Skittles the Suger Fairy: Yes I know it was long, but it's here. About Tails, yes, Tails will have a very large and very important role in the story. You are correct, poor Sonic... I'm gonna go ahead and say it REALLY doesn't get much better for him, but there'll be a few... perks, he's gonna get. As for Shadow, that's what I can't wait for as well, I've been friekin DREAMING of when the Marines hit the dirt and fight the androids, it's the ONE scene I've always had in my head, from the start. Thank you, I enjoy your reviews!
Stupicfic: Yes... the bunnies are dead... I killed the little bunny children. But no worries! I'm sure there's like, 2 or 3 dozen more to take their place...
chaosdemon: Oh, you like the gore, huh? Well... I gots your gore. Trust me, this thing will get bloody. And yes, I liked having the androids shoot the bunnies... my favorite part of the chapter!
Okay... I can explain why this took so long...
1. I completely ignored this thing for a month, then wrote this in 3 days, then ignored it again for another 2 weeks without posting...
2. I've been reading the Ender Saga by Orson Scott Card... damn... he... is... good... (I'm on Children of The Mind)
3. ...Umm... School?
4. I'm a lazy bastard.
5. My borderline obsessivecompulsive need for everything to be perfect, I can never accept my own work, so no matter what I do, I never feel like it's good enough.
5. This chapter was never supposed to exist! It was never in the original script, and the only thing even close to this happening was just a single line of dialog ... I'll... explain later, but for now, just read,
By the way, I changed the human organization back to the U.N.E., it just fits better. So it's the United Nations of Earth... not... whatever the hell I had it as before... I can't even remember what I changed it to...
Anyway! On with the show.
"So… where we goin?"
A dark green truck drove down the dirt rode, it's extended cargo bed was framed with steel bars.
"To play nanny, we're checkin up on this village, remember? We went over this, you were right there!"
A white star was painted on the truck, a sign of a military transport. Nine Mobians sat on the back of the truck, dressed in uniforms and holding weapons.
"Yeah man, bet you were to busy starring at the lieutenant's ass to pay attention to the briefing"
They were wearing olive drab uniforms, suits covered with pouches and bags containing ammunition and gear. Green steel helmets covered their heads, secured by a leather chin strap.
"Shut up man. But come on, can you blame me? She's hot! I don't know how a pretty kitty like that got to be in charge. I bet she had to show the brass a thing or two to get the position."
They carried guns made from wood and steel, most of them being rifles. A few of them carried sub-machine guns, and a few others also carried carbines.
"Tell me about it. What I wouldn't give to get a piece of that. I'd get her down and-"
The nine were an assortment of Mobians, dogs, cats, and rats mostly. A brown hedgehog was also part of the group. His quills were shortened, short enough to accommodate the helmet. His fur was a light shade of brown, one that matched his amber eyes.. He carried a large backpack radio on his back, and he held a rifle as he starred out at the rolling fields they passed.
"Quiet down Corporal, I'd rather not know your fantasies about your superiors. I'd hate to know what you think about me"
The hedgehog ignored the laughter, he watched as the trees and the hills passed. He shifted the radio around and gripped his rifle. He didn't want to be here, he really didn't.
"Calhoun, you got something wrong with you?"
He turned to the dog who was speaking to him. The Sergeant had turned the entire squad's attention to him, "No sir" he replied.
"Well then laugh! Laughter's good for ya!"
"Yes sir…" He replied, his tone meager. The truck continued on until they reached the village. The Sergeant ordered everybody out and they approached. But instead of lively streets full of people to greet them, they were met with emptiness. The town seemed eerily empty, even though village was small, and truly couldn't have very many people, it still seemed unnaturally quiet. There should be children playing, people walking about, cars driving around. They should at least be able to hear activity somewhere else in the town, but there was nothing… just emptiness.
"Umm… they know we're coming, right?"
The hedgehog stayed at the back, behind the others. They had intended to walk to their destination, but the Sergeant ordered them back on the truck, and they drove through the village, clenching their weapons as they looked around. It didn't seem to be abandoned, lights were still on in the houses, cars were still parked, and newspapers were sitting on the pouches.
"Isn't there normally some kinda chaos when towns are like this? Fires and wrecked cars and newspapers blowing in the wind?"
