Ch. 30: Evacuation of Hong Kong: Deterioration

A.N.:

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the delay. College finals are approaching and unfortunately, most of my energy is being diverted to school assignments.

Plus…writer's block hit me. Hence, A FEAR Easter, which I enjoyed writing so I hope that it was worth the read.

In this chapter, we see that Akira is a chip off the old block…and then some. Yes, apparently it is possible to be crazier than Alma.

I last slept…Wednesday…I think…so I am posting this and then passing out so please overlook the errors. There should only be a few minor ones…I will correct them when I wake up. Okay, I think I got them.

Read and review if you want.

Aiming through my rifle's sight, I began to discharge my weapon at Akira. Alpha 1 and Foxtrot 813 joined me. Our barrage of lead had little effect on her as she seemed to manifest a kind of shield that slowed the bullets down enough to harmlessly bounce off her body. I noticed a slight smirk form on her pale heart-shaped face. Before I could react, she sent an immensely powerful psychic blast towards us. The blast, looking more like a wall of shimmering energy rushing towards us, ripped the panels off the walls as it traveled. The next thing that I knew, I was partially buried by debris.

While I freed myself from the debris, I observed Alma and Akira stare each other down before Alma suddenly sent an equally powerful psychic blast that further devastated the hallway. As the wall of energy shot through the air towards her, Akira's body became surrounded by a jet-black aura that radiated raw power. She raised her right arm up and then flattened her palm. As the blast reached her, she seemingly caught the blast and held it before her. Freed from the debris, I walked forward with my body enveloped by a red aura. Standing beside my goddess, I sent my own psychic blast towards her rival.

Akira's aura doubled in its size and the air in the hallway began to vibrate as the collection of psychic energy from her, Alma, and myself began to build up pressure like steam in a pressure cooker. As my blast reached her, it combined with Alma's but Akira managed to continue holding the pulsing cloud of energy back. In order to keep Akira from hurling the blast back at us, Alma and I had to maintain focus.

We entered what I can best describe as a reverse tug of war with tendrils, mine being bright red, Alma's being dark almost crimson red, and Akira's being black, radiating from our bodies to envelope a ball of shimmering energy. The ball moved back and forth as we tried to overpower each other. Akira may have been able to rival Alma but with my added power acting as a boost for Alma, we were able to match her.

As we continued to fight for dominance in a stalemate, I began to worry that we did not possess enough endurance to match her as I noticed that Alma's and my tendrils were beginning to pulse as it became harder and harder to maintain focus. Meanwhile, Akira's tendril remained solid and it may have been my imagination but I could have sworn that it was actually growing in size.

Just when it seemed like Akira was going to win, I saw movement to my left in my peripheral vision. Using my "mind's eye" I looked over to see Alpha 1 grab ahold of a huge section of wall with both hands. Letting out a grunt of exertion, he used his inhuman strength to rip the huge section of wall, which by my estimates easily weighted more a ton, away from its foundation. He then turned to face Akira. Then, to everyone's, including Alma's, astonishment, Alpha 1 threw the truck sized section of wall at the psychic. Caught by surprise and focusing her energy on holding back the ball of energy, Akira was unable to defend against Alpha 1's assault.

The heavy collection of building material collided with the white dressed psionic with a sickening crunch. Her tendril vanished and the massive collection of energy suddenly shot forward and obliterated everything in its path. Over the sound of warping steel and cracking concrete, I heard Akira give off an agonized cry. When the dust finally settled, there was no sign of the psychic or, for that matter, the other part of the hallway. All that was left was a cavern that extended out well beyond the foundation of the building above us.

Seconds later, what felt like an earthquake shook the ground. As the shaking continued, the power failed and we were left in darkness. The sound of bending steel, breaking glass, and crumbling concrete filled the air as I fought to remain on my feet. In reality, the shaking only lasted around thirty seconds but I perceived it to last for hours. When the shaking finally ceased, my heavy breathing was the first indication that I was still amongst the living. I called out into the darkness, "Sound off!"

Activating his flashlight, which revealed the shadowy outline of his form as well as illuminating a portion of the dust-laden corridor, Alpha 1 said, "Alpha 1 here, sir." His one illuminated rectangular eye glowed with an orange light that highlighted the scratches and dents along his chipped ceramic mask. Its faded orange light that occasionally flickered was a testament to staggering amount of trauma that both he and I had weathered. There is a good reason for, as Captain Lee had mentioned, the rumor that persists even to this day that he and I cannot die.

