Author's Note: Welcome to "The Abyss." This fic starts in 2005, just after the events of the Queen Zenobia Incident, and in parallel with the event of "Weary Wings." As such, it focuses on some of the events that went on behind the scenes from RE4 to RE6 and the various games and movies that occurred between. This keeps with the theme of "Revelations" that this story borrow its characters from. While this story contains a character that has mutagenic powers, they will be significantly less in control of them than Manuela was in the other series. As a final note, the draft seen here is different from the preview due to a reworking of character. It will contain similar elements however. With that aside, enjoy the story.

Chapter 1

The attendant handing out paper looked at the man in front of her quizzically. At least, she thought it was a man The full body suit made it hard to tell, but the body shape seemed like a man. The other mercenaries on the boat were all manner of strange, with their own signature items and designs, but none like this guy.

Looking the man up and down, the attendant wondered where he had gotten his gear. His entire body was covered in a black wetsuit, highlighted with green, almost cybernetic looking designs on its surface. Like the rest of the mercs, he had been equipped with an amphibious rifle, but aside from that, he also seemed to have some form of katana on his back. The attendant almost laughed at the sight; probably some hot shot who thought having a katana made him cool. As if detecting what he was thinking, the man tilted his head judgmentally, pushing his outheld hands a little bit closer. With a nervous jump, the attendant realized he'd hesitated in giving the man his mission file.

With a muttered apology, the attendant handed it to the man, who took it before turning on point with a practiced motion, following the line in perfect step. What a weirdo, the attendant thought. He pushed the image of the man out of his head as he handed the next file off.

CIPHER didn't hurry as he walked to a seat in the middle of the mess hall. No, he went at just the pace needed, though it was a bit faster than normal to make up for the time lost by the incompetent worker. Sitting down, he cast out his gaze, the visor across his face blocking anyone from seeing where he was looking, only able to see the thin green line across the middle of it.

The other people here were run on the mill mercs, he could tell. They'd been hired much the same as him, useful because of their anonymity and lack of ties to any power. None of them would be useful to him.

Turning his gaze to the mission file, he began reading the contents religiously. His long years of service had trained him to absorb the knowledge within a mission report quickly. It was imperative to remember as much as possible as quickly as possible. The gist of the mission was simple.

Once the boat was in place over the wreckage, the mercs would submerge simultaneously. Every merc or squad would head for a different entrance to the ship, in order to cover as much ground as possible. They would look for possible surviving samples of the virus left on the ship, whether that be dead or living infected, or contained samples.

CIPHER had to resist shaking his head in amusement. His U.B.C.S. work had trained him to know that whenever there was a virus involved, the people going after it were hardly in it for the benefit of humanity. The flimsy cover of it being a TerraSave mission fooled most of the mercs, but not him. He had worked with TerraSave once or twice, out of his old identity, and this was not their style. He had no doubt that the men and women aboard this ship were on someone's payroll. Who that was, CIPHER had no clue, and if he were being honest, he didn't care. This was a holdover mission. Something to tide him over between jobs of his choosing.

Still, there was something that smelled rotten here, and it wasn't just the fish. With a hidden smile, he decided he'd make a point to get as close to the root as possible without risking himself.

CIPHER's thoughts were interrupted by a gruff clearing of the voice beside him. He turned quickly, not out of fear, but out of strict attention to spot a burly, bear of a man towering over him. Judging from the way he looked at CIPHER and the seat, it was obvious what he wanted. A quick glance revealed that there were plenty of open seats. What this man wanted was to throw his weight around.

With a quick motion, CIPHER had slammed his elbow into the man's chest, stunning him. As the man buckled in surprise, he slammed his other elbow into the man's back twice, the first breaking his resistance, the second flooring him. Without saying anything else, he sat back down. It would get the point across. Speaking would only give them something to go on, if they were smart, which he doubted, but he knew better than to get cocky.

