Home » Hall of Fame » The Hall of Fame » STORY: The Scorpion's tale.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #87147] |
Thu, 13 May 2004 09:58  |
KIRBY098
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Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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Sergei sat in his chair at home watching the latest propaganda scroll across his screen. He was a simple man, who didn't care too much about politics or government. This was the only option at the moment, as state television was boring, and lacking in options. At least this Global Defense Initiative garbage was somewhat amusing.
His home was Sarejevo, capital of Bosnia part of the former Yugoslavia which had disintegrated under the repressed stresses of a multi-cultural meltdown in the 90's. All that was left was Serbia. Or at least the part that Nato allowed to exist, after the wars. Love of country ran high in his veins, but the country was no longer worth loving. He was a man with high ideals, and no one, and no where to believe in anymore.
While tending the field one day, placating his crushed ego with promises of being a better man, he heard the sound that would forever change his life. In a land of war, he knew the sound well.
A tank treaded vehicle.
He ran for cover, and hid in the barn. It was then that he saw the light tank with unusual markings. It was badly damaged, and fired a round behind it as it attempted to maneuver. The response was exploding dirt beside it, and a few more pock marks in it's already marred armor. He saw its pursuer. A GDI medium tank, that he had just watched on the television recruiting ad. This one was almost in as bad a shape as the light, but clearly had the advantage. Finally the Medium scored the fatal blow to the wounded light's right tread. The light could still fire, but not maneuver. Not a good position to be in.
He had no love of the GDI occupiers, but had only seen the other tank's emblem on television advertised as a terrorist organization. The 'terrorists' climbed out of the wounded light, and ran for cover of the barn.
"No!" he thought. Not here. Not now.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #87446] |
Fri, 14 May 2004 07:48  |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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Part 2:
Sergei watched as the troopers ran for the cover of the barn. It was going to be a tough run for the troopers. The ground was arid, and rocky. Not good for much besides small plots of vegetables, or grazing land, but even then it took yearly maintenance to keep it arable.
The GDI Medium finished the light with another AP round into the turret. She went up in a blaze reminiscent of a fireworks display he had watched as a child in Belgrade. Then in a sudden burst of fury and fire, the ammo cooked off, and blew his hair back, and knocked the two troopers down. Unsatisfied at merely destroying the offending tank, the medium then started firing rounds at the troopers. This confused Sergei. The recruitment ads had portrayed GDI as the savoir of the world, not the merciless destroyer of hapless ground units injured in war. This angered him suddenly, and surprised him with the amount of fury it fueled him with.
The troopers got up, and ran with best speed to the barn using cover and splitting up to confuse the gunner of the medium. This impressed Sergei. He had not known men in his lifetime with such presence of mind in a crisis who could work so well together. One of the troopers distracted the medium with light arms fire, and the other attempted an RPG attack in the few seconds afforded him. The RPG sliced cleanly through the air, but the explosive-reactive armor, and the angle of impact did little more than leave a deep gouge in the side of the tank.
The tank shifted it’s focus to the new threat. By this time, the trooper had moved anyways so it hardly mattered, but this re-deployment cost the tank the initiative. The troopers headed for the barn while the tank attempted to destroy what wasn’t there.
As they approached the barn, they saw Sergei, and he realized he was exposed. Fully expecting to be gunned down by the ‘terrorists’ he surrendered to his fate, and raised his arms in defeat.
“Don’t fire.� Was all he could manage to squeak out.
“Brother, do not be afraid. We need your help.� Came the mechanical voice of form the helmet. “We are in great need of somewhere to hide until the other liberators arrive in this area.�
Sergei wondered at this statement. Liberators was not the term he was thinking. It was then that the tank had figured the ruse, and started lobbing AP rounds into the ancient barn. Splinters and hay were everywhere, and the troopers immediately dropped, and yanked him down with them. Not three seconds later an AP round tore through where he had been standing. Splinters peppered his back, and anger rose in him as he fought the helplessness rising in his gut.
“This way� he grunted, and rose to run towards the back of the barn. He ran without care, and without thinking. He knew of a place in the back of the barn where his father stored grain liquor he made in what little free time he had between growing seasons, and harvest time. It was empty now, but definitely large enough to accommodate the three.
The troopers were close on his heels and seemed used to quick response without questioning. This also impressed him. These men were professional, and efficient. Seemingly without fear. Together they removed the piles of hay stacked on the long unused door to the cellar. The door reluctantly opened, and the three slipped into darkness as AP rounds continued to destroy the last Sergei’s dilapidated barn.
One of the troopers hit a unit on his chest, and the room was illuminated in a dull green glow. A chemical light of sorts Sergei guessed. They assessed the room for a minute, and decided there was no way in or out, other than the way they just came in. They both aimed their autorifles at the entrance, and waited as the noise continued outside.
The senior man then whispered into a helmet radio talking to some other person unseen.
“Brothers, this is armor unit Sierra 4. A GDI Medium has pinned us down in sector 23E. Armor destroyed. Situation is critical. We are under fire inside a large structure and require assistance. Sierra 4 out.�
Sergei never heard the response. The barn crashed down above them, and Sergei knew little more than the dull green glow, and pain as the wall colapsed onto him.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #87476] |
Fri, 14 May 2004 11:15 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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Part 3:
He picked stones off his body as he lay on the floor of the old root cellar. He could still hear the rumble of the tank circling it's defeated foe, but there was no further firing.
He knew better than to speak in times like these. Being a child of war, he had hid in places like this from NATO warplanes looking for Serb targets during the ethnic cleansing. Unfortunately for NATO, they had run out of targets long before they had to put troops on the ground.
It was then that the senior man spoke. Not to them, but to whoever was on the other end of the communication.
"Yes sir. I understand."
Both seemed to have got the message, but didn't share with him. Together they tried to move the hatch. A beam had fallen across it, and they were having difficulty. He knew that whatever was happening, his best bet was to aid them, and stay with them until their help arrived. T o approach the GDI beast out there was certain death.
"May I?"
"By all means brother."
Together all three of them heaved the hatch open. The sunlight was bright, and his eyes unused to the brightness. The troopers had no such disability. Their goggles auto-adjusted to compensate, and they immediately saw the tank by Sergei's house.
"We are to create a distraction so our brothers can eliminate the threat."
"That would be suicide. Can't we just wait and let them take care of this?"
"The Brotherhood's heavy resources are tied up further south in the capital. We must distract them enough so the bikes can be effective."
" Bikes? You can't take on a tank that big with bikes. You couldn't do it with a tank!"
"Never underestimate the power of surprise, and stealth brother. Brother Slavik knows far more than I about tactical matters, and has been very effective in the name of Kane in this campaign with them."
