After Dark: The Mansion Incident
Author's Note: Hello, people! I'm sorry for the delay. I had a very busy week. Between summer school, vacation (Cedar Point in Ohio to be precise), and piano lessons, I just can't seem to find enough time to update my stories. However, I am dedicated to my work and my readers, so I will try to get as many chapters done as I can by the end of summer.
Ha. You didn't think I was dead did you?
I just want to give a special thank you to my reviewers. I know I don't mention you guys a lot, and I feel pretty bad for doing it, so I'll take the opportunity here. I would like to thank SG-Kai, FireE21, Clear Blue, metasaur, MinaDeville, Nike-06, and for their continued support. Also, a special thank you to my newest reviewers, Fan From The Start, wrestlemaniac818, and Haninator. Your thoughts are most appreciated and I'm glad you are enjoying the story. you all! You ROCK!
Also, there is a new poll up on my profile related to my stories, so you can check that out if you'd like.
I'm actually really happy right now because I found out how to hack my PSP. Woohoo! Sorry, it was on my mind. ;)
The following is a review reply to Fan From The Start. His/her review was anonymous, so I will reply to it using this chapter of the story. For those of you who are uninterested, you may proceed to the rest of the chapter.
Fan From The Start,
I am flattered that you are such a fan of my stories and have been for so long. Had I known you were reading, I would have disabled anonymous reviews a long time ago! Anyway, thank you for reading and voicing your comments and views. It really helps me a lot. To answer your questions, Lisa Trevor will NOT be appearing in this story. I mentioned her in one of the earlier chapters, but as for appearances, no. She was considered a 'failed' experiment by Umbrella and she died in 1998. For them to bring her back to life would just be pointless. Just think of Mr. X as her substitute (even though he never was in the mansion in the first place, but that's besides the point). As for HUNK, well I'll be honest, I was considering him when I was developing the plot before I wrote this. True, he is like Solid Snake's counterpart, but sadly, there's no room for him in this story. I wanted to put him in though. You can tell if you compare Clyde Valchev's and HUNK's armour. Both of them are wearing practically the same thing, just different coloured tinted lenses on their masks. In Into the Dark, I introduced Leon, Claire, Ada, the merchant, and Saddler, the main heroes/villain from Resident Evil "Darkside" (excuse the word, I have no other way of saying it. Basically when I say "Darkside" I mean RE 2 and 4). So...I thought it would only be best if I included characters from the "Umbrella side" (RE 1 and 5) into this story. As a result, you will be seeing Chris, Jill and Sheva make an appearance near the end. I already introduced Wesker so no complaints there. Well, thanks for the review. Hopefully, I can hear more from ya. Laters!
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Chapter 13: Drop By To Say Hi
The sound of dripping sewage water echoed through the narrow corridor. The faint sound of distant moaning lingered through the air. And the three survivors were approaching it all with extreme caution. Falcon was leading the way, lighter out in front of his face. It helped a little, giving a clear view of anything within a five foot radius, however, if a zombie took the opportunity to jump out of the shadows, Falcon would be completely defenseless. As a result, Meta Knight had to shuffle quietly alongside him, Lucas covering the rear. This narrow room was part of the basement, but it didn't look like it. Hell, it didn't even look liked it belonged in this mansion. The flame from the lighter revealed rusted piping leading into the ceiling and through the walls. The sound of dripping water didn't distort the fact that there were zombies down here. Meta Knight was certain, the generator was in this room. The only problem was locating it with as little trouble as possible.
Lucas was unable to use his PK fire at the moment because he needed to recharge his PSI. This made Falcon a key figure if the three were going to survive whatever lurked down here.
Without warning, a Crimson Head pounced from the darkness.
"Holy shit!"
Falcon jumped back from the lunging beast just in time, allowing Meta Knight an open strike.
"Let me," he said calmly as he took Falcon's spot and slashed sideways with Galaxia.
The zombie absorbed the attack and continued it's assault. It swung it's claws violently in the darkness, knocking the Star Warrior off his feet.
"Lucas, hold this!" shouted Falcon as he handed the boy his lighter.
Lucas fumbled with the metal tool in his hand as Meta Knight jumped to his feet and continued his assault. More Crimson Heads revealed themselves in the darkness, causing Lucas to shake uncontrollably. Falcon grabbed the barrel of his shotgun and swung it at the close creatures like a baseball bat. The sound of cracking skulls echoed through the corridor as brains met metal.
