Metropolis: Eastern Front Chpt. 1 to 3

Metropolis: Eastern Front

Prologue: Metropolis
         It is one hundred years after Judgment Day, the End, the Apocalypse, whatever you call it. The earth was in a snowy nuclear comatose state of being. Humanity has been pressed to the edges of the world, with only few new settlements above ground, but most of society submerge underground, holding on to one last breath while drowning the ocean of chaos, death, mutations, themselves and worst of all:  the nuclear winter.

         The nuclear winter was the greatest threat to mankind, the forever unstable force, the merciless executioner, the beast that can’t be slain and the being who none can change. It and humanity were two gladiators pitted in a match to the death in a spectacle for all to see. The nuclear winter was the champion, the ruler and warrior of the land, and humanity was the underdog, the rebel and rogue of the land. The nuclear winter wielded the dual-edged sword of time; while it overpowers humanity in the beginning but as this spectacle went on and on its strength weakens slowly as the massive blade tires the user. Humanity, although handicapped by its flaws of lust, greed, envy, and all other humanly flaws, it has the iron will, and the ingenuity to hold back the onslaught of the nuclear winter, until it weakens itself to where it can push it back.

         Now the tide was turning, humanity was now the agile, ever adapting, ever elusive prey that could strike back, and the nuclear winter’s age and the length of this war was taking its toll, it was now the tired, middle-aged warrior who was now losing its strength and was slowly dying by its own weapon. Humanity was now making a comeback, having settlements of healthy size, and slowly but surely pushing back the mutants, bandits, and the psychotic mutant worshiping cultists in a long and painful war of attrition. One of these many war zones was a place that was once a metropolis that is now a rotten husk of its old glory. Above ground it was a frozen hell hole, littered in nuclear hot spots, and where it was non-toxic it was filled with ruthless raiders, inhumane mutants that resembled the beast from the nine circles of hades and hell, and radical cultist interlocked in a war with each other and everything else that moved and breathed. All of this made aboveground a place where death’s choice for vacation. The only reasonably safe place was underground.

         Even there, there was the same old stuff but to a lesser extent. Society had healed enough to where it could run functional semi-safe towns, which were subway stations, had individual clans, and trade, that although rationed, was in a way an ordinary free market. Guns on the other hand, well everyone who was sixteen and over at least had a knife, a revolver, and twelve bullets at all times. Now the thought of chaos would rule would be right except for the three strikes and death  which is the unwritten law of the land, which is self explanatory. Some more common laws in the stations were woman who were fertile and children were in the surely safe part of the station, and healthy young man and infertile woman had guard duty as some point in time of day. The only exception was if the soldier conscripted with a local mercenary group, which in many ways that was a death wish.  Most were mercenaries soldiers who were on their last leg, some were felons on their second strike and near number three, and few volunteered by choice, as stupid as that sounds.
         One of these groups was A.C.E.S, an acronym for Assault Combat Enforcement and Special-Ops. A.C.E.S a completely volunteer group that was legendary for being on the edge of  making soldiers into near superhuman at what they did. One of their best units was Alpha Unit. Alpha unit was the forerunner in the constant war of survival, being. The unit was thought unbeatable until the Battle at Washington Station where the entire unit of Alpha, which was fifty soldiers then, were pitted against three hundred well-armed bandits from Dry station. The three survivors were reformed into Alpha Team Five.



Chapter 1: Just Great....

         The smell of pig, sweat, vegetables, and other common smells you would find in a place like Mazara station entered the cement cell-slash-room of an unusually tanned man lying in bed with only a thin cover of wool covering him. A singular light illuminated his half covered body. He was only twenty-seven and a mercenary for nine short years but already had many permanent scares, an arm burned to the point where he was in constant pain, a case of low-moderate painkiller addictiveness, and something inhuman in him. He suddenly wakes-up at the usual time he wakes up every day for the past nine years, six forty-five. He throw off his cover and set-up in bed rubbing his face. He moans as the pain of an hangover come rushing into his head, stinging like a hot fire poker to skin.

         “Seth you should’ve remembered the golden rule of drinking, drink the hard stuff before the easy stuff and no hangover the morning afterwards,” playfully said a corse but feminine voice. Seth looks to his right and noticed Cylia, his red-headed long time lover and  friend, lying in bed next to him covered by the bed sheet

         “Now I remember last night,” remarked Seth in a regretful tone as he started to get out of bed. Cylia snapped back into bed onto her lap.

