The Virus
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Chapter Six: Entry-Level Disguise
A/N: I'M SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO GET OUT! T^T
We managed to find a pickup near Jubilife with the keys still in the ignition and a half-full tank of gas. Alex had to recall his Snorlax to its Pokeball as the rest of us clambered in or on the truck. Elaine was to be our driver, Alex took shotgun while Sue sat on his lap, while Sarge, Seth, Lily and I hopped on the bed of the pickup.
"Sarge, I think it would be best for you to aim forwards as you have the longer-ranged weapon," I suggested.
"Agreed. Seth can be both of our backup while Lily protects the truck from harm," he replied.
'I still haven't told anyone that I'm on my last drum magazine for DI,' I thought.
We all jumped slightly as the truck coughed to life, then started to move forwards, towards Jubilife.
We weren't even five minutes down the road when Alex called out from the passenger seat, "Incoming, dead ahead!"
"I see them," Sarge replied, then levelled his XM29 over the roof of the cabin. "Come and gets some," he muttered, barely audible over the roar of the engine.
Bang
I almost mistook the first shot from Sarge's weapon as a backfiring of the engine, until I saw a distant figure drop to the ground, downed by a headshot.
"Impressive!" I called out, "But let's see you keep that up with the hordes ahead!"
"No problem!" he replied, "I've done long-distance shooting before - this is a turkey-shoot!"
I kept an eye on him a he seemed to twitch to new targets as he pulled off single shots with extreme precision. I counted a good twenty infected killed before he had to reload.
"Okay, I think it's time to start clearing a path through them with a little more bang, if you know what I mean!"
I smirked. "Looks like we have to clean up the stragglers, huh Seth?"
Seth grinned, his canine teeth bared. "I'm all for it," he said, charging up an Aura Sphere in each paw.
"And you, Lily?"
'Bring it,' she replied, her eyes glowing that wonderful deep blue.
Thump
BOOM!
"Floor it, Elaine!" Sarge called out. At that, the engine roared, and we almost lost our footing at the pickup leaped, running over a few dead and alive infected beings.
I started pumping in a few rounds here and there on the quicker infected beings who were catching up with the truck, taking careful note of how many rounds I had left.
We continued like this for several minutes, having a few close calls as some of the infected Pokemon were beginning to realise the potential of their movesets.
"Here!" Sarge said, handing me his XM29, "I think you need it more than me," he added, his blades extending as he hopped on the roof of the pickup cabin, unleashing a few Psycho Cuts, Leaf Blades, among other blade-related moves upon the infected.
Acting on this, I switched to full auto on the XM29, and put a long burst into one infected Marshtomp that wouldn't stay down.
"Looks like this is one Mudkip evolution that I don't like," I said, switching to the airburst grenade. "Now eat this!" I roared, pulling the trigger and feeling the recoil as the 40mm round exited the top barrel, impacting the Marshtomp and sending it cartwheeling backwards.
'Three, two, one...' I thought.
BOOM!
"And stay down!" I shouted. Doing a quick check on DI, I noted that it was down to just three rounds. 'Fuck,' I thought. 'Sorry old girl, looks like you're done. Time to put your last three rounds to good use.'
I swapped the XM29 for DI and placed the last three rounds in a charging Rhyhorn, clearly intent on demolishing the truck - and us with it. It took about five seconds to realise that the three rounds of buckshot penetrated its skull before it collapsed, bringing down a few other followers down along with it.
"Damn," I muttered. "Hey Sarge!" I called over my shoulder, "The base we're going to; does it have ammo?"
"Do Ursaring shit in the woods?" he called back.
"Guess that answers my question, then!" I said smirking as I fired a few busts from the XM29 into a crowd of infected that seemed to not want to quit. I switched over to the 40mm, and let a couple rounds out.
"DUCK!" I cried out as the rounds landed. We all hit the deck, and a large explosion rocked the truck as a few body parts flew overhead.
"I can see the end!" Elaine called out.
We all let out a collective sigh of relief when it happened.
CRUNCH
The entire back end of the pickup tilted forward and the four of us fell out onto the ground. Still clutching onto DI and the XM29, I shook my head and had a look at the front.
"Oh, shit..."
A Rhyperior decided to jump onto the engine block, crushing it under its massive size, nearly sending the vehicle flipping end-for-end. The Pokemon roared and placed a clawed hand onto the cabin and began shoving it to the ground.
"No, Elaine!" Seth shouted, focusing his energy into a large Aura Sphere and throwing it at the Rhyperior. Upon impact, the Sphere exploded, sending the Rhyperior stumbling back a few feet. In response, the Rhyperior roared again, and I got an idea.
"Seth! Make him open his mouth!"
"Daemon, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking..." Sarge said.
"It would be my pleasure," Seth growled, moving in close and under the Rhyperior's guard, another Aura Sphere in paw. Using his momentum, Seth sent the behemoth head over heels with a Focus Punch uppercut before hopping up and using the recoil of his own Aura Sphere to blast himself back to us.
