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Registered User
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Posts: 1673
Join Date: Jan 2008
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She had been wandering through the deserts of the Middle East for seven days now ever since the accident. She used to be a soldier hiring herself out as a mercenary to the highest bidder. But now she was a walking bomb just waiting to explode. How had she let this happen? Her life was turned upside down in a matter of seconds. She had been set up by the terrorist cell known as the Jihad Brotherhood.
Walking along in the scorching heat Melanie ripped off the final sleeve of her BDU top reducing it to a mere vest. She wrapped the sleeve around her head creating a bandana to catch the sweat before it rolled into her eyes. It didn’t go unnoticed that the brown T-Shirt she wore beneath her BDU top was now completely soaked in sweat also.
“If this keeps up I’m going to dehydrate” she spoke to no one in particular as she kicked the sand with each step.
Up ahead in the distance she saw the sun glinting off something metallic and shiny. Melanie hoped it was some sort of shelter where she could take refuge. She picked up the pace and ran towards the object, her heart leaping for joy. As she neared the top of the next sand dune her heart sank back into her chest once more as a Soviet T-62 Main Battle Tank crawled along the sand.
Judging by the attire of the soldiers marching alongside of the MBT, Melanie realized that these were members of the Jihad Brotherhood. Could it be mere coincidence that she had come across them again? Or was this all part of some larger scheme than she could fathom?
The soldiers began shouting in Arabic and pointing in her direction. Then their AK-47s barked and bullets began flying in her direction. Melanie dropped to the ground half burying herself in the sand as the projectiles whizzed by narrowly missing her head.
“$@#* these guys are good” she swore to herself as she rolled back down the side of the dune that she had just climbed up.
Melanie Neidich began to glow a sickly green color as the radiation in her body seemed to flow through her. Only a scientist could have explained it but it was as if the radiation was spreading through her bloodstream causing each and every vein to glow in unison. As the tank and the soldiers drew closer her anger at them for her condition grew.
The radiation seemed to feed off her hatred for them imbuing her with sharper reflexes. She dodged the next wave of bullets and ran towards them weaving in and out of their line of fire. When she reached the tank she simply placed her hands in front of her as it attempted to run her over. The T-62 was stopped dead in its tracks by her superior strength. Then lifting the tank over her head she threw it as hard as she could.
As the machine tumbled through the air, the screams of the terrorists grew louder as they fell out of the hatch and crumpled to the ground. Then the Soviet MBT came crashing down on top of them silencing them forever more. The remaining members of the Jihad Brotherhood turned to flee, some throwing their rifles down to shed the weight hoping it would allow them to run faster.
But it was all for naught because in the next instant radiation generated forth from Melanie’s hands creating a beam of energy. The stream shot forth tearing through the men’s skin leaving only their charred skeletons behind as their bodies turned to ash.
“What power is this?” the question came forth from her wind chapped lips and she smiled to herself.
It dawned on her at that moment that this radioactive power maybe a blessing in disguise. She could use these newfound abilities and bend the world to her will. No longer would she need to be a mercenary fighting the wars of men. Melanie now felt as though she were a goddess and as such could have all of the Middle Eastern countries bowing at her feet, prepared to carry out her every whim.
Suddenly the air crackled around her and in a flash of light there stood before her five men and two women. One of the men, a Native American by the looks of him, bent over at the waist and began retching, spewing forth bodily fluids across the sand.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand Coyote spoke harshly “isn’t there a better way for us to travel?”
“Teleporting is the fastest way to go” Voltage replied “don’t worry the first time I did it the same thing happened to me.”
Arcanum drew his hellfire revolver and trained it on the radioactive mercenary. Wraith followed suit with his energy rifle and the others all turned toward the reason that drew them to this miserable heat.
Captain Midnight spoke to her first “what have you done?”
“Exacted my revenge” Melanie spat in reply “the Jihad Brotherhood set me up, turned me into this…” she said holding up her still glowing hands.
“We can help you” Maiden interjected holding out her blue skinned hand for the other woman to take.
“I don’t need your help. I have the power to help myself!”
Melanie’s body began to glow brighter as the radiation empowered her. She leapt high in the air and launched forth a massive burst of energy in their direction. It hit the desert sand and exploded. The entire team was knocked from their feet and temporarily blinded by the spray of sand.
A stomp on her back caused Maiden to scream in pain as she was pushed downward into the sand. Everyone was scrambling back to their feet trying to regain sight of their prey.
