The hover craft made its way to the cave as swiftly as they could go and soon the unit wiled out and began to secure the area. There was a hover craft already at the cave an from the look of it it had just arrived.

"That's the craft that knocked me over." Roland said.

"It looks like there are others in this cave beside the terrorists." Sontarow said.

"All right lets move out." Slagg said.

Alpha unit slowly approached the eastern cave entrance watching the rock formation off to the right of the cave. Slagg was leading the formation again only this time they were moving slower than the first mission.

"Roland do I have to say it?" McCarran asked.

"No sir." Roland said and moved away from Max.

"Make sure you watch that spacing."

"Yes sir."

Max had his eyes on the scanner but as before it wasn't picking up anything.

"Ok there is only place they can ambush us from." Slagg said and that's the rocks over there so watch them and move into the cave."

Half of the unit turned their weapons towards the rocks as they covered the final fifty meters to the cave. The cave was pitch black and the walls seemed to absorb the lights from the shoulder lamps they all had they followed some fresh foot prints through the cave and it led them right to a junction. One way led deeper into the cave and the other way led towards the west entrance. The foot prints headed deeper into the cave so the unit went in the other direction knowing that they didn't have to worry about any surprises..

"Man there must be a hot spring in here." Sontarow said. "It's humid as hell."

"Well maybe later we can come back just the two of us." McNickle said.

"Oh yeah like that's going to happen."

"What you don't like me?"

"I'd rather eat my own hand."

"Ok you two cut the chatter or you be to busy doing push ups to think of anything else." McCarran said.

"Yes sir." They both said.

"Sir this is Alpha unit we are at a junction it looks like it will take us to the west entrance." Slagg said.

"Ok proceed slowly. There might be traps and this time watch for an ambush."

"Yes sir." Slagg said. "Ok go to inferred people."

The unit pulled down a visor that covered their right eye showing everything that radiated heat. They moved towards the west entrance watching for anything moving through their inferred sights.

"Take it slow. They don't know we're here, let's keep it that way." Slagg said.

They continued to move slowly through the cave with Max watching the scanner for any movement around them. Now and then the scanner picked up movement on the far end of the scanners range then it was gone.

"I don't like this." Sontarow said. "We should be nearing the entrance of the cave and I don't hear a thing."

"Are you expecting them to be singing?" Slagg asked.

"It's just creepy."

"Ok continue on." McCarran said.

"Yes sir." Slagg and Sontarow said.

Suddenly the scanner picked up movement twenty meters in front of them.

"Movement twenty meters to the front." Max said. "That's right near the entrance of the cave."

"Ok people move slowly." Slagg said.

There was a sharp curve in the cave fifteen meters from the entrance. The unit stopped and looked around the corner.

"This is Alpha unit. We have found the remaining terrorists." Slagg said.

"Rodger that Alpha unit." McCarran said. "How many are there?"

"I count ten, three towards the rear two in the middle and five sitting at the entrance of the cave. I also see around eight hostages."

"Proceed with caution there might be more of them."

They slowly moved around the corner and were coming up on the three terrorists nearest to them, Slagg, Max and Sontarow were coming up behind them intending on taking them down silently. There had their weapons around their shoulders and were reaching for them when the was the sound of rocks sliding down and a grunt. Sanchez looked back and saw Roland lying on the ground after slipping on some loose rocks.

"Behind us!" A woman yelled. All of the terrorists turned around and began shooting with no regard for the other terrorists or hostages.

The unit took down the three terrorists in the back and both in the middle. However they never saw the two terrorists that were hiding behind some rocks a little ways back down the tunnel until they opened fire.

"That's twice." Jane said after the gunfire had ended.

"How the hell did you come up behind us without the scanner knowing?" Sanchez asked.

"We waited for the gunfire to start then we ran up." Julie said.

"Well at least we took some of them down this time." Roland said.

"Yeah and if you wouldn't have slipped then we would have gotten them all." Sanchez said.

"Looks like the Jinx strikes again." McCarran said.

"I'm not a Jinx." Roland said. "Those rocks were loose."

"Ok return to the colony that's all of the ass kicking your going to get today."

"Yes sir." They all said and headed back down the tunnel towards the junction.

Thirty minutes later-

The unit and colonists returned to the colony and headed right for their accommodations to relax.

"Andrea over here." She yelled as soon as the unit walked into the complex.

"Sir?" Sanchez asked looking at him.

"Ok go have fun." McCarran said.

The team all breathe a sigh of relief and headed off through the complex.

"Hey lets join Caroline at the bar for some beers." Julie said.

"Don't you want to be with your boyfriend?"

"He hates to drink. Let's go."

Julie grabbed Sanchez by the hand and drug her off towards the only bar in the complex. It was still early in the day so the bar wasn't too crowded. But the masses would be getting off of work soon and the place would be flooded with miners and workers. Julie and Sanchez sat at the bar drinking beers until Caroline came and joined them.

