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Here is the 4th Installment of The Spyro Wars. I consider this a very creepy chapter but see for yourself. This will reveal a few things and raise a few questions. For those of you following the Malefor Chronicles as well, this one gives a hint to a mysterious character that appeared in the 5th chapter.

Chapter 4: Lost Ambitions

UER Colony World Desmal

July 16, 2209

Marsha City Sewer System

2132 Hours

Miller waded in the mucky waters and coughed as the foul scent seeped into his nostrils. Next to him, Spyro and Cynder waded, frowning at the awful stench being emitted from the dank murky water. The other two GIs with them were in the same predicament, as were Hanna, Crystal, and Jake. Crystal carried Hanna as she clung onto her teddy bear.

"Blech! What is this place!?" Spyro said in disgust. His purple scales were darkened by the black water.

"It's called the Sewers. All of the waste coming from the city is dumped into here and transported outside the city. It isn't meant to be walked through as you can probably already tell." One of the GIs explained.

"Yeah... I can..." Cynder said as she looked at a piece of paper that floated by.

"Don't worry, this tunnel should lead to a maintenance walkway which means things should get better." Miller explained.

"And how would you know this?" The other GI asked.

"My Company came through these tunnels when we moved into the city." Miller said in a somewhat sarcastic voice. They kept walking through the dank waters and along the way, Cynder threw up. They finally came to a large room where several tunnels like the one they were in came to and dumped all the water into.

In the center of the room, a series of metal walkways sat elevated above the muck. They had several other pathways branching off and leading into several other parts of the sewers. A pathway connected the maintenance walkways to their tunnel and the first GI started to walk on it. Soon they all crossed in onto the central walkway which contained several pumps, levers, and other machinery which controlled the disposal of water. It looked as if the heights were above normal. This was to be expected, after all, the city was being hit by a massive rainstorm which had lasted for a few days already.

In fact, one of the maintenance tunnels was completely flooded out. They sat down for a bit on the main platform.

"So where are we headed anyways?" Jake asked as he sat down and relaxed his legs.

"The Nuclear Power Plant."

"How are we going to get there?" Crystal asked.

"Well the Plant is outside of the city so we just need to find the tunnel that leads to the lake and from there we can get to the Power Plant." Miller said.

"Question is, which tunnel goes to the Lake?"

"Should be in that direction..."

At that moment, a few echoes came out of the adjacent tunnels. They all looked and saw a few figures emerge into the light. At first they looked like Marines, but upon closer examination, 5 Lakadors stood in the tunnel. Each of them sprang to their feet in a mad dash for the tunnel Miller pointed to.

The two GIs fired their M74Ds at the Lakadors and dropped two before they even realized what was happening. The others returned fire and dark energy dashed across the sewers and impacted the floor next to them. Miller fired off short bursts from his Carbine, the bullets impacting the walls of the sewers. Crystal fired off a short burst from her M16, managing to nail one of the Lakadors. Spyro and Cynder placed Jake and Hanna on their backs and flew them to safety as the Army GIs and the Marine kept up the fire. Soon Crystal withdrew with Miller and the two GIs pulled out soon after.

As they ran down the halls of the metal passageway, Cynder silently thanked the fact that there was no dank, foul smelling water occupying the passageway. As they continued, they came to another room like the one they had been in, except for the fact that the whole room was flooded and the only apparent way across was to either swim in the muck, or try to land on several scattered pieces of metal that floated in the water.

Spyro and Cynder carried Hanna and Jake while Crystal, Miller, and both the GIs tried their chances at trying to hit each of the floating pieces of metal floating in the muck. They managed to hit them, and Crystal almost slipped and fell into the water, but Miller grabbed her hand and kept her on the makeshift rafts. Finally they reached the other end and were thankful they didn't have to do it again.

Unfortunately, as they went parts of the tunnels were melted out or had collapsed into themselves, creating a maze of damaged passageways and flooded out rooms. The pathways were becoming harder and harder to find and by each passing moment, the sewers were getting more and more flooded by the rainstorm above.

As they went, sealed off tunnels suddenly broke open under the strain of backed up water. They poured into the tunnel they were in and soon they were swept off their feet and pushed down the passageway. Miller and the GIs grabbed onto Crystal, Hanna, and Jake in order to keep them close while Spyro and Cynder struggled to keep their heads above the water.

"Hold on!" Miller yelled and soon, the tunnel gave way to a large drop off. They all shot out of the tunnel and into the open as they reached the drop off disposal where the sewers met the Lake and dumped out into them. The drop off was easily 30 meters tall and they were flung out at a fast speed. They all hit the water hard and came to the surface to get pounded in the face by a torrent of rain.

They paddled to the nearest shores as the rain pounded them and a crack of thunder blasted their ear drums. As Miller emerged from the lake, he grabbed the hands of Crystal and Jake as they were pulled out along with Cynder who carried Hanna as well as Spyro who helped the GIs get out. Once on the shore, they saw the city which they had just escaped from. Marsha City had a partial Security Wall erected, much like Threshold on Earth. The wall was supposed to have defenses which repelled enemy ground, air, and space assaults. Unfortunately, Marsha City's defenses were never finished.

Miller led them to a small wooden shack which provided efficient cover from the heavy rain. The sky was black which suggested that it was night time. Hanna started shivering and Spyro drooped his wing over her to keep her warm. The GIs checked their ammo and Crystal tried to keep Jake from crying. Miller looked into the distance and saw the unmistakable Nuclear Coolant Towers sticking over the trees. Smoke came out of the towers which suggested it was running. Lights also emanated from them and Marsha City still had lights glowing from it regardless of the lack of human presence in the city.

"Come on, we have to keep moving. The Power Plant's only an hour's walk away!" Miller shouted as he shouldered his Carbine.

"Come on man, we're tired and we need to rest! Its cold, its night time and all our food was either washed away in the lake or is too soggy to eat! It's time for a break!" A GI protested.

"Look, that power plant is nearby and it provides better cover from the rain then this! We could possibly find warm clothing their and food! There could even be some Marines or GIs waiting for us to help them!" Miller said in response. The GI glared at him. Hanna's stomach growled and she glanced down at her tummy, as did Jake and Crystal.

"We should get moving... we won't last long in this rain." Spyro said as he shook off a bit of the water.

With many groans, they left the safety of their shack and headed into the woods surrounding Marsha City. The rain continued to fall and water collected in the pathways and it looked like they were in a swamp. All their clothes were soaked and Hanna sneezed along the way. They passed it off for the time being even as Jake coughed and Hanna began to complain of a headache.

Spyro felt a bit woozy himself. The dank sewers weren't the ideal place for him and just thinking back to it was enough to make his previous meal return to his mouth. Cynder was in the same predicament except she felt more hungry and she sneezed once. Thankfully they ran into no opposition on the way to the power plant and finally they reached the gates which surrounded it.

With the butt of his rifle, Miller smashed open the fence and they dashed into the compound. They came to the central doors entering the control building and Spyro blew the doors down with a powerful Earth Blast. They moved in, sweeping each hallway and room with their rifles. Cynder slipped due to her wet claws and the smooth surface of the floor. She hit the floor and skid to a halt, much to the dismay of the GIs and Miller who shushed her.

By now Jake carried Hanna due to her new feeling of weakness and Crystal assisted the GIs and Miller by sweeping the rooms with her M16. Finally they came to the control room and with a kick, the doors swung open. Upon entering, they found nobody. In fact, it appeared as if there had been nobody here in weeks. The rooms were collecting dust, books were knocked over, and a few droplets of blood dotted the floor. A few spent bullet casings were found here and there, but no human presence besides themselves was obvious.

"What the hell?" One of the GIs asked.

"I thought you said there would be people here!" The other said in anger.

