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Prologue[]

The year is 2583. Earth is no longer inhabitable due to all of its resources being sucked dry. Humanity was able to find another planet so they may thrive for many years to come. The planet was named UBW-594244 in 2132 by astronomer Charles Manthackis (2100 - 2179). Years after, what was left of Earth's population packed up and headed out, way past the Solar System. In 2450, the space cruisers had arrived to their destination and quickly, humankind was at peace.

The most valued resource of UBW-594244 is a mineral even tougher than Earth diamond. This material is called Mithril. Unfortunately, such a valuable material causes greed and seperation. Wars broke out, and the North UBW military was founded. Not only are they fighters, but they're also the people who mine Mithril out of the depths of UBW-594244's crust. The North UBW military operations include surveillance, mining, and production of supplies such as tools, weapons, and high-tech battle armor. All seemed to go well with these protected mining operations. They were unaware of the dangers lurking from below.

Chapter 1[]

The time is 20:23. The days are longer than on Earth, lasting up to 30 hours. The location is a mithril vein discovered after the testing of grenades.  Test subjects liked to shout "fire in the hole" before every explosion. After the discovery of this cavern, explosive testing was moved. There never was an official name for this cavern, so it's associated with the phrase "fire in the hole."




A mining team of 8 individuals; four men in Viper armor, one in Hydra armor, and three in Titan armor. Spread out searching for hidden mithril. "Southeast area cleaned and dried out," says a Titan named Butch. The man in Hydra suit replies "okay, good. Still got a few more meters before we can pack up. Let's drill some more holes in this tunnel in the west section." "Woah, that's going to take some time" says a Viper, looking down at his laser pickaxe. 




A sudden rumble among the whole cavern is felt by the crew. Butch takes a quick check around the area. "I know for a fact that I wasn't the only one who felt that." "That wasn't just one of the drills?" the Viper replies. "Kid, I know a thing or two about faulty mining drills, and that wasn't anything I've ever heard. A second Viper speaks "Maybe it was ju-" sudden blackout. The Hydra visor begins to glow. "Everyone activate their night vision, now!" All visors but the first Viper's illuminate. "Wait, what do I do to activate it?" "In the top right corner of your HUD." The visor lights up. "Ah, much better. Dave, how are things over there?" A third Viper responds. "So far, so good, Mark. Though I think we shou-" A slashing sound is suddenly heard. The crew readies their assault rifles and approach the source of sound, where Dave is. "Dave, this better be a joke! And I hope you got some better ones, becau-" "Shhhh!" says an irritated Titan.




The crew stands at the mouth of the west tunnel while Mark takes a few steps forward. His footsteps become more quiet and less of them are taken. He is sweating in fear as he slowly approaches, watching the ground ahead of him. He suddenly sees a small trail of blood and follows it, only to be struck by something unseen. Mark tries to orient himself again. A panther-like creature lunges forward, pinning him to the ground. "Ahhhh, help me! Gaaaah!!!" Butch shoots the creature's arms off and throws it to the wall. "This... what the Hell is this!?" A frightened Hydra helps Mark up and tells him to send a distress signal via computer console. As he runs back to the main area, he hears his teammates opening fire.




After what seemed like a lifetime of running, Mark reaches the console and sends a distress signal. "It's on its way, guys!" He rushes back to help his teammates. He fires his FR28a at the insectoid monsters attacking, killing several of them. Dead bodies of the crew are in a pile. "Dear God! Butch! Cosely! Wheaton!" His mourning is quickly interrupted by a loud roar. Mark runs quickly to a nearby crevice, unseen by the advancing insects and large rhino-like beast. "Hey kid, over here!" He runs silently to the nearby voice and finds the Hydra and another Viper as the remaining crew. "The ship will be here at any moment! We just gotta get back to the area when it-" Loud sounds are heard. The sounds of a dropship blowing holes in the ceiling. The cavern is suddenly well-lit. "That's it! It's here! RUUUUN!!!!" The remaining three crew members sprint with all their strength to the main area, offing any alien hostiles in their way. Five soldiers in Perseus armor leap out of the rescue ship equipped with Windblade light swords. "Go! Go! Go!" shouts the squad leader, as they slash all nearby alien insect invaders. Mark, and unnamed Hydra and Viper climb a ladder hanging from the ship, followed by the Perseus rescue squad. Two massive mantises burst out from the rock wall and charge at the ship as it takes off, but miss. They let out massive roars as the ship escapes.




A look at the survivors of this horrible mishap. Their armor is badly damaged and are all breathing heavily. Mark reaches for his Viper helmet and removes it, revealing his frazzled face. No energy or lucidity to even say a word. They all rest as the ship takes them to safety.




Chapter 2[]

The Perseus squad leader speaks with his built-in radio transmitter. "Sir, we have 3 survivors. 5 were killed from the attack... understood. On our way. Over and out." The ship suddenly takes on a new course. The other Viper survivor looks outside the ship's window and notices that they're in space. "Uhhhh where is this thing taking us?" The Perseus squad leader stands up. "We've been ordered to take you to the military Space Station 'Ark' in orbit of UBW-594244. The Commander wishes to speak with you three." "What? Is there more to this?" "I'm not authorized to tell you." The Hydra survivor takes a look at Mark and sees that he still hasn't spoken. "Hey, you alright?" Mark looks back, then forward again. *We have reached our destination*

The ship's door opens and the Perseus leader informs "Commander's office is down the hallway on the right." Mark finally speaks "Thank you. By the way, I didn't catch your name." "...Miles." He walks away, follow the rest of the squad. As instructed, they take the hallway and turn right. Standing are two Cygni guards by the door. The Viper says "Uhhh he wanted to see us. Just saved by a Perseus squad." One guard nods and opens the door then shuts it when the 3 survivors enter. "Just the boys I wanted to see." The words coming from a tall man in a uniform with many badges. "So, grab a chair and tell me exactly what happened." Mark spits out a few words. "They... they came from everywhere." "I'm going to need you to be a little more specific, son." The Hydra covers for him. "Just mining our own business, when suddenly, there was a large rumble and the lights went out! These... horrid creatures came from out of the ground and crevices. They killed everyone, minus us three. Thank God that the dropship arrived, or we would have been insect food!"

The Commander nods thoughtfully. "There's something that you all should know: what you all experienced is not the first case of this infestation." "WHAT!?" says Mark. "I'm afraid so. We've lost a lot of good men to these things. We may have a potential war on our hands. What I want you three to do is prepare. Go to the armory and grab yourselves some better gear. There are suits, weapons, and backpacks prepared for you three. You'll know which ones are yours. After that, you will be taken back to the North military Training Base and participate in soldier/soldier team battle." "Sir! Yes sir!"

As they travel to the armory, they pass by a testing chamber and a special Dec.24 suit user is seen in a cold environment room. "I'll never understand these crazy armor designers" says the Hydra. They arrive at the armory and  find the next upgrades to their current gear. Above each set shows their names; Mark, Daniel, and Jarod. They suit up. Mark and Jarod bear satisfactory expressions as they wear their new Fortune armor, KP-101-X backpacks, and hold their new MS06 assault rifles. Hydra Daniel is outfitted with Strike armor, TT-05-b, and the FL334AR rifle. "Well, this sure is nice." *Attention! A potential war is at hand. All soldiers senior cadet and lower are required to take a ship back home and fight in the man vs. man training courses as preparations.* "You hear that?", says Daniel "This isn't a mining mission anymore."

Chapter 3[]

At the Training Base, Mark, Daniel, and Jarod head to the Person versus Person fake battlefield. As they enter the Ancient Vision course, their weapons are altered to be nonlethal stun guns. They run in and immediately hug a wall, pointing their assault rifles into the wide open. "Area clear!" They move out, firing at nearby trainees. "I got him! Yes!" Jarod triumphs. Suddenly, he is struck and falls down onto the ground, unable to move. "Ugh ahh!" Daniel runs up to him and asks. "What did you see?" "...Run." Shining blue arrows fly in their direction.




Daniel and Mark run for cover and shoot randomly back to the source's general direction. "I think we lost 'em." "So easy to let your guard down, eh?" A voice speaks from behind. Mark and Daniel are struck and fall to the ground. "Hahahaha! I am the king! You can't dodge the archery master!!!" "Ugh... Phoenixes." Daniel says in disgust. "What's that guy's deal?" Mark asks. "I don't know. The Phoenixes are just guys who have been around longer than any of us. I don't understand why they gotta be so competitive and cocky about it." "Well, what are we gonna do?" "Just gotta stick together. Just a few more seconds until our suits activate again... there we go. Just fire and try not to get hit." They do so, but their attempts just don't seem to work. The Phoenix Mike still overcomes them all. Two more Phoenixes, Doug and Scott, enter the course. "Yo, Mike! That was sick the way you hit all of them with one shot! Ha ha, they ain't got nothing on us!" "You said it. Let's beat this joint and hit the cafeteria." They leave, high-fiving each other and laughing.




Daniel gets up, grunting. "Ugh! Such obnoxious pigs, those guys are! Let's get out of here." Suddenly, everyone's helmets receive a signal. *Incoming transmission: Alert! Reported alien attack at 3 locations: Fire in the Hole, Front Line, Energy Core. Staff Sergeant and lower are to report at the Front Line. Good luck*




As ordered, staff sergeant and lower are sent to the Front Line, where the first attack occured. A team of 5 are sent to kill all hostiles and clear the area. Our trio, and two Tank users. Daniel takes command, being the most experienced of all. "Turn your safety off, ladies. Things are about to get messy." Crackling sounds are heard. In an instant, speedlings rush out from holes in the walls and the team is thrown straight into battle. One of the Tanks slices multiple aliens with his Cutter and throw the peices at the aliens. "Have a taste of your own kind! Hahahaha!!!" "Let's not get overconfident now" Daniel comments.




The aliens stop. "Did we win?" Asks the second Tank. More crackling sounds are heard. "No, the party's just getting started." Panthers leap at the soldiers, knocking down Jarod. "AHHH! Someone get me a Cutter or a Passer or something!" The first Tank slices the Panther without harming its victim. "Thanks. Maybe I could get one of those myself someday." *PEWWWWW* a loud sound is heard. *PEEWWWWW PEWWWW* The aliens are being killed suddenly. "What in the name of spicy stardust was that?" asks Daniel. "Uhhh you might want to look up." says Mark. A figure is seen standing atop a hill from far away and begins to fire red spikes at the soldiers. "TAKE COVER!" They run inside a nearby building. As the spikes travel, they start to change direction and strike one of the Tanks. "AUGH! I'm hit!" Mark panics. "What do we do, shoot at it? Did anyone else see that large laser it was shooting?" Daniel thinks for a bit. "That thing has some sort of sniper rifle. We're going to have to stay in here until it decides to leave." More aliens climb out of the holes and bolt toward the team. "Just what we needed."




What aliens that aren't killed by the far away figure attack the soldiers. "SLICE AND DICE" one Tank darts toward the speedlings. "Push them out!" Daniel commands. "What? Why?" "JUST DO IT!" With all their strength, they shove the aliens with the but of their guns out of the building. Within seconds, the speedlings dissolve from plasma covering the floor. "The grid shows that there is still a bit of seismic activity, but it shouldn't reach the surface until tomorrow." the second Tank remarks. "Good to know, but we still got another issue." Mark immediately checks the outside for the intruder, but no one is seen. "Daniel... it's gone." Daniel looks surprised. "What!? This is too freaky. Anyway, the area is clear for now. Let's pack up."




Chapter 4[]

One week has passed. All hostiles of the Front Line have been eliminated. The mysterious figure has not been seen since that one day. Though it is now safe, the threat is not over.  There have been major problems at the Energy Core. Hundreds of aliens have been exterminated there, yet they still keep coming. Mark, Daniel, and Jarod have been sent to the Energy Core to investigate the issue. Here we have the trio meeting with the soldiers on duty.

