No wonder those militants were hell-bent on taking down my battle brother just like many before them, as evidenced by the countless decomposed corpses littering the place.
"This too?"
Hope asked carefully making sure not to trigger me because she could clearly tell I was In a bad mood while pointing at the pile of military equipment, the cybernetic Implants, and vials containing rotten biomechanical organs.
That I extracted with a special tool that I found In the pod that could also be used to extract genetic material for the purpose of creating new cosmic marines.
Even the reinforced skeleton could be repurposed for a new recruit but I wasn't going to do that because the man deserved to have at least that left for him.
"Yeah and the pod too, you won't be able to find another one so easily"
I said as I did with a wave of her hand the pod and equipment disappeared.
"How much space do you still have left?"
I asked not taking my eyes off the corpse and the standard.
"25 percent"
I nodded In acknowledgment.
"Im gonna send my battle brother off, you can go back to the car''
I said only to hear Hopes protest.
"No, I'm staying, I know what a standard means, so the man deserves my respect I'm staying"
Hearing this I couldn't help but look at Hope In a new light.
"ATTENTION!"
I roared at the top of my lungs as I snapped to attention with Hope doing the same after a brief pause.
"SALUTE!"
We both performed a modern military salute, we continued to salute silently for a minute.
"DO YOU FORSAKE EVERYONE CLOSE TO YOU?!"
"I DO!
"DO YOU FORSAKE YOUR FLESH?!"
"I DO!"
"DO YOU FORSAKE YOUR HUMANITY?!"
"I DO!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I PLUNGE HEADFIRST INTO HELL, I FIGHT TO THE LAST MAN, I NEVER TAKE A STEP BACK, I ONLY MARCH FORWARD!"
"WHO ARE I?!"
"I AM A COSMIC MARINE!"
"WHAT IS YOURE MOTTO?!"
"IN DEATH I LIVE!"
After repeating our cores oath that we took when we became cosmic marines which was designed by me I lowered my hand, knelt down, and tore off one piece from the corpse's black blood-stained dog tags.
"Rest In peace battlebrother"
I muttered only for my AI to detect an unknown hardened substance between my battle brother's hearts.
I furrowed my brows as I stuffed my hand through my brother's gauged out side while my view changed to a full X-ray.
I quickly grabbed the substance and retrieved It, my AI immediately scanned It.
A highly concentrated energy source.
The AI notified me, and according to the AI, this thing could sustain my power armor for an entire month of 24/7 high Intensity combat.
I pocketed the bloody thumb-sized crystal and manually armed the fusion core, then after that grabbed the absentminded Hope, tossed her onto my shoulder, and sprinted towards our car at full speed.
After unceremoniously tossing Hope Into the co-driver seat I pressed the accelerator, after 5 minutes of driving a mini mushroom cloud rose Into the air, its shock wave quickly caught up and rattled our car.
We drove In silence neither of us saying a word until we finally reached a 20-meter-high reinforced concrete wall.
I quickly found the checkpoint guarded by a squad of militants dressed in the same combat armor as the ones before making them look like O*STs from h*lo.
As I drove to a stop the gunners pointed their heavy laser machine guns inside their concrete bunkers at us.
"State your business!"
The squad commander barked as he with 3 other militants surrounded our car.
"Were here to sell gear and weapons"
I said while pointing with my thumb at the back seat, the commander followed my thumb and after giving a superficial glance focused his eyes back on me.
"Know anything about the explosion?"
"No Idea"
I lied through my teeth, with no change In my expression.
"Got ID?"
I shook my head.
"Hmmm well that won't do but seeing that you got quite a beauty back In there, I think we can work something out"
The squad leader said while licking his lips causing a mouthful of rotting breath to assault my face not trying to hide his lecherous Intent at all.
Feeling the lecherous gaze directed at her, Hope couldn't help but grab the same pistol she used against me.
"Hey, c*nt do you want to die?"
I asked In a low dangerous voice as I removed my sunglasses and looked straight at the man's black eyes.
"cos... mic...ma... rine..."
The squad commander who recognized me by our trademark eyes stuttered out as he slowly retreated with his shaking uncontrollably legs.
"Le... let them through!"
The squad commander yelled the next second as he did I put on my sunglasses back and hit the pedal once the armored doors slowly retreated to the side.
"Squad commander, are you alright?"
The second In command walked to the still shaking uncontrollably commander.
"Death... Chen... that man is a death angel, don't ever mess with his kind"
The commander said as she looked straight at his second command eyes, causing the man who was born after the war to break out In cold sweat from the horrified look In his superior eyes.
"W... what do you mean sir?"
The second In command asked.
"I... I once saw his kind go tow to tow with a bonebane youngling, even without his power armor, he f*cking ripped that monstrosity to pieces with his bear hands, his f*cking bear hands Chen, those things aren't human Chen"
The terrified by the mere mention of bonebane but still skeptical at his commander's words Chen asked.
"But sir, how do you know that his related to the man you're talking about, and why do you refer to them as things?"
Hearing this the commander sat down on a sandbag barricade, took out a cigarette, and lit It up.
"His eyes Chen their the same, though his are so crimson that they look like blood, as for what those things are Chen, they are the relics of the apocalypse"
"Their pre-war Chen, your grandfather should have told you stories about cosmic marines right?"
Hearing this Chen nervously gulped down a gulp of saliva.
"He did he wouldn't shut up with these stories of cybernetically, genetically, and mechanically augmented supersoldiers."
"That would descend from the skies and wreck death and chaos everywhere, but It's just a fairytale told to children right, right?"
The commander looked at Chen pitifully.
"But they aren't Chen, they aren't, those things are real, and they had killed countless of our ancestors Chen"
"That accursed Death Knight in the golden dragon square Is one of them, Chen, even after Death they still haunt our people"
Hearing this Chen opened his mouth wide although he didn't witness cosmic marines In action with his own eyes.
But he knew what a death knight was and he was terrified of that thing, everyone was, that thing was everyone's worst nightmare.
"So Chen whatever you do, for the sake of your woman and children don't ever cross those things and their kinds paths, ever!"
The commander said as he threw away his cigarette bud and lit up another one with his still shaking hands.
...
"Thanks for sticking up for me"
Hope muttered while leaning Into her seat as we slowly drove through the middle of a once asphalt road now a mud road.
While the pedestrians walked on our sides.
A militant carried a gunpowder-based automatic rifle that was deemed obsolete even before WW 3 with a cigar in his lips.
On the other side, a militant sported an exoskeleton armor that although inferior to power armor In every way.