“The UAC has been aware of the existence of Hell since the Phobos Event of 2046. However, direct exploration of Hell would prove impossible for the next 50 years due to its metaphysical nature. While it is conclusive that Hell is at least a partially physical plane of existence, it is simultaneously subject to a higher abstract reality the UAC does not fully understand. Hell also appears to be a realm of pure physicopsychic chaos: Matter and energy are horrifically warped, space and time are rendered asunder, while minds and even artificial intelligences are corrupted or destroyed. Indeed, none of these concepts exist as is conventionally known within Hell, limiting the UAC’s study solely to that of exfiltrated entities or artifacts until the turn of the century. The development of techno-arcane equipment such as the Hayden Field, Dimensional Tethers, the Psionic Compass, and the reverse-engineering of Runes would allow the remote exploration and retrieval of artifacts directly from Hell. Despite the success of automated surveys, the first manned expedition was attempted in 2145, under the express order and command of Dr. Hayden.”

- UAC Report File ‘Hell Expeditions’

E1M3: Rip and Tear

The Marine stepped into the Foundry, taking a moment to breath in the sight. It was a colossal multi-tiered facility bathed in a bright orange glow. The main floors and installations were built around a massive central cavern, at the bottom of which was a veritable sea of molten metal. It flowed in channels and falls throughout the lower floors, presumably to other sectors to be cast for manufacture. Hovering cargo craft zipped through the air while large containers shuttled material on overhead monorails.

The Marine stood at the very topmost floor in the Foundry and his HUD marked the entrance to the Argent Facility just up ahead, but from his position he could see the thick gate was sealed shut by the lockdown.

“The Argent Facility is located past the reactor turbine room, but you will not be allowed access until the demonic threat is brought down inside the Foundry. Our security systems cannot be overridden.”

The Marine brought up his automap to assess the best course of action. His scanner was not connected to the Foundry network, but the facility’s open nature boosted the automap’s range. The first Gore Nest was located on the topmost level by waste processing, and the second was at the bottommost level just above the lava. Bold design choice.

As for the “jump pack,” it was located in a nearby control room not far from his position, along with a peculiar marker indicated on the map. A runestone. Normally he didn’t wield runes, but in his state they might prove useful.

Switching off the automap, the Marine stepped into the adjacent corridor and found a pool of murky green fluid on the floor, leaked from a pair of ruptured barrels. An icon on his HUD indicated radioactivity, but there was no way to cross the hall without passing through it. He tentatively stretched his leg out and put a foot in the pool. No change to his HEATH. Just normal radioactive waste then. He breathed a sigh of relief and nonchalantly waded through the liquid.

The runestone was located on the other side of a small casting pit, but the bridge was destroyed and the Marine was certain he couldn’t make the jump.

Jump pack. What was that, then? He turned to where the jump pack was indicated. It was a metal backpack with jet thrusters on its bottom, still worn by the upper half of a dead soldier at the base of a terminal.

The terminal played a holographic recording as the Marine approached. It depicted a hulking demon pick up the screaming soldier and tear him in two with its bare hands. It had a muscular body, jagged claws, and a grim skull-like complexion, standing a full meter taller than the Marine.

He stared at the lumbering brute. Its breed was the lesser offspring of the Elder God Abaddon, yet able to tear an armored tank apart with frightening ease, and with firepower to match.

Hell Knight.

It wouldn’t be long before these and bigger demons showed up. The Marine had to hurry. He disengaged the jump pack from the soldier and integrated it into his Suit.

DELTA-V JUMP PACK ACQUIRED

EXPEND FUEL FOR LIMITED VERTICAL LIFT

FUEL REGENERATES WHEN PACK IS NOT IN USE

The Marine stepped onto the broken bridge and cautiously fired up the jump pack, getting a feel for its lift as he crossed the gap.

The runestone was a large circular construct floating slightly off the platform with a bright green symbol in its center. This one was cast out of smooth black metal with clean edges and symmetrical facets. The Marine touched the stone, feeling the rune flash in his mind.

RUNE ACQUIRED – ARMORED OFFENSIVE

MELEE KILLS WILL DROP ARMOR

Having equipped the rune, the Marine crossed the gap again with a solid jet burst, hearing a familiar growling echo down the hallway he’d come from. A group of zombies were crossing the radioactive waste, but the Marine noticed their feet were being eaten away by the corrosive liquid. As he watched, one of the zombie’s legs crumbled apart and the creature fell face-first into the pool, melting into a bloody black sludge.

Glancing at a pallet loaded with green barrels, the word NUKAGE and the radioactivity symbol printed on their casings, the Marine equipped his shotgun and blasted the barrels apart. Immediately their contents spilled out in a viscous bubbling cascade that permeated the room with thick green gas. The Marine stood indifferently amid the pollution, but the zombies growled violently as they began coughing up blood, their eyes bursting and even their flesh melting off their bones.

The Marine callously walked over their smoking remains as he headed for the first Gore Nest, mentally deriding whoever had left this toxic material out in the open.

Irresponsible cretins.

* * *

“Wake up.”

“Wake up.”

Huh?

“Wake up, now!”

I opened my eyes to find myself hanging on a rack, other similar figures to my sides and front as far as I could see. Unlike them though, I was awake. Was I the only one alive?

I stared past them at my surroundings. I didn’t recognize this place; the walls were a dark featureless grey and a thick mist filled the air. I looked down but could see nothing through the fog. What was this thing on me? Is that my jump pack?

“The harness above you! Break it!”

What?

I looked up to where the voice indicated. My jump pack was attached to a ceiling rail by a thin metal connector, but there was no way I’d be able to break it.

“Break it now!”

I desperately reached up and tore at the harness, which to my surprise broke. I fell through the fog and hit the ground hard, but I was unhurt.

What…what is this place? Where am I? …Who…am…

As I kneeled there on the floor, I realized that my mind was a complete and utter blank. I could remember nothing. Not where I was, how I got here.

I couldn’t even remember my own name.

“Get up! Get up now!”

Who was speaking to me? I looked around but could see no one. That voice, had it come from…my head?

“Who is this? Is this…”

Colonel Johnson. Who was that? I remember that name, and that voice. A commanding officer, perhaps.

“Colonel Johnson, is that you?”

“Damn right it’s me! Now get the hell off your knees, soldier! You need to get moving!”

“Colonel Johnson, my head…I…can’t remember anything.”

“I know that! Your software is a damn mess and I’m trying to fix it fast! But you need to get out of there!”

Colonel Johnson’s voice reverberated through my head, but I didn’t move. My mind was a total white haze, and I couldn’t bring myself to get up off the floor.

As I lied there though, I spotted a scrap of paper tossed on the ground. I picked it up and found it was a photograph, a portrait of a family happily smiling together.

“My…is this…my…family?”

The picture was of two parents with a son between them. The boy had a wide grin with a comically missing tooth. He couldn’t have been older than ten. The mother beamed brightly behind him, her hand on the boy’s arm and her hair cascading down her shoulders in golden, luscious locks. Beside them stood the father, a tall proud man with a buzz cut and military uniform.

Is that…me?

A loud clang echoed far behind me. Someone was coming.

“GET UP! NOW!”

Clutching the photograph in my hand, I scrambled to my knees and hurried away from the sound.

* * *

Ruby put her pistol down. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Others had really made it.

She forced herself to maintain focus, glancing back at the Imaging lobby. It was clear but the demons could return at any time, and there would certainly be more between there and the hospital exit.

She sealed the door and took a closer look at the survivors huddled on the floor. One of them was a soldier decked in white combat armor, who must have been guarding the lobby when the wave hit. Another was the technician in charge of the imaging scanner. The last three appeared to be patients who’d been waiting in the lobby, various UAC employees.

She crouched up to them and spoke softly but firmly, without taking her helmet off.

“I’m Agent Taylor, UAC Elite Guard three-one-eight. There’s been an attack and the Mars Base is on lockdown. We’re facing a major containment breach and we are all in grave danger. You must come with me. I’m heading to the Spaceport. Hopefully we can find an escape shuttle and evacuate this planet.”

The survivors nervously looked at each other as the soldier stepped forth.

“Agent, I’m First Lieutenant Mark Rogers.” The man’s voice hid a streak of uncertainty beneath his stoic tone. “These people are with me. You’re looking at civvies here. I don’t know how we can all make it to the Spaceport by ourselves. Shouldn’t we call for reinforcements? Have you contacted Command?”

Ruby took a moment to choose her words carefully, keeping an eye on the civilians gazing intently at her.

“Our forces are compromised, and it may be a while before reinforcements find us. Command has sent the message that all survivors should head to the Spaceport for immediate evac. We may come across troops along the way, but we can’t stay here much longer.”

One of the survivors spoke up, a middle-aged woman in grey engineer’s uniform and dark hair in a ponytail.

“Are you crazy? We can’t go out there all alone! We’re not soldiers, we’re workers! Those things are everywhere and they’ll kill us before we ever leave this place!”

Ruby stopped to think. She had passed a security station in the first floor on the way to her appointment. There’d definitely be weapons and maybe even armor there. And Rogers was carrying a HAR.

“Is anyone here carrying a weapon of any kind?” She asked. UAC regulation mandated every Tier II employee and above carry at least a standard-issue handgun.

Two of the survivors, an aging male scientist and the young female technician, unfastened EMG Mark IIIs from their belts. Weak but they didn’t run out of ammo. The third survivor, a remarkably calm middle-aged man with sleek hair and moustache, pulled aside his coat to reveal a Power Colt.

