The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell

by Douglas Howell

  “So what do you want me to do then?” Mad Dawg asked.

  “Do you know why we were sent here? What are mission is, that is to say?” Omori asked.

  “Because the two of you have become too popular and they want to eliminate the competition?” Mad Dawg responded.

  “You see, we know about as much as you do. So we need Intel from Captain Dawson. We’ve already eliminated Colonel Blackburn, or should I say he eliminated himself through suicide. High Command approved Colonel Blackburn’s dismissal and Captain Dawson is waiting for someone to come and take command. That’s where you come in.

  At security station M16-Y09 the EOD High Command have left both uniforms and weapons. The station is located at where someone in Task Force ZH-3C found those weapons. It would be nice if you were to find any Intel that could shed some light on why High Command left those uniforms and weapons behind. I need you and your people to go there, put on those uniforms, take those weapons and head on over to Captain Dawson and eliminate him and his forces. Look for any Intel that can shed some light on Infernus, then return back to this ship. Once you return back we will send all of your people back to your ship. You however, will stay on board this ship.” Lenkov said.

  (2)

  Brewster, Caparzo and Venito was traveling back to the monorail station to update Vaistll, Taylor and Ramirez on what they found. After Colonel Blackburn’s men attack them, Taylor had Green and White Team to search the city for Intel. Task Force ZH-3C was not able to take any prisoners since the EOD Defense Force had enough personnel to remove their wounded.

  Because of Hayes, White Team didn’t bothered to look for Intel. The only thing that they did was to roam around the city. Hayes apathy was affecting the team’s motivation to do their job. Hayes is the only one in White Team who still remember just how close they came to rebelling. It is a good thing they didn’t rebel because White Team would have turned on Hayes and supported the Task Force and their Captain With each bad decision that Hayes makes, his apathy grows.

  Nakada already knew where his team should go when they received their orders. He first tried to find a small retail store (and being stoic about jokes of him “being a tourist”) that sold souvenirs and a map of the city. Looking at the map he found what he was searching for: a computer R&D laboratory. After Green Team got the laboratory Nakada ordered Brewster, Caparzo and Venito to take the digital map back to the monorail station.

  “Is somebody trying to contact us?” Venito asked. She could hear static, off-and-on, coming from her helmet-com.

  “We are out of range.” Brewster responded.

  “Well we’ve got the following choices: we can go back to Nakada or continue on. If we go back there is still the chance that he’s not the one trying to contact us, and vice versa. So we have no other choice but to press on.” Caparzo said.

  “What do ya think happened to Galactic Prime?” Venito asked Brewster and Caparzo.

  “How in the hell would I know?” Brewster responded.

  “Maybe the Commando unit finished them off.” Caparzo added.

  “Geez whiz, I sure hope not. How are we going to get off of this moon if something did happened to them?” Venito said.

  “Maybe we’re not supposed to leave.” Brewster said.

  “Why do you say that?” Caparzo asked.

  “Why else would they put a Commando unit on Galactic Prime?” Brewster answered.

  “Yeah but…” Caparzo was saying.

  “Hey, did you guys here that?” Venito asked them.

  “Hear what?” Brewster asked her.

  “I don’t know. I thought that I heard something.” Venito responded.

  “What did you thought that…?” Caparzo was saying.

  “There it goes again!” Venito said.

  “What!? I didn’t hear anything.” Caparzo said.

  “No but I did.” Brewster said. He was standing with his laser chain-gun pointing in the direction of where he thought the sound was coming from. Both Venito and Caparzo pointed their guns in the same direction. Venito had a laser rifle and Caparzo had a Electro Auto-Rifle. (The Electro Auto-Rifle is a rifle that uses a electrical discharge to kill someone.)

  The Electro Auto-Rifle is a EOD weapon that first made it’s debut in 2113 to counter people that has cybernetics implants. For 150 years the EOD engineers tried to perfect the weapon. To make it lighter so that infantry can carry it more easily. The two biggest problems that the EOD engineers faced was: controlling the electrical discharge and the power source. The power source was the first to be solved in 2141 with a small nuclear battery that can be attached to a soldier’s belt. In 2263 the EOD engineers perfected the weapon when they were able to control the electrical discharge.

