• PROLOGUE

    The year is 2082, the world has found new material that can be used for armor and weaponry. Nothing can destroy the material but the material itself. Since the material is light but almost impenetrable, the Kaien used it for their army. The steel and other metals used for bullets and guns were all used up. All the world had left was this new material, Manzik. The world decided since bullets used up metals too quick, Manzik would only be used for high tech melee weapons. Thus, a new era of war was born.

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    CHAPTER ONE

    David looked at The General.
    "You're serious? I'm being sent to your Squadron?" He asked, a grin on his face.
    The general looked at him.
    "You're the best damn soldier in this place, maybe my men will learn a thing or two." The General said. He looked at David. "But I'm telling you, the job I'm callin' you in for aint easy." He finished. David nodded. His black hair moving with the nod.
    "Yes, sir. If you don't mind me asking, what is the job anyway?" He asked The General. The General looked at him. David's brown eyes awaited an answer.
    "You'll learn when you get it, Sergeant Stevens." The General said. David blinked.
    "Sir, you know I'm a corporal, right?" David asked.
    "You know, you ask a lot of damn questions. You're a sergeant now." The General said. The General ordered David to follow him. David walked beside The General into an elevator. David was confused, he was moved to Delta, complimented, and promoted, all for an unknown purpose. He shrugged. The answer will come soon. The General pressed many of the numbered buttons on the wall. The elevator didn't move, but the opposite side they entered from opened. The General walked through and David followed. The General walked to a door and swiped an ID card through a machine. The door opened. They walked into a room with people sitting at a table, waiting for something. David looked over the crowd. The General stood next to a huge monitor on the wall. He turned to the soldiers.
    "You have all been summoned here for a special purpose. We all know how this hand to hand combat warfare has affected us. It helps us. No reloading, no carrying extra ammo, and no worrying about getting a bullet in your brain from people 80 meters away. However, that doesn't mean there aren't problems. Now, it's easier to breach our walls because we have no turrets. We have to dispatch a security team as soon as we can every time this happens. We have just received word that the Kanta are trying to take over our land. We will stop them. Now, I want all of you to go prepare to protect our land, meet me in the courtyard at twenty one hundred hours." The General said. Everyone moved at once. David went to head for the door. "Stevens!" The General called. David turned to him. "James!" The General called next. A man with a buzz cut came over to The General and David.
    "Yes, General?" The man with dark skin and short cut hair asked. The General motioned to David.
    "Get Sergeant Stevens set up. He's new to Delta." The General said. The man turned to David. He nodded to The General.
    "Come on, Stevens." He said, walking away. David followed. "You're gonna have fun in Delta." He said.
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    CHAPTER TWO

    David followed the guy.
    "So, what's you're first name anyway?" The man asked David.
    "David." He replied. The man looked at him.
    "I'm the only person that The General calls by his first name. I'm James Hunt." James said. "And David, when you get set up and we leave, expect anything from anywhere." He finished. David nodded. They went into a room with uniforms on the walls. There was one labeled "Stevens" and David looked at it.
    "Is this one mine?" He asked James. James walked to it and looked at it.
    "Seems like it. Throw it on and lets get you an S.P. Manzik." James said. David looked at him.
    "S.P. Manzik?" He asked. James nodded. David was so confused. "What-"
    "You'll see. Now hurry." James said. David nodded and put on the chestguard. As he continued to put on the armor, he thought about how something so light could possibly protect him on the battlefield. When he finished, he got up and James looked at him.
    "Done." David said, putting on his helmet.
    "Good. Now let's go get you an S.P. Manzik." James said. David knew what Manzik was, it was the material they found to replace steel and other metals. It was what the armor he had on was made from. He knew all about it, but what was an S.P. Manzik? He had no clue. James waved him to follow and David followed. They walked into a room with different weapons made of Manzik on a table. They walked to the table and James picked up Manzik knives. He put them in a socket in David's thigh guards. The knives were sticks up with a square hole in the end so David could get one with a finger at any time. James picked up what looked like a Manzik karate stick. David looked at James. "Good for bashing heads in." James said. David laughed lightly.
    "Great." He said, taking it. It was surprisingly light. Then again, that's what Manzik was known for. Light, but sturdy. The only thing different about this karate stick is that there were buttons. David thought best of it not to test what they do now. James looked at him.
    "Different functions." He said, smiling. "Stun, Strength, Pierce." He finished, pointing to the three buttons. David nodded.
    "Got it." He said. They heard a loud wailing noise from outside.
    "Let's go!" James said, walking away.
    "Kanta?" David asked, following.
    "Kanta." James confirmed, cracking his neck. "I'm ready to smash some heads."
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    CHAPTER THREE

