Olympus Mons, Recruiting

[Nova-FoV]

Naomi glanced over her shoulder as Noh dragged Lust out of the room. That was convenient. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair and re-focused on the notes. She'd made astounding progress thus far, but still had a long way to go. Still, it wouldn't be long before she'd be ready to try some modification on herself.

[Nova-FoV]

The teams from the CSV Tessla, Shadow and Hammer, were dropped at separate points on opposite sides of the behemoth Olympus Mons. Hammer entered where Richards had made his escape in the first encounter. Meanwhile, Shadow entered from a corridor that was a part of the initial schematics of the scientific base that had once been housed there. Both teams were likely to meet resistance, but hopefully Hammer would be able to draw the brunt of it.

As Vera led Shadow into the darkened, silent hallways of the science base, she remembered vividly her first experience here. It seemed so much the same. It was so dark that without the lights they brought with them, they'd hardly be able to see inches in front of their faces. All around them were the tattered, eerie remains of what had once been a functioning research facility. And it was silent. Deathly silent. Try as she did to suppress it, she found her imagination running rampant with visions of nightmarish creatures lurking around every corner. She felt impatient. She knew that something was going to happen, some horrible thing was going to foul their plans. The waiting was the hardest part.

[superhuman6544]

Derik gestured for the team to stop, he pulled out a pack of plastic explosive and spread it on the wall, "Get to cover!" he called out as he stuck the detonator into the glob, he moved back around the corner, while he grabbed the remote and slapped the button, A half-second later, a huge bang rang though the hallway, and a blast of smoke rode the wind. He grabbed his Assault Rifle and whipped around the corner, he scanned the hall way and moved forward, to the edge of the hole in the wall, the hallway beyond was also empty, but it wouldn't be for long, "Clear!" He he said over the radio. Team Hammer, make a disraction, that was the plan Derik thought to himself, Explosives good enough?

[Ryoku28]

"Alright men, keep your heads clear and watch each other's backs! Do that, and all of us will walk out of here with our limbs where they're SUPPOSED to be," Gabe shouted after the explosives detonated. He tapped on his comm, "Hammer has breached!" He clicked off the comm and rose his rifle to eye level and slowly proceeded inside, turning on a built-in flashlight since the hall was not lit. He grimaced with every step, the wet sounds of flesh beneath his feet. Disgusting.

[Skyllian Blitz]

Herus padded softly after Vera, the black faceplate of his helmet drinking in what little light illuminated the halls. So far, Shadow's path had been void of life or obstacles. Vera guided them with disconcerting surety, seemingly with prescience.

Their route passed rooms which looked as though no soul had passed through in years. Thin layers of dust coated surfaces and here and there were the signs of rust and oxidation, eating away at metals as entropy took its toll. Their lamps swept past, casting shadows that flickered and danced in time to their steps. A truly forsaken place.

They came across an intersection and Herus noticed a junction box. Out of curiousity, he flicked between spectra filters for his helmet and the tell-tale warmth of IR wafted in the air around the box. Touching a hand to the outer casing, his suit picked up the heat emanating from it.

"It's warm. There's power running through this section." he commented, breaking the silence.

[The Butcher]

The Butcher watched from his office and nodded at their entry. They were now in his territory, and thus under his will. "Have you ever heard of Alice in Wonderland?" He commented to no one in particular, while beginning to operate some controls hidden under his desk.

"I have found that the only message I can gain from that tail is that reality is what you make of it, and here in Mons, reality is what I choose to let be known." He finished pressing some buttons before leaning back in his chair and continuing to observe.

Vera was the only one who had been in the maze before, and even then that was years ago so he was not worried about her ending the game too soon. "After all, we are all mad here."

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After shadow began its infiltration and began moving into the base, the first part of Butchers plans for them began. "What is truth? What begets truth? Is it pain, is it love? Who truly holds the truth in this galaxy?" A small voice asked, a voice that seemed identical to the little girl's that Vera had met on her last trip to Mons.

"Can you truly say that one is evil? Can you say if one is good? You hunt father to his home, and seek death in your hearts. Does that mean truth is death? Can it not be more?" The voice continued, seeming to enjoy rambling, it's voice echoing around them making it difficult to find the original position.

"If truth is death, and I seek truth as well, then does it not mean I should bring death to you?" It finished before a small blue light could be seen in front of them.

