DISCLAIMER: See previous entries

I got the call around four in the morning. One look at the clock told me this was going to be bad, everyone knows not to call me before noon. I grabbed my communicator off the nightstand and clicked the receive button.

"Whaddaya want?"

I heard Snipe's filtered but unique voice from the speaker. I haven't seen him in days, they're shuffling the new guys around the Mines last I checked.

"Sonnet? You there?"

I growled into the makeshift phone, answering his question.

"Just calling to catch up."

I stared at my phone, my eye twitching.

"…yeah, we're almost done for the night and I thought I'd call to let you know how smooth things are going. Our officer says we're nearly done, told us to tell our friends that. G'night."

And he clicked out. I stared at the communicator for a few seconds before turning over and jabbing Shade in the side. He yelped, waking up quickly.

"My spy down on Ragol just called. The shit just hit the fan. He didn't give any code phrases, it's something else."

My husband sat up in bed, now wide awake.

"…he didn't give any codes? At all?"

I shook my head, tossing my hair back as I stepped out of bed. I walked over to the closet and began pulling on my Hunters uniform.

"None. He gave the friends signal, that means that it will be announced to the public after things calm down."

I pulled on my gloves, grabbing my MAG and wrist-link from the dresser.

"Get Salia to a safe place, this will probably stay on Ragol but expect some riots."

He nodded, getting up to change into his uniform also. I'd call it a dress, but this isn't a time for jokes. I walked out of our living quarters, hitting a dial button on my link as I closed the front door. It rang once before Moon's tired voice answered.

"…yeah?"

I started walking at a brisk pace down the block.

"It's Sonnet. Snipe just called, problems down under. I'm going to catch a Transporter, try and see what's going on."

He waited a few second before responding, I must have woke him up.

"Go down without me, I'll get some connections and meet you down in an hour."

I nodded, clicking the disconnect tab as I neared the transporter alcove next to the bank outlet. I walked up to the single guard, a RAmar who did government work part time. I gave him a one-finger salute as I stepped up to the security line.

"Evenin', Blitz."

He looked up when he saw me, his mouth curling into a smile under his half-mask visor.

"Sonnet, what'd you need?"

I shrugged as I walked right past the security search area and detectors, calling back to him as I neared the transport control panel.

"We have a situation down there, trying to beat the crowd."

He waved as I set the coordinates for the Forest area and stepped into the transporter rings, my vision going white as I did so.

The next instant a cool wind cut through me, my vision re-focusing to reveal a forest clearing in the middle of the night. Every tree and bush was outlined in blue or black, the only light coming from the white transport ring I'd stepped out of. I had my MAG drop my Beam into my hands as I tapped some buttons on my wrist, equipping some select items before I went past the first barrier.

Once my white armor materialized over my white outfit and my Shield appeared on my left wrist next to my link, I walked over to the first gate. It slid open, revealing the battle behind it. I let a breath of surprise slip out as I saw saber blades cutting through the darkness as they flashed through the air at unseen foes, it was so dark out that's all I could see. I ordered my MAG to light the way, it sent out a small beam of light in front of me.

I stepped forward a few feet, towards the sound of violence. Almost automatically something jumped in front of me, into the center of light. As I raised my rifle to my shoulder in the flash of a second, I saw the intruder lunge forward with two claws. Right as I pulled the trigger I got a good look at it.

…standing a head taller than a Booma, and much wider, was a creature with two arms and legs, an arrow-shaped head with poorly sharpened fins on both sides. Its thickly built, plated arms ended in blades claws. Its face was the only non-plated area, showing off a stripe of thin blue scales. In the center of the stripe was a turtle-like head with red eyes and a toothless mouth.

Before it could impale me I pulled the trigger and fired a shot right at its head. It took it full-on, shooting back in its tracks and screeching in pain, an inhuman sound. I figured it was dead, but out of instinct I kept the barrel of my gun raised. Right as it went to fall, it uncovered its undamaged face, lunging at me faster than before. It was faking. I fired a shot right into its mouth this time, shooting it offs its feet, it liquidated when it hit the ground. Can't argue with that act.

