Surrounded by urban decay sits a lone building of grey stone and tinted sienna windows. There are no logos marking it, no signs to declare its purpose, or even a building number, and its parking lot is overgrown with weeds and littered with broken glass. A six foot fence encircles the entire area; the front doors chained shut and padlocked. From behind the main of the structure a large glass dome can be seen reflecting the sky above, though some of the panes are cracked or missing entirely.The mirrored doors at the front of the building mark its entrance, reflecting the world around it while concealing what lies within. Just above them a small security orb hovers and despite the cracked and worn exterior a red light blinks within the lens, indicating that it is still transmitting all it sees.
A large black van with tinted windows pulls up to the locked gates and stops. Inside is a small group of individuals whose ear pieces suddenly come to life with a stern male voice."We have triggered the release systems and analyzed the structure for heat signatures. Eight living have been identified inside. Your mission is to go inside and secure the building, account for all eight and bring them back to us alive. Any questions?"
Ian flinched when the ear piece came to life having been punished by music through these means before. "What happens if the inhabitants of this building become hostile and are we allowed to use force to protect ourselves if necessary?" Ian asked this question knowing full well that things could go bad at anytime and that he was calm enough to handle the situation. "Also, do you want me to scout the building in my other form?" He looked out of the tinted windows and saw how big the structure was and realized how easily it may be to get lost inside if they don't know where to go.
Lysander looked over at Ian curiously as he asked such ridiculous questions. Of course they were permitted to use force to protect themselves. Was this his first mission? He couldn't help but wonder. He reached up and pulled his snake locks back, smoothing them out a bit. "What happens is
we happen. We do what we always do. Knock 'em out of course."
Luca didn't even seem to be paying attention to the voice in his ear piece or the conversation going on around him inside of the van. His fiery eyes flickered as he stared out of the window at the approaching complex, feeling a sinking in his gut. He and Jollel had been in hiding for so long... fifty years? Somewhere close to that. They had gone into hiding for a reason. He sighed, a little disheartened to be returning to this line of work again, and looking down at the picture in his hand. He stroked his thumb over a beautiful, red-eyed face framed by long, dark strands of black and purple. His brows furrowed and he tucked it away in his chest pocket. Finally, he chimed in, "Let's not be too trigger happy about it, though. From my experience, not all experiments are hostile when they wake up." He remembered his good friend, Xaivyer, who with any luck was still hiding away in his vacation spot in the Bahamas. He hoped Xaivyer wouldn't be sucked back into this as well. Finally, he watched as two tall, steel gates opened for them, and the van idled through, pulling up to the front of the building before coming to a stop. Luca checked his dart gun and pistol on his belt, as well as a small pocket knife--not that he would need it--before opening the door of the van and climbing out.
The place was decrepit. The outside was crawling with weeds and the cinder blocks were crumbling and covered in lime buildup from the years of rain. All of the windows that he could see were blackened with dust behind rusting bars. He could smell something foul, but other than a small wrinkle of his nose, he did little to acknowledge it. He looked back at Ian and Lysander and nodded. "Let's circle the outside first, check any other doors and windows and make note of any that may have broken locks or bars."
Daichi could be seen resting against an old lamp post just inside of the steel gates trying to catch his breath after having to run from his previous hideout due to being attacked by humans.
'Damn, how did those humans find me again.' Daichi thought as he heard the steel gates open and noticed the black van as it entered.
Michael piped up in response to the groups conversation. "Luca is correct, this is strictly a retrieval mission. Use force only if necessary. Ian as this is your first run I'd rather you stick with the others, there's no telling what we let out when the security system was brought down." There was a pause then and the faint sounds of tapping before he spoke up again. "and Lysander, this isn't the same as the last ones you've done. With this many heat signatures inside there are sure to be sentient, intelligent beings, not the mindless beasts you've encountered so far. Regardless, be on your toes. It looks like there is another entrance on the west side of the building, possibly a loading dock... hold on... I'm picking up something out in front by you guys. Luca, do you see anything?"
Lysander looked about as he stepped out of the van. He was not impressed whatsoever with what he saw. He grimaced as his nostrils were filled by a rather odorous scent. "Something reeks..." His forked tongue shot out from his mouth, tasting the air and he shook his head violently, attempting to dislodge the awful taste. "Oh...shouldn'
t have done that... By the way Michael, don't treat me like an amateur. I know what I'm doing." He hated the way the man was constantly acting like he was his better, ordering him around like that.
Ian listened to Michael while he gazed upon the building studying its outside and looking for any disturbances that may be present. He noticed that the building was run down and wondered why it was left this way, "Roger that Michael, and I'll control my urge to feed on them," his stomach growled slightly at the mention of it, but he ignored it. As most people knew in this group Ian could survive on both human food or souls, but it was preferred that he didn't eat souls unless it was absolutely necessary. Ian calmly stepped out from the vehicle and looked over at Lysander who was shaking his head in a violent manner before moving to the front of the vehicle to find out what was in front of them.
