Nightmare’s Knights
Chapter Zero : One Way Ticket
By: Cyan Pepper
It always seems to start and end in the same way. Every day, every mission, and now every moment. All I can ever do is stare at what I am armed with, hope, and pray that somehow, my equipment, will drag me through the night and into another sunrise. It was in my own trigger, and some luck, that I relied on to keep myself and my squadmates alive.
Strapped to the underside of my forearm was my Mission Activity Unit; MAU for short. It displayed the basic information I wanted for the mission. Most notably the date, time and location which were laid out on the bottom left of the screen. It was 0138 February 22, 2054. A special day for this year; It was the night of a full lunar eclipse. Not exactly my particular choice of night to be out hunting Immortals. To the right of the time was a mini map preloaded into the hardware of the MAU. The marker showed me in the center of Qatar, Africa. A dusty and rock laden area surrounded by small mountains. Cold, windy, dark, and wide open. Terrible conditions for sneaking up on a target.
On the top of the screen was a roster of personnel who were on the mission. Highlighted in the middle of the list was my name: Cole Straub; Rank E-6. Pararescue of the USAF. My experience was limited and the only reason I was a Technical Sergeant was because of my new job choice. Perhaps job ‘choice’ wasn’t really the correct term. Since the Immortals had been spreading around the world and bringing their undead servants with them, field soldiers were becoming limited and I was unlucky enough to receive a job reclass. Replacing the man, or woman, who came before me was not quite how I envisioned serving my time in the military.
Above and below me were the names of those who were to be my company for the night. Each of them a small blip on my map located within a 10 meter proximity. I noted their locations, closed the cover panel, and pulled the rifle off my back. It was custom made. A luxury most soldiers couldn’t get during this war. It weighed 3.7 Kilograms fully stocked. ACOG scope, forward grip, and an extended magazine were the additions I had adorned it. The magazines were loaded with forty, silver coated, 5.56 mm ammunition. The silver was there to allow for the ‘purification’ of the undead. Complete bullshit if you ask me. A bullet to the head will ‘purify’ pretty much anything.
I moved forward towards the mountains that lay out in the distance. Being so small they seemed to be extremely distant. Not encouraging at all. Keeping a pace, I slid down a small embankment and crouched down to wait for my team to form up. The first two were just a moment behind me and two soft thuds let me know that they were on my flanks. The two warriors were Fermia and Barik. Only one I had the pleasure of working with before.
To my left was Fermia, a Solar Child; the powerhouse of our squad. Her appearance human, but her blood boiling with the power of the sun. She was tall and athletic. Her body was in perfect form; exemplifying the prowess of her race. Her hair was sunfire orange and was captured in a ponytail down to her shoulder blades. Oh her head were a pair of goggles lined with a green hue that complimented the burning color of her hair. She wore light armor and a mantle to match. She brandished a Solar Rapier on her right hip, indicating she was left handed, and a Gun del Sol on her left. A Gun del Sol was the weapon of choice for all Solar Children. A pistol like weapon that allowed them to direct concentrated bursts of sunlight towards Undead enemies purifying them. Or in the case of Immortals, it was used to piss them off in an attempt to slowly burn them to death. She stopped silently next to me awaiting my next move.
On my right stood Barik; the one whose skills were unknown to me. He was the member of a canine like race that had fled to Earth in an attempt to escape the Immortals who had consumed their planet in darkness. He stood shorter than Fermia, but taller than I. Strapped to his lower back were two long knives whose handles faced downward. Clipped to his upper legs were two machine pistols slotted with Solar batteries. Lucky bastard had weapons that could mimic the effects of a true Gen del Sol. His fur coat was a light brown and stood out among the dusty ground.He wore a dark green jumpsuit that cut off near the end of his limbs. He too wore a set of goggles similar to Fermia’s, except his were lined with a purple hue.
We waited a moment as the rest of the team jumped down to join us. Two of the figures dropped heavily to the ground as they crept up to us. One was a man, breathing heavily, and, the other a woman, who also was attempting to catch her breath.
The man was Iosif, a friend I had worked with frequently in the past. He was a larger man and his size kept him from keeping a good clip with the rest of us who were, by comparison, traveling light. His uniform was Russian desert camo. It blended all too perfectly into our current surroundings. He carried with him two firearms: A bolt action rifle and an eight gauge, pump action shotgun. Included in his arsenal were an array of knives and blades strapped to each limb of his body, ready to be unsheathed in a heartbeat. He stood taller than the rest of us and his bulk didn’t allow him for sneaky situations.
On the other hand the woman, who was quite slender, knelt down and was attempting to take slow deep breaths. Her name was Rachel. She was thin, but she had explosive muscle movement that could match strength with any fighter. The tone of her body was attested to her over attachment to large scale weapons. Rachel’s ‘standard’ engagement, from what I had read, was extreme prejudice against anything that could slow her team down. Which led her to carry a custom SUMP; which stood for Solar Upheaval Munition Package, or something to that effect. And since she enjoyed the large scale destruction, she was insistent that she be the one who would carry the primary warhead that we had brought with us. It was a Solar Flare E.M.P.; theoretically the most powerful weapon the Solar Children had to offer the human race against the Immortals. Rachel was dressed in thin plate armor, which allowed her to not just use her heavy weapons, but to also take direct hits from Undead mobs and not be afflicted with the curse of turning into one of them.
The final member of our group stalked up to the ridge and cast down a gaze at me. Her eyes reflected the full moon and gave her a haunting presence. Her name was Terrin, a Latrance; another species who had their world ravaged by the Immortals. Her silhouette displayed her canine like appearance. However she had made the distinction, with great passion, that she was more like a Coyote, not just some mutt. And her, more angular, facial features made that distinction quite clear. She carried with her a variation of a Gun del Sol. It had the same base line structure, but the stock was thicker, a bolt action mechanism, had a 1.2 meter long barrel, and was powered by a solar battery. It was her custom Phantom Rifle, and from what I had noticed she never let go of it. Her fur was a dark tan and her eyes a bright green. She wore nothing but a pair of black cargo pants, which served only for modesty and to carry extra solar batteries.
This was us. We were team Havok. One of twenty-four teams currently deployed around the globe this night. Some in Central America, others in Asia, and a few in Europe. Each team was made up of a mix of races, ethnicities, and abilities. All of them guided by a Solar Child and carrying a S.F.E.M.P.
Earlier this week, military powers had received reports from the Solar Children, that the Immortals had discovered a way to rapidly generate Dark Matter. This information went hand in hand with other intelligence about various kinds of power generator captured and seized. It was two days ago, that throughout the world, large pockets of Dark Matter had been manifesting and making the Immortals, and their Undead minions, even stronger. If these sources stayed in place, there would be no hope of getting rid of the Dark Tribe.
It was each of the teams’ duty to locate the source of the Dark Matter, detonate the S.F.E.M.P, and wipe out whatever Undead presence was in the local area. I was hopeful that this was going to be a success.
Out here, in the middle of nowhere, the scenery never seemed to change. If you were to play eye spy here, they only things you would have been able to find would be rocks and dirt. Not exactly the most exciting game one could play. Havok moved through the darkened air towards the scaled mountains. The only indication that we were actually getting closer was that we could now see the base of the hills. The night seemed to carry on with no indication of a nearing sunrise.
We stopped again to catch our breath, approximately ten kilometers from the base of the mountains. I sat down and pulled out a small ration of water and took a swig. I opened the MAU and checked the time: 0221. We were about to hit the roughest part of the night. It was about to be the natural time for REM sleep. The moments when reaction is slowed and cognitive thought is dulled down to a drunken stupor. Iosif, Rachel, and I were going to be the most affected. Our furry friends, Terrin and Barik, might be slowed a little, but they still seemed fully alert. Fermia didn’t even appear to notice what time it might have been. Her focus was purifying the Undead and removing the Dark Matter from this location.
