Okay, here we go. Late BUT, I got it in on time! I finished writing it at about ten fifty-two and then had to take short break but I did complete writing it on the third so it still counts. :D (the long part was just getting it in the system so that's why it may say it was posted on the 4th)
Time: 0714
Region: Outer Rim, Cademimu sector
Location: Ajan Kloss, CIS Muutmine Laboratory.
The moment his feet hit the floor, Joan barked, ''Tech, plug me in! There!''
Dashing to the dark terminal, Tech injected the chip from the back of his helmet into the system and began typing furiously at the cracked console keys.
''Working, working...'' Joan growled tensely, ''Okay, I'm in. Now-...''
She paused.
''Wait a minute...There's no one here.''
A shocked silence hung in the air as the four men finished dropping to the floor and turned to peer at each other. Taking a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, Hunter turned to the console.
''Joan, are you sure? What do you mean 'no one is here'?''
''Just that!'' she exclaimed, trim avatar appearing on the holoprojector, dark hair waving as she shook her head vigorously. ''There's no one here. This place is a ghost town. Whatever we were expecting to find doesn't exist. All the normal functions are appearing as 'disabled' or are sending me 'error...error'...Maybe it's just this terminal and we need to head in more; but if the others are just like this one, we're basically standing in a grave.''
Hunter thought about it for a moment, lightly tapping his finger against the side of the trigger...then asked, ''What about the security? The cam feeds, jungle traps, and energy pulses? How could..? ''
''Security as of now is nonexistent. The reason why there are no sirens going off in here is because there was nothing to go off in the first place and whatever alarms - and I'm guess traps as well - that are going off in the rest of the lab and jungle where the ones that hadn't been disabled when the place was shut down. As for pulses, the only thing still transmitting is...Kriff it! Wrecker, did you place one of the dets over an external hidden control panel?''
''Uh, yes?'' he replied uncertainly, ''Best place to knock down basic building functions while we slipped in, right?''
''Yeah, well in also doing so, you also cut off the pulse readings Hunter and I were getting. Which now means however we were tracking this place is also now destroyed. Thanks. And, Hunter, to answer your question about the feed...'' she winced, ''There's a good portion of the memory data that's wiped clean and the system itself is so broken it would take at least a couple of hours to try to piece it back together again...and by then, it may not even be reliable. And the recorded feed...Well, let's just say someone didn't have such a hot day. There's literally almost nothing there except for this.''
Pulling up a recorded holo, the Bad Batch watched silently as on screen a young woman in a white lab coat screamed in terror, banging on a door in effort to get out before turning and shrinking in horror as a medium sized anooba wolf-dog leaped towards her face, fangs bared.
Joan froze the image there before it could get into any more detail.
''That was the only recording I could find.'' she said quietly.
''That doesn't make sense.'' Tech frowned, ''Commander Cody sent us here to find the missing troopers and find out why- ''
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a hair-raising shriek, echoing off the metal walls with a faint hiss. They froze, automatically rounding towards the end of the hall, bringing their weapons to bear. As the sound died away, all that was left was the groaning creak of the metal around them as they shifted their weight.
''What was that?'' Crosshair asked, voice hushed even through the team com.
''Whatever it was,'' Wrecker shuddered, ''it means that at least something is here...''
''Yeah,'' Hunter agreed, taking a step forward to peer into the dark hallway, light dim and fading farther from the only beam of mid-light coming in through their entrance behind them. ''And what ever it is, we're going to find out. Wrecker, stay here and guard the entrance while we take a look around. I have a bad feeling about this...''
The branching halls were barely lit, only the green and red enter and exit signs glowed at the ends of the section, casting long shadows behind each of the troopers. As they made their way forward, the halls themselves were in poor condition. Cracked and chipping, the black granite tiles with blue glowstones had allowed the thick tendrils of jungle vines to slither up the walls of the laboratory. The creepy effect was only enhanced by the twisted green lighting from their helmet's night-vision which Hunter had ordered them to turn on since he didn't want to risk Joan flicking on the lights given...whatever that thing was that had screamed.
But as of yet, there had been no remaining evidence that that thing existed. All sound of it had vanished. There was no sign of the...thing. Save for the quiet clip-clip sounds of their boots on the granite, all was still.
And that was beginning to get on Hunter's nerves.
