Derek looked through the scope and saw the guards. If the second one moved slightly to the left, he could probably take them both out at once, but at a range of 500 metres, he couldn’t risk it. This moon’s surface and absence of obstacles made the shot obvious and easy. With small shifts, he was able to line one shot up. A synced shot would have been better but with only one rifle, that was going to be pretty hard. Derek placed the crosshair right on the guard’s head. Range drop was not a factor with this gun. Designed for long range low gravity combat, it could land a perfect shot out to two kilometres on the moon. Derek hesitated but he didn’t want to, and so he pulled the trigger. With a half muzzled shot and a fast wiz, the guard dropped dead. Derek cycled the bolt to chamber the next shot and quickly lined the crosshairs up with the second guard. He was alerted. This had to be quick. Derek fired, perhaps too quickly, but as he looked through the scope he saw that both of them were dead. Carter laughed and congratulated Derek. This didn’t help him.
CHAPTER 15
Raid
3:34 AM
USOC Moon HQ, Luna, Solar System
Carter walked up to the bodies with Derek who said “There would have been cameras, other guards, sensors… somebody must have noticed.” Carter replied “That’s very likely, but don’t worry. These shields will protect us.” This didn’t reassure Derek at all, who was staring coldly at the dead guards. He had made a clean headshot with the first one and a lethal heart shot with the other. The ammunition had made a small hole through the front of the skull of the first guard. The exit wound was much greater. Almost the whole of the back of the skull was gone. Derek felt disgusted. Carter looked at him and said “Believe me, we’re doing the right thing.”
Derek pulled out his assault rifle and so did Carter. They were going to walk straight up to the front door and say hello. And so they did. Carter walked with confidence while Derek was visibly shaking in his shield. They main entrance had been locked down, but Carter had a solution for that. He dragged one of the dead guards with him and placed his hand on the fingerprint scanner. The door opened and the two went in.
Breathing heavily and guns trained on whatever they deemed significant, the two walked quickly without ever letting down their guard. This first hallway was long, leading to different chambers and rooms. Carter had no intention to explore every single one of them, at least not now. The first guard inside was already alerted but quickly fell to a burst of bullets from Carter. Those three shots made sure that all civilian personnel ran away while all guards converged on their location, but they were ready for it. A thunderous, almost rhythmic pace of footsteps rushed at them. Basic sub-machine guns and handguns were all that the security forces had but still, they managed to stop Derek in his tracks. He never faced so much impact and stopping power all at once, and even with his shield on, he could feel the kinetic punch of the bullets push him back and tip his balance. Shooting them was the easy part, but even then Carter did most of the work in that area. It was over in less than ten seconds.
There was blood splashed across the floor and walls, and none of it was theirs. The shields did their jobs and Carter marched forward. Despite what Derek thought of him, Carter’s plan was basic and unlikely. Following everything he did, Derek joined Carter in his cleansing of the station. This USOC outpost was going to be theirs, and their security was no longer any match for the duo of destruction, at least that’s what Derek thought of himself and Carter. Straight down the hallway and onto the stairs. Carter strode quickly and with almost inhuman confidence, with the least concern for anything that might jump out at him. At the top of the stairs was yet another hallway with rooms lined up on either side. Just like the first floor, only at the end of this hallway was a completely sealed room. And Carter walked straight towards it.
A grim yet satisfied face showed that there might have been some personal objective Carter had yet to tell him. Guards who were brave or stupid enough to gather up the courage to roll out of the rooms and shoot at Carter were immediately gunned down by him, as if he knew that they were behind him. Effortlessly, Carter finished them off and continued to that door at the end. Derek never took him for a man of brute force, but he was proven wrong when Carter took out the explosives and placed them around the frame. He was going to destroy the wall, not the door and pop it right out of its socket. After placing all eight charges, he said to Derek “stay away” which he obviously followed. As calm as ever, Carter clicked the detonator and the door blew inside the room.
