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Media => Other Tremulous Media => Topic started by: DeathSkull on May 09, 2009, 10:12:35 pm

Title: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on May 09, 2009, 10:12:35 pm

(http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4084/rszthtf.jpg)

Tremulous
Book 1
The Harder They Fall
By Houston Rogers

©2009
All parts of this story (with the exception of obvious game features, like the weapons and Battlesuits) are my own creation. You may not take from, add to, or otherwise edit this story in any way without my permission. If you steal anything from this story, you will be punished. Thank you for reading! ^_^

Edit: Spork was awesome enough to make a cover for the story. Thanks a million! ;)

Explosions boomed in Sarge O'Reilly's ears as he ran for the base. His lungs were on fire, his heart was threating to burst, and yet he kept going. He wasn't going to be their dinner. No way in hell.

He wanted to radio ahead, tell his remaining team members to be prepared, but he couldn't waste his breath. Every one counted as the unearthly screams of his dying comrades followed him. They hadn't been at all prepared for what they'd seen. The creatures were an abomination to the eyes, things that should not exist, but they did. They tore through his men like a hot knife through butter. Dear God, why did they send him out, of all people?

Guilt began to form as he realized he'd abandoned his men. They looked up to him, and he'd left them behind. But he just couldn't make himself stay. It was too horrible...

--------
O'Reilly slid his helmet on, then turned to his men. 10 of them, all good soldiers. They didn't always get along, but he wouldn't want to be here without them.

"You know why we're here today. We're the last line of defense against this... alien scourge. But you know what? We're the last, but we're the best! There's nothing we can't tackle together! Am I right, men?"

"Hoorah!" they shouted in unison.

Sarge smiled and grabbed his shotgun.

"Let's show them who's boss."

-----------

He ducked into a large bunker, looking for a switch to shut the door. There was none. Panicking, he looked around for some supplies, or ammo. Nothing of that type either.

"Jesus, what kind of bunker is this?"

He could hear them coming. Their little feet pattering on the floor and walls. Wait... there was something else... louder footsteps... and a snort.

Sarge screamed and backed into the corner as the large alien came around the corner and approached him slowly. They were face to face, that's how big it was. Like its smaller counterparts, it had six legs, but it was black and maroon, rather than the dirty brown the tiny ones had been. Its breath stank, saliva dripping from it's mouth onto the floor with a plop sound. O'Reilly thought it was hungry. Very hungry.

Without warning a gun went off, and the creature screamed, spinning around. Its tail end struck the Sarge, sending him flying into the wall, although not hard enough to hurt him. The alien ran outside, favoring one of its now wounded legs. A few more shots went off, and the alien screamed again. Sarge watched as a man ran up to it, kicked it to the floor, and shot it in the head.

"Sarge?" the man asked.

"Turner? You made it out?"

"Barely. Jones was right next to me, and you know what happened to him. I don't know how I escaped."

Sarge nodded. Jones had, more or less, gotten his face eaten off.

"Maybe they got their fill." Turner added.

Sarge grimaced, then looked at the gun Turner was carrying. "What's that?"

"Mass Driver, sir. Energy based sniper. Does wonders against those little brown aliens. One shot and they-"

Turner was interrupted by a loud roar filling the air. The two men didn't waste time, and headed straight for the base.

Or what was left of it. Most of the defenses were in shambles, the turrets so much scrap metal. The Reactor was ok, and so was the armory, but the telenodes had been damaged beyond repair.

"Oh fuck." Turner muttered.

Sarge looked over everything, the last of his hope down the drain. They'd never get out of this alive. Turner didn't even hesitate, heading straight for the armory and grabbing a chaingun.

"I'm going to pay them back for what they did to the others." He snatched a small cylindrical object off the shelf, then moved back into Sarges line of sight. It was a grenade.

"I probably won't be coming back, boss, but it'll be worth it. I'm going to finish them."

"No, Turner. We've got to put our heads together..."

"Sir, you can finish off what's left."

Sarge sighed, then let him go. About 10 minutes later he heard the explosion, and then a cheer. Shortly after that, footsteps approached the front of the base. It was Turner.

"Sarge! I did it! I got the-"

A large alien stepped out of the darkness, at least 2 times bigger than the creature in the bunker, swiping at him and sending him flying. Turner hit the ground and rolled, and the creature descended on him. Sarge tried his best to block out the screams of his last man.

After a while everything went quiet, but O'Reilly could feel them watching him. It was a game to them, torturing and killing his kind. It was a fun pastime, nothing more. He could feel madness nibbling at the edge of his mind.

"COME AND GET ME!" he yelled into the darkness, but nothing answered. No noise whatsoever. But he could still feel those eyes on him.

Cursing, he got up and went to the armory, entering the code and opening it. The usual assortment of rifles and shotguns awaited him, but something at the bottom caught his eye.

"A Lucifer Cannon?" he asked aloud. Picking it up, he was surprised at how heavy it was. Probably 40 pounds or so. He though this would be a suitable weapon for taking down that alien.

He slid a battery pack on and grabbed his new gun, then headed out into the darkness. He thought he spotted the monster in the shadows ahead.

"Come on!" he yelled at it.

He pressed the trigger, and the cannon slowly began to charge up. The alien moved forward slowly, as if taunting him.

"Bring it, you ugly bastard! This is for Turner and all my men that you killed! COME ON!"

With a loud roar, the alien rushed him, the ground trembling with its footsteps. Sarge grinned, and just as it reached him, he released the trigger. There was a bright flash of light and scorching heat, and then all went black.

-----------
The End

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: UniqPhoeniX on May 10, 2009, 05:53:09 am

:o Awesome story! You should become a writer.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: khalsa on May 10, 2009, 05:35:17 pm

Nice ending. More please.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: |VA|NoMoniter on May 11, 2009, 09:48:31 am

awesome dude did he enough creds :P

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on May 11, 2009, 06:50:46 pm

He must have :P

Thanks for the feedback, I may write more soon. Edited post to fix a few spelling errors.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 2
Post by: DeathSkull on May 11, 2009, 10:54:32 pm

McNabb dropped his cigarette to the ground and stamped it out. Smoke rose from the crushed remains as he walked back inside to his post. An alarm suddenly went off and he rushed back to his desk. He radioed up to the tower.

"See anything coming in? I've got alarms going off everywhere!"

"Yessir, we've got one of our own ships requesting permission to land. They say they have injured people aboard."

"Granted, but why did the alarms go off?"

"No idea, sir. Mess up in the wires? We could have someone go check it out."

McNabb sighed. "You do that. McNabb out." He switched the radio off and leaned back in his chair and resting his feet on the desk, pondering the faulty alarms. He'd been sure they'd been tripped by enemy forces. The Peace Pact of 2317 more or less put an end to wars amongst themselves, but there were raiders and bandits that had formed their own groups, not willing to curb their violent natures. None of them had the guts to attack a bunker (yet), but McNabb was ready for anything.

"Sargent McNabb, report to the medical wing. Repeat, Sargent McNabb, medical wing!"

Oh, what now he thought, his feet slapping on the plastic mat his chair sat on. He grabbed his blaster and rushed to the elevators.

--------------

He felt like puking when he saw the man on the bed. Or rather, what was left of him.

His hair had fallen out, and sores had opened up all over his body, gushing pus and blood. He was rambling incoherently, something about monsters, but his tongue was wasted and he was lacking many of his teeth.

"My god, what happened to him?" McNabb asked of one of the aids.

"No idea sir. Results seem to indicate nuclear radiation, but we don't understand how. He was stationed at a base in the Xeres System with a small team of men."

McNabb frowned. "I'll look into this."

"You might want to visit Room 3C. We've got another survivor there. Much better condition, thank god. Goes by the name of Turner."

--------------
Room 3C

The man on the bed was sleeping, so McNabb turned to leave. "Wait," a low voice said.

He turned back around to see him sitting up. "Hey there, boss. Dozed off for a few."

McNabb smiled and sat in the chair by the bed. "Turner, is it?"

"Yes sir. Stationed on Base #1873 in the Xeres System. Or I was. Did the Sarge make it? Can I see him?"

McNabb's smile faded. "It's best if you don't."

Turner let out a low sound that was not quite a sob. "He was like a dad to me and the others, unlike those mean Sarges you see in all those old holo films. Will he... wait, I don't think I want to know."

McNabb nodded sympathecticly. He understood Turner perfectly.

"What about the other men, where are they?"

"Dead, sir."

"All of them?!"

"Yes sir. Wiped out by some sort of alien life form."

McNabb stood. "What? That's preposterous!"

"I assure you I'm telling the truth, sir."

"I'll come back later, soldier. Get some rest."

"You believe me, don't you, sir? Sir?"

McNabb was gone.

--------------

"Security, do you have Turner's armor?"

"Yes sir. Right here, sir!"

McNabb sighed. Thank God for small favours. Maybe he could put an end to Turner's seemingly mad report.

"Send it up to me, if you will."

"Right away, sir."

About 15 minutes later, a box arrived. McNabb accepted it and unlocked it, then gasped.

The armor was smeared with blood, with holes in it. It looked like a wild animal had gotten a hold of Turner and almost made lunch out of him. McNabb radioed down to Medical and asked about Turners injuries.

"Broken leg, broken arm, and a couple ribs. Not to mention some deep flesh wounds. Looks like-"

McNabb finished. "-an animal got a hold of him. Right. Thanks for the info."

McNabb signed off and looked for Turners helmet. He'd put an end to this once and for all. Removing the video chip, he inserted it into his computer and loaded the last video in the file.

"Oh my God..."

--------------

"What'd you bring me, McNabb? I hope it's good."

McNabb was in his commanders office, his laptop by his side. The room was bland and dreary, gray walls, gray floor, devoid of any decoration. His boss liked it simple.

"I think you'll find this interesting, sir. I talked to the 2nd survivor that came in recently-"

"That Turner kid? Seems nice, but I think he's got a few loose marbles."

McNabb lost some of his enthusiasm. "Why, sir?"

"Did you get an earful of his alien sermon? It's bullcrap, McNabb. Pure bullcrap. There are no aliens out there."

McNabb replied: "With all due respect, sir, I don't think it's bullcrap."

"With all due respect, soldier, I hope you're not going to jump in the loony bin with him," the boss shot back.

"Sir," McNabb said, leaning down to grab his laptop, "if you'd just look at-"

"I'm not looking at anything, son. The kid is a walking mental case, ok? His sarge is sick with radiation, God bless him, and all his team members were killed. Let it go, McNabb."

The soldier sighed, stood, and extended his hand. "Thanks for listening, sir."

The commander shook it. "I understand your concerns, but the boy will be fine. Let him get some rest and he'll come around eventually. This'll all be wish-wash."

McNabb wished he could say the same.

--------------

3 Weeks Later

The commander straighted his tie, licked his palm and smoothed back his hair. "How does it look, soldier?"

"Fine, sir."

"You're a good man, McNabb. I'm glad I can trust you with the base while I'm gone." The commander grabbed his suitcase and important papers and started towards the shuttle. He turned and looked at the soldier.

"Make me proud, son."

McNabb nodded, and the commander was gone. As soon as the ship was out of sight he turned and grabbed his laptop from the desk, then went over to the Video and Audio department. "See what you can make of this," he said, handing it to Jessica, a video tech assistant.

She opened it up and watched the film. When it was over, she looked up. "What is this?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Jess. It's footage from Turners helmet while he was stationed out there in the Xeres system."

"Well, it's authentic. No sabotage. But those creatures..."

Turner himself walked in. Due to the medical teams work and technology, not to mention his own will to live, he'd made a full recovery. "Those creatures are a threat to us all. I don't know where they come from, but I know what they want. They want to kill us all."

"Turner, you only saw a few of them. Maybe they aren't a completely violent race..."

"Oh sure, Jessica. Look at Jones and what happened to him. You think they were trying to say 'We come in peace'? They ate his face off!"

McNabb butted in. "Calm down, people. I'm with Turner. The first and only impression they leave is that they want to kill us. We're going to have to accept this as a threat for now."

"I say we go back and finish whatever is left."

"Now, Turner, we can't rush into this. We don't have the manpower, first of all, and there could be dozens or hundreds of them. Secondly, we don't have a plan."

Turner looked disgusted. "Well, I plan on doing something, with or without you." With that, he walked off.

--------------

The End of Chapter 2

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: khalsa on May 12, 2009, 01:17:20 am

I can't wait for the upcoming battle, hurry up!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Winnie the Pooh on May 12, 2009, 03:39:37 am

Wow.

Khalsa is wetting his pants for this story and I can see why!

Great job!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 3
Post by: DeathSkull on May 12, 2009, 08:25:01 pm

Turner threw back the covers and slid out of bed, shivering as his feet touched the cold floor. He quickly put on his slippers and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and shave. Looking in the mirror, he saw a gaunt face with dull eyes... he was a shadow of his former self. The incident on Xeres had changed him. He thought he would recover in time, but he would have to wait and see.

After he was finished, he got dressed and made his way to the mess hall for breakfast. The smell of the food cooking wafted through the halls of the base, and others were exiting their rooms, following their noses.

"I don't know why we do this every morning. Military food is substandard." One rookie said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Turner laughed, then grew serious. "It's not the food that gets us up every morning. It's our duty to humankind that brings us safely through the night to a bring new dawn."

With those words left for the rookie to digest, he moved up ahead. A scientist reached out and touched his elbow as he passed.

"Meet me in the lab after breakfast, will you?"

Turner nodded and entered the mess hall.

-----------------

After the meal, he made his way to the elevators with a few other soldiers. They went down a few floors, and it was quickly apparent they were all headed to the same place.

"What'd they want you for?" Turner asked of the man next to him, known as DJ.

"Didn't say. Just said to meet him in the lab after breakfast. What about you?"

"Same thing."

No one was wanted for one specific thing, it seemed. The doors slid open, revealing the scientist.

"Good, you all came. Follow me, please."

He led them through a set of swinging doors into a large room. One wall was filled with what looked like a massive computer. Machinery whirred and clanked, assembling weapons and armor for the base. Turner saw a large metal robot against the far wall.

"Thats the BattleSuit. It's level 3 armor, made of the best materials we could get our hands on. You can take quite a beating with this baby on. DJ, you'll be testing this today. Please step forward."

DJ had a scientist assigned to him, and they got to work as the group moved forward.

"You three will be weapons testing. We've got some new stuff ready to try out, and I expect a full report from each of you!"

The others moved off, leaving Turner and the scientist alone. "Follow me, please."

"Who the heck are you anyways?" Turner asked.

"I'm Doctor McGregor, science team leader. Are you not familiar with our staff at this base?"

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not assigned to this base. I was in the-"

"Oh yes!" Dr. McGregor said. "The soldier from the Xeres system. Well, we're pleased to have you with us. Now, please come this way."

The doctor led Turner into a side room, almost empty save for a computer and what looked like a telenode.

"Doctor, I don't know if you've heard about what happened..."

"Yes, I have. The aliens, right? You want to wipe the rest of them out, but we don't have the men to do it with, am I right?"

"Yes, sir. That's what McNabb says."

The doctor smiled. "McNabb doesn't keep up with everything that goes on down here, son. I think I can help you out."

The Doctor began to talk, and Turner listened, growing more amazed each second.

-----------------
A Month Later...

McNabb made his way to his office when he passed a small break room. He heard someone talking, and peeked inside.

It was Jess, talking to a couple soldiers.

"What's up, boss?" She asked as he entered.

"Not much. What are you three up to? Nothing naughty, I hope."

Jess laughed and one of the soldiers, a new recruit by the name of Jackson, blushed, his face turning as red as a tomato. McNabb grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, if you were thinking anything bad, we wont tell."

His face went even redder, if that was possible.

"Naw," Jes said. "We were just discussing the aliens in the video."

McNabb sighed. "Well, that's all we can afford. Talk is free, anything else is going to cost us."

"Sir, may I make a suggestion?" Jackson asked.

"Certainly."

"If we should... you know, ever fight them... shouldn't we have names for them?"

McNabb frowned. "Names?"

"Yessir. Names for each of them. It'd be a pain to have to say 'The little brown aliens are nesting in the southeast vent' or 'The giant six legged monsters are attacking!'. We should give them a name or a class or something."

McNabb thought it over, then nodded. "I agree. Excellent idea soldier."

Jackson blushed again. "I just threw it out there."

Jes made a face. "What those little brown aliens did to Jones makes me want to retch."

Jackson grinned. "Retch... gretch...dretch? Yeah, there we go! Dretch! The little aliens are Dretches." He got up and went to look for some paper.

McNabb laughed. "Now come up with something for the other two. Good luck." He left.

-----------------

McNabb looked at the doctor. He'd been called down here just as he was getting to sleep. The doctor had a plan for taking down the aliens, and he hoped it was a good one, or someone was going to get his butt fired.

After the doctor went through all the details, McNabb wasn't tired anymore. "Are you sure this will work?"

"I'm fairly certain sir. We've been testing this all month, and we've more or less perfected it."

"More or less, doctor?"

"Well..." he looked at the floor. " There may be a few glitches in the system, but we can easily iron those out if they show up. Otherwise, we're as good as gold!"

McNabb nodded. "Alright. I'll send a setup team to the Xeres system to put up a base."

-----------------
The Next Day...

The base was assembled. It was located in an old weapons plant not far from where the aliens had first been seen. McNabb and the entire base roster were in the science lab, save Turner. He was getting ready.

All eyes were on the super computer screen, which was transmitting live video feed from the plant. The setup team was waiting for them, keeping an eye out for any hostiles.

The lab door slid open and Turner walked in. His face was clean shaven, nary a whisker in sight. His hair was pushed back with a headband to keep it out of his eyes. He grabbed a rifle and nodded at the doctor. "I'm ready."

McNabb clapped Turner on the shoulder and nodded. "Good luck."

Turner thanked him and followed the doctor into the side room.

McNabb heard machinery and computers humming back there... and the lights throughout the entire base dimmed...

Everyone cheered as Turner showed up on the computer screen, safe and sound. The teleportation was successful.

The machine whirred and hummed again... and another Turner showed up. Everyone gasped, and McNabb smiled. It was one thing to hear this, but another thing to see it.

Hummmm

Another Turner.

Hummmm

And another...

Hummmm
Hummmm
Hummmm
Hummmm
Hummmm
Hummmm
Hummmm
Hummmm
-----------------
The Niveus Base

"Sir, we've got alien movement in the vents." one of the setup team members said.

Turner nodded and looked at all of his clones, pleased. Everything had gone perfectly. They all lined up in a row, rifles at the ready.

"Listen to me! We are here today to wipe out the alien race! Those foreign scum that dare to strike out at us! We're going to show them who's at the top of the food chain! They sent us a message, one of violence. What are we going to do?"

"Kill them!"

"Yes! They murdered my... our brothers! They defiled them, destroyed them! What is our response?"

"Death!"

"YES! We will rise up and strike them down, we will rain death down on their heads! Those bugs are going down! What do you do with bugs, my brothers? WHAT?"

"EXTERMINATE THEM!"

Turner grinned. "Move out!"

They all moved as one.

-----------------

The dretch sniffed the air and smelled human flesh. It could smell something else as well... not fear, like those other humans... they had reeked of fear. Not fear, but hate... anger.

The dretch turned and crawled back to its base.

War was coming.

-----------------
The End of Part 3

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on May 12, 2009, 11:40:23 pm

;D Suspense!!!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 4
Post by: DeathSkull on May 13, 2009, 11:59:41 pm

Niveus Base

The man in charge of tech looked at his radar. "Turner, we've got alien lifeforms in another section of the base. We better move fast."

"Alright, lets get to work. Push those crates over, men. We need some cover!"

Turner grabbed a couple boxes and started stacking them in a line. "Open that one, see if there's anything inside." One of them grabbed a crowbar and jammed it into the crack between the lid and the box. "Help me with this!" A couple more soldiers moved over and grabbed the crowbar. "1...2...3!"

The lid came off with a crack, a few splinters flying. "Boss, we got shotguns. No ammo though."

Turner cursed. "Must be in another box. You and you," he said, pointing to the two closest men. "Go and look for shells. The rest of you, help me put up this perimeter."

The two moved off, eyes searching every nook and cranny. "Any hostiles, #24?"

"Negative, #17. No aliens in sight. Let me check my map really quick..."

He tapped a button on his wrist and a 3D holomap came to life.

"Stairs down this hall. Take a right at the end and another right and there they are. Let's move."

The two raced down the hall, hugging the walls. #17 peeked around the corner. "Clear, move up."

Next corner was also clear. "I'm beginning to think the radar was frigged up, 17." 24 said.

17 grabbed his flashlight and shone it under the staircase. Nothing. "I doubt it. These bugs are just being really stealthy. Lets go!"

They moved up, quick yet quiet. The next floor revealed itself to be some sort of passageway. Red lights gave the room/hall an eerie glow. "Botanists floor, according to the map. There's a garden around here somewhere."

"If only the aliens were vegetarians..." 17 said, sighing.

"If they were, we wouldn't be here. Next floor up looks like it might have what we need."

They moved up the stairs again to what was apparently the storage room.

