The LAAT gunship shook violently as it plunged into Eldritch VI's atmosphere. Wally West tightly gripped the safety harness, his eyes glued to the metal ceiling of the craft. Fear gnawed at the edges of the speedster's sanity. It was all so surreal. He was heading into battle on a spaceship from Star Wars. He'd never imagined something like this would happen; not in a million years. Yet here he was. Wally took a deep breathe through his nostrils. He tried to calm himself down but his nerves would not allow it. He was all alone in a strange universe fighting a war for the liberation of the Multiverse. Despair threatened to set in as the realization of his impending doom slipped into Wally's mind. It wasn't that he feared being shot at. No, Kid Flash could handle bullets. It wasn't even death that he feared. No, he was terrified of the all encompassing loneliness, knowing full well that he might never see his family or Artemis ever again. Wally took in another gulp of the the stagnant air contained in the gunship. The other troopers glanced idly at the mortified young hero and wondered why he'd been assigned to such a high stress mission in the first place.
"Get ready. We'll be landing in approximately five minutes." The pilot informed the squad over the ship's internal com system. "Alright Epsilon Squad. You heard him. Gear up and get ready to drop." A soldier in all black armor carrying what appeared to be a laser rifle ordered. The red stripe on his right shoulder pad denoted his position as Squad Leader. Activity in the compacted space rose. Soldiers checked their weapons and equipment, slinging bags and backpacks onto themselves. They were motley bunch. While their uniforms were all black in color, their choice of dress and armament was drastically different. Some carried conventional firearms while others wielded more exotic weapons. One of them wore armor akin to that of a Medieval knight and held within her hands a massive two handed broadsword. Another was draped in a flowing robe and carried a staff. The strangest of them all was the gigantic blue turtle with a pair of cannons poking out of its shell, who was escorted by a teenage boy in a blue baseball cap.
"Hey, kid." The knight said. Wally looked away from the ceiling and stared blankly at her helmet. "This is supposed to be a stealth ops. What's with the bright spandex?" Kid Flash glanced down at his uniform. He was still wearing the armored version of his costume. The colorful red and yellow suit that had become an iconic part of his superhero career.
"Sorry." He muttered. Wally tapped the crimson lightning bolt on his chest and the material shifted and
changed until it was mostly black. The woman seemed to notice Kid Flash's frightened manner and moved to his side, taking a seat next to him. "There's nothing to be worried about. I'll have your back the whole time we're out there." Wally offered the stranger a small smile and a nod.
"Thanks. I'm Kid Flash, by the way." He offered her his hand, which she shook. Wally winced as she did so; the lady had quite the grip.
"I am called Saint Mary." The knight said. "That is Aquila." She motioned towards the squad leader, who nodded in Wally's direction. "And this is Nahum." She pointed to the wizard, who merely grunted in response. "My name's Gerald." The boy in the blue cap said. "This is my Pokemon, Blastoise." The blue turtle-like creature turned and looked at Kid Flash. "Blastoise!" Wally gave them all a an awkward wave. "Thirty seconds to landing." The pilot informed them. The squad positioned themselves closer to the blast doors. Saint Mary helped pull Kid Flash to his feet and pulled him over to the door next to her.
"Where's the-" Wally began, only for one of the grunts to toss a satchel to him. Kid caught it and tossed the strap over his shoulder.
"Thanks." He flicked open the flap and looked inside, checking on the explosives held within.
The doors to the LAAT gunship pulled back and revealed the expansive desert environment. Epsilon rushed out of the ship and dropped into the sand below. The squad spread out, forming a defensive perimeter around the landing zone. "Clear!" Aquila called. Two more LAATs appeared over the horizon and landed next to them, spilling their occupants out in a similar manner. Aquila placed a hand on the side of his black, featureless helmet. "Epsilon Squad is in position." He informed them. The leaders of the other two squads (Gamma and Delta squads, respectively) performed the same task. "Kid Flash, scout the ridge for enemy patrols!" Wally slid his ruby goggles over his eyes and dashed up the side of the huge dune, looking out over the ocean of sand. Kid's eyes widened for a moment before he jumped backwards off the ridge. Moments afterward, a huge explosion rocked the formation.
"Mech!" Kid Flash shouted.
Suddenly, a towering construct of metal appeared over what remained of the ridge. The monstrosity of steel pointed its long-barreled energy weapon down at the squads and opened fire. One of the LAATs exploded in a ball of fire. The other two tried to take off but were destroyed in quick succession. The squads of infantry scattered in all directions towards any cover they could find. "This is Epsilon leader to fleet! We need heavy fire support on my location immediately! Target will be lase'd." Aquila shouted into his communicator as he, Saint Mary and Gerald dived behind another sand dune for cover. Aquila grabbed a black box from his belt and pointed it toward the rampaging mech, a beam of bright green light landing on its back. "We've got to take the base's power out. The longer its on, the more time we give their AA to shoot down our air wings." Aquila said between gritted teeth. Another explosion rocked the immediate battlefield as the mech let loose a barrage of missiles on Delta squad.
"I'll take care of the power. No one else could make it to the base without being blown up by the Iron Giant over there." Kid Flash informed them. "Go! Blastoise will cover you." The blue skinned turtle turned towards the base and pointed its hydro cannons in that direction. "Blastoise!" It shouted. Wally tightened the satchel's strap before taking off across the desert at just below the speed of sound. Breaking the sound barrier would announce his arrival to anyone without a one mile radius. The speedster looked on as the enemy structure loomed in the distance. He'd be arriving shortly if there were no complications.