We’re not in Kansas Anymore

______________________________________________________________________________

“What?” Boss’ voice came over the comlink channel, “Say again. What did you find?”

“Holey wasn’t joking, sir,” Snipes reported, “It...it’s a fucking pegasus!” He said, blinking rapidly as if trying to clear away an illusion.

“And it’s alive,” Holey added, standing stock-still, not sure what to do.

“A pegasus?” Boss asked over the comlink channel, rightfully doubtful. The creature in question shook its head as if dizzy before spotting the two humans. Though an undertone of fear layered its features, curiosity seemed more present, “As in a mythological creature, pegasus? Horse with wings?”

“Not making this up, sir,” Holey replied.

“What the hell’s up with his eyes?” Snipes wondered aloud when the creature looked at him, showing a set of misoriented eyes. Kinda like a chameleon in a way.

“Guys...” Boss trailed off, silent for a moment as he chose his words.

“It’s kinda cute,” Snipes said, holstering his weapon slowly and bending down to one knee to get closer to the creature.

“Snipes, what are you doing?” Holey asked, weapon still trained on the creature and his body rigid, “We don’t know what this fucking thing is, what the hell are you doing?”

“Spotter, what’s going on over there, talk to me,” Boss said.

“Can’t see into the crater clearly, Holey and Snipes seem okay from here. Moving up,” Spotter replied, moving forwards with his weapon at the ready.

“Well I doubt he’s going to jump up and eat me,” Snipes retorted to Holey, “If anything, this little guy’s more afraid of us than we are him.”

Spotter came forwards, boots crunching over twigs and other forest debris as he went. When he got close enough to look down into the crater, he froze, eyes wide and staring at the creature before him.

“Holy shit,” Spotter breathed, pausing a moment in awe, “They...they weren’t messing with you, Boss.”

The pegasus looked up at Spotter, giving each of them a glance before settling back, as far as he could tell with the eyes the way they were, on Snipes. It opened its mouth...and spoke.

“What in the name of all things muffiny are you?” Derpy asked.

Not in English of course, that’d be way too goddamn convenient. That said, what was properly formed words for the pegasus, was utter gibberish to the ears of the humans (despite the fact that it’s being translated to English in the story).

“It can talk?” Spotter said, amazed, his weapon lowered and forgotten.

“Am I the only one not happy with a talking fucking pegasus?” Holey asked, worried.

The language barrier, obviously, went both ways. But the angry tone of Holey’s voice needed no translation, causing Derpy to lean a bit away from the soldier in question.

“Guys...you can’t be serious,” Boss said, a hint of doubt entering his voice.

“I don’t know how, but we...this...” Spotter was at a loss of words, crouching down next to Snipes, “We must’ve...gone through a...a wormhole or...I dunno...something! We’ve stumbled upon alien life, guys!” he looked at his two fellow soldiers, “Another fucking planet!”

“Um, I don’t know what you’re saying,” Derpy commented helpfully, getting the soldier’s attention.

“Um...uh...” Spotter began, clearing his throat, he pointed to himself, “Hue-man,” he sounded out slowly, gesturing to Holey and Snipes, sounding it out again.

“Guys!” Boss growled, the doubt gone from his voice.

Scrunching up her nose in an adorable way, Derpy spoke for the third time.

“H-hue-man?” she sounded out as if tasting the word, “Is that what you guys are? Hue-mans?”

A massive smile split Spotter’s face, “Holy shit, we’re communicating with an alien lifeform! My god, this is just...”

“God damnit!” Boss yelled over the comlink channel, “Shut-up and listen the fuck up now! You are to head to that town that we saw and you are to fucking meet us there, with or without whatever fucking pegasus you may have found! That is a direct order and I expect to see it followed, now!”

“This may not be the time, but maybe this is a simulation gone haywire,” Redneck pointed out.

The three soldiers standing over the pegasus paused, that thought knocking all others out of their minds.

