He'd been in country for five days now with Morgan's team in the capital of this dirty little republic. Atlas had followed Morgan again on one of her demon hunts, this time UNICEF workers had reported that hordes of people were disappearing from the crowded slums of refugees. The insurrection in Iran and its war with Iraq had driven thousands of people into this little republic seeking refuge. Some found it with Allah.
Jerry Timmons the UNICEF project leader had estimated over one hundred per day before he and his team disappeared too. Apparently Intel's boys in Baghdad, that eavesdropped on UNICEF's transmission and then masked it, weren't the only ones listening.
Now Atlas in all his four hundred fifty pounds of mass were laying behind a retaining wall and some flowers. Wearing a skin tight jumpsuit lined with Monocrys, and a utility belt he looked like a big rock. Camouflaged in a molted gray pattern, his face looked like a gray and black tiger stripe pattern. Laying in the damp woodchips and worms from the sprinklers that ran all afternoon, he was drenched. Thankfully he wore his usual gear. A skin tight nomex-gortex body sleeve shielded him from the elements, and its monocrys lining protected him from the element Pb. Exposed skin from the biceps down, and the thighs down, he coated in black and gray oil paint, making him a shadowy tigerstripe behemoth.
Atlas was not alone in the high desert night. Morgan had brought a team; all Cadre. Now with Estios on over watch, Nuhr going to the gate, Morgan at the front door, Atlas in the courtyard, Razor on the Palace walls, and Xexor out back by the garage/stables.
Dressed as an indigenous person, Nuhr carried his axes under the seat of the Cart he rode towards the gate. Nuhr was a large brute of a man, like many Cadre members, but he was lethal with axes. Throwing, swinging, bashing, cleaving; it didn't matter to him just as long as he got to sleep with his axe. Plus, he seldom went into a fight with less than ten. Dark and swarthy, his regular good looks were covered below layers of dirt, grime, and rags that disguised him as one of the locals. Not wanting to come alone to a party, Nuhr would have the back of the wagon filled to the brim with C4, and probably a heavy machinegun, incase things got out of control.
Estios was a tall lanky Englishman, but like his forefathers, he excelled with the longbow. Estios could be camouflaged as anything from a paperback book, to an outcropping of rocks. The rocks were most likely here, but if Atlas had to guess, he'd say he was just lying on the ground covered in his ghille suite. Estios carried three quivers filled with nearly two hundred arrows, tipped with everything from exploding tips, flash-bang tips, to bowel rakers, and frog crotches. Atlas liked him as over-watch, his bow had advantages over a sniper rifle, but he'd not yet gotten used to the fact he didn't talk. Estios would communicate on the radio, to check in or update the team. But he never talked, never join in with planning, he'd just sit there and sharpen that huge titanium blade of his. It was like he didn't care about the plan; though he never failed in his part.
Second to last was Razor, she was the team radio operator and knife 'man'. Able to split hairs at nearly 100 yards, she is unequaled with the knife. Throwing or in hand-to-hand. For a tall sultry, Hispanic lady, that was a real charmer, there isn't a drop of compassion in her; except for her team, maybe. She would probably be wearing her usual attire, a skin tight combat suit with a load vest full of knives. She, like Atlas, refused to go totally low-tech and would be carrying a large amount of gadgetry plus a Glock or nine.
Last was Xexor, the team's occultist. He used a longsword or any other sharp instrument. He could throw it, swing it, thrust it, you name it. He was also rumored to have magical powers, some said he was trained by Sally Tsung. Atlas couldn't vouch for the "powers" thing, but knew that Xexor provided information nobody should be able to get. If he believed what Morgan said, he was a sort of an adept, able to channel mana through his body to enhance him in many of the ways cybernetics did Atlas. This southern (U.S.) gentleman was the consummate ladies man, and gambler. For his other weapons he sported matching pearl handled .45's, and an over-under crossbow.
Morgan their team leader came over the radio, "Ok, last phase, go. Radio silence. Blue go. White go." Blue was Razor and White was Estios. Razor would start killing everyone on the roof, and Estios would start killing everyone on the walls.
As Nuhr neared the gate, roughly 100 yards to go, Atlas focused on his responsibility: the courtyard. Xexor had told Atlas that it had allot of bad vibes, a few ghosts, an entity or two, and probably was the site of more than one Ritual Sacrifice. That didn't mean much to Atlas, but when he told him that a Demon lived in that pool, well he brought, more ammo. The courtyard was inside the U shape that the palace formed between its high walls, arched walkways, and carved stone diases. The U shape faced south, with Atlas at its mouth. Inside the courtyard was the pool, a round, deep, steaming hot pool, with a center island and a fountain.
In the pool was a group of young royalty, and some entertainment. A gaggle of eight call girls of ages between about 15 and 21, splashed in the pool scantily clad if at all, with what must be one of the princes. Wineglasses at poolside, and towels laid out on their chairs, they were all in the pool now, probably expecting some kinky sex. As hand began to wander and the prince started fondling a good deal, he went to the island and got several sets of wrist cuffs. With giggles going around and some intimate touching, he playfully began to shackle the girls to the island. With their hands above their heads and them only able to turn around things looked good for our Prince.
