Subsequent Fall Part 32.3: Beacon Red

Airsoft sighed as his pairing was not that good looking around as the four of them were in the middle of a ravine. "Oh for fucks sake." Airsoft looked at what he had for his equipment as Laz looked at him.

"We need to get out of this ravine." Laz looked at the other three. "Do you all have cables to climb the side of the cliff?" Airsoft flipped them the middle finger as he extended upwards to secure their climbing spot.

"Get back here you dickbag!" Minn shouted as Airsoft looked down at them.

"Realize the longer you are down there the larger chance of death we have right?" Airsoft saw the creatures as they started charging inward. Using his smg he started opening fire as they flanked him. Using his shotgun with his opposite hand he fired it and used the momentum to launch a void monster down to them.

"Enough arguing and get to climbing." Laz put his weapon on his back and started to free climb the side of the ravine. "Or would you rather lose out on that bonus without our best member." Laz kept climbing as Minn and Carolina looked at each other.

"Well, he has a point." Minn clipped her chaingun to her waist as she started climbing. Laz set the tone for them as the two of them worked their way up the ravine. Hearing the constant gunfire from Airsoft as his movement was impeccable.

Carolina looked up then over to the right as void creatures started coming down the ramp. 'I should not have stayed up so late last night, but damn it felt good.' She jumped up and followed the path that Laz had set.

Airsoft ran out of shotgun ammunition as he put it on his back and pressed a couple of buttons on his wrist gauntlet. Flares shot out and blinded the void for a moment while he threw a flash grenade as it detonated and took out a large sum of the creatures. 'Do I have to do everything?' Airsoft looked over the edge as Laz and Minn were halfway up.

Farther down was Carolina as she had to fire her handgun and drive the creatures back. Reaching up for a rock that wasn't there as she lost her balance. Airsoft fired his cable around her waist and saved her. Hoisting her up past Minn and Laz up to his level as he punched a void creature into ash.

"Not now, thank me never." Airsoft ejected his magazine for his smg as he put a new one in and opened fire into the masses as it was the special ammo Astral and Adam developed. Using one bullet killed each void creature as he slowed his aim and focused.

"I wouldn't thank you in a way you like anyways." Carolina pulled out a rocket launcher and fired it into the crowd of void as it knocked them back. Carolina then started using her pistol again as her rifle laid on the ground at the base of the ravine.

The void creatures were right on the ass of Minn as she looked down. "Not today, I ain't a snack." She grabbed her chaingun and opened fire into the creatures beneath her as they all fell onto one another, slowly morphing into a new creature. "MOVE FASTER!" Laz looked down and saw why. Pulling himself up and getting to the ledge of the ravine as he pulled himself up and looked down covering fire as Minn was going as fast as she could up the cliff.

"Airsoft, we need a path out." Laz yelled out as Airsoft turned for a moment before pulling out something else from his side. Setting his smg in its holster snugly he tightened it. Two batons extended outward as he looked through the void and found the path that lead to the nearby mountain.

"Carolina, stay next to Laz, Minn fire support in the rear." She climbed over the cliff face as Airsoft gave the order.

"Who let you make the rules?" Carolina gave back talk as the void tarantula crawled out of the ravine hovering above them as Airsoft took off and started making his path. "Oh." She took off after Laz did. Minnesota hoisted her chaingun from her hip into her arms as she followed the path made.

It cleared in the front as Airsoft made the opening. "Laz, keep going! You too sweet cheeks." Carolina slapped him as she passed Minn followed them as he looked at the tarantula walking at them. He fired an assortment of flares before running once again. The tarantula wasn't phased as he pulled himself back to the others with his cable.

"We need to deal with that thing." Laz looked at Carolina and Minn as they both were losing steam from running. "Carolina, toss me your launcher." She did as Airsoft looked to the sky and saw two birds circling them.

Holding his ground, Airsoft fired more flares as it was empty. Laz fired the rocket into the tarantula as it faded into smoke. The four of them needed a break as they looked around. It wasn't stopping and there didn't look to be a break anytime soon. Airsoft looked around and realized he was the only one there. Spinning in confusion he wondered if this was the afterlife.

