A/N: I own nothing, and this piece if fiction was written purely for fun.
Metropolis – Warehouse
Before entering metropolis airspace, Logan set his copter to 'whisper' mode. The advanced stealth system made it invisible to some of the best radar systems in the world, it also made him invisible to infra red detectors and also reduced the sound generated by the main rotor to nothing more than a whisper.
Approximately 15 minutes ago, Dark Claw landed the copter on the roof of a warehouse, after assessing that the internal structure was stable and strong enough to handle the weight of the aircraft. Before leaving the vehicle, he had also set the defence system into operation. The promethium plates, chosen for the materials strength to weight capability, slid and locked into place over the more vulnerable and vital parts of the craft to prevent any joyrides or attempts at sabotage.
Following Oracles coordinates, along with his own hunters instinct had managed to track the suspected saboteurs to a run down warehouse. Dark Claw was now situated in a narrow passage way located between two large warehouses, he picked his location due to the deep shadows affording him cover, his dark armour blending in with the blackness. A thick brick wall at the back to prevent a civilian from stumbling upon him, or an enemy flanking him. He engaged the enhanced viewing modes of his cowl, causing his white lenses to change to blood red. The colour change was originally an unexpected side effect but one he used to great effect.
Upon first glance the warehouse appeared to be abandoned, graffiti sprayed all over the walls, rubbish and various debris littered the exterior perimeter, the paint of the sign which once read Kane and Wein Limited had faded long ago, rust decorated the metallic shutter. However, this was all a ruse, Logans HUD in his cowl registered that there was an electronic source in the warehouse, not on the grid, possibly a standalone generator. Other signs included an active security camera, and a new reinforced steel door. Finally, the local alley cats, mice and rats kept a strict distance away from the building. In that building there was something bad enough to scare them away.
While remaining in the cover of shadows, Logan took in several deep breaths in attempt to detect the scent of anyone close by. From the piles of rotten garbage and the various sprays from cats marking their territory it was no easy task. Once satisfied that the coast was clear, he made a break across the road towards his target. He kept eyes on the camera to stay out of sight to as to not alert his presence to any security inside.
Inside the warehouse
After successfully gaining entrance to the premise, Dark Claw checked the surroundings of the room. No cameras or sensors of any kind. He noted mentally, his enhanced sense of sight allowing him to see the room with equal clarity in the dim light as a normal human would in the day. It was an office some kind, fairly basic with 2 desks, chairs and filing cabinets. Spiders webs filled the corners, as the dust lay on top the furniture.
Logan checked on the door, it was your standard medium density fibre board. Dark Claw leaned against the door and used his enhanced hearing to try and detect He crouched down onto one knee as he pulled out a fibre-scope from his utility belt, sliding the thin cable under the door, he used it to detect if there were any signs of activity in the hall.
After determining that the hallway was clear of any security personnel, Logan made his way to the opposite doorway. After repeating the process on the second door, Logan noticed several small objects littered across the floor of the room. To limit any further risk of detection, he checked the lock and opened the door. Securely closing the door behind him, Logan picked up one of the several small objects, examining one of the bones. The bones were clean, which was strange, there were no cuts, no bite marks, the bones were stripped clean. Logan had only ever seen something like this when a human body was submerged in a form of acid. What is going on here? Wondered Logan, setting his gaze to the rest of the room, there were several large piles of bones in the far corners of room. There are 206 bones in a adult body, and 300 in a babies before they fuse. He thought harrowing as he picked up a childs skull. His face instinctively morphing into a wolf like snarl, his claws itched to be popped and his predatory instinct to hunt and to kill began to bubble.
Assessing the situation letting the beast loose right now would do more damage than good, he reasoned with himself. Clenching his fist, he steeled his resolve as he went back to work. Clearing the hall again, he made his way down the hall, as he proceeded the bland beige walls of the corridors slowly began to meld into a the same strange black and red organic substance, similar to the device which blew up the deep space monitoring station outside of Metropolis earlier that night. Looking at where the organic compound started to change, it was about an inch thick and was growing over the walls.
The scent of the substance was sickening, it irritated the back of his throat, the deeper he went the more difficult it came to breathe. He wasn't entirely sure if it was the heat which had seemed to have risen or if the composition of the air had been changed in some way, but it currently felt that he was breathing on one lung. After a few more steps, he noticed that his hands began to shake and his vision began to blur.
None of these were good signs, Logan went to one of the compartments on his left taking out a compact re-breather. His current model being two generations more advanced than the what his company currently offered. Dark Claw continued to make his way through the hallway, his armour adjusting to the level of light to blend in more successfully. Locating another door Logan proceeded to investigate its contents. Like the hallway outside its walls were covered in the strange organic compound, however it contained several pod shaped objects mounted to the surrounding walls. Their shape was similar to pea pods only black in hue with a few dark red orbs lining the sides. The majority of the pods were empty except two. They were located on the far right hand corner of the room.
A clear section of the carapace showed that these pods contained a bright red liquid and also the unconscious bodies of two of the engineers from the observation station. Logan instinctively unsheathed his adamantium claws, his first instinct was to cut the survivors from the pods and escort them out of the building to safety. Upon further assessment, he rationalised that at the moment he didn't have enough information to warrant such action, to remove them from their current environment so rapidly could be traumatic possibly even fatal. No, he would have to come back for them and make sure it was done in environment with proper medical facilities should any complications arise.
Dark Claw withdrew his claws, albeit some what begrudgingly. He made his way closer to them, and examined the exterior structure. Reaching into one of the pockets on the left side of his belt, he removed two small cubic devices and attached them to pods in an inconspicuous location. The beacons would highlight the pods position on the building schematics as well as send an automated alert should anyone move them.
Leaving the room, Logan proceeded down the corridor, the other rooms proved unfruitful. Still no sign of the three fugitives. He continued his search, now passing by several pieces of alien equipment he soon approached the walkway which over looked the factory floor. Spotting the light over head, he fired one of his shuriken at the bright bulb. Upon contact, the bulbs glass exploded in to a brief shower of sparks and glass before being enveloped in the cold embrace of the dark shadows.
While keeping out of sight, Logan peered down to the factory floor. Scanning the area past the inert machines, his lenses picking up two humanoid shaped individuals, the enhanced specs confirming what he already knew. They were not human, there was no sign of any interior skeletal structure or muscular composition. What are you? He thought briefly before his hearing picked up the sounds of a growl.
Turning his attention to the origin of the inhuman sound, Logan spotted a strange creature approaching him. Like the other 'aliens' it had no internal skeletal structure, its skin was the same combination of black and red. It had a long box like snout similar to an iguanas along with two long sabre like teeth but with what appeared to be a large bone like crest on its head. Along its back were several dorsal tubes and a strong tail which ended in a bundle of spike similar to a medieval morning star. Its main body was lean but powerful and had a quadrupedal stance, its clawed feet digging into the metal beneath it causing it to bend in its powerful grasp. Ah hell! He thought, realising that the time for stealth had passed.