Chapter 7 Nemesis

Rachel

July 25th, 2017

10:47 AM

Meridian Prime Warzone

No Man's Land

The boatman parks our boat near a pier at a Chrysalis Checkpoint. At our checkpoint, our boatman wishes us good luck and leaves the pier with his boat as Alex, Kristine, Newblood, Logos, and I are offboard. The smaller gunboats and skis escorting our boat leave with it as well. As they all depart, our checkpoint is stocked with ammo crates, weapon stashes, and med kits, you name them. Every one of us stocks up on whatever we need before heading to our rendezvous at Mount Genesis where we'd meet Valor One and Valor Three at.

Logos: Fancy seeing all this ammo and weapons here with us. We're gonna need them for the road ahead.

Newblood: Stock up, everyone. It's still a long way to go to Mount Genesis.

Logos, Newblood, and Alex stocked up on mostly assault rifle ammo. Kristine prioritized on med supplies and ammo. My main supply was shotgun shells for my sawed-off. Loading two shells into the two barrels of my gun. Made for fighting and made for fun. Just like R. Lee Ermey said.

Alex: Shouldn't we be worried about Valor One or something? That was one hell of a crash landing back there.

Kristine: They're going to be fine, Alex. Even if they didn't make it, all that matters is that we make it to Mount Genesis and finish this. Max's life depends on it the most.

Newblood: Prescott's right. All that matters is that we get out arses to that mountain and – argh!

Logos: Newblood!

A sharp blade had pierced through Newblood's heart. Cause him to cough out his blood, falter to his knees, and collapse flatlined on the ground. The instant kill had been made by none other than the Nemesis. The Goddess of Vengeance, the wife of Thanatos and Ares's female minion of the Dark Order. Nemesis herself had impaled and killed Newblood with her signature double-bladed staff in her hand. The sinister female smiled and mocked us after she made her kill. The four of us left standing trained our firearms on the deadly goddess.

Nemesis: Well, well, the sympathizers of the Traveler before my eyes.

Rachel: Who the fuck are you?!

Alex: Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Nemesis. Goddess of Vengeance or some shit like that and Ares's bitch. Met her when Joanna captured me. She's a charmer this one.

Nemesis: You can dispose of your jesting and flattery, Ms. Caulfield. We both know what comes next.

Logos: That was my best friend you killed, perra (bitch)! You're gonna pay for that!

Kristine: So, this is what it comes down to for my Aunt Joanna. Aiding and abetting the scum of Ares!

Nemesis: Lord Ares has immense respect for Lady Joanna of the Herd. A traitor like her own niece, Ms. Prescott, should understand that. But enough talk. Time to die.

Alex: Four on one, Nemmy. Your odds aren't quite evened.

That's where Alex was wrong. The click of Nemesis's finger was about to prove it.

All of sudden, Fallen were surrounding us and not our typical zombified Fallen. But rather tall and feminine-looking creatures the size of Slender Man. Tall arms and legs, long nine-inch nails, and raggedy locks for the hairs on their heads. All circling us and screaming their breaths out. Remembering what Cage had shown us during the debriefing, these must be the Banshee variants he spoke of and they all lived up to their types.

Kristine: What the fuck are these?!

Rachel: If my recollection doesn't fail me, these are those Banshees that Cage had told us about back at the FOB.

Alex: Great, Ares and his henchpeople have excellent taste in monsters.

Nemesis: Kill them.

Banshees: (screaming and hollering)

Rachel: Hold them off! I'll take care of this bitch.

I holster my shotgun and unsheathe my two katanas from my back prepared to hold off Nemesis. While the rest of the team shot their firearms at the banshees, I stood better odds against a woman armed with a two-bladed staff while I was armed with duel-wielding swords in my two hands.

Nemesis: Impressive display of weaponry, my dear. But it's not the weapon that wins the battle. It's the precision that does.

Rachel: There's an old saying from an ancient Roman Emperor: "Death smiles at us all. All we can do is smile back."

And that's when my duel with Nemesis began.

Alex

July 25th, 2017

10:49 AM

Meridian Prime Warzone

No Man's Land

Kristine, Logos, and I fire our arms and the Banshee creatures while Rachel held off Nemesis with her samurai skills elsewhere. "Tough bastards" was only putting it mildly. Took at least half a magazine to kill a single Banshee. We did find weaknesses in their chests and their brains. Meaning we had to aim for the heart or take the headshot. Using up less ammo we eliminated them.

Logos: These are some tough-ass putas (whores)! I'll give 'em that!

Kristine: Aim for the heart or head! They look vulnerable there!

Alex: That's what I'm trying to do!

Before we knew it, the Banshees would have a backup. Hound and Revenant variants would the fun with them.

Logos: We got Revenants and Hounds inbound!

