Day 3: Camp Jefferson- US Naval Base; south-western Virginia, United States, 17:47 EST
Fornell have a sigh as he strode across the training field; his joints weren't quite as mobile as they used to be and on top of that his patience was being severely tested- as was it always when things weren't going the way he wanted them to.
"Petty Officer, I understand your need for 'naval security' or whatever it is you call it, but I think national security is just a little more important- especially when it involves naval personnel just like you." He said to his well-cut, brunette companion who was walking briskly beside him.
"I'm sorry Agent Fornell, but I really can't tell you anything." Petty Officer Rachel Marston replied as they continued to walk, moving past several other marines. "I really shouldn't even be speaking to you without the base commander's permission- he's probably the one who can give you any details about what you need to know. But I'm really not sure what you're looking for, sir; the last time I checked, the Navy was investigated by NCIS, not the FBI."
"Yeah well, when NCIS is physically obliterated to the point of non-existence that tends to slow them down just a little." Fornell said curtly, coming to a dead stop and forcing the petty officer to do the same and face him. "And the FBI tends to notice when both an agency they occasionally work with and a whole navy base gets blown sky-high. Plus, we keep hearing these rumours about other bases just going missing with no sign of anything. I think I'd be just a little more concerned in your place if I were you."
"Marines tend not to trust federal agencies, sir." Rachel responded with her hands folded behind her back. "It's nothing personal. If there is a situation involving the Navy, we tend to deal with it ourselves."
"Yeah." Fornell muttered. "Until the agency investigating it gets attacked and the majority of the people working there are either dead or unaccounted for. We're trying to do something! I'd think you'd be a little more appreciative of any help you get."
"With all due respect sir, we have our own problems to deal with. The base's power systems went out about ten minutes ago and the defence towers are still offline. I can't go into the details, but we're almost entirely preoccupied with trying to get everything working. We don't have the time to ask around to see what other bases are doing at any particular time."
"Defence towers? What, are we under invasion or something? I didn't get a chance to read the newspaper over coffee this morning."
"I can't talk about it, Agent Fornell. All I can say is that we have a defence system set up and we're still trying to get them to operate properly. I don't know the reason why they suddenly stopped working along with the rest of the systems but right now the base is vulnerable and that's the primary concern we're dealing with."
Fornell snorted. "Sure. I'm amazed people haven't started to blame me for the defence towers not working. Seems they're convinced everything else around here is my fault if the welcome I got was anything to go by."
"As I said sir, we tend to have a slightly suspicious view of federal investigations into our own affairs." Rachel replied apologetically. "It's nothing personal."
Fornell was just about to open his mouth to reply- either with an understanding comment or a sarcastic remark; he wasn't sure which- when the entire atmosphere around them suddenly changed dramatically. The air seemed to take on a deep chill and the sun setting in the background was abruptly blocked out, cutting off all the sunlight beaming down on the training field.
Rachel and Fornell both looked up at the sky; though the evening was only a partly cloudy one, the sky had suddenly been filled with a thick, grey cover of cloud. The area in the centre of it was rapidly darkening and spreading across the entire sky.
Rachel stared at the phenomenon. "What is that?"
By now, the event had attracted every marine on the field; at least a dozen men and women had gathered around the pair and were staring up the sky as the entire area continued to get darker. A mysterious sound was starting to emanate from the cloudy matter; a strange combination sounding like both thunder rumbling and faint crackling, like electricity.
Fornell slowly drew his gun from its holster and pointed it upwards in the direction, sighting down the barrel. A disturbing feeling was starting to make itself known in his stomach.
An outline appeared through the dark cloud, faint at first. It grew clearer and clearer, and as it did so did the rumbling and crackling sounds. The outline seemed to descend, lower and lower- edging its way forward as it did. As it continued along this path, the clouds seemed to lift upwards, expelling slowly but surely the figure behind them; a massive jet black airplane unlike any Fornell had ever seen. Bigger than a regular 747, it mysteriously had the appearance of a fighter jet. The rumblings from the sky grew slightly louder and more noticeable, while sparks of yellow electricity crackled around the plane's nose.
Keeping his weapon and eye trained on the plane, Fornell murmured to Rachel, "Get everyone to somewhere secure."
The petty officer turned towards the FBI agent. "What?"
There was another sudden noise from the plane; like a large vent being opened. A second later, the air near the bottom of the ship became thick and blurry, as though a significant heat source had been lit underneath it. The substance rapidly spread and swept downwards in the direction of the base.
"Go!" Fornell fired a shot off in the direction of the ship. "I'll cover you!"
Most of the marines in the surrounding area turned and started running away, but despite their high level of physical fitness it seemed that the mysterious substance could flow across and down faster than they could move. In a matter of seconds it had descended from the bottom of the aircraft to the ground level. Fornell stood his ground, continuing to fire at the ship despite the chaos around him. Rachel turned to run away in the same direction and stumbled over a rock just by her foot. Fornell turned around and hauled her to her feet before turning back to the plane- just as the translucent substance swept over him.
The FBI agent's body immediately and temporarily seized up, his limbs becoming completely numb in a split second. His weapon remained in his hand, clasped in his grasp as his balance gave way. Fornell's body fell to the ground, still in the seized up stance it was before, but now completely paralyzed and totally helpless.
