Disclaimer: All characters and companies belong to me. All characters are fictitious, any similarities to any person or persons is purely coincidental
A Case of Undeath
By Silver-hawk
Prologue
In the black of the night, illuminated only by curving searchlights a small figure walked across the front of a building. Jack Diamond lay back against the wall, holding his Hetler-Koch sub-machine gun in one hand he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, put it in his mouth and took out a lighter. Just as he as about to light it... CRASH! Something must have torn down the fence behind the arms depot he was guarding the front of! CRACK, CRACK, pistol shots rang out through the night air accompanied by a burst of M16 fire. Jack dropped the lighter, flicked the safety catch on his gun to off and sped round the side of the building. A huge truck had smashed the metal fence aside and now strange creatures were shambling out of the back.
"What are you waiting for Diamond, Christmas? Don't just stand there gawping, SHOOT!" the Captains voice was barely audible over crackle of machine gun fire. Jack took aim and squeezed on the trigger, five shots entered a creatures exposed chest and still it kept on coming.
"Sir, This is just a theory but I think we might be dealing with something a little more powerful than your average human Sir" Jack said slowly to Captain standing next to him,
"No, you don't say," said the Captain sarcastically. Suddenly a figure stepped from the truck wearing a gas mask and carrying what looked like a flamethrower, "Diamond send an S.O.S. transmission to the Special Tactics, Operations, Recon and Munitions section of the police department in Nianso City." The Captain said. Jack fled to the comm room and locked himself in, attaching the headphones and opening the channel Jack grumbled,
"Why doesn't he call them the S.T.O.R.M. Section like everyone else?" There was a beep, the channel was open, "This is MD 26 transmitting to S.T.O.R.M. Section. We are under attack from strange creatures, more powerful than humans and much slower. Requesting immediate assistance. MD 26 out." Jack stood up and went over to a locker. He took out a gas mask and some more clips. He put on the mask, reloaded his gun and sat down. Cries of agony split the silence. What was there to do but wait for the S.T.O.R.M. operatives to come and rescue him, and any other survivors.
1
News
A tall fair-haired man wearing black combat fatigues and a heavy duty, brown leather jacket casually strolled down towards the S.T.O.R.M. office on the first floor of the Nianso Police Department. (they were called NPD for short.) His name was Captain Vincent Hawk. As he opened the door to the office a 20 year old girl pushed open the door and dashed down the stairs,
"Hey Kit, what's the... rush," but she was gone. Kit Marnley, a new operative, hardly ever waited for anyone. Vincent went in and looked around.
"What's with Kit?" Vincent asked a man lounging in his chair. Alan Cairvar looked up from his newspaper,
"Oh the Chief wanted t' speak t' her about something," Alan replied in his strong, Scottish accent which Vincent would have recognized anywhere.
Vincent sat down at his desk at the front of the room,
"Yet more paperwork I see," Vincent sighed
"Not so fast lad, this came through three hours ago," Alan handed him some paper. Vincent read it and burst out laughing,
"This guy should stop drinking his mouthwash before he goes to bed! I mean, from the description these things that attacked the Depot were, were, zombies!"
"Very funny, but consider we tried to contact them and there was no answer,"
"Has anyone investigated it yet?"
"Well we would have but you obviously had a hangover or something so they sent some coppers."
"I did not have a hangover. I was merely playing snooker last night and got home late,"
"How late, three o'clock in the morning?"
"Eleven-thirty." Vincent answered meekly.
The door opened and Kit walked in, tears in her eyes,
"What's up Kit?" Vincent asked
"The depot that Jack was guarding, it was attacked last night and Jack's missing," she burst into tears as Vincent came over and spoke to her.
"Were going in to investigate, we'll find Jack, okay." Alan sat back in his chair, Jack Diamond he thought One of Kit's friends isn't he? Yes, she seems to speak about him a lot, I wander if...
"Alan, make yourself useful and find Matt and Rachel, and stop daydreaming!" Vincent yelled more than ordered.
Ten minutes later all the S.T.O.R.M. members were in the office, Alan, the tactical specialist, Matt, the demolitions and close combat specialist, Rachel, the covert operative, Kit, the field medic and Vincent, the firearms specialist, sniper and marksman. (Even though all of them could handle SMGs, shoguns and pistols Vincent could handle any gun, anywhere.)
"Our plan is simple, we go in. Find out what's happening. Find the survivors and get out. We will be taking SMGs, Berettas, combat knives, Kevlar body armour and oxygen masks. Any questions?" Vincent said coldly. There were no questions. The truck left in ten minutes.
2
The corpse and the friend
The truck rumbled along the path into the depot through the destroyed security barrier and into the centre of the depot. Vincent and Matt jumped out the back, SMGs ready. They looked around the site before giving the all clear.
"What a mess!" Rachel commented on the depot. Suddenly, as if from nowhere a creature appeared, uttering a low moan as it approached. Three others followed it. the S.T.O.R.M.s levelled their guns,
"That's close enough, get down on the floor and spread your arms and legs apart," Vincent commanded. The creatures didn't obey, "Open fire!" a crackle of gunfire ripped through the silent depot, after five seconds the creatures fell.
