The Deadman

“This is Cayman-1 to Wraith-actual.”

“Report.”

“Got bandits carrying edged-weaponry. Six-feet tall and have a non-human appearance.”

“Cayman-1 transfer your HUD imagery, over.”

Cayman-1 transferred the image. Appearing on their visuals were the appearance of the gray, green, and red-skinned humanoids that were wearing leather skins of unknown origin.

“Can you confirm their number, over?”

“Copy that.”

Cayman-1 turned to Cayman 2 to 4 and gave a hand signal to move up an elevated position while Cayman-3 performed an overwatch.

“We got eight bandits here, Wraith.”

“Hold up. I’m contacting the archiver.”

Cayman-1 settled down and allowed their camo, at contact, to replicate both its pattern and texture. The hostels were speaking a strange language and were guarding the entrance of a refinery. He would not believe they were non-human if it wasn’t for the helmet.

“This is Wraith. We’ve confirmed the species in contact. Species is called Huerco. Information shows they are part of the Hellrunners non-human squad.”

“They have a non-human squad?”

“Conquered and made obedient.”

“Slaves?”

“Negative. Infantry unit. Info says they are part of the squad. Cayman, you are free to engage.”

“Roger that.”

Cayman made a hand gesture. They turned their smart rifles on them and locked on to their heads. The bullets flew. Like they are quiet bees rushing to the skulls of the non-human hostels.

“Bandits down. Congratulations guys, we are monster slayers now.”

“Securing perimeter,” Cayman-1 and Cayman-2 replied. Cayman-4 watched their backs and operated a drone, a spider drone crawling through the thick jungles.

Mission parameters told them that there’s a refinery somewhere here in Reventador where the Wisterians have been harvesting their korium. Team Cayman's mission was to find the refinery, and locate the transport area where the cargo submarine was located. The Wisterians operate expertly when it comes to creating below surface facilities. Underwater or underground. The faction seems to have mastered the art of it. Creating infrastructures that are perfect for their operations.

“Area’s clear. Marking the spot. Updating the terrain scanner.”

“Form up. Check the corners and muffle your steps.”

Team Cayman formed up and entered the facility. Scanning the corners, moving down the hall without a single noise. The more they came deep into the facility, the more they found out how large the facility was. Their spider drones were taking care of security, assisting in takedowns, and neutralization. At the same it provided them with a good view of the facility.

“Depth confirmed. Activities in the area can confirm this is the korium refinery.”

“So we found the right one.”

“Too few guards. Not enough security.”

“Guesswork says they are moving. We are confirming if this is the refinery and are performing a sweep. Any signs of activities?”

Cayman-1 pointed his rifle down. “Worker Bots and automatic workers are inactive. Temperature is above expected. Exosuits are cooling and boost-kits are adjusted.”

“Scans are finished, Sir.”

“Roger that.”

Cayman-1 moved his hand. Cayman-3 and Cayman-4 adjusted the orb-scanner and started manipulating its parameters. Cayman-2 watched the area, scanning every corner.

“Boss.”

Cayman-1 clicked his receiver.

“What is it?”

“Boys are fighting all over the place. Gotta ask this now. Why are we stuck in this? Other than the non-humans outside. I don’t see anything worth taking here.”

“It’s not the refinery we are after, son.”

“The cargo submarine?”

“It’s our secondary objective, but topside believe the cargo submarines are carrying enough power in them to outmatch ten times the amount of explosives detonated during that affair in 2039.”

There was a ‘planet killer’ that was passing by the planet. It was an asteroid that was barely grazing the planet earth. The plan was to let it pass by. However, a group got an idea that it was better for them to test something out. The plan was to launch a rocket with enough fuselage to dig through the asteroid and then detonate it, wiping the asteroid mid-space. Leaving only a reading, proving how dangerous the bombs were.

The rest of the asteroid that fell were intercepted, but previous studies suggest that the bomb detonated was stronger than five tsar bomba. And the cargo submarine they are after was ten ten times stronger than those bombs.

Korium is ‘natural nuclear-fusion’ that happens in unknown means. How korium is made is relatively unknown. Even its refinement is only available to the Wisterian Faction. Korium is important and to others it's the mineral that will take humanity to space.

Cayman-1 understood it well that their interest isn’t only because of the plan that their Madam has of opening the literal gates of hell. But it’s also because of the technology and techniques that the Faction is using was a prize that every ally who decided to fight the corpo-country. This conflict’s greatest prize will be how the korium refined. Saving the world by preventing the opening of gates of hell was a secondary objective at best.

Still, it was already good enough of them to fight back. Although their interest is slightly off. It doesn’t change the fact that doing this will disrupt the supply chain of the Wisterian Faction.

Wisteria itself was nothing compared to the real threat that they have, which is the Consortium. Although the same, the Consortium is untouchable because of how much of a grip they have on every economy.

The Consortium is what’s stopping them from bringing the hammer of God in Wisteria. And what’s more dangerous than the weapons they wield is the amount of money, lawyers, and politicians they can throw on them. How this megacorporation was allowed in the first place was baffling.

“Charges are set. Scan’s done.”

Cayman 3 and 4 set up the orb and siphoned all the data they could download, encrypted or not into the orb that was like a blackhole of data gathering.

Nonetheless, initial results were proving to be disappointing. Like all other refineries hit, there was no data in them and trying to tear the machines apart would just activate the sensors that would melt the insides of the machines.

