"Sir, the scouts have just reported back. The electronics of the "Nadir" are completely offline, not that it could attack us anyway as it has no weapons to speak of. Strangely, there are a number of lifeforms on the ship so the life support system must be functioning to some degree.
As well, it has been recorded that the "Nadir" has been a research vessel for the entirety of its existence."
"Researching what, exactly?"
"Experimentation in biotechnology."
"... Ok. Thank you for the update. You may leave now."
Wally nodded, turned around and left. Panther texted Leon "How's it going down there? Also, change of plans."
"Good. Wolf is under control. What's the plan now?"
"The plan is to simply blow the vessel into debris. It's not abandoned, it was a host to various biotechnological programs, and we don't know exactly what we're dealing with. Better be safe than sorry. Tell Wolf to come up here and watch the fireworks."
"Leon?"
"He just went mental again. Screaming about 'James McCloud' and how other innocent people might be aboard. I don't want this to happen again, so could you clarify if the signals were moving or not?"
"Yes, just a second." Panther called Wally.
"Sir?"
"I need to know if the signals the scouts recieved were moving?"
"No sir, but it was only a brief scan, though, they did mention a line formed in one of the rooms."
"Hmmm."
"Sir?"
"Thank you."
"Yes, sir."
Panther had a very bad feeling about what Plan A would entail, but the client wants what the client gets, even if that client currently had very poor judgement.
And that's why Panther moved his ship in close to allow the 6 to enter the station. Leon joked that he was a better businessman than leader but Panther could definitely see the truth in that right now as he watched his friends and his best fighters step into the unknown.
Leon was concerned. Had Wolf really changed that much in the couple of years they had been apart? He was barely recognizable at this point. He had already been pretty intimidating leading Star Wolf but paled in comparison to the hulking, primal figure standing before him. From what he could gather, Wolf had simply been wandering since leaving the hospital. Self-confidence and control issues seemed to get through his facade at times, but it had never shattered so completely before and that made this Wolf somewhat unpredictable. That made Wolf scary... and hot. And it started as soon as Wolf met them... or was it before that? Had there been a trigger then? Leon shook his head. Too many questions. This ship had something to do with it, that he was certain of.
They all stepped through the airlock which hissed as it closed. The small screen to their right indicated that the gravity and atmospheric pressure on the ship was appropriate for life on Venom; perfect.
Stepping onto the station proper, they found no lights on. The heat was on but it was very dry, something Leon found disagreeable, giving him another reason to dislike the place.
The infiltration expert was at the front, followed by the soldiers, then Wolf, and finally Leon. Besides their footsteps, the occasional clanging of something moving could be heard somewhere else on the station; Leon figured they would deal with it as they got to it. Of course, Wolf's attention was diverted by these noises and with a snarl, went after them. Leon chased after him. "Come back you idiot! We need to stick together! Don't you remember that?!" But it was as if Wolf hadn't heard, he kept running, obsessed with chasing down those sounds. Leon sighed, aimed at his shoulder, and fired. The blinding pain got Wolf to stop, a single glowing, electric blue eye staring down at him.
"We're do you think you're going?!Cooperation is everything Wolf! Or did you forget?" Leon loudly whispered. The eye seemed to contemplate what Leon said before it settled into a sort of half-dead stare. "Leon? Wolf? Where the fuck are you?" The expert's voice chimed in.
"Wolf got distracted and-"
"I don't care how it happened! Just get back here!"
"Will do. You heard'em Wolf, we need to cooperate. Let's go back." Wolf nodded, then followed.
Their first objective was to enter and investigate the room which had the line of pings in it, if the owners of the footsteps didn't meet them first.
Corner after corner they rounded, doing so as quietly and stealthily as possible. Even so, more and more footsteps seemed to sound all around them as if they were moving gradually to surround them by numbers alone. "I don't like this." The expert, Damian said. "We're gonna have to move more quickly if we're to avoid their forces. Besides, the room shouldn't be much farther."
They rounded another corner when Damian was sent flying. He slid down the hall on his back for about 20 feet before he came to a stop. He struggled to get up as he coughed up blood. "Fuck." He muttered.
They all turned to face the thing that had struck him and immediately started firing their blasters. Its gaunt face snarled at them, its head skeletal. Leon didn't know his skulls too well, but he reckoned it was a deer if the horns were anything to go by. It loomed over them with 4 tall, spindly legs that scuttled to and fro whenever it moved with 2 extra limbs coming out from atop the torso. Already, one leg had been blasted off. Leon figured the soldiers didn't need him, so he turned around only to find an equally bizarre creature standing on 3 legs with a column of eyes on one side of its face fighting Wolf, who appeared to be defending Damian as he struggled to stand. Leon took aim and fired, taking out an eye; the creature screamed in pain and fury, making Wolf flinch. Leon fired again and again and again, until the creature was blind.
Damian fired the final shot, his kinetic round blowing the monster's head to bits.
More creatures appeared.
