"Actual, this is First Lieutenant Martin. We have engaged hostile forces. They are within the compound—I repeat, they are within the compound. They are occupying the third and fourth floors. I do not know what they are engaging us with, but it is nothing like I have ever seen before. We are setting up a containment perimeter now."
March, 2nd, 2069 (Military Calendar)
NASA-USSF Research Laboratory
Fort Raymond, Colorado, United States
*****
The facility ceiling lights were still on, as if everyone forgotten to turn them off at the end of the day. This made Comanche walk cautiously as they slowly moved through the facility's hallways. Besides the raging battle outside, everything seemed calm, as if nothing had happened. Some knocked-over tables and shelving were like a large group had come through. Outside that, everything looked normal.
After being struck by the strange weapon in the room, Captain Ryder wasn't too eager to jump into the unknown enemy. Whatever hit the bottom of the helicopter defied any conventional wisdom; on top of the containment force outside continued to report being struck by strange weapons. That was on top of the fact that nothing about this operation made sense.
"Where is everyone?" Gonzales asked. "I was expecting bodies."
"It looks like everything went down after everyone went home," King said. "Whatever they are doing here, they waited for the nonessential to go home."
"Except for the senior staff," Ryder said. "That means something was happening here that required the upper echelons of our military, political, and scientific leadership. Stay sharp; you don't want to kill someone we are supposed to save."
The team moved through the tight hallway of the research facility. The sound of weapons fire could be heard from the outside engagement and from the other Minutemen team, Ghost; however, Commanche hadn't yet run into contact with the enemy. Whoever was on the roof wanted to retreat quickly, not even bothering to set up a defensive line on the top floor.
When Comanche reached an intersection, they found a man on the floor, leaning against the wall. The team medic, Marcos Gonzales, rushed over and confirmed that he was dead.
"How did he die?" King asked.
"The upper part of his uniform is burnt to hell," Gonzales said.
"From that flamethrower that attacked us?" Higgins asked.
"I don't think so," Gonzales said. "That would engulf his entire body. This was direct and focused."
"Check this out," Ford said.
Ryder noticed small holes in the wall. Some had objects inside them. It's not a bullet, but on closer inspection, it looks like a flechette. What puzzled him was the other 'bullet' holes that burned around them, but with nothing within them.
Ryder snapped his fingers for one of his teammates to pick up the evidence while he went to the body. "What do you think?"
"No idea, sir," Gonzales said. "He was not killed by these. It seemed like the enemy was providing cover while they hit him with that focused flamethrower."
"Focused flamethrower?"
"I don't know a better word yet. But you know what else I noticed."
"What?"
"5.7mm casings but no P52."
Ryder looked around him and saw seven 5.7×28mm shells on the floor, but the medic was correct. The submachine gun was missing. One of the facility's security personnel could have taken the weapon; however, it was more likely that the enemy took it after killing him because they had yet to run into friendly people. Why, he had no idea.
"Sirs," Barret said. "We cannot linger."
"All right," Ryder said. "Pull his tags, and let's head downstairs. Maybe we can intercept them."
Comanche regrouped and headed deeper into the facility. Once they reached the first sublevel, they saw the genuine scares of battle. One of the offices was destroyed by what appeared to be a previous firefight.
They saw a few Guardian security personnel and scientists lying dead on the ground, all killed by the same weapons from before. One man, however, had the right side of his neck ripped apart. It is almost as if something bit him. Blood stains covered his uniform as if his entire body had been drained.
However, one thing everyone noticed was the absence of hostile bodies. Either the enemy had been grabbing them up as they advanced, or the facility security failed to kill any of the unknown aggressors. The latter sent a chill down Ryder's spine.
While Comanche investigated the bodies, Ford called everyone over.
Mathew Ryder reached the Sergeant and saw what he was referring to—purple blood on the wall.
"This confirms it," Barrios said. "It's aliens."
"Maybe Ford was correct," Wallace said. "This is Area 51."
"The inflation must have forced them here," Barrios jokingly said.
"Lock it down, you two," King said. "Let's not assume anything."
