The bumps are what finally awoke her. The shadows of light dancing on her skin as the sun struggled through the tiny holes above her face. Mythica couldn’t exactly tell what was going on, her senses too weak to pick up on any external signal of her surroundings. However, one thing was very clear. She was not where she was supposed to be. Enclosed, cramped and encased in something. Why? The question lingered at the edge of her mind. Where was here? What was happening? And how did it happen? All of these thoughts raced through her head, but before the woman could even consider any answers, the edges of the box split apart! Light came flooding in from her left, the muffled sound of voices and machinery could be heard all around, assaulting her ears with the loud mechanical clanging. Her eyes finally adjusted she saw exactly what was outside of the space she was stuck in. Metal bars, and a large room. Her face squinted as a screeching sound rung through the air, shaking her eardrums. Something was happening. She was moving. The entire cage rattle and shook as it was pulled from its crate. A whole new world shone high above and all around as the young girl tried to make out what was happening. From what she could see, it was a massive garage of some sort. All around her she could see hundreds of other crates being shipped and moved by large vehicles… And what looked like robots? This was not good. She was not at all anywhere she recognized. Finally the urge to escape hit the wizard. This was not at all how she planned on going out. Like some caged animal. Mythica’s instinct kicked in and she began to focus her energy, her eyes narrow with hatred… But soon turned to shock. Nothing was happening. Her power wasn’t there! What was this? She had never felt this sensation before… Helplessness. The girl frantically looked at her hands to notice no reaction in them at all. Her body felt cold and almost numb… Nothing. With that action taken, the girl did notice something else however… A thick metal collar around her neck. A small beeping light steadily blinked on and off. She grunted angrily, pulling at it as hard as she could but it would not come off! Over and over again she yanked, but nothing changed. That was until the collar gave of a high pitched ringing sound that hurt her ears, followed quickly by an abrupt shock to the neck which extend throughout her entire body! What was this collar, was it the reason she wasn’t able to use her magic? She could know nothing for certain, but theories were quickly running through her head. Along with the urge to escape. BUt for now she could only feel pain from the shock. SO much so that she could do nothing else but collapse on the ground of her cage, breathing heavily as her muscles spasmed and twitched. Finally a shadow appeared over her eyes. She tried to make out what it was, and as it came closer into view she could see it was a person. They were wearing an odd black suit. Covered in head to toe. And an ominous looking mask.
“So this was subject 7X-12?”
“Yes sir. Project: Paradox”
“Seems a bit feisty, that collar will hold?”
“That’s what it’s built for, sir. She won’t be able to cause any trouble so long as it’s around her neck.” Mythica couldn’t tell where the 2nd voice was coming from, but she could hear it all around her. The exhaustion soon set in, and she couldn’t even bring herself to speak. “Good. Have Paradox brought to verification. Sell the rest.”
“At once.” The cage was moving again. The figure in black moved out of the way and the blinding light from above returned to shine straight into the girl’s eyes. And soon darkness crept back into her view as her mind slowly drifted off into shadow…
Pain. Anger. Shock. Regret. These were the only emotions Mythica felt over the time after. How long had it been now? A few hours? Days? Weeks? She had no idea. Ironically her sense of time was all fuzzy now. All she knew was that her situation was very wrong. She needed an out, but had no idea where to even begin. Everything was disorientated and weird. She could only see odd shapes and colours before the pain returned. It always came back. No matter how long it had been, she could feel it. Creeping up her legs and arms until it hit her spine. Shooting through everything. Blood. She could taste blood. Dripping from her lips and maybe her nose. Onto the metal floor she finally awoke. Her sense came flooding back and Mythica’s body quickly rose upwards! Breathing heavily she stared ahead with a wide eyed expression. Nothing there except a grey steel wall. After a few seconds her head slowly turned, still breathing heavily she noticed a small steel platform extending from the wall. It appeared to be a bed of some sort. A small white pillow lying on its edge. Her hands crept up to her face, feeling it for a moment before her eyes noticed the holes. Small red dots along her arms and legs. She had also been wearing something entirely different. A grey suit that looked more like a gown patients at hospitals were forced to wear… But Mythica knew this was no hospital. Something much more sinister was a foot. Something even she could not have predicted. Something moved past her and she instinctively turned to see it. A glass wall. The girl slowly got up, her head dizzy and painful, her body weak and heavy. She stumbled for a few moments, placing a hand on the glass to steady herself. Finally she could get a good look at what was out there, and none of it made any sense to her. From what she could tell, it was some sort of prison. That much was obvious. But where? And why was Mythica here? This obviously wasn’t work of the Magic Council. They didn’t even know she existed. How did she even get here in the first place? That was the most important question as far as Mythica was concerned. No matter how hard she tried to remember though… She couldn’t. She had no idea what she was doing before ending up in this predicament. None at all. And something was determined she would never remember…
Carrick sat still at his desk, looking over his screen. Behind him was a tall window overlooking the metropolis of Bosco. The most advanced city nation on the planet. This had been quite a day for the man. The day he finally found something strong enough to bring to the other side. At least that’s what he had hoped. There was no guarantee that it would work, but he had his hopes. And the evidence backed up his theories quite a bit. All that was left now was to wait until the right time. They couldn’t always send stuff through whenever they wanted, it was too dangerous. At least that’s what had been proven through the last few tests. For some reason the gate could only take so much input before it shut down, erasing every molecule inside it instantaneously. But this specimen was far different than the rest. She was strong. Even if her power was limited now, Paradox had shown considerable tolerance to pain and probing over the past few weeks. Now Paradox was set to travel to the other side and be used in their most dangerous experiment yet. Reality Gem. The gate had allowed them to move between Earthland and Avalon almost instantly. Luckily for them it was also quite large. For years now the Nova Corp was able to transport people and gear across, until they eventually built a foothold in the strange and hostile new world. And it was there they discovered the Reality Gem. An ancient black stone that twisted and altered the very reality of it surrounded. While the natives weren’t too happy with this, there was little they could do to stop Nova Corp. They were far more technologically superior, and encountered little resistance with their plans. However, that was the least of Carrick’s concerns now. Because the project had nothing to do with whether or not Paradox could make it through the gate, but if she could be used to fuse with the gem. Recent tests had determined that the gem had unnatural reactions to organic matter. More research was conducted and Nova Corp was found out that when working in unison with organic matter, its power could be manipulated and controlled. And now the time was finally here to create a prototype of their new design. Fusing the gem with a powerful human being, making them unstoppable. Of course there was much concern that even if this test did work, the being would simply turn on the corporation. But that’s what Carrick was here for. Find the best way to contain Paradox at all costs. And he thought he might just have a way. While they live in a world that brims with magic, there are ways to suppress this. Luckily for Nova Corp, Carrick has had much experience in this field. He was a successful operation leader of a police force that specialized in tracking down and disabling magic users. While simply anti-magic collars and cuffs worked like charms on the regulars, Paradox was indeed no regular. She was far stronger, and far different than the rest. As a result, she needed something equally as strong to hold her magic back. That’s where the nano cells came into play. A highly developed nano-cybernetic cell that when inserted into the bloodstream could adapt and blend in with its host’s body. However, when the host starts to inhibit magical powers and urges, the cells react in unison to release pulses throughout the body, stopping the magic from its source. Even fused with the reality gem, Paradox would be unable to fully control her own power without Nova Corp’s say so. And recent tests discovered this to be highly effective on other wizards as well. Paradox has shown no differences than any of the others. The operation was long and painful, but now she was filled from head to toe with these nanobots that could inhibit all of her magical abilities. All that was left now was to equip Paradox with the standard nerve control exoskeleton and she would have zero control of her own body. A super slave for Nova Corp. And her first order of business would be to put down the annoying resistance that inhibited Nova Corp’s operations within Avalon.
“Sir!’ Carrick looked up from his desk as the door to his office quickly flew open. A younger gentlemen quickly walked towards him and dropped a pile of papers on his desk. “We have the latest test results. All green. We found the perfect specimen for this project.” Carrick smiled and stood up, before turning to face the tall window overlooking Bosco. “She isn’t taking it too well I assume?” The other man hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m afraid not, sir. As instructed the guards have left her alone in her cell, but… She won’t stop screaming.” Carrick raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“She proved to be almost perfect… Although Paradox’s psychiatric profile left much to be desired. Whoever she was before we found her.. She wasn’t exactly the most mentally stable being on the planet.” Carrick frowned before looking over to him slightly. “While unfortunate, it matters little. Her job does not require her mind to be healthy, only her body.” The man nodded. “O- Of course sir.” Carrick stared out the window for a few more seconds before turning again and clapping his hands together. “Well then! Let’s not keep her waiting any longer. It’s time. Start the gate, I’ll be down shortly.”
“Right away, sir!”
“Oh! And one more thing.” Carrick said as the man stopped and turned towards him. “Hm?”
