Here tis, folks (evil smile) the chapter I have been waiting for...for a very...long time...
Oh yeah, the ending gets a little...intense. Just a warning. ;) I'll leave it at that.
Time: 0832
Region: Outer Rim, Cademimu sector
Location: Ajan Kloss, Muutmine laboratory, sublevel
Taking a glance from the commando droid to Tech, Crosshair shook his head.
''She'll hate you.''
Tech adjusted his goggles, blinking once. ''I believe I have had worse from her. That concern has any significance...how?''
Also staring at the droid, Wrecker was biting his lower lip but didn't say anything. He knew full well how Tech was not going to be dissuaded on the subject, how Crosshair would likely fill in the gap by adding in some snarky comment of his own, and how Joan had her own ways of dealing with him if she ended up not liking his idea - which was probable, but there was a distinct difference between when she disliked doing something and disliking the idea and not going through with it.
If Tech was able to play his card right, just maybe, she would pick the former rather than the latter and the technician would be spared whatever 'amusing' form of 'torture' she might decide to use on him as revenge later.
Either way, the huge clone didn't want to any part of what Joan was going to do when she found out that Tech suggesting - insisting, in fact - that she give herself the form of a Separatist droid commando...a droid she had repeatedly scorned for not being real commandos on account of her obvious bias towards the Batch.
Shifting in his stance as he took another sweeping around the green gore splattered room, Wrecker wondered how long that would last if Tech got his way.
It didn't take him long to get at least an inkling of an idea.
''What had I said about not moving!'' An angry voice screeched from the consol.
Nearly all three of them jumped, blasters suddenly snapped to the ready as Joan appeared in front of them, her usually light blue form pulsing a deep red.
''What are you doing down here?!'' she continued before any of them could answer. ''Now it will take even longer to get out of this place!''
Tech ignored her anger, but decided to at least grace her with a basic explanation and how it might turn out to be helpful that they had left.
''Purely on Crosshair's fault, we left the laboratory room you had assigned us to in order to investigate a strange anomaly we heard. However, when we arrived at the corridor above us, Crosshair fell into this room and was trapped.''
He gestured around them at the mess.
''As you can see, we became busy trying to keep him alive and once it was over, I noticed that this particular room might have some use for us.''
''Use is a matter of opinion given that Hunter is now heading to a place where you were supposed to be and are not! What is so kriffing important that you have to stay down here?''
He adjusted his goggles again, shooting the sniper a glare but didn't exactly answer her last question , ''I am inclined to agree, the situation is most distasteful.''
Wrecker huffed, ''That's one way to put it!''
Noticing how Tech hadn't answered her, she growled.
Ugh, men.
''And you didn't even have the 'INKLING' of an idea that I might not like looking at it so that you might want to have cleaned it up before I got here?
Turning around, Crosshair cocked his head slightly, indignant, ''Cleaning up? What do you all that killing we just did was?
''That was working on the pest problem. I'm talking about being at least some what like gentlemen and actually easing my none-existent suffering at having to stare at bug guts splattered all over the carpet.''
Raising an eyebrow from under his helmet, Wrecker glanced down.
Seeing him staring, Joan rolled her eyes.
''If there WAS a carpet.'' she amended sourly.
Chuckling humorlessly, Crosshair shook his head. ''Oh...there's a carpet alright.'' he murmured darkly, ''Just not a very...pleasant one.''
Joan peered from Crosshair to the others and back, shaking her head. ''Only Crosshair could make something like that sound dark.
There was silence for a moment...then Joan threw up her hands.
''Okay, fine! Tech, you want something and that's why you didn't answer. What is it?''
Cocking an eyebrow at her, Tech tilted his head, voice slightly tinted with mockery. ''Are you certain we have time?''
''Yes,'' she growled through gritted teeth, noticing - not for the first time - just much like Crosshair Tech could get, ''Now answer the question. We have to meet up with Hunter to figure out what we're going to do about getting out of here. The sooner you start, the sooner it'll end.''
Tech nodded. ''Very well.''
He stepped over to the open compartment carrying the commando droid.
''Would this suffice to hold you over for a carrier form until - if - we manage to get out of here alive? It would be replaced with a more...suitable model as soon as we would get back to safer grounds.''
Joan's eyebrows shot up, color changing to a pale purple.
''You want to put me...in that?!'' she nearly screeched, sounding horrified.
