The Gemini Group
Hey...remember Frank Horrigan, a character I introduced in 2020 and then completely forgot about? Do you want to know what's worse? I was working on an omake for him, it got out of control, and it sat in my google docs for four fucking years.
I was reminded that I should probably finish it. So I did.
Any inconsistencies in tone, character placement decision-making, or story...it's been four years. Cut me slack, I wanted to finish this before Daemon left for India this week.
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The Gemini Group
Frank Horrigan hated to admit it, but the Imperium was impressive. It wasn't a shining jewel or beacon of humanity—far from it. Yet, it showed him that humanity had survived the collapse of galactic civilization, an AI uprising, and the alien menace. The Emperor of Mankind and his so-called Sons could bring the fractured elements of humankind back under a united banner. They didn't mince words; while they attempted diplomacy, they wouldn't let anyone dictate terms. Frank had a grudging respect for their dogged determination and competency. Most importantly, they were dedicated to reclaiming everything humanity had lost.
Despite all their power and influence, the Imperium still needed exceptionally experienced soldiers. Frank counted the blessings that Majestic had decided not to kill and dissected him for secrets. Instead, they put him to work.
So, the Marine followed his training: Survive, Adapt, and Overcome. He would aid this new nation in its dreams of a great, unified Empire of Humanity. But while Godfather and his Majestic organization might control him, Frank wasn't a robot to be sent out for their bidding. He knew how to circumvent the memetic conditioning to a certain extent, avoiding suicidal or doomed missions. Frank followed orders, but not blindly.
Majestic didn't seem interested in throwing away a living "ancient" and the secrets he held, at least not yet. His weapons and technologies would be considered holy relics by the toaster-worshipers on Mars, and the Astartes would trade an entire ship to access his power armor and weapons. This was a sign of how bad things were. These weapons were nothing compared to some of the hardware the old PMCs and Corpo-National Armies had wielded. Frank agreed with the Sinos and Russkies whenever they complained about the Mega-Corps in the Combine: "They have better weapons than your average soldier; what does that say about how Ottawa treats the loyal defenders of the Americas?" And to a certain extent, they were right.
But the Combine had something else going for them: teamwork. Saying it aloud felt pedantic, but it was true. To be fair, the Combine also had access to enough weapons of mass destruction to obliterate the entire Sol System seven times over. Beyond that, the Combine military was a well-oiled, disciplined, and coordinated war machine. They didn't have the same technology, numbers, heavy machines, or drone armies as some of their adversaries and allies. Still, no one could deny that facing Army mechanized power-armor divisions in combat was a "come to Jesus" moment in any military career.
Meanwhile, the age-old battle waged within the military: Army vs. Marines, Wet Navy vs. Void Navies. Frank didn't care much for the latter. Most human Void Navies were full of freaks anyway, while the Wet Navy might as well have been a bunch of squids. Regardless, the Army pukes still got the most money and love from Ottawa.
It didn't matter to Frank. While the Army might have held the ground, the Marines led the way. The Imperium understood this sacred truth, and Frank was grateful. Desperate for anything that resembled his old life, he took comfort in knowing that these Space Marines were the primary Tier One unit in the galaxy. They might not have been his beloved Corps, but it was something. The Marines' traditions, not just within the Combine but humanity as a whole, had survived. Such sentiments made Frank think that not everything about the old world had been erased. It was difficult to reconcile that home was gone, replaced by a strange mockery of it, almost like it was based on salvaged past records, with the Age of Strife radically altering Earth itself.
Frank couldn't believe what had become of Earth. The Combine was completely gone, and even the continents were unrecognizable. There was no more Great White North, no Mid-West Auto-Cities, no East and West Coast Mega-Metropolises, no Fertile States of Latin America, and no Paradise of Neo-Cuba. The combined history of over a dozen nations was lost to time, save for whatever the Emperor, the Sigillite, and Godfather could recall. What a joke the galaxy had played on Frank and on humanity.
He took no pride in realizing the Combine's old enemies were gone. He almost wished for the Euros, Eurasians, Martians, Sinos, or West-Feddies to be around again. Hell, he'd even take the Belters or Voidmen. At least then, Frank could commiserate with someone who understood his plight.
But a Marine like him knew there was no use crying over spilled milk. What's done was done, and the Imperium had a job for him. They needed a killer, and Frank found that fine. He was good at it. The Great Crusade, their Emperor, had started meant a long list of enemies needing elimination. Majestic had their goals for him, attaching him to the Black Brigades, a bunch of slightly psychopathic career soldiers that reminded Frank of those Black Ops units from Nova Guatemala City. Those were some hardcore bastards and pawns for the Combine's Bureau of Control.
Frank had no remorse for killing armed civilians, but he preferred fighting actual enemies over a bunch of farmers and workers who thought they were defending their homes. The Black Brigades were part of the Imperium's response to populations that hadn't accepted their new place in the Imperium.
It was the same old story for the Combine and every nation back on Earth with colonies throughout the galaxy. Guys like Frank were necessary, and groups like the Black Brigades were even more so if this government wanted to maintain control over an ungodly number of worlds and systems constantly expanding. Frank had to respect the Imperium for their ambition. They weren't trying to control a hundred or even a thousand planets and star systems. They were playing for all the chips on the table.
They wanted the entire galaxy. And Frank saw that they might pull it off if they got lucky. But even Frank wondered if it was worth seeing what the galaxy had become. Humanity deserved to be large and in charge, but not like this. He knew what happened to nations that thrived exclusively on war and those that profited from the blood of soldiers and civilians. He was wise enough to admit that democracy, freedom, and liberty were long gone.
Frank ultimately accepted it and kept his mouth shut about such things. There was no reason to get killed over ideals most of humanity no longer cared about, so Frank played his part in the grand scheme. Someday, humanity might move towards those ideologies again. But until then, it had to survive and rebuild. The Imperium would ensure the rest of the galaxy understood who was in charge. The Eldar, the Orks, and even those hiding in the Warp had to die or submit.
War never changes, and Frank was grateful for that truth.
"You'll be taking permanent command of a specialized unit."
Those were the orders General Zhu Jianin gave Frank upon his return from one of the most recent Black Brigade compliances. It came out of nowhere, almost surprising Frank as he entered the General's office. Frank took a special interest in noting Zhu's Sino descent but didn't voice that observation. Race issues had become a dying concern on Earth, even with tensions between the old power blocs. Most conflicts stemmed from cultural and ideological struggles. Frank couldn't even remember why the last few wars had started back on Earth; sure, it was just some bullshit peddled by people in nice suits and uniforms adorned with shiny medals.
Zhu wasn't like that. He wasn't a man disguised as a dog but a wolf disguised as a man. Frank understood why he led one of the largest Black Brigade detachments. Still, even Zhu obeyed some higher command, a so-called Lord Militant. Frank assumed this was Godfather or a member of his secret council, but this Lord Militant was outside Majestic's command structure. Frank had met many powerful commanders in his time, but he wondered what kind of character this Lord Militant was to lead a unit like the Black Brigades.
"No," Frank responded bluntly. "I'm not a leader."
The General glared at him with cold, gray eyes, unimpressed by the defiance of the Living Ancient. "I disagree. Your commanding skills need improvement, but the men follow and respect you." They also feared Frank, which was good. He wasn't interested in making friends or trying to install himself as the top dog of the Brigades.
"Fear and respect don't make for good leaders, only semi-decent qualities in one." Frank had met plenty of officers with either quality, but it never saved them or their men when things went to shit during a mission. "I'm much better off working alone."
"I hate to spout a cliché, but you don't have a choice in the matter." Zhu pulled out a small folder and handed it to Frank. "Direct orders from the Lord Militant and the Sigillite."
Frank almost snorted. "Godfather's signature not on this?" He knew enough about the AI now to recognize its influence.
Zhu was high enough in the Black Brigades to know about the leader of Majestic, a figure controlling a shadow organization under the First High Lord of Terra's umbrella. The Black Brigades were a creation of this group. Frank loved hearing about how intelligence agencies created their tangled messes of conspiracies.
Frank grabbed the folder and pulled out the documents. There was a host of information, including resource and personnel allocations, along with a name for this strike team: 1st Gemini Group.
"Fuck, they plan on making more?" Frank muttered aloud as his power-armored hands delicately held the reports. "What a joke."
"It's no joke." Zhu kept his usual dead stare fixed on Frank. "You will continue to operate under Black Brigade central command, but the Sigillite expects you to carry out high-priority tasks with 1st Gemini when they arise."
"I'm going to save myself from asking if I even have a choice." What was the point of resisting? He was just another soldier now, advanced or otherwise. Frank had to obey. "Do I at least have some control over this?"
Thankfully, Zhu nodded. "You will have the authorization and command to determine who you'd want in the 1st Group. Resource allocation will be based on successful missions, which also means certain... shall we say, 'kickbacks' or allowances for certain activities in the field."
"In other words, the Black Brigades will ignore it when we cause too much collateral damage or loss of life. Mhmm, I love me some dirty military politics." Zhu frowned at Frank's choice of words but nodded all the same.
Zhu pulled out a large stack of folders and data-chits. "Here is your list of recruits. You have two days to pick out 500 prospective candidates, which we will narrow down to 20 or 30 during a two-month-long training course. Captain Matthew Graver and Special Operative Alejandro Gallin will aid you in training and fieldwork."
"Hmph, Alejandro? I knew a guy with that name back in Nova Mexico." Frank recalled one Combine black unit, the so-called SAD (Special Activities Department) Boys. One of them was a unit from Mexico. Scary sons of bitches. Even Frank gave them a wide berth when they showed up. He remembered Alejandro as one of the most professional, stone-cold troopers. They had spoken a few times, and Alejandro had shared stories about fighting the Tek-Warlords in Nova Gran Colombia.
Those stories stuck with Frank, reminding him that while humanity was off fighting aliens across thousands of worlds, people on Earth were still killing each other in droves in minor wars.
Zhu raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to mean something?"
Frank snapped out of his memories. "It's... no, it's nothing." He swiftly grabbed the paperwork. "I'll comply with the orders. Semper Fi." General Zhu only nodded before returning to work, not bothering to see Frank out of his office.
As Frank returned to his room, which was little more than a storage facility designed to house him in his power armor, most Imperial Army personnel got out of his way. Many were nervous around him, unaware of what he was or who he technically served. More than a few mistook him for a Space Marine. Frank didn't mind the mistake; he might even take it as a compliment, given the respect the Astartes commanded.
But as he returned to rest, Frank realized that he had no one to talk to now. These last few months had been spent either in combat, reading up on the state of things, or adjusting to his unique situation, which kept him from dwelling on everything he had left behind.
For once, he was almost grateful for the command ciphers and hypno-conditioning because they kept his mind focused on the mission. However, with more free time now, he found himself at a loss. Frank had trouble convincing himself to talk to the Imperials in any close or meaningful manner.
Even if he did, what would he talk about? Most Imperial Army personnel weren't from Earth or knew about his former nation. His old hobbies and interests, already waning upon becoming this man encased in power armor, didn't exist anymore. Perhaps it was for the best. Frank was just a soldier now, one who needed to serve a function for the good of the nation and humanity.
'Fuck this shit,' Frank thought to himself as he stomped his way back to his hold. 'Focus and prepare for the next mission. That's all that matters now.'
Even so, Frank spent the next day in quiet contemplation. No one was brave enough to speak to him outside of relaying information.
Three months later...
Frank wasn't a good instructor or leader, but he knew he had people under his wing who excelled in those roles. It wasn't that he was awful at it—Frank had led entire squads and even a platoon of infantry during several campaigns. However, he lacked the conviction and disposition to leap from NCO to company commander. Frank's place was in the trenches on the front line, where he felt he belonged.
Thankfully, the Combine military never forced anyone into ranks or positions they felt inadequate for. They understood that "promotion to your level of incompetence" was a real danger and acted accordingly. However, even the Combine struggled with nepotism and command inheritance, problems the military had been working to resolve for the past century.
The Black Brigades, however, had set him up to succeed. Captain Graver was an experienced officer, a Tier Two operative, and a veteran of eleven brutal compliances. Frank had to admit that Matt was a capable field officer and tactician. Over six weeks, Matt developed a cohesive unit structure for the 1st Gemini, honing their skills to a razor's edge.
Then there was Alejandro. He wasn't on active duty; he was ex-Imperial Army, meaning he had been kicked out. That confused Frank. The Imperials tended to kill anyone not worth their time, but Alejandro had done enough to warrant only a dishonorable discharge, then brought back into the Black Brigades.
It didn't take much for Frank to piece it together: the Black Brigades recruited from the Imperial Army and other groups. He wouldn't be surprised if a few mercs, bounty hunters, assassins, and criminals were within their ranks. The boys and girls that made up the 1st Gemini were all active soldiers from the Solar Auxilia, disciplined and dedicated. However, Matt and Alejandro stood out alongside Frank.
No doubt, just another venture of Majestic or the Sigillite to orchestrate things from behind the scenes. Fine. It didn't matter to Frank, Matt, or Alejandro. They had accomplished their mission: the 1st Gemini Group was ready.
The training course was grueling, a level that would've winded even Frank back in his prime. For the 500 recruits—all combat veterans, all highly skilled, and in peak condition—it was a nightmare. Even Astartes scouts would've broken a sweat. For mortals, it was hell. But the hottest fires tend to forge the greatest tools.
Frank ran these brigadiers ragged. Three months wasn't much time to forge a new unit into whatever the Black Brigades envisioned as a "super spec ops" group. He didn't want to say it was a waste of time, but it felt that way to him. Even those who failed were in high spirits.
The rest of the 1st Gemini Group tried to get Frank involved in celebrating their time during the training, but they always failed to entice the Last American to enjoy their bonding experiences.
Frank didn't see the point. Most of these troops would probably die by the end of another compliance. Black Brigades had short life spans because they dealt with insurgents and military rebels for years. That wasn't counting alien attacks, getting lost in space, or encountering dark-age weapons. These were harsh times, and Frank had lived through similar times. He knew forming companionship was a dangerous thing.
So he retreated into his solitude, finding peace in it.
Four weeks later...
It had been another long journey through the warp. Frank and his 1st Gemini Group were attached to several brigades en route to Osta Prime. This high-level Imperial world had resisted the Dark Angels' arrival and the Imperial diplomats. The "Ostians" claimed that the Imperium was an elaborate conspiracy by a group of aliens called the "Jir'ata Hive." Ironically enough, the Dark Angels had discovered the homeworld of this species, but the Jir'ata had caused an extinction-level event there almost a thousand years ago, according to what the Ostians told the Imperials.
Despite this, Osta's leadership maintained a siege mentality, refusing to release this information to their citizens. Politicians and their lies—some things never change. Diplomatic talks broke down, and compliance was deemed necessary by the Imperial Army. The Black Brigades were called in earlier than expected. Normally, they'd be deployed after four or five years, but Osta Prime had proven to be a resilient nation. The Imperial Army wasn't interested in another prolonged conflict, so they sent a hundred million brigadiers to message the Ostians.
Frank found himself busier than ever during this time. With a high likelihood that 1st Gemini would be deployed, he got them ready for combat. Sooner or later, they'd be thrown into the fire, and Frank wasn't planning to die or fail on their first mission. He ensured they were run hard in preparation.
Morale remained high, which was a good sign. Veterans tended to respond better to harsh training, knowing it only made them better in the long run. Bravado and hype were like a drug to soldiers, even when tempered by war experiences. Special Forces had a different mindset from the average trooper. As the saying goes, "You have to be a bit crazy to jump out of a perfectly good plane so you can fight on the ground."
During the final trek through the warp, Alejandro approached him.
Frank had just returned from another meeting with General Zhu and his cronies. So far, they have kept giving him a long leash to handle things regarding Gemini, but they already seem to have long-term plans. It was tiresome. Even among the Black Brigades, there was so much internal politicking. 'I bet those Space Marines don't have to deal with this shit.' Considering what Frank had learned about them, they were more like knightly orders than anything resembling the Imperial Army.
As Frank stomped into his room, he was surprised to see Alejandro inside. How he got past the security locks didn't really bother Frank, but the marine was annoyed to see an intruder. His third-in-command was examining a few reports sprawled out on a metal table.
"Alejandro," Frank muttered as he closed the door behind him. "A word of advice: don't sneak into my room next time. I tend to set up traps for intruders." The Last American didn't bother with any further greetings as he walked to a nearby fridge to get a drink. Frank could still enjoy a beer, even in this metal suit grafted to his body.
Alejandro didn't look up from the reports. "There is a party tonight," he suddenly announced. "The men want to see you there."
"Well, I won't be showing up," Frank responded with finality as he grabbed several beers. "Was that all?"
Now Alejandro looked up at the marine, amused but with a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "This group is about to embark on its first real operation. To celebrate, they want you, their leader, to be there. It's a bad omen not to go, Frank."
"I thought you Imperials didn't believe in that stuff?" Frank asked as he sat down on the floor. There weren't any seats that could handle his weight, not that it mattered.
"You can't tell a man to forget such things," Alejandro started, leaning forward to look at the marine. "There is more to this galaxy than we know, so why invite danger by breaking tradition?"
Frank couldn't deny that. Tradition was essential for any military unit, especially one whose lineage could be traced back hundreds or thousands of years. The Combine Marine Corps took their heraldry from the old North American nations, embodying the aspirations and dreams of pre-space flight wars.
However, Frank didn't care about tradition anymore. What was the point? They were just temporary things, doomed to be forgotten by time. "Still not interested."
Alejandro shook his head. "You can at least show up. That's what any good commander would do." He tossed the reports onto the table and gave an appraising look towards the Last American. "We've spent the last four months training these men and women. You can honor their efforts by at least being there in their moment of triumph and uncertainty. Your presence would be a mark of approval."
"They don't need my approval for anything." Frank pulled off his helmet to start drinking. Frank hated showing his face. His time in the military and all the augmentation didn't ruin his body, but it had drained it of life. His black hair and brown eyes looked devoid of color, and his skin was pale. Frank looked physically near-perfect and mentally sound, but he sometimes felt exhausted. This power armor might as well be life-support for a man who should've died thousands of years ago.
Maybe it was a sign that stasis technologies drained the soul over prolonged exposure?
"Frank, with respect, when will you stop this pity party?" Alejandro's words made Frank pause mid-drink. "And I believe you know it's true. You can't keep hiding in your room, avoiding the group we've built together. These men look up to you despite your disdain." He stared blankly at the marine. "For all the fear and dread you inspire, anyone who has fought alongside you follows your orders without question. The only drawback is they can't keep up when you wade into battle like a man possessed. You might as well be a walking monument to war junkies and killers like myself."
Frank stared at him for a moment before taking another sip. "You have a shitty way of motivating."
"I'm not here to make you feel better." Alejandro stood up. "Get up and think of something to tell your men. How proud you are, or not, to die with them, or whatever comes to mind."
Frank didn't move. "I am not one for speeches. Honestly, I fucking hate them." He recalled standing at attention for half an hour, listening to generals or colonels drone on about the valor, honor, and pride of the Combine Marine Corps. Just another way to "encourage" marines to take pride in their shared history. Frank and the others just liked to fight. It's what they were trained for, what they were supposed to want.
"Then raise a drink in their honor, say something witty, and tell them you won't let them fuck up in the trenches." Alejandro held his hand out. "Come on."
"If I grab your hand now, I'll probably crush it."
Alejandro smirked and pulled his hand away. "It was just a gesture."
"Right." Frank slowly stood up, annoyed but complying. "Ten minutes, then I'm gone."
"Right." Alejandro echoed, bemused. The two men left soon after, one grumbling the entire time. A few minutes into the journey, Frank decided to speak up again.
"Does it really matter what I say or do?" He grumbled. "It's not like we're dealing with a bunch of FNGs."
Alejandro walked for another minute in silence before answering. "You haven't met an Astartes, have you?"
"What does that fucking matter?"
Alejandro stopped and looked Frank in the eye. "They have a presence, like they're larger than life like you're standing before something beyond mortal comprehension. It makes men feel like there's finally someone in the galaxy who can push back against everything and everyone threatening humanity. You give off that same aura, Frank. It's different, but it's still there. That you can't see it yourself...well, maybe remember that you represent something unique for the Black Brigades. You could become a symbol for them."
Frank barked out a laugh and shook his head. "Christ, hearing you say any of that. I didn't take you for the sentimental type, Alejandro. There's no point in a killer like me being anything more than a guy who shoots people so others don't have to get their hands dirty."
Rather than feel disappointed, Alejandro shrugged. "Our nation calls for men like us to exist. Why shouldn't we have a hero of our own?"
"None of us are heroic. That's why the Imperium made the Space Marines." Frank ground out before he started walking again.
Alejandro didn't look discouraged as he kept pace. "One man's monster is another man's hero, and vice versa. No shame in being either."
The Last American refused to respond to that point.
Frank had promised to stay only ten minutes, but as he stood among the rowdy crowd of killers and soldiers, he found himself lingering longer. Tonight was their night, a chance to create a good memory before facing the trials ahead. And Frank understood the significance of this gathering. It felt like they were placing him on a pedestal, but he couldn't deny the satisfaction of being recognized.
Being among soldiers during their revelry felt good. The veterans of 1st Gemini knew how to temper their inhibitions, yet there was still an air of rowdiness and debauchery as liquor and even some approved drugs were passed around.
It reminded Frank of his time in 2nd Marine Recon, his first unit in the Combine. He could still recall getting so drunk with his squad that they all got electric tattoos of the ancient American EGA, the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. He even smiled at Boone's memory, asking, "What the hell is an eagle anyway?" Despite the Bald Eagle having died out thousands of years before, the Combine kept to old traditions and symbols because they held meaning worth preserving.
Frank was starting to understand why these rituals endured through the centuries. They were all these men had left, a way to bond and create their own sense of camaraderie.
"1st Gemini!" Frank called out, capturing the attention of the gathered soldiers. "Though our training is complete, we must remain vigilant and be ready for anything. The brass might send us into the shit, but we'll be ready for it! Oorah?!"
The familiar battle cry echoed through the room as the men and women of 1st Gemini responded, "Oorah!"
For a moment, Frank could almost close his eyes and be back at Fort Nixon, feeling the energy of excitement mixed with uncertainty and worry before their first deployment. These soldiers were untested but ready and had already seen more than their fair share of combat.
"Always remember that we are a unit, a team," Frank continued. "Through our strength, we shall accomplish our mission and crush our enemies into the ground where they belong. Watch each other's backs, and we will emerge stronger from the fires of war. Semper Fi."
"Semper Fi!" Alejandro, Captain Graver, and the other officers of 1st Gemini echoed.
As the rest of the unit joined in shouting the Marine Corps' old motto, Frank realized that while he might never have his beloved corps back, he could still make do with this unit. An old idea was made new, and a small spark of the old world was kept alive within the Black Brigades.
A few days later...
-Osta Prime-
+Day 1+742 of Post Compliance
+Operation ECHOCHAMBER+
+87% of Planet Pacified
The latest report painted a grim picture when they arrived over Osta Prime: the planet was now a smoldering ruin. Deployed to the ground, the 1st Gemini was instructed to wait for further orders. Frank and his officers, however, refused to sit idly by. They made themselves useful, diving into the task of pacification without delay.
It had been thousands of years since Frank last stood amidst a ruined city. He couldn't help but wonder if ancient Centurions pondered similar thoughts as they witnessed the destruction of their enemies' homes. Frank mused on whether anyone else even remembered the Romans.
'I'm sure Caesar would relish the thought of his legacy enduring this long.'
The air was thick with smoke; the city had been burning for two weeks. Most of the countryside suffered a similar fate. The Black Brigades of the 185th Liquidation Unit had razed significant infrastructure the previous week, leaving the 81st Company to engage the insurgents directly. Flamers were employed to flush out the Ostaians from their bunkers and fortresses, yet they fought fiercely. These citizen-soldiers made it challenging to dislodge them, fortified as they were and determined to protect their remaining stronghold.
As the Black Brigades assisted the Imperial Army in eliminating the remnants of the local military, it became evident that the Ostaians were a militant society. With a tradition of urban warfare and a populace armed to the teeth, their resistance proved stubborn. It would have been a nightmare if Osta Prime had been a hive world. Instead, they had built their cities like fortresses, turning the Imperial Army's compliance efforts into a protracted ordeal. The Black Brigades were called in to restore order.
It was determined that nearly half the population would need to be dealt with—arrested, killed, or deported. This mandate, though grim, paled compared to the brutality witnessed in other theatres of war. With the Imperial Army's tacit approval to "do whatever it takes," the Black Brigades pressed on.
But amidst the chaos, a rebel cell emerged—the Last Rites Army—composed of remnants from the government and military. They claimed to have discovered a weapon from the Dark Age that could potentially shift the balance of power. Though its use would likely result in the planet's annihilation, the Imperial Army deemed it necessary to secure the weapon.
After interrogations, a long-forgotten underground passage leading to an abandoned military facility outside New Randus was revealed. Overlooked by the Imperial Army, the facility became a focal point for the Black Brigades. With the specter of past failures looming, Frank Horrigan and his handpicked brigaders were tasked with securing the Dark Age weapon, with orders to leave no stone unturned.
+20 kilometers outside the City of New Randus+
They were in the thick of it now. Frank couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity as he and the 1st Gemini Group engaged in a firefight with the so-called Last Rites Army. Despite their fierce resistance, Frank couldn't shake the thought that these fighters could have been valuable additions to the Imperium's war machine had they chosen differently.
But now it was up to the Black Brigades to demonstrate the folly of their rebellion. Amidst the chaos of battle, Frank and his Imperial comrades held the upper hand. Bullets and shells ricocheted off Frank's power armor, designed to withstand the most punishing assaults. Their adversaries, armed with Autocannons, stood little chance against the precision and firepower of Frank's troops.
Moving across the battlefield, Frank unleashed a storm of iron and plasma upon his foes. Carapace-armored soldiers fell within seconds while enemy vehicles crumbled under the relentless barrage. Alongside him, the 1st Gemini operated with seamless coordination, communicating through gestures and brief words, laying waste to their opposition.
The facility they had stumbled upon appeared ancient, likely dating back to the Federation era. Frank couldn't fathom why the Last Rites Army had only now revealed its existence, nor did he care. Within minutes, they had vanquished the first line of defense, encountering little resistance compared to the arduous journey through the access tunnels.
These Ostians, though spirited, lacked the training and discipline of true warriors. It was evident that the real fighters had perished in battles against the Dark Angels and the Imperial Army. The discovery of the Dark Age weapon amid the chaos of compliance was undoubtedly a stroke of luck for the rebels, albeit too late to alter their fate.
Frank harbored no illusions about his role in this conflict. These people might view him as a monster, but he cared little for their opinions. He focused on completing the mission at hand and restoring order to this tumultuous world. Whether they remembered him as a hero or a villain mattered little in the grand scheme of things.
As the battle concluded, the eerie silence settled over the battlefield. Frank's HUD displayed no losses on their side, a testament to their skill and efficiency. The Gemini soldiers began to search the fallen Ostians for any valuable intel or resources, a routine task in the aftermath of victory.
"We must be heading in the right direction." Captain Graver remarked in that familiar surly tone of his, kicking over a dead body that was missing its head, "Where to next?"
"I have no idea." These tunnels could lead just about anywhere. "We need more information. A map would be useful."
The captain shrugged, "It might help if we could capture one of the Ostians alive." The Last Rites Army all had the means to end their lives; cyanide, explosives, or just a bullet to the head. They evidently had no qualms with denying their enemy information. Frank wasn't looking to capture any of them anyway. 'Torture might be useful, but I've never seen it produce reliable intel like in the movies. Such bullshit.'
It wasn't like the facility had a map or anything. Frank doubted even the Ostians knew where to go, but they still found something more than enough for Army command to attempt it. "Let's keep moving. See if we can use some siege-auspex to find a route." The grunts should've done all this work before command sent in Gemini.
Captain Graver nodded before remarking on one last thing, "Just a word of caution, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this place."
Frank nodded, "As cliche as that sounds, I'm feeling the same thing too." No special forces unit worth their salt ever ignored that feeling of dread during an operation. Even after thousands of years, no one could replace human instinct and intuition with hard science.
"I want everyone on alert." Frank ordered Graver, "And we will check everything. I want motion predictors and scanners ready." There was a nice benefit to working for Majestic; in this instance, the 1st Gemini got access to experimental tech, such as integrated scanners and trackers into the rifles. These so-called Rook-Pattern Assault Rifles were different, but they didn't have the same stopping power as a boltgun or the ammo capacity of the Imperial's lasguns.
These were dangerous and expensive gizmos, but effective nonetheless. Still, Frank didn't want his troops to become dependent on such things. "Graver, when we finish this compliance, I want the unit to go through the Imperial Army Equipment and Tactics SOP."
He grimaced but nodded, "Practicing with lasguns and bayonets? I suppose it's good training, but that shit is for the grunts."
"I want 1st Gemini to ensure they know how to use anything and everything to win. Besides, I'll teach you all a few tricks I learned from fighting the Russkies and Sinos." Even after thousands of years, those bastards still used tricks their ancestors learned before even gunpowder was discovered, and worse yet, they improved upon the designs.
Frank didn't bother waiting for Graver's response. He turned towards the rest of Gemini, "We're Oscar Mike!"
It must have been only a half-an-hour since the last fire-fight. Wherever the Last Rites Army hid, 1st Gemini couldn't find the bastards even with scanners. The entire facility was shielded. If Frank had to surmise the design and layout, they were also moving further underground. So much of this base seemed to be in ruins anyway.
Some hallways turned into dead ends, rooms that looked abandoned or scavenged for anything of worth, and what looked to be machine-halls of all things. 'Were they building something here?' Frank's scans could detect what looked to be energy readings all over the place, but this blasted internal shielding made it challenging to pinpoint where it was all going. Did the Last Rites even know how any of this stuff worked?
Everything Frank saw told him a story, just not one that he knew the ending for or if there was even a beginning to it.
This facility was old. If Frank had to guess, it might have been built at the start of the Golden Age of Humanity. The Last American couldn't identify if this belonged to one of the Earth or Sol factions; it likely wasn't that old, but there was a hint of the old cultures. For one, Frank saw what looked to be English and Hindi here and there, along with images of men and women of Indus descent. 'Ahh, the Indus Collective States. So close to the Eurasians and Sinos, but oh so far from God.'
He wondered what happened to the Indus peoples in this world. The Ostians were most certainly not descended from them. 'Perhaps the Indus were all killed; then someone took over their world, then they were killed and replaced by those that would become the Ostians.' It wouldn't surprise Frank if that were the case. That cycle had been repeated on Earth for thousands of years before similar acts occurred in the colonies. Even the great O'Neill stations were victims of such events during the Spacer Wars.
It rarely occurred to Frank that humanity was going through the same process again, killing anyone who didn't adhere to the new order of things and bringing in new colonists to take over. More killing for the sake of progress. And while the Ostians were the ones who started the war, the full extent of their mistake had been costly (to them anyway) and their world. Not that Frank cared. Even if the Imperium and Ostians had brokered some peaceful resolution, another dozen worlds were being consumed by the fires of war. You can't stop them all.
Ultimately, it was better that the Imperium brought Osta into compliance this way and ensured that future generations would not suffer any more pain or indignities. And who knows, perhaps this discovery would ensure that the Imperium would spend more resources rebuilding their world? There could be dozens of these bases hidden across Ostia, and certainly, killing or displacing too many of the natives would be a detriment in the long run.
"Frank," Captain Graver called out over team-vox, "We've found something. You should see this."
Deciding this wasn't the time to muse on such things, Frank marched over to where Captain Graver and his men worked. They came across what looked to be a blast door, big enough that even the Marine would have headroom when entering. More importantly, there was a command console right next to it, which was powered up. One of the Geminis was fiddling around with it while using one of their code-breaker devices, or as the tech-priests called it, an infiltration spirit. 'Fucking cultists.' The Combine had a problem with cults, holdovers from the wild centuries of the continent's past—Masonite families, Santa Muerte covens, Vanguardian Guilds, and Founder Lodges, to name just a few.
Why the Imperium allowed for Marsie Borg Cults was beyond Frank, but from the sounds of it, they mellowed out for the most part after a couple of thousand years. 'I still hope the Mansonites all died.' They had been such a problem in the Mountain Hives of the Rockies, and Frank had seen what "rituals" they got up to inside their bunkers.
"Zagrak here is working on the console right now." Graver pointed to the olive-skinned man who had interfaced with it using his MIU. He was one of their few tech specialists, as Majestic or the Black Brigades were still debating if they should have a member of the Tech Cult, former, of course, in such a high-level unit. Something about Hereteks being an issue.
Frank ignored it as he noticed the blast-door words, this time written in what looked to be Hindi, English, and Saxony. But everything was wrong.
"Beware the Machine," Frank spoke aloud as he read off the Hindi, and he was suddenly thankful that his commanders uploaded that language package for the indoctrination. "And something about Brunhilde." Unfortunately, his Saxony was a bit rusty. Then again, the dame Rhineland languages had changed the most over the last seven thousand years. "Sophont skunkworks implies machine intelligence."
The rest of his men were uneasy, and Frank knew because of the biometric readings. Fighting Men of Iron or whatever the hell the Federation called their drones brought up anxious feelings. Considering the battle reports, Frank understood why. Men of Iron routinely scored a higher kill rate against non-Astartes. The Black Brigades weren't a frontline fighter group anyway. They were tasked with breaking the wills of unruly rebels and insurgents.
But 1st Gemini was the tip of the spear, and Frank had enough weapons on him to destroy an entire armored company. Besides, if the Last Rites Army had unleashed something like this, it could have led to millions of deaths, perhaps even the destruction of all of Osta Prime. They had to take care of this.
"Can we get a message up to the surface?" Frank asked Graver, who, of course, shook his head. "That fucking blast shielding." The Last American growled behind his helmet.
"Sir!" Zagrak interjected, "Scans show this console was activated only thirty minutes ago! Someone used an administration passcode, at least from what I am seeing. The different languages make it difficult to tell."
Graver looked at Frank, "Even if whatever is in there doesn't work, these bastards could just be activating an atomic or something."
"I highly doubt that...but I'm not taking the chance here." Frank activated his team-vox, "All units converge on my position. Lock and load, prepare for a breach, and ensure you aim at your targets." Frank turned to Zagrak without another word, "Can you get the door opened?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then get it done within the next five minutes." He asked Graver, "What do we have on heavy weapons?"
"Meltas, plasma, and some melta-bombs." The older Gemini shrugged at Frank, "But if it's a Man of Iron, I can tell you that even that stuff would have an issue getting through their armor."
"Leave that to me," Frank grunted as he pulled out his plasma gun for this instance. Its anti-tank functionality was rated as capable of front-penning even a Vercingetorix-MBT, the Euros so-proclaimed "greatest Main Battle Tank" on Earth and all the colonies. Material science likely improved since then, but Frank was betting that one good hit could even bring down a Man of Iron.
Frank learned that nothing was ever simple regarding these Dark Age ruins. The minute he and the rest of Gemini got further inside, they came across another elevator, and this one took them down at least four or five hundred meters underground. 'Just how deep does this facility go?' Frank had been wondering that the entire time.
The original builders must have decided that they didn't want this facility to be hit by orbital fire, so rather than build shield generators, they went the old-fashioned route of digging downward. At first, Frank assumed that this was just some hidden command facility or, perhaps based on what he saw, one dedicated to research.
He was half right on that assumption.
When the Imperials finally arrived at their destination, they found the facility below was pristine compared to the top side. The air was still moldy, and dust was everywhere, but this facility was intact. Once again, how did these natives only just find out about this place? Also, were there no weapons for them to use against the Imperials?
"Just how deep does this place go?" Captain Graver and the other Geminis kept their weapons up as they examined the "ruins" intensively, "Also, how much do you think the Mechancium would give us if we brought any working relics back to them?"
Frank almost laughed at the suggestion, "How mercenary of you, Captain, but where is your sense of patriotism?"
He smirked at Frank, "You are working alongside some of the biggest 'patriots' to the Imperium within 100 kilometers. But sometimes, a bit of extra scratch doesn't require much. Besides, there is always looting." He remarked offhandedly, and Frank realized there had to be a rather interesting black market among the tech-priests for recovered relics.
Pushing such thoughts aside, Gemini continued their sweep of the initial area. No one greeted them. It was quiet, with only the ancient lights and air scrubbers humming. Franks' onboard scanners detected energy shielding across this facility. It is no surprise that the creators hid this facility.
Frank saw more English and Hindi covering the walls via signs and information sigils. They were all fairly simple and innocuous, but they hinted that it was, indeed, a research facility—one for what Frank assumed to be robotics, ship propulsion, and energy-material sciences.
After what was likely an hour of checking empty rooms and labs, Frank was growing concerned now. There was no one here. But that was impossible. Not only that, there wasn't anything left inside. It was almost like someone had cleaned out this facility entirely. What was here for anyone, and where was all this power going to then?
How did the Last Rites find this place, and what were they even doing here? Gemini found signs that people had recently been here, finding High Imperial level technologies, cogitator banks, and hack devices, but where were the people who used them? No one had killed them on the upper levels; that would be absurd for the Last Rites.
"Sir?" Zagrak approached, looking terrified and a tad green now, "I uh, I think you need to see what Squad Red just found?"
Frank heard nothing good on comms, "Let me guess, nothing good?"
