Disclaimer: Gundam Seed and all its characters are copyright their respected owners 'n whatnot.

Ch – 03 -Siam-

"Shinn? Rey? Come on this isn't funny anymore!"

Lunamaria called out as she cautiously walked down the darkened hallways of the Minerva. She was on standby in her mobile suit when things suddenly went haywire. Her cockpit went blank, all her screens went dead, and what sounded like a massive explosion rocked her around in her seat so hard she eventually blacked out.

Or at least she thought she blacked out, that's the only explanation she can come up with for her current situation.

She could only guess that it was hours later when she woke up, only to find upon exiting her ZakuWarrior that the place was abandoned. At first she thought someone was playing a trick on her, it wouldn't be the first time that Shinn had Lunamaria believing she had been left behind somewhere, or hiding on her when there was a power spike. But this time…

"I swear to god if you guys are trying to scare me again! And Meryin better not be in on this!" There was no answer, not from anyone. She checked the bridge, medical, and the mess hall. There was no one anywhere. She thought to herself maybe they've landed and they're all off ship somewhere, but as she tried to look outside through a port window all she could see was nothing. And not the nothing of space either, where at least the light of stars or the sun could still be seen. This was just simply… nothing.

Now she was really getting scared. Her attempts at pretending this was still some sort of practical joke were quickly failing. What if the ship had been ransacked while she was unconscious? What if she really was the only one left on board!

She turned a corner to the crewman's quarters and stopped outside of Shinn and Rey's room. If they were in there all this time she was going to throttle them until they turned blue! But, somehow, she just had a feeling that this room, just like all the others would be empty.

She hit the button, and the automatic door swished open. She stood there, not understanding what she was looking at. It wasn't a room that was for sure; the two separate bunks, locker and desks instead replaced by a narrow dark staircase. Rusty metal steps leading down into blackness that seemed to bleed out the longer she stared into it.

"What is this!" She screamed as she leaned in a bit, trying as hard as she could to see where the stairs led too. All she saw was the grotesque texture on the walls, and could hear what sounded like a heavy heart beat coming from down below. "What the hell is thi-"

Something grabbed her. She couldn't see it, but it was damp and fleshy and squeezed hard as it wrapped around her throat and pulled her in. There was no time to struggle; it pulled her in so fast the world around her blurred. Her muffled screams died out into the abyss.

The police station was nothing fancy. A little small, but probably the perfect size for a quaint town were the only trouble would come from a drunken local. It was bit messy, with papers and documents strewn about like someone was hastily looking for something and didn't care about putting stuff back. Murrue followed quietly behind Talia as she pushed her way through desks and paperwork, looking for wherever they stored their weapons.

Murrue found it by luck, opening what she thought was a closet, only to discover that it opened up into a larger room. Inside was tidy and proper, unlike the main offices. Night sticks bullet vests and helmets were all hung in order, and next to it was the weapons cage. Which, much to no surprise, was locked.

"Well I didn't think it would be opened to the public, but it was worth a shot." Talia growled as she fiddled with the cage door, pulling on it slightly just to test it out. The huge padlock did its job and no amount of pulling would do any good. Sure Talia was strong, but she wasn't that strong. "Any ideas?"

"Well, either the police chief has the key or it's around here somewhere. May as well take a look around." Murrue said, already poking around some drawers and cabinets. Talia followed her example, digging through filing cabinets and emptying pencil holders hoping to find anything that resembled a key.

Murrue sifted through a stack of reports left behind by one of the police, one page caught her attention, as it stood out amongst the boring white of the other pages. This one looked stained and dirty, and for whatever reason she felt compelled to read it. It was a standard officers report, signed and dated by whoever had written it. Murrue noticed the date this was written was nearly twenty years ago, what would this be doing in a pile with more recent reports?

Got another complaint from the locals again, about that weird orphanage. They keep complaining about odd noises at night, banging and other crap. We keep sending someone out but there's never anything wrong. Its not like they're hearing kids screaming, just sounds that could be coming from anywhere. There's nothing we can do about that, at least the kids looked happy enough, except for that one that was off on her own. Damn that kid gave me the creeps.

