Despite the early hour, the Asheville Military Compound was bustling with activity. Major McCain and Colonel Robert Cross were overseeing their men gathering and checking equipment.
"You think this is serious?" The Major questioned.
"If I didn't think it was, then I wouldn't be here", the Colonel replied. "If it wasn't that serious, then Heller would be enough to cover all bases."
"True", Heller threw in, glancing up from where he was checking his own weapon, a M2 Browning, or maybe one of its successors. Too big to be used by a single soldier, unless that single soldier was a super soldier that didn't care about recoil or weight.
Grayson was nearby and had a similar weapon, only modified so he could actually pull the trigger with his pan-sized hands. Heller was pretty sure both of them could take one or two of these things in direct combat at the same time, but he also knew that fighting more just asked for misery. Not to mention that they had acid for blood, and getting doused in that was unpleasant.
Picking them off from afar was the better choice.
McCain frowned at the two men, then crossed his arms. "Okay. I've seen the reports, and I've seen the bodies. So we have an infestation. I'll have the men assemble to give them orders. But", he glanced at the Specialist, "I don't know what kind of orders."
"That won't be a problem", Heller threw in. "The expert's on his way back anyways."
Cross only arched one eyebrow. "Took him long enough." He turned on his heel and walked away, intent on gathering his own men.
Heller stayed where he was, checking over his M2 again and casually slinging it on his back, ignoring that normal people just don't wear a one-hundred-thirty-pound-rifle like that. But fuck it. Normal went out of the window years ago and never bothered writing anyways, why should he care about it?
He just finished securing the heavy-duty straps around his chest when he noticed a faint red glow high in the sky streaking towards his current position. He only cocked his head and stepped a few paces away, not flinching when what was probably one metric ton of Viral Mass compressed into the shape of a skinny person slamming into the compound's floor. Concrete shattered like thin glass, sending shards flying everywhere.
Heller snorted. "You always have to be this dramatic?"
Mercer grinned, getting up from the half-crouch he'd landed in. "If I can, why shouldn't I?"
...He didn't really have a reply to that. Heller just sighed, and noticed the large bag the Runner was holding as he brushed past him. "What's this?"
"Tools I borrowed. Will help us with the next step."
Heller fell in step besides him. "Storming the nest, you mean?"
Teeth were flashing under the shade of the hood. "Exactly. Which reminds me." He stopped and grabbed Heller's arm, eyes locking with his. "I got one of these things. You want that upgrade?"
Upgrade? The Evolved blinked, before realization set in. "Fuck, you got acid resistance?"
Mercer inclined his head. "Among other. I'd also like to give you Armor along with it."
"Armor? Thought I could already use it?"
"Probably. I know it's in your genetic code, but whether you can use it is a different question. Thought I'd just give you the new one directly. Interested?"
"Fuck yeah I'm interested", Heller exclaimed.
Mercer nodded and several tendrils slid from his sleeve to dig into Heller's arm. Hivemind or not, as long they weren't connected physically, Heller could never obtain whatever genetic changes Mercer had acquired. Felt weird, but by now, he was used to the unpleasant sensations.
What he wasn't used to was the brief dive into the full depth of the Blacklight Hive, with all those voices and memories that threatened to drown him. The Evolved just grit his teeth , preparing himself when the Hivemind slammed into him with full force. And it were more voices now, but several of them were barely understandable, and what he could translate was full of aggression. He grunted and stepped back, barely even feeling the tingling feeling that spread from his arm to the rest of his body.
"Holy fuck."
"I know"
"That the Bugs?"
"Yes", Mercer's eyes were narrow. "They have been designed to attack. They only know one instinct: To spread." Not even reproduce, just spread, like a disease. And, to do that, they had an unholy amount of smartness, too. He'd never seen any Infected (the Runners being the sole exceptions) that intelligent, that malicious.
The Bugs had been programmed to take over with whatever they had at their disposal, and apparently they could do so fast and efficient. No wonder WY thought they would make good weapons.
They forgot to realize that fast, efficient and ruthless was also a very, very, very bad combination that would steamroll them too. But that was the thing with corporate heads. They never thought further than the next month.
He shook his head and rolled his shoulders. "Okay, c'mon. McCain and Cross probably already have gathered the men to give them an update. We should be there too."
Mercer nodded and shifted his surface into his personal Blackwatch Uniform, likely to fit in better than his normal leather jacket would allow him. Heller couldn't help but feel amused- the younger used to hate Blackwatch, now he worked alongside them to stop biological threats. Funny how things could change once the upper echelons pulled their heads out of their asses long enough to actually think and start making smart decisions.