"Yes!" 17 exclaimed. "Jackpot!"

24 grabbed his crowbar. "Let's get cracking."

-----------------

Turner stacked the last box into place and stepped back. A perfect barrier. Let's see them try to get through that.

#14 eyed the other entrance. "Are you sure those turrets will keep the aliens out?"

"With us backing them up? I don't see why not. These boxes here will do a good enough job on this side of things. Don't worry, #14. We'll be fine. Do you disagree?"

14 smiled. "I don't usually disagree with myself, sir."

Turner laughed. "True, true." He went over to the radio and picked up the microphone. "24, how's it coming?"

"Good, boss. We found the shells! Coming back now."

Turner started to put the microphone down when screams started coming through it. He brought it back up to his mouth in a hurry. "What's wrong?!?

"We're under attack! 17, shoot them! SHOOT THEM!"

-----------------

17 brought his rifle up and fired at the dretch, the bullets tearing it to shreds. 3 more crawled across the ceiling. 24 grabbed his own rifle and shot at them. Moving swiftly, the dretches leaped at their heads, but two of them were gunned down. The last one landed on 17's face, clawing at his eyes. He screamed.

24 shot it off, and 17 dropped to his hands and knees, blinded. Blood flowed down his face, and his choking sobs filled the air. 24 unholstered his blaster, aimed at the back of 17's head, and fired.

"One man down, sir."

-----------------

Turner slammed a fist down on the table. This early and already they had a casualty. From now on they'd travel in groups of 4 or more. "You 3, go help him"

The soldiers nodded and rushed down the hall.

In a matter of minutes the group had returned with the shells. 24 was shaken, but otherwise ok. Popping the lid, they got to work loading the guns.

"What now, sir?" a soldier asked.

"We wait."

-----------------

A dretch crawled inside the mass of goo, resting in its slimy warmth. The others watched as it began to slowly grow.

-----------------

A lone soldier named 21 wandered away from the group. He made his way to the garden, inspecting the plants. As he pushed them out of the way, he spotted a creature sitting amongst them. It's flesh was pink, and it had little white eyes.

"What are you?" he asked it.

The creature raised a leg and clawed its face, making a sound like a burp.

The soldier laughed. This seemed to scare the creature, and it backed away suddenly.

"Hey now, don't do that." He said, reaching a hand out to it. Slowly the creature crawled towards him, and he placed his hand on its head, petting it. His other hand reached for his boot.

"Good boy."

The creature purred and moved closer.

With sudden speed, the soldier grabbed his knife sheathed in his boot and impaled the creature through the back, pinning it to the table. Its shrieks filled the air, but he felt no sympathy for it.

"Thats for 17, you bastard."

He removed the knife and the creature tried to flee, but its spine was destroyed. It mewed and wailed as it slowly died. 21 smiled coldly and turned to go back to base, only to come face to face with another one.

"O-o-ok, just back off," he said, moving away himself.

When he felt he was back far enough, he turned and ran for it.

The alien sped after him, its long legs reaching out for his feet. Grabbing them, it caused him to trip. In seconds it was on his back, clawing and eating him. He screamed, but no one heard him.

-----------------

"Did you hear that?" 08 asked.

"Hear what?" Turner replied.

"It sounded like... never mind. I'm probably just imagining things."

The noise sounded again.

"I was right! It was a scream!" 08 exclaimed.

Turner motioned to the others. "Grab a weapon, guys. We're going to hunt these monsters down ourselves. Lets split into four groups of four. Two of you go that way," he said, motioning towards the stairs. "My two groups, follow me."

They moved out.

-----------------
Turners Group

They entered a small side room, which was dominated by a large window on the far side. 24 walked over and looked out at the falling snow and the dark sky. "I thought you said this was a desert world?"

Turner shrugged. "It was desert where I was. Hot, barren, dry. The climate must be different here."

"Hey guys, look at this!" 02 said, excited.

They all rushed over to him and looked behind the stacked crates. "My God!" Turner exclaimed.

What they saw was a tall purple structure, seeming to pulse with life. But that was not what amazed them the most. It was the small green alien.

It regarded them with 6 beady little eyes, the light reflecting off each of them. It was a fat creature, and it moved slowly, dragging itself across the floor.

The purple structure shook and suddenly spat out a dretch. Turner moved quickly and stamped on it, its black blood squirting across the floor. The green creature made a choking noise and then vomited black goo out. The projectile flew straight at 02's eyes. He stumbled backwards, screaming.

"IT BURNS! OH GOD I CAN'T SEE AND IT BURNS!"

Turner snarled. "Kill them both!"

The two groups opened fire on the creature and the egg, obliterating both in seconds. Two of the men picked up 02, who was now laying on the floor.

"Let's take him back to base, men." He activated his radio. "Hear that, Groups 3 and 4? Back to base now!"

-----------------

The mass of goo began to break open. Dretchs crawled on it, eating it to help their brother escape. With a roar, the monster was free. The dretches went to the next ball of goo, and the next, freeing each alien inside.

The largest of them stood in the doorway, its mass blocking out the lights from outside. It roared, and they all folowed it.

-----------------
The Base

They laid 02 on a medical bed, and the aid grabbed some sort of solvent. Taking a small dropper, he put 2 drops on each eye. "That should help him." he said, putting the medicine away.

07 ran in, panting. "Sir, we've got aliens on the way!"

"Ok, men grab your weapons! Get in formation!" Turner yelled. "How many of them are there, 07?"

The soldier shook his head. "Too many to count, sir. And there's some that we didn't see in the video."

"Joy," Turner muttered. He grabbed a shotgun and crouched behind a crate. They could hear them coming now.

"Get ready, men!"

All eyes were on the base entrance.

"Hold it... hold it..."

The aliens bashed the door open, swarming inside. Turner nearly dropped his gun when we saw how many there were. Dozens.

"FIRE!"

The soldiers blasted away at the creatures, but for each one they killed, there were two more coming in. "When they get close, use your shotguns!"

One of the turrets went down, ovewhelmed by a cluster of 4 dretches. Turner aimed and blew them all away. "Move back, men! Let the turrets help you!" They moved back about 20 feet, the alien swarm close behind. Finally the bulk of the turrets kicked into action, gunning the dretches down before anyone could even get a kill. Turner began to feel hopeful until the bigger aliens began to show up.

"We've got dragoons! Focus all your fire on them!"

One of them pounced at Turner, squishing him as it landed. He grabbed his knife and stabbed the creature in the belly, sliding the blade upwards. Warm guts poured out of the slit all over Turner. "Oh Jesus..."

He pushed the now dead creature off him and stood up, coated in black blood. He reloaded and opened fire on the other goons.

24 rushed past him, a canister on his back. Pressing the trigger on the gun, 24 created a wall of flames to buy them some time. 07 spotted a red alien bouncing off the walls in the distance. "What the heck?"

The alien leaped over 24's flame wall and attacked the turrets, sinking its teeth into the nest of wires at the base of each turret. "Kill it!" Turner yelled, but it was too late. The creature moved far to fast for any of Turners men to actually hit the thing. 09 rushed it, grabbing a leg and throwing the alien to the floor. Before he could do any damage, it flipped itself over and chewed through his legs. He fell to the floor, dead. Before it could move, another soldier pumped it full of lead. "Bitch."

Most of the dretches had been annihilated, and the goons were staying back. Turner and his men took a breather, making sure to watch for any movement among the alien ranks. They reloaded, and the medic team got to work on those who were injured.

"We can do this, men. Stay focused."

"Did you see what happened to 09? That thing made mincemeat out of his legs!"

"All the more reason to be careful, men. Now I have a plan. We need to split into 2 groups, one on each side of the aliens. Then I want to rush them. If we all focus our fire on one alien at a time, we can wipe them out in seconds. Any questions?"

No one had any. They split up, all ready to go. "On my mark....wait.....now!"

They rushed the goons, guns blazing. Roaring, the aliens retreated, leaping down the hall. They caught one in mid jump, its corpse dropping on top of another goon. Turner shot both of them in the head and continued running after the others. Another goon fell, its legs too wounded to carry it any farther. There were 2 left.

A loud roar filled the air, and the men stopped. "What was that?" 24 asked.

Turner went cold all over. "Retreat! Back to base!"

07 didn't move. "Sir, we've almost got-"

Turner grabbed the front of his armor and shook him. "NOW!"

They ran like mad, and the roar sounded again. Looking over his shoulder, Turner saw the tyrant come around the corner. "Run faster!"

24 felt a tingle at the back of his neck, and ducked. The tyrant swiped at the marine in front of him and tore his head from his shoulders. 24 pushed the body out of the way as to not stumble over it. The tyrant roared again.

"Turner to base! Open the portal to home! We're coming through. I repeat, we are coming through!"

-----------------

Doctor McGregor pushed a button and the door to the side room slid up. He went over to a computer and fiddled with it for a few seconds, opening the portal at the far wall.

"What is that?" McNabb asked.

"A larger version of a telenode. It allows us to send or receive large groups at once. Get your men ready. I think that monster will be coming with them."

-----------------

Turner made his men go through first. When it was only him and the techie left, he ordered him to set the last node to shut down after they went through.

"Not working sir. There's an error in the system."

"Can you work around it?"

"Maybe, sir. Lets see."

The tyrant rounded the last corner and rushed the base. "No time," Turner said, pushing the techie onto the node. In a flash of light he was gone.

Turner spun around and looked at the tyrant, then stepped backwards into nothingness.

-----------------

The creature followed Turner through the portal, but McNabbs men were waiting for it. They all fired in unison, and with a loud cry the alien died. Turner stood and brushed himself off.

"We're finished?" McNabb asked him.

Turner shook his head. "Far from it, sir. The party is just starting. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go take a shower."

-----------------

The End of Chapter 4

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Jet~ on May 14, 2009, 01:53:34 am

MOAR CONTENTZ!!!!. Sorry for the nubishness of my post but this is simply amazing, seriously.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: khalsa on May 14, 2009, 06:48:14 am

Sigged

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: frazzler on May 14, 2009, 07:42:11 am

You are God, Your writing is the bible and I am your disciple.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on May 14, 2009, 05:30:49 pm

@ Jed: Thanks dude. More is coming.... soon.

@Khalsa: Haha, thanks dude!

@Frazzler: Nah, I'm no God, just a normal dude with some writing skillz. This is my first actual fic since 2005-early 2006, and I didn't even finish that one =( But rest assured, I'll see this one through to the end =D

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on May 14, 2009, 06:04:50 pm

go skully go! <3

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on May 14, 2009, 06:35:00 pm

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 5
Post by: DeathSkull on May 15, 2009, 08:15:51 pm

The Next Day

"Ok," McNabb said. "Tell me exactly how this portal thing works. We can send large groups of soldiers to and fro?"

Dr. McGregor shook his head. "No sir, not exactly. We can send large soldiers to the destination point, but they can't go all the way through unless there's telenodes on the other side. So if we have one telenode, it'll recieve one soldier at a time, two telenodes, 2 soldiers at a time. I think having 2 running at once is the best solution."

McNabb nodded. "I agree. Now there was something else you wanted me to see?"

"Yes, over here, please." The doctor walked over to a table draped with a large tarp. There seemed to be an object sitting in the middle. The doctor removed the tarp to reveal a orange-yellowish type of gun.

"What is this?" McNabb asked.

"This, sir," the doctor said, "is a new project I'm working on. I call this the Construction Kit. Basicly it allows you to modify and repair your base at any time."

"Tell me how it works."

Dr. McGregor picked it up. "Ok, lets say you want to move your base to another area. Push this button on the side to register the building of your choice for deconstruction, then go where you want to put the new building. Go through the list on this blue screen (it's a touch screen) and select what building you want to create. Then pull the trigger and you'll see a holoimage of the structure. If it's green, you can build it. If it's red, you can't, either because it's not close enough to a power source or the area is just not right. Once you are ready, pull the trigger again and the new building will start going up, while removing the old one at the same time!"

McNabb was speechless. He was amazed.

"Of course, this has it's limits. The kit has a recharge time, and it's longer or shorter depending on the size of the building being built. Uses energy, you know."

McNabb nodded. "How soon will this be ready?"

"Oh, within the week, probably."

---------------

Turner found McNabb outside, smoking a cigarette. He leaned against the wall, neither saying anything, just admiring the sky.

"You know, Turner..." McNabb said, "I don't even know your full name."

"Can't you look in my files, sir?"

"I could, but I'd rather ask you."

Turner smiled and extended his hand. "Mac Turner, at your service."

McNabb shook it and returned the smile. "John McNabb."

They lapsed into silence again, but it was a welcoming silence. In it they became freinds.

Jess poked her head out the door. "Almost lunch, guys. Hurry up."

She vanished back inside. Turner watched her through the glass.

"Oh, quit it."

"What?" Turner asked, glancing at McNabb. When he looked back, Jess was gone.

"You've been eyeballing her for the last week. Don't think I don't notice. I get paid to notice."

"Oh please. A soldier has to think about continuing the family line eventually."

"Yeah, if he thinks he's gonna get his balls eaten in the next battle."

Turner had to smile at that. "No, I don't plan on that happening. But in case you didn't know, I'm not immortal."

"You might as well be. We've got about 30 of you running amok in there."

Turner shook his head. "It's not the same, and you know it. Lets go get something to eat before they devour it all."

As they walked inside, McNabb said: "You know, if you're after her, then your clones should be after her as well, right?"

"Screw you."

"Hey, it's a legit question!"

---------------

After lunch, Turner dropped by Vid Tech. The place seemed abandoned. Sitting in a chair, he looked over all the video feeds from around the base. John was in his office, sending a report to the commander. Various soldiers wandered the halls. Turner was startled when someone knocked on the door.

"It's open."

Jackson walked in. "Hey boss. I was just looking for you."

"Well you found me. What's up?"

"Well, I've been watching the newest vid clips, and I wrote down a list of all the aliens and made up names for them." He procured an envelope from inside his shirt pocket and handed it to Mac. "Check it out anytime you want, boss."

"Thanks Jackson. Have you seen Jess?"

"No, sir. Not since lunch. I'm gonna go get back to my duties. See ya."

"Keep cool, Jackson."

Once he was gone, Turner opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper. The list read as follows:

---------------

Granger- ?Builder Class? Not enough evidence.

Dretch- Basic Alien Infantry. Moves quickly and does a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Pretty weak though. Usually travel in packs.

Basilisk- They seem very possessive, holding their victims down while eating them (See Vid File relating to 21).

Marauder- A fast alien class. Unlike the Dretches and Basilisks, they dont wallwalk. Maybe they can't? They do bounce off the walls though, and they bite faster than any alien seen yet (See Vid File relating to 09).

Dragoon- A large black/maroon alien, capable of leaping long distances. Jaws powerful enough to crush a human skull with one bite. (See Vid Files 1-8, 10-16, 18-20 and 22-24 for Xeres System Attack #2).

Tyrant- Only seen twice, the Tyrant seems to be the alien powerhouse. They are about 2 times the size of a dragoon, walking with 6 legs in an upright position. 2 large claws capable of causing instant death. (See Vid Files 1-2 for Xeres System Attack #1, Files 1-8, 10-16, 18-20 and 22-24 for Xeres System Attack #2).

---------------

Turner folded the paper up and put it back inside the envelope just as Jess walked in.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Sure thing, boss. What do you need?"

"Make copies of this and make sure every one gets one? It's an updated alien class list."

"I'll do it." She poured a cup of coffee and took her place at the desk. "Going somewhere?"

Turner stopped in the doorway. "Yeah, I got stuff to do. And Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Call me Mac from now on."

---------------

McNabb was restless. It was night, but he couldn't go to sleep. Something kept bothering him, but he didnt know what. It was like somethign was out of place. After an hour of laying there, he got up and switched his computer on, browsing through the base logs. About halfway down he froze.

[Departure: Shuttle 3. Destination: Unknown. Pilot: Turner, Mac.]

He called Turners room, and he picked up after the 5th ring.

"Ello?"

"Mac, get your ass to my office. We've got a problem."

"What is it?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"I'll be right there. Should I get Jess up?"

"Why?"

"She can check the video files for anything suspicious."

"Ok, do it. Hurry up."

---------------

Turner rushed into the office. "Jess is working on the files. What'd you want me to see?"

McNabb showed him the log. "Tell me what that is, Mac."

Turner shook his head. "No idea. I'm here, obviously."

"Yeah, I can see that."

Jess ran in. "Come see this, guys. Quick."

---------------

McNabb slammed his fist on the table.

"Damn it all."

Jess shook her head. "Why would he do that? It makes no sense."

McNabb shrugged. "I don't know. Mac, go wake up the doctor so we can show him this. Then get the clones up. We need to see how many others are missing."

---------------

Dr. McGregor stroked his beard. "This makes no sense. This video implies that one of the clones went rogue, but that should be impossible!"

"You did say that there were possible glitches in the system, McGregor." John replied.

"Yes, I did."

"And you said you'd iron them out when they showed up."

The doctor sighed. "You saw the video. It's going to take more than some ironing out. He took key parts of the cloning machine with him. It'll take days or weeks to fix it."

Turner returned. "It's #13, John. 13 is missing. Since he looks just like me, it's no wonder he got out."

McNabb shook his head. "13, the unlucky number." He looked at the ceiling. "Why me, God?"

"The thing I don't get is," Turner continued, "why he would sabatoge the system?"

"Maybe the system screwed up his brain, and he viewed the cloning proccess as wrong or evil or something?" Jess offered.

"Maybe..." McGregor said. "Or..."

"Or what?"

"Play the video again."

Jess did.

"See? He only removes certain parts. And notice he doesn't leave anything behind. He takes it with him."

McNabb shrugged. "If we don't have the original parts it takes us longer to fix it. That's easy to figure out."

McGregor shook his head. "Thats not what I'm thinking."

"Well, what ARE you thinking?"

"I'm thinking he took those parts to make a machine of his own."

---------------

The entire base was put on alert. With the teleporter down and the rogue Turner Clone free to do as he pleased, everyone was on edge for the next week or so.

"McGregor, how's it coming?" McNabb asked.

"Almost done. Give me another day."

"Alright. We've got reports of strange activity at the Nexus 6 Fuel Depot in the Nexus System. I want to investigate."

"I can't work properly under pressure, McNabb."

"I'm not pressuring you, dammit. I'm just saying-"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. Just give me a day."

---------------

"So, what do you say? Dinner in the colony tonight?" Mac asked.

She regarded him with a stare.

"Well, you know, it sure beats working around here... late nights and stuff. We both need some time off."

She said nothing.

"Well, maybe next week?"

Nothing.

"Oh screw it." Mac said, throwing a book at the poster. It connected with a thud and fell to the floor. The girl didn't seen to mind.

"Mac, get to my office."

"Ok, on my way."

---------------

"What is it, John?" Mac said, entering the office.

"I just wanted to let you know we'll be investigating the Nexus Fuel Depot soon, and to be ready." McNabb stood. "Lets step outside. I need a break."

"Are there aliens?" Mac asked, falling into pace with his commander.

McNabb shook his head and pushed the button that opened the base door. A soft breeze blew in, carrying an assortment of smells from the colony down the hill. McNabb lit a cigarette. "Smoke?"

"No thanks, John. I never got into it."

"Alright. We've got reports of strange incidents there. Untimely power outages, things like that. Nothing really big, or so I hope. You up for it?"

"Yeah, I guess. Not much of a choice, eh? I'm the one with the group of military clones."

"Come on, Mac, don't look at it like that."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'm still feeling it from the attack."

There was silence. A soft breeze began to blow. Turner welcomed it.

"Can I ask you something, Mac?"

"Sure."

"What were you doing there?"

Turner raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

"At the base. I looked in the files. You were added to the roster at the last second."

Turner shrugged. "They didn't really tell me. If I had to guess, a replacement for a soldier who backed out. Can I ask you something, John?"

"Sure."

"What are my chances with Jess?"

It was McNabbs turn to raise an eyebrow. "I'm no counseler, Mac. Are you moving in on her?"

"Well, I was planning on launching an attack soon, but in the simulations I didn't do so well..."

They both burst out laughing.

"Mac, I suggest you just go for it and do your best. What's the battle plan?"

"Dinner, down at the colony."

"That's a sound strategy."

Jackson walked out. "Hey guys. What's up?"

McNabb shook his head. "Not much. Cigarette?" he asked, offering the pack.

"Nah, I never got into it."

The commander grumbled and put the pack back in his pocket. "Smart kids."

"But I'll not shy away from the occasional drink. Who's in? I got a small group ready to go."

McNabb crushed the cigarette. "I'm for it. Why not? Can't do anything till the doctor fixes his machine. Let's go. Coming, Turner?"

Mac shook his head. "I got something to take care of."

McNabb nodded. "Good luck. Come on Jackson. Let's go act manly for the waitresses."

The two walked off towards the colony bar. Mac ducked back inside and walked towards the elevators. You can do this, Mac. If you can handle hoards of aliens you can face one woman.

---------------
Video Tech Room

"Hey Jess."

She looked up. "Hey Mac. How're you?"

