Unknown moon

Gideon

His heart raced as he witnessed the smug visage of death.

It gazed back at him.

The horde of demonkin all stared at him.

I think they like me.

His body trembled. There were too many. Even with more firepower or men, they'd be overwhelmed in seconds. Steak and Pat readied themselves. They had swapped secondaries, with Pat raising both of its hip arms, sporting nanite canes. Steak opted for energy shields for blocking the inevitable melee blows. Baxter's tail swept back and forth, a deep bassy growl emanating from within. Deborah checked her rifle, a confident smile on her face.

How the hell is she like that? We're going to die!

A light touch on his shoulder snapped his attention to Deborah.

"Do not fear," she stated calmly, giving him an alabaster smile.

The demon spoke, his baritone voice ringing out.

"There is everything to fear! Do not let the gentle lies of that simpering glowing one tempt you!"

"Do not listen, it speaks only lies," Deborah countered.

"Lies? The lie is that you can protect him! Or anyone for that matter. Remember what this planet looked like before? Where are all the people? If there was nothing to fear, then why am I still here?" the demon retorted.

He's right… Deborah couldn't beat him. Not even the Rumblers could.

Gideon began to ponder the conflict that occurred after tracking the Decima. The Rumbler came to life only on their offensive move of firing the tracker. The demon must have spotted him during his journey or after he was revealed. He was the demon's target the entire time.

"If you were to be safe anywhere, boy, it would be by my side," the demon invited, pointed a clawed finger to his feet.

Gideon didn't know what else to say to that. His powers were terrifying. The fact he was even pondering anything about the demon was surprising; he should have been a fetal position gibbering wreck.

Demons. Angels. I think I'm handling that monumental news rather well.

And so, he did the only thing he could think of. He flipped the demon the universal term for 'go to hell'.

The demon snorted a slow, tumbling laugh.

"Who said I was giving you a choice, boy?"

Baxter snarled a response, "you are bad and I will bite you! You..! What is your name? I will name you-"

"NO!" Deborah shouted, silencing the spooked dog.

Gideon's heart leaped at the noise.

"Do not name that creature, you would doom us all!" Deborah explained, her mouth twisting in anger.

"Oh come now. Let the dog have his fun. You never know, by having the mutt name me, it might make for a good handicap in your favor," the demon retorted with a chuckle.

"Either way, we’re going to smoke your ass, asshole!" Gideon shot back. He felt his nerves trembling, his cheeks burning at the creature.

The demon chuckled, putting his clawed fingers to his brow.

"So very precious. The only choice you get, boy, is whether you all come quietly, or I butcher your friends to retrieve you."

"Do not give in, Gideon!" Deborah shouted back.

The demon pointed a long-clawed finger at him, his beady eyes glowing brightly.

"Oh! You may think this is a battle. It's not. This is a hostage negotiation. You've already lost," the demon flexed his wings to their full fifteen-foot span.

"Make your choice, boy."

Deborah glanced down to him, sporting a smug smirk.

His comms snapped alive. Another voice broke in, one he had been waiting too long to hear from. Shindow.

"Gideon, come in! Why is it always these situations- Gideon come in!"

"Shindow!"

"Gideon! Oh, thank God you're alive! Where the hell have you been?"

He thought that question over. How could he even answer?

"Well… this is going to be strange- but do you believe in Angels and Demons?"

"Yes, I do. Gideon. You're going to have to be less cryptic. Fast."

"Well I'm looking at some now," Gideon replied, showing her the images of Deborah and the demon.

"Oh my God, she's- What Is that? An Angel!? She's gorgeous! Just like I thought they would be! And the demon just as hideous…"

"You're taking this better than I am."

"Gideon, I'm starting to believe we're not in the same reality anymore."

"We're not. We missed Armageddon."

A long pause lingered on the line before Shindow broke it.

"Despite having a thousand different questions… I see you’re in the middle of something dangerous. Explain later. I'm on my way."