"Are you kidding?" Wallace said. "We fought a robot that looked like it came from some 80s science fiction anime. We were sent to recapture a Space Force and NASA advanced research facility from an unknown enemy and given no information on why, and now we have purple blood."
"I hate to say it, King," Barratt said. "But we need to keep an open mind. Things have not been the same since that last mission."
The captain had no idea they were blowing off steam about how strange this mission was turning out. The purple blood only feeds into the theory that they are about to fight aliens, even though that might be true. But even he is starting to believe that fact. "It does not matter right now. Do not create imaginary fantasies until we get concrete evidence; however, keep your senses sharp. We have a job to do and will do it no matter what. Regardless if it's ET or the IRS."
Comanche headed toward the sublevel stairway. As they walked through the hallway, everything suddenly shook.
"Earthquake? Ford asked as he grabbed the railing.
"In Colorado?" Higgins said.
"I have no idea," Ford replied. "I have never been to this state."
"It was not an earthquake," Barret said. "It was the 10th SF."
"When they said they were going to hit hard, they meant it," Higgins said.
"But that means we are running out of time," King said.
"Agreed," Ryder said. "We need to double time."
The stairway door led to a large room that led into a lobby. The tables, chairs, and decorative trees were all destroyed in battle. Comanche left the stairway one by one as they secured the area, creating a defensive position in the open office.
Sergeant Eger Wallace went through the exit with two team members already out. A bright blue flicker flew through the room as he walked to a tipped-over table, impacting and knocking him over.
"I have been hit!" Wallace said as he grabbed his arm.
"Man down," Higgins said.
"Suppressive fire," Barrett ordered.
Flickers of light appeared on the other side of the room as projectiles impacted the wall and pillars. The forward Comanche took cover and engaged the enemy fire. Forest took a position to protect the entry water, allowing Gonzales to move behind and get to work on Wallace.
Ryder could get out of the entryway and take cover behind a pillar. The enemy was clever, picking a perfect choke point. Facing one of the office walls, he saw something bright light impact it.
The impact spot was smoldering. However, there was no bullet hole. Whatever weapons the enemy was using weren't ballistic. Still, energy bases, which were considered to be Itlian liquid plates, were not designed against these weapons.
Turning to face the enemy, he saw the enemy through the M31 scope. Unable to get a good view of the enemy, he sees them behind their cover as they ambush his team. It was clear they were protecting the stairway to the subsections.
Seeing his target: a hostile directing his comrades. Ryder fired three shots, and the unknown hostile went down. He then got up and rushed over to Wallace's position.
The captain passed his teammates while they engaged the enemy in a firefight. He was happy that Comanche had regained the initiative now that they were not pinned within a hallway. Once he reached the team medic, he asked, "How is he?"
"I am fine," Wallace said. "Does sting, though."
"He is fine, sir," Gonzales said. "The armor seemed to absorb most of the energy. However, the plate is completely destroyed."
"Bag it for R&D," Ryder said. He then helped the Sergeant back onto his feet. "Get that M252 and give them the lead."
Taking cover from the unknown enemy fire, Ryder leaned over his cover and engaged the enemy with his M31. Once the M250 began providing suppressive fire, the firing rate of the enemy slowed down, probably taking cover.
"Rommel." Ryder saw his XO had already predicted his order and started gathering his team to press against the enemy. "Everyone else, cover fire."
Half of the team emerged from cover and increased their rate of fire to overwhelm the enemy. King, Forest, and Higgins charged forward, following the side of the lobby.
The sudden increase in firepower broke the enemy's resolve, prompting them to retreat toward the other stairway. Some covered the other's withdrawal, indicating that this unknown enemy valued squad-based tactics.
Ryder stood to fire his weapon, but lowered back into his cover as three energy bolts impacted the table. One of the bolts went through it. The rim caught fire, and the other side did too. At first, it confused him as to why anyone would use an anti-drone weapon against a live target. The only value would be to destroy the battlesuit hardware, but that didn't match the intensity of what he saw.
It was a true energy-based weapon.
Acknowledging how hot those energy weapons were, he stood and fired his gun, seeing the enemy almost entirely retreat.
