The Spyro Chronicles Chapter 16: When the Hour Draws Near
#16 of The Spyro Chronicles
I know that it has been a while guys but well I am starting to get pressed for time and I am getting less and less time to type. I am also trying to get things right this time around to set the stage for the next few chapters.
Well here is the much overdue 16th installment of The Spyro Chronicles.
Chapter 16: When the Hour Draws Near
The elevator jerked to a halt. They were in a large room that was roughly as tall as the dojo in the dragon temple. They saw a huge pillar in the center of the room. They saw stairs leading up into a passageway that led deeper into the dragon temple's secret basement. The two marines holding onto him lifted him to a more manageable stance and they went up the flight of stairs. During the walking Wagner thought about what he had heard during their encounter in the temple below.
He remembered what the dragon had said about how the Plague was using dark crystals to come back and about how the Darkmaster wanted that crystal badly. His face went badly as he suddenly realized something.
The Plague had been using dark crystals that had been shut away inside of the temples to return, and they had extracted crystals from the temple and they were on board of the Archilles. He remembered what Dyke had told him about the incursion on board of the Archilles. He remembered how these creatures had killed a security team. He came to the realization that they had to tell the Colonel about this or all was truly lost.
They had reached the top of the stairs by now and came into a room in the temple. They found a way out and found themselves inside of the pool of visions where Ignitus was waiting for them. Next to him stood the mysterious purple dragon (Diablo), the dragoness (Hethina) and Rithul. They smiled when they saw the marines and Spyro come out of the room.
"Well it seems there has been more to this than we had ever thought possible." Ignitus said still smiling. The other elders walked in as well as Colonel Dyke and other marine officers. Some medics accompanied them and attended to the injured and Lt. Wagner. Wagner had 3rd degree burns all over his chest as well as bruised muscles. He also was suffering from minor battle fatigue.
"So you guys know everything?" Karson asked. Dyke nodded and walked over to the marines who weren't injured.
"Seems there is a lot more going on then we had originally anticipated." He looked over to Yahade'.
"I may not fully agree with this, but it seems that we have no other choice and it will be nice to have another ally in all of this." He placed his hand out in a hand shake gesture. Yahade' grasped his hand with his own scaled hand and shook it.
"So how did you guys get up here so fast?" Spyro asked Rithul while a medic patched up the wound on his back. (From Fang)
"We have our ways of navigating the area." Hethina said.
"Wait there is one thing I don't understand. You guys are from the era of the Great War right? How is it that you guys are here and not dead from old age?" The rest of the dragons, marines and Lakadors in the room turned to look at them.
"That is an explanation for another time." Rithul said firmly. A smile played across his face and he turned to Ignitus. Wagner remembered about the crystals right about now and motioned the medics to move him closer to Dyke.
"Sir, we may have a bigger problem then we thought." Dyke looked up and closed a makeshift map in his hands.
"What might that problem be Lieutenant?"
"Well did Rithul mention about how the Plague use dark crystals to return?" Wagner asked taking a glance at Rithul.
"Yes, he did give us that information, but what of it?" Dyke answered with a curios look on his face.
"Well remember that large cache of crystals we placed inside the Archilles, well I think that we may have a problem with that." Dyke's face went pale as he realized just what the officer was telling him. They could be in danger of loosing the Archilles and their only means of getting back to Earth. Dyke turned swiftly around to face a marine Captain.
"Howards get me Harding NOW!" Dyke screamed at the captain.
"Yes sir!" He said and ran off to find a radio. He returned a few seconds later and handed the radio to Dyke.
"Captain Harding, we have a situation." He said into the radio. Wagner heard the captain's voice coming in over the radio saying a response. Wagner was thankful that Dyke was acting fast with this one. If they lost the Archilles, then they loose a lot of equipment, weapons, personnel, fuel, supplies and the most important of them all: their ticket home.