"Good... good. Whatcha doing?"

"The same thing I'm always doing. Sitting here watching these TV's. I think I'm gonna take a break here shortly, get some food."

Turner brightened up. "You wanna go down to the colony for dinner? It's on me."

"I don't think I can. Someone has got to watch these."

"Get Johns to do it?"

"I don't know..."

"Get Johns to do it."

"Is that a command, Mr. Turner? You seem awfully persistant about this. I'm wondering if this is a dinner break or a date..."

Turner went red. "Dinner.... date?"

Jess smiled. "Ok, I'm in. Let me grab a few things."

Turner stepped outside and grinned. YES!

She met him outside. "Come on, clone boy, before the resident winos drink all the beer up."

They walked down to the colony as the sun began to set.
---------------

The End of Chapter 5

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Shadowgandor on May 15, 2009, 08:26:10 pm

My favorite, keep on writing :D

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: frazzler on May 16, 2009, 01:21:08 am

Is it just me, or did you copy the whole Nexus 6 Mining Facility idea from me? Anyway, I really like your work, just try not to steal any of my other ideas. I have more of my own work up for display now, you should check it out.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on May 16, 2009, 05:40:18 pm

I had several ideas for Nexus, and Mining Facility is one of them. If you prefer, I'll change it to one of my other titles so it won't make me look like a thief (which I am not :()

Edit: I went ahead and changed the name after looking at your story. :)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Baconizer on May 17, 2009, 12:16:54 am

Wow. Fantastic, keep it up!

This stuff should go in the Trem Wiki. :P

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: khalsa on May 17, 2009, 01:27:48 am

Except don't really want public editing?

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Baconizer on May 17, 2009, 10:06:50 pm

Couldn't you lock the page? Anyway, that was a joke. :P

But I am serious that this story rocks.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on May 17, 2009, 10:19:12 pm

Hey, thanks. Part 6 is on its way (I'm relaxing over teh weekend). Should be up Monday or so =)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on May 18, 2009, 04:37:28 am

Awesome awesome. I especially like the part where large soldiers can fit through the teleport! Jk ;D

(waits for part 6)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on May 18, 2009, 05:17:45 am

While we're all waiting for Part 6, here's some story trivia:

-The Title:

The title of the story is taken from the line: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Fallout 3 has an achievement called The Bigger They Are... and I liked it so much I made the other half of the quote the title of this story.

-The Evolution Process:

Unlike the game, the aliens in this story do not evolve instantly. This is to give the story a bit more of a realistic effect, and it puts an end to comments like "Why don't all the Tyrants just rush Turner?" before they even start :P

-The Credit System:

There is none. While it's understandable in the game, a story doesn't need one. Instead of having all the weapons availible at once, though, they will be created by the science team as the story progress.

-Why is there a Lucifer Cannon in Chapter 1?

The story was originally intended to be a one shot, but the readers apparently liked it so much I decided to continue it with other Chapters. Let's just say the Cannon was a one time experiment and it failed :P

-Does this mean there will be no more Lucifer Cannons?

Do bugs intentionally hit our windshields (minus the suicidal ones)? No. The Lucifer Cannon is to Tremulous like Peanut Butter is to Jelly. Nuff said.

-Turner Clones?

Someone has to explain why the entire human team looks the same :D

Reader Submitted Questions:

-Lol, giant portal-nodes? (Asked by your face)

Ok, this was an error on my part. I had an idea for opening a large portal at both the Home Base and Away Base, but after realizing it was too similar to Stargate (I don't think of these things while I'm writing) I decided to drop it... except I forgot to edit the Home Base portal out. Since I'd already posted the chapter, I threw in a somewhat plausible answer to this in the beginning of Part 5 (Where McGregor and McNabb talk).

Ok, that's it for now! Keep reading! Part 6....

Soon!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Baconizer on May 18, 2009, 09:44:08 am

No! Breaks are not acceptable! I want content! Gogogo! >:(

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: |VA|NoMoniter on May 19, 2009, 02:00:53 pm

do the aliens have evos.. jokes jokes great story man

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 6
Post by: DeathSkull on May 20, 2009, 10:30:39 pm

The Next Morning

"Morning Mac." Jackson said. He was standing outside with McNabb and DJ.

"Morning..."

"You look wasted." Jackson added.

"Ya think?" Mac replied, running a hand through his hair. "I got carried away last night. Drank a beer too many-"

"Before or after she dropped you?" Jackson asked.

McNabb elbowed Jackson.

Mac shook his head. "We were fine. I brought her back, then returned to the bar, grabbed a few more beers. I found out my Sarge died last night."

"OReilly? Damn, man. I'm sorry."

McNabb and DJ also offered their condolences.

McNabbs radio buzzed. It was Dr. McGregor.

"System all ready. Send in a set up team."

-------------

Nexus 6

The shuttle landed, and the ramp went down with a hiss. The base builders exited the shuttle, only to be greeted by Nexus Security.

The leader stepped forward. "Thank you for coming. I'm Nathan Prezowski, Chief of Security. Uh... is this all you've got?"

"Nah, we're just the set up team. Where do we go?"

"Follow me," Prezowski said, leading them through the building. "We've got a nice platform over in the Filtering Section."

One of the men turned to the other. "I bet this guy is a great salesman. First he has a nice platform, then he talks us into buying it!"

The others snickered.

"Cut it out back there," the commander warned.

Prezowski motioned to the open area through the doorway. "This is our filtering tank here, and you can set your base up at the end. Any questions?"

They all shook their heads and got to work.

-------------

Turner and his clones came through first, then McNabb. "C-Kit worked flawlessly," the setup team leader said.

McNabb nodded. "Excellent. Where's the Security Chief?"

"Hello sir," said a voice behind him. McNabb spun around to see the Chief himself. "Nathan Prezowski." he said, extending his hand.

McNabb shook it. "John McNabb. This here is Mac Turner, my best soldier. And coming through the node now...Jessica Salek, Video Tech. She'll need access to your camera system."

Turner nodded at Prezowski and walked over to Jess. "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"Someone has to watch the cameras."

"It's too dangerous here for you."

"I could say the same for you, Mac."

"I'm a trained soldier!"

"And I can take care of myself. I'll be fine."

"Dammit..."

"Oh hush. I know a beaten man when I see one."

"This isn't over."

"What're you gonna do," she said, raising an eyebrow, "punish me?"

Turner stared. "You're not flirting with me here, of all places?"

"Why not?" she replied, walking away.

Turner sighed, ran his hands through his hair, and went over to McNabb, who shook his head.

"Don't bother, Mac. Women will always have the last word."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it..."

"Shape up, pal. We've got aliens to kill."

The security chief looked at Mac strangely.

"What are you doing here?"

Mac raised an eyebrow. "I'm a soldier?"

Nathan shook his head. "You were here yesterday. I hired you and your soldiers to clean up at Karith Corporation headquarters."

McNabb frowned. "And they are...?"

"Our owners. Just a few miles away. You were supposed to report in today, and then head over there."

Mac shook his head. "It wasn't me... unless...."

"Unless what?"

"Unless it was Clone #13."

-------------

Nathan shook his head. "What? Clones? Don't play games with me."

McNabb grinned. "Oh, we're not. Activate the nodes!"

The telenodes began to hum, and one by one the clone soldiers appeared. They each had a rifle and a blaster, standard military issue.

"What in hell?" Nathan said, dumbfounded.

"Meet the Turner clones." McNabb said.

Nathan stared as they all assumed position. "You really must be kidding... how is this possible?"

McNabb shrugged. "Ask our lead scientist."

A man ran up to Nathan. "Sir, we've got a ship coming in!"

Nathan shrugged. "Let's go meet the new arrival."

-------------
The Hanger

The ramp lowered with a hiss, revealing none other than 13.

He walked down, heading straight to the security chief.

"We're ready. I'll receive payment as soon as we're finished."

Nathan nodded. "Very well."

Turner approached the security chief as 13 walked back to the ship. "What the hell? He's a Merc?"

Nathan shrugged. "I guess."

McNabb frowned. "He escaped a while back. I'd take him back in..."

Nathan shook his head. "He's got a bunch of men in armor in that ship. One wrong move and he'd blow us away."

"So he DID get his own clone machine!"

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"

"Our cloning machine was sabotaged a short while back. 13 did it. Why, we didn't know. Now we do."

"So... he wanted to make clones of himself?"

"Apparently."

"Strange..."

McNabb grinned. "Strange doesn't begin to describe it. If he's going there to wipe out any aliens present, I say let him do it. We could use the help. Now let's get back to base."

-------------
Base

"Hey guys," Jess said. "Look at this."

They moved over to the computer system. On one of the screens was a dretch.

"What's it doing?"

Jess smiled. "I had a soldier plant a small piece of meat there with a tracking device inside it. The dretch smelled it, found it and ate it. Now we can see where it goes. Easy way to find the base."

Mac nodded. "Good job. Why don't I think of these things?"

"Because I think of them first?"

"Ok, men. We're going to move out," McNabb said. "Two groups of eight. One takes the direct route, the other takes the back way. We're going to follow this tracker. Jess, update us via the comm."

"Will do." She placed her hand on Turners arm. "Be careful, Mac."

"I always am," he replied with a smile.

-------------

"This place seems rather big." 24 said.

"It's a fuel depot. You realize a lot of ships have to come through here and fill up?" 07 said.

"Yeah."

"Well that means a lot of fuel, which means a big facility."

"I'm not a second grader, you know."

"Cut the chatter," Turner said. "They'll hear us."

The group moved down the hall, eyes open and searching. "24, check your map."

"Dretch is in a basement room. Down the stairs in the next room, down the hallway straight ahead."

"Alright. McNabb, you got that?"

"Got it. We're on the other side, waiting."

"Lets go."

-------------

McNabb look at the door in the distance. "Ok, two of you move along those pipes there. Another guy on the other side. The rest of you, after me. Move out!"

They moved up to the door.

"27, open that."

The clone entered a code on the panel and the door slid up. He suddenly began screaming.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?!"

The clone turned around, and the others moved back. His skin was bubbling and sliding off his body. McNabb could see muscles and bone.

"Kill him."

They all fired at once, putting the clone out of his misery. They cautiously moved up to the doorway, spotting a round purple structure on the wall. They killed it and walked inside. The room was dim, due to the lack of any bright lights. The soldiers walked over to the opposite door. Large purple growths were covering it, as if to keep something out. 15 grabbed his knife and started cutting it down.

"There's not much here." 19 said.

McNabb nodded. "Look around the room for eggs or something. They're here somewhere..."

The door slid open, and Turner and his men came through. "What is going on? I heard screaming!"

McNabb motioned to the sizzling remains of 27. The acid had eaten away most of his flesh.

Turner made a face and looked away.

"Guys!" Jess said over the comm.

"What is it?"

"13 is requesting help at Karith Corp. He says he and his men are overwhelmed. There are more aliens there than there were at Niveus, from the sounds of it."

"Alright. Men, is the room clear?"

"We didn't find anything, sir."

"Good. Let's go."

-------------

The dretch watched them as they moved away. When most of them had trickled out the door, it attacked.

-------------

Turner spun around when one of the men started screaming. He rushed forward, grabbing the dretch around the middle and throwing it at a wall. It hit with a splat, it's guts smeared on the surface as it slid downwards.

"Nasty bugger. It was watching us," he said. "You ok?"

The clone nodded. "Just a bite, nothing big. I thought I was done for!"

Turner smiled. "Not with me around. Let's get to Karith, men!"

"HOORAH!" they shouted, marching back to the base.

-------------
The end of Chapter 6

Author Note: This took longer than I would have liked, due to some real life stuff. In order to get it out a bit faster, this chapter is shorter than the others by a little bit. Don't worry, the next one should make up for it ;D

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Shadowgandor on May 20, 2009, 10:47:10 pm

*claps* Loved it, MOAR

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on May 21, 2009, 02:44:58 am

*applause*

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Einstein on May 23, 2009, 07:10:22 am

Wow. Absolutely amazing, and I want to publish this in a single document once you're done editing... very cool, I look forward to more!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Bissig on May 23, 2009, 09:15:36 pm

This is so prone for a movie/series of sorts...

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on May 23, 2009, 09:26:47 pm

I was totally thinking that too. :D

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 7
Post by: DeathSkull on May 24, 2009, 08:39:33 pm

"Do you have any means of transporting a lot of men at once?" McNabb asked.

"We've got a transport truck, but it won't take everyone at once." Prezowski replied. "Maybe one-third, maybe half if you want to squeeze that many in there."

"We'll go with one-third. We don't need everyone tripping over everyone else trying to get out."

Prezowski nodded. "Grant, go start up the truck! Sam, escort the men to the garage. The rest of you, get ready for lockdown. As of this moment, the facility is offline!"

------------

The clones piled into the back of the truck, fitting as many in as possible. When it was full, Sam closed the back and slapped the side. Grant nodded in the mirror and pulled out.

He turned left, the tires slipping on the ice and snow. The Karith Building loomed in the distance, casting its shadow over the colony. 24 knocked on the window seperating the cab from the back, and Grant slid it open.

"What can you tell us about Karith Corp?" he asked.

"Well, they bought us out a few years back. We used to fuel everyone who came through, but now Karith reserves one-third of the fuel for their own ships. We've got a few angry customers because of that, as I'm sure you can imagine."

24 nodded, then remembered Grant couldnt see him. "Yeah, I'll bet," he said.

"Yep, got some mad people out there. Maybe one or two of them are bit on the crazy side, ya know? We've got good security, though. Nobody bugs us."

"Except those bugs, right?"

Grant laughed. "Yeah, 'cept those bugs. Aliens, huh. Never thought I'd see the day. How 'bout you?"

24 smiled. "Me either."

"Well, here we are. Holy shit! What happened there?"

Grant got out and opened the back of the truck. The clones piled out one by one, 24 in the rear.

"Dang!"

The front of the building was demolished, as if it had been bombed. The flaming remains of a truck sat amongst the rubble, with what looked like bodies strewn around it. The clones moved closer.

"This vehicle was sabatoged, from the looks of it." 24 said. "Check the back."

"We've got what looks like a large crate back here, sir."

Grant frowned and moved away from the smoke. "Is there anything in it?"

24 shrugged. "It's locked shut. Some sort of code is required to open it. Let's get inside."

"I've got to get back and get the other soldiers," Grant said, walking back to his truck. "Good luck to you."

24 nodded. "Thanks. Men, move out!"

------------

They walked into the lobby, working their way around the rubble. "Why would anyone would go through this much trouble to sabatoge this place?" one of the clones inqiured.

"Secrets, maybe?" 24 replied.

"Could be. Hey, there's someone over there!"

They rushed over to a large chunk of rock, nearly hiding the woman crushed beneath it. They worked together to move it off her. "Is she alive?" 24 asked.

One of the clones checked for a pulse. "Nothing, sir. She's as dead as a doorknob."

"Alright, let's go. Elevator or stairs?"

"Stairs. This building is in shambles, and the elevator might die on us. Last thing we'd need is to get trapped in there."

"Agreed. I'll take lead." 24 said.

They moved down the stairs in single file, down into the darkness. God knows what lay in wait for them there.

------------

Turner jumped out of the truck first, his clones following.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

Grant shook his head. "No idea. The first group investigated, then went inside."

Turner tuned into 24's channel. "You there? Turner, over."

"I'm here. We're down in the sub levels. It's pretty dark down here."

"No lights?"

"Nope. I think this is supposed to be closed to the public... I see a light up ahead. 04, check it out."

"Stay in contact, 24, and be safe. Any sign of 13?"

"No, not a thing. Jesus! Turner, we've got a weapons stockpile down here!"

Turner's eyes widened. "Weapons, here?"

"Rifles, Shotguns, Mass Drivers, Grenades. My God, there's enough down here for a war! Wait... what's that?Shi-"

"24, come in! I repeat, come in!"

"The doors just shut and locked. We're trapped!

"We'll be right down as soon as group 3 arri- Nevermind, here they are."

Group 3 walked through the door, McNabb in the lead. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked.

Turner shook his head. "No idea. I need you and your men to guard up here while I go check out downstairs. 24 and his guys are trapped down there. They found a weapons stockpile."

"The usual shit or something more dangerous?"

"Yeah, the usual. Rifles, nades, the like. Can you hold down the fort?"

"Sure thing. Go on."

"Thanks. Men, let's move!"

Turner grabbed his rifle and headed down the stairs, the clones following right behind.

------------

"Jesus, 24 was right, it is dark down here. Who brought flashlights?"

Turned out several of the clones had. Turner took one and turned it on. "I think I see the light 24 was talking about. Looks like a window."

The group moved forward in the darkness, hugging the walls as not to get lost. They could barely see each other, mere silhouettes in the shadows. The air was thick with the smell of dust and age. Apparently not many came down here. One of the clones sneezed, and they all jumped.

"Sorry."

"Shhhhh," Turner said, turning off his flashlight. "Something around this corner...."

Turner moved around the corner, rifle raised, only to smash into another soldier. "Jesus! Is that you, 13?"

The dim light from the room down the hall softly lit up the clones face. It was indeed 13, and behind him were his soldiers.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Turner asked.

"I could ask you the same thing, Turner." The clone replied.

"Did you trap my men?"

"No, someone else is behind this. The aliens are upstairs, in the bulk of the building. I had to retreat back down here. I lost a lot of soldiers."

"Clones also?"

"Of course. Why else would I take vital parts of your machine?"

"We thought as much. But why?"

"Because I don't like being controlled. This way I'm free to do as I wish. I am, however, not against working with you. After all, I am your clone."

Turner smiled. "True. Allies?" he asked, extending his hand.

13 shook it. "Allies. Now let's go see if we can get your men out."

------------

"I think we can agree that the door is too thick to blow up or otherwise damage it." 13 said, twenty minutes later.

Turner nodded.

24 stood on the other side of the window. It too was explosive/bullet proof. "Well, I hope you fix this problem sometime soon, guys... like today."

Turner sighed. "We will. Any ideas, 13?"

13 shook his head. "Not one."

04 snarled. "There has to be some way out of here!" He threw his weapon down and kicked the wall.

24 froze. "04, do that again."

"Kick the wall? Ok." He kicked it again. There was a hollow thud.

"Again."

04 kicked it again. This time the wall budged slightly.

The other clones rushed over to it and began to push. In a matter of seconds it was open, revealing a long dirt hallway.

"A secret passage?" Turner asked, amazed.

"Well, I guess I know where we're going." 24 said, picking up 04's rifle and handing it back to him. "Maybe it leads out of here."

Turner nodded. "I'd tell you to stay here and wait for help, but after all, we are the help."

24 laughed. "Some help we are. We'll stay in radio contact. Let's move, soldiers!"

They walked into the darkness.

------------

After moving downward at a steady rate, the group finally reached level ground. There were more lights ahead, shining through a space under a door. Sliding it open, 24 peeked around through the crack. All he saw were a bunch of computers and machines, and a lone scientist. Making a motion with his free hand, the soldiers surrounded the man quietly. He suddenly spun around, sending the papers he was holding flying through the air.

"Jesus, you scared me! What are you doing here?"

"What is this?" inquired 24.

"Who are you?"

"I'm nobody you know. Now what is this?"

"Get out or I'll sound the alarm!"

24 smiled. "The only people here to answer it are my men."

"Screw you! Now you listen to me-"

24 darted forward, grabbing the scientist by the shirt and slamming him against the wall. "No, YOU listen to me! Tell me who you are and what you're doing here...." 24 reached down and grabbed his blaster, placing it under the scientists chin. "...or this room is going to get a redecoration, starting with your brains on that wall. It could use some red, don't you think?"

"O-o-o... ok! P-p-please, put it d-down. I'll tell you everything!"

24 let go and stepped back. "Start talking."

"Alright. My named is Robert Brown-"

"That's not what your nametag says. Jules Santiago. That's a long ways from Robert Brown."

"That's the name I work under! I'm... I'm spying on Karith Corporation. The government suspects they are up to illegal activities, and I was sent in to investigate."

"Just you?"

"Well... me and my wife."

"Oh, so you have a wife now? When do we get to the part with the 5 starving children? Oh, and don't forget the dog!"

Robert sighed, disgusted. "Why do I even bother?"

24 apologized. "Continue."

"Well... my wife isn't here right now. She's in another part of the facility, gathering information. It's my job to process it all and send it off to the big guys."

"How does she get this information?"

Robert shrugged. "She doesn't give me much in the way of details. Once she does get it, I've got my hands full with my part of the job. In fact, I was just fixing to decode a package I got recently. It looks important, because there's a lot of files in this one. Who the hell are you guys, anyways? You're not mercs, I can tell that much."

"I'm 24. I also work for the government. Military."

Robert blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"Robert?" a voice called. The clones immediately grabbed their weapons.

Suddenly a door opened across the room, and a young woman walked into the room. She had a wave of dark brown hair, and stormy blue eyes. On the contrast, Robert had light blonde hair, and greenish eyes. She stopped and looked at them. "Oh god."

Robert shook his head. "It's not what you think. These men are government, not Corp men."

