October 29, 2025-03:00- New 51 Base
Riley opened his eyes. He woke up from his sleep at the exact time he wanted, he rubbed his eyes and yawn, he stretched his limbs and did a few warm-ups. Earlier ago, he was injected with nanites that can improve his physical capabilities and self-preservation, it surprised him how energized he was in just an hour and a half of sleep, he ruled out that it was probably the nanites at work.
He was inside a plain building that was still under the furbishing stage, only beds and the walls were still unpainted. The marines that were designated there were still sleeping, some were snoring and some are rolling from side to side in their sleep. A while ago, Wade offered him to sleep alone in the scientist's dorm but he declined to state that he felt uncomfortable about it rather he asked to sleep in any unoccupied bed in the barracks, Wade was understanding and told him to take a nap and go to the armory at 03:30. He rummaged his bag and grabbed his personal hygiene kit and towel that was given to him prior. He took a cold shower and immediately got dressed in a standard marine uniform but without rank, although it already had his name which was prepared by Wade a few days prior, Riley told Wade to treat him like a normal soldier. After he was done, he went into the armory where Wade himself was waiting. The armory was bustling with activities in preparation for deployment in an hour and a half.
“Riley, c’mon we’ll outfit you first with our latest armor, I personally want to wear one but sadly I got a different job to do,” Wade said. “I’ll sit here and watch.” He added.
“Do you even sleep, Wade?” Riley said.
“Well yes, but with nanites inside you, things are so smooth, I bet you noticed it a while ago, soon you’ll get even comfier. Anyway, you’ll get to wear the MK 2-Light Armor that is a functioning exoskeleton meant to be equipped under your uniform offering more protection on your lower body. There’s only a few of these built since it wasn’t mass-produced yet since these are still in the experimental stage but don’t worry this is already in peak functionality.” Wade said as he subjected Riley to a crash course.
“The aesthetic doesn’t differ from the old gears we had although the helmets are more advanced since it acts as a self-sustaining gas mask, a different type of vision mode that cam offer 360-degree sight, A state of the art customizable HUD, it also had a mission log and a personal AI assistant. It’s basically like a video game and also we do not forget its armor capabilities, this offers protection to multiple 7.62 rounds although it’s best not to get hit in the noggin. This feature was also in the MK-3 Juggernaut suit.” He added.
“Hold on don’t bombard me with those I want to digest all details slowly, I can hardly keep up man,” Riley said. Wade laughed and continued his talk while Riley was fascinated with the gears and was closely inspecting it with great interest.
“So, faceless helmets huh, so the camera are designed to look invisible on the outside, I like this design, neat,” Riley said.
Riley had been told to wear the suit which feels like an overall that was secured onto his body using straps, it was not bulky and is comfortable to wear, it even had cooling and heating pads to help the user stay comfortable in the different environment although it pales in comparison to the MK-3 juggernaut’s features. He was relieved that he won’t get drilled with holes to attach the suit in his body which he had dreaded a few minutes ago. He then wore the normal tactical gears over the suit. After he was done Wade led him to the room where the guns were stored, Wade placed his hand on the palm scanner and his left eye on the retinal scan, a few seconds later and the metal door opened revealed a motherload of different guns from around the world. Riley was asked what weapons he wanted in which he told him he’ll pick what he wanted and walked along the rows of assault rifles placed neatly along the walls and tables. He picked up an HK-416 that had been made with lightweight alloy, the gun had an ammo counter that was augmented to the helmet’s HUD. He asked for a laser sight, an M203 Grenade launcher, and an ACOG sight for the attachment to be installed. Then he chose the Origin 12 shotgun as his secondary weapon, he specified that he wanted the 30 round drum magazine. He then chose a jet-black desert eagle as his sidearm.
“We’ll never know what’s inside the jungle you were talking about earlier, it’s better to be well-armed while I had the chance to stock up,” Riley said with a smile. Wade agreed with Riley.
Just as he was packing the extra magazines inside his pack, he noticed a box labeled as experimental on a corner. He asked Wade about it, Wade then turned to the staff and asked for the manifesto. It was a certain incendiary round as said in the description. Upon closer looks at the specifications, it was clear that it was an armor-piercing thermite filled slug round that would detonate upon impact, unlike dragon’s breath rounds which spews fire all the way, this one would lodge itself inside the body and then ignite, burning the flesh until it was no more. “I thought these are banned?” Riley said. “Well, we are not using these against humans, and besides who would stop you? The President?” Wade replied with a sinister grin, Riley nodded and had grinned like a madman as he pulled loads of ammunition out of its boxes. “If these ones are here, hehe I bet you got “The” Dragon’s breath 2.0?” Riley said. “I knew you would ask for that round you damned pyromaniac,” Wade said as he opened a large drawer filled with different shotgun rounds and handed Riley a couple of boxes filled with Dragon’s Breath 2.0.
