Hey guys, corpsman94 here (formally carmine898). I'm the new writer for Project Arrowhead, if you have any ideas that could support the story then please by all means PM me. Thanks.
Chapter Ten
(Canterlot Castle Torture Chamber, Equestria)
"The longer you stay quiet, the more pain you're going to go through. Now please... Talk." Said Raze. The Arrowhead Loyalist sat in the chair, his hands cuffed together, blood was oozing from the side of his head down his face along with a large nosebleed, a bruise on his right cheek was yellow with pus pouring out, he barely had the energy or the breath to talk. "Sergeant... I beg of you, stop this futile fight..." The Loyalist tried to lift his head, but failed because of him being so weak. "He's no good right now. Let him rest. We've done all we can today. Take him back to his cell, and bring the other one out here." Two troopers picked him up and carried him off to his cell, they stopped at his door and threw him in. Leaving him to lay on the floor. The Loyalist laid on the floor, sharply breathing, ready to die. Out of the darkness, the Loyalist saw the red beams of light from their helmets eyes illuminating the hallway as darkness slowly covered the area behind them as they dragged one of his comrades to the torture chamber. The echo of his screaming would circle around the castle, coming back to him as a message that no one is there to help him. The Loyalist watched as the door behind them shut and the screaming mixed with Raze yelling was muffled. He laid there, nearly breathless, his eyes heavy, he closed them. Is this what it feels like to be on the brink of death? He thought. Cold, barely any pain, not being able to swallow a whole breath? Just so close to the end? If so... I welcome it...
(Arrowhead Base, Alpha POV)
Aircraft continued to land and take off, dropping off supplies, troops, and vehicles. "Looks like we're getting ready for a war." Ozone said to Grizzly, to which he remained silent. The Commander could be seen near a hanger talking to a few officers, Grizzly noticed him and walked to him. As he got closer the officers noticed Grizzly and walked away, he paid no attention. Echo and Hawk Eye looked at the two as they spoke. "What do you think they're saying?" Asked Hawk Eye. "No idea," Echo retorted. "But with all of this something tells me shit hit the fan somewhere." Grizzly was walking back to the others, his face showed anger, he looked back at the Commander who was walking towards the Ops building. "What's going on?" Hawk Eye asked. He stopped in front of Hawk Eye. "Equestria..." Echo and Hawk Eye's faces dropped like a cannonball, both of them now as angry as Grizzly. "What the hell is going on in Equestria?!" Echo shouted. "Your buddy... RAZE!..." Grizzly said with so much anger that his eyes were slowly turning yellow. "He pretty much declared war on the Commander. He's been experimenting with Jimmy's fuckin chemicals. He's responsible for Jimmy's disappearance last week." His voice turned demonic as he started slowly walking towards Echo who was slowly backing up, smoke was coming from his yellow eyes as the ginseng burned. "He killed everyone in that convoy 7 years ago and just an hour ago! He tried to kill me!" His skin bursted into flames showing his skull. "And now, I'm gonna find him and rip out his intestines and hang him with them as I rip off his head and skull fuck it!"
Echo stopped but kept staring at Grizzly. "Get ready to say goodbye to him..." Grizzly leaned in closer. "Cause once I'm done with him, no one will be able to recognize him." Grizzly looked away, took a deep breath, and let his skin grow back and his eyes return to normal. Kilgore stood next to Kourtney, confused and frightened. Kourtney noticed her and said, "Relax. You'll know how to deal with it sooner or later." Grizzly looked at the others, cleared his throat and repeated what the Commander told him. "In an hour we're gonna be heading through the portal. They've reestablished a connection to the portal in Jimmy's old research facility. They think it's abandoned but they don't know if the environment is safe so we'll be going in with HAZMAT gear. Echo they have a suit made specifically made for you so don't worry about frying this one." Echo nodded his head. "Once inside the facility we need to find a way to destroy the place then head to the main portal and get it active. When that's done the main force will come in and we'll join up with them and retake Equestria. Everyone understand?" "What's the ROE on civilians and troopers surrendering?" Asked Ozone. "Until we know other wise keep your weapons cold unless I change it. Anything else?" Everyone remained quiet. "Alright, good. Kilgore, Commander said for you to report to Hanger six, there's an assignment waiting for you. Everyone else get ready." Grizzly and Hawk Eye walked to their rooms while everyone else went to the armory.