Fermia stood up in the midst of our group. She looked at all of us and began to speak for the first time that night. “Everybody ready?” The question was absurd and the tone gentle, yet, serious. We nodded in agreement. “Then let us begin. Straub,” she looked at me “you’ll remain in point. Iosif and I will flank.” She turned away from me and back to the others. “Rachel, you’ll be in the center of formation. And Barik will take up guard.” Without looking back, she referred the Coyote. “Terrin, you’ll be the angel over our shoulder. At least until we get some footing inside the facility.” The scarcely clad canine snorted in agreement.
Fermia continued her exposition. “As you’ve already been briefed, there is a growing mass of Dark Matter somewhere in the bunker of these mountains. The Qatari government has given us the full schematics for the facility we will be moving into. Thirteen floors, reinforced steel doors, and an extremely high darkness level; all laid within those mountains. Let’s just hope it’s uncontaminated and we don’t have an army sized mob waiting inside.” Her voice was so calm, unwavering, and lacking in fear. It stunned me whenever she spoke. Then again she had probably done this thousands of times before, on hundreds of different worlds. Her experience extensive from the years of fighting. They say that Solar Children live for as long as the sun they serve exists. So basically Fermia could be several thousand years old. The thought was baffling and quite absurd.
I stood up and smiled widely. I almost choked on the first words I spoke. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s rock!” I released the safety on my gun, and turned towards the mountains. I listened to the sound of weapons being brandished as Havok formed up. There was going to be some noise made tonight.
Terrin made her departure to the east while the rest of us made our final run towards our goal. The mountains began to stare down upon us as we got closer. But they were not the only things to notice our presence. Undead were beginning to appear as we got closer. The majority of them were Boks; People infused with Dark Matter as they died. Corrupting their souls and turning them into slaves of the Immortals. Others were simply zombies. The dead brought back to life from the effects of the Doomsday Phenomenon. Each of them fell silently as solar bolts tore into them. An angel was watching us. When Boks were purified they dissipated into black smoke; while zombies simply lost their second life and went limp. The main body of Havok never fired a shot leading up to the facility. Our guardian was a perfect shot.
We had made it to our goal. The obnoxiously large doors stood there, completely passive to our existence. Barik walked towards them and placed a hand...paw...thing on the smooth surface. Keeping his extremity on the door, he walked towards one side and located a small terminal. He proceeded to yank open the underside of the box, exposing the wires. He examined them and then began to sever their connections. The first wire he pulled resulted in nothing but the lighting over the doors flickering. A second tug led to a much more exuberant response. Two red lights began flashing on the sides of the door; accompanied by a wailing alarm. Now everything was going to know we were here.
The electrician ripped a third wire, and the metallic walls began to part. Finally, Barik reconnected the second wire and the alarm waned into silence. The lot of us stood, weapons ready, and glared at him. He looked back as us and shrugged his shoulders. “What? If I had installed this terminal, I would have made the red wire the door, not the alarm.” His voice gruff and low. “And besides. Did any of you have another way to get inside.” He made a good point. I could only hope that nothing inside heard the noise. Which was highly improbable.
We stood in formation as the doors slid open releasing the air inside. It poured out in a haze as it was freed from its steel cladding. The stench was as overwhelming as the sight that lay before us. Inside corpses were strewn everywhere. Some of them were whole, others were, well, not so whole. A pool of blood and other fluids tricked out and made their way into the thirsty desert sand. Human remains had their chests excavated, the Latrance had nubs for hands as they tried to claw their way to safety. And yet the most peculiar of all. There appeared to be animal remains among the dead; all of one kind. Each one a little different, but all of the same race. Each had four legs, an individual color coat of hair, and were all branded with a unique symbol. But that was not what had grabbed my attention. Their most defining feature: all of them were missing their heads.
I stood horrified by the vision that was in front of me. The decaying flesh lay motionless to the living that witnessed their final grave. I heard Iosif lose what was probably left of a midnight snack and Barik whimpered as the the smell overwhelmed his keen sense. Our focus kept upon the carnage for the next few moments; only to be broken by a scream over the radio. I had to yank the earbud from its nesting place to keep from losing my hearing. The scream came from Terrin.
“Jesus Christ! What the fuck?!” She began to scream. “Don’t touch me!” The panic in her voice escalating. Shots from her rifle echoed in the background. As they faded, a laugh crept through the airwaves; not female at all. It was faint as it was distant from the mic. I thought I heard it say something. Something about ‘being so grim’ and ‘playing tag’. The next voice over the radio was Fermia’s.
“Terrin! What’s going on?!” Terrin was silent, but her gun continued to make shouts of its own. The shots faded and silence was all that remained. But silence didn’t last too long, thank god. Heavy breathing came rhythmically to our ears and we all eased. Fermia continued to talk to Terrin. “Terrin are you alright? What happened?” The response was slow to come as Terrin regained her composure.
“It’s alright. It was just a serpent. It’s gone now. Scared the hell outta me. Head on inside. I’ll catch up in five Mike.” Fermia looked concerned as she began to speak.
“Alright just calm down and make your way over carefully. And tell us if you see anymore of those things.” Terrin still sounded shocked but her breathing was normal. “Got it.”
Fermia turned to the rest of us and began to issue orders. “Let’s grab a foothold in this,” her voice trailed off, “cemetery.” She looked at the corpses and made an audible gulp. Whatever could be in there frightened her. And if it could scare a Solar Child, then the rest of us should have been crapping our pants. “Rachel hand off the S.F.E.M.P to Iosif. You and I will be guard. Iosif you and Barik take center. Cole,” she paused realizing she used my first name, “Straub stick with point.” That was probably the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard, based on the circumstances. Hello! I’m Pararescue. I’m the medic of our group. If we end up anything like the corpses in front of us, you should probably keep me in the back so I can save your dying ass.
But I wasn’t going to argue. I just wanted to finish this and get out of here. This place was creeping me the fuck out. I moved forward once again and the rest followed. We moved into the darkened halls and turned on our flashlights. Three rooms in Fermia gave the hand signal to stop. We all dropped into a crouch. Keeping alert, we waited for Terrin to rejoin us. The minutes felt like eternity in the void. My trigger hand went numb from the anticipation. There were light footsteps coming toward us. I flipped open the MAU and confirmed it was friendly. Terrin meandered up to us, still appearing shocked, and her rifle slung across her back. Whatever had happened out in the sands had really shaken her. She had even released her weapon from her grasp. Could she become a liability for us down here?
Our time in the corridor was brief. Fermia opened up her MAU and looked at the layout of the facility. She created markers on the map and linked them to the rest of us. There were four new dots spread out along the map. She highlighted one of them. “Here is the vault.” The dot pulsing softly on my map. “Sub floor thirteen. There are only two ways into it. One being the main door, which will obviously be locked, and the other a small air duct. Down there is a power plant, which has probably been augmented to generate dark matter. Over here,” Another dot began to pulse “is the main security room. It’s only down two floors, but it’s definitely out of our way. And I assume it’s the only way to unlock the door to the generator. And with that alarm going off,” we all turned to glare at Barik, “if there is anything in here, it probably already knows we’re coming. So we’re going to split. Terrin and Barik, you two will go to the security room and unlock doors as we need them. Stay holed up there. Try to relax as best you can.” She looked to the rest of us. “We’re going down to the basement, detonating that bomb, and getting the hell out of here.”
It was a simple plan, but still not much of one. Then again it’s hard to mess up simple. Knock on some wood. Havok was dismissed from the meeting and moved to the duties assigned. Barik and Terrin broke off the left and took the emergency stairs down. The remainder of us made our way to the elevator shaft. The walk was short, but the amount of blood and dead bodies were plentiful. Whatever was in here had no care as to making Undead. It seemed to like the plain dead better. There were two elevator shafts waiting for us. The first one looked like someone had sabotaged it to keep whatever was chasing them confined to the floors below. The other was shredded open, mostly likely from the pursuer. I peered down into the darkness, my flashlight not doing much good.
