The city was chaos.
He watched from his viewpoint in the high glass building several stories high, some of its panes of glass already broken as the Altered overran through the breaches they had gashed in the dingy, huge metal walls and the underground sewage and water systems. He had known it would happen for months, even though his human "handlers" had refused to listen to him.
They had been converging nearby for at least two weeks now. It had only been a matter of time... Tired amber eyes surveyed the scene as his prosthetic arm clicked the last cartridge into place. He had taken everything he could carry which wasn't all that most considering he was a wolf after all. But as he felt the comforting click of the explosives in the "backpack" strapped across his shoulders, and as the tech of his "arm" flexed and clicked into place, he was ready.
This was to be his last stand. Jarek was tired, tired of fighting, tired of being treated as a curious "pet" instead of a teammate or at the very least, a living sentient creature... but most of all, it was just the end.
It had been nearly a year since his transfer to this distant outpost city, a cesspool of the rich and the criminal, as part of a group deal from his own R.C.A. "Siyohn" as a trade for resources. Since he had heard of it's last communications two days before, there had been no communications from Siyohn.. His entire former team had been labeled as deceased, including... her. She could still remember the last time he saw her as they shut him inside the storage tank, her blue eyes usually so cold and like steel filled with a hint of sadness and something else he couldn't identify. But that was all gone. Something within him had shattered and he felt broken, dead, but still breathing.
The humans had fallen. The last desperate attempt to survive had been revealed through project Exodus, the last deep space ships sent out, the last select few hidden away somewhere beneath the earth in the vast cryo-tanks... Now the Corruption held sway over all...
Despite his misgivings and general disgust with most humans, he felt pity towards the doomed people in the city below him. From here, he could see the slaughter of these "leftovers" those who would not be saved, could see as some tried to escape or hide-
A shriek resounded as a woman burst from the door down the hall; a massive beast was chasing her; her mascara had smeared down her face with her tears, her dress in shambles as she tripped an fell-
He had already charged forward, feeling the click as with his tongue he pulled the pin of the grenade, vaulting over her and launching it into the beasts roaring jaws;it seemed to choke with surprise as it swallowed the object, then begin to turn on Jarek-
He gave a smirk. "Sorry, but wolf's not on the menu today, ugly." he said in a heavily accented, wolven tongue, dodging the enraged strike; The Brute drew back to strike once more when suddenly it exploded, sending bits of flesh everywhere-
The woman was sobbing hysterically and he approached her. "Madam, are you uninjured?" the male robotic voice asked kindly from his collar. As her hands came down from her eyes he froze.
It had not been mascara smeared across her face; even right before his eyes, the flesh was shifting as the infection began to spread. Her sobs slowed, before stopping as she staggered awkwardly to her feet, a inhuman growl coming through her throat; a large bone twisted, shifting from her forearm like a huge blade as she staggered forward; she rose it to plunge into his flesh but stopped; the one eye not succumbed to the Corruption seemed to focus on his, begging as she struggled to control a body she no longer owned.
He understood, his own eyes softening with pity and grief. The small launcher built into the contraption that was his foreleg emerged.
"I'm sorry about this miss. Truly I am." The synthesized voice was quiet. She seemed to nod, a tear escaping as the eye began to change-
There was a tiny little "pew" sound followed by a loud bang as the woman crumpled to the ground, her head gone.
Jarek felt sick.
He turned and ran, heading for the fire-escape stairway; as he passed, he could hear screams, bullets, the sickening smell of blood and burning Altered flesh, could see blurs of horrible things sure to come back to his nightmares.
Somehow he reached street level, the ground covered in glittering pieces of glass and broken ibeams; the former decadence of the rich torn asunder for all to see...
It seemed like a dream as he fought, dodged, and battled his way out into the street, avoiding humans and Altered alike. He had not run into any of his new team; though he suspected the worse...
Somehow, he got away from the mainroads; He wondered where he would fall, where he might make his last stand; not here. Not here amidst the broken lies of the humans; he spied a park, remarkably untouched from the battle mechs, Altered and human interference.
Almost docilely, he ignored the screams and sounds of battle and went from run to a trot, into the gardens...
Then he found something he had not expected to. Something that would make his plans for a honorable, last-stand shift to a plan of desperate escape.
He heard movement at the base of a fallen tree, and in an instant he was on alert, his launcher at ready. Too small to be a human, or even a dangerous altered, nothing he couldn't handle-
It was a kid.
Flabbergasted, the weapon sheathed itself as he investigated the small lump of fur. Still breathing, the small pup was extremely thin and smelled of corpses and blood, but mercifully, there was no tell-tale scent of an Altered.
"You alright kid?" he asked in a warm, quiet tone as his accent rolled the vowels, glancing over his shoulder as a explosion rocked the air. As he turned her over with his nose, he was shocked.
Somehow, she had taken a shot from a small caliber gun directly to her face; a sloppy hit, but regardless the damage was severe. Further inspection revealed two short stubby horns as well. Even though hell had literally arrived on their doorstep, uncontrollable, righteous fury filled him. She was obviously one of the "secret" breeding projects; a hushed criminal activity of genetic altering through selective breeding, surgery, and other unethical methods that everyone knew was going on, but did nothing about. Not for research, not for soldiers, but simply as a "exotic" pet, a loyal, brainless guard-dog or lapdog for the rich- he felt sick once more.
Cripes, he wasn't a medic. It was a miracle she was still alive; the wound was already several hours old. He debated for a moment whether or not to put her out of her misery, especially with no hope of a future here... An eye fluttered open and he caught a glimpse of a glassy, fresh-green eye and she gave a small whimper. So desperate, so desperate for
life-His heart both broke and swelled with renewed purpose in a fraction of a second.
No. He was going to do everything he could to ensure she at least would survive. A last stand was no longer on the table. They were going to get out of here.
"Hang on kiddo, this'll sting a bit..." The metallic "paw" shifted into an odd, cannon looking appendage as he pasted some medigel onto her broken face. With luck it would hold it together while stimulating the cell growth, though it would be uncomfortable... She seemed to be sinking between consciousness and unconsciousness... Had to keep her awake...
Her immediate wounds taken care of, he gingerly grabbed her by he scruff of her neck as his mother had done so long ago of what he could barely remember, then stopped frowning. If he carried her this way, he wouldn't be able to access half his weapons and he wanted to keep his jaws free for fighting...
Another idea came to him and he sidled off his pack, setting her back down and undoing the latch. It would mean sacrificing some of his precious grenades for space, but he made just enough in one of the little harness pocket she would be able to fit fairly comfortably without being squished. Another explosion and the shrieks of a Swarm made him snarl; he had to work quickly, they were getting close.
With surprising care like an older brother, he set her gently into the bag, strapping her in safely. "...Don't die. Keep strong." he murmured to the pup, his last reason to fight on. He didn't know what he'd do if he opened this bag later to find she had succumbed to her injuries... He closed the hood loosely and set it back over his back and shoulders. Not a moment too soon, as there was s shriek as the metal of the garden's gates were torn from its hinges. He set off at run, keeping out of sight and towards the shadows, his mind racing.
The walls, the roads out would be impossible. That only left the less traveled byways like the sewers or underground transport systems like the Cargo bays and the subways.
Grimly, he set off, taking the backalleys towards the main station.