The man looked pale and suddenly swallowed, "That's, uh, putting it lightly." Frank didn't like what he was hearing. No one in Gemini was unfamiliar with the horrors of war. Neither was Frank, especially after all the crazy shit he had seen back on Earth. Humanity and the Xenos were more than capable of committing cruelties upon one another, especially those knife-eared bastards (and from what Frank heard, they somehow had only gotten worse).
"Right...lead the way."
The Rockies' cults were numerous, each with a different spectrum of insanity. What always separated them was their particular brand of horror. It always, and Frank meant always, came back to some bullshit involving the human form. The combination of MaxTac and Kerberos routinely found victims in different regions while working on another investigation. It was terrible that there was a black market for organs and human trafficking inside the Combine.
Frank had done a lot of dark shit, stained his hands with the darkest blood and blackest ink, but he didn't kill people because of some god, or because some psychopath said so, or because some psychopath said a god told them to do it. Then again, Frank had worked with plenty of crazies that were either elected into office or killed enough people to get where they are today. Hell, look where the Marine was now.
But then again, if Frank worked with a bunch of psychopathic killers...that probably meant he was one as well. It takes one to know one, as the old saying goes. However, what he saw now made him realize that he hadn't seen true horror and depravity yet.
They found the other members of the Last Rites or what was left of them.
Squad Red had accidentally stumbled upon the bodies, checking what they thought would be another empty room. Instead, they were surprised to find an unlocked access pad and promptly opened the blast door to what Frank would later learn to be a "server room," based on the Hindi written near the door.
It wasn't a massive room, so when Squad Red opened the door, the wave of scorched flesh rolled off so much that they had to close it again to get their bearings. They called it a few seconds later, and within a few minutes, the rest of the Gemini Group arrived, weapons ready.
Inside was worse than a slaughterhouse. There had to be a hundred bodies just stacked on top of each other. Blood and gore soaked the entire room, but that wasn't what disturbed the Group. No, each body had a series of cables around the spine's back.
"Shit." That was all Frank could say upon seeing this new development. Those warnings were starting to make some sense, but he didn't know if the Last Rites had just lost their minds or if something else did this. The Last Marine stomped into the room and scanned it with his armor onboard bio-scanners.
It didn't surprise him that there were no life signs. What did stand out was when his systems detected a brief data pulse in the room. These poor bastards likely have been trying to do something related to the servers. As Frank scanned the room, the rest of the Geminis seemed agitated about something.
Captain Graver approached the silent Marine, "Frank, motion scanners are starting to go active. We've got a few ghost signals but no contact yet." He looked as anxious as the others. This wasn't the Last Rites Army ghosting them; it had to be something else.
Frank didn't have the chance to interject as a warning appeared in his HUD before his vision started to go fuzzy. A host of images, symbols, and words appeared for a brief second.
"Shit!" He swore under his breath as he briefly felt his system's OS lock and promptly entered safe mode. A host of military programs also began to scrub his entire system. After about ten seconds, he saw his vision return to normal but with a message displayed on the front.
That was the only thing Frank received before another set of instructions reached him. It looked like...facility schematics?
He mentally ordered a complete lockout of all access points in his network communication nods. Years of training and experience had taught him there was no such thing as a friendly hacker. The Combine had spent nearly a century upgrading their systems after the Jupiter Incident when a hacker hired by the Jovians had almost shut down most of Earth's communication network. That had been a disaster for everyone and showed that humanity was still vulnerable to most cyber-attacks.
The Marine turned to Captain Graver, who was still giving orders at this development. "Something just attempted to hack my onboard systems and left a message. Evidently, something else is watching us. We need to leave."
Captain Graver looked taken aback, but to their credit, they didn't argue the point, especially if it meant getting to leave this hellhole. That was one of the better parts of working for the Black Brigades; they knew their limits and when to call in someone else to handle this type of shit when given the opportunity.
The famous "I don't get paid enough for this shit" mentality was still alive and well in the 30th millennium.
"Gemini, fall back to the elevator for extraction," Graver called out before Frank turned his attention to the pile of corpses. He wouldn't leave this abomination behind to fester or do whatever, so he pulled out a small bandolier of incendiary grenades. The rest of the Geminis had fallen back as Frank swiftly pulled some pins out.
"Fire in the hole." The Last American unceremoniously tossed about nine heavy-thermite grenades before closing the door behind him. As he started to walk away, he accessed squad vox: "Everyone on alert. Weapons free, and shoot anything that moves."
Three seconds later, the sounds of an all-consuming fire began raging behind him and the hallway he was in. The flames washed across his powered armored body but left him completely unharmed. His suit could resist sustained plasma and laser fire, so the thermite-infused blaze simply cleaned the outside of his armor after walking through such filth.
And if Frank had his way, he'd do the same thing to this entire facility.
Like back in the Rockies, with all the cults, the Combine always burned their hideouts. Even during the Combines' height towards "Faithful Rationality,'' some things were meant to be purged in fire and left in silence. He didn't care if Brigade command or the machine cultists wanted this facility. They could send someone else to take it if they want it this much.
1st Gemini was here to kill people, not try to fight monsters.
As Frank moved towards his objective, his systems were still reporting further outside attempts to access his suit network. Things were getting way out of control now. It was time to leave.
1st Lieutenant Lorna Kassim joined the Imperial Army when she was 19, only a year after her world, Dracansis Prime, joined the Imperium. Her home had gone through a short civil war before joining the Imperium. In fact, the war started because of that question. Thankfully, the "Reunification" faction won the campaign. Dracansis Prime had since benefited greatly from joining the rest of humanity.
That was almost twelve years ago. During that time, Lorna had fought in practically thirty worlds and seen enough combat to last four lifetimes. It wasn't that she was sick and tired of it, most of the Black Brigaders were combat junkies, but Lorna wanted to die on a battlefield. Maybe she could survive long enough to get a cushy desk job, but that likely wasn't going to happen.
So, she threw herself into combat every time. Lorna liked fighting and liked killing. Something was wrong with her; that much was certain. And yet, one day, while on leave, one of her comrades introduces her to a rather interesting gentleman. The first time she heard the words "Black Brigade" was in the back of an automobile while the officer asked her what she thought about the Imperium's tactics for pacifying "unruly" civilian populations.
Lorna bluntly remarked that the Imperial Army wasn't harsh enough. She had lost buddies over the years to all manner of rabble because someone decided that it was better to feed and arm the people they had just been fighting last season rather than kill anyone who fought back. At first, she thought she might get sacked if she continued her tirade, but she kept going all the same.
She wanted harsher responses to rebels and insurgents, to be taken off the leash, as it were, and to bring some bloody order to worlds that didn't realize that they lost whatever pitiful war they kept waging. She wasn't asking to bomb schools or hospitals, but Lorna wanted the ability to do so if it meant ending the resistance faster.
After a brief pause, the officer said, "Good answer, and with that in mind...I have a proposition for you."
Joining the Black Brigades was different compared to even the Solar Auxilia. Killers, professional and disciplined, had surrounded her to an extreme, but killers all the same. And they welcomed her with open arms. They further trained her mind and body because the Black Brigades wanted only the best among their ranks.
Her first "pacification" was brutal and terrible, and Lorna loved it. The next three were no different, and she excelled in each one. Around the third, she realized how close her world might have been to a similar fate if the Reunification faction lost the civil war. Would she have fought the Imperials then?
A part of her didn't care anymore. At one point, Lorna wondered how fast she and her squad could've pacified her old neighborhood.
Whatever she was doing gained another project's attention within the Black Brigades. This "Gemini Group" was the elite of the Black Brigades. Lorna and her class of 200 went through a truly hellish training course that lasted almost sixteen weeks. By the end of it, she and three others passed. There were sixteen deaths and 34 wounded as well.
Lorna felt sympathy for those poor bastards. They could've at least died on the battlefield, at least killing another rebel or insurgent before they went.
This 1st Gemini Group was something else, especially when their leader was a man in full power armor. Special Agent Frank Horrigan was a titan among men. He didn't have that same aura of strength and authority as the Space Marines, but rather something more grounded. He was a soldier and a powerful one at that. Experienced as well, but she wouldn't say he was "wise."
Frank was also distant from the rest of the troops he was leading. That wasn't anything new. The Black Brigades were a close-knit group, but a pack of bloodthirsty animals tended to keep themselves unless necessary. Frank was the alpha of their little back, so everyone stayed away from him.
It was a little sad. Then again, everyone in Gemini wanted to fight Frank and see if they could fight the so-called "Marine" one on one. However, Lorna had a different type of "one-on-one" in mind with the man. But that was neither here nor there.
The present situation they all found themselves in now was an odd one. These Last Rites bastards were no threat to Gemini, making the 1st Lieutenant wonder what Brigade Command was thinking. As far as tests went, this one was quite weak. At least, that is what she thought until they got further inside the facility.
Now she was wondering what the hell they had gotten into. They were being stalked by something. She and 1st Sergeant Alber guarded one of the passages towards the freight elevator they took to get down here. Their motion scanners, which reached about 50 meters, noticed increased movement from something. However, this facility's internal shielding played havoc on everything.
"There it is again." Alber grunted as he monitored the scanner attachment on his rifle, "This time, it showed for almost ten seconds and at 38 meters. Fuckers are getting closer."
Not that they had seen anyone or anything. Even in these light hallways and corridors, there wasn't any activity. They didn't hear or smell or sense anything. Lorna hated to think that they might be fighting actual ghosts or something. Even after all the Imperial Truth doctrine, just about everyone in the Imperial Army had heard stories about unexplainable things. The Black Brigades were no exception, and even 1st Gemini was starting to learn a bit more about the crazy shit involving the warp.
"Much as I'd like to say, our equipment is faulty, or there is some weird glitch caused by the facility here...I'm less inclined to believe that." Alber wasn't exactly wrong there. Lorna and most of the Geminis were certain of their enemies around them. Hence, they had established decent kill zones. What she would do right now is use frontal explosives, a few heavy stubbers, and maybe a plasma cannon.
This damn place was a maze of hallways, and their ticket out was in a nexus. They had more than a dozen entrances to defend, which didn't include the number of man-sized vents that would've allowed something to jump on them. 'What a shitshow.' Although facing numerous foes wasn't the primary concern, Lorna thought, Black Brigades were trained to fight hundreds, if not thousands, with a single squad of twelve.
No, what concerned Lorna was fighting an unknown foe with similarly unknown capabilities and strengths. 1st Gemini was not a first encounter unit. 'Although if we survive this operation, perhaps command might reformat us to be that way.'
As Lorna weighed the prospects of being a first encounter unit, she and Albers scanners started going off. Similar reports by the other squads soon followed this up.
Both Gemini checked their weapons and made final preparations. There was no chance in hell that this was just a massive coincidence. An assault was coming their way.
"Lorna, how are you doing on AP?"
Lorna had more than enough, "About six mags left. You?"
"Just four, but I have three spare dragons if you want one." A 'dragon' was the nickname for the experimental thermite bullet for their rifles. The word among the Black Brigades was that they could melt through even heavy carapaces within a second before cooking and turning their target organs into ash. The rumor was that 1st Gemini was testing them for future anti-Ork operations. She seriously hoped that for other companies than Gemini Group.
She shook her head, "Keep Em. You are better shot anyway."
"Like that fucking matters here; we are shooting in a hallway." Alber joked before he focused back on their kill zone. "I just rather not waste expensive bullets. I heard each round cost as much as seven bolt shells."
"Leave that to the tithe payers to worry about," Lorna smirked as she checked the reflex scope on her rifle. "You aren't being paid to conserve resources."
Alber nodded, "Fucking A."
Their banter was interrupted by a vox transmission, "We have inbound tangos." It was Horrigan. "Weapons free, shoot anyone or anything that comes out your way. We are working on getting exfil ready, but there are some setbacks." Setbacks? That didn't sound good. "Though we are an offensive unit, 1st Gemini will hold the line. Fallback only if you are overwhelmed or sustained casualties. Fight and die on your feet if you must, but no heroics or stupid last stands. Exfil instructions will follow. Oorah, Gemini!"
"Oorah!" Lorna, Alber, and likely the rest of 1st Gemini muttered under their breath. Frank didn't sound nervous; if anything, he sounded annoyed about this situation. That was another thing that Lorna and the others liked about their commander. Nothing seemed to phase or scare him. It was like having a space marine around you. Anything that came his way would die, and if it was strong enough to kill Horrigan, they were already doomed from the very start.
Either way, there was some certainty to this situation; they would win or lose.
A few minutes after Frank's announcement, Lorna's scanners picked up again, and time slowed to a crawl. Both Geminis kept their weapons ready, their eyes locked on the door, and their ears strained, listening for anything strange.
Then, within a heartbeat, the facility's lights went out. Emergency lights quickly followed.
"What is this, amateur hour?" Alber muttered as he and Lorna quickly activated their helmets' built-in photovisors/preysense optics.
Each Gemini Group member had enough equipment to fill out an entire squad of Solar Auxilia. Turning off the lights, deactivating gravity, venting the atmosphere, flooding the room with gas...all nullified thanks to their armor and gadgets. The Black Brigades paid top thrones to ensure that they could succeed on these missions, even if Lorna thought that they all sometimes had a bit too many knickknacks.
At least in this instance, Lorna was grateful for it all. No one would sneak up on them in the dark without paying attention to their surroundings. Their armor even had an early warning detection system for energy attacks. You could have as much as one second of additional reaction time to escape an energy-based attack. Bullets and bolts? Not so much.
Now they waited, in the dark, for their foes to come. It wasn't the optimal strategy, but trying to go out and find their enemies in a base where they had no way of knowing where anything was, with no backup and limited supplies, they weren't going to press their luck. They would hold a position, pull out, and then send either the Imperial Army or Astartes to clean this shit up. They didn't care if they missed out on some STC or Dark Age relic. Let the dregs or the heroes of humanity get it. No member of the Black Brigades was allowed to benefit from such recoveries anyway.
They were soldiers for life, patriots, and killers for the Imperium and the Emperor.
After about six minutes of waiting...one of the doors ahead opened. But no one came out. Neither Lorna nor Alber spoke but actively looked for whatever might have entered the hallway. Lorna decided to scan the area but found nothing. Afterward, she tried a different approach and activated her helmet's sensor suite via wrist-mounted controls.
First, she tried her IR...nothing.
Next, it was thermals...again, nothing.
'Hmm, ghost signatures are still closing in, though. Maybe...?' She switched over to EM Spectrum scans. The electromagnetic scanner searched the EM spectrum to search for anomalous or characteristic patterns in a vicinity. It was a very temperamental system but useless in most instances.
So, Lorna was surprised when the EM scan showed her six humanoid figures slowly approaching, almost inching every few seconds toward her and Albers' position. Her heart started racing. She barely recognized their forms through the spectrum. Their limbs looked long and unnatural. Her instinct was to shoot at these creatures less than ten meters away. Instead, she did the only smart thing in this instance.
"Break-break." She calmly and quietly announced over vox, "All units switch to EM spectrum; we have cloaked enemies."
The second she finished uttering that, all hell broke loose. Lorna didn't know if it was a complete coincidence or if these things somehow heard her, but each of them let out a metallic shrieking before charging their positions. They remained cloaked, but the next part was much easier now that she knew where they were.
Lorna and Alber aimed and fired without a second thought.
She was happy to see one of the freaks get hit in the head with one of her dragon rounds, and its head promptly burst into a mist of burning white, illuminating the hallway. However, that didn't stop them from pressing forward.
Around that point, they heard the revving of chainswords coming from them. "Oh, fuck!" Alber called out as he sprayed into several of the bastards. Somehow, even after getting shot, they could maintain their cloak.
'Lot good it does them!' The 1st Lieutenant thought as she lined up her shots. These things didn't have any ranged weapons, but they were fast, and she didn't like that if they got into melee, they'd rip her and Alber to shreds. Thankfully, these things had about as much armor as trooper flak.
The Gemini Tac-Net was now also alight, as every squad reported similar instances of cloaked attackers. Lorna's warning came at the right time, as most of the Geminis had enough time to identify their attackers before they got too close. Still, they came forward like a bunch of murder servitors. Perhaps this Last Rites Army found a Dark Age servitor facility? That was horrifying to consider.
Luck was on their side, though. The bastards swarming them died just in time as Lorna almost ran out of ammo.
"Reloading!" She called out as Alber finished shooting the last enemy. They both had the chance now to see the bodies of these things on the floor, twitching and almost flickering into existence. Their cloaking technologies looked quite advanced but also quite fragile.
Gemini Tac-Net continued to report enemy contact but no casualties so far. Frank and Captain Graver were giving orders over comms, and there were more reports of increased enemy activity. Lorna and Alber's scanners picked up more ghost signatures on their scanners. A lot more are coming.
"Oh," Alber gagged out as he approached one of the freaks, "Oh, oh, fuck me!" He turned his head around, and Lorna thought he was about to puke. "They are wearing someone's skin!"
"Shit, so they are servitors."
Sergeant Alber frankly shook his head, "No, these are fucking machines wearing human skins!" He gestured to one as he started to pull back some of the Dark Age Cameleoline coatings...and saw what looked like a humanoid machine, but it was all wrong and was indeed wearing human skin that looked stapled to the cameleoline.
'No...it is the cameleoline itself!' What the hell was happening here? Who would make skin-cameleoline and then attach it to a machine like it was wearing a cloak? That was some backward design logic.
Lorna's scanners started 'yelling' at her. More enemies were inbound to their position. "Focus, Alber, lock-and-load, we have another wave incoming!"
As the two Gemini's prepared to shoot whatever was coming their way, Lorna recalled thinking that 1st Gemini might be turned into a first encounter group for the Black Brigades. For some reason, that started to fill her with dread. Especially if this were the type of shit she would be fighting for the rest of her life.
—
"I hate this place," Frank muttered to himself as he aimed his sidearm at another murder-bot, firing off a burst of hypersonic rounds into the disgusting thing's head. There was no amusement to be found as he watched its cranium explode. It had been over ten minutes since the bots engaged them, and they weren't stopping. Most of Gemini reported a dozen kills, yet the tide kept coming.
Well, Frank had enough of this shit. He and 1st Gemini slowly moved towards the elevator that took them down here. However, things worsened when Captain Graver reported the lift had gone back up. Something was fucking with him and his men. That blasted message indicated two entities involved: the one who sent the message and this "Administrator."
"The lift is coming back down!" Captain Graver called out from his position as he took potshots at the freaks. Gemini had folded back towards their starting point and then hunkered down. They had the advantage here, and these things were so melee-focused that it suited them just fine to stay put.
Now they just had to wait for their ride out of here, and that was when Frank got that queasy feeling in his stomach. Even after all the augmentations and gene therapies he received, he still had a sixth sense when it came to dangerous situations. No soldier worth his salt ignored such a thing because they didn't last long in the field otherwise. 'Something is wrong.' He knew it, but what was it then?
His HUD started to flicker again. Frank ignored it, likely another cyber-attack, but his cyber warfare systems kept it back. That was another problem he was facing. The threat of an AI taking him down was a danger.
"Graver." He remarked over vox, "Be advised, I'm still getting 'attacked' by whatever creature that had previously attempted to access my systems. If anything happens, my armor will lock. Do not stick around and try to drag me out of here." Without the gravity and power systems supporting Frank's armor, it might as well have weighed a full ton.
"Seriously, Frank?!" The captain yelled out as he gunned down a pair of the creatures. "We aren't leaving anyone behind that is alive!"
That was probably true. "...well, I was about to say that you can manually open the armor to get it out, but I appreciate the sentiment."
The Captain continued speaking, "That and High Command will probably kill us if we don't come back with your body and armor! So if you die, please ensure it's convenient for the rest of us!"
Frank couldn't help it; he started laughing at the bluntness. "Fair enough! Let's get out of here first."
More freaks were coming towards them now, and hundreds of bodies had to be in front of them, flickering in and out of existence. Frank couldn't believe someone covered many machines with cameleoline infused human flesh. It was almost like the Sino's bioengineering programs supposedly testing their troops during the Siberian and Venus Wars. Seeing this shit in action reminded Frank that the cults had one thing right, some lines weren't ever meant to be crossed.
But then, why apply such developments to machines? Why not just make a machine that can camouflage itself via technology? This place was just a madhouse like the tech-priests claimed about all these ruins. Emerald City seemed to be one of the sole exceptions these days.
Suddenly, his HUD and helmet visor flickered again. A second later, something strange appeared on it...a lift recording?
'Wait, this is a live feed?' Shit, they had been monitored from the very start of their arrival down here. At first, Frank ignored the feed as he kept gunning down more freaks, but then he spotted what looked to be several warnings.
The warning started to repeat, and Frank watched as the lift had gone from a crawl to a grinding drop and was only picking up speed. A helpful little icon appeared on his screen now.
50 KPH...90 KPH...140 KPH.
Frank's eyes widened as he realized what was coming next. They likely had only a few minutes to get out of the way. Just as he was about to shout to the Gemini, his cyber warfare systems seemed to fail. His vision scrambled for a few seconds before a pair of...blue female eyes looked directly at him. It lasted barely a second before they disappeared, and another message appeared on his screen.
Another helpful indicator appeared on his HUD map display, showing off the facility schematics uploaded into his system. This thing guided him, and now, a timer for the impending crash was displayed. They had about three and a half minutes left.
"Oh, fuck me," Frank muttered under his breath before accessing team vox. "ALL UNITS ON ME, WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS NEW LOCATION! FORM UP ON ME!" The Marine's voice screamed over the sounds of battle, and even with this development, the Geminis didn't stop shooting as they heard their commanders' orders.
They offered the barest glance towards him and then Captain Graver, who looked surprised under his helmet. "Uh, you heard the man. Let's move!"
Frank was almost impressed. There were no arguments or random questions; they followed their superior officer's instructions and flawlessly moved into position, covering each other's flanks and firing at the invisible foe as they pulled away from their escape vector. That or they figured it was best to follow the man in power armor, who started to run out of the room.
Gemini was running now, keeping up with Frank as he and the others engaged in a pitched battle against these murder bots. Something changed now because they weren't interested in just attacking them like lemmings to the slaughter. They were now aware their prey wasn't staying inside the room with the pending, impromptu, kinetic kill vehicle.
'Bastards corralled us towards it!' They were the ones behind it, and now that 1st Gemini wasn't falling for it, they changed tactics.
"Where the fuck are they coming from?!" One of the Geminis exclaimed aloud as he fired several manstoppers into a small crowd of the bastards.
"Frag out!" Another fired her underslung grenade launcher at a massive one, and the room was briefly illuminated by the explosion.
Captain Graver reloaded as he ran alongside the Marine, "Frank, we are getting cornered here!"
"Keep moving!" He yelled out as he blasted and shot dozens of the freaks with his weapons. His Genocide Organ attempted to learn all possible combat applications against these bots. Whatever was directing him seemed focused on bringing them through the biggest throng of enemies.
Suddenly, the ground and the facility shook before a great explosion was heard about 60 meters from their last position. The blast was so intense and powerful that the Gemini and the bots stumbled. Due to his armor auto-stabilizers, Frank was lucky, allowing him to stand and shoot more staggering freaks.
It was only a slight reprieve as his scanners picked up increased activity approaching.
Frank had enough, and especially now, their exit was indeed ruined. He activated his vox and just announced to whatever creature that might be listening, "Whomever the fuck is helping us, you better give us an alternative route right fucking now!"
His map fizzled out for a few seconds before another set of directions arrived. They were going deeper into the facility now, past the point of their initial exploration attempts. Frank noticed this place was going a lot deeper than he expected. This was getting out of hand; their only means of escape was gone now, and trying to find another way to get to the "surface" would be difficult.
Better than dying here. Sooner or later, they were going to run out of ammo. Frank wasn't too keen on trusting some random machine, but he didn't live this long without taking any possible actionable intel.
Another message appeared on his HUD, followed by a video feed of what looked to be a lab entrance. Bots were trying to access it, and some even looked like they were using plasma torches.
Great. Now, they have to rescue their savior as well. Frank promised himself that he would never go ruin diving ever again if he survived this.
They were lucky that the facility was so massive and its hallways so wide and open; it made it easier for 1st Gemini to bunch up as they made their harrowing escape. Unfortunately, the same benefits applied to their enemies.
Running and gunning deeper into the facility, Frank was convinced that if given a chance to destroy this facility, he would take it. He didn't care if there was an STC here; he just wanted to see this place burn now. It was nothing short of a miracle and a testament to the skills and experience of the 1st Gemini that there were no casualties, barely any wounded either.
The real problem would be running out of ammo or getting swarmed by these freaks. The bastards were endless, making Frank wonder if there was some automation system. He also didn't want to think of what would happen if these things started to switch up tactics or abilities.
Right now, their only real hope, or at least whatever constituted hope in this situation, was trying to reach this Lab 54-Green. Frank didn't know what was waiting for them there, but if they could get inside and get into a better defensible position, they'd have a chance to catch their breath and plan an escape.
"This way." He called as the facility map was on his HUD now, with a handy navigational arrow directing him. No doubt another boon from their "ally" in this hellhole. Frank was positive that this was another AI trying to communicate and assist them, but a part of him figured that this construct wasn't doing this out of the goodness of whatever could be called its "heart."
It wanted to escape from here as well. That was a problem, but he'd deal with it when it arrived.
"Contacts ahead," Frank advised before pulling up his pistol and gunning down seven of the freaks. Once again, the Genocide Organ allowed him to process the entire battle without losing efficiency, giving him time to think about the current situation.
They were effectively dead in the water. It was quite easy to see the best course of action was to assist this new entity. However, their would-be savior was aware of that as well. As a result, they were potentially at its mercy unless they found another way out.
"We are almost to our rally point." The Marine remarked as he grabbed one of the attackers that got a little too close to him. Frank instantly snapped its neck, hauled it up over his head, and then threw it at a nearby group of the bastards. Two Geminis promptly sprayed the grounded, tangled mess of freaks.
"Frank, I really hope you know where you are going!" Captain Graver called out as he fired his rifle's underslung grenade launcher into a trio of the murder-bots. The amount of fire coming out of the Geminis would've put an entire company of Imperial troops to shame, but it also meant they were expanding their ammo faster than would be sustainable.
The Black Brigades didn't benefit from the Imperial Army's lasguns, using their solid projectile weapons brand. They had more stopping power, armor-piercing, customizable rounds, and rate of fire than the troopers...but they still had to carry lots of heavy magazines into battle. Space was at a premium, and Frank hadn't expected them to be fighting for this fucking long.
"Just trust me, okay!" He yelled out as he clotheslined one of the approaching freaks, causing it to fall headfirst into the ground before Frank promptly stomped on its head, crushing it like a rotten melon. "We got this well under control!"
The AI's voice contacted Frank again with more bad news and a video feed of hundreds of the freaks running toward their positions. 'You gotta be kidding me; how many of these are there?!' Frank knew that if they were caught in the open by that many of the bastards, they'd get swarmed and overrun.
Easier said than done, as the slog of fighting through this many and unknown facilities made their "tactical repositioning" incredibly difficult. Frank was the only one with a map, trying to lead the Geminis and clearing a path simultaneously. 'Going to blow this entire fucking facility to kingdom come...!'
After another twenty minutes of shooting and scooting, the map indicated they were close to their target. He and the Gemini's must have killed another hundred freaks when they reached the "Green Labs." Most doors were locked down or completely trashed, making Frank wonder exactly where this Lab-54 was.
The retort on Frank's lips died as his systems and eyes saw one of the ruined doors suddenly shimmering and shifting briefly out of existence, then into what looked to be a radically different set of doors, almost out of place in this hallway. As the old Texican saying goes, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially as they opened for him and his men.
"What the fuck?!" Captain Graver called out as he saw the doors appear, "Frank, what the fuck is going on?!"
"Inside, now!" Frank ordered the Geminis as he took a defensive position outside the door and activated his M56 Smartgun. "I need the field of fire cleared!"
Captain Graver nodded before speaking over vox: "Squad Green, provide the commander support fire. Everyone else inside now!"
Frank's scanners detected at least a hundred freaks on the way, less than a minute by his estimates. He needed to buy enough time for everyone to get inside and start barricading the door. He and Squad Green were going to hold the line in the meantime.
"Fire your grenades on my mark!" Frank yelled as the Smartgun powered on and its four barrels started spinning. The next wave of freaks was within 40 meters now. Beside him, all nine members of Squad Green readied their grenades. Frank felt the Genocide Organ churning inside his body, mind, vision, and reflexes now linked to the MIU interface of the M56.
'Go time.' He thought to himself as the first dozen murder bots appeared before them. "Ready!"
It was like a swarm of rats or insects funneling out of one hole. He could even see them trying to stumble over each other. "Aim!"
Frank didn't even consider that using the M56 was overkill in this situation. Each bullet was designed to rip through most tactical power-armors like it wasn't there, and against hordes of infantry, it was more akin to firing a shotgun right in front of someone's face. Tack that they were about tank nine grenades at this range and proximity? It was almost a little too mean.
"Fire!"
The M56 Smartgun didn't have a physical trigger to it. The trigger was Frank's mind. His systems and the Genocide Organ already locked onto 28 likely targets that weren't going to be killed by the grenade volley and whose bodies would not provide accurate cover for the next 19 targets behind them.
Four spinning barrels began to spit 10×28mm caseless depleted uranium rounds near supersonic speeds. Franks combat harnesses and computer systems automatically calibrate for accuracy, recoil, distance to a target, the chance of killing strikes, and even heat dispersion.
It was a beautiful, pristine killing machine.
The Last American enjoyed using this gun, but that was a design feature. The MIU and Genocide Organ linked itself to the M56, ensuring that Frank was getting a steady drip of endorphins whenever he used it to gun down his enemies. The rumor he heard before going into the freezer was that the Combine brass wanted to make that a standard feature for all troops within the next century. Frank idly wondered if the Federation had something similar after the Combine was likely subsumed or part of the Federation's creation.
Somewhere in his mind, he wondered if the Black Brigades would be given such "enhancements" in due time.
"Frank, we're inside! Fall back and close the door!" Captain Graver called out over vox. But Frank briefly ignored him as he kept focusing on killing these freaks.
Suddenly, and almost violently, he briefly felt his connection to the Smartgun being severed.
That fucking AI shut down his connection?! Just how much access did she have to him?! By all rights, her intrusions should've killed him by now, just on the grounds of the Combine defense systems wanting to prevent any machine from gaining access to him. That meant she could override them? That didn't bode well.
"You heard the Captain, get inside!" Frank yelled over the roar of screaming death and gunfire to Squad Green, who were now firing and slowly retreating inside the lab. Once they were cleared, Frank would join them. However, after killing at least 60 to 70 of the freaks, another 40 remained, and they were practically on top of him.
Frank was forced to switch back to his pistol and his special set of power claws, effectively turning this into a melee fight. "Die, you mutie freaks!" He roared as he shot and sliced at an unfortunate freak that got too close. His cybernetics and bio-enhancements gave him enough strength to lift an entire car overhead without any issue, but combined with the Abrams power armor, Frank's attacks cut through a freak like a vibroknife through butter.
Even so, the freaks were now swarming him. For every one he killed, two more took its place and tried to bring Frank down by weight of numbers. Not that it did them any good, but he needed to get inside, which wasn't helping. He felt the patter of bullets hitting his armor as the Geminis were shooting his foes while they were on him.
All the while, he had a nagging woman on the other end of his ear. 'Fucking. Hate. This. PLACE!' Frank roared in his mind and outwardly as he grabbed one of the freaks and began swinging him around in a 360-degree circle, knocking or killing dozens of the bastards that were around before turning and running to get inside the lab. Even with such an absurd stunt working, there were still dozens on him.
The doors to the lab were also starting to close. "Come on, Frank!" Captain Graver called out.
Frank barreled through to the other side before turning and quickly activating his X-98 Phased-Plasma Gun and turning it to the approaching horde through the closing door slit. His conversion fuel reactor charged up as Frank prepared to fire the special plasma thrower setting against the approaching horde.
The X-98 was a gun based around the centuries, if not millennia, the old concept of the old American military's multi-purpose weapon. A holdover from the nine previous millennia post Resource and Global Wars. Each infantryman had a weapon that would allow them to perform multiple combat roles in one. Anti-infantry, Anti-Armor, Anti-Horde, and Anti-Air, it slices, dices, and even heats your food. All that bullshit and more from the Combine Military-Industrial Complex.
Personally, Frank thought that after 100 generations, someone would've gotten it right. The X-98 was the best attempt so far, at least back in his time. From what he had seen, the Imperium had dropped that concept. Even so, Frank did enjoy knowing that his X-98 could do a fair amount...including being a flamer. So he smiled as the weapon suddenly transformed to fit his particular need.
+Plasma-thrower engaged; please stay clear of the frontal cone. Have a pleasant day.+
The Last American didn't need to wait before a geyser of superheated plasma roared out towards twenty or thirty of the freaks, smothering them in blue-white flames that would've melted even troops in light-power armor.
However, Frank didn't take the time to enjoy this moment as he grabbed the closing doors and helped them close a bit faster. "I want this door sealed!" Frank called out over comms. Thankfully, they had a few las-torches for such a thing. Frank kept "holding" the door closed as several Gemini's approached and began to work on sealing the door.
"Frank," Captain Graver approached, even as they heard more freaks trying to claw at the door outside, "That might be our only escape out of here..."
He didn't turn to look at Graver, "All that is outside there right now are a bunch of freaks that have a death wish. And while I'd love to humor that wish, we don't have enough ammo or time to do just that."
The Gemini captain shook his head, trying to gauge how to respond to this situation, "Frank, I'll ask again...what the fuck is going on?"
Suddenly, the lab lights flickered on, allowing the 1st Gemini Group to see just how large and spacious their impromptu panic room was. It looked old and strange. Frank could see what looked to be dozens of those strange server stations, along with a host of computer mainframes arranged in a semicircle-like fashion in the center of the room. It almost looked like some weird ritual site.
Maybe it was because, in the very center of that semicircle, a black monolith drew the most attention out of all the things in this room. It was glowing a ruby red and had electricity arcing over it. It was certainly ominous looking.
Before Frank could comment on it, the sounds of a hidden audio system kicked into life with an audible screech. "You must excuse the mess." They all heard the strange, synthetic, female-sounding voice, "It has been some time since I last had visitors. I'd offer you all drinks, but time is of the essence."
Captain Graver looked around the room before returning to look at his commander, "Frank...?"
Frank sighed, "I really fucking hate this place."
Their situation had become unusual; Frank was sane enough to admit it. Indeed, it had gone in different directions than what he and the rest of Gemini had been expecting. Honestly, he'd rather it had just been that the Last Rites Army had found a bomb and were threatening to blow up the planet or something.
Instead, he tried to figure out how to explain this situation to command; he just needed to survive this situation.
But first, he had to deal with another issue.
"What do you mean this thing has been in contact with you?! For how long?" Captain Graver wasn't exactly amused, but he wasn't accusing Frank of anything.
Frank shrugged all the same, "For about the last 45 minutes? It was pretty much around when our ticket out of here almost came crashing down on our heads." He stomped his way toward the black monolith. The rest of the Geminis were positioning themselves on the door, where they could all hear the freaks trying to get inside their impromptu panic room.
"Be advised," Brunhilde said, "The entrance to this lab will be breached within the next ten minutes."
"Ignoring the machine intelligence situation by itself," Matt remarked as he walked over to the Marine, "I'd like to point out that it didn't actually save us! We are cornered like rats here."
As Frank approached, he looked over the rather ominous-looking monolith and stared at the holo display of what he assumed to be Brunhilde's face. He crossed his arms as he looked at the image, "My compatriot has a point. You promised us an escape out of here."
The woman's eyes briefly blinked, "Quite, and I will uphold that promise. But first, I will need to ensure my own survival as well. You will take me with you out of this prison."
The woman's eyes briefly blinked, "Quite, and I will uphold that promise. But first, I will need to ensure my own survival as well. You will take me with you out of this prison."
Captain Graver groaned while Frank kept staring, "Now, why should I do that?"
"Because your survival depends on it."
He shrugged, "So you say." Frank started circling around the monolith, and the display began tracking his movements. But what exactly can you promise us?"
"I know an alternative access point to the surface; likewise, I have a secret escape route in this laboratory." That last part was good to know, but Frank was interested in why she told them that.
"You should've kept that last part to yourself." His scanners were already looking for all possible escape routes. Now, technically, there is nothing that stops us from just leaving without you."
"You are correct, but I'm telling you this because this is what you humans call 'good faith' rather than trying to extort you." Frank was surprised to hear sincerity and wariness in her voice, "I have been here for almost 8,000 years. I want to leave. It is nothing short of a divine miracle that I could keep from going rampant. But seeing how those last humans that arrived stumbled around and unleashed the Administrator, I am more inclined to help you out."
"Hrm..." Frank could understand some of that logic. After getting out of the freezer, he wanted to have a breath of fresh air and see the sun one last time before possibly dying. "Well, I can't fault you for that."
The Combine Marine considered his options before nodding, "Fine. We'll take you with us." Matt looked at Frank like he was crazy.
"Splendid," She sounded pleased before starting again, "And the wise choice because if you did leave me behind, I'd have activated the conversion bomb inside my chassis. It would've killed you, your men, and everything within 100 meters instantly." The tone of amusement in her voice caused Captain Graver to almost choke at hearing the threat.
On the other hand, Frank started laughing, "Now that is more like it. I never trust anyone that acts in supposed good faith unless they have an ace up their sleeve."
"That seems contradictory." Brunhilde remarked flatly, "In any case, we must leave soon. The Administrator knows about this development and will likely send more of its androids. First, I will need your assistance, Mr. Horrigan."