I heard rubble move and then saw the green glow of Foxtrot 813's visor emerge through the cloudy air. Like Alpha 1, the glow highlighted the dents and scratches on his helmet. I would imagine that my own appearance was worn and battle scarred. One did not go through what we had been through and not had a scar on their body or tear on their uniform. Seconds later, he activated the flashlight on his assault rifle, which highlighted the silhouette of his form as well as another portion of the heavily damaged corridor. Moving closer to us, he said, "Foxtrot 813 here, sir."

With a dull red glow accentuating her childish form and with her fiery orange eyes illuminating portions of her face, Alma walked closer as she said, "I'm here Michael."

Foxtrot 813 asked, "What the Hell just happened?"

Alma, with her façade childish voice, replied, "City go boom."

I looked over at Alpha 1 and said, "Excellent timing brother. If you hadn't done that, that would have been us."

He replied, "Got your back, sir."

My com link activated as Morales's image appeared in my HUD. He said with a voice that was a mixture of accusation and concern, "Goddamn Becket, half the district just got leveled! What the fuck man?"

I replied, "Akira wanted to say hi."

He asked with his normal voice, "Ah, right. Can you reach the roof?"

I said, "Negative. Extract F.E.A.R. and evacuate them. Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, and I will proceed to the extraction point on foot."

He said, "You're killing me man. Just get out in one piece, man. Manny out."

His image left my HUD as my com link deactivated. Before I could think of a way out of the bunker complex, Alpha 1 called out, "Over here, sir." I looked over to see him by a narrow beam of light that seemed to be emitting from the surface of the floor. I walked over to find a section of floor that was partially collapsed. Through the cracks, I could see what looked like a sewage tunnel. It was the least appealing route of escape but we did not have any other options with the elevator to the surface wiped out by our duel with Akira.

I said, "I'll take it. Use a shaped charge so we don't collapse the entire hallway."

He replied, "Yes sir."

He presented a small, shaped charge and placed it on the appropriate spot of the damaged section. After we had gathered around, he detonated the charge and we fell through the blasted hole. I cried out in disgust as I landed in a river of foulness that I did not want to scrutinize to know exactly what it was that had splashed up onto my uniform. With almost comical speed, I exited the foul, slow moving slop for the relative sanctuary of the walkway that ran on either side of the river. As I took a step on the concrete path, a wet sensation around my foot informed me that some of the semi-solid liquid had managed to breach my boot.

Not wasting energy by dwelling on the fact that I was now literally in a shitty situation, I began to orient myself. The extraction point was to the southwest. These tunnels used gravity for the most part and liquids flow downhill. The highpoint in the city was…"Michael." Alma interrupted my train of thought. I looked down at her as she stood beside me. She had an exasperated look on her tiny face before she continued, "Our minds are linked remember? Just ask." She raised her left hand and pointed down the tunnel as she finished, "That way."

Put off, I replied, "I was figuring it out."

She lowered her hand as she asked, "Were you my love?"

I replied defensively, "Yes!"

She sighed before she asked, "For that matter, why couldn't I have just teleported us to the roof?"

I replied, "Life is a journey; not a destination."

She said, "That's stupid."

I responded, "You're stupid."

My com link activated as the image of Stokes appeared in my HUD. She asked, "Becket, what is your status?"

Still glaring at my goddess, I replied, "Oh you know me Keira. Trying to save the world while covered in shit and no one gives a fuck."

With a confused tone, the operative asked, "Okay…so I take it that you are in route to the Extraction Point then?"

I took a deep breath before I said, "Affirmative. Reaper 1 is extracting F.E.A.R. from the roof of King of Clubs. Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, and I are proceeding on foot."

She replied, "Copy that Becket. The evacuation is in its final stage. NATO has withdrawn its forces from the city along with the People's Army. Task Force One and the Spartan Air Wings are escorting the Evacuation Convoy out to sea. Only Athena and Spartan First Battalion are still in the city. For the moment however, Akira's Forces have halted their advance. Becket, I think that they have started to hunt you down. Hannibal-3 Satellite images indicate a sudden shift in the concentration of their forces. They have massed around the area of the King of Clubs but the way that they positioned themselves seems to be more like they purposely cut you off from the Extraction Point. They have sent in a few teams to flush you towards the main line. Becket…please...get out of the…"

Suddenly, I lost connection and instead of Stokes's image, it was a blank image that had the error message "No I.D." just like it had done when Halford had been contacting Dark Signal in Fairport. I heard a little girl giggle and realized with astonishment that it was Akira. She said with her disturbingly innocent voice, "Enough of that…" She breathed peacefully before continuing with a calm voice, "Why do you waste your time with such cannon fodder Father? You never struck me as being the sentimental type…then again…this version of you is unlike any that I have encountered before. There other versions of you…yes, they too were dedicated soldiers; some had decent childhoods while others had one like your own…all different, yet all the same. They all share a common trait: a deep-rooted hatred for poor Mother."