“I mean, a talking pegasus? Isn’t there something that just strikes you as a little bit odd about that statement?” Redneck continued.

Spotter opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it. Snipes’ smile faded into a frown.

“I mean, what the hell is this? Some kinda crazy sci-fi fanfiction or something?” Redneck went on, his logic answered with more contemplative silence, “Maybe I’m wrong and this is some whole new world, but what’s more likely between that and a messed up simulator?”

“Well then why can we consider the possibility that it is a simulation?” Spotter countered, “If it did go haywire, they’d wake us up.”

“Plus...” Snipes began to add, a voice in his ear shutting him up.

“Look, just fucking drop it! Whether this is a simulation or not doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we get to that town and see about getting the data off of our plane’s black box!” Boss growled, “Maybe you found an alien, maybe this is just some fucked-up simulation. Whatever it is, I gave the order to move, so move!”

“We need to get going,” Holey stated rather obviously he lowered his weapon slowly from the creature, pausing a moment longer before heading around the crater, “Let’s move.”

“Where’s he going?” Derpy asked, still not entirely getting the fact that the humans couldn’t understand her all that well.

“Fine. C’mon little guy,” Snipes said with a sigh, gesturing for Derpy to follow, the pegasus stared back without recognition of his words.

“On our way, Boss,” Holey said, “Can you patch us a link through your HUD’s compass? Give us a waypoint to go off of.”

“Yeah, wait one,” Boss replied, sounding a bit more calm now that things were getting back to normal again...sorta.

“Hey, I think Ponyville’s that way,” Derpy pointed out unhelpfully as she took flight and headed after the trio of soldiers, she paused in mid air, thinking hard, “Or is it that way?” she asked, looking to her right.

Hearing the creature talk, Spotter looked back, pausing to stare in wonder as Derpy hovered, gentle wing beats keeping her aloft.

“Whoa, it’s flying!” he said in awe, stopping to stare at the creature for a moment.

“If it shits on me, I’m going to shoot it,” Holey growled, giving a cautious look back.

“Guys, you should be seeing a waypoint on your HUD’s compasses,” Boss said.

“Roger,” Holey replied.

“C’mon,” Snipes gestured, waving Derpy forwards, “I wonder if we can teach him any tricks,” he chuckled, “maybe I’ll be able to make up for the time I tried to teach my dog to fly.”

“I’m not so certain that that thing’s a he,” Spotter stated, following Snipes again.

Having made up her mind, Derpy caught up with them. She kept pace with Spotter and Snipes, just behind and above them, listening to their conversation as if she could understand it...even though she couldn’t.

“Well does it have a dick?” Snipes asked bluntly.

“No,” Spotter replied as the trio continued to march onwards through the forest.

“Oh,” Snipes said, looking over at Derpy with a keener eye this time, “Well at least that means we won’t have to teach her not to hump Redneck’s leg or anything. I just hope we can teach him the same.”

“Fuck you, Snipes,” Redneck replied over his comlink.

“Will you settle for sexting?” Snipes asked, “Not sure what else I can do at this distance.”

Redneck only uttered a growl.

______________________________________________________________________________

(Twenty minutes later)

“Heigh-ho! Heigo-ho! It’s off to war we go!” Snipes sang, “With tommyguns we’ll kill the nuns, heigh-ho! Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, heigh-ho! Heigh-ho, it’s off to war we go! With tommyguns we’ll kill the nuns, Heigh...”

“Quiet coms,” Boss ordered, cutting off Snipes’ beautiful singing voice, “We’ve been going for a while and I think we might’ve passed the town, does anyone see any signs of settlement? Smoke? Roads? Anything? Snipes, do you or Spotter have a good position where you could get a nice view of the surrounding land?”

“Negative, on that last one, scanning for others,” Snipes replied, the trio and Derpy, who’d been humming to Snipes’ tune, halting. The humans began to scan the skies and the horizon, looking for clues.

