Mars. The red dust swirled around the colossal biodome, a testament to human ingenuity in the face of a hostile environment. Inside, a bustling Martian city thrummed with life. Here, under a manufactured sky, generations had lived and thrived, cultivating crops and dreaming of Earth, a distant memory.
One sunny Martian morning, alarms blared, shattering the peace. General Morden, the rogue military leader, had launched a surprise attack. But these weren't ordinary soldiers. These were crazed, bloodshot-eyed warriors, their uniforms emblazoned with a single green leaf. They fought with a manic fervor, their war cries replaced by infectious laughter.
Leading the Martian defense was Captain Marco Rossi, a seasoned veteran with a sardonic wit and a trusty laser pistol. He watched in disbelief as a Rebel soldier, frothing at the mouth, emptied a clip into an innocent flowerpot.
"What in the red sand is this?" Marco muttered.
The answer came from Dr. Fio Germi, a brilliant but slightly cynical scientist who materialized beside him.
"Looks like Morden's gone green, literally. He's weaponized some kind of hallucinogenic plant."
Marco grimaced. "Great. Now we're fighting an army of giggling lunatics high on space-weeds?"
The "Metal Slug," a hulking Martian tank, lumbered into action, piloted by the stoic Tarma Roving. He blasted through Rebel ranks, their laser fire bouncing harmlessly off his armored shell. He wasn't so lucky with the kamikaze rebels, strapped with makeshift bombs made from repurposed oxygen canisters.
Meanwhile, Marco and Fio weaved through the chaos. They encountered Rebel grunts seeing giant sandworms in every corner and officers giggling uncontrollably while trying to operate rocket launchers. The battle was less combat and more a deranged obstacle course.
Marco shot a Rebel soldier aiming a rifle at a particularly attractive potted cactus. "Seriously, what's with the plants?"
Fio, dodging a hail of popcorn grenades (yes, popcorn grenades), explained. "Morden must have figured out a way to weaponize their psychoactive properties. It disrupts the nervous system, induces euphoria, and turns basic functions into a hilarious nightmare."
They fought their way to a communications hub, hoping to contact Earth for assistance. But guarding it was a hulking cyborg, its metal frame decorated with glowing green leaves. This was Morden's new enforcer, "Chronozombie," a reanimated soldier infused with the alien plant. It fired a barrage of laser-guided spliffs, each puff creating a hallucinogenic smokescreen.
As Marco coughed and saw tiny dancing sandworms, Fio acted. She whipped out a modified flamethrower, the intense heat causing the spliffs to combust before they could unleash their trippy payload. They blasted Chronozombie, severing a power cable that ran from its back to a giant, glowing marijuana plant growing in the center of the hub.
With the plant deactivated, the Rebel soldiers' eyes slowly cleared. Shame and confusion replaced the maniacal laughter.
"What... what did we do?" a Rebel mumbled, looking at his laser-scorched potted fern.
Marco and Fio didn't waste time with explanations. They jammed a message into the comms system before Morden could re-activate the plant. It was a desperate plea, a call for help against an enemy wielding the ultimate weapon: Metal Weed.
To be continued...