"We keep killing them, but they just don't give up!" A distressed Strike armored man explains. "It's been a week, and the grid just keeps showing more and more, as if they come out from nowhere!" "Eddie here has a theory. Eddie?" A Titan speaks "Well, there's clearly something here that is attractive to these bugs. I think if we can get the generator back online, then maybe the aliens will be driven away. You know, like a repellant." The Strike talks again "Ya see, we have been trying to get the generator back online, but we've just been too busy with these aliens. They will probably surface in a few minutes, so we better get our guns ready." "We'll get to looking to fix the generator once we get some breathing space." Daniel assures. "Lock and loaded!" Speedlings crawl out from the ground. The weapons are fired. "AHHHHHHH DIE DIE DIE!" The Strike shouts as he kills panthers. Not enough time to notice the inflating pink and green sac ram into him. "GAHHHHH!!!!!" he falls to the ground. "What the Hell? William!? Oh my God, he's dead! Will is down!" Titan Eddie shouts. "Stick together! We will mourn later!" Daniel orders. A massive purple-gray creature rams through the wall and lets out a roar. "Oh, crap! FIRE!" The creature charges at three soldiers and slams into a wall. As it is about to stomp, it cries and falls to the side limp.

"Phew! I think that's it for now. Let's take a look at that generator now." Jarod takes a close look. "Hmmmm. It looks like it's missing three capsule-shaped power sources. Kind of like a battery. There could be batteries lying around somewhere here." "We're on it!" Eddie says. They search carefully over the blood-soaked floor for the batteries. "Hey! I found a couple! Guys! There's two here!" Mark shouts in delight. "They're a bit heavy. Need some help." Eddie comes over to assist and carries one capsule. The two capsules are brought to the generator. Jarod looks closely. "Okay, good. There's still one more needed before we can get this thing up and running. Anyone find some more?" "Yeah, I found two more." One of the soldiers remarks. "Just bring one. That'll be all we need." "On it. *grunt* O-o-okay, I'm coming." He walks slowly to the center, as the capsule is very heavy.*SSSSSS* "What was that? AHH massive sac thing!" The Acid Bomber crawls closer to the soldier who cannot put the capsule down. He inches his way closer, hoping the alien will be noticed by his teammates. However, it is getting too close and he must act. "RAHHHHH!" He slams the capsule onto the alien and bursts. "Phew." He continues his work and delivers the final capsule to the generator. Electricity is slowly restored and the generator starts spinning. Jarod takes a look at the generator's console. "Looks like this thing will need a few minutes before it's fully powered up."

Crackling sounds are heard. Daniel immediately recognizes the sounds. "They're back! Need to defend the generator! Don't let those things near it!" Speedlings rush from all directions toward the soldiers. Bullets fill the aliens' bodies quickly as more approach. The fight seemed to go on forever, despite it being only a few minutes. The generator shines brightly and all aliens inside immediately perish. "So that's what this thing does." The soldiers triumph "Yes! the Energy Core is safe once-" *PEWWWWWWW* In a heartbeat, a capsule is destroyed and the generator slows down and the area once again becomes dark. "Oh, that's just perfect," Eddie says sarcastically.

They take a guarding stance with their weapons pointed in every direction. The room goes silent for a few minutes, with nothing but the sound of ventilation coming through. Finally, Daniel speaks, but very low and softly. "Just like last time, activate night vision." They activate night vision, but groan in synchrony. "What the Hell? Something in this place must emitting bright infared light. Can't see a thing. I guess we're going like bats, then." Jarod takes a look at the generator. "I don't know what did this, but one of the capsules has been destroyed. Didn't one of you say that there was a spare? It's our only hope of restoring power. We gotta get it back fast."  They spread out in search. Whatever destroyed the capsule is still roaming the perimeter, hiding in the shadows. The soldier in Hydra armor who had previously delivered the final capsule retraces his steps. He slowly and quietly walks toward where the last battery was standing. Hopefully the spare capsule is still there, untouched. Finally, he sees it. There it is, still standing. As he walks toward the capsule, a loud human-like roar echoes throughout the Energy Core. He freezes in fear, looking around for any entity, but sees nothing. He gets ahold of himself and reaches for the capsule. Out of nowhere he is rammed into a wall by a horned creature. He screams and the other soldiers rush to his area. He gets a look at the assailant and sees a red and orange battle suit with devilish horns on the helmet.

"What the Hell are you?" The demonic entity grabs him by the throat and drags him up the wall. Shortly his teammates come to assist. The red being looks behind him and throws the Hydra at his teammates, equips a large red weapon, and fires red spikes. "Take cover!" They run away from the homing nails and outsmart them, leaving them to crash into a wall. "You're that... thing from the Front Line!" Mark realizes. The red being makes growling sounds while also making distressed human whimpering and dashes into the shadows. "Don't let it get away!" Daniel shouts. They chase after the intruder and come to a halt when they see it holding William's partially dissolved corpse. It throws the body toward them and charges toward them at full speed. The soldiers dodge by a hairline and shoot its back, causing it to  groan loudly. Suddenly its backpack starts glowing and a pink aura emits. The creature equips a white rifle and begins firing senselessly, wounding the soldiers while it begins to heal. It starts running around the downed men while making manical sounds. The Hydra runs for the battery and grabs it unnoticed, then proceeds to toss it at the devil man's head. It falls to the ground limp. He helps his wounded teammates up and they stare at the fallen assailant. It starts to twitch a bit and they back off. Daniel works up the energy to say "let's get that capsule back and-" Suddenly, large electrons begin to spin around the intruder's body. The soldiers take a few steps back, too weak to raise their weapons at it. It gets back on its feet and dashes into one of the many holes in the walls. "Forget that thing, we have to get power back online."

The Hydra being the only one with enough strength, grabs the capsule and connects it to the central generator. Jarod activates the generator through the console and it powers up again. "Just a few minutes, and-" *CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE* Speedlings resurface and advance toward the weak men. Daniel looks at the console then back at the aliens. "They're after us. Let the generator power up. Don't fight. Just run!" They drop their weapons and run away, with the speedings following. "Just a couple of more minutes and we'll be okay." They run while groaning over their wounds. They slowly lose speed and the speedlings are getting closer. *5... 4... 3...* Mark falls to the floor and a Speedling is about to strike, when suddenly it dies, followed by the ones behind it. *CRUSH* The lights turn on again. "The Energy Core is safe," exclaims one of the soldiers. They rejoice softly, trying not to hurt themselves. "Let's get pack up and get ourselves to Ark. Maybe we can get some band aids if we're lucky," says Eddie. Daniel assures "Let's not get too comfortable yet. Something tells me that we're only going to have enough time for some anti-biotic ointment."

Chapter 5[]

Location: Ark Space Station

Time: Unknown

Scene: Ship arriving at the docking bay.



The team at the Energy Core are they're taken to the medical bay to have their wounds treated. In 3 days, they're back on their feet again. Eddie thanks the trio for their help and wishes them safe travels as they part their ways. They go to the Commander's office and report their success. "We got the central generator back online and those aliens were toast", Jarod explains. The Commander just stares silently for a moment. They look at each other confused as to what he is thinking. "Your wounds. Those did not look like normal wounds. Is there a species that we have not known about? Tell me what gave you so much trouble." Daniel sighs then explains. "There was a new threat. Some sort of man in demon armor. That thing was interfereing with our Front Lines mission, creating chaos wherever we go. Might as well call that suit Chaos Armor." The Commander waits for Daniel to finish and nods thoughtfully.




"Did you know that we have lost all communication with the South UBW military three months ago?" Daniel looks confused. "Really? Those southern bastards whom we had been at war with? That South military?" "The very same. We have no reports on their whereabouts. Looks like they're on the loose somewhere." "But that thing at the Energy Core was not human! Nor did that Chaos armor seem like human technology." The Commander takes that last detail in critically. "When we created the Perseus armor, a South UBW spy had infultrated and had stolen the blueprints for an early model. At the time, it was some sort of green armor with spikes. What you saw might have-" "But I heard its breathing. It sounded beastial." Mark steps in on that thought. "I remember hearing human whimpering." "That was probably it trying to mess with us. We were all stressed out that day and it was getting in our heads." "No, we were not hearing things. There was crying. What alien would be crying like that!?" "One with great impersonation skills, obviously!"




The Commander is annoyed. "Cease your senseless arguing! You're not getting anywhere with that attitude!" "Sir, sorry sir", they say in unison. "That's what I like to hear. Anyway, what you're dealing with has some sort of intelligence. For that, I will be appointing you all new armor and weapons. Your next mission is to be at the Fire in the Hole cavern." Mark steps back in shock. "But... we-th-the Fire in the Hole!? The horrors! I can't go back!" The Commander speaks calmly "Get ahold of yourself. You all will have assistance. The Perseus Squad who resucued you three 2.5 weeks ago will be aiding you in your mission. They are top fighters and your safety is guaranteed. Do I make myself clear?" "Sir, yes sir!" They say in unison. "Good. Now go to the armory." 




They hurry to the armory to see their new gear. They see new suits and weapons under their names. Thunder armor, the STK-06-ZZ backpack, and Nova27 laser gun is seen under the name Daniel. Strike armor, SAM-005-I backpack, and TB-10-LW assault rifle under the name Jarod. Titan armor, TT-05-b backpack, and MCP76 gatling gun under the name Mark. "Sweet heavy metal goodness!" Mark says in delight as he stares at his new gear. They all gear up and look happy, but notice three new weapons behind their designated areas. They grab their second weapons and see a sign, to which Jarod reads. "Black Disk; slasher; this modified mining tool splashes an energy saw that destroys everything in its path." He chuckles. "Well, carrying modified mining gear to use at the cavern. They really want us to feel at home. Hahaha!"




They store their new weapons in their backpacks and head off to the docking bay, where their ship awaits. They step inside and the Perseus soldiers are seen waiting. Mark looks at the leader. "Miles! Glad to be fighting alongside you." Miles gives a stern face and says almost directly to Daniel. "The Commander has assigned us as a team. Being the highest authority here, you three will take orders from me, as do my team. Understood?" Daniel looks a bit annoyed, but agrees to working under him. "Understood." "Great. Activate the jets. Set a course for Fire in the Hole." Mark's breathing begins to increase as they descend to UBW-594244, heading for where it all began for them.




They arrive to the cavern and jump out. The cavern is much more open since the last time they were there. The ship blasting many holes open has allowed more sunlight to pass, giving great illumination to the mithril sitting in the walls and cliffs. Jarod looks amazed. "Wow, this place looks beautiful!" Miles remarks "Don't space out, now. We're have a job to do." *crackle crackle crackle* "And here they come. DIVIDE AND CONQUER!" The Perseus Squad spread out  in a heartbeat, slashing away with their Windblades. The trio looks a bit confused, then quickly spread out.




They mow down aliens with while moving forward. Different aliens begin appearing. Large purple versions of Speedlings, Panthers, and Scorpions start climbing out of the walls and run much faster than their normal counterparts. "What in the Hell are these things!?", remarks a Perseus soldier as he's slashing them. "They're stonger! Keep shooting and slashing!", Miles orders.  *SSSSSSS* Acid bombers advance, alongside Armored Armadillos, gray and purple. "How many more types? What's next, a dragon!?", Mark says sarcastically. Low pitched humming is heard, scaring Mark a bit. "What was that?" *BOOM* He is hit by a large blue orb. *HHHHHHUUUURMMM* "Slug! Die!" He equips the Black Disk and fires a saw at the plasma slug and it is sliced in half. "Holy crap, this thing is good!" *RAWRAWRAWR* Daniel quickly "Rhino in the east tunnel!" Mark runs to the scene and fires his MCP76 at the large creature as it charges. They're both rammed and stomped upon. *PEWWW* The Rhino dies. "No! Not the Chao-" He sees one Perseus carrying a R100-Railgun. "Never mind." "They're falling back! We're almost there", Miles notifies. *Scwscwscw* energy flies of arrive at the scene, shooting energy balls. The Perseuses try to slash them, but miss due to the flies' agility. "Gah! You little pricks!" "One flyswatter, coming up!" Jarod equips his TB-10-LW and fires accurately at the flies. They fall, minus one larger one with blue eyes. "Come get some!" It flies toward him, about to bite, but is stabbed by a Windblade. The bearer looks at it closely. "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy putting you on the grill."




