Ch. 24: Fall of Titan

A.N.:

Damn my professors have lost their freaking minds. Midterms are coming up so they crammed tests and projects in so I have had like no time to work on any story.

So…since I have no posted an update in 2+ weeks, I basically got this far and said, "Fuck it, just post it." Hence, no lemon, which will be at the beginning of the next chapter that will basically be the end of this story arc and the beginning of the next arc. It will be against the established "end of chapter" lemons that I have been doing.

Like I said, I got this far and said "fuck it."

I really, really hope that my readers have been patient enough to wait. These past two weeks have been crazy in both my college and personal life so…sorry about that.

Since it has been so long, and I have just finished this, there will probably be errors for a day or two after I first post it. I will most likely correct them within a few hours after posting it but just a heads up for the first few readers.

Reviews are always welcomed as long as it is about the story or is helpful advice. Ask questions if you need me to clarify something in the story. Seriously, I don't bite.

As we exited the server farm, Alpha 1 said, "Sir, you still haven't explained your plan to lure Stokes."

We entered the decontamination chamber as I said, "Simple, we give up."

Alpha 1 questioned, "Err…what now?"

We exited the chamber as I explained, "Don't worry. I don't mean that we are actually going give up. We just have to fool the Queen into thinking that we are giving up."

Foxtrot 813 asked, "What makes you think that she will fall for something so obvious?"

I replied, "Hive minds have one weakness. While their learning curve is steep, their ability to handle new situations is poor. We will only get one shot at this. The Queen will fall for our deception the first time because it will be a new situation for her. If we fail, she will learn to expect a trick and we will be forced to kill Stokes."

Alpha 1 commented, "No pressure, sir."

I smirked slightly in response. As we made our way pass the still unconscious bodies of our possessed allies, Foxtrot 813 wondered aloud, "I wonder if they will remember anything."

I smiled before I replied, "I hope not because Bravo 2 will complain about me owing him a new scope." Alpha 1 laughed with his repeated grunts in response to my joke.

As we entered the lobby, the woman's voice said over the intercom, "Thank you for visiting the Archive Deck. Have a great day."

I stopped and turned to look at the intercom. I aimed down my rifle's scope and fired five rounds into the device. The rounds hit their mark and the device began to emit sparks. I smiled smugly and turned back in the direction of the hatch. With a raised eyebrow, Alma said, "Michael, you know that won't do any good."

As I started to head towards the hatch, I replied, "It does me."

As I reached the hatch, I suddenly had to grab ahold of a pipe running along the wall to stabilize myself as the facility lurched and the lights briefly went out as the facility's power grid failed. When the lights returned, the intercom system on every floor announced, "Emergency. Hull breach detected. All engineers and response teams are to report to the Hydroponics Deck."

After releasing my grip on the pipe, I said, "Son of bitch! I cannot get a break today!"

Alma asked, "What do you call me saving your ass…again?"

I replied with a cocky tone, "I wasn't in any danger."

She raised her left eyebrow before she asked, "Oh, really?"

Continuing my cocky tone, I replied, "Are you kidding, I would have thought of something. I always do."

She said, "Michael, it is okay to need help from time to time. I don't mind helping you."

I looked at her as I said with an irritated tone, "I didn't need help!"

She sighed before she replied, "Yes you did."

I said with a childish tone, "Did not."

With her own childish tone, she replied, "Did so."

I said, "Did not."

She replied, "Did so infinity."

I looked at her silently for a moment before I said with a deadpan voice, "You're fat."

Her eyes narrowed before she said, "You have a tiny dick."

I replied proudly, "It still makes you scream."

I noticed a red tint appear on her cheeks as she said, "I was faking it."

I laughed before I pointed out, "I can hear your thoughts. You weren't faking. I win."

Alpha 1 interrupted us when he said, "Sir, the hull breach…Lieutenant Stokes…the Queen."

I looked up from a thoroughly embarrassed Alma with bright red cheeks as I said, "Oh, right. Come on, let's go see what needs fixing."

Alpha 1 replied, "Right behind you sir." We proceeded through the hatch and down to the landing for the Hydroponics Deck. As I went through the open hatch, I noticed a thin layer of water on the floor. Proceeding to the main lobby, I was met with the sight of a makeshift defensive line that had been crafted by various pieces of furniture being covered by sections of sheet metal that had been welded together.

Keeping my rifle at the ready, I slowly climbed over the top of the wall. On the other side, I saw several skeletons of ATC Security Guards in heavy duty riot armor and other ATC personnel. I mused aloud, "This must have been the final stand for whoever was still not possessed."

Alpha 1 landed beside me and asked as he stood, "On the Hydroponics Deck?"

