Author's Note: There were quite a few reviews and I'm glad you all enjoy it. For continuity's sake, the Boston QZ in my world is a large triangle encompassing the Boston Logan International Airport, Orient Heights, and East Boston rather than South of the Capitol Building like in the game (Google Maps). Also, I'm looking for a beta reader and/or editor because I feel like my writing isn't satisfying enough.
Bonus - I have a Halo x Star Wars story in writing called "End of an Era". How will I manage my time between it and this story when it will take a month to update per chapter? I have no idea, but I'm damn well gonna try.
Reaver529 - No, I just like it a lot.
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo or The Last of Us as they belong to Microsoft/343 Industries and Naughty Dog.
"Quotes."
"Radio Messages."
"Thoughts and/or reading"
Boston Quarantine Zone
August 5th, 1255 Hours, 2033
The largest convoy assembled in nearly two decades rumbled through the streets. Military police blockaded the intersections where happy, and furious, civilians watched the display of whatever power the U.S. Marines Corps had left heading towards the main gate. The convoy consisted of six LAV - 25's, two Bradley IFV's, a single M1A2 Abrams MBT, dozens of HMMWV's, and several MK.48 LVS trucks. Overhead, eight UH - 1Y Venom Transport Helicopters, three AH - 1W Super Cobras, and a CH - 53D Sea Stallion hovered around the convoy.
Author's Note: The convoy's order is: IFV, 3 LAV's, M1A2, 3 LAV's, IFV, HMMWV's, Trucks.
Loud speakers all throughout the quarantine zone came online. "Personnel of the Boston Quarantine Zone." The voice of Major Collins came through them. "It's been hell these last twenty years, for all of us. I am not proud of what I've done to keep us all safe; to those of you who hold animosity towards me, I won't hold it against you. However, today everything changes. The Fireflies have stolen our last hope for humanity. Someone immune to the CBI was taken during a skirmish with the Fireflies and we have reason to believe they're taking them out West to be experimented on. We are NOT going to let that happen, so before you begin your mission, just know that the fate of humanity rests on your shoulders. OOORAH MARINES!"
"OORAH!" A loud, unsynchronized response yelled up and down the convoy.
An alarm began blaring as the main gate opened. Marines stationed on the outer perimeter cheered at their comrades who had been tasked on this 'save humanity' mission. Engines growled and rumbled as the lead Bradley IFV made its way through the gate. The front - most LAV followed right behind carrying a special passenger.
2nd Lieutenant Daisy Ann Spencer was looking over her carbine as the two NCO's and three Enlisted assigned as her guard unit for the operation talked amongst themselves.
"—- I know right? It's crazy that we're going to save humanity by doing this." Private Martinez exclaimed.
"No need to get too worked up about it, Private." Sergeant Alistor said. "Yes, it is certainly something to finally have an operation, especially one that involves us ending this hell, but we can't get too ahead of ourselves." He lectured. "Remember what the Captain said. Our first objective is to get this thing up and running again so we can call in the big guns with the Army."
"I know Sarge, but let's take it in and appreciate it for a while. No harm in that, right?" Martinez asked.
"Well, technically speaking there is. If we don't focus enough, we'll lose sight of what's in front of us." His friend Catherine philosophized.
"Oh come on Kat. Don't be a buzzkill, at least this time."
Daisy looked up from her M4. "Private Spikes is right. I get it, you're excited that we have an objective after twenty years of trying to just stay in control of the quarantine zones, but you do need to focus on the task at hand; especially now since you're part of the unit tasked to guard me."
"With all due respect ma'am, if anything tried attacking you it would die quicker than a clicker could kill one of us." Lance Corporal Macs interjected.
"You're not wrong Corporal, but you have your orders and I have mine. And mine consists of making sure every single one of you makes it back in one piece. I won't make the same mistake I did in the past."
"And that was ma'am?" Gunnery Sergeant Sheryl asked.
"Hesitation." Daisy responded, summing up her failure for extraction leading to her death.
"What happened?" Martinez asked.