Secretly enjoying this despite himself and the situation, Crosshair smirked, ''Just goes to show what he really thinks of you. Ouch.''
''Oh shut up, Toothpick!''
She was glaring at Tech, who was holding her gaze without even batting an eye. In fact, he didn't seem to mind; through the helmet, his eyes were slightly squinted the way they did when he was grinning - and in this case, not so innocently.
Oh Sithspit.
''I swear, the things I have to put up with you boys. Just wait till Cody hears about this.'' she muttered, before rolling her eyes and adding, louder this time, ''Fine! I will allow you to insert myself into a crappy droid bot, but I will guarantee right here and now that you will never hear the end of this!''
''I am fully aware,'' Tech replied, pulling out his data pad, ''I am just as aware, however, that if you would continue to bring up what would be a humiliating event for you, that everyone you would not want to hear of it would hear of it one way or the other.''
Joan gasped softly and froze, slight image glitches tugging at her paused form.
''Uh oh,'' Wrecker leaned towards Crosshair, switching to privy comm, ''somethings wrong.''
''Yeah? I haven't noticed,'' he whispered back dryly.
''No really! I mean, aren't computers always supposed to win when it comes to facts?''
The sniper shouldered his rifle and put his hands on his hips, turning to him.
''Is that so? Then would you care to explain how we've been winning the war?''
Wrecker thought about it, then nodded sheepishly. ''Good point.''
Getting a little impatient, Tech tapped the console, snapping Joan out of whatever data freeze she'd just had.
''Is this matter settled?''
Joan stared up at him with wide, eyes. Blinked once...twice. And narrowed them with a huff.
''Of all the ways to treat a lady! Fine, yes...for now. But if this is going to happen, Hunter will need to know just in case to keep him from shooting me on sight.''
''As I figured. I shall prep the carrier while you inform him.'' he turned away from her and gestured for Wrecker to be ready to grab the droid once he released it, ''And also, Joan, we've had this conversation before.''
The others glanced at each other with confusion, but Joan seemed to know what he was talking about.
''Well I refuse to believe it.''
''You may believe as you wish. That does not deviate the facts.'' before she could protest any further, he continued, ''Changing the subject, is there a way to re-establish communications with Hunter aside from via you?''
She glared at him for a moment...
''Don't think I'll just let this off. I will come back to this.''
''I have no doubt.'' he nodded.
''Yes, but I'd have to turn on the facility, which might give those lab rats an easier way to find us. Still, it is possible. Since we've arrived, I've noticed that the only way I'm going to be able to reach the main control system is if I jump from signal to signal until I get there and it might a little while, but it's doable.''
''Excellent. Then report to Hunter, find a merge point for us to meet up at, turn on the facility, and return for your injection.''
She sighed wearily, and nodded. ''Alright. Packing my bags again; won't I ever get a vacation?''
''That is highly unlikely.''
''Yeah whatever.'' She waved at the others, ''Bye boys, seeya in a bit.
There was a faint 'zip' as her holo disappeared. Tech began tapping some of the controls on the console, releasing the commando and then wandered over to it's prone form. Putting his head down, he got to work.
For whatever reason, Hunter didn't seem surprised in the least about Tech's offers. Yet that didn't mean that he still wasn't uneasy about them.
''I don't know about turning on the lab,'' he said, shaking his head. ''At least in the dark, we have the advantage of night vision.''
''But that's not much,'' Joan countered, jerking her avatar's head on his HUD at Rayvn, who was groping for his arm. ''Ask her. I'm sure she did something to them where their night vision is greatly 'enhanced'..?''
He did. The response was less than encouraging as she confirmed that, indeed, the creatures she had created did have advanced night vision due to some of the compounds she'd needed and therefor, keeping the lights off would not impede them in any way. Either way, they would be coming for them.
Shooting a glare down at her - which Ravyn could not respond to as she couldn't really see him - Hunter growled, ''And you were making those things why again?''
Through his night vision, he saw here eyes glint a pale green.
''That is not necessary for you to know in order to get me out of here.''
''Oh, you don't think it is?'' he snapped, jerking his arm away and stepping back.
She groped about for a few seconds, panic welling in her face.
''No...NO, don't leave me, please, I don't know what those things can do!''
''Then tell me what I want to know.''
She never got the chance. Before Ravyn could respond, a piercing shriek split the air. They froze...
''Joan. Hurry up.'' Hunter whispered, ''Get over to the main system like Tech said and get this place up and going. If things go south, no point in giving ourselves even less of an advantage at not being able to see without our helmets.''