“What? Why are we stopping?” Derpy asked, landing on all fours, folding her wings, and looking up at the humans, “Ponyville isn’t too far from here.”

“Yeah, I don’t see anything,” Holey grumbled, squinting through the trees, “We’re still in a forest, looks like it get’s a bit less dense to the south but that’s as much as I can see.”

“Well we’re at what now appears to be the base of a mountain range, running east,” Boss said, annoyed, “Must’ve gotten messed up on the direction in freefall.”

“Well I’ve gotta get home,” Derpy said, opening her wings and heading off towards Ponyville, “My little Muffin must be worried sick that mommy didn’t pick her up at school,” she muttered to herself, “Darn runaway cirrus cloud.”

“Now where’s she going?” Snipes asked himself as the pegasus took flight.

“Maybe she knows where that town we’re looking for is?” Spotter suggested, “I mean, she’s a sentient creature, maybe that town was built by her race or something?”

Holey looked after the receding pegasus, thinking, “Worth a shot,” he admitted, starting off at a slow jog after Derpy with his fellows in tow, “We’re following the pegasus, I’ll keep you posted, Boss.”

“Roger that,” Boss replied, “Guys, we hold tight, wait for them to see if they can spot our town, Pike, start trying to see if you can get that black box to play through our comlinks.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Pike replied.

Derpy looked back, noticing that the humans were following her.

“Come on,” she called back gesturing for them to follow, “Ponyville’s this way if that’s where you guys are headed!”

The forest began to grow weaker and weaker around them, the amount of trees growing fewer and fewer until the land opened up before them in a set of rolling grassy hills. Gentle winds tickled at the grasses, swaying them gently back and forth in the breeze.

The group continued Southwards, their boots crunching over the grasses and the air refreshing and clean. Few clouds roamed the clear, blue skies, and the sun shone down warmly upon the landscape.

“Wow, this’d be the perfect place for a shopping mall or something!” Snipes commented, chuckling.

Derpy maintained a lead on the three soldiers, squinting ahead as she looked for Ponyville on the horizon. If her calculations were correct, Ponyville should be appearing any second now.

And as if on cue, a final rolling hill’s crest gave a perfect view of the village in all its glory. A happy smile on her face, Derpy landed on the hill, looking back at the humans as they ascended after her.

“See,” Derpy pointed towards Ponyville with a hoof, still looking at the humans, “I told you it was this way.”

The humans came to a halt atop the hill, spotting the town from atop it.

“Boss, we’ve found that town, the pegasus led us right to it,” Holey reported.

“Good job, miss pegasus,” Snipes said to the pegasus.

“Great, patch me a waypoint on our compass and we’ll head there now. Sit tight and wait for us.”

“Roger,” Holey replied, tapping at his HUD with his fingers to set up a waypoint and then send it to Boss.

Staring at the distant town, Snipes frowned. At the range he was at, small multi-colored dots raced through the town, he could swear that he could also see green flashes winking in and out of existence.

“Well I’ll see you guys later, then,” Derpy said, lifting off and heading down towards Ponyville.

“Spots,” Snipes said, still eyeing the town. He brought his rifle around from his back, “You see any weird light show coming off of that town?”

Spotter squinted towards the town in the distance, “Yeah, sort of. Why?”

Snipes crouched down, bringing the scope of his rifle to his eye...

“What the?” he wondered aloud.

Multi-colored horses were running to and fro, blackish ones, usually flying, chased after them. The black creatures were letting off green blasts of light every once in a while as they chased down their quarry. If he didn’t know any better, Snipes would have sworn that the town was under attack...

...come to think of it, Snipes really didn’t know any better.

“You should be seeing that waypoint now, Boss.”

“Snipes, what is it?” Spotter asked.

“Either we’re interrupting one of the oddest mating rituals I’ve ever seen, or there’s some fighting going on over there,” Snipes replied.

“What?”