And seriously? Since they had Mercer on their payroll, everybody chilled the fuck out and got actual work done (he knew of at least two companies that had connections to Gentek and that suddenly went belly-up, knowing they too had been active on the Black Market).
So he was moderately positive that they can deal with this infestation a lot faster and a lot more efficient if they don't waste time and resources bullshitting around.
They found the men gathered in front of a small podium that had a large map of the city taped to the back. As it was, McCain was on that podium and already started dishing out the basic details, with Cross remaining at his back and glancing over the crowd. "-as of now, the entirety of Asheville sits on a nest of the same creatures that killed Chris Morrison, and assaulted several civilians just a few hours ago. With the help of Colonel Cross, we learnt that we have to deal, in fact, with a biological weapon designed to kill anything that moves."
The crowd started to murmur, though Heller couldn't see a single disbelieving face down there. No wonder, he knew the story- and its details- was already in circulation. And anyways, since New Marais nobody would think that rumors about an animal weapon were mere rumors anymore.
McCain's expression was as stony as always when he continued, "That means, you are the ones that have to stop this infestation. However, I understand it is a dangerous situation, and I will neither stop you nor will there be consequences if you don't want to. We've seen what these things are capable of, and if you don't want to risk your lives, I understand completely."
Heller didn't see many men backing off. Screw that. He didn't see any backing off. Bravery or foolishness, he didn't know, but it was a good sign that nobody was willing to give up without trying, at least.
Hall stood to the front, back straight as she eyed her superior. "Sir, what are the mission parameters?" That was why he liked Hall, he thought, she skipped right to shop talk.
McCain grimaced and was about to let Cross take over, when the Specialist spotted Mercer and gestured towards him. "Major, let the one that actually encountered these things give the mission details. Like Agent Heller, or Specialist Mercer."
The Runner froze when the Major agreed, but a single glare from Cross got him moving, if unwilling.
Yeah, no wonder, public speeches were probably not one of his favorite things to do.
Mercer stopped in the middle of the podium, eyed the crowd, and sighed. Set himself into the correct body position and let enough of Randall slip into his tone. "I will make it as short as possible, to avoid wasting time. The things you are supposed to stop, are parasites", he declared simply. "Parasites that grow and hatch within hours, and their hosts can be anything from the size of a dog to the size of a cow. Humans are their favorite hosts, meaning your mission is basically walk right into a nest of things that will be overjoyed to have more bodies for their spread, and destroy them."
That got a few of the men down there to look a little nervous. Mercer must have noticed it too, though he just cocked his head. "Just saying how it is, and telling you what to expect if you storm this place."
He turned to the map, marker in his hand. "There are three main egg pits throughout that nest." He circled three locations, all relatively close together. "These are the most dangerous areas, because the parasite carriers hatch there- the carriers are spider-like with a long tail, about the size of a pumpkin. Pale too, so easily to be picked out against the dark grounds."
He added a few lines that likely were supposed to be tunnels, then tapped them. "The tunnels in-between are a somewhat safer choice. Worst you'll encounter are the adults. Brown or Black, all about as tall as a man, or larger. But you shouldn't underestimate those, they are strong, fast, and highly mobile- they can walk along ceilings and walls, so you have to make sure you keep the entire area under observation. While they likely won't kill you on sight, they will attempt to incapacitate you to drag you off and prepare you for the ...implantation."
Several people shuddered, but remained where they were.
Mercer grinned. "Good. If that didn't get you running, then maybe you are good to deal with this shit." He leaned back, now finally at ease with the crowd. "First Rule of engagement: Don't. Let. Them. Close." He waited a moment for his words to reach peak attention before he continued. "These things are closed-range fighters, attacking with claws and tail mostly. Some of them may be able to spit a highly corrosive liquid", Wait, there were some that could spit acid? Fucking wonderful.
"As long you keep your distance, you will have the upper hand, but you need to use large calibers with enough stopping power to drop a man with one shot. Small arm fire won't get through the armor. Compared to the adults, the parasite carriers are smaller, easier to dispatch, but fast. You see them, you kill them as priority."
He waited until the crowd gave a confirmative sound. "Next. The inside of the nest is dark. Goggles will only work if they are infrared, not night vision. Heat sensors are useless, these things do not give off any thermal signatures. Best bet are lamps and torches. The main problem is that the small amount of light will likely don't give you enough of a warning before they're on you."
"Sir", Duke was the one to speak up. "If we can't actually see these things unless it's too late, how are we supposed to know that they are nearby?"
"Don't worry", the Runner reached into the bag he'd brought along to pull out a large device that looked like a mixture between Blackwatch's hand-held Viral Scanners employed during the Second Outbreak and a Star Trek Padd. "With best wishes from our... friends over at Weyland-Yutani. These are Motion Trackers. They will register any movement from anything larger than a cat, and display it in a one-hundred-eighty-degree radius in front of the device. You won't be able to tell apart friends, foe, or moving objects, but you will be able to detect if any of these things come at you. Each unit will get one, but you still have to take care to check the area- Which is easier for those that stay topside, and harder for those that go down to take out the egg pits."
In the back, a tentative hand rose. "Uh, sir? 'Go down'- You're wanting to split us up?"
"Of course. The main bulk of the troop has to stay topside here-" He circled a few more areas, "-where the exits are. Your job will be to stop the Bugs from escaping." He nodded towards Cross. "A way smaller unit will breach the nest, burn the eggs, and attempt to find the Queen."
Heller's head snapped up, eyes narrow. "The Queen?"
The Runner's grin turned sharp. The Mother. The First One. I can hear her. You will too, once you finished adapting. He cleared his throat. "She's the one that's laying all the eggs. The primary mission target is to find her, and destroy her. The eggs are secondary, but no less important."
Once they are dealt with, Cross and I have to track down whatever the Bears have sold, he didn't say, though Heller could still hear it. The crowd down where was muttering again, but if Heller expected fearful voices and men slinking off, he found himself surprised by the troops crowding together and turning more resolute.
But then again, these things killed one of their own. No soldier liked that, especially not Marines. Of course they were ready to spill blood.
...Blood. Burning. Heller grimaced briefly.
"Maybe you should tell them about the Acid Blood"
Mercer gave no sign he'd actually noticed the Evolved, but from the way he was holding himself Heller could tell he wasn't finished anyways.
"Third rule of engagement", the Runner continued easily, and the men fell silent to focus on him. "Never be alone. You'll always need somebody to watch your back. Always." His hand was up, fingers curled. "Fourth Rule. You shoot these things, make sure nobody is nearby. The blood of these creatures is highly corrosive, capable of eating through solid steel within seconds. You don't want to know what it'll do to your bodies." Heller knew, and it wasn't nice. But he could survive being doused. Humans...not so much.
A heavy silence had fallen on the compound.
Mercer folded his arms across his chest. "Now. Last rule: Anybody that's not a Marine, or Blackwatch, needs to be kept at a distance. That includes civilians as much as law enforcement. That goes double for any military personnel from another division. We can't risk anything, so set up perimeters and make sure they stay free of people."
He waited until the crowd confirmed again, then cocked his head. "Protective gear should include body armor against the claws, and a full-face mask and anything to cushion and protect your necks from choking attempts, to deter the parasite carriers and slow them down." He furrowed his brows for a moment, before continuing. "It won't stop them, because these things are single-minded, and the carriers are capable of breaking through masks, but that takes time. Time you can use to try and pry it off. Again, try not to hurt that thing, because it will hurt you much worse. You can break bones, however, as long the skin remains untouched. Same goes for the adults."
He glanced at Cross and McCain briefly, then turned back to the crowd. "That is about everything you need to know for now. Once the situation is cleared, all of you will be getting a full report about what was going on. I don't think I need to remind you that it will be dangerous. There is a very high chance of casualties. If you don't want to risk your lives, you are welcome to leave, no questions asked."
The crowd was silent, uneasily watching each other and silently communicating with each other via glances. Then Hall stepped to the front, being one of the highest ranking member, and locked her eyes with Mercer's. "Sir, I think it is obvious that none of us will back down. We will take down this biological weapon, whatever it is." The crowd instantly acknowledged her decision with a booming cry of O-Rah!
The Runner smirked. "Very well. Let's see about cleaning out this nest."
It was around six in the morning when several military trucks stopped all over Asheville to spit out soldiers that scrambled to set up perimeters around abandoned buildings. It wasn't tight enough to completely stop the Bugs from escaping, but it was hopefully enough to deter them.