Alex: These a-holes just can't leave us alone, can they?!

Rachel

July 25th, 2017

10:50 AM

Meridian Prime Warzone

No Man's Land

Nemesis and I clashed together our bladed weapons like the Duel of the Fates from The Phantom Menace. Not too far away from where Alex, Kristine, and Logo were fighting the Banshees; but also, far enough for us to have breathing room for just the two of us to fight.

Eventually, our weapons locked together. I stood my ground holding back Nemesis's staff with all my strength while she kept trudging her weapon against my katanas with all the might of her godhood. Even mocked my every move.

Nemesis: One thing's for certain. I will be smiling at your death. As well as the deaths of your friends after my Banshees finish them all. And then, your heads will be new ornaments of my new victories.

Nemesis then knocked my one sword out of my hand and kicked me backward. I slid with my right foot, left knee, and my other sword that wasn't disarmed to break my fall. I turn my head upward to see my opponent formidably waving her staff around and making a stance to taunt me. I then stand on my two feet again holding up my one sword with the other sword lying on the ground. I would run and pick it up but then that would make me vulnerable. It was time I made the best of my worst odds.

The Goddess of Vengeance then held her staff horizontally. Then be began twirling it with her one hand like a fan blade. She twirled it faster, and faster, and faster until it reached the speed of a propeller. Walking closer to me just to turn me into diced ham once she got close enough to kill me with her fatal blow. I was going to need the most masterful precision to win this coral of ours and I knew what I needed to do to live.

I saw an opening where Nemesis had been spinning her hand to spin her double-bladed sword faster than the wind. I then make a samurai stance like an Akira Kurosawa film. Raising my sword high next to my head like a baseball swinger. I immediately seized my window by slicing the staff in half, severing Nemesis's wielding hand, and instantly chopping through her waist with one single stroke.

Nemesis herself looked at me with her two eyes for one last time. Blood dripped over her lips and half of her body that was from her head to her waist collapsing forward and the other half that was her two legs collapsing backward. I had cut her like butter. Nemesis's blood dripping from the edges of my blade and her intestines sticking out of her two halves bleeding on the ground as Nemesis herself was defeated and flatlined by my own hand. Now death was smiling at her as I was smiling along with it.

Rachel: Goddess of Vengeance my ass.

Alex

July 25th, 2017

10:55 AM

Meridian Prime Warzone

No Man's Land

I neutralize a few Hounds with my auto-rifle. Until one pounced me and pinned me to the ground. Gnarling its big mouth over my head and tempting to bite my head off. I struggle against the Hound's lethal jaws until I kill the creature with my hidden blade Assassin's Creed style. Stabbing it in the brain. Thank you, Lieutenant Heard, for the special weapon.

I shove the deceased Hound away from my pinned form. Then get up on my feet to see Logos fighting back more Banshees. Firing his shotgun at anything that moved around him.

Logos: How do you like being shotgun shell sponges, enemigos?

Logos was able to shoot one Banshee's legs off, pin it to the ground, and blast it in the chest to kill it. I try running over to Logos to help but not before one Banshee snares me myself.

The Banshee picked me up by her big hand with its long fingers. Hissing and shrieking in my face. In the struggle against the Banshee's monstrous grip, I attempt to shoot off its head with my pistol until I'm disarmed from my sidearm with the fingertips of the Banshee's other hand knocking my gun away. The Banshee is about to impale me while holding my body up high. Then Kristine appears from behind the creature and she jumps on the female Fallen's back. Stabbing it in the back with her army knife. That's when I took my hidden blade and stabbed the Banshee in the arm. Causing her to release me as I fumble on the surface.

Kristine herself was eventually shaken off by the Banshee and fumbled on the ground as well. The Banshee was about to finish us both off until Rachel arrived. Cutting down the Banshee with her two swords. First it's legs, then its arms, and then severing her head clean like an axe to a melon. The Banshee dropped dead with her limbs and head diced to pieces. We owed Rachel one.

Rachel herself sheathed her swords on her back and gave me a hand. I took it and was helped back up.

Rachel: You good?

Alex: I am now. Nemesis?

Rachel: Killed in action.

Kristine was able to help herself up and was just as thankful for Rachel's interception.

Kristine: Has anyone seen, Logos?

The three of us turn our heads around and see Logos lying down. Surrounded by a horde of Fallen. Banshees, Hounds, and Revenants alike. Only this time, Logos was lying down with his right leg missing. Severed from his body and bleeding out on the dirt.

Kristine: Logos!

We all ran towards Logos. Kneeling by his side once we approached him and he was losing blood fast.

Kristine: My god, Logos! How did this happen?!

Logos: Ah…I let my guard down and a Banshee cut my leg clean. Agh!

Rachel: Jesus Luis, Logos.

