Chapter 26 – The Hunted

Noah pedaled it. He didn't care that he was driving on unstable terrain underground. He didn't care that he could attract the attention of the rampaging Fusion Monsters. He needed to get to Rivera and Alvarez. They were out on their own, injured, and could be subject to the incoming Fusion swarm any moment.

Finally, he got to where he needed. At least, as far as the car would take him. He hard broke and jumped out of the car, running over on the back seat and the trunk, as the cave was so narrow he couldn't even open the doors and get out properly. It didn't matter. He couldn't allow himself to be too late. He didn't know what he'd do if what he found on the scene was the mauled dead bodies of the two men that he was supposed to lead. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he knew he had led them to their graves.

This one was narrow. Too narrow for the car, almost too narrow for Noah. It was dug by one of the Worms, but he didn't know how long ago. He remembered this place, as he had gone down here with the SACT Agent, Kate. Back then they talked about the burdens of leadership and the leader's guilt. This time, he wouldn't let the matter come to guilt.

As he got out of the cave, Noah looked around. The camera they showed up on was here, but there was no sign of them now. That was good, right? There were no bodies, and at least it meant they were well enough to move from here.

"Over here!" – he heard someone shout. Noah looked over. They were on the ground, semi-hidden behind a rock.

They were alive.

"How are you two?" – Noah asked him as he ran up to them.

"I'm fine." – Rivera grunted, though it was clear that he was also in pain. "Alvarez, not so much. He lost blood, and got stung. I did what I could, but we need to get him to the medic. How's the battle going? Did the Worms get into the base?"

"Don't know. Left before they arrived. Alvarez!" – Noah answered while looking at the fallen Agent. He was feverish, and seemed out cold. "ALVAREZ!" – Noah yelled, lightly slapping his face repeatedly, trying to get him to come to.

"Mmmnnh… os mosquitos me pegaram de novo" – he moaned and moved somewhat, but did not open his eyes.

"He's delirious. Come on, help me get him up." – Noah told Rivera, who tried to get up, but struggled. Noah immediately noticed. "You're injured too!" – he pointed out.

"I'm better off than him. Help me get up so I can help you get him up." – Rivera shrugged it off. Noah didn't like it, but it wasn't like he had a choice.

Carrying him through the worm-dug tunnel was the hardest part. They had to bend down because of the height of the ceiling, and that made it exceptionally hard to support another person's weight over their shoulder. They had to use another method – Rivera went in front holding up his legs while Noah held him up from under the shoulders behind him.

"Quick! Get him in!" – Noah told him as they finally got out. His back was killing him, but now wasn't the time. They quickly had to get back to base. To help Alvarez, and to help defend Huntor's Nest from the swarm of Undertaker Worms and Fusionflies that would surely have reached it by now.

On the way back, Noah couldn't drive as carelessly as he did before. He had two injured Agents in the car. He didn't want to make it worse.

Even ignoring that, another obstacle opened up. Just when they got near to base, the tunnel that led to the garage had caved in. Noah didn't understand why.

"What happened here?" – Noah asked out loud, though, to no one in particular, as Rivera and Alvarez wouldn't know either. He sent people to defend this area, but it was all caved in now. Well, whatever happened, it didn't matter, as long as nobody got caught in the rubble. They still needed to find an alternate way to get to base, specifically to Maison, or at least Cindy. Noah drove back, going into a side tunnel for a long way around into another entrance.

"There! There it is!" – Noah pointed out as they finally got to the familiar closed metal door, located on the Firepits side of the caves. This cave appeared deserted too, but there was no time to think about that. He quickly ran to the access panel and typed in 2709, and the doors slid open…

But Noah was not prepared for the horror that awaited him inside.

The entire hallway was crawling with Fusionflies. They were inside. An entire swarm of them. Noah had no time to process what this meant.

"Dear god…" – Rivera muttered.

The implication was overwhelming and a rush of emotions came over Noah. Confusion. Desperation. Despair. All of them together were too much to process, so…

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRGHHHHHHH!" – he it all out in a primordial scream that took over his entire body on autopilot, and started shooting. He could barely process what was going on, much less aim at the Fusions, but he didn't have to. Anywhere the gun went, it was sure to hit a Fusionfly.

Earlier…

Huntor was twiddling with his knife in his hand. Pressing the tip up against the base of his claw and rotating it around, running it in between all of his fingers, flipping it around his wrist… His sight was fixated on the knife, but his mind wasn't paying any attention to it at all. He was doing those finger tricks subconsciously, having mastered them to an extent where he didn't even have to pay attention, while his headspace was occupied by a completely different matter.

It had been six days since he had opened his lair, his Nest, his dominion, up to the humans of Providence. Even longer than that, he had to house an irritating, filthy monkey in his den. Oh, how he hated monkeys. Even the eartheners, the "humans", were not too far from that evolutionary line.

Though, Huntor did not hate the humans. Yes, they intruded on his solitude, but after all, he had made that choice himself. The humans served a purpose. What Huntor did hate, was the situation he was in.

The reason he established himself on this island those several years ago in the first place was that it was remote. Not only was it located on a level two backwater planet, this island specifically was hidden from prying eyes. Due to some strange properties that even Huntor couldn't explain, the island would not show up on any kind of radar or satellite technology he tested, which made it perfect for hiding out from both interplanetary authorities and Earth's rising superhuman power. The island even seemed to change its geographic coordinates at times, disappearing and reappearing in a completely different part of the ocean, making it difficult to find again unless you had some sort of tracker leading to it.

Even him discovering the island in the first place was an accident. It had happened right after yet another failure in capturing Monkey. Not just any earth primate, but the Monkey. One of the most powerful wild animals he had ever faced, and just yet elusive. But that would only make his reward sweeter – he could see himself mounting Monkey's head on his fireplace, proving without the shadow of a doubt that he was the universe's greatest huntsman. He's been saving that spot for him all this time. After all, Monkey was the beast that bested Peltra, Orgon Grindor, even the mighty Barbequor and every other hunter that came after him. And him falling at Huntor's claws would definitely put a frown on Khyber's face.

Alas, Huntor's extensive planning was foiled once again by an act so idiotic, so primitive that he could have never expected it. Huntor had overlooked the fact that despite all, Monkey was still a wild animal, and just when he thought he had him, the ape… urinated on his Negative Ion Blaster, short-circuiting it and rendering it useless, which allowed Monkey to turn the battle around and hunt the Huntor.

He cursed himself, and his overcomplicated plans and contingencies. As he was adrift in Earth's waves after his ship had blown up, he reconsidered everything he had done up until that moment. Maybe the imakandi tribe elders were right. Maybe the advanced technology he had been using had knocked him off the Path of the Hunt. A bunch of old fools was what he had called them when they exiled him. And every time Monkey had bested him, it was not with overcomplicated technology or anything of the sort. It was always primitive methods Huntor had considered below him, just like he did the rest of the imakandi. He had called them fools but he himself was a witless drongo. Even if he hadn't gotten exiled, he would have never thought about going back to Kama Ima, but after being humiliated once more, he had considered swallowing his remaining pride, denouncing the technology and returning to the simple ways of the Hunt he had been brought up on…

But then he saw it. By some miracle, the waves had carried him to land. And not just any land.

It was a hunter's paradise.