One of the enemies stopped by the door and turned to face Comanche. The hostile raised his arm, and a bright blue light burst from his wrist.
"What the hell was that?" Ford asked.
"No idea," Ryder replied. "Take him out."
Ryder fired his rifle next to the hostile, shooting near the target as the captain didn't have a clear line of sight. This gave Ford the opening he needed, and he fired.
To his surprise, the first shot was ineffective as the bullet didn't puncture the armor. It only shows a reflex and dent from the impact. The following shots seemed to do the trick: killing the enemy before fleeing through the stairway.
Rommel King's team reached the other side of the lobby and acknowledged that the area was secured.
The rest of the Comanche left their position and regrouped with the rest of the team. Ryder ordered Ford and Higgins to tag everything the enemy had for the later sweeper team.
The captain first kneeled next to the hostile corpse that stayed behind to give his comrades a chance to escape. King and Barrett were with him, also wanting to know who they were fighting.
Ryder first noticed the armor's aesthetic look, closer to medieval times than to a modern uniform; however, it differed from what he had seen in history class. There were tactical elements within the alien armor, similar to those in his Integrated Tactical Lightweight Infantryman Armor Network, such as pouches for equipment and attachment slots. A vest for ammunition and strange indents to latch some gear –he couldn't figure out what these indents were for.
Seeing the bullet dent and hole made the captain wonder what type of alloy it was. There are not many metals that the US army would equip infantry with as body armor, making him wonder who they are going up against. Even the armor had a woven pattern, and based on that, it stopped a bullet. It had to be like Kevlar.
The other Comanche confirmed that the other two dead also wore similar armor, proving this was a standard issue for the enemy.
Then Ryder saw the bullet dents and holes that killed this unknown enemy. "It might look ancient, but it can stop a 6.8mm."
"Only a round or two," Ford said. "Similar to ours. Most armor can only absorb one impact before becoming useless."
"Thank you for stating the obvious," Barrios commented.
"Listen," Ford said. "You design your armor to resist what your enemy's armor is. If they can absorb our ammunition, from their POV, what are they expected to encounter? You create what you need."
"Ben is correct," King said. "We need to adjust accordingly."
As the captain's senior members lectured the rest of the team on handling the situation correctly, he reached toward the alien corpse's head. He removed the helmet to better understand who he was fighting – preparing himself to uncover an alien soldier. To his shock, he saw a human face. Lying there lifeless.
With further investigation, Top of Form
the first thing you'd notice is the powerful, rugged structure of the head. The skull is long and low, with a thick, sloping forehead and a heavy ridge of bone running above the eyes, giving the gaze a deep-set, intense look. The nose is broad and prominent, projecting forward from the face, while the jaw is strong and solid. The face overall looks tough, functional, and built for endurance rather than expression.
Their physical presence feels dense and muscular—like someone shaped by constant movement and survival. Slightly shorter than the average Sapiens human male, it had a thick neck, wide shoulders, and limbs that looked heavy with practical strength rather than sculpted definition. The forearms and hands appear especially powerful, suited for gripping, carrying, and striking. Nothing about the build looks fragile, but compact. Bottom of Form
"We are fighting humans?" Ryder commented.
"Hold on," King said. "I don't think so."
Ryder allowed the shock to pass aside and carefully analyzed the alien. His second-in-command was correct, but there were crucial differences. The basic design looked human; however, the mouth and jaw sections were further out. The forehead was bulkier. Hair thicker. While this alien looked human, it didn't look like a standard homo sapiens, or at least none he had ever seen.
"Check the others," Ryder ordered. He leaned toward King and asked, "What do you think?"
"Definitely human," King said. "But he looks more like something from an evolution lecture video."
"I was thinking the same thing," Ryder said. "Space humans?"
"I don't know," King said. "As I said, I feel like I saw them before in school. I cannot put my finger on it."
After checking the other bodies, the two heard Wallace and Ford call their names. Gonzales confirmed as they approached that the second body was another human-like alien. However, when they reached the third one, Ryder and King looked stunned by the sight.