She shot him a short, uncomfortable stare before sighing. "After our positions were overrun by the enemy, we were ordered to head to an airlift evac. Marines died left and right, but my squad of SEALs was able to make it just in front of the landing pad, and as we closed in on our evac, the entire landing zone was ambushed. My HUMMWV was rammed, overturning it, and I was stuck inside. Two of my squadmates were ejected and unceremoniously gunned down while the third was able to crawl out of the wrecked vehicle and make it to the chopper. I thought 'At least one of us will make it' until I saw the streak of an RPG slam into the side of it, blowing it in two. All I could do was watch while I was trapped in the wreckage. That was when a squad of them came over to search the HUMMWV, so I played dead, acting like I was crushed between the seats. Once they were gone, I got myself free and just ran North to the next closest point of safety. Now that they had control of the area, I had to ditch my gear and grab some from one of their own before sneaking my way out, and a few days later, Staff Sergeant Butcher and his squad found me."
"Oh, damn. I'm sorry Lieutenant." Martinez sympathized.
"Don't be, I should be sorry for those I lost. We failed to keep control and it cost us, so I'm the one who has to deal with it, not you." She waved it away.
"Sounds no different than what happened at Pittsburg." Alistor commented.
"What happened at Pittsburg?" Sheryl asked.
"Well I only heard about it from some of my friends who were on the radio at the time. Shortly after my transfer to Boston, a group who called themselves The Hunters, who were always a pain in the ass, mustered enough manpower and drove us out. A few guys were trapped behind and when they finally got to Boston, the stories about how the Hunters treated others were even worse than us." He explained.
"How so? Martial Law isn't fun for civilians, so if these guys rebelled, what did they do worse?"
The LAV jolted and rocked back and forth as it went over a large piece of debris.
"You guys ok back there? That was quite a large chunk of debris we just ran over." The driver asked, looking back at them.
Affirmatives and 'All good' met his ears, letting him know that his cargo was safe. Shifting their attention back to the story, Sergeant Alistor continued.
"Anyways, in short, they told us that anyone that entered Pittsburg were lured further into the city before being killed and looted. And they did this to everyone who was unlucky enough to wander inside."
"Jesus Christ." Macs said, shaking his head. "I know we're sometimes called cruel, but we've never shot someone on sight like that without a good reason."
"Exactly, these guys are assholes and deserve to die the first chance they get." He finished, claiming his stance on the matter.
"And I wonder why people want rebel assholes who will do considerably worse things than us in control. Sometimes it amazes me." Martinez said.
"So let's not see that it happens to Boston Marines. We've got a job to do, and if we're successful, we'll be on our way to reclaiming what was lost twenty years ago." Daisy said, inspiring them with her half truth.
"It was a good idea to join them. I feel right at home hearing the banter of the ground pounders. I truly do hope that Collin's was right and that my expertise can turn the tides of this fight in the Military's favor by a landslide." She thought. "They all lost their homes twenty years ago, the least I can do is help them get it back. I hope by some miracle of a slipspace rupture that even just a Frigate shows up."
"Lieutenant? You with us?" Sergeant Alistor waved his hand in front of her face.
Daisy blinked a few times before scanning the tight - knit room. "I'm sorry, did I space out?"
"Yeah, for a second there. Kat was asking you something and you just had a blank stare." Sheryl explained.
"I see. Well again, I do apologize. What were you asking, Private?"
"What did you do before this all happened? You must've been old enough to be there when it began."
"Well, I can't really say I remember. I was six when shit hit the fan and my life changed forever. I haven't seen my parents in years so I can only assume they're dead. Life was very different. No 0530 wake up, no orders, no schedule, nothing. But it happened and we can't go changing the past, but we can change the future." She answered extremely vaguely.
"What exactly happened? I mean, none of us were alive, and if so just barely, when the CBI took place. What did you do for fun, what drills did you do in school, things like that?" Macs asked.
Daisy winced. "It's touchy, I'd like to not talk about it."