After he was done packing all his necessities, he was escorted to a briefing room where he met his new team consisted of different hand-picked individuals from different branches of the military each wearing their new battle gear same as what Riley had but one common thing from most of them was their knack for fantasy and sci-fi. They would be the new expedition team that was proposed by the top brass. They had a quick introduction and basic instructions which is to investigate a small settlement about five miles along the shore of the island, further details were uploaded on each of their helmets and is readily available for them whenever they want. They would be divided into two squads in which Riley would lead the first squad while the second would be commanded by Lt. Harris Jefferson which would specialize in covert, overwatch, and sniping enemies from a distance and help cover each squad back, they were also told to pick their own nicknames to use rather than their real names. They were informed that air support is available but only limited to Apache Helicopters since they can’t launch fighters from earth to the other side since they feared that the speed and velocity of the jet might disrupt the portal or worse, it might cause a serious malfunction so they would have to build the same retractable runway on the other side which is currently underway, they would also ride on MRAP’s towards their destination as it would be better to reach their destinations fast.
October 29, 2025-04:56- New 51 base, retractable platform
After their briefing, they were led outside towards the wide retractable runway, it was almost daybreak, the smell of fresh cold air with a slight scent of the sea had entered their nostrils, they slowly breathed in and out, enjoying their fresh air while they can before putting their helmets on. Everyone had the equipment of their choices in hand. Five MRAPs pulled over in front of them and the doors opened urging them to come inside but most of them waited as they were interested to watch as the portal had initiated its starting sequence. After the countdown, the purple light of the portal illuminated the whole area but pales in comparison to the rising sun. The portal was open and they were now seating comfortably in the MRAP as it slowly gained speed as it entered the portal. When they had entered, they noticed the slight pressure, pressing on them but it soon vanished as they came out to the other side.
"I thought we would feel groggy as if reality was bending like that one game," Orca said. they laughed as they shook his head. "There, groggy now?"
When they exit out of the portal to the other side, they were amazed at the scenery as most of them had been taking turns to peek at the window. One guy named Grey even joked about this mission as a paid vacation to which Riley and the others in the MRAP jokingly agreed.
“Hey, you guys got the nanites too, right? Wolf asked. Everyone nodded. “Yeah, they even got these cool suits too,” Riley added. Everyone seems to get along with each other, offering the team a boost in their morale. The sandy white sand beach was smooth under the MRAP’s wheels. The sun was already high up and the bluish emerald sea was sparkling with beauty.
The five-mile drive just passed by quickly without them noticing because of their fun talks. The convoy had stopped and they immediately came out of their vehicles and were battle-ready. A hundred meter from where they stopped was tents made of animal hides, grass, tree trunks, and other plant materials but was devoid of human or other sentient beings around. They scanned the surroundings using infrared vision and saw five heat signatures on one of the tallest trees. The Bravo team had already got their sight on it and had their rifles trained at the heat source. Riley walked towards the makeshift camps, he looked around and he saw a still smoldering fire pit with some sort of animals and fishes being roasted on a stick. It was clear someone was here and deducing from the number of huts, there are about 20-30 individuals living there. And from their sources, it wasn’t the pale creatures since they preferred human and fresh meats. Riley, followed by four of his men checked the inside of the huts while the others were on guard, the inside had wooden stools and a wooden crate with leaves as flooring. The reports came in and all tents were devoid of life but things were scattered as if they left in a hurry surprisingly al the tents don’t have a bed. Riley was about to exit the tent when the helmet’s amplified audio detection had picked up ragged breathing from underneath the sand. Riley then kneeled down and asked his teammates to wipe off the sand in which revealed a small trapdoor. He carefully opened it, assuming someone would stab his head but what he found was two children crammed in tight space. The children were a girl and a boy with blue hairs that were probably siblings judging by their similar looks and was wearing ragged clothing made of leather and pieces of fine woven cloth. The boy looked older and was holding a knife, pointing it at Riley. His younger sister was in tears but wasn’t being whiny and annoying, rather she holds her brother’s hand. They were scared of the greenish creature in front of them. It had no eyes and was wearing strange clothing. The children felt scared as they thought it was a monster. Riley then tried to gently pick them but the boy waved his knife at his hands but it was futile since his clothing was slash and stab-proof.