''On it. Don't die.''
Then Joan jumped signals and was gone.
Tapping his fore finger impatiently against his bicep, Tech checked the chrono again. It had been ten minutes...Surely it didn't take that long for her to reach it?
As if in response, at that moment, the lights flickered on. Green went bright white on their night vision and it took them a moment for their eyes to adjust...Wrecker honestly almost wished he hadn't now that he could see what was around him. The grotesque mess that had been mostly shades of shadows was no fully uncovered.
He tried not to gag...And Crosshair wasn't been much of a help since he asked, ''I wonder how long they've been here...'', staring up at the pile of corpses that he'd fallen onto earlier.
Without looking up from whatever he'd taken up typing, Tech shook his head.
''That would be irrelevant to the situation.''
''But wouldn't determining how long they've been dead give us a basic idea of what might have happened? I doubt they arranged themselves like that.''
''It might give us more of an understanding as to what might have killed them and why, but it still holds no context for right now.''
''Care to tell that to monsters upstairs?''
Tech didn't reply. A moment later, there was a small 'ding!' and Joan's avatar appeared on the console, expression far from happy.
''Okay, let's get this over with...''
Minutes later...
They hovered around the downed commando droid, all wondering if it was really worth the trouble. . Perched on one of the consoles, Crosshair wordlessly switched from watching the others to watching the monitors, their only window to the world outside the parasteele doors that locked them in and the cascading hole above them. Tech and Wrecker sat on the floor as they tinkered with the droid.
''Will it work?'' Wrecker asked, sitting back on his heels.
''Of course,'' Tech responded, turning to the now prone form on the ground. ''It has to. Otherwise, our chances of survival have just been severely limited. Joan?''
The eyes glowed, but otherwise nothing happened.
''Joan?''
Again, no response.
Tapping his foot impatiently as he stood, Wrecker shook his head at Tech, who had glanced at him inquisitively.
''Try again, Te-''
Suddenly the form jerked, arms and legs flailing.
''I feEl AlIvE!'' a hysterical female voice sang, voice cracking.
For the second time, everyone jumped. There was an awkward pause...Then the AI chuckled.
''I've been waiting to do that.''
Glowering at her, Crosshair muttered, ''How cute.''
''Yeah, I thought so,'' she quipped.
A moment passed...She didn't move...
Joan cleared her 'throat' awkwardly and said, ''Uh...guys? How do you steer this thing?''
Elsewhere in the lab...
Squinting, the Drone snapped viciously at a member of the Hive that screeched non-stop, howling as it rolled on the ground, flapping its hands to cover its eyes. Leader understood - bright light hurt him too - but he hated how weak it was, soft and floppy it was.
He send a command over the Hivelink for the others to destroy it. The cries cut off...It wouldn't bother him. But that did leave the light to be angry at.
It was blinding. The Hive could not see. Their eyes hurt. The air was too bright.
Ducking his head, Leader growled softly to himself...There was something...familiar about this...
Closing its eyes, it waited patiently for several seconds. When it opened them again, the light still hurt...but not as bad. It did that again, this time keeping its eyes squinted. Finally, after several tries of this, its eyes hurt no more.
Since it had left the main barriers in favor of the hunt, Leader found itself staring down a long group of barriers similar to the ones from the screen. It took a cautious sniff. Nothing...but...
''AAHHHHHgg!''
The Drone's head shot up, as did the others. Through the link, a flash of memory filled them.
The smell of fear, two prey standing together - one behind the other, a brief struggle between the taller of the two prey and the Hive, a flash of pain, and then it ended. That Hive was dead.
They clambered forward, turning down another barrier only to be blocked by a collapsed hallway. There were gaps between the debris, but non were large enough to squeeze a hand through, much less a whole Hive member. Still, those gaps were enough to see through. It had been the smaller of the two that had screamed. The taller was staring down at the Hive, giving it a light kick to make sure it was dead.
Leader screeched. On the other side, the smaller prey let out another shriek, hiding behind the other one. But he peered at the debris between them and shook his head.
''They can't reach us from there. Too heavy and they can't break it...Come on, we should get going.''
''Just a moment.''
She wandered over to the fallen corpse the other had kicked at.
''You said you wanted to know why I created these?''
''I seem to recall something about wanting control while being strapped to a torture desk.''
''Yes...but that wasn't all...''
