The entire squad, save for Duke and Mac who were still on assignment, converged on their position in a matter of minutes. They stood around the open vent, waiting for orders. Portman knelt by the vent opening, peering down into the dark hole. He looked far less than pleased at the implications of what they were about to do.
"I thought 'being in the shit' was a figure of speech?" Portman said. He looked up at Sarge.
"Get in the goddamn hole, Portman." Sarge ordered.
Portman slung his gun strap over his shoulder and lowered his feet into the hole. In a matter of seconds, he was down in the dark tunnel, climbing down. His footsteps on the ladder were the only sounds echoing into the corridor. The familiar sound of rushing liquid was the cue that Portman had reached the bottom of the hole. Sarge turned to Mira and nodded. Mira nodded and slung her weapon onto her back. She lowered herself feet first into the darkness. She took the ladder slowly, not wanting to alert whatever might be in the sewer to their position. Her feet made next to no noise as she descended into the tunnel. Mira looked down below her, checking her distance...and Portman's position.
"Portman, you try to cop a feel and I will shoot you." Mira whispered into her comm.
But Portman was in no position to try such a predictable act. He stood on guard, watching the tunnel in front of them. If he was more concerned about their surroundings then coping a feel from Mira, hen something was freaking him out on a massive scale. Mira pushed the thought from her mind as her foot began to sink into the water. It was a cold shock to her system as she lowered herself into the sewer. She cringed visibly, not wanting to think about what was in the sewer. The smell alone was nearly enough to make her vomit. The water level rose up to her hips, where it only reached the middle of Portman's thighs. Mira recovered her weapon and shined her gun light into the hole, signaling she'd reached the bottom. She stepped aside and took defensive position in the tunnel.
One by one the others descended into the tunnel. First Goat, moving quieter than Portman, but louder than Mira. He dropped into the water, not taking any care about how disgusting the fact was. The Kid came next. His volume of motion sadly matched Portman's as he climbed into the tunnel. When he reached the bottom he was visibly uneasy with the sewage around them, even looking like he would puke. Reaper came down next. He was by far the fastest decent, dropping just seconds after the Kid, startling him into position. Sarge dropped down next, wasting no time. Destroyer descended last, lugging his massive chain gun over his shoulder.
"Pinky, what do you got?" Sarge asked.
"Tunnel ahead is the main junction. It leads back into the lab complex." Pinky explained.
Sarge turned back to his men. "Destroyer, cover the exit."
Destroyer nodded and brought up his weapon.
"Mira, on you." Sarge ordered.
Mira nodded and quickly took position. On land or in water, she was the fastest. If there was something still in the sewer it would go for her first, and she stood the best chance of reacting before it tried to kill her. The tunnel walls were only eight feet high, giving barely any room above them. The walls arched over their heads, curving the walls around them, giving the illusion of a sewer system back on Earth. No one bothered to look down at the water. They all knew what filth was swimming in there, but they didn't want to think about what could be in there.
"Be sober, be vigilant." Goat began. "Because you adversary the devil...walketh about seeking whom he may devour."
Mira smirked to herself.
"That's real comforting Goat." Portman snickered. "That ain't freaking me out at all." He took a step from Goat and plummeted into the water.
"Portman!" Goat yelled. He sloshed through the water near where Portman had gone in.
Sarge turned. "What the fuck?"
Reaper and Goat crouched in the water, searching for Portman. Mira glanced around them, keeping on guard.
"Grab an arm!" Reaper ordered. He bent down into the water, searching for any sign of Portman. He caught the man's arm and tried to heave him up, but something held him. He grunted. "Son of a bitch is heavy!"
Suddenly Portman came free and burst up through the surface. His face was covered in the sewer water as he gasped for air. He wiped the water from his face. as he stood up.
"Shit." Portman muttered.
"Portman what the hell happened?" Sarge demanded.
"I fell in the damn hole. Shit." Portman replied.
"Everybody on me, watch your goddamn footing." Sarge ordered. "Move."
"Congratulations Portman. That was your first bath in a month. You smell better already." Mira said. She turned back towards the tunnel as Portman flipped her off.
"At least I got out. If you fell in we'd probably lose you." Portman replied.
"Fuck you." Mira snapped.
"When and where baby?" Portman asked.
"Quiet!" Sarge ordered.
They continued down through the tunnel on high alert. Portman's plunge into the water had made such a racket that there was no way no one inside hadn't heard it. Still, the tunnel was silent as they moved through. Mira scanned the tunnel on point, watching for anything that could jump out at her, or help locate the missing scientists. So far three had been found, each one crazed, two of them dead, gunned down by the team. Not a promising start of a mission. Motion in the water caught Mira's attention. She spun around quickly, alerting the others. Her gun light shone down on a white cloth, floating in the water.