Huge reptilian beasts roamed the land, beasts that – as he later found out – were extinct on this planet for over 50 million years. They were a kind of time anomaly, which meant they would be some of the most unique prey any hunter could ask for. These beasts roamed this world when Khoros was nothing more but a desert wasteland, when the sprawling civilization of Galvan Prime was a mere pond of tadpoles. And these beasts were his to pursue.

He had been right all along. He never abandoned the Way of the Hunt, as the imakandi elders had accused him of. He had evolved it. And the Hunt had guided him to this place, as his reward.

And so, he built his new base here, and claimed dominion over an area he had called Huntor's Crest. The planet that he hated so much had become his hideout – he could now take back what it took from him. Even his enemies from this planet couldn't find him here, but he would be paying attention. Very close attention. And plus, wasn't Earth somehow constantly taking part in galaxy-shaping events? It would give him a prime opportunity to go after a new and powerful target before the rest of the universe's glory hunters got the chance.

Huntor's Crest was his recluse – here, he could hunt and plan unbothered, in-between his grand and elaborate plans. There were traces of man – primitive hunter-gatherer settlements reminding Huntor of former home of Kama Ima, but it seemed like they had died out. The only other entity, as far as Huntor was aware, was an Earth demon that visited the island occasionally. He was smart enough not to meddle in demonic affairs, and it seemed like the demon thought likewise. Though they never met, they had an unspoken pact of not interfering, as neither of them had any interest in the other's activities. Well, that wasn't entirely true, at least on Huntor's part, but preferred to stay neutral. At least, until he had enough information on this "Demongo" to take him out of this island's food chain. After all, demons were nothing but another breed of prey.

But his peace in the paradise got disturbed when Planet Fusion came knocking.

Huntor had heard of it. The entity itself, if you could even call it a planet, was a hunter, a predator on a cosmic scale, consuming entire celestial bodies like a panuncian would devour a splixson. And now, not only had it turned its attention to the planet Huntor had built his hunting resort on… Not only did it knock down any and all space-faring vessel trying to leave the planet, thus stranding him here. It also came knocking on his very door, the one place he thought was his, infecting the island with its Terrafusers.

This caused a major change in the island.

The most obvious change was, of course, the Fusion creatures roaming the land. Huntor studied their life cycle. They either started out as bacteria-like Spawns that would later take on the properties of a specific Earth object or environment, or they would develop inside of these Terrafuser machines and already emerge in a more complex and adapted state and evolve from there. As time went on, more and more dangerous and cunning Fusion Monsters were created, which meant more and more glorious ways to hunt. He still prided himself on the Terra Claw he had shattered in the heat of the Hunt, deep inside the Fusion-claimed lands. But that was also indicative of the second main problem.

This small island, nearly undetectable, one among millions on this planet, ended up attracting the manifestation of Planet Fusion itself. As far as Huntor understood it, Lord Fuse was the controlling force behind the hivemind, an avatar of Planet Fusion's consciousness, and his power was only a fraction of what was looming in the sky. This island ended up becoming Fuse's foothold, the heart of his infection, something that was out of Huntor's league. Only a fool would try to hunt an entire planet. Not only that, it also attracted Earth's defending forces as well. They came to his island and with their little ships and built their little bases. Even Ben Tennyson and Steven Universe, his former prey that had eluded him before, now freely walked across his paradise. If he wanted to retain it, he would have to hide within his Nest, erasing any trace of his presence, biding his time until Planet Fusion was neutralized.

And yet, almost a year had passed, and it was still there, drawing ever closer. The time and the infection took a toll on the island, however. His Crest was starting to terraform, just like the rest of the land. Even the soil itself getting corrupted by Planet Fusion's infestation. But that wasn't the worst part.

The prey from a time long-lost, the crowned jewel of Huntor's island, the dinosaurs of a forsaken time started disappearing as more and more Fusion creatures popped up. They were not getting killed off or driven away into hiding by the Fusion Monsters, as Huntor had originally assumed. There was no trace of them left whatsoever – no bodies, no bones, no hidden populations. If there were, the greatest hunter in the universe would have easily snuffed them out. But it was like they simply popped out of existence, one by one. It happened over a couple of weeks, but by the time Earth's defending forces had discovered this island, there were none left. The wonder of this island was gone, and all their Dexter or their Secret Scientists had to discover were bones and dust. Only a single dinosaur remained, the one Huntor had tamed. Maybe this, too, was a gift from the Hunt for him.

The invasion even claimed his greatest Hunt. It took Monkey before he got the chance. Many of Earth's heroes went missing at the hands of Fusion Demongo, and Monkey was no exception. Huntor ended up not being the first one to fell him. And that scarred his pride. He could only restore it by hunting down Fusion Demongo himself, but he turned out to be as elusive as his regular counterpart, and even after Earth's forces defeated him, the Fusion escaped. Only recently did the fake soulmonger fall at the hands of Demongo himself. By the Law of the Hunt, his next target would have to be Demongo instead, finally giving him a reason to do what he had longed to in a while. Only then would he allow himself to continue pursuing Monkey.

And that brought him to where he was now. The humans infested his lair. Fuse, or likely one of his Fusions, had discovered his Nest, burrowed underground, and was trying to unearth it with his Worm creatures. A threat that was admittedly too big for him, which was why he compromised his sanctum and his anonymity. In exchange, he had to endure the humiliation of asking the Providence men of "protection". It was suffocating.

Out of annoyance, he threw the knife he was fiddling with against the wall, at an empty mount where Monkey's head was supposed to go. The knife hit it and got stuck in the wood.

"Hey, uh, Huntor? There's a situation." – one of Providence peaked in, disturbing his train of thought. His head was several inches from where the knife had landed, and he worriedly eyed it, expecting him to be next. "Your… uh, the dinosaur. It caused a… mess in its pen. We're not exactly sure how to look after it."

Maybe Huntor was wrong. He did hate the humans, after all.

Maison took a deep breath. It was fine, she told herself. Everything was fine. She looked around the infirmary. Cindy was there, offering a helping hand, as always. Though, at the moment, she was passed out on the chair. That was okay, everyone needed time to rest. But Maison still didn't quite get why Cindy bothered. She could deal with all the patients on her own. But Cindy still insisted on helping around… well, when the next battle came, she could give first aid to others if Maison was occupied.

Though, Cindy was not what she was worried about. The state of her patients had her constant attention. Agent Carrie Danvers, for one. She got hit hard with a fireball during the initial raid on the Providence outpost in the Fireswamps, and she never really recovered since then. Every time she went out into battle, she returned right back to the infirmary. Truth be told, a medic should never be glad that they have a constantly returning patient, but at least that meant that she'd be returning in one piece. If only she could convince her to stay here and recuperate.

And the permanent stay was Astrid Aquajack. Heavy case. Third degree burns all over her body, and a ruptured kidney on top of that. Comatose for the last two days, with no hope of immediate recovery. The Darklands were no place for someone in that state. She'd have to be shipped off to a hospital on the mainland, and in months, if she survived that long, she'd recuperate. But it didn't seem anyone would be leaving the island anytime soon.

Maison hated herself for allowing her to come to this state. Cindy had told her that Astrid was lucky to have Maison help at all, and that without her, she'd be dead, but that wasn't enough for Maison. If she had been good enough, Astrid would be standing on her own two feet.

