Chapter XV
The Final Departure
It's ironic. Really it is. The past few moments of my life have been the fastest, and they are also my last. Everything I saw seemed to be just one big blur. From seeing Everett, to watching James get shot, and now having taken a bullet myself. The pain was unlike anything I have ever felt. One moment, I felt fine, the next; I felt as though the entirety of the air in my lungs has been knocked out of my body as a fierce, piercing pain knocked me to the ground.
Six held me in her arms, and although she can't talk or cry, her emotional distress was clear. I didn't know what to say at first, but I struggled through every agony I was going through in order to comfort her with my final words. After I spoke, she simply clung onto me tighter. It hurt me as much mentally to see Six in such a state as my wound hurt me physically, but there was nothing to do that could cure either pain.
As I now lay there in the pleasantly cold embrace of Six, I began to reminisce of the past few years of my life. I remembered first seeing Six, and how terrible I felt for her. The memory of my first time getting to meet her face to face then filled my eyes. The time she first listened to music, and seeing just how energetic she was when she was first released helped bring content to my heart as I realized something. Even though The Company has hurt so many, I was at least able to brighten one person's life.
The realization brought a tinge of content to my mind as I finally began to fully accept my fate. I looked at Six with as strong of a smile as I could muster and gave her a quick wink. She let out a strange sound as she saw it and shook her head. I began to let my body rest and as I closed my eyes, a singular memory rushed into my vision. I saw my home, back on Europa. The horizon was vast and the sky was beautiful.
Jupiter dominated the scene as great thin clouds stretched across the sky. The other moons in Jupiter's orbit were beautiful glimmers of colorful light and the setting sun painted the sky wondrous colors of orange, red, and purple. The memory was beautiful, and all I wished for now was that Six will get to see a sunset like this someday. My mind suddenly went blank and now, only a single feeling began to dominate my nerves.
| -/\- -\_/- -/\- |
I strained my eyes open as I heard ringing in my eyes. As I went to move up out of my bedding I sensed another presence in the room. I turned my head to see a figure in the hallway looking at me, they seemed hesitant to enter my quarters. "I have been told that your presence is needed on the bridge. The Elder says that it is urgent." The Youngblood said as they stood idle in the doorway.
I rubbed my eyes and nodded my head as I climbed out of bed. Now at my full height, the Youngblood backed away and left me to get ready. I walked over to my locker to collect my gauntlets and began to strap them onto my arms. The gauntlets were heavily scarred after my previous hunt, and very much in need of a good polish. Perhaps later, it would be unhonorable to keep the Elder waiting.
I walked out into the halls and began to make my way to the bridge. The halls were their usual deep orange color from the lighting and a low mist hung onto the floor. The hot, humid air felt invigorating to wake up to after a long rest from yet another well-executed hunt. As I walked to the bridge, any of the youngbloods I passed bowed and put their hand to their opposite shoulder in my presence to salute me while making way for me to pass them.
In just a few moments, I had made my way to the bridge. Much to my surprise however, it was not just The Elder awaiting me, but the two other Elites on board and even a larger, scared Yautja with a long red cape, thick armor around his whole body, and a ferocious ceremonial spear. Immediately upon seeing the Clan Leader, Spartan, I kneeled before the great warrior and gave the proper salute. He turned around and slammed the end of his spear on the ground, signaling for me to stand.
He gave me a silent nod as he turned back to face the front of the bridge where the Elder stood. "Great warriors, our proud leader has gathered us all for a very important mission, bestowed upon us by the Great Council on Yuatja Prime itself." The Elder said in a firm and inspiring tone. His voice was empowering and his ancient scars only proved to fill me with respect at the gaze of the veteran before me.
The hologram on the bridge suddenly came to life in front of us, and a single planet was shown. Once more, the Elder continued the briefing. "A group of Youngbloods recently went to this planet here in order to perform their first hunt and earn their place within the Clan permanently." The hologram began to zoom into the surface of the mentioned world. It looked to be rather pleasant, hot, and tropical with dense jungles, the perfect place for a first hunt.