"Enough jokes! More will be here at any moment." They ready their weapons again, and one alien approaches. *HUUUUUURRRM* A larger purple Plasma Slug crawls close and fires a larger blue orb. "Jump!" They jump out of its splash radius in time. Mark fires another saw at the monster, but it is not killed. "Woah! Want more, then?" Another disk is fired, but does not kill it. "Slash it!" They run up to it, but it shoves them away before they can swing their swords. "Try and catch me", Daniel circles around it, firing with his Nova27. The slug unable to strike, dies and curls up in a fetal position. "Phew. I think that's all of them." Miles nods in disagreement as he looks at his grid. "Not quite. Still got two large intruders in the perimeter." *hmmmmmm*




Muffled roaring is heard along the walls. The soldiers check thoroughly along the walls for the sound source. Mark wanders into a tunnel and sees a blood stain. He recognizes it as where Dave's body had been. He starts breathing heavily as he remembers the Titan Butch then looks at his own armor. "I won't die. I won't die", he repeats to himself in efforts to calm down. He walks to the crevice that he had hid from previously and hears the muffled sounds, but a bit clearer. He has found the source. "I found them! Behind this wall!" They go to Mark and prepare to drill through. The trio equips their Black Disks and fire at the crevice for a few minutes. "Almost there", Daniel remarks. *crumble* A hole is created. As they prepare to enter, more sounds are heard. *CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE* Miles groans. "They're coming back. The Squad and I will keep the area secure. You three go inside and investigate. Hurry!" Mark, Daniel, and Jarod enter the hole in the wall. 




They find themselves in a large room with many plants along the walls. They are amazed at the life growing here, but soon their attention is turned to something horrible. "Oh my God..." They feast their eyes upon two very large mantises atop a large rock higher up the wall. The mantises turn behind them and see the trio. Daniel quickly speaks. "Brace yourselves. This is going to get ug-" *SCREEEEE* The green mantis flies down to the ground as the purple one stands back and creates a force field for itself. "FIRE!!!" They use their standard weapons against the green mantis as it fires a large blue beam from its mouth. "Spread out!" Daniel orders. They run to their own areas, giving themselves the advantage of multiple targets for the mantis. The purple mantis suddenly throws large energy disks at the soldiers. "Don't let that thing hit us. Keep shooting the green one!" The green mantis swings its arm blades, causing several wind blades to shoot at the soldiers. "Gah! I'm hit!" Jarod shouts in pain. "Cry about your pain later. Just keep shooting!"




The green mantis cries in pain. The force field vanishes as the purple mantis descends. They both fire large beams. *PEWWWEWEW* "Oh, now the fun has just started!" The mantises spread out to opposite walls of the room and swing their arms, shooting wind blades. They then corkscrew across and switch sides. Mark starts panicking. "Which ones do we shoot!?" Daniel thinks for a moment. "I got it! When they're right next to each other, use the Black Disk. It's time to experiment." Sure enough, the mantises land right next to each other and the soldiers equip their Black Disks. "FIRE!" Three saws pass through both mantises. They cry in pain, then continue their assault. They fly up and fire large energy disks. The soldiers scamper trying to avoid the disks. "Fire now!" They begin focusing their bullets on the purple mantis. "Kill one at a time!" They dodge the green's attacks at they weaken the purple. *RUUUURW* The purple mantis has fallen, to which the green mantis shouts with rage and creates a force field around itself. "Just like earlier, evade!" They run in circles, confusing the remaining mantis. Suddenly, it flies to the center and spins in circles firing a blue beam. They shout in pain as their armor is scorched. The mantis gets tired and its force field vanishes. "Shoot now!" They concentrate their primary weapons on the green mantis. It cries then flies up and corkscrews into the wall. The soldiers looked shocked. "It's gone", Jarod remarks. "Does this mean we win?" Daniel nods in disagreement. "It'll be back. I know it." They look at the purple mantis' carcass and see something unusual in its body. "Do you see what I see?" Mark says. Daniel fires another energy disk at it, opening its abdomen. He reaches in and pulls out something blue and hard. "It's... mithril! These things are eating the mithril! Are these things just so hungry that they're trying to sweep us out of the way?"




They walk back to the hole and the wall and pass through, seeing the Perseus Squad finishing off the final aliens. "That's the last of them. The grid shows nothing now. What did you three find?" "Two large mantises. Killed one, but the other one escaped. Found mithril inside the purple one." "Nothing's on the grid. The other one is long gone. As far as I'm concerned, Fire in the Hole is clear!" They all cheer for their success, but Miles still is stern. "Hang on, now. That green one could be back. This wasn't a total success, but at least this area is safe. Let's get back to Ark." They enter the ship and take off. Suddenly, the ship receives a transmission. *EMERGENCY AT THE TRAINING BASE* *EMERGENCY AT THE TRAINING BASE* Miles turns the ship. "Looks like we're making a detour."




Chapter 6[]

Location: Northern Military Training Base

Time: 24:35

Scene: Pure chaos and devestation.

Opening is the hatch of the ship. The first thing the squad sees are soldiers are in panic and aliens everywhere. Some are firing their guns while others are being torn apart by Speedlings and Panthers. Some are even lying down on their own, waiting for death to come. The team spreads out. Miles floats around with his Blademaster telling soldiers to calm down while he slashes hostiles with his Windblade. "Hey, you! Get it together! Everyone!" *slash slash* "Evade and assemble!" No one responds and bullets suddenly strike near his feet. "Hey, watch it!" A Speedling bursts, revealing a soldier in Draco armor behind. "Sorry..." "What's going on here?" "I don't know! They just started coming in from everywhere! No time for warnings. We gotta get out of here!" "Get ahold of yourself, soldier! We can't let this place go to Hell!" *AHH MY INTESTINES!* "I mean, more than it already has. Now listen! We have to stick together. Get everyone together to work as a team, then we can effectively repell this madness!" The Draco nods in agreement then rushes off. Other Perseus members approach Miles. "Sir, *pant pant* it's awful! They're not listening. *pant*" "I know, I'm thinking!" Let's set an example. Get those three rookies here." "Right away!" They run off.

A soldier in Viper armor crawls up to Miles. "Hey!... help me, please! My...my legs are dissolving! Cut them off, please?" "What!? How are they dissolving?" "I don't know, but please end it for me. Cut them off!" "No, I will not use my blade to murder a fellow soldier." "Then put a bullet through my head! Please, I can't take it!" *RAWRAWRAWR* "Then I'll get that thing to kill me." The downed Viper holds up his FR28a and fires at the large rhino, angering it. It signals a charge. "No! Don't do this", Miles pleads. The Viper points his rifle at Miles. "St-st-stay out of this. I want this." The rhino charges directly at the Viper. "No!" The Viper is slammed into a wall and is stomped on violently. The rhino then sets its eyes on Miles and begins to charge. Miles strafes and stabs his Windblade deep into the beast's head, killing it. Just after, the Fire in the Hole team arrives. "Okay, great! All go up the ramps and in the center and shoot from there. Let them see us fighting as a team!" Just as ordered, they run up the ramps and in the center of the upper area and kill aliens from a distance. *splat splat* Speedlings are crushed. The soldiers in peril catch a glimpse of the team fighting together and making progress. They begin to run up the ramps and fire at the aliens. Vipers, Fortunes, Strikes, and many other types join them at the upper level and begin mowing down the aliens. "They're falling back", a Tank yells in excitement.

Suddenly, over the intercom, a voice is heard. "Attention! This is your commander speaking. I understand the aliens are advancing, but I receiving reports that the base is contaminated and must be quarantined. All personnel are to remain still until decontamination is complete. Thank you." *KZZRT* "What!? This place isn't safe! This is insane!" "What are we going to do!?" "I shouldn't be here!" The Draco shouts in frustration. "ALL RIGHT, ENOUGH! THE BEST WE CAN DO IS ENSURE SAFETY IN THIS AREA!" "He's right", a man in a hazmat suit says. "We're the cleaning team. We will begin decontamination shortly." The cleaning team examines fallen soldiers. Many of them have missing limbs and dissolved suits. One official activates a device. The device starts crackling. "These corpses contain high amounts of radiation and poison. Something is spreading poison. All fighters must take chemical burn showers. Soldiers enter the shower room in single file. In their armor, they are put under the showers then are checked for poison. *KRRRRZT* "Nothing." *crackle crackle* "This stuff is in the air. No one take off your helmets!" The crew scans the area for radiation and poison and detect concentrations down the main corridor at the southern area. "Woah, nelly! It's getting super concentrated down this corridor. No problem, we'll just-"

"*REEEEWWRRRRR CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE*" "What the Hell was that?" Daniel joins in. "Sounds like it was huge. Mark, Jarod, and I have had experience handling larger aliens. Let us go in." "No, it's too hazardous to proceed." Daniel takes a look down the corrider and sees a pathway free of poison. "Looks safe enough to proceed. Whatever is down there must be the source of the poison. If you guys want to get this place looking spotless, you'll need us three to get rid of the source of the mess." The man in the hazmat suit nods in agreement and steps out of the way, allowing Daniel, Mark, and Jarod to pass through. They tip toe slowly around the splatters of poison on the walls and floor until they reach a door at the end of the corridor. Daniel opens the door and they all enter a large pit. There are heavy concentrations of poison spread all round the area. "It looks like something died in its own waste here", Jarod jokingly comments. Daniel shushes him and they listen closely. *Crackle crackle crackle* A large beetle crawls over the walls and into the pit and lets out a massive roar. *RRRREEEEEEWWWWRRRRR* "Okay, guys! Let's try what we did last time. It's only one target now, so it shouldn't be as rough!" "How do you know that?" Mark intervenes. "This is a completely different creature!" *PHHHEWWWW* The beetle spits a large glob of poison at them. They dodge, but it hits the door that they came from, sealing them in. "Spread out!" They all take their stances and begin firing at the beetle. Now having to choose a target, the beetle charges at Jarod and strikes him. "GAAAAAH!" "Hey, big ugly vermin! Over here!" Daniel expects the beetle to charge at him, but it instead leaps high into the air. "Oh, son of a-" *SMASH* Mark looks at his struck teammates then at the beetle as it begins to charge.

"Leave the slow guy last? That's funny!" He fires a saw at the monster. *GUUURRR* It flinches.  "Guys, get up! Please! Need help!" The beetle crawls toward Mark and swings its front claws. He quickly ducks and the claw jabs into the wall. As it tries to pull its claw out, Mark quickly helps Daniel and Jarod back on their feet. The beetle's claw comes out of the wall and it sets its sights on the trio once more. Knowing its opponents, it fires several globs of poison in a spread fire fashion. They are damaged from the splash radius. Daniel activates the ability of his Thunder armor and fires at the beetle, dealing more damage to it. "Get your Black Disks!" Mark and Jarod obey and fire the saws at the beetle as it's distracted with Daniel. It flinches again *GUURRR REEEEWWWWRR*. It jumps high into the air toward Mark, but misses. However, Mark falls to the ground as a result of the gust of air the beetle created. It raises its claw to strike him. He instantly rolls to the left and dodges the attack. *GUUUR* It's damaged by Daniel and Jarod's rifles. It fires a large glob of poison at them. "Keep going, we almost got it!" The beetle begins to show signs of weakness. It's barely able to stand up straight. It desperately spread fires poison and manages to damage the soldiers. "My armor is beginning to dissolve!" Mark shouts. The beetle then crawls backward and charges at them. "FIRE BLACK DISKS!" Three saws slice through the beetle as it charges and hits the wall with full force. *POWW*

"Spread out again!" Jarod ignores and looks at it for a second. "Daniel, I think we killed it." *poke poke* "It's dead." "Phew! Thank goodne-" *PFFFFFFFFF* The beetle begins to inflate. "Oh no... RUN, IT'S GONNA BLOW!" *PEWWWWWW* Poison spreads in all directions and hits them directly. *SSSSSSSSSS* The sound of the armor dissolving. They check the body of the beetle and find a large blue glow from inside. "Hey look! Mithril!" Jarod says. Daniel blocks him. "I wouldn't grab that unless you want your hand to fall off. Anyway, let's get out of here." They fire saws at the poison-covered door. The poison is destroyed and they exit the pit, back the way they came. Daniel speaks before the cleaning crew can. "It's dead. You can clean the place now." They take chemical burn showers and regroup with the Perseus Squad, alarming one soldier. "My God, what happen-" "Let's just get back to Ark." They enter the ship and fly off to give their progress reports.