Murrue didn't bother reading the rest, wishing she hadn't looked in the first place. "Great that's all we need. A creepy orphanage hiding somewhere in this messed up town." She thought to herself as she pushed the stack of reports back into place. Something in the middle of the pile slipped out though, falling to the ground in a clatter.

She bent down and picked up what looked like a small fishing weight, attached to it by a thin line was a crumpled piece of paper.

"That doesn't look like a key." Talia said disappointed, having turned around at the sound. She quickly dismissed her companion's find and returned to her own search.

Murrue on the other hand unfolded the paper, and furrowed her brow as she examined the sloppy writing. "Daniel has the key?"

"Daniel?" Talia's head snapped to attention when she heard the name.

"That's all it says." Murrue shrugged as she held the note.

Talia took the note from Murrue suddenly, and examined it herself. She flipped it over to make sure there was no writing on the other side, then stared at the lettering again. Eyes narrowing as she closely looked to the strange letters.

"Someone you know?" Murrue asked when she noticed the odd fascination the other captain had for a simple note.

"I… It's not important." Talia dropped the note back onto a desk. "And I don't think that's ink." She added as she took one last look at the dried red writing that looked and smelled more like blood. "In any case, Daniel…" The name seems to catch in her throat, and she had to cough before continuing. "…Obviously isn't here and neither is that key." Frustrated, Talia closed up the cabinet she was digging in and headed back out to the main building. "I'm going to check around the holding cells, maybe there's some ammo or something useful."

Not wanting to be left alone, Murrue quietly followed behind the taller woman, still a little concerned about the odd way she reacted to the note, yet not wanting to press her luck.

They entered the holding tank area consisting of two moderate size cells. Murrue noted that this area seemed quite clean compared to the rest of the place. Probably due to the fact this town was so quiet this place was only used for the occasional rowdy teenager.

Glass shattering nearly caused her to jump out of her skin and Murrue quickly turned around expecting to see some horror staring back at them. Instead she only saw Talia tearing a red fireaxe from its box off the wall.

"Its not a shotgun, but… It'll do." The Minerva captain said as she tested the weight of the axe, letting the sharp head rest on the ground. "Want to see if we can find this motel?"

Murrue sighed, not exactly wanting to go back out in that fog but they weren't going to find their crew sitting around here. "Yeah, may as well get-"

The building suddenly rumbled. Both women looked to each other to make sure they didn't imagine it. Another tremor, this one more violent that dust fell from the ceiling. Murrue reached for the wall for support, while Talia's grip tightened around the axe handle in her hands. One more rumble, followed by what sounded like a deep growl vibrated from back out in the main offices.

The little radio attached to Murrue's belt began to whine, the metallic crackling and distorted voices getting louder by the second. Murrue gasped, finally making the connection. Somehow this little radio reacted whenever something horrible was about to happen… or when something horrible was nearby. "Oh god no…"

Talia slowly started to back away from the door as heavy pounding began to get closer and closer. She took a quick look around, the Archangel captain doing the same – both looking for a way out. The only other way was a single small window, which was currently barred for security reasons. Their exit was the way they came in, and there was definitely something huge waiting on the other side.

Despite Talia taking up an impressive defensive stance with her fireaxe, Murrue pulled her back and stepped forward. The other captain looked at her strangely but then saw the gun in her hand and understood. Murrue raised the weapon and steadied herself, waiting for whatever it was that was coming for them.

The doors exploded inwards sending debris and bits clear into the holding area, the thing that came through was hulking and monstrous. The familiar fleshy scarred skin covering it, balancing on misshapen limbs, and a constant hollow rumbling emanating from deep inside its huge leather clad barrel chest. Its bottom half was almost human looking, save for the extra pair of legs that dangled from its lower back. It had somewhat normal yet stubby short legs, its torso bent over as it balanced on long arms that ended in massive club-like structures.

Its head however, at first glance resembled a long snout of some sort. But on closer inspection was really a horrid twisting of human arms tied together with some kind of black leather restraint. The hands and fingers disturbingly thrashing about at the ends like an insects feelers.