“I think the elevator is down a ways. I can’t quite make it out. We can probably climb down the cables and hop out a few floors below. But I can’t be sure that anything is attached to the cables.” I whispered back to them. They crowded around me to get a look down the shaft. Rachel let out a whistle in awe of the drop off. Iosif wasn’t too impressed. He had already grabbed onto the cable and started down. Fermia wasn’t to be outdone; she was right behind him in the descent. Rachel and I had slid down after them.
Making our way down didn’t take us long. Adrenalin was pumping and we were in a rush. Reaching the paralyzed car we dropped into it from the maintenance hatch. As I dropped, the car seemed to lurch as our weight began to threaten the stability of the cables. We all looked at each other in surprise. Iosif and I lept to the doors and began to pry them open. The rails must have been jammed, probably with some form of corpsy mush, because it took us a few moments to part them enough to squeeze through.
We glided into the floor without a sound. The walls down here were cleaner than the floors above us. Clean enough to still leave its labeling untainted. We had made it down to the eighth floor; five more of these things and we should be outta here. Fermia was staring at her MAU again and directed us to the right hall. We began to sweep the hall checking that doors were closed and nothing else was moving. As we moved I noticed Rachel missed a door. A first mistake. There were several Boks in the room and one of them saw us pass. It let out high pitched grunt to its friends, who in turn lashed out through the doorway.
Iosif was the first to act, his shotgun disintegrating the first two. Fermia was right behind to follow up. Her rapier making quick incisions into the Undead, while her Solar Gun purified the darkness within. They fell to their knees and let out a painful squeak before they evaporated into dark mist.
Our small encounter quickly turned into a hallway massacre. Everything in the adjacent rooms had heard the roar of Iosif’s gun and seen the bright discharge of a Solar Gun. They knew fresh meat was now back on the menu. Boks and zombies began to crash into the hallway attempting to overrun us. Fermia took point to stave off the swarm. Rachel had already grasped her SUMP and began to unload explosives to our six. Iosif and I were in the middle firing rounds down into the endless mob. Everything began to fall before our onslaught. Between Fermia’s skill, Rachel’s firepower, Iosif’s accuracy, and my ammunition, nothing was going to be left standing. Our few moments of defence came to an end when the rooms had been emptied. Their occupants laying in front of us or had already faded to nothing. I took this moment to reload and check myself and the others for any wounds.
Iosif stood next to me and let out a boisterous laugh. He smacked me on the shoulder and walked passed me further down the hall. “Now that was quite the rush, now wasn’t it?” He said in his thick accent. “Glad we didn’t have those two hounds to mess something else up. Am I right?” He looked back at us with a smile, only to be disappointed by the looks on our faces. He rolled his eyes and continued to walk away from us. We caught up to him as he walked through a door onto a maintenance walkway atop a clustered maintenance room. Inside were monstrously sized tubes rising from the floor. These were some of the repurposed utilities to generate, and transport, Dark Matter. The substance flowing inside the pipes was a mixture of abyssal black, blood red, and a deep purple; and looked like room temperature Mercury as it rubbed along exterior the clear tubes.
We stood there for a moment to take in the scale of what was happening down in this place. The amount of Dark Matter being generated was massive. It was surprising we were able to take down the mob a moment ago. If they were being fueled by this much dark energy, they should have overwhelmed us easily. Whatever this product was being used for, it wasn’t currently being used to enhance the Undead of this area.
Rachel began to scale down the ladder to ground level of the room. Iosif and I followed sliding down the slick metal. Fermia simply jumped over the railing and landed next to Rachel. We formed up with Iosif and I taking guard. We began to move through the room and twisting pipeworks. Iosif leaned over to me and whispered.
“Hey. Does it bother you that the most ballsy, take charge, people in our group are a pair of girls?” He stood straight again while I pondered my response. Then I was the one who leaned.
“Nope. Not so long as I don’t get bitten first. I really couldn’t give a fuck.” He let out a small chuckle and we kept on walking to the far side of the room.
The room felt extremely empty for containing so much equipment. Terminals and pipe cranks left unmanned and unregulated. The fact that Immortals integrated with human technology so fast was astonishing. Everything they touched became demented and began to work for them; in time.
From my right two of them descended from one of the pipes and landed on top of me. Several loud cracks disrupted the tempo as Iosif let loose his shotgun removing the bodies of the assailants from me. I scrambled to my feet in time to knock one away from Rachel. Fermia had drawn her sword and had already stabbed one in the base of the skull. One of the creatures was smashed into a wall as Rachel forced her gauntlet through its skull.
I regained a grip on my rifle and turned to my left, now, facing down one of the creatures. They were the same ones we had seen headless at the entrance. The only difference was that these ones still had their heads, and their teeth. It had bobbed under the barrel of my gun and brought its jaws to a close around my forearm. A small clank emanated from the sound of bone striking the metal plate. Our eyes locked for what had to be the longest moment. The eyes were a beautiful orange hue; but they lacked a soul that could give them a complementing sheen. In the moment I took in what this creature was. It was a small equine, coated light green and had a deep blue mane. It was freaky to see something this out of place; even for an Undead world. The fight was over, but I just stood there watching as this...thing kept trying to grind its teeth through my armor.
“Don’t worry. I’m good. I don’t think it broke skin. I should be...”, my voice trailed off as I tilted my head and rolled my eyes back. I stuck my tongue out and mumbled. “Brainsss.” I snapped back up right with a smile to see Fermia giving me the finger. Rachel was shaking her head and Iosif was chuckling quietly. I turned to look at of our attackers still bleeding on the floor. “So it looks like we have another species trying to flee their home world. That, or the Immortal down here ransacked a paint store, raided a hair salon, and stole from a petting zoo. But why is everything coming here to Earth?” I turned around to face Fermia. “What do we have here that everyone else seems to want? And how does every other world find out about us?” Fermia lowered her head. She didn’t have an answer. My questions would linger for as long as the dead walked.
Silence was our companion for a moment as we stood there. And silence was put to rest as a creepy laughter filled the air. The smooth surfaces of the room let it echo, until it reverberated back into nothingness.
“Oh don’t be so glum.” It was the same voice I had barely heard before over the radio. This time it was loud and clear. “There’s no fun if you're so down in the dumps. Cheer up short male. Listen closely and I’ll tell you a tale.”
The voice trailed off and flash emanated from a nearby window. We turned and focused out flashlights upon the transparent screen. On it was a serpent; or at least the most disfigured serpent I had ever seen.
“Places of darkness and destruction is all you’ve seen. But that is not how all have been. A faraway place that I call home, was just sitting there all alone. Until I stirred up some chaos and called a friend. Turns out, he was just around the bend. An older fellow I used to know, shared with me a new place to go. Once I got wind of this new place, I just had to make haste. But I couldn’t simply come as stone, so I called a friend still sitting on the throne. She was quite helpful after we made a deal, and quickly she broke my seal. Once I came along, a few ponies were brought into the throng.”
Iosif smashed the butt of his gun into the pane, cracking the image of the talking worm. For a moment it seemed to stop talking, or moving for that matter. But it slid out from...behind...the crack. And continued to flap its mouth. What the hell was this thing?
“Oh now look what you’ve done. Broken a perfectly good window.” It turned back to face the crack it had escaped. “Shame. I could have used that for a new picture of my adventures here.” Another flash and it vanished from the window. Now the voice came from behind us. “But what could any of you know? You’re all so young and inexperienced.”
Both Iosif and I twisted around to face the being; aiming at the ground. Our expectations were shattered when it was not at our feet. Our eyes leveled out and beheld the beast. It was floating! And this was no serpent. It was a...thing. It had mismatching limbs and horns on its head. We raised our guns and peppered its face with buckshot and silver. The beast opened its mouth and captured the metal behind its teeth. After a moment of chewing it began to blow a bubble. I’m sure I heard everyone’s jaws hit the ground.