    They burst through the door, into the night. David had sent his S.P. Manzik to stun, James had his set to strength. Manzik knives were flying bothways. James looked out and motioned for David to follow him. They walked left and behind their squad.
    "Lieutenant Hunt! What are our orders?" A man in the squad asked. James looked at the rest of the squad. He smiled.
    "Hold the line while the rookie and I sneak around and get those bastards." James said, motioning to David. They all nodded.
    "Yes sir!" They said, running off. David watched as the only woman in the squad ran off after nodding an "okay" to James. James looked at him.
    "David, you ready to smash some heads?" James asked. David smiled and nodded.
    "Hell yeah, I am!" David answered after focusing for a moment. They walked by another as another new kid in the squad stood behind cover and looked back to James. One rule in this squad, never look away from the enemy. A manzik knife flew towards him. James pulled him forward quick as the manzik knife hit the ground. James bent forward and picked up the manzik knife and threw it at one of the Kanta warriors. The manzik knife flew into the chest of the Kanta.
    "Remember the rules, Patricks!" James called to the other rookie. Patricks nodded and kept his eyes on the battle. David and James huddled in a corner.
    "What're we doin, James?" David asked. James pointed to a building.
    "We go in through the front door of this one and come out of that one." James said, pointing to the building behind the Kanta. David looked at him.
    "With no doors?" David asked with a confused look under his mask.
    "We're gonna smash through 'em." James said, holding up his S.P Manzik. David smiled. He liked how this guy thought. They ran into the first building and James pulled out manzik knives. James lifted his S.P. Manzik and hit it against the wall. The wall crumbled and James ran through. There were confused Kanta at the windows, throwing knives. James and David rushed in. David jumped on a table and jumped off hitting a Kanta in the face. A short sound came out of the S.P. Manzik and the Kanta stumbled back. The Kanta held his head with two hands like he had a headache. He dropped his S.P. Manzik and David set his to strength. David rushed in and struck the Kanta in the chest with his S.P. Manzik and the Kanta's chest guard broke. The Kanta stumbled back and came to his senses. He dove behind cover. He took out four manzik knives and rose, two in each hand. The Kanta swung his arms consecutively, and threw the knives at David. The knives sunk into David's armor. One in his arm, three in his chest. David flinched and shut his eyes when the Kanta's knives pierced his armor. He felt a searing pain in his arm. He opened his eyes and pulled a manzik knife out of his bleeding arm. He looked at the three in his chest. He wondered why there was no blood, why there was no pain. The Kanta began to walk away from his assumed dead enemy. David set his S.P. Manzik to pierce. He ran after the Kanta as he turned around. He swung his S.P. Manzik at the Kanta and missed. The S.P. Manzik hit the wall. David noticed the S.P. Magnet didn't break the wall, it cut into the wall. The Kanta threw manzik knives at David and ran off. David took out manzik knives and threw them after the Kanta. A manzik knife hit the Kanta in the leg. The Kanta dropped He reached for a manzik knife, though there were no more. He stood on his knees with his head bowed in front of David as he walked. The Kanta pulled the knife out of his leg and swung at David. David blocked with his S.P. Manzik. The S.P. Manzik sparked and cut through the knife, the Kanta's arm finishing the swing. The Kanta fell forward, dropping the manzik knife. David stepped on The Kanta's back and crush him down. He raised his S.P. Manzik in the air. He shoved the S.P. Manzik into the Kanta's back and it pierced through his body. The Kanta's body stopped moving, and David removed his S.P. Manzik from the back of the Kanta. Two of the Kantas stood on both sides of David. A rush went through David as he breathed in. He heard nothing, he saw everything. One of the Kanta swung their weapon at him. He blocked with his S.P. Manzik and swung backwards at the other Kanta, striking him in the shoulder. His armor was cut and he bled beneath it. David jumped and kicked the Kanta in front with both feet. His body hit the ground as did the Kanta's. He rolled sideways to avoid the blow of the cut Kanta. He took out throwing knives and threw them at his attacker. The knives hit the Kanta in the chest and he began to bleed. David looked at knives in the dying Kanta's chest. He wondered why he didn't bleed like that. He picked up his S.P. Manzik and rose as the remaining Kanta had done. The Kanta had dropped his weapon when he was hit. He took out a double blade edged Kanta Manzik Staff. David watched as the Kanta spun his weapon sideways changing sides. David still had the rush and was ready to fight. The Kanta swung one edge of his staff at David. David blocked with his S.P Manzik. David expected the S.P. Manzik to cut through the Kanta's staff. The weapons clashed and a spark came from their weapons. David watched as the S.P. Manzik flew from his hands, away from the clash. David took out the last two of his manzik knives. David blocked his strike and backed up. He threw one at the Kanta's thigh. The Kanta moved the blade in the way and blocked it. He swung his edge at David and David blocked, dropping his knife. The Kanta spun his staff above his head. He swung the edge as David. Five manzik knives flew into the Kanta's back in the middle of the swing. He fell and dropped his staff. James jumped down the side of the staircase in back of the Kanta.
    "James?" David asked, in shock. "Thanks." He finished, picking up his S.P. Manzik and the Kanta's Spear. He put the S.P. Manzik in the slot in back of his chestguard.. David held his hand up.
    "Hold the applause till we're through." James said. The smashed through the door into the next room.
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    CHAPTER FOUR

