ALIENS: EPIDEMIC
Disclaimer: The ALIEN Franchise and all related characters wherein are the intellectual property of 20th Century Fox.
While writing this chapter, I listened to the soundtracks for John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness (1987) by John Carpenter, ALIENS (1986) by James Horner, and Predator (1987) by Alan Silvestri.
Prince of Darkness: Opening Title, Darkness Falls, Hell Breaks Loose.
ALIENS: Combat Drop (Theatrical Replacement piece by Harry Rabinowitz), Combat Drop (Original intended version by James Horner)
Predator: Long Tall Sally (Little Richard version heard in helicopter ride), Main Title.
CHAPTER 04: EPIDEMIC
DATE: SUNDAY, JUNE 08, 2183
DIAMOND BAY PRIMARY HOSPITAL, A-BLOCK, STREET A-012
Looking over the lists of patients the observation room, Doctor Haruo Kawakita scrunched his face in a frown. Standing between him and a dozen patients was a 6-inch thick window and surrounding wall. Every patient in the room had been admitted with a strange creature attached to their face.
All of the creatures had eight limbs, tails, and what looked like respiratory bladders. They had no visible eyes or other recognizable sensory or even olfactory organs, and it had been discovered through extensive examination that the creatures were producing a paralytic chemical compound that caused a very negative reaction within the patient during attempts at removal. One of the patients had almost died during the procedure to remove the creature, and samples taken from the face hugging thing had shown just how risky any future attempts would be.
CAT-scans of the patients had shown strange tubes, a proboscis of some kind, entrenched within the throats of the victims, emerging from within these creatures. These... facehuggers, as they had been dubbed for obvious reasons. An early attempt at cutting one of the creatures' limbs off proved to be disastrous, as the warnings of one patient's comrade were shown to be correct. The creatures' blood was highly corrosive, almost akin to molecular acid or a strong base.
However, in spite of the basic physical similarities between the creatures, there were a few key differences that denoted two phenotypes. One type of facehugger was a basic tan/yellow coloration, while the other phenotype was pink with yellow spots and stripes adorning their bodies. Another difference between the two creatures was that the tan facehuggers had the more dangerous blood of the two types, with just a small splash eating through two layers of floors and ceilings of the building.
The pink and yellow facehuggers' blood, while still dangerous, was noticeably less potent in comparison. Their blood only ate through one layer of floor and ceiling, although the amount of blood that had been spilled was almost smaller than what the tan creature had spilled. Of course, nobody wanted to start cutting the creatures open for more accurate comparisons between their blood's corrosiveness any time soon.
As Kawakita walked over to the next observation room, he turned on the light from a switch on the outside and looked down at his notes, only to glance back up as something became immediately apparent. The facehuggers had removed themselves from most of the patients' faces. Kawakita ran back over to look at the patients in Room D-O-01 before checking their admission times. He then ran back over to look at the creature-free patients of Room D-O-02, checking their admission times on his list as well.
The patients in Room D-O-02 had been among the earliest arrivals, with those in the next room being among the later arrivals. Kawakita then ran over to look at the patients in Room D-O-03, the third observation room of Level D. Half of the patients in that room were also missing the creatures on their faces.
Kawakita then took out his data tablet and accessed the hospital's patient database. He searched for more detailed notes on the patients, such as when they were recorded as having been attacked by the creatures. Just because some patients had been brought in before others didn't mean that they had been attacked before them.
After a few minutes, Kawakita used the intercom to call for a few nurses and a synthetic to join him in the Observation Block of Level D. He then used a private channel to call for two security officers to show up with non-lethal defenses and animal capture devices. Several minutes later, two male nurses and three female nurses had arrived, along with a synthetic medical technician pushing a cart of supplies. Glancing over his shoulder at the rows of patients in the room behind him, Kawakita furrowed his brows before looking at the nurses assembled before him. He then focused his attention on the synthetic, a thinly built black-haired model whose name-tag read 'Bob'.
A minute later, two female hospital security guards, both wearing protective face gear and helmets, entered the hallway with a cart full of small animal carrier crates and several stun batons. They were also both equipped with taser pistols. "Okay, Bob, I want you to accompany these guards into room D-O-zero-two," Kawakita said firmly. "Take the animal capture supplies in with you, and make sure that the containment doors are firmly shut behind you," Kawakita continued as he eyed the two women, named Sanders and Berkel.
"Got it," the Sanders, taller of the two, said as she nodded her head while chewing a stick of gum. Her shorter companion, Berkel, a dark-skinned woman with a prosthetic arm, also nodded her head in agreement. Meanwhile, Bob was already waiting at the outer containment door, which was essentially an airlock door. All observation and quarantine rooms had small airlocks with an inner and outer door.
The two guards quickly pulled their cart alongside them and entered the airlock with Bob before closing the outer door. When the door was shut, they opened the inner door, which slid open with a faint squeal. It needed to be oiled or greased soon.
Stepping inside the room, the two guards cautiously turned on a motion tracker and kept their backs against the wall as they began scanning the room, while Bob slowly began checking under the beds of the patients for signs of the facehuggers. One by one, Bob checked under each bed and table, slowly accruing a small number of limp and seemingly dead facehuggers every few feet he moved.
Soon, all but five facehuggers were accounted for, and none of them showed any signs of life when Bob poked and prodded them, aside from a few muscle reflexes. "Where are the other ones?" Berkel asked with some trepidation in her voice. Silently, Bob glanced up at the ceiling of the room, where he saw one of the creatures lying on a support beam next to a light.
He silently pointed upward at the creature, causing both guards to look up as well. "I don't see it moving," Sanders commented as she stepped to the side to get a better look. Bob reached up with a long and thin light rod to poke at the creature, which made no physical response before Bob dragged a stepping stool over from a corner and grabbed it, pulling it down with ease before holding it by the tail as he walked over to the cart to deposit it inside another carrier.
"Just four more," Bob said as he looked around, eventually spying another of the dead facehuggers lying on the floor next to a cabinet marked with a hazardous material sign. Walking gingerly over to the floor, Bob picked up the dead creature before he saw another one nearby, its tail poking out of a drawer in another cabinet. Opening the drawer, Bob pulled out the next creature, discovering to his surprise that this one was still alive.
Its limbs moved sluggishly as Bob carried it through the air, eventually depositing it in an empty carrier. The pink and yellow-striped creature very sluggishly crawled into the back of the carrier and curled itself up before it stopped moving. Bob then began searching for the last two facehuggers, opening drawers and closing them, before finding the last two on the tops of wooden cabinets. After taking them over and depositing them in a carrier together with several other dead facehuggers, Bob walked over to the comm panel on the wall.
"We've secured all of the creatures. All but one are dead," Bob said over the comm. "Good. Keep the live one locked away. We'll be in shortly to begin checking the vital signs of the patients. In the meantime, I want the three of you to head over to the next room and begin searching for the missing creatures in there as well," Kawakita responded over the comm.