Portman snickered, thinking her jumpy.
Sarge frowned and picked up the cloth. It was a lab coat from one of the scientists; a bloodied lab coat. "We got a Doctor Willits. Steve Willits."
Scientist number four.
Sarge dropped the coat and looked ahead of them. The tunnel opened up into three directions. "Goat, Mira, go straight. Reaper, take the Kid and go right. Portman and I'll take the left."
Goat and Mira quickly moved into the tunnel ahead. Reaper took point, leading the Kid through the right tunnel. Portman and Sarge disappeared into the left, each one missing the figure coming up behind them.
Reaper and Kid walked slowly through the tunnels. Reaper was on point with Kid close behind him. The tunnels around them unnerved Reaper. He felt like something was within the walls, watching them. Waiting until they'd dropped their guard to strike. He heard something behind them and turned. Kid turned slowly, splashing Reaper as a result. But nothing was behind them. The sight didn't ease Reapers gut feeling that something was in there with them.
"You lost your folks right?" Kid asked.
"Quiet." Reaper snapped. He turned and continued through the tunnel.
"Small world. I lost my folks too." Kid said. "Yeah I woke up one morning and everything was gone. I mean all that was left was me. They wanted the TV more than they wanted me."
Reaper turned fast, pinning the Kid to the wall. "Every time you open your damn mouth you give away our position."
Kid shut his mouth fast. Reaper noticed the tint in the Kids eyes. He grabbed a spare light from his vest and tinted it red. He shinned the light in the Kids eyes.
"You're pupils are dilated." Reaper said. "Are you high?"
"What? No. No see I got this condition-"
"I don't give a damn. One more word out of you and I'll blow holes in you are we clear?" Reaper warned. He released the Kid and turned toward the tunnel. Now that he thought about, Reaper knew it had to be Portman supplying the kid with drugs. Two soldiers hyped up. Now that was a recipe for fuck ups. Once the mission was over, Reaper was going to turn them in. The Kid would be thrashed, but Portman wouldn't survive it. He'd be thrown out, no matter who his uncle was.
Reaper had taken only three steps when he heard something moving in the water behind them. He spun back around, catching the Kid in his gun light. "Get down." he ordered.
"Hey look about that-"
"Get down!" Reaper snapped.
Kid dove down but it was too late. What Reaper had seen was moving down the tunnel away form them. The bulky figure had dove into the water and was now heading back down the tunnel. And heading straight for Goat and Mira.
Reaper grabbed his comm. "Goat, Mira, I think there's something coming up behind you. It's in the water."
The tunnel was completely black ahead of them. Neither Goat nor Mira used NVG in the tunnel, solely using their gun lights for sight. However, their ears were keen on the sounds. The only sound was the rushing of the sewage around them. They moved silently through the tunnel, Mira on point, Goat just two steps behind on her four. Neither spoke as they moved. Thoughts of the bloodied lab coat and Genetics chase were fresh in their minds. Mira took a slow breath and tried to focus her thoughts.
"Da, hotya ya idu cherez dolinu smertnoĭ teni, ne uboyus' zla, potomu chto Ty so mnoĭ; Tvoĭ zhezl I Tvoĭ posoh oni uspokaivayut menya." Mira whispered to herself.
"Which scripture?" Goat asked from beside her.
"Psalms twenty three. Verse four." Mira answered.
" 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.' " Goat quoted. "Fitting."
"I thought so too." Mira smirked.
" 'Take heed to thyself. If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.' " Goat said.
Mira said nothing at first, scanning her light across the walls around them. She knew what Goat was referring to the moment he recited the scripture. "He's got a long way before I forgive him, Goat."
"Withholding forgiveness, makes your own impossible." Goat reminded.
Mira glanced in Goat's direction. Was she needing forgiveness?
"Goat, Mira, I think there's something coming up behind you." Reaper voice echoed through the comms. "It's in the water."
Mira and Goat turned quickly, looking back down the tunnel. Their gun lights were swallowed whole into the dark tunnels behind them. Goat's light flickered off and on before it faded into nothing. Mira's lone light remained within the darkness, providing no relief in the darkness.
"Oh this can't be happening." Goat whispered. "My light is out."
"Stay behind me." Mira said, moving ahead of Goat.
"Don't move. I'm on my way." Reaper said.
"Mira, can you see anything?" Goat asked.
Mira shook her head. "Not a damn thing, no."
"Pinky, can you see anything?" Goat asked.
"Nope. Nothing." Pinky replied.
Mira lone light suddenly began to die. How could that be? She always kept her light in optimum condition? The small circle of light was fading quickly. The darkness grew around them. "Dammit. Reaper, I'm losing my light fast. We have zero visibility in here."