         “Where you going honey?” questioned Cylia still in her playful tone. Seth gave her the look of “the daily routine”.
     
            “Why I even ask?” she replied. “You never cease to surprise me by unsurprising action.” She pushed the one hundred fifty pound man off her lap and off the bed.
         Seth quickly slaps on his clothes, took six painkillers, chugs down a bottle of water, and walks down to the market. On the way to the market he passed several sub-sections of the station, some old like the prison, armory, governor room, and the generator room all nearly old as the station itself. However the outer parts of the station held many things like the new church, the council building, the repair station, the urn graveyard, the laboratory, and the new safe area for woman and children. In the center of all this was the marketplace, nearly one hundred years old this place was the hub of life. Everything and anything was sold here, food, clothes, guns, and money exchange were here in shops which looked like wooden and steel versions of prewar newspaper stands. Also often there would be people here playing on there acoustic guitar for some pieces of metal, the currency everyone accepted. Here an the old storyteller told his tales to little kids for no fee, it was his joy to see the children smile, to take their minds off the hostile environment they lived in everyday.
Also here was the announcements, contract boards for freelancers, and the A.C.E.S local guild
         Seth walks up to the A.C.E.S local guild room, an large steel door with two guards in front.

         “Identify yourself,” said the large of the two guards adjourned from head to toe in kevlar body armor.

         “Seth Chapman,” said Seth leisurely as flexed. Ordinary protocol, A.C.E.S had lots of information and other stuff it wanted to keep to its self and it was going to stay that way if they had a choice.

         “Enter,” said the shorter of the guards as they knocked on the door to open up.

         The blast-proof door slowly creek open, exposing a staircase leading downward only lit by a singular light bulb at the top of the stairs. The smell of cigarette smoke, bourbon, and sweat slowly rise up from the room at the end of the stairs.

         Seth walks down the staircase with back of his mind hoping that this mission would be easy, he wanted something easy for Cylia and his last mission; something he could be laid back in, like escorting a train cart, or taking out a bandit patrol. However he knew this was going to be tough, easy missions were given to recruits not living legends like Alpha Team Five, everyone knew that especially him.

         He steps into the room finding the local boss, Han Gonzo a man of Asian descent who was old, cold, calculating, but  honest to his men, and an old friend Liam, a large husky man who towered above the ordinary man who has a thick Scottish accent giving away his family place of origin. The room was like a pre-war office building, shelf, desk, and all. There was a icebox to the right, more than likely for this day
         “Mr. Chapman I think you know today is a special day for us all,” said Han before he took a sip from his glass of bourbon and a puff from his cigarette.

         “Yea’ damn right it is. Seth contract is over when this bloody mission is over” exclaimed Liam as he gave his friend Seth a bear hug, the sound of a back cracking quickly followed.

         “Right, ugh...can you let me down Liam you’re hurting me,” gasped Seth he tried to wiggle out of his friend’s joyous but brutally painful hug; the painkillers hadn’t take effect yet unfortunately for seth’s back.

         Liam drops his friend after a second or two. Seth lands on his feet like the agile cat he is. Seth pops his back into place and gets back in his serious state of mind.

         “Yeah, so what is the mission, infiltrate a bandit base, assassinate a high ranked leader, or scouting the upper world?” Seth said remembering old missions that only he can do.

         “No something tougher than that,” he said with a depressed tone before taking a big swig of bourbon. Liam and Seth simultaneously gave faces of distress.
         “There is an iron mill in upper world, which still has much iron still left in it. This station, Hanza station, is interested in getting it. Now I would normally stay out of this station affairs but there is one thing included agree is very persuasive: Dry station. They want that iron as well,” he told them before taking another puff of smoke. Dry Station was the main bandits head quarters, where the attack on Washington station was launched; the reason for this mission was personal, for everyone, Liam was part Alpha Unit as well as Cylia and Seth.


         “So where is it?” Seth said as got up and went over to the icebox to get a bottle of water.

         “In Srdce temnoty, Czech for heart of darkness,” he sorrowfully answered. The entire atmosphere of the room went from worse to down right depressing. Seth pulls out two bottles of whiskey and tosses one to Liam. The heart of darkness it where lore said that the gateway between hell and earth is at, the place being populated by some of the most dangerous creatures of the land who were nicknamed demons, for their ability to fly and ability to take bullets like they were just nothing, heavy weapons or a sniper were required to take this beast down.