Echo was surprised that his suit didn't get shocked to a crisp considering the entire suit is electronic.
"The hell kind of suit is this?" Asked one of Ty's team members. "This is some serious space-age shit right here." Echo looked at the metal container that housed the suits, on the side it read S.C.A.F. Hostile Environment Suit. "Whatever the hell S.C.A.F. Is they're pretty advanced." Echo pointed out, as he finished putting on his suit he felt his back become cold, then warm again. "That was freaky." "You felt that too?" One of Hawk Eye's squad members asked. "Shit was weird, turns out it's something called a RIG that comes with the suit. Shows your health and shit like that." Echo didn't even bother with a response, instead he picked up the helmet and looked at it for a moment before finally putting it on. The helmet's screen showed Echos vitals, ammo, and everything he had in his pockets before disappearing and displaying the area in front of him, he thought about taking the helmet off before it automatically dismantled and packed itself in the front and back parts of his suit. "Now this is fucking cool..." Echo said. "I gotta go show Grizzly." He ran out of the room heading for Ty's room, none of the others paid any attention.
"Grizzly! Grizzly! Look at-!" He stopped as he entered Grizzly's room and saw Ty holding his son. "Dad," Christian said. "You promise you and mom are gonna come back?" Ty hesitated for a moment. "I promise. You take care of your sister until we get back, okay?" "Okay." Echo slowly walked out trying not to make any noise, he stood in the hallway waiting for Grizzly, to which he soon walked out into the hallway. "Yes, Echo. I know about the suits." He said as he was walking down the hallway towards the armory. "Dude, are you ok?" "No, Echo. I'm not ok. Do you know how difficult it is to look into your 9 year old's eyes and promise him that you're coming home? Knowing that you might not even see him again?" Echo looked down, sorry for checking on his friend. "Look man, I'm sorry. I just hate having to do this to him and his sister. Shit, it's a lot worse on Kourtney than it is for me." Echo looked up. "Yeah, sorry man. Wait, where is Kourtney?" "Talking to Kairi. Should be out any minute." Just as he said, Kourtney walked out of her room, her eyes were red like as if she was just crying. "You good?" Ty asked. "Yeah." She said. "Echo what the hell are you wearing?" Echo snapped to and looked down at his suit. "It's called the hostile environment suit." He said. "This thing is fucking awesome so far." Grizzly looked at the suit for a moment, looking at the woodland MARPAT. "Those aren't just HAZMAT suits, they're meant for combat means too..." He said. "How do you know?" Asked Kourtney. "Why would you put camouflage on a HAZMAT suit?" Ty retorted. "What, you expecting an OPFOR while we're at the facility?" Echo asked. "I don't know, but something tells me that we need to be on high alert while we're there. Kourtney, let's go get suited up." She nodded and they walked to the armory with Echo following them.
50 Minutes Later
"Sir, Alpha is ready. We're awaiting for your go on the mission." Grizzly reported.
"Very good." Replied the Commander, he then turned to face everyone. "You are all here for one man! A man responsible for the raids against us for the past several years. A man who is a traitor, a man who has killed his own brothers and sisters. Dead or alive, he must be stopped. His name is Raze... And I want his head on a fucking platter. Alpha here will move in first, establish a link with the main portal and then all of you will be sent in to give them some assistance." Both officers and enlisted stood quietly, ready to get their revenge, they've been waiting so long they can taste it. "Know that if we fail there is no telling what this man will do. Let that sink in troopers. This man is capable of anything and he or his army should not be taken lightly. He leads some of Arrowheads finest, and I have no doubt that he has been preparing for this day. Troopers! Are you ready?!" "KILL!" Replied the troopers in unison. "Very well. Dismissed!" The troopers returned to their daily routine of training to be ready.
"Well, that was inspiring." Muttered Hawk Eye.
"Well, he didn't look like a complete ass so he's good." Ty replied.
"Grizzly," The Commander looked unsure. "Are you sure you and Hawk Eye want to do this? I know two other people that can take your spot." Grizzly looked at the others. "Sorry, sir." He said. "No one is as good as us." "Alright, then. Get ready, Captain." Grizzly nodded.