They went down a street lined with homes, intending to head to the town center. Everything was still, wind wasn't even blowing, the entire scene was simply surreal.
"Maybe they're all eating dinner…"
They drove by blocks and down streets, they continued for minutes without seeing anyone, not a soul to greet them.
"Seriously, this is pissing me off, stop the car!"
A rat jumped from the truck and approached a house with lights in the windows and a car in the driveway. He knocked on the door, and received no answer. He pounded on the door, and still got nothing. "Hey! Anyone home?"
He waited, still no answer. He considered knocking the door down, but he grudgingly returned to the truck and they continued on their way.
"This just isn't normal. Isn't this place filled? How can everybody be gone?"
They reached the city hall, a large building in the center of a park. They unloaded and walked into the large building. The halls were made of marble and stone pillars and columns were everywhere. Multiple stories, ceiling paintings, and decorations everywhere, the building seemed strangely grand for a simple village. Like before, nobody was there, and no signs of any conflict were evident.
Finally, someone asked what was on everybody's minds, "What the fuck is going on here!?"
The hedgehog looked around the room, his gaze passing across the painted ceiling, the plants, and the stairs. Everything seemed normal, if it wasn't for the complete lack of people, things would be perfect.
"Calhoun, get on that radio and tell command what the hell's going on." The Sergeant ordered.
The hedgehog nodded and took the radio off his back and picked up the transmitter. He dialed the frequency for their command post, and gave his report. The squad spread out as he spoke. "No signs of life, village appears abandoned. No signs of struggle, it's like everybody just picked up and left"
The Sergeant walked over to him, "Hand it here" He said, reaching out his dark paw. Calhoun hesitated for a moment, until he handed the transmitter over and let the Sergeant talk. The dog retold their story so far, recapping their progress and their orders as Calhoun waited.
He looked around for the other members of the squad. He could see the rat lounging on a cushioned chair, the cat corporal flipping through a magazine, and the others spread out around the lobby. He looked out the open door, and gazed at the empty street. He felt uneasy, and couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen.
"What?!" The Sergeant shouted, taking everybody by surprise. He darted his head around the lobby, "You've got to be shitting me!" He grabbed his sub-machine gun and screamed into the transmitter, "Over and out!"
He shoved the transmitter back into Calhoun's hand, "We've got trouble!"
Calhoun had no idea what was about to happen, and he had no way to suspect what happened next. A CRACK filled the lobby, and off in a corner, a dog was knocked to the ground. They saw the puff of blood shoot from his head, and the CLUMP of his body hitting the floor.
Calhoun was stunned, he had never seen anyone killed before, but before he had the chance to contemplate what he just saw, the Sergeant screamed, "Move!"
The hedgehog picked himself up and followed the others as they ran out the door, rounds impacting the ground behind them. They intended to run to the truck, but when they got outside, they froze in their tracks. The streets no longer empty, a dozen figures emerged from buildings and from behind cars. The truck drivers had been killed; their bodies had been thrown out of the vehicle and into the street.
Calhoun could see their attackers rusted orange bodies against the setting sun, and the sleek black guns they held. They walked into the open street and opened fire at the soldiers, and the Sergeant cried for them to get to cover; they jumped behind the large pillars at the building's entrance, and returned fire.
Gunfire filled the air, rounds whizzed by the soldier's heads as they pressed against their stone cover. Puffs of dust and smoke flew everywhere as they pillars were struck by bullets, sending bits of the stone everywhere. The squad opened up with everything they had, pouring on the fire against their attackers. The squad shouted and roared as they fired.
"Eat it!"
"What the fuck are they!?"
"Reload!"
"Shit! Man down!"
"Aaarrgh!"
"You want some!? Come get it!"
Calhoun gritted his teeth as a bullet struck the column beside him; he aimed down the iron sights of his rifle and spotted an enemy. He squeezed the trigger and winced at the muzzle flare, he fired over and over again until his rifle ran dry. The clip ejected with a loud PING, and he ducked down and reloaded. He peeked out to check on the target, only to find him still standing.