After looking at him, I nodded before I said, "Food and water."

He replied, "Ah, makes sense now."

"Wait, skeletons?" I looked down at where Amara sat in her mother's lap as she listened to my story. I had been telling her the rest of the story of my revenge on Armacham in the hopes of calming her down enough to get her to go back to sleep after she had made the mistake of looking into her mother's mind. Thus far, it had backfired and I was now forced to finish the story for the enraptured raven-haired immortal girl.

I replied, "The facility had been offline for six years. The original outbreak had been in 2021. It was 2027 when we went to it. The remains of the people who had resisted the Queen had become skeletons by then."

My daughter said, "Oh, okay. I get it now."

I smiled slightly before I said, "You already knew the answer so why did you ask it and interrupt the story?"

She stuck her tongue out at me before she replied, "Why is my father telling me a story about killing people and having sex with my mother?"

From where he was sitting in the chair opposite of me, Alpha 1 laughed with his repeated grunts before he said, "She got you there sir."

I sighed and rubbed my eyes before I said to my demigoddess daughter, "Amara, we have been over this. If you want to even remotely mimic a human being successfully, you have to pretend like you do not know what sex is until you are at least like fourteen or something."

She pouted as she gave me her Bambi eyes for a moment before she said, "But I don't want to mimic a human being. I want to be like you and mother."

I smiled before I said, "Aw thanks sweetie but your mother is the goddess. I am just a human."

As she continued to look at the fire in the fireplace, Stokes commented, "Becket, you can do the thing with your mind and go all demon mode on everyone when you get really pissed off. I guess that doesn't count then huh? Because everyone can do that…yeah, you're human alright."

Alpha 1 said, "As the only sane individual in this room, I have to point out that every one of you are crazy."

Amara gasped sarcastically as she looked over her mother's right shoulder at the heavily armored veteran. She asked him with her sweet voice, "Why do you say such a thing Uncle Alpha 1?"

His voice remaining steady and deadpan, he replied, "Because you are all crazy, your majesty."

She huffed before she said, "Says the man who found creative ways to kill the phase commanders that he encountered."

With noticeable bitterness in his voice, Alpha 1 replied, "They had it coming. It is a law of nature: every action has an equal and opposite reaction."

Before we could get even more off-track, I said, "Anyway, let's get back to the story shall we?" Amara turned back around to face me and the room became quiet once again except for the crackling of the fire in the fireplace. Settling back into the chair, I continued telling the story.

He replied, "Ah, makes sense now." When Foxtrot 813 and Point Man had climbed over the wall, we proceeded into the main section of the deck. The main section was large, about the size of the cargo hold of a medium sized freighter that had been hollowed out. I audibly groaned when I saw that the lights that we needed were off and the backup emergency lights were the source of the light in the space. The dead remains of various types of plants were everywhere. Catwalks ran between the sections of plants and an intricate sprinkler system ran overhead. It looked like the plants had overgrown the area only to die when the facility's power grid went offline.

In the center of the maze of catwalks, there was a round section with a table in the center. Various scientific instruments were on the table as well as a control console for the room's growing systems. Though the monitor was damaged from a combination of moisture and plant intrusion, it still displayed a dim readout. The word, "Warning" was being displayed so I went over to the console. I used my left hand to type on the keyboard. After canceling the warning, I navigated the menu and ran a system diagnostic.

After a moment, the console reported in a series of vertical columns,

Sprinkler System: Offline. Damage detected in fresh water pump system.

High-Intensity discharge lamp system: Online pending repair by authorized technician

Crop Yield: 0% of estimated potential yield harvestable

Primary crop nutrient tanks at 0% possible capacity

Reserve crop nutrient tanks at 0% possible capacity

Emergency crop nutrient tanks at 10% possible capacity

Warning, foreign substance detected in crop silo

Isolating…please standby.

Substance identified.

Salt water.

Attempting to remove foreign substance.

Error…salt water has corrupted automated damage control pumping system.

A work order has been sent to Armacham Technology Corporation Headquarters for the following reasons:

Salt water detected in crop storage.

Hull breach detected in crop storage.

Automated damage control pumping system offline.

Fresh water pumping system offline

Nutrient tanks depleted to critical levels

Sprinkler system offline

Estimated time of shipment arrival: N/A.

Error: no response received from Armacham Technology Corporation Headquarters.

Please contact Titan Facility's Administration immediately.

I looked away from the monitor and back at the soldiers behind me. I then said, "Alright, we have several problems and we are working on borrowed time here. First, the hull breach is in the storage area. Second, the high-intensity lights need to be repaired. Foxtrot 813 and Point Man, locate the parts that we need to fix the lights. The bulbs that you will be looking for should be either metal halide or high-pressure sodium. Alpha 1, with me."