Chapter 7[]

Location: Ark Space Station

Time: Unknown

Scene: Ship arriving at the docking bay.



Exit the Perseus Squad and three fighters with tattered armor. They seem tired, but still have much to do. Miles radios the Commander to notify him their status. "Come to my office", the Commander replies. They do so. Perhaps he has something important to say? The Cygni guards step aside and they enter, where the Commander stands. "Well done, brave soldiers! I must say I am quite impressed that you all have made it in one peice." He takes a look at the tattered armors of the trio. "Well, you're still standing, at least. *chuckle* We're really making progress now. The Training Base is being cleaned up, the Energy Core is being taken care of right now by electricians, the Front Line is being fortified, and F.H. Cavern is being sealed up." Daniel gives a prideful look. "It is an honor, sir." "Yes, well as you know, we've still got many things to get sorted out, such as the origin of these creatures. Right now, our surveillance department is-" Enter a Cygni guard. "Sir, you are needed." "I am busy at the moment." "I understand, sir. My apologies, but it is very important." "Very well then, excuse me."



The Cygni guards escort the Commander to the surveillance department. "What's the matter? What have you found?"  The surveillance secretary approaches him. "Sir, we have new intel regarding the origin of the alien invaders." "Excellent! What have you found?" "Sir... they're traveling through portals!" "Portals? Like through hyperspace? Not even we can do that! Perhaps these animals are smarter than we think. What else have you discovered?" "Well, we're currently tracking for the heaviest concentration of portal activity. The only thing is, it could be anywhere." A surveillance worker interrupts. "Sir, I'm reading sudden portal activity. It's a public area, sir: Stadium Arcadium." "Dear God", says the secretary. "It was only a matter of time until the aliens would invade public facilities. Commander, I-" The Commander has left. 



Over the intercom, the Commander's voice is heard. *Attention! The enemy has reached public territory! Sergeant Major ranks and higher shall be sent to the public facility Stadium Arcaduim. The Perseus Squad and Phoenix soldiers must also assist. That's an order!*



Top tier soldiers head to the docking bay. The Perseus Squad and three Phoenixes are seen entering a spacecraft and depart. Back at the Commander's office, Mark, Jarod, and Daniel stand. "Your armors are not in the condition for more combat. Head to-" Sudden sirens sound. *ALERT ALERT ALERT DANGER DANGER* "What's the meaning of this!?" They step outside to see soldiers running, followed by gunfire. *CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE SSSSSSS RAWRAWRAWR* The Cygni guards surround the Commander. "It isn't safe! We'll get you in battle armor! This way!" The Cygni guards rush the Commander to the armory, leaving the trio in the middle of action. "Let's try that thing where we stick together", Daniel jokingly says. They form a postition that leaves no blind spots. "FIRE!" Their firearms; MCP76, NOVA27, and TB10-LW fire simultaneously. Energy Flies swarm them. "Gah! Pesky mosquitos!" "Fire in the hole!", shouts a soldier holding a Ge09X grenade launcher. *SHOOP SHOOP SHOOP SHOOP* They quickly evade before the grenades burst the Flies. *BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM* "That was close."



"*RAWRAWRAWR*" A rhino prepares to charge at a soldier from far away. "Shoot it!" *POWPOWPOWPOW* The rhino is injured, but still stands. It charges at a soldier into a window. *crack* "No! Don't let it damage the windows!" *RAWRAWRAWR* They fire their black disks at the creature, slicing it into pieces. *HUUURRRRRRM* "Ya hear that? Where is it!?" "I don't know, Daniel," says Jarod. A large blue orb flies in the air. They dodge, but the orb strikes the window. *crack* They fire disks at the Plasma Slug, ending its life. "Okay, let's steer these things away from the window." An mutated Energy Fly is seen firing at a soldier. The soldier dodges, leaving the energy projectile to strike the window. *break* *FOOOOOOOOOOOWMMMMM* "AHHHHHH!!!!" Soldiers and aliens are sucked into the vacuum of space. "JESUS CHRIST!", shouts Mark. The vacuum drags the trio to their silent deaths. Jarod equips his TB10-LW and aims at a security latch. He fires, only for the bullets to be sucked outside. "Daniel, use your NOVA27! HURRY!" Daniel quickly draws his NOVA27 and fires at the latch at a 90 degree angle. Down comes a large metal door, creating an air lock. They struggle to stand up after that traumatic occurence.



"Everyone's pants still dry?", jokes Daniel. "I hope so." *SCREEEE* They are alerted. Mark comments: "Hey, that sounds familiar." "I know", Daniel replies. "It sounded like it came from the observatory", Jarod notes. "Well, let's check it out. I think what may find won't be new." They enter the observatory to see the walls clawed. In the center stands a large green mantis. *SCREEEEE* "Great to see you're alive after that little fist fight at the cavern. Sorry about your purple bud. Don't worry, though. You'll see him again soon!" They take their battle positions as last time and at the Pit. The mantis hovers and circles them, drawing them closer to the center. *SWOOSH* They're struck. "Gah!" The mantis' mouth emits a blue light. "Run!" *PWUWUWUW* "Alright men! Black Disk time! HO!!!!!" The disks are fired, only for each one to be dodged. "This thing has learned. Fast weapons out!" They switch to their primary weapons and fire. The mantis cries in pain. "Yeah, you like that!?" It hovers and performs a corkscrew charge at Daniel. In a flash, a golden aura surrounds Daniel and he rushes out of the way. They continue firing for about two minutes until the mantis finally collapses. *REEEWRRR* *SLAM* Their armor is now far more tattered than several minutes ago. Mark's gloves will barely stay fit, Jarod's visor is scratched, and Daniel's chest is covered in alien blood. "Okay, now I'm going to count our cavern mission complete."



They leave the body behind to be cleaned up later, as there is still trouble in the main sectors. As they return to the fray, something catches their attention. "Is that what I think it is?" says Mark. Their eyes are not deceiving them, yet they cannot believe what they are seeing. Leaning upon a rail, sits the Chaos being mortally wounded. It looks at them and tries to raise its weapon, but lowers it. They point their weapons and the Chaos being spits out a few words. "Wait... *grunt* it's dead. Don't shoot..." They take a step back after hearing it speak for the first time. Daniel breaks the silence. "What's dead?" "I-it is dead... Help... me... please!" "Should we help him? I mean after all he's done to us?" The Chaos speaks again. "I... won't, can't harm you anymore... hurry!" *CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE* Speedlings and Armored Armadillos burst out from the floor, advancing to the soldiers. "Stand your ground. Don't let them touch the vandal!" *POW POW POW* *SPLAT CRUNCH SMASH* "Is that the rest?" *RAWRAWRAWR* "Guess not." The rhino runs with all its might at the soldiers. Suddenly, it collapses and ice flakes fly.



A soldier wearing experimental Dec.24 armor, Jin.Jingle backpack, and weapon Xmax-Tree stands behind the frozen rhino. "Thanks, Santa", Jarod jokingly says. "Very funny, Strike guy. I didn't have a say in the armor design, but it holds its weight." He looks at the fallen Chaos. "Devil horns? These armor designers are definitely losing it." "Can you help us? We gotta get this man to the medical bay." "Eh, why not? I'd like to freeze some more insects." Mark and Jarod lift the Chaos man by the shoulders. "Upsy daisy." Daniel and the Dec.24 test subject clear the way as the fallen Chaos soldier is taken to the medical bay. "Lay him down on the bed", says Daniel. A large charge-up sound is heard from outside. *PEWWWWEWWWWWEEEWWWW* "What is that?" They step outside to see a tall soldier in Andromedae armor firing a large single laser. A large group of aliens desintegrate in a matter of seconds. *PEEeeewwww...* "Well, looks like that did the job well." The voice coming from within sounds familiar to the soldiers. "Commander?" "The very same."



A Cygni guard approaches the Commander. "Sir, the aliens have been cleared. There's only one alien reading. It's... in the medical bay?" The Cygni guards rush into the medical bay with weapons ready, only to see the Chaos man lying in bed. The Commander follows into the room and activates his helmet's radio transmitter. "Get all the scientists, doctors, and engineers to the medical bay right now! We have something strange here, and it looks human!" Within minutes, medics, biologists, and engineers rush into the room, surrounding the wounded man in bed. The medics check for pulse and confirm he's still alive. An engineer with gloves reaches for the Chaos helmet. He gets a grip and slowly pulls upwards. As the Chaos helmet is being removed, steam leaves, green liquid spills out, and a sticky essence attatched from inside rips off.



The helmet finally comes off, and seen is a pale man with a bloody head and attatched, the corpse of a large leech-like creature. The Commander leans toward the Chaos soldier and looks closely. "Are you from the southern region?" The pale man nods yes. "Are you with the southern military?" The man ignores him and spits out several words. "Beware... they're coming... Siegfried... *grunt* 7 Inches... portals... Hell's Army... southern commander... *grunt* large teleporter!" He lets out a long sigh. *EEEEEEEEEEEE* The medic presses on the man's neck. "Subject: deceased. Date and time of death: February 24, 2583 at 27:46." A long moment of silence, followed by the scientists gathering the body for study. People leave the room, except the Commander, guards, and soldiers.



The Commander suddenly receives a radio signal. "State your business." A voice is heard from the other end. "Sir, this is Miles. It's going horribly at the Stadium. The Phoenixes are helping people evacuate, but there's too many aliens for us to handle. *BOOM* Need backup! I repeat, need backup!" *KZZZZRT* "Soon this will be resolved... okay, men. Before all this ruckus happened, I was commenting on your tattered armors. Head on to the armory. Once your done, I will assign you your next mission." They do so and run over to the armory, anticipated to see what awaits them. They step into the room and see brand new suits and weapons sitting beneath their names. Under the name Mark lies full Atom armor, H.F-V-03 backpack, NOVA27 laser rifle, and M-27B1 gatling gun. Under the name Jarod lies full Draco armor, HYD-OO-IX backpack, R100-RAILGUN, and NOVA27 laser rifle. Under the name Daniel lies full Pegasus armor, F.L.O.A.T backpack, Trinity bow, and Morpheus laser shotgun. Daniel holds the Pegasus helmet and turns around to Mark and Jarod. "Gentlemen, this is how we were meant to live." They equip their new armor, bearing wide smiles. "Ahh, it's got that new armor smell", says Jarod. They pack their new weapons and head off back to the Commander.



The Commander sees them in their new gear. "Ah, hope you enjoy your new sets of skin. Anyway, there's big trouble down at the planet. The public Stadium Arcadium is under heavy alien attack. The Perseus Squad and Phoenix Team need help clearing aliens and escorting citizens to safety. You'll have some company during your mission. Head on to the docking bay where your ship awaits you." "Sir, yes sir!" They run off to the landing bay and enter the ship. Inside, sit about 3 more soldiers. "Everyone here?" Daniel recognizes the voice. "Hey, didn't you help us at the Energy Core?" "Hey, it's you guys! It's me, Eddie! Looks like you'll be saving our butts again! Hahaha!"  A soldier in Thunder armor recognizes Daniel's voice. "Hey, were you were also at the Front Lines? My buddy and I had Tank armor when we last saw you!" "Hehe, still slashing aliens?" "Of course! Even better with my new Passer!" "If you guys are done with your reunion, we have a stadium to save", says one of the soldiers in waiting. "Ah yes. Setting a course for UBW-594244!"




Chapter 8[]

Location: Trailblazer City

Time: 13:23

Scene: Havoc at Stadium Arcadium.

