Date Time: 1st December 2097 A.D, 1820 hours.
Location: ?
Weather: Clear Sky
Thunders and rumbling jolted Murdock awake from unscheduled sleep. As his bleary eyes adjusted, he was met with colossal storm cloud in the distance, accompanied by yellow lightning and meteorites striking the ground. They were Ion Storm and he was flying straight into it. Like any sane man, he immediately did 180 degrees turn.
Murdock drew in deep breath to steady his nerves. Waking up to an Ion Storm was certainly an exciting experience. He couldn't fully relax, however, as pillars of black smoke rose outside his aircraft, drawing his gaze towards a city.
A city in flame. Figures scurrying about in panic. He grappled to piece together the events leading to current situation. He was transporting a high-value package when they had flown into an ambush. GDSS Isaiah saved their asses…and the Threshold engulfed them in light.
Scrin.
Radar functioned as intended, the AI reported, but Murdock observed no signatures of Scrin enemies on it—no visuals of Scrin fast-flyers or ground units, and no scorch marks indicating the use of DEWs [1] being used in the city. Alien involvement was ruled out, narrowing the cause to either anarchism or the radicalized remnants of Nod that had been left behind during 'Ascension', which raised more concerning questions.
For example, the outdated Stalinist architectures of the city told him he was inside Russian Yellow Zone, but the GPS inability to pinpoint his current position could only mean the A-SAT defense grid had been taken out.
Nevertheless, the panicking civilians below were in the path of the incoming Ion Storm. He needed to do something to help them—
Right, priority was to report to H.Q.
"Valkyrie, this is Eagle Actual. Do you copy? Over." Murdock spoke. No response.
Murdock double checked his frequencies. "This is Eagle Actual, Valkyrie, do you copy? Over." Same result. It was frustrating.
The infrared sensor fluctuated, marking the edge of the city as the source. He was desperate to find clues on his whereabouts, so he wasted no time to fly towards the source, maintaining a high altitude to become a mere speck in the sky to unsuspecting ground observers and give more time to react in case of hostile triple-A [2].
"What in the world?" Murdock blurted as he arrived just in time to witness a large jet stream of black flame.
The flame washed over a silverish bubble barrier, before it bored through the unfortunate apartment standing behind the barrier. The building collapsed, spurring dust into the air. When the flame stopped and the dust cleared, stood a mob draped in array of clothing bearing hue of orange.
The black flame reminded him of the Black Hand purifying flame back in the Third War, but he was sure orange wasn't Nod go-to-color palette for their cultish fashion statement.
The orange group had another group in blue completely surrounded and outnumbered. Amidst the orange group gathering, a woman with a pair of demonic caught his sight. The molten asphalt before her suggested that she was the source of the black flame, though Murdock couldn't discern any visible flamethrower.
Wait, demonic horn?
Murdock had to do a double-take. He squinted as he noted extra appendages protruding from the woman. Hell, the entire gatherings have animal tails and ears.
Rubbing his eyes, the extra appendages were still there.
Right cheek stung when he pinched them.
It wasn't a dream. A cosplay party or battle enactment gone wrong, maybe?
That thought was quickly dismissed when his gaze fell on a donkey-eared girl. She was no more than a teenager and she was part of the outnumbered group in blue. Despite the fear in her eyes, she put on a brave face in defiance.
Murdock's gut twisted. Surely, the orange people weren't planning on hurting her?
The woman with demonic horns extended her hand, directing it towards those in blue. Infrared sensor registered a gradual increase in heat above her palm. The people in blue quickly retreated behind the horse girl whom had her shield planted in the asphalt. Similar silvery white bubble from before emanated from the shield and encased them.
The woman with demonic horn was definitely planning to hurt the girl.
"This is Eagle Actual. To anyone out there that receive this transmission, for fuck's sake, please respond." Murdock reached out for advice but to no avail.
The donkey girl might be a mass-murderer for all he cares but seeing a kid get killed when he had the power to prevent it will weigh heavily on his conscience.
It was a mystery, the woman's ability, but the aircraft remaining ammunition was enough to lay waste on an armored column if Murphy's Law [3] decided to manifest in full force.
"Fuck it."
At first, Murdock's appearance had the orange mob stirring. That was until the woman quickly rallied them with a sneer in his direction, ordering the mob to fire at him with bows, crossbows, and even 'magic spells' from their staves.
