Chapter 25

"The Kamen Rider G3-X suit: punches with two and a half tons of force, 20 meters maximum jumping height and able to make the 100 mts dash in 8 seconds. Able to tank up to 30 seconds of continuous 50 cal Browning fire. The sensors are good enough to make you able to snipe at 5 kilometers, with the right gun, of course." The suit felt like cutting edge technology despite the sergeant's claim that it was almost two decades old. It made everyone wonder why this wasn't made standard issue back then. "Despite such promising features it was deemed a frivolous and unnecessary expenditure for special forces or any other branch of military service. Despite being ready for mass production, it has been collecting dust ever since then." She pointed at Recon 1; all its members finally geared up. "The original team might not be around anymore, so now it's your turn to show them just what they poured their lives into can do. Use them to crush the Honkai, Am I Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am!" Despite some of them outranking her, no one thought of not answering.

"Good, now into armaments." Fuwa took out a deceptively small pistol. "GM-01 Scorpion Electromagnetic Induction Weapon, Handheld. Semi-Automatic Railgun Pistol, 72 rounds standard and 100 with extended magazines, fires a slug that's equal to a .30-06 Springfield in power. The scope on it allows for you to have an aiming reticle for your HUD." Sergeant Fuwa put the pistol down as operatives passed its brethren to the newly equipped Recon 1. The sarge kept talking. "We installed a fire selector switch to include full auto and three-round burst, but don't use the former unless you want to run thought your mags like water in the desert. The recoil might not feel like much on Semi-Auto or Burst, but it will send your arm flying if you carelessly keep you trigger down in automatic. Next."

She pulled out a knife that as soon as she pressed a trigger, extended a blade the let out an audible hum. "GK-06 Unicorn, Vibro-knife, sharp as any blade until you press the trigger, then it will cut through almost anything but the thickest armor. Best backup until it cuts your fingers off."

Fuwa then took out a… grenade launcher? "GG-02 Salamander, underbarrel pump action grenade launcher. Three rounds in the tube. It depends on the Scorpion's trigger to fire, so it's not standalone but its accuracy is the best in the business thanks to the GM-01's Smart Scope."

Now she took out a massive… thing, from another crate. "For those who favor CQC, the GS-03 Destroyer, the Unicorn's big brother. High Frequency Vibration Blade, 60 minutes continuous use. Sharp sword that when fully activated WILL cut through an Abrams, so don't swing it around too much unless you want your buddies sliced."

Then a Briefcase appeared in her hands, only the glint of silver barrels hinted at its true purpose. "Now, the grandad to out Attache-Series weaponry, and the reason we found out about this project at all. GX-05 Kerberos, prototype Shotriser technology. We've improved the power packs, they originally held around three thousand 5.56 equivalent rounds that it would fire at one thousand RPM. With improved internals we've managed to up that to 9 thousand .308 AP Rounds firing at 1500 RPM. This thing's weight is a tad manageable with power armor, but its recoil isn't. The suit still let you use the Kerberos as it was intended. Now, due to how powerful this thing is, its password locked, default is 132 to release the safety, so you might want to change that once you get back to your barracks. For now, it won't require it but remember to lock it up unless you can someone turning you into MRE in your bunk." She put down the case as the SL Operatives finished handing out the weapons and ammunition packs. Despite what should be almost 90 Kg in weight, they didn't feel anything worse than their normal kits.

"All Right, Recon G1, get to the Pelicans. We'll see how good you are killing monsters."

As the newly equipped Fire Moth forces exited the hangar, Watchpoint minus Himeko walked in. They looked around at the TSFs and Harten Ho229s being rearmed and more crates being taken in as the empty ones were pushed out. "Watchpoint, nice to meet you. Yinsen has told me a lot about you. Come." As the six soldiers neared the short woman, Naki took a briefcase and motioned to her operatives to bring another crate to her. "We don't have much time, pass me your Raidrisers, Shotrisers and Progrisekeys" As she extended her hand, the group handed them over. "We'll do some quick check and give you some additional weapon options and- eh? Why is this…?" She quickly slotted the gear into a machine of unknown make, the belts, risers and keys resting in their special connector Steel Locust Quartermaster eyed the displays presented by that machine and a feeling of dread slowly began choking the soldiers within the hangar.

