Chapter - 9 - Logic Core Compound

In a sub-level maintenance sector, a small repair robot was sitting on the square tiled floor, patiently putting the finishing touches on its self-repair. It rejoined the intricate fixtures of its right claw and reconnected it to the end of its arm and fastened it into place, the robot then flexes the repaired digit. Satisfied, it makes some happy sounding beeps and rolls away to find purpose, but unfortunately found itself in the path of the Marine.

*CRUNCH*

He moved quickly through the dark twisting corridor, not allowing the demons in his way to slow him down. Imps and Demons appear around him from flashes of green portal energy, the ones that weren't ignored painted the walls from precision shotgun blasts. The portal energy blazed throughout the area, spewing aliens in greater numbers as he rushed through the crimson coloured, conduit strewn hall. Reaching a long stretch, a large-jawed pink demon turns the corner at the end of the passage and charged toward the Marine. The demon squeals loudly as it tears through the hall, the Marine attempts to steady his weapon but is struck by the charging pinky and is thrown to the ground. The demon snaps its jaws he laid pinned to the floor, he puts the shotgun between the demon's jaws as it tried to bite down. He then strikes the pinky with the butt of the shotgun, only serving to make it more angry. The demon's jaws snapped barely out of range, the stench of its breath was noxious. He kicks his boot into the demon's groin and it howls in pain. Still lying on the floor, he yields from the defensive posture, levels the shotgun and fires, then again.

The possessed Chief Administrator was in a security office not far from the Marine. He was watching several surveillance feeds at once with black angry eyes, he had used his top level clearance to reroute the dwindling emergency power to the system. He stared, calmly enraged upon discovering his lost prey, the escape pods drifted weightlessly on the holographic screen. The Former Human continued to study the images and sees the Marine rushing through the sub-levels, he knew where he must be heading. From another window on the holographic monitor, he sees another marine, blowing through rows of demons with a plasma rifle. The Former Administrator's mouth watered with demonic bloodthirst. He approaches a security cabinet and opens it, within was a suit of security armour and helmet with a tinted visor.

Major Sergeant Martinez was in the Auxiliary Memory Control Room downloading the main station computer logs and critical corporate files, he acquires the data which nearly maxed out his storage unit. He then selects the files and deletes any trace of them from the system. He completes his task and treks back to the main corridor, where he would then head to the Data Storage Vault. Immediately, he was confronted by more hell-spawn, glowing plasma lit up the claustrophobic area, leaving chunks of smouldering gore behind. As he moved through the bending path, he notices a mild pain forming in his mind, like a thorn sticking in the front side of his head. He was confident he knew what the cause of the pain was, it was an attempt by some invisible demonic force to possess him. It was annoying, but seemed as though he was immune. After cooking a wave of large-jawed demons, he stops in his tracks. He was sure that he had come this way a short time ago, he wondered if he had managed to go in a circle, or if his mind was playing tricks on him. The area was a twisting, interconnected hall filled with suites housing various modules of system hardware. He studies his data-disc's Automap and continues on, but it's not long before he loses his way again in the maze of paths.

He eventually manages to make his way to the main corridor and finally makes some headway, more hoards of aliens in his path were burned to chunks of smoking meat as he marched the wide, spacious path. It led through a large chamber, part of the outer maintenance access for the Logic Core Compound. The cavernous space had shining, black metal plating along its surfaces and held a spattering of opaque columns comprised of thick coiled cables. The tall ceiling held large uniformly placed lamps throughout. A pair of staircases provides access to a second level, a few small crates were on the second level and some large crates were below. Martinez steps further across the compound, the area's chilly silence was unnerving. He hears the distant sound of corse breathing from somewhere ahead.

At that time, the Marine was climbing a service ladder close by, he reaches the main level and enters a passage leading to the Logic Core Compound and stumbling upon the path of Martinez.

Martinez is alarmed. Assuming the Marine was another former human, he opens fire, letting loose a stream of plasma into the short hall. The Marine dives to evade, then returns fire, Martinez moves for cover. The Marine storms around the bend, Martinez strategically cut across the main path as they exchanged plasma and bullets. A BFG round nearly strikes the Marine as he pursued Martinez, sailing between them, down the path and explodes in the distance. The Marine looks toward the shooter and sees someone in a suit of security armour racing between columns, gripping the BFG 9000. The outer chamber of the Logic Core Compound was now roaring with combat. The Marine outruns a stream of plasma and climbs to the second level as a bio-force round erupts at the base of the ramp. Martinez cleared his magazine and began reloading his rifle with another pack of energy cells, he then dives into a short alcove as another BFG round explodes close by. The Marine pursue the Former Human from above, he reaches the edge but doesn't see anything below, cautiously he steps back, then a BFG round just out of his reach explodes against the edge of the platform. The Former Human goes dashing across the main path, barely clearing a stream of plasma in the process.

The Marine jumps onto a crate then to the other side of the platform, he then charged to the far side to swing around again, as he crossed, a BFG round slipped by him and collides against the wall close beside him but he had already cleared the blast radius before the round exploded. Martinez was following the movements of the Administrator when the Marine dropped from above and back-handed Martinez into a big crate, taken completely by surprise, Martinez crumpled to the ground, dazed. The Marine could tell he wasn't possessed, just paranoid. He could smell the familiar odour of foul death upon the masked combatant. The Marine charged into the area ahead, the former human was on the main path meters away. Another quivering bio-force round sailed toward him, he moved to the other side of a crate to shield against the explosion. The Former Human was shoving another energy cell pack into the BFG as he stalked closer. The Marine circled back, the former Administrator fired a round through a tight passage between crates but misses. The Marine and took aim at close-range from the corner of a crate. A shell explodes in the chamber and sails toward its target, the round shattered the left side of the Former Human's security helmet. The Marine quickly stomps forward. The Former Human was dazed for only a moment, a empty canister clanks to the ground, his nimble hand was already gripping a fresh energy cell pack. The Marine pulls back and throws a kick as the magazine locks into place. The Marine lands a blow on its skull before he could fire, the Former Human was thrown from its feet as it crashed to the floor, the BFG 9000 slips from its grip and slides to the floor. The Marine pumps his shotgun before making sure it was dead.