Underground:
(Earth #8189, New York City, New York, New-Years Eve 2012)
Light slowly returns to Ash's mind as the sound of a familiar voice beckons him back to the world.
"Ashton… wake up. Come on, wake up, please wake up. We have to get out of here. Come on Ash please, they're coming." Ash’s eyes flutter open as his vision clears. That voice, I know that voice. As his brain starts to refocus he realizes who it is that is talking to him.
"Aiden? What are you doing here? Where's big brother?" asks Ash, still disoriented from the crash.
"I don't know where your brother is but we have to go.” answer Aiden scanning his surroundings.
“No we can’t… not without…” objects Ash.
“Listen to me Ash, I promise we'll find Edward but for now we have to go." interrupts Aiden in a gentle yet firm voice as he pulls Ash in close. helping him to his feet. Ash relents, climbing to his feet with Aiden’s support. I don’t want to go but he is right, I’m sorry big brother we’ll find you somehow.
"Can you run?" asks Aiden. Ash nods readily.
"Hey, Aiden… come on, we have to get moving." Ash turns towards the person shouting to find his friend Jay duel-wielding Desert Eagles, firing away on a group of incoming infected. Jay is flanked on his left by Tristan who is armed with a U.A.E. Combat-Shotgun and on his right by Ven wielding an AK-47. Ash can see his other friends; Sarah and Terra armed with baseball bats standing at the ready behind the boys. The group was dropping infected like flies but with each shot the sound drew in even more infected to the area.
"Let's go," says Aiden, smiling supportively at Ash. The two of them turn and run back to the group as Aiden pulls out his Hard-Baller Pistol and readies it as the roar of two large incoming jets thunders above them causing the group to look up.
"Shit, those are bombers, come on quick" orders Ash as he and Aiden make their way quickly over to a nearby manhole cover, opening it. They descend down into the sewers gesturing for the rest of the group to follow them. They all make it down just in time as a massive shockwave seems to shake the whole city and an overwhelming boom rings out rendering the whole world silent in its all-powerful wake. Ash stops for a moment looking back up towards the now closed manhole cover, his body trembling.
"What's up Ash? What is it?" asks Aiden.
"What about my brother. He was in the chopper with me when we were shot down and he can't be dead or you guys would have found his body… Wait, was anything else missing from the crash site, there were weapons in the chopper before we crashed?" asks Ash.
"There were no weapons in the chopper when we found you?" responds Aiden.
"I gotcha; you think some of those non-infected crazies out there came and raided the crash site for weapons and took your brother with them," says Jay realizing what Ash was thinking.
"Exactly," says Ash.
"So what do we do? How do we find the ones who took your brother?" asks Aiden.
"Wait, I'm not done. I think I know what those bombers were carrying and if I am right the ones who took my brother will be forced to leave the city in the same direction we are. I can't be sure until I see the surface again but I'm almost positive the one bomber in the center of the formation was carrying a thermonuclear device" explains Ash to the group his tone heavy.
"You mean someone just dropped a fucking nuclear bomb on New York City? Wait a minute, shouldn't we and the ones who took your brother all be dead right now?" responds Jay confused.
"No, you see they dropped the bomb above the center of the city in order to destroy the highest concentration of infected and judging by the shockwave the weapon was of a very low yield. Given our position on the outer edge of the city, we should be safe as long as we keep heading away from the explosion at a steady pace. However, there is a danger to us if we breathe in the radioactive ash from the explosion so we need to avoid going to the surface at all costs until we are out of the city. As long as we keep heading out of the city our path and the path of the ones who take my brother should converge." continues Ash in a deep, contemplative tone.
"Why would America bomb their own city even in this situation? Wasn't the quarantine enough?" asks Sarah confused.
"Desperation... the efforts to keep the infected from escaping the city must be failing pretty badly," answers Tristan coldly as he reloads his weapon.