My psionic abilities detected approaching entities so I motioned to everyone to follow me as I led the way down the tunnel. As I navigated the tunnel, Akira continued, "You have the same hatred yet…for some reason you have ended up at her side. You…intrigue me…Father."

I replied, "Must run in the family."

Akira giggled before she continued, "Ah, yes…the amplifier…tell me, Daddy, did you cry?"

Irritated, I muttered, "Why the fuck does everyone keep asking me that?"

Akira asked, "Do you really love Momma and little Amara? Or are you just taking one for the team? I cannot see into your mind Father. Your mind is too fragmented for me to be able to look into your memories…so…do you?"

I noticed Alma glance back at me for a brief moment. She gave me a sad smile as if to say that it was alright. I sighed before I replied, "I don't know anymore."

The raven-haired demoness was clearly unsatisfied by my answer as she said with a young adult voice that had an edge of wickedness to it, "Is that so Daddy? Oh Mother, I love what you have done to Father. Did you teach him to sit and wag his tail for a treat too? I bet I could get him to wag his tail for me. Then, I would have him and his friend to keep me company after I have claimed this world all for myself. A girl has needs after all."

Alma's eyes narrowed as she replied with a low threatening voice that sent a shiver down my spine, "Little bitch come after my family like that and I will kill you as slowly as possible."

Akira's voice shifted back to her adolescent voice as she replied, "Oh Mother, don't worry, I will let you watch while I make them love me and not you." She then gave off a creepy giggle that seemed to echo through the sewer tunnel before she said, "My attention is needed elsewhere. Farewell for now dear family. I leave you with a parting gift that I hope you find amusing. Have a pleasant day, or, as you Spartans say, Akira out."

My HUD returned to normal and I remarked, "I never thought that I would say this, but…Alma, I think that we have finally found someone that is more fucked up in the head than you are."

She stopped and glared at me but before she could say anything, a loud growling filled the tunnel. We moved closer together as we began to sweep our surroundings. A strange smell filled the air that I could not place. It was acrid and earthy like the air in a reptilian exhibit at a zoo. There was another trace in the smell and it was the one that caused me the most discomfort. The unmistakable scent of decay managed to overpower the stench of the river of sewage running through the channel in the middle of the tunnel. As we exchanged quick glances, Alma shifted into her hag form as she announced with a flat tone, "Something is coming. Something ancient and powerful."

I heard the sound of scurrying and squeaking coming from the direction that we had been traveling. Seconds later, a numerous amount of black rats appeared and raced past us going as fast as their tiny limbs could propel them. In my experience, when the rats scurry past you in a dark tunnel, that usually does not bode well for you. Alma's resolve failed her as she reverted back to her child form. I felt a chill when I heard the fear in her voice as she said, "Michael, I'm sorry…I have to get Amara out. I'll find you…I promise."

She disintegrated in a cloud of ash. The air vibrated as another growl, this one much closer, rocked the tunnel. Alpha 1 asked, "Sir?"

I replied, "Fall back!"

Foxtrot 813 took point as we started running back the way that we had come. As we ran, I felt something closing in on us. Whatever it was, it gave off a dark evil signature that dwarfed Alma and Akira in terms of how negative it was. My goddess was right: whatever it was, it was an ancient entity. Foxtrot 813 asked, "Where to, sir?"

I started to reply but stopped when I heard the sound of rushing fluid. I looked over my shoulder to see a wall of sewage rushing towards us. It overtook the entire tunnel as it traveled. I knew that we could not escape it. In the seconds that it took to overtake us, I called out, "Rally point is Helios 5!" I had no sooner finished than the wall of foul liquid overtook me.

Almost immediately, I lost sight of Foxtrot 813 and Alpha 1. Powerless against the force of the current, I could do nothing except relax my body to lessen the damage as I was repeatedly smashed against concrete walls and steel walkways. As I tumbled, I lost my HUD glasses. I lost my grip on my rifle when I impacted against what felt like a piece of rebar. Luckily, the ballistic plate of my vest prevented the metal rod from impaling me but the surprise alone caused me to lose my grip involuntarily. The liquid was so thick that I could barely see my hands let alone anything that was coming. I needed to find a way out soon or I was going to drown.

