The Hydralisks were looking right at Mikhail. He could feel their foul
breath wafting across his face, they're acrid odor swirling within his
nostrils. Acid dripped from the hundreds on needle teeth in their mouths,
falling down on to the ground. Mikhail fought back the urge to gag. Then,
the Hydralisks moved away. The camouflage had worked! When the retreating
footsteps could no longer be heard, Mikhail gathered the courage to
scramble to his knees. He bent low over the log, looking for Mike.
"Mike, where are you?" Mikhail hissed over the radio. He saw the hive that Mike had targeted. It hadn't been destroyed, but there was a large chunk missing where the grenade had hit. Zerg were milling around the area almost like there was a Psi Emitter. At least ten Overlords bobbed in the air above, screeching reports to the ground troops.
"I'm making my way up the foot of the ridge right now." Mike said. Mikhail looked to the left and saw him. It was rather eerie, because it looked like he was only half there. His body was transparent, but you could still make out the individual parts of his body. It looked kind of like a hologram. The Volamose cloak units were made to hide the unit from sight to all but their own men, no one save the Volamose soldiers could see.
Mike reached him shortly and crouched down beneath the log. He pressed a button on his suit and instantly the field that encased him disappeared.
"Used up almost all my energy. Cloak was about to crap out." Mike said, tapping the small piece of machinery attached to his left forearm. Blue numbers flashed "16", indicating the suit's energy level.
"How long does it take to recharge?"
"Hard to say. Usually about ten minutes." Mike said easily. "They'll be swarming around the area continuously for about that long until they've ascertained that there is no threat. That makes this an ample time to cover ground." He sprung to his feet and hauled Mikhail up. They were away in a moment, keeping pinned to the outermost ledge of the ridge. Mike repeatedly looked through the binoculars to check for Zerg, but the path along the ridge was clear. Keeping low, they hastily moved down the ridge without incident. In less than ten minutes the Command Center came into view. There was a small slope that led down to the edge of the Creep. From there, the Center was no more than forty yards away. An easy sprint.
"There's something I don't understand," Mikhail said as they surveyed the area. "Why is the defense around the area so tight. Why would they want to protect that piece of junk?" It was certainly under strong protection. A group of about fifteen Mutalisks screeched overhead, their stubby wings beating the air madly in attempts to keep their long, slimy bodies aloft. Zerglings were burrowed all around, there were at least fifteen. The most concerning part though was the Hydralisks. There was at least twenty in all, some borrowed, some running around frantically.
"I don't have an answer for that," Mike said, "But they've certainly upped the security level."
"If it wasn't impossible then, its impossible now." Mikhail said, exasperated.
"Nothing is impossible." Mike flashed him a roguish grin. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve." He pulled another object from the equipment bag he was still lugging around.
"Is that what I think it is?"
Mike gave him the grin again. "Yep. Flash-bomb. While there stumbling around blindly, we sneak in."
"But won't we be blinded by the flash?" Mikhail said pessimistically. Mike shook his head and handed him a pair of goggles.
"Standard military flash-goggles. Designed for the soul purpose of seeing in total brightness." Mike said. He strapped them to his head but did not pull them down over his eyes. "Whatever you do, do not put them on until I use the bomb. If you do you'll be...."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"...Blinded."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Mikhail yelled again, tearing the goggles from his face. He frantically rubbed his palms against his eyes, attempting to restore his vision.
"Would you shut up! You'll bring the whole colony on our heads!" Mike hissed angrily. The screams had not alerted the guards fortunately, they were still well out of earshot. Mike's angry expression soon softened. "You really, really do not follow directions well."
"Yeah, yeah, let's just get started already." Mikhail said, replacing the goggles on his head. This time however, he did not pull them down over his eyes. "How long will the flash last?"
"At most, forty-five seconds. That's plenty of time."
"And how do you propose we get in? We can't exactly walk through the front door." Mikhail said, bringing his hand to shield his eyes from the afternoon sun.
"There's an air vent on the right side, wide enough for one of us to fit in at a time." Mike said. "I'm going to use my cloak, if you get spotted I'll open up on them. You just get to the vent." With that he activated his cloak, and then he was gone, save for the transparent outline. Mikhail say the shady outline of his arm pull back, and then the grenade became visible as it left his hand. It sailed through the air and then...
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The grenade exploded in midair, basking the area in an intolerably bright light. Fortunately for both Terrans, they pulled their goggles on just as the bomb exploded. Mikhail heard the sound of screeching Zergs, to the left he saw a Hydralisk practically scratching its eyes out. It was a strange feeling; he knew he should be blinded, but he wasn't.