Unlike the others, this one didn't look human. Although humanoid in frame, the skin was dark purple and far thicker. The facial structure was bulkier.
"Check this out." Wallace lifted the upper lip with his knife, showing a fang. "I might be going insane, but doesn't this look like a vampire?"
"A tad different, but yes," Ryder said.
"You are kidding?" Higgins said. "We are not just facing space humans but space vampires?"
"Isn't that in fantasy and chick flicks?" Wallace asked.
"Vampires are more common than just chick flicks," Ford said. "They are common in folklore and such."
"Okay, mister, I know everything," Wallace replied. "All I know is I had to see a boring film where they sparkled and dated a werewolf."
"Please don't jinx us," Barrios said. "I don't want to fight werewolves next."
"It does not matter if the next hostile is the devil himself," Barret said. "They are hostile, so you put a bullet in their head. You all read me."
Seeing that the Sergeant First Class took control of the situation, Ryder navigated through his HUD. He noticed a blinking light. It was Ghost Team trying to contact him. After ordering his team to tag the bodies and alien equipment, he sat down and accessed his HUD; he pulled up Ghost Team and connected with Captain James Miller. "Miller, do you copy?"
"I do, Comanche-lead," Miller said. "I found something you will want to see."
"Do you mean the strange-looking humans and vampires?"
"We engaged those and reported it to Command. We even engaged some furball humanoids. It was a jumpy bastard, but that isn't what I want to show you. We reclaimed the security room and pulled up the footage. Sending you the data now. I hope you are sitting down because you will not believe this."
Ryder waved over Rommel King so he could witness whatever the footage had. Once they were patched into the facility network, security footage appeared on their HUDS.
"Before you ask," Miller said. "This is the only angle I can pull up right now. I still cannot access the other cameras' recordings."
The feed showed the facility's lower levels, a significant open multiple-level concrete room. The timer showed that this recording was from three years ago. Dozens of guards, scientists, engineers, and every other professional relating to this place that he could think of. He also saw high-level officers from the USSF and NASA, including the director, White House representatives, and others. This only confused him about what they were up to at this facility. It would have been revolutionary if so, many senior staff members were here.
That was when Ryder saw a bright light fill the room. The camera couldn't get a good angle; however, he could see the shadow on the concrete wall, showing a strange device.
The security guards aimed their weapons as the staff stepped back, clearly shocked by what they saw. That was when Ryder saw two individuals walk into the camera view. They wore ragged clothing, not armored like the ones they fought. One male and one female. Both hands have silk-like hair and pointed ears. "Are you seeing this?"
"Yes, I am, sir," King said. "Elves. Like Lord of the Rings but tanner."
As the two watched the footage, the male elf seemed to be protecting the female and trying to communicate with the facility personnel there. The two seemed shaken, worried about something, and pointing off toward where the elves had come from. Other individuals in similar armor, whom they had just fought, approached. The elves seemed terrified and began approaching the Guardian guards as the enemy formed a defensive line.
That was until a vampire pushed through and began pointing toward the elves. Tensions continued to grow as more vampire forces entered the camera's viewpoint. Ryder already knew what was going to happen. Too many enemy forces appeared, and no one seemed to know how to communicate. Defusing the situation was impossible.
As predicted, one of the alien warriors got too close to one of the scientists, which triggered one of the USSF guards to open fire. From there, all hell broke loose as a firefight began. To Ryder's shock and confusion, one of the aliens' hands glowed, forming an energy field that protected them from the guards. This allowed the aliens to swarm the defenders with ease.
While there was much carnage, Ryder noticed one crucial detail. The two elves escaped more profoundly into the facility, using the chaos to their advantage. He realized it would be them if no one knew what was happening. It did not take long for the alien attackers to pursue the elves. "James, please tell me you know where those elves are?"
"That is the problem," Millar said. "They were on sublevel two, hiding in a storage unit, but they were discovered. From what I can tell, they are heading back to sub-level three. There is something down there."
"Roger that." Ryder was helped off the floor by Higgins. "Comanche, we are heading straight to sublevel three. There are two elves that the enemy came here for, and we will intercept and extract."