Wraith focused his radar senses and found her quickly. Then he trained his energy rifle on her and squeezed the trigger. A large beam of light erupted from its barrel and streaked towards his target. It struck her full on in the chest where it should have burned a hole right through her. But instead it was absorbed by her skin and used as extra fuel for her power.
She turned toward him with a ferocious look on her face and let forth another energy blast of her own. Wraith just had time to phase as it struck him causing the wave of energy to pass harmless through him. But the blast was caught by Captain Midnight sending the team leader flying backwards into Luminary.
Coyote fingered the handles of his hatchets. He could sense the residual energy contained in their blades. His eyes flashed as the razor edges of his weapons became engulfed in purple flame. He threw one of them and watched as it whirled end over end in Melanie’s direction. The blade found its mark and embedded itself in her left leg.
Melanie dropped to her other knee clutching the wounded leg in her hands struggling to pull the hatchet free. By the time she managed this Coyote was standing over her, a wild look in his eyes. She should have been afraid but she wasn’t. As he came down in a killing stroke his arms were caught in Captain Midnight’s grip.
“That’s not how we operate Coyote” Midnight said forcefully “we don’t kill unless there is no other option.”
Something strange happened then. An ink black liquid rained down from the heavens. It had the consistency of oil but it moved as if alive. It wrapped Arcanum up in its folds and then disappeared leaving behind nothing but empty space.
“What in Sam Hell?” Wraith swore as he and the others stared at the place where Arcanum had stood just seconds before.
This momentary distraction gave Melanie her chance to slip away. What did she care what happened to one of her attackers? She only wished it would have taken the lot of them. She turned her direction north towards what she thought was the Turkmenistan border.
Luminary was the one to see her go. While the rest of team stood around theorizing what happened to their ally she followed the mercenary for a couple of miles at a distance. Then she launched herself at the woman and began pounding away at her face.
Melanie struggled with this other woman and marveled at the strength behind Luminary’s punches. Soon the two were covered in sand and tangled together. They began pulling at each other’s matter hair trying to make the other yield.
“Get off me you B*%$#!” Melanie yelled in her ear!
“Not until you pay for your sins!”
“What the hell are you going on about? Do I know you?”
“No but I know you” Luminary shouted again almost hysterical!
Luminary’s mind flashed back to her childhood, she was nine years old again and living with her uncle Thomas. A group of mercenary’s in military style fatigues marched through the streets of the village guns blazing. Men, women, and children fell lifeless upon the streets.
“Uncle Tom, I’m scared” little Tabitha sobbed.
“Don’t worry darling, just stay inside. Why don’t you go to your room and grab a toy and a blanket and go hide in the cupboard under the stairs.”
Tabitha did as she was told. She grabbed her favorite stuffed bear and her faded baby blanket and went into the closet. She hugged the bear tight as she covered herself over with the blanket and tried to drown out the sounds of war going on outside.
Thomas could be heard arguing with someone at the door “you cannot come in my house! Who do you think you are?”
A woman’s voice replied “we go where we want old man.”
The woman made to push past him but Tom spread out his arms and barred her way. She took the butt end of her rifle and struck him in the face with it. He fell down in a pool of his own blood. Tabitha saw this from a small crack in the cupboard door and stifled back a scream.
The woman rummaged around the house taking everything of value she could carry. Then she left without another word. Tabitha remained in the closet for days before daring to venture out of her hiding place.
Luminary came back to this moment in time. Tears now streaked down her face as she continued to struggle with the woman who killed Thomas all those years ago. Melanie took the tears as a sign of weakness and kneed the woman in the stomach forcing her off.
Taking flight, Luminary gained altitude. Then she dove straight down using gravity to increase her speed. Fist outstretched in front of her. She planned to bury this woman so far beneath the desert sand that she would never be found.
Melanie did give her the chance. She struck out with a radioactive blast and knocked Luminary off course. Then the rest of the team arrived on the scene. Captain Midnight shouted orders for everyone to stand down.
“I demand you surrender” he shouted at Melanie!
“Bombshell surrenders to nobody” she replied making the name up on the spot and letting out another blast of energy.
This blast was met with Captain Midnight’s own ebony blasts causing a stalemate as the beams pressed against each other neither one giving way.
Then the ink black liquid was back, this time taking on the resemblance of a man “you will all bow before the might of Chaos before this day is over!”
To be continued…
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