Except for Point Man, they all replied, "Yes, sir."

I moved away from the console and headed towards the main lobby. As we made our way through the maze of catwalk, Alpha 1 commented, "This facility is not going to last much longer."

I replied in agreement, "I know. We just need to keep this place operational just a little bit longer."

Out of nowhere, Alpha 1 asked, "Sir, you know how Replicas view dying because I told you my story. What about you, sir? Do you fear death?"

We had arrived in the main lobby and I stopped to look back at him. He waited as he looked at me. With a slightly saddened voice, I answered, "I do not fear death my friend. After all the things that I have done in my life; all the people that I have hurt; advancing myself by spilling other human beings' blood, I know that my death will not be pleasant. I have prepared myself for that. It is not dying that I am afraid of. I am terrified of not making make sure that my family will be safe from Armacham before I die."

He nodded but did not say anything. I motioned with my head towards the side corridor and started to make my way towards it. The crop storage area was essentially a huge grain silo that had been attached to the exterior of the facility. The base of it went all the way down to the bottom level of the facility and rested on the seafloor. Structurally, it also served the dual purpose of being one the facility's anchors to the seafloor. Filled to maximum capacity, the storage area held enough food to support the entire facility for a decade assuming proper conditions were kept to ensure the longevity of the crops.

As we made our way down the corridor, the facility shook once again from the added weight of the intruding water unbalancing the facility and threatening to detach it from its moorings. This time, I was thrown off my feet before I could find something to grab ahold of.

I do not remember smashing into anything. The next thing that I remember is opening my eyes to find myself sitting on a couch. I looked down to see Amara laying prostrate in front of a television set as she gazed up at it. I recognized the images on the screen as being scenes from her favorite horror movie about the little girl in the well and her cursed video tapes. However, it took me a moment to recognize the area as being my office in Sparta.

Groaning, I raised my left hand up to rub my eyes. My daughter turned over on her right side to look up at me with a happy smile. She giggled before she said, "Daddy is a sleepy head."

I smiled slightly before I said, "It is past your bed time."

She giggled before she said defensively, "But my body is asleep."

I sighed before I explained, "Amara, you cannot use astral projection to get out of bed time. Bed time means bed time."

She pouted before she replied, "But time is valueless on its own. The only way it has value is if it is given a perspective."

I said, "This perspective says that you need to turn that off, go back to your body, and stay there until you wake up."

She asked, "But why?"

Remaining calm, I replied sternly, "Because I said so Amara."

She frowned before she said, "I want to watch my favorite movie again."

I sighed before I said, "I did not ask you want you wanted. I told you to turn it off and go back to your body." Her grey eyes turned into burning orange orbs as I felt her energy mass around her like a cloud. My body became enveloped by a red aura as I said with my demonic voice, "Don't you dare Amara Wade. Turn. It. Off. I am not going to say it again." For a moment, there was a brief standoff between us before Amara realized that I had more patience and was more stubborn than she was.

Realizing that she had been outmatched, her eyes returned to normal and the energy around her dissipated. The red aura around me disappeared and my voice returned to normal when I said, "That's a good girl." The television set powered off as she stood. She walked over to me and sat down next to me on the couch.

She bowed her head slightly so that her raven hair covered her face like a shroud before she said, "I'm sorry daddy." I smiled slightly as I used my right arm to pull her in close. With my right arm draped over her tiny right shoulder, I reached over with my left hand and lifted her chin up so that she was looking at me.

When she looked up at me, I saw that her lips where quivering and that her eyes were glistening as if she were about to cry out of fright. With a gentle voice, I assured her, "Hey, don't cry. It's okay. I'm not mad. Your mother and I are stubborn too. You just need to learn when it is appropriate to be stubborn okay? You're okay. Come on, calm down. You're not in trouble." She visibly calmed down after a moment. When she had, I asked, "You know that I love you right? And that I would never hurt you?" She smiled slightly as she nodded and hugged me tightly around my waist.

Using my right arm, I returned the hug. After about a minute, she pushed away and I released my grip on her. She stood and then looked back at me one last time before she said, "G'night daddy. I love you."

I smiled before I replied, "Goodnight sweetie. I love you too." She smiled to acknowledge my reply before she skipped away and out of my field of vision.

"Sir? Sir!"

I opened my eyes to find that I was on my back. Alpha 1 was kneeling over me. Alma's concerned face loomed over me as she stood behind me. I started to get up as I said, "I'm alright." An intense pain erupted in my head and I cried out as I raised my left hand up to clutch the side of my ski mask shrouded head, "Son of bitch! That hurts!" Fighting through the throbbing headache, I stood. I informed my goddess, "Amara was using astral projection to get out of bed time. I sent her back to her body."