"I figured if they were Corp, we'd both be dead right now. Listen, Robert, something is going on upstairs-"

"What?"

"Well, let's just say it's all the proof we'll need that Karith has got their nose in something dirty. That and this folder I snatched from the lab." She handed it to Robert, who opened it. "What the hell are these?" he asked.

"Dretches." 24 said, peeking over Roberts shoulder.

"What?"

"Thats what we call them."

"You've seen them before?" the woman asked.

"Are you kidding? We've killed dozens of them. Them and bigger ones."

Robert snapped the folder shut. "You've got to be kidding me. Karith brought them here."

24 looked shocked. "No way! Let me see the folder."

Robert handed it over. 24 looked through it. "You're right! Turner, you there? You've got to hear this."

"Can it wait? I'm more interested in a solution for this door."

"Robert, can you open the door up there?"

"Sure thing." he replied, turning to his keyboard.

"Good, it's open. Now what'd you want me to know?"

"It can wait till you get here. "Oh, and tell McNabbs men to come also. This is big."

------------

"You must be kidding me." Turner said.

Robert shook his head. "Amanda, go check the security cams, will you. I've got an idea on how to get us out of here."

His wife nodded and walked over to a row of monitors.

"So Karirh Corporation brought them here. What in hell for?" McNabb asked.

"Well, this folder doesn't give all the details. They obviously wanted to study them. After all, it is the first alien life form we've ever seen."

McNabb snorted. "They couldn't be like ET, could they?"

"ET?"

"Old movie, way before our time. Cute alien crashes on earth, wants to get back home. Something tells me these guys don't care about getting home."

Turner agreed. "I think they care more about killing us than getting back home."

"Are you sure?" Robert asked.

McNabb nodded. "Eating someones face off is not a good way to ask for a phone to call for a ride."

"Alright then. Amanda, is the coast clear?"

"Yeah, so far. Are we ready?"

"We are. Grab a jacket."

Once they were bundled up, Robert grabbed his laptop and the folder.

"Let's go."

------------

The trek to the surface only took a handful of minutes, and then they were out in the biting cold. Snow had begun to fall, making the lights of the colony hard to see. Turner cupped his hands over his mouth and breathed, warming his lips.

"Listen, we can't leave without taking care of this."

McNabb shook his head. "We don't have a construction kit. We can't build a base, and without a base we can't fight the aliens."

Turner sighed. McNabb was right.

"Let's get back to the colony. Maybe we can think of something there."

The group started their long trek through the snow and ice.

------------

Nearby, hidden behind a generator, was a marauder. It watched the humans with its small black eyes until it couldn't see them anymore. It could still smell them, however.

It turned and went back into the building, hopping off the walls. It was warm in here. Warm like fresh blood. The marauder grew hungry. Hungry for flesh.

Human flesh.

------------

McNabb collasped on a stool at the bar, his face almost numb. Thank god for heating. The others were spread throughout the tavern, clustered together for warmth. The security team was here, along with the builder team and Jess. As soon as they warmed up, they were sending the build team out to set up a base.

"Beer?" The bartender asked.

"No thanks." McNabb replied, getting up and walking over to the window. Grant joined him.

"We need to go back and get that stockpile. It could come in handy."

Grant nodded.

"Up for it?"

"Sure. We'll need some extra men."

"I'll take care of it. Go start up the truck.

------------

Grant backed the truck up the entrance of the building and opened the back. The men filed out and headed towards the stairs, McNabb in the rear.

"Grant, guard the truck. Let's make it fast, men."

"Hoorah!"

------------

The granger crawled out of the shadows, sniffing the air for the human scent. The humans with the weapons were inside. It crawled on top of the truck and sat there, waiting.

------------

"Jesus, these crates are heavy. Is there a dolly down here or something?"

One of the clones shone his flashlight around the room. "Over there, sir. Two of them!"

"Go get em and lets load up."

The clones slid the base under the box, and two more lifted another box, placing it on top of the first one. They did the same with the second dolly. As they were leaving, McNabb saw a case over against the far wall.

"Someone grab that."

------------

They slid the last crate in and piled into the back. McNabb knocked on the window. "Let's go."

Grant started the truck up and pulled out.

------------

They turned a corner, sliding on the ice and snow. The granger, unprepared for the sudden change in direction, slid off, watching as the truck righted itself and continued on its course. It shook the snow off itself and headed for the nearest building.

------------

"We're back!" McNabb announced as he and the others entered the bar.

"Where'd you go?" Turner asked, sipping some hot chocolate. He was wrapped in a large blanket.

"We went back and grabbed those guns and shit. I figured they'd come in handy."

"You figured right. We've been working up a plan on how to take these aliens down."

"Share?"

"Well, first our builders put up a couple telenodes here. We think they can run off the generator, at least long enough to be beneficial. After that, someone takes our builders to the site-"

"That'd be me." Grant said.

"Yes. Anyways, Grant takes them there, and they set up our usual base. Then we go through the telenodes here and end up there."

McNabb scratched his head. "That'll work?"

Turner shrugged. "I don't see why not. Sound good?"

"I'm in. I guess we better go unload the truck."

"Let's do it. Soldiers, get ready for battle!"

------------

The End of Part 7

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on May 24, 2009, 09:19:23 pm

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on May 27, 2009, 03:35:17 pm

Wow.
I have to say, this is the best fic I've seen so far.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on May 27, 2009, 03:51:51 pm

Thanks very much! : >

Now I need to get my lazy butt in gear and write part 8!

^_^

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on May 27, 2009, 07:55:38 pm

;D ;D

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 8
Post by: DeathSkull on May 29, 2009, 06:55:09 am

Turner

"What do you mean, they've moved?"

The Clone leader was leaning against the wall by the armory. The recon team had just returned with their report. According to them, the aliens, or any sign of a base, were nowhere in sight. Turner sighed and walked over to the computer.

"Do we have satellite access?"

The tech messed around for a few seconds. "Yes sir, we do."

"Pull up live video for this area. I need to know where the aliens went."

Turner watched the screen as the computer zoomed in on the Karith Building. Nothing outside, except snow. Lots and lots of snow.

"Screw it." Turner said, walking away. He unholstered his rifle and sat it on the table, then leaned back in a nearby chair.

"Take it easy, Mac." Jess said, entering the room.

"What're you doing here?!"

"It's my job." she replied.

"No." Turner said, getting up. "Back to the bar with you."

"If you touch me..."

"You'll do what? Huh? I'm your superior officer."

"You're more than that, Mac..."

Turner dropped the boss act. "I know, I just don't want you getting hurt out there."

"I'm only running a computer, Mac. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I give in. But don't leave the base!"

"Of course not, sir," she said, pecking him on the cheek and heading to the nearest computer.

Turner smiled sheepishly and went back to the table. McNabb was playing cards with 24. "Care for a game of Uno?" he asked.

Turner nodded and grabbed a chair. McNabb dealt.

"Didn't this game die out about a century ago?" 24 asked.

McNabb shifted his eyes. "Yes, it did. I aqquired a deck of cards though, and learned how to play. It's fun."

Turner shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if you are archaic in more ways than one, John."

"Shut it," McNabb replied, a touch of humor in his voice. "Now listen..."

-----------------

"Sir? Come see this."

Turner got up and walked over. "What is it?"

"We've got a visual on the aliens. They're nested in another section of the Karith building. We saw a maraudar jumping around in the snow."

"Just jumping around?"

"Yes sir. It seemed to be... uh, amused with the snow. It'd climb up a small hill and jump to the bottom, then do it again."

Turner had to smile a bit. "Like a child's game."

"Perhaps, sir. Maybe this is a peek into their mindset?"

Turner nodded. It's possible... but don't forget: a cat plays with his mouse before he eats it. Just because it looks cute from our perspective does not mean it has good intentions."

He walked over to the intercom and switched it on, picking up the microphone. "This is Mac Turner, and we've got a confirmation on alien lifeforms in the Karith Corporation building. Get ready."

-----------------

The clones marched out in rows of four, McNabb following with his own group. Turner was the last to leave.

"Be safe, Mac." Jess said, hugging him.

"Always. I'll be back before you know it."

Turner grabbed his rifle and walked out the door.

-----------------

Mac lay prone on a snowbank, peering through his binoculars.

"13, are your men in position?"

"Affirmative, Turner. We are go."

"Move up them up. Do you see the target?"

"Affirmative. Target is secure. Ready to fire."

"Take it down."

The mara was hit from 5 different angles at once, obliterating it. The steaming corpse fell to the snow, melting what was around it.

"Target exterminated."

"Good job. Let's enter the build-"

"Mac!"

"Jess? What is it?"

"We've got a problem. The Aliens were spotted in the colony, at a train station."

"How the hell did they get there?!"

"We don't know. Some civilians were killed, but the security team evacuated the rest. You need to send someone over there, Mac."

"Hell... I need all my men here."

"Innocent lives are in danger. Think about that."

Turner dropped his head, thinking. Maybe they could spare some men... but it would be risky. He brought up a mental image of the colony. If they were at the train station... god, that was on the other side. It was almost as if the aliens were trying to split them up.

"John?" he said finally, his breath fogging in the cold air.

"Yes?"

"Take your men to the train station. 13 and I will take care of things here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go now. 13, meet up with me. We're going in."

Over the hills, a large group of clones rose from the snow and ran towards the building. A moment later another group showed up, heading towards the colony. "Good luck, John."

"Good luck to you, Mac. Hopefully we'll see you all soon."

Turner stood and brushed himself off.

"Lets move."

-----------------

They moved through the hallways swiftly, the glare of the flourescent lights shining off their armor. Turner listened for anything suggesting alien movement, be it a scratch, a growl, a footstep. His breathing was harsh, his blood was pumping. The feeling of battle never got old. It was his life.

"Hold it." he said. "Let's check this room."

The door didn't seem to be in working order, so Turner slid his hands under the lip and pulled up, the door rolling on its tracks. Behind it lay a storage room, complete with a second floor and an elevator. The air was old and musty, suggesting that this room had been closed for some time.

"Move on."

They passed a couple of flowerbeds, noting that none of them had been touched. The next room was huge, going up several floors and with its own elevator to boot. 24 started to push the button.

"No!" Turner shouted, then cringed as the room amplified his voice. "If they hear it, they'll know we're here." he continued in whisper. "Use the stairs."

13 nodded and went up the left staircase with his men, while Turner and his men took the right. They walked down the narrow walkway in a row, each man moving slowly to assure proper footing. Slowly it began to sway. Turner looked up from his feet to see a dragoon sitting down at the end.

"Oh sh-"

It turned and bit through one of the cables, and the walkway shifted downwards to the right. One of the clones fell over the edge to the ground below. Turner shut his eyes. When he opened them, he saw that the goon had resumed watching them, wearing a feral grin full of teeth. Turner stared at it, not moving.

Without warning, it turned, chewed through the other cable, and leaped to freedom. Time froze for a moment... and then the walkway fell.

----------------
McNabb

They arrived at the train station within the hour. Nathan brought them up to date as they built their base.

"Apparently the aliens nested in one of the trains. Berlinger 102, old model. It's been out of use for years now."

"How long were they there, do you think?"

Nathan shook his head. "Days, maybe weeks."

McNabb shook his head. "They'd go hungry. I'm thinking... less than a day, maybe."

Nathan was shocked. "That recent? And there's that many of them already?

"How many are there?"

Nathan walked over to a door and opened the peephole. "Look for yourself."

McNabb walked over. He couldn't believe his eyes.

---------------
Turner

Turner fell forward, rolling down the walkway. He cursed whoever made this with no railings, wishing he had something to break his fall. At least there was the ground.

He landed face down, breath nearly knocked out of him. He filled his lungs with air... then remembered the clones that were behind him and rolled out of the way.

The clones landed behind him, yells of pain and shouts of surprise filling the air. Turner glanced behind him only to see a mass of arms and legs. As he helped sort them out, he was relieved to find that no one was seriously hurt. They organized themselves and looked up.

13 and his men were on their way, rushing down the stairs as fast as possible. No more aliens were in sight, and for that Turner was thankful. He gathered the men and laid out a plan.

"Alright, I'm going to take half the group and go through that door up there." he said, pointing to the door on the second floor. "I want the rest of you to go back outside and find another entrance into the building. Use your 3D map, if you must. We've got to find another way into the alien base and destroy them. Any questions?"

No one had any.

"Ok, let's move. Stick together and be careful. We can do this."

Turner raced up the stairs, men close behind. He approached the door, which slid open automatically. They searched the ceiling, walls, floor. Nothing.

"Where the hell are they?"

"Down the hall, look!"

On the floor sat one dretch, alone. It didn't move, make a sound, or give any other indication it was alive. One of the clones approached it slowly, nudging it with his foot.

"It's dead, sir."

Turner nodded. "13, what is your location?"

"We're on a staircase leading up to to the second floor of the building. There's a door here, and we can see something through it. Hard to tell what it is, because the glass is cloudy. We're going to shoot through it."

Turner heard gunfire, then a scream. He pushed past his men, only to find one of his clones who had wandered ahead. Blood was gushing from his wounds.

13 stepped through the broken glass and shook his head sadly. "Damn."

"Do you hear that?" another of the clones asked.

Turner listened. It was the tiny pattering of little feet... times 100.

Without warning a swarm of dretches burst through the far door. The clones jumped up and ran, leaving their wounded comrade behind. Nothing could be done for him now. The dretches swarmed over him, tearing at his flesh and chewing on his bones. Another clones was taken down, and yet another tripped on the stairs. Before anyone could save him, he too was taken under.

Turner ran as fast as his legs would carry him, gasping for breath. He felt a stab in his side, and his legs were beginning to hurt. He felt on his belt, praying to God or anyone who would hear him that he had a grenade. Nothing.

He went sprawling, his legs unable to carry him any farther. As he hit the floor, a grenade rolled out of a pouch on his belt. His eyes widened, for he was sure he hadn't had any.

Grabbing it, he pulled the pin, rolled over, and threw it. It exploded, the heat rushing back at Turner and what men were left. The biggest part of the alien group was destroyed, and Turner grabbed his rifle. "Kill the rest!"

The others opened fire, bullets tearing through the remaining dretches. Several of them dodged, jumping onto the walls and ceiling. Turner tried to keep his aim on them, but it was hard. One of them launched itself at his head. He moved, but one claw scratched his cheek as it flew past. One of the clones stepped on it, crushing it. The others escaped.

"Fuck." Turner said.

At least 7 men had been taken down. Turner was saddened to see that 24 was not among those living. He collapsed to the floor, his body to tired to do anything. His heart was wounded, for each clone was, after all, him. How long can a man go on, dying over and over again? Turner cursed the aliens, cursed them for everything they'd done to him and his men. But it wasn't over yet.

Not till every last one was dead.

----------------
McNabb

"Is this a joke, Nathan?" John asked, narrowing his eyes at the other.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"There's nothing out there. If this was an error on your part, you are going to pay."

Nathan looked out the peephole. McNabb was right. There was nothing there.

"But..."

McNabb snarled and pushed past him, disgusted. Nathan followed him, protesting. "I'm telling you, I saw them. Small, brown, six legs. There were some others too, pink ones and a couple red ones."

McNabb looked at him for a minute. "Alright, assuming you're not lying, where'd they all go?"

Nathan shook his head. "How the hell should I know? Jesus, it's not like I'm going to post a guard out there to keep tabs on them. They killed three innocent people, McNabb. Three!"

"Ok, they did. I'm sorry I blew up at you. I'm just a bit pressured lately. All this fighting, it'll get to me in the end."

"It's ok, John."

McNabb nodded. "Are the men ready?"

"Yes. I'll go get them."

McNabb went to the armory and selected a mass driver, along with the battery pack. He put it on and hooked the power cord up to the driver. Satisfied, he waited for the men. One by one they arrived, lining up in a row.

"Pick a weapon from the armory. We've got a few new toys, including a pulse rifle ans what the science team calls a painsaw. You can thank McGregor for them when we get home. And we are going to get home, am I clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"These aliens, they've gone too far. Not only have they killed out soldiers, but they've killed our citizens. Some mans wife isn't coming home to him. A parent went to school, worried that their child hadn't come home yet. Instead, they find out he's at the morgue. You understand what I'm saying here? These aliens have violated our life, our very existance."

"Yes!"

"We're going to teach them a lesson. You see, when you attack a man, he doesn't stand there and take it. He fights back. Maybe these bastards have conquered weaklings before, because they didn't fight back. Well, we do. And they've attacked us enough already. Today, we make our stand. We've got our chance to wipe them out, and it starts here and now. Are we ready for this, men?"

"YES SIR!"

-----------------

"Room clear?"

"Clear!"

McNabb followed his men out, staying in the rear. The mass driver made an excellent sniper, capable of picking targets off from extreme distances. He dropped into a crouch and snuck along the wall, eyes searching every nook and cranny.

"Wait, John!"

He turned around and saw Nathan. "What is it?"

"Come this way. We've got a secret way to the trains."

McNabb got up and followed them through a large room full of boxes. "Mechanical parts," Nathan explained. "In case the trains break down. We've got part of the floor torn up over here, to allow easy access to said train. As it happens, 102 is down there because of renovation. Crew was gonna salvage any parts from it and send it to the scrapyard."

"So it's where the aliens are holed up?"

"We think so yes."

McNabb nodded and dropped down to the box below. Nathan followed him. The train stretched out before them, like a road into the past. It had been to times and places they would never see. Its steel grey body spoke in dreary tones, suggesting its life had been somewhat dull and was about to get worse. McNabb could concur. He dropped into a prone position on the roof of the storage car and waited for his men.

The door across the room slid up, his men on the other side. They moved forward, motioning to him. He acknowledged that he'd seen them, and dropped his hand back to his gun. He aimed it slowly from side to side, finger on the trigger. He motioned for his men to stop, waiting. He could hear them below, crawling and walking, waiting for the surprise opportunity to attack. Suddenly the doors of the cab slid open, and the alien hoarde was unleashed. The dretches swarmed out first, crawling over everything, including each other, to get to the humans. His men opened fire, the gunshots sounding extremely loud in the big room. McNabb waited a another few seconds, and unleashed him own surprise.

In a matter of seconds he took down 6 dretches, missing once. He waited for the weapon to re-energize, then opened fire again, trying to clear an opening for the man with the saw. One of the other soldiers rushed forward with a flamethrower and opened up, unleashing a wall of flame. A dretch bypassed him, jumping on the tank and biting it. It exploded, causing a shower of body parts to rain down. It was all the sawer needed, and he started running for the open door. He barely making it inside as it slammed shut behind him.

McNabb and the others cleared out the remaining dretches, of which there were only a few. They all waited outside for a few minutes, and then the door opened, revealing a smiling blood and gore splattered marine. "I got them all. One basilisk, and the granger, were hiding behind some crates. They didn't stand a chance."

McNabb smiled. "And the eggs?"

"Two of em. Got them both. We won this battle, sir."

A cheer rose from the small group of soldiers. "Good work, son." McNabb said, now beaming. He removed his portable radio and switched to Turners channel.

"This is Hawk Eye #2, come in #1."

Nothing.

"I repeat, this is McNabb with Hawk Eye #2, come in!"

Then there was nothing, again. McNabb swore and replaced the radio from where he got it. "We're going to Karith Corp Headquarters. Turner isn't responding. Gather what you need and let's move."

Suddenly, static. McNabb grabbed the radio and placed it to his ear.

"Haw-....tack. Overwhelmed. Th-.....seven men. We ca-...much lon-.....elp us."

Silence.

Dead silence.

---------------

The End of Chapter 8

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on May 29, 2009, 07:11:15 am

That was just plain epic :D

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Winnie the Pooh on May 29, 2009, 07:13:37 am

(http://www.themagicshop.co.nz/images/1ApplauseCard.gif)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: UniqPhoeniX on May 29, 2009, 07:47:57 am

Epic! Every single chapter :)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Shadowgandor on May 29, 2009, 07:48:08 pm

Great work, loved it :D

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Bissig on May 29, 2009, 08:51:19 pm

Great narration!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on May 29, 2009, 09:20:37 pm

awwwsum

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: CreatureofHell on May 30, 2009, 09:49:35 am

I wish I could step on dretches! :)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 9
Post by: DeathSkull on May 31, 2009, 01:23:43 am

McNabb lead his men through the snow, which was now knee deep. They were making slow progress, having to stop every so often for a breather. Despite the extreme cold, McNabb found himself nearly burning up. It was the suit, he thought. Wiping sweat from his brow, he continued on.

As they topped the next hill, he spotted a vague figure in the distance running towards them. He squinted his eyes, hoping for a better look, but no luck. The vague figure moved a bit closer, and McNabb saw that it was a man, or a large woman. The figure began to wave its arms enthusiasticly. McNabb had no idea if the person was talking or not.

"Who are you?!" he shouted over the screaming wind, hoping it carried his words to the man up ahead. Unfortunately, he realized that because of the wind direction, he wouldn't be able to hear anything they said. He raised his mass driver and pointed to it, then motioned for the man to approach. The figure fought its way closer. The wind rose for a second, and the man ahead was blown over. McNabb was worried , but then the man reappeared, attempting to stay on his feet. Finally, he could hear something!

