The Slums (Kyle Crane's POV) (10 am)
'Okay, all I have to do is find a guy wearing a trench coat, a fedora, and looks like a James Bond that was mummified, in a city that has a lot of hiding places and doesn't seem to talk that much. Shouldn't be too hard. Right?' Those were the thoughts running through my head. I didn't even know any more if I was being sarcastic with myself or I was slowly going crazy for agreeing on this wild goose chase. I haven't seen any other signs that have a giant red 'V' on them. But, on the upside at least this gave me a chance to get my bearings in this place, checking the sights for shortcuts, and to map out the layout of any place that Spike had set up his traps and arming them. This also gave me the opportunity to re-activate some safe houses in case I don't make it back to the tower before it goes dark. I don't wanna have to get up close and personal with a Volatile anytime soon.
I was in the middle of the Overpass again when my radio gave a beep, signaling the GRE wants to talk. And after what they said last night, I started to think that their 'Greater Good' spiel is just another corporate bullshit saying to obey or else. Heh. Yeah, after I get those files I'm gonna get to the bottom of this about why they want it back so bad. Should be interesting why they want to keep it confidential. Finding a secluded area I dialed.
"Crane here."
"Report."
"Brecken was about to give me a mission to get me to Rais. But something happened. Someone delivered some Antizin just earlier this morning. Now Brecken wants me to find this guy, which is easier said than done, this guy tends to roam a lot. And he doesn't sound like the talkative type."
"Acknowledged. Do they know anything about this person, and why is he doing this?"
"They don't know a thing. Brecken said he wants me to find this guy and talk to him about joining the Tower."
"Hmm… Acknowledged. Objective added, find this person and identify his identity. And ask him if he knows anything about Suleiman."
"All right. Crane out." I cut off and resumed my objective. Heh. Even without the orders my mission is still to find the files. Only this time, I'll be taking a good look before reporting. I was just over the hill near an Antenna station that has an electrified wall, one hell of a safe zone. I was about to pass through when I saw the person I've been looking for all day. He jumped out of the Station and we saw each other to a standstill. It was like a standoff between cowboys. Lena was right about his description, I can't get any clue on what he looks like. Everything is completely covered, even his eyes.
I didn't know how long we've been staring each other down, but he suddenly did a 180 and hightailed out.
"HEY! Wait! I need to talk to you!" I shouted out, trying to call him. Great, not the best first impression. Huh Crane? I quickly followed him, but the guy is one hell of a runner, I think even on my best day I wouldn't be able to keep up. This guy just kept going, and I was getting tired, my body was running on fumes now. Deciding to call it quits for now, I went to a nearby safe zone to catch my breath. Suddenly Rahim's voice came through my radio, although this time something's off. Just before, communication here was slightly static at best and spotty at worst. When I did Spike's job in setting the traps, there was a bit of static here and there. But now I can hear Rahim's voice crystal clear.
"Crane, it was him, wasn't it?!"
"Rahim?"
"The antennas! Brecken told me. Communication is crystal clear now!"
"Yeah, I think it was him. I just saw him jump out of the Antenna station a few minutes ago."
"And did you talk to him?"
"I was about to, but he hauled ass before I could get the chance. He's one hell of a runner I'll tell you that. He didn't look like he was getting tired at all."
"Well, I don't know how much we owe him now. But he's doing one hell of a good job. Thanks to him. This will help everybody, but especially Dr. Zere and Dr. Camden. They can hear each other without static for the first time since… well, ever. I'll see you back at the Tower! Hopefully with him with you, so we can thank him personally." Rahim finished before cutting off.
Rahim's right though thanks to him communication will be a lot easier now. I finally caught my breath and headed back out. It was still noon so I still have plenty of time to look for him again. I heard some shouting somewhere nearby. I found out it was Rais's thugs shouting at someone inside a place called Jaffar's Wheelstation. When I was about to see what was going on I saw him again. He climbed up the wall and went inside. I decided to observe the situation and see where it goes. And I wasn't disappointed, 10 minutes later I saw him dragging the two screaming thugs, but they were missing both their arms so either they were screaming in pain, terror, or both.
He dragged them out the gates as the infected closed in on the two. He just watched as the biters feasted on their insides like a pack of hungry wolves. Okay, this guy is either desensitized or just quietly enjoys this. Because even with the mask on I can tell he isn't showing anything to tell what he looks like right now. Then he switched his gaze on me. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew I was following him all day. We got to another staring match before he bolted off again, this time he headed east. I decided to talk with the people in the Wheel Station before following him, maybe these people know something.
I walked inside and saw an old man by the desk, probably the one in charge or he's Jaffar himself.
"Uh, hi my name's Kyle Crane. Are you Jaffar?" Deciding to make an introduction before anything else. The old man looked up at me from his desk.
"Who wants to know?"
"I'm from the Tower, Brecken sent me to look for the person who just carried off two screaming thugs into the street while watching as the infected ate them alive. Do you know anything about him?"
"Oh, you're Crane? Well I don't know anything about that guy. He just came in here when Rais's thugs were about to break my legs if I didn't give them their money. He was really strange, disguising himself from head to toe, he even disguises his voice." I raised an eyebrow at that piece of Intel. He hides his voice too?
"What do you mean 'disguises his voice'? What, like with a voice modulator?"
