Chapter 18

Hernandez carried Page in his arms and held her as tightly as he could. He hurried along the dirt corridor and followed the concrete pathway out into the opened hall at the end.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Keep to the left," She whispered, "This'll get us back to the incubation chamber."

"What about the others?" he questioned.

"Forget about them. They gotta bigger battle to fight. We gotta find Adam."

Without his shotgun, the Lieutenant was vulnerable with the frail young woman. He hoped to reach the exit and not to run into any more surprises.

Back in the room, Arynn lashed out at the maniacal Ashford as he swooped down from the dark ceiling like a spider on the prowl. His arms were now two long sharp blades darting out at anything that moved. One grazed Arynn's forearm sending her down to the floor in pain. Tripper knelt down to her and quickly mended her wound.

"Coward!" Tripper shouted as he rose back up biting his lip.

"Oh stop the bullsh**, Joseph!" Peter yelled. "I am proud that you did the honor of impregnating my prized possession but as I said before, I have no need for you anymore—your time on this earth is up!"

Peter appeared out of the shadows and sprang on Tripper with speed unmatched by any Stalker. The soldier ducked and Arynn met Peter mid-air with a double-roundhouse kick. The assault was accurate sending the man into a wall leaving him disorientated.

"Get up!" Arynn screamed.

"Gladly," the mutated man said under his breath as he lunged for the woman. She dodged his advance and Tripper swiftly sliced the man's neck.

Peter grunted before turning towards the secret tunnel. He grabbed at the gushing wound and ran from the two right into the passageway that Hernandez took Page through moments before.

"No!" Arynn screamed, "Hernandez!"

"Come on!" Tripper shouted as he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her after the agile Peter.

"Hernandez, watch out!" Arynn yelled as the two ran down the dirt tunnel.

"I'll rip them all to shreds!" Shouted Peter as he left a trail of dust behind him followed by an eerie laugh.

"We gotta catch up to him!" Arynn said.

Tripper agreed as he ran as fast as he could.

The Lieutenant and Page entered the Stasis tank room quickly but cautiously. Hernandez didn't know what to expect as he cleared each row towards the metal staircase.

"Let me walk on my own," Page said as the soldier neared the foot of the steps.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yea put me down." She lightly demanded.

As she stood up and got her fitting, she approached the first stair and successfully climbed it.

Hernandez sighed and quickly tried to usher her up the stairs.

"I don't get you," he said.

"What's there to get?" the young woman asked.

"You were close to death and now you're standing here walking? I just don't get it." The soldier said a little unsure of the situation.

"I told yea I'd be right behind you." She continued.

"Yea, I know that, but how'd you know you'd survive?" He said.

"Listen," Page said quickly, "There's a lot of things that you don't know 'bout me and I'd like to keep it that way. If you don't mind."

"Alright. Fine." The soldier said backing away on the stairs. "I won't say anything else."

"Thanks…" she whispered.

They continued up the stairs and got to the top. Hernandez hesitated and wondered what happened to Tripper and Arynn.

"They can't be helped now." Page said continuing down the lit wall. "We gotta get to the surface."

As Hernandez turned to follow Page he heard some commotion coming from down in the room. He turned and saw Arynn and the Lead Commando running from the hallway.

"Eddie!" Arynn shouted as she looked around. Tripper walked down the center isle, he scanned the room for movement.

"Up here!" the soldier called. Page turned instantly and looked at him. Hernandez started back down the stairs.

"No!" Tripper said, "Stay where you're at."

"What?" Hernandez said.

"He's not here," Arynn said to Tripper. Hernandez fell silent.

"Who's not here?" he asked as he looked up to Page. She remained quiet.

"Just don't make any sudden moves," Tripper said as he continued down the isle toward the stairs, Arynn followed closely behind.

The three reunited on the stairs and started for the top when something loud came crashing down from the ceiling. They turned and immediately backed up each step.

"Where do you think you're going?" came a hissing voice from behind one of the tanks. Peter appeared with two Stalkers at his sides. His body had gotten slender and his limbs more elongated. His face was much more narrow and seemed to resemble the Stalkers next to him. "One big happy family!" he shouted raising his arms out towards the empty tanks. "Come out my children!" he screamed.

Stalkers started to come out from every corner of the room, revealing their terrifying faces to their creator and the rest of the group.

"Oh my god," Arynn whispered watching as countless Stalkers walked from out of the shadows to the center of the room as if they had been waiting for something.

"They were watching us the whole time," Hernandez said. "Why didn't they just kill us?" he asked.

Page started to walk down towards the exit but Hernandez caught her by the hand. "Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Let go of me," she demanded.

"You knew those things could do that?" he questioned her, "you knew they were up to something, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't—I swear it," she said struggling to break loose from his grip.

"Eddie," Tripper said trying to calm down his friend. "Let her go. I don't think this has anything to do with her."

"Don't f***ing touch me, man," Hernandez said stepping away from the Lead Commando. "How do I know that you and her ain't in on this?"

"Eddie, listen to me," Tripper said trying to reason with the soldier. "There's something else going on. I don't know anything about this and I'm betting Page doesn't know either."

"Yea sure, you don't!" Hernandez yelled as he lunged for the Commando.

He grabbed Tripper by the shirt and lifted the man against a wall. The Lieutenant was well built and could easily take the taller and leaner Captain out. "It was all a cover-up, wasn't it?" Hernandez shouted. "All this time, man, you were playing us all for a joke."

Peter laughed hysterically; the betrayal was still utter bliss to him. He folded his arms and watched in sheer glee and admiration.