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"Clyde! What is the meaning of this!?"
"Sir, it seems to power has been cut."
"What?! No! This can't happen! I need these monitors up and running! And without power, the subjects won't be able to contain the virus' for long!"
"Ivan, the backup generator is located in the basement of the mansion. Attempting to reach it from here in the darkness would be suicide."
"No no Clyde! You're not listening! If there is no power, there's no way either of us can tell if Mr. X is in the building or not! He could be beyond that door for all we know!"
"...I...didn't think of it like that."
"Of course you didn't. Clyde, I hate to say this--I really do--but you are going to have to go into the mansion to restore the electricity."
"..."
"..."
"Sir, I...I can't. I..."
"I know the risk, Clyde. In the darkness, you are at a complete disadvantage to any of the experiments running loose. However, as your superior, I am ordering you to go in there and find out what the hell is going on. You need to be my eyes until the power is back online."
"Do I mean nothing to you anymore?"
"..."
"..."
"You are a good man. You are also a soldier. In times like this, I need a soldier. Your job is your first priority, and it always will be. Do not fail me."
"..."
"..."
"Yes sir."
With that, Private Clyde Valchev turned and left the room. He had to pull the automatic door open, all at the same time, arming himself with his SMG with retractable flashlight. He gave Ivan one last dull look through the mask before heading for the elevator.
Ivan turned back to his desk, a portable UV lamp clamped to the side for minimal light. He picked up a blue pen and started drawing circles on the clean sheet in front of him. Black monitors on the wall in front of his stared down at him. After each completed circle, a new sweat drop would reveal itself on Ivan's forehead. He drew nine circles in total, all lined up next to each other. He then drew a tenth circle, this one rather large, above the previous nine. In each of the smaller circles, the scientist scribbled a letter: I, i, F, M, b, X, C, G, and T. In the large circle, he drew a heart; it was very poorly drawn of course. He dropped the pen to the side and studied the sheet before him, straining his eyes at what little light he had.
Ivan rubbed his temples in frustration as he stared at the sheet, as if he was unsatisfied with it.
He reached for a nearby red pen which had been carelessly thrown on the desk, and breezed over the page lightly with his hand. Over the C, Ivan drew an X. Over the I, he drew an X. Over the heart, he drew an X. Over the b, he drew an X. Over the T, he drew an X. He drew a triangle over the G and i. The F and M were left blank. He stared at his new results for a few minutes contemplating.
"Is there really any hope for all of us?"
Ivan pondered for a few moments before crossing the i out with an X.
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"That's that!"
Falcon stomped his boot on the last zombie, ending the struggle. The sound of moaning in the darkness was no more. Meta Knight leaned against the damp wall, sheathing hi sword in the process. He had been scratched by one of the Crimson Heads. Luckily, it wasn't a bite, so he was safe from the effects of the T-Virus, for now. Lucas got to his feet, lighter in hand. He avoided stepping on the severed limb and broken bones on the ground.
"That was close..." he said quietly.
It was barely audible over the sound of dripping water.
"Indeed," replied Meta Knight, grunting a little. "Ugh, those creatures are not to be underestimated."
"You're telling me," said Falcon as he took back the lighter from the boy. "I nearly lost my head in that mess."
The group stood there in silence, attempting to recover what injuries they received. The really didn't anticipate for the zombies' attack to be so organized. It seemed as though when they are in berserk mode, they acquire a new level of thinking. They can strategize the best possible plan on destroying their opponents. Of course, the battle would have ended a lot quicker had Falcon had any shells in his weapon. If only he knew how important ammo conservation was in situations like these. Too bad.
Falcon led the way with his lighter yet again, this time prepared in case of any attack. He wasn't worried about another surprise like before, but then again, you can never be too careful in this mansion. zombies were getting smarter every minute. They have learned to travel in groups to avoid being picked off one at a time. This strategy has proved most difficult to overcome. The virus itself was growing; it could feel, it could think on it's own. And it was multiplying. The last thing they needed was for this virus to spread into one of their systems. They would have no hope of returning back to normal. If the virus escaped the facility, the world would soon meet the unstoppable force of Umbrella. Which means, they only had one option at this point.
"We...need to destroy the mansion," said Falcon all of a sudden.
"What?" replied Meta Knight as he walked up to the racer so that they were side by side.
