“Drax, this is Azz. Ash had an… episode. We are on our way. ETA in about 30 seconds to a minute. we are almost there hold on.”
Sirens and alarms rang through the halls as Ash and Azznorock ran as fast as they could to the docking bay they were suppose to meet up in. The corridors shook violently and everyone they passed wore looks of concern. A warning keened overhead, “Environmental and Planar breech has occurred in Docking Bay 99231. Evacuate the Docking Sector. Evacuate.”, the message repeated in several other languages.
Armed Kreegor and Arcanely equipped humanoids began to gather in adjoining halls as the two ran past. They even saw a few of the reclusive Prometheans joining these ranks. The halls were thick with evacuees, slowing their progress.
****
“Get those blast doors closed!” Faq said hoarsely.
“Howitzer! get your ass out here!” Tanashi yelled.
“On my way you overgrown snake.”, came across the comm.
Howitzer began to move backwards, towards the blast doors, spraying the area in suppression fire. He had since lost visuals on Zak from all of the smoke and fire. His motion detection optics were of no use and even his therm-ops where useless in this heat. His shoulder missiles were up and he had his vibro-blades already extended from his forearms.
“hey.” he heard in a soft whisper to his left and swung to fire in that direction. As he turned a huge spike covered hand closed around the mid section of his gun. He yanked back, but the hand yanked forward, ripping the gun from his hand and tearing the ammo-feeder from his side.
“‘Member me?”, he heard, and raised his arm to block the incoming blow. It was his own gun being used as a club. He parried the blow easily with his blades and cut long groves in the side of it. “That was my favorite gun!”, he bellowed and countered the swing with a side ways slash from his other arm. He connected and felt the blades bite into something and tear through. The smoke cleared a bit and now he could see what he was fighting. Zak/Nefaria stood before him. He was at least nine to tem feet tall as he could look him directly in the eyes. His head was still that of a skull but flared and angry shade of blue. His eyes though, they were the darkest of black. Nothingness existed in those sockets. His body was clad in a leathery material like that of dragon’s skin and bone spikes protruded from his knees, shoulders, forearms, and elbows. Muscle and sinew comprised the rest of this figure. Wrapped around one forearm was that hellish chain Zak had always used and in his other hand was the gun he had yanked from Howitzer. Across his mid-section was three parallel scratches where he had been struck.
Howitzer leaped back, using his boosters to assist in the leap, and fired off three mini-missiles from his shoulder. The rockets raced toward Nefaria like angry hornets. He simply raised his hand and conjured an inky black pool in mid-air in front of him as the missiles dove into it. Another pool opened behind Howitzer and the missiles raced out of the fold in space and impacted directly with Howitzers back and booster pack they exploded violently and caused a secondary explosion blasting the heavy Borg face first into remaining Dura Crete flooring. He quickly jumped to his feet and received a brutal impact to his chest from the gun being used as a club. Howitzer stumbled back and lost his footing. He toppled to the floor, and landed heavily on his back. Nefaria leapt into the air, and as he descended gun butt first, Howitzer raised his arm and fired off a micro-rocket from his fore-arm. The rocket connected with the demon and exploded into one shoulder spinning him away in flight. The demon landed easily on his feet, smoke reeling from his shoulder. He cackled a bit and charged the prone Borg. Howitzer rolled to his stomach and bounded forward to spear the charging demon. He impacted with nothing. He spun quickly to get a bead on Nefaria and spotted him a short distance away with his devilish chain pulled taught. Howitzer looked down and saw it was imbedded in his leg. There was a moment of astonishment when he was yanked from his feet and swung into the nearest remaining bulk head. He impacted with such force he left an imprint of his body in the metal. The Borg collapsed to the floor again. He heard a zipping sound and saw the chain spin around his leg as it began ripping through the metal. He grabbed the chain to make it stop and as a result had his fingers severed from his hand. He could only watch as those pieces clattered across the melting floor. He felt a quick yank and his leg was gone. Howitzer clambered to the wall and began to prop himself up. He grabbed a claymore he had strapped to his side and armed it. Nefaria began to close the distance, walking toward him menacingly. Howitzer threw the claymore at him. Not designed to be thrown the claymore lazily flew towards the demon. When it exploded, Nefaria had opened a portal in front of it and redirected the blast back on to the dismembered Borg. Howitzer lay against the bulk head smoldering as rivulets of plasma etched their way across his armor. He raised his arm again to fire another micro-missile or laser, something. In an instant Nefaria was upon him. He batted the arm away and stood on the other arm. Howitzer began to growl, “Fuc…”, but Nefaria silenced him as he violently ripped his lower jaw off destroying his external speakers. “Shhhhhh….”, the demon purred. He reach down and gripped the remaining chest armor, and tore it free from the body of the Borg. Howitzer bucked and Nefaria severed his undamaged arm with his demonic chain. The demon drove and elbow in the head of the prone Borg, impaling it on a long boney spike.
Howitzers vision turned to the static of a dead channel.
All he could hear was metal ripping.
Then there was only black.
