Chapter 9: Sarah

Andrea was angry. She spent all day clobbering these mange dogs, got injured once, and now the commander was still convinced they needed another person on their team. 

I can bash these hellhounds into the pavement all day. That said… Andrea felt a bead of sweat form on the back of her neck as she watched the faceless one move behind the approaching pack. Perhaps I should be a bit cautious about that one…

Out of the corner of her eye Andrea noticed her commander had already made it halfway to the glowing pod that would produce her first, and hopefully last, rival.

“Come here you inbred bags of teeth.” Andrea whistled aggressively towards the pack as they closed the remaining distance to her in a flash. “Time to let off some steam!”

The first dog leapt right for her neck, jaws snapping wildly as saliva flung out either side of its blood soaked mouth. Andrea spun forward and brought the hilt of her nightstick down on the hellhound’s skull. The thick bone gave way immediately to her strike and the hellhound dropped to the pavement where it lay twitching silently. Utilizing her momentum Andrea swung her shield up to catch the neck of the next dog that leapt at her from the side. The hellhound let out a guttural croak as the rounded edge of her riot shield cracked something within the dog’s neck.

The next few seconds devolved into a flurry of blocking, striking, and retreating as the bulk of the pack arrived in the fight. Each individual hellhound was far weaker than Andrea’s biologically engineered body. She was faster, stronger, and more durable than any of the monsters. Andrea had already taken down six out of the two dozen hellhounds. 

Her blood ran hot with adrenaline as she bashed and blocked attacks from her left, right, and center. The few cuts and wounds that the hellhounds managed to land on her exposed skin healed rapidly. A signature trait of her advanced healing factor. Adrenaline quickened her regeneration, which in turn allowed her to throw herself further into combat. It was an ability Andrea was very proud of.

“Come on!” She laughed with glee as the pavement turned dark with monster blood.

Despite her battle rage taking over Andrea was mindful of her commander’s last instructions to her.

“Don’t let yourself get surrounded.”

Each step, strike, and blocked attack kept her moving generally backwards to keep the thinning pack in front of her.

There’s only so much I can do. It’s only a matter of time before-

Her thoughts were cut off by a flash of movement to her left. A hellhound had ducked behind a pair of parked cars and leapt high over the trunks to attack her flank. Andrea’s body was twisted awkwardly in the opposite direction as she had just killed a different attacker on that side leaving her exposed to this unexpected attack.

I’m not going to be quick enough. Andrea cursed internally as she tried to turn her shield around.

A distant gunshot rang out and a steel slug buried itself in the hind leg of the airborne beast. The round didn’t penetrate the thick natural armor on the hellhound, but it altered the creature’s trajectory enough that it missed Andrea completely and allowed her to bury the end of her nightstick through its eye. 

She looked up to see her commander near the base of the glowing pod in the distance, his weapon propped up on an open car door for a stable shooting position as he rattled off two additional quick shots to try and give Andrea a bit more time against the monsters around her. Andrea’s heart soared. The commander cared enough about her safety to keep an eye on her from a distance.

“Thank you commander!” Her shout echoed with manic laughter as she caved in yet another hellhound skull.

He cares for me! He cares for me! He cares for me!

Even though Andrea didn’t use guns personally she still understood that making such an accurate shot from that distance on a mobile target was no easy feat.

The commander is so amazing. She blushed and dispatched another pair of hellhounds with ease. After this fight I’m going to kiss him. Maybe, if he’s up for it, I can drag him into bed and-

A loud crash sent the remaining eight hellhounds skittering away with fearful yelps. A bloodied droplet of sweat dripped from Andrea’s chin. She didn’t pay her itchy face any mind as her entire focus shifted to the hulking figure stepping onto a parked car a few feet away from her. The abandoned vehicle crunched loudly as the cabin flattened into the frame. The fading sunlight and flickering street lamp behind it basked the large featureless humanoid in an eerie shadow. It surveyed her with those expressionless black eyes.

Andrea swallowed hard.

*******

It’s a miracle I hit that hellhound. Spencer shakily reloaded his shotgun with more slugs as Andrea shouted something and laughed in the distance.

The red haired engie fought off such a large pack with amazing efficiency. ‘A’ rank was no joke.

That faceless one though… Spencer eyed the creature warily. I need to be quick.

Spencer kept low and sprinted from his position to the glowing pod. Like with Andrea’s pod he reached out and touched the cool surface directly. There was a hiss of air as the top of the pod twisted open and a thick stream of smoke poured out of the opening. A figure a bit shorter than Spencer himself, probably around five foot eight inches tall, stepped out of the pod towards him. Where Spencer hadn’t originally known what to expect when he retrieved Andrea he was now surprised by how different his second engie was from his first.

