The city lay in ruins.
The sound of the chopper's rotors could barely be heard through the sound of gunfire in the urban below. The stench of blood filled the air and smoke rose like burning pyres in the sky. The blood-red sun descended below the horizon of jagged buildings in the distance, the orange sunlight slicing through the fog with a touch of gold.
"Now entering the Dark Zone." The electrified voice of the pilot blared through the speakers.
Etrius frowned as he glared at the rubble below. To him, everything looked like a dark zone. From the glowing eyes of Evils preying on the innocent from the shadows, to the desperate rebels who would steal from anyone for a few caskets of water. His grip on his rifle tightened instinctively.
He remembered when everything had been normal, when the glowing city lights seemed to set the atmosphere aflame with creamy blue colors. And now… it was nothing but a wasteland.
Forcing his gaze away from the window, he focused his attention back onto his team.
They'd been sent to contain what was left of the U.S. embassies from rebels wanting information on the project. Three hostages were held within. It had been nearly a year since Element Evil took hold of the planet, and since then, no one was patient enough to wait for a cure. Many believed there was one already, but the government was refusing to share it. Etrius ground his teeth in disgust at the absurd rumors. They were doing nothing but distracting them from finding the cure.
"Etrius?" Beecher's voice seized his attention.
Etrius drowned the thoughts from his head and focused on the task at hand. "Alright. We've got fifty to sixty of these bastards surrounding the embassy, and we have just as many men. Lloyd, I want you to take the north rim of the wall surrounding the building. Boomer, you'll be in charge of disabling the demolitions. Do not, on any circumstance, let them detonate."
Boomer responded with a dangerous grin.
"Beecher, you're coming with me through the back exit. Security isn't as tough there – I can infiltrate the building. I need you to watch my six."
Beecher responded with a heavy nod.
Once the embassy came into sight, Etrius nudged the rope ladder down with his foot, and he slid down until he reached the bottom, followed by the rest of the team. Rifles in arms, they rushed to their destinations and began giving orders.
Etrius and Beecher made their way around the outer mortar wall that enclosed the embassy. The scent of smoke and demolitions ashes nipped at the hot air, and the sound of gunfire and shouting orders rang in their ears. They pulled gas masks over their faces. Any area of the Dark Zone was unsafe to walk through without one; it was the first place Element Evil began to spread.
The further they got to the rear entrance, more fog began to lift, allowing looming buildings overhead to look like skulking silhouettes, monsters waiting to kill. Etrius breathed heavily through his mask.
They reached the back exit, seeing two guards patrolling the entrance. They pressed their backs against the outer wall to remain unnoticed.
Etrius almost laughed. They were giving so much attention to the front that they were forgetting to watch the back. But despite this, Etrius was grateful that the distraction was enough for them to get in.
Beecher clicked the safety off his modified sniper and attached a silencer, aimed, and pulled the trigger… One down. Before the other guard could react, Beecher aimed and landed a bullet in his head.
They double-checked the area to make sure no one else was watching before making their way to the two guards. They produced a key from one's pocket and opened the door. They walked on a crouch into the dark hallway, lights flickering overhead and the room heated. The electrical vibe of wires that ran within the walls filled the air, nearly suffocating them, despite the gasmasks.
Nonetheless, they continued their search until they reached their destination. Four men, dressed strictly in black, patrolled a glass room. Multiple figures inside were on their knees with hands over their heads.
With a few flicks of his hand, Etrius gestured to Beecher, and he got the message. Beecher produced a pellet form the folds of his jacket and tossed them into the room. A white fog wafted out, choking the room with thickened white gas. Etrius and Beecher secured their gasmasks as Beecher aimed.
With heightened vision and accuracy, he landed three headshots before the last surviving one fled the room and up a staircase.
The elites rushed into the room, keeping their weapons raised. Etrius instructed Beecher to take the hostages back outside while he followed the last one.
Beecher hesitated before complying, and the two parted ways.
Etrius rushed up the staircase, keeping his weapon close with the safety off. Through the lingering fog, he saw the faint silhouette of the rebel retreating to another door. Etrius aimed and fired, missing the target.
The rebel vanished behind the door, locking it behind him. Etrius kicked it down and followed.