What the hell?

“I only have a plasma cutter.”

Ruby tore her eyes off the gleaming revolver and to the engineer. In her hand was a battered mining implement.

“It’s better than nothing,” Ruby reassured as she stood up.

“All right, here’s the plan. There’s a security station on the first floor. If we reach it I can get us all supplies and heavier firepower. There may even be security armor for all of you.”

She peeked through the door port. The lobby was still empty, but she was worried the demons throughout the hospital had heard the firefight and would drop in at any moment. Time was running out fast.

“The tram station in the lower complex should be operational. We’ll take it straight to the Spaceport.”

A screech on the floor directly above them brought their gazes up. It was now or never.

“If you stay here, you will die. Lieutenant Rogers, you’re coming with me. The rest of you, make your choice now.”

The survivors remained huddled on the floor in abject terror, but a resounding roar from above quickly brought them to their feet, grabbing their pistols as they did so.

“You with the Colt, take point with me. Rogers, watch our six. The rest of you stay close. We’re moving out.”

* * *

The Marine tore the rocket launcher from the possessed soldier, fused hands and all, and bludgeoned the creature to death with the heavy barrel.

The dying Gore Nest had summoned a squad of possessed soldiers, some with rocket launchers and the rest with long sleek firearms the Marine didn’t recognize. One of the rockets had barely missed him but he’d been caught in the blast, and he swiftly enacted his furious vengeance on the culprit demon.

Another soldier carrying one such new firearm aimed a blue laser sight at the Marine, who swiftly activated his Vanguard Bracer to block the attack. With a loud ZAP the weapon fired, and the metal flechette harmlessly shattered in a flash of bright shards as it struck the translucent barrier surrounding the Marine’s forearm. Railguns.

The Marine had found the first Gore Nest in an enclosed storage area where he still resided. He rushed for the exit hoping to lead the demons to a more favorable battlefield. His reflexes were flawless but he didn’t want to fight rocket-launching or railgun-firing soldiers in a confined environment.

He headed for a waste processing area located on the same level. Spotting a crowd of imps and soldiers loitering by the processor, he grabbed a grenade and threw it at them to thin their numbers. The grenade had just left the Marine’s hand before he turned around to retaliate against his pursuers. A rocket zombie stopped to take aim. Keenly swerving out of the rocket’s path, the Marine snatched it out of mid-air with his Bracer and threw it back at the soldier, whose explosion was immediately followed by that of the grenade.

Grabbing his assault rifle, the Marine unloaded fully automatic fury on the demons. He took care to avoid the railgun soldiers’ lightning-fast projectiles and the rocket soldiers’ explosive ones. As the battle waged, the Marine noticed a squad of soldiers with blue shoulder pads rapidly approaching. He threw a grenade at them but the soldiers activated clear blue shields from arm-mounted devices. The grenade bounced off their shields and harmlessly exploded in front of them, just as they returned fire from behind cover. The Marine turned his rifle unto them but to no avail; the rounds disintegrated upon striking the shields.

Infuriated, the Marine threw a grenade high over the soldiers and charged. It soared over their heads and struck the ground behind them, managing to falter them with its blast. He focused a Blood Punch and struck one of the shields, releasing a shock wave that shorted them all out. The Marine immediately focused another Blood Punch and struck the ground at his feet, blasting all the soldiers apart or over the railings to the molten metal below. With his new rune equipped, the Marine absorbed their plentiful deathly essence just as the Praetor Suit fabricated plating from their remains, bringing his ARMOR to 13 and his HEALTH to 117.

With the shield soldiers finished, the Marine turned his attention to the last demons scattered by the processor. The machinery appeared damaged, and nukage was spilling out of a large storage tank just as the tubing leaked green gas. He switched to his shotgun and fired at the pipes. With vicious hissing they burst open and vented noxious fumes unto the demons. An imp here hacked harshly as its skin erupted in sores, while a soldier there growled in pain as it doubled over and coughed up blood. Encouraged, the Marine aimed at the storage tank and fired. The buckshot hit its mark but the tank was too thick, and it would take too many shells to rupture it.

The Marine turned to his attackers, searching for the one enemy that could help him, and he found it. A rocket soldier busily slaughtering a pack of imps. The Marine switched to his .45 and fired a shot at the soldier, hoping to get its attention. Sure enough, the soldier turned to the Marine, who promptly raised a middle finger in the zombie’s direction. The demon roared in rage and let loose a barrage of rockets at the Marine. The Marine quickly rushed out of the way and towards the nukage tank, hoping the soldier would follow. Meanwhile, the monster’s fury continued unchecked, carelessly massacring fellow demons in its single-minded effort to slay the Marine. The Marine reached the tank and stopped in front of it. With a furious roar, the soldier took aim and fired one last rocket.

Darting out of the rocket’s path and blast radius, the Marine watched as the ruptured tank exploded in a flood of toxic liquid. Realizing too late what it’d done, the soldier stared in horror before the wave fell upon it. The remaining imps and soldiers tried to escape but were also swept away. Howls of gurgling agony ensued as the demons melted into black sludge, while gaseous rumbling deep below indicated some had been swept over the edge directly into the ocean of lava.

The Marine stood coolly through it all even as the nukage swirled around him, making sure that no demons had survived the flood.

“Demonic threat reduced by fifty percent,” spoke the automated facility voice. “Radioactive contamination detected in waste processing. Sanitation has been alerted.”

The Marine set off for the second Gore Nest as he loudly splashed across the nukage, noticing the corrosive material had scoured the crusted dirt and gore off his Suit, which now gleamed with a sterling clean shine.

Good. He despised being covered in demon filth.

* * *

First floor.

Ruby opened the door and peered around the corner for enemies. Nothing. Stepping out the staircase, she signaled the team to move forward. She and the Colt slinger took the lead while Rogers covered the rear, the three workers huddled in the middle.

With only a pistol in her own hand, the man’s revolver made up in covering the front, but her real intention was to keep an eye on him. Ruby didn’t trust anyone who would carry a Power Colt.

It was as strong as her EMG Mark V but not restricted to military use, and unlike the EMG it had no stunning function as it was not meant for security. Precise and concealable, a skilled marksman could use it to blow off a person’s head at two hundred meters with a single shot. The perfect weapon for bounty hunters and hired assassins. The man’s calm demeanor came into focus.

Despite her scruples, she had to admit it was certainly fortunate given the circumstances. Imps were cowards and they’d try to attack from the rear, where Rogers would make quick work of them with his HAR. It was the soldiers Ruby was worried about. Better two heavy-hitters in the front than just one.

Ruby peeked into the next corridor and immediately stopped, signaling the team to halt. There was a possessed soldier standing in the hallway, obstructing the shortest route to the security station. Fortunately, it had its back to them and hadn’t noticed them yet, quietly growling and periodically twitching.

She would have shot it there and then but her pistol was too loud and it would surely alert anything in the area, not to mention her clips were running low. The gunslinger seemed to understand, as he lowered his own weapon and waited for Ruby to proceed.

Ruby glanced at the technician’s Mark III. She pointed at the weapon and held her hand out for it. The technician obliged and handed over her handgun. Ruby grabbed a silencer from her belt and screwed it onto the Mark III, turning back to the soldier. She switched to its secondary mode and charged a power shot to full capacity, taking careful aim before pulling the trigger.

Without a sound, the soldier unceremoniously fell to the floor with a smoking hole in its head. She paused to hear if anything had been alerted. Silence. She detached her silencer from the technician’s Mark III and returned the handgun to its owner.

She reequipped her Mark V and signaled Rogers at the back of the group.

Status?

All clear, came the response.

Ruby stepped forth and quietly approached the soldier’s corpse. Its combat armor was broken in places and its hand was fused to the plasma rifle it carried. She discretely picked up the spare plasma cells from the soldier’s belt and fastened them to her own, signaling the team to keep moving.

She glanced at a wall placard depicting the floor layout. Not far now, but the first floor had an open, spacious structure with many vantage points and concealed areas, and Ruby expected an ambush from any direction.

The path she took them on had been mostly clear of corpses and body parts; the demons had hauled them off for whatever dark purposes they intended. But the first floor had been the most populated, and the team couldn’t avoid passing by several cadavers. They lay in various degrees of dismemberment and mutilation, and they came across a particularly disturbing sight: a disemboweled man hanging by his feet with what appeared to be human intestines, which judging by his own organs spilt onto his face and the floor below, were clearly not his.

Ruby quietly groaned and looked away, and the gunslinger stared past at the corridor beyond, but behind her the workers started to gag. She immediately turned and made them look at her. If they threw up, the noise and smell would undoubtedly draw anything in the floor to their position.

Eyes on me, she instructed with hand signals.

Slow, deep breaths-

“CONTACT!” Rogers yelled while raising his rifle.

The lieutenant and the gunslinger had already opened fire before Ruby spun around and aimed her own pistol. A pack of imps swarmed over the rafters and descended upon the team. With precise shots, Ruby and the gunslinger sniped the creatures as they fell, with Rogers smartly covering their rear as others pounced from behind.

“Follow me!” Ruby shouted as she charged down the hallway. Their position had just been given away.

The group raced down the floor with pursuers tight on their heels, the workers completely forgetting the weapons in their hands and merely running for their lives. A shotgun soldier jumped from behind a corner, which Ruby swiftly dispatched with a quick shot. Another kneeled and charged a plasma heat blast, which the gunslinger eliminated before it could fire.

Without warning, another imp pack suddenly charged from ahead as a squad of possessed soldiers approached from the rear. It was a trap.