"I don't know, his voice sounded like he was gargling sandpaper or something. It unnerved me when he handed me this letter. Saying if a man named Kyle Crane walks in here I have to give it to him. So I just accepted it since he saved me from being a cripple. So here." Jaffar said as he handed a folded letter with the same initial on the front. A bit glad that this might hint me on what he's been doing around and where will I find him. I sat on the rooftop and unfolded the letter. It doesn't surprise me anymore that this guy loves using blood for writing instead of ink.
"Hello Kyle Crane, I can see that the GRE is now taking an interest in what's happening in Harran. I suppose given that Rais 'Suleiman' has the Files that the GRE has tasked you to obtain will do just that. But what you don't know is why the GRE wants those back so badly. Keep following me and I will answer some of your questions. Also be warned. 'The Devil has ears everywhere'."
Sincerely, 'MR. V'
The letter ends there. And right now I was pale as a sheet of paper. This guy knows who I am and what the GRE wants me to get. But somehow he doesn't want me dead, in fact he wants to help me. And what does he mean by 'The Devil has ears everywhere'? I shook my head and decided to let this guy do the explaining. I followed where he was headed. East, towards the beach, by the fishermen's village I think.
It took me about an hour to reach the village, I had to take the long way around because there were a lot of virals and I don't wanna set them off and chase me to hell. I saw the villagers were burning infected corpses, I guess he already finished his business here. I went in and tried to ask these villagers if they know anything about him. Somehow I get the feeling he left me another message to follow. As I headed inside I can see why people were still living here. Being near the sea, getting food shouldn't be too much of a problem seeing that somehow fish or any aquatic animal are unaffected by the virus or the virus just doesn't do well in salt water. Nevertheless I went back on the task at hand, I found the guy who looks like is the one in charge.
"Um… Hi, my name is Kyle Crane, I'm from the Tower. Brecken sent me to find someone that passed by here. Do you know anything about him? He pretty much disguises himself from head to toe." I asked the guy with the cap, he thought for a minute before he reached for his pocket and pulled out another letter.
"Oh. So you're Crane. He handed me this letter and said to give it to you. Oh but you should've been here!" He exclaimed the last part, clearly I missed one hell of a show.
"Why? What did he do?"
"We were actually trapped indoors because of the infected that got in here. We heard some commotion outside and saw him. He just waltz in here and tore through the infected like a butcher ripping meat bags apart. He ripped an infected skull along with its spine clean off its shoulders! It was one hell of a show!" Okay, remind me never to get on his bad side, I like my spine and head where it is right now.
I thanked the guy as he and his people went to clean up the mess. I looked at the letter he left for me again and I started to read it.
"Hello Crane, you are getting closer now. Find me at the ferry station just down further east and I will be there waiting."
Sincerely Mr. V
Huh. A lot shorter than the last one, but pretty straight forward. Without any wasting any more time, given that I have a few hours left before it goes dark. I headed to where the ferry station is. I would've thought that a lot more people would got out of Harran by ferry. But when I saw a wreckage by the open sea I can hazard a guess that they didn't wanna risk any infected to get off Harran. Especially if it's in a ship carrying dozens of people and even one could be potentially infected and turn the whole ship into a zombie carrier.
I can see the ferry station, heavily defended from the looks of it, and again I can see another team of Rais's men being turned into zombie food. I guess he's the sadistic type, if them screaming for mercy is of any indication, and also that they don't have any legs anymore. I jumped over the fence and I can clearly see -, I guess I should call him by V or Mr. V. Meh, I'll call him V for now.
I can see V declining a bag from a guy wearing a cap, and looks mighty thankful for him, guessing it has something to do with the screaming outside. The guy finally relents and gave a sigh and gave him a shake instead thanking him again before going back into his office. I can see V staring at me again, and I think this is the last staring match we're going to have. He walked towards me, and I can't shake the sheer anxiety I'm getting from this guy.
The way he carries himself is like an apex predator. Cool, calm, collected, and from what saw a bunch of times from Rais's dead men, has the power to back it up. From what I can see from him, or lack thereof. He practically covers himself one way or another, dark trench coat, matching fedora, and wearing a mask that covers his entire head including a shade to complete the set. Yup, nothing ominous at all.
He stops just 3 feet in front of me. I don't if he's blinking or not because I don't know if I can keep staring for much longer. He suddenly extends a gloved hand towards me. It took me a few seconds to process that he wants to shake hands, deciding to be polite and not showing my anxiety I tried to give him a firm one. Emphasis on the 'tried' because I can feel my hand getting crushed by his. What the hell kind of workout does he have to do half the shit he does? We both let go, and I avoided showing any pain from the hand shake.
"Hello Kyle Crane." V said. Jeez, Jaffar wasn't kidding, he either has a voice modulator, or he does gargle sandpaper. Because there's no way that that's his natural voice, so I'm guessing he disguises his voice as well. He covers all bases I'll give him that.
"I guess you must be Mr. V? Brecken told me to find you and extend a hand for you in joining the Tower." I decided to tackle this elephant before I ask him about how he knows my cover and my mission. It took a few seconds for him to reply, he's just standing still like a statue.
"Interesting. Very well. I accept. But I have a few conditions." I knew it wasn't gonna be that easy, oh well. As long as he joins I can bear with the conditions.
"Alright. What are your terms?"