The twisting corridors, the rasping creak around them, the clicks and clacks as one Bad Batcher or other nervously shifted his weapon in his hands which was amplified by the silence, the shallow breathing of the others through the team com...Everything was so broken...so unstable...
Out of the corner of his eye, Hunter watched as Tech jogged a few steps ahead to investigate a broken, quarter-open door. Everything in him was screaming 'wrong! twisted! danger!'...but the loudest was, 'Get out. GET OUT NOW!'
The thought shot through his mind so hard he stopped dead in his tracks, tensed...then spun on his heel.
''TECH, WAIT!''
With that warning, all they could do was dive away as the support beams on the other side of the door collapsed, sending out a reverberating crash.
Then silence...
''Uh...Okay. Tech, if it turns out there are people here and they find us because of that crash, just remember that my life is more important than yours and that one of you needs to do everything you can to get me out. Got that?''
Joan's attempt at breaking the tension was met with rasping breathing. Taking what accounted for an AI's settling breath, she said, ''Come on guys. The center of the complex isn't far away. Let's go and then get out of here.''
Without a word, they all stood, brushed themselves off, and continued down the path.
Wrecker paced in a tight circle, hands gripping his DC17 tightly and glancing up every few seconds at the single faint beam of light from the entrance as if to make sure it was still there.
Where were they? Why weren't the others back by now? Why had he been left behind?...Left alone. The thoughts were gently weaving their way into the back of his mind even as he pushed them down, away; mentally demanding they leave...They didn't.
Each minute that passed, each second that he counted down, each turn he wore into the floor...it all reminded him of the darkness surrounding him and how his only escape would be to run and leave the others behind even as they had left him. Peering into the shadows, he stared at the destruction around him, all the cracked ceilings and bending walls almost shifting if he looked at them too long. This place...this circomstance...it was all messing with his mind...
CraASH!
Jumping, Wrecker brought up his DC before carefully speaking into the com.
''Guys?...Guys? Anyone there?''
...Static was all he heard. They must have been too deep in the complex. But that crash didn't sound good. Did they need help? Did they need- ? No, Hunter had said to stay and guard the entrance. But what if..? Grrrhhh, he hated situations like this! Well...Well...Fek the orders! If they needed help they would be too stubborn to ask for it and then where would he be?
Facing the dark, he peered into it...then made sure he had a good grip on his DC before rushing into the darkness...alone and afraid.
Of course, he wasn't the only one. There were still yet others who had their own silent horrors to face...
Making no sound as he crept forward ahead of the other two, Crosshair felt sweat bead on his brow. The narrow tunnel and unknown path was taking advantage of the confined space to battle his imagination. Was it him? Was the tunnel actually getting smaller?...Or was he just getting taller? Oh darned blast it, why couldn't he think straight? This place was playing games with him...and Crosshair knew he could be a very sore loser.
Edging his fingers along the edge of his rifle, he came to an intersection, pressing his back against the wall before carefully peeking around the edge of the wall.
All clear.
Motioning for the others to follow as they darted across the hallway to the other intersection, the sniper curled his lip in self-disgust. Was he that jittery that he was skittering around like a mouse when he knew a cat was watching?
No. He had to get a hold of himself. The others needed someone to watch their backs. They couldn't help him with his problems. The only one who could fix them was him.
So why do you stay were you are...? Or are you too weak to pull yourself out of what you say only you can fix...? If that's the case...then really, you are the one who has made the enemy. For your worst enemy...is you!
A voice whispered in the back of his mind. No. No, he wasn't! He couldn't be! He wasn't like that! He had never wanted to be that person!
And yet...the voice hissed, and yet...here you are...
Inhaling carefully, Crosshair paused just long enough to close his eyes...Tried to locate the mental source of the whisperings...then pounced and crushed it. True, he couldn't pounce and crush the thought literally; but even just the mental image of destroying the rotten thing was enough to at least keep it at bay...For now...
With each step taking them closer to the center of the laboratory, the less comfortable Tech felt...But...at the same time...there was this twisted knot in his gut that pushed his adrenaline from fear to a fevered excitement. The Seps, the people here - who had been here...they had been pushing the limits of human knowledge! Knowledge of any indigenous species!...Sure, it and their tactics were brutal...but what if...in order to save people as a whole...what if you had to sacrifice a few? If it was for a better cause...? So saying, the only alternative would be to leave the experiments alone and then only a few would survive. If that was the case, wouldn't the tests be worth it?
