Original message
| Elbryan
elbryan42@hotmail.com
59143856
 |  "try this..."
, posted Tue 30 May 10:54  
You should do levels according to the doom books. The first book has the levels like doom 1, but the other 3 books are completely new. Some of the levels would be rather cool: the zombie filled supermarket, the back alleys, the safe house, the alien planet, and back to earth again. The books should be in the bargain bin by now. They're also a good read. Check em out!
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Replies:
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| Elbryan
elbryan42@hotmail.com
59143856
| "Re(1):try this..." , posted Wed 31 May 03:57
The Doom books were released in 1995, in four books written by Dafyddab Hug & Brad Linaweaver. Knee Deep in the Dead, Hell on Earth, Infernal Sky, and Endgame. The main characters are Flynn "Fly" Taggert and Arlene Sanders. They are actually written pretty well and they're a good read. Here is what's in the inside cover of Knee Deep in the Dead:
--------
Suddenly the Radio Sputtered to Life...
It was PFC Grayson, out front on recon. The young
Marine had found a corpse.
"ID impossible, sir," reported Grason, his voice
tense. "It's in too many pieces. I can positively say
that it was a white male. It looks like . . . Jesus, sir,
it looks like claw marks. And this body's been
chewed."
Wild beasts on airless Phobos? The masticated
body parts had been found in the processing plant.
We heard Weems over the radio issuing orders to
converge on that point when a burst of static
interferedwiththereception.
When Grayson's voice came in again, it was loud
and clear. Up until that moment, the universe still
made some kind of sense to me. Of all the military
scenarios running through my mind, none pre-
pared me for what happened next: "Jesus Christ!
It's not human," shouted Grayson. "Too big...
shaped all wrong. . .humanoid . ..red eyes ..."
While Grayson was providing this fragmentary
report, he punctuated his description with bursts
from his rifle. Before he could become more coher-
ent we heard an inarticulate roar of animal pain
from whatever he was shooting, and then he
shouted, "I can't put it down!" The next scream we
heard was fully human.
My whole body went cold.
---------
That's a true exerpt from the book. I don't know what that other book Linguica is talking about. Are there other Doom books?
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| | Elbryan
elbryan42@hotmail.com
59143856
| "Re(2):try this..." , posted Wed 31 May 04:08
Here's another exerpt precicely in level 1-1 of doom, right by the path going thru the toxic waste where Fly first encounters an imp:
-------
A ton of bricks slammed into me from the tight, knocking
the 10mm pistol out of my holster and into the green
toxin. Something had decided to ran the experiment
after all.
The 10mm made a hissing sound as it disappeared
from view. I didn't care, I had problems of my own.
Flipping over, I struggled to get to my feet and bring
my big Sig-Cow into play, if I could figure out what the
hell hit me. The impact had blurred my vision. I stood
up, dizzy, shaking my head. The figure that had hit me so
hard stood just out of sight, in the shadows. I assumed it
was another zombie, but a stronger one than I had
encountered before.
Then it cut loose with a hiss, and more of that clicking
sound I had been hearing. Well, one little mystery solved.
The strength in this—zombie?—inspired greater cau-
tion. I rolled my M-211 around and skated to the side,
waiting for the creature to come to me. He did.
As the large body moved into sight, I saw brown,
leathery skin, rough like alligator hide, with ivory-white
horns sticking out from chest, aims, and legs. The head
was inhumanly huge, with maddened slits of red for eyes.
It was a monster!
------------
Sound cool or what?
|
| Grul
grul@telia.com
33413502
| "Re(1):try this..." , posted Tue 30 May 16:22
Doom BOOKS? "And then I saw a horde of monsters. I shot. I strafed. I shot again. I strafed. I ran. I grabbed a Big Fucking Gun and fired. And again. And again. Then I grabbed a stimpak." etc...
Just don't tell me that those books actually has a story. That would be an insult of everything Doom stands for... :)
"I know no god. All I see is darkness and eternal life."
|
| | Wildman
rickdclark@juno.com
| "Re(2):try this..." , posted Tue 30 May 20:24
quote:
Doom BOOKS? "And then I saw a horde of monsters. I shot. I strafed. I shot again. I strafed. I ran. I grabbed a Big Fucking Gun and fired. And again. And again. Then I grabbed a stimpak." etc... J
...
Oh, there is a lot of story in Doom. For example:
-------
Jason pressed his back against the cold wall and listened. There was a bend here in the corridor and the lights flickered and buzzed. He had glimpsed a dark shape moving this way and he strained to hear any sound in the unknown corridor before him.
He hands were slick with sweat on the warm metal of the chain gun and his breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. He wiped the sweat beading on his forehead and his hand came away bloodied. A piece of shrapnel had nicked him. He hadn't even felt it. He was tired; the stimpacks were beginning to wear off.
