The Same opening that the Gears of War Squad Alpha and Delta had used to get into the massive frigate still was open, the door kicked away and still lying far off into the darkness of the hallways. The musty air, still covered with dust particles, flowed softly, like a slow moving stream of old air. The opening itself made the ship look like it had been here for hundreds of years, if not longer.

From the inside of the opening, just from the dark area of the hallway, a faint light could be seen, reflecting into the inside of the ship. The original inhabitant, the Spartan, had climbed up, and was peering inside, his armor banged up and scarred from all the war he had undergone. Yet, it was still good enough to shine brightly.

"See anything?" Mark came up to the Spartan, who had just activated his personal lights, and shone them down the hallway. "Anything?"

The Chief didn't respond, sure that there couldn't be any safe response until they searched the entire ship. He took one light step inside, slowly planting his feet onto the now dirty floor, which as the Spartan looked down, saw it was covered in dirt footprints.

"You want to help us up??" Marcus was struggling to follow with the others, keeping back everyone except Mark, Baird, who had just gotten up, and the Chief. Mark helped the Sergeant up, while Baird made for the darkened hall, only slightly illuminated by the man's visor lights.

"This is going to be a fun little trip." Baird said to himself, looking hard, trying to peer through the darkness.

"Thanks." Marcus finally reached the top, heaving. Finally, the others started to file up after him, each stepping away from the ledge to avoid falling back down or to block the others climb up. Once he had caught his breath, which was the same time everyone had arrived on the ledge, he glanced inside. "Lets head in."

"Then stick close." Mark agreed, raising his weapon to his chest, his eyes glued forward as they walked in.

The area felt the same as it did before, the halls dark, the air thick, and the walls almost silent aside from the occasional creak of the ship. They all had the image of Wretches watching them, all just out of sight and waiting to attack. Even the Chief felt as he once did when confronted by perpetual darkness in tight spaces. Luckily for him, he wasn't anywhere claustrophobic as Carey was.

Even as the other Gears started in, the Sniper was completely hesitant as to walking inside. "I should stay and watch for-"

Before even giving himself a reason, Mark reached back and grabbed him inside grumbling angrily as he did.

"Alright, let's move." Marcus stayed slightly behind the Chief, who illuminated the area easily with the light, but only for about twenty or so feet. "Keep your ears perked. We can't have anything sneak up on us."

"Guys, there's the-" Mark pointed to the crossing hallways, where another passage created a four way directional choice. But what made him stop talking was a sudden movement just out of sight, a hopping into each tunnel direction. "Shit!" he hissed, almost falling back in surprise.

"Great. They've taken residence."

"Not on our ship." the Spartan said to Marcus, as he walked casually up to the cross. As he reached the center, he glanced both all three directions, sure that there was going to be a change of plans. "Looks like we're splitting up." And with that, he slowly started walking forward.

"Hey wait- oh screw it." Mark turned to his squad. "Richard, you and Howard head this way," he pointed to the right hallway," and Carey you go left."

"I'll go with you two." Dom said as he took a right, and at the same time, Baird and Cole started left with Carey hesitantly following them, a slight emotion of anxiety on his face. With that, Marcus and Mark both glanced at each other, then to the light of Master Chief, getting further and further off, and took off after him.

"Alright, says here we're heading to a stasis area. Whatever that means." Richard said, looking off a sigh on the wall.

"I think it's a medical thing. You get some and-" Howard said, unsure of what was ahead.

"You get in a stasis tube and they freeze you. You can basically stay frozen forever and then be thawed almost any amount of years later." Dom answered, also looking into the dark ahead, scanning for any movement. "I heard it's very advanced in research."

"Maybe this Chief guy is from the future then." Richard said as they came across a turn, and found a blocked door. "Great."

"Hold on a second." Howard walked up, pressing his hand against the metallic blockade. "This shouldn't be hard," he said, turning to the others, and as he turned the door fell back, completely broken off it's hinges. The impact had Howard jump off his feet in surprise.

Richard and Dom stared in surprise. "You that strong?"

"It… must have been broken before- I barely touched it." Howard started walking inside, glancing around. "What…"

"What is it?" Richard asked, then his own mind was puzzled. The room they had just entered was rather large, like a command center, but was circular, and all around the walls were slanted cylindrical tubes, each one open like a hatch, and built like a bed.

"Holy crap. Stasis Tubes." Dom walked up to the closest one, a broken and shattered bed of cold. It had frosted over slightly due to several cracks under the seating, and the glass had been cracked all the way down. "this ship must have gone under one hell of a landing."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Howard walked the other way, just as Richard walked right across the room, to a small panel.

