Ch. 16 Desperation

Sasami stood up, somewhat unsteady, and slowly walked over to a chair, and promptly sat down. A painful groan came from the unmoving body of Insect. Sasami looked over at him and frowned. Calvin walked up to him and kneeled by his side.
"You...you acted on instinct...you trust yourself that much?" Insect asked slowly.
"When it comes to protecting those I care about." Calvin answered.
"I see... I wasn't able to see the future." Insect responded.
"A strong man makes his own future, and lives in the moment." Calvin said.
"Maybe so...but...I will read your's..." Insect said, then coughed harshly. "To get to the underground base that stores Steel Cog, you need to go through a hidden door, behind that book case." Insect raised his hand slightly, and the large bookcase moved over, revealing a small opening. "This is the most direct route...you'll pass by two large radio towers, and use the walkways."
"Why are you helping me?" Calvin asked.
"Over the years, I've seen the pasts, presents, and futures of countless men and women..." Insect said, then coughed violently. Calvin carefully took off the gas mask that covered Insects face. Underneath was a horribly scarred and mutilated face. Sasami gasped, and looked away. "And every time, I found the same thing. The aggressive desire to kill, and the selfish desire to breed. It was enough to make me sick. But you...you are different. You have been thrown into a world and position you are not used to. You are confused, suprised that you are able to accomplish the things you have done. Yet through all of it, you've shown honor, and a need to help the less fortunate. I've seen true evil, yet seeing you...calms my soul. I almost wonder what might have been, if I had lived differently." Insect looked over at Sasami. "I peered into her mind as well. I saw you...you have a large plave in her heart, growing larger at every moment. I know not of your future together, except that there will be hardships. I...I have one last request...put my mask back on."
"Okay" Calvin said. He slipped the gas mask over Insect's head, and secured the straps.
"Without it, other people's thoughts force their way into my head. I want to be alone, in my own world when I die..." Insect said. Calvin stood up, and helped Sasami out of the chair, and they slowly walked over to the small door. "It's peculiar...that was the first time I've used my power to help someone...it feels...nostalgic..." The two continued on, and found themselves in a small cave. Sasami shuddered.
"Is something wrong?" Calvin asked.
"What happened back there, I have this strange feeling of Deja Vu, like I'vee lived through it before." Sasami said. Calvin nodded.
"The whole time I've been in this world, i've felt it. I don't know why, though. Can you walk fine?" Calvin said, then asked.
"I'm better." Sasami said. They continued on through the cave slowly. Sasami stuck close to Calvin, and at somepoint in time grabbed onto his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. Calvin blushed slightly, but didn't say anything. They eventually found a door, leading to a room and a large hall, with the radio tower at the other end. Calvin could see a walkway on the tower, about twenty feet off the ground. After walking a few steps forward, Sasami stopped.
"What is it?" Calvin asked.
"Something's not right." Sasami said. Calvin looked at her, and his eyes went wide. A red dot was on her forhead, and slowly moved down. Calvin pointed at it, and Sasami looked. The dot moved down, and stopped at her knee. Suddenly, there was a bang in the distance, followed by a loud, wet, crunching sound. Sasami screamed in pain as blood shot out of her knee, and collapsed on the floor, her arms holding her up. She pulled the Desert Eagle from her holster, when two more shots were fired, hitting her elbows. The Desert Eagle skidded near the door. Calvin tensed up, and jumped right. A shot hit the ground where he was standing a moment earlier. Calvin hid behind a wall, pulled out his SOCOM, and fired random shots in the direction of the sniper. Sasami groaned.
"Sasami!" Calvin yelled. He wanted to run out and drag her to where he was hiding. Sasami sensed this, and shook her head.
"No, Calvin! The sniper is using me as bait, he's waiting for you!" Sasami yelled.
"But..." Calvin started.
"Go back...I saw a rifle you could use...back at the office complex...I'll be fine, trust me..." Sasami said. Calvin stared at her for a moment, then nodded. He ran to the door, and ran through. His foot caught the Desert Eagle, and it skidded into the cave. He quickly picked it up, and holstered it. He ran back into the building, and headed to the complex. Luckily, there were no guards. Just like Sasami said, there was a rifle laying on a table, with a box of tranquilizer darts next to it. Calvin opened his subspace ring, and dumped all of his weapons into it. He then strapped the rifle on his back, and grabbed the box of ammo. A few minutes later, he was back in the hall. Sasami was gone, but there were blood stains on the floor. Calvin hid behind a wall, and loaded the rifle.
"Tranq rounds we'll have to do." Calvin said. He got on his stomach, and peaked around the wall. He set up the rifle, and aimed at the tower. On the walkway, he saw a shadowy form with long hair. He carefully aimed, and fired. The form visibly moved, and ran to a part of the walkway, where Calvin could not see the sniper. He watched the cover, until he saw a form move out slowly. He fired at the form, and heard a yell. "I got him..." Calvin said slowly. He opened his subspace ring, and and stored the rifle. He removed the SOCOM and reholstered it. There was no sense in taking out the Desert Eagle, for it did not have a suppressor. Calvin ran down the hall, twoard the tower. He stopped when he reached it. He slowly headed to a staircase leading up to the platform, when he heard three thumps behind him. He turned around and saw three ropes dangling behind him. He then heard a loud zip sound, as three guards descended on the ropes. They quickly pulled out their FAMAS assault rifles and aimed at Calvin. They moved slowly at Calvin, before one ran forward. Calvin grabbed the barrel of the FAMAS and twisted it away. At the same time, the second guard rushed forward. Calvin spun around, and hooked the barrel of that guard's FAMAS under his knee. The third guard started to move forward, but Calvin quickly pulled out his SOCOM with his free hand and aimed it at the guard's head. The moment seemed like ages to Calvin, until something caught his eye. He slowly looked down, and saw a red dot on his chest. He looked back up, and saw an attractive woman holding a large sniper rifle, aimed right at him.
"You know, itz hard to mizz ven you are dis close." The woman said, in a thick eastern european accent. She slowly walked forward, as Calvin let go of the guard's guns, and raised his arms. "Drop ze gun, kick it over here." she said. He slowly lowered the SOCOM to the ground, and kicked it over to her. She kicked it back to one of the guards, who kicked it down the hall. The woman slowly walked up to Calvin.
"A female sniper, huh." Calvin said, slightly suprised.
"Did you not know, most of ze assasins on Earth and Yume are vimen?" She moved closer to Calvin, her face inches from his, and looked into his eyes. "I am Rifle Coyote, and I alwayz kill vat I aim at. You, are my special prey. But, my employer haz ozzer ideaz. Ve vill fight again." Coyote started to walk away, and paused. "Take him to Jaguar, ve can find out who zent him, vat his business iz here." She said. The guards lowered there weapons, and one walked behind Calvin. He then felt something hit him extremely hard in the back of the head. He turned around, and glared at the guard behind him, who was lowering the butt of his FAMAS. Angry, Calvin started to walk to the guard. He sure as hell wasn't going peacefuly. The guard was visibly stunned, and started to back away slowly. Calvin raised his fist, and his vision darkened. He groaned, and felt himself hit the ground. He barely heard the guard order the other two before he blacked out.

Ch. 17 Contact

"...Dokuja, can you hear me? Dokuja? Dokuja! DOKUJA!" Washu yelled into the headset, but received no response. Her connection to Calvin had just died, and was trying to reestablish itself. She growled and punched through her holotop. Nearby were the bodies of Calvin and Sasami. Both were still breathing, though Sasami's heart-rate had increased. Earlier, Washu had given her a few painkillers, in hopes of the effects crossing over. Since then her heart-rate was slowly dropping to normal, but it was still fast. Calvin's heart-rate was normal, though a small amount of blood trickled from his mouth. Washu walked over, set Calvin's health monitors on high alert, and wiped the blood from his mouth. She walked back to her holotop, and punched in a few keys. A call was sent out to all transmitters, and three view screens appeared.
"Is something wrong, Sekishoku?" Skuld asked.
"Yes, Sasami has been recaptured." Washu said. Skuld and Lilith frowned, while Combo sighed. "That's only half of it, I've lost contact with Dokuja. I assume he's been knocked out, and captured as well." There was an uneasy silence that followed.
"What can we do?" Skuld asked.
"Well, since you are already in the base, Fremtid, I want you to look for both of them." Washu answered. Skuld nodded. "Anam, I want you to prepare for battle, you may have to enter the base if this takes too long."
"Gotchya. Anything specific you want me to do?" Lilith asked.
"Help Fremtid find Dokuja and Sasami, and make sure those Lunarium bastards are nothing but bloody smears on the walls." Washu said.
"I almost wish you would send me in now" Lilith responded with a grin.
"Shiitake, have you gotten any more info from you field contact?" Washu asked.
"The Major? No, and it's odd, he'll usually call in to check up every so often. I'll call him up now." Combo said. After a few moments, a blond man in sunglasses appeared.
"This is Major. What's the situation?" the man said.
"Major, it's Combo. Dokuja's been captured, and were still trying to figure out what to do. Is there any wisdom you can give us?" Combo said.
"Hm. Well, considering what you told me about Dokuja, he's become a real thorn in the Lunarium's side. They aren't used to this, so they might torture him for information. Contact him when he regains consciousness, and tell him to hang in there." Major said, and his signal was cut off.
"That's odd, the Major never ends a call abruptly." Combo said.
"I find odder that he knew Dokuja was unconsious. Something isn't right about the Major, I want you to investigate, Combo." Washu said.
"It does seem strange, i'm on it." Combo replied.
"Sekishoku, could you do something for me?" Skuld asked.
"Sure, what do you need?" Washu said.

Nekomi, Japan, a few minutes later...

"Anudder." slurred a tall, tan, platinum blond woman with purple-blue markings on her face. She held out a glass towards another tall woman, with green hair and eyes, purple batwings on her back, and a smaller pair on her head.
"You need to stop, Urd. Getting another hangover won't bring them back faster." the woman said.
"DAMN IT, MORRIGAN. POUR ME ANUDDER DRINK!" yelled Urd. Morrigan sighed, picked up a sake bottle, and filled the glass. Urd quickly drained it, and slammed it on the table. Morrigan looked over at the door, where another woman, who had light brown hair and blue markings, entered.
"Any changes, Belldandy?" Morrigan asked. Belldandy shook her head, and sat down at the table. Morrigan sighed. "Are you sure there isn't anything we can do?"
"I'm quite sure. The only thing we can do is wait, and hope for the best." Belldandy said.
"But that's all we have been doing! I'M SICK OF IT!" Urd yelled. Suddenly, there was a knock at the temple door.
"I'll get it." Belldandy said, the usual cheerfulness gone from her voice. She walked through the temple halls to the door. When she opened it, she saw a strange woman, with light greenish blue hair, and gold colored cat eyes. "Can I help you?" Belldandy asked. The woman looked down at a piece of paper she held, and looked back up.
"You're Belldandy, right?" the woman asked. Belldandy nodded. "My name is Ryoko. What I say next may seem strange, but I know where your sister is."