A pair of the man's thugs drug the man away, eying CIPHER suspiciously. If his days in the barracks were any experience, word would travel quickly around the groups about the incident and he'd earn a reputation. Not one that would threaten his job, he was sure, but enough to get anyone who would try to muscle him out of the way off his back. He was in this mission for himself, not anyone else. He would not hesitate to take out others if he could get away with it. More pay for himself.

The thing he was concerned about more was that there would invariably be people who would approach him, wanting to join up or deal with him. He had no interest in accepting anything less of meat shields. If they offered to join him on the dive, he'd accept, but first chance he got, they'd be fish food.

Just as he predicted, people did come with offers. Some were more prepared for it than others. One had been a rookie group, and he had shut them down before they even began speaking. He did eventually find a group, though that was a generous term for it. Their representative had explained their business situation to him.

In a nutshell, they were all independent mercs, but they all agreed that volume of fire was a useful thing. CIPHER had been drawn in by their unique tactic. They would enter from various angles in the ship, and proceed to gather as much loot as possible, since their contract allowed them to claim as much as they could carry so long as they retrieved a sample. His real attention had been peaked when the representative hinted that members of the group had a kill on sight rule against anyone not in the group. As the rep had put it: "More for the rest of us. Shame people have to die to those monsters, eh?"

Ultimately, it was the pragmatic view that dragged CIPHER into it. It was practically guaranteed to get them a larger profit margin. Even if someone didn't grab any loot, they provided valuable assets by killing other non-members or by providing security. Under the plan, each of them would make far more than was promised. But the best part for CIPHER was that he would only have to meet them once, just before diving so he could recognize them on sight when they went into the ship.

With CIPHER's acceptance, the rep told CIPHER where to meet, and promised that anyone in the group was under full confidentiality of their inclusion. No one wanted to get busted. CIPHER knew that if shit hit the fan underwater and one of them got pulled for the crime, they'd talk, but it would give him the drop on anyone else if they didn't know he had joined the coalition. CIPHER even had to give credit to the man; inviting CIPHER to punch him to make it look like he'd been rejected was callous even by CIPHER's standards. It hadn't stopped him from knocking the man over the table. Even as the rep walked away to get medical treatment, he could see the crooked smile the man tried to hide.

So, in preparation for the mission, CIPHER began his drills. In his spartan bunk, he began compulsively going through the routines they'd drilled into him back in the Raccoon City base. As his thoughts drifted back to those days, he remembered the destruction of the city, and the dissolution of the company. He'd been on mission when it happened, deep in the hills of the Baltic States, and it'd had been a perfect place to disappear. Since then, he'd done any job he could get, varying from working for the remaining cells of his old employers to public bodyguarding. He smiled as he remembered his last job working for a rich Japanese man. For his exemplary service in hunting down the man's enemies, he'd been rewarded richly and gifted with a katana as a mark of service. It would act as a way of gaining him entrance to certain places if he ever ran into one of the man's associates. And it was a damn good melee weapon.

After his physical routine, CIPHER began a gear check. Unzipping his gear back, he pulled out his scuba equipment. It had been custom made to his specs, and it was well worth the price he paid for it. While it featured the many straps of a usual scuba device, it also had separated air compartments, attached together by resilient pipes, making the whole thing capable of flexing significantly more than a standard pack. Mobility was something CIPHER prized highly, and it was what allowed him to win most fights. Underwater was no exception. The other thing he had acquired was a set of maneuverability enhancers, which ranged from small jet blasters to allow precise turning, to small but effective machines to assist his limb motion. All in all, it was a very interesting set of unique gear. Mentally, he reminded himself to make notes of how well it performed. His bargain had included that as a rule; information for reduced price.

Strapping it on, CIPHER tested his range of motion and found it to his liking. The pack wasn't too heavy for him, and it allowed him to reach his katana should he need it. He knew that a weapon like that wouldn't be that useful underwater, considering his slower speed, but it was nice to have as an option. For close encounters, he had a knife. As he clicked through his rifle, checking all its parts, he smiled, reassured that everything was ready for the mission.

