Futuristic ParaCom: Adversary Uncertain

[Splat]

"Alright lads, everyone aboard?" Chade turned around to face the crew, but it seemed a few familiar faces were missing. The new pilot seats were much more comfortable than the Little Lady's, and Chade took full advantage. He reached forward and pressed the ignition button and the entire craft roared to life. The rumbling jets caused a light, steady vibration that made the new chairs act like a massage chair. "Take your time lads, I've got all day."

 

[DerUbermensch]

Alina and Ying-tai were just as ready, with Center calling up all possible names. "This is an opportunity for everyone. All aboard should be prepared. Everyone else should be prepared." Center was calling readying not just mainstays, but also reserves. This organization was a meritocracy, and Center thought he should separate the goats from the sheep.


Dr. Quincy and the team were also assembling railgun weaponry and manufacturing them. The reason for the weaponry emphasis was, "The best defense in reality is not getting hit in the first place." Vibroblades as melee and bayonets would be for close encounters. "The armor will be done after the weapons are finished."


By the time the mission ends, the productions overall will be done.

 

[Bazmund]

"I'm ready mate. Just waiting for the rest of these glorious twats." Jacob grinned at the others, referencing the others not on the craft yet.


Like the potentially inactive ones who needed to post.

 

[DerUbermensch]

Center would then brief all on board about the mission. "This mission should be a piece of cake. From what UN intelligence gave us, there is a point behind enemy lines that we can exploit. Resistance there is minimum and not very well guarded. If we pull off this mission, we can sabotage their supplies and get one step closer to crippling their war efforts. The paranormals won't know what hit them!"


"Though it is a piece of cake mission, don't take any chances. Play your cards right and keep your eyes peeled. Alina Ivanova and Roderick O'Connely will be your squad leaders. They were influential in taking out a scout dragon. They'd be our best for the team."


Promotions will be done for certain for the achievers.

 

[Splat]

"We're leaving, you slow fucks." The lack of participation annoyed Chade greatly, so he decided not to wait.


The unnamed ship lifted off and flew away, capable of reaching speeds 29% faster than the Little Lady.


"Alright lads, we'll be there soon. In the mean time, I've got a few more experimental things you can toy with. Remember that goo shield? I applied it to an adhesive with emergency healing properties. It's like an emergency super neosporin that hardens to protect the wound after application. Nifty, right?" He set the item down and gestured to two exoskeleton suits. "These are the only two in the world. With this on, it increases your mobility (by the average Paracom member) by 125%. Allows you to lift up to two tons, but... Don't test it to that extent quite yet." He walked up to it and tapped the metal. "Protection from any kind of weapon a human could throw at you, but if you take a direct hit from of them ghoul xbows, well, you won't die, at least."

 

[DerUbermensch]

The coordinates to the UN would be in Europe this time around. "We're heaving somewhere along the German border. There we can sabotage the enemy supply line based in there. If this mission goes as planned, we can turn a table or two on the paranormals."


Faster than a Google search, the main team of Roderick, Faulk, Timothy, Leon, Jacob, Alina, and Ying-tai were there. The Little Lady was in reserve, ready for a backup team if needed. Local forces can act as reinforcements if needed. The Little Lady would also be piloted by backup pilot codenamed Large Cloud. Chade can also provide air support directly or via drones.


Some time later, the group was at the German border where enemy lines were located. "Guten tag!" A soldier greeted, gesturing for the ParaCom squad to come. Suddently, thirty seconds later as the squad was advancing, "Achtung! Etwas anderes kommt!"


Something else was coming. "We're getting a signal, it's different from the expected ghouls!" A trumpet-like roar was heard amid the gunshots. Suddenly, something fired spines at Faulk and swooped down in an unholy speed. The weapons were left and the German assault was eaten. Timothy yet again panics and shoots wildly, but to no avail! The manticore swooped down on the support, mauls with the claws, and savagely ate him up in one fell swoop! It must have been a quite powerful beast, killing two operatives ignobly.


Needless to say, it was a manticore! It has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), bat-like wings, and fired spines from its tail! The monster wasn't very promising at all. This will for sure give the team and the local forces a hard time without a plan and coordination.


Alina then radioed Center, "We're going to have our hands full with this one. Support requested! Over." She then kept the well-fed manticore at bay with suppressive fire.


"Acknowledged. The beast must die!"

 

[Bazmund]

"Fuck!" Jacob screamed, ducking behind cover. This, he had never seen.


But Arabella would never have let him panic, so he wasn't going to give the beasts the pleasure now.


"I don't know if those spines are poisonous or not - either way don't get hit by them! I'm moving back a little so I can respond to anyone who needs my help!" He shouted into the radio, sprinting back behind the team, and levelling his rifle at the manticore when he arrived, firing off a haphazard stream of six shots, hoping to cow it into a defensive pose more than actually hit it.

 

[Splat]

A massive bolt of blue light flew passed the manticore, close enough to singe a couple hairs but no actual harm done came to the creature. As the bolt of light flew passed the creature, it became unstable and prematurely exploded about 100 meters behind the manticore. The explosion was massive, much better than predicted, but...


"Shit! Sorry guys, I thought I'd end this quickly but... These rail guns that we've created apparently have shit accuracy, and the shots are too unstable. Looks like you guys are on your own with this thing while it recharges. Deploying exo-skeletons."


