Chapter 3
The Outbreak Part 2
After arriving from the core systems they find the Transport Hub littered with dead bodies and puddles of blood everywhere, they cautiously make their way across the area staying as quiet as possible while hearing the numerous roars of necromorphs and the panicking screams of civilians fleeing the the evac routes.
"My god, what a fucking mess." [Said Matland]
"Woods how far have these things spread since breaching crossover tubes?"
"It's bad, about 57% of the public sector is showing signs of infection and its rising quickly."
"Already."
"Yes and every few seconds more and more civilians and station personnel are flat lining across the board and most of them are returning as those things, on the bright side a great many people have been evacuated but there's still lot stragglers that missed the evac transports trying to get to gove sect, a few of our officers are there escorting them."
"Okay how far?" [Asked Bastian]
"It's a long walk, near Crossover Tube B."
They take an elevator down a few levels.
"Are you and the others safe at the station?" [Asked Matland]
"No we had to relocated to a secure area it should be safe for now but those things are spreading everywhere I'm not optimistic it'll keep them out indefinably."
"Alright we're gonna go to the station to stock up on ammo and gear then we'll catch up to the group."
"Understood."
They move quickly through the commons as best they can without attracting attention.
"Any more orders from Tiedemann besides killing these "key subjects"?" [Asked Matland]
"No not much else other than heavily fortifying the entrances to gove sect with his personal soldiers, I got an update on the key subjects there's only two left running around, Isaac Clarke and Noland Stross."
They stop for a moment.
"Isaac Clarke?" [Said Bastian]
"That sounds familiar is that the guy's name you couldn't remember?" [Asked Matland]
"Yeah it is."
"I looked him up he's a CEC systems engineer, everything on him in the last three years has been blocked out but the most recent thing of him was the last job he took which was three years ago, it was a repair mission in response to a distress call from the USG Ishimura." [Said Woods]
"You think what's happening here what happened at Aegis VII… that would make sense for the government to cover it up?" [Asked Matland]
"That's what I was thinking too, that article I read the other night."
"This is getting interesting seems like they did find something might explain way the system was restricted in the first place."
"Well they never gave a good reason way entry there was illegal." [Said Woods]
"We're almost at the station we need to move we shouldn't stay in any place too long." [Bastian advised]
"Agreed."
After half hour they finally reach the station security HQ, upon entering they find it completely deserted. They make their way through the halls till they make it to the armory, they restock up on ammo Bastian reloads his Seeker Rifle and takes up a Plasma Rifle Matland does the same.
"Just to be on the safe side we should put on better gear." [Looking at the Micro Store]
"Good idea there're more strong and better versions of our suits in there plus if we have to go outside in the vacuum or there's a decompression we'll last longer."
Bastian and Matland enter the stores and choose their suits, seconds later he emerges out of the inner chambers both wearing Elite Security Suits.
"Nice, very nice these'll do us good." [Said Matland]
"Aren't these the ones the SWAT team use?" [Bastian inquired]
"Yeah these are the toughest and best ones available to station police."
"Looks like we're set, Woods you still there?"
"I'm here Charles … hey listen I'd like you guys to check something out at the hospital near you."
"Titan Memorial Medical Center?" [Asked Bastian]
"Yeah I thought I detected both Bartlett and Weller's RIG signals there, there was three other ones too."
"Who are they?"
"One is Gabriel's wife Lexine Weller and the other two, it's strange there are no names, no RIG ID's I think those two have ID blocks on them."
"Those are illegal for civilian use that type of software and tech is only available for the military and the government agencies." [Matland stated]
"Yeah and who ever those two are, they have Lexine Weller with them and Gabriel appears to be following them, I think he's chasing them he and her heart rates are high but Bartlett he's not doing too good he's vital signs are very low."
"Well let's go we should find whatever survivors we can take them to the safe zones at gove sect, let's haul ass."
Unknown to them as the make way to the hospital Gabe Weller fights his way through an onslaught of necromorphs trying to reach his wife who has been abducted by two unknown men.
"Woods can you contact Sergeant Weller?"
