Home » Hall of Fame » The Hall of Fame » STORY: The Scorpion's tale.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #101438] |
Wed, 14 July 2004 12:45   |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The water was building up from the incessant rain, and each footfall brought a splash, and water up to his calf. He could just imagine what that drain was going to look like in an hour. Any later, and a flashflood could have killed him. He ran with best speed towards the Facility using the back alleys to avoid detection. They would be watching the roof tops knowing he had a sniper rifle, and his last tactics versus the other candidates.
He came up upon the back of the building finally after having to maneuver through a maze of tangled steel from an overturned delivery truck.
Of course, the building was without power, and it wouldn't matter that the voice, and key card security devices were there. He was pleased to see the door slightly ajar, but it wasn't open enough to let him through. The top hinge held a steadfast grip and the bottom was rusted into the tangle of metal that used to be one of the girders the truck had dumped. The micro torch was now his friend, and he fired it up. He focused on the hinge only, and it broke free, almost falling to the floor with a bang. He had to grab it to prevent alarming the command post of his presence. Gently he maneuvered it out of the way, making a minor amount of noise in the process.
After entering, he replaced the door as best as he could, and then turned to survey his surroundings. The emergency lights were functioning. That was the only clue he needed to tell him the nest was truly upstairs. He was in the hydraulic room that CABAL had said existed. He stopped to switch weapons to the silenced pistol, making sure it was loaded.
The room was a typical hydraulic room. Greasy, dirty, and full of machinery and pipes bent at awkward angles, seemingly running everywhere. The stairs loomed ahead, tucked into the corner of the room, and beckoning to him in the red glow. He took each stair slowly, and deliberately, his eyes focused on the door at the top of the stairs. Nothing moved, and he heard a soft beeping in the background. At the top of the stairs, he ever so slowly opened the door. A small corridor led straight, and then turned left in the dim light. Bullet holes of the real variety were everywhere up here, as well as blood stains on the wall, and floor. Old and dried, they made a slight crunch noise as he tread on it. He reached the left turning corner, and peeked around the corner. The impromptu control station lay ahead, seemingly abandoned.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #101598] |
Thu, 15 July 2004 06:03 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The station looked like a desk with touch pads for different functions. The flat screen monitor showed various areas of the facility, in a four window configuration. He couldn’t make out the images from this distance though. He slowly scanned the room, and saw a cup of coffee sitting on the desk still giving off steam. Where was the outpost commander? It was then that he heard the flush of the toilet, and started to laugh in spite of the need for stealth.
The officer came from the left, and headed for the console. As he passed where Sergei was, his mic and Sergei’s mic started a feedback loop. He popped the ear plug out quickly, knowing the game was up, and rolled into the open as the officer dug at his ear trying to remove the plug. Sergei fired twice, both hitting the heart area in typical textbook double-tap formation.
“You!�
“Affirmative, sir. Remove the mic, and chuck it in the corner. The others will be wondering what the noise is.�
He did as told, and said to Sergei flatly, “Where did they dig you up?�
A smile met his query, and Sergei moved to the console as the officer locked his hands behind his head, and headed for the elevator to report at the compound.
“We’ll meet again Candidate Ustinov.�
“Yes sir, I am sure we will. My regards to training officer Valdez, sir.�
At that, the officer laughed, and hit the down button.
Sergei sat in the chair, placing the pistol on the desk. He brought up the status locator for the remaining three hostiles. As expected they were wearing locator beacons, and he pinpointed their positions accurately including the officer who was now heading out the MCV bay door. He looked at the coffee, and shrugged his shoulder. Why not?
He drank the coffee, and left the overhead display up, showing positions with red dots. Oddly they were closing on the Construction facility. The beeping in the background grew louder, and he turned to where it was coming from. He couldn’t determine it’s location, but he didn’t like how things were shaping up with them closing on the building. He saw the “dead officer’s blip pass by where one of the others was, and Sergei knew that he’d been found out. Suddenly the mic in the corner blared something at the same time his own did. He didn’t hear the words, but knew what they were communicating. He found the comm. relay, and yanked the wires out of it. Now they would be effectively on their own, as he yanked the lip mic from his own uniform. The playing field was now level.
He afforded one last glance at the monitor before leaving. They were all closing from different areas. He was going to have to have to make a run for it, or fight it out in here. He shut down the power, and everything went black, except the single beep, and a red light. Suddenly realization dawned, and he hit the deck as the claymore exploded above him. He couldn’t see, and turned on his light. Paint was everywhere. The command area must have been on a timer that reset by manual command. If the console was “captured� and the officer didn’t reset the timer it would “self destruct� in effect. He turned the power back on, and checked himself. No paint. He was still in this. Turning the power back off, he left the command deck, and headed down the stairs to the back exit.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #101693] |
Thu, 15 July 2004 11:38 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He decided that rather than fight it out with three superior trained warriors, he'd make a run for the bunker. While they wasted their time looking for him here, he would be long gone, and "safe" at the bunker. He slipped out the back door, and came around the northerly side of the ConYard. The sodium light in the yard highlighted the briefest glimmer of something there, but it was gone before he could look closer. They were here already. He wasn't sure where the bunker was, but he had an idea based on where the command officer's blip had been on the screen.
The time for subtlety was over now. He waited until the lights came on in the upper room above him, and zoomed in with the rifle. He had a shot at one them, and took it in a snap decision. This time he fired four rounds and then bolted before he had time to look to see if they had hit anything. They would take too long trying to find him to chase him to the bunker now.
As he ran, he didn't see the paint balls' trajectories. They did indeed make it through the broken window, and entered the command deck. The victim took a round in the back of his knee. He jumped instinctively back, and exposed his compatriot across the room who was just entering. Two of the balls hit the wall, the fourth and last hit him in the cheek. The last of them saw him bolt from the scene, and gave pursuit as the two others cursed, and prepared for the trudge back to the bunker. Sergei didn't know it yet, but he had just reduced a crack Nod hit squad to a one man rush to the bunker. He ran as hard as he could, and afforded a look over his shoulder. The angry Nod assassin was in hot pursuit. He was not going to lose to this rookie. Sergei gave all he had left, and ran. His muscles ached so badly after the run, and the hours in the rain and cold. His lead was all he had.
He spied the defeated officer arriving at a low squat building, and entering. That must be it. He ran all the harder, pistol in hand.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #101694] |
Thu, 15 July 2004 11:57 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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Paint balls started to fly around him. He heard, more than saw, them whizzing by. The ground between him and the bunker was regular pavement with no cover. The avenue from the ConYard to the bunker was a regular road bordered by the refinery on the right, and the ruins of the radar center. It opened up into the courtyard where the bunker was in the center of a large lake of water from the torrent falling down. The Blackhand elite behind him was getting his range, and Sergei zigged to the left, then right again, as the angry elite reloaded on the run.
He hit the quasi-lake at full tilt and nearly tripped from the switch in medium he was transiting. The water was knee deep, and sapped his strength as he pressed on. He was halfway across the clearing. The elite was closing, and now the paint started to splatter on the bunker as it missed him. He saw the other candidates watching while they stood at parade rest in the pouring rain, Valdez to their left. Some of the paint hit Becker, and he cursed as Sergei approached the instructor's position. With one last surge of strength he leaped toward Valdez like a runner stealing home. The BH elite fired every round in the chamber he had. Had Sergei remained running they would have struck him squarely in the back, but his parabolic curve was now bringing him earthward towards Valdez's feet. The rounds hit Valdez's poncho, as Sergei landed at the feet of the instructor, and gasped for air on the ground. James smirked at him with pride, as Sergei blacked out, his punished body collapsing in defeat.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #102573] |
Mon, 19 July 2004 06:05 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He woke, the rain still battering his face. Someone had flipped him onto his side. He laid still listening to his surroundings, trying to ascertain what to expect once he started to rise. He did a quick assessment of his body. And felt cold seeping into just about every joint. The pain of trying to flex his fingers was sharp, but the pain also told him that he wasn’t in danger of exposure.
James’ voice sounded in his ears: “Curse him all you want Becker. He not only whooped us, he whooped them too. Did you hear them complaining when they got here about how he had gotten “lucky�?�
“He isn’t Nod. He’s a civilian. Of course he got lucky.�
“Whatever helps you reconcile the truth, Becker. He has a gift.�
In the background he heard Valdez shout:
“If you two ladies can’t stop gossiping over there, I can find something to occupy your minds. Now shut up!�
He mentally grinned as he pictured the scene in his mind. Whatever Valdez was doing, he guessed it was related to the team he had just neutralized. The cameras would have caught it all so it would impossible for them to refute or change any aspect of it.
He lay there for a few more minutes, enjoying the break not knowing what lie ahead. He hoped a return to the barracks and some food was in order. He willed his arms into motion and oh so slowly pushed himself up. He kneeled on one leg, and placed the other foot into the mud. He rose into the upright position, and raised his face to the sky. He let the rain clean the mud off for a second, and then looked directly at James and Becker. He could sense something different in Becker now, and knew he had gained the mental advantage in the future. James just smirked.
He put one foot in front of the other, and fell into formation beside the other two. Everything hurt him, but at least he was moving with no injuries. All his weapons had been taken he noticed. Just as well. He didn’t need them anymore. Valdez noticed he had risen, and walked over and stood in front of Sergei at Parade rest. He got right in his face with a stern look on his brow, and said: “Congratulations Darlin’, you’re now squad leader.�
He took a small badge out, and took the frog off the back leaving just the pin. He smacked it into Sergei’s chest, and he gasped in pain as it sunk into his flesh. Valdez took pleasure in the gasp of pain and said:
“Get them back to Barracks Lieutenant. I want them on the deck at 0500 tommorow morning. Move!�
“Sir, yes sir!� He replied.
He started back towards barracks, and the other two fell into line behind him. They fell into a rhythmic pace of boots slapping the ground, and his body finally warmed up.He could feel Becker’s eyes burning into his back with seething hatred, but he did not rebel. The run back was easy, and as they passed the gate, he was glad to see the barracks loom into view. Rest, warmth, and food awaited.
