A WONDERFUL FEELING
(Inside the reactor building)
"Oh, that's one bloody mess..." muttered Sean softly.
"Yeah..." said Shirley in reply as she slowly turned off the car electric motor. The 2 slowly stepped out, looking at the mess they made: A stack of bodies impaled into a wall by the SUV's folding bulldozer accessory, staining the wall with a huge patch of red.
After Xiao Tian gave the order to charge in, the SUVs deployed their bulldozer accessories, knocking open the reinforced gates and into the first floor while Team Phantom provided fire cover. The lead SUV driven by Shirley with Sean on board had its wheel shot out, and in the chaos ended up crashing into an adjacent room, impaling lots of terrorists in the process as Shirley and Sean screamed at the horrific scene.
Xiao Tian stepped out from the SUVs behind, together with the rest of the team.
"Secure the reactor controls," he ordered Nanami. He then led another group consisting of Shirley, Khai, Frederica, Sean and Louis to scout the facility.
The team then split up, moving forward, using the maps they have pre-downloaded into their Exo-suit HUDs to navigate.
(Nanami's group)
Arriving at the reinforced door that separated the reactor controls from the rest of the facility, Nanami made the hand gestures for a breach operation.
Xu Qing placed his wall penetrating radar onto the wall. He gulped as he looked at the multiple red dots appearing in his HUD, each denoting the heat signature of a living person. To verify the accuracy, he then carefully inserted a small robot the size and shape of a beetle through the door gap, finding out to his shock that there are several heavily armed Vanguard terrorists on the other side.
He relayed that to the rest of the team. Nanami gave the order to breach, having came up with a plan.
Ariel moved to the right side of the door, right behind Jay who has his MP7A2 and reinforced bulletproof shield raised. She aimed her AUG A3 SF at the direction she will be engaging, having the gun sling locked in tightly in her right armpit, handling the gun in such a way that the gun stock is suspended and resting out of her right arm. Holding her rifle this way makes the already compact bullpup rifle even more shorter, allowing her to maneuver the gun easier in the tight spaces of CQB combat.
Nanami took up a position across her, readying her suppressed compact M92 rifle, the rest of the team readied their gear.
Ariel waved at the sentry robot that came together with them, which then moved forward, deploying an automated hydraulic battering ram, smashing the door lock off and opening the door.
Just as the door opened, a volley of bullets flew out, blasting the robot, prompting it to deploy its bulletproof shields, weakly shielding itself from the gunfire ahead. Nonetheless, all of the operators remained calm, as such a scenario had already been pre-empted in Nanami's operation plan.
"Check filters!" ordered Nanami, and everyone immediately took a peek at their helmet filters are activated. Once that's confirmed, Nanami gave the order for the sentry robot to launch tear gas grenades into the enclosed room.
Soon, the entire control room is filled with a choking white mist as the Vanguard terrorists inside caught off guard all cried uncomfortably, unable to see what is happening due to their eyes being clogged up by tears. The gas filters of the Exo-suit helmets ensured that the operators themselves will not be affected by the tear gas, giving them a great advantage.
"GO, GO, GO!" ordered Nanami, and the team breached in. She aimed left at a terrorist that is directly in front of her, gunning him down. As she moved, James immediately covered up her blind spots, opening fire with his SIG MCX.
Ariel and Jay advanced forward in a tight formation behind the sentry robot now raining rounds of hollow-point pistol rounds on the terrorists, taking out the now defenseless terrorists with ease.
Soon, the room is cleared, with Santos finishing off one last straggler with a shot to the face with his custom 1911 pistol.
Little did they know that clearing the room is the easiest task to accomplish, which they discovered the moment Nanami tried to switch on the controls to the reactors, realising to their horror that they had been sabotaged.
The fusion reactors' safety mechanisms had been taken offline, and the reactors are set to have a catastrophic malfunction from energy overriding within 1 hour, the energy released enough to blast this part of the UK across the English channel to France.
"ALL STATIONS ATTENTION!" radioed Nanami. "REACTORS DOWN, I SAY AGAIN, THE REACTORS ARE GOING TO BLOW! WE NEED TO STOP THE REACTION PROCESS!"
(Outside the base)
"WHAT NOW?" exclaimed Vera in shock as she cleared through the personnel of the vehicle convoy attempting to leave the reactor base which Team Phantom managed to intercept and capture.
"It's no use," sneered the Vanguard terrorist she had beaten up when she dragged him out of the car. "We have massacred all of the staff and destroyed the main controls, there is nothing you can do!" he gloated.
A furious Atsumi promptly executed him with a pistol shot to the head.
"Can you stop the electromagnetic containment field?" radioed Aya.
"Negative."
"Emergency pressure and temperature overrides?" she asked again.
"All down, not even Walter can fix them in time," replied Nanami.
(Near the battery room)
Hearing the news made Sean's heart sank. He is well aware that if they do not do something, the lives of millions are at stake.
Xiao Tian bowed his head down, thinking of a plan. After a while, he looked up, eyes with resolve.