"You know what, f*** this!" the Lieutenant shouted, "Since you all are too chicken sh** to take this guy out, I'll do it for you!" He started down the stairs. "You're delusional, man!" Hernandez shouted towards Peter. "No one is going to buy into your bullsh***!"

"Eddie!" Tripper called.

"No, man!" Hernandez called back, "This is bulls***. I'm taking this lunatic out right now!"

Tripper tried getting a hold of his friend but the Lieutenant was already too far ahead. Hernandez descended the stairs and went for Peter's translucent body. Arynn stopped him immediately in his tracks with the knife that she still had. She held it to his neck instantly.

"Don't lay a hand on him!" She sternly warned. "Stand down." She took a sigh. "I don't want you to die down here, Eddie; get Page and get the f**** out of here…"

Hernandez narrowed his eyes at the woman. He wondered if she would stab him just to save him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to put his life in her hands. She was just as much the enemy here as was Peter. Tripper came to the soldier's side.

"We can take all of this to the conference and show the world, Eddie. Page and Arynn are our evidence…" He whispered to his friend.

"Eddie, listen to them…" Page whispered as she joined them on the stairs. The soldier immediately looked at her confused.

"What happened to American?" He half whispered to the injured woman.

A small smile formed on the young woman's face as she blinked with the same piercing eyes that he had always found a mystery yet enticed him. The two shared a short moment of undisturbed honesty.

"Got tired of saying it—that's all…" she whispered. Her eyes fell on the average height Latino soldier and his serious demeanor.

Tripper cleared his throat immediately and Arynn looked back at the awaiting Peter.

"You're right," Hernandez said softly and stepped back. He came back to the injured woman and started for the stairs again. Peter's tentacle lashed out and kept them from continuing.

"I need her…" He hissed.

"You don't need any of these people!" Arynn shouted. "You only need me!"

"Don't be so selfish, Arynn!" Peter shouted.

Tripper immediately darted in front of the Stalkers that were at Peter's side and grabbed the mutated man by the throat. He sliced the man's neck repeatedly until the flesh of his neck could be seen.

"Let's see you get out of that one, Ashford," Tripper replied as he cut off the heads of some of the Stalkers and slowly returned to the group.

"Joe, watch out!" Arynn yelled as one of the Stalkers lunged for the soldier. Arynn immediately tore through the creature and landed on its chest. It died upon hitting the floor. As she looked up, she caught Tripper mid-air and fell on the floor. He grunted in pain as he grabbed the deep gash on the side of his abdomen. Arynn looked at him horrified.

"If only I—" she began. He put his bloody hand to her lips.

"Don't say anything. It's just a flesh wound." He assured her.

"I'm sorry," she said as she tried to hold on to her emotions.

"Just go kill Ashford." He lightly commanded her. "I'll be alright."

She stared at the injured man for what seemed like minutes before she knelt back up. She took a deep breath then turned around to face a wheezing Peter Ashford. He was holding his neck as the stream of blood stopped flowing. He smiled at the woman. Arynn was more than ready to finish what she had started. Now was the time to call the shots, now was the time to end the terror.

As she stood silent before the mutated man and his Stalker minions, she gripped her knife tightly. Her fingers twitched and her breathing was heavy. She cracked her neck and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Take Page and get out of here." She called to Hernandez.

"No, they stay here," Peter interrupted.

"I don't think so," Arynn immediately answered. "They leave; I stay…end of story." She glared the knife towards Peter and he immediately smiled.

"Very well," he finally said, giving into the woman's demands.

"Hernandez!" Arynn called out.

"Yea!" He answered as he stopped on the stairs.

"Make sure my son is okay."

"I will," the soldier responded with a lighter toned voice.

Arynn not once turned to face the soldier or young female, but she could hear them making their way of up the stairs leaving Tripper behind. When their footsteps were mere echoes from the top floor, Arynn made the first move. She clinched her knife sideways and nodded her head at Peter.

Tripper struggled to back his self towards the staircase away from the battle that was to ensue. He ripped off some material from his pants and used it as padding for his wound.

Arynn jumped into the air and sliced and slashed. She landed behind Peter then turned. Peter's face was covered in lacerations and deep gashes on his slender arms.

"Very nice," he said smiling. "Your agility has gotten better." He paused and his smile faded, "but I'm afraid you're not fast enough." Immediately he swung out his sharp arms and waved them around. His waves were fast and limitless it was as if they were propellers on a plane. He started to come towards the woman. Aynn backed away as quickly as she could.

She ran from the propelled man as fast as she could towards the hordes of bystander stalkers. She sliced her way through the horrifying monsters hoping to not come in contact with any of them. She headed straight for a nearby wall and ran up it. She flung herself into a backward somersault and sailed over Peter's head landing minutes behind him. The mutated man turned around immediately and took a swing at her. She dodged the blow so fast that she seemed to vanish and the man's eyes widened in excitement.

"Ha, you think you can beat me?" He shouted reaching out and grabbing her by the head. He swung her face down into the concrete and continued to pound her deeper into floor. He knelt down to the ground and smiled as the rubble covered her face. "Ready to give this up and take your place as my queen?"

"Hell no." Arynn angrily stated as she forced herself up and elbowed the man in the throat. Peter released her and staggered back. He cleared his throat as she ran up to him and double punched him in his chest. She uppercut him against a wall and he fell down.

As the two brute forces fought against the backdrop of the stasis tank stations, Tripper leaned himself against the first step and began to push himself up each stair. Each climb was excruciating and difficult but he needed to get to safety away from the beasts below. He could see that Arynn was kicking Ashford's butt and all of the stalkers were watching closely.

"Arynn, be careful…" the Lead Commando whispered as he continued up the stairs.