All he said to the others was: "0500 tomorrow. Don't be late this time Becker." He grinned as Becker's ugly grimace walked by to his room at the end of the hall. James walked by him, and said "Hey, let's grab chow and chat after a shower. Sound good?"
"Yeah, sounds fine. I'll give a knock when I get done."
James left him with a clap on the shoulder, and went to his room to clean up.
He cycled his own door, and after it closed He extricated the pin from his chest, stripped down, and got in the shower. He let the warm water run for a good long time before he finished and he felt warm again. The shower floor was covered in mud and blood from the pin wound, and he cleaned it out before moving on. He hung the wet BDU's to dry in the shower, put a med patch on his wound and got into fresh BDU's, and a fresh pair of boots. He was wondering what to do about the pin with no frog to hold it on. Someone had slipped cloth Squad leader insignia under his door to attach to the tear away strips on his BDU's. Problem solved.
The insignia was a substitute for the pin.He then went and got James who answered his knock swiftly. "Alright, let's go eat."
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #102616] |
Mon, 19 July 2004 09:42 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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“Details, dammit. And don’t skip anything. The last I knew you had tagged us both, and while I was following that meathead Becker back, helos start flying into the skirmish zone. Then we get to the bunker, and fall in, and await our happy fate only to be ignored by Valdez for 20 minutes. Then he sticks his ugly head out, tells us to cycle for 30 minutes and goes back into the bunker. Three hours later you show up being chased by BH Elite with a paint gun. I swear that if you skip ONE DETAIL I will punch you in the nose. � james said jokingly.
Sergei told him the details of the day’s events over their meal. He lowered his voice when Becker showed up and sat down across the room to sulk and stare daggers into Sergei.
“So that’s why they were all excited after you passed out. I wondered what was going on, and who those people were that kept showing up with their hands above their heads. After they all linked up, Valdez checked your breathing, took the weapons and some other items, and then rolled you onto your side. Then they all went to bunker to chat about it. That commander wasn’t too happy with you.�
“I bet.�
“So what’s he got in store for us tomorrow do you think?�
“My guess is he’ll be focusing on command and control to see how we work together. It only makes sense seeing as he appointed a “leader� type.�
“I suppose, but I really hope tomorrow is sunnier.�
Sergei laughed, and Becker raised his head to see what they were laughing at. Sergei excused himself, and headed back to his room. He saw Becker move to where he had been sitting to interrogate James and he chuckled.
When he got back, Cabal notified him that he had a message waiting for him on the battle simulator intranet. From who he wondered? He logged on, and identified himself.
The message was from “Centurion�.
Its title was “Re-match�.
C’mon, not tonight he mentally sighed. I’m too tired for this.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #102632] |
Mon, 19 July 2004 11:47 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He decided to humor the protagonist. He logged on, and requested Centurion's status. He of course was not on, so he left the simulator up and running with instructions to notify him when Centurion did come on. He then took the opportunity to request lieutenants lapel pins for his dress uniforms, should the occasion arrive in the future. Cabal notified him that the request was sent, and to expect delivery within 12 hours, but he couldn't promise anything knowing human incompetence.
He also did some research on the front near Sarejevo. What he could glean from the Nod Brotherhood news wasn't worth listening to. The announcer was a bubbly blonde who thought everything Nod was perfect, and everything was going well.
He knew better judging from the reinforcements he had seen.
"CENTURION ONLINE." Boomed Cabal.
He idled up to the display, accepted the challenge presented, and awaited his assignment of troops. He was issued command of a GDI outpost this time. On another day, he would have built base defenses, and done things the right way, but today he just wanted to be done with it. He built two tiberium refineries, and built as many grenadiers as he could, and had a dedicated engineer corps behind them with medics supporting both. He sent all of them South as fast as possible, and stormed the Nod facility he found via scout.
What he found was an unprepared Nod facility focused on building tech buildings, and not on defense. He laid waste to the defenses, as the defender sold all his expensive buildings and tried desperately to build enough infantry.
He almost succeeded.
Sergei then focused on the hand, then Weapons Factory, as he continued to build basic infantry in his own unattacked base. He took over what he couldn't destroy, and sold it immediately to allocate more money to his own buildup.
With very few units left, he focused on destroying the MCV, and succeeded, but barely. His last unit died in a pile of steaming plasma.
Left with no structures to build defensive structures, and no useable army, the opponent sold every last building, and attempted to put a hurt on Sergei. Sergei's army of basic infantry made short work of them, and he was declared winner in under ten minutes.
He was too tired to care. He shut the simulator down before he could be messaged by Centurion or re-challenged to another game. He set his alarm, and undressed. Then he settled in for the best night of sleep he would have for a while.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #102944] |
Tue, 20 July 2004 11:33 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He awoke refreshed. His decision to go to bed rather than stay on the simulator was a wise one. No dreams plagued him this day, and he was feeling good despite his aching body.
He ate and was in the field at 0445. To his surprise, the others were there ahead of him, and awaiting Valdez's arrival. He sidled up next to them, and awaited what the day would bring. As expected, Valdez arrived early, and berated them for everything under the sun except tardiness. They did the morning calisthenics, and as the sun came up they ended the pre-sunrise torture session.
"Fall in, ladies! Today we are going to work on weapon recognition, and accuracy. When in the field you will need to utilize what you can find be it enemy weaponry or not. While I am sure you lovely ladies would appreciate a nice truck ride to the range, I on the other hand would like a brisk jog this morning. Any problems with that?"
No one was going to say anything different, but it wasn't as if they would get the chance. Valdez was already on the run, and they followed him in formation.
His overly cheerful voice broke into Sergie's head: "Squad leader, give us some nice brotherhood cadence to run to."
His mind raced, and then it came to him.
"I want to be Black Hand Elite,
Kane will think I'm really neat.
I want to sneak into combat zones,
Get beacons set up, then head on home.
Left, left, lefty, right, left.
Left, left, keep it in step.
Camo and stealth, they are your friends,
They're gonna get you home in the end.
If you get caught, you know what to do,
Take the red pill, then we'll honor you.
Left, left, lefty, right, left.
Left, left, keep it in step.
One vision, one purpose that's our creed,
The brotherhood fights their global greed.
Solomon's lies will be seen through,
Brother Kane will liberate you."
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #103263] |
Thu, 22 July 2004 08:13 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The range came into view after 5 minutes of running. The left side was the low and squat enclosed firing range itself, and the right was a two story brick building with few windows. Valdez brought them to the right side, and entered the lobby area where a central staircase led upwards. Across the entryway was a simple sign denoting the building’s function in Brotherhood society.
“Weapons Research Division�
There were only a few people about, and they paid almost no attention to the BH team. This seemed to be commonplace for them. Valdez took the stairs two at a time, and stopped at the top, looking right, then left. He chose right, and led them down a highly polished corridor to a door marked simply “Training Division�.
Inside was almost the equivalent of a school room. Each desk was larger than a school desk, and had tools on each one, but all faced forward toward the instruction bench.
“Sit down, there, there and there. You get off easy the rest of this week ladies. Ustinov is in charge. When instruction is over at the end of week, you belong to me again. You ladies had best be here by 0600 each day, and after training concludes each day, fall in back at barracks for a little night time instruction with your beloved instructor. Ustinov, contact me when they are ready via Cabal.�
“Sir, yes sir!� he said with a salute.
Valdez returned it, and whisked out of the room.
Sergei took his seat next to becker. There wasn’t much for them to do until the instructor arrived, so they perused the tools on the desk. Basic breakdown tooling for rifle repair and maintenance. All well oiled, and in their respective holders. The door opened, and in walked a non-descript man in a tech uniform and glasses.
“Good Morning Black Hand, we are honored to have your presence here at research facility #23. I am technician Seemus, and I will be your instructor.�
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #103505] |
Fri, 23 July 2004 08:29 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The morning started off with basic weapons familiarization via an overhead projection. All three of them knew most of them, but Sergei was lacking in Brotherhood technology and had to pay special attention. Lunch time came, and they took 30 minutes at the cafeteria inside the building, and met back in the room. Autorifles were awaiting them on their desks.
“I want to have you tear these rifles down, and lay out the pieces in front of you. I am going to show you how to fix, and modify these units for field use. You have 5 minutes, begin.�
He did the best he could. Some of the components were strange to him, but a rifle is a rifle. He did manage to get it apart, but getting back together was going to be interesting.
It turned out he wasn’t going to have to worry about it too much. The instructors’ lesson focused on how to replace missing/broken parts with common items like paper clips, pens and things of that nature. He walked them through it, and when they were done, the rifles stood reassembled with their original components.
“Very good. Let’s conduct some target practice with the rifles then.�
He led them down to the range through the polished halls. They passed the experimental weapons lab on the way through, and lots of “interesting� things were being designed there. Tiberium seemed to be the exotic chemical of choice. The range officer greeted them with a gruff voice.
“Afternoon, Seemus. Gentlemen, follow me. The rules are as follows:
1. Ammunition is provided by me. 2 clips only.
2. Keep the rifles downrange at all times when loaded.
3. Open the breach, and show me that the weapon is indeed empty prior to leaving the line.
4. You are shooting for score. Be as accurate as possible.�
He pointed out their spots, had them assume prone position, and dispensed clips.
“Load them.�
They did so, and awaited the order to fire.
“Commence firing.�
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #103520] |
Fri, 23 July 2004 10:12 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The other two immediately commenced an onslaught against their offending targets. He waited 2 seconds, adjusted to the noise, and focused on the target. He eased the trigger back, and fired in 10 round bursts, recalibrating himself in between. He had a 30 round clip, and the others were already reloading, and waiting on the targets to be reset by the computer. They now let loose as the target popped up, refreshed. He loosed his final 10 round burst, and reloaded. The other two were done, and opening their breaches for inspection as they rose. He watched his target come up again, waiting until it stopped moving, and loosed his staggered bursts.