Sounds of the military ship landing. *WEWEWEWEWEWEW PSSSSSS* The door opening and the team of 6 fighters exiting. Pegasus Daniel, Draco Jarod, Atom Mark, Draco Eddie, and the soldiers from the Front Lines, both wearing Thunder armor. They approach the entrance of Stadium A to see it has been blown open completely. "Guess they're not accepting tickets anymore", jokes the first Thunder soldier. As they travel deeper in the building, the sounds of screaming and gunfire become more clear. They enter through the public seating area and see thousands of people scamper. A sudden shout is heard from the bottom floor. "Hey, get down over here!" The sound is recognized as Perseus Squad leader Miles. They go to the lowest public floor and drop down onto the field where the Perseus Squad are slashing and blasting aliens. "Great you could make it. The Phoenix Team are helping the citizens evacuate. Wait, excuse me." He takes his Windblade and stabs an lunging Panther behind him without looking. "Okay, we need help killing the aliens. Buy us enough time so all the citizens are evacuated." Over at the seating, the Phoenix Team are seen helping people down ladders along the outer walls. 

"*CRACKLECRACKLECRACKLE*" "Here they come," shouts Miles. "Divide and conquer!" he floats away slashing more aliens. *CRACKLECRACKLECRACKLE* Armored Armadillos roll over to the 6 soldiers. The Thunder soldiers spread out with their M-27B1 machine guns and blast Rhinos and Energy Flies. "Good idea," says Mark. He equips his M-27B1 and fires at the Armored Armadillos. *POWPOWPOWPOWPOW* They're obliterated. "Too close to our feet, man!" shouts Daniel. *REEEEEWWWR* "I think I know what's coming." Plasma Slugs drop from the seatings and raise their heads. Out come blue energy balls in the soldiers' direction. Mark and Jarod use their NOVA27 weapons against them, piercing both with each shot. *CRACK*, they're dead. "Well, enough standing around!" Daniel runs off with the Morpheus blasting groups of Speedlings. Jarod takes a look at the people evacuating. "Those Phoenixes don't look like they're having an easy time," he says while pointing his R100-RAILGUN at a few aliens behind the Phoenixes. *PEWWWWWWWWW* A Phoenix nearby stumbles and looks directly at Jarod, giving an offensive hand guesture. "Idiot didn't even see the Speedlings behind. Figures." He snipes more aliens in the seating further away from the Phoenixes. The soldier sees the beam striking aliens then gives a thumbs up at Jarod. "That's what I like to see. Hehe."

"*CRRRRRRKKK*" "What the Hell was that", asks Mark. Jarod turns Mark's head upward. "I think that's the problem..." A large tower at the corner of the building rocks back and forth and eventually begins its descent toward the bottom area. "GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!!!" All soldiers at the bottom area run to the farthest walls. *BOOOOOOOOM* The entire stadium shakes as the massive tower smashes the center of the bottom area. A massive dust cloud forms without affecting the seating area. At the bottom, the tower has crushed several aliens and the cloud has blinded the aliens and are covering the soldiers' visors. A Perseus with a F.L.O.A.T backpack notices the blinded aliens and tells everyone. "The dust got in their eyes! Kill them while they're blind!" "Might have some trouble ensuring we don't hit each other", says a Perseus with a XO2B-FREEDOM. "Use close combat weapons", Miles orders as he switches to his Windblade. Nothing can be seen, but the sounds of aliens being killed are heard. Daniel shoots a few wandering Scorpions and sees a charging Rhino. "Rhino charging at nothing! Stay clear!" The Rhino crashes into the wall and receives a shot from Daniel's Morpheus. It turns around and runs in his direction. Back at the seating, only a couple hundred people remain.

One Phoenix contacts Miles reporting their progress. "That's great. Keep at it!" The Phoenix nudges another one and points his R100-RAILGUN randomly at the dust cloud. "50 units of Gold says I hit an alien." "Go for it, Mike!" *PEWWWWWWWWW* The laser cuts through the blind Rhino, ending its life. Mike receives a transmission. "This is Miles. What the Hell are you doing!? I see you killed an alien, but you three are supposed to be helping the people! Get back to work, NOW!!!" *KZZRT* "Ouch, man", comments the second Phoenix Scott. "Hey guys, need a bit of help here!" Energy Flies advance to Phoenix Doug while he's clearing the area. They fire energy projectiles at the heads of the people evacuating, killing them. "OH MY GOD, HE'S DEAD!" The people panic. Mike shoots arrows at the Energy Flies, hitting three simultaneously and killing any Flies within their splash radius. Doug attempts to calm the civilians. "We're almost done! I'm sorry for any fallen friends, but KEEP GOING TO THE OUTER WALL! GO GO GO!!!" They pick up the pace and rush the people faster. 

Down at the bottom, the dust cloud settles, allowing the soldiers to see again. Many killed aliens and some still walking in circles. One of the Thunder soldiers gets a bit excited. "H-hey, no one killed anyone! Hahaha!!! Now let's finish this!" The two Thunders activate their abilities and continue fire, killing the final aliens. "Great work", says Miles. *BEEP BEEP* "This is Miles. Talk to me." "Yo, it's Mike. We got the rest of the people out of the stadium. How's it going down there?" "Looking great. No more aliens, so I think that we-" A sudden loud roar is heard, followed by large blue portals appearing on the walls. Aliens march out of the portals, advancing to the soldiers. "Oh God, more of them!" says Mark. "This will be a never-ending battle if those portals keep appearing!" This gives Miles an idea. "Good point. The Phoenix Team and my squad will handle these aliens. The rest of you go find out what made that sound!"

The 6 soldiers exit Stadium A in search for the source of the sound. *RUUUUUUUUUU* "Did you hear that?", asks Eddie. "It sounded like it came from Stadium B." They note Eddie's observation and travel to Stadium B. This one is rectangular in constrast to its square counterpart. The stadium is completely empty. "Looks like there weren't any games here today. Good to know." Suddenly, a large portal appears on a wall and a large Serpent emerges. "Holy s-" *RUUUUUUUU* It slams its tail on the floor while spitting out purple fluid. "Uh-oh." Daniel activates the F.L.O.A.T function and rises from the ground. "FIRE!" the two Thunder soldiers run to the farthest corners of the stadium, equip their M-27B1 machine guns, activate their abilities, and fire at the large being. Daniel fires Trinity arrows, Jarod and Mark blast their NOVA27 guns, and Eddie fires a Black Disk. The serpent spits the purple fluid in a spread fire manner and burrows into the ground. "It's poison", notes Jarod. "And it's slowing me down! Ahhh!!" "Shut up for a second", Daniel angrily orders. Low rumbling sounds from below are heard. The serpent emerges into the air and creates a shockwave upon landing, knocking down Mark, Jarod, and Eddie. "This thing is feisty," comments a Thunder soldier. "Me-likey." The serpent fires a large glob of poison at the soldier and charges for the other Thunder soldier. He quickly dodges while still firing. "Feel the Thunder strike! Hahaha!!" *RUUURMMM* The sound it makes in response to the damage. *RUUUUUUU* It slams its tail again while spitting out poison.

"*FFFEWWW*" A portal opens at a wall and the beast charges at a high speed. They dodge unharmed as the portal closes. "Did it run away?" asks Eddie. A portal forms behind them without grabbing attention. The serpent rams into Eddie, bringing him along into the next portal. "EDDIE", shouts one of the Thunder soldiers. Another portal opens and the giant serpent slows down, which causes Eddie to fly far off into the air, outside the stadium. More poison is spat, hitting Mark and Jarod. It slithers up to them, preparing to slam its tail. "HEY, TAPEWORM, OVER HERE!" The serpent turns its head and faces Daniel. "Bet you can't get me!" It angrily spits poison at him. "Can't slow me down. What are you going to do about it!?" *FFFFEWWW* A portal opens and it charges at him. Daniel dodges via F.L.O.A.T speed ability. It opens more portals but manages to hit no one. The serpent begins to bury itself, to which the remaining soldiers fire at it until it is completely underground again. It emerges but dives into the ground again upon landing. It sprouts up again and dives back into the ground. "What are we going to do? This thing won't stop!" Jarod equips his sniper and waits patiently. The serpent comes up again. *PEEEEWWWWWWWW* *REEEUUUUGGG* It flails and crashes into a wall, never to move again. They stand there catching their breaths when suddenly, Mark notices something. "This thing... kind of looks like that leech on the Southerner's head." They take a closer look and realize what he said is true. "My God, it does look like it. Too caught up in battle to notice before, but yeah. This thing ain't 7 inches long, though. Also got more spikes than I remember." one of the Thunder soldiers says. "No size can withstand us!" He equips his Passer, slices a piece off, then stores it in his backpack. "The biologists might want to study it later." Suddenly, a blue rock falls out of the opening. "Mithril again?" asks Daniel. "These things are obviously eating this stuff to grow bigger and stronger. Must explains those mutants we've seen."

Daniel receives a transmission. "This is Miles. I don't know what you guys did, but it worked! The aliens stopped appearing and we can finally breathe! There is one thing, though. There's someone over in Stadium A in Draco armor... He's dead." "That's Eddie. A large serpent threw him over there." "Well, his body is completely crushed, the poor guy." "Well, I'm not picking up that body. Wayyy too much blood," says Mike. Scott replies "haha you said it!" Miles angrily shouts at them. "Will you two shut up!? He was a brave soldier. The least you can do is act like you care!" "Well head over there in a minute. Daniel, out." *KZZRRT* They travel back to Stadium A and gather around Eddie's corpse. A moment of silence for their fallen brother. The Thunder soldiers carry the body as they return to their ship. Both ships take off, leaving the planet's atmosphere.





Chapter 9[]

Location: Ark Space Station

Time: Unknown

Scene: Two carrier ships arriving at the docking bay.

Exiting the ships are the Perseus Squad, Phoenix Team, and trio soldiers. They stand in two single file lines as the two Thunder soldiers step out of the ship carrying the corpse of Eddie. The body is taken to the morgue and the Thunder soldier presents the piece of the Serpent to the biologists. They then travel to the Commander's office for status reports. Upon arriving, nothing but the Commander's Andromedae armor is seen. Miles approaches a stationed Cygni guard. "We must speak with the Commander." "The Commander is not here. He is overseeing a few weapons testing operations at the moment."

At the weapon test courses are seen test subjects using very special weapons. Miles, the Perseus Squad leader, approaches the Commander. "Miles, you're all just in time to see the weapons testing! We have scavenged the contents of the southern military soldier's strange backpack. We have named these weapons the White Drill, R700-AA, LIT07, and Plasma Neo." Several heated enemy cutouts appear in front of the test subject. The White Drill fires several red nails which spread out toward each enemy target. "Wonderful, isn't it? The White Drill launches heat-seeking nails that home in on all targets; the R700-AA (and this is the interesting part), has an ingenious stun system that slows down any target hit!; the LIT07 is a laser rifle much more powerful than the NOVA27 ever could be. It has double barrels, which means a doubled firerate; then the Plasma Neo fires poisonous plasma that infects whatever is within its splash radius! These weapons are marvelous!" Miles waits for the Commander to finish so that he may report. "Now, I can see the Stadium Arcadium mission went well, granted you're all here alive." "Sir, we lost one... soldier named 'Eddie'." "*sigh* I'll have to notify his relatives. This is never easy." "We also lost a couple of civilians at the Stadium, but those who did survive were escorted safely by the Phoenix Team. There was much collateral damage, but all hostiles were eliminated." Daniel adds to the report. "Yes, and the cause of the portals was from a large serpent, which we believe may be related to the parasite on the southerner's head." "Good God, you mean to tell me they come in bigger sizes?" "Well not exactly, this one looked much more fierce: it had much spikes and a swollen tail end. I think they're eating mithril to grow."

They travel back to the Commander's office. "A great time to mention this", says the Commander. "I have made a few visits to the biology department, and boy the things I've seen. The carcasses of the alien beings have a certain amount of mithril inside of them. The large purple ones had even more inside. The strange thing, the mithril was not digested, it was being stored. They're carrying it like a colony of ants!" Suddenly the Commander's voice console receives a message. "Commander, the sample of the large serpent presented shares DNA with the parasite on the southern soldier's head. Didn't even have to study deep, it was just there!" "Thank you." *KZZRT* "Well, then maybe that southern soldier made a portal and brought those things on our ship. Good thing that parasite was dying." "It was dying?", asks Jarod. "Yes, the biologists found it was infected with a disease that prevented full control over the southerner's nervous system." "Nervous system!? So that thing WAS controlling him!" "Exactly. Whatever we're dealing with right now is not the REAL issue, I'm sure of it."

