PG-13: Violence, death, gore, trauma.
AN: Multiple POVs.
POV: ???
Upon a rooftop one late evening, the sniper rifle was shaky. The scope hummed quietly, the sound being swept away like the wind.
A visor covered the narrowed hazel eyes that peered through the scope. Exhaustion daunting on her, a Norwegian voice became apparent as she waited patiently. She waited and waited and waited. "Steady..."
She practiced her aim, just like she did a thousand times before. Silence danced around her as she looked down the scope. She steadied herself, preparing for what could be her last shot.
Yet the silence of the night did not last forever. A new sound made itself clear; outside of the bashing wind and stunning chatter of the city beneath, a crackle slithered into her helmet like a snake.
A voice made itself clear. "APC to Pulsefire, ten-twenty?"
She took another peek down her scope, noting the large frame of a burly, disorganised unit who stood at about 7'4. They had chocolate locks like her own, only hers were hidden by a stormy helmet that covered all her face. "Eyes on."
She spoke quietly, putting her full concentration into the job as she waited for the perfect moment to strike. She had seen so much death and violence, she reminded herself, that she needed to put an end to this. 'It takes just one card and the whole thing comes tumbling down.' Pulsefire reminded herself this was just one of the things she had learnt from Cutlass in Alphazado Partial, her squadron.
She kept pep-talking, pumping herself up mentally to prepare for the situation to unfold. This was a high priority target, and things had a high chance of going south.
Worser yet, this could cost Pulsefire her life.
But Cutlass would not let that happen, right? Neither would Exploit, Powerhouse or Mohawk? She dismissed such a thought from her mind; Alphazado were going to protect her if things went south.
She rested her finger on the trigger now, other hand being used to continue to steady the weapon. She aimed down the 20x scope and...
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BANG!
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The ringing in her ears from being so close was something she had grown accustomed to. Even though the weapon was quiet, it wasn't silent; the perks of having one of the longest range snipers in existence.
It took her a couple of moments to gather herself as she peered back down the scope. The man, who had now taken a bullet to the head, was bleeding heavily. Panic had broken out into the streets below, as some people rushed over and others fled the scene. Some were screaming, some were used to this and some were even calling the...
Pulsefire's eyes widened as she realised. She hastily began packing away her equipment; her sniper rifle and stand. After this, she proceeded to slither away from the ledge she had been on in the dark night. She hastiily changed to a secure channel and patched back to control on a secure line; only, she remained anonymous. "Deltrefa-Alphazado-Bravado-Four, mission compromised. Target's dead, but they're calling on the RSR."
She stood up and broke into a sprint, footsteps muffled as she raced across the rooftop she had been on. Past the bit that led downstairs was a ledge facing away from the scene; she had a grappling hook, so she could get across. What mattered right now was getting far enough away for evac. "Alright, get away; they're gonna be fast and they're gonna search. I can get Exploit to land us once your far enough away."
She unclipped a grappling hook from her supply kit, halted to connect it to her belt. She fiddled until she got it right, before she continued her run. She managed to make it to the edge and...
Time seemed to stop. The fall was immense. She did not have time to think.
Her grapple made contact with a secure object, halting her fall any further. She made the mistake of looking down, the lights below her blinding her bloodshot eyes. She remained in her place, panicking as if she thought she was going to fall once more. Until she remembered.
She looked down, pressed a small arrow button as the grapple began to reel her up. She needed this thing to go fast, but she did not exactly want to fall to her death either, so she waited it out. Patience, just like when she had been aiming through the scope.
She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the sound of it filling her ears. She could feel the weight of her body as she held on tight. That had been a close call.
She clambered up the ledge as soon as she could reach it, pulling herself up where the grapple hadn't reached. The thing was, the grapple hook she had was great, except it was single use. This meant she knew what had to happen next.
She needed to go down. She practically hyperventilated at the thought.
It's as if Cutlass knew. "Pulsefire, listen to me. You're going down there, and you're gonna be strong. You can do this, I believe in you."
"And what if I die? The RSR are known to be trigger happy." A silence shrouded the comms.
"Look, if you find an LZ anywhere, even atop of a building, we can land or throw down the rope. I think you're ready for this; just give it your best shot, and we'll be fine. Let's not think about all the bad things that could happen, let's focus on what we're going to do and how we're gonna do it." Embers of a fire lit up in her once-again narrowed eyes, brows furrowed intensely. She nodded, as if responding to Cutlass even though she knew her leader could not see such a thing.
"I've got this." She looked up to a waning gibbous moon, a slightly covered by scattered clouds. It was still visible, moonlight shining boldly upon the city below. It was a clear sky above, the galaxy’s spiral arm visible.
It just reminded her that she had been chosen above all others. She turned to the door that led to a staircase down.
She made her way for it, not even hearing Cutlass’ pleas for her to stop for a moment. Anxiety was still there, no doubt. Regardless, she still pushed through; her footing was louder than before as she pressed her hand down on a panel. It was neon red, a sign of what had transpired in recent months.