Julia's studio fifteen minutes later-

Tommy awoke feeling worse than he did when he went to sleep and his chest was tight and burning. He got to his feet and walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

'Maybe the hot water will help.' He thought as he climbed in.

He leaned his head on the tile under the shower head and tried to relax but the burning in his chest was turning into pain.

Bar-

"Ok Jules you got to tell me. How did you and Tommy meet?" Sanchez asked.

"Well we were still working on the residential section. I was trying to lift a steel beam with a loader but I was never formally trained so I wound up bending the hell out of it. Tommy was the foremen at the time and he came over yelling and cussing up a storm. He was right in my face yelling "If you didn't know how to work a fucking loader then you should of should ask for help or stay the hell off of it and let someone else work it." Julie said trying to mimic his voice.

"Sounds like a nice guy."

"Yea we got off on the wrong foot, literally."

"What do you mean?"

"I stomped on his foot."

Julie had a smug almost proud of herself look on her face when she said that last part and Sanchez couldn't help but laugh and wound up shooting beer out of her nose and all over the counter. The site of her choking on beer made Julie and Caroline laugh out loud as she started to mop up the beer.

Studio-

Tommy fell back against the back of the shower grabbing at his chest and grunting in pain. Something was moving, moving in his chest.

Bar-

"And after the day was over I was in the bar brooding over how much of a jerk he was when he sat down next to me." Julie said. "He said that he was sorry that he yelled at me like that, her said that he was just having a bad day and that was just the preverbal straw."

"Awe how sweet of hem to apologize after you smashed his foot." Sanchez said.

"Yea well I had to apologize too. We sat drinking beers for around an hour until he had to take off. I watched him walk away and couldn't help but feel a little bad seeing him limp slightly."

"You always did have a mean streak."

"Like I said I only felt a little bad."

Studio-

Tommy was groaning through clinched teeth as the pain in his chest grew unbearable. He started grabbing at his chest and could feel movement. He dug his finger nails down his chest pealing up skin trying to get at the pain in his chest. He let out a piercing scream as his sternum cracked and something pushed upwards in his chest.

Bar-

"So how did he ask you out?" Sanchez asked.

"It was about a month later. We were getting off work and I was heading for the bar as usual." Julia said. "He ran up behind me and asked if the first round could be on him."

"And that's all it took?"

"Yeah I kind of liked him and I thought it was a perfect chance to get to know him better."

"How long have you been dating?"

"Over a year now. And I'm waiting for him to purpose."

"Hey it's getting late and I have an early mission in the morning." Sanchez said.

"Yea what the hell I want to see how Tommy is doing anyway."

Studio-

Screams filled the bathroom as Tommy lay on the tiled floor. Blood was starting to flow from his mouth and the scratches on his chest. There was a bulge in his chest that pushed out them receded again and again. Finally with a sharp push Tommy's chest ripped open spraying blood on the walls and the shower curtains. He shook violently for a few more seconds before he died. A large worm stood in the hole as the hot water sprayed down on top of it. There was a crest on its head making it look almost like a crown from the Zen Dynasty. It screeched several times before climbing out of the hole and jumping out of the shower. The door was closed and the only other way out of the room was a heating vent by the door. The worm ran towards the vent and slammed into it. A little blood splattered from the worm as the slits in the vent dug into its already hardened flesh and landed on the vent.

The worm flopped around on the ground for a few seconds then got back to its feet. The metal over the vent was melting away and there was a hole big enough for it to get through and it was gone.

"Honey we're back." Julie yelled as they walked through the door of the studio.

"Sound's like he's in the shower." Sanchez said as she started to unbuckle her armor

"I'm going to go see how he's doing."

Julie walked to the door and knocked once then opened it and walked in closing the door behind her. Sanchez had just sat on the couch to toke off her shin armor when Julie screamed. Sanchez pulled her knife out of her boot and ran into the bathroom. Julie was on the floor near the shower cradling Tommy's head in her arms. Sanchez stepped back when she saw the hole in his chest. Julie was crying as she rocked Tommy back and forth. Sanchez ran back to her armor and quickly snapped it back on and picked up her pulse rifle and ejected the magazine of blanks and slapped a live magazine in. The counter on the weapon went from zero to thirty and the weapon was hot. She went back in to the bathroom and put her hand under Julie's arm.

"Come on." She said.

"No." Julie cried.

"Now!" Sanchez said pulling at Julies arm. "Who ever did this could still be around."

Julie slowly laid Tommy's head on the floor and stood up. Sanchez led her out of the bathroom and into the living room and sat her on the bed. Julie was in shock and looking into nothingness. Sanchez pulled a jacket out of the closet and wrapped it around Julies shoulders. She opened the door and looked out before helping Julie to her feet and starting down the hall to operations where Lt. McCarran would be.

Heating system-

The worm made its way through the air ducts heading towards the parameter of the complex. There was nothing covering the exit and the worm slipped out and fell the few feet to the ground and headed east across the ground and into equipment shed. It found a corner of the shed and curled up and slowly started to grow.