Chapter 19

Bathed in red light with sirens blaring, Mason and Bridges have their weapons up scanning the area for something to shoot. They are not expecting the hands reaching out of the ground suddenly grabbing them. They turn their weapons toward the ground not letting panic seize them and pelt the ground. Snow and chunks of ice fly up. The hands disappear just as quickly as they appeared.

“Well that was different,” Mason says.

The doors to the facility open just then. The red light cuts off and is replaced by a cone of white light cutting across the darkened snow. Mason and Bridges turn back, aiming in the direction of the parting doors. The first to appear from the door are a pack of white wolves though much larger than any either man had ever seen. They are closely followed by Russian soldiers. They begin firing before they are even out of the door.

Mason and Bridges return fire, standing their ground where they stand. Bullets from the enemy soldiers ricochet off their armor. The few bullets that tear through the outer pieces or into the armor itself are quickly repaired by the nanomites. “This is great,” Mason says with a mixture of laughter. “We’re bullet proof!”

“We don’t know that yet, Jasper. We still need to find some cover,” Bridges reasons.

They score hits on the Russian soldiers, but the white wolves prove to be a little harder to hit. The first one to reach the two men leaps at Mason, hitting him with enough force that it lifts into the air and throws him back several feet. Bridges turns unloading a fresh clip into the wolf. It turns to stone like the garg they have fought before. He reaches out his hand to help Mason to his feet when he was slammed into by another of the white wolves. Mason brings his weapon to bear when he too is tackled by two more of the wolves.

The moment the doors begin to part, Nash and Matthews bolt to either side of the parting doors. A pack of white wolves pour out, followed by Russian soldiers. Before either group has the opportunity to react both soldiers begin pouring firepower into them. The wolves turn to stone falling in pieces to the cold ground, the soldiers dropping in bloody messes to mix with the ice and snow. They then slip inside the complex with the option to head left or right.

“What do you think?” Nash asks.

“I don’t think it’s going to matter,” Matthews answers truthfully. “We’re bound to find Avyanna at some point.”

“Or cause enough trouble so that she comes to look for us.”

Nash cuts to the right with Matthews on his heels.

Bridges is the first to shake off his attacker. He pulls out his knife, stabbing the wolf up through its jaw and digging it deep into it skull. When it turns to stone, he throws his knife into the closest wolf attacking Mason, shoving the new statues off of him. The other also turns to stone, allowing Mason the chance to fight back. He pushes up and throws the wolf from him.

“Thanks man,” Mason says.

“Hey, no problem. It’s good we have these suits.”

Yeah, tell me about it.”

There celebration is ended quickly when bullets begin piercing the ground around them. Both men spin, returning fire while looking for a way to end this battle and make their way into the complex. Nash’s voice breaks the repetitive back and forth fire. “Bridges? Mason? Status?”

“Currently fighting the locals just outside the doors,” Bridges answers.

“Push getting inside,” he instructs. “We don’t know how large the complex is and we need to cause as much havoc as we can.”

“Understood,” Bridges confirms. “You heard the man.”

“That’s going to be harder than it looks,” Mason says pointing ahead.

Two soldiers step out with missile launchers capable of delivering a 72 mm anti-aircraft missile set with a flight speed of 650 feet per second. Without missing a beat, the soldiers fire the weapons, sending the missiles straight at the two men. One of the missiles strikes Mason in the center of his chest while the other hits between both men.

Nash and Matthews work in unison as they traverse through the complex. Avyanna seems to be using more human soldiers over Goji. Nash quickly attributes this to her dislike of humans. The complex goes from being built of concrete to tunnels carved out of the ice. Lights run the length of the tunnels on the ceiling and midway along the walls. The complex is a mass of tunnels. The tunnels connecting to the one they run through are smaller which told them they have found the main tunnel. It is only a matter of finding Avyanna.

Soldiers pour from the side tunnels attempting to create choke points but the two DEeP Six soldiers still manage to burst through the traps alternately using the side tunnels as cover. Their armor has saved them many times over since they entered the tunnels, but they soon realize the armor can only take so much damage, especially at one time. The more damage it takes the more the nanomite resources have to work. It leaves either places exposed or it takes longer to heal. Luckily for them, their exposed areas never take a second hit.

As it stands, the tunnels are empty—at least for the moment. They creep up from the side tunnel they currently are hiding in and slowly stalk up the tunnel. “Mason? Bridges? Do you copy?” Nash asks over the secured line.

When no response comes he tries again getting the same no response. Sudden movement casts a shadow out of one of the side tunnels into the main. Nash holds up a fist halting both his and Matthews’ progress. Both soldiers take aim on the edge of the tunnel. To their surprise Natalya steps out, unarmed. “You’ve made it this far,” she says. The tunnel carries her voice without her having to raise her voice. “Follow me.” She cuts back into the tunnel leaving the two soldiers to either follow or find a different path.