It was then the hologram highlighted strange structures on the planet, and a sudden emotion of anger was shared between all in the room. "The Youngbloods landed only days ago, and when they did so they reported a large Human presence on the world. Before they could report again of the situation, a distress call was sent out and no further reports have come back." It was then the Clan Leader walked beside the Elder and took over.
"These Humans run amock in what once was our greatest of worlds. They have discovered our temples from generations passed and are threatening to learn information that could be disastrous should it fall into their hands." The Leader spoke out in his rough and booming voice. He punched in some commands into his gauntlet and the Human Colony clearly came into view. It was large and covered a large portion of the land. It stretched from the rocky cliffs of the planet's mesa to the deep jungles and muggy swamps, all connected by roads and rail systems.
The Clan Leader looked to us and three bright dots appeared in different sections throughout the colony. "You three are the Elites of this ship, and you have all proved yourself to be deserving of such a title. You are to be sent down to the planet, recover the Youngbloods, and destroy any trace of our presence that the Humans might have tried to collect." Hearing his commands, all three of us saluted and spoke in unison, "We will bring honor to the clan!"
The Elder slammed his staff once more and we snapped to attention. "You will, or you will die trying." The hologram then went further to the planet, focusing on the largest human structure there before going under the ground. I looked on in wonder as one of the great temples of our ancestors came into view. "You are seeing the temple that housed a great Lord from eons ago. He was our ancestor who first slayed one of the serpents, and he was buried here in honor when he passed on."
To see such a sight filled my heart with pride as I imagined what it must have been like to be the first to slay a Xenomorph. I tore myself from my own thoughts as the Clan Leader continued. "This will be your final goal. This temple houses the great artifacts of the Lord, as well as secrets we have protected since the first serpent was discovered. You are to recover the artifacts of the Lord, and then you are to activate the self-destruct in the temple and destroy everything left behind on that world."
The Clan Leader finally turned to us and began to give us all our specific missions. He started with me. "Wolf, you are the oldest of these Elites and I understand you have only recently returned from a hunt where you slayed a Preatorian, is this correct?" I kneeled at the presence of the Leader and shook my head. "It is, Spartan." He shook his head at my answer and motioned for me to stand. As I did so he placed a hand on my shoulder. "A mighty kill for a mighty warrior. You shall lead the Elites on this mission and you will be given the greatest landing zone of all."
As I looked at the hologram, a dot began to blink right next to the ruins surrounding the human structure that lay atop the temple. "There will be many good trophies to be earned there. Go, and make the clan proud. This place will be yours to hunt and find the Youngbloods." As Spartan patted my shoulder and stepped away, I saluted to him once more. "Thank you for this honor, I will not disappoint you."
Spartan then walked to the next two Elites beside me and two more dots revealed themselves. One was in the Jungle just outside the perimeter of the Human's occupied zone, and the other was near the large refinery in the mesa between the colony and the building that covered the temple deep in the jungle. He looked at them both and began to give them their mission.
"Scorch, you have proven yourself to be capable in hives in recent hunts, as such you will be sent to the Human refinery where we believe serpents may be present. Investigate any presence the serpents may have on the world and report back to us." Scorch nodded at his commands and spoke, "I will carry out this mission with great pride, Spartan."
The Clan Leader then turned to the newest Elite on board. "Dark. You have only just earned the title of Elite, but as I witnessed your ferocity during the trial, I saw great potential from within you. As such you are being tasked with searching for the Youngbloods personally. We are sending you to their last know location and you are to follow their trail and bring them back safely. If they have fallen, then you know what must be done."
Dark saluted in respect and spoke to our leader. "I thank you for your kind words Spartan, I will ensure the safety of any Youngbloods left alive." With the final command given, Spartan walked back alongside the elder and the hologram zoomed out to show the entire planet once more. "Our long-range scanners show a human warship in orbit of the planet. Once we deal with it, you all will be immediately sent down to begin your missions. Go and prepare, there are many trophies to be earned this day."
With one final deafening crash of his spear, we were all dismissed from the bridge. As we all left, we quickly went our separate ways in silence as we went to our chambers to prepare for the hunt ahead. When I got into my quarters, I quickly went to my locker and entered my code. With a hiss, the pressurized chamber released streams of gas and opened wide. I looked on in pride as I saw my arsenal in front of me.