"Exactly, I bet the military forces guarding the edges of the city must be getting pretty weak and nearing their breaking point. In such a situation using a low-yield nuclear device in an effort to severely reduce the amount of infected in the city probably seems pretty reasonable to whoever is calling the shots right now," responds Ash coldly.
"Come on guys, we should get going." chimes Aiden readying his weapon.
"Remember everyone we're underground now so any fighting down here is going to be very close quarters. We need to adjust our traveling formation accordingly. Luckily the lighting system down here seems adequate. Aiden you take the left-flank of the group with your Hard-Baller, Ven you take right-flank with your AK-47. Jay and Tristan should take point. Terra, you and Sarah should guard the rear of the group. I'll take center-point. However, I don't have a weapon." continues Ash.
"Here take this one," says Aiden casually handing Ash his backup 9MM-Pistol. Ash readies it for combat and moves into position at the center of the group.
"If we keep following these tunnels north they should lead us out of the city, let's move," says Jay as the group proceeds forward in formation deeper into the dimly lit passageways of the underground. The group continues to make their way through the underground for what seems like hours until suddenly they hear something that causes them to stop dead in their tracks.
"What the fuck is that sound?" asks Tristan intently.
"Tank-shots and Heavy Machine-Gun fire, we must be nearing the edge of the city," responds Ven relieved but the relief is quickly shattered as a sniper round streaks by barely missing Jay’s head causing the group to drop down and make their way over to whatever nearby cover they can find. The group watches in shock as a large Combat-Mech of some sort decloaks before them. It positions itself directly ahead of them blocking their path to the exit out of the underground located at the end of the corridor.
"This area is under Government-Quarantine. Your attempts to escape are a direct violation of Presidential Executive Order 0773 and FEMA Emergency Order 35. Please turn around and proceed back into the Quarantine Zone. Usage of lethal force has been authorized." orders the robotic voice of the mech.
"So any ideas on how to take out this fucking bucket of bolts," asks Jay to the group.
"I know how to kill it. That thing is a Zorrin-Industries Product so if you can get me onto its back where its circuit access is I can take it out no problem. However, we have to reduce its accuracy in order for us to close in. Its targeting system is located on its right shoulder. If you all direct your weapon fire to that spot, you should be able to disable its targeting abilities." explains Ash confidently.
"Got it, ready when you are," says Ven to the rest of the group.
"On the count of 3. 1... 2... 3..." says Jay gesturing for the rest of the group to get ready to open fire. On three the whole group unloads on the mech's right shoulder pulverizing it, sending chunks of metal and fiberglass flying off in all directions as a symphony of gunshots sings out from their weapons echoing through the Underground.
The mech returns fire with its Impact-Cannon mounted on its left shoulder sending an impact blast streaming towards the group barely missing Ven and Sarah but striking Aiden directly in his right shoulder sending him flying backward. Aiden crawls back behind cover, crying out in pain. Tears stream from his eyes as his whole body trembles in agony. Within seconds the pain of the injury overtakes Aiden causing him to pass out. The mech's right shoulder explodes under the fury of the group's combined weapon fire causing its entire right arm to sever from the rest of its body leaving it with only one arm left and no targeting system.
Unable to target anymore, the mech begins sloppily returning fire toward the group. Ash seeing his opportunity, makes a run for it. In the frenzy a stray sniper round from the mech strikes Jay in his left arm, causing the whole group to drop down behind cover once again as his little sister screams and desperately scrambles to her brother’s location. Thinking fast, Sarah proceeds to put pressure on her brother’s wound with her hand in an effort to slow the bleeding. Terra summons forth her powers converting her skin to steel alloy before standing up to draw the mech’s attention as Ash reaches the mech sliding between its legs and jumping up onto its back. Ash finds what he is looking for as he reaches his hand inside the mech’s circuit access ripping out crucial wiring and circuitry. The mech flails around violently trying to shake Ash off, finally managing to toss Ash hard against the cement wall of the underground. However, after a few more chaotic moments the mech at last stops flailing and powers down.
