fallout equestria: Paradiseby dquirogaChaptersch.1 part 1: bad company/ New assignment: project G.A.T.E./ Welcome to the packch. 1 part 2: the invitation/ prepare for dimensional travel/ dead upon arrivalch.1 part 3: echoes of the past/ the dead still walk/ search and rescuech. 1 part 4: a single hello (end)prologue ch.1 part 1: bad company/ New assignment: project G.A.T.E./ Welcome to the packBad company (old time rock and roll) sand. That’s all I ever see now. Patrolling the same roads every day, you tend to see everything it had to offer. After passing the abandoned shack, I knew we were a couple of miles from the checkpoint. Just a small excuse for a city in the middle of a desert. Since it was close to the American base, command thought it would be a great idea to maintain watch over the town. Hoping that the American presence would refrain any hostilities from the locals. Yeah, what bullsh#t. we’ve been shot at twice for the past month. ‘(sigh) god, I hate Mondays… and there’s the town.’ There isn’t much to say about it. Hell, I didn’t even bother to remember the name of it. The buildings were mostly the same. White or tan as their color scheme, one story with your occasional two, and old, like it was built during the 1900’s and stayed that way. The main road was wide enough for a tank to come through, but its linier and can easily lay IED’s or ambushes. If you want to get anywhere in this town, you need to take the narrow alleys. However, there’s no way our Humvees are fitting through there; so it’s the main road for us. The layout of the town is one thing, but the people are another. I shouldn’t be surprised by their attitude towards us. Everywhere you turn, you just get that look. They’re always watching. You can tell most of these guys are insurgents by their looks alone, but, since none of them are carrying any weapons, we aren’t authorized to engage. I’ve already placed my concerns with command, but their response is always the same. We understand the dangers and risks, but we must follow regulations. They’ve been mostly docile for the past week, but that only puts me more on edge. “mark one this is mark two, do you copy over.” The transmission from the Humvees radio snapped me out of my thoughts. I reached down for the radio without tearing my gaze from the town. “mark two this is mark one, I hear you over.” After releasing the talk switch, I momentarily looked over at the side mirror, giving me a view of mark 2’s Humvee. “yeah, I have a driver here that has questions that I know you can answer better than me.” I groaned, having a hunch of what’s going to be asked. “yeah what is it?” I begrudgingly asked. “… he’s asking about Cuba.” My eye twitched, as sudden images flashed through my mind. Images that I would rather have forgotten. “tell him that it’s a need to know basis, and, if there isn’t anything important that needs to be said, I suggest you keep radio silence from here on out.” I placed the mic back on its holster, with a bit more force then needed. I continued to look out the window, not noticing the look my driver was giving me. ‘somebody just had to bring that up.’ I took a deep breath and returned my focus outside. At that moment, I noticed a man holding a camera and was looking right at us. Most people would have ignored it, but I’ve been in long enough to know something was up. I quickly picked up my mic once more and announced my concern. “mark 2, this is mark 1, did you have eyes on that camera man?” “this is mark 2, yeah I’ve seen him.” Based on the tone, I knew we had the same thought in mind. “keep your eyes open. I think we’re about to run into some trouble.” After that I looked at my driver and told him to speed up. Suddenly, I heard a loud crack as his head snapped back from a rifle round that went through the front window and into his head. I cursed inwardly but the gunfire from the 50 cal above me drowned it out. The Humvee drove uncontrollably over the curve and into one of the buildings. “everyone out and around the back!” I yelled towards the other passengers in the Humvee, which was just another rifle man. After exiting the vehicle, I quickly made my way towards the back. The sounds of gunfire and screams of bystanders clouded my ears. Once I was at the rear of the Humvee, I looked over to see the other marine on the other side, but our gunner was still shooting blindly at the sniper’s location. I tried to get his attention, but I was too late. Another loud crack was heard in the distance, as the gunner’s body jerked with a bit of blood spraying out of his back. His body then collapsed into the Humvee, leaving the 50 cal unmanned. “damn!” I didn’t have time to linger as I looked at the other Humvee. The occupants had followed our example and hid behind their vehicle. Their gunner wasn’t present either, probably taking refuge within. “Nathan!” I called out to the second Humvee. “yeah?!” he responded unenthusiastically. “did you call command yet?” I waited for a bit before her responded. “… yeah but they’re not responding!” I cursed under my breath after hearing that. ‘why do they even have radios if they’re not going to answer the damn phone.’ I didn’t have time to wait for command to pick up. We needed to take out that sniper before the locals get to riled up. Looking ahead of me, I see one of those two story buildings that had a side window with the view of the whole street. Nodding, I called out to Nathan again, telling him my plan. “private, I’m going to need you to hold down the fort. Just keep your head down and you’ll be fine.” With that said, I began to count to three. “one…two… three!” I sprinted towards the entrance, hearing bursts of gunfire behind me. Once I got to the door, I didn’t even bother with the handle, as I smashed right through it. I brought my rifle up making sure the building was clear. Luckily for me, it seemed empty. I made my way up the stairs, and towards the room where the window was. Being careful not to be seen, I took cover next to it, giving me the view of the Humvees and the road ahead. Digging through one of my side pockets, I peeked over towards the other buildings, trying to figure out where the shooter was hiding. Once I felt what I was looking for, I pulled out an optic scope. Giving up on my attempt to find him, I focused on attaching the scope to my rifle. Making sure it was in the right place, I fastened it and adjusted the distance. Once that was done, I looked around the room for a flat surface to steady myself on. Unfortunately, the only furniture in the room was the bed. Moving it into place, I got into position, keeping my aim down the road. However, I still had the problem of locating the sniper. As I chewed the side of my mouth, I thought about how to lure him out. I reached for my side radio, clicking the receiver. “hey Nathan, how you holding up?” “oh, don’t mind us, just take your sweet @ss time why won’t ya.” I rolled my eyes, hearing the impatience in his voice. “stop your whining, I need your help.” I continued to look from window to window with no success. “yeah, what is it?” After explaining what I want him to do, I could tell he wasn’t liking it. “why is it that I’m always the one risking my @ss.” “next time we’ll trade spots alright, but, right now, I need a runner.” There was a bit of a pause before he responded. “you better not miss.” I little smirk appeared in my face after hearing that. ‘when do I ever.’ The silence only lasted for a few minutes before they began to fire at the buildings ahead of us. I then see Nathan sprinting ahead towards the fifth building. The gunfire stopped, leaving Nathan open for a free shot. ‘come on; take the bait.’ I remained vigilant, keeping an eye on as many buildings as I could. Then I see it. The flash of gunfire. Luckily, he missed Nathan by an inch, as he dived into cover. ‘gotcha.’ I took a deep breath. As I slowly let it out, I pulled the trigger. New assignment: project G.A.T.E. The trip back was met with silence. With two dead and the rest shaken, there wasn’t much to cheer for after taking out that sniper. Once we got back to base, the medics quickly took care of the deceased. The rest of us thought it was best to take a breather. Unfortunately, I wasn’t part of that group. I was ordered to go meet with the CO, which is why I’m standing in front of his door. ‘alright let’s get this over with.’ I knocked on it waiting patiently for permission to come in. “enter!” I could already tell based on his tone, he’s not happy. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Once I was inside, I closed it and stood at attention. Sitting at his desk was the colonel. He was “by the books” kind of guy with a knack for being a pain in the @ss. In other words, we don’t get along. Right now, he seems more intrigued by the set of documents within a vanilla folder then me. Looking at the folders insignia, it didn’t seem like the unclassified kind. It was most likely beyond my paygrade; so, I gladly kept to myself. “staff sergeant David, reporting as requested, sir.” After announcing myself, he simply eyed me for a second then looked back at the documents. This could only mean one of two things, either he’s mad or he never wanted to see me. As I’m thinking about it, I think it would be a little of both. Once he put them down, he gave me a stern look. “staff sergeant, mind explaining to me why two of my marines are being sent home in coffins, and the neighbors are crying out for our blood?” at that moment, I realized it was going to be one of those conversations. ‘this day is just getting better and better.’ “sir, during our patrol we encountered an enemy sniper within the town limits. He took down the two marines before we could get to him.” My explanation didn’t deter him from his foul mood. Honestly, I didn’t think it would. “why didn’t you call for support?” he asked, sounding more accusing. “we tried sir, but no one would answer. I couldn’t wait around for things to get worse.” His stare became intense after I said that. “that doesn’t give you the right to go guns free within town limits. We are a peace keeping force, not a hunting party.” The silence returned after that. He leaned back into his chair, taking a deep breath to calm himself. I knew that at this point staying quiet was the best approach, even if I had plenty of things to say. ‘military baring David.’ He seemed to be eyeing the folder again, probably clearing his thoughts. “as much as I like arguing about foreign policy, that’s not why I called you here.” I looked at him questioningly, “it seems as if god had answered our prayers. You and your team are being reassigned.” He grabs the folder and proceeds to hand it to me. I was temporarily stunned, as the news took me by surprise. I quickly reached for the folder, taking it from his hand. I stared at the insignia on it. It was a shape of a dog’s head with the words “wolf pack” under it in bold letters. I slowly opened it, and the first thing I see is the word “classified” stamped on the front page. It was over the title which was also in bold. “project: G.A.T.E.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I entered the barracks with the folder in hand. I could feel the stress of the day taking its toll. At this point, I would rather get in my rack, but there is still one more thing I got to do. Once I got in the lounge area, I see Nathan sprawled out on the couch sleeping. On the other side, I see Vincent on his laptop. “I see you survived another encounter.” He averted his gaze towards me, acknowledging me, “I heard it was rough out there. Sorry I couldn’t make it.” “don’t worry about it. Just be glad you didn’t. Lost two guys on that route.” I said stifling a sigh. “yeah Nathan told me about it. We keep telling them that area is to dangerous, but they never listen.” He went back to his laptop after that. “well… there’s more.” I walked around to take a seat. I smacked Nathan’s leg, startling him from his sleep. He was about to protest before I interrupted him. “you need to hear this.” “what, their kicking us out?” I chuckled at that. “no worse… we’re being reassigned.” I heard them groan in annoyance. “we practically just got here and they’re already trying to get rid of us.” Vincent complained while Nathan shook his head in agreement. “where are we going anyway?” I then pulled out the folder, and slapped it on the table. They both eyed it for a bit before Vincent reached for it. After opening it, his eyes widen in surprise, probably from seeing the word “classified” on the front page. I decided at this point to explain. “this assignment is coming straight from the top. We’ve been selectively chosen for this mission, which that I was told was off the records.” Nathan was taking some time to wrap his mind around what I was saying, while Vincent continued to read. “operation: G.A.T.E.?” I took a deep breath for what I’m about to say next. “global alliance towards the extraterrestrial.” They both looked at me in shock. “let me get this straight, are we talking about aliens here?” Nathan looked at me skeptically. “… I don’t know, the documents were pretty vague. For the most part, we’ll be acting as security detail for a government funded operation near the southern peninsula. The rest just state the importance of the secrecy of the operation, and the… consequence should we break it. At this very moment, we are being monitored.” They were silent after that. Nathan practically slouched on the couch unsure of what to think, and Vincent did the same. “listen, I know this sounds a bit much, and it’s not what we signed up for. There is no repercussion for backing down. Hell, I wouldn’t put it against you. You’ll be reassigned accordingly… I’m going.” That got their attention, looking at me like I was crazy, “I know, it’s just… I have this feeling that I need to do this. Like god is giving me this opportunity or something.” There was nothing more I had to say after that. The room fell deathly silent, and no one wanted to break it. I don’t blame them though. There was no obligation after all. Nathan suddenly groaned loudly, gaining my attention. “so… when do we need to pack.” Nathan had a grin on his face while Vincent simply nodded on agreement. I couldn’t help but crack a smile of my own. Welcome to the pack Looking out a window, a thought came to me. ‘what could have been worse than a scorching desert? How about a freezing tundra near the southern peninsula?’ After we accepted the orders, our means for transportation had been specific. We were even interviewed on the ship ride here. The questions were simple enough, but, when we asked about our orders, they told us everything will be explained on sight. They weren’t kidding about the secrecy. Hell, they won’t even tell us where we’re going. During our travel through the arctic ocean, we were told to take a helicopter to our next destination. Now that ride was questionable. ‘never again.’ After an hour of flying through what would be considered a blizzard, we ended up where we are now. traveling through this frozen hell inside a Bandvagn. I have nothing against the cold, but, transitioning from one environment to another, can be quite annoying. However, my squad mates have different opinions. If their constant complaints about the cold were any indication, they probably don’t approve. I don’t blame them though. You know what they say. Black people don’t do cold. “hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.” I looked over at Vincent as he was eyeing both of us, “a secret operation, orders for security detail, and, on top of all of that, located in one of the most isolated regions in the world. Do any of you feel discourage about any of this?” “trust me, I’ve been thinking about that since we got on that boat.” I said, looking back out the ice crusted window. “I don’t know about you guys, but, if this turns out like those movies, I aint going to be the first one to go.” We both looked at Nathan with unamused stares, “what just sayin.” We were interrupted by the sliding door that leads to the driver’s seat. “we’re about to get there; so, I suggest you get your papers out.” Our driver said after closing the slide door. We did as we were told and waited patiently. Looking out the window, I noticed shapes of buildings through the dense snow but I couldn’t see much else. After a while, we were angling downwards. I soon realized we’re entering an underground facility. ‘well we can cross that off our trope list.’ Once inside, it was clear that we entered a hanger bay. There were vehicles and boxes of supplies scattered all around. Based on the look of things this was a military institution. The bandvagn suddenly came to an abrupt stop, silencing the vehicles engine. Then the driver came by and opened the door for us. (winter wonderland- Bing Crosby) as we disembarked, the first thing that came to mind was the music that played through the intercoms. “you must be our new recruits.” I looked over to see a man wearing a green turtle neck, camo cargo pants, and a green beret with the same wolf insignia. “the names Sargent Barnaby, European division. I’ll be your tour guide for this afternoon.” He offered a hand for a friendly shake which we all accepted in kind. “staff Sargent David, this is Sargent Nathan and Sargent Vincent.” I said while, handing him my papers. “keep it. I don’t do paper work. We’ll be running into those chaps later.” He began to walk away, motioning us to follow. As we made our way through the hanger bay, I looked around at the other personnel. Some are working maintenance on some of the vehicles and others are just moving crates. There was also machinery that I didn’t recognize. So far, things seem quite normal for a secret military base. We went through a hatch door that lead us to a concrete hallway with LV lighting. I could still hear the music, echoing through the halls. “what’s with the Christmas music?” I asked. “oh that, well the CO thought it would be a great idea to play such things to lighten up the place.” He said opening a hatch that lead to the mess room. “but it’s the middle of October.” Nathan countered. “yeah it does seem out of place, but it’s always snowing so who could tell the difference.” He said, chuckling a bit. After going through other hallways, I notice that the underground system connects with all the other buildings outside. I also found out that there’s another level further underground. ‘I’m guessing what’s down there is the reason why we’re here.’ We finally made it to administration and delivered our papers. Once we were in the system, they gave us access, identification cards. After that, Barnaby took us through another set of hallways till we reached our quarters. “blimy that took longer than I thought. Anyway, here is your home away from home.” The room was quite spacious, having bunkbeds on the side of the wall and tables with chairs on the other. There were a few people around that are either in the racks or doing whatever at the tables. “you can choose any rack, most are unoccupied anyway.” He explained, “while you’re at it, I could introduce you to some of the crew.” After putting our bags on the racks that we choose, he began to walk towards one of the guys who’s at the table. “this here is Hyousuke, Asian division. One of the great warriors japan had to offer.” He looked up from the book he was reading and gave Barnaby an unamused look. “I see you are making yourself useful for once.” He said before looking at us, “the new recruit’s I presume?” he proceeded to close his book and got up. We shook hands and gave him our names. “it is an honor to meet you, and I am looking forward to working with you.” With that said, he sat back down and went back to his book. “how come you never greeted me like that?” Barnaby protested. “because I knew you’ll be annoying the moment I’ve seen you.” He said nonchalantly. Barnaby simply waved him off, uttering a small insult, and moved on. “those two over there are Borya and Lyosha from the Russian division.” He said pointing at the two in their racks, “the others may be in the gym and lieutenant Fergus may be in a meeting. He’s our commanding officer, if you were wondering.” “how many of us are there?” I asked. “there’s about three in each division.” He said, ‘so that makes twelve of us. That’s a lot of numbers for one squad.’ “welcome to wolf pack.” Author's Note well here it goes, like usual character introduction hope you like ch. 1 part 2: the invitation/ prepare for dimensional travel/ dead upon arrivalThe invitation (blue Christmas) it’s been two weeks since we’ve been integrated here. it took us three days to get the layout of the place, and, even then, we still haven’t explored the whole base. The lower level was completely restricted to us and almost all the other personnel. The only people I’ve seen go down there are the scientist and a select few engineers. They’ve been very hushed about what goes on down there. I eventually gave up on the idea. ‘don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.’ I decide to focus on the other members of the team. The European division had Barnaby who was the communications expert, butch an expert rifleman, and lieutenant Fergus the leader of our group. The Russian division was Kazimir the heavy weapons expert and mechanic, and the twins Borya and Lyosha. They were both excellent riflemen and quite a dangerous duo. The Asian division had Guo a technician expert, Fan another rifleman, and Hyousuke. I couldn’t find out much about his background but he was good with a sniper rifle and was also an expert on close quarters combat. There was a rumor that he may have been an assassin of sorts. He usually just avoids the subject all together and keeps to himself. Today we were all called in for a briefing. Since we’ve been here, there was no information about our orders or what goes on here. like everyone else, we were told to be ready when the time comes. Honestly, it’s about time they told us something. We didn’t have to wait long, as three people walked in. two of them I recognized as the lieutenant and commander Higgon, but the third was a scientist that I haven’t seen before. We all stood at attention for the higher ranks. After he told us to sit down, he decided to begin the meeting. “gentlemen, you are here today because the nations of the world believe that you are the best they had to offer for this mission. You may be wondering what that may be. I would like you to give professor Hubbard your undivided attention.” He waved his hand for the professor to step forward. The professor looked like your stereotypical scientist. Lab coat, glasses, and a professional demeanor. ‘You’ve seen one; you’ve seen them all.’ “thank you, commander. About eight years ago, a satellite installation encountered an anomaly.” As he speaks the lights begin to dim and a projection displayed an image of the facility he spoke of, “it caused an extreme surge of energy, affecting all the systems within the facility. Luckily this event was recorded via camera.” He stepped aside, as the video he spoke of, began to play. At first, you would think you’re watching a scene from a cheesy sci-fi flick, but this wasn’t a movie. The video ended when the camera man proclaimed seeing something at the center of the room. ‘talk about a cliff hanger.’ “the object in question was a container.” The image of this container was displayed on the projector. It looked like a golden tube with the symbol of the sun and moon mixed together. “after much study and analyzing, the container was deemed safe to open. Within it was a scroll.” The image then changed to one of those rolled up scrolls you’ll find in a Greek museum. However, the shocking part was that the words were written in English and in cursive no less. To make it easier to read, the projector displayed what was written in fine print. “greetings other beings. if you are reading this, then project paradise was a success. I am the overseer, and, behalf of the princesses of our great nation, I humbly offer you our friendship. My dream soon is to be able to meet face to face and to learn from each other. Until then, I look forward to your response. Long live the princesses, Long live Equestria.” I heard a lot of murmuring, as I was sure that everyone read the message. However, my mind was occupied with one word. ‘Equestria, what kind of name is that?’ “I am sure you have many questions, but please save them for the end.” Everyone quieted down as we brought our attention back to the professor, “after analyzing this message, we have come with these facts. We have another civilization attempting to contact us in the form known as project paradise, and lead by someone known as the overseer. The name of the nation is known as Equestria and may be in a form of some sort of diarchy. Their goals are vague, but their motivation is unknown. The chosen nations of the world had been presented with this information, and, after much debate, they agreed to put together a team whose purpose will be to assess the relations of this civilization, and to establish a connection between our worlds. This will be known as project G.A.T.E.” The projection soon changed to images of a machine and the wolf pack logo on the top left corner. The machine was a large ring that is connected to multiple tubes that spread out to other machines, and was held up by large beams, keeping it in place. It was a bit elevated to make room for the tubes, and there was a stair case leading up to it. “for many years, we had no way to connect ourselves with this other world… until now. With the frequencies, we encountered during first contact, we could create a portal to the other world. You have all been selected to make the greatest leap ever forgone by mankind. You will be known as wolf pack, and you will make first contact.” The projector was soon turned off and the room was lit up once more. Now, we could ask our questions. ` “so, when we get to the other side, how do we get back?” Barnaby asked. “leave that to me. I will be assisted with six others to reconnect us to our portal. I am sure the other world had succeeded on the basics. We simply have to finish it.” Kazimir was next to ask. “how much equipment will we be taking?” “you can take with you any gear or weapon you desire, and will also be issued some standard weaponry and ammunition. You are our security force after all. For supplies, we will have three months’ worth of food and water, a purifier, and standard survival gear. If the situation becomes bleak, we could ration our supplies to last longer.” At that point, I decided to ask my question. “what happens if this civilization turns out to be hostile?” “… if the situation calls for it, I am confident that you can handle yourselves, but, if this civilization has any intentions to invade our world, we must place the safety of our world the top priority by severing all connections between us. I truly hope it does not come to that.” Everyone was silent, as all the risks began to pile. At that point, we realized how much we could lose. The commander took the opportunity to step forward. “men, I understand your concerns… but understand that the nations of the world have considered this mission of upmost importance. I have complete confidence that you will accomplish this mission. In my absence, lieutenant Fergus will oversee the operation, but, above all else, I wish you to do what is right.” The commander then waved the lieutenant to take the lead. "Alright men, at 0800 I expect you all to be ready to go. At 0900 we will begin the operation. Get a good night’s rest, it will be a long day tomorrow.” Prepare for dimensional travel (let it snow) I strapped on my leg brace completing my uniform. I looked myself over the mirror. I had a tactical Kevlar vest and gloves, arm and leg braces, Kevlar helmet, elbow guards, a side pack, gasmask, pistol holster, and knee guards. I was practically the definition of a one-man army. Satisfied, a grabbed my backpack, which was filled with all kinds of supplies and headed out. I made my way towards the hanger bay, hearing the familiar Christmas music playing in the background. After entering, I noticed the rest of the group at the center, collecting the requested weaponry we asked for. Going ahead towards my end of the table, I see a case with my name written on top. I opened it revealing the very weapon I requested; the FN Scar. Examining my weapon further, I recognized that it was the MK 16 series. Most of the attachments were standard: medium barrel, 30 round magazines, and polymer stock. However, the special features include, my person favorite, acog scope, and a beautiful grenade launcher. ‘I guess Christmas came early this year.’ Once I was done ogling over my weapon, I looked back into the case to see whatever I was given. There were five maps, five grenade rounds, three of which are standard and the others are heat, a shoulder strap, two hand grenades, and a E-AA corp 10 mm pistol with five mags to spare. Feeling satisfied, I adorned my gear and made my way towards the elevator along with the others. The elevator, that leads to the lower level, wasn’t much to look at other than its size. It wasn’t surprising due to the large crates they seem to send down. There was plenty of room for all of us. After we got inside and began our descent, I decided to look at the others. Nathan and Vincent had G36C, all three members of the European division had a FAMAS, Borya and Lyosha had AK74s, Kazimir had a heavy hitting PKM, Gao and Fan had Howa type 89s, and Hyousuke had a cheytac M200. ‘damn I’ve only seen those on TV. I guess they’re not sparing any expense… wait, is that a sword on his back?’ I squinted my eyes to see further. My efforts were proven successful as I could see a handle of a sword, getting behind his back. ‘talk about clichéd, but I’m not going to say sh#t. I actually like living.’ Overall, I considered ourselves the most equipped group of individuals this world will probably never see. Such is the life of secrecy. After a few minutes, the elevator finally made it to the second level. The elevator doors opened, revealing the very room we were briefed about. Just like in the pictures, a circular machine that was slightly elevated and in the center of the room. There were multiple cables connected to it, leading to other systems around the room. There were many personnel, engineers, and scientists alike, scattered across the room. Upon further inspection, I noticed an observation deck on the top corner of the room. I could see people working on computers, and the commander himself monitoring everything that goes on. “you’ve arrived, and just in time to. We were about to begin.” I looked over to see professor Hubbard. He was wearing a grey jumper with a G.A.T.E. logo patched on the left side of his chest. Looking around I noticed a few others wearing the same thing. ‘they must be the scientists that are coming with us.’ “wouldn’t miss it for the world professor.” The lieutenant said giving him a handshake. “I assume your equipment are in order?” he asked. “armed and ready to go.” The lieutenant replied, tapping his weapon for emphasis. “splendid! We will be opening the portal in a couple of minutes. I suggest you act quickly on final preparations.” With that said, he walked off to another part of the room. The lieutenant didn’t delay as he barked off orders to us. The Russians were to tale the trunk containing the extra armaments and ammunition, Nathan and Vincent will be taking the rations and supplies, and the rest of us will be acting as security. We all then separated to attend to our assigned duties. I decided to take a closer look at the teleporter. Looking over it, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. “pretty neat aint it.” I looked over to see another scientist. He had white tone skin and shaggy hair, and his uniform was like the others except for a patch of a crashed helicopter with text saying “so far so good”. He seemed to perceive a more casual demeanor. He then looked at me and gave me a friendly smile. “I’m Steven, the professor’s assistant and one of the original members of this project.” His behavior was minorly refreshing that I couldn’t help but return the favor. “you know, I never thought in a million years I would find myself here.” he said looking back at the teleporter. “weren’t you working here before all this?” I asked quizzically. “heh yeah… but I was just here for the pay. I didn’t really believe we would actually find anything, yet here we are.” He said chuckling a bit. We continued to stand there while everyone else were making final preparations. “can I ask you something?” I gave him a nod to continue, “if things do go to sh#t, you can protect us, right?” I looked over to him with a skeptical look. “just worry about getting us home.” He simply nodded, thinking that was all he was going to get. It was at this point an intercom message proclaimed that the activation of the teleporter was about to commence. We all went to our respective positions and waited. The scientists were working at many of the terminals in the room. Whoever was on the intercom was going through some sort of systematic check list. I couldn’t understand most of it, but I didn’t have to. “all systems check, prepare for trans dimensional connection.” After that, many of the lights went out, leaving the room in darkness. We were then ordered to put our masks on. “connecting in 10…9…8” the machine whirred to life, giving out a slight rumble. “7…6…5” sparks of electricity began to leak out from the sides while it was building up energy. “4…3” the electricity was soon directed to the center, forming a blue ball of energy that was growing. “2…1” it then exploded into a bright light, blinding everyone in the room. As my eyes adjusted, I didn’t see a room filled with blown up servers or machinery. Instead, I see a blue portal that the transporter opened. I looked at it in awe as I began to realize. ‘my god, they did it.’ “connection complete. Portal stability at 97%.” The portal looked like a blue wall of energy lighting up the room in a blue hue. “the portal is drastically losing power; you must go now!” I heard the commander yell out through the intercom. The lieutenant ordered us all to move forward. The first ones to go was him, Barnaby, and Hyousuke. they only hesitated for a second before they went straight through. Within seconds they were gone. Those who were carrying the ammunitions were next, then the ones with the supplies, and finally it was our turn. As I stepped onto the platform, I could feel my heart racing. I was afraid, but I kept moving forward. I reached out with my shaky hand and time seemed to have slowed. My fingers were the first to go through, feeling nothing from it. my arm was next, still feeling nothing. Soon my whole body went through. I was blinded by white, everything went silent, and I couldn’t even feel myself move. However, the peace didn’t last long. I began to get flashes of images. They were appearing so fast I couldn’t make them out, but most of them had a familiar theme. They were images of war as many were images of explosions, gunfire, burning cities, ruined landscapes, and there was death. I could hear screams of terror and agony, coming from all around me. then my vision was filled with green fire, consuming everything it touches. Then it all went silent as my vision was filled with white once more. “…please…save them.” Dead upon arrival Right at that moment I began to feel my body jerked forward. It took all my concentration not to keel over, and this major headache I was feeling wasn’t helping. I placed my hand over my head, trying to compose myself. just as it came, the pain went away. ‘what the f@ck was that?’ as I looked forward, I froze. This was not the same room we were in before. Instead of being filled with scientists and engineers at work, the room was completely void of life, with us as the only occupants. With the glow of both the portal and the flashlights, I began to examine the room in more detail. The equipment and machinery here were different, and, not to mention, extremely old. The room was filled with cobwebs and rusted metal plating. the floor was littered with decayed debris, and it looked murky under the broken pipes on the ceiling. It’s as if this place had been abandoned for years. The temperature within the room was cold, adding how empty the place felt. As I looked behind me, I came to notice that even the teleporter looked different. The shape was similar, but the design of rusted metal and the lack of wiring tubes and support beams made it look like it could fall apart at any moment. ‘how is it still functional?’ Just as the last of our crew walked through the portal, it suddenly dissipated into nothing, leaving our flashlights to illuminate the room. ‘no turning back now.’ “yo professor, did we transport ourselves into the future?” I heard Steven ask, while looking around the room. “it’s a possibility, but highly unlikely. None of the equipment here resembles anything we used, the room itself is different in structure, even the atmosphere feels wrong.” The professor response only confirms my suspicions. Taking closer inspection of one of the computers, it looks like something you’ll find in the 1900’s. the screen looked like it had a built-in monitor in the back, and the keyboard was oddly larger but still similar. However, I noticed there aren’t any wires for the monitor to connect to an outlet. ‘maybe it has a built-in power source.’ “hey comrades, I believe I found a way out!” I looked over to see Kazimir across the room. As we all gathered around him, I noticed that the door was a sliding door bearing the logo “STABLE 0” on the center. Next to it looked like a terminal of some kind. As I walked up to it, I was surprised to hear the monitor come to life. The screen seemed to be displaying a boot up procedure, and then a keyboard appeared below it. the screen then displayed “enter password” in bold letters. “hey Vincent, come here.” I called over, knowing his knowledge on computer far outweigh my own. “yeah, what is- wow.” He looked at the screen, wondering how something still works. “think you can bypass?” he began to rub his hands at the challenge. “alright, let’s see what we have here.” I watched as he typed away, placing in codes that I have no knowledge of. Suddenly, the screen went blank, showing the words “booting up” on the top left corner. Then row upon row of symbols mixed in with words appeared on the screen. Vincent hummed in thought, as he looked upon the screen with a critical eye. “any luck?” I asked not comprehending what’s on the screen. “just seeing what I’m dealing with here, but if it’s what I think it is…” he began to type a group of symbols onto the screen. Once he pressed enter one of the words disappeared form the screen. He began doing it multiple times, typing different sets of symbols. One by one, the words disappeared from the screen. “just as I thought.” Vincent said, chuckling a bit. “what is it?” I asked, trying to understand what’s going on. “well, the screen is displaying a password recovery hack I learned in my early years. The computer will give you a whole set of words that may have been previous passwords or made up ones. The syllables between them actually serve as codes to remove any duds from the list… like this one.” He pointed at the code on the screen and proceeded to type it. soon enough, another word disappeared. “the computer won’t always give you enough codes to remove all the duds, but it still helps. See, now I only have three words.” I looked at the screen, seeing the words he was talking about. “how many tries do you have?” Vincent gave me a smug look, after I asked that. “don’t worry, the computer will give you four tries to get it right. See these blocks right here.” he pointed it four small squares on the right corner of the screen, “these display the amount of tries you can get, but, if you fail, you’ll be locked out indefinitely.” He began to type one of the words and entered it and then one of the blocks disappeared. On the bottom, right corner the screen, the terminal displayed it as wrong and gave a likeness number. “this obviously tells me that it was wrong but that’s not what’s important. What’s important is the likeness number.” He said, matter of fact, “it tells you how many letters from the dud are like the real password. Then I play the game of observation. This word had no similarities to the dud; so, it is also a dud. That leaves us with this one.” He typed in the other word, careful that he didn’t misspelled it. soon enough, the screen displayed “correct password” and continued to start rebooting. It then displayed an open-door menu. “and we’re in.” he said happily. “wow, that was… easy?” I almost asked, seeing how simplistic it was. “you know for being the only security for this room, I find it too easy to break in.” Vincent said, shocked by the little to no difficulty he had. “let’s not waist a grit horse in the mouth. Open the door.” The lieutenant said. We all placed ourselves in a defensive formation, while the scientists hid behind us. Once everyone was ready, Vincent entered the command. He backed away immediately as the door slid open. Not knowing what’s on the other side, we all pointed our weapons. However, what greeted us was a dark hallway that seemed to be in a similar condition as the room, and some skeletal remains of a small horse… “well that’s depressing.” Barnaby said, pointing out the skeleton in front of us. We all slowly moved forward, making sure it was safe. Once we were in front of it, we began to examine it further. The skeleton was covered in a tattered lab coat that decomposed due to old age. However, that wasn’t the strangest thing about it. although the body structure was like a horse only smaller, the head was completely out of proportion. It was larger than it should be, the snout was small, and the eye sockets were as big as my hand. “what a strange specimen.” Said one of the scientists as he crouched down to get a better look. “hey, how much you want to bet these were the chaps that sent us the letter.” Barnaby said, jokingly. “that is complete preposterous. Such beings could not possibly build this place, or even come close to dimensional travel.” Professor Hubbard argued. “then how do you explain this?” Barnaby said pointing at the corpse. “it may have gotten lost in here and died of starvation.” The professor countered. “and the coat?” Kazimir asked. “someone may have dressed it up before it got here, maybe. I can’t determine its past by looking at its corpse.” The professor bellowed, as he started to get aggravated. “alright, that’s enough!” the lieutenant shouted, silencing everyone, “we’ll figure this out later. Right now, we must focus on finding a bloody way out of here.” he continued saying that he, Barnaby, Butch, and the other scientists will hold up in the teleporter room, while the rest of us continue to scout ahead. We were to maintain radio contact and report all our findings. The professor also asked us to find out what happened to the place. With our flashlights on and guns at the ready, we walked past the corpse and traveled deeper into the dark. Author's Note well they made it, but something isn't right. are they really alone in the stable... well we will see hope you like ch.1 part 3: echoes of the past/ the dead still walk/ search and rescueEchoes of the past (07 save- dino crisis) After going through the hallway, we came across another door. Luckily, it was already unlocked. On the other side was what appeared to be a hub of sorts. There were two floors, each housing a set of doors. Fortunately, they were all labeled with a sign on top of each. The place itself was in ruins. There was debris everywhere, as if people just dropped whatever they were carrying and ran. The doors were rusted, the walls were growing moss on them, and there were more of those horse corpses around. Some seem more recent then others, since they have flesh on them. ‘ugh, that’s just disgusting.’ To cover more ground, we decided to separate into three groups. The Russians were going to check the generator room, the Asians were going to the commons area, and my group was going to the overseer’s office. Remembering the letter from the brief was sent by someone known as the overseer, I had more interest in this room then the others. After we went our separate ways, we made our way to the office. opening the door, we found another hallway that lead to a staircase. Once we got to the top, we found another door. However, it was locked and had a terminal next to it. Nathan and I stood guard while Vincent got to work. Suddenly our radios came to life, giving out a static hum. “leader to wolf pack, requesting status report.” The lieutenant said through the static. “Kazimir to leader, made it to generator room. There are many machineries here. much of them do not work, but there is still power leaking somewhere, what with the sliding doors and computers.” There was a brief pause before the radio came on again. “Hyousuke to leader, within the living quarters, but there isn’t anything alive down here. found lot of pods but they are empty. There are more horse bodies here to.” After another pause, I decided it was my turn. “david to leader, trying to bypass a terminal leading to the overseer’s office.” I said into the radio. “alright, keep me posted and be careful. Something doesn’t feel right. Leader out.” ‘right, if I wasn’t nervous enough.’ Soon after, Vincent bypassed the door. We opened it and started to clear the room. It was just as decayed as the rest, which was not surprising. However, it was unnaturally cold. In the middle of room was a desk with a computer on top, and behind it were multiple monitors attached to the wall. In the back-left corner of the room was a cylinder pod. There were multiple hoses attached to it, spewing out a cold mist, and the accumulation built up many ice pockets around it. ‘that explains why it’s cold in here.’ while I went to investigate it, Nathan continued to search the room, and Vincent checked the computer for anything useful. “a lot of the files seem to be corrupted.” Vincent said as he mashed away on the keys, “hmm… this one seems to be intact.” While listening, I continued to examine the freezing object in front of me. ‘the more I look at it, makes me believe that it’s a containment for something. But… for what?’ “stable zero’s prime objective is the study of dimensional travel, establish communication with other worldly civilizations, and to integrate our current society for a better future… wow almost sounds like what we’re doing.” I could hear more typing as he attempts to dig deeper into the system. Seeing nothing more from the pod, I went over to Vincent to see what else he finds. He was going through file to file, running into corrupted or encrypted ones. After a while, he found an intact one. The file was titled “breakthrough”, and, once it loaded up, he began to read. “for months, we have encountered nothing but setbacks, and the princesses have doubts with my position as overseer and the project itself. With the war effort on the rise, our support had been declining. However, today was different. We have gained the very thing we needed for so long. A breakthrough. We made a connection with a foreign frequency, that is surely not of this world. The data we received was beyond anything anypony could comprehend…” Vincent gave a pause, as he scrunched up in confusion. I knew exactly why as I caught on to the word in question. He quickly went back to reading, leaving it for later, “I had to act fast for I didn’t know how long we could hold this connection. I had passed through one of my prewritten messages, and, just as I sent it, the connection was lost.” “I have the upmost confidence that it made its journey. I only whished one of the princesses were here to witness it, but, with this data, I am sure I can convince them to reconsider and regain the lost funding we desperately need.” After he finished, he went back to digging. I began to ponder what I heard. There was something I didn’t understand. ‘if this breakthrough happened a couple of years ago, why does the place look abandoned for centuries?’ at this point, we know where the message came from. “alright, this is the last file that was made… it looks like an audio recording, thank god. I was getting tired of reading anyways.” He entered a few commands and soon enough we heard a click of a recorder come to life. “my name is overseer cross sight; head researcher for project paradise within stable zero… a few hours ago, we had received a warning of an incoming megaspell attack. Under protocol, we were to seal the stable door before detonation. However, I regret to say… (sigh) not all the personal made it inside. Once we felt the tremors, we knew there was nothing we could do for them. May the goddesses have mercy on them… due to current events, project paradise will be placed on hold. I am unable to contact the surface, which only leads me to assume the worst… in case such events occurred, it is protocol to enter cryo-stasis. We will stay in our pods until the vault’s E.S.D.S. states that its habitable once more, or is overridden via terminal… oh goddesses, how could we have let it come this far?” we then heard another click, marking the end of the recording. We all fell silent, turning our gazes at the pod. ‘well at least we know what’s inside.’ The dead still walk While Vincent tried to find the override protocol within the terminal, I decided to report our findings. “wait, you found the overseer, what’s his status?” I looked at the pod for a moment, piecing together what I should say. “he’s… um… still alive…I think. He’s inside some sort of cryo-tube.” I looked back at Vincent, as he continues his search. “cryo-tube?” the lieutenant asked, wanting me to elaborate. “yeah, we found his computer, and it’s still operational. Although, a lot of the data been corrupted. There are files that are still intact though. The information was vague but I think they’re trying to do the same thing we’re doing.” There was a brief pause before the lieutenant chimed in again. “that doesn’t explain why the place had gone to hell.” I briefly looked at the pod once more, hesitating on what I had to say next. “there was something else… something really bad.” Suddenly, a loud thunk was heard throughout the whole facility. All the lightbulbs began to flicker, as a surge of power went through them. Due to the amount of time it was unused, some of them exploded, including the one above us. We all recoiled from the blast, uttering a curse or two. “what the bloody hell was that, all teams report!” the lieutenant yelled, also sounding shocked from the surge. “this is Kazimir here, I believe I found power switch.” The lieutenant didn’t take kindly to the news, bantering on how dangerous that could have been. I’m just surprised it worked. “well I’ll be damned.” I looked over at Vincent, as he was back on the computer, “it looks like the power surge reconnected the terminal to the pod.” I looked at the screen as he enters “pod analysis”, bringing up information about it and the host inside. Out of all the information, the only one that interested me was “patient’s status: stable”. “well, at least he’s still alive.” I said as Vincent nodded in agreement. The radio switched on again, but what I heard made my blood run cold. Gunfire and screams rang out from the speaker, and I could also hear faint sounds of growls and screeches. “this is Hyousuke, we are under attack! I say again, we are under attack!” (rip and tear- doom) “what is attacking you… report!” the lieutenant asked in alarm. “the bodies! Don’t trust the bodies!” he yelled. “the bodies? What are you talking abo- what the hell… (BANG BANG BANG) everyone back to the portal room, now!” the radio then fell silent once more. We all looked at each other in mild shock from what we heard, but then we immediately pulled out our weapons and switched the safeties off. We piled up in front of the door with our guns at the ready. Once I gave the order to open the door, what we see was a creature of nightmares. The horse body we passed was now standing facing away from us. In true horror movie fashion, it slowly swayed its mutilated head towards us. The face was nothing but decayed flesh and the eyes were glazed over in a grey hue. Its mouth opened, showing missing teeth and flesh, and immitted a small hissing noise that soon turned into a loud screech. At this point, it only felt natural to pull the trigger. I watched as streams of light tear right through the beast, mutilating it. it fell to the ground, as a puddle of its own blood grew around it. it didn’t end there though, more of that screeching could be heard across the hall as two more of those things appeared from the corner. They came sprinting at us with reckless abandon, showing no form of intelligence other than a feral rage. Without hesitation, we all took shots at these creatures. Like their friend, they too could not stand up to our firepower. Once they were down, we began to move up. The sounds of gunfire and screeching got louder as we made our way to the lobby. The first thing I see were bodies. Bodies everywhere. This whole room had turned into a shooting gallery. I was drawn by the sound of gunfire leading to the stairs. The Russians were attempting to make it up to the second level, while a horde of those monsters was chasing behind them. At that point, Kazimir quickly turned around with his machinegun at the ready. With a sweeping motion, he began to mow down vast numbers of them. “come on, they need our help!” I said, as we made our way to the stair case. The other two took positions at the second level, taking shots at whatever they could. We filed in next to them to do the same. We took them down within minutes, leaving nothing but hole riddled bodies. I took this opportunity to get to Kazimir who was still on the first level. “hey, we got to go.” I said with urgency. “I cannot. The others have not returned yet.” He said, remaining in his position. I looked over to the door that lead to the living quarters, contemplating on what to do. I tried to raise them through my radio, but there was no answer. I cursed under my breath, as I decided what we needed to do. “alright, I’m going to take my team and go get them.” I said. “we’ll keep the stairs open.” With that said, I waved my guys to follow. Making our way to the door, I was careful not to trip on any of the corpses that littered the ground. Search and rescue “Hyousuke, this is David, if you can hear this, watch your fire. Friendlies are coming to you, I say again friendlies are coming.” Once Vincent got the door open, we hurriedly made our way through the hallway that banked to the to the right. Peeking, there were multiple doors lining on each side of the p-way. Making our way to the closest door, we opened it to find an empty sleeping quarters. There were bunks that seem to fill up most the room and standing lockers stationed next to each one. Seeing nothing of interest, we moved on to the next one. It was just as empty as the first. ‘where the f#ck are you guys.’ In the next room, we found a promising sight. There were bodies everywhere. Most of them were torn up by gunfire, but there were others that looked like their limbs were sliced off. ‘time to follow the trail of dead bodies.’ As we followed the bloody path, I noticed a bunch of the same cryo-tubes that we found in the overseer’s office. However, all of them were vacant. Some were busted open while others didn’t look like they work at all. ‘of course, the crew didn’t survive.’ I decided to ignore it for now, making the search for the other team a priority. The trail led us to a door that seem to lead to the next room. I was getting a bit nervous, since I haven’t heard a sound throughout our search. Once we opened the door, my concerns were answered with growls and hissing coming from within. Taking a deep breath, we slowly made our way inside. We continued to follow the trail, keeping an eye on the aisles for any surprises. The noises were getting louder, and I could also hear a faint banging sound. Turning the corner, my eyes narrowed, seeing a horde of those things banging against a door. Luckily, they were to occupied with it to notice us. Taking the opportunity, I waved my hand for someone to take the other side. Nathan took the lead while Vincent stayed with me. once he was on the other side, I pulled out one of my grenades, making sure they both see what I was doing. After they nodded in approval, I pulled the pin, hearing the guard ping off the grenade. Then I quickly tossed it towards the horde and took cover behind the wall of racks. There was a brief shriek before the explosion drowned it out. The shockwave sent a gust of air at us, including a few limbs. I quickly peered over, seeing a singed floor surrounded by body parts and blood. To my surprise, there were still some alive. One of them was dragging itself towards us with a single limb, attempting to intimidate us with a hiss. ‘that’s just sad.’ Shaking my head, I pointed my rifle at it and pulled the trigger. Nathan and Vincent decided to join me, as we took out the remaining stragglers. Once that was done, we moved up to the door, keeping an eye down the other isles. I started to bang on it to get whoever’s on the other side attention. “hey, friendlies! Anyone in there!” my response came in a series of what sounds like moving furniture. The door opened, revealing Hyousuke on the other side. “it is good to see you staff Sargent.” He said. “like wise.” I offered him a brief handshake for good measure, “so what’s the sit-rep?” at this point, we were already inside and closed the door, barricading it with what few furniture there was. Instead of telling me, he nodded for me to follow. He took me behind a group of shelves where the rest of his team were. I could already tell that one of them was injured, if the fact that the other was mending his leg was any indicator. “what happened?” I asked upon reflex. “they swarmed us. too many to keep track of. One bit him on the leg. The other had to carry him. We couldn’t move fast enough to get out. Decided to take shelter here.” he stated, giving a brief description. I watched as the gauze began to turn red where the wound is, indicating that he was still bleeding. “Guo, right?” I asked getting his attention, “you good to move?” “yes, staff sergeant.” He said, giving me a firm nod. “alright, Hyousuke and I will take point, Nathan takes rear, and Vincent will assist. Once everyone agreed, we posted ourselves in front of the doors. Once the barricade was removed, Nathan and Vincent opened the doors. Behind it was another one of those things. It began to hiss only to receive a bullet to the head. ‘that sh#t is getting old.’ Hyousuke and I quickly exited and secured the area. Soon after, the rest of the group followed behind. The trip back was met with little resistance, taking on a few loners. ‘I guess we killed most of them?’ as we made it to the lobby, I could see the Russians still manning the stairs. “ah, my Asian comrades, it is good to see you alive.” Kazimir said, with a bit of glee. “I see you’ve been busy.” Hyousuke said, examining the carnage around us. Kazimir began to laugh heartedly, “it’s like shooting fish in very small barrel!” with the teams finally together, we all made our way back to the portal room. The walk was quiet, but we maintained our guard for any surprises. We finally relaxed once we spotted the door. When we got in, we were greeted with a few rifle barrels pointing towards us, but quickly jerked away once those behind them noticed us. “took your bloody sweet time getting here!” the lieutenant barked, “did you shove your sense of direction up your @ss and got lost.” “it took us awhile to regroup, but I think we got them all.” I said as the rest of the team got themselves comfortable. Noticing one of our injured, Barnaby quickly went up to him and got to work. The lieutenant didn’t argue any further and decided to access the situation. Taking a seat on the stairwell, I began to take account of my equipment. “staff sergeant.” I looked up to see professor Hubbard, looking at me expectantly, “if I recall, you said that your team may have found a live specimen?” “yeah I believe he was the overseer.” I said recalling the information I found. The professor then beamed with joy. “excellent, we can still salvage this mess. Lieutenant, I wish to meet this overseer at once.” Everyone looked at both the professor and the lieutenant. “are you sure, there could be others…” the lieutenant argued, but the professor wouldn’t budge. “and that is precisely why we must get to him before anything else does. If the overseer is lost, then this whole mission will be in jeopardy!” the room felt uneasy, as both individuals refuse to submit. As much as I want to sit down and rest, I was getting tired of all the drama. “I’ll go.” I said, gaining the attention of the room, “the office isn’t really that far from here. my team could easily escort him there.” The professor nodded at me in approval. “I will go to. I grow curious of what the overseer looks like.” Kazimir said as well. Everyone looked to the lieutenant for approval, as he looked back at us with uncertainty. “… fine, you can go, but don’t get yourselves killed.” He said, giving into the request. “understood, now we must hurry. The longer we postpone, the greater the chance that we lose him.” We got back up, and went out the door. ch. 1 part 4: a single hello (end)A single hello The trip to the office was easy enough, as the professor ignored the carnage on the first floor. However, the smell was getting a bit foul. We all settled into the room, while the Russians guard the door. As Vincent continued working on the terminal, the professor simply stared at the pod, examining every corner. Honestly, it looked kind of weird. I decided to stick with Vincent as he enters different codes. Files and protocols were displayed on the screen, but he canceled out most of them, keeping only those of interest. “how much longer, sergeant?” asked the professor, keeping a critical eye on the pod. “not really sure. The emergency protocol, that keeps him in there, is sophisticated. Since I don’t have the authorization, I have to keep feeding it false information to override it.” Vincent replied. After we showed what information was in the terminal, he was quite eager to have a chat with the overseer. What I want to know; is about the mega spells that were mentioned. It’s obviously a weapon, and, if one is capable to feel the impact from underground, I can only assume what it is equivalent to. ‘who would use such weapon and why?’ I only had to be patient; for my questions, will be answered soon. After about half an hour of waiting, the terminal began to display about the pod itself. “alright, I’m through.” Vincent said, with a hint of relief. “what are we looking at?” the professor asked, while Vincent scanned through the file. As he began to type away, multiple displays of the pod appeared on the screen. Soon red marks began to appear, indicating damage or malfunction. “to be honest, I’m surprised this thing still works. The temps are way out of proportion, multiple hole punctures, and it practically has 200 years of overdue maintenance.” He said. “and the overseer?” he then brought up a display of the overseer’s status. “he seems alright, but, due to the rise of temperature, he’s slowly thawing out. If he was left in there for a couple of years, his body will resume normal function and he’ll die of starvation or dehydration.” The professor hummed in thought, after hearing what was said. “I think it would be best to let him out then.” The professor said affirmatively. Even though this was the original plan, most of us had second thoughts about it. we don’t know how he’ll react to us or the current situation. Vincent was quick to voice our concerns to the professor, but he only scoffed in response. “he can’t stay in there forever, and I’ve waited long enough for this meeting. With that said, sergeant, open the pod.” Taking a deep breath, Vincent nodded and began the sequence. Seeing the possible danger, I asked the professor to stay behind me. he reluctantly complied, going only a few steps back. Vincent gave us a warning before entering the command. The pod began to hiss, as the locking mechanism was released. A cold mist began to spray out the edges, as the door slowly released pressure. Suddenly the door opened slightly, releasing a thick fog going above our feet. I tightened the grip on my rifle, feeling the anticipation. The door then began to slowly pan up, revealing a misty interior. As it began to clear, what we see was quite surprising. It was a light brown little horse. “well, given what happened before this, I am not surprised.” Stated Kazimir. (district 12 ruins- hunger games) The horse began to stir, slowly regaining conciseness. It leaned forward probably searching for solid ground. Sadly, the ground was farther then he could reach, and he was not conscience enough to right himself. Seeing this, I quickly stepped forward and caught him, feeling his body go limp. He was no feather but he wasn’t as heavy as I thought. He began to mumble incoherent words as his mind attempted to start up again. I was surprised that he was indeed speaking English, though broken due to his state. “you alright?” I asked. “I… yes… forgive me… not used to… cryo-sleep.” He said, taking deep breaths in between sentences. I was still in shock, but continued to ask if he remembers who he is. “I’m… overseer cross sight of stable zero… head researcher of project paradise.” He said as he became more aware of himself, “I’m guessing you’re the rescue tea-“ The moment he opened his eyes, his breath hitched within his throat. Instead of seeing a familiar face, his sight was on my vest. His large eyes slowly moved up till he reached my face. At this point, his pupils became pin pricks as he looked upon me in horror. I was about to say something, but he beat me to it. he screamed. It was so loud it made my eardrums hurt. He flailed wildly to get away. I didn’t really want to fight with him, so I granted his request and let him go. I winced as he fell to the ground. His legs didn’t look like they wanted to work; so, he ended up crawling to the farthest corner. I quickly relaxed my grip on my weapon, feeling pity for him. When he noticed, he couldn’t go any further, he quickly swayed back towards me, pressing his back against the wall. I could see his eyes move wildly in different directions, probably seeing the rest of our group. As I took a step forward, I brought my hand up, hoping to calm him down. It didn’t. “no! stay away from me!” he was practically panicking. I quickly brought myself back, feeling unsure of what to do. Then the professor ahead of me and stood in between us. Before either of us could speak our concerns, he spoke first. “hello, my name is professor Hubbard. These fine gentlemen you see before you are my escort. Please believe me when I say that we mean you no harm.” He didn’t seem to be calming down, but he wasn’t screaming either. On top of that, he almost looked surprised. I’m guessing he didn’t expect us to speak the same language. “I was looking forward to this meeting for a long time.” The professor said. “w-what do you mean?” the overseer stuttered. The professor then reached into his coat, pulling out a scroll. Upon seeing it, the overseer looked at it in shock. “that’s…” “yes, we were the ones you contacted through the portal. Though I wished it were in better… circumstances.” He looked at the professor confusedly; then took an actual look around the room. “what happened to my office… how long was I…” the professor looked upon him with pity. “I am afraid that you have been in cryo-stasis for… 200 years.” prologue prologue “… “ “…” “…” (crunch crunch crunch) “…” “…” (crunch crun-) “will you stop that!” “stop what?” “that infernal noise!” “what… this. (crunch crunch)” “yes that!” “but I’m hungry.” “why are you eating on the job?!” “honestly, we’ve been monitoring these systems for the past four hours. I got a bit hungry; so I decided to indulge myself.” “I’m not paying you to slack off.” “slack off, I practically keep this place from falling apart.” “oh really, so what happens if we receive a signal and you’re not there to record it, hmmm.” “oh, come on, we haven’t received a signal for three months, and even then, it was just pointless chatter.” “the frequency was not calibrated then!” “yeah… frequencies, whatever you sa-“ “what is it now!” “I’m picking up something, establishing connection. It could be just another communication relay.” “if it is, I’m going to have to re-calibrate it all again. (groan) oh god.” “maybe it’s some sort of secret communist information.” “…just stop, I have enough as it is then to indulge in your fantasies.” “just saying. At least it would be better then- wow.” “what did you do! My systems have all gone to fritz!” “I don’t know! I’ve lost control of all systems… what the hell?!” “what is that!” “why are you asking me!” “are you recording this!” “are you serious!” “hurry up!” “… got it!” “in less than a couple of minutes ago, we have received an unknown frequency. Upon connection, we have lost control of all systems, and now an anomaly had begun to form as a ball of blue energy in the center of the room.” “sir, I think we should leave!” “nonsense, this is what we’ve been waiting for!” “are you insane, this thing looks like it’s about to blow in any sec- sh#t!” … … … (cough cough) … “hey (cough), wake up.” “(groan) are we dead?” “no, you’re not getting out of this that easily, now come on.” “Jesus, everything is destroyed.” “where is the camera?” “it’s uh… right here.” “is it intact?” “yeah, it’s still working.” “good… it has seemed the anomaly had dispersed a wave of energy causing the destruction of all systems.” “uh… sir?” “what?” “there’s something there.” Author's Note yup this is another book. the last one is not canceled so don't worry, just wanted to do something else. this is a more for fun so I don't really expect much but that doesn't mean I try my best at it. I've always been a fallout fan, but I honestly never read the original fall out Equestria. all I really know is whatever's on main stream. hope you like it
