The Spyro Chronicles Chapter 12: Operation Black Glove
#12 of The Spyro Chronicles
Well here is the twelfth installment of the Spyro Chronicles.
CUATION READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUEING
Towards the end there is a lot of character transitioning. They will be separated by larger gaps. Be on the look out for them. Just wanted to lessen the confusion so you guys could have a more enjoyable read.
Chapter 12: Operation Black Glove
The drop ship took off leaving Alpha Company deep in the mushroom forest. Lt. Wagner listened into his mike. Colonel Dyke was giving out last minute orders. He crouch walked up onto the edge of the mushroom forest. They were perched on a small area a few feet in front of a small drop off. It gave then a good look at the area. Almost all of the UERMC forces had been diverted for this operation. He saw small figures standing in the brush where squads had taken position.
Lt. Wagner looked through his binoculars and saw hundreds of Lakador makeshift tents dotting the area. Tanks and other vehicles sat in a motor pool to the east and hundreds of Lakadors sat around or were up and about the encampment. Wagner frowned. They only had four hundred marines. They probably had thousands of Lakadors.
Wagner looked at the motor pool and saw a few marines near it in the shadows. At the same time, he heard a sound behind him. He turned his head and saw four dots in the sky. They were growing larger. They were four UERNF Ravens. Wagner ordered his men into position.
The plan was that D Company would send a squad and rig the enemy motor pool to blow. Four Raven fighters would then launch and air strike. At the same time as the air strike, they would blow the motor pool. That's when the assault would begin. All of his men were in position. He heard the Ravens getting closer. He raised his M74D so his sights were right on the head of a Lakador.
2 DURG (Depleted Uranium Rotary Guns) flared to life. Before the Lakadors even realized what was happening, the motor pool exploded. Most of their heavy tanks and other vehicles erupted into fireballs and black smoke bellowed from the firestorm. As this happened, all four hundred marines in the brush opened fire. Tracers danced across the open field. Lakadors screamed as the .22 cal rounds hit them. Many ran for cover. Some fought back from where they stood.
Wagner heard something big next to him. He turned his head and saw a Jaguar tank roll up next to him. It fired its main gun. The tank lurched as the 80mm shell left the barrel. It collided with the ground and blew several unshielded Lakadors to hell. Shreds of meat and armor landed everywhere.
A flare rose to the sky and Lt. Wagner rose from his position.
"Alright let's move!" He bellowed. The plan called for a frontal assault on the signal, which was the flare. All of Alpha Company ditched their cover and darted for the makeshift tent structures the Lakadors had erected as their sleeping quarters. Wagner took cover behind one along with several marines. Wagner assessed the situation. Most of the company had taken up cover behind the structures. Good. He though. Maybe now their inferior numbers would still be a match for the Lakadors. He peeked over the edge of the structure and spotted a Lakador leader rallying his men. They used makeshift cover and returned fire on the marines. Wagner lifted his rifle barrel and put the guns sights on the Lakador commander. He fired a short two round burst. A puff of smoke accompanied with bits of brains, blood and pieces of armor blew from the top of the Lakadors head. It fell to the ground limp.
Wagner smiled as he then turned his attention to another Lakador. An energy bolt hit the wall above him and the energy sizzled as it melted the point where it had struck. Wagner cursed as more impacted his cover. He popped his head back to his concealment and blind fired his assault rifle across the corner. He then fired the last of his rounds in a well aimed burst as he popped his head from cover.
He looked up into the sky and saw several Ravens make a strafing run on the enemy position. The Lakadors screamed as the DURGs tore through them and blew them apart. Many still held their ground, firing hopelessly at the marines who were entrenched.
Suddenly, one of the Ravens was shot down. Its wing blew to pieces and it crashed into the ground erupting into a fireball. Dozens of Lakador fighters dashed across the sky, their energy weapons filling the sky with destruction. Some of them began to strafe the marine assault. The tank that had been next to Wagner exploded into a hellish orange as the fighters strafed it.
