Unknown Soldier: Prologue

[Guest IdentityZer0]

Unknown Soldier

 

My name is...I don't know my name. I call myself Identity Zer0. My story begins in Carlsbad, New Mexico. I was found unconscious in the middle of the road just north of there. I was bloodied and half dead. They gave me a nano-implant called an EGO to supervise my own body's reconstruction. When I awoke from a 3 month coma, they started interviewing me to find out who I was. After absolutely no success, one of the psychologists wrote something and my brain captured it and it has stuck with me. On the form he was filling out, under the heading "Identity:" he wrote the word "Zero." I thought it was fitting.

Identity Zer0 is 6'2" and looks like everyman with the plainest features among humans. He blends...I apologize, I refer to myself in the third person quite often; the psychologists say it has something to do with not knowing anything about myself. I blend in with humans as being completely nondescript.

I worked a few months in Carlsbad at a military surplus store. It turns out that I have a knack for cleaning guns of pretty much any type. After a little while, it got extremely boring. Then it happened: Arkfall. I had heard that alien technology items found in or even the EGO scans of the arkfall debris are worth quite a bit of scrip to the right people, but invariably they are hard to get.

I arrived at the crash site with a pistol and grenades. Sure enough, there were two others there with a greedy gleam in their eye. We had no time to fight each other, because before we could even draw a weapon, swarms of skitterlings started popping out of the ground. I grabbed a grenade, let the spoon fly and then dropped it at my feet as I dove under the springing hellbugs. Every one of them that came at me died. The other two salvagers were not nearly as lucky. One was sprayed with bubbling black tar that appeared to be digestive juices, and the other was already being divided up into smaller portions. I pulled out my pistol and shot the remaining skitterlings while my EGO continued to scan the arkfall mass. I felt the ground tremble and I was knocked through the air from underneath as a massive hellbug warrior jumped out of the earth. I am not sure what exactly happened over the next few moments, but images of me backing up followed by me shoving the barrel of the pistol into its jagged maw still wake me up at night. After killing the thing, my EGO finished its scan moments before the arkfall vaporized itself. Apparently, there would be no technology items from this arkfall.

I started hunting around for a buyer for the information contained within the scan, and I was subtly directed to a mercenary group called Echelon. They are mostly located in the San Francisco Bay area, so I put what scrip I had together, and set off west to see if I could make enough scrip to settle down in Antarctica.

Meeting the 47th.

After hitching rides from the bold overland transport drivers, I found myself in Madera, and was on my way to a place called Iron Demon Ranch, where the local lawkeeper had set up shop. Suddenly I saw this blinding flash, followed by the largest object I had ever seen falling from the sky to the west. I grabbed a runner that was overturned in the ditch nearby, drained the carburetor, held the throttle wide open and gave it a start. Much to my surprise it fired up. I headed west through who knows what to get to that object. As I was nearing the plumes of smoke, my EGO picked up a signal: "Any unarmed crash victims, STAY WHERE YOU ARE! WE WILL COME TO GET YOU! Anyone that can fight, report to the E-Rep outpost immediately." It wasn't an arkfall, but it might be worth some scrip and some local reputation to help out.

While helping out at the crash area, I noticed someone giving orders to many others, even though none of them were E-Rep. I saw him many times that day, and he seemed to be a great organizer and a very proficient fighter as well. He looked at the disorganization of the rescue efforts with disgust. A few times, as I took short breaks in the E-Rep tent, he seemed as though he wanted me to do something or needed some help. Finally I said, "Look just spit it out. You look as though you are handling this far better than these E-Rep flunkies. If you need something done, just ask." He grinned and told me that a bunch of his group were going to Kinship Plaza to rescue a bunch of captured E-Rep soldiers. He would appreciate it if I would tag along.

After nearly thirty minutes of hell coming at us from all sides, mutated soldiers everywhere, the smoke finally cleared with everyone still breathing. He took that opportunity to introduce himself. His name was Cavadus, he ran a large unit of an outfit called the 47th Legion, and he wanted me to join. Naturally I said yes. After all, he was one of the few in command around here that didn't seem to have his head up his ass. I am going to place you in a minor leadership position. My EGO received an up-link and a local voice channel password. These are the dossiers of the section you are in charge of. You are assigned to the 1st Cohort, 3rd Century, 2nd Platoon, Delta Section as provisional leader of that section. You can handle yourself, now let’s see how you handle command.

Reinmar, VonErik, Caecilli, Stele and ToxikShellfish. My section. Just faces and names.

 

Faces and names with histories.

 

More than I have.

[Payton]

CNT Cavadus strides around the corner of the Cerebus with a grin on his face and some mischief in his eyes.

 

"Payton, did you notice that guy at the crash site today who was helping out with the fighting and then with the victims?"

 

I think back to what I noticed and who I noticed.

 

"Something about a guy carrying supplies and clearing wreckage comes to mind, but I can't picture the guy. I recall the E-Rep guys telling him to do something that was completely ridiculous and before I could mention to the guy what he should really be doing I remember he started off in the direction I was going to suggest, which was not what the E-Rep guy had said. I think I remember the same guy tossing some well timed and well thrown grenades earlier on as well. Why? Does he mean something to you?

 

"In a way, but more to you now. He's your new Delta Section Leader. As you already noted, he seems to have good instincts and doesn't shy away from a fight. Keep an eye on him and then give me a report in a couple weeks. We'll see if he should be reassigned then."

 

I went out to locate the guy, still trying to remember an identifying mark ....