Heya fellas, I'm back and at the request of bgklol. I'm doing one of those reading classification things so that he's able to understand and read what's going on.
"Text" Speech
{"Text"} Speech through radio or other coms equipmentText Descriptors
TEXT Sound effects or loud noises
"Text" Dreams/Memory's
'Text' Thoughts
[Text (text)] Music cues
This is more of a band aid solution until I can either A: Help him get acclimated to the writing style or B: Modify my own style to make it a bit more convenient. Anyways, enjoy.
"Fuckin book it!" A voice echoed in the void. A thick mist forming into a vague silhouette in the abyss.
"Kill it!" More voices shrieked, more beings formed. Seemingly running from something
"Fall back, fall baAAAAAACK!" They continued, with one of them being grabbed by some unseen force lurking in the darkness.
"Corporate bastards, they fucken screwed us over!"
"Williams… Why?" A familiar voice spoke, but younger.
RATATATATA
"Eat lead!" A confident voice boomed, unleashing bullets upon their unseen foe.
"HELP ME GODDAMNIT!"
"HIISSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" A foul and unnatural hiss was let out by something that was once human, now turning on its once comrades.
"AAAAAAHHH!"
"You son of a…!"
"AAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEE!" The familiar voice screamed as it fell into an inky black sea, unable to prevent a fate worse than death…
"AH! Ha… Ha… Ha…" John suddenly woke up from one of his occasional night terrors. Sweat billowing from his body. Slowly regaining his composure and calming his breathing, memories of the past coming to haunt him once more.
"For fucks sake…" He swore to himself, annoyance overcoming his short lived fear. Slowly, he got himself off the bed and began getting ready for the day.
It's been a good 4 months since they arrived at this backwards, shithole. And about a month since they've set up a proper outpost planetside… Which they're currently staying in. While it was still under construction, a fair amount of it was completed enough (without the use of extensive resources) to be habitable for the whole crew. Their temporary individual tents serve as quarters until they can find the funds and materials to finish building the actual quarters. Though that was the least of their problems…
BANG
One of the local fauna, Beowulf if he remembers correctly. Tried to sneak up to the camp. Only to end up with a freshly earned hole in its chest. Compliment of Caleb. The kid's semi auto AM-16Z Gruppa provides good long range support to keep the base protected, at least until they get the defense grid setup.
"Heh, good to know he's not completely useless outside of the cockpit." The Sergeant Major quietly said to himself, his voice filled with slight humor. Though the small smile quickly went away. Replaced by an indifferent look on his face.
As he continued walking around the base, watching as the foundation of this Outpost was forming. Preparing for its eventual future… if they could just get their hands on some more materials.
It's a bit of an open secret that they lack the necessary resources and manpower to properly build the place into a proper military Outpost. Just like back home, they lacked any money to purchase what they needed from the locals. So, in the meantime. They were stuck with the temporary slapdash job with tents and outdoor kitchens… On the plus side though, they were able to start defrosting some of the real food they had in storage.
"Get it while it's hot people, we got places to be!" The older man yelled at his men. They scrambled to finish their food. Shoveling it into their mouths before swallowing, grabbing a napkin to clean themselves a bit. Then grabbed their weapons.
"So, where are we going sir?" One of the marines asked, John not really caring to look at who asked.
"A small settlement a little ways from here. We'll do some small jobs for them, earn some of the local currency, and then use those funds to assist in the further construction of this place."
"...We're gonna become mercenaries?"
"Pfff, no. Were soldiers for hire, big difference." He answered. "Anyways, Jeffords and Zimmerman are gonna stay here to finish setting up the defense grid. They'll be on standby should we need them for whatever reason." The rest of the group nodded in affirmation. Though the older pilot, Randy. Looked a bit disappointed.
"Alright, now we gotta keep a low profile. So grab a poncho and wear it over your gear and get ready to walk."
"Walk, sir?"
"Well, I did say we have to keep a low profile. That includes traveling on foot. It'll take us about 3 hours to get there, so be ready to march."
"Yes sir!"
Deep within the vast green valleys of Anima, a rough storm rained. Rain and lightning blocking out almost all other sounds nearby, the deep gray clouds blocking out the sky as far as the eye can see. But, a party of marines still walked. Traveling towards their destination. Large and long tarps, bearing their preferred camo kept them warm and dry from the elements. The bottoms of their boots were coated with mud. Yet, the trudge along. Intent at continuing their journey. Though, not all of them kept their complaints to themselves.
"Oh great… More rain, my boots aren't even that worn in for crying out loud." Zach spoke in a slightly subdued yet annoyed voice. "How much longer until we find this so-called settlement?"
"Not long, though in these conditions. We might walk right past it if I don't keep focused on the map from your constant complaining, you royal crybaby." John told off his specialist. "So, quit talkin so I can find… the… place…" He trailed off, his eyes widening slightly. "Well I'll be damned… Lookie here boy's, we found our destination." He raised his arm and pointed towards something, causing his team to turn toward where he was pointing.
