Well, I am back with another chapter for 'Viewing the Multiverse!' I'll write one or two of the these then hit Bisca's journey! Probably will still take a month or two to return to 'Rising from the Embers' but, that's how it goes. Work, life etc.
Still, I want to thank everyone for their reviews and support by reading my stories as deranged as they can be.
Chapter 16: Deadspace Variations
The guild had digested the weirdness of the last timeline, trying to contemplate a baby assassin killing the previous year. Most just mingled and talked, waiting as Makarov sipped his beer with elderly patience.
Natsu stirred, the man trying to contemplate several things as Happy sat on his head. Sitting next to Erza and across from Lucy, the dragon slayer scrunched up his face.
"Something wrong, Mister Natsu?" Hisui inquired, the queen studying the man who glanced her way.
"Not really? I'm just positive that the next timeline will be horrible"
"Why do you think that?" Erza asked with mild curiosity.
"Because...BECAUSE THE CUBE TORMENTS US!" Jumping up with a burst of fury, Natsu launched himself at the device seated between Lisanna and Levy, his fist coated in fire. "TAKE THIS NIGHTMARE CUBE!" Laying into the piece of technology, it didn't budge or take even the slightest scratch. "AHHH!" Trying to punch again, the same result occurred as the tiny monolith sat without a care or flicker.
"Natsu! What the heck!? You could break it!" Lisanna shouted with shocked words. Standing up as her bosom gave a slight bounce with beads of sweat from the humidity, the woman glared.
"Doubtful if Erza couldn't even scratch it, and she's a monster" Gray said offhandedly, only for his eyes to bug out from fear. Turning his head, the ice mage gulped as the mentioned knight stared his way, idly handling a blade.
Punching again as Levy stepped back, the fire mage didn't care about Gray's impending doom. "We've had too many nice timelines! Minimal loss, suffering and carnage! It's going to show us something bad, I just know it!" Punching a fourth time, Natsu yelled with all his might. "Show me something awesome without people getting hurt!"
Laxus leaned toward Freed from the side, the larger man watching as Natsu was pulled back by several of the guild, his thrashing form restrained by Mira and Lisanna. "I hate to admit it, but he might be right. The last few timelines have been relatively calm and easy...aside from that baby assassin"
"Yeah...Well, I'll wait to volunteer for hitting the button then, I don't want to be blamed for something horrible" Freed replied easily.
"Your all overthinking this. Here, I'll prove you all wrong" Slamming down the rest of his beer, Makarov hopped off his bar stool and sauntered over to the silent device. Extending his palm, the guild master smirked. "A universe with naked women that love me! Come on!" Slamming down his hand, he struck the green button with gusto.
"Filthy old man! Don't ask for that!" Laki roared, the wood make mage glaring with all the other females of the guild. But any other lecturing was interrupted as the cube activated, the lines of purple racing along the exterior before the lenses flared against the far wall.
Darkness enshrouded the void of space as the spanning galaxy of stars twinkled among the cosmos. A nearby sun blazed, the stellar orb warming a desolate, rocky world devoid of oceans, forests or life. It appeared dead and lifeless with not even an atmosphere.
In orbit, several large chunks of the planet floated, having been carved out of the surface. Hanging in the void, they tumbled with a cosmic slowness as sunlight poured past them.
A vessel hung silently, its hull a dull, unattractive gray. Eight square spires angled downward from the bottom of the ship with minimal illumination from the interior. The front was pointed with some dull white metals, then switching to additional gray hull as numerous flat pieces of metal were attached at even intervals along the main hull. To the rear, two twin towers bracketed both sides of the stellar vessel before ending in dead engines.
Along the side, large painted letters designated the ship in deep crimson.
"The USG Ishimura? Well, doesn't look terrible or anything" Elfman stated simply, the large man shrugging as a smaller ship approached.
"Does look very advanced. I doubt Earthland could build something like this for several centuries. We just don't have the means or capabilities" Hisui stated with an obvious tone, the queen having a strong desire to bring Fiore into a more advanced age after all she's seen.
"Looks like a smaller ship is approaching? Honestly, doesn't look too bad" Gajeel shrugged with a rather uncaring look as the guild went silent once more.
Five humans were in the ship, the crew at their respective stations as pieces of technology lined the bridge. Numerous screens inhabited the walls among industrial bulkheads, supporting beams, and other technology as a suited man and woman steered the vessel toward the distant craft.
One of the other crew was a woman with brunette hair in a ponytail, her suit a dull white with a large red stripe down the middle as she leaned against the wall, simply waiting for her skills to be needed.
Near the frontal glass of the craft that showed the cosmos, a dark skinned man with no hair stood erect, his body covered in a light armor of dull white and off color plates. "There she is, the largest planet cracker in her class. And from the looks of things, they've already popped the cork"
"Why is she dark? We should see the running lights?" Confused with a lightly stressed tone, the final man was in a heavy suit with a clear tube running down the back, his head, neck and all points covered in sealed clothing and plates of light armor. The helmet matched the rust colored equipment, while the front visor had three horizontal lines of blue viewing slits, hiding his face.
