Death's Market

[Grimn]

The city lay in ruins around the advancing party. The soldiers all walked down the street, their weapons held loosely in their hands. They yelled to one another and made jokes, the men at ease coming from their last victory.

The man watched these soldiers from afar, through binoculars. This would be the initiation of the new program, his new program. For countless months he had invested time and money into a new program and he was about to see the fruits of his labors. This war mattered not to him, to him it was merely another way to turn a profit. The soldiers he was watching were local militia, just coming off of a victory and looking to celebrate. There were close to one hundred militia men in the group that he was watching, each outfitted in street clothes carrying AK-47s or other small arms. The man watching picked up a radio that stood beside him. “Send in Heavyarms” spoke the man into the radio.

Nearby a helicopter roared towards the small army. The men stopped and looked up, somewhat startled by the unforeseen threat. Two buildings ran parallel to each other, enclosing the men. The helicopter cam to a hover about thirty yards in front of the men and about twenty feet off of the ground. The militia men began to yell and scream, loading their weapons and aiming at the chopper. The back door of the helicopter opened and a large object fell out of it. The chopper took off as soon as the object left its bay and the dust settled as the object stood up from the small crater it had created. The hulking man that stood before the militia was quite intimidating. He stood close to 6’5” and encasing his entire body was what seemed to be thick metal armor. The fact that he could very well stand, let alone move freely, under that amount of weight was nothing short of astonishing. The man looked out from his metallic mask and stared at all of the angry looking soldiers. Suddenly a burst of fire rang out which ignited gunfire from all of the militia. The bullets rang all around the man but it seemed as if but only a few of the many bullets actually connected. The bullets that did connect however seemed to merely bounce off of the metal armor covering the behemoth. The soldiers stopped firing and looked at the man, terror spreading across their faces. “He he” laughed the man, reaching behind his back. “My turn” he said as he withdrew two large looking objects from off of his back and hooking them onto his arms.

The objects were in fact two gatling guns that were situated on a shield like device that slid over the forearm of the man. Each arm held two gatling guns and ammo belts ran from the man’s arms to his back. He brought the weapons up and two small metal plates extended from his lower back to brace the twin guns off of. In a fury the guns exploded, dealing hot death to all in front of the man. “Ha ha, surely you cannot hope to win a war with such few capable soldiers” laughed the man, sweeping the army in front of him. “Come on someone give me a challenge” pleaded the man, still laughing. The man paused for a second and two small mortar rounds launched from his back and into the crowd of men. He resumed firing until his guns started to spin and click from depletion of ammunition. “Ah, is it over already said the man, hinting at sadness. He looked out in front of him and saw all of the bodies. “Well this was no fun, next time…” the man was cut off as he fell down. The man watching from his binoculars spoke into the radio again. “Test subject Heavyarms success. “Magnetic bullet repulsion technology successful, subject psychosis level tolerable, only shortcoming is over expenditure of ammunition given” said the man. “Bring in a team for collection and prepare for test subject two codename Chameleon” said the man, getting up.

[Grimn]

The commando unit moved stealthily through the abandoned warehouse. The group consisted of six members, all highly trained from the United Kingdom. Currently they were on assignment in Bolivia attempting to rescue hostages that were being held by a terrorist faction. The group moved quietly, their automatic weapons held high. They had been doing this for quiet some time and were well aware of what needed to be done for their job to be a success. “Activate codename Chameleon” said a far off voice. The man opened his eyes and realized he was in a large warehouse. He looked out from his helmet that completely surrounded his head. On the outside it appeared as if there was a single red eye on the face of the man. The rest of his body was encased in a light weight suit. However the man was flawlessly blended in with the wall he was currently up against. He could not remember how he got here but that did not matter. He had been briefed on his mission before and just as always when he awoke he was where he needed to be, they saw to that. The man surveyed his surroundings before moving. His suit perfectly bent the light until it completely made him appear non existent. The technology was superior to anything anyone else possessed but that was to be expected from his employer. Not only did the suit replicate his surroundings it allowed him to be transparent by bending the light ever so slightly.

The broken down old warehouse seemed to creak and grown with every gust of wind, the roof long since gone opened up to the overcast sky. The man slowly walked, noise repressors actively canceling out his outward noise production. He walked up behind the first man and looked at him. At this moment this man did not realize that his life was in another’s hands. He had not control over what the outcome would be and therefore he was simply a spectator. “Are we all not spectators” questioned the man to himself. “Are any of us really able to control what impact we have on life” he continued. The man allowed a slender katana to appear in his arms, the light no longer being bent around it. In a sudden motion he drew the blade and the first commando fell silently. In a rush the next was done with a strike to the back. The man in the suit laid on the ground, allowing the light to bend around him once again, and watched as two more commandos walked over to where the slain members lay. In a flash he kicked out and brought the two commandos down before sending them to the same fate as their squad mates.

That left two more members to deal with. The man brought another member down without trouble and looked for the last one. He was staring at the bodies of his slain comrades. There were no bullet cases and no shots had been fired. No noise of a struggle had even been heard and what he saw defied everything he had been taught. It was at that moment that his mind tottered over the edge. He began unloading his rifle’s clip all around him. Shooting at everything, attempting to somehow hit the unseen enemy that had so handily eliminated the entire team he had been a part of. The man in the suit watched this and wondered. “This man has gone from being so disciplined to a mere leadhead he thought. “Why is it that soldier’s minds are so delicately balanced on the edge? Is it because of the travesties that we are forced to see and act on throughout our daily routine? Or perhaps it is because we are less than human he thought to himself. The man allowed his suit to become visible and he walked up to the man. The red eye examined the now terrified soldier. The man inside the mask frowned a little in sadness. In a motion the man fell to the floor and the man in the suit had once again disappeared.