"Says here I can activate lights."

"Go ahead, we could use some." With that Richard pressed a part on the screen, and with a whir, lights flickered, then died.

"Grah… damn. Is this ship supposed to be this screwed up?" Richard pounded on the panel in anger only to have a 'error' sound blare shortly at him. "Shut up." He walked away, going further across the room. "Wonder what these can be used for…" he got up close to one, its glass smashed, and its interior to dark see.

"We have ideas that they can be used for medical treatments. But as a total…" Dom answered for him, in his usual supply of knowledge for their side of the war. But Richard wasn't listening, as he was looking into the glass, sure he saw a face.

"Hey, guys-"

With that, a screeching cry erupted from behind them as a Wretch was standing in the hallway, upright like a deformed ape, its jaw stretched terribly and obscurely. All three Gears turned, just as the stasis glass behind Richard shattered and a Wretch burst forward, attempting to grab hold of Richard, who had ducked and quickly stepped aside.

While all that happened, Howard and Dom wasted no time shooting at the still howling wretch, as it was slowly ripped apart n their barrage of hot metal. The wretch that had jumped out landed and quickly ran away from Richard, who swore aloud and fired blindly behind him as he stumbled back. The Wretch ran around the panel as he found his ground, and target the small beasts body, before shooting it down like the first one had.

"I think we found some." Dom said as he heard more coming down from the hallway. "Get some kind of cover!" He and Howard leaned against the tubes just as Richard got behind the panel. Each one pointed their guns to the entrance the came from. And then Richard noticed as echoes seemed to come from every side of the room- there were four ways into the room.

"Sounds like someone found something." Carey said briefly, stopping to listen, only to hurriedly follow Baird and Cole.

"Lucky bitches." Cole groaned, turned in the hallway, following the path accordingly.

"Yeah, well don't feel so lucky. Shit like that usually happens to us." Baird said over his shoulder as he led them down the hallway. "Here we are." He stopped at the door which the entire group had entered a day before. The armory. "Think it's time we restocked and reloaded."

"Can't I just stay and shoot anything that comes-" Cole said, almost pleadingly.

"C'mon!"

The three walked in, again glancing around the room at what was still in it. The slightly broken tank, several busted cars and other vehicles were still station on the left side, while the weapons and armaments were on the right, all neatly, or in some broken holsters and holders, not neatly, stacked and piled up, ready for use.

"This is more like it!" Baird held up a Assault rifle to his eyes as he glanced around the general weaponry. His eyes were excited as he scavenged.

"Pick so we can get some action man." Cole sat, and simply reloaded and stocked his guns. As he did, Carey picked up the Sniper from one of the Holders, testing its scope. To his surprise, it had an excellent night vision scope as well. We was able to look at the darkened massive room easily, taking in every feature.

A loud clang sounded from the entrance, and all the spun, or in Cole's case got up, and faced the area. A small piece of metal plating seemed to have fallen out from near the door, and was rocking back and forth on the floor.

"Shit!" Baird lowered his rifle, felling his heart beat against his ribcage, and his armor. "I hate this kinda shit in work."

Carey wasn't satisfied with a coincidence. Even though it was likely that in this broken ship that pieces of it were bound to fall off or collapse, in this situation, it didn't seem likely. He got up and walked to the center of the room, each step echoing, as he glanced around. The Shadows seemed infinite as he reached the center. The only light was that from the faint glow of the Armor they all wore.

He heard a faint rustle. Whipping to his left, he saw by the tank a piece of glass skidding across the floor. "We aren't alone."

"What?" Baird asked angrily as he got up from stocking bullets, just as Cole rushed up eagerly to find any enemy to shoot down. "Where?"

Carey couldn't answer yet. He was scanning around the wreckages of the many vehicles, now able to see many still wretches in, and behind them. There couldn't be that many of them, close to fifteen…

A rustle had them all look up, their guns drawn to the source. Something was high above them in the ceilings. And it slowly moved into the light. Two Wretches sniffed the air, as the looked down at the Gears below them.

"How many?" Baird asked again, looked up at the two, now three wretches above them. Carey's eyes had widened as he scoped the darkness above them. There was a ledge just above them, slightly below the very top ceiling. He was circling around slowly, looking through the scope, his mouth slowly opening as he did. Above them, it seemed countless amounts of Wretches were all watching them, hopping slightly in anticipation to when they would attack.

