EXFIL (2)

I looked towards the town, focusing my ears so that I could hear the sound.

Before I could hear the distinct voices that were calling for help, I felt a tremendous pressure coming from my left. It bore down on me like a cyclone, and then the next thing.... I felt and heard the harsh slap of collision.

WHAAAAAAAAAM!!

I was flung over a great distance, piercing through the air like a grey bullet! I had been struck by the humongous creature.

The ache of the impact was still evident on my body and some of my furs as well as flesh had been ripped from my body.

I landed on the ground, still going at a high speed with a massive impact, my body skidding on the rough dead ground and leaving a deep trench.

I was in a daze. How could such a colossal monster be so fast? I couldn't even react in time, despite the fact that I was distracted.

I quickly got on my feet and looked at the distance I had flown. Over two hundred meters, amidst the broken and cracked earth from the explosions earlier.

I looked for the other agents, seeing them assemble unique contraptions and setting massive firearms on them. The rest wielded larger than normal rifles and began prepared to open fire.

The first was what looked like a 5 meter long sophisticatedly designed block of steel with a glowing red end. An eerie red glow was rising like steam from this end, as if the weapon itself was breathing. It was set up on a rectangular stand to maintain a steady aim.

There were three of them in totally, operated by six agents, two for each.

This was team 1.

The weapon was the Bio Centurion.

The enemy of all organic matter. It could disintegrate all carbon based life forms depending on their density. Three of these deadly firearms were needed to deal with such a large target, with one agent managing the settings for its output, otherwise it could explode and kill everyone within a 10 meter radius if it overheats and the second agent manning the aim.

The second was the AK uniforce rifle.

It was an assault rifle that looked like a double sized FN SCAR modular assault rifle. It was black as to not hinder covert operations and to match the attire worn by agents.

Team 2, wielding such rifles, opened fire on the giant monster.

Thick, white beams of energy shot from the gun muzzles. They travelled a distance, then before they met the target, the attracted towards one another and formed one single quad sized beam that smashed into the large monster making it stagger and scream!

The portion that the attack landed on was brimming with a searing white energy that prevented the monster from regenerating.

This was the AK Uniforce rifle.

A portable weapon to deal with regenerating monsters.

Team 2 kept firing, making the creature screech and quiver as it backtracked.

At that moment, a red beam left the first Bio Centurion and smashed into one of the creatures' four heads. It was instantaneously vaporised.

On the monster's flank, some agents were unlocking a metal cap from the man who had a strap jacket. The moment his cap was removed, the most conspicuous feature on his face was revealed.

Two dark eye holes from which existed nothing but dancing circular matter that released a very unsettling air.

One of the agents pointed his head at the creature to direct his aim.

"Fire," the agent said.

From the dark eye holes of the man in the strap jacket brimmed thick black reddish energy that literally exploded shooting an irregular mass of unstable energy at the creature.

This was different from the Bio Centurion. This energy ate away anything in its way, and even the creature itself turned, feeling the immense danger it was facing.

The man in the strap jacket was screaming unnervingly as blood gushed out of his eyes.

It was painful. Horrendously painful.

He was once a criminal. A big bad boss who thought he could make the world kneel before his overbearing Gift. However, a single Special Unit Agent was enough to take him down.

He was given a death sentence, but the FBAC intervened and offered him a chance to live a bit longer by serving his sentence as an agent for a few years. Naturally, it wasn't a choice. As soon as they found that his energy beam had traces of dark matter, the man's fate was sealed.

The beam razed the creatures entire left side leaving bubbling and boiling flesh that had a tinge of reddish black hue.

The creature rampaged and showed another burst of speed that was unbecoming of its size, smashing the ground with its thick hand!

A massive shockwave resounded and exploded outwards breaking the ground and lifting up rubble and dust that disrupted team 1 and 2.

Team 3 was already carrying out the extraction as I saw their gear on one of the holes on the ground that led down the base.

I stood on my hind legs and my body adjusted itself, creating a humanoid stature that perfectly matched my stance.

I bolted towards the creature avoiding the rubble and debris flying from the creature's rampage and leapt up.

I flew in the air and had my right arm ready to attack, feeling its thick veins and incredibly sharp claws gleaming with killing intent.

I brought down my arm before I was even near the target and a gust of harsh wind swept towards the creature's chest.

The next moment gaping wounds of claw marks as large as 20 meters barraged the creature's upper torso causing a flood of blood to rain from it.

I penetrated one of the wounds and started rampaging from the inside, tearing the thousands of hearts and blood vessels that made up this abominations.

From the outside it started to jerk uncontrolled and lost focus, leaving team 1, 2 and 3 to set it alight with energy beams.

I came out of the creature from one of its heads which I obliterated with the swing of my claws.

My body was drenched in blood, such that I looked like red wolf with golden eyes.

At that moment, I heard it again, a cry for help that made me turn my head. It was a girl. But what was so special that my instincts blazed and made me turn in her direction?

The creature fell down with a loud thud while screaming the entire way.

I decided to investigate. The creature was done for anyway.

My form reverted back to that of a quadruped wolf and I bolted through the dust and rubble, heading for the town.

It didn't take me long to see the town that had beautifully designed storied houses and one collective research facility that looked more like a mini technological base, sinking into the ground!

Many were screaming and some were being crushed by the falling debris. I heard the scream much more vividly now.

"Someone, heeeeelp!"

I rushed towards the source of the voice and saw a girl on a building that was about to fall straight into the ground hanging from the window.