“When the procedure is finished… Make sure Project: Void knows he’s been replaced.”
More pain. It always came back. Just when Mythica thought it might be over, her body jolted with more and more pain. She creamed. She cried. But no matter how loud she was, it never stopped. Strapped to that table with the hot lights shining down on her for what felt like an eternity. She could feel her bones scraping together. Her blood boiling with rage. Her heart beating like it was going to pop out of her chest at any moment! The pain never stopped. And Mythica knew that as soon as she got out of here, they would all feel the same thing she did for eternity. If it was even living people behind her misery anyways. She hadn’t seen another living thing for days. Only cold, lifeless machinery. Operating on her for hours at a time. And the word part about it all was that she was completely helpless to stop them. No magic left her body no matter how hard she tried to command it too. She was weak… And she knew it. She tasted her own blood again and that’s when a thought came into her mind… If only she swallowed… This could all be over. It only took a few drops of her own blood and this whole operation would come crashing to the ground. If she only gave into the dog demon’s desires… She could be free. But at what cost? Sacrificing her already fragile mental state to yet another demon? Losing control of her magic was just the beginning, soon the dog demon would have her entire mind and soul. Was it worth it? To stop the pain? To rip apart all those responsible for her screams? All she had to do was swallow the drops of blood forming in her mouth… And she would become a living nightmare. Maybe later… For now she was just too tired. For now she needed some sleep… And the pain had just stopped. Maybe she could rest a bit before the pain came back.. And then they would all regret they ever laid their eyes on her.
“Alright, so here’s the plan! Echo, Delta, and Gamma, you three are responsible for their communications. Drop in from 20’000 feet and make your way to the satellite dish! Disable it long enough for Alpha and Omega to infiltrate and extract the target!” Vincent yelled as the aircraft threatened to drown him out with the intense roar of the engines. “After your objective is complete, you three will head to the rendezvous point and provide cover for Alpha and Omega. Target is likely to be weak, and won’t have consciences. This place is crawling with Novites, so as soon as you have the target, to make a run for it. They’ll throw everything they got at you, so count your bullets and check your corners! This mission may be our only chance at winning this war, and we can’t afford to blow it, understood!?”
“Understood, sir!” Vincent nodded. “Good, then prepare yourselves! First drop is in 3 minutes!” The soldiers in the aircraft quickly prepared their gear. Checking everything twice to be sure. Vincent walked past them towards the cockpit. Echo, a white haired girl, eyed him as he passed her. As the door closed she scoffed and looked over to Delta. “Funny how this mission might be the most important one of the war, yet we aren’t even being told who we’re getting.” Delta, an older man with black hair shrugged as he checked his magazine and sites. “Not our place to know. You know the rules. Void seems to think they’re important to the Novites… So that means they’re better with us.” Echo chuckled as she rolled her eyes. “Always defending him.”
“Would you two cut the chatter? Trying to focus on making sure this thing works.” The man across the aircraft said, looking at a screen attached to his arm. “You do realize we’re diving head first into a Novite nest, right? What’s that thing gonna do?” Echo asked. The man responded with a sigh. “Well, if you MUST know, it’s gonna make YOUR job a lot easier. Mini EMP, disables security systems and other electronics without the right chips in them.” Echo scoffed. “Yeah, if you get it to work Gamma. I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference either way. My drone is never spotted.”
“Well there’s a first time for everything.” Omega said as she stood up and attached her rifle to her back. “Ain’t that right babe?” She winked at the man sitting next to her. Middle aged, brown hair and beard. Team leader Alpha. “Not sure I get the reference.” Echo said as Alpha smiled and chuckled to himself, looking over his weapon. “You’ll understand when you’re older.” Alpha responded. “Ain’t that the truth.” Delta commented as he looked towards the ceiling. Echo turned back to him with a half confused stare before rolling her eyes and standing up, grabbing the ceiling handle next to Omega. “Well I’m sorry we can’t all be married to the captain of the team, but some of us still know how to handle our weapons better than our mouths.” Omega’s expression quickly changed from a smirk to a blank stare, while the others simply snickered in response. “Oh really?” Omega said turning to face the youngest member of the team. “Well let’s see if you choke on those big words huh? Turn on your kill counter, I’ll turn on mine.” Echo stared Omega straight in the eyes just as the others got up and got into their positions. “Gamma, you’re recording this, right?” Echo said while staring at Omega’s eyes. “I always record missions, yes.”
“Good.” Echo said as she flicked a little switch next to trigger. Suddenly the tiny screen on the side of her weapon flickered to life with three zeroes. Delta and Alpha looked to each other and then back at Echo. “Oh this mission just got a hell of a lot more interesting.” Omega didn’t say a word, but did the same. “Highest score wins.” She finally said, chewing the gum in her mouth. “You’re on, grandma.” Any further response was quickly interrupted as the entire aircraft shook suddenly, and Vincent walked out from the cockpit. “All right soldiers! Your time is up, Echo, Delta, Gamma, get to your jump positions! Go! Go! Go!” He yelled, motioning with his hand as the three did as instructed. Echo kneeled in front, facing the back of the aircraft. Delta crouched just behind her while Gamma stood behind both of them. A bright light appeared from the roof of the aircraft, it covered the entire cabin with a red glow. Suddenly the rear hatch began to slowly open. A rush of wind and air drowned out all other noise and the intense glow of the sun flooded the inside of the aircraft! The blanket of clouds moving past at incredible speed in front of them. Nothing but the wind could be heard for a solid 5 seconds before a long buzzer sounded, and the light turned green! That was the signal. Echo instantly pushed her legs forward, diving off the edge of the plane and into the veil of clouds. Delta and Gamma soon followed behind. Vincent yelled orders at the remaining two, and they quickly got into positions of their own and awaiting the signal for a similar procedure.
Echo landed first. Her feet touching the ground before her body quickly followed with a roll. As soon as she regained her balance she tapped a silver clip in her shoulder, quickly detaching the long blue parachute from her suit. Removing the weapon from her back she loaded it and moved forward across the desert landscape towards a large outcropping of rock. It was there she took cover and turned towards the sky. Her heads display scanning the empty blue for the signatures of her squad. Delta and Gamma were close bye. Good. The faster they united the faster she’d be able to move forward with the mission and kill some Novites. She was notified the second her teammates landed and immediately began to move towards their meeting point. In the distance she could see their target as well. A large looming structure with a round satellite dish attached to its top. Her objective was simple. Infiltrate their communications, locate Alpha and Omega’s target, and then disable the Novite’s comms. Shouldn’t be too difficult, considering the entire area was nothing but rocky desert canyons and outstretched rocks. In the middle of the night as well, it was hard to spot them. They had state of the art sensor tech, completely hiding them from the scopes of the standard motions sensors the Novites liked to use. They were ghosts in a sandstorm, almost completely invisible. Echo knew this and made sure to take advantage of this fact. This far out from their target she didn’t need to worry much about getting spotted by the enemy. For now all she needed to focus on was reaching the rendezvous in time to initiate the the second stage of the operation… Infiltrating and disabling their communications facility so that Alpha and Omega could extract the target while their enemy was blinded. To be perfectly honest with herself, Echo wasn’t too worried about the outcome of this job. She had done dozens like it before. She might’ve been the youngest and most inexperienced member of the fireteam, but she was far from helpless. For the past 3 years she had been fighting the invading Novites, first on her own in any way she could until the resistance found and recruited her. And even though the invaders were tough, she was confident that one day they would kick them off their world and reclaim their independence… One day.
“Comm check. Echo.. Checking in.” Echo said, her voice sounding filtered and digital through the confines of her helmet. She waited for several seconds until she got a response. “Comm check… Delta checking in.”
“Comm check… Gamma checking in.” Good, all three members of her squad had landed safely. Flipping up a screen on her wrist, Echo could see her location in relation to the others. Two other green dots blipped on the screen confirming their positions, and Echo was headed for the center. Her enhanced speed and strength allowed her to carefully but very quickly hop between the rocks and over small crevices that littered the entire area. This entire region used to look completely different. A lush savannah that was used for rice farming… Yet all that changed when the Novites descended from their portal and destroyed the land in their search for fuel. Now it was reduced to nothing but a rocky desert wasteland. Maybe with all their fancy tech, the Novites also had a way to undo the mass amounts of destruction they had caused to her world… But that was just wishful thinking. She couldn’t imagine anything could reverse the effects of something this destructive. Nonetheless, she could still do her best to prevent them from doing the same thing somewhere else. That is why she was here after all, fighting for what she believed in.
