The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Echo’s Of War – Echo Screams
16:04 Sep 24 2009
Times Read: 1,046

The nutrient was drawn from the chamber and the connections to his newform body were withdrawn and Echo woke thrashing and screaming.



“Who would want to recall every moment of their death?” Jerome asked Keira with a furrowed brow.



She smiled at him, “Well, he’ll have full recall shortly.”



The two technicians stared at one another, watching him come to full consciousness.



Once empty, the chamber tilted in an arc, until it rested on the horizontal plane.

The lock hissed open and the glass front swung upward slowly.



Fully alert now, Echo 4 stared around himself bug-eyed.

He had died: and, he was back.



As Echo sat and looked around himself, he pulled his arm out of the restraint on his left wrist and he grasped at Jerome’s hand, “I must see my Captain NOW!”



He turned to Keira, his concern showing on his face.



“Echo is wanted in the vault, for debriefing now…” She told her colleague, one hand to the receiver in her left ear.



A short while later Echo was back in the fatigues he felt comfortable in, standing in the large war-room, at one end of a long table, from ‘his Captain.’



“We got from recon at the silo as ordered: an one by one they were killed off by this thing, that looked like man…” Echo told his Captain, thumping hard the desk before himself.



In his mid-fifties, the time worn face of Echo’s superior creased, as the fellow listened with resignation, to all that he was told.



And Echo sighed, clenched fists at his sides, knuckles showing white, “Frakkin Hell Captain,” he began, “the damned thing showed up on the bio-scanner as a Life-form, like us. And yet…”



His words tailed off and after a deep breath, he added, “Goddamnit Sir, Cyborg’s replaced our enemy years ago!”

The belated birthday gift
00:41 Sep 20 2009
Times Read: 1,060

A short-story for Adults*





Apprehensive at first that He would like his belated birthday gift, Lena knelt just inside the doorway, and so that when the door opened she’d be the first thing he saw.



She had prepared herself awhile back and, as time passed she had grown bored, much as though she liked kneeling for Him.



Her cinnamon-coloured skin had Goosebumps from the interminable wait, yet she knew it would all be worth it, to her. He had given her an awareness of her own needs and desires that she truly appreciated; so to show that, Lena would offer him the best present that she could, herself.



Having undressed, she had stood in front of the mirror, running her hands over her flesh, playing with her nipples, teasing them erect, with eager anticipation of it being his hands enjoying her flesh, to her pleasure.



Lena wasn’t wearing her hair loose as she often did, having decided at the last minute to put it into a high ponytail: and idly wondered whether He would like it like that.



And, she waited naked; apple breasted with slim waist, flat belly and a callipygian ass which her master adored; naked save only a black ribbon tied around her waist and wearing the butterfly necklace that he had given her: and, a bandana as a blindfold



Finally her patience was rewarded, as the front door opened and Lena restrained her desire to look up, as He entered. She wanted Him to find her there, waiting, and His willing supplicant.



After all, that wasn’t her place, no matter what she wished. This wasn’t for her though; it was for Him, no matter that she wanted.



He had reached forward and removed the bandana from her eyes, so she could look up from her pose, to his strong face, with her adoring wide eyes.



And, His eye fixed on the present and so enticed was he with his gift He forgot to unwrap his gift and He proffered a hand to Lena, his ‘little butterfly’.



She stood and they embraced, their lips meeting, his right hand toying with her right nipple, already hard, with anticipation of his touch.



And, as the kiss continued Lena felt his free hand travel slowly down her belly toward were she was already moist, ready for him if he wanted her.



Lena liked it when his hands roamed over her skin, which tended to call out for his touch often. And, even now, as she rested her head on His left should, she knew what to expect.



The hand that was caressing her flesh found her ass and He lightly slapped one cheek and then the other, with a sound that she’d grown to enjoy.



After all, that sound was an indicator of her ass-cheeks blushing as red as the cheeks of her face did now with arousal; from the blows he had reined down on her skin, as no other had ever done.



