Love Struck Delusion
Chapter 272 - You were never easy.
Raptor's POV.
I got the jump on the first man I approached. Gunning him into the concrete as I now had more than enough manpower to break this line. Vacus stayed right on my ass as two rounds caught me in the vest. At this point I was running on adrenaline and when those rounds hit me it just felt like a bump. Allowing me to gun a path straight up the middle with my friends only feet behind.
It didn't take long for another soldier to get in my face. He swung his rifle for my head and without even thinking I ducked under and dug the barrel of my M4 into his gut; both squeezing the trigger and pushing him back as I felt my gun unload a burst of rounds right under his vest.
"Aghhh!" The soldier fell over without much fight shortly after it happened. From there I refocused fire on the remaining men who ran back for the main entrance.
Pinning myself to a nearby pillar just under the main building's oning. I looked back as Vacus made it to my side. Dom had pushed up with some of Freemen's people and without even thinking about it they kept pushing till they were on the doors themselves. Looking back towards the cat, I ordered her.
"When we get in there stick to cover and help me thin out who Archer has left! He'll fall back till he's in a corner and when that happens you don't hesitate! You shoot him! You understand!?"
Nodding really fast she replied.
"I do!"
"Good! Cause he's not gonna take any chances!"
"Frag!" My eyes darted back to the main door to watch as a grenade went off right between Dom and a handful of attackers. I had to cover up with Vacus as the blast couldn't have been no more than a few feet away from us.
"Dom!" I shouted as I tried to look for him. Bullets kept on coming however as it was impossible to keep focus on that. With Freemen and more of her comrades raiding the perimeter, they soon replaced the men we lost and fought till they were inside. Looking back to Vacus I ordered her.
"Go in and take up a position! I'll be right behind ya!"
"Okay!" She replied as she ran out from behind the pillar leaving me to make a break for Dom who I found down by the wall of the building. His right hand was clutching his left shoulder which I couldn't see. He was crawling away and at the same time leaving a massive trail of blood. I soon found out why when he managed to roll over with his back pressed against the wall. Gritting his teeth as I got down next to him to command.
"Breathe! Breathe Dom!"
Looking me right in the eyes he questioned.
"What the fuck do you think I'm doing!?"
Looking down to his left side I rested my eyes on his elbow. The whole top half of his arm was blown off. Leaving nothing but the bone for him to clutch as he was profusely bleeding out.
Looking back at Freemen I shouted.
"Freemen! I need help!"
The hedgehog came running right over to the scene to widen her eyes and shout.
"Oh my god! Dom!"
My old friend somehow cracked a smile and begged me.
"Help me Raptor….I can't feel my legs man."
Holding his head up by the neck I replied.
"It's okay Dom. You're gonna be fine. Just keep breathing. Keep on breathing. Freemen is gonna get you out of here."
"Don't let Archer get away….please don't let that happen." Dom begged me as I nodded and replied.
"You got it. Consider it done. You just stay alive. This is nothing to you right?"
Dom was about to pass out from blood loss but before he did he replied.
"Yeah…...nothing…..?"
Freemen took over as the man went to sleep. With blood all over her white quills, I listened as she urged me.
"I got him. You get in there and kill that pick."
Standing back up and collecting my rifle, I ran into the main lobby to find more dead soldiers and incoming bullets just barely missing me as I took up a post behind a few nearby couches. With Vacus a few meters ahead of me, I watched as another grenade got tossed out in her direction. Thankfully she saw it coming and jumped as far as she could out of the blast zone.
Shrapnel still painted and cracked the ground under its wake and not soon after I decided to start fighting back. Down my sights I could see maybe twenty or so targets ahead. All taking cover and littering the halls going forward. This was about as crowded as it could get and each passing second we were trading kills. Up till my eyes caught Archer making a break for it. He was followed by a handful of men and from what I could see running further into the depot and leaving us to get held up by his security.
Archer's POV.
"Secure that hallway! The rest of you follow me!" I directed out to my men as we continued running towards the depot's main storage lockup. With the officer in charge right next to me as we entered, I ordered him directly.
"Get this open!"
I had more than enough stopping power in here to end this. With the doors opening not soon after, we entered the rebellion's main stockpile and probably where most of the equipment we cleaned up from the first battle went. There was nothing but weapons and armor in here. Looking around till I found what I wanted, I ordered some of my men who followed.
"Get strapped up! I want you guys in this in less than two minutes! You! Open the cage and get those weapons loaded! We're stopping this attack here!"
