and starts the engines. More of those demons were still after us and it was time to get the hell out this area.
"Punch it, David!" I shout.
David steps on the gas peddle rams some MG truck out of our path. Clearing the road for both us and the proceeding vehicle.
"Faster! Ram them out of the way!" I tell him.
"Cage, you got stars turning in on your convoy!" said Lynch on comm.
A star hit part of an overpass causing it to collapse on the street and block our lane. We had to turn quickly before we crashed into the debris.
"Left, David!" I warn. "Left!"
David quickly turns the truck over to the left lane avoiding the debris. Lynch was piloting her jet fighter to cover us from the incoming projectiles out of the sky.
"I have lock. Firing!"
Lynch swooped down in her fighter jet like Tom Cruise in Top Gun to keep us covered. Despite our air support backup, more falling stars plummeted on another overpass and we had to divert our course back to the right lane.
"Hard right! Hard right!" I shout.
"The whole freeway's coming down!" shouted Chloe.
"Holy shit!" shouted David.
We could see half the freeway above us on the left collapse onto the street like a cake splattered on the floor. We running out of road the more it got bombarded by stars. We had to squeeze through what was left out lane past the debris on the far right side of the street. Where were the Avengers when you needed them? What something bad happens, you'd want to be with the Avengers. If you ask me, they would be in New York. Not Portland.
"Lynch, this is Madsen. How badly hit is downtown?"
"It's bad, Madsen. Most of the city's now a full blown warzone. I don't know how your gonna make it through downtown after Beaverton."
"How the hell did we come back from this, Max?" asked Chloe.
"I don't know yet, but we will," I answer.
"Crosby knew exactly what he was doing," said Chloe. "Hitting Portland and using Project Elysium to take over the world. How cliche. I mean look at this place. This is nothing like dying in a storm in Arcadia Bay. The city's swarming with Neo-Chrys mercs, it's raining fireballs, and now there's these demon things we have to confront. All responsible by a guy dressed in a Matrix cosplay. This shit just hit the fan."
"Yeah," I said. "And it's making Jefferson's dark room look like Kindergarden recess. No request asked. Prepare yourself for the arrival, Chloe. This fight's far from done."
"Was it ever like this in Afghan, David?" asked Chloe. "Back when you were a Marine?"
"Oh no, Chloe," replied David. "This is much worse. Way worse than the outskirts in Afghan. That I can tell you."
Some police cars and motorbikes get in front of as was we proceed the road to the safezone in Beaverton to extract the Secretary and the rest of her political affairs. Once we get there, a checkpoint was stationed at Beaverton and was guarded by Chrysalis troops and strikers. The gate at the checkpoint opens and there are guys in exo-suits carrying mini guns to protect people entering from resistance attempt to breach the safezone. The troops let us in and we were safe from the heavy fighting at last. For now.
Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and felt it was a great start for an action heavy episode! Can you imagine if Dontnod had actually took the risk of making LIS episode into a COD clone just for the sake of action? The thing that I've learned from writing all this thus far is that when your a person influenced by action games, you turn LIS into an action story. That simple. This took me a few days to write and I'm sure you can all understand why.
As you may have already known, the official prequel Life is Strange Before the Storm was just announced at this year's E3! Plus, there's now some pre-release gameplay footage where we get to see Rachel in action and hear her voice! Her voice wasn't exactly how I first imagined, but that doesn't bother me. BTW, if you're wondering how Rachel knows the jet fighter pilot, you may find out next chapter.
Until next time, stay tuned!
P.S. Speaking of voices, I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but Ashly Burch isn't returning to reprise her role in the prequel do to voice actor's strike. I guess she was too busy voicing Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn to come back. Unless she had a contract to another game, it wouldn't matter because of the strike. Oh, well. Missed opportunities happen. Enjoy the rest of this COD clone as I get busy.
