Futuristic Transsolar

[BookWyrm]

Vince, calm as ever, took the time of the stroll to watch the team. Jericho and JT were something for certain; JT seemed one unexpected sneeze away from a fatal panic attack, and Jericho took the stoic protector role far too seriously, especially for an engineer. Vince had to roll his eyes at the overly protective display. Saami was his usual, weird self, and for once Marshall was actually very much.... likable. Is that actually Marshall or has he been replaced with an alien? In truth the tunnels wouldn't have been that bad if they didn't remind Vince of this one op....


A sudden pain brought Vince to a halt, his support hand moving from the foregrip of his rifle to the side of his head. His vision blurred, flushing red as strange black tendrils writhed in his vision. His heart felt like it was trying to burst from his chest as the writhing echoed throughout his whole body. The spell only lasted for a brief few seconds before Vince shook his head and cracked his neck. "Felt a sneeze coming on.", was his only explanation and a blatant lie, but then again, he wasn't about to tell everyone about the symbiote.

 

[Tarmagon]

"Indeed Mr. Marshall, " Rae said quietly, making certain her own microphone was disabled. "You have excellent instincts for this type of work. "


Reactivating her microphone, Rae rejoined the comm net as well.


"Acknowledged Mr. Marshall, maintaining visual contact. "


Rae began a slow circuit of the room, panning her camera up to take in the hollow towers. As she moved about, she kept up a running commentary, though she diverted most of her observations directly to storage.


"No evidence noted that can be positively identified as religious in nature. No evidence noted of portrait style carving. Structure is designed to maximize water collection through condensation. Mr. Marshall, would you stand next to this carving for scale? Presence of carvings in general indicate species was most likely possessed of light based senses. Constant air flow through towers makes echo location unlikely. Purpose of plants unknown. Speed of growth high. Possible food source? Doubtful, considering small size of basin relative to structure. Ask biological sciences. "


Having completed a circuit about the room, Rae leaned in close to Marshall as they started down the stairs.


"This building appears totally functional with minimum ornamentation, " she said over their private channel. "I wonder if this species ever developed enough to form religious theory? Have you ever encountered such? "

 

[InsanEleven]

Bit by bit the group made their way down, and so far there hadn't been any hostile activity yet. Each floor got slightly bigger, and the hollows carved in the wall got increasingly filled with larvae and eggs. All of which appeared shriveled and there had accumulated so much dust and sand on them that they were encased in a thin layer of stone. The whole mount appeared to have been some form of breeding ground, and one could only imagine what creature these eggs once came from.


Now the question was, if the offspring was fossilized, where were the remains of the adults? Was it possible that this was merely a dead wing of a colony still alive elsewhere, or had it perhaps migrated? The only way to find out was to head down deeper... and so they did. Stopping only to take a short drinking break and headcount on the fifth floor.


Saami was still positioned next to Jack, as per orders, but mentally he was looking over the small bit of images he had taken from the sixth floor. Trying to make sense of an odd carving in the wall, which looked like the only depiction of any self-reflective art so far. Sharing with the archeologists, he showed them the images of the relief of something akin to a centipede. Perhaps made to scare away predators, mistaking the stone for a real bug. As it did look incredibly detailed. However, it wasn't his task to speculate, just to find out a route. Quickly enough his mind was removed from the carvings, and fully concentrated on where he would have to lead the team to. Something slightly hindered by him having to take Jack with him in a safe manner, so he couldn't venture far off of his side to scout ahead. There was safety in numbers here.

 

[Dragongal]

"Woods? Vince?" Adira had noticed his movement out of the corner of her eye and had immediately switched to their private comm. His excuse hadn't phased her. "Are you all good?" She had been especially concerned that he was getting caught in a flashback, which could be dangerous to everyone around them. If that were the case, she had hoped her voice was enough to help him, seeing as how she was tethered to Nadanya. "I'm here if you need to talk, and we can talk face-to-face when we get back to camp."


The sixth floor was similar to the others, but a bit more... big. Adira just wanted to get back to the ship, but there was also six more rooms to go through. Not that she would have admitted it, but Adira was honestly getting kind of bored. Sure she was worried about Vince, but she wasn't allowed to act on that, and there was too much inaction.... There was a reason she was a Captain, and it wasn't for standing around looking at rocks; looking at plants, exploring, traveling ruins she could do, but not in such a tightly grouped space in such a boring place. There was an even better reason for why she was the Captain of the Lullaby, and it for certain wasn't for analyzing data and hypothesis.

