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Chapter 10: GTFO.

Cadmus.

Office of Mystical and Magical Division.

Tala workshops.

Christmas of 2006.

Avery Gallahan's POV.

“NOPE NOPE NOPE,” I yelled, my leg already a blur with Tala's shards already tugging securely in my pocket, thank heaven for my enhanced physiology and strength, that I was able to put some pretty good distance between myself and the massive, grotesque, tentacle monster.

That was definitely a horror movie situation alright and I ran like I had never before, and the terror was like nothing I had felt before. The sheer overwhelming and intense dread that was coursing through my body was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life. The sense of dread and doom was enough to send chills down my spine and fill my veins with ice.

I looked back and caught sight of more figures, humanoid figures pouring out from behind the large, grotesque, and intimidating monster. It was a group of about 75, 100, or maybe more human-zombie-like beings, and the sight of the unnerving group of… monsters was enough to send a wave of fear and panic through the entire hall.

The beings were more humanoid but still almost equally horrifying. They had pale skin and dark, sunken eyes, and their faces were gaunt and drawn. Their mouths were open in a silent scream, and their bodies were covered in dark, twisted, revolting black veins. The creatures moved in a strange, jerky, and unnatural manner, and their eyes were filled with a burning enmity and oblivion.

'Shit! What the hell are these things?!'

”In front of you!" Quintero's voice suddenly yelled in my earpiece, and a moment later, a large piece of debris was about to crash down right in front of me.

I picked up my pace harder, moving at the speed of sound and letting myself fall, my momentum allowed me to slide underneath the falling rubble. As I slid, I caught sight of the still ongoing battle between the COC troopers and the Annihilator.

"Holy Fuck! That's close." I sighed in relief.

"Bloody hell mate! Don't give me a fucking heart attack like that, mate." The Smart AI yelled.

"Sorry, but right now we got to get the fuck out of here!”

BOOM!!*

Just as I said that the debris behind me exploded outward and the tentacle monster let out another horrible and blood-curdling roar. The creature's massive form was covered in rubble and dust, but the monster quickly rose, its body writhing and twitching sickeningly and unnaturally. The COC trooper suddenly cheered as the eldritch-like abomination appeared out of the rubble.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" The voice of Felix Faust, the mad wizard, and master of the dark mystic arts, hollered from inside the battlesuit.

The Annihilator suit raised its right hand and began to gather energy into the palm of its gauntlet. I quickly dodge out of the way and take cover behind a wreck of what looks like a sort of large cabinet, suddenly feeling the air around me and near the horrific thing become charged with magical power.

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!"

CRASH!!!!*

BOOOOM!!!!*

The explosion rocked the area and the shockwave was strong enough to throw me off balance. The blast was massive, and the destruction was absolute. Everything was destroyed and blown away by the powerful force, including the many COC soldiers, sending the armored men and women flying.

I was fortunately quick enough to have been far enough from the blast radius, and I was able to withstand the force of the explosion. But the rest of the area was completely devastated. Multiple COC soldiers were lying on the ground and surprisingly most of them looked unharmed but some looked like they had been knockouts.

"Damn, the guy packs a punch," I muttered, There was just no way that fucking thing survive that.

"Yeah, no kidding," the Aussie AI commented, and I could feel my pocket where Tala's shards of mirror were vibrating.

"HOW ABOUT THAT!?!" Faust's voice laughed hysterically, clearly pleased by his actions.

But then when the fog settled, to both my displeasure and Faust's annoyance, the tentacle terror and roughly half of its creepy companions were still there with the rest… at least… thankfully seen to have been taking the brunt of the attack with what looked and smell like burning flesh around the large one. Then suddenly after what seemed like a few minutes that felt like forever, the terrible-looking thing raised its tentacles like arms and some of its companions began to charge head-first straight into the possessed battle suit completely ignoring the COC troopers who were starting to stand up.

"WHAT THE!? HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE WITH MY PLANS AND MY SUCCESS!" The mad wizard bellows in rage.

Faust tried to back to backhand one of the smaller things that was approaching him only for another one to grab him by the right gauntlet with its tentacle-like arm. The possessed Annihilator tried to pull free, but somehow the creature was stronger…

"DAMN IT ALL!!"