Wagner saw Lakador drop ships touch down and reinforce the Lakador defense. He noticed that the Lakadors were using new weapons. One looked like a M74D modified with the Lakadors own design. It fired in short bursts. He noticed one holding a modified UERMC LR22MR (Long Range 22 Marksmen Rifle) sniper rifle. It had adjustments to it that Wagner knew the Lakadors had done themselves. A private who was shooting around the corner caught one of the modified LR22MR's rounds in the head. He fell over dead. Another soldier saw this, threw his rifle down and split into a run.
"Hold your position you damn coward!" Wagner yelled to the marine. The marine most likely never heard this. The soldier was enveloped in a brilliant flash of light as he fled. The soldier's helmet landed next to Wagner. He looked up into the sky and realized where that had come from. Two Lakador cruisers were in the sky. They pelted the assault with weapons meant for ship to ship combat. Troops and tanks were blown apart as the cruisers opened fire.
"Where's our goddamned air support!" a sergeant yelled next to Wagner. Wagner had noticed that the Ravens had pulled back along with the Nighthawks.
Had they abandoned us? Where was the Archilles? Wagner thought as he watched the tide turn in the Lakadors favor. The Lakador cruiser pelted the area around him with dark energy. The only other marines left still with him and hadn't run away were a staff sergeant, two privates and a lance corporal. The cruisers continued to pound his position. He didn't know if they were the last marines in the area. He wondered if running was the smart thing to do.
Before he could make a decision, a loud CRACK sound resonated through the area. The bow of the lead Lakador cruiser exploded and smaller explosions dotted its hull. Only one weapon could have done that: the Archilles main gun, the HPMRG. (High Powered Magnetic Rotary Gun) Wagner turned his head and saw the Archilles approaching the battle. Several Raven fighters speed up and accelerated over their position. About a hundred marines charged over the open field, guns blazing. The second Lakador cruiser turned to face the Archilles, but before it could fire a shot, the smaller rotary guns, heavy LPMRG (Low Powered Magnetic Rotary Gun) and missiles came to life as the Archilles unleashed hell. The second Lakador ship exploded into a hellish ball of death that enveloped the entire ship. Pieces of its hull collided into the ground. The Ravens blew what enemy fighters were left in the air to the ground. Jaguar tanks rolled this way and that, firing their 80mm main guns.
The assault began to pick up pace and the Lakadors began to push back. They then began to load up their own drop ships and slowly pulled back. The battle was over.
Marines yelled in joy as they saw the last Lakador drop ship ascend and get harassed by Raven fighters. Lakador fighters managed to shake the Ravens off and the drop ship disappeared over the horizon. Wagner let out a yell of approval as the last Lakador ship disappeared over the horizon. Maybe, just maybe we might win this war. Wagner thought to himself as he walked off and joined the remnants of Alpha Company amassing in the center of the former Lakador encampment. The sun was slowly sinking beneath the horizon and darkness quickly enveloped the dragon realms.
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Spyro lay in a deep sleep. He saw himself and Cynder lying side by side in the cave, enjoying each other. He mentally smiled as he continued dreaming about his beautiful dragoness.
Suddenly, Cynder disappeared and he was alone in the cave. He looked around for her but she wasn't anywhere. He then saw someone. He knew who it was and he greatly hated that face. The dark master. Next to him was Fang. They both had evil smiles plastered on their faces. Spyro leapt up to attack them but felt himself pinned to the ground. He then felt something within him start to grow. He tried to get up and face the two opponents before him but he didn't move. The dark master and Fang both erupted in laughter.
Spyro then was surrounded in darkness. He didn't know what was going on. He then felt a familiar feeling of darkness rush through his veins. He felt anger weld up inside of him. He felt a sudden taste for blood.
Spyro awoke. Rather not Spyro, but the dark Spyro. His black skin melted in with the dark room. His red pupils scanned the room. He knew what he had to do. He looked at Cynder's sleeping form. He considered attacking her, taking revenge for what she had done to him earlier, but knew that the time would come. He walked out onto the balcony and took flight. He scanned the ground below, searching for victims. He spotted a marine squad patrolling in the northern fringes of the forest. He smiled and descended towards them.
