Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gunfire erupted furiously as the front lines of cyborg-undead creatures continued to be shredded and fall amidst the chaos. As a relentless barrage of bullets struck their grotesque forms, explosive blasts erupted in all directions, casting brief flashes of light across the darkness of the underground city and revealing the chaos unfolding within its crumbling corridors.
"Whoa, what are those? A zombie?" Noah inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity and terror.
"Yes, but not quite the same," Aaron calmly explained, his eyes fixed on the advancing horde.
"These are just another variation of Morphogynous, the most common and easiest to kill."
"So there's another type of those..." Noah murmured, processing the information.
Ignoring Noah's deep thought, Aaron turned to give orders to his team, noting that while the situation was still manageable, it was more of a nuisance than an immediate threat.
"Ciel, release the Guard Drones and switch March 07 to Stationary mode,"
"Everyone else, ready to suit up for combat."
The girls nodded in silent agreement, swiftly disconnecting their cyber suits from the system and rushing to their respective rooms to change into their battle gear, preparing for the confrontation ahead.
Meanwhile, Ciel's eyes lit up with a bright amber glow as she synchronized with the entire system, feeling everything happening to March 07, from system operations to damage reports, as if they were one entity. She then activated Stationary mode, causing the massive March 07 cart to transform: its wheels rotated and retracted into the engine floor, while gun turrets on its sides shifted to face forward and backward. The colossal train-like fortress became immovable, a formidable and armored bastion.
Even as Morphogynous zombies drew near, their claws and energy weapons augmentations failed to penetrate the fortress's defenses. The reinforced armor and the UIWS gun turrets, operating in perfect synchronization, tore through the oncoming monsters. Guard Drones, armed with dual 20mm machine guns mounted side by side, were released into the battlefield. Ciel coordinated each of their precise shots, targeting zombies with cold, mechanical efficiency.
Ciel is equipped with engineering technology that allows her to produce and repair mechanical systems and equipment rapidly. Though lacking supernatural technology, she could merge various technological innovations into her creations, enhancing their power, efficiency, and durability. She was essentially a living, adaptable mobile factory, continually learning and upgrading her arsenal.
Aaron watched the camera's feed of the ongoing battle outside, the chaos intensified by the relentless onslaught of zombies and the emergence of Morphomyst worms, just coming out of their tunneling, which launched attacks indiscriminately across the battlefield. The scene had devolved into a chaotic war zone with three distinct forces now in conflict. Seeing that, he dismounted from his cyber suit, stood up, and was about to move toward his room to suit up.
"Hm? Big brother, where are you all going?" Noah asked, after noticing now the others were heading out, except him and Ciel.
"When I said we were killing those worms, I didn't realize the undead are part of the menu," Aaron replied softly, stopping and looking at Noah with a serious expression.
"Well, we're just going out to bury the corpses."
"What? Can I join?"
"No, you lack the experience needed for this kind of emergency," Aaron shook his head side to side, recognizing that even though the situation was manageable, it remained dangerous.
"What about you and the others? You all also didn't have experience for this."
"As the leader, I need to be on the field. The others are better builtfor this... they're not calling a War Frame unit for nothing"
"Then I'll just shoot from the side of March 07," Noah suggested eagerly.
"Please?"
Aaron hesitated, if he said yes, knowing Noah'd face danger even from a vantage point on the elevated side of the vehicle. Yet, refusing would only cause a tantrum at a critical moment, something he wanted to avoid. Fully aware of his brother's persistent personality, Aaron considered his options.
Seeing Ciel's teasing smirk, knowing she would tease him for his hesitation, he sighed and relented.
"Okay, but only with a medium caliber firearm. Small ones won't be effective, and larger ones have recoil that could harm you —Understand?"
"You're the best, big brother!" Noah exclaimed, rushing to unbuckle and dash toward his room with excitement.
A brief silence settled between Aaron and Ciel, broken only when Ciel teasingly commented.
"I saw that, you spoil him again."