In front of them is what could only be described as a large fortress in disrepair. A once glistening gem of civilization, now decaying into a slum of a settlement. Though, despite all the cracks. It was still quite a formidable "military" installation. With absurdly high walls, mostly manned watch towers, and a number of manned/unmanned gun turrets lining the walls and internal pillboxes. Though, judging by the design. That being once again, water cooled machine guns fed by canvas belts… They looked to be more outdated than a springfield in the hands of a marine sharpshooter. Granted, they look ready to shred any poor fucker a new asshole… They just don't look suited for modern warfare…
Soon enough, the group of foreign soldiers arrived at what looked to be the front gate. The gate itself looked like it had been through the wringer a hundred times over. Covered in scratch marks and deep gashes. Yet, it held strong. A symbol of humanity's defiance against all odds. Something that spoke deeply to the sergeant major. Anyways, as they stepped towards the entrance. They were stopped by one of the two guards.
"Halt! What's your business in Laagstal?!" The guard asked their commander, his flimsy metal and fabric armor along with the dirty bone white rifle indicating him to be some form of local militia. With old equipment in various states of disrepair that looked to have not been taken care of in years, Either out of ignorance, neglect, or just limited funds.
"Were… Foreigners, looking for work." John spoke honestly, well. As honest as you can be without divulging in the finer details. Like being from the outside world for a start. "We've been walking for the past 5 hours, two hours longer than planned. So, we would like the chance to rest. Get a drink perhaps?..."
"Hmm… Alright then, I'll let you through." He then turned to his fellow guard. "OPEN THE GATE!" He ordered the younger looking militia man. Who complied quickly. As the steel gate slowly opened and the marines were about to enter… Their commander was stopped by the main guard from before, his arm holding him back. "Try not to cause any trouble." He told them quietly before letting them on their way.
As they entered the frontier town proper, you got the usual sights. General store, gun shop, tailoring, and of course… The tavern. A place to drink your problems away when life has got you feelin down. Though it was apparently called "The Drunken Beowulf: Bar & Grill". With a drawing of the familiar visage of one of the local fauna, pissed drunk and passed out on the sign. Cheery…
So, 3 jar heads, a sergeant major, a medic, a small arms repairman, and a techcom walk into a bar. Their forms hidden behind the camouflage poncho's and drew many an eye. Though, no one bothers them for it. As they sat down at one of the large booths in the back, a female server came by. Dressed in a regular gray t-shirt and blue jeans. Although, there was something about her that drew the marines' eyes. Though, she couldn't see them from within the darkened shadows under their hoods. It was the two large growths on top of her head… A pair of wolf ears with dark brown fur that matched her hair and seemed to move on their own.
"So, what can I get for you… folks?" She asked the group of seven, her voice filled with a small amount of confusion.
At first, none of them spoke… Then suddenly one of them raised a finger.
"We'll take some water, beer, and a bottle of bourbon for our Sargent. If that's okay with you."
"Army boy's, huh? Sure, I'll be back in a bit" The server then left. Leaving all the other occupants of the booth to turn towards Joseph.
"Why did you order alcohol? We don't have any money, much less the local currency…"
"Oh don't worry, I got that covered." He then reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a set of strange looking plastic cards. All in various colors with a Ⱡ symbol in each corner.
"...The hell did you get those?"
"Wellllll… Remember when we first set foot on this rock?"
"...You were looting bodies, weren't you?"
"Hey, It's not like they need it anymore." He shrugged.
"You don't even know how much those damn cards are even worth dumbass."
"Eh, we'll figure it out later."
A long silence held over the group, with them remaining content to wait for their beverages. Though, their previous interaction with the server did raise a few questions amongst them.
"... They have furries down here too?"
"Fuck if I know, that lady we found up north can apparently run faster than the eye can see as well as break shit after surviving a fatal wound. Who's to say some science man didn't perform some gene splicing to the point it becomes commonplace. Replacant's used to be common back in the day after all." John spoke, his voice showing little emotion yet remaining clear and concise.
"Yeah/True." The rest of the marines agreed with their leader.
The server then came back and started placing down beverages, with each member of the group grabbing their preferred drink. With the sergeant, begrudgingly accepting the bottle. By the time she had left, they had all taken a swig of their respective drinks. Which were… Fine, nothing particularly to write home about. Though, they had more important things to discuss…
"We should have probably asked her about her world's economics, because I can't make heads or tails of the potential worth of these credit cards."
"How do you even know their credit cards? They could just be considered regular bills for all we know."
"...Why would they solely use digital money, do they know how bad of an idea that is?"
"Probably not."
"Christ… Let's hope their cyber security is better than their space program, if they have one."
'Doubtful…' They all thought with a sense of morbid acceptance.
However, their thought process was interrupted by two people barging into the tavern.
"I've already told you! We simply can't pay that amount! It's far too much." An older and well built man said, hard from living on the frontier and wearing what looked like a padded leather jacket.
"Take it or leave it, there's a shit load of bandits and my team is still only 4 guy's. So, we need more funds to accommodate the loss of ammo and supplies." Another, larger man said. Wearing what looked like some well kept tactical armor that had seen some ware, slung on his back was what looked like a magazine fed wooden stocked rifle, its stock having various lines. Probably to indicate its ability to transform like Summer's machine gun. The merc in question himself looked like a grizzled fighter, an eyepatch over his left eye.
"I know that, but with the amount you're asking for we'll barely have enough money to scrap by this winter. We'll starve." The man tried to reason.
"Listen, you either pay up or me and my guys leave and let the bandits clear this place out." The merc remained aggressive yet firm. Unwilling to compromise. Then, a member of the crowd suddenly walked over. Wearing a bizarre pattern poncho over themselves, obscuring their physical features.