The two walked out of cover, guns up and marched into the room, increasingly soldier like. Derek looked around. The room was a dark grey colour in contrast to the metallic silver and white of the rest of the building. To the left were steel crates marked with some military code, while in the centre stood a large, framed device. Big enough to fit a large man, while right in front of Derek was the destroyed door and beneath it was the lower half of a security guard. The torso was found to the right of the room. Just as Derek stepped forward to investigate, a yell and a boom came from the crates and Carter was thrown right back out the doorway. Dazed, Derek immediately aimed his rifle at where he heard the boom come from and was pummelled in the face by a dozen steel balls. His shocked body was thrown onto the floor, extremely lucky that his neck wasn’t broken. Derek’s assault rifle was thrown to the far right corner, definitely out of reach. Was this it? No. Carter has to come and save him. He just has to.
The shooter walked out in front of the crates, revealing his T0-RC Shotgun. No wonder it felt like he just got hit by a train. Derek’s shield was taking damage, but not enough for it to fail. The shooter shot Derek, straight in the chest, twice more. Now the shield was struggling, and so were Derek’s ribs. At least two of them must have been broken. He suddenly remembered about his sidearm. Reaching for it, he was shot once more, and then he heard the click. That quiet click of hope. The smile from the shooter was quickly drained as Derek pulled out the B22 Semi-Automatic Handgun and unloaded the entire fifteen round magazine into his chest. But the bullets didn’t go in. Saved from a quick death thanks to his steel plated combat vest, the man scrambled back, looking for any weapon at all. The only weapon he could find however was the one in Derek’s hand. He had dropped the pistol and taken out his combat knife. Black steel and curved. It was perfect. Derek walked towards the cowering man and slit his throat. But not before after stabbing him forty times in any unarmoured area. Rage. That is what pushes him the most. With no regrets, Derek ran back to Carter and stopped suddenly at the sight of him.
CHAPTER 16
Transit
3:41 AM
USOC Moon HQ, Luna, Solar System
The sight that Derek feared the most was laid out in front of him. His best hope of survival was lying there, with a large steel shard protruding out of him. The shotgun blast must have knocked him into a piece of the door he blew down. It was sticking out of his left ribcage and Derek could have almost sworn he was able to see a lung. Blood gushed out like a faucet on full. The power shield wasn’t able to stand such a large, sharp piece of metal. Carter was not dead yet, but he will be soon. Speaking the start of his dying words, he managed “Derek, I guess we can’t do the shuttle plan any longer. You can’t even fly. Find a way. Remember whatever means necessary” He forced himself to not struggle on his words.
Derek looked at him, showing fear more than ever before. The shuttle was useless to him now and getting to the Icarus from there would be near impossible. But now, more problems came from downstairs as Derek heard the thumping of footsteps. He went back into the room. Peering out the small window, he saw vehicles pulling up. USOC must have learnt. Derek doesn’t have much time, and then he took a longer glance at the device in the front of the room. Carter grunted and stared at the device “You know Derek, I think that might just be your magic ticket out of here.”
“What is it?” “All Orbi-Sec outposts have experimental matter transporter devices that go on a one-way trip to Geisen, the USOC Orbital Stronghold
by Saturn. It’s your only way getting out of here. I’ll hold them off.”
Painfully, Carter tried to rotate and face the stairs but could only manage so much. The controls were relatively simple, a computer panel with a final activation switch. Derek picked up his assault rifle, loaded it and faced the panel. “Looks about right. Do it.” Said Carter as Derek stepped inside. He nodded and activated it. Carter’s final words “Remember – whatever means necessary” followed by chaotic automatic gunfire echoed in Derek’s mind as the white field enclosed him and his eyes closed shut. The loud swish of the machine and the high pitched whir drowned out the words and bullets as Derek’s body was transported over 300 million kilometres away.
Even with his eyes closed tight, the bright light still engulfed his vision with bloody red. A quick whir sound ended and just like that, it was over. He had escaped one hell only to arrive in another. His idea of a power hungry private military’s space base was thrown off by the well-lit and arguably well decorated interior of Geisen as he slowly opened his eyes. This was a brightness he could get used to.
