Chapter Five: New Breed
Stroud removed himself from the hiding spot her had chosen to watch the fight between Justin and Nemesis. It had been a pretty eventful thing, showing him the strengths and weaknesses of Justin—the most apparent being his friends.
Of course it was only part of the real deal to know your enemy's weakness—and Justin, after all, was not his true enemy. None of these people were, there would be very little gain made by his cause if he were to go around targeting people who really had no control over their own destiny. They were merely tapped by the likes of the Patriots. His true target was any force that sought to control the Humans, outside of his.
He moved out into the middle of the isles created by the boxes and looked around for a sign of which way Justin had headed off in. Stroud thought to himself as he stroked his small goatee, he gazed down at the ground. Ah yes, blood, the girl was bleeding as he drug her off, he thought.
There wasn't much blood, small speckles that dotted the ground marked the path they had taken. He moved towards the door at the other side of the room, it was the only way they could have gotten out, the path to the other door and the elevator were blocked by the debris created by the Nemesis. And damn it the entrance to the secret passages is that way too, he couldn't help but recall the map he had made.
Stroud was a tall man, he had pale skin and was skinny but had wide shoulders that filled his blue blazer jacket. His matching slacks were ironed to a crease and hung down over his shoes smugly. His face was sharp and pointy; his nose jutted down like a triangle. His eyes were light blue, almost as light as an iceberg. His hair was spiked, tall and red, like pillars of fire arching out of the top of his head. His suit was creased slightly around his body, he wore a white button up shirt and a dark red tie.
There wasn't much else that Stroud could do to avoid Justin and Megan, he would just have to get around them the old fashioned way. He moved over to the door where the two of them had gone through, with one thing on his mind.
Marie swung down through the air vent and looked for the other another plug in, her light brown hair flopped down over her face as she hung there trying to find something that she could plug the disrupter into. She looked back up at Mitchell and Dena, "I need something that we can plug this into."
Dena was hanging upside down from a pipe, her long dark hair curled down almost touching the top of Marie's head. Mitchell stood behind Marie holding some of the tools and parts.
Somewhere off in the distance Scott yelled, "Somebody throw me another tool."
"The Harmonic Resonance producer please!" Marie shouted.
Mitchell handed the small connector down to her, "All of you engineers are the same huh?" he mumbled.
Marie reached up and felt for the connector. "Light."
"Coming up." Dena said holding the flash light over in Marie's direction.
Marie fumbled with the boxes and connected them together slowly. "PJ and Trent should be able to make it to the control room now with out any further problems." She said.
"What about radio communication?" Mitchell asked.
"Someone hand me a damn tool," Scott yelled.
Marie shook her head, "Not even Nano communication will be possible with this much resonance," Marie said.
Dena climbed free of the hole and slid Scott a tool, "Thanks, finally—damn," Scott grumbled as he went back to find the task which he had been working on. Mitchell pulled himself free of the hole and then helped Marie out.
"Thank you," She said.
They were back out into the open air, a kind of sub floor that existed between the actual hotel and the Citadel that lay below. The air smelt of damp mildew that seemed to be imbedded into every thing that was around them. Marie drew her arms about herself and shivered slowly. Dena stepped off to the side and drew out her gun, she clicked the safety off and held it down at her side.
"Where to next?" Scott asked as he closed the box up he was working on.
Dena shot him a cold glance, "Weren't you listening last night at the meeting?"
Scott just looked at her, he didn't want to repeat himself.
"Just follow me." Dena said. She struck off down the long dark hall; water dripped off to her side as she did. All of the others fell in behind her, trudging through puddles and other things that lay in the path; a curled up old hose that seemed well past its age of practical use.
As they walked they could see that more light was up ahead of them, a sign that there was a way out of there, or at least a change in scenery. There was total ambience as they moved onward, no one spoke a word. The only sounds were their feet on the damp concrete and the sound of dripping.
Dena casually reached up and swept her shimmering dark hair from behind her ear, distant light reflected off the water's surface and illuminated her face nicely. In the soft white light she looked sweet, almost innocent, but anyone that knew her past knew that was all a façade.
It grew colder as they moved deeper and deeper into the depths of the Citadel, Marie drew her arms tighter and tighter about herself, causing her shirt to bunch up in the back. She shuddered, emitting a slight noise but continued on with out a complaint.
Finally Mitchell spoke up, "Um—why didn't we just shut down the main power source instead of digging around down there," he asked.
"That would cause all of the doors in the place to open, most likely letting things out that we might not want out," Marie said.
Scott nodded, "That's good enough for me."