Another creature jumped and attached itself to the chest plate of the suit and then a third creature grabbed the Annihilator's other gauntlet. The creatures pulled and strained against the powerful battle suit, and I could hear the metal groaning under the strain.

“My god… mate… those things are actually putting up an actual fair fight against Faust.” The UNSC AI exclaimed.

But before I could even answer back, the large horrid thing shot forward with surprising speed, its body twisting and contorting as it flew through the air, and landed on the possessed Annihilator's head. The Annihilator let out a yell as the creature slammed into the helmet, and its weight was enough to knock the possessed battle suit off balance and send it crashing to the ground. The creatures began to crawl all over the Annihilator, trying to tear and pry it open, and their strength and tenacity were impressive.

“Target spotted!” One of the COC troopers unfortunately spotted me causing the other to begin open fire toward the area that I was hiding in.

I groaned in pain as one of the laser fires hit me in the shoulder causing sharp and burning pain. Another hit, this time on the chest, and the impact was enough to knock the wind out of me. The pain was intense, and I could feel the heat from the laser burning my flesh, and the smell of charred flesh and burnt fabric filled the air.

"Fuck!"

I ducked behind a pile of debris as the laser fire continued. I could feel the blood dripping down my chest and arm, and the wound was burning and stinging.

“Mate! I would highly advise vacating the premises, and if you wouldn't mind doing that sooner rather than later would be lovely." The Aussie AI's voice cut through the pain and confusion, and his words brought me back to reality.

"I'm working on it!" I answered before grabbing the nearest and heaviest-looking piece of debris and threw it towards the group.

Thankfully My aim was true, and the makeshift projectile struck one of the COC troopers, The bastard that spotted me, the heavy, solid material making contact and throwing the poor man backward, the momentum was enough to make him collide with several of the others knocking the men and women.

"There's more where that came from!" I yelled.

And just like that the battle went into overdrive, I took out the laser rifle that was strapped to my back (that now that I think about it kind of looks like the Las-gun from 40k)and I found myself facing off against an army of COC soldiers while trying to avoid the group of mysterious and scary looking monster. The COC soldiers were firing at me with their rifles, and peppering my position.

I moved in a blur and dodged the incoming lasers and bullets. The COC soldiers with their exo-suit were fast and skilled, and they had me on the defensive. With my laser gun aimed, I began to pull on the trigger, and a beam of pure energy shot out. It was bright red like I expected, and it struck the first man in the chest and hit his shield.

The soldier was knocked backward, and he fell to the ground, temporarily knocked out but not out of the fight. I quickly turned and fired at another COC trooper, the energy beam hitting him in the stomach and sending him flying backward.

"YOU WILL NOT STOP ME, YOU BASTARDS!!" The insane wizard screams like a raging maniac as he sends out a magic blast killing the monster holding his grip and sending another blast from his chest like he is some kind of Iron Man and into the large creature.

I could hear the Annihilator's battle cry, and when I looked up, the possessed battle suit was back on his feet, the tentacled monster was no longer attached to the battle suit, and the creature was trying to attack the possessed battle suit again.

"You bastards!" The wizard screamed as the Annihilator's fist swung, and the blow struck the tentacle monster across the face, knocking it backward.

But the Annihilator wasn't done.

The suit raised his left arm and a glowing orb of magical energy formed in the palm. The wizard screamed again, and the energy blast struck the creature in the chest, the force was strong enough to knock the beast back and cause a small crater in the floor. But still, the fuck-up looking thing got back up and began charging once more with the smaller humanoids also charging in and trying to swarm the battle suit again.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not finished yet!"

The battlesuit began to charge at the smaller humanoids and the monsters. As expected, The suit's speed was impressive, and it was able to move swiftly and agilely, dodging and avoiding the tentacles of the large tentacle monster. The suit's movements were precise and graceful, and it was like watching a dancer performing complicated choreography.

Meanwhile, I took out one of the advanced-looking grenades from my bandolier and threw the explosive toward the group, the grenade sailed through the air, and when it made contact with the ground, the grenade detonated, creating a bright flash and a loud noise.

I then began to pick off the soldiers, one by one, using a mix of my enhanced strength and agility to get close and personal. I would strike them hard and fast, striking vital areas with my electrifying magic spear…? and then moving on to the next target, using my speed and strength to overwhelm, shock, and confuse them.