The squad that ultimately breached the nest wasn't all too big: Just a handful of soldiers, half Blackwatch Wisemen, half Marine, fifteen in total. Mercer and Heller were with them, but they had to leave the D-Code topside on account that his massive body size and the narrow tunnels just didn't mix. Cross set his face and let Mercer show them the way, knowing fully well the Runner knew the Hive by now. Corporal Harrison was besides him, motion detector ready. Half of his team- Heller's old squad he was told- was with them, as were most of the Wisemen.
The tunnel was dark, and twisty, but large enough for them to comfortably walk in pairs. Mercer and Heller were to the front, calmly watching. Well, Mercer was calm anyways, Heller was more anxious, if his tense shoulders were anything to go by.
As they made their way into the first egg pit, Cross swallowed involuntarily at the sight of the dozens of people attached to the walls by some kind of resin. Some of them were obviously dead, some probably still alive. The Marines were, predictably, thinking they could free the victims, but the Wisemen knew it would be useless- the empty egg sacks around, and the dead spider things painted a clear enough picture anyways. The few living ones were going to be dead soon.
We'll burn ourselves to hold the Red Line. They will also burn civilians.
Still, the silence crawled down his back. No opposition was not a good sign. Neither was the tension in the Evolved's shoulders, or the excited grin on the Runner's face.
Realization set in just about as the color drained from his face. Cross grit his teeth. "They know we're here, don't they?"
Heller just grunted, but Mercer's expression became unhinged. "They do", he confirmed, which made the small group freeze briefly. "They don't realize we are a different set of humans, however."
"Different-" He cut himself off, swearing. Harrison picked up where he trailed off. "Wait, they knew that the Bears have been collecting their eggs?"
"The did", Mercer had his head cocked slightly to watch him from the corner of his eye. "They realized it. Back then, WY used an artificial Hive scent to mask the scientists and soldiers that went in to collect the eggs. These things are smart however. They saw through the disguise quickly enough- but by then they also realized that the humans weren't harming the eggs."
"Instead", Heller added, "Weyland-Yutani bred more Bugs, increasing the Hive's size without them having to obtain new hosts themselves. Also", he growled low in his throat. "WY shipped eggs across the globe, allowing them to spread faster than they naturally can."
"So they allowed it. Watched the Bears and scientists take off with a few of their eggs because it ultimately meant that their numbers would increase regardless", Mercer finished. "Too bad", he added as his arm shivered and turned into the braided whip claw that had torn through Infected and soldiers alike, "That we are here to hurt them."
His Whipfist shot out, slashing through a dozen of the massive eggs at once to splatter them. In an instant, the group formed a tight circle, back-to-back, and fired at the other eggs strewn all over the room. Leathery slabs of meat were flung through the air from the impact, and pale spidery animal pieces were shredded to bits within moments.
The acrid stench of gun powder hung in the room, and the roar of the rifles spitting projectiles couldn't entirely mask the sudden and loud screech that ripped through the Hive.
The Motion Detector went haywire.
Black bodies stream from the walls, from the floor, from the darkness around them, moving like one big organism that was rapidly closing in on them. The Wisemen reacted first, rifles at the ready and tearing through the animals in an ear-shattering noise. The Marines moved a second or two later, joining in on the shooting.
Mercer and Heller, the only ones breaking formation, lunged to either side of the pack. The latter one spraying .50 caliber bullets from above to explode the animals, the former clawing and shredding them with his bare hands. Acid blood splattered wetly against floor and walls, hissing and eating into those parts not covered by the Hive material.
They kept coming without care, climbing across their fallen siblings. Even the crippled ones, those that had lost their legs in the hailstorm of bullets, still kept coming, dragging themselves towards the soldiers with a single-minded desire to kill. Not one was slowing down or showing any signs of stopping, and for a brief moment Cross was back in Manhattan, back inside a Hive, burning through his ammo when he held a position against the incoming Walkers.
Fuck, he hadn't felt like this in a while. This simple life-or-death situation, no politics, no ranks. Just struggling to stay alive against an enemy that should be stronger and more dangerous than them- an enemy that was still losing.
Mercer zipped overhead, teeth bared in a wide grin and claws shining in the flare of their torches as he snatched one thing that had tried pouncing on them right out of the air to slam it into the far wall. It shattered on contact, though he already lunged off and tackled a smaller four-legged creature to rip it apart and consume it. Without breaking his stride, he kicked off the floor and swung around, pulling his claws back for a violent swipe-
The creature he was targeting suddenly ducked to the side, letting his attack run into empty space just as it slipped away into the darkness. Mercer twisted in mid-air and slammed into the wall closest to him to try and target another-
All of them fled, rushing back into the dark holes and crevices they came from. The shooting petered off, bringing down a few that weren't fast enough, but the main bulk of the pack had disappeared completely.