The next day passed by uneventfully, though CIPHER could feel the tension amongst the other mercs during the mandatory equipment practice. Most of them were greenhorns from what he'd been able to gather. Seeing everyone gathered together on the deck, he had to forcefully restrain his sigh at the incompetence on display. Most of the people were struggling to put on their gear, either having trouble with the straps, or missing pieces all together.

Easy pickings, he told himself, his annoyance turning to amusement at the prospect. After swiftly equipping himself, he ran one last systems check before he walked over to the agreed location. With a quick sweep, he inspected the other people involved in the gig as he passed by, going to one of the tether lines, surreptitiously "checking" it.

There was the rep himself, a blond man of similar build to CIPHER. He wore a black and red wetsuit with wide glass goggles. Like CIPHER, he only carried the single rifle, strapped to his side on a strap CIPHER noticed bore a strange and, he suspected, hardly coincidental resemblance to the straps used by SWAT teams. Looking over the man once again, it made sense. Probably went into the merc business to run teams on precision missions. Makes sense why he organized this thing. I should have recognized the SWAT tactics, CIPHER chastised himself for being so sloppy.

Another one of the members was a woman of well-muscled and lithe set. CIPHER had no shame in admitting that she was attractive. He had no doubts, however, that she was a fighter. Her brown hair was cut short, and kept back out of her face, which in and of itself told him she took combat seriously. Her shirt only came down to her ribs, and she wore cargo pants in a fashion that would not have been out of place in a movie. Guerilla force maybe? Looking closer as he pulled at the cable, he noticed the multitude of knives on her belt. Definitely guerilla.

The only other person he bothered to notice out of the group was a man of average build, with slightly greying hair on his beard. His brown eyes carried a certain squint to them that CIPHER could tell wasn't age, but caution. Not for a single moment did the man's eyes leave CIPHER, nor his hand leave his gun. As CIPHER stared back, he felt a click in his mind, and his unseen mouth curled into a smile. Standing up, he walked over to the man and they began sizing each other up. The man had the advantage of strength and sheer brawn. Though he couldn't be sure, CIPHER guessed he was only slightly outclassing the man in brains, but well outstripped him in mobility.

"U.B.C.S." CIPHER said at last, offering his hand. The man took it firmly and they met gazes. "European division."

"African division," the man answered gruffly. "You there when it went up?"

"I was in the Baltics. Saw where the ship was going and jumped. You?"

"I was involved in "volunteer roundup" when it happened. No one around to know," he replied with a shrug. CIPHER nodded, understanding the subtext. Regarding the man, he tried to get a measure of him as an asset, whether he was friend or foe and he could tell the man was doing the same.

"Name's CIPHER."

"DOZER. Let me guess, reconnaissance? I was brute work." Cipher nodded, noting the man's penchant for observation. Either a very useful ally or a dangerous enemy. CIPHER had come across ex-Umbrella employees before. Only one of them had walked out of it. He couldn't have anyone ratting him out for amnesty or something equally trivial. This man however, was different. He was smarter and better than those grunts. A man after his own fashion.

The rep interrupted the air by gathering everyone together briefly. As he spoke, CIPHER's opinion that he was ex-SWAT cemented by the man's speaking patterns and planning. As he spoke, he handed each of the members a strange machine. It appeared to be a small submersible device. Demonstrating, he expanded a bag underneath it, explaining it was for storing loot off of one's person. The simple drones would follow the person they were keyed to, leaving them to have both hands free for other purposes. CIPHER accepted his quietly, planning already on checking the workings himself before going down. Soon enough, the plan had been explained and the group split, leaving only him and DOZER. The two men stared at one another, as if waiting to see who would leave first. This time, it was DOZER who spoke first.

"Ex-SWAT, right?"

"I gathered that from his strap first. It's a hard habit to ditch."

"The gal, what's your opinion on her?"