I began running and gunning like I was in some John Wu or Hollywood movie. I used a combination of hand-to-hand combat and weaponry to fight off the group. I would use my hands and legs to deliver powerful strikes and kicks, and then follow up with a blast from the Las-gun or a swing of my spear. Deathstroke training did help me get the hang of combat and the techniques and moves that the mercenary taught me really came in handy.

“AHHHH!”

With a yell, the Annihilator's suit raised his hand, and a bolt of magic energy shot forth, striking the tentacle monster and blowing the creature's left arm clean off.

"TAKE THIS!"

Another bolt of magical energy followed, striking the tentacle monster in the chest and knocking the beast backward. The possessed battle suit raised his arm again, and another bolt of magic energy shot out, this one striking the beast in the chest. But then the damn horrible thing let out that horrific, unearthly shriek again and this time sending some sort of shock way towards the battlesuit.

“Ĥ̸̙̲͕̩̠̑͆U̷̖̗͊̌͂͝Ȕ̸͉͇̓̈́͘̕U̷̧̡͕̘̿̈̾͘͝ͅU̶̞̜̚U̴̱̪̥͆U̸̼̖̣̇̐!”

Faust was sent flying backward, and his armor crashed into a wall, somehow seriously denting the god-forged steel surface. The suit groaned as it struggled to regain its footing, but the force of the impact was enough to knock the wind out of the dark magician.

“They're about 15 left standing, mate!” Quintero reported.

“Duly noted,” I responded as I began to deftly maneuver around laser fire.

Some of the lasers hit me but thankfully my enhanced body was able to adapt to the blasts making it fully resistant, the hits were less painful than before, and it was almost like being hit with a rubber bullet. I quickly turned and swept my spear in a wide arc making three of the soldiers fall on their asses and finally breaking their shield, giving me time to aim the Las-gun and fire at the rest of them.

The first shot was a direct hit and the beam of energy burned a hole through the man's chest, the second and third shots struck the two closest to him. The beams were hot and powerful, and they burned through the men's armor, leaving gaping holes in their chests and abdomens. The soldiers were dead within seconds.

And with the others stunned or unconscious, I was able to take them out with ease. Using my enhanced strength, I would use a kick or punch, and a couple of hits were all I needed to finish them off. I was like a tornado of death, spinning and twirling around, using my speed and power to destroy and kill the enemy.

I was dual-wielding both my spear and the Las gun. I swung and fired, swinging and firing, and I was a blur. I was using every bit of my enhanced abilities, taking out my enemy like I was some… ballet dancer of death. I was graceful and elegant, and my movements were fluid and natural.

The Annihilator was able to recover and rise, it's optic burning with rage that would rival the character Doomslayer himself. "HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU RUIN MY PERFECT PLAN!" Faust's voice is hateful then roared and charged at the awful things.

Suddenly the large god-awful creature's chest opened up and there came out a large green beam of energy. I felt the heat from the blast even though I was quite a distance away, and I could see the flames and smoke rising from the impact. The beam felt absolutely searing hot from my distance, and it struck the Annihilator's armor. The mad wizard yelled as the beam hit him, tearing a chuck out of the God-forged armor and vaporizing one of its legs. The wizard was thrown backward again and his body crashed into the wall, creating a huge dent and cracking the thick steel.

Faust struggled to stand, his armor smoking and cracked with what looked like some kind of corporeal ghostly wisp leaking out of the crack, the wizard was clearly in pain, and the impact was enough to take the wind out of him. The big horrendous creature walks over its lumbering forms shadowing the battlesuit, and then it opens its maw before spurring some kind of purple-ish liquid onto the Annihilator form.

"Oh god!" The mad sorcerer let out a blood-curdling scream as the purple acid ate away at the armor and burned his soul… well… it looks that way because SOME FUCKING HOW the acid...? It caused his CORPOREAL FUCKING FORM to bubble and melt, and the stench… my god… was horrendous.

“Captain… I am reading some extremely erratic energy reading here.” The AI reported with a nervous tone. “Um…I think Faust just kicked the bucket, and I also think he is about to BLOW! We gotta leave NOW!!!”