Just like everyone else. Hero's Hollow. Fireswamps. Mattson. Poindexter. Barton. Roger. The names kept piling up. Rodriguez. Seren. Chavez. And Peggy… She remembered them all, every one, every single one that died under her watch. The names and faces kept flashing through her mind, superimposing on top of one another as she struggled to process them all at the same time. And Astrid seemed like she'd be the next one on the list.

She… she tried to take another breath, but her diaphragm had to have been spasming because she just couldn't. She felt like she was drowning. She… she had to get out of there for a moment, out of this accursed room filled with nothing but death and despair. She opened the door, and what she saw outside momentarily shook her. Dead bodies all over the hallways, walls smeared with blood, and Lizard Kings crawling all over them…

Maison stood there and stared witless, unable to keep her train of thought moving. She dared focus her vision on what was going on in front of her once again, and…

Thank god. None of it was real. Just a hallucination, yet another one. She shouldn't be happy about seeing hallucinations, but at least they weren't the real deal.

She heard footsteps echoing around the corner of the metal hallway. Even more horrors were about to flash through her mind, but it was just Fix.

Oh, Fix. When she realized it was him, it was as if the entire blurred world came to view again. He noticed her standing there, and walked up to her. It seemed like he was meaning to come talk to her, too.

"So, uh… hey." – he awkwardly told her. He was anxious. He was about to drop something she might not be able to recover from. Though, she couldn't read that on his face.

"Hi." – she answered, weirdly calmly, considering the state of her mind mere moments ago.

"How… how have you been holding up?" – he asked her. He didn't really seem like he wanted to do this, but that nature of his tone went over her head. She was just happy talking to him.

"Not… not that great, you know." – she admitted. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"I know, I know." – Fix regrettably admitted. That emotion was genuine, though not entirely in the way Maison thought. What he regretted was the fact that Maison wanted to see him. He didn't realize that he would be the subject of her emotional dependence, and he wanted to break it off as painlessly as possible. The problem was, he wasn't sure if that was even possible.

"So, I…" – he started, but got interrupted by beeping coming in from his NanoCom.

"Shit! SHIT!" – he yelled as soon as he saw what the beeping meant. "I gotta warn the Captains!" – was all he could tell her until he ran off. The only tether Maison had to reality, pulling away from her.

Huntor was now in the computer room, observing the cameras. The eyes that he had spread all around his island back when it was still his dominion. All he could do now was observe, a hunter biding his time…

"Hey, Huntor." – the human, Noah, spoke. He had been observing the cameras as well, sitting next to him.

"Grrhm." – Huntor groaned in acknowledgement.

"We're combing past video footage to try and find if there's any trace of whoever it is that's assisting Demongo." – Noah told him.

Noah had the tone of someone that wanted to ask for something, but knew that whoever they were asking it for would not be happy. Huntor could smell the wary anticipation all over him, like a wild animal expecting a predator to pounce it.

That Noah was a mere pup. A fledgling turned figurehead. He did not seem like the kind of person that was capable of being head of the pack. He lacked what Huntor would describe best as… instinct. No, that was wrong. Even the cubs and the pups had instinct since the day they were born. What Noah was lacking in was the drive that guides the predator to its next prey. Yet, the rest of the Providence men put their faith in him. Him and that self-declared nimrod, Doyle, who probably couldn't even match an imakandi cub in skill. Those were the humans Providence put their faith in. Why? Were the rest of them even less capable? And yet, that meant Huntor put his faith in them too, as Providence was his defense garrison. Why? Did he abandon his own agency completely and put everything he had in the hands of others, or was there something to Doyle and Noah after all?

While Huntor continued contemplating, Noah went through with his request. "But, well, it takes a long time to process all this video material, and if DOC-27 had access to it, he'd be able to do it much faster…"

"How many times do I gotta tell you, you're not plugging your robot into my bloody system!" – Huntor pretty much barked at him. Having complete dominion over the computer was the only way he retained a semblance of control over his base, and by extension, the entire island which was once his. He didn't want to give it up, and that was that.

"For god's sake, Huntor, don't you want to put a stop to whatever Demongo is doing? Your hard drive is filled with footage dating back YEARS that would be impossible to go through manually, but with DOC's AI onboard we could actually get him to scan for Demongo and make use of your systems that aren't even operable half the time because none of us understand the damn UI!"

"If I want to hunt down Demongo, it will be on my own terms." – Huntor angrily growled. "And not at the beck and call of the likes of you, Noah Nixon."

Noah didn't get phased by Huntor's intimidation tactics, but he decided to drop the subject anyway. The two continued watching after the screens, tolerating each other's presence.

"THERE'S AN ATTACK COMING!"

Both of their attention was diverted to a specific screen, one that depicted live feed from a camera Huntor had placed in one of the underground tunnels. Two Providence Agents – Rivera and Alvarez. Rivera seemed to be helping Alvarez up by having his arm wrapped around his neck to support him. Alvarez was barely moving, with his feet dragging behind as Rivera basically carried, or rather dragged him along.

"We were exploring the new tunnel Nixon and Henshaw had discovered, but a bunch of Worms showed up. At first we tried to hide, but then other monsters from the surface followed them. Fusionflies and Skullbashers. They are all heading towards the base. Don't worry about us, get ready for the attack!" – Agent Rivera informed the camera, knowing that someone in Huntor's Nest would be watching.

"Nixon!" – someone ran into the room. It was Fix, the technician. "The seismometers I set up are picking up something big. I think it's…"

"The Worms are about to attack us. Yeah." – Noah quickly answered, then dashed out the door to give his men orders. Huntor got up, too. If this attack was as big as it seemed, at least he would break a sweat this time.

"Norton, Valdez, you two go to the exposed wall on the Fireswamps side. The Worms might try to attack from there. Derrickson, you stay here and guard the medbay. If the monsters get in, we don't want the injured to stay unprotected." - Noah was handing out orders to prepare for the incoming assault.

He couldn't see himself, or else he'd realize how similar he had become to Captain Calan, and though he'd hate it, he would have to admit that Doyle made a good call in nominating him as co-Captain. He was making tough calls – by having someone stay inside to protect the base in case the monsters made it in, he was already acknowledging the possibility of that happening, a possibility that would become more likely the more he prepared for it, because if he placed Agents inside to guard the base, they wouldn't be able to help on the outside. And yet, it was a possibility he had to be ready for.

"Trapezanidis, Riordian, go out from the garage. The Worms usually attack there first. Doyle is already down there, he'll tell you what to do. You guys…" – he turned to the Academy recruits – "two of you should go with them, the other two stay and guard the medbay in case the monsters make it in."

"For the record, you're not our captain." – One of the guys, Nicholas, objected.

"Cram it, Krabsane, just take the order and go!" – the other guy, River Laziris, yelled, picked up the gun and followed the Providence Agents. Nicholas Krabsane followed him without further objections. Julia Mikedweller and Athena Meefrey stayed behind.

Good thing him and Alice wiped out the baby Lizard Queen population in the Fireswamps, or else they would be coming after this base too, Noah thought.

"Zebedee, are you sure you're up for it?" – Noah asked as he saw her going along with them. He figured she wasn't exactly in a fighting condition with her main arm removed.

"I still got my right arm, don't I? I've been practicing!" – Zebedee told him.