“I think we should move up, get a better look at this town, I can’t see too well with this scope at this range, but it looks like there’s some group attacking that town,” Snipes said, “black things giving off green muzzle flashes or something.”

“They’ve got guns?” Spotter asked, worried.

“No, the creatures themselves are emitting the lights,” Snipes reassured.

“Well check it out and make sure, but hold fire, current rules of engagement still stand,” Boss replied.

“Roger that,” Snipes replied, getting up, “You guys try and get closer to that town and see if you can figure out what the hell’s going on. I’m gonna get atop a closer hill and get a better view.”

Holey nodded and the group split up. Holey and Spotter stayed low as they circled around towards the East while Snipes made his way to a hill to the Southwest.

Between the two groups, still approaching Ponyville, Derpy froze. Were those changelings in Ponyville!? She picked up speed, a worried look crossing her face as she made her way closer to the village. A mother’s fear for her child sliced through her veins, her belly growing cold as she picked up her speed, eyes uncrossed and searching.

Snipes settled down on a hill a few hundred meters from the small town, looking down his rifle’s scope to get a better look.

Meanwhile, Holey and Spotter rushed the final distance, pressing their backs against a building at the edge of the town, Spotter giving a quick peek around a corner.

“Shit,” Snipes murmured.

Black creatures with sickly holes and bug wings buzzed across the town, firing off green blasts of some sort at multi-colored horses, some pegasi. Wherever the green blasts landed, a large green stain was left. When a lucky hit landed on one of the horses, it appeared to stick them to the ground, immobilizing them while the black creatures pinned them down with more of the green stuff.

“Looks like we landed in the middle of a fucking battlezone or something,” Holey commented.

“What’s happening?” Boss asked.

“Our horse friends seem to be having trouble with some group of black, bug-winged things, looks like they’re getting rounded or something,” Snipes said. A pegasus broke from cover only to have its wings immobilized by a green blast. The pegasus drove into the ground, a bunch of the black things ganging up to pin it down with the green stuff.

“Maybe it’s a harvest or something,” Spotter muttered, a shiver coating his voice.

Snipes’ scanning came across a shade of grey, he halted and found the grey-blonde pegasus from earlier in his crosshairs. She was peeking around a corner fearfully, eyes frantically searching for something. He continued to look over the scene before him, drawing the crosshairs off the pegasus.

“Well keep watching from a distance,” Boss ordered.

“Got it,” Holey replied.

Chaos reigned in Snipes’ scope, the black things pinning down and rounding up their quarry. The creatures weren’t killing the horses that they were pinning down, but from what he could tell, getting stuck to the ground with green goop wasn’t a common pastime here.

Another flash of grey and the pegasus from earlier was in the spotlight again, this time with a smaller companion hiding beneath her, quivering in fear. She looked around frantically, Snipes able to make out a horrified expression on the creature’s face.

Some of the black things were closing in on the pegasus, fangs bared.

Snipes bit his lip, a considering expression taking ahold of his face, “Sir, permission to open fire...the locals aren’t playing very nicely,” he said, making up his mind.

“Denied, Snipes. Keep your cool and maintain an overwatch,” Boss replied.

“With all due respect, sir,” the pegasus continued to glance around in fright, looking for an opening to flee for while the black things continued to close in, their faces like those of rabid wolves, “We should be trying to get on good terms with the friendly locals, letting them get gooped alive doesn’t seem like the best course of action if we want their help.”

“Denied, maintain overwatch. You are not to open fire, do you understand me?”

“Boss is right,” Spotter agreed, “It’s not like they’re actually killing them or anything, maybe these horses aren’t the good guys.”

“I say again, do you understand, Snipes?” Boss asked.

The pegasus bucked at one of the black things, sending it sprawling. Her frightened eyes searching for a way out, for some escape as she turned this way and that, hopping away when one of the black things got too close, playing with her like a cat would a mouse.

