Chapter 25
…and should the temples of Nod fall,
so shall the Earth be visited by the wrath of angels…
Book of Nod, psalms of Ascension
Mediterranean sea
June 1st 10:25
1997
It had been almost two days since Havoc and Sakura had returned from the operation. And they had spent most of it in the infirmary for the various injuries they had both received. It had been a hellish time and neither had really spoken to each other.
But when they were finally released, Locke had called for an immediate briefing. As the two made their way onto the bridge Havoc noticed everyone glance at Sakura. And on top of Locke and Mobius being there he spotted two MPs standing at the far end.
"What's with those assholes?" Havoc asked pointing his thumb in the MPs direction. "No offence boys."
"They are here just as a precaution Captain." Locke said calmly.
"Precaution for what?" He asked heatedly.
"Nick it's okay, we don't need to make a big fuss about it." Sakura said softly. Havoc glared Locke down but eventually sighed and relented.
"Thank you Sakura. Look if I'm being honest then she should be locked up. However since she is willing to help, I'm willing to look the other way, for now."
"You're all heart Locke." Havoc said with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Locke ignored the remark and turned to Mobius. The man walked over but had his head down, a look of great regret on his face.
"Tell them what you told me Doctor." Mobius simply nodded his head as he mustered up the strength to speak.
"The Blackhand's ReGenesis project, is based upon my research." He spoke with a great sense of guilt but he kept speaking. "They are using Tiberium as a mutagen to insight forced genetic acceleration."
"English Doc." Havoc said trying to understand what he was saying.
"What? Oh yes, Doctor Petrova is trying to create genetically enhanced super soldiers."
"We can't let that happen. If Petrova finishes the project, it could mean the end of the war for us." Locke said with gravitas. Everyone exchanged glances with each other, Mobius still seemed guilty but there was another kind of pain on his face. Sakura diverted her eyes from everyone and Locke looked as though he was bearing witness to the end of the world.
"Has there been any word of my daughter?" Mobius suddenly asked.
"I'm afraid not. we've turned the Nod science facility inside out, there's no trace of her."
"I think I know where she might be." Sakura said, they all turned on her. "They've probably taken her to Kane's temple here in Egypt. It's the only place outside of Sarajevo I can think of."
"If that's true, then how are we supposed to get her out? A full scale assault is out of the question and there is no way you could sneak in." Locke stated sternly. An air of despair seemed to hang over the ship's CIC, they had all come so far and Havoc wasn't going to let them give up now.
"Locke you heard the Doc, if we don't do this now we would be in big trouble. You even said it could cost us the war." He pleaded and Sakura nodded her head in agreement, even Mobius looked at him with anticipation.
"Your dumb luck wouldn't work here Nick. I'm sorry but there is no way."
"I don't need your permission, if you won't help then I'll go in myself." Havoc made to turn for the door but looked back when he heard the man let out a long sigh.
"I'll call Sheppard, but I guarantee you he will not go for this." He said quietly, barely above a whisper.
"Glad you see it my way Locke." Havoc continued out of the CIC, followed closely by Sakura. Locke sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"One of them was bad enough, now I have to deal with two."
"I think they make a rather nice couple." Mobius stated, Locke gave the man an incredulous look before shaking his head and walking over to the computer terminal. He sighed again and tried to compose himself as Lieutenant Maus connected the call to General Sheppard. He didn't look forward to the conversation and he especially didn't want to have to explain how he was letting a Nod operative have free reign on his ship. Sheppard's face appeared a few moments later and already Locke was regretting his decision.
"General Locke, good to hear from you. How's the hunt going?"
"Well sir that's why I'm calling. I don't think you're going to like what I have to say..."
Somewhere in Egypt
June 3rd 15:00
1997
A column of GDI armour rolled across the Egyptian desert, In the lead was a single mammoth tank and four Abrams. Four GDI APCs formed the centre and two MLRS artillery units brought up the rear of the convoy. Havoc and Sakura were riding in one of the APCs, along with an entire compliment of marines. Much to everyone's surprise, Sheppard had given them the green light to attack the Nod temple. Despite GDI's previous failed invasions of the country he understood the gravity of the situation.
Locke had taken his fleet and attacked the Nod ships at Alexandria as a distraction so Havoc could lead the assault on the temple. In the troop compartment the marines were silent as they prepared for battle, Sakura was busy adjusting the sights on a M249 SAW. Havoc had taken a new P90 but it didn't have the various modifications he had made over the years. They had managed to avoid being detected since landing and made their trek through the desert.