Dust kicked up all around them as bullets hit everywhere around them, pinning them down. Two more soldiers were lost, another pair of dogs killed by lethal shots to the head and heart. The Sergeant reloaded his sub-machine gun and gave them the command to get back inside, as they could mount a defense in there. The soldiers steeled themselves and jumped to their feet. They dashed inside the building only to be met with a flurry of bullets. Two enemies stood on the stairwell, pouring automatic gunfire on them. They dashed to a room off to the side, but the rat was caught in the hail of gunfire and was mowed down, splattering blood all over the tan walls.
They reached the room to find it to be a large waiting area, tables and chairs filled the room. The Sergeant ordered them to take cover and stay down. They kicked over tables and dived behind chairs and couches and aimed at the door. The pair that had fired on them entered the room, spraying it with bullets. The rounds went straight through the thick wooden tables and the heavy cushions, filling their cover with holes and hitting the cat in the heart.
The Sergeant pulled the pin from a grenade and tossed it at the attackers; detonating at their feet and sending shrapnel everywhere and blowing out the windows. One was brought to his knee and the other was knocked back against the wall, yet they did not bleed or die. The squad fired on them, and Calhoun saw they their bullets only seemed to leave small dents in their enemy, and the rounds ricocheted away from them. They were fighting machines!
He could now see the orange metal that encased its body, the glow from their red eyes, and the sleek black metal their weapons were made from. He cursed and primed a grenade himself, hurling it at them with a yell of, "Frag out!"
It detonated once more and knocked them off their feet, but he saw they were still getting up, and he knew they needed a way out. The Sergeant knew this as well, and he ordered his squad through the emergency exit in the back of the room. They took their opening and shoved the door open, running through it as the Sergeant peppered the downed machines with his sub-machine gun.
They in a long concrete hallway, and as they ran down the hall, Calhoun couldn't help but notice how strange this building seemed, but he didn't have the time to dwell on it. They reached another door at the end of the hallway and kicked it open, pouring through it.
They were outside and greeted with a moment's peace before coming under fire again. Two more machines stood on the roof and fired down at their uncovered position. The Mobians dashed for cover, pressing against the far side of the building. The Sergeant had to think fast, and he ordered his squad to perform a risky maneuver, to cross the street and hold up somewhere else.
He gave the order, and after a moment's hesitation, the squad sprinted across the street, bullets coming down on them like rain. The second cat in the squad was hit on the way, and was filled with holes before anyone could help him. They ran down an alleyway and picked a random house to hide out in, going in the back door and closing it behind them.
Finally, after everything that just happened, they took a breath and could rest for a moment. They counted who was left… they had lost 6 soldiers in the firefight, and all that remained was the Sergeant, a cat, and the brown hedgehog. The Sergeant cursed and ordered Calhoun to radio in for support, and to warn them about what's going on.
Calhoun nodded and relayed the message, telling how they had just been attacked and detailed the attackers. Command said that they'd send backup, but it would take awhile … the survivors didn't like this…
"How long?!" The Sergeant barked, "Do they not realize what we're fighting? How are we supposed to last that long!? Those fuckers! Do they even care about us!?"
Calhoun listened to the Sergeant rant, the dog was enraged, but he could tell that the Sergeant was afraid; terrified… he was as well. Tears were forming around the cat's eyes, and he knew he was about to break down. Calhoun, however, just sat there, expressionless… he knew he could die here, he knew was most likely going to die here, and he was afraid… but he didn't show it. His cousin had always told him not to give in to fear, that he could always overcome anything that faced him and whenever he was afraid, to look his fear right in the eye and overcome it…
His cousin sure as hell had room to talk…
They stayed in the house for awhile, each one of them trying to get ready to go back out there, or for when the machines found them. They had realized they couldn't fight back the same way they were used too; their guns didn't seem to have much affect, if any, on them.
Calhoun couldn't stand the waiting, his instincts were on edge, he wanted to run, to escape, to simply run until he got away. The instinct to run is embedded in the hedgehog genome, it's what they do best, and what they're best known for.
CRASH
Everyone jumped to their feet as the window shattered, and something came through it. A glowing blue tube flew through the house and landed in the room. The Sergeant screamed for them to run, and they scrambled out of the room as the tube's light became blinding. The entire house shook as an explosion racked the building, completely destroying the room they used to be in. The squad rushed out of the house, but the explosion grew, and before they all made it out, flames erupted and turned the entire house into a massive fireball.