I reached in and began to grab each piece of gear. First, I grabbed my Smart Disc and attached it to my belt. I then grabbed my retractable spear, a weapon that has proved to be wickedly effective against even the largest of serpents. I gathered a handful of proximity mines and placed them in a pouch, before finally grabbing my shoulder-mounted plasma cannon from the wall. With an awkward motion, I hoisted it into place and quickly strapped it down, and activated the joints to firmly lock it in place.
With my weapons acquired, only one last piece waited for me. I looked at my mask hanging in front of me in the most prominent position in the locker. I gently outstretched my hands and grabbed the mask, giving it a light tug as it came off the wall. The once smooth metallic mask has grown chipped and rough through decades of wear and tear, yet never once have I had it repaired. Each mark told a story, and I am sure many more will be added in these coming days.
| -/\- -\_/- -/\- |
Pain. Agonizing pain. It was the only thing I could feel now. My strength has all but left me, and I felt as if I have been plunged into a frozen lake. The whole world around me grew darker and darker as I began to give in to my fate. Even the pain itself soon began to subside as I felt my body begin to shut down. Now, the only thing I could feel was my heart slowly coming to its beating stop on the cold floor. By now, Six had left my side and while I understood, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of sorrow. If there was one thing I wished for in my final moments, it would be to hold the hands of one I cared for.
It was then the strangest feeling came over me, it felt like nothing I have ever felt before. A sudden wave of warmth began to flood from my wound and my body heat began to rise rapidly. While at first pleasant, the sensation began to grow more and more severe and my breathing began to grow rough. My heart suddenly began to speed back up and the warmth became a burning sensation.
With this new sensation, the unbearable pain returned, only now it was concentrated around my wound. A new burst of energy jolted through my muscles and I used it to open my eyes. The sight I saw was, strange, to say the least. Six was by my side again, and once again looking over me. Now, however, she was not holding me, at least not in the normal sense. Her hands were pressing into the corner of my chest where the bullet entered and there was a strange green material she was pressing into me.
My eyes grew wide when I realized what she was using and suddenly fear flooded my mind. She was using the Royal Jelly. I quickly thought of the man I watched die all those years ago, and using whatever strength I had left I desperately tried to stop her, doing my best to avoid such a fate as the one he met.
As I wrestled under her she quickly hissed at me and put a hand on my chest, as if commanding me to stop my attempts at escape. I slowly did as she told, and watched in silent horror as she continued to apply the alien substance. The pain that came from the wound was immeasurable and I felt nothing but agony as she continued to rub it in. The sensation then began to go from a continuous pain to a pulsing one.
Each pulse of pain wrecked my nerves and I began to scream out, no longer being able to control myself. Six continued to put pressure against my wound and now used her free hand to gently rub the side of my face, as though she was trying to comfort me. I looked around frantically as I begged in my mind for it to end, for anything to come and stop this horrible feeling.
Then, the strangest thing of all began. Each agonizing pulse of pain that has been torturing me began to slow down, with more time passing between each pulse than the last. As it did, I felt as though my body itself began to move in a sensation so strange, I couldn't even think of how to describe it. As the pulsing waves of pain slowly began to subside, I looked down at my body only to see Six slowly raise her hands from the point of impact.
When her hands moved aside, my eyes grew wide in a mixture of shock and wonder. "My God…" I mumbled with what little strength I now had. At some point, my coat and shirt was removed leaving only my exposed chest to the chilling air of the laboratory. What I saw instead of a bloodied hole was something that shouldn't be possible. Where there was once a hole was now a point where my skin twisted itself shut and sealed the impact, leaving a swelled and spiraling scar. The pain was still there, but the bleeding had stopped entirely.
The bleeding. I lost an immeasurable amount of blood, so much so that it pooled around me as I lay on the ground beside Six. By all accounts, the blood loss should have been enough to kill me, yet I was alive. My heart was still beating with fury within my chest, so much so that it almost hurt me. Despite my body healing seemingly magically, I felt other portions of it weaken, such as my bones. My only thought is that my body must be doing everything it can to keep me alive, even sacrificing strength from my bones to replace the blood lost.
