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Daganth

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"Yeah...they took out the top half of the house, but at least they're busted. Might give the Commander a useful idea for armor. Don't you think? These things survived a direct hit from an unguided missile." Explained Wilkins.

"Strange...I don't see a scratch on them. Even the panels are untouched." Remarked Lenias, crouching to examine the inactive craft.

"You sure you busted these things?" Asked Fora.

Wilkins confidently walked away, "Of course. Hit them with a close range grenade blast in mid-air while their armor was open. They stopped trying to kill me, so I'm assuming they're safe to handle." He said.

"If you say so...." Stated the others, joining him on their walk back to the house.

All three of them rounded on their heels, weapons ready, as noises came from the wrecks. The enemy craft panels glowed brightly once again, and they floated into the air once more, shaking off dirt.

"You call THAT 'safe to handle'?" Asked Fora rhetorically, staring angrily at Wilkins.

"MOVE!" Shouted Wilkins, seeing the panels glow brightly again.

The three leaped out of the way, as beams of death tore through the empty air where they had once stood, and destroyed the first floor of the house, leaving only the stairs leading to the basement intact. Lenias fired a couple of bursts at the craft, to no avail.

Wilkins tossed another grenade, which temporarily took out one of the craft. The disabled craft vaulted in the air, landing in front of a beam meant for Fora. The beam struck the panel, promptly re-enabling the craft. The two craft glowed dimly, and Wilkins decided to fire a couple of shots at their panels.

The panels lit up for another attack, but were promptly struck by Wilkins' rounds. The panels spun in place, firing a deadly beam in all directions, striking almost everything, including other craft. The panels slowly stabilized, and Wilkins took another shot, but to his dismay the craft had regained their shielding.

07-Nov-2011 01:20:35 - Last edited on 07-Jun-2012 02:40:17 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"Well, what do you suggest now?" Lenias asked Wilkins.

Wilkins looked around for cover, and found none. The machines had them dead to rights. He looked back at Lenias, "Pray for a miracle?" He half-jokingly suggested.

Fora unleashed a torrent of rounds at the machines, and continued pulling the trigger even after her ammo-counts had run extremely low. Wilkins pushed the firearm down, shaking his head. Fora nodded, understanding their fate. The panels within the craft glowed brightly, preparing to fire a finishing blow....

What seemed like an ordinary dagger embedded itself in the left assault craft's main panel, glowing brighter as the panel dimmed, almost as if the blade was draining the energy from the panel. The craft fell to the ground, panel as dark as night.

The two remaining craft searched for the attacker, and they found him. The Commander stood on the remains of the first floor, having come up from the basement. The craft immediately assaulted him with beams of death. He turned the wrist that threw the blade, causing a small swirling vortex appear in mid-air, devouring the beams mid-launch.

The vortex disappeared shortly after it spawned, and the craft were charging up for a new volley. The Commander spawned two more knives, infused them with energy, and threw them into the craft panels. The craft fell again, finally vanquished.

"Thank goodness, you came just in time sir." Remarked Lenias.

The Commander looked over at Lenias, and was about to say something, when he heard the all too familiar march of the Enemy. They were close. Too close. "All of you, move out. I'll hold them off and link up with you when I've dealt with this." He ordered, walking in the direction of the threat. The troops would have argued otherwise, but they knew only the Commander really stood a chance against the Enemy.

The Commander walked to a clearing, and saw hundreds of Enemy soldiers. All of them armed. All of them dangerous. "Perhaps I'll do this the easy way." He said.

07-Nov-2011 01:20:46 - Last edited on 23-Aug-2012 23:48:33 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I prepared myself for the oncoming barrage, while making note of their numbers, positions, and weapons. None of them were heavy troopers, so I could probably pull this off. I saw the enemy raise their weapons, and they begin pulling triggers.

I turned to the side, allowing their weapons to strike my ever sturdy cloak. I'd need a minute to make sure I got all of them. A rifle came into existence, my right hand wielding it. Explosive rounds filled the clip, more to distract and delay them than to actually be used as a weapon this time.

I sprinted parallel to their line of troops, assaulting them with a barrage of exploding ammunition. Weapons were dropped, enemies were knocked back, and the remainder simply disoriented. The clip ran dry, so I stowed the weapon in a different dimension in case I'd need it later.

I dived behind a wrecked car, which would provide a few more seconds before the enemy realized I was hiding behind it. Sure enough, they released an onslaught upon the vehicle, and I was forced to roll away, knowing the car was utterly obliterated.

I took cover behind a tree, and the enemy advanced forward, firing weapons that tore the tree apart. Once they had closed sufficient distance, I rolled into their midst, using the cloak to ensure I made it through intact. I unleashed a series of blows into the first few troops, causing them to let go of their weapons, feeling the force of my attacks even through their thick armor.

I grabbed two of the weapons, and sprinted away while firing a barrage from the stolen weapons. The weapons caused the targets they struck to recoil back, but the enemy remained overall unharmed. The weapons were soon drained from the constant barrage, forcing me to drop them.