The Archilles was the only UERNF ship in-system with an operational, although in need of repairs, worm-hole generator. Without it, they were stuck here in the dragon realms. They could use the Lakador ship, but during the battle above there was intense fighting so they didn't know if theirs got damaged as well because they hadn't attempted a jump out to call for reinforcements.
They had to destroy those crystals before the Plague really got a foothold inside the ship. Dyke had managed to seclude them inside of the cargo hold thanks to the actions of Sgt. Ramirez, but who knows how many were actually inside of the ship.
There was only one course of action though, and everybody knew what it was: send a team in to neutralize the crystals and any Plague on board the ship. It was a task nobody wanted to do, and with such close quartered fighting, the Plague would be on the same footing with the marines. There were so many places to hide and then attack unsuspecting marine squads that it was almost a suicide mission to do. However, the stakes were so high that it had to be done.
The medics finally finished up with Spyro and he got to his feet and walked over to Cynder. He smiled and she gave him a look of happiness and then she walked up to him and rubbed her muzzle against his. He placed his wing on her and she closed her eyes in happiness.
Karson sighed as he looked at them and walked over to Allison. He knew he couldn't really show too much affection for Allison or they could get into real trouble, especially with a Colonel right in front of them. All he could really do for her at the moment was place his arm on her shoulder and smile. She knew as well as he did the risk of their love especially when they were both in the military. She knew what his message was and she simply smiled in return.
SSgt. Jason stood there not really knowing what to do. He was a member of Theta company and most of the marines in the room were COs or members of Alpha. He sighed and placed his back up against a wall thinking of what had just transpired. He closed his eyes and folded his arms on his chest in deep thought. He felt power surging through him suddenly. He knew from what they had been talking about earlier and what Rithul had said that he was special and could command great power. He didn't really know any idea on how to use it though.
He opened his eyes and raised one of his palms near his face examining it. He saw a spark dance from it and he clenched his hand into a fist. He could feel power and energy channeling to it but it might as well been a runaway surge of power for he had no real idea how to command it. Once again he closed his eyes and folded his arms on his chest in deep thought.
Yahade' was using his communicator and had contacted Supreme commander Huvunes. He had managed to get the commander to call a cease fire amongst the Lakadors and they were in the process of doing the same things amongst the UERMC. He clicked his communicator off and stood there observing his men. They looked uneasy being amongst creatures they had previously called their "enemies".
Now they had to adjust to these new allies and Yahade' was still coping with the fact that he now new who his family was. For the longest time he could remember he never knew his real parents. He had spent most of his life living with the education system since no one could really take him in. For years he would watch as Lakador children walked off to go join their families after the day ended and he just stood there, not able to go to a family of his own. He sighed as he thought of this and he closed his eyes searching his thoughts.
He clenched his fist as energy pulsed through it. It was an odd feeling being able to command dark energy. For years, the Lakador public had revolted against the idea of dark energy usage for peaceful and military usage. For eons there was a misconception about dark energy. People always associated it with evil and wickedness but they never actually looked at the real picture of it all. Dark, black, purple, they are all just colors. True, most dark energy is created from extreme hatred or evilness, but that doesn't mean that it can't be used for other means. A child born into a poor family doesn't mean that child has to be poor for the rest of his life. So true is the way that dark energy can be used. Of course there are risks when using dark energy though, for most of it is used for evil and is always had a hand in events of extreme chaos or destruction. Dark energy could over take someone and turn them evil. But if you are able to tame the beast known as dark energy, then it can be used for other things instead of evil or for destruction and killing. Most Lakador weaponry use dark energy as a means of destruction. Lakador power plants use it as a means of powering the Lakador cities and constructs. And now, Yahade' was going to use it as a way to protect those most dear to him from his enemies. He was going to make a pact now: he had a family now and he would be damned if they were going to be taken away from him.