“Mmm. Not quite as good as the classic flavor but still makes a strong bubble.” It spat out the metal onto the ground and licked its teeth clean. Fermia approached the contorted serpent...cow...thing.
“So if you’re the Immortal here, then all I need to do is get rid of you.” She brandished her weapons and pointed them at the Immortal. “I will end you. Get ready to meet your fate.” She flicked her wrist sending her blade across the body of the dark entity. The thin blade narrowly missed its target, and two shots flew out of the solar weapon.
The serpent twisted through the air away from Fermia and the rest of us. Avoiding slashes and solar energy; but it did not retaliate. This snake was enjoying this deadly game of tag. It released short bursts of giggles as it twisted through the air. A few moments passed as we watched the battle, and the beast finally made a move. It avoided the rapier and grabbed hold of Fermia’s MAU, which immediately bloomed several flowers around it.
“Now, now. There’s no need for such hostilities. Why can’t we just get along and watch things get out of control?” It let go and slithered underneath a door out of the room. Fermia was quick to pursue, and we were close behind.
“No!” She shouted back at us. “You three need to get down to the generator and detonate that Flare.”
“But what about you?” Rachel asked. “You could use one of us.”
“I can keep this thing occupied while you finish the job.” Fermia put her hand to her ear. “Terrin! Barik! You there? I need you to unlock all the doors seventh floor and below. I’m engaging the Immortal. The rest of Havok is in charge of completing the mission. How are things up there?” A gruff voice came over the radio.
“Got it ma'am. And so far we haven’t had any problems. Terrin has been securing the room while I work the controls.” The lock on the door in front of Fermia clicked open. “There you go. I’ll start unlocking doors on the lower levels as you need them.” Fermia threw the door open and disappeared into the darkened hall.
It was just us three left. I felt two sets of eyes waiting for me. I turned around to see Rachel handing me the S.F. E.M.P. I took it with care and strapped it to my lower back.
“Why do you want me to hold this?” I asked.
“Someone has to lead us.” She replied. “And since you’re our medic that makes you our VIP.”
“Plus,” Iosif chimed in, “you out rank both of us. You have to take command.”
“B-but,” I stammered, “I’m barely a Tech Sergeant. The only reason I got this rank was because of my job change. Besides, Iosif, you’re older than me and have more combat experience. Don’t gimme that rank bullshit now.” He furrowed his eyes and shoved me into the wall and pinned me there.
“Now listen here!” Power lacing his thick accent. “I’ve worked with you before. I know what you can do. And Rachel here seems to trust you enough to relinquish that bomb. You can do this. Just tell us what we need to do.” I gulped hard. Whether I was nervous about my new field promotion, or the fact that Iosif could make me take charge by force; both most likely. I nodded my head and opened up the MAU. The floor plans gave us two stairwells down. We could either take those or try and slide through the vent shaft above the vault. I was voting for the more open method.
“Alright.” My voice cracked a bit. “We have two stairwells down to level twelve. The one that Fermia is heading toward,” I turned right and pointed, “or those through that corridor. Or! We could try and slide down the vent shaft. Single file. Into an unknown room. Filled with who knows what.” My description left us with only one logical choice. Iosif took point and Rachel kept behind him. I followed, stepping backwards to watch our rear.
The corridor only lead into two rooms, both which were locked. This felt too weird. There was only one way in. And only one way out. I had thought this facility to be more expansive on the inside. But perhaps that was just the floors we were on. We reached the door into the emergency stairwell. Rachel tried to open it. The radio went live.
“Barik. We need the emergency stairwell doors unlocked.”
“Can do.” A couple moments passed. “Aight it should be unlocked.”
“Thanks.”
“No prob-” His voice was cut of by the sound of shattering glass. The sound of gunfire carried over the com. “Dear god! What are you doing? No don’t!” The was more gunfire and a howl that made me wince.
“Barik! Barik!” I shouted. “Terrin, the hell is happening?!”
“Boks just smashed into the room. They got Barik! I can’t stay in here. I’ll try and follow you down to the basement!”
“Terrin! We need you in there!”
“We’ll I can’t fucking hold them off mysel-” There was shriek of Undead, and silence befell our ears again. The radio died and so had two members of our team
I turned to my friends and we all had panic draw over our faces. I was freaking out. In a short time our team had gone from six to five to three. I motioned the rest of my team into the stairs. We were in a rush now. The bullshit they taught us in basic training about using each and every step. Fuckin’ threw that all out the window. There was no order now. No point or guard. Just the first and last person to get to the twelfth floor.
When we reached the final step Iosif slammed open the exit door. We piled through to be greeted by a startled mob of zombies and Boks. We were just as shocked to see them. It took them and us a moment to gain composure, but once it clicked both sides were going to kill each other, it was game on. Iosif holstered his gun and drew two extended combat knives. He began to cut away at the charging flesh. His brute strength making every swing a clean cut. Rachel began to blow apart the mobs in the back to limit the thickness of the swarm. I was switching back and forth between clubbing the freaks with my gun, and actually shooting them.
Here in the pit we stood with only a closed door at our backs, an enemy hell bent on forcing us to join the coalition. Fetid claws scraped at us, decayed breath made us shirk back, and limbs turned to bludgeoning weapons to force us to bow. But we weren't going to submit to mindless fools. Rachel dropped two grenades at our feet, Iosif continued to carve up steaks, and I proceeded to charge through the mobs to the far side of the room. Hollow eyes turned around in attempt to follow, but they were too slow. The grenades reached the end of their timers and let loose their concussive force. Body parts and blood scattered all over the room and added a new layer of paint to the ceiling.
For the most part we made it through unscathed. I had few scrapes on my face, Iosif had some torn clothing, and Rachel had some dents in her armor. I took out my med kit and brought out the disinfectant. I smothered it all over my face, then handed it to the Russian brute. He treated his wounds while Rachel readjusted her plates. We did not dare linger for long. If anything we should be pushing forward faster than ever. We would not get a chance to avoid an Immortal again.
I handed the E.M.P. to Iosif and took point. I looked at my MAU one last time, motioned for my team to follow me, and I took off sprinting through hallways. My gun aiming forward as I ran, wounding whatever was in my way. Iosif attempted to bleed out whatever I missed, and Rachel simply sent them into oblivion. Forward was our only motion and our target in sight.
I jumped down a flight of stairs to the depreciated floor and stood before the door. It was marvelous. The design on it not human at all. Steel would have been the number one choice for locking down a secure room. But this wasn’t steel. It’s sheen was far greater than even the most polished metals. It was the same material that Fermia’s blade consisted of; this was star metal. Rare and only used by Solar Children. But where did the Qatari government get this kind of metal, and moreover how did they cast it into this shape? I put a hand to my ear in hopes that Terrin might still somehow be in the security room.
“Terrin. You there?” I waited for a moment. No response. I tried again. “Terrin. Are you there at all?”
“Cole,” Rachel spoke, “we’re the only ones left right now.”
“Then how are we going to get this thing open? I don’t think we’re going to run back upstairs and unlock it. And I don’t see how we can get through it.
“Simple.” she said snidely “I’ve got a plan.
“And I assume that plan is to-”
“Blow the fuck out of it? Yes.” She took off one of her shoulder plates and stuck it to the wall beside the door. “Now, most people would think that they couldn't blast through this kind of door. And they would be right. But we’re going around the door, not through it. The walls around it are still just as easy to break as anything else. So blast through that enough, and slip on by.” I had to admit, I hadn’t thought of that. “And since all of my plates are laced with cyclotrimethylene trinitramine and trinitroglycerine, I can blow through just about anything.” She turned back to see my confusion and Iosif’s look of dread. She let out a heavy sigh. “Basically all my armor has see-four and nitroglycerin on the inside.” My stomach lurched and my eyes went wide. We had probably been standing next to the most dangerous thing in here this whole time. And if something set her off, well, everything was going to end up in little bits.