"Nice shot," I commented.
But the job was only half-done. The Rhyperior started to get back up, growling. As it got to its feet, it let out another roar, but this time I was ready. Hefting the XM29 to shoulder height, I flicked the switch for the 40mm launcher and fired.
Thump
The round managed to enter its mouth, but didn't explode. The damn tongue must've been soft enough to prevent detonation!
As the Rhyperior closed its mouth, wondering what entered it, we all heard a distinctive crunch.
"GET DOWN!" I shouted.
We all hit the deck just as the round detonated, completely decapitating the infected Rhyperior. But that gambit had its downside. The rest of the body swayed, just before leaning forwards towards the remains of the pickup.
Seth reacted first, moving so fast, I almost didn't see him. He just made it, groaning under the immense weight of the corpse as the roof of the pickup began to cave in from the total combined weight of both Seth and the Rhyperior's body.
"Well, don't just fucking stand there, HELP ME!" he shouted, knees buckling under the pressure.
Sarge moved, assisting Seth with the heavy body as the rest of us worked to get Elaine and Alex from the wreckage. As we got them out, Seth and Sarge heaved, tossing the dead body to the side and massaging their muscles.
"Urgh...remind me never to get on the bad side of a heavyweight again," Sarge said, stretching.
"Or ever," Seth corrected, cracking his neck.
"Hey guys..." Alex said.
"What?" I asked.
"They're leaving...the infected; they're all leaving us alone now..."
"That's...not a good sign...is it?" Elaine asked.
"Who cares, that just means that we won't have to fight them all," I replied, shouldering DI and handing the XM29 back to Sarge. "Now Sarge, this base, how far away is it now?" I asked.
"Not too far now...but I've been thinking, it would be too obvious if all of us came up to the entrance - the guards would get suspicious."
"How do you suggest we get access then?" Seth inquired.
"I need a volunteer for this..." Sarge began, looking around at all of us. We locked eyes, and Sarge nodded.
"I'm up for it, and you know that. What's the plan?" I asked. Next thing I knew, I was doubled over, clutching my stomach, before I found myself on the floor. I heard gasps and a few growls of disapproval. Coughing, I brought myself up to my knees.
"I see...you want a 'prisoner' so that the guards won't get suspicious..." I said, slowly standing up. "But there's one problem..." I started. Without warning, I slugged Sarge in the stomach before backhanding him in the back of his head, following up with a knee to his gut before using my momentum to rotate my body and turn the knee into a kick, sending Sarge skidding back a good five feet.
"...the guards would wonder why you're unscathed," I finished, going back into a fighting stance I had nearly forgotten.
Sarge stood up straight, rubbing his stomach and his head. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"I had several good instructors at the local dojo - my technique was developed from hours spent with a Lucario, Gallade and Medicham," I replied.
"Interesting...maybe I can teach you a few moves after all of this. But, for now, I think we look dishevelled enough to pass the guards inspection. Let's move."
Military Installation - Location: Jubilife City limits. Time: 0950 hours.
"So, what's really the plan?" I asked under my breath as we approached the entrance.
"Hopefully my credentials still check out for us to get inside. From there, we have to take out the security room - it holds the emergency alarm along with all the feeds from the cameras around the complex," Sarge replied.
"What happens after?"
"We clear the complex - hopefully without any casualties - but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, look defeated, we're coming up on the entrance."
As we closed in, I could see a couple of guard standing by a heavy metal door - most likely reinforced to repel any attacking infected being. Suddenly, I remembered that DI was strapped to my back - the guards might see it and then our whole operation would be blown out of the water!
"Sarge," I hissed. "DI's strapped to my back - let me do something that might allow you to take it from me without causing too much of a disturbance."
"Do it, but quickly," he whispered back.
At that, I snapped my head back into Sarge's face and made it look as though I was diving for his weapon when in reality I was just getting down to Sarge's level.
"What the hell was that for?" he whispered furiously.
"I know the guards are watching, quick, make it look as though you're subduing me and take DI, now!" Sarge nodded and quickly flipped up and placed a knee on my back and cut the strap DI was hanging from.
"Don't try that again!" Sarge shouted, loud enough for the guards to hear. Sarge picked me up by the scruff of my neck and shoved me forwards. I sneaked a peek at the guards; they seemed alert, but relaxed. Good. Our ploy was working. As we neared the entrance, one guard came up and addressed Sarge.
"Halt. Define your reason for being in a restricted area."
"I managed to capture a civilian - uninfected. This one might hold a cure for the rest," Sarge replied.
"You still haven't given your name and rank," the guard said.
"You never asked," Sarged replied, simply walking past the guard towards a terminal I hadn't noticed until now. A scanner slid out, and Sarge placed his free hand on it. He grunted in pain for a second, and then the scanner withdrew.
'They seemed to have added a DNA scanner in it...damn needles...' Sarge projected to me.