"Awww c'mon ma'am. You can't leave us hanging in a story like that." Martinez complained.
Daisy snapped at him. "Drop it Private. Consider that a standing order."
He jumped back in response. "Aye ma'am."
"That goes for the rest of you too. If I don't want to give an answer, I damn well have a reason. Understand?"
The others responded with a chorus. "Aye ma'am."
A moment of tension lingered in the air as the squad figured out what to say.
"Thanks for making the El - tee mad Martinez. Now we're officially screwed." Macs taunted.
Daisy shed some light on their punishment. "There are limits, and being your superior officer gives me a much longer reach than you, so don't forget that. You will be pulling extra guard duty after we get this station up and running."
The five of them groaned, but accepted their fates. The LAV then lurched forward as it stopped, tossing the six of them.
"God dammit, let up on the brakes will ya?!" Martinez shouted at the driver.
"Franklin, no need to talk to them like that." Spikes calmed him down.
"You're right, I'm sorry." He quickly apologized.
Daisy raised an eyebrow at the exchange. Maybe I can use her as my leash. She thought before directing her attention towards the cabin.
Getting up from her seat, she poked her head through the cabin door. "Driver, what happened?"
A finger was held up to her as the vehicle commander held the crew - served radio to his ear. After a few seconds, he placed it down and let out a long sigh.
"The road ahead is blocked. We thought we could save ourselves a lot of time by cutting through the Callahan Tunnel, but the entrance has been blocked. We're waiting on orders from Major Haxor to see if we should secure the area while engineers move the debris or if we should take the long way around through Chelsea and head across the Route 1 bridge through Charleston. In my opinion, I'd rather wait than go through that hell."
"What happened at Charleston?" Daisy asked.
"Long story short, we lost the whole damn mechanized Division that was stationed with us when they tried to clear it out. Lost contact four days after they entered the area, no survivors."
"Well shit." Daisy commented. "Why didn't scouts warn us of this delay? We probably could have cleared it by now if we sent out an Engineer detachment beforehand."
The driver looked at her. "Beats us ma'am. We're just the vehicle operators. We thought officers were supposed to know the who's and what's of these operations."
"Information about this op was kept on a tight leash, saying anything more would be breaking operational clearance that's out of my jurisdiction." She explained. "Sergeant Major, hand me the radio."
Doing as he was told, Daisy was given the device. Checking the frequency saved on her radio, she inputted it to the vehicle's. "Major Haxor, this is Lieutenant Spencer, come in."
A few seconds later there was a crackle as it came to life, but the speaker was not Major Haxor. "Major Haxor's busy ma'am; getting everyone into a defensive position. I'm his aid, Staff Sergeant Nuckles, have something to relay?"
"Sergeant, can you ask him if he's going to send engineers up here to remove the debris blocking the tunnel? I'm sure we're not leaving this area since, like you said, he's setting up a rear defense."
"Affirmative, hold one."
The line went dead. For a few minutes, the hum of the LAV's engine and chatter from her guards filled the armored vehicle.
"Lieutenant, you still there?" The radio shot to life.
"Affirmative. What's the sit - rep?"
"Golf Platoon is heading to the front. They've got explosives and reinforcements to clear the entrance.
"Understood. Anything else?"
"Negative Lieutenant. Your leading LAV's and the Bradley are to stay up there in case anything tries attacking them once the tunnel is clear. Orders are being relayed to other vehicles, so you're good for now, out."
The line went silent for the second, and more permanent, time. Handing it back to the Master Sergeant, Daisy made her way back to the crew cabin.
"Alright. We've got sappers coming to knock down this wall, so all of you out of the vehicle. Keep a minimum spacing of three yards and secure the perimeter until Golf Platoon arrives."
"Aye ma'am." A chorus of responses stated.
Lance Corporal Macs, being the closest to the troop transport door, opened it and Sergeant Alistor was the first to funnel out. As the others piled out, Daisy followed behind; but before exiting, she turned back to the two vehicle operators.
"Master Sergeant, get that gun on a swivel. The explosives are surely going to make a lot of noise, and who knows what's in that tunnel."