“This is Cayman-1 to Wraith Actual, over.”

“I copy you, Cayman.”

“It’s a dud, Sir. Just like the rest. But our scans indicate that they dug a cavern where the submarine should be.”

“Proceed with caution, Cayman-1.”

“Roger that.”

“Let’s go, team!”

As they approached the dock, the team could see the barrier walls and guard towers looming in the distance. They knew that the underground cavern dock was defended by a formidable force of non-humans, much more fiercer and brutal  than the ones they dispatched.

“This is Wraith Actual. Visual imagery suggests that you are facing warrior-classes of the humanoid species of Huerco. You can identify them by their ink and paint.”

“There’s a horde out here, Wraith.”

“Move in as quietly as possible. I want visual confirmation of the dock.”

The team moved quickly and quietly, using the cover of darkness to conceal their approach. They reached the walls of the dock and began to scale them, using specialized climbing equipment to bypass the towers.

As they descended into the dock, they heard the sound of drums and horns signaling the alarm. The Huercos had been alerted to their presence and were quickly mobilizing to defend the submarines.

“This Cayman-1,” he reported calmly. “We’ve been detected by enemy patrol. I repeat we have been detected by the enemy forces.”

“Weapons free, Cayman-1. Retreat for now.”

Cayman-1 stopped and found a familiar power armor watching from a distance.

“Spotted a Hellrunner Power Armor. It seems that there’s a Hellrunner here, Sir.”

“Copy that. Retreat for now, Cayman Team.”

The strike team was ready for the enemy and quickly engaged them in battle. Unlike the enemies before, these huercos charged forward, their battle cries filling the air. Trying to instill fear in the team. But the team was well-trained and well-armed, and they met the charge with a hail of bullets and grenades.

The enemy were relentless, however, and they kept coming, wave after wave, their bodies piling up on the ground. The team was forced to retreat deeper into the dock, looking for a way to reach the submarines. Tearing through waves of flesh.

As they fought their way through the dock, they encountered more and more resistance from the enemy. The creatures seemed to have an endless supply of warriors, and they kept charging forward, heedless of the casualties they were taking.

“Sir! I can see a tunneling gate, Sir!”

Cayman-1 looked at the portal spewing out the huercos and clicked his tongue loudly.

“We need to move… now!”

The team was outnumbered and outmatched, but they refused to give up. They knew what fate they would have if they were caught by the enemy here.

Finally, they reached the cargo submarine, and with a final burst of energy, they planted the explosives and set them to detonate. They retreated as quickly as they could, running for the walls of the dock as the explosives went off, destroying the cargo submarine and the dock in a massive explosion.

The team emerged from the smoke and flames victorious, but they knew that it wasn’t over yet.

They were pursued by the remaining foes who were furious at the destruction of their dock and the death of their comrades. The team fought a desperate running battle through the refinery, using their superior training and tactics to outmaneuver them, but they were slowly being pushed back.

As they reached the stairs of the refinery, they saw a team of Hellrunners had brought up heavy artillery, and were preparing to bombard the team. The team knew that they had to act fast if they were to escape.

With their backs against the wall, the team made a final push, using all of their firepower to take out the huercos in their way. The team fought bravely, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. They knew that they had to make a break for it before more could emerge from the portal.

As the team made their way up the refinery, they saw that they had breached the refinery entrance, and were now pouring into them from both sides.

“This is Cayman-1 to Wraith-Actual.”

“I copy you, son. What’s your status? I need fast-movers in the vicinity of our location. Requesting a bombing package on my location, Sir. They need to escape, Sir.”

There was a long pause from command. Then the voice, coming from command, was now laced with steel.

“I thank you for your service, Lieutenant Colonel. Accompany them into hell, Drew.”

“Copy that, Sir.”

One of the strike team members, a seasoned veteran, stepped forward and volunteered to stay behind and hold off the huercos while the others made their escape. The others were reluctant to leave their comrade behind, but they knew that it was the only way to complete the mission and ensure the safety of the team.

Cayman-1 looked at his team, armed with his smart rifle, and a few grenades.

“I need you to get out of here. Cayman-2. You lead the charge. I’ll draw their fire. Fast-movers will be coming in hot. Once we’ve charged out of the refinery, I want you to deploy the drones at my location. Do you understand?”

Cayman-2 hardened up and saluted Cayman Actual with a firm salute.

“It’s been a pleasure, sir.”

“Let’s go.”

The Cayman team plowed through the entrance of the refinery while Cayman-1 made a stand at the edge of a defensible vantage point. He faced the charging huercos, firing his weapon and throwing grenades with deadly accuracy. The foes were caught off guard by the sudden resistance and were unable to get past Cayman Actual.

The other team members used this opportunity to escape. They quickly made their way to the rendezvous point, where they were picked up by a VTOL. They looked back at the point as they flew away, and they could see their team leader still holding off the huercos, buying them time to escape. Accurately shooting his smart rifle at those who tried to shoot the VTOL down.

The team clenched their fists as they knew that they had lost a brave comrade in the battle, but they also knew that his sacrifice had not been in vain. They had completed their mission and had prevented the cargo submarine from being used to transport dangerous materials to the enemy. They returned to base, exhausted but victorious, knowing that this conflict far from over, and that there would be many more battles to come.