"Understood, Doctor," Bob replied before walking over to the airlock doors, dragging the cart of animal carriers with him. Sanders and Berkel both followed behind him and proceeded out of the room and into the next one as they had been instructed, while Dr. Kawakita and his nurses quickly made their way into room D-O-02 and began checking the patients, taking blood samples, and checking their vital signs.
CONFERENCE ROOM B-002, DIAMOND BAY PRIMARY HOSPITAL, LATER THAT EVENING...
Night had already fallen when the majority of the leading physicians had been called into a meeting by the head doctor. Looking at the collection of images on the screen in front of them, Dr. Kawakita, Dr. Shannon Munroe, Dr. Phillips, Dr. Samantha McAffee, Dr. Samuel Higgins, Dr. Hannah McCormick, Dr. Jennifer Kruger, Dr. Harold Bowers, Dr. Adam Kawalski, and head doctor Kenneth McAllister all felt a sense of unease and apprehension. Pressing a button on a keyboard next to the computer that was hooked up to the conference room's multi-function TV screen, Dr. McAllister frowned.
"Doctors, in the past twenty four hours, we've had over fifty colonists admitted with these things attached to their faces," McAllister said as he looked around at his fellow physicians and a handful of nurses, plus three Bob synthetics and four security guards. "Now, with at least half of the creatures dying after removing themselves from many of the earliest arrivals this afternoon, we've begun... studying them. Both the creatures and the patients."
"We haven't contacted the police yet, and we haven't issued any statements to the families of the patients," McAllister said, watching as his fellow doctors began raising eyebrows and looks of bewilderment crossed their faces. "The reason for this is that the patients are still unresponsive and in a comatose state. Now, as our testing discovered, these creatures produced some kind of paralytic chemical to render the victim immobile, and of course any attempt to remove the creature resulted in the chemical running wild through the patient's system, almost killing them."
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, with a few of them having been present when this had been discovered. "So, now that some of these creatures are dead, and blood tests have shown that there are only trace amounts of the chemical in the patients' systems, we still have to figure out just what the hell these things were doing to them in the first place," the elderly doctor continued. "We've confirmed that there's no threat of airborne contamination from the creatures, right? But what about inside the patients?"
McAllister then pressed a button and used a mouse to select a new folder of images for the slide show. "Now, this is what our scans have shown so far, even in the patients with the creatures still attached to them," he said. An X-ray image showed a dark spot in a young girl's chest cavity, and the same for another patient, and another, and another...
"What are they?" Dr. Kruger asked curiously. "We don't know. I'm going to have some more in depth scans performed tonight on the patients, and I'm going to need all of you here for this. Now, when Johnson, Kessler, MacReady, and Reese all turn in for their shifts tomorrow, I want one of you to drag them up here and show them everything," McAllister said, referring to four physicians who'd had the previous few days off.
"No physician or nurse in this building is to be unaware of critical information regarding these creatures and the patients. We still don't know where they're coming from, and we're continuing to receive patients with the creatures attached to them as we hold this conference," McAllister said. He then looked over at the Bobs, one of whom had a recently replaced left hand, a result of being under one of the floors that one of the creature's had bled through.
"Bob Fifteen, how long until the analysis of the living specimen is finished?" McAllister asked the synthetic. "Sir, the creature died over an hour after it had been found," Bob-015 replied. "Security footage of the observation room is being inspected right now to determine which patient the creature came from and how much time had passed before we entered the room," Bob-015 added.
Next to him, Bob-006 and Bob-011 both nodded their heads in agreement.
"Now, even though the dead creatures are still being dissected and analyzed, we have been able to gather some new information regarding their biology prior to this meeting. As Bob Eleven told me earlier, the creature's blood oxidizes after its death, thereby neutralizing it, correct?" McAllister stated. Bob-011 nodded his head.
"That is correct. It appears to be that way with both phenotypes," he stated, causing McAllister to adjust his glasses before clearing his throat. "Yes, that brings us to another point. Do we know anything else about these two variations and other differences between them?" McAllister asked Bob-011.
"Well, Doctor, it would seem that there are slight differences in terms in internal organic components, but really only in terms of organ sizes. Both varieties appear to have the exact same internal structure, and the majority of the same organs. The differences are mostly cosmetic, otherwise, although the pink creatures have certain organs arranged in a different manner and some of the organs are smaller and more compact, mostly because they do have at least one more set of muscles and organs that the tan creatures seem to lack," Bob-011 explained.
"Is that so?" Dr. Phillips asked him curiously.
"Yes, but we aren't entirely certain of just what they do or why yet, as we haven't seen these creatures alive without being attached to someone, and the only one that was alive died shortly after we found it. The research team in the medical lab is still performing the dissections as we speak. When we know more, we'll spread the information. Also, I forgot to mention, the pink creatures are just slightly larger than the tan ones, but mostly because their tails are about four centimeters longer on average. We measured all of the creatures' bodies," he added.
McAllister and the other doctors all nodded their heads. "Alright, with that in mind, please try-" McAllister was interrupted as the lights dimmed before brightening again. "What the hell?" he asked as they started dimming again. "A brown out?" Dr. McCormick asked curiously.
"Maybe," Dr. McAffee said as she looked around, just before the lights went out completely. The only light in the room was now the TV screen, which was connected to a different set of wires than the lights. "What just happened!?" Dr. Bowers asked.
Taking out a small personal flashlight, McAllister made his way over to the comm panel on the wall and tried to contact maintenance. "Hello? What's going on?" he asked. "Someone blew a fuse down here. I've got two synthetics checking it out right now," the head of maintenance replied over the comm.
"Just give them a few minutes to... what was that?" the man asked over the other end. "I'm sorry, what?" McAllister asked him. "I thought I saw-what was that noise? Who's out there? Bob?" the maintenance chief asked, his voice growing loud.
There was more noise on the other end as McAllister heard a faint creaking noise, followed by the faint rubbery click of what sounded like a heavy-duty flashlight being turned on. "Mr. Bush, what's going on?" McAllister asked over the comm. "I don't know. I thought I heard something outside the-what was that? What was that?" Bush asked.
"Bush? What's going on?" McAllister asked. He then heard the faint sound of a door sliding open in the background.
"Bush?" McAllister asked again. "What the heaaaaahhh!" Bush cried out before the comm went silent.
"Bush? Bush!? Bush!" McAllister exclaimed. "Security, head down to the maintenance lounge in the basement. Find out what's going on," McAllister said as he pointed his flashlight at the security guards in the room.
The guards quickly made their way out of the conference room as the door slid open, operating on a different circuit from the lights.
"Alright, now everyone just stay in here until the lights come back on or security returns. We should have plenty of Bobs already in the hallways checking on patients and visitors, so remain calm and follow procedure," McAllister said firmly. "Remember, just stay calm and everything will be all right."
DIAMOND BAY POLICE DEPARTMENT, STATION 01, ONE HOUR LATER...