Rithul had by now finished talking with Ignitus and had walked into a corner of the room to observe the scene in front of him. Spyro and Cynder had walked off to the dojo, most likely to cuddle in the mushrooms that aligned the walls, Karson and Allison stood near the opposite wall and were trying to hide their emotions from the other people in the room, Jason was standing against a wall with his arms folded against his chest and his eyes were closed and he had a serious look on his face, and Yahade' was also observing the men in the room. He looked over and saw Diablo watching Spyro and Cynder from where he was standing. Hethina was standing near him and she was helping some medics tend to injured soldiers. He looked up and saw Dyke get off the radio and he had a serious look on his face. He knew about the Plague on board of the Archilles and wondered if the humans were up to the challenge of taking them out. He saw Wagner sitting up against the wall with a medic bandaging up the burns he had on his chest. They were applying a special reactant that would speed up the healing process and get Wagner healed up in mere hours then days. However, Wagner wasn't ready to fight again, his actions inside of the temple earlier showed that he needed some time to rest and think.
An HACO trooper walked into the room at this time and walked over to Colonel Dyke. He whispered something into his ear and the Colonel nodded. He looked around searching for someone. He called out for Karson, Allison, Yahade', Jason, Spyro, Cynder, Rithul, Diablo, Hethina and Ignitus to join him in an adjacent room. When all of them were assembled he looked them over. He shot a glance at Spyro meaning that he still didn't trust him to a certain degree.
"Alright we have a situation here. Apparently, most of you are already familiar with the fact about the Plague being able to use dark crystals as a means to return to this world and lay waste to it. Well it seems that we have extracted a large amount of crystals and have placed them inside of the Archilles cargo hold. This means that there are Plague on board of the ship right now and must be driven out. Also, it seems that the Darkmaster is trying to return and needs the crystal in the basement to do so. We need to buff up our defenses around the temple and that crystal. Also we have located one of the temples containing a light crystal that is need to fire the final solution. It is to the north and is located on an island out in the water between here and Dante's freezer. We also are looking into the location of a second temple in tall plains. Right now we are going to coordinate our forces to launch an offensive against that island as well as coordinating troops for an assault on tall plains. Hopefully the ape forces will have not been able to access these areas and will be shaken up by their leader's death."
"So when do we attack this first temple?" Spyro asked now standing up (he was previously sitting on all fours)
"We are still trying to locate exactly where the temple is on the island and where we need to place our forces. We also need to find out the threat level of the enemy forces and see if they still pose a threat to us. But there is another reason why I called you here. It seems that all of you have some sort of purpose with each other and seem to possess great power. Due to what I have been told and what I can see, we need to place you all in a combat unit so you six can work together instead of operating the way we have. So now you six will be part of an active combat unit known as Psi Company. The remnants of Alpha will be merged into Psi as well as Delta. Theta will absorb Epsilon and Gamma. The 133rd marines have taken minimal losses and will be placed on defense around the temple. I will pull out all our soldiers and place them around the base of the temple and form lines of defense inside of the temple as well. Right now we are going to be a little vulnerable until we take out the Plague on board the Archilles."
"So who will take out the Plague on board the Archilles?" Karson asked Dyke who turned to face him and cleared his throat.
"I have five teams of HACOs working on that problem right now. There is no need to worry about the Archilles; right now we have to coordinate our forces accordingly. Right now we don't have a clear enough picture to launch an attack. So right now you guys should get some rest and I would like a word with Rithul for one moment."
Before leaving the room Karson turned around and looked at Colonel Dyke with a curios look on his face.
"Sir, one more question." Dyke looked up at him.
"Go ahead."
"Who will be leading Psi Company?" He asked looking at the Colonel who sighed and looked at Rithul who nodded knowing what he was thinking.
"Well, we were giving it some thought, and we were thinking that Spyro should lead it." Everybody turned to Spyro and he looked very confused.
"Me? I wouldn't be able to lead those men! Make Lt. Wagner the leader, I don't know anything about leadership!" He stated in a respective manner towards Wagner.