"Quit dawdling and lets move!" Mike yelled impatiently, taking off down the slope. Mikhail followed suit. They Zergs were starting to get smart, they burrowed in order to shield themselves from the light. Mikhail made his footsteps light, if he ran heavily his feet could get caught in the Creep, and then he'd be in a very, very bad situation.
"Ok, right ahead is the vent, its about ten feet off the ground!" Mike yelled, stopping at the edge of the wall.
"I see it!" Mikhail shouted. "I'm taller than you, get on my back!" He sprawled down of all fours, wincing in disgust as his hands sunk into the Creep. Mike stepped on his back and pulled the grate loose. The pressure was relieved from Mikhail's back as the Major hoisted himself up and into the vent. He turned around and extended his hand down.
"Grab my arm, I'll pull you up!" Mikhail pulled his arms free of the ground, followed by his legs. He grabbed gold of Mike's wrist, careful not to pull. The Major exerted all his strength, grunting and heaving Mikhail until he got a finger-hold. He pulled himself up and into the vent, and gagged as a sudden blast of foul air greeted him.
"Here, put this back on." Mike whispered, handing him the metal grate. Mikhail carefully placed it back on, and just as it clicked the light disappeared. The Zergs stopped screeching and scrambled around, looking for who created the flash. But they didn't search the vent.
"Phew! Let's never, ever do that again." Mikhail panted. Again he gagged, the stench was overpowering.
"Don't open your mouth!" Mike hissed through close lips. They began crawling on all fours, but the going was not easy. The vine-like organisms were all through the vents, making their progress all the more slow. Then came upon another grate in the floor, and through it they saw what appeared to be an old briefing room. Torn maps ornamented the shoddy walls, and cobwebs filled every corner. An old table in the middle, it's oaken legs chipped and cracked. They kept crawling and came across another opening.
"Bulls-eye." Mike chirped. Down below was the control panel, in as shoddy condition as could be expected. The base was cracked and rusted over, many of they keys were missing or broken. The few screens that were not shattered remained hidden behind a thick layer of dust. The room appeared to be unguarded, and the security cameras were broken. Mike put a finger to his lips and removed the grate slowly. Placing his hands on either side of the opening, he slowly dropped down. Mikhail dropped down and crept over to the panel.
"Try the main power switch." Mike whispered, pointing to a large switch. Mikhail pushed it, but to no avail. "Try the back-up." Mikhail flipped up the glass that covered the red switch and pressed it down. Suddenly the computer came to life in a cavalcade of sounds and beeps.
"Oh shit." Mikhail cursed as the sound echoed through the room. Wiping the screen clear with his hand, he began madly punching in commands and frequencies. Mikhail picked up the microphone and held down on the receive button and was greeted by the sounds of static. He dialed into frequency 128.919.874, the Volamose's distress signal.
"This is First Lieutenant Mikhail Grishoff of the Volamose Protectorate Wraith Squadron calling from Khan'Alas, sector 16. This is a priority four- distress call, respond. Over." He anxiously waited for a transmission.
Nothing came back.
"I repeat, This is First Lieutenant Mikhail Grishoff of the Volamose Protectorate Wraith Squadron calling for the 16th sector of Khan Alas! This is a priority four-distress call, respond! Over." He repeated, again waiting. Suddenly the main screen flashed and the General Gray's grizzled face appeared.
"Mikhail! Where the hell are you?" He demanded, his normally serious face creased with worry.
"General I am in an abandoned Command Center in the heart of the Zerg base. Major Mike O'Connor is with me sir. We were both part of the siege on Khan'Alas when we were attacked by-"
"So sorry to interrupt your reunion Lieutenant, but you were breaking my heart." A voice said from behind with false empathy. Mikhail whirled around to see General Miller twirling a cord in his hand. Mike was no where in sight. "I really must commend you on making it this far by your self Lieutenant. Any ordinary soldier would surely have perished by now."
"They will come."
"Who, your pathetic squadrons?" Miller laughed, the tone of sarcasm heavy in the room "I have over six hundred Zergs stationed around the perimeter of the base, so I think you'll find that escape is impossible."
"You are like a mouse Lieutenant, an annoying little mouse that just won't die." Miller said, pulling a pistol from his belt. He cocked it and pointed it at Mikhail's head.
"But like any good mouse, all you need is the right bait, and the trap will snap SHUT."