“You three! Stay with Rogers!” Ruby shouted at the workers before turning to the gunslinger. “You! With me!”

Ruby ran at the imps as the lieutenant guarded the team’s back from cover, the workers closely behind. With evasive maneuvers she dodged the demons’ fireballs and eliminated them with precise headshots before they got too close. One imp leapt for her but she knocked the creature down with a solid punch and stomped its head in. She turned back to the mob to find the gunslinger aiming his Colt in her direction, an empty faraway look in his eyes. Before she could react he pulled the trigger, and the imp a meter away from her fell lifelessly as dark blood spurted from the stump that had once been its head.

With his Colt empty, the gunslinger ejected the spent casings and from his belt drew a circular device loaded with fresh rounds. A speedloader.

Just who the hell is this man? Ruby thought as she raised her pistol once more.

She dropped an imp with a headshot, and another. Her EMG drew empty and as she reached for a fresh clip, her last one, she heard someone scream behind her.

Rogers was skillfully fending off the waves of possessed soldiers, but he was oblivious to the imp standing by the workers, the three of which were frozen in fear as the creature crawled towards them.

“WATCH OUT!”

But it was too late. The imp pounced at the young technician and savagely attacked at her, its burning claws and teeth effortlessly slicing through flesh and bone. The engineer and scientist by her side remained completely petrified even through her agonized screams.

Ruby rushed as fast as she could and grabbed the imp by the neck, throwing it at full force at another two preparing to attack. After grabbing her last clip she reloaded her pistol and charged a power shot to full capacity, firing it and blasting all three demons apart. She looked at the technician; deep gashes covered her body, her face had been horrendously mauled, and her throat was slashed open, drenching her and the floor in dark red blood. She was gone.

The gunslinger finished off the last imp, and the path forward to the security station was cleared.

“This way!” The man called out.

The remaining two workers did not move. Ruby helped the elderly scientist stand up and half-carried him as the gunslinger assisted the engineer, while Rogers provided cover fire for the group. The last possessed soldiers hid behind cover but they would definitely follow. And Ruby had one clip left.

Spotting an electric junction panel on a wall near the demons, Ruby loaded a final power shot, brought the EMG to full charge, and fired it. The panel exploded in a flash of light, emitting violent electric arcs that struck out and electrocuted the demons.

Hoping her trick would buy them some time, Ruby led the team out of the room and hopefully out of danger. If they had another confrontation, none of them would make it out alive.

SECURITY STATION – ROOM 119

There!

As quickly as she could with the languid man on her shoulder, she raced to the door panel and quickly inputted her security code.

“Credentials accepted. Hello, Agent Taylor.”

“Hurry up! Get in!”

She rushed into the room as soon as the door slid open, hurrying the rest of the team in. The gunslinger and the engineer bolted in, followed by Rogers with his rifle at the ready. As soon as the lieutenant was inside, Ruby slammed the wall panel and sealed the door.

She leaned heavily on the door, panting deeply and trying to catch her breath.

“Okay...I think we’re safe-”

She turned to face the team but was interrupted by a sudden kick to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her tumbling back.

It was the engineer. “Some help you are!” She yelled. “You could have saved that poor lady but you didn’t! You’re going to get us all killed!”

Ruby calmly picked herself up as she regained composure. The woman was in shock, hysterical and clearly not thinking straight. Ruby wasn’t about to tell her that they had all been armed for a reason, that it was them who had failed to defend themselves, and it was only because of her own skill and quick-thinking that any of them had made it out alive.

As she stood up the livid engineer continued trying to attack her, but being fully alert now, Ruby calmly and quietly blocked her strikes. Rogers seemed ready to intervene and restrain the engineer but backed off after a reassuring hand wave from Ruby. Meanwhile, the gunslinger was busy browsing the station lockers, and the scientist tiredly watched the engineer’s outburst, grabbing his bloody arm. He’d been hurt.

“She was just a kid! She had her whole life ahead of her! Why didn’t you help her?! Why?!”

The woman was tiring herself out, as Ruby hoped, and after a final attempt at a punch she dropped her head and wept quietly.

Ruby gently sat the woman down on a nearby bench and walked up to the opened lockers. They were all stocked with rifles and munitions, most of them with armor. She guessed security wasn’t expecting an attack when the wave hit, much less at the hospital, but what was the man looking for?

She grabbed a medikit and walked over to the injured scientist.

“You still fit for duty, soldier?”

The elderly man half-chuckled. “I’ve been through worse in my time, Agent Taylor. I’ll be fine.”

Ruby cracked a heavy smile within her helmet, realizing she didn’t know any of these people’s names, apart from the lieutenant. She didn’t even know the name of that poor girl who’d perished.

She kept her tone up for her response, however. “I’m sure you will, doctor…?”

“Ha! Only us science types call each other ‘doctor’. Call me Christopher. Christopher Harrison.”

“Well then, Christopher, I trust you know how to apply this?” Ruby asked as she handed him the medikit.

“Working at UAC 101.”

“At it, then. I expect my people to be fully mission capable.”

She then addressed Rogers as she checked the station drawers for sedative pills.

“Lieutenant, start organizing our supplies. Grab some packs and fill them with ammo, medikits, air canisters, energy bars, water, anything you can find. I’ll take care of our firepower.”

“Yes, sir.”

Finding a pill canister and a water bottle, she walked over to the shaking engineer and sat down beside her.

“What’s your name, miss?”

“…Reeves. Amanda Reeves.”

“All right, Amanda. I’m going to ask you to take this,” she said while holding out two pills and the bottle. “They’re sedatives. They’ll calm you down and make you feel better.”

The engineer hesitated before reaching out and grabbing the items, swallowing the pills and taking hearty swigs from the bottle.

“Take a few minutes and clear your mind. I’m going to go find you a piece of heavy equipment.”

She lightly patted the woman’s shoulder and walked over to the gunslinger, who was equipping a peculiar set of dark grey armor, not UAC-manufactured. By the ease of which he handled it, it was clearly his own.

She walked up to him and leaned on the wall beside him, not saying a word.

After a few moments he spoke. “It wasn’t anything big. Just some worker, had a fight with a partner over on Ganymede. Got hired to take them out and send proof over, they’d wire the rest of the money.”

He turned to look straight at Ruby. “I wasn’t here for any UAC property or big names.”

“…At this point, we’re all just concerned with making it out alive.”

“Mmm. Well, that’s one less check in the mail for me.”

“…Who are you?”

“Hiro Romero.”

Ruby cocked her head. “You don’t look like a Romero.”

“I can assure you, I don’t look like a ‘Hiro’ either.”

The two of them quietly laughed before the man lowered his voice.

“So, what were those things? I’ve been all over this solar system, seen just about everything there is to see, but never once come across that before. Are they chimeras? Aliens? Some type of disease you folks found here?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“…Demons.”

The man stopped equipping his armor and held a bracer in mid-air.

“Demons?”

“Yes.”

“You mean, actual demons.”

“Yes.”

After a slight pause, the gunslinger resumed putting his armor on.

“You don’t believe me.”

“On the contrary, I do. I suspected as much. Most chimeras cooked up in labs don’t have burning pentagrams etched into their skin or leave corpses hanging from the ceiling by intestines. Least, not any I’ve ever killed.”

Ruby could tell the man was speaking honestly, if somewhat resigned.

“That explains why those three didn’t move with that thing right in front of them. Their demonic powers or whatever, right?”

Ruby shrugged her shoulders, remembering her own malfunctioning implant. She didn’t know how much longer it would last.

“Some people are more susceptible than others. You wouldn’t happen to have any kind of neural implant?”

“…Nope. Grafting a robotic arm or a cybernetic eye is one thing. Putting a machine in your brain is another. Never liked the idea.”

Then how’d he resist their psionic effects?

The man frowned. “What are you people doing here? On this planet, I mean? If the myths and legends are true, why have demons invaded Mars? Why not Earth? What is the UAC up to?”

Ruby raised an eyebrow. As an Elite Guard, her job was to protect the research and property of the UAC and the Lazarus Project, not read or divulge them, and she definitely wasn’t going to tell the hitman what she knew. Of the demons or their world.

“If anybody knows, it’s definitely not me,” she lied while heading back to organize the team’s weapons. “I’m just a soldier. All I get paid to do is shoot.”

Romero opened another locker beside him. Ruby’s eyes widened when she saw the gun stored inside.

“You and me both, Agent.”

* * *

After bracing himself, the Marine ran for the edge and spectacularly leapt off. He plummeted towards the sea of lava but managed to land on a glowing blue device floating just above the burning surface, what appeared to be a malfunctioning gravity plate. The anti-gravity pad sent the Marine flying upward as quickly as he had fallen, and with a powerful thrust of his jump pack he soared into the air and landed solidly on the opposite platform, a scaffold whose bridge had been destroyed.

The glowing marker on his HUD faded as he approached the highlighted object, a bulky grey-and-brown device held in the arms of a deceased guard in red armor.

So, there had been more of those soldiers, like the commando he’d found at the entrance to Res Ops.

The Marine stooped and pried the object from the corpse’s hands.

He raced down the halls of the Deimos Station, desperately searching for a med pack when he found one of those loathsome arcane teleporters. Low on ammo and options alike, he grit his teeth and stepped into the wretched machine.

And there it was.

Stashed away in the corner of the room was a plasma rifle and a single energy cell. Thanking God for the discovery, he loaded the blinking cartridge into the weapon and with steel nerves set off to find a way off of that cursed moon.