He saw the silhouette of the rebel standing in the open, facing a window that looked out over a fifty foot fall. Etrius aimed. "It's over. Get on the floor and puts your hands over your head—Do it now!"
Slowly, the man raised his hands and dropped the weapon. He collapsed to his knees and then sprawled on the tile. Etrius rushed over and secured his hands in cuffs. He searched through him, finding two extra rusted handguns and a pack of cigarettes.
The General's voice blared through his headset. "Alpha, what's your status?"
"Busy," Etrius spat back.
Once the rebel saw him confiscating the cigarettes, he beseeched, "Come on!"
"Keep your mouth shut."
Why do I have to deal with this shit?
"I don't want any surviving enemies; this is a Direct Action Mission."
"No can do." Etrius responded.
"Who the hell are you talking to?" The rebel growled.
"I said shut your fucking mouth!" Then to The General, "I'm taking the surviving member into custody. Tell your men to prepare an interrogation sequence."
"Etrius, we cannot afford to have any Prisoners of War. Follow orders and neutralize the target—"
Etrius hooked his headset around his neck, drowning out The General's voice.
What's gotten into that bastard?
"Get up," Etrius snarled at the surviving rebel, and he shoved him towards the staircase, keeping a rifle to his back.
~X~
He couldn't breathe.
There was a hand covering his mouth, another shaking his shoulder, startling him out of deep sleep. A thousand panicked thoughts dashed through Etrius' mind in the space of a single heartbeat. It was happening. His dream was no lie.
An infiltration. I knew it!
His eyes blinked, staring wildly at the dark room of his quarters until Beecher came into focus. Etrius stilled his thrashing, thoroughly confused.
Beecher stepped back and eyes his coldly.
Etrius sat up. "The fuck, Beecher?"
"Etrius. You wouldn't wake up."
Of course, that was his form of an apology for scaring him half to death.
Etrius gave him a scowl. "If you're here because of watch-duty, it's your shift."
"That's the problem. There's been a shortage in the wiring of our security system, and I'm assuming that's something you know how to fix."
Etrius gave a groan and dragged a hand down his face. But nonetheless, he whirled over his bed and got to his feet, finding himself still in combat uniform. He'd been up for 72 hours and didn't bother changing before collapsing on his bunk.
Grabbing a flashlight from his drawer, he followed Beecher to the control room. He searched through the massive system of buttons and latches until he found the problem. The main hall's security cameras had gone out. He tapped on the screen, momentarily blinking up a black and white image of the hall before flickering out.
Must be something wrong with the wiring.
Etrius clicked the flashlight on and got working under the system. A large nest of colored wires and cords connected to the motherboard, and it took him some time to find the right one. Etrius got to work while Beecher stood irritated in the corner, tapping his foot against the ground to drown out his impatience. Etrius found this nerve-wrecking. "Would you stop that?"
Etrius took hold of two wires that seemed to be cut in half, careful not to touch anything that could shock him. "Do we have a Hex Tool Crimper nearby?"
"A Hex—what?"
"Never mind." He would have to do this manually. Carefully bringing the wire ends closer, he connected the two conductors—
And then they sparked.
Etrius pulled away with a burnt mark on his wrist. "Son of a bitch."
"You know, if you can't do it, I'll just call up—"
"I said, I got it." Etrius said, cutting him off. Beecher grimaced. He'd always been independent, determined to do things on his own once he was called for it. Beecher didn't know if it was pride or instinct that drove this, but it drove him crazy sometimes.
Etrius was about to give it another attempt when something stopped him.
Muffled voices. They sounded familiar.
The General was speaking with someone in the opposite room. Thoroughly curious, Etrius leaned closer to hear what they were saying.
"I assure you, I'm doing everything in my power to keep the project in sequence." The General said, voice faint but clearly determined.
"The incident in the Dark Zone is pushing us to bring this project to an end," Said another familiar voice, but the way he spoke sounded like he was used to giving orders. "We are running out of options. It's come to my understanding that you're holding back. We need to launch Experiment X."
Etrius' brows creased together.
"Etrius, what's going on?" Beecher's voice came through, but Etrius shushed him.
