A Dash of Scarlet In Paradise

HEADING BACK

                 

XVII

         "Marcus! I'm outside the landing pad! Can you see me? Wait...which one of these god forsaken troops are you?"

         Vector had been hiding behind a bunch of thick bushes, flat on the floor for the entirety of that time, waiting for Marcus' call, and finally it came. His life was so closely linked to Marcus' that he would've been laying there forever if Marcus were killed within the facility.

         "Look into the sky bridge, I'm there."

         Vector wasn't exactly in the best spot to spy on Marcus, but he could sketchily see the lonely man, next to the many containment capsules and the deceased PAU officer.

         "I'm guessing that you're not the one in the puddle of blood."

         "Haha, very funny. I can only see a chopper, are there any other vehicles that can take flight?"

         "Yes, and I've got everything planned, mainly because you've been in there for like a very long time."

         "15 minutes?"

         "Yes, I'm not as patient as my mother always wanted me to be."

         Vector crawled sluggishly further in front of the bushes. His hand came up to something cold, and wet. Metal. Knowing that the landing pad was in front of him, he scurried to take cover behind a sedentary forklift.

         "Marcus, listen, I'm gonna highjack the carrier. I want you to come out and distract a few guards. Meanwhile, I'll take some of them out from behind. As soon as they react to my ambush, exterminate the rest."

         "How many of them are there?"

         Vector had this number counted a long time ago. He answered snappishly, "9."

         "So I come out now?"

         "Uh yeah, I mean..."

         Vector looked to his right and found a PAU officer there, they both looked at each other at the same time. The guard was more incredulous at what he saw than Vector was.

         "Change of plans! Go now!"

         The guard had his rifle taken by the attacker.

         Vector didn't need to aim, he offhandedly put down the guard with his new machine gun. All the other officers were alerted by the loud shots and began to head over to his position.

         Marcus had to move, but he only had his pistol left. He slammed the activation key beside the door and rushed outside. He was clearing the ammunition clip in his pistol, and he made it a quick job too.

         9...8...7...

         "Soldier! What are you doing? Stay where you are!"

         Marcus took off his helmet, and it trundled into a miniature pond, created by the rain from the gods that ruled the stunning planet.

         Another bullet raced from the barrel to the head. The PAU guard perished as soon as he heard the shot.

         6...

         Vector was slaying while Marcus was assassinating, one shouting in the midst of hellfire, while the other swiftly running about in the obscurities.

         5...4...

         Marcus crept up behind a guard who was having trouble firing at Vector. He pointed his pistol against the guard's backbone and saved Vector from the rounds that would've eventually gotten to him.

         "Get to the shuttle!" Marcus released his empty handgun into the water and swapped it for a better-loaded rifle.

         "Cover me!"

         The shuttle was more welcoming than the enemy troops and had its rear boarding ramp nicely laid for Vector to enter. The remaining trinity of the PAU troops had perceived the intruder heading for the cockpit of the shuttle and began to box him in. However, Marcus wasn't going to let his comrade die on the worst day of his life.

         Stay away. You don't belong in paradise. You do nothing but leave it in fragments, and then collect them for yourselves. Didn't your mothers teach you how to share? No? Didn't think so.

         Thak. Thak. Thak.

         3...2...1...

         The blood contaminated the pure puddles of water. The sound of thunder bellowed around the forest and Marcus knelt down.

His face had suffered a hard knock but he didn't mind. One of his eyes was swollen, but he didn't mind. His ankles had twisted in every way they could, but he didn't mind. He probably required prosthetics, but he didn't mind.

He had slaughtered a multitude of men, and it was like his entire inner realm had vaporized.

Marcus didn't know what he saw in himself, a monster or an angel. He was intertwined in middle of the void and the sky.

An earnest bulge of yellow lighted up the reflection of his blue face. The shuttle had lit its engines and Vector was already seated at the controls. Marcus couldn't see him but he knew that he was having no trouble maneuvering the craft.

Like magic, the ship floated, then it wavered around in the air. Marcus felt like it was time leave.

The com-link distributed the last call, "I know you're getting wet, sorry about that. You're going to have to wait just a little bit."

Marcus' voice was monotone, "Why?" his lips were sticking together on and off.

A number of rockets lanced through the rain and made a paroxysm of blaze that completely obliterated all the other tanks and jet fighters. It was a fusion of primary elements. The fire roared, the water hushed, the trees only pried.

Soon, the shuttle was next to the sky bridge. Marcus could see Vector waving his hands to signal him, and he acknowledged with his palm in the air.

The boarding ramp opened again, and Vector was right in front of it, "Cryogenic pods? Are those..."

"Your eyes do not deceive you."

"Mother of god, they were experimenting on them."

"I dunno man, don't have any confirmation."

"What matters is that you got them out, here I'll lend you a hand."

"Hurry, they will be here at any moment."

Only four of the cryogenic capsules had been loaded onto the holding before the two lonely survivors heard shouts of the incoming PAU soldiers.

"Crap."

"Be right back!"

Vector slammed the control panel hard and closed the ramp, leaving Marcus alone with the rest of the pods.

Better get outta the way.

         Knowing that Vector was a hyperactive person when it came to demolishing, Marcus stood aside, giving clearance for the shuttle to fire continually down the bridge.

         The enemy reinforcements were dazed once they saw the shuttle facing them, they all pushed one another back down the stairs but it wasn't the fastest way to dodge all the inbound bullets.

         "Get outta here!" Vector kept his fingers steady on the trigger and busted every window on the sky bridge. There was another explosion and it caused the whole bridge to collapse.

         "Good shot! Now get back here and get the rest up!"