=/-\= Aeran III, Evening =/-\=
"Get on the horn with the outpost", Marine Captain Remington said as
he sat down inside the vehicle, the rest of the Marines and Cortez
doing the same. "Tell them to lock down that hospital, no one in or
out, restrain any patient with dark lines on the face".
"Yes sir", the marine on the radio replied and immediately began
calling back to the outpost, "Oscar Papa this is Ghost Rider patrol do
you copy...".
Richards mind began to wander as the Marine spoke into the comm in the
background. What were the implications of what had just occurred he
wondered. He knew he still didn't have conclusive proof that whatever
had happened to that 'thing' that attacked him and killed all those
marines was linked to the illness that he was sent to investigate. He
knew that unless he brought back concrete evidence of a correlation,
his findings would just be brushed under the rug and explained all
away in typical bureaucrat fashion. He needed something more.
The trip back to the base, though bumpy, was uneventful as the six men
inside the vehicle remained quiet, all trying to wrap their minds
around what they had just experienced.
As they approached the outpost several red lights of a security
lock-down could be seen from the distance. Once inside the compound
Cortez immediately jumped out of the vehicle and began moving towards
the hospital, with Captain Remington not far behind.
The entrance was blocked by three heavily armed Marines who only let
Richard pass once Remington had caught up with him and gave
permission. Inside the building was utter chaos. Several civilians
were trying to leave but were being held back by a squad of men who
had their weapons drawn.
"Sergeant", Remingtons voice shot out, "What is going on here".
Turning around the sergeant looked back towards the Captain, "Sir,
something happened in the emergency room, spooked everyone real bad".
"I need to get in there", Cortez spoke up looking at Remington who
shook his head and rubbed his hand through his hair.
"Agreed", he replied, "We can't lose control of this situation again".
Richard nodded and watched as Remington ordered two men to follow. As
the group moved through the crowd and towards the back room they met
up with another pair of marines standing in front of a locked storage
room. One of them was bleeding.
"He just started attacking everyone", the guard spoke up as they
approached. "Went crazy, killed Beaumont and a couple nurses before
we could restrain him, bit Ace here".
"What! who", Richard managed to spat out.
"The kid", came the reply, "We tied him up and locked him in there,
didn't know what else to do Captain", the marine said looking back to
Remington.
"Open it up", Cortez ordered.
The marine looked at the Major like he was crazy.
"Do it", Remington added.
The door opened revealing the attacker. Richard recognized him as the
boy with the pulsating dark lines on his face from the emergency room
earlier. His wrists and feet were bound with plastic packing twine.
Although he'd rubbed off the skin around his bonds, there was no
blood, not on the gouges on his legs or arms, or from the large dry
gap where his right big toe had been but was now missing. He was
writhing like an animal; a gag muffled his growls.
Ignoring the warnings from the Marines around him, Richard moved in,
determined to examine him closer. The boy's skin was cold to the
touch and as gray as the cement on which he lay. His eyes were wild,
wide and sunken back in their sockets. Cortez felt down to check for a
pulse but hesitated when the boy reached out with bound hands and
snapped at him through his gag. Confident he was fully restrained,
Richard then felt for the boys heartbeat but found none.
"I need a blood sample", the Major said looking back towards the
marines standing behind him. Nobody budged.
"SOMEBODY GET ME A DAMN SYRINGE", Richard yelled.
Remington spoke up, "Go", he said towards one of the guards and after
several long silent minutes he finally returned with the requested
item.
Taking the syringe Cortez kneeled back down in front of the boy, "OK,
hold him down".
Again, the marines stood by the doorway like baby rabbits.
"That's an order", Richard said loudly, getting two of the men to
hesitantly help. They knelt beside him, one held the boy's feet while
the other grasped his hands.
Cortez inserted the needle and withdrew his blood sample, as he was
pulling it out, the boy began another bout of violent struggling with
seemingly super strength. The man holding down the boys arms gave up
and instead just braced them against the floor with his knees. But
the boy jerked again and his left arm snapped causing jagged ends of
bone to stab through his gray flesh. It was if the child could feel
no pain as he didn't cry out, but the sight was enough for both of the
battle hardened marines to leap back and run out of the room.
Instinctively, Cortez also jumped back, almost embarrassed to do so
until he realized that he too was genuinely and nearly paralyzingly
scared of this frail child. As he stood their staring, the boy began
to twist in his direction, the arm ripping completely free. Flesh and
muscle tore from one another until there was nothing except the stump.
His now free right arm, still tied to the severed left hand, dragged
his body across the floor.
"Major". Remington's voice rang out as the creature began crawling
closer to Cortez. "MAJOR", he said again drawing his weapon.
It wasn't just the fear that kept Richard from responding, it was his
chest, the pain began creeping up again as his heartbeat raised, he
put his hand to his side and hunched over as the child crawled closer.
Remington fired his weapon, hitting the demon square in the face
causing it to vaporize instantly.
Seconds later the pain gradually went away and Richard controlled his
breathing again. Stepping out of the room he placed the vial of blood
he had collected into his leg pocket and leaned against a wall. From
the other side of the building screaming could be heard, cry's of fear
and pain, then phaser fire and silence. Several marines began running
towards the source of the noise.
"I need to get back to unity", Richard said as Remington stepped closer.
The Captain nodded. "I'll have your shuttle prepped right away, let
them know whats going on here, I need more men".
Ironically, Richard smiled for the first time all day, "What we need
is a miracle", he said, thinking about the infected patient back on
Unity.
=/***\= Thirty Minutes Later =/***\=
Richard strapped himself into the co-pilot seat and his shuttle began
to lift off. He glanced over at the pilot who had been napping the
entire day.
"What happened down their", he asked looking at all the lights and commotion.
Cortez stared straight ahead, "It's steak night at the chow hall".
The pilot chuckled and shook his head. "You know you look like shit",
he said glancing over at Richard, who made no attempt to answer.
Eventually the shuttle made it out of the planets atmosphere and began
its ascent towards Starbase Unity. Once docked Richard grabbed a case
filled with Remingtons reports as well as several photos and all the
medical records of the infected at the outpost, including the boy, the
vial of blood however was still in his pocket. Stepping off the ship
he began moving towards the exit only to find seven heavily armed men
all fully decked out in CBRN (Chemical Biological Radiological
Nuclear) gear blocking his path.
Before he could say anything one of the men spoke up. "Major Richard
Cortez, we are here to escort you to a decontamination chamber and
holding cell while your health status is determined"
Cortez looked at each of the men, knowing all too well how useless it
was to argue with what was obviously one of the several Delta teams on
station, but trying anyways. "I have important information that I
need to relay to Admiral Guzman immediately".
"You may make your report once you've reached the quarantine area",
the team leader spoke up signaling two of his soldiers to flank the
Major, one of them took the case from his hands.
"You don't understand", Cortez said looking back towards the men
behind him, "People are dying down there, they need immediate help".
"Don't worry about Aeran III", came the monotone response, "Command
has plans for it".
Richard shook his head and took a deep breath, anger filling his body.
"Those bastards", he muttered under his breath as he began moving
towards decontamination.
=/-\= END LOG =/-\=
Major Richard Cortez
CSEC
USS CHIMERA
