Unlikely Heroes
Chapter 35: Hotspot Country
It didn't take long for those from the nether to be called into action again. The result was working with Chris and Jill. But the result was a loss as during the mission, the female human went over a cliff to her death. Despite a body not being found, Jill was presumed dead. Those from the nether had been with Chris as he placed flowers on her tomb. Now it was a few months later, and the group was in Africa. Logan and Uma had to use a couple of spells to help Napoleon and Pachira deal with the hot sun here. The place they were heading to was the city of Kijuju, which was part of the Kijuju Autonomous Zone, a self-governing region of a West Africa nation. Civil war had ravaged the place with the government being overthrown. Economically, the place was still good, and got it from some fishing, but mostly mining operations. Right now, the group was heading down a dirt road in an army jeep. Those from the nether, Kratos, and Venus rode with Chris driving. This time the outfits were for the more rugged areas and heat while being army like. "First a cold place in Spain, then at sea, now in the heat," Cosmo said as they rode.
"I think it's nice; no creepy mist, just bright sunny weather," Uma commented.
"Still, I think we can all agree technology wise, this won't be like back home," Nicholas stated. Chris said nothing as he thought about the turn of events.
The human should've seen it coming. It didn't take long after the fall of the Rindella Corporation for their bio weapons to end up in the hands of terrorists. A new era of bio-terrorism descended upon vulnerable countries, shifting the balance of power throughout the region. People in the destabilized areas soon feared another incident like that city one was inevitable. As panic spread, governments of the world turned to the Global Pharmaceutical Consortium, which formed the DSAA. Operatives of the DSAA were sent in to infiltrate and neutralize bioterrorist hotspots, restoring safety and stability to various regions around the globe. "Hey, I think I can see our destination up ahead," Logan then said which snapped the human out of his thoughts.
The vehicle drove in and the thing the group noticed right away was that this town was rough, like some third world country area. Another was the smell, some not pleasant at all. For Nicholas, Liru, and the dogs, who noses were sharper than the rest felt a little pain due to the strong smells. But it was quick to get used to. Looking at the people here showed they were beaten down a little by their environment. "This is definitely one of the rougher areas of Africa," Cosmo said softly.
"I read up on the poor countries here but to see it is another," Akio commented in the same volume of voice.
Chris parked the vehicle and everyone got out. The dogs shook themselves over while the male human got something out of the back of the truck. Just then everyone heard a female voice with a slight accent speak. "Welcome to Africa." They all looked up to see a young female who had combat pants and a top that was almost purple in color. Her ears each had an earring, and the skin was somewhat tan like but not as much as Liru's. Her brown eyes were almost black in color. Her hair was somewhat long and in a small ponytail. She also wore combat gloves that were fingerless. "My name is Sheva Dolmar."
Everyone shook her hand. "Chris Limefeild," the male human said as he went last.
"Your reputation proceeds you Mr. Limefeild. It's an honor."
"Just Chris, thanks," he replied with a smile.
"I assume you've been told about how most of us in the group aren't human?" Nicholas asked and Sheva confirmed this. "Very well. We've worked with other humans before so this shouldn't be different."
"So will you accompany us to the destination?" Chris asked.
"Yes," the female human replied. "Tensions are running high ever since the change in government."
"I'll bet. Inntel says it's a haven for terrorists now."
"And they're not going to be happy to see an American and other foreigners. DSAA or not. That's why I'm your partner; help put them at ease."
"I'm sure you'll do just fine," Nicholas commented. Sheva began to walk forward and the rest from the nether and dogs followed but Chris.
"Partner…" he said, his mind bringing up the image of Jill's grave.
The others stopped when they realized the male human wasn't following. "You okay?" Sheva asked, noticing he was lost in thought.
"Yeah, sorry… It's nothing, let's go."
The group continued to walk while Chris went back to his thoughts. Causalities continued to mount over the long years he had struggled. More and more, he found himself wondering if it was all worth fighting for. Maybe one day he would find out. His thoughts were then interrupted as the group approached a wall with barbed wire on it, a type of barrier and check point. A native male in military garb saw them and stepped forward, calling to them in the native tongue spoken here which was Swahili. One of the ruins helped those from the nether understand the guy as it helped translate any language. Seeing his gun and actions, it was clear that they were to stop. Sheva raised a hand for the group to step back as the new human began to frisk her to check is she was carrying anything but it was a bit rough and she shook him off. "You don't have to get touchy!" the female human snapped. Sheva held up some kind of identification for the person to see. "Let's go."
"So uncivilized," Logan said before everyone passed by the guard. Chris then went back to his thoughts. He had a job to do and he was going to see it through. The gateway opened up to allow the group in. They didn't notice in the shadow of a building nearby a local saw them and his eyes glowed red as he let out a growl. The group saw they were in a different part of the town. It wasn't as crowded with buildings or people. Just then a voice sounded on the communicators the group had.
"This is Kirk," went a male voice. "Can you read me?"
"Chris here," the male human in the group replied. "Coming in loud and clear, Kirk."
"Yes, we read you," Sheva commented.
"There's a black market weapons deal going down in Kijuju. That's were Dirving will be." That was the name of a man that the group was trying to find for this mission as he was responsible for the recent bioterrorist activates. Another deal was going to happen with him. "Alpha Team has already infiltrated the area and you will be going in as backup. Rendezvous with your contact at the butcher's shop. You can gear up and get briefed on the mission there. Watch your backs!"
"Roger that," Nicholas replied.
"Copy that," Sheva said. "Over and out."
The shop was just ahead and it only took a minute to get there. The group went inside. "Ah, Chris Limefield," went the voice of the owner and it had a different accent then the locals here. "Go around to the side door." They found it and found the owner waiting for them. The person had skin more resembling that of what was found in the Middle East. He wore a turban and mouth cover that were white with matching clothes and a vest to deal with the heat.
"Good. You're all here. Come." The human led the way to a back room. Flies could be heard buzzing in the shop. "It may be because of the new change in government, but people around here are a little on edge. You should do what you came here to do and go home."
"Yeah, they really roll out the red carpet for us foreigners," Napoleon commented sarcastically.
The second male human brought them to a table that had a couple of cases on it. "I have your weapons here," he said. "You should check them."
Those from the nether had taken a different flight than Chris and had been able to get their weapons through customs. He had taken a different approach. The guy and Sheva opened the cases to find a couple of vests, two pistols, and two combat knives for each. There was even ammo to. "Basic, but it should do for now," Logan commented.
"We'll probably be able to find more weapons like in all the other places we've been to," Cosmo stated.
The two humans suited up as did those from the nether. "Destination coordinates?" Sheva asked the second human male.
"Town square's up ahead," he replied. "Go through there. Alpha Team's waiting at the deal location."
"Good."
"Should be simple to get there," Liru commented.
"What do you know about Drodoros?" the second human then asked, causing the rest to look up in surprise.
"Mostly just rumors…" Chris replied. "Something about visions of a doomsday project."
"Doomsday sounds about right. And apparently, it is no rumor."
"You're kidding, right?" Sheva asked, shocked.
"You must find a man named Dirving. He's our only lead." The second human began to walk out of the area, but turned back to look at the group to say one last thing. "And be careful out there."
"Let's hope things don't sound bad as they seem to be," Logan said.
The group made it outside. But not before grabbing some local currency from a box. "Remember, we're a team," Chris said to Sheva. "Whatever happens, we stick together."
"Don't worry," she replied. "I may not be as big as some of you, but I can still hold my own."
"Good to know," Pachira commented with a grin.
Chris led the way out through the butchery that went to some side paths. Then when they reached an outside area, they all heard the sound of a man screaming. "What the…?!" Aiko asked.