Finally the meeting point was in view. A large rock that arched over one of the bigger canyons, creating a bridge of sorts over the dark crevice. She could see one of her teammates already there, standing in the middle of the rock, but he was too far away for Echo to tell who it was. Checking her screen once more she determined this was Delta. Not that she was very surprised, Delta was normally the first one to get things done during their missions. He was considerably faster and stronger than Echo anyways, but that was alright. Her job wasn’t to be big and overpowering. She waved with one hand as she ran up to him. Delta nodded. “About time.” He mocked. Echo rolled her eyes underneath her helmet and shrugged. “Saw a pretty rock, wanted to capture the moment.” She responded aptly. “I’m sure.” Delta remarked before turning his head to the horizon, staring at the large object loomin in the darkened distance. “Gamma should be here by now.” Echo said, looking around cautiously. “He’ll be here. Likely scanning the area before we move forward. You know how he is.” Delta replied, checking his weapon again as Echo received a blip on her screen. “Ah, found him.”
“Where?”
“Over the ridge.” They both looked up and saw Gamma climb over the last boulder on top of the large ridge that towered above them. Without saying anything, he proceeded to leap off of it and fall towards the two! Gamma turned his body mid air however and threw out a long grappling hook that quickly attaches itself to the rock and slowed his descent until he let go just above the ground. “I think I may have missed the designated landing site. No matter, we’re here now.” Gamma said as he regained his balance. Tugging on the hook a few times until it came loose, quickly retracting into its case. Delta didn’t respond, but turned and continued towards there objective. Echo just nodded towards Gamma and did the same. Gamma sighed in response and followed closely behind, checking his scanner for any potential threats in the area.
“We better hurry.” Gamma said, trailing behind the other two. “We only got a small timeframe to do this. Alpha and Omega will be at the holding facility within the next two hours. If that dish is still operational when they get there, the-” He was cut off by Delta. “Yeah, we’re all fully aware of our roles, we don’t need a reminder.” He said coldly, through the confines of his helmet. “I’m just saying… I’d be taking this mission a little more seriously if I were you. So you even realize what’s at stake?” Echo rolled her eyes underneath her helmet before responding to Gamma. “To be perfectly honest, not really. We’ve been fighting the Novites for what, 3 years now? We’ve learned everything we can about them, where they come from, what they want. They’ve burned our cities and enslaved our people. And after all the fighting Void thinks that a single weapon has the power to turn the tide of the entire war? I’ll complete the mission, but I doubt our success will make much of a difference.”
“You have too little faith in the man… He’s got us this far.” Echo finally turned back to face Gamma. “And how far is that, exactly? Have we gotten ANY closer to City of Walls? Have we recaptured our towns and set our people free? Do we even know who is leading this invasion? No, we don’t. For all we know Void is still working with the Novites…”
“Shut up.” Delta finally said. “What? It’s true, he could st-” Delta lifted a hand and gave the halt signal. Both Gamma and Echo stopped dead in their tracks and waited further instruction… They both knew what that meant. “Movement ahead… 20 meters. Down the ridge. You see?” Gamma and Echo silently walked up besides Delta and peered down the canyon wall to the road below. As he said, there was indeed a bunch of movement. A military checkpoint to be specific. And it was right in the middle of the canyon…
“Any way around?” Echo said. Gamma took a look at his scanners, tapping a few buttons on his wrist pad. “Not for another 8 kilometers. The canyon is too wide to cross anywhere else. We need to use the stairs they built into the side.” Delta nodded. “Of course, if they see us and alert their friends, our entire mission is compromised. We’ll have to do this silently and quickly.” Echo knew that much for sure. This was far from her first mission. Luckily for them, however, the place didn’t seem to be heavily guarded. A few well placed sniper shots from up here could easily take out the checkpoint’s sentries while two of them snuck down and silently took down the straglers before they ever knew what hit them.
“Alright. You two head down then, I’ll set up a spot about 20 meters higher. As soon as the second body falls, you head straight for sides and take out the ones on patrol.” Echo said, taking a knee and removing the large pack on her back. She didn’t hesitate to open it, revealing the contents included several pieces of what looked like a pretty high end sniper rifle. Taking them out one at a time, she quickly attached each piece to its specific slots and after a few moments it would finally be finished. Holding it high up for the world to see was her prized M-24 Wraith rifle. She couldn’t help but smile at it for a moment before looking over to her two companions. WHom had already started down the canyon wall without waiting for her to get into position. At least they knew what they were doing… She had hoped so anyways. Not wasting anymore time admiring her sniper, Echo would quickly get back up and carry the heavy weapon as fast as she could towards the specified location. It didn't take long. Despite the rocky cliffs, Echo wasn’t being very careful. She didn’t need to be. She had spent her entire life in this region. SHe had memorized almost every detail and hole in the ground, her feet knew exactly where to go before even her mind did. Nowadays though it was a different story. She wasn’t able to return here as much as she would’ve liked. Ever since the Novites invaded, the entire region was on heavy lockdown. She and her family had been pushed out and now she was going to take her home back, even if she needed to kill for it.
A few moments laster, Echo was in position. Lying on her stomach with her intimidating looking black rifle gleaming in the sun, she spotted her targets. The checkpoint wasn’t all that big, thankfully. It only consistent of two sentry towers and a small gate. Most likely this was meant to regulate the movements of troops, nothing too important. After all, this comm facility was supposed to be a well kept secret… But Void knew everything about the Novites. She scanned the checkpoint for a few more moments, trying to get a read on how many soldiers were at the base. If there were too many for Delta and Gamma to handle, she might need to intervene as well. Speed was key. If even one of the soldiers called for help, their entire mission risked complete failure. That wasn’t an option. They had all sacrificed so much in this war, and now according to some they had a real chance of winning it now. A secret weapon the Novites didn’t want anyone to know about was sitting just under their noses. Of course, something was odd about this whole thing though. If this supposed weapon was so important to the enemy, why have it in a facility all the way out in the desert? Wouldn’t it be much more safer in their walled off Head Quarters in the mountains? This whole situation didn’t site right with Echo, but she had her orders. Perhaps the Novites decided secrecy would be the best defense of this weapon… Or they had plans to use it somewhere nearby. Either way, it wouldn’t matter for long. It was her duty to help take it off their hands for good, and use it against them in any way possible.
Finally spotting Delta and Echo again, they were hiding behind a large outcropping of rock only a few meters away from the checkpoint. Delta looked up directly towards Echo and slowly nodded. She knew what that meant, and quickly loaded her weapon. Breathing in silently, she slowly moved it towards her first target… A lone soldier standing guard on the tower farthest from her. Thankfully her weapon had a silencer. Unless they see him get shot, they’d have no idea he went down. The railings of the towers were eye, making any body that fell down shielded from the view of the others. Finally, Echo released the first shot! It zoomed through the air at high speeds, colliding directly into the helmet of her target! No sound came except a small grunt, and he was down. THere was no way their armor could protect them against the Wraith. Its rounds were armor peircing and could kill just about anything if landed in the head. Luckily nobody saw the soldier fall, and she quickly moved towards her 2nd target. Just as he turned to notice the absence of his partner, she released the second shot. This time the bullet hit him straight in the neck! He choked on his own blood for several moments before collapsing to the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief when his death went unnoticed by the soldiers below.
With the two sentries down, Gamma and Delta knew it was their turn to move in. Delta gave Gamma a hand signal to go around the left side. Gamma quickly nodded and did as instructed. Delta carefully tipdoed his way around the rock, being extra careful not to make any noise as he silently unhooked the long blade from his chest. This knife was his favourite tool, and it had saved his life more times than once. Just as he was about to enter the view of the checkpoint, he stopped. He only stuck his head out to silently observe the patterns of the guards. Thankfully they seemed completely unaware to their presence. Echo was an excellent sniper, and knew exactly where to hit her targets so they wouldn’t make much sound upon their death. Delta continued to moniter his target until his back was turned. Not wasting this chance, he rushed forwards with his knife and plunged it deep into the soldier’s neck! He gagged and dropped his weapon. Delta looked over to see Gamma take out his target with a quick neck snap, both bodies dropping in synch. Good, another two down. From what he had remembered, there was at least two more. Each guarding both sides of the gate. Only one problem. The gate was in an extremely exposed position. Delta and Gamma would need to rush them head on, giving the guards more than enough time to call for help. Echo could snipe them, but even she wasn’t quick enough to kill both before help was called. He knew her weapon almost as well as she did. The Wraith needed to be reloaded after every shot. Perhaps its only flaw. There seemed to be only one option left. He and Gamma would need to land a precise shot with their weapons both at the same time. This plan didn’t sit too well with Delta, but there wasn’t really any other option at this point, and they had come too far to fail now. Turning over to Gamma who was awaitng a command from him, he gave him a few hand signals to communicate the plan. Gamma hesitated for a second but slowly nodded, taking out his silent side arm. Delta did the same and got ready to pop out from behind the rock and down his target. Counting to three in his head, he nodded at Gamma and the two quickly exposed themselves! THey were in direct view of the two soldiers who quickly took a step back and raised their weapons. However, they were both on the ground before they could fire. Two precise shots was all that was needed from them. Once their targets were down, Gamma and Delta would quickly run over to finish them off. The whole process only took a few seconds before they were wiping their blades clean of blood.