"Pardon me, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. Now, how much is he askin to take care of some nerdowells for?"
"About five hundred,-." But the mayor was cut off.
"We'll do it for half." The cloaked figure answered plainly.
"... What?" Both the merk and the politician spoke.
"Well, me and my merry band of nutcases are willing to do the same job… for half of what he's requesting."
"Please, like you could possibly-." The mercenary began, but was interrupted.
"How about a fourth?" The cloaked figure interjected once more.
"Wai-"
"A sixth, perhaps?"
"You can't just-."
"An eighth. And I can keep going lower…"
"Listen here, soldier boy. This is my gig. If you want work, go somewhere else." The merc threatened, his finger pointing accusingly towards the cloaked being.
"Is that so? Heh, then I'd like to see you try... pipsqueak."
The other man looked angered and was about to strike with his fist… But stopped himself.
"You better turn back now… cus there's no way on the brothers' names you'll survive this." He spoke cryptically before leaving the bar. Leaving the man in the poncho to decipher his cryptic warning.
"...Well that wasn't ominous at all."
"So… How much are we doing this for again?" Hicks asked as he swung at a vine with his machete, the rest of the marines not far behind as they blended into the swamp with their camo.
"Less than the other guy was charging." John said with a shrug as he led the way, carefully walking through the thick mud as his hardened eyes looked through the brush.
"Well… you sure we shouldn't have asked for more?" The second in command asked.
"Nah, rather not take more than we need."
"We don't even know where these assholes are stationed. This damn swamp is too dense to see anything."
"Then we'll find the highground."
"...What are you expecting to find, sir?"
"A smoke line."
The group then arrived at a clearing on top of a hill, allowing them to see a gray structure in the distance. The Sergeant took out his binoculars to get a better look at it.
"Well all be damned… Guess that's our target." He then passed them to his second in command.
"Hmm, I'm counting twelve triple threat emplacements sprinkled in here and there, Four watchtowers lining each corner of the compound. Twenty foot tall cement walls, and what looks to be an AFV."
"Heh, piece of cake." The older man unslung his rifle before checking its ammunition counter. After reinserting the magazine, he turned towards his squad. "Alright boy's, check your weapons and get ready. I wanna make sure we can get the drop on them before they even realize they're under attack. Got it?"
"Sir yes Sir!" Came a reply from the many marines as John nodded back at them.
"Alright," John took another look at the bandit base. "Hicks, you take one group and attack from the rear. I'll lead the second group and attack from the side over there." John said as he pointed at a wall that had a decently large crack in it, big enough for people to slip through..
"Catch the bastards in a pincer. But do not engage until I give the order."
"What's the signal?"
"You'll know it when ya see it." John said, Dwayne nodding back as he led his squad to the rear. Taking Mike and Joseph with him. Everyone else stayed with John.
"Move it lady's, we got a schedule to keep." He said as he led his group towards the massive crack in the wall. Making their way past the mud fields as they approached. Peaking through the crack as he saw two guys standing nearby. Probably sentries, however they were shity sentries since the two were playing cards on a nearby box. Not bothering to watch the breach.
John looked back at his squad and nodded, the marines slipping through one by one until they were all inside. John pulled out his knife as Fred followed close behind, meat hook at the ready as they snuck closer to the pair of bandits playing cards.
"So, why was the boss angry again? I wasn't paying attention." One bandit asked as he placed down a card.
"You weren't?"
"Yeah, he always goes on these fuckin rants and I always just zone out. It's like, I don't care dude. I just want my money and my booze. Ya know?"
"Kinda yeah but like-" The bandit wasn't able to finish as John stabbed his knife into the base of the man's skull, killing him instantly as he severed his spine. Fred grabs the other bandit before shoving the hook through the back of the man's neck. The bandit squirming for a moment before flopping, dead. John let the corpse fall before he turned to the rest of his squad.
He began using hand signals, ordering them to get ready. The marines nodded as they formed up. Hiding behind concrete fortifications and behind wooden crates.
For a moment, all was quiet. Each marine itches to begin the fighting while the prey remains unaware of their existence. Then… John fired a grenade at what looked like a munitions dump, the loud plunk as it fired out of the under barrel attachment. Soaring in the sky before impacting its target. Then, a chain reaction caused by the small localized explosion resulted in a few buildings filled with multi-coloured powders and munitions exploding, blowing the roofs into orbit. Decorated with lightning, fire, and rocks fused to its metal surface.
The result was a rainbow-coloured mushroom cloud lording over the camp as the soundwave deafened the unaware bandits. Those closest to the explosion were sent flying or were eviscerated by the blast. The shrapnel easily sliced through whatever was in the near vicinity.
Those sent flying splattered into walls and on the ground, their bodies hitting solid earth. Impact them like they were made of jelly as they flopped to the ground dead. Those left alive held their bleeding eardrums. They looked around in confusion. One such bandit stumbled forward before the top of his head was blown off as the Marines began their assault.
The resulting ruckus was enough to kick the enemy into action, grabbing whatever weapons they could before finding the nearest source of cover. While many of their weapons were crude and slapped together with various different parts. They were still lethal enough to warrant the marines hiding behind the nearest wall. Some of the bandits were even using the mounted machine guns against them
"Jesus, remind me to place plastic explosives on heavy weapons before we begin an assault." The Sergeant reprimanded himself. "How did I even get into command?" He asked his right hand man, Hicks before stepping out of cover.
