Multiverse Marines — Episode 4: "Blades in the Dark"
The barracks were colder than usual. Not from the climate systems—it was the way eyes cut into Zack "Speed" Marlin when he walked in.
Two missions, two impossible climbs. Level 32. In a world where most Marines spent years clawing their way to a hundred, he'd doubled it in a week.
The squad hated him. The Auditors circled him. And Command itself was watching.
That was fine. Zack liked being the problem.
⸻
The Interrogation
The summons came before dawn. A pair of Auditors in their long black coats stood at Zack's bunk, silent as graves.
"Rookie Marlin," one said through his vocoder. "Admiral Kross requests your presence."
Every squadmate sat up, watching. Mina smirked like it was a funeral. Dax grunted, "Finally." Sachi only gave him a look that said: survive this.
The walk through Command halls was quiet except for the clack of boots. They stopped at a steel door. It opened into a dark room that smelled of ozone. Admiral Serrin Kross sat behind a desk carved from something that wasn't wood. His eyes glowed faintly with old cybernetic scars.
Director Talia Vere leaned against the wall, her smile a blade wrapped in silk.
"Marlin," Kross said. "Explain to me how you stand at Level 32 after two missions."
Zack shrugged. "Good aim. Good luck."
Vere's laugh was soft and terrifying. "Luck doesn't grind levels. Not in this Department."
Kross's voice was iron. "You're not reporting correctly. Something is wrong with your numbers. Wrong numbers kill squads."
Zack's HUD flickered in his mind, taunting him with glowing truth he could never share. "Maybe I just want it more than they do."
Kross's gaze burned into him. "Wanting doesn't matter. Grind is grind. Sweat, blood, scars—that's what earns Prestige. If you cheat, you die. If you're… different, we'll cut you open to learn why."
Zack smiled faintly. "I'm not different. I'm better."
The room went still. The Auditors tensed. Vere's grin widened. Kross finally waved him away. "Go, Marlin. Fight another mission. If you survive, we'll decide whether to purge you."
Zack bowed slightly and left, heart hammering. He knew one thing: Command wasn't convinced.
Mission Assignment
The squad's next target: The Crimson Tunnels. Underground caverns crawling with venom-beasts that adapted to the dark. Claustrophobic. Close-quarters. Perfect for betrayal.
As they geared up, Mina leaned against her locker, sneer painted across her face. "One way or another, rookie—you're not coming back from this one."
Dax spat a wad of black gum. "Accidents happen in the Tunnels. Rocks fall. Guns misfire. You know how it is."
Patch didn't meet Zack's eyes. Kade kept fidgeting with explosives like they were excuses. Hodge cracked his knuckles and said nothing.
Only Sachi slid close, lips brushing Zack's ear. "They'll try something. Watch your back. And after… we'll sneak off and pipe like they never mattered."
Her grin burned like a secret flame.
⸻
The Drop Into Crimson
The Tunnels were wet with condensation, dripping echoes off jagged stone. Red bioluminescent moss lit the walls faintly, like veins glowing under a corpse's skin.
"Stay sharp," Kincaid barked. "Chitin runners move fast here. Small XP but lethal in packs."
They moved in formation. Shadows shifted. Then the swarm hit.
Chitin Runners: small, fast, with fanged maws. Zack cut them down, but the HUD gave him only +75 XP each. Not enough. Not worth the bullets.
Dax's cannon roared, shredding a dozen. He cursed when his XP tally blinked only +500. "Bullshit grind," he spat. "Waste of ammo."
Mina sniped two off the ceiling, got +150 XP each. "Fucking joke," she muttered.
The grind was merciless here.
⸻
Sabotage
Halfway through the caverns, Zack pushed ahead to clear a corner. That's when it happened.
A detonation. A mine snapped under his foot. Zack flipped back, instincts saving him—but the blast still tore his shoulder armor and scorched his side.
Smoke filled the tunnel.
Kade's voice echoed, too calm: "Trap went off."
Zack narrowed his eyes. The placement had been deliberate. Not Chimera. Not random. Planted.
"Careful, rookie," Mina called sweetly from the shadows. "Wouldn't want you to blow up before you hit Prestige 1."
Zack's HUD glowed warning-red. Betrayal had a smell, and it was thick here.
The Apex Beast
The squad pressed deeper. From the darkness came a roar that rattled bones. The Apex Venom Stalker emerged—a monster like a panther with insect limbs, jaws dripping acid. Its hide glimmered with hardened scales.
"Three thousand XP if it dies," Kincaid shouted.
The fight was chaos. The Stalker darted in and out, carving gashes, melting stone with spit. Dax unloaded, Mina screamed curses as her rounds bounced, Patch dragged Kade back from a near-death slash.
Zack moved like a ghost. Dodging. Sliding. His bursts tore chunks from the beast.
But in the chaos, he felt it again—betrayal. A shot zipped past his head, not at the beast. From Mina's barrel.
"Oops," she said coldly. "Bad aim."
Dax's cannon flared too close to Zack's flank, shrapnel biting his armor. "Stay outta my line, rookie," he growled, grinning.
They weren't even hiding it anymore.
⸻
The Kill
The Apex lunged for Kincaid. Zack dove, sliding under, rifle roaring into its throat. Blood sprayed hot. The HUD screamed.
Apex Venom Stalker Kill Share — +3,000 XP
Direct Damage Bonus — +1,400 XP
The beast collapsed, shaking the cavern.
The squad breathed hard, covered in blood and hate. They looked at Zack like he was the monster.
⸻
The Grind Reward
MISSION PAYOUT:
— Chitin Runners (x8): +600 XP
— Assist Bonuses: +200 XP
— Apex Kill Share: +3,000 XP
— Direct Damage Bonus: +1,400 XP
TOTAL: +5,200 XP
LEVEL UP!
Zack "Speed" Marlin
Prestige 0 | Level 42
(100 / 500 XP toward Level 43)
Gun Skills: 8
Enhancements: 8
Ten more levels. And every one of them hated him more.
⸻
Fallout
Back in the barracks, the tension snapped.
"You're cheating," Mina spat. "No one climbs like that."
"You're dangerous," Dax growled. "You'll get us killed—or I'll get you first."
Even Kincaid's eyes narrowed. "Whatever you're hiding, Marlin—it won't stay hidden."
Patch muttered, "Auditors will gut you like a lab rat."
Only Sachi smirked, slipping near him again, whispering: "I'll pipe you tonight so good the walls will remember. Let them choke on their envy."
Zack smiled, blood still drying on his armor.
⸻
Closing
Alone, Zack stared at the HUD.
ZACK "SPEED" MARLIN
Prestige 0 | Level 42
(100 / 500 XP)
Gun Skills: 8
Enhancements: 8
Above his stats, the Legends still glowed: Prestige 20,000. Level 1000. Gods locked at the cap.
But Zack felt it. The grind bent to him. The sting had changed the rules. He wasn't crawling Prestige by Prestige. He was sprinting.
And soon, someone in his squad—or Command—would try to end him for it.
He grinned into the dark.
"Let them try."