The Marine snapped back to the present. The past didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was that this new plasma rifle was clearly more advanced than its twenty-first century predecessor. Thicker with more intricate firing mechanisms, luminous diodes along the muzzle, and clear casings on the barrel’s heat sink. Still, it was remarkably similar in appearance to that ancient design the Marine had once used, and he wondered why the UAC had brought back this archaic look when even he had once wielded more advanced weapons from their arsenal.

M1 PHASE RIFLE ACQUIRED

MUNITION TYPE – PLASMA CELLS

SECONDARY FIRING MODE – HEAT BLAST

NOTE: HEAT BLAST AUTOMATICALLY CHARGES THROUGH NORMAL USE, BUT CONSECUTIVE BLASTS CAN BE GENERATED BY SPENDING AMMO

‘Phase Rifle.’ Huh.

Not one to waste time on semantics, the Marine turned back along the way he came towards the last Gore Nest, which he could see just up ahead.

He was careful to navigate this bottom level of the Foundry. The scorching air was of no concern to him but the lava would burn through ARMOR and HEALTH alike, and he guessed the crumbling platforms were not up to code.

A few zombies kneeled around the Gore Nest, which the Marine swiftly beat into bloody pulps to collect munitions and top himself off. 38 ARMOR and 142 HEALTH. Without pause he strode over to the Gore Nest and tore its heart out.

The wretched construct immediately released a hellish roar and expired, summoning a mob of demons throughout the lower level. But the Marine was already on the move and analyzing the situation.

Clear open space, ranged fodder demons, limited enemy traversal from the destroyed walkways, and thousand-degree molten metal mere meters away? The best course of action would be to pick off the strongest demons with the HAR and throw the rest over the edge.

The Marine rushed past a group of shambling zombies and leapt onto the adjacent platform as he switched to the assault rifle. PEW PEW PEW! Two rifle rounds tore through a shotgun soldier’s chest, the final one going between its eyes. PEW PEW PEW PEW! A plasma soldier momentarily reached for its non-existent head. The Marine reached out to grab an imp by the throat and threw it over the railing, only barely hearing the agonized screeches far beneath him.

A loud explosion behind him turned his attention back around. The Gore Nest had summoned several soldiers with rocket launchers, and the struck platform perilously quivered as its structure cracked. The Marine needed to be careful. Crumbling walkways might drop their occupants into the lava below, but they would also impair his own traversal. He lined up a precision shot. POW! Three demons down. A red laser sight from another launcher locked on him. POW! His bolt struck the rocket just as it exited the barrel, the resulting explosion killing all demons on that platform.

A sudden swell of flame torched the Marine’s back, and he darted out of the way of the attack. 18 ARMOR. He turned around to find a helmeted worker in an orange jumpsuit pointing a flamethrower at him. The demon released a powerful blast of heated air from its weapon, catching the Marine by surprise and knocking him off the platform onto the viscous molten metal. His remaining ARMOR plating rapidly melted away and he grimaced as the lava started eating at his HEALTH. He quickly fired up his jump pack and leapt back onto the platform, charging a Blood Punch as he did so.

POWW! The flamer worker was too far away to be struck by the Blood Punch shockwave, but the platform cracked and tumbled into the molten metal below, the Marine swiftly jetting away before he landed in the lava again.

He scanned the remaining enemies on the lower level. There were imps and assorted soldiers, but the nearest demons were soldiers with clear blue shields.

The Marine groaned. Those plasma shields would take too many rounds to break and he didn’t want to waste time or resources throwing grenades behind them.

As you Marines all know, there are certain agencies around the world equipped with the latest in body armor technologies, against which conventional firearms are ineffective! Composite, reactive, dynamic, nanotech, whatever the technobabble word of the day is, I don’t give a damn! Our guns can’t get through them! UN…ACCEPTABLE!

Not anymore. Our good folks at the UAC have developed the world’s first mass-production line of military-grade plasma rifles. Fully automatic, they deliver a rapid salvo of plasmoids that will melt whatever damn thing you’re shooting at! They inflict both thermal and impact damage to the target, as well as carry a substantial electromagnetic field. Effective against all tested forms of body armor.

These plasmoids burst on impact and do have splash damage, so keep your damn distance when firing! And the rifles are known to overheat, so use them in short bursts and don’t forget to cool them off!

The plasma rifle. Would it be effective against the soldiers’ plasma shields?

He switched to the phase rifle and fired off a series of bright blue orbs at one soldier’s shield. Within moments the shield turned red and exploded in a loud burst, killing the shielded soldier and the other three beside it. The Marine breathed deeply in.

He immediately charged for the last demons with the plasma gun in hand. ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP! Imps and soldiers left and right burst like popcorn and smeared the surfaces in steaming fluids. The diodes along his rifle’s heat sink switched on and shined blue. A rocket soldier locked its laser sight on him. ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP POP! The rocket launcher clanged loudly on the floor. Just as he noticed the rifle’s diodes turn purple, a blue laser from a railgun soldier entered his field of view. ZAP ZAP ZAP POP! The demon’s railgun exploded as its ammo cells shorted out, producing an explosion that electrocuted the soldiers and imps close to it. The rifle’s diodes turned red as it started emitting crimson vapor. Curious, the Marine aimed the plasma gun at the demons and pressed the heat release. PEWW! The heat wave rippled through the air and blasted the flesh off the monsters’ bones, leaving behind blackened skeletons that crumbled to the floor.

“Demonic presence reduced to minimum safe levels. Lockdown disengaged.” Announced the facility’s automated voice. Turbine room doors now open.”

The Marine checked the number under his Calibrator counter: five. Good, he had a Mega Charge in storage and could now fabricate another one. Perfect.

He carefully leapt across the remaining platforms towards an anti-gravity pad that would take him back to the top level. He jumped onto the device and almost gleefully soared through the air, landing before the gate to the Foundry reactor. The large gate slowly hissed open.

“Remember…”

The Marine’s heart sank.

“The Blind Council is always watching.”

Even though the gate hadn’t fully opened yet, the Marine leapt through the narrow opening and rushed down the corridor before he had to hear another syllable out of the Spokeswoman’s mouth.

* * *

I stumbled across the foggy metallic environment in my hurry to get away from the sounds behind me. I felt strange, off, and there was a bitter taste in my mouth. I didn’t know where I was or what had happened to me. I just knew I needed to get out of there.

“Wait wait wait, stop,” whispered the Colonel.

I had already seen the figures and crouched behind a large podium. They were dark, roughly humanoid shapes wearing some strange type of body armor.

Are those robots? I can’t tell.

“Huh, they’re blocking the passage. Looks like you’ll have to fight your way out. Your combat chassis is rudimentary but it’ll have to do. Let me bring your weapons up-”

“Colonel Johnson, do you know my name?”

“What?”

“My name. I can’t remember anything, not even my own name. Do you know who I am?”

“Goddamn, they really did a number on you, didn’t they? Your systems are even more scrambled than I thought.

Don’t worry about that! Focus on the task on hand, soldier! Look, you’re equipped with basic missile launchers. You trigger them with neural signals, can fire a short homing volley or a sustained linear barrage. Your chassis has prototype transmutation fabricators, so you should be able to find ammo in most places. Fire them up and blow those bastards to kingdom come!”

Missile launchers? Where-?

At that moment I heard a whirring behind me, and two large barrels came into view beside my head, aiming straight forward. I tentatively grabbed one; it was attached to me.

“It’s mine,” I muttered a bit too loud.

One of the figures growled and gazed in my direction, and I knew its glaring eyes were staring right at me. It vocalized to the others beside it and they all turned to look at me.

“SHOOT!”

Almost out of reflex, a burst of missiles shot out of my shoulder launchers and blasted the entity to pieces. Only briefly glancing at their fallen companion, the others roared in unison and raised sinister pronged objects at me, items I didn’t recognize but felt confident in guessing what they were.

I leapt out of cover and unleashed a barrage of rockets. POW POW POW POW! The figures all fell before they had a chance to retaliate.

“Behind you!”

I heard footsteps loudly approaching from the direction I’d come from, but I couldn’t see the figures through the fog.

“Homing volleys!”

I did as the Colonel suggested and fired off several rounds of homing missiles into the fog, hearing the explosions echo down the chamber and I knew the missiles had hit their marks.

ZAP!

“Aaah!”

Something had struck my shoulder, which seemed to shimmer with a clear blue field.

“The rail above you!”

Another one of those figures stood on a walkway above me, pointing a smoking weapon in my direction.

“Dash!”

Dash?

The entity’s weapon shone with a wicked red glow, and I immediately darted out of the way before their next attack struck me. The movement was extremely rapid, and I surmised my jump pack had lateral thrusters as well.

“Jump up to that railing!”

I fired up my jets and leapt into the air incredibly fast, landing in front of the dark figure.

“Punch it!”

Without stopping to consider the silliness of the command, I lobbed a right hook at the creature and stared as it broke beneath the strength of my blow, its body splitting clean in two.

I looked at my injured shoulder, which to my surprise was intact. The clear blue field around it faded and soon vanished.

“All right, your overshield is working. It regenerates if left alone but will break after sustained attacks. Once it breaks, you’ll be taking damage directly to your chassis.”

Chassis? Overshield? Missile launchers? What had they done to me?

Low, garbled voices echoed from behind.

“They’re coming back. Take this rail straight ahead to the end of the chamber! It’ll lead you to the exit!”

I set off where the Colonel indicated, careful not to make loud noises as I ran across the metal railing.