Lucas remained in the back, dagger close to his heart.
"We need to destroy the mansion," repeated Falcon. "We can't allow the virus to escape. It's too risky."
Meta Knight took a deep breath before replying. It wasn't a calm breath; it was more like one of those breaths you make when you get annoyed by something: a sigh.
"We can't destroy the mansion. Not when there are peoples' lives at stake. It would defeat the purpose of our entire mission if we destroyed the mansion."
Falcon stopped in the darkness, causing the other two to stop as well.
"You don't understand. We NEED to destroy the mansion," said Falcon, a serious tone in his voice.
Meta Knight brushed his statement off.
"You believe it is your right to take charge here?" replied the Star Warrior.
Falcon brought the flame under his face, making him look rather menacing, as if he was about to tell a ghost story.
"We can save our friends. But, our priority is to destroy this building."
"Our priority is to our friends. Or do you only care about yourself?"
Falcon was taking his time with the short swordsman, but he could feel his temper rising again, just as it did in the kitchen.
"I care about everyone!" shouted Falcon as he leaned in towards the Star Warrior.
Meta Knight did not back down.
"You would rather have us all killed then to save who we can!"
"You're not listening! Something inside me is telling me that if we don't destroy this place, we'll all die! It won't matter in the end!"
"And who, dare I ask, is telling you all this?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Are you receiving secret information that Lucas and I don't know about? Are you carrying a hidden camera beneath that helmet? Are you feeding Umbrella information about our backgrounds and weaknesses?"
"And what's THAT supposed to mean!?" shouted Falcon as he shoved the Star Warrior into the damp wall, holding him in place with his free hand.
Lucas gave out a small squeal.
Meta Knight's gold eyes continued to stare into Falcon's face.
"You could be the traitor."
The Star Warrior kicked Falcon in the arm, causing the racer to back up a few feet. Meta Knight landed on his feet. Falcon's face was in shock; he almost dropped the lighter again.
"Y-You're accusing me of being the traitor?! That's...Are you insane!?" he shouted again.
Meta Knight lowered his head a bit, but kept his gaze upon Falcon's eyes.
"It would explain everything that has happened so far," he said darkly.
Falcon took another step back, as did Lucas.
"What?! What do I have to do with what's been going on in this mansion!?"
"Plenty. How is it that you manage to escape first out of all of us, with little more than a scratch on your body? How is it that didn't even bother to save us when we were within arm's reach? How is it that you have struggled with every monster encounter we've had? How is it that you managed to survive that snake poison over such a long period of time?"
There was some silence among the group, before Falcon spoke up.
"Wait...You mean...I could have died?" he asked, the shocked look still upon his face.
Meta Knight nodded.
"Yes. I never told Lucas this. But in all honesty, you shouldn't have been able to recover from that bite so easily. The wound looked fatal, and for us to make it from the east to the west side in such little time is impossible. It only means one thing: the bite you received from the snake was not meant to be lethal. However, it is the general nature of some snakes to inject their victims with venom in order to slow them down, right to the point of death. That bite did nothing more but knock you unconscious. The snake knew your 'true colors', Falcon. It knew you were working for Umbrella. I have noticed this with every monster we've faced so far. It is true, they will attack any living thing on sight, however, the more intelligent monsters, such as the snake, know their place in this mansion. It never would have turned on Umbrella. Which only proves that the wound you received was not meant to be critical, which means, you have been working for Umbrella the whole time."
More silence. Lucas couldn't believe what Meta Knight was saying. Actually, putting the facts together, it did seem like Falcon was the real traitor. Lucas was aiming at the wrong guy.
"Are you kidding me?" asked Falcon, some humor in his voice.
He started backing up from the group, raising his hands slightly.
"You cannot deny the facts, Falcon. Confess," pressured Meta Knight.
"Confess what? I'm not the traitor!"
"You are! The facts are all there in writing!"
"Lucas! You can't really believe this guy can you?"
Both the fighters turned to Lucas who jumped when they noticed he was still there. The blonde boy twiddled with the charred end of Falcon's scarf before replying.
"I...I don't know. I don't want to think that you are the traitor...But...what Meta Knight says sounds true too."
The Star Warrior glanced at Falcon who had horror in his eyes. Lucas had turned on him too.
"No no! You've got it all wrong! I'm not the traitor! There's no proof!"
"I just told it to you, Falcon. It's over."
