- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
This is inspired by Hikaru's post a while back about those Marines who got killed in captivity. Well, this one's not quite as gruesome and a lot more stuf happens. Anyways, here's a crappy little first chapter. Remember I'm rusty!
Chapter 1: Victorious Defeat
2404 hours, October 8th, 2552 (Military Calender)
South New Seoul, Eurasian Syndicate Sector, Alpha Centauri III
A flaming Warthog dotted with plasma scoring made a sharp left on the slick, wet road and skidded into a roll, splintering a few big trees, and exploding directly in front of Corporal Clark's face. It wasn't the first time it had happened today, he thought as his arms automatically reloaded his Battle Rifle. It had fired over 10,000 rounds today.
Behind him, Clark heard the telltale whine of a crippled Pelican on its way down. It might have been his ride, but he was too busy firing at the Phantom that was swooping down a few blocks ahead to ponder the question. He could only see it through the s*** visibility because of the glowing blue veins of its plasma generator. The Phantom let a few bolts of red plasma out. Clark looked down the line on his left.
Echo Company's makeshift fort of piled civvy vehicles and chunks of debris from the buildings was fused together in places where the Covies had concentrated their fire. Glassed pits where Wraiths had hit dotted the interior of the fort so you couldn't run straight across without burning your legs off. The middle of their fort was sunken - access to the city's infrastructure. All these things were secondary in Clark's mind. The battle was an uninterrupted roar with assorted pops, bangs, and screams scattered randomly across the deafening, unidentifiable noise of war.
Of greatest concern to Clark was becoming small enough to hide away in his sniper bed. He was lying across the back seat of what had been an economy minivan, looking through a crevice in the pile of multi-meter thick wall fragments that had once protected a corporate tower. The 'Hog that had just flipped was partially blocking his field of fire. The minivan's roof was gone, so Clark had wrapped up in a sniper's cloak he'd found on a dead ODST on their way into town. It kept the rain from the unrelenting downpour off him and more importantly made him look like a splotch of black nothing to the Covies. The sky was light gray, you couldn't tell whether it was because of the s***ty weather or the smoke, but Clark didn't care.
Right now he was focused on one thing, and one thing only. The troops from the Phantom were coming down the street with help. He heard the Shadow at first, saw a small flicker of blue directly in front of him moving down the street, and then the shield projectors of a whole platoon of Elites. They looked like fireflies moving in concert in the fog. Plasma erupted from the Shadow turret, cutting into somewhere to his left. There were screams, all combining into one horrendous wail before dying out.
On his right side a mounted machinegun lit up. Someone must have brought it up to the very front, because Clark had been there for 5 hours and he had not heard it yet. It felt like it the damn gun was mounted on his own back, the recoil tearing him apart with each and every shot. You mutherf***ing idiot. This is my spot. With his cover blown, he might as well make the most of it.
Clark saw the silhouette of an Elite's head and let three rounds fly. It recoiled in surprise. Another three rounds. Its shields broke - the thing tried to run, to dodge. Three more shots and the Elite's brains were removed. Why they were called Elite, Corportal Clark did not know. He'd taken nine out today during his five hours of fun in New Seoul's beautiful Commercial District, at the intersection of two major causeways.
Then something completely expected happened, but he wasn't ready for it. A brilliant light swept over the entire city, revealing intricate latent detail in the clouds and reflecting off of skyscrapers still standing in the distance, making them look like blue funeral pyres. A wind so strong it almost swept Clark out of the minivan and hot enough singe his beard passed over his position. Everything became quiet. He felt his heart explode and his eyes tear - this was it, Alpha Centauri III was glassed.
[Edited on 7/5/2004 7:07:52 PM]