I stayed alert as I the yells and clashes rang louder around my circle of light. My vision adjusted to the lighting, and I saw what was going on. There were about a dozen or so of the unusual creature I'd just shot down, each one was being fought off by one or more Hunters with blades or short-range guns. I figured close combat alone couldn't kill these things if it took two Beam shots. I saw a low boulder in the middle of the clearing and ran toward it, shooting at the huge shadowy figures to ward them off.

I jumped onto the side of the rock, pulling myself to its peak with one arm. I stood up while using my leverage to look around at the battle, shouldering my Beam and taking aim at one of the larger, darker colored creatures being slashed by two HUcasts. One sniper shot to the face sent it back to its heels, giving the swordsmen a clear shot at its torso. I turned twenty degrees and fired at another one, this time killing it on contact.

I kept spinning to different numbers on the imaginary clock this circular battlefield had become. As I barraged the creatures with rifle shots I got a look at the Hunters. They looked terrible, some of the androids were missing parts and the humans looked worse than that. Yet they were taking on a gang of these…things nonetheless. And they were all pure Hunters, not a Ranger in the bunch. Good thing Snipe called, he must have heard what was going on and called the first Ranger he could. Well, also the best ranger. And the only one he knows closely enough to call. And the sexi-oh forget it, I have heads to blow off.

Twenty minutes of my elevated assistance later, all the unknown freaks had retreated or bit the dust, letting their attackers fall to their knees or swords, nearly dead of exhaustion. I slid off my perch, running over to the apparent leader, he had several younger cadets following him.

"What happened here?"

He wiped some dirt off his face as he saw my white outfit, realizing I'd just arrived.

"The transporters in the Caves are dead. We had to fight our way through the tunnels and through this whole mess. How close are we to a transport?"

I just pointed to the door I'd came through.

"You're there. What happened in the Caves?"

The older man in red armor just shook his head, staring at the air in front of him.

"…the monsters…not a sign of them. Then these new ones came, they stormed the secure areas under the surface. We thought we were saved when we hit fresh air. But they're up here, too."

I watched the androids help the humans to the gate, I saw a few cadets mumbling prayers of thanks in different languages. I thanked the officer for his information and went to help the wounded cadets to the gate.

Well, I guess somebody upstairs thought we had to too easy. When only three Hunters had gotten through the gate to safety, the door they'd come out of opened and all heads turned in fear at the thought of a new wave of freaks. Nothing came out, and sighs of relief rang out. Then something the size of a large bus dropped through the air, landing in front of the gate I'd come from. It had jumped clean over the clearing, blocking our way out.

...standing at nearly two stories tall, and about the width of my house, was a humanoid creature of impossible size with two large spikes protruding from its shadowed head. It just looked like a giant shadow in the dead of night. A fifty foot tall shadow. Shaped like a Hildebear, times ten. It slowly twisted around, stomping craters in the earth as it turned to face the half-circle of survivors. Some one yelled what I'd just thought, it's a giant Hildebear. No kidding.

By the time it raised an arm to smash the group in the center, everyone with a projectile weapon had raised it and started pumping rounds at it. I went for the head, since I was the only one who could shoot that high up. The thing, didn't even flinch at the dozens of energy bullets striking its flank. The moon drifted out from behind a cloud, giving us all a clear look. Yep, a giant Hildebear. Covered in black armored plates, just like those turtle freaks. And no uncovered areas. We're screwed. Screwed like a door nail.
Doomed or not, we kept firing rounds at it while we ran to sides, out of range of its car-sized fists. It kept pummeling the ground, knocking some of us off our feet with each pound. I hopped back on that boulder. More stable ground and better shot at his mouth.

We were planning on somehow distracting it away from the way out when it happened. Ten minutes of dodging fists and blue fireballs ensued before the door that this troop and this thing came out of. A few cadets yelled that there's another one, but the door closed with no sign of another beast coming out. I saw its arm sweeping low and I jumped back off the boulder, right before it picked it up like a basketball and threw it into a tree.

