Sam found a mountain range near him and a small outcrop someway up the sheer face. He blinked up to it and found that it looked over the whole valley. It also produced a view of whatever was on the other side of the mountain range. Sam walked through the dark caves that led from one side to the other, using the Darkness Element to see in the dark and find his way. As he neared the exit he began to hear sounds. It was the sound of people. The light blinded him as he stepped out of the cave. When the light dimmed Sam found himself standing over an entire army base filled to the brim with Chaos Marines.
He blinked down to an outside wall and found a lone scout making the rounds. Sam killed him and took his armour. More and more humans had joined the Chaos Marines so the constructs weren't used as much. Sam made his way through the blood red buildings and winding streets, passing Chaos Demons and several Chaos Marines. Chaos Generals stood guard at most important looking buildings.
"Master, I am sensing a high number of Chaos Elementals," Horus stated through Sam's mind. Sam suppressed a laugh at Horus stating the obvious.
"No kidding. It's not like I'm standing in the middle of a Chaos Marine army base, am I," Sam said sarcastically.
"Oy, Marine! Keep moving! We need to be ready to move by sundown!" a Chaos General yelled at Sam when he stopped in the middle of a walkway. Sam nodded to him and walked off. The Chaos General ran up behind him.
"Where do you think you're going, Marine?" He asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. I'm a newbie," Sam replied.
"The registration office is over there. Just drop your name and the officer there will tell you where to go," the Chaos General said.
As Sam walked off he began to think about the Chaos Marines. 'They seem somewhat nice. I wonder what's going on?'
Sam neared a large wooden building that stood out against the Chaos Black buildings. There was a line heading out the door. Sam stepped in line and waited his turn. He was surveying the area when the Chaos Marine in front of him began to talk to him.
"You're a newbie too, huh?"
"Yep," Sam said, not really caring.
"Why'd you join?"
"I'm sorry … what?" Sam said, turning his attention to the marine.
"Why did you join the Chaos Marines?"
"Oh, um, I don't know. I guess because I wanted to learn to use the Chaos Element."
"That takes years to master though. Oh, well. Anyway I joined so I could kill those fucking Space Marines who have taken over this universe and enslaved the humans of Earth."
Sam had to bite his tongue to not laugh.
"It seems that these Chaos Marines believe you are the evil in this universe," Horus said to Sam.
'Chaos must be feeding them lies.'
"What is your plan Master?"
'Umm I don't know, I'm kind of just going along with whatever happens.'
"What's your name, Marine?" Sam asked.
"I'm Jimmy. What's yours?"
"Ace."
"Master, is it safe to change your name?"
'What do want me to do, Horus? Say my name is Sam and see what they say?'
"Well, you can't be the only Sam in the universe."
Sam and Jimmy made their way to the wooden building. Jimmy was inside while Sam had to wait outside for his turn. Jimmy exited and waited for Sam.
"Name?"
A Chaos General sat in the only chair in the room. Two other Chaos Generals stood at his sides.
"Ace," Sam replied.
"Just Ace?" the Chaos General asked, looking up to Sam.
"Ace Anderson."
"Very well, from now on you are a Chaos Marine. You will be known as Marine Anderson. Head over to the large central building to begin your training. Falter from this path and you will be punished," the Chaos General said.
Sam bowed, left, and found Jimmy waiting for him.
"God, I felt like I was being interrogated in there," Jimmy said as they walked towards a large black structure. Sam grunted a response.
"You're not very talkative are you?" Jimmy asked.
"Nah, I just don't have a lot to say."
"Do you wanna be friends through all of this?" Jimmy asked.
"Sorry, no. I don't think I'll be here too long."
"Why not?"
"I have my reasons."
They both entered the large building and found thousands of Chaos Marines standing waiting.
"Holy shit. What've we gotten ourselves into?" Jimmy said.
"Earthen Horn Smash!"
"Hammer Slammer!"