"I'll get us in hailing range. Someone's gotta be waiting for us on the Ishimura"
"Just be careful on the approach. I'm not taking any chances with CEC's pride and joy, Chen"
The brunette woman scoffed, folding her arms. "No chances, huh. Is that why you were digging into my personnel files before we left, Hammond?"
The standing man turned his shaven head and body toward the brunette woman. "You check your file access, Daniels?"
"Computer analyst. Comes with the job" Shrugging with her arms spread, the suited female walked to her seat, getting comfortable.
The Ishimura drew closer as Hammond fully turned his attention and gaze. "I ran standard CEC background checks, Miss Daniels. If you want to work in the big leagues, you have to play ball"
One of the other men cleared his throat, drawing Hammonds attention. "Uh sir, we're in hailing range" Getting a rapid nod from the officer, Chen opened communications. "USG Ishimura, this is the emergency maintenance team of the USG Kellion responding to your distress call. Come in, Ishimura"
Only static replied as the comms remained open.
"Ishimura, do you copy? Come in. This is the USG Kellion"
Cana sipped her newly refilled mug of beer, the beverage frothing as the guild had finally begun to slightly cool from the humidity of summer beyond the guild hall walls. Though that didn't prevent a sheen of sweat to glisten toward her bosom. "Well, at least they're humans. I was worried about disgusting aliens with three heads or something" Drinking some more, the very attractive brunette savored the beverage.
Mira breathed a sigh of relief, then turned toward Natsu at his table. "See Natsu? It looks that despite this being an advanced human civilization, these people are coming to help that ship with repairs"
Lisanna agreed with her sister, her smile warm and inviting. "By all appearances, they're probably just going to repair the communications...however that stuff works without magic"
"Indeed. Many of the technologies we've witnessed have been rather strange, but we shouldn't assume that everything is calm on this Ishimura. We have witnessed some rather odd, and very monstrous creatures so far so we should still be prepared" Erza voiced, getting a very enthusiastic nod from Natsu.
"Yeah, it could be space aliens or something!"
"YEAH! Or like those monster locust things!" Happy added, the blue feline trembling then flying behind Natsu to peek over his shoulder.
"Haven't seen anything indicating that, you two" Alzack reminded, the husband rather glad this just appeared to be a repair mission. Looking toward his wife and child, Bisca held Asuka on her lap with motherly care. "We can't make that assumption though. We did just witness a baby killing an old man so assumptions of these timelines could be a mistake"
The words made sense to many, all fully realizing that anything could happen with these unknown timelines. Returning their attention to the holo-screen, the mage's fell silent.
Hammond stirred, leaning forward as his right hand braced one of the support beams that stretched across the main window.
"You ever hear of a full communications blackout on one of these things?" Daniels asked with traces of concern in her voice. Looking toward Issac, the helmeted man replied quickly. "Never. Come on, someone pick up the damn phone..." Despite the helmet and unseen face, the man sounded worried as well.
Garbled noise finally came through the radio comms, filling the bridge with strange grunts and clicks.
"Sounds like their communications array is busted...maybe a broken encoder. Daniels and I can handle it in forty eight hours, max"
Daniels lightly smiled from her seat. "Hey, that gives you plenty of time to catch up with Nicole"
"Yeah, I hope so" Issac replied quickly.
"Chen. Johnston, take us in" Hammond ordered with established authority. The duo steered the small vessel closer, their training almost automatic with habit and ease. "Gravity tethers engaged. Automated docking is a go" Johnston reported, her voice professional as a swirling field of energy gripped the repair ship.
Suddenly an explosion racked the ship on the left flank, shaking the vessel with a stagger as the crew stumbled or shook in their seats.
"Tether malfunction. Fuck! We're off course!" Johnston yelled loudly, her vocal tone instantly stressed with worry and fear.
"Daniels!" Hammond shouted, the ship shaking violently on approach to the Ishimura.
The woman rapidly typed on her console, the key strikes a flurry of her fingers. "Guidance system override isn't responding"
Chen started to panic, the man gripping the controls of the pilot's station. "Shit—shit! We're coming in too hot! It's gonna smash us into the hull!"
The repair craft was on a collision course with the mining ship.
"Chen! Aim for that emergency stabilizer. There, the blue light. It might slow us down!" Issac yelled as the mentioned light appeared on the left in a jutting tower of the larger ship.
"Got it!" The craft tilted toward the source, still vibrating and shaking the crew.
"Drop the blast shields! Everyone, brace yourselves!" Hammond yelled in a final warning as proximity alarms blared. Flying through a tunnel of sorts, the craft rumbled and screamed before coming to a rest with bursting sparks and groans of damage.
Picking himself up, the dark man shook his head. "Everyone okay?"
"I'm good"
"I'll live—hey, Johnston, you alright?"
