Uniform Alpha
October 1, 2558
Ten minutes earlier, Vasili and Sofia moved down yet another hallway towards a massive atrium that extended fifty feet in height. All surrounding the place were vacant hotel rooms and their dead residents inside or elsewhere. It was impossible to see inside any of the elevators due to their glass panels being smeared with the inky black blood.
"For one that isn't an egghead in bioscience," Sofia began, using the frequent term Spartans and military personnel referred to scientists as, "You're holding up remarkably."
"I've seen how the interrogators I've worked with in Victoria leave their prisoners after they squeeze out whatever intel they believed their captives had," Vasili replied in an emotionless state, "After that, nothing really bothers me."
Every member of the Blades knew about Vasili's deep-sleeper type operations inside the reclusive and oppressive colony of Victoria, which had gone dark during the Covenant wars. Aegis once admitted following an mission to halt a plot to flood the gold market when Suvorov had gone undercover as a slave refuge that the commander himself would likely never had made it out. At least out mentally intact. Vasili had seen some of the worst things concerning human rights that was imaginable.
As they suspected, there were an increase of bodies as they neared the lobby, a circular room that preceded the medical wing. Men and women flocking to the one place where they would hopefully obtain a fighting chance against the invisible assassin.
Vasili probed the medicine cabinets while she took samples here and there, filling out two empty vials with the black blood before sealing them again in her sample case.
Vasili's flashlight revealed an elderly man in doctor's whites. This had to be the doctor. The black blood trail had trailed off from another room that was marked as Room 1C. He noted a certificate mounted on the wall behind the nearby C shaped reception desk of Doctor Percy Vanders, earning his medical degree from the University of Toronto from Earth's URNA Ontario province.
"What the?" He backed up against the wall, slitting a hand across his throat. Immediately, Sofia froze as well. Sensing a threat, the Spartan-IV took out his pistol and didn't hesitate to sweep the corner.
A movement caught his eye and he raised his arm instinctively in defense. The curtain rod that held the heap of red fabric was torn down and struck his left arm. Shields flared as he didn't give his attacker any time to counterattack. He grabbed something soft that he assumed was the neck of the assassin and put them against the adjacent wall. A piercing scream emitted from the person who sounded like a female and before she could do anything else, Vasili had the muzzle of the pistol put on the side of her forehead. He turned on his flashlight on the side of his Air Assault helmet.
"We have a survivor!" He said over to Sofia, releasing his grip and holstering the pistol.
The woman backed up as far against the wall as possible when she saw two people in space suits standing before her, one of them having put a gun to the head. She wore a simple white tank top over some very short shorts and an oxygen mask covered the lower parts of her face, the tube trailing off to the side of the bed, most likely where she had been sleeping when there were intruders.
"Vasili!" She scolded, kneeling down next to her, "It's okay. We're here to help."
"Please! Don't hurt me! I don't want to die!" She pleaded, tears beginning to drop from her blue eyes.
"My name is Sofia." She assured in a calm demeanor, "This is Vasili, we're going to get you out of here."
When she didn't continue, Sofia had suspected that shock had taken over. "Get out the spare hazmat suit. I'm not taking her off the mask until she's inside."
"That might be why she had survived since the pathogen is airborne and this supplemental unit is a separate from the rest." Vasili said as he tore open the plastic wrap surrounding the spare.
"What is your name?" Inselton asked.
"Haley. Haley Liston."
"I see. Well Haley, my name is Sofia."
"You are military?"
Suddenly a big deep booming sound filled the room, sending the entire place vibrating at an alarming rate. Sofia looked up, "What was that?"
Vasili opened his mouth to say an explosion when a second echoed through the resort. It sounded like a deep rumble that echoed off the walls. Haley screamed again when suddenly the floor shook as if at the epicenter of an earthquake. The sudden tilt of the entire floating city flung Vasili to the floor, forcing Sofia to use her own body to shield Haley.
"We have to go now!" Vasili shouted. Even as he picked himself up, it was already knowledge that whoever had poisoned the inhabitants of the Sub-Aqua resort was now using explosives to scuttle it and hide the evidence.
"What's happening?" She whimpered.
"I don't know." Sofia answered, "My friend is going to see what it is." She held out the hazmat suit, "I need you to put this on."
"Am I sick?"
"I don't know." The suit was more for the protection of the Ballista than herself. There was no way Haley was certain uninfected until tests had been ran, but Sofia kept that to herself.
"I saw what happened to Isabelle and the doctor dead. I thought they may have breathed in something so I stayed on the separate unit."
Sofia was surprised by the option, "Really? That was a smart move. I think you had saved your life by doing that. You're a very brave and resourceful girl."
Saying that to her seemed to give her a confidence boost, knowing that she had done something right and more hope to get out alive.
Vasili came back in the room, with both a grim expression and voice, "The explosion just blocked off our lower exit, we can't go back the way we came."
"Is there another way out?"
"Better hope so. I can already hear water flooding inside."
Drew shot up from the command chair as soon as orange clouds of fire enveloped the Sub-Aqua resort.
"Oh no!" Tongju cried out, "Guys! There's been an explosion on the ship!"
Geysers of white water followed the explosions as if the floating city had been hit by underwater torpedoes. He knew that was impossible, their sonar would have detected the launches and the sensors showed no other vessels within hundreds of miles. Depending on how large the bombs had blown holes inside, she would be underwater in less than fifteen minutes.
"Maverick, stand by with the Hornet! Scuttling charges just went off and we got people in harm's way."
"Hover on standby?" The sound of the engine pitch was rising, meaning that he had already started his preparations.
"Yes, wait for my instructions." He keyed to another channel, "Ballista to Aegis….Sofia? Vasili?"
"Drew is that you?" It was Luke Riley, who still was in the primary server area, "What happened? It sounded like explosions."
"It was detonations all right! Someone's trying to sink the city and hide their crime."
"But I haven't even gotten twenty percent on the downloading." He protested, having stayed at the server room the whole time over.
"I suggest you hightail it out." Drew said, "What about Trip and the others?"
"Sofia and Vasili went off the scopes a couple minutes ago."
"Okay." Drew replied, "What about Aegis?"
"He left about ten minutes before his signal was at the engine room."
"Fuck." He cursed, that was probably the worst place to be in a sinking ship.
"Well I'll tell you what," Luke continued over in the server room where he yanked out his drive from a port. "These comlinks are getting upgrades as soon as we return."
"We shall worry about that when the time comes." Ironically, that was something that was nagged at the back of his mind as well. "Maverick is inbound and coming in hot. Haul ass and get out of there."
"Yes sir." With one guaranteed safe, he had to trust the others that they would make their own method out. Sofia and Vasili had a sure chance, but Aegis would likely have to do something crazy.
"Tongju, get ahold of Aegis and tell him the obvious of getting the hell out of there!"
"I'm on it." He turned back, switching channels, "Tongju to Commander. Hello? Aegis do you read?"
But Trip never answered.
It's too deep inside the ship for the Commander to answer! How will he get out? Or will he be able to?
Thanks for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose.