《Dead Zone Online: Super Squad》 Chapter 1 I burst through the double doors of West Shire Community College, cursing under my breath. Unable to afford tuition any longer, I dropped out. I got fired from my job two months ago, and I''ve been scraping together chump change to get by. That, unfortunately, only got me to this point. I pulled the straps of my pack tight and held my head in shame as I made my way down the front steps. I could feel everyone staring at me as I passed the growing crowd. Today, you needed a college degree to get an actual job, so when a person failed or dropped out, everyone knew. On the flip side of the coin, if you couldn''t afford to pay, no one would stick their neck out for you. Life grew to become very cutthroat. ¡°Look at him. What a loser,¡± A female voice called out. ¡°Yeah, I always knew he would end up flunking,¡± someone else added on. I gritted my teeth and bit back the anger welling up inside. I didn¡¯t understand what happened in my life for me to end up here. I guess some people really do peak in high school. I let out a heavy sigh, kept my head down, and made my way through the mob. I walked and walked, unwilling to head home and face my shitty one-room apartment. My stomach growled some time later, so I pulled out my phone to check my digital wallet. It read: Seraph Lance Balance: $20 Upcoming Payments: Rent - $1425.37 ($950.25 past due) ¡°Fuck,¡± I muttered. I really did hit rock bottom, and soon I¡¯d be on the streets with the rest of society¡¯s forgotten miscreants. I quickly checked my surroundings for a nearby restaurant. The only one in sight was a run down hole-in-the-wall pizza shop called Lenny¡¯s Pizza. The sight of the building was beyond repulsive, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers. Crossing the street, I pulled open the rusting door with a loud screech, and a dull ding from a bell that had seen better days. A gruff voice called out from the kitchen, ¡°Hello. Be with you in a moment. Welcome to Lenny¡¯s Pizza.¡± I took up residence next to the cracked counter and glanced around the small shop. The tile food that once shone bright white had become dingy and stained. The pale yellow walls were chipped and covered with grease. The lights were dim and one continuously flickered. When I returned my attention to the counter, I nearly shit my pants. A short, fat, balding man stood behind the register. ¡°Jesus christ! Announce yourself next time,¡± I protested. He shrugged, ¡°My shop. Don¡¯t like it then leave.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± I replied. The man looked me over for a moment, ¡°So you gon just sit here and suck up all my air or what?¡± I shook my head, ¡°Sorry. Long day. Can I just get a pepperoni pizza?¡± He spoke as he tapped away on the screen in front of him, ¡°That all or you wanna add a drink?¡± ¡°No, just the pizza, please.¡± He cleared his throat before speaking, ¡°Very well, that''ll be eighteen ninety-five.¡± I chewed on my bottom lip as I placed my phone near the register. After a second, a loud ding came from both devices, signifying the completed transaction. ¡°I¡¯ll have that out to you in ten minutes,¡± he said as he turned to walk back into the kitchen. I moved to the far wall and leaned against it while I waited. When the man returned, he placed a large pizza box on the counter. ¡°Here you go. Enjoy,¡± he muttered before returning to the kitchen. I snatched up the box and exited the shop. I wandered my way down to the city park where I hoped to eat in peace. Being midday on a weekday, the park was relatively empty except for a few old couples and some joggers. Taking up residence at one of the many picnic tables, I opened the box and began gorging myself on the greasy food. About half way through my binge eating, my phone began to ring. Annoyed, I pulled the device from my pocket to check the ID. The screen said unknown caller. Rolling my eyes, I declined the call. My phone immediately began ringing again. The ID still said unknown caller. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°What the fuck?¡± I questioned before declining the call again. Once again the phone started ringing. Irritated, I answered. ¡°Look I don''t know who you are or what you want, but I''m not interested,¡± I hissed. A female voice came from the other end, ¡°Hey, Seraph. Great to hear from you too.¡± I choked on a bite of pizza as I tried to speak, ¡°N-Natalie? Hey how''s life been treating you?