According to Sakura the Nod temple was located in the middle of nowhere. He knew that this was going to be a brutal fight, trying to storm one of Nod's most important fortresses. And with only a small strike force to do it, but they had little other choice, given GDI's secret weapon wasn't yet ready.
"Charlie Hotel, enemy target in sight. I count four turrets, three bunkers and a full platoon guarding the door, over?" A scout unit of two Humvees had gone ahead of the convoy to recon the base. They had anticipated heavy defences, but he was a little shocked there wasn't more.
"Copy that Griffin 1-1. Come on back, we'll knock on the door." Havoc turned to give Sakura a wolfish grin then called the two MLRS drivers.
"Anvil 1-1, Anvil 1-2 get into position. Deliver half payload."
"Copy that Charlie Hotel, half payload." The convoy halted and the tanks moved out to form a defensive perimeter as the two MLRS units deployed. The APCs pulled over and their ramps lowered, Havoc followed Sakura and the marines out into the harsh African heat. Just on the horizon he could make out the ruins that the Nod temple was hidden in, and the plumes of sand that the Humvees were kicking up.
"co-ordinates locked, firing!" The MLRS each could hold twelve rockets, equaling twenty four between the two of them. Unfortunately that was all they had as they had no way to reload, but they would just have to make do.
Twelve rockets, six from both Anvils, soared into the air leaving thick white contrails behind them. Havoc watched them fly into the enemy fortifications and witnessed a fire ball rise up where they once stood.
"Alright ladies! Let's rock and roll!" Havoc ordered, the mammoth lumbered it's way forward with the Abrams and marines tailing just behind.
As they got closer to the base he could see smoldering craters where once there were bunkers and turrets. The ancient stone walls had crumbled and he could see a large Nod base beyond. Interwoven with the ruins was an entire complex of barracks', warfactories, power plants and a command centre. As well as the large black temple, and two Obelisks of light defending it.
Moving to fill the gap was ten M-84 tanks and a horde of infantry. The mammoth opened up with both barrels and two tanks were instantly destroyed. The Abrams added their fire but the M-84s were quick to return it. Havoc and the marines took cover amongst the debris of the original defences and opened up on the enemy troops. Sakura was already laying down a wall of fire with her heavy gun.
The Nod forces seemed a bit bewildered that they were being attacked. Clearly not expecting GDI to be assaulting their temple.
"War-beast be careful of those obelisks! Focus down enemy armour." Havoc cautioned the mammoth commander.
"Copy that, we'll keep a wide berth." Havoc returned his focus to the enemy infantry bearing down on them. They were taking cover behind the ruined walls and a few had even taken up positions along the ancient ramparts. He fired off a few bursts at the enemy above while the marines traded fire with the enemy in front of them.
Sakura was busy reloading her SAW and he spotted two Blackhand soldiers trying to flank her. Without any thought he got up and ran over to her, narrowly avoiding a hailstorm of bullets. As he got closer he fired a burst into one of them, hitting him square in the chest. The other dove for cover and Sakura brought her weapon on him, she unloaded a short burst that nearly severed him in half.
"Thanks for the help honey, but I can take care of myself." She said.
"Sure you can." Havoc was the one to roll his eyes this time. "As much as I love sitting here, how do we get passed the Obelisks?"
"Easy, take out the power." She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"In case you forgot, the Obelisks are blocking the way." He snapped back. She didn't reply right away as they both fired off a few bursts at the Nod troops.
"We go through the ruins. Come out inside the base." She pointed her finger to the far end where the ancient walls cornered off. GDI and Nod were still fighting for the main gate and it didn't look like either side was budging. Havoc grumbled to himself as he started yelling into his tacpad.
"Sergeant Norman, I'm moving into the base to disable the power. You keep them busy out here."
"Shouldn't have any problem with that! Just make it quick!" The marine Sergeant shouted back.
"Anvils, fire remaining payload into enemy base. Blind fire, need you to soften them up for me."
"Copy that. Blind fire, remaining payload. Firing!" Havoc watched as the last twelve rockets flew over the walls and into the base. The ground shook slightly as fire and smoke rose into the sky. More Nod troops poured out from the breach, Havoc and Sakura both emptied their magazines then quickly reloaded before dashing towards the wall.
