Chapter 14: The Battle at Dragon’s Eye Prison

“Ioren, I’m too big to climb into the passenger seat of the truck,” he explained to her. “This is why I’m having you drive. I will be in the back bed of the truck when you take us straight to the prison.”

Ioren did her quick nods to understand. She watched as Stone opened up the gate to the back of the truck. He stepped back a little bit and jumped. The computer system anticipating the action as small jets propelled downward. This allowed the seemingly heavy armor to push upward to a small degree. It was just enough that Stone flew up a few feet from the ground. He landed on the bed of the truck as the weight and shocks could feel the heavy load suddenly press down onto it. From the back of the vehicle, he had a good view of the entire scene. Even his M19 could easily clear and fire straight ahead if he wanted to.

The tactical display of the helmet showed the approximate destination of the prison. Ioren powered up the truck as the engine turned on.

“Ioren, let’s get our asses to the prison,” he ordered. “They will probably expect something to show up if they were watching the skies closely. Whatever resistance we encounter, I will deal with it.”

The Itrean didn’t need to be reminded twice. She pressed her talon foot to the pedal as the truck started to speed forward. She adjusted the steering wheel and drove down the center of the road.

“We don’t need the lights on,” Stone said as he barely felt the truck began to pick up speed. “We have the ability to see in the dark, unlike most of them. We will stick together during our assault. I can take way more punishment than your armor. It will be important that you don’t attract too much attention during the shooting. Use your TRN-1 until you run out of ammo or if the fight calls upon using your AKT-2s. You will provide support fire. I want them to go after me first.”

Ioren could hear his voice intensify. A part of her was mentally preparing for this fight. She knew that this would be the last one. Everything was going according to plan, but even then, one hundred or more against just the two of them was a tough number to fight. She could only hope that raw skill, luck, and the right equipment were going to make the difference.

The truck was moving at a slow but steadily increasing speed. It was moving at around fifty kilometers an hour, but she had to be careful at first. They could only go so fast down the dirt road, and the fact that weather erosion from the storms had degraded it drastically over the last several years didn’t help it. She had to keep a close eye on everything. At least she had plenty of room for maneuvering. The worst that could happen was that she would drive too far from the dirt road and dive into the forests or end up getting stuck in the wet beach sand. The Oshun grass was particularly thick at times and consumed some portions of the road. At times, it threatened to block her vision.

“Nothing to report yet,” Stone said. “According to the map layout on my HUD display, we will arrive at the prison in about eight minutes. We should start to see the pavement in about two minutes. Maintain your driving. I will serve as your spotter.”

Ioren was keeping her hands steady on the steering wheel. She didn’t want to increase the speed any more than she had to. A small pit on the right side caught the wheels, but it wasn’t enough to cause a complete loss of control. The back of the truck jolted a little bit, but Stone remained firm.

The faint sight of the southeastern abandoned city of Dragon’s Eye was starting to come into view. It was nothing significant at all. It consisted of primarily single-story buildings that formed a port. These structures were probably the most developed area of the entire island. The prison existed before anything else, and then more was added around it.

“I’m tracking basic lights coming from some of the buildings,” Stone said. “I’m also tracking tidal generators that are providing the power. Looks like this syndicate has been quite busy here.”

As his eyes went and scanned the beaches, he could spot the small structures far in the distance. These generators above the waterline mainly consisted of a single tower, but underwater, there were rotational blades that spun from the constant waves of the ocean. Most likely, these were structures that were already built long before the place was abandoned. To be fair, he did note that not all the towers seemed to be operating. Only two of the five showed power generation.

Ioren felt a sense of relief as she could see the pavement ahead. The truck began to smooth out as it moved along the hard surface.

“Good,” he said. “Keep an eye for potholes. We will be arriving at the city limits in less than a minute.”

By now, Stone could see the buildings better than ever. The visor scanned for any visible threats. There were none, but he knew that could change at any minute.

