Hey! I'm Finally back!
Dialogue key:
"talking"
"Thinking"
Like last time, I do not own Evolve (if I did, I would have opted to put in an actual campaign. I like the game alot, but what would really put it make it great is a story the player can connect to.).
Here we go.
(Night time, Water Treatment Plant, Caira-centered)
It did not take Caira long to arrive at water treatment plant where the pick-up point for the team had been designated.
She touched down onto the ground level of the facility, throwing dirt around as her jump pack proceeded to shut off. The biologist looked around but didn't see anyone from her team.
"Wait. That's right. We're supposed to meet up at the launch field." Caira said to herself.
The colonists here did have a landing platform, but Bucket had told them before dropping that it was too small for the ship, and that they would have to use the clearing on the opposite side of the facility. Caira shrugged and decided to walk there on foot. She wasn't in a hurry, and it would take a little while for Abe and Hank to get there.
As she made her way through the place, Caira couldn't help but look around. The facility itself still bore the scars of the goliath that had attacked only hours earlier. The ground was littered by large chunks of debris, deep craters, and wrecked working equipment. Fires still burned throughout the area as what little of the surviving colonists attempted to extinguish the flames. Looking further up, the woman saw by light of the moon that many of the pipes around were bent and warped in multiply areas. The damage was high, but Caira knew that it could have been much worse and that Shear's government would send aid that would get the plant back up and running within a Solar week. The same could not be said for the creature that had caused all of this.
(Not really a flashback. More like a Summary)
When Caira and her team had been called in, they were ready for a hard fight- and it was a good thing they were.
Upon arrival, the hunters found that the attacking monster had consumed enough biomass from colony personnel and the surrounding wildlife to self-initiate a catalyst to evolve into what now is officially referred to as 'Stage Two'. That had made things a bit harder for Caira's group, and it only got worse when the beast hatched a 'Stage One' goliath out of one of the eggs. Together, the goliaths caused wanton destruction as they tried their hardest to devour the team of hunters. Thankfully, though, the creatures did not succeed.
In the end, the group of humans prevailed. It had taken skill, expert team coordination, and no small amount of luck, but they somehow managed to take down both monsters before either could evolve again or hatch another egg.
And now, both beasts were nothing more than bits and pieces of burnt flesh having been pounded into the ground by a hail of orbitally-fired missiles curtesy of Hank.
(End Summary)
Caira begrudgingly admitted to herself that there was a fair chance that she would be dead had it not been for those barrages called in by Hank.
"I still think there must be a better way to kill them while leaving the body intact." She muttered as she kept walking.
The medic started to walk a little faster as her destination finally came into view.
The airfield was a simple sight. It was just a section of forest that was cleared out and leveled off with layers of asphalt. It covered a large area- much larger than the landing platform that Caira had just come from. This area was probably used for when larger ships came to deliver the bigger supplies such as building materials and heavy machinery while the smaller platform was meant more for ferrying workers to and from the nearby colony. Currently though, the only thing that could be seen on the tarmac was the dropship that had its lights shine through the dark of the night, still waiting for the hunters to return.
Caira jogged the last stretch of distance to the ship and ran alongside its hull to the back where the loading doors would be. As she turned around the corner, the medic stopped to find a familiar face.
Aleksey Markov, the Martian with an endless lust for battle and acting heavy-hitter for the hunting sortie, was leaning again one of the open blast doors while he waited on the rest of the team and turned his gaze to the one that had just appeared. Caira hadn't seen him since she split up with (ditched) him.
(Flashback)
After killing the goliaths, the team had split up into groups of two to search and destroy any eggs that remained in the area- Markov and Caira taking the North half while Abe with Hank took the South half. That way, the job could be completed faster. It was going rather smoothly until Abe radioed that he and Hank had found an empty egg. It set the hunters a little more on edge knowing what that meant, but they could handle a single Stage One monster easy. Markov and Caira quickly decided to finish their half of the area and meet up with the other two to hunt down the beast. That was the plan.
However when Abe radioed in again saying that they found the monster, claiming that it was an oddly small goliath with a very pale-looking pelt, Caira spazzed out. She was shouting something over the team's intercom about telling them to stop, but Hank had presumably activated his cloaking field and both had gone radio-silent.
Before the Martian could try to calm her down and ask what was wrong, the team's medic activated her Adrenaline Boost and shot off in the direction of their teammates, shouting to go on and finish the area sweep without her. He didn't even bother following her into the dark foliage- he couldn't have at the speed she was running.
(End Flashback)
And now, both hunters stared at each other with Caira looking a tad bit sheepish at the large man she stood in front of.
"I wonder if he's mad." She thought.
Markov had a frown set into his face, but he was always like that, and the fact that about half of the man's face was covered with the SOLGE suit (which Caira was still pretty sure meant 'fuck off' in Martian) interface certainly didn't help. Even so, there was no reason to take any unnecessary risks. Caira did not want to end up with the Martians ire.
"H-hey there Markov. Long time, no see. Heh. Heh…heh…" She laughed semi-nervously, trying to lighten the mood.