Luca frowned. A heat signature outside? It had to be an animal... or a rogue if they were lucky. He clicked the button on his ear piece and said to Michael, "I'll keep my eyes peeled and report if I find anything." He then looked back at Lysander and Ian. "Ian, you stay here and guard the front doors. Lysander, you go around the other side, I'll take this side. If either of you see or hear anything suspicious, speak up," he ordered. He pointed in their respective directions, then headed off in his own. He looked around slowly at the overgrown lawns, and studied every movement of grass and tree. He glanced up at the massive building as he walked, checking every window he passed by. Eventually, he could see the dome of the conservatory approaching, and how many panes were broken or missing at the top. That will need to be patched... he thought boredly.
Shrill hopped, clumsily, out of the van. "Don't worry guys, it was just a cat. I saw it when we pulled up to the gate. Harmless little tabby, probably good with catsup." It added the last part with a sloppy lick of its lips. Taking a look around, it took in the surroundings before setting off towards the building's door, taking quick steps with its tiny, deformed looking legs.
Daichi sighed as he stood up and slowly walked through the now opened gates after seeing a group of people get out of the van. 'Why am I doing this when I should be running still. Maybe this group won't attack me like the last ones did.' Daichi thought while he inched closer to the front doors of the building to get a better look at the group.
"Roger," Ian said before moving to the side of the van closest to the doors. As he moved he watched Shrill make his way to the doorway, "Someone's going to freak out when he goes through that door so I guess I better be ready," he muttered to himself with a slight frown. He watched as Luca headed toward the dome looking thing, but lost sight of Lysander as he took up a crouch in the shadow of the vehicle to conceal himself from possible onlookers in the area. He listened around him picking up the footsteps of the three other members, but continued to listen as he possibly heard the footsteps of Daichi as he closed in on the building. "Guys, I think I hear a fourth set of footsteps moving out here so keep your guards up."
"Luca, that ninth signature is approaching the front of the building. I recommend you go back and see what it is. We don't want a civilian walking in to what could potentially be a dangerous situation." Just as Michael finished speaking the front doors to the building began shaking, the chains locking them shut giving a loud rattle before it suddenly stopped.
Luca rolled his eyes, but he pressed the button on his ear piece and said, "Alright, I'm on it." He turned on his heel and headed back around the side of the building, muttering under his breath. "Every little heat signature and movement... it's probably just a cat." He made his way quickly to the front of the building, then blinked and hesitated a moment when he saw Daichi strolling right towards the van and the others waiting there. "Fuck, that's a big cat." he muttered, then pulled his dart gun, aiming it at Daichi's chest. "STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" he yelled, approaching slowly. He couldn't tell from this distance whether or not the person was human, but he had to be prepared.
Shrill turned when it heard Luca holler something. "I bet it is still good with catsup." it said as it looked the person over. "If you got Mr. tabby under control I'm going to try to find a way inside."
Lysander was about to head off as instructed, when the stranger approached. He was rather proud of how quickly Luca had snapped to attention, then again the guy had been doing it for a while. He tapped the communicator by his ear, "Luca, you want me to grab him, or head down the side?"
"Detain! I repeat, detain!" Luca said firmly, still aiming at Daichi and approaching him until he stood just in front of him, his eyes trained on him. "State your name and your business here!" he demanded, hoping that Ian and Lysander were both coming to back him up.
"My name is Daichi and I was resting after running from a mob of humans that attacked me two days ago." Daichi said from where he stood with his eyes closed. "I got worried when I saw a black van pull in thinking that the Humans had caught up with me, so I came over to check it out." he stated, worried that he'd be shot just for being there. ' If I still had my sunglasses I could look at this person without worrying about accidentally killing him and I know that I don't look like a friggin' cat.'
Lysander arched an eyebrow as he took in the man. He approached to back up Luca, his forked tongue stretched out from his mouth, flicking through the air. He still tasted whatever that gore-ish stank was. His 'hair' slithered outward. "Detain...This would be so much easier if I didn't have to touch him..." He said subvocally. It irritated him quite a bit that he had to get that close to someone first...
Ian was curious as he looked at the building doors, "Guys, I'm checking the front doors as something was trying to get outside." He slowly got up and moved closer to the door trying to see if he could see anybody inside. "I'm checking it out I'll keep you updated on the situation." As he approached he noticed the chains which would have been the culprit of the rattling noise he heard earlier while everyone was focusing on Daichi. He had his hand down by his gun holster incase things got bad, but it appeared the chains would hold the door for now.