"I thought there would be!" Miller said, looking franticly around for any signs of life.

"Well apparently not! Now what the hell are we going to do! This fucking place is empty!" The kids were backing off and Crystal covered Hanna's ears. The lights flickered off and on as more rain fell onto the plant.

"Alright, just calm down. The shell casings suggest at least someone was here." The other GI said, trying to calm down his companion. The other grunted in rage. It was true, the shell casings suggested UERAF combatants once walked these halls. But that didn't mean they were close. They could have been here anytime from the beginning of the Battle of Desmal to now.

A light cracked near them and all the guns in the room were pointed at it. There were claw marks on it. Miller stared at it and Spyro felt a bit uneasy. There was something in here... something that didn't belong.

"We should go..." Spyro said, his nerves beginning to jump.

"Why? What's wrong Spyro?" Cynder asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah, we should at least find something for Hanna, she doesn't look too good." Crystal said examining Hanna who was looking a bit pale.

"Trust me, we should just go, now!" Spyro said. He was starting to get nervous.

"Well there isn't much reason to be here... though it would provide excellent shelter, and we could probably find some food here... I say we make a base here." The GI said. Miller nodded. However, it was really up to Miller what they did. He outranked both GIs and they couldn't really say anything against it.

"Let's find some food first of all." Miller said. They all nodded except for Spyro who shot nervous glances around the room, as if seeing something the others couldn't.

"Spyro?"

"Cynder, there's something here... something that shouldn't be here... we need to leave this place..."

"But there is food here and Hanna looks like she's falling ill. We should at least find something for her. Besides, we can take a few Lakadors."

"They aren't Lakadors... at least I don't think. I feel a very dark presence nearby." He shot another glance and they heard something above them... in the ceiling. A panel fell from the floor but the others were outside the room so they didn't notice it. Spyro heard the clatter of something sharp striking the tiled floor, kind of like claws. Nervously, they both left the room and shot after the group.

"Miller! We have to go, now! There is something in here! We're all in danger!" Spyro said, jumping in front of Miller.

"Relax Spyro, after we find some medicine and food we can leave." Miller passed Spyro up and the group continued forward. He sighed and followed suite. Cynder trailed behind the group, watching for anything that may come behind them. The lights in the halls continued to dim until the Humans had to use the flashlights on their guns to see much of anything.

They continued forward, clearing out room by room with their rifles. Jake, lacking a weapon, kept behind Crystal, as did Hanna. Hanna sneezed and everybody fell silent. Spyro could have sworn he heard a screech in the background. It was an ear shattering wail of anger that shook Spyro to his very core. However, the others, including Cynder, failed to notice.

They still walked the halls, searching for the mess hall. They hadn't run into it but they did come to a room with a first aid kit in it. They got some bandages from it and to their delight found a medical room. They swept the room with their rifles and went to checking for anything useful. Miller pulled out a box which contained aspirins and some penicillin. He didn't know if it was the best thing for Hanna but he gave her some anyway. It was something at least. The aspirin also helped and soon she was asleep in Crystal's arms.

Spyro sat outside the room, watching the halls. There was movement all around them. He looked down the hall and saw a bit of water leaking from the roof. There were also loose panels which fell to the floor and rain water came inside. Suddenly he heard something else... boards cracking... Spyro craned his neck and saw something step on a board and it came loose and tumbled to the floor. He boar his teeth and readied himself.

Cynder walked outside the room to meet Spyro in the hallway.

"Spyro? Is something the matter?"

"Cynder... we're being watched... something's in here besides us and I don't like it..."

"I can feel something here too... a dark presence." She said as she looked around. Jake came outside too.

"Hey did you guys see that?" He asked as he pointed down the hallway that Spyro had only been looking down moments before.

"See what?" Spyro said as he and Cynder both shot their necks out to see whatever it was that he had seen.