Murdock didn't bother evading the projectiles. With magical spells in the equation, he knew it was a bad idea, but he figured he could assess the damage output in the meantime. Arrows and crossbow bolts predictably disintegrated when they touched his energy shield. However, the 'magic spells fired from their mages somehow managed to drain the shield charge, even if it's by a slight amount.
Murdock fired the autocannon in a burst to intimidate, aimed at the road separating the two opposing factions, turning it into a waist-length chasm.
The woman didn't flinch. In fact, she seemed almost amused by it. She extended her hand towards him.
Do not fire unless fired upon. That was GDI universal Rules of Engagement during peacetime. But he'll be damned, because he wasn't taking any chances this time.
Murdock let loose a sonic missile at the woman, leaving trails of white smoke as it streaked in the air. The missile was designed to combat Scrin armor. Overkill, yes. But the woman melted a building with her 'magic'.
The mob immediately turned into disorganized chaos as they tried to scramble away from the blast zone.
They were too slow.
The explosion was bright and loud, sending debris flying in all directions and kicking up dust, creating an impromptu smokescreen.
The people in blue were stunned momentarily, but they quickly regained their senses and climbed down the sewer through manhole cover in the nearby alley. Smart people.
Meanwhile, the enraged mob retaliated with inaccurate anti-air fire through the dust, seeking vengeance for the loss of their leader and comrades. Amidst the chaos, the infrared sensors detected a silhouette. As the dust dissipated, blown away by an unseen wind, the woman Murdock perceived was dead stood there, alive but not unscathed, bleeding from several wounds on her body.
What in the hell that woman made of? Titanium? She should have more than a bleeding forehead!
Murdock pressed the trigger on the yoke, intending to vaporize her with autocannon when a red warning came up.
WEAPON JAMMED!
Fuck Murphy and his law! Murdock cursed.
He was about to fire other missiles when the on-board AI notified that the people in blue were far enough for the mob to give chase. His personal objective had been achieved. No need for further bloodshed.
Murdock activated the afterburner and hightailed it out from the city, leaving a deafening sonic boom as lovely parting gift for their ears. The black flame jet tried to catch up but failed to reach him.
Wanting to confirm the demonic woman didn't fly after him using magic, he looked over his shoulder. His paranoia was unfounded. Another sight left him bewildered instead; a city that was built onto a platform that was built on huge treads. VERY HUGE threads that were even bigger than the Mammoth Reclamation Vehicles.
Who on Earth would build a giant city on wheels? It was highly impractical and incredibly expensive. At least the Japanese had built their floating fortress to ensure aerial and ground superiority in mind.
Faint hums of jet engines entered his ears. Firehawks, Eagle 5-1 and 4-2, the IFF [4] wrote over his sight, The two Firehawks sandwiched him. They gave him a thumbs up through their cockpit.
Murdock was about to hail the two aircrafts when a hoarse voice sounded, "Eagle Actual, this is Admiral James Parker, Commander of the First Fleet. Authorization code Foxtrot-Alpha-Niner-Six. Confirm identity, over."
Murdock's heart raced as he accessed the encrypted authentication codes. He double-checked the authorization code provided by the voice on the other end against his secure database, verified by the AI. After confirming the authenticity of the code, he transmitted back the verification signal.
"Admiral Parker, this is Eagle Actual. Identity confirmed. What are your orders, sir?"
"There is a change in your objective."
"I read you. What's the mission adjustment?" Murdock replied.
"I uploaded a new map to your terminal and marked a new RV point. Proceed to the designated point ASAP. Eagle 5-1 and Eagle 4-2 will escort you. Out." The Admiral voice was stern.
As if on cue, the two Firehawks chimed in, "Glad to see you are still alive and kicking, Murdock."
Murdock felt relieved at the familiar voices, knowing he had skilled pilots he could trust to watch his back. But a question lingered in his mind, "Why the hell you didn't respond to my hail 20 minutes ago? And where were you?"
"Something jammed our comm." One of the Eagles answered.
"Scrin?" Murdock asked.
"No. It's something else. We don't know what it is. We were blind until the Admiral's flagship reached out to us."
Great, more unanswered question. Murdock sighed. "Glad to see you two, too."
No conversations were made afterward as they enjoyed the silent flight to the rendezvous zone. It was pure boredom of having to keep a vigilant watch on the airspace.
Instead of the familiar green crystals plaguing Yellow Zones, only desert stretched as far as his eyes could see. Occasional unknown black crystalline scarred the ground like tumors. It was weird, but Tiberium had a tendency to mutate when Scrin was involved, so he dismissed further thoughts.