“I was wondering what you were planning to do there.” Delta heard a chuckle from behind him. Turning he saw Echo sliding down the canyon’s less steep wall with the black Wraith in hand. “I always figure something out.” He responded bluntly. “Oh I should hope so, otherwise you wouldn’t be in this line of work, now would you?” She continued to laugh. Echo was more surprised they didn’t make up a plan for those two guards before they came down. Gamma was checking his radar once more before speaking up. “Aye, we’re close now. This checkpoint must’ve acted as one of the entry points into the comm facility. Most of it is underground.” He said scanning the surroundings. “Should be pretty simple from here. The Novites relied on secrecy for its defense, they didn’t spend a lot of resources on security.” Delta nodded. “Then let’s move. We gotta get those systems down for Alpha and Omega.”
Mythica’s senses were starting to slowly return, however she wasn’t exactly sure where she was. Her eyesight flickered in and out of focus before finally coming to full functionality. Her face was expressionless save for the few twitches of her muscles after coming back after so long. Surrounding the girl a cool mist drifted downwards on all sides and she began to slowly rise from her laid back position. Around her the room was dark and covered in shadows. The only light came from the various view screens that dotted the walls. However, she care little and took no notice of those things, as her focus was tuned much towards her arms and legs. Coming out of them were various small wires, which had been implanted into her skin! Her eyes widened suddenly and she quickly tried to pull them out, but she was met with an intense sting of pain throughout her entire body! She screamed for a moment, before the pain went away as she let go of the tubing.
“Th- This is Paradox? This is the weapon?!” A voice said behind her. Mythica wearily turned her tired head to view the source of the noise, only to find two black figures. Armed with weapons that looked like more advaned versions of her own. They dorned heavy, bullet-proof armor, and wore ominous looking gas masks. “I guess so. We don’t have time to speculate. It won’t be long until the realize its gone. Take it.” The other one said, a male. The girl nodded and quickly rushed over to a console nearby. Mythica hadn’t the strenght to say or do anything, except stare at them with tired hazy eyes. The woman fiercily typed something on the console while the male solider slowly walked around the container Mythica was sitting on. He looked at her curiously, before reaching out and grabbing her chin with his hand. Mythica wanted to kill him. She wanted to kill both of them. But whatever these monsters did to her had left the girl in a constant weakened state. There was little she could do except accept whatever it is these two mysterious figures were planning. For now at least. She’d figure out a way to break out of here and kill everyone in her path in due time. “She has a clock in her eye…” The man said to his comrade. The woman simply chuckled. “That’s what these freaks do. Experiments on living people. Likely what happened to her.” Finally, after a few more seconds of typing, Mythica felt a sudden ease in her skin. A relieving feeling as the tubes connecting her appendages to unknown machines began to detatch themselves, leaving behind only marks of their presence. Mythica frowned and drifted, almost falling off the table before the man caught her. “Package retrieved, heading to extraction point now.” The man said, hoisting Mythica over his shoulder…
4 days later Mythica awoke once more. This time in a very different spot. The light above her swayed slightly as she began to regain her focus. This feeling was starting to get repetitive. If she had to lose her concscience one more time, she’d make sure everyone responsible died screaming. “Ah, you’re awake.” She heard a voice say. She looked over and saw an older man sitting in a chair in the corner of the small room. Now that she had better vision, she noticed how small the room actually was. And how dirty it was… Mythica’s enhanced senses picked up on the smell first, causing her nose to scrunch up instinctevly. This was not the same place she had been in before. Whoever had kidnapped her first at least kept her cell clean. Whoever was behind this kidnapping clearly didn’t care as much. “Was wondering if you were ever going to come too.” The man said again. He had thick black hair, a longer nose, and round glasses. He sat there, maybe 10 feet away from Mythica reading from an old book. It wasn’t until Mythica leaned upwards that he finally took his gaze away from it and stared directly at her. “Curious. I wasn’t aware Nova Corp cared about the looks of their experiments. For what purpose would they have for putting a clock within your eye? Seems cruel if you ask me.” He said, speaking mostly to himself as Mythica was still regaining her senses. The first thing she did when she sat up was look at her arms and legs. The tubes were gone, but the marks were still there. Even if they were faded slightly. A long silence hung over the room as Mythica continued to look over her own body, the old man staring at her the entire time. Finally Mythica spoke. For the first time in months.
“What happened?” Were the only words that left the girl’s mouth. The man shut his book and leaned forwards. “You’ve been asleep for 4 days. Our team managed to rescue you from Nova Corp. You were in bad shape when we found you, but you should get a lot beter now that you’ve rested.” Mythica was silent yet again. This was by far the weirdest experience she had felt in a long time. And she must’ve let it happen. How else could she have gotten herself into this mess? What else could’ve triggered something like this? Hell if she knew, her memory was all fuzzy. She had no idea where she was, and what had happened beyond a few faint memories. She needed to get back to her guild. “Where am I?” She asked again. The man smiled slightly and stood up. “You’re safe. That’s all you need to know. The name’s Void.” He said again, extending a hand to help her to her feet. Mythica was reluctant at first, but soon sucummbed to the feeling and grabbed his hand. She stood up and felt her balance a little shaky. Odd… This brought back another memory. One that happened so long ago. When she was far younger. She had met her adoptive father in a similar manner. Confused, tired, and having a severe lack of memory. Only back then the room was a lot brighter, and cleaner. The window overlooking the capital of Crocus was a site to be seen.. And she’d never forget it. But that was all in the past, her father was never coming back from his long disappearance. Instead Mythica tried to focus on the present. This man, in front of her, was named Void. He certainly looked old enough to be Merlin’s age, but then again, that man never did seem to age from what she could remember. Every memory she had of him, he had looked the exact same. Even after reuniting with him after 8 long years of absence. His looks did not change. What else should she have expected from the man who taught her everything she knew about magic. But then he vanished yet again. Leaving her all alone in this dark, cold world. It was partly his fault for the way she turned out. And it was his fault she was doing what she was. She would never forget that. And if she ever saw him again… She’d rip him limb from limb for all the pain and anguish he put her through. His leaving had much longer lasting effects than anything she had experienced beforehand. And anything since.
“You alright?” The man said again. Mythica’s attention snapped back towards Void who looked down on her with a concerned expression. “Y- Yeah.. I just need to k- know what’s going on..” She said, putting a hand to her head. “Right. Walk with me. I’ll tell you everything.” Void said, opening the room’s single door and stepping out. The first thing Mythica noticed was the stench of gasoline, smoke, and steel. Odd. She followed him closely as he lead her down a myraid of hallways. They all seemed brightly lit, and multiple people walked through them. Many of which gave Mythica odd stares and whispered to each other as they passed. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but something was certainly off. She must’ve been pretty important. Despite the lack of memory she had before, Mythica could still make out bits and pieces of her conscinece from when she awoke in the oddly dark room beforehand. Those mysterious figures that had rescued her brough her back to this place. Must’ve been. Who else could Void be referring too when he said that? Of course she had no idea who these people were, or why they had rescued her, or even who her captors were! OR EVEN WHERE SHE WAS! Of course, that would all probably come in the next few minutes. Void did say after all he would tell her everything. “First off, I’ll rip off a few band-aids first. You’re not in Earthland. I’m sorry, but its true. You are currently in the world of Avalon. A once beautiful and vibrant realm that was completely destroyed by nuclear war a few hundred years back.” Mythica blinked surprisingly a few times, but other than that, Void saw no other reaction come from the girl. “Huh. Not what I was expecting.”
“This isn’t the first time I was unwillingly brought to another realm.” She told him. Void shrugged. “Yeah, I guess not. Earthland seems to have the reputation for being a hub world for many other realms. I should know, I’m also from there.” He said through a smile. Mythica didn’t react much to that either. Other than the intial surprise of being shocked, tortured, and having limited amnesia, she didn’t find her current situation all that odd. “Well, the other thing you need to know is that you’re currently stuck here.” He said. Mythica raised an eyebrow. “You plan on keeping me a prisoner?” She asked. Void chuckled. “Nah, we’re not like the guys who dragged you here. What I am trying to say is that there is only one known way between Avalon and Earthland. And unfourtunately the people who kidnapped you and brought you to this hell have it compeltely under their control. Locked away within their headquarters inside a massive, well guarded fortress city thousands of miles from here.” Mythica sighed. “This sounds like it’s going to take a lot of work.” She said. Void nodded. “Aye, it will. But lucky for you, you’re in the presence of someone who can help you get home.” She turned curiously. “If you’re willing to do something for them, that is.” Of course, there was the catch. She hadn’t kept her hopes up super high. “You see, the people who took you belong to an Earthland Corporation know as the Nova Corp. They specialize in magical and tehcnical fusion. Making machines and weapons made of both.” Mythica became slightly interested afterhearing that. Her own guild did something simialr. Perhaps she could benefit from this little trip after all. “A few decades back they found an old magic artifact that could open rifts in time and space, and create portals to other dimenshions. After years of study, they eventually ended up finding their way here, to Avalon.” Void said as they turned a corner and walked down a flight of stairs. “If this world has been destroyed by nuclear war, what does the Corporation want with it?” Mythica asked. Void shook his head. “We’re not entirely sure, but they’ve been here for years. And recently they’ve started to bring prisoners from Earthland to their labs here for experimentation. Why that is, we can’t say, but you were one of them, Paradox.” Void said. Mythica’s mind went back a bit, she had heard that name before. Back in the pirson facility, she remembered one of the soldiers call her that. Why? How did they get that name? “Why is it you and your people call me Paradox?” She asked. Void looked back at her curiously before responding. “Well, that’s the name they had written on your file. They tend to give all their human experiments code names like that.” She shrugged. “Well, the name is Mythica.” Void nodded. “Arighty, pleasure to meet you Mythica.” She didn’t respond after that, only continued to follow him through the endless hallways, hoping that this long walk she was being put though would be worth it in the end.
