FEAR Chapter Two: Opening Suite

Ancient Research Facility
Offshore, West of Ossyria
24rd April 2042
0030 Local Time

The technician was a mess. What Lieutenant Gemina took for the column’s shadow was actually a massive blood stain. Petty Officer Naz was on his haunches, attempting to communicate to the figure. Giving the technician the once over, he reckoned he could not have been more than twenty-five years old and had probably never seen military action in his life. Naz was no medic but anyone could see than this man needed urgent medical attention or he would die. In his condition, he was not even fit enough to string two coherent words together.
“Naz, Imppala, head over to the ship and bring back a stretcher and a medikit, fast.” Gemina ordered, glancing down at the sorry sight. As she watched the two execute her orders, she had an afterthought and turned to face them.
“Get some thermal blankets as well, otherwise he’ll get pneumonia.” She called out but the wind stole the words from her throat. Frowning, she sprinted up to them as they reached the loading ramp.
“I said, get some thermal blankets, the weather will kill him.” She repeated
“Yes ma’am.” Naz replied, without turning around. The Lieutenant sighed and pivoted on the spot, looking back at the technician.
Or more accurately, where the technician would have been.
Instead there was just the cable support column – with three massive gashes slicing through the metal.
The Heckler was still there, untouched.

Gunfire erupted from the main entrance, muzzle flashes illuminating the dark sky. Several silhouetted marines had engaged an unseen enemy, their spent rounds mingling in with the falling rain. Gemina whipped her head up and scanned the sky, blinking madly as rain assaulted her. In seconds her helmet identified the monster as a gargoyle. But strangely enough, this gargoyle was moving at extreme speeds. She tried desperately to get a bead on it with her weapon but the gargoyle was so insanely fast that even her helmet camera had trouble focusing on it.
“Cease fire, cease fire! We can’t hit that thing!” She roared but again the wind gleefully swept away her words.

Private Aliyah Royal broke into a run with two other marines, heading over to their isolated commanding officer. She was shouting something but the engineer could not hear her. Hastily loading her Benelli M3 shotgun, she ran as fast as she could, her augmentic eye keeping track of the gargoyle. Suddenly the slippery platform got the better of her and her legs dropped from under her. That action probably saved her life as just milliseconds later, the high tension cable, with its support base crippled, sheared clean off the platform with the terrible screech of metal upon metal. The inch thick cable whipped across the landing pad, carried by the wind. Just as her body hit the cold floor, the cable screamed past, almost decapitating the two marines running behind her. It caught the two in its path and sent them sprawling almost ten metres away.

Gemina’s ears rang in the aftermath of the snap. Naz had just reached her and was yelling something indistinct. Her eyes panned the scene, seeing several figures lying silent on the steel, others taking cover in the door way whilst several more rushed towards her. The gargoyle was out of sight but an unnatural screech confirmed its presence. Suddenly it plummeted into view, converging on two marines that had just risen from ducking the wires. They screamed as the stone monster dug its claws into their flesh. A few attempted to shoot it off but missed, not wanting to hurt their comrades.

In pure desperation, one of the mauled marines casted lightning. The power coursed through the rain and blasted practically everyone off their feet. Aliyah felt the stinging sensation ripple through her body. The gargoyle was not so lucky. Even with its stone formation, the sheer force of the lightning pierced through its chest and one of its wings, sending it tumbling off the edge. The gargoyle gave one last unearthly screech before disappearing into the unforgiving ocean below.

There was silence as Nezzy panted heavily, his AK-103 strangely warm in the freezing environment. Slowly he ejected the clip and slid a fresh one in. The medic Joseph had kept himself hidden in an alcove in the doorway, his jittery figure shuffling nervously in the shadows. Suddenly their communications channel crackled.
“Secure a perimeter around the landing zone, eyes sharp and weapons ready. Radio in, over.” The Lieutenant voiced over, her voice as calm and collected as ever.
“Petty Officer Naz, near the ship, over.”
“Corporal Jenkins, on the landing zone, over.”
“Private First Class Fey, covering the main entrance, over.”
“Private Joseph, behind the entrance.”
“Private Imppala, sir! At the dropship, over.”
“Private First Class Nezzy, covering the main entrance also, over.”
“Private Aliyah, on the landing pad, over.”