The female pilot grunted. "It's my ankle. Might be broken"
"Shit. But better than a broken neck, or worse. Good call on that stabilizer, Issac"
Issac gave a small chuckle in relief. "Glad I always read the manual" Now standing up, the crew appeared relatively intact.
Evergreen frowned, her eyes studying Natsu, then the repair crew. "Okay, I'm with Natsu on this. Something bad is going to happen. That close call for these people convinced me their going to stumble on something horrible"
Droy shook his head, the pudgy man digging into a bad of chips. "That's ridiculous. They managed to land safely. From everything we've seen, it just looks like this mining planet cracker just needs some repairs. The gravity thing probably just malfunctioned along with their radio technology"
Lucy wrung her hands, the blonde starting to think that Natsu might be right. "Levy, maybe we should cut the connection and try again. I'm starting to get a bad feeling"
Levy thought about it, studying the strange cube that may or may not have been built by herself. "Would it even make a difference? This viewing cube sometimes has a mind of its own. Best thing we can do is let it play out for now"
Daniels raged, her tone angry as she stood near the front of the ship by the others. "What the fuck is wrong with flight control? That guidance system is a death trap!" Running a hand through her brunette hair, Daniels uttered another low curse.
"Better add it to your repair list. Chen, what's our damage?"
Chen stroked some keys, the man taking stock of the data scrolling across his screen. "Comms are down. Lost the port booster. We've got a fire in one of the stabilizers. The singularity core is a mess... Could be worse, but now by much"
Hammond appeared to get slightly taller, the situation apparent to him. "Then let's get some help. Johnston, stay with the Kellion, we'll send a medic. Everyone else, with me"
Starting to leave the bridge, Issac followed last, the helmeted man walking down a darkened hallway with sparks and flicks of burst relays.
"Crap, we came down hard" Issac muttered, the man still walking through the ship.
Hammonds voice echoed from further ahead. "Not a great start to our repair mission"
"Should we get the pulse rifles?"
"Standard procedure, Miss Daniels. We'll register them in the flight lounge"
Issac left the Kellion, lagging behind the other three as they entered a large bay. Tools and crates were scattered about, the lighting low as further ahead, the glowing letters of Ishimura hung several dozen feet upward along the metal wall.
Chen looked around, the man walking in step with Daniels and Hammond. "Where is everybody? Half the ship should have heard that landing"
"Be proud. Chen, you got us here in one piece"
"Johnston might disagree with that. But hey, maybe you can but the first round tonight"
Daniels grinned, finding the idea appealing. "I wouldn't mind something to steady my nerves. Especially on CEC's tab"
The trio looked upward toward a large window set in the wall on the right. Frowning, Hammond momentarily stopped with the other two, his gaze scrutinizing. "You see anybody up in flight control?"
Chen shook his head. "No, nobody"
The repair crew then fell silent, falling step as the ship seemed to grow more sinister like a tomb.
Kamika lightly gripped the hilt of her sword, the slender knight growing increasingly concerned. "I don't know how this future human civilization operates, but a vessel that size should have many crewmen. I find it very odd that there is nobody in the area, especially with a crash landing and the noise it would cause"
Cosmos found herself agreeing, the other guard brushing several pink locks away from her eyes. "It is very troubling that the Ishimura appears deserted"
"Could be related to the damage or repair needs" Makarov suggested, the guild master having long since returned to his place at the bar. "For all we know, the area was evacuated by some emergency"
"Makes sense if there's damage to the ship" Wakaba uttered with simple agreement, the smoke mage exhaling a burst of smoke from his mouth.
Wendy clutched her hands, the young woman speaking softly. "I just hope everybody on this ship is safe"
Daniels lightly laughed, the woman looking upward. "At least we didn't take out the sign"
Walking further along the walkway of mesh metal and dark girders, the group passed under a small, flickering sign. An arrow pointed straight ahead, indicating the direction to Security Check-In.
An automated voice suddenly sprang on as the four passed the threshold, the next door locked as it pointed to the Flight Lounge. "Captain Mathius and the crew of the Ishimura welcome you"
Stepping forward, Issac was suddenly scanned by a beam of light, the source above the currently locked door. "Welcome Issac Clarke, to the Ishimura" Continuing its task, the computer spoke as a row of blue lights traversed up Issac's suit. "RIG synchronized. Collect Kinesis and Stasis modules from: Acting Chief Engineer Jacob Temple. Location...Error. Employee not found" Signifying with a trio of beeps, the computers voice was a cold synthetic tone.
Hammond grew more concerned. "I can't reach security" Holding his pulse rifle, the officer stood to the right, his facial features growing more stressed.
"Same for the chief engineer. What is wrong with their comms?" Issac asked, his voice lightly muffled by the helmet.
The door finally opened, revealing nothing but darkness as Issac slowly walked into the flight lounge. Starting to flicker, lights and screens powered on from the sudden movement of Issac, the suited engineer still walking with a wary step. Strewn luggage, seats covered in abandoned items greeted the group as the nearby screens flickered with standard data and information.