"First. I will not be going in the Tower. I already have a base of operations near it. So it shouldn't be a problem, right?" I raised an eyebrow at that. Okay not that bad, I can guess that he doesn't want to scare anyone in the Tower, or he's the lone wolf type of guy.
"I guess we can work with that. Okay, what's the next one?"
"You must come clean with everyone about you Kyle Crane." Wait – WHAT?! He can't be serious? They'll kick me out at least, and kill me at best if they knew about me and the GRE.
"Y-you… can't be….. serious? They'll kill me if they knew who I really am!" I exclaimed, he just gave a sigh and went closer to me and whispered in my ear.
"Very well… If that is your choice. Then I will only reveal to you what is inside those files the GRE wants you to obtain, if you reveal yourself to the Tower Kyle Crane. A Truth for a Truth." Dammit, I… I need time to think this through. I've come to like the people in the Tower. When the GRE told me to burn the Antizin I found I felt like I was killing innocent people, and that would've been the case if V didn't brought those two crates earlier this morning.
"Alright… alright… Look just give me some time to think about it… and… Do you really know about those files?" He just gave a nod at me. Guess that's a good a reason to believe him as I can get.
"Very well… But do not take too long Crane… Only the truth shall set you free. As well as for the people here." Great… More ominous intel, this guy just love to add mysteries on himself.
"Alright… let's head back to the Tower. I know you said you don't want to go in, but Brecken and the rest really want to thank you personally. So maybe just this once."
"Fine… But only on the ground floor…" I just gave a nod in agreement. With our business finished we headed back to the Tower. And during the run back I can tell V was slowing down to let me catch my breath. Dammit, how much energy does he have? He doesn't even look the least bit tired. I would love to know his workout program. We were half way there when my radio started beeping, great… just what needed… I told V I needed to find something but he stopped me saying he already knows it was the GRE. So with no other choice I answered.
"Crane here."
"Report."
I hesitated, but V just gestured for me to go on and tell them.
"I found the guy that Brecken asked me to find. He's a complete unknown, he calls himself Mr. V and he completely hides himself from head to toe, even his voice is disguised. And he's a bit private on his intel on Suleiman."
"Acknowledged. All right, try to get close to him and see what's hidden under the mask. Also get any intel from him on Suleiman and the file. If we can identify who he is then it might give us a clue on who we're dealing with."
"All right. Crane out." I cut off and saw that V just stood there and heard everything.
"Corporate greed never changes. That is one of the reasons why you are sent here Crane." He said, again another vague answer, but it did give a clue on the GRE. And he's right about it, corporations like the GRE are always thinking about money, and I think the files has something to do with it. At least I got one of the answers from him. Better than nothing, and I'll only get the rest if I reveal who I am to the Tower. Ugh… That'll be one heck of a day… I just hope they'll understand. With thought in mind I should probably call them too. Just a heads up to welcome the guest of honor.
"Brecken this is Crane. Do you copy?"
"Crane! Have you found him yet?"
"Yeah, I found him, we're headed back to the Tower. But he doesn't like to go up there. So you guys better head down."
"Copy that. I'll get everybody downstairs."
"Okay. Crane out." We cut off from there. We finally made it back just in time. It was about an hour before dark and I don't know if I can handle another run from a Volatile. As we climbed up the ledge I can see Brecken, Lena, Amir, Rahim, and Jade were waiting for us. Brecken welcomed V with open arms.
"Hello Mr. V. I'm Brecken, and on behalf of all the people in the Tower we would like to thank you for what you've done for us. One of our own on the 18th floor was actually about to turn if you hadn't delivered those crates of Antizin to us then… I don't want to imagine what would happen. Still thank you!" Brecken said as he shook hands with V. Followed by the rest, although Amir and Jade were more appreciative given that he did save all three of us a few days ago.
"Thank you… for your kind welcome… However, I may join the Tower, but I cannot live here." V said. Already I know what his conditions are, but I wonder how Brecken and the others will take it.
"What?! What do you mean?" Rahim was the one who asked.
"I already have a base of operations, it's actually near here, by the old train tunnel. Look for it with my logo on it then you will know." Huh… maybe I'll look into it later. Brecken just reluctantly nodded, seeing it was better him on our side than not at all.
"All right. We understand, but just know you're always welcome here Mr. V." Brecken said as he gave V another shake.
"Likewise. I appreciate the gesture in to coming here to thank me, as well as understanding my conditions. As a token of my gratitude, here." He took something inside his coat and handed Brecken a bottle of something green inside.
"What's this?"
"That is my special blend of a Molotov cocktail. It burns a lot more than alcohol. I have a lot more stockpiled back at base. I will deliver a whole batch, and believe me I can make more of it. So do not worry about shortages." He said before running off. Probably to get the rest. Brecken decided to test it out.
We headed out just by the door and we can see some infected wandering about. Brecken lighted up the bottle and tossed it over at them. The results were… a bit too heated to say the least. The initial explosion was big, and we can feel the heat coming off of it and we were a good 20 feet away. The infected were a little more than well done. When the fire died down the zombies were nothing but black charcoal. We went to get a closer look and I kicked the head but it just crumbled into ashes. Holy hell, what hell was in that bottle?
"Holy shit. This will give us an edge in the long run." Rahim said, the others just nodded in agreement. Whatever this stuff is it'll be a lot of help burning off biters, hell maybe it'll work on Volatiles. We were about to head inside when I heard a loud thud just behind us. It was V and from what I'm assuming that crate is an entire batch of the stuff.