Washu's lab, a few minutes later...

"So let me get this straight, Lilith and Skuld are stuck in Yume, with Tsunami's avatar and a mortal?" Morrigan asked.
"Strange, yes, but true." Washu said. She sat infront of her holotop, with Urd, Belldandy, and Morrigan standing behind her.
"This is bad, very bad." Urd said, who had sobered up on the trip over.
"Your sister's are fine. It's Sasami and Calvin I'm worried about. I'm not sure how much stress they can take." Washu said. She quickly typed on her holotop, and three headsets appeared, followed by the transmitter call beep. "I told them that I would send out a call as soon as you got here. They've been wanting to talk to you. Also, please refer to them by their code names, just in case. Skuld goes by Fremtid, and Lilith by Anam." Two view screens then appeared.
"BELL! URD! It's so good to see you!" Skuld said.
"Mori, how are things holding up?" Lilith asked.
"Just fine. Are you two okay?" Morrigan asked.
"I'm fine. Fremtid however..." Lilith started to say.
"What! What's wrong!" Belldandy said, extremely worried.
"I'm fine, my leg hurts, though." Skuld said.
"Can you heal yourself?" Urd asked.
"I tried, but I was sensed by a strange demon." Skuld said.
"Strange how?" Morrigan asked.
"He had a lot of tech, mainly an exo-powersuit, and what looked like a diamond edged Katana."
"That is a little odd." Urd said.
"But he had a fistfight with Dokuja, and lost." Lilith said. Washu turned to look at Belldandy, Urd, and Morrigan, and mouthed Calvin's name. They nodded.
"Alright, that's full out bizarre." Morrigan said.
"So what is going on over there?" Belldandy asked.
"Too much to talk about now, but I will tell you later." Skuld said. At that moment, a light appeared on Washu's holotop, and started to blink. Washu looked over at Calvin's body, and a green light on one of the health monitors was getting brighter.
"Looks like Calvin is regaining conciousness..." Washu said

Ch. 18 Pain

Calvin could barely open his eyes. His head hurt, and he felt like he couldn't move. A bright light obscured his vision, and only increased his headache. He slowly looked around, to take in his surrounds. He saw three shadowy figures, and he heard talking, but couldn't make it out. Looking down, he saw that he was strapped onto a table suspended vertically.
"Boss, it looks like he's awake." said a voice, Calvin recognized it as Jaguar.
"Hm, he still doesn't look like much of a threat, Jaguar. It's hard to believe he gave you trouble." said a voice Calvin did not recognize.
"You forget that it was that ninja that took my hand, sir." Jaguar responded.
"Regardless, we must focus on the matter at hand." the voice said. One of the shadowy figures moved closer to Calvin, revealing to be a young blond man in a trench coat.
"I assume you do not know who I am. My name is Ekitai, and I am Balthazar's chief warlord. It was a bad decision to come here, and you will regret it." the man, now known as Ekitai said. A series of beeps sounded, and he reached into his coat, pulling out a cell phone. "Yes? What? Foolish bastards, willing to risk innocent lives. I'll head over now, Vulture." He shut off his cellphone, and looked over at Jaguar. "Emerald Light decided to die. We'll launch the first nuke in a few hours."
"Ignorant foolz, not zubmitting peacefully!" said a voice Calvin recognized as Jackal. He looked to his far left and saw her leaning on a wall next to a door.
"No matter, they decided their fate. I leave you in charge here, Jaguar." Ekitai said. Jaguar nodded, and Ekitai quickly left the room. Jackal immediately walked up to Calvin.
"The girl iz ztill alive. Don't die here, handzome, I vant to kill you myzelf." she whispered into his ear while trailing a finger across his chest. She then walked towards the door.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay? It's free entertainment." Jaguar said.
"I'm not interested in torture." she said, as she walked out the door.
"Hm, suit yourself." Jaguar said. He looked over at Calvin. "Heh, they say once she has a mark, she obsesses over them, to the point where she may even fall in love with them. But she stays loyal to her superior, and eventually kills them. Well, enough idle chat, let's get this show on the road."
"Where's my stuff?" Calvin asked.
"On a counter behind you, but you won't be needing it. Now, I found a PAL card in your pocket. Where are the other two?" Jaguar answered, then asked.
"Other two? I only know of the one." Calvin answered.
"Hm, maybe you passed them on to one of your contacts. No matter, Booker said there was a trick to use the cards, I doubt you would have figured it out. Now that that is out of the way, let's get the fun started." Jaguar replied, and walked over to a machine. He slowly pressed a few buttons, and Calvin heard a soft whir getting louder. "I'm going to run an electric current through your body. After which you can submit. If you don't, well, I'll just run a higher current through your body. Also, if you do submit, I'll make sure your woman dies, painfully. Have fun..."

10 minutes later...

Calvin panted, his limbs felt as though they were on fire.
"You're pretty strong. Well, I think I'll take a break. See you in an hour." Jaguar said. He walked out, and a single guard walked in. The guard unstrapped Calvin, and dragged him to a nearby cell. He threw Calvin in, locked the door, and started to randomly pace around outside of the cell. Calvin slowly picked himself up off the floor, and looked around. There was a single bed in one corner, and the cell was made up mostly of bullet proof glass. Calvin sniffed, and immediately covered his mouth and nose. Something in the cell smelled rotten. He turned around, and saw the body of Ronald Anders heaped into the far corner. There were cuts in his wrists, but there was no blood stains around. Calvin went and sat down on the bed, and heard the trill sound of his transmitter.
"Dokuja, are you alright?" Washu said.
"Sort of." he answered.
"Well, it's good to hear from you. We lost contact with you, and I've been trying to reach you once I was reconnected. It was quite frightening earlier, seeing your body violently shake. Have you heard anything about Sasami?" Washu said.
"She's alive. That bastard Jaguar threatened to kill her if I told him to stop." Calvin said.
"You did a brave thing, Dokuja. What exactly did they do to you?" Washu asked.
"Electrocution, felt like forever." Calvin answered.
"He lived through that? He certainly has my respect." said a female voice.
"Who was that?" Calvin asked.
"Anam's sister. Fremtid asked me to contact her along with her own sisters."
"I see." Calvin said, then groaned in pain. "Is there anything you can do about this pain?"
"Give me a second." Washu said. Calvin waited, and felt his whole body tingle, loosening his muscles and increasing blood flow.
"Wow, what did you do?" he asked.
"I had a few machines stimulate your nervous system, I'm glad it carried over. How is it?" Washu asked.
"Most of the pain is gone." Calvin replied
"Good. Anything else?" Washu asked.
"Well, the corpse of Ronald Anders is lieing in a corner of the cell I'm in."
"I wonder why they moved him there." Washu said.
"Strange thing is, he smells like he's rotting. Almost like he's been in here for awhile now." Calvin said.
"But he died a few hours ago, right? Decomposition shouldn't be at that stage yet." Washu replied.
"Yeah, it looks like his blood is drained, too." Calvin said.
"Maybe they wanted to slow decomposition." Washu said.
"It just seems to strange. Is there anything I can do to get out of here?" Calvin asked.
"Call up Fremtid, she's looking for you right now." Washu said.
"Got it. I'll try to keep you updated." Calvin said. He then called up Skuld. "Fremtid, where are you?"
"Dokuja? God it's good to hear you. I'm currently in building one. Where are you at?" Skuld said, then asked.
"I don't know, I'm in a cell, and there's a torture room nearby." Calvin answered.
"Torture room? I know where you are, I'll be there in a few minutes." Skuld replied, and ended the transmission. Calvin heard pounding on the cell door, and looked up.
"Hey, stop talking to yourself, it's pissing me off!" the guard said. Calvin sighed. He laid down on the bed, and waited. He heard the guard groan suddenly. "Ooof, that's not good. Damn it!" he yelled, and ran off. Calvin watched him through the glass as he ran straight to a bathroom. He then heard a knock at the cell door.
"Hey, get over here, I got some stuff for you." he heard Skuld say. He went to the door and looked out the small window. Skuld slowly faded into sight.
"Great. Is there anyway you can get me out of here?" Calvin asked.
"I couldn't find a key, I think that guard had the only one. But I do have some stuff for you." Skuld answered, and proceeded to pass some food through the small window. "I think this might help you escape, though." she said, and handed Calvin a bottle of ketchup.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.
"I'm sure you can figure it out. Anyway, I'm going back to the computer room, I've found some interesting information on Steel Cog, it might help you destroy it." Skuld said, and disappeared. He looked back down at the bottle of ketchup.
"What did she..." Calvin started. He then grinned.

Never again will I be dishonored
And never again will I be reminded
Of living within the world of the jaded
They kill inspiration
It's my obligation
To never again, allow this to happen
Where do I begin?
The choices are endless
Denying the sin
My art, my redemption
I carry the torch of my fathers before me

The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away
There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice
To change myself, I'd rather die
Though they will not understand
I won't make the greatest sacrifice
You can't predict where the outcome lies
You'll never take me alive
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive

Change again, cannot be considered
I rage again, dispelling my anger
Where do I begin?
The choices are endless
My art, my redemption, my only salvation
I carry the gift that I have been blessed with
My soul is adrift in oceans of madness
Repairing the rift that you have created
I am not alone, brothers, give me your arms now

The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away
There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice
To change myself, I'd rather die
Though they will not understand
I won't make the greatest sacrifice
You can't predict where the outcome lies
You'll never take me alive

I'm no slave
Are you feeling brave?
Or have you gone out of your mind?
No more games
It won't feel the same
If I hold my anger inside
There's no meaning
My soul is bleeding
I've had enough of your kind
One suggestion, use your discretion
Before you label me blind

The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away
There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice
To change myself, I'd rather die
Though they will not understand
I won't make the greatest sacrifice
You can't predict where the outcome lies
You'll never take me alive
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive

I'm Alive - Disturbed (On the playlist I created on Playlist.com, look for the thread on here)

Ch. 19 Chosen Life

Calvin broke the ketchup bottle on the ground, and pressed a hand in the thick liquid. He pressed his hand on the glass, and had it slide down. He then lied face down over the pile of ketchup and waited. He heard the bathrom door open, and footsteps.
"What the hell?" the guard said. The cell door opened, and the guard ran up to Calvin. Calvin quickley rolled onto his back, and kicked both feet into the guard's stomach. The guard doubled over and collapsed on the ground. Calvin got up, and kicked the guard once more in the head. Successfully knocking him out, he took the guard's walkie-talkie and smashed it, then exited the cell. After collecting his things from the torture room, he moved on, and found himself on Basement Floor One of Building A once again.

30 minutes later...