Police Sergeant Vincent Danielson picked up the ringing phone on the reception desk. "Hello, this is the Diamond Bay Police Department, Sergeant Danielson speaking," he said. The night shift reception officer had left to use the bathroom two minutes earlier, and so Danielson was staying at the desk until he returned.
"We need help at the hospital! Please, for Christ's sake, send a SWAT team or something!" a panicked voice cried out over the line. Danielson grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "Whoa, okay. Sir, please remain calm. Now, take a deep breath and try to concentrate. What is the nature of this emergency?" Danielson asked.
"I don't know! We've lost power to half of the building, and there's some kind of animal running around in here! I was checking on some patients in my assigned wing, when I heard screaming out in the hallway. I saw something big moving around, and a tail! There's an animal running around in here!" the man raved.
Danielson looked down at his notes. "Okay, so you believe that there is a dangerous animal inside the facility, is that correct?" he asked as calmly as he could. "I think there's more than one," the man said, before a faint and muffled scream was heard in the background.
"Okay, I want you to calm your breathing, look around, and tell me where you are. What part of the building are you currently in. Please describe this to me as best you can. What floor, what room number?" Danielson asked calmly.
"I left the door open. I left the door open. I need to close the door," the nurse said fearfully. "Okay, close the door slowly. Try to make as little noise as possible, and try to see if there are any other people in the hallways. See if anyone might be injured, but don't do anything. I just need to know in case we have to send emergency medical services... which you guys provide," Danielson said as he slapped himself in the forehead.
"O-Okay. I-I'm going to crawl over to the door and-and peek outside before I close it," the nurse whispered excitedly. "Alright, just do that. Just close the door and then you'll be okay. If you hear anything moving, remain silent. Do you understand? Remain calm and make as little noise as possible," Danielson said.
"Okay. I'm peeking out the door, and the hallway to my right is clear. To my left is the waiting room down the hall and-oh my god. Oh my god, I see them! I see them! There's three of them in the waiting room!" the panicking male nurse whispered in fear over the phone. Danielson listened as he tried looking for a on-desk comm panel and a spare phone to contact animal control services.
"Okay, sir, I'm going to try to put you through to animal control services. They have all of the gear and training needed to handle dangerous animals, so I want you to try to memorize as much as you can about the animals and then close the door of whatever room you're in, find a place to hide and stay there," Danielson said. There was panicked breathing on the other end of the line.
"Sir, can you hear me? I want you to calm your breathing. Just remain calm and-" "Jesus Christ!" the man whispered in fear before a scurrying sound was heard over the phone and the sound of a door sliding closed. "Sir, sir what's going on?" Danielson asked.
"I shined my light on one of them. They have no eyes. They have no eyes! They have this dome on their head! They... they're monsters. They're monsters! They're as big as a man! They have claws and fangs and they look like skeletons!" the man said in a panic.
"Okay, sir. Please try to remain calm. Now, did you close the door to the room that you're in?" Danielson asked, just as he saw the night shift operator returning. He quietly motioned for him to hustle. "Call animal control. Tell them that there's a situation at the hospital, and notify our night officers that they may need to assist animal control," Danielson said.
"Yes, but I think they heard me," the man said. "Okay, but the door is closed? You're safe now?" Danielson asked in response. "I... I think-oh shit," the man whispered as the faint sound of a door sliding open could be heard over the phone, followed by faint footsteps.
Danielson listened and wait, knowing that speaking up now could alert the animal to the caller's presence. He heard shallow and muffled breathing, indicating that the caller had covered his mouth. There was a faint hiss over the phone, followed by a faint whimper. And then, the caller screamed as he was dragged away from his phone.
Danielson quickly gave the phone to reception officer. "Call animal control and tell them to get their asses to the hospital, but not to go inside! Tell them we're dealing with at least three or more large animals. They've been described as having tails, claws, and fangs, and smooth heads," Danielson said, thinking that the caller's description of the creature's domed head must have referred to it simply been smooth-looking. "They're also skeletal in appearance, but I think that means they're starving and will attack anything in sight," he added as the reception officer called Animal Control.
Calling Captain Summers, the officer in charge during night shift, Danielson quickly received permission to galvanize the SWAT officers, before he sent a message to the emergency operators room and set up the phone system to divert all calls from the hospital to the emergency call center located deep within the station, where over two dozen operators where standing by.
Danielson then quickly used the comm to connect to the SWAT department. "This is Lieutenant Carpenter, night shift SWAT commander. What are we needed for?" a female voice asked over the comm.
"Lieutenant, this is Sergeant Danielson. I'm afraid we have a situation at the Diamond Bay Primary Hospital. We need you guys to work closely with Animal Control to capture or neutralize at least three or more large dangerous animals," Danielson said.
"I understand. Do we have authorization from someone of a higher rank, though?" Carpenter asked him. "I already spoke with Captain Summers. He's given the OK for the operation. You're going to meet up with Animal Control and work together. These things have been described as being as large as a man, with claws and fangs and tails. My only caller described them as being skeletal in appearance, indicating that these things might be starving and will attack anything they can find," Danielson said.
"We'll move out in ten minutes. Carpenter out," the SWAT leader said over the comm. "Don't wait for further instructions. Just get to the hospital with Animal Control and sort things out over there," Danielson said. He trusted Lieutenant Carpenter's judgement, and not just because she outranked him. Just then, the front reception desk's phone rang again after Desk Sergeant Grassley put the phone down. "Hello, this is Sergeant Grassley of the Diamond Bay Police Department, how may I be of assistance to you?" the man asked.
A look of worry soon crossed his face and he turned to look at Danielson. "Y-Yes, just remain calm and find a place to hide. We'll send someone as soon as-he-hello? Hello?" Grassley asked in a concerned manner.
"What happened?" Danielson asked him. "Another animal attack. This call came from the Diamond Valley Grand Shopping Center," Grassley said.
"The mall? It's still open this late?" Danielson asked him. Grassley nodded his head. "Yeah, it's the mall. But it's not open. The caller must be one of-" Grassley was interrupted by another call. "Hello, this is-" "This is Station number two! We need additional officers over here! Jesus Christ, the things are everywhere!" a panicked male voice yelled over the phone.
Faint gunshots were then heard.
"Who's calling!?" Danielson asked Grassley.
"Station number two," Grassley replied nervously.
"Get back! [Bang! Bang!] Get away from me!" the officer cried out before a strange, almost elephant-like cry was heard, followed by a snarl of some kind.
"Hodges, behind you! Hodges!" came a faint cry in the background between the sound of SMG and pistol fire, with more strange screeches and hisses, along with clatter from furniture. "Get that one over there!"
Danielson looked at Grassley with concern, until Grassley looked out at the front glass doors and windows of the lobby and a confused look on his face after hearing the faint sound of a horn honking. Turning look at the lobby windows, Danielson saw something moving in the darkness behind the glass, among the sea of other lights produced by the street lamps and the various buildings of the city. There were two lights in particular, though, that caught both men's attention.