Derek quickly tried to get a sense of his surroundings. He was in glass boxed room inside a two storey hall. Walkways composed the upper floor while artificial grass and waterfalls decorated his one. There were USOC employees everywhere, unarmed and a security guard standing behind a decontamination gate in front of Derek. Stunned by the scenery, it took him almost a full three seconds to raise his assault rifle and tensely walk towards the door. Suddenly, water sprayed down on him from above and around as lumbered towards the exit. He shot at the surprisingly bullet resistant glass with no effect. The security guard said some words into a radio and left the booth, leaving Derek trapped. They were prepared. They were always prepared. But nonetheless, Derek didn’t stop trying.
He pulled his assault rifle up to a bullet dent in the glass and fired full auto into it, creating a hole big enough for a bug to pass through. This however was only the beginning. Derek kept shooting around it, chipping the glass away bit by bit, but by the time he had made a fist sized hole, security officers had already surrounded him the glass chamber, and a rather well dressed man made his way to Derek, stepping right in front of the hole but Derek didn’t fire. He knew when he was outmatched. The man was in a commander outfit, decorated with USOC medals, likely rewarded for massacring towns and villages.
“Hey there.” He smiled and continued “I could have gassed you right then and there in your little room, but no. I decided that it would be worthwhile to meet me face to face. It’s a bit more dramatic, don’t you think? I would like to get to know you better and you-”
Derek shoved the barrel of his assault rifle through the hole and the forty security guards raised their weapons tensely and suddenly. The man continued “Okay. Perhaps I shall introduce myself first. I am Wyatt Nathanial, Commander of USOC Operations and my purpose is to lead the world into a better tomorrow. Through force or friendship.” The evil grin stuck to his face like tape.
CHAPTER 17
Just a Talk
Geisen, Solar System
“A better tomorrow? A BETTER TOMORROW?!” yelled Derek as aimed the gun as close to Wyatt’s head as possible. “What about all those mass killings, those fucking concentration camps, what about your real purpose of world domination, huh?” Wyatt tilted his head ever so slightly and asked “tell me, Derek Simmons, or shall I say Derek Ragston, have you ever seen our so called acts of genocide or labour camps? Who told you about us trying to take over the world? It’s absurd. Insane! Look what those rebels have made you, the lies they have fed you. So why don’t you put your gun on the floor and treat me with some dignity. I assure you that these men will not barge through the door, tackle you to the ground and beat some sense into you. I promise that they’ll treat you with respect and take you up to my office where we will have a little talk. Just a talk.”
Derek dropped his rifle on the ground and put his hands up, facing the commander angrily. “That’s… a good boy” said the commander as he backed away. The guards moved towards the glass chamber’s entrance and unlocked the steel door with their weapons drawn on Derek the whole time. As soon as the first guard got close enough, Derek dropped to the ground, picked up his rifle and fired at them in a blur of bullets. The guards fell dead and Derek was unharmed thanks to his power shield. Quickly getting back up, Derek shoved the gun as far as he could through the glass and fired upon every man he saw. The commander had retreated to cover and yelled out “Use the V-cells, but I must have him alive!” Not knowing what he meant, Derek continued to fire at the guards as he made his way to the open door. He kicked it out and rushed to the nearest piece of cover he could find. The steel pillar he stood behind helped little. Guards rushed at him from both sides, now firing light blue projectiles out of their rifles. One of them yelled “you think you’re indestructible, don’t you” as the blue shots went right through Derek’s power shield and lodged themselves in his flesh. To make matters worse, the shots opened gaps in the shield, allowing the more traditional ballistic projectiles hit him. Hit after hit, Derek continued to fire. His torso was in agony and his legs followed, soon giving, but still not stopping him from shooting. The empty click filled him with dread as he threw the rifle at an incoming guard. Pulling out his sidearm, Derek staggered across the room, shooting and missing the guards. He fell as he succumbed to the shield-penetrating ammunition. The debilitating effect of the shots were overwhelming and Derek collapsed and the room finally went quiet.
