Part 8: Collision
Kevin Clamely walked cloaked on a ridge, viewing his contigent. His children had grown so numerous lately, but they were mostly off fighting their enemies near Glascow...but this force here would do for what he planned. His anxiety had been overhwhelming, it would be so much simpler if those little rats hadn't escaped. Well, his plan was destined to suceed no matter what, but this little disturbance had a chance to really start to piss him off. His blood began to boil, from a combination of anger and stress; and he knew that, right now, those devils were killing his children! His beautiful family, torn to shreds, he could just imagine those laughing faces, his enemies luaghing faces as they shot his son over and over again. He recollected himself; he needed to remember he WAS god, he COULD stop this. He closed his eyes for a second, and felt his mind expand....this was why he was god. Horzine had never envisioned such technology being used so well in the old days, but now things were different. He felt the enthrilling sensation of immense power as he opened two sets of eyes. Showtime.
The old survivor watched as the helicopter flew back into the sky, leaving the squad behind. Ignoring the knawing feeling in his gut, he turned back around surveying his surroundings. They had been dumped on this mountain, the long grass bowing in the wind, and not a tree in sight. Further up the mountain was a bunker, with sandbags creating barricades around the perimeter, and a radio tower strutting out of the top of the mountain. The place looked abandoned, as if there had been a whole operation before everyone had just left. The team was already climbing towards it, and the perimeter fence groaned as they pushed open the gate. "About time you guys got here; what, being fashionably late?" came a very familiar voice. Then he spotted the source, coming from on top of the bunker. The Trader heaved her Crossbow over her back, half smiling. "Well, feels like old times, you here to sell us some lovely big guns, or just take our money?" "Nah, sweetie, I'm getting paid five times your savings here, so they're on the house."
The banter passed back and forth as she led them up the hill into the base. It was either cryptic or totally unhelpful, for the most part, until at one point she seemed to whisper quietly almost to herself, followed by a bellowing that seemed to come from a mic on her person, followed by her whispering something else. It was silent for a moment, and she clicked the tiny earpiece off. She turned to the squad, and began to give a short explanation. From what she said, it seemed that this base was still alive down below, under the bunker, but most of the troops had left for Glascow. Glover&garrison troops down below in case of emergencys. As for them....well it seems that some specimen were wandering off the main contingent, and this was important enough to warrant a house call. It was only supposed to be a few, she said, assuringly before climbing a ladder up the radio tower. "And I suppose you will be going down below, for old times sake?" He said, rolling his eyes. She only rolled her eyes, climbing the steel stairs leading up to a turret hapharzadly set up on the tower. Well, I guess that answers that question...
They then began gathering their weapons, loading whatever they could up before the specimen hit. He knew that this was no "minor attack." Why would they need a turret, and have sealed the sub-levels, otherwise? It made no sense, unless this was about to be getting real familiar real fast...
They took a position, readying their guns as the they heard the fence get ripped down by grasping claws, hungry mouths coming for them. They answered with lead, steel, napalm, and explosives, and soon it was starting to feel just like old times as a flood of hideous monstrosities began to pour onto their position. The turret roared from behind, grazing the back ranks and clearing the flanks as the team fought for their lives. As the main company began to arrive, suddenly the air became filled with screams that shattered the windows. Molten shots began to smash against the sides of buildings, and the appearance of footsteps on the rooves proved that they were being flanked. They began to slowly retreat, taking further and further back positions as bullets also began to bounce off their cover, adding ominous high notes to the orchestra of hungry growlings. The ground was covered with corpses, as flaming experiments flailed, screaming. But more kept coming, and more, and more, putting more and more pressure on the reeling team. And, just as the intense flood began to feel overwheling, filled with guns and chainsaws, and meat grinders....it seemed so quiet. The blood streamed into the long grass and the last clot fell writhing to the ground in agony, but it seemed so quiet. He felt uneasy, knowing that this wasn't over. It wouldn't end like this. He called to his team; it was time to restock. Because something was coming. And he felt he knew just what.
As they loaded up a second time, they heard several steel clangs as the Trader descended from the tower. "I suppose they should be nearly done by now," she mused aloud. She then went on, explaining the purpose of this. There had been a Horzine project, orginally made to disable enemy communications; it could disable radio, cellphones, and internet within a specific radius. This project had blossomed; She had even known about it before the Outbreak. But after the Outbreak, it had been used to an extent even she had doubted possible; blocking out almost all channels of a massive radius (and even disrupting friendly channels if too close to the device). But luckily, when several traitors to Horzine left the company, she had picked up some pieces and managed to access the Horzine channels; not much, but essentail to the war effort. And, while Horzine still often switched channels and tried getting rid of these "intruders" to the system, this base has always tracked it and kept one step ahead. But now they were currently engaged in an attempt to hack into the main device, and shut it down from the inside. They were sent on a suicide mission, just meant to hopefully buy enough time to get inside using the saftey override they had acquired.