"As promised. Use it well, and find me if you need more." V said. Brecken opened the crate and we can see there are about dozens of them inside.
"What the hell is in this stuff?" Brecken asks. V put his finger vertically on his lips, gesturing that it was top secret, and for once I don't care. As long as he supplies us with these then I don't care about this secret. Without saying another word he already ran off. We headed back inside with the Molotov's as the sun finally sets.
"I'll hand these things to the quartermaster, oh and Crane, here. You should take some." Brecken handed me 3 bottles of the stuff. Heh. This'll help if I get into a tight corner. When all was said and done everybody headed back upstairs. As for me, I went back to my room and hit the hay. This has been one heck of a day.
Next day, The Tower (10 am)
Ugh… Must've been a lot more tired than I thought. I looked at my watch and it says it was 10 o'clock. Jesus… Well better go and get to work, maybe Spike has something else for me to do.
"Crane." I heard Rahim's voice over my radio.
"Rahim? What do you need?"
"Crane, can you come up here to the rooftop? I need to talk to you." He cuts off before I can answer. Sigh… what does he want now? Wasting no time I headed up and saw Rahim sitting on the edge of the building.
"Rahim? Rahim – what're you doing up here?"
"Hey, Crane. Can I trust you?" Rahim must've been drinking. Yeah… I can see the cans.
"How much have you had to drink, kid?"
"Can I or not?"
"…Yeah. What's up?"
"See that skyscraper? The scouts found a Volatile nest in there. We take that out, and then running missions at night? We could totally do that." Rahim said as he pointed at an incomplete skyscraper just about in the distance. Huh… A whole nest huh? Rahim's on to something though, if we can somehow take it down then maybe night missions might be a lot safer now. The only problem is, where can we find explosives?
"So I'm thinking, if we planted some explosives…" I would've agreed with Rahim but there's still a matter of my promise to Jade in keeping you from blowing yourself up.
"Oh, Jesus. You're not still on that?"
"Crane, we have to do this! As long as that nest is there, then more people will be in danger during the night! It would work… We make a good team, raaaAAAAH!" He took another drink before he got a little tipsy and lost his balance. He would've fallen off the building if I didn't immediately grabbed his hand.
"Shit – shit! Don't drop me, don't drop me!" I pulled him off the edge and he leaned against a box.
"Oh, fuck! See? Told ya we make a good team!"
"Look, Rahim… we don't have any explosives. None. The closest thing to what you're talking about are Spike's firecrackers. That's impossible."
"You don't know what it's like! All I can do is watch. Sit on my ass and watch everything happen and do nothing. I don't want to die here, Crane. Not like this. Not… helpless. If I go out, I'd rather go out doing something." I saw what looked like a postcard and picked it up.
"What's this?"
"I was sent to fly out on Sunday. They quarantined us on Thursday. I already had my bags packed." Rahim tore the postcard and threw it off the edge, watching as it flew by the wind.
"I'll… Look, I'll keep my eyes open, okay? If there's some way we could make this happen…"
"Whatever…" Rahim brushed me off, ending the conversation. I just breathed out and left… What am I gonna do… Rahim's right. We needed to take that next down, maybe then, the night will be a bit safer than it is now. But how are we gonna get any explosives?
"Crane. This is Amir. Do you copy?"
"Loud and clear. How can I help you?"
"I need your help. Rais has turned an abandoned school into a supply dump. And Jade and I are thinking of a little payback for all the times he stole or raided from us. If we sneak in there, then Rais will get a taste of his own medicine. Plus Lena is running a bit low on medical supplies so that just gives us more reason to go. Are you with us?" Huh… okay, maybe my luck is starting to turn up. If Amir's right then maybe Rais has the explosives that we need to take out the nest. And making Suleiman mad is an added bonus. Heh. Count me in.
"Yeah. I'm with you guys."
"Great – meet us in one of the box cars on the train trestle near the school."
"Okay. And listen, Amir… After we raid the place, I need to talk to you all about something… You, Jade, Rahim, Brecken and Lena."
"About what?"
"Something that V told me. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now let's see what we can find in that school." I cut off and prepped myself up and took the elevator down.
'Amir and Jade found out about Rais's supply dump in the abandoned school and now they plan to raid it. Which is a perfect opportunity to see if we can get any explosives to take out the nest.' I gathered my thoughts as I left the Tower. It took me a good hour to find the boxcar near the school. Amir wasn't kidding, already I can see Rais's men lining up survivors towards their execution.
I opened the boxcar and I saw Jade and Amir pull their guns on me. And when they saw it was me, they gestured for me to follow them.
"Come here. You should see this. Something is going on at the school. Tahir's men have been hauling boxes out of that place for hours. We need to get a closer look." Jade said.
"What's in the boxes?"
"Good question. If it's anything of value to Rais, then we need it."
We hid behind some abandoned cars. Amir suddenly pushed me and Jade to the ground and gestured to be quiet. Then a jeep passed by, driven by more of Rais's men. As it passed by us we took a closer look as it drove through the gates that leads inside of the school. Then we can see that Tahir and his men were about to execute those three survivors.
"RUN!" One of the survivors yelled as he and the other started to run. Tahir and his men were about to open fire.