The Commander's voice console receives a message yet again. "Sir, this is Curtis from the surveillance department. We are reporting heavy portal activity in the far northwest, near the prime meridian. It's nowhere near civilization." "Thank you, Curtis." *KZZRT* "It's about time we get to the bottom of this." The Commander activates the station's intercom. *Attention! This is the Commander speaking. We have traced the origin of the alien attacks. The coordinates will be installed into the ships' navigation software shortly. All elite soldiers, including I, will be dispatched to the location in several minutes. It's time to end this. Commander, out!* *KZZRT* "Now would be the time to take a potty break, as this'll be a long day." "Sir, yes sir!", the soldiers say in unison. 

Daniel, Mark, and Jarod take a moment to rest as the other soldiers ready for what may be the final battle. Daniel wipes his weapons and Jarod scrapes dirt from his boots. Mark breaks the silence. "Soooo, what do you two think about all this?" Jarod seems a bit confused. "What do you mean? This next mission?" "Yeah, that. What do you expect?" "Probably more alien mayhem." Daniel is the last to join the conversation. "It sure is much different from the days of being a miner. I'll admit while all these alien bloodsheds are fun, I do miss spending hours smacking rocks with a laser pickaxe." "Maybe we'll all be back in the mines by next week", says Mark. "I wouldn't count on it", replys Daniel. "For all we know, we could be entering the next phase of this war." "Guess we'll soon find out", Jarod adds. 

They stand up and go to the docking bay, where 5 ships are boarding with soldiers. They enter one of the ships, where the Phoenix Team and a few Atom-armored soldiers wait. The ships receive transmissions. *This is the Commander. We will enter flight in a short moment. Thank you.* *KZZRT* While waiting, the Phoenixes have a conversation. "Boy, can't wait 'till this is all over. Then we can get back to beating cadets at the Training Base!", says Mike. "Oh, that'll be fun, alright", adds Scott. An Atom soldier makes a disgusted grunt. *BSSSSSS* The ships leave the docking bay and descend to UBW-594244. *KZZRT* *This is the Commander speaking. We are now beginning our descent to the planet's surface. Prepare yourselves, we are now entering the Lair!* *KZZRT*




Chapter 10[]

Location: The "Lair".

Time: 22:25

Scene: Barren canyon.

Life fills the scene as 5 military ships make their landings. A large collective group of soldiers exit out of the ships. Upon leaving, they notice a large structure standing in the middle of the canyon. They approach the structure and stop at a few steps from it. "Men, I think we may have finally found our answer", says the Commander. The structure suddenly fires a large beacon in the sky, a light so bright that it can be seen from the Space Station. Lights spin around the structure as if it's powering up.

"*CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE*" Out from the ground, appear hundreds of Speedlings. The soldiers turn their back. "FIRE FIRE FIRE!!!"" In 5 seconds, the peace and tranquility became a very loud and graphic battlefield. "AWW YEA! My kind of crowd", says Doug as he swings his Windblade in circles. "Nice and steady, boys!", says the Commander. "Grab a clear ground and we'll begin fighting tactically!" The regiment destroys enough aliens to cover a small area. "Quickly soldiers, spread to the hills!" Obeying the Commander's order, they split into two sections and head for the hills, killing any aliens in the way. No aliens seem to appear at the two large hills, providing an advantage. Atop one hill, the Commander reaches into his VISNU backpack and equips a very unique weapon: the Energy Glove. He aims and fires a large energy fist at the aliens. *BOOM* All Speedlings within the radius burst into pieces. "Hahaha!!"

At the other hill, the Perseus Squad, Phoenix Team, and Atom soldiers fire their snipers down at pouncing Panthers. *PEWWWW PEWWWWW PEWWWWWWW PEWWW WWWWWWEP* "Ugh, this is no fun!", groans Mike. The other Phoenixes agree. "The Commander gave an order and we must abide by it!", comments Miles, followed by agreeing Perseus knights. "Patience wins the fight." "Not in my book", says Mike. The Phoenixes dash downward to the advancing aliens, slashing with Winblades, firing Trinity arrows, and shooting lasers. "What the heck!? HEY! DOUG, SCOTT, AND MIKE, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?", an angry Commander yells. "Getting the job done, boss!" An Atom soldier sighs, then runs downward the hill along with the other Atom soldiers. One stays and approaches Mark. "Coming, brother?" "Uhhh..." Mark takes a look around at the scene and joins them, surprising Daniel and Jarod.  "The Atoms too? Guards, assist them." "Yes, Commander! Right away!" The Cygnis dart downward and assist the Atoms and Phoenixes. Looking down at the soldiers, one atop the hill says, "Those fools! Having the higher ground always gives us the advantage!" *SCITTER SCITTER SCITTER* Energy Flies fly out from holes in the walls and fire at the mounted soldiers while strafing.  *PEWWWW PEWWWW PEWWWW* No shots hit. At the same time, the two Thunder soldiers say, "I think it's time FOR DA THUNDA!!!!!" *CHYYYK CHYYYYK... POWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOW* In seconds, the Energy Flies are nothing but dust particles.

Down at the canyon base is a bloodfest. Phoenixes with blood-soaked Winblades, scattering Atoms, and Cygni guards firing Lightbow arrows. *RAWRAWRAWRAWR* *RUUUUUUUUUU* "Brace yourselves, brothers", one Atom soldier says. "NOVA27s, now!" *PEWPEWPEWPEWPEW* As the Rhinos charge at the soldiers, Plasma Slugs fire their energy spheres at the gaps between Rhinos. An Atom and Phoenix are rammed forward. Suddenly, blue lasers pass through the Rhino's head followed by a collapse. "Stand clear", shout the Cygni guards. Green arrows pierce the aliens' heads followed by them exploding. *SPLAT*

The attacks suddenly come to a halt. Up from above, the Commander shouts, "AREA IS CLEAR! GOOD WORK, MEN!" They all come down to the center of the canyon to once again examine the strange structure. A large light emerges from the object and begins to grow. A mutated Scorpion and several mutated Energy Flies emerge from the light and attack. The Cygni guards immediately destroy the aliens with their Lightbows. The Commander is astonished. "It's a teleporter; a gateway for the aliens, and perhaps a gateway for us too. Lights spin around the tower as a new portal is in creation. *RUUUUUUUUUUHHHHRRRR* Out from the mountains, a large dragon flies downward, pushing the whole regiment off their feet. While they're down, the dragon swipes its claws at the tower, tearing out a blue object, and flies away. The beacon tower has powered down without the blue power source. "Follow that dragon!", shouts the Commander as they get back on their feet. The Perseus Squad, Atom soldiers, Commander, and trio enter one of the ships and quickly take off. Upon entering flight, the dragon is spotted flying ahead. "Target locked on!" "Fire turrets!" orders the Commander. *POW POW POW POW POW* "*RUUUUUUUUHRRR*" The dragon turns its head backward and spits a large fiery rock, slamming into the hull. "Defenses now at 89%." Suddenly, the dragon flies downward toward a cave near a pit. The ship comes to a stop and the trio, Perseus Squad, and Atoms are dispatched via rope.

They land in the pit and approach the cave enterance, preparing their night vision visors. "Wait", says Jarod. "I see a blue light." They creep toward the light source, but bump into something. "Ow! Hit a wall", grunts a Perseus soldier. "Wait... this is no wa-" Four orange eyes glow in the dark all the soldiers are pushed out of the wall as the dragon flies out of the cave and into the pit, where they have landed. *RAAAAAAAAAHHRRRR* The soldiers get their ground and prepare for battle. The dragon hovers and charges at Miles, ramming him into a wall. "AGH!" The Atom soldiers begin their routine of running around firing their NOVA27s. The dragon lunges at them, barely missing. "Not today", the Atom says. *PEW PEW PEW PEW PEW* The dragon feels overwhelmed and grunts in pain. *GRUUUH* It hovers in the air and begins circling the soldiers, rounding them into the center. It unleashes its feiry breath upon them. It lands and is about to strike the Perseus Squad when it's struck by arrows in the back. It turns around to see Daniel with scorched armor. "Still gotta kill us!", he says while next to Mark and Jarod with weapons ready. The dragon lowers its stance and spits rocks in a spread fire. Only Mark is hit, but Daniel and Jarod cover for him. *PEWPEWPEWPEW* The Atoms from behind grab the dragon's attention. It hovers and charges at them, but is stopped by a laser. *PEWWWWWWW* *GRUUUHHH* It lands on the ground and lets out a second battle cry. "Get up, sir!", a Perseus says while helping him on his feet. "Ugh! Let's make this thing scream! Atoms, take the eastern field; you three guys take the west; we'll take the north and south!" The dragon stands in the middle of the pit, wondering who it should strike first. "FIRE!" All fire their most powerful weapons at the mighty dragon, slowing it down immensely. In attempt to make one final strike, the dragon spread fires molten rocks at all their general directions. Some are hit while others are not. *RAAAAAAAAAAAA* The dragon has fallen. Miles creeps toward the dragon's face. "Don't mess with the Perseus Squad!" 

"What about that blue light?", Jarod asks. "Ah, yes. Let's see what that was." They re-enter the cave and find the light source to be a large stash of mithril. "Grab what you can of the dragon's horde!" They store some mithril in their backpacks and return to the ship. "Outstanding performance, gentlemen! That dragon should not interfere with our mission anymore." "Commander, we have found mithril in the cave it sought refuge in. I think what it tore from the beacon tower was mithril." "If that is true, then we can power it up again. Well done!" "Sir, thank you sir!" The ship arrives back at the canyon, where the Phoenixes and Cygnis wait. Jarod inserts mithril into the tower's gap. They wait in anticipation to see if mithril is the power source. Lights appear around the tower once more. They triumph in their success to find a replacement source of power. The beacon shoots into the sky once more and a portal appears, but nothing emerges.

The Commander steps closer to it, only to feel something blocking the way. "A force field... Guards, get your rocket launchers. I want all other soldiers to stand clear!" All soldiers take several steps backward as the Cygni guards equip their RPG launchers. "Fire!" *PSSSSUUUUU BOOOOOOOOM* *PSSSU PSSSUUU PSSSUUUUU PSSSSUUU BOOOOOOOOOM BOOM BOOM* A very colorful display as the Cygni fire RPG-21, RPG-24, RPG-31, and the new BLACK STARS. "Cease fire!" The smokes clears up and the tower is still intact. "All clear!", says one of the guards. The portal begins expanding, as if something is about to emerge. The Cygnis stand back and wait. *RAWRAWRAWR* *RAWRAWRAWR* *RAWRAWRAWR* Six Rhinos exit the portal. "Stand aside!", shouts the Commander as he equips the Laser Cannon. *RRUUUUUU PEEEEEEEWWWWWWW* All 6 Rhinos charge at him while slowing down from the damage. Within seconds, they disintegrate. "Now about that portal." They approach the portal while nothing is emerging. "I want the Thunder fighters, SEAL Team Atom, and Perseus Squad to guard this canyon in case anything funny happens." "Sir, yes sir!", they say in unison. "I want the Phoenix Team, Cygni guards, and my three favorite fighters to come with me. We're going end this once and for all!" 

As they approach the portal, it expands its size so all can enter. Within seconds, their images fade away as the portal vanishes, officially entering the unknown.