The men scrambled to get it all together but soon got into a flow. Leaving me to grab a few fresh clips of ammo and some grenades. Once I had them secured to my belt, I looked back to see what was coming for these assholes. Seeing that they were ready I ordered out.
"You two get back to the main entrance! Everyone else with me!"
Raptor's POV.
Progress was being made. We were getting closer to the hall Archer ran down and the more progress we made the more of the remaining security would begin to run off after him. Vacus was now behind me. Thanks to my position, I was closest to the hallway and once the last few men ran I decided to pursue. Only when I did, I was greeted by at least half of what I saw run after Archer.
Along with that I widened my eyes when I saw two soldiers dressed up in heavy combat armor. Much like the one I wore during training, except this wasn't that. I took a step back when I saw each of them had large caliber light machine guns at their hips. When I stepped back that's when the rounds came sailing towards me. Vacus jumped away as I got pumped with at least three rounds. One clipping my right leg as I managed to slide out of the way. From there I stumbled a few feet back and shouted.
"Heavy troopers! Pull back!"
Vacus grabbed me by the arm and helped me back up. Along with her aid we readied ourselves for the incoming attack that was only feet away from reaching us. The cat checked my leg as I focused my ability to heal on that. My chest was starting to feel like it had been pounded by a meat tenderizer, but I had to be able to move at this point more than breathe. Vacus watched as I sealed my breakage and from there asked me as she shifted focus onto my vest which had been hit now in five different areas.
"Can you move!?"
Nodding I replied.
"I'm good! But we can't stay here! Those men are about to level us! We need to fall back and find another way around to Archer!"
The cat took a second to look around. My eyes followed her as we soon saw a door that was connected to a set of emergency stairs that went up to the second floor of the depot. A place I knew would get us to where I'm sure he was going. Grabbing me by the hand, she shouted with a sharp yank up.
"The stairs! Let's go!"
Freemen's people were more focused on the fight and I had no other choice but to let them be the distraction as Vacus and I ran for the door. Once there I got it open and inside we both went. Vacus took point going up the stairs from there as I looked down to my leg to make sure I was good to keep going. Then I followed her up till we were on the second floor. The path ahead was clear and together we tried to find a way to the main storage room. The whole time we ran you could hear the thunder coming from downstairs. With the cat a few feet ahead of me, I listened as she stated.
"Storage should be right up ahead. We can get the jump on them from up here using the catwalks."
I nodded to her assessment and once we reached the main room we were immediately lost by just how much stockpile the rebellion really had tucked away in this depot. So much military surplus and almost no room to maneuver. Yet from where I was I could pinpoint where Archer was. He was towards the back of this massive armory and with him, at least five others. All making haste towards the exit. Vacus still led the way and once she saw Archer she said to me.
"There he is."
Nodding I replied.
"Break off from me and keep to the right. I'm gonna jump down and get their attention."
"What about Archer?"
"He's not going to die here. He's trying to run. If that happens I'm going after him. Go now before he gets further away."
Vacus quickly but carefully made her way over to the other side of the armory, doing her best to keep quiet as I used my powers to directly counter all this mess between me and Archer. Once I was down and within shouting distance of him and his men, who were scanning the area behind them, I yelled out while taking cover behind a few wooden crates that had to be about the size of my car.
"Where you going Archer!?"
The hedgehog turned around so fast it was almost comical. His men all aimed where they heard my voice but held their ground because they couldn't see me. Archer on the other hand shouted back.
"I should have known you were mixed up in all this Raptor! I know that voice! Come on out and make this easy! It's about time we settled our differences like only we know how!"
"Can't do that man!" I replied as he chuckled and asked in confusion.
"How the hell did you get past my men!?"
"It's pretty easy when you're only dealing with a handful of holdouts.'' I told him back as he again said to me.
"You were always one of the best! You know that!? I shouldn't be surprised you wormed your way in here! But you know what?! It's over Raptor! You're finished! G.U.N?! Really!?You turned tail and disbanded the rebellion!? People are calling me a traitor and a monster, but you're the one who turned your back on the cause! You're the one who changed!"
"We both changed!" I told him back as he nodded and again urged me.
"Come on out! Let me see that face of yours!"
This time I kept quiet. Archer sensed that chill in the air and very slowly ordered his men to push up. Switching to my MP7, I checked the clip and readied myself for this. I waited till one of his men was within a few feet of me, then swung out sending five to six rounds into his chest. Archer jumped in place as his men opened fire. During which, I switched positions.
"Kill him!" Archer ordered them as I shifted back down towards the ground ducking behind more crates and shelves.