The lights were moving very fast. They were the headlights of a large truck, whose horn was honking every couple of minutes. The truck was a standard shipping truck, but there was no cargo container attached to the back of it. Walking up to the front doors of the lobby, Danielson stepped out and watched as the truck swerved around. On the front and top of the vehicle were two large, shining black things, with yellow spots on them.
One of the things had an arm reaching into the cabin window of the truck on the driver's side, while the other thing was trying to open the passenger side door as the truck driver kept swerving his vehicle around in an attempt to shake the creatures off. Soon, however, Danielson noticed that the truck was getting closer to the station, and he didn't think that the vehicle's operator was in much position to care. "Oh shit," Danielson muttered as the truck sped forward, honking its horn as it bore down on the station.
Danielson quickly turned around and ran back to the front desk. "Grassley, move your ass!" he shouted as he grabbed the man by his arm and began to drag him away. Looking back, Danielson saw the truck bump onto the curb and lose control.
"What the hell are-" SMASH!
The truck smashed through the lobby windows and doors, driving forward as it swerved around and eventually slammed into a vertical support beam in the middle of the lobby. The driver was jerked around inside, while the black and yellow creatures on the top and side were sent flying from the inertia. The truck was lying on its side now, and Danielson and Grassley had both taken cover back by the entrance of a hallway.
Stepping out into the lobby, with doors opening in the halls both behind them and on the floor above, several more officers made their way towards the center of attention. "What happened!?" one sergeant asked in confusion. "Is anyone hurt!?" asked a deputy.
Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Danielson soon saw more shapes moving in the darkness outside of the station. Black and yellow limbs and exoskeletal bodies moved swiftly forward, entering the lobby through the broken windows and doors. "What are those things!?" someone cried out as three of the creatures began crawling on the walls.
Danielson quickly unholstered his service pistol and took aim as the beasts swarmed into the station. There must have been two dozen of them as the assault began, with his fellow officers opening fire with their own sidearms as the creatures launched themselves at them. The standard 9mm rounds of the police pistols bounced off of the shiny black exoskeletons of the creatures with little effect as they surged forward, capturing and subduing the night shift officers with little resistance.
"Shit, run! Everyone, get to the armory!" Danielson shouted as he fired at one of the creatures approaching him. He failed to notice the creature on the balcony above him as it crawled down and positioned itself. Still focusing on the immediate threat, Danielson unloaded his entire magazine into the approaching beast, with only two rounds finally causing any damage as small bouts of greenish yellow liquid splashed onto the floor, sizzling and smoking.
Above Danielson, the flanking creature uncurled its tail and stung him with the barb on the end of it. Danielson hissed at the contact, before the creature reached down and grabbed him, pulling him up to the ceiling to wait for his struggles to cease. Meanwhile, Grassley had ducked under a nearby table to hide, but he soon found himself surrounded by three of the monsters, all of whom were smiling at him and baring their teeth as they crawled forward.
Grassley took out his service pistol and whimpered at the creatures to stay back. "Get away! G-Get awaaaaayyyy!" he cried before shooting at them. As before, the 9mm rounds bounced off of the creatures' resilient exoskeletons as they moved forward, their tails poised like a scorpion's. When Grassley was out of ammo, they lunged for him, and his screams of fear and terror tore through the lobby and out onto the streets.
All throughout the city, nightmarish monsters erupted from the sewers and captured people left and right. Those who could escape did so by finding places to hide, while some stood their ground and fought to the last breath, futile as the effort was. The city was quickly caught off guard, and the screams and gunshots echoed into the night until, eventually, silence reigned supreme.
DATE: MONDAY, JUNE 09, 2183
UNITED STATES COLONIAL ARMY BASE A-001, DIAMOND VALLEY
Walking into the cafeteria early in the morning, just a few minutes before Reveille would begin playing over the speakers throughout the base, Captain Burt Rosenthal and 1st Lieutenant Kimberly Hargrove made their way to the automated food dispensers and coffee machines. The pair groggily grabbed trays and cups before retrieving plastic utensils and selecting the food from the dispensers. Yawning, Hargrove placed her cup under the coffee dispenser and waited for it to fill before grabbing two packets of sugar and three small creamer cups.
As Rosenthal grabbed his food, he heard the sound of Reveille playing over the base's speakers, just around 08:00 hours. "On schedule as always," Rosenthal muttered to himself as he watched the machine dispense a bout of heated water to melt down the processed oatmeal cube. Retrieving the bowl, he placed it back on his tray and stirred it with a plastic spoon.
"Didn't we used to have metal utensils?" he asked out loud as he stirred the oatmeal in the bowl. Moving his tray over, he heard foot steps entering the cafeteria. Glancing to his right, he saw 2nd Lieutenant Mathew Dent entering the room. "Morning, Lieutenant Dent," Rosenthal said.
"Good morning," Dent said with the briefest of salutes to his superiors. "So, did anyone else hear fireworks last night?" Dent asked curiously. "Fireworks?" Hargrove asked him curiously.
"Yeah. I thought I heard them. Real faint, like they were going off a hundred miles away or something," Dent said. "I don't recall," Rosenthal said, shaking his head as he grabbed a hash brown from the dispenser. Hargrove followed suit and made her way over to the table that both commanding officers shared as Staff Sergeant Verl Williams entered the room, quickly followed by the base's dropship pilots and Warrant Officer George Jonas, who was a backup MEDEVAC pilot in additional to being a medical technician.
"So, did anyone else hear the fireworks last night?" Dent asked the group as they made their way to the food dispensers and grabbed trays and utensils. "The what?" Williams asked him in confusion, just as Rook entered the room.
"Hey, Rook? Did you hear any fireworks last night?" Dent asked the synthetic. Rook looked at him with a confused expression. "Fireworks? Wait a minute... I recall hearing some scattered noises that resembled gunshots while I was fixing a security camera outside last night," Rook said.
"Gunshots?" Jonas asked him with concern. "Yeah. They were faint, but I heard them. I checked the radios and communication systems to see if anyone in Diamond Bay knew what was going on, but I didn't hear back from them," Rook replied.
"Eh, don't worry about it. Chief Young made it very clear that they don't want out help for anything. Besides, they have a nice compliment of Marines over there. They don't 'need' our help," Rosenthal said grumpily.
Hargrove frowned at this. "I think we should send someone over to see if they need help anyway, if what Rook heard last night were indeed gunshots. Besides, what if this is related to what Corporal Harrison and Specialist Quail reported yesterday morning? People's lives could be at stake," she said, looking back and forth between Rosenthal and the others. She then focused her attention on Rook.
"I thought the police determined that a wild animal was responsible for what happened at the Wilhelm Farm yesterday," Rook said.
"Regardless, Rook, please try to contact the Diamond Bay police again. Ask them if they need assistance and find out what was going on last night," Hargrove said firmly. "Yes, Lieutenant. Right away," Rook said with a brief salute before turning around and exiting the cafeteria.
"Dent, I want you to join him after you get something to eat," Hargrove then said to the 2nd Lieutenant as he grabbed a plate of scrambled eggs from the food dispenser. "Can I eat first, or do I take the food with me?" he asked her. "Eat whatever's messy in here, and then carry whatever else with you. Don't waste time," she ordered sternly.