Ioren could see that it was safe enough to increase speed. She kept a good grip on the steering wheel as she could see the occasional broken plant limbs and debris that had collected along the road. The tires of the truck quickly broke through it. The control panel showed that it was moving at around 60 kilometers an hour.

“Five minutes till we reach the prison, if we maintain this speed,” Stone commented.

The marine was on wide alert. The buildings might not have been tall, but they still served as natural vantage points. Some had natural lips on the roofs that could prove to be natural hiding spots or sniper areas.

“Watching for the buildings,” he told her. “Be careful.”

Ioren knew very well what Stone was saying. Even she knew very well on what a well-placed sniper can do. It was very likely that they already had people ready and on watch. This was one of the few areas to enter the city, and it was the place where the road almost led straight to the distant village up north. Nevertheless, a part of her still had lingering questions. As the truck was about to pass the first set of buildings, much of the place was intact. Yes, it had been clearly abandoned, but there were places to call home. Perhaps the elder and the people genuinely wanted to get away from this location. It was ominous to see it in this stage. Among one of the signs she noticed was that of the Orsatech industries.

“Contact,” Stone announced. “Thirty degrees starboard and on the roof. Maintain your speed and heading.”

Stone could see them as clear as day. Even his augmented eye was barely needed as the red silhouettes appeared on the targeting sensor. Located on the roof of an upcoming building were two men. One had an anti-material rifle at the ready. He had just poked his head out and was getting ready to aim it at the truck. Another person was on some form of radio device. Most likely, he was contacting and notifying whomever that something was coming.

The marine wasn’t going to give them a chance to fire their gun. Instead, he aimed the M19 barrel in their direction. The computer system of the suit had achieved a firing lock on the edge of the roof of where the men were located. With a simple pull of the trigger, the grenade launcher unleashed a salvo of three explosive rounds into the location. The 40mm rounds struck the edge like a powerful sledgehammer. Almost in tandem, all three detonated, setting off a blast that ripped the edge of the roof clean off. Debris and shrapnel flew in all directions as both men were clearly blown off it. The sniper rifle was torn to pieces, and most likely, the men were as well.

The truck drove by this set of buildings as another group was coming into view. This time, it was a two-story structure located near the beachside. As the truck was approaching it, Stone could see another pair of men that were positioned by one of the windows of what might have been considered an office building. It was a repeat of before. A sniper post was there, and Stone could see one but not the other. He aimed his grenade launcher and fired a two-burst shot into their location. This time it was much harder to tell what was happening. One of the rounds struck the edge of the window blowing outward as the other went straight into the window. There was an internal explosion as the concussive shockwave could be easily heard. This was the second sniper nest that was taken down.

“Four minutes before we reach the prison,” Stone said as he saw the truck drive past the buildings. There was nothing more on the beachside, but there were still other buildings on the right side of the road.

Ioren could see the ocean on the left side of the road. The lights that she could see had to have come from the distant prison that was slowly getting closer. She had to avoid the clutter of things that were starting to appear on the street.

Stone’s augmented eye was starting to reveal things. There were the occasional silhouette echoes of what might have been people. Most of these might have come from the buildings. Either the abandoned prisoners were hiding or attempting to lay an ambush. This was problematic as it was challenging to pick out the targets that were the most dangerous. He instead had to weigh each of the targets carefully. It was more than apparent that the prison knew that a vehicle had broken through their perimeter.

For Stone, he was little more than a gun turret on the back of the truck. However, he did spot something that was coming ahead of the road. There was a turn up ahead, but the main path forward was blocked. Concrete barricades were in place. Behind this barricade were at least five armed men that had established some sort of guard post. Most had rifles of various construction. They knew the truck was coming.

“Ioren, take the turn right up ahead!” he yelled. “Be ready for incoming fire. Five gunmen are using a set of barricades for cover.”

The Itrean could also see it now as well. The barricades were adequately laid out to prevent any mad rush of vehicles from getting through and going straight into the prison. However, she had to start hitting the brakes as she could see a turn up ahead. Stone could feel the truck slowing down as Ioren was getting ready to make the turn.