Suddenly, through the murky fluid, I saw a light. The sight gave me just enough time to realize that it was reflective tape on a service ladder. Due to the time that I had to prepare, I was able to reach out and grab onto the metal structure. Of course, by grab, I mean I wedged my body between the metal tubes and the concrete wall. It was the only way I could prevent the current from overpowering my grip. Eventually, the current died down enough for me to relocate myself and climb the ladder.

The top quarter of the service tunnel was not submerged and as I crossed the threshold between the two worlds of fluid and air, I let out a gasp as I breathed in fresh air. Continuing my ascent, I forced my exhausted body to fight through the pain. After all, there would be plenty of time to rest when I was dead.

I reached the manhole cover and cautiously lifted it just enough to be able to look around. I was definitely in a different district but I was unable to get a bearing from my vantage point. More importantly, I failed to see any hostile contacts. Deciding to risk it, I lifted the manhole out of the way and exited the tunnel. The humid, foul air of the sewer was replaced by dry, smoky air. The power was out for the entire city and only the blood red sky provided any form of illumination. Fiery rain drizzled down from the sky and as I looked towards the high rises of the financial district, I saw that Morales had not been exaggerating when he said that half the district had been leveled. The overpowered psychic blast must have sent Akira through the foundations of at least ten buildings. The structures could not support their own weight and collapsed in upon the vacant spaces where their foundation had once been.

Having learned my lesson when my HUD had been destroyed by Harlan on Alice, I reached into one of my pockets and withdrew my spare set of glasses. After placing them in their proper location, I began to examine my person. I looked down at my armor and saw that the rebar had ripped away a tiny section of the outer layer of fabric and revealed the underlining protective plate and Kevlar lining. I was covered from head to toe in all manner of foulness but luckily, I did not have any open wounds.

My HUD finished calibrating and I muttered bitterly when I saw that I had somehow lost all of my medkits, had an empty armor bar, and had around a quarter of my health bar left. I was once again thankful that I was capable of regenerating my health to around a quarter of my bar. Alma had explained that it was linked to my psychic abilities but had been vague on how exactly it worked. As long as I stayed alive, I would be able to regenerate my health even if I was on the verge of death. I had pushed the ability to the absolute limit during my mission in Fairport when, in a momentary lapse of concentration, I had allowed my health to be reduced to a tiny sliver by a REV6 in the courtyard of Wade Elementary. I had still been pretty shaken from seeing Alma's seductive form for the first time only minutes prior after being thrown against the wall as she screamed, "Why?! Why?!" Thus, I had failed to notice that I had made the foolish mistake of facing off against power armor without any armor or shock grenades. Sadly, my little trick did not cover "natural causes of death so don't plan on being invincible forever, Michael" as my goddess had continued to explain.

I attempted to activate my com link but all I got was signal interference. I should have known that the new décor was more than an aesthetic choice. Akira's storm of fire was also acting as a kind of signal jammer. I sighed as I motivated myself to find a way to get my bearings.

Retrieving my stainless steel .44-magnum revolver from its holster, I noticed a street sign that still had legible writing. As I began to walk towards it, I realized that I had an involuntary limp in my right leg. I hoped that it was something as simple as a bruised muscle and not a broken bone. However, with my movement capabilities hindered, I would have to rely on stealth rather than brawn should I come across any enemies before I managed to link back up with Foxtrot 813 and Alpha 1.

The drawback to their free will is that, unlike the other Replicas, I cannot see "through their eyes" even now as I am telling this story. We share a link but it is a one-way connection, so to speak, and they simply do not have the ability to see through my eyes. As I forced myself onwards, I resigned to the fact that I simply had no choice other than to submit to the will of fate to bring us back together. Fortunately, at our weakest moment, Akira was not in the city as apparently her attention was indeed diverted elsewhere.

As I struggled towards the sign, I kept myself going by mentally looking at images of Alma and Amara as they were happy and smiling. I needed to get back to them. I just wanted to get the chance to hold them in my arms one more time. When I finally managed to reach the sign, I uttered a curse when I saw that it was written in the regional dialect of Cantonese, which I was not familiar with as I only knew Mandarin. Linguistics had never been my strong suit. Fortunately, thanks to the processor in my HUD glasses, I did not have to be. However, before I could use the translator, I heard a young woman call out to me with a heavy accent, "Hey American, over here."