Silent and almost forgotten by the two prey, the Drone watched as the smaller gently stroked the cheek of the former Hive, one hand sneaking into her coat.
''Are you sure you want to be touching that without gloves?''
''It was human once...It was my creation. This is the closest I have gotten to the specimen in a while...''
Her other hand came out of her coat and carried a surgical needle, which she slipped into the corpses neck with the utmost discretion...then she returned it to her coat, knowing the taller one had not seen it.
She was taking them with her. She wanted them!
Leader screeched again, attacking the debris. But it was no use. It was too strong, and the prey were already leaving...But now, the Hive could track them. They could track them now that they had the Hivelink with them...
Time: Unknown
Location: Ajan Kloss, Muutmine Laboratory, Unknown.
Skittering out of the room, Hunter still having his weapon at the ready, glanced over his shoulder at Ravyn.
''So, you going to finish answering my question?''
Smirking a little, she half-shrugged. ''Which one?''
''Don't play cute. You know which one I mean. The one about your reasoning behind making those things.''
''To be fair,'' she scoffed, '' 'those things' were not the planned outcome.''
''Touche,'' he muttered, ''I'll bet not. But they're still here either way so why'd you do it?''
''Why'd I do it?'' she asked coyly, ''Or what was I working on?''
Rolling his eyes under his helmet, Hunter sighed.
''I don't care about why you did it, I want to know what you were working on.''
They slipped under a half-sunken doorframe and had to hop over miniscule debris piles for several feet before they came to walking ground again.
''If you must know,'' Ravyn huffed, pulling herself away from the last obstacle, ''I was attempting to utilize the Geonosian Hive Mind and turn it into something more...accessible for the battle field.''
The sergeant's eyebrow shot up, but once again, time was not - nor had it ever been - on their side. To their left, beyond the crumbling walls, they heard the now familiar pound of the creatures coming for them. Eyes darting around, Hunter felt - rather than consciously doing -himself checking his ammo levels. They were in a bad spot.
Behind them was covered, but the debris wouldn't do much, not if they had gotten by it that easily. Broken doors all along the corridor were held up by the warped frames and left a clear gap between them and those things. In other words, they were as good as trapped...and probably were.
The foul stench of rotting meat drew closer, as when they had first been attacked, but more pungent this time. These ones had been like that for a while then...
Above them, the lights flickered, weary from the slumber of off mode and barely having enough energy to stay a light. One a few paces to their right flicked off. That, of course, was when the first zombie jumped from the shadows.
If there had been time and if he hadn't needed the extra brain power, he might have thought, Come on, guys, where are you when I need you?
But there wasn't, and he didn't.
Shoving Ravyn into a clear passage, he buried four shots in its skull before it staggered back enough for him to make a clear break and sprint down the tunnel after Ravyn. Crashes sounded behind them, old lights flickered - either from damage or age - and most were out, screeches filled the air - each one rising together like a tide about to crash down on them. The sergeant didn't have time to paused and return fire; if he did, he subconsciously knew they would run him down before he'd even have time to fire.
In Hunter's mind, there was only one command: run. So run he did, catching up to Ravyn, grapping her arm and practically dragging her behind him...but they could only run for so long.
The hallway ended and joined several others at a junction...the united screams were reverberating off the walls til even Hunter wasn't sure which ones were still clear. Maybe non of them were. Even still, there weren't many options. Fallen supports and hunks of broken walls were blocking the only ways forward, the things were close at their tail, and they were lost...at least, Hunter was lost. Ravyn - oddly enough, despite her terror and survival instincts - found herself peering at one of the open exits to her right...It was the way to the hanger were the scientists had kept their personal transports, the one that had a tunnel leading from the underground laboratory to the outside several miles away.
It was close and surely it would be filled with vehicles. If only...
She glanced up at the sergeant, who had stepped in front of her, back turned, and blasters at the ready. If he would be occupied...then she might get a clear break. Eyes locked with the back of Hunter's head, she took a tiny step back...and another...The first of the Hive leaped out, and she make a break for it, panting with terror and exhilaration at her plan. Now, she just had to make it.
As she ran, she didn't notice the fresh corpses scattered and tossed to the side. If she had, she might have also noticed the four pairs of eyes watching quietly from behind...
