Swarmlings and Hunters rushed forward, yet another wave thrown against Sigma-Echo's defenses. Just like the waves before it, this one was met by withering fire that erupted from several strong-points across the perimeter, the soldiers inside blasting away with small-arms fire as the Swarm made yet another attempt to break through.
Sarah's fire was straight and true, cutting through one Swarmling after the other. The clatter of her rifle merged with that of her fellow marines, ceasing only as she reloaded.
The Swarm didn't stop, though. It seemed that every moment that Sarah was conscious was filled by the clatter of rifles, the dying shrieks of Swarmlings and Hunters.
However, today didn't seem like it would end well. Miles, their commanding officer, was MIA, and rumor had it that he'd met the same end as Kelly had on the Xander. Many of the outer defense posts had been overrun, leaving Sigma-Echo a small island in a vast ocean of the Swarm. Many of the resupply dropships that tried to fly in were being taken out by Hornets: twenty-foot-long wasps whose venomous stings doubled as a powerful acid capable of dissolving most metals, and whose powerful mandibles could cut an armored soldier in half.
The only upside was that the fleet in orbit would keep trying to break them loose, to get them out of there. But even rescue seemed to be a dream that would never be realized. Between the constant attacks, ever-shortening supplies, and an all-time-low morale, Sarah knew that it would only be a matter of time before the Swarm would overrun their position.
The crackle of her radio brought the worst news possible. "We're being overrun!" Came the panicked cry. "The Swarm broke through!"
Sarah's mind began to race. With the Swarm inside of their perimeter, they couldn't hold the position anymore. Evacuation by air would be impossible. They couldn't wait to be cut down, but they couldn't run or hide...
"Abandon the outer defenses and retreat to the command center! We can make our stand there!"
Sarah marveled at how calm that voice sounded. Despite the odds, someone had kept their head long enough to come up with a plan that actually might work. The command center was a fortress in and of itself, with access to communications, the rest of their supplies, and external automated defenses. It was perfect.
She didn't question the order. She simply ran. The strong-point she'd been posted at was the closest to the command center, so she was the first there. Quickly, she turned on her heel and began to provide covering fire for the others that were running for their last hope of survival...
The command center was a citadel. Automatic turrets, a high roof perfect for snipers, extremely thick outer walls, and energy-sheathed blast doors. Nothing would get in, and nothing wanted to get out.
Peering through the scope of her weapon, Sarah shook her head in confusion and relief. The Swarm had turned on itself for a moment, almost as though separate factions had ended a fight for dominance. That respite was short lived, and soon the Swarm was destroying the derelict equipment that had been left behind. Tanks, ammo dumps, mining equipment, all of it up in smoke.
"Sarah, we got the generator at full capacity, hydroponics pods are running, and the condensers are full-bore." Came the call over the radio.
"Thanks, Jack." Sarah said, acknowledging her partner, squad-mate, and childhood friend. "We can just hole up and sit tight. Is there any word on reinforcements?"
"Negative." Came the response.
Sarah sighed. "Well, tell me when-"
"No, Sarah, that was the reply." Jack said. "Negative. We're getting no reinforce."
Sarah went silent, her mind a blur. Hundreds of questions raced through her head, none of them with an answer.
"Sarah?" Jack asked.
"Jack, meet me up here in five."
"The fuck!" Sarah yelled. "Why wouldn't they try reinforce us?" Sarah continued to pace, trying to work out her agitation.
"No one gets it." Jack admitted. "The fact that they'd throw away our lives, and this deposit, too! It makes no sense! The least they could do is try to evac us, but that's not happening either."
Sarah shook her head angrily, and walked to the edge of the roof, looking down over the clearing below. The command center was situated on one end of a a clearing, pushed up against a sheer rock cliff. Out pas the other end of the clearing, the Creeper was starting to encroach on the outermost defensive lines.
"I'm blackboxing this." Sarah said finally. "
Jack nodded. The practice of blackboxing was an old one, taken up by the hold-outs when nothing was going their way. In theory, it was done in the hope was that someone would find the black box in the future, and learn from what had happened, or that the hold-out would survive, and be able to pass on the information. In practice, it was a soldier's resignation from hope, thinly veiled as an attempt to be useful. Either Sarah had given up, or she really believed that they'd get out of here alive.