Dent knew the tone of voice she was using quite well, so he made no effort to argue with her.
"Come in, Police Station One. Please respond, over," Rook requested over the headset he had patched in to the communication system. "I say again, Station One please respond, over," Rook requested again. There was only static on the line, as there had been the previous night and earlier that morning.
The door to the room soon slid open and Dent walked in. "What've you learned so far?" Dent asked Rook. Rook simply shook his head with a sigh. "Nothing. I've made no contact with anyone over there. Either they're deliberately refusing to respond, or there's no one home," Rook said.
Dent opened his mouth to speak, when he was interrupted by a beep. Rook returned his attention to the communication console. "H-Hello? Army Base A-zero-zero-zero-one?" asked a nervous male voice over the line.
"This is Technical Officer Michael Rook of United States Colonial Army Base A-Zero-Zero-Zero-One. Who am I speaking to?" Rook asked.
"This is detective Ben Hauer. We have sustained numerous casualties and are in desperate need of both military and medical assistance," a hushed and desperate voice urged over the headset. Rook blinked in surprise and concern.
"Detective, where are you located right now?" Rook asked him.
"I'm inside Station One. Or at least what's left of it. The roof is still intact, and so is the landing pad on it, as far as I'm aware. Please, just send someone here to help us," Detective Hauer pleaded over the radio.
"Okay, Detective, there should be a small contingent of Colonial Marines stationed inside the city. What is their status?" Rook asked the man calmly. The response he got was the exact opposite of his own tone.
"I don't know! I don't fucking know. I saw three of them get taken by those things earlier! What the hell are these things!?" Hauer asked himself frantically.
"Okay, Detective, I need you to take a deep breath and try to remain calm. Please try to describe your current situation so that we can send the appropriate response team to your location," Rook said. Dent raised an eyebrow.
"Rook, you haven't been given permission-" "Something is wrong over there, Lieutenant. We need to send help to these people," Rook said sharply, cutting off Dent's statement.
Dent knew that Rook's programming was such that ensuring the safety of others was a higher priority than adhering to the subordinate/superior command chain. The Asimov Protocols that nearly all synthetics had hardwired into them made sure of this. Granted, there had been almost no occasions prior to today when Rook's programming had caused conflicts with the subordinate/superior command chain, but Dent had read up on the subject shortly after meeting Rook for the first time and discovering his android nature.
Deciding to let Rook continue without protest, Dent merely stayed quiet as he slowly ate an apple that he had retrieved from the produce cabinet in the cafeteria.
"The situation is... civilians and security forces are scattered. We... um, we... I locked myself in a storage closet and fell asleep at some point after the fighting, but... we were attacked last night. There were these... animals, or whatever they were. There were so many of them. They just... they overwhelmed us. We killed maybe one or two with sustained fire, but they just kept coming," Hauer relayed.
"How many officers are currently accounted for at Station One?" Rook asked the man.
"I... I don't know. I helped Sergeant Banks secure the roof earlier, along with Watters. And Brown, he-oh god, Brown. I... I don't know who else is left. We had a SWAT team sent to the hospital when the attack happened. Look, we need military firepower over here. The things disappeared after the sun started rising, but I don't know how long they'll stay away. Please, just send someone over here!" Hauer begged.
Rook glanced at Dent. "Detective... we're going to send someone over there soon. Just find a hole and stay there. We'll come to you," Rook said reassuringly.
Dent nodded his head and walked over to the comm panel on the wall. "Attention, would all senior staff, squad leaders, and dropship pilots please report to the Administrative Conference Room? Thank you," Dent said over the intercom. "Rook, I hope you had that recorded. Try to get as much info as you can and then get your ass to the conference room. Today is gonna be a long day," Dent said with a sigh.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM, 09:00 HOURS...
Sitting around a large table the base's staff were divided into sections, Rosenthal, Hargrove, Dent, Williams, Jonas, and Rook made up the senior administrative staff. Lieutenant Bing Lewdanksi, Sergeant Bill Sanders, Warrant Officer Lisa Newark, and Corporal Hank Parker made up the transportation section, being the base's primary dropship pilots, while Jonas and Rook both sat next to each other and between the pilots and the other staff, being that they were both also qualified pilots. Sitting alongside them were the six squad leaders of A Company, including Sergeant Benjamin Kellogg of Wolf Squad, Sergeant James O'Malley of Hornet Squad, Sergeant Julio Estevez of Eagle Squad, Corporal Tiffany Mills of Bear Squad, Sergeant Brent Halvorson of Cougar Squad, and Sergeant Thomas King of Python Squad. Every high ranking member of the base's staff was present and accounted for.
In front of everyone was a projector that was showing a map of Diamond Bay City. Standing up, Captain Rosenthal cleared his throat. "I take it everyone here has had ample time to read the transcript?" he asked as he looked around the conference table.
"What do we do?" Sergeant Kellogg asked with concern.
"We'll send in three squads to the city," Rosenthal said. "One squad will hang back near the outskirts while the other two are deposited into the main sector. I want Wolf, Hornet, and Bear squads to go in. Bear Squad will hang back and provide additional support if needed, while Wolf and Hornet squads will go in and secure the Diamond Bay Primary Hospital and police station number one," Rosenthal said as he used a plastic pointer to point at the highlighted locations on the map.
Corporal Mills raised her hand. "Yes, Corporal?" Rosenthal asked her curtly. Mills cleared her throat to begin. "Captain, how exactly will we be arriving in the city?" she asked him.
Rosenthal glanced over at the pilots before looking back at Mills. "You'll be arriving via dropship," Rosenthal said. A thoughtful expression overcame the corporal's face. "That would take up all of our dropship pilots, Captain. Shouldn't there be at least one crew staying behind at the base in case something goes wrong?" Mills asked him.
"We have seven dropships," Rosenthal stated. "Yes, but we only have enough qualified personnel to pilot three of them, and only four of those personnel are officially assigned pilots," Mills pointed out. Rosenthal furrowed his brows at her.
"I understand your concern, Corporal, but it has been made quite clear that we are not dealing with an armed adversary. The city of Diamond Bay was attacked last night by a large group of unknown animals. The status of the Colonial Marine compliment is unknown, and police forces are reportedly scattered and in disarray throughout the city, and civilian lives are in jeopardy," he stated firmly. "We need to have as many personnel over there as we can without leaving the base defenseless. Besides, the personnel carriers have enough fuel that they can make the journey back here to the base even without aerial transportation," he added.
Soon, Sergeant Kellogg raised his hand. "Yes, Sergeant?" Rosenthal asked the middle-aged soldier. Rosenthal noticed that Kellogg's facial hair was started to approach the limits set by regulations. He mentally told himself to remind Kellogg to shave later.
"Captain, is there a chance that the animals which attacked last night are in some way related to the face... things?" Kellogg asked him.
"Unknown," Rosenthal said in response.