“Yes sir...” Snipes said, removing his hand from the trigger...and pressing a button. His rifle’s bipod snapped down. He pulled back the bolt and let it snap forwards, chambering a round, “...sorry, sir.”

Snipes took aim, crosshairs lining up on one of the black things around the pegasus.

“Say again,” Boss’ voice asked, “Did you just say ‘sorry, sir’?”

Snipes finger closed around the trigger, a breath escaping his lips.

The one-hundred-eighty grain projectile left the rifle’s muzzle at three thousand feet per second, carrying about three thousand and six hundred foot-pounds of force. .300 Winchester Magnum was typically employed at ranges anywhere from nine-tenths-of to one kilometer, Snipes was only three tenths of a kilometer from his target.

That said, it took a third of a second for the bullet to hit one of the black creatures right behind the shoulder, a perfect kill shot through the heart and lungs. The creature was knocked over, skidding a foot with a splatter of gore from the side opposite Snipes. It didn’t get up.

“Snipes, what the fuck are you doing!?” Holey yelled as Snipes lined up for a second shot.

“Goddamnit, Snipes! I told you...”

“I’m not going to be able to get all of these guys,” Snipes interrupted, not listening, the black things and the pony’s eyes were glued to the fallen changeling, a sickly-green ichor forming a puddle around the lifeless body. He shifted his aim, firing again. Another roar was spit from the rifle, another of the black things fell, head jerking back as its neck was snapped by the bullet and collapsing dead against the ground, “Spotter, Holey, try to get any that head my way.”

The creatures were frozen in Snipes’ scope, ears and eyes now scanning in his direction. He put a bullet through a third creature’s center mass and like those before it, it dropped.

“I gave you a direct order, damnit! Stand down now!” Boss roared.

“Sorry, sir but I think that they’re on to me. Gonna have to shoot the rest or they’ll get me. Self defense and all that,” Snipes replied, “Guys, a little cover?”

______________________________________________________________________________

Another report from Snipes rifle tore across the landscape.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Spotter grumbled, there was a chitter from around the building and a group of the black things started buzzing forwards. Spotter raised his rifle, opening fire. The 6.5mm Grendel rounds cut right through the creatures’ hides and knocked them from the sky. His weapon’s sound suppressor quieted the rounds to loud thwacks.

“Spotter, what the hell!” Holey yelled.

“Saving Snipes’ stupid, fucking ass. Help me, will you,” with the second source of gunfire, some of the creatures stopped, confused. Spotter dropped to a knee, lining up the crosshairs of his ACOG scope and giving each of the creatures two new orifices. Spent brass gave a short dance on the ground as it was kicked from the rifle.

“There’s the spirit!” Snipes fired again, one of the black things dropping from the sky in response.

“Shut-up, you stupid asshole! We’re only doing this to save your retarded ass,” Spotter spat back, “Holey, you with me?” Spotter peeked around the corner, more black things coming their way, drawn by all the gunfire.

Holey sighed and shouldered his rifle, “Govno,” he grumbled, “Let’s go.”

“Snipes, you disobeyed a direct order to hold fire!” Boss seethed.

“I said I was sorry,” Snipes replied.

“Fuck you, Snipes!” Boss growled, too angry to say anything else.

Spotter leaned around the corner, firing off quick, precise rounds from his rifle. The rounds connected with their targets, dropping them like liquid.

The creatures, finally, jumped for cover, disappearing behind houses while some of the stuck horses (though come to think of it, they were more like ponies if their sizes said anything) cried out in what Spotter assumed was fear, those that could covering their ears.

“They’re taking cover, Holey, take point, you’ve got the armor,” Spotter said, eyeing the area before them with a wary eye.

“Roger,” Holey replied, coming out from behind the building and moving forwards along the building, eye to his M68 CCO reflex sight.

A sixth loud report and a creature that had poked its head from cover dropped, a smoking hole in its forehead, the back of its head a mess of gore and its mouth lazily hanging open in a wordless cry.