"I saw this huge thing just staring at me before it leapt into a whole in the ceiling!" He said as he pointed down the hall. That did it. They had to leave. Now.

"Miller!" Spyro called out as he walked into the medical room to meet the Marine.

"What is it Spyro?" He asked as he looked through more boxes.

"I'm serious, there is something here! We can't stay here, even Jake saw something! We need to leave, now!" Miller sighed, set the box down and looked at the door. Jake and Cynder both stood there, looking at him and Miller reached for his M78C Carbine and walked slowly towards them. The others saw this and immediately armed themselves for whatever new threat had emerged.

Miller peaked out of the room and scanned the halls. Nothing. He turned around and returned to where he had been.

"Spyro... there is nothing here. You just need to chill dude." Spyro growled and turned to go out the door again. Cynder and Jake both looked at him right before a large shadow popped out of nowhere. Spyro cocked an eyebrow as he felt a movement.

Suddenly Cynder let out a scream as something grabbed her and dragged her from the doorway at breakneck speed. Jake barely had time to realize this had happened before he too was snatched up.

"CYNDER!!!" Spyro yelled. He flung himself into the hallway to see Cynder's and Jake's faces as they vanished behind a corner. He heard Cynder call out "Spyro!" as whatever those things were dragged her off. The others immediately leapt into the halls, their rifles at the ready. Spyro charged down the hall to what had snatched Cynder.

"No Spyro, wait! You don't know what you're facing!" Miller yelled after him. The others darted after Spyro and all around them they heard screeching and moaning. Miller turned his head and saw a large creature behind them, letting out a deafening screech. He paused, brought his Carbine to bear, and squeezed the trigger. The hallways lit up as the muzzle flash from the Carbine flashed. The .30 cal bullets struck the beast, causing it to dance. However, this failed to halt the creature. It came at him with a look of anger in it's pure yellow eyes. Miller fired off more rounds into the beast and finally after a good 15 round burst the creature fell head over heels and smashed against the floor.

Miller thought about examining the creature when he remembered about Spyro. The others had already charged down the halls after him and he dashed after them as well. He heard their screams and yells, as well as the gunfire. He came around the corner and found only Crystal and Hanna there, Crystal expending her ammunition for her M16 into the chest of one of the monsters.

Where as Miller's .30 armor piercing ammunition dropped the beast, Crystal's .22 caliber M16 ammo had trouble just causing it to flinch. She jumped back as the creature swiped at her and Miller let the beast have it. He squeezed off the last of his ammo and finally the creature let out a wail of defeat and collapsed onto the floor. Crystal dropped the M16, its barrel still smoking from the recent discharge. Tears strolled down her face and she braced herself against the wall. Her face had a look of pure terror. Miller ran up to her, handed her her M16 and pulled her and Hanna out of the hallway. They came to another hallway where the two GIs were. One GI was on the floor, blood flowing from a wound, while the other was in a fetal position on the floor. All around them blood smeared the floor and spent shell casings were everywhere.

Miller grabbed the GI on the floor and lifted him up. The sight was horrible. The GI's stomach had been ripped open and his entrails were dripping onto the floor. The GI had a permanent look of horror in his eyes as the creature had probably caught him off guard. Miller let the dead soldier fall the floor and grabbed the GI in the fetal position. The GI was in shock. Miller shook him repeatedly.

"He... he... just came out of... of... nowhere! And he just... died... I... I..."

"Pull yourself together man!" Miller slapped the soldier and finally he snapped to, getting to his feet and slowly grabbing his assault rifle. His hands were fidgeting the whole time.

Miller grabbed Crystal and Hanna and they were once again heading down the black halls in search of Spyro. The purple dragon was nowhere in sight. They had lost him. They went until they stumbled upon a few dead Marines sprawled upon the ground. Their bodies were horribly misshapen, torn apart by those things. Next to the Marines lay fallen weapons. There was another M78C Carbine, a .45 cal M10 SMG, and an M22 Combat Shotgun. Miller handed the GI the shotgun, Crystal the Carbine, and he placed the SMG over his shoulder as a secondary weapon. They would come in handy. The heavy ammo would surely stand up to the beasts. They went down the halls and Crystal held Hanna in one hand while trying to carry the Carbine with the other.

