I was walking calmly through the dead halls of the Ishimura with my kiddo, we headed towards the docking bay. Along the way, we dismembered any Necromorphs we encountered, or outright burned them to a crisp using a Hell Flamer. We trudged on, our new appearances jingling with clicks and clacks of bones attached to our armor, or an armored jacket for Cuddles.
(AN: Essentially everyone in the Black Guard is currently wearing Warden Armor from the new DS1 Remake, but with the Black Marker included to really sell that they are the Wardens of the dead and deranged and to protect them)
The armored plates on our outfits were inscribed with Black Markers and those protective inscriptions. Even the bones had inscriptions derived from the first ones to slightly ward off the Red Marker controlled Necromorphs. Our own Necromorph Doctor is perfectly fine, as she quickly fell out of Red's control and under Black's control. Due to having a Black Marker shoved down her throat while she tried eating her new boyfriend, Kurtis.
Man wants to fuck the undead monster woman, we ain't going to stop him, more power to him if he can help keep her sane. Because, frankly, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't do it. So, I wouldn't lie, if a monster girl could put up with me, then I'd probably fuck them even if they weren't humanoid. Because sometimes your own species just doesn't turn you on due to how they treat ya. Doubly so if you're now basically mostly a machine, one girl DEMANDED I only ever thought to serve her and not think for myself anymore, "Like the good worthless machine I am."
I could take it, since I've got thick skin and really don't care about my own life or self-preservation. But when she had the audacity to slap my kiddo and demand the "inferior creature" be put in its place. My only real value in life took over and oh I put the "inferior creature" in its place. By sending the whore through the door with a punch to the stomach. She had to go to the ER and I didn't get laid, but so what? She insulted my daughter, well, not really my daughter, but she did come out of me, so she's kin.
Sidetracking hello my old friend, it's good to see you again. Back on point, I've got those not trying to hump a damn rock under my wing, and we've become literally the Wardens of the dead. For where we dare to tread to save a life, the dead and deranged take a step back, only the true horrors amassed of multiple corpses do not hesitate to attack. One such horror is the Leviathan, the others hide in the depths we dare not linger, such as the tram tunnels.
If the horror there knew food was around, it'd relentlessly hunt for its prey, the mass grave known as Corpse Collector. Which means if we do get the trams back up and running, they must not go slowly and instead be sped up just enough to reach their destination. All without alerting the horror who stalks the tunnels due to being trapped within them. Ducking low, I watched a herd of Necromorphs heading somewhere as I crouched next to a broken, open door.
They must know fresh prey is coming and are rushing to hunt the crew of the USG Kellion. Raising a hand towards a vent, I heard Cuddles climb into it and begin her own hunt as I slowly got up. My visors lights glowing a dark shade of green tinting red as my RIG connected to my augments. Feeling my lips tugging upwards, my eyes narrowed, a cackling howl of laughter escaping my mouth. The sound startled a rushing by Necromorph causing it to trip looking at it I ran over multiple thoughts about what to do before settling on one train of thought. I pounced on it and cackled as I thought of ways to make sure the new meat survives more than a second on here. Starting to rip its bones from its body to use for new armor pieces or weapons.
"ARRRGGREEEE!"
"Oh sush! I just want to use your bones to murder your friends!"
"Saaaa…. Meeeee!"
"Oh, you can talk. Rare, but you're not friendly, so still going to debone and dismember you. Hey, stop squirming, it'll mess up the deboning, then it'll hurt worse."
The sounds of a dying Necromorph resounded through the halls, as others of it kind watched the Black Demon torture their kin. Once the Black Demon was done, they kicked the deceased corpse of only flesh now before moving on. The Necromorphs watching from the shadows moved carefully as they retrieved the corpse. Dragging it off to repurpose it for the ever encroaching flesh in the hallways.
/\\ ISAC CLARK POV \\/
Crashing into the Ishimura's docks wasn't how I would've liked to land. But we're here now and the damage we saw coming in was intensive to say the least. Besides the coms being out, there were two holes in the side of the ship from what looked to have been an explosion and something crashing into it. Yet, that makes no sense as nothing aboard the Ishimura which isn't the main power core or reactor could explode like that to cause the first one. So, that begs the question: how did something with that yield get aboard the Ishimura?
"You're wondering how something could blow a hole into the ship, aren't you?"
Turning my head, I looked at Kendra before answering as I thought over the two hull problems.
"One looks like a ship from on the planet crashed into it, don't know how deep it crashed through though or if it's still there. The other looked like something from inside the ship exploded from the depths of the Crew Section where security's main office should be at."
"Shit, that means security got attacked…."
"Probably, given the size of the hole, it looked like it came from a small portable reactor. But that'd be hard to smuggle abroad unless there was special clearance."