Alex: Hey, you're a medic, right? Can't you just stop the bleeding?

Logos: Don't even think about it! I'll just slow you down.

We hear another wave of Fallen gaining closer to us. We didn't have much time.

Logos: Get out of here. I'll hold them back.

Kristine: No! We're getting you out of here! I can still save you!

Logos: Dammit, Kristine! Don't! Don't go guilt-tripping on me now! We all signed up for this battle knowing it would be a one-way trip from the get-go and this is how it's going to end for me. Hey, you're not a traitor in my eyes. You are one of us.

Logos cocked his shotgun with the last of his shells loaded inside. Prepared to make a sacrifice for Valor Two.

Logos: I'll say hello to Wheeler, Mason, and Newblood for you all. Now go! Vamos!

Rachel: Kristine, just let him go. We have to move.

Kristine, Rachel, and I then made a run for the lushes as we left Logos for dead. Once we disappeared, the next horde of Fallen reached Logos's eyes. And that's when he started to unload the last of his shells.

Logos shot every Revenant and Hound coming his way. Then more Banshees appeared and that's when his ammo was depleted. Suddenly, a Banshee impaled Logos with her bare fingers. Logos hollered in agony as the Banshee picked him off his dying ground.

The Banshee stared and smiled at the dying soldier. Swerving her long fingers to lift his head upward for a death stare. And that is when Logos held up a grenade between the faces and pulled the pin for the big boom.

Logos: Hasta luego, cono… (See ya later, cunt…)

As the grenade went off, Logos and the Banshees were all killed in an explosive blaze. One where the three of us could from the trees we were running between. We stopped running and turned at the explosion as soon as it was caused. Knowing that was the end of Logos.

Kristine: Logos!

Kristine kept eying at the fiery sight with sorrow. But there was less time to mourn and more time to fight for our fallen.

Alex: Come on, Kristine. Logos just saved our asses. If we don't keep moving, he'll die for nothing.

Kristine

July 25th, 2017

10:59 AM

Meridian Prime Warzone

No Man's Land

I grew tired of people dying on my watch. Nathan, Wheeler, Mason, Newblood, and now Logos, too? I wasn't losing anyone else. Cayce especially. And if I were to lose him, I would rather die with him. Even if it cost my mother Caroline the Prescott bloodline. As selfish as that sounds, this whole goddamn war has been fucking selfish from the very beginning and the sooner it ended, the better. If the end of the war rested on Max's shoulders, if that's what it takes, she had better commit to that as wholeheartedly as she possibly could. Which I know she can.

We find ourselves in another clearing after retreating into the lushes. Alex was the first to step out of the woods and then was immediately ambushed by a ConDef trooper. Alex and the enemy troop wrestled a rifle in the troop's hands struggling for their lives.

ConDef: I found her!

I shoot the bastard dead in the head with my sidearm and the drops dead instantly. Once Rachel and I reformed with Alex with blood on her cheek from my kill, we then heard voices echoing between the trees. More ConDef who overheard their fellow trooper's voice before I killed him. We raise our guns and aim them in the direction the ConDef began approaching us.

ConDef infantry with auto-rifles attached to flashlights aimed their beams at us and ordered us to halt and drop our weapons. Some of the soldiers even held Hound variants by a leash like canine units. Given how Ares was able to bond all Fallen variants to his army. This was the first squad of ConDef who've offered us a chance of surrendering today but we still kept our arms in hand despite our enemy's warnings.

Voice: Hold your fire!

The squad was led by General Elias Alkaline. Holding a rifle in his hands and traversing through his squad to walk up front. Recognizing Rachel and Alex among the three of us. This was Aunt Joanna's boyfriend she had been seeing.

Alkaline: Well, I'll be bloody damned.

Voice: Hold it!

Before Alkaline's firing squad could execute us, a woman in a jacket and scarf walked past the squad and stopped her feet right next to the general's. And I immediately recognized the woman as the one I hoped to never see again. It was Aunt Joan herself. Who looked at me with her jaw dropped and nearly gasped in awe at my appearance. I returned the pale look in her eyes with my pistol still held in my two hands. I lower it a little to get a better view of my disgraced family member.

Joanna: Kristine…is that you?

Kristine: Aunt Joan…fucking hell…

Rachel: Joanna is your aunt?

Kristine: Fucking hell!

I angrily point my gun between my aunt's eyes ready to shoot her between them, but Alex steps in between us.

Alex: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy!

Kristine: Get out of the way, Alex!

Alex: Stop! Just stop, okay?! General, I'm sure your guys were offering us a chance to surrender a few seconds ago, right?

Alkaline: Like hell they were.

Joanna: Don't! (holding Alkaline back) Alex, step aside. This is between me and her.