RATATATA
And firing a burst of 10mm, killing two and removing the limb of one of the gunners.
"Uh… You were the only highest ranking officer left alive, sir." Hicks replied. He then reached his left arm to grab his M37. "By the way,-." He moved himself to the side., allowing him to point the 12 gauge towards a sneaking enemy.
BANG
Who then had their head blasted into dog food via his trusty ithaca 37.
K-CHINK
Then using the pump to eject the spent shell. Before placing it back in its back mounted holster. "You missed one."
"Heh, true that." John replied before the two of them nodded to each other and began unloading their Pulse Rifles towards the enemy. Shredding through their armor and disabling a few mounted weapons. "Charles, need any help?!" He yelled through his headset.
{"Negative, current weapon is satisfactory enough to suppress and eliminate targets."} He heard through his radio. The audible sound of smart gun fire singing loud and proud.
"Heh, suppose so. Well, I'll leave ya to it." He replied before turning his weapon towards the next visible criminal.
Eventually the battle had ended almost as quickly as it had begun, the bodies of the bandits were left almost unrecognizable from the powerful weapons the marines had. The explosion had also destroyed much of the base as the buildings in the center were hardly left standing.
All in all, mission accomplished.
"Good work Marines! Now let's get the hell outta here and-"
"HOLD IT!" Soon, they all turned around to see a group of 4 bandits. Each holding a particular looking melee weapon/firearm combo. One of them looked very familiar.
The familiar looking one was in front of the four, his outfit now burnt as he had bleeding wounds almost all over his body. The other three looked just as roughed up as he did. But they were still standing. And if John was mistaken, he swore he saw a faint glow over each of their wounds.
"Oh I know you!" Joseph said as he stepped forward. "You're the jackass that almost threw down with sarge!"
"Huh, you're right." John said as he looked at the four. Quickly realizing why they were here and why they looked so angry.
"Listen, sorry about the explosion. But we finished the deal fair and square." John said as the other marines nodded in agreement.
"YOU FUCKERS RUINED EVERYTHING! WE HAD A NICE THING GOIN' ON WITH THESE BOZOS AND NOW-'' He gestured towards the marines. "A BUNCH OF GOODY TWO SHOES HAD TO SHOW UP AND FUCK US!"
A wave of silence hit everybody there as the marines just looked at the four in complete bafflement.
"Wait, you were working with these guys?" Zach asked.
"Worked with them? No, WE RAN THESE GUYS!" They then all charged towards the trained soldiers. A sudden gust of smoke obscured the four as the Marines fired into the cloud. The smoke separated them as the rogue mercenaries attacked.
[The Trooper (The Protomen Cover)]
Joseph stopped firing as he looked around cautiously, his battle rifle trained on anything he could see. The damn smoke made it impossible to know where the enemy was or where his fellow marines were. He was all on his own.
As he looked to one side a pair of hands grabbed his rifle, and before he could even react it was wrenched out of his grasp as something impacted him in the chest. Sending him flying as he skidded across the ground.
The techy gasped for breath as he clutched his chest, his armor helped reduce the impact but it still felt like someone hit him with a titanium sledgehammer.
"Fuck me." He muttered as he tried to pick himself up.
But before he could, he saw something rushing towards him, his eyes widening as training took over.
Rolling to the side as a pair of gladius' were stabbed into the ground just where he used to be. Pulling out his 9mm pistol he began to fire at the hostile, the first few rounds hitting them. But they seemed to do jack and shit respectively as the rounds bounced off of the hostile. A slight glow gave the only indication that the bullets did anything. The hostile then began to cut the bullets out of the air, Joseph's eyes widening at the sight
"Shit!" He yelled out as the hostile began to swing the short swords at him, the techie jumping backwards as he was barely able to dodge the attacks from the crazed merc. Joseph tripped on a dead body as the hostile jumped on top of him.
Only then was he able to get a good look at them, or rather her. The merc being a woman that was as tall as he was. Wearing what was essentially a glorified bra with a leather jacket and some biker pants. A sadistic look in the woman's eyes as Joseph struggled to keep the edge of the blade from slitting his throat.
"You're kinda cute." The merc cooed in a tone he did not like, making it clear she enjoyed doing this. "Maybe I'll keep ya around." She said as she brought the blade closer, Joseph struggled for dear life.
And while ordinarily he might have bantered back with women he was too busy trying to keep back the merc's inhuman strength. The blade cut through the glove and into his hand, blood pouring from the wound.
Thinking fast he used his free hand to grab his hand welder and brought it up to the woman's face while closing his eyes. The merc looked at the device in confusion before the techie pulled the trigger, a miniature sun in her face blinding her instantly as the plasma caused her aura to flare up instantly.
Leaping off the techie she held her face as she screamed her head off in agony, Joseph standing up as he ran into the smoke. Trying to find his rifle and finally kill that crazy bitch. But he didn't make it far as he felt the merc kick him in the side, he could also hear something pop in his body as he collapsed to the ground, holding his chest in agony as he looked at the now very much pissed off hostile.
A massive burn on her face as she glared at the techie. "You stupid fucking pig!" She yelled out as she stomped down on the marine. Making him cry out in pain.