The team regrouped and headed down the stairway. Over DEFNET, Ghost was directing them through the facility. Unlike when Comanche entered the facility, this time, the surrounding area looked like signs of battle—holes in the walls. Blood, fire, and ammunition shells were everywhere.
As the tram approached the stairway, Ghost informed them that the enemy was coming.
Projectile fire flew past them as they descended the stairs or impacted the stairway. Comanche leaned over the railing and damaged, covering each other as they worked down the stairs.
"This is going to take too long," King said.
"Agreed," Ryder said. "Is there an alternative path?"
"The last two sublevels are a massive chamber," Millar said. "You should be able to take sublevel two, but their hostiles. It is an upper platform hovering over the third subfloor. And you won't like this; the two targets just entered the chamber."
"Then we take sublevel two," Ryder said. "Tell Viking to reinforce us ASAP."
Comanche, who worked there, was at the next-floor door.
"Alright," Barret said. "Hit hard and fast. We need speed and aggression. Show them how it's done."
The two Comanches tossed fragmented grenades down the stairway toward the enemy to cause distraction and misdirection. The resulting explosion echoed louder from how compact the stairway was. This allowed the team to rush downstairs to the door they needed to reach quickly.
Stopping at the sublevel two-door, they placed charges on the hinges and blew it, causing the door to fall to the ground. Comanche tossed two stunned grenades inside. After hearing the bang, the team stormed into the room, killing two enemy defenders as they were blinded.
This alerted the other hostiles on the level, turning to face them.
Comanche fanned out to spread themselves as much as possible and engaged the enemy. Being a research room with state-of-the-art computers, containment devices, and other equipment, Ryder had yet to learn what they were for but assumed they were expensive. This made him wonder whether he should order his team to be careful and to minimize collateral damage. If so, would that result in his team failing to achieve their objective and handing the enemy a fire superiority advantage?
They decided they had no time to value collateral damage, as the hardware could be replaced. Still, they would only get this one chance to extract their objective. He ordered his team not to hold back and to engage the enemy as aggressively as possible.
The enemy gathered the research equipment within this room. Still, after two of their comrades were killed, they fan out to engage the Comanche. As the firefight began, Mathew Ryder saw one of the larger hostiles begin to move, directing his subordinates and issuing orders. Understanding that this vampire was the enemy squad leader, Ryder pulled the trigger. The bullet aimed true but, to his confusion, was deflected before impacting the target. The enemy's chest of armor glowed green, and an energy bubble formed around him, deflecting the incoming bullets. He then found cover and fired a rifle-like weapon at them.
In front of the enemy, force a barrier. Forest and Higgins fired their rifles at the barrier; however, the bullets were deflected.
The remaining hostiles sought a nearby cover and fired a new type of weapon. A slight glow was built by the enemy weapon before being projected toward Comanche. As the projectile impacted the cover around the team, one of the enemy projectiles hit Ford in the side.
Marcos Gonzales rushed over and reported that Ford was alright and that the Itlian had protected him. The medic also said the enemy projectile looked like flechette ammunition.
"He has some kind of personal energy shield," Forest said.
"Sir," King said. "Permission for property damage?"
"Granted."
The Warrant Officer directed Sergeant Benjamin Ford to use his underslung M320 grenade launcher. The grenade exploded in the middle of the group of enemies, killing those nearby, except for the leader with the energy shield. However, he flew forward, ramming into one of the desks.
Ryder quickly fired again at the leader. This time, the bullet went straight through the helmet, killing the hostile. He was thrilled that the grenade weakened or drained enough of the enemy leader's energy shield, showing that their technology was different but wasn't unstoppable.
"Comanche, advance," Ryder ordered.
The nine Comanche warriors pushed against the remaining hostiles. Feeling the pressure, they abandoned their cover and started fleeing to the other side of this level. They did not get far as they were picked off from combine fire.
"Room secure," Barret said.
Ryder checked the feed from Ghost Team, showing that the enemy had brought the two elves to the main underground chamber. The enemy was planning to escape from underground somehow. "We need to get down there now."
"Looks like they were heading that direction," Higgins said.