Chapter 11[]

Location: Unknown

Time: Unknown

Scene: Unknown

Inside complete darkness, or what seems to be a cave. A large portal opens from thin air. The Commander, Cygni guards, Phoenix Team, and trio emerge from the blinding light. They activate their night vision and look around to see they're in a small area. "Hmmm, some sort of cavern", says the Commander. Footsteps echo from a distance. The soldiers hide behind a wall. The footsteps become louder and a shadow is seen in a dim light in a tunnel connecting to the soldiers' area. A figure is seen walking by. It comes to a stop and looks around, mumbling in an unknown language. A Cygni guard sneaks up to the figure while it's not looking, Windblade in hand. He grabs the figure's head and stabs his Windblade deep into its skull, causing it to collapse. The soldiers take a closer look at the figure to see it wearing the mysterious Chaos armor. Voices of the same strange language are heard, as if calling out to someone. "Geerrstrahv? Errrshtav moacka glinof. Glinof, Merkua?" The Cygni guards equip grenade launchers and fire down opposite ends of the tunnel. They all take cover as two other Chaos figures walk toward the corpse. "URRRMAK!" *BOOM* "Well, now what?", asks Phoenix Doug. The sounds of a siren. *BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP* "Now that", comments Daniel sarcasitcally. "Run!", the Commander orders. "Which way, sir?" Shadows are seens approaching from one end of the tunnel. The Commander points to the opposite end. "This way!" They run down one tunnel hallway end, with unknown figures in pursuit. Mark, Daniel, and Jarod stop running and fire at the ceiling, creating a cave-in to block the pursuers. 

At the end of the tunnel, they reach a large metal wall with three doors. The soldiers ready their weapons as the Commander counts down. "3... 2... 1... GO!" The doors break down, with the trio entering the left door, the Phoenix Team entering the right door, and the Commander and guards entering the middle door. In the left room, the trio find themselves in a large room. "Woah", says Mark. "This looks like a warehouse!" They explore and find cryogenic chambers with Chaos soldiers inside each one. "Oh my God!", says Daniel. "I think... I think this is Hell's Army." Jarod captures their attention. "Hey look, one of these chambers is broken." They look closely to see a serial number on the chamber: 6066.  "6066?", thinks Daniel. "That thing we saw at the Space Station had that serial number on his helmet." Footsteps are heard. "Auhm murr chem." "Hide!" They hide behind cryotubes as Chaos guards walk by. One guard looks around in circles and begins sniffing the air. *sniff sniff* "Grrrrr." *KZZZRT* "Garrr ruh, Merr Y Ahh men sem ti yer klak... mhmm? Ah, si, merhgka." *KZZRT* "Herr bum nah koo chu." "What the devil are these things saying", wonders Daniel. The guards leave the room. "That was close. Let's see what else we can find." They walk past a window and see a testing chamber with a Chaos soldier firing a white/blue plasma weapon. "Oh, crap", says Jarod. "Looks like they've enhanced the Plasma Neo!" Daniel radios the Commander. *KZZRT* "Sir, there's more of these things. The Chaos armor. They're all wearing it, in cryotubes and they have a new plasma weapon in the works!" The Commander responds. "Good work, Daniel. Continue searching and be sure not to get caught." "Yes, sir!" *KZZRT*

In the right room, the Phoenix Team find themselves in a dark and moist den, stepping over sticky fleshy membrane on the floor. "Guhck, this stuff is nasty", says Mike. "Wait, what is that?", Scott asks. A small creature slithers across the floor. The Phoenixes equip their weapons and creep toward the center of the den. "I don't like this", says Mike. "Stay focused, guys. We may see arrows flying everywhere, if you know what I mean. Take advice from your old pal Doug." "You're right. Let's keep going." They reach the center, unsure of the purpose of the moist membrane material on the floor. Suddenly, something drops on Mike's helmet. "AHH GET IT OFF!" The creature burrows into the metal helmet as if it's made of paper. "OH GOD, IT HURTS! EH.. EHH..." "Get out of our friend, you stupid leech!", shouts Scott.  Mike stands back on his feet, very calmly. "Uhh Mike? You alright?" The blue lights on Mike's Phoenix armor begin to glow red. "Muushtav Grantavh!" "Come again?" "Scott, I think Mike's gone." The infected corpse of Mike points his Trinity bow at Scott and Doug. *FEUU FEUU FEUU* Scott and Doug dodge the exploding arrows, failing to notice more creatures slithering around the walls and ceiling. "Screw this, RUN!" Scott and Doug attempt to make for the door, but see it covered with the membrane. "No! No! NO!!!!" "Sterav Mangach kiv... accept your fate..." The leeches swarm over Doug and Scott, with their screams the last thing heard.

In the middle room, the Commander and Cygni guards climb a staircase. "Ah, good. Time to see where the portal took us." They open a hatch and reach the surface, only to see the ruins of a city overgrown with vegetation.  "What in the Hell is this place?", the Commander asks with much confusion in his speaking tone. A Cygni guard offers a suggestion. "Sir, this place... it looks like humans lived here. Perhaps we are in a deserted part of UBW-594244." The Commander checks his HUD for navigation. "This sector is uncharted. Besides, this place sure doesn't look like ol' UBW." "Sir, look! An ancient scroll!" "Let me see that." The guard hands the Commander what appears to be a tattered newspaper. "Top story: Earth declared uninhabitable, but hope still remains. Two weeks ago, astronomer Charles Manthackis had discovered..." The Commander crumples the newspaper and tosses it on the ground, followed by staring at the environment. He mutters to himself, "how can this be?" "Sir, how could Earth be so lush now?" The Commander ignores the guard and activates his radio transmitter. *KZZRT* "Phoenix Team, do you come in?... this is the Commander!... Answer me!" No answer. "Dammit, we've lost them! They're as good as dead!" *KZRRT* "Daniel, this is the Commander! We've reached the planet's surface. What's your status?" "Sir, these Chaos things, these Southern UBW soldiers, are preparing for war! We need to... uhh I'll have to call you back. My apologies." *KZZRRT*

"Might get crap for that later", says Daniel. They enter a strange room filled with stasis chambers. Inside the chambers, are the creatures that had been attacking territory on UBW-594244, one of each in the chambers. Suddenly, empty chambers near the occupied ones begin to glow. They emit blinding lights and go away, revealing clones inside the other chambers. "It's a cloning project!", says Jarod. "These things are bioweapons!" Suddenly, the chambers open and the creatures step out. Mark, Daniel, and Jarod ready their weapons, but the creatures do not attack. The Speedlings, Rhinos, Energy Flies, Panthers, Scorpions, Plasma Slugs, Acid Bombers, and Armored Armadillos simply walk past them. They're all confused, with Daniel the first to speak. "Was is this, some sort of trick?" A portal opens in the room and the alien clones march straight into it. "Mark, Jarod. We know what must be done." They ready their weapons at the stasis chambers containing the original aliens. "FIRE!" The chambers shatter, spilling out water and the creatures. The original aliens stand up, looking at the three soldiers pointing their weapons. Instead of attacking, they flee with much terror in their cries. "Poor things. Can only imagine how long they've been in those chambers."

Footsteps are heard. The sounds of many people running toward the area. "Oh no", says Daniel. "Weapons ready!" 10 Chaos guards burst into the room, weapons ready. "FRUGAH! DRAW DAR CABCAR!" "FIRE!" A firefight commences. The Chaos guards fire LIT07 rifles while the trio take cover behind the stasis chambers. "Boy, I could sure use a grenade launcher right now", says Jarod. This gives Daniel an idea. He equips his Morpheus and fires. *PSSHHH* "GRAHHHHH!!" *PEW PEW PEW PEW PEW* "They want to throw lasers at us, let's fight fire with fire!" Mark and Jarod equip their NOVA27 rifles and fire back, killing 4 guards. "Wait, what is that thing?" One guard equips the white plasma gun and fires. *CLAU CLAU CLAU CLAU* The three soldiers roll over behind different chambers and fire their weapons back. The remaining guards are killed and the soldiers raid their corpses of their weapons. Daniel takes the plasma gun and Mark and Jarod take the LIT07 rifles. "Aww yea! Been aching to try one of these out!", says Mark in excitement.

"We should get going", says Jarod. "Let's get to the Commander's position." "Hold that thought, Jarod." *KZZRT* "Commander sir, this is Daniel again. We had to kill more guards, but we got ahold of their weapons! Where are you?" "Good work, men! We're still at the surface. We may have found another alien building. We'll rendezvous at the surface entrance. Get going!" "Sir, yes sir!" *KZZRT* "Let's get to the three door chamber!" The trio backtrack their steps and eventually reach the room where they all originally seperated. "We made it!" *pant* "Up the staircase!" Low rumbling sounds are heard from the sealed door on the right. The door bursts open and the Phoenixes emerge, glowing red. "Woah", says Mark. "How'd you get your armor to glow red?" They stand silent. "You guys alright?" "Mark,... I don't think they're here to help us." The Phoenixes point their weapons at the trio. "CHUUR GRUM LAAA!! GURSTAV MUN CHO!" "Oh God, they've turned! FIRE!!!" The infected Phoenix Team rips the weapons out of the trio's hands and drop their weapons too. "What do you want, a fistfight?" The Phoenixes raise their fists and nod. "You got it! ATTACK!" Daniel delivers the first blow at one of them. The infected Phoenix dodges and immediately elbows him in the back, causing him to fall. It grabs Daniel by the legs and slams him against Mark, then throws him at Jarod. "AHHH CA CA!! DAMMIT!" It starts kicking Daniel then bodyslams Jarod. The infected Phoenixes let out a gruesome laughter. The soldiers lay there in pain. Mark crawls toward his LIT07 and fires through their heads, killing all three simultaneously.

The trio gets back to their feet, grunting in pain. "Oh, I think I may have a bruise", says Jarod. Daniel is amused by his sarcasm. "Haha! I think they did a bit worse. Hope you guys have enough energy to climb up those stairs." "Wait", says Mark. "I found some things in their backpacks. Yes! They're giant med kits!" "Ah yes. These things will patch us up in no time!" They take the medicine and their pain is eased within a minute. "Yes! I feel like I could take on this whole planet!", says Daniel. They run up the stairs faster than they have ever climbed stairs. They burst through the latch and reach the planet's surface, where the Commander and Cygni guards await. "Glad you made it alive, men." "Our pleasure, Commander! But the Phoenixes. They were infected. They started talking that gibber jabber like the Chaos guards." "Shame. We really could have used their help right about now... anyway, we think we may have found the main body of these aliens. About a mile north (or what I think is north), there's a building covered in alien markings. A large building that leads back to the underground base. Let's get going!" "Sir, yes sir", they say in unison. They head off into the distance, with the hopes to end the madness once and for all.




Chapter 12[]

Location: Ancient Earth ruins.

Time: Some time in the afternoon.

The soldiers have been walking straight for about a mile since reaching Earth's surface. Strangely, no disturbances other than a few Speedlings and Panthers running across the street. Up ahead, they see a large abandoned palace. "That's the place", says the Commander. "There were strange bio-readings from my HUD. Guards, get your rocket launchers ready." The Cygni guards blow up the front entrance and run inside, RPGs reloaded. What they see confuses them. Or rather, what they don't see. "Sector clear." The Commander and trio proceed into the palace, weapons at hand. As their travel deeper into the abandoned palace, they see strange pistons coming through the ground. "Eh? I don't remember reading about large pistons in the history books", says Jarod. The Commander shushes him and they fall silent.

A low, horrid sound echos through the palace. The Commander hand-signals the soldiers to walk toward the general direction of the sound's possible source. Down a long corridor, they walk. Up ahead lies a large door. The Cygni guards slowly approach the door and listen closely. *HHHHHHUUUUUMMMMMMMM* They ready their RPG launchers once again and look at the Commander. He signals approval and rockets fly. *FEEEWWWWWWW POW POW POW POW BOOOOOOOMM* "GO GO GO", shouts the Commander. They all run through the smoke, weapons at the ready.