 

[Unlimited]

"This place certainly is fascinating. The design has subtle elegance to it implying a semi-intelligent design, be it by bugs or something else." The thought of something else scared JT more than the bugs he already knew were on the planet. But, it didn't stop him from gawking at the beauty of the tunnel system they were exploring. He tried not to be a distraction but the silence was nearly unbearable, so once more he tried to initiate small talk between himself and Saami."Hey Saami, have you ever been to Mars?"It was a silly question but one he wished to ask, if only so he could talk about him home and maybe ease his mind a little.

 

[InsanEleven]

When Jack mentioned Mars, Saami's form appeared to break for a millisecond, nearly like a twitch of sorts. Only visible if one watched really close, and not in the least reflecting the memory that caused the internal struggle. Flashes of blood and bone and organs strung in places it shouldn't be, splattered over the desk, stuck between the bookcases. A scene he had painted with one bullet, one he had been laying in wait for for hours. The chase, the hunt... the stalking leading up to that moment. But he couldn't quite fully picture it together, details scratched out like static in his sights. Like a crude eraser taken to his mind, rubbing until the paper on which the violence was written was burnt away too.


"Once."





He had heard it was a beautiful place. But either they never send him to beautiful places, or nowhere he went was left a beautiful place. Even now he didn't quite know which life he had taken by pulling that trigger. For this one he had been silenced well; they had deleted more than usual. Taking out most of the surroundings too, normally it was only the names and faces, but with this he didn't even really remember where exactly he had been. From the flashes of the meat he could crudely piece together that it had been a she. It must have been an important woman, if they send him to somewhere as safe as Mars to assassinate her. Yet even her own office wasn't safe from him, but he doubted there were more than a handful of those places in the galaxy. Places he hadn't found yet.

 

[SSgt Goodrich]

Walking next to the Doc, Jericho made sure to make occasional glances to the side to confirm her attendance. As he walked farther and farther into the ruins, the more often he took to counting heads again. In the darkness, destitute and defunct, the team braves the abyss of a lost civilization, and lost in its architecture, have found beauty in its untended walls and antiquity. Silent in his movement, and even more so in his speech, he decided to break his silence with a question posed to Doc. A question that did not even warrant a turned head or drawn out thought.


"Will you remember me?"

 

[InsanEleven]

Doc

​

Chrice couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that question, not having expected it in the least from the overprotective old man. She'd been quietly rolling her eyes every time he'd stopped her, but there was something endearing in the man's fatherly ways that made it so she couldn't entirely hate him for it. Yet this outburst seemed a bit too out of character. "Are you going soft on me old man? Or just senile. I won't have to remember you, I expect you to be back for maintenance on the machines tomorrow. We can talk about remembering then." Despite those big word she still grabbed her assault rifle a bit tighter than usual.


An unsettling beep followed on her visor, and those of all other crewmembers before she could talk more. A message popped up that storms had rolled in above, and the sound of rushing water through the hollow pillars soon after confirmed that. Within moments the setting changed, tiny droplets of water evaporating into the air. Limiting sight to just a few metres, and those that were standing near the hollows soon saw something worrisome; the fossilized larvae and eggs slowly started to lose their hardness, beginning their rehydration process.

 

[InsanEleven]

THE GUARDIAN
​

With a deep, rumbling sound something spurred back to life within the confines of the caverns. Cracking, clicking and hissing air escaping from ancient plates. The sound of a hundred legs scurrying across the walls and floors filled the halls, accompanied by a low tapping of feelers trying to find their way. It had been awakened from slumber, to do the one task it had been made for; protect it's hive. Hungry for the blood of intruders, it had been lucky to quickly find the heat signals of over a dozen small creatures. So weak, so small. Soon to be devoured and torn by its mandibles.


The creature nearly rammed itself into the room; at least 60 metres long, a writhing mass of plates and legs seemingly without end burst through the group. Coiling itself around them and separating it's first prey from the others. Standing at least 10 metres high it stared down, before striking vigorously. Four sharp, thin feelers ready to pierce itself in the prey. No doubt trying to grab and pull it in towards the widely opened maw: when it's three black mandibles separated a gaping hole full of hook-like teeth that would pull anything down revealed itself.


However, when it couldn't get a grasp on the prey with the first strike, it looked down to see why. Only to find something mesmerizing hovering there, something it had never seen before yet drew him in. Bright and blinding, moving, taunting. A new target revealed itself, more delicious than any it had seen before. Instinctual attraction forcing it to follow, the weak ones would be taken care of later. This... light had to be devoured first.