Abruptly, He ended the kiss and took her hand and led his willing ‘lil girl’ through to his bedroom.



And in the hours that followed, Lena found out why he liked her hair in a pony-tail, quite so much, as she knelt on all fours in the middle of the bed; her curvaceous, delightful buttocks before his rapacious gaze and he pulled on her pony-tail, as the thrust deep, into her velvety warmth.



And with fluttering eyelids, Lena moaned with pleasure, at giving Him satisfaction; and in so doing she had satisfied herself.



‘Life is good, for this girl,’ she mused, as He thrust deeper.

Echo’s Of War – Birth, Death & Renewal
13:32 Sep 15 2009
Times Read: 1,071




From single-cell to full maturity in less than an hour was the axiom of maleCorps, the leading supplier of armed combatants.



And, as the two workers in the sterile white-coats walked the corridors built from the many vertical chambers around them, one formed a question, which he finally asked.



“So do you think they can know The One?” It’d been a question he had asked his colleagues many times, as they readied one contract after another.



Lowly tech’s they had simply tended too the nutrient tank levels, that was until the increase in production recently, due to great losses on the field.



Keira, a handsome brunette walked with her right hand behind her back, as she noted new instruction form on the pad she held in her left hand.



‘Newform needed, for…’ she read the words as they appeared, “Echo 3.’



Her colleague a young man of her age by the name of Jerome looked at her, “That series still bein used Keira?”



She looked at her notes: “Seems so.”



He looked at her momentarily puzzled.



“Why just one? Why not a squad?” The order was a curio, but he followed orders, even though he found much that they were told to be foolish and worth questioning.

He still did as instructed, after all, that’s what they did, they obeyed blindly, as they’d been taught was right for the individual; and for society.



Even so, Jerome was becoming more and more uneasy with each day.



“Seems he was on recon, the last of a squad,” Keira told him; “An the Echo series were built with independence that the Fox Series were never given…” She explained slowly to her blonde assistant, who she felt needed the explanation: “He has intel that they need, to move them back, where they should be. So, it’s just one



In fact, though Jerome had seniority over her, Keira often found that she had to explain the system they worked within to the man. At times it was almost as though he wasn’t interested in preserving their current way of life.



To her that was unthinkable. “After all,” she had explained to him, just yesterday, “the super soldier programme was designed so that the warriors we make can fight our wars and, so preserve our freedoms.”



“Freedom’s!” He had exclaimed, “Like the freedoms to be observed through the eye of a lens, wherever you go? Or, the one’s that entail you being told what to do from the moment you rise to the moment you sleep, and for all I know, then an all!”



She had shaken her head sadly at his naivety, reminding him that their way of life had to be maintained; otherwise ‘they’ would win. And no one, not even those who spoke as subversives, could want that for their society.



And, with a smile, she recalled how he’d gone ever-so quiet after that; obviously mulling over the sense of what she had said to him.



That was what she’d thought. The reality was far different though, as Jerome had listened and, as he’d done so, realised how intransigent she was; ‘A pity.’



So when he started his shift this night, Jerome had already decided not to push it and try to get her to see sense. Keira wouldn’t, or couldn’t do so and though it frustrated Jerome, he understood why. She was as much a part of the system, as the soldiers they brought back from the dead, into new cloned bodies.



And now here he was, about to start the Echo 3 download, as instructed.



“Damn,’ he mused, ‘poor bastard, no memories, except those he saw in conflict!’



But, it was part of the system, which helped maintain their lifestyle.



And, it was his job.



Jerome frowned and looked at Keira, whose blue-eyes looked at him stoically.

She knew he would rather be in another job, but this was his allocation, ‘so he’d better get damned used to it and shape up, or they wouldn’t be happy. And maybe, just maybe, he’d disappear like she’d heard happened, to subversives.’



Keira looked down, at the toes of her boots, momentarily displeased with herself.



She knew that Jerome was a good man, having witnessed how he was with his family and even, with the robot that the family owned.