Her breath came in short, labored gasps as she sprinted down the hallway, trying to remember where she was in the lab based on the now cryptic markings on the walls and how to get out despite her fear muddled mind. The clone sergeant, he hadn't seen her run. He'd been too busy fending off the creatures to notice her escape. Since Ravyn had left, she turned a short left, went down a tiny flight of stairs and kept going, not caring how her shoes clacked noisily on the dark glow-stone floors.
The screams were distant, but still they rang in her ears, a new surge of panic flooding her chest as reality set in, rather than the frantic glee of earlier. At least with the clone, she's had a form of protection...now? Either the hanger was farther than she thought, or she was lost. And Ravyn knew just how easily she could be found, lost in the maze of half-lite hallways and abandoned lab rooms.
The air was getting noticeably chillier also. She could see her breath as she exhaled. Tiny flakes of ice clung to the walls. Once, her foot slipped out from under her and she slapped against the wall in order to keep her balance. The noise echoed.
She froze, hardly daring to breath as she waited to hear the telltale sign of being tracked, waited to see if they had heard.
Barely a moment later, a shrill cry met her ears. Bile rose in her throat.
No no no no no!
How had they found her? Did they know exactly were she was, only just taking their time?
This time, she tripped over a crack in floor, stumbling back to her feet and taking off again, adrenaline pulsing through her blood. She had to get away. Out. Forget the things she had been working to create; it hadn't worked. She couldn't try again if she were dead. The bile rose higher and she had to choke it down as she saw bloody hand streaks slashing the walls, the blood turning...wait. That was fresh.
The thought stopped her so suddenly that for a moment, she forgot what she was supposed to be doing! Pausing, she retraced her steps back to the biggest streak and stared at it, noting that the edges of the liquid hadn't yet turned a dead brown, as it did normally. A mad part of her mind wondered if that was because the serum actually revived living tissue and she cocked her head, trying to figure out how that might have worked.
Lump...lump...lump...
Ravyn cocked her head, pupils dilating in her eyes as she turned to stare into the murky shadows of the way she had come, the flickering lights and rush of air through vents causing her nerves to go haywire.
Lump...lump...lump...
Her breath caught as she saw the figures stalking towards her. She backed up, watching as their eyes - mere pearl-like orbs set in sunken sockets - stayed focused hers...for the ones that even still had eyes, that is. Many did not just as many barely had skin enough to have faces. She took one last stagger back...and adrenaline kicked in.
Pivoting on her heel, she took off again, hearing shrill cries chasing after her. It was futile though; after all, she didn't get very far.
Next thing she knew, she was yanked backwards and a blast of ice and fire shot through her arm and neck. She screamed and jerked, fighting whatever it was that had grabbed her. She had to get away! Twisting just enough, she kicked, trying to get it too loosen its hold. It wouldn't. Only after jerking again so hard that its teeth were pulled out of its jaw - many still lodged in her skin - would it let go, staggering the creature a few steps back, but it was enough for her to start running, ducking just in time to dodge another that had made a grab.
Her arm was a war in and of itself, itching, freezing, burning.
Already sweat beaded her brow yet her hands felt cold and clammy. Her eyes felt like they were boiling but her toes were blocks of ice. Breath shaking from adrenaline and exhaustion as she ran, Ravyn clutched her shoulder, shuddering harder as she felt the tiny gashes in her flesh spewing blood and the hard bumps of rotting teeth. Her hand came back wet and sticky, the dark red streaks globbed with an opaque slime-like coating.
No...
Still, she ran, where to know, she wasn't entirely sure. She just had to make it to...YES! Hanger! This way! She ran for it, skidding through the hatch and slamming the door shut just before another creature could lunge through. The door locked shut with a 'click' and she stood there, panting in the near pitch darkness of the hanger, only the red sign of the exit light casting any sort of glow. She waited there for a moment, gasping for breath as she listened to the frantic screams of blood and pounding on the door on the other side.
Trying to regulate her breathing, she placed a hand on her heart, wishing that it hadn't been the blood stained one. It still thudded in her chest. She was still alive. She had made it. Now, she only had to get out.
Reaching out carefully to her right, her hands fumbled for the light switch, but instead, came across a thick sludge...
What!?
She patted it again, desperately hoping it was just the blood from her hand, but no. It was too thick. The attacks at the door had stopped and Ravyn's breath shuddered, a chill rushing down her spine as an idea wormed its way through her thoughts, echoing.
Hold your breath...(breath)...We're here...(here)...
