Act 3: Climax

Scene 8: Infiltration

To truly strike at Nexactus efficiently, the Grave Guerillas would need to learn more about the corporation, and find their weaknesses and strengths. For this, the group would need to invade the Nexactus information nexus. This wasn’t going to be easy, as the nexus was defended with some of the finest weaponry that Nexactus owned, not to mention the difficulty of actually hacking into their computers with the most advanced firewalls. The Guerillas, who now recruited the escapees into their ranks, had 89 members now, almost doubling their fighting force. They also had more advanced weapons, armor, and utility items now thanks to the pillaging of the Sepam Gulag. This included Auto-guns, which they attached to the armored car and helicopters, and numerous amounts of extremely deadly explosives.

Still, though, it was going to be almost impossible to get the information they needed without all dying first. All they needed to do was get past enough land-mines to level the town of Shallowstone, get past snipers each with the training capability to hit a penny at another end of a football field, survive lethal robotic killing machines and auto cannons, and access information in computers they couldn’t possibly hack. The information nexus was located upon and built into a Mesa in the Yellow Wastes of northern Phaethon. Thanks to Pharavanna’s strange geography, the mesa appeared to be tilted, so part of it touched the sands like a natural slope, and made the nexus optimal for defense. Its hull was armed with steel and concrete, which, while not the best camouflage, made it almost impossible to lose to battles of attrition. The first hurdle to Nexactus’ secrets was the minefield. In order to have ground shipments of supplies not be destroyed and workers killed, Nexactus implemented a network of Steel-lined cables that would light up the sands to make an illusionary lane where the mines weren’t located, to grant vehicles safe passage. The only way to get their ground forces through the first hurdle would be to convince Nexactus that they were among them. This job was up to Gabriello and Stavikk, as they previously worked for the corporation and remembered the design of their armored cars. The two of them along with the most reputable town mechanic dolled the armored car up to look more sleek, and colored black, purple, and gold to fit in to the corporation’s ranks. A real Nexactus armored car next to it might reveal some differences between the two, but over a long distance it would be almost impossible to tell.

In the meantime, Dolph worked with other members of the town to improve his custom viruses, which could put a challenge against Nexactus’ computers in the Nexus. Evan, on the other hand, found himself one of the most effective long-range weapons ever created, the rail gun. The rail gun is a long range, sniper rifle-like weapon that would fire beams of compressed sound that would tear through almost any shield or armor on a single target.

The armored car arrived right in front of the minefield, where Gabriello stepped out to radio officials on the other side of the minefield and wall, to convince the Nexactus personnel to let them in. Stavikk, Dolph, and Evan. These people would help Gabriello once inside, but in the end it would have to be him that would get them through. Gabriello began speaking with an unknown commander at the Nexus, who questioned him, specifically, about his robotic parts. He researched Gabriello and recognized his original mission to chase down escapees, and for what profile picture he had of him revealed no cybernetic limbs. Still, Gabriello appeared disturbingly similar to the pictures he had in other aspects, and the commander perhaps was just missing information. Stavikk recognized the voice, however, and as soon as he heard the commander talking over the radio, his blood began to boil with rage. He recognized this person as Sanders, and Stavikk was heartened at the opportunity to finally put a stop to the human experimenter. He knew, though, that he would still have to keep his wits about him, or perhaps he and his friends would die first.

The radio conversation continued, and Gabriello explained that his cybernetic limbs were what he was given after he lost the limbs during the fight. He said he was injured during the fight, shot by the slim and agile man, Evan, in the arm and leg, but did not mention his name. He said he witnessed the rest of his group kill Alyce, but that the rest ran away and that they are still searching for them in the wastes. Since Nexactus failed to investigate the van at the bottom of the cliff face, there was no proof that Gabriello’s group was dead. The claim was irrefutable, but improvable as well, and Sanders still wasn’t sure. He was a skeptical man, wanting to make no assumptions, and needed more proof and convincing. He asked Gabriello to describe the one escapee that the group, as he didn’t know where Gabriello was at the time, but knew he was sent on the mission. Gabriello only saw her corpse, but described her as a fit woman with freckles and short hair that cut off at her neck.

The armored car was allowed passage into the Nexus, Nexactus believing that the car carried a shipment of armaments, which was only partially true. In the back of van there was Stavikk and other soldiers, ready to strike when the time was right. They knew that if some conflict in the nexus broke out, they would be immediately under heavy fire, so they took measures to prevent quickly dying from gunfire, but it would only last them so long. Evan was camped out on a sand dune near the massive mesa that laid the information nexus. He would be almost impossible to spot from where he was thanks to his unsurpassed disguising skills. He and his rail-gun would be of major value to him and his group. However, if the rest of his group died out there, he would have no chance of getting the information they needed.