‘The ‘droid was the last in a line, an should’ve been scrapped years ago,’ she considered, as she watched Jerome begin the sequence that would bring life to one of the newforms, the man-made bio-constructs, that housed the warriors consciousness.



He turned to her: and grinned.



“Behold, I am the shatterer of worlds,” he told her with a grin.



She couldn’t help but smile, then groan. He said it almost every time that they did this and, it was getting annoying. But, it had been funny of course, the first time.



An as the mist within the chamber swirled around the newform, features formed that matched the Bio, Keira had been reading for the last few minutes.



None of this was new to her though. Yet, she had been present he day there’d been a mix-up and a female med ended up in one of the Fox series: ending in termination of many of the series.

‘After all,’ someone high up had reasoned, ‘we don’t know which of the clones is which, so…’



One by one, the unit had had their suits shutdown and their meds withdrawn.

The warriors had stared blankly ahead, as their inoperable suits stood immobile, the pollution of the med stemmed in its wake, as soldiers were killed by the enemies barrage.



That day had gone down in their recorded history as one of the fiercest firefights yet, in which over twenty units had ceased: such was the need for secrecy.



‘After all,’ they had reasoned, ‘the public had to be able to have full confidence in their ability to wage war on their enemy, without making such mistakes.’



That had been the day when the new safe-guards had been set in place and the former unified consciousness that had been the Fox series had been set aside, in favour of the next that followed.



Keira had been just been a trainee back then, shortly before she’d ended up beneath Jerome, who she loved and hated in equal measure.



She watched his fingers run deftly over a sequence of keys on the pad on a stand, next to Three’s vat. And, as the download began, she wondered not for the first time, ‘how had Jerome had stayed in this position he had?’



And, ‘why had he been promoted when she had?’ To Keira, it just didn’t make sense.



But, he had been, so she had learnt to live with it; after all she had to work with the fellow, didn’t she?’ As a loyal member of the team, she would do so.



‘Besides,’ she thought with a slight smirk watching him lean forward over the vat as he studied its contents, ‘the sex was good.’



So it was, he had studied well, at Uni, taking lessons in ‘Female Biology and the realities of the clitoral orgasm’, as many men had to as part of their formal education.



It was either that, or accept download of ‘Understanding woman’, which few men’s brains could take.



An Jerome stood upright, “The mists clearing Keira, so I’m utilising the spine, now!”



He pulled a lever: and deep insides the massive warehouse, the mainframe found the Echo link, that precipitated Three’s personality download.



Keira looked at the pad in her hand, “Twenty thirty-three,” she informed Jerome.

“It’ll take an hour for the full download and updates, so maybe…?”



She caressed his face and Jerome knew what would be next: and inwardly, he groaned: she couldn’t understand, he wasn’t a sex object, even if she seemed to think he was. But, women were on top and, he liked it that way, mostly…

Compliantly Yours
19:12 Sep 08 2009
Times Read: 1,097

*intended for mature readers







Neither the city nor its teeming streets were of interest to her eye today, as she rushed to his apartment, ignoring the ribald comments some young men made, as she passed by them.



Lena had plans for the much of this weekend and as she walked, she smiled wildly with her eyes dancing with delight, with her full shoulder length dark hair bouncing as she walked.



Briefly she turned her head to the left, to look in a store-front window at her reflection; and she ran her fingers through her hair and a hand across her derriere, imagining it were His touch.



She felt good, felt alive: and, He was the reason why. She was learning well, he had told her and at the thought of a few of her lessons, she blushed, with embarrassment and delight.



Her awakening of self had been a gradual process and one in which he treated her well, at all times; and she respected him so much for that.



It was still early by college standards and, the way she figured it she had plenty of time, before her vanilla sisters left and the phone calls started.



She had told everyone who needed to know that she would be with family for the weekend: and them she had told she’d be staying with one of her college friends.



With the religious upbringing she’d had what she had learnt of herself would shock her parents and she didn’t want that. She loved them so.