"Shindow, wait! The Dusk-"

"-Can just try to stop me. I'm coming to help! You're going to need transport out of there."

The comms cutout. He stared at the mound of destroyed Dusk satellites. How many did the demon take-down to block them in?

“Gideon, do you have something with more firepower? Something hot?” Deborah asked.

He glanced through his inventory to find the laser culvern, a man-portable laser capable of breaching static defenses or warding off smaller craft. He turned towards the open hall and materialized the weapon. It was a long, forearm mounted armament, sporting a long barrel and what appeared to be a swiveling ball camera at the end.

Deborah handed Gideon the loaned pulse rifle, which vanished away on contact. She lifted the culvern easily, equal parts strength and grace. She grasped the forearm mount and side-grip.

She smirked with a nod.

“Now this… This is exactly what I needed.”

She marched back to the front, hefting the weapon as she gazed back at the demon.

“Focus on keeping the little ones back. Leave him to me. Now.”

Gideon blinked, glancing back to Deborah as she pointed her weapon at the Demon. It was time.

“What?” he asked, partially confused, partially wanting to delay.

"Now!" Deborah barked again.

The portal dropped, Excertius initiated with four large traveling plumes of green plasma fire, torching the front line of demonkin. Pat's canes glowed, nanites flowed, and green energy shields splayed as barricades, forcing the survivors through chokepoints.

Deborah split into four, then into sixteen, then into thirty-two. Half rushed to the sky, spawning portals near the ceiling as they began to clean the miasma from the top-down, preventing demonkin from falling over them. The other Deborahs opened fire, each sporting a copy of the laser culvern Gideon had armed her. Red beams of light cut through the mob, sending body halves falling. The tricky part with the lasers was in this foggy miasmatic environment, she needed to get close as the beam would scatter in effectively at longer ranges.

Six of Deborah’s copies rushed to the Demon, striking him with a full volley of laser fire. It hunched down, its wings balling around it as he vanished in the intense glow. It let out an endless baritone bellow.

Baxter snarled, firing a volley into the mob. He was understandably mad.

Gideon reacted last, the shoulder mounts ripping into the closest targets. A demonkin was riddled, dropping to the floor as half its body was shot to pieces. He aimed in between the shields, dropping four more. Steak's plasma blazer created a wall of fire in between the Pat's energy shields. The burned demonkin stumbled and fell, crumbling to ash against the dazzling barricade.

One of the shields collapsed from the sheer force of blows and bodies, the horde becoming a tangle of limbs as they fell. Several recovered to their feet, rushing to him.

A demonkin lept at Gideon, only to take a blow from pearlescent wings, taking its head off at the jaw. One of the Deborahs was nearby, guarding him against attack. She rushed forward, her feet floating off the ground as she crashed into the mob, her wings a wedge to the horde. Then he witnessed her grace. Her wings slammed open, cutting into the demonkin. She struck out in a graceful dance, fists, culvern, feet, wing; her body was a weapon. The laser was just a supplement.

More of Deborah’s dimensional selves joined in the melee, clearing a path through the clinging miasma towards the left labyrinth entrance. They opened a portal to collect the rushing mob, shutting down the hall. Steak and Pat pushed the middle, the plasma blazers cutting columns out of the horde in between the shields. Baxter galloped in between, peeking out to add shots of opportunity into the stragglers.

Several more Deborahs flanked them, pushing to the right entrance and closing it off with more portals. Gideon kept firing, the pulse rifles adding to the orchestral crescendo, turning demonkin into bloody chunks. The bodies crumbled to ash and miasma, repeating the cycle as more began to spawn. More energy shields collapsed, and the mob of demonkin began clumping together.

One got inside past the angels, gazing at Gideon with its disquieting stare. Gideon gasped at the sudden close encounter as it rushed, pulling back a swing. Gideon tossed the rifle on instinct, clocking the demon in the face, snapping its head back. Gideon moved in, gripped the arms of the stunned enemy and performed a small outside hook, clipping his heel to the back of the demon’s own heel and pivoted on his hip, the extra strength from the power armor sent the attacker pinwheeling to its side. Gideon reared up, slamming his armored boot to the demon’s skull, crushing it in.