He stopped firing as he heard the ‘ping’ of the spring bottoming out with no more rounds to ram into the chamber. He made sure the breach was clear, stood up, and showed the rifle to the Range officer. He shouldered the weapon waiting for instruction.
“Alright, listen up. The targets you just unloaded on are going to be evaluated for accuracy. Now you get to have a little fun. Here’s some more ammo, and a standard issue officer corps pistol. The targets will be popping up indiscriminately. No testing yet, just some practice. Enjoy,�
He received his pistol, and 100 rounds of 9mm ammo, and resumed prone position. Loading the pistol was like second nature to him, and he was looking forward to this. The range officer said in a loud voice: “Standby, Ready! Range is hot!�
For about 3 seconds nothing happened, then the targets started moving from left to right and vice versa. Some were civilian profiles, other clearly hostile with gun profiles evident. He smiled and squeezed the trigger.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #104273] |
Mon, 26 July 2004 13:24 |
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Crimson
Messages: 7429
Registered: February 2003
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Karma: 0
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General (5 Stars)
ADMINISTRATOR |
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By Kirby098, not me... if he posts it himself I will delete this one.
He plugged targets methodically, but occasionally had to resist the urge to annihilate a civilian as a terrorist hid behind them. Becker made no effort to restrain himself, and surprisingly neither did James. This puzzled Sergei, and he was going to ask James at the very least what he had been thinking. He never got the chance, as after they finished shooting, and opening the pistol breach, they were instructed to fall into formation outside the range. They did so and the range officer walked in front of them.
"Alright the results are in from your firing tests. Quickest time: Becker
Most accurate: Parker
Longest time: Ustinov
Meet in the classroom tomorrow morning, and we will continue training. Ustinov, take 'em out, and report to Valdez on arrival."
"Sir, yes sir!"
As they returned to barracks, he found himself perplexed. Why had he finished last? He clearly needed to compensate for whatever it was the brotherhood found. He was further disturbed that James, despite his rapidity of fire had outscored him in accuracy.
He didn't have time to worry about it though. The barracks parade grounds were coming into view.
I'm the bawss.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #104446] |
Tue, 27 July 2004 18:24 |
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Blazer
Messages: 3322
Registered: February 2003
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Karma: 0
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General (3 Stars)
Administrator/General |
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Latest update from Kirby:
Once they had arrived, he ordered a quick bite to eat, and for them to fall into formation in five minutes. He , himself ate light, and if they were going to be cycled, he didn’t want to be heaving. The other two seemed to appreciate getting something to eat as well, and Becker was positively beaming after his recent “win� in the shooting competition.
They fell back in without his urging, and once on the line, he contacted Valdez via Cabal.
“Awaiting further instruction, sir.� Was all he said.
“I’ll be there when I get there. Have the girls do some body builders for me, would you? Valdez out.�
In a loud commanding voice Sergei said: “8 count Body builders. BEGIN! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 2! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 3! ….�
He liked these, but they tended to wear you out more throughout your entire body, rather than just an isolated muscle group. They consisted of starting in an upright position at attention, dropping to the pushup position, going down, then back up. Then the victim kicked his legs apart in a “V� , brought them back together, then came to a crouch, then step 8 was standing back at attention. They were brutal to go through for any length of time, and Sergei hoped valdez wasn’t too long in coming.
Long about the time they were finishing number 43, Valdez came strolling along finally and announced: “Get on that line maggots. I have good news for you!�
An evil grin came across his face, and Sergei knew the news was good for Valdez, bad for them.
“Ok ladies, Here it is. The brotherhood dredged the sludge pits of this fine establishment, and found 5 other poor souls to participate in this fun-fest with you. You will actually be a squad, and I expect you to act as such. Parker and Becker you are hereby promoted to assistant squad leaders, and will assist Ustinov in administrating. They will be moving in tonight, providing they survive their testing. Until then, we are going to take it easy, and enjoy some more of the fine scenery around the base. Ustinov! I want to hear some more of your melodious tunes while we run. Double time ladies!�
And they were off again…
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #104519] |
Wed, 28 July 2004 07:29 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
Registered: November 2003
Location: USA
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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Latest Update
Sergei was fairly prepared for cadence this time.
“GDI troopers out on patrol
Nod in the bushes, chewin’ on a can of skoal
They hear the bushes rustle Head in to check it out
It’s a little too late, Nod has headed out.
Move on past the troopers,Head up to the gate
Waitin’ for the harvy,The thing is never late
The gate is down , No time to celebrate
My mission starts, its to destroy some freight
C-4 is down, the storage door awaits
I step on out , the explosion will be great
I go to turn and leave ,I’ve got a real hot date
I get run down,the harvy’s never late�
This brought a snort of approval form Valdez and the others. They ran past the swamps in between the base and the ocean today. There was a path through the largest one just wide enough to run on, and they took it. He was glad for the peace of this place, and the sun setting on the horizon. He took a second to appreciate it before Valdez took them deeper, and night approached.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #105710] |
Mon, 02 August 2004 07:55 |
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rm5248
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Registered: November 2003
Location: USA
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General (1 Star) |
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Latest update
The sun crept down past the horizon line, and twilight was all they had. He could see the beautiful orange, yellow and red patterns as the now gone sun's rays reflected off the clouds. The result was an eerie lighting in the midst of this swamp. It also had a particular beauty to it, and he enjoyed the breeze rolling through the cat tails. About halfway across, they came upon an old GDI APC. It had been holed by an antitank round, and burn marks scarred its surface wherever the fire had licked out of the ports.
An oddity in this beautiful place, and he found himself resenting the intrusion on his sense of peace. They came to solid ground at last, and left the swamp behind on their return route to the base. He noticed that they were running past the helipads and their associated defenses now. They were well protected against air and ground assauly by a hodgepodge of SAMs and laser turrets, as well as a constantly circling patrol of Harpys.
One of them placed a spotlight on them, and ordered them to halt. After verification with Valdez, they continued on the patrol. This was a loud area, and technicians were constantly busy working on the aircraft. He was glad he didn't have to be here much longer. Valdez brought them back to barracks just in time to see the recruits that had survived the testing. There were only three of them. Two had fallen somewhere along the path to the Black Hand. The medics were patching them up, and Valdez had them fall in in front of him, facing the three of them.
"Ustinov! Step forward. These are the latest victims for my glorious training program. Sanchez, Vigo and Drubnov. Get them situated, and to the firing range with you in the morning. As usual, check in with me afterwards for some quality time with me. You girls need to follow every order given to you by Lieutenant Ustinov. Is that clear?
Dismissed!"
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #105864] |
Tue, 03 August 2004 06:16 |
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rm5248
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General (1 Star) |
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Entry 66
“Alright, let’s go. I’ll take Drubnov, Parker take Vigo and Becker take Sanchez. Get them situated, and get them chow and show them how to use Cabal. Everyone be here 0600 on the line. Understood?�
“Yes sir.� They chimed in unison.
Sergei led Drubnov to his room. He made sure he was across from him in case there were any issues he needed to address. He gave him 30 minutes to get situated, and was pleased to see the Brotherhood had medics arrive and the uniforms were already provided for. 30 minutes later he rang Drubnov’s door chime, and was let in. “Let’s go eat.�
Drubnov replied in a heavily Russian accented voice in the affirmative. It was part of the reason Sergei had picked him. Serbians shared slavik ancestry with Russians and felt closely tied to them. Sergei was curious as to where he hailed from, and inquired in Russian “Where are you from?�
“Vladivostok. I used to provide security for the old sub pens out there.�
“I didn’t even know there were still useful subs in the old russian navy. Why were you there?�
“There are old diesels, and nuke boats out there. They can no longer go to sea, but their reactors are still hot, and they still have low order nuke torpedoes. I was in charge of a detachment of former Spetnaz to protect them from being pilfered.�
“Very interesting. We will have need of your unique skills, I am certain.�
They spent the next hour discussing Sergei’s past, and Drubnov’s role in the brotherhood before applying to the Black Hand. He had been a tank driver, and involved in the first Tiberian War, and the retreat from Sarejevo after the Brotherhood’s defeat at the hands of GDI’s General Sheppard. He was a part of the current battles surrounding it’s attempted re-capture, and confirmed Sergei’s suspicion that GDI was putting up a better fight than the Brotherhood had expected.
“They are using a combination of old tank technology and their new Titan walkers to hit us every time we enter the city. Combined with their air superiority, they are repelling everything we throw at them.�
“I had suspected as much. I saw the reinforcements unloading.�
They finished and Sergei bid him goodnight. He took some time to leaf through the books provided by the intel folks, and checked the battlegrid message board. One message from Centurion awaited.
“Well played.� Was all it said.
He smiled in spite of himself, and changed for bed after a quick shower. Hot water was a wonderful thing, and he was appreciating it so much more since the training started. He took time to note his blisters from running, and also noticed that the inside of his thighs were raw from rubbing together while running. He was going to have to wear silk shorts under his clothes to prevent it.
As he laid down, he thought about his new command and hoped he was man enough to lead them as he drifted off to sleep.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #105992] |
Wed, 04 August 2004 06:51 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
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General (1 Star) |
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67-68
The morning came too soon, but not until he had the dream again. Its eerie recurring frequency was almost frightening to him. He pushed it out of his mind, and prepared for the day. Breakfast was a quick slice of toast, and some fruit, washed down by the prerequisite cup of coffee. The others were in there too, and chatting amongst themselves. He sat down alone, and realized the loneliness of command, yet again. Not that he really cared. There so much to think about, and prepare for.
He got up, and prepared to head outside after returning his tray to the galley. The others followed his lead upon seeing him get up. They tromped out together, and Sergei assumed position facing them. He did a quick head check, and satisfied they were all here and presentable stated:
"For you FNG's, we are starting off with weapons training this week. I can only assume you are all familiar with weapons anyways so catching up won't be an issue. If it will be though, see me in private. I will get you what you need to get up to speed. Let's go."