I turned and looked up at one of the windows of the nearby two-story office building. There, I saw a local resident approximately in her twenties with short black hair and wearing a white collared shirt along with a green skirt cut at her knees. I remarked at my fortune of having not only run into a survivor but also having somehow run into one that knew English. She asked, "Are you a soldier mister?"

I smirked before I replied with a sarcastic tone, "No. See, I am into cosplay and I am really, really, really dedicated to making my costume as authentic as possible so that I can imitate a fictional character in both costume and mannerisms."

She laughed before she said, "In that case, maybe I should leave you out there with those things." She then asked with an equally sarcastic tone, "So, who are you supposed to be imitating?"

I smiled before I replied, "Sergeant Becket, at your service ma'am."

Her head cocked to the side for a moment as she scrutinized my person further. Finally, she asked, "So, you're the Sergeant Becket…the commander of the Spartans? We saw you on the news saying that all civilians should get to the evacuation place."

I replied, "Affirmative, ma'am."

She nodded before she called out to someone else in Cantonese. Seconds later, I saw the front entrance open and an Asian man in disheveled casual clothing in the doorway. After summoning my strength, I made my way inside the building. The man closed and locked the door behind me. When I made it up to the second floor, I noticed a few more survivors. Among them were three children that seemed to be under the impression that this was a fun adventure rather than a life or death situation. I holstered my revolver. One of the children ran up to me and proceeded to stare at me as if I were an exotic curio at a museum.

The woman appeared and scolded the child in Cantonese. The boy retreated to the other children and the woman said apologetically, "Sorry about that Sergeant."

I replied, "It's okay. I have one of my own so I don't mind."

She gave me a strange look as if she was surprised that I had a child of my own. However, before she could say anything, there was a sudden commotion. After apparently telling everyone to say back from the windows, she informed me, "Our lookout says that there is a one-eyed creature approaching the building." I nodded as I retrieved my revolver. Whatever it was, I needed to engage it as far away from the civilians as possible to keep them out of danger.

I said, "Stay here. Tell everyone to be as quiet as possible." She nodded in response. After carefully descending the stairs, I found the rear entrance and exited the building. I went around the side of the building as quietly as I could with my limp. I kneeled down at the corner of the building and heard the sound of heavy, booted footsteps getting closer. As I listened, the footsteps slowly approached the spot where I had been talking to the woman. However, they stopped and I realized that whatever it was, it was tracking me.

My instincts informed me that I knew this creature. I called out, "Rule 5:…"

I smiled as Alpha 1 finished, "Don't eat the yellow snow." I stood and turned the corner to see him standing in the spot that I had been minutes earlier. I noticed that he had lost his shotgun and was instead armed with Fettel's old sidearm The Hammer. He too was covered in a layer of foulness and I noticed a few new dents in his armor.

As I made my way over to him, I scolded him, "You were supposed to proceed to the rally point. Not come find me."

When I reached him, we exchanged a quick bro hung. When I retracted, he replied, "Sorry, sir. I had higher orders. Besides, someone has to keep you from getting yourself killed." Then, he said to seemingly no one in particular, "Mother, I found him."

Alma materialized before me in her healthy clothed adult form. Before I could react, she pulled me into a hug as she said, "Michael, I'm sorry."

I returned the hug quickly and savored the feeling of her soft body before gently pushing her away. Then, I said, "Don't be, the important thing is that Amara is safe."

She nodded before she explained, "Yes, I took Amara back to Sparta. When I got back, there was so much interference because of the storm that I could not hone in on your signature. I could tell where you were roughly but I could not find you exactly. Luckily, I found Alpha 1 and he tracked you down from there."

I looked over at my best friend and commented, "You tracked me down fast."

He shrugged before he replied, "I got a lot of practice when Alma sent me after Foxtrot 813. I was the one that blew up the elevator that he was in with my missile launcher. My team was right behind him right up until Alma tried to kill him the first time with her ghost soldiers. Then I got captured when we tried to double back, went on a bloody rampage as I escaped,…eh, you know the rest of the story, sir."

I nodded and then called out, "Excuse me, ma'am. It's okay, it is just another Spartan." The front entrance to the building opened and I motioned for them to follow me as I made my way inside. Alma must have noticed my limp because I was suddenly filled with a feeling of relief while my health bar shot up to full. Through our bond, I thanked her and she giggled in response. The door was closed and locked behind us. We proceeded up the stairs to think through an escape plan. Whatever it was that Akira had sent against us, I doubted that it was going to let us casually stroll out.