Chen looked around, the Asian man trying to make a light joke from the suffocating environment. "Somebody left in a hurry" Stepping forward, all four found lingering mist and smoke collecting near the floor, covering their feet in a shroud of fog.
"Where's the security detail? Where's anybody?" Hammond asked nobody in particular as he stood in the middle of the room, his eyes studying the abandoned area.
"Okay. This is getting concerning. I'm convinced something is going to jump out at them" Evergreen voiced once more, the brunette feeling the humidity and her growing stress pulling at her mind.
"I will admit it is a troublesome situation. But I believe that there was an evacuation at some point. I'm sure the crew and everybody is safe and sound" Makarov smiled with reassurance, but his body language betrayed him as the master mage felt that something was wrong.
Daniels checked a nearby terminal, the computer specialist ignoring the hiss of some releasing steam nearby. Shaking her head, the woman was clearly confused. "There's nothing logged. No duty roster. And no power to the elevator"
Issac turned around, the man taking in the whole deserted room, abandoned belongings and the very confused team.
Hammond muttered, the security man still holding his rifle in a slightly relaxed, but ready position. "For god's sake...That security console's still working. Issac, get a damage report. I'm done playing around"
Moving to a side door, it slid upward with a hiss of motors and movement, allowing the man passage into the security room. Walking along its length, he could easily hear his team as the sense of dread continued to linger in the air. "There's something on the floor here" Approaching, his voice took on hints of dread. "Is that..."
"Issac! I need that damage report!" Hammond yelled with frustration from the main room while Chen wrinkled his nose. "Oh god, that smell"
Hammond ignored the complaints of the other man while Issac approached a console. Flickering with a tiny outline of the ship, several areas were in red. "What have you got, Issac?"
The engineer lightly leaned forward while the security man approached the glass on the other side. "Shit. It's not just comms, or the guidance system-half the Ishimura's in the red. Engine, hull, the trams..."
Chen had approached as well, his body language showing increasing tension. "What could do kind of damage to a planet cracker?"
Rumbling came from the nearby bulkheads, Daniels finally stepping away from her own task. "Okay, I got us some power. Ventilation is up—power to the elevator should be next..."
A light burst in the ceiling as fresh alarms started to ring with the ships computer immediately speaking in a cold, synthetic tone. Doors locked, the sound heavy with dread. "Hazardous anomaly detected. Quarantine activated"
"Another malfunction?" Hammond asked rapidly, just as the first strobing yellow lights flared around the room.
"No. The quarantine systems are all fine"
Daniels moved away from the wall as new noises were heard. "Wait, do you all hear that?"
The sound was a mixture of movement and snarls, coming from somewhere in the vicinity as Chen tried to find the source, his rifle raised. "Yeah. Yeah I hear that"
Issac still stood at the security station, watching his team before calling out with increasing fear. "Hammond?"
"Take it easy. Daniels, get those elevators running"
The computer analyst was clearly feeling fear, her eyes darting around as she looked upward. "Theres something in here with us!"
A ventilation panel was ripped open right above Chen, the security guard instantly raising his rifle and firing a stream of pulses into the duct. Watching helplessly from the other side, Issac stepped back as something ran up behind Chen and quite literally skewered him through the abdomen. Lifting the poor male off the floor, he screamed in agony as Daniels unleashed her own scream. "Jesus Fuck! What the fuck is that!?"
"Oh god!" Issac cursed with horror as Chen was clearly eviscerated while Hammond fired on the horrible creature. Slamming the dying man into the glass, it splintered while spattering flecks of blood. Continuing to kill, Chen was ripped apart as Hammond fired with a horrified scream of his own. "CHEN! NO! Daniels! Get the doors open!"
"I'm trying! Oh god!"
"Get out of there!" Issac yelled, the man unable to do anything as the creature stomped toward his two surviving comrades.
"The doors!" Hammond shouted with another horrified yell, his rifle spitting countless pulses into the nightmarish creature.
"I...I Got it! GO! GO! GO!"
Issac started to run, separated from his crew as another side door opened at his right. Running down the length as sparks erupted above him, another of the creatures emerged from a hole in the floor grating, its long limbs supporting the central body. Running faster as more of the horrors emerged from vents, ducts and other darkened corners, Issac didn't dare look behind him. Reaching the elevator, Issac rushed inside and hit the main button, closing the doors just in time. Hearing the growls and angry scratches from the other side, the door was slowly pried open, finally giving the engineer a full view of the abomination.
The skin was a sickly, rotting grayish pink, at least the skin that remained. The abdomen was open, the innards a mass of rotting flesh as two, smaller arms protruded from the horror. Sunken lower, the head of the monster still had a tuft of hair, but the lower jaw was completely gone, letting the remains of the tongue flop free as the monster screamed. However, the most prominent feature was the long, protruding bones from the hands, the appendages still trying to pry open the elevator door.
Thinking it had gained access, the horror tried to move in, but was crushed by the door slamming shut, splattering Issac Clarke in gristle and gore.