Before he could speak, the lesser ranking man handed him a pistol, and the two leaped up and started firing, running in opposite directions. The tank immediately started firing on the one on the right, and hit a battered Yugo behind him. Then he heard a distinct bee-like noise. It must be the bikes. He saw the dust trails coming from the opposite direction the tank was firing in. There were five of them, nothing but red and black streaks from his point of view, and they were coming fast.
As the tank bracketed the man he'd been targeting, the five bikes almost simultaneously fired two rockets apiece. Their contrails streaked true, and straight, and impacted on or around the Medium. While not crippling the turret, the bikers knew the tank's weakness. Maneuverability.
In one fell swoop, the whole left side of the tank was enveloped in flame, and the tread disintegrated. The tank fired back, and a plume of dirt erupted in front of the lead bike. The bike flipped and spiraled through the air, as the other four slalomed around it, and fired another salvo, this one staggered. This time the tank was at an extreme disadvantage. Its backside was now to the bikes and the armor there was weaker. As each concurrent salvo struck home, the armor was blasted over and over, and the final salvo punctured the Medium decisively. The tank erupted into a supernova of energy, and the bikes ceased their firing.
They stopped in a clearing forming a circle, and facing outward as if protecting something. It was then that he heard the heavy whump whump of helo blades. The helo landed quickly and the troopers motioned him to follow him to the helo. He quickly looked around. Everything he had was in flames, and he was injured from the splintered barn door and retaining wall falling in. He had nothing left except his empty shell of an existence, and these men had helped him.
He ran for the chopper.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #88318] |
Tue, 18 May 2004 05:22 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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He wasn’t ready for what he saw. The chopper floor was slick with blood from the wounds of the three men already in the chopper. A medic could be seen attempting to hold things together, but he was failing. And then there was the mutant. There wasn’t anything wrong with him, other than the crystals growing out of scalp, and the ropes binding him. The skin had puckered, and seemed to retract instinctively from the alien objects. His expression was feral in nature, and he was clearly hoping to get at least one hand free so he could kill everyone on board. Then he saw Sergei climb aboard, and looked at him as if Sergei had done something that was unbelievable. He had heard of mutants, but never seen one live.
The Meteor strike had been widely televised, as had it’s concurrent destruction. The impact had hit the Tiber river dead center, and the resulting steam, vaporized rock, and earthquakes from the impact had decimated the area. What was left of the city was on fire, and most of Italy had been suffering quake aftershocks for months. And then there was the toxicity of the stuff itself. The initial response teams had been heavily contaminated, and hospitalized with strange symptoms. The city was a total loss. With the spreading contamination, and ensuing chaos, the whole country seemed to be falling apart until NATO removed the meteor itself. By that time it was really too late though. Somehow the stuff was traveling, and popping up all over southern Europe. Even in Belgrade and Sarejevo, there were reported instances. Widespread contamination was reported by those unwise, or too poor to leave their homes. Then had come the stories about strange animals, and humans with deformities. After capturing the former Yugoslav territories, GDI had announced help for those who wanted it in regards to the contamination, but few had stepped forward, and those who did, weren’t usually heard from again.
Sergei snapped back to reality as the chopper veered sharply to starboard and almost dumped him out. Two of the troopers caught him, and warned him to hold on to the cargo netting. They flew south for 15 minutes, and then Sergei saw something he would grow accustomed to in the time had left on what was left of this planet.
The amassed armies of the Brotherhood of Nod.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #88410] |
Tue, 18 May 2004 12:54 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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For the second time that day he felt real fear of the unknown. He had never seen such a magnificent, and yet horrible display of firepower. Armor ringed a large base surrounded by antiaircraft batteries. In the rear was an artillery brigade with anti-armor escorts in buggies, and on bikes. He saw flame tanks burning the surrounding brush on the plain. Apparently in an effort to deny snipers, and any other units the opportunity to sneak up on the base, or it’s protective units. The smoke from the defoliation was choking, and smelled vaguely like Petrol.
But what impressed him the most was what appeared to be robots of sorts. They were in perfect formation, and there must have been 5,000 of them all glinting in the sun, apparently awaiting the order to march. He couldn’t make out details, but he was puzzled by one thing. They were located as much as possible around the Tiberium that was consuming this world. “Why would anyone purposely station them there?� he thought.
Before he could ponder much more, the helo made a rough landing and the medical teams arrived. At least that’s what he thought they would be, but he thought better of it when one them said:
“ Get these three and the mutant to the cyborg center, stat. I want them worked on before the tissue is irreversibly damaged beyond use".
The troopers moved him from the helo pad, towards a building in the shape of a hand holding a globe, as the helo lifted off once again, destination unknown.
As they approached the building, he saw that he wasn’t the only civilian there. There was a group of around 50 of them, and they were all being herded into the building.
“Where are you taking me?� Sergei asked.
The answer was silence, and a tighter grip on his upper arms.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #88601] |
Wed, 19 May 2004 05:47 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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They dropped him off in the cordoned area for the civilians. As they parted the higher ranking man clasped his shoulder, and said: “Brother, thank you for your help today. It will be a great honor to fight alongside you in the future against the oppressors.�
He turned, and walked away without so much as a glance back. Sergei had resolved himself to whatever laid ahead back at his homestead, but couldn’t help but feel so very alone, despite the surrounding cacophony of humanity in revolt around him.
The group was brought at gunpoint to a holding area in the open. It wasn’t much, except a four walled concrete box, and a giant screen in front. Sergei could hear the loudspeaker talking about something, but it was difficult to make out what it was until they were actually in the compound. They were individually searched, and walked through a metal detector. Some went willingly, others were sedated on the spot. Sergei went willingly. He was surprised by the lack of abuse they were experiencing, especially considering that some of the prisoners were GDI grunts of varying ranks. He had not noticed them before because they had been stripped of insignia, and were wearing only T-shirts, and their BDU pants, but the boots were definitely military issue, and the BDU’s were the customary gold of the Global Defense Initiative. The other striking thing about them, was their bearing. Despite being prisoners, they were still taking orders from a shorter man who appeared to be a man of higher rank. They had been resisting until one of them tried to take an auto-rifle, and had been beaten back for it. The commander intervened, and apparently ordered them to settle down, and help their comrade into the compound.
Intrigued, Sergei made a note to myself mentally to speak with this man, but at the moment, his turn to be searched had come up. It took them about 3 seconds to find the pistol he had been given back at the house. He had forgotten about it until now, and tried to explain how it had gotten there. The troopers didn’t care though, and he was forcibly restrained with the customary plastic cinch ties and sent inside the compound under escort. They were taking him to a desk that had been set up inside, with a rather large man wearing a beret sitting behind it. He scowled as they approached, and told Sergei to take a seat, waving the troopers away once they presented him with the now unloaded pistol with it’s breach open.
“Shall we begin then?� said the man as he cracked his knuckles and uttered a small laugh.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #88643] |
Wed, 19 May 2004 09:56 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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He did sit down, and waited for the officer to speak. The officer started by looking at the pistol. He seemed curious about it, and raised an eyebrow in apparent consternation. Looking squarely at Sergei, he said: "Well, let's have it. What happened?"