He stiffened suddenly. A muted, throaty growl could be heard through the buzzing. He tilted his head toward the corner and listened. There, again that low, animal growl. He couldn't tell if it was close or far. The sound came once more then nothing but the buzzing could be heard.
He took a deep breath. He adjusted the strap and centered the changun in front of him, then stepped around the corner. A pair of blood-red, hate filled eyes bored into his....
-----
Heh. Pretty rough, but it does show that there is a lot of story in the Doom world. The idea of doing maps from the books sounds cool. I hope someone does it.
Rick Clark
http://members.xoom.com/rickclark/
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| | Grul
grul@telia.com
33413502
| "Re(3):try this..." , posted Wed 31 May 08:14
As I see it, the story in Doom 2 was more a parody of a story than a story. I am sure that that was the intention as well. It was sort of an ironical joke aimed against all other games that bothered to have a story. I think id wanted to say that "our game is so good that it doesn't need a story" or "such games should not have a story". But, story is sometimes a way to create athmosphere, so if you insist on bothering to write one, sure. But it ain't Doom.
Ah, and that message of yours, Linguica... I suspect Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V. :)
"I know no god. All I see is darkness and eternal life."
|
| | Linguica
Doomworld webmaster 
linguica@doomworld.com
831722
| "Re(3):try this..." , posted Wed 31 May 03:22
PROLOGUE - KNEE DEEP IN THE DEAD
I was left by myself to defend the perimeter. Our battalion had
landed just over an hour ago, ready for combat. One hundred men and women,
and I was left alone. I was used to it though. I found that many people
took an instant dislike to me, more of a distrust really. I wasn't fully
human anymore. I was a NewType; a Neural Enhanced Warrior, the last one
still alive. Ten of us were made 384 days ago, connected with 'juice'
harnesses to pump various drugs into our already perfected systems. The
last one.
The first went out gloriously, taking with him some forty seven men
in some nameless civil war back on Earth. It was the second that began
concern over NewTypes. A week of inactivity proved too much for the
NewType, who proceeded to kill the twenty nine other members of his squad in
a fit of beserk fury. Three died of drug overdoses, attempting to improve
themselves beyond neccessity. Two others finished their tours in the heat
of combat. Another lost it's objectives in combat, going beserk and killing
over sixty troops from both sides before a heavy weapons squad brought her
down. It was reported that she had one hundred and seven bullets in her
before she went down. The last one died the best of all. After killing off
two squads of his comrades, fifty nine men and women, he had set the base's
reactor to overload. The resulting explosion destroyed everything within a
ten kilometer radius. He was still moving after that, and was killed by two
gunships.
I was the last one.
I stood alone before the hangar doors, listening to the screams over
the open comm link. An hour of shouting, cursing, screaming and gunfire.
An hour of people dying. Only Gray Death survived this far; a squad of at
most twenty men, now at half that number. Ten men out of a hundred. What
the hell was in there?
They whispered quietly, moving cautiously down the last access
tunnel. They had all gone in excited and anxious, ready to kick some enemy
ass. Life was dull on Mars Base, then suddenly the chance for action. Now
only ten veterans lived. It was now a battle for survival, no room was left
for glory. They should have taken me along, but there was no trust in them
for me, the last of the NewTypes. If they could make it out of the compound
to the vehicle bay, they would be able to level this entire base in minutes.
"Okay everyone, B1 formation. This is it, the final leg. Let's not
do anything stupid." Lieutenant Stavens called over the comm. The bay door
swished open.
"Fuck me ..." Jansen said in a whisper.
"Small arms!" Stavens yelled out, soon to be drowned out by shotgun
blasts and pistol shots. Screams and unearthly howls were heard in the
background. "Move out! Rakens, Moritz, cover the rear! Huffman, take
point! Let's move!" Stavens cried over the gunfire, followed by another
shotgun blast.
"L.T.!" Huffman screamed, "Bastards! Eat this ... aaarrggarrch ..."
Another one dead. The rest rode in to the rescue, the heavy chain
guns firing. Nine little soldiers, all in a line ...
"We're almost home, boys." Stavens said, grunting with relief.
"Deevers, ready the launcher. Anything big, you level it."
"You got that right, L.T."
The elevator came to a stop with a heavy bang, the doors opening
quickly.
"Mary Mother of God ..." Collins gasped, his voice dropping into
nothingness.
An other-worldly roar echoed over the comm. Guns opened up,
rockets fired. Screams, shouts for cover, roars ... silence.
I was the last one.