Alma smirked before she said, "She is her father's daughter."

Rubbing the spot on my head, I replied, "What can I say, I am a bad role model." I stopped rubbing my head and returned my left hand to my rifle's foregrip. I then asked, "How long was I out?"

Alpha 1 informed me, "3 minutes 56 seconds, sir."

Relieved, I smiled slightly before I said, "Come on, we need to get to the silo and plug that leak. I fucking hate these damn facilities so I sure as shit am not am not going to die in one." Alpha 1 nodded in response. We continued towards the crop storage.

As we approached the double sliding doors that led to the silo, I could already hear the distinct sound of water. After the doors slid open and we proceeded through the opening, I looked down over the side of the railing. The deep, hollow cylinder was not rapidly filling with water but I could see that the water level was creeping up towards us at an alarming rate. I became aware of the distinct smell of methane gas. The rotting plants must have filled the airtight space as they decayed. That was even more alarming than the water. With the water level slowly compressing the air as it advanced, the concentration of oxygen and methane was increasing as well. I could only pray that there was enough oxygen in the air to dilute the methane.

I informed my partner, "Watch your gunfire, there is methane in the air. That lights up, this facility will go up like a roman candle."

Alpha 1 replied, "Copy that."

Because of the obstructing decayed crop remains and because of the water level, I could not see where exactly the water was coming in. I noticed a console inside the control room to my left. I made my way over to it as I said, "Let's see if that console can tell us anything."

When I arrived at the ballistic plastic sliding door, an automated voice said, "Authorized entrance only. Please provide proper identification."

I noticed the scanner to the right of the door. It vaguely resembled a credit card scanner and a little red light was glowing at the top. I crouched down in front of it and placed my rifle down beside me on the grated floor. After retrieving my utility knife with my right hand, I used the blade to pry off the grey wall panels around the scanner one by one until I located the set of wires that I was looking for.

Using the knife and my left hand, I hot-wired the door lock. The red light on the scanner was replaced by a green light and the door slid open. I sheathed my knife and retrieved my rifle before I stood. We entered the control room. In comparison to the depressing grey silo interior, the control room was a clean frost white. Everything from the walls to the electronic equipment was frost white.

Alpha 1 commented, "Interesting color choice. I wonder how they kept it so clean."

I replied, "Well if Armacham got anything right, it was maintaining proper procedures."

I walked over to the wall-mounted console and typed on the slanted illuminated keyboard. The flat screen monitor lit up and the screen displayed a password authorization box. Alma materialized next to me in her "normal" adult form. She asked me with a sarcastic voice, "Is the password 'Snake Fist'?"

From where he was standing to my left, Alpha 1 said, "You'll never see him 'till you're fucked." I laughed as I shook my head at his comment.

On a hunch, I typed in, "PASSWORD". As the screen's display changed to the main operation menu, I said in disbelief, "Wow, no fucking way…for real?"

Alma asked, "What? What was the password?"

I replied, "The password was password...all caps." My goddess nodded her head with an expression of disbelief for a moment while I heard Alpha 1 laugh with his repeated grunts. I looked through the menu and located the controls for the air filtration system. I powered on the system and seconds later, the sound of fans could be heard. With the methane concentration issue resolved, I backed out and returned to the main menu.

I looked through the menu again and finally located the Damage Control program. When the program loaded, the screen display had the image of a 3-D model of the silo. A red square flashed over a section near the bottom. I clicked on the highlighted area and a report appeared in the upper right corner of the model.

The report read, "Hull breach detected by sensor #79865. Automated pumping system non-responsive. A work order has been sent to Armacham Technology Corporation Headquarters. Awaiting authorization for an emergency purge of silo storage."

I activated the emergency purge and seconds later, a deafening siren piped through the intercom system. The siren ceased about a minute later as the automated woman's voice said, "Emergency purge of silo from Titan's mooring commencing in sixty seconds. All personnel are ordered to evacuate the silo chamber. This is not a drill. Repeat, emergency purge of silo from Titan's mooring commencing in sixty seconds. All personnel are ordered to evacuate the silo chamber. This is not a drill."

Alarmed, I said, "Holy shit, I didn't think that they literally meant a purge of the silo. Fuck! Run!" We ran out of the control room and out of the silo while the siren, that reminded me of the old air raid sirens, blared in our ears. We had made it to the main lobby when a thick watertight bulkhead lowered down over the entrance to the corridor that led to the silo. Seconds after the bulkhead lowered into place, the facility vibrated as if it had been hit by an Earthquake shockwave. When the vibrating ceased, I heard the sound of seawater impacting the bulkhead as the mighty Bering Strait rushed in to devour the virgin territory.