Saami
​

He had heard the insect coming, but that did not matter much when visibility was zero and the sound echoed through the halls, confusing even him. Trying to position himself again, he had been too late; the thing already slamming into the room before he could pull Jack to safety. Now it was just the two of them surrounded by legs and impenetrable exoskeleton, the head of the thing rising high into the mist. As it struck down on them, he managed to protect Jack somewhat from the strikes of the feelers. Grabbing Jack he managed to push him to the side; two of the feelers striking his back through his kevlar armour and tearing off his rifle and hookshot, a third feeler hitting Jack in the shoulder, and the last one luckily missed inches from their feet.


Immediately he knew this was bad, feeling the effects of a paralysing agent coursing through his veins. Within seconds Jack was already down and unable to walk, but Saami had some more resistance through his enhanced body. The nanobots in his blood, combined with a ruse of hormones and chemicals allowing him to slow down the effects at least for a few minutes. If he didn't do anything they'd both be dead though. Nowhere to go. And his plasma gun wouldn't work on plates that strong. The insect already risen again to finish what it had started.


In a single moment of ingenuity Saami took out all of his flares. Bursting into violent red flames as he struck them against the ground while sprinting and dodging the feelers. He wasn't sure if it would work, or how far he could get. It was perhaps the only chance he got to save the rest, and he was willing to take it. Still somewhat nimble he jumped over the segments coiled around the two of them, taking out the grenade Jack had given him mid jump. For his sake it would be good if he made something that worked. With a precisely placed throw he aimed for the gap between where the man now laid, and the insect. A makeshift barrier of repellent; anything to prevent the centipede from going back.


The red light fell upon the writhing larvae coming back to life as he ran through the hallways. His loud, sprinting steps overcome by the sound of a hundred clicking legs right behind him. It worked. Strange how he could feel relieved that he had managed to get a gigantic centipede hungry for his flesh to chase him.


Advance with tactical retreat. You have approximately four minutes to get out.


His steps already got weaker with the passing seconds. The grip on his flares slowly loosening. Yet he didn't give up, running as fast as he could. Until he couldn't anymore. Each step became a chore, his body starting to refuse. Sprinting turning into jogging, one of the flares dropping on the floor as he tripped a few times. The red light fading mere seconds later, and he knew it was because it had disappeared under the body of the beast.


Jogging turned into a weird half skip into the adjacent room, one leg functioning better than the other. His fingers grew cold, dropping a second flare. He could barely feel the ground beneath his feet. Everything turning into a numbed mess. It was about there he realised there really was no escape, and all he was doing simply was buying more time for the others. A minute more. A few seconds more. He didn't even feel the last time he tripped, slamming his face against the floor. The last of the flares rolling away into the mist.


The light like a distant beacon of comfort. He tried going there, a goal his mind set for survival he knew wouldn't happen. Dragging his body, inching forward. His mind not giving up yet, but everything else already gone. Until finally he laid himself down, hearing death crawling up from behind him. Closing his eyes with a troubled breath.


He'd die here. In the most brutal way possible. At least he wouldn't feel it. At least he saved them. Right? Then it would be okay.


It would be okay.

 

[Dragongal]

What the fuck?! Adira had reflexively turned about to look when she had heard the creature closing in. A few shots from her phaser showed that this beast didn't even feel it. Seconds after Saami has started running, an opening had appeared and she moved to Jack's side to check his pulse. Good news: he was alive. Just to be safe, Adira picked up Saami's rifle and hookshot; the more weaponry she had, the better chances there were, immediately before running after Saami, next to the creature's side. Her helmet was set to a heat-tracking view so she could follow the flares Saami was holding, and dropping. Now it's getting fun! Calm, yet with a deserved sense of urgency, Adira ordered, "Defense team, escort the scientists out of here NOW! If this thing's alive, who knows what else is waking up; this might not be the only big boy around here. Marshall, get Jack. Those who can be spared, watch my back for more of the bitches. I'm going to get our pilot."

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince heaved Jack up in his arms before handing him off to Marshall. "Get the team back to the surface safely. I'll keep the Captain from getting herself killed." Vince gave Marshall's Can and good thump on the shoulder. "I'm counting on you. Get them back safe." Vince turned, bringing his rifle to the ready position, and charged after Adira as he switched to their private channel. "You aren't running after some psycho fucking centipede without back up."

 

[Spazzycat101]

The whole time, from level to level, Lydia was being an obedient little biochemist, taking samples of this, examining that, and so on. She tended to take multiple samples of the same thing, and only through strict limitation had she managed to use up only half of the little plastic bags meant for samples. Going further down, each floor was similar, but increasingly more crowded with fossilized larva. Hurriedly, sometimes she'd sketch out their shape and size on the small pad of paper that she was glad to have brought.