"I'm almost there." Reaper replied.
Goat and Mira stood in the black tunnel, waiting for Reaper...and whatever was coming up in front of him. The tunnel was silent, save for the moving of the sewage. The water around them suddenly parted between them, just as Mira's light completely died. Mira caught sight of the ripples sweeping past. She could feel something beneath the water as it swam in between them. Mira looked up toward Goat. His face gave her perfect indication that he had seen and felt the same thing. Several feet behind them, the sound of splashing echoed over the sound of the water. Goat and Mira turned quickly, finding themselves face to face with a pair of luminescent eyes staring at them. Goat took a step forward.
"Goat." she warned.
"Doctor Willits?" Goat called.
The rest of the eyes opened in the dark.
"Der'mo!" Mira cursed.
The creature roared and burst into action, moving faster than either soldier could have predicted. In one swift motion, it sent Mira flying toward the wall. She vanished beneath the surface, leaving only Goat with the creature. It snarled viciously and threw Goat against the opposite wall. It opened its mouth and bit down into Goat's neck. Goat screamed and thrashed as a hot object pierced his neck. Goat tried to free himself, but his body wouldn't respond. The creature held him pinned completely while his body stopped altogether. His cried died out into silence as the creature detached its tongue from Goat's neck. His gun slowly slipped form his grasp.
Mira surfaced from the water just seconds after submerging. Her eyes quickly narrowed in on Goat's hunched form with the creature hovering over him. "No!"
Reaper's voice yelled through their comms. "Goat! Goat where are you?"
The creature turned its attention to Mira. It snarled viciously at her, racking its claws through the air. Mira raised her weapon and opened fire. The creature dove under the water, out of her aim. Mira slowly moved through the water toward Goat.
"Reaper, gde yebat' ty?" Mira called into her comm. She watched the water around her, waiting for the creature to reappear.
Suddenly the water exploded in front of her. The creature flew out of the water and lashed out. His massive arm ripped Mira's gun from her grasp, nearly taking her arm with it. Its claws sliced through the vest like it was nothing. A second massive hand latched itself around Mira's face and slammed her up into the wall of the tunnel. The force quickly sent the tunnel into a blurring sight. Pain shot through Mira's skull as she hung in the creatures grasp. Its grip tightened over her face, preventing her from breathing. Her legs hung in the air, pushing against the wall behind her. Its talons sunk into her flesh. Mira could feel blood pouring from its punctures, one below her eye, two on her cheek, and one on her neck. Its was trying to crush her skull in. Mira could feel herself losing her senses against the wall. Her lungs burned for oxygen.
Suddenly Reaper rounded the corner. His gun light fell on the creature pinning Mira against the ceiling. He fired several shots above the creatures head, effectively getting its attention. "Contact!"
The creature snarled at Reaper, but still held onto Mira. Mira released the creatures hand and struggled to reach her boot. Reaper fired another few rounds into the tunnel ceiling. The creature shrieking, stepping from the wall, pulling Mira with it. Mira caught the hilt of her knife. She pulled it out quickly and ran the blade over the creatures arm. It screamed in fury and threw her back toward Reaper. Mira plunged beneath the water just a few feet in front of Reaper. Reaper fired a few shots, driving the creature back. He moved forward and bent down into the water. He caught Mira's arm and pulled her up out of her water. Mira coughed heavily as she surface. Blood ran down her half her face.
Mira gasped out her words as she looked up at Reaper. "Go."
Reaper ran after the creature. He moved down he tunnel, further from Goat and Mira, taking them out of the crossfire. The tunnel was dark ahead of him and only his gun light provided illumination for him. The creature was out of sight, but Reaper knew it was there, he could hear it nearby. As he neared the corner of the tunnel, the creature burst into the open, slashing the air for Reaper. Reaper used his weapon to block and divert the creatures attack. He quickly lifted his weapon and fired several rounds into the creature. The bullets impacted the chest and head, sending the creature staggering backwards into the water. Reaper lowered his weapon, gasping for air. He'd never seen anything like the creature before. He turned from the floating monster, toward his injured teammates.
"Man down!" he yelled. He rushed over toward Mira and Goat. "Man down!"
Mira slouched in the water, hovering over Goat. Her face was bleeding heavily. Her neck and shoulder portions of her uniform were soaked with her blood, but Mira did nothing about. Her hands were pressed against Goat's bleeding neck. Goat lay unresponsive against the wall, eyes glazed open in fear.
translations:
Da, hotya ya idu cherez dolinu smertnoĭ teni, ne uboyus' zla, potomu chto Ty so mnoĭ; Tvoĭ zhezl I Tvoĭ posoh oni uspokaivayut menya. 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.'
der'mo- shit
Reaper, gde yebat' ty? - where the hell are you?