Since Ian beat Shrill to the door, it decided to look elsewhere for entry into the lobby. "Those chains will keep them in and us out. Too bad they didn't trust you with the hydraulic cutter. We could slice right through them." It said as it examined the windows for any easy access signs, like no lock, or slightly ajar.
The few windows along the side of the side of the building all appeared to be built in, lacking any type of opening, and all still intact. "Luca, can we confirm if the intruder is human or other?" Micheal asked.
Luca kept his eyes locked on Daichi, muscles tense. "You were chased by humans?" he quoted. Well, that answered that question. He clicked the button on his earpiece. "Michael, confirmed the intruder is an other. Repeat, intruder is not human." He then tilted his head at Daichi. "So you were running from a mob of humans, saw a black van come in and you were worried that it was another group of humans out to hunt you down, and you approached the van to see? You're not very smart, are you?" he grunted. "Why are your eyes closed?"
"When ever I look someone in the eyes they tend to die on the spot, and I lost the only pair of sunglasses I had on the way here." Daichi said with a bored tone while he slowly lowered his hands. "Besides when you look the way I do, With the slitted eyes, scaly skin, and being able to kill with just a look, you don't tend to make many friends with the humans." he states, with his hands clasped behind his back.
Shrill frowned, or at least looked like it was trying to. "Looks like we will need to find another way in." it stated unnecessarily, as it began walking around the exterior of the building, looking for the first available opening or entrance.
"So you just need shades to not look so ridiculous?" Lysander asked the newcomer with a smirk. He pulled his own off and held them outward as he closed the distance. "You can wear mine. I don't have optical powers."
Ian carefully maneuvered himself under the security orb to avoid its detection to his presence. He took a look at the chains trying to decide if they were newly emplaced or old with age while keeping one eye on the security orb. "There is a still functioning security orb working here by the front door," he said into his transmitter quietly in case the orb picked up on loud sounds, "If someone's inside they probably know were already here, but these chains on the door might signify that no one's on duty tonight so what's your take on it?"
While Daichi's hands were behind his back and his eyes were closed, Luca signaled to Lysander with a nod of his head towards Daichi. He moved around him, keeping his dart gun trained on him, then pulled out a pair of specially-crafted handcuffs. He locked them around Daichi's wrists and they buzzed to life with a few snaps of electricity. "Try to break these, and they shock you into a coma." he said lowly. "Lysander, put the sunglasses on his face." He then looked towards there Shrill was trailing the side of the building and where Ian was hunkered under the security orb. He clicked the button on his earpiece and said to Ian, "This building has been abandoned for a while now. No one is inside monitoring that security footage, Ian, and no one is doing any rounds. Those chains are to keep whatever is asleep in there locked in there in case it wakes up." He shook his head. Were they all rookies? He grabbed one of Daichi's arms and gave him a gentle, leading push towards the van, then directing him to sit on the ground beside it. "Stay here."
Lysander did as instructed, wasting no time whatsoever in slipping the glasses in place. "Should I make sure he doesn't move?" He asked Luca. He knew he wouldn't want the guy to start running around. Even with his hands cuffed, he could still bolt. Lysander on the other hand, could easily make it so he couldn't go anywhere...
"Luca, leave one of the team with our surprise guest, then send a couple guys to the east side of the building, there's a loading dock there that might give them access. The lock on the front of the building shouldn't be a problem for you, but take someone with you." Michael instructed via their headsets just as the security orb Ian had been trying to out wit swiveled it's camera to follow his movement. With a soft whir it lowered and positioned itself in front of his face, the glowing red eye never straying in its intense gaze upon what it perceived as its target. A sudden bright blue light flashed as it took a scan of his face.
"I'll stay put since every time I did find a place to stay, the Police seemed to always zero in on me."Dachi stated from where he was placed beside the Van. "I accidentally killed a few humans in front of a couple of Police Officers after I had first woken up because I had zero control over my optical powers and suddenly I'm public enemy #1 for the police."
"Dibs on the loading dock." Shrill said in response to the orders coming over the headset. "Maybe there will be something to eat inside." it mumbled as it waddled off towards the east side of the building.
"Roger, then I'll break it and go in," Ian responded then stared face to face with the security orb that seemed to have target him. "Oops," he said quietly before a blue light show out of the orb and appeared to scan his face. He closed his eyes under the shades just in case the light was more powerful then he thought, but the shades did their job perfectly. 'So they know were here now,' he thought to himself, 'But who are they?' Ian thought to himself some more and decided he would do some more research upon getting back to the compound. Ian turned around pulling out his knife and slipping it between the chain and doors to gain leverage. He then pulled on the knife in order to break the chain.
