Chapter 12

High above the Earth's surface, the UAAF vapour had rendezvoused with other Space Marine Corps vehicles as they prepare a series of orbital drops. Within the ships, the hanger bays were all coursing with activity. A pair of robotic arms steadily transfer drop pods from a tall rack secured to a side wall. A formation of Marines wait for their number from a ceiling-mounted monitor beaming deployment instructions. The next group is ordered to prepare for flight, the Marines move toward their assigned pods and climb inside, a floating robot inspects each vehicle before the signal came to deploy.

"Stand clear of the launch platform" sounds the hangar's deployment system.

An energy shield emits from nodes around the bay door, protecting the rest of the hangar from danger as the section decompresses. The large door slides open, a ramp beneath the vehicles rises, the pods slipping over the side. The pods zip around each other after passing the planets atmosphere, their small engines keeping them in formation. The pods achieve free fall velocity, sailing through the air as they neared their coordinates. The large buildings of the Industrial area came into view. The vehicles cluster in small groups as each lands on the roof of various buildings.

The Space Marines burst out of the pods and begin clearing the rooftops with streams of plasma. More demon pounce into range, leaping from adjoining buildings. Gargoyle and Cacodemon drift above the walls of the tall structures. A few minutes was all it took for the area to be littered with depleted energy cell packs and charred demons. After taking control of the roofs, they look over the sides, a giant demonic growth had consumed an outer wall of the UAC facility, the streets were mobbed with hundreds of creatures. The Marines aim their RPGs below and fire.

Within the demonized facility, Carcass demon were swiftly weaponizing the corporation's inventory of vehicles. An anti-gravity shuttle with a newly fitted plasma cannon below the windscreen lifts from the workshop and sails through the gore-covered cargo doors. The tech-savvy demons were already crawling over another craft as they continue to assemble. The former human pilot flies above the rooftops, its cannon spraying plasma upon the Marines. BFG rounds fired from multiple rooftops converge on the vehicle, it's disintegrating hull raining to the ground below.

Elsewhere, the demonized Martinez had become a terrifying monstrosity. His body was a bloated fusure of demonic remains and military equipment, seated upon the six-legged, rocket mounted hull of an armoured crawler, along the back was a pair of cannons pointing upwards, his left arm held the nozzle of a flamethrower, a plasma rifle in his right. Carcass crawled all over the cybernetic demon as they assembled the remaining parts, other demon were forced to do push-ups or were off scavenging battlefields. Nearby, large tentacles that had burrowed through the ground were wrapped around long barrelled cannons that were removed from vehicles and retrofitted for their use. Carcass handled the task of reloading as the tentacles fire on military shuttles above and providing ground support for ships piloted by former humans.

The cybernetic demon detects enemy units, it quickly scuttles closer and intercepts before they could stage their surprise attack on the tentacles. The demon crushes a soldier under a robotic leg as it strode closer, spraying a stream of plasma and shooting blasts of flame.

In Northern Germany, the Icon of Sin moved through the connecting channel of water, approaching the coast. A pair of Navy destroyers had sailed alongside the giant, their deck guns opening fire. The powerful navel rounds strike the massive demon but couldn't stop it from reaching the shore, continuing toward the Leipzig facility as demon spawn from portals around the Icon. A formation of drop pods descend from above, the Marines climb out and immediately begin an assault against the approaching demons coursing around the giant, the ground quaking with each step it takes.

The Icon of Sin is struck by rockets and BFG rounds. The demon turns its head, looking into the direction of the attacking Marines, driving those staring back into a state of madness, abandoning their positions as they run screaming. Marines continued the assault, the bio force blasts and rocket barrage only angering the towering demon. The Icon recites an evil spell, its unnerving alien voice rings in their ears, phantom hands reach from below the ground and drag some of them beneath the surface. The Icon continued moving towards the portal as the last of the Marines continued their assault on the advancing creatures.

In the Leipzig UAC facility, Kasper walked along the mostly abandoned halls, an empty duffel bag was laced over his shoulder. He walks into the portal laboratory, he collects his tools and documents, places them into the bag and turns to leave. He pauses at the passage, unsure if he just saw what he thought he did. He steps over to the control station, a signalling beacon notification was blinking on the console. Knowing he isn't supposed to be using the system, he taps the terminal and looks at the beacon's signature. It was transmitting from the lost Deimos station with trans-dimensional coordinates.

Carla and Diane were elsewhere in the facility, the continuing approach of the demonic invasion was on everyone's mind. Walking together silently, they pass a heated exchange between General Naverten and officials wearing expensive business suits. The pair watch as the argument over deployments flared with anger. Diane was frozen with fear, she sees flashes of demonic features upon their faces that she'd seen before in Major Martinez. The General shoots the women a daring glance, they moved past the raging discussion when Carla's mobile rings.

"Hello, Kasper" she answers.

"Where are you? Do you know where Dr. Stone is?" he asks over the receiver.

"Diane is here with me. We're in sector C, corridor 5E" Carla replies.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll be right there" he says as the call is cut, then approaching with Henrick moments later from ahead. Diane's face sours, she was still upset with Henrick.

"Come with us, please" Kasper says.

Diane and Carla exchange a glance, still overhearing the distant argument, they follow the portal scientists.

"What's going on?" Carla asks.