After my nerves had steadied, I questioned as I paced around the room, "What kind of sick, quack, bitch ass, cock sucking engineer would design a facility that could do that? I mean, who else other than fucking Armacham would install an eject one of the things that is anchoring us to the seafloor button? What the fuck man?! I am going to find the bastard or bitch who came up with that idea and I am going…I am gonna…I'm…I'm…I…fuck this shit man!"

I kicked one of the skeletons' skulls as I yelled, "It was your ass wasn't it?! Come back to life motherfucker so I can kill your ass all over again!"

I started to kick the skeleton again but Alma stopped me by placing her right hand on the chest section of my ballistic and tactical vest. I glared at her but she remained just as calm while her eyes bore into me. After a brief moment, my soldier personality regained control and I gently pushed her away. I turned and looked at Alpha 1. He was calmly examining his shotgun about a foot away. He looked back up when I asked, "Alpha 1, are you hurt?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "Negative sir."

Relieved, I nodded before I said, "Outstanding. Come on, let's get back to the control console."

He replied "Right behind you sir."

As we made our way to the main section of the deck, I spoke into my com link, "Foxtrot 813, report."

Foxtrot 813's image appeared in my HUD as he replied, "Foxtrot 813 reporting as ordered, sir. Replacement parts for the lights have been located. However, there is a big problem."

I replied, "Of course there is. What is it this time?"

He explained, "When we tested the parts, the power surge tripped the breaker. According to the diagrams that we found, the breaker is down on the Engineering Deck."

I sighed before I replied, "Copy that, Foxtrot 813. Stay where you are. Alpha 1 and I are headed down to the Engineering Deck to flip the breaker."

He responded, "Roger that, sir." His image left my HUD as I ceased the transmission. I stopped and informed Alpha 1, "Change of plans. We need to go down to the Engineering Deck and flipped the breaker for the lights."

He said, "Copy. With you, sir." We turned back around and returned to the main lobby.

After dismantling enough of the barrier to get past, we made our way to the stairwell. However, as we reached it, the facility shook once again, this time much more violently. This time, when the lights flickered back on, I discovered that the facility's orientation had shifted and the decks were now tilted about ten degrees to port.

The intercom activated and the woman's voice said, "Warning, major structural damage detected. Titan Facility integrity compromised. Damage Control Systems overwhelmed. Power grid failure is imminent. All personnel should evacuate immediately. Thank you and have a great day."

I looked over at Alpha 1 and we silently observed each other for a moment. Finally, after nearly a minute of silence, he said, "No choice now, sir. The Queen cannot be allowed to escape and infect the world."

Not willing to accept losing Stokes twice, I desperately racked my mind to find a solution. Finally, when my friend nudged me with his left hand to get my attention, I said, "Th…the Black Hawk…Reaper 1."

Alpha 1 asked with a confused tone, "What about her?"

I explained, "The search light mounted to her. It is a HID lamp."

The armored veteran replied, "True…but we don't have Morales."

I pointed out, "I piloted that Black Hawk in Fairport didn't I?"

Alpha 1 replied, "We were shot down too. The crash killed Ghost and nearly killed us."

I snorted before I said, "It was Point Man that shot me down…and by that time, I had virtually no steering power left. We were sitting ducks."

My friend said, "No offense sir but in my opinion, this plan is ill advised. We have already completed the primary mission. We should cut our loses and kill the Queen. The mission is all that matters right?"

I sensed no ill intention behind his words but I still asked, "Using my own words against me now?"

He replied, "Of course not my friend, but we are out of time. Do you really think that Lieutenant Stokes would want you to risk everything just for her?"

A memory flashed through my mind. I was helping a group of United States Navy Recon Marines load wounded NATO Troops onto the beds of M35 "deuce and a half" cargo trucks while bullets whizzed past our heads. Overhead, Apache helicopters provided what air support they could but even they could not hold back the mob of militia for much longer. Around us, fires from piles of burning tires and from destroyed vehicles flickered against the chocking darkness that had consumed the city. The light illuminated our blood soaked uniforms and the horrific injuries that the NATO soldiers had received. Half of them would not last through the night but we loaded them too because none of us wanted to leave them behind.

After I had paused to look at the sight of one disemboweled soldier that was crying like a newborn infant and begging for us to kill him, I felt the side of a fist impact my left arm. I turned to see my mentor a few inches away. He looked at the crying soldier for a second before he looked back at me. He grabbed both of my shoulders and with a steady voice, he said, "Don't think about it." I nodded and he released me. Working together, we managed to load the soldier onto one of the last remaining M35s that still had room for a body.

A Recon Marine walked up to us with a soldier across his back. When he reached us, the crack of a high-powered rifle ripped through the air. The right side of the Marine's skull exploded. My mentor swiveled around while simultaneously drawing his .45 Caliber Colt M1911A1 from its holster that was strapped to the front of his tactical vest. He fired a single round from his sidearm and I turned just in time to see a man falling from the roof of a nearby apartment building with a bolt-action hunting rifle following him.

We turned back to the two soldiers, one dead and the other missing an arm, and loaded both of them onto the truck bed. I saw my mentor place his left index finger against his left ear for a moment and then heard him say, "Copy that, Captain. Hold your position, we will come to you." He lowered his index finger and yelled out, "Delta, front and center!" We gathered around him. He informed us, "A SAS team is pinned down in town hall. We have volunteered to reach them and escort them out of the city."

Beside me, Corporal Franks questioned, "Our mission is to assist the Recon boys; not to face a mob and rescue another country's soldiers."

My mentor walked up in front of Franks and backhanded the younger Delta Force Operative across his face. He then grabbed the soldier by his vest and pulled him in closer until their faces were almost touching. With a low voice, Mr. Death said, "Say something like that again corporal, and I will kill you myself. Got me?"

Franks replied, "Yes, sir."

My mentor then threw him onto the ground. To the rest of us, he said, "Fall in. We leave no one behind."

Retrieving our assault rifles from our backs, we replied, "Yes, sir."

The memory ended and I replied, "We leave no one behind." I spoke into my com link, "Foxtrot 813, Point Man. Report to Reaper 1. We are evacuating the facility."

Foxtrot 813's image appeared as he replied, "Roger that sir."

I looked over at Alma and said, "Alma, I need you to take care of the incapacitated members of Dark Signal."

She tilted her head to the right slightly as she asked, "Is that safe?"

I smirked before I spoke into my com link, "Task Force One, do you copy?"

The flagship of the surface fleet Task Force One, the Ford-class supercarrier Poseidon replied, "Affirmative commander. We are receiving you loud and clear."

I asked, "What is your status?" Poseidon replied, "On station and awaiting your orders, sir."

I asked, "We have encountered a biohazard and several members of our team have been contaminated. Are you equipped for carriers?"

After a moment of silence, Poseidon replied, "Affirmative. Supporting frigate Juniper is equipped with bio-containment compartments."

I instructed, "Contact Juniper and inform them that they are about to receive the contaminated members of Dark Signal."

Poseidon replied, "Roger that, sir."

I then contacted the task force's resident heavy gunner, the modernized Yamato-class battleship that we had nicknamed Athena, "Athena, do you copy?"

Despite the hushed mocking of the outside world, both Alma and I agreed that Sparta needed a symbol of freedom and independence and decided upon the symbolic might of the long-dead class of warships called battleships. With the combination of the brutal 18.1-inch naval guns, the nuclear power plant that replaced the World War II counterpart's boiler power plant, and the inhuman discipline of the Replicas, she was certainly the symbolic protector of Sparta.

Athena replied, "Affirmative. What are your orders, sir?"

I instructed her, "Lock onto Titan Facility. Hold your fire until I say otherwise."

A moment later, Athena reported, "Target locked. Main battery is standing by."

I replied, "Copy, standby."

I looked down at Alma and said, "Rule 3: Always have back-up plans."

She replied, "I thought that was Rule Two."

I shook my head before I said, "No, Rule Two is to always carry a sidearm."

By that time, Foxtrot 813 and Point Man had reached us. Alma dissolved into a cloud of ash as she went to transport the infected members of Dark Signal to Juniper. As we made our way up the stairwell, it became clear that the facility was not going to last much longer. The tilt had exposed sections of the exterior hull that had been damaged by the clash between Alma's Apparitions and the Queen's Slaves to the awaiting Bering Strait. The groaning of metal filled the air as the facility's internal support structures struggled to withstand the added stress.

Alpha 1 asked as we climbed the stairs, "How are we going to lure Stokes to the top deck?"

I replied, "We won't have to. This place is doomed; the Queen will know that. She will need a way to escape and the Black Hawk is the only way. She will come to us."

My friend commented, "She is probably already on the top deck."

I said, "Yes, but she does not know how to fly the helicopter so she won't reveal herself until she is certain that we do know how to fly it."

Foxtrot 813 called out, "She already has revealed herself." I laughed sarcastically in response.

By the time that we had reached the Welcome Deck, the tilt had increased. When we reached the Welcome Center, the intercom activated and said, "Welcome ATC employees to Armacham Technology Corporation Facility Titan. Whether you are a scientist or a maintenance worker, we at Titan believe that we are all family and extend our warmest greetings. We sincerely hope that you enjoy your stay. Armacham Technology Corporation: Working for the future and you."

I said to Alpha 1, "You owe me ten bucks."

He replied, "Replicas don't have any money, sir."

I said, "I know. I'm screwing with you."

I used my psychic abilities to reopen the massive security door that allowed access to the top deck. As we proceeded through the door, the facility's lights went out once again and this time, they did not come back on. The power grid had failed. The mortally wounded, now powerless, facility would be lucky to last another ten minutes.

Reaper 1 was still where she had been strapped to the facility's helipad. When we reached her, Point Man and the two Replicas started to unstrap the Black Hawk. Climbing into the cargo bay, I said, "Fuck that. Cut them or shoot them." As the sound of gunfire filled the frigid air, I sat down in the pilot seat. After strapping myself in, I powered on the engines. With a thunderous roar coupled with the sound of turning rotor blades, the Black Hawk returned to life.

Alpha 1 sat down next to me in the copilot seat as Foxtrot 813 and Point Man closed the cargo hatch doors. Point Man then manned Reaper 1's left mingun while Foxtrot 813 manned the right minigun. The facility shook as it lurched once again. The tilt increased drastically and the helicopter began to slide towards the churned-up water. I opened the throttle and she rose up into the air. As we departed, I heard a loud female scream and looked down towards the deck of the facility. I saw the still nude possessed Stokes walking toward the center of the deck.

I watched as she raised her head to look up at us. Her lips formed a smirk. I was confused until I saw the thick, massive red tentacles emerge out of the water and wrap around her body. Even thicker tentacles, these armed with barbs at their tips, shot out of the water and surrounded the Queen as if they were arms. More tentacles emerged from the water and these had mouth like endings that had sharp, teeth looking structures inside their jaws. With a seemingly endless amount of tentacles wrapping around the possessed Stokes's body, a creature looking structure began to take shape.

When the creature had finished taking shape, it resembled a hybrid between a crocodile and a plant. To me, it closely resembled the fictional Japanese monster Biollante. The massive crocodile shaped head had a large mouth armed with curved canine teeth that resembled the teeth in the mouths of the tentacles around the main "body". At the base of the body, I could see Stokes standing in an almost bubble like area with tentacles surrounding her like a protective barrier. Around the main body, tentacles armed with either mouths or spear-like barbs snaked through the air but remained close to the main body as if they were tethered to it.

Alma materialized, in her child form, leaning up against the instrument panel. She smiled when she looked at me but it quickly formed into an expression of worry as she saw the look on my face. She asked, "Michael, what is it? What's wrong?" I motioned out the cockpit window with my head. She turned to look and said, "Whoa! For real?" Before I could reply, one of the tentacles shot towards us with its mouth open.

I jerked the control stick and we dodged it just in time. I heard one of the miniguns firing seconds later. As I continued to maneuver the helicopter to dodge the attacks by the tentacles, I spoke into my com link, "Athena, fire at will!" Resembling an erupting volcano, the massive battleship opened fire on the creature with her mighty main guns. I moved the Black Hawk further away from the creature to avoid splash damage from the incoming salvo. Seconds later, what sounded like freight trains flying through the air passed us. The projectiles, each approximately 3,000 lbs, impacted the creature with seven direct hits that exploded on impact and caused extensive damage and two near misses that instead penetrated several tentacles before exploding upon impact with the surface of the water.

The creature roared with fury at the engaging warship as flames surrounded the areas that the shells of the first broadside had hit. Athena began to circle the creature at a range of approximately 5,500 yards, which was near point blank range for her guns. I also began to circle the creature and I activated the HID lamp search light mounted beneath the cockpit. As the bright light illuminated the creature, I noticed the tentacles shiver as the creature howled in agony. A tentacle armed with a barb smashed into the side of our helicopter in response.

As the Black Hawk spiraled through the air, I heard the telltale thunderclaps of Athena's main guns as she fired her second broadside. With alarm bells ringing inside the cockpit, Alpha 1 and I managed to right the rugged helicopter and we continued to circle the creature with the search light activated. By that time, the car-sized shells had reached us. This time, all nine shells scored direct hits and exploded in quick succession. A fine red mist filled the air as the explosions ejected red liquid.

The creature tilted its head into the air for a moment before it lowered it as a stream of red liquid briefly launched out of its open mouth. The stream just barely missed Athena and hit the water off her stern. I contacted Athena and said, "Let 'er taste the beehive."

Athena replied, "Roger that, sir." A minute or two later, her main guns thundered once again. However, this time, just before impact, the shells detonated in mid-air. Vertical columns of flame, each approximately five meters long, impacted the creature while metal shrapnel from the exploding shells peppered it. With its center now engulfed by flames, the tentacles relocated Stokes up into the interior of its mouth.