"Aye ma'am!" He, unnecessarily, shouted over the engine.
Stepping out, she saw her guard unit had set up a 180 degree perimeter surrounding the rear half of the LAV. The other LAV behind hers also unloaded its leathernecks, totaling around twelve Marines including her guard unit. Looking at the tunnel, she saw just how tightly blocked it was.
"Marines, set up positions in groups of three around the armored vehicles. Guards you're joining them." She commanded, walking up to the one directly behind hers
Banging on the driver's hatch, it opened revealing a dark skinned woman staring at her.
"Driver, pull your LAV around so it blocks the road. Just in case something penetrates the exterior perimeter the Major is cooking up, we need something between us and the intersection." She ordered the woman.
"Aye ma'am, you're the boss." She responded, kicking the gear into reverse.
"And get your LAV commander on the gun. We want no surprises. Just be sure to leave enough space for two of our trucks to get through." Daisy shouted over the engine.
She received a nod as the armored personnel carrier began a three - point turn. Alistor must have relayed her orders well enough because the third LAV began moving near the same as the one she had just ordered. As the vehicles got into position, she shifted her attention back to the twenty - or - so Marines under her immediate command.
"Split yourselves into groups of three and form up behind each vehicle. I should see four groups, get moving!" The Marines shuffled into their team sizes, positioning themselves the best they could in the cramped street behind the armored vehicles.
By this time, the rest of the convoy had set up at the intersection in what could be best described as a hexagon covering the open spaces within a larger hexagon. Each one had several Marines using the armored vehicles as cover while supported by HMMWV's with the M1A2 sitting in the center on a pile of debris, raising it just enough to fire over friendlies. The helicopters sat on the rooftops watching the streets to save as much fuel as possible.
Four LVS trucks flanked by two HMMWV's came rumbling down the street. As they came to a halt just inside Daisy's armored barricade, their large diesel engines decreased in volume until they sat idling. Four dozen Marines exited their vehicles with the first several disappearing to the back of two of the trucks.
One of them, a male, was talking to another Marine who, after a few moments, nodded and jogged off to the rest. The man in question then turned and faced Daisy, giving her a great view of the insignia on his shoulders. Walking over to each other, they met halfway between their two units, to which he outstretched his hand for a shake that Daisy was inclined to return.
"Lieutenant Johnson, pleased to meet our new Spec - Ops girl." He spoke in a Southern accent. He took a look past her shoulder and whistled at the large debris chunks covering the tunnel entrance. "Someone must've blown it shut. No way it could collapse in such a way on its own, even after twenty years. Don't worry Lieutenant, my engineers will have it cleared in the next hour or two."
"That's quite the generous timeframe considering the load of the rock compared to that of the equipment." She compared.
"Like I said, don't worry. Twenty years of clearing shit to this degree makes you damn good at it." Johnson reassured.
A smirk formed across Daisy's lips. If one thing made her happy, it was the positive performance reports she hears about ground forces.
"Ground pounders always had a hard time. Not to discredit the Navy, but they always had a way to escape whereas entire battalions of men were left for dead for one reason or another. Damn Covvies." She thought.
"So, where do you think we should plant our explosives and concrete reinforcements?" Johnson asked, looking for her input.
Daisy snapped back to reality. "My forté is combat operations, you're the professional when handling situations like this so I'll trust your judgement." She humbled herself a little.
"Fair enough. 'Jack of all trades, master of none' and all that." Johnson brushed.
Daisy nodded. "It's preferred we remove the rubble within your estimated timeframe if we want to have the whole station secured by sundown."
"I'll rally my men and get it done. I'll hand some of them over to pull guard duty for you."
"I'll only need six to replace the positions my guards are holding."
"I see. Ok I'll hand you a squad then get to work." He turned and began walking back to his Platoon. "Keep me updated with the Major, Spencer."
"Will do."
Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, the Marines of Golf Platoon went back and forth between their trucks and the tunnel as they prepared the explosives and reinforcement beams.