"Please, let that pass. I don't want any tantrums right now," Aaron replied, sighing with a mix of concern and exasperation.
"Also, are you busy with all of those?"
Pointed to the chaotic scene outside, displayed on the camera feed, while she continued to operate the UISW and drones, maintaining an omnidirectional control on the battlefield.
"He he he, you didn't have to worry about it. Even during my first awakening, I was already multitasking everything," Ciel responded with a confident smirk, her voice tinged with arrogance and smugness.
"I've proven myself to be a natural genius even before this," crossing her arms with a self-assured posture.
Aaron shook his head in exasperation, annoyed that this woman would take his pointed remark about her lack of focus as an opportunity to boost her ego. Sighing, he averted his gaze and turned around, walking back toward his room.
"Just make sure no more critical damage occurs," he cautioned.
"Roger~" responded the team in unison.
While walking through the corridor, Aaron opened his communication device, connecting it to all crew except Ciel.
"Attention everyone. Once you're finished preparing, head outside and start to engage in combat, while exploring and testing everything you've developed. This is our first real fight, so there's no need for elaborate plans against these normal mobs, they're numerous but not particularly strong."
He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 4th floor.
"Also, Ishtar, you left that bladed machine gun of yours behind. That weapon's too powerful for underground battles. I don't want to be buried alive, if possible."
He saw how powerful that weapon is, strong enough to drill a melting hole through their base going to the surface. thankfully the hole closed itself, but it causes a artificial earthquake and increased the radiation to a risky level.
"What? I leave my Shredder here? But I want to test it," Ishtar retorted indignantly over the comms.
"No"
"But—
"No"
"Tch"
Hearing Aaron's decisive tone, Ishtar reluctantly agreed, though visibly eager to test her weapon immediately.
"Hehehe, looks like we have a child here," Isabella said mockingly through the comms.
"Hmph," Ishtar huffed
Even though they did not see Ishtar, they can imagine she pouted crossing her arms in annoyance.
Ignoring the noises on comms, Aaron watched as the elevator doors slid open. He exited and continued down the corridor to his room. Inside, he approached an exoskeleton armor, still in skeletal form, and connected it to his cyber suit. The suit and armor seamlessly merged, forming a protective skeletal exoskeleton around his torso, arms, and legs. The cyber components stretched tight, like flexible rubber, ensuring a snug fit.
He then strapped a double-barreled buckshot revolver onto his chest and a dual-hand cannon on each side of his hips. Picking up a helmet that resembled a gas mask, he placed it firmly over his head. Standing before a deep hooded coat, he hesitated briefly before slipping into it, the alloy fabric billowing softly.
see if my calculations are correct..." He murmured flatly, inspecting his moment on a full armor setup.
Outside, chaos had escalated exponentially. Zombies flooded out of infrastructure and collapsed buildings in a relentless tide, their movements frantic and unpredictable. Despite some being consumed by Morphomysts or riddled with bullets, the surging horde was relentless, resembling an unending stampede.
"Whoa~, there are so many! How many are there? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions?" exclaimed the giant armored figure with a feminine voice, her tone echoing with enthusiasm, wearing a suit that looked both advanced and bulk imposing.
From the elevated second-floor vantage point, she looked down with excitement, observing the swarm of zombies rushing toward her. Using fallen enemies as stepping stones, they tried to approach, but each would explode into a gruesome blood pool, instantly. The armored figure, relaxed and confident, wielded a massive warhammer, its dual-sided head adorned with blood, small chunks of flesh on spikes, and rotating mechanisms resembling grinding machine blades on each side.
Admiring the chaos below, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
"You don't need to know how many there are, Ishtar; all that matters is cleaning them out. Nothing more, nothing less," Isabella said gracefully, approaching with elegant poise.
She was wearing a sleek, full black exoskeleton armor, tightly wrapping her hourglass figure, accentuating her flowing blond hair and piercing blood-red eyes. She held a long estoc sword, still sheathed in a black metallic, polished scabbard. The hilt guard was silver, with white and black grips.