"Shrill can handle the dock by himself. Lysander will stay with our new friend here." Luca grunted, clicking his headset off and looking at Lysander. "Be ready." He then moved to the chained double doors where Ian was and patted him on the shoulder. "Step back. That knife won't do much." he said and then reached out, grabbing the lock in one hand and concentrating. The metal began to heat up, super-heating rather quickly in his hands until it was glowing red. He then stepped back and dropped his foot against it in a hard kick, the metal breaking off easily with a clatter to the ground. He looked at Ian with a bit of a cocky raise of his brow, then shouldered the glass doors firmly.
"When am I not?" Lysander replied smugly and crossed his arms. He glanced over at Daichi. "You really are planning on staying put? I wouldn't mind having to chase after you, but I'd really rather not." His hair slithered back behind his ears as he tilted his head to the side until his neck popped. "I'm more of the sit and wait sort of predator."
The front doors gave in to Luca's push with little resistance, despite the apparent length of time for which they had been closed.
"Unless I start hearing sirens, I'm not moving from this spot."Daichi sighed as he glanced at the ground. "I just want someplace where I can rest with out worrying about having to run the next day."
Shrill made its way around to the loading docks. There wasn't any kind of personnel door, so it would have to go through the bay doors. Awkwardly climbing up to he door, it used all its might to open it just enough for Shrill to slip in, before letting it go back shut.
Ian moved back and put his knife away after Luca tapped him on the shoulder, "It's all yours then," he said as he watched him wrap his hands around the lock. Ian watched as the locked became red after heating up and shook his head at Luca's raised brow after he had kicked it, "You're such a show off."
"Eh, a little." Luca chuckled lightly with a shrug, gingerly touching his fingertips to the glass doors. He glanced back at Lysander and Daichi one last time to make sure they hadn't moved, then clicked on his headset again. "Michael, I got the doors open. We're heading inside." he said, then clicked it off, holding up his pistol in a steady hand and sweeping the inside of the lobby with his eyes before stepping through the doors into Lab 218: Lobby, nodding at Ian to follow him.
"Guess it's a good thing you ran into us then." Lysander pointed out with a shrug. He leaned against the van and looked down at Daichi. "We've got beds back at the compound. Real cozy beds..." It wouldn't hurt to try and sweeten the deal. The guy was coming with them one way or the other, but if he wanted to go willingly, wouldn't that be better?
"Guys, I'm going to have Daichi taken back to the compound now." Came Michael's voice over everyone's comm-links. "Lysander, please follow Shrill to the loading dock and see if you can't get inside." As Michael was finishing speaking the two agents who had driven them to the site came around from the front of the van and quickly ushered Daichi inside. One stayed behind to secure him while the other shut the back doors, then got back into the driver's seat to pull the van back out onto the street.
"Shrill..." Lysander blanched. He didn't have much of a choice, now did he? If he didn't follow orders, then Michael would activate the little thing at the base of his neck and no more of anything. He sighed and headed over to the Lab 218: Loading Dock bay door. If that wretched creature was able to lift the door, surely it couldn't be that difficult.
Though the ground level of the parking lot surrounding the lab were empty, there were agents up on the roof armed with high powered rifles loaded with tranqalizers. They stayed low, blending into the building itself in their high-tech camo gear, patiently waiting for the two specials just beneath them to emerge from inside the building. "Our runners are approaching the exit, shoot only when you have a clear shot of both and don't hesitate to give a second or third dose if they don't go down right away." Came the command that only they could hear, to which the lead agent replied with a silent, subvocalised: "Roger"
The little sentry came out from inside the building and made a soft whirring sound as it scaled the wall and began hovering around the agents hidden up there. After a couple tries to scan their face it began to beep, but was quickly silenced when one of the men aimed a radar-like gun at it and pulled the trigger, catching the thing as it's systems were disabled and it's all seeing eye blinked out completely.
The second Marcus was out the door he thought how best to keep anyone with a gun from getting a bead on him so he ran a chaotic pattern just trying to get far enough that an enemy could not get a shot off. If the person had a scope he hoped the way he cut left and right would keep them from getting a good shot at him.
She was going to kill him! Silera burst through the doors and immediately sprinted towards Marcus. How dare he kiss her without permission. She was fully intending to rip out his throat when she noticed him start running strangely and she was suddenly reminded as to the reason they were running. Oh fucking hell. She veered towards the closest cover, hoping to find something she could run under.
The agents on the roof were ready for them when the pair finally emerged. Marcus, having gone out first, was hit first, a tiny, capsule shaped tranq with a slender, pointed tip burying itself deep into his neck. There was a sharp sting as it embedded itself into him then a burst of cold as it flooded his blood stream with a serum more than powerful enough to knock him down in seconds. Before Marcus could even react their guns were then trained on the angry Silera, who might have heard the faint pop as the trigger was pulled two more times before something nipped at the back of her calf and then again in her shoulder. Having received double the dose and only having a tolerance slightly higher than Marcus's, she too could feel the cold numbing her arms and legs, causing her to stumble and fall as she tried to make for cover.
Laboratory #218
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