"Doesn't seem so funny now does it sir?" Alan joked
"I could have worked that out myself Mr know-it-all. We search all the buildings for survivors. Three of the warehouses came up blank with only a few zombies (as confirmed by Vincent) inside them. When they came to the barracks they found a man wearing a gas mask and carrying what looked like a flamethrower. Vincent and Matt levelled their Berettas,
"Freeze, stay where you are. Drop your weapon and put your hands on the wall." Vincent commanded, his voice still cold.
"I know what you want, my name is Mikhail Rukovosky, the flamethrower type weapon is a gas sprayer."
"What does it spray?" Matt asked
"You think I'd tell you?" Matt walked up to him and placed the gun on the mans head,
"Yes, now tell me,"
"You'll have to find the lab in the mansion outside town, hahahahahaha!" CRACK, a bullet whipped through the air and hit Mikhail in the head, Matt turned round to see Vincent's levelled berretta smoking like an industrial chimney.
"He was going for a knife," Vincent answered Matt's question before he'd asked it. A door flew open and every weapon was trained on it.
"Hey, hey calm down."
"Jack!"
"Kit!" They ran together and embraced, then Kit took him back to the truck where the police who had already been sent there were waiting. Rachel walked up to Vincent and put a hand on his shoulder
"Relax," she said and followed Jack and Kit out, the rest of them filed out. Vincent stood there a moment and thought. Was she dropping a hint ? He shook his head, walked over to Mikhail corpse and picked it up.
"We're not done with you yet mate." He muttered to the corpse and walked out of the building to the truck.
Back at the station he put Mikhail's dead body down on the table in the office. Jack was being questioned and everyone else had long since gone but Vincent was still there, Mikhail, Mikhail I wondered if we'd ever meet again, well I'll just have a rummage around in your pockets if you don't mind. Vincent found some papers and put them in his desk for tomorrow, it was late and besides, Jake would want to play the last three frames. Vincent left the station under the watchful eye of the police chief. Chief Alium thought to himself you're a good man, pity you'll have to go.
3
That's Odd
Vincent walked into the office looking shaken,
"Anything wrong?" asked Rachel,
"Some fool tried to shoot me as I walked up the steps to the door. I shot at him but missed,"
"Did you try and track him?" Vincent walked over to a window and closed the blinds,
"In this snow I couldn't have. His footprints would have vanished." Vincent pushed a button on the wall and the table with Mikhail's body rose from the floor,
"Is he still here!" Rachel exclaimed in surprised
"He may be dead but we need hi..." CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! the gunfire cut him short. Vincent rushed to the window. Pulled out his Beretta. Opened the window and aimed downwards, "Freeze, stay where you are!" He yelled,
"It's OK, it's me, Matt." Matt was bending over a man with blood trailing from the man's body, Matt's grey greatcoat hid most of the man but Vincent could see it was the same man who had shot at him.
"Bring him up here and we'll have a look at him," Vincent commanded. Five minutes later Matt had the body upstairs, "Rachel, were you shot at?" Vincent asked
"No, but I took my car downstairs, they might have missed me,"
"Hmmmmmm, Matt call everyone and tell them to come in low and fast when they get here,"
"OK"
"As I was saying we need the body because he may have something on him, I looked for papers but could you look for anything else Rachel." As Vincent went over to his desk Alan and Kit came in,
"Who are you calling Matt? Kit asked.
"You guys, were you shot when you came in?"
"No, why?"
"Me and Vincent were shot at while we came up the steps, I guess that means he was the only one," Matt jerked his head towards the body next to Mikhail's.
"No we aren't running a funeral business," Vincent said, "Search that guy," Vincent flicked through the papers, "That's odd," he said
"What is?" Alan asked
"It's as if Mikhail was meant to die and for us to find his papers, I mean it's got his identity and a work permit but the only other thing is the location of a lab in a mansion, I don't like it, it could be a trap."
"Yeah but orders came through, we must follow up all leads or..."
"Or else we get suspended, it's always the same."
"Well we've got no choice, we have to follow this up,"
"All right, we go, but fully equipped."
"Yes sir!" everyone said.
"Hey, I want some answers," Jack Diamond called from the door, Vincent sighed,
"Well I suppose you can."
4
Terror In The Long Grass
The map showed the lab as being on a hill in the forest to the north of the City. As the S.T.O.R.M. section moved slowly through the woods towards the hill, glowing, red eyes watched them.
"There's the hill but what's that on top of it?" Alan asked.
"It's a mansion. It used to belong to Alpha Corporation, but it's been abandoned for years,"
"Don't Alpha make medical drugs?"
"Even if they were responsible, no-one would have it. They've been giving us funding for years and with these new cuts and most of our money disappearing into thin air, everyone will think it's a funding dispute."
"Sounds like a plan to get rid of us,"
"Well the only thing between us and the truth is this long grass and you two going on about this that and the other,"
"Ok, ok were heading straight through the grass!" Vincent ended his conversation with Rachel.