On the other side, they find themselves in a dark room the size of a warehouse. "Nice and easy, men. Except the unexpected." Footsteps echo about in the room as something approaches from the shadows. The breaths of trio begin to increase in pace and volume as the sounds draw near. A single figure walks out from the shadows: a man in black Chaos armor. The voice of this figure is much lower in tone and begins to fluctuate. "Grrrr avvvch grrr... gree... gree... Greetings, adversaries." The soldiers take a step back at the sound of the figure speaking a human language. "Welcome to your home." The Commander decides to converse with the being. "You! Who are you?" "I am Aivsht Murak. I see you have encountered my children. They've been reporting to me of human intruders." "Pleased to meet you, Murak", the Commander says with sarcasm. "Why are you attacking us?" Murak lets out a deep chuckle. "That's a question of identity. It's our purpose to take the minds of creatures and destroy their homes." "Take the minds? You mean the brain?" "Percisely. We burrow into the host, kill their spirit, and preserve their bodies. We are their new brains. I must say, you humans were tough to infect. Especially your southern friends. The southern Commander proves to be a great body. I hope he knows that, wherever he is now." Daniel gets antsy. "Listen, you stubborn little parasite! We-" "Patience, Daniel", the Commander says. "Oh, I am not just a worm anymore. I have embedded into the southern Commander's brain now. I AM the southern Commander."

"Besides, we are not the only parasites. We are at least grateful. You see this planet that was once yours? When we came around, natural resources were scarce. You foolish humans didn't even think that everything would grow back. Now it's ours, and we've made better use of it than you ever have. As I speak, we are harvesting energy from the planet's core! Combine that with the mithril the Earthling clones have been bringing us, just you wait." "Enough", the Commander shouts. "This has gone too far. You and your people have caused severe collateral damage and the deaths of many. We shall negotiate peace." "HA HA HA!!! You humans are just too soft. When we infected the South UBW military, we finished their armor for them and made it better than ever! You need us to do the dirty work!" "What does that matter to you? You said it yourself that you destroy the homes of your hosts!" "You hosts are ungrateful scavengers and must pay the price!"

The Cygni guards and trio all point their weapons at Murak. He notices the LIT07 rifles and the white plasma gun. "Using our own technology against us? Now that's what I like to see. How do you like the Crab?" "Enough", says the Commander. "Denying peace is an act of war!", he says while pointing the Laser Cannon. "You have one more chance, Aivsht Murak. Surrender, or die!" Another low-pitched laughter. Four sharp appendages grow out from Murak's back. "That's what I thought", says the Commander as he charges the Laser Cannon. *PEWWWWWEEWWWWWEWWW* Right in Aivsht's chest, yet he does not even flinch. The appendages enlongate and one travels straight at the Commander, piercing the Andromedae armor and his torso. "AHHHCK!" "NOOOO!!!!" The Cygni guards fire their RPGs at Murak immediately. Meanwhile, Mark, Daniel, and Jarod tend to their fallen leader. "Commander, sir!", says Jarod. "Your chest!" The Commander struggles to speak. "Don't... worry about that. *grunt* Take my weapons. *grunt* In my... b-b-ba-backpack." He takes out the Laser Cannon, Energy Glove, and a Black Disk. "Save humanity... *grunt* no...  *grunt* the galaxy!" "Commander-" "That's an order!" The Commander lets out a long sigh and falls silent. "Sir... yes sir!", they say in unison.

They turn back to the battle, where the Cygni guards are dodging the appendages and Murak's body has shaped into a fibrous-like root system of appendages, now appearing much taller then previously. They ready their weapons: Mark with the Laser Cannon; Daniel with the Energy Glove; Jarod with the Black Disk. "On the count of three", says Daniel. "One, two, FIRE!" The blue fists and energy disks travel toward Murak, to which he ducks by instinct. "What is this?", he says while the large laser passes through him. His appendages sweep the floor and slam the Cygni guards to the wall. He approaches the trio, impressed by their weapons. "This is amusing. Going to punch, cut, and fry me to death, you think? Think again!" "We're not afraid of you!", shouts Daniel. "The Commander's order WILL BE CARRIED OUT!"  Murak lets out a large, low-frequency roar. *RRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEERRRR* "Fire in the hole!", a voice from behind. Rockets strike the Murak's back. "GAH! Little white pests!"

The trio fire their weapons again, save for Mark, who is called to by Daniel. "Mark, try something new with that Cannon. Cover as much mass as you can with that thing. Don't let him see it!" Murak faces the Cygni guards and slashes with the blade appendages while Daniel and Jarod fire their weapons. Mark sneaks to Murak's side and fires the Cannon. *PEWWWWEWWEEWEWEWWW* Murak is finally injured. "GAH! I have had enough of that pesky cannon!" Suddenly, the Laser Cannon yanked out of Mark's hands and floats toward Murak, melding into his body. Four more appendages sprout from his back, all with organic Laser Cannons at the end of each. *WWHHHHEEEW PEEEEEWWWEWEWEWWEWWWW* "AHHH HA HAAAA HAAA!!! STRAUCH MAAH ART TKEN DEEEH!!!!" The soldiers find themselves scattering across the floor, avoiding the four continuous beams. "Have a taste of your own medicine! Ha ha ha!!!" More rockets strike Murak. "You just love giving me ideas!" All of the rocket launchers float out of the Cygni guards' hands and float toward Murak. From behind, Jarod carefully aims the Black Disk at the Laser Cannon appendages and fires, slicing through two of the ends. The rocket launchers fall to the floor and Murak screams in pain. Mark hurries to the appendages and inserts his hands into each of them. "Dual arm cannon power!" *PEWWWWEWWEWEWEWWWW* Right through Murak's legs. He slams his appendages on the floor and sweeps the floor again, knocking all but Daniel off the floor. "Can't trip a floating man! Haha!", he says while firing more blue fists. "Sucker punch!" *BOOM* "RRRRSTAVH LUSHTRAVACKRAH!" 

The Cygni guards get back to their feet and lock on Murak's body. *FEEEWWWWW BOOOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM* The giant has collapsed at last. The appendages retract, taking the form of a black Chaos suit once again. They gather around Murak's body while catching their breaths. He tries to stand back up, but falls under his own weight. "No! This can't be! You cannot defeat me!" "Deny it all you want, Murak. Perhaps your species are the weak ones", says Mark. Suddenly, he lets out another fit of laughter. "What? What's so funny?", asks Daniel. "You think you've won!? Sure, your friends back at UBW-594244 are still alive, but they won't hear the tale of how you all perished in battle!" "What are you talking about?" "I have DIRECT CONTROLS to core havest. I can set the machines to destroy this planet in minutes!" "You're insane! Your people will die too!" *BEEP* "I guess they won't know what hit them! Good luck trying to get out of here! HAA HA HA HAAA!"

The pistons begin to operate violently, causing the ground to rumble along. "Earth is going to blow!", says a Cygni guard. "RUN! BACK THE WAY WE CAME!" They run out of the palace with all their might, to the streets. All the mutated animals running around in panic as the planet's sky flashes yellow. "WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" They reach the hatch leading to the base and run down the stairs and back inside the tunnel system. They reach the cave-in blocking their path. "CLEAR!" *FEEWWWWW BOOOM* "GURASTCHAV!" Twenty Chaos guards begin firing their weapons. Daniel and Jarod use the stolen weapons back at them, only managing to known down a couple. "STAND ASIDE!", shouts Mark as he raises his arm cannon appendages. *WEEWWWW PEWWWWWWWWWEWEWEWEWEWW* In a matter of seconds, the Chaos guards have fried. They proceed, as the walls are falling apart.

They reach the section they arrived in, but no portal is present. "THERE'S NO PORTAL! WHAT DO WE DO!?", asks Jarod. "This way", a Cygni guard says while pointing in the opposite direction that they left in. They travel in the direction that the first Chaos guards had come from. They run into a large room with Chaos guards scampering. "HUMAN!" They fire their weapons, but are quickly countered by the explosives of the RPGs and Energy Glove. Jarod runs up to a console. "It's a portal generator! I need a minute to activate one!" A large beam shoots at the backside of the room and a portal slowly grows. "TRRANGAV!" "Great, more of them!" "Keep me covered while I get this portal going!" One by one, Chaos guards run into the room firing at the soldiers. The Cygni guards use their Lightbows for personal safety and Daniel uses the Morpheus. Mark charges his cannons but is nearly shot. He ducks for cover, charges the cannons, then quickly stands back up before they fire, clearing the guards.

"THE PORTAL IS READY", shouts Jarod. "GET IN NOW!" They run toward the portal as explosions fill the room. The portal stars closing and their images begin to fade away. "GWAVUE!" A single Chaos guard runs toward the portal and begins pulling the soldiers out. "No, get away!" Daniel tries to release the guard's grip, but has trouble, given its extra strength. Five seconds to the portal closing, Daniel kicks the Chaos guard away. "KLEERRAHHV!" It pulls a R700-AA from its Dracula backpack and prepares to fire. *PEWWWW-* Before the laser can reach them, the portal has closed.



Epilogue[]

Location: Lair

Time: 27:26 (about night time)

On the cliffs, the Perseus Squad, SEAL Team Atom, and Thunder soldiers wait. Suddenly, a bright light shines upon them down at the base of the canyon. From the tower, the final portal is created. "The Cygni guards and trio emerge from the portal with part of an explosion behind them. The tower permanently powers down. The soldiers atop the hill point their weapons, with Miles shouting at them. "STOP! DROP YOUR WEAPONS IMMEDIATELY!" They drop their weapons, save for Mark, who's weapons are stuck to his arms. "Hey", shouts a Cygni guard. "It's us, the guards! And the other soldiers!" They lower their weapons. "Where is the Commander? And the Phoenix Team?" The soldiers fall silent and lower their heads. The soldiers on the hill gasp, followed by whispering. "One hour ago...", Daniel explains. "One hour ago, the Commander was struck in the chest by the leader of the Hell's Army, or the masterminds behind the alien invasion. His body was punctured and died within a minute." More chatter heard from the soldiers atop the hill. "The Phoenix Team were infected by brain parasites just like the southern soldier. We had no choice but to kill them in battle." "And the location of 'Hell's Army'?", asks an Atom soldier. "Planet Earth." *GASP* "The alien leader set our original home to self-destruct. We escaped in the knick of time. The threat is over." "It's over?", asks a Perseus soldier. The soldiers rejoice over their success. They get back into their ships and leave the canyon.

A ceremony is held at a northern military base, down on UBW-594244's surface, commemorating those lost in the human/alien war. Several speeches are given from many soldiers. Rememberance of those lost in each battle. "We will never forget those we lost to the alien threat", says Daniel atop a podium. "The mining team at F.H Cavern, William Redgrove at the Energy Core; countless cadets at the Training Base; those lost at Ark Space Station; civilians at Stadium Arcaduim; Eddie Wilson; Mike Mckenzie, Scott Marson, and Doug O'Neal of the Phoenix Team; the entire Southern UBW Military, whose poor souls were possessed by the alien parasite!; and our brave Commander, Andrew Sullivan, who led us in a time of crisis. Let us never forget his leadership skills, which led us on the path of victory!" The audience cheers.

The Northern UBW prime minister approaches the podium. "UBWians, brave fighters! The people of UBW-594244 would not be alive today if it weren't for your honor, courage, and commitment! The deaths of our fighters will never be in vain. Humanity has made a big achievement! Despite all the wars on UBW and on Earth, we have always pulled through. Today, you all proved that even when assaulted by alien invaders, humanity can still survive! Will Mark Aaron, Daniel Peterson, and Jarod Dawson please come up here?" Mark, Daniel, and Jarod approach the podium. "Gentlemen. You have made such big contributions to all the major battles and strategies. For your acts of bravery, I hereby bestow upon you three the Medal of Honor." He puts the medals around their necks and they salute. The audience cheers again.

Without the Commander, the Northern UBW military had to carry on. New military leaders were appointed and in the Commander's honor, the Andromedae armor was mass-produced. The equipment of Hell's Army was modified and distributed as normal weapons. Mark's dual laser arm cannons were taken into study and today, their properties remain unknown. Military in the south was rebuilt and were at peace with the northern military. Mithril is still mined under military operations.

Mark went on to leave the military and live a low profile life. No one has heard from him in a while and is believed to desire a peaceful life. Daniel remained in the military and became a general of the army. Jarod left to to study engineering at Trailblazer University. One month after the alien defeat, a bright light began shining in the night sky. Astronomers believe the source of light to be from the destruction of Earth. Many people spend the night staring at it, and resorts have been established for having a good view of the light. Through domestic and foreign wars, humankind has pulled through and is now at peace.

The End[]

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