But before she could get any further, the sound of a parachute opening in the dead of night was what she heard.
She turned around, expecting an enemy… only to find ordinance lowering itself down upon the rooftop. “Thank you for that.”
“What, didn’t think I’d give you better weapons for this? We can replace a sniper rifle, but we can’t replace you.” She snuck her way back over to where she was, grabbing the handle of the black, metal cylinder and opening it up. Both top bits were curved, which made it look like a black baguette in Pulsefire’s opinion.
Cutlass’ words would’ve made her heart skip a beat, if it were not for the fact Pulsefire had adrenaline zooming through her bloodstream. “Anyways, you’ve got some good weapons in there; rifle and SMG. I’d suggest leaving your sniper rifle up there and taking the two weapons down, unless you can fit three weapons on your person.”
“I’ll try; if I don’t have a sniper, what if I need it?” Cutlass’ unappealing chortle returned. It was, at least, appealing to Pulsefire, whom had frozen and was just listening to Cutlass’ voice.
“Girl, I don’t use snipers and I’m fine.” Pulsefire rolled her eyes in her helmet.
“Yes and you get shot every five seconds.” The woman on the other end had to suppress another chortle.
“True. Now go do your thing!” Pulsefire equally had to suppress a giggle.
“Yes, boss.” She got back into the swing of things now, stuffing her armoured hands into the locker of weapons. ‘These are what Cutlass refers to as Support Packages.’ She nodded in response to her mind.
A grey, blood-stained yet well-polished rifle - probably having belonged to Cutlass at some point - awaited her. The more she looked at it, the more she realised that this was definitely Cutlass’ rifle. She almost had the audacity to say how flattered she was. “Nice rifle,” Pulsefire spoke. “can I borrow it?”
“All yours.” Cutlass would have let her have it anyways.
A red dot scope resided on top, black in colour. It had no laser, but this was no issue for a sniper. It was wrapped at the front with bandages, most likely for aesthetic effect since it served no purpose. It also had a flashlight and digital display of ammo and statistics in such a way that were not overwhelming. The grip was angular, much like the stock.
The SMG was the least exciting of the two. Without a scope, but it had a purpose the other one did not. Pulsefire had noticed a small indentation on both sides of the weapon, which meant only one thing; it could also be used as a machine gun with the correct augmentations. Outside of that, it had different settings and could be used with one hand or two.
Sounds also like something Cutlass would own. She put the rifle down as she slotted the SMG into a side holder. If needed, she could whip it out. For now though, she knew what she’d be using first.
The sniper rifle was slid into the armour on her back, since she deduced she would not be needing it.
She then picked up the rifle, only to hear footsteps approaching from the door. She had been just in the nick of time. She quickly but quietly moved to the top of the door, crouched down; she only just had enough time.
The first thing was the door opened with a kick to it. The soldiers had no idea what was to happen until the first one stepped out. They dropped like a sack of rocks, and it had only taken one shot. Two more people reacted on instinct and rushed forward to their ally, who had severe burns on the front of their face. They had heard the gunshot however, so Pulsefire knew she would have to be quick.
She shot the other two, not quite managing headshots but still taking the standard issue soldiers out within a couple of seconds.
She jumped down then, finger on trigger as she hosed the rest of the groups with plasma before most of them could fire their lasers.
Most of them were dead or crippled. Those that were alive screamed in agony as their body parts were burning from intense heat and being eaten away.
This time it wasn’t Cutlass’ words who coached her on, but her own voice. She knew what was best for them. Even with the lack of respect, she gave each one an individual headshot until the last four alive had been put out of their misery. A frown formed at having done such a thing.
She almost felt sorry for them, as she pulled off each of their name tags.
She had recognised one of the names; Liam Kennedy. Her heart felt like it had just stopped. Silence erupted as upset consumed her, physically and mentally.
Cutlass heard her whimper. “Pulsefire, ten-twenty?”
She had no idea how she managed to speak. “I just killed a child…”
Saying it out loud was almost worse than keeping it inside. There was a silence for a mere moment.
“Ei- Pulsefire, I understand that might be really hard right now,” Her eyes softened. “but there are many children who face the same fate with the Red Star Riders around. It’s not good, but we can still fix this situation at least somewhat if we take out the RSR presence in this city. We can prevent the deaths of other children.”
A silence squeezed through the comms. “We need you, and we need you strong. You are one very important person to the squad.”
‘And to you, Cutlass.’ She was tempted to whisper. It filled her with blind rage that the Red Star Riders had children among their ranks; children who are nothing more than cannon fodder at that age.
“Don’t let the anger take hold of you though; that might get you killed.” Cutlass spoke carefully, a despair in her voice that Pulsefire had never heard before.
“I just need to focus on getting out of here.” Pulsefire’s eyes darted around the rooftop, glancing for any good strategical points.