"My plan is to deactivate the solar power batteries providing power to the external temperature and pressure," he radioed. "My group is one block away, everyone converge on us!"
"Copy!" replied Aya, leading Team Phantom towards the reactor base complex.
But just as they are about to enter, a giant black energy ball appeared under their legs, exploding, the impact sending all of them flying. Reza is closest to the blast center, getting both of his arms fractured by the impact.
"Well, well, well," clapped "Spectre", appearing with several Vanguard terrorists of high magical abilities. "I hope you all liked that little advanced art I pulled off."
Albert cursed in Cantonese, charging forward with Aya, Atsumi and Vera who had recovered, channeling Cosmic Energy and firing their guns as they advanced. Atsumi and Vera gunned down several terrorists, before engaging in close quarters combat to tie them down, buying time for their wounded comrades to retreat.
Albert skillfully tackled down 2 terrorists, finishing them off with his MP5A5. He then aimed at "Spectre".
"Spectre" grinned, suddenly vanishing just as the 9mm bullets fired from Albert's MP5A5 is about to hit him. Alarmed, Albert immediately turned around, readying a Cosmic Energy fireball, but he was too slow, and a sabre channeling Cosmic Energy that is wielded by "Spectre" came inches towards his head.
Just as the blade is about to land, a small tornado came out of nowhere, catching "Spectre" in its swirls, rendering him immobile as he is pushed away, flying into a rock.
"You are still too slow," said Aya nonchalantly as she telekinetically reloaded her custom L119A2 rifle, also deploying the built in plasma energy blade of her Exo-suit that functions both as a cutting tool and a melee weapon against Cosmic Energy-infused blades.
"Spectre" chuckled. "As expected of Artemis 1," he commended. He readied his attack stance. "Now don't disappoint me, ma dame."
(Near the control room)
"Motherf*cker..." groaned Santos as he reached for his SIG MCX, only for the monstrosity that behold him to step onto his back hardly. He screamed, feeling his ribs breaking. Near him are Xu Qing, Jay and James, all badly wounded and barely alive. During the fight against the Vanguard terrorists that had came to stop them, the 4 humans got themselves separated from their 2 Sellardraxian comrades, which proved to be a disaster when they ran headfirst into the infamous Lord Kronos of the Vanguard movement.
"Impressive, I must say, for an inferior life form," sneered Kronos, an extremist Sellardraxian warrior of the Lita subspecies hailing from the Dynasty.
He channeled his Cosmic Energy into a ball of black lightning. "I will reward the 4 of you with a quick death."
Santos glared at Lord Kronos, feeling powerless at the sheer strength of the Sellardraxian.
A couple of smoke grenades landed in front of Lord Kronos, generating a smoke screen which temporarily threw him off. As that happened, 2 people suddenly grabbed and threw him aside.
"Made it in time," declared Ariel, while Nanami checked her wounded comrades.
Nanami then turned to Kronos, with a crazed smile on her face distorted by fury.
"YOUR OPPONENT, IS US!" she laughed maniacally as she and Ariel braced themselves for Kronos' attack.
(Battery room)
Louis opened fire with his SIG P226 as he sliced through the Vanguard terrorists with his plasma blade, generating blocks of ice around him to help deflect bullets and other ranged magic. Due to the explosive nature of the room, Xiao Tian's team resorted to fighting with pistols and melee weapons.
Frederica helped Louis take out a terrorist, then tackled 4 terrorists that tried to manpile her. She grabbed the first one, punching off his head, then using him as a meat shield while she opened fire on the rest with her FN 5-7. She then quickly turned around, using her lightning quick reflexes to take out 2 more, finishing her magazine. Frederica then generated ice daggers and threw them out quickly at a terrorist in another direction, killing her. Her performance is a strong counter to the assertion that snipers are bad at fighting close quarters.
Khai threw one off the platform he and Shirley are on with a Judo finishing throw, while Shirley shot a bolt of electricity at a terrorist, sending him spasming.
In the mean time, Xiao Tian and Sean faced off against Lena, who drew a Cosmic energy channeling scythe.
Both Xiao Tian and Sean readied their plasma blades and pistols. Being fighters that preferred fighting with tactics, they waited for Lena to pull her first move.
Lena looked at them playfully.
"Mr Zhou," she said, looking at Xiao Tian. "I have always wondered if your reputation as a masterful commander can be matched by your fighting skills.
Xiao Tian remained silent, eyeing her intently. Feeling intruded, she then looked at Sean. "Now, Artemis 9, I am curious how it was like for an artificial creature like you who was raised without parents?"
Sean laughed. "So what? At least I have basic manners which someone like you lack. So much for having parents. I guess I will need to help your dad give you a good spanking!" he grinned.
"Good one," commended Xiao Tian.
"You are oddly opinionated for someone bred to be a killing machine," sneered Lena. "Hell, can you even have your own feelings? Or does "master" here order you around?" she laughed, nudging at Xiao Tian.
Sean chuckled.
"Oh, I feel wonderful. Because my orders are to kick your ass and take you out!"