"Spyro, remember that prophecy that Diablo mentioned earlier, well it stated that a purple dragon would lead the chosen ones, he would be the one who lead them to victory over darkness. Spyro, that purple dragon is you. You are the only one who we think is cut out for the job."
"Besides, Wagner will be there and he will probably be coordinating the marines beside you. It is your duty to see that the chosen ones triumph over those who are evil. Don't worry Spyro; we wouldn't put a hundred marines under your command by yourself. You and Wagner will be working side by side." Dyke finished this statement with a smile which Spyro returned. It seemed as though Dyke was slowly begging to trust Spyro again. Spyro turned to see Cynder who was smiling at him and she gave him a playful look. They walked out of the room followed by Ignitus. Spyro, seeing Ignitus behind him, turned to face him and Cynder did likewise.
"Ignitus, there is one thing that is bothering me."
"What is it young dragon?"
"Well I was thinking about what that dragon had said earlier about me being born in the era of the Great War, how did you find me and Cynder?" Ignitus looked at him and then looked ahead as if searching for thoughts.
"When I first found your egg, I found it in the room where all the new eggs were placed so I always thought your parents gave birth and left for safety reasons. I never did see your real parents. I didn't see Cynder's either." Ignitus said recalling the past. He saw Spyro and Cynder droop their heads in disappointment. Rithul had told him about their parents being defeated at the hands of the Darkmaster centuries ago. He sighed as he wanted to comfort them but didn't know what to say. Rithul had mentioned that he knew who their parents were but they were more then likely dead since the Darkmaster defeated them long ago.
"Young dragons don't worry, I am sure your parents are somewhere out there waiting for you to find. Now right now I would think that you two would be famished after all of that, why don't you two help yourselves to some lunch?" Spyro and Cynder nodded and walked over to the balcony to go find some food in the forest. They took flight into the mid-day air and found an unsuspecting forest creature. They killed it and cooked it using their flame breaths and helped themselves to some food.
Spyro let Cynder have her first pick of food, but she insisted on him taking the first piece. They sat there for a full 10 minutes arguing back and forth on which one of them should go first. Finally Cynder's growling stomach caused her to eat first and Spyro, with a laugh, followed suit. They continued to eat and when they were done they went to the river and got a drink.
Spyro lapped up the orange waters and the cold water felt good against his throat. Cynder enjoyed every sip of it and she sat on the river bank eyeing Spyro as he got some more water. She got up and started to walk behind Spyro without being noticed.
Spyro just finished getting his water when he noticed Cynder wasn't sitting next to him and drinking her water. He started to wonder where she was when he felt himself being lifted into the air and into the water. The cold water of the Silver River engulfed him and he drifted a foot underneath the water before re-surfacing. He looked up and was met by two green eyes which had an intoxicating aurora to them. He smiled and she promptly returned it. She giggled and splashed him. Spyro laughed as the water washed over his scales. He returned her splash and followed it up by going underneath the water. Cynder, who was surprised at Spyro's sudden move, scanned the area around her for a glimpse of purple. She saw a sudden purple blob underneath the surface that was moving directly at her. She tried to move out of the way but the blob caught her and she was taken underneath the surface.
She emerged and felt something tossing her into the air and onto the bank. She got up and looked back at the river. The purple blob surfaced and Spyro walked onto the shore laughing in hysteria. She laughed and gave him a playful look.
"So that's the way you wanna play huh?" She said just before launching at Spyro. Spyro, still laughing at this point, was in no real position to dodge and he was knocked onto the ground. Cynder joined Spyro in his laughter and they rolled around in the grass and mushrooms wrestling for a few minutes before they wore themselves out. They walked over and lay down in the cool green grass and let the sun dry them off. The cool orange waters of the Silver River reflected off of their scales as they lay there in the warm afternoon sunlight.