Sgt. Monoly walked and yawned. He as well as a few other marines had been ordered to do a night patrol in this part of the forest. He cursed his CO, Lt. Baker. Damn asshole doesn't get off his ass and patrols, Monoly thought bitterly. He still wasn't used to being up this late, even though he had been on a dozen late night patrols. He saw a figure touch down near him. He turned and recognized him instantly.
"Spyro what are you doing here?" Monoly asked. Spyro didn't respond. It was then that Monoly noticed that Spyro's pupils were red. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know what happens next. Spyro unleashed a dark blast which blew Monoly form where he was standing. He landed in the brush semi-conscious. Spyro made short work of the remaining marines. They screamed as the dark energy boiled away at their skin. Spyro let out a laugh of approval as he took off into the night. Monoly had regained full consciousness and stood up to see Spyro leave. He keyed his mike.
"Lt. Baker? We have a problem."
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Spyro awoke and looked around. Was it all a dream? Spyro thought to himself as he looked at Cynder who was snug next to him. He looked at one of his claws. It was stained with blood. Spyro flinched as he saw his blood stained claws. He banished the thought of him killing marines from his mind and looked around. The dojo was starting to fill up with the morning rays. The large statue that dominated the room stood before Spyro. A few marines were on the opposite side of it, joking around and playing cards. Spyro looked over to his side. Karson and Allison lay next to him and Cynder.
Spyro sighed as he thought of Cynder. She was so beautiful and intoxicating. He got up and walked over to the balcony. He sat there trying to remember last night. He heard yawning behind him. Spyro turned and saw Karson walking up.
"Morning Spyro." Karson said with a smile on his face. Spyro quickly hid his blood stained claws.
"Hey Karson." Spyro said back. The crisp morning air swept the balcony and Spyro felt a chill run down his spine.
"Want to grab some breakfast?" Karson asked.
"Sure." Spyro responded. They walked over to the makeshift mess hall and Karson grabbed four trays of what he called "eggs and bacon." Spyro balanced one on his horns and used his teeth to hold the other trey. Karson held the other two. They returned to their spot on the side of the dojo. So far Karson hadn't noticed that Spyro was acting nervous or that his fore claws were stained with human blood. Spyro sat down and started to eat his food. It tasted really good. Karson used a "fork" to eat it. Spyro simply ate it with his blood stained claws. Cynder moaned and got up. Cynder and Spyro's eyes met and they smiled. Spyro grabbed Cynder's tray and offered it to her. She took it and started to eat it. She smiled as the food tasted good.
Allison soon awoke too and they were all enjoying breakfast. When they were finished they all headed out to the balcony. They sat down on the balcony and enjoyed the breeze. They saw the sun slowly rise above the landscape. The sky had a grayish color to it. Nighthawks flew in the distance. They sat there on the balcony for a good hour or two just enjoying each other. Spyro saw the Archilles in the distance. It was getting closer. Spyro remembered when Karson had said they had found the Lakador base and were going to attack it. He saw that the ship was in good condition which meant the battle was most likely in the UERMCs favor.
A Nighthawk swooped down towards the balcony and five armored figures came out. They wore different armor then the rest of the marines. They had writing on their helmets: HACO. They surrounded Spyro. They pulled Karson and Allison out and they then formed a tighter circle around Spyro. Cynder and Spyro stood there dumbfounded. One of them walked up. He had a rank emblem similar to Wagner's which meant he was probably a Lieutenant as well.
"Spyro, you are here by under arrest for crimes against the UER." The soldier said.
"What?! Against?! Spyro's been on your side! How could you guys even think about taking Spyro?!" Cynder said in sheer shock. Karson approached the HACO trooper.
"What the hell? Spyro isn't against us! Why are you doing this?" Karson said with confusion and anger in his voice.