"Good chance they are protecting that stairwell as well," Ford said.
Quickly shifting through the facility security feed, Ryder found the next level. Ford was correct. The next level looked like a cargo dock that oversaw the main chamber where the enemy was gathering. The enemy was bunkered down. He considered bypassing the level; however, that could expose their flank, but it would let them reach the main floor more quickly. However, based on the feed, more time was needed to properly clear each floor. Most enemy forces were on the first level, and fighting through that would be almost impossible within their timeframe.
He switched back to the above cargo floor and saw the steep drop. While the Itlian battle suit was not designed for such a steep drop, it wouldn't kill its user. He was more focused on the elevated platform, giving Comanche the elevation to suppress the enemy while they ziplined down. The only issue was how to bypass the enemy defenders.
"Boss," King said. "What are you thinking?"
"Why don't we create our own?" Ryder responded. "Bypass the stairway altogether?"
Rommel King looked to the floor and snapped his fingers at the Twins, Sergeant Eger Wallace, and Sergeant Bruno Barrios. The two rushed over and placed explosives on the floor. The rest of the team found cover inside the stairway.
Once the explosives were ready, the Twins regrouped with the team. Sergeant Bruno Barrios pulled out a small portable touchscreen and pressed it. A large explosion violently shook the building around them as smoke entered the door.
No one needed orders as Comanche rushed past the smoke and fires from the explosions and headed toward the new hole in the floor. Each one dropped into the hole. The jump would have injured an average person; however, with the Itlian battle suit, the exoskeleton's joints quickly absorbed the impact from this height.
At first, the enemy didn't engage, probably confused by the sudden explosion. This allowed them to take cover among the many storage units and crates scattered on the platform. It seemed the enemy was stunned by Comanche's sudden orthodox entrance and was not prepared in time.
Comanche was surrounded; however, they were disorganized and separated. Flechettes impacted the small metal container next to Ryder, and the wooden crate by Wallace and Higgins caught on fire from an enemy energy bolt.
Peaking around the corner, Ryder saw three hostiles behind the cover. To his confusion, one seemed to be carrying a long physical shield. It's not an energy shield the vampire used before, but something closer to something he saw in a historical documentary. The shieldman positioned himself to protect his comrades.
"I will get their fire," Ryder said. "Once they are distracted, take a shot."
The captain leaned around the container and saw the enemy hunker down. One of the enemy soldiers took aim at him as he fired his M31. He was able to kill one of the two, but again, drew the attention of the other. The other hostile stood and fired at the captain, allowing Gonzales to neutralize the target.
"Captain!"
Ryder felt someone grabbing the back of his battle suit, pulling him onto his feet. As the captain turned and started running, he noticed it was Staff Sergeant Kurt Forest. Before he could request answers, the containers behind them exploded, and the blast knocked the three soldiers onto the ground.
"What the hell was that?" Gonzales asked as he sought cover.
"New hostile," Forest said. "He glowed like a Christmas tree and threw lights at you."
"That made no sense," Ryder said.
"I didn't say it did," Forest replied.
The three men got up and found cover.
Ryder then leaned up, and he didn't believe his eyes. One of the enemy hostiles blocked the path that they needed to go. To his shock, what the Staff Sergeant said was true. These new hostile hands glowed like a Christmas tree. The new target threw what looked like an energy-shaped baseball at some of the other Comanche while protected by the shieldmen.
"I am getting tired of these people. Ford, take that sucker out!"
Benjamin Ford fired his M320 grenade launcher at the sudden enemy. The grenade exploded early as the hostile hands glowed, creating a bright barrier.
"Great," Forest said. "They can project energy shields around a squad."
"Being in these tight quarters is not helping," Gonzales said.
"I don't know," Ryder replied. "Concentrate fire on that."
Hearing the lead of the Ghost team, Ryder was informed that the enemy mostly retreats through a strange alien device ahead of them. The VIPs were within the chamber and were about to be extracted. He finally understands why the enemy is fighting so hard to delay them. They were the rearguards protecting their comrades' retreat.