¡± ¡°Well. I''m sorry we haven''t spoken in years. I''ve been caught up with work and stuff ya¡¯ know.¡± she replied with a hint of genuine sorrow in her voice. ¡°It''s alright. Life''s a bitch and we all gotta date her.¡± She let out a small laugh, ¡°I see your humor hasn''t died.¡± I shrugged even though she couldn''t see me, ¡°Probably the only thing that keeps me going.¡± ¡°I hear ya. How''s college?¡± She asked curiously. My heart sank, and I didn¡¯t have the gall to be honest about how far I''ve sunk, so I settled for a small lie. ¡°Oh, you know, tedious and tiring. Working myself to the bone.¡± ¡°Sounds like the dream,¡± she said before taking a brief pause, ¡°Hey, can I ask a favor? It''s okay if you say no, but I''d really appreciate¡­¡± ¡°Sure. What''s up?¡± I answered, cutting her off. ¡°Come by my place around five and I''ll explain. I''ll text you the address, but I''ve gotta run and get ready for my next stream. See you soon Seraph!¡± she said before hanging up. ¡°Yeah, you too,¡± I said to no one. It felt strange that Natalie would be reaching out to me after all these years. We used to be great friends until her streaming career took off. Then she disappeared from my life entirely. I wonder what she could want with me? My phone buzzed, and I checked the message. Natalie sent me her address and added on a note for me to hurry. I looked down at the rest of my unfinished pizza, my appetite no longer present. ¡°Sorry, you greasy, delicious treat. Lunchtime is over,¡± I said as I got up and dropped the remainder into a nearby trash bin. I quickly input the address into my phone¡¯s GPS and set off for Natalie¡¯s house. Natalie lived across town in the northern district where all the wealthy citizens of Shire resided. It felt wrong for me to even enter the district. The stark contrast between me and all the people I passed by drove me deeper into my slump. I always dreamed of living in a neighborhood like this, but that became more than far fetched. When I finally arrived at the location, I found myself outside of a large wrought iron gate. Just outside the gate sat an intercom that allowed for communication to the two story house within the compound. Swallowing the fear and anxiety welling up inside, I walked up to the device and pressed the call button. It rang for two seconds before I heard a buzz, and the gate began to slowly open. When there was a large enough gap, I slid through and followed the paved path up to the front door. I didn''t have a chance to knock before the door swung wide to reveal an excited Natalie. She wrapped me in a tight hug before stepping back and saying, ¡°Oh my god, it''s so good to see you.¡± I let out a nervous laugh and said, ¡°Yeah you too. So, uh, what did you call me over for?¡± ¡°Come on, I''ll show you,¡± she said with a wide grin before taking my hand and leading me into the house. I followed in silence as she led me up the stairs and into a sky blue room full of monitors. On one of them was an active stream of someone playing some sort of first person shooter. Natalie walked over to the desk and sat down in a very comfortable looking gaming chair. She started clicking around on one of the screens pulling up a new window. She looked over at me curiously. ¡°Pull up a seat Seraph,¡± she said gesturing to another chair in the corner of the room. ¡°Oh okay sorry,¡± I muttered as I retrieved the chair, rolling it across the hardwood floor. I pulled up right beside her, and she now had a paused video on screen. She turned and looked at me, ¡°Alright before I show you this, I have some questions.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± I replied, my eyebrow raised. ¡°How often do you play videogames?¡± She asked instantly. ¡°Uh, rarely ever. Why?¡± ¡°Damnit, okay,¡± she huffed, ¡°Have played any virtual reality games?¡± ¡°Never. Nat, what is this about?¡± I asked. She sighed and asked, ¡°Have you heard of Dead Zone Online?¡± I nodded, ¡°I think so. Isn''t it that game that''s supposed to be extremely realistic?¡± Her eyes lit up, ¡°Yes! That''s the one.¡± ¡°Okay, yeah. What about it?¡± ¡°So the game devs are doing something special for this new update. It''s supposed to be something of a beta test before the big release in three weeks.¡± I cocked my head, ¡°How does this involve me?¡± She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before she spoke, ¡°Well the game world is divided into seven competing factions. From each faction the devs have selected the top streamer to do this beta test. However, each streamer must have a squad of seven people in order to qualify for the event. I currently have six.