Kendra looked troubled at that before mentioning something that made me feel my blood run cold.
"Well there actually is… one of the key staff dossiers we received was of a Cybernetic security officer… who has a nuclear hydrogen reactor inside him…."
"How is the ship still HERE, then?"
"If it did go off, then there are fail safes to contain it and redirect its blast. But it may not have been him who blew up, but likely a spare he'd keep around for emergencies."
"He just carries nuclear bombs around?!"
Shouting at Kendra, I got everyone's attention as the crew's tech specialist winced. Rubbing her neck, Kendra spoke wryly as if it weren't her problem.
"Well, they knew what they were getting into, and he probably kept the spare under heavy lock and key. So if he did use it, there'd have to be a clear reason to use it, but even with a reason, just using it would mean serious legal trouble."
After that, we just stayed silent as we focused on reaching the security office on the docking back. Reaching the place was uneventful and eerily quiet, like the rest of the ship so far, which is concerning as that shouldn't be possible. There SHOULD be someone, ANYONE, coming to check on the crash, to meet us, or just HERE. Yet, it is silent and still, as if there are no, and have never been, any living souls aboard the Ishimura. Reaching the security lobby and checkpoint, we saw signs of people leaving, rushing out as if something spooked them, and some dark brown spots on the chairs and flooring. Stepping around a discarded suitcase of spilled out clothing, I took in the room and the security booth, which laid behind some glass.
"Isaac, head inside the booth and get me a sit rep on the situation with this ship. This is all a bit too concerning and needs immediate attention if we want to finish up fast and get out before something happens."
Hearing Hammond, I nodded my head agreeing with the man, so I headed into the booth without any complaint and got to work once I've reached the terminals. Once I got to work, what I was seeing was unbelievable, most of the ship's systems were down and much of it was in the red due to heavy damage. Throughout the entire ship, security measures were either in effect or going haywire, the containment functions for contaminants that could threaten the crew and more Human threats though were in perfect working order as if regularly cared for above everything else. That made no sense, why would those be prioritized over everything else when the ship was like this?
"Isaac, how are we looking? What's the damage scope of this mess? Because this isn't what CEC mentioned, we were told this would be a simple job."
Looking up from the terminal at Hammond, I spoke while still trying to figure this all out. Frankly, I got a gut feeling that there is more to this than we had been told. I mean, one of the security officers has fucking portable nukes, and yet they didn't even tell much else about him or what was going on here!
"The ships barely functioning, sections of it are in the red and unresponsive as the security measures were put in complete lockdown on those sectors. Even the vents in there are sealed shut, with the ducts and shafts being flooded with enough voltage to fry a person into combusting, from what I'm reading."
With hum from the surroundings, as I managed to restore the power and get the air flowing, our conversation was halted.
"The tram system's offline. Getting around is gonna be difficult. The air seems to be flowing again. That's a start."
As soon as Kendra spoke while checking the tram systems through her own equipment, an alarm went off.
{QUARANTINE! CONTAMINATES DETECTED! BEGINNING QUARANTINE PROCEDURES!}
The room lights turned yellow with red flashing at times as the room went into lockdown.
"What the hell was that?"
"Automatic quarantine must have tripped when the filtration system restarted. Everybody relax..."
"What was that? Did you hear that?!"
"I'm not sure..."
Watching the situation, I was curious but also dreading what was to come because those sounds in the vents weren't natural. Then something blew off the vents around the room, something tried dropping down from a ceiling vent but was pulled back into it screaming in terror as a hiss was heard.
"What the hell?"
"I don't know! Something's in the room with us!"
From one of the vents, something that looked like a Human with bones for hands crawled out and entered the room, followed by a few more just like it. The one from the ceiling vent fell out of it, broken with limbs missing, as whatever killed it lurked in the ceiling around the exposed vents, targeting only the monsters intent on killing Hammond and the others. The things rushed Hammond and the others, one forgetting the threat from above, passing below a vent only to be met by a black limb ripping through its head. A black creature dropping from the vents with a hiss, a security jacket decorated in markings and bones, hunched over as its claws dismembered the creature that still flailed until it stilled.
"Jesus! Open fire! Open fire! Kendra! Power! Kendra...!"
Chen, who would've died to the one from the ceiling, opened fire, followed by Hailey on the Human like creatures. The black creature shrugging off their gun fire as it engaged a more hulking figure that came from the vents, claws met bone scythes as the two monsters fought. The bones on its jacket clanking with some markings on it visibly lighting up, causing the creature it was fighting to howl in pain. The smaller ones near them fell to the ground burning alive, they scrambled to escape the black one's surrounding area in the room. Kendra, who was working on getting them out, spoke up before looking bewildered as the door opened, apparently not by her work.