I was used to being alone, months of distrust and hatred lay between
myself and the human race. Now it proved to be an inconvenience. The
transport ship we arrived in required a crew of five. I could possibly
perform the function of three of them, but not all. That left me with one
choice; to get to the vehicle bay by myself. The entire battalion, ninety
nine human beings, failed to achieve that goal. But then, I'm no human.
Doom: Episode 1 Map 1 -- The Hangar
I readied my pistol, the only weapon they deemed me safe with. The
weapon was extremely well made; the gyrojet bullets used were fast and
extremely accurate. Automatic firing, it was top of the line, but still it
packed only so much of a punch. It would have to do.
The hangar doors whispered open, revealing the reception lobby that
lay beyond. All was quiet. A soldier lay bleeding in the middle of the
floor, a number of bullets and shells having sliced through his soft, tender
flesh. I picked up a couple of pieces of armour plating, they could come in
handy later on. Suddenly, a gurgled shout from behind me. The control tower,
could anyone be left alive in this carnage?
I moved quickly to the side room, the poor lighting not aiding my
vision at all. A short flight of stairs led up to the observation deck.
Movement. I aimed my pistol at the top of the stairs, the creature moved
forward ... Marines? Two men shuffled about at the top of the stairs, blood
splattered over their uniforms and faces. The lighting was too poor, I
couldn't make out anything accurately. I lowered my weapon. Mistake number
one.
A shotgun blast roared out, my left arm leapt to the side, military
buckshot tearing through the unprotected flesh. Pain rocketed through my
body. I grunted, my eyes narrowed. I raised the pistol and fired twice,
leveling the first trooper, another two shots silenced the second. Their
weapons dropped to the ground with an echoing clatter. "My mistake was
lowering my guard, yours was missing."
I ran up the stairs, intent on gaining the new weapon. Mistake
number two. Another blast tore into my right leg, the uranium pellets doing
their job quite effectively. I tumbled up the stairs, carried on by my
momentum. I rolled over the shotgun, grasping it with my bad arm. I cocked
it one handed and fired back down the stairs. I knew I wouldn't have a
chance at hitting anything, but it would make them think. Or so I thought.
It seemed to only get them more irate, I could hear two shambling about at
the foot of the stairs, growling and firing off into nothingness. One's
screams were cut short by a shotgun blast. Interesting ...
I peered down at my feet, the first trooper I had killed lay strewn
about me. "My God ... Hamlin?" I knelt down to confirm my first impression.
Hamlin was a sector sargeant, one of the first people I met on my arrival to
Mars Base. I thought he had shipped home a month ago. The corpse that lay
before me bore only a vague simularity to the man I once knew. He looked
as if he had been dead for quite some time, perhaps two weeks. Thick,
blackened blood oozed slowly from the two holes I had put into his body. He
may have been human once, but he was no longer. The other corpse was in a
similar state. What was going on here? I searched my near perfect memory,
a 'gift' of the creators of NewTypes. My mind stored facts much like a
computer, an effort to make sure we learned from our mistakes. "Christ ..."
I gasped. Some 4,879 men had been shipped from this base in the last year
alone. It would seem a very generous estimate that half of those had made
it home to Earth ... Survival seemed difficult to achieve now, if not
impossible. I ejected the shells from the second shotgun, quickly shoving
them into the chamber in Hamlin's gun. A quick scan of the tower proved
qutie useful. A small stimpack lay nearby, a useful concoction of pain
killers, stimulants and Plasti-Flesh, a patch for open wounds to prevent too
much loss of blood. I quickly applied the pack to my leg, I needed to walk
more than I needed both arms. I holstered the pistol and then examined the
number of shells I had left. 'Eight shots.' I thought to myself worriedly,
'It will have to due. Let's see if my training means anything here.' A
quick search of the console also proved fruitful, revealing a small locker in
which lay a suit of light armour. I buckled the protective Plasti-Steel to
my body, confidence beginning to rise. I was amazed at the stupidity of
these creatures. The one downstairs had still not come up to visit. Looks
like I'd have to go down and say hi.
Latching the final strap of armour to my body, I cocked the shotgun
and moved forward quickly. The stimpack worked as prescribed, allowing me
full movement and perfect reflexes. At the top of the stairs I even let
myself smile. "Let's rock!" I called out, blowing the head off the zombie
at the base of the stairs.
I made my way down the main tunnel to the processing area. I paused
before the door. Unearthly growling and howls could be heard beyond the
twelve inches of solid steel blast doors. Taking a deep breath, I pressed
the access panel, allowing the door to open automatically.