That was, until his skin turned a molted green/gray (looking allot like moss or mold) and his muscle mass tripled - instantly. The ladies all fell instantly silent. Then he grew eight inches (putting him over 6.5'), his head doubled in size, his mouth widened 200% and filled with nearly 100 razor sharp teeth. Horror filled screams echoed through the night. His hands grew, each finger produced a ten-inch talon, and his gleaming red eyes gave off enough light to drown out the candles that so recently had promised at least physical intimacy. One lucky girl passed out. For the rest though the real horror was just beginning.
With Demonic patience and virility, it started with Prince swung at one girl's flat stomach, instantly disemboweling her. Their screams of pain and horror only made it go slower. Taking each one at a time, it would bit off an arm or a hand, sink it's teeth into a shoulder, swipe it's scythe like talons through a back, and no attack was ever enough to kill. A second, third or fourth would always follow, and one found herself being eaten alive: unable to pass out. The clear, steaming warm water had gone red with blood, and relative silence returned except for the moaning of three or four whose wounds weren't enough to bring instant death and who were too weak to keep screaming.
"Red go." That was Atlas. The lights to the building went out so the roof and walls should be clear. Morgan just killed the power from the roof; and Nuhr should be sweeping the front anterway, and withdrawing room. After nearly ten hours of being huddled in a bush, he sprang from his position and dashed nearly 20 yds/second (40 mph) into the courtyard; drawing his matched pair of .45 Cudgel auto pistols. Both pistols, were smartgun linked, had mono-wire switchblade bayonets, custom grips, actions, match barrels, and filed down sight posts. A second later as his Prep drugs kicked in, he was at the pool, and It barely had time to look up, and five swipes with mono-wire swords diced it up into eight oozing, slimy, smelly, green blobs of dead demon. Departing from the pool the XStims were taking effect and he mercifully wasted two grenades on the ladies clinging to life.
Then he was at the courtyard door, the Gel took effect and Mad Dog drugs got going. He went crashing through the door with 250 kg. of inertia, he immediately flew up the stairs. As a couple of doses of Rush hit him he began running sideways, cross stepping. He triggered off ten rounds from the .45's, one in each hand, hitting everyone in the back foyer in the head. Before their bodies had hit the ground three burst of NoShake filled his veins, he was atop the stairs, and had cut one house guest in half before the sap could decide if it was a blur in the night or a ghost. He rounded the top of the stairs, placed the five demo charges, threw the three grenades into the upstairs office and was running again in less than two seconds. Forty yards down the hallway, twelve guards in 24 pieces, the grenades exploded hopefully wiping out any administration--the Cadre hated administration.
As he took that last turn, reloaded, and slashed five more frantic guards to pieces Atlas saw his first destination. Along the left wall of the fabulously decorated hallway stood a huge oak double door. They were going here because Xexor couldn't tell what was behind it, so it must be important. It was fifty yards away down the huge main interior hallway of the Palace. A second later, the roof exploded down the corridor, away from Atlas. As he reached the door and set the breaching charge, he realized he was getting pretty tired from carrying the fifty-pound gattling needler and gattling carbine. The blast of Refresh solved that and a jolt of Jolt took care of all his worries.
He heard four 3 Decibel foot falls behind him and new it was Morgan and Razor, more from their smell than the sound, but they were light enough only they would echo like that. As he pulled the two-second fuse on the charge, he was already heading for cover. An eternity later, the blast rocked the hallway and he went in low, while Razor followed close behind him high. The room they came into was the same stone as the rest of the palace but it lacked any decoration, and was open at one end. The far end of the room led down a wide set or circular stairs that went around the walls of a huge vertical shaft. The only thing that stood between them and the broad hard wood stairs were a dozen dog things.
DOG THINGS!!! A rapid injection of Steel focused his attention. Drawing an auto-shotgun he simultaneously lashed out with his mono-wire whip at one of he dog things. The beastly four legged demon dog, had a mangy thick, blood soaked (whose he didn't know), hide that had giant lesions and growths on it. Its mouth was full of gleaming white, sharp teeth, and its eyes were a hollow black pit, gleamed over with rage.
Atlas' whip swung out and sliced through the first two dogs to jump at him. Out of the corner of his eye, another two were jumping at his hindquarters. He rolled to the ground and came up as they landed behind him. A full burst from the auto-shotgun turned one to splatter, while the other flexed to leap again. Just getting settled, Atlas sprang off of one leg and planted his other foot in the neck of another dog, meanwhile bringing down his vibro-clawed hand on it's skull. The dog he had just out leaped was in mid air as his mono-wire whip hit it and spilled it's insides all over the floor like a cut open bag of clam chowder. His other arm was engaging two more dogs with the auto-shotgun; hosing them down with a walking burst of heavy buckshot. As he finished one more dog, he turned to see Morgan burn one in half with her glowing, translucent yellow force sword. Razor looked like she had been bitten; he would have to be faster to keep that from happening again.