Half way through the long grass Matt let out a yell of surprise, everyone turned and saw a pack of hounds with red, glowing eyes advancing on them. Vincent didn't say a word, he didn't have to. It was instinctive, they ran for the mansion, anything round here had probably been sprayed with that gas, that horrible, mutating virus.
They reached the doors and burst in. Matt slammed the doors shut and bolted them. The S.T.O.R.M.s were in a hall with two doors on the left and one on the right and a grand sweeping staircase. A red carpet had been lain out on the floor. Someone's been expecting us Vincent thought.
High up on the top floor three men were talking
"We release the infant and see how they get along with him, if it dies we send in the adult,"
"Do you think they suspect,"
"If they do it doesn't matter, they'll die here, tonight. The people of Nianso will be completely unprepared for Mutagen Alpha."
"Still, I think we should be prepared for a face-to-face battle with S.T.O.R.M."
"What about the chief didn't you tell him to..."
"One of them shot the man we placed at the doorway, right through the head.
"Well we've got them here now, lets make their death a slow and painful one, or if that doesn't work, quick and painful." The three men laughed.
5
The Mansion
"Hmmm, spread out people, Jack and Kit, search the left door, Matt and Rachel, you take the right, Alan and me will look into the second floor, meet back here in thirty minutes, keep in touch." As Vincent and Alan trudged up the stairs Vincent wondered, what's going on here, why would someone do this, it doesn't make any sense. At the top were two double doors leading to what looked like a library. Books that looked centuries old lined the walls, cobwebs and dust all over them, Alan picked one up off the floor,
"It's a diary. The diary of Luke Seer, whoever he may be."
"What's the last entry say?"
"Ummmmm, 6th June
I swear to god I will kick the stuffing out of Jackson if he puts any more pressure on us I thought getting that police chief involved was a bad move, he has done nothing to help us, I doubt he'll send anyone half competent to deal with S.T.O.R.M. I doubt he'll even do it. Jackson wants the guard number increased but Shrane and me are going to hold out for 20. He also wants the adult finished by tonight... It ends there, there's some blood on the paper though,"
"6th, that was the day before yesterday, well, that certainly asks more questions than it answers,"
"Well it answers why the chief insisted on us coming here, so we could get mown down by whatever vile creations are wondering about, and who gave the order to shot at us but what's the adult, what are guards, who the heck is behind the massacre."
"Ughhhhhhhhh" a low moan issued from behind a door next to them, Vincent opened it cautiously and went in. inside a man wearing a lab coat, with blood all over him, was slumped in corner. "I don't have to long... the..cre..atur..es are l..l..loose, I...I...fear the w..wor..st for N..ianso c..i..ty, destroy the lab and find Jackie...tell...her..I..I'm s..orr..y, tell her lu..ke's..so..rry. take this key c..c..ard." Luke handed a black card to them. The S.T.O.R.M.s stood to leave, "One l..last..r..quest."
"You don't have to ask" Vincent said, levelling his pistol.
6
the creatures
Jack and Kit moved through some double doors, into a room with a long table and two chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, Kit walked through the door only to come running back in seconds later pointing to the door. Jack raised HK SMG and moved forward, very slowly. Suddenly a creature, it's skin peeling away and a huge hole in the side of his head, wearing a lab coat smashed through the doors, Kit raised her MP5K PDW, They both opened fire. Between them they had emptied three full clips into the creature before it fell to the floor, blood surrounding its body. They proceeded through the broken door, guns ready, as they rounded a corner Jack stopped dead, eyes wide and staring, Kit let out a scream of surprise, on the floor in front of the was a headless, limbless, half chewed body. Behind that there was a dumb-waiter which presumably led down to the kitchen, Jack climbed in and went down, the Kit, In the kitchen they found it was not much better than the other room, limbs were spread out on the floor, blood dripping from them, suddenly, a torso fell from the ceiling. the corps's eye sockets were empty holes and there was blood dripping slowly from were the left arm should have been.
"What did this?" Kit whispered,
"I have no idea, but you'd better call Vincent." As if on cue Vincent's voice crackled in over the radio,
"Hawk to Marnley, Do you copy?"
"I copy you Hawk, go ahead."
"We found the diary and dying body of a scientist, Luke Seer, He told us something about creatures being loose, guards and the diary says something about an infant, any ideas?"
"We got a real mess down in the kitchens, believe me this is one sick scene in front of me,"
"Guards, you say, well we've got two zombies bearing down on us wearing combats, 'course, it could just be the latest fashion item but..." Matt's voice was interrupted by MP10 fire, none of the group were carrying MP10s.
7
Guards! Guards!