Calvin exited the office where he fought Insect, and entered the cave system leading to the radio tower. Suddenly, Calvin's transmitter started beeping.
"Dokuja! Trust me and do what I say. Take the ammo clip out of your SOCOM and throw it as far away from you as possible!" a garbled voice said, Calvin recognized it, it as Ippan-Oni.
"Why, what's wrong?" Calvin asked.
"There isn't much time, just do it!" Ippan-Oni. Calvin immediately unholstered the SOCOM and removed the magazine. Instead of bullets, the clip was packed with a redish-orange clay-like substance, with a device jammed into the clay. A red light on the device was blinking. Calvin threw it down the cave. A few seconds later, there was an explosion, with the force equivalent to that of a standard grenade.
"I guess I owe you." Calvin said, but the transmission had already been ended. Calvin continued onward, and entered the large hall before the tower. The bloodstains from Sasami were still on the ground. Calvin stared at it for a moment, then moved on. "I'll make sure they pay for hurting you, Sasami." he said to himself quietly. Entering the tower, Calvin was suprised at what he saw. On top of a crate was a coiled rope and a STINGER missle launcher. Stuck to the rope was a note. Calvin ripped it off and read it.

"You'll be needing this, Calvin. And for the record, as long as you make it back to Earth alive, you don't owe me jack.
- Your friend and fan, Ippan-Oni

Calvin smirked, and stored the STINGER and rope in subsapce. He turned the corner, and walked through a small entryway into the main part of the tower. There was a large elevator, and a stairway that went around the elevator shaft. Calvin took a step forward, and alarms immediately went off. He looked around, and saw a trip laser on the ground.
"Shit, isn't that convienient?" Calvin said, and started running up the stairs. He passed a door that led to a pathway connecting this tower to the other one, but it was frozen shut. After getting a few floors up, he started hearing guards gaining on him. Thinking quickly, he pulled a few grenades out of subspace storage. While running up the stairs, he pulled the pin on one grenade and dropped it behind him. He did this every two minutes before he finally ran out of grenades. Luckily, he was at the top of the tower. He looked around for an exit, and saw a ladder leading upwards. Without stalling, he ran to the ladder and climbed up. Once he reached the top, he found himself in a small room with a door nearby. He ran through the door, and was immediately met with a cold gust of wind. Suddenly, he head a loud roaring sound. Looking around, he saw a large helicopter hovering nearby. Two missles were fired, and passed over Calvin's head. He turned around, and saw a small bridge, which connected the tower to an adjacent tower, destroyed by the missles. Calvin ran and hid behind a large vent to avoid any more possible fire the helicopter could deliver. At that moment, his transmitter started beeping.
"Dokuja, it's Sekishoku. I know what happened, and I think I know how you can get to the other tower. According to my readouts, you picked up a rope earlier, right?" Washu said.
"Yeah, how can that help me?" Calvin asked.
"Tie one end to yourself, and the other to a guard rail. You'll need to rappel down to the lower path." Sekishoku said.
"What! That's insane, that helicopter will take me out before I can do anything!" Calvin said.
"Just do it as quickly as you can. I'm transplanting the information on rappeling into your memory." Sekishoku said. A few seconds later, Calvin's squeezed his eyes shut, and his muscles spasmed. When the spasms ended, Calvin opened the subspace storage and took out the rope. He tied one end to his waist, and ran to a nearby guard rail. He quickly tied the other end to the rail, and jumped over the side. As fast as he could, Calvin kicked off the wall and swung downwards. After a few wall kicks, he made it to the connecting path. He immediately cut the rope, and ran to the other tower. Once inside, he leaned against a wall and panted. Once he calmed down, he looked around. Like the other tower, there was a stairway leading up and down, and an Elevator in the middle. Calvin tried to call up the elevator, but was met with a buzzing sound and a red light. Sighing, Calvin started to walk down the stairs. Only a few steps down, and Calvin started to get angry. The rest of the stairs were destroyed. Calvin walked back up, and was suprised to see Skuld exiting the elevator.
"Skuld, what are you doing here?" Calvin asked.
"Well, I managed to replicate the stealth camoflage Sekishoku sent you. Here." Skuld said. She handed him a small device. Calvin pinned it onto his chest, and pressed the activation button. The device glowed for a seconed, then popped in a shower of sparks. Calvin looked back at Skuld.
"Wow, I feel invisible already." Calvin said sarcastically.
"What, that doesn't make sense, it was working when I left the computer room." Skuld said, frowning.
"Don't worry, I haven't really needed camoflage anyway. By the way, I tried to use the elevator earlier, but it wasn't working. How'd you get it to work?" Calvin asked.
"It was working fine when I used it. Are you sure there was something wrong?" Skuld asked. Calvin hit the button to open the doors, and the elevator buzzed again.
"See?" Calvin said.
"Hm, maybe it's just this button. I'll try to fix it, but it's going to take a while. Any idea what you'll do to wait?" Skuld said, then asked. The low rumble of the helicopter could be heard.
"I think I'll go kill an annoying mosquito." Calvin said.

Ch. 20 Get Stung

Calvin went up the staircase, and after what felt like forever, made it to the top. The roar of the helicopters rotary blades were much louder here. Calvin pulled the STINGER launcher from the subspace storage, and took a slow breath to prepare himself. He looked around for the exit, and once he found the door, he ran outside.
"So the snake has finally come out of hiding? Good, i'll enjoy killing you!" he heard Ekitai yell over the helicopter's loudspeaker. Calvin looked around and saw the helicopter hovering about fifty yards from the edge of the tower. It started to fire its machine guns, and Calvin ran behind a nearby raised platform for cover. He readied the STINGER, and once the helicopter stopped firing, he poked his head up and looked. Still hovering where it was before, Calvin aimed the STINGER. It head a small LCD view screen that showed a small green box moving around. It suddenly stopped over the image of the helicopter, and a loud steady beep sounded. Calvin fired, and watched the missle home in on the helicopter. It hit the side, and the helicopter started to wobble and smoke.
"HA! You think that hurt? THINK AGAIN!" Ekitai yelled, and fired two missles. Calvin ran from his cover, and looked around for another spot to hide. Not finding any, her turned and looked back at the helicopter. Waiting a few seconds, he jumped, and the first missle hit the ground below him, launching Calvin far into the air. Again, he quickley aimed the STINGER at the helicopter. He heard the other missle explode far behind him, just as the homing module issued the steady beep. Calvin fired, and watched the missle hit the nose of the helicopter. He then landed on his hands and knees, and picked himself up. The helicopter spun down out of sight, and was followed by a bright orange glow and loud explosion.
"Feel that burn? That's just a taste of what Hell will be like." Calvin said. His transmitter then started to beep.
"Dokuja, the elevator is working again." Skuld said.
"Great, what was wrong with it?" Calvin asked.
"That's the weird thing about it, it just moved on it's own." Skuld said.
"Huh. Well, where are you now?" Calvin asked.
"I'm headed back to computer room to look up more info on Steel Cog." Skuld answered.
"Alright, keep me updated." Calvin said, and reentered the tower. After a few minutes, he was back in front of the elevator. Oddly enough, the door was already opened. Calvin entered it and pressed the button for floor one. The doors closed, and a buzz went off. A light on the panel lit up, and flashed OVERWEIGHT. Calvin raised an eyebrow, but did not dwell on the issue any longer. A few moments later his transmitter went off again.
"Dokuja, I forgot to tell you something." Skuld said.
"Alright, what?" Calvin asked.
"Well, I made five stealth camo suits. The one I gave you was the most stable one, so that leaves four." Skuld said.
"This isn't grade school math, I get it. So?" Calvin said.
"Well, I left the four back in the computer room, but they're gone now." Skuld said. Calvin suddenly felt very nervous. He slowly pulled a stun grenade off of his belt, and put his thumb in the pin. "Another thing, the elevator was acting really weird, almost if someone was intentionally holding it." Calvin pulled the pin with his thumb and held down the safety lever.
"Did you ride the elevator down?" Calvin asked.
"Yeah, why?" Skuld said.
"How much do you weigh?" Calvin asked.
"HEY! You don't ask a woman that!" Skuld yelled.
"This is important. Did the weight limit warning go off for you?" Calvin said.
"Yeah, it did. I'm about one hundred and thirty, but the elevator has a weight limit of six hundred and fifty. It would take five...people...oh shit." Skuld said.
"I knew it." Calvin sighed. He dropped the stun grenade, crouched, squeezed his eyes shut, and covered his ears.
"TOO LATE, DOKUJA! THIS IS WHERE..." he heard someone yell out, before he heard the stun grenade blow up. He quickly got up, opened his eyes, and unholstered his SOCOM. On the ground were four soldiers, the camo pins on their chests sparking. Calvin shot each in the chest, and reholstered the SOCOM.
"Crisis averted." Calvin said.
"Are you ok?" Skuld asked.
"Yeah, just a little shook up." Calvin answered. He looked closer at the four bodies, and saw that each wore the standard Lunarium gas mask, not the face masks that the other guards wore. "I think these are Lunarium foot soldiers, not the brainwashed guards."
"I wouldn't doubt it. You did kill Insect, which means the regular guard's brainwashing is wearing off, so you'll probably be seeing more of these guys. We might even get help from the normal guards once they fully come to their senses." Skuld said.
"I hope so, we do need more backup." Calvin said. He crouched down and removed one the dead Lunarium's gas mask. "Ugh, what the hell?" Calvin said. Underneath was a face barely able to be described as human. Its skin was extremely pale, and had red orbs for eyes. Calvin could only think of the term skin and bones to describe the facial structure, but there was less to it than that. It almost looked like rubber stretched over a frame. Curious, Calvin pulled out his knife and cut the cheek of the Lunarium. Underneath was still blood and muscle. "So they're at least humanoid." Calvin said. Their was a sudden hissing sound, and the corpse's face started to bubble. It suddenly dissolved into a brown substance, along with the rest of the body. Calvin looked at the other corpses and saw that the same happened to them, leaving nothing but empty clothing behind.
"What's wrong Dokuja?" Skuld asked.
"I think there is more to the Lunarium than we could have even thought possible." Calvin said.

Another mission
The powers have called me away
Another time
To carry the colors again
My motivation
An oath I've sworn to defend
To win the honor
Of coming back home again
No explanation
Will matter after we begin
Another dark destroyer that's buried within
My true vocation
And know my unfortunate friend
You will discover
A war you're unable to win

I'll have you know
That I've become...

Indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
From the other side
A terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable
Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you're alive
I'm an indestructible master of war

Another reason
Another cause for me to fight
Another fuse uncovered
Now, for me to light
My dedication
To all that I've sworn to protect
I carry out my orders
With not a regret
A declaration
Embedded deep under my skin
A permanent reminder
Of how we began
No hesitation
When I am commanding the strike
You need to know
That you're in for the fight of your life

You will be shown
How I've become....

Indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
From the other side
A terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable
Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you're alive
I'm an indestructible master of war

I'm...

Indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
From the other side
A terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable
Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you're alive
I am indestructible (indestructible)

Indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
From the other side
A terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable
Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you're alive
I'm an indestructible master of war

Indestructible - Disturbed

Ch. 21 Blindfire

Calvin exited the tower into a large field, and was greeted by a fierce blizzard. He took a few steps forward, then stopped. Something was strange, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He looked around, and suddenly tensed up. Barely visible from the flakes of snow falling was a laser. Calvin looked to his left, and jumped behind a nearby tree. He heard a bang, and heard the a ping of the bullet hitting the tower. Calvin took his sniper rifle out of subspace storage, and aimed towards the other side of the field. After a little searching around, he found a blurry shape, and fired. However, the blurry shape stayed still. Calvin was then blinded by the enemy's laser as it went down his scope. He groaned loudly and hid behind the tree. He heard more bangs, followed by the sound of the tree splintering. Calvin blinked a few times and carefully looked around. He saw a supply truck, and ran behind it.
"Well, it's obvious tranq rounds aren't going to work." Calvin said, and looked into the back of the truck. There were a few boxes of ammo for other weapons. Calvin climbed into the bed and started to look around. After what felt like forever, he found a box labeled PSG1 SR Ammo. Calvin looked at the side of his rifle and saw that it was the PSG1 model. He grabbed the box, loaded the rifle, and climbed back out. He ran behind a nearby small hill and aimed the rifle over it. The blurry figure had moved behind a tree, but was still partially visible. Calvin fired, and heard a yell. He then saw the enemy's laser dance on the hill in front of him. He ducked, and more bangs. The bullets hit the hill, and a bit of snow fell onto his hair. After the barrage, he looked back over the hill. The figure had taken cover, but was impossible to see from this angle. Calvin looked around, and saw another small hill across and slightly closer from where the figure was. Calvin darted from his cover. Calvin's instincts flared, and he immediately stopped. A bullet whizzed in front of him. He turned to face the direction of the figure, and tensed up again. He quickly jumped back and to the right, as a bullet flew through where he was standing. Unfortunately, the force of his jump made him lose grip of his rifle. It landed two feet behind him. Calvin, wide eyed, watched as the enemy's laser moved to his chest. He closed his eyes, and took a slow breath. Using all of his strength and agility, Calvin jumped, back flipped over the rifle, and landed, his foot kicking the rifle in the air. He quickly spun around, grabbed the rifle midair, and randomly shot in the direction of the figure. Calvin stood still for a few moments, and saw the laser on his chest slowly move down. Calvin waited a few moments, put his rifle back in subspace, and carefully moved forward. He found Rifle Coyote laying in a pool of blood. He stepped closer, and she suddenly coughed.
"I've...i've been vaiting for a moment like this...vaiting zo long..." Coyote said quietly. Calvin moved closer and kneeled at her side. "You can't zave me...i'm lung shot...pleaze...just end it now...end this pain...i've vaited for zomething peaceful like this...all I know iz killing...zlowly ztalking, hunting my target..."
"So that's why you're called Coyote." Calvin said.
"I've known nothing but mizery...I once lived on earth...a young girl...behind the iron curtain...vatched az my family vas taken from me...for conzpiring against the red army...then he appeared...my zavior...Gerard..." Coyote continued.
"Gerard?" Calvin asked. Coyoted coughed.
"You know him az Balthazar...he took me avay...and helped me learn to hate ze earth, and ze corruption zat breeds vithin her...I became a zniper on my own vill...hidden...vatching it all through my zcope...ze brutality and idiocy of man...but...I've shamed my family...I zold my flesh and my zpirit...in the name of revenge...i'm nothing but a dog..." Coyote continued.
"Coyotes are respected animals among Native American tribes. The Ohlone tribe of California viewed the Coyote as an ancestor, who taught them to survive, to care for one another. They call soldiers the 'Dogs of War'. It's true in a way. They are all trained to mindlessly follow orders. But you are different, solitary...wild. You're no dog, you're a coyote." Calvin said. Coyote's eyes looked off in the distance.
"Who are you? Gerard?" Coyote said in a whisper.
"Coyote, you spared Sasami's life." Calvin said.
"I...don't kill for pleazure...she vasn't my target..." Coyote said.
"Rest...you'll die as the noble Coyote you are." Calvin said.
"I...I underztand now...I vasn't vaiting to kill...I vas vaiting to be killed...by zomeone like you...a hero..." Coyote said. Her arm pointed out.
"What is it?" Calvin said.
"My rifle...bring her here...she iz part of my zoul..." Coyote said. Calvin got up, grabbed the rifle near her feet, and slowly handed it to her. Calvin heard a strange breathing sound. He looked to his right and saw three coyotes walking up. They sat down on the opposited side if Rifle Coyote, and she looked over at them. "Everyone iz here. Alright hero...zet me free..." Calvin unholstered his SOCOM, and took aim. He looked away, and fired. The coyotes started to howl. Calvin walked back to the truck. After a little searching, he found a blanket. He grabbed it, brought it over to Coyote, and draped it over her corpse. Then, Calvin transmitter started to beep.
"How tragic..." Skuld said quietly.
"I know, and I know for a fact that i've heard that somewhere before." Lilith said. Calvin stayed quiet.
"Are you going to be okay?" Skuld asked.
"Yeah, i'll be fine." Calvin said.
"Alright. The undergorund base is just ahead of you." Skuld said.
"Understood." Calvin said. He ended the transmission, and looked around. He saw a short building nearby, and entered. He started to walk down a stairwell, and noticed he was getting warmer and warmer. Once he reached the bottom, a door opened, and he felt a wave of heat go over his body. The whole room glowed orange, and looked like a smelting plant. Calvin walked up to a ledge and peered over. There was a lower level next to a pool of molten metal. There was a door at the far end of the room. On Calvin's left was an elevator, but the controls were on the platform, which was on the lower level. Calvin looked right, and saw a narrow ledge that crossed the molten pool to another platform.
"Hm. Nope, not doing that." Calvin said quietly. He looked down again and saw a lone guard patrolling. Calvin fished around in his subspace storage and found an empty SOCOM clip. He tossed it down in front of the guard, and hid behind a wall near the elevator. After a few moments he heard the elevator rise up. He waited a few more seconds, took out his SOCOM, and lept away from the wall. He fired at the guard, who dropped on the platform. A few seconds later he dissolved into the brown substance. Calvin rode the elevator down and went through the door.

Ch. 22 Frost

Calvin entered a large room, with large boxes lining the walls. A large platform was in front of Calvin, it appeared to be another elevator. He walked forward, fiddled with the controls, and waited. The was a loud metallic groan, and the platform started to move. Calvin looked over the edge and saw he was on an angled track, and could barely see the bottom.
"Well, looks like i'll be here for a while." Calvin said out loud, and sighed. He leaned next to the elevator controls, and closed his eyes. "I might as well use this time to calm down." he said quietly. However, he was unable to shake the uneasy feeling that weighed him down. Calvin opened his eyes and looked around. He saw nothing but the gray walls slowly passing by. He looked up to the top of the elevator shaft, and saw four figures looking down. "God damn it." Calvin said angrily. The four figures jumped down, and Calvin heard gunfire. He looked around and saw sparks and dents getting closer to where he stood. He quickly jumped away, and pulled a stun grenade off of his belt. The four figures landed in front of him, and a few seconds later the bullet casings fell, creating an eerie rain like effect. Calvin armed the stun grenade and tossed it at their feet. He then dropped and covered his ears. 'These guy's just don't learn.' Calvin thought. He felt the concussive blast of the grenade, then stood back up. Unlike the Lunarium in the previous elevator, though, they were still standing, albeit much more unsteadily. Calvin quickly pulled out his SOCOM and unloaded it on the four. They dropped, and dissolved into the brown substance.

A few minutes late

Midway through Calvin had to change elevators, and he was now at the bottom. Looking around, he saw a lone vulture perched on a nearby box. Calvin stared at it for a few seconds, the continued to the lone door at the other end of the room. It opened slowly, and Calvin shivered. He stepped into the large room, which was extremely cold, and filled with large crates.
"Welcome stranger!" a voice said. Calvin looked up at and saw a large, tattooed native american man, sitting on a large metal crate. "This is the end of the line for you! Right my friends?" the man said. Calvin looked around and saw many vultures perched on the rafters. They started to caw loudly. "Vultures aren't scavengers like most people think. They simply return to the world what is not needed. They will even attack wounded animals."
"You were the one in the tank from earlier. Must have been a tight squeeze for a guy like you." Calvin said. The man laughed in response.
"Yes, but that was not a true battle." he responded, then jumped down in front of Calvin. Strapped to his back was an extremely large barrel like object, which was connected by a thick cable to a large gun, which he held. " I am Gatling Vulture. We were testing to see what kind of man you are. The Judgment has been decided! The vultures say you are a true warrior!" the man now known as Vulture said. There was a bright flash, and the entire room turned a dark blue color. A bird tattoo on Vulture's body flew off of him, towards Calvin.
"Am I seeing things?" Calvin said. The bird, now appearing as a small vulture, landed on Calvin's shoulder. He suddenly felt paralyzed. "What, I can't move!" Calvin yelled.
"The vulture has put the mark of death on you." Vulture said. The vulture faded from sight, and the room returned to it's normal color. "Rejoice, Dokuja! Ours will be an epic fight!"
"Epic? This isn't epic, this is just plain killing!" Calvin said. He flexed his fingers, relieved he was able to move again.
"Well, we shall find out if there is steel in your words." Vulture said. The multiple barrels of Vulture's gun started to spin. Calvin ran for cover behind a large crate, just as Vulture started fire. He quickly opened his subspace storage and pulled out two grenades. The gun fire stopped, and he heard Vulture moving closer. Calvin pulled the pin and rolled the grenade around the corner. He then ran for cover to another large crate. He heard the grenade explode, and Vulture's yell of anger. He then heard faster footsteps. Calvin looked around the side of the crate and saw Vulture running to his location. Calvin pulled the pin of another grenade, dropped it, and ran again. He heard the explosion,and another angry yell, followed by footsteps.
"How much does it take to bring this guy down?" Calvin said. He looked around, and saw a ladder at the far end of the room. Calvin bolted, and heard Vulture's gun fire. Bullets ricocheted on the wall behind him. Stopping at the ladder, Calvin climbed and went laid prone on top of the crate. He heard Vulture run around the crate and to the other side of the room. Calvin quietly took the PSG1 sniper rifle out of subspace storage, and waited. He saw Vulture at the other end of the room move out from behind a crate. Calvin aimed, and fired a few rounds into Vulture's midsection. Vulture collapsed against a wall, and dropped his gun. Calvin put the PSG1 away, got off the crate, and walked over to Vulture.
"Just as Balthazar said, it is my existence which is not needed in this world. But my body will not remain here, my soul and flesh will be one with the vultures. That way I will return to Mother Yume who bore me. Dokuja, my spirit will be watching you!" Vulture said, then groaned. He fumbled around, and held out a card to Calvin. "Take this card, it will open that door." Vulture said, and pointed to the other end of the room.
"Why?" Calvin asked.
"You and the boss are from other worlds, ones I do not wish to know. Go and battle him, I will watch from above. However, I must tell you one thing. The man you saw die in front of you, that was not Ronald Anders. That was Distraction Squid, a member of our force. He was a master of disguise, but he could not fool the Grim Reaper." Vulture said.
"The Grim Reaper? But why go to so much trouble to impersonate Anders?" Calvin asked.
"That is all I can tell you, you must find out the rest on your own." Vulture said. Calvin started to walk towards the door. He heard a massive flutter of wings behind him. "In the normal world, there is no such thing as boundless killing. There is always an end. But you are different."
"What do you mean?" Calvin asked, and stopped.
"The road you travel has no end. Each step is over the corpses of your enemies. There will be no peace. Hear me Dokuja! My spirit will be watching you!" Vulture said. Calvin turned around and saw that only blood stains and Vulture's gun remained.