Dena stopped short and Mitchell rammed into the back of her causing her to trip and fall off to the side of the path they were walking, she hit a card box that was there crushing the top in and causing water to splash up. Mitchell walked over quickly and reached down to help her up. "You alright?" he asked.
She went to move, "Ow," she cried out. "My leg, I think I hurt it," she announced. Mitchell got down at low as he could to help her up.
"She's going to have to have someone to lean on," Scott said.
Mitchell yelled, "You don't think I know that?"
She threw her arm around Mitchell and pushed up off of the ground with her good foot. He pulled her up and she hopped trying to balance herself. "Okay, Mitchell, thanks," Dena said.
He didn't answer her.
Marie pointed down at Dena's leg, "That won't get better if you move."
"Then I'll need somewhere to rest," Dena said.
Scott nodded, "There should be a spot up here." He started to walk further down the hall. Mitchell and Dena moved slower than the others to get started. She was just added weight to him, he couldn't carry her as quick as himself.
Dena moaned slowly, "Up ahead, a door," she let out.
Scott looked back, "I see it, let's see what's in there first." Scott worked his way over to the side and opened the door. He glared at the things inside, it was probably the most comfortable thing they had seen thus far. It appeared that this entire part of the complex was untouched by the people who busted the lab up—if they had in fact, busted the lab up.
There was a twin bed in the room, a small television, a radio, a computer on a small desk and a chair. The room smelt like it hadn't been used in a while and dust had gathered on many of the articles in the room. A glance passed between Scott and Marie, she nodded in turn.
"How would you like to stay in—damn!" she exclaimed as she got up to where she could catch sight of what was in the room. "Score."
Mitchell taxied Dena into the room and glanced around at their new surroundings. He walked her over to the bed and put her down, ever so gently and then removed his arms from around her. As he did she put one hand to his chest she smiled her thank you. "It looks like she might have to stay here," Scott said.
There was a short pause—
"Then so do I," Mitchell announced.
Marie and Scott got over to the door, "We'll get help and come back to get you, we won't be too long."
Trent guided PJ off of the elevator into what seemed to be the smoking wreckage of a out matched battle site. There were bricks and various items of packing material and ceiling insulation strewn about the ground. Part of the path was blocked, it looked like they might have to climb over the impossibly high mess.
Without either of them saying it they moved in on the pile of debris. There was a slow solemn glance that passed between them. PJ couldn't stand to look into Trent's trustworthy eyes for too long, he couldn't bare to face what he was seeing there. It must be done PJ.
He turned away and wanted to break the silence, he wanted to say something to make him seem like he would on any other day, like he would all the time. His little witty wise cracks and goofy stories that he spewed out at the alarming rate that relieve tension in times like this.
Enough—
Trent tested the pile with his right foot, putting his loafer atop a small spot where some rocks had fallen neatly into a pile. He looked up higher on the mount to see if there was a path that looked more stable than others, he could see it just like one of those magic eye posters.
"Watch out, there may be electrical wires down there," Trent said coolly, but with a tingle of nervousness.
PJ kept a monotone voice and expression, "Yeah, I know," he said.
Trent stepped off and walked up the path he had chosen, he was up ahead of PJ now, he didn't even look back to see where the Special Agent was, he just moved on almost as careless as a newborn. PJ put his hand on the gun that he had acquired for the job, that's all it really was right a job. His fingers gripped the handle of the gun; he could squeeze the trigger now and Trent would never see it coming—
Too Early You Fool—
He released the gun and slipped his hand back out, with a sigh he glanced around. "Be careful," Trent started. "You might want to attempt the same path I took."
PJ nodded and scrambled up the side where Trent had started, cutting across the top of some exposed steel wires that had probably held the different slabs of floor together. He jumped some packing materials for fear that there might be a deep hole hidden below them, his jacket flared up behind him as he did.
"Nice work detective, it appears you've grown a lot over the last year," Trent said.
PJ's tone seemed hard, cold, "Yeah, let's just get this over with." Trent nodded and continued up and over to the other side. He froze at the top of the pile. PJ reached him and stopped, "What is it?" PJ asked.
Trent pointed to something, a small wiggling form that appeared to be a snake at first, it was laying in a pool of crimson blood, fresh blood. Trent said nothing but he dropped himself over the side of the debris and ran down the side of the pile where it wasn't as steep. He stopped next to the pale thing on the ground, "A Nemesis tentacle," he said.
PJ crossed his arms, "Yeah, but that's not his blood—Nemesis blood is coagulated."
Trent nodded, "I would have to guess judging from that call that Dena received before proceeding on to her assignment, that this is the blood of either Tiffany, Megan, Kerrie or Justin," Trent said.
Silence.
"How did he lose this?" PJ asked.