I rushed atop the roofs of several buildings with the speed of a blur, changed my form into that of a humanoid wolf, held her head steadily with one hand, her waist with the other and scaled up the building.

Later, I took her to safety and waited for her calm down, my body decreasing in size.

The moment she came to her senses, she shook and screamed, backing away from me.

I wasn't fazed. I was used to it. The fact that I was covered in blood probably made my image even more terrifying.

Surprisingly she regained her cool and looked at me with less fear and more wonder.

I was puzzled.

Shouldn't you be getting even more frightening?

I felt a presence rush at a zooming speed from far away and turned my head, but nothing was there.

***

I opened my eyes and started panting again. I was drenched in sweat and my eyes were out of focus.

That was way too vivid to be a dream!

Is that how it happened? Was I really so ..... crude all those years ago?

I sat up again and began to recollect my thoughts. I couldn't understand how I had gotten such a realistic flashback memory for the day I first met Linda.

Was it my subconscious replaying that day on the exfil mission with such a precision so that I can get peace of mind somehow?

Wait?!

What was that presence I felt at the end?

How come I didn't remember that? Is it because I was too enthralled by the girl that for the first time in my life I missed that such a crucial detail?

Wait?! Could it be?!

Was that person....

Could that presence be someone that was already there for Linda?

There's no way, I can get peace of mind without getting to the bottom of this!

SHIT! I need more details!

If there's a bastard who dares! I will find him! I will rip him apart in ways he hasn't even thought possible!!

The rage in me had found a purpose! A target! I felt rejuvenated by the intense heat of pure killing intent. The old me was surfacing again.

'To investigate this, I can't afford to be monitored by the FBAC. They'll get in my way. I was done with that place anyway,' I thought.

I sat on the bed and felt for my neck.

I hardened my hand and jammed it into my neck with such force that I felt my collarbone and blood vessels break and crack! Blood gushed out and I ran my fingers along the muscle tissue and bone, searching.

I gritted my teeth but the look in my eyes was as clear as ever. Blood trickled down my mouth but I didn't give a damn.

Shortly after, I pulled out my hand to reveal a miniscule orb the size of a pea covered in blood in my palm. It was metallic and gleamed of electricity as soon as I crushed it.

I took a towel from the bathroom and wiped away the blood over my body as my wound healed within the next seconds. I put on a hoodie and some tight blue jeans and prepared to leave the hotel room when my mobile phone rang.

I answered the call and heard a familiar voice. It was Derrick.

"Please don't do anything stupid, pal. We don't wanna have to mount your head on our wall," he said.

"Go screw yourself, Derrick," I said and crushed the phone before he could answer.

I bolted out of the room with an inhuman speed. Even in my human form I could exhibit motion that exceeded that of a car.

I climbed up the buildings and rushed towards a certain destination.

Linda's parents' house.

Given the nature of her job and research, Linda was always moving around. She didn't like living with her parents. At least that's what she told me.

I hadn't met her parents because she insisted that they would probably start giving her lectures about choosing guys for their looks. I was quite the looker.

I'd only met her cousins at some time at a random party and that was it.

I travelled a great distance and reached the house that was in densely populated city. It was pretty close to the local town and I guess the locals preferred it that way.

I knocked on the door.

If I was going to get answers, then I'd have to start with her parents. Their scents should give me something to work with. I'm not an idiot, even while grieving her I smelled her body to catch a whiff of the peculiar scent of what killed her.

It could be that her parents were targets too.

I had attended her funeral but in the shadows and I mourned with them. Facing them was going to be a bit difficult because I understood their pain.

I took a deep breath and knocked again.

Again. No answer.

After feeling something out of place, I broke down the door and entered, only to find nothing.

The couches were there in the lounge, the TV the picture frames, but I felt no-one. I searched every nook and cranny of the damn house and found no soul.

Was I too late?

I heard the window break and an object fall in whilst I was in the bedroom of the house. I rushed towards the front door and saw ....gas.

Two more objects flew in from the windows and emitted a purple gas that filled the entire house. I held my breath. My lung capacity was incredible. I could hold my breath for more than 15 minutes.

I heard hurried footsteps and saw men in thick, beefy military armour rushing into the house with.... AK Uniforce rifles and regular augmented firearms.

They wore gas masks and helmets that revealed nothing of their faces.

I counted 40 of them, some waiting outside.

I presume they used anti-Olfactory camouflage to deceive my sense of smell. Those thick armours had visual camouflaging that could beat my superior vision.

Shit.

I tall man wearing the same thick armour walked forward. He was roughly 2.3 meters tall and his build was ridiculously muscular. Even through the outline of the armour you could his physique was astounding.

I heard a sharp crackle and behind the goggles of his helmet, I saw two sharp blue lights threateningly gaze at me.

A similarly coloured energy surrounded him and I literally felt like a whole mountain had smashed on top of me.

I vomited blood.

It was Gift Release. When one releases the lock on their own Gift, letting a smidgen of its power flow into the surroundings.

No doubt about it.

This was no ordinary agent.

He was an SUA.

Special Unit Agent.

My eyes shimmered with a golden glow as I wiped away the blood from my mouth. My right hand had already begun morphing into claws.

From behind the giant of a man, another agent with an AK uniforce spoke.

"I guess you chose the wall hey, pal?" he asked. "If we fight here, hundreds will die. Are you sure you want that bearing on your conscience?"

I smirked and gazed at him before answering.

"My conscience died weeks ago."