A group of troopers were upon me; former marines now corrupted,
perhaps by the very forces of Hell itself. My shotgun fired six times, then
was silent. I breathed heavily, examining the carnage before me. Five former
soldiers lay at rest on the ground, their blood intermingling, one's body
still twitching with unnatural life. Given time, I gathered up what ammo I
could, including twelve shotgun shells, and collected what armour plates that
I could scavenged. It was then that I noticed the wound in my side, the
military buckshot proved stronger than light Plasti-Steel, I would have to
find something stronger soon, I doubted that the light armour would last much
longer, even with replacement plates. Scouring through access hatches, I
found a couple of vials of pain killers, it would have to do. I gulped the
medicine down, tossing the empty bottle to the side. I pumped the shotgun
once.
I proceeded out the only exit, my hands nervously fingering the
shaft of my shotgun. The pink horror threw me for a bit of a loop. I was
beginning to understand how the others failed to survive. I entered
into the reception area, now strewn with garbage and toxic waste. Barrels
of the stuff had been sitting throughout the base, and I had now found their
source. I took down three troops with three shots, my body becoming used
to the combat, my mind processing maneuvers and tactics at a fantastic rate.
Mistake number three. The ball of flame slammed into my chest, sending me
up against the wall. More Hellspawn, this time in the form of brown,
spiked humanoids. Two stood upon a raised platform, eyeing me maliciously.
They both fired at me, their hands moving in intricate gestures before
spouting gouts of flames. My body reacted instantaneously, sending me
to the ground, rolling to the side. I sat up on my knees and fired five
shots off in quick succession. Silence.
The new creatures lay dead on the platform, or what I could take for
being dead. Their blood oozed green and red, drugs pumped into my system
to prevent the coming nausea. I grabbed a couple of clips and ran for the
door.
The door flew open before I reached the access panel. A bruiser of
a marine stood before me, his skin gaunt and pastey white. With a twisted
grimace, he leveled his shotgun and fired into my gut. Grunting in pain,
I lunged myself forward, knocking his gun to the side. Stupidly, he turned
to regain his weapon. I jammed the muzzle of my shotgun under his chin and
squeezed the trigger. His head disappeared in a splash of red mist. Shouts
were heard from inside. I fired blindly into the room, cursing at seeing
my shot hit into a barrel of waste. Another brown imp came for me from
across the darkened room. My body reacted before my mind could process
conscious thought. A second shot rang out, followed by an explosion. The
imp went flying into the opposite wall. Other screams of agony could be
heard through a nearby grill. The barrels were explosive! My mind filed that
tidbit of information away for instant recall. I may just need such heavy-
handed tactics. A second grill stood beside the fallen imp, and I side-
stepped over to place myself in front of the grill, firing another blind
shot. Another explosion, then pain. Fiery acid flew into my face from an
exploding barrel. I crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony, clawing
at my face in blind rage and pain. I stood up shakily, holding the shotgun
loosely before me. I staggered forward, the exit door to the first access
tunnel lay before me. I found a medkit, an overglorified stimpack, hanging
on a nearby wall, as well as the remains of a couple of stimpacks. I quickly
dressed my wounds with bandages and Plasti-Flesh. I then sat down and
examined the array of chemical enhancers that lay inside the medkit. "Fuck
it." I said out loud, and pumped all the chemicals into my harness, to be
regulated as needed by the micro-computers installed in the 'juice' harness.
Picking myself up, I made my way to the exit airlock.
The door slid open noisely, followed by a hissing scream. Another
imp stood before me, somewhat surprised at my sudden appearance. His
mistake. The shotgun fired twice, splitting the creature in half. I smiled
and entered the airlock. Some scrap armour lay nearby, probably dumped by
one of assaulting soldier I arrived with, as well as some dropped ammo. I
loaded up as well as I could, waited for the air pressures to regulate,
then I proceeded down the first access tunnel.
The access tunnel was much shorter than I had expected. I readied
Hamlin's shotgun. I was having second thoughts about this, shooting my own
people. Who could have done such a thing, to so many people. Hmph, imagine
that, me, a created killer, one of the best, and here I was caring about
what happen to people I didn't even know. Amazing what combat does for you.
I've been in combat before. You had to be one of the best before being
accepted into the NewType program. The access door was opening now, I'd have
time to think later.
Before I stepped through the door, shouts were screamed out. More
men wanting my blood. I spotted them across the room, moving through a short
corridor. One blast finished the two. I think I'm going to enjoy this little
shotgun of mine. The firing alerted more undead troops. Looks like I was
back in action. The juice harness began pumping drugs into my system;
adrenalin, intitial pain-killers, even a couple of anti-viruses to prevent
any air-bourne microscopic attack. A trooper rounded the corner and lost his
head. Another came towards the other corner, where happily a barrel of toxic
waste lay. A blast of the shotgun sent searing hot shards into my would-be
assailant. I proceeded into the room.