"Jesus!"
"AAAUGGH! I knew it! I knew it was something bad! I was right!" Grasping his head, the fire mage held no joy in being correct after watching monsters tear that poor man apart. "Dammit! Why couldn't it be something cool or nice!?"
"I'm trying to figure out what's worse. Those things, zombies, or those nightmarish locust" Gulping, Lucy thankfully had no more food to get rid of as Bisca pressed Asuka's face to her bosom, not letting her daughter witness such horrific bloodshed.
"I know, Lucy. All of them are pretty bad" Kianna gulped heavily, the purple haired barmaid quickly looking toward Levy.
"I'd say the locust. That was a global event. But being trapped on a ship in space with...whatever those things are. No thanks" Laxus groused before glancing sideways at his grandfather. "Nice try old man, you got that wrong by every measure"
"Hey! How could I know there were space monsters on that ship!?" Barking at his grandson, Makarov vastly preferred that he had been right and it was a simple repair task...not monsters with bone arms.
"Levy? Can you please change it?" Wendy asked with a horrified whisper.
Not even needing a second prompt, Levy hit the red button, ending the connection. "Please be something normal. Please let us see something normal" Hitting the green button several minutes later, the lenses reflared, showing Issac Clarke once again.
"Damn. It's making us watch something horrible again" Hating how the cube somehow did that, Levy wondered why anybody would want to force people to watch horrific nightmares across the multiverse.
The elevator rumbled, carrying Issac toward his next destination as the fresh gore slid down the walls and interior door like a slow moving nightmare. It halted, sliding open with a sinister hiss pneumatic power.
Stepping out with caution, Issac walked into the room, the area thankfully deserted. Rising metal beams and pipes took up the center of the room, partially hidden by errant gases while numerous consoles blinked, along with other abandoned equipment.
A haunted voice came from nearby, the tone terrified as Issac walked to his left.
"Please...somebody help me...oh god. Let me in. Where's...I need to find the rest of me...Please, anyone...I'm all over the deck...let me in..."
"I don't even want to think of that poor bastard" Gray uttered, the voice repeating, but fainter.
Issac approached a workbench, the wall beyond coated letters of blood and dried splotches of gore.
'Cut off their limbs'
Sobs and cries echoed, but Issac was focused on the items littering the bench. Picking up a handheld device, he started to assemble the piece of technology, quickly piecing it together in a mere minute. Finally assembled, the weapon showed three beams of off blue light, the thin shafts pointed as Issac turned and aimed at a random wall. Equipped with a flashlight, Issac Clarke finally had a weapon as he started to search the area for supplies.
Done with that task after another brief moment of collecting spare energy cells, he moved toward a closed doorway, the sign above scrolling for the 'Tram Control Room' Toward the right side of the door was a pulsing cylinder filled with a strange energy, its glow illuminating the area.
A howl of terror came from beyond the door, frantic with fear and dread. "Who's there? Help! Help! They're in the ceiling-they're in the vents! I can't hack the door! You gotta help me! Hey! I can't get the door open! Help!"
Smashing the energy core with the side of his gun, Issac moved as the door slid open...only to see the frantic crewman on the other side tackled to the ground by one of the monsters. Ripped to pieces with spewing gore, sprays of blood and pieces of body flung to the side, the horrid creature immediately stood and started toward Issac as the man stepped backwards. Aiming toward the right leg, he fired a pulse of plasma, the heated shot ripping into the necrotic flesh. Shooting two more times, the limb was severed with a burst of gore, causing the creature to drop to the decking. Crawling forward on its bone-like limbs, Issac fired again into the grotesque skull, blowing it apart as the vile beast lay still.
Raising his weapon, Issac moved from the room, passing the freshly dead crewman and entering a new hallway. Steam and errant lights illuminated some of the path, but darkness seemed to pour in from every direction as the lone man moved with caution, his senses on high alert.
The cube flashed the lenses, causing a time skip as the mages collectively groaned. "It's going to get worse, I know it! I just know its going to be even worse monsters or something!" Lucy hollered with clutching her head at the sides, the woman not wanting to be traumatized any further.
"At least he found a weapon to defend himself" Erza commented, the knight attempting to ease the horror with good news.
"Ergh...HE'S MANLY! DAMMIT! HE'S SUPER MANLY!" Roaring out, Elfman would not be dissuaded from his description of Issac Clarke. "If he survives the Ishimura, he's unbelievably manly!"
"Elfman, facing horrors isn't exactly manly. And didn't we lecture you on this before?" Mira asked, the woman unsmiling as she turned her gaze to the muscular male across the guild hall.
"Manly men come in all forms of manliness. How you treat others, kindness, bravery and skill. Loving your family and protecting those who need help. Issac has achieved this level of manliness" Not dissuaded, the Strauss sisters had to accept that Elfman's ideals couldn't be shaken.