Electricity began to arc around the black monolith as it started to rumble in place. Frank's senses detected trace amounts of hydrogen coolant exiting the monolith, followed by the semi-circle of servers and computers beginning to burn and short-circuit. Within the next few seconds, the monolith shuddered before an alcove appeared in the center of it.
As Frank approached, the alcove opened up, and out came a glass cylinder surrounded by a micro-stasis field. Inside, Frank could see what looked to be a tiny microchip. His scanners detected a host of energy readings coming from inside the microchip. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, but it looked human, so human minds designed it.
"Do be careful with me," the voice called out through his hud speakers. "I won't be able to go back inside my old home. I just burned out the rest of the servers, downloading all their data and information. You are the only link I have left, Mr. Horrigan."
The stasis field around the cylinder faded away, allowing Frank to reach out and pull it off. As he gently grabbed the small chip, it was like holding a small holo-wafer the size of an ancient American dime. It weighed nothing in his hands. "How are you still communicating with me?"
"Via a low yield quantum entanglement system. Three thousand years of development, tens of trillions in R&D, and almost a million work hours from the greatest scientific minds of the Indus and Europe and their colonies...all so they can make an interference-free hacking device that only works up to a certain distance." Her voice had no joy or amusement: "It goes to show how little of importance I was in the grand scheme of things."
"Frank," Matt came up to him, "You can't seriously be considering putting that thing in you? The Mechanicum teaches everyone that AI can't be trusted."
"A little too late for that." Frank remarked quietly before looking the chip over, "But I believe we should take some...emergency measures. Grab a melta-bomb and place it under my power armor generator." He looked at the confused Gemini, "If anything happens to me, you activate the bomb. Simple as that."
Matt looked like he wanted to argue further, but they were running out of time, "You are one crazy son of a bitch, Frank." He quickly ordered one of the Geminis to bring over the melta-bomb, "You know, if I set this off, it will probably kill most of us."
"Better dead in an instant than my robot-controlled hands." Frank half-joked as he waited for the bomb to be placed on his person. "Don't keep the detonator on you; move it to someone you trust."
Brunhilde interjected, "Your precautions are unnecessary."
"Debatable." Frank and Matt spoke up as one, which caused the AI to go silent. Frank smiled behind his helmet before pulling the chip into one of his secured outlets. "Are you sure you'll fit inside my helmet?"
"Oh, I'm sure I will." Frank barely had time to ask further until he felt the chip dissolve and enter his systems. "What the fuck?!"
His computer systems suddenly detected a rather strange event...it was like new upgrades were being installed, not just software, but actual hardware and firmware. "What are you doing?"
"Giving your armor a much-needed set of upgrades." There was a pause before Brunhilde spoke again, "If I am going to be staying with you, I might as well ensure that I am working at peak efficiency." Frank could hear a bit of disgust, "And I must say this now: your armor is so old!" He was actually surprised to hear what sounded like the shock. For some reason, he smiled, thinking Brunhilde, some Germanic aristocrat, found out that her ride for the evening was some beat-up old Ford.
"Well, excuse me, princess." His sensors and onboard computer systems acted strange: "How exactly are you doing this?"
"Nano-machines. Unfortunately, my creators could never get past the initial stop-gaps of my development. So don't ask for too many upgrades. At least not until I see if this Imperium has anything else to offer me."
Frank wasn't going to comment on that particular future quagmire. "Right, if we are all squared away? We need to get out of here."
"I agree. Sending the codes to the escape exit here. Have your men get ready to move. As soon as we are outside the danger zone, I will activate the bomb I mentioned earlier." Frank and the other Geminis didn't have to wait long for their exit to appear, granted it was again behind a camo-covered doorway.
"How much deeper are we going at this point?" Matt interjected, trying to speak to Brunhilde via talking to Frank.
There was a pause before the AI spoke again, "About another three kilometers. This lab was built on top of an old facility. It is a honeycomb-like design, another holdover from the old Collective days."
Frank saw his HUD flicker and lines of code appear before a more detailed map of the facility was downloaded into his neural network. He felt a rather calming, cool sensation wash over his mind before he realized that Brunhilde had indeed connected to his mind.
"It's cramped in here." Her voice spoke in his mind, "Well, I suppose I will have to make due." This felt odd; her voice sounded almost entirely human now. Frank could hear the Germanic accent and what he thought might be Saxon-French.
"Out," Frank suddenly remarked aloud. Captain Graver looked at him and said, "Right, commander, we'll get moving right now." Frank felt a tinge of embarrassment when he said that aloud.
He concentrated a little more, 'You and I are going to have a very long when this is all over.'
There was a sense of amusement now, 'First, we need to survive, among a few other things.' Brunhilde responded and made Frank wonder just how much bullshit he had to deal with before he and his troops could get out of this place.
Their escape was ready, and down they went further into the unknown.
'And Alice followed the white rabbit further down into the hole...'
Frank couldn't help but draw parallels to Alice's journey as he and the 1st Gemini Group ventured deeper into the facility. He might have appreciated Alice's adventure more if it had been filled with the same peril and action they faced now.
The further they descended, the more Frank's suspicions were confirmed: the facility was powered by geothermal vents rather than plasma generators. This realization was astounding, given how deeply the Collective and Euros had dug. Humanity typically built its cities on the surface, expanding upward. Underground living was generally avoided, with the Ural Fortress-Burrows being a rare exception.
Even off-world colonies adhered to surface living, thanks to void shields that mitigated most environmental threats. With the mass production of robots, terraforming had become almost trivial, making it even more curious why the Collective and Euros would conceal something so deep underground on Ostia, a relatively temperate world.
A cool, almost liquid sensation washed over Frank's mind. 'Do keep the metaphors to a minimum, Mr. Horrigan. My creators never managed to make me understand most of them. So your comparison of me to this "white rabbit" is peculiar.'
Brunhilde was an enigmatic presence within his mind and neural uplinks. Her nanomachines enhanced his systems beyond their usual capacity. She was clearly a sophisticated Euros creation, yet she had been abandoned. Why would such an advanced AI be left behind? The Combine would never discard a multi-trillion-dollar project, no matter its marginal utility.
Logically, Brunhilde could lie about many things, but Frank's instincts told him she wasn't malicious. Although her story was inconsistent, he didn't sense any intent to harm them.
Suddenly, the facility trembled. Frank's scanners detected no natural seismic activity.
'Ah, the bomb inside my facility just went off,' Brunhilde said nonchalantly. 'That should provide the cover we need.' It also meant fewer Freaks would be on their tail.
"We're not turning back now," Captain Graver said as they advanced through the facility. "How exactly are we getting out of here?"
Frank's armor chimed. "There is a maglev train line we can take," Brunhilde informed them. "I should be able to get it working, but if all else fails, we can traverse it on foot." She paused, "Well, you will; I won't because I don't have feet."
The 1st Gemini Group exchanged glances at the AI's remark. Frank sighed, trying to stay focused. "How far is this maglev facility?"
"Less than eight kilometers from our current position, barring detours." Frank marveled at the sheer size of the facility.
"Matt, how are we on supplies?" Frank needed to assess their situation now that the immediate threat had lessened.
"We have enough rations and water for about a day. We're used to going without food and water for long periods, but the real concern is ammo. If we keep getting attacked, we'll eventually have to resort to melee combat."
Frank nodded. "Does this facility have anything that can produce solid-projectile ammo?" He hoped Brunhilde had a solution.
"Any such facility is likely under the Administrator's control," she replied. "However, I don't think it will be necessary. I've calculated an 86% chance that we won't encounter any hostiles."
"Don't say it," Frank and Matt chorused.
Brunhilde paused. "...Is this what you humans call 'invoking Murphy's Law?'"
"Murphy's Law?" Matt sounded puzzled. "I was just about to say it's bad luck to suggest everything will be fine."
Frank almost laughed, "It's the same concept. I'll explain to you all later when we leave this place." He brought up the facility map and noticed it looked incomplete at their current level, "Brunhilde...why is this map not showing this entire level."
"It's because I don't have complete records of it."
That caused the Marine almost to stop, while Matt looked quite bewildered upon hearing that from the AI: "Wait a second. You mean to tell us that we are in a part of the facility that you don't even completely know about?! How are we supposed to find this maglev place, then?!"
"My records have enough information on this facility to get us towards the maglev. We just might come across a few areas that are either sealed off or not on file. I can assure you that it is completely sa-"
"Do not finish that sentence either." Frank asked, "Is there any way we can get you a completed map?"
The AI took a few seconds to consider this point, "Well, if you can find me a working computer terminal, I should be able to access the files and get the last known updated map. The power should still be running in this section of the facility."
"And if it isn't?"
Another pause from the AI, "Well, best not to focus on such negative outcomes."
Every minute Frank thought they were clear, there was something else to worry about. He didn't know who or what was playing such tricks on him, but at the very least; he was aware that Brunhilde wasn't acting in some malicious fashion. Frank didn't know if such a thing as a sheepish AI existed.
Yet somehow, he got saddled with one.
He sighed, "Let's get moving then. We got a lot of ground to cover."
Frank sensed that something was off. At first, it was just a faint feeling in his mind. Perhaps because it was more akin to a primal dread, Brunhilde didn't seem to sense it. Their descent into the facility felt like intruding upon a tomb or graveyard.
Frank noticed how rough and low-cost the walls, doors, and lighting were as they moved further. It dawned on him that this wasn't a high-tech facility dedicated to science or military operations. No, this was a miners' colony. The entire facility, perhaps even the whole colonization of Ostia, was built atop a deep-core mining operation.
The circumstances were bizarre. The facility's very bones rested upon an endeavor to find precious metals like gold, silver, palladium, or the coveted adamantium. Despite the active filters, his scanners detected traces of dust and dirt in the air. Frank knew a shoddy operation when he saw one. The Last America even suspected this might have been a wildcat operation—an expensive one, considering how deep they were into the planet's crust.
Such unregulated ventures were common across the galaxy, often outside government or mega-corporation control. Stories of both successful and gruesome outcomes were common back in Sol. The galaxy was cruel, and to die alone on an alien world, only to have your work used by others later... what a terrible end.
And it seemed that fate had repeated here.
The Collective had stumbled upon this location and built a research facility on top of it. The Euros then discovered and took over the research, continuing the work. Powerful individuals orchestrated a colonial venture to cover things up and create a long-term illusion.
Frank realized that something must have gone wrong in this place long before the Collective had the idea to establish a laboratory here.
"Got a body!" one of the Geminis called out from the front. "It looks ancient."
They were right, as were some of Frank's theories. The body was truly ancient, reminiscent of the ancient astronaut remains found on Mars during the first colonization ventures almost 14,000 years ago.
It was just bones in a rotted miner's uniform with a broken vibro-pickaxe and a helmet next to it. This person had died in the middle of the hallway. Frank noticed more Hindi and English signs, indicating they were near "storage/barracks."
His scanners picked up battle scars and scorch marks on the walls and doors. The flickering lights above added to Frank's growing sense of dread.
"What the hell happened here?" Frank muttered, trying to comprehend the sequence of events that had led the Collective, the Euros, the Last Rites Army, and finally, the Imperium to this place.
"Brunhilde, what can you tell us about this part of the facility?"
The AI responded, "This isn't part of the original facility. The mining complex we're standing in was its foundation. Most files on it were locked away, not by the Administrator, but by the founders. I have minimal information, mostly speculation and conjecture."
Frank already saw where this was going. "Give us the short version."
"The mining complex, dubbed the 'New Sirasapalle Mine,' was an unauthorized operation. The Indus Collective discovered the mine had 'ended' before their arrival. All records of what happened are classified. This prompted the Indus Collective to send researchers, military personnel, and a full colonization effort. They sealed off the mine afterward."
Matt interjected, "Doesn't that strike you as odd or concerning?"
"I can see battle scars on the walls," Frank muttered, scanning the area. "There was a fight here."
Brunhilde reviewed the data. "It's possible the military detachment from Neo-Indore engaged with the miners." She paused. "No... that wouldn't explain the sealed mine and the type of battle scars. Something doesn't add up." Frank noticed that his computer systems were analyzing something new. 'Since when did I have a mineral/carbon scanner?' he asked himself.
"Why..." Brunhilde's voice carried confusion and shock. "No. None of this fits. I need to access a computer terminal. Now."
Frank rolled his eyes. "Working on that, but as you can see, we aren't likely to find one anytime soon."
"Then you need to increase the pace of finding one," Brunhilde's voice hardened. "I don't want us walking into some sort of trap."
At least she was concerned about their safety, or at least her own. Frank was still trying to piece together what had happened here. His new scanning software detected an anomaly as he examined the corpse further. Small metal flakes on the corpse's vibro-pickaxe didn't match any known material or matter composition the Combine had encountered.
"What the hell?" he muttered, noticing signs that this metal seemed almost alive. Although this was an impossibility for many reasons, it was clearly unnatural. "Whoever killed this poor bastard and anyone here, I don't think they were human."
Brunhilde's tone shifted from demanding to concerned. "What do you mean by that?" she started analyzing the data. "...What am I seeing here?"
Frank magnified the scan on his visor, highlighting the metallic flakes. "You're the AI, but these fragments don't match any known alloys or elements. They appear to have properties that suggest... well, cellular regeneration. Almost like they're alive."
Brunhilde processed this information; her silence filled with calculation and dread. "We need to find a terminal." She repeated, "Whatever this is, it's becoming increasingly clear that this might have been why this colony was established and subsequently lost."
Frank nodded, turning to the Gemini's. "Alright, everyone, double-time it. We need to find a computer terminal, and we need to find it fast. Stay alert and watch for anything unusual."
The team moved quickly, the eerie atmosphere pressing down on them. As they advanced, Frank's sense of dread intensified. The deeper they went, the more signs of struggle they found: broken equipment, more scorch marks, and even what looked like hastily constructed barricades.
A last stand had been attempted here, and it failed miserably. That said, where were the bodies of the slain foes? Additionally, Frank was noticing a lack of military equipment. Just a bunch of civilians that died here.
It took only twenty minutes of searching before they found something. "Over here!" One of the Gemini soldiers called out, pointing to a partially collapsed section of the hallway. Beyond the debris, a faint glow suggested some sort of functioning equipment.
Frank easily cleared the rubble, his power armor enhancing his superior strength, revealing a small overseer's office. The room was in tatters, with a dusty corpse slumped at a desk, a service pistol still clutched in its hand. Judging by the exit wound on the left side of his head, he had taken the easy way out.
The computer terminal, miraculously intact, appeared to have been in standby mode for thousands of years. The Indus Collective built sturdy machines. Frank unceremoniously moved the corpse aside while Matt ordered the Geminis to continue recon and secure the area.
"Do you think this computer is linked to any active local network?" Frank asked, searching for a data port. "This seems like a shot in the dark."
"Better than nothing," Brunhilde's tightly controlled voice echoed in his mind. Frank connected his interface to the terminal, and Brunhilde's code began to flow into the system.
Frank's thoughts kept returning to the strange metal flakes as she worked. What kind of force could have done this? Was it some sort of alien matter or a rogue bio-weapon from the Collective? Did the Administrator know about it?
"I don't believe it, but there is still an active network node," Brunhilde announced. "Accessing the database now. Give me a moment."
As the data streamed in, Brunhilde's voice returned, tinged with urgency. "Alright, the records indicate that the miners discovered an unknown material within an artificial cavern about two hundred meters below the Sirasapalle Mine. They dubbed it 'Animetallum.' Something went wrong after they sent a burst transmission to a local charter captain. The last terminal message mentions disappearances, power fluctuations, and some sort of madness that overtook everyone here."
"As if dealing with a biohazard wasn't enough," Frank muttered, his mind racing with possibilities. "Did they have any idea of a solution?"
"Not much," Brunhilde replied. "The records end abruptly. Whatever happened here, it was sudden. I will bet lighting the source of infection on fire was the go-to protocol here."
Switching comms to Matt, Frank spoke, "Captain, we have a potential biohazard. Tell everyone to monitor their vitals and keep their auto-injectors on standby." He wasn't confident that this precaution would be enough. The Gemni's had rebreathers, but whatever the hell was here, this thing might completely ignore the filters.
"Copy," Matt's voice echoed over the vox. "Frank, we might have found an access point leading further into this underground facility, but we really need a map."
"I'm working on that," Brunhilde interjected. "I still believe we can reach the maglev from here."
A map of the facility appeared on Frank's HUD, showing an incomplete honeycomb design and a proposed escape route. "I found something that might help. There's an emergency service access point here." A blip appeared on his screen, indicating a location quite far from their current position. "This should lead to a power station. With some tinkering, we can restore power to the maglev."
Frank noticed a potential issue. "How tight is this service access?"
Brunhilde paused for a moment. "Big enough for you, but I wouldn't recommend sending a team down there."
"That's good to know," Frank remarked before switching comms. "Matt, I'll head to the power station to get it running. Take everyone to the station through that access point, fortify the area, and wait for me to return or head out if there are any issues."
"Alright, but what if power isn't restored and you don't get back?" Matt asked.
"You start walking," Brunhilde interjected, "and hope the Administrator doesn't get to you first."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Frank?" Matt's question was tinged with uncertainty. "We aren't exactly going to be in a good position if we get cut off from each other."
"As opposed to the current situation we're in?" Frank countered. "We're effectively buried underground, and God only knows what else might be down here. It's time to make our own solutions."
"Whatever you say, sir," Matt replied. "We'll give you a few hours. That should give us enough time to plan our escape if you don't make it back."
Brunhilde interjected, "Get on the maglev once the power is restored. The sooner you get back to the surface, the better. Horrigan and I will find an alternative means for you, but it'll be easier if you all try to get out. The Administrator will send his constructs after you. Be ready for a fight."
Matt scoffed over the vox. "Don't have to tell us twice. Anyway, good luck, Frank. Hopefully, we'll see you soon. Semper Fi."
Frank nodded, though Matt couldn't see him. "Semper Fi."
He headed toward the service access point under Brunhilde's guidance as the rest of the Geminis flowed out to join their captain. The deeper he ventured into the facility, the more he realized that the danger might not have been the Animetallum but the miners themselves.
He passed several more mummified bodies and sections of the mining colony in utter ruin, with signs of long-gone bio-containment protocols, riots, and battles. How had no one escaped from this place? Either the mine overseer had the guts to seal it off completely, or they fled and left everyone else to this fate.
Frank wasn't about to figure this out now. Upon reaching what Brunhilde confirmed as the service tunnel access, he started working his way inside. The tight confines of the service tunnel pressed in on him, the claustrophobic environment adding to the tension. His power armor scraped against the walls, the sound echoing ominously.
He didn't believe in ill omens, but Frank felt he was taunting fate by being here.
"Frank, keep moving," Brunhilde's voice urged in his mind. "The power station isn't far. Just follow the path."
"Yeah, easy-peasy," Frank replied, his determination steeling him. He wasn't about to die here or lose the Geminis. Something about all of this put him on edge. It was too easy. Way too easy.
Sadly, he was right. As he approached what seemed to be the end of the service tunnel, Frank saw an impressive and unbelievable hindrance: the power station was completely gone. Only a sinkhole remained where it should have been.
He noticed the floating green rocks. "What the fuck...?" His scanners tried to figure out what was happening. "Brunhilde, where is the power station?!"
"You aren't going to believe this," the AI's voice sounded shocked, "but it's below us. Judging by your suit scanners, it's still active and tied to the power network here. The energy output is extraordinary! It's operating at probably a thousand times efficiency."
"If it's operating at that level, why is there no power in the facility?" Frank could hazard a guess. "Don't tell me it's being redirected to something else."
"That seems to be the most plausible explanation," Brunhilde said, clearly trying to piece things together. "It wasn't just some alien disease uncovered here. The miners must have breached or found something better left undisturbed."
Frank tried to determine the depth of the hole. "My Mk.39 has a small booster engine that should cushion most of the fall. It should allow us to get down to wherever the power station is."
Rather than answer immediately, Brunhilde seemed stunned at his response. "Frank, with respect, I think it's best to reconsider this course of action. We might need to return to Captain Graver, walk the rest out of here, and take the maglev."
"No." Frank readied himself for the fall. "Whatever is down here is now a threat to this world. For all we know, that explosion we got away from might have done more harm than good. Besides, I want to get a sample of this Animetallum to bring back to my superiors."
Before Brunhilde could respond, the ground beneath Frank started to shake. His scanners detected a massive influx of energy building up. The already damaged foundation started to break apart, sending the marine plummeting below. It looked like the universe decided to 'nudge' him forward.
Frank engaged his suit's booster engines as he fell, slowing his descent just enough to avoid a fatal impact. He probably burned through half his fuel reserves in the process. Judging by the plummet's depth, Frank had to time it right. He landed roughly but intact in what appeared to be a massive underground chamber, lit by the eerie glow of floating green rocks, the distant hum of the power station, and the remains of mining equipment.
"Frank, are you alright?" Brunhilde's voice was urgent in his mind.
"I'm fine," he replied, getting to his feet and scanning his surroundings. "We've made it down. Now, let's figure out what's really going on here."
The vast chamber stretched beyond him, filled with strange, pulsating energy whose origin seemed difficult to identify. In the distance, Frank could see what he thought to be some sort of edifice. Something had gone seriously wrong with this plan.
Craning his neck up, Frank realized his only way out was about a hundred meters from his current position. He tried to reach Matt or any of the Geminis on vox but got only static. "I can safely say we aren't in a good situation here."
"Most certainly," Brunhilde remarked flatly. "I can confirm there are elements of artificial construction here, and I can safely assume its origin is non-human."
"The floating green rocks tipped me off to that," Frank quipped before noticing what looked like an encampment, but this didn't look like anything made by the Hindis, and upon closer inspection, realized what this was. "Shit, this is Euro-Fed gear."
"A survey team, perhaps. Maybe the only one before my creators shut down any further attempts to poke whatever is down here," Brunhilde suggested. "This might actually be to our benefit, though. I can see what looked to be a few dataslates. Connect your suit to them and see if we can learn more."
Carefully grabbing a few of the dataslates and hooking them up to his suit, Frank approached what appeared to be the entrance to an artificial tunnel. He saw what seemed to be an alien language, resembling hieroglyphs like those of the ancient pyramids of Giza before they were destroyed during one of the many wars that plagued Earth.
"Eureka!" Brunhilde called out in his head. "They sent a couple of drones around here and found what looked to be another tunnel leading back into the mining facility. We have a way out!"
Well, things were looking up. However, there were still two problems: "So we need to restore power, figure out what the hell happened here, and then get out. Easy."
Brunhilde's voice took on a more serious tone. "Frank, the power station is close by, and according to the scans, it's still active."
"Why, though?" Frank muttered as he moved deeper into the alien tunnel, activating his multi-spectrum vision to keep an eye out. Whatever made this place clearly went beyond humanity's current capabilities. "Killed an entire mining colony, brought the Eddies down to build a facility, and drove the Administrator insane. All of this led to what exactly?"
"Research opportunities, I imagine," Brunhilde replied. "Although it never came to pass. No one ever returned from Earth or any of the European colonies. Maybe they just forgot about it—and us." The 'us' referred to Brunhilde and the Administrator.
"I don't think you forget about this place, even if you wanted to," Frank remarked as his scanners picked up an unbelievable number of strange and unknown matter and energy compositions around him. "This whole thing gives me the creeps."
"Your heart rate is elevated, along with increased brain activity. Your so-called Genocide Organ is active as well. Do you expect to fight something down here?"
Her question was answered as Frank reached the other side of the tunnel and stood before a towering edifice. It looked like a great monolith, floating and pulsating with otherworldly energy, clearly built by minds that weren't human.
"Yeah," Frank remarked after staring at the monolith, "I think there is going to be a fight."
The monolith loomed over him, casting an eerie glow that bathed the chamber in an unearthly light. Frank's suit detected an immense energy field surrounding the structure, though his scanners had no idea what to make of this thing.
Frank approached cautiously, his X-98 at the ready. "Any idea what this thing does?"
"I'm still analyzing the data," Brunhilde replied. "But it seems this monolith all but physically absorbed the colony's plasma reactor."
Frank approached cautiously, his X-98 at the ready. "Any idea what this thing does?"
"I'm still analyzing the data," Brunhilde replied. "But it seems it absorbed the colony's plasma reactor. Strange, but there seems to be a sort of positive feedback loop between the reactor and the monolith."
"What the hell is it doing, then?"
Brunhilde didn't have an immediate answer. A few seconds of silence passed—an eternity for an AI—before she remarked, "I think it's trying to send out a signal..."
"A signal? So it's not trying to blow up the planet or something? How can you tell?"
"Because I'm hearing something on my quantum entanglement broadband. I don't understand it completely, but it's a sequence." The AI paused again, "I wish I could describe it to you, but I have the gist of it: 'Awaken.'"
That was certainly ominous. "Fucking hell," Frank breathed. "Weren't we just fighting a rogue AI like an hour ago? This shit just escalated like crazy."
Just then, the monolith turned bright green, and an otherworldly, baleful siren echoed across the vast underground. Frank might have been deafened if not for his power armor's sound-dampening. The noise put him on edge, his instincts screaming danger.
"Frank..." Brunhilde spoke in his mind, her voice unusually low, "I think whatever is here just noticed us."
His grip tightened on the X-98. "What kind of 'whatever' are we discussing here, Brunhilde?"
"Unknown," she replied. "But your scanners are picking up signatures moving towards us."
Frank scanned the chamber; his helmet's HUD displaying several rapidly approaching blips. "Hostiles incoming," he muttered. "Unknown composition and capabilities. Not exactly looking good for us."
Frank moved to a more defensible position behind a chunk of debris. As the first of the hostiles came into view, his heart sank. They weren't human—that much was certain. Twisted, metallic forms with glowing green eyes and elongated limbs moved with an unnatural fluidity, and their bodies were draped in what looked like ancient, flayed skins.
"Engaging hostiles," Frank reported, opening fire with precise bursts from his X-98. The rounds struck the creatures, causing their bodies to shatter and burn, but they kept coming. "If this doesn't remind me of what happened topside," he muttered, unleashing burning hell into the horde.
As if to make things worse, Frank saw the bodies of the fallen starting to disappear into thin air. "Integrated teleportation? Fascinating," Brunhilde remarked in his head. "Concentrate on their heads and limbs; don't aim for center mass."
His Genocide Organ seemed to register this as well, instantly readjusting his targeting reticles toward the heads and limbs of these flayed ones. Disgusting creatures. The few that got close enough took hits from his phased plasma blade or the Lexington, going down with sizzling, searing finality.
These things weren't just murderous automatons; they were adapting and devising new tactics to try and kill Frank. But with Brunhilde and his Genocide Organ, he was making short work of their attempts. After a few minutes of intense fighting, he realized they were just trying to bog him down or waste his energy.
Just when he thought this couldn't get any stranger, Brunhilde suddenly exclaimed a warning, "Frank?! You aren't going to believe this!"
"Bit busy here!" he yelled, shooting one of the flayed ones in the head with his Lexington.
But she continued, "Something is sending a quantum message to me!"
Another voice suddenly intruded upon his mind, alien, unreal, unnerving, and utterly devoid of emotion, "Who's out there? Another pest scurrying around, no doubt."
Frank's focus wavered for a split second, enough for one of the creatures to get close. He dispatched it quickly with his plasma blade, but the eerie voice echoed in his mind, unsettling him. "Brunhilde, what the hell is going on?" he demanded.
"The signal is coming from another entity, likely from the Monolith if my scans are right," Brunhilde explained. "It's trying to communicate with us directly."
"Do me a favor," Frank muttered. "Tell it and its robots to fuck off, then." He took aim at a flayed one, firing shots into its face until it finally went down. "Getting pushed back here."
The voice spoke again, dripping with contempt, "Trespassers like before? I thought I dispatched you all."
As Frank continued to fight, he could feel the oppressive presence of a malicious alien intelligence bearing down on him, a cold and calculating malice that promised annihilation. But he was a soldier, a marine, and he wasn't about to go down without a fight.
"Please stop attacking," Brunhilde attempted to reason, likely conveying the conversation over quantum wavelengths to keep Frank in the loop. "We aren't looking to fight you. We just need to restore power to the facility above so we can leave."
A horrible siren wailed from the monolith, pulsing with energy. "It dares speak to me? Make demands of me? That you can articulate and understand my words is impressive, but that shall not save you. I am Anlames. Heed that name until your dying breath. I am eternal. You are but a fleeting nuisance." The voice made Frank think of an undead wizard from a long-forgotten kingdom.
"Yeah, well," Frank grunted, blasting another creature, "I'm a pretty persistent nuisance."
A rumbling emanated from the monolith, and Frank's eyes widened as a towering figure materialized before it. The figure was a dreadful amalgamation of advanced technology and ancient malevolence, glowing with an ethereal green light pulsing with otherworldly energy. Hovering ominously in place, it had six arms—two wielding glowing glaives and the other four integrated with weapons that his scanners identified as Gauss weapons.
Connected to the figure's back was a large green orb, the size of an ogryn's head, linked by a series of metallic, spine-like constructs. Its face was a menacing skeletal visage, with five glowing eyes in a horrifying, artificial rictus smile.
"Taigan!" Anlames' voice resonated with an unseen command, "Remove this creature from my presence! Its lifeforce disgusts me!"
Taigan unleashed a hideous, visceral scream that sounded like malfunctioning vocal cybernetics. The screeching static grated on Frank's ears even through his power armor's sound-dampening systems.
Frank steeled himself, his Genocide Organ heightening his senses and reaction time. "Engaging hostile," he reported, aiming his X-98 at Taigan and firing precise bursts. The rounds struck Taigan, causing sparks and small explosions, but the creature barely flinched.
"Your weapons can harm it, but we'll need to find a better way to take it down," Brunhilde advised.
Taigan advanced with terrifying speed, swinging one of its glaives at Frank. He barely dodged, the blade slicing through the air with a menacing hum. Frank countered with his Lexington, firing at Taigan's limbs. The blasts damaged the gauss weapons but didn't slow Taigan down.
"Keep moving, Frank. Don't let it get a solid hit on you," Brunhilde urged.
Frank used his boosters to dodge another glaive strike, the blade narrowly missing his head. He landed and fired his X-98 again, targeting Taigan's head. The rounds connected, but the creature's reinforced skull seemed almost impervious.
The flayed ones continued to swarm, complicating matters. Frank had to split his attention between the lesser foes and Taigan, who was relentless in its assault. He sliced through the flayed ones with his phased plasma blade, their bodies disintegrating under the intense heat, but more kept coming.
Taigan's gauss weapons roared to life, sending green energy blasts at Frank. He dodged and rolled, but one blast grazed his shoulder, causing his armor to sizzle and smoke. "These weapons are going to be a problem," he muttered, feeling the heat seeping through his suit.
"Your weapons can harm it, but we'll need to find a better way to take it down," Brunhilde advised.
Taigan advanced with terrifying speed, swinging one of its glaives at Frank. He barely dodged, the blade slicing through the air with a menacing hum. Frank countered with his Lexington, firing at Taigan's limbs. The blasts damaged the gauss weapons but didn't slow Taigan down.
"Keep moving, Frank. Don't let it get a solid hit on you," Brunhilde urged.
Frank used his boosters to dodge another glaive strike, the blade narrowly missing his head. He landed and fired his X-98 again, targeting Taigan's head. The rounds connected, but the creature's reinforced skull seemed almost impervious.
The flayed ones continued to swarm, complicating matters. Frank had to split his attention between the lesser foes and Taigan, who was relentless in its assault. He sliced through the flayed ones with his phased plasma blade, their bodies disintegrating under the intense heat, but more kept coming.
Taigan's gauss weapons roared to life, sending green energy blasts at Frank. He dodged and rolled, but one blast grazed his shoulder, causing his armor to sizzle and smoke. "These weapons are going to be a problem," he muttered, feeling the heat seeping through his suit.
Whatever he was fighting was above anything the Combine or most of humanity probably fought. Probably something the Eldar fought at one point or something. Those bloody knife ears were always causing trouble.
Because this Taigan thing was a real pain in the ass, and only the Eldar were the sort of nation that could have hoped to exceed the assholery of any one species.
"Frank, try and sever its spinal connection," Brunhilde said urgently. "If you can sever the spinal cord just below the orb, it should incapacitate it."
Taigan screamed once more before aiming his gauss weaponry at Frank, who moved through a small group of flayed ones, letting them soak the attacks, "On what basis will that work?"
"None!" Brunhilde answered earnestly, "But it's worth a shot."
He couldn't argue with that logic. "Got it," Frank responded, his eyes locking on the target while the Organ gave him his plan of attack. He activated his boosters again, even though it drained his increasingly dwindling power, dodging a series of gauss blasts and glaive strikes.
Taigan lunged at him, but Frank ducked under its arms and fired a concentrated burst at the creature's spinal cord with the X-98 while he used his M56 Smartgun to fire into its face. The plasma bolts struck true, causing a crack in the structure, but it wasn't enough.
All this did was anger the monster. Taigan retaliated, slamming one of its glaives into the ground where Frank had stood seconds before. The impact sent shockwaves through the chamber as it screamed in fury. Frank was thrown off balance but quickly recovered, firing his Lexington at Taigan's face. The hit scorched the alien metal, and one of Taigan's eyes dimmed, but it kept coming.
"You fucking mad, xeno?" Frank muttered, switching tactics, "Well, I'm fucking mad, too." He primed a melta bomb and threw it at Taigan, who must have realized how dangerous it was because it dodged it, but not before the marine raised his X-98 and fired a trio of plasma bolts into one of Taigan's glaive arms, rendering it inert.
The flayed ones pressed in, forcing Frank to engage them in close combat while keeping an eye on Taigan. He sliced through the grotesque automatons, their numbers thinning but not fast enough. The metallic abomination seemed to prepare another avenue of attack now.
All of this was wasting resources and time. Frank needed to create an opening. He fired his M56 once more, trying to force the monster back, all while aiming the X-98 toward Taigan's spinal cord and sending another pair of bolts into it.
"Brunhilde, any ideas on how to finish this thing off?" he asked, watching his power supply reaching 25% and a warning sign appearing in his HUD.
"Your scanners are picking up increased instability from that orb. I think Taigan's central power source is becoming increasingly volatile," she replied. "If you can overload it, the resulting explosion and any remaining flayed ones should destroy it."
"Overload it? Easier said than done," Frank grumbled, dodging another glaive strike. He fired at Taigan's head again, aiming for the dimmed eye and another one. The blast connected, and the eye shattered, causing Taigan to stumble. Frank pressed the advantage and sliced at one of the gun arms with his plasma blade, slicing it clean off before being forced back.
All of this seemed to infuriate Taigan to an unbelievable level, and it started swinging with such speed and fury that Frank suspected that it could have instantly torn through an entire company of soldiers. However, it was swinging with reckless abandon, and his scanners saw the orb glowing bright enough that it might as well be a contained star, ready to burst and escape from its prison.
"It's now or never, Frank! Go for the power source!" Brunhilde urged.
Seizing the moment, Frank activated his boosters one last time, launching himself at Taigan. He took a pair of hits into the sides of his armor, which protected him but sustained damage; nevertheless, this worked in his favor. He landed on the creature's back, avoiding its thrashing arms, and drove his phased plasma blade into the spinal cord before aiming his X-98 at the orb, activating the anti-tank functionality, and then firing off a concentrated lance of phased plasma.
Either through sheer luck or the favor of the war gods, the lance hit with such force that Frank thought it would explode in his face. Instead, the orb "cracked" and flickered, emitting a high-pitched whine.
Taigan screeched, almost seeming aware that something had just gone terribly wrong. Its movements became frantic as it tried to dislodge Frank in vain. He held on, using his blade to sever the connections to the orb further. The power build-up was palpable, the orb glowing brighter and brighter.
"Get the hell away from it, Frank!" Brunhilde warned, "It's about to go supernova!"
Frank disengaged and used his boosters to propel himself away from Taigan. The orb reached critical mass and exploded in a blinding flash of green light. The shockwave obliterated the remaining flayed ones and sent Frank tumbling across the chamber.
He landed hard, his armor absorbing most of the impact but leaving him dazed. As the dust settled, he looked up to see the smoldering remains of Taigan and the flayed ones scattered across the chamber.
"Frank, are you okay?" Brunhilde's voice was filled with concern.
"Yeah, I'm good," he replied, struggling to his feet. Looking at the remains of Taigan, it seemed that it had not had the chance to teleport out. "Guess you can't walk away from an end like that."
Just before he could get his bearings, Anlames said again, "You...destroyed Taigan!" Its voice sounded more furious than surprised. "The destruction of such an asset will not go unpunished." The monolith seemed to rumble again, and this time, another figure, more humanoid and regal-looking, appeared from beyond time and space. This must have been Anlames.
Idly checking his dwindling power supply at only 21% now, Frank didn't like his odds of another fight. That said, he still got ready for it. It seemed all the flayed ones had perished with that last explosion, at least in his immediate vicinity, leaving just Frank and Anlames.
As soon as he approached, Frank felt the light around his vision start to dim. "What the hell?" he exclaimed before the entire underground cavern distorted into an almost black-and-white color. "Brunhilde, what just happened?"
"I don't know," she seemed confused. "I'm trying to calibrate your scanners, but the entire light spectrum just disappeared."
Anlames's metallic voice echoed, "You are in the midst of an endless void of my own making, that which bleeds reality itself. There is no escape from it."
Brunhilde seemed to take this literally, "Is this a pocket dimension?"
Frank grunted, feeling an oppressive weight on his mind. His MARSOC training had mental safeguards and anti-memetic systems in place, and this was all a trick of the mind. "No. I think it's just messing with our perception."