Murdock focused on the sunset in the distance. Blue ocean color of the sky turning into orange hues. It was a breathtaking view that he wished he could stay in forever. No fighting, no aliens, no Tiberium. Only peace. He rarely got any moment to relax after graduating for his 'chosen' career.
Of course, he could only dream. Uncertainty of the next cluster fuck that could happen made him anxious. But Murdock was certain on one thing when he saw the twin moon; he wasn't on Earth anymore.
The navigation system alerted him that he had arrived to the rendezvous point. He slowed his aircraft before becoming still in the air. His escorts followed suit.
"This is Eagle Actual. Command, we are at the rendezvous point. Over." Murdock informed.
"Copy, Eagle Actual, standby." A different voice replied this time, a female.
A large shadow loomed upon Murdock. He looked up. The rectangular design, soft bluish flame spurted by the large exhaust port and the bleeping blue navigation lights indicates that this was one of the Global Stratospheric Transport. Its enormous size completely blocked the twin moons.
It took several minutes for the GST to hover at one spot and another 30 seconds for it to open the gigantic hangar door underneath it. Murdock had to squint his eyes from the bright light coming from GST Tzadik. When his eyes adjusted, there were fewer aircrafts in the hangar bay than he had expected. Lots of empty space the size of the hanging botanical garden [5] in his hometown back in the West Coast.
"This is GST Tzadik Air Traffic Control to Eagle Actual. Do you copy? Over." A female voice spoke.
"This is Eagle Actual. I read you loud and clear." Murdock replied.
"Eagle Actual, your squadron are authorized to land on any of the empty landing pads."
"Copy, ATC." Murdock replied. He addressed his squadron, "This is Actual. Eagle, reports for landing procedures?"
"Landing gears green. Thrust reversers green. Stability augmentation system and AI green. We are prepared for landing. Over."
"Copy all." Murdock replied. "ATC, all Eagle report all system green. Commencing landing procedure." He informed.
GST Tzadik AI feed information to the squadron on-board AI that used its various sensors to execute a landing straight out from a pilot manual book. Murdock landed on the pad closest to the door to make walking easier, followed by the rest of his squadron.
When the system wrote 'AIRCRAFT LANDED', Murdock disconnected the neural link connecting his brain to the aircraft. He unbuckled the seat strap and took off the breathing apparatus from his face.
"ATC, this is Eagle Actual. Landing procedure complete. No trouble whatsoever."
"Affirmative. We are glad to have you onboard Eagle squadron. Out." The female controller replied before cutting the communication. He disengaged the hatch and climbed out from the cockpit. He stretched his body, letting out a moan. Sitting for too long in the cockpit tied a knot in his muscles.
"Captain Craig." A voice greeted Murdock from behind.
Murdock almost tripped on his leg as he turned around to face the Admiral. Muscle memory saved him from embarrassment. He straightened his back and stood attention.
The video feed earlier failed to capture the Admiral's essence. The Admiral was a tall intimidating figure. He didn't smile but neither did he frown. His expression was neutral yet commanding. If the Admiral ordered him to jump, he would instinctively ask, 'How high?' rather than disobey.
Behind the Admiral was a silver-haired woman. She stood with perfect posture, exuding an air of confidence and intelligence. Murdock couldn't help but admire her stunning facial features – pale smooth skin, high cheekbones, alluring lips, white silver hair tied into a ponytail and piercing emerald eyes. The uniform couldn't hide her hourglass figure. The striking eyes and hair color, hinted that she was a mutant. Even if she was a mutant, she's a goddamn beauty.
"Lieutenant, I believe you have retrieved the cookie?" The Admiral brought his focus back.
"Yes, I did. Orange flavored cookie and a strawberry, sir." Murdock replied. Climbing into the cockpit of his Orca, he opened the storage compartment, taking out a steel alloy large briefcase the size of his torso and handed it over to the Admiral. The Admiral didn't seem to be bothered by the weight and inspected it carefully.
"Go get some rest. You and your airmen had a very long day." The Admiral remarked.
"Sir." Murdock called out.
"Yes?" The Admiral stopped and turned around.
"What's inside the briefcase?" Murdock nodded towards the Admiral's hand.
"That is not a question I can answer." The Admiral's voice became steel.