Opon setting foot on the sixth floor down, the small rhythm that had settled from room to similar room was broken. Lydia was expecting it to be similar to the other levels; she hadn't looked at the pictures of this one. The plants in the first level had more of her attention. Still, she wordlessly (and perhaps a bit absent-mindedly) went about observing what there was to observe, gather what samples there were to gather.


When the alert began flashing in the corner of her visor, a scowl framed her face. This sure didn't look like the best place in which to shelter from a storm, judging from the water running down the walls. The scowl was shattered into surprise as a massive creature resembling an arthropod, more specifically a centipede or millipede. Lydia's hands went to her sides in a second instinct, where she found nothing. What? Where were her pistols? Her mind took several seconds to process and remember that she had been deprived of her firearms. She switched off of the comms entirely for a moment before she let out a very loud and annoyed swear. She switched back onto the general comm after, but before she could speak she was stopped by Adira, then by Woods.


When they were done giving orders, she figured there was little hope to find a spare gun from one of the security team, or that they'd actually give it to her if they had one. So instead, she spoke over the comms to the Captain and Commander, trying not to yell.


'Try to shoot for the eyes and mouth rather than its armour. And if you kill it, bring back some of it!'

 

[Anaxial]

"Indeed Mr. Marshall, " Rae said quietly, making certain her own microphone was disabled. "You have excellent instincts for this type of work. "
Reactivating her microphone, Rae rejoined the comm net as well.


"Acknowledged Mr. Marshall, maintaining visual contact. "


Rae began a slow circuit of the room, panning her camera up to take in the hollow towers. As she moved about, she kept up a running commentary, though she diverted most of her observations directly to storage.


"No evidence noted that can be positively identified as religious in nature. No evidence noted of portrait style carving. Structure is designed to maximize water collection through condensation. Mr. Marshall, would you stand next to this carving for scale? Presence of carvings in general indicate species was most likely possessed of light based senses. Constant air flow through towers makes echo location unlikely. Purpose of plants unknown. Speed of growth high. Possible food source? Doubtful, considering small size of basin relative to structure. Ask biological sciences. "


Having completed a circuit about the room, Rae leaned in close to Marshall as they started down the stairs.


"This building appears totally functional with minimum ornamentation, " she said over their private channel. "I wonder if this species ever developed enough to form religious theory? Have you ever encountered such? "

Listening to the alien as she quite expertly deduced the colony and his look of respect was sadly unseen under his mask, but Marshall remained impressed regardless. It all seemed to check out, most insects were collectivist creatures which ironically made them poor hosts for Religion. When an entire society recognizes what is good and what is bad for the colony from the start, you don't need a God to point you in the right direction. He was more than happy to listen to her theories before she asked a question directly to the Mercenary himself.


"Well... The only bugs I ever ran into were those Xyvir. Needless to say they're less than willing to discuss the fundamentals of religion with me." He said and chuckled as he spoke. "Other than that, I saw plenty of aliens in my slaver days. Most of them prayed to Gods or to spirits to come and save them..." He trailed off at the end of speech, somberly remembering the darker days of his mercenary lifestyle and perhaps saying too much to an Alien who'd just met the men.


Then again, fuck it.


"I digress though, I can't-" his sentence fell short as it was drowned out by the cacophony of skeletal limbs crashing into the hard stone floor and smashing through the walls with the deafening sound of crumbling stone. The Mercenary whipped around and pulled the Keltor pistol from it's holster, he grabbed hold of Rae's arm and dragged her with him as he made his way toward the main chamber to see the wriggling mass of an enormous creature move on by. The Communications cleared things up somewhat and he couldn't help but feel immediately angry at the Captain's reckless behavior.


"Captain, what the HELL do you think you're doing?! You can't just-" Vince interrupted him, and Marshall growled in frustration about the suicidal nature of their upper chain of command. Regardless he followed the order and took Jack from Vincent and began rounding everyone up.


"Alright everyone! tight formation, get nice and friendly with your neighbor. It'll take more than one big ugly to get through me!" He spear headed the group back the way they came, fireman carrying the incapacitated Jack.