An alarm went off as the portal activated. "All hands. Clear the platform." A voice on the P.A. System announced. "Good luck, Grizzly!" He again nodded as the helmet of his suit formed along with the others. The portal rippled and they walked through.
(Arrowhead R&D Facility, Equestria)
The portal flickered in the darkness, then a blue beam of light exploded into a ball then shortly disappearing, revealing Alpha squad.
"Goddamn, I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to that..." Said Neptune, Ty's squad mate from Canada.
"Don't worry, you will." Said Echo.
"Air's good, sir." Said Ozone.
"Alright, good. My guys, we're staying at a HAZOP posture. Everyone else, switch to first SOP, four minutes max. Neptune, Ozone, set up a perimeter and keep the area under observation until we're ready to move." Grizzly ordered. Ozone nodded his head as he and Neptune ran off to find a spot to watch over. "Everyone keep your flashlights on and stay close."
Grizzly displayed a map from his suit showing the entire facility. Blue dots showed him exactly where they were. "Where are we at?" Asked Kourtney as she was zipping up her black leather body suit. He walked over towards her and pointed out the location. "We're here, and the place where we need to set up our charges is here." He said pointing out what looked like a large pillar. "This place is inside a mountain, so if we blow this up then we'll bury this place. We'll have plenty of time to escape, we'll set the charges for five mikes and be out in two." She nodded her head. "Ty..." She said quietly and looked at him with a worried face. "Do you think they're ok?" He looked down for a moment before turning his head back to her and looking into her eyes. He quietly said, "They're gonna be fine, Kourtney. We'll see them again. I promise." She still had a worried look on her face. "Don't make a girl a promise that you can't keep..." She replied. "You know I'll do my best to keep it." She smiled trying not to look worried.
"So, where's the main portal. Like do we know where exactly it is out there or what?" She asked.
"Last time I heard it was near Ponyville. But that was a few years ago so they could've moved it since then. But that's where we're going first." He paused for a moment, looked around at the pitch black surrounding. "I don't like this..." He whispered to Hawk Eye. "I'm normally not afraid of the dark... But this place is creeping me out." "Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about this place." Said Kourtney. In the darkness Hawk Eye heard scratching. And very close. She quickly turned her head and whispered, "Did you hear that?" Ty looked around for a second. "No." He replied. "Are you sure?" She asked, Ty shook his head. Kourtney looked around with a confused look on her face, he grabbed her by the arms and looked at her in the eyes. "Are you ok?" He noticed she was shaking a little. "You're shaking... What's wrong?" She looked around then back at him. "How the hell do you not hear that?" "Hear what?!" "That fucking scratching... And the fucking growling." Echo was watching the two with their conversation. "Kourtney, just relax ok? There's nothing there, I pro-" Just as he was about to finish, he was alarmed by a faint scratching noise that seemed to be getting closer. He felt a chill go down his spine, he shivered as the sound grew more and more loud. The scratching sounded as if was just about to come around the corner, but then it suddenly stopped. Ty straightened himself, his helmet formed, weapon raised to his shoulder ready for a kill shot, he began walking to the corner with Hawk Eye closely following. As they watched the corner, a small rat scampered across the deteriorated floor. "Fuckin' rodent..." Ty said as he lowered his weapon. "Could be worse, sir." Said Ozone. In the darkness, Grizzly heard a small screeching noise from the rat along with a fast pace of something running away, he quickly turn his flashlight back to where he saw it. He noticed a small pool of blood where the rat once was. "Alpha... We got a problem." Grizzly noted. In the darkness, Alpha heard scratching, running, and growling. "The hell is going on here, sir?" Asked one of Kourtney's squad mates. One of Echo's squad mates was looking at a few crates when he heard something growl, and it was close. "What the-?" The creature lunged at the trooper, clawing at his plate carrier before biting him on the arm. The trooper tried to fight off the creature. As he was fighting it, he heard a gunshot, and the creatures body went limp and the trooper pushed it off. Grizzly slowly approached the creatures body as smoke escaped from the barrel of his weapon.