Derek couldn’t tell how much time passed. A screaming blur descended down to his face. “I just wanted a talk, Derek. Are you so stubborn that you can’t even grant me that?” Wyatt looked down at half conscious Derek. “Wake the fuck up, man! You’ve destroyed my moon headquarters, killed a number of my staff and you even ruined my suit. WAKE THE FUCK UP!” he yelled as he punched Derek his chair. “You’ve been sleeping for fourteen hours, my medical staff have spent their precious time and resources patching you up and this is how you repay me?! I gotta say, either we are extremely stupid or you are extremely lucky. You think you can just waltz onto my ship, kill a bunch of my men and completely take down the United Space Order Control? You don’t understand, do you? You see how it says ‘United’? Which represents nations coming together to form us. Your whole life, those Orbi-Sec bastards have been lurking in the shadows, only letting you see what you want to see. Before you even met them, did you think you were free? No! Your job, your life, your dreams – all dictated by their manipulation. You. Know. Nothing.”
Derek, who finally regained full consciousness, looked back up at Wyatt and picked himself up off the floor. “You’re wrong” said Derek. Wyatt stared back at him in slight disbelief “Tell me, have you ever been outside of Colorado in your life? Who were your adoptive parents like? Lemme guess, very anti USOC?” This image they’ve planted into your head of us. Look at any other city, any other country and you can see all the good we do. Look at Earth. It’s thriving because of us. Because of our protection, and you think living underground with those mole people is the right way to go? Well, as a matter of fact why don’t you go ask them?” As Wyatt concluded his rant, he grabbed Derek by the arm and pulled him out of his office and towards the elevator at the opposite of an overly silver hallway.
Wyatt, Derek and two guards entered the elevator and they went down. “Those cave dwellers you call your friends, what remains of Orbi-Sec… all either captured or killed. You have been very uncooperative, Mr Ragston, and I’m going to show you what happens to uncooperative people. I tried to be nice. I tried and you tried to shoot me. Well, no more Mr Nice guy.” Wyatt smiled as the elevator dinged and opened. He walked out with his arms open in a grand gesture. This corridor was a prison. Cells filled with the innocent and guilty alike. “At the end of the hall, you’ll see the main attraction…” commented Wyatt as he waltzed down the corridor. He wasn’t lying. Derek was horrified to see the faces of those he had met down in the undergroun
d base, now trapped, and isolated. One by one he saw their faces. Amanda, Marcus and even Tom. They must have captured him instead of finishing him off. Alongside them were various other Orbi-Sec soldiers and staff. Derek saw them talking, even yelling, but he could not hear a word. He looked at them hopelessly, then down at the floor.
Wyatt stared back with a stern look “Look at them. LOOK AT THEM! This is what remains of your little rebellion. It’s over. It’s all over.”
CHAPTER 18
Executive
Geisen, Solar System
Derek looked back up solemnly. It hurt him, seeing all those who tried so hard to help him be locked captive. A slight smile started to make its way across Wyatt’s face. It wasn’t that he was enjoying others suffer, it was because he had won. He had demonstrated his power to Derek and was enjoying that moment as much as he could. “You know, I had the chance to just leave them be. They posed little to no threat to us or the entire USOC military strength. It’s not that I didn’t want to take the risk, nor was it the fact that I’m a nice guy. I just wanted to show you the reality of your situation. How diminutive you and your little band of heroes are compared to us. And frankly, I think just finishing you off would be the smart thing to do. A quick end to a pointless war. Heck, I can’t even call this a war. That moon battle? Yeah, we outnumbered you ten to one. Even then, I had to admit that there were quite a lot of you. Were. The only prisoners we took are the ones around you.” Derek looked back down in hopelessness. “Look at them, Derek. Look at all those you have failed.”