"Last night at 0100 hours Spyro attacked and killed a forward recon team scouting the northern area of the forest. By order of Colonel Dyke, Spyro is to be here by arrested and executed." The Lieutenant replied with no sympathy in his voice. They all just stood there taking in what they had just heard. Cynder stared at Spyro in disbelief.
"Spyro, please tell me that this is all a lie." Cynder said with tears running down her face. Cynder looked down at Spyro's claws. Human blood covered them. Spyro stared at them pale faced. The Lieutenant approached Spyro with his side arm drawn. Spyro felt fear tingle within him as the soldier approached.
Suddenly Spyro felt anger replace the fear. He felt more powerful. He tasted that all too familiar craving for blood. Spyro screamed in agony as his mind was assaulted by darkness in an attempt to take it over. He stood there shaking and kicking as he struggled to maintain control over himself. Suddenly his skin turned a pitch black, his chest and wings took on a darker shade or orange and his pupils turned to red. He snarled and blew the Lieutenant off his feet with a dark blast. Cynder started to back up in disbelief as she watched her lover once again turn to darkness.
The Lieutenant landed on his back. His armor had absorbed the impact of the blast and he got back up. Spyro met him with his sharp dragon talons which he drove into the soldier's neck, killing him. Spyro withdrew his claws and jumped towards the nearest HACO. They began to fire their rifles at Spyro. Spyro deployed some sort of dark shield that deflected the bullets and he unleashed a fire breath, burning the HACOs alive. Two remained and still kept up the fire. Spyro froze one and shattered him to pieces. He then knocked the rifle out of the other HACOs hands. The soldier then attempted hand to hand combat but Spyro whipped his tail, knocking him off of his feet. Spyro grabbed him and smashed him up against the Nighthawk drop ship on the balcony.
The whole time Karson, Allison, and Cynder just watched as Spyro murdered the marines. They couldn't move. They were just awe struck. Spyro hit the HACO trooper against the Nighthawk for the fifth time. Blood covered the spot as well as the soldier. Spyro let the body fall to the floor. The pilots, seeing what had just happened, ducked in an attempt to hide from the murdering dragon. Spyro suddenly about faced and walked over to Cynder. He had an evil smile plastered on his face. Karson brought his M74D up to bear and they slowly back pedaled. Spyro suddenly stopped and he started to shake again. His skin returned to normal and his eyes returned to their peaceful purple color again.
Spyro looked around in horror. He looked at his paws. They were covered in blood. He stared back at the dead marines as they lay there motionless. He started to say something incoherent and then sighed and looked at his friends.
"What have I done? I have become a monster!" Spyro said, tears streaming down his face. Cynder approached him and Spyro backed off.
"No! Don't come near me! I'll only hurt you!" Spyro said with a sob.
"Spyro we can help you." Allison said. Cynder simply stared into Spyro's eyes.
"No. I can't stay here. I will only cause you guys harm." Spyro turned and leapt off the balcony soaring into the morning. Cynder wanted to follow him. She wanted to tell him that she loved him for no matter what he was. She would always be by his side. She couldn't move though. She could only watch as Spyro flew off into the distance.
Spyro just flew. He didn't have the slightest clue where to go. He just had to get as far away from them as possible. He wanted to make sure no one died from his hands again. He flew towards the river. Little did he know that he was being watched, by more people then he could imagine.
Pvt. Picante placed the crosshair of his telescopic sight on the dragon flying off into the distance. His radio came to life. It was Lt. Randleman, their company CO.
"All units in Delta Company be advised, there is a dragon by the name of Spyro assaulting UERMC forces. The dragon is purple with a light orange chest or black with a dark orange chest. This dragon is extremely dangerous and should be shot on sight."
Picante looked hard at the dragon trying to make out the exact details. His spotter, Pvt. O'Brian, spoke.
"Yea, that's him. Come on. We can get a better shot off of him if we move over to that hill." O'Brian pointed to a hill in the distance. Picante nodded and they moved to the hill.
