Chapter 12 – Dr. Betruger, in Delta Labs, With Demon Portals
(A/N: The whole title wouldn't fit...)
"It's obvious there must be more of these things around Mars City" began Manning. "We should find them and destroy them."
Unlike Mage of Mars, no helpful guide-arrows pointed to where, exactly, these devices might be. One Marine threw a piece of debris at the orange-concealed ceiling in frustration, only for it to bounce off and hit him in the helmet.
"Hey!" he yelled. "Aren't these supposed to let us travel to their world too?"
Other Marines groaned at this mention of the obvious—but the fact that this particular instance did not allow two-way passage was very significant, as it meant some different technology must be in use.
"We should head straight to the labs!" bellowed Valla. "We must go through the portal and wipe out the hellspawn once and for all!"
"Your enthusiasm is noble, but we should consider the situation" warned Nazeebo. He wasn't going to bring up the incident with Cydaea.
"I guess you'll get me to take you there after all" remarked Manning to Valla. "I agree with your friend though—more information is needed before we just dive in."
On the way to the labs (between killing hellspawn), the Marines were properly introduced to Nazeebo. They found him even creepier than Valla, partially because he looked like a boss from Mage of Mars. The fact that he summoned undead animals probably had something to do with it as well. Still, they'd take any ally they could get, supernatural or otherwise.
Manning's eyes narrowed on the approach to Delta Labs' main entrance. The doors weren't supposed to be wide open, but there also weren't supposed to be demons pouring out either. A hail of bullets greeted the party, including demons wielding heavy weapons.
"Shields front!" she ordered.
Calling them "riot shields" vastly understated the capability of gear Manning had ordered soldiers to grab in lieu of additional guns, as they absorbed fire from MG-88s and even soaked up bullets from Mach-2 Chain Guns. It was simply the most convenient name given the appearance of said gear.
"These shields won't hold forever" commented one such soldier.
Plasma guns poked around protective barricades, letting loose hordes of blue balls. Nazeebo glared at one particularly inaccurate wielder as two of his zombie dogs were fried by friendly fire.
"Would you kindly point those somewhere else?" he snapped.
He resummoned his missing pets while the guilty party received a tongue-lashing from his Sergeant.
A massive volley of arrows took down four chaingun-toting demons, after which Valla pulled devices from her quiver that none of the troops had ever seen. They looked rickety, like something out of a children's book, yet they spat all manner of munitions in the direction of their enemies.
"We need to reach the experimental chambers" yelled Manning. Like any proper facility, not every room in Delta Labs had portals or demons—many were simple offices and the entryway held more kitchens and chairs than science equipment.
The screech of imps kept all on their toes. Revenant-launched rockets forced Manning and her squad to hunker down behind their shields again.
"This metal's self healin'" said the second marine, "but it needs time! We can't just keep runnin' into shitstorms like this!"
"We are fighting the spawn of demons" replied Valla icily. "Fairness and time are not luxuries afforded us."
Blood streaked across gray metal floors. The first laboratories encountered by the party were used for experiments not involving teleportation. One woman could be seen dead at her station, her head gone.
"Botanists? Like they had a chance!" remarked one.
A rattle, then a shriek. Orange flames cascaded out from the eyes of a skull floating free of a ventilation grate.
Manning showed the lost soul the business end of her Series 3 Plasma Gun.
"We're coming up on the atrium" said the Sergeant, mostly for the benefit of her new allies.
She looked left, then right. Left again, as if crossing a street.
"Seriously?"
Someone in Delta Labs obviously had connections, which was a given, but this level of ridiculousness had even the cynical Manning shaking her head.
"Who the fuck drags a pair of two quarter-ton statues all the way from Secondary Artifact Storage to Delta Labs?"
"It is a shame Kharazim and Johanna cannot join us" said Nazeebo sadly.
Manning's hands balled into fists at seeing more bodies, not because she hadn't seen enough already but because Corey Spencer had been a friend of hers. His eviscerated corpse, along with a corpulent man in a suit, lay a short distance from the statues.
The suit's name badge had been taken, but Manning recognized the face with its smashed sunglasses.
Serves that bastard right thought Manning viciously. Giving idiotic orders to split forces! Why? It's too bad Corey had to go with him.
In the semi-darkness, nobody saw Manning's foot meet Swann's cooling corpse, but the wet impact did not go unnoticed.
"What was that?"
She tried to discreetly wipe her boot on one of the statues, bracing herself on the shoulder of a woman hefting a large shield. Said shoulder suddenly moved, completing a swing started eons ago. However, Johanna's mighty blow struck nothing but air.
Manning fell back in surprise, and the sudden movement caused every soldier to turn their tactical lights toward the situation.
Johanna's vision adjusted slowly. This wasn't Hell, nor was it wasn't the High Heavens. It did have one thing in common with what she remembered of both—it reeked of death. Her eyes landed on fellow Nephalem, then the squad of soldiers behind.
"I take it you are off to fight demons. May Akarat bless your efforts where I failed."
Valla quickly explained the situation.
"Then the Crusade is lost" conceded Johanna. "If the demons have won, then all we know is gone."
Those around her wondered if this unidentified woman would give up. Her words certainly suggested she might.
"My name is Johanna, and although my Crusade has ended, if you fight demons, I shall join yours!"
Manning leaned over to Nazeebo, thinking he might be the most well-versed in such things.
"Is it true that, in your time, there was magic activated by…blood?"
"There were many blood magics" he replied at normal volume, as if this were nothing to whisper about. "I suspect that may be what returned Johanna to her current form, judging by the stain on your boot."
Manning would receive no complaints from any of her soldiers as they realized what she'd done—they all disdained Swann's orders as much as she had.
"What are you waiting for?" asked one. "Wake up the other statue!"
Manning sheepishly wiped her boot on "Kharazim" the monk. She'd been fine with doing it while not being observed, but now having all eyes on her caused a feeling of embarrassment.
"I may be the last of my order" breathed Kharazim, "but I will not fade quietly into the beyond! The agents of chaos shall know the wrath of my fists!"