“Of course Riley you idiot, why would it be a good idea to pick up an armed scared child.” He said to himself. He then got an idea. “Well then, if this works every time in the movies, I’ll be damned if this won’t work for me,” Riley said as he rummaged his bag. “Aha just as I need, too bad I ran out of those big chocolate bars. Wade is to be blamed for his short notice.” Riley mumbled after had found his large pack of marshmallows that he already had before Wade’s agent got a hold of him back at Nebraska. He opened the pack and revealed the fluffy goodness of the tangerine sized marshmallow. He took out one and handed the pack to the two children who were still afraid to touch it, Riley made an eating motion to encourage them to try some but the kids only stared at him. Riley knew that it was pointless to speak up since the language barrier was still a hindrance but he still chose to. He then removed his helmet and revealed his face to them. Riley felt comfortable with the air due to its higher oxygen level but he was warned not to be exposed for too long even with the nanites in place. The children looked surprised when they saw a human face, they were wondering how he can see even without holes compared to the warriors from their world.
“Sir, are you sure you’ll be taking that off?” Joe said. “It's fine, you can take yours off if you wanted to, just be sure to place it back,” Riley replied. Riley held the marshmallow and gently chomped off a piece and chewed it.
“The big man wants us to eat it, brother.” The girl said. The girl extended her hand to Riley and He happily gave her the whole pack with a smile. She tried a bite and her eyes had given her feelings all away. She was eating it like a hungry wolf, tearing down its prey.
“Brother! You must try this, it’s so sweet and fluffy!” She said. “Hey! Don’t eat that!” Her brother scolded her but before he could do anything, his mouth got stuffed with a marshmallow by his sister. At first, he was reluctant but as his saliva melted the marshmallow in his mouth, he gave in and was wolfing down on it and had completely forgotten the man in front of them. Riley was smiling as he stared at them, in under a minute the large pack of marshmallows was nothing but a piece of plastic left which he took and stuffed in his pack.
“The big man doesn’t seem scary, brother, if he meant to harm us, he would have dragged us out by now.” The girl said. “Anya, we can’t trust him yet!” Her brother said. “But you ate more of his sweet pillow!” She said. The boy was red in the face. “Fine! But I am here to protect you if anything goes wrong, I will defend you, I’ll kill him if I have to, besides they don’t seem to be carrying swords and axes.” The boy said. Riley gently grabbed the boy out of the cramped space then after the boy got out, he then picked the girl out. He wore his helmet and led them out of the tent but as soon as he stepped outside when suddenly an arrow hit the sand a few feet from where he was standing. He immediately covered the two kids with his body and raised his rifle at the trees. Riley ordered them to stand down and seek immediate cover, he doesn’t want to jeopardize the flimsy trust he had gained with the two kids by killing their people. It was understandable that Riley made such a decision. The Bravo team’s snipers still had their sniper rifles trained at the head of the people who were on the trees. A man dressed in leather armor quickly descended down and landed on the sandy beach shouting in an indiscernible language. He had his swords ready on his hands as the tension between them was high.
“Larthath, Larthath they won’t hurt us, it's okay.” The kids shouted
“No! get away from them! Come at me I will protect you” Larthath shouted.
The children ran at the man, Riley and the rest of his colleagues don’t want to spill unnecessary blood due to misunderstanding so they temporarily retreated to the MRAP’s and notified the command center of the current events.
“Overlord, this is Alpha ringleader, I want to request that you, patch me up to the POTUS, things changed and we had encountered humans, or similar to us in looks. We might need his pet for this one to get sorted out. Over. Riley said on his radio.
“Copy that, ringleader, POTUS would be informed in a few minutes.
The Soldiers were busy reporting when the sound of a horn resonated around the area. the man and the children immediately went into hiding as the sound of roaring, and gurgling sound as if someone or something was blowing something, was heard followed by a few creepy cackles that were quickly drawing nearer by the seconds. they immediately hid inside the MRAPs and observed the surrounding when a blood-curdling scream rang throughout the nearby forest.
ohh
Hello, did you like the new chapter?
@Biggusd*ckus47 yes
@Banana thanks
@Biggusd*ckus47 yes