"We're completely surrounded." And with that Carey ran for the Armament, forcing the other two to follow him. Several of the wretches screamed their howls, having the area echo and amplify the volume to a point where the Gears thought they might go deaf if it lasted.

"Get what weapons you can!" Baird screamed above the noise, as he lifted up a second gun, now holding two in each arm.

"YEAH!" Cole had reached a 'Heavy Weapons' holder, found a mounted turret, and easily lifted it on his shoulder without breaking it off, and carried it back to the center with Baird. Carey quickly got as many grenades as he could, including several glowing orange ones, spiked, and blue. He didn't care, just as long as they exploded. Cole slammed the turret on the ground, facing the vehicles, and shouted," Bring on the pain suckas!" With that, he started the mini-gun, and it spun, unleashing a hellish rain of bullets.

Baird was behind him, watching the walls as Wretches started climbing down the walls. Growling with the strain to support two assault rifles, he took loose aim on one section of wall, and shouted like Cole as he pulled both triggers, having huge force push him against the giant black man currently destroying the left side of the armory.

Meanwhile, Carey was sniping as quickly and accurately as he could simultaneously while up against the backs of both Cole and Baird. Aiming for those still on that ledge near the ceiling, he used the night scope to easily pin-point the Wretches he found, hitting each one perfectly in the head. Several occasionally made it down the wall close to him, and each time he found the use of the grenade he used. Orange were fire bombs, spike were spikes, and blue just were plain big and nasty, and he was sure he saw one get stuck on a wretch before blowing it to bits.

Fortunately the Gears had vastly over-estimated the numbers of the Wretches to their firepower. The amount of destruction they were causing to amount present was way over the chart of carnage. The wretches certainly noticed this before they did, as they slowly seemed to start disappearing from their views.

"That aww don't run away!" Cole started to glance around for his target. Baird too eyed the area, as the Wretches seemed to have completely vanished.

"I don't see anything…"

"Up." Carey pointed up to a darker spot on the ledge. And small shadowy figures started to disappear in its abyss. With that, Carey lifted his hand up to his ear and communications.

"Sergeant."

Mark recognized the voice of Carey, and responded. "What's going on?" Marcus and the Chief both stopped to turn to him, listening. "We're hearing bullets all over the place, but it sounds like a war is going on already."

"They're using the ventilation sir."

"What?" Marcus said, and as he did, a piece of the ceiling fell ahead of them all, having them all turn to see it completely clatter on the floor, and shuffling of wretches could be heard in the small, dark path above them. Master Chief quickly fired off several rounds into the ceiling before stopping, not hearing the shuffling nearby. "They could be everywhere then…"

"I'll check engineering." The Chief said calmly, continuing to walk down the dark path.

"right… we'll just check on the others then." Mark said awkwardly, watching the tall figure leave them in the dark.

The chief had started to walk down a set of long stairs, having him go deeper and deeper into the ship. He wasn't even sure how far he was until he got to the bottom, and the hallway directed him left. There, in obvious sight, was a wretch. But the Chief raised his gun, he noticed something odd.

"Chief?" Cortana asked, puzzled at the lack of action aside from caution.

"It… it's shaking." The wretch, several meters away was shaking, having pushed itself up against the wall, and seemed to be standing away from the one door labeled 'engineering'. Even as the chief walked past it, it did little to respond, let alone move itself. "This is engineering."

He placed his hand against the door, and pushed. It didn't budge. It didn't even groan. He pushed harder, and it still didn't move. Even after he kicked it forcefully, it did little to move.

"this can't be right… these doors- you could easily knock them back… but they haven't moved." Cortana was more puzzled than he was.

But he had something that she didn't. A hidden sense. A sense that people get at times when they can tell something is wrong, but cannot tell what. He was anxious. The master Chief felt like something was wrong here. Suddenly, the wretch growled and jumped up at him, and before it ever reached him, the chief smashed it down with a back hand punch, resulting in it smashing into the wall, and stopping its movement all together.

With the distraction gone, he turned back to face the still jammed door. Something told him, even though he was supposed to search the entire ship, that he didn't want to go in this room.

To be Continued…

That's right OMG a TBC because I am shit-tossed-tired. Still recovering, but I now think I got my creativity back. YAY.

But because I'm late as crap for this chapter, and let alone breaking continuity for the side-story, I deserve a well earned slap. Chuck Norris, if you would please.

(Chuck Norris walks in the room, and back hand slaps him, having EZB go flying through the wall and out into the sunset.