As the last dog thing oozed its guts onto the floor, Estios, Nuhr and Xexor ran into the room. Estios immediately moved to the far end with practiced precision to take up an overwatch position. When he got to the edge, Atlas was immediately at his side. Looking down into the huge open vertical shaft. It was nearly one hundred feet across, and two hundred feet down to the bottom. What horrors the bottom held would have terrorized any normal mortal.
But the Cadre weren't normal mortals, they were only barely human.
In the center stood a huge pedestal whose base was engraved with hundreds of geometric patterns. To each side were two large pillars that were topped with burning piles of coals in giant bronze braziers. The center pedestal threw a glowing blue flame one hundred feet into the air and burned with an unearthly flame.
The real horror though was going on in front of the three pillars, on one half of the massive floor of the shaft. There were two massive cast iron pots full of boiling water, each over a fire pit of coals. Huge muscled green skinned men in ugly poorly fitting hide clothing operated the 'kitchen.' They led people into the first pot where their skin, hair, and muscle was boiled off their bones. Then the meat and bones were thrown into the other pot to cook. What the hell this evil concoction did was beyond Atlas but Xexor actually 'LOOKED' terrified, so the big guy figured it must be bad.
"You damn buncha' apes wanna get us noticed? Now get over here and listen to my plan you monkeys," Morgan commanded. "Tight lips, you stand watch," she said, and Estios did. "Ok ladies this is it. Atlas and me jump down. Estios covers. Razor, Nuhr, and Xexor spread out down the stairs and provide missile fire... Got it?" When she met everyone's gaze they just nodded. Simple plan. Violent execution.
They all moved up to the edge and then the threesome rushed down the winding stairs that ran around the outside of the shaft as quickly as they could without making noise. They were a quarter of the way down, when on of the Big Green Uglies looked up. No sooner than he opened his mouth than Estios put an arrow through it. Nuhr had thrown an ax for good measure but it got there a good second later. None the less it knocked him to the ground, busted open his ribs, and dropped his arrow-skewered head to the floor. Nuhr held his position and the other two continued down the stairs.
As Estios opened fire with a withering hail of arrows, Atlas and Morgan jumped, Australian rappelling down to the floor of the shaft got the Router going. Atlas was firing his pair of 45's and picking off individuals when he saw a brown robed man step out into the area behind the center pedestal, on the opposite side of the "kitchen." Atlas increased his descent rate and aimed for the mage.
When he and Morgan were ten feet off the ground they gripped the rope tight and performed a flip. He took a shot of GoodBurn to get rid of the pain in his hands. Both landed on their feet. Atlas immediately began dousing the mage in the bullets from his 45. They seemed to have no effect, mearly knocking him backwards. He waved his hands frantically. Oh shit! Atlas thought A Spell!! But then it was too late and a golden bolt jumped from the mages hands and wrapped itself around Atlas.
He was wrapped in a glowing cloud that was lifting him off his feet. No amount of Juice would make him strong enough to break out of its bond. The pain was incredible, every cell felt like it was being torn from the ones around it. Atlas felt like he would bust.
Then Morgan darted from around the corner and closed with the mage in a blink of an eye. Her rigid perfection and absolute mastery of her style of sword fighting could only be described one way: Samurai. She moved in quickly and her azure light blade flashed down from over her head in a stroke that had crippled tanks, but merely knocked the mage back a step or two. Her clear, clean, high cheek boned face, trim body, and beautiful almond eyes showed no emotion. They only conveyed one message. I'm going to kill you before you even blood me. It was her war face, and was terrible to behold.
The mage continued to frantically wave his hands as she stepped in again and almost simultaneously swept across his body with her blade (that would normally cut five men in half) and then wrist cut him, which disrupted his hand movements. She then thrust in, and extended all the way flipping up his robe. She crouched down and followed the flick. One leg was bent holding all her weight, with the other extended out straight behind her. Her back was ramrod straight, then her strong arms thrust her blade up under the mages robe. Atlas could see the smoke billowing out of the collar. Then his head exploded as her blade pushed up into it and ended the beast's twisted existence.
With the Mage dead, whatever was holding Atlas in the air, released him. The big tank fell to the ground with a loud thud and he rebounded once. A couple shots of PainAway and SuperStim got him back to normal and he was on his feet again. He glanced around and got his bearings as Morgan walked up to him. "You ok?"
He looked over her shoulder and to the other side of the pillar. Everything but Xexor, Razor and Nuhr was dead. The goddamn place looked like a pincushion. "Yup, I'm just great. I was dying for you to get me out of that."
B:> COMMAND
Cache Cleared 000612
Copyright 1998 Dynatronics Industries. Any attempt at duplication will be met with terminal intent.