  Any EOD personnel who wishes, or was assigned to use the weapon, must be properly trained in the use of the Electro Auto-Rifle. They need a score rating of 80% on their field knowledge test in order to be assigned the weapon. When Ramirez left the EOD the weapon was recently introduced and was not widely available to the infantry. Nobody in Task Force ZH-3C knows just how powerful of a weapon it is. The EOD field manual on the weapon says, “Any personnel who naïvely uses the weapon will find themselves becoming a hero in due time.” By hero they meant dead and Caparzo, like the others who picked that weapon, picked it because it complimented their ego.

  Sanchez was the only officer who had the sense to order her team not to carry an Electro Auto-Rifle. (Blue Team blames her for the lost of Sanders because of that order.) Hayes didn’t care so five of his teammates got one. The EOD field manual strictly forbids that, saying that no more than 30% of any team should have the Electro on the grounds that the weapon is too dangerous to be taken likely. The EOD field manual says that, “it is a short range weapon that IS design to deal WITH cyborgs and those who use it MUST use a laser rifle when NOT dealing with cyborgs.”

  “I think I saw something.” Venito said.

  “What?” Caparzo asked as he was scanning the perimeter.

  “I don’t know, it moved too fast. You know, I think that it was some sort of a primate.” Venito said.

  “You mean we’re getting worked up over… Holy shit! What the hell was that!?” Brewster said.

  The three of them was standing on a island in the middle of a four lane street. Grass was coming up through the cracks in the road. Although there were no cars where they where at, they did pass a road block with several vehicles. On either side of the road were skyscrapers that was no shorter than ten stories high. Each of the skyscrapers had broken windows. It was obvious that the city was abandoned by choice and because of the Dragonfly virus.

  The primate was 9’6”, black and was lean like that of a lion. Whatever it was, it moved too fast and it kept on moving in such a way that made it difficult for them to see it. What’s more, they knew that it was stalking them. When they stopped it stopped. Whey they moved it moved. They had no idea rather it was intelligent like that of a human or like that of a lower primate.

  “That goddamn thing is starting to get on my nerves!” Brewster said. He was starting to get annoyed by the fact that it was stalking them but would not charge them.

  “How did it get in front of us so fast!?” Venito said with excitement.

  “It’s not in… What!? You mean there’s more than one of them!?” Caparzo said.

  Roughly one hundred yards in the direction that they where headed, there was another one of those primates. They had a good view of it and could tell that it was not a proto-Dragon Clone nor anything related to one. It stood at 10’3” tall and it was obvious that it was an Alpha male.

  The Alpha male stood there and let out a eerie almost supernatural howl that sent a chill down their spine. The three of them saw more of those primates come out and surrounded them with all possible escape routes blocked.

  The Alpha male than howled again but differently than before. When he did, three of the primates moved several yards behind Brewster, Caparzo and Venito. The three of them turned
to look at those primates then back at the Alpha male. The Alpha male did a growl and the three primates standing behind Brewster, Caparzo and Venito threw a large rock at them. The rock that hit both Brewster and Venito hit them in the neck under their helmet. The rock that hit Caparzo struck him in his right elbow causing him to drop his weapon. Caparzo then held his right elbow and cried out in pain.

  Before anyone, including those primates, could react, three shots came out from nowhere and killed the three primates that threw those rocks. The Alpha male then did a bark/growl and all the primates then left in a hurry.

  “Who’s doing the shooting?” Brewster said still holding his neck where he was struck.

  “Can I axe you guys a question?” A unknown male voice said over the helmet-com.

  “Only if we can have some… All Saint’s Ketchup.” Venito responded.

  “I’ll be right on over.” The voice said.

  “You know it’s a good thing neither one of us said what when he said that.” Brewster said.

  He came out of a building looking more like some homeless veteran than what he is. His beard and hair was unkept and self-trimmed. His fingernails were no different. His clothing was dirty, worn with holes and was torn. He also smelled like someone who hasn’t taken a bath in years. He had bad breath from not brushing his teeth in years. But his eyes said it all. He was exhausted, depressed, lonely and hungry. He was a survivor who helped paved the way for Task Force ZH-3C to be there.

