Chapter 49: Death’s Door

I flew over the city of Canterlot in my ship as I overlooked the area below, scouting out a good spot to land. It's been a few minutes since takeoff and I’ve already donned my full suit of armor, charged and ready to go. I had a small squad at my disposal currently aboard my craft, and as I found a good spot I spoke up over radio.

“Attention Romeo squad. Verix have been spotted in this area possessing new tech we haven't seen on the front-lines yet. From what we’ve gathered they seem to have miniaturized their stealth fields for personal use. So keep your eyes peeled and on your EM tracker.” I spoke over comms, as multiple acknowledgements rang through in return.

I slowly let the ship down and as we hit the ground I got up and ran to the door leading to the cabin. As I opened it up I saw four soldiers preparing their gear. I made my way to the doorway and turned around, seeing three members of my squad come up to the door as well, ready to go.

“Our job is to comb the south side of Canterlot and remove any threats we come into contact with. Lethal force is authorized and we have already put a curfew in effect, so there shouldn’t be any civilians wandering about. Everyone sync your overlay with each-other, Auth code: 48263.” I finish as they all type something onto their wrist.

In a few moments a series of names come up on the left side of my visor.

Our sniper, Call-sign Viper, wielding our powerful Cobra 34 plasma sniper rifle and long range EM scope.

Our heavy weapons, Call-sign Buck, bringing with him his Hellfighter shotgun firing powerful plasma slugs, and a 40mm grenade launcher.

Our medic, Call-sign Angel, carrying her own personal semi-auto plasma rifle and enough med gel to heal four large squads three times over.

Our support, Call-sign Grace, who will be piloting the ship and keeping an eye from the sky. She waited by the door of the cockpit for us to leave.

Then me. Squad leader, Call-sign Rook, wielding a full auto plasma rifle with a plasma “Spray” under-barrel, which acts as a short range shotgun blast.

“All synced up.” I say aloud as I look back at the team. “Squads Echo and Sierra are taking care of the north side of Canterlot as they have much more ground to cover. Lucy will keep us informed of any information that needs to be shared between us. Until then keep all focus on your squad. No matter what happens, you stick together like glue, understood?” I asked getting everyone to nod. “Then let's move.”

I opened the door, and we all stepped out into the snow as it crunched under our feet. Immediately, we all changed our armor color too a white camouflage and ran to the nearest building where we took cover. Quickly, we ran along the wall of the building and around the corner into an alleyway as we heard our ship take off.

“Angel and Buck, cover our six. Viper with me.” I said as we changed formation and walked down the alleyway.

The alley ended in a T shape, so as Buck and Angel kneeled behind us watching our back, I pulled up to the right corner and watched our left as Viper looked down his scope to the right. I lifted up my short-range EM goggles and peered through them. Nothing.

“Negative contacts my direction, Viper?” I asked.

“Negative sir.” Viper quickly answered back.

I tapped his shoulder and he stood up as we both took the right and went down the alleyway, buck and angel close behind.

“Contact.” Viper voiced up, causing us all to drop low and stay still. “Three-o'clock, one target.”

I pulled up my goggles again and sure enough, there was a Verix. It was currently cloaked and down on all fours trying to stay low. They must be aware that we are in the area, as it turned towards us we dropped to the snow and held our breath. Our armor hid any thermal readings, but they could still very easily register movement.

After a few moments looking in our direction, it stood up and began to move towards the nearest house and inspect the door, before jumping to the second floor window and looking inside.

“I’ve got it in my sights sir, permission to fire.” Viper said quietly.

“Do it.” I stated.

*BZZT*

There was an almost inaudible electric discharge before the Verix’s head lurched forward and cracked the window it was looking through, before dropping to the ground in a heap.

“Tango down.” He said as it’s spine turned dark. “Kill confirmed.”

“Romeo move up!” Buck said quickly from behind us.

Without hesitation we all moved ahead, sprinting across the street and vaulting over a knee high wall between two houses and taking cover.

“What is it buck?” I asked as I slowly looked over the wall.

“Multiple bogeys, at least four were coming from the direction we were.” He replied as I pulled up my goggles.

Sure enough, four Verix spilled out of the alleyway and immediately spotted it’s fallen brother. They looked around quickly then split up into groups of two down the street, one heading left and one going right.

“Angel,” I began, “Radio in those two’s coords to grace immediately, Buck I want you to load a 40mm right up the other group’s ass.” I said getting them both to nod.

Buck and I hopped over the wall to pursue the Verix to the right as Angel and Viper stayed back to radio in instructions. We followed the two Verix as I kept an eye on them through my goggles until the sound of explosions rang out behind us. The two Verix stopped in the middle of the road and looked back, where we then hid behind a house as Buck pulled out his grenade launcher.

“Confirmed hit.” Grace relayed through the radio. “Two Verix down.”

The sound of a grenade being pushed into the launchers tube and the audible click after was all I needed to hear as I switched positions with Buck so he was at the corner. He took in a breath and wrapped around the corner.

