Multiverse Marines — Episode 5: "Audit by Fire"
The Multiverse Marines had two truths:
1. The grind was everything.
2. Betrayal was inevitable.
Zack "Speed" Marlin had felt both already. Two missions in, the squad wanted him dead. By mission three, the Auditors were circling. By mission four, Dax and Mina had already tried to bury him in the Crimson Tunnels.
Now, by mission five, both enemies—the squad and Command—would finally strike at once.
⸻
Audit Call
The order came sharp. Zack's squad was pulled into a steel briefing dome, but the air was heavier than usual. At the center stood Admiral Serrin Kross, armored in black plating etched with kill-runes. Beside him, Director Talia Vere smiled her shark smile.
Behind them, five Auditors in long coats, visors red.
"Marlin," Kross said. His voice echoed like gunfire in a canyon. "Step forward."
Zack obeyed, calm. Inside, the HUD flickered alive, feeding him stats, glowing like a secret heartbeat.
"You are anomalous," Kross continued. "Two weeks in service. Level forty-two. This is an insult to the grind. Marines bleed for every notch. You sprint."
Mina's laugh was sharp. "Told you he was cheating."
Dax grinned, baring teeth. "Should've killed him myself."
Kross ignored them. "The Department does not tolerate anomalies. You will submit to Audit."
Director Vere leaned close, voice smooth. "That means we cut you open, little Marlin. See what makes you tick."
The squad stared, some satisfied, some wary. Sachi's eyes were sharp, worried, calculating.
Zack tilted his head, smirking. "Cut me open? You'd only find a man who grinds better than gods."
The words were gasoline.
⸻
Chaos Sparked
The Auditors moved first. Two surged forward, energy restraints snapping open like hungry jaws.
But before they could clamp him, the ground shook. Sirens wailed. A mission alert lit the dome.
Breach in Sublevel 9. Apex-class monster loose in the halls.
Kross barked orders instantly. "Containment squad—move!" He turned his glare on Zack. "You're coming with us, anomaly."
But in the scramble, Zack's squad closed in around him—and betrayal bloomed.
Mina's rifle barrel pressed into Zack's back. Dax's cannon tilted toward his head.
"This is it, rookie," Mina hissed. "Audit or not, you don't leave this dome breathing."
The squad froze, shock rippling. Even Kincaid snarled, "What the fuck are you doing?"
Dax spat. "Finishing what Command won't."
The Apex roared in the distance, walls trembling. Perfect timing for murder.
⸻
Speed's Answer
Zack's HUD flared alive.
WARNING: Hostile intent detected.
Targets: Mina Sol | Dax Rourke
Threat Level: High
The Auditors hesitated, sensors confused by the Apex breach. Kross barked, distracted.
Zack moved.
Faster than eyes could track, he pivoted under Mina's barrel, snapping it upward. Her shot cracked the ceiling. At the same breath, he slid low, bursts roaring from his compact sniper-SMG into Dax's cannon feed. The weapon exploded, shrapnel slicing Dax's arm.
Mina cursed, slashing with her combat knife. Zack caught her wrist, twisted, slammed her into the dome wall. The HUD blinked:
Disarm Bonus — +150 XP.
Dax roared, bleeding, swinging his cannon like a club. Zack ducked, slid between his legs, and planted a burst into his calf.
Crippling Shot — +200 XP.
The squad erupted. Patch shouted, Kade grabbed explosives, Hodge stepped forward to break it up. Kincaid roared: "Stand the fuck down!"
But the damage was done. Zack had humiliated them.
⸻
The Apex Breach
Then the dome wall shattered.
The Apex Monster crashed in—an abomination of steel and flesh, escaped from some experiment. Its body rippled with shifting armor plates, maw dripping acid that burned through steel.
The Auditors spun, weapons blazing. Marines screamed. Blood sprayed. The Apex tore two Auditors in half before anyone blinked.
"Contain!" Kross thundered, his own blade sparking with light.
The squad fell into formation out of instinct. Mina snarled at Zack but fired anyway. Dax, limping, cursed but braced his cannon.
Zack slid into motion, bursts hammering weak points. The Apex howled, thrashing, acid spraying.
⸻
XP Grind in Blood
The HUD fed him details:
• Weak limb shots: +75 XP.
• Acid counter-fire, dodged, retaliated: +250 XP.
• Mid-battle assist saving Patch: +400 XP.
• Critical damage burst into exposed core: +1,000 XP.
The grind was cruel but rewarding. Zack felt his body sharpen mid-battle, reflexes syncing to the impossible rhythm.
The Apex lunged for Kross. The Admiral moved like thunder, blade cleaving its arm off. Zack's HUD blinked red:
TARGET: Apex Monster
Final Blow Bonus Available
He dove, sliding under acid spray, his rifle humming. Bursts tore into the exposed chest cavity. The monster screamed, collapsing.
⸻
The Payout
The HUD screamed victory.
MISSION PAYOUT:
— Weak kills: +600 XP
— Assists: +400 XP
— Critical Damage: +1,000 XP
— Final Blow Bonus: +2,500 XP
TOTAL: +4,500 XP
LEVEL UP!
Zack "Speed" Marlin
Prestige 0 | Level 51
(100 / 500 XP toward 52)
Gun Skills: 10
Enhancements: 10
Nine levels in one breach.
The squad stared at him like he was a ghost. Mina clutched her wrist, glaring pure murder. Dax bled, teeth grit with rage. The rest whispered, fear and envy mixing.
Kross turned, eyes narrowing. "You," he growled. "Always you."
Vere smiled like she'd won. "Interesting. Very interesting."
⸻
Fallout
Back in the barracks, tension was poison.
Mina sat sharpening her knife, eyes locked on Zack. Dax drank, glaring, arm bandaged. Patch muttered about bad math. Kade avoided his eyes. Hodge said nothing, fists clenched.
Kincaid broke the silence. "Next mission, one of you will die. If it's Marlin, I won't cry. If it's anyone else, I'll kill whoever caused it."
Sachi leaned against Zack's bunk, whispering so only he could hear: "You pipe me later, Speed. Let them stew. Let them choke."
She smiled like a blade. He smiled back.
⸻
Closing
Alone, Zack opened his HUD.
ZACK "SPEED" MARLIN
Prestige 0 | Level 51
(100 / 500 XP)
Gun Skills: 10
Enhancements: 10
Above, the Legends glowed, capped at Prestige 20,000 / Level 1000.
But Zack knew: the grind bent for him. Command wanted him dissected. His squad wanted him dead.
Good. Let them all come.
Because he was Speed. And he was only getting faster.