The Search; Last Hominota Leader

Across a barren landscape shrouded by eternal clouds lay a cluster of drab tents, their fabric weathered and rough to the touch, like worn parchment under fingertips. Sand and dust coated every surface. Tattered flags fluttered atop rusted poles, their colors faded, whipped by the occasional gusts. In the center of the camp, a cluster of larger structures stood, serving as command posts and supply depots. The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke and diesel fuel. Surrounding it were some low undergrowth that eventually sprawled into a forest. Rustling could be heard from there.

"Found 'em." Jake said, peeking through the bushes with his gun's scope.

"Looks like free prey to me." Peter chuckled. "Lance?"

"Up here." he said, sitting on a tree, in his panther form.

"Strike?" Vincent nudged Jake.

"Mhm. I'll send the signal." Jake reached to his belt. "And by signal I meant a grenade."

"Funny." Peter commented.

With a swift motion, Jake pulled the pin from the grenade and launched it towards the unsuspecting camp. The explosion ripped through the air with a deafening roar. Lance jumped down. His panther form equipped its armour. He lunged towards the panicking camp, alongside Jake, Peter, Vincent and a few other Apex soldiers. Soldiers scrambled for cover. Shouting orders and curses amidst the chaos.

"They found us!"

"Faye go signal the beacon now!"

But Lance charged through the chaos. His claws digging into every single Hominota he saw. Every slash ripped off chunks of flesh and turned them into a bloody corpse almost instantaneously. He had no hesitation. No reluctance. No remorse. It was as if he never was a Hominota to begin with.

Screams and cries filled the air. Deadly accurate bullets whizzed through the air. Each of them spilling brains and organs. The soldiers return fired at them, but the armour was far too thick to penetrate. Far more grenades flew, explosions obliterating anything in range and sending debris launching in all directions. The ground was pooled in blood and corpses bearing shattered skulls. The Apex were few in numbers, yet they took down each and one of them like insects. Bones of bodies crushed beneath their feet as Jake and Vincent rammed into the pathway that connects the large structures. The metal door couldn't resist the force, and collapsed in on itself with a sickening thud. 

"You go up I'll check here." Jake said.

Vincent nodded and his eyes scanned his surroundings. He saw a staircase at the corner and immediately rushed upwards. Upstairs, he was greeted with tens of guards, all which pointed their guns at him immediately in instinct, hands shaking and mouth trembling from he sheer sight of an Apex soldier. To them it was facing death itself. Vincent took a slow step forward, and then with a cry they all shot at him. But in mere moments, just moments, his hand reacted and pulled out a shield. The bullets ricocheted off the polished surface with a sharp ping. They shot through the guards with ease, every single one of them collapsed onto the floor, groaning. Vincent simply walked. But he had his fun by crushing the heads of the pained Hominota on the floor. The crunching sound felt soothing to him, a disturbing pleasure. He peeked out the window. Fleeing Hominota were sniped away by Peter and Jake with precise aim and swift speed. The others were ragdolling corpses for 'fun'. Screams of agony slowly began to quieten as there weren't many left to cry. 

"Heh." Vincent chuckled, as if nothing mattered. He continued going deeper into the structure, eventually finding a room called 'Office'. 

Vincent knocked on the door. "Just making sure to be polite." he said, before slamming the door down. The office was a stark contrast to the chaos outside, with its neat rows of desks and filing cabinets. The walls were adorned with maps and charts, detailing the camp's layout and strategic positions. A lone figure sat behind a large desk at the far end of the room. Donning a sleek black suit, his body had tufts of fur sprouting from his cheeks. His trembling hands tipped with claws scrambled to reach for a pistol under his desk, quickly pointing it to the approaching Vincent.

Loud, thudding footsteps as Vincent paid no attention to the weapon pointed at his head. "Go ahead." he said simply.

The Hominota's fingers twitched on the trigger.

"Come on… monkey? Yeah, monkey." Vincent chuckled.

Pulling the trigger, the figure shot at Vincent with a loud bang. The bullet cut through the air and crashed into Vincent's helmet. But the impact caused it to shatter immediately into tiny pieces, yet the helmet had not even a scratch. 

"Yeah? I'd prefer a higher caliber if you wanted to massage my head." Vincent said.

"Leave me alone…" the figure said, dropping the gun.

"And kill the others? I mean, yeah sure." 

"N… I'll do anything… please…" he begged.

"Tell me, monkey. Who're the leaders in this war?"

"Th—there's Locke and Marcella…" the figure murmured.

"Don't fuck with me, boy." Vincent raised his gun. "They're in our lab. I know there's another. Tell me."