“Faster! Go faster!”

I forced myself to go faster and found that I was sprinting at great speed without growing tired. I wasn’t even exerting myself. Wanting to laugh in exaltation, I raced through a wall opening into the adjacent chamber.

I didn’t know what had happened to me, but I liked it.

* * *

The lieutenant and gunslinger helped the civilians finish fastening their security armor.

“How does it feel, doc?” Asked Rogers to Harrison.

“Lighter than I expected.”

“It’s the force amplification servos in the joints. Basic, but they’ll let you run faster and hit harder without straining yourself or tiring out. Just try to take a few steps. Move slow. Get a feel for it.”

The elderly scientist tentatively walked around the station, swaying his arms and flexing his back.

“I just hope I don’t pop a vertebra…Or my entire back.”

“Well, don’t overexert yourself. These suits aren’t meant to flex beyond a normal person’s range of movement, but in your case you could dial back the force response. What about you, Reeves?”

“I work with power suits all the time,” grumbled the engineer. “I know how to operate this.”

“Okay, everyone. Listen up.” Ruby spoke up from a desk loaded with firearms. “I’m going to pass you your weapons.”

She walked up to Reeves first.

“Heavy assault rifle. Fifty caliber full-metal jacket rounds, hundred shot magazine, tactical scope for a precision bolt. Keep it steady and controlled bursts only.”

“Yes, Agent.”

“And you’re keeping your plasma cutter?”

“I feel better with it.”

Ruby dispassionately rolled her eyes but moved on, grabbing a plasma rifle and handing it to the lieutenant.

“M1 Phase Rifle. Automatic, sixty round clip, electromagnetic plasmoids and weaponized heat release. Cool it often and don’t keep it hot for long.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You have a sidearm?”

“Super shotgun.”

That weapon was no longer on the approved UAC arsenal, but Ruby knew it was a personal favorite of many security personnel.

“As you wish.”

The last weapon she passed out was a combat shotgun to the elderly scientist.

“You sure you’re okay with just this, Christopher?”

“Please, I used to shoot ducks at a hundred meters with my daddy’s old shotty. I can handle this just fine.”

Ruby laughed. “I’m sure you can.”

“Besides, I’m an old man. My joints aren’t what they used to be. I trust the heavy machinery to you young and spritely soldiers.”

Ruby casually turned to grab her own weapon. “Stiff joints?”

“Occasionally. I can’t run like I used to, but I’ve been keeping my arthritis in check.”

Ruby dropped the clip she was loading, the smile gone from her face.

“Arthritis?” She asked in a shocked voice.

The others puzzledly looked at each other, Harrison responding in clear confusion.

“Y-yes, I have…mild arthritis. Comes with age. I-is that a…problem””

But Ruby had already turned to Reeves.

“What health problem do you have?” She asked the engineer.

Reeves was taken back by the sudden question and answered hesitantly.

“I have pulmonary fibrosis. From Martian dust.”

“Agent,” Rogers asked. “What going on-?”

“Romero, what about you?”

“Radiation poisoning.”

Ruby slumped her shoulders.

“Hiro. The truth.”

“…Liver cirrhosis. And heart problems.”

Ruby strode forward and pressed her hands onto the desk, mentally chastising herself.

How could I have been so stupid? They were in the Medical Imaging lobby. Of course they’re gonna have health issues!

“Agent,” Harrison timidly asked. “We can still make it, right?”

She sighed dejectedly. Her neural implant could give out at any moment, neither of the civilians had defenses against the demons’ psychic attacks, and now she learned only two out of the five were in any shape to run across this infested base. The greater their numbers the higher their chances, but the group would only be as fast as its slowest members.

And who knew if VEGA or Command would have disabled the escape shuttles by the time they got there? Would they have disabled the tram to the Spaceport?

“We’ll make it,” she spoke up, “if we stick together. I don’t want any heroes, I don’t want anyone rushing off or fighting the enemy on their own. Everyone has guns, everyone uses their guns. We all watch each other’s six and cover each other’s backs, understood?”

The team replied in agreement.

“Grab your bags. We’re heading out.”

The others turned to holster their supply packs and Ruby finished prepping her gun.

Hiro doesn’t have a neural shield and yet he wasn’t affected. Perhaps his own psyche rejects the demons’ influence. But how?

“You trained for that weapon, soldier?”

Speak of the devil.

The gunslinger stood beside her, pointing to the firearm on the desk in front of her. She grabbed the strap and slung it onto her shoulder.

“M2 Pulse Rifle. Heavy plasma gun. Semiautomatic, thirty shots per clip, in-built cooling, and charged orb secondary? No, but I’ve always wanted to try one. What about you, cowboy? Got a license for that big iron?”

The gunslinger patted his sniper rifle.

“UAC Tactical Division Vortex Rifle. Uses standard-issue plasma cells, twenty shots per clip. Converts plasma into directed beams of zero-field energy that pass through matter, X-Glass scope highlights targets through walls? No, but you need a big iron in the outer frontier. It’s a big lawless world out there.”

“You have no idea,” Ruby responded as she holstered her own pack. “Everyone ready? Got your supplies, main weapon, and sidearm?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sure.”

“Yes, Agent.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Affirmative. Helmets on. Radios on.”

As the others put their helmets on, Ruby switched on her radio transmitter and brought her voice down.

“Everyone copy?”

“I copy.”

“Copy that.”

“Roger.”

“Loud and clear.”

“All right,” she whispered. “Follow my lead. Keep your guns ready and watch your backs. Don’t do anything stupid and we’ll make it out alive.

Stay low and stay quiet.”

She primed her pulse rifle, which came online a deep and satisfying whir.

“We’re getting out of here.”

* * *

The Marine entered the Foundry reactor’s cooling room, a wide empty chamber with two large turbines built into the central area, which loudly spun and vented steam into the air. The entrance to the Argent Facility lay at the far top of the room, accessible through elevated walkways and behind a sealed gate.

To his surprise the chamber was unusually crowded with demons, which crawled along the walls, the support rails, on the turbines and the ground between them. As soon as he entered the room, every demonic eye turned to glare at him.

“They knew you were coming! They’re trying to stop you from reaching the Argent Facility!” Yelled Hayden.

Hearing the deafening cacophony of a hundred monsters roaring at him, the Marine gripped his phase rifle and plunged into the horde.

ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP! He swept the plasma gun left and right, killing a multitude of demons with direct hits and another score as the plasmoids burst. The phase rifle heated to full capacity and he depressed the heat release. PEWW! Another dozen down.

The chamber was incredibly packed though, and despite his constant movement and blocking, the Marine was struck by countless projectiles. A railgun bolt, a heat blast, a fireball, a rocket blast, his ARMOR disappeared and his HEALTH steadily ticked down as his phase rifle went dry. 108 HEALTH. He switched to the assault rifle. PEW PEW PEW PEW PEW! He threw a grenade, then another. POW! POW!

The horde was growing thin and the Marine thought he was almost through before a resounding roar echoed across the chamber. The Marine looked up to see a Hell Knight materialize before the sealed gate, a hulking behemoth of bone and muscle. It leapt into the air and smashed down in front of him, blasting a dozen lesser demons apart with the shock wave. With barbaric claws it swiped at the Marine who raised his Bracer in defense. The Bracer blocked the attack but the Hell Knight resisted the power surge, only faltering and lumbering back. With unbroken determination the monster leapt and brought its fist down onto the ground, producing a fiery wave that knocked the Marine back. His HEALTH, which kept decreasing by the number of remaining attackers, now fell to 82. Infuriated, the Marine switched to his shotgun.

BANG! Punch! BANG! Punch! He fired his shotgun at the Hell Knight’s face, punching it between reloads. After a few shots the grotesquely injured demon stumbled back, and upon charging a Blood Punch the Marine put an end to its miserable life. Without warning, something heavy slammed him to the side as a burning projectile struck his chest. 59 HEALTH. An entire pack of Hell Knights ferociously descended on him, charging with pummeled fists and lobbing fiery orbs from branded hands.

He had no more plasma ammo but his chainsaw had three batteries, enough to take down one Hell Knight. He brought the buzzing device out and charged at one. The creature swiftly leapt out of the way before he could slash at it, while another clawed at him with its massive hands. 35 HEALTH. The Knight slashed again at the Marine but quick as lightning he parried the blow with his Bracer, staggering the demon with the power surge. Moving fast before the stagger wore off, the Marine sawed off the Hell Knight’s outstretched arm, cut its knee and finally buried the chainsaw in the demon’s open mouth. 300 plasma cells. The Marine equipped his phase rifle once more and unleashed a storm of plasmoids onto the Hell Knights. The charged orbs continually faltered them and forced them back, but the Marine couldn’t fire at all four at the same time. One’s ground slam caught him in its wave, while another struck him with a fiery projectile. 20 HEALTH. He triggered the rifle’s heat blast and eviscerated one Hell Knight. Three to go.

The Marine threw a grenade at them as he continuously held down the phase rifle’s trigger. The lesser demons’ attacks kept hitting him but that didn’t matter; he had to get rid of these Hell Knights as soon as possible. The monsters stumbled as the grenade blast hit them and the Marine released another heat wave on them, but they remained standing. The nearest one riled back and punched the Marine square in the face. 9 HEALTH. Just as it threw another punch, the Marine raised his Bracer in defense, successfully parrying the blow and staggering the Hell Knight. With his left arm he punched the demon’s head to the side and with his right finally pummeled it off. Two to go. 36 HEALTH.