Ch. 23 A Steel Behemoth

Calvin exited the large freezer and entered a small room with two patrolling lunarium guards. He quietly shot both guards with his M9, and waited a few moments before the tranquilizers kicked in. However, Calvin noticed something odd about their patrol route. It was a wide hall, but both guards practically hugged the walls when walking. Cautiously, Calvin examined the hallway floor, and saw a slight depression. He pressed his hand on it, and the floor gave away to a long shaft. Calvin looked down, but could not see the bottom. He then got up and went down the hall, staying close to the wall. He went through the next door, which led to another hallway. Calvin walked to the end, and stopped, wide-eyed. Before him was an extremely large contraption, looking like some kind of beast from a cyber apocalypse.
"This...this is Steel Cog?" Calvin said. He looked around, and saw a nearby stairwell, with a guard patrolling above. Calvin shot the guard with the M9, waited a few moments, and ascended the stairwell. It ended on a walkway, and after a few twists and turns around Steel Cog, he found himself at the control room. He heard indistinct voices, and peeked inside.
"The PAL codes have been entered. you're ready to launch any time sir." Jaguar said.
"Good. We still haven't gotten a response from Emerald Light. We'll fire in one hour." Ekitai said.
"Do you still want the target to be the center of the island?" Jaguar asked.
"Hm, no, set it for the harbor. Balthazar will still want usable land." Ekitai said.
"Ekitai..." Calvin said quietly. Suddenly, his transmitter went off.
"Dokuja, it's Fremtid, I've managed to crack Booker's files on Steel Cog." Skuld said.
"Great, what have you found?" Calvin asked.
"Well, I found out something interesting about the PAL key Sasami gave you, you still have it, right?" Skuld asked. Calvin checked his pocket and pulled out the PAL card.
"Yeah, I've got it, what did you find?" Calvin asked.
"Well, you need three keys to use the PAL override." Skuld said.
"And I only have one, how's that going to help me now?" Calvin asked.
"But that's the thing, you already have the three keys." Skuld said.
"What? What do you mean?" Calvin asked.
"The card is made of a shape memory alloy!" Skuld said.
"Alright, I'm lost." Calvin said. Skuld sighed.
"The card will change shape depending on it's temperature. You see how there is a capitol F on the card?" Skuld said, then asked. Calvin looked at the card, and there was a small capitol F in the corner.
"Yeah, I see it." Calvin said.
"That means the card is at room temperature. When the letter changes to a W, that means it is cold. When the letter is a Z, that means it's hot. There are three input terminals at the control room." Skuld said. Calvin peeked around in the control room and saw three laptops with strange metal tower next to each.
"I'm at the control room, I see the from here." Calvin said.
"Good. The card needs to be entered from left to right, first at room temperature, then cold, then hot." Skuld said.
"Got it." Calvin said. He then heard a loud bang, which startled him. He jumped back, and let go of the card. It plummeted to the bottom of the room. He heard laughter behind him, and Calvin quickly turned, unholstered his SOCOM, and fired. The bullet hit the glass window of the control room, right in front of Ekitai's face.
"HA! This is bullet proof glass. I hope you die out there, Dokuja!" Ekitai said. Calvin growled loudly, and ran down the walkway to the stairwell. When he reached the bottom, his transmitter started to go off again.
"Dokuja, this is Major. You need to get that key, all of Yume is riding on it." Major said.
"Yeah, I'm getting it as we speak." Calvin said. He then shut off his transmitter. "How the hell did he know I lost it anyway?" Calvin asked himself. He made it onto the platform Steel Cog stood on, and looked around. After a few minutes of searching, he found the card, being dragged by a rat to a nearby hole. Calvin scared the rat away and grabbed the card. Calvin ran back up to the control room, which was empty now. Calvin went up the the first laptop, and entered the key card.
"PAL code number one confirmed. Waiting for PAL number two." A voice came from the computer. The small metal tower next to the laptop lowered. The card ejected from the computer.
"Got to freeze it now. But i'm not heading back to the storage room, that would take too long." Calvin said to himself as he left the control room. He looked around, and saw two pipes, a blue pipe and a red pipe, lining the ceiling. Calvin saw that they went down the wall at a nearby platform. Calvin ran to a platform above, swung over, and let go, dropping to the level below. In front of him was the two pipes. The blue one was labeled 'Liquid Nitrogen' and the red one was labeled 'Steam'. "This is to easy." Calvin said. He shot the blue pipe, and a small spray of Nitrogen sprayed out. Calvin held the card in front of the spray, and quickly took it away. There was a small W in the corner now. Calvin Jumped off the platform to the main level, and ran back to the control room. He then entered the card key into the second laptop.
"PAL code number two confirmed. Waiting for PAL number three." The voice from the computer said. The metal tower next to the laptop lowered. Calvin repeated the process, only this time he shot the red pipe, and brought the card back to the third laptop. It confirmed it, and the final tower lowered. Suddenly, red alarms flashed, and a siren went off.
"Detonation Code activated. Ready for launch." The voice from the computer said.
"WHAT! I deactivated it!" Calvin yelled. He then pounded on the control panel. His transmitter started to go off.
"Thank you, Dokuja. The detonation code is complete, nothing can stop Steel Cog now." Major said.
"Major? What's the hell is happening?" Calvin yelled.
"You found the key, and activated the nuclear warheads. I really do thank you. I'm sorry to get you involved with that damn shape memory alloy business. We were unable to learn Ander's code, even with Insect's psychic abilities. Then Jaguar accidentally killed him during his torture. Needless to say, we were unable to launch, and we were getting slightly worried. Without the threat of an attack, getting Emerald Light to surrender would have been nearly impossible." Major continued.
"What?" Calvin yelled.
"Without the codes, we had to find another way. Luckily, we noticed the boat offshore. We knew Emerald Light was up to something, so I had Distraction Squid drain Ander's of his blood, and use it to appear as him. I thought we could get some information from you, but somehow, Squid did not survive." Major continued.
"You planned this from the start? Just so I would input the codes?" Calvin yelled.
"You didn't think you made it this far by yourself, did you?" Major asked.
"Anyway, the preparations are complete. Once Yume gets a glimpse of this weapon, nothing will stand in the way for Balthazar!" Major said.
"Who the hell are you?" Calvin asked.
"I'll tell you all you want, you just have to find me." Major said.
"And that would be?" Calvin asked.
"Very close." Major responded.
"Dokuja! That's not Major!" Combo said, accessing the transmission feed.
"You're too late, Shiitake!" Major said.
"I sailed to the nearby island that Major lived on, and found his corpse. He's been dead for about three days now." Combo said.
"So who is it?" Calvin asked.
"Me, Dokuja." the voice changed slightly, and the man in the transmission image removed his sunglasses and lowered his hair. It was Ekitai. "You've served your purpose. Now you'll die!" The transmission ended, and the control rooms doors slammed shut. The room started to fill with a yellow gas. Calvin quickly took out his gas mask from his subspace storage and put it on. He then called Skuld.
"Fremtid! Are there any room controls in the computer room?" Calvin asked frantically.
"Yes, why?" Skuld asked.
"Open the Control room doors, now! It's filling with gas, I don't have much time." Calvin yelled.
"Alright, I'm on it." Skuld said. A few seconds later, the doors opened. Calvin pulled the mask off and ran out. He saw Ekitai nearby, walking towards the now opened cockpit of Steel Cog. Calvin pulled out his SOCOM and fired at Ekitai. Ekitai jumped into the cockpit, and the bullet ricocheted of the platform.
"You lost your last chance, Dokuja. Now you'll be the first victim of this weapon!" Ekitai yelled. The cockpit closed, and Steel Cog started to activate.

Ch. 24 Fire

The platform Steel Cog rested on started to rise, and knocked away the maintenance catwalks. Calvin looked down and watched as the platform got closer and closer. As soon as it was within a few feet, Calvin jumped and rolled, the catwalk he stood on earlier was violently forced upwards. Calvin stared at Steel Cog, then called Skuld.
"Fremtid! Can you find any way to destroy Steel Cog?" Calvin asked.
"Give me a few moments." Skuld said, Calvin faintly heard a keyboard clacking away in the background. "Alright, you see that round thing on Steel Cogs left shoulder?"
"The one that kind of looks like a shield?" Calvin asked.
"Yeah, that's it's radar. If you take that out, Ekitai will have to open the cockpit in order to see." Skuld explained.
"And then he's vulnerable. Perfect." Calvin said. He ended the transmission, opened his subspace storage, and took out the STINGER. Steel Cog started to move, and the radar made quick, jerky motions, until it was aimed at Calvin. He heard a whirring sound, and a few seconds later two large machine guns on the body of Steel Cog started to fire. Calvin ran behind a nearby large crate, and waited until the gunfire stopped. He slowly moved to the other side of the crate, and saw the radar on steel cog moving around. Calvin looked at his own radar and saw that the radar was looking in the opposite direction. Calvin aimed the STINGER, locked onto the radar, and fired. The missile struck the front of the radar, and it jerked around wildly. Calvin loaded another missile, locked on, and fired again. The radar started to spark, and lowered.
"Is it out?" Calvin asked himself. The radar then jerked back up and aimed at Calvin.
"THERE YOU ARE!" Ekitai yelled over Steel Cog's loudspeaker. Three missiles launched out of the behemoth's knee and headed straight for Calvin.
"SHIT!" Calvin yelled. He dived behind the large crate as the missiles passed by, partially destroying a nearby wall. Calvin ran out from his cover and aimed the STINGER once more. However, instead of the usual beeping that came from aiming module, a loud buzz issued out. Calvin looked at the screen, and growled angrily. The message 'NO AMMO' blinked at him in bright red text. "Damn it! What am I going to do now?!?" Calvin yelled. At that moment, there was a loud grinding and scraping, and Calvin looked up at Steel Cog. There was a katana sticking out of the radar, and sparks below it. A figure in a full metal suit appeared, holding onto the katana. The figure flipped upwards, and landed behind the radar. It lowered, and started to rip the radar off of Steel Cog. A few seconds later, there was a shower of sparks, and the figure held the radar over it's head. It pulled the katana out, and dropped the radar.
"Consider this a gift from Ippan-Oni, Calvin!" The figure said, and tossed the sword. It landed a few feet from Calvin, who ran over and picked it up. He stared at it , the intricate design catching his eye. Shaking his head, he stored the katana, his side arms, and the empty STINGER in subspace, and pulled out a couple of grenades. The cockpit of Steel Cog started to open slowly, and Calvin ran up to it. He pulled the pins off of the grenades, and lobbed them in. Calvin ran for cover, as the grenades destroyed the inside of Steel Cog. However, Calvin underestimated the power of the resulting blast, and was blown into a wall, then fell to the ground. He groaned, and looked over at the wreckage. His vision blurred, and a shadowy figure approached, framed by the orange glow of the fire.