They charged to the corner of their hallway and Miller ushered them to a halt. He leapt from the corner and pointed his rifle down the hallway. There was nothing. They sprinted down the halls, screeches and other eerie sounds echoing through the halls. A few dead Marines were sprawled against the wall along with Lakadors. The Lakadors had suffered the same fate as the Marines, their innards lying across the floor and terrified looks in their eyes.

Crystal gagged at the sight and the GI silently ran alongside Miller. Hanna was still asleep, the aspirin proving very potent and lulling her to sleep. They ran down more hallways and they kicked open doors and scanned inside. The scenes weren't pretty. Dead Lakadors and Marines both lay strewn across the floor. In some instances, it looked as if they had teamed up but were killed where they stood. There were also dead civilians and Power Plant workers.

They heard a scream and knew that Cynder was nearby. Spyro was probably nearby as well. They went to the end of a room with the bodies and kicked open a door. They stood in the open doorway, gawking at the sight. Crystal almost fainted.

Spyro dashed down the halls after the creature. He didn't care for the fact that Miller yelled out to him to stop, he had to save Cynder. He rounded the corner and saw the creatures haul off Cynder and Jake into a doorway.

Spyro charged after the beast, taking flight and soaring through the hallways. He came into a large room with two walkways spanning over a deep and dark abyss. There were large metal beams which were overhead and the creature used them to swing across and landed on the opposite walkway. Spyro flew after him and the creature roared at him before taking off into the open door and slamming a large metal door in the way. Spyro flew at full speed at the door in an attempt to smash it open. It was a failed attempt. He crashed onto the ground and got back up.

He slammed the door with his tail and let out a roar. He had to find another way around. He saw a ventilation shaft above him and went inside. He crawled through it and heard sounds all around him. He came to an opening that allowed him to go into a hallway behind the door and came through. He crashed on the floor and quickly got to his feet. He looked all around. The halls had scratch marks on them, blood smeared the floor and the scent of death hung in the air. The air was very muggy and Spyro found it a bit difficult to breath. Water seeped through holes in the roof and the floor was a bit slippery as a result.

He slid down the halls, using the slippery floor to his advantage as he speed to Cynder's location. The halls were falling apart and soon Spyro found himself standing at a door that had been ripped open. It lead outside onto a walkway that leads to one of the large smokestacks next to the control room. The large coolant tower looked eerie plastered in the rain. A lightning strike illuminated the scene and Spyro flew off to the tower and entered. The rain splattered across him as he entered the tower. There were machinery and mechanisms all over the place. Spyro went through and emerged into a control room with blood and spent casings all over the place. He came to a window which overlooked a large empty room with rods inside a large pool of water.

He looked down into the water and saw the creature swimming in it with Jake and Cynder drooped over him. A hole had been ripped in the wall and that's where the creature was heading. Spyro smashed through the window and flew at the creature. The creature leapt into the hole and Spyro soon followed.

The whole area had been torn apart but Spyro managed to navigate it as best he could. Soon he found himself in a room with tubes that were made of glass. Most of the tubes were either smashed or destroyed.

Lakador bodies lay everywhere and some looked as if they had been purposely cut open for examination. There were also humans lying around, seeming to have suffered the same fate. Spyro looked in horror as he passed up the bodies. They all looked horribly disfigured. Bodies of the creature lie before him as well. It looked like a Lakador, but more monstrous and menacing in its appearance. Its body mass had grown substantially and its composure had been changed as well.

Spyro didn't know what was going on. They weren't the Plague, that much was sure. The Plague had been destroyed for one and the Plague lost body mass as they transformed. Also these creatures appeared to be bi-pedal. The Plague were feral in nature.