¡± My eyes grew wide as realization hit me, ¡°Woah, woah, woah. You want me to play this game and be in your squad. Absolutely not! I''ll make a fool out of both of us. On top of that I don''t even have the money for anything virtual reality related.¡± ¡°You can use one of mine, and don''t worry I can help get you up to speed over the next two weeks,¡± she said, her voice full of hope. I stood up, ¡°I''m sorry Nat I don''t think I can help you.¡± I started to leave, but what she said next stopped me in my tracks. ¡°There''s a cash prize of one point four million for the squad that wins. That''s two hundred thousand per person. On top of that all participants have to stream during the entirety of the event, so you could even build a platform as a streamer,¡± her voice filled my ears with an offer I couldn''t pass up. I turned to face her, ¡°Are you sure you can get me ready in time?¡± She smiled brightly, ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Alright, when do we start?¡± Chapter 2 I stared up at Natalie, her long blue hair in a messy bun. Her gray eyes were fixed on my face, as she placed the head gear on my head, ¡°So what''s virtual reality feel like?¡± She paused for a moment placing her index finger against her chin, ¡°Well¡­¡± I raised my eyebrows waiting for the answer. ¡°It''s kinda like a dream. Diving feels like falling asleep, and when you log out it is like waking up from a really intense dream,¡± she said finally. I nodded, ¡°Okay, cool. Dreaming doesn''t sound too bad.¡± She gently pushed me down till I laid flat on my back. She gave me a small wink before saying, ¡°See you on the other side.¡± The head gear turned on, and everything went black. ¡°Welcome Seraph Lance to Dead Zone Online. Please enter your character name.¡± I opened my eyes as the robotic female voice called out. A room of pure white surrounded me, a stark contrast to the darkness. In front of me was a prompt asking for me to enter a name. I tapped on the empty space and a holographic keyboard appeared below the prompt. Taking a second, I thought hard about what my name should be. In the past when I played video games I''d pick something like Mike Oxmall, but this felt different. It wasn''t all fun and games. My entire life was riding on this opportunity. I started to slowly type on the keyboard and when I finished the blank space now read Azrael. The angel Of death. It felt right. It felt like me. My name, Seraph, means angelic being, so why not an angelic being of death. My intent was killing people. Well other players, not actual people, and when it came to Natalie, I became her saving grace. I grinned and pressed enter. The robotic voice spoke again This time saying, ¡°Thank you Azrael. You will now enter Dead Zone Online. Enjoy.¡± Everything went dark again, almost as if I just entered an endless abyss. After several seconds a bright light appeared in front of me. I immediately began walking toward the source, and as I got closer the light got brighter. Eventually the darkness faded away, turning into a bustling city. Players ran all about, shopping, chatting, and heading for adventures unknown. I looked around at the rustic place. The war torn area looked like something out of a movie. I spun in a slow circle taking it all in. Everything about this world overwhelmed my senses. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and when I turned to face the source I found Nat. In all her beauty she stood before me, but instead of wearing a t-shirt and jeans she was decked out in a black military style uniform with body armor. On her hip sat a holstered pistol. Her blue hair fell to her shoulders and her eyes and lips were lined heavily with black makeup. ¡°Hey recruit,¡± she said playfully as she flashed me a wide smile. ¡°Uh hey. How did you find me so fast?¡± I asked. She shrugged, ¡°I''d recognize you anywhere. Anyways, come on, we''ve got a lot to do.¡± ¡°You got it. Lead the way.¡± We began walking and she led me down a street that went right through the center of the square. ¡°So where are we?¡± I asked. She gestured to the surrounding area, ¡°This is the main hub. Here all players can come and intermingle, purchase, sell, and find new quests and bounties. This is also the starter location for new players, and it comes with a small tutorial. You however will be skipping that and jumping straight into your faction.