She did...and still heard a shuddering, wheezing rush of breath. Her heart skipped a beat and she listened as the foul scent of death rolled closer. Her arm felt as if it was pulsing itself and her head suddenly dipped into a fog, staggering her back against the door.
Lump...lump...lump...
No...NO!
Something touched her arm - just the very tip of a nail - and Ravyn screamed.
Back in the hallway junction...
Stepping in front of Ravyn, Hunter pulled out his hold blaster, holding both at eyelevel, he waited, stance spread and even. Sweat trickled down his cheek and his breathing sounded hollow inside his helmet. Behind him, he heard Ravyn step away twice; then after that, he lost track as the first shadow shifted and he only just had enough time to duck, whirling and firing at the same time. Then the things came in a rush.
Back stepping, he fired as fast as he could manage, the near point-blank shots doing nothing but staggering the creatures back enough to give him a second to step back again. They just wouldn't go down!
Screams and united shrieks filled the space, all rushing him, overloading his hearing til he could feel them ringing. Death hung in the air. Blood rained from each shot. Desperate, he shuffled back again, his back hitting the wall. At that moment, two things happened.
One: he noticed that he was trapped. Second: the scientist was gone.
Part of him wondered if she'd the insane thing and run while she still could, but then he saw the form of a slim figure being hurled across the room, drawing the attention of many of the things and his mind flashed to the Dathomirian.
Oh Kriff. He couldn't see her in the tangle of bodies, probably all vying for a spot to get a bite at her. So much for his deal with her to get her out alive.
Well, not his problem anymore. He had other ones running straight at him. Literally. The destruction hadn't lasted long, but it was enough to give him a chance to look up and behind. The supports!
Well, this probably a stupid idea, he thought, But maybe I'll get lucky.
It was a stupid idea, but it worked. Slipping a few anti-armor dets from his backpack, he threw one at the crowd rushing for him to hold them off just long enough to get the job done. As fast as he could, he chucked the others close to the ceiling and fired, rings of explosions shaking the world around him. Chunks of concrete began collapsing in around them, dust choking the air. The zombies screeched, bunching just as the ceiling above them crashed down.
A one, a mere blur of white motion, gave a final lunge.
Hunter pressed himself to the debris, searching for a big enough gap to squeeze through. Ah, there!
Slipping through, he glanced back just in time to see the creature fall mid-leap, brought down by a piece of concrete right above where Hunter had just been standing. All that was left was an outstretched arm still visible...still twitching. Something about it unnerved him, something familiar...
The sergeant let out a shaky breath and got out, continuing down the hallway. It was over for now. It was clear. The ground still tremored but other than that, he couldn't hear any cries or thumps of feet pounding towards him. In fact, it was almost too quiet.
His mind wondered back to Ravyn.
Well, too bad. She brought it on herself when she signed up, he thought. Still, might have been nice to have some answers for what had really happened to those clones Cody had asked us to find.
It took him another couple of steps before the memory of the arm out from under the debris came back to him, bringing back the odd sensation of recognition. As he thought about it, the details stood out, making him pause just long enough to sigh. The hand...it had been armored in the same white plastoid as all clone troopers armor.
So...that's what had happened. That was the situation. And there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Now what do I tell Cody? he wondered.
Still making his way forward, he glanced up at the directions sign hanging from a broken string, swinging and turning gently in the invisible air circulation. Deciding to take a left, he kept going, changing out his charges as he went before tapping the com to see if it worked now that the power was apparently on.
It took a moment, but he got it. Hunter was pretty sure they didn't know just how grateful he was to hear their voices.
Joan was probably the loudest...definitely the loudest.
''What was that quake we felt?'' Tech had asked, to which Joan - bless her - had promptly replied, almost too accurately, ''Probably Hunter being a total idiot and taking out the supports of a hallway so he and that mad scientist could get away.''
He could almost hear her leaning forward skeptically, ''Riiiiight?''
Letting out a tense laugh, Hunter nodded. ''Yeah, something like that. Where are you?''
''A better question,'' Joan countered before any of the others could even hope to reply, ''Where, sir, are you? We know where we are, but you are still a tiny fish in a fair-sized pond...one that is continually dying out.''
Hunter glanced up at the sign again.
''I'm...at hallway H45, south side.''
In the background of the comm, he heard Crosshair huff, almost amused.
''I guess things really have 'gone south' then.''
''Yeah, no kidding. Where are you?''
''Still nearby where we were held-up for a little while. Joan is still learning how to...use herself.''