Lieutenant Gemina grimaced and noted that four had not replied. She had seen two of them being cut down by the deadly cable whilst the other two had been fried and mauled by the unusual gargoyle. Pulling her wet hair away from her head, she glanced at her remaining marines. Joseph had scurried out into the rain, medikit in hand, checking the fallen men and women.
“Naz, get your astropath here, I need to make an emergency dispatch. The situation has changed but the objective is still the same.”
“Roger that, Lieutenant.”
One thought lingered in her mind as she trudged over to check on Aliyah and Jenkins, the ones whom were on the pad when the gargoyle struck.
Where did the technician go?

Before:
Pepe and Yeti’s Tavern
El Nath, Ossyria
23rd April 2042
2220 Local Time

Callous laughter mingled with the sounds of clinking glasses and general chatter. The brass belling tinkled unheard as the tavern’s oak door swung inwards, letting in a frightful gust of wind and snow. Hurriedly a cloaked figure shuffled in and dragged the door close, cutting short the howling wind. Slipping past waiters and weaving in between packed tables, the figure headed into a small annex, gripping his Cecelia Cloak 1 closer to his slim frame. The onstage band began playing its next number, a quick paced waltz. Finally he reached a booth and slid in next to a young, handsome man, directly opposite a dangerously cute woman.
“Hey Jackal, Fox.” He greeted warmly, loosening his cloak.
“You made it Wolf. And Fox here thought you ditched us.” The man next to him grinned, downing his chrysanthemum tea. Fox just scowled and raised her glass of cider.
“Anyway, Wolf, for the last twenty minutes, Fox was complaining that Claw was a bad kisser.”
“What!” Fox spluttered, cider spilling on the table.
“Okay.” Wolf replied serenely, glancing at the menu.
“You lie Jackal!”
“Then ‘cause Fox wanted to get it on, she ditched him.”
“Wolf don’t listen! Okay, the kissing bit was false but the ditching part was true.”
“If you were expecting a big overreaction, don’t wait up.” Wolf told them, giving his order to a passing waitress.
“Ha! Damn. Damn. Okay,” Jackal muttered, leaning back into the chair, yawning. “well there goes my plans for tonight.”
“Ahh, single life.” Fox sighed, taking a deep draught from her glass.
“Were you ever married?” Wolf murmured, thanking the waitress as she placed his drink down onto the table.
“Ha! Single – as in not committed. Ring a bell?” Jackal exclaimed.
“As in we broke up.” Fox explained.
“Did it ever start?” Wolf inquired, sipping genteelly from his blossom juice.
“Dark Lord!” Jackal cried out in surprise.
“Wait! He didn’t know? Dark Lord!” Fox exclaimed as well, leaning across the table.
“Nope. Yep.” Wolf answered without battering an eyelid.
Silence.
A fly buzzed leisurely on to the table.
Silence.
Wolf crushed the fly with his glass.
Silence.
“Anyway, the point WOLF, is that FOX is now SINGLE.” Jackal told him, nudging him conspicuously.
“That was too obvious.” Wolf deadpanned.
“It was meant to be.”
“I don’t think so. It didn’t work out the first time.”
“Anyway, I hear that FOX is FREE this SUNDAY.”
Fox was about the say something spiteful to Jackal when suddenly she felt a vibration in her pocket. Quickly she slid out the data pad and scanned the screen. Her eyes narrowed and showed the data pad to the other two.
“Right boys, we’ve got one. Grid 033/092. Coyote and Dog are rendezvousing with us at the El Nath shipyards. This is classified EZ, let’s go!”
Jackal whipped out some notes and dropped them on the table in payment. Before the crisp meso notes touched the liqueur stained wood, the trio were already out the door, into the frigid cold.
Classified EZ – Extremely Hazardous/Suicidal

Ancient Research Facility
Offshore, West of Ossyria
24rd April 2042
0100 Local Time

Lieutenant Gemina crouched over the man, suppressing his seizures with her bloodied hands. Private Joseph whipped out a pain killer and injected it into the convulsing body. The dying man looked straight into Gemina’s eyes. The steel cable had scythed right into his chest, cracking several ribs and puncturing a lung at the very least.
“M-ma’am.” He whispered, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth.
“Shh, Oskar. You’ll be alright.”
“D-don’t Lie t-to me m-m-ma’am.” Private Oskar shuddered. Gemina cast at worried look at the medic. Joseph just shook his head and sighed. The blood flowing from Oksar’s body was being erased by the torrents of rain beating up the landing pad.
“It d-doesn’t hurt any more. It doesn’t h-hurt an-ny more. Any more.” The private’s voice faded away and his body grew still. Stifling a cry the Lieutenant closed the dead man’s vacant eyes and stood up. Joseph’s face was a mask as he quietly packed up his medikit.
These good men and women die too young
Lieutenant Gemina thought as she headed over to the Silver Talon to contact headquarters.