"Experiment X has been in progress for over 50 years, and it's purpose if to serve as a classified weapon. What if it's potential doesn't fulfil our needs for ending Element Evil?"
"Experiment X's original purpose now remains unnecessary. There is no need for a weapon. The subject's blood contains an element not found on our periodic table yet – a new element our researchers named Sapphorium. Replicas have been created, but are ineffective. We need the original element to create an antidote. Without it, humans will becomes the next extinct species on the list."
Silence reigned for the next few seconds, and it seemed The General had not yet given in.
"May I remind you who hold the higher recognition of authority." It was then when Etrius realized he was talking with one of his commanders. He'd always been satisfied at the thought that he didn't have complete power, but he couldn't begin to understand what they were talking about. The Elite Team had never been told about Experiment X, or Sapphorium. But whatever it was, they were keeping secrets from them.
After a while, The General uttered a reluctant "Yes, sir," And the two exited the office immediately.
Etrius pulled himself from his laying position. "Did you hear that?"
"No."
Etrius gave him a frustrated glare.
"As in, I never wanted to. You're not planning on going deeper into this, are you?"
Beecher didn't need a response to know the answer. He clasped his hands behind his head and paced the length of the room. "Whatever. You go ahead and get into trouble. I'm not about to risk my rank just for some fucking conversation we weren't supposed to hear."
"The General has a reputation for keeping secrets, especially from us."
"Have you ever given any thought, that he might have a good reason for it?"
Etrius glared him into silence. He then disabled the security camera in The General's office.
"I won't stop you from doing this. Just don't drag me into it."
~X~
"I can't believe I allowed you to drag me into this." Beecher lit a cigar as Etrius locked The General's door behind them. He made his way to his desk and began searching through his drawers. "You won't find anything here, believe me."
Etrius popped open the middle drawer and produced a leather-bound journal with a lock keeping it shut. "Really?" Etrius plucked up a paperclip from the desk and picked through the lock until it clicked open. He flipped through the pages. "Well, well. Old bastard writes in cursive, too. Probably didn't want anyone snooping around his electronic files."
"Etrius, let's just get this over with. Find what you want and let's get out before the old man comes back."
Etrius scoffed as he flipped to a more recent date. "What is he, some pre-teen—?"
His eyes narrowed as he read.
"I hear footsteps – we need to leave. Now." Beecher said between his teeth and the cigarette, but Etrius was too focused to hear him.
No one can know … The plan is working … Once the cure is out of the way…
His eyes widened. "There's no way—"
"Etrius!" Beecher growled just as the door unlocked and swung open.
A man with a janitor's uniform entered, headphones plugged in. He froze at the sight of Etrius and Beecher, and hooked his headphones around his neck. "Am I disrupting something?"
Instead of answering, Beecher stifled a sigh of relief and dragged Etrius with him out the door.
Etrius tucked the journal beneath his shirt as the two made their way back to their dorms. Etrius produced the journal and returned to the page he was looking at. "I can't believe this."
"What?" Beecher barked. "What's so important in that shit that nearly got us caught?"
Etrius shoved the journal at Beecher, and his eyes gradually darkened as he read through it. "He already has a cure? Impossible; it's too obvious. Probably some drunk troops wanted to mess around with him."
"I don't think anyone would want to mess around when Earth is in a state like this," Etrius said, flipping to more recent dates. "And it's written all over, in his handwriting. Don't you know what this means?"
"That we should keep our asses shut and leave these matters alone?"
"It means that bastard has the cure in his hands, and this whole project is a search to destroy it. Don't you see? This notebook is evidence. With it revealed, we can cure the infection and restore humanity."
"Who's going to believe us?" Beecher scowled.
"Uhh, the people who see this notebook?"
"Who's going to believe what's in it, the superiors? They are our superiors. We need an alternative."
Etrius' eyes narrowed, and then he marched back into the hall, hiding the notebook beneath his shirt. "Find Lloyd, and then meet me and Boomer out in the back. I have a plan."
"Sure you do," Beecher said under his breath. For a team leader, he was always getting himself into trouble. It never ended well when it came to higher authority.
But if what they saw in the notebook was correct, they couldn't sit around and do nothing about it either.