However, these creatures were interesting. Spyro passed them up and continued into the busted metal and twisted steel. As he went he heard a scream and pressed on. He ran into a room with rain water dripping from a hole in the ceiling. There were moaning sounds all around and Spyro dashed to an opening across from him. Something leapt out in front of him and revealed itself as one of the creatures. Spyro readied himself but the creature struck with such force that he was knocked headlong into the wall and passed out.

Miller stared at what sat in front of him. Opened up bodies of humans and Lakadors lay strewn on tables. Equipment that was used for genetic modification also sat nearby... much of it connected to bodies of humans and Lakadors. The Lakadors were also half transformed into those... things... but it looked like somebody stopped the transformation half way by killing the creature. The Marines had probably halted the process, but were killed by those things.

It looked like somebody had been messing with genetics... the UER had preformed some tests on the matter, but nothing like this had ever happened. Especially in a place such as a Nuclear Power Plant. This couldn't have been the work of UER scientists... for one, there were none around. Only Marines and Power Plant workers occupied this place. How could they have preformed it? Suddenly he saw something.

Upon closer examination to a dead Lakador, he noted that the muscles on it weren't really large. It also had an emblem on its chest. What if this was a scientist for the Lakadors? Had they discovered Human research into genetics and tried to apply it to their soldiers? Had something gone horribly wrong and these creatures were the result? Whatever it was, they were all in danger. They had to get out, now!

"M-miller, what do we do now?" Crystal asked, her eyes opened in horror at the sight of the dead.

"We're going to find your brother, Spyro, Cynder and then we're going to get the hell out of here."

"So... how do we do that?" The GI asked.

Miller pulled back on the cocking mechanism for the M78C and listened as a fresh round of .30 caliber ammunition was slipped into the firing chamber.

"We're gunna kick all their asses..." They all gulped but nodded. Miller lead them back into the hallway and they ran down the halls, assault rifles at the ready. They heard large thumps in the distance and they all got ready. A door farther down the hall was kicked open and a creature came out, bellowing a challenge.

Miller and the GI immediately responded to the threat, pouring ammunition into the creature. The Carbine's .30 ammo coupled with the M22's 8 Gauge shells caused the creature to fall onto a knee before falling face first into the floor.

Another pair came out from the hole and roared at them. The duo poured more ammo into them and Crystal reluctantly placed Hanna aside as she fired the Carbine at the creatures as well. Soon they were down as well and they reloaded their rifles.

"Let's go!" Miller said and they all followed behind. More soft thumps were heard and they readied themselves once again. They came to a door at the end of the hallway and Miller kicked it open. It was a path that lead out into the rain and to one of the Coolant Towers. He motioned for them to go and soon they were racing across the bridge and to the coolant tower.

As they entered, they found themselves in one of the coolant control rooms that overlooked the reactor coolant rods. They moved to the door way and went through a covered walkway that had a ladder leading into what appeared to be a smashed up corridor underneath them. The ladder had been ripped up but a ventilation shaft provided an alternate route as it looked like it connected with the smashed up corridor later on.

One by one they entered the shaft and crawled through. Crystal had to be extra careful as she clutched onto Hanna. They moved slowly, not wanting to alert any of the creatures that may occupy the halls beneath. As miller came over a vent that revealed the hallway beneath, he heard loud footsteps. He whispered for them all to be quiet and he looked down into the hallway.

He saw several of the creatures walking with an unconscious Jake, Spyro, and Cynder. They were carrying them somewhere and Miller watched as they entered an adjacent room. As the door slammed shut behind them Miller kicked the vent open and he leapt down into the hallway. The others followed suit and soon the whole team was against the door and intently listening.

