Gunship - The Series

by John Davis

  Roman was a reaver of men. It didn't matter their weapon set or skill, he was simply unmatched when it came to blood letting and moments like these only added to his mounting legend. The combined movements of his Gali rifle and guard's baton allowed him to easily make a path through those who remained standing. Quinton did most of his work by way of rifle, zipping hot lead into the wall of guilty flesh before him.

  It wasn't long before Zane's ranks had thinned and the thought of mortality began to set in. Dalton and Whiskey both exited the ship slowly as they joined their group during the last seconds of the gunfight.

  “No, that's Roman!” Adam yelled as Sasha pulled her pistol up and into the face of the former terrorist, not recognizing the man who had endured months of hell.

  “Apologies my friend.” Sasha said, slowly lifting the pistol away from Roman Raines, while continuing to use caution around the warrior's Black Cell brother.

  “I told you I'd be back.” Adam said proudly, answering the look of gratitude cast by Roman. Through all of the turmoil, Zane managed to gather himself from the floor, sprinting quickly out of the landing bay as his heavy feet clanged against the grated steel deck of the hallway.

  Roman thought long and hard about everything he had endured on the Gali prison ship. The food, the guard induced beatings, the inhumane living conditions and the fact that he had started to lose hope. He had truly started to believe that Adam and the Gunship crew had left him for dead.

  None of that mattered now as Roman stood there, continuing to stare at the Captain of the most loyal group he'd ever been a part of.

  “You're a man of your word.” Roman finally said, extending his arm to shake the hand of Adam Michaels.

  “I told you I would be back.” Adam said again, proud of the fact that he was able to pull it off.

  “Didn't say you would have Hunters right behind you though.” Roman replied as everyone turned to see a Hunter distinct shuttle entering the landing bay.

  “Ahh fuck,” Dalton yelled, smacking his leg frantically and whistling until Whiskey began to run back to their position. “Get them little legs running!” Dalton added, crouching for a moment to coax Whiskey into moving quickly.

  “Shit! Must have placed a beacon on our ship back at Arch City.” Adam said with disgust.

  “We better move now.” Roman said sternly, motioning the group to follow him down the narrow hallway and into what would be no less than a hornet's nest of guards and rioting prisoners exchanging gunfire.

  “See you lost a little weight and picked up a new friend.” Dalton said jokingly as the entire group jogged slowly into a storage room. Filled with large wooden crates, it would be the perfect place to dig in and make a last stand if it came to that.

  “This is my brother Quinton. As far as the weight, well I'm sure you all have noticed my lack of chrome.” Roman said calmly, though his mind had already drifted back to the prison doctor barbarically pulling the meshed steel from his flesh.

  “Your brother? You mean there are two of you?” Dalton asked, stunned by Roman's statement.

  “Many more than just two.” Quinton said, a bright smile painted onto his face.

  “I hate to break up the honeymoon here, but it would be wise to knock off the small talk and find cover. We don't know how many Hunters we are dealing with.” Sasha said, the thought of Hunter Elites still fresh in her memory.

  “She's right. Not to mention the entire prison ship is in a full scale riot. Guards are scattered and the prisoners are armed and on the hunt for us both,” Roman replied. “I'll take the front with Quinton.” Roman said as both of the Black Cell members positioned themselves crouching behind a desk at the entrance to the room. Sasha waited quietly, hoping in her heart that Adam would position himself with her.

  It would give them the perfect chance to be alone, and even under such stressful circumstances her heart felt so many different emotions for the true to his word smuggler. Their kiss in the rain still haunted her every waking moment, she wanted to live in that kiss forever.

  “Dalton, you and Whiskey hide behind something. If we are going to die, I want to do it with my crew.” Adam said, quickly joining Sasha as they took up residence in the corner behind a forklift type vehicle.

  As Vladris stepped off of his shuttle slowly, gothic black boots striking the ground, the void pupils of his eyes skimmed the perimeter of the room. Quickly joined by his hell hound, who's ears skimmed the area for sound. Their keen senses instantly heard multiple gunshots being exchanged throughout the ship, but a prison riot was of no concern to him. Seeing out the execution of the last remaining Benzans were his only priority. Having left Arch City to regroup with more of the undead murderers, he turned to motion the rest of the group. Two additional Hunter Elites slowly exited the craft, followed by three of the less dangerous Hunter strain.

