"Can soone tell what the fuck’s going on?!"
"Are we under attack?! Is it the aliens?!"
"Don’t be stupid!"
The sirens scread across the desert base, their wailing echoing off concrete structures and tal towers. The soldiers poured from barracks and command posts, boots pounding against gravel as they scrambled to positions they weren’t sure they needed to take.
"What’s the situation?" one soldier shouted over the noise. "Can soone just tell us what the fuck’s going on?!"
"They said it’s a Hero!"
"What?! Don’t be ridiculous!"
And while the soldiers were all confused, there was one soldier who knew exactly what was going on. Well, but at the sa ti, he didn’t know what to do at all.
Adam stepped forward, his boots crunching against the scattered debris from the destroyed truck. The young soldier, Mosby, raised his rifle with trembling hands, the barrel wavering as he tried to keep it aid at Adam’s chest.
Adam stared at him for a long mont, then simply turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Three steps. That’s all Adam managed before his head snapped to the side, the crack of the rifle shot echoing across the compound. He touched his cheek where the bullet had grazed him, then looked back at Mosby.
"What the..." The soldier’s eyes went wide. "I... I hit you. Why aren’t you—"
Adam just sighed and continued walking.
But another shot tickled him. This one caught him in the temple, his head jerking slightly. Then another to the jaw. Adam squinted against the impacts, raising his hand to shield his face as more bullets found their mark.
"Stop wasting the people’s taxes," he muttered.
Ha! You know you’ve waited a long ti to say that. Cringe, Adam. Cringe. Stop it. This is serious. Shut up.
Adam shook his head and then walked calmly toward Mosby, who kept firing until the rifle clicked empty. When Adam reached him, he gently tugged at the weapon from him.
Adam looked at the weapons in his hands first before gripping it tighter. The tal groaned, then snapped cleanly in half.
You just said to stop wasting the people’s taxes, Adam.
"Go ho," Adam said quietly.
"M-monster..." Mosby’s legs gave out. He collapsed to the gravel, staring up at Adam with wide, terrified eyes.
"Hide, Sir." Adam looked down at him. "You’re not serving your country by fighting . Trust ."
Across the base, confusion reigned. Soldiers ran between buildings, so toward the sirens, others away from them. Orders were shouted, but that didn’t stop everyone from wondering.
"Why would a Hero attack us?" one soldier called out as he jogged past a supply depot.
"Maybe it’s just a drill," another replied, checking his weapon. "Rember last month?"
"Could be a drone malfunction. Happened last week with the periter sensors."
"Just stay alert. Command will sort it—"
And then, they heard the earlier gunshots. The soldiers all looked at each other, then began rushing to wherever they should go.
Jeeps roared to life, soldiers piling into them with weapons ready. In the watchtowers, guards finally manned their turrets, scanning the compound for threats.
"There!" A tower guard pointed toward the flattened truck. "Sothing’s wrong with Transport Seven!"
The radio crackled.
And just within minutes, Adam found himself surrounded. Jeeps ford a loose circle around him, their mounted weapons aid at him. Soldiers on foot filled the gaps, rifles raised.
Adam slowly turned, taking in each face around the periter. One by one, weapons rose to et his gaze. But of course, nobody fired just yet.
A jeep door slamd. A sergeant stepped out, gaphone in hand.
"This is Sergeant Jas! Why are you attacking our base?"
Adam stared at him for a mont, then raised both hands. Every soldier flinched at this. One nearly pulled his trigger before Jas raised his own hand.
"Stand down! Nobody fires without my order!"
"I’m here for the Hospital," Adam said, his voice carrying clearly across the circle.
Jas frowned. "The only hospital we have is a dical clinic for injuries and routine care. Nothing more."
"You know what I an."
Jas stared at him, holding his breath for a mont before releasing it.
"I’m going to ask you to leave, son. This doesn’t have to escalate."
"Well..." Adam shook his head. "I can’t do that. Just escort to the Hospital. I promise I won’t hurt anyone."
"Don’t make this difficult. Go ho. If you don’t, the entire military of the USA will be here within the hour. You might be a Hero, but we’ve got Heroes coming too."
Adam sighed and shook his head.
Jas’s jaw tightened. "So be it. All units, fire! Aim for the legs!"
The circle erupted in gunfire. Muzzle flashes lit up the desert air as dozens of rifles opened up simultaneously.
Adam looked down, watching bullets strike his legs and bounce off his suit without leaving so much as a scuff mark—this was the reason why Heroes are feared.
Heroes fight monsters with skin impenetrable by rifles, and so of those Heroes are capable of fighting those said monsters without any problem at all, even making pants from their tough hide.
He stood there, feeling the constant hamring against his shins and thighs.
"This doesn’t—" Then sothing heavier hit his shoulder, the impact violent enough to tilt his entire body.
Adam looked back. A soldier was reloading a very large-caliber rifle mounted on one of the jeeps. Adam touched the back of his shoulder, feeling where the suit had been pierced.
But of course, humans still had weapons that could defeat these monsters, too.
He looked down at the flattened bullet that had fallen to the ground, and as soon as it was finished bouncing, he suddenly lunged toward the jeep.
"S-shoot him!"
The soldiers around the jeep shrieked, pulling out sidearms and firing wildly. Adam ignored the bullets peppering his chest and arms, grabbed the mounted rifle, and simply ripped it from the floor of the vehicle.
He looked around, and then threw the rifle away... far away. Everyone watched as the massive weapon sailed through the air, disappearing beyond the base periter.
He then looked at the soldiers right next to him and casually reached over and lowered the barrel of a rifle that was still firing at him.
"Stop it," he said to the soldier holding it. "I’m serious...
...You’re going to end up hitting your friends."
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