~X~
The General stood with his hands clasped behind his back, blankly staring at the cryo-chamber. He silently watched the motionless silhouette resting behind the crystallized glass. A light trace of smoke wafted from the cryo-chamber's corners. Without turning around to face the researchers monitoring the program, he said. "So this is her final year."
"Her powers have strengthened beyond control under the effects of cryo-sleep. If she remains asleep any longer, we may not be able to extract them."
"And what's to become of the subject once we have what we need?" The General knew training was out of the question for subjects like this, judging by the multiple failed attempts at trying to control subjects with similar powers.
"We have no use for the subject. It is your command to choose."
The General thought for a moment. Then he said, "Very well," He couldn't afford to have word of the project reach public ears. "Get rid of the subject once you're done. And don't leave any traces she was ever here."
~X~
"Did you hear that?" Etrius said in a hushed tone as he crouched down on the upper walkway beside Beecher. The two had been listening in to The General's plans and orders ever since they found out about his betrayal with Element Evil. "He's free to do whatever he wants with that power, and who's to say we can trust him with it?"
"We need to release her before that happens," Etrius said. "But first, we need to get these guys out of here." His eyes flicked towards the fire alarm clipped onto the wall next to them. "Cover your ears," He said to Beecher as he reached, opened the safety glass and pulled down the latch.
Several lights above them spiraled yellow and red, and blaring alarms blasted three rings a second.
The General glanced around in confusion. Etrius and Beecher sunk back into the shadows to wait.
"Since when do we have fire drill runs at this time?" The General said, not entirely concerned.
"We don't." One of the researchers replied. The General glanced warily at the silhouette within the cryo-chamber. He waited fifty years to finally release the power, and now he was going to be disrupted by a fire. This wasn't going according to plan.
"Sir, we need to leave." One of the researchers said by the door after noticing his hesitation. The General gave a grunt under his breath, giving the cryo-chamber one last glance before turning around and exiting.
That gave Etrius and Beecher the cue to go in. The rose from their position, whirled over the upper catwalk railing and made it to the cryo-chamber. "Any idea how to activate this thing?" Beecher asked, and Etrius gave a nod. He rushed to the computers situated by the chamber and tapped through a few buttons and passcodes. He switched the emergency unlock latch and watched as the ice in the cryo-chamber reddened before it melted into water. The cryo-chamber lid opened with a WOOSH and the light hit the silhouette at the right angle.
Nox lay motionless with her eyes closed, a thin layer of frost residue remaining on her skin. Etrius and Beecher exchanged glances, wondering if they should try and wake her or wait until she woke up herself. But the fire alarms weren't going to remain dismissive forever.
Suddenly, Nox's eyes popped open with a gasp. Her vision doubled and see-sawed in and out of focus as she emerged from the realm of dreams. She witnessed two silhouettes against the red lights looming above her, one with green eyes and one with red. Her eyes widened and she raised both her arms to shield herself, her psychic power forming a shield around her. "Get away from me!"
The two backed away with their arms raised halfway, mostly surprised by the amount of power she was putting up in her defense. "Hey, calm down. We're getting you out of here." Nox tried to leap out of the cryo-chamber, but her limbs wouldn't move on command. She realized she was still strapped inside. "Who are you?" She demanded.
"I think that question points at YOU."
"I'm not sure what's going on here."
"Neither do we," Beecher managed to get close enough to undo the straps and set her free. "But right now, we need to get you out of here. There's someone here who calls himself The General, and he wants your power for his own gain."
"How did you—?"
"We eavesdrop. Not only does The General want your power, but he's going to take away mankind's only hope of survival."
"…What are you talking about?"
Beecher frowned and turned to Etrius. "Check to see how long she was out." Etrius gave a nod and checked the computer. Beecher locked his eyes with Nox's. "What's your name?"
She hesitated for a second. "Nox."
Etrius's blood froze at what he saw on the computer monitor screen. "Nox, you've been asleep for fifty years."
"WHAT?!"
"Fifty years," He repeated, turning back to her. "You're in the year 2064."
"But—but— …That's not possible. I swear—I was only in here for two seconds. It was 2014—"
Footsteps resounded from outside the door, and the rattling of the lock came next. "Well, think of the cryo-effects of body clocks. We need to go. Now."