An undetermined amount of time later...

Calvin slowly opened his eyes, his vision getting clearer. Calvin tried to move his arms, but found that they were tied behind his back. He looked around and noticed that they were on top of Steel Cog's flat head. In front of him stood Ekitai.
"Sleeping late again, Dokuja?" Ekitai said.
"What? You're still alive?" Calvin asked, his mind becoming more focused.
"As long as this world is free, I shall never die!" Ekitai stated.
"Too bad. Seems your attack on Emerald Light is a complete failure." Calvin said.
"Just because Steel Cog is destroyed doesn't mean I've given up." Ekitai responded.
"So you plan on staying a pawn to Balthazar?" Calvin asked.
"Pawn? Pawns are the Lunarium you've encountered. I am more important than a pawn!" Ekitai yelled. Calvin smirked.
"Ooh, looks like I hit a nerve. Is the little disposable grunt angry?" Calvin said. Ekitai frowned, and then pulled out a small device. He pushed a button on it, and a red light started to blink. He tossed it to his left, and Calvin watched it. It landed next to a large amount of explosives, and next to the explosives...
"Sasami!" Calvin yelled.
"Hm, I'm glad you can see that this is a more serious issue than you think." Ekitai said.
"You better hope to god she's unharmed." Calvin said.
"Well, she was alive a few hours ago. Kept crying, the poor girl." Ekitai said, smirking. He then pointed over the pile of explosives. "That is one of many bombs I've placed around this facility, in case of failure. We wouldn't want the Enemy to know more about us now, would we?" Ekitai walked over and untied Calvin. "There is only a few minutes until the bomb goes off. It's a long fall down, and it will be interesting to fight you. If you defeat me, you may enjoy your last moments with the girl, if she's alive, that is." Calvin immediately stood up and threw a punch to Ekitai's stomach. Ekitai jumped back, and charged Calvin. Calvin sidestepped, and kicked Ekitai in the side, who fell on the ground. He then jumped back up, and threw a punch to Calvin's face. Calvin ducked, and elbowed Ekitai in the stomach. Ekitai doubled over, and Calvin kicked him in the head. Ekitai stumbled backwards, moving closer to the edge. Calvin ran up, and threw an uppercut to Ekitai's jaw. He fell backwards off of Steel Cog, screaming. There was a soft thud, and the screaming stopped. Calvin immediately went over to Sasami. He untied her and held her.
"Sasami? Sasami, please wake up." Calvin said.
"C...Calvin?" Sasami groaned. She looked up at Calvin and smiled.
"Thank god you're alive. Do you think you can walk?" Calvin asked.
"I'm not sure. It still hurts." Sasami answered.
"I think I can help with that." a voice said. Calvin turned around and saw Skuld standing behind them.
"Skuld? Are you sure? You aren't worried about the demon?" Calvin asked quickly.
"Whoa, settle down Calvin. Yeah, since he didn't mean any harm to you, I'm sure it's fine. I already healed my leg." Skuld said. She walked up and crouched next to Sasami. She then moved her hands over Sasami, and they started to glow blue. "Å store krefter av livet, spør jeg av deg til å lege denne piken. Blodstrømninger, flesk regrows, smerte fleetingr. HEAL!" Skuld chanted. The light grew brighter, and then faded. Skuld stood up, and Calvin helped Sasami to her feet. Skuld jumped down off of Steel Cog, and both Calvin and Sasami watched as she floated down. Calvin looked back at the explosives, and saw the timer blinking at seven minutes.
"We've got to hurry before this place turns to dust." Calvin said. He looked around and found a way down. Calvin went first, climbing down the wreckage, with Sasami following. When they were only ten feet from the ground Calvin jumped down, and looked up. He held his arms out, and Sasmi jumped down into his embrace. They both looked at each other.
"Calvin..." Sasami said quietly.
"Sasami..." Calvin said. Their faces drew closer.
"Hey, I'm REALLY sorry about breaking up this precious moment, but we gotta go. NOW!" Skuld said. Calvin and Sasami frowned, and she pulled herself from his embrace. Skuld then threw something blue at Sasami. "You're going to need that, it's cold out." Skuld said. It was a large down filled vest. Sasami put it on, and they ran to the nearest exit. After about a minute of running, they finally made it to a garage, where there were only two jeeps with gun turrets on the back. Skuld ran forward, and a small alarm sounded. They looked up and a security camera was aimed at Skuld. "Damn it. We got to hurry!" Skuld yeld. They ran to the closest jeep, and Skuld searched inside. She then growled and moved to the next jeep. At that moment two Lunarium guards entered. Calvin quickly opened his subspace storage, and pulled out the SOCOM and his Desert Eagle. He handed the SOCOM to Sasami, and they proceeded to fire at the Lunarium. The guards dropped, and dissolved into the brown substance.
"What the? When did that start?" Sasami asked.
"It's only been the Lunarium, it's strange. Find they keys yet, Skuld?" Calvin said, then asked.
"Yeah, quick, get in!" Skuld said. Sasami got in the passenger seat, while Calvin got on the turret. More Lunarium filed in, but Calvin quickly dropped them with the turret. "CALVIN! Shoot the gas tanks over there and blow a hole in the barrier!" Skuld yelled. Calvin turned and shot at the red stack of tanks next to the blocked exit, which blew a hole large enough for them two drive through. The jeep screeched as Skuld drove through. There were a few guard stands with a few Lunarium stationed, but they were taken out by the turret. After that, the group could see daylight at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly, gunfire hit the back of the jeep. Calvin turned the turret around, and saw the other jeep, driven by Ekitai.
"What the f!@#! This guy just doesn't want to die!" Calvin yelled. He fired the turret at the jeep, but it quickly moved up next to the other jeep, and knocked into it. The jeep swerved, and knocked into the one driven by Ekitai. This continued for a few moments before both jeeps tumbled out of the exit, onto the snow outside. Calvin, Sasami, and Skuld slowly pulled themselves out of the overturned jeep, and looked over at the other one, which was also overturned, and started to catch on fire.
"You think he's dead?" Skuld said.
"He's got to be." Sasami said. There was a sudden gun shot, and Calvin dropped, groaning in pain, holding his leg.
"DOKUJA!" Ekitai yelled. He pulled himself out of the burning jeep, holding his pistol out. He slowly got up, and limped towards the three. He was in bad shape, cuts all over, and a broken, bleeding nose.
"Just die already, you fucking bastard!" Calvin yelled. Ekitai limped closer.
"Dokuja." Ekitai said again.
"You know what. Go to hell." Sasami said, holding the SOCOM out. She fired a single shot, and hit Ekitai perfectly on the forehead. He collapsed, and was still. Skuld crouched over Calvin, and healed his leg.

A few minutes later...

The group was back on the deck of the yacht, headed away from Dark Prophet. The base had just erupted in flames, and was a dwindling glow behind them.
"So where to now, Combo?" Skuld asked. Combo was at the controls, steering the yacht.
"I was informed that Balthazar may be at the abandoned island of Dark Sunday." Combo said. He then looked over at Calvin and Sasami, who were sitting nearby. They had both fallen asleep, with Sasami leaning on Calvin, who had his arms wrapped around her.
"Let them rest. The ordeal took a lot out of them." Skuld said. Lilith sat nearby, and she was quietly singing.

An cuimhin leat an gra
Cra croi an ghra
Nil anois ach ceol na h-oiche
Taim siorai i ngra
Leannain le smal
Leannain le smal

Lig leis agus beidh leat
Lig leis agus beidh gra

Cuimhne leat an t-am
Nuair a bhi tu sasta

An cuimhne leat an t-am
Nuair a bhi tu ag gaire
Ta an saol iontach
ma chreideann tu ann

Tug aghaidh ar an saoi
is sonas siorai inar measc
Ceard a tharla do na
laethanta sin
Ceard a tharla do na
h-oicheanta sin

An cuimhin leat an t-am
Nuair a bhi tu faoi bhron
An cuimhin leat an t-am
Go siorai sileadh na ndeaor

An ormsa na orainne a bhi
an locht
Ag mothu cailite s'ar fan
Cen fath an t-achrann is
sileadh na ndeor
Ta ailleacht sa saol
Ma chuardaionn tu e
Ta gliondar sa saol
Cuardaimis e...

Ch. 25 Shipwreck

Somewhere...

In a dank, dark chamber, a man with one hand knelt before a large throne, upon which sat a shadowed figure.
"So, is it true?" the shadowed figure asked.
"Yes, the Lunarium battalion was wiped out." the man said.
"What of the possessed ones?" the shadowed figure asked.
"It is possible that a few of them escaped. Insect's brainwashing faded near the end." the man said.
"The Avatar and her comrades?" the shadowed figure asked.
"I confirmed there escape. They're heading to the source." the man said.
"Hm. Do you still have our influence?" the shadowed figure asked.
"The Vector? No, I was able to use it sir. The chimera egg should awaken soon." the man said.
"Good. You've done well. It's time for your payment. I hope you still intend to work for us." the shadowed figure said. He motioned, and a robed figure appeared from the shadows, holding a syringe that glowed a sickly green color.
"Of course sir. My allegiance lies with the Lunarium." the man said, as the robed figure injected the glowing syringe into his neck.

----------------------------

Sasami awoke with a start, and looked around. She was still on the deck of the yacht, and Calvin's arms were still around her. She smiled, and moved closer to her sleeping companion.
"What did I do to deserve you, Calvin? I hope that once this is over, we'll be able to spend some time together, without interruptions." thought Sasami. She then glanced at Calvin's sleeping face. "Just don't take that as an invitation to do anything. Oh, who am I kidding, he's too honest and respectable. But what should we do anyway? Some quiet time at home? Yeah right. Maybe a day or two in Tokyo." Sasami closed her eyes and her smile widened. "Dinner at a romantic restaurant, gaze at the stars..." Sasami then heard the engine in the yacht start to quiet down.
"Hey Skuld, can you see a dock anywhere?" Combo said.
"I guess we're stopping." Sasami thought. She then heard a low whir. "What's that noise?"