Rounds were coming whether I wanted them to or not. Yet this warehouse was a powderkeg. In my area alone I couldn't count the number of bullets cans and fresh explosives that were just waiting to get detonated and if that happened this whole place would go up in smoke.
Standing back up the second I had a chance, I dropped one more of Archer's guards with a series of neck and headshots before getting back down. At that point Vacus made her move and appeared only feet away from Archer. I widened my eyes as she fired off a burst hitting him right in the side and back of the vest.
"Aghhhhh! What the….?!" Archer shouted as I was left impressed. I didn't even hear her jump down from that catwalk. Guess cats are nimble outside their household form.
Archer however widened his eyes and fell back as his remaining men shifted their sights towards her. Vacus proceeded to take cover as one of the stray bullets detonated a nearby crate that had to be maybe twenty meters behind her. I shit you not the whole area went up and the rumble that followed shook the building.
Archer on the other hand was crawling away reaching for his belt as he took cover behind a pair of steel weapon lockers. I took that as my chance to help Vacus and emptied the rest of my clip into two of the remaining three men. Vacus then managed to pop back up and finished off the last; leaving us to look for Archer who I could hear breathing heavily in anger. Switching to my M4, I shouted at him.
"Just give up! You know I don't want to do this!"
"Fuck you! You're were always going to do this! You motherfucker!"
I held my position. Archer was only feet away from me. Vacus stayed where she was as he said to me.
"I gotta admit you're a sadistic fucking animal Raptor! You were losing your fucking mind since day one and now look at you! I lose my mind and the world looks to you like you're some kind of god! Like your the savior! You set me up!"
"You did this to yourself!" I replied as he went quiet.
"You killed Mason! You decided to open fire on innocent civilians! You executed and murdered your own! You did this! Not me!"
"Bullshit!" Archer shouted back as I ordered him.
"Come out! You're finished!"
Archer was quiet. Vacus was looking at me as I gave him more than enough time to respond. However once he did I fired a few rounds into his cover. Immediately after, I saw his belt fly over the top of the lockers and land just behind me. My eyes shifted back as I saw he had two grenades strapped to it. Each with pulled pins. Instantly I looked at Vacus to scream.
"Run Vacus!"
Vacus wasn't taking any chances and instantly ran for the woods as I leaped forward barely getting away from the belt as it went off, sending what I feared would happen into a chain reaction detonation. Tins of ammo, crates of ammos, crates of grenades, and heavy weapons all began to go off. I was barely able to hear anything other than the explosions but I spotted Archer make a break from his position and run for the exit which was nothing more than an open garage door.
Looking back into the majority of the depot, I felt my blood pressure spike when the chain of chaos reached the middle of the depot. Everything was going off and I knew there was a large stockpile of C4 and oil somewhere around. The second that stuff went off there wouldn't be a building left. So as fast as I could, I got up and ran after Archer.
Once outside, I felt the ground shake and to no surprise the C4 or the oil must have been found. The building went up like a tinderbox. I fell down and looked back as the roof could be seen collapsing in. Then the blast got bigger. To the point where the whole place went up in flames. The entire first floor blew out from under its own weight and soon the whole place had fallen down. A smoke cloud bigger than anything I could ever imagine took its place as car alarms from all directions could be heard ringing off. Along with emergency sirens. I struggled to get back up but I had no other choice. Archer was still running and I'd be damned if he got away.
Smoke was soon engulfing the parking lot, but before I could lose sight of him I spotted him getting onto a sand drifter. Then I heard the engine rev and full speed I ran for him. By then Archer was driving around towards the front where we breached. I took shots at him but failed to finish the job as he drove right towards Freemen and the crowding group of bystanders who were watching all this from the safety of the outside fence.
"Fuck!" I shouted as I looked around to find another drifter only feet away from where he had gotten his.
With the keys sitting in the ignition, I threw my M4 over my back and got on to hit the gas. I passed by Freemen who was screaming.
"He's getting away!"
Not if I had anything to do with it. I thought to myself as I turned out onto the road to go after him.
Archer's POV, ten minutes later.
"Open the gate!" I ordered through my radio as I approached border gate seven going at least eighty.
The metal doors slid open just in time letting me squeeze right on by and out onto the desert sands. Looking back to see someone behind my trail, I screamed through my radio.
"Shoot him! Fucking shoot him!"
I heard bullets ring off but Raptor came sailing right on through without being stopped.
"You stuipd motherfucker Raptor! You want to play this game!? Let's play then!"
Breaking off the road, I took my ride out onto the dunes. Raptor followed and I was forced to try and lose him out here by myself. Blood was still leaking out of my side as I contemplated what time I had left.
mT Shadow.