Camp Luma vs Cult of the One Savior (1/4)
[DAY 16]
Neo and the group drove straight down the road towards Camp Luma, dodging the debris of destroyed buildings and cars, left and right.
As Meram drove the car towards sunrise, Neo was on his right, thinking back to his own experiment which ended in the destruction of the bridge.
As they broke through the cultists' blockade a couple of minutes ago and headed towards the bridge, Neo got ready for his next actions. He changed places with Meram as they briefly held on the bridge.
Neo then began to focus his mind on the bridge locations where he placed the explosives. After a few seconds, when he could feel the atoms of the explosives, he pressed a remote control button that he held in his hand.
"Boom"
"Boom"
The car then drove off slowly and behind them the bridge exploded bit by bit. Neo vision was again filled with a night sky full of thousands stars which in reality were the atoms of the explosives. However differently from last time was that the atoms weren't static, but in constant motion. They crashed into each other and seemed to fly in all direction with no stop.
Neo commanded the atoms to fly even faster and more chaotically. The atoms followed his will and they slammed into each other a lot more often, making the explosion even stronger.
Neo didn't know which spots on a bridge were particularly good to place the explosives, but he thought that if the explosive force was simply really strong, it still do its job resulting in a destroyed bridge. He speculated, that he could, hihger the exposives strengt with his telekinesis ability and he was right about that. The expolsion was about 3 times their previous power. It's just a pity that Neo has a limited range of 10 meters around himself with his ability and that his head is starting to hurt like hell, otherwise he could use such an attack method more often.
Neo, who was pleased with his successful experiment, just looked out his window with a smile.
...
From the distance not so far away they could hear shots and grenades being launched. They are getting closer and closer to Camp Luma, where the fight against the cult is currently ongoing.
Neo doesn't know the exact situation of the fight, but he assumes that Camp Luma should have the advantage, especially since the cult is only attacking with about 2/3 of their full strength. But the preacher certainly still has a few aces up his sleeve and won't give up that easily.
Also, there are these four figures he saw in the blockade, although he doesn't understand their connection to the cult and who they are. He still understands that they are dangerous and that Neo will not survive a fight against them.
...
***Back to the blockade
Four people were standing on the roof of a building looking at a jeep in the distance. One of the characters had various symbols and drawings on his face. If Neo could see the character he would, know that these are the characters that he has recently become very interested in.
Suddenly, through a door that leads down, 3 cultists ran up through the gasping. All of them wore black masks and robes. They looked in the bishop's direction, after they shut the doors behind them quickly.
The bishop, on the other hand, didn't even look at them. Suddenly one of the tall women beside the bishop said to him.
"What arrogance to be paraded by this inferior creature! Shall I destroy the fleeing vehicle and shred all of there corpses into thousands of pieces, my bishop?" she said as she looked in the direction of the vehicle with an angry glare.
"No. That's not our goal. Don't forget our task. We should find him and bring him to the leader. Only then can we leave this world." said the bishop in a clear but quiet voice.
"But my bishop, shouldn't we help the cultists, they could..." asked the woman, but she was interrupted from further talking by the bishop.
"No. Our goal is him. Don't forget. Everything else. This world. The cultists. The people. Everything is meaningless." said the bishop as a holographic interface opened before his eyes and he took a closer look at the report in it.
SRH report 210313; name: Etienne Trop; looks: photo; description: A former scientist who came into contact with project anima; Danger level: 2/10; Priority: 9/10; Bounty: 500,000,000 shares...
"Good. We're leaving." said the man after closing the interface again and turning to the left.
Then suddenly a spaceship appeared (uncloaked) in front of them, it was about 20 meters wide and 40 cm long. It was slightly shaped like a scorpion. After the spaceship uncloaked, a landing ramp opened and the figures headed in the direction of the ship.
"TRAHHHHHH!!" did the ship's engines as they slowly started.
When the three cultists saw the ship, they briefly hoped to get out of this hell alive. But what happened next they never expected. One of the four people suddenly raised his arm towards the cultists.
"PRAN"
"PRAN"
"PRAN"
Blue lasers erupted from his arm and shot at the three at an incredible speed. All cultists' heads were instantly vaporized and the rest of their bodies burst into flames, before they could even think about dodging.