I kept firing like a machine up at its head, showing no signs of actually hurting it, when I heard a voice from behind us yell.

"Cease fire!"

I stopped and looked behind me to see a dark figure walking toward us. It was just as black at this giant mutant, but about my height, a human. He called out a few more times before the troop finally stopped firing like this thing was the side of a barn. The dark figure saw this, and broke into a sprint toward the thing's legs. He passed right by my circle of light, I just saw a flash of silver and black, it was a Hunter.

I called for him to stop, as he walked right in front of the thing, so close it had to tilt its head down to see the little shadow. I saw a flicker of light, followed by a light show as the figure began firing rods of light at the creature's torso. The thing didn't move. He told us to stop firing so he could be a hero and get smashed?

I ran forward, planning to grab him and pull him back when fate kicked in. The beast roared at the annoyance, and smashed its fist down upon the dark Hunter. I stopped running at the instant, sighing at a wasted life. Then I saw the thing smash its other fist down. Then it punched itself in the shoulder. Some one yelled in a filtered voice, probably a HUcast.

"He rolled away! He hopped onto its hand! He's climbing it!"

I yelled for them to repeat that when the moon once again shifted, revealing a tiny shadow clashing with the giant one, pulling itself onto the giants shoulder. The giant, however, kept trying to swat him off.

His next move must have been a failed suicide. I saw something extend from one of his raised arms, his melee weapon, must be a Hunter that got left behind the group. He stood there while the thing twisted its thick neck, and went to bite him right off its shoulder.

It never got the chance. When it lunged its open mouth at him, he leapt right over it onto its snout. He got his footing on its protruding nose, and began striking the thing right where its eyes would be. Now, it should have hit itself in the head to kill him flat, but a Hildebear's eyes are submerged within its head, he could duck into the hollow right against the huge eye and keep going. The thing flailed its gigantic arms, screeching in pain as we got the idea and started emptying every bit of ammunition we had into its chest and legs.

Soon enough what we all prayed would happen, happened. Its leg armor cracked from our barrage, and we focused on his left leg from a large distance. The Hunters weren't the best shots, they had machine guns and the like while I was doing twice the damage with a rifle. And now this one guy had a great idea and went close combat. When the leg did crumple, it fell to the left, where we'd cleared out of. It roared as it fell onto its front, I saw the shadow Hunter leap off and land in a roll, right in a thick patch of grass.

A slight shockwave went through the already broken ground, and a few cadets cheered when the giant corpse began dissolving. I ran behind its torso to the gate, making sure everyone got through before running back around the rapidly shrinking body to find the 'hero'. I found him standing next to a large, oddly shaped boulder. Wait…that was the thing's head, cut cleanly from its neck while the rest of it dissolved. I stood back as the head disappeared in a flash of green, probably into a MAG. The shadowed figure saw me and walked up, tucking the staff he'd been using behind him. I smirked as he walked into my MAG's light.

"You said it'd be an hour."

Moon, black armor covered in grime and dark blood, his hair matted with the former, smiled slightly.

"Got lucky in traffic. You and the troop thought this thing was a Hilde, right?"

I nodded, crossing my arms as he brushed some blood off his Black King Bar. I should have known it was him when those Slicer blades were glowing red. He went on.

"That was a Hildetorr. They're pretty freakin' rare, this is the third one I've seen. The only vulnerable spots are the eyes, and this one was so big you guys couldn't get a shot. Well, you couldn't."

I snorted at the compliment.

"Well, thanks for the biology lesson. What happened? These freaks are something else."

He nodded, some dirt flaking off his hair as he did.

"Yeah. Haven't seen any of the regulars, I think this new crowd got rid of the old one."

I whistled as we walked over the now wet ground where the beast had stood.

"Well, let's get these guys to the medic. Your connections come with you?"

He shook his head as I opened the gate to the transporter.

"Figured I'd come alone first."

I nodded in response, looking away and smirking. He was running out of excuses.

Author's Note

Yep, I'm still writing this, and it still has plot. Dig it.