After all, it was a simple deception, but obviously necessary, she wanted this weekend, to be all that she’d expected.



Having made her way to his building, she made her way upstairs to his apartment and stopped outside his door and with building expectation, of all that they’d spoken of, Lena pressed the bell-push.



`Remember Lena,' she told herself heart-rate increasing somewhat, ‘just be all he expects of you,’ just before the door was opened by Her Master. He was dressed in a loose fitting white robe that barely reached his knees, the colour contrasting beautifully with his dark skin. It was tied loosely.



He was a good seven inches taller than her, with a powerful looking chest and broad shoulders and a little of his chest hair was on display.



He was her own Ville Valo, ‘but better looking and even better still, she was his.’



And she gazed at up at strong face, delighted to be here, with him.

She knew her sisters would be jealous, but there was really no need; in time he would probably treat each of them to a weekend like hers, he was generous to them, with his time and, all he gave to them.



“Hello my little one,” he greeted as he held the door open until they had entered a short hallway which opened on to a dimly lit sitting room.



“I’ll take this,” He said with a light smile as he took her back-pack from her and rested it against the wall.



As she entered, he caressed her right cheek tenderly.



In the main lounge, a sofa upholstered in green leather faced a large wall mounted TV with a large-flat screen and a long glass topped coffee table. To the left was an eatery, the other side of which was the kitchen and to the left, a desk, sideboard and some well stocked bookshelves.



“Take a seat,' He said gesturing at the sofa and grinning a welcome.



‘So handsome,’ she thought, ‘so very handsome.’



Knowing she would do as he had suggested, her Master disappeared into the kitchen as she sat on the soft sofa, watching as he stood and walked across the room to the drinks cabinet.



“I'm sure you will like this,” he told her as he filled the two small glasses then moved round to the other side of the coffee table.



“Room for me?” he asked playfully as he sat to her left. Lena moved a little instinctually, as she wanted his body to make contact with hers.



“I hope you like that, my suppliers assure me it’s about as good as it gets and for what it cost, it should be.”



She wanted to ask, ‘how much Sir?’ but didn’t, he didn’t like talking of such things after all.

Lena emptied half the glass into her mouth, enjoying the warmth of the liquor and it went down her throat, warming her stomach.



It gave her a sensation of warmth as it passed down her throat, into her stomach and that warmth spread slowly to her abdomen and down towards her groin.



And briefly Lena looked at her Master with hungry eyes and fluttering lashes, wondering briefly if he knew how the liquor had brought forth her arousal.



“I see you’ve got your bag with you?” He said with a light smile, his right hand resting on her left knee and she drew in a breath at his touch.



“Yessir,” she answered, lowering her glance, to stare at his fingers, as they moved gently over the material on her black combats, upward toward her inner-thigh.



“I brought a few things to please you,” she told him, “I hope they do please you.”



Caressing her right cheek with his left hand a moment he turned her face to his and drew her toward him.



And, as his lips met hers, she opened her mouth in easy compliance. Their tongues met briefly, as he sought to possess every inch of her mouth, taking ownership of her warm, moist mouth.



As the kiss continued, his left hand cupped her left breast in hand and her nipple hardened quickly, as he rubbed his thumb over it and then took it between thumb and forefinger, to squeeze gently.



She melted in his arms as they embraced a moment; and, after long seconds their kiss ended and he looked at her sternly.



“Go to the bathroom and get changed, for me, now,” he told her, releasing her nipple, with a brief snap of his fingers.



Lena drew her breath in quickly, then quietly nodded.



And, with a light smile playing across his face, He watched intently, as Lena slowly stood and looked at the delightful vista her rear-end presented as she left the room to retrieve her bag and all that it contained.



Then following instruction, she went to the bathroom and began to disrobe, ensuring that she removed all jewellery, knowing full well that she was to wear enough, just enough and not too much, that might clunk and get in the way.



Briefly Lena looked in the mirror, once naked; and, she ran soft hands upward, from her hips and up over her rib-cage, to her apple-sized breasts, her nipples achingly hard and, already aching for his touch.