He explained what had happened, how he had assisted the troopers, and what had transpired since. He even mentioned the unit number. The expression was hard to read, and the officer spoke, merely saying "Cabal!"
The reply was a deep, disembodied voice that said " Yes Commander."
" Get Sierra 4 online."
"Affirmative"
It took two or three minutes, but the face of a man he assumed had been the tank commander appeared. " Yes brother?"
" Brother, I have in custody a man claiming he assisted you today against the GDI oppressors. Is this correct information?"
"Yes brother it is. He was most helpful in helping us destroy the last of the GDI armor in sector 23 Echo after the initial battle. I commend his bravery, and I am in his debt."
"Thank you brother. That will be all. Out."
The commander looked at him again, and stated, " The pistol has Brotherhood serial numbers on it. It is most fortunate for you that you had not stolen it. The consequences would have been "severe". As it is, it appears the Brotherhood is in your debt today. I will see to it you get extra rations during indoctrination. You may go. Report over by the screen, and pay attention to what you see Brother. The truth of Kane is quite eye opening, and enlightening." And at that, he cut the zip-tie, and released him.
"Thank you." Was all he could manage as he stumbled towards the seats in front of the screen, but the commander had already motioned for his subordinates to remove the table, and herd the prisoners towards the screen. The door was shut to the compound, and there was a perceptible silence as the loud speakers went quiet for a minute.
Then, the screen flickered to life, and the speakers came up, and he saw and heard Kane for the first time.
"Welcome to our glorious revolution Brothers."
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #88964] |
Thu, 20 May 2004 07:06 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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The only description he could think of for this man was “Powerful�. The intensity of his glare, the passion in his voice, and the barely restrained essence of something higher, all combined to bring Sergei to this conclusion. He found himself WANTING to listen, and addicted to the power of this man’s presence. The smoothness of his voice was calming, and Sergei felt at peace with the knowledge that this man was in charge. Even the GDI soldiers seemed riveted to what he was saying, and the officer had to forcibly turn himself away from the screen so as not to listen.
“ Brethren, I am Kane. As you have no doubt heard, I am a supposed ‘terrorist’, as are all my brothers in arms. I tell you now, that this is nothing but GDI propaganda to keep you from the truth of the reality, and joy of divination. The Globalists would have you lives out your meager lives, consuming to keep their economies powerful, and their oppressive armies in the field. I tell you that you are destined for something higher, and better. You are not mere numbers in a giant Global conglomerate, but divine creatures on your way to excellence.�
“What is divination you ask, and how do I achieve this higher purpose?
Divination is simply this: The use of the Tiberium the heavens have sent us to achieve a higher, and better state of awareness, and completeness. Your weak bodies die, and grow old because they are imperfect, and corrupted by the world around you. The Tiberium PROLONGS life, and HEALS our bodies. The globalists would have you think this is a poison that needs to be eradicated. A plague that needs curing. I tell you the truth: divination will give you life, and give it to the full when combined with our technology of peace.�
His image was replaced with pictures and video showing GDI soldiers herding mutants into trucks, and images of research centers with mutants in cages. Video feed played of whole villages laying in ruin while GDI Titans stomped through the rubble, and fired on civilian vehicles fleeing the scene. The devastation was horrible, and Sergei felt like his heart was full of the greatest despair he had ever felt. He felt like rescuing those poor people, and breaking those afflicted mutants free. The video was having the same effect on just about all those watching, and the anger against GDI rose perceptibly.
“The Brotherhood of Nod is an ancient and humble servant of those who are oppressed. We have been here for the afflicted since the dawn of time, but could never directly challenge the corrupt powers of the world. With the arrival of Tiberium, we are powerful, and strong, and the power elite of this corrupt world will never again oppress us. We are here to serve, and protect you, and our glorious revolution will succeed. Now is our time. Now we will avenge all those who have been trod upon through all the millennia. We will finally achieve true peace for this world, through the power of Tiberium. Join us, and KNOW the power of divination.�
His voice rose in intensity as he concluded, and with his closing statement there was electricity in the air. He was right. Sergei had never felt like anything more than a pawn. He had been forgotten by society because he wasn’t rich, or powerful, and he was VERY tired of it. He resolved himself never to be a pawn again. He wanted to be something better, and this was the path. THIS was the way to self-empowerment against the established order. He would not be a helpless child in a bomb shelter as planes roared overheard destroying everything he held to be important. He would make a difference and protect the innocent from these power mongers, who killed at will, and ruled this world without regard for life.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #89167] |
Fri, 21 May 2004 06:45 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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The video show went on for 2 hours, showing scenes of destruction, GDI military technology, and ended with the Philadelphia Space Station’s dedication ceremony.
Kane closed with these words.
“And now, the globalists’ leaders can sit safe and secure away from all the destruction they cause. They laugh at you and your pathetic troubles, and send death raining down from above from their Ion cannons at will. They think there’s nothing you can do to them in their mighty castle. I say you can. The resources and technology of the Brotherhood are far reaching, and we will swat them from the sky. You cannot crush our will to survive. This is OUR world now, GDI!�
The image faded from Kane’s face to the overhead view of the armies of Nod on the move with music in the background. Then the screen flashed to the scorpion’s tail emblem of the Brotherhood.
The presentation ended. Everyone sat silently as the screen went blank, and the speakers died down to nothing. Then the door to the compound opened, and a meal of sorts was given out. As promised, Sergei received extra rations. The meal was decent, and consisted of mostly rice and bread. Water was drawn from a tanker, and cots were brought in and set up inside the compound, under a canopy. He grabbed a cot early, one that was away from the others, and after watching the brotherhood’s news anchor Oxanna report on the daily events in the Nod world, he laid down and slept deeply.
He dreamed he was on a plain somewhere cold. He was standing in the middle of one of the Tiberium fields, and he was scanning the horizon. He noticed how the crystals were frosted over, and how beautifully they glinted with the reflection of the hazy sky. He watched the clouds pass over him, and noticed how they had taken on a green hue. Apparently they were reflecting the predominately green, altered surface of Earth. To his left he noticed a strange plant that every once in awhile would spew forth small crystals, and scatter them amongst the ones that were on the ground. It then struck him how dangerous it was to be here, but he seemed to feel fine. How odd he thought. He tried to move away from the plant. He heard hydraulics whine, and the ground shuddered. Crystals broke into shards, and he wondered what was going on. Had he moved? He looked down and saw himself in the greenish Tiberium contaminated slurry of a puddle, and screamed…..