The room was large, the corridor I initially saw turned out to be a
path between two smaller rooms within the larger. I disliked this openness,
it would be too easily for something to come up from behind. Left, screams
all around. Before me, three troops came for me, guns at the ready. The
shotgun fired three times, then I turned. Two others were coming from the
opposite side, guns blazing, I took a hit in the arm, and returned fire.
Silence reigned once more. The side room was large, with a number of paths
to choose from. Before me stood a large blast door, red warning lights
glowed all around it. 'Damn.' I cursed to myself, 'Didn't figure on access
cards so early.'
An archway to the left led to a lift to a small storage area. It
seemed to be plundered already, only one medkit lay on the ground, open and
half empty. A small box of bullets sat in one corner, and I took what I
could, filling up the half empty clips that I was carrying. I caught my
breath, the juice harness letting me down easy, slowing turning off the
supply of drugs. I shook my head and headed downward. I wasn't finished
yet.
The last path circled back, putting me on the other side of the
initial corridor. Two troopers lay dead on a short flight of stairs, blood
congealing on the walls. I picked up a clip, stowing my shotgun in the
holster on my back. A quick look behind me showed a locker area, and through
searching their I found a small suit of light armour. Too small for me, but
I could make use of the plates. One good thing about the military is that
they had the foresight to see the usefulness of modular armour. I replaced
what I could and headed around the corner. This led into a similar room as
before, except now two doors were positioned in alcoves across from me, one
in each corner.
I quickly reconed the room, making sure no troopers were hiding
behind pillars, then turned to face the doors. I moved to my right, the door
opening at the press of a button. Stairs led upwards, the observation
lounge, no doubt, considering the number of windows that lined the walls. I
took the steps two at a time, trying to keep my blood pumping. It didn't
take long.
A hiss alerted me to their presence. I turned quickly, pistol at
the ready. A large imp came down the stairs, throwing itself at me. My
pistol was knocked from my hands as we tumbled to the ground. Gunshots were
heard overhead, but I was more concerned with the demon spawn on top of me.
I gave him two solid punches with the spiked gloves I wore, but that seemed
to have little effect. The demon hissed again and I screamed in agony.
Electicity coursed through my body, sending my nervous system into overdrive,
all the pain centers of my body firing at once. Grimacing, I gritted my
teeth and shoved upwards. The imp's head exploded, sending gray matter
everywhere. At least those bastard soldiers were good for something. I
rolled on the ground, pulling the shotgun from it's holster and fired up the
staircase. The soldiers poured down the stairs, six in all. In the haze it
was difficult to tell how many I killed, and how many killed each other. But
I remained alive, and that's what counted. I grabbed the pistol and made
my way up the flight of stairs. Growls and cursing came from outside, but
for now it didn't concern me.
My body still shook from the imp's attack when I reached the top of
the stairs. Luckily, no one else was up here. Looking around, I found a
small stimpack, which I used to bind my shoulder wound. A number of computer
consoles and communication equipment lay at one end of the room. I tried
accessing the computers, but soon found that the memory had long since been
scragged. The comms were beyond repair, of course. They certainly wouldn't
want to make it easy for me. I was about to leave the room when I heard a
small click. I spun around, firing a blast into the far computer. 'Damn,
a little trigger happy, aren't we?'
I proceeded forward cautiously, and found that a small console had
opened, revealing a small card, red in colour. "Playing games, are we?" I
said outloud, carefully picking up the red key card. Luckily, I shot at head
height, the card was at waist level.
I quickly went down the opposite staircase, which led back to the
area I began in. I decided that the red access door would be next, and
headed back to the access tunnel, making sure no one else was around to
surprise me later.
'Wait a minute.' I thought to myself. I noticed that the far wall
seemed odd. I didn't know why until I approached closer. The walls weren't
correctly aligned, as if a section of the wall was put in later. I carefully
felt around the wall, my hand suddenly pressing down on a small plate. I
jumped back as an entire section of the wall moved upwards in silence.
"What do you know, a secret room." I had played games like this when I was
a kid, killing villains of the past, who would have thought that someone
would have taken it to heart. Seems the military was more practical than I
thought, except that they forgot to tell their own soldiers about these. I
entered slowly, the door hissing quietly shut behind me. Though dim, I found
a full medkit hung on one wall. I refilled my supplies, injecting a neural
depressant to calm my electified nerves. In a far locker, most of the other
already broken into, I found a large ammo backpack. 'Perfect.' I smiled,
taking a look inside. Shells, bullets, a lone personnel rocket, and a small
charge pack. Beautiful. Now if only I could find the weapons to use these
new toys with. I shouldered the backpack and opened the door, swinging out
cautiously.
The red door soon stood before me, the access panel eagerly accepting
the access card. The door swished open and screams were heard. Seems these
bastards were everywhere. I opened up with my shotgun, charging forward
through streams of blood. I soon encountered stairs leading upward, from
which I heard movement. 'Now's my turn.' I thought with an evil smile. The
troopers came down the stairs like nice little lemmings, and my shotgun
mowed them down. I quickly rushed up the stairs.