Daisy went on her shortwave radio. "Marines, get your guns trained on that tunnel and prepare for hostile contacts."
Over the universal channel, the voice of Lieutenant Johnson cracked through the radio.
"Marines, brace - brace, fire in the hole."
The communication was followed up a few seconds later by a loud detonation as the several pounds of C4 plastic explosive went off, creating a massive dust cloud surrounding the tunnel entrance. The gunners from the two LAV's and Bradley acting as their cover change to thermal sights. Barely seconds passed before three 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain guns opened fire on the tunnel.
Thankful for her augmented vision, she saw through the dust clouds faster than any of the dismounted Marines and blinked in horror; not even her Spartan training could prepare her for this. Jumping on her shortwave, she relayed an emergency message.
"We've disturbed the hive, gas masks on!"
Those near the tunnel not inside vehicles left their carbines resting at their sides as they quickly put on their M50 JSGPM's. As soon as the dust cleared and Marines had their weapons shouldered, any runners that made it through the hail of 25mm High Explosive shells were gunned down by at least three rifles tagging them.
Several other squads from the intersection barricade ran down to assist in securing the tunnel entrance. After only about three minutes, all that was left to see was blood, flesh, bone, and several other unknown body parts strewn all across the tunnel. The gunfire ended just as abruptly as it started, and Daisy stepped towards the mess left behind. Taking a look around, her eyes adjusting to the low light environment, she saw nothing.
"Area clear, presumably. Wait for further instructions from Major Haxor." She ordered.
Marines reloaded their weapons and secured the area, making sure nothing survived that encounter. One of the engineers from Golf Platoon jogged his way towards Daisy.
"Ma'am." He said, his muffled voice unaffecting Daisy's augmented ears. "We're heading back to the rear. Lieutenant Johnson wanted me to give you his good luck statement before we packed up."
"Duly noted sapper. Let him know he has my thanks." She replied.
The Marine nodded, turning tail and heading back towards the convoy that brought him up front in the first place.
"Lieutenant Spencer." The radio crackled with Major Haxor's voice. "I want you to send in one of those LAV's ahead to scout out the tunnel. Have one of your men maintain constant radio contact with the crew until they return."
"Aye sir. Hold one."
Heading over to the LAV she rode in on, she banged on the driver's hatch. Opening, the man she still had yet to learn the name of was staring back at her through his M50 JSGPM.
"I overheard the news on the radio ma'am. I'm guessing we're the unlucky ones that have to scout out that hellhole?" He asked.
"Unfortunately, but someone's gotta do it." She responded.
He slightly sighed. "Of course ma'am. You can count on us."
"I know I can, but not yet. Sergeant Knot!" She yelled through the mask.
The young female First Sergeant answered the call by sprinting over.
"Yes ma'am?" She asked.
"You're in charge of keeping an open channel with these two as they scout ahead in the tunnel. They're our eyes and you're our ears, so make sure to listen to every word they say, understood?"
"Aye ma'am."
"Good. LAV you're good to move out." She told the driver.
"Wish us luck!" He shouted back as the armored vehicle lurched forward.
Entering the tunnel, the headlights flashed on, illuminating the darkness. As they continued down, the Marines gradually lost visual contact except Daisy. Sergeant Knot stood beside the Ex - Spartan holding a portable radio set brought to her by one of the Marines in the other LAV.
"LAV, what do you see?"
"Uhhh nothing yet, just more tunnel and hive spores. It's dark, red, a little hazy; had to turn on the headlights. It's the most disgusting shit I've seen. Zach, do you see anything moving on thermals? . . . Yeah, nothing on his end either. Is Lieutenant Spencer there?"
"Yeah, wait one." Knot said, handing the radio over.
"This is Spencer, go ahead." Daisy broadcasted.
"Ma'am, how far do you want us to scout ahead? We may lose radio contact if we go too far into the tunnel."
"Keep moving until you get a klick into the tunnel. That should cover two thirds of it and be more than enough for the rest of us to begin moving through." She informed him.
