It's good to be back writing C&C fanfiction again

It's good to be back writing C&C fanfiction again. The thought of doing another RA2 fic crossed my mind, but I've decided not to. Instead, I've decided to try my hand at a fic on Tiberian Sun. They had some neato stuff in that game. I heard people bad mouth it all the time, but it isn't so bad, it's actually cool.

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No Prize for the Good Guys 

By SSJ_Bardock

            The squad sat in the subterranean APC, waiting for their drop off. A large movement of GDI's forces told the tale of what was going on. Something was important where they were heading and NOD had to make sure that they didn't get there. The instructions were clear. Their job was to keep GDI at bay until reinforcements would arrive to assist the base. If they could hold GDI here, there was a good chance it might turn the tide in this "war".

            It was a glorious time to be in NOD. Kane had reappeared and NOD was now unified again. The traitor Hassan had been eliminated and nothing could stop them now. GDI would fall, that was the goal and then the Brotherhood would take over. But first, they would have to hold GDI.

            The inside of the APC was dark and humid. The rumble of the engine roared in the hull of the machine. There were five men inside it and one cyborg seated on the cold metal benches. The cyborg sat still and quiet, not moving or breathing; just waiting for further instructions. The other infantry in the APC tried to keep as far away from it as possible. Even if it was on their side, that didn't make it any less freaky. Up close and personal it was the single ugliest thing you could ever lay your eyes on.

            Shawn Minson sat in the corner farthest from the abomination of recreated life. In his hands he gripped his rifle as if it were a life preserver and if he had ever let go he'd die. That was the life of a soldier in NOD. The hum of the engine was the only thing keeping him from snapping. The only thing that let him know he wasn't in hell just yet. To think, just yesterday he had gotten out of training and now they were sending him toward what most likely would be the biggest ground battle in the war. Anyone else would've most likely been overjoyed at the chance to be in this battle; he wasn't.

            Shawn had a family to go back to. He had a mother who hated to see him leave. She didn't want to see him die in the war the way his father did. Try as she might though, he didn't listen. He wanted to prove himself to be a man. Perhaps even to get revenge on GDI for killing his father. For at the age of 19, Shawn was still believing the world revolved around him.

            The five men waited impatiently for the ride to end. Not a single one of them knew how long it had been since they had left the training facilities. It could have been days in the APC where a few minutes seemed like hours.  It was maddening. They could be grateful at the hum of the engine, which was most likely keeping everyone from losing their minds.

            Suddenly they felt the APC tip upward. It was starting to go up which meant that they'd reach their destination. Everyone nearly fell to the back of the APC, but the restraints held them in place. The five men waited attentively for the sound of ground breaking. That sound would mean that they were finally getting out. Finally getting back to the real world; but the question was, were they ready for it?

            Finally the APC reached the top and came to a stop. The hatch in the back opened and the troops were released. As soon as the door opened, they heard gunfire and explosions. The base they had reached was all ready under attack. The ground shook as a laser cannon went up in a blaze of smoke. Shrapnel flew everywhere. The base was in a state of total chaos and confusion. People were yelling orders and no one seemed to notice.

            A man ran up to the group, "Hey you! Get to the west walls and reinforce the lines! Do it now damn it!"

            Just as quickly as he came, the man ran off. Shawn and the others quickly ran toward the west walls. Shawn finally got to see the inside of a NOD base and it was huge. Monumental structures towered over them. Power plants hummed as they gave off energy, but the hum was lost under the sounds of explosions and impending death. The construction yard was quickly sending out supplies and the war factory was quickly putting out buggies, attack cycles, and even some stealth tanks.

            Once they reached the west walls they saw it in rubble. Huge chunks of cement lay strewn everywhere and sparks flew into the air from damaged structures which were caught on fire. Blood covered the cement pavement they were standing on. It was not a scene for the weak of heart. In front of him was a line of infantry approximately thirty long and two deep. Cyborg parts lay everywhere and bodies lay in crumpled heaps. The air was thick with the stench of death and it seemed that death itself was looming over everything, picking its prey at random.

            The cyborg walked up to his station and the chain gun in its arm came to life as bullets came pouring out of it. Shawn quickly took a spot by some rocket infantry who were launching the rockets as soon as possible. Then it was the first time Shawn actually took time to notice the enemy.

            "Oh. My. Fucking. God," was all he could say.

            The GDI forces had to be at least sixty long and five deep. Shawn could spot rifle infantry, disc throwers, wolverines and…

            "That's a shit load of Titans," remarked a man next to him and Shawn just nodded in agreement with him.