"Hallo Caira. I take it that you are well? You took off quite fast back there." The large man replied neutrally. (AN: Heads up. I wrote in a way I expected Markov to speak, so any errors found were most likely intentional. Just think of a Russian accent.)
"Yeeeaaah. Sorry about that I had… something to deal with that needed my immediate attention… D-did you finish sweeping the area alright?" Markov's attitude suddenly changed from questioning to something almost like bragging.
"Oh yes. I found and destroyed two more eggs. Not very exciting... That is, until a Megamouth thought it was good idea to try to eat me." He finished with a wide smile. Caira was looking a little frantic.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Are you wounded? It didn't bite you, did it?" Okay, maybe a bit more than a little.
"Да, I am okay. The beast however is not! Hahaha! You should have seen! For moment, I had to rely on punching with bare hands to get it off! The battle was glorious! Hahahahaha!" Markov laugh heartily, proud of what he accomplished. Claira however, couldn't help but sigh.
"Crazy Martian. Only someone from the red planet could enjoy fighting a five ton carnivorous animal in a one-on-one brawl… well, that or if you're a psychotic chem-trooper with a fetish for fire." If Markov heard her over his laughter, he didn't show it.
It was at that moment that Hank and Abe chose to show up, coming down to land a few paces behind Caira. They both wore slight scowls that conveyed irritation- with the source of said irritation being held up between the two. Now, the medic knew that the goliath couldn't have been unbearably heavy to the two healthy men. So guessing by their expressions, she would have to say that had something to do with the fact that hauling anything through the dark between two individual jetpacks along with both mens' already-hefty gear was not easy.
The hunters eased the carcass of the goliath down to the ground, careful not to drop the thing right in front of the irate lady that had a napalm grenade launcher strapped to her hip. Finally done with their job, Abe and Hank wordlessly made there way into the ship. Caira nodded to each as they passed. They nodded back half-heartedly. When she turned back around, she could feel a slight tenseness in the air and the reason was Markov.
The Martian had stopped laughing a while ago and his one visible eye was now narrowed on the body of a goliath that laid out at his feet. He looked to Caira.
"What is this?" The voice was not demanding, but it expected an answer. And so Caira provided.
"Uh, remember I said something needed my attention?" A nod. "Weellll, this is that 'something'." She said, gesturing to the body.
"I still do not understand." Caira walked over to the body.
"I'll explain it on the way back to the ship. However, it would be in our best interests at the moment to get this into a stasis field as soon as possible. Hey, can you lend me some muscle? I don't think I can carry this guy by myself."
"Mister Cabot said that bringing creatures back to the ship is prohibited, Caira." The Martian said as he crossed his thick arms over his chest.
Caira let out a tired sigh.
"Come ooonnn, Markov. We don't have time for this! I need to get the body stabilized before decomposition starts to set in. Besides, this guy is dead as a doornail… Look. See?" The medic tugged the body around to show the fatal wounds the goliath's body sported to her fellow hunter.
Even as Markov stared at the holes in the carcass's side, he still didn't look convinced. He was about to make a remark when a new voice joined the conversation happening outside the ship.
"That may be the case Miss Diaz, but therein lies a different problem." The voice was electronic and male in nature. The two hunters turned around to see a metal, humanoid figure step out of the ship and into the night.
"Bucket." Caira stated. "Wait, I thought your mobile frame was with another team."
"Oh, the mission was completed before yours and without another mission to take, I decided to deliver you all back to the ship personally… Well, this isn't much more personal by my standards as I am still am merely broadcasting my voice to you through an audio output device, but you hunters seem to think otherwise." Markov nodded while Caira gave the yellow robot a strange look.
"Anyways, back my statement to you earlier. You see Miss Diaz, I am tasked with operating the dropships to and from Cabot's ship and enforcing the marshal's set regulations to the best I can capably manage while he is not present. This includes preventing a possible breach in security by retrieved wildlife. I am sorry Miss Diaz, but I cannot allow you to bring that carcass onto the ship."
At this final statement the doors to the dropship behind the robot shut with a loud, metallic CLANG. Caira looked to be at a loss for words.
"But Bucket, I can finally be
"That may be true Caira, but, even if that is the case, you are attempting to bring a deceased goliath- one of the most dangerous and unpredictable species of fauna that humanity has ever encountered- back to the marshal's ship when very little is known about the creature's biology. That could prove to be quite risky. For instance, the carcass could break down and release toxic chemical into the ship's already-hard-to-manage atmosphere."
Caira had heard enough. She stared the mechanical AI in its blue photoreceptor with a hard look on her face.
"And that is exactly why I'm doing this. WE! KNOW! NOTHING! Ever since we got to this planet, we have been deployed nearly nonstop trying to save every colonist- which is not a bad goal if not impractical. Every day, it's 'hunt the monster', or 'evacuate the civilians' or my new favorite 'destroy the monster's nest'.
"We are so frantic to locate and put down these creatures when their sighted that we hardly know anything about them other than they do not like humans- and that's just talking about their behavior patterns. Our information on their anatomy is surely lacking and the gathered reports from colonists about each species' origins are starting to sound like fairytale-superstition with nobody actually trying to investigate! The longer we go without definite information on these monsters, the more lives are going to be lost in our ignorance!