The trooper jumped up holding onto his arm. "What the fuck is that thing?!" Grizzly nudged the creature with his foot to confirm it was dead. No response from it. It looked as if it was human before, but the skin was gray, its eyes were completely white, the creatures fingernails were black and purple. Its teeth were yellow and black along with a few missing. Grizzly could make out a small patch on the left shoulder of the creatures deteriorated uniform, it said 173 and had half of a skull on it as the rest was faded away. "No idea, but it's dead. That's all that matters. You ok?" "No! The fucking thing bit me!" Grizzly took a few steps back. "What? What's wrong? Is that thing a zombie or some kind of-?!" Echo shot the trooper in the back of his head. "Sorry bud... Can't take any chances." Said Echo. The growling in the darkness became more aggressive and the squad formed a circle pattern. "Where's that coming from?!" Kourtney shouted. "Unknown! Engage anything that comes towards us!" Grizzly shouted back. The growling stopped, silence took over. A piercing screech bounced off of the walls and onto Alpha. More zombies jumped over large crates and containers then sprinted towards the squad. "Open fire!" Alpha went weapons free and dropped the zombies like flies with accurate semi-automatic fire. Grizzly was swapping magazines as the last zombie was killed off. "Alpha! Status!" Grizzly shouted. Alpha confirmed they were good on ammo and were ready to push on. The same screech was heard, but this time, there were more zombies running towards them. Grizzly looked around with his flashlight and noticed a door wide open behind him. "Alpha! Fallback in there with bound and over watch! Move!" Half of Alpha ran to the door then stopped and fired at the zombies as the other half would retreat to the door. They continued this until everyone was through the door. Grizzly was trying to get the door shut. "Someone help me, dammit!" Neptune ran to Grizzly and noticed a panel to his right "I got this, sir! Just keep them off of me!" Echo showed up next to Grizzly and helped him keep the zombies off, but there were too many. As one zombie fell ten more showed up to take its place. "Neptune! Hurry the fuck up!" Echo shouted. Neptune sliced a wire in the opened panel and the door slammed shut. Grizzly took a deep breath. "Alright... Let's continue on."
Alpha moved through the hallway in silence, going up stairs while also checking every room and corner they encountered. Grizzly and Echo led from the front as they moved. They could hear roaring in the distance every once in a while, along with scratching. "Be on the lookout." Grizzly whispered. A zombie slowly walked out from one of the rooms ahead of them. Grizzly took out a suppressor from the pouch on his left thigh and put it on the barrel of his gun. The squeaking of the metal connecting to each other alerted the zombie, it turned around and slowly walked to Grizzly as it was blinded by his flashlight. Grizzly pulled the trigger, the round went into the zombie's skull and circled around ripping off the dead skin along with parts of the skull. "Target pacified. Keep moving." Alpha continued moving and stopped at a door at the end of the hallway. "Neptune, get it open." "Copy." Neptune approached the panel next to the door and opened it. He cut through a few wires and the door slowly slid open. Grizzly pointed to Neptune, Echo, and Ozone. "We're gonna clear the room. Everyone else stay out here and watch the hallway." Grizzly went first, then Echo and the other two. "Room's clear, sir." Ozone reported. Grizzly found a switch on the wall near the door and flipped it, turning on the lights in the room. Kourtney walked into the room. "Where are we?" She asked. "Looks like a manifest station. Might be able to find out what's all in this place." Noted Echo. Neptune searched around the room and found a switch labeled Main Lights. "Sir, got a switch here." "Flip it." Neptune flipped the switch, the walls in the front of the room opened up reveling glass windows. Shortly after, lights turned on showing the entire area where they first encountered the zombies. Reveling crates, containers, vehicles, and more zombies.
"Well... At least we have power on." Said Echo.
Doc looked out of the windows. "Power..." He said. "Right..."
"Sir! Got a computer here! Still logged on. Looks like Jimmy's stuff on here." Neptune reported.
"Find something on there that can tell us about this place." Grizzly said. Neptune nodded and began searching thru the computer.
"Got enough ammo?" Kourtney asked Grizzly. "No, but we got plenty down there. Perfect zombie killing ground if you ask me." He said as he was pointing to the vehicles in the area outside of the room. "Find anything?" Grizzly asked Neptune.
"Yes, sir. Think you're gonna want to see this..."