“So this was subject 7X-12?”
“Yes sir. Project: Paradox”
“Seems a bit feisty, that collar will hold?”
“That’s what it’s built for, sir. She won’t be able to cause any trouble so long as it’s around her neck.” Mythica couldn’t tell where the 2nd voice was coming from, but she could hear it all around her. The exhaustion soon set in, and she couldn’t even bring herself to speak. “Good. Have Paradox brought to verification. Sell the rest.”
“At once.” The cage was moving again. The figure in black moved out of the way and the blinding light from above returned to shine straight into the girl’s eyes. And soon darkness crept back into her view as her mind slowly drifted off into shadow…
Pain. Anger. Shock. Regret. These were the only emotions Mythica felt over the time after. How long had it been now? A few hours? Days? Weeks? She had no idea. Ironically her sense of time was all fuzzy now. All she knew was that her situation was very wrong. She needed an out, but had no idea where to even begin. Everything was disorientated and weird. She could only see odd shapes and colours before the pain returned. It always came back. No matter how long it had been, she could feel it. Creeping up her legs and arms until it hit her spine. Shooting through everything. Blood. She could taste blood. Dripping from her lips and maybe her nose. Onto the metal floor she finally awoke. Her sense came flooding back and Mythica’s body quickly rose upwards! Breathing heavily she stared ahead with a wide eyed expression. Nothing there except a grey steel wall. After a few seconds her head slowly turned, still breathing heavily she noticed a small steel platform extending from the wall. It appeared to be a bed of some sort. A small white pillow lying on its edge. Her hands crept up to her face, feeling it for a moment before her eyes noticed the holes. Small red dots along her arms and legs. She had also been wearing something entirely different. A grey suit that looked more like a gown patients at hospitals were forced to wear… But Mythica knew this was no hospital. Something much more sinister was a foot. Something even she could not have predicted. Something moved past her and she instinctively turned to see it. A glass wall. The girl slowly got up, her head dizzy and painful, her body weak and heavy. She stumbled for a few moments, placing a hand on the glass to steady herself. Finally she could get a good look at what was out there, and none of it made any sense to her. From what she could tell, it was some sort of prison. That much was obvious. But where? And why was Mythica here? This obviously wasn’t work of the Magic Council. They didn’t even know she existed. How did she even get here in the first place? That was the most important question as far as Mythica was concerned. No matter how hard she tried to remember though… She couldn’t. She had no idea what she was doing before ending up in this predicament. None at all. And something was determined she would never remember…
Carrick sat still at his desk, looking over his screen. Behind him was a tall window overlooking the metropolis of Bosco. The most advanced city nation on the planet. This had been quite a day for the man. The day he finally found something strong enough to bring to the other side. At least that’s what he had hoped. There was no guarantee that it would work, but he had his hopes. And the evidence backed up his theories quite a bit. All that was left now was to wait until the right time. They couldn’t always send stuff through whenever they wanted, it was too dangerous. At least that’s what had been proven through the last few tests. For some reason the gate could only take so much input before it shut down, erasing every molecule inside it instantaneously. But this specimen was far different than the rest. She was strong. Even if her power was limited now, Paradox had shown considerable tolerance to pain and probing over the past few weeks. Now Paradox was set to travel to the other side and be used in their most dangerous experiment yet. Reality Gem. The gate had allowed them to move between Earthland and Avalon almost instantly. Luckily for them it was also quite large. For years now the Nova Corp was able to transport people and gear across, until they eventually built a foothold in the strange and hostile new world. And it was there they discovered the Reality Gem. An ancient black stone that twisted and altered the very reality of it surrounded. While the natives weren’t too happy with this, there was little they could do to stop Nova Corp. They were far more technologically superior, and encountered little resistance with their plans. However, that was the least of Carrick’s concerns now. Because the project had nothing to do with whether or not Paradox could make it through the gate, but if she could be used to fuse with the gem. Recent tests had determined that the gem had unnatural reactions to organic matter. More research was conducted and Nova Corp was found out that when working in unison with organic matter, its power could be manipulated and controlled. And now the time was finally here to create a prototype of their new design. Fusing the gem with a powerful human being, making them unstoppable. Of course there was much concern that even if this test did work, the being would simply turn on the corporation. But that’s what Carrick was here for. Find the best way to contain Paradox at all costs. And he thought he might just have a way. While they live in a world that brims with magic, there are ways to suppress this. Luckily for Nova Corp, Carrick has had much experience in this field. He was a successful operation leader of a police force that specialized in tracking down and disabling magic users. While simply anti-magic collars and cuffs worked like charms on the regulars, Paradox was indeed no regular. She was far stronger, and far different than the rest. As a result, she needed something equally as strong to hold her magic back. That’s where the nano cells came into play. A highly developed nano-cybernetic cell that when inserted into the bloodstream could adapt and blend in with its host’s body. However, when the host starts to inhibit magical powers and urges, the cells react in unison to release pulses throughout the body, stopping the magic from its source. Even fused with the reality gem, Paradox would be unable to fully control her own power without Nova Corp’s say so. And recent tests discovered this to be highly effective on other wizards as well. Paradox has shown no differences than any of the others. The operation was long and painful, but now she was filled from head to toe with these nanobots that could inhibit all of her magical abilities. All that was left now was to equip Paradox with the standard nerve control exoskeleton and she would have zero control of her own body. A super slave for Nova Corp. And her first order of business would be to put down the annoying resistance that inhibited Nova Corp’s operations within Avalon.
“Sir!’ Carrick looked up from his desk as the door to his office quickly flew open. A younger gentlemen quickly walked towards him and dropped a pile of papers on his desk. “We have the latest test results. All green. We found the perfect specimen for this project.” Carrick smiled and stood up, before turning to face the tall window overlooking Bosco. “She isn’t taking it too well I assume?” The other man hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m afraid not, sir. As instructed the guards have left her alone in her cell, but… She won’t stop screaming.” Carrick raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“She proved to be almost perfect… Although Paradox’s psychiatric profile left much to be desired. Whoever she was before we found her.. She wasn’t exactly the most mentally stable being on the planet.” Carrick frowned before looking over to him slightly. “While unfortunate, it matters little. Her job does not require her mind to be healthy, only her body.” The man nodded. “O- Of course sir.” Carrick stared out the window for a few more seconds before turning again and clapping his hands together. “Well then! Let’s not keep her waiting any longer. It’s time. Start the gate, I’ll be down shortly.”
“Right away, sir!”
“Oh! And one more thing.” Carrick said as the man stopped and turned towards him. “Hm?”
“When the procedure is finished… Make sure Project: Void knows he’s been replaced.”
More pain. It always came back. Just when Mythica thought it might be over, her body jolted with more and more pain. She creamed. She cried. But no matter how loud she was, it never stopped. Strapped to that table with the hot lights shining down on her for what felt like an eternity. She could feel her bones scraping together. Her blood boiling with rage. Her heart beating like it was going to pop out of her chest at any moment! The pain never stopped. And Mythica knew that as soon as she got out of here, they would all feel the same thing she did for eternity. If it was even living people behind her misery anyways. She hadn’t seen another living thing for days. Only cold, lifeless machinery. Operating on her for hours at a time. And the word part about it all was that she was completely helpless to stop them. No magic left her body no matter how hard she tried to command it too. She was weak… And she knew it. She tasted her own blood again and that’s when a thought came into her mind… If only she swallowed… This could all be over. It only took a few drops of her own blood and this whole operation would come crashing to the ground. If she only gave into the dog demon’s desires… She could be free. But at what cost? Sacrificing her already fragile mental state to yet another demon? Losing control of her magic was just the beginning, soon the dog demon would have her entire mind and soul. Was it worth it? To stop the pain? To rip apart all those responsible for her screams? All she had to do was swallow the drops of blood forming in her mouth… And she would become a living nightmare. Maybe later… For now she was just too tired. For now she needed some sleep… And the pain had just stopped. Maybe she could rest a bit before the pain came back.. And then they would all regret they ever laid their eyes on her.