If he was leading them, of course he wouldn't conduct them like the Kaminoans had done it to them! Of course not! That was monstrous!
He would do it differently. Would make sure they had a choice if they wanted to volunteer themselves to help humani-
NO! Tech, do you even hear yourself!
What was it with this place that was bringing this out? No. No, he wouldn't be like that. He couldn't!
Get a grip, get a grip, he told himself, feeling his pulse go up. This had to stop. Chances were, if it was happening to him, it was happening to the others too. And if it went too far...Well, he didn't want to know the odds of what would happen.
But just as he was about to ask Joan to check in with everyone to distract them from thinking too hard about their surroundings, they entered what appeared to be one of the research labs.
''Tech, plug me in.'' Joan said, ''Now that we're closer in, maybe I can see if the inner systems are working better and find out what's going on. Hang on, I'm going to close the doors so I can turn the lights on. I don't want to risk that monstrosity - whatever it is - seeing the light and thinking it's holonight out at the park.''
The doors closed, and the moment they were shut, the lights flicked on to reveal rows of rows of medical and scientific equipment. Test tubes, glass jars of shriveled organic matter that couldn't really be - or was better left - unidentified, needles of all tips and sizes. Empty kennels lay sprawled across the room, many laying on their side and the gates wide open.
As they stared around at the decayed room, Tech took the opportunity to step over to the glass jars, peering at one in particular. Inside was a long, thick yellowish worm floating in some sort of vinegar. That worm type...he had never seen it before...
''Okay, got it. Still nothing on the security. It appears the whole place is fried. But there was a little more info in this one. Maybe when they evacuated, they thought they might come back so they left what they could in patches to put back together later...if they came back.''
''What was this place used for? Was it a type of bioweapon against clones like Cody had feared?''
Joan took a few thoughtful seconds to answer.
''Yes. But there is no indication that it was directed at clones specifically. At least, not for the initial design. Instead, it appears to be general population themed. It says here that the 'serum' is made of mixed ingredients, though mostly made from a brain worm native to Geonosis and a certain virus found typically on jungle planets like this.''
She paused for a second before raising an eyebrow, ''Honestly though, I don't see what anyone would do with a combo like that. Doesn't sound like your typical meat-and-potatoes evil recipe for death. Though I suppose it could work just the same; if it gets the job done, I mean.''
''But then why would they take wounded troopers if it wasn't directed at us?''
''I can't say for sure...but one theory is that the clones were the most available test subject at the moment; but by the time the clones were brought to the lab, they had already died...and if that's the case, then any form of the accelerated growth genes would have died with it and they would be rendered unidentifiable. The scientists may not have known how to access the accelerated growth DNA to experiment with it as it does vary greatly from anything else that has yet to be tested with.''
Picking up the sample jar of the worm from where he had been staring at it, Tech asked, ''Is this the brain worm you are talking about?''
''Yes. It seems to be the main ingredient too; almost like the virus part was an after thought.''
Tech turned to Hunter, holding up the jar, ''If I can get this back to the Marauder, I'm sure- ''
''No.'' Hunter snapped. ''We're not taking that thing with us.''
''But it could- ''
''Tech, get this through your head: I. Don't. Care. We're not talking what ever that thing can do with us. Although studying it could help prevent whatever it does, I don't trust the long-necks. If they got their hands on, there's no telling what they could do with it.''
Peering back pointedly at Tech, he added, ''In a situation like this, the Kaminoans are to be treated as any of the Separatists. With caution and ask questions later.''
Tech scowled, ''Why is it always the people who could help people are the 'bad guys' in situations like this?''
Joan scoffed, ''Because: they're smart enough to be stupid. In other words, if you don't want to be like that, keep the KISS rule: Keep it simple, stupid. We don't need a villain within the squa- ''
''Joan,'' Hunter cut in to stop the train of thought, stepping forward, ''Is there any info on where the troopers could or used to be? I don't want to be down here any longer than I have to.''
''That makes two of us,'' Crosshair muttered.
''Yes. I have a path. Setting map now.''
''Good. Then turn off the lights and lets get moving. This place is giving me the creeps.''
As they found themselves twisting once again down the winding hallways of the crumbling laboratory, everyone noticed how they had spread out farther than they had originally. Partly because the footing was getting worse...partly because of the slight hint of descension setting in. It didn't matter. They wouldn't be together much longer anyway...