The bullets ripped through the snooker table like a knife through butter, Matt and Rachel were in some kind of games room and the so-called guards were hot on their heels, Matt whipped out his arwin grenade-launcher and fired a shot at the guards, ripping one to pieces and taking the legs off another, but the legless guard still crawled on, until Rachel got a shot to it's head with a silenced Desert Eagle .50. On the drinks table next to the shredded snooker table was a scrap of paper S.T.O.R.M. it read I am holed up in the underground lab, Jackson has gone mad, he's chained me up in a cell and wont let me out, Help me, the code is "771477721" please hurry, Jackie Arin. They told Vincent about the note and moved on. In the next room was a computer. Rachel hacked in and printed off some files that might have been useful. These were: Test results, operatives, scientists and subject evaluation. They noticed a grill to the underground sewers was missing, if they had to they could escape that way.
" Hawk to..."
"Yes Vincent" Matt interrupted,
"Have you finished your sweep yet?"
"Yes, we've found a way to get underground and note telling us the access code to get into the lab, we're just beyond the room with a snooker table,"
"We'll be there, pronto Hawk out."
8
Going Underground
As the team descended into the sewers a roar could be heard from deep within the mansion,
"What was that," Matt asked,
"I don't know," They walked on through the sewers until they reached a fork, a six way split actually, they all picked a tunnel and went down it, Vincent rounded a bend and his eyes widened. Before him was the ugliest creature he'd ever seen. Its huge red eyes were set in a human head the crouching body, now blue with veins sticking out, was human enlarged by 50% and in its clawed hand was the limp and lifeless form of Matt and in the other Rachel, together in death together in life, Vincent thought, the thing was in the room were the paths met, it stood revealing it's true size, Deus lux, look at size of that thing, Vincent rolled to the side, picked up Matt's Arwin. Checked to see if it was loaded, Vincent had seven shots. He rolled back and fired, 6, the beast swiped, a voice, female, crackled over the intercom,
"Good luck with the infant," Vincent jumped back, blood down his front, he fired off another shot, 5, and another,4,The beast swiped again, Vincent ducked, rolled left and fired again, 3, another roll, another shot, 2, another shot, 1, the monster crouched low, spread it's arms wide and roared, Vincent fired,
"Zero," the monster slumped down and died, click, Vincent turned, throwing the arwin down,
"So, you've made it passed the infant, the adult looks similar but bigger, but that doesn't matter, you wont see it," CRACK, Police Chief Alium fell to the ground,
"Somehow how, I think he might just see him," a strong Scottish accent said,
"Thanks Alan,"
"It was nothin'," Alan walked over to a passage, "Come on, Kit an' Jack are waitin' by the door, don' worry, Matt told us the code to get in," Vincent followed.
9
the lab
The group, or rather what was left of it, trudged up some steps and along a hall. On entering...
"I can't believe you fell for it, well doesn't matter, you wont be getting to far, well before I tell you why I'll tell you who I am, I'm Jackie Arin,"
"You gave Matt an' Rachel that note," Alan said,
"Yes that's me, oh by the way you have 30 minutes to live, self destruct sequence, well good bye," a burst of SMG fire came from in front of them, they dove to all sides.
"Come out come out were ever you are," Jackie taunted, CRASH, Jackie spun round and fired, nothing, CRACK, CRACK two shots hit Jackie in the arm and back, she screamed in pain.
"Yes, before you die, Luke is sorry,"
"Luke..." CRACK, blood spurted from her head like a grotesque fountain.
"O.K. guys, come out," the came out from their hiding places,
"25 minutes to self destruct," a voice clanged over the inter comm,
"We'd better go." They ran for the helipad.
10
Helipad showdown
They ran for the door and burst open into fresh air,
"This is 75 calling NPDH we need evacuation now, grid coords," Vincent took out a map, "57 by 62,over."
"This is NPDH, we copy, be there in 5."
"Well people, we finally made it out,"
"Hey, look at this," on the door they had just come from was printed, Mutagen Alpha test facility, property of Alpha Corp.
"So, Alpha made the virus to turn everything weird round here," Vincent said
"Yo, you guys, you gonna stand around all day, come on," the chopper pilot called. As they ran for the chopper the door smashed in and out came a huge creature, similar to the infant, but larger and blood seeping out.
"The adult," Vincent whispered,
"5 minutes till self destruct,"
"Go, go, I'll take care of this," Vincent said, whipping out a 12 shot, pump action shotgun, "Come on then," he said to the beast, loosing the opening shot, Vincent spent 4 minutes dodging the creatures attacks, Vincent was still bleeding from the infant and was convinced that could kill him in two clean swipes, maybe one, he still kept dodging and firing until, the adult between him and the chopper, he ran out of ammo.
"Here, catch this," the chopper pilot said, throwing a rocket launcher, which fell just short of the beast, Vincent rolled for it, picking it up, he aimed it at the creatures chest,
"Good bye," he said with a smile, before loosing a rocket and splitting the creature into a million tiny pieces,
"5 seconds till self destruct...,"
"Quick, jump," the pilot yelled
"4..." Vincent ran,
"3..." he ran faster,
"2..." just before the barrier he leapt, just catching the skids,
"1..." he hauled himself aboard, the chopper veered away,
"0." The mansion and lab blew sky high, just missing the chopper.
On the way back to NPD, the pilot asked,
"What the hell was that?"
"You'd never believe it," the S.T.O.R.M.s said as one.