His plasma gun was empty once again so he switched to the assault rifle and lined up a precision shot. POW! Missed. POW! Missed. A rocket exploded beside him and his HEALTH dropped to 21. Gritting his teeth, the Marine lined up one more precision shot. POW! The bolt hit and the Hell Knight stumbled back, prompting the Marine switch to his shotgun. BANG! BANG! A dark imp’s blue fireball curved to strike him. 12 HEALTH. Roiling with Blood Rage, the Marine focused a Blood Punch and pummeled the Hell Knight’s head off. One left.

Just as he turned to look for the last Knight he felt a final blow strike at his back, dropping him to his knees and onto the ground. 0 HEALTH. The last Hell Knight stood triumphant above him, its skull-like complexion revealing no sympathy or mercy. Before the Marine lost consciousness the Knight threw a punch at him, and another. It raised its clawed foot above his face before bringing it down, and everything went black.

The Marine opened his eyes outside the blast door to the turbine room and quietly seethed for a moment.

“Remember, the Blind Council is alwa-”

The Marine merely grabbed the projector and threw it over the railing, hearing the bothersome voice of the Spokeswoman fade as it plummeted into the lava deep below.

He was not particularly aggravated by his death, though. This one had been his fault: he’d blindly rushed into the arena without mindfulness and without better equipment. His phase rifle was effective against the crowd of lesser demons, but he needed something bigger for the pack of Hell Knights.

He brought his automap up. If there were possessed soldiers with rocket launchers and railguns in the Foundry, surely he’d be able to pick up those weapons for himself. With a cursory glance he found what he was looking for: an icon in the shape of a boxed lock. A secret. Memorizing the location, the Marine switched off the automap and leapt over the railing, firing up his jump pack to land on the deck immediately below.

Hopefully he could find something useful.

* * *

Ruby felt far more comfortable leading a group equipped with combat armor and proper weapons. It wouldn’t help much if the two civilians were paralyzed in fear by the demons’ influence, but at least they’d be able to tank a few hits. Perhaps even just carrying adequate equipment would help their metal states and let them resist psionic attacks.

If only that could calm her own nerves.

“Roll call,” she whispered into her radio.

“Rogers.”

“Romero.”

“Harrison.”

“…R-Reeves.”

“Amanda, you doing all right?”

“I’m fine. Just…I want to get out of here.”

“We’re almost there. Keep your eyes peeled and your rifle ready. A few more corners and we’ll reach the exit.”

“Mind your high corners, soldiers,” Rogers muttered. “These things like to jump down on you.”

Pharmacy. We’re getting close to the Hospital entrance.

“The receptionist desk is just around the corner. The exit is right behi-”

Ruby was cut short by a single imp that slowly crawled into view at the far end of the hall. It strode on all fours and cowered when it saw them, softly hissing in aggression.

The team immediately stopped. Ruby realized that the imp was not attacking because it recognized that all five of them were well protected and armed. Could it realize that not all five were trained soldiers? Could it smell their fear?

She heard someone behind her softly whimper, and she thought the imp heard that. It reared back and slowly prepared to roar before Romero lined up his Vortex Rifle and fried the imp’s brains.

Ruby’s heart skipped a beat before she realized the shot hadn’t raised an alarm. At least not yet. A few puzzled growls grumbled nearby and she heard something move behind a wall. Their time was running out.

“Move,” Romero urged. “We’ve gotta move.”

The team hurried on in a quiet sprint.

Something howled a few rooms down. The team passed the receptionist desk and reached the hospital’s entrance lobby. They rushed through the doorway and entered the junction complex that housed the tram station. A harsh roar echoed behind them, and their sprint turned into a full-blown race.

“Romero, get Reeves and Harrison to the tram! Fire it up!” Ruby yelled as demons began pouring from the hospital entrance. “Lieutenant, with me!”

As commanded, the gunslinger led the civilians away from the fight as Ruby and Rogers stayed to fight the horde. Rogers suppressed the mob with a constant stream of plasmoids while Ruby picked them off with each trigger pull. POW POW POW POW POW POW! The pulse rifle was a formidable weapon; slower than the phase rifle but considerably more powerful per shot, with a larger burst radius and greater thermal discharge. Each shot felled a demon and blazed the ones around it, allowing the two to effectively combat the mob as they slowly fell back.

Ruby felt a chill creep into her mind.

The crowd was thinning out but each creature emanated malice and corruption, and…the runes. The runes danced across her vision and burned into her retinas, filling her mind with horrors and making precise aim impossible.

“Let’s go!” She shouted at the lieutenant as she turned and ran to regroup with the others.

Rogers threw a grenade and followed suit, the explosion loudly resounding moments later.

With a running leap, Ruby soared over the staircase and landed solidly on the lower level, headed towards the tram station. The lieutenant followed closely behind as did possessed soldiers.

“Rogers, take them out! I’ve got our twelve!”

“Copy!”

Ruby raised her gun as she scanned the environment for enemies, desperately hoping the chaos in her brain would vanish before something else attacked. Within a few seconds she could see the symbols fade away, and as her mental shield returned she spun around and finished off the remaining attackers. POW POW POW POW! An imp leapt from the shadows and pounced at Ruby, its claws reaching for her face, when a beam of light suddenly gleamed across her field of vision, and the demon’s severed body crumbled on the floor.

“Rogers! Taylor!” Romero called out from behind a parked tram, vortex rifle in hand and the two civilians standing beside him. “This way!”

“Go, lieutenant!”

Ruby holstered her rifle and ran at full speed as Romero and the others fired at targets behind her and Rogers, and she hoped their shots were accurate. Something howled close to Ruby’s side, and with immaculate precision Harrison aimed his shotgun and fired, the creature merely splashing Ruby with its blood.

Once the team regrouped, Reeves and Harrison hurried into the open tram before the demons closed in. Romero ran to the control terminal to set the coordinates with Rogers close behind. Ruby had just placed a foot in the tram when something slammed into her, dropping her to the ground.

“Agent!” Reeves yelled.

A pitch-black imp pinned Ruby to the ground, black teeth snapping at her and burning claws inches from her helmet. It was stronger and heavier than its smaller counterparts, and despite her efforts she could not throw the creature off, only stopping its arms from slashing at her face.

What? Why? What’s happeni-?

The creature’s eyes bore into her soul.

No.

Its claws dripped with the blood of a thousand humans killed by its hand.

Please, no.

By her hand.

Stop.

“I know what lurks in you, human.” Its words echoed in her mind, cold and sharp as glass. “I know what you try to bury deep inside, what haunts your dreams at night. Fear. Doubt. Remorse. You regret the lives you led to their end. You doubt the rectitude of your actions. You fear…for your soul.”

That’s not true.

“You can lie to your superiors. You can lie to these people. But you cannot lie to yourself.”

No…

“You are a monster. You are no worse than the likes of us. Let me…help you.”

The demon’s mouth opened, and Ruby saw the depths of Hell yawning between its jaws-

PEW!

Ruby’s mind silenced, and the headless creature lifelessly tumbled off of her. Reeves leaned out of the tram holding a smoking plasma cutter. She had saved Ruby’s life.

“Agent!” Rogers yelled beside her. “Let’s go!”

Ruby hurried to her feet and stumbled into the tram. The door closed behind her and the pursuing demons slammed into the tram. A clawed hand broke through the glass and slashed at them. Harrison screamed.

“Hold on!” Romero yelled from the control terminal. He slammed a switch and the tram immediately lurched to life, knocking the group to the ground as it accelerated at a ludicrous rate. The imp hung for its life as the tram sped away, screeching at its occupants as it attempted to holster itself in.

The tramline barriers were down.

“AAAAAHHHHHH!”

“AAAGGGHHHHH!”

Even the demon screeched as the vehicle raced towards the barricade at lightning speed before crashing through the barrier. The monster’s severed arm briefly twitched in the tram interior as Ruby breathed out, and the team eased themselves as the tram stopped accelerating.

With pained grunts the group picked themselves up.

“Everyone okay?” Asked Rogers. “Romero? Harrison, Reeves, Taylor?”

“Yeah,” Ruby replied. “You?”

Rogers panted heavily and Ruby’s blood roared in her ears, but from the front they could hear…laughing.

Romero heartily chuckled as he hoisted himself off the floor, grabbing his vortex rifle for support. The lieutenant sighed in exhaustion but himself chuckled, with Harrison soon following. Ruby allowed herself a smile as she picked herself up.

She turned towards Reeves, who has calibrating her cutter. She couldn’t see the engineer’s expression through her helmet, but Ruby noticed she’d remained quiet.

“Amanda,” Ruby called out to Reeves, who turned away from her tool to face Taylor. “Thank you.”

The engineer said nothing, but simply nodded her head and returned to her cutter.

“Agent,” Romero called out. “You need to see this.”

“What is it?”

“The tram has power, but for some reason I can’t set the coordinates to the Spaceport. The system won’t allow me.”

“Let me see.”

Ruby studied the terminal. Sure enough, the node ending at the Spaceport was blocked, the system automatically rerouting them to the nearest available station. She inputted her security code. Nothing.

“What’s going on?” Rogers pressed.

“Looks like we’re taking a detour.”

“Can’t you bypass it?”

“It’s not letting me. The node itself is locked.”

“You said Command was urging everyone head to the Spaceport for evac.”

No one said anything. The civilians stared from the back of the tram while Rogers waited for a response.

Ruby walked away.

“Our systems have been compromised. Like I said, we can’t count on anyone for help, not even Command. If we’re getting out of this alive, we have to trust one another. Understood?”