Two of the cohorts that stuck out to Stavikk in that van were Elyse Burner and Ralph Woodhill, also known as “The Shark” by his prison inmates from the Suicide Stadium, though he tried to forget. This was because of the tattoo on his left arm of a Shark biting an anchor, a symbol of his distraught when he was behind bars, and the labor there felt like he was trying to lift an anchor above water. Before being sent to the Gulag, the very fit, Hispanic man with a thin, baldhead and with no facial hair was a biker and mechanic.

Elyse Burner was a bit different though, and what she lacked in stature she easily made up for, as she was a savant when it came to machinery. She knew how to operate many different devices with ease that no one else could. Because of her physical disadvantage, though, she had a really hard time in the Gulag, and she would have been killed if not from the protection of her gang. Both Elyse Burner and Ralph Woodhill were previously part of the Hounds, and both who previously would have killed Stavikk if it weren’t for the untimely rescue, and Nexactus trying to kill them all. It was one of the silver linings of such a catastrophe.

Gabriello stepped out of the vehicle, and walking through the inside of the Nexus without much difficulty, seeming as close to someone in Nexactus as they go. Gabriello still had a radio under his jacket, and spoke hints to his group about how they could get through the nexus to the computer, using phrases like: “Man, I’m exhausted, but it’s pretty easy to move through here” to suggest that a member of the group could climb through the exhaust pipes. He also spoke phrases like: “It’s really difficult with my sickness, and I might have to hack and cough” to suggest that it would be difficult to hack into the computers. No soldier there seemed to be able to decode Gabriello’s strange innuendo, but his friends read it very well thanks to the context. Gabriello only had so much time to drop hints, though, and high-ranking officials started questioning when he was going to deliver the supplies. Gabriello responded cleverly, dropping only vague hints as to when he would. The officials there of course were not impressed, and demanded him to deliver the shipment before opening the side doors of the car themselves. Inside, though, they were unpleasantly surprised, as they found Stavikk and his allies inside the car. They were not so vulnerable, though, as they had an Auto-gun inside the car with a strange feature. Soldiers and commandos allied with Nexactus shot bursts of bullets only for them to evaporate in midair around the turret. The Guerillas’ bullets were not evaporated, however, and they as a group were an unstoppable Phalanx of sheer power. Stavikk, with his immense stature, picked up the turret with one hand and threw it out of the car, while carrying his banana-clip fed assault rifle with the other. The shield didn’t last forever, however, and soon their battalion needed to find other forms of cover. They started the fight being surrounded by their enemies, which put them somewhat at a disadvantage. However, even without the bubble shield of their turret, they had one major offensive and defensive tool: their car. Elyse was the one driving, while there were still some of the troops in the armored car.

As soon as he heard gunfire, Evan started sniping other snipers atop the wall. They attempted to shoot back, but they just couldn’t spot him in the sands. Eventually, the snipers atop the wall were forced to retreat to behind it. Also, because of the normally long-range weapons the snipers would use, they were put at a major disadvantage in medium to close range. Elyse started running over the snipers with the car, and Stavikk killed those who were trying to get into the main building with his assault rifle. The bayonet on his gun much resembled a giant cleaver, and cut through the snipers’ armor with only one or two swings. The information Nexus wasn’t that easy to invade, however, and within a matter of minutes, Auto-guns were deployed on the ground and walls, firing superheated, electrically charged gas at the Guerillas. They were able to destroy most of the Auto-guns with only a few casualties because of them.

The two large, metal slide doors into the building slid open, only to release a squadron of Nexactus robots, one of which bigger than the rest, with two Gatling guns, one on each arm. These robots started raining bullets onto the Guerillas, causing numerous casualties because of it. They also threw grenades, which destroyed Stavikk’s Auto-gun and blew up several of the Guerillas as well. Since Stavikk was larger than the average person, he was able to carry and aim two assault rifles at once, which he shot both forward, then opened his arms to hit every single enemy in sight. Stavikk killed two snipers, and injured several robots using his maneuver. Three Guerilla fighters killed two remaining robots, and Elyse, Dolph, and Ralph killed the last with shotgun blasts and running them over. Now, there was only what was inside the base that could stop the Guerillas from gaining the information they needed. Stavikk attempted to pry the door open with the bayonet of his gun. He failed to do so, however, and they needed to use some other means to get the door open.