The squad was blown away from the blast, and the survivors quickly gathered that the cat had not made it out. He had been caught in the explosion and burned to death in an instant. They had no time to mourn, they picked themselves up and ran down the street, their destination being the main road to the village.
Calhoun pulled ahead, he felt the wind in his face, the earth passing underneath his feet, and the buildings he passed by. Gripping his rifle, his radio on his back, his body weighted down by ammo… but he felt none of it. He felt exhilarated, he felt weightless, and for a brief, fleeting moment, he felt that nothing could stop him.
He saw the road coming into view, he could see the long street that lead in and out of the city, and the way seemed clear. But… that was before he saw the blockade…
The machines had moved cars to block the road, it was far too large to be just for them, it had to be for something larger, like a vehicle. Wait… did they know about the reinforcements? Calhoun hid behind a building and waited for the Sergeant, who caught up several seconds later, commenting about him being to fast for his own good.
They saw the barricade and tried to come up with a plan. The Sergeant growled at this new situation, and he decided to take refuge in the house they were hiding behind, so they could keep an eye on the road. They entered quietly, and took up positions at the windows, keeping watch on them while keeping out of sight.
They stayed there for several more minuets, watching as they pushed cars and set up defenses. They were sure that this wasn't the only way they were barricading; they seemed to be preparing for an attack, so they seemed likely to hold this place, instead of just up and leaving.
But what were the reinforcements going to do? Maybe they would bring better weapons, or maybe tanks to deal with them, but the two had no way of knowing. So they waited, not daring to use the radio again out of the risk that they could hear them.
After what seemed to be an eternity, they saw trucks in the distance. The machines scrambled and got into firing positions. The trucks came closer, and the pair could see the soldiers that sat in the trucks... they didn't see any armor.
Calhoun gripped his rifle, ready to open fire if they shot at the trucks. The machines made no effort to hide themselves as they did with them, they stood out in the street and behind cars. A lone enemy climbed a building and stood on the roof, aiming its weapon. The gun shifted and extended, extending into a long rifle. The machine gripped it and aim down the sight, lining up its shot...
BANG
The machine's aim was thrown off from the bullets hitting its body; it turned and fired into the window where they were hiding. This set off a chain reaction, and suddenly half a dozen of the things were gunning for them, and they could barley fight back. Calhoun immediately regretted his decision, and the two soldiers quickly ran from the building, off into a back alley away from the machines.
They ducked and wheeved, dodging attacks and escaping from their enemy. They could hear the sounds of combat, and knew the two forces had engaged. They managed to loop around, and saw the battlefield that the street had become.
Cars were lit up in flames, bodies littered the ground, blood stained the street, bullets whizzed through the air, and the cries of battle were all around. The reinforcements had attacked, and the machines were tearing them apart. The once empty street was filled with chaos, and the two soldiers had no idea how they would escape it.
They sprinted across the battle zone, narrowly dodging several machines, until they reached an overturned truck where four soldiers were crouched behind. The pair ducked down and took cover, asking what's going on.
"Hell if I know! These things are insane! We need to either pull out, or call in the big guns." A dog soldier said as he ducked under the car. They had lined their trucks up to provide cover, though several of them had exploded, the soldiers took the risk and pressed against them as bullets rained down on them.
The new soldiers were armed different weapons, black assault rifles made from steel and plastic, and they put more of a dent in the enemy then their weapons did. The Sergeant picked up one of these weapons and took shots at the machines that were standing in the street absorbing the gunfire. The rounds still bounced off, and it still stood and fired as if nothing had hit it, that's all these new weapons did, put dents in them…
Just as everything seemed hopeless, they heard a voice shout out over the chaos, "Armor's advancing!"
A line of tanks came rolling over the grassy hills, eight machines of destruction, barrels and cannons aimed at the war-torn street. The soldiers scrambled and got out of the line of fire, and when it was clear, the massive weapons opened fire.
Machine guns flared, hailing massive bullets on the machines. Shells erupted from their cannons, obliterating the road and the buildings around them. The tanks destroyed everything in their sight.
The machines finally seemed to meet their match, they turned and ran as the bullets pierced their metal bodies and the shells blew them apart. The tanks rolled forward, pushing the debris out of their way and crushing it under their treads.