"Guerilla force of some kind. Lots of knives."

"Africa. Not a native, but she fought there a lot. The tans gave it away." DOZER lifted the strange machine they'd been given, waving it around carelessly. "Think it's bugged?"

If CIPHER could have quirked an eyebrow, he would have. Instead, he had to settle for a sarcastic tone. "Undoubtedly. I bet he's got a side job."

"Oh?" DOZER's tone told him that he suspected much the same. CIPHER debated how much of his hand to play.

"He might be trying to kill us. These might come equipped with some sort of shock device or something. Maybe just a beacon to tell him where we are, but it's certainly not in our interests," Cipher answered at length. He suspected the man was being hired to keep tabs on the more...promising, candidates amongst them, either for hiring or targeting. DOZER nodded laconically,

"Hadn't thought of the beacon part. Well, I guess I'll see you at dinner," he said shortly, turning on point easily. CIPHER did the same, resolving to get as much mileage out of the man as he could.

CIPHER attended dinner, though with reluctance. He had an appointment to keep after all. It had been a while since he had felt the need to talk to someone as bad as he did to DOZER. He had spent pretty much the entire day dissecting the machine, finding several suspect pieces inside that most people would have missed. After copying the schematics onto a napkin, he had left his room, putting the removed pieces in various locations out of the way as he went.

In his hand, he held the one piece he was sure that DOZER would miss. It was a small camera that had been cleverly hidden in one of the mechanisms that was exposed to the water. No doubt for recording them. It was quite clever, he had to admit. It sent the data remotely, removing the need to store it on the device. When he had discovered it, he had turned the device down so it faced the floor before covering it with cloth and removing it, power source included, as it ran on a remote battery. To all but the most scrutinous observers, it would seem he had just turned it down and left it there.

Carefully, he slipped the device into his pocket, storing it for leverage. Drawing as little suspicion as possible, CIPHER grabbed an MRE and sat in the middle of the room, taking a table surrounded by other people. It would reduce suspicion and any conversation could be lost in the crowd.

DOZER arrived a short while later, sitting beside him, carrying an MRE as well. Both men sat quietly, picking at their meals for a minute. "Can't unlearn a habit can ya?"

"They're efficient," CIPHER pointed out, playing along.

"True, but they taste pretty bad. Still, quick to make, quick to eat."

"You should really clean up after yourself," CIPHER noted, grabbing a napkin from the table dispenser. Sneakily, he added his own napkin to the one he was holding and handed it to DOZER. The man looked at him carefully, but CIPHER just went back to eating.

From the corner of his eye, CIPHER could see DOZER inspect the design quickly before folding it in half and wiping his mouth on it. Clever. The outer layer will hold for a while in case we need to discuss it, but the oil will soak through by the time anyone else bothers to check.

"I think you missed a spot yourself," DOZER pointed out, handing a napkin to CIPHER. Thanking the man, he checked the napkin, and sure enough, a schematic was drawn on it. CIPHER frowned behind his mask as he noticed several areas he had missed, seemingly back up systems. CIPHER smiled as he realized DOZER had missed the camera. Setting the napkin aside, the two men ate in silence for a minute.

During that time, CIPHER wondered how much he should trust the other man. He had no doubts that he had also killed coworkers. It was practically policy. But at the same time, CIPHER felt no threat from this man, and at long last, CIPHER put his hand on the table, the cloth hidden underneath. The motion did not go unnoticed, and DOZER looked at him questioningly.

"Check the auxiliary port on the device. It has a tendency to get clogged from what I can tell," CIPHER hinted. If this man was half as smart as CIPHER thought he was, he would find it off of that. If not...all the more reason to kill him. DOZER nodded, and the two separated after that. Cipher spent the rest of the evening deactivating the systems he had missed before retiring to bed. Tomorrow, it would all pay off.

The strange sound of water flowing about one's head was something CIPHER couldn't explain, but it was somehow comforting as the sound of the waves died into a dull pounding on his ears. As the water rushed around him, he primed himself, contorting to tighten his body properly, submerging quickly.