-----------------

Calvin groaned and slowly opened his eyes. His head was throbbing in pain, and he felt sore all over.
"Looks like he's coming to. Quick, get some water and a painkiller." a voice said. Calvin opened his eyes and let his vision clear. He looked around, and saw he was in a drab gray room, laying in a small bed. A woman in a forest camouflage pattern stood next to the bed.
"Ugh, where am I?" Calvin said. He then paused, and his eyes widened. "Where's Sasami?!?" he said louder.
"You're in a hidden Black Widow outpost, on the edge of Dark Sunday." the woman said.
"Fine. Where...is...Sasami?" Calvin asked.
"Sasami..." the woman said. Calvin quickly sat up.
"LIGHT BLUE HAIR! PINK EYES! WEARING A BLUE DOWN VEST! WHERE IS SHE?" Calvin yelled. The woman sighed
"She was...taken by the Lunarium." the woman said.
"What! How?" Calvin asked.
"When your boat was heading for our dock, a Lunarium torpedo hit the side. It washed up the shore, where the Lunarium was waiting. They must have been looking for her only, cause they they left everything else alone." the woman said. Calvin sighed heavily.
"God damn them. What about Skuld, Lilith, Combo?" Calvin asked.
"Combo is still recuperating in another room. The two girls already woke up, and are fully healed. It's strange, it was too fast, that's not normal." the woman said. The door to the room opened, and a man in forest camouflage walked in, holding a glass and a bottle. He handed then handed it to the woman. "Thank you, Corporal. You're dismissed." the woman said. The man gave a curt nod and walked out. The woman set the glass down on a side table, opened the bottle, pulled out two small pills, and dropped them in the glass. There was a small fizzle sound, then nothing. She then handed the glass to Calvin. "It's quick dissolve aspirin, it should help you out in about a half hour." Calvin took the glass and drank the liquid.
"Thank you." Calvin said, and handed the empty glass back to the woman.
"No problem. I'm Staff Sergeant Graham, I'm the C.O. here. And I already know you're name, Calvin." the woman, now known as Garham, said.
"Alright. So what exactly is going on here?" Calvin asked.
"As I said earlier, we're in a hidden Black Widow outpost. You could say we're the few remaining humans on Dark Sunday. The rest of the island has been taken over by the Lunarium, and their demon leader, Balthazar." Graham said.
"So that bastard is here?" Calvin asked.
"We believe so. This island is where the Lunarium first appeared, it would make sense if he was here." Graham said. Calvin mulled over this information. "What is extremely strange is HOW he organized the Lunarium. One of the villages on this island went silent, no information could get in or out. Then another village. It went on like this, until the Lunarium started attacking more densely populated areas, and we finally got an idea what's going on."
"And that is?" Calvin asked.
"This may sound a bit far fetched, but we think there's something in the water. Whatever he has that turns people into those...things...could easily be in the water supply." Graham said.
"So what are your plans here?" Calvin asked.
"Currently, reconnaissance and sabotage. We don't have a force large enough for a full scale attack." Graham said.
"Well, I think I can help you out with that." Calvin said.

------------

An hour later...

------------

Calvin buttoned the Black Widow forest camouflage jacket over his tactical vest, and holstered his Desert Eagle. After urging with Graham, Calvin was cleared to leave the facility and enter the island. But only with one condition.
"Sure you don't want to stay behind?" Calvin asked.
"Seeing as how many times you've close to dieing, I think Sasami will be much happier that I'm out there helping you." Lilith said, pulling on a camouflaged glove.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Calvin said quietly.
"Besides, I'm better at fighting than Skuld, and she's better with handling information anyway." Lilith said, checking over the USP handgun she got from the Black Widow Armory.
"I just don't want to get killed by your sister if you get hurt." Calvin said.
"Oh, don't worry about it. She'd kill me first, THEN kill you." Lilith said, smirking.
"Yeah, that's a relief." Calvin said sarcastically. They stood near the hidden doorway to the outpost, in front of them was a winding path into the woods.
"Well, lets get walking." Lilith said, and started down the path. Calvin followed her, keeping one hand by his Desert Eagle, just in case. After about ten minutes of walking, the pair crossed a rope bridge to find a small house. Calvin motioned over to the house, and Lilith nodded. They quietly walked up to the door and entered. The inside of the house was somewhat shabby, and the glow of a fire was emanating from a nearby room. Calvin entered the room while Lilith kept watch over the door. In the other room, a man in dirty clothing was tending to the fire.
"Excuse me, sir. I was wondering if you could help me." Calvin said. The man quikly looked up and over at Calvin.
"Was fickt das sind Sie, der in meinem Haus macht? Erhalten Sie die Hölle aus jetzt!" the man said loudly.
"Uh, sorry." Calvin said. He turned around to leave, when he heard a metallic scrape. He turned back around, and saw the man had just picked up an axe, and started to swing it at Calvin. Calvin jumped back, and unholstered the Desert Eagle. "Back off!" Calvin yelled. The man swung again, and Calvin fired, shooting him in the chest. The man fell down, and started to dissolve as Lilith ran in.
"What happ..." she started to say, then notice the dissolving corpse. "What the hell?" she asked.
"I guess he was Lunarium. He didn't look like those guards back at Dark Prophet." Calvin said.
"No, what happened to his body, it's almost as if he was...a ghoul." Lilith said.
"Ghoul?" Calvin asked.
"A monster controlled by a powerful force. When they die, they're body turns to dust. I wonder if this is somehow related..." Lilith said. Suddenly, there was strange shouting outside.
"Looks like we got company." Calvin said. Lilith nodded, and unholstered her USP.

Ch. 26 Traps

Calvin looked around the small house, and noticed a staircase in the back of the room.
"Lilith, over here!" Calvin yelled, and ran up the stairs. The second floor was a small storage room, with a large window overlooking the front of the house. Calvin looked out, and saw three men in dirty clothing outside. Two were carrying axes, and the third was carrying a pitchfork.
"Schauen Sie, im Fenster an!" One of the men outside yelled, and then threw his axe. Calvin jumped back from the window, bumping into Lilith as she made it to the top of the staircase. The axe broke through the window and clattered to the floor. Calvin moved back to the window, and aimed his Desert Eagle out. He fired a few rounds, and took out the man holding the pitchfork. He fell, and started to dissolve. The man who threw his axe ran over to his fallen companion and picked up his pitchfork, as the other man threw his axe. Calvin ducked below the window frame, and Lilith pressed up against a side wall, as the axe flew through the window and embedded itself in the opposite wall. Lilith then looked over at Calvin and smirked.
"I'll be right back." she said, and then jumped out the window. As she fell, she shot at the man who threw the axe, killing him. When she landed, she shot at the other man, scoring a shot to the forehead. He dropped the pitchfork and brought his hands up to his face, screaming. Lilith shot him again, and he fell. Calvin ran out of the house as the two corpses started to dissolve.
"That was a bit much, don't you think?" Calvin asked.
"Well, they're dead, and that's what matters." Lilith said, smirking. The two then continued on down the path. After a few minutes, Lilith stopped.
"What's wrong?" Calvin asked.
"Shh, be quiet for a little bit." Lilith said. She cocked her head at an odd angle, then walked off the path.
"What's going on?" Calvin asked, and followed her.
"There's some animal over here, it sounds like it's in pain." Lilith said. A few minutes later they came across a wolf. It's leg was caught in a bear trap. Lilith calmly walker forward and started to pet it. "Shh, it's okay, we'll get you out of here. Calvin, see if you can get that bear trap open." Lilith said. Calvin crouched next to the trap, and started to pry it apart. It took a few moments, but the trap was finally open far enough for the wolf to pull it's leg out. It hobbled off quickly, and looked back at the two, before hobbling off farther in the woods.
"I wonder why there's a trap here." Calvin said. He then looked around, and noticed that they were surrounded by untripped bear traps. He also noticed there were a few tripwire bombs stretched between the trees. "Oh shit." Calvin sighed.
"I guess that means were getting closer to whatever they're trying to hide." Lilith said, smirking.
"Hm, then we should keep going." Calvin said. The two continued on, though much more slowly.
---------
About a half hour later...
---------
After passing through woods and a large strange gate, the two had ended up on the outskirts of a small village. From what Calvin and Lilith could see, it was sparsely populated.
"Well, what's the plan of action?" Lilith asked.
"It'll probably be our best bet to get through here unnoticed, so I say we sneak through on the left side of the village, using that path." Calvin said, pointing to a small trail. Calvin crouched, and silently moved forward. Lilith quickly followed behind. Unfortunately, the trail ended near a small house.
"Ein Aussenstehender!" a voice yelled out. The two looked over and saw a villager pointing in their direction. The other villagers immediately stopped what they were doing, and started to head for them.
"Shit!" Calvin yelled. Lilith ran up the small house and broke through the window.
"Quick, over here!" She yelled. Calvin ran over and she quickly pulled him inside. The inside of the house was practically bare, there were a few shelves, chests, and a table, but other than that it was empty. Lilith immediately went over to a large shelf and started to shove it in fron of the window. "Calvin, block the door!" she yelled. He nodded and started moving a chest in front of the door. Once they were done, they moved upstairs to find two more windows, and a shotgun laying on a shelf. Lilith grabbed the shotgun, and broke one of the windows. Calvin looked out the other window, and saw more villagers gathering around the door. He then heard a buzzing sound, and saw a large man with a burlap sack over his head wielding a chainsaw.
"Lilith, things just got more complicated!" Calvin yelled. He turned around, and saw Lilith outside of the window, upside down.
"Hurry, we'll be safer if we're on the roof!" Lilith said. Calvin ran over and started to climb out of the window. Lilith grabbed his arms and pulled him up onto the slanted roof. Calvin looked around and saw a large amount of villagers swarming around the house, the buzz of the chainsaw was even louder. There was a loud thunk sound, and Lilith saw the end of a ladder resting on the edge of the roof. She immediately knocked it over. "Looks like we might not be so safe up here." Lilith said. Calvin unholstered his Desert Eagle and started to fire at the villagers.
"Yeah, and I doubt we have enough ammo for all of them." Calvin replied. At that moment, a loud bell rang out, coming from the church off in the distance. The mass of villagers stopped attacking, and slowly filed into a strange, large building. There were loud murmurs coming from all of them, and a few started to chant "Balthazar".
"Kind of an odd time to have mass, don't you think?" Lilith asked.
"Whatever, I'm not complaining." Calvin said. Once the villagers cleared out, the two got off of the roof, and moved on.