At first the enemy ignored them, until a squad on top noticed them and fired down. Havoc fired back as he ran, his bullets missing but it gave them enough cover to get out of their sight. The walls were made of crumbling sandstone and he could make out a few faded hieroglyphics. Sakura was moving down the wall until she found a small opening and squeezed inside. Havoc followed her and almost got stuck before pushing through into a dark hall. It was hard to tell what the old structure had been built for, but he could see the hall snake off into multiple directions.
Sakura led the way, barely able to see thanks to thin rays of light that came through large cracks. They could still hear fighting going on outside. The constant staccato of gunfire and occasional explosion from a tank shell. All he could was hope the marines could hold out.
Eventually they came upon a large breach in the wall and found themselves inside the Nod base. Craters pockmarked the area and flames licked at the Hand of Nod, the result of the artillery barrage. He could see the power plant directly ahead of them, along with another M-84 tank and more infantry moving towards the front entrance. There was still several squads of Nod soldiers rallying outside the barracks as more fled from the burning building.
"This won't be easy. But that makes it more fun." Havoc said as he pulled a grenade launcher off his back. Sakura smiled as she readied her heavy weapon. He then raised the weapon and fired off three grenades each making a satisfying thwoomp sound. The grenades flew in a lazy arc before exploding in the midst of the assembled troops.
Bits of blood and gore flew in all directions and men were left screaming on the ground. A few managed to survive and fired wildly at them, Havoc ducked back behind the wall while Sakura unleashed a torrent of bullets. The few who survived were cut down and those who were on the ground screaming were silenced.
With no other troops visible he strapped the grenade launcher to his back, while Sakura dropped the SAW and shouldered an MP5. They darted across the open ground of the base and made a B-line for the power plant. Bullets impacted the ground around them and he turned to see Blackhand troops atop the walls. He fired a few bursts from his P90 and a couple soldiers fell from the walls. As his focus was on the soldiers on the wall he didn't see the squad of Blackhand emerge from the command centre. Red laser bolts seared past him and he was forced to fall to the ground to avoid being vaporized. This however gave the soldiers above a better chance of hitting him, had Sakura not stopped to fire at them with a suppressive spray of bullets.
Havoc jumped back to his feet and fired on the heavily armed and armoured soldiers in front of him. His bullets bounced off their armour and they continued to fire searing bolts, the sand turning to glass wherever they impacted. He danced out of their way and dropped his weapon to the ground, and frantically grabbed for the grenade launcher.
Sakura was still battling with the troops on the ramparts as a laser bolt grazed his left side. He gritted his teeth as he aimed the launcher and fired the remaining grenades in the drum. Two went wide but the other three exploded at their feet, even their heavy armour couldn't save them from explosions that close. The Blackhand's armour tore open like a tin can, and the large battery packs powering their weapons exploded, killing the whole squad.
Havoc dropped the spent weapon and retrieved his P90. He fired off a single burst, killing the last soldier atop the wall. Sakura reloaded her weapon and moved past him without a word, he took a moment to survey the carnage. Fire still ate at the Hand of Nod and alarms were blaring across the base, however it seemed there were no more troops to stop them. They ignored both the motor pool and the command centre and continued towards the power plant. He could see the temple in a small depression, still guarded by the obelisks. He could also now see behind the enemy lines and spotted several smoking wrecks and a few tanks still firing on the GDI attackers.
"War-beast what's your status?" Havoc asked into his tacpad.
"Bastards are putting up a good fight. Taken some hits and we've lost two Abrams. Infantry are holding but we need to push in now!"
"Working on it." Havoc jogged to catch up with Sakura, who was already by the power plant doors. They took opposite positions, Sakura nodded her head and he kicked in the door. They moved quickly through the building, heading for the master terminal. The plant was empty save for a squad of soldiers and a group of technicians who had barricaded themselves in the main control room.
Sakura procured a flashbang grenade from her belt and tossed it in. After the loud bang they both stepped into the room and fired in unison. With deadly precision the two of them swiftly killed five Nod soldiers and four armed techs. She stepped over the bodies and went to work on the terminal while Havoc kept watch, listening to the marines as they continued fighting outside.
The Nod armour had been destroyed but it had cost him three out of four Abrams, and the mammoth was badly damaged. However they had taken out eleven Nod tanks and the flow of infantry had stopped. The only thing blocking their path was the Obelisks.