"I'll see if I can get your food and water sent up here." Jack said. "Seeing as how you'll be spending your time up here, you'll probably land sentry duties, too."
Sarah nodded. "Thanks, Jack."
Day 1: The Swarm is still having a field day out there, scrapping every last piece of military hardware they come across. It's taking them a while, considering how heavily defended this place was, but they're not stopping. The sound of screaming metal is a constant as they rip apart everything they come across. Every now and then, someone else comes up to the top of the Command Center to take a few pot shots, but I feel like we all know it's useless. It's just a way for them to cope with the sudden shift in roles. Of course, we've always been surrounded, but now, it's worse. We have no way out.
Day 3: New organism discovered! At the far end of the defensive line, I caught a glimpse of a centipede-like organism. I've estimated its length at fifteen feet. The head bears a pair of feeler tentacles, and the overall color is the same mottled brown as the other Swarm creatures. I only saw it for a moment, it moved so fast! It came up out of a reinforced trench line, and settled onto the edge of the Creeper. Then, like a caterpillar spinning itself into a cocoon, the thing wrapped itself in Creeper.
The gunfire was what woke her. She was up in an instant, full alert. She moved over to the edge of the roof, and looked below. Automatic turrets were firing at a group of Swarmlings below, illuminated by a pair of floodlights. They beat mercilessly against the tempered neosteel walls of the command center. Sarah took her grenades from her belt, pulled the safety pins, and tossed them into the boiling mass of bodies below.
There were two explosions as the high explosive/fragmentation warheads detonated, and the Swarmlings were mostly maimed, with a few dead. The Swarmlings retreated.
Day 5: After about two days of sitting there, growing, the cocoon the Crawler spun around itself is now, by my best estimates, at least as tall as a person, and half again as wide at the base. I'm not sure what's happening, and I'm not sure that I want to, either. It doesn't look like anything I've seen before. It's vaguely reminiscent of a Swarm egg, but I've never seen an egg that big. What's it turning into? Is this how they reproduce? Is it replicating itself in there?
Day 7: That cocoon "sprouted" today. Looks too much like a human heart for my tastes. Beats like one, too. With each beat of the thing, Creeper seeped out from underneath, spreading closer and closer. We may call it "Creeper," but it grows like kudzu. Fast enough that I can watch as it slowly consumes the ground before it. Some weird growth is forming on top of it, too.
Just realized that the trees around the clearing are still alive, even after a week of exposure to the Creeper. I can see patches of Creeper growing on the trees, but, if anything, they're blooming. I need to ask an egg-head about that.
Day 8: Another Crawler today. The Creeper from the first Tumor has spread across two lines of trenches, and is currently within two hundred meters of the command center. It's moving closer and closer. I'm worried What happens if it reaches the Command Center? Will it begin to climb? Or will it sit there, dumbly, waiting? Will it eat away at the walls?
"I'm telling you, it shouldn't be possible!" The first scientist said.
"Then explain how it is!" The second retorted.
"Look, guys, it isn't that big of a deal." Sarah said in an attempt to diffuse the situation. The scientists looked at her like she was crazy.
"It's extremely important! This is proof that the Creeper isn't just a negative on the environment! It can be beneficial as well!"
"But it shouldn't be possible in the first place!" The first shouted. "All other experiments involving Creeper ended with the Creeper releasing a toxin that ended up killing off the test organism in question!"
Sarah shrugged. "Maybe her Creeper is different. Have you ever conducted this kind of test using Creeper from Kelly's brood?"
They looked at each other. "No." They admitted. "Studies pertaining to her brood have, as a general rule, been unsuccessful."
"How so?" Sarah asked.
"No support, no funding, shut down, outlawed, banned, take your pick."
"Then now's the perfect opportunity! There's no one to stop you from making the tests, unless you're telling me that you're going to follow the rules set forth by the people that tried to kill you!"
Day 10: Yesterday was crazy. Scientists jumped at the chance to conduct new tests. It was just me on a quick retrieval mission. Just me in broad daylight, covered by about fifty marines atop the command center.
