“There was nothing…we could do. They swarmed upon us like demons from the abyss. They used some kind of new weapon. Everyone they killed…would not come back. It would disperse the life force of anyone killed by them. Oh God…they’re everywhere. Your sister…she is…dead. This is the last transmission I can send…I am sorry Neboja. There was nothing I could do. Goodbye…my friend…goodbye”
*The message ended. My sanity…A crystalline vase placed high atop a corroded and crumbling pedestal. Years of abuse came upon it like waves against a mountainside. Vengeance…what good is vengeance? It will not bring her back. It won’t change anything. It doesn’t matter if her killers I kill…or if they live on. She is gone. I will never see her smile. I will never feel her touch…or look into her deep blue eyes. I had no friends growing up. My father’s schedule did not allow time for friendship. So you understand…I was not lonely “You’re lying”, nor did I need the friendship of others “You’re lying”. But she…she was my friend. She was my best friend…my only friend. God…I can’t continue this anymore.*
~~~3 days later~~~
*I’d always enjoyed a drink. A good meal, a good drink…it was a little thing but it made me happy. I don’t think I’ve eaten in the last 3 days. But I’ve had plenty of good drinks “You’re drunk”. Alcohol…a nectar of Gods. Just a simple thing…yet it can make me forget…and let me remember. It was like a magical machine that allowed one to view any part of there lives. Any moment…any period…only what they choose to see. Like an ancient Indian peace pipe…alcohol was my way to see what I wanted to see. The good times, the happy times “You’re lying!”. Bah…I can’t write this anymore. I’m going to have another drink…*
~~~2 days later~~~
*So…I’ve isolated myself from everyone and everything. I’ve increased the heat in my apartment…gradually…a little more each day. I’ve been sitting in the dark…drinking and watching the shadows create a play for me. This little fat Asian man is my friend. He brings me alcohol, and he dances for me. He’s got this funny umbrella and it allows him to fly. This man is my friend. He makes me laugh. He makes me…”Snap out of it!” He makes me…ugh, my head hurts again.*
~~~4 days later~~~
*It’s so hot…and I’m always thirsty. But my thirst is never quenched. The heat…it’s ever increasing. I see things too. I don’t like these images. They scare me. The little fat man is gone too. He flew up on his umbrella and returned into the light bulb. Why did the little man abandon me? I’ll find him…I’ll find and kill him. I’ll cut open his belly and all the heat will go in it. I’m so hot…so hot. I can’t go on like this…*
“He’s waking up. He’s…waking…up? How in the hell…”
*Neboja’s eyes slowly opened. His hair was wet…constant sweating from the past weak. He was naked lying on nothing more but a mattress on the floor. Heavy blankets covering him. He tried to sit up but was quickly eased back down by a small hand.*
“Easy Neboja…easy. You’ve just spent the last week with extremely high fever. Don’t try to move”
*There were large scratch marks on his chest. Like two Gashing claws had deeply carved there way into him. His right hand was bandaged up. He could barely feel it, and even less move it. He eased back along with the touch and looked up to the hand’s owner. He could see she was female, a nanomage female. She was in full omni-pol elite armor, minus the helmet. If she had a mouth she would smile down at him. She looked exhausted herself. And it would be a long time before he would identify this lady as Aminari.*
“Well son of a *****, the lil guy’s alive. I’ll be damned” *Another familiar voice. It was Rarick. The big atrox stretched lazily and sat back in his chair.*
*During the course of the next few days, Neboja had slowly regained his senses. They explained to him what had happened. He had apparently received a message telling him that his sister was in danger. He flew to the source of the signal and found himself near an abandoned makeshift cottage. That was only the front door to an underground complex. A secret complex that no one was aware existed…or so it was supposed to be. Something occurred there…and the next time they found him he was unconscious in his yalmaha hovering high in the air. Aminari and Rarick had tracked the Yalm’s beacon to him. They could not risk moving Neboja from that area, and so, in an abandoned crumbling shack, they brought him. Rarick worked on repairing the shack as much as he could, so it would not crumble atop them. While Aminari spent every moment trying to heal him.*
“You were infected with some kind of…poison. I tried everything I knew, and nothing worked. All I could do was keep healing you and wait to see.” *Said Aminari*