He glanced at Deborah who was covering him as she watched, giving him a wide grin at his one on one victory.

She was giving me a test. Even in this sort of battle, she’s confident enough to train me!

His shoulder cannons snapped to new targets, letting out shriek-cracks of their own; his helm deafening the noise of having two rail guns next to his fragile ears. He materialized a new pulse rifle, continuing to fire in short bursts. A thunderous detonation rocked out, with Steak having fired a salvo of det charges to scatter the remaining foes.

The elder demon sat hunched down, continuing his bellowing as he heated up from the laser fire. More of Deborah’s copies formed up, shooting portals straight ahead, catching long columns of demonkin, miasma, and sludge, sending them to the vacuum of space up above.

More began to spawn beneath their feet, with Steak taking the full brunt of a demonkin’s fist as it rose to its feet, shattering his hip shields, arm, and blazer. Baxter lept atop the attacker, biting into its throat with electrified teeth and shaking it in half. He lept back, firing a burst into two more demons, the scattergun ripping dinner-plate holes into their chests.

"Baxter is the best doggy!" He howled.

Pat waved both canes and a cloud of nanites rushed to repair the damage. Steak's arm and hull began to pop back into place. Pat changed formation, moving to Steak’s right, covering for the damaged arm. The regenerative nanites were slow but steady. Gideon moved to Steak’s left, covering him with three Deborah’s an escort. Baxter had begun prowling, stomping atop the heads of demonkin that were spawning, splattering them before they could become threats.

“You are bad and stay down there!” he barked

A demonkin got in close to one of the Angels, swinging with a hard right. Deborah’s copy flowed backward, feet off the ground as she pivoted to her left, riposting with her wing like a blade, cleaving through the enemy from shoulder to hip. Her feet touched down as she snapped the culvern, firing back into the mob. She flowed from offense to defense as if they were a single concept.

It was such an odd sight, seeing an Angel use what should have been a fragile wing as both a weapon and a shield.

He knew her weapon would be overheating soon, leaving her open. Then he spotted phantom hands, taking her old culvern before handing her a new one, vanishing the old away.

He blinked.

She didn't need ammo or heat management at all.

What the hell!

Angels were terrifying.

He sensed the fight was ending. They just needed to flee. Dust billowed around them, the heat convection from the plasma blazers intense enough to create a swirling vortex of ash.

“We need to get out of here!” Gideon shouted over the din of fire.

Deborah looked back, her face firm with determination.

"We can end it,"

Half of the Deborahs flowed to the Demon, firing into it. The bellowing of pain rang out as the firepower increased. Its hide burned white-hot. The miasma was vanishing to ash, as were the demonkin. Thirty-two Deborahs rushed to the demon, becoming sixty-four, then one-hundred and twenty-eight. All clustered around the demon, keeping up a single constant volley. Gideon was covered in ash, his helm trying to keep up on cleaning off the muck. The heat built, with his suit beginning to feel the intensity.

He saw one Deborah near the back not firing. The original. She appeared to concentrate as if it was a large task to have so many portals and duplicates.

Gideon’s heart stopped as he saw the demon rise to his feet. It ripped a claw from its finger, winding up like a pitcher. A blue glowing eye opened above its head. It threw hard, the true Deborah attempted to scatter. It punched through the wing, into her shoulder. She let out a cry of pain and despair, crashing to the ground, spilling golden blood across the marble. All of her copies and portals vanished, leaving behind a burning white-hot demon. It strode to her, a smug silhouette of a grin splayed for all to see. Her culvern clattered to the floor, spinning away.

“Now you understand?”

The demon cooled off, going from a white to orange, then back to its stone grey flesh. It knelt down to the Angel as she tried to crawl away. The demon's clawed hand wrapped around the Angel's broken wrist. It was simply having fun. The glowing blue eye floated above his forehead, gazing impassively at the group. He sported a smug, victorious smile.

