Dante: Chapter one
The introduction of my newest character Dante.
The sound of gunfire erupted, ripping away the soft sounds of nature that had been masking the movement of the mercenary team moments before. The five member team dove behind cover, creating a tight circle of interlocking lines of fire as they returned fire. Shadows darted from tree to tree in the distance, moving closer to their position. They squad suddenly opened fire, taking contact from all sides at once.
"I need help over here, I've got at least two hostile squads firing on our position!" Called out a large wolf, letting off short bursts of fire from his assault rifle. Just as the wolf spoke a round tore through the air just above his head, clipping one of his ears and taking a small piece with it. "Fuck that hurts!"
"Can't help you, we've got hostiles on all sides! What the fuck is going on?!?!" Yelled a female husky, her form low to the ground, letting three-oh-eight rounds rip through the foliage and tear into the advancing forces.
A large bipedal mech would suddenly tear trough a patch of thick foliage, firing an explosive round into the center of the circle. "We've got armor!" Called out the squad leader, running toward a large brown bear who was firing a heavy machine gun from the hip into his sector. "Gimme the launcher!" The bear barely paused, not even speaking as he ripped the launcher from its strap and tossing it into the panther's arms.
The large feline would then dive back into his position, all four members of his squad taking on half a platoon on their own. He took careful aim with the launcher, keeping its designator steady on one of the large mech's legs as he took aim. The back blast threw up smoke and dirt behind him, flattening a large area of shrubbery. The guided missile would streak across the battlefield, impacting it's target with deadly accuracy. Shrapnel went flying in all direction, a large chuck of metal slicing one of the shadowed hostiles in half and praying gore across the forest floor.
The panther would then take cover behind a tree, extending the antennae for his sat-com. It only took a moment to find a satellite to bounce the signal off of before he dialed the mission's designated support channel. "This is Reaper five seven to angel one four ."
"This is angel one four to reaper five seven go ahead."
"We have an unknown hostile force attacking from all sides, estimated to be above company strength with armored support. Requesting air support and immediate dust off with possible wounded, no way we're getting through this unscathed."
"We have a solid copy, Charlie sierra tango inbound on your position. ETA of five minutes. "
"Roger, reaper five seven out." He then yelled out to his squad, popping up to fire on a group of contacts that had moved too close. "We got fire and dust in five, hold em off and keep it tight!"
The enemy forces continued to press onward with what seemed to be ever increasing numbers, keeping the heavy mechs back and sending in armored combat suits to support the light infantry. Heavy fire kept the small squad hunkered down, firing and tossing grenades whenever they could. "Contacts at fifty meters!" Shouted the wolf, tossing his last fragmentation grenade toward a small group of contacts. Seconds later the blast threw dirt and body parts flying, screams of agony echoing across the battlefield. His torn ear perked, blood streaming down the side of his face as he heard a soft thump on the ground near him. He looked down to see a small ribbed oblong shape, his heart sinking as he let out a soft whine. The grenade exploded, part of the blast blocked by the angle of his cover. He was sent flying back into the panther who was desperately trying to coordinate his squad under the fire.
His eyes slowly opened, the female husky kneeling over him with her forearms soaked in blood. She was tearing open a package of hemostatic gauze, he couldn't turn his head to see where she was stuffing it. The pain suddenly washed over him, worse than anything he had ever felt before. It was so intense from so many places he couldn't even think. He howled out in agony, reaching up with both arms toward the husky. Too far gone to even notice that only his right one rose into view, small shrapnel wounds dotting its surface from where he had shielded his face from the blast. The husky then took hold of his arm, reaching into her med-kit and pulling out a small syringe. She drove it into his bicep, injecting the contents before tossing it aside. A strange calmness began to flow through him, his eyes sliding shut as consciousness slipped away.
His eyes would suddenly shoot open as pain raced through his body, different from before. He looked around in a panic, trying to move but strapped down. He was blinded by white lights at first, his vision clearing just enough to make out a tangle of mechanical arms above him, each one tipped with something different. Some with syringes while others held scalpels and saws, still others held what looked like mechanical tools. Though none of this registered in his pain filled mind, he looked toward his left shoulder feeling an ungodly amount of pain from there. His eyes widened in horror as he saw a bloody cavity of muscle and bone where his arm used to be. At least a dozen of the arms were working on him at once, digging out the worst of the shrapnel and working on his various injuries. He began to struggle against his bindings, fear and confusion fogging his mind as he began to howl and yell out in agony, not even able to form a coherent though. One of the many arms would move down, sticking a needle into his neck. Once again he was calmed by that strange peace, falling into unconsciousness.
