CHAPTER X: EVIL HAS AWAKENED
I smiled – humanity would soon be no more and Hell will become more powerful than ever before.
The flickering red lights seemed to dance together with the nervous howl of the alarms that sounded throughout the Io base. The marines were ordered to take up positions around the dig site quickly, while scientists and lower-ranking personnel were running back and forth in disarray. Above all this, on a higher platform, stood one man and watched the mess with a crooked smile. Doctor Stalker enjoyed watching them and their panic, making notes in his PDA. He then turned to the auxiliary air lock where he saw Kyle Harlan and Nicholas Boyd, carrying someone else who was bleeding heavily. He frowned when he saw them, then stepped back and disappeared into the shadows...
A few minutes later, back in the Major's office, Kyle finally restored his sense of reality. The Major sat on his chair, his eyes almost glowed with anger.
"It is all my fault, Harlan." The Major sighed, "I should have been leading my men, instead of moving in the back. These were all boys that I trained and cared for. Now they are all dead, and our sensors indicate increasing activity underground. Something is really stirring down there. Could you imagine what would happen if those beasts from Hell erupt from the ground, somewhere within the colony? We do not even know how many of them are left down there."
"Sir, I understand how you feel – I... have lost comrades in battle. I was surprised myself and could not fight at my best. I led the operation. I am to blame." Kyle said bitterly.
"No, Harlan, you are not. You could not know that there would be an ambush. You did a brilliant job down there."
A screen nearby showed the marines that had already taken up positions above the dig site. No one came out of the crypt – the demons beneath had gone into hiding. The corpses of zombified marines lay all over the area. It seemed quiet, yet the sensors indicated anomalous energy spikes beneath the surface, though it was not clear what was causing them. The medical team left stimpacks with every group of marines, though they hoped they would not have to use them. Several maintenance workers tried to build barricades and narrow down the number of vulnerable entrances. A scientist stood next to a terminal, configuring the security systems.
The Major turned towards Kyle and asked carefully:
"Harlan, can I ask you to tell me a bit more about yourself. Not the stuff I saw in your official CV and UAC profile. Something more, like the things Colonel Simmons mentioned."
Kyle frowned – his secret had been revealed.
"Believe me, the Colonel told me that it was necessary for me to know about it, especially in light of the recent events here." The Major insisted.
"Yes, Major Boyd, sir... I played quite a major part in what happened. If you have the patience to listen to my tale."
"Go ahead, Corporal. We have time. If there is a problem, we will be informed."
"Of course sir, here is what happened, as brief as possible... I was on duty at UAC Mars City 1, due to a punishment that I will not go deeper into. It was then, that the moons were assaulted. Deimos disappeared as if by magic. Phobos was overrun. A small squad was formed and I was one of them. We landed on Phobos, and I was left to guard the spaceship. My comrades... they were slaughtered in an ambush. I was the only survivor and I decided to check the base myself. I do not know whether it was luck or fate... I survived and reached the Gateway where I defeated two creatures like Hell Knights but much stronger – you have seen these reddish monstrosities. Their defeat allowed me to travel to Deimos, where I faced even greater horrors. While outside on the moon surface, I saw what seemed to be the construction site of a demonic edifice. I also saw the skies above my head were horrendously red and swirling, as if in an agony. As I traveled through the infested base, I beheld many anomalies and infernal horrors, including new demonic species and a demonic fortress that could fade in and out of existence... Once I reached the construction site, I was sent to the tower's roof by a teleporter. There I encountered a Cyberdemon for the first time and hardly survived the battle. Afterwards, I reached the edge of the moon, where a small platform was used by the demons to travel by means of levitation. I looked down and beheld Hell itself burning and raging under me."
Kyle made a short pause, shaken by the memories as they were reborn inside his head.