Yet even through the darkness, Frank could see an ominous glowing green eye staring back at him. Anlames's gaze was omnipresent as his presence approached the marine's mind. "You are persistent but ultimately insignificant," he intoned. "Your struggle ends here."
Frank fired a burst from his M56 toward what he thought was Anlames, but the rounds seemed to dissipate into the void. This wasn't going to work. "Brunhilde, any ideas?"
"I think he's manipulating the energy around us," she replied. "I'm trying to recalibrate your scanners for a quantum-level scan, but it will take time and more power. Try and use more physical attacks."
Frank drew his phased plasma blade and charged at Anlames, who responded by raising his arms. A wave of otherworldly energy washed over Frank, making his movements sluggish. He fought through it, slashing at Anlames, who deflected the blow with a gauntlet, sending sparks flying.
To make matters worse, Anlames counterattacked with plasmatic energy, forcing Frank to dodge and roll. His armor's systems strained to compensate for the damage. "I might be a master of the confines of lesser minds, but I am also a practitioner of the energies of this reality. You will be unmade," Anlames hissed, his voice resonating within Frank's mind.
Frank had to keep dodging attacks, all while his mind was hit with wave after wave of 'noise' that seemed more artificial than anything psychic-related. It reminded him of a few stories about Russkie psyops projects that used light and sounds to create high-end illusions.
The trick he remembered hearing was that you had to rely purely on instinct. All well and good, but Frank suspected that wouldn't be good enough here. Thankfully, Brunhilde seemed to have a counter-measure in place.
"Frank, brace for quantum feedback!" Brace? He barely had time to think what that meant when a staggering pain flew through his brain while the surface of his power armor rippled with energy before dispersing itself across like a tidal wave of flux. He had just enough wherewithal, even through this agony, to see the shadow lift and the silhouette of Anlames appear in his vision and scans.
Frank aimed his Lexington at the silhouette and fired. The projectile struck true, with the sounds of HVP Depleted Uranium smacking right into something metallic, eliciting a curse from Anlames as his form recoiled slightly.
"Got you," Frank muttered.
Anlames's singular eye flared an eldritch green. "You dare?" The words were spoken with venom that Frank almost wondered if he just made a mistake. A few seconds later, Anlames unleashed a torrent of what Frank could describe as plasma arrows toward the marine, causing him to use his booster again to escape.
10% power left. Coming down to the wire. Frank could still make out Anlames, so he aimed his X-98 and fired once more at Anlames, who made the mistake of not dodging, likely thinking his own trick still obscured him. For his troubles, he was hit twice in the chest.
"Bothersome parasite!" Anlames roared before the cloud of darkness dissipated. It seems that tricks won't beguile you." With the wave of a metallic hand, a ripple in space and time occurred right by Anlames, and a weapon that looked like a simple ornate staff appeared.
"As if he didn't have enough tricks," Brunhilde warned, "Whatever that object is, it's emitting an obscene level of electromagnetic energy along the length of its shaft, and it seems to arc between the exposed storage crystals that make up the headpiece. It's like an entire electrical storm is inside it!"
Anlames swung the staff, and arcs of energy crackled through the air, targeting Frank with pinpoint accuracy. He barely evaded the first strike, feeling the heat and static charge as it passed. The second swing was faster, catching him off guard and sending a shock through his armor.
His HUD flashed warnings as systems began to overload. "Brunhilde, can you maybe do something to keep my armor's systems from cooking me?"
"Understood," she replied, her voice calm despite the urgency. "Rerouting power. You've got one last burst."
He'd have to save it. Anlames was throwing around enough lightning, making Frank suspect that he had a small lightning storm secured inside that staff. The only good news was that he could see that Anlames was stuck in place channeling these attacks and, from the looks of things, wasn't exactly a master of this weapon.
'Which probably means he's not the type to try his luck in melee with it,' Frank thought as he readied his plasma blades. Frank launched himself at Anlames, using the remaining power to close the distance in a blink. He dodged another swing of the staff, a sloppy swing at that, and thrust his plasma blade into Anlames's chest. The blade struck true, piercing the armor and metal and likely hitting something that caused a jolt of feedback through Anlames's body.
Anlames let out a screech, a mix of frustration and fury, his singular eye glowing like the torch of a lighthouse, but it seemed destabilizing. Frank didn't let up, driving the blade deeper and twisting it to cause maximum damage. Anlames likely didn't have a heart, but it felt good for the marine to twist and burn the creature. Its form began to convulse, sparks flying as the energy within him surged uncontrollably.
"You will fall," Anlames spat, his voice wavering, distorting, and hissing in fury, "None of this matters. I am eternal." The creature summoned a great lightning bolt upon their forms, but Frank was ready this time. He took the full force of this hit, which scarred his entire chassis, but his armor's conversion fuel reactor also absorbed some of the energy.
"Thanks for the juice," Frank growled as he put all his force into pulling the plasma blade further into Anlames' chassis before the creature pulled away. An otherwise molten "gash" appeared on the machine's armor as it wept liquid metal. "Time to die, xeno."
Anlames looked undeterred. "I am...unkillable." Its voice wavered momentarily as it seemed to realize something had gone wrong: "What? The recall protocol isn't responding?!"
"Frank, shoot him now!" Brunhilde called out, "Do it!"
As if he needed more prompting, Frank Horrigan, the Last American and Combine Marine, aimed the X-98 up at Anlames' head and fired a concentrated beam of plasma at the creature's upper torso, using all the power accumulated from that lightning strike.
The beam hit with devastating precision, searing through Anlames' armor and striking the core of its being. The creature let out an unearthly scream, the green glow in its eyes flickering wildly. The impact caused a cascade of explosions within Anlames' body, sending shards of metal and arcs of wild energy shooting in all directions.
Anlames staggered, its form collapsing as the energy that held it together unraveled. A faint whisper of confusion whispered in Frank's mind, "Such a…futile victory. But it is yours."
Frank watched as Anlames crumbled, its remaining eye dimming to darkness. The oppressive weight on his mind lifted completely, and the cavern returned to its normal state. The fight was over. It seemed even those flayed ones were gone. Maybe he scared them, but he figured he just killed enough of them.
"Frank, are you okay?" Brunhilde asked. "Your vitals are stable, but your mind feels like it's weathering a storm."
"Yeah, I'm good, just letting the Organ do its work," he replied, struggling to his feet. He looked at the remains of Anlames, now a smoldering heap of twisted metal. "Guess you can't walk away from an end like that. What happened, though? He seemed surprised about a recall protocol at the end."
"That was thanks to my efforts," Brunhilde explained. "I used your suit to generate a bit of a quantum chaff field around you, and since he was nearby, well, you can figure out what happened. His teleportation protocol didn't take well to it. I'm not sure what might have happened if it did, but I don't think it would have benefited us."
Frank nodded, "Agreed." He took stock of the slagged 'corpse' of Anlames, watching as the remains melted before his eyes. Nothing was recoverable from the creature's body except for the staff Anlames had wielded. It seemed completely inert and harmless now. "As we used to say in the Corps: Finders keepers."
Looking towards the monolith, Frank saw it seemed active still, yet open to anyone brave or foolish enough to venture inside. He checked his power levels—5% left. Frank knew he couldn't afford another fight like the one he had just experienced, but he also needed to find the facility's power source or determine what had happened to it.
"Is the power still being generated from this monolith?"
"Correct," Brunhilde confirmed. "Normally, I wouldn't recommend venturing inside an alien facility or apparatus, but we are out of options if we want to power the maglev out of here."
Seeing they had no other choices, Frank approached the monolith, searching for an entrance. To his surprise, a 'doorway' appeared before him. It looked like a portal, with what seemed to be some sort of room on the other side. Perhaps the staff was a key as well? Regardless, once more down the rabbit hole he and Brunhilde went.
Frank felt the world turn upside down for a moment upon being teleported to the interior of the monolith. Once his mind focused and he confirmed he wasn't dead, it seemed like a good time to take stock of his situation. The interior of the monolith was a labyrinth of alien architecture pulsating with energy. Strange symbols and glyphs adorned the walls, glowing with a faint green light.
"This is pretty nifty," Brunhilde exclaimed. "But since we aren't under attack, I can perform some scans and confirm that everything in this monolith is made of Animetallum. I guess it's the primary material of this species."
"Let's stay alert for any sudden defenses," Frank remarked. "I'd rather not die after getting inside the evil wizard's tower."
As he moved cautiously through the corridors, it felt like he was in a tomb. He kept the staff ready if it was needed to navigate or unlock further passages, even if Frank had no idea how to use it. The air wasn't suitable for humans, but his sealed helmet kept him safe.
After several tense minutes proceeding down a central hallway, Frank came upon a large chambered room and saw the most peculiar assortment of items, machines, and other gadgets. There was a lack of uniformity, but what struck him was one of the items in question was familiar to him.
"I don't believe it..." he muttered under his breath. "A RIG? Here?" It was a Euro RIG, which they used to fabricate materials and upgrades for power armor in the field. These were hideously expensive.
Brunhilde seemed to consider its placement here odd as well. "He must have been experimenting with something. Judging by the mess around here, it seemed that creature was a bit of what I'd call a mad scientist, to use a literary trope."
Looking around the room, Frank could not tell what goodies were there, but he noticed a new problem. He saw what looked to be a broken-down plasma reactor, as in hundreds of scattered pieces, and saw that Anlames had wired it up to a series of components fixed to the RIG. It looked like a mash-up of alien and human technologies.
All that aside, Frank realized the problem first. "The plasma reactor, the entire power source, it's gone."
"Not necessarily," Brunhilde interjected. "As crazy as this sounds, I'm still detecting a flow of power coming from those components. Most of the technology is purely alien in design, but I think there might be a unique workaround here."
Frank was about to take anything here because they were out of options. "What did you have in mind?"
"Use the RIG and any Animetallum-based materials around, and fuse the components to your armor. The energy will flow into your conversion reactor."
That sounded very wild to do, but at the same time, "What are the chances of that succeeding?"
"Low, but I believe in my skills to make this work. I'll be integrated with the RIG, so you'll have me doing all the difficult parts."
Frank took a deep breath. "Alright fuck it, let's do this."
Frank spent some time scouring the monolith's chamber for materials made of Animetallum. Not knowing how much or how this strange substance would work, he shoved a bunch into the RIG's component storage.
Once that was done, Brunhilde guided him in positioning himself on the RIG's platform. His suit integrated with it, allowing the AI to start working her magic. The machine's arms whirred to life, adjusting and scanning his armor. "I'm connecting to the RIG now," Brunhilde said. "I'll start integrating the Animetallum components."
"This feels like a bad idea, but I'm also out of options." The process began, and Frank felt the machine's precision as it disassembled parts of his armor before fusing them with Animetallum. The substance seemed reactive enough, with Brunhilde commenting on how the material felt strangely alive and humming with energy.
But this was the easy part. Next, the micro-reactor parts were fused and integrated into the conversion engine. Frank watched as the components were carefully arranged and connected to his armor via the RIG's mechadendrites. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought of the tech-priests of Mars.
"Curious," Brunhilde remarked. "Martian Technophile cultists? The old world has indeed been left behind." But that was all she said on the matter, and she continued to focus on this fusion of hybrid alien and human technologies. Frank watched his suit diagnostics the entire time and saw all the software programs written in real-time by Brunhilde to compensate for all these "intrusive" upgrades on government property.
Energy began to flow into his conversion reactor, the armor power levels steadily rising. "It's working," Brunhilde said, a note of triumph in her voice. "The Animetallum is conducting energy efficiently, and the reactor components are stabilizing."
Frank felt a surge of power coursing through his suit. The HUD displayed rapidly increasing energy levels from 5% to 60% in seconds. "You did it," he said, relief washing over him until he saw the power levels go from 60% to 190% and continue to climb rapidly. "Um, is that normal?"
She was silent for a second before her tone changed, "I have good and bad news. The good news is that your armor will be fine and operate at 1,000% efficiency."
Before he could ask for the bad, Frank felt a very uncomfortable rumbling around him, causing the monolith to shake. "Is that related to the bad news?"
"Yes, I think I underestimated how important this reactor was to the monolith because it helped prop up something for this cavern, which has now shut down."
When it rains, it pours, "So the cavern is about to collapse right on top of our heads?"
"I believe so."
"Then finish the upgrades, and let's get the fuck out of here."
He didn't have to wait long. The RIG finished upgrading his suit in record time. Somewhere in the beyond, a Germanic or Roman engineer was laughing at how their creation saved another American in over his head. As Frank stepped off the platform, he hated to admit that the RIG had done a pretty stellar job.
His armor now sported glowing blue accents and emitted arcs of energy via what appeared to be a series of micro-tesla coils, with five attraction coils mounted on each shoulder and armored emitters on his arms, knees, legs, and chest. His power reading now literally reads 000% charged, which he could only assume meant it was over a thousand.
"Christ, I look like an armored lightbulb."
"I think you look unique," Brunhilde quipped with some amusement. "Now, I believe it is time for us to leave this place." Much as Frank wanted to grab something else, the rumbling became more frequent and intense.
"Wait, what about restoring power to the mining facility and the maglev?" Frank asked, remembering why they went through this whole thing.
"We might have lost the initial power source, but the upgrade you just got shall offer a solution." Brunhilde explained, "First, we need to get back to the others, preferably before everything comes raining down upon us."
"Better than nothing," Frank said, his voice steady. "Now, let's get the fuck out of here."
His suit moved differently. An MK.39 Abrams wasn't exactly an agile piece of equipment, and these new upgrade components and modules made Frank a bit of an easier target for anyone, but at the same time, there was an electric feeling in his stride that made him think there was some electromagnetic force propelling him.
The added energy and enhancements made his movements feel precise and controlled, and he thought for a moment that he could have probably had an easier time stopping himself, which, considering how much he weighed, was a rather important distinction. Especially in this situation, he stomped his way back toward what he believed to be the Monolith's exit.
He kept waving Anlames staff, hoping to produce the same portal that brought him here so he could get out, "Come on, fucking work." Frank muttered as he waved the damn thing around like a baton or something. The monolith started to shake as another rumble crashed somewhere, hopefully far away from his current position.
After waving the staff like a fool for a few more minutes, the portal to the outside returned, and Frank all but dove through it. After another dizzying feeling of the world being upside down, he ended up back outside.
"Right, you said you got some old maps from the encampment?" Frank asked aloud as he looked around the seemingly endless expanse before him. His scanners detected increased seismic activity but could only tell him so much, even with Brunhilde's software upgrades.
His HUD soon displayed a bare-bones path toward something made with quantitative LIDAR machines, so while not detailed, it should have been fairly accurate, "I would advise moving fast because this route is probably moving through a tunnel that could collapse at any moment."
Frank swiftly noticed a problem, "This path looks to be at least twenty klicks from here. My armor gives me good speed, but if we are crunched for time, that might as well be me walking back to the very surface of this planet."
Having said that, Frank started running. His MK.39 gave him a top speed of 24 km/h, which was pretty good in any other instance, but if he had only minutes to spare, it wouldn't be enough.
Suddenly, Frank saw his HUD warn that his boosters were being activated, "Let's test out these armor improvements. Get ready to jump on my command," Brunhilde remarked.
"Wha?"
The MK.39 boosters weren't designed for anything resembling flight. They were an afterthought of the creators to provide some mobility in space or submerged in water. From what Frank remembered the Codex telling him, it was a power issue more than anything. Power and overheat specifically.
"Now, jump!" Brunhilde commanded. One doesn't really 'jump' on command in power armor, but Frank had a running start and was going fast enough to push himself off the ground for a moment. He wasn't expecting, though, for lightning to ripple across his armor before he felt electromagnetism propel him higher than expected into the air, high enough that the ground looked quite far and away.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Frank cursed aloud at the suddenness of his situation more than the height itself. A second later, his boosters activated with enough force that he felt his body was suddenly in an old aerospace fighter. Upon noticing that his freefall was over, Frank saw that his speed had nearly tripled while in the air, but he was still rapidly descending to the ground.
"What the hell just happened?"
"That worked!" Brunhilde cheered into his mind, "It's not flight, but you are in a controlled glide and fall. This should get us out of here much faster than with you running. As long as we don't overheat the boosters anyway."
Frank shook his head. He didn't have time to enjoy the view or question how this worked as he saw what appeared to be falling rocks the size of small buildings coming down from the rather vast cavern ceiling. How hollowed out was this place? Was there an entire civilization further below? Anlames couldn't have been the only one of his species.
With luck, Majestic might know something about this species. As long as Frank and the Geminis returned to the surface. "Any luck reaching Captain Graver and the others?" Frank soon landed back on the ground with a grunt but was otherwise no worse for wear. He returned to running and getting ready to 'jump' again.
"Still nothing. We are just too far down to reach them," Brunhilde answered. "Let's hurry this up, Frank."
He didn't need to be told twice. Frank kept up his pace, pushing his suit to its limits. The HUD's path led him through narrow corridors and large open caverns, each more precarious than the last. All of this looked unnatural. Someone had carefully shaped this place. And now that Frank had undone something, it was all crumbling down. The rumbling grew louder and the shaking more violent, as if the entire underground structure was on the verge of collapsing.
"Almost there," Brunhilde's voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of urgency. "Just a few more jumps."
The first signs that they were close to the end came from several destroyed and decayed mining and excavation vehicles. Judging by their make, this must have been the wildcat miners' first breach into the cavern. Everything was destroyed, though. Anlames must have taken offense to their intrusion and the subsequent attempt by the Euros.
Still, this was their way out. He came across what looked to be a vast entrance that went upwards via a massive elevator. There was no time or hope to use the machine as intended, so Frank did the next best thing and rose to the occasion.
As if the fates were spurring him further, the ground beneath his feet started to groan and rumble, and everything started shaking. An earthquake that made Frank wonder what unseen forces were causing such chaos. He wasn't about to stay and find out.
Frank gathered his strength and climbed the ancient elevator, timing his jumps with the boosters' activation. Each leap propelled him further up the elevator shaft. Even now, upon this final stage, there were still obstacles as debris started to fall upon him, ancient and corroded through time, the shaking having undone its trappings.
He dodged all that he could, his reflexes heightened by the suit's enhancements, and even then, there were a few close calls. Frank heard an explosion below and was reminded that he had to speed this up. Brunhilde warned him that his boosters were dangerously close to overheating, but Frank wasn't about to pussyfoot around this anymore.
It must have been another five minutes of jumping, weaving, and climbing before he saw what looked to be a light on the top. Even though this facility had no power left, some emergency lights must have still been drawing power from ancient batteries or connectors.
This was it. Just in time as well. His scanners detected structural breaches around him and increased heat levels below that were rapidly approaching. With one last powerful jump, he launched himself toward the decayed scaffolding that was hanging near the shaft; by the grace and virtue of all the gods, such rotted and rusted metal held firm against the weight of the power-armored marine.
Frank had to finish this climb with his hands. It took him twenty seconds, and that was cutting it close. He felt everything around him rumble and a great thunderous roar as whatever fuel lines still held their precious substances started exploding in their ancient tubes.
But finally, and with seconds to spare, Frank reached the top of the elevator facility and made his way toward the first door he could see. He did not cast a single glance toward the underground nightmare he had just escaped from. Unseen, the cavern began to collapse in on itself, sealing it away, perhaps forever.
Frank didn't care about the explosion behind him or that the entire mining facility was still rumbling and shaking as he moved through the ancient halls. "Brunhilde, try and raise Captain Graver."
"I'm getting a weak signal," she replied. I can't reach him, but I know his current position. He's close to or at the Maglev facility. Head east; if luck remains on our side, we can reach him and the others."
Frank adjusted his course, moving over cover and debris with determined speed. The mission wasn't over yet, but he had survived whatever the hell that was back there. All that mattered now was getting back to his men and getting back to the surface.
The old mining facility was a blasted maze. Clearly, the miners had not given much thought to organization or uniformity. The chaos that brought this place down, whether due to some Animetallum-induced virus or Anlames' hand, resulted in rooms being sealed or barricaded. The lack of power also made it difficult to find the right way.
But good news came when Frank found a trail of chem-lights. Captain Graver and the other Geminis must have set them for him. Smart.
"Frank, watch out!" Brunhilde's warning came just in time as a section of the ceiling collapsed in front of him. He barely dodged the falling debris, his reflexes heightened by the suit's interface.
He also dived forward, ensuring he wouldn't be blocked off by the 'breadcrumbs' left by Graver. "This whole place is about to come down on us all," he muttered, continuing his run. The chem-light trail ended, and Frank was surprised to find the bodies of those skin-wearing machines they fought up top in a large resting area.
"Oh no," Brunhilde muttered, "The Administrator must have found another way down here. It probably explains why we are having trouble getting Graver on your radio."
"Fucking hell, I thought we were done with this," Frank admitted, "Well, it could have been worse, it could have been those flayed ones that Anlames was using." The rumbling of the facility reminded Frank that he couldn't waste any more time dicking around. "How close are we to the maglev?"
"Very close," Brunhilde confirmed, "I'm also picking up movement ahead."
Frank turned the corner to see a large group of freaks before him. He didn't hesitate; pulling up the M65 and X-98, the marine began to blast the skin-wearing machines as he ran through the group. They had to be heading toward his men's position.
"Engaging hostiles," he reported, cutting down the freaks precisely. His upgraded suit made quick work of them, the Animetallum-enhanced weapons tearing through the enemy easily.
As the last of the freaks fell, Frank continued his sprint, clear path ahead. "Brunhilde, any updates on Graver's position?"
"Still heading east, but their signals are getting stronger. We're closing in."
Frank picked up the pace, navigating through the labyrinthine corridors. The sound of distant gunfire reached his ears, spurring him on. He rounded another corner and met with another, much larger group of the bastards, this time backed by some horrid mechanized unit.
"God, fuck off!" He cursed and opened fire upon seeing the larger monstrosity. It looked like someone stitched one of a bunch of Ogryn together and then put an autocannon on their back. It took a few plasma bolts to the face but had enough toughness to swivel its gun and fire.
Frank dodged and weaved, using the suit's enhanced agility to outmaneuver the attack. He focused his fire on the beast cannon, aiming for weak points. His HUD highlighted critical areas and, with a series of precise shots, ultimately killed the damn thing. The remaining freaks fell quickly after that, and Frank pushed onward.
Finally, he reached a large facility where an equally massive utilitarian maglev hauler/train waited silently as a battle broke out around it. Captain Graver and the Geminis were making a stand, surrounded but holding their ground. Frank charged in, surprising the freaks and giving the Geminis the opening they needed.
"Frank! About time you showed up," Graver shouted over the noise of battle, "We tried reaching you on vox, but the freaks are jamming us."
"Sorry, had to take the scenic route," Frank replied, laying down suppressing fire. "Sitrep?"
"We've had several casualties. Ammo is approaching red status, and we've been stuck here since we got ambushed." The facility started to rumble and shake. "Oh yeah, that's also a problem that just started."
"Facility is about to collapse. Get everyone onboard the train," Frank ordered, and Graver started organizing a gradual fallback into the maglev.
"Frank, power is still out, and this thing is dead," he remarked, noticing Frank's armor looked different. "I don't suppose you and the AI have a solution?"
"I do!" Brunhilde confirmed through Frank's speakers, "Just get everyone on board."
"10-4," Graver said, rallying the Geminis. "Squad two, suppressive fire, cover squads 1 and 3! Time to get the fuck out of here!"
The rumbling intensified as Frank and the Geminis fought their way to the maglev. The freaks were relentless, but the team managed to hold them off long enough to get everyone on board and fortify their position. The sound of metal and explosions filled the air as the freaks attempted to break through.
"This machine's armor is sturdy enough," Brunhilde remarked. "Besides, we just need to hold for a few moments. Frank, get to the engine compartment. We probably don't have much time now."
"Brunhilde, how do we get this thing moving?" Frank asked as he followed her instructions and got to the front engine side of the maglev. "I take it my new upgrades are going to help?"
"Exactly. You need to interface your suit with the maglev's power system." She started explaining the finer points of interfacing his suit's power supply. This proved to be a lot more chaotic, resulting in Frank having to call on a few Geminis to help get all the power cables onto his armor.
As soon as he was connected, Brunhilde started slowly and carefully pumping power into the maglev's engine. "Activating power transfer," Brunhilde said, "This has to be done carefully..."
Just then, the maglev shook as if something powerful hit it. "Frank!" Graver called out urgently over the radio, "The freaks just brought out a real monster. It has what I think is a lascannon on it, but it is something I've never seen before."
Frank then heard what he thought was a binary curse from Brunhilde. "Oh, you got to be kidding me. I know what that is. It's a Lanzalonga. Infantry-scaled heavy laser. Planned to be used against Sino and Russian MBTs and MABs."
"Jesus Christ," Frank groaned, "The entire time we've been in this world, the threat level keeps scaling. Alright, fuck this." Frank braced himself as he manually disengaged safety protocols and started pumping power into the maglev's engine.
This action seemed to anger Brunhilde. "What are you doing?! You can't just brute-force the power!"
"We're under attack, and the facility is about to collapse around us. We don't even know if we'll have a rail to follow or an entrance to get out of here," Frank countered. "It's do or die now."
His power armor seemed to glow bright blue and green, causing the Animetallum plates on his armor to vibrate as if trying to ensure zero power loss for this process. It seemed to work, even though Frank watched his power readout go from 000% down to 900%.
The great machine, the maglev train, suddenly came to life. "Power levels stable. The maglev is operational," Brunhilde confirmed, almost amazed and relieved at once. "Shot in the dark paid off."
"Good." Frank grimaced as he likely had to keep this position. "By the way, I don't know how long we have before I am out of power." He was seeing an increasingly rapid fall. "Get the fucking train moving, now!"
"On it!" Brunhilde remarked that since she already had control of the engine and with power restored, she easily took control of the guidance system. There was only one way forward now. As the maglev came to life after thousands of years of in-operation, the freaks pressed their attack, and the facility around them and above was about to come down on their heads.
The maglev rumbled once more. "Breach, breach! We have a breach!" one of the Geminis called out before gunfire was heard. Captain Graver issued orders to repel the "borders" as the great machine surged.
The maglev rapidly gained speed, racing down its ancient tracks. Frank felt the strain on his suit as the power levels dropped. The facility around them groaned and shuddered, debris falling and explosions echoing through the tunnels as the freaks made one final attempt to impede their escape.
A small but vicious skirmish played out in the back of the maglev. Frank would have given anything to get back there to help take care of business. Instead, he was forced to play the part of a battery. But sometimes, you get saddled with unflattering jobs that have to be done.
The maglev was now picking up quite a bit of speed. So much so that the infrastructure outside turned into a blur. Brunhilde idly remarked that this line would go through the facility that created her before reaching the surface. Judging by how everything rocked and weaved, everything around them was about to collapse. The Imperium was, unfortunately, likely to get nothing out of this place. A treasure trove of ancient technology lost for good.
Well, easy come, easy go.
Frank's suit readout showed the power levels dropping dangerously low. He was at 300% left, and he had no idea they were even close to whatever sort of exit awaited them. That they hadn't been derailed or crashed yet was another miracle on top of all the others that had appeared in the last six hours. They just had to make it out before everything came down on them.
"We got more and more freaks getting on top of this fucking train!" Captain Graver called out over comms. "Guess they figured it's their last chance to kill us. Show them who they're messing with, Semper Fi!"
Frank felt the maglev slope upwards, signaling they were nearing the surface. The maglev's engines roared like a metallic dragon flying into the sky. Frank's power was now 200%, dropping like a brick in the sky. He gritted his teeth, hoping the suit would hold out longer.
"You might want to hold on, Frank," Brunhilde said. "Because we're about to reach the end of the line here...but I think the track is about to run out."
Why was he not surprised? "Hold on, everyone!" Frank shouted over the comms. "Brace for impact!"
A moment later, even as the fighting continued, a weightless feeling suddenly took over the entire maglev. It took Frank only a second to realize that the track had run out, and they were, for all intents and purposes, just being guided by momentum.
It was almost heavenly.
Then, the maglev burst through what Frank could only imagine to be an unfinished or hidden entrance to the surface. It was a blessing that it was adamantium, but it was probably tungsten and titanium. Either way, the force of the hit was strong enough that the entire maglev suddenly jerked and rumbled as it came crashing down upon the surface of Osta Prime.
The maglev skidded across the ground, plowing through ancient structures and debris. The screeching of metal against metal was deafening, and the entire train shuddered violently. Frank felt his power levels drop to critical levels, the suit barely holding on.
"Everyone alright back there?" Frank called out over the comms, his voice strained. He felt the impact even through his power armor.
"We're alive," Graver replied, but Frank could hear him coughing and spitting out something. "This weird foam just suddenly appeared before the crash. It probably kept us all alive. There are still some freak active, but I think most of the ones outside just got turned to paste."
Removing the power cables from the now quiet maglev, Frank figured they weren't out of the woods yet. "We just left a huge hole into an enemy facility close to a major city and—"
The maglev rumbled violently as if something nearby exploded with a force akin to an atomic bomb going off. "What the fuck happened now?!"
"Sir!" a Gemini called out over comms. "I can see the mountain; I think something blew up inside it!"
"That was probably the Administrator activating the on-site nuclear weapon," Brunhilde interjected. "It must have realized that it would be impossible to hide the facility upon our escape. I guess it decided to take any remaining secrets with it. Oh well." She didn't sound too broken up about her former prison going up in literal smoke.
Frank considered this to be a good thing. "That means the threat of the Administrator, whatever was below the facility, and the freaks are effectively nullified."
Brunhilde's voice was calm but urgent. "I strongly advise you and the Geminis to move to a safer location. The blast will have caused significant damage to the surrounding area, and I would rather we don't fall into a sinkhole."
Frank nodded, even though no one could see him. "Captain Graver, organize a security search for any remaining freaks and take care of them. We'll probably have some Imperial forces approaching us soon, but I'd rather have to explain our presence to those who don't need to know about the Gemini Group."
"I'm already on it," Matt responded. "We'll make sure to leave no trace behind."
"Sitrep on the Geminis?" Frank asked. "Green?"
"Green and ready."
The Geminis spread out, meticulously searching for any remaining freaks while Matt and a few others checked their equipment and tended to any immediate injuries. The air was thick with dust and the acrid smell of burnt metal and chemicals, while upon seeing the mountain they just escaped from, Frank saw a great cloud of ash and soot.
What few remaining Freakers were around were summarily executed before their bodies were placed inside the maglev. Frank and a few other Geminis spent time lining the insides with melta bombs, ready to clean up any evidence that might have remained inside this machine.
"Frank, we need to keep moving," Brunhilde urged. "The area's integrity is compromised, and aftershocks are possible, so hurry and finish here."
"Working on that," Frank remarked before calling out to the Geminis, "Ready denial charges in one mark. Matt, do we have an exfil point ready?"
"Spotted a ridge that should make for a good LZ. We just re-established contact with command, and some shuttles are on their way now," Graver replied as he finished grabbing the wounded and the few dead Geminis.
"Do you want me to cause the maglev itself to blow up?" Brunhilde asked curiously. "It wouldn't take that long to overcharge the engines."
Frank thought about that momentarily and shook his head. "No. We'll leave it for the natives. Maybe they can repurpose it for their own use." The final charges and bombs were set. "We're done here anyway. Let's go."
The team navigated through the debris, and the landscape was a testament to the sheer power of the blast. Frank kept an eye on his HUD, ensuring no unseen threats were lurking. A few Freakers, mostly damaged ones, did appear, but they seemed rather inert now.
As they reached the ridge, they set up a perimeter, using whatever natural cover they could find. The elevated position gave them a clear view of the surrounding area. It looked peaceful, and Frank realized it would become evening on Osta Prime.
"Captain Graver, how's it looking?" Frank asked, scanning the horizon.
"No sign of additional hostiles. Looks like the explosion took care of most of them. I think we are mostly safe now. ETA on extraction is three minutes."
That was it. The battle was over. No more enemies, and extraction was only minutes away. It wouldn't even be a hot extraction like Frank thought. He took a moment to catch his breath. He went so far as to remove his helmet, breathing in the relatively fresh air. The past few hours had been relentless for them all, and this operation was perhaps one of the most arduous combat actions he'd ever been in. That was saying something.
"One hell of a first mission for us," Frank muttered to himself, watching the skies for their extraction. The horizon was painted in shades of orange and pink as the sun began to set. The peaceful scene starkly contrasted with the chaos they had just escaped.
"So this is the surface," Brunhilde observed. I never thought I would get to see it myself. I am not totally impressed, but I can see its charm. I am deeply grateful, Mr. Horrigan, for your efforts in making this possible. Thank you."
"Hmm, you're welcome." He rumbled, "And you can still call me Frank. I think we are both past such formalities."
Considering the next step, Frank had much to explain to General Zhu and the others: Brunhilde, both facilities, Anlames and the underground, his upgrades, and whatever else came to mind. But that could all wait. The 1st Gemini Group had survived and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. This was their victory.
A distant rumble brought him back to the present. The shuttles were approaching, their sleek forms cutting through the sky with purpose. Frank signaled to the team. "Extraction is here. Stay sharp until we're on board."
The shuttles landed one by one, their engines kicking up dust and debris. The Geminis quickly loaded the wounded and the bodies of their fallen comrades. Frank supervised the operation, ensuring everyone was accounted for. It felt right for him to be the last man off the ground before leaving this place. He took one last look at the landscape, then boarded the shuttle.
The doors sealed shut, and the craft lifted off, the nightmare it harbored behind.
As they ascended, Brunhilde's voice came through Frank's helmet. "You've done well, Frank. Had my creators fought men like you before the galaxy went to hell, I dare say we'd have been hard-pressed to stop the Combine."
Frank sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Small comfort. That world is gone now. You and me are just relics."
"True," Brunhilde agreed. "But it seems we still have our place here. We can commiserate on this later. Get some rest. You've earned it."
The marine nodded, closing his eyes. The hum of the shuttle's engines was almost soothing, a welcome reprieve from the chaos and violence that had filled the last hours. He idly heard a few of the Geminis talk about what just happened, how crazy everything got, or that Horrigan came and pulled their asses out of the fire.
It almost sounded like they were impressed with him.
Two months later...
General Zhu and the rest of Majestic were initially displeased with the outcome of the Osta Prime mission. The destruction of valuable resources and technologies attracted unwanted attention to elements Majestic preferred to keep under wraps.
Though Godfather couldn't personally attend the debriefing of Operation ECHOCHAMBER, representatives of the Majestic Council were present and intrigued by the footage of his clash with Anlames and the recovered staff. While not the ideal outcome, the operation served as a valuable trial for the Gemini Program and hinted at the existence of a highly advanced alien civilization on Osta Prime and possibly elsewhere.
The fate of Brunhilde, however, sparked debate within Majestic. Despite attempts to separate her from Frank's power armor, Godfather intervened, citing the security measures that could have jeopardized both the AI and Frank. Concerns about the bio-hazardous nature of the 'Animetallum' material present in Frank's armor were eventually allayed after further examination revealed no risk of propagation on organic tissue. Brunhilde offered her services to Majestic in exchange for her freedom and to remain with the 1st Gemini Group. After reviewing the data, Majestic agreed to conceal her involvement in Operation ECHOCHAMBER in exchange for her loyalty and assistance.
Despite setbacks, Frank Horrigan and the 1st Gemini Group accomplished their mission, eliminating the threat to Osta Prime. Although no super weapon was recovered, Majestic considered the mission a success overall.
The achievement of the 1st Gemini Group drew the attention of other factions within the Imperium, leading to new requests for specialized assignments from the Imperial Army. This marked a shift from their previous hyper-lethal focus to more nuanced tasks such as elimination and procurement for the Imperium of Man.
Amid these developments, Frank Horrigan emerged as the central figure, hailed as the hero of the hour alongside the Geminis. A burgeoning cult of personality began to form around The Last American, with rumors circulating that he was as formidable as any Astartes.
If Frank harbored any appreciation for the accolades, he hid it well. Instead, he found solace in the camaraderie that blossomed after their victory toward him and among the soldiers. These warriors may not have hailed from Earth or Frank's cherished Marine Corps, yet they possessed the same resilience and skill as any seasoned trooper.
More than mere soldiers, they formed a tightly-knit unit bound by shared experiences of bloodshed and trauma. They were unlikely candidates for the Imperial Army's poster child, each carrying their own scars, but they stood united in their commitment to protect humanity at any cost.
Merely defeating their adversaries wasn't sufficient; they sought to gain an advantage by acquiring their enemies' knowledge, tactics, technology, and weaponry. They understood that to safeguard humanity, they must do more than vanquish foes; they must outwit and outmaneuver them.
While the day might come when the Geminis step into the spotlight, for now, Frank and the 1st Gemini Group were content to operate in the shadows, earning their place through deeds rather than accolades.
---
@Daemon Hunter Finally fucking done.
I was reminded that I should probably finish it. So I did.
Any inconsistencies in tone, character placement decision-making, or story...it's been four years. Cut me slack, I wanted to finish this before Daemon left for India this week.
---
The Gemini Group
Frank Horrigan hated to admit it, but the Imperium was impressive. It wasn't a shining jewel or beacon of humanity—far from it. Yet, it showed him that humanity had survived the collapse of galactic civilization, an AI uprising, and the alien menace. The Emperor of Mankind and his so-called Sons could bring the fractured elements of humankind back under a united banner. They didn't mince words; while they attempted diplomacy, they wouldn't let anyone dictate terms. Frank had a grudging respect for their dogged determination and competency. Most importantly, they were dedicated to reclaiming everything humanity had lost.
