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Chapter 4: One of Their Own

"Ella!" Sam said as Ella walked into the infirmary. Ella sighed and rushed over to her friend before embracing her tightly. Jenna was gone and Samantha was running a blood sample. Destroyer looked to Duke.

"Keep an eye on them both," Destroyer said and Duke nodded as Destroyer left to rejoin the other team. Samantha pulled back from Ella and sighed.

"Where did you go?" she asked and Ella fidgeted with her hands.

"I went to find John," she whispered before she walked around Samantha and towards the computer that was processing Dr. Carmack's blood sample she noted when she walked over to it. Samantha sighed and walked over to Ella.

"What were you thinking?" Samantha asked in a whisper and Ella took her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I don't know," she said as she lowered her hand and put her glasses back on. "I really don't know. I guess . . . old habits die hard," she said after a moment and watched the computer. Samantha sighed and shook her head as she busied herself too. Ella soon became lost in her thoughts while the computer whirled.


Ella ran down the street, tears falling from her eyes. She was running to the only place she felt safe. At ten years old that was to her best friend's house, however, it wasn't Samantha that she was running to.

John was up in his tree house in the backyard of his grandparent's house. Samantha was inside studying as always. He looked out the window of the small house and saw Ella running up the street and into their yard. She went straight for the tree and he knew something had happened.

Ella climbed up the ladder and as soon as she was through the entrance, she threw herself into John's arms. The slightly older boy sighed and returned her embrace.

"What's wrong Ella?" he asked as he held her and she pulled back slightly and looked at him, her eyes red from crying.

"Everything," she said and he handed her his camouflage sweatshirt he had taken off so she could wipe her face. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and sighed. "They never stop screaming at each other, I wish I lived here." She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I wish I lived here with your grandparents, Sam, and . . . and you. You never let anything happen to me." John sighed and gave her the box of cookies he'd taken from the kitchen. She sniffed again and took a cookie.

"You can always count on me, Ella, always," John said and Ella smiled at him as she nibbled on her cookie.

"I know John," she said and John smiled at her a faint blush on his cheeks.


Ella smiled as she remembered all the times he had been there for her that was just the first of many. "You know that it wasn't safe for you to go after him," Samantha said and Ella looked at her. "That was crazy; whatever did this to Dr. Carmack could have had you for dessert." Ella sighed and looked back at the computer as it still searched.

"I know, Sam. It's just . . . I have an idea of what's going on, but I don't know for sure and I was scared." Samantha sighed and looked at her friend sympathetically.

"Ella, you haven't had him to run to for ten years. I mean, you've been through a lot up here and there have been other times when you've been scared and you didn't run to anyone, you stood up for yourself. What difference does it make now?"

"I guess . . . when I know he's within my reach, I turn into that girl that needed him. That girl that couldn't go a day without knowing he was there." Samantha sighed once again.

"But you're not that girl anymore, Ella." Ella nodded as the computer started to beep. Both women looked to the monitor and frowned as Duke walked over to them. "What's going on?" Samantha asked in a whisper as she typed. Ella was just as confused as Samantha was when the screen read 'no blood match.'

"'No blood match,'" Duke said from behind them. "Can't be good right?" he asked and Ella shook her head.

"No, it can't be good," she said as she looked at him. Duke smirked and looked to Samantha.

"This is crazy," Samantha said as she turned from them and walked over to where Dr. Carmack was laying. Duke looked at Ella and she looked at him.

"Where did you disappear to?" he asked and she blushed as she adjusted her glasses.

"I went to find John," she said and Duke laughed.

"Serious?" he asked and she nodded. "What's your story?" Ella shook her head and opened her mouth to tell him there wasn't one when they heard Samantha.

"Oh my God!" she said and Ella walked over to where she was with Duke right behind her. Dr. Carmack was gone and the blanket and gown they had put him in was ripped up and laying on the floor.

"Where did he go?" Duke asked and Samantha looked at Ella and Ella frowned and shook her head. Samantha sighed and quickly went back to the computer.


Reaper stood in the dark sewer his gun in his hands as he waited for Sarge to get down he ladder. Ella was crazy for running from the lab like she did, but the second he saw her he knew why. She was looking for him, just as she always had and to know that he still meant something after all the years they'd been separated made him feel a little better about being up on the God forsaken planet.

"The tunnel ahead is the main junction," came Pinky's voice over their com's when Sarge planted his feet on the sewer floor. They turned their lights on and began to walk down the water filled and dark tunnels. "It leads back under the lab complex."

"Destroyer, cover the exit," Sarge said and the man nodded as he adjusted his grip on his gun. The others moved on holding their guns tightly and searching ever cranny and ever corner for where whatever the hell the thing was they were looking for. As they walked, Sarge noticed something floating in the water, and it looked like a blood stained lab coat. He walked over and grabbed it looking at the name tag. "We got a Dr. Willits, Steve Willits." He threw the lab coat aside and shouldered his gun once more. "Move out." The men began to move again and Reaper looked down a dark tunnel but saw nothing before he continued on.

"'Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil walketh about seeking whom he may devour,'" Goat recited as they walked the tunnel.

"That's real comforting, Goat," Portman said. "That ain't freaking me out at all." The continued on when suddenly, Portman went under the water with a scream.

"Portman!" Goat yelled,

"What the fuck!" Sarge yelled as Reaper pushed his gun aside and ran to where the man went under.

"Come on!" Reaper yelled and Goat and Kid went over and helped him. "Grab an arm! Goddamn son of a bitch is heavy!" he yelled as they pulled Portman back up. "He's slipping!" Reaper said but soon they had Portman out of the water and back on his feet.

"Shit," Portman said.