Cynder let out a sigh as she felt the breeze from the river coupled with the warm rays of the sun whip across her scales. Spyro was in a state between sleep and reality and Cynder chuckled to herself when she looked at him. A pattern of orange light danced on his scales as the sun reflected the Silver River's water onto him. She lay her head back down and nuzzled it against his chest. He sighed and placed his arm around her and he brought her into a mild hug. She giggled and closed her eyes.
She began to call upon the past and she remembered herself as the evil Cynder, the one who had once dominated the land with an iron fist. Her memories then jumped to when she was battling Spyro. She remembered the battle as though it were yesterday. She could still feel the hate flowing through her just as it had that day. She then watched as Spyro defeated her and she was free of the Darkmaster's influence. She remembered when she was being flung into the portal of Convexity and was about to be sent to join the Darkmaster when she felt tender paws grab her and pull her out. She remembered the feeling of those tender paws the most, for they were those of her mate, her love, and her dragon. They were Spyro's.
She had felt a feeling of joy then and she was feeling one now. That was the first time anyone had really cared for her and she remembered the flood of emotions she had had back then. For all she could remember before that moment, all she could feel were hate and blackness. All she knew was chaos and destruction. All of her being was evil.
Now, she was fighting alongside the very dragon she once was out to destroy. Now, she loved that very dragon who had pulled her from the abyss that was her former self and now, now she had a choice and she chose to love and fight alongside that dragon. That dragon was her mate and her very life. He had saved her many times and she had done saved him as well. They were bounded together by their love and she knew that he felt the very same thing.
She let out a long sigh as she lay there thinking to herself. The warm rays of the sun washing over them and the peaceful sounds of the forest chirped this way and that. But not to far off were the sounds of war. In the distance there were faint sounds of rifle shots, grenade explosions, and death.
All these thoughts about war and death were far from the fore-front of Spyro's mind as he lay there in the soft cool grass beside his loving mate. He heard her let out a sigh and he smiled. He kept his eyes closed though and he nudged her a bit and placed his wings over her. He thought about Cynder. Her sleek body and wings all accompanied with her eyes. It was her eyes that struck him the most. They were a deep pool of emerald and they were a sight to behold. He could sit and stare into those pits of joy for all eternity if he had the choice.
Spyro wanted to visit the cave that they usually like to cuddle in but since the Apes wanted the crystal so badly, Colonel Dyke had ordered all the marines to fall back and form a new defensive perimeter just a few hundred yards from the base of the cliff in which the temple was perched. Unfortunately, the cave fell just a few hundred yards short of the marine defenses and Spyro didn't want to risk an enemy walking in on them and doing the same thing they did to Cynder the first time.
Those memories still haunted him as the image of Cynder getting choked played through his mind over and over. He shuddered and opened his eyes. He saw Cynder lying next to him, her soft sweet breaths a testament to her state of well being. Even so, Spyro ran his paw along her head to ensure that she was there and not some dream. He still couldn't believe it, how he could have such a sweet dragoness being his mate. Even with all she had done, that was in the past and now she was here, with him, and most of all, safe. Spyro would never let anything happen to her. She was his happiness, his hopes, and his wildest dreams come real. Even with Spyro now knowing that he had a family, she was the world to him. He had to protect her, no matter the cost.
He continued to run his paw along her head and he felt her slick neck. The spikes on the back were so perfect, so small and tender, as were her sleek paws. He looked her over and he was dumbfounded how something so slender and sleek have enough power to last in a fight with Dark Spyro and manage to overpower him. He thought about the times that he endangered her, the times that he attacked her, and the times he almost killed her. Those thoughts racked his very core. He had to protect her, from anything that would do her harm, even if it meant taking himself out to prevent him from hurting her.
They lay there, basking in each others loving embrace for several hours. As they lay there, they had no idea of the high risk operation happening above their heads on board the Archilles. 5 teams of HACO troopers had been dispatched to remove the Plague infestation on board the human ship. Each had equipment tailored to this operation. All of their M74Ds had special attachments and special modifications to suit this close quarters combat. And many of them had M10 SMGs and M22 8 Gauge Combat Shotguns in reserve. They also carried combat knives and most of them had received extensive training in hand to hand combat. All of them knew what lurked inside of the cargo hold and they knew just how dangerous they were.