THE END
(Or is it)
A Case of Undeath
By Silver-hawk
Prologue
In the black of the night, illuminated only by curving searchlights a small figure walked across the front of a building. Jack Diamond lay back against the wall, holding his Hetler-Koch sub-machine gun in one hand he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, put it in his mouth and took out a lighter. Just as he as about to light it... CRASH! Something must have torn down the fence behind the arms depot he was guarding the front of! CRACK, CRACK, pistol shots rang out through the night air accompanied by a burst of M16 fire. Jack dropped the lighter, flicked the safety catch on his gun to off and sped round the side of the building. A huge truck had smashed the metal fence aside and now strange creatures were shambling out of the back.
"What are you waiting for Diamond, Christmas? Don't just stand there gawping, SHOOT!" the Captains voice was barely audible over crackle of machine gun fire. Jack took aim and squeezed on the trigger, five shots entered a creatures exposed chest and still it kept on coming.
"Sir, This is just a theory but I think we might be dealing with something a little more powerful than your average human Sir" Jack said slowly to Captain standing next to him,
"No, you don't say," said the Captain sarcastically. Suddenly a figure stepped from the truck wearing a gas mask and carrying what looked like a flamethrower, "Diamond send an S.O.S. transmission to the Special Tactics, Operations, Recon and Munitions section of the police department in Nianso City." The Captain said. Jack fled to the comm room and locked himself in, attaching the headphones and opening the channel Jack grumbled,
"Why doesn't he call them the S.T.O.R.M. Section like everyone else?" There was a beep, the channel was open, "This is MD 26 transmitting to S.T.O.R.M. Section. We are under attack from strange creatures, more powerful than humans and much slower. Requesting immediate assistance. MD 26 out." Jack stood up and went over to a locker. He took out a gas mask and some more clips. He put on the mask, reloaded his gun and sat down. Cries of agony split the silence. What was there to do but wait for the S.T.O.R.M. operatives to come and rescue him, and any other survivors.
1
News
A tall fair-haired man wearing black combat fatigues and a heavy duty, brown leather jacket casually strolled down towards the S.T.O.R.M. office on the first floor of the Nianso Police Department. (they were called NPD for short.) His name was Captain Vincent Hawk. As he opened the door to the office a 20 year old girl pushed open the door and dashed down the stairs,
"Hey Kit, what's the... rush," but she was gone. Kit Marnley, a new operative, hardly ever waited for anyone. Vincent went in and looked around.
"What's with Kit?" Vincent asked a man lounging in his chair. Alan Cairvar looked up from his newspaper,
"Oh the Chief wanted t' speak t' her about something," Alan replied in his strong, Scottish accent which Vincent would have recognized anywhere.
Vincent sat down at his desk at the front of the room,
"Yet more paperwork I see," Vincent sighed
"Not so fast lad, this came through three hours ago," Alan handed him some paper. Vincent read it and burst out laughing,
"This guy should stop drinking his mouthwash before he goes to bed! I mean, from the description these things that attacked the Depot were, were, zombies!"
"Very funny, but consider we tried to contact them and there was no answer,"
"Has anyone investigated it yet?"
"Well we would have but you obviously had a hangover or something so they sent some coppers."
"I did not have a hangover. I was merely playing snooker last night and got home late,"
"How late, three o'clock in the morning?"
"Eleven-thirty." Vincent answered meekly.
The door opened and Kit walked in, tears in her eyes,
"What's up Kit?" Vincent asked
"The depot that Jack was guarding, it was attacked last night and Jack's missing," she burst into tears as Vincent came over and spoke to her.
"Were going in to investigate, we'll find Jack, okay." Alan sat back in his chair, Jack Diamond he thought One of Kit's friends isn't he? Yes, she seems to speak about him a lot, I wander if...
"Alan, make yourself useful and find Matt and Rachel, and stop daydreaming!" Vincent yelled more than ordered.
Ten minutes later all the S.T.O.R.M. members were in the office, Alan, the tactical specialist, Matt, the demolitions and close combat specialist, Rachel, the covert operative, Kit, the field medic and Vincent, the firearms specialist, sniper and marksman. (Even though all of them could handle SMGs, shoguns and pistols Vincent could handle any gun, anywhere.)
"Our plan is simple, we go in. Find out what's happening. Find the survivors and get out. We will be taking SMGs, Berettas, combat knives, Kevlar body armour and oxygen masks. Any questions?" Vincent said coldly. There were no questions. The truck left in ten minutes.
2
The corpse and the friend
The truck rumbled along the path into the depot through the destroyed security barrier and into the centre of the depot. Vincent and Matt jumped out the back, SMGs ready. They looked around the site before giving the all clear.
"What a mess!" Rachel commented on the depot. Suddenly, as if from nowhere a creature appeared, uttering a low moan as it approached. Three others followed it. the S.T.O.R.M.s levelled their guns,
"That's close enough, get down on the floor and spread your arms and legs apart," Vincent commanded. The creatures didn't obey, "Open fire!" a crackle of gunfire ripped through the silent depot, after five seconds the creatures fell.