He woke more gentle this time, his eyes slowly opening. He was heavily sedated and it took him a moment to realize that he was suspended in some sort of tank. His eyes were protected by goggles while his muzzle was held shut by a small breathing device that blew oxygen into his lungs. He was still sore despite the sedation, feeling like he should be dead. He finally took a moment to look beyond his tank, seeing the soft worried eyes of his squad's medical officer. The husky was in a lab coat rather than the light armor she had been in before. Her paw was pressed lightly to the tank, high enough for him to reach and he did. He moved his paw out, pressing it against the cool glass. Her eyes would widen as she realized he was awake, pressing a number of buttons on a control panel and returning him to his peaceful slumber.
A soft groan left his lips, as he cracked his eyes. He searching for anything that might tell him what had happened to him. He sat up slowly, looking around the small lab he was in. He took the lack of restraints and operating equipment as a good sign. He could see what he assumed was the tank he had been in, along with cybernetic equipment. His eyes suddenly jerked toward his left shoulder, expecting to see the same bloody mess he had before. Instead he found subdued metal, hydraulic hoses exposed around the joints of a mechanical limb. It hung by his side, completely motionless as he stared at it, too scared to try and move it.
"Awake already? Damn, they don't make sedatives like they used to. How ya feeling?" The husky walked into the room, grabbing a clipboard and walking toward him. Her hips swayed as she moved, her curled tail wagging slowly.
"I...d don't.....I feel fine....no pain.......but.....my arm?" He looked up at her, his ears pinned back at he let out a low whine.
"I thought you always said you wanted one? You got taken out by a grenade during an ambush, the one that started the war.......you were the first casualty of the war between the Garan and the Creetin. Funny how they always send in mercenaries with no intel....fucking bastards.....anyway, go ahead and try to touch your nose with it."
He listened closely his ears perked as she spoke, he would then nod his head, knowing that the arm should respond just like his natural one. That was why he had been unconscious for the entire process, to keep the neural pathways from decaying. He carefully raised his arm, trying to touch his nose. He let out a sudden yelp as he accidentally slammed the metallic finger into the end of his snout. The husky girl couldn't help but laugh at him, wagging her tail.
"Well it looks like you just need to relax and get used to it, it's quite a bit stronger than your used to, so be careful, and for god's sake, please don't paw with it. I don't feel like trying to install a cybernetic cock, the nerves are a bitch." She winked at him playfully, jotting down a few notes on her clipboard. "You can head on back to your room now, everything is exactly how you left it. "
"D don't you need to run some tests or something first?"
"Hun, you've been floating naked in my lab for quite some time. I've already run every test I could think of and then some. Now go stretch your legs, I used up a lot of good chemicals to keep those muscles from decaying, now use em!"
He couldn't help but laugh, this is what he loved about his job. Even in a situation like this it was business as usual aboard the ship. Nothing special happening with no real changes to the feel of the ship. He smiled and began to walk toward his room, staring down at his new arm and flexing it in every way he could think of.
"OHMYGODYOUWOKEUP!" A petite female snow leopard sprinted toward the wolf, pouncing him and locking her arms around him before they hit the ground. She nuzzled against his chest happily, purring softly. "I was so worried.....I watched the whole thing through the uplink....."
He smiled softly, kissing the top of her head and petting down her back. "I'm sorry, I'll have to be more careful next time. Maybe go down in a battle suit, just to make sure." He chuckled softly, nipping at one of her ears. "So what's the news kitten, I know I've been out for a while but I have no idea what changed."
"Not much really...OH! We got a new guy to help out while you were out, you'll never guess what he is!" She slowly stood up, offering him a paw up with a giant smile. She continued to tease the wolf as she helped him up, a large dark red snow leopard padding up behind her silently. Standing with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I dunno....is he a giant red snow leopard.....who looks like could eat you for breakfast....." He looked up at the large male, smirking a bit.
"H how did you..." She turned around, smiling up at the male and jumping up to hang around his neck and plant a kiss on his lips. "This is Adam, we kinda started dating while you were sleeping....sorry hun."
The large male just smiled and hugged the female close to him. "Nice to finally meat you Dante, hasn't been a day go by that she didn't go to visit you. Even dragged me along with her, so don't go stealing her from me now that your awake!" He chuckled softly, flicking his long tail back and forth. "Anyway, we got duty on deck four. I'll see ya round!"
The two felines padded off together, their tails entwined as they laughed and talked together. The wolf let out a happy sigh, glad his friend had found somebody, even though it cost him a bit of closeness with her. A short walk and several reunions later he arrived at his room, pressing his paw against the security scanner and slipping inside as soon as the door slid open. He laid down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to process everything. Not too much had changed on the ship, a new war had started to help feed business, and everyone was going on with life as usual. The only thing that even distinguished this day from any other was the fact that everyone stopped him to make sure he was okay. As he lay there he began to feel a bit drowsy, figuring the medications hadn't worn off yet. He closed his eyes and soon feel asleep, his mechanical arm draped over his chest.