  “Stay here and hold the landing bay until we return.” Vladris commanded of the three Hunters as he turned and walked into the narrow hallway under escort of two more Hunter Elites.

  Soon the three ultra killers had disappeared from sight, taking with them only precision pistols and articulate swords of destruction.

  Nearing the storage room, the Hunter Elites were taken off guard by a group of equally surprised prisoners. Heavily armed, the startled prisoners began to open fire without regard, clouds of bullets floating through the narrow confines of the hallway. In a normal scenario, six heavily armed men might stand a chance against a single Hunter Elite. But this was far from a normal scenario.

  Three elites in close quarters led to a speedy slaying of the six prisoners, their flesh gouged to the bone and spines severed from the body. The screams and pleas of the prisoners being mutilated could easily be heard by Adam's group, which was positioned nearby in the storage room. They tried to remain focused, though both Adam and Dalton were horribly reminded of so many friends lost during the first Glimmerian War.

  The screams of a dying man who is unready to go sound the same, no matter the killer or pleading man. The screams always sound the same. And that was a sound that both men had witnessed so many times first hand, a sound that made the skin of both men crawl. Told him not to that that fuckin' job. Dalton thought as they nervously waited.

  With their jet black armor coated with the crimson splatter of blood and boots drenched in it, the Hunter Elites kept moving forward, stopping to glance in each room. Roman Raines was prepared to die to get his friends to safety as he clinched a combat blade in one hand and riot style shotgun in the other. They had came back for Roman and shown a type of loyalty that he had never known, and he wasn't about to let them die in front of him. He glanced at his Black Cell brother for a moment, turning to nod his appreciation one last time to Adam before moving his attention to the door. Vladris and his two skilled slayers stopped for a moment, looking into the room with malicious intent before taking fire from the end of the hallway. A three man group of prison guards held a riot shield and fired piercing rounds from an automatic sniper rifle. Hitting one of the elites with multiple shots, the monster fell to the deck in agonizing pain. Sprinting to their position quickly, Vladris and the other elite made short work of the guards, butchering the men into afterlife.

  “It's important to me that these people make it to safety my brother,” Roman said with a grave tone as Quinton looked at him solidly. “They are good people. They don't know about our cause, but they are like family to me as well.” Roman added as Quinton nodded slowly.

  Roman stood quickly, motioning the group to the door as the Hunters turned to exit the hallway.

  “We gotta go now and pray they didn't leave many behind to guard the shuttles.” Roman said.

  “I'll take point, Quinton will watch the flank.” he added. The group quickly ran out of the storage room and backtracked into the direction of the ship's landing bay.

  “Well, there goes that idea.” Dalton said as the group sprinted into the landing bay, quickly gaining the attention of the three Hunters left behind. As t
he Hunters contacted Vladris and his group by radio, Roman dropped his pistol to the ground, reaffirming his grip on the combat blade.

  Hunters considered themselves to be at the top of the food chain, and when they were challenged by blade wielding cattle, they were quick to answer the challenge. The Hunters quickly drew their swords, impressions of both skulls and demons engraved into the pewter handles of the weapons.

  “We got this.” Roman said with thirst on his breath. Quinton was quick to join as Dalton tossed him a well built Glimmerian combat blade.

  Adam and the remainder of the group stepped back to watch the fight begin, ready to move to the shuttle quickly in the rare case of victory. They could have easily opened fire onto the Hunters, but there was a code of honor among all warriors in the Skyla System, no matter the flag.

  “Be ready to bury some Hunter ass just in case.” Adam said as the group quickly readied their weapons.

  “All this shit and I still gotta buy my own damn drinks.” Dalton said jokingly, though Adam knew him well enough to understand Dalton was trying his best to disguise fear. There was a good chance that every single one of them would die right here, the map of their lives drawn to a conclusion in this very landing bay.