She motioned us back up the stairs and around a corner. She tapped the screen of her MAU a few times and covered her ears. I did the same an instant before the shock waves came to greet us. I poked my head around the corner and saw the debris along with a small gap between the door and the exterior rocks that surrounded this entire facility. I went through the gap first, follow by Rachel, and then Iosif. There was a small walk to the edge of the room where a spiraling staircase lay waiting for us. I took a deep breath and proceeded to make my way down the confined space. The drop down seemed to take forever. Ten thousand steps round and down. The gap between floors twelve and thirteen was significantly larger than the others. We were now isolated. If anything was going to follow us it was going to have to take every step we had. Conversely, if we were going to flee, it was going to be a long walk back up.
At the bottom was a simple door and terminal. Nothing too special. Then again, who ever made this place assumed no one was getting passed the door upstairs and didn’t feel the need to put another one down here. Iosif stepped forward and unsheathed one of his thicker blades from his leg. He crammed it into the small gap and tried to pry it open. The door gave way enough let us see into the room on the other side. I peered through the small gap and did not like the view presented to me.
The Immortal that was dancing with Fermia wasn’t the only one in here. Two of them stood along side the far left wall in front of a large terminal next. One had the shape of a large man; even more so than Iosif. He wore a black cloak that covered his head and was working on a computer. His bulk blocked full view of the second. He too wore black garb that covered most of his body. The second however, did not have its hood up. It had a pale blue skin, white hair and wore a series of chains around his neck. He held his hands together while he was busy chanting. The incantation of evil purpose I was sure.
“Yes. She should be getting ready to leave now.”
“Then, how about we turn it on?” Turn on what? Wasn’t the generator already active? “Because I can’t wait any more. If she isn’t here by the sun rise, then we miss our time for the eclipse and that Solar Child will be starting to draw power.”
“We could, but we still need to wait for our friend to come back. He should be finishing off the group that tried to make its way down here.” Damn it. They knew we were here. I let out a breath. The large man turn around toward the door. He must have heard me. “It seems, though, that some of them made it down here.” I panicked and threw the door open all the way.
I took two steps into the room before I had to skid to a stop. I was so focused on the duo that I failed to look around first. And this sight was even worse than the one that preceded it. I had come to a halt in a room drowned in blood and corpses. Bodies hung, limbless, along the walls, and their fluids draining onto the terrain. Organs lined the edges of the room and added the smell of fecal matter to the already toxic air. Worst of all, I realized why those equines at the entrance were headless. Pikes ran parallel along the room towards to generator, each with the head of a horse on them. But there was something else. Each of the heads had a horn on top and were all connected by a series of wires that lead to the generator. Were these things unicorns?
No, it wasn’t the generator they led too. It was two pillars that stood next to it. Each receiving Dark Matter front the generator and projecting it between themselves. The fuel began to form into a gelatinous sphere and whirl around itself. This was quickly turning into one of the sacrilegious ceremonies, where the evil guys are trying to- Stop! Focus! What the fuck was going on?! I locked eyes with the large man. His eyes shone a fierce green and, if looks could kill, I probably would have exploded on the spot.
“Well then.” He spoke. His voice deep. “Welcome to our little get together. Have you come to watch the summoning of the night? Or have you other plans?" I raised my gun in response and aimed at the two figures. I heard Iosif load his shotgun and Rachel activate her SUMP. Things were going to get loud now. He let out a deep sigh. "So if that is what you want. We will grant you a fight. But, you do not appear to have any solar weapons, do you really believe you can destroy us with such feeble weapons? You can always flee if you wish. We have no need for whelps such as you." Iosif let out a chuckle.
“So,” the other said walking forward,”if you choose to fight now, I promise to end your lives painfully. However, I will retain your souls long enough to watch the end of you precious day light.” His eyes a deep, blood red. He licked his lips with a smile and exposed his sharpened teeth.
“Hexgrin. Don’t offer them something that you can guarantee.”
“Oh, please. We have enough Dark Matter to retain their souls until we finish up here. So what will it be? Will you die now, or run away with your tail between your legs?"
We stood there for a moment, each side waiting for the other to make a move. I felt a small rumble. Almost unnoticeable. The two Immortals felt it too. The rumble grew into a growl and the room began to shake. But it did not stop. No, this growth was huge. The growl quickly turned into a roar. The top of the right wall exploded with the serpent and Fermia crashing to the floor. Everyone in the room seemed to jump back from the wreckage to stop and determine what just happened. The snake twisted up and back into the air laughing all the while.
“Wow! That was the best slide ever! It almost beats the roads of soap back home! Who knew that the two of us could have crammed into that small shaft. Whew! Thought we were going to crash and burn!” Its laughing echoed through the room.
Fermia rose to her feet. She had lost her mantle and now exposed her light armor. She was cut and scraped all over. Blood dripping from every limb. Standing there she took heaving breaths. The crash must have cracked a few ribs; made obvious by her hunching over. The grip on her sword was loose and appeared as if it was going to fault any moment. She turned to look at the other two Immortals standing behind the flying snake. Her eyes went wide with the realization that there were two more to kill.
“Fantastic!” Hexgin began to say, “It looks like the entire gang is here. Now are you fools going to fight or shall I just kill you where you stand?”
“Fuck you!” I replied. “Fermia you want to take those Immortals? We’ll finish that laughing slug.” The pieces were set. The teams in order. This was going to be one hell of a brawl.
“Come and meet your demise. We will make this the start of adead world.” He smiled wryly.
Fermia made the first move. She ran and slid under the flying beast; firing a shot to force him further up to the ceiling. Our turn. Rachel fired at the roof near the Immortal. The explosion knocking it back down to the ground. Iosif charged forward and ramming into it. It flew backwards towards the other Immortals and smashed down between them. I opened fire and landed metal into the side of the creature. It let out a roar of pain as silver made its way inside. The other two Immortals had split for the moment. Fermia made the most of her opportunity. She leapt forward and slashed at her white haired target. The blade was brought down across his face and began to draw blood.
The two slid out of my peripheral vision as the serpent rose and flashed out of sight. I felt something rub against my leg. That thing had glided between my legs and made its way toward Rachel. It opened it jaws and let out a spastic laugh. Rachel was shocked and released a flourish of explosions...right at my feet. I jumped backwards and let the explosion carry me towards the generator. I landed in front of the giant. Rolling to my feet, I swung the butt of my gun at his midsection. He grabbed the gun before I had even made half of the swing. He was fast, especially for one of his size. He made that clear when his other fist made contact with the side of my head. The blow knocked me back down to the ground and I slid along the floor.
I stumbled back onto my feet expecting the brute to come charging at me. But, he just stood there in front of the orb of Dark Matter. Not participating in the fight at all. Fuck it! Not like I cared. One less thing I had to fight for now was going to be helpful. To my right Fermia had cornered Hexgrin and was going to strike another blow. Her focus on the Immortal would prove disastrous as that damned snake slammed into her; crushing her into the wall. She screamed in pain as more of her delicate ribs were crushed.
Hexgrin took the opportunity to begin chanting again. His words inaudible but the effects quite visible. Tendrils emanated from his clothing and tore out and around to the rest of my team. Iosif managed to cut through some of them. But there were too many. One of them clipped him on the side of his leg and he dropped to a knee. Another tendril came back around to finish the job. There was a loud clang as Rachel stepped in front and took the blow. There was now a large dent in her chest plate where the lash had bounced off. She unloaded several shots and forced the chanter to dodge out of range.
I ran to assist Fermia who was struggling to get up. I fired at the hovering beast and crashed into the wall next to the Solar Child. I quickly opened a bottle of disinfectant and dumped it over her, simply trying to refresh her and stave off any corruption. After a quick bandage to her bleeding arm, she shoved me out of the way of one of the dark whips.She spun away from me and launched herself back out in the frey Iosif was back up and was making an attempt to cut at the serpent; who simply waltzed out of range gawking at the bumbling man trying to hit it.