"Aye ma'am. Zach you heard the lady, we still have some distance to cover. Alright, that was all ma'am."
Handing the transmitter back to Knot, she continued relaying the visual information through her shortwave to keep everyone updated. Once the LAV crew had reached a kilometer into the tunnel, they radioed that they were heading back. In the meantime, Major Haxor began getting everyone back into their vehicles and ready to move.
When the LAV finally made it out of the tunnel, it was coated in red patches, no doubt hive spores collecting on the body, and the wheels were covered in blood.
"Major, scouts have returned and we're awaiting your orders." Knot broadcasted to Haxor.
"Copy that. Marines, keep your masks on and do not exit your vehicles while inside. The last thing we need are any of you turning halfway through. Load up and get ready to move in two." Haxor ordered on the shortwave.
Daisy and her guard unit watched as the rest of the perimeter Marines entered their armored vehicles before Daisy made a circle motion with her hand. Her squad huddled together as Lance Corporal Macs opened the troop carrier of their LAV and Daisy was the first in. Once Gunnery Sergeant Sheryl was in and the door closed behind her, the Master Sergeant chief vehicle operator radioed that everyone in the front of the convoy was ready to go.
"It's time to explore the big city Marines. Drivers, you're free to move." Major Haxor announced over the radio.
The convoy once again got into motion after their roughly half hour delay. Those that could looked out of their bulletproof windows and saw just how hellish the tunnel's interior was. The glowing red of hives mixed with the beige - colored haze of the cordyceps spores created a sinking feeling in Daisy's stomach. She had been through hell and back and has seen the death that follows it; from Harvest to Sargasso, but this was truly something new.
"Ma'am, you good?" A concerned Gunny Sheryl asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I've never seen this level of infected concentration. It's surreal to just think about the crumbling infrastructure that we used to control. Now, it's just nothing." She admitted.
"Exit three hundred meters!" The Master Sergeant yelled through his gas mask.
Clearing her mind of her worries for what was, she turned back to face her squad. A few moments later, sunlight once again peeked through the window slits of the bay.
"Welcome to the big city Marines. The station is three mikes out so prepare to unload once we stop. Regroup with your Platoon commanders and surround the building; once I give the signal, you enter. Shoot to kill."
"Let's do this shit!" Macs exclaimed.
"Right on." Martinez high fived him.
"It's quite an exciting moment." Kat smiled through her mask.
The LAV slowly came to a halt as they arrived at a large, round T.V. station that had a transmitter tower sitting on the roof of the building. The Company climbed out of their vehicles, gun operators keeping their heads on a swivel.
Several dozen Marines flocked to their designated staging areas with their officers waiting for them or vice versa. Daisy's Bravo Platoon congregated around her as they went to the back door. Her Marines focused themselves on three different entry points: the loading bay, a back door, and a blown open wall.
Breachers and point - men stood by. The rumbling of engines as they moved to surround the building was eventually overtaken by the sounds of helicopters flying low overhead, dropping off their troop compliments onto the roof.
The tension in the air was high as every leatherneck anticipated what would take place inside. A single word suddenly came over everyone's helmet - mounted radios.
"Execute."
Doors were kicked in and explosives sounded off as hundreds of Marines poured into the station. Shotguns and flamethrowers went in first, gunning down infected and spewing flames to burn the bodies.
Riflemen followed suit and commanding officers went in last, each protected by a squad of at least four Marines. Half of Daisy's Platoon entered and found themselves in a large monitor room, most likely the editorial or screening room(s), while the other half blew open the shutters to the loading bay. A secondary cacophony of explosions were heard above them as Charlie Company blew out small sections of skylights and repelled down onto the second floor.
Daisy drowned out Charlie's entrance. Honing her senses, she made herself aware of every little detail around her. Having a full head and a half over most of her Marines alongside her augmented vision allowed her to see further and clearer than even the Marines in the front of the group.