            There had to be at least forty of them, each one firing off shells. The laser cannons began firing as quickly as possible. GDI soldier after GDI soldier was dropping; the laser ripping their bodies in half. The screams could be heard over all the noise as injured men called out for the wives and family. It was pure and utter chaos…and Shawn was in the middle of the hellish nightmare.  

            The NOD attack buggies raced out to meet the GDI forces in reckless abandon, gunning down infantry on the way out there.  It was useless though as Shawn watched as a Titan blew it into a million pieces, leaving it no more than a burning scrap heap of metal and flesh. That's all Shawn could do now; watch. He was petrified beyond belief; the whole scene was just too shocking; too real for him. The second time he had surveyed the scene, he had made up in his mind that this base would fall. The GDI presence was too strong.

            Shawn looked to his side just to see the man next to him get shot. Blood gushed out of the man's chest and his screams rang in Shawn's ears. It was sickening. Shawn could only watch in horror as the man fell to the ground, crying for his mother. Looking back out onto the battlefield Shawn didn't register any of it. He knew that the GDI forces were coming closer, but he just stood there with his mouth open in shock. About forty feet away a laser was destroyed. Debris was flying into the air as pieces of the flaming wreckage crashed all over the place. To his left, even more people were being killed.

            How can all this be happening? How can so much destruction be caused? Does no one here even care how many lives they've taken? Or is it all just meaningless in the eyes of Kane? He thought bitterly.

            As he reasoned it more, he couldn't figure out why he was here. He didn't even know why he was fighting. NOD claimed to be freeing them all from oppression.

            Oppression from who? GDI didn't do anything to me, not until NOD showed up. That's it then, it's all because of NOD. All because of them I'm out here, risking my life for nothing and no one. That's it, fuck Kane. He can burn in hell for all I care, Shawn silently fumed.

            Shawn clutched his rifle and ran away from the carnage. Away from all the death. He had made up his mind; he was going to stop this one way or another.

            If the construction yard is taken out, this base will crumble like a sand castle in a typhoon. That's it then huh? Shawn Minson, former NOD infantry and now hero. Hehe, I can imagine what the papers will say. Just another traitor most likely.

            Shawn continued on toward the construction yard. In all the chaos, no one stopped him, so he made it there without getting killed. Inside the large structure was a large hanger where everything was being made; currently a laser cannon was being constructed. Shawn walked up to one of the engineers. They hadn't even noticed him when he walked in. They were all distracted and most were too focused on building the laser. Quietly Shawn walked up behind one of the engineers and tapped the man on the shoulder. The man turned around to face him.

            "Hey! What are you doing—" the man began, but was cut off when Shawn fired his rifle.

            "What the –" yelled another as he met the same fate.

            At that moment, every one else in the construction yard thought it would be a good idea to get the hell out of there before they were shot as well.

            "You're a dead man!" he could hear someone yell, but Shawn didn't care at the moment.

            Shawn began looking around. The whole construction yard was being evacuated, or at least the engineers and technicians were leaving, well, those that hadn't all ready left. So, he continued to look around and he eventually found a control panel at the end of the hanger. It stood about three feet tall with metal plating on it. On it was various buttons and knobs. In the bottom left corner was a bright red button and Shawn had seen too many movies so he concluded it was a self-detonation button of some kind.

            He was about to push it when he heard a loud thunk, followed by more of them. Gripping his rifle tightly, Shawn waited for whatever it was to show itself. As it stepped out into the open Shawn's eyes widened as he saw before him a cyborg. The cyborg's arm showed its chain gun; promising death to him. The engineer was right; Shawn would pay for his treachery and his executioner was this; a machine. Something that didn't have any type of thought was going to wipe him out.

            Killed by a fucking cyborg, it can't get any worse than this…

            The barrels spun and the bullets ripped into his chest. The pain was intense as blood began spilling everywhere. His hands immediately clutched his chest, trying in vain to stop the breathing. The pain was just overwhelming his senses. He fell backward and slid down to the floor, blood turning the floor to a crimson red. The darkness of death was so welcoming, so very inviting. He knew he was going to die right then and there; there wasn't anything else to do, but die. Nothing to do but die alone. All Shawn wanted to do now though, was go to sleep…

Legal Disclaimer: I don't own C&C Tiberian Sun so don't sue me.

A/N: So how was this one? Is it better or worse than the last story? Please give suggestions and comments in your review, I could really use some constructive criticism.