Together they fell into lockstep in a formation of two by two. Sergei rattled off cadence again, and they arrived quickly. Instructor Seemus was surprised to see so many Blackhand in one room, and seemed stunned in place. Sergei pulled him out into the hall, and gave him the dump, and asked him what he needed to support three more trainees.
"I will need to requisition some more rifles from the armory, and ammunition to use in them. I will also need to clear them for access to "special weapons".
"Alright, let's make this happen. Becker!"
"Sir?" He scowled.
"Take a man, and follow Seemus down to the ammo locker. I will wait for you here Seemus"
"Affirmative. Drubnov, come with me."
"Um, ok." Seemus stammered, uncomfortable in the presence of Becker's hugeness.
They walked off, and Sergei returned to the classroom.
"Where are you other two from?" He asked.
"Spanish Contingent." Vigo stated.
"South American, here." Sanchez replied.
"I'm a local, and Brother Parker here is from the U.S.. Becker is from Germany. Quite a range of humanity we have here."
The others finally returned, and they spent the afternoon disassembling, and reassembling various equipment. Chow time came and went, and then when they were all back in the room again Seemus said:
"And now for the good stuff."
68 An assistant rolled in a cart with a tarp covering something underneath. A second and third cart was also rolled in, and an armed escort accompanied this hardware. They took up positions at the rear of the room. The assistant left, and Seemus whipped the tarp back on the first cart. It was a boxy looking object, and had a silver sheen to it. It was largely insignificant in and of itself, but the way Seemus treated it they all knew it was special somehow.
“Folks, this is GDI’s latest and greatest anti-tank weaponry. Labelled with the designation XP-2145 it’s more commonly know as the “Personal Ion Cannon�.
This drew a response from the vets in the room, and Sergei himself was stunned by the revelation that the hated light from the sky had been harnessed as a portable item.
“We found this item at a laboratory in North America on a raid last week. Testing and analysis have confirmed its destructive capability. Using the same technology that makes the Ion Cannon in orbit so devastating, this unit is able to project a focused Ion Beam onto enemy armor, and strip the targets atoms of their Ions. This has the effect of causing instability at the atomic level, and the result is an explosive reaction of the base elements to each other as the atoms all become positive in nature, thus repelling each other. It is quite effective. Brotherhood reverse-engineering efforts have, to date, failed.�
“I have a question, Engineer Seemus.� Parker stated.
“Yes?�
“Are these portable enough to be carried by regular infantry, and what is the rate of fire?�
“As near as we can tell, they are still in a development phase. They have been designed to be used with an advanced armor suit that we have also captured. It is doubtful that these will manufactured on a wide enough scale to affect us much. It has a slow rate of fire, and no automatic targeting. It is in effect, a really big, unwieldy item that is difficult to use, and hard to support. Which brings me to my next item.�
He replaced the tarp over the PIC, and whipped back the next one.
“This, gentlemen, is our answer to the PIC. Officially classified as Weapons Project 312, we know it better in the lab as the Railgun.�
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #106240] |
Thu, 05 August 2004 09:32 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
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Location: USA
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General (1 Star) |
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69-70
It was far smaller in girth, but longer overall and far more attractive than the bulky GDI counterpart.
“This baby works by firing projectiles from a magnetic accelerator chamber inside. The hyper-velocities these projectiles achieve allow us to get the puncture power of a depleted uranium round without the expense, and weight and they are man-portable as well. They have one drawback. The arcing inside the chamber from the electromagnetic build up and release tends to destroy the rails fairly quickly. The Brotherhood has compensated for this by replaceable rails, but it is still a drawback when under fire. Lastly, we have this baby:�
He replaced the railgun’s tarp, and snapped back the last one.
“This is Weapons project 313. Commonly know throughout the Lab as the Nuclear strike Beacon. In the old days, we could use GPS to send our airmail, but with GDI’s dominance of orbital platforms since the first Tiberian War, we now have to place these to precisely hit our targets with Tactical Nuclear strikes. We can airdrop them, or have a commando team place them. Once placed, the coordinates are sent back to missile command in our African bases and the strike will be sent immediately. Destruction of the device will result in the strike being aborted, and the in-flight missile self destructing to prevent casualties we don’t desire.�
These weapons were escorted out of the room under guard, and Seemus continued with some other weapons platforms they were using, and had seen. There was a distinct focus on Tiberium technology he noticed. They broke for lunch with orders to meet on the range after for some test firing, and weapons familiarizations.
Sergei ate quicker than needed, and headed to the range. He left orders for James to make sure the squad got downstairs in 15 minutes, and headed for the exit. Just beyond the doors was the central staircase, and he took the stairs to the lobby. He arrived in the range area as the experimentals were arriving with their guards. Seemus was already there, and ordering a trooper driving a dilapidated hummvee onto the firing range. A helo arrived above, and dropped a destroyed GDI medium unceremoniously onto the tarmac as well. Last to arrive was the Nod delivery truck with some troopers. They unloaded dummies of GDI soldiers and scattered them about on the ground joking as they went about how these were so much smarter than the real deal. They had real Kevlar composite vests on as well. He surmised that the case was to show how effective the guns were.
The men showed up and fell in, as did he in front of them. The range officer strolled over, and stated: "All present and accounted for?"
"Sir, yes sir!" Sergei said, and dropped his salute.
"Alright men, today we are showing the destructive power of these experimental weapons to you, and giving you a chance to play with them a bit. You of all the brotherhood warriors will be the most likely to run across or use them. GDI spy sats are patrolling this area, and we will need to get them under tarps in 3.25 minutes, but after that, we are a 'go' to fire away."
They waited until the mentioned time, and Cabal told the range officer all was clear and that the satellite had passed.
"Alright, first up: Personal Ion Cannon. Any volunteers?"
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #106296] |
Thu, 05 August 2004 15:40 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
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General (1 Star) |
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71
Becker of course was first to step forward. The range officer showed him how it worked, where the trigger was, and what to expect. Then he stood back, and grinned.
So did Becker. He aimed for the tank, and pulled the trigger. The weapon made an audible noise as if warming up, and then released all its energy in a loud banging noise. The heat generated by the weapon’s charging disturbed the air around Becker, and they could smell ozone in the air from the discharge. Becker was driven back about an inch from the recoil. The tank fared far worse than Becker.
The light beam struck it on the cupola. It was already damaged from the DU shells that had been fired into it by a harpy on the front. Becker’s shot had nailed it by the cannon that was half melted, and the armor caved in to the energy as it stripped particles of their Ions. The entry hole was about 7 inches in diameter, and the beam entered the cupola. Something ruptured, and the cupola lifted up, and came back down slightly off kilter.
Becker seemed stunned by the firepower just displayed. They all were. If GDI brought this weapon into production……..
Sergei stepped forward, and asked to try the railgun.
“This one’s got a kick to it son. Be careful.�
He waited until Becker moved, and returned the PIC and he bore down on The Humvee. He braced for an impact, and wasn’t disappointed. The gun fired quickly with a ‘whang’ and he could almost feel the projectile leaving the gun. He fired two more rounds before the first had even hit.
The humvee caught the blow and started to flip. The other two shots helped it along, and had it spinning on three axes at once before landing on it’s side. He chuckled to himself. He liked this weapon
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #106368] |
Fri, 06 August 2004 09:10 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
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Location: USA
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General (1 Star) |
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71
He returned the weapon to its rack, and told the others to form a line, and get familiar and have some fun with the weapons. They spent the next hour tearing up the range, and decimating the vehicles, and targets. The range officer called out that the satellite would be overhead, and wanted the weapons covered and brought inside, and ordered cammo netting thrown over the targets. The trainees did as asked, and fell back in. Cabal reported the over flight, and the range officer ordered the netting removed again. Then he announced: “Alright. We also have some new gizmos that you fellas will be getting first crack at. Ustinov, front and center.�
He did as asked, and was handed an odd contraption vaguely resembling a gun of sorts.
“This is the Tiberium Auto-rifle. Another item we picked up in our sweep of the GDI facility. This one we have been able to retro engineer, and may issue in the future. It works by firing tiberium tipped hollow point bullets. It also has a handgun variant called the flechette gun. It fires rounds that explode on impact and pepper the target with deeply imbedded shards of Tiberium that contaminate, and are extremely difficult to remove.�
He motioned Sergei to fire the weapon, and he unloaded on most intact GDI dummy. The hollow points punched into the Kevlar and stopped, but released their green poison. Where there was no armor, the rounds impacted, and a green crater appeared in the back of the target.
“If they survive the impact, they still need to survive the Tiberium. A very effective weapon as one can see. Next, the flechette gun.�
Sergei traded the larger rifle for the flechette gun. He got the standard pistol grip, and fired away onto the same target. Kevlar was peppered with shards of crystals, and the target was entirely covered in glistening green.
“Also very effective as you can see. GDI may be claiming innocence in their research on Tiberium, but we know better. They are utilizing it for chemical warfare just as we are. Inspired to greatness by these trinkets, we have also come up with our own Tiberium based weapon. May I introduce the Chem-sprayer.�
He handed Sergei the bulky item, a gas mask and suit and told the others to stand back. He released chemical death onto the field, and watched in amazement as the weapon covered everything in a green sheen. He was encouraged to cover everything on the field until the weapon was empty, and then prompted to unsuit.
“The chemsprayer is also very effective at covering our clandestine operations. As you can see, the Tiberium is already eating into the vehicles, and the dummies. Soon the Tiberium will spawn a venifera plant, and start creating more crystals if we don’t harvest it right away. We will be using this to support mobile operations at the front, and to promote Kane’s vision of the Tiberian future. When we are ready for the transition to Tiberian based life, the environment will be terra-formed already. Already a chem-corps is being formed from volunteers chosen from our rank and file. Tiberium is the future. Alright, enough science. Ustinov, move them out, and check in with Valdez on arrival.�
“No need. I would be tickled to take them out for a stroll right now.�, boomed Valdez’s voice from behind.