Murrue immediately regretted stepping out front, and wasn't even aware she had backed away and was now standing behind the taller captain once more.

The huge thing took a lumbering step forward, its hand like appendages reaching forward towards the two women, the long fingers feeling about eerily. It took a few moments to feel around in the direction of the two women, before rearing on its back stubby legs. With a trumpeting roar it began to charge forward.

The small desks and chairs in the room were blasted out the way and reduced to kindling as the creature charged through them like a rampaging rhino. Finally getting over the initial shock from just the size of this thing, the Archangel captain stepped out from behind Talia and opened fire. Three shots landing, one in the chest and two along its massive club arms. The thing hollered as blackish blood spattered from the wounds, but it didn't seem to care about the pain, only the two small women in front of it.

Talia had to push Murrue off to the side to avoid being trampled, then somehow rolled out the way in time as it stormed by them. It attempted to skid to a halt as it tried to turn around, but its momentum sent it careening into the cells, the steel bars bending from the combined force of the impact and the sheer weight of the monster itself.

Talia took this opportunity to attack, swinging the axe high and brining it down on one of the exposed arms. The axe dug in deep, black foul smelling ichor spilling everywhere. Realizing she was doing little to actually harm this thing, she pulled the axe out and swung it down onto one of its legs that it uses to walk. It howled out, bit still tried to get back up.

Gagging on the revolting smell of its blood, Talia came to the conclusion that her attacks were useless. This thing didn't just move like a rhino; its hide was just as thick. She pulled out her axe and started to run towards the door yelling for the other captain to do the same.

The thing finally got to its feet and bellowed as it began its stampede again. Murrue was the first out; making a beeline for the first exit she saw which just happened to be the back entrance to the station. Talia was next, having to sidestep out the way as the monstrosity caught up to her, missed her by an inch and took out whatever remained of the doorway.

Instead of stopping and taking out its rage on the one who injured it, the creature simply kept running forward. It smashed through anything in its way, be it desk, heavy metal cabinet, chairs and even the buildings solid concrete support pillars.

Murrue glanced back, ready to take up aim as the thing grew closer, but to her luck – or so she thought – the stupid thing stumbled as its collided with yet another pillar, bringing down tons of building down on top of it. She was tempted to laugh at it, until it roared again and recovered as if it just stubbed its toe on a stone.

"Ah hell!" Murrue swore as she continued stumbling her way through the desks and papers. She knew she would never make it, so with nothing left to lose she turned around, running backwards now, she aimed her weapon as steady she could. Taking caution not to hit Talia behind it, Murrue opened fire, emptying the remainder of her clip. One shot hit its mark somewhere around where its head should be. The monster slowed its pace and trumpeted out in pain.

Realizing she was out of ammo, Murrue used this small opportunity to put distance between herself and the beast. It may have slowed but it was still moving faster then she was, she would never make it to the exit in time. Talia saw this and decided to take action.

The Minerva captain tightened her grip on the fireaxe, took a breath, and then pushed herself into a rapid burst of speed. With a quick hop she leaped from a nearby desk and launched herself towards the brute. With a roar of her own the axe came down, digging into its back and causing more of the fetid black blood to spill.

Being on its back now Talia got a better look at it. The hands that were tied together continued down the monster, and the Minerva captain gasped as the shape actually looked like another person had been grafted onto the back of this thing. There was even a disturbing second face hiding under leather straps gasping for air!

She bit back a scream, this thing was just too unreal! She didn't have to look long thankfully, as the creature toppled over itself. Still holding onto the axe, Talia was thrown forward, her own momentum pulling her weapon from the beast but not before tearing a large gash in the monsters back.

By this time Murrue had made it outside, bursting through the doors out into the fog. There was nowhere to go, a chain link fence separating the station from the alleyways behind it blocked any chance of running away. Murrue heard the cries of the beast, and turned around to see both Talia and the monster trying to get up. She shouted out to her companion, trying to urge her to move faster. Talia managed to get to her feet first, but she was too dazed to notice the massive clubbed arm moving behind her. The creature swung in anger, knocking Talia clear off her feet and out the back entrance of the building. Murrue slid out the way in time as the other captain's body flew by, collided with the chain fence surrounding the building and then fell to the ground with a thud.