Ancient Research Facility
Offshore, West of Ossyria
24rd April 2042
0110 Local Time

The astropath was huddled in the cockpit of the ship, his gnarled hands once again hovering inches from Lieutenant Gemina’s. She braced herself for the mana surge as once again the astropath worked his magic. Frost began to form on the hem of his robes but he took no notice. It was common for astropaths to show residual powers from their previous jobs and Naz’s astropath was no different.
“Zero Alpha this is November One, over.”
“November One this is Zero Alpha, over.”
“This is November One, we have a change of situation, over. I repeat, we have a change of situation. We have encountered hostiles. Possible links to Grid 033/092.”
“Roger November One, primary objective is the same. We have currently no Intel on possible hostiles in the area so proceed with caution, over.”
“This is November One, we have also taken casualties. I repeat, we have also taken casualties. Four personnel have been killed, over.”
“Roger November One, primary objective still the same, we will bring in reserves to reinforce your position. Two Maple Strike Units will be assembled. Time of arrival to be announced, report back in an hour, over.”
“Roger Zero Alpha, this is November One, out.”
The mana pressure fell as the link was disconnected. Gemina went back outside, leaving Naz to converse with his astropath. The objective was still the same – to find the fifty odd base personnel and evacuate them. Four Information Systems Squads and an Inspection Detail. Outside the weather had died down slightly, the harsh torrents of rain turning into a light drizzle.

High above the landing pad, hidden within the shadows of the generator spires was a lithe figure. Slowly she shuffled along a support girder, her slender hands pulling herself along. She wore a specialised turquoise wet suit that not only camouflaged her person but also regulated her body temperature. As she reached the end of the girder she tapped her tiara, causing a visor to slide down.
“This is Fox, I count eight intruders in the open, with several others either inside the building or on one of the transports. I estimate twelve in total.” She whispered, her throat microphone capturing the vibrations and transmitting them.
“Okay Fox, from your vantage point, can you identify them? Local intelligence puts them as one of the Guilds in the Expedition Sect. Possibly the DeathDealers, DarkDragons, OutCasts or ShadowSquad.” Jackal replied through the earpiece.
“No, it couldn’t be anyone from the Expedition Sect. OutCasts are engaged in a turf war against SonicTeam. ShadowSquad was disbanded a few weeks ago after going into bankruptcy. DarkDragons were assimilated into the WindWalkers and the DeathDealers were banned.” Coyote interjected.
Fox gripped the edge tightly as she increased the magnification of her visor. Every time she did that it felt like she was accelerating right into the target. She strained her eyes to see in the oppressive darkness.
“No good. Too much light deflection. The storm’s electrical disruptions are messing with the equipment.” She reported back.
“Wait, what did you say before?” A new voice asked.
“Wolf, I said: Eight in the open, probably twelve.” Fox repeated, taking the time to pull her wet hair off her face.
“Lucida’s tail! It’s the MSND.” Wolf exclaimed.
“How do you know? Can you be certain?” Coyote muttered.
“Their modus operandi is quick insertion, a team of twelve: Pilot and a CO leading a squad of ten. Fifty mesos says that one of their transports is a flyer.” Wolf elucidated, followed by the sound of typing.
“Yes, you’re right. Dark Lord we’ve got the fething Maple Special Navy Detachment on our hands!” Fox cried out loudly.
“Don’t worry, Jackal and I can delay them.” Wolf assured her.
“Fox, withdraw immediately, our goal hasn’t changed.” Coyote ordered, an authority in her voice that was rarely present.
Silently the figure high above the landing platform melded back into the shadows like she was never there.

________________________________________

Comments and constructive criticism appreciated.
I'm now into waltz music. 8D
Looks like the badge system is coming into effect.

~AxiomFable