THUNK

*BOOM*

*BBZT*

Buck flew back behind the corner as plasma singed the spot his head was moments ago.

“Are they still with us?” I asked as he quickly peeked back around and hid again, before shaking his head.

“Negative.” He answered. “Just traded shots.” He finished as I nodded.

I motioned back the way we came. “Alright let’s regroup, if they saw you there'll be more here soon.” I said as we both took off back to our positions.

In less than a minute we met back up with Viper and Angel as we hopped back over the wall and took cover.

“Any activity?” I asked getting them to shake their heads. “Good let’s-“

Before I could continue, Grace spoke up immediately.

“Romeo squad, I’m picking up multiple frequencies converging on your position. They must have spotted you, it seems like the whole city is lighting up!” She finished in a panic.

I looked next to me to my squad, and they all looked afraid.

“It’s alright. Just stay calm and stay one step ahead of them.” I began as viper pulled out his sniper and began scouting down the street. “They don’t know exactly where we are right now so let’s use that to our advantage. Grace, tell the other squads to get over here as soon as they can, and Viper come here.” I said as I got up and positioned myself next to one of the two story houses.

I anchored my feet in place and put my hands together, getting ready to lift him. Viper pulled his sniper over his shoulder and got into running position before sprinting towards me. He jumped and planted his feet in my hands as I threw them up, launching him into the air as he ran up the wall the last couple feet and grabbed onto the edge of the roof. He hefted himself up and out of sight.

“I’m in position.” He relayed back as I got back down and out of sight.

“Good, Buck I want you to go across the street and get in position somewhere over there so we can have fire on both sides.” I ordered as he nodded and vaulted over into a sprint.

“GET DOWN!” Viper yelled over comms as Buck immediately hit the ground.

He planted himself deep into the snow in the center of the road, barely even noticeable and stayed completely still.

“What do you see?!” I asked as I turned the corner and pulled up my goggles.

Immediately, my whole vision lit up. There must have been at least twenty of them coming down the road. Half of them were walking down the street and some of them were crawling along the walls, their metal fingers digging into the brick.

I looked back over to buck, and motioned for him to stay absolutely still. He was almost completely invisible in the few feet deep snow with more falling from the sky covering him even more.

“Don’t. Move. You’ll be dead before you even make it across.” I said over comms as I watched him hold his gun under his chest, hiding it from sight.

“What do we do?” Angel asked as I slowly brought myself back down behind the half wall for cover and shook my head.

“Too many, stay down.” I answered as she hesitantly nodded and lowered herself behind the wall.

In a matter of moments I could hear the sound of metal against stone as they approached. I slowly looked over the wall and from this distance I could make out their shimmers without the goggles. Buck was practically covered in snow at this point as they neared him.

’What the hell is taking the other squads so long?’I thought as they came up to where buck was hiding.

They all stopped suddenly around Buck, and just stood there. On the left side on my HUD Buck’s name started pulsing red with a danger sign next to it.

He was starting to panic.

“Buck, calm down. They haven't seen you yet... just stay still.” I said as there was a sound of screeching metal.

The dead body of the Verix we had killed here before was picked up and inspected, before all of them turned towards the alleyway we came from and swarmed down it. Buck’s name slowly began to go back to green as Viper gave an all clear.

Viper jumped down from the building next to me and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Holy fuck... I thought I was a goner.” Buck said as he stood back up and turned back towards us.

*SHINK*

In an instant, a long bloody blade shot out of Buck’s chest as he was lifted into the air, screaming in pain.

“CONTACT! OPEN FIRE!” I shouted as I readied my weapon.

I opened fire on the thing holding Buck in the air and it screeched in pain, dropping him down as it’s cloak dropped and was quickly dispatched by Angel with a shot to the head.

I vaulted over the wall and ran to buck, grabbing him by a spot on his back and dragging him back to our position. I hefted him over the wall as he moaned in pain, before hitting the ground on the other side. Angel immediately began tending to his wounds as I heard more scraping behind me.

“Shit! Stay down!” I said back to them as I took off down the street, driving attention away from my squad, hoping they don’t notice them.

Almost immediately plasma starts streaking all around me, my shield taking hit after hit and quickly reducing it.

“Requesting air support on my position! I repeat I need air support!” I yelled into my radio as I came up on a corner.

I reached out with my right hand and grabbed onto the corner, swinging myself around it with my momentum and used it to propel myself forward, keeping up my sprint. I took a chance and looked behind me, just in time to see the street light up with explosions as Grace fired round after round into the street. The Verix remained cloaked so we were shooting into the dark, but from the metallic screams I could hear we must have nailed a few.

I came up on another corner and did the same thing again, and as I went around I could see on the corner of my eye lots of shimmering figures getting closer to me. I wrapped around the corner and grabbed onto the wall, digging my hands into it and climbing it effortlessly. I gave one final heave and launched myself the last few feet and landed with a roll, and continued running on the rooftop.