"Portman, what the hell happened?" Sarge demanded as Reaper sighed and got back on his feet.

"I fell in the damn hole. Shit," Portman said.

"Everybody, on me. Watch your goddamn footing. Move!" Sarge yelled before they moved out and continued down the tunnel.


"This doesn't make any sense," Ella said as she once again pushed her glasses up her nose and punched the computer keys. "This isn't right," she mumbled as she ran test after test.

"Ella," Samantha said with a sigh. Ella just shook her head.

"No, I'm going to figure this out. Something's wrong, really wrong. It justdoesn't make sense." Duke sighed.

"You've been saying that for the last twenty minutes. Ella looked up at him sharply and he held his hands up in defense and she returned to the computer.

Suddenly, the nanowall materialized and John and Sarge came in carrying a blood covered goat. Ella gasped and Duke moved away quickly to help as the others filed in behind them.

"What happened?" Samantha asked and Ella ran over to help as they laid Duke on the table.

"He was talking about devils," Portman said as he was moving quickly and gathering things they needed.

"Devils?" Samantha asked and Ella wheeled over a cart with possible items and medications they may need.

"All his Bible shit. Angels. Good and evil. Devils among us," Portman said as he checked a saline bag.

"Let's get this vest off him," John said quickly.

"Now he's clear," Destroyer said as they took off Goat's vest. Duke felt for a pulse and shook his head.

"Got a weak pulse," Duke said and Ella felt her hands trembling.

"Portman, get me a line in here," John said quickly.

"Come on man," Destroyer said and Ella looked at John.

"Kid, keep pressure on that wound," John said. "How's the pulse?"

"I'm losing him," Duke said.

"Ella, give me a shot of adrenaline," John said and Ella nodded her head as she prepared the syringe. Suddenly the EKG went flat lined. Johns sighed.

"We lost the pulse," Duke said and John moved quickly.

"Okay, let's defib," John said as he readied to do just that. "Clear!" John shouted as he put the paddles on Goat's body and hit the button. Goat's body jerked and the monitor continued to beep once again.

"Where the hell's Carmack?" Sarge asked and Ella rolled her eyes and let Sam talk to him as she was having a hard enough time filling the syringe.

"He disappeared," Samantha said.

"What do you mean he disappeared?" Sarge asked.

"He's gone. He disappeared."

"I've lost the pulse," Duke said.

"Shit, okay," John said. "Gonna defib. Clear!" He zapped Goat's body and the monitor beeped once. "Come on," John whispered. But the machine didn't beep again. "No response."

"We're losing him," Duke said. John looked to Ella and held out his hand.

"Ella, give me that adrenaline," he said and she quickly handed him the needle. John quickly shot the adrenaline into Goat's chest and all eyes were glued to the monitor that beeped slowly twice. "Come on you son of a bitch," John whispered but the monitor flat lined. "Okay, going again. Clear!" The monitor beeped once and then flat lined. Ella sighed and raised her hand to her head as she looked at the man that laid on the table. A man she hadn't said more than two words to. "He's gone," John said as he shook his head. John took one of Goat's tags and stuck it in his vest. Both Samantha and Ella looked at the men around them, but their attention was on the one they knew the best. Ella lowered her hand and sighed. John kicked a cart away and she jumped but he would never frighten her.

"Doctor, you are going to tell me just what the fuck is going on up here," Sarge said as he looked to Samantha.

"What?" she asked.

"Come here. Come here!" Sarge said and Samantha followed him. "This is 'what'." Sarge said as he pulled a bag back. Samantha screamed and Ella frowned and walked over beside her.

"God," Samantha said and Ella gasped.

"Oh my god," Ella said not believing what she saw. A slimy monster laid in the body bag. It looked as though whatever it was, it had been turned inside out. Sarge looked between the two women and Ella's frown only deepened as she looked away.

"Have you found anything like this on your archeological digs?" Sarge asked and Ella shook her head.

"No," Ella said firmly as she looked back at Sarge.

"Is there any way this thing came from the outside from the surface?"

"The planet is completely dead," Ella said.

"It came from somewhere, lady," Portman said and she looked at him.

"Portman, shut up!" Sarge said.

"The atmosphere on the surface can't support life," Samantha explained.

"Maybe it doesn't need air. It could have come from another plant or something," Portman said and Samantha scoffed.

"What? Like an alien?" she asked.

"Look at that thing!" Portman yelled.

"Portman, you need to shut the fuck up!" Sarge yelled.

"That's not what we saw," John said and Ella and the others looked at him. "That isn't what Goat and I shot at in Genetics."

"You telling me there's more of these fucking things?" Portman asked.

"Where are the surface entry points?" Sarge asked and Ella put her hand on her forehead thoroughly confused.

"There's a pressure door at the end of the north corridor," Samantha said.

"Destroyer, Kid, Portman, get there on the double," Sarge said. "Give me an update."

"Yes sir," Destroyer said.

"Whatever this thing is it cannot get back through the Ark," Sarge said. Ella lowered her hand and looked at Samantha who looked at John and then the body bag. Ella then looked at John who was looking at her closely, like he suspected she knew something. "Mac, I want you to arm Pinky with a weapon with some ST grenades and seal the Ark door."

"There's one other door," Ella said and Sarge looked to her.

"Where?" he asked but John beat her to the answer.

"The entrance to the archeological dig," John said slowly and Ella looked at him. Sarge nodded and he and John made to move. Ella caught his arm and John looked down at her.

"You always told me to be careful," she whispered and she saw his eyes soften just a fraction. "So, you be careful and don't let your past haunt you." John gave her a curt nod and looked at Samantha before he followed Sarge from the infirmary.