"Charlie Hotel this is Griffin 1-1, enemy reinforcements inbound! Repeat, large Nod force inbound! I tally at least two dozen light tanks and…Christ! Griffin 1-2 just…just blew up! I don't…fuck stealth tank! Go left! Go left-" The scout never finished as the radio was replaced with statistic. Havoc didn't have to guess at what had just happened.
"Better hurry up sweetheart. We got friends coming soon."
"Going as fast as I can." He was about to reply when he heard footsteps approaching them. He crouched behind a row of terminals and aimed at the door, ready for anyone to come through. He heard the footsteps just outside, but no one came in.
Several grenades came flying through the door and landed just short of them. Havoc tackled Sakura to the ground just as the grenades went off, the multiple explosions were deafening and he could feel the heat of it on his back.
He rolled over and brought up his weapon just as a flame trooper emerged through the door. Havoc's eyes widened as he pressed down on the trigger and sprayed the door with a wild burst. The flame trooper staggered into the room before collapsing but a second just stepped over him. Havoc had to reload and the flame trooper ignited a tongue of fire that washed over the first row of terminals. By this point both Havoc and Sakura were on their feet and backpedaled their way to the far wall. Sakura managed to fire a burst that clipped the second flame trooper in the head, only for two more to come in. She didn't fire on the new comers, instead she targeted the first one's fuel tank and fired on it, causing it to explode.
The other two were engulfed in flames and danced around futilely before collapsing to the floor. They stood there for a moment, waiting for more troops to come in, but none ever did. Sakura went back to the master terminal and Havoc tried to not let the smell of burning flesh bother him.
After a few moments she stepped back with a triumphant smile and turned to him.
"Power is off, Obelisks should be deactivated now." He nodded to her as he pulled up his tacpad.
"War-beast power is down! Get your ass in here!"
"Copy that. Don't have to tell me twice." Havoc turned to see Sakura planting blocks of C4 around the control room, when she finished she moved for the door and he followed after her.
When they got back outside he spotted the marines taking positions around the front door to the temple. While the mammoth and last Abrams took cover behind the wreckage of Nod tanks. Finally the APCs and MLRS' moved into the base to avoid the incoming enemy forces.
The two of them slowly made their way towards the temple doors, passing underneath the now inert Obelisks. The doors were made of thick metal that could withstand several direct hits from a MBT, and they were ornately decorated. A large red scorpion's tail was inlaid into the metal, with the tip made of actual ruby gemstones. The windows were made of a bulletproof stained glass of reds and whites. It was rather impressive and Havoc couldn't wait to blow it up.
"Sergeant Norman, I need half of your unit to secure the Com centre. Then take the other half and secure the main floor. Sakura and I will find the good doctor."
"Understood Captain. You sure you don't want our help down there?"
"I'm sure we can handle it." The Sergeant simply nodded and set about dividing his forces. As they did Sakura detonated the C4 and the power plant crumbled into itself. Thick plumes of dust was thrown into the sky, creating an artificial overcast along with the smoke from the still burning barracks.
Havoc watched a few squads of marines make their way into the command building while the rest waited to breach the temple.
"Okay people clear the way! War-beast, I need you to open the door." Havoc ordered. They all cleared out of the way as the mammoth tank rotated its massive turret.
"You didn't say please." Havoc just scoffed as the tank fired both barrels. A large cloud of smoke was kicked up from the explosions, the mammoth then fired four rockets into the smoke. They all waited for it to clear.
The doors could withstand almost anything, but nothing could withstand a mammoth tank. As the smoke cleared a large jagged hole now replaced the front doors, and a dark, vaulted room waited beyond.
"Thanks War-beast, keep your eyes out for those reinforcements. Everyone else, through the hole! Let's go!" Havoc led the marines into the Nod temple, the front entrance was filled with smoke and debris. The room was vast with multiple doors and hallways branching off in every direction. They moved cautiously, weary of an ambush at any moment. At the far end of the room was two stairwells leading below the temple, in between was a wall with a large red Nod banner hanging over it.
Havoc was about to remark how quiet it was when red laser bolts came raining down on them. Two marines were instantly killed before the others tried to find cover amongst fallen stone. Blackhand were in the rafters high above, and squads of Nod troops came rushing up the stairs on both sides.