 

[Dragongal]

Adira had her channel on the private line with Vince by now. "I'm charging next to it, technically. And I heard that comment to Marshall. I don't need you keeping me from getting killed; have some faith in your Captain." It wasn't like it was the first time she'd done something stupid like this, and she always turned out fine in the end. "But I knew you'd charge after me. Thanks." The fog was nearly blinding, however, her heat vision was leading her right to the flares Saami was dropping. She rolled her eyes as Marshall yelled into the comms. "Marshall, I can actually do whatever the hell I want. Just trust me for all of two minutes and keep everyone else safe!" This was yet another reminder that this was not her old crew. They trusted her judgment when she ran off. Sure enough, she was catching up with the thing. Up ahead she could see where Saami was on lying the ground - well, where his heat print was. Alright... don't get poked by the paralyzing needles and don't get eaten. Easy.

 

[InsanEleven]

Saami could hear the conversation over his comms, but couldn't really believe what was said. Was she coming to save him? That notion never clicked in his head. He wasn't to be saved. He'd been told countless times before none would save him. A sacrifice for the greater good. Why? Why would she? It didn't make any sense.


However, from behind him he heard the slow clicking of the centipede. The feelers slowly searching the ground behind and beside him, the sounds coming closer. Until he heard the soft thump of exoskeleton against kevlar. He didn't feel being dragged, but he could hear it. Never sure how close he was to death. For all he knew his legs were already eaten. Something... chill stirred in his chest. As flashes of what he'd leave behind came over him.


Saundary, alone, despite his promise. Would she be crying because he broke it, or because he died? He couldn't quite tell. The ship without a head pilot from the getgo. He trusted his team to be able to replace him, but still felt like he'd made it so much harder for them.


But he had to try. He had to try save them. There was no question in his head that he had done the right thing in the end. But then... why did only his mechanisms say it was okay? There was no comfort in his heart when he heard himself dragged off to die.


Fear... was this real fear? Pounding on his chest. Crushing. His body fought to stay alive, even when its head had doomed it. What a strange thing, to be alive, especially when a mere moment away from death. All in all he just wished he could have given the crew some more finished data to work with. Make their lives easier.


He wished he could have kept his promise. The only one he ever made...

 

[SSgt Goodrich]

Jericho had not flinched as Chrice chuckled, while he had gotten old and he knew that the eyes of those around him would roll at the sight of his overcautious nature, he knew the job that had to be done. If it wasn't going to be the security team that showed special interest in the safety of the team, he would take the responsibility upon himself. As he always has. When she spoke, it sent waves over his body, a feeling he did not quite understand, but it nonetheless drowned his core in the tides of emotion. There is something about age that prepares you for the unknown. An innate understanding of the grim reality and the preciousness of each breath. They were in a place far from home, deep under the earth, and for all respective purposes, at the mercy of nature. They were treading hallowed ground in these halls, and it seemed like Jericho was the only one to take note of that.


His mind traced along the bounciness of the Doc's words, shaking his head slowly as she poked fun at his age, and attempted to offer some calming advice. She was young, enough. Naive, enough. She decided that nature was to conform to her will by stating her expectations. What she hadn't realized is that life is a comedy, old-fashioned—cruel—but ultimately ironic, for no man has ever died to something he aptly prepared for. Confidence is a slow, and insidious killer. She carried a lot of it when she reminded him of her expectation. Her squeeze of the handle mirrored the tightness in his chest.


The rain was a welcome to most creatures. While those very same creatures usually took shelter from the pelting water, good omens are usually associated with the coming of the life bringing ether. For Jericho however, his breath shallowed. With the unanimous pattering of rain on the surface, its droplets striking the earth in its own unique beat and leaving mist in the caverns below, he closed his eyes and let the oncoming feeling creep up from his feet, insidious and crawling, and let the same feeling rest in the hollows of his chest. Another sound joined the sloshing and splashing water, a voice—dreary and empty—echoed in his head.


"They say God is in the rain, Jericho."


"How is God in the rain, Dad?"


"Because each droplet is a tear He sheds for mankind."





Then came the crash, and within moments, in the hiss of mist and the thunder of rain upstairs, the creature took to attacking the group. The eggs swelled and burst with new young, and just as he feared, nature has come to reap its reward. All the worry, all the planning, it all amounted to this moment, pandemonium ensuing, and in the haze of the droplets, he made out the figures of his team running amok with their own agendas. Most importantly, he saw a figure, alone and running, through the mist with a trail of fire behind. The only imprint they made was a silhouette in the distance, that is, until they collapsed. It was the body, highlighted by the ominous red, that then took a turn, and disappeared from sight.


The rain. The walk. The worry, the pain, and the preparation. It all amounted to this.