  “What is your name?” Venito asked him in a compassionate way.

  “My name?” The stranger said as he looked around trying to remember his name and then he looked at his dog tags.

  “My name… My name is Colonel McIntyre.” The Colonel said. Brewster, Caparzo and Venito then looked at each other.

  Colonel McIntyre arrived on Golden Hyperion 32 months prior and all contact with him and his men was lost. Colonel McIntyre is like Mad Dawg in some ways, but some people would argue that he is better, tougher and smarter than Mad Dawg. Seeing how smart those primates are convince Brewster, Caparzo and Venito that it is a miracle that Colonel McIntyre is still alive. And they’re right. But it shows just how good he is.

  “What time is it?” Colonel McIntyre asked them slightly under his breath.

  “It’s 16:42 sir.” Venito said.

  “It’s not safe here. We MUST head back to my place of refuge. NOW!” Colonel McIntyre said in a demanding tone of voice.

  They left in a hurry and went into a skyscraper and then headed up to the penthouse suite. As soon as they got off the elevator Colonel McIntyre pushed a button on a remote control device and it made the elevator go up one floor. He then hooked up power cables to a metal rod under the elevator. (The rod was connected to the elevator’s power supply.) He then connected the other end of the power cables to a metal rod that was outside the elevator. Wires ran from the base of the rod, down the elevator shaft, and was connected to each elevator door. Those doors was replaced with metal. Colonel McIntyre then pushed another button on the remote control and a metal door came down from the ceiling and cover the entrance of the elevator.

  “We’re safe now.” Colonel McIntyre said as he led them to the penthouse suite.

  “What were those things sir?” Caparzo asked.

  “The EOD calls them Demon X.” Colonel McIntyre responded.

  “Sir, what happened to you and your people? All contact was lost a long time ago.” Brewster asked.

  “It’s a long story. So you guys go first.” Colonel McIntyre said.

  “We’ll let our captain tell you sir.” Caparzo said under his breath. Caparzo, along with Brewster and Venito, was too embarrassed to tell him.

  “Well how convenient. I’ll let your captain know when I… Who’s your captain again?” Colonel McIntyre said.

  “Her name is Vaistll Adnrwal sir. She’s an extraterrestrial.” Venito said.

  “I know who and what she is. We can leave at sunup. The Demon X’s are nocturnal so they’ll most likely try to attack us at night.” Colonel McIntyre said.

  They spent the next several hours passing the time away. At 22:36 hours a nearby skyscraper fell and hit the skyscraper that they were in. It struck on the same side and ten stories higher up on the side that they were on. Some how in some way the Demon X’s caused the skyscraper to fall. And it only proved what Colonel McIntyre said about them. He said that they are, “one of the most smartest, determined, clever sons of bitches that you would ever have the misfortune to encounter.”

  “Those sneaky son of bitches!” Colonel McIntyre said as he was looking outside the window.

  “How in the hell did they do that!?” Venito screamed as she what they did.

  “Never mind about that soldier! We need to get to the stairwell on the 22nd floor! Go over there and put on those safety harnesses!” Colonel McIntyre ordered them.

  “But sir, why don’t we just go down the stairwell on this floor, or use the elevator!?” Caparzo asked.

  “In case you haven’t notice… the POWER is out! We can’t use the stairwell because… they’re booby trapped! Now put on those damn harnesses!” Colonel McIntyre said as he was putting on his harness.

  Brewster, who was standing by the window, caught something out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look he saw a large black shape coming at him.

  “Holy shit!” Brewster yelled as he ran from the window.

  A Demon X hit the window where Brewster was standing. The window was severely cracked, but it didn’t shatter. And then another Demon X hit a window that was several feet on the right side of the window that Brewster ran from. The window shatter but the Demon X fell to it’s death.

  “Caparzo! Bust out that window and secure the location! Venito! Secure our lines! Brewster come with me! I need you to provide cover fire for me as I snipe ‘em!” Colonel McIntyre ordered them.