The enemy recovered, aimed their weapons, and prepared to open fire. I looked around for a solution, and found none. However, I didn't need one. They were standing still. I waited for them to move their fingers to pull the trigger, and they did.

07-Nov-2011 01:20:57 - Last edited on 24-Aug-2012 20:13:18 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The enemy stood in silence, looking at their rifles for some reason. Their weapons fell apart before their eyes. They looked at the Commander, who stood almost like he was bored. His eyes still indicated calm, but his posture and crossed arms indicated otherwise.

The Commander continued staring. The terrain began to melt away before the enemy. They dared not move a muscle, fearful of consequence. Trees and rocks melted away before them. The ground surrounding them appeared to sink into the earth, leaving a deep ditch forming a ring around their group.

The Commander's eyes changed color, and moved to indicate that he found this all humorous. The enemy reached for their sidearms and melee weapons, finding that neither of those weapons were present. They looked to each other, as if looking to see if the situation was the same for all.

Now the worst began. Armor began to melt away, as if being eaten by some invisible force. Some found themselves missing limbs. Others found those next to them losing their heads. Eventually every enemy fell to the ground, and all were erased.

The Commander let out a breath, as if he had been performing a great effort. He waved his hand, restoring the terrain, but leaving the enemy and their weapons destroyed. It had taken a great amount of concentration and power to perform the precise attack. Most of the effort was used to scare the enemy in to staying still, while the rest was used to destroy them. Hopefully it would raise morale among his ranks, and lower morale among the enemy.

He could have easily just razed the area, but he had felt this situation called for exhausting precision. Though he wondered, "They were so far away...what could have caused them to pick up the pace?"

Just as he figured it out, a roar erupted from over a hill in the distance. The weapon that would drive the enemy from the planet, had spread quickly. The Commander knew he'd have to stop this attack now, or it would overrun the survivors.

07-Nov-2011 01:22:04 - Last edited on 12-Mar-2013 15:08:44 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He withdrew two submachine guns, knowing he had used up his reserves too lightly in the battle before. While the enemy was nigh-invulnerable to small arms unless his energy was infused in the bullets, these creatures were not.

The Commander connected the submachine guns to clips in a different dimension, negating the need for a reload. He'd still have to fire sparingly, as the weapons could still overheat. He unleashed a barrage of rounds in bursts at the approaching horde.

He cut many of them down, but still more replaced them. His rounds bounced off of thick armor, but penetrated in unprotected flesh. With enough rounds penetrating, the creatures fell dead, but there were simply too many of them to finish off. The Commander unleashed another wave of bullets, looked at the basement entrance, then looked back at the zombies.

There were too many. The explosion wouldn't reach them in time. He'd have to boost the power, but how? He sprinted to the wreckage of the assault craft he destroyed earlier. The craft weren't important, but the knives embedded in their panels were.

He lowered his weapons for a moment, retrieving the knives. He absorbed the energy within, replenishing his reserves somewhat. Though he could send waves of destruction out at the zombies, it wouldn't destroy all of them, or even enough of them.

He dropped the blades, and was promptly struck in his arm by the blade of a newly created zombie. He cringed, furious at his own foolishness, furious at his failure to predict his own creation. He thoughts raced rapidly as he went for his weapons. His plans, great as they were, had failed to account for the mutations of the virus.

His plans, as dead on and accurate as they had been...had they all just been the product of luck? So many things were unpredictable, people, nature, the virus....The troops believed in him, so he believed in himself. Why now, did he doubt his plans?

07-Nov-2011 01:22:22 - Last edited on 25-Aug-2012 00:09:48 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

It occurred to him that he had been facing a predictable opponent, with troops that followed his orders to the letter. He had grown overconfident with the praise of the troops. All of them depending on him, looking on him like some sort of hero.

It had gone to his head, and now his unpredictable virus was rampaging, beyond his control. Something he had thought would be easy to deal with compared to the vast number of the enemy, proved his doom for the same reason they proved the doom for the enemy. They adapted, they spread fast, and they easily destroyed resistance.

The vulnerability to conventional arms might not even matter. Something he had worked hard to use as a tool to protect the human race could now potentially bring his doom. For some reason, thoughts of tools brought his mind to Wilkins.

The soldier he decided to make second in command. As harsh as it was to think of him as a tool to be used, the Commander needed to make him into something more. He had needed someone willing to make tough decisions, headstrong, confident, willing to defy orders, intelligent, well mannered, willing to lose a few troops if it meant complete victory, and knowing the right thing to do. Perfect qualities for his second in command...but the virus too had been perfectly geared toward his plans.

What if Wilkins cracked under the pressure? What if he was killed? What if he didn't follow his orders? What if the zombies proved too much for him and he couldn't adapt to their attacks? What if he was corrupted?

Too many variables, even for the Commander's planning. He had planned for those knives to be used in emergency, but even with his plan he'd probably die. So if a being as intelligent as himself had lost, what chance did someone like Wilkins have? His first lesson to Wilkins had been to defy orders. What if Wilkins disregarded the Commander's plans?