Jericho had watched the plasma fire, and given its cease, he assumed it was pointless, so he left the shotgun he carried strapped to his back. Time crawled to moments, like stills of an old movie, and he began to move. No words, no sound, only the rain water echoed in his head, with an accompaniment of familiar voices.


"Why does God cry?"


"Because he loves mankind."





Each footstep bounced him across the rock floor. Every step knocked up a puddle of water, a lasting impression, though brief, an impression nonetheless. An impression he sought to create, of his own free will. Graceful in his landing and launch, peaceful in his mind and body, he rode on.


No vision guided him. No sight offered him sanctity in his run. It was in the motion, against the mist and chaos, that he found direction, and took forth, alone and destitute, against the dark cavern that surrounded him. The well being of the crew, a sunrise in his mind for all intensive purposes, was the purpose he strove for in the blackened corridors. The beast had turned to face the biggest offender of its space, Saami, and in doing so, offered Jericho all the space he needed. Space for Jericho to protect all those that treaded the hallowed ground.


At the edge of the flare's illumination, he found the same enveloping comfort he felt in his descent. The bone-soaking water chilled him to the core, but it was the core that still held strength, and the warmth, to carry the old man across the foreign floors, and to the group he swore to protect. Life, and its purpose, had been found in these caverns. Without words, and without hesitation, he took Chrice's hand and insured her safety by placing her sternly at the center of the group, and only then, herded the rest of his flock to the defense of his Shepard's eye.


Taking rear guard, his body fought massive urges. To his front, deeper in the tomb of a forgotten race, two people now stayed, in the martyrdom of their action, and were being overwhelmed by the Guardian of the ruins they ventured. However, in their sacrifice, he found understanding. These two people, just like him, swore themselves to the defense of the crew as a whole. Just like him, they dove into the abyss, graves pre-dug by fate, and offered themselves as payment for the lives of others.


He must honor them.


Drawing the shotgun he holstered, against his own observation, figured that an obsolete staff was better than no staff, and with Saami and Adira, the two unknown personnel to offer themselves, in his heart... Jericho steeled himself. A bastion worthy of being remembered. A man who clung on to what remained.

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince had to smile, yet the thought of becoming predictable was bothersome. Gotta stay sharp.





As he and Adira came upon the heat signature Vince made sure to keep watch. His sensors were going off the charts with movement, but much of it was further down the halls and in the far flung crooks of the cavern. "I appreciate the alone time together and all, but I'd wish you'd pick a more appropriate locale." True to being a soldier, Vince was poking fun at something that wasn't. But then again, when you've almost died more times than you care to admit, well, you get used to looking death in the face, smiling, flipping the bird, and kicking him in the balls.

 

[Dragongal]

Sizz-ink. Adira cut off one of the creature's legs at the joint as she ran. "I'll make us dinner after this, hon," she said on their private line. Confidence was an issue if it got out of hand, but in Adira's case, it could also be an incredible boon. There was a reason she was who she was, with the locked records she had and the fame (or infamy) that followed her name. And any space where her confidence may have failed could have been filled with fear or hesitation instead of her current cool calculation.


Back to the issue: she had seen it dragging Saami, and what they needed was time.Just enough time to get it to let go of Saami, that was all. Sure enough, at the sting of her blade cutting off a leg, it let go of Saami and looked back at her. And in that space of time, it stopped moving, and she could get close to Saami to stand in front of the thing. Now what? She took a half-second to take stock of what she had: plasma rifle that clearly didn't work on the thing, a hookshot, her phaser pistol, and a large room with a... high ceiling....


Adira grinned and waited for the thing to open it's mouth before taking aim with the hookshot and shooting into its lower jaw, then at the floor. She repeated this until there were four lines pulling the beast's lower jaw. The hookshot had a tension factor, in which it would pull as hard as it could to keep tension. Sure enough, the thing was dragged down. Going well so far.... Adira wasn't done yet. She shot into the top of the thing's head and then to the ceiling twice. Now its head was caught in-between the top and ceiling, but closer to the floor. Just to irritate it, Adira fired off a few shots at its eyes and underbelly. Come on, get pissed off. "Hungry, bitch?" The moment its mouth opened, Adira took her shot and threw the plasma rifle into its gaping maw, then shot its battery with her phaser. The result was quite a big bang.