“Alright, so here’s the plan! Echo, Delta, and Gamma, you three are responsible for their communications. Drop in from 20’000 feet and make your way to the satellite dish! Disable it long enough for Alpha and Omega to infiltrate and extract the target!” Vincent yelled as the aircraft threatened to drown him out with the intense roar of the engines. “After your objective is complete, you three will head to the rendezvous point and provide cover for Alpha and Omega. Target is likely to be weak, and won’t have consciences. This place is crawling with Novites, so as soon as you have the target, to make a run for it. They’ll throw everything they got at you, so count your bullets and check your corners! This mission may be our only chance at winning this war, and we can’t afford to blow it, understood!?”
“Understood, sir!” Vincent nodded. “Good, then prepare yourselves! First drop is in 3 minutes!” The soldiers in the aircraft quickly prepared their gear. Checking everything twice to be sure. Vincent walked past them towards the cockpit. Echo, a white haired girl, eyed him as he passed her. As the door closed she scoffed and looked over to Delta. “Funny how this mission might be the most important one of the war, yet we aren’t even being told who we’re getting.” Delta, an older man with black hair shrugged as he checked his magazine and sites. “Not our place to know. You know the rules. Void seems to think they’re important to the Novites… So that means they’re better with us.” Echo chuckled as she rolled her eyes. “Always defending him.”
“Would you two cut the chatter? Trying to focus on making sure this thing works.” The man across the aircraft said, looking at a screen attached to his arm. “You do realize we’re diving head first into a Novite nest, right? What’s that thing gonna do?” Echo asked. The man responded with a sigh. “Well, if you MUST know, it’s gonna make YOUR job a lot easier. Mini EMP, disables security systems and other electronics without the right chips in them.” Echo scoffed. “Yeah, if you get it to work Gamma. I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference either way. My drone is never spotted.”
“Well there’s a first time for everything.” Omega said as she stood up and attached her rifle to her back. “Ain’t that right babe?” She winked at the man sitting next to her. Middle aged, brown hair and beard. Team leader Alpha. “Not sure I get the reference.” Echo said as Alpha smiled and chuckled to himself, looking over his weapon. “You’ll understand when you’re older.” Alpha responded. “Ain’t that the truth.” Delta commented as he looked towards the ceiling. Echo turned back to him with a half confused stare before rolling her eyes and standing up, grabbing the ceiling handle next to Omega. “Well I’m sorry we can’t all be married to the captain of the team, but some of us still know how to handle our weapons better than our mouths.” Omega’s expression quickly changed from a smirk to a blank stare, while the others simply snickered in response. “Oh really?” Omega said turning to face the youngest member of the team. “Well let’s see if you choke on those big words huh? Turn on your kill counter, I’ll turn on mine.” Echo stared Omega straight in the eyes just as the others got up and got into their positions. “Gamma, you’re recording this, right?” Echo said while staring at Omega’s eyes. “I always record missions, yes.”
“Good.” Echo said as she flicked a little switch next to trigger. Suddenly the tiny screen on the side of her weapon flickered to life with three zeroes. Delta and Alpha looked to each other and then back at Echo. “Oh this mission just got a hell of a lot more interesting.” Omega didn’t say a word, but did the same. “Highest score wins.” She finally said, chewing the gum in her mouth. “You’re on, grandma.” Any further response was quickly interrupted as the entire aircraft shook suddenly, and Vincent walked out from the cockpit. “All right soldiers! Your time is up, Echo, Delta, Gamma, get to your jump positions! Go! Go! Go!” He yelled, motioning with his hand as the three did as instructed. Echo kneeled in front, facing the back of the aircraft. Delta crouched just behind her while Gamma stood behind both of them. A bright light appeared from the roof of the aircraft, it covered the entire cabin with a red glow. Suddenly the rear hatch began to slowly open. A rush of wind and air drowned out all other noise and the intense glow of the sun flooded the inside of the aircraft! The blanket of clouds moving past at incredible speed in front of them. Nothing but the wind could be heard for a solid 5 seconds before a long buzzer sounded, and the light turned green! That was the signal. Echo instantly pushed her legs forward, diving off the edge of the plane and into the veil of clouds. Delta and Gamma soon followed behind. Vincent yelled orders at the remaining two, and they quickly got into positions of their own and awaiting the signal for a similar procedure.
Echo landed first. Her feet touching the ground before her body quickly followed with a roll. As soon as she regained her balance she tapped a silver clip in her shoulder, quickly detaching the long blue parachute from her suit. Removing the weapon from her back she loaded it and moved forward across the desert landscape towards a large outcropping of rock. It was there she took cover and turned towards the sky. Her heads display scanning the empty blue for the signatures of her squad. Delta and Gamma were close bye. Good. The faster they united the faster she’d be able to move forward with the mission and kill some Novites. She was notified the second her teammates landed and immediately began to move towards their meeting point. In the distance she could see their target as well. A large looming structure with a round satellite dish attached to its top. Her objective was simple. Infiltrate their communications, locate Alpha and Omega’s target, and then disable the Novite’s comms. Shouldn’t be too difficult, considering the entire area was nothing but rocky desert canyons and outstretched rocks. In the middle of the night as well, it was hard to spot them. They had state of the art sensor tech, completely hiding them from the scopes of the standard motions sensors the Novites liked to use. They were ghosts in a sandstorm, almost completely invisible. Echo knew this and made sure to take advantage of this fact. This far out from their target she didn’t need to worry much about getting spotted by the enemy. For now all she needed to focus on was reaching the rendezvous in time to initiate the the second stage of the operation… Infiltrating and disabling their communications facility so that Alpha and Omega could extract the target while their enemy was blinded. To be perfectly honest with herself, Echo wasn’t too worried about the outcome of this job. She had done dozens like it before. She might’ve been the youngest and most inexperienced member of the fireteam, but she was far from helpless. For the past 3 years she had been fighting the invading Novites, first on her own in any way she could until the resistance found and recruited her. And even though the invaders were tough, she was confident that one day they would kick them off their world and reclaim their independence… One day.
“Comm check. Echo.. Checking in.” Echo said, her voice sounding filtered and digital through the confines of her helmet. She waited for several seconds until she got a response. “Comm check… Delta checking in.”
“Comm check… Gamma checking in.” Good, all three members of her squad had landed safely. Flipping up a screen on her wrist, Echo could see her location in relation to the others. Two other green dots blipped on the screen confirming their positions, and Echo was headed for the center. Her enhanced speed and strength allowed her to carefully but very quickly hop between the rocks and over small crevices that littered the entire area. This entire region used to look completely different. A lush savannah that was used for rice farming… Yet all that changed when the Novites descended from their portal and destroyed the land in their search for fuel. Now it was reduced to nothing but a rocky desert wasteland. Maybe with all their fancy tech, the Novites also had a way to undo the mass amounts of destruction they had caused to her world… But that was just wishful thinking. She couldn’t imagine anything could reverse the effects of something this destructive. Nonetheless, she could still do her best to prevent them from doing the same thing somewhere else. That is why she was here after all, fighting for what she believed in.
Finally the meeting point was in view. A large rock that arched over one of the bigger canyons, creating a bridge of sorts over the dark crevice. She could see one of her teammates already there, standing in the middle of the rock, but he was too far away for Echo to tell who it was. Checking her screen once more she determined this was Delta. Not that she was very surprised, Delta was normally the first one to get things done during their missions. He was considerably faster and stronger than Echo anyways, but that was alright. Her job wasn’t to be big and overpowering. She waved with one hand as she ran up to him. Delta nodded. “About time.” He mocked. Echo rolled her eyes underneath her helmet and shrugged. “Saw a pretty rock, wanted to capture the moment.” She responded aptly. “I’m sure.” Delta remarked before turning his head to the horizon, staring at the large object loomin in the darkened distance. “Gamma should be here by now.” Echo said, looking around cautiously. “He’ll be here. Likely scanning the area before we move forward. You know how he is.” Delta replied, checking his weapon again as Echo received a blip on her screen. “Ah, found him.”
“Where?”
“Over the ridge.” They both looked up and saw Gamma climb over the last boulder on top of the large ridge that towered above them. Without saying anything, he proceeded to leap off of it and fall towards the two! Gamma turned his body mid air however and threw out a long grappling hook that quickly attaches itself to the rock and slowed his descent until he let go just above the ground. “I think I may have missed the designated landing site. No matter, we’re here now.” Gamma said as he regained his balance. Tugging on the hook a few times until it came loose, quickly retracting into its case. Delta didn’t respond, but turned and continued towards there objective. Echo just nodded towards Gamma and did the same. Gamma sighed in response and followed closely behind, checking his scanner for any potential threats in the area.