None of it made any sense to me. There has never been a reported case of bones being able to do such a thing, and yet it was happening. It's the only explanation. Six now simply stared at me as she lifted me up so I was sitting upright on the ground. My gaze was still locked onto my wound, and curiosity began to strike. Ever so gently I moved my hand across the now healed wound and softly touched it. The moment I did, it stung profusely, but I suppose that is better than death.
Slowly, a smile began to appear on my lips as I still couldn't believe at what I was seeing. I gave it another gentle tap which once again stung, but this time I simply chuckled. This is insane! I thought as I addressed the whole situation. It was then I finally looked to my savior, the one I once protected, and now the one that has been protecting me. I looked at her smooth black face as she simply stared at me in silence. It was then another feeling entered my mind and suddenly a voice called out to me. It sounded feminine in nature, and to me, it sounded almost like an angel. The voice only spoke one word. "Orion."
Before I could even process what just happened, a tidal wave of psychological force slammed against my head. I could hear the voices of hundreds in an instant and they were so, so loud. I grabbed my ears and fell back to the floor, falling out of Six's hands. I shook my head and writhed on the floor, desperate for the noise to end. I grabbed my ears tighter and tighter, to the point where I even began to hurt myself. Make it stop! God! It's so loud!
It was then a new voice called out, this one louder than all the others. Just like the last, it was feminine as well, only this one seemed, older. Stronger. Just like the last one as well, it spoke only one word. "Interloper.". It was then Six finally got a hold of me and lifted me up. By now, the pain had caused my eyes to water and blur my vision. As I looked at Six she shook me and the voice from before began to echo out in the corner of my mind, repeating the same word. "orion. Orion. Orion!"
As the voice chanted my name, the psychological attacks soon began to subside. As all of the voices grew quieter, only the first one I heard remained at its original volume. Soon, all the noise came to a complete stop and I cautiously released my fierce grip from my ears. A now deafening silence fell upon me and for the first time, I looked around the room to see my surroundings.
The sight churned my stomach as I looked on at the gore in front of me. Pools of blood covered the floor, not just from my body, but from the body of the now-deceased Everett as well. His lifeless body lay limp on the floor; his face frozen in a state of agonizing terror and his cold lifeless eyes stared at me as I sat there in the room. Warm pools of blood still slowly dribbled out of the gaping hole in his neck.
James simply stood above the body, blood covering his face and chest as a strange white liquid poured from his own wound. I looked around, my mind still heavily plagued with confusion. Finally, I looked to my side where Six sat beside me. The open canister that once held the Royal Jelly laid by her side, now discarded on the floor.
When I looked back to Six, a faint warmth entered the back of my mind and Six lunged towards me as she brought me into her embrace. "Orion" The voice called out again. Six squeezed me tighter and began to rub a hand through my hair. "I thought I had lost you. I was so scared." Hearing it once more, I looked around in confusion and looked for the source, only for it to finally hit me.
"Six?" I asked cautiously why looking at her. She simply nodded her head and slowly helped me to my feet. "We must get you to safety Orion. While there is so much to say, no is sadly not the time." Six said as I began to gain my bearings. How is this possible? How is any of this possible? I thought to myself, only to suddenly receive another mental message. "There is much you won't understand yet, but what is important now is that you're safe. I will explain it all in due time Orion."
Deciding that enough time had been wasted, I made an attempt to stand so we could continue our journey to regroup with the others. The moment I moved I felt a terrible pain from my wound, forcing me back down. "Move slow, you are still healing Orion." Six told me. Doing as she commanded, I slowed my movements as I stood up once more. This time she let me support myself on her as I rose.
Now finally to my feet, I took slow and careful steps as I tested my legs. As I made my first steps, a new voice called out. It was James. "Orion. I am pleased to see that you are alive. I had thought you dead until Six began to, work, with you." I looked at James with fear and a lack of understanding as I saw more of the white liquid pour from his would-be fatal wound. The sight of him did nothing to put me at ease. Cautiously, I asked James the question that now ravaged my mind. "James. What the hell are you?"
James put his head down for a moment before bringing it back up to look me in the eyes. "I am not the James you knew. When the old James was sent away, he never left the reeducation camp. He is still there to this day." As the deceiver in front of me spoke, I shook my head at the realization of what he was. "So you… You're a-" James cut me off and finished my own sentence. "Yes, Orion. I am an android."
I shook my head in shock as suddenly hundreds of the little things he did that always seemed odd suddenly made a whole new world of sense to me. The hesitation before speaking, the random change of personality in high-stress situations, all of it. Before I could even say anything, I felt Six nudge me and motion for me to continue to the door. "We must move Orion. There is still time to save you."
I nodded my head in response and began to make my way to the door. James walked over to me and handed me a bloodied clump of clothes. "When you were, gone, I removed your clothes while Six attempted to heal you. They are now dirty, but they will have to suffice for now." I gave a quick "thanks" and quickly began to put on my shirt. The blood left it a sticky and uncomfortable mess, but it now I didn't mind. My lab coat was a bit cleaner than the undershirt from the front, but the pool of blood I laid in had stained the back completely.
After I made myself look decent, I began the journey into the darkness of the facility once again. James, if I should even call him that anymore I'm not sure, let me rest some of my weight on him as he helped me through the halls. Six once again took the lead only now she was much more visibly on edge than she was before.
As we walked around aimlessly through the halls, the sounds of gunfire soon began to ring out once more, only now it was much louder, closer. Six began to slightly slow down and joined my side as we walked through the halls. "Orion, we are getting closer to more of your friends. I will stay in the shadows and watch you. Stay safe." Having given me her message, Six quickly began to climb off onto the ceiling and into the darkness ahead.
James turned to me and spoke. "Where is she going, Orion?" I answered quickly, feeling uncomfortable speaking to him. "We are close to the others. Just stay quiet and don't worry about her." James nodded his head in acknowledgment and we continued our way through the hall. By now, the sound of gunfire was deafening and we finally approached the final door to reunite with Vasquez's posse.
James let me down and I rested against the wall. I could hear faint screams from the other side. "We got two more contacts of the western door! Get ready!" A feeling of fear filled my mind as I began to worry we would be gunned down the moment the door opened. Before I could stop James, the door's hydraulics released and the light blinded us. "Holy shit." A voice called from the other side.
Two men quickly ran to us and brought us into the room alongside them. "Sergeant! We got wounded over here!" A soldier cried out as they helped me into the large hallway. I was finally back in the main hall of Volatile Research, and it was utter chaos. The group of six Marines now had been whittled down to four, and I noticed two of the others were missing as well.
The Marines had formed a large barricade at the main door of the sector and had one of the survivors working to get the door open. The defenses themselves were an amalgamation of thrown-together tables, sandbags, and just about anything they could find. At the head of all the cover stood the turret they had brought, and it shot out deafening rounds of high-caliber ammunition into the coming swarm of Xenomorphs.
The two that grabbed James and I quickly rejoined the fight and continued to fire alongside their comrades. With the front now reinforced, a soldier pulled off and ran to my side as I leaned against the wall. As he claim close I immediately recognized the dirty and battered man as Vasquez. Upon seeing my bloodied uniform his eyes grew wide and he began to look inside his bag for medical supplies.
"Jesus Orion what the hell happened to you!" Vasquez said as he rummaged through his supplies. I raised a weak hand to try and signal him to stop. "Don't bother Vasquez, James already patched me up. I'll be fine for now." Vasquez gave me a cautious look before shaking his head. "I'm serious Vasquez, I'm fine. They're going to need you more up there." It was then Vasquez pulled out a small cylindrical syringe and handed it to me.
"Take a shot of this, it will make you feel a whole lot better." Vasquez said. I gave it an untrustworthy look and he snatched it out of my hand and jammed it in my chest. "Fuckin hell man it's not gonna kill you, it's just a stem shot. Should get you some strength back." Suddenly a soldier shouting from across the way pulled Vasquez's attention away.