The next room was large, filled with the toxic slime that seemed to
the only liquid in this area. I'd need water soon, but that could wait for
now. An imp suddenly appeared before me, sending hellfire into my side. I
cried out in pain and jammed the shotgun at its throat. The imp's head
landed a good five meters to one side. A small path weaved it's way through
the muck, and I danced across it, spinning around to make sure I wasn't being
followed. A trooper appeared at the entrance, and his chest caved in from
a full load of uranium buckshot.
I arrived in a small lobby, a lift ready to proceed downward. I
found a number of medpacks lining one wall, and quickly took what I could.
The lift seemed to be the perfect ambush sight. Covering my burn with
Plasti-Flesh, I noticed that the opposite wall didn't fit in at all. Whereas
the other walls were rusted and eaten through by acid, a small section
appeared to be in good shape. It didn't take me long to find the access
panel. The door opened silently, and I proceeded inward. A narrow staircase
wound it's way down to the right. I paused, allowing my eyes get used to the
darkness. They couldn't leave well enough alone, could they. To think that
half of the lighting problem was due to our sector commander, who ordered
power to be cut. It probably cost a lost of soldiers their lives.
I quietly stepped down the staircase, noticing a lone imp standing by
itself. A smile drew on my lips as I raised the shotgun. "Eat this,
fucker." The blast blew the imp's head apart, the body toppling over the
ledge. I proceeded out onto the narrow ledge. I'd have to learn to stop
making mistakes.
A shotgun blast tore at my side, hellfire burst in my face. I
crumpled to the ground in agony. Drugs pumped fast and furious into my
system, attempting to dull the pain rocketing through my body. My eyesight
returned quickly, thankfully I wasn't blinded permanently. I vaguely heard
fighting down below me, but my concerns were elsewhere. Hellfire burst all
around me, another ball of flame striking my leg. I recovered my shotgun,
firing out into the dark. I emptied the chamber while pulling myself back to
the stairs. Shouts and gunfire echoed behind me, my ears still ringing in
pain. I crawled up the stairway, pausing only to place the shotgun in the
holster. At the top of the stairs I stopped to gain my senses, and to give
the pain killers a chance to do their job.
I stood shakily, using the door for leverage, and accidentally pushed
the access panel. I fell forward as the door flew open. I groaned in pain,
then realized that the lift was going down.
"Shit!" I swore, fumbling for the pistol. I sat myself up and
waited quietly. I was in no condition to run, so it would have to end here.
The lift began it's ascent, sweat pouring down my face. I winced in pain and
exhaustion. The imp appeared before me, hissing loudly, it's spines dripping
with blood. My finger clamped down, and I emptied a clip into the demon-
spawn, sending it flying up against the far wall as bullet after bullet
pounded into it's body. The clip exhausted, the imp slumped to the ground,
it's greenish-red blood spilling slowly from it's wounds, soon covering the
floor. I dumped the empty clip and slammed another one home. Only bandages
remained in the cannibalized medkits, so I wrapped my wounds as best as I
could.
Taking a deep breath, I painfully rose to my feet. Slowly, I waded
through the imp's blood and started down on the lift. At the bottom, I found
a circular room filled with carnage. Eight bodies lay in bloody heaps about
the room, the silence was deafening. I gathered what ammo I could, my eyes
lighting up upon finding an overlooked box of shells. I filled the shotgun,
put the excess in my backpack. I then looked for an exit.
A large switch lay on the far wall, much like a power breaker. It
seemed to be my only option. I pulled the switch down, hearing the release
of air as two doors, one to either side of me, flew open. After a moments
silence, sure that no creatures were lying in wait, I took the right door.
It curved slightly, leading to a T. The current passage curved around, and
I could see that it led back to the room I was just in, so I took the other
passage, which became a large staircase leading downwards. It ended at a
small door, much like at the end of the Hangar level. "The access tunnel."
I had made it here alive, relatively in one piece.
The door glided open, revealing a room full of former soldiers. They
called out, firing off into my general direction. My eyes narrowed as I
leveled the shotgun. "Fuck you." I hissed, and blasted into the room.
The smoke cleared, and I still stood. No one else did. I moved
inside, closing the access hatch behind me. A small lift lowered itself to
the access tunnel, I began to relax.
A hiss filled my ears, and an electrical shock shot through my body.
An imp stood before the tunnel, hissing wildly as it swung a fist at me, the
spikes scratching across my face. It began to hiss again but was quickly
muzzled by my placing the barrel of the shotgun in it's mouth. "See you on
the other side." I said, squeezing the trigger.