When everyone else entered the ship, the spaceship started to fly upwards and the ramp closed. The ship then turned invisible again and disappeared.
Who knows what there next steps will be...
...
***Back to Neo
Neo and the group got closer and closer to the battle so they decided to get out of the vehicle and hide the jeep in a small alley. As it would attract to much attention otherwise.
They then made their way to a roof of a building. They killed a couple of undead on the way and even two Stage 1, which nowadys they seem to meet more often. After taking care of them they got on the roof. They looked in the direction of the battlefield and what they saw there took the group's breath away.
On a large yard which hat different tents everywhere, they saw hundreds of dead bodies of soldiers, civilian and children bathing in their own blood everywhere. In the not so far distance, they could see four small tanks all with the symbol of the cult on them and... and a battle mech.
The tanks resembled tanks that used to run with chains, which where from the ancient days of earth, but instead of chains, they had hover pads that allowed the tanks to flowed and cross any ground with move effectively. Their gun barrel was big enough for different types of shells and they had a machine gun on top of the tank. The tank looked very futeristic and the heavy armor was painted black and the symbol of the cult was on both sides of the tank.
The mech, on the other hand, resembles a mech from an old game with a similar name that Neo used to play. Neo always had a small interest in Mechs but never got to see actual combat Mechs until now. The earth defence force has just a few of them and they would never use them in battle.
The mech looked human-like, had two legs and arms but no head, and was about 15 meters tall. A silhouette of the Mech's pilot could be seen in the chest part of the mech behind a giant glass like material. The mech was black and had special armor that protected it even from laser weapons. The mech had the symbol of the cult all over it and of cource the mech was equipped with numerous weapons.
His right arm has a huge submachine gun that blasts enemy infantry to pieces. The left arm has a huge cannon that shoots grenades and on its back are numerous rocket launchers that shoot around endlessly.
In addition to the tanks and the mech, the cultists had a huge number of infantry soldiers with various weapons. Most wore a white mask, which was now red with blood. They used rifles, heavy machine guns, grenades and some even had laser weapons.
When Neo saw the mech and tanks, as well as the cultists' various gear, Neo began to get a little scared.
Neo is still a 21-year-old boy who has never even seen tanks and mechs, even though he saw death and spoilage everywhere in the apocalypse and in his past military missions and even killed himself what he saw here today still send a shiver down his spine. Of course he fought against the Separatists in the past and he saw the death and destruction there too. But never with tanks or battle mechs with their huge weapons, destroying everything in their path.
However, his fear partially faded as he imagined fighting the mech and even owning and piloting one himself in the future. All these possibilities exist for him thanks to the apocalypse and the virus that brought it. Only since he became an undead does he feel powerful and full of action for the first time in his life.
It's like being paralyzed your whole life and not being able to move even a little. But suddenly you were healed and can walk and have hope for a better future.
Although Neo wants to fight the mech, he also knows that if he goes into battle, he would be taking a huge risk and would have to use all of his power in the fight.
Neo also believes, that if he could better control his telekenesis ability he would stand a chance against the mech. But Neo is currently able to control the full potential of his abilities.
He's like a Neanderthal who's been given a gun. However the Neanderthal doesn't use it to shoot, it's prey but to hit it's head with it. There are worlds in between these both actions and capablities. With one you can conquer any prey you want. With the other you can only live with great effort and luck.
Neo needs to improve his imagination and concentration skills, he also wants to improve his multitasking. But such training takes time and eating more will not help him at all.
Neo then looked to the other side. There he saw small bunkers and pits in which people with a blue band around one arm were inside. There were about 100 or so soldiers inside a bunker. You could also see soldiers on many houses around the area. They all shoot at the cultist's direction.
There were already hundreds of corpses on the battlefield and some bunkers and pits were already destroyed. In addition to the many soldiers with blue ribbons, the Luma Camp also had some heavy weapons. They had some light to medium police vehicles and some special forces vehicles. The vehicles looked like big vans and were painted blue/yellow.
Some had a heavy machine gun on them which were shooting constantly at by the enemy's direction.