Another hand was raised, this time coming from Sergeant O'Malley. "Yes, Sergeant?" Rosenthal asked the man. "Captain, is this a bug hunt? I mean, in the sense that we know very little about these animals that reportedly attacked the city?" O'Malley asked carefully.
"Look, our primary objective is to investigate this reported attack and gather more information. The more personnel we have over there, the faster this will go," Rosenthal said before looking at his wrist watch. "It's currently oh-nine-thirty. I want all dropships fueled and prepped for take-off before twelve hundred hours. I want all assigned personnel to be prepped with transcripts of this radio call, and I want all squads armed and outfitted appropriately for urban contact," Rosenthal said firmly as he looked over the room.
"Take armor-piercing ammunition if you deem it appropriate, but I would advise that your squads use standard ammunition unless prompted by a change in circumstances. Remember, they're not looking for armed combatants, but an unknown animal threat. We know almost nothing about these things. Report back and record all information you can find regarding these animals, and do not engage unless there are no other options," Rosenthal said.
"Captain," Sergeant Kellogg asked again, "is this a combat operation?"
"Until further notice, yes. It is a combat operation without armed human targets," Rosenthal replied firmly. Sergeant O'Malley chuckled. "So it is a bug hunt. I knew it," he said wryly.
Rosenthal frowned at the sergeant. "Wolf Squad will use APC number five and load up into dropship number one. Hornet Squad will use APC number three and load up into dropship number two," Rosenthal said firmly. "Warrant Officer Jonas will pilot dropship number three, with Technical Officer Rook accompanying him as they transport APC number four carrying Bear Squad," he said.
"Sergeants Kellogg and O'Malley, head out and get your squads ready. Corporal Mills, the same with you. I want everyone prepped and ready to go at oh-twelve-hundred hours. Have your squads finished their assigned tasks by eleven hundred hours, and then begin suiting up in the lockers and the armory. Sergeants Estevez, King, and Halvorson, I want your squads to assist in the preparations of the dropships and the personnel carriers. If any soldiers are leftover, have them help the assigned squads with their gear. Lieutenant Dent will be going along as primary mission control. Dismissed," Rosenthal said curtly.
UNITED STATES COLONIAL ARMY BASE A-001, 11:00 HOURS
Inside the locker rooms, over thirty-seven soldiers began preparing for their upcoming mission, grabbing boots, swapping out their standard outfits for urban camouflaged fatigues and armor as part of their Colonial Battle Dress Uniform. The fatigues for the personnel in A-Company came in urban or woodland camouflage, with dark green, grey, brown, and/or urban and woodland camo body armor to go over it. The armor consisted of sections that covered the torso and backs, with elbow, knee, and shin guards.
The armor also had each soldier's name, rank, and blood type printed on tags in the upper corners, both front and back. Some of the soldiers had opted to put personal items on their armor, such as heart stickers, crude stencil drawings, and even phrases or statements that they felt suited them. Sasha Harrison's combat armor, for instance, had the words 'KISS HERE' with an arrow point downward printed on the back and the front, although the front statement replaced KISS with LICK, in addition to a smiley face, while there was a stenciled heart next to the back statement.
In addition to the body armor and fatigues were the steel-toed combat boots, black as night and outfitted for modular shin protection if shin guards were not otherwise available or were damaged. The boots also had extra straps on the sides for combat knives. In addition to this, the boots had room for inserted gel packs to prevent fatigue in the field, although these were Colonial issue only, and were not found back on Earth.
The soldiers' helmets were also camoflaughed, with adjustable visors that connected to a tiny electronics suite hidden within the helmet itself, surrounded by multiple layers of thin but curable material that could withstand a cement block falling on it. The visor provided night vision, infrared vision, and various mission information that could be accessed by pressing a small button located up near the hinges of the visor itself.
"Alright, remember, urban environment," Sergeant Kellogg said out loud as he watched his squad suit up. "Fernandez, check that back plating. It looks loose," Kellogg pointed out.
"I haven't secured it yet," Fernandez responded.
"Well get it secured," Kellogg snapped at him.
Strapping on her boots nice and tight, Sasha Harrison grabbed her helmet and secured it with chin straps before grabbing her sidearm and holstering it. She would grab an extra magazine for it in the armory soon. Next to her, Donovan Quail had already finished suiting up, with his back facing her, showing off the drawing of a middle finger on his armor.
Sergeant Kellogg's armor, already secured prior to anyone else's, was barren and blank.
Rosario's armor had the words 'HEART BREAKER' stenciled on the back, next to a drawing of a cartoon heart split in half.
As the squad continued gearing up, Kellogg glanced up at a digital clock on the wall, constantly checking their time.
ARMORY-A, 11:30 HOURS...
As the time drew closer to for the three squads to depart, a form of organized chaos consumed Armory A as all three assigned squads entered the large room filled with guns, knives, and other weapons designed for the sole purpose of killing. The Armory had shelves with weapons held in them running the length of both walls perpendicular to the doors used to enter the room, along with two columns of three gun rack islands each running the middle the of the room, creating three aisles through which personnel would maneuver.
Wolf Squad quickly entered the armory, dividing itself up into established fire teams, with each soldier grabbing their preferred weapon, along with extra ammunition and spare sidearms. Corporal Sasha Harrison, the leader of Fire Team Bravo, fully decked out in her combat fatigues, armor, with protective goggles on her face and fingerless gloves on her hands, grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle, the newest successor to the beloved M41A1 pulse rifle. The weapon had a smaller magazine than the M41A1, carrying only 62 rounds maximum in its highest capacity magazine, and 32 rounds in a standard magazine. However, it had a slightly longer barrel for greater accuracy, and it sported a more modular design for its under-barrel attachment section, allowing more accessories than the M41A1. The gun also came in brown, green, or gray finish.
In addition to her personal sidearm, Harrison also grabbed a utility vest with additional ammo and gear pouches, stowing away two spare magazines and another M43A sidearm, along with two magazines holding armor-piercing rounds.
Behind Harrison, Specialist Donovan Quail grabbed an M16A12 assault rifle, one of the latest members of the M4 weapon family, a descendant of the AR-15. It was his preferred weapon, and he was very accurate with it, being able to hit targets from a mile away using its semi-automatic fire mode. The weapon was a select-mode weapon, capable of single shot, burst fire, and full automatic, although the full auto mode ate up ammo in seconds, so most users stuck with either burst fire or the semi-automatic single shot mode. Quail was, however, also the team smartgunner, which meant that his beloved assault rifle would have to be stowed away somewhere while he grabbed the M56A2 smartgun, quickly attaching the maneuvering arm to his harness. "I hate this damn thing," Quail muttered in contempt, as while he also excelled in using the smartgun, he hated the fact that such a large weapon made him an obvious target.
Behind Quail, Private Tom Gross grabbed an M16A12 as well, since he was a rifleman for the Fire Team Bravo. Behind Gross, Private Ethan Fernandez, the team's grenadier, grabbed a shotgun and an M39A SMG, along with a combat harness with several pouches for his explosives.
