A Diver in Hell

by Aquila999

Summary:

you are the definition of a perfect helldiver, that is until your home, Angel's Venture, is destroyed by the unrelenting meridian singularity, leaving you heartbroken and distraught. doubt begins to creep into your mind as you prepare for your next mission, ultimately leading to an accident that leads you and your exosuit stranded alone in an unknown environment... hell.

Notes:

Hi guys!!! this is my first ever fanfic here and i hope u all enjoy, posts will be slow and my writing may not be the best as i have a short attention span (adhd and autism go brrr) and i dont really proofread much. i really hope you enjoy and comment any suggestions or typos you find. have a nice day!!!

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Bloodshed.

Despair.

Loss.

It's all you experienced since the Second Intergalactic War began, your foolish, naïve decision to enlist as a Helldiver tore every ounce of hope and sanity from your cold, bloodied heart. The immense urge to return to the days of your youth, messing around with your friends, experimenting with robotics, forming a rock band with some friends in your adolescence despite it never getting any traction. All the warm, nostalgic memories of your innocence feel almost alien to you now, staring at the shattered debris of what was once Angel’s Venture, your home.

The colony you were raised in, taught in, worked in, the home you fought to protect. Gone. Everyone reduced to ash. Your parents, siblings, friends, mentors, companions, all of them were no more.

You double over, sobs wracking over you. Your hand slides down the glass of your SuperDestroyer as you do, how much more torment could you bare? Everything feeling suffocating as you struggle to comprehend the loss of all you held dear, so suffocating in fact that you tear your helmet from your head, flinging it as far as you can away from yourself, internally cringing in disgust at the sight of it.

The war. The bloodshed. All of it disgusted you. It took your home away and stripped you of all your worth, your humanity, your hope. What are you but a cog in the machine of violence and destruction, driving humanity towards its impending doom with every attempt to salvage or protect your pathetic delusion of freedom. Democracy. Liberation... what an utter farce. You think to yourself as you watch the debris of the fallen, decrepit rock before you burn and collapse with every collision of shattered land.

“Hey... you doin’ alright?”

You crane your head to see your closest friend and squadmate, Koa, approach you sympathetically, reaching to rest their hand on your shoulder as they kneel to meet your level. “I think it would be best for us to go somewhere else...” they say as the glance over at the ruins of both of our homes, before flinching away unable to stomach the sight. You and Koa had been friends for as long as you can recall, growing up together, working together, fighting together. The two of you were inseparable like two sides of the same coin, your brains on the same wavelength to the point where others believed there was a telepathic link between each other. Your teamwork praised by peers and authorities upon completing countless missions together, often being the sole survivors but attempting your hardest to retrieve the others and cover them when under fire.

Your eyes falter before raising to look them in the eyes, tears cascading down your cheeks. You reluctantly nod as the begin to stand, pulling you up with them before taking your hand and leading you out of the cockpit. As you stumble behind them, they pipe up, “I told Democracy Officer Santiago about our situation... He informed me that we can have a half-day at most to mourn and recover before we are expected to preform out duties again.” They state as we enter the dormitories, urging you to sit down on the edge of one of the many bunkbeds. “Let's rest, okay?” Koa says in a concerned tone, attempting to comfort their distraught lifelong friend in a time of crisis and despair.

They sit shoulder to shoulder next to you as you absently stare at your hands helpless to the turmoil raging inside your mind. “How...” you begin weakly, your voice hoarse. “How are you so calm...? Everything. Everyone is dead. Gone. Never to return... and you... how do you still have hope?” you utter bewilderedly at your comrade’s resilience, their calmness in this situation confuddling you.

They shuffle slightly to face you, concern etched onto their face. “I... I guess that I never had much attachment towards Angel’s venture... I never had a place to call home, being raised in an orphanage never knowing who my parents were. You of all people know that I seldomly interacted with others.” Koa responds as they discard their helmet and lean back to flop onto the bed.

The rustle of the bunk startled you as your friend slumps backwards, the grating noise of the bed creaking in consequence of the action. “ughh... I hate these beds! It's so noisy...” they groan exasperatedly as they sling an arm over their face, dragging their hair along with it. “C’mon, we don't get time like this often... and you really need some rest.” Koa encourages as they rest their other hand atop your arm, just below the elbow.

They pull slightly at your arm urging you to lay back and recover and reluctantly you give in, your head falling plush onto the cheap mattress. “I... I guess I should sleep...” you mumble disgruntledly through sniffles as you shuffle to lay on your side, wiping your eyes before drifting into the lulling waves of sleep.