The sound echoed through the cavern, and when the flash of light had disappeared, the beast's head was ripped in two, one half on the ceiling and the other half on the ground, both sections ripped off of its body and badly charred. I knew it would be easy. "See, Vince? I told you I'd be fine. You just gotta have a little faith." Except for the slimy blood on her helm and splattered on her coat she was good, and Saami was safe. Not too bad, if I may say so myself. "If you could get Saami, please?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince looked at the now deceased monster bug as he slung his rifle on his pack. "Probably the most creative use of a hookshot I've seen. Not bad for improvising." As he walked to grab Saami Vince lay his hand on Adira's hip, letting it brush across her lower back as he walked past her. "I'd be half tempted to kiss you if situations were different." Vince bent down and scooped Saami up before throwing him across his shoulders and groaning. "For being a skinny guy, Saami, you're a fucking fat ass."





The trip back might have been uneventful. Vince, carrying the unconscious Saami, was walking in step with Adira, until something out of the corner of his visor caught his attention. He turned with enough time to realize what it was and scream, "Adira, RUN!" Launching himself backwards, Vince narrowly missed the cave in that separated him and Saami from not only Adira, but the only charted way out of the cavern. The bugs responsible for the cave in scurried away quickly, their chattering and screeching making Vince think they were gathering together for an attack. Vince stared at the rubble in front of him and growled. It would take days to clear it enough to get through, and Saami possibly didn't have days. With only himself, a rifle, and an unconscious pilot, Vince knew odds were not in his favor when it came to fighting off hordes of bugs. "Adira, I'm going to.." The static on his comms was a clear enough indicator of interference. "Dammit." Vince turned, looked for the closest non bug infested tunnel, and hoofed it, hoping to some power above that he'd find his way back to the surface alive.

 

[InsanEleven]

Saami

​

The relief of not being eaten by a giant bug was only short lived, as apparently he was about to get eaten by a whole bunch of small ones. That was... if he didn't stop breathing before that time. The paralysing agent was now coursing through him in full effect, and even with his enhanced body two doses of something enough to have a bug the size of a large dog collapse wasn't good. Jack would have a doctor, perhaps a makeshift antidote. He just had one very annoyed special ops. There were two things he tried to focus on; the first being giving Woods a makeshift map of the surroundings, the second was breathing.


This is the current known area, filled in with an attempted reconstruction of the rest of the pathways.


It was the least he could give Woods to increase chances of survival. For now his mind was still working, and if he had to believe his systems most of his organs were doing alright. Though it seemed that slowly but surely his heart and lungs came within grip of the paralysis.


I can not determine when and if my heart and/or lungs will give out. If I stop breathing I can run a maximum of 30 minutes on emergency reserves. If my heartbeat stops I can keep a mechanical pacemaker going for 10 minutes through dissipating thermal energy.


It technically wasn't Woods' place to know those details about how his system worked, but he had overriden his own classification system to give out the information. For now he'd try his very best not to let it come down to either of those, but his breath was already getting slower and more shallow than before.

 

[BookWyrm]

"No fucking pressure then, right?" Despite the shit storm they were stuck in Vince felt somewhat better about having a deadline to meet. He could work with that time frame, especially now with somewhat of an idea of where they were going. Saami's paralysis didn't bother him. Worst came to worst Vince had an adrenaline syringe in his med kit, and if that didn't work Saami's life support would have to do. What bothered Vince was how close the swarm was getting. Every minute or so the screeches would grow louder as they poured through the tunnels, chasing Vince like a rabbit in a maze. When the maze in question emptied out into a room with a ceiling that opened up into an exit Vince felt the slightest hint of relief. Then the impact happened.


One of the bugs, a warrior variant for the hive, had launched a chitin spike that pierced through the kevlar armor and sank into Vince's back, causing him to drop Saami and stumble forward. During the whole mess, from rappelling down to now, Vince hadn't thought to activate his reactiv armor. Now, with more spikes coming at him and other bugs clambering on him, biting and slashing as before the knocked his feet from under him. Vince struck the ground back first, breaking off the chitin spikes into his back. He screamed as he rolled, trying to avoid the claws of another warrior bug. Once on his feet Vince managed to dodge and lend out some strikes of his own, yet another bug struck from the side and pinned his foot to the floor with a claw. Stitches have torn, multiple lacerations and puncture wounds, bleeding from all fucking over. Fucking bugs. Fucking bugs. The memory of the Xyvir came back as pain flashed hot and red through Vince's body. This time the spike had hit his arm. His right arm. Slowly, almost like it had a mind of it's own, the writhing dark tendrils came into his vision. Vince closed his eyes and let the red consume him.


All was dark.