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #89212] |
Fri, 21 May 2004 12:47 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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He woke in a cold sweat, and heart hammering as if trying desperately to get out of his chest. He got up, and walked to the latrine all the while trying to make sense of what he had just dreamed. Such beauty, and yet such horror at the end. After relieving himself, he returned to the rack area, but couldn't sleep. He decided that he would look at the sky until daylight came. It was unchanging, and untouched by the conflict he was now embroiled in. But now that he thought about it, the sky was what had brought this conflict to fruition. Frustrated, he tried to return to sleep and caught a glimpse of something in the night sky. Flashes of light twinkled around a larger twinkle of light. That must be Philadelphia, and ships arriving and departing it. He was pondering what it must be like up there when one of the flashes of light suddenly went supernova.
"What the…."
A beam of light speared out the sky, and hit the barracks squarely. He could hear the air sizzle as the beam cut through layer after layer of the building, the floors collapsed under the onslaught. The giant arm collapsed under it's own weight, and fell towards the compound, smashing the wall, and the door.
By now the whole base was awake, and the prisoners seemed stunned as troopers assumed General Quarters. Suddenly he heard something with a large cannon fire, and saw a recon bike explode before it's driver could get to it. The Titans came over the rise in the back of the camp, and started destroying every defensive structure in sight. They focused primarily on air defenses. Odd considering there were no aircraft in the area. He heard a noise like a capacitor charging up, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as one of the titans took a laser blast on it's left leg. It tried to return fire, but the laser hit again. This time the cannon melted, and seemed to catch a round of ammo half in the chamber. The entire arm, and left side were enveloped in flame, and the Titan toppled as the leg buckled. The other 14 Titans hit the concrete wall on the outer perimeter hard. The wall no longer existed, and the Titans stomped through one at a time, firing all the while. They shifted their focus to the offending laser tower, which was a large structure. It lit up time and again, but wasn't nearly as successful, now that targets were appearing quicker than it could fire.
Suddenly the perimeter air defenses not destroyed in the initial assault fired seemingly simultaneously. That could only mean one thing. Three SAM's hit home on the lead Orca at the same time. It tumbled out of the sky, and hit the screen Sergei had been watching just the night before. It tore through the screen, and traveled on into the Barracks, smashing into it, and destroying what was left. He was knocked to the ground, and lost his breath. As he got up, the prisoners started running for their lives through the hole in the wall. A wolverine walker met them, and ripped into them killing most of them before they even knew what had happened. He hadn't seen them. They were shorter than the walls, and he had only been able to see the Titans. Thank god I hadn't run for it, he thought.
The bombers attacked the parked armor wherever they could find it. These bombs weren't nearly as accurate as the Ion cannon though, and the strip bombing was causing massive collateral damage. Sergei climbed onto a piece of wall that had landed in the courtyard, and climbed up into the guard tower for the detainment area. He had just enough time to see the seriousness of the brotherhood's situation. Explosions leaped up all along the unprotected Nod rear flank. The only Nod area hitting back hard was around the large structure he had noticed on the flight in. It had two of the laser towers, and much anti-air protection. The recon Bikes were causing a fair amount of damage to the aircraft as well, but Sergei noticed one of the GDI Titan drivers was quick enough to stomp down as one them went by. Nothing remained but a pancake of metal after. Sergei realized he needed to get to cover. This tower was a large target. He ran down the tower stairs, and towards a Tiberium silo.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #89732] |
Mon, 24 May 2004 13:00 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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He reached the silo just as the Wolverine came around the corner. It fired at something, and left one or two holes in strays where he had been a second before. Green glinted, and pieces spattered over the right side of his face. He took 3 seconds to remove the shard that had stuck in, knowing that if he didn't, he was going to have bigger trouble than the wolverine. It passed and pursued whatever it had been chasing. There was a large explosion in that direction, but Sergei didn't look back to see who had won the conflict. He passed between four giant silos, and took a peek. Nod armor was having a very difficult time getting organized. He guessed that either the HQ had been hit, the CO killed, or GDI was suppressing radio communications. Possibly, a combination of all three. Then he heard a sound like the timely beating of a drum. The only difference was that he could actually feel it from his feet up.
"What the hell is that?" he said to no one in particular. It was getting louder, and the ground started shaking more. It sounded like a million men marching in unison. But here in the middle of this holocaust? Then he saw the most impressive display of discipline he had ever seen. A cyborg army marching in perfect unison, and all holding their fire until in range. He watched them break into four distinct columns, and break the battle into four sectors. The titans were taking their toll, but the cyborgs did not care. They marched, and raised 6,000 some-odd DU chain guns in unison.
They fired, and hell was unleashed in the Nod base unlike Sergei had ever seen.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #89855] |
Tue, 25 May 2004 06:45 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
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General (1 Star) |
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The roar of the cannons was bad enough. It seemed like he was inside a cave behind a waterfall. He stuck his fingers in his ears, and watched as the cyborgs in each column, coordinated their attacks to hose down each Titan in turn. The DU (Depleted Uranium) rounds were heavy, and tore into the Titan armor harshly, shredding armor, wire, plastic, and hydraulics. One cyborg alone would been no match for the superior machines of GDI, but when working together with machine precision, they systematically destroyed each Titan component and reduced each to piles of smoking rubble. They started with the cannon, and ruined it’s reload mechanism first, then moving to the joint holding the cannon in place. Then they proceeded to take out a leg joint, toppling the beast, and ignoring the driver. They would then move to the next in line and so on. The Titan rate of fire was too slow to effectively stem the tide of Nod, and the center of the GDI offense started to collapse. It was the Wolverines that seemed most effective against the cyborgs. They too coordinated and concentrated their fire on lead units. Their rounds tore into cyborg flesh and armor , and mowed the offending abominations down. Unlike the Titans though, once a cyborg was down, that didn’t mean it was out. He saw one drag itself towards a wolverine. It’s legs had been blown clean away from it by a Titan round, and were attached to the torso only by the hydraulics that no longer functioned in the legs. He fired as he went, and although not every round impacted his target, enough of them smashed the armored windshield of the wolverine to obscure the pilots vision. With no way to see where the cyborg was coming from, the pilot tried in vain to back away. He backed into the silo Sergei was behind, and Sergei felt the silo wall collapse, and dump it’s load of tiberium onto the Wolverine. It was stuck, and now at the mercy of the cyborg crawling towards it. The cyborg reached the pilot’s compartment and started firing point blank at the windscreen, as the pilot tried desperately to escape. The armored windscreen collapsed under the weight of the impact of a thousand rounds, and the cyborg reached into the compartment to kill what was left of the ruined body of the pilot. He grasped the neck of the pilot, and squeezed with hydraulic pressure. The head separated from the body, and the cyborg attempted to turn itself around. It saw Sergei then. With no Nod uniform, Sergei was a hostile in a battlefield.
The cyborg raised his gun to eliminate the threat………..