¡± I looked at her confused, ¡°Why would I skip the tutorial? Also faction. Why a faction?¡± We turned down an alleyway and crossed to another street heading toward a giant gate. ¡°You have to join a faction to participate in the event, so you''ll be joining the Death Stalkers.¡± ¡°The Death Stalkers huh. Sounds evil and sadistic,¡± I retorted. She looked at me and raised her eyebrow, ¡°You''d think, but it fights for a good cause. They again I could just be biased. None of that matters though, because you don''t get a choice. You go where I go. Now let''s hurry up before it gets dark.¡± I stopped and stared at her, ¡°What happens when it gets dark?¡± She turned and looked at me and said with a serious tone, ¡°In the wasteland? Very bad things.¡± We reached the outskirts of the city just as the sun began to set. We maybe had two more hours of daylight left. I wanted to press the matter, but I trusted Nat to keep us safe. Natalie stopped for a moment and pulled out a compass. Looking down at the small green object she began slowly turning until she found the direction she was looking for. Without a word of warning, she hastily made way for the nearby tree line with me close behind. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. She rounded a set of large boulders, and just behind them was a large object obscured by some type of camouflage netting. Nat grabbed two fists full of the netting and pulled it away. The object underneath was a beat up UTV. Without hesitation Nat hopped into the driver''s seat. She inserted the key and brought the engine to life. ¡°Come on Seraph we have to go,¡± she said motioning for me to get in. I nodded and took up residence in the passenger seat. Once I was seated and buckled up, Natalie reached into the back seat and pulled forth an AR with some sort of scope on top. She held the gun out to me and I gave her a questioning look. ¡°Take it. You never know what type of situation we''ll find ourselves in once we exit the safe zone,¡± she said, pushing the rifle into my hands. I took the gun and looked it over before saying, ¡°Natalie, I don''t even know how to use this.¡± ¡°It''s simple. Flip that little switch down there, aim, pull the trigger. That magazine has thirty rounds in it, so make ¡®em count,¡± with those words she put the vehicle in drive and we were off. It didn''t take long before we exited the woods, and entered an open field. Natalie jerked the wheel to the right, and we skidded on to a gravel path. We traveled along this path for a long while. All the while, the light from the sun grew dimmer. ¡°Hey, Nat, how close are we to wherever we''re going?¡± I asked, breaking the silence. She called out to me over the rushing wind, ¡°Not far. Also a heads up, when we''re around other people we need to call each other by our character names.¡± ¡°You got it, Tyranny,¡± I responded sarcastically. She glared at me from the corner of her eyes. I held up my hands in defeat, ¡°Okay, sorry.¡± I furrowed my eyebrows as something zipped past my head with a snap. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked. Nat looked in the side mirror and her eyes went wide. ¡°Get down!¡± she shouted, as she grabbed my head and pushed it down. Right after a hailstorm of bullets began impacting around us. One round hit the mirror on my side, shattering the glass. ¡°Fuck! What do we do?¡± I screamed. Natalie pulled out her pistol and aimed in the direction of our attacker. She pulled the trigger several times, and I heard another motorized vehicle veer off and crash before exploding. She turned back around and looked at me, ¡°Pick up at the rifle and get ready. More are coming.¡± If I didn''t shit my pants before, I would now. She wanted me to shoot at people, while they shot at us. ¡°Seraph!¡± she yelled, ¡°We don''t have time for you to shut down! Pick up the rifle and get ready!¡± I took a deep breath as I picked the rifle up with shaky hands. Turning around, I braced the gun against the back of the seat and aimed through scope. In the distance I could see two vehicles fast approaching, each with a group of four occupants. Sweat began forming on my forehead as I anxiously awaited the coming attack. Natalie called out to me, ¡°Shoot, Seraph, shoot!¡± I swallowed hard and took aim at the closest target. Slowly squeezing the trigger, I waited for a bang, but nothing happened. Looking down, I realized the gun was still on safe. ¡°Shit,¡± I hissed, as I flipped the switch. ¡°What?