The battlesuit began to glow brightly and pulsate as I bolted the fuck out of there, passing the still-dazed remaining COC troops, who are now just realized what was happening and had also begun running like their lives depended on it but it look like these poor bastard wouldn't be making it far.

BOOOOOM!!!*

"Oh, fucking shit!!"

I ran as fast as I could, my lungs burning and my legs aching, but I kept going. I was not going to stop for anything. I could hear the explosions and the screams of the COC troops, and I could feel the heat and flames licking at my heels, and the force of the explosion was enough to throw me forward and off my feet.

"Oww... mother fucker…"

The entire area behind me then collapsed spectacularly, the blast was unlike anything I had seen before in my 20 years in the navy, and the sound was deafening. The sight was both impressive and startling, and I could have thanked my lucky star that I had gotten my ass out of the area.

As I stumbled, coughing and gasping for breath, my eyes scanned the area, and the sight was enough to bring a sigh of relief to my face. All around me were the bodies of the COC troops, some were lying lifelessly on the ground, others were twitching and groaning, and the rest were already dead.

Good riddance… I thought that probably meant there shouldn't be any more resistance from these fuckers for a time at least, and with that, I made my way through the facility and toward where I remembered the elevator, knowing that I wasn't in the clear yet and having my Las-gun lower but still making sweeps with the barrel of the weapon, scanning, and searching for any more hostiles.

But the building was silent, and there was no sign of the COC. There were only the bodies of the slain security force and scientist, the wreckage and rubble from the explosions, and the smell of burnt flesh and smoke.

“Tala, my dear? Are you there? Are you broken?” I asked in concern, reaching into the pocket of where the mirror's shards were and looking through it, hoping that she wasn't somehow hurt or worse.

There the surface of the mirror then ripples and swirls as the image of the former head of magic for Cadmus appears on the mirror. Dr. Tala still somewhat looked worse for wear but seemed to have calmed down and her breathing was now calm and relaxed.

The woman nodded in confirmation, a faint smile on her lips, and I could see the relief in her eyes. The image on the mirror shimmered and flickered, but the woman was still there, still looking at me with those lovely bluish-white eyes.

“Good… Good…” I sighed in relief before a thought crossed my mind and I sighed. "Look... If you can listen, I would like to apologize for my earlier behavior. I don't know what came over me but that was completely unprofessional behavior by me. I should have said those things, I shouldn't have yelled or sworn at you, and I shouldn't have called you a whore. You deserved better than that. And if you don't forgive me, that's fine. I understand."

I honestly don't know what gotta over me for that outburst earlier… maybe it was because... for the past 2 years, I still don't know what happened after the crash or the whereabouts of my team but for the past year, it is like I have had this gap in my memory and it has slowly grating… eating on my nerve. Or maybe it was something else, but that outburst was strangely out of character for someone like me… and I didn’t want her to feel fear toward me or feel uncomfortable around me. And… come on man, I am a soldier, a Navy SEAL, the best of the best. A member of the US military, and a trained professional, I was supposed to be better than this.

But before I could even continue or say anything else, the sorceress's lips twitched slightly, clearly hearing me, then the next thing I knew, she was leaning forward with her hand resting against the glass, and then the sorcerer pressed her lip toward me and then somehow leaving a red lipstick mark on the mirror surface.

I raised an eyebrow at the… admittingly strange yet sweet gesture, the lip stain was still there, and the lipstick was slightly smudged, and I could almost swear that the woman was blushing. She was looking at me with that lusty expression and was biting her bottom lip, and her eyes were half-lidded. And for some reason, I could feel my heart race a little and my privates stiffen slightly in my pants, and I shook my head to snap out of it.

"Hah! Looks like all is forgiven then, huh, mate? But anyway-?” The UNSC Aussie pipes up in my earpiece but then stops and becomes serious when he detects something on the biowatch scanner. “A lone movement on your 3, Seems to be Cadmus judging by the electronic ID and it seems to be a Male."

“Look like I have to cut this short dear,” I whispered, becoming serious again as the mirror's surface rippled and faded before turning to where the Aussie AI had indicated. “Is he a Cadmus security force?”

Click*

My eyes and ears then picked up a slight movement from the shadows, quickly put back the mirror into my pocket. I then whirled around, the Las-gun raised and ready. My finger was on the trigger, and the safety was off, and the adrenaline was pumping through my veins.