Stone could see the men. He picked out the one that was most dangerous that also had an anti-material rifle. The M19 was aimed directly at him as he fired a two-burst salvo at this target first. One of the rounds went over and detonated away from the five, and the other struck the barricade’s base. Chunks of concrete were flung about, slightly disorienting the sniper.

Gunfire erupted from the barricade. At least two were firing their rifles which penetrated the truck’s windshield. Three bullet holes could be clearly seen as Ioren slammed on the brakes and pulled the vehicle to the right. The tires screeched as the truck was making its turn. She put so much force into the turn that it almost threatened to topple the vehicle over. Thankfully, the weight of Stone helped keep it pressed down and level. There were other concrete barriers on this road, but there was a narrow strip for the truck to go through.

Stone had reacquired a lock as he tapped a button to switch the grenades to fire a fragmentation burst. The computer quickly laid out the trajectory over the men, including the one that had the sniper rifle. He fired a single shot as the grenade flew and detonated over the gunmen’s heads as the truck turned. Three of the men took a direct hit from shrapnel as they fell over. Ioren reached behind her to grab one of her AKT-2s. She rapidly tried to aim in the direction of the shooting and fired two shots that punched through the left side driver’s side window. She clearly missed as she pressed the gun back onto her back and refocused on her driving.

The marine’s sentry shoulder turret had made a lock on the remaining gunmen. It fired single shot rounds in the direction of the two. One of the gunmen took a direct hit as the other men jumped underneath the barricades to save his own life. By now, the truck had gained enough ground to escape the blocked road.

“Take a left at this road!” Stone yelled. “They can’t block us off forever!”

Ioren saw the left turn as she pulled the steering wheel to the left. The intersection showed a series of other building structures, including something that caught Stone’s attention fully. It was an oversized garage that was already opened up.

“Son of a bitch!” the marine explained in pure aggravation. “They have an armored car!”

So much was happening that he had only seen the threat indicator lit up on his helmet display. The truck had finished its turn and began to speed up again. Adding to the barricade’s defense force was an M10. The eight-wheeled vehicle was already powered up and started to leave the garage doors. Much like the police force vehicle back on the mainland, this was also something that was conveniently left behind. It was in full operation and was increasing speed towards the truck. Stone turned to face in the direction of the car.

“They fucking left behind an operating armored car! Ioren, drive past the next three stop signs and try to make a left. That should take us directly to the prison entrance!”

Ioren’s blood was pumping at everything that was happening. In the rear-view mirror, the vehicle was gaining speed. On the top was an operational turret, but they weren’t within optimal firing range yet. Hopefully, the people driving it didn’t have the proper training to use them effectively. She could see that the road ahead was quite long and clear as she began to step on the accelerator pedal.

“Come and get it, you fuckers!” Stone exclaimed. “I’ll poor down death into your throats!”

The marine toggled the switch to high explosive rounds for his grenades. He had the perfect aim of the armored car that was catching up to the truck quickly. Its powerful drives were more than a match against his vehicle. The tactical computer pointed out the weaknesses on the car that Stone pretty much knew already. One was the small thin, slit windows where the driver could look out from. Another target was the wheels, but the fact that these were prior military vehicles didn’t help. Even if he managed to take the front wheels out, the other six could still keep pushing forward. The other choice was much like the black star mercenary did weeks ago: to pummel the frontal armor and window.

Each second continued to pass. Within less than thirty seconds, the M10 would be smacking the bumper of the truck. Even with the vehicle, the armored car was much bigger. Stone was at the ready as the targeting computer established optimal firing range.

The marine pulled the trigger of the M19 as it fired a burst salvo of three grenades into the frontal armor of the vehicle. Each one detonated, splashing explosive rounds across the plate. At the same time, the minigun on the turret opened fire. It fired a stream of at least twenty rounds as the driver momentarily lost control of the vehicle. The light rounds harmlessly splashed off the power armor of Stone, but Ioren swore that one of the rounds punched through the back of the truck and out the front side. She lowered her head a little bit to avoid any continuous fire.

