[Mkguild] Another CoH story Old Enemies New Friends part 1

[christian okane]

  I play the game City of Heroes WAY too much but I do have fun. This story
came about from one of the reoccurring events of the game - A Rikti
invasion. Those of you who have played the game will easily recognize the
train station. For those of you who don't play it - no worry - just think
'Evil alien invaders' and you have the basics.


Please enjoy and feel free to send me comments and your thoughts:

Chris
The Lurking Fox


Old Enemies, New Allies
by Christian O'Kane and Stealthcat

Paragon City Rhode Island, July 2007

   Misha could see the smoke long before he got within range. A dozen
pillars of thick black smoke rising quickly into the sky over Paragon City.
He could already pick out several tall skyscrapers that were alight as were
a score of smaller structures. A thick could of smoke hung over everything
like an ominous storm cloud. Talos Island was burning. That image brought
back unwanted memories that he fought to contain.


*****************


 New York City, NY, May 23 2002

    "We'll be over the drop zone in 30 seconds," came the sharp words of the
pilot into Misha's ears.

   "Acknowledged," Sergeant Henderson responded. The tall soldier looked
around at the other rangers standing in the cavernous interior of the C17
cargo plane. "Everyone ready?"

   Corporal Brightleaf gave a nod of the head to his platoon leader and
checked his gear for one last time. He was of average height, (five feet six
inches tall) although his fit and trim body and hair cut very short marked
him as a soldier. He was wearing the standard issue camouflaged uniform over
which he had his armor of kevlar with plates of composite material
protecting the more important parts. Slung over his shoulder was an M16A3
assault rifle. He also had a 9mm pistol, twelve hand grenades and a lot of
ammunition.

   Twenty four hours ago all the Corporal had been worried about was trying
to adapt to being a Ranger. Misha had only been assigned to A company, 1/75
Ranger regiment for a month and he was still adjusting. The day before all
those odd portals had opened up all over the world. Many people had talked
about finally gaining peaceful contact with alien life forms. The military
took no chances and put everything on alert, All the Ranger and Special
forces units had scattered to predetermined dispersal points. For Misha it
meant sitting in a foxhole in the woods close to the Duchess County New York
Airport until how heard  and saw the fires from burning towns. Radios and
satellite communications went down. Even the heavily encrypted channels were
being jammed. So the unit had reacted according to plan and headed to New
York city.

   The tailgate of the transport slowly started to come down. A blast of air
whipped through carrying the sharp tang of burning wood and plastic as an
orange glow filled the plane. Misha cast a glance out the tailgate of the
plane and down into the city. He saw smoke and flames everywhere. Off to the
left was a skyscraper that towered high above the plane. All the top floors
were alight, casting a bright red glow over the whole city. It was burning
like the scores of other buildings around it were.

   "New York is burning," he said out loud.


*****************

Paragon City Rhode Island, July 2007


   "Any updates?" Misha asked into his communication system.

   "G4 confirms this is a major raid. The War walls and down and at least 8
Dropships are headed this way," came the answer. The nantites who had given
him his super powers were monitoring all the communication channels. They
were also constantly updating the map and information that was being
displayed directly onto his eyes. On that map he saw 8 flashing symbols
moving slowly towards the city. Suddenly one of the symbols stopped moving
and then vanished from the screen. "Score 1 for the air force! Those new
French guidance systems are really working nicely."

   Misha Brightleaf, looked like a superhero. He certainly did not look like
a normal human being. He stood a little over five feet three inches tall and
his trim and muscular body weighed one hundred fifty pounds. He stood
upright, had two arms and two legs and walked erect like a human but there
all resemblances ended. He had the head of a red fox to match the long bushy
vulpine tail and his body was covered with thick fur and markings of a red
fox. Even his hands were covered with the fine, black fur. His legs had the
extra joint and odd bend all canines had and called digitigrade. The legs
ended in black furred paws. He was wearing heavy, composite plastic/metal
allow armor that protected him completely from head to tail. At the moment
the armor was covered with a camouflage pattern of gray and black spots but
could be changed at will. Sprouting from his back was a pair of massive
wings that had a span of over 4 meters. Although covered with feathers these
wings were not a natural creation. The feathers were actually a form of
polymer and the bones beneath the skin were a metal alloy. In his hands he
was carrying a bow that was as tall as he was. It was made of a complex
composite of polymers and plastics carefully formed into a bow. It was a
very powerful weapon and only Misha's cybernetically enhanced muscles could
use it. The special arrows he could shoot from such a powerful bow were
deadly, capable of penetrating the toughest armor.

