CHAPTER 1♍

The Thing On The Run!♍

It was a dark and stormy night. Soft and cold, white snow covered the ground like a thick blanket of tremendous height.

The wind howled wildly, the stiff trees with cold frost that bites. And upon it all stood a huge well fortified base with guards posted at every angle, every corner. The base had a gruesome history as its well designed and fortified structures kept whatever secrets it had hidden away from the rest of world.

Not many monsters dared escape from this dreadful place, and the few who do never made it out alive. That is until...

The sound of an alarm system could be heard going off, blaring and sounding hard in the hallway as a man dressed in a white lab coat sprints across it

"I guess I should have protested more. if I'd objected, if I'd really objected, then this..this wouldn't have happened" the thought raced through the mind of a young bearded scientist as he made his way past two of his co-workers running in the opposite direction.

And after running a few metres, he stopped abruptly, hearing a crackle in the distance. His gaze faced upwards and were fixated at the speaker as it crackled on to life.

"All attendants please evacuate to Bay 6. This is not a drill, I repeat...this is not a drill"

The scientist continued on his way, venturing down the narrowed path. He took a sharp sudden turn and soon found himself staring face to face at a strong hold mechanical door. He brought out his keycard and proceeded in sliding it in the card reader nearby, granting him access to the secret room.

A mere look would convey the very essence of the room whose capacity was large beyond guess. Lined along the roof were flouriscent bulbs beaming with great white lights and fixed into the walls in one side were a row of computer desks, displaying holographic screens that were being operated upon.

Behind the operators of this, stood a dark skinned woman, dressed in a black suit with its sleeves tucked to her elbow and black shoes to match. Her hair though black, short and straight exuded boldness and confidence that fitted her personality perfectly. She stood there monitoring and directing their every course of action.

This was the control room. Only now it had become a safe haven between them and the thing on the run.

"What's going on?"He asked"The alarm went up."

"It's non of your business stane, go back to your station and stay in there like the others"The woman responds, her gaze still focused on the screen as she spoke.

The scientist had tried to reply but before he could do so, a sudden unexpected burst of seismic activity rocked the entire base, startling everyone.

"He's escaped, hasn't he?"he went on. "For goodness sake Ganymede, he's also human like the rest of us."

"Human?!" Surprised by this, she turned all the way around facing him. "You call that thing human..that thing out there, causing all these chaos, all these destruction. Just because it walks on two legs stane doesn't classify it as human. You've seen the stats yourself, you know what it can do....

You know what it's capable off.

"You yourself know of the troubles we had getting it in here in the first place."she continued admist the occuring banging noises in the background. "This research was fully funded upon, now I don't expect you to understand. All the more reason why I can't let this one get way, believe me" she turned around, back to her initial position with her back facing him

"...or else the board would have our heads....my head" she corrected, slightly rubbing her neck.

"Activate emergency protocols alpha 9.. She began, ordering the two operators of the control unit."I want this place in full total lockdown."

...And just as instructed, it was immediately carried out.

**Bar after bar of steel doors came crashing down against the ground with loud severe thuds, blocking every possible and available path in the hallway.

"Lockdown initiated" a female operator spoke

They heaved a sigh of relief, knowing fully well that if they could just manage to hold it off a little bit longer,... they'll be okay but things didn't turn out as they hoped.

While other technicians ran diagnostics test, ganymede still stood behind the two operators of the control panel, confirming that everything was going according to plan but as anyone who's fallen victim to one of the foundation's many anomalies will tell you....

--Just because you've done everything correctly, doesn't mean you are safe.--

Suddenly the power in the room went out, filling the room with a red blare of emergency lights....

And in this panic, the researchers grabbed onto whatever was closest as the world shook around them.

Being in this kind of predicament, in this kind of situation, one could only wonder how the tension in the room would skyrocket and the people in a state of worry, a state of fear.

"Damn it, it cut the power too"

"Must be due to his energy output" the scientist- Dr stane responded, his gaze shifting around the place".

As the tension grew, so did the people's mutters. The rest of the world seemed to fall away now but not for Ganymede,...never for Ganymede. She reached for her ear comm, hoping to ground herself in the moment to avoid the panic that could so easily set in, trying to get a hold of someone on the other line

someone who could presumably help, but alas no response came through.

Noone helped. For the man she tried reaching across lay on the ground unconscious, his walkie talkie right by him.

The monster had struck him down and it was coming for the rest of them.

Who knew what it had install for them?

"He's not responding" she clarified, looking at stane. "It got to him too"

Another bang was heard yet again, followed immediately by another then another as the place shook right down to it's inches. All series of banging were dealt on the steel doors that proved as security measures.

This in turn signaled the armed and ready Mobil taskforce to spring into action. The soldiers rushed in from a hidden room, surrounding the entrance - the one door that proved as a way in and out of the room. With readied weapons in hand, they awaited for the thing on the run. This troop stood out as the last line of defense between them and the thing out there for they knew if it ever got in, it would be game over for them all.

And then there was silence

No one uttered a word, no one moved an inch. They didn't dare too for fear had made it's way into the hearts of many. The soldiers stood there motionless, their eyes remained fixated and focused on the door as if visibly seeing what lied on the other side.

Sweat trickled down their tensed faces, their weapons aimed and their finger ready to pull the trigger.

...And without the slightest hint of warning, a loud bang occurred but this time at the strong hold mechanical door, Making a bulge appear. Again and again, loud deafening bangs sounded and more protrusions began to appear. The soldiers took notice of this and some careful steps back they took.

In fear, most likely

It was all too clear that whatever was on the other side was not going to stop till it got in. It was pissed off.

Accessing the situation, Ganymede not wanting to give into despair and the tragic fate that awaited her quickly reached for the transmission radio on the computer desk.

She knew if she didn't radio for help, sooner or later she would be left in a truly horrific state amongst the others but based on what little headway she'd made in the time being there, she didn't feel so optimistic about it.....

...few things on earth are as horrific as the alternative, she knew. She had no choice.

"Sos---

This is an emergency sos, she began

We're under attack, I repeat--

We're under....

A severe bang occurred against the mechanical door, sending it flying to the ground with it's hinches ripped off. It came crashing to the ground with such dreaded force that dust rose all over the scene, whilst some seeping into the room.

Within the dust, a figure was seen. A figure walking through it, approaching forth. It was the monster that had caused all these and indeed it looked quite humanoid. Nevertheless, the soldiers didn't hesitate to ready their weapons. It was only going to get harder from here, they knew

And then the unexpected happened....

...An aura fiery hand reached out of the dust and then swayed to the side, sending part of the dust along with it. The soldiers could see it's face clearly now....

.....actually his face. It was a humanoid but off green complexion, no more than 12 years old.

He was just a kid.....

His eyes lit up in the shade of yellow, his narrow face - expressionless and his long elf-like ears that seemed to catch every sound.

The soldiers were indeed surprised and yet fascinated by all these but what stood out the most were his raging fist.

His fists released a blue fiery aura but no one dared ask questions why for it had gotten in.

The thing on the run was now here.

"Fire!!!!!" They yelled.

And the last thing that was heard were the rapid shots of gunfire, people screaming and then the shattering of a glass window.

Sadly, that isn't how the story of RSCP 004 ends. If anything, this is there it all begins!