She had already bathed well and cleansed herself ‘back there’, to ensure she was ready for Him, if that’s what he wanted. Now she began to root through her backpack and the small bag with her make-up.



Lena added a little more lipstick, kissed toward her reflection, and then began to dress. She had brought a light white corset with front ties and under-wire, to give up a definite upthrust bust, panties that were no more than a triangle at the front, that just about covered her pubes, trimmed to a fine strip, a couple of inches long.



Next, she sat down on the side of the shallow, wide tub and drew one white hold-up stocking up her right leg and then, the other, smoothing them both out before putting the red heels on.



She smiled at the idea of red heels: they were quite a contrast to the white, which in turn emphasised the contrast between the lingerie and her skin.



As she stood, Lena smiled at the thought that dressed like this; she was almost more naked than naked. She had dressed to please and hoped she did.



Abruptly she paused a moment to regain her equilibrium; ran her fingers through her hair; and with the tips of her red shoes against one another, clicked the sides of her heels together and smiled the widest of smiles.



And, she opened the bathroom door slowly, with the butterflies that had been dancing in the pit of her stomach now at rest.



When she re-entered the lounge, she stopped just inside the doorway and mentally sighed as she looked at Her Master, sitting there waiting, for her.



Right leg over the left, he was sitting with his back against a rest, right arm on the back of the sofa. The robe he was wearing had risen a little and she was fascinated for just moment by the shape of his powerful looking legs.



“Give me a twirl,” he said to her, as she stood before him eyes downcast.

Obediently she did so, slowly as she imagined he would want.

After all, her Master did like looking, at her curves.

She turned slowly, hands at her thighs, resting on the top of her self-support house, very aware that she was blushing.



“Good my love, you can be a very obedient young Lady can’t you?” He asked in a soft voice, knowing she would be listening carefully, to hear what he said.



Lena lowered her head a moment, looking at the carpet, before realising how best to answer Him.



And slowly she knelt, on her haunches, the back of her heels pressing against her soft buttock flesh; and she rested her hands her hands on her knees, palms uppermost in supplication. She was ready to receive instruction



Her Master looked to her smiling. Lena had done as she thought he might ask of her and, that pleased him. But there were other ways she could show her obedience other than pre-judge his wishes, he mused.



“Come make yourself comfortable bent over the back of the sofa,” he told her.



Lena almost wanted to smile: almost.



She had come here to find pleasure in her obeisance to Him. Yet she had learnt more than just how to listen and obey, she’d also learnt to live fully through her acquiescence and only another submissive would understand that.



And, so it was. Lena took pleasure in His presence, His words, His instruction and her submission.



Lena took a few paces toward the couch, very aware of his eyes watching her every move.



And, bending at the waist, with straight legs, Lena rested her crossed arms on the back of the sofa, then her hand on the back of her left hand.



Lena hoped that as she sought to gratify each request, her evident submission would please Her Master.



In turn, that would please her greatly.



He leant forward a little and caressed her right cheek.



“You want to please me?” He asked gently.



“Oh yes sir,” Lena replied, her words ending in a sigh, as his left thumb eased her lower lip down a little, while his other hand continued its caress.



“I will cuff you…” He told her, “and spank you…” He added; “perhaps even push you further than I’ve done so far…”



He let the words linger in the air, for her to think about, as his left hand caressed her left buttock, while his thumb parted her moist lips and then slid into her mouth; and Lena sucked, slowly, lovingly.



She couldn’t help but shiver a little, at His touch and His words, as she thought with sweet anticipation of all that He spoke of.





Drawing her thumb from Lena’s mouth, He moved behind her curves.

Palming her left buttock in his right hand, He edged the thong’s gusset aside to reveal her pucker to his gaze.



‘A delight,’ he thought with a smile, as He pressed his saliva slick thumb against her sphincter; and He slowly pushed forward.



Lena sighed, pushing back to invite further passage.



Easing the digit into her up to the second knuckle, He palmed her left buttock with the rest of his hand.