         “Boss is gonna bring hell on earth,” Seth solemnly before opening his bottle and taking a long drink. He was going to need
         “Well isn’t that great?” Cylia responded in a sarcastically cheerful tone after her long demonstration of cussing.  Seth gave a silence that spoke for itself. He was back at his room, and Cylia was already dressed in her winter gear under her tan kevlar combat armor which consisted of a helmet, a kevlar vest, braces, leggings, knee-pads, elbow-pads, and custom made back-holster for weapons like a sniper-rifle or shotgun; she was ready for battle.

         “Mother was right when she said this job was gonna kill me,” she said as she grabbed her semi-automatic shotgun and packing supplies into her rucksack Seth while he was putting on his version of stealth armor, an all black set of military covered with knee-pads, elbow-pads, and a steel studded bullet-proof vest made to hold throwing knifes, bullets, and weapons while keeping as small of a silhouette as possible when sneaking around, his favorite asset in his arsenal in weaponry, which were followed by his knives, then his assault rifle and lastly his revolver. He then started packing his matching rucksack, which was made to also have a small silhouette. Then he glanced at Cylia’s face which was distraught and stressed out.

         “Look we know what route to take, and we have back up from trustworthy Warden, my brother and a soldier who knows the upside world nearly as good as me, and I know the most about it we can do this,” replied Seth as he placed on his military pants over his combat

         “He is right we have a chance to do this, and you know you want to hurt those lousy bastards, that is all you talked about for a year after the attack,” Liam agreed with his friend as he put his machine gun across his back emphasizing on the year part. Liam was in his heavy battle armor which was like Cylia’s but only with an extra layer of padding
         “Okay you’re right,” Cylia said before a sigh. She then left the room in silence. Seth and Liam followed in tow equally as silent

         The way upward was through the market, where there a monstrous sized iron multi locked gate guarded by about ten well-armed men at all times, there they would meet Seth’s brother, an agnostic Warden  named Gordon, and a guy who was called Rookie for the irony that he was a amazing cunning warrior who knew how pre-war machines worked, a unique trait for anyone, and was wise beyond his age.   
           
         “Hey there Seth,” said Gordon as he walked up to his brother to shake his hand when the trio got to the gate. Gordon looked like his brother, tan skin and all but he was less banged up, shaggier and his light armor was red and gray, the signature Warden colors, instead of the all black stealth armor of Seth’s design.
         
         “Hey Gordon,” Seth said in a melancholy tone as he shook his brother’s hand.
         “Sir ” pronounce the Rookie as he saluted Seth. The Rookie’s armor was a lighter less protective version of the standard combat armor that was like Cylia’s, but in place had more morphine, an extra knife along with his magnum revolver, a sniper rifle as well as well as a larger rucksack which carried a multitude of items. His stature was about Seth’s and his hair was a dark ginger with a tint cinnamon.

         “Just call me Seth, Rookie,” Seth said after shaking his brothers hand. The Rookie relaxed up and nodded to his reply after a second or two. Everyone was greeting each other, as if they were old friends reuniting after a five long years. However Cylia just walked up to the base of the stairs and turned around.

           “Sorry to be pushy but, I prefer to get this damn thing over with and get some rest,” Cylia instructed in a aggressive tone as she got ready to go up the stairs. Seth and Liam just gave a sigh as everyone put on there gas mask and ready themselves for what was ahead. The gate that protected this place of peace and sanctuary slowly pulled open by the automatic opening system which pulled door across the steel under plating the jarring sound of screeching and scratching which attracted everyone’s in market attention to the front. The doors open up and showed a frozen staircase leading up to the frozen hell that was the upperworld



Chapter 2: The Chase

         The squad walks up the frozen stairwell and set the eye upon the perfectly symmetrical station. The station was only one floor but that floor was expansive, big as five stations put together side by side. The roof of the station had collapsed in and showed the gray sky, and the constant snowfall. The wind whines as it passes through the station. Everyone is in silence as they look around them. The Rookie breaks that silence with one word, “nosferatus” as he stared before what lay before them


         The five man squad looks out upon the station and saw the remnants of a battle fought just recently. Bodies were sprawled out across the base of the station floor, blood soaked the snow covered tiles, foot steps were everywhere, some human, some not. Piles of bullets surrounded a small circle of bodies of men who fought diligently and bravely against overwhelming odds; around them a dozen bodies of yellow-skinned scrawny but muscular things that looked kind of human that are called nosferatus.