After they cleared out the screening rooms and rendezvoused with the other half of the Platoon in the hallway, Daisy broke them up into eight squads of six and positioned them in staggered formations. The slow walk down the dimly lit hallway made several Marines turn on their M4's flashlights, enhancing a it's bleach white walls.
Even through the thudding of their heavy boots, they heard banging on the doors on both sides of the hall. Squad leaders took the initiative and broke off to clear each room, making the staggered formation shrink. Muzzle flashes and semi - automatic gunfire reverberated up and down the hallway.
As they passed by the fifth door on the right, the newest front - most squad broke off and got into breaching formation. The point - man raised his boot and kicked the door open before sliding to the other side of the doorway. The second Marine, as fluid as water, swerved around the door followed immediately by the third man. As the fourth entered the room, one of the previous two yelled in surprise.
"Holy shit!" Before several bursts of their M4 went off. The rest of the squad scurried through the doorway. Daisy raised a fist and halted, the remainder of her Platoon following suit.
"5.56 ain't doi —-" One male Marine was saying before a loud thud was heard against the wall.
"James!" A female cried out in anguish.
Gunshots, both burst and semi - automatic, filled the hallway longer than every previously breached room.
"Holy shit! Craig back up!" Another voice ordered.
"Jesus Christ it just ripped Jan in half!"
Without skipping a beat, Daisy turned around and pushed past her rear units before turning the corner of the doorway. The first thing she saw was a Marine lying in a very large pool of blood with one of his squad mates kneeling over him. Another was lying on the floor, her torso split apart with each end on either side of the infected creature. The other two Marines were still desperately trying to kill what could only be described as a walking armored mushroom.
Their 5.56 NATO rounds were, while connecting, unable to penetrate the thick, leathery armor this thing had accumulated. Reactive impulse immediately took over and Daisy charged towards the bloater. Throwing her carbine over her shoulder, she raised her fist back and low and, once she was within melee distance, released a punch so strong that the physical breaking of the bloaters' chitin armor could be heard. Pulling her other fist back, she followed it up by jabbing, no, obliterating its midsection.
It tried to grab her head, but she ducked out of the way avoiding its grasp. Springing her legs up, she brought another fist upwards and uppercutted its jaw, snapping its neck back, breaking it and lifting it into the air before I landed firmly, and harshly, on the ground with a thud. Turning back to the other Marines, they simply stood in shock.
"God dammit, if only I was faster." She thought, looking at the two bodies before realizing no one was moving. It took barely a second for it to click in her mind and a memory from Major Collins played out reminding her about the limitations of showing her augmentations to the grunts. "Oh fuck me how am I gonna hide them this time?!" She internally panicked.
The first Marine to come out of shock from the scene was the squad leader who stared bug - eyed as the scene. The other two Marines, as well as her guard unit that stood at the doorway, were wide eyed and frozen at the feat she had just accomplished. Fighting a bloater solo is only for the suicidal, and yet, here their Lieutenant was having effectively killed it on her own with only punches!
The first to speak out of the shock was Gunny Sheryl. "Ma'am, how did you do that?"
Shaking her fists of the mucus - like residue that came off the bloater, pausing for a moment to come up with an answer.
"Training, Gunny. Focus back on the task at hand." She ordered.
". . . Aye ma'am." Sheryl responded slowly, not having a choice to think it over.
Stepping back out into the hallway, she looked at both her guard and the infiltration squad. "That goes for the rest of you."
The others nodded or just went back to their previously held positions. Daisy made her way to the center of the formation and motioned two fingers forward. As she stepped out, the flamethrower squad assigned to her Platoon made their way through each room and burned the bodies stacked by the Marines who cleared them. The remaining two squads moved to the last few doors and breached them, leaving her guard squad as the last one to investigate this different entrance.
"Gunny Sheryl, politely knock on those doors." Daisy ordered.
The female NCO walked in front of the amassed group. Trying the door, she found it unlocked as the security system had been busted and rotted, but unable to open whether she pushed or pulled. Stepping back, she raised a foot and slammed it against the door causing a large crack to be heard on the other side followed by several surprised screams and wails.
