A rapid jumble of footsteps sounded through the night as the fore-mentioned group rounded a turn, guns raised.

Fireborn wasn't the commander of this strike group, but even then he found himself counting the members of the group alongside him.

But before he got to that he remembered for the 150th time this week just how he and so many other resistance group members came to be in this world.

Yes, world.

He and many others had appeared in this world seemingly by the command of a being known only as "the beginning" and it stated that he alongside many others would be needed to prevent an event known as "the changing" an event in which all the realms would collide and form into one super-universe, from happening prematurely, as if it happened before it was supposed too-all realms would be ripped apart and thrown into the abyss, so of course the best choice of action was to pluck dozens of beings from their universes to help another.

Fireborn himself was a Hellbringer marine originating from what was dubbed "The Halo universe", he specialized in infantry assaults and clearing buildings, he loved his personal flamethrower named "Hyperion" a large and bulky flamethrower that sprayed blue-tinted flames that burned over 3.000 degrees Celsius, his armor was saturated with thermal coolant technology that kept his body at stable temperatures while filling the area with fire that could melt the very flesh off your bones, it was also bulletproof and his visor had several functions such as thermal and night vision and could scan objects in an X-ray like fashion.

Among him was.

Flame, one of the non-humans of the resistance group known as a "Cre-donian" a species very similar to that of a Shangeli from Fireborns own universe, but the main difference being a Cre-donian had a large lizard like tail alongside their mandibles and curved legs, as well as being slightly smaller than their Elite lookalikes, a veteran of wars past, he has proven to be a natural commander, and excels in close range open field combat, and as proof of his decades worth experience of combat, his right arm was missing and instead had a large robotic armor and red and gold armor with dozens of super faint scratches, not only that but his basic strength exceeded that of a physical human being, his weapons were even more impressive,carrying a unique energy gun that functioned like a alien shotgun, but acted like a alien carbine of sorts, Flame had modified his gun to also carry a pair of tubes that fired small orbs of energy equal to that of a frag grenade-if not more, but his signature weapon was his massive war hammer, that reminded Fireborn of a gravity hammer to much for his own liking, it was collapsable like a staff, but also had a sharp jutted end to its handle, a large curved blade on one end of its edge, and a club like part that could gather kinetic energy from around it and release it in a blast of kinetic energy strong enough to crumple the armor of a heavy tank with ease.

Spec like flame was also a Cre'donian except where Flame was meant for open fields and combat-Spec was meant for Assassinations and stealth-based combat, he had been dubbed the greatest assassin from his homeworld, and even Flame vouched for his skill, his armor was more sleek and elegant and was dubbed as "Spec ops" armor from Flame, Spec also used vastly different weapons, including a pair of machete-like blades that were comprised of plasma energy and a pair of Needle-like DMRs that he really only needed one-but for whatever reason he duel-wielded marksmen rifles.

Cyclops is like Fireborn-a marine from his own universe, but his specialty was heavy lifting and close-range combat, which was signified by his dark brown armor and helmet specially refitted to operating mech-based vehicles, unlike Fireborn however, he used an M45 shotgun as his main weapon-but he also used a personal Mech called the Mark III Cyclops-giving him his name, it itself was armed with grenade launchers, enhanced joint controls and a 50mm semi-automatic railgun mounted on its right wrist, he was known for being a bit of a grease-monkey and a slight workaholic.

Alisa was a "Spartan" and one of the over a dozen members from Fireborn's universe, a smart-mouthed technician armed with a jet-pack and an MA37 assault rifle, she specialized in technical missions and air assaults, she also had her own personal UH144 Falcon helicopter, but the road this convoy was headed down was to narrow for it to land-so to maintain stealth she didn't take it this time, her green armor was alike in shade to Fireborns own.

Whiteout was a special case-he wore armor similar to a UNSC marine but was in fact from this universe, a quieter sniper armed with a powerful anti-material rifle that was alike to Fireborns snipers from his universe, he was there to provide overwatch and help deal with the helicopters escorting the convoy, true to his name his armor was a mixture of black and white, it had been said that his distant nature stemmed from when he was betrayed by an agency he had worked with for ten years, and which had nearly resulted in his death-and they killed his father to force his cooperation into their little act-he has made it his personal mission to bring down the agency in any way possible.