Alex obeyed and conceded. Not that anything that came out of my aunt's mouth was going to change my mind. The lady herself held her hands in the air with her gun in her right hand. Attempting the friendly approach with me that wasn't going to work for me.

Joanna: Kristine, it's me. Let's talk about this.

Kristine: I am done talking to you.

Joanna: (stepping closer) Kristine, please. Just hear me out!

Kristine: Not another step!

Alkaline: Joanna! Your niece isn't in the mood for a heartfelt reunion. Let's execute them now!

Joanna: Not yet! (turning to Kristine) Kristine, whatever I've done, I did it for you. I did it to protect our family.

Kristine: Protect our family?! Was hiring Mark Jefferson protecting our family? Was encouraging Derrick Crosby protecting our family? Is aiding and abetting ConDef protecting us, too?! Mom, Dad, Nathan, and I all had to take the blame for your machinations! Death threats, canceled by people, and our family's foundation going bankrupt were how we were rewarded. And you're justifying all of that by saying you were protecting our family?! You destroyed our family!

Joanna: Dammit, Kristine! Do you think I did all of that because I wanted to? I did it because I needed to! Our family, the Herd of Whales, has been bound to Ares for as long as our bloodline has descended. Some sacrifices need to be made. Jefferson, Crosby, your brother, and your father were unfortunate losses to us. The decline of the Prescott Foundation was a heartbreaker. But don't mistake my actions for pride. What I'm doing now with ConDef is to ensure none of that is in vain. I'm only doing what's right to save the family!

Kristine: Scoff. Save the family. Except you're not. You're saving yourself. Just like Dad was. Your ego matches his clear as day.

Joanna: Say whatever you want about your father and me. It's not too late for us to be family again. If you and your friends put down your guns and surrender to us, I can convince Ares to at least spare you even if he has to kill the others. Please, think of your mother who's still alive. If not for me, do it for her. She wouldn't want to lose you, too.

That was something Joanna and I could agree on. But that wasn't saying a lot for both our sakes.

Kristine: I agree with those last few sentences, but this is war. We don't get to choose who lives and dies. I would rather be killed. If you gotta be the one to pull the trigger, I won't shed a tear.

Joanna was crushed by my words. Shutting her eyes and biting her lip with great distraught. Not that her feelings meant anything to me, but she could have it her way. I was now prepared to die with Alex and Rachel.

Joanna: I tried to be reasonable, but if that's your final choice, then so be it.

Then bang! A sniper bullet pulverizes through the body of a soldier in the enemy squad. The three of us instantly turn our heads around to see some cavalry at our service.

Heard: Run!

The lady sniping for us was no other than Lieutenant Major Heard herself. Shooting over a ditch as her sniping position. The three of us make a run for Heard's position. I shot my aunt right in the shoulder hoping it would kill her and it probably wouldn't. Joanna fell backward as the bullet bludgeoned her skin. Joanna herself squealed in pain while pressing her hand on her wound.

Alkaline: Joanna! Open fire!

Rachel, Alex, and I run for Heard's ditching as she takes some shots at Alkaline's men while his men themselves fire back with their rifles. The three of us mantle downward next to where Heard was perched. Next thing we know, Heard isn't alone. David, Cayce, and Cage are with her taking cover behind the ditch.

David: Kristine, you're okay!

Kristine: David?!

Cayce: Kristine! Thank god we caught you!

Cayce and I hug it out. We could overhear the ConDef troops telling themselves they lost sight of us. Then General Alkaline ordered his men to withdraw and return their course to their rendezvous at Mount Genesis per Ares's instruction. Because of course, he would. No word whether Aunt Joan lived or not. Dead or alive, she's dead to me either way.

Heard: Am I going ape shit or was that the big bad General Alkaline I just saw?

Cage: General Alkaline? Why didn't you shoot his ass?

Head: I was aiming for him and hoped the bullet would shoot through a ConDef and the general. But it didn't.

Kristine: Where's Dhaled?

Cayce: He never made it. Newblood? Logos?

Kristine: (nodding her head)

Cayce: Sigh…fucking hell.

Rachel: Why didn't you tell us Joanna of all people was your aunt? Huh? She almost killed us!

Kristine: I don't know, Rachel. Does the last name Prescott not give it away? Didn't Nathan tell you before he died?!

David: Hey, that's enough! Alright? We still gotta reach Mount Genesis and regroup with Valor Three. Alex, any idea where Max and the rest are?

Alex: None. You gave us quite the scare from that helicopter crash and the last we saw of Max was back on her convoy. Probably still en route to Genesis.

David: Cage, I think we should make finding Valor Three at the rendezvous our top priority.

Cage: Agreed. Losing Dhaled, Newblood, and Logos is a blow, but our mission stands. We find Valor Three, we find Mount Genesis. Let's move out.

Note: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers still following this story at this time! And stay tuned and golden like always!