"My guess would be that this is a newer Nemesis breed," Trent said. "Which would mean with his first person infected he would go off somewhere to mutate."
PJ looked over at Trent, "Into?" he asked.
Trent folded one arm across his chest and held his chin with the thumb and index finger of the other one. "Into Hell," Trent moved forward some.
He ran to catch up to Trent, "You mean my fiancée and friends are out there with something more potent than that thing was?!" PJ screamed.
"We're not sure it left this room," Trent said. "You're girlfriend is the least of our concerns Agent Walker, now control yourself."
At that PJ leapt upon Trent, he forced him to the ground. "She's my first concern always!" Trent rolled to the ground with PJ caught in the undertow with him. He went to crawl out of PJ's brutal war path.
PJ grabbed his leg and jerked him to the ground, but Trent's leg slid neatly under PJ, who was up in a crawling position. With never before see speed Trent rolled over and landed a kick to PJ's abdomen.
With a scream PJ dropped to his side in pain, the gun pressed into his side causing him even more discomfort, and reminding him of what this would eventually come to. PJ shook that thought away and dove on Trent's back knocking him flat into the concrete floor, they landed heavily with grunts of pain.
Trent reached back and tried to get a good hold on PJ, he pulled at the sleeve of PJ's shirt, but PJ deflected his hands and got his arms around Trent's neck. He pulled up trying to see if he could kill Trent like this. He tugged back, he could feel Trent slipping away, but then Trent rolled over and threw PJ off onto the concrete floor.
As PJ hit there was a gigantic rumble from some distant source. Trent got to his feet and paused, but PJ saw this as opportunity, he lunged from where he had landed and punched Trent across his face, right below the nose. He was rewarded with a splatter of blood as Trent stumbled back in an apparent daze.
PJ swung out again, but Trent ducked, using his dazed appearance to surprise PJ and hitting him in the chest with his head and hands to knock him off balance. Trent locked his arms around PJ's back, knowing that PJ pounding on his back couldn't be nearly as dangerous as a vertical punch from the Agent.
Trent continued to push until he forced PJ back into some of the boxes that were wrecked on the side of the isle. PJ pulled his knees up and kicked Trent off freeing himself. Trent rolled back landing on the side of isle opposite PJ, they were both bloody, and huffed at the air to breath.
"I should shoot you," PJ said. A large rumble shook the floor.
Trent remained silent and got to his feet, holding his hands down over his knees where his pants were torn and blood was apparent. Another rumble came, closer, more intense than before.
Even PJ didn't speak now, he just looked around for a direction, he looked to place the rumbles. The next one reverberated throughout the cavern and spilt some of the debris down off the pile. Then from over on the other side of the boxes something leapt up and sailed over their heads landing in the path to the door.
It erected itself to full height, standing a good nine feet now and not looking much like what they knew it should, like the other Nemesis did. The skin and face were practically the same, but on top of the head were brazen bone spikes the jetted from the top of the skull. The eye was still sown shut, but there was also some more changes. Like the fact that this Nemesis had a set of eight tentacles, four on each side that stretched like a great demon's wing span. The trench coat was gone, and the skin was ragged and scarred. The most visible difference to this new mutation was the extra pair of arms, right below the original two.
PJ looked over at Trent, "Shit," he said thinking of what he could do now.
Trent stared at PJ as the Nemesis reared back and let out it's awesome roar of terror. The walls shook from the raw force of the sound, "Do you want to live, Lieutenant?" Trent asked PJ. PJ nodded, "Then run," Trent said as he went in his coat and drew something out.
They both sprinted towards the creature and Trent brought something level with the fiend, a sawed off grenade launcher. He fired and the shell whizzed through the air and found it's mark on the creature's chest. The resulting explosion was tremendous and blew the Nemesis to the side into some boxes.
Trent looked over at PJ and just kept running, they reached the creature at the same time, just as it was beginning to get up. PJ was closer to it on his side, so he dove to get to the door, just off to the side of where the creature was.
The Nemesis fired two tentacles off that wailed at the air and found their mark in Trent's lower back. Trent howled in pain, dropping to his knees and then falling prostrate to the ground. He ripped the two missiles free and threw them to the side where they continued to squirm rambunctiously. PJ rushed over to him, "Let's get you out of here," he said getting one hand around Trent's arm.
With it's second person infected, the Nemesis got to his feet and sprung into the air, swinging his arms back. It flew at the nearby wall and slammed it's way through using its tentacles to pull itself on through the hole and get away. "It'll mutate again, now," Trent sounded sure.
PJ and the wounded Trent moved on; knowing they had to find a cure before Trent would become one of the soulless.