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #89897] |
Tue, 25 May 2004 09:46 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He heard the distinct sound of crackling, and static in those last few seconds before the cyborg fired. And then, before the cyborg could much more, a bolt of lightning shot up to sky from the pile of Tiberium the Wolverine, and Cyborg were in. The fuel cell of the walker went up, and the cyborg was simultaneously fried by the lightning, and sent flying into a nearby buggy that had been destroyed in the initial onslaught. Sergei landed flat on his back across the road from the silos as well. Unable to breathe, he could only look at the angry sky above him. He had never seen such a dark, and foreboding sky, and suddenly the clouds erupted in a lightning show. Severe and harsh lightning that seemed to strike everywhere at once, and set everything on fire. It seemed like the Tiberium silos were it's focus, and the buildings were destroyed as strike after strike went skyward from the spilled piles. He forced himself up. He knew he would die exposed like this in this fierce storm. Nod and GDI units alike were being punished severly, and indiscriminately. Two tick tanks were saved from annihilation by a strike on the Titans pursuing them. Before the Nod units could even think they had been saved, they were also annihilated in a strike. The sky poured it's wrath out on the armies, and seemed to be punishing them for marring the planet itself.
Everything that was flying around the base crashed, as if swatted from the sky, and crashed into whatever they were above at the time the storm hit. The devastation being wreaked by man, and nature alike was on a level never seen by Sergei. And still the armies fought on.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #90195] |
Wed, 26 May 2004 12:37 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He got up, and rested on one knee, trying to get his breath. He had hurt something, that was for sure, and the sharp pain he was experiencing when breathing, led him to believe it may be a cracked rib. The battle had moved from the southern part of the base, to the northern, and it was a little calmer in his area with the exception of the storm raging around him.
There didn’t appear to be one single undamaged structure in view. And even if there had been, he doubted that it would have been safe anyways. What should he do? Where should he go? He looked around, and saw a Buggy that had flipped over onto its side. He went over and looked at it, and decided it was in pretty good shape except for the driver. He climbed up onto the high side of it, and rocked until the thing landed with a bang on all four wheels. He sucked in his breath in pain as he jumped off before it landed. That had to be a rib. He pulled what was left of the driver out, and pushed the ignition switch.
The engine roared to life, and he eased into the blood soaked seat to try to figure the controls out. He eased onto the road, driving slowly out of fear of being discovered, and unfamiliarity with the controls. He rumbled by the remains of the Holding area. The dead prisoners were still there after being hosed down by the wolverine, but a lightning strike had thrown them around, and set them on fire. The smell was horrible, and he couldn’t help but notice the GDI prisoners had been among the victims. Ironic they had been killed by their own…
The barracks was a smoking ruin. He stopped the buggy, and peered into the ruptured walls. Eerie red lighting illuminated the interior, and was flickering as its supply was shorting out. He saw a locker, with a uniform hanging in an awkward position at about 30 degrees. He stepped through the crack, and decided to change into the uniform. He had his filthy shirt from the farm still on, and after all the bleeding he, and the former pilot of the buggy had done on his clothes, he figured the brotherhood could spare this one. He chose not to wear the helmet. It was confining, and he didn’t know how to use its automation anyway. He took the auto-rifle as well. No way was he going out there without one now.
He stepped back through the crack, and noticed the storm had abated. Now that the lightning had left the area, the rains came hard, and furious turning the base into a mud pit. He got into the Buggy, and rumbled south, away from the battle.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #90481] |
Fri, 28 May 2004 06:54 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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At the end of the main road out of the base, there was a large gate which wasn’t powered anymore. Apparently the power had been taken out which was evidenced by the Large laser towers no longer firing. He couldn’t get out that way with the buggy, and the hole that the Titans, and wolverines had come through was a good way to get killed by GDI coming through to reinforce the battle lines. He was going to have to either abandon the buggy, or find a way to power the gate up. He decided to park the buggy in an alley between what was left of the comm. Center, and the Tiberium Refinery.
He got out of the buggy, and crept by the comm. Center. There were GDI troops here and there, and he had to duck back into the comm. center doorway. The door snapped open, upon recognizing his IFF transmitter in his Nod badge, and scared him half to death. Just then, he heard footsteps coming in his direction from where he had parked, and he jumped into the comm. center and let the door snap shut again. Behind him was a mess of hanging wires, and smoke.
He couldn’t see much through that, plus the emergency lighting had a dull red color that made it difficult to see. He should have taken the helmet, he thought. It would have had Infrared, or some other device to help him see in this darkness. Curiosity, and fear of being shot outside led him to go deeper into the facility. He would try to find things to help him survive, after he laid low long enough and was able to evade GDI patrols. This facility seemed to have emergency generators for some equipment. He passed a 3-D representation of the base he was in, and it’s current status. He noticed that most of the southern structures were labeled as destroyed, as well as some of the northern structures. He saw one light indicating a power plant wink out, and replaced by the “destroyed� banner.
This base was getting rolled, and hard. He walked past the display, and down the steps leading to a lower level. There were bodies down here, and he saw that an intense firefight had taken place. Screens were ruined by bullet holes, and hung in awkward positions by wires that no longer fed information to them. There were two doors here, one led left, one right. Both were locked, and weren’t automated like the entry door. What now?
In the center of the room was a console with a dead Nod officer slumped over it. Apparently, both sides had managed to wipe each other out at the same time so there was no victor in this battle, and the Nod officer died protecting this panel. Sergei assumed this was the way in. He pushed the body off the console, and searched it for what may open this door. He found it in the form of a key card labeled “Level one Security access� chained around his neck.
Finding a slot to insert it, he slid the card in, and the panel asked him to choose a door. One was labeled “Communications�, the other “Master Control Terminal�.
He chose communications, and the door on the right slid open. He grabbed the card, and ran for the already closing door.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #91560] |
Tue, 01 June 2004 06:51 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The door ‘snicked’ shut behind him. It was quieter and darker down here. Dust fell from cracks in the roof as the Titans reinforced their positions above. Each footstep shook the facility, and he wondered how well built the place was. To his left was darkness pierced by the occasional emergency light’s dull red glow. To his right, was a small flight of stairs, and beyond was the illumination of the communications center. He crept up the stairs gently, and peered around the corner.
He saw a man dressed in officer’s garb standing in front of the consoles. He recognized him as the indoctrination officer, and watched as he queried the displays about statuses of various units.