"Then join Norton and Valdez on the Firepits side." – Noah decided. She said "got it!" and ran that way.

"Noah!" – someone called after him. It was Kate, the SACT Agent, running up to him. "I'm gonna head to the surface and ask Lt. Steel for help. We're gonna need reinforcements for this battle." – she suggested.

That would be great, Noah thought, but then he weighed the options. By the time Kate reached the outpost, told the Lieutenant, got the troops mobilized and got back, the attack would be over, so keeping the one person for extra firepower seemed like a better call. That was considering Steel even sent them the reinforcements. Plus, the way out from the caves was probably already cut off from the wave of monsters, making it hard for Kate to get out.

"Sorry, no. You'll be more useful helping us here. By the time the SACT get here to help, the battle will already be over. You should help Valdez and the others at the exit towards the Firepits."

"Alright, it's your call." – Kate nodded and headed off.

"Esteban! Hey, Esteban!" – Noah noticed him. He remembered how anxious he was about going out on patrol, so he decided it'd be better to make use of him in a safer way. "You go to the camera room and keep watch on the battlefield. Anything suspicious happens with the monsters, come straight to me." – he told him, and Esteban shakily nodded. That was actually very necessary, Noah thought, so it was a good use of the asset. He hated thinking of these Agents like assets, but that's what a Captain does.

After that, he saw Cindy run past him, but in a completely different direction.

"Wait, Cindy, where are you going?" – Noah asked as he grabbed her arm.

"You said that Alvarez and Rivera are still out in the caves, and they won't make it here on their own, right?" – Cindy reminded him.

"Yeah, and?"

"I'm gonna take one of Huntor's cars and go get them."

"Like hell you are!" – Huntor showed up, seemingly materializing from thin air at the mention of his equipment. "I already lent you Providence two of my vehicles, and my generosity has its limits. You're stayin' right here and defending my base."

"Huntor's right, you should stay here, help Maison in case someone gets injured. We can't risk you going out there alone." – Noah objected as well.

"We can't risk Rivera and Alvarez bleeding out on their way here, either! Or worse, getting discovered by more of those monsters. I can at least get them first aid before Maison can help them. I'm not letting anyone else within our ranks fall, and I don't care even if I do disobey your orders." – Cindy stood her ground.

"You know what?" – Noah considered it. "No, you stay here. Help Maison. There's gonna be way more injured than just two, and Maison will need all the help she can get."

"You're unbelievable!" – Cindy hot-bloodedly objected.

"I'LL be the one to get Rivera and Alvarez." – Noah immediately said. "I know those caves better, and I'm the one that sent them there. Kinda my fault they're stuck like that."

"Did you two not hear a bleedin' word that I said?" – Huntor growled. "You're not taking the car!"

"Huntor…" – Noah said, and looked up at him, face to face. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the rush of confidence from giving out orders, or maybe it was just the fact that he had faced self-important, arrogant supervillains before, and was fed up with them. Despite the alien lion-man being two full heads taller than him, Noah didn't falter. "This is something that is bigger than you. I'm not afraid to risk my life against hordes upon hordes of Fusion Monsters to ensure the safety of Providence and of this planet. I sure as hell won't be afraid of going against you." – he said as he turned to the staircase, heading down to the bottom level where the garage was.

"Oh, snap." – Cindy quietly said to herself as she put her hand to her mouth to hide her expression. That was totally impressive of him.

Huntor glared at his back, but ultimately, did not stop him.

"What's the situation? Any injured?" – Cindy asked as she arrived at the battle.

"We're holding the line, but just barely. None injured yet" – Doyle told them. "Keep firing, don't break the line!" – he commanded as he blasted the Fusionflies with his wrist guns. These damn Fusionflies again. At least this time, they were prepared for them. "Remember what these shitbugs did to our base, and to Calan!" – he encouraged the fellow Agents.

Cindy put her medkit down and joined Doyle, Agent Riordian, Jon Winthrop and River Laziris, who were all in a line inside the narrow cave. In front of them was an oncoming horde of Fusionflies, all flying and crawling on the walls towards them. There were so many of them that you couldn't see any remaining part of the cave or its walls behind them – they had crowded so densely that all you could discern was a feral and convulsing mass of insects coming straight toward you. The horde was being held back several feet by an unending stream of bullets, but it was clear that this situation would not hold for long.

And the Fusionflies were only the secondary concern. The Worms were moving in, and they couldn't even tell from where as they were burrowed in the ground all around them.

"How many do we have to take out until they leave us alone?!" – Riordian yelled.

"I don't think that's an option for them." – Jon Winthrop answered. "A Fusion is behind this attack. Just like before."

"Last time it was Fusion Courage, but he's supposed to be dead." – Doyle answered.

"You think if we manage to find the Fusion and take it out, the monsters will scatter?" – Cindy suggested.

"Yes, and they have to be close by here somewhere, but it's gonna be hard to find them in these convoluted caves." – Winthrop stated.

"And we need all the manpower we can spare here." – Doyle added. "No time for a goose chase."

With Cindy's arrival it had become easier, but still, it looked like they were losing ground. At this distance, it took two, three, four shots to take them down, so the Fusionflies were getting closer faster than the Agents could kill them, and the gap between the defenders and the monsters was shrinking ever-so-slowly, so even if they couldn't notice, they were taking a step back every once in a while. The fact that they had to reload their weapons at an even rate didn't help, as it helped the Fusionflies get even closer. And the ground started shaking again. More of the Undertaker Worms were approaching.

The line of defense, pulling back, slowly reached a branching tunnel. It was freshly dug by one of the Worms, and a couple of Agents were in there, dealing with it. If Doyle's team lost any more ground, the Fusionflies would make it inside, and the Agents in there would stand no chance in a war on two fronts.

Seeing as this was a losing battle, Doyle had no other choice. He pulled out one of the Energy Grenades – a very finite weapon that he only had several left of – and tossed it into the tunnel covered with Fusionflies. Since the monsters were all so densely close to each other, a good chunk of them got caught in the explosion and the grenade won them about a foot of space in the battle's tug-of-war. But they would eventually creep back over this space again.

"Are you crazy? You'll bring down the whole cave!" – Cindy shouted. Though, that was a risk Doyle would have to take.

Doyle ignored her – he knew the risk and he took it. But then he considered the implications. Why didn't they want to take down the whole cave? Assuming it was on their terms, and they'd all make it out of there. Doyle quickly ran the possibility through his head. If this tunnel were to get blocked off, the Fusionflies would have to find another opening. They could bottle-neck the Fusions instead of taking them on from several points. Well, either that, or the Worms would dig through this tunnel once again. Even that would be favorable, as a narrower opening meant that Fusionflies would make it through slower. Either way, it was a win-win.

Immediately, he grabbed all of the Energy Grenades he had remaining and sent them flying. Van Rook must have been rolling in his grave at that. Nevertheless, that did the trick – a good chunk of Fusionflies got blown to bits, and the structure of the cave ahead of them got destabilized. The ground shook again, but this time, it wasn't because of the Worms.

Doyle yelled "FALL BACK, EVERYONE!" as they all took several steps back, and the tunnel ahead of them collapsed. Some of the Fusionflies even got caught in the rubble, most remained behind the cave-in, and only one of them made it out at the side the Agents were on. Its wings were crippled and its backside was blown off, but it still kept trying to stand up and attack, writhing its four remaining legs, convulsing, screeching. Doyle took one cold look at it as he raised his wrist and shot it dead.