         “Well that won’t be needing those weapons,” said Gordon as he started to search the bodies for anything useful. When he touched the body he stopped for a second, then turned around with his submachine gun drawn out. “The

kills are fresh no less than two hours old,” he said as he looked around in a concentrated focused look.

         “Then they’re still here,” said Seth as he lifted up his assault rifle and turned off the safety.

         “I guess so,” said the Rookie as he pulled out his magnum.

         “Seth cover the front, Liam you get the back, I got the left flank, and Rookie you have the right,” Cylia commanded as she pulled out her shotgun from her holster up to kill any nosferatu that came. All of them quickly formed a circle. There was a long silence with only the whispering of the wind and creaking of the loose double gated doors that accompanied them. A sudden crash of a tile upon the ground. Everyone looks towards where the sound was. A blur of yellow and black tackles down the commander, Cylia. Seth quickly fire a round into the nosferatu’s head. Liam picks up helps her up checks her wounds, none were to be seen. Suddenly the screeching of several more nosferatus fill the air, signaling what was about to come. Seth looks at his Warden brother. Gordon grins and pulls out his knife. Twenty plus nosferatus come rushing from what seemed every direction. Gordon cut open that palms of his hands and lets the blood drop to the ground.

         “Des monto es danmos ” exalts Gordon, his voice now in a demonic undertone. His eyes turn blood red, his veins pop out, and he muttered old phrases from a language long gone and dead. The men who fell in the battle before this one started to stir, and rag dolls being picked up by the arms, they rose up with their eye the same blood red like Gordon’s, ready to serve their master.

         “Defend me my minions,” commanded to his now indentured servants. All of his undead followers turned around and started to fire upon the rushing nosferatus with their submachine guns, the hailstorm of lead twenty five caliber bullets ripping them apart. Everyone else was putting up a slaughter show as well. Seth was downing each nosferatu that cam in range of his assault rifle, which was everything. Liam was yelling profanities while he tore apart the rushing monsters. Cylia and Rookie were letting anything that got too close taste buckshot or a forty caliber magnum. After a couple of seconds everything was silent, it seemed the skirmish was over.
         But the roar of a thousand nosferatus screaming for food. Gordon, Seth, and Rookie looked at each other and realized something; it was getting dark the prime time of hunting for nosferatus.

         “We can get to the underground through a nearby vent about a mile away,” yield the Rookie.
         “Then lets get our arses out of here,” bluntly said Liam as he started for the door. Everyone except Gordon started to follow. The yellow hoard

would catch up to them in no time especially since you could barely see them; lore says if you can see a nosferatu hoard you might have time to say your prayers. Except if you’re a sorcerer like Gordon.

         “Teston fer Akku ” exalted Gordon as he made a pushing motion with his hands, from them a gust of wind kicked up the snow making a wall of wind and snow. The was now one hundred meters away. He then made a slow twisting motion five times over with his hands held above his head. They were nearly on top of him. Then a the nick of time the wall of wind and snow soon turned into a miniature sized  blizzard with the ferocity of two and since nosferatus used heat vision to find their prey this would blind them for as long it was held up. Gordon nodded his head, let his minions fall back to the ground dead, and went to catch up with the others.

         The group was now running down what would’ve been main street before the war, now it was different. The road now had cracks big enough for a car to fall through, cars were flipped over, and in the streets were people petrified in gray sulfur, frozen in time for nearly one hundred years. Most were running and rioting, some were holding their lover for the last time, and few were calm. If the circumstances were different the group would’ve stopped to look around at the scenes but they were running on borrowed time.

          “There ” screamed the Rookie as went over to a large seven foot by four foot rectangular black tower with four slits big enough for someone to go through. They were scot free it seemed until Gordon feel to his knees, his eyes went back to their normal state. Seth rushed to his brother’s aid and saw that his brother had used nearly all his energy delaying the flood of beast. Seth started to pick up his brother and Liam quickly helped him as well.
         “Hurry, they’ll be here any second,” Cylia beckoned as she looked around swinging her barrel of the shotgun around. Rookie dropped his bag and pulled out a flashlight and looked into the vent.

         “We’re good,” he said after a second or two of searching. Seth and Liam quickly dragged Gordon to the air shaft vent and tossed him in; a loud thump followed.