***Wow did that take a hell of a long time to get out. Sorry, but I lost all interest in the story for a while. I was originally planning on making it longer, but now I do intend on wrapping it up in either the next chapter or the one after that. As always, please review.
-Mike16-
"Mike, where are you?" Mikhail hissed over the radio. He saw the hive that Mike had targeted. It hadn't been destroyed, but there was a large chunk missing where the grenade had hit. Zerg were milling around the area almost like there was a Psi Emitter. At least ten Overlords bobbed in the air above, screeching reports to the ground troops.
"I'm making my way up the foot of the ridge right now." Mike said. Mikhail looked to the left and saw him. It was rather eerie, because it looked like he was only half there. His body was transparent, but you could still make out the individual parts of his body. It looked kind of like a hologram. The Volamose cloak units were made to hide the unit from sight to all but their own men, no one save the Volamose soldiers could see.
Mike reached him shortly and crouched down beneath the log. He pressed a button on his suit and instantly the field that encased him disappeared.
"Used up almost all my energy. Cloak was about to crap out." Mike said, tapping the small piece of machinery attached to his left forearm. Blue numbers flashed "16", indicating the suit's energy level.
"How long does it take to recharge?"
"Hard to say. Usually about ten minutes." Mike said easily. "They'll be swarming around the area continuously for about that long until they've ascertained that there is no threat. That makes this an ample time to cover ground." He sprung to his feet and hauled Mikhail up. They were away in a moment, keeping pinned to the outermost ledge of the ridge. Mike repeatedly looked through the binoculars to check for Zerg, but the path along the ridge was clear. Keeping low, they hastily moved down the ridge without incident. In less than ten minutes the Command Center came into view. There was a small slope that led down to the edge of the Creep. From there, the Center was no more than forty yards away. An easy sprint.
"There's something I don't understand," Mikhail said as they surveyed the area. "Why is the defense around the area so tight. Why would they want to protect that piece of junk?" It was certainly under strong protection. A group of about fifteen Mutalisks screeched overhead, their stubby wings beating the air madly in attempts to keep their long, slimy bodies aloft. Zerglings were burrowed all around, there were at least fifteen. The most concerning part though was the Hydralisks. There was at least twenty in all, some borrowed, some running around frantically.
"I don't have an answer for that," Mike said, "But they've certainly upped the security level."
"If it wasn't impossible then, its impossible now." Mikhail said, exasperated.
"Nothing is impossible." Mike flashed him a roguish grin. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve." He pulled another object from the equipment bag he was still lugging around.
"Is that what I think it is?"
Mike gave him the grin again. "Yep. Flash-bomb. While there stumbling around blindly, we sneak in."
"But won't we be blinded by the flash?" Mikhail said pessimistically. Mike shook his head and handed him a pair of goggles.
"Standard military flash-goggles. Designed for the soul purpose of seeing in total brightness." Mike said. He strapped them to his head but did not pull them down over his eyes. "Whatever you do, do not put them on until I use the bomb. If you do you'll be...."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"...Blinded."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Mikhail yelled again, tearing the goggles from his face. He frantically rubbed his palms against his eyes, attempting to restore his vision.
"Would you shut up! You'll bring the whole colony on our heads!" Mike hissed angrily. The screams had not alerted the guards fortunately, they were still well out of earshot. Mike's angry expression soon softened. "You really, really do not follow directions well."
"Yeah, yeah, let's just get started already." Mikhail said, replacing the goggles on his head. This time however, he did not pull them down over his eyes. "How long will the flash last?"
"At most, forty-five seconds. That's plenty of time."
"And how do you propose we get in? We can't exactly walk through the front door." Mikhail said, bringing his hand to shield his eyes from the afternoon sun.
"There's an air vent on the right side, wide enough for one of us to fit in at a time." Mike said. "I'm going to use my cloak, if you get spotted I'll open up on them. You just get to the vent." With that he activated his cloak, and then he was gone, save for the transparent outline. Mikhail say the shady outline of his arm pull back, and then the grenade became visible as it left his hand. It sailed through the air and then...
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The grenade exploded in midair, basking the area in an intolerably bright light. Fortunately for both Terrans, they pulled their goggles on just as the bomb exploded. Mikhail heard the sound of screeching Zergs, to the left he saw a Hydralisk practically scratching its eyes out. It was a strange feeling; he knew he should be blinded, but he wasn't.