Stone lightly adjusted his aim as he pulled the trigger again. This time, he would fire it at full automatic. The grenade launcher began to cycle round after round into the loading chamber. There were at least five additional explosive rounds that detonated off the hood of the car in less than a second. One exploded near the bottom section below the edge of the front bumper that made the vehicle lightly bounce a little bit.

The armored car slowed down a little bit. Even if the vehicle could withstand the grenades, it was such a large concentration of it that it was weakening the armor plating. Blast marks whittled the frame as the flames dissipated almost instantly. Stone knew that the driver probably didn’t know enough about their own equipment. The resistance of a power-armored marine could still fight back.

The M10 began to slow down, but it still tried to fire a spray of minigun rounds into the back of the truck. More of the bullets bounced off of Stone, but the back left tire took a direct hit. Ioren could see the turn coming up down the road. She noticed a barricade like what she saw before, but it only blocked the path further forward. There was nothing to stop her from making a left turn. She tapped her car horn to grab Stone’s attention.

The marine turned to see the upcoming barricade and had an idea. He tapped the settings of the grenades to emit a photoflash similar to a flashbang. The car was about to readjust its turret again while increasing its speed. Stone was counting on this as the truck was about to hit the brakes to make its turn. With a damaged tire, it was going to be difficult. It was already drifting to the left. He turned back to face the car.

“Ioren, when I fire my grenades, you make the turn!” he told her.

Stone was about to see the turn come up. He pulled the grenade launcher’s trigger as it fired three of the rounds towards the front window of the M10. All at once, the grenades detonated, producing a heavy flashbang. The bright light penetrated the area where the driver was looking into. Even with the advanced equipment to protect from such a thing, the marine knew that the driver was looking through the window instead of the camera display. The blinding light stunned the person immediately. His eyes were temporarily blinded.

Timed with perfect precision, Ioren started to hit the brakes. She spun the wheel as the truck made its hard turn. Again, the vehicle was threatening to flip as Stone tried to kneel down to press his weight down on the left side. It worked as the truck barely managed to make its turn hitting the sidewalk in the process. The armored car was trying to make the turn as well, but with a blinded driver, there was no hope for the vehicle. It lost control as its front bumper and edge smashed into the barricade. It lightly launched the armored car into the corner of the building with a powerful force. The walls of the building couldn’t hold as pieces of the roof and wall fell upon the car, burying the front section almost entirely. The vehicle was disabled.

Seeing the threat eliminated, Stone turned and looked ahead of where the truck was going. Ioren already began to slow down as her talon feet let off the accelerator pedal. In the front and at the intersection of the end of the road was the prison facility. The place was particularly ominous at dark, even if the two could see it as clear as day. Only two large overhead lights were on. This illuminated the front yard. It stood at two stories high. The structure made it look like a person that was holding their arms towards the front gate.

The gate itself consisted of two metal and polymer chain-linked fences. The enormous walls around it would prevent any person from fleeing its hold. There was only one way in, and that was straight ahead.

Stone could track two more targets ahead. A man and woman were both holding positions with PDW-20s in their hands and optical lens pieces fitted over their eyes. They had a surprised look upon seeing the armored car that had wrecked itself and frantically talked on their wrist communicators to notify whomever of the invasion.

“Take us straight in the front gate!” Stone yelled. He set the grenade rounds to explosive again as he aimed at the locks that were holding the fence in place. Ioren was doing her best as she could see the woman lift up her gun and aim it at the truck.

Driving at around fifty kilometers an hour, the truck was turning into a bullet. It almost hit the gate as Stone fired off a burst of two explosive rounds at the entrance. The main lock blew apart and weakened the frame that held the fence in place. At the same time, his sentry turret targeted the guarding man as it fired two shots directly into his neck and head. The Itrean had her AKT-2 at the ready as she tried to fire short bursts at the woman with the gun. Holes were being blown through the windshield as she swore she hit her. She wouldn’t have a chance to verify that, however.