She was about to continue when suddenly a sound came from outside...a massive gnashing sound as the downed fence was crushed. The team, now alert, readied for whatever was about to happen...and then they heard, over the Horzine Channel, the sound of an all too familiar voice. "Its the end of the road....nowhere to run now," followed by a laugh. The blood red sunset glowed as suddenly he heard from Wiggins, "Look out, you idiots!" He spotted it, the grass flattened and brushed aside by a massive cloaked...thing. The opened fire, as it charged uncloaking...before a rocket flew from their right, nearly smashing into Foster and tearing a hole in a garage. Suddenly the fight fell into chaos as the Trooper realized something. The counterattack had been too late; those clones he had destroyed, mirrors of Clamely had only been the latest versions. He snapped back into reality as he focused on the chaos at hand.
Part 9: Descension
Kevin Clamely was reveling in his success. The sillohoute of the murderer of his son would haunt him no longer soon; this was just a testing ground for his divine might. His docile, altered clone was not something seperate. He had made sure that no one would leave him ever again, and this applied to him as well. The mind of the clone had been tampered with; if ever he tried going to far, he would reach a wall of sudden confusion as Clamely yanked him out of control. This prototype was not mentally stable...but all he needed to know was that he was god's hand. He and Kevin were the same, and to not fight it as the twisted tendrils of Kevin's mind wouve into his skull, as Horzine's secret weapon, having been built into his cranium, yoked him underneath Kevin. Kevin forced his mind back onto the task at hand; this was no time for reflection. He refocused as Anderson brought an Axe crashing down on his spine, and he turned, smashing his gun into the medic and sending him into some mangled barbed wire. He remembered that one....and he licked his lips as he savoured the sight of him about to crush the little defiant bug. He lifted his clawed hand, but was stopped short as he suddenly was bombarded by 6 grenades, and out of the smoke came Thornes axe crashing into the back of his head. He turned aroung again, to get hit in the face with a bolt. He called his puppet back to kill them, and realized he was healing....a bit of a mishap from his rage, but this could be fixed. He whipped out a massie syringe opened it up, when suddenly it exploded, sending shards of glass everywhere. Andersons reloaded a clip into his now smoking hot SMG, masking a smile as Kevin roared, batting Thorne out of the way. They were about to give chase when suddenly a rocket flew overhead, scattering them.
Kevin barreled out of the perimeter, grasping for a last syringe of relief with his open hand. He fingered air....double taking, before his extension saw Thorne handing it to someone, who smashed it with an axe. He looked closer....and saw Her. He hadn't realized, she had been sniping from a distance, but now he was blind rage. He barreled his enraged Hand of God forward, consumed with rage that SHE would DARE show up, ruin HIS day. He noted Anderson out of the corner of his eye. In a single fluid motion, he ripped a steel raft off of the bunker, using the sharp jagged edge as a spear. He felt his weapon reach its mark, ripping through the paramedic mask and cutting into his jaw. He showed his teeth, adreneline burning in his veins with the anger as he felt the edge burst out the other side of his jaw. Anderson collapsed, and in the same movement Kevin launched the girder towards Foster, shearing his suit and impaling his shoulder. Thorne tried jumping at him, bringing his axe down, and 'God' used his genetic improvements to grab his foot, impaling it with the tentacle's spines before throwing him into a concrete wall. The Survivor with his AA12 and Wiggins with his SCAR then unloaded, only for Kevin to bat each aside with his arms, sending them sprawling. Skully tried unloading his m32, but Kevin batted him aside as chaingun bullets riddled Skully's left arm. She shot a bolt into his face, but he left it there, only fueling his rage with pain. He charged her, and she ducked under his swipe. He then released his tentacle, and the trader drew out her katana, sidestepping the grasping appendage and stabbing it with her sword. He brought his gun arm down, smashing at her as she fluidly reloaded and shot a bolt into his face. He turned in place, barely balanced on one foot...and was suddenly knocked over as 2 barrels of pellets belched into him. He sprung back up, charging as the Survivor whipped out his AA12, unloading. Kevin brought his clawed hand back down, smiling as he felt him rip into skip and break a rib. He was knocked back, unable to finish the job, as suddenly any able bodied gunmen shot wildly at him.
Kevin, now riddled with bullets, his eyes begginning to see fuzzy around the edges, flung himself towards the Trader. She grasped for her quiver, realizing she was out of ammunition, pulling her katana out in a last ditch attempt to defend herself when The Survivor dragged himself back out of the armoury. He dropped his AA12, heaving the LAW onto his shoulder, just like old times, aimed, and fired. The rocket whizzed through the air, detonating as it reached Kevin. Clamely refocused on his own body as he felt his control dissapear. He dragged himself down the hill, still cloaked, dissapearing past a second ridge. He could barely think, he could hardly move....and ahead of him, laughing, he could see his son's murderers. A dark silohoutte barely visible...but perfectly audible. Clamely mustered a roar, dragging himself forward as he was tormented by his own mind.
The Survivor leaned against the side of the Bunker, exhausted. Thorne knelt over Anderson, bandaging his jaw, and there was a kind of exhausted peace. The silence was broken as Skully suddenly swore. "F***!" He turned around. "He got away! That b***ard got away! There's only one body here!" The Trader ignored him, crouching and sniping the many wandering zeds now in the area. The bunker doors burst open as Glover and the reinforcements got clearance to secure the area. The zeds all over were being called back. They had won.
Clamely entered the Labs, barely conscious. He laid down for a rest, as he subconsiously grasped for the mental connection he used to have. He felt mangled, violated, and betrayed. But he needed his rest. Because they had shut down the Tower...but this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.