  “I've killed a Hunter Queen, you grunts aren't shit to me.” Roman said insultingly, bringing anger to the faces of the immortal soldiers of death.

  They were some of the best warriors ancient civilizations had produced, and now there was a feeling among everyone here. The best warriors of days gone by facing the most skilled warriors still mortal. While Adam and his crew were stunned at the former Black Cell member's statement, Adam was the only one to think it through. That's why he had been running. That's what led them to meet for the first time, and why the Hunters wanted him dead so badly. Sasha was the first to notice what the rest of the group quickly caught sight of. Three Hunter Elites. Walking into the landing bay, one seemed to be reeling from gunshot wounds slightly. Vladris looked at the group, especially the Benzans as he paced back and forth, dragging the tip of his blade across the floor. They would wait until the current fight was finished before blood letting, but wanted the group to see the sword which would end their lives.

  “You're up next and you motherfuckers aren't walking out of here alive.” Roman said bluntly, pointing his blade into the direction of Vladris, who quickly shifted his attention to the Black Cell terrorist.

  “Your terrorist group has caused much grief for our people. Acts that you will soon be apologizing for by the edge of our blades.” one of the Hunters said.

  Terrorist group? Adam thought as he watched Roman's movements, perfectly choreographed with those of Quinton.

  He wondered how much he actually knew about Roman Raines. What kind of criminal had he been harboring aboard his ship since day one? It didn't matter, Roman had only been a good person since that day. That's what counted in his book. Especially since all of their lives depended on the skill of Roman and Quinton at this very moment.

  The first Hunter made its move, lunging at the men with life ending intent. His sword was quickly parried away by the boot of Quinton, who threw a bone rattling elbow into the jaw of the beast. As he began to lunge to the wounded Hunter, Roman surprised all by spinning and burying his blade into the face of another Hunter, catching the beast off guard and ending its life in the same motion. Firmly planting his boot onto the chest of the lifeless Hunter, Roman pushed its carcass from his blade, bringing fragments of cartilage and bone with it.

  Shrieking from anger, Vladris began to pace with purpose, his eyes focused onto the mortal man who had made such short work of the perfect species. While the injured Hunter staggered to gain his senses back, the untouched Hunter dashed for Roman with its blade extended. Side stepping the monster, Roman mockingly kicked it in the back, using its own momentum to push it to the ground. He glanced at Vladris for a moment before turning to slash the reeling Hunter who had made an attempt to attack him from behind.

  Slashing the stomach of the Hunter, Roman quickly gave a second slash that filleted the beast from waist to shoulder and then arched a stab which plunged into its back. The dying Hunter screamed before Quinton kicked it directly in the face, jarring several teeth loose from the dead Hunter's mouth. As if Vladris wasn't enraged enough, Roman spit onto the body of the dead Hunter to insult their race.

  Screaming with fury, Vladris unbuckled his armor piece by piece, throwing it to the ground with conviction. His pale white skin was fully exposed, throwing every bit of armor from the waist up onto the ship's deck. He wanted to end the life of Roman Raines, and do it without the aid of armor. Stiffening his body up for a moment, Vladris displayed muscle tone matching his skill with a blade. Both in plentiful supply.

  Roman and Quinton circled the remaining Hunter slowly, swagger filled steps from both men who waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. It was a feign from Roman that grabbed the Hunter's attention, but the blade of Quinton that ended the Hunter's life. Roman playing decoy just long enough for his Black Cell brother to thrust the shimmering blade deep into the spinal area of the Hunter, twisting the steel bluntly before pulling it upward and spilling the intestines of the creature. The two brothers had made short work of three Hunters and now stood covered in blood as well as anticipation. Vladris was obviously calling the shots, as well as very important to his people; which made him a marked target to the Black cell brothers. “He's mine.” Vladris said commandingly as his curved fingernail directed his finger into Roman's direction.