“We better hurry.” Gamma said, trailing behind the other two. “We only got a small timeframe to do this. Alpha and Omega will be at the holding facility within the next two hours. If that dish is still operational when they get there, the-” He was cut off by Delta. “Yeah, we’re all fully aware of our roles, we don’t need a reminder.” He said coldly, through the confines of his helmet. “I’m just saying… I’d be taking this mission a little more seriously if I were you. So you even realize what’s at stake?” Echo rolled her eyes underneath her helmet before responding to Gamma. “To be perfectly honest, not really. We’ve been fighting the Novites for what, 3 years now? We’ve learned everything we can about them, where they come from, what they want. They’ve burned our cities and enslaved our people. And after all the fighting Void thinks that a single weapon has the power to turn the tide of the entire war? I’ll complete the mission, but I doubt our success will make much of a difference.”
“You have too little faith in the man… He’s got us this far.” Echo finally turned back to face Gamma. “And how far is that, exactly? Have we gotten ANY closer to City of Walls? Have we recaptured our towns and set our people free? Do we even know who is leading this invasion? No, we don’t. For all we know Void is still working with the Novites…”
“Shut up.” Delta finally said. “What? It’s true, he could st-” Delta lifted a hand and gave the halt signal. Both Gamma and Echo stopped dead in their tracks and waited further instruction… They both knew what that meant. “Movement ahead… 20 meters. Down the ridge. You see?” Gamma and Echo silently walked up besides Delta and peered down the canyon wall to the road below. As he said, there was indeed a bunch of movement. A military checkpoint to be specific. And it was right in the middle of the canyon…
“Any way around?” Echo said. Gamma took a look at his scanners, tapping a few buttons on his wrist pad. “Not for another 8 kilometers. The canyon is too wide to cross anywhere else. We need to use the stairs they built into the side.” Delta nodded. “Of course, if they see us and alert their friends, our entire mission is compromised. We’ll have to do this silently and quickly.” Echo knew that much for sure. This was far from her first mission. Luckily for them, however, the place didn’t seem to be heavily guarded. A few well placed sniper shots from up here could easily take out the checkpoint’s sentries while two of them snuck down and silently took down the straglers before they ever knew what hit them.
“Alright. You two head down then, I’ll set up a spot about 20 meters higher. As soon as the second body falls, you head straight for sides and take out the ones on patrol.” Echo said, taking a knee and removing the large pack on her back. She didn’t hesitate to open it, revealing the contents included several pieces of what looked like a pretty high end sniper rifle. Taking them out one at a time, she quickly attached each piece to its specific slots and after a few moments it would finally be finished. Holding it high up for the world to see was her prized M-24 Wraith rifle. She couldn’t help but smile at it for a moment before looking over to her two companions. WHom had already started down the canyon wall without waiting for her to get into position. At least they knew what they were doing… She had hoped so anyways. Not wasting anymore time admiring her sniper, Echo would quickly get back up and carry the heavy weapon as fast as she could towards the specified location. It didn't take long. Despite the rocky cliffs, Echo wasn’t being very careful. She didn’t need to be. She had spent her entire life in this region. SHe had memorized almost every detail and hole in the ground, her feet knew exactly where to go before even her mind did. Nowadays though it was a different story. She wasn’t able to return here as much as she would’ve liked. Ever since the Novites invaded, the entire region was on heavy lockdown. She and her family had been pushed out and now she was going to take her home back, even if she needed to kill for it.
A few moments laster, Echo was in position. Lying on her stomach with her intimidating looking black rifle gleaming in the sun, she spotted her targets. The checkpoint wasn’t all that big, thankfully. It only consistent of two sentry towers and a small gate. Most likely this was meant to regulate the movements of troops, nothing too important. After all, this comm facility was supposed to be a well kept secret… But Void knew everything about the Novites. She scanned the checkpoint for a few more moments, trying to get a read on how many soldiers were at the base. If there were too many for Delta and Gamma to handle, she might need to intervene as well. Speed was key. If even one of the soldiers called for help, their entire mission risked complete failure. That wasn’t an option. They had all sacrificed so much in this war, and now according to some they had a real chance of winning it now. A secret weapon the Novites didn’t want anyone to know about was sitting just under their noses. Of course, something was odd about this whole thing though. If this supposed weapon was so important to the enemy, why have it in a facility all the way out in the desert? Wouldn’t it be much more safer in their walled off Head Quarters in the mountains? This whole situation didn’t site right with Echo, but she had her orders. Perhaps the Novites decided secrecy would be the best defense of this weapon… Or they had plans to use it somewhere nearby. Either way, it wouldn’t matter for long. It was her duty to help take it off their hands for good, and use it against them in any way possible.
Finally spotting Delta and Echo again, they were hiding behind a large outcropping of rock only a few meters away from the checkpoint. Delta looked up directly towards Echo and slowly nodded. She knew what that meant, and quickly loaded her weapon. Breathing in silently, she slowly moved it towards her first target… A lone soldier standing guard on the tower farthest from her. Thankfully her weapon had a silencer. Unless they see him get shot, they’d have no idea he went down. The railings of the towers were eye, making any body that fell down shielded from the view of the others. Finally, Echo released the first shot! It zoomed through the air at high speeds, colliding directly into the helmet of her target! No sound came except a small grunt, and he was down. THere was no way their armor could protect them against the Wraith. Its rounds were armor peircing and could kill just about anything if landed in the head. Luckily nobody saw the soldier fall, and she quickly moved towards her 2nd target. Just as he turned to notice the absence of his partner, she released the second shot. This time the bullet hit him straight in the neck! He choked on his own blood for several moments before collapsing to the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief when his death went unnoticed by the soldiers below.
With the two sentries down, Gamma and Delta knew it was their turn to move in. Delta gave Gamma a hand signal to go around the left side. Gamma quickly nodded and did as instructed. Delta carefully tipdoed his way around the rock, being extra careful not to make any noise as he silently unhooked the long blade from his chest. This knife was his favourite tool, and it had saved his life more times than once. Just as he was about to enter the view of the checkpoint, he stopped. He only stuck his head out to silently observe the patterns of the guards. Thankfully they seemed completely unaware to their presence. Echo was an excellent sniper, and knew exactly where to hit her targets so they wouldn’t make much sound upon their death. Delta continued to moniter his target until his back was turned. Not wasting this chance, he rushed forwards with his knife and plunged it deep into the soldier’s neck! He gagged and dropped his weapon. Delta looked over to see Gamma take out his target with a quick neck snap, both bodies dropping in synch. Good, another two down. From what he had remembered, there was at least two more. Each guarding both sides of the gate. Only one problem. The gate was in an extremely exposed position. Delta and Gamma would need to rush them head on, giving the guards more than enough time to call for help. Echo could snipe them, but even she wasn’t quick enough to kill both before help was called. He knew her weapon almost as well as she did. The Wraith needed to be reloaded after every shot. Perhaps its only flaw. There seemed to be only one option left. He and Gamma would need to land a precise shot with their weapons both at the same time. This plan didn’t sit too well with Delta, but there wasn’t really any other option at this point, and they had come too far to fail now. Turning over to Gamma who was awaitng a command from him, he gave him a few hand signals to communicate the plan. Gamma hesitated for a second but slowly nodded, taking out his silent side arm. Delta did the same and got ready to pop out from behind the rock and down his target. Counting to three in his head, he nodded at Gamma and the two quickly exposed themselves! THey were in direct view of the two soldiers who quickly took a step back and raised their weapons. However, they were both on the ground before they could fire. Two precise shots was all that was needed from them. Once their targets were down, Gamma and Delta would quickly run over to finish them off. The whole process only took a few seconds before they were wiping their blades clean of blood.
“I was wondering what you were planning to do there.” Delta heard a chuckle from behind him. Turning he saw Echo sliding down the canyon’s less steep wall with the black Wraith in hand. “I always figure something out.” He responded bluntly. “Oh I should hope so, otherwise you wouldn’t be in this line of work, now would you?” She continued to laugh. Echo was more surprised they didn’t make up a plan for those two guards before they came down. Gamma was checking his radar once more before speaking up. “Aye, we’re close now. This checkpoint must’ve acted as one of the entry points into the comm facility. Most of it is underground.” He said scanning the surroundings. “Should be pretty simple from here. The Novites relied on secrecy for its defense, they didn’t spend a lot of resources on security.” Delta nodded. “Then let’s move. We gotta get those systems down for Alpha and Omega.”