         “Ladies first,” Seth joked as he pulled out his assault rifle. The sound stampede of beasts was audible to the human hear. Cylia quickly leapt into the shaft. In the distance a yellow swarm was visible. Rookie scrambled in. The hoard was drawing closer. Liam pulls himself in. They were so close that could differentiate  each ounce of poison in the sea of yellow death. Seth jumps into the shaft and scurries out of it to his comrades outside. Five seconds later the thumping, scratching, and screeching of the stampede came into the shaft. It lasted for five seconds then the sounds faded back into the silent night.







         It is three hours after the chase. The team was resting on the train tracks of a moist damp long abandoned half built subway tunnel; the concrete walls and ceiling weren’t put up yet when the bombs drop. Seth was up against a wall looking down the long tunnel with a flashlight and his revolver at hand; Cylia was with him as well holding her shotgun covering the opposite side of the same direction. Liam was covering the rear while Rookie was watching over Gordon and  re-injecting blood into him; the main setback of blood magic was that it required the crimson life water of humans, blood. This what happens often to blood sorcerers and often they had blood packs or traveled with someone who did, in this case the Rookie was the one who brought  the blood.

         “I can know see why your rucksack seems like an walking market place,” Liam commented as Rookie pulled out three blood packs from his rucksack and some food.


         “Always have been prepared for when something comes up although I kinda hate the luggage,” Rookie said he attacked a blood pack to Gordon arm. Rookie held up the blood pack and let the crimson elixir of life flow to Gordon’s body. 


         “Why do you bring it so much then?” Liam asked as he checked his gun.


         “I usually don’t, I usually have stashes hidden across the upper world, and take just enough for two days with me,” Rookie answered as he sat down up against a wall.



         “You go up a lot then,” Seth inferred while he still on guard.



         “Yea I do,’ Rookie responded as rest his head on wall drifting off to sleep.

         “How long until Gordon is ready for combat,” Cylia asked as she turned her head to the Rookie.
         “About five hours, give or take an hour; blood sorcerers usually regenerate blood at a faster pace than ordinary humans and with this extra blood he should be back to full strength before dawn.”
         


         “Okay we can stay here for a while, we got seven days to steal the cache from right under their noses,” Cylia said as she lowered her shotgun. She then looked down the tunnel in front of her and turned back to Rookie.


         “Hey Rookie you and Seth scout up a hide; we’ll take care of Gordon,” commanded Cylia as she went over to the Rookie. The Rookie merely nodded and looked at Seth. Seth nodded and
walked over to the Rookie and pointed in the direction they would be going in. Rookie gave the blood pack to Cylia and grabbed his rifle; he didn’t need to tell her when to change the blood all A.C.E.S troops knew basic first-aid. Seth and the Rookie then started to scout ahead.

         Some fifteen minutes later, when they were some distance away from the others, Rookie begin a conversation.


         “So you’re Seth, the best assassin to ever breathe in many people’s eyes”



         “Yeah,” Seth modestly replied. Couple seconds of silence
         
         “You don’t talk much from what I’ve seen.”
         
         “Don’t have much use for talking,  I’ve always been the one to just do what had to be done because if you now what you have to do then why talk about it.”
         “Every talk about yourself?”


         “No one really ask me that question, only person who really seemed to ask that was Cylia,” Seth said as leaned his head back as he walk.




         “How is you relationship with Cylia?” implored the Rookie as rested his rifle on his shoulders.
         “We’re good friends is a good way to put it.”

         “Has the of you two being more ever cross your mind? Like husband and wife?”


         “We have been more than friends on more than one occasion but marriage, hell no,” Seth replied in a serious tone with heavy stress on the “hell no”.          

         Rookie was about to drop another question on Seth when the sound of footsteps that were not theirs came into hearing range. The pace was at a fast and hurried pace. Seth and Rookie looked around them, no cover for them. They then looked at each other, nodded, and they checked their guns.

         They both started off to charge into what was the disturbances. Seth then started to pull up ahead. The footsteps got closer and closer. If this was going to be a battle it was going to be decided in this second. The footsteps were now just around the bend. Seth and the Rookie stop, crouched down, and readied themselves for a firefight.