It was crazy to even think that it would work. In all respects, it shouldn't have. That's why I left without a rifle: When I died, the others would only be short a pistol and two clips of ammunition.
I approached the new cocoon, where the Creeper was closest. It came up to about my waist. It pulsed at a slow, steady tempo, the slimy skin dark purple. I took a deep breath, and cut a small sliver of the Creeper from the ground. Then, I turned around and sprinted back to the command center. Not one shot fired, not one life lost. It was too easy.
Day 12: Last night... I keep running it through my head and I'm still surprised at the bounds of my stupidity, and at how I'm still alive.
It made sense at the time, of course. Slip down the fire-escape and head outside of the Command Center for a little bit of solo recon. Stick to cover to conceal my movements. It worked pretty well, too... until I wound up on the Creeper.
I've been a Marine for five years, and it should have been drilled into my head that the Creeper was just as alive as a Swarmling or a Hunter. Why I forgot that every step I took on the Creeper was another pound on the alarm, I'm not sure. All I know is that the Swarmling came out of nowhere, leaping onto me and knocking me down, using its claws and teeth to try to make short work of my Hazardous Environment Suit, and the limbs underneath. I struggled to find some purchase to throw it off so I could get to my pistol, but it kept on attacking, forcing its claws and fangs past my suit and into my flesh.
Suddenly, it jerked off of me, and I rolled away from it, coming up with my pistol in my hands. I took two quick shots, burying the rounds into its torso and head.
Then I noticed the Hunter spine sticking out of its side. I whirled around, and my heart sank.
Kelly. Even if I'd brought my rifle, my powered armor, and some backup, I wouldn't have been able to survive.
"You should be more careful." She said as she walked past me. "I don't know if you know this, but there are plenty of things out here that want to kill you." She pulled the Hunter spine out of the Swarmling, then flipped it around in her hand, holding it in a reverse grip. Then she turned around and started walking towards me.
I held up my pistol. "I should shoot you right now and end this whole mess." Then, my left leg flared in pain, and buckled, dropping me to the ground. I looked down to see there was a gaping wound across my left leg, and it was bleeding fast. There were several other wounds on my arms and stomach, but the one on my leg was far and away the worst.
Kelly put the spine down and placed both of her hands on the wound. "I need you to stay calm, alright? I'm going to start stitching this back together, and it's not going to feel pleasant."
I was about to ask her what she meant when the pain redoubled. I bit down on my hand to keep myself from screaming, and I tasted blood. Then, as quickly as the pain had started, it faded away.
I looked down at my wound. It was gone. The only sign that there had been a wound there in the first place was the drying blood. I looked up at her. "Why?" I asked.
"Why did the Swarmling attack you?" She asked as she scooped up the spine. "Because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why did I attack the Swarmling? Because it's not mine. I'm one of two broods fighting for control of the Sigma-Echo Deposits. Why did I save your life..." She smiled. "I see a lot of me in you. You're not ready to die just yet. You could be quite useful."
It took me a moment to realize what she meant by that. When it finally clicked, my eyes went wide. "No way." I said. "No. Fucking. Way. Not in a million years would I ever even consider fighting for monsters."
She smiled. "Monsters like the UTA?"
I paused, and she laughed. "I respect your choices, and I admire your attitude. Like I said, you're a lot like me. But sooner or later, you'll have to come to the realization that the safest place to be is in bed with the Devil. The task on your end is figuring out which one."
And she left. Turned around and walked off.
Day 15: I've started hearing voices... feeling things. It's extremely unnerving. I'm just sitting here, on top of the command center, slowly going insane as voices flicker in my mind, as foreign emotions pulse through my body. Most of the voices and feelings I can easily identify as human, but there are occasionally some that seem decidedly inhuman... those scare me most of all.
Also, I've started feeling sick to my stomach. Medics say I'm running a decent fever, and I've already puked my guts out... twice.
Day 16: Scientists finished their tests over Kelly's Creeper. Apparently, this isn't the stuff they're used to dealing with. Other Creeper they've dealt with drills into the host organism and releases a powerful toxin that is lethal to most organisms, almost like a terraforming agent. Kelly's Creeper, on the other hand, is actually beneficial. Plants benefited from the Creeper, improving the efficiency of their photosynthesis reactions, and in return providing excess energy to the Creeper. Kelly had figured out how to make a constant supply of energy.