Brin's hammer collided with Nathan's horn. Nathan was fused with his team while Brin fought in his armour. Ever since Sam had blinked Nathan and his team back, Brin was at their throats for killing his team. Matthew and Lachlan, both in their beast forms, were caught up between them trying to stop their fighting.
"Arctic Spear!"
"Shadow Buster!"
Matthew and Lachlan fired at Brin and Nathan but both attacks just bounced off harmlessly as the two of them charged once again at each other.
They connected once more with equal strength, neither one weakened.
Taine, Cameron, Steven and Emily watched from the sidelines as Brin and Nathan fought it out in the holo deck. They sat in the bleachers of the Coliseum in Rome but back when it was in its prime and not half gone. Other marines sat around the Coliseum, watching Nathan and Brin fight it out below.
Lachlan and Matthew made their way up to the other marines. Both of them were exhausted from trying to separate Brin and Nathan.
"Don't we have better things to do than stopping these two from fighting?" Taine asked.
"Probably, but I don't want most of my team fighting twenty-four-seven. I want a team that will fight alongside each other, not at one another," Matthew replied.
"I'm glad you're finally calling it your team, Matt," Lachlan said, sitting down.
"Well, I've given up on Sam ever coming back."
"If I may ask a question," Steven spoke up.
"Of course, Steven. You're no longer our prisoner," Matthew replied.
"Why are me and Emily here if we're not prisoners?"
"I think you're both strong enough to be a part of this team, but you don't have to be if you don't want to. You can go home if you want but you'll miss out. You can go and think about it if you want. The team and I will go and see the General," Matthew said, standing up and walking out of the holo deck followed by his team. Cameron stayed behind to watch Brin fight.
S1 stood at attention in front of the General, wishing for orders. They'd all been off duty since Sam had escaped from prison and they all wanted to get back into the fight against the Chaos Marines.
"We want a mission that'll really hurt the Chaos Marines, Sir. Not some petty mission that takes us to some unexplored planet," Matthew said.
"I want to give you a real mission, son, but I'm afraid that you'll run into Sam and be unable to kill him."
"Why would we run into Sam, Sir?" Lachlan asked.
"I've heard reports that he's gone and joined the Chaos Marines. I fear that he's following his brother's example," the General said. A stunned silence fell over the marines. They all had horrified looks on their faces.
"Sir, I've only known Sam for a few hours but in that time I've learnt that he would never give in to something as morally wrong as the Chaos Marines. He's not that kind of person. He'll fight for what he believes in," Steven spoke up.
"I have no doubt about Sam's intentions. I know that the decision to join the Chaos Marines was thought through and he has a plan. I don't want to send you guys on a mission that may jeopardise Sam's mission, whatever that may be," the General replied.
A long silence followed, Lachlan stirred on his feet. He was clearly upset about Sam's change of sides.
"Sir, please, anything will do. Just something to get our minds off Sam," Taine said.
"Okay, there is something you can do. There's some kind of metal pod sitting in the centre of the Niagara Falls. It's underwater
but your armours should let you breathe and walk under water. Head over there now."
"Sir, yes Sir!"
5: Anubis
"The new recruits are looking good, my Lord, especially Ace," Zac said as he and Chaos watched the recruits fighting to the death.
"We only want the best, Zac. We need to kill the Space Marines so that High King Draconis can rise again," Chaos replied.
"Of course, My Lord. The only way we can live in peace is if High King Draconis can wipe out the Unworthy."
"Zac, how would you like to fight one of the recruits?"
"Very much, my Lord, as long as I can kill him."
"No, let them live. Now go and choose your opponent."
"Here I come, Ace," Zac said, jumping from the balcony.
Taine stood overlooking Niagara Falls, leaning on a guard rail and eyeing the other marines. The five of them all wore civilian clothing and were dotted around the Falls. Lachlan and Emily were in the lower half while Matthew and Steven walked around the top half and some way down the bottom half. Taine was situated right at the top. They all wore black shades that had the capability to zoom in on each other so they could all keep an eye on each other.