*BANG*
"AAAAHHHHH!" One of the shooters dropped dead from a bullet directly between his eyes. There was no mistaking that kind of gunshot, it was from a military grade sniper rifle.
"SNIPER!" The other shooter shouted before another shot was fired and he dropped dead before he could move out of the way. Tahir got inside the military jeep and quickly drove off. Dammit, he got away. I was about to wonder who was the shooter when a voice sounded behind us.
"Hello Crane." V's raspy voice startled the three of us.
"Gaaaaah! Oh, fucking Jesus. V! Don't fucking do that again." I gasped out as I try to keep my heart rate down.
"Sorry… didn't mean to scare you." Yeah, with a voice like that, I'd bet you killed people by giving them heart attacks. Amir managed to regain his composure and asks V.
"What are you doing here Mr. V? Have you come to help us?" We saw behind his back the said sniper that killed the two shooters, guess that answers that part.
"Just call me V, Amir. Much simpler that way. And yes I've come to help, however I already did that part. I have already taken care of the guards outside, as well as the infected on the rooftop. I recommend using that into getting inside." He said pointing at the rooftop. I was about to ask him something when he just walked away and untied the survivor kneeling on the ground and ran off.
"Well, now we know how to get inside. Still, we should stay alert. V said that he only took care of the guards outside the school. That must mean that there are still inside. Come on, we still have a job to do." Jade said as we followed her through climbing the rooftop. Up there we saw corpses of infected. I saw something strange though, I saw a dead infected that was different. Its face is like embedded on its chest with guts coming out of its mouth.
"Hey Amir. What kind of biter is this?" I asked, pointing at the thing on the ground.
"Oh. We like to call that thing a Toad. Be careful when you see one, it spits toxic phlegm at you and they run when you get too close. So watch out." A Toad huh. I guess it looks like one if you picture it enough. We walked towards the door and as I try to open it I realized it was stuck. So I gave it a hard shove and broke the door open. But as I opened the door I came face to face with something horrific. A bloated infected saw me and ran towards me. I leapt and fell down on my back and it exploded when Jade shot at it.
"What the hell was that?!" I gasped out. Holy hell! How the hell is the virus turning these people into these kinds of things? Amir helped me up and saw that the upper part of its torso is now gone.
"We call them Bombers, Crane. They blow themselves up and take anything down in a about a 3 meter radius. Just keep your distance and shoot them to take out other infected near them." Okay, another mental note for the foreseeable future. Geez, how many kinds of mutations are there? Ugh… Somehow I think I just jinxed myself. I managed to catch my breath and we headed inside and went down a hatch that lead inside the school.
'Saw Tahir at the school. He and his men were hauling all kinds of stuff in there. The hell are they up to? I mean the fucker almost executed some survivors in front of us, if V hadn't shot two of his men, heh. But the fucker got away before V could shoot again. Time to sneak into the building. I hope there's some explosives in there somewhere.' I gathered my thoughts as we entered the building.
"Okay, so what's the plan guys?" I whispered, trying to stay as quiet as possible. God knows what Rais has hidden away here. From what the guys back in the Tower are saying about him, he's one twisted son of a bitch.
"Check the classrooms. That's the most likely place for them to store supplies. They should be marked somehow. Military jargon is pretty straight forward, so it shouldn't be hard to notice. Amir and I will be heading downstairs and see what's up." Jade whispered back as she and Amir sneaked towards the corridors and headed for the stairs.
I searched the classrooms and began rummaging through the luggage for anything useful. So far I manage to find a machete that was in pretty good condition, heh, well it's better than wrenches or pipes. Back at the Tower Brecken showed me how 'upgrade' basic weapons. So after a minute I attached a small blowtorch on the hilt of the machete and coated it with alcohol. All right this should give me some firepower. (Pun intended.)
Now with something with more power to defend myself with I searched through the entire floor. So far they were pretty much barren or just have some left over baggage from who knows. As I searched through most of the rooms, including the restrooms, I heard the intercom loudspeaker activate.
"Hurry up! We don't have all day for this shit, and this is the last place I want to be at night! Did any of you idiots think to check the basement? Of course not, because the key is still up here! Get your shit together!" Well, thanks for info buddy. And I think Jade and Amir heard the message loud and clear to.
I opened the door to the next classroom. Oh shit. Two of Tahir's men saw me, one ran and activated the fire alarm, while the other attacked me with a sickle. I side stepped as he attacked and used my machete to chop him on the back of the head. He died instantly. I took his weapon as I heard Amir on the radio.
"Turn that damn thing off! We're gonna have walkers swarming towards the school!" He's right, the damn thing is loud as hell. It'll call all of the infected near the school. I heard the loudspeaker activate again.
"We got somebody in here that don't need to be! Find him and kill him!" Oh, just what I need…. I saw two more headed towards me and attacked. This time I activated the torch and took a jab at the guy, the result was instant as he was set on fire.
"AAARRRGGHHH!" He yelled as he duck and rolled. The other guy was distracted and I took the opportunity and slashed at his throat. He gurgled as he choked on his own blood. While the guy on fire finally died as he didn't put the fire out quick enough. I took a deep breath as the adrenaline from the fight is still running through me.