¡± Nat questioned. Before I could respond another wall of bullets began raining down on us. I ducked down behind the seat praying for salvation. ¡°Goddamn it Seraph, if you don''t kill them they''ll kill us!¡± she groaned angrily, ¡°Now pick. Them or us.¡± I stared at her for a moment, then nodded. I popped back up bracing once more. This time, however, I returned fire. I took a couple of shots, and only hit the ground in front of the assailant. Gritting my teeth I adjusted my aim up, and pulled the trigger again. This time my round hit the passenger in the chest, and he fell back into his seat. The assailant took aim and this time their bullets impacted the back of the UTV. Natalie hissed and jerked the wheel left, nearly throwing me out the vehicle. I shook off my shock and began shooting again, nearly unloading the remainder of my rounds. One of them caught the driver in the neck, and he fell against the steering wheel. Their UTV turned and flipped. It rolled three or four times before landing upside down and exploding. I took aim at the second vehicle, ready to expend the rest of my ammo, but they veered off course and disappeared into the tall grass. Breathing heavily, I turned around and sat back in my seat. ¡°Holy shit, that was fucking crazy!¡± I said, as the adrenaline began to drain from my body. ¡°A rush huh?¡± Natalie asked with a grin. I nodded, ¡°Oh yeah. A huge rush.¡± She lightly punched my shoulder, ¡°Good job loser.¡± I gave her my best smile, and asked, ¡°So who was that?¡± ¡°A competitive streamer who has a stick up their ass because I was chosen to compete in the squad competition. He and his crew have been harassing me for weeks,¡± she said, gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. ¡°Well that''s fucked up. Why doesn''t he just leave you alone?¡± I asked fury rising inside me. She shrugged, ¡°He wants me to back out, so he can take my place.¡± ¡°Fuck th¡­¡± my statement was cut short as Nat ripped the e-brake and turned the wheel. We lost traction and skidded across the gravel as a vehicle came flying out of the tall grass. We narrowly avoided colliding with them, and as soon as we drifted around them Natalie turned off the brake and slammed on the gas. Up ahead I could see city lights, but we still had a ways to go. I could feel my anxiety beginning to rise again, and it only grew when Nat placed a grenade in my hand. ¡°I''m going to let them pull up beside us, and when the time is right throw this into their UTV.¡± ¡°You want me to do what?¡± I asked nervously. She didn''t answer. She just let off the gas, and a roar began growing in my right ear. When I looked over my shoulder I could see the group closing in on us. My eyes grew wide and I pulled the pin from the grenade and held it tight. ¡°Wait for my command.¡± she spat. My heart rate picked up as they got closer and closer. ¡°Steady,¡± she said, ¡°Steady.¡± ¡°Nat they''re right there!¡± I screamed. ¡°Now!¡± Without hesitation I turned and lobbed the green ball. It collided with the front of the UTV and exploded. Nat pressed the gas, and we began zooming down the dirt path once again. When I looked back, I saw that there was nothing but a fiery heap. Chapter 3 I could see an orange glow in the distance that steadily grew larger. As we got closer, I saw a flag with a similar insignia to the patch of Natalie''s body armor; a black background with a reaper holding a rifle. About a hundred meters down the dirt path was a wall made out of various materials, with a large iron gate in the center. The place resembled something you''d see in medieval times. When we reached the gate, Nat brought the vehicle to a slow stop before cupping her hands around her mouth. ¡°Death is the bittersweet end to all things!¡± she called out. A few seconds went by before a loud creaking filled the surrounding area. Then the large gate began to slowly lift. As soon as there was enough clearance for the UTV to fit, we entered the town within. The town had a rather similar aesthetic to the main hub except for one main difference. Scaffolding could be seen all throughout, and the buildings seemed to be in better repair than those in the main hub. ¡°Hey, Nat. Do the NPCs here actually repair and build things or is all this just for show?