"Sergeant! The turret is almost out! It only has about two hundred rounds left!" After hearing the call, Vasquez quickly looked back at me. "Still got that gun?" I nodded my head and he lifted me up and walked me to the frontline. Whatever was in that shot had a hell of a kick and I felt a massive spike of energy begin to flow through me. "Hold the line! Even when that turret goes down we stick together! Until that door opens no one runs!"
Joining in the fray, I clicked off the safety and looked into the large hall that was once flooded with light, and was now plagued by darkness. While no Xenos could be seen near us, the scanners showed just about a dozen just a few dozen meters away. With every flash of a muzzle from the countless firearms, I could catch small glimpses of the aliens as they tried to overwhelm us. Not knowing entirely what to do, I simply fired ahead into the swarm without aim.
"Sergeant! One hundred rounds left!" The voice of the soldier called out again. "Don't stop shooting! Drive them off!" Vasquez yelled over the gunfire. Seeing how many there were, it felt useless to stay, yet still, I stood my ground. The smell of sulfur filled my nostrils as we all held back the endless tide of certain death. With the help of the turret, we were able to keep them back, but I know that won't last for much longer.
"What the hell is happening with the door? Get that thing opened already!" Vasquez yelled from the line. It was then beeping warnings began to sound out from the turret and the voice of the soldier now spoke with tinges of fear. "Sergeant! It's down to the last fifty rounds! This is it!" As we stood there side by side, the ammo soon began to audibly reach the end as the shells inside the large case began to cling against the sides. Not even a minute later, the turret fired its last round and now let out nothing but pathetic clicks as it stood useless by us.
"Don't you dare stop shooting! No one quits!" Vasquez shouted in an attempt to keep the men from pulling back. It took only moments for the sensors to show that the Xenomorphs soon began to gain more and more ground. Despite our best attempts to hold them back, the tide got closer and closer. "Sergeant! They just reached the fifteen-meter mark!" Vasquez looked to another soldier and shouted a command. "Set off the charges!"
With the push of a plunging device, a sudden and brilliant light filled the chamber and shook the room. The blast knocked me down and the sensors suddenly read that the attack had stopped completely. We all watched in silent anticipation at what their next move would be, and for a few moments, the sensors stayed silent.
With the single sound, dread returned to our hearts. One ping came off the sensor. Then two. Then four. More and more began to show up until eventually there were at least thirty. "Holy shit." one of the men muttered. Vasquez shook his head and motioned for everyone to ready themselves. "Get the hell up! This is it!" Vasquez shouted.
As we made out final stand, there wasn't even a need to aim anymore. There were so many it seemed guaranteed any bullet would land. We held them back, although just barely. A new voice sounded out from the line. "Sergeant! I'm out of ammo!" Vasquez shouted a curse. "Go back to the door! Blow the thing open if you have to!" The man quickly fell out of the line and with the loss of firepower, the Xenomorphs began to gain even more ground.
"Ten meters Sergeant!" Cried out another voice. Doom began to set in yet I stood firing until I reached for another magazine, only to find I had just used my last one. "I'm out!" I shouted. Vasquez shook his head and stood firm at the firing line. Now it was just Vasquez and two others holding back countless of the deadliest species in the galaxy. All I could do was go to the door and pray.
"Five meters!" By now, they were so close the floodlights they had set up showed the Xenomorphs beside the fortifications. What perhaps made it all the worse is I noticed how few of them we were actually killing. Whenever one would be hit, it simply fell back as another took its place. "It's been a pleasure Sergeant!" a soldier cried out as they fought alongside each other. Vasquez shook his head and gave a quick response. "This ain't it Johnny, not on my watch!"
As a Xeno broke through the final stretch, Vasquez unloaded whatever he had left in his magazine into it and killed it on the spot. As another came up, he simply turned his rifle around smashed its head with the butt of his rifle, and sent it to the ground. As it tried to come back up, he simply pulled out his sidearm and put a solid five shots into its brain. "Who the hell wants some you nasty Xeno bastards! Come and get me!"