Soon he would fall unconscious like after all of their missions, the man in the suit knew. “It was how things were and there was nothing he could do nothing to change it” he thought. Suddenly an electric current was sent to the chip implanted in the base of his skull. The man dropped to the ground and became visible. “Test trial Chameleon successful” said the man into the radio. “Test subject shows extraordinary reflexes and agility as well as ability to set and execute traps. Stealth camouflage technology is flawless. Only drawback is subject’s apparent self reflection of actions, recommend research into drug series that may counteract this” said the man into the radio. “Send collection team and prepare for next test trial” he concluded into his radio.

[Grimn]

The man peered into the two inch diameter that was his world. The small circle was his life, his passion, his purpose. The only things that mattered in his life could be seen through this small little window. The man had awoken, like always, already peering out through this little window.

This time he was able to see a very small rooftop walkway. On one side was a helipad and on the other was a reinforced building. He had already been briefed that his target would soon walk the six feet from the building to the helipad. This was his moment of opportunity, his only opportunity. The building that target was in was reinforced with steel so even a small bomb blast would leave barely a scratch on the outer wall. The location he was in was remote enough that any attack would be repelled by the target’s private army. The man continued to stare out at his world. “With this power I hold life in my hands he thought. “This allows me to be like a god, no this allows me to be god” thought the man. “I alone have the power to decide whether someone lives or dies. It is not based upon their actions but merely my whim” he said, a small laugh playing in his voice. The man was close to seventeen miles away from the target, lying down. His rifle was easily twenty feet long, the collapsible barrels fully extended with each of their mounts lying on the ground. New weaponry like this was standard for the man. The eye that was looking through the scope was merely a robotic implant that fed distance, wind speed, and necessary adjustments to the man on a constant basis. The large caliber bullet that his gun was loaded with, the only bullet in the man’s gun, would be more than enough to carry out the job.

Suddenly a door opened and the time had arrived. The man looked at the other man. He was cleanly dressed, a fresh suit and shaven face, and walked with an air of confidence about him. He took the first step and the man lying down studied him. By the time the second and third steps had been taken the necessary adjustments had been made. The man in the suit took his fourth step and the man lying down began to think. “I have judged you and have found you not worthy” he laughed to himself. The man took his fifth step, one away from the waiting helicopter and then vanished as the bullet ripped into him. The man lying down stood up and allowed the barrels to collapse into themselves so that the gun was only four feet long. The bandages that completely wrapped around the man’s head wavered a bit in the wind. “I am god and I shall judge who is worthy to…” the man was cut off as he fell down.

Some distance off in a helicopter a man raised a radio to his mouth. “Codename Longshot, test sequence successful” he said. “Subject shows excellent poise and ability to make quick adjustments. Possible narcissism and god complex beginning to become prevalent in subject. Recommend mental conditioning against all forms of self esteem” said the man. “Send in a clean up team and prepare for the next subject’s trial” he finished.

[Grimn]

The two Russian soldiers stood near one another inside the chemical research facility. They conversed quietly, their automatic rifles hanging slackly at their side. The man in full military dress walked down the hallway, his shiny black boots making soft clicking noises as they touched the tiled floor. The two soldiers instantly became alert and saluted the man. The man returned the salute. His soft blonde hair peaked out from beneath the officers cap. He looked up, his eyes showing a bit of malice. “Open the door for me, this is a test run straight from the kremlin” said the man. The two soldiers instantly turned around and inserted matching keys into the heavily armored door behind them. Simultaneously they turned the key and the door slid open. “Thank you” said the man, pulling two silver revolvers out and ending the two soldier’s lives. The barrels stood smoking as the man entered through the door. “Well thank you comrade for you support of the mother land” quipped the man, stepping through the door.

He entered into a large laboratory style room and walked amongst the tables and beakers, chemicals bubbling everywhere. The man approached a small looking scientist and tapped him on the shoulder. The scientist turned around and stammered “Listen I am very busy…”. He trailed off and stared at the man. The uniformed officer stood there, a sick smile spreading across his lips. “I am here for the formula for the hallucinogenic that you have developed” said the man. “Here just don’t kill me” stammered the scientist, hastily handing over a small slip of paper he retrieved from inside his coat pocket to the man. The uniformed officer looked at the little man and smiled. “Let us see what fate has planned for you” he laughed. He reached behind him and pulled out a third revolver. He emptied the chambers of the guns and inserted three bullets into each gun. He tossed one revolver into the air and began to juggle the three guns. In a flash he caught one and brought it up and pulled the trigger. A click was heard and the man quickly threw the gun up to keep the juggling act going. Another flick and click occurred and the juggling act was set into motion once again. “One last time” laughed the man.

In a small room filled with monitors another man watched. The uniformed soldier was walking back out of the laboratory and on another camera he could see the body of the scientist. “Codename Six Shot test trial success” said the man. “Formula for hallucinogenic obtained and sent to headquarters for application for next test subject” continued the man. “Subject demonstrates ability to catch unsuspecting opponents off guard and carry out his mission” said the man. “Subject however toys with non factors in the mission unnecessarily, recommended immediate psychotherapy to remedy this situation” said the man into the microphone. “Send a cleanup team and prepare for final test subject’s trial” said the man, getting up from the chair he was sitting in.