“Cabal, give me a sit-rep on the requested reinforcements.�
“ REINFORCEMENTS UNAVAILABLE. GDI HAS LAUNCHED AN OFFENSIVE ALL ALONG THIS FRONT , AND MUST BE REPULSED LOCALLY.�
“Options, Cabal.�
“ RECOMMEND ABANDONING BASE, AND COMBINING REMAINING FORCES WITH THE UNITS OF FIREBASE BRAVO. IT IS UNLIKELY THAT GDI WILL BE ABLE TO PURSUE THE BROTHERHOOD FORCES. THEY ARE ALSO SPREAD THIN. FIREBASE BRAVO MUST NOT FALL. THE BROTHERHOOD NEEDS TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THIS BASE. IT IS KEY TO OUR PLANS FOR THE SAREJEVO TEMPLE RECLAMATION.�
“Link me with Slavik, Cabal.�
He saw the officer stand in front of the 3-D communication device, and the image of a fierce looking man appeared. He saw the barely controlled anger that fueled that intensity of expression on his face. It was the anger of something long ago, still fueling hatred, and rage. He stared down at the officer, and demanded: “Report!�
“Sir, Cabal recommends a general retreat to Firebase Bravo, and I concur. Ion cannon strikes have crippled base power, and rendered our base defenses useless, or on low power usage. I have ordered the armor to reassemble north of the base, and the cyborgs are holding the Titans from harassing the armor at their rendezvous for the time being. We currently are experiencing Ion interference as well. GDI airpower is unable to pursue for now.�
“ Agreed. I want you to have them retreat to this area, and await instruction. Set up artillery on the ridge, and place c-4 here, here, and here.�
He pointed to an area inside a canyon, halfway between where they were, and Firebase Bravo. He saw where he wanted the charges placed as well. But why?
“Make it appear you are on the run, and draw them in, then blow the charges, and hit them with the artillery. The place will be a death trap. Then get to Bravo. I have plans for our counteroffensive. I am coming in the Montauk and will meet you at the lower level. Don’t fail me Regulus.�
“ In the name of Kane!� said the officer, and visage of Slavik disappeared.
Regulus issued orders, and received acknowledgement from his troops. He turned to leave, and Sergei ducked back around the corner. His mind raced as he ran out of time to decide his future. Back through the door, and certain death, or capture, or attempt to help the officer.
He decided, and took a step into the light of the Operations room.
Deleted
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #91825] |
Wed, 02 June 2004 06:56 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The Black Hand training had honed Regulus’s skills to perfection, and he instinctively brought his sidearm level with Sergei’s head, and started pulling the trigger. Surprisingly, to both men, but especially Sergei, he held his composure, and said in a clear voice: “Sir, we need to go now. They are coming.�
Regulus couldn’t place the name, but he knew the face. “ Inductee, why are you wearing that uniform?�
Sergei replied in an unwavering voice “ I’ve made my choice, sir. I serve the Brotherhood.�
Regulus held the sidearm in place, but an amusing smile crept across his face. “And are you ready to die to prove it?�
“I am. I won’t be a victim anymore.�
Something in the determined look in Sergei’s eyes, and the resolve he had in the face of this trained killer convinced Regulus.
“ Let’s go. In ten minutes, this base will be a crater.�
He dropped the gun back into its holster, and walked past the door Sergei had come in. Sergei followed at a fast walk, slinging his rifle onto his back, and handing the pass card to Regulus.
The hall was dark, with intermittent emergency lights scattered throughout. Regulus walked fast, and with purpose seemingly knowing the way by heart. They went down a steep stairwell after going through a heavy metal blast door, which appeared long unused.
Beyond was what he could only describe as a subway of sorts. The lights were on in here, and there was another trooper setting a timer on a panel.
“Is everything ready?� Regulus barked.
“It is, sir. Ten minutes to detonation. Who is he?� The trooper stated flatly.
“A recruit. Take him to processing when we get to Bravo, and get him trained. The Black Hand needs the best and brightest, and he survived the GDI attack, and got into this facility without any training. He will be a fine candidate.�
The Montauk arrived via the underground railway. A door slid open in its side, and someone inside waved them in.
“Troopers head to the rear. Commander Regulus, please come with me to the command deck.�
They did as requested, and the door closed behind them. The other trooper sat him down, and took his rifle from him. He put both his, and Sergei’s weapons in the ammo locker, and sat down in turn, buckling himself in. Sergei followed suit, and felt acceleration he had not expected. It was a surprisingly smooth, and quiet ride. There was no talking though, and Sergei spent the time reflecting on what he had been through in the last day and a half. He was glad to be a part of something now, but couldn’t help but wonder at what the next day would bring.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #92144] |
Thu, 03 June 2004 09:03 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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They traveled for about 10 minutes before the internal intercom spoke: “ Prepare for strong tremors.� He held on to the 5 point harness, and 30 seconds later, the entire vehicle shook violently. They also slowed significantly and he could only assume it was due to the possibility of ramming a fallen support beam.
They slowed to a stop, and Regulus arrived in the rear compartment. “I need to see something. You two come with me.�
They exited the sliding door, and Sergei found himself in a cavern of natural origin, that Nod engineers had run tracks through. There was also a platform of concrete, and stairs leading up into darkness. Regulus talked into his handheld communicator. “Cabal, we will return in twenty minutes.�
“AFFIRMATIVE.�
“Let’s go, and stay alert. If you see GDI patrols while we are out there, blow the tunnel.�
They proceeded up the flight to another heavy reinforced door, and opened it. After passing through, they traveled upwards, and Regulus stopped occasionally to sidestep booby traps set in the walls. He issues careful instructions, and was pleased to see Sergei accept orders without question. They came out into a natural cave, only the size of a bear’s den, and had to belly crawl through to get out. Once at the entrance to the cave, Sergei saw clever camouflage, and was warned about more traps, and how to avoid them.
They were met by another Blackhand member in a buggy, and brought to the canyon edge Slavik had mentioned. They were met by junior officers who gave their report of the battle readiness of the battalion, and losses incurred. Regulus gave orders to set up the observation post in a concealed area, and they watched the horizon the pursuing GDI forces.
As they waited, Sergei noticed the mushroom cloud in the distance. It had been 10 minutes since the blast, and the cloud had lost much of its typical mushroom shape, but Sergei could still see the telltale signature of a nuclear blast in it. He noticed that the Ion storm was still terrorizing the countryside as well, and the rains were torrential by now. He could just imagine what the troops in the canyon below were feeling like. Marched 20 miles hard and fast, being shot at, no reinforcements, and seemingly marched to their doom into a canyon. He could see the rear guard element moving out of the canyon now, and then they saw GDI crest the entrance to the canyon. The wolverines were first, and they hesitated at entering. APC’s arrived next, and unloaded their troops. The Titans wee last, and pulled into position, seemingly awaiting orders from command.
Regulus barked into his communicator: “Rear guard units turn and fire. Draw them in. I want Recon to attack the Wolverines, then pull back when they move to engage. Rocket troopers and Artillery, prepare to engage on my command. Engineer corps, stand by.�
They acknowledged in turn, and the attack began.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #92155] |
Thu, 03 June 2004 09:45 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The bikes turned, and started their run. They launched two full salvos before the wolverines started their defensive fire. The bikes were quick, and mobile. They swerved, used terrain to their advantage, and closed the gap quickly. Their first salvos hit home, and the Wolverines bore the brunt of the impacts squarely. Some of them blew up entirely, while others were damaged, others with no ill effects at all. Tracers were flying at the bikes hot and heavy now, and there were more chain guns firing than they could evade, they took refuge behind a small mesa, and waited for the Wolverines to move.
