Hidden … … deep …

… essence … light …

… … needs … champion … … sustained

and … is …

hearing yelling followed by loud splashes I rubbed my eyes. "you alright boss?" the recon of my team asked.

"yeah... just haven't been getting enough sleep lately." she looked at me with a curious look in her eyes as she cleaned her rifle.

"ill say... you fell asleep as soon as you sat down." she stated. "Nate and Harrison are up on deck helping keep an eye out."

"eye out?" I asked confused as she nodded towards a small window that was nearby. Looking outside immediately I felt everything was going to go wrong. There was fog and it didn't look like the normal fog... it was black letting very little light through. "we are about 5 minutes away from the ship from what we can see from sonar..." I looked at her as her face became grim. "and there is quite a few things big surrounding it... they just finished their notes to home should anything happen to them."

"may god guide them to the next life painlessly." strangely I felt better after saying that for some reason. As if something major has been lifted off of my shoulders.

Without saying anything else I quickly got my gear together which included a silenced SCAR and a silver Desert Eagle that was a final gift to me from the previous leader of the team. Stepping outside I walked over to Garret as he looked forwards. "start to decrease the speed slowly! Don't want to crash into the bloody thing!"

"yes sir!" I heard behind me as I joined him.

"so whats the plan?" I asked him.

"our job is to obtain the ships recorder. From what I saw from the ships blueprints it should be stored in the direct middle in the back of the ship. Its technically in the engine room but the only way to it is from a completely separate route. It hangs above the engine and has a multitude of security guarding it meaning without power we wont be able to get far in. even with tools. Here." he handed me a list of direction and I looked over it as he spoke. "each team is being given a different route in case the previous route turns out to be blocked. Yours should take you there just after the first team should get there."

"lets hope you read the blueprints correctly." he nodded as he looked forwards and I turned around and started to walk awake but then stopped. I had something I had to say to him as a just in case. "Garret..." I could feel his gaze on me. "i may not like the way you do things... but here it could mean life and death for the entire world if we don't find out what happened here... I give you my trust in this." and with that I walked away without another word and joined up with my team.

"so whats the plan boss?" Alex asked me as she flicked her orange dyed hair out of her eyes. Weird she was a recon and yet she had orange hair.

"we are all entering the same point but we will all be splitting up for different routes to the ships recorder. We should be the second to arrive should anything happen."

"com check."

"Team One Check."

"Team Two Check."

"Team Three Check."

"Team Four Check." I waited in silence as we were engulfed in the shadows of the large ship. "alright people this is a quick operation and it can be just as deadly. Check your corners and follow your routes. Should your passage be blocked call back to the boat which will have a soldier here looking over the blueprints for an alternate path from where you are. Check in every 10 minutes."

"lets go." I spoke as the boat parked up alongside a large hole in the hull. The other teams quickly climbed in as I jumped in last. Landing there was a loud thump as guns with lights turned on pointed everywhere. "we have a time frame of 6 hours people before they decide to just bomb the ship... time starts... now." syncing our watches each team separated their own way. Ourselves going straight from where the hole was.

"word back from the Liberty. They launched the aircraft and they will arrive in approximately 30 minutes and the ship will follow after in 20. lets give them good news when they arrive people." Overwatch spoke over the channels. He kept us on the know of how each team was doing and if anything changed in the plans. We came up on a large hallway which was bathed in blood with a single body lying in the middle of the crossroads. Walking over I crouched down while my team took up positions and watched the other three ways we didn't come through.

Flicking my visor up I looked at the body to get some sort of sign as to what was here before bringing my arm up to my com. "this is Team Two Leader I got info on possible hostiles." I awaited the proper response as I stood up.

"this is Team Four Leader broadcasting for rest of Team Pyrus. What you got for us Two?" I looked back down at the body.

"a body that has been torn to shreds. Holes in the torso and claw slashes over the arms... throat ripped out also by what appears to be claws and its as if his face was bitten off..." I had to hold back stomach bile as I said this.

"information received. Any trouble on your end Two?"

"none... there seems to be a little bit of power though at least going through some parts of the ship."

"information was already categorized. Continue to objective without wait. Over and Out."

"over and out." getting off the com I pointed to the right hall as we began to go through it.

"there is something wrong here Luke... and its not the fact that we are on board a ship possibly full of hostiles." Nate spoke up as he aimed into a open room we were passing. More bodies being viewed torn apart before he looked behind us.

"there's always something wrong Nate. Remember Kyle." silence reigned at what Harrison spoke in his gruff voice. "we got to do what we have to... no matter what happens..."

"tell that to Kyle..." I heard Alex whisper behind me.

"keep it together people." I spoke a little more harshly then I should of.

"Team Aquarius just reported in having of entered through the launch bay They lost a full team and random members of all the others being torn apart by something in the water. They are now moving to obtain the research."

"expect to have company." I spoke as the others stopped their bickering and listened up. "Team Aquarius came in through the launch bay but suffered heavy losses... they know we are here."

"Team Two whats your status?" I heard Garret over the com as I held up a arm for us to stop. Pointing my light around it soon focused on where we were.

"right outside the med-bay for the back of the ship." I responded.