Day 17: Some of the voices in my head have become more recognizable. I think that, somehow, I've unlocked some sort of hidden psionic abilities. However, there is a downside to it: despite my best efforts, I can't figure out how to turn it off.
I told Jack about it, about how I'd developed psionic abilities. About how I'd started being able to sense the Swarm below. He said to keep it to myself, for my own sake. If word got out that I'd developed psionic abilities out of the blue like that, I'd become nothing more than a guinea pig. However, he did tell me that if anything else happened, to come find him. So now, I wait and hope.
Day 19: New tumor today. The Creeper is going to start lapping against the Command Center soon. So much for Kelly giving us a chance. For the rest of the day, though, I didn't think much about it. My head hurt too much to think.
Sarah lay awake atop the command center, the pounding in her head growing worse and worse with each passing minute. She sat up, and looked over to Jack, who was looking at her.
"Can't sleep?" He asked.
Sarah shook her head. "My head feels like it's gonna blow unless I can let some of this pressure out!"
"Calm down." He said softly. "If this is linked to your psychic powers, then getting emotional won't help. Psychics and emotions don't mix well."
She sighed. "Then what should I do?"
"Just focus on something."
She nodded, and pulled out her pistol from its holster. Setting it down in front of her, she began to focus on it...
Day 20: I have telekinesis in addition to the telepathy that I already had. I'm starting to get scared, but at the same time, it's kind of addicting. But the point remains that I have absolutely no idea about where these powers came from. I'm not sure who would know what happened, but I think I know where to start.
Day 21: Last night, Kelly's mind reached out to mine.
You know, I don't appreciate your mind mingling with my Brood. It's rather distracting.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Bullshit. I recognized your mind's footprint the second I felt it in my Brood. I've been trying pretty hard to keep myself and my Brood alive, and I don't need you mucking around in it!
Seriously, I'm not trying to do anything. It's just... happening.
You mean that you've got absolutely no control over your psionic abilities? How the hell did you make it into the military without a degree of control?
I didn't have psionic abilities until about about a week ago.
What.
They developed really quickly. I'm already at telekinesis and telepathy, and I don't think there's any signs of stopping.
When did you say it started?
A little less than a week ago. Why?
When the Swarmling attacked... when I knocked it off of you... Some of my Creeper may have gotten into your wounds.
I'm... You mean to tell me I'm...No! No way! I don't believe it! There's got to be another explanation!
I don't think so. It's the only explanation I can think of.
No... It can't be. I can't be... There's no way! No fucking way!
You don't have to believe me. In a few weeks, we'll see.
Day 24: My psychic powers are developing. I can turn off the telepathy now, and what was once a debilitating headache is now an annoying tingle. On the plus side, the fever's gone away, and I can actually hold my lunch.
Day 26: I'm scaring myself. I really am. Yesterday, I discovered that I can do more than just read minds. I can delve into them... change them... destroy them.
He was a scientist. I was reading his mind, and... I don't know how, but... He just went... numb. One moment, his mind was racing, alive, full of activity. Then... nothing. I don't know what I did, how I did it, but suddenly... his mind was empty. Dead, even. Even more terrifying, his mind was pliable. I could've told him anything, and he'd believe it.
Day 27: I'm glad that the UTA isn't going to pick us up. If they got a hold of me, figured out why... I won't let that happen. I can't let that happen. I'll kill myself before I let it happen.
Day 28: The Swarm... I can feel them, feel their thoughts, their minds surrounding me. I've even influenced some of their minds. I keep wondering about what I am, about what Kelly said. Am I Swarm? Human? Some bastard combination of the two? I just don't know what I am anymore.
Day 30: Yesterday, we were picked up by the America, a super-carrier from the so-called Convert Fleet, led by Alex Schultz. The propaganda that the UTA feeds us paints them as savages that would kill us before taking us prisoner. I'm not surprised to learn that the opposite is true. He's a good man, and he cares for his crew, be they old or new.
I'm going to tell him. Give him the Black Box. He needs to know. He saved us. The least I can do is tell him.