Another key feature that placed these soldiers as proper marital to conduct this operation was their armor. Their armor was more advanced than a standard marine armor. A standard marine wore a Kevlar vest over their uniform and a breast plate made of metal to protect against energy weapons. They also had a metal leg guard and pads made of metal.
An HACO trooper adorned with a special "dragon skin" Kevlar vest over their regular uniform. Over this vest they had a special shock absorbent layer and sub layer. What made these layers so special was the fact that they were filled with a special fluid with a curios molecular structure. When an object struck the layer, the molecules inside of the fluid would bunch up upon the impact site. The more force made, the more molecules that would bunch up to protect the area. If the layer was breached, there were back up layers beneath the initial one. Above this shock absorbent layer was a special coating. Not many people knew about this coating and it was usually kept top-secret.
For years, the UERIA (United Earth Republic Intelligence Agency) and the UERERT (United Earth Republic Energy Research Team) had been studying the temples made by the Ancients on Earth. They had studied the light energy objects they found and were intrigued by it. They began to study it and started to find some surprising attributes about light energy. They applied it to many test deployments and armor systems and discovered that light energy repelled dark energy and it also resisted other things as well. When a distress signal came from Sirus 12 from the Zeta-Reticuli system and reports from a UERIA team there said that there were hostiles using "dark energy" as a means of war, they dispatched this new and experimental technology to the HACO troops stationed there. However, even with these new armor and research, armor like this was expensive to produce so only HACOs had this special layer and it was experimental so it wasn't guarantied success.
With their armor and weapon upgrades, the 5 5 man teams of HACO troopers formed outside of the sealed bulkhead that lead into the cargo hold. As soon as Ramirez had radioed about something inside ship, Dyke had ordered the cargo hold sealed off. But since the ventilation still could be used as a means of getting out of the cargo hold, and the fact that they couldn't risk the Plague from using the Archilles as a stage for their assault, they had to blow the crystals with a few charges of C-4.
Lt. Sean sat in second crouch position. He overlooked his squad of HACOs as they stood outside of the cargo hold as they prepared to breach it.
He clutched onto his M22 Combat Shotgun and made sure that every piece of equipment was in place before proceeding. They had to do this right the first time, because there might not be a second time.
The soldiers got into their positions while the engineers prepared to breech the doors. Electrical wires had been cut in the area cutting off the current so the bulkheads could not be opened remotely from the bridge. They had to blow their way into the cargo hold and then they would have to fight through several hundred feet of Plague ridden hallways in order to reach the cargo hold entrance. The central entrance was a room at the base of the hold and on top of it was a control room. The security team was in the entrance room and that's where they had to dispatch three of their five teams. The other two would secure the room at the top which overlooked the entire cargo hold so they could coordinate the operation with ease.
The HACOs lined up and waited for the engineers to finish rigging the door to blow. As the engineers gave the hand signal and ran to the back with the remote detonator, the HACOs raised their rifles and aimed them at the door. There was a large flash and loud THUMP as the door was blown apart with the charges.
Smoke filled the air where the door once stood and the HACOs knelt there in their crotched positions waiting for the commander, Lieutenant Sean to give the order.
"Move! Move!" He yelled as he got to his feet and moved towards the door, arms moving in the air as he signaled the men to move. The men complied and they got to their feet and proceeded into the bowels of the infested ship. The men moved slowly, scanning the narrow hallways for targets. If so much a can were to move, all the HACOs would have their gun sights on it at once. They slowly moved through the halls.
Private Thomas Anderson moved with the rest of the HACOs in his squad. They moved cautiously with the rest of the men waiting for a target to present itself. Anderson scanned the room with his M10 SMG. He saw no targets so moved the barrel to another spot to search. They had moved out of the hallways and came into a midsized storage room used for the mess hall. They had to bypass this to get to the room which was on the other side of this place. A small can fell from its place and rolled past the squad. Almost all of the HACOs in the room had their rifles and guns pointed strait at it.