…

…

…

“Three *HAK!* you there?”

The familiar yet hoarse voice of Deathstroke called out as he limped out of the shadow and I couldn't help but wince at the battered, bloody, and exhausted-looking state he was in.

"My God… Sir?" I gasped, lowering the gun and staring at the mercenary in shock.

The Mercenary looks terrible, one of his blue eyes looks like it is bloody and blackened, his left arm looks broken and twisted, there are multiple cuts and bruises all over his body, his armor looks battered, his suit is torn, and he is covered in blood and sweat.

"It's okay, Kid, it's only me," Deathstroke reassured me, his voice was weak and hoarse, and it was clear that he was in a lot of pain as he used one of the God-slayer as a walking stick with the other blades being dragged across the floor by its chain. “I'm glad to see that you're still alive and kicking,”

"Are you alright?" I asked, concern evident in my voice.

"No, I'm not," the merc answered truthfully, and it was clear that he was struggling to stay on his feet. “Those… monsters… overwhelm me but I was barely able to get away…”

I quickly ran over to help the man.

"What happened, Sir?" I inquired.

"Everything happened so fast but one thing is clear…” The super-mercenary revealed, growling. “That son of a bitch Emil sold us out…”

“Dr. Emil Hamilton? The head of Project Kr?” I inquired with a raised eyebrow and Slade nodded. “Shit… You know I have always known Dr. Emil is somewhat jealous of Dr. Iamizaki and annoyed by how Cadmus essentially sidelines him but I did not expect him to go this far."

"Neither did I, kid, neither did I."

"So what do we do now, sir?" I asked, and the mercenary shook his head.

“Cadmus or… at least Cadmus alpha is done for…” The battered super-mercenary began. “Those COCs bastard they have this entire facility surrounded and locked down, nothing gets in, nothing gets out, with those… horrible monsters roaming around and they somehow cut off all our communications to the outside world but… but… there is one more thing.”

“What is it, Sir?” I asked my concern glowing by the minute.

“They got me with something…” Deathstroke explained showing off what looked like a very painful bite mark on his shoulder with many sickly purple veins around the injury. “One of Those monsters things were able to bite me and injected something into me, and whatever the fuck it is, it is not a virus, but it's starting to change me, I can't heal as I should, and the pain is excruciating and I don't think I have long until…until..”

The Super-mercenary then suddenly started coughing violently and a small pool of blood formed on the ground.

"Fuck…" Slade Wilson groaned in pain.

"Sir, what the fuck did those things do to you?!"

"I don't know," Slade coughed. "But it doesn't matter, all that matters is…that you… that you survive, you have the power and skill to escape, and I know that you can make it, kid, and when you do, remember everything I've taught you."

“Sir… what are-” I question wondering what is he on about but the mercenary continues.

“And please find and take care of my children...”

I blinked at the mercenary, taken off guard, completely didn't expect the supposed merciless world best killer for hire to say that, then snapped out of it and frowned, shaking my head. ”Oh. For the love of… Don't tell me…”

“In Port Muller of Alaska is where You can find the…”

"Sir…don't do this…” I said sternly with a deep scowl on my face and shaking my head in disbelief at what the mercenary was implying. "You may have been harsh to me the first few times we met but you're the one who surprisingly took me seriously and actually tried to make sure that I would have the skills and abilities to not only survive but to win. I'm not just going to abandon you, Sir. Not when you have helped me and given me the chance to prove myself."

"Three, don't be stupid," the mercenary said, his tone hard and unyielding.

"No, sir, I'm not leaving you behind, and that's final." I stood my ground, not backing down as my eyes glazed over and recollected a particular incident that happened in San Francisco many years back before I ended up in this universe. “Not again after-”

“Ĥ̸̙̲͕̩̠̑͆U̷̖̗͊̌͂͝Ȕ̸͉͇̓̈́͘̕U̷̧̡͕̘̿̈̾͘͝ͅU̶̞̜̚U̴̱̪̥͆U̸̼̖̣̇̐!”

Oh… Fuck off…

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Author Note: This is a kind of !!!CRACKISH!!! Fanfiction. I don't own Marvel and DC, nor am I some sort of loremaster.