Cross's back started crawling, and he threw quick glances across the nest. No living Bug anywhere, only dozens of carcasses that were gently steaming.
Bullet casings littered the ground, as did spent torches. None of the men were injured, luckily. The ambush had happened fast, but they've been prepared and had managed to keep them at enough distance to avoid their claws and blood.
"Jeeze", one of the Marines muttered, breath choppy. Duke was his name, Cross thought. He noticed his fingers twitching a little from what was likely the adrenaline crash. Been a while since he's seen somebody come down from a panic high. Blackwatch trained that stuff out of their troops quickly.
"Now what?"
Well, he was the highest ranking soldier here. He propped his rifle against his shoulder, and gestured with his free hand. "Check the room for any viable eggs. Destroy them. Then we'll regroup and continue."
The team confirmed, and went to work in small groups of three. Cross and the Infected stayed in the middle of the room. He inhaled slowly. "They aborted their attack. Why?"
"They were told to", Mercer pointed out. "She's not happy."
The Queen. She pulled back the remaining troops. This wasn't good, because it showed more thought than Greene ever displayed. This weren't just animal instincts.
Besides him, Heller grit his teeth. "You hearing that? They're getting more aggressive."
"They do", Mercer confirmed. "They're gearing up for something."
Cross scowled. "Then we need to finish quickly. Blow up the remaining egg pits." He picked up his voice. "Team! Report!"
A few gunshots continued to ring out for another few seconds, before the group came back. "Eggs are destroyed, Sir", Redstone relayed.
"Good"
"Sir", That was Decker. "What about...the victims, sir?"
Cross furrowed his brows, following the man's line of sight. Staring at what seemed to be an unconscious college student. He eyed Mercer. He shook his head. The Specialist's nose scrunched up. He drew his handgun.
The girl never woke up.
The Wisemen swarmed out again, and more gunshots echoed around them, making the Marines flinch each time.
"We can't rescue them", he told the startled men.
"We have to try!" Corporal Harrison snapped.
Cross cocked his head. "It is a mercy", he said simply. "Imagine if they wake up shortly before this thing hatches. Imagine if they are awake and aware enough to feel this thing chew its way out of their rib cages. Can you force them to experience this?"
The man's jaw clicked shut, eyes wide. He was trembling as he stepped back, shaking his head in mute answer.
The Specialist sighed. "I know it is a shit situation. If there was another way, I would rather use it. But there isn't. All we can do now is damage control and prevent as many of these things from hatching as we can, or else we'll be drowning in them."
Captain Hall nodded with a grim expression, and the squad started moving again once the Wisemen joined them again. They left the devastated egg pit behind, following another tunnel. It quickly branched out into a larger room-like structure. A part of an old industrial building, most likely.
They started moving more careful, eyes roaming from side to side as they tried to catch a glimpse of a shiny black armor, or pale bodies.
Nothing but dust and yawning emptiness. It made all of their hairs stand on end.
Mercer was to the front, walking slowly, but deliberate- until he froze, head snapping upwards.
"Back", he hissed, suddenly whirling on his heel. "Run! Get back!"
His words didn't register fully, not until a sharp crack followed his order and a massive piece of concrete dropped from the ceiling towards them. They scrambled backwards, half the group managing to get back into the tunnels when the ground groaned, and collapsed beneath them to send them hurling into the depths.
Cross had been further to the front, opting to lunge towards the other side instead of going back, but the floor was suddenly just gone beneath his feet, and he was too far away to seize a ledge or...or something, and he couldn't orient himself in the darkness to try and find something to grapple on- a firm hand snatched his wrist and yanked him into something solid. Solid, and warm- Mercer, he realized the next second when air slammed into him as they changed direction mid-fall. There was the sound of claws tearing into a wall and they just stopped-
The collapse didn't stop. Mercer hissed and used his body to shield the Specialist as tons of concrete and steel ripped free and fell towards the ground. He was aware of yelling, and screaming, but he couldn't do a single thing to help.
Dust took his sight, the cacophony took his hearing.
All he knew was that it didn't stop for a very long time.
Welp. Cliffhanger. How ever will they get out of this?
Stay tuned for the next chapter next Sunday! (Hopefully. School starts again)