------------------------------------------------ hours later ------------------------------------------------

You are rudely awoken to the blaring sounds of the break siren, reminding you of your impending duties. A pit of dread and the gut feeling of premonition weighed down on you as you got up to stand at attention, glancing over at Koa anxiously as Democracy Officer Santiago patrols the barracks to ensure that there are no slackers.

Upon suiting up and preparing for the day, you rendezvous with Koa at the central terminal of the cockpit where you plan out your following mission on Marfark to launch an ICBM onto an Automaton colony fortress. You are briefed on the difficulty of the expedition and the potential perils you may encounter down there. None of it matters to you as you zone out of the briefing, the repetitiveness of it all wrecking your head. You were definitely not in a suitable headspace to preform your duties as a Helldiver, but that was not your choice to make. You aren't in control. You’re just another puppet of Managed Democracy, made to fight in a war formed of the foolish actions of the Ministry and Super Earth a hundred years prior.

You're snapped out of your pessimistic thoughts as the Democracy Officer announces to your squad to select your chosen arsenal for the incoming mission.

“Select your preferred weaponry and proceed to your Hellpods posthaste!” Officer Santiago announces as the holographic screen of the terminal blinks off rapidly. As ordered you choose your arsenal; an autocannon, orbital laser, eagle airstrike stratagem and your trusty Emancipator Exosuit. You never go anywhere without your Mech, no matter the mission or faction you’re up against whether it be Bugs, Bots or those goddamned mind controlling squids.

Upon completing your weapon selection, you trudge up the stairwell to your designated Hellpod before slotting your feet into the footholds and entering your hellpod...

Chapter 2: The Mission

Notes:

heyyy, I've been working on and off of this the past few weeks pretty slowly as school exams are coming up. i have a lot of things planned for this fic so i do hope you stick around and bare with me as i write this. enjoyy!!!

“Helldivers to Hellpods. Repeat. Helldivers to Hellpods.” the intercom blared as you descended into the casket-like structure of your pod. Darkness enveloped you as the hatch closed above your head, trapping you inside.

The HUD of the pod blinks to life before you, revealing another summary of your expedition before the holographic image of Democracy Officer Santiago flicks onto the screen.

“Attention Helldivers! Remember your training, go forth and spread Liberty! Show the Automatons the true meaning of Democracy and give them a taste of Super Earth's strength! Over and out.” He Announces before the screen goes blank, a deep rumble resounding around the pod.

The sudden jolt of the pod plummeting out of below your Super Destroyer, the S.E.S Harbinger of Destruction, startled you. You could never get used to the sudden change in velocity whenever your Hellpod flung itself into orbit, aided by the vacuum of space ripping the air from around your pod. It was dizzying. Suffocating. Terrifying.

The Hellpods descended upon Marfark's surface within a matter of minutes, breaking through the stratosphere like a bullet through glass. Upon contact with the ground, the Hellpods immediately ejected you and your squad from its casing, pistons leveraging you all up to the icy surface of the desolate tundra landscape. Wind and snow whipped your helmet, cape and armour violently causing you to lose balance slightly before adjusting your stance and calling down your gear.

Support weapons and backpacks plummeted from the sky landing near you with a ear-splitting thud, the sound of hot metal and sub zero ice colliding and scratching against each other. You trudge over to your autocannon, slinging the ammo backpack over your shoulder and retrieving your gun before diverting your gaze to the allied dropship depositing your Exosuit.

You couldn't help the slight smirk registering on your lips as you approached the mech. It was your favourite weapon and vehicle after all. Nothing could get in your way when you were using it. You felt good, powerful… it almost made you forget your grief. That is until Koa spoke up, snapping you out of your daze.

“ Alright everyone. Remember the plan, split up. A:team heads northwest towards the ICBM while B:team takes down the patrols and outposts surrounding the fortress. When that's completed we will rendezvous by the SEAF Artillery east of our objective. Understood?!” Koa declared authoritatively as they addressed the squad

“UNDERSTOOD!” we echoed in unison.

“Kelsie. Harlow. You two take care of the ICBM,” Koa orders before strutting over to you and patting your mech on the knee. “ You're with me, partner.”

You could almost swear you felt them wink at you but you couldn't be sure as their helmet and your mech blocked their face. “Right… let's get to it!” You respond, attempting to muster all your confidence and resilience to push down the gut feeling of dread and anxiety overtaking you. This mission was just like the many prior expeditions you completed with flying colours… So why does this time feel different?

“Hey... Are you coming or what?” You look up to see Koa twenty paces ahead of you, twisting to peer back at you as they brace their boot on an icy ledge of the nearby hill. “We can daydream once our mission is complete! Hurry up.” They reprimand teasing as you start steering the Exosuit towards them, following loosely behind.

The terrain is ruthless and unrelenting as blizzard gusts threaten to topple your mech as you traverse the icy plateau, both of you scanning the horizon for the vibrant red beams, a tell-tale sign of an Automaton patrol or encampment. In the peripherals of one of your cameras you spot a heavy outpost; factories, turrets and weaponry stationed throughout it. “Oi, objective located, West, two hundred metres.” You inform Koa through the PDA communications.

They halt at your observation, diverting their attention to the camp. “Affirmative. You distract and destroy the factories while I deal with sneaking past and deactivating the terminals.” The plan was simple and practically muscle memory to the two of you, having used this tactic in nearly every mission to date.

With the plan of action laid down, you set out. The metallic Kur-Thunk of the Exosuit's steps reverberated throughout the icy surroundings, causing the nearby snowy ledges to rumble and shake off some of its powdery snow. The rapid winds whipping the cameras and hull with minute shards of ice and snow, buffing the paint and reducing your visibility as you trekked over to the enemy outpost.

All that separated you from your enemies was a singular steel wall now. Any moment Koa would send the signal and you would charge in, guns ablaze, tearing through every Automaton in sight. You breathe deeply in, collecting yourself in preparation for the upcoming chaos, your heart racing from anxiousness.

“NOW!” The familiar voice rang out from your PDA, greenlighting your assault on the enemy. With that, you storm into the encampment, unloading lead at the now enraged Automatons. Their static war-cries ringing in your ears as you shoot them down, bullets pulverising wire and steel rendering them immobile.

Upon eliminating the nearby adversaries, you divert your fire towards the industrial factories. Anti-Tank calibre rounds collide into the titanium structures, forcing unstable creaks and rumbles to echo. You count as one… two, three… four factories collapse atop themselves, smoke and dust billowing from the rubble. An overwhelming feeling of exhilaration and mania washes over you as you watch the unfinished machines scramble and claw at the ground, desperate to escape their inevitable tombs. Their intense crimson optics flickering out as their fuel reserves are severed from the debris.

Once every bot perished under the rubble, you began to pivot your exosuit as to proceed with your mission, only to catch sight of an irate Hulk Scorcher approaching rapidly. The skulls impaled upon its spiked back rattling with every colossal stomp of its monstrous frame, a reminder of the treacherous acts these soulless machines have committed. The lives of innocents and soldiers alike, pillaged. Desecrated. Besmirched. You had to enact justice upon those damned clankers… not just justice but a wrathful revenge.

In a furious frenzy, you bombard the Hulk with an unrelenting flurry of autocannon rounds, screaming manically as you do so. A number of the bullets don't hit, instead they strafe, crashing into the nearby walls and a weirdly shaped canister… Wait. No… you begin to panic as realisation hits, the thunderous low echoing of the Hellbomb confirming your fears. You had no time to retreat before the blast tears through the Scorcher, catapulting it towards you as you were flash-banged by the blinding yellow and white flames, gas and smoke.

“SHIT-” You exclaim as the sheer impact of the hulk pins your mech to the ground, rendering you unconscious in the process…

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your ears rang violently, the acrid scent of steel, smoke and blood singed your nostrils, forcing you to wince intensely. The filth of the smoke infiltrated your lungs forcefully as the battered husk of a hulk exhaled fumes and sparks towards the scratched up vents of your Exosuit. Pulling strength from the shock induced adrenaline, you pilot your mech as to shove the mechanised corpse off yourself, the straining ache of your muscles screaming as you tug at levers and press buttons weakly.

You hadn't expected for a derelict HellBomb to be so close by and for it to go off without provocation. The blast eliminated the majority of the Automatons nearby, leaving nothing but charred, mangled steel skeletons and bone skulls strewn across the battlefield.

you could faintly hear the voice of your teammate calling out your name, their tone one of worry and fear. Fear that their friend might be lost forever. Fear that they would be alone.

“I'm alive, just- give me a second.” You call out as you manoeuvre yourself upright, grunting in discomfort. “Damned machine collapsed on me.”

“Jeezus… you gave me a heart attack! You've any idea how reckless that was?!” Koa berated over the PDA as their figure became visible though the pillars of smoke and flames. “ Honestly… that could have cost us the mission, and our lives! Just… be more careful, ok?”

They were right. You had been reckless in your sorrowful daze, endangering you and your comrades' survival. More than that, you could have endangered Super Earth's chance at liberating Marfark… maybe even the whole galactic sector...

Chapter 3: rendezvous

Notes:

I'm so sorry for taking so long to get back to this story, i had a busy summer and am now in probably the most important and hardest school year ever, cause y'know, Leaving cert. i have been swamped with studies but have been slowly working away on this again recently
(same as previous chapters, this is not beta read tee hee)
have a great day/night!

Chapter 3
The gales of icy hail whipped and lashed against the hull of your mech as you trudge towards the rendezvous site, threatening to knock you off kilter and alert scout enemy patrols. Exhaling sharply, you focus on the blurry terrain ahead of you as Koa leads a few paces ahead, attempting to mentally shove the mournful haze and guilt from your mind and home in on the main objective.
“Commander! Captain! About time you made it! Kel’ was panicking that you went MIA” Harlow exclaimed as you and Koa arrived at the rendezvous point, his laugh echoing as Kelsie smacked him over the shoulder with the back of her Anti-Material Rifle. “T’WAS NOT YA LIL LYIN’ SHIT!” Her flustered violence jolted Harlow forward, landing face first into the blisteringly crisp blanket of snow.
What could only be interpreted as a sideways glance from Koa, as all expressions were hidden below steel helmets and electrical HUDs, beckoned a hearty chuckle from both of you at the occurrence.
The light-hearted moment was cut short by a pre-recorded warning from your PDAs, “Helldivers, objective incomplete. 20 Minutes remaining.”
“Shit- twenty minutes to clear an Automaton Fortress and extract?! We’re runnin’ tight on time… Let's get it over with.” Koa tenses as they re-analyse the map co-ordinates before pivoting to guide the crew forward. “Get a move on.” Their arms gesturing towards the ominous stronghold barely visible in the blinding storm.
Its glaring red spotlights and blackened exterior peeking through the blizzard like a twisted, vile mirage. You knew deep down that the upcoming battle will not be easily won. There will inevitably be loss of allied life or limb as there have been in previous expeditions to date, that fact weighed heavy on your shoulders as your squad sets the pace in front of your exosuit.
“Hey Captain, how much ammo d’you have left in the mech?” the voice snapped you out of your daze as Harlow rotated to face you, still keeping pace with Kels and Koa. “Need to restock yet?”
You scramble to check the remaining rounds in the cannons of your exosuit, clacking at buttons and swiping away the unnecessary clutter littering the control panel screen. “I’ve got about half stock on the left and 37 rounds on the right… That resupply would be great, Thanks Harlow.”
Bringing your suit to a halt, you initiate the resupply procedure. Steel hatches and scuffed plates hiss as the storage compartments located on the upper-back of the mech’s arms extract from its casings. The fog-lights dim as the machine crouches into the snow, a sturdy metal plate ejecting from the underside of its elbows to allow leverage.
With practiced ease, Harlow swings up onto the makeshift platforms and insert the spare Autocannon rounds from his supply pack into their respective slots before closing the hatch and repeating the process on the other side.
Thanking your comrade for the aid, you pilot your exosuit to stand and pursue after the rest of the team, Harlow jogging ahead and flashing a thumbs up in response before closing the distance between the others. A humoured exhale escapes you at the sight of Harlow sneaking up behind Kelsie to scare her, only to receive an aggravated pistol-whip to the chest in response.
You were becoming fond of Kels and Harlow as you had been deployed on nearly a dozen expeditions together, completing each mission with minimal to no casualties. They were both formidable Helldivers with a multitude of victories and achievements under their belts. One such medal would be for their bravery on Malevelon Creek despite both of them being mere cadets at the time. You and Koa hadn’t met them until your first mission together on Meridia, tasked with dispensing dark matter into the planet’s surface to eradicate the Terminid super-colony that amassed over the span of a week.
Meridia.
The planet you helped destroy, only for it to rupture into a black hole and destroy your home-world. Angel’s Venture, reduced to scattered debris and fractured chunks of rock… because of you-
“What’s the holdup? There's no time for dawdling, Hurry up!” Kelsie snapped over comms, disrupting yet another of your spirals. “Nothin’, just thought I saw something… Tis’ just the blizzard playing tricks on me.” you lie as you curse yourself out under your breath and rush over to the group.
“You sure you’re cut out for this…?” Koa speaks this time, a familiar tone of concern clung to their words. “If it's too much too soon, you could wait at extrac-”
“I’m fine!” you retort, your tone filled with venom and anger. Bile rises in your throat as you see Koa’s figure flinch at the sharpness of your words. Shit.
“Koa listen, I’m sor-”
“Don’t.” They turn their back to you as they storm towards the fortress. “We’ll deal with this later. Harlow, you’re with me.”
“R-Roger!” Harlow stumbles as he tails behind Koa, a dumbstricken expression painted on his concealed face as he attempts to process whatever the hell just happened.
“So… I guess you’re stuck with me…” Kelsie pipes up awkwardly as she slings her Anti-Material Rifle onto her shoulder in exchange for her AR-23A Liberator Carbine. “Let's show those Tin-skins what we’re made of.”