"Down there I encountered the most unimaginable horrors in my life. It was not only the demons – it was also the hideous locations I had to go through and the disgusting sights of torment and pain that I saw. At the end, there was a giant Spider that nearly killed me. Defeating the beast, I was sent to Earth... and there I encountered demons again. I thought that it was a minor invasion, a leakage from the Gate. But it was not. It was after I killed another Spider that I came to realize that Hell had come to Earth in force and I was helpless. I got word that humanity was trapped and could not evacuate – I led a desperate assault on the infested star port, and fought against many demonic species I had not seen before. Somehow, I survived, passed through the outer facilities and into the core. There I used a gruesomely constructed machine to turn off that force field. Succeeding in my mission, I decided to just wait for death and put an end to the madness... yet my duty called once again and I was sent to my own hometown where the source of the invasion supposedly was. Ruins, dead bodies, and demons... I passed through all this to reach a demonic Gate, and, once again, plunge into the very depths of Hell itself. The battle there was desperate, yet I was able to reach what seemed to be the Demon Lord – a titanic monstrosity that seemed like a living god against me. I still remember its maddening laughter, its harsh voice shouting in a language I did not know... I defeated it somehow. I entered a Gate seconds before it closed... Afterwards it was the months of restoration and another crisis at a UAC facility that focused on Quantum Accelerator research. It was in that facility I faced the greatest of challenges – frenzied demons led by a terrible and cunning demon – something that came to be known as Gatekeeper. The fight against it and its traps and strategies was heavy and quite a few times I almost died. In the end, I was victorious. All that happened about a week ago. That is all that you need to know, sir. That is what I did, and who I am."
For two minutes, Major Boyd remained motionless, as if stunned. Then he moved slowly and looked straight into Kyle's eyes.
"Harlan... my friend, you have... You have literally saved humanity from the forces of Hell. Alone. How is it even possible? You are no longer just a marine for me. You are a hero such as I have never imagined. Do not worry – your secret will be kept."
"Thank you, sir." Kyle was once again relieved.
"As you have experienced so much with these children of Hell, can you help me protect this colony?" the Major asked.
"Of course, sir. I will do my best." and Harlan really meant it.
"I know you will. I guess you are surprised by the demons' sudden withdrawal after we escaped..."
"Yes, sir. Two things bother me." Kyle started, "First, what happened to those Hell Knights who were literally torn into shreds by bullets? Second, who put that Black Container there, in an attempt to kill both of us?"
"I am puzzled as well. I checked carefully before our conversation – no marine entered the crypts after us, specifically no one with a chaingun or any of the sort. As for the Container – any demon may have secretly left it in there while you were unconscious, preparing a gruesome death for both of us."
Harlan wished to reply, but then the video communication screen gave out a signal. Major Boyd accepted the call, and the unpleasant face of Simon Stalker appeared on the screen.
"I am sorry to bother you in a moment like this, gentlemen, but I need you both to come to my laboratory – I have a little problem here..."
"What is wrong, Stalker, you'd better have a good reason to bother me in my office." The Major growled.
"No time to speak, come to me immediately" the doctor momentarily glanced at something that remained outside the range of the camera "It is important – you will see."
The screen went black and Kyle turned his look at the Major.
"I don't like that, sir. The creep is up to no good, I know this ever since I came here."
"Let us go there and check it. Take your weapons with you." the Major replied.
They went out and passed by the marines who were ready to repel attacks on the base. The Major instructed them to keep their eyes open, and communicate among each other so that something does not sneak in silently. Then he and the Corporal went through a corridor with a roof of glass, seeing the breath-taking visage of the sky of Io, where Jupiter hung ominously. They reached the old test center where the doctor had established one of his laboratories. The door was open. They entered and followed a short corridor. Silent and unnoticed, the door closed behind them, a small red light indicating that it was locked.
The two men entered a large hall that was empty, though there were various traces of recent activity on the floor – heavy things had been moved, as if someone deliberately cleared the room in a hurry. The two men stood in the middle of the hall, looking around. No one to be seen. Just then, the big speakers that were installed at an observation room came to life with loud crackling. An armored cover moved to the side and revealed the window of that room. Dr. Stalker was right there.
"Good morning, Major Nicholas Boyd, and Corporal Kyle Harlan. I have been expecting you" – Stalker's voice was colder and more hostile than ever.
"So, what is your problem, Stalker?" the Major demanded.
"My problem is that my great creation is in urgent need of guinea pigs to be tested on... But it seems the hapless critters have already arrived." The Doctor's smile was more unnerving than ever before.
"What is the meaning of this, doctor? Are you threatening us?" Kyle's fingers were already wrapped around his pistol.
"It is not my humble self that threatens you. You, Harlan, were sent here to check what the secret project I had been working on is. Now you will have the opportunity to see for yourself what I have breathed life into – a glorious resurrection of the labor of a scientist who lived and died long ago... I have nothing against you, Major Boyd. Too bad you will have to die too."
As Stalker's last words faded away, numerous doors opened on three sides of the room. Kyle felt a specific chill – the one that he felt right before something terrible was going to happen.
He was truly scared and disgusted when he saw what was coming from the doors...