''Oh, shut up, Toothpick. Don't make the mother-rooster worry any more than he has too. Besides, I've never had a body before.''
Even though he had known about the plan to put Joan into a carrier form, Hunter still raised an eyebrow behind his helmet.
Wrecker switched to privy comm and whispered, ''That sounded really weird with how she put that.''
Switching back to teamcom, he added, ''So what's the plan, chief?''
Joan grumbled something in outrage to which Crosshair responded just as lightly, but Hunter couldn't hear it and nor did he care.
''What are our options? That's probably the best start. What are our options and when and where can we meet up? I forgot how unnerving it is to not have someone watching your back.''
''Doctor Ravyn is no longer with you?'' Tech sounded confused.
''She may have the degree, but she was no doctor,'' Cross hissed.
''To put it simply, no.''
''I see...Joan, how close are we?''
''By my guestimation, we're roughly a level and a handful of klicks away. I'll guess that Hunter's little detour took him longer than he'd needed since he was in this hallway and then ended up in the one he's in now.''
Blinking, Hunter watched as a map popped up in the lower right hand corner of his HUD, showing the route that he had been taking and the one he would have to take now.
''Of course, that still leads to the question of how we handle the whole 'what to do with the building part.' Anyone else have ideas aside from Wrecker's 'blow things up'?''
There was silence over the comm...
''Oh...okay,'' Joan paused. ''So how do we do it?''
''Do what?''
''Blow the stink'n place up since no one else appears to have any better options.''
''Do we even have enough for that?'' Tech asked incredulously.
''No, probably not,'' Joan chirped, ''But so? We'll figure it out. How 'bout tis: -(Hunter could just imagine her pointing at each of them in turn as she said this)- You and Cross will head down to fetch Hunter while Wrecker and I get to the main control room to see what we can do? Deal?''
''We would be splitting up again,'' Crosshair drawled, ''incase that was erased from your memory when you got plugged in to that droid, that didn't turn out to well.''
Turning down another series of hallways, Hunter shook his head, listening to the following bantering between the AI and the sniper, wondering if it had been such a good idea to have him program her when Tech hadn't been looking.
Well...too late now. As for what to do...that seems the simplest option.
Cutting in before Joan could snap back at Cross, Hunter nodded. ''Alright, Joan. We'll go with your plan. I assume you've already scheduled everything?''
There was a pause and Joan asked, ''Are you asking me if I did or if you can have it?''
''I'll take that as a yes. Send it over. Maybe I can meet Tech and Cross in the middle. Wrecker, Joan, be careful.''
''We won't.''
Before Hunter could argue, he heard their side cut off and Tech sigh.
''I believe it is always dangerous to have those two together. Especially now that Joan is in a carrier form.''
''Which is more dangerous?'' Crosshair smirked, ''Wrecker and Joan, or Joan and Vos?''
Hunter grinned as a mental picture of Quinlan Vos and Joan whispering conspiratorially together in an empty star destroyer bridge entered his mind.
Probably best not to know...
Chances were, Tech was thinking the same thing.
''Wrecker and Joan will be fine.'' he amended.
The sergeant let out a huff.
''Guess I'll see you tha- ''
SCrEeeee...
He paused, head snapping around.
''Hunter?'' Tech asked.
''Shh!...Guys, I got to go.''
Shutting off the com, Hunter carefully sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose at the smell of rotting meat perforating it. Something shifted off a little behind and to his four o-clock! But instead of spinning around, he decided to freeze, turning only very slowly, till he could see what was following him. The bloodied form of a reanimated anooba lay crouched, pale eyes locked on his...probably the same one from the holo Joan had shown them when they'd first arrived.
The anooba pulled back what was left of its maw and growled.
Hunter fired.
The first shot went right through its eye as it leaped, slamming it back down, shaking its head. Hunter took the opportunity to get out of there. Sprinting for the nearest escape route that would keep him on the right path back to the others, he half-turned and fired again, the blast blowing off the part of the shoulder. It screeched in agony - if it could even feel it - and leaped for the back of his neck, clamping down instead on his left forearm as Hunter twisted just in time to grab it on his bracer. The metal squeezed, but held, the sharp teeth unable to sink in.
Though just because it couldn't get him there didn't mean it let go.
Swinging it into the wall, Hunter balled his other fist and swung, smacking it in the gut before yanking out the knife, flipping his grip and driving it into its sternum. The creature spasmed, finally letting go of his arm. Just to make sure, the commando kicked it, hearing a satisfying 'CRACK!' as it hit the wall again.