“Let’s go ladies!� he said and ran off in the direction of the northern front.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #107005] |
Tue, 10 August 2004 18:51 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
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Location: USA
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General (1 Star) |
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73-75
The next 5 weeks would be a blur of Physical training for him. They were trained long and hard on how to work together well, and use the weapons they were given to accomplish each mission. A particular emphasis was placed on intellectual processes, and he was pleased to see that the men under his command were all supremely intelligent, and he found he wasn’t the only one with the ability to recall things explicitly.
They finished basic, and moved on to their respective divisions for their specialized training. He found himself well suited for intelligence work, and was frequently finished with the online lessons through Cabal’s interface before required to be. They taught him foreign languages, and how to manipulate IT resources. He was also trained in the basic programming languages, and could recite chemical composition formulas on demand. There was also an emphasis on geography, political science and analytical skills as well as a psychological profiling class. Without the photographic memory, he wouldn’t have been able to keep up, and it was difficult even then. Both he and Sanchez had to rely on each other after the evening physical training with the squad.
After weeks of intense training, and worry, the head of the Intel division came in the training room to address them.
“Gentlemen, sit down. At ease. Before you leave here, I wanted to talk a bit with you. As I am sure you have gleaned, your unit is unique. Typically the three divisions only share information, and don’t usually go out together on missions. You are the first in an elite cadre of soldiers incorporating all the refined skills the Brotherhood has. You will be receiving special weapons, and augmentation to further amplify your uniqueness. After you leave here, our relationship will change greatly. We will be at YOUR service, not the other way around. Valdez will be in charge, and your communiqué with the rest of the Brotherhood. The others are receiving the same speeches in their divisions as well.
It has been an honor to teach men of your caliber. You are a rarity, and GDI will not be prepared for your existence. Report to the truck you will find at HQ. Valdez will assume command there.�
He stood, and they did as well.
“Gentlemen, I salute you. It has been an honor.�
With that, he turned and walked away.
Sergei and Sanchez seemed rooted in place. They looked at each other, and started packing everything they thought they might need. Together they moved with a quick but sad pace towards the exit, and afforded one look back where they saw the commander looking from a window in the tower above. Some of the others were coming diagonally from across the parade grounds, seemingly released at the same time
“Alright Sanchez, let’s do this.� He stated and looked forward towards the waiting truck and their future.
74 After twenty minutes of waiting, they were all finally assembled, and Valdez ordered them into the truck with no explanation. Sergei was last into the truck. It rumbled off towards the North, and the front. Valdez came over the speaker.
“Listen up. This is real now. We are heading for the most embattled area on this planet, and you had better pay attention. Forward base Zulu is approximately 15 miles north of here, and right in the middle of it all. They have been under constant attack for 2 days now, and have only just now repelled the latest attack. We will be using them as a forward staging base for our first mission.�
He watched the scenery as the truck bounced along the road. Burned out tanks were familiar sights. He saw an impromptu graveyard of sorts with a bulldozer burying the mass graves, and another was pushing burned vehicles off the road, and onto lift trucks. The brotherhood was apparently low on metals if they were scavenging them. They stopped finally after a punishing set of potholes.
“Incoming! Every one out now, now now! Take cover, and return fire!� They instinctively leapt from the truck, and he assessed the situation quickly. There was an outcrop of rock to the right, and he ordered the men under it. He then spared a glance skyward as he ran for the outcrop. An Orca Bomber squad was inbound, being chased by seven Harpies who were attempting to fight off the Orca fighter escort at the same time. He ordered his men into a firing line under what cover they could get around the outcropping, and ordered them to focus on the fighters. The Harpies could smoke the Bombers if given the chance to get away from the fighters.
“Focus on the lead Orca Fighter, and then hit them as they come to you. Focus on the fans on the left side. Ready. FIRE!�
The bombers were already past, and on their way to Zulu. His squad opened up on the lead fighter, and tracers lanced into the turbofans from their new laser rifles. Becker’s heavy laser did the most damage though, and utterly vaporized what still existed of the superstructure holding the fan remnants. It separated from the Orca’s body, and the aircraft spiraled in 360 degree spins as the other turbo fan remained at full power. It plummeted into the ground, narrowly missing the truck, and spreading its hydraulic guts, and pilot over the arid ground.
The squad didn’t get to see the carnage though. Immediately upon seeing the fans disintegrate they focused on the next one in line. It was a bit difficult this time, as the Orca was maneuvering to get a bead on a Harpy doing a strafing run on the bombers.
“Cabal, link me with the Harpies.�
“AFFIRMATIVE. LINK ESTABLISHED�
“Harpy commander, this is Ghost one. Drop to the deck. We need a clear line of fire.�
“Affirmative. Harpy 1 acknowledges.�
The harpies dropped to the deck, and went after the bombers at full tilt. The Orcas attempted to follow.
“Becker, Vigo, Parker. Take the two on the right. The rest of you focus on the left. Fire!�
Red laser fire leaped from the outcrop, and the Orcas tried in vain to avoid it. His men knew how to lead the targets well, and their attempts to avoid their deaths, only quickened them. He also saw the tracers from Valdez’s forward position hitting their targets as well. They were decimating the globalists.
As the Orcas fell from the sky, the harpy commander came onto the circuit:
“Good work Ghost one. We’ll take the bombers out. Firebase Zulu will be most thankful for the reprieve from our daily bombing run. Harpy one, out.�
In the distance he could see the harpies rise, and give full pursuit, their rocket pods already unleashing their fury against the offending bombers.
“Good work men. Secure the crash sites, and then fall in at the truck.�
Valdez came from his hiding place in front of the truck. “Good work Ustinov. Once the crash sites are secured, we’ll move on to Zulu.�
They found nothing but wreckage, and got back into the truck. The squad was quiet as they pondered their first victory together, and finished out their trek to Zulu.
75 As they traveled he ordered a weapons check, and ammo status. Their new weapons were not common in the brotherhood, and ammo would be an issue to keep track of. Powerful and light, they still required power cells that could only be obtained from one place.
Weapons Research Division.
About halfway through their journey now, Sergei was looking forward to getting there. As night approached, they saw more flashes of light on their left and right, and in front of them they could see hell being unleashed on the city of Sarejevo. Twilight was not the best time to be in a war zone. They had night vision, but with the flashes of light from explosions rocking the countryside, he knew they might be more of a detriment when the visors washed out with too much light exposure. This would effectively blind them at critical moments despite their filter's attempts to damp it.
In the failing light of day, he took time to appreciate the skyline. It was the most beautiful orange-red-yellow combination he could remember in recent memory. He knew he wouldn't be able to appreciate it much in the days to come. They were now passing rear guard units, and support personnel vehicles. Everything the war effort needed to continue passed through them on their way to men doing the dying. Artillery was arranged intermittently, and SAM sites were visible to his trained eye. A lesser soldier wouldn't have seen them in their concealment, but he had been trained to see, and identify them. A makeshift hospital and cyborg processing facility were located near each other as well. In his training he had learned the horrifying fact that the dead, and dying were intermingled with cyborg technology to create the army of bio-machines the brotherhood depended on for it's shock troops. He consoled himself to know that they were already, or going to die, but he couldn't help but wonder of the soul of the men used as stock.
An incinerator was operating nearby as well, burning the excess body parts, and rubbish from the base as fuel for the power plant for the hospital. Nothing went to waste in the brotherhood.
The landscape ahead was devoid of trees, and with all the rain of late, was a no man's land of craters, and mud resembling the first world war's trenches. Ahead lay the base, and it's heavily punished defenses. As they passed the security checkpoints they could see engineers trying desperately to repair the structures hit in the latest raids. He could only see one working obelisk, and three SAMs were visible as still scanning for targets. There was no effort made to hide them here. If that bombing raid had got through today, this base would probably be facing a counterattack to finish it off. The Harpies were parked on what remained of their pads, and support buildings. One was clearly smoking, and strip personnel were trying to put the offending fire out.
As they entered the base the pallor of smoke laid thick over it, and the smoldering rubble added to it. They approached a low lying, non-descript building covered in sandbags, and were ordered out of the truck which had stopped abruptly after narrowly avoiding a pothole from a bomb. The driver returned on the route back to the primary base, and Sergei hoped he would make it back. He had been a good driver.
"Wait here ladies. I am going to check in with BH command." Valdez said. "Have them set up a radio post so I can contact Regulus on our channels." And he turned and walked into the bunker.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #107139] |
Wed, 11 August 2004 14:39 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
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General (1 Star) |
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76
“You heard him. Set it up over there, and cover the vitals with sandbags.� He pointed to a shallow depression with sandbags in a halfmoon shape. He assumed that this was a last stand type gunpost should the globalists break the line. They set up the satellite based transmission dish, and established a rudimentary contact with Cabal after piggybacking a civilian weather satellite transmission. The brotherhood had been very creative in it’s efforts to communicate effectively with units in the field since losing all their satellites to Philedelphia’s point defenses.
He also had them scout for temporary quarters in an abandoned, and bombed out warehouse away from anything important. No telling whether the base could support them, and he figured preparing for the worst was good business. His men reported that an upper office was still safe enough that could stay in there if needs be. Valdez was taking his time, so he ordered rations broke out. MREs hadn’t changed much in 75 years of warfare.
Valdez finally swept the door open, and called Sergei over. “We’ve been assigned temporary quarters in a barracks north of here. It’s underground, just like everything else important around here. The sit-rep briefing will take place after we get re-located. Let them finish rations, then we’ll move. Is that com-link set up?�
“Yes sir. We have had some issues with Ion interference, and the satellite we are using is a basic weather sat, so comms are slower than the usual T.V. ones. We run a lower risk of being intercepted this way.�
He led him to the bunker, and showed him the video link. Valdez ordered Vigo out, and told Sergei to stay when he started after Vigo.
“You stay. As squad leader, you’re gonna need to know some of this.�
“Yes sir.� Sergei replied.