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Hammer's explosion did indeed bring attention to the group. After they had gained entry and moved a ways into the mountain, a large insect like creature fell from the top of the hall and barred their way. It had six legs which ended in chitinous spikes, a long tail which looked to be tipped by a sack, or pod of some kind, mandibles, and two eyes. It stood at least a meter tall and double that in length.

It raised itself up and began making strange chattering sounds, which seemed to have a rhythm and could pass for communication.


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Back at his office The Butcher smiled as his creatures began their plans. It would be interesting to see just what happened, and the results of their actions.

[Nova-FoV]

Vera was just about to ask if Herus could get some lights running through this section when a small child's voice stopped her. It mused for a minute or two, its location impossible to discern, and then a blue light appeared in the distance.

"Shit..." she muttered. "Take cover, and stay together," she ordered. The light could be anything from a flashlight to the beginnings of an explosion, in this place. They were an easier target if they stayed together, but if they separated, it was all too likely that one of them risked getting dragged off to a fate worse than death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naomi approached the Butcher in his chair from the library where she had been studying. She had changed in the past few weeks- apart from her intellectual growth, her left eye socket now held a red eye similar to the one that the Butcher himself had. She reached his desk and leaned on the edge, obviously not alarmed by the situation.

"So, they've come, have they? I heard the explosion," she said.

[Erebus]

The shuttle landed near an isolated entrance to the base. One neither Hammer nor Shadow had entered yet. The duo grabbed their gear and hopped out, entering, adamant about watching each other's backs. The cold quiet rooms were unwelcoming, and uncomfortably silent, all Richards could hear was his breathing and steady but quick heartbeat. They came to a staircase, leading up to an empty wall, no door. A dead end? Richards didn't think so. He ascended first and felt along the wall, then he motioned for Griggs to help. It took both of their strengths to move it, and when they did manage to, they found themselves in a different style hallway, warm, welcoming... utterly unsettling with a hint of claustrophobia...

[Skyllian Blitz]

Herus ducked to the side that Vera was on and stacked up behind her, tapping her shoulder twice to let her know. Ahead of them the blue light seemed to grow in intensity. Herus took his eyes off the light, and scanned their surroundings. It wouldn't do them much good to have target fixation, only to be flanked while occupied.

The blue light steadily approached, closer and closer. Hands on weapons gripped tight as contact was about to be made.

[superhuman6544]

Derik slid to a stop as he saw the insect. Damn he thought to himself. "Hold." he called to the others, raising a clenched fist, the light from his helmet and gun illuminating the insect. he listened to it's chattering and lowered his gun slightly.

[Darkapostle222]

Jacen moved to the other side of Vera and pulled out his Assault rifle, aiming it towards the light.

So the Butcher did know where Shadow Team was. That threw a major wrench in their plans.

Dropping to his knee, Jacen pulled out his sniper rifle and aimed down the hallway, zooming in to try and see what was creating the light.

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Aleena swore colorfully at the sight of the creature.

Kresh leaned over and asked, "What's wrong? Afraid of bugs?"

Aleena glared and replied, "Yeah, especially when they are freakin huge!"

Kresh chuckled and aimed his shotgun at the chattering creature before whispering to the group, "So, should I shut it up?"

[superhuman6544]

"I said hold," He replied sternly, "it seems to be sentient, just keep your gun on it." he tightened his grip on his gun, but did not raise it.

[The Butcher]

"Indeed... it would have been more polite for them to call first, or at least knock before entering my home. Then again, from my memory, they are quite rude." The Butcher replied to Naomi, before starting to hum a song he had heard many years ago.

A brief flash on a monitor to his left drew his attention and he noted the entrance of Richard's group. "Oh, and here we have another group, I have not been this popular in so long.... I may blush." He pushed another button under his desk, before returning his attention to Vera's group.


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The small blue light grew closer to Shadow, before the person holding the light could be seen by the flashlights of the group. It was indeed the same girl Vera had seen before, seemingly unchanged from the day she last saw her. "Hello, I find it odd you refuse to answer my questions, but no matter. Would you like me to take you to 'Paradise'?" She asked tilting her head before a second one of her seemed to melt in from the shadows.

"Your groups will probably be the last to enter while it remains free of taint..." The second started, however her sentence was finished by a third who seemed to melt into the groups line of vision just as silently as the second one had.

"...for the taint of Pride will soon consume all that was there, giving birth to one singular being." The third finished, seeming content.

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The large insect came closer to Derik, tilting it's head so that it could get him in one eye only. After studying it for a few moments its mandibles began to move for a few moments before finally letting out a sound. "Just keep your gun on it." It hissed, trying to mimic Derik's inflections.