The chanting was growing louder and the effects multiplying. Boks began to manifest from the pool of blood and drag themselves toward us. Just fucking great. As if this room wasn’t already crowded enough. This was certainly turning into a shit fest. Iosif had to switch from attacking the slithering freak and began to hack away at our unwelcomed guests. Fermia continued to press Hexgrin. Her moves were slowed from her injuries, but the skill and power were still there. I helped Rachel forward through the muck, and the multiplying bodies, to the still laughing menace. It stood there in front of the two towers looking into the Dark Matter as if hypnotised by it. Rachel took her chance and let her gun ring out four shots. All of the shots would have connected, but instead the hulk of a man stood in front of the explosives and took all of the hits. He wasn’t fighting because he wanted to protect the towers! Whatever they were doing, that ball was the crucial piece of it.
My focus was broken when something bit my leg. It was a Bok who had managed to crawl towards me unnoticed. I smashed its skull in with the heel of my boot and its jaw had no choice but to relinquish. Rachel continued to fire at the wall of meat; attempting to break through to the Dark Matter. Meanwhile the serpent flashed out of sight again. Damn it. Not good. This thing could pop up anywhere; now behind me.
“Surprise!” It shouted. I spun around and pulled the trigger. There was a small clicking noise and when I expected bullets to fly out, I found my gun shooting...water? The beast laughed as I fumbled to smack another magazine into my firearm and pulled the trigger again. This time, more silver came out. Was I just hallucinating?
Rachel was still firing towards the machinery. Fermia was making headway against Hexgrin; and because of his lack of recent chanting, Iosif was able to keep the number of Undead to a minimum. And I was going to be, for lack of a better word, the entertainer of this coy creature. I swung my gun in an upward arch, to which it easily avoided. But with that swing I had a clear shot at its underbelly, and with a fresh clip there was enough to fill his stomach with a nice, hot meal. Holding down the trigger my gun began to rattle and let loose a storm of silver. As the slugs making contact with the beast, it let out a howl and flickered away.
It made its way to the far side of the room near the dual of Fermia and Hexgrin. She was about to make a decisive shot; and then I heard that faint click again. Fermia slipped and fired over the head of the Immortal. Taking his chance, he spun away and sent out his tendrils again.
I turned to see Iosif making his way toward the last group of Undead. His last two blades held firmly in his hands His ‘carving’ skills could have won him a podium spot at a sculpting contest. He was making a final stroke to the neck of one of the corpses when I heard that damned click again. The blade made contact with its intended target; and shattered like glass. The monster took its chance to slash at the disarmed man. The swipe cut him at the gut and he began to bleed profusely. He rotated his body and gained enough momentum to slam his last blade into the throat of the bastard.
I slung my gun over my back and pulled out my trauma kit while I hobbled over. My injured leg slowing me to nothing more than a stumble. And that mother fucking click noise was back! Where was it coming from? While I was distracted in my own thoughts one of the head covered pike collapsed in front of me causing me to trip and slide on my face towards my wounded friend. The taste of blood and guts filled my mouth and when I got to my knees I had to focus on assisting my comrade; lest I end up puking all over him.
There was large gash across his abdomen; revealing part of his stomach and liver.I treated him as best and quickly as I could. I ripped part of his tattered pants and used the cloth to hold his organs while I placed them back into the wound.I then disinfected and covered them as best I could muster. After I was done I helped him to his feet. His core strength was now limited with the loss of his abs. I propped him up against the wall and handed him my gun.
“Here.” I said. “Give me all the covering fire you can.” He gulped and nodded his head.
“Looks you got bitten again. So much for having two ballsy chicks take charge huh?”
“Yeah. Well I ain’t dead yet. And I don’t plan on it. You on the other hand seem to be the worst off of us.” He let out a chuckle.
“I’m sure I’ll make it. Got you here to fix me up.” I smiled and dumped the last two magazines I had into his hand and retrieved his blade from the neck of his most recent victim. I pulled out the combat knife stuck to the side of my boot and made my way back into the fray.
As I rejoined the dwindling brawl, Rachel had returned her focus to the giggling Immortal. Explosions were sparking all over the room as she tried to make contact. It was our job to bring this monster down. I watched for a moment to follow where she was trying to lead it. Got it. With Iosif’s long blade in my left hand, and my combat knife in the other I ran and slid along the body fluids toward where I thought it was going to be. It danced in front of me as I made an upward swipe with my right hand, and a stabbing motion with my left. It must have seen me and flashed just out of my way to my right. I missed both strikes. But I didn’t need to hit. Iosif was waiting to do that for me. Silver penetrated the skin of the beast and it let out a roar as it collapsed, sending a ripple through the pool of blood. I gave a quick thumbs up to my guardian and dashed to assist Fermia.
She was still doing well, even with her crippling wounds. Her form and finesse still pure and perfect. A testament to her lineage and prowess. Hexgrin was sliding backwards in my direction, and I planned to insert myself in this tango. She was still pressing against the summoner and keep forcing him to move back. Their waltz took a spin in my direction; Fermia leading and Hexgrin following her steps. She motioned their movements towards me; with the Immortals back facing me. I raised both my arms and brought them both down, hard, planting my blades into his shoulders. He let out a cry of pain and whirled around, grabbing my throat. He tossed me away and into a wall, then extracted my combat knife. I watched him turn back to face the daunting Solar Child; too late. She already had her sword raised, and a final strike prepared, all she had to do was make the motion. I let myself smile. We had beaten two of these freaks.
Two shots rang out. From where I don’t know. One of them tore at Fermia’s supporting leg and removed it completely. The other missed. The splash of blood seemed to happen in slow motion. She twisted and dropped to her remaining knee. The expression on my face changed in that instant. Another shot called out its existence and removed her left arm. She fell backwards and lay there before Hexgrin, bare and exposed. More gunfire was let loose in the room as bullets whizzed by the white haired Immortal. Iosif was still doing his assigned job.
And yet, the worst was not over. Tragedies always seem to happen in series. The fallen beast opened its eyes and grinned widely. Quickly slithering toward my sentinel, its maw open wide. As its jaws came to a close they captured a pair of feeble legs. The teeth burying themselves deep into flesh causing Iosif to scream in pain and drop his gun. The snake twisted and jerked away, taking its food with it. My friend dropped to the ground letting loose a shriek of pain. His body going into shock as nerve endings began to overload his cognitive thoughts.
Rachel let loose another storm of explosions in an attempt to get a final blow on the flesh eating bastard. The Immortal continued to twist and squirm through the barrage and made its way back behind the still looming man. I was so shocked of what just happened, I barely heard another incantation. I watched as the ground below our explosive expert began to bubble. First the tide seem to rise to her ankles, then up to her shin, then her knee. Oh Jesus! She was sinking into Dark Matter. It all felt like a slow motion horror flick. I scrambled to my feet and fumbled over to her. By this time she was almost up to hip level and was aware of what was happening.
I reached out to help her. Her hand inches from mine, and yet, I stopped. I felt something in my gut keeping me from saving her. I looked down slowly, hoping it was just a cramp or something. The feeling was like that of my guts being scrambled. There they were, two black tendrils sticking through me. Their tips protruding from my lower left abdomen, and my upper right chest. I couldn’t move. No matter how much I wanted to. They held me there. I dared to look back behind me. Both of the spears were formed from the intestines of those who hung on the walls. And, like a fishing hook, they reeled me in; slowly, making sure I felt the helplessness and agony of watching another team mate have their life brought to its end.
Now I was part of the collection of ragdolls. The only thing that made me special, was that I still had all my limbs. I looked to my left and watched as Iosif tried to stop the blood spurting from his legs. Each beat of his heart gave away more blood. The main organ keeping him alive, was the thing that was slowly killing him. His screams faded to wails; from wails to whimpers; from whimpers to silence. And his soul finally left him. At least he would get the good fortune of dying. I felt the pumping of dark energy into me. I would soon be turned into one of those things; The Undead.