The second guard held up a tablet, reading its contents.
"Codename: Spartan; ID number: Sierra-dash-one-one-seven, correct?"
"The DNA match should be proof enough," Sarge retorted.
The guard smirked. "So who's this lucky ess oh bee? Another one for the labs, or one for recruiting?"
"Does he look fit enough for recruiting? He's going to the labs. He might hold the cure we're looking for," Sarge replied. Labs? What were they doing in them?
"Hey, chill, I'm just wondering. The infected hardly come near here anymore now that we've stationed fifty-calibre ay em gees at every entrance."
"Fifty-cal autocannons? A little overkill, don't you think?" Sarge inquired.
"That's what we thought at first - and then they attacked. Ever since the TNS completed their missions, we've been getting attacked by both Pokemon and human infected. Just the other day, they brought up Rock- and Steel-types. We thought we were done for, but the ay em gees just tore through them. Ay pee rounds do miracles sometimes, you know? But enough of my ranting: you're cleared to proceed with your prisoner. B-cell block is about five blocks down and off to your right."
"Thanks," Sarge said, and was just about to cross the door's threshold when -
"Hey...aren't you TNS?" one of the guards asked.
"They were all supposed to have died," the other guard replied.
We froze.
"Yeah, there were even Psychic inhibitors built into the bombs to prevent anyone from fooling around with them...so how did you escape?"
In an instant, I grabbed DI and bashed the overhead camera in just before Sarge reacted, knocking out the two guards.
"Fuck, they know that your squadron wasn't supposed to survive that mission, now what?" I asked, still holding DI.
Suddenly, an interior alarm blared.
"Now...we run."
Inside, we bolted past hallways and armed guards, all who were intent on stopping us, one way or another as I heard bullets ricochet off the walls.
"Are they that bad at shooting us, or are you using Protect?" I asked, huffing as we passed another hallway filled with yet more guards.
"Protect - to a degree. I hope I'm going in the right direction - all minor installations should have the same layout..."
"Where are we headed?"
"Armoury. I know you're out of twelve-gauge rounds for DI - and I'm running low on ammunition myself. Plus, there's armour in there - we can use it."
"But where -" I began.
"HERE! Get in, quickly!"
I dove into the room as Sarge slammed the door shut and used Psybeam to weld the door in place.
"Damn, NOW what?" I asked Sarge.
"Now," he started, "catch."
I turned to face him, just in time to catch a vest that was thrown at me.
"Dragon Armour - several hundred ceramic plates overlapping each other to provide ten times the amount of protection provided by regular Kevlar vests."
"Nice," I commented. I then started to browse the armoury, looking at the large variety of weapons that were stored here. Immediately, I took notice of the shotgun rack and made a beeline for it. As luck would have it, there were several AA-12's along with both box and drum magazines for it. I picked up several pre-loaded drum mags (32-round drum mags, this time) filled with standard buckshot and slug shells - neither of the shells being mixed, of course. A flash of green caught my eye while I was reloading DI.
"No way," I breathed.
An open lead container showcased the Frag-12 rounds I had used before. These could come in handy...
I grabbed an empty 32-round drum mag and proceeded to fill the entire mag with Frag-12 rounds. I did the same with another empty mag before closing the small box and pocketing it.
I then gravitated towards the sidearms, looking for more ammo for my pistol. I saw some heavy semi-auto's, but I could easily tell that they would be firing the .50 AE rounds - a type of ammunition that I had no experience with. After about a minute of searching, Sarge took pity on me and pointed out the .45 caliber handgun that I sported.
Speaking of, Sarge was buisily finding ammunition for his XM29 - both for the main and airburst rounds.
Just as soon as we had fully geared up, Lily contacted me.
'Daemon, something's wrong. The whole base is on alert, and there's a large group of infected amassing behind us! We can't move from here!'
I relayed the message to Sarge, and he nodded.
'Lily, link up with Sue and teleport to our position, we're both in the armoury,' Sarge projected.
Within seconds, Lily and the rest of our group appeared in our midst.
"Elaine, Alex, grab some armour, you may need it," Sarge said.
"We're not going to fight, are we?" Elaine asked, worried.
"No, but we can't risk anything happening to any of you. This is why I'm going to have to ask you all to stay here while Daemon, Seth and I clear out this facility," Sarge replied.
"Stay safe," Lily and Elaine said in unison.
Seth and I looked to each other, grinned and shrugged.
"Alright," Sarge started, "sounds like they're desperate to get in. Lily, Sue, how 'bout throwing up a Barrier for us?"
As a light shimmer appeared before us, Sarge and Seth simultaneously kicked at the door, bringing it down. Outside, several guards were waiting for us, weapons at the ready.
"FIRE!"
A/N: Bonus points to whoever finds the secret sayings within this chapter - there are two to find. One is obvious (as it's a well-known internet meme), and the other is from a video game.
I do hope that you enjoy this chapter though. Remember; Read and Review!
- Chief