Aurora Resurgence
Chapter 3: a hard day's night.
As the day settled and the sun started to fade under the canopy of the trees, I took the chance life has given me to relax and ease my muscles. After all, it's not the greatest idea to stress myself over the idea of getting captured by an angry mob of Xenos with their squirt guns and painting equipment. Now that I'm in my sanctuary, this small cabin that I just fortified, nothing can hurt me now… I hope.
Well, let's get my thoughts in order: first and foremost, I keep a low profile so any search parties pass by me without noticing, then I'll wait till it gets dark and activate the night vision on my suit… crappy first gen one because let's give the scout low-end gear he's going to be fine, and pretty much that's it, just run like a headless chicken through the forest trying to not get captured… Damn, is there a bathroom here? Why the fuck does one need to take a piss in the least convenient of times, like right now… in enemy "territory".
I manage to find a small bathroom inside the cabin and proceed to do my own thing, once done I get back at wasting time till it gets dark. 7 pm, 8 pm, 9 pm, 10 pm; hours pass as I hear Xenos running around, every time getting closer and closer, flashlights and searchlights making the whole scene resembled one of those old prison escape movies with sirens and dogs and searchlights and all that crap, knowing there is no use in waiting longer I set up my guns to fight in very close quarters, mostly just removing the grenade launcher muzzle piece and swapping it with the issue needle bayonet and setting the front post of the irons from centered to offset to the left, compensating the bayonet. I turn on the night vision, and the darkened room only lit by a small headlight I have goes dimly green, the first generation of infrared glasses was not the best of course, and one of the problems is that the image is blurry as hell, also it doesn't capture enough infrared light to work without an infrared flashlight, so even if I use it is still very dark out there, the good thing my headlamp can switch to infrared and that infrared cannot be seen so I think I might be fine I'll just shower the bushes with infrared light to see anything in front of me.
I gently open the backdoor and step outside, gravel on the ground that makes a small sound whenever I step on it, I walk quickly to not gather attention from the Xeno search parties, lights spinning around searching for me, quite the ruckus. I keep on moving hiding from bush to bush crouching or even going prone at times, I have managed to go some 10 to 15 meters from the cabin, there is not much in terms of cover and way too many Xenos so it's hard to get by all of them, suddenly my meager progress is halted, two Xenos clad in some sort of anti-riot gear are covering the only way into the woods, apart from that no cover in this last stretch. Pulling out my Tokarev handgun; I take a deep breath making peace with the idea of having to go ballistic on these Xenos instead of just sneaking past them.
I pull the trigger twice, the first Xeno "dies" in the act, quickly I fire twice on the second Xeno "killing it" as well, I run as fast as I can towards the woods, several lights shining on the dark, suddenly another two land in front of me… I'm confused, how did they manage to get here so fast. I don't have the time to think as I fire twice "killing them". Mag is empty as a result.
Running and running, around me Xenos are yelling nonsense. They are approaching me and I can feel it. Another couple of Xenos appears beside me, I dump the whole 8 round mag into them, but they manage to hit me with their squirt guns; it stings and hurts like a bad cramp or a bad fall, I hear some sort of war cry as I see 4 Xenos with nets go after me running, it seems they are not part of those anti-riot equipped Xenos as they are dressed in civilian looking attire, hoodies jeans T-shirts gas masks straw hats, this fucked up now even headhunters are trying to get some of my ass, I pull out the toz-66 double-barrel shotgun and fire both barrels almost at the same time, it hits like a donkey on bath salts but it gets the job done as all of them to explode. I'm hit by multiple liquid jets by another Xeno with some sort of Gatling gun it also looks to be masked but I cannot get a good glimpse because of the liquid and the pain and also because the coward hit me in the back, it is like getting beaten by an angry mob… I need to do something and do it quickly. Before it crushes my ribs; I pull my empty handgun and yeet it at its ugly gas-masked face it recoils in pain, I rush at it screaming "URAAAA" while tanking the shots, is a hurtful and also a stupid idea, but desperate times need desperate measures also that is why I joined the military to begin with, to endure things normal people would not endure. Once close enough I start to beat the ever-loving crap out of it till it ends up like a deformed ugly slop screeching in pain, I pick up my handgun again and holster it in a very desperate fashion, missing the holster itself several times, then swing the shotgun to my back and swing-out the Mosin, using its bayonet to stab that Xeno several times till it goes pop, is a fucking tiring endeavor, my arms hurt as hell.
Already ten Xenos have been eliminated and they keep on coming, reminds me of our people at Stalingrad.
I keep on running, jumping over bushes and ducking below branches, jumping over puddles logs, and stones, going straight across shrubs and tall grass, it keeps getting harder and harder to maintain my pace with all the obstacles this forest is getting in my way, but the thought of getting chopped off by those alien creatures just so they can see my insides keeps me running at full speed.