The armored car smashed through the steel doors after multiple hits, and the Guerillas walked inside, since they couldn’t fit the car through, with everyone protecting Dolph. The inside of the information nexus had a strange pattern of hexagonal metal tiles on the floor, walls, and ceiling. Certain glowing tiles lighted it very well, and the whole inside of the building seemed very sleek and high-tech. eventually, the group came upon a spectral, blue and red wall, mostly red but with blue patches. The wall was recognized as being a plasma field, and sported a Nexactus logo on it as well. The wall had a thin microphone that fit very well into the ring, and Gabriello recognized it immediately. He knew that the wall was password protected, and that only Nexactus personnel were allowed inside. Even Gabriello didn’t know the password, most likely because he wasn’t a high-ranking official such as a commander. The group was faced with a dead end, and it was only a matter of time before reinforcements arrived. They needed some way through the wall, and were completely locked out of entering the hallway. If they shot the projector ring of the plasma field, the wall would overheat and explode, killing all of them.

Gabriello reminded the group that there was still the option to climb through the air vents, and only Elyse could fit through and get to the other side. Stavikk pried open the vent, and Elyse climbed through, the courageous woman knowing that could be killed if there was a temperature change. She eventually got to the other side of the plasma field, and saw a few more twisting and turning hallways, always careful to not get caught by sneaking soldiers before arriving at a huge room with a cylindrical shape, and an unrecognizable individual sitting in a chair in the middle. This person was wearing a large helmet that was connected to the ceiling by huge wires going in all directions, and the wearer seemed very sedentary. In front of them lied a huge keyboard in a third of a ring shape in front of the individual. The floor pattern was different in the room, with tiles shaped similarly to sections of thick rings placed around one another harmoniously, with one purple-glowing tile in the middle, with a gold “N” inscripted on it. Elyse inferred this to be a symbol of Nexactus, and made her way towards the helmet wearer, silently, with a submachine gun in hand. The alert woman was suspicious of everything around her, as the room was seemingly too quiet.

She silently and quickly ripped the helmet off of the computer operator, hearing a shocked gasp before he was shot with Elyse’s submachine gun. Elyse moved the man off of the swivel chair and looked at the controls of the computer. She looked through the computer programs and eventually managed to shut off the plasma field in the way of her allies. She also shut off the minefield allowing Evan Scorchfield to enter into the Nexus.

Dolph and the group made their way towards the computer, Dolph inserting his virus into the computer, flashing a bunch of files before the many computer monitors before downloading gigabytes of files onto the microchip. The process would be relatively slow, though, but Dolph took as many shortcuts as he could to speed up the process. The doors were shut behind them after fighters were positioned outside incase they were attacked. Suddenly, a very loud mechanical noise appeared in the room, and the circular, central platform began to rise up about ten feet before a squadron of soldiers, Commander Sanders, and two vicious-looking cyborgs appeared in the hollow space of the risen floor. There were also auto-guns that were pushed outward from the sidewalls and ceiling of the platform.

Dolph was the first one to be shot, right in the back of the head, before more bullets landed in the computer and screen. The cyborgs made sure to defend the Commander against enemy fire, and sanders himself wielded a plasma rifle, shooting in concentrated bursts but still retaining accuracy at Stavikk. Stavikk’s thickened hides would normally protect against bullets to some extent, but the plasma tore right through. In shock and pain, but quick to act, Stavikk aimed his two assault rifles straight at Sanders, initially doing nothing against his shields and armor, but eventually busting through and injuring him considerably. Stavikk was taking heavy fire, both from Sanders and the cyborgs, and was forced to take cover under the bubble shield of an Auto-gun.

Ralph fought back against Sanders, devastating Sanders’ shields with close range shotgun blasts while Gabriello focused more on the Cyborgs, shooting at their vulnerable joints and trying to disable their oversized limbs. The Cyborgs soon unleashed their most dangerous weapons; firing mortar blasts from their shoulders while also concentrating with machine gun fire. Gabriello, now an incredibly powerful jumper, leaped out of the way of the mortars with the power of his cybernetic leg, but also taking gunfire, but most bullets being absorbed by his defender suit, luckily. Elyse didn’t have much to contribute to the fight. She grabbed the data chip from the computer, and hid behind Stavikk and the Auto-gun, taking pot shots when she could with her submachine gun. She was actually able to kill a couple of soldiers with headshots without being hit herself. Evan Scorchwood hid behind Steel barricades as cover while sniping the Cyborgs from a distance. He was able to shoot the mortars on their backs, which were not protected by the defender suits. The bullets hitting the non-fired mortars caused them to explode, sending pieces of metal flying into their backs, most caught by the defender suit, but not all. This gave him an opportunity to shoot bullets into their joints, disabling them from fighting. He chose to shoot them in the legs, which left them in prone positions, and vulnerable to gunfire.

After the cyborgs fell, so too did most of Sanders’ strategy. He, however, was able to rally his soldiers and maintain proper positioning, focusing Gabriello and dousing him in streams of lead. Gabriello ran for cover, but ended up being hit several times by Sanders and his allies. Evan went towards Gabriello, assisting him with cover fire and as much distraction as possible. Gabriello, however, suffered severe bleeding and muscle weakness, and could hardly move, while Sanders and his battalion advanced towards Gabriello at a frightening rate.