    This continued until the last room. James smashed through the wall and David burst through, holding two manzik knives in each hand. There were two Kantas with red armor inside. James pulled David backward.
    "Red Guardians." James said. David watched as the Red Guardians took out two hand axes. They ran towards David and James. "Dodge, then attack the legs till the body comes down." James whispered to David. David nodded. The Red Guardians swung at the two and they dodged. David rushed and dodged the blow, rushing in and slicing at the legs of the Red Guardian. The Red Guardian bled from his legs, but wasn't phased. He swung at David again and David dodged. He cut the legs more and the Red Guardian collapsed. David picked up the two hand axes the Red Guardian carried and dropped the double blade edged staff. He lifted his hand and threw the axe at the floor, cutting off the head of the Red Guardian. He picked the axe back up and turned to James, who was finishing off his opponent. James and David walked by each other and gave each other a high five. A voice came on the headset in their helmet.
    "Delta, we have just received word that you have reinforcements on the roofs of the buildings. What are your orders?" A man on the headset asks.
    "Manzik knives at the Kanta." James said.
    "Roger, lieutenant." The man said.
    "Thanks, command. Delta out." James said. There were sounds of metal sinking into the floor outside. James set his S.P. Manzik to pierce. The door opened and Kanta came in, running from the manzik knives. James didn't have a chance to move when two hand axes flew across the air and cut into the faces of the two Kanta coming in. David took out his S.P. Manzik and continued toward the door. Another Kanta came in and David threw 3 manzik knives in his chest. He walked through the door and James followed. The rest of delta squad rushed over. A voice come on their headsets again.
    "Delta, the Kanta are retreating. Well done." The voice said.
    "Thanks, command." James said. David and James gave each other high fives.
    "Come to the briefing room, Delta. New mission." The voice said. "Command out." They finished. James waved for Delta squad to follow him.
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    CHAPTER FIVE

