Admittedly, Caden hadn’t wanted to listen to some ‘ghost in the system’ or whoever the hell he was, but she did. The gates had closed soon after that, and since then she had been waiting patiently in the observation room, watching the alien and the Professor have what could’ve only been a very one-sided conversation.
But something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. Caden couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was an inkling in the back of her mind that something terrible was going to happen. Originally, Cornelius had ordered to write down all such feelings and thoughts and the events that followed. But that particular something also informed her that there was no time.
She pushed one of the scientists out of the way and opened a com-channel to the control room.
“Have all forces ready for combat. Move the tank to dropship two.”
“Which tank?”
Which tank? Caden scowled. “Idiot, the only tank this pathetic outpost has. Move it there, now.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“You,” She gestured to the nearest lab-assistant. “Get the Professor out of that room.”
“Uhh, yes ma’am.” She hurried to oblige, entering the room and conversing quietly (and nervously to Cornelius). She returned moments later, eyes darting in any direction except in Caden’s direction. “He uhh, won’t come out.”
Shepard’s scowl worsened, and she barged into the room.
“Sir.” She was in no way polite; the sir was a mere formality that had so much frustration pent up into it that Cornelius turned, looking at her curiously.
“Shepard?” He questioned. “Vhat are-“
“Out.” She gestured to the door. “Now, get to the lab, grab whatever’s important that can fit in your pockets and get to dropship two.”
“Vhy? Who is ordering vhis?“
With her mind screaming at her that disaster was about to strike, and her heart telling her to get Cornelius on the move, her stomach was being twisted into a painful knot. "I am.”
Cornelius was silent for a second, possibly considering all angles of the order. His eyes narrowed in irritation, but the quiet concern in his expression he quite bury under annoyance. "...Summarize vhat is happening in sree vords und I'll go, no furzer questions asked."
To be honest she didn’t know, there was no real concrete proof of what she was feeling. The woman frowned underneath her mask. She headed instead, for the terminal near them, typing away on the keys, she pushed the screen to face him and hit play.
She watched his face intently, and could just make out tiny thoughts, shrouded by numbers and facts. His expression was like stone, frozen as he watched the video and then reached into his pocket. Slowly his gaze traveled down, and hers followed. In his hand was a picture,of a creature. Not one that resembled the shadow of the thing in the video but… It was…
Definitely alien, and particularly unpleasant.
Memories fluttered back to Caden, inducing a headache, but an academy and tests.
“Cornelius, we need to leave.” Her voice still had a note irritation, but now it was being influenced by worry. “Go get your research and get to the ship.”
Still retaining grace, even as she snatched the picture from him, the Professor nodded and moved. His pace quickening as events began to tie into each other.
Caden stared at the picture for a moment longer, before she folded it up and placed it neatly in one of her pockets. Turning to leave, the woman only paused as the alien's voice resonated in her mind.
‘They will slaughter all of you.’ The feminine murmur wasn’t a taunt, or an attempt to anger the ghost. It was stated in such a way like it was a simple fact. ‘This base will fall, with everyone in it.’
“I suppose it’s convenient then,” Shepard glanced back at her. “That I won’t be here when it falls..” With a glance to the other scientist she nodded. “Prepare it for transport.”
The door hissed shut behind her as she left.
--------------------------
“Hey,” One of the guards looked out, it was pitch-black out across the land. But he swore he heard something. “You ‘ear that?”
“Hear what?” The other moved closer to the watchtower’s window. “I don’t hear shit-“
An explosion went off suddenly, then another, another. It seemed like hundreds of explosions were suddenly being detonated. The guards looked at each other as the wave of fire and brief flashes of monstrous corpses moved closer and closer.
“Jesus, that’s the minefield..”
“Mother of mercy, it’s coming right for it..”
The turrets on the walls edge suddenly powered to life, humming and beginning to spin as something in the air moved into its range. The turret stopped on about its forth turn, following something slowly only it could see in the darkness. Its canopy slid open, and a missile rocketed out.
The other turrets began to do the same.
“Sound the alarm.” The first guard gulped. “Shit just hit the fan.”
--------------------------
Shepard froze, hearing the alarms begin to blare and infantry being called to the gate. She frowned, looking back at the docks loaded with dropships, they needed time to prepare, it took a dropship a good couple of minutes to warm up and be ready for lift off, especially the one with the tank.
Reaching up behind her back, she unclipped her rifle, watching as its scope popped out of the body of the gun.
“What’s going on?” A woman approached the ghost, crossing her arms. “Is it terrorists?”
Caden didn’t really want to say yes or no, in her gut she knew it wasn’t the Sons of Korhal, but her mind wanted to believe it was. “If you want to live, get to one of the dropships. Find anyone you can and bring them with you.”
The ground began to rumble, and the ghost’s com crackled.
“Jesus there are thousands of them!”
“The gate ain’t holdin’!”
“Take cover!”
Both she and the woman looked over as the gate began to buckle and break. One massive door was being pushed right over, while the other was being torn through.
“That door…” Shepard gulped. “That door is solid neosteel.” She swivelled back to the woman. “Get to those dropships. Now.”
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Re: StarCraft: Infection [Begins]
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Originally Posted by Crystal Tears