         The footsteps came around. The owners of the footsteps were adorn in the colors of red and grey

Chapter 3: Defense



         After Rookie, Seth ,and the three Wardens picked up Cylia, Liam, and Gordon, they started for the current Warden Station, a term made for where the current Warden base of operations; the Wardens were also known for being wanderers. The trip their was uneventful, it
consisted mostly chatting and joking about. Of the three Wardens one who was the most interesting a blonde druid who went by the name of Sophia.


         “Sometime I hate being a Aegis, I mean we have to stand in the back healing people, giving them auras of protection, and send them back into hell. Why can’t I just charge in with the rest of guys and kill some monsters, and all the while saving their skins. I mean even frail, weak blood sorcerers, no offense Gordon, get into the fray. We Aegises, in my opinion are not being
used to their full extent,” Sophia ranted as the sat around a fire in the commons area while drinking beer and resting.



         “If your so eager for close-combat why don’t you join one of the expedition groups to Srdce temnoty, I mean aren’t the Wardens trying to push pack the mutants?” asked the Rookie whose curiosity of the Wardens was only surpassed by pre-war technology.


         “I tried that only god knows how many times and every time I was rejected before I even left the dang room. We Aegises are  “too important” to risk getting hurt. Hell if that is the case then why not pullback the blood sorcerers, the Rangers, and Zanagate Warlords, since their important too,” Sophia replied with a mad and mocking tone. Cylia then grinned as a thought crossed her mind.

         “Well I have an idea but first...,” Cylia said before looking at the Rookie who was do nothing setting back and relaxing. Rookie looked back at her. “I want you to do some trading, you
can get us some extra supplies from all the useless shit you got in your backpack,” Cylia said before tossing Rookie his rucksack.


         “Considering most of this is supplies I think...,” Rookie says as he tries to persuade the commander. Cylia however gives him a look that yells “do as I say or get beaten. In a painful and
brutal way.” Rookie sighs, picks up his rucksack, and heads off to the market. Sophia, out of nowhere, gets up and walks beside him. Rookie smiled and started to talk to her.


         “Looks like someone has a admirer,” said Liam as he drinks his seventh bottle of whiskey.


         “And the kid sure does seem to be interested either in her or the Wardens; or both,” Seth  added before yawning.



         “Well they better be back soon or they’ll have to do some answering to do,” Cylia finally added before taking a rest.



         “So how old are you?” Sophia asked as she walked in very upbeat manner of walking as they went through the commons area


         “Eighteen, you?” Rookie returned as he looked at Sophia with a look of moderate curiosity.


         “Twenty-two and been a Warden since I was sixteen.” 

         “A bit young to join don’t you think?” Rookie queried as the two passed the temporary scribe quarters, one of the many things unique about a Warden Station, along with a temple, and a ritual room ,where ordinary men are turned into Wardens. “I mean you pretty much killed off half about your life like that,” Rookie said with a snap to point out the life span part.


         “True but it was either that or join one of the local treasure hunter group, and though they are fun to be around, the near one hundred percent death rate in the first year is a slight turn off, just saying,’ she said in a ever so slight sarcastic tone. Rookie and her just chuckled as they walked past the quiet and peaceful living quarters and into the market district which didn’t have the usually hustle and bustle of a place like Mazara station.


         “Guess well start off with selling off about half of our extra rations,” Rookie decided as he started to head off to the one and only food store in the Warden Station with Sophia in tow. The transaction was quick and easy; for half of the sausages, military rations, beans, and rice they had they received about two hundred stipends, all sealed with the red wolf oil seal of the Wardens, one of things that helped against forgery and counterfeiting.


         The Rookie quickly sold all the unneeded extra items in the same way and in the end come up on top with an assault rifle, which was bartered for with some blood packs and the sniper
rifle, a pump-action shotgun, from the general store that needed some cooking pots and pan, five hundred stipends, and a whole lot less weight on his back.

         “I think we should head back before the boss comes out yelling at..,” Rookie said before stopping to here a squeal. The room feel silent. Men start grabbing their guns as the squeal got
louder. Rookie and Sophia both walk back slowly. Then a blinding light, quickly followed by shrapnel and bullets. The entire the steel barrier of the stairway entrance was gone.









         By instinct forge in many ambushes like this Rookie grabbed the stunned Sophia and pulled her behind cover. Gunfire and shouting erupts less than a second later as the ambush starts to heat up. Rookie readies himself to fight as tracer rounds of orange and green fly through the
Warden Station; some flying right over him some on the other side the station as the assault raged on. He took one last long breathe and came out with his assault rifle readied and joined into the fray. Rookie fired at the group of attackers clad in black battle armor, wearing full face covering gas masks, and the signature singular black slash across their chest. These were Dry Station bandits that were firing back.