"Doesn't seem so funny now does it sir?" Alan joked
"I could have worked that out myself Mr know-it-all. We search all the buildings for survivors. Three of the warehouses came up blank with only a few zombies (as confirmed by Vincent) inside them. When they came to the barracks they found a man wearing a gas mask and carrying what looked like a flamethrower. Vincent and Matt levelled their Berettas,
"Freeze, stay where you are. Drop your weapon and put your hands on the wall." Vincent commanded, his voice still cold.
"I know what you want, my name is Mikhail Rukovosky, the flamethrower type weapon is a gas sprayer."
"What does it spray?" Matt asked
"You think I'd tell you?" Matt walked up to him and placed the gun on the mans head,
"Yes, now tell me,"
"You'll have to find the lab in the mansion outside town, hahahahahaha!" CRACK, a bullet whipped through the air and hit Mikhail in the head, Matt turned round to see Vincent's levelled berretta smoking like an industrial chimney.
"He was going for a knife," Vincent answered Matt's question before he'd asked it. A door flew open and every weapon was trained on it.
"Hey, hey calm down."
"Jack!"
"Kit!" They ran together and embraced, then Kit took him back to the truck where the police who had already been sent there were waiting. Rachel walked up to Vincent and put a hand on his shoulder
"Relax," she said and followed Jack and Kit out, the rest of them filed out. Vincent stood there a moment and thought. Was she dropping a hint ? He shook his head, walked over to Mikhail corpse and picked it up.
"We're not done with you yet mate." He muttered to the corpse and walked out of the building to the truck.
Back at the station he put Mikhail's dead body down on the table in the office. Jack was being questioned and everyone else had long since gone but Vincent was still there, Mikhail, Mikhail I wondered if we'd ever meet again, well I'll just have a rummage around in your pockets if you don't mind. Vincent found some papers and put them in his desk for tomorrow, it was late and besides, Jake would want to play the last three frames. Vincent left the station under the watchful eye of the police chief. Chief Alium thought to himself you're a good man, pity you'll have to go.
3
That's Odd
Vincent walked into the office looking shaken,
"Anything wrong?" asked Rachel,
"Some fool tried to shoot me as I walked up the steps to the door. I shot at him but missed,"
"Did you try and track him?" Vincent walked over to a window and closed the blinds,
"In this snow I couldn't have. His footprints would have vanished." Vincent pushed a button on the wall and the table with Mikhail's body rose from the floor,
"Is he still here!" Rachel exclaimed in surprised
"He may be dead but we need hi..." CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! the gunfire cut him short. Vincent rushed to the window. Pulled out his Beretta. Opened the window and aimed downwards, "Freeze, stay where you are!" He yelled,
"It's OK, it's me, Matt." Matt was bending over a man with blood trailing from the man's body, Matt's grey greatcoat hid most of the man but Vincent could see it was the same man who had shot at him.
"Bring him up here and we'll have a look at him," Vincent commanded. Five minutes later Matt had the body upstairs, "Rachel, were you shot at?" Vincent asked
"No, but I took my car downstairs, they might have missed me,"
"Hmmmmmm, Matt call everyone and tell them to come in low and fast when they get here,"
"OK"
"As I was saying we need the body because he may have something on him, I looked for papers but could you look for anything else Rachel." As Vincent went over to his desk Alan and Kit came in,
"Who are you calling Matt? Kit asked.
"You guys, were you shot when you came in?"
"No, why?"
"Me and Vincent were shot at while we came up the steps, I guess that means he was the only one," Matt jerked his head towards the body next to Mikhail's.
"No we aren't running a funeral business," Vincent said, "Search that guy," Vincent flicked through the papers, "That's odd," he said
"What is?" Alan asked
"It's as if Mikhail was meant to die and for us to find his papers, I mean it's got his identity and a work permit but the only other thing is the location of a lab in a mansion, I don't like it, it could be a trap."
"Yeah but orders came through, we must follow up all leads or..."
"Or else we get suspended, it's always the same."
"Well we've got no choice, we have to follow this up,"
"All right, we go, but fully equipped."
"Yes sir!" everyone said.
"Hey, I want some answers," Jack Diamond called from the door, Vincent sighed,
"Well I suppose you can."
4
Terror In The Long Grass
The map showed the lab as being on a hill in the forest to the north of the City. As the S.T.O.R.M. section moved slowly through the woods towards the hill, glowing, red eyes watched them.
"There's the hill but what's that on top of it?" Alan asked.
"It's a mansion. It used to belong to Alpha Corporation, but it's been abandoned for years,"
"Don't Alpha make medical drugs?"
"Even if they were responsible, no-one would have it. They've been giving us funding for years and with these new cuts and most of our money disappearing into thin air, everyone will think it's a funding dispute."
"Sounds like a plan to get rid of us,"
"Well the only thing between us and the truth is this long grass and you two going on about this that and the other,"
"Ok, ok were heading straight through the grass!" Vincent ended his conversation with Rachel.
