Shit. Call it poetry or irony, but waking up in the skin of those crocodile people... I didn't take it lightly. Took the rest of my team to subdue me, and all of them were in those Terran bodies. I was now part reptile, but the rest of my team was made from all sorts of creatures like some kind of zoo. Didn't remember signing up for the Avatar program.
Apparently, my previous self uploaded a backup of his entire life. Calling it a "Soul Drive." I tried not to think much of it. The last guy told me to take down Jake, and it all came flowing back. He should be dead, like me, but I'm still standing. Jake's out there, playing Indian out in the jungles, meddling with the survival of the human race.
My new purpose was clear. Eliminate Jake Sully by any means necessary.
I was out for roughly 13 years. Since then, Selfridge took over the Avatar program took in a more practical direction. We were now the RECOM Unit, commandos who can pass off as any one of the world's native mercenary groups.
The RDA biggest project took place in some backwater place they call "Kazdel". Yet another dry, desolate wasteland with a terrorist lurking behind every crevice. My team touched down on their base, codenamed "Bridgehead". It was at least twice the size of Hell's Gate, and they aren't slowing down any time soon.
This was also when I met more of those demons. Sarkaz was what they preferred to be called, when I see them running around with devil horns and tails all loud and proud, they have no right to be offended. Political correctness be damned. Some of those demons had bloody tentacles growing out of 'em and smelt like a week-old deer carcass. None of the human personnel cared, though, seeing them haul more than our AMPs. They were probably used to it by now.
I was feeling upstaged. Small. Pissed.
Just meet up with Bridgehead's general and find out where Sully's hiding.
General Francis Ardmore was in a stripped-down AMP Suit, throwing a few hooks at a punching bag. Guess they're still cutting corners, even though the bigwigs know damn well how dangerous the locals can be. The crocs could just rip someone out of those "Skeletons" if they aren't in the mood for spears and witchcraft.
She gave a me tour of the place. At least the RDA's bothering to use robots this time around. If Earth knew the full extend of the rock cancer, none of those pukes would be willing to come down here. Makes 'em feel comfortable hiding behind tin cans instead.
She led us to the command centre. Several holographic images of Terran cities, machinery, and landscapes. It really can't be a coincidence with how much those aliens stole from us.
"Pacifying the locals will be a tall task. Each individual nation has its own elite task force. Marines, if you would. A direct confrontation would be suicide." She stopped at one of them screens. It featured a soldier decked out in futuristic plate armor. He carried with him a long ass polearm that could probably cleave through our mechs like a hot knife through butter.
"A Zhayedan, Colonel. Reanimated supersoldiers controlled by the Sargon ruling class. Only a skip away from the jungle. If they caught wind of your stunt, you would probably be in one of those suits."
"What about Sully? The traitor?" I angrily ask.
"Jake Sully's the least of our problems, Colonel. There are several nation-states that need to be neutralized before we can send in the colony ships. To ensure their neutralization, the RDA has convinced several prominent figures of Terran society to join our clause. Like how Jake turned his back on us, plenty of Terrans are willing to do the same. The whole operation in Kazdel wouldn't exist without a very powerful man that you should be familiar with."
It was all coming back now. Theresis, Kazdel's self-proclaimed "King", had us revive his sister through the Avatar program. Actually, she was the very first Avatar. Don't know much more about the affair besides receiving a last minute call about a man who dressed up like the Grim Reaper approaching my base. Saw him chatting with Grace about some voodoo jumbo, and now all of a sudden we can transplant the human consciousness into another body like it's brain surgery...
Eliminate Jake Sully.
"The Kazdel Commission gave us permission to create a mobile base of operations on their land. Taught us how to get our infrastructure to roll in case of another Hell's Gate incident. The division in the Ilberia region went down during your absence, so constructing Terra Mobile Cities became a top priority. In return, we send them our finest gunships as thanks. The satellite network we set up gives us and the Commission eyes on all points of interest." She smiled at one of the holographs, showcasing the largest battleship I have ever seen in my career. On land.
"Feels like cheating," I grumble.
"Life is cheap, Colonel. We would not have to do this in the first place if it were false." Her face soured for a moment. "As for our ears, let me introduce you to a special guest."
A green haired girl materialized between us two, rising up from blue slime. Or it was a guy. For the sake of my sanity, I'll just call it a demon, since that's exactly what it was. It wore a black hood and a tooth necklace as well. My eyes don't lie.
"Colonel Quaritch, meet the Damazti Cluster. They can create foolproof disguises on anyone and anything, and transmit information instantly between their bodies. We got one member of the Cluster throughout the RDA's bases for efficient, secure telecommunications. Satellites handle everything beyond Their reach."
I raise an eyebrow.
"Aren't you a little too young to be starting wars, Miss?"
"The difference between our ages is immeasurable." The demon responded, nonchalantly.
Turning its body into sludge, the demon restructures itself into a perfect copy of me. If had my cup of joe with me, I would be spitting it out right now.
"What's wrong with you Colonel? Why so green?" My God. Damn thief even stole my voice!
This dragged the attention of the rest of my team.
"What did you say, Quar... The hell? Why are there two of you?" Wainfleet took off his shades. He was still seeing double. All of them were.
Putting it bluntly, I wanted to die. I became the enemy, and my rightful position as head of the Sec-Ops was unjustly denied. I was going to take my men and get far away from this literal hellhole, but then I remembered the punk who got me into this situation in the first place.
Eliminate Jake Sully.
The changeling morphed back into its true form. "We made our point clear."
Ardmore cleared her throat, glancing suspiciously at a few staff members. Then she continued her spiel.
"Many of our allies are... eccentric, but their cooperation is vital for the RDA's plans. A few from the eastern regions even claim to be gods. The point is, we need to play nice for the time being. Once the Kazdel Commission secures the nation-state of Victoria, everything else should fall in neatly. Their success will be one of many fires we set. Once the flames run their course, we can build a new Earth over the ashes."
"Then why go through all the trouble to bring back my team?" I ask impatiently.
"You know him best, Colonel. We suspect that Jake is hiding in an underground dome our excavators discovered via echolocation." A 3D model of a nondescript sphere materializes under the jungle floor. "It's most likely a Durin city. The teams have ignored the previous ones we discovered to avoid unnecessary conflict, but since this one is in such close proximity to Jake's last location, it's safe to say that they are hosting his insurgency. Problem is, we knock up a hornets' nest of Banshees every time we send aircraft down there. Sci-ops believe it's the result of an immune response against alien threats since the wildlife doesn't care about the natives' machines. We have yet to determine why the jungle has a conscious, but your team should be viewed as indigenous, and therefore, not trigger the immune response."
The holograph displayed previous footage of failed raids. The gunships were retrofitted models, but nothing changed back when I was in charge. The dinosaurs were still smashing through the cockpits, destroying the engines, and flinging them around like chew toys. Guess the RDA is putting all their trust and funds into the demons and other supernatural nonsense. We are not cartoon villains, dammit! We are supposed to be pioneers for the next age in human history...
Kill Jake Sullivan.
"How should we test out this theory?"
Ardmore had me hooked. She knew it well.
"The hard way."
"Understood!"
The changeling shook its head in disapproval and then dissipated into slime. I'll show Jake... no this entire place, all its spell-slinging witches and demons and angels, when you the face the first race to conquer the stars.
It's time to go beyond glory.
A/N: I will be going for smaller chapter sizes in general since the first 2 were more of an introduction. From here on out, things will get funky.