Murrue was immediately to her aid, making sure the Minerva captain wasn't severely injured. An angry roar from the beast grabbed their attention and only gave them more incentive to get the hell out of there. "Come on over the fence!" Murrue shouted as she helped Talia into a kneeling position, and then began to climb.

With a moan and a shake of her head, Talia quickly got back on her feet, threw her axe over the fence and then followed Murrue's lead as fast as she could. The sound of the beast's roars got louder as it continued its chase after them. It was far too big for the exit however, and as it tried to smash its way through, the already damaged building decided it could take no more. The horrid beast let out a final roar as tons of brick and concrete come down on top of it, stopping its rampage for good.

They collapsed on the other side of the fence, exhausted and shaking- and just slightly terrified- but glad that the creature inadvertently trapped itself while in its rage. Murrue was first to stand up, the sound from her radio slowly dieing down until it made no sound. She let out a sigh of relief. 'Dumb thing killed itself.'

Looking to her companion who had once again saved her life, she held out a hand, which to her delight Talia took, and helped her to her feet. "You okay?" Murrue asked, worried that the blow she took was harder then it really looked.

"Yeah, just winded." The Taller woman replied as she leaned against the fence and tried to catch her breath.

'Just winded? She was just knocked off her feet and thrown out a building and she's just winded? No wonder the blue cosmos is afraid of coordinators.' Murrue thinks to herself, shaking her head in envy as Talia seems to recover, looking no worse for wear.

Neither of them asked the obvious question. 'what the hell was that thing?' It was clear the best thing to do would be to forget it and move on. It was Murrue who did so first as she tried to lighten the mood and stop her hands from shaking. "So, are all of you made out of iron or is it just the crazy axe wielding maniacs?" She joked, while at the same time watching her friend for any sign of injury.

Talia laughed, hiding the pain that shot through her back that she no doubt thought would soon be the nastiest bruise she'll ever have. "Ok, let me quash that little natural theory right now." She sat on the edge of a recycling barrel for support before continuing. "We're not all born supermen as the Blue Cosmos seems to think. Yes, we have the potential to surpass human limits, but we're just like you, we have to work for it."

Murrue raises a brow as she gives her friend a look over. Talia may have been taller but she didn't look any different then any other female soldier. The only thing that Murrue could notice were her hands were a bit larger and her shoulders a tad broader then average, but that was it. "And I'm going to guess you worked for it?"

"Not really. When you join the military, the job sort of forces it on you." Talia replied, as she stood upright with a stretch, popping ligaments and vertebrae back into place.

"Well I've been through all that on earth and you don't see me kicking down doors or tackling giant monsters."

Talia hefted the axe over her shoulder and grinned. "Yeah, but you can still shoot straighter then me. It's a pity we couldn't find something for you with a little more power."

Murrue shrugged. "I say lets just try to avoid giant monsters from now on. Come on, lets get the hell out of here and find out where this T-E-L key goes."

Talia agrees and pushes herself off the barrel to continue on. She stops for a second, noticing something hiding just under an old newspaper. She reaches in and pulls out a small red box, her brow lifting in surprise as her mouth turns up in a grin. Surviving a near death experience and coming up with nothing, only to find what they were after in the most unlikely spot. She holds out the box towards Murrue and laughs. "Ammo?"

CRACK

Murrue flinched at every strike of the axe, the sound so loud she feared every creepy crawly in the town would soon be attracted too. Although the thing had died, Murrue's hands still shook whenever an image of the huge creature flashed in her memory. She desperately hoped that it was the only one of its kind running around out there.

It didn't take long, after leaving the police station behind them and following the road; they eventually saw the large sign pointing them in the direction of the Lakeview Hotel. Just like its name, it was down by the only edge of town that to their delight, didn't end with a cliff to nothing, but instead lead out to a calm lake. Toluca Lake, so the sign said, of Toluca County in which the town of Silent Hill was apparently part of.

It definitely sounded American, and now Murrue was faced with another worry, especially concerning her coordinator friend here. If they were to escape this madness, how long would it be before they eventually encountered Atlantic federation forces?

