Chapter - 9

The thrusters of the UAAF Hurricane burns brightly as the ship moved to escape the Red Planet's gravitational field. On board, former humans occupied every level of the vessel, the possessed were manning control and engineering consoles. The bridge was veiled in shadows, sitting in the captain's chair was the possessed Pauline Wolfe studying navigational and engineering data with black eyes and an emotionless expression. The large holo-monitor before her displays an image of the Earth, the estimated time until arrival was eighty-four hours.

Within the Data Storage Vault, the UAC scientists helplessly watch footage of the countless creatures coursing on the other side of the heavy door while Major Daniels' continued firing on demons teleporting inside. He was reloading from his dwindling supply of ammunition when a station alert is overheard.

"Emergency. Environmental cycles compromised, life support systems operating at diminishing capacity. Regulation at 70% of acceptable atmospheric levels. Engineering teams, report immediately to maintenance level 5"

The trapped survivors began to panic.

The Marine had stopped in a security office to restock his ammunition along the way to Cybernetics. The closer he got the more demon stood in his path, he passes destroyed escape pods and moving strands of demonic growth. The branches converge on the entrance to the lab just ahead, he steps through the passage. A gore nest and its swaying deformities covered all corners of the lab. Growth stretches across the walls, ceiling and floor, a massive beating heart was behind a spiked orifice leading to the power station. Crescents of flesh hanging from the ceiling hold glimmering portals, lost souls augmented with small thrusters screech as they jet through the air. Tentacles with controlling implants crowd a terminal scrolling demonic text alongside technical drafts.

Zombies with plasma weapons attached to amputated limbs stagger closer, another lying on an operating table undergoing augmentation by a tentacle looks over and shrieks in a tortured voice. Demons emerge from compartments in the floor and walls, the barrels of the Marine's chaingun turns. Creature emerge from portals overhead and crawl along the ceiling as Pinky and mechanized zombies are gunned down. The spikes blocking the power station part to allow upgraded demon to pass, Pinky with motorized prosthetic wheels race through the lab.

A tentacle with a robotic claw bursts through the floor and attacks, he moves out of its path and rips through the appendage with a stream of bullets. Augmented Pinky advance all around him, his round suddenly deflect off a plasma shield emitted by another tentacle. Creatures continue to manifest from portals as lost souls drift alongside the Pinky.

Imp advance past the cyber tentacle with the plasma shield emitter streaming energized molecules across the lab. The Marine attacks but the tentacle burrows under the floor and demon scatter out of range, the gore nest squeals a vile laugh as the branches sway.

He fires on a crescent of flesh on the ceiling cradling a portal, the growth oozes as gate closes with a sharp tone. The fangs blocking the power station part for only a moment as the gore nest spasms in pain.

A demonic skull streaks closer, the Marine dives for cover when a tentacle leaps out of the floor and attacks, the Marine grabs the plasma emitter and rips out the augmentation. He ducks under a swarm of skulls sailing closer as the tentacle writhes in pain. He destroys the lost souls, then firing on the growths above.

Crescents of flesh are torn and the portals close, the gore nest roars in pain as branches tremble and the fangs part. The Marine grips the BFG 9000 and races toward the demonic heart, a horde of Imp followed behind. Unsure how to use the energy weapon, he fires the full charge of his only cell pack. The BFG crackles and a quivering blob of bio-force energy expands from the wide barrel, sailing past the spikes and collides with the heart, green light radiates as the explosion rips through the power station.

The gore nest spasms, the heart withers into cooked flesh and a wave of fluids surge and collect at his boots. He turns to attack the remaining Imp as demonic portals manifest through the lab, only to realize his ammunition was spent.

He drops the BFG and levels the shotgun, a wave of creatures teleports around him. A dying tentacle enters a command into the terminal before flopping to the floor, activating combat robots that scatter from storage compartments.

"Alarm, life support systems are operating at 50% of acceptable levels, the station computer announces, emergency atmospheric reserves are online. All remaining personnel are advised to abandon the station"

The reminder grinds his nerves, he hastily guns down the demon around him when the robots attack from behind. He quickly rolls behind the center desk as they close in. He shoots from behind the rounded desk, destroying the robots one at a time. A demon attacks from out of view, he breaks the limb then brings his boot down on a combat robot.

Machine gun rounds are silenced as the last robot is destroyed. He breaks the limbs of remaining creatures, he heaves from exhaustion surrounded by the remains of robots, demons and cybernetic abominations.

He lifts the BFG from the floor and uses the automap to trace the security bypass tool, he steps into the power station and finds an opened security cabinet gripped by strands of gore, he grabs the cylindrical tool from the shelf and heads back the way he came.

Major Sergeant Martinez was close-by the Marine, he had become lost again and just made his way to the main corridor. He studies the objectives displayed over his PDA. With his focus strained he was susceptible to demonic influence, the pain in his head returned.

"I can fight this" he silently repeats to himself as the glow of the PDA's display beams over him.

COVERT CLASSIFICATION: ZULU, PRIORITY OBJECTIVE

RETRIEVE SAMPLE OF STUDY AGENT

CLASSIFICATION: BSK-01

LOCATION: BIO-MEDICAL LABORATORY 24