Havoc fired on the enemy troops while Sakura tried to bring down the Blackhand marksmen. It quickly became a kill box for the GDI attackers. Anytime a marine attempted to target down a Blackhand they would be cut down by the advancing infantry. And anytime they tried to focus down them, they would be vaporized by the soldiers above. Havoc cursed to himself as he ducked down to reload then he thought of a solution.
"War-beast, fire four missiles into the temple. Aim high."
"Uh sir I'd advise against that. You're still inside and those missiles could-"
"Just do it!" Havoc shouted, the mammoth commander didn't reply. Instead moments later four missiles flew through the open hole and flew over the marines heads as it arced into the ceiling. The explosion caused more debris to rain down along with any Blackhand that weren't torn apart by the explosion.
With the threat from above dealt with the GDI forces focused down the squads of Nod infantry. Havoc and Sakura tore through them with practiced ease, while the marines pushed against them with renewed vigour. A few Nod troops retreated back down the stairs, leaving the main atrium a bloody mess of burning debris and dead bodies. Their own casualties were high but nothing compared to the enemy.
"Okay Sergeant. Work on securing the top floor, and get ready to dig in when those reinforcements arrive. Let's just hope Locke can send some help." Havoc said as he reloaded his weapon.
"Understood Captain. Make it quick down there. Last thing I need is for mutants to flank my rear." Sergeant Norman stated seriously. Havoc just grinned then moved for the right side stairwell, Sakura right beside him.
They descended from the high vaulted atrium above into a small brightly lit room that connected both stairwells. In the centre was several glass displays of differing sizes. They quickly scanned the room and proceeded to the other side where a large door would take them deeper into the temple. Havoc took a moment to study the objects on display. Ancient Roman and Egyptian swords and shields were polished and kept in near perfect condition, there were a few medieval and renaissance era paintings, and a full set of crusader knight armour. However the center piece of the collection was a large stone tablet, depicting a scene of brutal murder.
"Didn't take Kane as an artsy type." He remarked casually.
"I heard rumours he hires treasure hunters to locate pieces for him. Apparently he has quite the collection, very valuable." She replied without looking back to him, instead her focus was still on the door ahead. The door slid open to reveal a two leveled room with multiple doors on the lower floor. Nod troops had formed a barricade from wooden tables and church pews.
The soldiers popped up from cover and fired a volley of bullets at them. Sakura dove to the left while Havoc jumped back to avoid being hit. Sakura finished her roll and got up into a crouching position, she fired at the enemy troops but her bullets merely tore into the barricade. Havoc ran down the upper floor to get behind the enemy, there was six of them and their focus was still on Sakura. He unloaded an extended burst into them, cutting them down without warning.
The room became quiet and the two made their way down to the lower floor. They chose a door at random and found themselves in a T.V studio, with various equipment and a green screen, no doubt where Nod ran its propaganda campaign. They passed through several small offices and a large chapel before coming back to the main room. There was only one door left.
With a quick nod from Sakura, Havoc opened the door and found himself looking down on a large control room from atop a raised platform. Large screens depicted various theatres across Africa, and he noted two elevators that led back to the top of the temple. A handful of officers continued manning their stations as a squad of soldiers stood in defence.
Havoc and Sakura crouched behind a terminal on the platform, deciding on the best way to take them out. When the platform began to move down, which caught the guards attention. Sparks began flying as bullets bit into the terminal, Havoc fired blindly over it as the officers turned to fight them as well. Sakura lobbed a grenade, it landed farther away then she had intended but it still caused the Nod troops to dive for cover, giving them enough time to find better cover themselves.
Havoc fired a burst from around a row of communications gear, and killed two officers. Sakura had dropped her MP5 for her pistol and tallied three headshots. The remaining troops and officers attempted to flee down a darkened corridor but were cut down from their combined fire.
Once again they found themselves alone and Havoc studied the command room.
"This is a goldmine of Intel! Give me a minute while I let E.V.A download it." Havoc said as he made his way towards a random terminal.
"No time, we have to keep moving." Sakura replied sternly, Havoc realized the truth of her words and followed her down the corridor. They came upon a set of thick metal doors, which divided the lower sections of the temple from the main levels.
"So how do we get in?" Havoc asked. Sakura simply produced a block of C4 and placed it in the centre of the door. They retreated back into the command room where she detonated the charge. A wall of smoke came billowing out of the corridor and after a moment they walked back down. The door was still standing but a sizable hole had been blown through, large enough for them to squeeze through.