"For fuck's sake, Crane! Turn that damn alarm off or you're going to get overrun! Find the janitor's office. The switch ought to be right in there." Jade yelled through the radio. Yeah! Easier said than done Jade! I ran through the rooms and tried to find the janitor's office. On the way I ran into two more of Tahir's men. This time I didn't win unscathed, one managed to get me on my left forearm before I stabbed him through the heart. Dammit! I got sloppy. Thankfully I wrapped it with my medkit before I lost any more blood. Still stings like a bitch though.
I finally found the switch and immediately switched it off. Everything was finally quiet, thank God.
*CRASH*. Oh fuck you! Another one of Tahir's men burst through the door. Thankfully he was alone so I handled him quick and took his weapon. And to my luck it was a 9mm pistol with a full clip. I looted his corpse and found three more magazines full. Finally a descent weapon. Only the downside is I have to make a silencer first if I were to use it outside. The noise will just lure in more infected. And I don't think I have enough ammo for that.
With everything now quiet I continued my search. I found a classroom with some military grade crates, and saw that inside were medical supplies. Not explosives, but it's still needed back at the Tower, so I took what I can carry and still have some space for any explosives. Well this floor is clear. So I headed for the stairs and went to another floor. I walked the corridor and an infected crashed through the door. Well, at least slow biters are much easier to handle. While it was still on the floor I quickly stomped my foot on its head, scattering brain matter all over the floor.
I heard a groan beside me and I jumped as another biter tried to grab me. I made quick work of them and chopped their heads off. I went and searched through the rooms and still nothing. But in the next room I saw 6 more of Tahir's men gathered there. Oh great… I won't win this one…. But what if I… wait. I reached in my pack and see the three bottles of V's Molotovs that Brecken gave me. Heh, oh yeah this'll work very nicely. I sneaked just behind a corner as the 6 just looked around to look and search for the intruder. No time like the present I lighted it up and threw it.
*CLINK*
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The bottle broke and ignited the entire room as the 6 burned to death. Thankfully the room was empty and all concrete so I don't have to worry about burning the whole building down. Damn, these things pack a punch. Now I'm wondering what V's secret formula is. I searched the final room which was a small library. I found some crates but inside there's no explosives just some other supplies that we already have.
"Jade, this is Crane, how's the search? I found some medical supplies but not much else. I still have Classroom C to search, though."
"The basement's pretty big. Find the key. We'll meet you down there."
Fortunately I already found them, they were inside a closet in here. With that said I moved the bookcase that was blocking the door to the hallway. I went towards the stairs after encountering some infected trapped inside some rooms. I headed downstairs and used the keys to unlock the doors to the basement. As I went down I saw that the entire hallway was flooded and I can hear the groans of infected. The good thing was the water was just deep enough to reach my waist and I easily drowned the infected. After making sure that they were dead permanently I found the valve which drains the water.
After that I found Jade and Amir in a shower room. Opening a military grade crate with a crowbar.
"Crane, help us with this." Jade said as she handed me the crowbar. Amir tried to pry it open and it didn't work, so I went with the direct approach, I smashed the locks. But it did made quite a racket.
"God, Crane, can you be any louder! Why don't you just stick your head out the door and shout. 'Here we are! Come get us!'" Amir quietly screamed at me.
"Hey, sometimes there's nothing wrong with the direct… approach." I said that last word a bit later when I saw what's inside. Oh shit. Rais's been keeping fucking C4s. Fuck. These fucking make explosives that can take an entire… building…. Down. I suddenly remembered that these are the things that Rahim and I are looking for. With these we can take that nest completely. Making night runs a lot safe.
"Holy shit." Jade muttered.
"That's… plastic explosives, right?" Amir said. Well, he's right about them being explosives.
*CLANG* was heard throughout the hallway. Shit, Tahir's men must've heard us. We got no time to sneak out. These explosives have to get to the Tower and out of Rais's hands.
"Listen. You take this stuff and get back to the Tower. I'll deal with these assholes." I said as I handed Amir the medical supplies that I found earlier.
"Don't be ridiculous! We'll fight them together!" Jade retorted.
"And risk letting them keep this much ordnance? No, just go. I got this. Meet me back at the Tower." Jade was about to retort but Amir placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. With no time to argue they gathered the explosives and supplies, and were about to head out. But Jade had one last message for me.
"Promise me you won't let Rahim near that hive!" Shit. Jade we have no time for this.
"What? Of course! I promise, I promise, just go!" Finally they left. And with no time to spare because next thing I know I can see three guys headed straight for me. The good thing was that they didn't have guns, only melee weapons. So I pulled out my 9mm and shot them dead before they got even close to me.
I took a breath I didn't know I was holding and looted their bodies for anything useful. Nothing of value but their weapons. So I took them and headed for the back entrance and went out.
'Shit… Amir, Jade, and I went and raided Rais's supply dump and found some explosives. Now we need to get the hell out of here before Tahir comes back.' I gathered my thoughts of the entire event and when I got out I saw on my left the same infected that was covered in green blisters. I took a stance and when it saw me it ran away and climbed up the building. What the hell? I thought the first time I saw it, it ran because of the UV light. Guess this type of infected just doesn't like people.
I looked at the sky and I let out a groan. I checked my watch and it showed it was 6 pm. Shit, not much time before total dark. I quickly headed for the Tower, then I heard Jade's voice in the radio.
"Crane? You've said that you have something to tell us, something V said to you…"
"Yeah I know… but right now let's deal with these explosives, ok?" I'm still not ready to open that can yet.