"This will buy us precious moments. Quick, we need to take care of the Worms before the Fusionflies find another way in!" – Doyle quickly commanded. "Follow me!"

"There it is!" – Thompson exclaimed as they reached the tail end of the worm.

Agent Thompson and Agent Trapezanidis, as well as the Recruit Nicholas Krabsane were in one of the side caves that an Undertaker Worm had just dug during the battle. Looking at it from the behind was somewhat uncanny, as usually you were more occupied with the front part turned towards you, while the tail by itself just made you think that you weren't supposed to look at it from this perspective and it was only a second's notice until the Worm turned around and tried to ingest you. Though, this time the Worm was preoccupied with something else.

"Look, it's trying to headbutt its way through!" – Trapezanidis pointed out. Indeed, the worm was repeatedly clashing its head against the thick metal plates lining Huntor's base, and taking seemingly no damage. "Is it even tough enough to break through? Maybe it's gonna take a bunch of worms smashing their heads in to make a dent?"

"Whichever it is, we're here to make sure we don't have to find out!" – Krabsane yelled as he got his sword, the curved Foster's F-blade.

"Hold on, man." – Thompson said and grabbed his shoulder. "You don't just go in like that. We have protocol for this."

"I don't know if you've noticed, man, but I'm not Providence!" – Krabsane said as he violently jerked his shoulder away from Thompson's hand. "…so I don't take orders, or protocol, from either of your newbie captains, or especially you." – he told Thompson. Agent Trapezanidis warily looked from one of them to another, tense about the situation.

The monster was occupied with the wall and didn't even mind the humans any attention, so Krabsane knew he had a free shot. He approached its back and swung his sword down at full strength on the creature's tail. The sword only made its way a little bit through, stopped by the creature's rocky hide.

Krabsane tried to pull it out, but it was stuck in the stone. He used one of his legs as leverage against the tail as he pulled harder, but the Undertaker Worm flung its tail around and knocked him against the wall. For a second, he was disoriented, with ringing in his ears and his eyes not registering anything in front of him, so when a blurry figure approached he thought it was the worm about to finish him off, so he desperately reached around for his sword, but it was somewhere out of reach…

Nicholas Krabsane closed his eyes, expecting the worst, but that was when he heard another CLANG. The Worm had gone back to trying to take the wall apart, not paying him any attention. So what was the figure in front of him?

As he opened his eyes, his vision came back into focus. Agent Thompson was standing in front of him. As Krabsane recognized him, Thompson held his hand out, offering to help him get up. "I hope now you see that it doesn't matter who's Providence and who isn't. We're all on the same side. So, we have to be on even ground as well."

"Yeah… yeah, okay." – he said, reconsidering his options as he got up and found his F-blade that had gotten knocked away. "Let's give your protocols a chance." – he said, swallowing his pride.

Meanwhile, Trapezanidis was shooting at it with the Dual Edge gun, but the monster's armor merely shrugged the blasts off as it kept headbutting the wall. Each CLANG that shook the cave walls was one fraction closer to making it inside of Huntor's Nest, and they needed to stop this seemingly immovable object before that happened.

"The only way we've been able to take those things down without some massive firepower are blowing them up from the inside." – Agent Thompson pointed out.

"I'mma get my grenades." – Krabsane said, opening his NanoCom storage menu.

"No, no. That would just blow the wall up. You'll be doing the Worm's job for it." – Thompson immediately stopped him. "No, there's only one way. We have to distract it from the wall so that it exposes its mouth. And to do that, one of us has to get in close."

"Sure. I'll do my part." – Krabsane said, accepting his role. "I'll trust you to do yours." – he told Thompson, knowing that he was entrusting him with his life, but Thompson put his hand on his shoulder again and shook his head.

To Thompson, it was never even a question which one of the three of them would it have to be. He was used to doing the duty so that others wouldn't have to.

"I'll do it." – Agent Thompson told Krabsane. "Trapezanidis is a rookie, and you're not even Providence, so this isn't your fight."

"Oh, bullshit." – Krabsane told him. "You just gave a speech on how it doesn't matter who's who. If we're on even ground, we take equal risks."

Though, before either of them came to a conclusion, Agent Trapezanidis ran towards the Worm's head and shouldered it as hard as he could to the side, nearly dislocating his own joint in the process. He rammed it with no regard for balance or footing to maximize the blow, and fell down after the collision.

"What are you doing, rookie?!" – Thomspon yelled, but by then, it was too late, and contact had been made.

The worm's head got turned to the side as if it got punched in the cheek, but immediately afterwards it turned back around towards Trapezanidis. For a moment, the dark hole was in front of him, lined only with circles of teeth and teeth and teeth, every row alternating between rotating clockwise and counterclockwise. Trapezanidis stared it down, but the darkness that was about to get him didn't have any eyes to stare back with, and momentarily, he blinked, regretting his wish to show off that he, too, was good for something. A wish that was about to cost him dearly.

And that was when a blast from Thompson's gun hit right inside the mouth. The blast did so much damage that it even blew a hole through the inside of the monster's cheek and came out the other side. Thompson ignored the fact that the roles in his plans were switched. So he carried the rest of it out the best he could.

The Worm squealed in pain as Trapezanidis reached for his gun as well, ignoring how hard it was to move his arm or the pain burning across his shoulder joint, and started firing right into the open mouth, which upon reconsideration, looked remarkably similar to a bullseye, and not a void of death. Despite it all, the Worm still seemed able to keep going after sustaining such heavy damage, and it was about to lunge its head for Trapesanidis again, and this time, neither of their gunfire was going to catch it off-guard.

But then Trapezanidis saw Krabsane running up the worm's back, up to the top of its head. Not wanting to be left out and doing his part, he leaned over and shoved the Foster's F-Blade right down its throat, even twisting it around to make it hurt more. And that finally did it. The Worm's Fusion Matter structure destabilized its head fell down and fell apart. Krabsane, who was standing on top of it, jumped off before got caught in the crumbled rocks, and stuck the landing, albeit barely.

As the intense situation passed, Trapezanidis tried to get up. "Man, I think I broke my shoulder." – he groaned as he tried to move his arm, but couldn't. Thompson and Krabsane approached him.

"It's just dislocated. We'll get you to the medic." – Thompson said after examining him, and started helping him get up. Krabsane immediately assisted him. "You should have let me do it." – Thompson then said, somewhat scolding him.

"Your arguing was taking too long. I just didn't want to be written off as a useless rookie. It's time I pulled my weight. It's like you two said. Even ground."

"Even ground." – Krabsane nodded.

"But it's ironic that I just turned into a bigger burden with the arm. At least I didn't end up like Zebedee."

"Come on. Maison will get it back in the socket. But I can't promise it's not gonna be painful." – Thomspon told him as him and Krabsane helped Trapezanidis out of the side tunnel and towards the front lines while other battles raged on elsewhere.

"For what it's worth, you did good." – Krabsane commented too.

"There's more bugs coming from over here!"

"Cover me, I need to reload!"

"The ground is shaking again! Another Worm is approaching!"

"I'm hit! I'm hit!"