"Forget keeping you as a pet! I'm going to mount your head on my fucking wall!" She yelled out as she raised her blade to kill the marine.
But before she could swing it down a pair of beefy arms wrapped around her before picking her up and slamming her down as a burst from a pulse rifle was fired into the merc. Fred and Raquel stepped out of the smoke, Joseph happier than can be when he saw the two.
"Thank god." The techie said with a smirk. "Thought she was gonna eat me up right then and there." He said before groaning as Raquel forced him to stand up. Fred kept watch with his ZX-765 shotgun at the ready.
"Be careful, I'm tender." Joseph said with a smirk as Raquel began to prod his side, a faint smile on the medics face. But before she could do anything the merc from before leapt out of the smoke and swung her swords at Fredrick.
The demolitionist jumped back and fired a blast right into the woman's chest, knocking her back as her body glowed. The Merc growled as she was somehow still alive as she swung her sword at him. Fred blocked it with his shotgun, shock running through him as the swords carved into the gun.
Dropping it he thought quickly and sent a devastating right hook into her face before following up with a left uppercut, Joseph has seen such punches leaving men bigger than even sarge reeling and flat on the ground. But it barely even phased the woman as she sent a punch right back at the demolitionist. The first punch knocked Charles flat on his ass as blood poured from his broken nose. She then raised her swords again, ready to kill the marine. Joseph's eyes widening as he tries to reach for his pistol.
Raquel grabbed her rifle and shot at the mercs arm. But after what sounded like glass breaking, the lead managed to actually pearce her arm. Which caused her enough pain to falter
"GAAAAAAAGH!" The merc yelled as she clutched the new hole in her limb, Raquel tried to finish her off but the rabid bandit managed to slink away. Her blood trail showed the general direction she fled.
"Jesus Christ…" Joseph breathed out as a wave of relief hit him. "What in god's name do these people lift?!" He yelled as Charles looked up with a dazed look on his face, confused as to what just happened. Raquel sighed as she opened her medkit.
The two mercs staired them down, the pair of them resembling twins in similar ramshackle armor.
"Well, it's time for the professional orgy ruiners to strike again!" Zach and Mike said together in unison, both of them posing to intimidate their opponents.
The mercenaries looked completely baffled as the reference flew over their heads.
"What?" One of the mercs asked as the other tried to understand the joke.
"Well you see-"
"I suddenly don't care anymore." The other twin said as they both raised their machine pistols and fired at the duo in unison.
"Oh shit!" Zach yelled as he rolled out of the way of the gunfire, Mike standing still as the shots all seemingly missed him as he pulled out a lever action shotgun he named "Sweet Caroline". Firing a few shells at the twins as they dodged the shotgun blasts. Zach fires at them with his semi-auto boomstick in turn, hitting one of the twins in the shin. A strange glowing light protecting the merc.
"Oh that's such bullshit." Zach said as he ducked under a roundhouse kick before falling back and shooting another burst into the torso of the twin that tried to kick him. Mike hitting one of the twins with his massive lever action shotgun. The blunt object knocked the merc flat on his ass, appearing somewhat winded by the strike
The twin on Zach knocked the rifle out of his hands and punched the quartermaster in the side. Zach heaving before being kicked in the head, concussed as he looked around dazed and confused.
Before he could finish off the marine a 4 gauge slug hit him in the side, causing him to fly into the window of a nearby shack. Which then lit on fire. Allowing the small arms repairman to breathe.
"You owe me Zach!" Mike yelled out with a grin as Zach was trying to get up from off the ground. Not paying attention to what Mike was saying.
"Damnit!" The other twin swore as he tried to rush Mike, the specialist trying to fire another round at the merc but found that his gun was empty.
"Ah, fiddlesticks." He said before the merc crashed into him knocking him to the ground as if felt like was hit by a battering ram. Mike groaned out in pain as the merc was about to beat him to death. Wanting to finish him as quickly as possible so that he could help his brother. Enhancing his abilities. But it also left him unaware of his surroundings as he felt something slam into his back.
Dazed, he realized he had to cut this battle short and ran off to find the rest of the team. Spreading off on foot like a road runner.
"Hey." Mike looked up to see one of his commanding officers, Hicks standing above him. This scared face yet soft eyes identified him as he reached his left hand down to pick him up. His right still holding the pistol grip of the somewhat wooden M37. "You okay?"
"I'm fine sir." Mike grunted out as he grabbed the outstretched hand. "Just a few broken ribs, thankfully as a Marine I'm too stupid to feel the pain."
Hicks chuckled lightly as he went to help Mike up, but before he could Hicks was stabbed through the back by a machete, the blade going through his armor and exiting out of his chest as he looked down in confusion. Mike's eyes widening as Hicks was flung away, landing in a heap as blood poured from his wound.
Mike tried to reach for his pistol but found that it was missing after he was tackled. Cursing he tried to get up, only to collapse back to the ground. Guess he was more injured than he thought…
Meanwhile, Hicks was having a bad day. He was fairly lucky that the bastard's machete didn't hit anything vital, still it wasn't fun to have a large hole in your chest that's still leaking a bit of blood. He tried to crawl away, the adrenaline making him move forward but he couldn't move far as the merc closed in on him.