Havoc was genuinely shocked to find himself in a open, circular room with a small garden in its centre. More doors dotted the room, further adding to the immense size of the temple. A laser bolt flashed by his head and burned into the wall behind him. They both ducked low as more bolts flew at them from three Blackhand soldiers who emerged from one of the doors.
Havoc fired on the armoured figures, hoping to distract them while Sakura moved in behind them. They unfortunately predicted her move and one of them fired a string of bolts at her. She managed to avoid them but without any cover that wouldn't last long. In a split second decision he charged at the Blackhand while holding down the trigger. His bullets continued to bounce of harmlessly but it caused them to refocus their attention onto him.
He got in close enough that the Blackhand's heavy armour became a hindrance as it limited their mobility. They took heavy swings at him with their rifles and he managed to evade them. Sakura used the distraction and fired at the heavy battery backs, he jumped out of the way just as the first one exploded. The other two didn't have time to react before they too exploded, sending acrid smoke into the air.
Havoc brushed himself off and went to say something but Sakura was already searching through the series of rooms. The entire area appeared to be some sort of communal living area, the rooms were small but luxurious condominiums, each one decorated differently. There was also a large kitchen and eating area, a space for the upper echelons of Nod to stay so he guessed. They came upon a much larger room, divided between an office and living quarters. The office housed a large ebony desk and dark wall panels with a thick red carpet. A model Obelisk of light sat on a small table, and a marble bust of some Roman emperor sat behind the desk. The bedroom was just as lavish with a large triangular shaped bed with satin sheets and antiquated paintings. He guessed that this was Kane's personal quarters and he snorted in derision. He wondered how the people would think of their messiah if they knew he enjoyed so much luxury.
"Nice place Kane's got." Havoc observed.
"Makes it all the more fun when we trash it." They shared a smile before moving on.
They left the communal area and continued through the labyrinthine underground. A small hallway led to another circular room, this time divided between two levels. It was clearly a science lab and Havoc Looked around, hoping to find Sydney or Petrova. Instead he found two full squads of Blackhand soldiers waiting for them, and the twisted figure of a Tiberium mutant.
"Sydney has to be here. We should hurry, there's no telling what Petrova is up to." He whispered. The room was filled with multiple workstations and equipment. There were no other branching rooms save for two doors that both led into another chamber beyond.
"Then let's go say hi to the welcoming committee." Sakura emphasized her remark by cocking her pistol. He flashed her a wide grin as he shouldered his P90. She primed her last two grenades then tossed them over the railing and they exploded with a loud boom followed by shouting.
They both stood up in unison and fired on the disoriented troops below, killing a few before the others recovered. Bullets and red lasers tore into the upper floor and the wall behind them. Sakura moved right while Havoc went left, firing as they moved. While the Blackhand continued to shoot at them the mutant slowly lumbered his way towards the ramp. Havoc knew it would be his biggest threat so he unloaded an entire magazine into the thing. Most of his bullets missed however as it leaped out of the way, trailing greenish blood where he did hit the thing.
It leaped onto the top floor and charged at him. He frantically reloaded before firing another burst into its chest. It wasn't enough to stop the mutant, as it barreled into him and sent him falling to the lab below.
He rolled out of the way just as the mutant attempted to jump down on him. Havoc was so focused on the mutant that he nearly was shot by a laser bolt, he ducked behind an operating table and fired a burst at the offending soldier.
Sakura was still on the second floor trading fire with the other squad of Blackhand. Her pistol doing little to penetrate their armour, Havoc made a move to head towards her but was forced to dodge out of the way of the mutant's heavy handed attack. It slammed it's fists down and broke the table in two, then took another swing at him.
"I could use some help here." Havoc said as he ducked under another swing of the mutant's thick arms.
"Same here Nicky." Sakura replied over the staccato of gunfire.
"Let's switch then." Havoc brought up his rifle and turned to face the Blackhand soldiers. He fired a burst into one while his attention was still on Sakura, meanwhile she unloaded a full clip into the mutant, causing it to stagger back. He moved towards the ramp as he fired, another burst and another soldier down. Laser bolts seared past him as he ducked behind a workstation. Glass beakers shattered and molten metal dripped to the floor as the table was pelted by lasers.
Sakura was still firing on the mutant, green blood pooling around it as it let out a beastly howl. She reloaded her gun and cursed them dropped down to the bottom floor and took cover beside Havoc. He gave her a quick look before firing another burst that bounced off a soldier's heavy armour.