Maison seemed like she was moving disoriented through a jungle of sounds as the cacophony of the battle progressed around her. She couldn't tell if they were winning or not. She couldn't even tell if they were alive or not. But when she heard screams of pain, everything came into focus. She immediately rushed over to see who needed help.

The injured was the SACT Agent, Kate. A Fusionfly had stung her in the neck where her skin was exposed and defenseless. By the time Maison got there, the other Agents already got the bug off of her and dispatched it, but the damage was already done. She was still on the ground, losing voluntary motor function and twitching, which was a sign of seizure, so Maison immediately summoned the Heal Nano – Cheese.

"I'M A LADY COWBOY!" – the Nano nonsensically yelled over the gunfire and screams of pain.

"Don't worry. You got Fusion Matter poisoning, but the Heal Nano is great at neutralizing it." – Maison assured her as she poured betadine on the wound dressing and applied it to her neck. "But it'll be a little while till your motor system recovers. You'll have to sit the rest of the battle out." – she explained. Kate feebly nodded.

"I'll get her to safety." – Agent Valdez came in and picked her up. By that time, another injured yell was heard. She ran over and saw Agent Norton ahead, with the crimson blood running down his chest painting his white Providence vest red. The problem was that he was several feet away from the secure line of Agents, beyond the bifurcation of the tunnel where the Fusions were coming from both sides, in the No Man's Land between man and monster. With no regards for her own security, she ran forward into the danger zone, carrying the medpack with her and bending down so that she didn't accidentally come into gunfire or a Fusion attack, as she was now caught in-between two lines of fire. For a field medic, this was Tuesday.

"You'll get yourself killed!" – someone behind her yelled, though, she didn't care. All that mattered was saving Agent Norton, no matter the risk. A Fusionfly headed straight toward her, so she reflexively ducked to avoid it hitting her face. As she braced for the creature to start tearing her flesh, a blast was head overhead, and she only got splattered with Fusion Matter goo. It hurt, but less. Maison didn't even have the time to look back at her savior, she had to keep moving forward. Norton was bleeding out of his artery, with his insides squirting out like a red fountain in sync with his heartbeat, and was about to lose all the blood he had left.

More monsters were coming at them from the depths of the caves, but Maison kept her head down and focused on the bleeding Agent in front of her as she got elbow deep in his blood, applying a tourniquet around his wrist to put pressure on the bleeding artery.

Right now, her entire world was in front of her. The only reason for her to keep going was to save people, to make sure that nothing like Hero's Hollow ever happened to anyone else again. She was quite literally holding Norton's life in her hands, grasping at it while it dripped down from in-between her fingers.

"Norton! Can you hear me?" – she tried talking to him, but the Agent was unresponsive. More than that, he was losing color in his face – the result of major blood loss. Meanwhile the Heal Nano had just been used and needed time to rest. Maison put her ear near his mouth and her fingers on his carotid artery to check his pulse and breathing at the same time, and it was as she had feared. His pulse was weaker, also due to blood loss, and his breathing had stopped. He was in hypovolemic shock.

She always hated this part. The CPR. The rhythmic compressions she had to make on his chest, with her own two hands functioning as someone else's heart to keep the blood flow going. Her entire body was now a life-support machine, one that must keep operating at maximum efficiency to ensure the life in its hands wasn't extinguished. And that drowned out all the chaos of gunfire and monster roaring all around her as her world was reduced only to the struggling life in her hands.

Even when the ground opened up as if ready to swallow someone whole, she didn't let go. Even as an eldritch creature rose up from the wound it tore in the earth, she didn't let go of the wounded man in her arms. 30 pumps, two breaths. Repeat. If she let go to try and fight the monsters off, Norton would die in front of her, so it wasn't even a question. She just had to trust the others in battle that they would save her while she saved him. So even when the Undertaker Worm came toward her, intending on accomplishing the purpose its name implied, she stubbornly didn't save herself so that she could save Norton.

Was that selfish of her? Giving away her life for her conscience, while she would probably be needed to save other people later down the line? She wasn't sure. If she let Norton die, she probably wouldn't be able to live with herself, and probably not even be able to save anyone else from then on. But she didn't have to think about it too hard, or at all, really, because before the Worm came at her, someone else distracted it.

Fix broke the line of defense and rushed forward. He ran right past Maison, yelling loudly to attract the Worm's attention, and intentionally attacked it from the side instead of from head on to make it turn away from Maison. It worked, but now he was deep within enemy lines facing off with the Worm on his own, with no backup from the Providence Agents. He shot at the creature with his gun while running around it. Though, he had no chance from the start. Quickly, the Worm moved in and grabbed him with his mouth flaps.

"Oh, well." – Fix thought to himself, stuck in a situation he knew he wasn't going to make out of. The rows and rows of teeth inside its maw were moving like chainsaw blades, cutting away at his skin. "The hell was I playing at? I could have just shot from afar like everyone else. Guess I jumped in to be there for her in some way. That's what I get, huh?" – he laughed at his own fate. "Still, they knock out our healer and the rest of us will be dropping like flies. At least got that right. Life's a bitch… but at least this way no one can say I never did anything for her." – he thought as he accepted what was about to happen.

He had heard from someone before else that a guy named Jay let himself get swallowed by a Worm, only to set off a grenade and drop it further down the worm's esophagus, perforating it from the inside and allowing him to get out, but that was not an option for Fix. The only grenade he had on him was a repurposed power core for the defense turrets back from their Fireswamps base. Last time he used one of those, it disintegrated everything in a 15 foot radius. That would be enough to kill the Worm, but nothing would save him.

Maison watched helplessly as in exchange for the life she was holding in her hands, Fix gave up his. All to save her. They didn't even get to exchange anything besides a brief glance, not even a word. The only thing she felt like stable in his life. The only person she felt safe around. Gone, just like that. She couldn't even react as her hands were occupied, being the lifeline of another.

After snatching up Fix, the Worm turned back toward Maison. It seemed like it hadn't forgotten about her. But then, an explosion coming from its inside blew it away. Maison held her breath (but continued to support Norton's), expecting Fix to walk out alive and well, but that was a bold lie she told herself. If something was left of Fix, it wouldn't be alive.

At this point, Maison no longer felt like a human. She was a robot, with only one directive. Save Norton's life. It didn't mattered what she witnessed or lost or endured. She could no longer feel. She knew that she was supposed to be feeling something, but whatever it was, it went missing as her soul went numb. All that remained was the determination.

Meanwhile, Huntor showed up on the scene riding his ankylosaurus, yelling "MAKE WAY FOR THE HUNTER!", shooting his laser weapons at them and making his dinosaur ram into them, but that was all nonsense to her now. She thought she had lost touch with reality and assumed that this was just another hallucination.

She didn't know how long had passed, but her arms went almost as numb as her soul from pumping Norton's heart. Usually, during CPR, you needed to do it with a partner and switch positions every few minutes or you would get exhausted. The field medic did not have that opportunity at the moment. What if Norton was dead all this time and she had been pumping him for no reason, unable to tell because of how much she had lost touch with reality? She checked his pulse and breathing again. The breathing had restored, but the pulse was still absent. The job was only halfway done.

Then, she heard someone else calling out, but not for help or in pain. One of the Agents yelled out that the worms were retreating and attacking from a different tunnel so they all had to move out. Someone else arrived to help Maison since the path was now clear, but she barely even registered that. She checked Norton's vitals again. Both pulse and breathing were now restored, although faint. He had finally been stabilized.