“Cabal link me with Black Hand command, I need commander Regulus specifically.�
“AFFIRMATIVE. ATTEMPTING TO ESTABLISH LINK.
PRIMARY LINK INTERMITTENT. INCREASED ION INTERFERENCE IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE IS TO BLAME.
I WILL HOLD THIS LINE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, HUMAN.�
Regulus’ face appeared as a grainy image, and the voice link was scratchy, but not entirely bad.
“Ah good. What’s the situation Captain?�
“Sir, the base is holding, but GDI is pounding it with airstrikes daily. We hold the ground surrounding the city, but GDI owns the skies. This bases’ nearness to the Tiberium fields is preventing accurate Ion cannon use, but they are getting some use from it. Local weather predictions indicate Ion storms are expected for the next day and a half, and this will allow the engineer corps to fix things up quite a bit. Forays into the city have been decimated and the commander here suspects GDI has somehow tapped into Brotherhood radar systems while managing to jam ours. They know when and where to stop intrusions.�
“Do we have a location for the station controlling their electronic warfare capabilities?� Regulus asked.
“Yes sir. A cyborg team managed to transmit its location prior to being immobilized. The cyborg is still operational, and transmitting video feed when we can get it and we have a good idea of patrol rotations. I have it’s location as 9 Kilometers north of this base, in grid coordinate 32N.�
“Alright Valdez, you know what to do. Brief the men, and commence operations under Ion storm cover. We will have the local commander ready, and online the whole time. When the station is down, he will send everything he’s got so get out asap. It’s going to get ugly in there quick. Call me before sortieing. Regulus out.�
“Affirmative sir. Valdez out.�
“Alright Lieutenant, let’s get them set up for the night. Breifing at 2000 hours.�
“Affirmative, on my way.� And with that, sergei left the bunker, sent Vigo in to pack the comms up, and ordered the rest of them to fall in.
w00t?
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #107444] |
Thu, 12 August 2004 14:39 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
Registered: November 2003
Location: USA
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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77-78
The men were already done with rations, and were ready for the order. To Becker's credit, he had observed the meeting taking place, and prepared for the order ahead of time. They followed Valdez to the underground barracks, and they swept the building for listening devices prior to re-establishing comms in the rear of the facility in Valdez's private quarters. After all the well designed buildings with all their current amenities, it was a wake up call for the cadre to live in this primitiveness. The entrance was nothing more than a concrete set of steps with sandbags on both sides. At the bottom of the stairs was the heavy wooden door, with nothing more than a mechanical latch. The mud from the base had poured down the steps into the barracks during the latest storm, and silt was deposited at the front door in a pile. Inside was a delta of silt as well, but it hadn't gone much further than the door. The concrete floor had allowed the water to travel though, and they would need to clean up the place. The beds were of bunk style, and were all neatly made in anticipation of use by someone prior to the storm. Showers and the washroom were outside, and to the left in a hootch contructed of plywood, and corrugated metal. He listened to it ping as rain started to fall. Apparently this was a nightly ritual this time of year.
They each claimed a bunk, and per Sergei's orders started cleanup. Only Vigo was excused to re-establish comms. In no time, the barracks was as good as it was going to get, and the men chatted as they worked. There was much talk about the battle, and this base. Even some concern over ammo being sufficient. They didn't know that Sergei had arranged for more of the experimental ammo, and for ancient MP-5's to be delivered. If they ran out, or these weapons failed them, the ever reliant MP-5's would take care of them. They were small, fully selectable for firing modes, and could be submerged.
Vigo walked out from the back, and said: "Sir, he needs you and the other lietenants to meet in the bunker."
"Got it, thanks. Becker, Parker. Come with me."
The three of them moved to the back and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and Valdez's quarters greeted them. It wasn't much different than the rest of the place, but it did have a personal sink.
"Alright men, sit down. Here's what we're looking at."
The three of them sat at the other three sides of this four sided table. A 3D electronic map overlay was displayed before them, with real time pictures displayed at the bottom. “This is Sarejevo after the last war. This is Sarejevo now.�
The map initially displayed the thriving metropolis that had been largely spared in the first conflict by GDI. Sergei knew many of the places by heart and memories rushed in. The second overlay showed a much different Sarejevo. He could see that many of the building were destroyed or damaged beyond use. Road blocks created by desperate GDI patrols were in virtually every street intersection, and were comprised of destroyed vehicles, brick and anything else of use to slow tanks for destruction.
“As you can see it’s a deathtrap in there.In a minute I am going to call the guys in here, but before I do, I need to run something by you squad leaders. If we get caught, this mission has a low survivability factor, and you will be tortured if found alive. Standing Black Hand orders for officers is self destruction by cyanide, or a bullet to the head of anyone left behind. No one knows we even exist, and it needs to stay that way. If you can’t hack this and are going to show weakness out there, I want you gone now. No questions, you go back to the rank and file with no dishonor.�
All three men looked at him with determined looks. None of them moved, or said anything.
“Alright then. Call them in.
Parker went and got the men assembled, and brought them in the room.
“Alright kiddies, here it is. We are going to make GDI blind and deaf, and give our brothers a fighting chance to take this city. The highlighted building you see is the local GDI radar and communications facility. We have intel showing they are monitoring Nod locator beacons somehow, so every time we foray into the city, they hit us hard, and fast. The entire city is wired with a network of cameras as well.�
A picture at the bottom showed a camera monitoring an intersection where burned out Nod tanks clogged the street.
Black Hand intel is working on nailing the one compromising the network, but until they do, we are going in the old fashioned way. There will be a voice link established using secure and encrypted burst transmissions through civilian channels. Our task is to infiltrate this hell-hole, and take this nest out. We do, and the Brotherhood can mop this up, and re-capture the holy temple of Nod for Kane.
We are going in by way of a technique brother Ustinov used against the assassins in training. The sewers. We are going to use cover of an Ion storm to prevent sat recon of the area by GDI, and it will interfere with the cameras as well. If the rains get heavy, or the tunnel is blocked, we will be following this uni-rail tram, which runs directly by the facility we are targeting. GDI patrols are in the area, and heavily armed, but they are tired and won’t be expecting you. Ustinov is a local and will be guiding us through this maze. Vigo, you’re on point. Sanchez you have rear guard. Any questions?�
None of them had any.
“Alright. Ion activity is expected within the next five hours. Strip of anything with IFF, or electronic, and bring the MP-5’s Ustinov ordered. They may just save your butts out there. They are being delivered within the hour. After that, get some shut eye. I can’t guarantee when you next chance to do it will be. That is all.�
They left the room as Valdez headed for the comm. link. Sergei went to the front door where the rain was starting to seep under the door, and climbed the stairs to await the ordinance delivery. Darkness and sodium lights were all he could see other than the obelisk’s red glow as it maintained readiness.
Man, He was getting tired of rain.
w00t?
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #107646] |
Fri, 13 August 2004 09:36 |
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rm5248
Messages: 1156
Registered: November 2003
Location: USA
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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79
He listened to it patter down, and decided to try to find simple pleasure in it. It may be the last time he got to listen to it. The corrugated iron sheltering him was a resonant drum that amplified the noise, and he started to drift in his thoughts. He remembered a distant memory of his father and him on a drive into town one rainy day. The old truck's roof had a similar effect, and the day had been a nice reprieve from hard farm work. He remembered enjoying the time with his father to chat about his mother's passing and things in between.
Reality came back into focus, when a truck's headlamps flashed into his eyes as it pulled up. Four troopers, and their supervisor started bringing the supplies into the barracks. The officer in rain gear came up to him, and asked to see Valdez. Sergei brought him into the rear, and was surprised to see it was the range officer.
"Alright Captain, everything you requested is here. The MP-5's were hard to come by, but we found an Italian Caribineri detachment with some in their inventory. We liberated them as quickly as we could. Anything else?"
"Nothing except luck, thank you brother." Valdez replied.
"Good luck." And he left, motioning to the others to leave with him.
The men broke out the extra ammo, and loaded their vests with it. They also broke down the MP-5's and cleaned them to Black Hand standards. Ammunition was inspected and suspect rounds discarded. They then re-loaded the clips, black taping two clips together 180 degrees opposite so the reload process would be a simple flip of the wrist. Once the process was complete, Sergei ordered them to hit their racks, and lights out. He made a report to Valdez, and headed to his own rack. It wasn't hard to get to sleep strangely enough.
He was awakened by Valdez. "Get up, and get ready, ladies. We leave at 0300."
The lights flickered on, and the men leapt out their racks, and started dressing.
"Full blackout gear. I want nothing reflective on you, and if it's metal, or makes noise, tape it. Weapons check in 30 minutes. Move!"
They didn't need to be told these things, but it was good to have them said anyways. It focused them on the immediate need, and not the uncertainty of their mission.
Quickly the men were ready ahead of their deadline, and were checking themselves prior to inspection.
"Weapons check." Valdez announced.
He went up the line of men checking their vests, ammo, knives, c-4 and rifles. Satisfied, he said: "We will be delivered by an APC via the underground network. We have one line in that isn't destroyed, and will bring us close to the pump house for the city for our sewer insertion. Vigo, you need to be damn alert out there. The patrols are stepped up when Ion storms degrade their systems. Expect tripwires. Becker, you're gonna have the link to command back here at base. Protect this with your life. The APC is outside. Let's go."
They filed into the red-lit ominous opening of the new burrowing APC, and strapped into the harnesses provided. The driver of the vehicle closed the hatch, and spoke to them.
"Gentlemen, this gets to be a bumpy ride so hang on. We burrow down, then sideways into the tunnels, and then take the rails, but once we get where we're going we will have to burrow into the concrete sewer drain. Expect noise, and vibration. Use these earplugs to prevent going deaf. Other than that, enjoy the ride. The stewardess will be around in about five minutes."
The men laughed, and the pilot disappeared into the cab. The turbines fired up, and after a brief warmup, the craft tilted toward the earth, and the turbines started to scream as they spooled up. The whole room shook, and they were glad for the harnesses.