   Misha increased his speed and dropped so low to the water that his
wingtips were just touching with each beat, leaving ripples on the water.
The Talos Island district of Paragon city was actually a series of islands
large and small connected to the shoreline by roads, ferries and the Paragon
city rapid transit. This meant that no matter where you went in Talos Island
there was always lots of water to cross. He flashed past a pair of navy
gunboats. The two hydrofoils were racing along at speed headed towards Talos
Island itself. Just like he was.

   A beam of energy suddenly raced past, above him close enough to make his
armor sizzle. He stopped suddenly and spun around in the direction the blast
had come from. His bow came up as he nocked an arrow. Fifty meters away he
caught sight of a gray, snail shaped object about a meter in size. He
recognized it instantly. A Rikti drone. One of the small flying robots the
alien invaders used in large numbers.

   He loosed the arrow, drew and nocked another arrow and in seconds it was
racing off after the first one. In moments the arrows connected and the
drone exploded in a ball of flames and debris.

   "The Landers have begun their final runs. They'll be within teleport
range in one minute."

   The super looked around and saw two more of the snail shaped fliers
headed towards him. He pulled out an explosive tipped arrow from his quiver
and nocked it. Suddenly a beam of energy struck him in the chest knocking
him backward for a moment. Misha shook his head to clear away the dizziness.

   "No injuries. Only minor dizziness. That was a level 4 energy blast.
Standard mark 2 drone weaponry."

   "Sloppy! You think they would have made more improvements to their drones
then that. The improved armor is working fine! That blast would have killed
you if it had been in the old armor."

   "The Dept of Defense will be happy about that seeing as they've ordered
500,000 of them."

   "Nice try but not good enough," Misha snarled as he took aim and loosed
an arrow at the approaching drones. The explosive tipped projectile struck
the left drone dead square. A large explosion enveloped both drones. He
watched as the two drones spiraled downward into the water.

   No could understand why the Rikti had attacked earth seven years ago.
There were lots of theories but few really solid answers. All that Misha
knew was that one day they had appeared through their portals and tried to
lay waste to everything.

   "The main rally point for Supers is the small hill to the north of the
New Troy train station."

   Understood," Misha replied and started flying towards the station.

   "Vanguard reports at least 500+ Rikti on the ground already."

   "This is a raid?" Stealth asked.

   "When they went after New York on 02 they had 20 times that number on the
ground," Misha commented.

   "You were in the first invasion?" Stealth asked. "I forgot that."

   "I wish I could forget it." Misha countered. 

   "Where are you now?" Stealth asked. "I'm at the rally point. Come over
and join the fun."

   "Less than a mile out and closing," the fox answered as he flew along. Up
ahead was Talos Island with its rocky shoreline and tall cliffs. Tucked in
close underneath one of the cliffs was a thin strip of beach. It's white
sands showing clearly. There on the sands close to the water a small fight
was going on. One figure, who was obviously a super was dressed in medieval
armor complete with steel breastplate and plumed helmet. In one hand was a
massive iron shield. In his other was a large sword over a meter in length.
Surrounding the super were three other figures. There was no mistaking these
for supers or even human. They were wearing oddly shaped, green, armor that
looked more like the carapace of an insect then anything mammalian. All
three were carrying meter long blades that looked like slabs of metal
roughly cut into angular shapes. Along their edges was the bright, blue glow
of an energy weapon. Misha knew all too well how easily those Rikti blades
would slice through human flesh. The super was trying to fend off 3 weapons
with only a shield and a sword, all while trying to lash out with his own
weapon.

   "They are jamming  communications. Communications channels 1 to 12 are
down or downgraded below 10%. Restrict communications to channels 14 to 20
and enhance encryption to level 42."

   Misha came to a halt and took slow, steady aim at one of the attacking
Rikti.  He took his time carefully adjusting for the wind and movement of
the target. This was a lesser Rikti commonly called a conscript. They were
not as well armored or as skilled as others but still a deadly threat. When
he judged the moment was right he loosed the arrow. The powerful bow sending
the projectile flying through the air. It struck the enemy in the back and
easily plowed through the armor and into the flesh and blood beneath. The
invader dropped to the sand without another motion.