As usual, Crosshair had taken point, peering down one of the empty hallways. Just as his foot had crossed the threshold, however, there came a faint 'chink.'
''What was that?'' Crosshair hissed, freezing.
''I don't know,'' Hunter replied, ''But I can already tell that I won't like it. Joan?''
''You-...you need to keep together! Crosshair, get out from under the door!''
By the time the sniper's head snapped up to see what she was talking about, the blast door was already slicing through the air. Seconds later, it landed to the ground with a bang and hiss as it locked. But Crosshair had jumped back just in time. Only now, he was on the other side. But the others had their own problems to worry about.
To his left, a door snapped down and Hunter felt himself jump slightly, taking a step back before realizing he himself was in the way of another unsteady door. Falling backwards out of the way, the last thing he saw of Tech was him sprinting forward as if to stop the door.
He couldn't try to lift the door though. As the door had fallen, Hunter had heard a familiar shriek coming from the same path Hunter now sat on. Rising carefully, he saw bloody stains - glowing white in the green light of his night-vision - crosshatching the walls as if something had tried to escape...or...some one, rather. The missing clones perhaps?
It was likely. Those blood trails had been made by human hands...
Hunter only had time to inhale just before the wind was knocked out of him as he slammed against the wall, thrown by some unseen being that was hidden in the dark. He had taken a turn and the next thing he had seen was two glowing green eyes outlined by a gaunt face as seen through the night-vision. That had been when he had been thrown. But before he could recover, the thing screeched, high pitched voice ringing painfully in the confined space.
Hunter did what he could to cover his ears, but for some reason, his helmet didn't seem to be working! He waited until he sensed something shift in front of him and kicked, earning another scream. He started to rise, but was nocked down again like a rag doll.
He couldn't see, his senses were disoriented, and he was in danger. As he hit the ground, the world went dark around him, but he was still conscious. His helmet had come off and his eyes were trying to adjust. He wasn't sure where his DC was. He remembered having it in his hand before he was thrown, but if it wasn't there now...Well, fact was, he didn't have it and he couldn't reach his helmet in time to find it. Yanking his knife from its sheathe, he slashed blindly out in front of him, once again earning another scream, this time more painful because of the close volume.
Shuffling along the edge of the wall, he stepped away before sending another kick at the blurred figure that he was starting to make out. But the hallway was too tight. It blended in too well with the murk. Knowing he couldn't fight it - no, not here - he took a careful step back...and sprinted...he just didn't know it would be a short run.
He wasn't sure how he knew where he was running; he just knew that he was. He dashed down the hallway, turned a sharp corner and kept going, feet flying against the granite tile...then skidded to a stop. Dead end.
His DC was gone, combat knife missing from his bracer, helmet dropped somewhere after being ribbed off probably only meters away yet hidden by walls and out of his reach. He was trapped.
Taking one deep breath, he pivoted on his heel and turned to face the enemy, settling into a ready position for hand-to-hand struggles. Helmet gone, he could hear every dragging 'lump...lump...lump' of clumsy footsteps heading towards him. Well, if it was coming for him and if it was expecting to see him cower - even if he couldn't see it because of the lack of lighting - it was going to be sorely disappointed.
Waiting completely still in the darkness, he felt himself tense, senses all on high alert.
Lump...Lump...Lump...
There was a pause...then a low growling hiss of breath that held the stench of death, close enough to feel it warm against his face. That was when Hunter gave a one foot shuffle before snapping a front kick; he could feel his heel connecting with its head. Good. It would have something to remember him by.
Rushing forward, he cracked a hard punch at the face before going low for the stomach, but the shadow caught his wrist, twisting it with a jerk before shoving him against the wall and clamping its wet, clammy hands against his throat with a grip of steal. So focused on trying to breath and fight back, Hunter never noticed the sleeping gas slowly tainting the air in the room. He struggled for as long as he could handle...slowly weakened...then his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He went limp...and collapsed in darkness...
Slightly more intense chapter ;D Hope it didn't scare any of you. Now, as usual, thank you for reading, reviewing, and following and I will be seeing you later! :D
Now, last thing, I'm just going to say...O-M-G! If you haven't seen the new trailer...Also...It's HeeeEErrrre! :D Bad Batch is here! If I don't see you then, Happy May the Fourth, people! :D