"It's me!" the figure shouted.

"Who's me?" McNabb shouted back. He aimed his mass driver at the other, just in case.

"Robert! The scientist back at the facility!"

McNabb frowned. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Robert finally reached them. He pulled down the scarf over his face for a moment so he could be heard. McNabb noted his face was red.

"You'll need me!" he said, still shouting. "I know the codes to get into Kariths secret files. Anything they've got on those aliens, including where they came from, will be in the database."

"Well," McNabb said, "we're not in a position to argue. Can you use a gun?"

"I shot some at the range back in the colony."

"Ok, come with us."

McNabb walked past, hoping this snow would let up eventually.

------------------

They reached the facility about 30 minutes later. Robert punched in the door code and they all gathered inside, thankful for the shelter at last.

"So the heat is always on here?" McNabb asked.

"Yes," Robert replied. "In a climate as cold as this one we've got to leave it on all the time, because the building, and everyone in it, would freeze in no time. And if you're thinking about power outages, we've got generators to help us out with that."

"And if the generators go out?"

Robert smiled. "Hope you go to hell when you die, cause it's a lot warmer there."

McNabb shook his head. "Screw you. Let's go."

He raised his weapon and kicked in the nearest door. It led down a narrow hallway, with rooms aligned on each side. He procceeded to each one, opening it and scanning the area. Offices, a janitors closet, a small dining room. No aliens. McNabb sighed and motioned for the others to follow. He opened the door at the end of the hallway, revealing the base Turners group had built earlier.

Jess raised her eyes from the screen at looked at them, somewhat shocked. "Are you finished?"

McNabb nodded. "We cleared out the Transit Station, but we just got a distress call from Turner th-"

"Mac?" she said, rising. "Is he ok?"

McNabb said he didn't know. "I'm taking my team over there now. I need you to give me updates on the alien location, flanks and the like. Can you do that for me?"

She sighed. "I will. God, I hope he's ok..."

"He'll be fine. He's a tough nut to crack." McNabb said, walking over to the door, before stopping and turning around. "You care about him a lot, don't you?"

He was a bit surprised to see tears in her eyes... or maybe it was a trick of the light. Never the less, she nodded. McNabb smiled. "So do I. He's a good friend." With that, he left.

--------------

The snow had finally quit falling, leaving the colony in a peaceful state. Everyone was fast asleep, or should be. McNabb wondered where the phrase 'fast asleep' came from, and decided he didn't care. He lit a cigarette and inhaled, holding it for a moment before letting it go.

"Any luck?" he asked over the comm. He'd sent a search team ahead to look for any evidence as to where Turner and his men had gone.

"None, sir. Wait, I think I see blood."

McNabbs heart sank. It was more likely one of the clones, but you could never tell.

"Holy shit! It's a bloodbath up here!

McNabb had heard enough. "I'm on my way."

--------------

"Dear God, what have we here?"

McNabb felt sick, and he didn't think anything in his military career would have prepared him for this. The hallway was splattered with gore, human and alien alike. He walked through the carnage, trying not to step in the blood, and unable to help it. He fought with his stomach, trying to keep his last meal down.

"No sign of Turner, sir, or the remaining men. They've obviously moved on. See, we've got footprints up here." one of the men said, walking past McNabb and pointing to the red tracks. "And these smears... they dragged someone with them."

John shook his head. "How do you know some alien didn't carry a body off?"

"All footprints are human, sir."

"All right. Let's keep looking. Leave the bodies here for now. We can collect them later."

McNabb was glad to not have to look at that mess anymore, but it'd forever be etched into his memory.

"Sir, up here!"

"What is it?"

"We've found them!"

McNabb burst into a run. The soldier motioned to an open doorway. He looked inside, then sighed in relief. "Turner, you bastard. I thought something happened to you."

Turner laughed. "If I knew company was coming, I'd have cleaned up out there." He went serious. "I can't believe I lost that many men. It was a huge swarm of dretches, and we nearly lost everyone, including myself."

"I'm glad you made it Turner. God only made one of you."

Turner looked around at his clones and smiled.

McNabb shook his head. "Nevermind. What's your plan, or do you even have one?"

"Well, we need to find the source of these aliens. We're pretty sure it's not the sub levels, so we have-"

"To go up, yeah. Makes sense, the aliens have the high ground that way."

Turner nodded. "I don't think we should split up for this one. There's too many of them."

"I'll agree with you this time. Stick together at all costs. Got it, men?"

They all nodded.

"We've got a great base killer. McGregor invented the Painsaw, and it works wonders."

"Painsaw?"

"Electric saw. It tears through alien structures like a lightsaber through metal."

"Lightsaber?"

"Forget it, ancient sci fi movie. Come on."

Turner grinned and followed, the men right behind them.

--------------

"Did the base get my call?" Turner asked as they walked.

"Apparently not. Jess was worried sick."

Turner fell silent.

"She cares about you a lot, you know."

"I know, John. I care about her, too."

McNabb nodded. "And thats why we're getting out of here alive."

"We?"

"Well yeah... did you have other plans?"

Turner appeared to think for a moment. "Well, I wanted to use you for bait...."

"Asshole."

Turner laughed. "I'm here all week!"

"I hope we won't be here all week."

"Nah. Let's go. Men, breach the door!"

The clones moved up and planted themselves on each side of the door. Another kicked it open, revealing two goons. "Attack!"

The goons roared and pounced forward, knocking a couple clones down. Turner dodged to the left, sliding on the floor. He rolled over and depressed the trigger on his rifle, spraying bullets. Most missed. He swore and reloaded, nearly dropping the clip. "John, go behind them!"

McNabb crouched just as the second goon pouced for him again, missing. He spun around and shot the creature in the hind leg, making it stumble. One of the clones saw his chance and jumped on the back of the goon, grabbing the bony plate on the head for a solid grip. It bucked and slammed into the wall, trying to send the clone flying, yet he managed to hold on. He reached for his knife and stabbed the dragoon in the back of the neck, severing the spine from the head. It collapsed instantly, dead.

Turner aimed his weapon at the remaining goon, riddling its body with bullets. The alien gave a weak roar and crawled towards him, its jaws snapping. Turner moved back and McNabb shot it in the head, finishing it off.

Before they could recover, a basilisk rounded the corner and grabbed a clone by the leg, dragging him away. Turner cursed and reloaded, but he couldn't fire without hitting the clone. McNabb moved forward, hoping for a clear shot. The basilisk growled and launched itself at him, expelling a cloud of green gas. McNabb made a choking sound, grabbing his throat and stumbling back. He tripped over a body and went down, the basi crawling up on his chest. Turner kicked it squarely in the side, sending it into the wall. He unloaded his clip into it, killing it.

"You ok?" he asked, crouching next to McNabb. The sarge coughed and nodded, and Turner helped him up. He stumbled for a second, putting his hand on the wall for support.

"Nasty critter. When could they do that?"

Robert pushed his way to the front, looking at the now dead basilisk with wonder. "It's an advanced class." he said.

"Advanced?"

Robert nodded. "This version of the basilisk is a tad bit stronger than the others, and it expells a foul gas that causes the target to slowly smother if not treated instantly. That, with the basilisk chewing on you, should render you dead pretty fast."

McNabb shuddered. "I think I'll keep them away from me from now on. Where are we?"

Robert looked around. "I think we're right below the main offices. If we take the stairs up a floor or two, I can hack into the mainframe and download all the alien data, including where they may have more."

"More aliens?"

"Yes, I heard rumors that they have a top secret facility somewhere else on this world. If such a place exists, they'd surely have more creatures there."

"I hope to God they don't." Turner said. "I've just about had enough of this."

"Haven't we all." McNabb added.

Robert agreed. "I also hope these are the last, but we need to be prepared just in case they aren't. Come, lets get moving."

--------------

Upstairs...

Robert typed on the keyboard, waking the computer up. He opened the tray and inserted a disk, then reached into his pocket and grabbed a flashdrive, and plugged that in. He pushed a few more keys, and a bunch of windows came up.

"Ok, keep an eye on the door, this'll take a few minutes."

Turner shut the door and put a chair in front of it, then sat against the wall. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, but yet he kept going. He rubbed his eyes and asked if there was a bathroom nearby.

"Over there, through that door." Robert said.

Turner thanked him and went inside, shutting the door behind him. He checked to see if the water was working, and it was. He rinsed his hands and face off, relishing the coldness. He looked at his reflection, and noted that he needed a shave when he got home. He was pale, too. His eyes were still lively though, a bright vibrant blue. Feeling a lot better, he shut the water off and went back out.

"Water in there," he said to McNabb, and sat down against the wall again.

"Almost done," Robert said. "We're doing good."

Turner nodded. "I'll be glad to leave this hell hole."

"So will I, my freind. Oh shit, look at this."

Turner raced over to the computer. "What is it?"

"I was right! There's another facility."

Turner cursed and threw a paperweight at the wall. It bounced off and landed on the carpet.

"Apparently it's where they took the first batch of aliens they captured. They brought them here from a distant system and studied them, but apparently the work load was too much, so they split the group of aliens up and brought half here."

"Let me guess," McNabb said, exiting the bathroom. "The aliens here escaped, and the building was evacuated, and we were sent in to clean this mess up?"

"Wait," 13 said, coming over. "How does this explain the aliens on the other worlds?"

Robert shook his head. "I don't know...wait, there's a log here of an unidentified shipment to a Nivieus base in the Xeres system. Know where that is?"

Turner bristled. "I was stationed not far from there. My base came under attack, and everyone but myself died."

McNabb nodded. "We've already cleared up there. And I think it's obvious how they got to the train station and the Fuel Depot. Both are close by."

Robert frowned. "So they got a shipment of aliens offworld? Damn. It makes you wonder if they'd done it more than once, but there's nothing else here to show for that."

"I'd probably shoot myself right now if they did."

"Now, now," McNabb said. "We can't have our hero killing himself. You've got to save the human race, after all."

"Save it for the girls."

"Don't be a smartass, I was joking."

"Files are finished downloading, let's get the hell out of here." Robert said, ejecting the disk.

"You heard the man!" 13 said. "Grab your weapons and lets haul ass!"

--------------

The soldiers went down the stairs as fast as possible, making sure not to stumble. They reached the ground floor and pushed open the stairwell door, emerging into the empty lobby.

"What about the remaining aliens?"

Robert smiled. "The few left were still in the section of the facility under lockdown. They'll starve to death with no food. Problem solved."

"So after this other facility, we'll have them all destroyed?"

"With luck, yes."

The soldiers cheered and ran outside under a still night sky. The stars glistened like diamonds, and the air was cool. Turner felt better just being out of that god forsaken place.

"Lets go home, men."

--------------

The colonys hotel was leased out to them by the owner, who was thankful for what they'd done for the people. After they'd cleaned up, the townspeople held a dinner in thanks for those who lived, and in memory for those who had given their lives. Turner left early and went to his room.

He placed his blaster under the mattress and laid down on the bed. A few minutes later a knock sounded.

"Come in."

It was Jess.

"Hey," he said, sitting up.

"Hey," she said. "I see you made it back alive."

He nodded.

"I'm glad," she added.

"So am I."

She started to say something, then came over and sat by him on the bed. "Mac... how DO they tell you from the clones?"

Turner laughed and raised his right sleeve. On his bicep was a tattoo. "The doc put it there after making the clones. Anyone who's looking for me can tell by the-"

She interrupted him with a kiss, shocking him into silence.

"Wow, what was that for?" he asked.

"You've had that coming for a while, Mac." she replied, getting up.

"Leaving?"

"No," she said, locking the door and lowering the lights. "We're just getting started."

--------------

"Wow."

"Mhm."

"Amazing."

"Mhm."

"Can we go again?"

"No."

The phone rang.

"Why does that always happen when it shouldnt?" Turner said, sighing. He sat up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's John. I just wanted to let you know that command is coming to pick us up. They'll be taking us to the facility personally. Oh and we've got some new toys. McGregor finished the Battlesuit and it'll be coming with us."

"Great..."

"You weren't sleeping, were you? Sorry if I woke you up."

"Nah, I was wide awake."

"Ok, good. They'll be here in a couple days, so we've got plenty of resting time. Say, you haven't seen Jess, have you? She was looking for you."

"Yeah, talked to her earlier."

"Ok, good. I'll be off."

"Thanks for the info, John."

"Of course." He hung up.

Turner leaned back and closed his eyes. "We're off in few days."

"No!"

"Yes. There's one last facility we've got to take care of."

"Send the clones. You can stay."

"No, I have to lead them."

"Mac..."

"I'm sorry, Jess. Thats just the way it is."

She gave him a glare and turned over.

"What, the cold shoulder now?"

Silence.

Turner grumbled and shut the light off. "Goodnight."

"Night."

--------------

The End of Chapter 9

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: mooseberry on May 31, 2009, 01:48:14 am

Best part yet, pretty good. :)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Winnie the Pooh on May 31, 2009, 09:33:51 am

(http://www.princeville326.org/applause/applause_files/image001.gif)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on May 31, 2009, 10:59:47 am

When you've finished them you really should try sending a manuscript to a publisher, I think you've got some chances!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Shadowgandor on May 31, 2009, 12:37:34 pm

Yea, and think about the publicity Tremulous would get :P

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 8
Post by: n@p on June 01, 2009, 06:52:49 am

Quote from: DeathSkull on May 29, 2009, 06:55:09 am

...In a matter of seconds he took down 6 dretches, missing once...

Oh dear - how could we forget? 30 rounds in the magazine...and 1 more down in the chamber! So screw everyone who says it's incorrect :P

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 10
Post by: DeathSkull on June 03, 2009, 09:26:05 pm

Turner gripped his chaingun tighter. Last thing he needed was to lose his grip on his weapon. At least recent technological breakthorughs allowed manufactuers to make the weapons lighter, otherwise he wouldn't be going anywhere with this thing. Sitting the weapon down for a moment, he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and looked around. He was stationed on a mostly barren world in the Xeres System. Most of the traffic to and from mostly consisted of transporters, as a few big manufactuers had factories out here.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, squinting his eyes as the hot yellow sun beamed down on him. This particular area was reminescent of a desert back on Earth, dry and hot, devoid of almost all life. And like on Earth, it hardly rained out here. They had their water (and food) shipped to them from offworld, stored in large coolers underneath the base. At least there wasn't much to do out here except sleep and eat. Who the heck would bother them out here? Terrorists? No one gave a crap about this system.

Sunlight glimmered off a metal surface in the distance. Turner shaded his eyes, hoping he'd get a better look. Finally! It was their monthly supplies. He picked up the chaingun and trotted over to the landing pad. The ship drew closer, hovering over the pad then lowering slowly. When it had landed, the ramp opened, hissing.

"I was wondering when you'd get here." Turner said.

A short man, about 5'7", stepped out of the ship, putting on a pair of sun goggles. "Took us a bit longer than usual. You the new guy? Haven't seen you before."

Turner nodded. "I got stuck with the welcoming job."

The man laughed. "Must suck out here in all this heat. Tell your commander to get off his lazy ass and build a small air conditioned building out here."

"I'll pass it on."

"You do that. Sign this form, please. It confirms that you got the shipment."

Turner took the small handheld computer and scribbled his name on the line. "Busy today?"

"You bet. We're gonna have to make this short, cause we've got an important delivery. Some sort of major business on the main worlds. Karith, I think it is."

"The fuel guys?"

"Well, they ship other things as well, not just fuel. I've never heard of fuel being transported in metal boxes locked with codes, though. They wouldn't say what was in them. Word is they paid our boss extra to ship it. Hey, Ramirez, get this stuff in the base!"

Ramirez started up a hoverlift.

Turner watched him, then shifted his gaze to the ramp. He thought he someone or something go behind it.

"What was that?"

The man turned around. "What?"

"Over there, behind the ramp. I saw someone go behind it. He was wearing green."

The man shook his head. "No one out here except us three. Are you sure you saw something?"

Turner was, but he shook his head. "Probably seeing things."

"Like an Oasis?" the man said, laughing. "This sun must really be getting to you."

Ramirez returned with the hoverlift, driving up the ramp and shutting it off. "All done."

The man nodded, then extended his hand. "We're out of here. Maybe we'll see you next time, eh? Miles Gardener is the name."

Turner shook it. "Mac Turner."

"Nice ta meet you. Don't you guys eat that food all at once. We only come once a month, no exceptions."

Turner smiled. "We wont. Stay safe."

Miles walked up the ramp and raised his hand in a farewell. Turner covered his eyes to protect them from the dust as the ship took off. He waved, then looked around him. Back to the same old thing.

He started back to base when the spitting sound made him freeze. There it was again.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"Anyone there?"

Silence.

He frowned and started walking again. He really needed to stop staying in the sun for so long.

Back in the base, he opened a bottle of water and sipped some, letting out a pleased sigh. The water was cold and refreshing. "Hey guys, we need to get this down to the fridge. Guys?"

For some reason, no one was around. Turner sat the bottle down and walked through the halls to the main room, where the computers and weapons were kept. The base power supply, a large Reactor, stood in the corner. No sign of human life.

Turner mumbled to himself and stepped forward.

"Hello son." someone said.

Turner spun around to face his Sarge, and let out a small scream. Sores and cuts covered the skin that Turner could see, and the man was gaunt, as if he'd not eaten for some time.

"Sarge? You ok?"

"They're watching, son..."

"They? Sarge, we need to get you to the med lab..."

"It's their eyes on you that gets to you first," another voice said. Turner looked to his left to see McNabb. "It's creepy at first, then you start going insane, little by little. You want to hide from those eyes. Your skin crawls, and you feel as if all your secrets lay exposed. After they tear down your mental defense, they attack. And you lay there, a gibbering coward, as they tear you apart. You can't fight back. You're too afraid."

"What are you talking about?" Turner shouted.

"Can you do it, son?" Sarge asked.

"Do what?"

"They killed our son, Mac." a woman said. She was crying. Turner blinked and saw Jess standing in front of him, tears streaming down her face. "He was at school... they rushed in, eating everyone. A teacher said she saw him die... they-"

"STOP IT!" Turner yelled, stumbling backwards. "I don't have a son! Sarge, you're dead! John, I don't know what you're doing here..."

McNabb smiled. "Can you do it, Mac? Can you save us?"

In a flash, they all vanished, and the base went up in flames. Mac choked on the smoke, dropping to the ground and crawling to the door. He looked up and saw a giant creature in the entrance, blocking the way out. It snarled, revealing a mouthful of teeth, moving towards him step by step.

"No... stay back..."

The creature swiped with a large claw, catching him in the chest and sending him into the wall, which was hot to the touch. Turner could see the paint bubbling from the intense heat in the room. How could he die like this?

Jess was by his side again, reaching for him. He took her hand and she pulled him up.

"Can you do it, Mac? Can you destroy them?"

"I don't know... I can try."

She kissed him firmly on the lips. "Do it for us." she said, turning and walking away.

"Wait!" he shouted, but she was gone. Turner moved away from the wall, looking for the alien, but it was nowhere to be found. His heart was beating rapidly, and the rising heat was making him sweat. "Where are you?" he yelled.

He gasped as intense pain filled his stomach. Looking down, he saw a large claw sticking out of him. It vanished a moment later, and he covered the wound, attempting to hold his guts in as he stumbled forward, tripping over his feet and spinning, landing on his back. Above him the alien stood, an almost triumphant look on its face. Turner pushed with his feet, slowly backing away, but there wasn't time. It darted its head forward, and Turner screamed, rolling to the left-

---------------

-and onto the floor beside the bed.

He landed face first, nearly breaking his nose. A moment later Jess peeked over the side, a concerned look on her face.

"You ok, Mac?"

"Jesus..."

"Mac?"

"I'm... I'm ok. Did I scream?" he asked, getting up. His heart was still racing, and he was sweating.

"Loud enough to wake the dead." she replied. "Was it a nightmare?"

He sat on the edge of the bed and put his face in his hands. She knelt behind him and locked her arms around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder. "Tell me about it."

Mac told her everything, including the strange thing he'd seen dart behind the ship. "You know, I think that part was real. I think The dream showed me how the aliens got there, at my base. Somehow I forgot that moment in the later events, but now that I know what the aliens look like, I'm positive it was a granger."

"So..." Jess picked up. "The granger created a place for the aliens to be birthed, and they destroyed your base and most of the men. But..."

"What?"

"How did you get here? I know a ship brought you in, but who owned it?"

Turner jumped as if shot. "Oh god, you're right. All my men were dead... so who picked me and the sarge up? I've got to talk to John about this!"

He grabbed a pair of pants and slid them on, then his shirt. He washed his face in the bathroom, fixed his hair, and gave Jess a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

---------------

McNabb leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the table, looking out the window at the community. The people bustled about, running their daily errands, checking the mail, snowblowing a walkway, jogging. Nearby, DJ and 13 were engaged in an arm wrestling contest, with 13 winning. DJ finally gave up, the last of his strength fading.

"Man, you're strong!" he exclaimed. "And I work out on a daily basis!"