Rachel stared at the scene for a second before turning tail and running after the other marines- quickly catching up to them as they ran full speed towards the buildings just past the training ground. Unfortunately, as fast as they were, the speed with which the mysterious gas seemed to move outpaced them. All around her, men and women either seized up and fell to the ground or simply collapsed, frozen in the stance they had been caught in in the moment. The legs of one of the petty officers next to her immediately crumpled; she briefly caught hold of his hand, seeing the pleading, helpless look frozen on his face before falling to the field. As hard as it was, she forced herself to let go of his hand and keep running. The base's main building was just ahead; it could be reached within half a minute if she could just get there in time…
Her foot at that moment suddenly stepped on a patch of slick grass; she stumbled for a brief second and then fell, rolling over once and coming to a rest on her side facing the base. A second later, the substance swept over her body.
The scream in Rachel's throat barely squeaked out of her mouth before she felt her vocal cords immediately freeze up. Every single nerve and muscle in her body went numb and her entirely body tensed up. She tried to move something- anything- but it was hopeless.
Through her still mobile and conscious eyes, she watched helplessly as more of her fellow marines seized up and dropped; the gas-like substance overwhelming them- paralyzing them in their tracks.
Her eyes moved around frantically, trying to see what was going on, trying to find any sign of help or hope. All she could see were bodies lying on the ground.
Bodies- and the shadow of the ship darkening the area around her even more…
NCIS
The paralyzed body of a man leaning up against a crate on the edge of the field did not move as the balaclava-clad, dark combat suited figure carrying a scoped machine gun walked slowly passed him. The insignia on its right shoulder of two crossed flaming katanas meant nothing to most people, yet it was a symbol that would bring immediate recognition to those who recognized it.
The Blood Devil paused for a moment and watched several more of its compatriots walk passed it, two carrying a large human-sized case in the direction of the base's main complex area; the gaseous paralytic substance in the air not affecting any of them in the slightest. It watched a moment before turning its attention to the left- towards the massive black ship that was parked just off-base past the training field. The whole ship seemed to be the centre of the dark and foreboding atmosphere that had surrounded the entire area over the base. Dark grey clouds that almost completely blocked out the setting sun appeared to surround the aircraft; rumbles on thunder and crackles of yellow electricity enveloped it, giving it a somewhat demonic look and feel.
The Blood Devil gazed up at the ship for a brief moment before slowly walking in the same direction as the others.
NCIS
The slim, petite Asiatic woman turned away from the screen she had been looking at towards the main computer hub at the far end of the slightly dark room. The light emanating from the screen reflected off her black leather outfit as her eyes narrowed slightly. With a few lithe steps, she crossed over to the main computer system; the massive screen over it was activated, showing the hidden-faced image of… him. Numerous other screens surrounded the sides and bottom of the main one, showing different viewpoints from the troops on the ground.
The Blood Devil Commander placed herself in front of the main screen, placing her hands on the panel just in front of her. She stared straight ahead, her eyes slowing sliding shut.
A voice radiated throughout the room- a voice that was deep, definitive and definitely not feminine.
"Establishing connection."
The Commander's eyes snapped open and as they did, they changed. A bright blue light suddenly shone out from them- an overwhelming light that filled her eyes and illuminated the area in front of her...
NCIS
On the ground of the naval base, one of the Blood Devils suddenly began shaking; bright blue light began to fill its eyes and a matching aura seemed to surround it. In a move that would have shocked most outside observers, the Blood Devil actually rose up in the air, looked straight up into the sky before bringing its arms and legs towards its chest and then snapping them back out, a bright blue aura surrounding its body as it dropped back down to the ground.
Nearby, Rachel could only watch in fear as she observed the glowing figure turn its attention towards her. As other Blood Devils moved around in the background, the one by her took a few steps in her direction, stood on the spot for a second staring down at her and then knelt by her side. As it did, she felt the ground rumble slightly, movement occurred out of the left portion of her line of sight and another wave of fear passed through her as she caught a glimpse of a large grey vehicle- almost like a miniature version of an armoured vehicle or tank without the large gun and with a thin strip of what appeared to be glass at the top of the front- rumbled by behind the Blood Devil.
NCIS
In the screen-filled room, the Commander's eyes burned bluer as she turned to the side and raised her right arm.
On the ground, the aura-surrounded Blood Devil stood up and turned to the right, raising its right arm. As it did, the deep voice spoke as though coming from the militant itself.
"We are the Tyrant that will ensure their perfection and stability." The Blood Devil raised its other arm. "Arrange these Americans for departure."
Another Blood Devil grabbed hold of Rachel's arms and started pulling her across the grass towards an empty case as the glowing troop began walking in the opposite direction. She felt herself being dragged by the wrists by a strong pair of hands; she felt herself being lifted up off the ground, unable to move anything except her eyes. She watched in fear as she was placed inside of a transparent case; she felt her heart begin to pound as the lid was closed, just millimetres away from her nose.
The case began to move across the field in the direction of the large aircraft. The dark clouds and crackles of electricity still surrounded it, giving it a very demonic appearance. It was as if all the darkness and foreboding in the area was centred around that one ship.
As the case moved towards it, Rachel's eye caught something moving in the far right sky. Just behind the veil of dark cloud, something seemed to flash past heading in the direction of the opposite side of the base. An image that was very brief and faint, yet also seemed to shine through the darkness that had enveloped the whole base.
It had looked vaguely like a large fighter jet.
A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review and give me feedback!
I'm sorry if this seemed a little slow, but I thought this chapter deserved its own sense of foreboding. I promise that the next two chapters will be ACTION PACKED!