Damn this is fucked up, I cannot keep on running like this are they even searching for me any longer
at that moment I get whacked in the face by something, dizzy and discombobulated (which is an old-timer way to say disoriented) and with my mask and goggles covered in liquid I cannot see anything, hurriedly I try to pat myself searching for the shape of the machete handle, I manage to get the tip of my fingers on it but just as I'm about to pull it out I feel something whacking my hand, it hurts as it feels like I'm being hit by a gigantic mop, I barely clean one lens and the IR flashlight, A XENO! Seems extremely similar to us humans, it even has identical body proportions, the only weird thing is the strange "hair" things on its head also is it dressed like a college girl WHAT IN THE MOTHER OF FUCK, and is holding the biggest brush I have seen in my life, I quickly pull out the pistol and fire once into it, having the most stupid but greatest of ideas I take the chance the Xeno is knocked back by the pain of the hit and that it dropped the brush to tackle it, keep it down, get rid of my backpack, pull out a small spider web rope I had and tie down the Xeno to bring it to mother vault but I realize the Xeno is quite heavy and keeps trying to free itself, I will not be able of carrying all of this stuff.
well I think I just shook the other Xenos off, I need to get this one to mother vault, I think the engineer just packed me some medicines, maybe there is something that gives me more strength to carry all of this thing before they manage to find me again
I dig inside the bag making a rustling sound; the Xeno below me stopped moving long ago, I can hear Xenos in the distance getting closer. I found two bottles: one of energetic concentrate, to reduce or even nullify stamina loss for a certain time, and a bottle of a special steroid blend called "Hercules" to increase carry capacity for a long time.
I pull the backpack… on my back, yeah I know sounds redundant but I'm writing this record from memory and sometimes one gets tired or the pen runs out of ink bear with me please; placing a solid grip on the Xeno I lift it and carry it with my arms, I run away as it seems the Xenos lost all leading of me a long ago, running deeper and deeper into the woods till darkness surrounds me, I find a large tree grove with some intense foliage, I lay the tied down Xeno and pull out my PDA, it seems I'm not that far from the mother vault, some 15-minute walk and I am pretty sure I can do it, so I just do it, walking to mother vault.
After 15 minutes of walking uphill. I reach the mother vault; I run across the dark tunnel till finding the door there is a console on the outside of the main vault blast door, suddenly another buzzer
Hey, did you bring me a gift?
SHUT THE FUCK UP I JUST GOT CHASED ALL THE WAY HERE
Good, you shook them off.
What… Just let me in, my brain is not available for your bullshit
Then what's with the big tied down creature you have there… and that big ass brush on your back
It's a Xeno, this brush is one of their weaponry, and it seems we humans are immune to them
Oh… interesting get in here boy
The already familiar buzzer sounds and the door does the same procedure as last day, the weird thing is that I don't go through the pressure increase procedure, I think is because the fact that I already got out in the past meant it was no longer needed to have the vault at overpressure, the lesser doors also slide open, showing the ancient elevator that leads to the lower floors, still decorated in ebony and red velvet, a stark contrast with the more formal and brownish looks of the corridor, on top of the elevator, the old hammer and sickle of the ancient union an almost heroic reminder of the people that made their best effort to keep our kind alive.
I step inside the chess-like black and white linoleum cuadricule, and press the control floor option; the elevator slowly crawls down the floors as the mechanical door counter flips from floor to floor, after a good 5 minutes I reach the main control floor, suddenly two people appear right next to me, one takes away the brush and my backpack, and the other takes away the Xeno, another one escorts me to the overseers quarters, where he's waiting for me sitting in a large table, filled with all kinds of food.
Comrade! Let's celebrate your successful mission, here indulge with me in this humble… I would not call it a feast but indeed quite a heavier meal than usual, after all. You captured one of them. This means a lot as now we have a huge head start in our investigations about this new kind of sentient advanced humanoid civilization that took over us in less than 12 millennia.
How do you manage to say so much stuff but at the same time arrive nowhere?
Practice son.
I'm older than you, 28 vs. 25
But you spent most of that time frozen as an ice cube
I'll give you that one
So, are you ready for your next mission?
Wait, let me finish this pelmeni, also I just came back from being chased like in one of those old monster movies
well, there is a special pod we just built that puts your rest into overdrive, so you sleep only one hour while getting all of the rest of your usual 8-hour sleep, 12000 years did not go in vain, we did some research during that time
Well, that is unexpected
Unexpected, more like convenient… for me because we are going to crunch the shit out of you
Fuck.
So eat to your hearts contempt, digest, and go to speedrun sleep
Ok then
After eating more than enough food to compensate for the bad news, I go to a room in the lab areas. There is an open pod in the middle of one of the labs. It has my name poorly written in there, I will not write it here, suck it, and go guess it.
Wow, quite a piece of fine craftsmanship we have here
Suddenly the same engineer that kitted me out last day greets me
damn, you look like death itself was about to get you, are those Xenos as bad as they seem because you look shaken to the core, now imagine if I had been sent there, I DIE!
NO, I'm not shaken, it's just I got beaten by those weapons they have, is like getting showered by a fireman hose, it hurts and stings, I genuinely felt as if my bones were about to snap
Well buddy, this resting pod also speeds up wound healing, so this is going to fix you just fine I bet you will enjoy it a lot
Are you sure about that, my back is killing me because you overloaded me with a crap ton of ammo and goods
Oh! Sorry sorry he he heeee, I was not expecting you to get back here so quickly
Yeah you are not the one that is carrying the big ass backpack
Better get you inside the pod now
Yeah before I whoop yo ass
after this small threatening interchange of words I make my way towards the pod, is heavily modified, like is less mechanical and has more ornamentation, the insides are not made out of glass but steel covered in felt and cushioned, in short, it looks premium compared to the usual stasis pod, I get rid of the S.R.I. suit is back on the rubberized jumpsuit I was when I woke up, I lay down on the pod, it is comfortable, more than my own… I wish they could have given me a pod-like this back in the day when the world was ending… but yada yada yada resource conservation the usual crap.
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes.
HEY, it took me a long time to post this chapter right? and is even smaller than chapter 1.
well, I had gigantic plans for this chapter, but I found myself in a period of scarce creativity and low mental juice as I call it, next chapter will be more interesting, now comment this story is free after all, and maybe follow it if you like it.