Hexgrin gave another chant and summoned one more group of Undead. They gathered around the fallen Solar Child and began to devour her alive. I turned my head away and closed my eyes, but the muffled screams still reached me as she was torn apart. One of her class was undeserving of a death like this. Helpless and exposed, with no way to fight off the demons. Her sun would set in a most unfashionable way.
Worst of all, Fermia wasn’t the only one making noise. Rachel let loose an extensive list of vulgarities as she struggled to keep herself afloat. Her plating protected from the poisoning of darkness, but now dragged her down to the blackest depths. She yelled something about detonating before her breath turned into mere gurgles in the swamp of bodies. Then her head disappeared from view. She would be dead within minutes. Her life snuffed out by waves of blood.
It was my turn to die. I felt the trickles of blood douse my clothes in moisture. I was losing blood fast and my vision was starting to blur. Hopefully I would move on before I was entirely corrupted. Death was better than being a pawn. Starring in a drunken haze, I watched the Immortals return their focus to their machines.
“So now what?” Hexgrin asked. “Are we to open the door for her now. Or are we too late.”
“No. We are still on time.” The shrouded man replied. “Begin your spells. I will continue to operate the generator.” He turned toward his wounded companion. “Discord, I need to absorb enough Dark Matter to open the gate. This needs to happen now or your friend won’t be joining us.”
“It will be a pleasure.” Discord replied. Great, now I know who the hell I had almost killed. Hindsight is twenty-twenty I guess. I watched as he approached the sphere of energy. His wounds began to close and he let out a chuckle. “ Aha! That tickles. Oh! Alright I think I’m good.”
“Then, Hexgrin, you should start calling our friend.”
“Gladly.” He said as he clasped his hands together again.
The dark sphere began to twist and churn. Keys were pressed on the computer and made the generator spin even faster, causing the glob of energy to swirl out of control. Then the chanting started and the ball regained its composure. Discord continued to stare into the orb as if his life depended on it. Now the three colors swirling in a pattern. The three working together were about to bring about something terrible. And if these things weren’t bad enough, I couldn’t imagine what could be worse.
My limited eyesight kept my focus on watching those freaks, that I had barely noticed another figure walking up to the group. It had a rifle slung across it back and was only... wearing...pants. It was Terrin! Where the hell had she been this whole time?! She could have saved us! She could be saving me! Damn it! Fuck her! Fuck this place! Fuck everything! I felt my anger rising as the flow of Dark Matter increased. This is what it did to you. It not only corrupted, but it fueled your rage and your dark emotions you used to keep in check. The man at the terminal turned to greet her.
“Ah. So Discord. This was the extra card you had.”
“Yes. I put her into the deck before they even entered the building. Gave her quite the scare.”
“So, Terrin is it? Come to watch our greatest moment?”
“Yeah. Fine. Whatever.” Her voice and tone, plain and emotionless. That bitch! I’ll kill you! You betrayed us! My rage building as I tried to tear myself off the wall. “Hey! Keep it down back there. The show is about to start.”
I kept struggling to rip myself free. My head shaking about the room. My eyes caught a glimpse over to my left at Iosif’s corpse. Of course! The S.F.E.M.P.! These bastards have no idea what we still have. Show? I’ll give you a show. Lights and sounds like no other. I struggled to raise one of my arms to my ear. I tapped my earpiece and whispered into it.
“This is Specialist Straub. Calling mission control. Havok team is all down. Mission scrubbed. Need remote detonation of local S.F.E.M.P.”
“This is control. Go ahead Straub. We require confirmation code of-” The voice was cut off as the earpiece was yanked from me.
“Nice try kid.” Terrin stood there in front of me crushing the device in her paws. “But that’s not going to happen. I just so happen to want to meet royalty.” Royalty? Just exactly who were these things trying to summon.
I turned my head back to the now turbulent ball. It seemed to be forming into a flat disk between the two pillars. Keys were still being hit and the chanting continued. And by god! I swear whatever is making this damned clicking noise! I kept hearing all these sounds. All in perfect rhythm. And finally their melody gave way to something. Something as black as night. It stepped out of the disk and with its first foot. Then its head poked through. I stared in shock. It was one of those equine creatures! This one had a horn too! It leaned forward and exposed part of its body. Sweet Jesus. It also had wings! This thing was like a pegasus and unicorn all in one. A pegicorn. No. Unigus? Damn it, Straub! Focus!
It took its last steps and stood before its summoners. It was almost beautiful. This horse was taller than the ones I had seen earlier, and its coat was the deepest shade of black I had ever seen. It’s eyes, a bright shade of royal blue. But most defining feature was its mane and tail. Each the dark blue of the night sky. They seemed to hold hundreds of stars within them, and flowed as if like water. From there I noticed what it was wearing. A thin metallic blue chest guard with matching helmet. The color matching its eyes. It stretched for a moment before speaking.
“Oh dearest me!” It’s voice definitely female. Well shit. I must be tripping before I died. Talking horses? Now I’d seen it all. I think I could die now knowing that my life was fulfilled. I had gotten married, fought against hordes of the Undead, and , oh, I’ve seen talking horses. “It feels like I haven’t moved in days. And being disconnected from any form of lunar body is quite disconcerting.”
“Well it’s good to have you here now Nightmare Moon.” Discord said while giving a mocking bow.
“You could have tidied up the place. It seems rather...corpsy.”
“It was part of the requirements to bring you here madam.” Hexgrin said nodding his head. “And for bringing you here we have but two simple requests.”
“Oh. You would make demands of a queen so soon? And once more, immediately after she completes an exhausting trip?”
“Please. They are but humble requests. And once the night ends here, it will be too late to ask of you later. Alas, both feats are of which only one such as yourself can perform.” The amount of endearment in that last sentence was almost more nauseous than have your guts skewered.
“Speak quickly, pale one, for I have much to do.”
“I only ask for two things. The first, which you are already planning on doing, to take control of the stellar bodies and create a longer night for all of us Immortals.”
“It shall be done.”
“The second, which may prove challenging, is to revive my dead mother, Hel, Queen of the Immortals.” Aw, hell! C’mon! Now not only had they brought another Immortal from some other world here, they were also planning on reviving those who had already been purified. “I have here the chrysalis in which her essence remains.” He pulled a small orb out from under his cloak.
Nightmare Moon seemed to simply stare at the ball. A moment passed in which I thought she was going to refuse the request. But she bowed her head and touched her horn to the sphere. Both objects glowed as she processed the request. Magic seemed to flow around her as she gave out energy to the small object. Retracting her head, the mare watched her work unfold. The light twisting and contorting in a new shape. After a moment the light faded revealing a baby in the arms of Hexgrin. The thought of him being a father of any kind made my stomach churn. No wait. It was the spike twisting in my gut. Silly me. How quickly I forget.
The child lay bare in the arms of the pale Immortal. Her skin was a mint green and its hair an equal black to the coat of Nightmare Moon. She seemed to hiccup as she took her first breaths. Hel squirmed in the hands of her son as he removed his cloak and wrapped her in it.
“Aw! It’s so cute!” Discord shouted as he swirled up to the child. “So delicious I could just eat you all up right now.”
“Please. Discord.” Hexgrin replied as he tore the newborn away. “This is my mother for god’s sake.”
“Oh, but she’s just adorable. Can I just pinch her cheek? Just once?!
“Heavens, no! You wouldn’t dare lay a finger on your queen, there, would you?
“Oh I would love to... if she wouldn’t be so fussy about it.”
My vision blurred into darkness. I was blind to what was going on from there. My body began to fail on me. My breathing slowed, my limbs trembled, and heart skipping vital beats. But I continued to listen to them. Hoping that, somehow, I could make it out of here and warn the other Solar Children. The feminine voice sounded to take command. Something she seemed used to doing.