"And this-" She pointed at the body of the monster still lying on the ground. "is our chance to cure ourselves of that ignorance. I have the qualified experience to fully analyze this body, and the best place to study it properly is in the ship's lab."
Caira lost a bit of her steam and calmed down a bit."There isn't any certainty that I will find some ground-breaking discovery that will save us all," She admitted solemnly "but whatever I do find will certainly prove to be more useful than nothing at all... Isn't that reason enough to let me and it through, Bucket?"
The robot stood still, looking between the pleading medic and the dead goliath. Caira could not tell what was going on inside the robots motherboard, but she prayed that it ran along the lines of letting her take the body with them.
"I… cannot deny that new information about these beasts would more-than-likely prove useful later on. Hmmm. Yes, perhaps I spoke too soon earlier. Alright Miss Diaz. I approve of you studying this carcass in the pursuit of further knowledge about the creature." With a flick its eye, the robot signaled for the ship's doors to reopen.
Caira gained a bright smile on her face. "YES!" The medic pumped her fist into the air and jumped around a bit. "Thanks a lot, Bucket! You won't regret this. You are definitely one rad robot!"
"Hmmm… 'rad'. Not in my immediate vocabulary data banks. Earthborn jargon may I presume?... Ah, here it is. 'Rad- a slang term most often used by youths in casual conversation when attempting to describe an object, person, place, or event in an exceptionally positive light.' So I am 'rad' Miss Diaz?"
The medic had listened to the bot's dictionary speech with an bemused expression and merely nodded to the question asked- even giving the tin man a thumbs up.
"Very well then. Now back to the topic at hand. I will allow transport of this deceased goliath back to the ship for further study conducted by you, however-"
Caira's good mood seemed to melt away at hearing 'however'.
"I will need to inform Cabot about this. A captain must always know what goes on in his ship. And with me knowing the marshal for so long, I think I know how he will react. Fortunately, or unfortunately for the current subject being discussed, Cabot has proven to be a very cautious man- never risking more than what is necessary on missions and that goes for the operation as a whole as well. No doubt that when he hears about this goliath carcass, the marshal will most-likely reject your request– even with all of the good points you have made." Bucke gestured to the goliath.
"He will probably order it burned or to simply leave it behind. Such a waste too." The robot stated offhandedly.
With every word Caira's spirit sank lower and lower up until the end. "So… that's it? This is where I'm stopped? The driver says 'yes', but the boss says 'no'?" The woman's thought bounced around in her head. This looked like the end of a something great before whatever it was even begun.
But the yellow-clad robot wasn't through talking.
"Although, at the moment the marshal is preoccupied. It seems that Cabot is with Mr. Parnell at a colonist drinking establishment. Apparently, they are taking break after completing their latest assignment and are currently intoxicating themselves- a meeting of utmost importance I imagine. Alas, this means I cannot attempt to deliver this new information to the marshal or else I may interrupt them while they are discussing future plans to exterminate the monster menace. That could affect the entire planet! No, I shouldn't try to contact him at all- maybe not even until he gets back to the ship. And who knows when the next dropship will be available for him to use?..."
(AN: Yeah, Bucket's a sarcastic little shit, ain't he? :P)
Caira's face gained a beleaguered expression. "Did Bucket just insinuate that he would withhold information from Cabot and even intentionally delay his and Parnell's return from the bar they are at- all for the sake of me?!"
Before Caira could voice her question, the robot turned promptly on his metal boot heel and began walking toward the ship.
"No matter. Mister Abe and Hank seem to be getting annoyed at our tardiness, and I believe I agree that we have spent an unnecessary length on time here. Please hurry along you two."
And with that, Bucket's back disappeared inside the dropship.
Caira looked beside here, where Markov still stood. Through the entire conversation Caira and Bucket had, he had remained silent, and Caira didn't know what his reaction had been to
Wordlessly Markov stepped toward the goliath's body, with his lightning gun gripped in both hands. Caira began to think badly before she saw the Martian set his weapon down on the ground beside him. He then gripped the goliath by the undersides of its shoulders and slung the limp carcass across his own right shoulder. Markov picked his gun back up and turned to Caira.
"Let's go." He said this as he made his way toward the ship's doors.
Caira simply nodded and followed the large man into dropship with the doors closing shortly after as the vessel began to lift-off.
A/N: Not really satisfied with this chapter. It's shorter than what I usually can do and I rather wanted to get to the ship, but the content just felt like it should end here for as a chapter.
Sorry that it took longer than expected to post. Destiny's "House of Wolves" and The Witcher 3 coming out in the same week will do that- that and I was brainstorming another story.
For those of you that did not see my update in the last chapter, I have made a pencil drawing fan art piece for this story. It is of how I picture my goliath to look. The link to my deviantart is on my profile.
I will try to post the next chapter within a few weeks, and it will be awesome.
Remember to leave a review so I can see how you like the story so far.