"Switch again." She said as she shifted her aim. Havoc fired a burst into the mutant as it attempted to charge them. His bullets tore through the grey flesh before the mutant collapsed and fell into the table, causing it to dent.
They fired on the remaining Blackhand soldiers in tandem. The final soldier fell with a heavy thud as the heavy armour finally broke from too many impacts. He listened to Sakura's heavy breathing as he checked over his ammo and grimaced. He was dangerously low and he guessed she was too, he stood up and helped her to her feet.
"The girl is probably through those doors." Sakura started as she regained her composure. "We'll have to find some way to get it open."
"Might be a good time to stock up, who knows what's on the other side."
"Good point. Want to try out one of those laser guns? Big strong man like you should be able to handle it." She gave him a wink then moved towards the dead bodies, intent on scavenging weapons and ammo. Havoc stepped over the dead mutant and moved towards her when he noticed one of the bodies moving. One of the Blackhand had survived and now raised his rifle at her, cold fear ran through him.
"Sakura!" She turned too late, a red beam of light pierced right through her. Havoc unloaded a burst into the Blackhand, causing him to jerk around violently before falling back down. Havoc dropped his gun and raced over to her, but she was already gone. A hole had been burned straight through her heart, he held her in his arms, shaking with grief. He stared down at her in shock, then bit down hard on his cheek to stop the tears that threatened to flow.
He closed her eyes and laid her back down, white hot anger began to coarse through his veins. He rose to his feet and gripped his weapon, the doors to the next room were sealed tight and he didn't have enough ordnance to blast through. He looked around the room for some way to get in and his eyes settled a small door hidden behind the ramp connecting the two floors.
The door opened into a long and narrow hallway that descended further underground. But it wasn't made of the same metal material as the rest of the temple, it was made of ancient sandstone. With no further options Havoc walked down the dark and dusty hall, anger still burning within him. The only illumination came from the small light built into his tacpad, forcing him to hold his weapon one handed as he used the other to navigate the strange ruins.
Egyptian hieroglyphics lined the walls, which were occasionally broken up by small, empty alcoves. He wasn't sure why Nod had built a temple over top these ruins, or what their purpose was, his main focus was on finding a way out that hopefully also led to the sealed chamber.
It seemed as though the catacombs would stretch on forever until he noticed light up ahead. The hall forked off into two paths, one beginning to slant upwards. He ignored that path and continued towards the growing light, following it until he came upon a small chamber.
The room was being lit by two torches hung on the wall. The only thing in the room was a stone sarcophagus with more hieroglyphics, and the Nod symbol carved into it. A name had been etched into the stone, Abel, it only added to Havoc's confusion so he left the room alone. And proceeded back down until he came to the fork, he then took the second path which wound it's way to a large pipe set into the earth.
There was a jagged and rusted hole large enough for him to fit through. He guessed that no one had been down this way in awhile, and continued. He disabled his light and shouldered his weapon, then he found himself at the bottom of a tall circular silo. Faint voices filtered their way down to him, judging by the dust that had collected, this part of the temple had been forgotten.
He slowly made his way up, careful of alerting whomever was talking. Whatever the silo had been intended for it was now converted into more science facilities and storage areas. After a few moments he was only a few levels below the main lab, and he could clearly make out the voices now, one of which was Petrova.
"I wish you could see His vision the way I do. The work we have done, it will change all of mankind. How can you not want to be a part of that Sydney?"
"Because it's insane and wrong!" Sydney yelled back. Havoc continued to crawl forward and peered over the lip of the floor. Sydney was strapped to an operating table, Petrova was standing next to her with a syringe. Four Blackhand soldiers stood on guard.
"It doesn't matter, you will see the promise Tiberium has to offer. You will become divine!" Havoc jumped to his feet and fired four quick bursts, the four guards fell before they could react. He kept his weapon aimed at Petrova, but she didn't even seem to react.
"Captain Parker, you are just in time to witness the dawn of a new age. First she shall be evolved, then it will be your turn." She was beginning to sound more like a preacher then a scientist.
"Evolve me? No thanks, I like being a caveman." He moved closer towards Sydney but Petrova stepped in the way.