Naki's face twisted in an expression that made the assembled Raider group stand still, for it felt like a monster would crush them if they dared to breathe. "Next time one of your group tries to disassemble my gear, please tell them to contact me. I'd like them to explain just what they did to cause all this damage…" Her tone was deceivingly calm, and only Pvt. Tyler was brave (or foolish) enough to shake his head in affirmative. The rest looked with wide eyes as the small woman nodded and the pressure released them. "Good, now, aside from some minor repairs, some touches to the casings' seals and some software updates, it looks like you're ready enough. The Shotrisers' Transformation function is now available, but I wouldn't recommend using it unless you're willing to swap Risers in the middle of combat. Lt. Aikawa is an exception, not a rule." A row of nods was he answer. "Your Combat Development Data is Stored in the U-CON buckle, so keep that safe unless you want to start from factory settings all over again." The pointed at a previously unnoticed button in the Raidriser. "That's the Riser's release. When you have to switch to the Shotriser for whatever reason, push that and pull to the right and up. Don't try cutting or breaking that safety if you wish the U-CON's port to accept your Risers at all. It's done, take them." As Watchpoint took their gear back, Naki pointed at their Invading Horseshoe crab Progrisekeys. "I've loaded a new finisher, in addition of overloading the Tridenta's Plasma Caster and the right arms hardlight projectors, now you can use them to project a hardlight blade that can shoot out once you punch. Careful of what's behind your target."

Next, she pulled out several Progrisekeys from another crate. "Here, Dynamiting Lion. Powerful Gauntlets with arm mounted shotguns filled with armor piercing incendiary slugs. Finisher will project a Hardlight 30mm Gatling for up to fifteen seconds loaded with High Explosive Grenades. Don't use it unless you want everything in an area completely dead." The short sergeant handed them out for everyone to take. "There are some of the backup vibro-knives we found for Fire Moth, feel free to take them but be careful not to cut someone else, there are Attache Shotguns and a few Kerberos Attache Gatlings available…"

"Did you really find all this just laying around like that?"

"The newest stuff? Sort of, we had to dig around in a few of our old bases. But the G3-X gear we gave to Fire Moth? Pretty much. They've been gathering dust for years before we back tracked the sources of some of our projects. We'll end up becoming archaeologists when all this ends…" She trailed off after that little comment.

There was something in her voice that Watchpoint didn't miss but couldn't find themselves to ask. Then a small hangar door opened abruptly as Himeko and Zea came through running. Himeko was out of breath and Zea looked nervous. She looked around until she found Naki and Watchpoint, to which she nodded before facing Naki once more. "Sorry about being late, the Lieutenant got too curious about a Berkut taking off and got too close and was sent flying…"

"I have to say, you guys have awesome stuff, could we hope you send one of those mechs outside our way?" Himeko lightly joked as soon as she caught her breath. Having to run after a rough landing in your back from the blast of MHD drives was taxing… and fun, she would have to try that with everyone else. "Ok, what did I miss?"

"Some Riser updates and a new progrisekey, hand over yours so I can brief you again on what they do." Naki's voice held the tiniest bit of exasperation…

A second round of explaining and handing more gear, Watchpoint was as ready as they would be for now. Which to the rest of humanity, meant that they were the single most technologically superior soldiers on Earth.

Barring Steel Locust, of course.

The Pelican wasn't crowded at all, despite the armored figures having to stand in the middle holding to a bar hanging from the roof. Recon 1 had split into its three fireteams. Two had gotten into a single Pelican while Kevin's had to room with Watchpoint's. a few SL operatives had chosen to join them, wearing the same belts Watchpoint wore openly since coming out of the hangar.
Some looked at the little card-like things in their hands, like it was some wonder of the future… which considering who was handing out all their stuff, might not be far from the truth.

"Recon 1, This is G-0, report."

"Recon Fireteam 1 to G-0, standing by."

"Recon Fireteam 2 to G-0, standing by"

"Recon Fireteam 3 to G-0, that you Doc?" Lieutenant Barry Hochheim, his direct CO answered the radio, and Kevin only noticed it was him because of the voice and him having his hands next to his head as it were an earpiece.

"Affirmative, given seniority I was given overall command of our forces here, your suit include video and audio feeds for intel gathering so don't mind asking when you find something weird out there. Recon Fireteam one, your callsign is now is Fireteam Aleph, Recon Fireteam two, your callsign is Beth, Recon Fireteam 3, yous call sign is Fireteam Gimmel. Please confirm."

"Fireteam Aleph, leading the charge."

"Fireteam Bet, cooked and ready to blow."

"Fireteam Gimmel, ready for drop."

"G-0 to all fireteams, all clear. Good luck out there."

Kevin tightened his grip on his new gun before Yori looked at him. "Hey, wanna switch? My sword for the minigun." The man hefted the silver thing that looked more like a single blade chainsaw than a sword. Kevin pondered and accepted. Taki was now wielding two of the Scorpion handguns and Honsu had a Riot shield he found on the webs installed on the roof's cargo holds, in addition to his minigun. Only the LT kept his Minigun, knife and handgun as it was.