“Yeah, she hasn’t even slept this last week.” *Said Rarick from the back as he watched the ceiling idly.*
*My mind was a blur. All I could remember were those images…images I believe were so real.*
“Do you remember anything? Anything at all of what happened?” *Said Aminari…more so the words came into his mind as she projected them.*
“No…wait, I was here for…I received a message. Something was wrong. Something…attacked them.” *I spoke…sounding more confusing then anything. Like trying to remember a dream you think you had.*
“Something…attacked…who?” *Said Rarick in a deep voice. His gaze shifted from the ceiling down to the mattress on the floor that Neboja rested on.*
“It’s…all a blur. I’m sorry…” *Neboja laid his head back onto the mattress and closed his eyes. He was tired…so very tired. The next two days were spent making sure he was alright. Any message they attempted to send out for assistance was never answered. Something…or someone, was jamming all signals in this area. Neboja stood outside, watching the star filled sky. The two claw marks on his chest were smaller then before, but for some reason, they could not be removed. It was a mark he’d always have. His right hand had been nearly severed. It was hanging on two ligaments when they found him. Now completely healed, he clenched and unclenched his fist sporadically, something lurked right at the back of his mind…trying to force it’s way forward.*
“Neboja?” *Said Aminari* “We need to get moving. You’re well enough to move now, let’s go. We’ve been here long enough. And this is not the safest place to be.”
*My eyes trailed across the desolate landscape. Something was moving there…it was like a shadow, a blur, just a ripple in space. It was like a Déjà vu feeling. And I could feel the hair’s on the back of my neck rise. My Division 9 PlasmaProjector was next to the door, against the shack. I slowly reached for it, as Aminari watched me quizzically. I lifted the weapon up and leveled it with my other hand.*
“What is it Neboja?” *Aminari asked. My eyes darted across the darkness, searching for something I know was there.* “I don’t know…something is out there. Can’t you feel it?” *I responded. My chest hurt. It was as if I could feel whatever was out there from the pain in my chest. The pain from those two deep claw marks.*
“Back inside, now!” *I screamed as a burst unloaded from my Div9, lighting up the night sky. The darkness screamed, it turned and coiled around the energy discharge. And it moved forward. I threw myself backwards into Aminari and knocked the both of us into the shack. Unloading another volley into the darkness.*
“What the Hell?!?” *Rarick jumped up and rushed towards the door.* “Rarick, No! Get away from the door!” *I spit out the words as fast as I could, as Rarick threw himself to the side moments before a wave of blackness crashed through the shack and out the other side. It was collapsing atop of us as we hustled to get out. I had no armor on, not even a shirt. Only black pants and my div9. Rarick was in full OP elite armor and heavy OP tank. A massive hammer in his hands as he swung it up and in front of him. Aminari’s helmet was on, and her x3 rifle out and pointed forward.*
“What the ****? What in hell was that big mother ******?” *Everything went silent. As it came, it was gone.*
“Behind us…everyone, down!” *Aminari’s voice rang clearly in our minds. And we all dropped to the floor as rounds of bullets flew above us, cutting apart what was left of the shack.*
“What the hell? What’s going on already?” *A mental command was received by a yalmaha hovering high above us. It came straight down in a nose dive and stopped in front of us. Providing some cover from the slew of bullets. The cockpit opened and I retrieved two backpacks from it. I quickly emptied the contents of one of them onto the floor. A full set of CAS armor. The bullets slammed hard into the Yalmaha and all around us. I would set a piece of CAS armor on me and it would wrap around my skin, like a second layer. It was…alive, my CAS armor. All black with hints of red, I quickly set the helmet on and from the second back removed some Night Vision goggles, putting them over the helmet. About 200 yards from us were sixteen figures. I could see them now.*
“We’re pinned down!” *Said Aminari.* “Forget this, I’m running down there and smashing them to pieces. *Rarick exclaimed as he was about to rage his way to them.*
