God of My Dreams (Greek Heroes #1) ✅ Completed

Chapter Fifteen: Another Glorious Day in the Corps

Another Glorious Day in the Corps

    

Gwen-Stacey brought up the rear of the squadron. The M41A Pulse rifle she held was heavy but it was also surprisingly warm. She hadn’t been expecting to feel the buzz of the weapon through her leather gloves. She wasn’t an expert on guns, but even she had to admit the futuristic assault rifle was pretty sweet. Each magazine held 99 rounds of caseless, armor-piercing ammo, and if that wasn’t enough to make a statement, the pump action grenade launcher mounted under the barrel definitely was. The M41A was the standard issue weapon of the USCMC, the United States Colonial Marine Corps.

Morpheus led point on the unit. Being the badass that he was, he’d outfitted himself with the M56 full body Smart Gun. His body actually strapped into the gun, and she was pretty sure it took a significant amount of his upper body strength to swing the arm of the apparatus around.

Normally in her dreams, she took the identity of whomever her sleeping mind just so happened to conjure up. But now, since entering her dream with Morpheus, she knew exactly who and where she was at all times. It was definitely more fun this way. She was able to fully immerse herself in her adventures, but didn’t lose her own persona in the process.

When the idea of having an Aliens inspired dream first hit her, she knew it would be perfect for their first real dream sequence. The movie was rated a top ten of all time in her book, and she could recite much of the dialogue from memory. She just knew the movie’s sci-fi setting, great characters, action-packed sequences, and a kick-ass final showdown would delight her new friend.

Besides, what better way to try something she’d always wanted to? Sigourney Weaver as Lieutenant Ellen Ripley was epic. Gwen-Stacey knew she’d never be half as good as Ripley, but she’d never really wanted to be the strong female protagonist anyway. She’d always wanted to be one of the Marines.

Correction: A Marine that actually lived.

This was her big chance.   

"You ready?” Morpheus asked, unable to hide the slight thread of excitement that laced his voice. Gwen-Stacey’s lip curled up in a half smile. She wasn’t surprised that Morpheus had turned into a kid in a candy store when they’d arrived on LV-426. Somehow wielding futuristic weapons to search out and destroy alien life forms seemed right up his alley. She was beginning to think there was a large geek streak inside the darkly cool Greek god.

“Let’s rock and roll,” she replied, managing to keep the amused smile off her face.

Gwen-Stacey couldn’t see it but there was a glint of pure excitement in the dream god’s eyes for what was about to happen next. Morpheus couldn’t think of any other dream he’d rather be in at that precise moment in time. Unfortunately, neither the look nor the sentiment was lost on the hidden watchers inside Gwen-Stacey’s dreamscape.

Then again, only Hypnos himself would have been able to spot the intruders. After all, it was the Lord of Sleep who’d given the two gods the power to move within the dream realm unnoticed by even the most powerful of the Oneiroi, Morpheus included. It was not a bargain struck cheaply, but both gods understood the rules of the game better than most. After all, payback was always an expensive endeavor.    

They followed Morpheus and his mortal inside the awaiting colony.

~~ ~

The aliens were absolutely terrifying up close. Gwen-Stacey had never been equal parts horrified and amped up in her life…well, at least in her dream life. Unlike the actual movie, she was actually able to use her gun without fear of causing a thermo-nuclear explosion so long as she didn’t miss. It was a slight modification of the initial film, but one that gave them both a chance to survive within the infested colony.