Spyro touched down on the side of the river. He looked into its orange waters and looked at his reflection. He thought of Cynder, her sad face plaguing his thoughts. He banished this thinking on how better off she was without him around to harm her. He sighed and looked around. He heard the brush move with increased capacity. He saw a figure perched high on a cliff. He saw that it was a Lakador. The Lakador looked at him and Spyro did likewise. The Lakador then calmly walked off and disappeared.
Lakador Field commander Yahade' walked down the cliff. The purple dragon was near. Now was his chance to make up for his mistakes back at the temple a few days ago. He cursed the humans. Not only had they foiled their attempts to capture the dragon, but now they had taken their HQ as well. The Lakadors in the area had been reduced dramatically. He continued to walk down the slope and prepared to capture the dragon that had eluded him far too long.
Pvt. Picante and O'Brian reached the hill and set up their gear. Sure enough, the dragon was sitting at the river. The dragon was completely oblivious to the sniper that was about to take his life. Picante smiled as he keyed his mike.
"Lt. Randleman, this is Company Sniper Pvt. Picante. We have visuals on the target dragon. Request permission to engage."
_ "Permission granted. Shoot to kill."_ Randleman replied. Picante raised his rifle and placed the crosshairs on the dragon's head. He clicked the safety off and steadied his rifle for the perfect shot.
Spyro didn't know what to do. The brush around him rustled and there were obviously Lakadors in the area. He had no clue about the marine sniper on the hill on his right. He saw apes emerge from the brush. They wielded swords and captured M74D riles as well as Lakador rifles. They smiled at him. Spyro glared in response. One lunged at him. Spyro dodged in time. Little did Spyro know, he had avoided more than just an ape. The ground where he once stood puffed upwards as the 7mm round impacted the ground. On top of the hill, a very angry Pvt. Picante steadied for his second shot.
Spyro used his horns and drove them into the ape that had lunged at him. The ape swung his blade. Spyro dodged and used his claws to attack the ape. Instead of Spyro's usual scratch that he used, he trust his talons into the ape. It screamed as Spyro's talons dove deep into its chest. Spyro removed his claws and looked at them. They were once again covered in blood. For some odd reason, Spyro enjoyed this feeling. He felt a strange craving for blood again. Spyro kept this one under control as he continued to attack the apes. A loud CRACK resonated through the area and an ape fell over dead with a large hole in his head.
The other apes encircled Spyro. Spyro then began to unleash a fire fury. Before he could though, a 7mm round hit Spyro in the head. The fire energy around Spyro dissipated the impact, but Spyro flew backwards landing on his back. Spyro blacked out. The apes laughed and grabbed Spyro. Soon the brush erupted in fire as the Lakadors opened fire on the apes. Several were cut down. The apes fired their captured rifles into the brush. Even so, they still fell quickly. The apes then fled into the forest with their new purple captive.
Pvt. Picante swore. He had missed the first shot completely, hit an ape in the head instead of Spyro, and had managed to hit him in his last shot. He knew the dragon wasn't dead yet though. His spotter had confirmed that. There was no entry wound where Picante had shot him.
"Damn. We will have to tell them that he's still at large. Goddamnit!" Picante cursed as he stood up and keyed his mike. Lt. Randleman's voice came over and Picante told him about what had happened. They loaded up their gear and moved back to their original location.
Field commander Yahade' threw his rifle down in sheer anger. Once again that damned dragon had escaped. And worse, who knows what the apes would want with him. Yahade' gathered his men and headed back to the Lakador HQ.
Spyro awoke. He tried to move his legs but they wouldn't move. It was then Spyro noticed that his legs had been chained to the wall. He tried to break loose, but to no avail. His head throbbed where Picante had shot him. There was a large bruise there. Spyro then saw a large ape approach him. He recognized him at once.
"Fang..." Spyro said with complete hate in his voice.
End of Chapter 12
Well it seems that they have run into some more deep shit. Why are the Lakadors so interested in Spyro and Karson? And how will Cynder rescue her mate this time now that the UERMC sees Spyro as a threat? Will there ever be a happy ending? I guess you will have to find out when I release the next chapter.