    James walked in front of the squad. David walked next to the guy James saved earlier, Patricks. Patricks looked at him.
    "Hey, Sergeant Stevens." Patricks said. David put his hand up.
    "Call me David." He said. Patricks nodded.
    "Okay, David. I'm Carlos. Good work on the Kanta." He said.
    "Thanks. Don't thank me though." David said with a laugh. "I just got a rush while I was out there." He finished. Patricks laughed lightly. They walked into the Command Building. James led Delta Squad to the room with the monitor. The General stood in his place in front of it.
    "Delta, you did good. We drove the Kanta back to their home. They wont stop though. Their army stretches too far. They have camps in cities they control. If we can defeat the soldiers in those camps, we can take over Kanta territory. We can offer the city protection, and we will make our own Kaein camps at those cities. If we can drive their army into their own land, we might be able to take it." The General said. James stepped up.
    "So you want us to go around to Kanta territory, bustin' our asses to drive back an army, and take over the Kanta mainland?" James asked. He didn't need an answer. "Let's do it!" He said with enthusiasm. Delta squad cheered. David walked out the room as everyone else did. They were heading to their quarters. He had no clue where his quarters were. James walked to him.
    "Your quarters are down the hall and to the right. Cabin K-24." He said. David nodded. He walked to his quarters. He went to his bags, which were in a corner. He took his laptop from his bag and placed it on a table. Removing his helmet, he turned on his laptop. The screen turned on and he started a video chat. Several moments later, a woman pops up on the screen.
    "Hey, hun." David said, smiling. The woman smiled.
    "Hey David, how are things in the army?" She asked.
    "Well Ciara, I got moved to The General's squad, then we got attacked. We pushed them back." David answered. He shrugged.
    "Sounds rough, you okay?" Ciara asked. David nodded.
    "Nothing we couldn't handle." He said with a smile. Ciara smiled.
    "Babe, when are you coming back home?" Ciara asked, looking down, a sad tone in her voice. David sighed.
    "After we take over all of the Kanta territory. We're ending this war by the end of the week. You think you can last one more week without me, hun?" David replied. Ciara nodded and smiled.
    "You know...Alicia asks about you every day." Ciara said, nodding, her eyes wet. "She'll be glad to see you home again, David." She finished. David smiled.
    "I can't wait to go home and see my little girl." David said. The power to the base shut down. Ciara looked confused.
    "David are you alright?" She asked, worried.
    "I'm fine, the power's out. Tell Alicia I'll see her soon." David said. Ciara smiled.
    "Okay, David. I love you." She said. David smiled in the darkness.
    "I love you too, hun. Tell Alicia I love her too." David said.
    "Okay. Bye." Ciara said.
    "Bye." David said, closing the video chat and closing his laptop. Someone opened his door.
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    CHAPTER SIX