CRACK

Murrue tried to ignored Talia's assault on the door, staring out across the lake instead. She couldn't see very far out due to the fog, but the long stretch of road that passed out into it gave her hope. Hopefully, if they didn't find anything of use here the elevated road would take them completely across where they could try to make contact with friendly forces.

CRACK

Talia's powerful swings were doing its work, quickly rendering the heavy wooden doors of the hotel into firewood. Despite being relatively small, the building itself was quite lovely, like an old fashioned place you'd see in old American gangster films. It was almost a shame to see the Minerva captain literally destroy the old carved and decorated oak doors, but they weren't about to sit around out here and test their luck should that 'darkness' return.

With a final swing one of the doors finally gave in, the wood splintering as the head of the axe disappeared to the inside. Murrue took over; her smaller hands able to reach inside and pull the hole open just big enough for them to fit through.

It was dark, what little light filtered through came from grimy windows and the hole in the door they just created. Just like everywhere else they've been, the hotel looked like it had been abandoned for a long while. A layer of dust covered everything, and the distinct smell of old air and mildew was apparent.

It took a moment for their eyes to adjust but only seconds for their noses to rebel.

Talia sneezed while Murrue cleared her throat of the dust that was stirred up by their feet. It nearly choked them, and they were quite glad to see it was only because they were on the old lobby carpeting. Both stepped off to the side and onto the creaking hardwood floors, still covered in dust, but less likely to be thrown into the air.

Looking around the lobby was small, a staircase leading on the right and the elevator on the left. The service desk lay right in the middle, a small somewhat damaged chandelier hanging over it precariously.

Talia braved the dust and searched behind the desk, finding the key rack with similar blue key-chains hanging from it. She looks down as her foot hits something hard, bending down she picks up what she was looking for.

She pulls her key from her pocket, and begins to fit the two pieces of plastic together, smiling as they slot together seamlessly.

"LakeView Hotel" she reads out to her companion. "Room 213." It said on the other side. "Should we bother? Or are we just following this because there really isn't anything else to do?"

Murrue thinks about it for a second, that was a very good question. Why were they here? What had compelled the both of them to look into a key that was found in the middle of the street? She shook her head. "No, something strange is going on, something that can't be explained right now. We should… we need to check it out at least. Lets take the stairs, I doubt that elevator is working anyway."

Talia dwells on her answer for a moment. She couldn't exactly be called old fashioned; she had not grown up on earth and was not familiar with some of their beliefs. She didn't believe in superstition, planned destinies or coincidence. She liked to think she was in control of her own life, her own choices. If your not paying attention when the light is red and a truck is coming, it's your own fault. There was no pre determined plan, no string of fate. If you're stopped when the light is red but the trucks brakes fail… well then, sucks to be you. Wrong place wrong time. Right place right time. That's all it was. Time and luck.

But now she was starting to think differently. Now, as she walked closely behind her once enemy heading to the second floor in an old broken down hotel - wondering if some horror will barge out from behind the broken doors - she began to wonder if perhaps something had brought them here. And she knew the Archangel captain was starting to feel the same.

Nothing added up, the fog, both ships crashing and nowhere to be seen. Waking up alone with not one sighting of their crewmates. These creatures running about, especially that last rampaging monster. Then there was the darkness, that, otherworld. She didn't even want to think about it. Along with that, Talia couldn't shake the feeling that they were being led along somewhere, somehow. They may have only found two so far, but these subtle clues just didn't sit right with her. First the key just sitting out in the open on the road, then that note in the Police station, and now here…

A shiver ran down her spine as her mind kept going to darker and darker places.

"Second floor, door's already opened." Murrue said, pulling Talia from her thoughts. "Be glad we're not going to the third, looks like part of the floor collapsed." She motions up the next flight of stairs that were completely blocked off with rubble.

Murrue carefully looks through the second floor entrance, gun out and checking her corners like a good soldier should. With nothing out of the ordinary she motions Talia to follow and begins looking for the room they need.