"So, you're finished quickly too, Isabella?" Ishtar said pleasantly, though she was still smashing zombies with her weapon.
"Well, I have less to prepare than you all, but what about you?" Isabella asked, glancing down at the cluster of flesh and blood down below.
"So-so," Ishtar replied casually.
"So-so, you say..." Isabella murmured skeptically, eyeing her bulky armor.
"With that heavy exoskeleton armor, how do you still move so freely?"
"Hehehe, I haven't been called the strongest without reason, if I can't lift my own weight with ease," ishtar respond with smug remarks.
"But you can't defeat Quinn in the close-quarters combat training."
"Ugh"
She indeed is the strongest of all of them, even surpassing Aaron without him holding back. However, she was consistently defeated by others using their combat tactics and martial prowess; she was outsmarted every time. This pattern was so frustrating that she earned a nickname, the "childish gorilla," because although she was the strongest utilizing her power, she didn't do strategic thinking, often responding to threats with destruction rather than intelligence.
"That's a different kind of strength—please don't compare us," she would say.
"In other areas, I'm the superior. If we fought all-out, I would win many times!"
"Then I'll see you later in the training quarter, Ishtar. Show me how strong you really are."
Suddenly, a deep, commanding voice resonated through the communication channels, filling everyone with unease.
"Huh? Wait, why did I hear enraged Quinn on the comms? Isabella, did you leave the speaker open?" Ishtar asked nervously, her voice trembling.
"Not at all the same time —I'm right behind you," Isabella replied calmly.
Hearing this, Ishtar immediately felt a strong grip on her shoulder and knew she had messed up terribly. Everyone understood that provoking Quinn's anger would turn training into an ordeal of unimaginable severity.
Nervously, Ishtar turned her head slowly to see Quinn's impassive face, which made her tremble violently. Seeing her distress, Isabella took a step back, giving them space, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Ah, Quinn, I... uh... wait—
"I'll train your foolish head until you become humble every day," Quinn interrupted sternly.
She pushed Ishtar aside and strode forward alongside four humanoid figures, each as tall as she was. These figures carried thick, massive shields that could completely cover their bodies. Mounted on their backs were a Vulcan turret on the left and an artillery cannon on the right.
Quinn wore a camouflage exoskeleton suit equipped with a military hat and vest, with a heavy rifle strapped across her back.
Without hesitation, they jumped into action, smashing through obstacles with reckless abandon—blood, flesh, and debris flying everywhere. The zombies immediately swarmed in every direction.
"Zegg Constructs, phalanx formation." Quinn commanded firmly.
The humanoid Zegg Constructs obeyed, lining up their shields in unison. The zombies collided with the shields and attacked relentlessly, but the Constructs remained unmoving, impervious to damage.
Roars and growls echoed as the zombies pressed forward, trying to break through.
"Weapons ready..."
All guns were aimed at the encroaching zombies.
"Fire!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The barrage of gunfire decimated the zombie swarm, turning flesh and bones into a bloody mess scattered among the debris.
"Advance!" Quinn commanded, leading the charge.
The team moved mechanically, crushing everything in their path—obstacles, corpses, and wreckage flattened into pulp beneath their steps.
While A few zombies slipped past the line of shields, prompting Quinn to casually lift her rifle and take precise shots at their heads, creating gaping holes. Her eyes shimmered with a luminous blue glow, zooming in and out, flickering like a kaleidoscope.
Quinn is equipped with a weapon technology, capable of creating weapons or modifying robotics and creatures. Despite sharing the same mind capacity of advanced learning and calculation as other Androids, she was unique in her rapid adaptability during combat. Her ability to resist and counter minimized the damage she sustained, and if she takes the first damage the second will be less or nullified. Making her a perfect soldier without limits, no needs foods, less damage taking and always combat ready.
"The Zegg Constructs moments still need refinement; I require more data before upgrading their components for better performance...
analyzed internally, her thoughts were on these Constructs to increase their efficiency with unwavering focus. Murmured.
"All this is for Sir Aaron's army."