Taine let out a deep sigh. "What the hell are we doing here? There's nothing here," he complained.
"Calm down, Taine. The General said there's a silver pod somewhere around here. He said it was in the water. We just have to get down there somehow," Lachlan said through the comms.
"Ugh, it's just so boring standing here doing nothing."
"Then do something, Taine," Matthew's voice came through the comms.
"Oh, gee. Thanks, Matt. It's not like I…"
"Shut up! I see something." Lachlan said as he saw three shady characters walking around.
'You're lucky,' Taine mouthed at Matthew as they passed each other.
"Emily, come to me. Radio silence, team," Lachlan said.
Emily made her way down the falls, grabbed Lachlan's arm, and they walked up to the people.
"Umm, excuse me. Could you please take a picture of us?" Emily asked them.
"No," the largest man said.
"C'mon, dude. We're a couple in love. We need someone to take a photo of us in front of the falls," Lachlan said.
"He said no. Now move along before you get hurt," a smaller, scrawnier man said.
Lachlan and Emily continued to try and convince the men to take their picture while Taine walked past them in an effort to see if they were friend or foe. Taine bumped into the largest of the men. As he turned to apologise, Taine recognised the man as one of the competitors from the tournament that he and Sam had competed in when they first met.
Taine jumped out of the way as the man clearly recognised him and tried to grab him.
"It's one of the marines!" the large man said.
"Yep, I can see that," the smaller one said as he faced Lachlan and Emily, both with their gauntlets visible.
The third man, a mid-sized person who was reading a book, stepped forward only to have Matthew standing in front of him and Steven covering the rear exit.
"I think that we need to fight, men. If we don't, I think we may be apprehended and tortured," the man with the book said.
"You wouldn't be tortured, just beaten until you told us all of your secrets," Lachlan replied.
"Very well then. Shall we begin?" the man with the book said, slamming it shut. His image began to flicker and suddenly he was in full Chaos Armour. His book floated in front of him as he floated slightly above the ground. He flicked his hand and stone walls surrounded him and the other Chaos Marines. Matthew, Taine and Lachlan had to jump out of the way of the walls.
The marines all activated their armours - Taine and Lachlan in their beast forms, Steven and Emily in their Morph Armours with their clothes forming steel hard armour, and Matthew in his Cerberus Armour.
The walls dropped and the three Chaos Generals all wore the Chaos Black Armour with white stripes but each had their own spin off of the armour. The larger man had a much bulkier and heavier armour with thick armour plating around the joints. He seemed more reliant on brute strength. The scrawnier man had a lighter, more agile armour that carried several knives, probably used for throwing. The third Chaos General let off a few lightning bolts toward Matthew but Taine quickly cancelled them out.
"He's clearly an Unbound Elemental. Watch out for him," Matthew yelled to his team.
"Yeah, no shit, Matt," Taine retorted.
"Taine, cut the crap, cut the sarcasm and fight," Lachlan said, dodging a brute's punch.
"Lachlan, Taine, take down the elemental. I'll handle the brute. Steven, Emily, can I trust you to handle the knife wielder?" Matthew ordered.
"You got it, Matt," Steven replied as the team split off to take each opponent.
Matthew switched one of his blades out for a cannon and charged at the brute. The brute swung at Matthew, who ducked under the swing and jabbed at the brute's abdomen. The blade bounced harmlessly off the thick armour. Matthew got away from the brute trying to grab him. He pointed his cannon at the ground and fired it, launching him upwards. Matthew switched out his blade.
"Twin Cerberus Cannon!"
He fired both cannons at the brute, who blocked it with his arms and didn't flinch. The brute slowly backed away and the beam hit the ground at his feet. The brute launched himself upwards at Matthew. Matthew switched back to one blade and swung at the brute in mid air. The brute vanished and appeared behind Matthew. He balled his fists together and slammed them into Matthew's back, sending him to the ground. Matthew got up and saw the brute descending at a rate not normally achievable.