"Okay, listen. I'll give the explosives to Sa'id, and you talk to Rahim. Make sure he stays away from that hive." Shit I knew she'd say something among those lines.
"Will do. Don't worry."
"Don't worry? Right…" Geez, not a good time Jade. It took about an hour but I finally made it back in one piece. With no time to spare I headed for the elevator and headed up so I can talk to Rahim about what Jade said.
'Jade called me. She's taking the explosives to Sa'id. She wanted me to talk to Rahim about the Volatile hive and how she wants to stay the hell away from it.' I thought out as I walked off the elevator and headed for the rooftop.
Yesterday After dropping off the crates of Antizin (V's POV) (7 am)
*YAWN* Oh man, must've dozed off. I checked my watch and saw that it was 7 in the morning. Hmm. Brecken must've been informed by the crates by now. Now it was time to execute the next part of my plan. So I headed out and went towards the broken highway bridge. While it was all well and good that I have super human strength, as well as a pistol and an assault rifle. I needed some serious fire power. I hold no illusions that a Demolisher can soak up a ton of bullets. So I went and headed for the base that was on the other side of the bridge.
I finally arrived and saw that it was a 20 foot gap across. A normal person, like Crane would climb across using the pillars inside and come across eventually. But I was a freaking Volatile, so I took a sprint and used every ounce of power in my legs and took a big jump. Even if I fall the water will keep me safe. The only reason that Volatiles and infected die instantly in water is because they don't have the brain power to swim. They drown easily since they don't know when to hold their breaths.
So as a Volatile with a human mind I can make the jump and have no worry about failing. Thankfully I made across, but just barely. I thought I was gonna fall but I managed to grab on the edge and pull myself up. I see the abandoned military outpost that was now occupied by infected. Seeing no threat to me. I casually strolled inside and began to find anything useful these guys left before they turned.
And holy hell, did I find some. In the game, they just showed that it was just a secret location filled with medical supplies, and a trophy. But in reality, they have a lot of weapon caches filled with all kinds of goodies. And seeing that nobody, not even Rais or Tahir would be able to get here, I decided to make this a new base for me as well. I opened the caches and found some high grade assault rifles, and a military grade sniper. As I searched further I found a big crate that probably has something good inside. I wasn't disappointed when I saw it contained a mother fucking Stinger. Jesus Christ. I'll be saving this baby for a very special moment later on.
Taking stock of all the weapons here and satisfied with my find. I decided to do the next thing on my list, I head towards Alexei and Kristov's Antenna station. I was actually on the fence if I was gonna do this earlier in my planning. Because at first if I activate the Antenna then Rais will hear everything around Harran because he can intercept and overhear everything on the radio. But the more I thought about it, this may actually be leaned towards my favor. Because a door opens for both sides. If I can take some radios from Rais men then I can use it to listen in on everybody's conversation, alerting me of what kind of events will come.
I also discovered something by accident. It happened when I was doing my patrol and saw a group of Rais's men hanging out around an airdrop. I decided to use my bottles to do the job, seeing that there were too many for me to handle. As I threw the bottle I saw one of them ignited his cigarette. The result was mind blowing. When the bottle broke and spilled its contents, the cigarette ignited the toxic goo and completely engulfed them in burning hot flames. Holy shit! This changes the game a bit. That and there I discovered that Volatile and quite possibly Toad toxic Phlegm was highly combustible. It actually burns more effective than alcohol. With that I started to carry a lighter and some cloth or paper scraps to use as a fuse to complete my new special Molotov blend.
It took me about an hour and a half to reach the place. And to my surprise I saw two Rais's men having an argument with the father and son duo.
"Rais told us to go up there and switch the damn thing on! So get out of the way!" Dead meat 1 shouted.
"I have just about had enough of Rais. So you tell him to go fuck himself, because me and my son are done working for him!" Alexei shouted back, but Dead meat 2 points his gun at them.
"We can arrange that. You and your son have outlived your usefulness." He was about to fire when I jumped just in time and grabbed a hold of his arms. Startled by this he didn't have time to react as I pulled hard and ripped them right out of their sockets. I didn't waste any time and immediately lunged at his partner. He tried to run away but it was too late. I grabbed his head and twisted it 180 degrees. I managed to loot two radios from their corpses, just what I needed, before grabbing the two dead meats and threw them off the hill and watched as the biters feasted on them.
Alexei and Kristov just stared at me in awe, fear, or wonder. Kristov was the first to snap out of it before he approached me and shook my hand.
"Thank you stranger! We would've been caught dead if you hadn't come to our rescue. What can we do to repay you?"
"I… need to switch on that radio tower." I don't know why, but they didn't seem put off by my voice. I just assumed that they were still in shock of me saving them from being shot to death. In the end, Alexei and Kristov just accepted my request and I climbed up the Antenna and switched it on. With last one thank you from both parties, I headed out. Although, it did slightly surprise me when I came face to face with Crane for the first time. The game was really accurate on his character, it was like looking at a third person view mod.
We've been staring at each other for a couple of minutes before I finally bolted out and went to the three settlements, where I no doubt Rais would be collecting his 'protection money'. Pffft. Protection from what? The undead, or him? Because I can clearly say it was the latter, and this was just an excuse for extortion. Hah. Not today asshole.