"It's not! It hasn't even begun! I AM NOT THE TRAITOR!"
Meta Knight drew his sword.
"Falcon, this has to end here. We cannot allow you to endanger us any longer," said the Star Warrior.
Falcon couldn't believe it. His own friends, the ones who survived Raccoon City with him, had turned against him. He backed up against the piping, lighter clenched in his fist.
"Now hold on a second, Meta Knight. This doesn't have to be like this," said Falcon a bit nervous.
Meta Knight approached him slowly, Galaxia in hand.
"I am sorry, Falcon. It's too dangerous to take anymore chances."
He brought his sword up, preparing to drive it through Falcon's chest. Falcon flinched and slammed his eyes shut.
"No!" he cried.
"Everybody STOP IT!"
Meta Knight and Falcon froze and turned to Lucas. His legs were shaking as he held the sharp dagger in his hands. The tip of the weapon found itself being pointed at Meta Knight. Lucas shivered.
"P-Please! Stop it! Don't fight! Please!"
Meta Knight was surprised. He had not expected Lucas to carry a secret weapon and keep it hidden so well. Falcon was relieved that the dagger wasn't aimed at him. The Star Warrior lowered his weapon, his eyes fixed on Lucas.
"Don't do anything you will regret, Lucas," said the Star Warrior as calmly as he could.
Lucas' eyes were close to tears but, he refused to remove his gaze from Meta Knight. He took a step forward with his weapon, biting his bottom lip lightly.
"You listen to me!" he started. "I don't know if Falcon is the traitor! I don't know if you're the traitor! But killing each other won't help us find our friends! We need to get the power running again!"
Meta Knight sheathed his sword in relief. Lucas only pulled out the dagger to get their attention, not to harm them. The group stood in silence for a few moments before Meta Knight spoke up.
"Understood, Lucas. We will have it your way," he said with a small bow.
Falcon's shoulders dropped as he moved away from the wall. He took a step toward Lucas, but stopped when Lucas changed the angle of the dagger in his direction.
"Um, Lucas, you can put it away now," said Falcon.
Lucas couldn't bring himself to move. He continued to hold the dagger tightly. For the first time this night, he was in control.
"Captain Falcon, you lead the way. We will follow behind," stated the boy.
Falcon glanced at Meta Knight who replied with a nod. Falcon returned the gesture then looked back to Lucas.
"Alright, Lucas. Have it your way."
Falcon turned down the dank corridor, lighter held up high. Lucas nodded his head at Meta Knight, signaling for him to go next. The Star Warrior wrapped himself in his cape and complied. Lucas took one last look at the dead bodies behind him before moving on. The dagger was still clenched in his hands.
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"It's all over. The darkness has won over me. It has won over all of us. Dammit, I should have given Clyde a communicator. Now I'll never know if he found Mr. X or not. I can barely think straight anymore. This mansion is too dangerous. Three powerful factors are coming to kill me. My only escape route is cut off. The experiments have all become insubordinate. And now that the power is out, the odds of them coming under control again is exceedingly low. At least the hostages in the cell are still secure, but it won't matter in a few hours. They'll find me. They'll kill me. And then they will destroy the mansion. Everything I've worked for. Everything I've ever dreamed for. 10 years of dedicated labour, for what? My inevitable death. My experiment has turned on me. My superior has turned on me. Am I really that much of an evil man? All I wanted was justice. Is that so hard to ask? Umbrella can do as they please, but what about my wants? I believe that all evil men should be executed. The world has no need for them. Wesker had it coming. Birkin had it coming. Hell, even Spencer had it coming. But what about me? I'm not like them. I am a scientist. I am a gentleman."
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"Well, here it is."
Falcon illuminated the small area of the room with his flame. The generator stood before them, it's sleek metal reflecting the fires into Falcon's eyes. Meta Knight walked up next to him.
"Yes, this is it. And it's off, just as I predicted," he said.
"How do we turn it on?" asked Lucas from behind, the dagger still in his hands.
Falcon waved the lighter around the machine to locate some kind of switch. Unfortunately, he found nothing.
"Good question. How dowe turn it on?" he asked.
Meta Knight closed his eyes.
"There should be a main power switch or lever somewhere; more than likely on a control panel in the wall," he said professionally.
Falcon looked to the side to see a red switch pointing downward. This was the switch they needed.