Stone lowered his profile as the truck slammed into the gate, smashing the fence over. Ioren felt her armor trying to compensate for the impact. The first fence was knocked over. The remaining momentum of the truck continued to move forward until it bashed and tore the second fence as well, ripping it off its hinges. The marine felt his body moved forward as the vehicle had come to a slow stop.

Ioren barely had a chance to regain her senses. She could see that the truck had penetrated the fortress walls of the prison. Stone was already on it as he walked forward and jumped off the back bed of the vehicle. The powerful shocks absorbed the landing as they started to head around.

“Get out the truck now!” Stone announced. “They know we are here!”

Ioren grabbed the shotgun from the passenger seat. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. She started to kick the door open but had no luck. It was jammed.

“I got this!” the marine said as his fist bashed the driver’s side window. Safety glass pieces flew everywhere, bouncing off Ioren’s armor. With a simple grab, the marine grabbed the door of the truck. With a powerful heave, the arm of his suit ripped the door wide open and almost snapped it from the vehicle frame.

“Move it!” he screamed. “Snap the shotgun onto my back. Don’t worry about the backpack and the rest of the shit. We are heading straight in!”

The sentry turret of his suit was already actively tracking. The moment that Stone turned to face the prison building, the gun turret rotated to his left and up. It saw a man on one of the two towers. A man with a rifle aimed down straight at the two but wouldn’t have any luck as the sentry turret shot him down. At the same time, Stone lifted his grenade launcher and saw the other tower. There was another individual with a rifle as well. He fired a three-round burst directly into it, blowing it to pieces. The remains of the tower crashed and fell to the grassy floor below.

Ioren jumped out of the truck with everything she needed. She was tiny when compared to Stone, but she was quick. She ran behind him and pressed the shotgun to the right rear back of his shoulder. It held the gun in place as the marine started to move forward.

“Move, move, move!” Stone yelled as his suit was actively tracking multiple targets. Ioren had one of her AKT-2s at the ready as she remained close behind the marine.

They weren’t that far from the rectangular building of the prison. There were dozens of windows, all with perfect vantage points. There were also single-story structures that lined near the tallest portion of the prison. As they continued to move forward, the prison almost seemed to feel like it was embracing them.

“We are under attack!” screamed one of the men from one of the windows.

Stone was doing his best to keep moving forward as fast as possible. Unfortunately, this would be a difficult task. The mechanized armor was not designed to give the wearer great speed. It was designed as stand-off equipment. Instead, he simply marched forward, searching and shooting any targets that may come their way.

The tactical HUD of his helmet could clearly map out the entire region. There were at least four men that were by various windows. They were hiding behind the walls or near the windowsills. A concerted effort in defense was starting to mount as the men would pop out of cover. In their hands were various types of guns, from crafted bolt action rifles to military-based firearms. Stone would walk forward and aim at a target. The sentry turret targeted one of the men and fired several shots taking one down. One of the men managed to have their PDW-20 on full automatic as they poured down withering fire towards the two. Stone’s armor quickly shrugged it off as he had the M19 aimed at the shooter’s window. Two explosive rounds were launched directly into it. When they exploded, they threw debris-about and blew a small hole into the wall. Stone could see the blood of whatever took the hit from it.

Another man with a low-powered semi-automatic rifle got out of cover and began to shoot down at the two. Ioren was already on it, as she had her sub-machine pistol aimed at the person. She would take careful shots firing at him in semi-automatic. The man dived back into cover upon being fired at.

They were getting closer and closer to the door when Stone aimed the M19 at the front entrance. Ioren could see the emblem of the syndicate painted on the walls of the prison. The marine fired two shots directly into the door blowing a massive hole that he could easily fit into.

“Keep pressing forward!” he said as they kept moving forward. “Tracking numerous targets ahead.”