I went and found Jaffar's Wheelstation and there I can see two more of Rais's men, threatening Jaffar for his money. Heh. This'll be a rinse and repeat. I sneaked inside and as I closed in on the two. I jumped the guy's partner and ripped his arms clean of their sockets. His screaming distracted the other guy, long enough for me to do the same to him. It was really satisfying hearing them cry out in pain. But I wasn't satisfied enough. So I dragged them both and tossed them out on the street and watched in sheer enjoyment as they were being eaten alive by Virals and Biters. *Sigh*. Vengeance really is sweet…
I went back to Jaffar's office and handed him a letter I wrote earlier today just for Crane. I did notice he was unnerved when I spoke to him about my little request for saving his life, but he decided to do it as a repayment for the rescue. With that done I saw Crane again and this time I didn't waste time and headed for the fishermen's village to the east.
When I arrived, I can see the undead roaming around the area. Fortunately I didn't see any Virals or fresh corpses, meaning that everyone managed to hide safe and sound. Cracking my knuckles I went to pest control mode. You know, having the undead ignore you as you rip them apart felt like I was gardening and removing pests from a garden. It was just a casual case of pest control for me, so it took just a few minutes for me to rid the village of them all and seal the gate. I saw that the people were looking through their barred windows and saw my handiwork. They immediately went outside and thanked me for the save. I told them in return I needed them to hand Crane this letter, this was a shorter version this time and saying my farewells, I went ahead and ran towards the ferry station.
And surprise, surprise. I saw Rais's men again, threatening Morgan for the money. So I decided to do something different. Instead of their arms, I took off their legs this time. And when I tossed them out for the zombies to feast on, they tried to crawl away. They made it just about 10 feet before the biters closed in on them and began their feasting. The screams of them will never get old for me. A minute later, Morgan tried to give me the money as a thank you for what I did, but I declined seeing that I have no need for money in this place. I don't even know why money is still relevant in this kind of place, but meh. I just roll with.
I didn't have to wait very long when Crane arrived. Crane was sent by Brecken to ask me to join their group in the Tower. I expected this outcome when I heard Rahim and Crane talked via radio when I finished switching on the Antenna. I guess my theory was right. Rais did set all his men's radios to eavesdrop on everything in the Tower's communication system. Meaning I now have a way to predict the events that will happen in the future, especially the part about the Nest extermination, as well as the Doctors kidnapping.
I accepted their invitation but I needed to set some conditions first. First I needed them to understand that my place is the two places I set up base. Because I don't want to make a riot when they accidentally see my face. And also my second condition was for Crane to come clean with the people in the Tower. Because Crane chose a bad moment to reveal who he was in the game, so I decided to make things easier for him, now that I know he has now doubts about the GRE. I said that I will only reveal my secret on how I know him, if he comes clean with the people in the Tower.
Crane reluctantly agreed, saying that he needed to find the right time to do it, well better than nothing. So I followed him back to the Tower, after watching him make his report to the GRE. Heh, I already have plans for them. After all, that's why I kept the Stinger for a special occasion. After that we finally made it to the Tower, and saw Brecken and everyone else welcome me and thanked me for what I've done to help them survive.
We finished the meeting and Brecken understood my conditions. So as a token of my gratitude I supplied them with my special molotovs. It was actually a relief to give most of the stuff away, because it was really taking up most of my space back in the quarantine zone. And I can always make more or just make them on the spot, it was literally no effort at all. Then I went back to my outpost base to gear up. Because just as I arrived I heard Jade and Amir talk to Crane about raiding the school as payback this time instead of desperation. Heh. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. At least this time I know what I'll be doing next. So I took the sniper and some ammo and headed for the school.
As I arrived, I already saw Tahir and his men hauling some supplies inside. I can easily kill Tahir right here and now. But I have plans for both him and Rais. And it wasn't the right time. So for now I first exterminated the infected that was guarding the rooftop of the school. Next I positioned myself on a rooftop just a bit a ways away from the school, looking through the scope and waited for my cue. I waited patiently for about an hour before I finally saw the three take their positions and hide behind some cars as I saw the jeep that carried the C4.
Tahir's men hauled the stuff inside the basement and they were about to execute the three survivors as two of them ran for dear life. Not today shithead.
*BANG*
That was the first shot and I got the guy with a bullet between the eyes. I heard the other one yelled sniper, so I shut him up with another shot to the head, he died before he hit the ground. Tahir panicked and quickly headed inside the jeep and drove off. Heh, don't worry Tahir, I have something special for you. Don't worry you'll get it, just as Rais will get his. And that will be the day I might record for posterity.
With that done. I jumped down and headed for Crane, Amir, and Jade. I greeted Crane from behind them, he jumped in shock, completely caught off guard by my sudden entrance. Heh, I apologized and told them that I came to help and already I terminated the guards outside. I thought about helping them inside, but I decided against it, because I know they are more than capable to handle it, and with Amir now alive they have a more guaranteed chance to make it out unscathed and with the C4. So with that, I left and did my usual patrol, preparing myself and my radio for the event that is to come in a couple of hours. The Nest termination.
AN: Well, what do you think? Some slight changes, but the story is mostly the same. The changes will come right after. Tell me what you think in the reviews, I will be updating my Miraculous fanfic next. So this Fatalis0217 saying to you all. PEACE!