Escape

,The Command officer swiftly turned towards the soldier, drawing a pistol from his hip and firing into the soldier's visor. A dark liquid sprayed out from behind the shattered glass, splattering across the ceiling and coalescing before falling to the floor in a single blob. The amorphous mass rose up and took shape, revealing itself to be a Hunter Ing.

The elite Federation soldiers opened fire on the dark monster before them, only to be torn apart by it as their regular rounds had no effect on the denizen of Dark Aether.

Once it was finished tearing the soldiers apart with its tentacle-like limbs, the Hunter Ing turned its attention to Jake and Samus within their cell. It beat against the force field keeping them in until the tips of its limbs were bloody.

The creature let out a horrible shriek when it noticed that its attacks were having no effect, causing Samus to shake and Jake to cover his sensitive ears. The Hunter Ing quickly resumed its attack on the barrier, trying desperately to reach the cell's occupants.

"Get behind me and cover your eyes," Jake said to Samus quietly, the coloring of his thoughts reaching her mind and forcing her into action.

"Do it!" She shouted from behind him after doing as he had instructed her.

Jake's body began to glow with the energy of the Light Crystals he had absorbed, the shine becoming so bright that Samus could see the bones of the hand she was using to shield her eyes. She heard the Hunter Ing shriek in pain as the barrier of their cell shattered like glass, the sound quickly dropping to a horrible gurgling sound. Samus risked looking out between her fingers as the light faded, her heart dropping into her stomach when she saw Jake covered in cuts and the Ing's dark blood. For a moment she thought the creature was trying to possess him, until she saw its charred and mangled corpse splattered against the walls and ceiling.

"Shall we get out of here before more of these damn things show up?" He turned to ask her, something about the casual smile on his face after unleashing his powet making her heart skip a beat.

Just as they were turning to leave, the sound of a portal opening caused them to turn around. Further down the hall of cells, Warrior Ing were pouring out of a newly opened portal, swarming across every surface to reach them. Samus swore as she remembered that she was devoid of her Power Suit, but Jake had no such reservations. He dove into the midst of the swarm with his limbs charged with Light energy, tearing apart any of the Ing that entered his reach. Samus watched on as Jake entered his Lupus form and tore through the enemy with even more savagery in a feral frenzy, making her glad beyond words that he would never harm her, aside from his feral feedings. Within seconds, Jake had destroyed the horde and overcharged the portal with Light energy to keep more Ing from entering through it.

Jake walked back to Samus, reverting to his human form as he went. He kissed her gently on the lips as he reached her, cocking his head to the side when he saw her expression.

"Just glad that you're on my side," she said in answer to his thoughts, a gentle smile on her lips as she reached up to caress his face.

"Always," he said before kissing her softly again and wrapping his arms around her.

Their moment was interrupted by a group of Federation soldiers entering the hall with weapons raised. Jake spotted them first, as he was facing their direction. He gripped Samus tightly and turned so that his body was covering hers, trying to shield her. Samus didn't realize what was happening until the first shots were fired, feeling the projectiles impact against Jake's exposed back. He had acted on reflex, forgetting that he wasn't wearing his armored Power Suit. Samus gasped and looked down as she felt something warm and wet under feet, seeing a rapidly expanding pool of Jake's blood.

Jake's eyes and the symbols on his body began to glow crimson as his injuries pushed him into his feral Lupus state. He turned towards their attackers, still shielding Samus with his own body. She nearly cried as she saw several holes amongst all the cuts on his back, pouring blood out in sheets that covered his legs and pooled in the floor. Samus couldn't believe that he was alive, much less conscious, as the pool quickly spread across the floor. The Federation soldiers cried out as Jake's spilled blood became a crimson aura that rose up and back towards him. They turned to flee, but Jake had already moved to block their escape. He presented a visage so terrifying with his blood aura in his feral Lupus state as he stared at the soldiers hungrily, drooling even, that even Samus felt terror when she looked at him.

He fell upon the soldiers like a ravenous beast, tearing them limb from limb and gorging himself on their blood. Once again, it was only a matter of a few seconds before the hallway became silent again. Jake cried out in pain as he returned to his human form and fell onto his hands and knees, his wounds healing quickly from the blood he ingested.

"Are you okay?" Samus asked as she ran over and knelt beside him, placing her hand gently upon his healed back.

"Yeah, just didn't expect how much that would hurt," he said with a grim smile, his breathing heavy.

"Do you need my blood?" She asked him, already pulling up the sleeves of her Zero Suit.

"No, theirs was enough, even if yours seems to be stronger," he said, kissing the wrist she placed in front of his mouth instead of biting it.

Samus felt that he wasn't being entirely honest with her, but she let it slide. She knew that it would awaken a different hunger in both of them if he fed from her. She helped him stand, grabbing him around the waist when he swayed unsteadily. He gave her a mischievous grin as he felt her thoughts, bringing a faint blush to her cheeks.

"If you want me to bite you, all you have to do is ask. I don't have to feed from you every time I sink my teeth into you," he whispered into her ear, making her feel heat in places that only he could.

"Maybe later, if we can get some quiet alone time," she whispered back.

"All the more reason to get the hell out of here," he said before kissing her cheek and turning towards the door.

"Not to mention our charges are probably going to get worse after this," Samus said as she followed.

"We need to find our Power Suits," Jake said as they reached the door.

"Look," Samus said, pointing to a side door that was marked "evidence" in large, bold letters.

The door was locked, but Jake melted through it with Plasma energy charged into his hands. They found their armor stored inside among other various prisoners' things, chained to posts with heavy locks. Jake once more used his Plasma energy, this time to cut through the chains.

Once they equipped themselves and tested their systems, they set out through the main door. Neither of them were expecting the Hell they emerged to find. Bodies, most so broken and tattered that they were just bloody masses, were strewn everywhere. Blood and viscera covered the walls and floor. The Ing had invaded the Federation's base and dismantled it from the inside.

"This doesn't bode well," Samus said nervously, stepping closer to Jake.

"Look at the bright side, now the Federation can't do a damn thing to interfere with our mission. Plus, nobody will give a damn that we just broke out of a maximum security cell," Jake replied, taking her hand and leading the way back towards the Great Temple, the only place he could think to go among this carnage that might be safe still.