Removed from the shelter that she had been in, Stokes was now vulnerable to our search light. She shrieked as the light hit her and the entire creature shuttered. Its mouth closed in an effort to obscure its master, but moments later, the signature thundering of Athena's 18.1-inch naval guns filled the air. Seconds later, the nine rounds hit their mark and the resulting explosions obliterated the creature's bottom jaw.

Without the protection of the bottom jaw, Stokes was completely exposed to the search light. As our light fully illuminated her, I saw her skin turn a strange reddish color briefly before she vomited violently. Red liquid rushed out her mouth as she clutched her abdomen with her right hand. Under my breath, I muttered, "That's it. Come on, fight it Stokes." She stopped vomiting and she looked up at us. Red liquid trickled out the left corner of her mouth and her pale skin had a sickly greenish tint to it.

The tentacles around her lost their tight spacing as if they had lost their coordination. Moments later, Athena pounded the creature with another broadside. Once again, all nine shells hit home. The creature was once again racked by the resulting explosions. When the fireballs dissipated, I saw Stokes lower her head down and to the left as the tentacles around her shriveled up. The tentacles began to fall into the water and I ordered Athena, "Cease fire."

Athena replied, "Roger that. Ceasing fire, sir."

Seconds later, the entire creature fell apart as the dead tentacles all began to fall into the water. I saw Stokes fall through the air and hit the water. Realizing that she was likely unconscious, I yelled out, "Stokes!" I unstrapped myself and kicked open the pilot side cockpit door. Alpha 1 tried to grab me, but I escaped his grasp as I jumped out of the helicopter.

I fell through the air and maneuvered my body so that when I hit the water seconds later, I was in a dive posture. As I dove into the frigid water, the intense cold shocked my body but I forced it to continue. Navigating through the carcasses of dead tentacles, I found Stokes by following the trail of bubbles escaping out of her slightly open mouth. As I wrapped my left arm underneath her right armpit, I saw the black outline of the ATC facility as it too plunged towards the ocean floor.

However, as I continued to watch, I saw it explode. All these years later, I believe that one of the steam lines on the Engineering Deck caused a chain reaction to create a massive collection of gas bubbles. The bubbles shot both Stokes and I straight to the surface.

When we reached the surface of the water, I relocated my arms so that I was supporting Stokes with my left arm beneath her head and my right arm beneath her knees. I was relieved when she coughed up water and wrapped her arms around my necks. Though I knew that it was just an instinctive muscle movement, I was still happy to know that she was still alive. I heard an object break the surface to my right and looked to see Alpha 1 swimming towards me.

I said to him, "Don't tell me that you just ruined the data from Titan's servers."

He explained, "No, my compartments are insulated and watertight." When he reached us, he asked, "Is she…?"

I shook my head before I said, "She will make it…I think." We heard another object break the surface and looked to see Foxtrot 813 swimming towards us. Confused, I asked him, "Foxtrot, why did you jump?"

He explained, "Everyone else was doing it. I just did it to be popular."

We all laughed at his response for a moment before Alpha 1 asked, "Wait, so who is flying the helicopter?"

To our left, Alma said, "My son is."

We looked to see her walking across the surface of the water towards us. When she reached us, I remarked, "I can walk on water, what of it?" She stuck her tongue out at me before she started to giggle. We all joined in a relieved laugh before the sound of a ship's horn broke through the air. A searchlight illuminated us as we saw the Black Hawk move to hover above us.

The sound of approaching propellers filled the air and vibrated the water. Moments later, the mountain of steel that was Athena appeared out of the darkness. Her searchlights all converged to illuminate us as she approached our location. When she had neared us, she slowed to a crawl and gave off another blast of her foghorn as we saw rope ladders being lowered over her side by her crew.

She slowed to a complete stop as her massive bow passed within ten yards of us. Supporting Stokes's unconscious form, we swam towards the net looking rope ladders located around the same section of her hull as her second main gun turret. With the help of her crew, we managed to climb up the side of her hull while keeping Stokes's body level. When we reached her main deck, the Replica medical team was waiting for us and quickly transported Stokes to the ship's infirmary.

Athena's Replica Heavy Trooper Captain approached me. I shook his hand as I asked, "A little late, but permission to board, sir?"

He gave off a laugh that was similar to Alpha 1's before he replied, "Permission granted. Welcome aboard Commander."

Retracting my hand, I said, "Outstanding marksmanship with your salvos, I shall award your vessel the Presidential Unit Citation after we arrive back in Sparta."

He replied, "Thank you sir, but we have to decline. We were just doing our job. Besides, it was Athena that was doing all the work. Now, let's get you all below decks and warm before you get hypothermia."