Mythica’s senses were starting to slowly return, however she wasn’t exactly sure where she was. Her eyesight flickered in and out of focus before finally coming to full functionality. Her face was expressionless save for the few twitches of her muscles after coming back after so long. Surrounding the girl a cool mist drifted downwards on all sides and she began to slowly rise from her laid back position. Around her the room was dark and covered in shadows. The only light came from the various view screens that dotted the walls. However, she care little and took no notice of those things, as her focus was tuned much towards her arms and legs. Coming out of them were various small wires, which had been implanted into her skin! Her eyes widened suddenly and she quickly tried to pull them out, but she was met with an intense sting of pain throughout her entire body! She screamed for a moment, before the pain went away as she let go of the tubing.
“Th- This is Paradox? This is the weapon?!” A voice said behind her. Mythica wearily turned her tired head to view the source of the noise, only to find two black figures. Armed with weapons that looked like more advaned versions of her own. They dorned heavy, bullet-proof armor, and wore ominous looking gas masks. “I guess so. We don’t have time to speculate. It won’t be long until the realize its gone. Take it.” The other one said, a male. The girl nodded and quickly rushed over to a console nearby. Mythica hadn’t the strenght to say or do anything, except stare at them with tired hazy eyes. The woman fiercily typed something on the console while the male solider slowly walked around the container Mythica was sitting on. He looked at her curiously, before reaching out and grabbing her chin with his hand. Mythica wanted to kill him. She wanted to kill both of them. But whatever these monsters did to her had left the girl in a constant weakened state. There was little she could do except accept whatever it is these two mysterious figures were planning. For now at least. She’d figure out a way to break out of here and kill everyone in her path in due time. “She has a clock in her eye…” The man said to his comrade. The woman simply chuckled. “That’s what these freaks do. Experiments on living people. Likely what happened to her.” Finally, after a few more seconds of typing, Mythica felt a sudden ease in her skin. A relieving feeling as the tubes connecting her appendages to unknown machines began to detatch themselves, leaving behind only marks of their presence. Mythica frowned and drifted, almost falling off the table before the man caught her. “Package retrieved, heading to extraction point now.” The man said, hoisting Mythica over his shoulder…
4 days later Mythica awoke once more. This time in a very different spot. The light above her swayed slightly as she began to regain her focus. This feeling was starting to get repetitive. If she had to lose her concscience one more time, she’d make sure everyone responsible died screaming. “Ah, you’re awake.” She heard a voice say. She looked over and saw an older man sitting in a chair in the corner of the small room. Now that she had better vision, she noticed how small the room actually was. And how dirty it was… Mythica’s enhanced senses picked up on the smell first, causing her nose to scrunch up instinctevly. This was not the same place she had been in before. Whoever had kidnapped her first at least kept her cell clean. Whoever was behind this kidnapping clearly didn’t care as much. “Was wondering if you were ever going to come too.” The man said again. He had thick black hair, a longer nose, and round glasses. He sat there, maybe 10 feet away from Mythica reading from an old book. It wasn’t until Mythica leaned upwards that he finally took his gaze away from it and stared directly at her. “Curious. I wasn’t aware Nova Corp cared about the looks of their experiments. For what purpose would they have for putting a clock within your eye? Seems cruel if you ask me.” He said, speaking mostly to himself as Mythica was still regaining her senses. The first thing she did when she sat up was look at her arms and legs. The tubes were gone, but the marks were still there. Even if they were faded slightly. A long silence hung over the room as Mythica continued to look over her own body, the old man staring at her the entire time. Finally Mythica spoke. For the first time in months.
“What happened?” Were the only words that left the girl’s mouth. The man shut his book and leaned forwards. “You’ve been asleep for 4 days. Our team managed to rescue you from Nova Corp. You were in bad shape when we found you, but you should get a lot beter now that you’ve rested.” Mythica was silent yet again. This was by far the weirdest experience she had felt in a long time. And she must’ve let it happen. How else could she have gotten herself into this mess? What else could’ve triggered something like this? Hell if she knew, her memory was all fuzzy. She had no idea where she was, and what had happened beyond a few faint memories. She needed to get back to her guild. “Where am I?” She asked again. The man smiled slightly and stood up. “You’re safe. That’s all you need to know. The name’s Void.” He said again, extending a hand to help her to her feet. Mythica was reluctant at first, but soon sucummbed to the feeling and grabbed his hand. She stood up and felt her balance a little shaky. Odd… This brought back another memory. One that happened so long ago. When she was far younger. She had met her adoptive father in a similar manner. Confused, tired, and having a severe lack of memory. Only back then the room was a lot brighter, and cleaner. The window overlooking the capital of Crocus was a site to be seen.. And she’d never forget it. But that was all in the past, her father was never coming back from his long disappearance. Instead Mythica tried to focus on the present. This man, in front of her, was named Void. He certainly looked old enough to be Merlin’s age, but then again, that man never did seem to age from what she could remember. Every memory she had of him, he had looked the exact same. Even after reuniting with him after 8 long years of absence. His looks did not change. What else should she have expected from the man who taught her everything she knew about magic. But then he vanished yet again. Leaving her all alone in this dark, cold world. It was partly his fault for the way she turned out. And it was his fault she was doing what she was. She would never forget that. And if she ever saw him again… She’d rip him limb from limb for all the pain and anguish he put her through. His leaving had much longer lasting effects than anything she had experienced beforehand. And anything since.
“You alright?” The man said again. Mythica’s attention snapped back towards Void who looked down on her with a concerned expression. “Y- Yeah.. I just need to k- know what’s going on..” She said, putting a hand to her head. “Right. Walk with me. I’ll tell you everything.” Void said, opening the room’s single door and stepping out. The first thing Mythica noticed was the stench of gasoline, smoke, and steel. Odd. She followed him closely as he lead her down a myraid of hallways. They all seemed brightly lit, and multiple people walked through them. Many of which gave Mythica odd stares and whispered to each other as they passed. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but something was certainly off. She must’ve been pretty important. Despite the lack of memory she had before, Mythica could still make out bits and pieces of her conscinece from when she awoke in the oddly dark room beforehand. Those mysterious figures that had rescued her brough her back to this place. Must’ve been. Who else could Void be referring too when he said that? Of course she had no idea who these people were, or why they had rescued her, or even who her captors were! OR EVEN WHERE SHE WAS! Of course, that would all probably come in the next few minutes. Void did say after all he would tell her everything. “First off, I’ll rip off a few band-aids first. You’re not in Earthland. I’m sorry, but its true. You are currently in the world of Avalon. A once beautiful and vibrant realm that was completely destroyed by nuclear war a few hundred years back.” Mythica blinked surprisingly a few times, but other than that, Void saw no other reaction come from the girl. “Huh. Not what I was expecting.”
“This isn’t the first time I was unwillingly brought to another realm.” She told him. Void shrugged. “Yeah, I guess not. Earthland seems to have the reputation for being a hub world for many other realms. I should know, I’m also from there.” He said through a smile. Mythica didn’t react much to that either. Other than the intial surprise of being shocked, tortured, and having limited amnesia, she didn’t find her current situation all that odd. “Well, the other thing you need to know is that you’re currently stuck here.” He said. Mythica raised an eyebrow. “You plan on keeping me a prisoner?” She asked. Void chuckled. “Nah, we’re not like the guys who dragged you here. What I am trying to say is that there is only one known way between Avalon and Earthland. And unfourtunately the people who kidnapped you and brought you to this hell have it compeltely under their control. Locked away within their headquarters inside a massive, well guarded fortress city thousands of miles from here.” Mythica sighed. “This sounds like it’s going to take a lot of work.” She said. Void nodded. “Aye, it will. But lucky for you, you’re in the presence of someone who can help you get home.” She turned curiously. “If you’re willing to do something for them, that is.” Of course, there was the catch. She hadn’t kept her hopes up super high. “You see, the people who took you belong to an Earthland Corporation know as the Nova Corp. They specialize in magical and tehcnical fusion. Making machines and weapons made of both.” Mythica became slightly interested afterhearing that. Her own guild did something simialr. Perhaps she could benefit from this little trip after all. “A few decades back they found an old magic artifact that could open rifts in time and space, and create portals to other dimenshions. After years of study, they eventually ended up finding their way here, to Avalon.” Void said as they turned a corner and walked down a flight of stairs. “If this world has been destroyed by nuclear war, what does the Corporation want with it?” Mythica asked. Void shook his head. “We’re not entirely sure, but they’ve been here for years. And recently they’ve started to bring prisoners from Earthland to their labs here for experimentation. Why that is, we can’t say, but you were one of them, Paradox.” Void said. Mythica’s mind went back a bit, she had heard that name before. Back in the pirson facility, she remembered one of the soldiers call her that. Why? How did they get that name? “Why is it you and your people call me Paradox?” She asked. Void looked back at her curiously before responding. “Well, that’s the name they had written on your file. They tend to give all their human experiments code names like that.” She shrugged. “Well, the name is Mythica.” Void nodded. “Arighty, pleasure to meet you Mythica.” She didn’t respond after that, only continued to follow him through the endless hallways, hoping that this long walk she was being put though would be worth it in the end.