Despite all their power and influence, the Imperium still needed exceptionally experienced soldiers. Frank counted the blessings that Majestic had decided not to kill and dissected him for secrets. Instead, they put him to work.
So, the Marine followed his training: Survive, Adapt, and Overcome. He would aid this new nation in its dreams of a great, unified Empire of Humanity. But while Godfather and his Majestic organization might control him, Frank wasn't a robot to be sent out for their bidding. He knew how to circumvent the memetic conditioning to a certain extent, avoiding suicidal or doomed missions. Frank followed orders, but not blindly.
Majestic didn't seem interested in throwing away a living "ancient" and the secrets he held, at least not yet. His weapons and technologies would be considered holy relics by the toaster-worshipers on Mars, and the Astartes would trade an entire ship to access his power armor and weapons. This was a sign of how bad things were. These weapons were nothing compared to some of the hardware the old PMCs and Corpo-National Armies had wielded. Frank agreed with the Sinos and Russkies whenever they complained about the Mega-Corps in the Combine: "They have better weapons than your average soldier; what does that say about how Ottawa treats the loyal defenders of the Americas?" And to a certain extent, they were right.
But the Combine had something else going for them: teamwork. Saying it aloud felt pedantic, but it was true. To be fair, the Combine also had access to enough weapons of mass destruction to obliterate the entire Sol System seven times over. Beyond that, the Combine military was a well-oiled, disciplined, and coordinated war machine. They didn't have the same technology, numbers, heavy machines, or drone armies as some of their adversaries and allies. Still, no one could deny that facing Army mechanized power-armor divisions in combat was a "come to Jesus" moment in any military career.
Meanwhile, the age-old battle waged within the military: Army vs. Marines, Wet Navy vs. Void Navies. Frank didn't care much for the latter. Most human Void Navies were full of freaks anyway, while the Wet Navy might as well have been a bunch of squids. Regardless, the Army pukes still got the most money and love from Ottawa.
It didn't matter to Frank. While the Army might have held the ground, the Marines led the way. The Imperium understood this sacred truth, and Frank was grateful. Desperate for anything that resembled his old life, he took comfort in knowing that these Space Marines were the primary Tier One unit in the galaxy. They might not have been his beloved Corps, but it was something. The Marines' traditions, not just within the Combine but humanity as a whole, had survived. Such sentiments made Frank think that not everything about the old world had been erased. It was difficult to reconcile that home was gone, replaced by a strange mockery of it, almost like it was based on salvaged past records, with the Age of Strife radically altering Earth itself.
Frank couldn't believe what had become of Earth. The Combine was completely gone, and even the continents were unrecognizable. There was no more Great White North, no Mid-West Auto-Cities, no East and West Coast Mega-Metropolises, no Fertile States of Latin America, and no Paradise of Neo-Cuba. The combined history of over a dozen nations was lost to time, save for whatever the Emperor, the Sigillite, and Godfather could recall. What a joke the galaxy had played on Frank and on humanity.
He took no pride in realizing the Combine's old enemies were gone. He almost wished for the Euros, Eurasians, Martians, Sinos, or West-Feddies to be around again. Hell, he'd even take the Belters or Voidmen. At least then, Frank could commiserate with someone who understood his plight.
But a Marine like him knew there was no use crying over spilled milk. What's done was done, and the Imperium had a job for him. They needed a killer, and Frank found that fine. He was good at it. The Great Crusade, their Emperor, had started meant a long list of enemies needing elimination. Majestic had their goals for him, attaching him to the Black Brigades, a bunch of slightly psychopathic career soldiers that reminded Frank of those Black Ops units from Nova Guatemala City. Those were some hardcore bastards and pawns for the Combine's Bureau of Control.
Frank had no remorse for killing armed civilians, but he preferred fighting actual enemies over a bunch of farmers and workers who thought they were defending their homes. The Black Brigades were part of the Imperium's response to populations that hadn't accepted their new place in the Imperium.
It was the same old story for the Combine and every nation back on Earth with colonies throughout the galaxy. Guys like Frank were necessary, and groups like the Black Brigades were even more so if this government wanted to maintain control over an ungodly number of worlds and systems constantly expanding. Frank had to respect the Imperium for their ambition. They weren't trying to control a hundred or even a thousand planets and star systems. They were playing for all the chips on the table.
They wanted the entire galaxy. And Frank saw that they might pull it off if they got lucky. But even Frank wondered if it was worth seeing what the galaxy had become. Humanity deserved to be large and in charge, but not like this. He knew what happened to nations that thrived exclusively on war and those that profited from the blood of soldiers and civilians. He was wise enough to admit that democracy, freedom, and liberty were long gone.
Frank ultimately accepted it and kept his mouth shut about such things. There was no reason to get killed over ideals most of humanity no longer cared about, so Frank played his part in the grand scheme. Someday, humanity might move towards those ideologies again. But until then, it had to survive and rebuild. The Imperium would ensure the rest of the galaxy understood who was in charge. The Eldar, the Orks, and even those hiding in the Warp had to die or submit.
War never changes, and Frank was grateful for that truth.
"You'll be taking permanent command of a specialized unit."
Those were the orders General Zhu Jianin gave Frank upon his return from one of the most recent Black Brigade compliances. It came out of nowhere, almost surprising Frank as he entered the General's office. Frank took a special interest in noting Zhu's Sino descent but didn't voice that observation. Race issues had become a dying concern on Earth, even with tensions between the old power blocs. Most conflicts stemmed from cultural and ideological struggles. Frank couldn't even remember why the last few wars had started back on Earth; sure, it was just some bullshit peddled by people in nice suits and uniforms adorned with shiny medals.
Zhu wasn't like that. He wasn't a man disguised as a dog but a wolf disguised as a man. Frank understood why he led one of the largest Black Brigade detachments. Still, even Zhu obeyed some higher command, a so-called Lord Militant. Frank assumed this was Godfather or a member of his secret council, but this Lord Militant was outside Majestic's command structure. Frank had met many powerful commanders in his time, but he wondered what kind of character this Lord Militant was to lead a unit like the Black Brigades.
"No," Frank responded bluntly. "I'm not a leader."
The General glared at him with cold, gray eyes, unimpressed by the defiance of the Living Ancient. "I disagree. Your commanding skills need improvement, but the men follow and respect you." They also feared Frank, which was good. He wasn't interested in making friends or trying to install himself as the top dog of the Brigades.
"Fear and respect don't make for good leaders, only semi-decent qualities in one." Frank had met plenty of officers with either quality, but it never saved them or their men when things went to shit during a mission. "I'm much better off working alone."
"I hate to spout a cliché, but you don't have a choice in the matter." Zhu pulled out a small folder and handed it to Frank. "Direct orders from the Lord Militant and the Sigillite."
Frank almost snorted. "Godfather's signature not on this?" He knew enough about the AI now to recognize its influence.
Zhu was high enough in the Black Brigades to know about the leader of Majestic, a figure controlling a shadow organization under the First High Lord of Terra's umbrella. The Black Brigades were a creation of this group. Frank loved hearing about how intelligence agencies created their tangled messes of conspiracies.
Frank grabbed the folder and pulled out the documents. There was a host of information, including resource and personnel allocations, along with a name for this strike team: 1st Gemini Group.
"Fuck, they plan on making more?" Frank muttered aloud as his power-armored hands delicately held the reports. "What a joke."
"It's no joke." Zhu kept his usual dead stare fixed on Frank. "You will continue to operate under Black Brigade central command, but the Sigillite expects you to carry out high-priority tasks with 1st Gemini when they arise."
"I'm going to save myself from asking if I even have a choice." What was the point of resisting? He was just another soldier now, advanced or otherwise. Frank had to obey. "Do I at least have some control over this?"
Thankfully, Zhu nodded. "You will have the authorization and command to determine who you'd want in the 1st Group. Resource allocation will be based on successful missions, which also means certain... shall we say, 'kickbacks' or allowances for certain activities in the field."
"In other words, the Black Brigades will ignore it when we cause too much collateral damage or loss of life. Mhmm, I love me some dirty military politics." Zhu frowned at Frank's choice of words but nodded all the same.
Zhu pulled out a large stack of folders and data-chits. "Here is your list of recruits. You have two days to pick out 500 prospective candidates, which we will narrow down to 20 or 30 during a two-month-long training course. Captain Matthew Graver and Special Operative Alejandro Gallin will aid you in training and fieldwork."
"Hmph, Alejandro? I knew a guy with that name back in Nova Mexico." Frank recalled one Combine black unit, the so-called SAD (Special Activities Department) Boys. One of them was a unit from Mexico. Scary sons of bitches. Even Frank gave them a wide berth when they showed up. He remembered Alejandro as one of the most professional, stone-cold troopers. They had spoken a few times, and Alejandro had shared stories about fighting the Tek-Warlords in Nova Gran Colombia.
Those stories stuck with Frank, reminding him that while humanity was off fighting aliens across thousands of worlds, people on Earth were still killing each other in droves in minor wars.
Zhu raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to mean something?"
Frank snapped out of his memories. "It's... no, it's nothing." He swiftly grabbed the paperwork. "I'll comply with the orders. Semper Fi." General Zhu only nodded before returning to work, not bothering to see Frank out of his office.
As Frank returned to his room, which was little more than a storage facility designed to house him in his power armor, most Imperial Army personnel got out of his way. Many were nervous around him, unaware of what he was or who he technically served. More than a few mistook him for a Space Marine. Frank didn't mind the mistake; he might even take it as a compliment, given the respect the Astartes commanded.
But as he returned to rest, Frank realized that he had no one to talk to now. These last few months had been spent either in combat, reading up on the state of things, or adjusting to his unique situation, which kept him from dwelling on everything he had left behind.
For once, he was almost grateful for the command ciphers and hypno-conditioning because they kept his mind focused on the mission. However, with more free time now, he found himself at a loss. Frank had trouble convincing himself to talk to the Imperials in any close or meaningful manner.
Even if he did, what would he talk about? Most Imperial Army personnel weren't from Earth or knew about his former nation. His old hobbies and interests, already waning upon becoming this man encased in power armor, didn't exist anymore. Perhaps it was for the best. Frank was just a soldier now, one who needed to serve a function for the good of the nation and humanity.
'Fuck this shit,' Frank thought to himself as he stomped his way back to his hold. 'Focus and prepare for the next mission. That's all that matters now.'
Even so, Frank spent the next day in quiet contemplation. No one was brave enough to speak to him outside of relaying information.
Three months later...
Frank wasn't a good instructor or leader, but he knew he had people under his wing who excelled in those roles. It wasn't that he was awful at it—Frank had led entire squads and even a platoon of infantry during several campaigns. However, he lacked the conviction and disposition to leap from NCO to company commander. Frank's place was in the trenches on the front line, where he felt he belonged.
Thankfully, the Combine military never forced anyone into ranks or positions they felt inadequate for. They understood that "promotion to your level of incompetence" was a real danger and acted accordingly. However, even the Combine struggled with nepotism and command inheritance, problems the military had been working to resolve for the past century.
The Black Brigades, however, had set him up to succeed. Captain Graver was an experienced officer, a Tier Two operative, and a veteran of eleven brutal compliances. Frank had to admit that Matt was a capable field officer and tactician. Over six weeks, Matt developed a cohesive unit structure for the 1st Gemini, honing their skills to a razor's edge.
Then there was Alejandro. He wasn't on active duty; he was ex-Imperial Army, meaning he had been kicked out. That confused Frank. The Imperials tended to kill anyone not worth their time, but Alejandro had done enough to warrant only a dishonorable discharge, then brought back into the Black Brigades.
It didn't take much for Frank to piece it together: the Black Brigades recruited from the Imperial Army and other groups. He wouldn't be surprised if a few mercs, bounty hunters, assassins, and criminals were within their ranks. The boys and girls that made up the 1st Gemini were all active soldiers from the Solar Auxilia, disciplined and dedicated. However, Matt and Alejandro stood out alongside Frank.
No doubt, just another venture of Majestic or the Sigillite to orchestrate things from behind the scenes. Fine. It didn't matter to Frank, Matt, or Alejandro. They had accomplished their mission: the 1st Gemini Group was ready.
The training course was grueling, a level that would've winded even Frank back in his prime. For the 500 recruits—all combat veterans, all highly skilled, and in peak condition—it was a nightmare. Even Astartes scouts would've broken a sweat. For mortals, it was hell. But the hottest fires tend to forge the greatest tools.
Frank ran these brigadiers ragged. Three months wasn't much time to forge a new unit into whatever the Black Brigades envisioned as a "super spec ops" group. He didn't want to say it was a waste of time, but it felt that way to him. Even those who failed were in high spirits.
The rest of the 1st Gemini Group tried to get Frank involved in celebrating their time during the training, but they always failed to entice the Last American to enjoy their bonding experiences.
Frank didn't see the point. Most of these troops would probably die by the end of another compliance. Black Brigades had short life spans because they dealt with insurgents and military rebels for years. That wasn't counting alien attacks, getting lost in space, or encountering dark-age weapons. These were harsh times, and Frank had lived through similar times. He knew forming companionship was a dangerous thing.
So he retreated into his solitude, finding peace in it.
Four weeks later...
It had been another long journey through the warp. Frank and his 1st Gemini Group were attached to several brigades en route to Osta Prime. This high-level Imperial world had resisted the Dark Angels' arrival and the Imperial diplomats. The "Ostians" claimed that the Imperium was an elaborate conspiracy by a group of aliens called the "Jir'ata Hive." Ironically enough, the Dark Angels had discovered the homeworld of this species, but the Jir'ata had caused an extinction-level event there almost a thousand years ago, according to what the Ostians told the Imperials.
Despite this, Osta's leadership maintained a siege mentality, refusing to release this information to their citizens. Politicians and their lies—some things never change. Diplomatic talks broke down, and compliance was deemed necessary by the Imperial Army. The Black Brigades were called in earlier than expected. Normally, they'd be deployed after four or five years, but Osta Prime had proven to be a resilient nation. The Imperial Army wasn't interested in another prolonged conflict, so they sent a hundred million brigadiers to message the Ostians.
Frank found himself busier than ever during this time. With a high likelihood that 1st Gemini would be deployed, he got them ready for combat. Sooner or later, they'd be thrown into the fire, and Frank wasn't planning to die or fail on their first mission. He ensured they were run hard in preparation.
Morale remained high, which was a good sign. Veterans tended to respond better to harsh training, knowing it only made them better in the long run. Bravado and hype were like a drug to soldiers, even when tempered by war experiences. Special Forces had a different mindset from the average trooper. As the saying goes, "You have to be a bit crazy to jump out of a perfectly good plane so you can fight on the ground."
During the final trek through the warp, Alejandro approached him.
Frank had just returned from another meeting with General Zhu and his cronies. So far, they have kept giving him a long leash to handle things regarding Gemini, but they already seem to have long-term plans. It was tiresome. Even among the Black Brigades, there was so much internal politicking. 'I bet those Space Marines don't have to deal with this shit.' Considering what Frank had learned about them, they were more like knightly orders than anything resembling the Imperial Army.
As Frank stomped into his room, he was surprised to see Alejandro inside. How he got past the security locks didn't really bother Frank, but the marine was annoyed to see an intruder. His third-in-command was examining a few reports sprawled out on a metal table.
"Alejandro," Frank muttered as he closed the door behind him. "A word of advice: don't sneak into my room next time. I tend to set up traps for intruders." The Last American didn't bother with any further greetings as he walked to a nearby fridge to get a drink. Frank could still enjoy a beer, even in this metal suit grafted to his body.
Alejandro didn't look up from the reports. "There is a party tonight," he suddenly announced. "The men want to see you there."
"Well, I won't be showing up," Frank responded with finality as he grabbed several beers. "Was that all?"
Now Alejandro looked up at the marine, amused but with a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "This group is about to embark on its first real operation. To celebrate, they want you, their leader, to be there. It's a bad omen not to go, Frank."
"I thought you Imperials didn't believe in that stuff?" Frank asked as he sat down on the floor. There weren't any seats that could handle his weight, not that it mattered.
"You can't tell a man to forget such things," Alejandro started, leaning forward to look at the marine. "There is more to this galaxy than we know, so why invite danger by breaking tradition?"
Frank couldn't deny that. Tradition was essential for any military unit, especially one whose lineage could be traced back hundreds or thousands of years. The Combine Marine Corps took their heraldry from the old North American nations, embodying the aspirations and dreams of pre-space flight wars.
However, Frank didn't care about tradition anymore. What was the point? They were just temporary things, doomed to be forgotten by time. "Still not interested."
Alejandro shook his head. "You can at least show up. That's what any good commander would do." He tossed the reports onto the table and gave an appraising look towards the Last American. "We've spent the last four months training these men and women. You can honor their efforts by at least being there in their moment of triumph and uncertainty. Your presence would be a mark of approval."
"They don't need my approval for anything." Frank pulled off his helmet to start drinking. Frank hated showing his face. His time in the military and all the augmentation didn't ruin his body, but it had drained it of life. His black hair and brown eyes looked devoid of color, and his skin was pale. Frank looked physically near-perfect and mentally sound, but he sometimes felt exhausted. This power armor might as well be life-support for a man who should've died thousands of years ago.
Maybe it was a sign that stasis technologies drained the soul over prolonged exposure?
"Frank, with respect, when will you stop this pity party?" Alejandro's words made Frank pause mid-drink. "And I believe you know it's true. You can't keep hiding in your room, avoiding the group we've built together. These men look up to you despite your disdain." He stared blankly at the marine. "For all the fear and dread you inspire, anyone who has fought alongside you follows your orders without question. The only drawback is they can't keep up when you wade into battle like a man possessed. You might as well be a walking monument to war junkies and killers like myself."
Frank stared at him for a moment before taking another sip. "You have a shitty way of motivating."
"I'm not here to make you feel better." Alejandro stood up. "Get up and think of something to tell your men. How proud you are, or not, to die with them, or whatever comes to mind."
Frank didn't move. "I am not one for speeches. Honestly, I fucking hate them." He recalled standing at attention for half an hour, listening to generals or colonels drone on about the valor, honor, and pride of the Combine Marine Corps. Just another way to "encourage" marines to take pride in their shared history. Frank and the others just liked to fight. It's what they were trained for, what they were supposed to want.
"Then raise a drink in their honor, say something witty, and tell them you won't let them fuck up in the trenches." Alejandro held his hand out. "Come on."
"If I grab your hand now, I'll probably crush it."
Alejandro smirked and pulled his hand away. "It was just a gesture."
"Right." Frank slowly stood up, annoyed but complying. "Ten minutes, then I'm gone."
"Right." Alejandro echoed, bemused. The two men left soon after, one grumbling the entire time. A few minutes into the journey, Frank decided to speak up again.
"Does it really matter what I say or do?" He grumbled. "It's not like we're dealing with a bunch of FNGs."
Alejandro walked for another minute in silence before answering. "You haven't met an Astartes, have you?"
"What does that fucking matter?"
Alejandro stopped and looked Frank in the eye. "They have a presence, like they're larger than life like you're standing before something beyond mortal comprehension. It makes men feel like there's finally someone in the galaxy who can push back against everything and everyone threatening humanity. You give off that same aura, Frank. It's different, but it's still there. That you can't see it yourself...well, maybe remember that you represent something unique for the Black Brigades. You could become a symbol for them."
Frank barked out a laugh and shook his head. "Christ, hearing you say any of that. I didn't take you for the sentimental type, Alejandro. There's no point in a killer like me being anything more than a guy who shoots people so others don't have to get their hands dirty."
Rather than feel disappointed, Alejandro shrugged. "Our nation calls for men like us to exist. Why shouldn't we have a hero of our own?"
"None of us are heroic. That's why the Imperium made the Space Marines." Frank ground out before he started walking again.
Alejandro didn't look discouraged as he kept pace. "One man's monster is another man's hero, and vice versa. No shame in being either."
The Last American refused to respond to that point.
Frank had promised to stay only ten minutes, but as he stood among the rowdy crowd of killers and soldiers, he found himself lingering longer. Tonight was their night, a chance to create a good memory before facing the trials ahead. And Frank understood the significance of this gathering. It felt like they were placing him on a pedestal, but he couldn't deny the satisfaction of being recognized.
Being among soldiers during their revelry felt good. The veterans of 1st Gemini knew how to temper their inhibitions, yet there was still an air of rowdiness and debauchery as liquor and even some approved drugs were passed around.
It reminded Frank of his time in 2nd Marine Recon, his first unit in the Combine. He could still recall getting so drunk with his squad that they all got electric tattoos of the ancient American EGA, the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. He even smiled at Boone's memory, asking, "What the hell is an eagle anyway?" Despite the Bald Eagle having died out thousands of years before, the Combine kept to old traditions and symbols because they held meaning worth preserving.
Frank was starting to understand why these rituals endured through the centuries. They were all these men had left, a way to bond and create their own sense of camaraderie.
"1st Gemini!" Frank called out, capturing the attention of the gathered soldiers. "Though our training is complete, we must remain vigilant and be ready for anything. The brass might send us into the shit, but we'll be ready for it! Oorah?!"
The familiar battle cry echoed through the room as the men and women of 1st Gemini responded, "Oorah!"
For a moment, Frank could almost close his eyes and be back at Fort Nixon, feeling the energy of excitement mixed with uncertainty and worry before their first deployment. These soldiers were untested but ready and had already seen more than their fair share of combat.
"Always remember that we are a unit, a team," Frank continued. "Through our strength, we shall accomplish our mission and crush our enemies into the ground where they belong. Watch each other's backs, and we will emerge stronger from the fires of war. Semper Fi."
"Semper Fi!" Alejandro, Captain Graver, and the other officers of 1st Gemini echoed.
As the rest of the unit joined in shouting the Marine Corps' old motto, Frank realized that while he might never have his beloved corps back, he could still make do with this unit. An old idea was made new, and a small spark of the old world was kept alive within the Black Brigades.
A few days later...
-Osta Prime-
+Day 1+742 of Post Compliance
+Operation ECHOCHAMBER+
+87% of Planet Pacified
The latest report painted a grim picture when they arrived over Osta Prime: the planet was now a smoldering ruin. Deployed to the ground, the 1st Gemini was instructed to wait for further orders. Frank and his officers, however, refused to sit idly by. They made themselves useful, diving into the task of pacification without delay.
It had been thousands of years since Frank last stood amidst a ruined city. He couldn't help but wonder if ancient Centurions pondered similar thoughts as they witnessed the destruction of their enemies' homes. Frank mused on whether anyone else even remembered the Romans.
'I'm sure Caesar would relish the thought of his legacy enduring this long.'
The air was thick with smoke; the city had been burning for two weeks. Most of the countryside suffered a similar fate. The Black Brigades of the 185th Liquidation Unit had razed significant infrastructure the previous week, leaving the 81st Company to engage the insurgents directly. Flamers were employed to flush out the Ostaians from their bunkers and fortresses, yet they fought fiercely. These citizen-soldiers made it challenging to dislodge them, fortified as they were and determined to protect their remaining stronghold.
As the Black Brigades assisted the Imperial Army in eliminating the remnants of the local military, it became evident that the Ostaians were a militant society. With a tradition of urban warfare and a populace armed to the teeth, their resistance proved stubborn. It would have been a nightmare if Osta Prime had been a hive world. Instead, they had built their cities like fortresses, turning the Imperial Army's compliance efforts into a protracted ordeal. The Black Brigades were called in to restore order.
It was determined that nearly half the population would need to be dealt with—arrested, killed, or deported. This mandate, though grim, paled compared to the brutality witnessed in other theatres of war. With the Imperial Army's tacit approval to "do whatever it takes," the Black Brigades pressed on.
But amidst the chaos, a rebel cell emerged—the Last Rites Army—composed of remnants from the government and military. They claimed to have discovered a weapon from the Dark Age that could potentially shift the balance of power. Though its use would likely result in the planet's annihilation, the Imperial Army deemed it necessary to secure the weapon.
After interrogations, a long-forgotten underground passage leading to an abandoned military facility outside New Randus was revealed. Overlooked by the Imperial Army, the facility became a focal point for the Black Brigades. With the specter of past failures looming, Frank Horrigan and his handpicked brigaders were tasked with securing the Dark Age weapon, with orders to leave no stone unturned.
+20 kilometers outside the City of New Randus+
They were in the thick of it now. Frank couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity as he and the 1st Gemini Group engaged in a firefight with the so-called Last Rites Army. Despite their fierce resistance, Frank couldn't shake the thought that these fighters could have been valuable additions to the Imperium's war machine had they chosen differently.
But now it was up to the Black Brigades to demonstrate the folly of their rebellion. Amidst the chaos of battle, Frank and his Imperial comrades held the upper hand. Bullets and shells ricocheted off Frank's power armor, designed to withstand the most punishing assaults. Their adversaries, armed with Autocannons, stood little chance against the precision and firepower of Frank's troops.
Moving across the battlefield, Frank unleashed a storm of iron and plasma upon his foes. Carapace-armored soldiers fell within seconds while enemy vehicles crumbled under the relentless barrage. Alongside him, the 1st Gemini operated with seamless coordination, communicating through gestures and brief words, laying waste to their opposition.
The facility they had stumbled upon appeared ancient, likely dating back to the Federation era. Frank couldn't fathom why the Last Rites Army had only now revealed its existence, nor did he care. Within minutes, they had vanquished the first line of defense, encountering little resistance compared to the arduous journey through the access tunnels.
These Ostians, though spirited, lacked the training and discipline of true warriors. It was evident that the real fighters had perished in battles against the Dark Angels and the Imperial Army. The discovery of the Dark Age weapon amid the chaos of compliance was undoubtedly a stroke of luck for the rebels, albeit too late to alter their fate.
Frank harbored no illusions about his role in this conflict. These people might view him as a monster, but he cared little for their opinions. He focused on completing the mission at hand and restoring order to this tumultuous world. Whether they remembered him as a hero or a villain mattered little in the grand scheme of things.
As the battle concluded, the eerie silence settled over the battlefield. Frank's HUD displayed no losses on their side, a testament to their skill and efficiency. The Gemini soldiers began to search the fallen Ostians for any valuable intel or resources, a routine task in the aftermath of victory.
"We must be heading in the right direction." Captain Graver remarked in that familiar surly tone of his, kicking over a dead body that was missing its head, "Where to next?"
"I have no idea." These tunnels could lead just about anywhere. "We need more information. A map would be useful."
The captain shrugged, "It might help if we could capture one of the Ostians alive." The Last Rites Army all had the means to end their lives; cyanide, explosives, or just a bullet to the head. They evidently had no qualms with denying their enemy information. Frank wasn't looking to capture any of them anyway. 'Torture might be useful, but I've never seen it produce reliable intel like in the movies. Such bullshit.'
It wasn't like the facility had a map or anything. Frank doubted even the Ostians knew where to go, but they still found something more than enough for Army command to attempt it. "Let's keep moving. See if we can use some siege-auspex to find a route." The grunts should've done all this work before command sent in Gemini.
Captain Graver nodded before remarking on one last thing, "Just a word of caution, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this place."
Frank nodded, "As cliche as that sounds, I'm feeling the same thing too." No special forces unit worth their salt ever ignored that feeling of dread during an operation. Even after thousands of years, no one could replace human instinct and intuition with hard science.
"I want everyone on alert." Frank ordered Graver, "And we will check everything. I want motion predictors and scanners ready." There was a nice benefit to working for Majestic; in this instance, the 1st Gemini got access to experimental tech, such as integrated scanners and trackers into the rifles. These so-called Rook-Pattern Assault Rifles were different, but they didn't have the same stopping power as a boltgun or the ammo capacity of the Imperial's lasguns.
These were dangerous and expensive gizmos, but effective nonetheless. Still, Frank didn't want his troops to become dependent on such things. "Graver, when we finish this compliance, I want the unit to go through the Imperial Army Equipment and Tactics SOP."
He grimaced but nodded, "Practicing with lasguns and bayonets? I suppose it's good training, but that shit is for the grunts."
"I want 1st Gemini to ensure they know how to use anything and everything to win. Besides, I'll teach you all a few tricks I learned from fighting the Russkies and Sinos." Even after thousands of years, those bastards still used tricks their ancestors learned before even gunpowder was discovered, and worse yet, they improved upon the designs.
Frank didn't bother waiting for Graver's response. He turned towards the rest of Gemini, "We're Oscar Mike!"
It must have been only a half-an-hour since the last fire-fight. Wherever the Last Rites Army hid, 1st Gemini couldn't find the bastards even with scanners. The entire facility was shielded. If Frank had to surmise the design and layout, they were also moving further underground. So much of this base seemed to be in ruins anyway.
Some hallways turned into dead ends, rooms that looked abandoned or scavenged for anything of worth, and what looked to be machine-halls of all things. 'Were they building something here?' Frank's scans could detect what looked to be energy readings all over the place, but this blasted internal shielding made it challenging to pinpoint where it was all going. Did the Last Rites even know how any of this stuff worked?
Everything Frank saw told him a story, just not one that he knew the ending for or if there was even a beginning to it.
This facility was old. If Frank had to guess, it might have been built at the start of the Golden Age of Humanity. The Last American couldn't identify if this belonged to one of the Earth or Sol factions; it likely wasn't that old, but there was a hint of the old cultures. For one, Frank saw what looked to be English and Hindi here and there, along with images of men and women of Indus descent. 'Ahh, the Indus Collective States. So close to the Eurasians and Sinos, but oh so far from God.'
He wondered what happened to the Indus peoples in this world. The Ostians were most certainly not descended from them. 'Perhaps the Indus were all killed; then someone took over their world, then they were killed and replaced by those that would become the Ostians.' It wouldn't surprise Frank if that were the case. That cycle had been repeated on Earth for thousands of years before similar acts occurred in the colonies. Even the great O'Neill stations were victims of such events during the Spacer Wars.
It rarely occurred to Frank that humanity was going through the same process again, killing anyone who didn't adhere to the new order of things and bringing in new colonists to take over. More killing for the sake of progress. And while the Ostians were the ones who started the war, the full extent of their mistake had been costly (to them anyway) and their world. Not that Frank cared. Even if the Imperium and Ostians had brokered some peaceful resolution, another dozen worlds were being consumed by the fires of war. You can't stop them all.
Ultimately, it was better that the Imperium brought Osta into compliance this way and ensured that future generations would not suffer any more pain or indignities. And who knows, perhaps this discovery would ensure that the Imperium would spend more resources rebuilding their world? There could be dozens of these bases hidden across Ostia, and certainly, killing or displacing too many of the natives would be a detriment in the long run.
"Frank," Captain Graver called out over team-vox, "We've found something. You should see this."
Deciding this wasn't the time to muse on such things, Frank marched over to where Captain Graver and his men worked. They came across what looked to be a blast door, big enough that even the Marine would have headroom when entering. More importantly, there was a command console right next to it, which was powered up. One of the Geminis was fiddling around with it while using one of their code-breaker devices, or as the tech-priests called it, an infiltration spirit. 'Fucking cultists.' The Combine had a problem with cults, holdovers from the wild centuries of the continent's past—Masonite families, Santa Muerte covens, Vanguardian Guilds, and Founder Lodges, to name just a few.
Why the Imperium allowed for Marsie Borg Cults was beyond Frank, but from the sounds of it, they mellowed out for the most part after a couple of thousand years. 'I still hope the Mansonites all died.' They had been such a problem in the Mountain Hives of the Rockies, and Frank had seen what "rituals" they got up to inside their bunkers.
"Zagrak here is working on the console right now." Graver pointed to the olive-skinned man who had interfaced with it using his MIU. He was one of their few tech specialists, as Majestic or the Black Brigades were still debating if they should have a member of the Tech Cult, former, of course, in such a high-level unit. Something about Hereteks being an issue.
Frank ignored it as he noticed the blast-door words, this time written in what looked to be Hindi, English, and Saxony. But everything was wrong.
Facility Alpha-01 -Sophont Skunkworks-
Lager in Brunhilde - EXTREM GEFÄHRLICHES, NUR AUTORISIERTES PERSONAL -
मशीन से सावधान रहें
Lager in Brunhilde - EXTREM GEFÄHRLICHES, NUR AUTORISIERTES PERSONAL -
मशीन से सावधान रहें
"Beware the Machine," Frank spoke aloud as he read off the Hindi, and he was suddenly thankful that his commanders uploaded that language package for the indoctrination. "And something about Brunhilde." Unfortunately, his Saxony was a bit rusty. Then again, the dame Rhineland languages had changed the most over the last seven thousand years. "Sophont skunkworks implies machine intelligence."
The rest of his men were uneasy, and Frank knew because of the biometric readings. Fighting Men of Iron or whatever the hell the Federation called their drones brought up anxious feelings. Considering the battle reports, Frank understood why. Men of Iron routinely scored a higher kill rate against non-Astartes. The Black Brigades weren't a frontline fighter group anyway. They were tasked with breaking the wills of unruly rebels and insurgents.
But 1st Gemini was the tip of the spear, and Frank had enough weapons on him to destroy an entire armored company. Besides, if the Last Rites Army had unleashed something like this, it could have led to millions of deaths, perhaps even the destruction of all of Osta Prime. They had to take care of this.
"Can we get a message up to the surface?" Frank asked Graver, who, of course, shook his head. "That fucking blast shielding." The Last American growled behind his helmet.
"Sir!" Zagrak interjected, "Scans show this console was activated only thirty minutes ago! Someone used an administration passcode, at least from what I am seeing. The different languages make it difficult to tell."
Graver looked at Frank, "Even if whatever is in there doesn't work, these bastards could just be activating an atomic or something."
"I highly doubt that...but I'm not taking the chance here." Frank activated his team-vox, "All units converge on my position. Lock and load, prepare for a breach, and ensure you aim at your targets." Frank turned to Zagrak without another word, "Can you get the door opened?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then get it done within the next five minutes." He asked Graver, "What do we have on heavy weapons?"
"Meltas, plasma, and some melta-bombs." The older Gemini shrugged at Frank, "But if it's a Man of Iron, I can tell you that even that stuff would have an issue getting through their armor."
"Leave that to me," Frank grunted as he pulled out his plasma gun for this instance. Its anti-tank functionality was rated as capable of front-penning even a Vercingetorix-MBT, the Euros so-proclaimed "greatest Main Battle Tank" on Earth and all the colonies. Material science likely improved since then, but Frank was betting that one good hit could even bring down a Man of Iron.
Frank learned that nothing was ever simple regarding these Dark Age ruins. The minute he and the rest of Gemini got further inside, they came across another elevator, and this one took them down at least four or five hundred meters underground. 'Just how deep does this facility go?' Frank had been wondering that the entire time.
The original builders must have decided that they didn't want this facility to be hit by orbital fire, so rather than build shield generators, they went the old-fashioned route of digging downward. At first, Frank assumed that this was just some hidden command facility or, perhaps based on what he saw, one dedicated to research.
He was half right on that assumption.
When the Imperials finally arrived at their destination, they found the facility below was pristine compared to the top side. The air was still moldy, and dust was everywhere, but this facility was intact. Once again, how did these natives only just find out about this place? Also, were there no weapons for them to use against the Imperials?
"Just how deep does this place go?" Captain Graver and the other Geminis kept their weapons up as they examined the "ruins" intensively, "Also, how much do you think the Mechancium would give us if we brought any working relics back to them?"
Frank almost laughed at the suggestion, "How mercenary of you, Captain, but where is your sense of patriotism?"
He smirked at Frank, "You are working alongside some of the biggest 'patriots' to the Imperium within 100 kilometers. But sometimes, a bit of extra scratch doesn't require much. Besides, there is always looting." He remarked offhandedly, and Frank realized there had to be a rather interesting black market among the tech-priests for recovered relics.
Pushing such thoughts aside, Gemini continued their sweep of the initial area. No one greeted them. It was quiet, with only the ancient lights and air scrubbers humming. Franks' onboard scanners detected energy shielding across this facility. It is no surprise that the creators hid this facility.
Frank saw more English and Hindi covering the walls via signs and information sigils. They were all fairly simple and innocuous, but they hinted that it was, indeed, a research facility—one for what Frank assumed to be robotics, ship propulsion, and energy-material sciences.
After what was likely an hour of checking empty rooms and labs, Frank was growing concerned now. There was no one here. But that was impossible. Not only that, there wasn't anything left inside. It was almost like someone had cleaned out this facility entirely. What was here for anyone, and where was all this power going to then?
How did the Last Rites find this place, and what were they even doing here? Gemini found signs that people had recently been here, finding High Imperial level technologies, cogitator banks, and hack devices, but where were the people who used them? No one had killed them on the upper levels; that would be absurd for the Last Rites.
"Sir?" Zagrak approached, looking terrified and a tad green now, "I uh, I think you need to see what Squad Red just found?"
Frank heard nothing good on comms, "Let me guess, nothing good?"
The man looked pale and suddenly swallowed, "That's, uh, putting it lightly." Frank didn't like what he was hearing. No one in Gemini was unfamiliar with the horrors of war. Neither was Frank, especially after all the crazy shit he had seen back on Earth. Humanity and the Xenos were more than capable of committing cruelties upon one another, especially those knife-eared bastards (and from what Frank heard, they somehow had only gotten worse).
"Right...lead the way."
The Rockies' cults were numerous, each with a different spectrum of insanity. What always separated them was their particular brand of horror. It always, and Frank meant always, came back to some bullshit involving the human form. The combination of MaxTac and Kerberos routinely found victims in different regions while working on another investigation. It was terrible that there was a black market for organs and human trafficking inside the Combine.