Two large crates fell from the ship and hit the ground, steam shooting from them as they open and reveal the exo-skeleton suits inside.


"If you can't beat it, try to get away from it as far as possible. I don't trust the new tech installed on this craft now. I'm afraid the bullets might fly wildly and hit you guys. If you can't escape, well, just try to stall until I can get my charge back up."

 

[Bazmund]

"What the fuck?!" Jacob screamed into the radio. "I thought it was a glorified magnet gun, not a miniature nuke launcher, or something out of sodding HALO!"


Standing back up, Jacob fired again at the manticore, the sharp cracks of machinegun fire filling the night. Surely, someone was going to be able to hit the creature.


"And how does a railgun have poor accuracy anyway? Isn't that exactly what they're meant to avert?"

 

[DerUbermensch]

While the railgun didn't hit anyone, the manticore was damaged by Jacob's barrages. It didn't drop like the ghouls did, but it was shown not to be invincible. Alina attempted a barrage, but the creature became smart enough to dodge the machinegun fire by going up in the air. Ying-tai tried getting a bead on it and eventually hit one of the paws.


The manticore was weakened already, but it still was a challenge. It fired spines at Jacob, but his cover stopped it. The beast then changed priorities to attacking local forces to replenish health! A German soldier attempted to blast the beast with an assault rifle barrage, but missed. That manticore isn't going down easily.

 

[ARSENIC]

Roderick grunted, running forward on ground, looking up at the creature. This was not a war. A war was between forces capable of rationale. This was a rebel, a mad dog that needed to be put down. And the Scotsman was going to do exactly that.


Bracing his mechanical arm, Roderick needed to make sure he could get a good mark. He had one shot at this, so he couldn't afford to take any chances. The bloody thing was moving too damn fast... devouring the assault and support with wanton brutality without even stopping. Jacob's attacks wounded it, slowing it, almost... almost... as the beast flared its wings up, launching itself upward to avoid Alina's barrage. This. This was it. With its wings thrown out of balance by the shot up, there was only one direction, and one speed, it could go: Dive down. It was now or never. He had to take the shot.


The grappling hook fired with a metallic hiss, the titanium hook flaring out in an attempt to dig into the Manticore's underbelly, digging into its flesh as Roderick braced into the dirt, pulling the steel cables taut and pulling the Manticore down, his organic arm drawing his shotgun, ready to respond if it decided to try to launch any spines his way, as Roderick pulled with all his Scottish might, roaring like a lion, heaving back in an attempt to bring the beast to the ground and show the Middle-Eastern terror what it meant to tame a beast.

 

[DerUbermensch]

It was a critical hit! The beast yowled in pain. It then attempted to fling spines at Roderick, but it failed miserably as the tugging hampered the aim. Alina decided to assist Roderick by reloading and applying some suppressing fire. "Be careful, Roderick is on that thing!" Mei Ying-tai would move to overwatch.


If Roderick gets close to the beast, he might have a difficult time. This task would require Herculean proportions of might in order to tame a manticore.

 

[Bazmund]

"Are you sodding insane!?" Jacob shouted, moving in, assault rifle leveled at the monster, ready to add bullets if it should try anything, and entering an overwatch frame of mind, wet mud squelching underfoot.

 

[DerUbermensch]

The manticore was struggling. It was finally brought down to the ground. In a matter of fact manner, Alina was accepting of Roderick's plan and decided to help him out, keeping the monster at bay with suppressive fire. Ying-tai was rather apprehensive of the squad leaders wrestling the creature to the ground, having a bead on the beast's head, ready to fire.


It wasn't going to be easy, but Roderick can make the manticore bend knee.

 

[DerUbermensch]

Roderick did actually make the beast surrender. With Alina's help, the squad leaders were able to tame and get the manticore to be on their side. It took skill and strength to tame such a monster. If Alina was able to capture a ghoul, so can Roderick and Alina together with the manticore.

 

[Splat]

So, they're going to attempt a capture...





"So the ghoul has made you lads brave enough to attempt a manticore. Might as well help you out..."


Chade jumped out onto the hull of the craft, and started dropping small round objects onto the beast below. As they made contact with either the creature or the ground, they exploded in a gooey liquid that very quickly hardened around the manticore. Soon the beast was weighed down by the goo, and the hardening of it made it nearly impossible for the thing to move.


"Chain it up, lads. I'm calling in an extraction squad."

 

[DerUbermensch]

Alina Ivanova secured the manticore with supplies brought by local forces. It was restrained. "The good doctor should have another live one. Hopefully we find out ways about them."


Mei Ying-tai would search for vantage points to snipe, looking for more paranormals to clear out. She was guided by Alina to find points to snipe. Thus the sabotage mission may not have interruptions.

 

[DerUbermensch]

The Chinese sniper has spotted a few ghouls. "Bogeys! 12 o'clock!" The ghouls were engaged with the local forces, who had some struggle with the ghoul weaponry. Ghouls were laying suppressing fire upon a few troops. Mei Ying-tai steadied her sniper rifle to take out one ghoul.


BAM! Her attempt at a head shot was a success. The ghoul was hit and especially helped one soldier turn the tables on the ghoul. They were unsightly and unsettling, but not unbreakable. There was a saying in ParaCom: If it bleeds, it can be killed.