Baxter began barking inconsolably. Excertius was armed for close quarters and couldn’t get a good shot in. Gideon was frozen, his hope vanished once again.

The demon spoke over Baxter's baying.

"Now you know why I was able to survive so much. The army and miasma are my secondary strengths. And this eye; the predictor of the future."

Deborah tried to stand, phantom hands began punching at the demon in an attempt to break its grip. He flexed once, sending the Angel to her knees in agony, the coiling sound of straining stone rang out.

"This was fun, squeezing the hope from you all."

Gideon leveled his rifle and halted as the demon raised her up as a shield.

"Do you believe yourself a good shot?" He asked, half of his grinning face obscured by Deborah's pained expression.

"Gideon- shoot him! Forget me-" she shrieked a cry.

“Oh, by the way, let me fix that arm for you,” it chided.

He heard her alabaster wrist crack and then break. Golden blood poured from the broken stone-flesh. She let out a shrieking gasp and then went limp.

The wreck of drones was pulled back with a screeching grumbling din of twisted metals, revealing a large glowing eyestalk of morphing alloys. The sky outside was dark. A Rumbler was just above them.

That was it. It had stomped across the landscape, attracted by the Ferrum. It stopped and waited, patiently watching. Why? Because humans are a chaotic factor. If he and his crew committed suicide, it would have been pointless. The demon turned, holding Deborah aloft, like a freshly caught divine fish. Her wings had receded and vanished.

"Gideon- it cannot have us both. Run!" Deborah cried out. The demon shushed her, moving his empty hand to lift her cowl, then gently gripped her neck. He bellowed a challenge as he gazed at the Rumbler.

"See this, oh mighty mountain? Do you witness the hostage? As I said before, you've already lost. In all this time of fighting, not once could you wound me! None of you had a chance against your rightful god."

He guffawed, turning his head to stare at Gideon.

"You know? She's right. You could flee. Can't have that."

He slammed Deborah to the floor, placing a wide toed foot along her back. She let out a low groaning scream, he heard her stony flesh straining. The demon grinned wide as he gazed hard at Gideon.

"Which is faster? Your shooting hand or my crushing foot?"

The Angel let out another shriek.

Gideon glanced at the others. He had to abandon her. He didn’t know Deborah too well. The lives of his crew were more important. She had made a fatal mistake and there was nothing he could do.

He caught Steak’s gaze and nodded. He would just need to store them in his QSD and run with Baxter. He felt a sudden confusion as the Excertius raised its arms in defense, trying to trundle away. A thunder crack boom rang out as Steak was suddenly reduced to flying rubble, his upper torso clattering to the floor.

“Steak!” Gideon shouted, turning back to see the demon plucking out its own claw, drawing blood. That's what it had been throwing out in the wasteland; its own broken nails.

"Good Gideon, you must run," Pat ordered as it faced the Demon's aim.

The demon wound up, throwing like a perfect pitcher at Pat, splitting its head and upper torso apart. Excertius slumped to its knees, going dark. Another blast rang out, stumbling Gideon from the force.

“Pat…” he whispered.

Baxter rushed at the demon in a flurry, too enraged to think as he lept at the enemy.

“Baxter! Stop!” Gideon bellowed, grabbing his rifle. The dog blocked his shot as the demon gripped at the Hind’s jaws, clamping them shut. The demon crushed the Hind’s head, discarding the ruined power armor like trash. He felt emptied of everything.

He checked his readout, deflating his fears.

Health check Baxter: OK

“There! Can’t escape now unless you sacrifice your crew.”

The demon strode to him, the presence of the creature stifling. He got up, anger and fear spilling out. He shrieked a response, leveling the rifle and shoulder mounts. They screeched out, peppering the demon with fire. The flesh reknit faster than the damage, confirming what he suspected; a highly elevated regenerative ability beyond his imagination. Gideon snapped his attention to the Rumbler’s peeking metal eyestalk, remembering the built-in laser cannon. He got up, luring the demon away. The Rumbler had to know. He rushed to the far wall near the labyrinth rooms on the right.