  Adam's entire group remained speechless after watching the two brothers make such short work of three Hunters. Finding no suitable words to describe what his eyes had just witnessed, Adam simply gave a look of awe as Quinton made his way over to stand with the group. It was well known that dogs had a dislike for the Hunter race, a fact that had come to fruition because of the Hunter Elite's uncanny ability to turn both humans and animals into undead themselves. Whiskey hid behind the ramp of the crew's shuttle, watching the battle unfold in vivid black and white detail. Meanwhile, Roman and Vladris walked a slow circle, neither warrior removing eyes from the other.

  Vladris wielded a longsword, an advantage that Roman had quickly countered by wielding a second combat blade. The shimmering silver blade his brother had used only moments ago, now sitting in Roman's second hand. The idea of Roman fighting with a combat blade was testament enough, but when he held two blades the Gunship's crew could only try and imagine the possible destruction which could soon follow.

  “When I cut the soul from your body, I will show your organs to your friends as they too lay dying.” Vladris said calmly, dragging the tip of his sword a bit as both men continued to circle.

  “Got it all wrong fang man. When this is over, my friends and I will be leaving on that shuttle, and you will know that your sense of immortality was false, that you were nothing more than a mortal masquerading as an elite warrior.” Roman said, stopping to face the elite.

  Just like the instant of sunlight filling a landscape, Roman dove at Vladris with both blades extended. Stabbing at the Hunter, Roman continued to thrust the blades down as he landed beside the elite. Using his massive forearm to block the forearms of Roman, Vladris used his sword bearing arm to lay both fist and iron across the face of the Black Cell warrior, knocking him onto his back several feet away.

  Though quick to his feet, the nagging sensation of pain shooting throughout his face remained. His sight blurred by throbbing red as trace amounts of blood mixed with sweat and fell helplessly into the whites of his eyes. Such a punishing measure of blunt force trauma usually rendered his foes helpless, and Vladris was impressed with the zeal of Roman Raines, even if he was a man marked for death. Quinton started to intervene, but Adam quickly grabbed him, shedding light on the fact that two move Hunter Elites stood at the ready, their rifles drawn.

  “Come on Roman, dust that 'sumbitch!” Dalton yelled, knowing deep down that in hand to hand combat Roman was the best shot they had at walking o
ut alive. His motivation was quickly prolonged by the barking of Whiskey, who remained hidden near their shuttle.

  Roman began to reflect on everything in his life up to this very moment. His family murdered at the hands of the Hunters, Black Cell being wiped out by the blood sucking bastards and how he felt alone in the Skyla System. Alone, other than Adam and the crew of the Gunship, a group that took him in and treated him like part of the family. He would be damned if he let them fall dead here at the hands of three Hunter Elites.

  As Vladris jumped in for the kill, his blade struck metal, bouncing off of the grated deck of the ship as Roman spun quickly and split the ribs of the Hunter Elite wide open. His blade easily filleted the dead flesh of the mighty elite, shocking the immortal if nothing else. He was only wounded, still Vladris was more taken back by the thought of a normal man giving such fight to a Hunter Elite. He had not been given a wound of this magnitude in several decades, if not longer.

  Vladris staggered a bit, sword hanging down by his feet in one hand while the other covered the newly carved flesh wound. “He always did prefer the blade!” Dalton said, the idea of him possibly living to see another day exciting him. Wasting no time, Roman dashed in with incredible speed. Though not incredible enough. Vladris instantly used the hand covering his wound to grab the neck of Roman Raines and pull him into the air, looking into the eyes of such a dedicated warrior as he searched his soul. Seconds later, Vladris plunged his massive sword into the chest of Roman, lifting him into the air a bit higher by the length of his blade as he shook the life from the departed warrior.

  Roman Raines was dead. After cheating the afterlife so many times before, Roman was finally ended. He lay there on the blade of Vladris, blood gushing down to its handle as Roman glanced at Adam a final time as if to apologize.

  “NO!” Quinton yelled, running to the aid of his dying brother in arms before being hit with the unforgiving fire of a Hunter rifle. The bullet made a clean pass through the shoulder of Quinton, who lay on the floor suffering from both flesh wound and grief of the soul. Adam was fast to pull his pistol coated in gold and fire six shots, providing enough cover until he could grab Quinton and drag him behind the control booth of the landing bay.