  The Demon X’s just kept on coming while Venito was securing their lines. She was however, only able to secure two of them. When she was done (and she’d mentioned it) Colonel McIntyre told her to bring him his PDA. He then told her to put it in one of his pockets. While she was bringing him his PDA, Colonel McIntyre told Brewster to go first. Brewster left without hesitation and was able to get to the 22nd floor safely.

  Before Colonel McIntyre could mention who can go next Caparzo cried out for help. A Demon X came close to pulling him out the window while it jumped at him and missed. Caparzo lost his footing, he turned around and fell. Half of him was lying outside of the window and with his right hand he was holding onto the window frame.

  “Hook me!” Colonel McIntyre said to Venito as he shouldered his weapon.

  “Done!” Venito said as Colonel McIntyre quickly ran to save Caparzo.

  Caparzo fell out of the window at the same time Colonel McIntyre jumped out and grabbed his hand. (A Demon X caused Caparzo to fall when it almost grabbed his leg.) Colonel McIntyre swung Caparzo into the window of the 22nd floor when they fell near it. Venito, in the meantime, was trying to pull up the line that Brewster used. Brewster was trying to provide cover fire for them.

  After Colonel McIntyre flung Caparzo into the window he had to climb up two stories. The Demon X’s were determined to kill him. One of them came within inches of hitting him. Venito was hooking herself up so that she can leave while McIntyre was climbing back up. After she hook herself up she had to keep on shooting at the Demon X’s since some of them almost hit her.

  “Get a move on it girl!” Colonel McIntyre yelled to Venito when she was wasting too much time getting out the window.

  When Colonel McIntyre told Venito to leave Caparzo busted out a window to provide cover fire for Venito. Luckily for him (and them) he still had his Electro rifle. (Because it’s power source is attached to his belt it never fell when he fell out the window.)

  “Brewster! Cover our rear!” Colonel McIntyre ordered him.

  “Yes sir!” Brewster said as he left.

  On her way down the Demon X’s were tryi
ng to grab and/or kill Venito. When she was at the 24th floor, one of the Demon X’s grabbed her. She screamed, turned around while it was climbing on her, and then screamed again as it bit her in the shoulder. Screaming in pain and agony, she took her knife and stabbed it repeatedly, but it kept on attacking her. Getting weaker, and knowing her fate (including what would happen to the others if she lived), she decided to take her fate into her hands.

  “Fuck you.” Venito said with the last bit of strength as she cut her line. Venito died before she hit the ground and, although the Demon X survived it’s fall, it died within a couple minutes.

  “Venito!” Caparzo screamed when he saw Venito fall. He screamed again and then started shooting wildly at the Demon X’s.

  “Save it! She’s gone! We have to get out of here… right now!” Colonel McIntyre said to Caparzo.

  Brewster was in disbelief that Venito was gone. He wanted to ask them, but couldn’t. All he could do was to look at the window in hopes that maybe he might see her climbing in. But he knew that it would never happen. His anger was overwhelmed by grief.

  “Get a move on it Brewster! She’s gone!” Colonel McIntyre ordered him. Brewster then hurried it up and caught up with both of them as they were entering the stairwell. Deep down inside, Brewster was crying for his friend.

  As they were running down the stairwell (and being cautious when they came near a door) Colonel McIntyre told them to head to the 4th floor. He said that it is a parking lot with a APC there. As they were running down the stairs Demon X’s off-and-on would come from either above and/or below them. A couple of times a Demon X came out of a door while they were passing it. Whoever killed it would throw a grenade into the hallway that it came from.

  When they got to the 4th floor Colonel McIntyre raised his sniper rifle to prepare to shoot any Demon X’s that may or may not be there. He then motion for Brewster to open the door. Colonel McIntyre then look to the left, the area in front of the stairwell, and then to the right. He came out, motion with his head for them to go to the right (where the APC is). As Brewster and Caparzo was heading towards the APC some Demon X’s came over the parked cars. Colonel McIntyre shot two of them, a third one appeared but did not charge him, it howled instead. Colonel McIntyre shot a fourth Demon X as it was moving over the cars and then he shot the one who howled.