Houses lined both sides of the street that the two soldiers were stranded on, a T-junction a series of houses ahead, giving quite a few alleyways for cover.

“Keep your aim front,” Holey ordered, peeking around the corner of the building he was currently next to, rifle raised. The red dot latched onto the grey pegasus from earlier. She held her forehooves over her ears, quaking in fear with wild eyes, a smaller pony beside her was crying as it gripped one of her legs. There was a black flash behind her as a few of the creatures dashed from the rear of the next building in front of him to the one he was next to.

“Watch rear!” Holey warned, pulling back and scanning over the area before him, “Three flanking!” he turned to the opposite alleyway, firing off a few rounds at some of the creatures hiding there.

“Roger,” Spotter replied, dropping to a knee as he swiveled around.

Another loud report followed the sound of bullet impact just around the corner.

“One dead,” Snipes reported.

Spotter was ready for the other two, four thwacks and the two creatures dropped, laying still as their green blood dribbled from their wounds, “Got the rest.”

“Moving up,” Holey said, sprinting to the next house and taking cover in the alleyway between this and the previous one.

“What are those noisy things!?” Derpy cried out from next to Holey.

Ignoring her, Holey brought his sight to bear on the opposing alleyway. One of the creatures stared back at him, frozen in fear. It began to turn as Holey fired off three shots, two of them connecting with their target.

“One down,” he reported.

Spotter followed close behind, moving to the opposite corner and peeking around...

...and coming face to face with one of the creatures.

Panicking, he fired off three quick rounds from the hip, hitting the creature in the chest. It collapsed with an ear-splitting shriek, writhing around in pain. Spotter checked to make sure there weren’t any more before lowering his rifle and putting a bullet in the injured creature’s head, silencing it.

“One down,” he reported, letting out a breath and holding down his corner.

Two more of the black things dashed from cover up the street, there was another report of gunfire and one of them dropped, the body skidding a few feet before coming to a halt.

“Another one bites the dust!” Snipes called.

“Moving up again!” Holey reported, “Spotter, get to my side and cover me.”

“Roger,” Spotter replied, jogging over to Holey’s side of the house and coming to a crouch, eye to his scope, “Go!”

“What’s going on!” Derpy wailed, eyes flitting between the two soldiers.

Holey rounded the corner and sprinted forwards. But as he did, one of the black things poked its head around the corner of a house up ahead, firing off a shot of the green stuff when it saw him. The projectile hit Holey, splattering over his rifle and chest, knocking him over with an ‘oof!’

“I’m, hit!” Holey yelled. From the ground, he brought his rifle to bear, the goop making it heavier as he lit up the area where the shot had come from, the shooter hopping back to cover with a cry of fear.

Spotter rushed forwards, grabbing Holey by the collar of his armor and dragging him back as he continued to pepper the house in front of him with suppressed gunfire. Derpy squeezed her hooves over her ears at the noise.

“How are you?” Spotter asked as he pulled Holey around the house, moving up to the corner to keep an eye on things. A few more black creatures rushed from cover to cover, Spotter noted them, but held his fire, they were moving too fast.

Holey grunted, sitting up and looking over himself.

“Is...is he okay?” Derpy asked.

“Suit integrity holding,” Holey gave a nervous chuckle as the adrenaline from getting shot began to ebb, he tried to gesture to the goop that covered his entire front, “Lucky for me, this shit wasn’t made to go through armor.”

“Boss, ETA?” Snipes asked, there was another report and another creature was knocked off its hooves, laying still with a hole in its side, “Reloading.”

“Ten mikes,” Boss replied, the anger in his tone quiet, but palpable.

“Can you walk it off?” Spotter asked, firing off a few shots as a black head poked around a corner, the owner of the head pulling back with a yelp. Spotter took a quick look around, the black things that they’d hit still looked dead, the trapped ponies trying to lay flat on the ground, none of them injured yet.