"I'm trying but something's jamming most transmissions were he is I think it might be those two RIGs."
"Copy keep trying."
After fighting a large hoard of Packs and Slashers Gabe finally break though and enters the hospital's hanger.
"Gabe!" [Shouted Lexine]
"Lexine run!"
The two men that abducted Lexine quickly turn into Twitchers and attack Gabe. He easily kills them and Infectors.
"Gabe you're still alive I can't believe you're here, I thought you were dead."
"Lex, get that ship ready for takeoff."
"I'll try."
"Warning security lockdown; the hospital bulkheads are protected from unauthorized overrides by standard by stand-alone fuse relays."
"I'm going to have to force the airlock open form out here, stay in the ship you don't have a suit for the vacuum."
Gabe hacks the terminal controlling the hanger doors half through he's ambushed by Colonel Bartlett who activates a grenade.
"Just… following… orders."
Gabe wrestles him trying to get the grenade away from him but it detonates, the explosion obliterates Bartlett's body completely and blows off Gabe's lower right leg leaving him hemorrhaging on the floor.
"Lex, Bartlett set off grenade."
"Oh my god!"
"I'm not going to make it."
"No, that's not possible!"
"I can blow the bay doors for you from out here… you can get away… you and the baby, I love you Lex."
"Gabe…" [Voice breaks]
"I love you." [Weakly]
Gabe slowly destroys each of the fuse locks on the hanger doors while trying to stay alive long enough to let his wife escape. Matland and Bastian managed to fight their most of the way to the hanger when they hear an emergency alarms that the hanger doors were about to fail.
"What's that?"
"Decompression warning something's going down at the hanger we need to hurry!"
Gabe destroys the last fuse and the necromorphs in the hanger are flushed out, Lexine's shuttle launches while Gabe says his final farewell to his love.
"Goodbye Lex… I love you."
Lexine screams for him to answer her, believing her husband's dead she covers her face weeping as her shuttle speeds away from the Sprawl.
Matland and Bastian run through the cargo bay littered with dead necromorph corpses, they enter the hanger after it's done equalizing the pressure. They see Gabe Weller lying motionless on the ground with large puddle of blood under him.
"Weller!" [Matland yelled]
"Is he alive?"
"I… I don't know his RIG is damaged."
Matland feels his neck for a pulse.
"I'll be damned he's alive but barely."
"I'll see if I can stop the bleeding." [Said Bastian]
Bastian takes some tubing that he finds on the floor then he ties it around the wound where Gabe's leg was blown off stopping the bleeding. Gabe groans out pain when the final knot is tightened.
"I've stopped the bleeding but he needs transfusion he's lost too much blood."
"Guys you read me?" [Asked Woods]
"Woods we found Sergeant Weller he's hurt bad he needs immediate medical attention."
Matland removes Gabe's fractured helmet.
"Well we're in luck there are some of our SWAT guys that survived near you, when they get to you guys will go with them to the rendezvous point with other survivors, don't worry they have medics with them."
"Finally some good news." [Matland sighed]
"Yeah maybe I'll see guys soon we'll finish up here with some stuff and we'll try to make our way to the rendezvous."
"Good how are things right now at the government sector?" [Bastian asked]
"Tiedemann's men are prepping the civilians for evacuation."
"Anything on that Saboteur or those two remaining subjects?" [Asked Matland]
"Noting on that Vandal yet but there was some activity going on at the Church of Unitology, Isaac Clarke is there somewhere and possibly Nolan Stross too… huh it seems there a gunship tracking them guess Tiedemann really wants them dead."
"What's he thinking that's the last place I'd want to be during this shit since those marker head bastards caused this?"
"He's been talking to someone lately."
"That Stross guy?"
"Him and someone else I can't tell who it is it goes on a private channel so I can't listen in."
"Hmm." [Matland grunted to himself]
The doors open behind them and their back arrives.
"Good the teams are here."
"Alright they should be able to stabilize Weller till you guys get back to gove sect."
"We'll see you soon." [Deactivates his com]
The medics tend to Gabe as they prepare to meet up with the rest of the surviving civilians and station police.