"Gunny hold." Daisy said. "Shine your flashlight through the cracks in the door."
Doing as she was told, the Gunny held her carbine against the crack, or peek, in the double doors and moved its mounted light left to right. What she saw was something similar, if smaller, than the tunnel. Several infected and clickers stood around or at the door waiting for their next meal to burst through.
"Fuck me ma'am." She complimented Daisy as she pushed herself away from the door. "It's filled with more shit's galore than the tunnel."
"Good eyes Gunny." Daisy complimented. "I want shotguns and flamethrowers on me!" She yelled back down the hallway.
Five breachers and two flamethrowers jogged down the hall to her squad's position.
"Gunny, get back. I'll knock the door down." Daisy said, grabbing Sheryl's shoulder and lightly pulling her back.
Looking around at the dozen jarheads surrounding her, she saw how tense they were. Their hands gripped their weapons tightly; she could hear heavy breathing through their masks. She herself inhaled and exhaled through her nose as she lifted her foot.
"3… 2… 1!" She shouted, projecting her foot towards and kicking the door with enough strength they splintered off the hinges.
A cacophony of M1014 shotguns went off generating loud booms as twelve gauge buckshot tore through flesh and bone. Daisy brought her rifle to bear and aimed it at a charging runner. Pulling the trigger and sending a 5.56 round down range, the intermediate caliber size pierced through the runner's skull, sending brain matter and bullet fragmentation flying out the other end.
The thirteen strong group moved forward through the doorway as more infected can sprinting in their direction. Magazine fed carbines fired as M1014's ran low or went dry and stepped back to reload fresh magazine tubes. Daisy and her guards met the infected 'gun - for - gun', mowing down runners and clickers in their way, and the cone shape they stood at allowed them a full one hundred eighty degree view of the room.
A sudden shocked yelp followed by labored breathing and gurgling came from behind them. Private Spikes, Kat, turned around and saw a hunched infected holding one of the breachers by the neck, his body clearly limp with a chunk of his upper face gone.
Kat raised her rifle and fired at the infected. Her bullet struck semi - true as it landed firmly within the arm that held the Marine's body. The infected dropped the body and 'howled' in pain before springing back and leaping toward Kat with malicious intent.
Kat rolled to the left, as partly successful her athletic abilities are, and dodged the infected attack, landing on her back after doing so. A sudden boom went off from her left as one of the other breacher's fired a twelve gauge buckshot right into its shoulder, tearing off the infected's right arm. It screeched in pain, but before it could even think of retaliation, a bullet entered the left side of its skull and out the right.
Looking over, Kat saw a familiar hand being held out towards her. Grabbing it, she was helped in lifting herself up and nodding to the familiar face before focusing her attention back into the main fighting.
"Thanks Frank." She voiced momentarily.
"Don't mention it Kat." He replied, her hand grabbing his and pulling her up.
"Flamers start burning the room, controlled torching." Daisy suddenly ordered.
She and her remaining Marines fought for another minute or two clearing the hive. After everything was dead, Daisy, along with a few other like minded Marines, went around and double tapped each body, some of which wore military uniforms.
"Burn the bodies and keep an eye out for anything that stumbles in, I'm reporting our progress." She ordered the now eleven Marines.
She stepped out of the room and reached for her radio. "Captain, come in."
"I'm here. Something to report Lieutenant?" Kinger's voice came over.
"Affirmative. Delta Platoon has secured its area of the station, however we suffered some casualties. We have a minimum of three K.I.A. I'll get a full headcount soon."
"God dammit. Alright, secure your men and burn any traces of the CBI, and have your men sweep every nook and cranny."
"Understood. Out." Daisy ended the transmission. "I hope this fucking station works." She angrily mumbled.
Author's Note: If how the stations for the T.V. Station wasn't too clear, Alpha Company was pulling perimeter security, Delta Company (Under Kingser) was clearing the first floor, while Charlie Company was clearing the second floor. Bravo Company didn't participate as in the last chapter they were said to be undermanned and underequipped.