Anderson heard a scratching sound nearby. He moved his gun to find the source of it. He was rewarded by hissing sounds that seemed to come from everywhere. More scratching and clawing sounds came from all over the place and Lt. Sean used hand signals to move the soldiers into a tight circle so that they could fire in all directions.
More sounds echoed through the room and a loud pang resonated through the room. The soldiers looked at where the sound came from and a ceiling panel had given way and revealed several Plague on it. They let out a loud and ear rattling screech. The soldiers gritted their teeth as the sound blasted its way through their ear drums. Anderson shook off the loud screeching sound and raised his SMG to bear. He pointed the sights at the lead Plague and pulled the trigger. 9mm rounds impacted the Plague and caused it to flip onto its back with dark energy clouds blossoming from its wounds.
The other HACOs opened fire as well. More and more Plague rushed into the room and were cut down by the HACOs. Once the room was clear they began to move to the cargo hold's entrance. Anderson hesitantly followed, his insides still feeling chilled after his adrenaline ran out and he felt slow and stiff. He shook it off though and followed his comrades into battle.
They broke into two separate teams at this point, one going to secure the control room above and one to secure the cargo hold and place the explosives.
Anderson was a member of the team who was going to plant explosives. They kicked down the door that lead into the room where the security team had been killed. The table where the two marines had played cards was still standing up, cards resting on its top. They held the last hands that the soldiers were about to play. Blood stained the floor and the helmets and pieces of armor that belonged to marines lay on the floor. The bodies were gone.
Anderson scanned the room but there was nothing in there. As the last of the team entered and they were about to breach the cargo hold, something latched itself onto the back of an HACO trooper in the back. The Plague clawed and scratched at the soldier looking for a soft, tender spot to use, but the soldier's armor kept him protected. However, more latched onto him and they tore off his armor and bit his neck. The rest of the soldiers fired at the Plague, killing them and the soldier.
More Plague came from behind them and they opened fire. Some got really close and began to latch themselves onto the soldiers. One ran headlong into a wall to knock off the Plague and he unsheathed his knife and slit the Plagues throat. This occurred many times throughout the ranks and it mainly turned into a fist fight rather then a shoot off.
Anderson had tossed his SMG to the ground and had unsheathed his knife as well. A Plague snarled and leapt at him. Anderson placed his arms to guard his face and the Plague grabbed him and began to snarl at him. He managed to free his hand holding the knife and thrust it into the Plague's side and it let out a screech of pain. It clawed in a desperate attempt to take Anderson's life but his armor kept him protected. He twisted the knife in a clockwise formation and the Plague screeched and fell to the deck dead.
Only two seconds after the first one, a second Plague jumped and landed on Anderson. As Anderson prepared to make another kill, a third Plague ran towards Anderson. He saw this and placed the one already on him in the Plagues path which knocked them both down. The second one had recovered and made another leap at him. He lifted his boot and kicked it while it was in mid flight. He rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the first one as it tried another leap and he ran up to the Plague before it recovered and placed his knife deep into its head. He pulled it out and turned his attention to the Plague behind him who was hissing at him.
He and the other Plague looked at each other for a few seconds, the Plague hissing and screeching. This time he took the initiative and moved quickly to the left and the Plague started to go into a walking stance as he did this and kept his attention on Anderson. Anderson and the Plague then leapt at each other. Because of Anderson's larger mass, he had more power and he knocked the Plague out of the air. They rolled across the floor and the Plague attempted to bite Anderson in the neck. Anderson stopped this by grabbing its throat and using his other arm to pin it to the deck. He kept his hand on its throat until he felt it move its arms to remove his hand. He took control of this moment and let the Plague's body go so he could get his knife. He removed his hand from its neck only to deliver a fatal knife trust which silenced the creature.