“Ugh, not easily,” Holey replied, he tried to raise his rifle, only for the green goop that connected it to his chest pulling it back down with an elastic snap, “My rifle’s temporarily out of action,” he let it hang by the goop, drawing his sidearm.

“So you’re stuck with that old museum piece?” Snipes inquired, voice hinting at a smile.

“Screw you. Sheptat was passed down from my grandfather to my father, then from my father to me. It’s tradition to carry her into battle,” Holey said, defending the old suppressed Makarov pistol, шептать carved into the slide, “Besides, she’s quieter that your stupid Glock!”

“Quiet coms,” Spotter ordered, “We’ll hold here, see if we can thin their numbers until Boss arrives with the cavalry.”

“No,” Boss replied, “When I get there, we are pulling back and we are putting distance between us and this stupid mess that our idiot sniper has made. Hold down and when we get there, be ready to pull back, understood?”

“Got it,” Holey replied, pulling back Sheptat’s slide to make sure that there was a round chambered.

“Shit, guys. Badguys taking to the air, watch yourselves!” Snipes reported there was another blast of gunfire, Derpy flinched at its sound and another of the black creatures fell victim to Snipes’ aim.

Spotter muttered a curse as a mass of black shapes took to the sky. There weren’t a whole lot of them, but there was still a lot more than either soldier felt like dealing with. Spotter sighted in, picking a target as it...continued to fly off?

“They’re retreating?” Snipes wondered aloud as the mass of black shapes gained altitude and began fleeing South.

The soldiers watched them for a while for good measure, to make sure they weren’t trying to bluff a retreat and come back around for another attack.

“Must’ve scared them off! Ha!” Holey said, the cheer of victory in his voice.

Spotter nodded, “Let’s sweep the area, make sure that they didn’t leave anybody behind.”

“One thing I know for sure,” Snipes began, “This sure as hell ain’t earth. We’ve left Kansas far behind, gentlemen.”

Author's Note

And so chapter two comes to a close. A and a /) to anyone who gets the title and/or song reference without having to google them. Sorry for being a bit cliche, but what the hell else am I supposed to do with guns and a mature rating? Use them as sex toys or something...okay, that conjured up some disturbing images.

But for the record, Snipes didn't do it for that dumb old white-knight reasoning. Why did he do it? Be patient my friends and all shall be revealed (or just go ask Peace, he'll probably just tell you). But anyways, onto the words thingy part!

-HUD: Heads-Up Display, a sort of holographic display that gives a user different useful information. While the one in the story is a bit more advanced than current technologies (as this takes place in the not-very-distant future), HUDs themselves are non-fictional.

-Coms: Short for comlink [channel]. 'Quiet coms' meaning basically: 'cut the chatter' or 'be quiet.'

-Cirrus cloud: If you don't know what a cloud is then I'll try to put this gently, but you're pretty damn stupid. If you don't know what a cirrus cloud is specifically, it's a higher-flying cloud.

-.300 Winchester Magnum: A powerful rifle cartridge, used both in the military and civilian use in the hunting of large game animals. Non-fictional.

-6.5mm Grendel: An intermediate rifle cartridge that rests somewhere between 5.56 and 7.62mmNATO in power. Fun Fact: the two cartridges on the story's cover image are 6.5mm Grendel rounds. Also non-fictional.

-"Govno," (говно): Russian, means 'Shit,' in an interjection form (according to Google Translator).

-M68 CCO reflex sight: A close range gunsight, CCO standing for Close Combat Optic. Used by the United States armed forces and non-fictional.

-ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival.

-Mikes: Minutes, military jargon.

-"Sheptat," (шептать): Russian, means 'The Whisper' (according to Google Translator).

-Makarov: Old Russian handgun, phased out the somewhat defective Tokarev handgun sometime around WWII or something.

-Glock: For those who know absolutely nothing about guns, Glock is a major foreign firearm producer.

And that should be it. Hope to see y'all again next chapter!