"I found it!" exclaimed Falcon as he set the switch in the right position.
The generator soon roared to life as the cylinders started spinning. Soon enough, the lights on the ceiling turned on, illuminating the once dark corridor. Falcon closed the lighter and pocketed it, followed by him dusting his hands together.
"Thank you, thank you," he said, putting his arms up.
Lucas gave a small smile. It was good to see everything in full color again. Meta Knight opened his eyes.
"The power has been restored," he said. "Good job, you two."
"No need to thank me. It's what I do."
"Indeed."
Lucas couldn't help but give a quiet laugh. Meta Knight and Falcon were actually getting along. He felt no need to hold out the dagger any longer, as he hid it inside his shirt. After a pause and intake of new environment, Falcon spoke.
"So...what now?" he asked.
There was another brief pause before Meta Knight replied.
"Our mission still stands. Let's explore the rest of the mansion, and locate our friends."
"Now that's what I like to hear! Alright! Let's go!"
Falcon made a dramatic pose and pointed down the lit corridor they came from.
Suddenly, there was a rumbling in the ground, which almost made the three survivors lose balance. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped and there was silence. The rumbling picked up again, but this time it began and ended abruptly. Almost as if they were the footsteps of someone very heavy. Judging from the sound, there was something heading their way from around the corner.
"What's making the ground shake!?" shouted Falcon over the rumbling.
"I don't know!" replied Lucas who almost fell again.
Meta Knight kept his gaze on the corner. Someone, or something, was coming. Luckily, the power was back on, so anything that thought it could get the jump on them in the dark just lucked out. A lone figure emerged from the corner and faced the three survivors. It stood there quietly, hands at it's side, clenched in fists. Falcon flinched at the sight of it.
"Whoa! Who ordered the Tyrant!?" he asked sarcastically.
"It's not a Tyrant," replied Meta Knight.
He studied the creature at the other end of the damp hall. It stood tall, over ten feet, large metallic hands seemed to be it's primary means of attacking. A black trench coat was wrapped tightly around the creature, revealing hard upper body muscles. The creature's face made it look almost human, pale skin and a bald head revealing the thought that it could be no more than a middle aged man in black. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
The creature began stomping towards the survivors down the hall, the heavy footsteps of it's boots echoing off the walls.
"What is that thing!?" shouted Falcon, attempting to maintain his balance.
"Is it a survivor?" asked Lucas.
"No. It is not human. It's another monster created by the virus," replied Meta Knight.
"It's coming this way! What do we do?!" asked Falcon.
"There is no where to run. We must fight. However..."
Meta Knight pulled out his sword and chucked it at the approaching monster. Galaxia collided with the chest of the creature, but it was deflected, dealing no damage at all. It seemed as though this creature was made entirly out of metal on the outside. The sword hit the ground with a clang, the monster walking past it like it was nothing.
"Just as I feared," said the Star Warrior. "There is no hope of us damaging this thing with our weapons."
Mr. X started increasing his pace; he was so close, the survivors could see that he had no pupils in his pearl white eyes.
"What do we do, Meta Knight!?" cried Lucas.
"We must go around it!" replied the Star Warrior as he charged toward the advancing Mr. X.
"Wait for me!" shouted Falcon as he followed his short friend.
Meta Knight revealed his wings and took flight over the head of the ten foot tall monster. He barely dodged being grabbed in mid-air. Falcon stopped running when he realized that it would be impossible for him to get around the monster. Mr. X took up the whole width of the hall; there was no way to get around him.
"Just what I was hoping for!" exclaimed Falcon as he ran up to Mr. X. "Falcon PAWNCH!"
Falcon's trademark flaming fist struck Mr. X clean in the chest. However, the result was not what he had hoped for. Mr. X absorbed the attack and survived it with minimal damage. Falcon stood before him in awe.
"No way..."
Mr. X raised his fists up high, preparing to hammer Falcon down into the dust.
"Get out of the way!" shouted Meta Knight from the other side of the monster.
Falcon reacted just in time by jumping away from the striking monster. Mr. X recovered from the heavy assault and continued walking toward the survivors. Meta Knight made an attempt at halting him by picking up his sword and slashing Mr. X's back, but it did nothing. Galaxia was not powerful enough to crack that armor. Falcon and Lucas were backed up against the generator, Mr. X boxing them in from any hope of an exit.
"What are we going to do, Captain Falcon?" asked Lucas.