"OH GOD! I just had a horrible thought!" Levy yelled out, the script mage suddenly stressed out before waving her arms in the air. "What if that...McGarden and her group managed to dimensionally shift onto the Ishimura with all those things! I could be fighting space monsters right now!" Clearly distraught at the idea, Levy was comforted by a reassuring embrace from Gajeel.
"Ugh...if that's true, then we all could be on that ship, living or dying across a whole tapestry of timelines" Juvia uttered, not enjoying the fact that she, at this very moment could be in the same situation as Issac Clarke. Returning her gaze toward the far wall, Juvia fell silent as the guild awaited some fresh horror.
The innership tram rumbled and slid across the tracks, slowing at the next station before the doors slowly slid open. Stepping out, Issac Clarke looked up at the current destination, the man's gloved hand slowly raising the plasma cutter.
A glass waiting room was located on the right side of the entrance, the benches sitting empty under sterile illumination while numerous body bags filled with the dead covered the floor. Movement came from the center of the area, a lone woman in a white suit crying and hugging a mound of ruined flesh. Bandages covered her eyes, no doubt from a horrible wound that took her eyesight. Lightly sobbing, the female nudged the body. "Shhh, shhh, it's alright, McCoy...He's here...Nothing to be afraid of... I knew you would come... Just like you said... I, I, saved this for you" Holding up a piece of technology, the woman turned her head to face Issac, the bloody bandages meaning her eyes were gone underneath the fabric. "Can I go now? McCoy wants to take me...to the shuttle..." Collapsing as the item dropped from her hands, the woman gave on last gasp before laying still against the nearby wall.
Bending down, Issac retrieved the item, attaching it to his left arm technology as a kinetic module upgrade. Giving one last gaze toward the body, the engineer turned away and moved toward the main hallway blocked by several long crates and other enclosed body bags. Raising his left hand, the lone survivor's palm glowed as a field surrounded the heavy items. Flinging them to the side, he passed as more bodies littered the far end near the next door.
"Was that magic?" Romeo asked, the young man confused how this man just flung a crate without even touching the item in question.
"Obviously not. Most likely an advanced piece of technology that dying woman gave him. A poor soul that can finally rest" Pantherlily, shook his head, hoping that the nameless victim would at least be at peace.
"If only they had arrived a little earlier, that woman might have survived" Wendy said in a quiet voice, hating the suffering.
Issac approached the doorway, the metal sliding apart in a small hiss. Bloodstains, pieces of body parts and random trash littered the floor, along with a few sparking conduits and flashes of sparks coming from the ceiling. A floating comm window suddenly appeared before the lone man, showing the image of Hammond. "Issac? Are you there? We were attacked! Kendra's gone! One minute she was there, then...I can't believe I lost her. But we can still do this" The holoscreen flickered, static rippling before stabilizing. "Get me the Captain's RIG codes and we'll find Nicole" Hammond looked away for a moment, the officer clearly rechecking his surroundings. "Looks like the crew barricaded the door to the emergency wing. You'll have to blow it to get to the morgue. Get some thermite from Medical Storage and a shock pad from Zero-G Therapy. Should be down the corridor. Damn. Communications are shit with all this static" Hammond ended the call, the floating image disappearing in a flash.
"Now this guy has to go to the morgue? That's just asking for monsters to appear" Evergreen uttered with extreme distaste and hints of tonal sickness. After all, who knows what horrors would be there?
Another door slid open, the hallway beyond splattered with blood and more gore. Several bodies were littered among the carnage, their limbs mostly gone as entrails littered the area. A ramp descended to a corner, the pile of six to eight adults piled in a nightmare of mangled flesh.
Nothing moved around Issac as he took the corner, finding several more pieces of the crew strewn about, their blood thick on the walls and nearby surfaces. Raising his weapon, Clarke took the next turn, moving toward the next doorway that was partially open from damage. Entering the next area, it was wide and open with numerous tables, stations and a lower level that was currently unable to be reached by the lone engineer. Surprisingly, the large medical room was well light and almost sterile, that greater carnage of the monsters having completely passed by.
But that didn't prevent Issac Clarke from walking slowly toward the railing edge, peering downward for a moment to find the lower level deserted. Numerous medical boxes were nearby, their coloring a deep red with a white cross, but most appeared empty of their contents. Walking along the railing, a cargo lift was at the far end of the walkway, just waiting to be used.
Scratches and thumps came from above and beyond the walls, growls and hostile noises that filtered through the vents and ducts. Suddenly plunged into the emergency lighting that bathed the walls with strobing illumination, the first horror dropped from the ceiling, its long bone limbs covered in flecks of blood.
Firing quickly, three plasma pulses cut through the left leg, crippling the vile beast before Issac shot the head. Unfortunately, more were coming, having emerged at different points in the room from wall ducts, the metalwork ripped open by the monsters eager for living flesh. Sidestepping toward the wall, another of the undead aliens stalked toward the engineer, only to have its legs shot off. Still crawling forward on its hand, the right limb was severed after an explosion of burnt gore.