"Captain Doyle!" – Agent Esteban yelled. "The Worms retreated from the garage entrance! They're all coming here!" – he frantically notified Doyle. As he did it, he was nervously looking at the battle in front of him. He really had a thing with insects.

"They are?" – Doyle questioned.

"According to the cameras, they are. What's left of them is all converging on this tunnel.

"In that case there's no point in defending that side from Fusionflies, they can't make it in anyway. Tell the squad at the Firepits entrance to-"

"I already did!" – Esteban pointed out. "They've got some injured that they're moving to the infirmary but the rest of them are coming."

Right on cue, Agent Valdez and several others backed up their ranks. Now that they were no longer spread too thin, victory was pretty much in the bag, Doyle decided. Though, he also knew that it was never that simple.

"Anything on Noah?" – Doyle asked him while he was here. While they were having this conversation, Doyle was still firing nonstop at the Fusionflies only a few feet ahead of them, so Esteban really felt like a dolt just standing there to relay information. But he was also morbidly afraid of these giant flies, especially after how he watched them pick up a Plumber officer and tear him to shreds back during the Fireswamps siege.

"He's close to where Rivera and Alvarez are, but it seems like the tunnel was too narrow for the car and he's moving on foot." – Esteban informed him.

"Good. Get back to the cameras, give me an update if the situation changes." – Doyle instructed him.

Just then, something smashed through the wall from the side and entered the main cave.

"What the hell?" – Doyle asked, assuming it was another worm, but the worms didn't crash, they dug.

"LIGHT 'EM UP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" – Huntor bellowed and a laughed a manic laugh as him and his armored ankylosaurus revealed themselves from the dust caused by the collapsed cave. "Just gutted one tryina get from the side. Yer welcome." – he told Doyle over his shoulder as he charged forward. "Haven't had this good of a Hunt since the Muttradi horde!"

Doyle could name several instances where Huntor and his dinosaur would have been useful until now, but he held his tongue, as at least he was offering his help now.

"GAAAAH! NO! NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" – everybody heard a yell come from behind their lines, from the base they were supposed to be protecting. Some heads were turned, and those that did, came to see what had happened.

The interior of their own base was filled with Fusionflies, with Esteban running away to the front line, to Doyle, in terror.

They had lost.

"What's going on? Are we winning?" – Agent Derrickson asked as several Agents rushed in towards the medbay, bringing in the injured. "Ah, shit, Norton…" – he muttered at the sight of him.

"The Worms retreated from our side, so there was no point in staying there. The Fusionflies can't penetrate the base by themselves." – Valdez quickly explained. "We're gonna back up the other side." – he said and quickly headed to where Doyle was.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" – one of the Recruits, Julia Mikedweller, said when she saw Maison, covered in blood.

"It's okay, it doesn't seem to be hers." – Athena Meefrey answered.

"She is in emotional distraught." – DOC-27 responded. He was still in the body of one of Huntor's robots, but had gotten accustomed to it and was now helping around, whether it was the armory, the storage room or the infirmary.

Though, Maison was actually far from okay. She dutifully went on to setting up an IV transfusion for Norton, who had lost a lot of blood and needed it replenished, but something was off about her movements. The other Agents could tell. It was like she was hollowed out. She was moving more robotically than the actual android in the room. Though, they didn't know what she endured out there.

"Wouldn't we be more useful out there?" – Agent Derrickson asked the Recruit girls. "Maybe this wouldn't have happened!" – he pointed at the gravely injured Agent Norton and Kate, as well as Trapezanidis, who had been sitting one the other bed with an arm sling over his shoulder to keep his dislocated arm in his place. Compared to everyone else, he was doing fine.

"It was your captain that told us to defend this place in case something happened." – Athena pointed out.

"Yeah, but from what it sounds like, it's the final push!"

"Well, if you think that's what you should do, be my guest." – Athena shrugged.

Derrickson pressed the button to open the sliding door and…

Maison thought it was another hallucination again, but this time, it was real. The corridor was crawling with Fusionflies.

"Shitshitshitshitshit!" – Derrickson yelled as he frantically kept pressing the button for it to close, but that was too late. The Fusionflies got a hold in and stopped it from closing. And now they were buzzing into the doctor's office.

Immediately, a firefight broke out in the infirmary. "If something happens, at least we're already here." – Derrickson jokingly thought to himself, but he knew that if something did happen, they would be dead, the medic would be dead, all the medical equipment would be destroyed and everyone else would die, too.

"Oh, dear." – DOC-27 pointed out. He remembered the previous battle he witnessed, back in his DexLabs manufactured body, and how he did not contribute anything at the time, leading to unacceptable losses. This new body, however, was more equipped, as it used to serve Huntor in capturing potential prey.

He turned one of his arms into a blaster and started having a go at the monsters. He scanned the room, determining the optimal position from where he would draw all the fire from the injured, and assumed position as they kept killing and killing bugs, despite more of them entering every second.

"Maybe you should have listened to your Captain." – Athena pointed out as they were shooting down bug after bug in this tight space. Fortunately, three people and a robot, heavily armed with high-grade Providence and DexLabs weapons, could keep up with all the bugs entering the narrow doorframe, if for a while.

"Guess I should've, but to be fair, no one expected this to happen." – Derrickson explained himself.

"Guys, did this mean that they broke in from somewhere? How did they manage to do it?" – Julia questioned.

"That's for them to decide. All we can do is keep this room safe." – Athena firmly said as another one blew up in front of them.

"And if everyone else is already dead and nothing is gonna stop the entire horde from coming at us?" – Derrickson questioned.

"Then, we're already dead. You get the rare pleasure of coming to terms with it before it happens. Congratulations." – Athena coldly told him. "You can even get a prayer in there."

"Well, I'm gonna blow up as many of them as can while I'm still standing." – Julia added.

"We've all been dead since we set foot on the island, baby. I've long since come to terms with it." – Derrickson remarked.

"To the contrary, Agent Derrickson, all three of you are currently alive and stable. The biometrics show nothing more than elevated adrenaline in your systems." – DOC-27 pointed out, taking their conversation somewhat literally.

Even Trapezanidis got up and tried reaching for his gun. Though, Derrickson noticed, and yelled "You stay where you are. You've already been a hero enough today."

And while all this went on, Maison stood there, expecting yet another thing to go wrong.

As Derrickson and the others kept wondering how much longer could they last, they noticed something. There were blasts in the hallway coming from the left. The Fusionflies seemingly hadn't expected anyone in that part of the hallway, and before they got the chance to focus in that direction, they were mowed down with help from the group inside the infirmary.

And then, someone stepped into view.

"Thank god at least someone is alive!" – Noah said with relief on his face. "What the hell happened? How did they get in?"

"We have no idea. We just opened the door and there they were." – Derrickson told him. "You seen the others?"

"The entrance I came in from was completely empty." – Noah answered. "Firepits side. The one that goes through Huntor's trophy room. The Fusionflies wrecked that whole place up. Didn't look like the worms got in from there, though. No damage to the doors or the walls."

"The Worms were supposed to draw away from that side, yeah. So everyone moved back to help the other front line." – Derrickson agreed. "But the tunnel on level one collapsed and got blocked off, and everyone else is at the tunnel leading out the garage."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that, too." – Noah mentioned.