Through his visor, he could see the other members of the crew diving as well, all in various poses. Some were head down, rocketing downwards, others were still on the surface. At a distance he caught sight of DOZER, and CIPHER gave him a thumbs up, which was returned. He could also see the Rep and Guerilla, as he'd taken to calling them, on opposite ends of the ring of people.

CIPHER looked down into the darkness, wondering whether to go down or not. Their technical mission statement had said simultaneous, but he doubted they really meant it. Glancing at the others, he saw they had begun to descend and decided to do the same himself. Turning down, he used a combination of his weights and his own musculature to descend. The sooner we get down, the more we can grab, he noted.

As he swam, CIPHER unclipped the strange device and allowed it to activate. Its motors whirred to life as it began to follow him down into the darkness, and the overwhelming silence began to encroach on him. Strangely, it didn't bother him. He preferred the silence; it meant stealth. While things were quiet, he was in control.

His visor allowed him to see clearly as they descended, but a glance up and around told him that others had other methods of seeing. Lights could be seen in the distance, showing where someone wore a body mounted device, and he could see the circle somewhat keeping shape until the lights faded in the murk. Soon, he arrived at the checkpoint, where submerged air tanks had been left, hovering in the darkness with only red lights to mark their presence. Looking around, CIPHER realized he was the first one down, and smirked as he grabbed the buoy he was by. Holding it with one hand, he grabbed the carrying device with the other, flicking on its motion mode. The device began to pull him in the direction he pointed it, and he began dragging it off into the darkness, out of visual range of the supposed location. With it out of the way, it would eliminate some potential competition without needing to waste ammo, and without too much suspicion on him.

Waiting for his body to adjust, CIPHER began running over the plan in his mind. He'd grab high value, low weight objects, like silverware and other things that others would miss. Of course, anything particularly valuable would be his. If he found another group, he'd pretend to ignore them, then follow them, looking for a chance to lure a B.O.W. to them, both to accomplish the ultimate goal, and to eliminate the competition.

The radio crackled and CIPHER listened intently as Rep spoke. "We've hit stage 1 boys. Status?"

"I dragged one of the buoys from its designated location. That should send back at least a couple," CIPHER reported. He swore he could hear a chuckle on the other end.

"Eager to outshine us?" Rep asked. CIPHER remained quiet as he waited for the other reports. DOZER simply confirmed that he had reached the checkpoint. Guerilla also affirmed she had reached the point. The fact that she responded similar to DOZER set of warning bells in CIPHER's mind. Immediately, he placed her mentally on his threat list. She was too professional. Someone like that would undoubtedly cause trouble.

Immediately, he knew engaging her at close range would be futile. People didn't carry those many knives without the skill to use them. Tapping his rifle reassuredly, CIPHER began the dive towards the vessel, easily ahead of everyone else while still being careful about pressure.

It was luck that the ship sank where it did. They had only needed one staging point, making it a relatively quick task to get down to the boat. If he could whistle in his suit, he would have. The wreck was magnificent.

It had quite obviously been a cruiseliner, but the amount of damage done to it, especially the front, had been catastrophic. The entire front of it had been caved in, revealing open metal and unsealed rooms. In the dark, he could see swift forms moving about, and he knew better than to think them simple fish. Nothing was safe near a biohazard site.

Unstrapping his rifle, CIPHER proceeded cautiously in a wide berth, spotting where a window had been cracked. Making his way to it, he kept his guard up until he was safely inside. One through, he inspected the room, finding it to be some kind of passenger bedroom. Tearing off a decaying bedsheet, he hung it over the window. A visual barrier would be enough to deter all but the most thorough searchers, while also providing him an easy way out of the room should he return there. The room had nothing of interest in it, so he cautiously proceeded to the door. He found that it opened with a surprising amount of ease for its location.