“Now, Discord, have you done as we planned?” Her question direct and her voice cast down to her accomplice.
“Oh yes. I took away the elements and scattered them before I left to come here. I even brought a couple here to bury. Just to be on the safe side.” Elements? Could this reptile actually take away the six elements that made up all forms of life. No. The elements weren’t able to be removed. Only Solar Children could manipulate them. But he sounded so certain of his accomplishments.
“And what about those foals who stood against us? Have you dealt with them yet?
“Oh, don’t get your mane in a knot. I already got rid of the scholar and the rambunctious farmer. In fact, I thought, while I’m at it, why not get rid of both the library and the orchards. They’re probably already here or should be soon shortly. Without them I’m sure the others won’t be able to do anything.”
“Blast it! Discord.” Rage seeping into her voice. “Get back there and get rid of the others. Or so help me-”
“You’ll what? Turn me back to stone? You know only the Elements can do that. And only I know where they are. But I guess since you’ll be here for a while I can go and wreak some additional chaos.” He let loose another one of his signature laughs.
“Discord, before you go.” The rumbling voice interrupted. “You should absorb another large dose of Dark Matter before you go. Otherwise you won’t be able to make it back here on your own.”
“And excellent idea!” He replied. “Oh! Goodness. That still tickles. Oh, ho! Whew. That is a rush each time. Well I’m off to enjoy some more laughs. Arrivederci!”
As he left back to where he was from, silence stood among everyone; only to be broken by a rumble from the ground. The room gave a small quake and a burp came up from the pool of blood. That sound struck the last nerve I had. That expulsion of air was the last thing I was going to hear from Rachel. She stayed true to her word and had attempted to take everyone with her in one final explosion. I received another surge of Dark Matter and attempted my escape again. Grunting and trying to tear myself free, but my limbs had lost all feeling and now I was just a rag doll. The explosion and my commotions had obviously attracted the remaining group.
“It seems this one has taken well to the small about of Dark Matter you’ve been feeding him Hex.”
“Yes. See. I told you I could bind his soul long enough to that feeble body until we were done here.” Their voices grew louder as they approached me. “And he is still in such good condition. It will be a shame to simply create another undead.”
“Then allow me to take him.” The larger man’s man voice was earnest. “Hel and our new royal friend could use a guardian. I would have preferred the Russian over there. But he seems to be in terrible shape.”
“A guardian? For me? Seriously? You must be joking. I can handle myself with these whelps.”
“Your highness, please. It will be a perfect servant for you. You won’t even have to get your hands...er... hooves dirty. If you wanted something done, you could simply will it and it would be done through the vessel.”
“Oh, very well. I supposed it couldn’t hurt.” No! Hell no! I wasn’t going to help these bastards!
“Fuck you!” I mumbled. I tried to spit out in front, but all I managed to do was drool a little blood and bile.
“However. Promise me you’ll remove this one’s tongue. It is most foul for good company.”
“Consider it done, your highness.” He let out a creepy laugh.
I could feel all their eyes staring at me. Contemplating what they were going to do to me. It was terrifying. Not only was I dying, but they planned to keep me in a similar state. Which to be totally honest, considering it was either this or be totally dead. I mean, at least I’d still be alive right?
“Oh and before I forget, Hexgrin.” The royal equine spoke again. “Did you both deal with my other half? She can be quite a handful if she is left unchecked.”
“Don’t worry about her madam. She is going to be part of what I do to this young man. It will be like having your sister all over again. Except this time she will be under your control.” Oh god, please no. Don’t turn me into one of those ridiculously colored ponies. I think I’d take regular death now. Better that than be some four legged freak.
“Well, it would be good to have some company again.” She let out a stifled laugh. “Even if it is a shadow puppet.”
“Oh I assure you he will be far more than just a puppet for you. But let us leave this place. It is no longer of use to us. Before we do though, Miss Moon, it is almost sunrise, and if you don’t attach yourself to the satellite I fear your hold might not be as strong as it was back home.”
“It will be a pleasure. And as long as I rule here. The night shall last forever!”
At that moment two forces acted upon me. I felt a radial surge of dark energy as the mare began to shroud the world in darkness. The second was an immense pressure throughout my skull. With the points of contact I could tell it was the large man grasping me. He yanked me from the wall and tossed me over his shoulders. The last thing I remembered was our ascension up the staircase I had come down earlier that night. Blood loss had drained what was left of me and being disconnected from the flow of Dark Matter hurt. Even in that short time I had become addicted and needed to feed on it.
-------------------<<
My brain seemed to click on. Still my vision was at a permanent loss. Wherever I was, I felt trapped; confined to a small shell. I tried to move, but I felt the binding power of the straps. I felt the cold of the metallic table I was on. I was stripped down, exposed for whatever they wanted. There was a small and gentle hand upon me. It slid down from my neck down to where I had been stabbed.
“Sir,” a female voice, “are you sure about this? We could lose this and him if we go through with this.”
“It does not matter,” that oversized brute was in the room. “either we create a true Darkloid, or we lose nothing of value.”
“Then, here. You know where this should go.” What? What did she hand him? Something of regeneration perhaps? A potion to give me dark powers? Damn it! My brain was wracking trying to figure it out.
"What is that you are using upon him?" That voice was of Nightmare moon.
"This is something I got from your sister. I believe it is what gave her the power over your sun. Discord wasn't very...direct in his description of her." The man replied.
"Where did she have it. I have never seen such a thing."
"It was something very close to her. It was difficult to remove from her possession."
"And this will create 'guardian' for me?"
"With any luck."
One of the large hands pressed down against my chest holding me down even more. His other hand was further down on my abdomen. I felt great pressure as he forced something through my wound and upwards to my ribs. I seized upwards, trying to fight against his hand and my bindings. I felt like he was cramming a bowling ball into my chest.
He pulled his hand out from my wound and released me from his strength. I waited for a moment. Hoping for the effects to happen soon. Nothing. I heard a sigh of disappointment from my ‘doctor’. I had to admit: I was disappointed too. Then, it started out faint. A small light. I saw it, well, felt it really. But it was there. And it grew and grew. And as it did, it burned away all the darkness in me. I felt relieved, that ogre had failed with me. I was finally going to die. This light was signaling me to move on. Ha ha! Take that freaks! You ain’t getting shit from me.
Was this what it was like for all creatures of the Undead when they were purified and finally put back in the cycle of life and death? It was warm and beautiful. I let the light be all consuming and cradle me in its warmth. I took a deep breath and let go. This world was no longer for me. It was then, I died.
____________________________
Note:
Game over.
“Would you like to continue?”
_____
I Yes I No
“I’m sorry. You have insufficient Soll and are not currently a Dark Loans card holder. We are unable to process your request at this time. We hope that you have better luck next time. Oh wait, you don’t have a next time! Silly me. Have a good afterlife.”
Author's Note
________________________________
Authors notes:
Holy crap! This took forever to get down onto paper and out of my head. I hope you all enjoyed reading this. This chapter and the prologue were extremely hard to get down and good to my likings. I found both hard because I had to essentially set up the entire plot and world. Originally I was going to try and make the prologue more extensive, but then it turned into a huge cluster **** and I eventually came to the conclusion that I was going to need a whole chapter to start off this story. But since it was supposed to be a building block for events to come, I simply chose to write a Chapter Zero.
If you can’t tell, I’m attempting to imitate some of the writing style of Fallout: Equestria. (Mainly seen at the end here.) As this is loosely based off the video game series Boktai / Lunar Knights.
Thanks for reading and I hope to get more of this out when I get the chance.
I would like to thank my editors. Reiyd, Twistedaround, MithosY and Osirisosept. (In no particular order) They helped me re-read through this jumble and fix a lot of small details.
P.S. If you’re concerned about the lack of pone. Don’t worry. Everything will get involved in the following chapters.