Confused by what Captain James Miller said about an alien device, he pushed it aside as he had too many other issues to prioritize. Seeing another hostile fall, he knew they would win this engagement sooner or later; however, they would never fire fast enough to achieve their objective. They had to act now.
"What did Patton say?" Ryder asked. "Do Everything You Ask of Those You Command?"
"Sir?" Forest asked.
"Comanche-Lead to all Comanches. Covery fire!"
While Ryder knew his men would be confused by the sudden order, they followed without question. A hail of 6.8mm from Wallace M250 impacted the unknown enemy energy shield and cut through the shieldmen. Forest and Gonzales engaged the enemy forces that were protecting this hostile.
Seeing that everyone was engaged, Captain Mathew Ryder saw his path. "All units, cover me. Going after the VIPs."
Ignoring his XO's objections, Ryder rushed forward as fast as he could toward the platform's edge. There was hostility in front of him; based on his size, he was one of those vampires.
Mathew Ryder dropped to the ground and slid. One of his men drew his weapon, allowing him to pass and reach the railing. He was shocked by the depth as he stood up and leaned over the bar. There was a blinding light under the platform, which he could not see clearly. Whatever this alien device was, the light was too blind.
He saw the enemy hostiles below, leaving what seemed like an observation or staging room—seeing the two elves being escorted by those other human-type hostiles pushing them along.
Taking a deep breath as he knew what he was about to do was insane; once the enemy got close enough, the captain jumped off the platform.
The fall was quick to the point where he could barely think. Within seconds, he fell on top of three unsuspecting hostiles, which broke the fall. While the Itlian absorbed some of the kinetic impact, his entire body was aching.
One of the vampires underneath him shoved him off with surprising strength. The captain rolled back onto his feet and aimed his M31, shooting the ones still on the ground. He then turned to face the enemy while aiming his rifle at the ones escorting the elves.
Two enemy soldiers, human-like based on their size, aimed their long staff-like weapons, but were picked off by his comrades from the level above. This drew the attention of the other hostiles. Without looking, Ryder could tell from his feed that elements from Comanche were covering him.
Then, two of his fellow Comanches dropped nearby from the zipline from the upper platform railing, Staff Sergeant Kurt Forest and Sergeant Benjamin Ford. The moment they landed, they started engaging the enemy.
Seeing the opportunity, Ryder shot the guard protecting the female elf, as they were the closest. Seeing that she was freed, he aimed for the other guard watching the male prisoner. That was when his eye caught a nearby shadow to his left.
He stepped back and watched a long sword pass his vision, impacting the ground. "Was that a sword?" he asked himself, confused by the weapon. While he could tell it was the standard steel color, this black hardening layer covered the blade, with a clear, glowing crystal at the sword's base.
Turning, he saw a vampire in purple-colored armor with small gems or crystals that edged the rim. This man was massive, being at least a head taller than him.
Before Ryder would aim his rifle, the Vampire swung his other arm and knocked the Comanche captain back. The impact was so forceful that it knocked him onto the ground.
Annoyed that he was back on the ground, he looked forward to shooting his rifle, but it was too late. He turned, missing the blade's tip as it impacted on the spot he had just landed.
Ryder rolled until he could get to one knee. He saw the vampire shadow approaching quickly, far faster than any human man could. Seeing no choice, he raised his M31 and blocked his opponent's sword strike. The force was so strong it made his arms tremble. If it weren't for the exoskeleton built within the Itlian, he would never have been able to complete it with strength alone.
The fact that Ryder could block the direct attack also confused the vampire. The alien was probably puzzled how a man like himself, being taller and physically stronger, could stop the attack.
He noticed that his rifle was bent and useless. The captain also noticed that the vampire left himself open while confused. He tossed his M31 as the enemy sword came for a second attack. He grabbed his tomahawk and blocked the sword strike.
The two struggled to gain dominance, and Ryder was forced to use all his physical and mental strength to match his opponent. He could wield the enemy sword to the right, allowing him to move around and inflict a series of strikes on his opponent's armor.
Seeing that the vampire was off balance, he danced around and jabbed his weapon into the biceps section of the armor. The force knocked his opponent onto the ground, giving him the opening he needed to finish this hostile.