Murdock reined in his frustration. The least the Admiral could do was to tell him what the hell they were transporting, but he relented. Being court martialed was not he the thing he wanted at the moment, "I understand. What about the debriefing?"
"I will postpone it until I can figure what we all got ourselves into. I'll make sure you are notified." The Admiral's expression was unreadable as he gripped the case handle tightly.
"What do you mean by postpone?" Murdock asked.
"I'm sure you had witnessed a humanoid conjuring a flame from thin air, or the twin moon?" The Admiral's response was rhetorical.
"Ah."
The Admiral continued, "There are empty dorms on the second deck. Lieutenant Charlotte will show you the way. You may be dismissed." He gestured for the woman standing behind him.
"Yes sir." The pilots replied. The Admiral walked out the hangar to God knows where with the briefcase in his hand. Leaving Murdock and the pilots with the woman.
"Lieutenant Charlotte. I am Flight Lieutenant Brian 'Murdock' Craig."
"First Lieutenant Charlotte Dubois. This way." She returned the salute and began walking.
Murdock followed Lieutenant Charlotte through the labyrinthine hallways of GST Tzadik. After a moment, they arrived at a row of doors leading into the dormitories. Lieutenant Charlotte unlocked the door with a fingerprint scanner and stepped aside for Murdock to enter. The room was small but functional, with two double beds occupying most of the space.
"I've updated the scanner to allow your squadron access to this cabin. You'll have everything you need." Lieutenant Charlotte informed.
Not everything. His clothes were left behind in his old barrack. "Lieutenant Charlotte, we don't have anything to wear for tomorrow." No one wanted to walk around in uniform that stank with sweat.
"I'll go talk to Housing and see what I can do." Lieutenant Charlotte replied.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Murdock thanked. She nodded and walked away without another word.
Murdock tossed around on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. Despite his exhaustion, his mind refused to shut down, replaying the moments from his near-death experiences over and over again.
He just wanted to fucking sleep, God dang it!
Boredom took over him. Murdock couldn't help but contemplate how he had ended up in this situation. First few hours of Second Contact, the Threshold activated. The aliens sowed chaos behind GDI line, rather than using frontal assault. GDI front lines almost collapsed but the weird tech G-Tech cooked managed to stem the tides and turned it into a stalemate.
Fast forward and his squadron were handpicked by HIGHCOM for a critical mission. They were the best of the best, after all, that was until they were ambushed halfway to their drop-off point. Murdock suspected it had something to do with the classified package he was transporting.
Lost in thoughts, Murdock was startled by a voice, "Can't sleep, Captain?"
A head was peeking down from the bunk above him.
"You think?" Murdock snarked.
The head disappeared, only to reappear moments later. "Wanna go outside for a walk?"
Murdock considered the offer for a moment, "Yeah, let's go."
1: DEWs or Directed Energy Weapons became part of GDI arsenal after the Fourth Tiberium War.
2: Triple-A stands for Anti-Aircraft Artillery. Following the Third Tiberium War, GDI shifted its anti-aircraft strategies to include cannon bullets and high-yield warheads, among other measures, to counter Scrin advanced materials and tactics.
3: Murphy's Law is a popular adage that states, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."
4: IFF stands for Identification Friend or Foe. GDI relied on AIs as one of the methods to interpret the scrambled signals caused by Tiberium fields.
5: The hanging botanical garden is multi-storey stadium-sized structure built across in Blue Zones and even certain Yellow Zones. It serve numerous functions but not limited to:
a) Preservation of Pre-Tiberium Earth's Flora and Fauna: the hanging botanical garden preserves and nurtures specimens of plant and animal life from the pre-Tiberium era, to maintain their genetic diversity and preventing their extinction in the face of Tiberium-induced environmental changes.
b) Research and Development Hub: Scientists and researchers utilize the botanical garden as a hub for studying various aspects of plant biology, ecology, and genetics. The controlled environment allows for controlled experiments, leading to advancements in agricultural practices, environmental remediation, and biotechnology to ensure food security amongst many other things.
c) Medicinal Supply Source: Many of the plant species cultivated within the garden possess medicinal properties, serving as a valuable source of natural remedies and pharmaceutical compounds. Research conducted here contributes to the development of new drugs and treatments for diseases affecting both humans and animals.
d) Relaxation and Recreation: The garden offers a serene and tranquil environment for relaxation and recreation.
e) Public Education and Awareness: Educational programs and guided tours within the garden aim to raise public awareness and knowledge about Earth's natural environment before Tiberium infestation.