ch.1 part 1: bad company/ New assignment: project G.A.T.E./ Welcome to the packBad company (old time rock and roll) sand. That’s all I ever see now. Patrolling the same roads every day, you tend to see everything it had to offer. After passing the abandoned shack, I knew we were a couple of miles from the checkpoint. Just a small excuse for a city in the middle of a desert. Since it was close to the American base, command thought it would be a great idea to maintain watch over the town. Hoping that the American presence would refrain any hostilities from the locals. Yeah, what bullsh#t. we’ve been shot at twice for the past month. ‘(sigh) god, I hate Mondays… and there’s the town.’ There isn’t much to say about it. Hell, I didn’t even bother to remember the name of it. The buildings were mostly the same. White or tan as their color scheme, one story with your occasional two, and old, like it was built during the 1900’s and stayed that way. The main road was wide enough for a tank to come through, but its linier and can easily lay IED’s or ambushes. If you want to get anywhere in this town, you need to take the narrow alleys. However, there’s no way our Humvees are fitting through there; so it’s the main road for us. The layout of the town is one thing, but the people are another. I shouldn’t be surprised by their attitude towards us. Everywhere you turn, you just get that look. They’re always watching. You can tell most of these guys are insurgents by their looks alone, but, since none of them are carrying any weapons, we aren’t authorized to engage. I’ve already placed my concerns with command, but their response is always the same. We understand the dangers and risks, but we must follow regulations. They’ve been mostly docile for the past week, but that only puts me more on edge. “mark one this is mark two, do you copy over.” The transmission from the Humvees radio snapped me out of my thoughts. I reached down for the radio without tearing my gaze from the town. “mark two this is mark one, I hear you over.” After releasing the talk switch, I momentarily looked over at the side mirror, giving me a view of mark 2’s Humvee. “yeah, I have a driver here that has questions that I know you can answer better than me.” I groaned, having a hunch of what’s going to be asked. “yeah what is it?” I begrudgingly asked. “… he’s asking about Cuba.” My eye twitched, as sudden images flashed through my mind. Images that I would rather have forgotten. “tell him that it’s a need to know basis, and, if there isn’t anything important that needs to be said, I suggest you keep radio silence from here on out.” I placed the mic back on its holster, with a bit more force then needed. I continued to look out the window, not noticing the look my driver was giving me. ‘somebody just had to bring that up.’ I took a deep breath and returned my focus outside. At that moment, I noticed a man holding a camera and was looking right at us. Most people would have ignored it, but I’ve been in long enough to know something was up. I quickly picked up my mic once more and announced my concern. “mark 2, this is mark 1, did you have eyes on that camera man?” “this is mark 2, yeah I’ve seen him.” Based on the tone, I knew we had the same thought in mind. “keep your eyes open. I think we’re about to run into some trouble.” After that I looked at my driver and told him to speed up. Suddenly, I heard a loud crack as his head snapped back from a rifle round that went through the front window and into his head. I cursed inwardly but the gunfire from the 50 cal above me drowned it out. The Humvee drove uncontrollably over the curve and into one of the buildings. “everyone out and around the back!” I yelled towards the other passengers in the Humvee, which was just another rifle man. After exiting the vehicle, I quickly made my way towards the back. The sounds of gunfire and screams of bystanders clouded my ears. Once I was at the rear of the Humvee, I looked over to see the other marine on the other side, but our gunner was still shooting blindly at the sniper’s location. I tried to get his attention, but I was too late. Another loud crack was heard in the distance, as the gunner’s body jerked with a bit of blood spraying out of his back. His body then collapsed into the Humvee, leaving the 50 cal unmanned. “damn!” I didn’t have time to linger as I looked at the other Humvee. The occupants had followed our example and hid behind their vehicle. Their gunner wasn’t present either, probably taking refuge within. “Nathan!” I called out to the second Humvee. “yeah?!” he responded unenthusiastically. “did you call command yet?” I waited for a bit before her responded. “… yeah but they’re not responding!” I cursed under my breath after hearing that. ‘why do they even have radios if they’re not going to answer the damn phone.’ I didn’t have time to wait for command to pick up. We needed to take out that sniper before the locals get to riled up. Looking ahead of me, I see one of those two story buildings that had a side window with the view of the whole street. Nodding, I called out to Nathan again, telling him my plan. “private, I’m going to need you to hold down the fort. Just keep your head down and you’ll be fine.” With that said, I began to count to three. “one…two… three!” I sprinted towards the entrance, hearing bursts of gunfire behind me. Once I got to the door, I didn’t even bother with the handle, as I smashed right through it. I brought my rifle up making sure the building was clear. Luckily for me, it seemed empty. I made my way up the stairs, and towards the room where the window was. Being careful not to be seen, I took cover next to it, giving me the view of the Humvees and the road ahead. Digging through one of my side pockets, I peeked over towards the other buildings, trying to figure out where the shooter was hiding. Once I felt what I was looking for, I pulled out an optic scope. Giving up on my attempt to find him, I focused on attaching the scope to my rifle. Making sure it was in the right place, I fastened it and adjusted the distance. Once that was done, I looked around the room for a flat surface to steady myself on. Unfortunately, the only furniture in the room was the bed. Moving it into place, I got into position, keeping my aim down the road. However, I still had the problem of locating the sniper. As I chewed the side of my mouth, I thought about how to lure him out. I reached for my side radio, clicking the receiver. “hey Nathan, how you holding up?” “oh, don’t mind us, just take your sweet @ss time why won’t ya.” I rolled my eyes, hearing the impatience in his voice. “stop your whining, I need your help.” I continued to look from window to window with no success. “yeah, what is it?” After explaining what I want him to do, I could tell he wasn’t liking it. “why is it that I’m always the one risking my @ss.” “next time we’ll trade spots alright, but, right now, I need a runner.” There was a bit of a pause before he responded. “you better not miss.” I little smirk appeared in my face after hearing that. ‘when do I ever.’ The silence only lasted for a few minutes before they began to fire at the buildings ahead of us. I then see Nathan sprinting ahead towards the fifth building. The gunfire stopped, leaving Nathan open for a free shot. ‘come on; take the bait.’ I remained vigilant, keeping an eye on as many buildings as I could. Then I see it. The flash of gunfire. Luckily, he missed Nathan by an inch, as he dived into cover. ‘gotcha.’ I took a deep breath. As I slowly let it out, I pulled the trigger. New assignment: project G.A.T.E. The trip back was met with silence. With two dead and the rest shaken, there wasn’t much to cheer for after taking out that sniper. Once we got back to base, the medics quickly took care of the deceased. The rest of us thought it was best to take a breather. Unfortunately, I wasn’t part of that group. I was ordered to go meet with the CO, which is why I’m standing in front of his door. ‘alright let’s get this over with.’ I knocked on it waiting patiently for permission to come in. “enter!” I could already tell based on his tone, he’s not happy. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Once I was inside, I closed it and stood at attention. Sitting at his desk was the colonel. He was “by the books” kind of guy with a knack for being a pain in the @ss. In other words, we don’t get along. Right now, he seems more intrigued by the set of documents within a vanilla folder then me. Looking at the folders insignia, it didn’t seem like the unclassified kind. It was most likely beyond my paygrade; so, I gladly kept to myself. “staff sergeant David, reporting as requested, sir.” After announcing myself, he simply eyed me for a second then looked back at the documents. This could only mean one of two things, either he’s mad or he never wanted to see me. As I’m thinking about it, I think it would be a little of both. Once he put them down, he gave me a stern look. “staff sergeant, mind explaining to me why two of my marines are being sent home in coffins, and the neighbors are crying out for our blood?” at that moment, I realized it was going to be one of those conversations. ‘this day is just getting better and better.’ “sir, during our patrol we encountered an enemy sniper within the town limits. He took down the two marines before we could get to him.” My explanation didn’t deter him from his foul mood. Honestly, I didn’t think it would. “why didn’t you call for support?” he asked, sounding more accusing. “we tried sir, but no one would answer. I couldn’t wait around for things to get worse.” His stare became intense after I said that. “that doesn’t give you the right to go guns free within town limits. We are a peace keeping force, not a hunting party.” The silence returned after that. He leaned back into his chair, taking a deep breath to calm himself. I knew that at this point staying quiet was the best approach, even if I had plenty of things to say. ‘military baring David.’ He seemed to be eyeing the folder again, probably clearing his thoughts. “as much as I like arguing about foreign policy, that’s not why I called you here.” I looked at him questioningly, “it seems as if god had answered our prayers. You and your team are being reassigned.” He grabs the folder and proceeds to hand it to me. I was temporarily stunned, as the news took me by surprise. I quickly reached for the folder, taking it from his hand. I stared at the insignia on it. It was a shape of a dog’s head with the words “wolf pack” under it in bold letters. I slowly opened it, and the first thing I see is the word “classified” stamped on the front page. It was over the title which was also in bold. “project: G.A.T.E.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I entered the barracks with the folder in hand. I could feel the stress of the day taking its toll. At this point, I would rather get in my rack, but there is still one more thing I got to do. Once I got in the lounge area, I see Nathan sprawled out on the couch sleeping. On the other side, I see Vincent on his laptop. “I see you survived another encounter.” He averted his gaze towards me, acknowledging me, “I heard it was rough out there. Sorry I couldn’t make it.” “don’t worry about it. Just be glad you didn’t. Lost two guys on that route.” I said stifling a sigh. “yeah Nathan told me about it. We keep telling them that area is to dangerous, but they never listen.” He went back to his laptop after that. “well… there’s more.” I walked around to take a seat. I smacked Nathan’s leg, startling him from his sleep. He was about to protest before I interrupted him. “you need to hear this.” “what, their kicking us out?” I chuckled at that. “no worse… we’re being reassigned.” I heard them groan in annoyance. “we practically just got here and they’re already trying to get rid of us.” Vincent complained while Nathan shook his head in agreement. “where are we going anyway?” I then pulled out the folder, and slapped it on the table. They both eyed it for a bit before Vincent reached for it. After opening it, his eyes widen in surprise, probably from seeing the word “classified” on the front page. I decided at this point to explain. “this assignment is coming straight from the top. We’ve been selectively chosen for this mission, which that I was told was off the records.” Nathan was taking some time to wrap his mind around what I was saying, while Vincent continued to read. “operation: G.A.T.E.?” I took a deep breath for what I’m about to say next. “global alliance towards the extraterrestrial.” They both looked at me in shock. “let me get this straight, are we talking about aliens here?” Nathan looked at me skeptically. “… I don’t know, the documents were pretty vague. For the most part, we’ll be acting as security detail for a government funded operation near the southern peninsula. The rest just state the importance of the secrecy of the operation, and the… consequence should we break it. At this very moment, we are being monitored.” They were silent after that. Nathan practically slouched on the couch unsure of what to think, and Vincent did the same. “listen, I know this sounds a bit much, and it’s not what we signed up for. There is no repercussion for backing down. Hell, I wouldn’t put it against you. You’ll be reassigned accordingly… I’m going.” That got their attention, looking at me like I was crazy, “I know, it’s just… I have this feeling that I need to do this. Like god is giving me this opportunity or something.” There was nothing more I had to say after that. The room fell deathly silent, and no one wanted to break it. I don’t blame them though. There was no obligation after all. Nathan suddenly groaned loudly, gaining my attention. “so… when do we need to pack.” Nathan had a grin on his face while Vincent simply nodded on agreement. I couldn’t help but crack a smile of my own. Welcome to the pack Looking out a window, a thought came to me. ‘what could have been worse than a scorching desert? How about a freezing tundra near the southern peninsula?’ After we accepted the orders, our means for transportation had been specific. We were even interviewed on the ship ride here. The questions were simple enough, but, when we asked about our orders, they told us everything will be explained on sight. They weren’t kidding about the secrecy. Hell, they won’t even tell us where we’re going. During our travel through the arctic ocean, we were told to take a helicopter to our next destination. Now that ride was questionable. ‘never again.’ After an hour of flying through what would be considered a blizzard, we ended up where we are now. traveling through this frozen hell inside a Bandvagn. I have nothing against the cold, but, transitioning from one environment to another, can be quite annoying. However, my squad mates have different opinions. If their constant complaints about the cold were any indication, they probably don’t approve. I don’t blame them though. You know what they say. Black people don’t do cold. “hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.” I looked over at Vincent as he was eyeing both of us, “a secret operation, orders for security detail, and, on top of all of that, located in one of the most isolated regions in the world. Do any of you feel discourage about any of this?” “trust me, I’ve been thinking about that since we got on that boat.” I said, looking back out the ice crusted window. “I don’t know about you guys, but, if this turns out like those movies, I aint going to be the first one to go.” We both looked at Nathan with unamused stares, “what just sayin.” We were interrupted by the sliding door that leads to the driver’s seat. “we’re about to get there; so, I suggest you get your papers out.” Our driver said after closing the slide door. We did as we were told and waited patiently. Looking out the window, I noticed shapes of buildings through the dense snow but I couldn’t see much else. After a while, we were angling downwards. I soon realized we’re entering an underground facility. ‘well we can cross that off our trope list.’ Once inside, it was clear that we entered a hanger bay. There were vehicles and boxes of supplies scattered all around. Based on the look of things this was a military institution. The bandvagn suddenly came to an abrupt stop, silencing the vehicles engine. Then the driver came by and opened the door for us. (winter wonderland- Bing Crosby) as we disembarked, the first thing that came to mind was the music that played through the intercoms. “you must be our new recruits.” I looked over to see a man wearing a green turtle neck, camo cargo pants, and a green beret with the same wolf insignia. “the names Sargent Barnaby, European division. I’ll be your tour guide for this afternoon.” He offered a hand for a friendly shake which we all accepted in kind. “staff Sargent David, this is Sargent Nathan and Sargent Vincent.” I said while, handing him my papers. “keep it. I don’t do paper work. We’ll be running into those chaps later.” He began to walk away, motioning us to follow. As we made our way through the hanger bay, I looked around at the other personnel. Some are working maintenance on some of the vehicles and others are just moving crates. There was also machinery that I didn’t recognize. So far, things seem quite normal for a secret military base. We went through a hatch door that lead us to a concrete hallway with LV lighting. I could still hear the music, echoing through the halls. “what’s with the Christmas music?” I asked. “oh that, well the CO thought it would be a great idea to play such things to lighten up the place.” He said opening a hatch that lead to the mess room. “but it’s the middle of October.” Nathan countered. “yeah it does seem out of place, but it’s always snowing so who could tell the difference.” He said, chuckling a bit. After going through other hallways, I notice that the underground system connects with all the other buildings outside. I also found out that there’s another level further underground. ‘I’m guessing what’s down there is the reason why we’re here.’ We finally made it to administration and delivered our papers. Once we were in the system, they gave us access, identification cards. After that, Barnaby took us through another set of hallways till we reached our quarters. “blimy that took longer than I thought. Anyway, here is your home away from home.” The room was quite spacious, having bunkbeds on the side of the wall and tables with chairs on the other. There were a few people around that are either in the racks or doing whatever at the tables. “you can choose any rack, most are unoccupied anyway.” He explained, “while you’re at it, I could introduce you to some of the crew.” After putting our bags on the racks that we choose, he began to walk towards one of the guys who’s at the table. “this here is Hyousuke, Asian division. One of the great warriors japan had to offer.” He looked up from the book he was reading and gave Barnaby an unamused look. “I see you are making yourself useful for once.” He said before looking at us, “the new recruit’s I presume?” he proceeded to close his book and got up. We shook hands and gave him our names. “it is an honor to meet you, and I am looking forward to working with you.” With that said, he sat back down and went back to his book. “how come you never greeted me like that?” Barnaby protested. “because I knew you’ll be annoying the moment I’ve seen you.” He said nonchalantly. Barnaby simply waved him off, uttering a small insult, and moved on. “those two over there are Borya and Lyosha from the Russian division.” He said pointing at the two in their racks, “the others may be in the gym and lieutenant Fergus may be in a meeting. He’s our commanding officer, if you were wondering.” “how many of us are there?” I asked. “there’s about three in each division.” He said, ‘so that makes twelve of us. That’s a lot of numbers for one squad.’ “welcome to wolf pack.” Author's Note well here it goes, like usual character introduction hope you like
ch. 1 part 2: the invitation/ prepare for dimensional travel/ dead upon arrivalThe invitation (blue Christmas) it’s been two weeks since we’ve been integrated here. it took us three days to get the layout of the place, and, even then, we still haven’t explored the whole base. The lower level was completely restricted to us and almost all the other personnel. The only people I’ve seen go down there are the scientist and a select few engineers. They’ve been very hushed about what goes on down there. I eventually gave up on the idea. ‘don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.’ I decide to focus on the other members of the team. The European division had Barnaby who was the communications expert, butch an expert rifleman, and lieutenant Fergus the leader of our group. The Russian division was Kazimir the heavy weapons expert and mechanic, and the twins Borya and Lyosha. They were both excellent riflemen and quite a dangerous duo. The Asian division had Guo a technician expert, Fan another rifleman, and Hyousuke. I couldn’t find out much about his background but he was good with a sniper rifle and was also an expert on close quarters combat. There was a rumor that he may have been an assassin of sorts. He usually just avoids the subject all together and keeps to himself. Today we were all called in for a briefing. Since we’ve been here, there was no information about our orders or what goes on here. like everyone else, we were told to be ready when the time comes. Honestly, it’s about time they told us something. We didn’t have to wait long, as three people walked in. two of them I recognized as the lieutenant and commander Higgon, but the third was a scientist that I haven’t seen before. We all stood at attention for the higher ranks. After he told us to sit down, he decided to begin the meeting. “gentlemen, you are here today because the nations of the world believe that you are the best they had to offer for this mission. You may be wondering what that may be. I would like you to give professor Hubbard your undivided attention.” He waved his hand for the professor to step forward. The professor looked like your stereotypical scientist. Lab coat, glasses, and a professional demeanor. ‘You’ve seen one; you’ve seen them all.’ “thank you, commander. About eight years ago, a satellite installation encountered an anomaly.” As he speaks the lights begin to dim and a projection displayed an image of the facility he spoke of, “it caused an extreme surge of energy, affecting all the systems within the facility. Luckily this event was recorded via camera.” He stepped aside, as the video he spoke of, began to play. At first, you would think you’re watching a scene from a cheesy sci-fi flick, but this wasn’t a movie. The video ended when the camera man proclaimed seeing something at the center of the room. ‘talk about a cliff hanger.’ “the object in question was a container.” The image of this container was displayed on the projector. It looked like a golden tube with the symbol of the sun and moon mixed together. “after much study and analyzing, the container was deemed safe to open. Within it was a scroll.” The image then changed to one of those rolled up scrolls you’ll find in a Greek museum. However, the shocking part was that the words were written in English and in cursive no less. To make it easier to read, the projector displayed what was written in fine print. “greetings other beings. if you are reading this, then project paradise was a success. I am the overseer, and, behalf of the princesses of our great nation, I humbly offer you our friendship. My dream soon is to be able to meet face to face and to learn from each other. Until then, I look forward to your response. Long live the princesses, Long live Equestria.” I heard a lot of murmuring, as I was sure that everyone read the message. However, my mind was occupied with one word. ‘Equestria, what kind of name is that?’ “I am sure you have many questions, but please save them for the end.” Everyone quieted down as we brought our attention back to the professor, “after analyzing this message, we have come with these facts. We have another civilization attempting to contact us in the form known as project paradise, and lead by someone known as the overseer. The name of the nation is known as Equestria and may be in a form of some sort of diarchy. Their goals are vague, but their motivation is unknown. The chosen nations of the world had been presented with this information, and, after much debate, they agreed to put together a team whose purpose will be to assess the relations of this civilization, and to establish a connection between our worlds. This will be known as project G.A.T.E.” The projection soon changed to images of a machine and the wolf pack logo on the top left corner. The machine was a large ring that is connected to multiple tubes that spread out to other machines, and was held up by large beams, keeping it in place. It was a bit elevated to make room for the tubes, and there was a stair case leading up to it. “for many years, we had no way to connect ourselves with this other world… until now. With the frequencies, we encountered during first contact, we could create a portal to the other world. You have all been selected to make the greatest leap ever forgone by mankind. You will be known as wolf pack, and you will make first contact.” The projector was soon turned off and the room was lit up once more. Now, we could ask our questions. ` “so, when we get to the other side, how do we get back?” Barnaby asked. “leave that to me. I will be assisted with six others to reconnect us to our portal. I am sure the other world had succeeded on the basics. We simply have to finish it.” Kazimir was next to ask. “how much equipment will we be taking?” “you can take with you any gear or weapon you desire, and will also be issued some standard weaponry and ammunition. You are our security force after all. For supplies, we will have three months’ worth of food and water, a purifier, and standard survival gear. If the situation becomes bleak, we could ration our supplies to last longer.” At that point, I decided to ask my question. “what happens if this civilization turns out to be hostile?” “… if the situation calls for it, I am confident that you can handle yourselves, but, if this civilization has any intentions to invade our world, we must place the safety of our world the top priority by severing all connections between us. I truly hope it does not come to that.” Everyone was silent, as all the risks began to pile. At that point, we realized how much we could lose. The commander took the opportunity to step forward. “men, I understand your concerns… but understand that the nations of the world have considered this mission of upmost importance. I have complete confidence that you will accomplish this mission. In my absence, lieutenant Fergus will oversee the operation, but, above all else, I wish you to do what is right.” The commander then waved the lieutenant to take the lead. "Alright men, at 0800 I expect you all to be ready to go. At 0900 we will begin the operation. Get a good night’s rest, it will be a long day tomorrow.” Prepare for dimensional travel (let it snow) I strapped on my leg brace completing my uniform. I looked myself over the mirror. I had a tactical Kevlar vest and gloves, arm and leg braces, Kevlar helmet, elbow guards, a side pack, gasmask, pistol holster, and knee guards. I was practically the definition of a one-man army. Satisfied, a grabbed my backpack, which was filled with all kinds of supplies and headed out. I made my way towards the hanger bay, hearing the familiar Christmas music playing in the background. After entering, I noticed the rest of the group at the center, collecting the requested weaponry we asked for. Going ahead towards my end of the table, I see a case with my name written on top. I opened it revealing the very weapon I requested; the FN Scar. Examining my weapon further, I recognized that it was the MK 16 series. Most of the attachments were standard: medium barrel, 30 round magazines, and polymer stock. However, the special features include, my person favorite, acog scope, and a beautiful grenade launcher. ‘I guess Christmas came early this year.’ Once I was done ogling over my weapon, I looked back into the case to see whatever I was given. There were five maps, five grenade rounds, three of which are standard and the others are heat, a shoulder strap, two hand grenades, and a E-AA corp 10 mm pistol with five mags to spare. Feeling satisfied, I adorned my gear and made my way towards the elevator along with the others. The elevator, that leads to the lower level, wasn’t much to look at other than its size. It wasn’t surprising due to the large crates they seem to send down. There was plenty of room for all of us. After we got inside and began our descent, I decided to look at the others. Nathan and Vincent had G36C, all three members of the European division had a FAMAS, Borya and Lyosha had AK74s, Kazimir had a heavy hitting PKM, Gao and Fan had Howa type 89s, and Hyousuke had a cheytac M200. ‘damn I’ve only seen those on TV. I guess they’re not sparing any expense… wait, is that a sword on his back?’ I squinted my eyes to see further. My efforts were proven successful as I could see a handle of a sword, getting behind his back. ‘talk about clichéd, but I’m not going to say sh#t. I actually like living.’ Overall, I considered ourselves the most equipped group of individuals this world will probably never see. Such is the life of secrecy. After a few minutes, the elevator finally made it to the second level. The elevator doors opened, revealing the very room we were briefed about. Just like in the pictures, a circular machine that was slightly elevated and in the center of the room. There were multiple cables connected to it, leading to other systems around the room. There were many personnel, engineers, and scientists alike, scattered across the room. Upon further inspection, I noticed an observation deck on the top corner of the room. I could see people working on computers, and the commander himself monitoring everything that goes on. “you’ve arrived, and just in time to. We were about to begin.” I looked over to see professor Hubbard. He was wearing a grey jumper with a G.A.T.E. logo patched on the left side of his chest. Looking around I noticed a few others wearing the same thing. ‘they must be the scientists that are coming with us.’ “wouldn’t miss it for the world professor.” The lieutenant said giving him a handshake. “I assume your equipment are in order?” he asked. “armed and ready to go.” The lieutenant replied, tapping his weapon for emphasis. “splendid! We will be opening the portal in a couple of minutes. I suggest you act quickly on final preparations.” With that said, he walked off to another part of the room. The lieutenant didn’t delay as he barked off orders to us. The Russians were to tale the trunk containing the extra armaments and ammunition, Nathan and Vincent will be taking the rations and supplies, and the rest of us will be acting as security. We all then separated to attend to our assigned duties. I decided to take a closer look at the teleporter. Looking over it, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. “pretty neat aint it.” I looked over to see another scientist. He had white tone skin and shaggy hair, and his uniform was like the others except for a patch of a crashed helicopter with text saying “so far so good”. He seemed to perceive a more casual demeanor. He then looked at me and gave me a friendly smile. “I’m Steven, the professor’s assistant and one of the original members of this project.” His behavior was minorly refreshing that I couldn’t help but return the favor. “you know, I never thought in a million years I would find myself here.” he said looking back at the teleporter. “weren’t you working here before all this?” I asked quizzically. “heh yeah… but I was just here for the pay. I didn’t really believe we would actually find anything, yet here we are.” He said chuckling a bit. We continued to stand there while everyone else were making final preparations. “can I ask you something?” I gave him a nod to continue, “if things do go to sh#t, you can protect us, right?” I looked over to him with a skeptical look. “just worry about getting us home.” He simply nodded, thinking that was all he was going to get. It was at this point an intercom message proclaimed that the activation of the teleporter was about to commence. We all went to our respective positions and waited. The scientists were working at many of the terminals in the room. Whoever was on the intercom was going through some sort of systematic check list. I couldn’t understand most of it, but I didn’t have to. “all systems check, prepare for trans dimensional connection.” After that, many of the lights went out, leaving the room in darkness. We were then ordered to put our masks on. “connecting in 10…9…8” the machine whirred to life, giving out a slight rumble. “7…6…5” sparks of electricity began to leak out from the sides while it was building up energy. “4…3” the electricity was soon directed to the center, forming a blue ball of energy that was growing. “2…1” it then exploded into a bright light, blinding everyone in the room. As my eyes adjusted, I didn’t see a room filled with blown up servers or machinery. Instead, I see a blue portal that the transporter opened. I looked at it in awe as I began to realize. ‘my god, they did it.’ “connection complete. Portal stability at 97%.” The portal looked like a blue wall of energy lighting up the room in a blue hue. “the portal is drastically losing power; you must go now!” I heard the commander yell out through the intercom. The lieutenant ordered us all to move forward. The first ones to go was him, Barnaby, and Hyousuke. they only hesitated for a second before they went straight through. Within seconds they were gone. Those who were carrying the ammunitions were next, then the ones with the supplies, and finally it was our turn. As I stepped onto the platform, I could feel my heart racing. I was afraid, but I kept moving forward. I reached out with my shaky hand and time seemed to have slowed. My fingers were the first to go through, feeling nothing from it. my arm was next, still feeling nothing. Soon my whole body went through. I was blinded by white, everything went silent, and I couldn’t even feel myself move. However, the peace didn’t last long. I began to get flashes of images. They were appearing so fast I couldn’t make them out, but most of them had a familiar theme. They were images of war as many were images of explosions, gunfire, burning cities, ruined landscapes, and there was death. I could hear screams of terror and agony, coming from all around me. then my vision was filled with green fire, consuming everything it touches. Then it all went silent as my vision was filled with white once more. “…please…save them.” Dead upon arrival Right at that moment I began to feel my body jerked forward. It took all my concentration not to keel over, and this major headache I was feeling wasn’t helping. I placed my hand over my head, trying to compose myself. just as it came, the pain went away. ‘what the f@ck was that?’ as I looked forward, I froze. This was not the same room we were in before. Instead of being filled with scientists and engineers at work, the room was completely void of life, with us as the only occupants. With the glow of both the portal and the flashlights, I began to examine the room in more detail. The equipment and machinery here were different, and, not to mention, extremely old. The room was filled with cobwebs and rusted metal plating. the floor was littered with decayed debris, and it looked murky under the broken pipes on the ceiling. It’s as if this place had been abandoned for years. The temperature within the room was cold, adding how empty the place felt. As I looked behind me, I came to notice that even the teleporter looked different. The shape was similar, but the design of rusted metal and the lack of wiring tubes and support beams made it look like it could fall apart at any moment. ‘how is it still functional?’ Just as the last of our crew walked through the portal, it suddenly dissipated into nothing, leaving our flashlights to illuminate the room. ‘no turning back now.’ “yo professor, did we transport ourselves into the future?” I heard Steven ask, while looking around the room. “it’s a possibility, but highly unlikely. None of the equipment here resembles anything we used, the room itself is different in structure, even the atmosphere feels wrong.” The professor response only confirms my suspicions. Taking closer inspection of one of the computers, it looks like something you’ll find in the 1900’s. the screen looked like it had a built-in monitor in the back, and the keyboard was oddly larger but still similar. However, I noticed there aren’t any wires for the monitor to connect to an outlet. ‘maybe it has a built-in power source.’ “hey comrades, I believe I found a way out!” I looked over to see Kazimir across the room. As we all gathered around him, I noticed that the door was a sliding door bearing the logo “STABLE 0” on the center. Next to it looked like a terminal of some kind. As I walked up to it, I was surprised to hear the monitor come to life. The screen seemed to be displaying a boot up procedure, and then a keyboard appeared below it. the screen then displayed “enter password” in bold letters. “hey Vincent, come here.” I called over, knowing his knowledge on computer far outweigh my own. “yeah, what is- wow.” He looked at the screen, wondering how something still works. “think you can bypass?” he began to rub his hands at the challenge. “alright, let’s see what we have here.” I watched as he typed away, placing in codes that I have no knowledge of. Suddenly, the screen went blank, showing the words “booting up” on the top left corner. Then row upon row of symbols mixed in with words appeared on the screen. Vincent hummed in thought, as he looked upon the screen with a critical eye. “any luck?” I asked not comprehending what’s on the screen. “just seeing what I’m dealing with here, but if it’s what I think it is…” he began to type a group of symbols onto the screen. Once he pressed enter one of the words disappeared form the screen. He began doing it multiple times, typing different sets of symbols. One by one, the words disappeared from the screen. “just as I thought.” Vincent said, chuckling a bit. “what is it?” I asked, trying to understand what’s going on. “well, the screen is displaying a password recovery hack I learned in my early years. The computer will give you a whole set of words that may have been previous passwords or made up ones. The syllables between them actually serve as codes to remove any duds from the list… like this one.” He pointed at the code on the screen and proceeded to type it. soon enough, another word disappeared. “the computer won’t always give you enough codes to remove all the duds, but it still helps. See, now I only have three words.” I looked at the screen, seeing the words he was talking about. “how many tries do you have?” Vincent gave me a smug look, after I asked that. “don’t worry, the computer will give you four tries to get it right. See these blocks right here.” he pointed it four small squares on the right corner of the screen, “these display the amount of tries you can get, but, if you fail, you’ll be locked out indefinitely.” He began to type one of the words and entered it and then one of the blocks disappeared. On the bottom, right corner the screen, the terminal displayed it as wrong and gave a likeness number. “this obviously tells me that it was wrong but that’s not what’s important. What’s important is the likeness number.” He said, matter of fact, “it tells you how many letters from the dud are like the real password. Then I play the game of observation. This word had no similarities to the dud; so, it is also a dud. That leaves us with this one.” He typed in the other word, careful that he didn’t misspelled it. soon enough, the screen displayed “correct password” and continued to start rebooting. It then displayed an open-door menu. “and we’re in.” he said happily. “wow, that was… easy?” I almost asked, seeing how simplistic it was. “you know for being the only security for this room, I find it too easy to break in.” Vincent said, shocked by the little to no difficulty he had. “let’s not waist a grit horse in the mouth. Open the door.” The lieutenant said. We all placed ourselves in a defensive formation, while the scientists hid behind us. Once everyone was ready, Vincent entered the command. He backed away immediately as the door slid open. Not knowing what’s on the other side, we all pointed our weapons. However, what greeted us was a dark hallway that seemed to be in a similar condition as the room, and some skeletal remains of a small horse… “well that’s depressing.” Barnaby said, pointing out the skeleton in front of us. We all slowly moved forward, making sure it was safe. Once we were in front of it, we began to examine it further. The skeleton was covered in a tattered lab coat that decomposed due to old age. However, that wasn’t the strangest thing about it. although the body structure was like a horse only smaller, the head was completely out of proportion. It was larger than it should be, the snout was small, and the eye sockets were as big as my hand. “what a strange specimen.” Said one of the scientists as he crouched down to get a better look. “hey, how much you want to bet these were the chaps that sent us the letter.” Barnaby said, jokingly. “that is complete preposterous. Such beings could not possibly build this place, or even come close to dimensional travel.” Professor Hubbard argued. “then how do you explain this?” Barnaby said pointing at the corpse. “it may have gotten lost in here and died of starvation.” The professor countered. “and the coat?” Kazimir asked. “someone may have dressed it up before it got here, maybe. I can’t determine its past by looking at its corpse.” The professor bellowed, as he started to get aggravated. “alright, that’s enough!” the lieutenant shouted, silencing everyone, “we’ll figure this out later. Right now, we must focus on finding a bloody way out of here.” he continued saying that he, Barnaby, Butch, and the other scientists will hold up in the teleporter room, while the rest of us continue to scout ahead. We were to maintain radio contact and report all our findings. The professor also asked us to find out what happened to the place. With our flashlights on and guns at the ready, we walked past the corpse and traveled deeper into the dark. Author's Note well they made it, but something isn't right. are they really alone in the stable... well we will see hope you like
ch.1 part 3: echoes of the past/ the dead still walk/ search and rescueEchoes of the past (07 save- dino crisis) After going through the hallway, we came across another door. Luckily, it was already unlocked. On the other side was what appeared to be a hub of sorts. There were two floors, each housing a set of doors. Fortunately, they were all labeled with a sign on top of each. The place itself was in ruins. There was debris everywhere, as if people just dropped whatever they were carrying and ran. The doors were rusted, the walls were growing moss on them, and there were more of those horse corpses around. Some seem more recent then others, since they have flesh on them. ‘ugh, that’s just disgusting.’ To cover more ground, we decided to separate into three groups. The Russians were going to check the generator room, the Asians were going to the commons area, and my group was going to the overseer’s office. Remembering the letter from the brief was sent by someone known as the overseer, I had more interest in this room then the others. After we went our separate ways, we made our way to the office. opening the door, we found another hallway that lead to a staircase. Once we got to the top, we found another door. However, it was locked and had a terminal next to it. Nathan and I stood guard while Vincent got to work. Suddenly our radios came to life, giving out a static hum. “leader to wolf pack, requesting status report.” The lieutenant said through the static. “Kazimir to leader, made it to generator room. There are many machineries here. much of them do not work, but there is still power leaking somewhere, what with the sliding doors and computers.” There was a brief pause before the radio came on again. “Hyousuke to leader, within the living quarters, but there isn’t anything alive down here. found lot of pods but they are empty. There are more horse bodies here to.” After another pause, I decided it was my turn. “david to leader, trying to bypass a terminal leading to the overseer’s office.” I said into the radio. “alright, keep me posted and be careful. Something doesn’t feel right. Leader out.” ‘right, if I wasn’t nervous enough.’ Soon after, Vincent bypassed the door. We opened it and started to clear the room. It was just as decayed as the rest, which was not surprising. However, it was unnaturally cold. In the middle of room was a desk with a computer on top, and behind it were multiple monitors attached to the wall. In the back-left corner of the room was a cylinder pod. There were multiple hoses attached to it, spewing out a cold mist, and the accumulation built up many ice pockets around it. ‘that explains why it’s cold in here.’ while I went to investigate it, Nathan continued to search the room, and Vincent checked the computer for anything useful. “a lot of the files seem to be corrupted.” Vincent said as he mashed away on the keys, “hmm… this one seems to be intact.” While listening, I continued to examine the freezing object in front of me. ‘the more I look at it, makes me believe that it’s a containment for something. But… for what?’ “stable zero’s prime objective is the study of dimensional travel, establish communication with other worldly civilizations, and to integrate our current society for a better future… wow almost sounds like what we’re doing.” I could hear more typing as he attempts to dig deeper into the system. Seeing nothing more from the pod, I went over to Vincent to see what else he finds. He was going through file to file, running into corrupted or encrypted ones. After a while, he found an intact one. The file was titled “breakthrough”, and, once it loaded up, he began to read. “for months, we have encountered nothing but setbacks, and the princesses have doubts with my position as overseer and the project itself. With the war effort on the rise, our support had been declining. However, today was different. We have gained the very thing we needed for so long. A breakthrough. We made a connection with a foreign frequency, that is surely not of this world. The data we received was beyond anything anypony could comprehend…” Vincent gave a pause, as he scrunched up in confusion. I knew exactly why as I caught on to the word in question. He quickly went back to reading, leaving it for later, “I had to act fast for I didn’t know how long we could hold this connection. I had passed through one of my prewritten messages, and, just as I sent it, the connection was lost.” “I have the upmost confidence that it made its journey. I only whished one of the princesses were here to witness it, but, with this data, I am sure I can convince them to reconsider and regain the lost funding we desperately need.” After he finished, he went back to digging. I began to ponder what I heard. There was something I didn’t understand. ‘if this breakthrough happened a couple of years ago, why does the place look abandoned for centuries?’ at this point, we know where the message came from. “alright, this is the last file that was made… it looks like an audio recording, thank god. I was getting tired of reading anyways.” He entered a few commands and soon enough we heard a click of a recorder come to life. “my name is overseer cross sight; head researcher for project paradise within stable zero… a few hours ago, we had received a warning of an incoming megaspell attack. Under protocol, we were to seal the stable door before detonation. However, I regret to say… (sigh) not all the personal made it inside. Once we felt the tremors, we knew there was nothing we could do for them. May the goddesses have mercy on them… due to current events, project paradise will be placed on hold. I am unable to contact the surface, which only leads me to assume the worst… in case such events occurred, it is protocol to enter cryo-stasis. We will stay in our pods until the vault’s E.S.D.S. states that its habitable once more, or is overridden via terminal… oh goddesses, how could we have let it come this far?” we then heard another click, marking the end of the recording. We all fell silent, turning our gazes at the pod. ‘well at least we know what’s inside.’ The dead still walk While Vincent tried to find the override protocol within the terminal, I decided to report our findings. “wait, you found the overseer, what’s his status?” I looked at the pod for a moment, piecing together what I should say. “he’s… um… still alive…I think. He’s inside some sort of cryo-tube.” I looked back at Vincent, as he continues his search. “cryo-tube?” the lieutenant asked, wanting me to elaborate. “yeah, we found his computer, and it’s still operational. Although, a lot of the data been corrupted. There are files that are still intact though. The information was vague but I think they’re trying to do the same thing we’re doing.” There was a brief pause before the lieutenant chimed in again. “that doesn’t explain why the place had gone to hell.” I briefly looked at the pod once more, hesitating on what I had to say next. “there was something else… something really bad.” Suddenly, a loud thunk was heard throughout the whole facility. All the lightbulbs began to flicker, as a surge of power went through them. Due to the amount of time it was unused, some of them exploded, including the one above us. We all recoiled from the blast, uttering a curse or two. “what the bloody hell was that, all teams report!” the lieutenant yelled, also sounding shocked from the surge. “this is Kazimir here, I believe I found power switch.” The lieutenant didn’t take kindly to the news, bantering on how dangerous that could have been. I’m just surprised it worked. “well I’ll be damned.” I looked over at Vincent, as he was back on the computer, “it looks like the power surge reconnected the terminal to the pod.” I looked at the screen as he enters “pod analysis”, bringing up information about it and the host inside. Out of all the information, the only one that interested me was “patient’s status: stable”. “well, at least he’s still alive.” I said as Vincent nodded in agreement. The radio switched on again, but what I heard made my blood run cold. Gunfire and screams rang out from the speaker, and I could also hear faint sounds of growls and screeches. “this is Hyousuke, we are under attack! I say again, we are under attack!” (rip and tear- doom) “what is attacking you… report!” the lieutenant asked in alarm. “the bodies! Don’t trust the bodies!” he yelled. “the bodies? What are you talking abo- what the hell… (BANG BANG BANG) everyone back to the portal room, now!” the radio then fell silent once more. We all looked at each other in mild shock from what we heard, but then we immediately pulled out our weapons and switched the safeties off. We piled up in front of the door with our guns at the ready. Once I gave the order to open the door, what we see was a creature of nightmares. The horse body we passed was now standing facing away from us. In true horror movie fashion, it slowly swayed its mutilated head towards us. The face was nothing but decayed flesh and the eyes were glazed over in a grey hue. Its mouth opened, showing missing teeth and flesh, and immitted a small hissing noise that soon turned into a loud screech. At this point, it only felt natural to pull the trigger. I watched as streams of light tear right through the beast, mutilating it. it fell to the ground, as a puddle of its own blood grew around it. it didn’t end there though, more of that screeching could be heard across the hall as two more of those things appeared from the corner. They came sprinting at us with reckless abandon, showing no form of intelligence other than a feral rage. Without hesitation, we all took shots at these creatures. Like their friend, they too could not stand up to our firepower. Once they were down, we began to move up. The sounds of gunfire and screeching got louder as we made our way to the lobby. The first thing I see were bodies. Bodies everywhere. This whole room had turned into a shooting gallery. I was drawn by the sound of gunfire leading to the stairs. The Russians were attempting to make it up to the second level, while a horde of those monsters was chasing behind them. At that point, Kazimir quickly turned around with his machinegun at the ready. With a sweeping motion, he began to mow down vast numbers of them. “come on, they need our help!” I said, as we made our way to the stair case. The other two took positions at the second level, taking shots at whatever they could. We filed in next to them to do the same. We took them down within minutes, leaving nothing but hole riddled bodies. I took this opportunity to get to Kazimir who was still on the first level. “hey, we got to go.” I said with urgency. “I cannot. The others have not returned yet.” He said, remaining in his position. I looked over to the door that lead to the living quarters, contemplating on what to do. I tried to raise them through my radio, but there was no answer. I cursed under my breath, as I decided what we needed to do. “alright, I’m going to take my team and go get them.” I said. “we’ll keep the stairs open.” With that said, I waved my guys to follow. Making our way to the door, I was careful not to trip on any of the corpses that littered the ground. Search and rescue “Hyousuke, this is David, if you can hear this, watch your fire. Friendlies are coming to you, I say again friendlies are coming.” Once Vincent got the door open, we hurriedly made our way through the hallway that banked to the to the right. Peeking, there were multiple doors lining on each side of the p-way. Making our way to the closest door, we opened it to find an empty sleeping quarters. There were bunks that seem to fill up most the room and standing lockers stationed next to each one. Seeing nothing of interest, we moved on to the next one. It was just as empty as the first. ‘where the f#ck are you guys.’ In the next room, we found a promising sight. There were bodies everywhere. Most of them were torn up by gunfire, but there were others that looked like their limbs were sliced off. ‘time to follow the trail of dead bodies.’ As we followed the bloody path, I noticed a bunch of the same cryo-tubes that we found in the overseer’s office. However, all of them were vacant. Some were busted open while others didn’t look like they work at all. ‘of course, the crew didn’t survive.’ I decided to ignore it for now, making the search for the other team a priority. The trail led us to a door that seem to lead to the next room. I was getting a bit nervous, since I haven’t heard a sound throughout our search. Once we opened the door, my concerns were answered with growls and hissing coming from within. Taking a deep breath, we slowly made our way inside. We continued to follow the trail, keeping an eye on the aisles for any surprises. The noises were getting louder, and I could also hear a faint banging sound. Turning the corner, my eyes narrowed, seeing a horde of those things banging against a door. Luckily, they were to occupied with it to notice us. Taking the opportunity, I waved my hand for someone to take the other side. Nathan took the lead while Vincent stayed with me. once he was on the other side, I pulled out one of my grenades, making sure they both see what I was doing. After they nodded in approval, I pulled the pin, hearing the guard ping off the grenade. Then I quickly tossed it towards the horde and took cover behind the wall of racks. There was a brief shriek before the explosion drowned it out. The shockwave sent a gust of air at us, including a few limbs. I quickly peered over, seeing a singed floor surrounded by body parts and blood. To my surprise, there were still some alive. One of them was dragging itself towards us with a single limb, attempting to intimidate us with a hiss. ‘that’s just sad.’ Shaking my head, I pointed my rifle at it and pulled the trigger. Nathan and Vincent decided to join me, as we took out the remaining stragglers. Once that was done, we moved up to the door, keeping an eye down the other isles. I started to bang on it to get whoever’s on the other side attention. “hey, friendlies! Anyone in there!” my response came in a series of what sounds like moving furniture. The door opened, revealing Hyousuke on the other side. “it is good to see you staff Sargent.” He said. “like wise.” I offered him a brief handshake for good measure, “so what’s the sit-rep?” at this point, we were already inside and closed the door, barricading it with what few furniture there was. Instead of telling me, he nodded for me to follow. He took me behind a group of shelves where the rest of his team were. I could already tell that one of them was injured, if the fact that the other was mending his leg was any indicator. “what happened?” I asked upon reflex. “they swarmed us. too many to keep track of. One bit him on the leg. The other had to carry him. We couldn’t move fast enough to get out. Decided to take shelter here.” he stated, giving a brief description. I watched as the gauze began to turn red where the wound is, indicating that he was still bleeding. “Guo, right?” I asked getting his attention, “you good to move?” “yes, staff sergeant.” He said, giving me a firm nod. “alright, Hyousuke and I will take point, Nathan takes rear, and Vincent will assist. Once everyone agreed, we posted ourselves in front of the doors. Once the barricade was removed, Nathan and Vincent opened the doors. Behind it was another one of those things. It began to hiss only to receive a bullet to the head. ‘that sh#t is getting old.’ Hyousuke and I quickly exited and secured the area. Soon after, the rest of the group followed behind. The trip back was met with little resistance, taking on a few loners. ‘I guess we killed most of them?’ as we made it to the lobby, I could see the Russians still manning the stairs. “ah, my Asian comrades, it is good to see you alive.” Kazimir said, with a bit of glee. “I see you’ve been busy.” Hyousuke said, examining the carnage around us. Kazimir began to laugh heartedly, “it’s like shooting fish in very small barrel!” with the teams finally together, we all made our way back to the portal room. The walk was quiet, but we maintained our guard for any surprises. We finally relaxed once we spotted the door. When we got in, we were greeted with a few rifle barrels pointing towards us, but quickly jerked away once those behind them noticed us. “took your bloody sweet time getting here!” the lieutenant barked, “did you shove your sense of direction up your @ss and got lost.” “it took us awhile to regroup, but I think we got them all.” I said as the rest of the team got themselves comfortable. Noticing one of our injured, Barnaby quickly went up to him and got to work. The lieutenant didn’t argue any further and decided to access the situation. Taking a seat on the stairwell, I began to take account of my equipment. “staff sergeant.” I looked up to see professor Hubbard, looking at me expectantly, “if I recall, you said that your team may have found a live specimen?” “yeah I believe he was the overseer.” I said recalling the information I found. The professor then beamed with joy. “excellent, we can still salvage this mess. Lieutenant, I wish to meet this overseer at once.” Everyone looked at both the professor and the lieutenant. “are you sure, there could be others…” the lieutenant argued, but the professor wouldn’t budge. “and that is precisely why we must get to him before anything else does. If the overseer is lost, then this whole mission will be in jeopardy!” the room felt uneasy, as both individuals refuse to submit. As much as I want to sit down and rest, I was getting tired of all the drama. “I’ll go.” I said, gaining the attention of the room, “the office isn’t really that far from here. my team could easily escort him there.” The professor nodded at me in approval. “I will go to. I grow curious of what the overseer looks like.” Kazimir said as well. Everyone looked to the lieutenant for approval, as he looked back at us with uncertainty. “… fine, you can go, but don’t get yourselves killed.” He said, giving into the request. “understood, now we must hurry. The longer we postpone, the greater the chance that we lose him.” We got back up, and went out the door.
ch. 1 part 4: a single hello (end)A single hello The trip to the office was easy enough, as the professor ignored the carnage on the first floor. However, the smell was getting a bit foul. We all settled into the room, while the Russians guard the door. As Vincent continued working on the terminal, the professor simply stared at the pod, examining every corner. Honestly, it looked kind of weird. I decided to stick with Vincent as he enters different codes. Files and protocols were displayed on the screen, but he canceled out most of them, keeping only those of interest. “how much longer, sergeant?” asked the professor, keeping a critical eye on the pod. “not really sure. The emergency protocol, that keeps him in there, is sophisticated. Since I don’t have the authorization, I have to keep feeding it false information to override it.” Vincent replied. After we showed what information was in the terminal, he was quite eager to have a chat with the overseer. What I want to know; is about the mega spells that were mentioned. It’s obviously a weapon, and, if one is capable to feel the impact from underground, I can only assume what it is equivalent to. ‘who would use such weapon and why?’ I only had to be patient; for my questions, will be answered soon. After about half an hour of waiting, the terminal began to display about the pod itself. “alright, I’m through.” Vincent said, with a hint of relief. “what are we looking at?” the professor asked, while Vincent scanned through the file. As he began to type away, multiple displays of the pod appeared on the screen. Soon red marks began to appear, indicating damage or malfunction. “to be honest, I’m surprised this thing still works. The temps are way out of proportion, multiple hole punctures, and it practically has 200 years of overdue maintenance.” He said. “and the overseer?” he then brought up a display of the overseer’s status. “he seems alright, but, due to the rise of temperature, he’s slowly thawing out. If he was left in there for a couple of years, his body will resume normal function and he’ll die of starvation or dehydration.” The professor hummed in thought, after hearing what was said. “I think it would be best to let him out then.” The professor said affirmatively. Even though this was the original plan, most of us had second thoughts about it. we don’t know how he’ll react to us or the current situation. Vincent was quick to voice our concerns to the professor, but he only scoffed in response. “he can’t stay in there forever, and I’ve waited long enough for this meeting. With that said, sergeant, open the pod.” Taking a deep breath, Vincent nodded and began the sequence. Seeing the possible danger, I asked the professor to stay behind me. he reluctantly complied, going only a few steps back. Vincent gave us a warning before entering the command. The pod began to hiss, as the locking mechanism was released. A cold mist began to spray out the edges, as the door slowly released pressure. Suddenly the door opened slightly, releasing a thick fog going above our feet. I tightened the grip on my rifle, feeling the anticipation. The door then began to slowly pan up, revealing a misty interior. As it began to clear, what we see was quite surprising. It was a light brown little horse. “well, given what happened before this, I am not surprised.” Stated Kazimir. (district 12 ruins- hunger games) The horse began to stir, slowly regaining conciseness. It leaned forward probably searching for solid ground. Sadly, the ground was farther then he could reach, and he was not conscience enough to right himself. Seeing this, I quickly stepped forward and caught him, feeling his body go limp. He was no feather but he wasn’t as heavy as I thought. He began to mumble incoherent words as his mind attempted to start up again. I was surprised that he was indeed speaking English, though broken due to his state. “you alright?” I asked. “I… yes… forgive me… not used to… cryo-sleep.” He said, taking deep breaths in between sentences. I was still in shock, but continued to ask if he remembers who he is. “I’m… overseer cross sight of stable zero… head researcher of project paradise.” He said as he became more aware of himself, “I’m guessing you’re the rescue tea-“ The moment he opened his eyes, his breath hitched within his throat. Instead of seeing a familiar face, his sight was on my vest. His large eyes slowly moved up till he reached my face. At this point, his pupils became pin pricks as he looked upon me in horror. I was about to say something, but he beat me to it. he screamed. It was so loud it made my eardrums hurt. He flailed wildly to get away. I didn’t really want to fight with him, so I granted his request and let him go. I winced as he fell to the ground. His legs didn’t look like they wanted to work; so, he ended up crawling to the farthest corner. I quickly relaxed my grip on my weapon, feeling pity for him. When he noticed, he couldn’t go any further, he quickly swayed back towards me, pressing his back against the wall. I could see his eyes move wildly in different directions, probably seeing the rest of our group. As I took a step forward, I brought my hand up, hoping to calm him down. It didn’t. “no! stay away from me!” he was practically panicking. I quickly brought myself back, feeling unsure of what to do. Then the professor ahead of me and stood in between us. Before either of us could speak our concerns, he spoke first. “hello, my name is professor Hubbard. These fine gentlemen you see before you are my escort. Please believe me when I say that we mean you no harm.” He didn’t seem to be calming down, but he wasn’t screaming either. On top of that, he almost looked surprised. I’m guessing he didn’t expect us to speak the same language. “I was looking forward to this meeting for a long time.” The professor said. “w-what do you mean?” the overseer stuttered. The professor then reached into his coat, pulling out a scroll. Upon seeing it, the overseer looked at it in shock. “that’s…” “yes, we were the ones you contacted through the portal. Though I wished it were in better… circumstances.” He looked at the professor confusedly; then took an actual look around the room. “what happened to my office… how long was I…” the professor looked upon him with pity. “I am afraid that you have been in cryo-stasis for… 200 years.”
prologue prologue “… “ “…” “…” (crunch crunch crunch) “…” “…” (crunch crun-) “will you stop that!” “stop what?” “that infernal noise!” “what… this. (crunch crunch)” “yes that!” “but I’m hungry.” “why are you eating on the job?!” “honestly, we’ve been monitoring these systems for the past four hours. I got a bit hungry; so I decided to indulge myself.” “I’m not paying you to slack off.” “slack off, I practically keep this place from falling apart.” “oh really, so what happens if we receive a signal and you’re not there to record it, hmmm.” “oh, come on, we haven’t received a signal for three months, and even then, it was just pointless chatter.” “the frequency was not calibrated then!” “yeah… frequencies, whatever you sa-“ “what is it now!” “I’m picking up something, establishing connection. It could be just another communication relay.” “if it is, I’m going to have to re-calibrate it all again. (groan) oh god.” “maybe it’s some sort of secret communist information.” “…just stop, I have enough as it is then to indulge in your fantasies.” “just saying. At least it would be better then- wow.” “what did you do! My systems have all gone to fritz!” “I don’t know! I’ve lost control of all systems… what the hell?!” “what is that!” “why are you asking me!” “are you recording this!” “are you serious!” “hurry up!” “… got it!” “in less than a couple of minutes ago, we have received an unknown frequency. Upon connection, we have lost control of all systems, and now an anomaly had begun to form as a ball of blue energy in the center of the room.” “sir, I think we should leave!” “nonsense, this is what we’ve been waiting for!” “are you insane, this thing looks like it’s about to blow in any sec- sh#t!” … … … (cough cough) … “hey (cough), wake up.” “(groan) are we dead?” “no, you’re not getting out of this that easily, now come on.” “Jesus, everything is destroyed.” “where is the camera?” “it’s uh… right here.” “is it intact?” “yeah, it’s still working.” “good… it has seemed the anomaly had dispersed a wave of energy causing the destruction of all systems.” “uh… sir?” “what?” “there’s something there.” Author's Note yup this is another book. the last one is not canceled so don't worry, just wanted to do something else. this is a more for fun so I don't really expect much but that doesn't mean I try my best at it. I've always been a fallout fan, but I honestly never read the original fall out Equestria. all I really know is whatever's on main stream. hope you like it