Not long after the sound of clanging was right behind me as they all started climbing the buildings as I jumped from rooftop to rooftop. I heard some heavy footsteps closing in behind me followed by a screech, as I spun around and Activated my under-barrel. My rifle let out a loud discharge and a figure not even a couple feet away from me exploded into blue liquid and plasma.

I swapped back to my main gun and started spraying all around me as they came over the edges of the building. To my right, my left, behind me. I was surrounded. I was holding them off, just barely, until my weapon clicked empty.

I frantically looked around for a way to run, but I saw nothing but shimmering figures emerging from the edges of the building. One directly to my right made it all the way first, just before it exploded and showered it’s blood all over the Verix around it attempting to climb up.

“Seven.” Viper sounded through comms as another exploded. “Eight.”

I took this chance, and sprinted towards where it had been standing, leaping into the air over them and onto the next building. I took a direct shot to the back of my head, causing my shields to fully deplete and cause me to stumble. Before I could re-orient myself, I tripped over the edge of the building and plummeted towards the alleyway ground.

“FUCK!” I yelled as I reached out and dug my hands into the wall to slow my fall.

It didn’t do much good as I slammed the ground with a lot of force, with a loud crack. I could feel my ears ringing as I rolled myself over and my left arm pulsed in pain. From above, I could see multiple Verix jump over the edge, covered in blue blood from their fallen brothers.

They slammed into the ground with enough force to crack the stones below them. I jumped to my feet, pain coursing through my body and readied myself. The four of them surrounded me and I could swear, that even through their cloaking... I could feel their red eyes looking straight into me.

Then they uncloaked.

These Verix looked different then any other I had seen. They were completely black, instead of chromatic. Their arms ended in talons with a blade above their wrist which extended out as it crackled with energy on the end.

‘Plasma tipped blades, that’s how they cut through Buck’s shielding so easily.’ I thought as the one in front of me tilted it’s head a bit.

“Well come on then. I haven't got all night.” I said with as much malice as I could muster.

In reality I was terrified. I’ve taken on multiple Verix on my own before... even in CQC, but not while this injured. I was pretty sure my left arm was broken. Either way my suit should still assist me with that... but it’s gonna be one hell of a painful experience.

In an instant, they all leaped at me. I brought my rifle up and blocked an overhead attack from the front, before quickly moving to the right. Swipes from the back and left of me went clean past, but the Verix on my right got a hit on my left shoulder. The blade sliced right through my armor and I could feel it burn right into my skin.

I yelped in pain as I spun around and fired a plasma splash shot at him, obliterating him on the spot before jumping back and avoiding another slash. I aimed my rifle and unloaded another couple splash shots, killing two more but missing the third one as it leaped to the right and grappled itself to the wall.

It ran on all fours towards me as I took aim at it and shot at it again causing it to jump across to the other wall, then straight at me. It swiped at me, knocking my rifle from my hands and making me stumble back. I swung my right arm, knocking aside it’s next attack at the cost of flaying my forearm then gave a hard kick, knocking it over.

As it fell to the ground, and screeched I looked around for the nearest weapon. The only thing closest to me being a body of one of the Verix. I looked back at the enemy as it started to regain its footing.

“Fuck it!” I yelled as I ran over and grabbed the blade affixed to it’s wrist, before twisting it and tearing it off.

I spun back around just in time as it rushed me, bringing both blades down hard as I raised mine up to block it, making a loud clang. The blade started to dig into my suit’s gloves then into my hands as I held it, plasma singing my skin. I ignored the pain and pushed forward, shoving it away and causing it to backpedal.

Taking this chance, I jumped forward and swung downwards, just barely making contact with it’s head as I burned a line down between its eyes. It pulled its arms back for another strike and I attempted to jump back in time.

*SHINK*

My eyes widened as it sank it’s blades into my stomach, pushing them deeper and deeper into me until it’s knuckles were touching my suit. I quickly lifted the blade in my hands and plunged it through bottom of it’s jaw and into it’s head. It attempted to back away as I did, but it was too late. As I drove the blade into its skull, it went limp and fell, pulling the blades forcefully out of my body.

I gasped, and fell to my knees as blood poured out of my suit. I could feel myself getting colder as the warm liquid was starting to pool around me. I fell back onto the ground, and started gasping for air as I felt my throat start to fill with liquid.

“HE’S OVER HERE!” Shouted a voice as Angel appeared at the edge of my vision as I stared at the sky.

She hit the ground fast and started rummaging through her bag as she pulled out some med-gel. I could feel my stomach get colder as she sprayed the contents of the canister onto it, and my vision started to darken around the edges.

“I-I...” I tried to say, as blood gurgled in my throat. “I-I cant...” I attempted to form a sentence as I tried to push myself up, before I fell back and darkness consumed me and everything went cold.

Author's Note

REMEMBER TO LEAVE A LIKE/FAV IF YOU ENJOYED!

Click here for the stories ask.fm page! Ask the characters whatever you wish!