Gene Wars

Its been awhile, I know. I'm rusty but here we go again. For Fridayflash and fictionfriday, based off of fictionfriday prompt. Enjoy!

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Master Sergeant Compton unplugged three cables from the back of his dark metal helmet. Each hissed like angry snakes being pulled from their nest. He twisted off his helmet and leaned on a cracked wall. This isn’t going to end well, he thought as he stared at the skull painted over his face plate. His augmented eyes had adjusted quickly to the light and after all the treatments; his body was a physically augmented machine as powerful as five men.

A shot was heard from outside. A screamed quickly followed.

Not well at all.

The Master Sergeant walked into the ruins of the next room. Each heavy metal step pulverized broken glass or shuffled debris that cluttered the room. Burn marks smoldered large holes in the wall facing north. Along the southern wall, four soldiers, also wearing heavy power armor, turned watching him through cold lens.

“Report.”

Private first class Johnson stepped forward and saluted. “Sir, Caspari moved into the street as ordered and the sniper took out his legs as predicted.”

“Were we able to discover which building the sniper was in?”

“Just about. One more---”

BAM. Caspari screamed.

Private Ellis lay on the floor looking out into the intersection. Without turning he said, “I found the sniper sir; third window on the fourth floor. He’s using a cameo field generator. No heat sensors or motion sensors will work but telescopic x-ray shows movement.” Private Ellis banged the side of his helmet twice and shook his head. “I think the sniper is--- is badly deformed or something. The readings are weird.”

Master Sergeant replaced his helmet, connected the cables. Air gushed out of side vents along his chin. His voice became harsh and mechanical. He said, “Caspari’s sacrifice has given us the upper hand.” He raised his gauntlet fist, “For freedom! For the Empire!”

They all raised their fist, “Hoorah!”

#

The unit moved through the rumble of buildings long destroyed in the Great War. Dried bodies with torn clothing mingled with twisted steel and melted plastics. Nothing was untouched over the years.

Using their armor and biological augmentation, they made it to the sniper’s building undetected. Their concentration was tested with each shot fired into Caspari’s now unmoving body.

They climbed the stairs to the fourth floor and formed a semi-circle in front of the only closed door. The Cameo field disabled their HUD displays.

#

Master Sergeant switched to x-ray mode and scanned the room. A tri-pod antenna sat in the center of the room emitting shimmering waves into the x-ray band. The sniper, crutched down under a window sill. Ellis was right. The sniper horribly deformed. It measured about 1.2 meters with an elongated nose, something snaked back and forth on the floor behind it.

Two privates placed directional explosives on the door frame and surround wall. Master Sergeant raised his assault rifle and rested it on his right shoulder, the unit raised theirs. With two fingers he signaled attack.

Fragments of door and wall blew into the room, flooding the area in a hazy of smoke. The sniper’s smoky silhouette wiped around. It raised a hand with something blinking red and pressed down.

Another explosion ripped up the floor under the Marines dropping them to the next floor of broken beams and twisted steel.

Master Sergeant felt two wooden stakes and a broken metal pipe through his torso. Hot battery acid from his backpack pooled in his armor burning his back. The Master Sergeant’s armor power faded.

He heard something jumped down from the floor above.

BAM. BAM, blood splattered his lens. BAM. BAM.

“Now, what do we have here?” hissed the sniper.

The cables in the back of his helmet were torn loose and danged limp from his backpack. The helmet twisted and lifted off. Standing on his chest was a humanoid ratling wearing a dark green ammo vest and a black bandana with a small red star.

“While your government altered humans, ours evolved us. “ The ratling stood erect and toyed with the Master Sergeant’s face with his bare foot. “Fresh meat,” he said licking his lips. Casually he raised his sniper gun.

BAM.