“Hold on. You’ll never make it 200 yards with them peppering us with firepower. I’ve got an Idea. Rarick, you rage and run to the right, I’m going to run to the left. While they concentrate on hitting us from afar, in the dark, Ami can snipe them with her rifle.” *Aminari was already leveling the Rifle, night goggles on as she waited. Waiting for the crosshairs to be right at the head. She was way ahead of me. Rarick Raged and ran right, I was barely able to give him a Reflect shield before he was out of my range. I nodded to Ami and ran to the left. Bullets wizzing by me. It wasn’t easy hitting a moving target. Especially one’s in the dark and far away. As they concentrated there fire on us, Ami sniped…one by one…she was knocking them down like fly’s. Who said Doctors were only good for healing?*
“Rarick, now, rush towards them.” *I spoke through the COM. The big man was more then happy to oblige. He was already charging like an enraged Rhino towards his prey. I dropped my Div9 to the floor and crouched, nanobots releasing another weapon at my command. A Supernova Mk VI emerged in my hands as I leveled it forward. With a loud roar a bright beam of energy erupted from the weapon and struck one of the assailants. A nasty aimed-shot that took him down in one hit. I picked up the div9 and kept running towards them. Waiting for the cycle to recharge on the Supernova. As it did I would drop the div9, level the supernova and let loose another Aimed-Shot.*
“Die you mother ******* son’s of *****!” *Rarick was swinging wildly. A sickening cracking sound could be heard as his hammer came crashing into one of them. Aminari was closing behind us. They dropped there weapons and drew MTI swords. They swarmed on Rarick like ants. The big man was crushing them, but was slowly being over-run. I was just within reach, and I dropped both weapons and upon command a third weapon emerged in my hand. A customer heavy suppressor. I flipped the switch to Full-Auto and unloaded. The gun roared like a beast as the bullets struck into the mob. A few fell, the rest were now in a panic. A well placed aimed-shot dropped another one as Aminari fired. The CHS in my hand returned to it’s compact size as did the supernova and the div9. With a bright flash, a fourth weapon appeared in my hand. A newly acquired Nophex Plasma Destroyer II. A quick burst from the weapon dropped another of the masked assailants. A loud shrill scream carried in the wind, and the remaining attackers ran. Aminari picked another off, and Rarick was in pursuit.*
“Rarick! Stop, don’t follow them.” *He was displeased, but he stopped and returned. Here we were in the middle of the Perpetual Wastelands, being attacked by shadows and masked assailants. I kicked one of the corpses over and removed his mask. An Opifex Female. The rest were Opifex, Atrox, Solitus…even nanomage. All breeds.*
“Wait a minute…I remember something…” *I removed my helmet and crouched down next to one of the corpses. Setting the helmet onto the floor while using the Nophex to lean on.* “I received a message a few days ago. You two don’t know this…but my sister, she was being kept safe by some men I paid a lot of creds too. The message said they where under attack…and that whatever it was…was killing them…permanently.” *They both looked to each other, then down to me again.*
“I hurried to get there. When I arrived, the complex was nearly in ruins…and abandoned. I found bodies…horribly mutilated bodies, hung upside down and skinned. Someone had written in there own blood…”They came from the darkness.” I wasn’t sure what that meant. That’s when they ambushed me. It all went dark, and they attacked me. Murders such as these attacked me from what seemed everywhere. Then…the darkness itself…it moved. It’s what clawed me. I somehow managed to get outside and into my yalm, but not before it nearly tore my hand off. I could feel icy teeth dig into me…it injected something like ice water into me. After that, I passed out. When I awoke, you were there.”
*We were all silent for a few moments…the dead of night would be lifted shortly by the day.* “We go back…” *Aminari said. Myself and Rarick moved towards her, there were more questions then answers left. As we walked towards the shack, I heard grunting. One of them was still alive.* “Wait…I have a better idea.” *I picked one of them up and dragged him over to the Yalmaha. Slamming him onto the hood and pinning his head with the Nophex.* “Listen up, Ami here is going to inject you with a very nasty poison. It’s going to hurt…a lot. But just as you’re about to die, Ami’s going to heal you back to full…and restart again…and again…and again. Unless…you tell me where the others like you are. One more thing, my sisters body wasn’t among those you murdered in the facility you attacked a week ago. What did you do with her, and where is she? You better pray she’s alive…or no amount of wishing will release you from the pain I’m going to spend the rest of my existence inflicting on you…”