         Rookie fired his assault rifle in burst, each burst taking a down bandit. No matter what position took a bandit fell. This lone man standing in the open facing what seemed a near barrage of bandits with bullets flying, ricocheting, and crashing all around him; some close, some as far off as a desk. Rookie hides behind a pillar as he reloads, suddenly he looked to his left to see Sophia, hiding behind a steel counter armed only with a pistol with a green aura around it, firing back at the sea of men.



         “What the hell are you doing?” Rookie questioned as he fired back at the multitude of men firing back.  Sophia rushes aside to Rookie and reload her gun.

         “Saving your butt,” she replied before firing off a couple of shots. Rookie pulled out his shotgun and handed it to her.


         “Then might as well give a real gun,” Rookie as we returned fire against the mass of soldiers. Sophia yanked the shotgun from the Rookies hand and returns fire with shotgun instead of the pistol. She then looks at Rookie who was doing an amazing job of keeping them at bay by himself.



         “I got an idea,”Sophia said as she grabbed Rookie’s shoulder. Rookie turns around and looks at her. “Ser fer ultimaos ” she exulted before a white mist slipped from her hand around Rookie and her. The soldier stopped firing to look at what was going on; then from the pillar
came the out the two. The duo were like blurs, each firing at near unhumanly speeds, taking men out in a near robotic like precision and swiftness. Men were just being shredded apart, some heads being cleaved, some losing legs, some being just mowed down like a stray dogs. Rookie and Sophia were the definition of death to bandits at that place and time.



         Overall the dozen or so Wardens were steadfast in holding their line; no regular bandits could pierce through the spiked Warden wall. Then, when it seemed the battle was nearly over as lone man wearing black and a gasmask with large steel box on his back with the Dry Bandit battle flag strapped to it  walked down the steps from the frozen hell. It was man wearing enough armor to outfit five men, cover with steel overlaying; nothing pierce through the armor, the only thing could kill this monster of a man was a bullet through the head. To make matters worse this man welded a
twenty millimeter automatic cannon, a beast of a weapon. From the view of the Wardens it was some sort of mutant that wielded a gun. The Wardens unloaded bullets onto the man but it was in vain. The man lowered his cannon and fired in a wide arc. The cannon shredded apart anything that dared to oppose it. The only safe were Rookie and Sophia who were behind a concrete pillar and even that was giving away to the cannon. Chucks flew off the concrete building. The effects of the enchantment had worn off and they were out of ammo.

         “Were is everybody?” asked Rookie to Sophia as the massacre continued.


         “I don’t know!” she replied as she blindly fired at the man with the cannon. The sounds of gunfire and screaming still fill the air. Everything was going wrong; the battle now a in reverse order: the bandits were winning.



         “Musaraf gun taro,” a man said in a invigorated tone. A steel spike flies through the air hitting the man with the cannon right in the chest. He stumbles back a smudge then starts to raise the cannon up again. Another spike. He stumbles back some more. Then two spikes. Then five. Then ten. Then a flood of steel spikes start crashing into his body, breaking through his armor in no time, and before long he was pinned to the wall, a dead pin cushion of flesh, muscle, and bone. Gordon hands were raised, pointing to where the beast of man was pinned.



         “Gordon I guess I owe you,” said Rookie as he walked up to Gordon.

         “Well you did save mine and sorry if we were late. We had a little problem with some “guests” on our side as well.” Everyone was cheering and yelling except for Seth and Cylia.


         “Not good, not good at all,” Seth said distressed as he shook his head when he looked at a paper, a map of all the freeman subway stations, with important things like trade hubs and patrol routes marked down on one of the corpses. Cylia was by him; also distressed

         “What is it?” asked Sophia. Everyone start to quiet down as they looked at the scene.

         “This is not some random raid but part of an offensive,” Seth said as he looked up from the battle plans. Mumbles and concern now filled the air instead of joy and revelry. Gordon walked over to his brother and kneeled beside him.

         “What is the ratio of their forces to ours?” Gordon reluctantly asked.

         “Six to one.” There was a moment of complete silence.


         “So much for a last mission,” Rookie said as he broke the silence.