Spinning on his heel, Issac rapidly dispatched a third, its death a scream of agony while a fourth approached with a horrible sprint. Missing most of its rotting skin and still having pieces falling off as it stalked, Clarke managed to kill it just before it swung that deadly limb of horrid, cutting bone. Reloading a fresh charge pack, he moved to the lift, the decent rapid as three more of the undead screamed and staggered toward the helmeted man.
Dispatching the monsters with accurate fire, the third struggled to still crawl, only for Issac to crush its head with a heavy, metal boot. Gore spattered outward onto a nearby table, coating files and several abandoned cups.
Suddenly ending, the emergency alarm halted as the lights returned to normal, indicating that biohazard contamination had been neutralized.
"Hey, is it me, or do these things look like those Stabbers from that Riftworm? You know? With Dragneel, Evergreen and Bisca?" Gildarts observed, the father hating that he was starting to feel a slight desensitizing toward the monsters on this ship.
Cana hadn't bothered drinking any beer, fearful of losing it via vomiting. But still, the busty brunette had an agreeable nod. "I was thinking the same thing. But I have to think it's just some strange coincidence. After all, there are differences like these appear to be covered in rotting, dead flesh while those other monsters were freshly born"
"I really don't think it matters" Having enough of the vile events and alien infection of this vessel, Hisui marched forward and simply hit the red button, severing the connection once more. Glaring at the device with royal authority, she did her best to scare it into submission. "There. It should be sufficiently terrified of my authority. Let's try one more time" Pushing down the green button, the cube flared with purple power while the lenses showed yet another blood soaked and dark hallway before Issac Clark.
"I don't think your glaring worked" Natsu stated with an obvious tone as Hisui 'humphed' then turned around to retake her seat with a cross look.
A few random lights flickered along the long hallway, the pieces of bodies insidious under the sparks of burst relays. Gore was everywhere, chunks of the remnants sliding down the walls or laying in gruesome piles among discarded equipment, strewn items and other debris. Most of the doors along the corridor were shut, either locked or barricaded on the other side as Issac slowly walked forward. Having found a pulse rifle, his boot squelched some piles of ripped organs as the flashlight pierced the darkness.
Clunking echoes came from further into the tunnel, the first turn several dozen yards away as nothing but darkness remained. Tightening his grip on the rifle, Clarke slowly moved, his senses on heightened alert as the scraping noise suddenly stopped.
A large, leathery appendage emerged from around the corner, its coloration of rotting flesh covered in yellow polyps. Wrapping around Issac's ankle, it pulled him down with ease.
"Shit!" Finding himself being dragged along the metal grating, Issac suddenly found himself lifted in the air as the appendage halted. Firing at the closest bulb, it was ripped apart with a spew of yellow ichor. Continuing to drag the man, he was pulled along the wall with a howl of scrapes of his suit and armor. Flung to the other side of the hallway, the appendage dragged Clarke further into the darkness.
Pulses of rifle fire ripped in the darkness as Issac fired and fought for his life, the bursting of polyps spewing. Hitting hard against another wall, Issac managed to eliminate another growth, the flesh bursting before the sickly appendage finally released the engineer. Rolling in a scramble, Issac coughed before standing upright. Covered in splashes of yellow gore, the man reloaded. "Seriously. What the fuck was that?" Looking around, nothing moved in the darkness as silence reigned. "Right. I need to get to the bridge" Continuing his journey, the only source of illumination was the flashlight on his rifle.
Reaching the end of the corridor, Issac opened the next door, finding the passageway filled with more piles of ichor and pieces of flesh. Numerous severed legs and limbs had been scattered about, but other than that, nothing moved as he passed a few closed doorways, their status indicating active locks.
Passing a ripped open vent, he peered inside, but nothing moved.
A door hissed open behind him, causing Issac to spin on his heel, the rifle centered on a lone woman with cropped, red hair. Holding a plasma cutter blade that buzzed with blue, heated, energy, the woman was dressed in a brown coat and pants, while her white shirt was covered in sweat and splotches of blood. "Holy shit. I thought I was the last one left" Voice harsh, she moved into the hallway with caution, eyeing Issac.
"Who are you?" Not relaxing, the two kept a wary eye not only on each other, but their surroundings as well.
"Allyssa Vincent. Chief of security" Listening to the groan of the mining ship, she shook her head.
"What happened here? What the hell are these things?"
"We discovered an alien artifact on the surface of the planet. The colony is gone...people went mad and killed each other. Those things...it's a parasite, infecting the whole crew with madness. They killed everybody...then they came back as those things" Haunted by the events, Allyssa did her best to regain her composure. "We need to get back to your ship. Whoever is with you, we need to warn Earth and destroy this cursed vessel"
Issac shook his head, a nearby light flickering. "Our ship was damaged during landing because of the gravity tether. I've been trying to get systems back online as I go, but those things are everywhere"
"There's still a shuttle from the colony in hangar seventeen. We get there, we can leave"
"Lead the way" Walking next to his newfound ally, Issac was in step as Allyssa led him down a side corridor, away from the bridge.
