"Did everyone hear that?" I asked my companions.

“Creatures! They are sending us to the slaughter.”

“We are doomed”

"I hate freaks!"

The reaction of the soldiers indicated that their countdown also started.

"We still have a chance.” I calmed them down. "But instead of a machine gun, we should use sniper rifles."

"Where can we get them?"

"According to the map, there's a checkpoint not far from here. There we will be able to undergo maintenance and take additional weapons.”

The checkpoint was a landing technical module that was being dropped from orbit. It was intended to restore the resource of troops that had been battered in battle. True, it was a long way to go, but for a rabid paratroopers ten kilometers was no detour. We sighed together and ran.

At the checkpoint, we replaced the hinges in the legs, replenished the ammunition, and two paratroopers took a sniper rifle in each hand instead of a standard machine gun. Alas, such a 'body kit' was incompatible with conventional weapons, so that in close combat the effectiveness of such fighters noticeably lower.

And then we had only to make our way stealthily to the well-known hill next to the Zergs’ base. There was no better sniper position in the area. I used the scanning techniques on my chakra to bypass the roach patrols that started cruising around the base. There were no enemies at all on the hilltop, so we had time to study the battlefield carefully.

However, we did not see anything new there. Workers were still carrying crystals to the hive, next to which stood the queen. There were no roaches in sight, but I was sure they were still sitting underground.

And then two of our 'snipers' took good aim and put three explosive bullets from each rifle into the stationary target. The Queen was literally torn to pieces. I recorded this action on video, after which we all rushed away from the agitated hive.

This time we were chased not only by roaches, but also by a couple of dozen zerlings. This is what predetermined the fate of my comrades. Unlike slow roaches, these 'dogs' ran twice as fast as the soldiers. They able to catch up last running soldier and threw him to the ground, tearing apart. We stopped and started shooting at them in bursts, but the nimble creatures dodged bullets.

While we were shooting, a squad of roaches caught up with us, and we had to run again, aiming the zerlings on the move. Unfortunately, my companions had no psionic abilities or superhuman reactions, so quickly became a victim of the swaying wave of zergs.

Zergs’ fangs also reached me, but this time by my exact calculation. Several attacks hit the radio transmitter on my suit, after which I lost contact with the base, and for one stopped recording my actions. After that, I was able to stop and use the chakra to destroy the most zealous pursuers.

And then began almost 'catching on the live bait'. I ran to the base, and the zerlings followed me. I accurately noted the distance of fifty meters, at which I destroyed any enemy. But if they kept that distance, I didn't pay attention to them.

That's how we got to the command post. A couple of hundred meters before the fence, the zergs fell back and began scouting the area, preparing an attack. I went straight to the command center, where I went brazenly to the control center, where sat the 'command staff' who gave me the order of a suicide mission.

"Private Gregor Graham arrived to a report on successful mission.” I shouted right in the ear of the dispatcher, whom I recognized by his voice.

“What's going on? How did you get here?” He jumped up.

"My communication device has been damaged, so I decided to report to you personally. My self-destruct device will be activated in a couple of minutes, during which I will explain the circumstances of the execution of the order.”

The dispatcher's eyes bulged and he began to look around, looking for ways to retreat. Alas, all paths were blocked by me. The system of destruction in the spacesuit will destroy not only the paratrooper, but also the suit itself. That should have been enough to smear the dispatcher in front of me into bloody mincemeat.

In normal situation, I wouldn't be able to go into this room. When an intruder was detected, a signal was transmitted to him, which banally will disable its suit, after which it was impossible to move around. But my signal reception system was broken, so, the signal is successfully avoided me. And a couple of security guards at the entrance didn't stop me, because they thought that if I was here, then I have right to be. After all, my suit was standard, and everyone wore similar from private to the junior officers.

Judging by the madly bulging eyes, the dispatcher was already preparing to die with me for the glory of the Fatherland. He couldn't even say anything, only back and crack, looking at me.

