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- The access tunnel was much shorter than I had expected. I readied
- Hamlin's shotgun. I was having second thoughts about this, shooting my own
- people. Who could have done such a thing, to so many people. Hmph, imagine
- that, me, a created killer, one of the best, and here I was caring about
- what happen to people I didn't even know. Amazing what combat does for you.
- I've been in combat before. You had to be one of the best before being
- accepted into the NewType program. The access door was opening now, I'd have
- time to think later.
- Before I stepped through the door, shouts were screamed out. More
- men wanting my blood. I spotted them across the room, moving through a short
- corridor. One blast finished the two. I think I'm going to enjoy this little
- shotgun of mine. The firing alerted more undead troops. Looks like I was
- back in action. The juice harness began pumping drugs into my system;
- adrenalin, intitial pain-killers, even a couple of anti-viruses to prevent
- any air-bourne microscopic attack. A trooper rounded the corner and lost his
- head. Another came towards the other corner, where happily a barrel of toxic
- waste lay. A blast of the shotgun sent searing hot shards into my would-be
- assailant. I proceeded into the room.
- The room was large, the corridor I initially saw turned out to be a
- path between two smaller rooms within the larger. I disliked this openness,
- it would be too easily for something to come up from behind. Left, screams
- all around. Before me, three troops came for me, guns at the ready. The
- shotgun fired three times, then I turned. Two others were coming from the
- opposite side, guns blazing, I took a hit in the arm, and returned fire.
- Silence reigned once more. The side room was large, with a number of paths
- to choose from. Before me stood a large blast door, red warning lights
- glowed all around it. 'Damn.' I cursed to myself, 'Didn't figure on access
- cards so early.'
- An archway to the left led to a lift to a small storage area. It
- seemed to be plundered already, only one medkit lay on the ground, open and
- half empty. A small box of bullets sat in one corner, and I took what I
- could, filling up the half empty clips that I was carrying. I caught my
- breath, the juice harness letting me down easy, slowing turning off the
- supply of drugs. I shook my head and headed downward. I wasn't finished
- yet.
- The last path circled back, putting me on the other side of the
- initial corridor. Two troopers lay dead on a short flight of stairs, blood
- congealing on the walls. I picked up a clip, stowing my shotgun in the
- holster on my back. A quick look behind me showed a locker area, and through
- searching their I found a small suit of light armour. Too small for me, but
- I could make use of the plates. One good thing about the military is that
- they had the foresight to see the usefulness of modular armour. I replaced
- what I could and headed around the corner. This led into a similar room as
- before, except now two doors were positioned in alcoves across from me, one
- in each corner.
- I quickly reconed the room, making sure no troopers were hiding
- behind pillars, then turned to face the doors. I moved to my right, the door
- opening at the press of a button. Stairs led upwards, the observation
- lounge, no doubt, considering the number of windows that lined the walls. I
- took the steps two at a time, trying to keep my blood pumping. It didn't
- take long.
- A hiss alerted me to their presence. I turned quickly, pistol at
- the ready. A large imp came down the stairs, throwing itself at me. My
- pistol was knocked from my hands as we tumbled to the ground. Gunshots were
- heard overhead, but I was more concerned with the demon spawn on top of me.
- I gave him two solid punches with the spiked gloves I wore, but that seemed
- to have little effect. The demon hissed again and I screamed in agony.
- Electicity coursed through my body, sending my nervous system into overdrive,
- all the pain centers of my body firing at once. Grimacing, I gritted my
- teeth and shoved upwards. The imp's head exploded, sending gray matter
- everywhere. At least those bastard soldiers were good for something. I
- rolled on the ground, pulling the shotgun from it's holster and fired up the
- staircase. The soldiers poured down the stairs, six in all. In the haze it
- was difficult to tell how many I killed, and how many killed each other. But
- I remained alive, and that's what counted. I grabbed the pistol and made
- my way up the flight of stairs. Growls and cursing came from outside, but
- for now it didn't concern me.
- My body still shook from the imp's attack when I reached the top of
- the stairs. Luckily, no one else was up here. Looking around, I found a
- small stimpack, which I used to bind my shoulder wound. A number of computer
- consoles and communication equipment lay at one end of the room. I tried
- accessing the computers, but soon found that the memory had long since been
- scragged. The comms were beyond repair, of course. They certainly wouldn't
- want to make it easy for me. I was about to leave the room when I heard a
- small click. I spun around, firing a blast into the far computer. 'Damn,
- a little trigger happy, aren't we?'
- I proceeded forward cautiously, and found that a small console had
- opened, revealing a small card, red in colour. "Playing games, are we?" I
- said outloud, carefully picking up the red key card. Luckily, I shot at head
- height, the card was at waist level.
- I quickly went down the opposite staircase, which led back to the
- area I began in. I decided that the red access door would be next, and
- headed back to the access tunnel, making sure no one else was around to
- surprise me later.
- 'Wait a minute.' I thought to myself. I noticed that the far wall
- seemed odd. I didn't know why until I approached closer. The walls weren't
- correctly aligned, as if a section of the wall was put in later. I carefully
- felt around the wall, my hand suddenly pressing down on a small plate. I
- jumped back as an entire section of the wall moved upwards in silence.