Most of the soldiers in the camp wore thick civilian clothes and a bulletproof vest over them. Others wore police uniforms and pieces of battle armor on their chests or arms. Then there were also rare cases where soldiers wore full GB1 battle armor. These soldiers were on the front line.
In the air you could see some drones watching the whole battlefield and their own flanks. They were sometimes shot out of the sky, but there was still plenty in the air.
The roads leading to the battlefield are covered with wrecked cars and houses, preventing a huge horde of undead already standing outside from entering the battlefield.
Furthermore, from time to time grenades can be seen falling at the battlefield, which has repeatedly prevented the advance of the cult. The mortars do a good job and some decent damage. Overall, though, the fight looks more like it's in favor of the cult. In the approx. half hour that the fight is already lasting, the cultists have advanced very well, mainly the tanks and the mech are responsible for this.
While the cultists are by and large outnumbered, they are significantly better equipped than the luma camp soldiers.
Altogether there should be 8,000 or so cultists still alive on the battlefield. In contrast, the Luma camp has deployed more than 20,000 soldiers. However, the quantity of the luma camp does not beat the better equipment of the cultists. I mean, the camp sends their soldiers to the front lines in pairs. One carries the ammo from about 2 magazines and the other has the gun. The one who survives the first attack should get the weapon or the ammunition.
'I mean what the f*ck? If I had known that Camp Luma didn't stand a chance from the start, I would habe just allied with the cultists and after we destroyed the camp, I could have looked for my mother then. I feel so stupid right now!' thought Neo
'Well, I can't really undo my decision now. Instead, maybe I should think about how to help these idiot survivors. As it stands now, if this continues, they will simply be wiped out over time.' Neo thought determinedly.
Meanwhile, Neo pondered about tactics and strategies to help the survivors of Camp Luma. Meanwhile the other faces of the group were completely pale.
Although they have all experienced their own horror experiences in the apocalypse, none of them have ever seen the real ramifications of actual battle.
Of course, one can usually well imagine a battlefield. You can describe it in as many words as you can and go into as much detail as you can. But you can never fully immerse yourself in the feel of a battlefield unless you're in one yourself.
Death lurks around every corner here. Screams, weeps, begs for one's own mother or father. In the face of sheer death and violence on a battlefield, all people, whether experienced, fearless, strong, courageous, eager and many other qualities ... go insane.
The group watches one tragic happening after another. Soldiers being trampled by the mech as they tried to run away. Tanks destroying one bunker after another. Grenades that rip a few injured people screaming for help into hundreds of pieces. Doctors who treat their wounded behind the front lines. Cultists who cut off the arms and legs of captured soldiers in the middle of the battlefield and skin them alive.
The madness on earth shines brightest on a battlefield and the group that accompanies Neo can no longer look at these hundreds of sad and heartbreaking situations.
The children were the first to look away and began to vomit. The pregnant woman and Ninette were second. Donatien the muscle head had tears in his eyes but didn't look away. Elly watched with a horrified face as one child on the front lines kills another only to be caught and cut to pieces by cultists.
Meram, the metal heaviest in the group, glared at some cultists who had just raped a woman on the battlefield and are eating parts of her arms raw now.
Neo, on the other hand, who has now found a strategy, was much colder. For him, what happened on the battlefield was frightening at first. But meanwhile, he accepted what he saw and decided to watch until any remnant of fear and restraint disappeared.
'Neo look. This is the madness that dwells in people's hearts. If I'm not strong enough, I'll die just like them... I need to get stronger. AT ALL COSTS!' Neo thought determinedly.
Neo knew that the battle ahead is nothing compared to the battles taking place in other parts of the galaxy. If he one day leaves this planet he must be strong enough not only to fight his enemies, he must also be mentally strong for any stress and self-doubts attempting to overcome him.
'If I just hide myself in fear and self-doubt, only death and meaninglessness will await me. Even if my death is certain, I must face my doubts and still decide to fight. My first enemy is not my opponent opposite me, but the opponent within me. The voice of doubt and weakness!' thought more resolutely than ever before in his life.
Neo didn't realize it at the time, but his invisible aura around him has changed. It began to move into Neo's body. From every little pore, this dark aura slowly began to gather within him.
It will take some time for it to fully enter his body, but when it does, something fundamental will change in Neo...