"get moving then. Team One came to a block and have to go a ways back and cross into your route a little ways from you. Recommend waiting for them."

"something wrong Garret?" I asked as he would never ask for someone to wait.

"i lost contact with Team Three Garret and they were not far from where you are... get moving. Over and out."

"over and out." looking at the others I gave them their orders. "Alex holster rifle and switch to shotgun your our point. Nate your on Overwatch behind with me and Harrison on corners. Next junction we stop to wait for Team One."

"stopping? What for?" Harrison asked as we got moving.

"Garret lost contact with Team Three. That's the reason." we moved quickly until we reached the junction with a hallway to the right of us and our path leading forwards. "Harrison behind, Alex right, Nate left, ill be overwatch."

"sir." they quickly moved to their spots as we waited for Team One to arrive... before we began to hear gunfire coming from the hallway they were supposed to be coming from. "Team move to assist!" I quickly said as we began to run down the hall with Alex and Nate having their lights in front of us. Soon we heard a scream before we rounded a corner to see them holding a door back while a third soldier was trying to be dragged through and the fourth was trying to pull him out. "come on George! Hold on!" we heard as we quickly rushed over to help them. I grabbed onto the fallen soldier while Alex kept an eye out with Harrison helping hold the door back. Nate soon joined the two of us in pulling him out by shooting into the crack of the door as a loud screech was heard.

"please help me oh god!" the fallen soldier kept screeching.

"hurry up! We cant hold it!" Team One Leader yelled.

"Noooo!" I heard the man next to me yell as I looked to see why he yelled... and saw that the one we were trying to help got a large... something, pierced through his neck. He looked at us with horror as his eyes started to slowly lose their life. We let go as his body was pulled into the room and they quickly closed the door and braced it as something began to slam against it. Shaking out of our shock we joined them as I got on the com's. "This is Team Two we have joined with Team One along their alternate route and have encountered a hostile!" I yelled as Nate along with another began to shoot through the cracks as the door was hit outwards causing more screeches to be heard. I took a head count before quickly continuing the distress. "one is missing with another confirmed KIA! Requesting route from... the entrance to the Mess Hall Block 2!" screeches began to echo all around us as my eyes widened before quickly lifting my weapon pointed down the hall we just came from.

"quickest route is back to your own route Team Leader!" I heard over the com.

"everyone get up! Mourn for the fallen later we need to go!" they heeded my words as we began to run in the direction we had arrived from before a loud boom followed by a screech was heard behind us. "keep running! Turn right up here!" I yelled to the others as we made the quick turn and continued to move throughout the ship... we kept on running and running only pausing for a few seconds to get confirmation of what we were running up on... until something pounced on me from a open doorway we were passing. "ugh!" I yelled out as claws sunk in my left should as I used my arms to hold its neck away from my body as it attempted to take a piece of me.

Hearing gunfire from all around me the beast succumbed to the barrage of bullets after a few seconds as it slumped on top of me before it was pushed off. "you alright?!" Alex asked as I was helped up before wincing from the movement of my shoulder.

"you all continue ahead... my shoulder will only slow you all down. Ill pull the hostiles off of your trail."

"but sir-" Nate started.

"no buts!" I picked up my fallen rifle. "get going. Harrison your in charge. Get on com to notify the others of the command change." Harrison only responded by grabbing the rifle from my hands and handing me his heavily modified MK12 SPR.

"aim for their eyes... good luck sir..."

"Harrison we cant just leave-"

"we follow orders Alex!" he turned around and growled out... but I could see tears in his eyes.

"Captain Damson." one of the surviving members of Team Three spoke up before he handed me a large knife pulled off of his shoulder. "always gave me luck." and with that they began to run as I took a place leaning over the downed hostile as I could hear them approach. Pulling out the mag of the rifle and gave a knowing smile as I put it back in... of course Harrison would bring armor piercing rounds on a operation where we knew little to nothing about the enemy. Aiming down the sights I winced a little from the wound in my shoulder... and that was when they appeared.

Surprised my first shot missed it entirely but I followed it up just as fast as I was surprised and hit it straight in the eye. Its body toppled over itself as the body kept coming towards me. Eyes wide I couldn't react in time as it hit the body I was leaned on top of and pushed me off as it pinned my right leg. Hearing more loud thunders I brought the rifle up and didn't even take the time to aim as I just fired into the darkness ahead of me. Hearing hits and misses as the missed shots hit metal instead. Running out of ammunition I unloaded it and quickly loaded in the mag I had knowing it was compatible as I began to once more fire into the darkness before the weapon took the worst moment to jam... and my eyes widened in horror as as soon as it transpired they appeared in the light of the rifle charging me.

I whipped out my desert eagle and took aim knowing I would be dying but knowing I at least lessened the amount of hostiles for my team to deal with I fired twice. First time hitting the creature just behind the front runner in the shoulder but nailing the front in the leg as they toppled over and I fired the rest of my rounds before they reached me and I felt absolute pain in my left arm. Giving a yell I was pounced on as I could only look up to see its dripping maw from the flashlight on the rifle that was torn away from me. Closing my eyes I embraced death...

only to feel a prick in my neck as my eyes opened in pain... before they closed as I lost consciousness quickly.