- "What do you know, a secret room." I had played games like this when I was
- a kid, killing villains of the past, who would have thought that someone
- would have taken it to heart. Seems the military was more practical than I
- thought, except that they forgot to tell their own soldiers about these. I
- entered slowly, the door hissing quietly shut behind me. Though dim, I found
- a full medkit hung on one wall. I refilled my supplies, injecting a neural
- depressant to calm my electified nerves. In a far locker, most of the other
- already broken into, I found a large ammo backpack. 'Perfect.' I smiled,
- taking a look inside. Shells, bullets, a lone personnel rocket, and a small
- charge pack. Beautiful. Now if only I could find the weapons to use these
- new toys with. I shouldered the backpack and opened the door, swinging out
- cautiously.
- The red door soon stood before me, the access panel eagerly accepting
- the access card. The door swished open and screams were heard. Seems these
- bastards were everywhere. I opened up with my shotgun, charging forward
- through streams of blood. I soon encountered stairs leading upward, from
- which I heard movement. 'Now's my turn.' I thought with an evil smile. The
- troopers came down the stairs like nice little lemmings, and my shotgun
- mowed them down. I quickly rushed up the stairs.
- The next room was large, filled with the toxic slime that seemed to
- the only liquid in this area. I'd need water soon, but that could wait for
- now. An imp suddenly appeared before me, sending hellfire into my side. I
- cried out in pain and jammed the shotgun at its throat. The imp's head
- landed a good five meters to one side. A small path weaved it's way through
- the muck, and I danced across it, spinning around to make sure I wasn't being
- followed. A trooper appeared at the entrance, and his chest caved in from
- a full load of uranium buckshot.
- I arrived in a small lobby, a lift ready to proceed downward. I
- found a number of medpacks lining one wall, and quickly took what I could.
- The lift seemed to be the perfect ambush sight. Covering my burn with
- Plasti-Flesh, I noticed that the opposite wall didn't fit in at all. Whereas
- the other walls were rusted and eaten through by acid, a small section
- appeared to be in good shape. It didn't take me long to find the access
- panel. The door opened silently, and I proceeded inward. A narrow staircase
- wound it's way down to the right. I paused, allowing my eyes get used to the
- darkness. They couldn't leave well enough alone, could they. To think that
- half of the lighting problem was due to our sector commander, who ordered
- power to be cut. It probably cost a lost of soldiers their lives.
- I quietly stepped down the staircase, noticing a lone imp standing by
- itself. A smile drew on my lips as I raised the shotgun. "Eat this,
- fucker." The blast blew the imp's head apart, the body toppling over the
- ledge. I proceeded out onto the narrow ledge. I'd have to learn to stop
- making mistakes.
- A shotgun blast tore at my side, hellfire burst in my face. I
- crumpled to the ground in agony. Drugs pumped fast and furious into my
- system, attempting to dull the pain rocketing through my body. My eyesight
- returned quickly, thankfully I wasn't blinded permanently. I vaguely heard
- fighting down below me, but my concerns were elsewhere. Hellfire burst all
- around me, another ball of flame striking my leg. I recovered my shotgun,
- firing out into the dark. I emptied the chamber while pulling myself back to
- the stairs. Shouts and gunfire echoed behind me, my ears still ringing in
- pain. I crawled up the stairway, pausing only to place the shotgun in the
- holster. At the top of the stairs I stopped to gain my senses, and to give
- the pain killers a chance to do their job.
- I stood shakily, using the door for leverage, and accidentally pushed
- the access panel. I fell forward as the door flew open. I groaned in pain,
- then realized that the lift was going down.
- "Shit!" I swore, fumbling for the pistol. I sat myself up and
- waited quietly. I was in no condition to run, so it would have to end here.
- The lift began it's ascent, sweat pouring down my face. I winced in pain and
- exhaustion. The imp appeared before me, hissing loudly, it's spines dripping
- with blood. My finger clamped down, and I emptied a clip into the demon-
- spawn, sending it flying up against the far wall as bullet after bullet
- pounded into it's body. The clip exhausted, the imp slumped to the ground,
- it's greenish-red blood spilling slowly from it's wounds, soon covering the
- floor. I dumped the empty clip and slammed another one home. Only bandages
- remained in the cannibalized medkits, so I wrapped my wounds as best as I
- could.
- Taking a deep breath, I painfully rose to my feet. Slowly, I waded
- through the imp's blood and started down on the lift. At the bottom, I found
- a circular room filled with carnage. Eight bodies lay in bloody heaps about
- the room, the silence was deafening. I gathered what ammo I could, my eyes
- lighting up upon finding an overlooked box of shells. I filled the shotgun,
- put the excess in my backpack. I then looked for an exit.
- A large switch lay on the far wall, much like a power breaker. It
- seemed to be my only option. I pulled the switch down, hearing the release
- of air as two doors, one to either side of me, flew open. After a moments
- silence, sure that no creatures were lying in wait, I took the right door.
- It curved slightly, leading to a T. The current passage curved around, and
- I could see that it led back to the room I was just in, so I took the other
- passage, which became a large staircase leading downwards. It ended at a
- small door, much like at the end of the Hangar level. "The access tunnel."
- I had made it here alive, relatively in one piece.
- The door glided open, revealing a room full of former soldiers. They
- called out, firing off into my general direction. My eyes narrowed as I
- leveled the shotgun. "Fuck you." I hissed, and blasted into the room.
- The smoke cleared, and I still stood. No one else did. I moved
- inside, closing the access hatch behind me. A small lift lowered itself to
- the access tunnel, I began to relax.
- A hiss filled my ears, and an electrical shock shot through my body.
- An imp stood before the tunnel, hissing wildly as it swung a fist at me, the
- spikes scratching across my face. It began to hiss again but was quickly
- muzzled by my placing the barrel of the shotgun in it's mouth. "See you on
- the other side." I said, squeezing the trigger.
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