Kasper motions for them to stay quiet, afraid of arousing suspicion with the military. They lead them through the door to the portal laboratory and into the control room. Kasper settles into one of the luxurious operation chairs, taking a moment to compose his words.

"There's been an exciting development, he begins, you should recall that we found traces of human activity in the alien dimension"

"Of, course" Diane replies.

"The receiving relay has isolated a signalling beacon originating from the Deimos teleporter. The beacon's signature reveals that the moon is in the alien dimension, and we think it was the unknown traveller who has activated the signal" Kasper explains, Diane's eyes widen as she remembers seeing the Marine and the portal in her dream.

"If we activate the portal and trace the beacon, we can operate the Deimos teleporter from our controls. If the traveller is waiting in the portal lab, and we hypothesize that he is, we can bring him through" Henrick adds.

"We can count on General Naverten rejecting the proposal, so we're not going to tell him. The station reactor can be operated through this control room but the problem will be that when the General discovers the power surge, he will attempt to disconnect the relay to the laboratory. We need one of you to guard it, and to prevent anyone from interfering while we're carrying out this procedure here. Naverten has key cards for all the science projects, but we can keep him out of the control room" Kasper says.

"Wait, doesn't this seem risky? The aliens are getting too close" Carla asks, finding it hard to understand why they were proposing this.

"If he could survive in the alien's dimension for this long, he may be able to help us stop the invasion" Henrick reasons.

"I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for him. He's lost and if we can do something to help, we should" Diane adds.

Kasper plays a portion of surveillance video from the Phobos incident, footage of the Marine decimating the demons in his path plays on the monitor. Carla couldn't hide her amazement, feeling hope swelling in her chest.

"Okay, let's do it" she says.

Carla and Diane casually strode toward the power station, they pass the sliding door and step inside then locate the power relay.

Carla releases a nervous breath.

"Are you sure we should be doing this? What if we unleash more demons?" she asks.

"Kasper and Henrick know what they're doing, I trust them. Our forces aren't stopping the aliens, if there's any chance he can help us, we need him now" Diane says.

Carla silently considers her reasoning.

"I'm not sure why I'm doing this, Carla admits as she pulls a handgun from a hidden holster, I'll guard the relay"

"Where did you get that?" Diane asks

"My contact with the paranormal division gave it to me" she replies.

Her mobile chirps, Kasper sent the request to transmit the power. Diane returns to the portal lab, Carla throws the relay switch and clamps a lock into place. She seals the power station then over-rides the door controls with a single-use data card, she then fires a round on the panel for good measure, destroying the small terminal.

General Naverten was standing above the table-top holographic map of deployments and enemy activity. Aliens were getting uncomfortably close to their location, he transmits orders to multiple divisions over the interface. A Soldier briskly approaches the General.

"Sir, the reactor's power levels have spiked. 80% of it's maximum power output is being tapped. It's an enormous transmission" they anxiously explain.

"Those loopy scientists are using the teleporter, they're going to get us all killed! Go to the power station in sector A and disconnect the relay from the portal to the reactor, I'm going to the lab" Naverten instructs.

The General walks into the hall and banks into his new office along the way. He steps over to the gun cabinet and enters his code into the keypad, the glass case opens and he takes the double-barrelled shotgun.

Back in the alien dimension, the Marine arrives at the portal lab, the growth covering the room looked different, it had reformed since his last visit. He steps over a wiggling tentacle and walks toward the ramp to the portal's gate. The alloy surface was still covered by demonic flesh and long spikes, the portal resembled a fanged gaping jaw. Now that he was finally here, he had no idea how he could possibly get it to work. The portal would likely send him back to the surface again, or somewhere even worse.

The sound of distant chanting gradually grows louder, he notices bright reflections around him that followed his movements. His pack was gushing with white light, he quickly opens it to find the fused crystal was glowing brightly. He had forgotten all about it. A small portal opens, Mortick aliens were on the other side. The orb of light zips through the gate and happily drifts around the Marine. He holds out the beaming crystal, the demonic growth around him began to recede as the Morticks chanting grew louder.

Slabs of gore split apart and fall to the floor, his boots clank upon the alloy surface of the ramp as he steps closer to the gate. Giant tentacles unwrap from the teleporter and splat to the floor, the remaining growth shrinks into the corners of the lab. A screeching grenade suddenly explodes in mid-air next to the Marine, shattering the crystal and knocking him down the ramp. Shadows overtake the room, the orb of light races through the rapidly narrowing portal. He climbs to his feet, the dark outline of a figure was standing behind the view screen of the control room.

"The Mortick believe they have saved their planet, but they will learn that they cannot escape their fate. Your planet will come first, however. What we had planned for the Mortick will be carried out upon Earth, your home will be consumed and your people will suffer. Bear witness, fool, for it has already begun" Kronos states in a slithering voice.

The turbulence of the portal clears, showing the demonic invasion occurring on Earth. The Marine had no idea this was happening, he's shocked by the awful sight of demonic creatures rampaging through a European city. He runs toward the gate but trips, a tentacle of demonic growth had wrapped around his ankle. He's dragged back to the bottom as more strands of growth wrap around him. He pulls against the tentacles but couldn't break from their tight grip. His mind courses with anger, he thrashes with all his might but couldn't break free.

"You should feel honoured, powerful spirits are bargaining for control of your soul. A dark path awaits you" Kronos reveals.

"No" he defiantly shouts as he fought to escape.