As the mercenary moved closer to his target, the rest of his friends trailing behind him. He began to monologue.
"All of you are weak heroic types, protecting others for no real reason. 'You gotta be good, you gotta follow the rules' Fuck that I say! Why should I listen to some limp dick politicians and some chicken shit cops tell me what to do, what kind of person I should be! I founded this clan! ME! I carved my own territory, Followed my own rules! I make the decisions!"
The bandit leader sneered and continued his rant. The other two kept an eye on the other wounded marines.
"Why can't all of you prissy little shits stay out of my territory? I worked harder than any of those damn politicians to get where I'm at. I built my own empire from my own two hands. And I'm supposed to feel bad about it? Fuck that and fuck you!"
Hicks muttered something, the bandit leader raising an eyebrow in confusion. While one of his buddy's realized something and tried to get their leader's attention, but was ignored.
"What? What'd you say?" The bandit leader leaned in to hear the injured marine better. Only for the marine to spit a glob of blood on the man's face.
The bandit glared at the marine as Hicks looked up at him with a shit eating grin.
He then kicked the marine in the side, causing the man to groan as he felt his ribs buckle from the kick.
"I was gonna make this quick, but I'm gonna take my time with you. Might as well enjoy your death before I rebuild." The bandit said but before he could kick him again, he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder.
"Uh, boss?"
"What is it, can't you see I'm in the middle of something?!"
"It's just… My brother hasn't come back yet."
"...What?"
[Pause Music]
Before he could retort, they could all hear footsteps approaching. Each slow step, building dread amongst the group.
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
After what seemed like an eternity, a head popped out from above what was left of a brick wall. Which soon turned towards the group revealing it to be… the other twin, much to the relief of the remaining bandits and to the subdued horror of the marines.
"Oh great, you're okay. Look, can you get over here and help us mop up the rest of these foo-?" But the leader was interrupted.
"Bah." The twin spoke, his jaw opening wide before quickly shutting. His voice not quite matching the puppetted nature of his movement. "Ha Ba Ba, Ha Baba De Gaga." He continued further, spouting more jiberish in an unnatural way.
"What in the…"
"Ha baba da ba ba… ba… ba- Oh fuck it, I forgot how the bastard sounded anyway's." His voice changed back to a familiar grizzled gravelly voice before the twins head was tossed into the arms of his shocked brother… Who then shreeked in terror.
"Sorry about that folks, as you can see… I got a little side tracked." The old sergeant then stepped out from behind the wall, revealing himself to the bandits. He looked like he got into a fist fight with a Ursa Alpha… and won. Blood leaking out of slashes and gaps in his armor, bruises covering his forearms and face. Burns littering his gear.
"You…?"
"Me…"
The three of them looked at him in a mix of horror and rage. The other twin in particular, was on the verge of snapping. One of them stepped closer.
"Ah, ah, ah,-" The Marine pointed his sidearm towards them. The Large .45 caliber pistol was covered in a fair amount of scuff marks. Showing its age. "If you value your lives that much, you should at least hear what I have to say…"
"...The fuck is wrong with you?"
"Oh come off it, you guys have probably done far worse in your time as metropolitan parasites than I have. In recent years…"
"...Wait, wha-"
"But I digress." He waved it off. "So… As you can see." He gestured towards the immediate area around him. Littered with mutilated bodies of bandits and bit's of shredded metal. "You've had quite the poor afternoon."
The main merc cursed under his breath and glared at the older warrior. "Yeah, no thanks to you."
John smirked. "Indeed. Now, I want you to pay attention to the offer I'm about to make." He waved his pistol a bit, gesturing a bit to try and keep their attention. Before gaining a neutral look. "Look, we've just spent the past hour maiming each other. Tired, beatten, and bleeding. So, I'll give you two options. One, we go our separate ways, lick our wounds, rebuild our numbers, and try again later…" He decided to play negotiator, realizing the present situation. But, he then gained a dark look. His eyes are shadowed by his helmet. "Or… we could finish this. And trust me, you do not have time nor manpower to stop my wrath." He finished with a predatory grin. Which caused the mercenaries to flinch. The twin's eyes still wide, staring at the marine while holding his brother's head tightly.
"So… What will it be?"
For the moment, silence hung over the group. The only sound to be heard was the whirling wind, and the burning of flames. Nobody moved or dared to speak. Their fear is clearly evident.
"Tch, alright. Let's get out of here. Rather not waste any more time on these… freaks." The lead mercenary spoke.
"Then we'll meet again on the battlefield, parasite." John said to himself quietly as they left.
"So… were you serious about all that sarge?"
"No, I was almost entirely bluffing. Granted, I would have still tried to kill them. Even getting a few good hit's in… Buuuuut, I'm about 10 minutes away from passing out. Speaking of which…" He then held his hand out, causing Raquel to sigh and take her eyes off her patient before passing him what looked to be an advanced syringe. "Thank you very much." He replied to the medic before injecting the implied stimulant into his arm.
"Sir, you really gotta be careful with those things. Your heart could explode." She warned her superior.
"Eh, I'll be fine. At least for a bit. Besides, I'm pretty sure Hicks still needs your undivided attention at the moment." He gestured towards the still injured Acheron vet. Prompting her to get back to patching him up.
"...How the hell did you do it?"
"Huh?"