The access tunnel ended at a half open blast door. A small metal
cabinet lay across the doorway, jamming the door. Grunting, I put my
shoulder to the bulkhead and slowly pried it open. The loud grating alerted
some creature through a second blast door. I readied my shotgun, but the
door remained closed.
"Waiting for me, eh?" I said aloud with a smile, "Perhaps you're
not so stupid after all. Party time."
My hand slapped the access panel, sending the door shooting upwards.
I sprang back quickly, firing a blast as the door rose. A soldier took the
shot at the knees, severing both legs as he crumpled to the ground. Others
moved in for the kill.
I pulled back further into the room, blowing the head off the first
one I felled. I would have to remember that pain means little to these
zombies. A low gutteral growl boomed beneath the soldiers grunts. God
knew what the hell that belonged to, it was certainly not human, at least
not anymore.
The troops swarmed in from both sides, guns at the ready. I layed
down a surpressing fire, moving back and forth to keep them from getting a
good bead on me. I put down ten of them, taking only one serious hit across
the temple. I wiped the blood away from my eye; that growling was getting
closer. I would need to see what I was shooting at.
There it was, a pink horror from the edge of my imagination. It
shambled towards me, impossibly fast. Two powerful arms lifted me off the
ground, sending me crashing into the far wall. It charged forward, howling,
ignoring the shotgun blast to it's torso. The creature's huge slavering jaw
snapped down onto my left arm, a flailing claw throwing the shotgun to one
side. Adrenalin and pain-killers kicked in at the same time.
Blood poured from the beast's mouth. My blood. I felt and heard
a loud crunch as it's jaw locked down, snapping bone. I howled in pain and
anger, blood pouring into my eye, colouring the world a blurry red. My
fist slammed into it's soft pink flesh, and for once it stopped it's
unearthly growling. The adrenalin kicked into overdrive, there was no
stopping me. The world turned red ...
My vision cleared and I watched as I withdrew my hand from the
small crater I smashed into this creature's ... this demon's head. The
thing had slumped to the ground, but its jaw remained locked around my
wounded arm. I pulled out my pistol and blew off the demon's lower jaw.
Grunting, I pulled out the creature's teeth that were still embedded in my
arm.
The arm looked terrible; the fact that I couldn't move it told me it
was a lot worse. The demon's teeth easily punctured through the light-weight
armour that I wore, and could have easily sheered off my whole arm. Luckily
the carbon-titanium steel frame that held the armour plates in place proved
tougher. Unfortunately, the torn metal that was once that very armour now
ripped into my entire forearm, from elbow to wrist. I was losing a lot of
blood.
I quickly threw off the armour plating, realizing then that I had
broken all the knuckles in my right hand. Examining a plate, I found that
the creature had two sets of teeth, a fact my gunfire had obscured. I
also noticed, wiping away some of the blood, that the armour's frame was
heavily dented. Given time, I think that the demon would have even broken
through that. Christ.
Titanium alone would have been the perfect metal to use for combat
armour, if it had not been so heavy. Various attempts were made to lighten
the metal, and an alloy called titanium steel was developed. Basically
it was a titanium and zinc alloy, with a few other metals thrown in. The
resulting metal proved to be too maleable. It was hard to break or puncture,
but it was too easily bent out of shape to be of much use in combat. They
then doped up the alloy with strings of carbon atoms. The new alloy, carbon-
titanium steel, was much lighter than it's predecessors, and actually proved
to be much stronger than it's titanium ancestor. Though lighter, it still
made a suit of armour unwieldly. So the military used the new alloy to form
a frame, an exoskeleton of sorts, upon which lighter armour plates could be
mounted. This proved to be a better idea in the long run, as this allowed
for one to just replace the damaged plates, rather than the whole suit of
armour.
I sprayed my arm with a coagulant, and bandaged the wound as best as
I could. I used what cloth I could find to bind my head wound and to wrap
up my impaired hand. I was in sorry shape, and not much in the mood for a
long extended fight. Guess I wouldn't have much choice in the matter.
I gathered up what ammo I could, finding some armour plates that I
put to good use. I picked up the shotgun, giving it a quick one-armed
pump. I gasped in pain as the jarring motion sent searing pain down my
right arm. I would have to sling the shotgun until I could fix my hand. I
slung the gun over my shoulder, allowing the magnetic catch to lock onto
the metal plates on my back. The spiked gloves I wore were more than just
for looks. A mild current ran through every military weapon. This current
powered a magnetic catch on the gun to allow easy storage until needed.
The gloves would interupt the circuit, demagnetizing the weapon ad allowing
it to be pulled free.
I spent a few minutes reloading clips and placing them across my
chest. The magazines had similar magnetic catches as well. I cocked the
pistol and headed out the door.