Lena closed her eyes revelling in this anal intrusion. And, she sighed, as his thumb slid back and forth.



Soon her breathing became laboured, as He continued to slide his thumb into her, widening her momentarily, before he’d slide it our slowly.



“Oh yes,” she murmured, in pleasure; then groaned in disappointment, as he drew his thumb from her.



“A delight, a sheer delight,” he muttered to himself running his hands over her flesh, as her pucker slowly closed before his eyes.



He cupped both moons in his hands, and then looked down with a smile on his face, “My butterfly,” he said, addressing her calmly, though his blood pulsed throughout with His lust, “much as I appreciate that you chose to dress for me, it is you who is my delight…”



And, His muscular legs against hers, continued to caress as he spoke: “Your body, your presence, your submission, they all please me…”



There in one sentence was Lena’s answer, He preferred her naked, when she came here to serve Him.



And if she’d eyes in the back of her head, she would have seen why he took his hand away from her soft, left buttock.



But, she found out quickly enough, as He raised his arm, then brought his open palm down smartly on her flesh.



The first slap brought forth a red glow to her flesh, which grew more suffused with each successive smack to her flesh.



Finally after six blows to her flesh, He stopped: and Lena looked round over her left shoulder, to see Her Master smiling.



“You took that well my honey,” he told the young woman, stroking her back, then her hair, which he enmeshed his fingers in and then began to stroke gently.



“Why don’t you go to the bathroom my love, then get undressed, for me?” he requested of His butterfly.



“Certainly Sir,” Lena responded a little tearful, as stood upright.



She moved quickly, as she was anxious to be ready, rubbing her buttocks, as Her Master stood watching her leave the room, with a broad smile on his face.

Lena went in to the bathroom and undressed rapidly, then returned to Him, trembling a little, with desire.



He took her by the hand and led his ‘little butterfly’ through to his bedroom.



And, all that the room held was ignored, as Lena stood before him.



He undid the tie to his robe, gazing into her eyes, which dared her not to look to his crotch, where signs of his arousal were evident.



Looking downward, she had glanced, at what she considered to be of immense proportions: and, unaware whether He would mind, she stepped forward and on tiptoes, wrapped her arms round his neck.



His proud erection pressed against her belly, He slid his arms around her waist as he leant down a little, to press his lips against hers.



And, the butterflies returned to her stomach, as his tongue entered her.



‘His touch…’ she thought as her master embraced her, bringing her towards the release she sought.



He looked over her left shoulder, ensuring that there was nothing in the way and stepped forward.



Lena found the back of her legs against the bed, and then she was falling backwards, her legs splayed.



Then Lena grasped his erection and, looking into his eyes once more, she guided his length of hard flesh into her honey-slick warmth.



He pushed himself, so that as he continued to enter to the full, He looked down into her oh-so wide eyes.



He drove in and out slowly at first, and then as his speed-increased Lena wrapped her legs round his lower back. And, as He began to find rhythm and piston His strokes, she moaned long and hard: She craved for moments like this and, was grateful he had shown her how to open up, for their pleasure.



Truly, she was his butterfly; and fluttering wings beat fast as her heart, as flesh met flesh, with each thrust.



Wrapping her arms around his neck once again, Lena reached up to kiss Him passionately, as his phallus drove deep and fast inside her. Then as she began to tremble, her kisses became harder.



He knew she was nearly there. But, this time was his; and He wanted more.

‘A lot more…’



“Well, a lot more,” he considered with a light smile, less than a second before He drew from her embrace and warm liquid depths.



Lena laid back, sheen of perspiration on her body, as he knelt back looking at her.



“Are you ready?” he asked.



Lena blinked twice and nodded her head, as she knew what He wanted.



He grasped her calves and leant forward draping her thigh’s over his shoulders, pressing the head of his proud self against her puckered anus.



‘Oh yes,’ she thought as she grasped His hips, eyes wide with lust, as her sphincter widened for Him.