Ioren ran up to the door edge as Stone reached the large hole. The marine stepped inside and received immediate gunfire. Two of the men were firing fabricated semi-automatic rifles into him. They were using the front reception counter as protection. The bullets bounced off as he aimed the grenade launcher into them. He fired a burst of three that slammed and exploded directly into them. The explosion was horrific as limbs, blood, and a slight amount of gore were flung about.

The Itrean stepped inside to see that they were at the reception hall of the prison facility. This simple room consisted of white and now smoldering black and red colors. The desk was nothing but charred remains as the loud thumping of Stone’s armor clunked on the floor. He could see the locked door on the side that led further into the interior. Ioren’s attention was ahead as the sentry turret spun around and aimed directly behind him. The woman that Ioren supposedly shot tried to attack the two from behind. The turret was fast, firing several rounds, hitting her chest and neck. Ioren spun around to see that the woman was on the ground dead.

“Stand back!” Stone ordered Ioren. She could see that the marine had the grenade launcher aimed at the locked door. She ran by near the blasted entrance as the marine pulled the trigger.

There was a loud internal explosion as the grenade hit the steel door. Despite the prison being designed to keep people inside, the place was not rated to handle military firepower being poured into it. The door crumbled and flew down to the floor as the marine continued to step forward.

Ioren could see that there was another door in a small corridor. Stone fired another shot blasting this door down as well. She got behind the marine as they made their way through the stone hallway.

“Past this is the catacombs of the prison,” he explained to her. “Expect weapons fire from any angle. I want the high ground. There should be a set of stairs that will lead to the second floor. We continue sweeping through, wiping out their resistance. If we do enough damage, they will retreat. Any caches of weapons will be destroyed on sight.”

The marine stepped over the busted doors into the internal layout of the prison facility. It was a vast open area consisting of several rooms with thick sliding clear doors. Each room was the exact same thing consisting of a toilet and two beds. Almost all the doors were wide open. Ioren didn’t bother to look at these rooms and knew that there were places to hide and ambush.

“They are here!” one of the men came running in from one of the adjacent huge rooms said. “Kill the...”

The sentry turret spun and shot the person dead on sight. Stone could see the large set of stairs as Ioren had her sub-machine pistol at the ready. He began to sidestep while keeping his grenade launcher aimed at the area where the sound originated. He could see very brief outline silhouettes of additional armed men.

“My sensors are tracking four more coming from that direction,” he told her while he pointed at the adjacent large room. “I don’t have a clear shot. The catwalk and the walls are blocking me.”

Ioren used her sign language to convey one word to him... “wait.” She pulled out one of the stick-like grenades that were on her waist. It was one of her seeker grenades. She used her thumb to tap a button on it. She did an overhead throw lobbing it into the direction of where the men were supposedly at. The mini propellers activated, causing the grenade to start flying and hovering. It was tossed towards the corridor that would lead to the adjacent room. It picked up speed as it was giving a slight beeping sound to it. It started to pick up as it got closer and closer to its target.

Stone could briefly see where the grenade went. Flying in the air, it was designed to home in on its opponent. It made a sharp turn while it flew into the adjacent room.

“What the fu...!” One of the men yelled out. There was little that could be done against it. The grenade found the four men as it detonated right at them. An explosion echoed in the adjacent room. The wall in front dissipated its volume, but it reverberated in the whole prison interior.

“Let’s go!” Stone told her as he began to walk up the stairs. Ioren started to walk up the stairs backwards to anticipate any sort of threats. The heavy-duty metal and stone steps still lightly creaked as the heavy amount of weight was pressed against the advancing marine.

There was further yelling and screaming that was starting to pick up in the interior of the prison. This was coming from both adjacent rooms. Another man came running out from the second floor on the other side of the main room. He started to investigate everything that was happening. He only had a pistol in his hand and panicked when he saw the two heading up the stairs. His fight or flight instincts had kicked in as he tried to aim his gun at Ioren. The sentry turret on Stone didn’t have a clear shot, but Ioren did. Set to burst fire, she momentarily paused in her movements as she pulled the trigger. A small spray of bullets hit the guy causing him to tumble to the ground dead.