The vampire quickly recovered from the attack and raised his sword to block Ryder's attack. He saw that while his opponent's armor had multiple dents from his strikes, only one spot had a puncture. He pressed his tomahawk against the vampire, but the Comanche captain lost momentum as he was unable to push the blade forward toward the vampire's neck. Seeing that the enemy was about to gain the upper hand, he moved backward, ready for another attack.
Ryder pushed forward and attacked with his tomahawk. His opponent kept dodging until he could land another strike on the vampire's armor. He was surprised by his opponent's speed, being so big and robust, but also agile. This proved that this vampire was well-trained.
Seeing his opportunity to make a finishing attack, he swung his weapon. However, the vampire grabbed his arm, stopping before the tomahawk could strike its neck. Seeing that he couldn't break free from the hostile grasp, he quickly upper-punched the vampire, which set him free.
While Ryder backed away and saw purple blood, the strike didn't faze his opponent as he had hoped. He was then struck by the vampire thrust, being pushed back again.
As Ryder regained his footing, he saw the vampire swing his sword, coming toward him. The blade had a direct hit against his chest armor module. The force made him fall back to the ground, losing his tomahawk.
Before the captain was able to recover, he saw the vampire about to ram his blade into him again. He rolled to the side as the blade impacted the concrete and returned to his feet. However, when he regained his footing, his opponent swung his sword at the captain again. While the angle was not strong enough to cause severe damage, the force was enough to knock him back to the ground.
While investigating the damage, he noticed that while his armor prevented the blade from going all the way through, saving his life, it did so much damage that his chest plating was now worthless. Whatever that black glow coming from the weapon must have enhanced the lethality of the sword.
As the vampire approached, Ryder reached down and grabbed his M45, but it was too late to aim. The enemy was too fast and was now right on top of him.
Suddenly, as the Vampire was preparing to thrust his blade at the Comanche leader, a jet stream of water impacted his opponent, knocking him a few feet back and onto the floor.
Leaning up, Ryder sat confused as he wondered where the stream of water came from. At first, he wondered if someone grabbed a firehose on the wall; however, when he turned, he saw the elf woman beside him. That was where the jet stream came from, as puddles of water were all around here. However, he saw no weapon, only that her hands were glowing blue. "Did she fire water from her hands?"
Only then did he realize she had somehow saved his life.
Hearing a loud alarm and yellow lights flashing, the main chamber cargo door slowly opened. Ryder's VISOR informed him that the Viking Team flooded through the door and engaged the enemy.
Ryder stood and aimed his sidearm. However, to his shock, another two of those weaponless hostiles stood by the strange alien device, hands glowing white. Around them was a massive energy shield protecting what remained of the enemy force, acting more like a bubble than a shield.
"Sir," Ford said. "Are you okay?"
Ryder saw Forest, Ford, and King regroup as the rest of his team ziplined down from the upper platform.
He saw the male elf on the other side through the energy barrier. The female elf began crying and rushed to the energy barrier, wildly banging against it while screaming, "atar." Based on her reaction, he could only assume that the man was her lover, father, or brother, but he couldn't know.
While the energy bubble distorted his view, the captain saw the enemy forces retreating through a strange yellowish-white glow. Among them was the elf male who vanished into the light.
That only left the vampire that he fought. Standing there as the last of his forces retreated. Ryder approached the bubble as he held his chest. On the other side, the vampire stopped and removed his helmet, staring at the Comanche captain.
The vampire's eyes locked on Ryder as the two sized each other. He struggled to know what the vampire was thinking, but it was clear that he was the enemy leader. With only one hostile projecting the remaining energy barrier, the enemy leader left Earth, quickly followed by the remaining hostile.
"Matt," King said. "Are you okay?"
Mathew Ryder felt his entire body aching, but pushed it aside momentarily. He then looked at the alien device and saw only a lifeless half-ring platform, which looked more like dark gray stone.
The captain then looked at the elf girl, who was now on her knees, crying. A sight that he could only feel sympathy for.
"Secure the area," Ryder said. "Let her have her moment and then prepare her to take her to Peterson base."