"Her name is… Grace…" the figure gulped.

"Grace, huh? What post?"

"Fifth… the final one…"

"Gotcha. Why thank you." Vincent chuckled.

"C-can I… go? Please…"

"Where?"

"I… anywhere… please just let me go."

"Hmm…"

"How can you… do this? Don't you believe in God?" the figure cried.

"Nah, not really." Vincent dismissed.

"H–how!?"

"Well…" Vincent fell into thought. He remembered someone. Someone very special— Isabella. His wife, it had been weeks since he'd last seen her. And Lily, his daughter. But he was doing it for them, that's what his belief was at least. Finally, after a bit of silence, Vincent made up his mind.

"Fine then. I choose…" he contemplated, before chuckling. "Your grave."

The Hominota shuddered as Vincent's bullet pierced through his skull. Blood sprayed from the exit wound. His lifeless form staggered backwards, limbs flailing, before crashing through the window, sending shards of glass flying and some into his body. With a loud and bone-crunching thud, he landed on the blood-soaked ground below, crumpling into a heap.

"Tch. Pathetic." Vincent scoffed. He surveyed his surroundings. The once-neat office was now littered with shattered glass and blood. But he turned his attention to the task in hands, he didn't care. He began rifling through the desk drawers, searching for any documents or information that could be of use to the Apex. Papers crumpled under his gloved hands as he sifted through the clutter. 

Vincent slammed the drawers in. "All bullshit. Everything's useless." he retorted, throwing up his hands and planting a bomb in the room. "Screw you yeah." he murmured. With thudding footsteps, he left the room and began walking out the structure. The ground beneath his boots was slick with blood and littered with discarded weapons and equipment. He walked by the same corridor, yet again crushing skulls beneath his feet that remained. As he emerged from the structure, Vincent's eyes spotted his team regrouping together, their armour stained with blood and dust. 

"Ey, Vincent!" Jake waved. "Report?"

"There's a third Hominota leader." Vincent said.

"Another?" Peter asked.

"Wild. Who is it?" Jake inquired.

"Her name's Grace. Apparently she holds the fifth and final post in the hierarchy." said Vincent.

"Grace, huh? That complicates things." Jake muttered, casting a glance at the rest of the team. "We'll need to adjust our strategy accordingly."

"Is it catching her off guard?" Vincent chuckled.

"No better plan than getting her from behind!" Peter exclaimed.

"That's not what that means, pal." Jake sighed.

Peter shook his head. "Nope. I'll get her from behind."

"Oh… fuck off Peter." Jake replied.

"Anyway." Vincent interrupted. "We can try invading another outpost." 

Lance, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "I could scout ahead in my panther form." he offered. "See if I can locate any signs of Grace or her forces."

Jake dismissed with a waving hand. "No need. We'll use the Apex Raptor."

"Didn't that thing have a horrible range?" Lance replied.

"It did. But we've built a connector inside of it. Should have infinite distance now."

"The hell?" Lance exclaimed. "How?"

"Ain't that the drone I saw?" Vincent asked.

"Mhm." Jake assured him. "Anyway. We'll use it to gather intel on Grace's whereabouts and assess the situation before launching a direct assault." 

Vincent nodded in agreement. "Right. We'll need to be prepared for anything."

"I actually brought the drone here." said one of the other members, Kendrick, as he pulled out an expanding briefcase from his belt.

"Really bro?" Jake sighed. "Well, guess a test run doesn't harm." 

Kendrick stepped forward, holding the briefcase in his hands. "I'll pilot it." he volunteered. "I've been training with it, and I'm confident I can navigate it effectively."

He then opened the briefcase and brought out the drone and a tablet. 

Vincent nodded at Kendrick's readiness to take charge of the drone. "Good. Let's get it in the air and see what we can find."

Kendrick swiftly assembled the drone on the ground. With a few taps on the tablet, he initiated the startup sequence, and the drone's rotors whirred to life, lifting it off the ground with a gentle hum. Vincent and the rest of the team gathered around the tablet, their eyes fixed on the live feed from the drone's camera as Kendrick expertly maneuvered it through the air. The landscape below unfolded before them. From above, the military camp appeared as a cluster of drab tents, their canvas flapping in the breeze. Surrounding the camp, a barren expanse stretched out, marked by patches of rugged terrain and clusters of scrubby vegetation. To the east was the dense forest Vincent and his crew came through. To the west, a winding river snaked its way through the landscape, its waters murky and sluggish. Along its banks were no sign of life though. The drone continued northward, the scenery skimming beneath it as it soared.