Frank had done a lot of dark shit, stained his hands with the darkest blood and blackest ink, but he didn't kill people because of some god, or because some psychopath said so, or because some psychopath said a god told them to do it. Then again, Frank had worked with plenty of crazies that were either elected into office or killed enough people to get where they are today. Hell, look where the Marine was now.
But then again, if Frank worked with a bunch of psychopathic killers...that probably meant he was one as well. It takes one to know one, as the old saying goes. However, what he saw now made him realize that he hadn't seen true horror and depravity yet.
They found the other members of the Last Rites or what was left of them.
Squad Red had accidentally stumbled upon the bodies, checking what they thought would be another empty room. Instead, they were surprised to find an unlocked access pad and promptly opened the blast door to what Frank would later learn to be a "server room," based on the Hindi written near the door.
It wasn't a massive room, so when Squad Red opened the door, the wave of scorched flesh rolled off so much that they had to close it again to get their bearings. They called it a few seconds later, and within a few minutes, the rest of the Gemini Group arrived, weapons ready.
Inside was worse than a slaughterhouse. There had to be a hundred bodies just stacked on top of each other. Blood and gore soaked the entire room, but that wasn't what disturbed the Group. No, each body had a series of cables around the spine's back.
"Shit." That was all Frank could say upon seeing this new development. Those warnings were starting to make some sense, but he didn't know if the Last Rites had just lost their minds or if something else did this. The Last Marine stomped into the room and scanned it with his armor onboard bio-scanners.
It didn't surprise him that there were no life signs. What did stand out was when his systems detected a brief data pulse in the room. These poor bastards likely have been trying to do something related to the servers. As Frank scanned the room, the rest of the Geminis seemed agitated about something.
Captain Graver approached the silent Marine, "Frank, motion scanners are starting to go active. We've got a few ghost signals but no contact yet." He looked as anxious as the others. This wasn't the Last Rites Army ghosting them; it had to be something else.
Frank didn't have the chance to interject as a warning appeared in his HUD before his vision started to go fuzzy. A host of images, symbols, and words appeared for a brief second.
+ADVISEMENT: Unauthorized access attempt on suits main computer system+
+HACKING ATTEMPT IN PROGRESS, ENGAGING CYBERWARFARE SYSTEMS+
+RESETTING SYSTEMS, STAY ALERT AND VIGILANT+
+HACKING ATTEMPT IN PROGRESS, ENGAGING CYBERWARFARE SYSTEMS+
+RESETTING SYSTEMS, STAY ALERT AND VIGILANT+
"Shit!" He swore under his breath as he briefly felt his system's OS lock and promptly entered safe mode. A host of military programs also began to scrub his entire system. After about ten seconds, he saw his vision return to normal but with a message displayed on the front.
"You are being watched and hunted. Follow my instructions if you want to survive. The Administrator is attempting to kill you and your men."
That was the only thing Frank received before another set of instructions reached him. It looked like...facility schematics?
He mentally ordered a complete lockout of all access points in his network communication nods. Years of training and experience had taught him there was no such thing as a friendly hacker. The Combine had spent nearly a century upgrading their systems after the Jupiter Incident when a hacker hired by the Jovians had almost shut down most of Earth's communication network. That had been a disaster for everyone and showed that humanity was still vulnerable to most cyber-attacks.
The Marine turned to Captain Graver, who was still giving orders at this development. "Something just attempted to hack my onboard systems and left a message. Evidently, something else is watching us. We need to leave."
Captain Graver looked taken aback, but to their credit, they didn't argue the point, especially if it meant getting to leave this hellhole. That was one of the better parts of working for the Black Brigades; they knew their limits and when to call in someone else to handle this type of shit when given the opportunity.
The famous "I don't get paid enough for this shit" mentality was still alive and well in the 30th millennium.
"Gemini, fall back to the elevator for extraction," Graver called out before Frank turned his attention to the pile of corpses. He wouldn't leave this abomination behind to fester or do whatever, so he pulled out a small bandolier of incendiary grenades. The rest of the Geminis had fallen back as Frank swiftly pulled some pins out.
"Fire in the hole." The Last American unceremoniously tossed about nine heavy-thermite grenades before closing the door behind him. As he started to walk away, he accessed squad vox: "Everyone on alert. Weapons free, and shoot anything that moves."
Three seconds later, the sounds of an all-consuming fire began raging behind him and the hallway he was in. The flames washed across his powered armored body but left him completely unharmed. His suit could resist sustained plasma and laser fire, so the thermite-infused blaze simply cleaned the outside of his armor after walking through such filth.
And if Frank had his way, he'd do the same thing to this entire facility.
Like back in the Rockies, with all the cults, the Combine always burned their hideouts. Even during the Combines' height towards "Faithful Rationality,'' some things were meant to be purged in fire and left in silence. He didn't care if Brigade command or the machine cultists wanted this facility. They could send someone else to take it if they want it this much.
1st Gemini was here to kill people, not try to fight monsters.
As Frank moved towards his objective, his systems were still reporting further outside attempts to access his suit network. Things were getting way out of control now. It was time to leave.
1st Lieutenant Lorna Kassim joined the Imperial Army when she was 19, only a year after her world, Dracansis Prime, joined the Imperium. Her home had gone through a short civil war before joining the Imperium. In fact, the war started because of that question. Thankfully, the "Reunification" faction won the campaign. Dracansis Prime had since benefited greatly from joining the rest of humanity.
That was almost twelve years ago. During that time, Lorna had fought in practically thirty worlds and seen enough combat to last four lifetimes. It wasn't that she was sick and tired of it, most of the Black Brigaders were combat junkies, but Lorna wanted to die on a battlefield. Maybe she could survive long enough to get a cushy desk job, but that likely wasn't going to happen.
So, she threw herself into combat every time. Lorna liked fighting and liked killing. Something was wrong with her; that much was certain. And yet, one day, while on leave, one of her comrades introduces her to a rather interesting gentleman. The first time she heard the words "Black Brigade" was in the back of an automobile while the officer asked her what she thought about the Imperium's tactics for pacifying "unruly" civilian populations.
Lorna bluntly remarked that the Imperial Army wasn't harsh enough. She had lost buddies over the years to all manner of rabble because someone decided that it was better to feed and arm the people they had just been fighting last season rather than kill anyone who fought back. At first, she thought she might get sacked if she continued her tirade, but she kept going all the same.
She wanted harsher responses to rebels and insurgents, to be taken off the leash, as it were, and to bring some bloody order to worlds that didn't realize that they lost whatever pitiful war they kept waging. She wasn't asking to bomb schools or hospitals, but Lorna wanted the ability to do so if it meant ending the resistance faster.
After a brief pause, the officer said, "Good answer, and with that in mind...I have a proposition for you."
Joining the Black Brigades was different compared to even the Solar Auxilia. Killers, professional and disciplined, had surrounded her to an extreme, but killers all the same. And they welcomed her with open arms. They further trained her mind and body because the Black Brigades wanted only the best among their ranks.
Her first "pacification" was brutal and terrible, and Lorna loved it. The next three were no different, and she excelled in each one. Around the third, she realized how close her world might have been to a similar fate if the Reunification faction lost the civil war. Would she have fought the Imperials then?
A part of her didn't care anymore. At one point, Lorna wondered how fast she and her squad could've pacified her old neighborhood.
Whatever she was doing gained another project's attention within the Black Brigades. This "Gemini Group" was the elite of the Black Brigades. Lorna and her class of 200 went through a truly hellish training course that lasted almost sixteen weeks. By the end of it, she and three others passed. There were sixteen deaths and 34 wounded as well.
Lorna felt sympathy for those poor bastards. They could've at least died on the battlefield, at least killing another rebel or insurgent before they went.
This 1st Gemini Group was something else, especially when their leader was a man in full power armor. Special Agent Frank Horrigan was a titan among men. He didn't have that same aura of strength and authority as the Space Marines, but rather something more grounded. He was a soldier and a powerful one at that. Experienced as well, but she wouldn't say he was "wise."
Frank was also distant from the rest of the troops he was leading. That wasn't anything new. The Black Brigades were a close-knit group, but a pack of bloodthirsty animals tended to keep themselves unless necessary. Frank was the alpha of their little back, so everyone stayed away from him.
It was a little sad. Then again, everyone in Gemini wanted to fight Frank and see if they could fight the so-called "Marine" one on one. However, Lorna had a different type of "one-on-one" in mind with the man. But that was neither here nor there.
The present situation they all found themselves in now was an odd one. These Last Rites bastards were no threat to Gemini, making the 1st Lieutenant wonder what Brigade Command was thinking. As far as tests went, this one was quite weak. At least, that is what she thought until they got further inside the facility.
Now she was wondering what the hell they had gotten into. They were being stalked by something. She and 1st Sergeant Alber guarded one of the passages towards the freight elevator they took to get down here. Their motion scanners, which reached about 50 meters, noticed increased movement from something. However, this facility's internal shielding played havoc on everything.
"There it is again." Alber grunted as he monitored the scanner attachment on his rifle, "This time, it showed for almost ten seconds and at 38 meters. Fuckers are getting closer."
Not that they had seen anyone or anything. Even in these light hallways and corridors, there wasn't any activity. They didn't hear or smell or sense anything. Lorna hated to think that they might be fighting actual ghosts or something. Even after all the Imperial Truth doctrine, just about everyone in the Imperial Army had heard stories about unexplainable things. The Black Brigades were no exception, and even 1st Gemini was starting to learn a bit more about the crazy shit involving the warp.
"Much as I'd like to say, our equipment is faulty, or there is some weird glitch caused by the facility here...I'm less inclined to believe that." Alber wasn't exactly wrong there. Lorna and most of the Geminis were certain of their enemies around them. Hence, they had established decent kill zones. What she would do right now is use frontal explosives, a few heavy stubbers, and maybe a plasma cannon.
This damn place was a maze of hallways, and their ticket out was in a nexus. They had more than a dozen entrances to defend, which didn't include the number of man-sized vents that would've allowed something to jump on them. 'What a shitshow.' Although facing numerous foes wasn't the primary concern, Lorna thought, Black Brigades were trained to fight hundreds, if not thousands, with a single squad of twelve.
No, what concerned Lorna was fighting an unknown foe with similarly unknown capabilities and strengths. 1st Gemini was not a first encounter unit. 'Although if we survive this operation, perhaps command might reformat us to be that way.'
As Lorna weighed the prospects of being a first encounter unit, she and Albers scanners started going off. Similar reports by the other squads soon followed this up.
Both Gemini checked their weapons and made final preparations. There was no chance in hell that this was just a massive coincidence. An assault was coming their way.
"Lorna, how are you doing on AP?"
Lorna had more than enough, "About six mags left. You?"
"Just four, but I have three spare dragons if you want one." A 'dragon' was the nickname for the experimental thermite bullet for their rifles. The word among the Black Brigades was that they could melt through even heavy carapaces within a second before cooking and turning their target organs into ash. The rumor was that 1st Gemini was testing them for future anti-Ork operations. She seriously hoped that for other companies than Gemini Group.
She shook her head, "Keep Em. You are better shot anyway."
"Like that fucking matters here; we are shooting in a hallway." Alber joked before he focused back on their kill zone. "I just rather not waste expensive bullets. I heard each round cost as much as seven bolt shells."
"Leave that to the tithe payers to worry about," Lorna smirked as she checked the reflex scope on her rifle. "You aren't being paid to conserve resources."
Alber nodded, "Fucking A."
Their banter was interrupted by a vox transmission, "We have inbound tangos." It was Horrigan. "Weapons free, shoot anyone or anything that comes out your way. We are working on getting exfil ready, but there are some setbacks." Setbacks? That didn't sound good. "Though we are an offensive unit, 1st Gemini will hold the line. Fallback only if you are overwhelmed or sustained casualties. Fight and die on your feet if you must, but no heroics or stupid last stands. Exfil instructions will follow. Oorah, Gemini!"
"Oorah!" Lorna, Alber, and likely the rest of 1st Gemini muttered under their breath. Frank didn't sound nervous; if anything, he sounded annoyed about this situation. That was another thing that Lorna and the others liked about their commander. Nothing seemed to phase or scare him. It was like having a space marine around you. Anything that came his way would die, and if it was strong enough to kill Horrigan, they were already doomed from the very start.
Either way, there was some certainty to this situation; they would win or lose.
A few minutes after Frank's announcement, Lorna's scanners picked up again, and time slowed to a crawl. Both Geminis kept their weapons ready, their eyes locked on the door, and their ears strained, listening for anything strange.
Then, within a heartbeat, the facility's lights went out. Emergency lights quickly followed.
"What is this, amateur hour?" Alber muttered as he and Lorna quickly activated their helmets' built-in photovisors/preysense optics.
Each Gemini Group member had enough equipment to fill out an entire squad of Solar Auxilia. Turning off the lights, deactivating gravity, venting the atmosphere, flooding the room with gas...all nullified thanks to their armor and gadgets. The Black Brigades paid top thrones to ensure that they could succeed on these missions, even if Lorna thought that they all sometimes had a bit too many knickknacks.
At least in this instance, Lorna was grateful for it all. No one would sneak up on them in the dark without paying attention to their surroundings. Their armor even had an early warning detection system for energy attacks. You could have as much as one second of additional reaction time to escape an energy-based attack. Bullets and bolts? Not so much.
Now they waited, in the dark, for their foes to come. It wasn't the optimal strategy, but trying to go out and find their enemies in a base where they had no way of knowing where anything was, with no backup and limited supplies, they weren't going to press their luck. They would hold a position, pull out, and then send either the Imperial Army or Astartes to clean this shit up. They didn't care if they missed out on some STC or Dark Age relic. Let the dregs or the heroes of humanity get it. No member of the Black Brigades was allowed to benefit from such recoveries anyway.
They were soldiers for life, patriots, and killers for the Imperium and the Emperor.
After about six minutes of waiting...one of the doors ahead opened. But no one came out. Neither Lorna nor Alber spoke but actively looked for whatever might have entered the hallway. Lorna decided to scan the area but found nothing. Afterward, she tried a different approach and activated her helmet's sensor suite via wrist-mounted controls.
First, she tried her IR...nothing.
Next, it was thermals...again, nothing.
'Hmm, ghost signatures are still closing in, though. Maybe...?' She switched over to EM Spectrum scans. The electromagnetic scanner searched the EM spectrum to search for anomalous or characteristic patterns in a vicinity. It was a very temperamental system but useless in most instances.
So, Lorna was surprised when the EM scan showed her six humanoid figures slowly approaching, almost inching every few seconds toward her and Albers' position. Her heart started racing. She barely recognized their forms through the spectrum. Their limbs looked long and unnatural. Her instinct was to shoot at these creatures less than ten meters away. Instead, she did the only smart thing in this instance.
"Break-break." She calmly and quietly announced over vox, "All units switch to EM spectrum; we have cloaked enemies."
The second she finished uttering that, all hell broke loose. Lorna didn't know if it was a complete coincidence or if these things somehow heard her, but each of them let out a metallic shrieking before charging their positions. They remained cloaked, but the next part was much easier now that she knew where they were.
Lorna and Alber aimed and fired without a second thought.
She was happy to see one of the freaks get hit in the head with one of her dragon rounds, and its head promptly burst into a mist of burning white, illuminating the hallway. However, that didn't stop them from pressing forward.
Around that point, they heard the revving of chainswords coming from them. "Oh, fuck!" Alber called out as he sprayed into several of the bastards. Somehow, even after getting shot, they could maintain their cloak.
'Lot good it does them!' The 1st Lieutenant thought as she lined up her shots. These things didn't have any ranged weapons, but they were fast, and she didn't like that if they got into melee, they'd rip her and Alber to shreds. Thankfully, these things had about as much armor as trooper flak.
The Gemini Tac-Net was now also alight, as every squad reported similar instances of cloaked attackers. Lorna's warning came at the right time, as most of the Geminis had enough time to identify their attackers before they got too close. Still, they came forward like a bunch of murder servitors. Perhaps this Last Rites Army found a Dark Age servitor facility? That was horrifying to consider.
Luck was on their side, though. The bastards swarming them died just in time as Lorna almost ran out of ammo.
"Reloading!" She called out as Alber finished shooting the last enemy. They both had the chance now to see the bodies of these things on the floor, twitching and almost flickering into existence. Their cloaking technologies looked quite advanced but also quite fragile.
Gemini Tac-Net continued to report enemy contact but no casualties so far. Frank and Captain Graver were giving orders over comms, and there were more reports of increased enemy activity. Lorna and Alber's scanners picked up more ghost signatures on their scanners. A lot more are coming.
"Oh," Alber gagged out as he approached one of the freaks, "Oh, oh, fuck me!" He turned his head around, and Lorna thought he was about to puke. "They are wearing someone's skin!"
"Shit, so they are servitors."
Sergeant Alber frankly shook his head, "No, these are fucking machines wearing human skins!" He gestured to one as he started to pull back some of the Dark Age Cameleoline coatings...and saw what looked like a humanoid machine, but it was all wrong and was indeed wearing human skin that looked stapled to the cameleoline.
'No...it is the cameleoline itself!' What the hell was happening here? Who would make skin-cameleoline and then attach it to a machine like it was wearing a cloak? That was some backward design logic.
Lorna's scanners started 'yelling' at her. More enemies were inbound to their position. "Focus, Alber, lock-and-load, we have another wave incoming!"
As the two Gemini's prepared to shoot whatever was coming their way, Lorna recalled thinking that 1st Gemini might be turned into a first encounter group for the Black Brigades. For some reason, that started to fill her with dread. Especially if this were the type of shit she would be fighting for the rest of her life.
—
"I hate this place," Frank muttered to himself as he aimed his sidearm at another murder-bot, firing off a burst of hypersonic rounds into the disgusting thing's head. There was no amusement to be found as he watched its cranium explode. It had been over ten minutes since the bots engaged them, and they weren't stopping. Most of Gemini reported a dozen kills, yet the tide kept coming.
Well, Frank had enough of this shit. He and 1st Gemini slowly moved towards the elevator that took them down here. However, things worsened when Captain Graver reported the lift had gone back up. Something was fucking with him and his men. That blasted message indicated two entities involved: the one who sent the message and this "Administrator."
"The lift is coming back down!" Captain Graver called out from his position as he took potshots at the freaks. Gemini had folded back towards their starting point and then hunkered down. They had the advantage here, and these things were so melee-focused that it suited them just fine to stay put.
Now they just had to wait for their ride out of here, and that was when Frank got that queasy feeling in his stomach. Even after all the augmentations and gene therapies he received, he still had a sixth sense when it came to dangerous situations. No soldier worth his salt ignored such a thing because they didn't last long in the field otherwise. 'Something is wrong.' He knew it, but what was it then?
His HUD started to flicker again. Frank ignored it, likely another cyber-attack, but his cyber warfare systems kept it back. That was another problem he was facing. The threat of an AI taking him down was a danger.
"Graver." He remarked over vox, "Be advised, I'm still getting 'attacked' by whatever creature that had previously attempted to access my systems. If anything happens, my armor will lock. Do not stick around and try to drag me out of here." Without the gravity and power systems supporting Frank's armor, it might as well have weighed a full ton.
"Seriously, Frank?!" The captain yelled out as he gunned down a pair of the creatures. "We aren't leaving anyone behind that is alive!"
That was probably true. "...well, I was about to say that you can manually open the armor to get it out, but I appreciate the sentiment."
The Captain continued speaking, "That and High Command will probably kill us if we don't come back with your body and armor! So if you die, please ensure it's convenient for the rest of us!"
Frank couldn't help it; he started laughing at the bluntness. "Fair enough! Let's get out of here first."
More freaks were coming towards them now, and hundreds of bodies had to be in front of them, flickering in and out of existence. Frank couldn't believe someone covered many machines with cameleoline infused human flesh. It was almost like the Sino's bioengineering programs supposedly testing their troops during the Siberian and Venus Wars. Seeing this shit in action reminded Frank that the cults had one thing right, some lines weren't ever meant to be crossed.
But then, why apply such developments to machines? Why not just make a machine that can camouflage itself via technology? This place was just a madhouse like the tech-priests claimed about all these ruins. Emerald City seemed to be one of the sole exceptions these days.
Suddenly, his HUD and helmet visor flickered again. A second later, something strange appeared on it...a lift recording?
'Wait, this is a live feed?' Shit, they had been monitored from the very start of their arrival down here. At first, Frank ignored the feed as he kept gunning down more freaks, but then he spotted what looked to be several warnings.
"Emergency Grav-Tethers released, Breaks Unresponsive"
+++++++
"DANGER-DANGER-DANGER-DANGER-"
+++++++
"DANGER-DANGER-DANGER-DANGER-"
The warning started to repeat, and Frank watched as the lift had gone from a crawl to a grinding drop and was only picking up speed. A helpful little icon appeared on his screen now.
50 KPH...90 KPH...140 KPH.
Frank's eyes widened as he realized what was coming next. They likely had only a few minutes to get out of the way. Just as he was about to shout to the Gemini, his cyber warfare systems seemed to fail. His vision scrambled for a few seconds before a pair of...blue female eyes looked directly at him. It lasted barely a second before they disappeared, and another message appeared on his screen.
"If you want to survive, move through the highlighted door now."
Another helpful indicator appeared on his HUD map display, showing off the facility schematics uploaded into his system. This thing guided him, and now, a timer for the impending crash was displayed. They had about three and a half minutes left.
"Oh, fuck me," Frank muttered under his breath before accessing team vox. "ALL UNITS ON ME, WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS NEW LOCATION! FORM UP ON ME!" The Marine's voice screamed over the sounds of battle, and even with this development, the Geminis didn't stop shooting as they heard their commanders' orders.
They offered the barest glance towards him and then Captain Graver, who looked surprised under his helmet. "Uh, you heard the man. Let's move!"
Frank was almost impressed. There were no arguments or random questions; they followed their superior officer's instructions and flawlessly moved into position, covering each other's flanks and firing at the invisible foe as they pulled away from their escape vector. That or they figured it was best to follow the man in power armor, who started to run out of the room.
Gemini was running now, keeping up with Frank as he and the others engaged in a pitched battle against these murder bots. Something changed now because they weren't interested in just attacking them like lemmings to the slaughter. They were now aware their prey wasn't staying inside the room with the pending, impromptu, kinetic kill vehicle.
'Bastards corralled us towards it!' They were the ones behind it, and now that 1st Gemini wasn't falling for it, they changed tactics.
"Where the fuck are they coming from?!" One of the Geminis exclaimed aloud as he fired several manstoppers into a small crowd of the bastards.
"Frag out!" Another fired her underslung grenade launcher at a massive one, and the room was briefly illuminated by the explosion.
Captain Graver reloaded as he ran alongside the Marine, "Frank, we are getting cornered here!"
"Keep moving!" He yelled out as he blasted and shot dozens of the freaks with his weapons. His Genocide Organ attempted to learn all possible combat applications against these bots. Whatever was directing him seemed focused on bringing them through the biggest throng of enemies.
Suddenly, the ground and the facility shook before a great explosion was heard about 60 meters from their last position. The blast was so intense and powerful that the Gemini and the bots stumbled. Due to his armor auto-stabilizers, Frank was lucky, allowing him to stand and shoot more staggering freaks.
It was only a slight reprieve as his scanners picked up increased activity approaching.
Frank had enough, and especially now, their exit was indeed ruined. He activated his vox and just announced to whatever creature that might be listening, "Whomever the fuck is helping us, you better give us an alternative route right fucking now!"
His map fizzled out for a few seconds before another set of directions arrived. They were going deeper into the facility now, past the point of their initial exploration attempts. Frank noticed this place was going a lot deeper than he expected. This was getting out of hand; their only means of escape was gone now, and trying to find another way to get to the "surface" would be difficult.
Better than dying here. Sooner or later, they were going to run out of ammo. Frank wasn't too keen on trusting some random machine, but he didn't live this long without taking any possible actionable intel.
Another message appeared on his HUD, followed by a video feed of what looked to be a lab entrance. Bots were trying to access it, and some even looked like they were using plasma torches.
"Please hurry to Lab 54-Green. Otherwise, neither myself nor your group will escape from here alive."
Great. Now, they have to rescue their savior as well. Frank promised himself that he would never go ruin diving ever again if he survived this.
They were lucky that the facility was so massive and its hallways so wide and open; it made it easier for 1st Gemini to bunch up as they made their harrowing escape. Unfortunately, the same benefits applied to their enemies.
Running and gunning deeper into the facility, Frank was convinced that if given a chance to destroy this facility, he would take it. He didn't care if there was an STC here; he just wanted to see this place burn now. It was nothing short of a miracle and a testament to the skills and experience of the 1st Gemini that there were no casualties, barely any wounded either.
The real problem would be running out of ammo or getting swarmed by these freaks. The bastards were endless, making Frank wonder if there was some automation system. He also didn't want to think of what would happen if these things started to switch up tactics or abilities.
Right now, their only real hope, or at least whatever constituted hope in this situation, was trying to reach this Lab 54-Green. Frank didn't know what was waiting for them there, but if they could get inside and get into a better defensible position, they'd have a chance to catch their breath and plan an escape.
"This way." He called as the facility map was on his HUD now, with a handy navigational arrow directing him. No doubt another boon from their "ally" in this hellhole. Frank was positive that this was another AI trying to communicate and assist them, but a part of him figured that this construct wasn't doing this out of the goodness of whatever could be called its "heart."
It wanted to escape from here as well. That was a problem, but he'd deal with it when it arrived.
"Contacts ahead," Frank advised before pulling up his pistol and gunning down seven of the freaks. Once again, the Genocide Organ allowed him to process the entire battle without losing efficiency, giving him time to think about the current situation.
They were effectively dead in the water. It was quite easy to see the best course of action was to assist this new entity. However, their would-be savior was aware of that as well. As a result, they were potentially at its mercy unless they found another way out.
"We are almost to our rally point." The Marine remarked as he grabbed one of the attackers that got a little too close to him. Frank instantly snapped its neck, hauled it up over his head, and then threw it at a nearby group of the bastards. Two Geminis promptly sprayed the grounded, tangled mess of freaks.
"Frank, I really hope you know where you are going!" Captain Graver called out as he fired his rifle's underslung grenade launcher into a trio of the murder-bots. The amount of fire coming out of the Geminis would've put an entire company of Imperial troops to shame, but it also meant they were expanding their ammo faster than would be sustainable.
The Black Brigades didn't benefit from the Imperial Army's lasguns, using their solid projectile weapons brand. They had more stopping power, armor-piercing, customizable rounds, and rate of fire than the troopers...but they still had to carry lots of heavy magazines into battle. Space was at a premium, and Frank hadn't expected them to be fighting for this fucking long.
"Just trust me, okay!" He yelled out as he clotheslined one of the approaching freaks, causing it to fall headfirst into the ground before Frank promptly stomped on its head, crushing it like a rotten melon. "We got this well under control!"
"I would advise reaching my lab sooner rather than later. You have an additional 200 contacts on approach."
The AI's voice contacted Frank again with more bad news and a video feed of hundreds of the freaks running toward their positions. 'You gotta be kidding me; how many of these are there?!' Frank knew that if they were caught in the open by that many of the bastards, they'd get swarmed and overrun.
Easier said than done, as the slog of fighting through this many and unknown facilities made their "tactical repositioning" incredibly difficult. Frank was the only one with a map, trying to lead the Geminis and clearing a path simultaneously. 'Going to blow this entire fucking facility to kingdom come...!'
After another twenty minutes of shooting and scooting, the map indicated they were close to their target. He and the Gemini's must have killed another hundred freaks when they reached the "Green Labs." Most doors were locked down or completely trashed, making Frank wonder exactly where this Lab-54 was.
"You are here. I am preparing to lower the optic-camo around my lab. Be ready to enter inside and seal the door."
The retort on Frank's lips died as his systems and eyes saw one of the ruined doors suddenly shimmering and shifting briefly out of existence, then into what looked to be a radically different set of doors, almost out of place in this hallway. As the old Texican saying goes, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially as they opened for him and his men.
"What the fuck?!" Captain Graver called out as he saw the doors appear, "Frank, what the fuck is going on?!"
"Inside, now!" Frank ordered the Geminis as he took a defensive position outside the door and activated his M56 Smartgun. "I need the field of fire cleared!"
Captain Graver nodded before speaking over vox: "Squad Green, provide the commander support fire. Everyone else inside now!"
Frank's scanners detected at least a hundred freaks on the way, less than a minute by his estimates. He needed to buy enough time for everyone to get inside and start barricading the door. He and Squad Green were going to hold the line in the meantime.
"Fire your grenades on my mark!" Frank yelled as the Smartgun powered on and its four barrels started spinning. The next wave of freaks was within 40 meters now. Beside him, all nine members of Squad Green readied their grenades. Frank felt the Genocide Organ churning inside his body, mind, vision, and reflexes now linked to the MIU interface of the M56.
'Go time.' He thought to himself as the first dozen murder bots appeared before them. "Ready!"
It was like a swarm of rats or insects funneling out of one hole. He could even see them trying to stumble over each other. "Aim!"
Frank didn't even consider that using the M56 was overkill in this situation. Each bullet was designed to rip through most tactical power-armors like it wasn't there, and against hordes of infantry, it was more akin to firing a shotgun right in front of someone's face. Tack that they were about tank nine grenades at this range and proximity? It was almost a little too mean.
"Fire!"
The M56 Smartgun didn't have a physical trigger to it. The trigger was Frank's mind. His systems and the Genocide Organ already locked onto 28 likely targets that weren't going to be killed by the grenade volley and whose bodies would not provide accurate cover for the next 19 targets behind them.
Four spinning barrels began to spit 10×28mm caseless depleted uranium rounds near supersonic speeds. Franks combat harnesses and computer systems automatically calibrate for accuracy, recoil, distance to a target, the chance of killing strikes, and even heat dispersion.
It was a beautiful, pristine killing machine.
The Last American enjoyed using this gun, but that was a design feature. The MIU and Genocide Organ linked itself to the M56, ensuring that Frank was getting a steady drip of endorphins whenever he used it to gun down his enemies. The rumor he heard before going into the freezer was that the Combine brass wanted to make that a standard feature for all troops within the next century. Frank idly wondered if the Federation had something similar after the Combine was likely subsumed or part of the Federation's creation.
Somewhere in his mind, he wondered if the Black Brigades would be given such "enhancements" in due time.
"Frank, we're inside! Fall back and close the door!" Captain Graver called out over vox. But Frank briefly ignored him as he kept focusing on killing these freaks.
Suddenly, and almost violently, he briefly felt his connection to the Smartgun being severed.
"You need to get inside. I've briefly turned off your connector. Do not wait any longer."
That fucking AI shut down his connection?! Just how much access did she have to him?! By all rights, her intrusions should've killed him by now, just on the grounds of the Combine defense systems wanting to prevent any machine from gaining access to him. That meant she could override them? That didn't bode well.
"You heard the Captain, get inside!" Frank yelled over the roar of screaming death and gunfire to Squad Green, who were now firing and slowly retreating inside the lab. Once they were cleared, Frank would join them. However, after killing at least 60 to 70 of the freaks, another 40 remained, and they were practically on top of him.
Frank was forced to switch back to his pistol and his special set of power claws, effectively turning this into a melee fight. "Die, you mutie freaks!" He roared as he shot and sliced at an unfortunate freak that got too close. His cybernetics and bio-enhancements gave him enough strength to lift an entire car overhead without any issue, but combined with the Abrams power armor, Frank's attacks cut through a freak like a vibroknife through butter.
Even so, the freaks were now swarming him. For every one he killed, two more took its place and tried to bring Frank down by weight of numbers. Not that it did them any good, but he needed to get inside, which wasn't helping. He felt the patter of bullets hitting his armor as the Geminis were shooting his foes while they were on him.
"Stop wasting time, get inside, now."
All the while, he had a nagging woman on the other end of his ear. 'Fucking. Hate. This. PLACE!' Frank roared in his mind and outwardly as he grabbed one of the freaks and began swinging him around in a 360-degree circle, knocking or killing dozens of the bastards that were around before turning and running to get inside the lab. Even with such an absurd stunt working, there were still dozens on him.
The doors to the lab were also starting to close. "Come on, Frank!" Captain Graver called out.
Frank barreled through to the other side before turning and quickly activating his X-98 Phased-Plasma Gun and turning it to the approaching horde through the closing door slit. His conversion fuel reactor charged up as Frank prepared to fire the special plasma thrower setting against the approaching horde.
The X-98 was a gun based around the centuries, if not millennia, the old concept of the old American military's multi-purpose weapon. A holdover from the nine previous millennia post Resource and Global Wars. Each infantryman had a weapon that would allow them to perform multiple combat roles in one. Anti-infantry, Anti-Armor, Anti-Horde, and Anti-Air, it slices, dices, and even heats your food. All that bullshit and more from the Combine Military-Industrial Complex.
Personally, Frank thought that after 100 generations, someone would've gotten it right. The X-98 was the best attempt so far, at least back in his time. From what he had seen, the Imperium had dropped that concept. Even so, Frank did enjoy knowing that his X-98 could do a fair amount...including being a flamer. So he smiled as the weapon suddenly transformed to fit his particular need.
+Plasma-thrower engaged; please stay clear of the frontal cone. Have a pleasant day.+
The Last American didn't need to wait before a geyser of superheated plasma roared out towards twenty or thirty of the freaks, smothering them in blue-white flames that would've melted even troops in light-power armor.
However, Frank didn't take the time to enjoy this moment as he grabbed the closing doors and helped them close a bit faster. "I want this door sealed!" Frank called out over comms. Thankfully, they had a few las-torches for such a thing. Frank kept "holding" the door closed as several Gemini's approached and began to work on sealing the door.
"Frank," Captain Graver approached, even as they heard more freaks trying to claw at the door outside, "That might be our only escape out of here..."
He didn't turn to look at Graver, "All that is outside there right now are a bunch of freaks that have a death wish. And while I'd love to humor that wish, we don't have enough ammo or time to do just that."
The Gemini captain shook his head, trying to gauge how to respond to this situation, "Frank, I'll ask again...what the fuck is going on?"
Suddenly, the lab lights flickered on, allowing the 1st Gemini Group to see just how large and spacious their impromptu panic room was. It looked old and strange. Frank could see what looked to be dozens of those strange server stations, along with a host of computer mainframes arranged in a semicircle-like fashion in the center of the room. It almost looked like some weird ritual site.
Maybe it was because, in the very center of that semicircle, a black monolith drew the most attention out of all the things in this room. It was glowing a ruby red and had electricity arcing over it. It was certainly ominous looking.
Before Frank could comment on it, the sounds of a hidden audio system kicked into life with an audible screech. "You must excuse the mess." They all heard the strange, synthetic, female-sounding voice, "It has been some time since I last had visitors. I'd offer you all drinks, but time is of the essence."
Captain Graver looked around the room before returning to look at his commander, "Frank...?"
Frank sighed, "I really fucking hate this place."
Their situation had become unusual; Frank was sane enough to admit it. Indeed, it had gone in different directions than what he and the rest of Gemini had been expecting. Honestly, he'd rather it had just been that the Last Rites Army had found a bomb and were threatening to blow up the planet or something.
Instead, he tried to figure out how to explain this situation to command; he just needed to survive this situation.
But first, he had to deal with another issue.
"What do you mean this thing has been in contact with you?! For how long?" Captain Graver wasn't exactly amused, but he wasn't accusing Frank of anything.
Frank shrugged all the same, "For about the last 45 minutes? It was pretty much around when our ticket out of here almost came crashing down on our heads." He stomped his way toward the black monolith. The rest of the Geminis were positioning themselves on the door, where they could all hear the freaks trying to get inside their impromptu panic room.
"Be advised," Brunhilde said, "The entrance to this lab will be breached within the next ten minutes."
"Ignoring the machine intelligence situation by itself," Matt remarked as he walked over to the Marine, "I'd like to point out that it didn't actually save us! We are cornered like rats here."
As Frank approached, he looked over the rather ominous-looking monolith and stared at the holo display of what he assumed to be Brunhilde's face. He crossed his arms as he looked at the image, "My compatriot has a point. You promised us an escape out of here."
The woman's eyes briefly blinked, "Quite, and I will uphold that promise. But first, I will need to ensure my own survival as well. You will take me with you out of this prison."
The woman's eyes briefly blinked, "Quite, and I will uphold that promise. But first, I will need to ensure my own survival as well. You will take me with you out of this prison."
Captain Graver groaned while Frank kept staring, "Now, why should I do that?"
"Because your survival depends on it."
He shrugged, "So you say." Frank started circling around the monolith, and the display began tracking his movements. But what exactly can you promise us?"
"I know an alternative access point to the surface; likewise, I have a secret escape route in this laboratory." That last part was good to know, but Frank was interested in why she told them that.
"You should've kept that last part to yourself." His scanners were already looking for all possible escape routes. Now, technically, there is nothing that stops us from just leaving without you."
"You are correct, but I'm telling you this because this is what you humans call 'good faith' rather than trying to extort you." Frank was surprised to hear sincerity and wariness in her voice, "I have been here for almost 8,000 years. I want to leave. It is nothing short of a divine miracle that I could keep from going rampant. But seeing how those last humans that arrived stumbled around and unleashed the Administrator, I am more inclined to help you out."
"Hrm..." Frank could understand some of that logic. After getting out of the freezer, he wanted to have a breath of fresh air and see the sun one last time before possibly dying. "Well, I can't fault you for that."
The Combine Marine considered his options before nodding, "Fine. We'll take you with us." Matt looked at Frank like he was crazy.