Swimming into the hall, he quickly cleared his sight lines, establishing that there was nothing worth worrying about. Carefully, he took his combat knife and marked the wall with a small cross, to note he had been here. Considering the size of the ship, it would help to establish a general idea of where he was going.

Looking both ways, he decided that the dining hall would be further back, and so he swam away from the bow, down the dark, murky corridor. He didn't make the mistake of looking solely ahead, making sure to glance back as well. It was slow going, even with the device.

It wasn't long before he entered into what appeared to be some kind of vestibule, and immediately, he brought the door close, peering only just barely around the edge. He knew better than to get into open spaces when there could be creatures about. Glancing around, he spotted the dining hall door to his right at the end of the hall. He continued watching for a time and was about to exit when a door opened on the other side. Quickly, he ducked behind a wall, only just peering around.

It was the group of rookies who approached him first. CIPHER smirked evilly as he realized they would be consumed quickly. Waiting patiently, he watched as the swam into the center of the room, looking around wildly, as if sight seeing. It wasn't long before the first B.O.W. showed up.

It came from what had once been a skylight. The strangely humanoid figure swam with a wormlike motion, as if devoid of bones. A strange set of teeth replaced the thing's lower face and it had a grey, blubbery appearance that made it seem almost shark-like. To his grand surprise, one of the men noticed it immediately, and opened fire, the bullets piercing through it, causing it to pause in the water as it died, going limp. The men rejoiced, but CIPHER knew it was just the beginning.

As the infected blood began to waft from the body, he knew it was only a matter of time before something picked it up. His suspicions came true as a mass of dark figures burst out from the vents, swiftly surrounding the corpse. Some flew passed his head from a vent nearby, though they ignored him in his stillness. The forms appeared to be horrific fish, which swarmed about the corpse, reducing it to nothing. The men began firing in surprise, taking a few of the things out, but there were just too many to deal with and they were soon swarmed, their screams fading as the rebreathers were ripped from them and water filled their lungs. CIPHER decided to take advantage of the situation and made a break for the dining room via the shadows. Flitting from pillar to pillar, he made it to the safety of the doors, taking care to seal them behind him. Before he closed them, he could see the remains of an outstretched hand floating serenely through the waters beside the shoal.

Turning, CIPHER smiled wickedly as he beheld the dining hall. Swimming to the nearest table, he grabbed one of the pieces of china, satisfied to find that it was indeed quite valuable. Happily, he began loading the pieces into the drone, skirting the tables for cover just in case anyone else arrived.

Halfway through his job, CIPHER heard the groan of a door and quickly slipped under a table, cramming in beside a body that hovered ominously beside him. Being so close to death didn't bother him; the possibility of something living finding him did. Peering out with his night vision, he caught sight of a light scanning the room, though he couldn't see its source. Patiently, he waited as the light swept around, growing more focused until he could see the figure. It was Guerilla. CIPHER smiled at his luck.

Unslinging his rifle, he waited in the darkness as she began to inspect the tables. Bracing for the recoil, he lined up the sights for her head. Her eyes widened with realization as she beheld one of the empty tables moments before the bullet pierced her brain, causing her whole body to rapidly jerk back, only to slow down, almost gracefully flipping back as bits of brain floated away from her body. Satisfied with the kill, he almost swam out to grab her loot when a terrifying screech reverberated through the hall.

"Where are youuuu?" CIPHER hissed in a breath at the strangely clear voice that emanated from somewhere above him. Keeping the skirt of the table low, he peered out to see something had approached the body of Guerilla. It appeared vaguely humanoid, but he could only tell so much from this angle.

What he could see was that it appeared to have originally been a blond woman in some form of black wetsuit. What had been her right hand had spread into a claw that almost resembled coral in its texturing. About her legs, strange, disc like growths reminded CIPHER of the coral that grew on cliff faces, but more streamlined. Where the woman's feet were, there were strange, curled appendages that seemed to flare like hands, propelling her with great control. As she circled Guerilla's corpse, other features became more obvious. Her entire torso was wrapped in black tentacles that seemed fused to her skin, gleaming with an almost armour-like quality to them. Her hair seemed to have fused into her face, obscuring some of her original features.