The tanks advanced into the city, and the soldiers advanced with them, intent on clearing the city out. But several stayed back, including the Sergeant and Calhoun, who both plopped down against a building and panted as they caught their breath.
Shouts of victory and the cries of the wounded carried on the wind, and they brought neither joy nor sadness, the soldiers simply wanted to leave. The Sergeant looked over at the tired hedgehog, who looked ready to pass out.
"Nice job Calhoun…"
"Thanks sir…"
It wasn't until later they found out the number of causalities on that mission. Fifty four soldiers had been killed and six tanks destroyed in the process of clearing the village, however, they had only destroyed fourteen of the machines, and they were all kills from the tanks.
It was then that the MDN knew they had a serious threat on their hands, Robotnick had finally made something truly threatening. They knew there would be more, and they knew they would have a war on their hands…
Staff Sergeant Maria Robotnick, UNEMC Personal Log:
Date: November 19th, 2554
Sometimes I really hate my job.
I just had to tell my squad that we'll be going into a fortified planet with god-knows how many androids with underground installations, and to top it all off, they've developed a new kind of shield so we can't tell where they are…
Fantastic…
Shadow's been acting odd lately; he's been at the shooting range a lot, which is something he always does when he's upset. I can imagine he's a little tense about the mission, most people are. He's been on dozens of operations and seen more combat then any marine, but I understand that the worry never goes away.
I think he's more upset over going to Mobius, his home planet. I mean, after spending his whole life in the U.N.E. and never even seeing his home… that's a big deal. But he's strong, stronger then any of us, he'll be fine when the time comes.
But at the moment, there are more pressing matters to attend to…
I've gone over the android's movements, and they're organizing. They've staged attacks and defenses against their military, the Mobian Defense Network, and from the reports, the MDN is severely outmatched. Their technology is just plain confusing, there are aspects in which they're technologically well off, their transportation and communications and such. But there other aspects that they're severely suffering in, namely weaponry.
Based on which I can tell, their weapons are shockingly Similar to our 20th century firearms, so much that I would dare to say they're the same thing. Their weapons are almost exactly the same as ours were in the 1970's, namely the Vietnam War. This is disturbing in several ways, one of which being that they've seemed to develop weapons exactly as we did, but it's disturbing for another reason.
They're fighting armor plated, self-thinking, and incredibly hostile, sentient machines with Vietnam Era weapons! How they've even been able to destroy as many as they have is nothing less than miraculous. Their tanks seem to be their only saving grace, there's quite an imbalance between their firearms and their explosives, which means the tank shells and grenades and such are far more effective then anything else they have. But without that imbalance they might have already been wiped out.
When we reach the planet, we'll have to immediately equip the MDN with our own weapons. There's no way they can fight a war without them.
Though it's odd… ROB usually activates his forces and immediately attacks major targets within a day or two, but he's been active for almost 4 days, and he's still yet to make his move. His android's are acting out of their own agendas, killing people and wiping out small towns, but they've yet to attack anything close to a city. They're preforming terror acts, but nothing catastrophic.
ROB's planning something… I'm sure Jaggi has already counted for this. Maybe ROB's changed his strategy? Everything else seems different this time around…
But that's enough for me, I'm gonna take the training room for a spin.
Have to stay on the top of my game...
END LOG
Well... alright then, here's the story. This entire chapter was basically just supposed to be a little side part to the new version of chapter 5 (Which is now chapter 6... I think...), but it grew on me. I ended writing this entire thing in 3 days, on and off. I then ignored it for several weeks until I got my ass in gear and just submitted it.
The whole chapter is really just a side story to show you how outmatched the Mobians are, and how screwed they're gonna be when ROB attacks them head on. This'll come up later in the story, so remember, the Mobians are fucked!
You might notice that my writing style changes as I go on, I started trying to keep it simple so I can and move things along, but it quickly changed back to my style of hyper detail. I didn't want that to happen, but I suppose that's just how I write, I can't escape the details...
But about the story, this time, I'm not going to say when I'll be done with the next part, I won't say, "It won't be long!" Because it will! I'm not going to give any timeframe from now on, I'm going the way of Halo 3, "It's done when it's done"
But in other news, I GOT PROMOTED IN JROTC! I am now a Sergeant! Sergeant Davidson!
So drop down and give me a review! That's an order soldier!