"Kill him, most of us could barely scrape them. Hell, Ms. Medicine was only able to pierce that cunt's arm out of the damned blue. Like, the bullet finally remembered it was supposed to be lethal. So, I'll ask again. How in the fuck were you able to deal with that super powered bastard?!" Joseph asked demandingly.
"Honestly… I got lucky."
[Play Music]
Earlier…
"Ugh, did anyone catch the license plate number on that starship?" He sighed to himself. He quickly got up and dusted himself off. "Now where oh where is the rest of my-ACK!" He was cut off from a strong punch to the gut, causing him to fly into a wall. Not quite fast enough to be turned into a stain, but strong enough to feel extensive pain in his back. "Ow." He replied in pain before flopping to the ground. He tried to get himself back up but was quickly kicked back down. Looking up, he saw it was one of the twins. Slightly burnt and covered in a thin layer of red powder.
"Well… got anything to say, Mr. Samaritan?" The twin asked him bitterly.
"Yeah… Do you plan on having any kids in the future?"
"...Wha-." But before he could reply, the once previously thought to be grievously injured marine, spun himself around, pushed himself back on his feet, and gave the twin a hard punch to the groin before kicking him away as far as he could. Causing the bastard to smash into a nearby crate.
'Let's hope that buys me some time.' He thought to himself before trying to look around for his rifle… Only to see the twin once more, holding his weapon. "...Oh."
"Nice gun." The twin said before ripping out the barrel with his bare hands. "Not."
"...Oh you mother-." But he was cut off by the bandit, rapidly closing the distance. Punching him in the face. Pushing him back a fair distance. But he remained standing on his feet. "-Fucker." He finished before spitting out some blood.
"Grr… Why the hell won't you give up already?!" The twin yelled as he was gradually losing his patience. He then ran back up to the older man to try and land another hit… only for his fist to be caught, twisted, and thrown over his shoulder before earning a knuckle sandwich to the mouth.
"Do they teach you kids anything about hand to hand combat?" John asked before throwing another right hook towards his opponent's face.
Actually dazing the super powered merc as the punch caused a sharp pain to fill his head, his eyes feeling like they almost popped out of his skull. Resolving himself he used his semblance to blast black smoke into the marine's face. Blinding him and causing the veteran to cough and let go of the merc.
"The fuck?!" The Marine swore as he tried to regain his bearings.
He then tackled John before beginning to punch the man's face as hard as he could. Bruises formed on John's face before he grabbed onto the merc's arm and with a bit of applied force in the right direction. This caused the mercs shield to flare up before breaking the man's arm at the elbow joint.
"GAH! Fuck!" The merc yelled as he stumbled off of the marine, holding his broken arm. Pain racked the limb even if he could feel his Aura healing the wound.
John stood up and unsheathed his boot's bayonet. It was a long slender blade, designed to mount onto his rifle. Though, the titanium blade was somewhat different from the standard. Mostly because of the set of dog tags hanging off the handle along with the original blade being replaced by a gift one from an… acquaintance. Holding it in a reverse grip.
"Well?... Come on then. It's time to tango on the dance floor." John said with a small smirk on his face, blood lust in the veteran's eyes as he looked at the bandit leader in expectation. The merc's left elbow had somehow been repaired but he wouldn't count on the arm so he stood up and unsheathed his knife. Pointing it at the marine as the two circled each other for a moment. Waiting for the other to make the first move.
The merc swiped at John, the marine parrying the blade and slashing at the merc's arm. Un unseen force flared at the strike but was still being repealed from his skin before the bandit stepped back. He then tried to slash at the marine again, this slash left a faint mark on his armor. Moving his blade at the last second to try and lunge at the marine.
John saw through this and sidestepped the attack, slashing at the man's side before grappling him. Grabbing onto the arm and headbutting the merc. Dazing the bandit as his helmet slammed into the man's face. John then stabbed his bayonet into the man's chest. Another flare appears as it tries to stop the blade, giving in bit by bit before the bandit kicks John off.
He then began to slash wildly at John in desperation, the marine blocking each strike with his blade before ducking under one swing and slashing at the man's side before stabbing him in the back. The thin layer of protection glows growing weaker at both strikes.
The bandit growled and rushed John, lunging at him as John was about to sidestep. But the bandit shifted stances and tackled John. Almost stabbing the marine's neck as John blocked the blow with his right forearm. The blade dug into the veteran's flesh as the merc smiled triumphantly, his victory was short-lived as John's head butted him again before slamming his knee into the merc's side. Causing the merc to stumble backwards.
John grunted as he grabbed the hilt of the knife and pulled it out slowly, tossing it aside once he got it out. Blood leaked down his forearm as he tossed his knife into his left hand.
Holding it in a reverse grip as he walked towards the dazed bandit, the merc spotted John before growling and charging at the marine. Throwing a wild haymaker that John dodged by leaning backwards before spinning forward, grabbing the merc's elbow and using his leg to sweep the man off his feet. The bandit fell to the ground as John stabbed down into his chest. The bayonet pushed into the shield before it broke. The long and thin blade thrust into the merc's heart as he gasped. Gurgling blood as he tried desperately to claw at John.
The marine stood up as he dragged the slowly dying merc from behind, the bandit bleeding to death slowly as blood trailed behind the two. The bandit weakly clawed at John's hand as the marine continued to drag him from behind. Soon enough, he found himself in a small flat plain. Sitting at the center of the compound.