"Quit dawdling and lets move!" Mike yelled impatiently, taking off down the slope. Mikhail followed suit. They Zergs were starting to get smart, they burrowed in order to shield themselves from the light. Mikhail made his footsteps light, if he ran heavily his feet could get caught in the Creep, and then he'd be in a very, very bad situation.
"Ok, right ahead is the vent, its about ten feet off the ground!" Mike yelled, stopping at the edge of the wall.
"I see it!" Mikhail shouted. "I'm taller than you, get on my back!" He sprawled down of all fours, wincing in disgust as his hands sunk into the Creep. Mike stepped on his back and pulled the grate loose. The pressure was relieved from Mikhail's back as the Major hoisted himself up and into the vent. He turned around and extended his hand down.
"Grab my arm, I'll pull you up!" Mikhail pulled his arms free of the ground, followed by his legs. He grabbed gold of Mike's wrist, careful not to pull. The Major exerted all his strength, grunting and heaving Mikhail until he got a finger-hold. He pulled himself up and into the vent, and gagged as a sudden blast of foul air greeted him.
"Here, put this back on." Mike whispered, handing him the metal grate. Mikhail carefully placed it back on, and just as it clicked the light disappeared. The Zergs stopped screeching and scrambled around, looking for who created the flash. But they didn't search the vent.
"Phew! Let's never, ever do that again." Mikhail panted. Again he gagged, the stench was overpowering.
"Don't open your mouth!" Mike hissed through close lips. They began crawling on all fours, but the going was not easy. The vine-like organisms were all through the vents, making their progress all the more slow. Then came upon another grate in the floor, and through it they saw what appeared to be an old briefing room. Torn maps ornamented the shoddy walls, and cobwebs filled every corner. An old table in the middle, it's oaken legs chipped and cracked. They kept crawling and came across another opening.
"Bulls-eye." Mike chirped. Down below was the control panel, in as shoddy condition as could be expected. The base was cracked and rusted over, many of they keys were missing or broken. The few screens that were not shattered remained hidden behind a thick layer of dust. The room appeared to be unguarded, and the security cameras were broken. Mike put a finger to his lips and removed the grate slowly. Placing his hands on either side of the opening, he slowly dropped down. Mikhail dropped down and crept over to the panel.
"Try the main power switch." Mike whispered, pointing to a large switch. Mikhail pushed it, but to no avail. "Try the back-up." Mikhail flipped up the glass that covered the red switch and pressed it down. Suddenly the computer came to life in a cavalcade of sounds and beeps.
"Oh shit." Mikhail cursed as the sound echoed through the room. Wiping the screen clear with his hand, he began madly punching in commands and frequencies. Mikhail picked up the microphone and held down on the receive button and was greeted by the sounds of static. He dialed into frequency 128.919.874, the Volamose's distress signal.
"This is First Lieutenant Mikhail Grishoff of the Volamose Protectorate Wraith Squadron calling from Khan'Alas, sector 16. This is a priority four- distress call, respond. Over." He anxiously waited for a transmission.
Nothing came back.
"I repeat, This is First Lieutenant Mikhail Grishoff of the Volamose Protectorate Wraith Squadron calling for the 16th sector of Khan Alas! This is a priority four-distress call, respond! Over." He repeated, again waiting. Suddenly the main screen flashed and the General Gray's grizzled face appeared.
"Mikhail! Where the hell are you?" He demanded, his normally serious face creased with worry.
"General I am in an abandoned Command Center in the heart of the Zerg base. Major Mike O'Connor is with me sir. We were both part of the siege on Khan'Alas when we were attacked by-"
"So sorry to interrupt your reunion Lieutenant, but you were breaking my heart." A voice said from behind with false empathy. Mikhail whirled around to see General Miller twirling a cord in his hand. Mike was no where in sight. "I really must commend you on making it this far by your self Lieutenant. Any ordinary soldier would surely have perished by now."
"They will come."
"Who, your pathetic squadrons?" Miller laughed, the tone of sarcasm heavy in the room "I have over six hundred Zergs stationed around the perimeter of the base, so I think you'll find that escape is impossible."
"You are like a mouse Lieutenant, an annoying little mouse that just won't die." Miller said, pulling a pistol from his belt. He cocked it and pointed it at Mikhail's head.
"But like any good mouse, all you need is the right bait, and the trap will snap SHUT."
***Wow did that take a hell of a long time to get out. Sorry, but I lost all interest in the story for a while. I was originally planning on making it longer, but now I do intend on wrapping it up in either the next chapter or the one after that. As always, please review.
-Mike16-