Then just as they thought the noise couldn't get any worse, the vehicle started burrowing into the hard packed earth, and they began their descent. The noise was unbearable now, and they all broke out their earplugs, and jammed them into their ears. Well, this was certainly different, he thought.
w00t?
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #108915] |
Thu, 19 August 2004 09:54 |
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spreegem
Messages: 1755
Registered: March 2003
Location: Ellington, CT
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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80 - 85
80
The vibration was the worst thing, now that their earplugs were in. The vehicle continued down for about five minutes, and started to level off. They then penetrated into the underground network. The vehicle stopped it's churning, and set itself onto the rail system that existed. The quiet was greatly appreciated but only lasted around ten minutes.
They must be near the sewer network he guessed as the vehicle left the rails by engaging the treads that drove it through the ground the punch through didn't take long. The vehicle backed out of the ruptured concrete tubs, and spooled down its turbines. The pilot appeared in the passenger compartment, and hit the ramp button. The inner lights dimmed to the red used for exiting the vehicle. Due to the red color's spectrum, it didn't show as well at night, and served to keep the APC from profiling itself against the darkness.
"Gentlemen, good luck. I will be here until I get word the mission is complete. You may not need me, but I will be here if you call."
"Appreciated pilot. We may need you." Sergei replied.
"Alright, move out. Vigo, get in there and take point. The rest of you know what to do." Valdez barked. He grabbed the mic from becker's man portable radio. "Command, we are in."
"Affirmative, we read you. May Kane's swift hand of justice guide you."
The men approached the breach in the wall, where they could hear water, but not see it due to the darkness.
The breach was about the size of a car, and the men filed through one at a time, snapping their gun-mounted lights on as they entered.
Vigo was stopped up ahead, and waited for the rest of the squad to come through. Sergei moved up to him, and whispered over the roar of water, "Anything?"
"No sir."
"Let's go then."
Vigo half crouched and made his best speed forward, as the other men kept a bit of distance between themselves and him. He was their point man, and as such, he was expected to find booby traps, enemy soldiers, and if everything went bad, to take the first hit. Being point man wasn't the most enviable position, and it wasn't for everybody. The men had great respect for Vigo, and his uncanny abilities to sense traps, and danger.
Up ahead, they could see the pump houses' exit pipes where normally effluent was pumped from the city during times of peace. They were not operating now due the power outages, and destroyed infrastructures the city had suffered during the siege. Only the drains from city streets above as the storm continued now drained into this large structure, and the water rushed ankle deep past them. Valdez consulted a map as they approached a division in the pipes, and Vigo waited for instruction.
He pointed to the right branch, which was dry and had only a trickle flowing down the center, and Vigo continued his scout of the area. He found the first signs of human activity in the area. A discarded cigarette pack at the bottom of the ladder leading up to the manhole cover that was dripping water. He raised a clenched fist to signal a general stop, and raised the discarded pack as Sergei moved up to him.
"What am I looking for here sir?"
"About 300 yards ahead should be another ladder. Unknown what we'll find, but the facility's location will be directly overhead. Hold here. I want to see what we have above us before we get too deep. As Sergei climbed the ladder slowly, he found a wire across the tube, attached to the bottom of the cover. Anyone attempting to pull the cover would been killed instantly. He traced the wire back to an simple IED that was hidden in the lip of the cover's base. He clipped the wire, and gently put pressure on the cover as he lifted. He got the lid about an inch above the ground, and saw a chain link fence surrounding the facility which was bathed in light from the lamps sweeping the perimeter. Beyond the fence was the facility, and the giant radar dish that swept the area. Above this whole drama the sky flashed with lightning, and struck one of the lightning rods on the antenna. It temporarily blinded him, and he reviewed the area in his memory, as the retinas in his eyes tried to adjust.
He climbed back down, and told Vigo about the wire, and made the signals to the others to let them know about the find. He motioned Vigo to go forward, and 2 minutes into the sweep, he found another wire. This one was fairly well hidden, and he exaggerated his steps over the wire to show the others. They in turn showed each man behind him, and they proceeded. Vigo found more. This time it was a pressure activated bouncing betty. An ancient device, but effective to be sure. If triggered, it would jump to torso height, then explode showering the area with shrapnel, and tearing the men apart. The finally navigated the devices and came to the ladder leading up to the unknown. Valdez had Vigo sweep and mark further down the tube, and had Sanchez mark the way they had just come. If they had to get out of here in a hurry, they didn't want to trip anything. Then their pursuers would walk into their own minefield.
Then, when everything had been marked, Valdez signaled command with three short clicks of the radio transmit key. It would sound like static from the Ion storm to the operators monitoring for ELINT upstairs, but to the BH rep in the base back home, it would signal they were preparing to enter, with no contact with the enemy.
Then he motioned Vigo to go up, and they all aimed their rifles at the manhole cover as Vigo prepared to go through.
He lifted the cover ever so gently.
81
Vigo didn't dare move a muscle as the cover hung suspended on his palms one inch above the tile in this bathroom. This was a good sign, and was what they had hoped for. Most sewer access covers were in places like this or in maintenance areas, and were not monitored by cameras. He gently and slowly moved the cover off to his side, trying not to scrape the tile to move. No one was in the stalls, and he felt a sense of urgency as he leaped out of the hole to cover the door in case someone entered while the rest of the team accessed the building. He signaled for the rest of the team to come up.
Sergei was extremely glad the insertion was going well. Now they would have some fighting room, and could stop worrying so much about the booby traps. They wouldn't have them inside the facility. Everyone was up except Becker and Sanchez. Becker was having trouble getting his large torso through, plus the large Heavy Laser chain gun. He had to take it off, and hand it up, and the come through. After him came Sanchez, and the cover was put back into place.
"Ok." Valdez said. "We need to c-4 the generators, the dish, and the ELINT equipment, and we are also going to try to ascertain who the leak is. First stop; Generator room. Ustinov, did you get a look at where they are?"
"They are to our left. I would guess one or two room s over."
"Get in the duct system, and shut them down permanently. Set timed c-4, and get back here. When the generators go down, we will move, and hit targets of opportunity as they come. The rest of you, hide, and if anyone comes through that door, smoke them Vigo." Valdez ordered.
"Da. Parker help me into the vent. Drubnov, hold my laser rifle. I want to take the mp-5."
They helped him into the ducts, and he wiggled into the barely man sized opening. It was cleaner than he figured it would be, but then again, this structure was only two or three years old, and GDI was anal about maintenance. He took the left leading duct, and stopped by a grate. He looked in and saw he was in a machinery space. This had to be it. No one was in the room, and he removed the vent grate, and slid into the room. He placed the crate on a shipping crate, and moved to where he could hear the hum of running machinery. Double fire doors led into the generator room, and he entered. It was noisy. No one would have heard the door anyways, so he moved towards the generators. The hall he was in turned to the left, and he peeked around the corner. Two technicians were working on a broken generator, and discussing how screwed they would be if the other went down in a storm like this.
"It just figures bob. Everytime we really need these things, something happens."
"Well, quit complaining. I really don't enjoy everything being an emergency either."
"I tell you bob, it's because of mismanagement. If they would just...
"Just shoot me, and put me out of my misery, would you Jerry?"
"Happy to oblige." Said Sergei coolly as he emerged, and unloaded two rounds each into the shocked technicians from his silenced MP-5.
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He dragged them off to the edge of the walkway and after taking their access keys, dumped them into the bilge below the generators. He then kicked all the spare parts into the bilge with them, and wired the generators for a 15 minute delayed explosion. The explosives would be difficult to find even if somebody was astute enough to look for them.
He went out the way he went in, and dropped into the bathroom.
“We are ready. These may help sir.� And he handed the keys to Valdez.
“Met some friends did you?�
“I won’t meet them again. We have five minutes before showtime.� Sergei replied.
Valdez addressed the men: “Get out your light amplifiers. It’s going to get dark soon. If it moves, kill it. No prisoners. Standby to move out in 4 minutes.�
They assembled by the door, and Vigo took a peek to see if trouble was coming to them before they came to it. He saw no one, and asked over his shoulder: “Which way sir?�
“Go right. Left leads to the courtyard, and generator room. Look for the ELINT stuff, and the main comm. center. They may be together. I also want to blow the main shaft for the dish. It will run through the center of the facility, and should be fairly near the comm. center.� Valdez replied.
“1 minute.�
The remaining minute passed slowly. Then they heard the ‘crump’ of the explosion as it destroyed the generators, and the room they were in. The lights flickered and then dimmed forever. The men slipped on the light amp goggles, and Valdez gave the word as emergency lights flickered on in every third light fixture. Vigo burst from the room, and swept the corridor. He moved swiftly away from the smoke and dust coming from the left corridor, and moved down the right. The other followed closely this time. Vigo would no longer need isolation, he would need fire support. They knew what was coming.
An alarm klaxon rand out, and EVA’s soft voice sounded from the intercom:
“Attention. Main power down. Backup generators online. Emergency response crews to section 4. Maintenance crews to section 3. This is not a drill.�
They passed the doors to sleeping quarters, and saw scrambling men trying to get dressed. Valdez waved his arm to Becker and Drubnov, and they opened the door and rolled two grenades each into the room, and then hightailed it to catch up with the squad.
The barely awake men didn’t even know, nor would they ever what destroyed the room so efficiently.
EVA’s voice once again rang out: “Attention. Fire crews to section 4.�
Up ahead, Vigo’s laser rifle sounded off as he interrupted the on duty soldiers trying to respond to what they thought was a fire. As he ran past the bodies at the intersection, he followed the path they had come from. They would have been manning the night shift console for monitoring the area. His guess was correct, and as Sanchez destroyed some opposition in the rear, he entered the control room and ruined the day of the officer who was trying to say “No!� as he leapt from his chair.