It was there that the twin lay, his body battered and broken. At the hands of... this man. A being of pure, unadulterated rage. A strange-looking soldier stood above him, his face morphed into a scowl. The man suddenly picked him up off the ground, bringing his limp body towards him. His eyes filled with rage as the two stared at each other.
"Well... You certainly put up quite the fight. Hell, you even impressed me." The man suddenly spoke. His voice was filled with a fair amount of joy. "Oh well, I suppose it wasn't meant to last..." He trailed off as he got ready to finish the youthful criminal. "But still, credit where credit is due. This was quite the fun escapade." He said before tossing him a few feet before slowly walking towards him. His face morphed from indifference into a maddening grin. Causing the still alive bandit to try and scamper off. Fear filling his core.
"Waitwaitwaitwait, wait a minute. You-u-u-u-u don't have to do this. Your s-s-s-suposed to take me to prison, bring me to justice! Huntsman is supposed to be the hero's after… all…" The Bandit tried to plead for mercy.
The marine then stopped in front of him, his eyes shadowed by his helmet. But then…
"Hehehehehe…" He began to chuckle. Confusing the twin before it grew into full blown laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The marine was hysterical, holding his sides as he tried to calm himself down. "Oh… That was the funniest thing I've ever heard. Cutos, to you. Been needing a good laugh for a while now."
"Whu… What?"
"Two things, first. Seeing you attempt to plead for your pathetic life and two… I'll let you in on a little secret." He leaned in closer. "I was never the hero." He chuckled once more. "I'm just some aging war criminal who just never learned to quit." He began. "A reject, molded by war. Reduced to an inhuman abomination that moves from battlefield to battlefield. My mind, scarred from constant combat. Honestly, this is the only thing I know…" He turned away from the bleeding twin. "The only thing I can be!" He threw his hands into the air as if he was getting ready to preach religion to an unseen crowd. Before he turned his head back towards him. "Is to be a monster. To smile for the camera… and be ruthless on the battlefield." He then turned back around and gripped onto the sides of his head. "Anyways, nighty night." He spoke before pulling hard. Tearing the skin and mussels on his neck before finally with a 'pop'...
"Okay we get it, sir. Now can you stop with the details?" Joseph asked him as quickly as possible.
"Ah yeah, sorry. Got a bit carried away…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. "So, shall we head back?"
"Yeah, but Hicks can't really move on his own. By the time we reach town, he'll be nothing but a corpse."
"Hmm… Then why don't we take that six wheeler over there?" He pointed towards the completely undamaged white AFV. Its wheels are larger than most people.
"Huh, that'll work."
A single dusty old crow watched with red eyes as the still largely mysterious force got into the transport and disappeared into the unending swamps. The vehicle's engine became quieter as they gained distance. Its mind absorbed the battle as it unfolded. Along with the very concerning speech performed by their commanding officer.
With it soon flying off, its purpose is to relay information back to its master. But as it flew off, it seemed to have not noticed the dead twin's knife. Its blade is much more damaged than earlier. Almost… melted…
Epilogue: Time Skip, 1 1/2 year's…
{"Alright, everyone in position?"}
{"This is so fucking stupid…"}
{"Aw, come on guy's. We've been meaning to do another group photo for a while now. Figured it was a good chance to get it out of the way while we still could."}
{"But sending it as a postcard to whatsherface? Seems Like a waste of resources."}
{"Nah, it'll be fine. Besides, I'm pretty sure she might need some cheering up after… You Know."}
{"...Ugh, fine. Let's just get this over with. Next time, you should try not to traumatize your only daughter while strangling her former teammate. You've only been a step father for a few months for Christ sakes…"}
{"Great! Now, everyone. Say it with me… And let me just make sure the sign is visible to the camera... CHEESE!"}
{"CHEESE!"}
Well… that took less time than expected. No seriously, I was expecting to get bogged down again until like, March or worse June. But hey, a few months earlier than expected. Gotta count for something. Hell, I even tried to see if I could get another fic off the ground. Especially after… recent events. Also, I will be keeping the promise of NO ROMANCE, NO LEMONS, NO NTR, and especially NO FUCKING OVERPOWERED OC's/SELF INSERTS! This is not the story for that! So, I still wanna try to keep everything balanced as much as I can while also taking into account the drastic difference in equipment and materials. So fella's, anything you'd like to add?
Djpj7652: Hey, it's me. Goku. All jokes aside, I am actually Gohan.
Killb94: This was a pretty action packed romp and I wasn't expecting John to be THAT messed up, I hope to see the rest of the team get their chance to shine in future chapters.
MildlyLargeIron: The war crime counter is now 14. Also here's a sneak peek at my favorite gun design for the fic - mildly
Fancy Big Iron
Crimson Solat: Hi there! You didn't expect me, of all people who wrote Halo Galactic Wars, to be an assistant. I hope you enjoyed the parts I had written for this story. Expect me to pop up from time to time, okay? Going to be busy writing that story.
Thanks guy's, you're all a bunch of chads. With that, thank you very much for reading ALIENS: DUST AND BULLETS, Chapter 3: Cause & Effect. And if all goes well, I'll see if I can get chapter 4 done as well as a bonus one to honor the art guy who became officially part of the team (Killb94) a little while ago. Anyways:
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast…