Chapter 2: Unexpected Guests
By the time the dog was close enough to be heard barking, more people had come and gone. Arthur, apparently "disturbed" at the lack of his fellow researchers had come looking, with Laslow tagging along. They too joined the group, and began to stare murmur among themselves.
"Any word from inside?" Corrin asked.
"None so far. Leo's still holed up in the lab, and we haven't seen Xander or Silas" Laslow replied. The gray haired man was one of the shortest in the group, and the most laid-back, after Niles. His parka seemed hastily put on, still wearing his headphones, torn jeans and sneakers, obviously not expecting that he'd be dragged out into the cold so soon.
"It's most strange, really" Arthur added. The tallest after Benny, Arthur stood proud. Broad shoulders, large muscles, and a constant smile on his face. The blonde was the station's
Niles had replaced Odin, who had decided to run back into the lab to inform Leo of the situation.
"Strange" Niles commented "Dog doesn't sound scared. You'd think that if it was being shot at, you'd hear"
Niles was the station's cook, and liked to parade around the fact that he didn't have to do "any actual work." He stood at around Jakob's height, a mess of white hair contrasting his tanned skin. His black parka, stained with what was presumably coffee, complimented his black snow boots and eyepatch well. Though he'd never tell the stories of how he acquired either.
"Someone should get Keaton. He's good with dogs" Corrin suggested. "And go talk to Xander. See what's going on with him"
"I'll go. Wait for me, and don't do anything stupid" Jakob nodded to the group, and rushed back into the main building.
"He's so stuck up. That'll never get old" Niles muttered to himself. "Ain't that right, Corrin"
Corrin raised an eyebrow in response, before shrugging and turning away, hiding his own sly grin. While he agreed Jakob could be a bit haughty at times, he held a level of respect for the silver-haired mechanic.
"I mean it's true, but you shouldn't say it" Corrin snickered.
"Don't talk about Xander like that, you two" Benny interjected.
The two shared a sheepish glance, before noticing another figure exit the main building. Shaggy black hair with a large white stripe through the centre was the telltale sign of Keaton, the station's dog manager. We wore a dirtied khaki parka, and an even dirtier pair of slacks and snowboots.
"Jakob ran in, saying something 'bout a dog. What's up?" he asked "Didn't say much, and I know it's not one of ours"
"Take a look for yourself" Corrin explained, gesturing vaguely to their unwelcome guests, who by now, had stopped firing. The group could hear the low, throbbing hum of the engine, and the whir of the blades as it approached.
As Keaton began to walk forward, his eyes opened wide, and he broke out into a sprint among the group. The dog had reached the outskirts of the camp, and the helicopter was beginning to descend.
"Red chopper?" he panted, staring at the chopper "That's Hoshido. We haven't had word from the station since about 2 days ago. They were on the lines, and then they just went dead"
"Like Silas now" Benny remarked. He looked up, and grabbed Keaton by the shoulder "Furry guest, 12 o'clock. You're up"
As Keaton looked up, he saw the dog begin to break into a sprint, and before could react, it had tackled him to the ground, and begun to lick his face. The rest of the group looked on in amusement, but turned back to the now landed helicopter.
"We've got company" Corrin stated.
From the vehicle stepped two men, both rugged up more than anyone else outside. Goggles, balaclavas, and heavy snow-padding covered the entirety of their bodies. The pilot exited from his side on the cockpit, before immediately opening the cabin, and began to rummage around.
"Hey uhh, who are you guys?" Niles asked.
The pilot took a brief pause to stare at the cyclops, before saying something in Hoshidan to his companion.
"That doesn't answer my question" Niles began "I asked who-"
But before he could finish, a gunshot rang out across the ice. The sole passenger of the plane had exited, and was aiming directly at the group. Shouting incoherently, he began to open fire.
"HIT THE DECK!" Benny shouted, pulling Corrin and Niles to the ground with him.
The others jumped down where possible, the masked man continuing to shout at them. Staring on in fear, Corrin watched as the pilot finally came from rummaging inside the helicopter, holding a mysterious box. From it, he pulled a grenade, and its pin.
Time seemed to slow as the pilot brought his arm above his head to lob the explosive. He closed his eyes, awaiting the dull thud of metal on snow, and for the piercing sound of an explosion, for the sound of the screams of his companions. But it never came.
Instead, Corrin heard the pilot let out a panicked shout. He opened his eyes, and saw him scrambling away from the group. Corrin watched in bewilderment as he frantically scrambled behind him, shouting in a panic. As he dug through the snow, Corrin felt a brief moment of peace, the man with the gun forgotten, his attention now fully focused on the panicking stranger.
That peace was quickly broken however, as the pilot found what he was looking for. Now in his hand once more was the grenade. He let out a small shout for joy, and reared his hand back to throw.
BOOM
Before the explosive could be thrown, it triggered in the pilot's hand, engulfing him and the nearby helicopter in a ball of flame.
"Holy Shit!" Corrin heard a shout from beside him, but couldn't discern the source in the fire. But before he could, another series of gunshots was let loose from the passenger, aiming at Keaton, and the dog who was now hiding behind his legs. He began to yell again, and started firing wildly.
Crack
The first series of shots missed.
Crack
The second barely missed Keaton's arm
Crack
A scream followed the third. Corrin glances over, and saw Kaze holding his leg, red seeping into his pants from behind his hands.
"Hey, what the hell!?" Niles shouted.
The gunman and continued firing wildly. By now, Keaton had dove behind one of the snow piles, leaving the dog standing out in the open, staring the gunman down. As his aim focused on the furry offender, another gunshot rang out across the ice. But this one was not from the intruder. Corrin glanced over to the source of the noise, seeing the window to the communications room shattered, and the barrel of a revolver poking out from the hole.
"Is it… is it over?" Niles whispered from beside him.
Corrin glances at the wreckage, taking it all in. The smoldering helicopter, pieced strewn about nearby, the destroyed remains leaving a burning, oily smell in the air. He took in its equally burnt pilot, or at least, where he was. With little to speak of what was an actual human, a blackened spot of ash and gore had taken his place.
"That's gonna take weeks to clean out" he thought, before shaking his head, hoping the intruding thoughts of his workload would go away, and let him focus on the dead in front of him.
His gaze travelled now to the felled gunner, the snow beneath his head a deep, brilliant shade of red. The rifle lay by his side, his finger still loosely gripped around the trigger.
Niles' shouting brought him out of his reviere.
"Is it over? Corrin?"
The white haired man lifted himself up, and offered his hand to Niles, who gladly took it.
"Yeah. Hopefully"
Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to update.
School and life kinda caught up with me, and I couldn't find the time or motivation to write.
But hopefully I'll get back into it more this year.
Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!