“…Understood.”

She turned to the group at large.

“Everyone, get some rest. Grab a bite, drink some water. Reload your guns. As soon as this tram lands, we’re moving out.”

“Copy that,” Romero sighed as he took his helmet off. Reeves and Harrison followed and unslung their packs. Rogers followed Ruby to the back of the tram.

“Agent,” he muttered softly. “Back there, when that demon attacked, what happened?”

“Get some rest, lieutenant.”

“But I-”

“Drop it. Eat something and sleep. That’s an order.”

Rogers stared for a moment.

“Yes, sir.”

Rogers strode off and Ruby leaned on the tram’s back window, staring at the barren Martian landscape visible through the transparent tram tube.

Her neural shield was failing, her doubts were accumulating, and the team was beginning to suspect. Command had already shut down transport to the Spaceport, who knew if the entire system would be taken offline before they arrived?

Their luck was running out, as was hers.

Next stop: Excavation Mine Seven.

* * *

Four…seven…five…one.

Upon deciphering the passcode, the locked gate to the security room slid open and the digit under the Marine’s Calibrator counter ticked up to a six.

Stepping inside, his gaze immediately fell on the long green rocket launcher lying on a computer terminal. He picked it up, reading the words “Big Ass Rocket Launcher” written on the side of the barrel. No doubt about it: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

E-1 ROCKET LAUNCHER ACQUIRED

MUNITION TYPE – ROCKETS

SECONDARY FIRING MODE – REMOTE DETONATION

NOTE: ROCKETS ARE ARGENT-BASED; POSE RISK OF SELF-DAMAGE IF SHOT AT CLOSE RANGE

The Marine spotted a case of rocket ammo beside the terminal. He amusingly picked one up. It was a tiny thing, comically held between his thumb and index finger, like the ones the rocket soldiers fired.

Putting the launcher away and storing the remaining rockets, the Marine scanned the room for other useful supplies. A pack of three electric batteries, those would refuel his chainsaw. A rack of shotgun shells, a blinking plasma cell pack, some grenades and mines, and a small circular device.

NEW BOOST SYNTHESIZED – PERSONAL TELEPORTER

TRIGGER TO SET BEACON AT CURRENT POSITION; TRIGGER AGAIN TO INSTANTLY TELEPORT TO BEACON

BEACON IS INDESTRUCTIBLE AND HAS INFINITE RANGE BUT EXPIRES AFTER SINGLE USE

FABRICATION COST – 2 CALIBRATION CYCLES

A personal teleporter! That would certainly come in handy.

Having taken all the supplies he could find, the Marine headed back for the turbine room, formulating a plan of action as he did so. He knew the last chamber was filled to the brim with lesser demons, and there were five Hell Knights guarding the exit. He had 300 plasma cells, three chainsaw batteries, and ten rockets. He’d thin the crowd with the phase rifle, get rid of one Hell Knight with the chainsaw to fill up on rockets, and finish the last four with those. The horde was thick in the turbine room, increasing the danger of self-damage with the rockets, so the Marine had to be careful. There were too many demons to make defense or self-preservation a viable tactic, so swift extermination was top priority. He decided to equip one Mega Charge. He brought up his Dossier and activated the boost. With a satisfying clang, his HEALTH and ARMOR instantly rocketed to 200 each. He could now tank 400, well, 399 units of damage. Cocked, locked, and loaded.

He stepped onto the anti-gravity pad and soared through the air, landing in front of the turbine gate. Those gravity pads never got old. And the Spokeswoman wasn’t there to pesteringly chirp at him; he just might make this run, after all.

The gate hissed open and the Marine rushed through. He switched to the phase rifle and opened fire when he spotted the first imp in the turbine room. ZAP ZAP ZAP POP! Once more he charged at the demonic horde, which once again unleashed a storm of burning projectiles as soon as he came into view, but this time he was ready. ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP POW! ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP POW! Fire plasmoids, build up heat, release. Fire plasmoids, build up heat, release. Rinse and repeat. Railgun bolts and fireballs and rifle rounds struck him, but the mob fell faster than they ate away at his ARMOR. He threw a grenade. POW! Another grenade. POW! He fired up his jump pack and leapt into the air as he charged a Blood Punch. POWW! A dozen demons fell under the shockwave. 47 ARMOR.

Five swells of scarlet flame manifested on the upper platform, but by the time the Hell Knights warped in the Marine was already aiming the rocket launcher.

BOOM! The lead Knight took the rocket straight in the chest, blasting the skin and flesh off its ribcage, but was still standing. The Marine shot another rocket as the Hell Knights leapt down, but he manually detonated the rocket and caught three of them in its blast even as they dropped and the others slammed the ground. 0 ARMOR, 200 HEALTH.

The Marine cared not and kept firing rocket after rocket, constantly on the move and darting around nearby stragglers so he wouldn’t shoot them by accident.

BOOM! BOOM! First Knight down, four to go. 173 HEALTH. His rockets were running low, so with careful aim he threw a mine at a Hell Knight and equipped his chainsaw. The mine stuck and exploded, faltering the demon and letting the Marine safely close in for the kill. Cut off both legs, saw the monster’s face in half. With that the chainsaw was empty but the Marine recovered a bountiful surplus of ammo, including fifty rockets. He spotted a Hell Knight charging in his peripheral vision. He spun and raised his Bracer in defense but missed, and the shockwave knocked him back. 127 HEALTH. With the Hell Knight at such close range, the Marine switched to the phase rifle. ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP POW! Each orb shocked the demon and struck a bit of flesh off its body, the heat blast exposing parts of its skeleton. The Marine quickly punched the demon’s face and knocked it back, equipping his rocket launcher. BOOM! Three to go. 96 HEALTH.

The next Hell Knight threw thundering fireballs at the Marine, which he swerved around to dodge. One of them struck a chainsaw zombie, which dropped a single electric battery as the fireball immolated its body. He quickly siphoned the battery and launched a rocket at the monster. Faltered by the explosion, the Marine charged with chainsaw in hand and sawed off one of the Knight’s arms. The Knight roared as it grabbed its amputated limb but quickly turned back onto the Marine, throwing fireballs at a slower rate with its one remaining arm. The Marine jumped back and grabbed the rocket launcher. BOOM! BOOM! Down. Two to go. 64 HEALTH.

The surrounding crowd had grown sufficiently thin to allow freer movement, and the Marine put distance between himself and one of the Hell Knights that unrelentingly swiped at him with its massive paws, which also made aiming with the launcher more difficult. He fired a rocket, and another, and even though both missed he managed to catch the demon in both their blasts with remote detonations. Something clanged as he backed into a wall, and he turned to find an explosive barrel rolling on the floor at his feet. He swiftly grabbed the barrel by the rim and threw it at the demon. BOOM! The Knight and five soldiers practically evaporated, their blood blending together and painting the floor a bright red. One to go. 44 HEALTH.

The final Hell Knight stood at the far end of the chamber, staring at him with pure malice even through its dark eye sockets, but unmoving and unattacking. The Marine recognized it: it was the one who had killed him.

He charged and fired rocket after rocket. BOOM! BOOM! The Hell Knight dodged the rockets and their blasts but besides that didn’t attack or change positions. It was stronger, faster. The dark powers of Hell had rewarded it for slaying the Marine. He kept running, his HEALTH steadily ticking down. 36. 29. BOOM! BOOM! He was halfway across the chamber. At closer range, his aim fared better and his remote detonations struck the Hell Knight. BOOM! BOOM! The explosions blasted off the monster’s flesh and it stumbled in pain but held its position. 22. 16. Just one more hit. With roaring Blood Rage the Marine leapt into the air and pressed the trigger. The rocket shot out of the barrel and –

A dark imp pounced at the Marine at point-blank range.

- BOOM!

The Marine awoke in front of the gate to the turbine room.

No.

He was back where he’d started. He had died. His effort, his ammo, his Mega Charge…all for nothing.

No…

…he stumbled through the gate of Argent D’Nur…

…found the planet devastated, its castles broken and its temples shattered…

…his Night Sentinel brothers dead, slain by the legions of Hell…

…he dropped to his knees. Argent D’Nur had fallen, all because of him…

…because he failed…

Something broke within the Marine’s mind, a dam holding back a flaming sea of endless rage. With it, his mind was flooded with an infinite urge to pummel, to break, to destroy.

Every rational thought silenced beneath a maelstrom of violence, the Marine charged at the gate, effortlessly blasting through a full meter of reinforced metal as if it were paper. Unabated, he raced down the hall at extraordinary speed, the floor cracking and splitting with every step. He entered the chamber one last time, finding it full of wretched vermin, but he didn’t care.

They are rage, brutal, without mercy.

But you…you will be worse.

Rip and tear.

Until it is done.

Leaping into the air while focusing a Blood Punch, the Marine landed on top of the demonic crowd. POWW! A dozen demons exploded in a shower of blood and guts. He released another Blood Punch. And another. Entire swathes of the horde fell with every blow of his fist.

This only made him angrier.

He needed to feel their bones break. He needed to feel their bodies crumble beneath his fists, but the lightest touch blasted them to pieces.

Boiling with rage, he rushed through the horde desperately reaching for something to pummel. Imps, soldiers, and zombies breaking as he charged at blazing speed at them.

The Marine Rampaged across the turbine room, cleaving through the horde of demons like a swift burning knife through tender flesh, crashing into walls in his blind rage to break, to kill, to destroy. His incessant Blood Punches and equipped rune provided a constant supply of HEALTH and ARMOR, sustaining him with every blow and strike.