But they didn’t. They hadn’t received orders, and would not move until they had to. The GDI commander apparently didn’t like the looks of this, or was waiting for the Ion storm to abate to allow Orcas to pummel the canyon.
Regulus seemed to anticipate this though, and spoke into the communicator. “Cabal, direct the cyborgs to attack their rear elements. Force them into that canyon. Sierra Tango, attack the right flank, and hit those Titans while the borgs attack the left.�
He saw a much decimated cyborg corps crawl, limp, and walk into the open from a forest behind GDI. They fired as they came, and the Titans started picking them off, one by one. Then the Stealth tanks uncloaked and attacked from the right. There weren’t many of them, but the damage they were doing was significant with the attention focused on the Borgs, and the bikes. The bikes then bolted back down the canyon, the local commander seemed to make his decision, the Wolverines gave pursuit, and the GDI battle group moved into the canyon to minimize the damage they were receiving. Two fronts was better than three.
As their group moved into the area where the bikes had hid, Regulus gave the fatal blow.
“Engineers, blow it.� The canyon wall collapsed into rubble, as explosion after explosion went off. The debris crashed down, and pinned a Titan group attempting to delete cyborgs from their rear flank. The stealth tanks were unable to do much more. Their low profile, and relative inability to maneuver in rocky terrain disallowed them the priveledge of the kill. Regulus ordered them meet up at Bravo, however they could get there, and received acknowledgement.
“Alpha one, fire. Charlie 2 fire.�
The artillery lobbed round after computer controlled round into the canyon. They hit with devastating force, and there were heavy casualties from the unprotected GDI infantry. Then the rockets flew from all along the canyon edge, impacting the Titans, and Wolverines hard. They attempted to push past the ambush as rapidly as possible, but the engineers blew the other end of the canyon, and trapped them. For 20 minutes, they fought bravely, but their situation became very evident as the mechs started to take grievous damage.
They stopped firing, and Sergei heard over the handheld unit “Attention Nod commander this is GDI commander Mesker, We surrender. I repeat we surrender.�
Deleted
[Updated on: Thu, 03 June 2004 12:28] Report message to a moderator |
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #92436] |
Fri, 04 June 2004 07:06 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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Regulus ordered a general cease fire, and spoke to the lieutenant behind him.
“Prisoners are to be sent to the cyborg processing facility at Firebase Bravo on arrival, no exceptions. Salvage whatever mecha you can, destroy the rest. Cabal, order the cyborg army to Bravo for refit, and repair. The rest of you, pack it up, and head on to Bravo. Destroy any GDI patrols you encounter, and report them immediately. SAM gunners, be on alert for GDI air support. Shoot to kill.�
He climbed back into the buggy, and motioned for Sergei, and his companion to follow. They went back to the cave, and as they passed the booby traps he saw that there was enough c-4 to permanently seal this entrance if tripped. The Blackhand was deadly serious about their secrets. They passed the blast door and entered Montauk upon recognition by Cabal, who stated “WELL DONE COMMANDER. GENERAL SLAVIK IS MOST PLEASED, AND WISHES TO SPEAK TO YOU ON THE COMMAND DECK.�
“Affirmative. You two, assume your seats, and buckle down. We will be traveling fast, and I can’t guarantee no cave-ins.�
They arrived at Bravo within 15 minutes. Montauk arrived in an underground hangar below the Communications center of this facility, and they proceeded swiftly through the blast door, and the guards behind it. Something was very different here. The Blackhand presence was larger, and almost overbearing. Regulus stopped at the entrance to the ops center where Slavik awaited, and said to Sergei’s companion: “Get him into training, after his debreifing. I need all the competent officers I can get to lead this rabble.�
He saluted, and Sergei followed suit. Regulus saluted back, turned and went up to see Slavik.
“This way, and don’t speak until spoken to.�
“Yes sir.�
In another part of the base was a low, flat ugly looking building. He was brought there, and debriefed about all that had transpired, and his role in it. A dossier was created on the spot, and the training officer drew from international databases to find out about Sergei’s past, and allegiances.
“Serbian, eh? Just like the general. Probably why they took an interest in you. Father served in the Soviet Army the Great War, captured and re-patriated through the UN’s reconciliation program. Father and son served in the same unit for civil defense during the first Tiberian war. Father killed by crossfire in the GDI push to capture the Sarejevo temple while GDI lines pushed forward. Civilian ID number 03456678-A1 assigned by Global Defense Initiative after the occupation. Is this correct?�
“Affirmative, Sir.�
“Excellent. Send him down to Psychological profiling.�
Deleted
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #93593] |
Tue, 08 June 2004 09:46 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He was expecting a fancy room with all kinds of psychologists. What he got was a five by ten cell. It was dark, and cold down here, and smelled horribly. There was a single window high above at the top of the 11 foot wall which let in some light, but not enough to see anything. Dinner came hours later in the form of a gruel which was more water than anything else. He slept on the floor that night, and he was cold. Cold that crept into you, and wouldn’t leave. The kind of cold that made you shiver so much that your body was exhausted from the effort it took to shiver that hard. He couldn’t sleep, and tried to make himself smaller by curling into a ball, but nothing helped. Then there was a loud klaxon blaring which brought him to full awareness instantly. His cell shook, and dust fell from the overhead as something apparently impacted the building. The alarm klaxon kept going off, and at the end of the cell block he saw a red light flashing.
Another blast shook him, and the door to his cell creaked slightly open. Whatever was going on, he took no chances in staying here, and moved towards the door as fire shot into the upper window. Smoke billowed into the cell, and debris fell from the window. He went through the door, and looked at his options. To his left was a heavy barred door, obviously locked by mechanical means that he didn’t have time to figure out. And to his right: another door, but a digital keypad illuminated it. He guessed this was his best option, and headed for it.
Another blast shook the facility, and a pipe overhead broke open, dumping a torrent of water into the hall. He waded through the ankle deep water towards the door, and noticed that it wasn’t passing under these doors. The hall was filling up with water swiftly. He ran for the keypad with purpose, and looked at it’s symbols. They made no sense to him, but he tapped the Cyrillic keys at random, and noticed that one of them stayed red when hit. After some playing he managed to get two of them to stay on, and he sensed victory as the water rose from the broken pipe.
He got the keys to all illuminate red, and thought he was through the door, but a second set of keys now illuminated, and presented him with trouble. This time symbols.
The water was now waist deep, and climbing as he attempted to figure this second set. This time it went slower for him, as he had to fight to keep footing as the water rose to his neck. He dove under the water in each attempt, and was able to finally get the lock open as the hall filled to capacity.