"Come on… come one. Wait, what? I didn't…"
"A Hulk is here? Red must really want you lot to join his merry band of the dead."
A figure in a more militaristic RIG that was pitch black with green lighting from their visor entered the room causing everyone, even the monsters to still, as he entered the room through the open door. His armor was decorated with markings and bones like the black creatures' jacket, in his hands he carried bones from the smaller monsters' hands as a bag on his left side clanked with fresh bloodied bones. Without any notice, the new figure suddenly hurled a bone spike across the room, his arm briefly lighting up with power, impaling one of the smaller monsters on the wall.
"Cuddles, contain and dispose."
At his next words, the black creature, Cuddles it would seem, took advantage of their foes distracted state. Impaling them to the wall with their claws through the torso before dismembering them with their tail. The smaller ones snapped out of it and tried to run, but their attempts were denied as the new person, Hammond, Chen, and Hailey brought them down. Hammond, Chen, and Hailey struggling while the new person did it easily with dismembering the creatures, killing them before finishing those being pelted by the rest. When they saw Kendra, however, they began laughing as if finding something funny.
"You going to keep trying to hack my RIG, Earth Gov Infiltrator Kendra Daniels. Your here for Red, I imagine, so you can deliver it to the Earth Government, right? Well, I'm afraid you're NOT allowed to take that THING with you. It must DIE because you taking it to Earth will kill the entire planet and population off. So stand down and fail, or die. No negotiating, it's my job to contain threats and that rock is a threat which must die."
Kendra stepped back, visibly shocked, as she fished for her pistol when a black tail hovered near her neck. Cuddles, even with their large frame, had somehow snuck up on Kendra and now had her within reach as the creature hissed a low warning. Hammond stopped Chen as he raised his weapon to fire upon the creature, the person in the military RIG humming bemusedly. Hailey looked around between everyone confusedly before walking next to Hammond and helping to keep Chen from doing something stupid. Sighing, I exited the security booth as I realized blood was seeping out from some vents in it, it would seem I was the first one to be saved by Cuddles.
"I am Chief Security Officer, Zach Hammond. Who are you and what do you mean Kendra is a spy for Earth Gov?"
"Chief Containment Officer, Kaiser Lockhart, big girl is Co-Chief Cuddles. To be frank with you, your little techie there is an Infiltrator the Earth Gov employs and uses whenever there is something of interest they want. Stuff worth writing off everyone else involved off as casualties or incarcerated for the rest of their life just to get the item or person of interest. So, they likely pushed and pawned her off to you before you came here because they knew what was here and wanted it, you all though pawns to be discarded in their plan."
Hammond didn't look at all happy with that, but didn't fully trust it, as he looked at the head of containment with apprehension. Chen spoke up, still looking on at Kendra as she held hostage by Cuddles who inched their bladed tail closer if she so much a twitched.
"Do you have any proof?"
Without saying anything, the chief of containment held a hand out and then retracted it after a few seconds, fifteen to be exact, as I watched Kendra's equipment act up, before powering own his arm terminal. Stuff directly from Kendra's being displayed, as the man even showed her subtly hidden hacking attempts when he had first appeared to get anything useful on him. Eventually pulling up Kendra's official Earth Gov ID and everything alongside her mission details beside the ID.
"Kendra Daniels, your mission is to blend in among the USG Kellion crew as a CEC computer specialist and board the USG Ishimura. You are to find and secure Marker A3 and cover up everything as an unfortunate accident, no survivors, before delivering the Marker to Earth Gov. Do it fast and efficiently as to not fall under the Marker's influence. The USG Ishimura chose to go to Aegis VII while it was on lockdown to retrieve the Marker and not to mine as speculated, whatever happens to its crew and the crew of the Kellion is of no importance. Secure the Marker for transport and meet up with the USM Valor to bring it back to Earth for relocation. - Dalton"
Chen read the mission report out loud as he eyed it and Kendra, the rest of it was information about who we were, who aboard the Ishimura to look out for, and what all to do with us and the Marker. Kendra suddenly reached for her side arm quickly before Cuddles tail separated her head from her body, blood gushing from her neck like a fountain as her lifeless corpse feel forward. Head rolling on the floor towards the containment chief as blood covered the floor, he raised his armored foot up and smashed Kendra's head under it like it was nothing.
"Now, if you don't want to die or fall to the Red Marker, I suggest you let us get you set up with Black Marker protections before we dispose of all the bodies in this room."
"Black Marker? The one Earth? Why would that one be any different from what's aboard here?"
"Unlike Red, Black protects Humanity from its siblings, although at some point I imagine it had to do the same thing as Red to make such a big and powerful Marker. Black wants you alive, Red wants you to become like our flayed mutated Human friends currently decorating the room. So unless you want to lose your mind and join the dead, you should highly consider the protection."