Ch. 27 Big Cheese

Calvin and Lilith checked the rest of the village, and other than a little ammunition, a leather strap which Lilith used to tie the shotgun to her side, and some possibly valuable trinkets, there wasn't much. They then continued on, and found themselves near a large barn to their right and a small building to their left. Calvin continued walking, but Lilith stopped him.
“What is it?” Calvin asked.
“Do you hear that?” Lilith said. Calvin listened carefully, and faintly heard the sounds of someone walking on a wooden floor. Lilith pulled out her USP and took a few quiet steps forward. Calvin followed suit and stayed close behind her. Inside the barn were two villagers, moving bales of hay to the upper loft. In the small building (which appeared to be a stable), there was a villager feeding a few cows. The path they were on ran between both buildings to the other side of the barn.
“Think it's possible to get through here without being seen?” Lilith asked.
“Maybe, it all depends if there are any villagers on the other side.” Calvin said. Lilith smiled.
“Well, I can find out in a moment.” she said. Her wings appeared, and she silently shot into the air. Calvin looked up and saw her hovering, about one hundred feet in the air, before slowly and silently swooping down. She landed, and here wings stretched out wide, easily reaching a twelve foot span. “Ahh, they've been hidden too long. I think i'll keep them out for now.” she said.
“So... why don't you just carry me and fly over this whole mess?” Calvin asked. Lilith frowned slightly.
“That would require a bit of energy, and right now, I feel like conserving that for an emergency.” she said
“Well, I'm sure if we called back to the base, they could help us find some rations.” Calvin said. Lilith chuckled.
“That would only help half way. Flying requires two kinds of energy, and I doubt you would be willing to let me take your energy for transportation.” Lilith said.
“Oh, yeah, I didn't think of that.” Calvin said sheepishly. Lilith smirked.
“Well, I forgive you, it's not every day you deal with a succubus.” she said.
“Yeah, i've only had to deal with aliens.” Calvin said, grinning.
“Heh, yeah. Anyway, the other side looked clear, so if we move quickly down the path we shouldn't be seen.” Lilith said. The two then silently moved down the path to the next gate. It was a narrow path winding downwards, on either side were cliff walls, reaching about twenty feet in the air. Calvin and Lilith slowly walked through.
“So, how do you...” Calvin started to ask.
“Take energy?” Lilith finished. Calvin nodded. “Well, there are a few ways. One is through normal physical contact, holding hands or touching someone's face. It requires a lot of concentration and time, and is rarely used. Then there is the vampiric way, biting into the neck. It's works quickly, but depending on the person, I might use mouthwash afterwards. There is kissing, it works about the same as biting, but it's a bit unappealing to me to kiss my target, usually because they are pretty nasty. Finally, there's...well, what succubus's are known for. It's the fastest way to get energy, and depending on the succubus, is the most used method. And before you ask, I have NOT, I'm still 'Pure', and plan on staying that way until I meet the right guy.” Lilith explained.
“What about taking souls? Isn't that what your kind is famous for?” Calvin asked.
“Oh, we do that too. We do the same methods, we just focus more on the spiritual energies than the physical ones. When a succubus or incubus becomes old enough, we get a soul quota we need to meet every month for Nidheg. The actual quota number depends on age, experience, where we currently live, and a few other factors.” Lilith continued.
“That sounds...like a normal job almost.” Calvin said.
“In a way it is. We go after some pretty evil people, but unfortunately, we can't get them all. At least the Shinigami's job is easier, they just have to be on site when a death occurs.” Lilith continued.
“Shinigami?” Calvin asked.
“Shinigami are what you know as...” Lilith started.
“Schnell, lässt fallen den Feldstein, sind sie hier!” a voice yelled above. Calvin and Lilith looked up and saw three villagers pushing a boulder over the edge of the cliff. The two started to run down the path, the boulder crashing and rolling down after them. The path took a turn into a tunnel, and the two ran in, as the boulder tumbled and crashed at the entrance, blocking it.
“Well shit, isn't that convenient?” Lilith said.
“Let's just keep going, I'm sure we'll find a way around soon.” Calvin said. They exited the tunnel, and found themselves in a lightly wooded area with a two small buildings, and a somewhat larger building. Stretched between a few of the trees were explosive wire traps, and on the ground were a few bear traps. They easily avoided the traps, and checked the small buildings. The only thing they could find was a small amount of .50 caliber rounds for Calvin's Desert Eagle, .45 caliber hollow points for Lilith's USP, and a box 12-gauge shells for the shotgun Lilith took (which upon further examination, was a Benelli Nova Tactical). The two then headed for the larger building. As soon as they entered, they heard a strange thumping sound resonating through the building. Just like the outside, the building was littered with explosive wire traps and bear traps, but were easily avoidable. However, the building seemed empty. The two entered a large living room, and met a dead end.
“Well what the hell, where is that noise coming from?” Lilith said. She started to leave the room, but Calvin stopped her.
“Hold on a second.” Calvin said. He didn't know why, but he knew there was something odd about the single bookcase in the room. After a quick investigation, Calvin moved to the side of the case and started to push. The case slowly moved, and behind it was another hall.
“How in the world did you know about that?” Lilith asked, stunned.
“I really have no idea. It's that Deja Vu thing again, I feel like I've done this already.” Calvin said. The two moved down the hall, and entered a room with a large closet. The doors shook, and the whole closet rocked slightly.
“Looks like we found the source of the noise.” Calvin said quietly. The two moved to either side of the closet, and unholstered their firearms. Calvin moved his hand to the lock, and looked over at Lilith. She nodded, and Calvin opened the closet. Out fell a man, who was tied up, with his mouth taped shut. Lilith ripped the tape off of his mouth.
“Ow, a little rough, ja? Are you like them?” The man said, then asked.
“Nope. Are you?” Calvin asked.
“No. Quick question, either of you got a cigarette?” the man said. Calvin shook his head.
“Sorry, I don't smoke.” Lilith responded. There were sudden heavy footfalls, as a large, bald, bearded man in an overcoat, flanked on either side by villagers, entered the room.
“Shit, it's the head honcho.” The man said.
“Huh?” Lilith said. In an effort to surprise him, Calvin ran forward and jumped, aiming a kick at the large man's head. The man grabbed Calvin's foot, and threw him back, hitting Lilith. Calvin was knocked out instantly, and Lilith's head struck the back of the wall. Her vision blurred, and as she slowly lost consciousness, she saw the large man move aside, as a purple robed figure moved out from behind him.

Ch. 27 Supply & Demand

“I hope that you enjoy this little...'Gift'...that we are pleased to present you with.” Calvin heard a voice say faintly. A few moments later, he felt a pin prick in his neck, followed by a strange lump moving down from the pin prick.

Calvin awoke with a start, and tried to stand up. He found this to be extremely difficult, and looked around. His arms were bound at his sides, and he was chained around something. He craned his neck around, and saw that he was chained to the strange man that Lilith and himself freed earlier. Looking around again, he saw Lilith was unconscious in one corner of the small room they were in, heavily bound with chains and heavy weights. Calvin groaned, and shuffled around, poking his elbows into the strange man's back.
“Hey, wake up. Wake up, damn it!” Calvin said loudly. The man groaned and stirred.
“Ja ja ja, ugh, out of the frying pan and into the fire.” The man said quietly.
“I'm not sure how long you've been here, but is there anything you can tell me about the Lunarium here?” Calvin asked.
“Not from around here, ja? What brings you to this god forsaken island?” the man asked.
“My name is...Dokuja. Over there is Anam.” Calvin said, motioning to Lilith with his head. “We came here to take down Balthazar, but an important member of our group was kidnapped by the Lunarium, and now we're looking for her.”
“What, you think you're some kind of civil hero?” the man asked.
“Not really.” Calvin said.
“Well let me guess. The girl you're looking for...does she have bright blue hair and striking pink eyes?” The man said.
“That's way too good for a guess. Care to explain?” Calvin said.
“I can read minds... just kidding. I overheard a few of the villagers talking, they said she was locked in a church.” the man said.
“Alright. So who might you be?” Calvin asked.
“Ich heisse Franz. I used to live on this island, before Balthazar came and took over. I fled, and eventually came back to help the Black Widows. Didn't do much good, I was caught a few days later. Somehow they can tell if you're one of them or not.” the man, now known as Franz, said. At that moment, there was a loud creak, and a scraping sound. Calvin looked over and saw a villager enter the room, dragging a large ax behind him. “Sheisst! Do something!” Franz said. The villager raised the ax, and swung it down. Calvin pulled away from Franz, and the ax broke the chain that bound the two together. Calvin scooted away, and quickly reached for his Desert Eagle. Surprisingly, it had not been taken away. Calvin pulled it out and shot the villager a few times in the chest. The villager fell and dissolved on the floor. Calvin reholstered the Desert Eagle, moved over to Lilith, and started to shake her.
“Hey, wake up!” Calvin yelled. Lilith shuffled, and slowly opened her eyes.
“What the hell happened?” she asked.
“I'm not sure, but we got another person to help us.” Calvin said quietly. He looked over where Franz was, but he had slipped out during the fight. “Or not. Hold on, let me grab something to break those with.” he said, looking at the massive amount of chains and weights that held Lilith down. He got up and started to move towards the ax.
“Don't worry, I can handle this.” Lilith said. She closed her eyes, and a reddish black aura surrounded her. The chains and weights started to glow, and crumbled.
“Wow, nifty.” Calvin said. Lilith brushed herself off, checked to make sure nothing was taken from her (oddly enough, nothing was), and smirked.
“Lets get going, shall we?” she said. They exited the small room, which led to a narrow hallway. At the other end was a small window. As they neared it, a strange man in a black hood, wearing a dark purple handkerchief over the lower part of his face, looked in.
“Hello strangers. Meet me outside, I've got something that might interest ya.” he said, and walked off.
“That was...odd.” Calvin said.
“Think we can trust him?” Lilith asked.
“Maybe.” Calvin said. He unholstered his Desert Eagle and reloaded it. “I'd have your pistol out just in case.” The two exited the building, and moved around to where the window was. They saw the man leaning against the building, wearing a large black overcoat, with a large pack next to him. As they got closer, the man kicked the side of his pack, and it unfurled, displaying a large assortment of guns, ammuntion, medical supplies, and different tools. He opened the side of his overcoat, displaying even more guns and ammunition.
“As I said earlier, strangers, I have a few things that might interest ya. Care to do business?” The man said.
“Business sounds good. But why are you out here?” Calvin asked.
“I knew that the Black Widows would eventually send someone in to take care of Balthazar, and I saw an opportunity to make a little cash. There are many infected villagers on this island, some more dangerous than others, and I have the necessary tools to deal with them. I can provide with new guns, augment and improve what guns you have, give you medicinal and food supplies, even provide you a map of the area. I'm just a merchant waiting for my customer.” the man, now know as the merchant, said.
“I see. But how were you able to live out here this long, and not become one of them?” Calvin asked.
“I have many places on this island they don't know about, and I don't drink water.” The merchant said, chuckling, as he pulled out a bottle of rum, shaking it slowly. “So now, what can I do for ya?”
“You said something about augmenting guns...” Calvin said. Lilith nodded, smirking.