"Did you hear that?" Pachira asked.
"It came from that building!" Sheva said, pointing it out.
The group ran to the building and Chris lead the way through after quietly opening the door. Everyone looked to the left and saw one of the locals pinned by two others. One was holding his hands down, the other was on top of his chest. What happened next was so fast that there wasn't time to react. The one on the local's chest grabbed something from his mouth. It looked like some kind of rounded object, almost heart shape but it had small thing tendrils on it that were moving. The thing was forced down the throat of the local's mouth who was on the floor. Kratos and Venus both growled. "Freeze!" Chris stated, everyone cocking their guns at the two who were holding the first human down.
Those two looked up with the one that had shoved the thing down the local's throat taking a second longer. The group saw something from his mouth that looked like some kind of open flower. But the color was some kind of fleshy one that had been seen on zombie like enemies and there was even drool coming from it. It retreated back inside the mouth and the person turned with a growl. He ran for it as did the other while the man that had been pinned down began to convulse as he coughed. The person rolled to all fours, still coughing. Everyone in the group slowly approached. "What was that thing we saw?" Nicholas growled.
"Are you okay?" Chris asked the man, touching him on the shoulder.
The man threw him off with a shout. He then began to claw at his throat as something could be heard moving inside there like it was taking over the human. He then arched his body back with his mouth open. The veins in the eyes could be seen. Blood suddenly oozed out from those parts and both nostrils. The person's body then fell forward while still on his knees with a heavy groan. He then slowly rose up with some kind of growling. He flexed his fingers, the knuckles cracking. Everyone else in the group took a step back, guns at the ready. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the human charged forward with a yell like a zombie, and the eyes were glowing red. What he got was a firing of bullets and the body fell to the ground, dead. Those in the group looked at the dead person in shock. "What the hell just happened?" Sheva asked.
"He didn't move like any zombie we've seen," Chris said.
"And those other two…" Nicholas commented. "Something wasn't right with them."
A door was tried but it was locked. The only way out was through a window. Chris took the lead of breaking it and jumping down below. The rest followed him. "We should keep moving," Uma suggested.
"Yeah, great idea," Logan agreed. "We don't want to be found by more of them."
The male human in the group lead the way down the alleyways. Then Kratos and Venus began to growl. "What is it?" Sheva asked.
"Trouble," Nicholas growled as he and Liru sniffed the air, catching the scent of what their dogs did to.
Suddenly they all heard shouting. The locals were coming in, armed and hostile. One look at their eyes showed they were glowing red and not normal. Some came from the alleyways and others by climbing over fences. "We need to get out of here!" Uma stated.
"It's too narrow to fight them all of!" Cosmo commented.
"Wait, over there!" Napoleon said, noticing a house that was abandoned.
"We'll have a better chance of fighting them from there!" Sheva stated.
Everyone ran for the place. The female human was the last inside and slammed the door shut. She used a nearby plank of wood and placed it in three metal hooks. Two were on the door, one on the frame and this acted as a lock for the place. "Come in, Kirk," Chris said as he contacted the guy on his communicator. "The locals were hostile and we had to use force. We don't have any contingency plans for this situation, do we Kirk?"
"Roger on the locals," came the reply. "But your orders still stand." The call was then cut.
"What does that mean?" Aiko asked.
"Was HQ expecting this?" Sheva asked.
"Don't know, but we need to move," Nicholas growled. The group heard the hostile locals pounding on the door.
Chris spotted a door that could be kicked down. He and the male werewolf did so which allowed the group to move on. In the next part of the house a hole was found that everyone jumped down. Looking showed it appeared to be the foundations of the house. The group went down the tunnel way until a ladder was reached that they climbed up. It led to a small room with a door that everyone went through. The group emerged in a different section of the area outside. "Seems clear of enemies here," Napoleon said.
"We can rest a little easy," Pachira commented.
"Looks like there's only one path," Aiko said.
Chris led the way and there was a small ledge that the group jumped down from to the street below. Then it was a short way to a building. "Hey, do any of you hear that?" Liru asked as they got to the doorway.
"Yeah, I can," her guy replied.
"What is it?" Logan asked.
"It sounds like shouting. Like a rally or something." They all went inside.
The group went up to a nearby window. Looking ahead saw a huge number of the locals, many of them armed. They were shouting. In front of them was some kind of wooden platform. One top of it, two more locals were holding a person down on their knees. A different local had a megaphone in his hand. There was also a very tall being as well on the platform. The guy with the megaphone began to talk into it with power, stating something. "You don't know what you're talking about!" the person being held down shouted. "You can all go to hell!"
The group in the building then realized who it was. "Wait a minute, that's the…!" began Sheva, moving forward, but Chris put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. It was the person from the butcher who had informed them of their mission.
"I don't think there's anything we can do," Nicholas growled.
The man with the megaphone said a few more things then stepped to the side. The tall figure next to him stepped forward. The group saw the face was covered and the upper body was heavily built like a powerlifter. Nails were imbedded on the skin ever few inches and in multiple places. Stiches could be seen in patterns and the garb was made of leather with a butcher's like apron and bloody. The being held a massive ax with one end being like a mallet with spikes. The blade also had spikes as well; the whole thing looked like it was death. The one wielding it brought the weapon up with a shout and decapitated the held person. The group all turned away from the sight as it happened, those from the nether finding their boyfriends and holding onto them for comfort. The locals watching yelled and cheered their approval. The man with the megaphone then looked and saw the group in the window, the females from the nether looking back out now. The person with the megaphone pointed to them and stated something. It was clear this time what he was saying. "Uh-oh…" Uma said.
"I think they've seen us," Pachira stated with a gulp.
The locals turned their heads to face the group, eyes glowing red. The guy with the mega phone said some more words before shouting. The locals came chagrining towards the group, yelling. "Get ready, here they come!" Nicholas stated.
"The shelves!" Chris stated, pointing to the two in here. Napoleon and Cosmo each moved one in front of the doors in here.
"That should hold them back for a bit," Logan said.
"Looks like we can shoot at them through the spaces in the windows," Nicholas commented.
Everyone got into position and began to fire. Like the last hostile, it took a few shots, more than what a normal human would need to be put down. The shelves didn't last that long and one of the enemies got through. Chris got the person to their knees and struck with a fist as hard as he could. The person flew and crashed hard into a fence. A few seconds later, the body melted away in a bubbly mass. "That's new," Liru said, seeing this.
"Kinda like those cult people back in Spain," Aiko commented.
"But this is somewhat different."
The group moved to the outside and saw more enemies. Now the group could see the bubbly mess they left behind when killed a bit more clearly. Then they heard the sound of the enemy with the megaphone. Chris took careful aim towards the platform and blew the guy's head clean off. For a few seconds the group saw what appeared to be some kind of tendrils with a flower before the main body fell. "What the…" Nicholas said.
"That's also new," Liru commented.
"Let's see how they like the taste of steel," the male werewolf growled and drew his katana.
The males from the nether began to now use physical attacks to help deal with the enemies. Neck breaks worked to put the locals down as well as throwing them against hard surfaces. Even so, they still kept coming. "Kirk come in!" Chris said, deciding help was needed in his communicator. "The locals are hostile! The gate is sealed and we're trapped. We need backup, and we need it right now!"
"Roger that," came the reply. "Just sit tight. I'm on my way!" The call was cut.
"Let's just hope he gets here quick!" Nicholas stated.
Just the hostel locals broke into the building somehow. On top of that, the huge enemy with the ax busted down the nearby fencing so the outside area could now be accessed. "Seems are big friend is here," Napoleon said.
"Keep the locals off of us, leave the big guy to us," Cosmo stated.
"If you say so," Nicholas replied.
A few grenades had been picked up as well before this and held onto by the male vampire. The group began to move out of the tight space as now there was a lot more area to fight. Chris even found a new weapon, a VZ61 machine gun. He knew this would come in handy with so many enemies. While he and the rest took care of the locals, Napoleon and Cosmo focused on the big guy with the ax. "Let's see how he likes an explosion!" the male vampire said and tossed one of the grenades at the feet of the big enemy. The thing exploded, causing the ax wielding humanoid to stagger to its knees. The male vampire uppercut the monster with all of his strength and while that seemed to do damage, the tall enemy rose back up.
"He's quiet resilient," the male android stated.
"There's some barrels here that look like they can explode!" Nicholas contacted them. "You might be able to use them to help out!"
The two who were fighting the enemy with the ax lured him away from the others. The vampire and android used the grenades that had been picked up. When those ran out, it was on to using the barrels here. But even with all of the explosions, the big guy showed how resilient it was to damage. But Napoleon and Cosmo didn't give up and their efforts payed off, eventually causing the ax wielding enemy to drop to the ground dead. A gold ring was also dropped that they knew could be sold for money and taken. Even so the hostile locals kept coming. "We're supposed to take all of them out?!" Liru asked.
"There's just no end to them!" Sheva stated.
"We've gotta hold out until Kirk gets here!" said Chris.
The group could do nothing but keep fighting. Then the said guy contacted them. "How you guys holding up?" Kirk asked on their communicators. "I'll be there shortly. Just hang in there."
"More waiting," Logan grumbled. But in just a bit, the second human contacted the group.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm gonna take out the door! Find some cover!"
A helicopter came flying in and the group got under shelter. They saw one of the humans riding the vehicle stick his arm out with a rocket launcher and fire. The missile flew to a gate that blocked the way and blew it up, taking out many of the enemy locals. "Quiet the blast," Cosmo said.
"Let's take a moment to catch our breath," Aiko commented.
"Hey Cosmo, maybe now would be a good time to help upgrade some stuff," Nicholas said with a grin. Before coming here, the male android had equipped himself with tools and parts to upgrade just about any weapon. The idea had come from meeting the weapons merchant in Spain. However, because he had to conserve power and energy, the guns couldn't be upgraded to full power each. It had to be done a bit at a time. So Chris and Sheva upgraded what they could, mainly how much ammo could be held before Kirk contacted the group.
"Kirk, we owe you one," Chris said, after contacting the human.
"You can thank me later. It's almost time for Alpha Team to go in. Hurry to the deal coordinates."
"Roger that."
"I'm going on ahead. We'll meet up there. Good luck!" The call was then cut and the group went to the new area that had been opened up.
They found a metal gateway to open wand went through it. Then they picked up a call on their communicators. "Mathison, Captain DeChant here! Our route is blocked! Kirk! Come in!" The call was then cut.
"That doesn't sound good," Nicholas said.
It was then through a building that lead to a different part of the area. Up ahead was a ladder with the bottom broken off from the top. Liru was given a boost up by her boyfriend but saw that while the inside had some things to grab, the windows were blocked by bars. Just then the shout of a local was heard so she climbed back down. In an alleyway to the right the source was shown; a female hostile that was quickly taken out. Just then the group were contacted on their communicators from the same people who had sent the first one. "We engaged the enemy! …And what… what the… that thing?! …In trouble. We need backup! Shit! …Help! …can't see…"
Another person then came in. "Captain, what is your status? Can you see the enemy?" they asked.
"No, no! Wait! God damn monster!" Screams were then heard before there was silence.
"Alpha Team, come in!" Sheva said into her communicator. No response came. "Alpha Team!"
"DeChant!" Chris tried on his. "Do you copy?! DeChant!"
"What the hell is going on?" Napoleon asked.
The rest of the group took care of the few enemy locals here. Then another ladder was found with Sheva heading up it with a little help from Chris. She found a key that seemed to go to an old building. "I found this," she told the others, showing them it. "Wish I knew what it was for."
"Hold onto it to be safe," Logan told her.
Chris kept leading the way through the buildings, and everyone took out any locals that showed up. Then finally when the group reached a section after kicking down a gate, the sound of a door being thrown open was heard. "Hm?" Liru asked, her werewolf ears twitching.
They then looked to the left and saw on a balcony a woman around their age and white was there and looking distress, gasping for breath like she'd been running from something. "HELP!" she screamed. "Somebody help me!"
Then a hostile local appeared behind and dragged her back in before the group could react. The door she had come from slammed close. "We've gotta help her quick!" Uma stated.
Chris then noticed a building and signaled for the others to go on ahead as he spotted some kind of shotgun through the window. Using the key that had been picked up, the male human was able to get it unlocked and grabbed the new weapon. Meanwhile the rest quickly went up the flight of stairs next to the building the girl had come from. "Careful when we go in," Nicholas said as they were by the door that would take them inside.
They could hear some kind of nose from the woman who had been dragged back inside. They rushed in just in time for her to stumble and into Nicholas's arms. Liru was just as surprised as her boyfriend by this but knew he would never cheat on her. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked in a professional way.
"Careful, they may still be here," Cosmo said while the others slowly went forward in the room to look. Chris caught up with the group to.
The male werewolf passed the female human to him. "Take care of her," he told Chris.
"Are you okay?" he asked her. Nobody seemed to notice that the female human's right hand slowly reached up to where his combat knife was held. She suddenly grabbed the straps holding it and the other things on the male's body with a grunt. Then with an inhuman sound, something erupted out of her mouth. Monstrous and black in color with drool even, the thing looked like a mouth with four open arm like sections with a talon at each end. The once human threw her head back while Chris, who saw what was going on, struggled to keep the thing away from him.
"Chris!" Sheva shouted as everyone else saw this. The female human fired at the hostile who pushed Chris away and moved back so the bullet missed. The body slowly rose up and small tentacles could be seen in the four armed mouth as monstrous sounds could be heard from the main host.
"My god…" Nicholas whispered.
The being that had once being human charged at Chris. He took his new gun and fired. The shot blew her head off completely into a gory, bloody mess. But the body didn't fall to the ground. Instead some kind of long, large limb erupted from the neck. "Get back!" Napoleon shouted.
The limb was black in color for the most part with some kind of blade at the end. There were other flesh like colors that made up the long limb along with other sections of a flesh like color. The thing made some kind of hissing nose and there were even some small sections that moved like insect legs. Chris and many in the group fired at the thing, causing the body to fly back near the door the group had entered in. The enemy rose up, the limb clearly resistant to gun fire. And then other hostile locals came in. "Some of you take the small fry out!" Nicholas stated as he punched one of the new enemies who had come in right in the face. "The rest take out that limb!"
It didn't take much longer to clear out the hostiles and the limb sprouting from the neck. After a number of shots, the thing broke part into many pieces and it, plus the host body melted away. It was then onto picking up the things in here and heading out a different door. "That was somewhat like what we encountered with Leon only different," Cosmo said.
Before anyone could say anything else, someone else began speaking which was heard on their communicators. "Mathison to HQ!" went a male voice. "We've lost contact with Alpha Team! They're under attack by an unidentified hostile! Reinforcements head towards the deal coordinates immediately!"
"Sheva here," the female human in the group replied. "Roger that!"
"Move out!" Chris said.
More hostile locals appeared after the group got down the stairs. These were taken out and then it was to the right towards a door below the room where the limb had been seen. The new area that was entered was a hallway that was dimly lit by cheap lightbulbs on the ceiling. Just when they turned the corner ahead to the right, they all heard some kind of scream from a human. It then stopped. "What the hell was that?" Nicholas asked slowly.