Half way through the long grass Matt let out a yell of surprise, everyone turned and saw a pack of hounds with red, glowing eyes advancing on them. Vincent didn't say a word, he didn't have to. It was instinctive, they ran for the mansion, anything round here had probably been sprayed with that gas, that horrible, mutating virus.
They reached the doors and burst in. Matt slammed the doors shut and bolted them. The S.T.O.R.M.s were in a hall with two doors on the left and one on the right and a grand sweeping staircase. A red carpet had been lain out on the floor. Someone's been expecting us Vincent thought.
High up on the top floor three men were talking
"We release the infant and see how they get along with him, if it dies we send in the adult,"
"Do you think they suspect,"
"If they do it doesn't matter, they'll die here, tonight. The people of Nianso will be completely unprepared for Mutagen Alpha."
"Still, I think we should be prepared for a face-to-face battle with S.T.O.R.M."
"What about the chief didn't you tell him to..."
"One of them shot the man we placed at the doorway, right through the head.
"Well we've got them here now, lets make their death a slow and painful one, or if that doesn't work, quick and painful." The three men laughed.
5
The Mansion
"Hmmm, spread out people, Jack and Kit, search the left door, Matt and Rachel, you take the right, Alan and me will look into the second floor, meet back here in thirty minutes, keep in touch." As Vincent and Alan trudged up the stairs Vincent wondered, what's going on here, why would someone do this, it doesn't make any sense. At the top were two double doors leading to what looked like a library. Books that looked centuries old lined the walls, cobwebs and dust all over them, Alan picked one up off the floor,
"It's a diary. The diary of Luke Seer, whoever he may be."
"What's the last entry say?"
"Ummmmm, 6th June
I swear to god I will kick the stuffing out of Jackson if he puts any more pressure on us I thought getting that police chief involved was a bad move, he has done nothing to help us, I doubt he'll send anyone half competent to deal with S.T.O.R.M. I doubt he'll even do it. Jackson wants the guard number increased but Shrane and me are going to hold out for 20. He also wants the adult finished by tonight... It ends there, there's some blood on the paper though,"
"6th, that was the day before yesterday, well, that certainly asks more questions than it answers,"
"Well it answers why the chief insisted on us coming here, so we could get mown down by whatever vile creations are wondering about, and who gave the order to shot at us but what's the adult, what are guards, who the heck is behind the massacre."
"Ughhhhhhhhh" a low moan issued from behind a door next to them, Vincent opened it cautiously and went in. inside a man wearing a lab coat, with blood all over him, was slumped in corner. "I don't have to long... the..cre..atur..es are l..l..loose, I...I...fear the w..wor..st for N..ianso c..i..ty, destroy the lab and find Jackie...tell...her..I..I'm s..orr..y, tell her lu..ke's..so..rry. take this key c..c..ard." Luke handed a black card to them. The S.T.O.R.M.s stood to leave, "One l..last..r..quest."
"You don't have to ask" Vincent said, levelling his pistol.
6
the creatures
Jack and Kit moved through some double doors, into a room with a long table and two chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, Kit walked through the door only to come running back in seconds later pointing to the door. Jack raised HK SMG and moved forward, very slowly. Suddenly a creature, it's skin peeling away and a huge hole in the side of his head, wearing a lab coat smashed through the doors, Kit raised her MP5K PDW, They both opened fire. Between them they had emptied three full clips into the creature before it fell to the floor, blood surrounding its body. They proceeded through the broken door, guns ready, as they rounded a corner Jack stopped dead, eyes wide and staring, Kit let out a scream of surprise, on the floor in front of the was a headless, limbless, half chewed body. Behind that there was a dumb-waiter which presumably led down to the kitchen, Jack climbed in and went down, the Kit, In the kitchen they found it was not much better than the other room, limbs were spread out on the floor, blood dripping from them, suddenly, a torso fell from the ceiling. the corps's eye sockets were empty holes and there was blood dripping slowly from were the left arm should have been.
"What did this?" Kit whispered,
"I have no idea, but you'd better call Vincent." As if on cue Vincent's voice crackled in over the radio,
"Hawk to Marnley, Do you copy?"
"I copy you Hawk, go ahead."
"We found the diary and dying body of a scientist, Luke Seer, He told us something about creatures being loose, guards and the diary says something about an infant, any ideas?"
"We got a real mess down in the kitchens, believe me this is one sick scene in front of me,"
"Guards, you say, well we've got two zombies bearing down on us wearing combats, 'course, it could just be the latest fashion item but..." Matt's voice was interrupted by MP10 fire, none of the group were carrying MP10s.
7
Guards! Guards!
The bullets ripped through the snooker table like a knife through butter, Matt and Rachel were in some kind of games room and the so-called guards were hot on their heels, Matt whipped out his arwin grenade-launcher and fired a shot at the guards, ripping one to pieces and taking the legs off another, but the legless guard still crawled on, until Rachel got a shot to it's head with a silenced Desert Eagle .50. On the drinks table next to the shredded snooker table was a scrap of paper S.T.O.R.M. it read I am holed up in the underground lab, Jackson has gone mad, he's chained me up in a cell and wont let me out, Help me, the code is "771477721" please hurry, Jackie Arin. They told Vincent about the note and moved on. In the next room was a computer. Rachel hacked in and printed off some files that might have been useful. These were: Test results, operatives, scientists and subject evaluation. They noticed a grill to the underground sewers was missing, if they had to they could escape that way.