Where Andrea had tall black combat boots this new figure had more elegant heeled dress boots. Instead of a police academy shirt and shorts this new engie wore a knee length black dress with intricate purple lace along the edges. The dress hugged her impressive chest and toned stomach in tantalizing ways that made Spencer’s eyes linger longer than was strictly polite. Her soft shoulders gave way to a graceful neck and beautiful angular face. Her flowing blond hair cascaded down her shoulders and onto her pale back. 

Her expression remained poised and hard to read as vibrant purple eyes met Spencer’s own gaze. She lifted one hand to tuck a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear as her other hand casually gripped the pommel of a regal sword strapped to her hip. She dipped into a small bow.

Spencer didn’t play Zero Conflict long enough to know all of the characters, but she was one he recognized immediately from the game’s introduction.

“Good evening, commander. Sarah reporting for duty. My sword is yours to command. Please give me an order.”

******

The monster was fast. Much faster than the hellhounds. The first strike from the faceless one’s long arms came so quickly Andrea cursed as it cracked against her riot shield. Pain shot through her arm but Andrea ignored it. She darted closer to the limber monstrosity and struck its thigh with her nightstick. 

Andrea mentally flexed and activated her slowing strike. There was a small glow of light from her weapon and the legs of the monster slowed down considerably. A haunting roar reverberated through the creature’s chest somehow sounding louder than the hellhound’s howls despite the larger creature not having a mouth. A swift follow up strike directly upwards caught the monster in he chin and sent it reeling.

The faceless one flexed its arms out to either side, knife-like fingernails springing out of each fingertip. The razor sharp claws crudely cut through the creature’s own flesh to free themselves from wherever they had lurked inside the creature’s thick skin. The dark nails shined black with the creature’s own blood. It swung down at her with its new claws. She managed to catch one hand on her shield, deep scratches tearing through the top layer of the reinforced plastic-like material, while the other claw easily forced its way past her nightstick and cut open her shoulder. 

She took a reflexive step backward and nearly fell over the curb behind her. Between the hellhound pack and the faceless one Andrea had been driven all the way back to the entrance to the mall. Andrea tried to bring her nightstick up in a ready position but the injury to her shoulder limited her range of motion.

This is bad. Andrea cursed.

She could feel her innate healing rapidly stitching the torn flesh back together, but even this enhanced recovery wouldn’t be fast enough to save her. The faceless one pressed its advantage by throwing itself forcibly into Andrea’s shield. The impact of the creature’s heavy body knocked Andrea over and smashed her into the hard concrete sidewalk. 

Andrea’s slowing strike ability might have hindered the creature’s legs, but it didn’t slow down its lanky clawed arms. They moved frighteningly quick as they drew back for the next attack. One claw gripped her riot shield, pinning it to Andrea’s body and, by extension, her body to the ground. 

Meanwhile the other claw swung around aiming for her head. Andrea forced her head to the side and winced as the claw grazed her cheek leaving a trail of blood in its wake. The desperate dodge saved her skull from being pounded to dust like the concrete next to her ear, but it didn’t change her situation. She was immobile, pinned to the ground and unable to shove the heavier creature off of her.

I’m going to die. 

The realization hit Andrea like a bucket of ice water. She had taken this fight too eagerly and drastically underestimated how strong these monsters could be. She really was weak and undeserving of being the commander’s protector.

“Forgive me.” She whispered as the claw came back around her pinned shield.

Andrea closed her eyes and waited for the end to come. A ringing sound of steel against something solid resounded in Andrea’s ear. The pressure keeping her pinned lifted and Andrea’s eyes flew open. 

An engie in a black and purple dress wielding a sword had engaged the faceless one and was driving it away from Andrea’s position. The newcomer was strong, fast, and precise in her tight well practiced motions. Andrea felt a surge of relief and shame overcome her. She painfully sat up and saw the commander sprinting towards her with relief clear in his kind eyes.

I’ve lost my right to claim him alone. Andrea thought sadly.

The commander’s eyes glanced over Andrea’s head and his expression changed from relief to panic in an instant. His gun came up and he shouted something that Andrea didn’t hear. She turned her head towards the mall entrance just in time to see the glass doors shatter open with tremendous force. 

Time seemed to slow. 

The shards of glass sparkled in the artificial light of the nearby lamppost. The shower of debris might have been beautiful if it wasn’t escorting a second faceless monstrosity. The tall, dangerous body of the creature was fully extended in a horizontal leap. The commander’s screams and the creature’s vibrating howls meshed together into a symphony of Andrea’s demise. 

She couldn’t think. 

Couldn’t react in time as the razor sharp claws pierced her chest in ten different places. Blood filled her mouth and her vision faded to black.