They heard muffled moaning inside and Miller motioned to the GI who nodded and kicked open the door. A pair of creatures immediately saw them and roared aloud. The first was dropped by Miller's M10 SMG as he grabbed it and set the Carbine aside. The second flew backwards as the GI fired his M22 into it. Crystal hesitantly added her Carbine to the mix and more creatures appeared to challenge them. Miller spotted Cynder on a table with genetic alteration equipment near her. The same was true with Spyro and Jake.

Soon they were surrounded by creatures and they heard the sound that they dreaded. CLACKS came from the cycling bolts on their rifles. They were out of ammo. Miller tossed the SMG aside and grasped his Carbine. He fired its clip into the nearest creature and was rewarded as it fell to the floor dead. However, it too ran dry and he tossed it aside as well. They were out of options.

"Very, very good." Came a deep throated voice. They all turned to see a Lakador in dark grey armor and plating with a cape. This uniform was not typical of Lakadors. In fact, in the 5 years that Miller had been fighting them, he had never seen this one before. An emblem of Ice was sitting upon the Lakador's chest. Miller didn't know what it meant. All he knew that the Lakadors were obviously behind this.

"It seems that my Master was right in taking interest in you Spyro... and you too Corporal Shaun Miller." The Lakador said.

"How do you know my name?" Miller inquired.

"My Master knows all. He knows who you are and that you are special. You are a great warrior. You just need to realize your full potential. Have you ever considered fighting for a better cause?"

"A better cause?! You're kind is exterminating Humanity! Why would I join you!"

"Because I am not in league with these creatures." He motioned to a dead Lakador lying beside him.

"I am with my own league. I fight for my Master and he only seeks to better the universe."

"Like how?"

"These magnificent creatures for example. The Humans were on to something... though they had never tried to apply their research to better things. My Master has seen the potential and has used it. Now these beasts belong to me and I am not afraid to use them... Why don't you join us Miller?" Miller thought about it for a moment. He wondered just who this guy's 'Master' was. Things were really getting weird. He had used that weird power earlier... but he didn't know if that made him obliged to join him. But how could these 'things' be so magnificent if they were killing? This didn't make any sense!

"How are these things helpful?! They are killing!"

"Only when I tell them too..."

"So it's been you keeping this place running?" The GI piped up.

"Yes. A Human Nuclear Facility is the perfect place to utilize this equipment. I could never have done this anywhere else. It seems your men were interested in this place and almost thwarted by work here. I made quick work of them..."

Miller frowned at the statement. That's why the power had been on so long... this Lakador had been using the Nuclear Power Plant as a power resource for his genetic modification machinery! Plus the Marines that came here were slaughtered... but from the looks of things they did do some damage to his genetic research.

A moan came through and Spyro lifted his head. He tried to get up and found that he was secured to the table and a needle was inserted into his arm. He felt a bit woozy and saw the scene in front of him. The Lakador saw him and smile with a heinous smile.

"Well look who decided to join us!" The Lakador said with a smile.

"Who are you..." Spyro said as he fought the woozy feeling flowing through him via the needle inserted into him.

"Ah... where are my manners... I am Macanious. I am one of the Ice Chosen Ones." Spyro growled. Another chosen one? What was he up to and was he one of the 10 that were good or was he one of the other 20?

"Chosen ones? What the hell is that?" Miller asked, a bit dumbfounded.

"You mean you don't know? The chosen ones are the masters of their elements that they posses. They can wield great power and are fabled to be the masters of all creatures... You are one of them."

"What?!" Spyro and Miller said almost in unison.

"Remember a few days ago when you defeated that Lakador with a spray of green light? That was an Earth Blast. You posses the power of Earth and you are incredibly powerful." Macanious explained.

Miller looked at his hands, recalling the day that he had almost been killed but used that attack to save his and Hanna's life. So he was... a Chosen One?

"This is why you must join me Miller... you can use your power for what it was meant to be used."

"Miller... the chosen ones are meant to help others and defeat the ultimate evil... don't fall for any tricks..." Spyro said before he fainted. The liquid being injected into him conked him out.