" Hawk to..."
"Yes Vincent" Matt interrupted,
"Have you finished your sweep yet?"
"Yes, we've found a way to get underground and note telling us the access code to get into the lab, we're just beyond the room with a snooker table,"
"We'll be there, pronto Hawk out."
8
Going Underground
As the team descended into the sewers a roar could be heard from deep within the mansion,
"What was that," Matt asked,
"I don't know," They walked on through the sewers until they reached a fork, a six way split actually, they all picked a tunnel and went down it, Vincent rounded a bend and his eyes widened. Before him was the ugliest creature he'd ever seen. Its huge red eyes were set in a human head the crouching body, now blue with veins sticking out, was human enlarged by 50% and in its clawed hand was the limp and lifeless form of Matt and in the other Rachel, together in death together in life, Vincent thought, the thing was in the room were the paths met, it stood revealing it's true size, Deus lux, look at size of that thing, Vincent rolled to the side, picked up Matt's Arwin. Checked to see if it was loaded, Vincent had seven shots. He rolled back and fired, 6, the beast swiped, a voice, female, crackled over the intercom,
"Good luck with the infant," Vincent jumped back, blood down his front, he fired off another shot, 5, and another,4,The beast swiped again, Vincent ducked, rolled left and fired again, 3, another roll, another shot, 2, another shot, 1, the monster crouched low, spread it's arms wide and roared, Vincent fired,
"Zero," the monster slumped down and died, click, Vincent turned, throwing the arwin down,
"So, you've made it passed the infant, the adult looks similar but bigger, but that doesn't matter, you wont see it," CRACK, Police Chief Alium fell to the ground,
"Somehow how, I think he might just see him," a strong Scottish accent said,
"Thanks Alan,"
"It was nothin'," Alan walked over to a passage, "Come on, Kit an' Jack are waitin' by the door, don' worry, Matt told us the code to get in," Vincent followed.
9
the lab
The group, or rather what was left of it, trudged up some steps and along a hall. On entering...
"I can't believe you fell for it, well doesn't matter, you wont be getting to far, well before I tell you why I'll tell you who I am, I'm Jackie Arin,"
"You gave Matt an' Rachel that note," Alan said,
"Yes that's me, oh by the way you have 30 minutes to live, self destruct sequence, well good bye," a burst of SMG fire came from in front of them, they dove to all sides.
"Come out come out were ever you are," Jackie taunted, CRASH, Jackie spun round and fired, nothing, CRACK, CRACK two shots hit Jackie in the arm and back, she screamed in pain.
"Yes, before you die, Luke is sorry,"
"Luke..." CRACK, blood spurted from her head like a grotesque fountain.
"O.K. guys, come out," the came out from their hiding places,
"25 minutes to self destruct," a voice clanged over the inter comm,
"We'd better go." They ran for the helipad.
10
Helipad showdown
They ran for the door and burst open into fresh air,
"This is 75 calling NPDH we need evacuation now, grid coords," Vincent took out a map, "57 by 62,over."
"This is NPDH, we copy, be there in 5."
"Well people, we finally made it out,"
"Hey, look at this," on the door they had just come from was printed, Mutagen Alpha test facility, property of Alpha Corp.
"So, Alpha made the virus to turn everything weird round here," Vincent said
"Yo, you guys, you gonna stand around all day, come on," the chopper pilot called. As they ran for the chopper the door smashed in and out came a huge creature, similar to the infant, but larger and blood seeping out.
"The adult," Vincent whispered,
"5 minutes till self destruct,"
"Go, go, I'll take care of this," Vincent said, whipping out a 12 shot, pump action shotgun, "Come on then," he said to the beast, loosing the opening shot, Vincent spent 4 minutes dodging the creatures attacks, Vincent was still bleeding from the infant and was convinced that could kill him in two clean swipes, maybe one, he still kept dodging and firing until, the adult between him and the chopper, he ran out of ammo.
"Here, catch this," the chopper pilot said, throwing a rocket launcher, which fell just short of the beast, Vincent rolled for it, picking it up, he aimed it at the creatures chest,
"Good bye," he said with a smile, before loosing a rocket and splitting the creature into a million tiny pieces,
"5 seconds till self destruct...,"
"Quick, jump," the pilot yelled
"4..." Vincent ran,
"3..." he ran faster,
"2..." just before the barrier he leapt, just catching the skids,
"1..." he hauled himself aboard, the chopper veered away,
"0." The mansion and lab blew sky high, just missing the chopper.
On the way back to NPD, the pilot asked,
"What the hell was that?"
"You'd never believe it," the S.T.O.R.M.s said as one.
THE END
(Or is it)