When Vince opened his eyes again, he was on his hands and knees with grass in front of him. He raised up and looked around, noticing the he and Saami were on the surface. Vince tried to crawl to his feet, wobbled, fell back to his knees, then drug himself over to Saami to check his pulse. Still alive, but he looks bad. Vince pulled his adrenaline syringe out and jabbed the needle into Saami's heart. "That'll hold you for awhile," Vince turned and spit out blood from his mouth, only now realizing that his helmet was rent. "At least you won't have to use your life support just yet." His breath was coming in short, raspy, gasps now as he looked over his own body. Pieces of the chitin spikes jutted out from his chest and back, and all over his arms, chest, legs, and other parts of his armor were torn, broken, and destroyed. The worst part was Vince could feel his body giving into shock; his hands were starting to shake and his vision was beginning to blur. Hurry. Don't fuck this up. Vince pulled off his pack, which was barely there, and searched through it, hoping, praying for respite. Inside a small compartment Vince found his extra gps unit and dialed it in, sending an emergency locator pulse out. Even the Lullaby could pick this up. "Don't worry....Sam....we've got help...on...way."

 

[Dragongal]

"Only half-tempted?" Adira had joked. She had expected them to be able to just leave, now that the big bad bug was dead.... "Vince?!" Next thing she knew, she was separated from Vince and Saami. "Vince, are you...?" Shit. Communications are out. It took a few seconds for Adira to control the rage in her chest. She wanted to just go ballistic, but... she couldn't. If she'd had a spare gun, she could have shot it to blow away the rocks. But, she didn't. So, how could they move these many rocks? Either they find a way or... the Tin Can could do it.... but by the time we got that hulking machine over here, they'll be dead, or have found another route. It didn't take long for some of the bugs to find her, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with them. She still had the hookshot, meaning a few of the critters were left torn in half or eternally attached to walls, or another bug's corpse. I'll just have some fun while I wait for them.... They have to come back to the central hub to get out.


When the beeping on her screen showed the GPS unit was activated, her instant reaction was to get up top as quickly as possible. After six flights of stairs, she was met with the question of how to get to their location, since she'd have to climb so many lines out of there. Alright, time for more fun. Simple answer, she hookshot a decent sized rock, then the ceiling, and stepped on the rock as it began to retract. As planned, she was close enough to the bottom of the stairs that she could just jump off and into a shoulder-roll when the time came. Similar techniques took her to the top, and soon enough, she was running to the location marked on her screen. When she found them, though....


There was just... so much blood. "Vince...?" He wasn't dead... right? No, he was breathing, but it didn't seem easy for him. Adira knelt down at his side. He was clearly going into shock. She pulled out her pack and sorted through it until she found and emergency blanket to lay over him. Since there was nothing left to do but wait, Adira took Vince's hand and gently squeezed it. "I'm staying right here with you."

 

[BookWyrm]

Something was stirring around him, and then warmth, wonderful warmth. The sudden feeling of someone, or God forbid some thing, taking his hand was enough for Vince to open his eyes. "Hmm?" He rolled over and looked at Adira, blinking until his eyes finally focused on her face. "Hey." He groaned and forced a smile before sitting up, with some expected difficulties. "Didn't expect to see you so soon." The realization took him a moment to process before he looked from Adira to Saami. "Fuck...it isn't just you is it? How long did it take you to get here? Saami needs a medic now." Vince squeezed Adira's hand as the pain finally registered in his own body, causing him to lean against her. "I know I don't look it, but I'm better off than Saami is right now." His wounds had been staunched, oddly enough, from the inside. "I'm good for now. It....you know......it....is keeping things stable."

 

[Dragongal]

Adira shifted a bit to better support Vince, then grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Slow down, soldier boy... I came alone. I'm sure the others are on their way." Adira gently brushed her fingers through his hair. They'd have to make sure Doc was the one who patched him up, but that was manageable. At the moment, Adira's main concern was keeping Vince stable. There was nothing she could do for Saami, as much as she hated to admit it. It irked her how she had been able to kill the creature, but Vince had still ended up hurt, and there'd been no way she could have helped. "After the cave-in, I was waiting for you in the central hub. When I saw your beacon I made my way out as quickly as I could, so the others must be nearly here by now."

 

[BookWyrm]

Though the knowledge that the team could still be minutes away when it was seconds that mattered Vince found himself with no choice but to try and rest. He leaned back against Adira with a sigh, his whole body aching and throbbing. The injuries he could understand, but what was strange was the muscular pain, or the pain deep set in his bones. His arms felt like they had been broken, crumbled into gravel, on top of feeling like he'd spent the day in the gym maxing out. "I don't remember everything that happened. I can see bits...pieces. Damned shock I guess."