But the stupid thing just wouldn't stop.
It staggered to its feet and they went at it again, Hunter repeatedly stabbing his blade deep into its hide, feeling fatigue beginning to slow his movements. Keep it up and he wouldn't last very long; not with the attacks becoming increasingly fevered.
Blood not his own was caking his armor and blade, feeling warm and sticky over his gloves.
Come on...come on, just take a leap at me...
As if reading his mind, it did. He ducked, turned, grabbed it out of the air and rammed it down, snapping a foreleg as it went down. It howled and he scrambled away. He barely glanced at the map as he ran, just making sure he could put enough distance between him and the thing to recover a little. If it was still nagging him by the time he met up with Tech and Crosshair, then after that, it wouldn't be a problem.
Finally, he was in the clear. Surprisingly, he found himself in a fairly well lit empty room. With tall ceilings and wide walls, it was a sharp contrast from the cramped, passed couple of dark hours. Straining his hearing, he listened for anything that might have hinted to another attack; but all he heard was silence save for his own heart bounding in his chest and his ragged gasps of breath.
Breathe, breathe, breathe...he thought, sliding down against the wall, half-heartedly making the futile attempt to wipe off the blood on his armor with his blood-stained hand. Needless to say, it didn't work. Sighing to steady his breath, he took off his helmet, one half of him screaming that was a stupid idea while the other side just didn't care.
Hunter wasn't sure how long he had for this peace to last, but he was willing to take every second of it. Kriff. His head and eyes hurt, his body ached, and his ears were ringing. Every sense imaginable was either on fire or cramping
Glancing down at his chrono for the first time since he'd gotten it back, he sighed.
It's still too early for this.
0930. They had been on Ajan Kloss for roughly five hours, give or take fifteen or so minutes.
That the case, then they had been in Muutmine Laboratories for at least three. Three hours of a nightmare come true at the break of dawn. And so far as he knew, it was no where near done.
He didn't know just how right he was.
Because for him, it was about to get a lot worse...
Head still eased back against the wall, still trying to calm his pounding heart enough to trust himself to stand, Hunter wasn't watching the time. His right hand fiddled with a strap on his thigh plate that he hadn't been able to tighten properly since he'd been trying to run while putting his armor one. He briefly considered tightening it, but right now, all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep.
He never got the chance. Not yet, anyway.
From down the tunnel to his immediate eight o-clock- just one of many that he could have gone down in order to mix up his tracks, a low growl snarled from out of the darkness.
Stifling a surprised gasp, Hunter reacted on pure instinct and his hands shot out, grapping the dog by the head and shoulders as it leaped for his throat, then jerked hard. The bones snapped in it's neck with a loud 'crack' and it went limp, dropping to the ground with a slight 'squish' noise. Breath shaking as the adrenaline faded, he rolled to his feet and stood there, staring down at what had once been an anooba before common sense tugged him back into sanity long enough for him to consider calling for help. He tugged his comlink out of his belt, ignoring the pale slim that now coated his arms.
His fingers struggling to press the call button because of fatigue and so focused on the blood pounding in his head, he didn't hear the corpse shift until it's jaws had already clamped its iron jaws around his leg...
Running down the deserted halls, Crosshair and Tech skidded to a stop as a blood-curling bellow cracked the air around them. Their blood froze in their veins as they recognized Hunter's voice.
Sprinting down the halls, they followed the pained cries until they died away into harsh, unhuman shrieks and crashes against metal.
But by the time they got there, it was over.
Darting into the room, once again, they stopped, staring at where Hunter was kneeling in a pool of fresh blood, a now barely recognizable skull shattered under his knee. When he heard them enter, Hunter staggered to his feet.
He was limping, clutching his right thigh where dark blood was pulsing from under his hand. It was spattered over his armor and was soaking the jersey over his hands and knees; a large gash on his cheek tickling more of the stuff down his neck.
Lifting his head wearily, he choked, ''Get out of here.''
Close, yet feeling suddenly so far away, they could only watch as Hunter's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed...
What's this? ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!...Yes. ;D I don't do so well otherwise. Am I being cruel? Maybe. Do I care? NOOOO! :D :D :D
(thanks to my inklings for giving me endless pain about getting the chapters written ;D and giving an endless supply of ideas and edits)