“Come on you ugly bastard!” Gideon taunted as he ran. The demon slowly paced towards him.

He knew what he had to do.

He hoped the Rumbler would act.

Sorry, Shindow. Looks like I won't be explaining what happened. Take care of the rest

He materialized Primetech’s banned munitions, a single solar bomb. Nothing could survive it. He stored his rifle and shoulder mounts, they were pointless weight. He needed only a few seconds of delay from the Rumbler.

The demon was far enough away from the collateral damage of the Rumbler’s laser cannon.

"What do you have there, boy?"

The demon's face sported the smug sickening grin. He spun on his heels, flicking a broken claw at the Rumbler's stalk, splitting it in twain. The metal shrieked as it split, crashing to the floor.

He rushed to Gideon, faster than imagined, gripping the hand that held the solar bomb.

I gave you no permission to leave,” The demon stated smugly.

It wrenched the bomb from Gideon’s armored hand, shattering his left hand and twisting it to a bad angle. The snapping of bone, the wrenching of tendon and flesh; the screech of stressed metal filled his ears. Gideon shrieked in agony and fear at how easily the party had fallen apart. The blast of pain crumpled Gideon as his vision turned white. He came to, with His QSD updating him to the damage as the painkiller flooded his body. He crumpled to his knees, his suit locking.

Warning

Wrist shattered

Forearm shattered

Shoulder dislocated

Muscle tear detected

Tendon tear detect

Capsaiphine Administered

Seek immediate medical attention

“Do you understand now? There was no choice," the demon gingerly grasped the armed solar bomb and proceeded to dismantle it in seconds in front of Gideon, dropping the parts to the ground. The spherical nacelle rolled away, as did his hopes for survival.

"As I said before. There was never a choice. We're negotiating the lives of your friends. Will you come willingly?."

He leaned in close, keep a gently grip on his shoulder. The third blue eye closed, vanishing from sight.

"Ah, don't need that anymore. Now. Shall we begin the contract?” The demon materialized a paper scroll from black light, which he unraveled, showing Gideon the ancient paper. A razor-sharp pen followed, one that appeared to thirsty more for blood than ink.

“Your friends are perfectly alright, even the glowing scum. I only need to get off this dead rock and show the galaxy my greatness.”

He paused, showing his rows of sharp teeth.

“Our greatness.”

He narrowed his glowing beady eyes, Gideon's heart was thundering in his chest. The shock was setting in. He shivered with cold despite the suit’s warmth.

“You did want to be stronger, did you?”

He swallowed, firing back at the demon.

“You mean greatness where its just you at the top? Kiss my ass, asshole,” Gideon spat, the insult blunted by his tears, cracked voice, and trembling countenance. His hand and shoulder were in no small terms beyond injured; crippled.

“I sense something else about you, different from before,” The demon ignored Gideon’s desperate chiding.

He gripped Gideon’s right hand, causing him to go stock still. Like being in the jaws of a predator.

“It is fortunate you learn quickly who the master is,” The demon responded as warm as the grave.

He began to unpeel Gideon's armored glove like a fruit, leaving the fresh flesh underneath unscathed. The scroll and pen float behind him.

“What is this? Where did you get this?” The demon asked, his voice spilling out genuine confusion.

It cocked its head at Gideon. Its eyes narrowed, its brow furrowed.

“Why do you have the name of 'That One' burned into your hand. Who did this?” The two blue burning pinpoints stared holes into Gideon.

Gideon saw no other chance to piss the demon off. Right now, Gideon felt n

o worse a fate than being a demon’s slave. If he made it mad, perhaps it would kill him, staying trapped on the moon. He fought back trembling and tears, the terror and fear.

“Adonai gave me that symbol. He spoke to me and called me to be his champion. You can’t touch me, so go to hell. But go fuck yourself before you do!”.