As he yelled, the attack suddenly came to a screeching halt. As the attack stopped, the men held their fire and looked around in confusion. "Sergeant! They're pulling back!" cried out the voice of 'Johnny' as he looked at the sensor. "What?" Vasquez said as he looked on in confusion. For a moment, everyone stood still and looked on at the sensors screen in silence as every last contact it had grew farther and farther from our position.
"Where the hell are they going?" Vasquez said to himself under his breath. Suddenly, a cry pulled our attention away from the frontline as a loud buzzing could be heard. "I got it! I finally got it!" shouted the jolly voice of a survivor. For a moment Vasquez simply kept his gaze on the now-empty hall before finally turning to the group. "Come on everyone, let's move! Once everybody is passed the door, seal it behind us."
Following his orders, we all flooded through the large doors and two members of the group sealed it once we were through. Now that we were finally in a safe place, we all took a moment to catch our breaths while Vasquez thought of what to do next. "Alright. Everyone gather around, we gotta keep moving." Vasquez said to the group. As we all gathered around, he pulled out a map he brought and got it ready. He turned to his soldiers and spoke. "I need an equipment check, what are we dealing with here?"
The men conversed with themselves for a moment as they went through their gear. After they were finished, they gave Vasquez a worried look. "In total, we have enough ammo for only about three more magazines. We have two grenades left, and we got jackshit other than that." Vasquez rubbed his forehead as he looked down at the map in visible frustration. "Ok then. Here is the plan."
He turned the map around and began to point us through his plan. "We're close to getting out of the facility, but we're going to need more weapons if we want even the slightest chance at getting off the planet. We can still stay on schedule if we take this path here." He pointed towards a nearby hallway. "There is a large depot here we can commandeer for more supplies. After that, we just continue west and it should put us right outside."
As I looked at the map, I noticed a strange blacked-out section outside where we would be exiting from. "What's there anyways?" I asked. Vasquez took a quick look before answering. "It's the old ruins they were excavating out there. It's a different path sure, but as long as we stick together we should be fine to make our way to the monorail station. It's just a short hop away. Now come on, let's move."
As we began our new path to the depot, I began to wonder where Six was, if she was alright. I wasn't sure what to do or how to call her, but I had an idea. I closed my eyes for a moment and began to think as hard as I could. "Six. Are you there?" I thought. For a moment, silence answered my call and I shook my head as I continued walking. Dumb idea Orion.
Then, a slightly familiar sensation entered the depths of my mind. "I am here Orion. I am alright." Hearing her voice nearly stopped me in my tracks, but I wouldn't make that mistake again. "What happened? Why did they all leave us?" I asked her. The silence was the answer once more until she finally responded with a single statement. "She calls us to our new home. Our Mother."
- Authors Note -
With the facility in chaos and the world under siege by an infestation, a new presence makes its way to the world. I am very happy to bring to you all the fifteenth chapter of my story, and with it the good news that Orion is ok! Before I go any further, I want to give a quick thank you to a very special writer that inspired me to begin writing, SCMB. His story, The Boy and the Queen, is a spectacular read and it's what really pushed me to write my own. Furthermore, it has also helped inspire some parts of this story as well, (such as the healing benefits of the royal jelly.)
I would also want to give thanks to you! All my wonderful readers! You guys have been spectacular to get to meet and hear from, and I am proud to say this story has somehow reached over seven thousand views. I literally cannot state how much it means to me to see that so many are able to enjoy my tale, and I only hope I can keep on fulfilling your expectations! I hope you enjoyed the new perspective, and I assure you their role will be a significant one. For now, have a great day! This is your narrator, signing off.
P.S. - Another author and I have put together a discord server for people who love fanfiction! As a long-time reader, (and brand new writer), I have always looked for a discord for fanfiction, yet I have never been able to find one. So as of yesterday, I and Remnault decided to fix that! The server is still very much young and still being set up, but if you are interested in joining then feel free to do so! Here is the link, and I wish you all a wonderful night! I will also be having a very important vote in the near future for my story on it!
Server join link - discord. gg /AzTnKZGZ (sorry if you can't copy and paste, you may have to just write it manually in the search bar).