Suprise had been achieved, but they would soon lose this advantage. They hurried to wire the communication equipment, and ELINT relays, as Valdez used a small hard drive to download current files from the still online GDI system. Drubnov found the machinery room keeping the shaft rotating for the dish, and housing the emergency generators. Valdez ordered it wired for five minutes, and grabbed the comm. link. He keyed in the Nod radio frequency for the base.
“Nest, this is Eagle one. Standby for system termination.�
“Affirmative Eagle one. Nest confirms. Get the hell out of there.�
“Affirmative. See you on the other side Nest. Eagle one out.�
As he was finishing the transmission, Vigo and Ustinov were running into trouble. GDI soldiers had found the bodies, and knew what was going on now. They were firing into the control room trying to regain control.
“We need to go. NOW!� Sergei announced.
Valdez burst into the machinery room at the same time the rest of the squad was coming out. “Let’s go. Becker, get that heavy up there, and clear us a path out of here. 4 minutes to detonation gentlemen.�
Becker ran to the position Vigo held behind a console, and told him to move.
GDI was about to encounter an experience they would soon not forget.
83
The men gathered behind Becker as he readied for the order. Valdez looked at all of them, and said: “When he goes, all of you go too. Standard extraction procedure. Don’t cross lines of fire, and maximize your ammo. Head for the bathroom, we’re out of here. Becker, Go.�
He stepped out into the hall seemingly unafraid. His armor took several rounds, and he staggered, but remained standing, as he pulled the trigger on the heavy laser against his hip. Bolts of focused red light lanced out of the barrel with a high pitched squeal, and burned deeply into the walls, doors, windows, and bodies of everything in front of him. The heavy was slower in its rate of fire, but it was a steady thumping that threw punishment anywhere it was aimed. The facilities’ thin acoustic walls were no match for it, and bolts continued through into rooms far beyond the hall. The soldiers facing them dropped to their knees as if not comprehending what they had been killed by. The other team members jumped out from their hiding places, and added to the carnage by firing directly over and under Becker’s body. Their fast cycling light lasers added to the absolute destruction being doled out, and entire walls were set on fire. Vigo shouted: “Whoa hold up. Let’s move.�
He ran down the remains of the hall back the way they had come dodging bodies, fires, and halon dispensers shooting from the roof. The rest of the team followed.
EVA announced almost uselessly: “Attention. Fire crews to sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 9 and 13. General quarters. This is not a drill. Brotherhood of Nod Forces detected. All resonse units to section 1. This facility is under atta….�
Then they felt the facility rock as the timed c-4 detonated the entirety of the command module. The explosion destroyed all that was left of area, and the EVA link with this facility. GDI was now blind and deaf in Sarejevo. The c-4 on the main shaft turning the radar dish severed the shaft due to its shaped nature, and the destruction coming up from below near the generators temporarily threw the severed dish and shaft upwards.
From the outside of the facility, the half operational cyborg laid in a puddle. It had been hit two weeks ago severing it’s hydraulics, and the organic components had died a week later, but the technology it had been combined with still served as a temporary visual relay. It transmitted back to Nod command the resulting image of the facility as it seemed to erupt into a fireball. Fire leapt upwards from around the dish as it hunched upwards briefly before leaning to the right, and crushing the facilities’ west wing in a massive wave of crumpled aluminum. Inside Nod HQ back at base the commander watched the staticy image in awe and muttered something about how beautiful it was before stating in a loud voice: “All units advance. Spare nothing. Destroy what’s left of this hated city, and burn it to the ground. Cabal, alert General Slavik and Battle grid response of the general advance, and request air support once the storm is over.�
“AFFIRMATIVE. UPLINK COMPLETE. GENERAL SLAVIK ONLINE.�
An image of Slavik appeared. Regulus was at his side smiling.
“Excellent. Burn this city to ashes, and secure the temple site. This is a good day for the brotherhood�
“Yes sir. We will not fail.� The base commander replied.
Around the base periphery, units long camouflaged in disuse now erupted into life. Tanks crawled out of muddy pits, and artillery barrages were being lobbed as fast and furiously as possible on pre-selected trajectories. The army assembled in a mile wide front, and hesitated only briefly as they moved forward together. Behind them the flashes of the artillery units were profiled in the darkness under the now brightening dawn sky as lightning flashed around them.
Behind the tanks, infantry units assembled into APC’s cheering the advance, and a chance to punish the hated GDI for daring to interfere with their holy quest. Cyborg units moved forward individually, mixed in with the armor, and infantry, and rocket bikes zoomed past.
Light from the lightning flashes glinted off of shining metal as the army moved forward to reclaim it’s birthright in Sarejevo. And above it all in the orbiting Philadelphia station, GDI watched in defeat from their spy sats as their commanders knew the outcome before it even started.
They had lost Sarejevo.
84
Inside the facility, sheer chaos was unleashed. The team had barely made it back to the door of the rest room when the dish collapsed on the west wing of the building. This had the effect of disturbing the bouncing betty in the tunnel. It went off as designed, and set every other explosive off in the tunnel as well. The rest room collapsed into the tunnel, and debris showered the team and knocked them off their feet. When they could see again after the dust settled, valdez took a head count, and after deciding no one had taken too serious of an injury looked own into the remains of the bathroom. Water poured out of a pipe that used to lead to the toilets and sinks. It dumped down into the pile of rubble that used to be their escape.
"Go back the way we came. We are going out the front door. Same plan as before. If it moves, kill it."
For the third time tonight Vigo went down this corridor. He spared a glance into the destroyed barracks Sanchez had rolled grenades into. It was an absolute mess of humanity in there, and some of it was in the hallway. He kept moving and came back to the intersection. It was unrecognizable and he went left only because they had gone right to the control room. He could see the dish laying down on the collapsed roof just beyond the control room. A pair of legs was pinned below the wreckage, the rest of the body gone forever. Rain was also coming in, and making the floor slick he noticed. After proceeding down the ruined hall, they came to the front of the facility where damage was less, and he peeked around a right turning hall. GDI soldiers were trying to pull a friend from the wreckage, and he burst out and gunned them down.
The rest of the team followed up on his heels, and they finally came to the front security door which led into the courtyard. In the courtyard, he could see an APC loading up men for extraction to somewhere. He motioned for them to wait until it left. It zoomed out of the lot, and he assumed was falling back to GDI lines to counter the assault by Nod. They left the facility, and entered the now deserted courtyard. Artillery rounds were heard in the distance and gunfire was everywhere. They had only about 10 minutes before the brotherhood got the range of this place.
"Well, what now sir?" He asked.
"There's a garage over there, let's liberate a truck." Sergei said.
As they approached the garage, they noticed that columns of armor were moving in the direction of Nod forces. Titans intermixed with the older M1A1 Abrahms tanks left over in GDI inventory form the first Tiberian war. From their vantage point on this hill, they could see the battle unfolding in the Dawn light, as the storm abated. Entire buildings collapsed as AP rounds pierced them, and exploded. Fires could be seen across the city, and the artillery was walking it's fire methodically in front of the Nod army.
Valdez re-awakened them by saying: "Drubnov, drive. Ustinov take shotgun. We are going to pretend to be nice friendly GDI troops as we make our way through their lines to the rear. The temple is in the north of the city on the outskirts. We are going there. You two dress as GDI, the rest of you get in the back, and stay low."
85
They found some maintenance shirts in the rear of the shop all covered in dirt and grime from trying to keep beleaguered GDI vehicles going during the siege. They put them on, and hopped in the cab after stowing their prototype weapons in the rear. Valdez ordered them to simulate typing them up with loose fitting knots should they be stopped to make GDI think they were prisoners.
The old m813 six by six fired to life, and Drubnov rumbled out of the garage, and through the link fence that had been left open by the departing GDI forces. They crawled down the treacherous incline designed to isolate the facility from armor assault. Any conventional assault would have had to climb the hill using this road and the guard towers would have torn them apart. Now that point was moot, considering the facility was in ruins with no power to supply the automated towers. Behind them an explosion rocked the facilities' remains, and it burned in earnest now. If there was anyone still in there, they were doomed to burn.
At the base of the hill, they merged onto the road that was the main artery for supplying the front. In its heyday, it had been the main highway into, and out of town. Now it served Nod as the route north, and GDI as the route south. The front would be smack dab in the middle of the city. They of course turned north, and Valdez connected with Nod command.
"Nest, this is Eagle one, I need the approximate location of the temple in relation to the facility. We are on our way there now."
"Hold on Eagle one. I'm turning you over to operator Brodski." There was a click as the line was transferred, and Brodski came online. "Sir, can I assist?"
"Yes. Directions to the temple from the facility. Quickly."
"Sir, follow route S23 until you see an exit for Zenica. Follow that road until you see the temple off to right."
"Thanks. Eagle one out. You get that Ustinov?"
"Affirmative sir. North to Zenica, turn off when we see the temple on the right."
They traveled past the stream of vehicles trying to reinforce the GDI positions in the south. No one suspected Nod would be this deep into their lines so no one stopped them. They weren't the only supply truck going north either. GDI was stripping the area of sensitive equipment now that open warfare was going on, and the lines were no longer static. Ahead, the highway showed a sign hanging from the post in a skewed position. "Zenica 100 KM"
They got on the exit, and curved off and under the highway they had just been on to head further north. There was a greater amount of the new Titan armor here. GDI was not going to give the temple back without a fight. For Nod to reclaim it meant that Nod would have more credibility, and authority to recruit. It was a symbol of the integrity of Nod, and its worth as their main worship site couldn't be underestimated.
Travel was easy and No one bothered them. The panic in the faces they saw was evident as Nod crushed the GDI forces. They passed a small town and hit open road. The truck stopped after five minutes, and Drubnov said: "Sir, I've got a checkpoint ahead."
"Can you see the temple?"
"Yes sir. We are there, but we aren't getting through that checkpoint. Three Titans, and every truck is being inspected."
"Alright, turn off the road, and hide this thing in the gully over there. We are going to have to do this the hard way. Suit up boys." said Valdez.
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