It was a pretty terrible bait, but he hoped it was enough. A long pause rang out as the demon’s face relaxed, giving Gideon a deadpan look. It snorted back at him, confirming the worst.

The demon guffawed a deep bellowing laugh.

Which wasn’t the reaction Gideon desired.

“How precious! The boy has some spine! He actually thinks a small branding will save everyone!"

He barked another laugh, taunting him. Gideon's cheeks burned from shame.

“He thinks oh little Ad-oh-neye, is going to rescue him!"

His laugh died down, like the life of a strangled man. The demon's tone dropped as he raised a large index digit.

“I do sense that power. It is young and faint, but it is there,” The demon smiled as it leaned in and glowered at Gideon, “Join in contract, and we’ll discover this together. Your friends will be safe and dropped off on any planet you wish,” His grip tightened on his right hand, “and that planet will be left alone. Maybe you’ll surpass even me. You can still be ‘That One’s' champion,” The demon added.

It was a tempting offer, He would live, his friends would survive on another planet of his choosing and Gideon would have a new hitchhiker. He stared down in thought to avoid the ancient gaze of the evil being in front of him. He paused, hearing a familiar noise.

The noise of tap clacking rang out.

The tap clacking of a very stubby dog racing against the hard marble floor.

He snapped his eyes to the Baxter leaping high in the air, snatching the paper from the Demon's possession. The demon turned to see the noise, sensing no threat. This was a first time for both of them and it showed. Both Human and Demon stared on in stupid shock at seeing Baxter eat the contract down in a single gulp.

There was no other noise apart from the dog's gagged coughing as he fought to keep it down.

“What did you do?" the demon asked with calm placidity.

Baxter opened a torrent of barking at the demon, his words spilling out all at once.

“You are very bad and I do not like you do not hurt Gideon I will fight you go away you are bad you are bad you are bad…”

The dog was inconsolable, barking a constant torrent.

“Baxter, run,” Gideon ordered hoarsely.

The power armor's knees were locked, the only thing keeping him upright.

“Return it!” The demon ordered with a yell as he rose to his feet.

Something in his demeanor changed. The demon was no longer in control. The pen clattered to the ground. Baxter kept barking, hackles raised at the horror in front of them. The demon gripped his chest, groaning in pain as he fell to a knee, freeing Gideon from his stony grasp. The contract. It was tied to the demon's very being. It appeared to be a fatal weakness. A one in a million had just happened.

“Return it you stupid… -Please, return the contract. I will aggress no more!" The demon pleaded.

Gideon noticed the grey hide was turning pale, he suddenly looked thinner. The demon looked smaller. He glanced at Gideon, a snarl twisting along his muzzle. He reached for Gideon, a possible final blow. Baxter was faster, leaping at his haunch, biting hard.

The demon and Baxter both collapsed into an event horizon. As if both parties broke the time continuum.

Abject shock took over. Several seconds passed before he could process what had happened.

“Baxter!” Gideon shouted as he tried to get up, only to succeed in falling over. The clattering crash rang out, jarring his body.

“Gideon…” a weak voice called out.

It was Deborah. She was crawling along the ground, making her way to him, a small trail of golden blood left behind. Her breath was ragged.

“Gideon, I am unsure of what is happening…” Deborah said with a wheezing clarion, indicating rib damage from the demon. She lay still, unable to finish her thought.

“Shindow. Come in…” Gideon activated comms with a trembling cough.

“I'm here, Gideon!"

Her voice was like God himself.

"Shindow- please get here quick. We're all down!"

There was a pause on the line. He felt his stomach drop.

"Hehe… well," she began sheepishly, "when I said they can just try to stop me? Well- they did."

Gideon felt his vision fading, his body was finished.

"And do you know what? I don't think these Rumblers are the Dusk. It's using Excertius' language to speak to me. They're more like the moon's wardens…”

Gideon felt his soul slump. Nothing made sense.

"You've got to be shitting me…"

The last thing he saw was the Dusk drones filing in.