He got up and looked around for more targets. He saw most of the other HACOs engaged in a brutal hand to hand melee with the Plague. Most HACOs, like Anderson, were using their techniques in hand to hand combat and eliminated Plague with the same efficiently as he had. Another factor that had saved Anderson was his armor, if he had been wearing standard marine armor; he probably wouldn't have survived the first fight.
Soon the room fell silent as the last Plague had been killed. They had come into the room with 15 men, now they were leaving with 12. They blew the door which led into the cargo hold and infiltrated it. Anderson recovered his SMG and slapped a new clip into place before continuing into the hold and the fierce fire fight which had just erupted in there.
Lt. Sean led his men up the stairs and up to the control room. As they got outside of the door Sean brought his shotgun up to bear and blew off the hinges with two shells and followed it up by kicking the door in. One Plague who had been sitting there jumped at Sean. It never reached him as he pumped a shell into the creature, blowing it across the deck.
They moved into the room and made sure that it was secure. Sean moved to the window to observe the battle beneath him. He saw several HACOs, many using their rifles still and some engaged in hand to hand combat. So far, the Plague still out numbered the humans 5 to 1, Sean would have to fix that. He motioned a soldier hefting a RFSW LMG (Rapid Fire Support Weapon, Light Machine Gun) and they removed some of the window panels and he placed the LMG on the pane and opened fire. The weapon fired at about 15 rounds a second. Five other marines joined the LMG and fired their rifles in semi-automatic bursts. They concentrated their fire at the Plague on the far side of the cargo hold trying to get closer the marines.
The combined fire from the soldiers caused the Plague to rapidly decrease in numbers and gave the surviving HACOs a better chance of survival. By now, the squads in the hold only had 8 men left which had now recovered their rifles and were returning fire at the enemy.
Many of the Plague were cut down in the hail of gunfire and many exploded in a cloud of dark energy. Those that didn't explode lay there, blood gushing out onto the deck. The remaining HACOs walked over and placed their charges of C-4 as well as the ones from their fallen comrades. Once they placed every charge they needed, they were ready to blow the place. The remaining HACOs retreated and took cover behind the 1 meter thick walls that separated the hull from the main hallway. They pushed the detonator and the cargo hold erupted in a ball of fire and smoke. Large clouds of dark energy appeared as the crystals were shattered.
When the smoke cleared there was nothing left but the cold grey floor which was dotted with scorch marks. Lt. Sean keyed his remote switch. A squad of battle ready marines positioned themselves at the entrance of the bulkhead that they had blown earlier so that no Plague came out of the Quarantine zone without meeting a hail of gunfire.
The remaining HACOs were pulled back and more squads were sent to replace them.
Anderson sighed. He had managed to survive the Plague infestation of the Archilles. Now he was alive and good enough to fight another day. Little did he know that this was the beginning of his crazy adventures.
The Plague were sitting in the ventilation shafts of the human vessel, watching the humans pull out of the Quarantine zone. They were going to wait there, until the moment came. Then they would ambush the humans and take the vessel and use it to spread the Plague to everyone else.
End of Chapter 16
Well that was long one, longer then Revelation I'd say. This one I got more descriptive in things and am starting to slowly give you guys the story line for the next few chapters and possibly the last one as well. Since this one took a good week or two to make, I doubt the next one will come out that soon either. Until then you guys will just have to wait. But I will just say this, everyone that I have told my future plans to loves them and can't wait to read them, that's how good they are! But, it will be months before you guys get to the good stuff.
Oh yeah and I guess I will also take requests to draw any particular scenes that you guys would like to see and I could email them to you because of the fact that they may not be approvable to YS because of their "human-only" thing that they have. I will also put a journal up of which drawings I have so you can pick and choose from them and I will send them to you when I get the chance.
Oh and please leave some freaking comments already! 150 views and only a few comments?! What the hell is up with that?! Come on guys! Tell me what you think of it!!!