"I can't believe there's an actual survivor in one piece. That lady must be one badass" Evergreen admitted with admiration.
"Indeed. Quite the survivor. Hopefully it will become slightly easier for those two to reach their goals" Erza commented as she shook her head, the scarlet hair shifting. "An alien parasite and artifact. I suppose we found out the origin of this horrible outbreak"
"Yeah, I'm never trusting an alien ever again. Right Happy? They'll turn you into a monster!"
"Right!"
"Natsu, you've never met an alien" Lucy reminded her friend, but she felt the same sentiment. Trusting space aliens would not happen for the busty blonde.
Walking quickly down the length of the hallway, Allyssa opened the next door, then covered Issac as he moved into the next section. Numerous ruptured pipes spilled steam, hiding the floor, despite the pointed arms of several bodies jutting out of the lingering gases. Several holes were in the wall, small, but nerve wracking as sparks of damage came from the ceiling.
A large, vibrating thud found its way to the two, halting them as they listened, but the source was quite distant.
"Might have been one of the big ones" Allyssa whispered as she kept her plasma blade ready, its glow a source of light.
Issac remained silent, stepping around a severed arm. Passing the beam of light over a distant hole, the man immediately halted as something emerged with a warbling, infant cry. Crawling across the wall, the creature was pallid with rotting skin. Jutting, red limbs had grown from it's back, almost like a hellish spider as yellowish mandibles grew from the mouth. Turning, the former infant unleashed another sorrowful cry...right before several of its limbs shot out deadly needles.
Allyssa went to the left, taking cover from the needles as Issac fired, killing the poor soul in a rippling staccato of gunfire.
"Don't let those darts hit you! They're poisonous!" staying where she was, Allyssa shouted the warning as a dead infant cried above her, emerging from another hole in the ceiling. "Wwwwaaaaaa..."
A haunted, dead tone emerged from the hanging terror as Allyssa swung the blade, its heated plasma cutting through the middle of the infants cranium. Spattering gore fell like a sieve, redecorating the security chief as Issac fired at three more of the emerging horrors. One exploded in a paste of ruined innards and flesh while the remaining two flung more of those piercing darts at Issac.
A roaring menace came from somewhere to their left, along with the tear and crash of metal and ripping steel.
"It heard us! We can reach the hanger by crossing Hydroponics! Fuck, this is fucking hell" Running low as one of the babies scuttled across the decking floor, Allyssa cut the foe in half, spilling innards among the gasses and mangled bodies of the crew.
Issac managed to kill the last one, then started to run with Allyssa toward the next doorway. Hitting the release, the computer chimed.
'Please be advised the gravity plating has malfunctioned'
The duo pushed through the door, coming almost face to face with a floating corpse missing part of his face. A leg was gone too, floating nearby with orbs of blood as three other bodies just hung in the stale air that stunk like death while the monsters roar diminished with the survivor's haste.
"Please...shut it down. Those are dead babies and I can't watch any more" Voice haunted, Bisca hugged her daughter tightly as a final, horrid screech echoed toward Issac and Allyssa just before Levy hit the red button, ending the connection.
"I'm pretty glad we won't find out what made that roaring sound. Something nasty no doubt" Hugging his wife, Alzack looked at the guild around him. "Let's just leave it alone for now. Nothing we can do for those two anyway"
"Yes. Let's just leave the device shut down for a few minutes. Maybe that will cause it to reset in whatever it does" Makarov voiced with a heavy sigh. It had been a timeline of monsters and dread, a location that saw people die horribly.
"All those innocent babies...and lives destroyed by some sort of alien artifact. I really hope Issac and Allyssa survive with everybody else" Mira finished with her own depressed tone as the cries of the undead seemed to haunt her mind. Getting up, she moved to the bar and poured herself a shot of dark liquor. Throwing it back, the busty Mira scrunched up her face. "I'm going to have nightmares of those spider babies"
"Let's just all step away from this for a few minutes. I have no desire to witness any more alien horrors and floating bodies on a space ship" Makarov added as the guild master just sat silently, his mages and family digesting the horrors of an undead alien outbreak.
Wendy hadn't cried or gotten sick, but she looked at Carla, her eyes filled with sorrow. "The next timeline will be better, right? Those monsters were awful"
"I hope so, Wendy. I really hope so" trying to comfort the young women, the gathered mages didn't touch the cube or attempt to reactivate it for fear of fresh nightmares.
Instead, they mingled and mostly, kept to themselves from the recent hellscape of the Ishimura.
Well, it's a little shorter than some of you would like, but I included Slashers, corpses, those crawling wall baby things, and some tentacle creature that was in the game somewhere. If you've watched the movie Deadspace:Downfall, that's where Allyssa Vincent appears. I decided to have her survive longer in that final third variation because why not? She's a badass.
Hope you all enjoy and say something positive. Also, I was never going to write the whole game worth of events. At most an arc or two of the game.
Thehappy