"Yes... do not fall for any tricks. I am offering you a position of great power. My Master will ensure us all safety and security. All he asks is that you join..."

"No dice... from what I have seen, you have killed too many to only want peace."

"So be it." With a flick of his wrist, the creatures approached and threatened to kill them. If Miller was a chosen one, then this was the best damn time to use his powers. He sealed his eyes as he concentrated to his strength. He felt something inside of him... something really powerful. He opened his eyes and felt power surge through him. He held out his palm and a flash of green flew from it and connected with the nearest creature. It flew back into the ground and the others roared and charged. The GI and Crystal snapped to and reloaded their weapons as fast as they could.

Miller fired off more of the shotgun like blasts and knocked several creatures into the walls. The GI and Crystal added their own weapons to the mix, .30 ammo and shotgun buck being expended into these monsters. Soon, they started to fall and Macanious leapt at Miller to challenge him. Miller leapt to the side and fired a blast at the Lakador. He flew back into a machine and growled in anger.

"Crystal! Get the others!" Miller yelled and Crystal understood. She ran over and with the help of the GI, released Spyro, Cynder, and Jake from the tables and carried them off with Hanna to the door.

Miller used his Earth Blast again and Macanious flew at him and used ice. Miller's left arm was frozen but he shattered the ice against a wall and retreated out the door. Before he left he grabbed his M78C and grabbed another clip and slipped it into the Carbine with a satisfying click.

As he retreated into the hallway, Crystal and the GI carried Spyro, Cynder, and Jake atop each other and dashed down the halls. Creatures burst out of the door down the hall and out of the room they just came from. Miller fired his entire 40 round clip of .30 cal ammo into the approaching monsters. Many collapsed before they reached him but some did and he was forced to use his Earth Blast to knock them back. He retreated with Crystal and the GI deep into the halls.

"What the hell do we do know?!" The GI asked.

"Run like hell!" Miller yelled. They didn't do otherwise. They dashed down the halls and into what looked like a garage. In the garage there were several vehicles, including UERMC Jaguar Tanks, and a single UERMC Cougar Jeep. The Jeep had a powerful .50 caliber M2 Browning Machine gun. It would surely knock those creatures down like they were made of paper.

"Get to the jeep!" Miller yelled. The position they were on was elevated and two stairwells lead down to the garage base. Outside, rain poured and thunder boomed and the eerie forest lay beyond. The GI got in the driver's seat and Crystal sat in the passenger. She put Hanna in her lap and they set the three unconscious members down in between them and Miller leapt onto the gunner's seat. He swiveled the turret to face the creatures that barged from the garage entrance. The M2 blared and the loud hum of automatic fire cut the steady taps of rain. The creatures roared and fell over as the .50 cal ammo meant for penetrating armor hit their flesh.

The GI floored the gas and the tires screeched before the jeep shot out from the garage. The rain splattered their faces and Miller continued to fire the machine gun at the creatures that leapt several feet through the air and one even landed on the jeep's rear end. Miller blew him off with an Earth Blast. The Jeep speed down the path and through the trees. Miller could see the silhouettes of the creatures all around them. He fired the M2 as best he could at the creatures but it didn't seem to really kill enough of them. Still they kept on as Crystal gave a helping hand by grabbing a Carbine and assisting the Marine by killing the creatures.

The Jeep sped off into the night and the creatures were close behind. It looked as if they had this whole forest infested!

"Miller! The Jeeps low on gas!" The GI called out from the driver's seat. Ah crap... that was the LAST thing he needed to here... hopefully they could get to Marsha City... he would gladly take on an army of Lakadors then these things... unfortunately... that's what would be awaiting him and his battle worn squad once they got back... their options were limited... well, there was still one thing Miller could to: keep firing.

End of Chapter 4

Whew, finally, done. This chapter was a doozy to do but I finally got it done. Was pretty interesting to type actually. Well hope you guys like it! There is more on the way!