Watchpoint had just looked at them in silence, their expressions hardening as soon as the Pelican took off. Lieutenant Aikawa looked sad for a while before hardening her expression.

There were monsters outside. Waiting.

"Keep firing dammit! Protect the IFV!" A army reservist's scream of pain was the answer to the shout as rifles and some handguns kept raining lead at the abominations currently hounding them like killer bees.

Several vehicles laid there smoking, and the screaming of civilians wasn't helping anyone, although some of them had pulled out their own weapons and lend their own aid. The situation was going downhill fast.

"Parker! What's the word on reinforcements!" the Sergeant kept his own rifle aimed upwards at the swarm that flew overhead. Their white bodies shone in the sun and almost hid the pinkish trail they left behind. Despite coming down and picking people with their beaks, head, whatever and almost killing them like a fly running into a speeding car's windshield, they were pristine and shiny. Which only served to piss the defenders as it felt like the beasts were mocking them as they wouldn't stain themselves with their victims' blood.

"Reinforcements are three mikes out sarge! Coming from Dobbins!" The aforementioned radioman Parker shouted while crouching down on his radio set, recovered from a fallen APC. Their short-range radios had been scrambled by the swarm given the timing. They didn't know how, but a few of them suspected it had something to do with the buzzing the monsters made when not flying around. Another reason to call them Monster Murder Bees.

"We'll be out of ammo in one if this keeps up sir!" Another private piped up from behind his SAW, next to him several ammo boxes thoughtlessly discarded as they had been emptied of their contents.

"We're done, with or without them, sonny." One of the civilians was sharing their little hole, an older gentleman, a marine, from what he'd shared. Still holding on to his old rifle, the man had joined them as their marksman. Given that the previous one had been impaled the monster's seven fucking inches-long darts. Poor bastard looked like pincushion by the end of it. "Going by how these things fly, any wagon or chopper they send in is gonna get shredded in a second."

"There has to be a way out…" The monsters flied in circles around the convoy, creating a dome from where they dove back in to kill whoever they wanted. The monsters had already won and just kept playing with them.

Suddenly a loud whine came through the constant buzzing. The soldier looked around to try to at least catch a glimpse of whatever it was. Then, bright lances of light pierced through the aliens' dome. That allowed the loud whine of jets to finally reach them, and another sound that while the youngest soldiers didn't recognize. The older ones, including the old marine, wondered just how that sound had made past fiction it into reality.

Three machines suddenly landed around them, their silver frames shining under the sun, a gigantic sword in their right arms as missile pods hanging from their wings opened and let out a salvo of micro missiles which flew out of their tubes towards what remained of the aliens' dome. One of the machines turned around and the soldier could see the semi exposed body of the pilot. "This is Wasp Actual, insertion successful, proceeding for covering fire. You good down there?" The young voice of a man came out of some sort of speaker. He looked at everyone in the hole (Really, just an improvised barricade of two overturned APCs and a bus. His gaze lingered a bit longer on the older marine who sensing this, gave a firm thumbs up. The pilot nodded as his machine, still in its humanoid form once again took off while firing on the regrouping swarm. More of machines of the same faded white color flew atop them, some humanoid, some flying like some sort of miniature fighter jets.

A roar of larger jet engines came closer as a green aircraft hovered close to the soldiers. Its bay opening blue-clad soldiers jumped down at least 35 feet from where the plane stood. The loud crack of pavement as boots collided with it echoed amidst the fire of guns and laser around them. One of the blue soldiers raised a rifle-style minigun and let out a stream of gunfire that almost made everyone deaf.

"You alive there?" The leading man walked ahead of his group.

"Yeah, who's asking!"

"Lt. Hochheim, Fire Moth Fireteam Gimmel! Any casevacs?" Every one of the newcomers looked around with their suits' big dark orange eyes.

"Negative! We have a vet with us, thought." The Sarge

"Cheeky brat…" a mutter was heard from the back of the hole.

"Status confirmed, get to the Pelican. We'll take it from here." The man pointed at the large bird touching down a few feet to their left.

"You sure of that son!" The old marine still handled himself like he had never stopped his PT runs.

"That's an affirmative! Get out and rearm before the enemy get their own reinforcements! Gimmel! Move out!" The man raised his own minigun as his team began opening fire on an oncoming swarm of aliens heading their way. "We'll cover you! Get the hell out of here!"

Once the battered soldiers boarded the strange bird, it began its rapid ascent, and the evacuees could see the stream of bullets pick up before the bay closed its doors.

The old marine could only mutter. "Godspeed