The hallway wrapped itself around a large pool of toxic waste. The
pool was once most likely a heavy water recepticle for storage of nuclear
fuel rods. The green glow given off by the liquid showed it had outlived
its usefulness. Left with two choices, I went to my left. Turning right,
the passage led to a door on the outer wall. I found a clip on the ground,
probably dropped in the midst of a gunfight. My hand hit the access panel,
the door slid open
Shouts from all sides. 'Too many.' my mind flashed as I fired into
the room. A ball of flame exploded off my shoulder, the intense heat
blistering my cheek. 'A barrel!' my mind registered, altering my aim for
me. Three explosive shells ignited the volatile mixture, sending searing hot
metal everywhere. I was thrown back out the door, death screams muted by the
closing door. I got to my feet shakily, holding my abdomen uselessly. A
metal shard pierced my side, protruding grotesquely through my lower torso
armour. My palm activated the door, and I stepped in for a second time.
Four bodies lay unmoving on the ground, one corpse still smouldering. Then
I saw it.
"Damn, now how am I supposed to get to you?" I said to myself,
looking at a silently mouthing blue face. The ledge peered into emptyness,
the sphere upon a pedastal rising from the darkness below. Guttural growls
rose from the encompassing darkness. 'Protected too, I see. Well, let's
see what happens.'
I pulled back, noticing another window revealing a powerswitch. I
raced up a short flight of stairs, finding a small staircase leading down.
My pistol flared to life, an imp flying down the stairs, blood flying in an
arc from the hole in its head. Two more appeared from either side. One fell,
but the other launched a fireball. Desperate, I dove down the stairs, firing
contiuously. Ten bullets tore through it's body, lifting it off the ground
and slamming it down lifeless. I rolled to my knees, ignoring the bruising
and the pain, firing five more bullets into a third imp. Catching my breath,
I rounded the corner and threw the switch, a door swished open overhead.
One deep breath and I was up the stairs, salvation getting closer.
Stepping over the still smouldering body, I found that a door had
indeed opened, leading upwards between the two windows. I acted quickly,
charging forward and firing as fast as I could. Three soldiers fell to the
ground, two bullets piercing through my body. An imp's aim was off, and
exploded a barrel in front of it's face. It had no face now. I continued
around the corner. I saw that a panel had descended, and I raced towards
it, hearing another demon making it's way for me. The panel began to rise
and I threw myself forward, activating the secret door behind the panel and
sending me face first down a flight of stairs.
I got to my knees before screaming in pain. Two fireballs slammed
into my chest, throwing me up the stairs. My pistol flew off into the
surrounding darkness. Only the shotgun now. It released easily, and I swung
it around just in time to place the barrel in an imp's belly. I rolled to one
side, allowing the gutless imp to fall lifeless to the spot I had just lain.
I yelled out to cover my pain, pumping the shotgun again, firing into the
darkness. I fired ten more times until I was sure nothing could live, then
slowly I crawled into the dark. I found a couple of stimpacks, but I was too
weak to use them. Only one thing could save me now. I searched the room
slowly, blood pouring from my arms and temple. The fall did not help any. I
found it hard to breath, the smell of cooked meat and burnt hair did not aid
in that endevour either. I collapsed to the ground by the pedastal, rolling
over onto my back. The switch!
I attempted to rise, but found myself too short of breath. I
couldn't get up! I tried again, but succeeded in only falling back, this
time snapping the bone in my left arm. A swath of blood splashed across
me, my broken bone piercing through what little flesh I had left in my arm. I
screamed, nearly blacking out. Grunting, I leveled the shotgun. 'No choice
now.'
Boom.
... To be continued ...
|
| | AndrewB
orangejuices@icqmail.com
42259434
|  "Re(4):try this..."
, posted Wed 31 May 23:19
Oh sure, I'm sure he would commit suicide. Death on E3M1. Sure, that would go over well. Hey, does he say exactly what it is he's shooting? Maybe he shot the switch. Darn, if only he would have continued what he wrote 6 years ago. I'm still waiting.
|
| | Megalyth
methfish@hotmail.com
| "um heh" , posted Fri 2 Jun 01:02
He shot the switch. Why would someone that close to a soul sphere give up? Besides, 'leveling' your gun means aiming it forward I beleive.
Nice story, Ling, write some more. :)
|
| | Lüt
toruonda@home.com
23065834
|  "Re(4):try this..."
, posted Wed 31 May 21:57
Bored??
---
You have been bothered by: Lüt
"A group discussion can often result in the use of more than one word."
|
| | AndrewB
orangejuices@icqmail.com
42259434
|  "Re(2):try this..."
, posted Tue 30 May 16:25
That's what the DOOM books are like?! I had no idea.. :|
|
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