Suddenly, her head split in half, and a strange tube like mouth extended from the depths within, clasping onto Guerilla. Pulsating rhythmically, CIPHER's eyes widened as he realized it was drinking her blood. He dared not move, even going so far as to shut off the drone, just in case it made any noise she might detect. CIPHER watched with patience as she sucked the body dry. A tranquil moment seemed to come over her as she retracted the mouth, sealing her head back up. That moment shattered when she began to tear viciously into the corpse, tearing it to bloodless shreds. Even stranger, she seemed to tear it apart for no reason other than anger, as she left the body alone otherwise, not even eating a single bit. CIPHER thought that maybe now that her blood lust was sated, she'd leave.

"I know you're here...come on out and play…" she called hysterically and CIPHER refrained from cursing. Does it really know I'm here, or is it just repeating the last thoughts? In either case, this thing is dangerous.

CIPHER tried waiting patiently, but she seemed determined to find him. As she began searching, he became convinced that she knew he was here. Even worse, he suspected it was because she realized the kind of wound Guerilla had suffered, along with its freshness. When she began searching under the tables, he knew he had to make his move. As soon as she ducked under a table, he bolted out of cover, heading for the chandelier high above. When the thing came back out, it took her a moment to spot him, but when she did, she shrieked loudly.

"FOUND YOU!" she roared, charging towards CIPHER. He crossed his lucky stars as he rounded about the chandelier, putting it between her and him. She lunged trying to get him, but found that the grandiose and elegant chandelier prevented her from getting to him. Not wasting the opportunity, CIPHER began firing, centering his shots on her head, hoping the damn things acted like zombies.

The thing shrieked, guarding its head before circling around. CIPHER had to dodge through the chandelier, nearly catching a claw in the process. All it would take was a little tear and he was dead, suffering slowly as his suit filled with water. CIPHER cursed as the bullets did little to dissuade her. If anything, she seemed to get more aggravated, speeding up her attacks. Soon, CIPHER ran out of shots in his cartridge, and quickly drew his katana, feeling the disc on his hand grip the hilt.

As she came in for the kill, he activated the trigger, and the disc rotated quickly, spinning the katana faster than he could manage underwater. The blade sliced through the water, and CIPHER hoped that it would do something to stop her. He silently rejoiced as the blade sliced across her arms, cutting deeply.

"IT HURTS!" the thing screeched, knocking him back with one hand before clutching her injured limb. CIPHER took quick advantage of the opportunity, hurriedly reloading his weapon before firing into the ceiling. With a groan and a spray of dust, the section of the ceiling supporting the chandelier gave way and it began to fall slowly, but it picked up speed as gravity won over the water. Soon enough, it rammed into her, driving her down into the floor, where she impacted a table, which splintered under their combined force. Even from the distance he was at, CIPHER could see she had been pierced through in several places, and she went still.

CIPHER knew better than to trust appearances however, and so he approached her with caution, gun aimed at her. Approaching her side, he fired a couple of shots into her head, causing her to shriek and shake viciously, refusing to die. CIPHER backed up as she swung. It did her no good though, as she only got more and more tangled in the chandelier, soon becoming completely immobile.

CIPHER briefly considered leaving her behind when he remembered the promise of reward for live specimens. Smiling to himself, he grabbed the chain of the chandelier, pulling it up. As he suspected, she was hopelessly caught, the various growths on her body having gotten stuck in the chains. She still struggled a little though, and he thought himself lucky to have managed what he had. Carefully, he attached the end of the chain to the drone, testing to make sure it could handle the weight. To his surprise, it managed just fine. Happy with the results, he quickly looted the rest of the room before packing it in the drone, filling it to capacity.

Now just to get back for the reward, he thought with a satisfied smile.