Nox took a step forward, but black and purple dots danced across her vision. She was woken up too soon. Etrius and Beecher hooked her arms around their shoulders and aided her to the back exit.
They rushed out of the basement, where they remained hidden in the shadows of the perimeter of the facility as they made their way to the exit. They hid behind a corner, glancing around and wondering how they were going to make it past the guards unseen.
Suddenly, an electrical vibe began to run beneath Nox's skin, and she fell to her knees, hugging her stomach in uneasiness. A burst of power ruptured from her eyes and mouth. The sudden explosion of energy was enough to bring the guards to attention. Beecher swore.
The light faded, and Nox squeezed her eyes shut to battle the throbbing in her head. She realized her powers were ten times stronger than when she was last put into cryo-sleep. She couldn't even control it.
The distant shouting of guards were heard before white gas wafted through the facility's area. Knockout gas. Beecher turned to Etrius. "You and Nox take the south exit. I'll hold them back from here and meet up."
Etrius gave a nod before he hooked Nox's arms around his shoulders and led them out of there. They made their way through a majority of mazes before coming to a stop in an unfamiliar room lined with toxin gas tanks and weapons that lined the tables. They two of them turned around to see someone slide to a stop in the doorway, clutching his magnum caliber. The General aimed the weapon at them. "Don't. Move."
He locked his dark glare with Etrius's. "So you figured me out. You were so much more useful shut out in the dark. Give back the subject, and I won't put you down for good this time."
Etrius's eyes narrowed. "Over my dead body."
The General felt a shiver of familiarity run down his spine, but he showed no reaction. Without warning, Etrius reached into his back pocket and produced a pellet. He let it fall, and pillars of smoke emerged from the small device. Instead, The General covered his mouth and nose and rushed into the smoke, keeping the magnum caliber close.
He faintly saw two silhouettes through the haze of fog, aimed and fired. Etrius took Nox to the floor to avoid the gunfire, and he charged forward. The notebook was thrown from his jacket pocket by the force of the impact, and it skidded into the fog. Etrius cursed under his breath as he scrambled to his feet, going after it before that bastard did.
The General glanced down to see a familiar object skid to a stop at his feet. He leaned over and picked up the notebook, a grimace performing on his face, as if he'd been expecting this to happen. Keeping his weapon close, he continued into the fog.
Nox saw the familiar silhouette emerge into the smoke, and she focused on her psychic power, pouncing on the visual and pinning him to the floor. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She screamed. "IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I'M LIKE THIS!" Her eyes literally burned with power and anger. The General uttered a grunt before pulling the trigger of his magnum caliber and firing. Nox rolled to the side to miss, but it cost her target to run away. Nox clenched her teeth and blindly grabbed a sapphire sword from one of the tables, running after him.
The General whirled around and fired random shots around her in hopes of scaring her down, but to no avail. Instead, the bullets buried themselves inside the toxin gas tanks. A sizzling gas leaked out. Nox curled her teeth in a smile and aimed the palm of her hand at the gas, bending it to her control.
"Stop! That's Element Evil you're wielding!"
"Exactly." Nox said darkly as she thrust her hand in The General's direction, but he fell to the ground to miss it. The gas hit another tank, and it burst on impact, showering into bits of metal, shrapnel, and toxic elements. The General reacted on instinct and scrambled to his feet before rushing to the exit.
Etrius was unable to get to Nox's side through the gas. He held his arm to his face in an effort to shield himself. "Nox, get out of there!" But it was too late. The gas had spread to the entire area of the room, effecting other tanks and creating a chain reaction of demolitions. Nox backed away from the cataclysm with her grip on the sapphire sword tightening.
A thousand choices ran through Etrius' mind in the space of a single second. Hamzat suits and gasmasks lines the walls by the door. He reached for a gasmask and slung it over his head. He ran into the mist.
The ground seemed to quake beneath Nox's feet as the tanks detonated on contact with Element Evil in the air. Soon, the world around her began to sway, fall into nothing.
Etrius grabbed her and swung her arm over his shoulder. "You're making it out alive, even if it kills me."
It was the last thing she heard before she was lead out of the building, her grip on the sword never loosening.