McNabb grinned. "DJ, cut the shit. The heaviest thing you lift every day is a spoon."

"Screw you."

Turner walked in, and McNabb noticed something was wrong immediately. "What's up, Mac?"

"Listen, I've got a question."

"Shoot."

"You remember when I arrived at the base, right?"

"Of course, how could anyone forget?"

"Yeah, well, do you know who brought me there?"

DJ interrupted. "Didn't that ship set off alarms?"

McNabb nodded. "Yeah, it did. Maintenance was supposed to check it out and get back to me on it, but they never did."

"In what events would the alarms go off?"

"Well," McNabb said, "besides being manually activated, if anyone were trying to break in, they'd go off, and sometimes a wild animal will wander near the base and the alarms will go off. That doesnt happen often, though."

"Why wild animals?" DJ asked.

"They aren't humanoid..." Turner replied. "Right?"

McNabb nodded. "That's right... what are you thinking?"

Turner first explained the dream had. "So I'm thinking that Karith came to collect their specimens, and saw us injured, took us along, and left us at your base."

"That's some wicked voodoo you got there," DJ said. "I'm gonna check your room for creepy little dolls."

McNabb smiled. "I don't think that's needed. So if Karith had aliens on their ship... that would explain why the alarms went off."

Turner nodded. "That's what I think."

"Of course... that also means-"

Turner gave him a questioning look.

"Nevermind, I'm thinking a little too much there. So, about your dream?"

"I think it's a mix of what has happened and a vision of the future, maybe. What unnerves me is the part about having a son. Is that what might happen if we don't beat the aliens, or is it saying we're doomed to fail?"

DJ shook his head. "Don't be so negative. Dreams don't always mean anything. When I was a kid, I dreamed I was a superhero. Everyone probably does, but still, it didn't turn out that way."

"Perhaps," 13 added, "but you may yet become a hero in your own right."

DJ thought about it. "That's true."

"Don't beat yourself over the head with it, Mac. Just relax and prepare for our mission. Ok?"

"I'll try." Mac replied, smiling. Yet it still bothered him, and he couldn't shake it. He bid them good bye and went back to his room. Jess was gone, probably out doing her thing. He sighed, shut the lights off, and laid down. He was going to need all the rest he could get.

---------------
2 Days Later

"Attention: Military Helicopters are coming in for Landing. Repeat: Helicopters are coming in."

"Well," John said, "there's our ride. Grab your bags!"

Outside, the copters landed, blowing the dust off the pad. The soldiers ran out, throwing their bags on first, then climbing up themselves. Each helicopter looked as if it would hold about a dozen each, with some room for supplies. John looked around for Turner and finally spotted him exiting the hotel. He waved and got on.

Turner threw his stuff in and walked over to Jess, who would be staying behind.

"Be careful, Mac." she said.

"I always am." he replied, tears welling up in his eyes. His dream came back to him, and he felt a sudden rush of sadness and fear, as if he was never coming back. Suddenly, surely, he decided he would die out there. He knew it.

He embraced her and gave her a quick kiss, then turned and left before she could see his tears. He took a seat just as the helicopters took off, watching through the window as the colony grew smaller. He would never see it again, he believed.

DJ placed his hand on Turners shoulder, and across the way McNabb nodded sympatheticly. "We'll do fine, Mac. You'll see her again, trust me on that. You're like steel, strong and durable."

13 leaned against an ammo crate near the back, remaining silent. After a few moments, he said: "Even steel can be broken."

McNabb shot him a sharp look that had no effect on the other, then pulled up a holomap. "We'll be there in a few hours, and we'll have to move fast to set up a base. We won't need an armory, or nodes. What men that are here are the only ones that are going in. This facility already has a stockpile of weapons waiting for us. I recieved word from Dr. McGregor that he has a smaller power source for us to use, called a repeater. It should be all we need."

"Anything else?" DJ said.

"We've got a new toy to play with. Two, in fact." McNabb said, moving to the back of the helicopter and motioning to a crate. "First, a weapon Turner will be familiar with, the Lucifer Cannon. It's the third of its kind made, a prototype nuclear weapon that shoots radiated energy balls. Does lots of damage, but you've got to be careful with it. You all know what happened to Sargeant O'Reilly."

They all looked at each other, a bit uneasy. McNabb moved away from the crate and next to a tall box with a tarp over it.

"Last but not least, the Battlesuit is complete and is ready to go!" he said, pulling on the tarp. Everyone's eyes widened at the sight. Encased in glass, the large metal suit awed them into silence. One by one, they began to feel optimistic about the coming mission.

"And thats it. Who thinks we can win this war now?" McNabb asked.

The group cheered.

McNabb sat back down at looked over at Turner, who was now smiling. "Told ya it'd be fine."

Mac nodded. "We'll fight them till every last man is dead, if that's what it takes. I'm ready for them now. That there was just what I needed."

The group cheered again.

"Approaching destination. Prepare for drop off!"

Turner grabbed his shotgun and checked to make sure it was loaded. Satisfied, he stood, looking over all his men, all together for the last time.

"This is it, my friends. I will not call you my fellow soldiers, because over time, throughout these battles, we've become more than that. True, most of you are my clones, but at the same time you are each his own person. I'm glad to have served with each of you. DJ, your humor and upbeat look on life is always inspiring. And of course, I wouldn't be here if McNabb hadn't taken me in when I was wounded. Together we are unstoppable. I'm ready. Are you?"

"YES!" they shouted.

Turner grinned.

"Let's kick some alien ass!"

---------------
The End of Chapter 10

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on June 04, 2009, 05:00:56 am

*suspense* dun dun DUN

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on June 04, 2009, 06:02:43 pm

You just did it again. :D

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: BmC on June 08, 2009, 11:00:18 am

WE
WANT
MORE...
please...

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on June 09, 2009, 07:11:03 am

Oh, moar is coming. Patience is the key here, soldier!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on June 17, 2009, 07:39:42 pm

Quote from: DeathSkull on June 09, 2009, 07:11:03 am

Oh, moar is coming. Patience is the key here, soldier!

I lost the key D:

Title: Bad News
Post by: DeathSkull on June 21, 2009, 07:08:37 am

The PC my work is currently on is FUBAR. I'm currently on a Mac. Rest assured, faithful readers (who ever is left): I'll begin working on the next chapter on here very soon. School just let out and I should have more time. Thanks for your patience!

-Death

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Baconizer on June 22, 2009, 01:35:43 am

:'(

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Repatition on June 26, 2009, 03:25:15 am

wow love the way you write!
it puts a whole knew perspective when playing the game!
this (when done) needs to go to a publisher!
I think for the sake of trem and your audience,you should cut your language in half at least!
but other wise I love this!!!!!!
love the way you explain trem its self! :basilisk: :battlesuit: and much more!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Vortexx on June 26, 2009, 07:47:37 pm

Just found this topic, Skulleh, and I love it so far! Keep up your good work!

Title: Re: ...wat
Post by: CreatureofHell on June 26, 2009, 08:18:52 pm

Quote from: Repatition on June 26, 2009, 03:25:15 am

I think for the sake of trem and your audience,you should cut your language in half at least!

wat ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Repatition on June 26, 2009, 10:06:04 pm

yes cut it in half you use it too much!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: BmC on June 26, 2009, 10:53:11 pm

Quote from: Repatition on June 26, 2009, 10:06:04 pm

yes cut it in half you use it too much!

wat ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Repatition on June 26, 2009, 11:49:51 pm

i love the story just cut the "cussinig" in half at least!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Vortexx on June 27, 2009, 12:27:02 am

Quote from: Repatition on June 26, 2009, 11:49:51 pm

i love the story just cut the "cussinig" in half at least!

You obviously haven't spent much time in the real world, have you? This is actually quite mild, just so you know.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on June 27, 2009, 07:45:51 am

Well, I'll keep that in mind, Rep.

Thanks for the comments, Vorty <3

Next chapter is coming...

SOON!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on June 27, 2009, 12:51:29 pm

You said that a week ago, too.
:P

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Repatition on June 27, 2009, 08:45:08 pm

deathskull: i love you story,your definitely a good writer and you kept my attention the whole time! and im still waiting!

vortex: yes i know whats its like to here some one spouting off the F word every other word! but you respect the characters much more if they don't !

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 11
Post by: DeathSkull on July 05, 2009, 08:58:19 am

[Authors Note: I am dearly sorry this took so long. I had intended on this being the final chapter, but real life kept getting in the way, along with some other things, so I've finally reached a good length in this chapter and I've decided to release as is. There is more coming, rest assured, my comrades! (Note#2: I, like you, got tired of waiting to release it!)]

The Harder They Fall: Chapter 11

Note#3: This and the next chapter are based on the great map recently released, called Blackout. I've made a few changes, but I said BASED on, not a copy of :P

“Better put some gloves on, son.” McNabb said to the soldier next to him. “You'll get some nasty rope burn otherwise.”

Turner picked up the coil of rope in the corner and hefted it over the side, watching it as it trailed down to the ground below. He gripped it in his hands, gave a salute to the crew, and slid down. Even with gloves his hands began to warm from the friction. He hit the ground with a soft thud, the grass and leaves muffling the sound. Mac dropped into a crouch, looked around the area to confirm that there were no enemies, and waved up to the chopper. One by one the soldiers came down.

McNabb took point, leading them through the trees and brush closer to the outpost. “Beta, go east about 40 feet, tell me what you see.”

Mac nodded and broke out into a low run, still moving quietly., spotting a soldier guarding a sewer entrance. He motioned with his hand and the sniper took the soldier out.

“Move up, Alpha, and get that grill off. Thats our back door.”

McNabb's team moved forward, the engineer procuring a drill from his pack. The tool whirred to life, the noise shockingly loud in the stillness of the night. He was done in seconds, though.

“We're in.”

-------------

They moved through the mushy water and the thick stench that hung in the air. Turner wished they had nose filters, but they hadn't known how they'd be be coming in. He made a mental note to upgrade his equiptment when they got out. He heard DJ let out a disgusted moan.

“Man, I think a rat just swam past my feet...”

McNabb snorted. “Toughen up, DJ. In this business you'll see worse than that.”

“It was the size of a fucking poodle!”

The whole group burst into laughter. After a moment, DJ joined in. “I'm serious, man. That was the biggest rat I have ever seen.”

“Wait till you get married. The biggest rat you'll see then is the one in your bed.” someone said. Another round of laughter.

“Screw you, whoever said that!”

“Shhhh,” Mac said. “I see a light!”

“Who the hell opened the Pearly Gates for you? Hey Peter! You better let me in, too!”

“I'm serious, quiet!”

Mac trotted ahead, his boots sloshing in the muddy water. Up ahead, the small light grew in size till he could see the grate covering it. He pressed his face against the cool metal, trying to see down the hallway. No one in sight.

“Anything out there?” someone asked, right by his ear.

He jumped and hit his head on the top of the pipe. “For Gods sake, don't do that!”

“Sorry, boss,” the clone said, smirking.

Turner wiped at the grime that now coated his cheeks and stepped back so the engineer could get to work. “I'll have to use a saw for this. The screws are on the outside. Everyone, stay back.”

The saw came to life, throwing sparks as he cut through the metal. He crafted a large circle and pushed it out, wincing as it clattered to the floor. The soldiers moved out into the hall, gasping for fresh air.

“No more sewers for me.” DJ said.

“Where are we?” 13 asked.

Turner tapped a button on his wrist computer. “GPS says we're under the outpost. This must be the hidden facility, then.”

“Anyone even live in the outpost?”

“Maybe some of the soldiers. It's more for cover than anything.”

“I bet the tourists wonder what's up out here.”

“Somehow, 13, I don't think tourists come this way.”

“Hmm, you're probably right.”

Mac looked both ways, then frowned. “I think we're gonna have to split up.”

“Why? If there's aliens here we'll be murdered!”

Mac motioned to the walls. “See how narrow these halls are? If an alien comes and we're all together, we'll be murdered anyways.”

McNabb nodded. “Mac has a point. Close quarters, large aliens... we'd be shooting each other down before we even touched them.”

“Alright, I'll go east, then. Stay in constant radio contact?”

“Of course. Good luck, 13.”

The clone nodded and led his men away, vanishing down the stairs.

Mac sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “John, stay up front with me, men, stay spread out and behind me.”

-------------
They ran up the stairs, two at a time, slamming through the door at the top. Their boots thudded on the linoleum covered floor, which had not been cleaned in a while. Dirt and grime covered the walls, and cobwebs hung in the corners. The lights swung from thin chains, casting wild shadows.

The hallway led into another room, bordered by doors on 3 sides. The 4th wall was filled with tech equipment. Monitors hung near the ceiling, reporting live feed from all around the base. A few screens were filled with static, and others were just plain dead. Weapon racks were built on the walls, but no one could remove the guns. They were locked in.

“John, look,” Turner said, pointing to a circle on the floor. Several bundles of wires led into pipes under the floor. They ended in three prong plugs. “We need some sort of power source,” he added.

McNabb nodded. “Where's the construction kit?”

“I have it !” The engineer said, pulling his pack off.

“Build a repeater right there.”

Once it was completed, Turner knelt and plugged in the cords. Without warning, force fields went up in the doorways, and the weapon racks lit up.

“Well, that problem is solved.”

The soldiers grabbed what few weapons there were, while Mac examined the force fields. He reached out and watched as his hand passed through the field. No shock, no nothing.

“What the hell is this?” he muttered under his breath.

One of the clones passed through the field and turned around in amazement. “What's the point of this if anything can just go through it?”

“WATCH OUT!” Mac yelled suddenly. The clone turned around and screamed as a goon ran down the hall. “Turn off the field!”

McNabb shook his head. “I don't know how!”

The clone backed into the field, but he couldn't pass through it again. Now they knew how they worked. Once you went out, you didn't come back in.

His screams tore through the air as the goon bit into him, spilling his guts on the floor. The unfortunate clone dropped to his knees, and the goon took his head into its jaws, squeezing. A moment later his brain popped out, splattering on the wall.

Someone threw up, and McNabb watched as the goon drug the body down the hall. Turner had looked away, struggling to hold his lunch down.

“Oh my fucking god!” Another clone exclaimed.

“Watch your mouth,” McNabb said. He was feeling queasy himself.

Turner won the battle with his stomach, although his skin was pale. He closed his eyes and leaned against the nearest wall, breathing slowly. Little by little his flesh resumed its color. After a few more moments he stepped forward and grabbed his gun. “Stay with me, men. Someone will need to stay here to let us back in.”

“I'll do it,” DJ said.

“Ok. The rest of you, follow me. We're gonna kill these bastards.”

He led them out of the small room through the door to the east. A long hallway extended before them, more rooms at the end.

“I wonder if there are any people left alive.”

“After what happened back there... I doubt it.”

They reached a large shaft that seemed to go down forever.

“The hell?”

Turner looked up and saw a plethora of machinery, turning its gears and emitting smoke. Platforms went up and down, carrying supplies from one floor to another.

“Exactly HOW are we supposed to get up there?” McNabb asked, pointing to a room up above them to the left.

Turner shook his head. “I have no idea.”

-------------
Beta

13 and his men found themselves in what appeared to be an office area. Desks were scattered around the room, computers and papers sitting on them. 13 pulled open one of the drawers and rummaged through the folders. Nothing interesting. He shut it and went to the next one.

“What the hell is all this?” he muttered to himself.

Base plans, financial reports, nothing about aliens, about experiments. He cursed again and slammed the drawer shut. Something dripped down on his uniform. He reached up and wiped his forehead, sure he was sweating, but it was dry.

He stepped back and looked up at the disemboweled corpse hanging from the ceiling like a grotesque decoration. The other soldiers noticed it and ran over. “Something tells me he's been dead for a while.” one of them said.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, he looks stiff as a board...” the soldier replied, grabbing a chair and sliding it across the floor in front of him. He stepped on the seat and reached up with his rifle, nudging the foot of the deceased. “Yep, this guy is so much wood.” Without warning, the leg came off, which had been nearly chewed through.

Another soldier offered his opinion. “I think something ate him after he was dead. Look, that stuff that dripped down was blood. If something had chewed him up and that led to his death, he wouldn't be bleeding, would he?”

13 thought about it. “No, probably not. Also, he wouldn't be hanging from a rope. Suicide, then. But why?”

“Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here, no pun intended, and say if this guy knew the aliens had gotten loose, he wouldn't stand a chance against them. Hanging is a heck of a lot better than being eaten piece by piece.”

“Word,” another clone said.

“Let's move on, folks. Showtime is over.”

The soldiers gathered their weapons and gear and left the room. The pipes above their heads rattled, as if something were in them. Or maybe it was just old pipes. “This place is in such disarray.”

“Tell me about it. When man gets into a frenzy, though, he tends to forget the world around him.”

“That's what happened here?”

“I think so. They got so devoted to their work here, these aliens, the place has fallen apart around them. It's a wonder it looks as good as it is, given the damage those aliens could have done while on the loose.” 13 said.

“I have a feeling they don't spend much time up here.”

13 stopped.

“What?”

“Thats it!”

The soldiers looked around uneasily.

“The labs and the experiment rooms would be downstairs of course... where Turner and the others went! Damn! Move, move, move! Downstairs!”

They rushed back to the offices, feet muffled by the carpeted floor. The computers and machinery continued to run, and somewhere a water cooler kept dripping. 13 was suddenly aware it was very quiet, very still. He thought you could hear a pin drop.

The door on one of the upper balconies burst open, expelling a swarm of dretches unlike any they'd seen before. Several of the soldiers opened fire, but 13 shouted at them not to.

“RUN! NOW!”

They fled the room, tearing down the stairs 3 at a time, the aliens close an their heels. They could hear them, the little feet pattering on the floor and walls. 13 was suddenly sure thats what you heard as you died, when Death reached out his hand for you, the whisper of bone against bone. It was like those feet, always running after you in hell. Dear God, he didn't want to die.

They slammed through the doors at the bottom of the stairs, racing against time to reach the others. And the dretches followed, intent on one thing:

Total eradication.

The End of Part 11

Note #4: Part 12 coming soon!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Shadowgandor on July 05, 2009, 06:01:43 pm

Quote from: DeathSkull on July 05, 2009, 08:58:19 am

Note #4: Part 12 coming soon!

Now that I know where you live, you better keep your word!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on July 05, 2009, 08:45:21 pm

:laugh:

awsum part <3

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: PureNoob on July 05, 2009, 09:02:55 pm

Exciting ending. :o Good job as always.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Chomps123 on July 06, 2009, 12:30:01 am

I just finished reading all of them from the very begining.

You are doing a very good job.

You should see if you can turn this into a movie.

Cant wait till the next chapter.

Keep it coming!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: bookunessu on July 12, 2009, 06:31:12 am

Today's my 2nd day playing and I heard there were some good stories on the forums.

1st click - The Harder They Fall

Reading this made me WOW, very detailed compared to other Written Lore's :)

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on July 13, 2009, 09:46:51 pm

Heh, thanks a bunch! I like to use detail in my stories, and there's a lot to work with here.

Once again, thank you!

(Next part is COMING! I ASSURE YOU!)

-Deathy

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: Repatition on July 17, 2009, 10:11:21 pm

i hope but it never does but thats ok your a writer and need your space hey i loved that last part it was great and blackout and all send to publisher!!!! only rename it

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: A Spork on July 20, 2009, 04:20:05 pm

<3 Skully
This is amazing!
MOAR PLZ!

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: CreatureofHell on July 20, 2009, 08:25:57 pm

nice story! A few grammar mistakes but I don't want to go into those as people might start complaining and telling me that these mistakes don't ruin the story (which they don't I might add ;) ).

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: khalsa on July 21, 2009, 12:01:23 am

/me waits for the illustrated, animated, and live-action versions

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: infestor1 on July 22, 2009, 03:57:56 am

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 11 1/2
Post by: DeathSkull on July 24, 2009, 03:07:28 am

“Bar the doors!” 13 yelled, slamming the aforementioned doors shut. A couple clones joined him, pushing against them. The swarm of dretches hit the other side, knocking them back a few inches, but they instantly moved back into place. “Hurry up!”

The other solders spread out through the room, searching for a board, a shovel, a metal bar, something to hold the doors closed. They knocked over desks, bookcases, tables. Finally a clone shouted in joy and raised his fist in the air, grasping a crowbar. He raced over to the doors and shoved the tool through the handles. They all stepped back, and it held.

“Good job, soldier. Help me move some desks over here.” 13 said, wiping the sweat off his brow.

They pushed and pulled the nearest desk in front of the doors. The floor here was carpeted, making it hard work.

“That'll hold em. We need to get to Turner now.”

13 activated his comm and spoke into it.