¡± I asked her curiously. ¡°They actually repair and build. This place is a fully functioning society that actually progresses with time. Sometimes players have to carry out quests in order to allow for further progression, but everything functions like real life,¡± She replied. ¡°Interesting,¡± I muttered to myself. We made a right turn, and eventually came to a slow stop outside of a large well fortified building surrounded by barbed wire fences. Nat turned off the UTV and hopped out. ¡°Come on, let''s go get your initiation quest,¡± she said as she gestured for me to follow her. With a quick nod, I slid out the vehicle and followed close behind. We entered the fortified building and made an immediate beeline to a thick metal door with a placard that read: War Room. Inside Was an array of screens covering the walls with various NPCs running back and forth, monitoring whatever they were looking at. ¡°Ya¡¯ know for being post apocalyptic, these people seem to be very technologically advanced,¡± I whisper in Natalie''s ear. She nudged me in the ribs and I winced. ¡°Okay, rude,¡± I hissed as we stopped a couple of inches from the large round table in the center of the room. Sitting opposite of us was a man wearing a hood and a mask that covered the lower half of his scarred face. Looking up from the map he had been drawing on, his eyes grew wide in surprise at the sight of us. ¡°Ah, Tyranny, perfect timing. I have a new mission for you¡­¡± his dark eyes drifted over to me before he continued to speak, ¡°And who is this?¡± ¡°Sir, I''ve brought us a new recruit,¡± she responded immediately. ¡°Ah, excellent! This will complete your squad then?¡± he asked enthusiastically. She nodded in response. ¡°Very well, very well,¡± he stood and reached a gnarled hand out to me, ¡°Welcome to the Death Stalkers¡­¡± I took his hand firmly and said, ¡°Azrael and thank you sir.¡± ¡°Azrael,¡± he said as he looked me up and down, ¡°Bringer of death, I love it. I expect you to learn and grow so that you might be an asset to our organization. Spend a lot of time with Tyranny and you''ll become a true dealer of death.¡± ¡°Understood sir,¡± I replied feeling a bit awkward talking to an AI. ¡°Now back to the matter at hand,¡± he said before redirecting his attention to Tyranny, ¡°Our outpost near our western border was overrun and taken by the Colonials. I''ve tried to resolve this diplomatically, but they refused all my transmissions. I need you to take a small element, no more than four, and go recon the enemy, report back your findings and await further instructions.¡± Natalie did a weird pose before she said, ¡°Understood, sir.¡± He nodded and began examining his map once again. Natalie nudged me and motioned for me to follow her. Once we exited the war room she broke the silence, ¡°Well, It looks like you got your first mission.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I looked at her stunned, ¡°I what?¡± She grinned and shrugged, ¡°You''re coming with me on this little recon mission, obviously.¡± ¡°B-b but I don''t even know anything yet,¡± I stuttered. ¡°Can you sit in a bush?¡± She asked. I furrowed my brow in confusion, ¡°Yeah, I can.¡± ¡°Can you shut your mouth and be quiet and observe what another human being is doing?¡± She asked more aggressively this time. ¡°Um yeah, doesn''t sound too difficult,¡± I said, growing agitated. She nodded, ¡°Then you do know how to do something and you''ve already proven you can shoot and kill. You''ll be fine I promise. Now let''s stop by the squad hideout so I can pick up a few things and get you some gear.¡± I was in complete shock at her method of encouragement, but unfortunately I had to deal with the hand I was dealt. We arrived at the hideout, which turned out to be more of a giant warehouse with modifications. On one side was a wooden structure with a bunch of doorways. Outside each door, except one, was a sign with a name written in black paint. On the opposite side was a small kitchen and living room. Towards the back was a room labeled showers and locker room. Lastly, beside the stairs was a sign that read armory and war room with an arrow pointing up. ¡°Have a seat on the couch and I''ll be back down in a moment,¡± Natalie said before she made way for the stairs. With nothing better to do, I obeyed her command and sat on the worn leather sofa. Everything remained quiet and peaceful, the only noise coming from the generator. I relaxed, making myself comfortable. Closing my eyes, I began to drift off until I heard a high pitched voice. ¡°Well, well, well. What do we have here, Neko?¡± she questioned. I opened my eyes and standing over me were a set of identical females, but everything about them was opposite. One had red hair and dark black eyes like coal, while the other one had dark red eyes with raven black hair. However both were wearing very, very revealing outfits. Neko responded saying, ¡°Looks like that new kid Tyranny mentioned.