"I will not let you interfere any longer!" Two doors on either side of the operating room opened and two Tiberium mutants emerged. He cursed to himself as he shifted his aim, but before he could get a shot off one of the mutants charged him. It knocked him to the ground mere inches away from falling off the platform and held him down.
He could feel the mutant's rancid breath on his face as it tried to strangle him. He screamed back into the creature's face as he summoned all of his strength and rage, and tossed the mutant over the edge. It fell to the bottom and landed with a muted thud, a thick pool of greenish blood forming around it.
The second mutant was more cautious now as Havoc got back to his feet. He shouldered his weapon and glanced at Petrova, her face now broken into rage.
"You just don't understand do you? You can't stop Tiberium! It will transform the Earth, and only Kane has the vision to guide mankind into this new Tiberium world!" She all but shouted at him as Havoc and the mutant waited for the other to make the first move.
"Sorry Doc, but your bright new world isn't coming." He pressed down on the trigger and let loose a stream of bullets. The mutant roared in pain as they tore into it, it then charged at him like a bull. But Havoc side stepped at the last possible moment and sent the thing barreling over the side like its partner. Only it grabbed him by the leg and dragged him over the edge as well. As they fell towards the bottom he fired what was left in his magazine and felt the mutant's grip slacken. At the last possible moment he kicked off the mutant's massive bulk and managed to leap onto the platform, landing hard on his side.
With a groan he got up and looked over the edge, seeing the two dead mutants. He then reloaded his weapon and ran back up the spiraling ramps, desperate to get back to Sydney.
As he got back to the main level he saw Petrova readying a syringe and was about to inject Sydney with whatever substance it contained. Havoc raised his weapon and fired a single bullet that shattered both the syringe and Petrova's hand. She collapsed to the ground screaming in pain. Havoc merely walked past her and worked on loosening the straps holding Sydney down.
"Are you okay? Has she hurt you in anyway?" He asked as he undid the final strap.
"I'm fine Captain." She replied as she rubbed her bruised wrists. She glared at Petrova as she cried in pain clutching her ruined hand. She stepped over the woman and moved to a computer terminal nearby. After pressing a few keys a disc was extended and she grabbed it.
"You cant stop it. There is no way to prevent it spreading. It will consume you, it will consume us all." Havoc barely heard Petrova speak as she whispered to herself while still holding the mess of blood and bone that was her hand. Sydney simply walked past her again and moved to the doors, but Havoc knelt down to pick up the deranged doctor.
"Leave her Captain." Sydney said very coldly.
"We should bring her in. Locke will want what she knows."
"I have everything here, she's useless now and she knows it. Kane won't be happy with her." That last statement brought on a fresh wave of tears from Petrova. Havoc regarded her for a moment then left the broken woman on the floor and walked away.
They walked back into the main lab, Sydney spotted Sakura's body but Havoc gave her a look and she remained quiet. They proceeded back to the surface where they spotted the marines forming a defensive barrier around the entrance, the various vehicle crews were also present.
"Captain Parker, good timing. Those Nod reinforcements are almost right on top of us. General Locke has sent extraction for us." Sergeant Norman reported.
"What about the vehicles? We can't just leave them a mammoth tank."
"General has already sent a clean up crew to take care of that." Havoc just nodded his head and they all waited for the extraction. Which came almost five minutes later in the form of two Chinook helicopters. They all quickly got onboard and Havoc watched as the Nod temple shrunk away. Thick smoke still billowed into the sky and all they left behind was ruin.
Havoc sat by himself near the open bay door. Silently mourning over Sakura, Sydney eventually came and sat beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was over, his mission was complete, but it would be awhile before he could celebrate this victory.
A large Nod force consisting of stealth tanks, light vehicles, and more then a dozen APCs made their way into the ruined base. They were furious at the desecration done to their holy temple. Their rage didn't last long however, as three B2-spirit bombers flew high above. They dropped their payload and the entire area was reduced to nothing more then smoking craters. In time the sands would be quick to wipe all traces of the temple away, along with project ReGenesis, and the hidden tomb below.
… … …
Author's note: That was the end of the 'Renegade' portion of the story. I hope you all have been enjoying so far, and I must say it was an interesting challenge to novelize Renegade. Obviously there have been some big changes, in regards to certain characters sticking around and the exclusion of certain missions. This was all done for narrative and pacing purposes. Another thing was the daunting task of writing a fan favourite character like Havoc. So I hope I did an okay job.
Only two more chapters to go!
Until next time.