Moving up ahead, Sergeant Benjamin Kellogg grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle, along with a spare field-ready med-kit, being that he was a qualified medical officer in addition to being Squad Leader, as well as team leader for Fire Team Alpha. Behind Kellogg, Specialist Calvin Gorch grabbed a smartgun and accompanying harness, with two spare magazines and an M39A SMG as a backup weapon. Next to Gorch, Private First Class Marlon Warner grabbed an M42C scoped rifle.
The M42C was similar to the M16A12, in that it could be used for medium and long range combat, but it was a semi-automatic weapon, and it primarily used fullmetal jacket armor piercing rounds. In spite of the power that the weapon yielded, though, most personnel avoided it, mainly due to its low rate of fire. Upon learning that they would most likely be facing off against unarmed non-human combatants, however, Warner grinned at the opportunity to use his favorite gun.
Nearby, Private Sid Jenkins grabbed an M92 grenade launcher, until Sergeant Kellogg gave him a 'no go' gesture. "Uh-uh. High-density civilian population. We aren't going in there to destroy anything," Kellogg said curtly. Jenkins nodded his head and instead grabbed an M46B tactical shotgun.
Ahead of the others, Fire Team Charlie, led by Specialist Jose Rosario, had already grabbed their designated weapons for their roles in the fire team. Rosario had initially grabbed an M71A3 sniper rifle, along with an M39A SMG as a backup for close encounters. The M71A3 sniper rifle, also known as the M71A3 Anti-Material Rifle, was an Army-specific sniper rifle. However, remembering that they would likely be in close quarters, Rosario had then opted for an M16A12 with a mounted scope instead, which still gave him plenty of range. Next to Rosario, Private Robert "Bobby" Stewart grabbed a smartgun and attached to to the arm on his harness. "Hey, Sarge! How much trouble are we expecting again?" Stewart asked as he glanced over his shoulder.
"Unknown. But don't open fire unless you can confirm the identity of your target or you have no other options. Remember, this is an urban center! Lots of civilians, so keep your fingers off the damn triggers until I give the okay! That goes for you especially, Warner!" Kellogg shouted in response.
"That was an accident, Sarge! It happened one time! And it was over two years ago!" Warner cried out in response.
"Yeah, and if it happens again while we're around civilians, I'll bust you back down to the rank of recruit and give you toilet cleaning duty for a month!" Kellogg snapped with a growl. "And remember, no flame units either!" he then added quickly.
Meanwhile, Privates Kyle Anderson and Deidre Miller were both arming themselves appropriately with an M16A12 assault rifle and an M37A2 pump action shotgun, respectively. Anderson was the team's secondary rifleman, while Miller functioned as both grenadier and spotter for Rosario. Both soldiers had made sure to grab at least two spare magazines for their weapons before meeting up with Rosario outside the main armory.
Meanwhile, as Wolf Squad finished up and exited the army, Hornet Squad made its way in through the other door of the armory. Hornet Squad was unique in that it was the only squad with more than twelve soldiers. Led by Sergeant James O'Malley, Hornet Squad quickly divided itself up into its fire teams and grabbed their appropriate arms.
"Specialist Franklin, you'll be driving the APC!" O'Malley called out to Specialist Tabitha Franklin as he grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle from the rack. Specialist Franklin would be serving as Mission Control from the inside of the APC for Hornet Squad, although she still armed herself with an M39A SMG and a second VP70M service pistol. Moving up ahead, Private Joseph Cameron grabbed an M56A2 smartgun and hooked it up to his harness before making his way out of the armory.
Following behind Cameron, privates Rupert Scott and Barry Cox grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle and an M46B tactical shotgun, respectively, rounding out Fire Team Delta. Moving alongside them, Fire Team Echo grabbed their weapons as well. Specialist Ryan Miller grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle and two spare magazines, while Private Roseanne Christian acquired her smartgun and spare ammo container.
Finishing up Fire Team Echo, privates Rhonda Simmons and Dirk Applegate both grabbed M41B1 pulse rifles with underslung grenade launchers.
The last fire team of Hornet Squad, Fire Team Falcon, followed closely behind their peers as they grabbed their weapons and ammo. Corporal Elizabeth Trudeau grabbed an M16A12 assault rifle and three spare magazines. Beside her, Private Timothy Andersmith grabbed his smartgun and a spare ammo container, along with an M39A SMG as a backup.
Following Andersmith, Private Selina Kenner grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle and two spare magazines. Behind her, Private Frank Shaw grabbed an M16A12 with an attached underbarrel shotgun. "Lock and load," Kenner whispered to herself as she made sure that her pulse rifle was loaded properly.
Soon, the final squad arrived as Hornet Squad and Wolf Squad finished arming themselves in the armory. "Come on, guys, make way for the bears!" Corporal John Muldoon of Eagle Squad said as he ushered several soldiers out of the armory. Muldoon and his squad's leader, Sergeant Estevez, had both volunteered to help the other three squads prepare for their mission. Well, Estevez had volunteered, with Muldoon having been ordered to accompany him.
As the soldiers moved out, Bear Squad made their way into the armory, quickly splitting up into fire teams. Fire Team Gamma, comprised of Corporal Tiffany Mills, Private First Class Clive Deckard, Private Simon Andrews, and Private First Class Patrick Stacker, quickly gathered the weaponry appropriate for their roles. Mills took an M16A12 assault rifle, Deckard grabbed the smartgun, Andrews grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle, and Stacker made due with a Remington 870 shotgun and an M39A SMG.
Following closely behind Fire Team Gamma, Fire Team Harpoon (they had been assigned the name without consent) began arming themselves. Fire Team leader Specialist Kyra Ferguson grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle and two spare magazines. Private First Class Andrew Jonah quickly grabbed a smartgun and attached it to the articulated arm on his harness. Private First Class Jiro Sekizawa grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle and two spare magazines. Lastly, Private Natasha Smith grabbed an M46B tactical shotgun.
The last fire team, Fire Team India, moved in. Specialist Helen Mendez quickly grabbed an M41B1 pulse rifle and two spare magazines. Next to her, Private First Class Vernon Doyle acquired his smartgun. Nearby, privates Daniel Lebowitz and Lauren Goodman armed themselves with an M42C scoped rifle and an M41B1 pulse rifle, respectively.
As soon as they were finished, Sergeant Julio Estevez looked up at the large digital clock on the wall, reading 11:51. "Come on, you apes! You wanna live forever!?" Estevez shouted at the soldiers as they jogged past him with their weapons. Every soldier was geared up in their combat uniforms with underlying fatigues and boots. They all had combat knives attached to their hips or their boots, and their sidearms were holstered securely for easy access.
All smartgunners had their M56 combat harnesses and helmet mounted sights properly secured in place. Helmets were fastened properly, goggles hung from necks, and communication headsets were in place. Resting by straps on their shoulders, half of the soldiers also carried an M315 motion tracker, with two trackers per fire team. The soldiers of the United States Colonial Army were armed to the teeth and ready for action.