Many of the doors have suffered damage, some by water, others fire and some were missing altogether. It only made the task of reading the room numbers more annoying. Eventually they were able to find 209, then 211 until they rounded a corner where 212 and 213 should be only to come face to face with a huge barricade of beds, dressing tables and other things you would find in hotel rooms.

"I don't like the feeling of this." Talia said as she pushed at the debris. It was solid, not budging one bit. "This looks like a bulldozer pushed this stuff here, not human hands." Murrue nodded in agreement as she tried to look through a small pocket to the other side.

"Wait, there's another 211 over there, we may be able to go around." She backtracked around the corner to the first door that read 211. She wiped her hand across a tarnished plate on the doorfront that she missed the first time around. It read Rec Room\Dance Studio. Not really caring what it was, she pushed open the door and walked in, and immediately hated it.

The room was large and open, and one side of it was completely covered in mirrors. Murrue slowly walked through it, Talia close behind her, both staring into the reflections. Murrue had nothing against mirrors, but in this light, in this room in particular their images staring back at them looked… Wrong.

Murrue couldn't help but lock eyes with herself; she looked so pale and seemed to carry a sinister looking scowl that no matter what she did, did not leave the reflection in the mirror. And the eyes… her eyes, they were so cold, piercing right through her. She managed to tear away her gaze long enough to reach the other side, and gladly exited the studio.

"Here, you can do the honors" Talia said, unintentionally startling Murrue as she handed her the key.

Murrue took it, and taking one last look to make sure the Minerva captain was behind her and ready, she pushed the key in and turned it. The door unlocked with a soft click and both slowly entered room 213.

The room was darkened, darker then the hallways. The drapes were closed shut while furniture was strewn about like it had been moved with no real purpose in mind. A terrible scream assaulted their ears; Talia was the first to react.

Coordinator reflexes kicked in. One hand shot out and tightly gripped the wrist and stopping whomever it was that was about to smash a chair over captain Ramius. While the other hand caught Murrue's fist, stopping it with a hard smack against her palm before the woman could knock someone's teeth out.

Both parties stared at each other for a second as they each caught their respected breaths. Poor Talia caught in between, grateful she was able to stop them before someone got hurt.

"Who… who's are you? You feel… normal." Said a distinctive British accent, one Talia recognized all to well.

"Arthur?" She asked, and – while still holding tightly onto his wrist – pulled him into the light coming from the hallway. That strange green hair and mousy face came into view, it was definitely him.

"Captain!?" Talia's second in command immediately dropped the chair he was holding, a huge smile replacing the terrified look he was just wearing. "It is you? Its really you?" He said almost hysterically as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight bear-hug.

"Arthur…"

"Oh captain, what's wrong with this place? Try as I might I couldn't get out!" He held on to her like a lost child, only squeezing tighter when she tried to peel him away.

"Arthur."

"And there was this huuuge thing! I didn't get a good look at it because I ran like hell but it was…"

"Commander Trine!!" Talia bellowed.

"Ah!?" Arthur realized what he was doing, becoming fully aware that he currently was embracing his commanding officer in a very embarrassing, if not ridiculous, way. "Ohmygosh I'm so sorry!" He released her immediately, then backed away and stood at attention.

Talia sighed and waved him at ease. Trine may be a little eccentric at times but she was genuinely glad to see him unharmed. "Its alright. Just tell us what happened and how you ended up here." He was about to start, taking in a deep breath. Talia had to raise her hand stopping him before a word was said. "Slowly."

"Well… actually." He said with a bit more composure. "I was hoping you could tell me."

A/N: RAWR MONSTAH! Even if it's just the one :3 . There will be more next chapter that's for sure. Btw Siam is the name of the monster from silent hill homecoming. I didn't describe it down to a T, mostly because that thing looks really messed up o_o and I probably wouldn't be able to anyway.

The next big encounter should poke the plot a little bit… finally.

Also, sorry if Talia's coming off as a bit of a tank, but, I'm writing this with video games in mind, so yes… Talia is the melee tank character while Murrue is more of the ranged agile one. But then Talia is a coordinator, and a military captain, and a mum… I think that would make a tank out of anyone. :P