Stavikk and Ralph needed to act quickly in order to save Gabriello’s life, and only all of them combined could stop Sanders before he could reach Gabriello. They needed major trust in one another, and if they didn’t, Gabriello was going to die, and it was going to be their fault. A bolstered and coordinated effort between all of the other Guerillas bought Gabriello just enough time to survive. Stavikk and Ralph brawled at close range with guns and melee, Elyse assisted at medium range with her submachine gun, and Evan Scorchfield sniping from a distance. This combined effort brought down the soldiers surrounding Sanders, but not the Commander himself. Sanders reacted in a very strange way. He didn’t try to blow himself up as a final act of retribution or blow his brains out with a handgun, but instead bargained for his life. “You’ve gotten what you wanted,” said Sanders. “ “You have what you came here for, and you have me defeated”, Sanders said in a fittingly defeated tone. “All that I ask is that you spare my life in exchange for anything you might want.” “And if you came here to rob Nexactus, how about five million GC’s instead, with no added effort”. “That’s enough money to buy a Cruiser ship to escape this god-forsaken planet”. “Or you could fornicate with members of whatever sex you prefer”. “Your wildest dreams are at my dispo-“. “I don’t want your stinking money!” Stavikk replied, cutting him off with a loud and vengeful voice. “Then what do you want?” Sanders asked. “Whatever you want could be yours!”. Stavikk, unsatisfied and angry, declared one final desire: “Justice.”

Stavikk lit a match and dropped it on the corpse of Sanders, with a massive split in the front of his skull thanks to Stavikk’s cleaver bayonet, and covered in gasoline. As Sanders’ body lay there, scorching, Stavikk picked up and carried Gabriello’s unconscious body with both arms to try and escape the building. Just when they were about to go down the elevator platform, there was a huge explosion that blew the door open, with reinforcements rushing straight in. A platoon of Nexactus soldiers and robots was beyond that door, and rushing in, quickly. Luckily, the fire started at Sanders’ corpse grew, feeding off of the burning of wires in the building and blocking off the path between the Nexactus overwhelming platoon. They eventually activated the elevator and arrived at a lower floor, which was partially exposed to outside air. The lower floor resembled much like a tunnel opening, but also contained a suspended landing strip outside, that was suspended by cables, girders, and beams. The group reached outside and called in a helicopter to pick them up, before the whole building would collapse behind them. As they waited for the helicopter, Stavikk looked down once more at Gabriello, and said: “When this is over, don’t forget who saved your ass”.

The group eventually escaped by helicopter, quickly flying away from the Nexus. The nexus exploded behind them, shooting flaming pieces of metal and concrete everywhere. Stavikk and Ralph were holding onto the rope ladder, and Gabriello, Evan, and Elyse were in the main room. Stavikk and Ralph eventually climbed up, and Elyse removed the microchip that she had in her pocket, and inserted it into the computer that they had in the helicopter. Stavikk closed the side door of the helicopter, and Elyse accessed Nexactus files, searching through to find where their leader would be, and how they could take their president out, finally putting a stop to the corporation’s cruelty.

The corporation’s leader, known as Benevola, resided in her main headquarters where she could look over the entirety of Crescendurn with her status and power. Benevola, besides her name, was actually a brutal sociopath, caring nothing for her people and letting others do the dirty work for her. Her main headquarters was known as “Beacon tower”, the highest skyscraper in Crescendurn, possessing a sleek shape, and was ever so slightly curved inward in its shape, showing off Nexactus’ wealth and elegance. It possessed a white gold color on most of the tower, with a main large black stripe going up the center of the building, surrounded by two smaller purple stripes. The top of the tower had a very innovative design. It possessed a double-horn shape at the very tip, and each side of the top appeared to be a white blade that pierced the sky, each going slightly inward, and had horizontal projectors appearing on each blade. With the circular shape that was formed in the inside of the blades, the Beacon tower cast a giant purple “N” in the middle that lit up the midnight sky. Besides its elegance, however, the Guerillas learned that it was surprisingly well defended, outfitted with high-tech weaponry like other important Nexactus bases, but not as well defended as the information Nexactus. It couldn’t be, as it was a tower instead of a bunker. Because of the information that they received, the Guerillas knew where the defenses of the tower would be, and how to avoid them. They found, through the files, that most of the anti-air guns were located near the middle of the tower, mostly to resist bombings. They also found that Benevola would be at the top floor of the tower. The Guerillas knew that they would have to start near the bottom of the tower, and work their way up the floors. It was all or nothing, and the winners would take all.