07-Nov-2011 01:22:42 - Last edited on 25-Aug-2012 00:23:02 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He sighed, knowing that the only thing he could do now is hope that Wilkins made the right decisions. The Commander's part was done, he'd have to give himself up to give Wilkins a chance at saving the world. He just hoped Wilkins would make the right decisions, instead of throwing their chance away.

The virus coursed through the Commander, but his advanced technology held it at bay. The virus still slowed him down, tearing him apart as fast as his technology repaired him. The Commander took multiple wounds as he unleashed barrages of small arms fire at the horde, making his way to the basement plasma charges.

He shut the basement entrance, hoping it held for just long enough. He infused his energy with the plasma charges, increasing the blast and heat significantly, even though it would have the power to kill him. He waited at the bottom of the stairway, ready to hold off the zombies for as long as possible.

John Wilkins looked back, knowing the Commander might need his help anyway. He slipped away, allowing the others to keep going. He quickly retraced his steps, trying to find the outpost. He had just cleared a hill when he saw a gigantic explosion many times the size of a plasma charge erupt from the area where the outpost was.

The blast cleared, leaving a scorched crater where the outpost used to be. He slid down the hill, continuing on his way to the Outpost remnant. He quickly reached the area where the command post stood, seeing a massive crater where the basement used to be.

He ventured forward, inspecting the bottom of the crater. He saw the corpse of the man who had dedicated a lot to saving humanity. He saw the Commander's corpse. He slide down the crater to inspect closer, not believing the Commander would die so easily.

07-Nov-2011 01:22:50 - Last edited on 25-Aug-2012 00:30:33 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

As if detecting his presence, the corpse stood, and spoke to him. "If you're hearing this, then I'm dead and my body has been taken over by my automatic program, which has detected your presence. If you're alone, don't tell the troops what happened. We've already lost so much. Don't let their morale plummet any further."

Wilkins stood, waiting for the corpse to go on. He was certainly shocked, but he knew the Commander had some sort of contingency plan in place for his own death. The moving corpse produced a locked box, and a powered datapad.

"The datapad contains all of the information and planning needed to finish off the zombies, and everything you'll need to do to hold them off in the first waves. As well as an emergency retreat location if the enemy returns to the planet, and some rebuilding plans. Do not open the box. Only open it if the situation is truly desperate and you have reached the retreat location."

"I'm counting on you Wilkins. Don't let me down. Tell the troops I'm off killing the enemy or something, and that I'm entrusting you with command. Goodbye." The Commander finished, his body disintegrating before Wilkins' eyes.

Wilkins stood, awestruck. The Commander's plans had never failed before. When all was lost, the troops still had the Commander to keep them alive. Now they didn't even have that. Wilkins was furious. They needed the Commander, every last one of them...and he had to go and die.

Wilkins glared at the datapad and box. The last two things the Commander left. The datapad contained the Commander's plans, but would they work? The Commander had been surprised by the adaptability and quick spread of the virus he had created. Could his plans really be relied on anymore?

Wilkins began to walk away...but hesitated. Something tugged at the back of his mind, telling him to go for the gifts, to trust the Commander. Wilkins knew to trust his instincts, but had to hope that they were right this time. Wilkins collected the objects, and left.

07-Nov-2011 01:23:45 - Last edited on 25-Aug-2012 00:36:03 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Wilkins walked a bit slower to the last remaining base on Earth. The trees seemed droopy and blackened. The sky poured out great tears for the Commander's passing, as if it could understand the gravity of the loss. Everything seemed darker and more dreadful with the Commander gone.

The Commander had always carried himself about like he knew exactly what he was doing. Time and time again, he had proven himself more capable, more inexhaustible, more competent than any other person. Yet now, even he was gone. Killed by his own attempts to save everyone.

Now, all his cumulative effort led to this. The passing of the torch. From a being greater and more benevolent than any other...to an ordinary soldier. It was up to Wilkins to carry out the Commander's dream of saving the last under his Command, and he couldn't let them down.

Wilkins reviewed the plan the Commander had lain out for them. The details were dizzying and complex, so Wilkins decided to read until he got the gist of it. Basically, they were to focus all assets at a single pass. It funneled all activity through the area, and the Commander noted how it would be a focal point for almost all of the combat they would be going through until the Commander's creation was destroyed.

The plan seemed solid enough, now Wilkins would just have to adapt it as time went by. Wilkins set the datapad aside once he reached the base. Lenias and the others were waiting for him. Wilkins forced himself out of his gloomy mood. He couldn't let anyone have even the slightest indication that the Commander had ever failed.

"So...where's the Commander?" Asked Lenias.

Wilkins' thoughts raced, his heart sped up, and Wilkins forced himself to calm down. The very mention of the Commander brought him anxiety and worry, but he had to set those things aside, for the good of the people he was trying to save. He spoke calmly, clearly, and concisely, "He's gone off to run some missions deep in Enemy territory."

07-Nov-2011 01:24:29 - Last edited on 12-Mar-2013 15:18:34 by Daganth

Daganth

Posts: 4,981 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Res

07-Nov-2011 01:24:40

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