Grey was a spartan and Alisa's brother-but also somewhat polar opposite, a stone-faced warrior who hardly flinches in the face of overwhelming odds, his armor was that of a warrior and modified to increase his physical and shield strength, and like Cyclops he carried an M45 shotgun, he was there to help seal off any possible ways of escaping, his grey armor somewhat blended in with the dull-colored buildings around him.

Greyback-not to be confused with Grey here was a spartan who had the sad fate of being mixed with forerunner technology and gave him a half-alien heritage, this did give him increased intelligence, far stronger shields than normal, and an amazing talent for alien technology, it also made him prone to mood swings, he used a unique jet pack which instead used electrical energy to propel him forward and he used a rapid-fire energy blaster known as a "suppressor", his armor was the same shade as Greys.

Nova was a human from this universe-a mercenary who seeks revenge on those who killed his parents, he was a meta-human and had control over fire-for reasons he won't disclose just yet, he was however covered in burns, so he often wore a hood and a cloak-he preferred to use an AA-12 shotgun with a drum magazine, and a jagged longsword, but he was also known to use pistols and SMGs-and even a bow and arrow, he had a rough personality not many could sympathize with.

Fox was the second-technically third sniper of the strike force and was part of this universe as a former special forces member hailing from South Africa, he used a slightly modified SVD-12 sniper rifle with a long-range scope and was excellent at long-range combat and hiding in plain sight, he had a calm-yet joking personality.

Thunder was also a former special forces member from the same unit as Fox and was here to take out the tanks and vehicles, he wasn't one for keeping things quiet-he used a modernized RPG-7-and a pair of full-auto-CZ-75s if he needed to, he liked thing's load per-say, some have mentioned he may or may not have some loose-cannon tendencies, he hailed from Germany with a multi-cultural descent.

Ghast was a very special guest on this mission-he wasn't even human or alien, he was an ancient spirit that often acted as an agent of the Reaper himself, but some say he has his own attachments to humanity, he seldom spoke-and his claws could rip the very soul out of your body-don't try and see his face either-he has none underneath his black ripped hood-he also lacked legs.

Shadow hunter was in a similar boat to Ghast-a former pirate turned special forces member turned rageful spirit, his hood also made his face impossible to spot beneath his hood, his blood-red claws could slice through anyone in his way-he still had some specks of his humanity, however, and was shown to be far more merciful than Ghast.

Sandman was a special forces commander who had commanded the special forces unit that Fox and Thunder used to be a part of and hailed from the United States, he used a CM901 assault rifle and a survival shovel sharpened around the edges that made it an effective melee weapon, he was calm, cool and collected and had a bit of a drinking habit, he was also known for his interest in dreams-earning him his nickname sandman.

And finally, Ivan-a human from this universe that was a former criminal and arsonist, was forced to do criminal acts when he was younger to save his family and sick of this world's so-called "Justice" he helped those who couldn't help themselves-all while refusing to assist the world's governments, he had a cynical and somewhat pessimistic personality-but it was clear he greatly valued the resistance group to a fault, like Fireborn he too used a flamethrower-but he also used other weapons such as Molotov's and gas bombs.

As the group got into position Fox radioed in from his rooftop location.

"Fox to all strike force units be advised-the convoy is roughly one click away and approaching fast-be prepared to engage, wait till they stop at the checkpoint"

"Cyclops here, explosives are set, just give the word" said Cyclops as he loaded one last shell into his shotgun and pumped it for good measure before retreating back into the alleyway.

Fireborn twisted one last valve on Hyperion as he spotted the tell-tale signs of headlights turning the corner as the first RAT vehicles came into view as the four-wheeled APC turned the corner and pulled up the check-point, the RAT soldiers white armor standing out in the light of the vehicles stationed at the check-points begun to walk up to the now stopped convoy.

"What is your purpose here?" asked one of the guards.

"We got the documents ordered from the earth-born museum and a band of hostages outside past their curfew and bringing them in for interrogation and execution for high-treason if necessary" spoke the driver of the lead vehicle.

"I see hostages stationed at the checkpoint-scans indicate the third APC is carrying hostages and the documents are located in the first vehicle with the convoy leader," said Greyback from his vantage point hidden behind a few large pots of plants.