   The super on the beach reacted instantly, slamming his shield into one
Rikti sending it tumbling backward. He spun around with a speed that was
surprising for someone in so much armor and decapitated the second attacker
with a single stroke of his sword. A few moments later he rammed his blade
into the chest of the one remaining Rikti. The armored super looked up at
Misha and gave him a salute with his sword.

   Misha gave the man a salute of his own. "To the train station!" the fox
shouted out and pointed in the right direction.

   The other super nodded and took off at a run and then leapt up into the
air and up and over the cliff.

   The fox morph wasted no time and speed off towards the train station.


****************


   When Misha arrived in the area of the New Troy station he was greeted by
pandemonium. A few hundred meters to the north of the station stood a low
hill usually covered with grass and trees. All that had been blasted away.
The hill was alive with hundreds of people. A score of super heroes of all
types, ages and both genders were locked in battle with an unending stream
of Rikti. Figures were kicking, punching, shooting, slashing and blasting
away at each other. Flames and explosions were everywhere as beams of energy
ripped and slashed through the air in all directions.

   The train station was like all the stations in Paragon city being
elevated twenty feet off the ground and was itself a scene of fighting that
spilled over from the fighting on the hill. There a dozen supers were locked
in battle with a hundred Rikti.


*****************


   When Misha neared the ground in the middle of Central Park all around him
was chaos and death. The trees surrounding the great lawn were burning and
he could hear the crackle and snap of the flames above the explosions and
gun fire.

   In the middle of the drop zone was a pile of burning, twisted wreckage
that might have once been an airplane. Around it scores of little battles
were being fought by desperate soldiers.

   Misha landed lightly and tumbled to the ground with the practiced ease of
many practice jumps. In moments he was standing up and started removing the
parachute rigging. Suddenly IT appeared in front of him. It towered over the
five and half foot tall man and was wearing the massive insect like armor
they would soon recognize as Rikti. Without hesitating Misha brought his
assault rifle up and fired a burst into the chest of the alien with no
apparent effect. The creature charged straight at the man with its massive
energy sword raised for a death blow. That burst would have killed a human.
Frightened Misha took careful aim at the point where the helmet was attached
to the shoulders and emptied the entire magazine. The figure stopped and
it's odd weapon dropped to the ground. Then it stumbled backward and
collapsed. Misha hastily put a new magazine into his assault rifle and then
emptied it into the creature to be sure it was dead and would stay that way.


*****************

Paragon City Rhode Island, July 2007

   It took Misha a moment to locate his feline friend. Stealth was in the
thickest part of the fighting. The human like figure walked on the same
digitigrade legs as Misha and had a long tail and animal head. But where
Misha was a fox Stealth was a cheetah with the slim feline's head, tail and
markings. He was also wearing armor like Misha was but his was colored jet
black all over. Stealth  had a sword in each hand and was lashing out in all
directions. The feline rushed straight at a Rikti, easily deflecting the
invader's blade with one sword while drive the other deep into the
attacker's chest. He leapt up and over the still falling body of the first
alien and down onto a second one. As the cheetah super slammed into the
Rikti both blades of his sword drove deep into the Rikti driving through the
armor, the shoulders it protected and deep into the internal organs below
that. Stealth pulled the blades free in an instant and lashed out at another
attacker.

   Misha didn't land but instead hovered about 5 meters off the ground. He
remained there, above the fight carefully picking and choosing his targets.
His arrows flew through the air picking out targets.

   Suddenly the Rikti were gone. All that remained of the attackers was the
dead that lay scattered on the pavement.

   "Is that it?" A young, black woman asked. Her hair was bound into a dozen
separate braids. To Misha she looked no more than sixteen.

   "Hardly," Misha shouted out loud enough for all to hear. "They'll be back
in a moment." He looked around at the scattered ground of superheroes
arrayed below him. To the old soldier none of them seemed to be older then
the girl. Was it merely 5 years ago that he was so young and naive? "Stay
sharp!" Misha ordered as his training took hold. "FORM a circle!" he
shouted. "Scrappers and tankers on the edge, blasters and controllers in the
middle."