"So it had to have been the Firepits side, since it was empty." – Derrickson concluded.

"But how would they have gotten in?"

"I'll get down to level 2 to check the cameras. You guys guard this place in case any more of them show up." – he ordered them and ran off.

"This time, I'm not moving an inch." – Derrickson obediently decided. Julia slightly chuckled.

Noah quickly ran back towards the staircase. Huntor had an elevator, but they weren't supposed to be used during fires, or, probably, giant bug infestations. He climbed the railing and basically jumped from the third floor landing to the second floor one. He already passed the second floor on his way up to the infirmary, but checking for people was more important at the moment.

More bugs. Of course, there were more bugs. Noah geared up his gun, wishing Rex were here, but they got shot down before Noah could even open fire. Rex wasn't here, but he had the next best thing. It was Doyle.

"What the hell's going on?!" – he asked as they both started running towards the cameras.

"I don't know either! I was on my way to-"

"-the cameras, yeah, same." – Noah told him. "I think they got in from the Firepits side. The infirmary is secure, by the way."

"Good." – Doyle nodded. "The boys are clearing out levels 3 and 4, and I think Huntor and his fucking dinosaur dealt with the last Worm. I just can't believe they somehow made it in… You should have seen Esteban's face when that happened, though. I would have laughed my ass off if I wasn't as scared as him." – Doyle

They finally got to the control room and opened the door. Everything was just like how Doyle said. The monsters, if not controlled, were contained, and being dealt with. Noah pressed the button on the keyboard that rewinded the feed to see what had happened minutes ago.

"What the hell?" – he asked, as the screens refused to comply. Some red symbol flashed in the corner of each and every one of them as some sort of error message. Noah kept trying, but it wasn't working. Then Doyle attempted manually entering the date and time. Still nope. Even after entering a random other date, still nothing. Only the current feed remained on the screen.

"Look!" – Noah pointed out. The panel seemed damaged. So, the monsters had been here after all.

"Did they break it?" – Doyle asked.

"They took something." – Noah realized. "They took the hard drive of all the recordings!"

End of Chapter 26.

Extract from Alice Quickfeet's Fusion Monster research log:

Skull Basher

Fusion Matter type: All 3

Power Level: 31

Boss: King Basher

Location: Huntor's Crest

Size: 5 feet in diameter

Boss size: 8 feet in diameter

Weight: ~350 pounds (variable)

Boss weight: ~800 pounds (variable)

Special types of attack:

Eruption – yes

Corruption – All 3

Stun

Description:

Large, spherical Fusion Monsters composed of primarily Fusion Matter and stone. The stone outer shell seems to be made from terraformed minerals closer to Planet Fusion's surface than to Earths. This is probably why they only show up deep within the Darklands where the stage of terraforming is 70%. Within the durable exterior, there seems to be a secondary shell, a "skull", if you will. I theorize that it is stuck firmly in place by elastic Fusion Mater fascia and not floating around freely, but an autopsy of the creature is not possible, since the Fusion Matter organs decompose in death. Though there is one exception – there is a Fusion Matter gland inside of the hollow "skull", which would make it the "brain", which has the capability to remain intact even after the Skull Basher is defeated, provided that it is not damaged in the slightest. This "brain" can be used to tap into the flow of Fusion Matter information, like a Fusion Uplink, though, it's still vague and inconclusive.

The Skull Bashers have no appendages besides their spherical form. They have something resembling a face, with eyes, mouth, even a nose and weirdly, goat horns. That might be an explanation as to why they enjoy charging at each other. More on that later. Since they have no legs or anything of the sort, they can simply float in the air due to a Fusion Matter sac hanging on their very bottom which lets them defy gravity. This is also what lets them to move around – by tilting in a specific direction, the anti-gravity wave will push them away. Though, if they were positioned in a way that the anti-gravity gland wasn't pointing down, they wouldn't be able to float in the air and fall on the ground, rolling helplessly. This does not work with their evolved "Skull Smasher" versions in Dark Glade, however.

Behavior:

Skull Bashers are "social" Fusion Monsters, usually travelling in groups of three. Even if they're not in a group, they're so common on the wastes of Huntor's Crest that multiple individual ones will be in your line of sight at practically any point in time. Though, them being "social" doesn't exactly mean they coexist in harmony. They butt heads quite a lot (literally). They like to hit each other, often while charging, to see who's tougher, as if a pair of easter eggs getting knocked. The sound of that is a very specific rocky crash, so you can tell if there are Skull Bashers in the vicinity from very far away even without needing a Radar Nano. Usually, one of them manages to overpower the other and knock it back without either of them receiving significant damage, but not always. Sometimes this infighting causes one of them to get shattered. Still, they carry on despite the risk. Despite their constant egg taping, they do seem to enjoy each other's company. Must be some sort of bro ritual for them.

King Bashers are a different story. Everyone is afraid of King Bashers. Of course they would be, none of them would stand a chance in the egg knocking ritual against them. And the King Basher is prideful about it, always seeking to display its power against a disobedient subordinate, human prey, or a rival King Basher. You see, unlike the smaller Bashers, the King Bashers can't stand each other specifically and will charge at each other on sight to assert dominance, with no regard for themselves or the opponent.

Against humans, the Skull Bashers will charge just as they would with each other, but this time, with intent to kill. If caught against any hard surface, like a boulder or tree, the impact is strong enough to break bones and cause internal hemorrhages, so you'd best be aware of your surroundings. That being said, if you dodge the attack and they crash right into the hard object, they will sustain heavy damage, possibly even enough to kill them, depending on how hard they were charging. So it is possible to use the terrain against them, but very risky. If there is no object to smash you against, they will instead try to hit you into the ground, which is somewhat less effective, but still deadly. And they still have the ability of Eruption, which allows them to attack with Fusion Matter even if they can't make physical contact.

Contrary to popular belief, none of the Bashers are going to charge at you from both sides and attempt to catch you between them. The only time that might happen is if they intend to hit each other and some unfortunate soul gets in the way. Despite their large brain gland, they don't have the capability to strategize on that level, and even if a Fusion is directing them, they would have to take manual control of two Skull Bashers and direct them to do it.

Area spread:

Skull Bashers are only found on Huntor's Crest, though a separate species, a "more evolved" version, the Skull Smashers, are also found in Dark Glade. I have a different journal entry about them. Skull Bashers are found in the fields all over the place, but they avoid Fusionfly nesting areas, as well as the ancient settlement that leads to the Dark Glade. It seems like they prefer open spaces to practice their headbutting.

There is also the Bad Max – a much bigger version of the Skull Basher, classified as a Titan (similar to Don Doom's relation with Doom Striders), and much like the Don Doom, they can show up anywhere on the globe where Fuse wants them to. The relation between Bad Max and the Skull Basher family of Fusion Monsters needs to be studied further.

Under Fusion control:

When a Fusion takes control of the Skull Bashers, they lose their egg tapping habits and become somewhat more organized, but not much. As I said, unless a Fusion takes manual control, it won't be able to strategize with other Fusion Monsters very well and simply charge blindly at its target.

Known Fusions that have controlled Skull Bashers:

Fusion Mandark

Fusion Coop

Fusion Bloo

Fusion Samurai Jack

Fusion Mr. Herriman (Unfunny Bunny)