He inched forward slowly; guiding himself into her, all-in-one, then lay against her, pressing His lips against her, kissing her passionately.



She moaned some more and he began moving in and out of her, feeling her inner muscles tighten against Him: her eyes closed, the lids fluttering.



And, Lena ground herself against Him, gripping the bed-clothes, biting her lip.



He began thrusting from His hips, in short, jerking motions. And with wide-eyes, Lena pressed her heels into his back, as she tried to pull Him in further.



He began to pound her harder, watching with interest as He saw her snake her hand between them, to play with her aching clitoris.



“Uuh, uuh, uuh,” she moaned with each thrust as He fucked her, her rectal working overtime around His hard flesh, milking his length.



He looked down at her fluttering eyelids; she looked as if she were in another world, a world of pure pleasure.



Suddenly her eyes opened and her eyes met his as He began pumping faster and faster and Lena through her head from side-to-side groaning.



They went out it for a long time, until He lay down against her sweat-sheened body and sucked on the nape of her long neck as his orgasm gathered itself like a slow-building storm.



Then, with every muscle in His back taut, He bellowed through climax, jetting his seed deep inside her.



Then leaning down against Lena. And, totally satisfied for now, He lay there relaxing in the aftermath of powerful ejaculation; shaft remained embedded up His little one's ass giving prolonged satisfaction in that warmth and tightness as it softened. Lena hung onto him feeling him breath and enjoyed the feeling of his complete and total dominance over her, just as she had wished for.

Echo’s Of War
19:07 Sep 08 2009
Times Read: 1,100

Echo's Of War





Beneath a blue cloudless sky, sweat dripping down his forehead, Leon crouched low. In the middle of a fire-fight it was a good idea. He brought his rifle to his shoulder and the scope to his right eye, as he closed his left.



‘Damn fool,’ he thought, as he noticed the top of an Old Russian helmet appear above the rubble ahead and, a little to the right.



Leon squeezed the trigger gently and fired a single shot.



Brick and cement dust flew from the top of the pile of old bricks and masonry; and the helmet fell to the floor.



A series of returning rapid-fire shots told Leon his adversary was still very much alive. So knowing he had now been targeted, Leon ran in a zig-zag across the old main street.



More shots followed in his wake, with each coming within a few cubits of hitting him.



Yet, finally he found succour, from an old wall that had somehow withstood the recent bombardment on what had been a stronghold for the insurgents.



He stood with his back to the wall, breathing heavily.



The cumbersome battle armour augmented one’s strength; and the reds and blues increased and stamina.



But, overt use of both as in the conflict he now found himself in the midst of, would be injurious to the user.



And, Leon had been in combat now for over two weeks, without rest, or either liquid or solid nutrients.



The blue and red chews and the battle-suit he wore were for all intent and purposes Leon Echo the third, grandson of Leon Echo the first, one of the initial batch of clone soldiers, bred for combat.



Echo brought his reader up to his eye-line. Momentarily he wished he’d acquired the battle-suit upgrade, with onscreen display. Instead, he was forced to use the reader, a device worn on the back of his left wrist.



And, as sweat beads ran down his forehead, Leon allowed a smile to cross his lips: his prey was nearby.



And though this area had supposed to be cleared, it hadn’t been: obviously.



But, his prey was nearby.



Most of his squad had been killed in the kill-zone, the results of several unremitting fire-fights. And now, there were only two of them left.



Leon gulped hard: he’d heard stories of his enemy, those they had been fighting, for over thirty years now.



His adversary was a monster, so horrible that if seen out of it’s battle-suit, it’s visage would drive a man insane.



In the stories, his enemy would rape the innocent, rampaging and mutilating the young and infirm; they would burn crops, though none had existed in this region for over twenty years: such were the horror stories, that followed these last years of the fuel wars.



Leon crouched lower against the wall, slumping down, with his head against his knees. The war-hardened soldier was nearing complete exhaustion, so believed the rumble he had heard to be thunder, until the wall toppled, as the tank rolled over him.