“You can confirm the execution of an order using a wire connection.” I prompted him, at the same time opening the corresponding connector on the suit.

He immediately realized and with trembling hands pulled out a cord from a desk drawer, which he connected to his computer and then to me. In five seconds my mission confirmed, stopped the countdown and even gave me a reward for completing of important task.

“Thank. Good luck, sir.”

I saluted and went out. And no one noticed how I fixed a briquette of explosives with a radio detonator under the countertop of a nearby table. This rat won't get rid of me so easily.

Then I went to the service station, where I completely maintenance the suit. Our sergeant was not at the base, so I went with a clear conscience to wander around the territory, having set the mode of autonomous movement. If necessary, the suit could walk by itself, without requiring control from the soldier.

If I stood somewhere on the sidelines, I would quickly be discovered and plowed into another 'special operation'. But now, I looked like busy with business, and no one paid any attention to me. People were moving in droves, and another marine didn't attract attention. So, I wandered circles. After four hours Zergs started their attack.

I learned that we had been attacked by a random shooting at one of the observation posts. After that, the shooting started around the perimeter of the base, and a dozen seconds later I noticed the first zergling breaking through inside the perimeter. The zergs came at us in an endless stream, and there was no chance of survival. To prevent the evacuation of the command center itself, which could take off and go into orbit on its own if necessary, I detonated previously planted explosives which blew the entire leadership team to shreds. After that, any attempts to overcome the panic stopped, and everyone saved only themselves.

In general, the success of earthlings in the opposition to the zerg was not bad. They were able to hold out for almost ten minutes before heavily armored roaches suppressed the remnants of resistance. Alas, our troops consisted only of ordinary paratroopers and light 'jeeps' with flamethrowers. They don’t have a heavy infantry, and without it, it was only possible to destroy the cockroach with the combined fire of at least five paratroopers.

I myself have performed miracles of heroism and proved to be one of the last people able to resist. I banally strengthened my suit with the help of the chakra, for one thing increasing the piercing ability of the machine gun. In the end, I was surrounded by a crowd of roaches, which banally crushed me with mass and pinned to the ground.

As I had expected, the Zergs had not killed the most powerful fighters, but left them as a promising source of DNA for later assimilation. After half an hour of being in the 'face in the mud' position, the Zerg Queen came up to me. To my surprise, it was the same Queen we had shot near the hive. The Zerg were similar to each other, but still different. Small, insignificant details like color spots or the shape of armor plates were unique, allowing the computer to uniquely identify each individual. But the Queen in front of me was an exact replica of the one we had literally defragmented just a few hours ago.

I felt an attempt to telepathic influence on myself, but I could not understand what the thought was trying to convey to me. It seemed that the Zergs mind worked on different principles than the human mind. However, the very impact I felt and reflexively resisted him. The queen squawked something, then turned, extended her ovipositor and drove it straight into my stomach. A couple of litres of some substance were pumped into my body through him. This execution ended and I was left 'ripe' surrounded by my guards.

My mutation into zerg was under my complete control. I used the chakra to subdue the transforming flesh. Initially, the Zerg's body was supposed to be controlled by psionics. But the chakra allowed me to take this control to a completely different level. In fact, I was setting up a mutation program for myself, using patterns and solutions embedded in the zergs’ DNA.

After a couple of hours, the transformation process was over, and I was able to take a break from seeing the outside world. I was surprised to find that no one was holding me anymore, and I was just lying around among a couple of dozen 'lucky' people who were considered worthy of 'elevation'. I didn't need the suit anymore, so I just tore it to pieces, crushing the metal like plasticine. My new body combined the best features of Zerg and humans, and for one perfectly conducted the chakra, allowing me to reach a state that only monsters like the First Hokage could boast of in the world of Naruto.

Having risen to my feet, I examined myself and decided that I still had work to do on my appearance. My entire body was covered with elastic plates of pink-brown armor. The fingers ended in claws, and the feet looked more like the paws of a demon. I didn't see my face, but I think it's for the best.