Falcon turned down to the scarred boy. Lucas looked up at him, a little spark of hope illuminating his eyes. Falcon felt a tear reach his eye. He wasn't about to let this innocent boy die down here, not at the hands of Umbrella.
"Get out of here!" shouted Falcon as he grabbed Lucas by the collar.
"Wait, what are you doing!?" cried Lucas.
"Just...tell Meta Knight I'm sorry."
With that, Falcon used all his strength to toss the boy over the head of Mr. X. Lucas barely dodged being swiped by the large metal hands. Meta Knight caught him on the other side. Mr. X did not turn around, but kept his focus on Falcon. Lucas made an attempt to get back to Falcon, but Meta Knight held him back.
"Captain Falcon! No!" he cried.
"Get out of here kid!" replied Falcon on the other side of the huge body. "Alright ugly! You wanna piece of me!? Come and get it!"
"Lucas! Let's go! He's giving us a chance!"
Meta Knight pulled Lucas down the hall until they both started running. The sound of smashing stone and metal echoed from the other end of the corridor.
Meta Knight burst through the door into the kitchen, Lucas following closely behind. The two glanced around the room to see if any more monsters were here. Nope, it was clean. The door leading to the first floor had been busted apart. It was impassable.
"Dammit! That thing blocked us of our only exit!" shouted Meta Knight as he ran over and attempted to remove the rubble.
Lucas looked back down the corridor to see Mr. X heading straight for them. Immediately, he slammed the metal door shut and leaned against it.
"Meta Knight, it's coming!" he shouted.
The Star Warrior turned to him. He could see the fear in the young boy's eyes. They were trapped like mice in a cage. Loud banging came from the other side of the door Lucas was blocking. Mr. X was coming through.
"Lucas! The elevator!"
Lucas looked down the other end of the kitchen to see a fence-like door. It was an elevator leading up to the second floor.
"This way!" said Meta Knight as he grabbed Lucas' hand and pulled him to the door.
Mr. X burst through the metal door, shattering it to pieces. He looked at the two fleeing survivors and made pursuit. Meta Knight and Lucas jumped into the elevator and closed the door. They could still see their hunter approaching them through the door.
"Go up! Go up!" cried Lucas. "Hurry!"
Meta Knight slammed his fist on the up arrow that was attached to the control panel. The elevator buzzed before the two felt themselves being lifted up, out of sight and out of reach from Mr. X. The two survivors collapsed to the floor out of exhaustion. After some silence, Lucas spoke up.
"What was that thing?" he asked. Meta Knight paused before replying.
"A soldier. A soldier who's sole purpose is to destroy us. I am almost certain of that. Someone must have sent it here recently, otherwise we would have run into it earlier."
"It...It got Captain Falcon..."
"I know...But there is nothing we can do at the moment. Until we can find a way to destroy that thing, our priority to locate our friends. May...May Falcon's spirit rest in peace."
It was sad. Captain Douglas J. Falcon, the one who had led them to safety in Raccoon City, the one who had kept the group's morality high and alive, was dead. There was no going back. They had to face the truth. The sad truth. Lucas felt a tear in his eye. He replied with a nod before turning around to witness one of the worst horrors he'd come across that night.
The dagger, which he kept ever so securely under his shirt, was gone.
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"Ivan, I've made it to the foyer. It seems that the power has been brought back online without my doing. Do you want me to report back?"
Static replied to the soldier from the communicator.
"Ivan, are you there? Come in."
More static. Clyde looked up at the camera in the corner of the room and waved to it.
"Hullo! Ivan! Sir! Please come in!"
There was no reply from the speakers or the communicator. For some reason, Ivan was not responding.
"Sir, one of the survivors must have triggered the generator in the basement. There is nothing to worry about. But, I also want to report that a crashed helicopter was discovered in the forest not far from this mansion. Are you aware of that? The pilots were both killed in the crash. Also, they were carrying some form of cargo, a large cage if you may. It seemed to be used to house some sort of large creature, but I don't know much about it. Are you in any association with them? Do you know who sent the chopper? Do you know why the chopper was sent in the first place? Over."
Still no reply. Either Ivan wasn't in the room, or he didn't feel like talking.
Or worse...
Clyde Valchev packed away his equipment and headed for the exit.
The sound of thunder and lightning could not be heard through the window anymore.
It stopped raining.