“Good. I have faith that the rage will not take hold of you.” That was the last thing Cutlass said for that moment.
POV: Cutlass
A sigh escaped the older woman’s lips, eyes watering as her lip trembled. ‘I have to be strong. For them and most importantly, for her.’
Cutlass had done what she could to help Pulsefire for the moment. She had Exploit high up in the air, Mohawk also on the ground and Powerhouse with her. She muted her microphone, but kept an ear out for anything.
The area had become too hot with enemy troops for anything to land, that sector of the city was probably going into lockdown; Cutlass could not help but wonder if there was something she missed, besides the lack of planning due to a lack of time.
That and it was Powerhouse who planned it. ‘Great hacker bless him, but not the best tactician.’
“Speak of the devil,” Powerhouse really could not scare Cutlass, no matter how hard he tried. “why do you bother?”
Powerhouse chuckled defeatedly. Cutlass turned to face him. "I have motion sensors in my HUD. I know exactly whenever you try that you're there, so why do you bother?"
Powerhouse had his helmet off, revealing black locks and lime green eyes. He had a darker skin tone by a long shot than Cutlass, who had a pale skin colour. He was very well tanned, but not sunburnt. "Because I like to experiment with your mind and see how you would fare when I scare you."
He sounded Hispanic, for sure. Cutlass retorted rather playfully. "What? Does it bring your cyber-mind some satisfaction by trying?"
It was just about that moment Powerhouse realised Cutlass had put up a façade. There was no smile and no emotion to her voice, but he had thought otherwise; was it his exhaustion, or flashbacks of a better time? Regardless, he decided to talk it through with her. "What's up, boss?"
"Oh, nothing!" It came off a lot more aggressive than usual, more so than intended. Powerhouse sighed.
"If it's about Pulsefire, I'm sure she'll be fine. She's our best sniper, and she knows how to put up a good fight, even if she's a bit emotional and easily frightened." Cutlass nodded. She still seemed upset however, still putting up a façade. "I see that is not the case though, Cutlass. What is it?"
"If I told you, it would break apart Alphazado Partial. Secondly..." Cutlass paused as she realised she nearly said the other part. 'That was way too close!'
"I doubt that, boss. You're making a difference in society, and we all very much care about you. Whatever it is, we'll hear it when you're ready; take your time." Cutlass' tone softened once more, rubbing her eyes. Powerhouse leant on the door frame next to him.
That's when the first gunshot made itself known into Cutlass' headset, the woman immediately spinning around and unmuting herself. Powerhouse knew this usually was his cue to leave, but instead chose to stay with the Alphazado Partial leader.
Following the first one there was more to come, but all Powerhouse's plans were now coming together. Exploit had been flying across for a while now, and Cutlass knew she was near to Pulsefire when the roaring of the engine was heard even over the earpiece. Cutlass decided to check in on Mohawk, the other supersoldier of the group beside herself. "Mohawk, did you manage to take out the anti-air towers? That includes the guns."
A husky voice broke through the comms. "Absolutely, Cutlass. I've let Exploit know that she is free to go in and help Pulsefire, and I'll be enroute with the remaining troops I have. Just rounding up the last of them now."
"Good, I'm going to check in with the rest." She turned back to the secure comms to ask for a status from Pulsefire, only to be deafened for a moment with the sound of a blast. She nearly swore.
She hadn't even realised Powerhouse was sat down at the desk behind her and talking to Exploit until now. She was tempted to listen in to their conversation, but knew she had better things to do and people to look after. It had dawned on her that Pulsefire could be seriously injured or worse, so she had to make sure. "Pulsefire? Pulsefire! Are you there?"
Static followed. Cutlass began to panic.
Then there was silence.
Silence again, but the one that makes someone afraid.
Every plea from Cutlass went unheard, for the most part.
Until, a breakthrough. "Alphazado Partial, this is Pulsefire. I'm okay; Exploit bombed a whole load of RSR I was being shot at by."
Cutlass had almost given up by that point, but actually cheered when she heard Pulsefire's voice. I've also been able to find a suitable LZ nearby, so Exploit can stop bombing this city to bits."
Working herself out again as usual, Cutlass unmuted herself once more. "Roger that. Upload the co-ordinates to Paradigm; I'll send it Exploit's way. Any injuries that I need to be aware of?"
Someone else unmuted from the dark and spoke; it was Mohawk. "Pulsefire, it should be the brand new interface you have on your wrist pad. Tap the green button once, it'll power up and then press the arrow button on that page."
"Was wondering what that was..." Cutlass certainly heard Pulsefire's mumble, chortling again. She muted herself as she grabbed a personal digital assistant - PDA - from her desk. She had a quick brief earlier on who and what Paradigm was; an artificial intelligence created by Mohawk to assist Alphazado Partial.
Moments later, Cutlass' PDA lit up with a notification. She read it, passing on the details to Exploit.
It was down to them to formulate another plan. But how does one find a good landing zone when the entire segment of the city around them is in lockdown?
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