"All right, move out! Get to the hangars and into your assigned APCs! Last team to enter their vehicles gets cleanup duty in the cafeteria tonight!" Sergeant O'Malley shouted at the troops as he led them over to the vehicle bay where three already fueled and loaded M79W armored personnel carriers were waiting. "I want us in those dropships by twelve hundred!" O'Malley shouted as the troops jogged over to the open doors of the vehicles and got inside.
Standing by, Sergeant Estevez and Corporal Muldoon looked on. "There they go! There they go again!" Muldoon sang as the three squads of soldiers disappeared inside the armored vehicles before the doors closed.
Estevez glanced over at Muldoon with a glare. "Corporal? Please, never do that around me again," Estevez requested sternly. Muldoon nodded his head silently in response.
Meanwhile, inside the APCs, the soldiers strapped themselves into their seats and stowed their weapons in appropriate holdings. Sitting in the front of each vehicle and manning the controls were the leaders of the soldiers' respective squads, except for Hornet Squad. Specialist Franklin was the one driving the vehicle for her squad as it made its way over and up onto the ramp of the Cheyenne dropship in an open field area.
Listening to the faint sounds of the loading ramps closing, and feeling the gravity as the vehicles were adjusted, Sergeant Kellogg looked at his watch. "Twelve-oh-one. Damn, one minute late," he muttered to himself. Looking back over his shoulder and through the passageway of the APC's small control cabin at the seating area for the troops, Kellogg allowed himself a chance to relax as he heard the voice of Lieutenant Lewdanski, chief pilot of the Grass Cutter, as Dropship #01 was affectionately nicknamed.
"Alright, boys and girls. This is your captain speaking. Please keep all limbs inside the vehicle while we are in motion, or I will open the loading bay ramp out of spite," Lewdanski said over the headset. Kellogg could practically see the grin on Lewdanksi's face as he head the man's words and joking tone.
Kellogg glanced back at the passengers of his APC. Along with his squad, 2nd Lieutenant Dent was sitting by the mission control alcove, looking over the screens that displayed video feed and health readouts for the individual troops. "Everybody got their seats secured?" Kellogg called out. "Yes sir!" all of his soldiers called out unanimously, along with Dent.
"Hey, is anybody up for some music while we fly?" Lewdanski's voice asked over Kellogg's headset. "Hold on," Kellogg said into the headset before looking back at his squad. "Hey! Who wants some music for the trip!?" Kellogg called out. A round of cheers erupted from his subordinates in response.
"Uh, affirmative. Music would be appreciated," Kellogg said as he started prepping the APC's comm system to link up with that of the dropship.
"You got it. Want something old and fun?" Lewdanski asked him. "What've you got?" Kellogg asked him in response. Lewdanski began running him through a list of various songs that he had with him, both in the dropship's internal computer and also on a couple of CD's he had stashed around the seats as well.
Meanwhile, in the back of the APC, nine of the twelve sitting soldiers were all grinning and talking to one another, with the exceptions being Harrison and Quail, who had both decided to take a power nap. Dent had already fallen asleep before any of them, and no one really cared to wake him up either. "Hey, check it out," Fernandez said as he rapped his knuckles against Gross's armor. "Aw, Mom and Dad are sleeping," Gross said with a snicker.
Then, out of the blue, the speakers came on.
"Gonna tell Aunt Mary 'bout Uncle John! He claims he has the misery but he has a lot of fun! Oh baby! Ye~es baby! Oohh baby, havin' me some fun tonight! Yeah!"
"What the fuck is this!?" Specialist Gorch asked incredulously.
"This is Little Richard!" Kellogg shouted back at his subordinates.
"Well, Long Tall Sally, she's built for speed! She got everything that Uncle John need!"
"Aw, come on Sarge! This is stuff is old!" Jenkins called out in disappointment. "Yeah! Play something newer!" Warner called out.
"Oh baby! Ye~es baby! Oohh baby, havin' me some fun tonight! Yeah!"
"I'm already starting to feel older just listening to this," Anderson muttered. Miller and Rosario both nodded their heads in agreement with him, while Stewart silently bobbed his head up and down to the music, clearly enjoying himself. "Havin' me some fun tonight," Stewart sang quietly to himself. His fellow soldiers noticed this and glared at him in disapproval and shame.
Meanwhile, the three dropships continued on their path to the city of Diamond Bay, the troops inside only having the faintest idea of just what they were about to encounter when they finally reached their destination.
Author's Notes: This was chapter four of ALIENS: EPIDEMIC. Chapter 06 is when the roller coaster finally picks up speed, as the soldiers investigate the city of Diamond Bay and finally have their first encounter with the xenomorphs.
As you may have noticed, the song Long Tall Sally was also heard in Predator (1987). Also, as you've probably noticed, I'm not having the characters use the same weaponry as the Marines from ALIENS (1986). That's because the Colonial Army has different weaponry from the Marine Corps, although some pieces of equipment are still the same. Both branches have their own specific versions of various weapons and equipment, although the Cheyenne dropship, M56A2 smartgun, and VP70M pistol are all still the same as the ones from ALIENS.
Another thing you may have noticed is that both the Marines and Army soldiers in this story have displayed far more discipline than most of the Marines from ALIENS. Well, in ALIENS, especially the novelization and background material, it's made clear that not only were strings being pulled to get particular personnel assigned to the LV-426 deployment, but the Marines themselves were not exactly the best of the best either, aside from Hicks, Dietrich, Frost, and Apone, at least. Those four showed basic discipline and respect for protocol, although NONE of them, aside from Apone, had proper TRIGGER DISCIPLINE! Wierzbowski and Crowe had almost no dialogue, so it's impossible to tell how disciplined they were, and Spunkmeyer and Ferro were pilots who only showed up in a handful of scenes. I'm not even going to start on Hudson, Drake, and Vasquez, although background material makes it clear that Drake and Vasquez had both been incarcerated for murder had decided to serve in the Corps to avoid future detention time as part of the Service Or Jail Act.
Now, the main reason for all of this was that James Cameron made the film as an allegory for Vietnam, which he has admitted to in interviews. A lot of troops who served in Vietnam were a result of the draft, and had no desire to be where they were, and this was the basis for the behavior displayed by the Marines in ALIENS.
This story, on the other hand, is not an allegory for any particular war. As such, the Colonial Army soldiers are disciplined, trained, and... well, they'll still fuck up from time to time, and they'll still get their asses handed to them by the xenomorphs in their first encounter. It is an ALIEN story, after all, and unlike the Marines from ALIENS, these soldiers don't have an advisor in the form of Ellen Ripley or a report to look over regarding their foes. For these guys, this is going to be first contact. If I made these soldiers indestructible and super knowledgeable about the aliens, this story would be over by the next chapter, and I plan on having several more chapters before it reaches a conclusion.
So, as always, be sure to let me know what you think of the chapter and/or the story so far in your reviews!