The door slid open, and the rushing water pulled him through, and it sped through the opening. He came to rest halfway down the hall, and saw the door re-close automatically despite the torrent rushing through. It pinched off the water, and silence met his ears for the first time since the klaxon went off. He gasped for air, and looked around as he tried to asses his situation.
What was going on?
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #93622] |
Tue, 08 June 2004 11:59 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He stood on shaky legs, and looked around. This was a brighter corridor than the cell block. It looked like the quarters for the guards, and had a lounge at one end with a wall mounted T.V.. He crept up towards the lounge, and saw no one.
“Odd.� He thought. Shouldn’t there be at least one person on guard despite the commotion outside? Just past the lounge, around the corner on the left, were the guard’s sleeping quarters. He decided to outfit himself with whatever he could find. Something bad was happening, and he wasn’t going to be caught off-guard.
The first door on the right was a sparse room with a neatly made bed, and a desk. Inside the desk drawer was a TAZER gun. A definite keeper and he tucked it into his belt. There wasn’t much else so he moved on the next room. He found the jackpot this time. A shotgun, and extra rounds were his for the taking, as well as a sniper rifle. He had fired a rifle many times in training for the civil defense. His father had showed him how to clean, care for, and spot one in, but never anything of this caliber. They were inside a cabinet with another electronic lock. Sergei tried to fumble the lock, but this one defied his every effort. The series made no sense, and he was extremely frustrated. The facility rocked again, and his patience grew thin. He looked around, found a metal pole used to support the sink basin. He tugged at it, and it broke free reluctantly. He attempted to break the glass the guns were in, but it was apparently bulletproof, and only spidered to his dismay.
Then he thought for a second. Why not? He pulled out the TAZER, and unloaded into the electronic lock in frustration. The lock fried, and clicked open. The guns were his for the taking.
He loaded both, and checked their breaches. Both clean, and ready to go. He slung the rifle, and carried the shotgun at the ready, and crept back into the corridor. Still nothing, and no one. He continued down the hall, and encountered an elevator. It opened when he pushed the button, and he stepped in. There were three choices. Sub-basement, Basement where he appeared to be, and 1. He chose the sub-basement. Whatever was going on up there, he wanted no part of it.
He pushed the button, and sped downwards.
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #93901] |
Wed, 09 June 2004 08:46 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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The doors opened to cold moisture, and darkness. He could see a flickering fluorescent light in the distance, but other than that, he had nothing. He TAZER’ed the elevator control panel to prevent any unwelcome followers, left the elevator, and moved to the right to allow his vision to adjust to the quasi-darkness and prevent profiling himself against the light of the still open elevator.
His vision adjusted, and he looked around. Apparently this was an old underground parking garage of sorts. It appeared long unused, and still had vehicles dating from the pre-GDI era in it. They were covered in dust from long abandonment, but he could still identify several classic, and some very nice exotic vehicles along with the usual junk driven by people like him. He noticed that a cave in had collapsed the ramps leading out, and was the apparent reason the opening was sealed, and the cars forgotten. A hummvee was seen half buried in rubble, with a skeletal arm hanging out the back. It seemed to be reaching for freedom still, and he wondered at the reason for the carnage. He crossed the dark lot, and headed for the flickering light, as there appeared to be an opening over there leading out. There was. A tunnel led into darkness, Sergei decided he would attempt an egress in that direction. He needed light though, and started to search for something to help him see down the tunnel. He found a switch at the tunnel entrance labeled “Maintenance inspection use only� He hit it, and fluorescents came on intermittently, some exploding after long disuse.
After what seemed like a lifetime of wading through the debris fallen from the tunnel roof, he finally came to end, which ended in a plain room. There was janitorial supplies, and a single light bulb but nothing else, and he shoved the grate open, closing it quietly behind him. Where would the door out lead to? He didn’t know, but anywhere was better than where he had been.
He cracked the door open…
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #94476] |
Fri, 11 June 2004 09:59 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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Oddly enough, it was a laboratory. Long unused by the look of it. Dust had settled, and coated everything with a fine layer of silt. He moved into the hall and took a look around. To his right and left were labs behind glass windows. Everything seemed in place and the electronic locks were still cycled shut, barring entry. He eased the shotgun up, and walked down the hall past the labs. There had to be a front door to the place. He took a left and headed for a stairwell, and upon entering found what used to be a mutant laying there. He could tell it was because of the amount of crystals laying around the skeleton, and the bones were ruined where the crystals had been. There were also strange new bone structures that apparently were in creation when he was killed.
Finding nothing of use, he continued down the stairs, and saw the reason for the mutants demise. A GDI soldier lay crushed under the remains of the wall. Apparently the mutant had thrown a grenade and killed them both. He stepped through the remains of the crumbled wall.
What he saw shocked him, and that wasn’t easy on a day like this.
Deleted
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| STORY: The Scorpion's tale. [message #95459] |
Tue, 15 June 2004 06:22 |
KIRBY098
Messages: 1546
Registered: February 2003
Karma: 0
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General (1 Star) |
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He was in the lower lobby of the building. That much was clear by the doors at the end of the long hallway. But there wasn’t much else he could recognize because of the growth of some plant like substance all over everything. It looked like plant life, but also seemed sentient. The orange tendrils were actively wrapping around everything, and seemed to be eating the building and everything in it before his very eyes. He watched as one tendril snaked it’s way towards the corpse of the soldier, and watched as it aggressively latched on to concrete, steel, bone, and anything else in its’ path by the use of tooth-like protuberances on the underside of the tendrils. Amazingly, the material wasn’t just crumbling, it was being consumed, and apparently sent back to wherever the tendrils originated. Then to his surprise, more tendrils snaked out the old one, and continued their path of destruction.
Curiosity got the better of Sergei, and picked up a sharp rock. If it was sentient, it would react to his blow. He dropped the rock on the closest tendril. The stump reared back in apparent pain. Then he saw a greenish fluid spurt out of the stump, and land on some concrete by his foot. The concrete immediately reacted, and a green gas was emitted. Some of it wafted up to his nose, and he felt sick immediately as if his nervous system was under attack. He reared back from the gas, and covered his face with his shirt. It took about five minutes before he felt he could move again. When he looked up to asses his situation the tendrils had moved up the stairs, and he was isolated in a pocket under the stairwell. His mind raced, and he started to panic. Being this creatures food was not on his list of ways to die.
He decided he had to try. He ran across the jungle of tendrils as fast as his feet could carry him. The tendrils seemed to sense his weight, but didn’t do anything more than instinctively retract a bit. When they did though, they also pulled on the materials they were eating, and it started an avalanche from the roof of half consumed support beams, tiles, pipes and more. The pieces fell onto the tendrils, and damaged them causing more of the greenish acid substance to spurt which in turn caused gas puffs all along his egress route. He covered his mouth, put his head down, and ran for the end of the hall. He brought the shotgun level with the doors locking mechanism, and blew them outward as he burst into the fresh air, and sunlight. It was worse out here….
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