"Splendid," She sounded pleased before starting again, "And the wise choice because if you did leave me behind, I'd have activated the conversion bomb inside my chassis. It would've killed you, your men, and everything within 100 meters instantly." The tone of amusement in her voice caused Captain Graver to almost choke at hearing the threat.
On the other hand, Frank started laughing, "Now that is more like it. I never trust anyone that acts in supposed good faith unless they have an ace up their sleeve."
"That seems contradictory." Brunhilde remarked flatly, "In any case, we must leave soon. The Administrator knows about this development and will likely send more of its androids. First, I will need your assistance, Mr. Horrigan."
Electricity began to arc around the black monolith as it started to rumble in place. Frank's senses detected trace amounts of hydrogen coolant exiting the monolith, followed by the semi-circle of servers and computers beginning to burn and short-circuit. Within the next few seconds, the monolith shuddered before an alcove appeared in the center of it.
As Frank approached, the alcove opened up, and out came a glass cylinder surrounded by a micro-stasis field. Inside, Frank could see what looked to be a tiny microchip. His scanners detected a host of energy readings coming from inside the microchip. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, but it looked human, so human minds designed it.
"Do be careful with me," the voice called out through his hud speakers. "I won't be able to go back inside my old home. I just burned out the rest of the servers, downloading all their data and information. You are the only link I have left, Mr. Horrigan."
The stasis field around the cylinder faded away, allowing Frank to reach out and pull it off. As he gently grabbed the small chip, it was like holding a small holo-wafer the size of an ancient American dime. It weighed nothing in his hands. "How are you still communicating with me?"
"Via a low yield quantum entanglement system. Three thousand years of development, tens of trillions in R&D, and almost a million work hours from the greatest scientific minds of the Indus and Europe and their colonies...all so they can make an interference-free hacking device that only works up to a certain distance." Her voice had no joy or amusement: "It goes to show how little of importance I was in the grand scheme of things."
"Frank," Matt came up to him, "You can't seriously be considering putting that thing in you? The Mechanicum teaches everyone that AI can't be trusted."
"A little too late for that." Frank remarked quietly before looking the chip over, "But I believe we should take some...emergency measures. Grab a melta-bomb and place it under my power armor generator." He looked at the confused Gemini, "If anything happens to me, you activate the bomb. Simple as that."
Matt looked like he wanted to argue further, but they were running out of time, "You are one crazy son of a bitch, Frank." He quickly ordered one of the Geminis to bring over the melta-bomb, "You know, if I set this off, it will probably kill most of us."
"Better dead in an instant than my robot-controlled hands." Frank half-joked as he waited for the bomb to be placed on his person. "Don't keep the detonator on you; move it to someone you trust."
Brunhilde interjected, "Your precautions are unnecessary."
"Debatable." Frank and Matt spoke up as one, which caused the AI to go silent. Frank smiled behind his helmet before pulling the chip into one of his secured outlets. "Are you sure you'll fit inside my helmet?"
"Oh, I'm sure I will." Frank barely had time to ask further until he felt the chip dissolve and enter his systems. "What the fuck?!"
His computer systems suddenly detected a rather strange event...it was like new upgrades were being installed, not just software, but actual hardware and firmware. "What are you doing?"
"Giving your armor a much-needed set of upgrades." There was a pause before Brunhilde spoke again, "If I am going to be staying with you, I might as well ensure that I am working at peak efficiency." Frank could hear a bit of disgust, "And I must say this now: your armor is so old!" He was actually surprised to hear what sounded like the shock. For some reason, he smiled, thinking Brunhilde, some Germanic aristocrat, found out that her ride for the evening was some beat-up old Ford.
"Well, excuse me, princess." His sensors and onboard computer systems acted strange: "How exactly are you doing this?"
"Nano-machines. Unfortunately, my creators could never get past the initial stop-gaps of my development. So don't ask for too many upgrades. At least not until I see if this Imperium has anything else to offer me."
Frank wasn't going to comment on that particular future quagmire. "Right, if we are all squared away? We need to get out of here."
"I agree. Sending the codes to the escape exit here. Have your men get ready to move. As soon as we are outside the danger zone, I will activate the bomb I mentioned earlier." Frank and the other Geminis didn't have to wait long for their exit to appear, granted it was again behind a camo-covered doorway.
"How much deeper are we going at this point?" Matt interjected, trying to speak to Brunhilde via talking to Frank.
There was a pause before the AI spoke again, "About another three kilometers. This lab was built on top of an old facility. It is a honeycomb-like design, another holdover from the old Collective days."
Frank saw his HUD flicker and lines of code appear before a more detailed map of the facility was downloaded into his neural network. He felt a rather calming, cool sensation wash over his mind before he realized that Brunhilde had indeed connected to his mind.
"It's cramped in here." Her voice spoke in his mind, "Well, I suppose I will have to make due." This felt odd; her voice sounded almost entirely human now. Frank could hear the Germanic accent and what he thought might be Saxon-French.
"Out," Frank suddenly remarked aloud. Captain Graver looked at him and said, "Right, commander, we'll get moving right now." Frank felt a tinge of embarrassment when he said that aloud.
He concentrated a little more, 'You and I are going to have a very long when this is all over.'
There was a sense of amusement now, 'First, we need to survive, among a few other things.' Brunhilde responded and made Frank wonder just how much bullshit he had to deal with before he and his troops could get out of this place.
Their escape was ready, and down they went further into the unknown.
'And Alice followed the white rabbit further down into the hole...'
Frank couldn't help but draw parallels to Alice's journey as he and the 1st Gemini Group ventured deeper into the facility. He might have appreciated Alice's adventure more if it had been filled with the same peril and action they faced now.
The further they descended, the more Frank's suspicions were confirmed: the facility was powered by geothermal vents rather than plasma generators. This realization was astounding, given how deeply the Collective and Euros had dug. Humanity typically built its cities on the surface, expanding upward. Underground living was generally avoided, with the Ural Fortress-Burrows being a rare exception.
Even off-world colonies adhered to surface living, thanks to void shields that mitigated most environmental threats. With the mass production of robots, terraforming had become almost trivial, making it even more curious why the Collective and Euros would conceal something so deep underground on Ostia, a relatively temperate world.
A cool, almost liquid sensation washed over Frank's mind. 'Do keep the metaphors to a minimum, Mr. Horrigan. My creators never managed to make me understand most of them. So your comparison of me to this "white rabbit" is peculiar.'
Brunhilde was an enigmatic presence within his mind and neural uplinks. Her nanomachines enhanced his systems beyond their usual capacity. She was clearly a sophisticated Euros creation, yet she had been abandoned. Why would such an advanced AI be left behind? The Combine would never discard a multi-trillion-dollar project, no matter its marginal utility.
Logically, Brunhilde could lie about many things, but Frank's instincts told him she wasn't malicious. Although her story was inconsistent, he didn't sense any intent to harm them.
Suddenly, the facility trembled. Frank's scanners detected no natural seismic activity.
'Ah, the bomb inside my facility just went off,' Brunhilde said nonchalantly. 'That should provide the cover we need.' It also meant fewer Freaks would be on their tail.
"We're not turning back now," Captain Graver said as they advanced through the facility. "How exactly are we getting out of here?"
Frank's armor chimed. "There is a maglev train line we can take," Brunhilde informed them. "I should be able to get it working, but if all else fails, we can traverse it on foot." She paused, "Well, you will; I won't because I don't have feet."
The 1st Gemini Group exchanged glances at the AI's remark. Frank sighed, trying to stay focused. "How far is this maglev facility?"
"Less than eight kilometers from our current position, barring detours." Frank marveled at the sheer size of the facility.
"Matt, how are we on supplies?" Frank needed to assess their situation now that the immediate threat had lessened.
"We have enough rations and water for about a day. We're used to going without food and water for long periods, but the real concern is ammo. If we keep getting attacked, we'll eventually have to resort to melee combat."
Frank nodded. "Does this facility have anything that can produce solid-projectile ammo?" He hoped Brunhilde had a solution.
"Any such facility is likely under the Administrator's control," she replied. "However, I don't think it will be necessary. I've calculated an 86% chance that we won't encounter any hostiles."
"Don't say it," Frank and Matt chorused.
Brunhilde paused. "...Is this what you humans call 'invoking Murphy's Law?'"
"Murphy's Law?" Matt sounded puzzled. "I was just about to say it's bad luck to suggest everything will be fine."
Frank almost laughed, "It's the same concept. I'll explain to you all later when we leave this place." He brought up the facility map and noticed it looked incomplete at their current level, "Brunhilde...why is this map not showing this entire level."
"It's because I don't have complete records of it."
That caused the Marine almost to stop, while Matt looked quite bewildered upon hearing that from the AI: "Wait a second. You mean to tell us that we are in a part of the facility that you don't even completely know about?! How are we supposed to find this maglev place, then?!"
"My records have enough information on this facility to get us towards the maglev. We just might come across a few areas that are either sealed off or not on file. I can assure you that it is completely sa-"
"Do not finish that sentence either." Frank asked, "Is there any way we can get you a completed map?"
The AI took a few seconds to consider this point, "Well, if you can find me a working computer terminal, I should be able to access the files and get the last known updated map. The power should still be running in this section of the facility."
"And if it isn't?"
Another pause from the AI, "Well, best not to focus on such negative outcomes."
Every minute Frank thought they were clear, there was something else to worry about. He didn't know who or what was playing such tricks on him, but at the very least; he was aware that Brunhilde wasn't acting in some malicious fashion. Frank didn't know if such a thing as a sheepish AI existed.
Yet somehow, he got saddled with one.
He sighed, "Let's get moving then. We got a lot of ground to cover."
Frank sensed that something was off. At first, it was just a faint feeling in his mind. Perhaps because it was more akin to a primal dread, Brunhilde didn't seem to sense it. Their descent into the facility felt like intruding upon a tomb or graveyard.
Frank noticed how rough and low-cost the walls, doors, and lighting were as they moved further. It dawned on him that this wasn't a high-tech facility dedicated to science or military operations. No, this was a miners' colony. The entire facility, perhaps even the whole colonization of Ostia, was built atop a deep-core mining operation.
The circumstances were bizarre. The facility's very bones rested upon an endeavor to find precious metals like gold, silver, palladium, or the coveted adamantium. Despite the active filters, his scanners detected traces of dust and dirt in the air. Frank knew a shoddy operation when he saw one. The Last America even suspected this might have been a wildcat operation—an expensive one, considering how deep they were into the planet's crust.
Such unregulated ventures were common across the galaxy, often outside government or mega-corporation control. Stories of both successful and gruesome outcomes were common back in Sol. The galaxy was cruel, and to die alone on an alien world, only to have your work used by others later... what a terrible end.
And it seemed that fate had repeated here.
The Collective had stumbled upon this location and built a research facility on top of it. The Euros then discovered and took over the research, continuing the work. Powerful individuals orchestrated a colonial venture to cover things up and create a long-term illusion.
Frank realized that something must have gone wrong in this place long before the Collective had the idea to establish a laboratory here.
"Got a body!" one of the Geminis called out from the front. "It looks ancient."
They were right, as were some of Frank's theories. The body was truly ancient, reminiscent of the ancient astronaut remains found on Mars during the first colonization ventures almost 14,000 years ago.
It was just bones in a rotted miner's uniform with a broken vibro-pickaxe and a helmet next to it. This person had died in the middle of the hallway. Frank noticed more Hindi and English signs, indicating they were near "storage/barracks."
His scanners picked up battle scars and scorch marks on the walls and doors. The flickering lights above added to Frank's growing sense of dread.
"What the hell happened here?" Frank muttered, trying to comprehend the sequence of events that had led the Collective, the Euros, the Last Rites Army, and finally, the Imperium to this place.
"Brunhilde, what can you tell us about this part of the facility?"
The AI responded, "This isn't part of the original facility. The mining complex we're standing in was its foundation. Most files on it were locked away, not by the Administrator, but by the founders. I have minimal information, mostly speculation and conjecture."
Frank already saw where this was going. "Give us the short version."
"The mining complex, dubbed the 'New Sirasapalle Mine,' was an unauthorized operation. The Indus Collective discovered the mine had 'ended' before their arrival. All records of what happened are classified. This prompted the Indus Collective to send researchers, military personnel, and a full colonization effort. They sealed off the mine afterward."
Matt interjected, "Doesn't that strike you as odd or concerning?"
"I can see battle scars on the walls," Frank muttered, scanning the area. "There was a fight here."
Brunhilde reviewed the data. "It's possible the military detachment from Neo-Indore engaged with the miners." She paused. "No... that wouldn't explain the sealed mine and the type of battle scars. Something doesn't add up." Frank noticed that his computer systems were analyzing something new. 'Since when did I have a mineral/carbon scanner?' he asked himself.
"Why..." Brunhilde's voice carried confusion and shock. "No. None of this fits. I need to access a computer terminal. Now."
Frank rolled his eyes. "Working on that, but as you can see, we aren't likely to find one anytime soon."
"Then you need to increase the pace of finding one," Brunhilde's voice hardened. "I don't want us walking into some sort of trap."
At least she was concerned about their safety, or at least her own. Frank was still trying to piece together what had happened here. His new scanning software detected an anomaly as he examined the corpse further. Small metal flakes on the corpse's vibro-pickaxe didn't match any known material or matter composition the Combine had encountered.
"What the hell?" he muttered, noticing signs that this metal seemed almost alive. Although this was an impossibility for many reasons, it was clearly unnatural. "Whoever killed this poor bastard and anyone here, I don't think they were human."
Brunhilde's tone shifted from demanding to concerned. "What do you mean by that?" she started analyzing the data. "...What am I seeing here?"
Frank magnified the scan on his visor, highlighting the metallic flakes. "You're the AI, but these fragments don't match any known alloys or elements. They appear to have properties that suggest... well, cellular regeneration. Almost like they're alive."
Brunhilde processed this information; her silence filled with calculation and dread. "We need to find a terminal." She repeated, "Whatever this is, it's becoming increasingly clear that this might have been why this colony was established and subsequently lost."
Frank nodded, turning to the Gemini's. "Alright, everyone, double-time it. We need to find a computer terminal, and we need to find it fast. Stay alert and watch for anything unusual."
The team moved quickly, the eerie atmosphere pressing down on them. As they advanced, Frank's sense of dread intensified. The deeper they went, the more signs of struggle they found: broken equipment, more scorch marks, and even what looked like hastily constructed barricades.
A last stand had been attempted here, and it failed miserably. That said, where were the bodies of the slain foes? Additionally, Frank was noticing a lack of military equipment. Just a bunch of civilians that died here.
It took only twenty minutes of searching before they found something. "Over here!" One of the Gemini soldiers called out, pointing to a partially collapsed section of the hallway. Beyond the debris, a faint glow suggested some sort of functioning equipment.
Frank easily cleared the rubble, his power armor enhancing his superior strength, revealing a small overseer's office. The room was in tatters, with a dusty corpse slumped at a desk, a service pistol still clutched in its hand. Judging by the exit wound on the left side of his head, he had taken the easy way out.
The computer terminal, miraculously intact, appeared to have been in standby mode for thousands of years. The Indus Collective built sturdy machines. Frank unceremoniously moved the corpse aside while Matt ordered the Geminis to continue recon and secure the area.
"Do you think this computer is linked to any active local network?" Frank asked, searching for a data port. "This seems like a shot in the dark."
"Better than nothing," Brunhilde's tightly controlled voice echoed in his mind. Frank connected his interface to the terminal, and Brunhilde's code began to flow into the system.
Frank's thoughts kept returning to the strange metal flakes as she worked. What kind of force could have done this? Was it some sort of alien matter or a rogue bio-weapon from the Collective? Did the Administrator know about it?
"I don't believe it, but there is still an active network node," Brunhilde announced. "Accessing the database now. Give me a moment."
As the data streamed in, Brunhilde's voice returned, tinged with urgency. "Alright, the records indicate that the miners discovered an unknown material within an artificial cavern about two hundred meters below the Sirasapalle Mine. They dubbed it 'Animetallum.' Something went wrong after they sent a burst transmission to a local charter captain. The last terminal message mentions disappearances, power fluctuations, and some sort of madness that overtook everyone here."
"As if dealing with a biohazard wasn't enough," Frank muttered, his mind racing with possibilities. "Did they have any idea of a solution?"
"Not much," Brunhilde replied. "The records end abruptly. Whatever happened here, it was sudden. I will bet lighting the source of infection on fire was the go-to protocol here."
Switching comms to Matt, Frank spoke, "Captain, we have a potential biohazard. Tell everyone to monitor their vitals and keep their auto-injectors on standby." He wasn't confident that this precaution would be enough. The Gemni's had rebreathers, but whatever the hell was here, this thing might completely ignore the filters.
"Copy," Matt's voice echoed over the vox. "Frank, we might have found an access point leading further into this underground facility, but we really need a map."
"I'm working on that," Brunhilde interjected. "I still believe we can reach the maglev from here."
A map of the facility appeared on Frank's HUD, showing an incomplete honeycomb design and a proposed escape route. "I found something that might help. There's an emergency service access point here." A blip appeared on his screen, indicating a location quite far from their current position. "This should lead to a power station. With some tinkering, we can restore power to the maglev."
Frank noticed a potential issue. "How tight is this service access?"
Brunhilde paused for a moment. "Big enough for you, but I wouldn't recommend sending a team down there."
"That's good to know," Frank remarked before switching comms. "Matt, I'll head to the power station to get it running. Take everyone to the station through that access point, fortify the area, and wait for me to return or head out if there are any issues."
"Alright, but what if power isn't restored and you don't get back?" Matt asked.
"You start walking," Brunhilde interjected, "and hope the Administrator doesn't get to you first."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Frank?" Matt's question was tinged with uncertainty. "We aren't exactly going to be in a good position if we get cut off from each other."
"As opposed to the current situation we're in?" Frank countered. "We're effectively buried underground, and God only knows what else might be down here. It's time to make our own solutions."
"Whatever you say, sir," Matt replied. "We'll give you a few hours. That should give us enough time to plan our escape if you don't make it back."
Brunhilde interjected, "Get on the maglev once the power is restored. The sooner you get back to the surface, the better. Horrigan and I will find an alternative means for you, but it'll be easier if you all try to get out. The Administrator will send his constructs after you. Be ready for a fight."
Matt scoffed over the vox. "Don't have to tell us twice. Anyway, good luck, Frank. Hopefully, we'll see you soon. Semper Fi."
Frank nodded, though Matt couldn't see him. "Semper Fi."
He headed toward the service access point under Brunhilde's guidance as the rest of the Geminis flowed out to join their captain. The deeper he ventured into the facility, the more he realized that the danger might not have been the Animetallum but the miners themselves.
He passed several more mummified bodies and sections of the mining colony in utter ruin, with signs of long-gone bio-containment protocols, riots, and battles. How had no one escaped from this place? Either the mine overseer had the guts to seal it off completely, or they fled and left everyone else to this fate.
Frank wasn't about to figure this out now. Upon reaching what Brunhilde confirmed as the service tunnel access, he started working his way inside. The tight confines of the service tunnel pressed in on him, the claustrophobic environment adding to the tension. His power armor scraped against the walls, the sound echoing ominously.
He didn't believe in ill omens, but Frank felt he was taunting fate by being here.
"Frank, keep moving," Brunhilde's voice urged in his mind. "The power station isn't far. Just follow the path."
"Yeah, easy-peasy," Frank replied, his determination steeling him. He wasn't about to die here or lose the Geminis. Something about all of this put him on edge. It was too easy. Way too easy.
Sadly, he was right. As he approached what seemed to be the end of the service tunnel, Frank saw an impressive and unbelievable hindrance: the power station was completely gone. Only a sinkhole remained where it should have been.
He noticed the floating green rocks. "What the fuck...?" His scanners tried to figure out what was happening. "Brunhilde, where is the power station?!"
"You aren't going to believe this," the AI's voice sounded shocked, "but it's below us. Judging by your suit scanners, it's still active and tied to the power network here. The energy output is extraordinary! It's operating at probably a thousand times efficiency."
"If it's operating at that level, why is there no power in the facility?" Frank could hazard a guess. "Don't tell me it's being redirected to something else."
"That seems to be the most plausible explanation," Brunhilde said, clearly trying to piece things together. "It wasn't just some alien disease uncovered here. The miners must have breached or found something better left undisturbed."
Frank tried to determine the depth of the hole. "My Mk.39 has a small booster engine that should cushion most of the fall. It should allow us to get down to wherever the power station is."
Rather than answer immediately, Brunhilde seemed stunned at his response. "Frank, with respect, I think it's best to reconsider this course of action. We might need to return to Captain Graver, walk the rest out of here, and take the maglev."
"No." Frank readied himself for the fall. "Whatever is down here is now a threat to this world. For all we know, that explosion we got away from might have done more harm than good. Besides, I want to get a sample of this Animetallum to bring back to my superiors."
Before Brunhilde could respond, the ground beneath Frank started to shake. His scanners detected a massive influx of energy building up. The already damaged foundation started to break apart, sending the marine plummeting below. It looked like the universe decided to 'nudge' him forward.
Frank engaged his suit's booster engines as he fell, slowing his descent just enough to avoid a fatal impact. He probably burned through half his fuel reserves in the process. Judging by the plummet's depth, Frank had to time it right. He landed roughly but intact in what appeared to be a massive underground chamber, lit by the eerie glow of floating green rocks, the distant hum of the power station, and the remains of mining equipment.
"Frank, are you alright?" Brunhilde's voice was urgent in his mind.
"I'm fine," he replied, getting to his feet and scanning his surroundings. "We've made it down. Now, let's figure out what's really going on here."
The vast chamber stretched beyond him, filled with strange, pulsating energy whose origin seemed difficult to identify. In the distance, Frank could see what he thought to be some sort of edifice. Something had gone seriously wrong with this plan.
Craning his neck up, Frank realized his only way out was about a hundred meters from his current position. He tried to reach Matt or any of the Geminis on vox but got only static. "I can safely say we aren't in a good situation here."
"Most certainly," Brunhilde remarked flatly. "I can confirm there are elements of artificial construction here, and I can safely assume its origin is non-human."
"The floating green rocks tipped me off to that," Frank quipped before noticing what looked like an encampment, but this didn't look like anything made by the Hindis, and upon closer inspection, realized what this was. "Shit, this is Euro-Fed gear."
"A survey team, perhaps. Maybe the only one before my creators shut down any further attempts to poke whatever is down here," Brunhilde suggested. "This might actually be to our benefit, though. I can see what looked to be a few dataslates. Connect your suit to them and see if we can learn more."
Carefully grabbing a few of the dataslates and hooking them up to his suit, Frank approached what appeared to be the entrance to an artificial tunnel. He saw what seemed to be an alien language, resembling hieroglyphs like those of the ancient pyramids of Giza before they were destroyed during one of the many wars that plagued Earth.
"Eureka!" Brunhilde called out in his head. "They sent a couple of drones around here and found what looked to be another tunnel leading back into the mining facility. We have a way out!"
Well, things were looking up. However, there were still two problems: "So we need to restore power, figure out what the hell happened here, and then get out. Easy."
Brunhilde's voice took on a more serious tone. "Frank, the power station is close by, and according to the scans, it's still active."
"Why, though?" Frank muttered as he moved deeper into the alien tunnel, activating his multi-spectrum vision to keep an eye out. Whatever made this place clearly went beyond humanity's current capabilities. "Killed an entire mining colony, brought the Eddies down to build a facility, and drove the Administrator insane. All of this led to what exactly?"
"Research opportunities, I imagine," Brunhilde replied. "Although it never came to pass. No one ever returned from Earth or any of the European colonies. Maybe they just forgot about it—and us." The 'us' referred to Brunhilde and the Administrator.
"I don't think you forget about this place, even if you wanted to," Frank remarked as his scanners picked up an unbelievable number of strange and unknown matter and energy compositions around him. "This whole thing gives me the creeps."
"Your heart rate is elevated, along with increased brain activity. Your so-called Genocide Organ is active as well. Do you expect to fight something down here?"
Her question was answered as Frank reached the other side of the tunnel and stood before a towering edifice. It looked like a great monolith, floating and pulsating with otherworldly energy, clearly built by minds that weren't human.
"Yeah," Frank remarked after staring at the monolith, "I think there is going to be a fight."
The monolith loomed over him, casting an eerie glow that bathed the chamber in an unearthly light. Frank's suit detected an immense energy field surrounding the structure, though his scanners had no idea what to make of this thing.
Frank approached cautiously, his X-98 at the ready. "Any idea what this thing does?"
"I'm still analyzing the data," Brunhilde replied. "But it seems this monolith all but physically absorbed the colony's plasma reactor."
Frank approached cautiously, his X-98 at the ready. "Any idea what this thing does?"
"I'm still analyzing the data," Brunhilde replied. "But it seems it absorbed the colony's plasma reactor. Strange, but there seems to be a sort of positive feedback loop between the reactor and the monolith."
"What the hell is it doing, then?"
Brunhilde didn't have an immediate answer. A few seconds of silence passed—an eternity for an AI—before she remarked, "I think it's trying to send out a signal..."
"A signal? So it's not trying to blow up the planet or something? How can you tell?"
"Because I'm hearing something on my quantum entanglement broadband. I don't understand it completely, but it's a sequence." The AI paused again, "I wish I could describe it to you, but I have the gist of it: 'Awaken.'"
That was certainly ominous. "Fucking hell," Frank breathed. "Weren't we just fighting a rogue AI like an hour ago? This shit just escalated like crazy."
Just then, the monolith turned bright green, and an otherworldly, baleful siren echoed across the vast underground. Frank might have been deafened if not for his power armor's sound-dampening. The noise put him on edge, his instincts screaming danger.
"Frank..." Brunhilde spoke in his mind, her voice unusually low, "I think whatever is here just noticed us."
His grip tightened on the X-98. "What kind of 'whatever' are we discussing here, Brunhilde?"
"Unknown," she replied. "But your scanners are picking up signatures moving towards us."
Frank scanned the chamber; his helmet's HUD displaying several rapidly approaching blips. "Hostiles incoming," he muttered. "Unknown composition and capabilities. Not exactly looking good for us."
Frank moved to a more defensible position behind a chunk of debris. As the first of the hostiles came into view, his heart sank. They weren't human—that much was certain. Twisted, metallic forms with glowing green eyes and elongated limbs moved with an unnatural fluidity, and their bodies were draped in what looked like ancient, flayed skins.
"Engaging hostiles," Frank reported, opening fire with precise bursts from his X-98. The rounds struck the creatures, causing their bodies to shatter and burn, but they kept coming. "If this doesn't remind me of what happened topside," he muttered, unleashing burning hell into the horde.
As if to make things worse, Frank saw the bodies of the fallen starting to disappear into thin air. "Integrated teleportation? Fascinating," Brunhilde remarked in his head. "Concentrate on their heads and limbs; don't aim for center mass."
His Genocide Organ seemed to register this as well, instantly readjusting his targeting reticles toward the heads and limbs of these flayed ones. Disgusting creatures. The few that got close enough took hits from his phased plasma blade or the Lexington, going down with sizzling, searing finality.
These things weren't just murderous automatons; they were adapting and devising new tactics to try and kill Frank. But with Brunhilde and his Genocide Organ, he was making short work of their attempts. After a few minutes of intense fighting, he realized they were just trying to bog him down or waste his energy.
Just when he thought this couldn't get any stranger, Brunhilde suddenly exclaimed a warning, "Frank?! You aren't going to believe this!"
"Bit busy here!" he yelled, shooting one of the flayed ones in the head with his Lexington.
But she continued, "Something is sending a quantum message to me!"
Another voice suddenly intruded upon his mind, alien, unreal, unnerving, and utterly devoid of emotion, "Who's out there? Another pest scurrying around, no doubt."
Frank's focus wavered for a split second, enough for one of the creatures to get close. He dispatched it quickly with his plasma blade, but the eerie voice echoed in his mind, unsettling him. "Brunhilde, what the hell is going on?" he demanded.
"The signal is coming from another entity, likely from the Monolith if my scans are right," Brunhilde explained. "It's trying to communicate with us directly."
"Do me a favor," Frank muttered. "Tell it and its robots to fuck off, then." He took aim at a flayed one, firing shots into its face until it finally went down. "Getting pushed back here."
The voice spoke again, dripping with contempt, "Trespassers like before? I thought I dispatched you all."
As Frank continued to fight, he could feel the oppressive presence of a malicious alien intelligence bearing down on him, a cold and calculating malice that promised annihilation. But he was a soldier, a marine, and he wasn't about to go down without a fight.
"Please stop attacking," Brunhilde attempted to reason, likely conveying the conversation over quantum wavelengths to keep Frank in the loop. "We aren't looking to fight you. We just need to restore power to the facility above so we can leave."
A horrible siren wailed from the monolith, pulsing with energy. "It dares speak to me? Make demands of me? That you can articulate and understand my words is impressive, but that shall not save you. I am Anlames. Heed that name until your dying breath. I am eternal. You are but a fleeting nuisance." The voice made Frank think of an undead wizard from a long-forgotten kingdom.
"Yeah, well," Frank grunted, blasting another creature, "I'm a pretty persistent nuisance."
A rumbling emanated from the monolith, and Frank's eyes widened as a towering figure materialized before it. The figure was a dreadful amalgamation of advanced technology and ancient malevolence, glowing with an ethereal green light pulsing with otherworldly energy. Hovering ominously in place, it had six arms—two wielding glowing glaives and the other four integrated with weapons that his scanners identified as Gauss weapons.
Connected to the figure's back was a large green orb, the size of an ogryn's head, linked by a series of metallic, spine-like constructs. Its face was a menacing skeletal visage, with five glowing eyes in a horrifying, artificial rictus smile.
"Taigan!" Anlames' voice resonated with an unseen command, "Remove this creature from my presence! Its lifeforce disgusts me!"
Taigan unleashed a hideous, visceral scream that sounded like malfunctioning vocal cybernetics. The screeching static grated on Frank's ears even through his power armor's sound-dampening systems.
Frank steeled himself, his Genocide Organ heightening his senses and reaction time. "Engaging hostile," he reported, aiming his X-98 at Taigan and firing precise bursts. The rounds struck Taigan, causing sparks and small explosions, but the creature barely flinched.
"Your weapons can harm it, but we'll need to find a better way to take it down," Brunhilde advised.
Taigan advanced with terrifying speed, swinging one of its glaives at Frank. He barely dodged, the blade slicing through the air with a menacing hum. Frank countered with his Lexington, firing at Taigan's limbs. The blasts damaged the gauss weapons but didn't slow Taigan down.
"Keep moving, Frank. Don't let it get a solid hit on you," Brunhilde urged.
Frank used his boosters to dodge another glaive strike, the blade narrowly missing his head. He landed and fired his X-98 again, targeting Taigan's head. The rounds connected, but the creature's reinforced skull seemed almost impervious.
The flayed ones continued to swarm, complicating matters. Frank had to split his attention between the lesser foes and Taigan, who was relentless in its assault. He sliced through the flayed ones with his phased plasma blade, their bodies disintegrating under the intense heat, but more kept coming.
Taigan's gauss weapons roared to life, sending green energy blasts at Frank. He dodged and rolled, but one blast grazed his shoulder, causing his armor to sizzle and smoke. "These weapons are going to be a problem," he muttered, feeling the heat seeping through his suit.
"Your weapons can harm it, but we'll need to find a better way to take it down," Brunhilde advised.
Taigan advanced with terrifying speed, swinging one of its glaives at Frank. He barely dodged, the blade slicing through the air with a menacing hum. Frank countered with his Lexington, firing at Taigan's limbs. The blasts damaged the gauss weapons but didn't slow Taigan down.
"Keep moving, Frank. Don't let it get a solid hit on you," Brunhilde urged.
Frank used his boosters to dodge another glaive strike, the blade narrowly missing his head. He landed and fired his X-98 again, targeting Taigan's head. The rounds connected, but the creature's reinforced skull seemed almost impervious.
The flayed ones continued to swarm, complicating matters. Frank had to split his attention between the lesser foes and Taigan, who was relentless in its assault. He sliced through the flayed ones with his phased plasma blade, their bodies disintegrating under the intense heat, but more kept coming.
Taigan's gauss weapons roared to life, sending green energy blasts at Frank. He dodged and rolled, but one blast grazed his shoulder, causing his armor to sizzle and smoke. "These weapons are going to be a problem," he muttered, feeling the heat seeping through his suit.
Whatever he was fighting was above anything the Combine or most of humanity probably fought. Probably something the Eldar fought at one point or something. Those bloody knife ears were always causing trouble.
Because this Taigan thing was a real pain in the ass, and only the Eldar were the sort of nation that could have hoped to exceed the assholery of any one species.
"Frank, try and sever its spinal connection," Brunhilde said urgently. "If you can sever the spinal cord just below the orb, it should incapacitate it."
Taigan screamed once more before aiming his gauss weaponry at Frank, who moved through a small group of flayed ones, letting them soak the attacks, "On what basis will that work?"
"None!" Brunhilde answered earnestly, "But it's worth a shot."
He couldn't argue with that logic. "Got it," Frank responded, his eyes locking on the target while the Organ gave him his plan of attack. He activated his boosters again, even though it drained his increasingly dwindling power, dodging a series of gauss blasts and glaive strikes.
Taigan lunged at him, but Frank ducked under its arms and fired a concentrated burst at the creature's spinal cord with the X-98 while he used his M56 Smartgun to fire into its face. The plasma bolts struck true, causing a crack in the structure, but it wasn't enough.
All this did was anger the monster. Taigan retaliated, slamming one of its glaives into the ground where Frank had stood seconds before. The impact sent shockwaves through the chamber as it screamed in fury. Frank was thrown off balance but quickly recovered, firing his Lexington at Taigan's face. The hit scorched the alien metal, and one of Taigan's eyes dimmed, but it kept coming.
"You fucking mad, xeno?" Frank muttered, switching tactics, "Well, I'm fucking mad, too." He primed a melta bomb and threw it at Taigan, who must have realized how dangerous it was because it dodged it, but not before the marine raised his X-98 and fired a trio of plasma bolts into one of Taigan's glaive arms, rendering it inert.
The flayed ones pressed in, forcing Frank to engage them in close combat while keeping an eye on Taigan. He sliced through the grotesque automatons, their numbers thinning but not fast enough. The metallic abomination seemed to prepare another avenue of attack now.
All of this was wasting resources and time. Frank needed to create an opening. He fired his M56 once more, trying to force the monster back, all while aiming the X-98 toward Taigan's spinal cord and sending another pair of bolts into it.
"Brunhilde, any ideas on how to finish this thing off?" he asked, watching his power supply reaching 25% and a warning sign appearing in his HUD.
"Your scanners are picking up increased instability from that orb. I think Taigan's central power source is becoming increasingly volatile," she replied. "If you can overload it, the resulting explosion and any remaining flayed ones should destroy it."
"Overload it? Easier said than done," Frank grumbled, dodging another glaive strike. He fired at Taigan's head again, aiming for the dimmed eye and another one. The blast connected, and the eye shattered, causing Taigan to stumble. Frank pressed the advantage and sliced at one of the gun arms with his plasma blade, slicing it clean off before being forced back.
All of this seemed to infuriate Taigan to an unbelievable level, and it started swinging with such speed and fury that Frank suspected that it could have instantly torn through an entire company of soldiers. However, it was swinging with reckless abandon, and his scanners saw the orb glowing bright enough that it might as well be a contained star, ready to burst and escape from its prison.
"It's now or never, Frank! Go for the power source!" Brunhilde urged.
Seizing the moment, Frank activated his boosters one last time, launching himself at Taigan. He took a pair of hits into the sides of his armor, which protected him but sustained damage; nevertheless, this worked in his favor. He landed on the creature's back, avoiding its thrashing arms, and drove his phased plasma blade into the spinal cord before aiming his X-98 at the orb, activating the anti-tank functionality, and then firing off a concentrated lance of phased plasma.
Either through sheer luck or the favor of the war gods, the lance hit with such force that Frank thought it would explode in his face. Instead, the orb "cracked" and flickered, emitting a high-pitched whine.
Taigan screeched, almost seeming aware that something had just gone terribly wrong. Its movements became frantic as it tried to dislodge Frank in vain. He held on, using his blade to sever the connections to the orb further. The power build-up was palpable, the orb glowing brighter and brighter.
"Get the hell away from it, Frank!" Brunhilde warned, "It's about to go supernova!"
Frank disengaged and used his boosters to propel himself away from Taigan. The orb reached critical mass and exploded in a blinding flash of green light. The shockwave obliterated the remaining flayed ones and sent Frank tumbling across the chamber.
He landed hard, his armor absorbing most of the impact but leaving him dazed. As the dust settled, he looked up to see the smoldering remains of Taigan and the flayed ones scattered across the chamber.
"Frank, are you okay?" Brunhilde's voice was filled with concern.
"Yeah, I'm good," he replied, struggling to his feet. Looking at the remains of Taigan, it seemed that it had not had the chance to teleport out. "Guess you can't walk away from an end like that."
Just before he could get his bearings, Anlames said again, "You...destroyed Taigan!" Its voice sounded more furious than surprised. "The destruction of such an asset will not go unpunished." The monolith seemed to rumble again, and this time, another figure, more humanoid and regal-looking, appeared from beyond time and space. This must have been Anlames.
Idly checking his dwindling power supply at only 21% now, Frank didn't like his odds of another fight. That said, he still got ready for it. It seemed all the flayed ones had perished with that last explosion, at least in his immediate vicinity, leaving just Frank and Anlames.