"Cerberus Cannon!"
Matthew fired his one cannon to try and slow the brute but he dodged out of the way. He was mere meters above Matthew when Taine slammed into him, sending him off course and into a field nearby.
"Thanks, Taine," Matthew said through the comms.
"No prob, Matt."
Matthew turned to where the brute had been thrown. He couldn't see him but when a fist dug into his back he knew that the brute had blinked behind him.
'He must be either an Unbound or a Chaos Light Elemental,' Matthew thought to himself as he tried to get up. The brute put his foot on Matthew's back and pushed him back onto the ground. Matthew felt pressure applied onto his back. He could feel his bones breaking. He opened a portal beneath him and fell through it. When he opened his eyes he was standing in the General's throne room.
"Oh, holy shit that hurt," Matthew said, straightening his back and seeing if there was any damage.
"Matthew, what are you doing here? How is the mission going?" The General asked from his throne. He didn't seem surprised to see Matthew appear through the portal.
"It's fine, Dad - just a few Chaos Generals. Now if you'll excuse me," Matthew said, fully disengaging his left Cerberus head, with the jaws separating to reveal a black gauntlet.
Matthew reopened the portal and jumped through it. The second he went through it he saw the brute. Matthew slammed his fist into the brute's helmet, staggering him. Bringing his cannon up, he fired into the brute's stomach. He reactivated his Cerberus head, switched it to a blade and brought it up and then down, slashing the brute's front up and down. He then jumped away from the brute, who seemed stunned.
Matthew cautiously approached the brute and brought his blade up to finish it, when the brute's eyes flickered and he grabbed Matthew's head. The brute squeezed and a loud crunch followed. He'd crushed Matthew's helmet. Matthew screamed as he felt the brute's fingers begin to dig into his head.
"Arctic Spear!"
A spear of ice embedded itself in the brute's knee joint. He staggered forward and dropped Matthew. Lachlan ran over to him in his beast form.
"You okay, Matt?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Matthew replied as they regrouped away from the brute.
"Arctic Fang Crunch!"
Lachlan's fangs became encased in ice and he charged for the brute, who was still o
n one knee.
The brute brought his hand up and grabbed Lachlan's top jaw. His other hand and grabbed Lachlan's bottom jaw and began to pull them apart. An audible snap echoed through the falls and Lachlan's eyes became filled with despair and were void of life. The brute let go and Lachlan fell lifeless onto the ground. His jaw was shattered.
"MASTER!! NO!!!" a loud voice boomed through the falls.
A silence fell over the marines as the metal pod burst out of the water and began to transform. It unfurled, and humanoid arms and legs ended in sharp claws. It looked like Horus but instead of an eagle's head this one had a jackal's head.
The thing flew over to Lachlan and encased him. The beast form disengaged and Lachlan stood back up. He looked at the armour that he was now wearing.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked.
"I will tell you when we get back to your base. For now we need to take down these heathens," the thing said into Lachlan's mind.
The Chaos General with the book floated over to the other generals.
"Tyler, Nat, I think it may be time to retreat," he said. He opened a Chaos Portal and the three of them stepped through it.
Matthew, Steven, Emily and Taine all walked over to Lachlan who was still looking at his new armour. It separated from him and stood alone.
"What the fuck is that?" Taine asked.
"My name in Anubis. I am the same as Sam's partner, Horus. Where is my brother?" Anubis asked, looking around.
"Sam's no longer apart of this team. Which means this 'Horus' isn't either," Matthew explained.
"Our creator warned us about the past being different than what he'd experienced. But we will still help you defeat the Chaos Marines," Anubis said.
"Well, what do you think, Lachlan? He is your partner now?" Matthew asked.
"I think we can trust him," Lachlan replied.
The Chaos Saga Page 22