“Do you think it’s a trap?” Matthews asks.

“If it is, we’ll find out soon enough,” he remarks. “She has been our informant so far, but she’s also an opportunist.”

“Right. Shall we?”

Nash folds his rifle across his chest and gesturing forward with his hand. She nods and takes the lead. They don’t meet anymore opposition through the tunnels. When they reach the end of the small side tunnel it opens to a small circular room. In the center of the room Natalya stands stroking Bezaleel’s head. The two DEeP Six agents step into the room with their guns slightly lowered, but still pointing in Natalya and Bezaleel’s general direction. Bezaleel growls at seeing Nash enter. The garg cannot see him, but with his keen senses, he can smell the man. Natalya uses her will to calm the furious nature of the beast. “You have come a long way for nothing, Commander,” Natalya says subtly. “The gate is being loaded and will soon be on its way.”

“I thought you were choosing a winning side,” Nash speculates. “I get the feeling though you don’t plan to let us pass or give us some information.”

“Let us just say the powers shift constantly and right now it’s favoring Avyanna. You and your team merely picked the wrong time to come here.”

“I don’t suppose you can be at two places at once?” Matthews asks maliciously.

“If you are referring to the two of your team attempting an attack on the east gate then no I don’t have any worries,” she answers with equal malice.

“I guess you leave us with no other choice,” Nash says lifting his rifle. Matthews takes the statement as a signal and does the same. Bezaleel moves with blinding speed catching Nash’s arm in its jaw. His rifle is lifted up and away spraying bullets past Natalya, up along the wall and ceiling. Nash futilely attempts to shake the creature free. The beast itself seems to have grown in strength since the last time he fought it.

Matthews takes an extra second to decide which target to go for. She chooses Natalya, figuring Nash can hold his own against the foul beast. The extra second is all Natalya needs to gain the upper hand against her. Before Matthews can react, the Goji has stepped into her inside, knocking aside her weapon before, slamming a palm into her chest. Matthews flies backward. She drops her weapon and slams into the wall. Her sniper rifle braces her from the shock of hitting the wall, clanking from the impact. Quickly, she slings off the gun grunting from pain in her ribs. She knows they are probably bruised, maybe even cracked. She ignores the pain as she brings the weapon to bear on Natalya, but once again the Goji isn’t where she should be. Stars explode in her head obscuring her vision. The blow to the back of her head causes her to drop the rifle and fall forward. Matthews throws out her hands to catch and stop her fall. Natalya simply stands over her smiling.

Meanwhile, Nash struggles against the garg, as the beast bears down on him. The beast’s strength is immense and he can feel the Titan Armor over his arm slowly crush under the pressure. The nanomites struggle to fight and repair the armor. In the back of his mind, Nash knows if it wasn’t for the armor his arm would have already been torn off.
Balling his left hand into a fist, he begins to pound Bezaleel’s head, but it doesn’t seem to having any effect on the beast. Then all of a sudden the creature releases its grip and backs off slightly. Nash springs to his feet reaching for his knife. The armor on his armor is well shredded and small amounts of blood are dripping out onto the ground. The moment of reprieve allows the nanomites the freedom to heal and the armor is nearly fixed to new when Bezaleel attacks again.

Natalya begins to laugh at the outcome of the battle. Humans are weak and even with their feeble attempts to create an armor to fight against the Goji, they still haven’t improved their strength. She remains laughing as her wings slowly push out from her back. Horns form from the temples of her head. Her hands form into claws; nails glinting from the room’s lighting. “It will be your end now pitiful human. Too bad most of you rather fight us instead of joining us. It is only a matter of time before you become our slaves.”

Matthews, still on her hands and knees, casts a stone cold look back at the Goji. She lashes out with her right foot, catching Natalya in the stomach with enough force to push her back. “You know what your problem is?” Matthews asks and then gives her the answer. “All you Goji talk to fucking much!” She is now on her feet stepping in throwing a combination of punches and kicks. Natalya quickly recovers from the midsection kick and is now blocking and parrying each blow the small human throws. She regains her footing and turns the attack around.
Now Matthews suddenly finds herself on the receiving end. Natalya is fast throwing punches and kicks. Matthews is just fast enough to match each blow with a block, and every so often a counter attack. But the tables are slowly beginning to turn in the Goji’s favor. With every punch that comes her way, Matthews is finding it harder and harder to match or parry. In this instant she knows Natalya is holding back and playing with her. She lets one of the creature’s punches land, which forces her back and gives her a little breathing room, even if it is only for a few seconds. Then she reaches around, grabbing the hilt of her knife and waits until Natalya comes in. In an instant, she pulls out her knife and slices across the Goji’s stomach. As she reaches the pinnacle of her swing, she spins the knife around and slices up at an angle cutting across Natalya’s chest. The Goji steps back, grabbing at her chest through the torn shirt. Matthews can see blood filter through her fingers and knows the first cut was superficial, but the second struck home.