    "Sergeant Stevens! They're asking for you in the briefing room." The guy said, a look of regret in his eyes. David was already assigned a mission. He knew this kid was lying.
    "Don't lie to me kid. What's going on?" David said, grabbing him by the shoulder. The kid looked at him.
    "Sir, they have my family. They were planning to throw manzik knives through the window outside the briefing room when you walked through, so they could kill you." The kid said. David let him go.
    "Thanks kid. Just get them to turn the power back on. I'll handle the rest." David said. The kid nodded and ran off. David put on his helmet and went through the halls,passing by Delta members confused by the blackout. He then stopped in front of James' door. He knocked three times. James opened the door.
    "David, what's with the power?" He asked.
    "They held a guy from Delta's family hostage. They turned the power off aqnd tried to get him to lead me into an ambush. I knew he was lying. I told him to get them to turn the power back on, that I'll handle the rest. I want you to come with me. They're in sector 2-7 of the courtyard." David answered. James nodded.
    "Well, if they've got one of our guy's family hostage. I'll be damned if we let it happen. Let's go, David." He said. The power came back on in the base. James put his helmet on. They went into the courtyard where the Kanta were. David threw manzik knives at the Kanta. "David, there are civilains over there, be careful." James said. David nodded. The Kanta rushed toward James and David. It was six against two. David looked at James. He pointed to his manzik knives, then up towards the sky. Then he banged his fist against his palm. James smiled. James threw a manzik knife high into the air. Two Kanta stood to look at it. David rushed to them and had his S.P. Manzik set to pierce. He swung his S.P. Manzik at them and they were split in two. David did another sequence of hand signals to James. James nodded and threw a manzik knife at one of the Kanta. He dodged and let his guard down. David smashed into his head with an S.P. Manzik set to strength. There was a Kanta behind him. He turned as an S.P. Manzik hit him in the chest. He prayed to god it wasn't set to pierce. His armor shattered and his chest caved in. He hit the floor. He watched as four manzik knives flew into the chest of his attacker. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He could only watch. Two Kanta stood over him, throwing knives at James. David tried to move. He felt a pain in his ribs. Move...move damn it He thought to himself. There was no movement, only pain. He closed his eyes. Move...for Ciara...For Alicia... He thought again. James was hit in the chest by two manzik knives. He fell to the floor. David looked at James. Now it was only a matter of time before they both died. Sorry, Ciara...Alicia...I failed you guys...I'm not coming home... David thought as his eyes closed again. He heard manzik knifes sink into armor and thought it was his own. He opened his eyes when two limp bodies fell next to him. Kanta. Someone ran through, they had Delta's armor. They ran to the Kanta with the Delta guy's family and stuck their S.P. Manzik through them. The family thanked them and went into the base. The person who killed the last of the Kanta walked over to James.
    "You're a mess, Lieutenant." They said. It was a girl's voice. The girl David saw before. She walked over to David. A guy walked next to her.
    "We're too late for them, Kat." He said. She shook her head.
    "It's never too late. Get Lieutenant Hunt inside. I'll get Sergeant Stevens." She said. The guy protested.
    "But, Kat th-"
    "Now!" She yelled, interrupting. He nodded and walked over to James. He picked him as as the girl picked David up.
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    CHAPTER SEVEN

    David woke up in a room that wasn't his. It was also dry wall, not metal, so it couldn't be the base. It didn't look like his house. He shook his head and looked at his chest. There was no dent or anything. He then noticed something else. He was wearing normal clothes, not armor. He looked around as someone walked into the room quietly. He turned to the door. The girl from delta was there. Her black hair was tied back into a short ponytail. She was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans.
    "Hi." She said, waving awkwardly.
    "Hey." David said, turning and sitting on the edge of the bed.
    "So, you're finally up, huh?" She said, smiling.
    "Yea." He said, stretching. There was a pain in his chest. His hand shot to his chest.
    "Yea, it wears off after a while. Aspirin also helps. You want some?" She asked. David nodded.
    "Sure." He said. "I'm David, by the way." He added, feeling like there was a sense of mystery in the air. She took out a bottle of aspirin from her pocket and tossed it to him.
    "I'm Katherine, and I know all about you. New recruit in Delta, jumped right into action, almost ambushed, almost killed, a** saved by me." She said, laughing towards the end of her sentence. David caught the aspirin and laughed.
    "Yea...how do you know all that?" David asked, putting two aspirin on his tongue. Katherine looked at him.
    "Kinda hard not to when you're The General's daughter." She said, a hint of sadness in her tone. David looked concerned, though he said nothing. It was probably nothing for first meetings anyway. He swallowed the aspirin. She sat on the bed.
    "Okay, here's a question I've been dying to ask you. Wasn't my chest shattered and caved in last night?" David asked. Katherine smiled and laughed a bit.
    "You've been out for four days, David. More than enough time for the restoration machine to fix you up." She said, smiling. David laughed.
    "That so?" He said. "Then I'd better get back to Delta." He said, standing up. Katherine went to stop him.
    "You shouldn't go back yet." She said.
    "I'm fine, I'm fine." David said. She stepped in front of him and put her hand on his chest. Katherine looked at him. Her brown eyes looked into his. They stared for a moment. Katherine looked away, a slight blush on her cheeks. She removed her hand from his chest and walked away.
    "You can go." She said. David looked at her.
    "How do I get back?" He asked.
    "Just go down the road. James wants to talk to you." Katherine answered in a soft voice. David nodded. He walked out of the door.