“Turner, you there?”

~~~~~~~~~~~

He propped his arms on his legs, hands dangling between his knees. He was sitting against the wall, mere feet away from the seemingly bottomless chasm. McNabb sat across from him, lost in his own thoughts.

"Turner, you there?"

He looked up sharply, wondering who had spoken, then realizing it was his comm.

"I'm here, 13. What's up?"

"We had dretches down here. A whole truckload of those bastards chased us down. Didn't lose anyone though, so you gotta give us that. We trapped the fuckers on the stairs, heh. Barred the door with a crowbar and a desk."

"They're still out there, though. We'll have to keep an eye out. Are you on your way here?"

"Yeah, we are. ETA 10 minutes or so. Sit tight, why don't you?"

"Not much of a choice. See you soon."

Turner cut the connection and looked over at McNabb. "What was that about?" the latter asked.

"13 was chased by dretches. He and his group got away and shut the entrance with a crowbar."

"Has he been playing Half-Life?"

18 walked into the short hallway. "Oh hush, old man. You and your ancient movies and games."

Turner laughed and stood. "Any luck searching for a way to get out of this dead end?"

"Nah." 18 replied, leaning against the wall. "I honestly have no freaking idea why it's built like this."

Suddenly there was a loud click. The startled clone moved away from the wall as a panel slid open behind him. "I'll be damned."

Turner approached the console hidden in the wall and looked at the buttons. He pushed the green one.

A walkway extended from where they stood to the platform across the way.

"Jesus Christ. 2 hours searching for a way across and it was that easy?"

McNabb chuckled. "Leave up to these guys to use old tricks. Lets go across."

The soldiers lined up, single file, and walked over to the platform. From there they took the stairs up to the next platform, which led to the next floor hallway. Another force field greeted them.

"Gah. I've about had it with this place and obstructions." A clone said.

"Oh, stop whining. Grow some balls."

Turner pushed another button on the panel set into the wall, bringing the field down. He smirked and led them down the hallway.

"See, that was easy!"

He froze suddenly, and McNabb ran into him. "What is it?" he asked.

Turner cocked his head. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

McNabb listened closely. The scuffle of their feet on the floor, slow breathing... and what sounded like-

Turner spun around and pushed past them. "Move it! They're coming!"

The soldiers ran after him as a loud growl filled the air. McNabb looked over his shoulder and nearly fell when he saw the goon. The thing was huge, and solid black, unlike the ones he'd seen before. It rushed after them, moving fast despite its size.

They turned the corner and raced out to the walkway. McNabb spotted the button and slammed it with the palm of his hand, but nothing happened. "Oh, shit! Work, you piece of-"

The forcefield went up just as the goon pounced... but not fast enough to stop it. The creature was sliced neatly in half, the back part trapped behind the field. The front, however, kept going, crashing into a clone. He let out a scream and fell forward, sliding to the edge. Turner leapt after him, attempting to grab him by the ankle, but was only successful at sliding through a pool of gore from the goon remains. The clone went over the side, but grabbed the edge with one hand, his fingers nearly breaking under the weight. "Help me!" he cried, the yell echoing through the chasm. The goon corpse fell downwards into nothingness.

"Drop!" a voice yelled from down below. Turner peered through the holes in the walkway only to see 13 and his men.

"Drop!" 13 commanded again. He was standing right below the endangered clone, his arms outstretched. Without warning the clone dropped, right into 13's arms. The soldier caught him and nearly fell off himself. He put the bewildered clone down. "You injured?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not, just frightened. Thank you!"

13 smiled and clapped him on the back. "We all help each other out here, remember that."

They went up to join Turner and McNabb, along with the rest of the soldiers. Turners entire front, save his face, was coated in thick black blood from the goon. Not to mention, it smelled atrocious. He fought the urge to gag.

"If we find a shower, I'm taking one." he muttered.

McNabb laughed. "Oh, you gotta get dirty sometime, son."

"Shut up." Turner replied, smiling a bit.

He walked over to the forcefield and deactivated it, stepping over the remains as he went down the hall. The others followed him, spreading out as was the standard. "Jesus, are we ever gonna get anywhere?" someone said.

"It appears we have." Turner replied, pushing the door ahead of him open. Tanks filled with liquid filled the edges of the room, from wall to wall. Alien after alien filled the tanks, wires connected to their bodies. A few of them were even twitching. "I think they're dormant," 13 said, tapping on the glass with the barrel of his rifle. The basilisk inside jerked at the sound, but didn't open its eyes.

"This raises the question... where did they come from?" McNabb asked. "It looks like Karith is making them."

Turner shook his head. "No, I don't think so. They came from somewhere else, that was stated in the reports back at the headquarters. Karith is breeding them, I think, and putting them in these tanks to prolong their lives, for whenever they need to use them."

13 stroked his chin with his thumb and finger. "I don't think they are using them to attack us either. It's pure science going on here, not warfare. The aliens getting out... that was an accident."

McNabb nodded. "Makes sense. Damn scary though, considering how fast they breed."

"Karith will pay," Turner said. "Even if it was an accident, innocent lives have been lost."

"I agree," 13 said.

"So do I." McNabb added. "Come on, we're wasting time."

"Wait," Turner said, holding up a hand. He slowly walked over to another tank, this one containing a tyrant. He gazed into the murky liquid at the creature, completely silent. "This is the one." he said finally, although it was quiet.

"The one from where you were stationed?" McNabb asked.

Mac nodded. "Yes, this is the one."

They all gathered around the creature, watching it, almost in awe. It was bigger than the tyrants they'd seen before, taller by at least a foot, and wider. "Rant on steroids." one clone later said. Scars crisscrossed its body, and the teeth were a fearful sight.

"Ok, I'm out of here." 13 said. "That thing gives me the willies."

"Me too," a few other soldiers said, following 13. Turner lingered for another moment, then joined the rest. "Ok, what now?" he asked.

"You're the boss." 18 said.

"Technically McNabb is the boss..." Mac replied.

John shrugged. "We both know you run this operation, Mac."

Turner sighed. "Ok, so this facility is run by an underground reactor, alright? It has to, because there's no sign of external power being used. I think what we need to do here is destroy it."

"Destroy it?"

"Shut it down, destroy it, whatever. I think if we do that, all these aliens will die, since there'll be no power to run the tanks."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Alright. Gather your weapons, cause break time is over." Turner announced.

-----------------

"Ugh," McNabb said.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Turner replied.

The room they'd just entered was a war zone. Bodies lay everywhere, blood pooling on the floor. Shreds of paper, splinters of wood, dents in the walls, you name it, it happened. Turner walked forward and stepped on something soft. Looking down, he saw it was an arm, no body attached. "Oh, jesus," he muttered, kicking it out of the way. Most of the clones looked pale, not quite used to sight of gore, or rather, so much of it.

"The work of dretches," McNabb said, examining another body. "Anything bigger would have torn these guys apart. Look at the bite marks, see? Small and neat. Something like a goon or, god forbid, a Tyrant, would have made much more of a mess."

The engineer laid his shotgun on the floor beside him and rummaged through his pack, pulling out a scanner device. He flicked the switch and the small machine came to life, green lights emanating from the underside. "We need to save these images and put them in the database back home." he said.

"Good idea," Turner replied, impressed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

McNabb laughed. "When do you even think?"

"Oh, you're in for it!" Turner growled, play-lunging at him.

"Relax," McNabb said, grinning. "I was kidding."

"Scans are done." the engineer said, placing his scanner back in the pack. "Definitely dretch work here. Same ones you saw earlier, 13?"

"I'd bet money on it." the clone replied, making sure his rifle was full of ammo.

"We better keep an eye out. Look at the blood? It's somewhat fresh." Turner said.

They moved on, soon realizing that this part of the base was poorly maintained. The lights flickered, wall panels torn off, the floor dirty and rusted. A rat stood in the corner, staring at them. Turner kicked out at it and it squeaked and ran off. "Dirty rodents," he growled.

"I hate them," McNabb said. "I remember when I was a boy, I was sleeping on the couch at home, and my elbow felt funny, so I opened my eyes, and there was this huge freaking rat sitting on my chest, chewing on my elbow. Man, I screamed and swatted that disgusting thing off me. Ran away and I never saw it again."

"Gross, man," someone said.

"Tell me about it!" McNabb replied.

They finally emerged into what was none other than the loading dock. "We must be right below the surface," Turner said, pointing up to the ceiling. "There's a door up there. We need to contact Chopper #1 and get our new toys."

McNabb took the engineer and went to the control room up the stairs. Once there, he skimmed through the channels till he found the one they were on. "Chopper #1, this is John McNabb reporting."

"Affirmative, John McNabb, this is Chopper #1."

"We're in a loading dock underneath the surface. Look for a giant hole in the ground in a few minutes."

"Why does that sound so disturbing?"

"Shut yer mouth," McNabb replied, chuckling.

The engineer messed around with the wires for a few moments, and then, with a load roar, the machinery came to life. The docking bay doors slid open, revealing the white moon in the sky. Cold air rushed in, nearly freezing them. The whup-whup-whup of chopper blades grew louder as it descended, deploying its landing gear. Turner bent over a bit to decrease the wind resistance and rushed to the chopper as the door slid open. One of the soldiers inside picked up the steel grey case and handed it to him. Turner ran it over to the nearest clone and rushed back to the chopper.

"We've got to get this thing on a dolly!" the soldier yelled.

"WHAT?"

"I SAID WE'VE GOT TO GET A DOLLY UNDER IT!" the soldier replied.

"YOU LEFT YOUR DOLL AT HOME? I'M SORRY TO HEAR THAT!" Turner shouted back.

The soldier grabbed Turner by the arm and pulled him over to the dolly on the wall. He pointed to it and then pointed to the case holding the Battlesuit.

"OH! WE'VE GOT TO PUT IT ON THE DOLLY!" Turner exclaimed.

The soldier loosened the binds holding the dolly to the wall. The utility truck dropped to the floor with a clang, and the soldier wheeled it over to the large container. He slid the edge under the side while Turner walked around and pushed the container back towards the soldier, who wheeled the suit backwards and down to the ground.

"Delivery complete," he said.

"Thank you. We'll be calling for pickup soon, so keep an ear open." Turner told him.

"Will do. Good luck!"

The soldier saluted and jumped back on the chopper as it took off. Moments later it was gone, and the docking bay doors slid closed.

"Ok, let's see what we have here." Turner said.

-------------

They cracked the larger container open first, using a crowbar from the engineers pack. Off came the top, then the sides, revealing the Battlesuit. They all stood back and admired it, how the lights reflected off the surface, the size (at least 8 feet tall), the detail.

"Ok, so who gets to use this baby?" 13 asked.

They all looked at Turner.

"What? I haven't had any practice with it!" he said.

"You're more fit to use it than the rest of us." McNabb said.

"Hey, it isn't about who deserves to use it, it's about who is best with it, who can hold his own in combat no matter what he has available."

They all kept looking at him.

"You're kidding me..." Turner said, smacking his forehead.

"You're the best here, Mac. No doubt about that." 13 said.

Mac sighed. "Ok, lets try this baby out."

He reached up and pushed a button hidden under the neck armor of the suit and the back slid open with a hiss. He stepped onto the leg platforms, which were installed to bring the users head up to the head of the suit. Once he had sure footing, he lifted himself up and slid his arms in, gripping the handles. He slid his right hand index finger around the built in trigger and placed his face securely into the head support. Without warning the suit closed and he was submerged into darkness.

"Oh crap," he said. "Can you guys hear me?"

Nothing.

He growled and tried to move. Still nothing.

"Start?"

Nothing.

"Turn on?"

Nothing.

"Activate?!?"

"Battlesuit Online. Welcome, Mac Turner."

The screen in front of his eyes lit up, fuzzy at first, then smoothing out. He saw each member of the squad, highlighted with a faint white line. "Guys?"

13 stepped back. "Whoa, you've got a deep voice in that thing!"

"Damn, I do!" Turner said, shocked.

He tried moving, and surprisingly the suit moved with ease. Each step he took produced a loud thud. "Wow, this is amazing. Get me a gun!"

The clones opened the other, smaller case and produced a chaingun (saving the Lucifer Cannon for when it was needed). They fitted it onto his right arm, the weapon clicking as it snapped into place.

He ran over to the exit, then turned around and looked at the others.

"Come on!" he yelled.

They all cheered and followed him.

---------------

"Stop right there!" Mac yelled as they stormed into the reactor room.

The workers halted, one of them screaming in surprise as the soldiers spread out around them. "Who are you?!" one of them asked angrily, stepping forward. His name tag said he was Dr. Jonas Rekal.

"Hello, Doctor." McNabb said, moving towards the man. "Would you like to explain just what you are doing here?"

"None of your business. Who gave you permission to enter this facility?!"

"The government." Turner said. "Your actions have caused the death of innocents across multiple worlds, did you know that? Surely you did. You look like a smart guy."

"And what if I did? Do you have any idea what work is being done here? We've found proof of alien life!"

"Yeah, I'm just as happy as you are. Next time you find alien life, make sure it's friendly, please? I would prefer to keep my face, thank you very much." 13 added.

"Oh, go and be a smart ass, why don't you?" Jonas said, spitting. "You know nothing about science. All you know is how to have your own way. Ok, you want to kill the aliens? I can arrange that!"

The doctor turned and ran to a computer and quickly typed in a command. He held his finger over the ENTER key.

McNabb drew his blaster and aimed at Jonas. "Don't do it. You're going to give us access to the reactor and we are going to shut this place down, understand?"

Jonas laughed. "Ok, you got it!" He pushed the button.

Just as the lights went out, McNabb fired.

To Be Continued...

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall: Part 12
Post by: DeathSkull on July 24, 2009, 03:08:07 am

Make Sure you Read The First Half Of This Chapter! ^^^^^

--------------

A few moments later the generators kicked in, powering the emergency lights. Jonas lay on the ground, screaming, his white lab coat soaked red with blood. McNabb had hit him in the shoulder..

"Oh, shut up, ya wuss." 13 said as the medic knelt by the doctor to check his wounds.

"What just happened?" Turner asked one of the other workers.

"He cut off main power to the facility." the woman replied. She was the one who had screamed earlier.

"And this means...?"

"Well, we probably lost whatever work we were doing on our computers, but the biggest problem right now is..."

"Is?!?"

She looked at the door behind Turner. "Well, the generator isn't strong enough to supply power to the lab area..."

"Dammit, lady, stop trailing off!" Turner yelled. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY!?"

She burst into tears. "I'm trying to say we're all gonna die! Without proper power, the tanks will malfunction and the aliens will get loose!"

"Oh, Jesus." McNabb said, going pale.

Alarms suddenly began to bray, nearly deafening them.

"Oh my god, they're loose." the woman said.

"Block the doors!" Turner yelled. "Move, move, move!"

--------------
"I have an idea," the woman said. "If you can draw the aliens close to the reactor and destroy it, it'll probably kill most of them, if not all."

"You've got to get the reactor area open, then." Mac said.

They'd blocked all the doors with desks and tables, but the vents couldn't be touched. Turner kept looking at them warily.

"Well, I think I can do that." the woman said. As she turned and walked over to one of the computers, Mac saw her name tag. She was Dr. Susan LeMaster.

"I don't know if this will work," she said, "but here goes."

She bent over the keyboard and typed for a few minutes.

"What are you doing?!" Jonas yelled. "Don't you dare let them in there!"

"Be quiet." Susan said to him. "You've already caused enough trouble."

She kept typing, then jumped with glee. "Yes! It worked!"

To confirm this, a huge door at the far end of the room began to slide open. Beyond it sat the Reactor, ascending all the way to the ceiling. Swirls of orange energy pulsated and glowed, lighting up the entire room.

Turner looked at Susan. "Do you and the others have a way out of here?"

She nodded and walked over to the wall, pressing a button. It slid apart, revealing an elevator. "It'll take us to the docking bay... but there's probably barely enough power for one trip. If we take this, its a one way trip."

Mac nodded. "13, John, grab the engineers kit and come with me. The rest of you, go with the scientists, and pick up DJ and the other clones. We'll catch up another way."

"Wait, you idiots!" Jonas cried. "Are you gonna blow it up?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because it'll irradiate the whole entire area! You'll be killed! Not to mention, in the event of an explosion, that room is set to shut the doors immediately. You'll be trapped in there and you'll die a horrible death."

'We'll see about that," Turner said. "Go on."

He reached down and picked up the case holding the Lucifer Cannon. 13 hoisted the engineers pack over his shoulder, while the others got on the elevator.

"We'll have the chopper wait for you," one of the clones said.

Mac smiled. "Thank you."

The soldier nodded and the doors slid shut. They were gone.

"Well," John said, sighing, "this is it."

"Hell yes," 13 replied.

"Let's get this done." Mac said, leading the way.

----------

13 knelt and opened the engineer pack. He removed several packs of C4 and handed them to John. "Help me put these up on the reactor. We can blow it up that way and make a run for it."

McNabb nodded and took them, and they got to work. They attached them all around the base, making sure each one was linked to the detonator. Within 5 minutes they were done.

"Ok, now we wait."

Turner shook his head. "No."

"What?" 13 exclaimed.

"Give me the detonator. You two wait in the office area for me. I'll do this."

"Hey, no way am I leav-"

"Who's the one in the suit, me or you?"

13 sighed and handed it over. "Fine, but next time we go on a suicide mission, I'm the one dying, got it?"

Mac laughed. "Alright. Now get your ass out there."

McNabb and 13 ran out of the room, and he was left alone to wait for the aliens.

He didn't know how much time ticked by, whether it was seconds or minutes, but he finally heard them coming. And it sounded like a lot.

He faced the only other door in the room, which was open to reveal a long hallway stretched out before him. He held his chaingun up, the detonator in his other hand. He stood and waited.

The dretches came first, swarming down the hallway, literally hundreds of them. Their feet pattered as they ran along the walls and ceiling, coming for him. The vents above him burst open, and out came the basilisks.

"Come one, come all, motherfuckers. We're gonna have us a barbeque."

Marauders bounced their way through the dretches, leaping into the room and onto the platforms. The dretches climbed up the walls to the ceiling, covering every inch of space. Ah, and here were the goons...

Yelling, Turner opened fire with his chaingun, tearing into the goons. They roared and tried to run, but he gunned them down before they could move. He spun, shooting the supports holding the platforms up. They collapsed, crushing the maras.

He laughed, shooting everything he could, sending them into a frenzy, driving them to anger, but the roar silenced him. He looked back down the hallway, only to see a tyrant. Not just any tyrant either... it was the one that had tried to kill him where he had been stationed.

"Oh, you are one ugly son of a gun." he said.

It roared again and charged down the hall.

"Come on!"

He had not anticipated its speed. It reached him, slamming one of its forearms into his midsection, knocking him into the air. He hit the wall with a thud, denting his armor. The Tyrant roared in victory. Turner laid on his back, his armor locking up.

"Oh, not now..." he prayed, hoping something out there would hear him. The alien loomed over him, saliva dripping from its jaws.

"Are you hungry?" he asked it.

It merely growled at him.

"Well, eat this!" he yelled, bringing his arm up and sticking the end of the chaingun into the creatures mouth. He grinned and pulled the trigger, the bullets tearing the back of the tyrants head off. It roared, stumbling back on its rear legs. Turner saw what was going to happen and rolled to the right as the alien came down, falling where he had just been. He stood slowly, watching the rant carefully. It was dead.

He dropped the now depleted chaingun and opened the case, pulling out the Lucifer Cannon. He equipped it and aimed at the reactor, pressing the trigger. The weapon began to charge.

The remaining aliens went crazy, swarming down the walls towards him. A marauder leapt off another platform, dropping towards his head.

"Bring it!"

He released the trigger, a huge glowing ball of energy emitting from the Cannon. Time seemed to slow down again...

... and the world vanished in a flash of white light.

---------------

"Radiation Levels Increasing: Evacuate the Area Immediately"

Turner opened his eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of flames. Burning alien corpses surrounded him, a few of them still very much alive. They squealed in pain as the fire engulfed their bodies, limbs falling off. He tried to stand and couldn't.

"Radiation Levels Increasing: Evacuate the Area Immediately"

"Mac!"

He wondered who was yelling at him.

"Mac! Get out of the suit!"

"Go away..."

"MAC! GET OUT OF THE DAMN SUIT! THE DOORS ARE CLOSING!"

"Deactivate..." he said, weakly.

The Battlesuit shut down, releasing him. Strong hands grabbed the back of his body armor and he felt himself being lifted to his feet. He shook his head to clear it and looked at the man holding him up. It was McNabb.

"Come on! We've got to go!"

"Can't move..."

"Come on! You're fine! Move it!"

"No... wanna stay here..."

"Mac, you've got people waiting for you at home, you can't stay here! Remember all the other soldiers, your friends? Remember Jess? You've got to RUN, son!"

He finally felt strength flow back into his legs. He began to walk slowly... then jog... then run. They ran out of the room just as the doors slammed shut, but they didn't stop. They kept going.

13 caught up to them. "You made it!" he said, laughing. "I knew you would."

Mac smiled weakly. "I don't die unless I have nothing to live for... and right now I have plenty."

McNabb grinned. "That's the spirit!"

The building shuddered as something else exploded.

"What was that?" 13 asked.

"We've set off a chain reaction..." McNabb said, panting. "We've got to hurry, because this place is going to come down around our ears!"

-------------

They emerged out into the docking bay, where the chopper was waiting, as promised. The soldiers pulled them aboard and they lifted off as the building shuddered again.

"You did it." one of them said, clapping Mac on the shoulder.

Mac smiled. "No... we all did it."

They zoomed out of the hanger and headed south. After they'd gotten about a mile away, the base finally exploded, a huge column of fire rising into the air.