"Copy that Greyback-check your fire-prepare to engage in five seconds," said Fireborn

"Take out the tanks and helicopters first, we can't let them open fire and relay our position to their local reinforcements," said Flame as his mandibles became covered by his helmet to give him some slightly increased protection.

Fireborn slightly counted in his head

Five....

Four....

Three....

Two...

One.

Giving a nod to Flame and Grey who were hidden with him. Fireborn leaped out of his hiding place and primed Hyperion and shoulder checked the closest guard to him before swinging around and slamming his foot into his face.

Ivan appeared from a balcony and lit a gas bomb before dropping it down towards the open commander's hatch of the RAT tank before dropping a lit Molotov after it resulting in an explosion that killed most of the tank's crew instantly.


Fox, Thunder, and Whiteout opened fire on the helicopters, Fox and whiteout both sniping the pilots of two of the three helicopters, while Thunder fired his rocket launcher and blew off the tail of the third helicopter as it spiraled down onto a rooftop and promptly exploded.

"Doesn't feel that good does it!?" taunted Thunder

The RAT soldiers had been caught completely off guard as the second APC's turret began to turn as Flame dashed out of his hiding place and charged up his hammer before smashing it into the side of the vehicle and sending it rolling onto its side-it's side now dented beyond repair.

Grey pumped his shotgun and blasted the second guard in the face with his shotgun as he nodded to Fireborn.

"Alisa, Grey get the civics out of here and fast!" said Flame

"On it!" said Alisa.

"Right." Said Grey

Grey worked on getting the hostages on their feet from the checkpoint as he quickly gunned down two more guards that had appeared from the check-point, as the hostages scrambled for cover despite their confusion at their apparent savior as Grey grabbed one last guard and used him as a human shield before finally shooting the last checkpoint guard.

The second tank had begun to rotate its turret towards the alleyways as the lights on its turret began to shine.

Sandman who was in said Alleyway rolled into cover just as he took out a few guards with a few bursts from his assault rifle as he sighed and said "Thunder-you got a tank with your name on it, mind taking it out for me?"

"I'd thought you would never ask" replied Thunder and a few seconds later the tank in question promptly met its end as an anti-tank warhead smashed into its thinner side armor.

"Just a few left!" said Alisa as she took down the crew of the third APC with her assault rifle before using her immense strength to rip off one of the doors.

"It's okay-we're here to save you," she said as she helped a woman with a broken leg out of the vehicle.

Cyclops finished off a wounded soldier as he watched Fireborn destroy the fourth vehicle by promptly filling it with fire and causing it to explode.

Nova killed three soldiers who had begun to fall back with his sword and shotgun.

Fox noticed that a dozen soldiers remained and they had begun to retreat.

"Ghast, Shadow Hunter, Spec-got a few stragglers for ya" he commented to the three in question.

Two soldiers ran down an alleyway and turned to see..something moving as they aimed to fire their guns-only for a click to be heard as their guns jammed on them.

Suddenly their ears rang as the form took shape as a hood figure with massive claws suddenly lifted them off the ground-without touching them and they flew straight into its claws before they were ripped in two.

The four remaining soldiers turned to fire as two of them suddenly found a blood-red claw in their chests and lifted up into the air as their life-force was drained out of them.

The final two got the best fates as an unseen being sniped the two final soldiers right between the eyes on both of them.

And with that over.

There was silence.

Total time that the ambush took?

Two minutes and thirty seconds.

Gathering by the first vehicle Grey ripped off the back door and nodded as Alisa gently took the documents.

"Jackpot-Jackal mission accomplished, Hostages saved-RATs killed, documents recovered" reported Sandman.

"Outstanding guys, return to base asap, Jackal out" replied Jackal, their "leader" per-say.

"Wait..what about those explosives that Cyclops planted..?" asked Ivan fixing his gas mask.

Flame nodded to Cyclops as Cyclops took out a detonator and pressed it.

The group turned to see a pair of RAT APC's had heard the ambush and were now rushing down the street to find out what was going on.

Or were rather.

A pair of explosions knocked the frontal vehicle onto its side as the second APC crashed into it before it too-crashed onto its side.

"Can never be too careful," said Cyclops with a chuckle.

Fireborn nodded "alright everyone-back to the shadows we go".