"Are there bonuses for most individual kills?" Airsoft had no clue where his team was as he pulled out his knife and stabbed the void creatures coming at him as he tethered himself away with his cable.

"Yes and no, yes the three people with the highest kill count get a bonus if their commander stays alive." Shiro appeared next to him as he was flying to the mountain. "Problem is those hawks damaged Laz and took Minn and Carolina."

"Are you telling me it's a rescue mission?" Airsoft saw their location become a beacon of red shooting upwards. Airsoft changed his angle and started sprinting as the beacon would be swarmed in moments.

Minn finally had her chaingun revved up as she started to open fire on the masses. Carolina watched her back and made sure that if she needed to rotate and take down more of the void creatures she could. The sun was setting in the distance as the nest they landed in was being lifted by the void creatures.

Airsoft launched his tether into the nest and locked it in place as he heard the gunfire and hardened his suit to absorb the incoming attacks. The video creatures attacked Airsoft with everything they could as his armor seemed unpentrateable.

"We stopped moving." Minn looked around as the void creatures all went after Airsoft. "We have another full day of this?"

"We should hunker down here, he can fend for himself." Cece looked over at Airsoft as he stood in a pile of darkness, his flares needed to recharge, once that happened at dawn they needed to keep moving. Minn and Carolina rested as the night drew on for Airsoft.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit." Airsoft pulled up his bank account as he saw it steadily going up as a tiny little Shiro appeared in his helmet. "Astral's work?"

"Yup, he sees the state of the battlefield, and as the team that already lost. Astral is helping you so you carry them." Airsoft sighed as he unlocked his armor and fired the flares, morning hit as he flung the nest to the top of the mountain. Adding the magnets below the peak that deterred the Void.

"So thats it? We just sit back and do nothing?" Minn looked bored out of her mind as she laid on her back.

"Look, now it's just survival despite how much you guys want to fight." Airsoft sat down with a deck of cards as the magnets did their jobs well.

"Bitch we were hired on for one reason." Carolina looked over at him.

"Because Indy felt guilty for leaving you airheads alone?" Airsoft sighed as he was getting to the wrong message. "You two are highly talented warriors. Someday you will also see that this life isn't for everyone."

"You really think you can convince us to quit now?" Minn tilted her head up. "You realize how many people we have lost?"

"Millions, but the critical ones hurt harder." Airsoft split the deck into the suits. "What would happen if any of your team died now, like Nevada or Indy?" The two remained deathly silent as Airsoft reshuffled the deck freshly.

"It's devastating to watch people you have known forever die." Airsoft laid down all the non face cards. "These? Are all of the stock robots, clones and civilians, they can die in masses and we wouldn't bat an eye, their families and the other clones would be hurt." He laid the jacks down. "These are us. We lose each other and its crushing."

"But what happens, if the king loses all of its queens?" Airsoft laid the two remaining face cards. The two remained quiet. "All I am saying is that death not only affects you, but everyone, and if there are too many cracks in the king's armor." Airsoft shredded the kings as a joker remained.

"We will all be in trouble." Minn sat up the rest of the way. "All I hear is the gravity of this ordeal is a lot more than we could chew without worrying about the rest of us?"

"That's why Astral keeps adding layers and updates, why we are here fighting void in the first place?" Carolina looked around. "Why our weapons can hit these creatures and kill them. He wants everyone to live like there is a threat coming that could end all of us?"

"I can't say for certain when it will happen. Its better to say it will and prepare." Airsoft pulled out rations and shared with the two of them who packed none. "Do you two ever visit the industrial sector during workouts?" Both of them nodded no as they devoured the protein bars.

"So much weapondary and robots, all sorts of ships, nonstop movement." Airsoft motioned his hand around as he took a bite of his ration. "All going where? To storage for preparation, for any fights we get into?" Airsoft finished his ration off. "All I ask is for you to train well and prepare for anything, that is why we were split up."

"I thought it was to become better teammates and bond." Minn looked to her right at Carolina

"Bullshit, Astral knows we are best with our own units. He wants us to protect and care for one another." Airsoft took a sip of water from his canteen.

"I know another way we can bond." Carolina looked at the two of them as they stayed occupied into the third day.