"Woooohooo!" McNabb cheered. "Lookit that, men! We killed those suckers good!"

They all cheered.

"Well, guys, who's ready to go home?" the pilot asked.

They cheered again, even louder.

"That's what I thought," the pilot said, laughing.

They flew off into the the distance over the mountains, finally homeward bound.

------------
A Few Months Later...

"Come in." John said. He was in his office, smoking a cigar.

Mac opened the door and stepped inside, a folder in his hand. He took a chair.

"Oh, Mac, how good to see you!"

"Likewise, sir."

"Oh, drop the 'sir' bullcrap. We've been through too much as a team for you to ever call me sir. First name basis. How are you?"

Mac laughed. "I'm as good as can be, s- I mean, John."

"Wonderful. Jess and the baby?"

"They're good. I wish things would speed up so I'd know if it was a boy or a girl. It's driving me nuts."

John smiled. "Well, going by your luck, it'll be a boy."

"I sure hope so."

They were silent for a few moments.

"Something on your mind, Mac?"

"Well, yeah... I've been wanting to tell you something."

"Lemme guess, you're gonna turn your papers in and vanish, am I right? Had enough of the military life, eh?" John asked, joking.

"Actually, you're right."

His face fell. "Oh, no, you're the one joking now, right?"

Mac shook his head. "No. I've been talking with Jess over it for a while now, and we both agree this kind of place is not safe to raise a child. The work we do... we could be killed in the field of battle anytime. We don't want the child to be an orphan, you know?"

John nodded. "I know, and I understand. Who else knows?"

"Well..."

"Oh, don't tell me I'm the last?"

Turner smiled apologetically. "I wanted to save the news for you last, cause I admire you the most out of everyone. You saved my life, John, more than once."

"Ok, but I still don't get why I'm last?"

"You're gonna be the hardest to say goodbye to," Mac replied. He picked up the folder and slid it across the desk. "Here are the papers."

John looked at them, putting his cigar out. "When are you leaving?"

"Oh, about 10 minutes from now."

"What!? Thats cheap!"

"Well, you can stay here or walk with me out to the shuttle."

"Oh, fine." McNabb stood and opened the door. "Come on."

They exited the office and took a right, walking down the hall to the landing pad.

"Man, it seems I came here only yesterday, you know?" Mac said.

"Oh, I know it. Time flies when you're having fun, huh?"

"Amen, my friend. Hey DJ!"

"Yo bro!" DJ replied as he walked past. "Heading out?"

"You bet."

"Peace, my man. We won't forget ya!"

John smiled. "You've left an impact on these mens lives, you know? You did more with them with your determination and your willingness to defend the innocent and avenge your fallen brothers. You made them soldiers, and you did a better job of it than I ever could."

Mac felt tears welling up behind his eyes. "Thank you. That means a lot."

They opened the doors and stepped outside. A light breeze was blowing, and the sun was still rising, bringing the promise of another scorching day.

"Well, this is it." Mac said.

John nodded. "Yep, this is the end of the line." He extended his hand.

Mac shook it for a moment, then pulled the other into an embrace. "Goodbye, John. It's been good."

John grinned and patted Turner on the back. "Brothers till the end. Even if you are leaving the military, the military will never leave you."

Mac laughed. "Thank God for that. Hey, I'll call once in a while. Take care, my friend."

"I will. Give Jess a kiss for me?"

"I'll do that. Adios, amigo."

Mac turned and boarded the shuttle. He took his seat next to Jess, by the window, and waved one more time. John waved back and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

"All ready to go?" he asked Jess.

"I am if you are." she replied.

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "That's from John."

"Will we ever see them again?" she asked.

Mac put an arm around her as the shuttle lifted off and zoomed towards space, pondering her question.

"I don't know, dear. I really don't."

"I hope we do, at least someday."

Mac looked out the window down at the base, watching as it grew smaller.

"So do I, Jessica. So do I."

--------------

The End

May 9th, 2009 - July 23rd, 2009

© 2009 The Harder They Fall by Houston Rogers. I own all characters mentioned in this story. I do not own Tremulous itself. You may not take this story or the characters and edit it/them in any way without my permission.

Title: Re: ...The Harder They Fall
Post by: CreatureofHell on July 24, 2009, 12:42:46 pm

It's over :'(

The first part of the first part of the chapter reminded me of the Battle for Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

also rofl @ "Has he been playing Half-Life?"

Nice story overall :) keep it up in the future.

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: FreaK on July 24, 2009, 07:41:30 pm

Nice story, you are a good writer!

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on July 24, 2009, 09:23:38 pm

Hey guys, thanks for the responses.

It was a very fun project, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I never had intended to make a full fledged story out of it (that's why the first chapter simply says "The End" after it), but the responses were all positive, so I decided to keep going. As time went along, the story played out in my mind, like a movie, and I just kept writing more and more down. In the end, what started as a 1,000 word short story was transformed into a 28,000 + word story (which is, I found out, considered to be a novella). I really like the fact that there was so much that could be made up, since the "official" Trem story is somewhat short and lacking detail. It's true that THTF may not be extremely realistic in some spots, but for gods sake, we're talking about Humans VS Aliens here :D.

There were a few ideas I'd had at first that were never implemented, like 13 and his clones betraying Turner and HIS clones later on. Instead, I found it best to leave them all buddies.

Like any story, there are a few "dud" chapters. In my opinion, these are 7 and 11. 7 is just... so-so, IMO. And 11 was more or less rushed because real life kept getting in the way of my writing and both the readers and myself were tired of waiting for a release.

In the end, I think it turned out good, and I'm happy with it. Thanks to all of you for all the comments and the support! I welcome all future critique, detailed or not, positive or negative.

Thank you all again!

-DeathSkull ;D

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Bissig on July 25, 2009, 01:46:49 am

You are very talented at story telling and should venture further into this area. Maybe take a writing class or similar..

I hope you find time, will and stamina to pay another tribute to Tremulous with another great story. For now: Enjoy your break! ;-)

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: your face on July 25, 2009, 04:41:57 am

great story, keep up the good work. <3

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: khalsa on July 26, 2009, 06:33:40 pm

When can we expect the next story?

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on July 26, 2009, 07:41:47 pm

Well...

SOON

;D

I'm currently reworking this story as we speak, editing bits and pieces and whatnot. I've already finished the first chapter, which you may view and comment on:

http://revanjast.deviantart.com/art/The-Harder-They-Fall-Chap-1-130852563

You can post your comments here :P

Thank you all again for taking the time to read and comment! Every bit helps me ^_^

-Death

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on July 27, 2009, 11:19:19 am

I'm gonna say this yet again, but you should at least try finding a publisher. You have some serious talent there, and I enjoyed every word of it.

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on July 27, 2009, 05:48:59 pm

Thank you, NUKE. I'm definitely considering the idea. I've RPed for the last 3 years off and on, so it's helped my writing skills, plus I'm a huge bookworm (well, sorta). I'm honestly rather surprised at all the positive responses for this, since its the first real writing project I've ever done (and completed :P).

Once again, thank you all.

>>

<<

You might wanna keep an eye on your local bookstore, cause you never know... ;)

-DeathSkull

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Jedarus on July 27, 2009, 07:22:40 pm

Quote from: DeathSkull on July 27, 2009, 05:48:59 pm

You might wanna keep an eye on your local bookstore, cause you never know... ;)

-DeathSkull

who knows, deathskull could be the next asimov/arthur c. clarke

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Avenger2150 on August 17, 2009, 09:01:15 pm

Hello !
I have read the story for the first to the last chapter.
I got to say you have a really creative,original and spiritfull
mind ! You had gave this story alot but ALOT of emotion,thought
and realism. I enjoyed reading this and imagining a movie out of it
in my head. But i got to say you have a couple of fail points.
you used things that are still in the years of 2009 ex :
C4 explosive you could have gave it a diff.name such as
R2M,Flashdriver could have been an some thing else.
Windows logo like i said could have been some thing
else,who knows maybe in the future there will be an system
called Adrmona who knows ? :laugh:
Over all i really liked this story though it DID have parts from
other storys BUT you know a man cant stop but copy.
I hope you would be able to release more eye catching
storys ! if i could rate this i think it would be 1,000,000 out of 10
i bet there is no one here in the site that can top your story.
Note : Nice use of game materiel !

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Archangel on August 17, 2009, 09:10:17 pm

apparently you haven't read any of the other stories here

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Chomps123 on August 24, 2009, 06:23:23 am

just an idea:
Maby you should make it into a comic book or something like that. :-\
Once again, good work. ;)

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on August 25, 2009, 05:19:41 pm

Not sure what Arch's comment meant <<

Anyways, thank you for the positive comments. I'm not all too sure about the copying, because I only read two other stories on here during the time of my writing, so if I did copy, it wasn't intentional.

Thank you all again! I'm still re-writing this story as we speak!

-Death

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Archangel on August 25, 2009, 07:59:50 pm

Quote from: DeathSkull on August 25, 2009, 05:19:41 pm

Not sure what Arch's comment meant <<

Anyways, thank you for the positive comments. I'm not all too sure about the copying, because I only read two other stories on here during the time of my writing, so if I did copy, it wasn't intentional.

Thank you all again! I'm still re-writing this story as we speak!

-Death

actually, my apologies, i didn't realise it was this thread. i thought it was that story with the fruitcake using all the emoticons.

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Jedarus on August 26, 2009, 03:29:38 pm

Quote from: Archangel on August 25, 2009, 07:59:50 pm

Quote from: DeathSkull on August 25, 2009, 05:19:41 pm
Not sure what Arch's comment meant <<

Anyways, thank you for the positive comments. I'm not all too sure about the copying, because I only read two other stories on here during the time of my writing, so if I did copy, it wasn't intentional.

Thank you all again! I'm still re-writing this story as we speak!

-Death

actually, my apologies, i didn't realise it was this thread. i thought it was that story with the fruitcake using all the emoticons.

Lolwut, which story with all the emoticons and fruitcakes?

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: CreatureofHell on August 26, 2009, 03:51:17 pm

Quote from: Jedarus on August 26, 2009, 03:29:38 pm

Quote from: Archangel on August 25, 2009, 07:59:50 pm
Quote from: DeathSkull on August 25, 2009, 05:19:41 pm
Not sure what Arch's comment meant <<

Anyways, thank you for the positive comments. I'm not all too sure about the copying, because I only read two other stories on here during the time of my writing, so if I did copy, it wasn't intentional.

Thank you all again! I'm still re-writing this story as we speak!

-Death

actually, my apologies, i didn't realise it was this thread. i thought it was that story with the fruitcake using all the emoticons.

Lolwut, which story with all the emoticons and fruitcakes?

The really annoying and stupid one

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Chomps123 on August 27, 2009, 02:43:38 am

Quote from: CreatureofHell on August 26, 2009, 03:51:17 pm

Quote from: Jedarus on August 26, 2009, 03:29:38 pm
Quote from: Archangel on August 25, 2009, 07:59:50 pm
Quote from: DeathSkull on August 25, 2009, 05:19:41 pm
Not sure what Arch's comment meant <<

Anyways, thank you for the positive comments. I'm not all too sure about the copying, because I only read two other stories on here during the time of my writing, so if I did copy, it wasn't intentional.

Thank you all again! I'm still re-writing this story as we speak!

-Death

actually, my apologies, i didn't realise it was this thread. i thought it was that story with the fruitcake using all the emoticons.

Lolwut, which story with all the emoticons and fruitcakes?

The really annoying and stupid one

Off topic guys. :P

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Jedarus on August 27, 2009, 03:14:45 pm

My bad, I now know it's the Tyrant story

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: randomdude on August 29, 2009, 07:48:49 pm

;D damn i <3 this story! i just finished reading parts 1-6 and i am really impressed!
i think you should make a video/ flash animation of this someday
i dont know much flash animators personally, but newgrounds.com has a lot of good animators
if you are interested in the flash animation idea, post something on the newgrounds forums, i'm pretty sure someone will contact you
try to get help from as many animators as you can.
maybe one of the best animators in newgrounds is "Krinkels". He is known from his "Madness Combat" series,i think he could help you a bit with animating, weaponry and weapon sounds
but thats enough of newgrounds for now...
keep your story coming! (i dont know yet have you finished it allready, cuz i have read only parts 1-6 :P )
another idea about your story is to make a comic about it

i have enjoyed reading this wonderfull masterpiece of work!

:: Offtopic questions ::
where are you from?
age?
experience of this game ( = how long have you played this game)?

:: even more offtopic ::
supriced not asking your name and gender?

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on August 29, 2009, 09:52:02 pm

Quote from: randomdude on August 29, 2009, 07:48:49 pm

;D damn i <3 this story! i just finished reading parts 1-6 and i am really impressed!
i think you should make a video/ flash animation of this someday
i dont know much flash animators personally, but newgrounds.com has a lot of good animators
if you are interested in the flash animation idea, post something on the newgrounds forums, i'm pretty sure someone will contact you
try to get help from as many animators as you can.
maybe one of the best animators in newgrounds is "Krinkels". He is known from his "Madness Combat" series,i think he could help you a bit with animating, weaponry and weapon sounds
but thats enough of newgrounds for now...
keep your story coming! (i dont know yet have you finished it allready, cuz i have read only parts 1-6 :P )
another idea about your story is to make a comic about it

i have enjoyed reading this wonderfull masterpiece of work!

:: Offtopic questions ::
where are you from?
age?
experience of this game ( = how long have you played this game)?

:: even more offtopic ::
supriced not asking your name and gender?

Haha, thank you for the enthusiastic response. Yes, the story in this iteration is currently finished. I'm currently doing a rewrite of it, the first chapter (redone) is a few posts up. And yes, I'm definitely considering making the story into alternate forms of media (movie/comic/etc).

As for where I'm from, USA, and I'm 18. I've been playing Tremulous since summer 2006. I love this game!

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Pazuzu on September 06, 2009, 04:29:08 pm

See if you can get a deal for turning this into a movie. I know I'd watch it. ;)

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Prophet on October 31, 2009, 06:40:25 pm

Great story, read the whole thing, you really have a talent in writing.

EDIT: I realize this thread is a bit old, but I felt that it need not fall into the depths of second pages, it really is a great read and I feel it should be sticked or something. :)

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Minimum on November 01, 2009, 04:28:27 am

Maybe they should make a game based off this. It would be fun.

HOLD UP

Anyway, brilliant story. You know how to use suspense well.

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on November 03, 2009, 05:20:43 pm

Thank you both :)

As I've stated earlier, I really enjoyed writing this. I would of had a sequel released by now but I decided to revise this story for novelization, which I hope to finish early next year. Thank you again for reading and the great comments, and for helping keep this thread alive so others can read it also. :)

-Death

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on November 04, 2009, 03:36:09 pm

Really? Thats great! I would buy it

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Repatition on November 04, 2009, 11:01:07 pm

This will make a great novel! and will help promote tremulous!

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: ReapDaWrapper on November 05, 2009, 03:19:25 am

You better be Note-padding this. ;)

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: agkokogrubby on November 06, 2009, 05:30:50 am

holy crap. I've just read this entire story up to its current chapter and I can safely say that this is the best piece of fiction (fiction? orly?) I have ever read in my entire life. In my opinion, this surpasses Harry Potter, Christopher Paolini, Christie Golden, Eric Nylund, and it comes just short of Lord of the Rings. But, I'm sure if you got an editor and a bunch of *beta testers* it even might surpass Tolkien. Hope you publish this so I can buy a million copies of it! Good luck ;)

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall - From the Desk of John McNabb
Post by: DeathSkull on December 01, 2009, 05:32:44 pm

December 1st, 2512

To: Mike_LaRoche

From: Sergeant J.M.

Subject: RE: How's it going?!

Hey Mike!

   It's been a few years since I heard from you! I'm doing good... still single. Don't worry, I've had a few offers ;). Now's not really the time to look at settling down, especially in my line of work. You're a smart kid; you got out when you could. Before the damn government could put a rope around your neck. Let me say that if you're even thinking about coming back now, don't! It's really going to hell... yes, even worse than the events set in motion in the Xeres system.

   Well, ok, that's stretching it a bit. It's getting bad, that's true, but if those damn rumors would stop spreading and scaring the people... then maybe we can avoid another full scale casualty. I'm sure you've heard them already: whisperings about rogue groups attacking worlds on the edge of space, people taken as slaves, the men put to work and the women raped. No word on what happens to the children... and I don't want to know. It's all a lie anyways... or so I hope.

   Enough of this; let's discuss brighter subjects. I'm glad to hear that the wife is doing great. And you have a little boy? Congratz, my old friend. I was never one for kids, but I often wonder if that's really how I am or something instilled in me because of the work I do. Maybe someday, when I get out of this hellhole...

   I'm surprised you mentioned that name, Mike. No one talks about him anymore... we're not really supposed to. My commander at the old base ordered the “subjects” (that's what they call them, seriously) to be terminated after Karith went down (another mess, ugh). All except the one they called 13... the unlucky number. Unlucky for us, maybe. Word has it he killed a couple soldiers escaping. As for the main man himself... I haven't heard anything since he left a few years ago. Could be anywhere; he wiped all records of himself (we've been looking for him, that's all I'll say) and I can't find his wife either. Probably the best damn soldier I ever fought beside. I hope when (I don't think there's a question of if) the shit hits the fan we won't need him.

   Heh... what am I saying? We will need him.

   Shit, I need to get going, Mike. Thanks for sending an email my way, and I hope things continue to go well for you. Get some pics soon! That way I can be envious of the place you live at ;).

                             Talk to you later,
                                John McNabb

(P.S.: Keep your ear to the ground, Mike. If you hear or see anything about our old friend, send word my way. Will be much appreciated...)

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: CreatureofHell on December 01, 2009, 06:30:50 pm

Hooray for more! :D <3

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: A Spork on December 01, 2009, 06:55:46 pm

WARNING WARNING!

EXCESSIVE PRO-NESS IN A SINGLE THREAD!!!

Seriously awesome.

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: khalsa on December 02, 2009, 12:12:08 am

OMG DRAMA. (more please) ((just in the story))

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: N.U.K.E. on December 02, 2009, 04:00:01 pm

Excuse my stupidity but... who's mike? I forgot about him.
And is this some sort of a prequel to a sequel?

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: DeathSkull on December 02, 2009, 04:07:43 pm

Mike wasn't seen in the original story, at least not identified by name. However all the high ranking characters would have surely known who he was (John did).

And yes, most sections here on out are more or less intended to "fill the gap" between stories. If I ever do get to the sequel, it'll probably follow the first novel when I get it published.

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Necrimonican on December 11, 2009, 02:30:15 pm

Dude you are an artist this is your art
i have read all of the harder they fall posts they are brilliant
when i start reading them I cant stop i have maybe re-read all of them 5 or 6
times I can truly say you have talent you are definitely good enough to get this
published keep up the good work ill be keeping an eye out for more posts or novels anytime I enter a book
store.

:tyrant: :turret:TREMULOUS :tyrant: :turret:

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: anthraxepilepsy on January 07, 2010, 12:24:35 pm

LOL i LIKE your STORIES..I'm also a writer.....a poet i mean...you may be a future writer for tremulous ...so ROCK ON!!!!! ;D :dragoon: CHOMP!!!! :laugh:

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Triple A on January 17, 2010, 03:54:53 am

Hello.

I do not normally express opinions considering it is a violation of code and law to do so, but i digress...

I joined forum to write this.

Good job.

Advanced
All-Purpose
Alpha

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Triple A on January 21, 2010, 09:56:16 pm

:battlesuit: come on!

best quote ever.

ever!

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: Necrimonican on January 25, 2010, 03:46:15 pm

Death skull just want to say I like your writing style I am somewhat of a writer
but pretty inexperienced but most people say I have got some talent but I think its just the way I blend my words together oh well just want to say good work I'll be interested in any new posts.

:repeater: :human: :helmet: :battlesuit: :dragoon: chomp :battlesuit: :medstat:

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: A Spork on October 23, 2010, 04:54:20 am

Due to the sheer awesomeness and pure win of this story I have packed it into a pdf for viewing on e-readers and the like for those who would like

Linkage (http://spork.unvanquished.net/miscellaneous/Tremulous%20The%20Harder%20They%20Fall.pdf)

Title: Re: Tremulous: The Harder They Fall
Post by: mooseberry on October 24, 2010, 06:12:49 am

Quote from: A Spork on October 23, 2010, 04:54:20 am

Due to the sheer awesomeness and pure win of this story I have packed it into a pdf for viewing on e-readers and the like for those who would like

Linkage (http://spork.unvanquished.net/miscellaneous/Tremulous%20The%20Harder%20They%20Fall.pdf)

Could you also print and bind it and mail it to me for free please?

Tremulous Forum

Media => Other Tremulous Media => Topic started by: DeathSkull on May 09, 2009, 10:12:35 pm