Five swells of flame manifested on the upper platform.

His fury surged past what his being could contain, and the Marine’s very body erupted in a blinding surge of ardent power. Like a lightning bolt from a clear sky, the Marine blazed with roiling red flames that spread across his entire self.

He was no longer just enraged.

He was Berserk.

Without even firing his jump pack, the Marine leapt from the floor of the chamber to the topmost platform in a single mighty bound. He grabbed the head of the first Hell Knight and instantly smashed it on the wall. Without pausing, he made a fist and struck the ground between the remaining Hell Knights, blasting them all off the platform. In his scorching rage, the Blood Punch was immediately released without the need to focus.

Spinning around, the Marine rushed for the nearest falling Hell Knight and grabbed it as they fell, crushing its skull against the floor when they landed. Mindlessly tearing through the crowd to reach the next, he tore its arm off and bashed its head off with the wet end. He soared over the crowd and dropkicked another Knight, digging his hands into its ribcage and tearing it open. He made a fist and with a single Blood Punch vaporized its exposed organs. The Marine looked around for the last Hell Knight. It was running away from him through the horde, desperately fleeing for the exit.

The one who had killed him. Twice.

It was actually fleeing for its life.

The Marine Rampaged through the crowd in the Knight’s direction. He didn’t attack or strike any of the demons that crossed his path; the sheer force of impact tore their bodies apart. He only made a fist, his hand blazing with crimson energy, and the Hell Knight briefly glanced back in pure terror before viscerally exploding with the force of the blow.

Having slain all the Hell Knights, the Marine’s skin crackled with scarlet lightning. He recoiled in furious agony before releasing all his energy in a tremendous explosion, blasting all remaining demons in the chamber into a fine red mist.

“Demonic presence eliminated. Lockdown disengaged.”

Having exhausted his rage, the Marine panted in the middle of an empty bloodsmeared room, taking a moment to catch his breath.

He looked down at his hands, vigorously clenching his fists and flexing his arms. He felt…better. Much better than he expected. The battle had invigorated him and returned a great deal of his strength.

“If you’re quite done,” Hayden pressed indignantly, “there is an Argent Tower to be disabled. The beam of Argent Energy will tear the Fracture wide open if it isn’t shut down within the next fifteen minutes!”

“Is that so? Hmm.

Well, we are detecting thicker enemy forces in the direction of the Argent Tower. There are signatures of higher demon classes, along with new signatures we do not recognize. You will need all the strength you can muster.”

But the Marine wasn’t listerning to Hayden.

He was listening to the electronic tones emanating from the Praetor Suit, low acoustic waveforms and deep bass rhythms that synergized, collided, and flowed around each other.

The Harmonic Resonators were back online.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the pulses beat throughout his body and into his head.

His mind was clear…so clear now.

He could see the demons throughout the Mars Base, visualizing their shapes in his mind. Squealing beasts, howling figures, screeching remnants…

In the distance loomed the Argent Tower, a resplendent monument to the UAC’s hubris and their shameless meddling with forces they did not understand. The silver platter on which they offered their souls in exchange for power and an insult to the sacrifice of the Night Sentinels.

Time and space lay bare before his gaze; worldlines twisting and bending, in perpetual flux and change, but one constant endured.

Him.

He would charge into the heart of Hell’s legions and strike them down at the core.

He would rip. He would tear. Until it was done.

He would decimate the Argent Tower and scatter its profane remains unto the red soil of this cursed planet.

And he would avenge the fall of Argent D’Nur.

* * *

I stood awestruck before the sights of the final chamber, full of wonder and terror.

Suspended on the walls were countless instruments of strange shapes and inscrutable purposes, but just seeing their twisted forms filled my mind with dread. Some were engraved with arcane glowing symbols, others were unfathomably detailed sculpted constructs, and others yet were gnarled forms of pitch-black darkness. Deep in my heart I knew what these objects were.

Weapons.

“You feel their power, don’t you?” The Colonel whispered. “You’re wise to keep your distance. Death is not the worst thing that can be inflicted by these tools.”

I need to get out of here.

Something sounded through the wall behind me. They were coming back.

“The exit is just up ahead! Get to the gate!”

On the wall at the far end of the chamber was a circular structure that I supposed was the gate. I ran towards it and put my hand on a glowing panel.

“Shit, your chassis doesn’t have the security code! This exit is the quickest way out of here!”

Low garbles and footsteps echoed down the chamber. They’d found me.

“Damn it, no time for that now! Shoot!”

I raced away from the gate and launched a barrage of missiles at my attackers. They fired bright green and blue projectiles at me, which exploded against or melted through the metal floors. Lacking any cover I did my best to dodge and run past these but I got hit by several blasts. My overshield activated and turned from blue to purple. I ran up to one of the figures and shot him point-blank but winced as my missiles exploded in my own face.

“You moron! Your missiles have splash damage! Don’t shoot them at close range, you stupid idiot!”

“Thank you, Colonel Johnson!”

I raised my fists and threw a right hook at the entity, then a left. Right, left, and its head cracked like an egg, smearing its contents onto the wall. It felt oddly gratifying to feel the creature break beneath my fists.

One of the dark figures vocalized, and all of a sudden a different creature pounced from behind. Low and fast, it darted around the figure and leapt at me, pinning me to the floor. Vice-like jaws clamped around my head as I struggled to throw it off. My overshield turned red. I punched its face and managed to push it off as I rushed to my feet. I punched it again but my fists landed on solid armor, too hard to effectively fight by hand alone. I tried shooting at the creature with a missile barrage, but it darted and swerved around my projectiles.

“That armor is too hard for you to shoot through it! You need to find a better solution!”

I leapt into the air with my jump pack in an effort to avoid the creature and the remaining figures, dashing out of the way of their projectiles and for something, anything at all that I could use, when I found it. It was a small bronze dagger, hanging from one of the fallen entities, but somehow I knew that’s what I needed.

I rushed towards the dagger and tore it from the body. Subconsciously pressing a button on the hilt, the dagger morphed from a short blade into a long bronze spear as tall as me. I grabbed it with both hands and plunged it into the open mouth of the low dark creature, hearing it roar in agony before pulling the spear back out. The creature slumped lifelessly to the floor and I turned to the remaining figures.

Simultaneously using the spear and my missile launchers, I descended upon the figures in a blur of fire and blade. Dig the spear into one’s knee, shoot it to pieces. Plunge it into another’s belly, throw it at the entity behind me and blast them both.

The last figure stood far back and shot bolt after blue bolt in my direction. I dodged its attacks with quick bursts of my jump pack, raising the spear before slicing its arm off, cutting it down at the knees, and finally putting my spear through its eyes. At least, where I hoped its eyes were.

The spear tip slid out with a satisfying sling, and the body dropped to the ground. That was the last one. I looked at my body; the red shield surrounding it turned purple, then blue, and finally faded away.

This spear, I like it.

Pressing the switch once more, the spear turned back into to an innocuous bronze dagger. It didn’t seem I had anywhere to put it though, unless…There was some sort of fastener on my waist, presumably part of my chassis. Would it fit there? I placed the dagger into the slot. Perfectly secure.

“Hurry, grab one of these thing’s hands and place it on the panel.”

I stepped on the nearest body’s elbow and effortlessly tore its forearm off, placing it on the wall panel and standing back. At once, the gate came to life in a surge of light and vapor as inscribed symbols burned on its surface, and a portal opened between the circular structure.

I hesitantly stepped forward in horror.

Before me was an abstract, roiling wasteland of pure chaos. Mountains crumbled and burst through the ground in a matter of moments, seas of turbulent glass evaporated and fell again as burning rain. Colossal shapes darted furtively between the thundering clouds, too fast and terrible to behold. The land bled into the sky and the sky fell unto the land.

But most of all, the darkness. The world was blacker than the darkest night, the darkness feeling as if stabbing my eyes and seeping into my being, rendering my very bones black. How I was able to see through such piercing darkness was something I could not comprehend. Just standing there felt like I was being made unwhole, my very atoms turning to dust or rotting in corruption.

Hell.

I was in Hell.

All this time, I had no idea. This place, this ship, made no impression-

I’M ON A SHIP?!

Sure enough, I looked down to find a great emptiness yawning at my feet. The ship or craft on which I stood soared over a great grey fog that spread across the landscape. Looking up, I could find no thrusters or jets on the rear side of the ship. It floated across this nightmarish world without any visible propulsion.

“This is it, soldier. This is your way out.”

“Colonel Johnson, I don’t think I can-”

“You’re still alive, aren’t you? You’re still conscious. I got you this far, and I never leave my men behind.”

I stood motionlessly a few more moments before quietly reaching into my jump pack and pulling out the photograph. Me, my wife, my son. They were out there somewhere waiting for me. And I was still alive. If there was a chance I could make it out of here, I would absolutely take it. As long as I breathed, I would find my way back to them, come Hell or high water. Literally.

“John Doe.”

“What?”

“When a body appears that isn’t identified, that what you call them, right? I’m not dead yet, but until I remember my name and who I am, that’s what I’m calling myself. At least so I have something to hold on to. John Doe.”

For several seconds the Colonel said nothing. Then he laughed.

“Whatever you say, John.”

I hid the photograph once more and steeled myself as I prepared to jump.

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

Not today.

Blood rushing and heart pounding, I ran up to the edge and threw myself into that damned inferno.

* * *

KILLS - 87%

SECRETS - 6

TIME - 25:00