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± the red-haired girl said with an evil grin, ¡°Hope she doesn''t mind if we show him the ropes,¡± She leaned down and slid her arms around my neck and down my chest. ¡°We''ve never had a man in our group before. This will definitely shake things up around here,¡± she whispered in my ear before nipping my skin with her teeth. I swallowed hard as my imagination began to run wild, and my blood began to flow. Letting out a nervous chuckle I said, ¡°Nice to meet you. I''m uh, I''m Azrael.¡± This time Neko leaned in to whisper in my other ear, ¡°Hi, Azrael I''m Neko.¡± ¡°And I''m Neoni,¡± said the other girl. Then they both said in unison with a thick layer of promiscuity, ¡°We''re going to take really good care of you.¡± My face was on fire and I struggled to hide the steadily growing appendage down below. Even worse if Nat sees this she''ll probably freak out and make me leave. As if on cue I heard Nat''s voice fill the open space, ¡°Hands off ladies, he''s not a chew toy.¡± They both let out low groans before they both took a step back. ¡°So you just get him all to yourself?¡± Neoni hissed. Nat rolled her eyes, ¡°As I said he''s not a toy. He''s an asset and a teammate and you will keep your hands off. I will not have you two seducing him for views.¡± Ah now it all clicked for me. Neko and Neoni are streamers that gained their popularity for their lewd content. I just so happened to almost be their next big score. ¡°Now if you ladies are done pouting, go grab your gear. We''ve got a little reconnaissance to do,¡± Nat barked. They both disappeared back into their rooms, and Natalie tossed several items onto the couch next to me. ¡°There''s a rig to hold your mags, an M4 with a silencer, a backpack, and a ghillie. Get ready so we can head out asap.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah sure.¡± I said, before scrambling to prepare my new gear. ¡°Also, Seraph¡­¡± she paused. ¡°Yeah,¡± I shot back. ¡°Don''t ever let me catch you with another woman''s hands on you, or I''ll chop your dick off and shove it up your ass.¡± With that she headed for the exit. I stood there stunned, watching her walk away. I couldn''t tell if there was a hint of jealousy in her voice or if it was just my imagination. I mean we''re friends, she couldn''t possibly be jealous. Could she? Once everyone was loaded up, Natalie wasted no time. We barreled down the old dusty roads, enroute to the western border. When we arrived we could see the faint glow of fire in the distance. The scent of smoke permeated the air. Stopping about a kilometer away Natalie looked at everyone and said, ¡°We''ll get closer on foot. Neoni find a vantage point and look for survivors. Everyone be ready to turn and burn. If anything happens, return here, and be ready to run.¡± We all nodded and exited the vehicle. Neoni went to the back of the UTV and picked up a sniper rifle that was just as long as she was. ¡°Would you like me to carry that?¡± I asked, trying to be a nice guy. She shot me a glare, ¡°You think I can''t carry my own weight?¡± I shook my head, ¡°Just trying to help.¡± She rolled her eyes, ¡°Whatever, come on we''ve got a climb to make.¡± She pointed behind me, and I turned to look at the small mountain. ¡°Well fuck me.¡± I groaned. ¡°Quit yer whining and get moving,¡± Neoni ordered. I noticed Nat and Neko were already on the move in a different direction, so not wasting anymore time I began my ascent. By the time we reached a well concealed spot someway up the mountain, I was exhausted. I fell down to the ground and let out an exasperated sigh of relief. Neoni shot me an annoyed look as she slid past me and assumed a good prone position behind her rifle. She focused on the camp below, and began scanning all around. After several moments she reached to her chest to use her comm. ¡°Tyranny, I''ve assessed up to fourteen armed Colonials and no survivors.¡± she muttered. Natalie''s voice came through the radio with a bit of static, ¡°Very well. I''ll radio up to higher and get our follow on orders, so sit tight.¡± Thanks Nat. As if we''re not already doing that. Several minutes passed by, silently. The only sound coming from the gentle rustling of the leaves from the occasional breeze. Growing bored, I began fidgeting with a nearby bush until I heard a branch snap.