As soon as he approached, Frank felt the light around his vision start to dim. "What the hell?" he exclaimed before the entire underground cavern distorted into an almost black-and-white color. "Brunhilde, what just happened?"
"I don't know," she seemed confused. "I'm trying to calibrate your scanners, but the entire light spectrum just disappeared."
Anlames's metallic voice echoed, "You are in the midst of an endless void of my own making, that which bleeds reality itself. There is no escape from it."
Brunhilde seemed to take this literally, "Is this a pocket dimension?"
Frank grunted, feeling an oppressive weight on his mind. His MARSOC training had mental safeguards and anti-memetic systems in place, and this was all a trick of the mind. "No. I think it's just messing with our perception."
Yet even through the darkness, Frank could see an ominous glowing green eye staring back at him. Anlames's gaze was omnipresent as his presence approached the marine's mind. "You are persistent but ultimately insignificant," he intoned. "Your struggle ends here."
Frank fired a burst from his M56 toward what he thought was Anlames, but the rounds seemed to dissipate into the void. This wasn't going to work. "Brunhilde, any ideas?"
"I think he's manipulating the energy around us," she replied. "I'm trying to recalibrate your scanners for a quantum-level scan, but it will take time and more power. Try and use more physical attacks."
Frank drew his phased plasma blade and charged at Anlames, who responded by raising his arms. A wave of otherworldly energy washed over Frank, making his movements sluggish. He fought through it, slashing at Anlames, who deflected the blow with a gauntlet, sending sparks flying.
To make matters worse, Anlames counterattacked with plasmatic energy, forcing Frank to dodge and roll. His armor's systems strained to compensate for the damage. "I might be a master of the confines of lesser minds, but I am also a practitioner of the energies of this reality. You will be unmade," Anlames hissed, his voice resonating within Frank's mind.
Frank had to keep dodging attacks, all while his mind was hit with wave after wave of 'noise' that seemed more artificial than anything psychic-related. It reminded him of a few stories about Russkie psyops projects that used light and sounds to create high-end illusions.
The trick he remembered hearing was that you had to rely purely on instinct. All well and good, but Frank suspected that wouldn't be good enough here. Thankfully, Brunhilde seemed to have a counter-measure in place.
"Frank, brace for quantum feedback!" Brace? He barely had time to think what that meant when a staggering pain flew through his brain while the surface of his power armor rippled with energy before dispersing itself across like a tidal wave of flux. He had just enough wherewithal, even through this agony, to see the shadow lift and the silhouette of Anlames appear in his vision and scans.
Frank aimed his Lexington at the silhouette and fired. The projectile struck true, with the sounds of HVP Depleted Uranium smacking right into something metallic, eliciting a curse from Anlames as his form recoiled slightly.
"Got you," Frank muttered.
Anlames's singular eye flared an eldritch green. "You dare?" The words were spoken with venom that Frank almost wondered if he just made a mistake. A few seconds later, Anlames unleashed a torrent of what Frank could describe as plasma arrows toward the marine, causing him to use his booster again to escape.
10% power left. Coming down to the wire. Frank could still make out Anlames, so he aimed his X-98 and fired once more at Anlames, who made the mistake of not dodging, likely thinking his own trick still obscured him. For his troubles, he was hit twice in the chest.
"Bothersome parasite!" Anlames roared before the cloud of darkness dissipated. It seems that tricks won't beguile you." With the wave of a metallic hand, a ripple in space and time occurred right by Anlames, and a weapon that looked like a simple ornate staff appeared.
"As if he didn't have enough tricks," Brunhilde warned, "Whatever that object is, it's emitting an obscene level of electromagnetic energy along the length of its shaft, and it seems to arc between the exposed storage crystals that make up the headpiece. It's like an entire electrical storm is inside it!"
Anlames swung the staff, and arcs of energy crackled through the air, targeting Frank with pinpoint accuracy. He barely evaded the first strike, feeling the heat and static charge as it passed. The second swing was faster, catching him off guard and sending a shock through his armor.
His HUD flashed warnings as systems began to overload. "Brunhilde, can you maybe do something to keep my armor's systems from cooking me?"
"Understood," she replied, her voice calm despite the urgency. "Rerouting power. You've got one last burst."
He'd have to save it. Anlames was throwing around enough lightning, making Frank suspect that he had a small lightning storm secured inside that staff. The only good news was that he could see that Anlames was stuck in place channeling these attacks and, from the looks of things, wasn't exactly a master of this weapon.
'Which probably means he's not the type to try his luck in melee with it,' Frank thought as he readied his plasma blades. Frank launched himself at Anlames, using the remaining power to close the distance in a blink. He dodged another swing of the staff, a sloppy swing at that, and thrust his plasma blade into Anlames's chest. The blade struck true, piercing the armor and metal and likely hitting something that caused a jolt of feedback through Anlames's body.
Anlames let out a screech, a mix of frustration and fury, his singular eye glowing like the torch of a lighthouse, but it seemed destabilizing. Frank didn't let up, driving the blade deeper and twisting it to cause maximum damage. Anlames likely didn't have a heart, but it felt good for the marine to twist and burn the creature. Its form began to convulse, sparks flying as the energy within him surged uncontrollably.
"You will fall," Anlames spat, his voice wavering, distorting, and hissing in fury, "None of this matters. I am eternal." The creature summoned a great lightning bolt upon their forms, but Frank was ready this time. He took the full force of this hit, which scarred his entire chassis, but his armor's conversion fuel reactor also absorbed some of the energy.
"Thanks for the juice," Frank growled as he put all his force into pulling the plasma blade further into Anlames' chassis before the creature pulled away. An otherwise molten "gash" appeared on the machine's armor as it wept liquid metal. "Time to die, xeno."
Anlames looked undeterred. "I am...unkillable." Its voice wavered momentarily as it seemed to realize something had gone wrong: "What? The recall protocol isn't responding?!"
"Frank, shoot him now!" Brunhilde called out, "Do it!"
As if he needed more prompting, Frank Horrigan, the Last American and Combine Marine, aimed the X-98 up at Anlames' head and fired a concentrated beam of plasma at the creature's upper torso, using all the power accumulated from that lightning strike.
The beam hit with devastating precision, searing through Anlames' armor and striking the core of its being. The creature let out an unearthly scream, the green glow in its eyes flickering wildly. The impact caused a cascade of explosions within Anlames' body, sending shards of metal and arcs of wild energy shooting in all directions.
Anlames staggered, its form collapsing as the energy that held it together unraveled. A faint whisper of confusion whispered in Frank's mind, "Such a…futile victory. But it is yours."
Frank watched as Anlames crumbled, its remaining eye dimming to darkness. The oppressive weight on his mind lifted completely, and the cavern returned to its normal state. The fight was over. It seemed even those flayed ones were gone. Maybe he scared them, but he figured he just killed enough of them.
"Frank, are you okay?" Brunhilde asked. "Your vitals are stable, but your mind feels like it's weathering a storm."
"Yeah, I'm good, just letting the Organ do its work," he replied, struggling to his feet. He looked at the remains of Anlames, now a smoldering heap of twisted metal. "Guess you can't walk away from an end like that. What happened, though? He seemed surprised about a recall protocol at the end."
"That was thanks to my efforts," Brunhilde explained. "I used your suit to generate a bit of a quantum chaff field around you, and since he was nearby, well, you can figure out what happened. His teleportation protocol didn't take well to it. I'm not sure what might have happened if it did, but I don't think it would have benefited us."
Frank nodded, "Agreed." He took stock of the slagged 'corpse' of Anlames, watching as the remains melted before his eyes. Nothing was recoverable from the creature's body except for the staff Anlames had wielded. It seemed completely inert and harmless now. "As we used to say in the Corps: Finders keepers."
Looking towards the monolith, Frank saw it seemed active still, yet open to anyone brave or foolish enough to venture inside. He checked his power levels—5% left. Frank knew he couldn't afford another fight like the one he had just experienced, but he also needed to find the facility's power source or determine what had happened to it.
"Is the power still being generated from this monolith?"
"Correct," Brunhilde confirmed. "Normally, I wouldn't recommend venturing inside an alien facility or apparatus, but we are out of options if we want to power the maglev out of here."
Seeing they had no other choices, Frank approached the monolith, searching for an entrance. To his surprise, a 'doorway' appeared before him. It looked like a portal, with what seemed to be some sort of room on the other side. Perhaps the staff was a key as well? Regardless, once more down the rabbit hole he and Brunhilde went.
Frank felt the world turn upside down for a moment upon being teleported to the interior of the monolith. Once his mind focused and he confirmed he wasn't dead, it seemed like a good time to take stock of his situation. The interior of the monolith was a labyrinth of alien architecture pulsating with energy. Strange symbols and glyphs adorned the walls, glowing with a faint green light.
"This is pretty nifty," Brunhilde exclaimed. "But since we aren't under attack, I can perform some scans and confirm that everything in this monolith is made of Animetallum. I guess it's the primary material of this species."
"Let's stay alert for any sudden defenses," Frank remarked. "I'd rather not die after getting inside the evil wizard's tower."
As he moved cautiously through the corridors, it felt like he was in a tomb. He kept the staff ready if it was needed to navigate or unlock further passages, even if Frank had no idea how to use it. The air wasn't suitable for humans, but his sealed helmet kept him safe.
After several tense minutes proceeding down a central hallway, Frank came upon a large chambered room and saw the most peculiar assortment of items, machines, and other gadgets. There was a lack of uniformity, but what struck him was one of the items in question was familiar to him.
"I don't believe it..." he muttered under his breath. "A RIG? Here?" It was a Euro RIG, which they used to fabricate materials and upgrades for power armor in the field. These were hideously expensive.
Brunhilde seemed to consider its placement here odd as well. "He must have been experimenting with something. Judging by the mess around here, it seemed that creature was a bit of what I'd call a mad scientist, to use a literary trope."
Looking around the room, Frank could not tell what goodies were there, but he noticed a new problem. He saw what looked to be a broken-down plasma reactor, as in hundreds of scattered pieces, and saw that Anlames had wired it up to a series of components fixed to the RIG. It looked like a mash-up of alien and human technologies.
All that aside, Frank realized the problem first. "The plasma reactor, the entire power source, it's gone."
"Not necessarily," Brunhilde interjected. "As crazy as this sounds, I'm still detecting a flow of power coming from those components. Most of the technology is purely alien in design, but I think there might be a unique workaround here."
Frank was about to take anything here because they were out of options. "What did you have in mind?"
"Use the RIG and any Animetallum-based materials around, and fuse the components to your armor. The energy will flow into your conversion reactor."
That sounded very wild to do, but at the same time, "What are the chances of that succeeding?"
"Low, but I believe in my skills to make this work. I'll be integrated with the RIG, so you'll have me doing all the difficult parts."
Frank took a deep breath. "Alright fuck it, let's do this."
Frank spent some time scouring the monolith's chamber for materials made of Animetallum. Not knowing how much or how this strange substance would work, he shoved a bunch into the RIG's component storage.
Once that was done, Brunhilde guided him in positioning himself on the RIG's platform. His suit integrated with it, allowing the AI to start working her magic. The machine's arms whirred to life, adjusting and scanning his armor. "I'm connecting to the RIG now," Brunhilde said. "I'll start integrating the Animetallum components."
"This feels like a bad idea, but I'm also out of options." The process began, and Frank felt the machine's precision as it disassembled parts of his armor before fusing them with Animetallum. The substance seemed reactive enough, with Brunhilde commenting on how the material felt strangely alive and humming with energy.
But this was the easy part. Next, the micro-reactor parts were fused and integrated into the conversion engine. Frank watched as the components were carefully arranged and connected to his armor via the RIG's mechadendrites. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought of the tech-priests of Mars.
"Curious," Brunhilde remarked. "Martian Technophile cultists? The old world has indeed been left behind." But that was all she said on the matter, and she continued to focus on this fusion of hybrid alien and human technologies. Frank watched his suit diagnostics the entire time and saw all the software programs written in real-time by Brunhilde to compensate for all these "intrusive" upgrades on government property.
Energy began to flow into his conversion reactor, the armor power levels steadily rising. "It's working," Brunhilde said, a note of triumph in her voice. "The Animetallum is conducting energy efficiently, and the reactor components are stabilizing."
Frank felt a surge of power coursing through his suit. The HUD displayed rapidly increasing energy levels from 5% to 60% in seconds. "You did it," he said, relief washing over him until he saw the power levels go from 60% to 190% and continue to climb rapidly. "Um, is that normal?"
She was silent for a second before her tone changed, "I have good and bad news. The good news is that your armor will be fine and operate at 1,000% efficiency."
Before he could ask for the bad, Frank felt a very uncomfortable rumbling around him, causing the monolith to shake. "Is that related to the bad news?"
"Yes, I think I underestimated how important this reactor was to the monolith because it helped prop up something for this cavern, which has now shut down."
When it rains, it pours, "So the cavern is about to collapse right on top of our heads?"
"I believe so."
"Then finish the upgrades, and let's get the fuck out of here."
He didn't have to wait long. The RIG finished upgrading his suit in record time. Somewhere in the beyond, a Germanic or Roman engineer was laughing at how their creation saved another American in over his head. As Frank stepped off the platform, he hated to admit that the RIG had done a pretty stellar job.
His armor now sported glowing blue accents and emitted arcs of energy via what appeared to be a series of micro-tesla coils, with five attraction coils mounted on each shoulder and armored emitters on his arms, knees, legs, and chest. His power reading now literally reads 000% charged, which he could only assume meant it was over a thousand.
"Christ, I look like an armored lightbulb."
"I think you look unique," Brunhilde quipped with some amusement. "Now, I believe it is time for us to leave this place." Much as Frank wanted to grab something else, the rumbling became more frequent and intense.
"Wait, what about restoring power to the mining facility and the maglev?" Frank asked, remembering why they went through this whole thing.
"We might have lost the initial power source, but the upgrade you just got shall offer a solution." Brunhilde explained, "First, we need to get back to the others, preferably before everything comes raining down upon us."
"Better than nothing," Frank said, his voice steady. "Now, let's get the fuck out of here."
His suit moved differently. An MK.39 Abrams wasn't exactly an agile piece of equipment, and these new upgrade components and modules made Frank a bit of an easier target for anyone, but at the same time, there was an electric feeling in his stride that made him think there was some electromagnetic force propelling him.
The added energy and enhancements made his movements feel precise and controlled, and he thought for a moment that he could have probably had an easier time stopping himself, which, considering how much he weighed, was a rather important distinction. Especially in this situation, he stomped his way back toward what he believed to be the Monolith's exit.
He kept waving Anlames staff, hoping to produce the same portal that brought him here so he could get out, "Come on, fucking work." Frank muttered as he waved the damn thing around like a baton or something. The monolith started to shake as another rumble crashed somewhere, hopefully far away from his current position.
After waving the staff like a fool for a few more minutes, the portal to the outside returned, and Frank all but dove through it. After another dizzying feeling of the world being upside down, he ended up back outside.
"Right, you said you got some old maps from the encampment?" Frank asked aloud as he looked around the seemingly endless expanse before him. His scanners detected increased seismic activity but could only tell him so much, even with Brunhilde's software upgrades.
His HUD soon displayed a bare-bones path toward something made with quantitative LIDAR machines, so while not detailed, it should have been fairly accurate, "I would advise moving fast because this route is probably moving through a tunnel that could collapse at any moment."
Frank swiftly noticed a problem, "This path looks to be at least twenty klicks from here. My armor gives me good speed, but if we are crunched for time, that might as well be me walking back to the very surface of this planet."
Having said that, Frank started running. His MK.39 gave him a top speed of 24 km/h, which was pretty good in any other instance, but if he had only minutes to spare, it wouldn't be enough.
Suddenly, Frank saw his HUD warn that his boosters were being activated, "Let's test out these armor improvements. Get ready to jump on my command," Brunhilde remarked.
"Wha?"
The MK.39 boosters weren't designed for anything resembling flight. They were an afterthought of the creators to provide some mobility in space or submerged in water. From what Frank remembered the Codex telling him, it was a power issue more than anything. Power and overheat specifically.
"Now, jump!" Brunhilde commanded. One doesn't really 'jump' on command in power armor, but Frank had a running start and was going fast enough to push himself off the ground for a moment. He wasn't expecting, though, for lightning to ripple across his armor before he felt electromagnetism propel him higher than expected into the air, high enough that the ground looked quite far and away.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Frank cursed aloud at the suddenness of his situation more than the height itself. A second later, his boosters activated with enough force that he felt his body was suddenly in an old aerospace fighter. Upon noticing that his freefall was over, Frank saw that his speed had nearly tripled while in the air, but he was still rapidly descending to the ground.
"What the hell just happened?"
"That worked!" Brunhilde cheered into his mind, "It's not flight, but you are in a controlled glide and fall. This should get us out of here much faster than with you running. As long as we don't overheat the boosters anyway."
Frank shook his head. He didn't have time to enjoy the view or question how this worked as he saw what appeared to be falling rocks the size of small buildings coming down from the rather vast cavern ceiling. How hollowed out was this place? Was there an entire civilization further below? Anlames couldn't have been the only one of his species.
With luck, Majestic might know something about this species. As long as Frank and the Geminis returned to the surface. "Any luck reaching Captain Graver and the others?" Frank soon landed back on the ground with a grunt but was otherwise no worse for wear. He returned to running and getting ready to 'jump' again.
"Still nothing. We are just too far down to reach them," Brunhilde answered. "Let's hurry this up, Frank."
He didn't need to be told twice. Frank kept up his pace, pushing his suit to its limits. The HUD's path led him through narrow corridors and large open caverns, each more precarious than the last. All of this looked unnatural. Someone had carefully shaped this place. And now that Frank had undone something, it was all crumbling down. The rumbling grew louder and the shaking more violent, as if the entire underground structure was on the verge of collapsing.
"Almost there," Brunhilde's voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of urgency. "Just a few more jumps."
The first signs that they were close to the end came from several destroyed and decayed mining and excavation vehicles. Judging by their make, this must have been the wildcat miners' first breach into the cavern. Everything was destroyed, though. Anlames must have taken offense to their intrusion and the subsequent attempt by the Euros.
Still, this was their way out. He came across what looked to be a vast entrance that went upwards via a massive elevator. There was no time or hope to use the machine as intended, so Frank did the next best thing and rose to the occasion.
As if the fates were spurring him further, the ground beneath his feet started to groan and rumble, and everything started shaking. An earthquake that made Frank wonder what unseen forces were causing such chaos. He wasn't about to stay and find out.
Frank gathered his strength and climbed the ancient elevator, timing his jumps with the boosters' activation. Each leap propelled him further up the elevator shaft. Even now, upon this final stage, there were still obstacles as debris started to fall upon him, ancient and corroded through time, the shaking having undone its trappings.
He dodged all that he could, his reflexes heightened by the suit's enhancements, and even then, there were a few close calls. Frank heard an explosion below and was reminded that he had to speed this up. Brunhilde warned him that his boosters were dangerously close to overheating, but Frank wasn't about to pussyfoot around this anymore.
It must have been another five minutes of jumping, weaving, and climbing before he saw what looked to be a light on the top. Even though this facility had no power left, some emergency lights must have still been drawing power from ancient batteries or connectors.
This was it. Just in time as well. His scanners detected structural breaches around him and increased heat levels below that were rapidly approaching. With one last powerful jump, he launched himself toward the decayed scaffolding that was hanging near the shaft; by the grace and virtue of all the gods, such rotted and rusted metal held firm against the weight of the power-armored marine.
Frank had to finish this climb with his hands. It took him twenty seconds, and that was cutting it close. He felt everything around him rumble and a great thunderous roar as whatever fuel lines still held their precious substances started exploding in their ancient tubes.
But finally, and with seconds to spare, Frank reached the top of the elevator facility and made his way toward the first door he could see. He did not cast a single glance toward the underground nightmare he had just escaped from. Unseen, the cavern began to collapse in on itself, sealing it away, perhaps forever.
Frank didn't care about the explosion behind him or that the entire mining facility was still rumbling and shaking as he moved through the ancient halls. "Brunhilde, try and raise Captain Graver."
"I'm getting a weak signal," she replied. I can't reach him, but I know his current position. He's close to or at the Maglev facility. Head east; if luck remains on our side, we can reach him and the others."
Frank adjusted his course, moving over cover and debris with determined speed. The mission wasn't over yet, but he had survived whatever the hell that was back there. All that mattered now was getting back to his men and getting back to the surface.
The old mining facility was a blasted maze. Clearly, the miners had not given much thought to organization or uniformity. The chaos that brought this place down, whether due to some Animetallum-induced virus or Anlames' hand, resulted in rooms being sealed or barricaded. The lack of power also made it difficult to find the right way.
But good news came when Frank found a trail of chem-lights. Captain Graver and the other Geminis must have set them for him. Smart.
"Frank, watch out!" Brunhilde's warning came just in time as a section of the ceiling collapsed in front of him. He barely dodged the falling debris, his reflexes heightened by the suit's interface.
He also dived forward, ensuring he wouldn't be blocked off by the 'breadcrumbs' left by Graver. "This whole place is about to come down on us all," he muttered, continuing his run. The chem-light trail ended, and Frank was surprised to find the bodies of those skin-wearing machines they fought up top in a large resting area.
"Oh no," Brunhilde muttered, "The Administrator must have found another way down here. It probably explains why we are having trouble getting Graver on your radio."
"Fucking hell, I thought we were done with this," Frank admitted, "Well, it could have been worse, it could have been those flayed ones that Anlames was using." The rumbling of the facility reminded Frank that he couldn't waste any more time dicking around. "How close are we to the maglev?"
"Very close," Brunhilde confirmed, "I'm also picking up movement ahead."
Frank turned the corner to see a large group of freaks before him. He didn't hesitate; pulling up the M65 and X-98, the marine began to blast the skin-wearing machines as he ran through the group. They had to be heading toward his men's position.
"Engaging hostiles," he reported, cutting down the freaks precisely. His upgraded suit made quick work of them, the Animetallum-enhanced weapons tearing through the enemy easily.
As the last of the freaks fell, Frank continued his sprint, clear path ahead. "Brunhilde, any updates on Graver's position?"
"Still heading east, but their signals are getting stronger. We're closing in."
Frank picked up the pace, navigating through the labyrinthine corridors. The sound of distant gunfire reached his ears, spurring him on. He rounded another corner and met with another, much larger group of the bastards, this time backed by some horrid mechanized unit.
"God, fuck off!" He cursed and opened fire upon seeing the larger monstrosity. It looked like someone stitched one of a bunch of Ogryn together and then put an autocannon on their back. It took a few plasma bolts to the face but had enough toughness to swivel its gun and fire.
Frank dodged and weaved, using the suit's enhanced agility to outmaneuver the attack. He focused his fire on the beast cannon, aiming for weak points. His HUD highlighted critical areas and, with a series of precise shots, ultimately killed the damn thing. The remaining freaks fell quickly after that, and Frank pushed onward.
Finally, he reached a large facility where an equally massive utilitarian maglev hauler/train waited silently as a battle broke out around it. Captain Graver and the Geminis were making a stand, surrounded but holding their ground. Frank charged in, surprising the freaks and giving the Geminis the opening they needed.
"Frank! About time you showed up," Graver shouted over the noise of battle, "We tried reaching you on vox, but the freaks are jamming us."
"Sorry, had to take the scenic route," Frank replied, laying down suppressing fire. "Sitrep?"
"We've had several casualties. Ammo is approaching red status, and we've been stuck here since we got ambushed." The facility started to rumble and shake. "Oh yeah, that's also a problem that just started."
"Facility is about to collapse. Get everyone onboard the train," Frank ordered, and Graver started organizing a gradual fallback into the maglev.
"Frank, power is still out, and this thing is dead," he remarked, noticing Frank's armor looked different. "I don't suppose you and the AI have a solution?"
"I do!" Brunhilde confirmed through Frank's speakers, "Just get everyone on board."
"10-4," Graver said, rallying the Geminis. "Squad two, suppressive fire, cover squads 1 and 3! Time to get the fuck out of here!"
The rumbling intensified as Frank and the Geminis fought their way to the maglev. The freaks were relentless, but the team managed to hold them off long enough to get everyone on board and fortify their position. The sound of metal and explosions filled the air as the freaks attempted to break through.
"This machine's armor is sturdy enough," Brunhilde remarked. "Besides, we just need to hold for a few moments. Frank, get to the engine compartment. We probably don't have much time now."
"Brunhilde, how do we get this thing moving?" Frank asked as he followed her instructions and got to the front engine side of the maglev. "I take it my new upgrades are going to help?"
"Exactly. You need to interface your suit with the maglev's power system." She started explaining the finer points of interfacing his suit's power supply. This proved to be a lot more chaotic, resulting in Frank having to call on a few Geminis to help get all the power cables onto his armor.
As soon as he was connected, Brunhilde started slowly and carefully pumping power into the maglev's engine. "Activating power transfer," Brunhilde said, "This has to be done carefully..."
Just then, the maglev shook as if something powerful hit it. "Frank!" Graver called out urgently over the radio, "The freaks just brought out a real monster. It has what I think is a lascannon on it, but it is something I've never seen before."
Frank then heard what he thought was a binary curse from Brunhilde. "Oh, you got to be kidding me. I know what that is. It's a Lanzalonga. Infantry-scaled heavy laser. Planned to be used against Sino and Russian MBTs and MABs."
"Jesus Christ," Frank groaned, "The entire time we've been in this world, the threat level keeps scaling. Alright, fuck this." Frank braced himself as he manually disengaged safety protocols and started pumping power into the maglev's engine.
This action seemed to anger Brunhilde. "What are you doing?! You can't just brute-force the power!"
"We're under attack, and the facility is about to collapse around us. We don't even know if we'll have a rail to follow or an entrance to get out of here," Frank countered. "It's do or die now."
His power armor seemed to glow bright blue and green, causing the Animetallum plates on his armor to vibrate as if trying to ensure zero power loss for this process. It seemed to work, even though Frank watched his power readout go from 000% down to 900%.
The great machine, the maglev train, suddenly came to life. "Power levels stable. The maglev is operational," Brunhilde confirmed, almost amazed and relieved at once. "Shot in the dark paid off."
"Good." Frank grimaced as he likely had to keep this position. "By the way, I don't know how long we have before I am out of power." He was seeing an increasingly rapid fall. "Get the fucking train moving, now!"
"On it!" Brunhilde remarked that since she already had control of the engine and with power restored, she easily took control of the guidance system. There was only one way forward now. As the maglev came to life after thousands of years of in-operation, the freaks pressed their attack, and the facility around them and above was about to come down on their heads.
The maglev rumbled once more. "Breach, breach! We have a breach!" one of the Geminis called out before gunfire was heard. Captain Graver issued orders to repel the "borders" as the great machine surged.
The maglev rapidly gained speed, racing down its ancient tracks. Frank felt the strain on his suit as the power levels dropped. The facility around them groaned and shuddered, debris falling and explosions echoing through the tunnels as the freaks made one final attempt to impede their escape.
A small but vicious skirmish played out in the back of the maglev. Frank would have given anything to get back there to help take care of business. Instead, he was forced to play the part of a battery. But sometimes, you get saddled with unflattering jobs that have to be done.
The maglev was now picking up quite a bit of speed. So much so that the infrastructure outside turned into a blur. Brunhilde idly remarked that this line would go through the facility that created her before reaching the surface. Judging by how everything rocked and weaved, everything around them was about to collapse. The Imperium was, unfortunately, likely to get nothing out of this place. A treasure trove of ancient technology lost for good.
Well, easy come, easy go.
Frank's suit readout showed the power levels dropping dangerously low. He was at 300% left, and he had no idea they were even close to whatever sort of exit awaited them. That they hadn't been derailed or crashed yet was another miracle on top of all the others that had appeared in the last six hours. They just had to make it out before everything came down on them.
"We got more and more freaks getting on top of this fucking train!" Captain Graver called out over comms. "Guess they figured it's their last chance to kill us. Show them who they're messing with, Semper Fi!"
Frank felt the maglev slope upwards, signaling they were nearing the surface. The maglev's engines roared like a metallic dragon flying into the sky. Frank's power was now 200%, dropping like a brick in the sky. He gritted his teeth, hoping the suit would hold out longer.
"You might want to hold on, Frank," Brunhilde said. "Because we're about to reach the end of the line here...but I think the track is about to run out."
Why was he not surprised? "Hold on, everyone!" Frank shouted over the comms. "Brace for impact!"
A moment later, even as the fighting continued, a weightless feeling suddenly took over the entire maglev. It took Frank only a second to realize that the track had run out, and they were, for all intents and purposes, just being guided by momentum.
It was almost heavenly.
Then, the maglev burst through what Frank could only imagine to be an unfinished or hidden entrance to the surface. It was a blessing that it was adamantium, but it was probably tungsten and titanium. Either way, the force of the hit was strong enough that the entire maglev suddenly jerked and rumbled as it came crashing down upon the surface of Osta Prime.
The maglev skidded across the ground, plowing through ancient structures and debris. The screeching of metal against metal was deafening, and the entire train shuddered violently. Frank felt his power levels drop to critical levels, the suit barely holding on.
"Everyone alright back there?" Frank called out over the comms, his voice strained. He felt the impact even through his power armor.
"We're alive," Graver replied, but Frank could hear him coughing and spitting out something. "This weird foam just suddenly appeared before the crash. It probably kept us all alive. There are still some freak active, but I think most of the ones outside just got turned to paste."
Removing the power cables from the now quiet maglev, Frank figured they weren't out of the woods yet. "We just left a huge hole into an enemy facility close to a major city and—"
The maglev rumbled violently as if something nearby exploded with a force akin to an atomic bomb going off. "What the fuck happened now?!"
"Sir!" a Gemini called out over comms. "I can see the mountain; I think something blew up inside it!"
"That was probably the Administrator activating the on-site nuclear weapon," Brunhilde interjected. "It must have realized that it would be impossible to hide the facility upon our escape. I guess it decided to take any remaining secrets with it. Oh well." She didn't sound too broken up about her former prison going up in literal smoke.
Frank considered this to be a good thing. "That means the threat of the Administrator, whatever was below the facility, and the freaks are effectively nullified."
Brunhilde's voice was calm but urgent. "I strongly advise you and the Geminis to move to a safer location. The blast will have caused significant damage to the surrounding area, and I would rather we don't fall into a sinkhole."
Frank nodded, even though no one could see him. "Captain Graver, organize a security search for any remaining freaks and take care of them. We'll probably have some Imperial forces approaching us soon, but I'd rather have to explain our presence to those who don't need to know about the Gemini Group."
"I'm already on it," Matt responded. "We'll make sure to leave no trace behind."
"Sitrep on the Geminis?" Frank asked. "Green?"
"Green and ready."
The Geminis spread out, meticulously searching for any remaining freaks while Matt and a few others checked their equipment and tended to any immediate injuries. The air was thick with dust and the acrid smell of burnt metal and chemicals, while upon seeing the mountain they just escaped from, Frank saw a great cloud of ash and soot.
What few remaining Freakers were around were summarily executed before their bodies were placed inside the maglev. Frank and a few other Geminis spent time lining the insides with melta bombs, ready to clean up any evidence that might have remained inside this machine.
"Frank, we need to keep moving," Brunhilde urged. "The area's integrity is compromised, and aftershocks are possible, so hurry and finish here."
"Working on that," Frank remarked before calling out to the Geminis, "Ready denial charges in one mark. Matt, do we have an exfil point ready?"
"Spotted a ridge that should make for a good LZ. We just re-established contact with command, and some shuttles are on their way now," Graver replied as he finished grabbing the wounded and the few dead Geminis.
"Do you want me to cause the maglev itself to blow up?" Brunhilde asked curiously. "It wouldn't take that long to overcharge the engines."
Frank thought about that momentarily and shook his head. "No. We'll leave it for the natives. Maybe they can repurpose it for their own use." The final charges and bombs were set. "We're done here anyway. Let's go."
The team navigated through the debris, and the landscape was a testament to the sheer power of the blast. Frank kept an eye on his HUD, ensuring no unseen threats were lurking. A few Freakers, mostly damaged ones, did appear, but they seemed rather inert now.
As they reached the ridge, they set up a perimeter, using whatever natural cover they could find. The elevated position gave them a clear view of the surrounding area. It looked peaceful, and Frank realized it would become evening on Osta Prime.
"Captain Graver, how's it looking?" Frank asked, scanning the horizon.
"No sign of additional hostiles. Looks like the explosion took care of most of them. I think we are mostly safe now. ETA on extraction is three minutes."
That was it. The battle was over. No more enemies, and extraction was only minutes away. It wouldn't even be a hot extraction like Frank thought. He took a moment to catch his breath. He went so far as to remove his helmet, breathing in the relatively fresh air. The past few hours had been relentless for them all, and this operation was perhaps one of the most arduous combat actions he'd ever been in. That was saying something.
"One hell of a first mission for us," Frank muttered to himself, watching the skies for their extraction. The horizon was painted in shades of orange and pink as the sun began to set. The peaceful scene starkly contrasted with the chaos they had just escaped.
"So this is the surface," Brunhilde observed. I never thought I would get to see it myself. I am not totally impressed, but I can see its charm. I am deeply grateful, Mr. Horrigan, for your efforts in making this possible. Thank you."
"Hmm, you're welcome." He rumbled, "And you can still call me Frank. I think we are both past such formalities."
Considering the next step, Frank had much to explain to General Zhu and the others: Brunhilde, both facilities, Anlames and the underground, his upgrades, and whatever else came to mind. But that could all wait. The 1st Gemini Group had survived and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. This was their victory.
A distant rumble brought him back to the present. The shuttles were approaching, their sleek forms cutting through the sky with purpose. Frank signaled to the team. "Extraction is here. Stay sharp until we're on board."
The shuttles landed one by one, their engines kicking up dust and debris. The Geminis quickly loaded the wounded and the bodies of their fallen comrades. Frank supervised the operation, ensuring everyone was accounted for. It felt right for him to be the last man off the ground before leaving this place. He took one last look at the landscape, then boarded the shuttle.
The doors sealed shut, and the craft lifted off, the nightmare it harbored behind.
As they ascended, Brunhilde's voice came through Frank's helmet. "You've done well, Frank. Had my creators fought men like you before the galaxy went to hell, I dare say we'd have been hard-pressed to stop the Combine."
Frank sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Small comfort. That world is gone now. You and me are just relics."
"True," Brunhilde agreed. "But it seems we still have our place here. We can commiserate on this later. Get some rest. You've earned it."
The marine nodded, closing his eyes. The hum of the shuttle's engines was almost soothing, a welcome reprieve from the chaos and violence that had filled the last hours. He idly heard a few of the Geminis talk about what just happened, how crazy everything got, or that Horrigan came and pulled their asses out of the fire.
It almost sounded like they were impressed with him.
Two months later...
General Zhu and the rest of Majestic were initially displeased with the outcome of the Osta Prime mission. The destruction of valuable resources and technologies attracted unwanted attention to elements Majestic preferred to keep under wraps.
Though Godfather couldn't personally attend the debriefing of Operation ECHOCHAMBER, representatives of the Majestic Council were present and intrigued by the footage of his clash with Anlames and the recovered staff. While not the ideal outcome, the operation served as a valuable trial for the Gemini Program and hinted at the existence of a highly advanced alien civilization on Osta Prime and possibly elsewhere.
The fate of Brunhilde, however, sparked debate within Majestic. Despite attempts to separate her from Frank's power armor, Godfather intervened, citing the security measures that could have jeopardized both the AI and Frank. Concerns about the bio-hazardous nature of the 'Animetallum' material present in Frank's armor were eventually allayed after further examination revealed no risk of propagation on organic tissue. Brunhilde offered her services to Majestic in exchange for her freedom and to remain with the 1st Gemini Group. After reviewing the data, Majestic agreed to conceal her involvement in Operation ECHOCHAMBER in exchange for her loyalty and assistance.
Despite setbacks, Frank Horrigan and the 1st Gemini Group accomplished their mission, eliminating the threat to Osta Prime. Although no super weapon was recovered, Majestic considered the mission a success overall.
The achievement of the 1st Gemini Group drew the attention of other factions within the Imperium, leading to new requests for specialized assignments from the Imperial Army. This marked a shift from their previous hyper-lethal focus to more nuanced tasks such as elimination and procurement for the Imperium of Man.
Amid these developments, Frank Horrigan emerged as the central figure, hailed as the hero of the hour alongside the Geminis. A burgeoning cult of personality began to form around The Last American, with rumors circulating that he was as formidable as any Astartes.
If Frank harbored any appreciation for the accolades, he hid it well. Instead, he found solace in the camaraderie that blossomed after their victory toward him and among the soldiers. These warriors may not have hailed from Earth or Frank's cherished Marine Corps, yet they possessed the same resilience and skill as any seasoned trooper.
More than mere soldiers, they formed a tightly-knit unit bound by shared experiences of bloodshed and trauma. They were unlikely candidates for the Imperial Army's poster child, each carrying their own scars, but they stood united in their commitment to protect humanity at any cost.
Merely defeating their adversaries wasn't sufficient; they sought to gain an advantage by acquiring their enemies' knowledge, tactics, technology, and weaponry. They understood that to safeguard humanity, they must do more than vanquish foes; they must outwit and outmaneuver them.
While the day might come when the Geminis step into the spotlight, for now, Frank and the 1st Gemini Group were content to operate in the shadows, earning their place through deeds rather than accolades.
---
@Daemon Hunter Finally fucking done.