"That didn't sound good," Liru whispered.
Chris led the way through a door to a room with the same poor lighting. It was then up some stairs to the second floor. Their a male human body dropped, dressed in military garb. Everyone took a look at the corpse. "Is he from Alpha team?!" Cosmo asked.
"He's already dead," Logan said.
"He's dressed like a one man army," Sheva stated. "His wounds weren't made by bullets."
"Nor do they seem like a blunt object like what the locals are using," Napoleon added.
"Then… what?" Pachira asked.
It was then up a ladder with the talking still going on. "Something new that we've never encountered," Nicholas growled.
"Keep your guard up," Chris said.
They then reached a door and went through it. "What the hell happened here?" the male human that asked, surprised by what he saw.
They saw bodies strewn around, like the one they had found earlier. They were all dead and the place was a mess with blood, gore, and other stuff. "My god…" Nicholas whispered.
Then they noticed one figure who was slumped against a wall feebly stir. "He's still alive!" Liru said.
Chris rushed over and carefully helped the wounded guy sit up who let out a groan. There was blood on the right corner of his mouth. "Hey, who did this?" the first male human asked.
"Something attacked us," the second guy gasped. "Dirving… he got away… Was a setup…"
"A setup…!?"
The wounded guy slowly handed some kind of drive to Chris. "What is that?" Nicholas asked who by this point had come up to the two.
Suddenly Sheva and some of the others saw someone move and run pass a window in the room with bars. They ran to look but saw them get away. "It's data regarding the deal…" the wounded human answered. "I downloaded it from their computer…" He then let out some groans. "You've got to get it to HQ…" The person then died by succumbing to their wounds.
"Hey…" went Chris, shaking the body a little. "Hey, hang in there!"
"He's dead," Nicholas said. The male human just let out a breath.
"We saw someone, but they ran away…" commented Sheva.
Chris then contacted Kirk. "Kirk, do you copy?" asked the male human. "We got the data, but Alpha Team is down. Dirving got away."
"Roger," came the reply. "Relay the data from the vehicle at the storage facility."
"Copy that." The call was cut.
"I don't like the looks of this, but we have to keep moving," said Sheva.
"Yeah…" Liru agreed.
Nicholas looked to the dead human who had handed over that from the computer. "We'll make sure this gets where it needs to go."
Chris led the way again. It was through a door and then down a hallway to an elevator. The group got in and rode down. The doors then opened to reveal a hallway below the building that was darker and had the same poor lighting. "Another one, go figure," Logan said.
The group walked down this and through another door. There were a few more bodies that were passed here, all dead. But one of them was in a room that had a couple of large tanks of gas, and a very industrial looking furnace. It had two openings and a control panel to operate it. Small flames could be seen spurting out of some of the tubes that showed that it was one and warmed up. There was a dead body in here that had the key for it. "Hold onto it," Cosmo said to Aiko. "It might come in handy."
"Um, okay," she replied and took it.
"Time to move," Nicholas said.
The group then retreated back to the door that would lead them to the vehicle they needed. Everyone was on edge with their guns drawn. There was another dead body in here that the group didn't bother with. They slowly went up to the door and Aiko saw the key she had could be used to unlock the door. Suddenly Kratos and Venus whipped around and barred their teeth with growls. "What is it you two?" Liru asked.
Suddenly everyone heard the sound of something moving. They looked and saw some kind of black mass coming from some vent. It was dripping and wet, almost like crude black oil. There was some kind of orb that served as a center and then black slimy tentacles began to appear. "What the hell is that?" Sheva asked as it began to drop.
The thing landed on the floor and the tentacles began to move, like they were looking for something. They found the dead body and began to consume it, two of them going through the eyes of the corpse. At the same time the mass began to make noses of some kind and rose up, taking some kind of form with the tentacles moving all around the body. There were even orbs that began to form that were orange in color. The group watched as the thing began to grow by consuming the dead body until it was just about the same height as Chris. "I think that's what got Alpha Team!" he stated.
The thing began to approach. "LET'S TAKE IT OUT!" Napoleon shouted.
To their surprise, while a few of the tentacles in the mass were shot off, this thing was pretty resilient. The monster launched its left arm at the group who all rolled out of the way, slowly heading back to the furnace area. "Fall back!" Sheva stated.
The thing began to lumber after them. The group made it to the room and the thing came in. The door slammed shut. "Lure it into the furnace!" Nicholas shouted. "We'll burn this thing!"
Chris shot at one of the containers of gas which exploded near the creature. It then began to go after him. "I'll activate it!" Cosmo told the human.
The male human went through the furnace through the door on his side and went out the other end where the control was. The thing lumbered after the guy and as soon as it went, in the android activated the furnace. Both doors closed and then the fire came out. The group could see in the window section of the furnace the thing get burned and that it hated the fire. The flames took care of it as after the fire stopped, the thing began to wither and let out some kind of noses. It then fell to the ground and began to dissolve away like the hostile locals when they were killed. The door leading out opened up again. "What the hell was that?" Liru asked.
"Whatever it was it was deadly," Nicholas replied.
"No doubt about it," Uma agreed.
"This thing was responsible for the deaths of Alpha Team," Sheva stated. "We need to report this to HQ."
Chris led the way back to the door and Aiko used the key to get them pass the lock. From there it was a small walk to an elevator. Getting on, the group rode it up. They made it to where they the vehicle was that they could use to send the data. But everyone was on edge with their guns out that had them. "Help me smell this place out," Nicholas told Liru.
She nodded. "Search Kratos and Venus," she told their dogs.
The vehicles were here to, especially the one that the data would be used at. But what nobody saw was the security camera in the corner that was on and following their movements. The footage was been broadcasted to a laptop. This was on the lap of a male human in a jeep. "Let's go," he told his companion who drove them away.
Meanwhile Chris found the vehicle that they had been looking for. "Got it," he announced.
"What was that thing?" Sheva asked as the guy opened the doors.
"A B.O.W. that scumbag Dirving left behind to set us up." Chris opened the laptop that was inside the vehicle. He began to type on it to relay the data to HQ.
"I think so to," Nicholas agreed after calling Kratos and Venus back to his side since this area was cleared. "Considering what it did to Alpha Team, I think we're lucky to still be breathing."
"If only we could have gotten there sooner," Sheva commented.
"If we had, we'd probably be dead to," Napoleon stated.
The male human finished typing on the laptop and then contacted HQ on his communicator since the data had been set. "Chris to HQ, do you copy?" he asked.
"This is HQ," came the reply. "Excellent work out there. We'll analyze the data immediately."
"This whole town's gone to hell. The people here, they're acting like those people detailed in the Rennedy report and aside from that, there's something new. Something we've never encountered before."
The word of that report those from the nether made with Leon spoke to them. "I was just thinking the same thing," Cosmo said to his group of friends.
"And yet, they're not quite the same," Nicholas stated. "These seem more enhanced."
"Our transportation has been taken out to," Sheva reported as well to HQ. "Requesting a mission update."
"The mission stands," came the reply. "Capturing Dirving is your top priority. We believe he may have fled to the mines on the other side of the train station."
"Wait, we're the only ones left, you want us to go in there alone?!" Chris stated.
"Delta Team has been dispatched and they're on their way. They will assist you in locating and apprehending Dirving."
"But, wait, we can't…" began Sheva but she was cut off by the person from HQ.
"I repeat, your mission stands. We can't afford to let him get away. Proceed to the mines beyond the station. Over and out." The call was cut.
"This is insane!" the female human stated.
"You ever get the feeling you're expendable?" Nicholas grumbled. It was here that the guns were upgraded thanks to Cosmo. But now it was time to move on. And things were only going to get tougher.