   The group just looked up at him but didn't move. He slowly came down to
ground level. "MOVE!" Misha shouted in ringing tones of command. "FORM A
CIRCLE NOW! Before the Rikti return!" he bellowed and curled his lips back
revealing a muzzle full of teeth. He stared at them with an intensity that
would have made a statue flinch. Slowly the group shuffled about forming a
ragged circle at the center of which was the young girl with the braids.

   "Keep your cool everyone and stay close," Misha ordered in a calm tone,
trying to sound cool and collected. "Do NOT go chasing after the Rikti.
They'd love to see us all scatter. That way they can swarm us individually
and take us down one at a time."

   "Why are they attacking us?" Stealth asked. "There must be a reason."

   "There is," Misha answered. "We just don't know what it is."

   Suddenly right in front of him a gold, shimmering oval appeared. In
moments a dozen others appeared all around the group.

   "PORTALS!" someone shouted.

   "INCOMING!" Misha shouted as he pulled back up into the air even as he
was loosing an arrow at one of the portals. The first Rikti warrior to step
through the shimmering portal caught the arrow square in the chest and
toppled to the ground dead.

   "WARNING We have a direct attack upon us and the network itself!"

   "This was expected. Defenses are already active and engaging.

   The first warrior had barely tumbled to the ground when three more
stepped through the portal and the world erupted in a firestorm of
explosions and blasting. Misha's bow did it's deadly work taking down target
after target. Sending the attackers tumbling to the pavement one after the
other.

   Stealth was in the center of the largest group of Rikti. The feline was
spinning twisting about like an Olympic gymnast. His swords slashing through
everything within reach, slicing through metal, plastic, flesh and bone with
ease. Parts of bodies, armor and weapons skittered along on the pavement
like so much discard trash.

   "They have penetrated the communications systems using channel 11."

   "Shut down channels 6 through 14 and isolate nodes 2214 to 2811."

   Motion off to his right caused Misha to turn his head. He spotted a
little flying figure no more than a foot tall and looking like Tinker Bell
from an old Disney cartoon. The little fairy flew straight at an onrushing
drone and collided with it. The drone shattered into a million pieces
sending debris flying in all directions. Unhurt and without even a lock of
her tiny, silver hair out of place she rushed a second drone and grabbed it
with both of her miniscule hands. Misha watched as the tiny figure spun the
drone which was at least 500% larger then her around in circles before
tossing it into another. Both of the drones exploded and burning debris
rained down on the street below.

   "Rikti attack programs are making serious assaults on the main defense.
They are VERY aggressive and 235% more efficient than expected."

   Stealth did not notice the burning bits that singed his fur. Instead he
concentrated on the figure in front of him. To the feline he did not look
different at first. His armor and weapons looked the same as all the rest.
But this Rikti dodged the supers first blows easily.

   "That's a Guardian," Misha warned his friend. "The closest thing to an
officer that the Rikti have."

    The feline blocked the Guardians sword with his own and then swung hard
and fast with the other one. There was a flash of light and it felt like the
sword had struck a stonewall. The Rikti twisted his sword faster than
Stealth ever thought someone could and the blade slid along his side. He
felt a searing pain along his ribs.

   "First level defenses have been breached. Second level are already under
determined assault." A loud burst of static cut off any further words.

   Misha had the small tactical map up, displaying everything going on
around him directly into his brain. Suddenly the map flickered and then
"Signal lost," flashed for a moment.

   "Firewall 122 and 123 are breached!" there was distinct tone of panic in
those last words.

   That unnerved Misha. He had never known the nanites to show fear before.

   "Increase personal firewall and protections," Misha ordered. "Restrict
communications to voice only."

   The map in his mind came up again and remained firm but it showed only
the details in the immediate area. The computer inside the fox super was now
running solely off of information obtained from Misha's own senses.

   Stealth pushed his arms outward blocking both of the Guardians arms with
his swords. He slammed his chest into his enemies as he sank his wickedly
sharp teeth into the green and brown armored helmet.

   "PRIMARY SYSTEMS ARE AT RISK! Initiate emergency core data protection!"

   Stealth's teeth met resistance and did not piece the tough composite
armor around the Guardians' head. The Guardian punched Stealth hard in the
chest sending the super stumbling backwards.

End part 1


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