Reese went to look over the corner. The numbers of Switcher children was strange. He put his hand on his forehead. F@#k, the girls were in trouble, and so was Stewart. Why hadn't he noticed it yet? The Switchers had released their toxic poison in the air. That was why Stewart was the way he was. F@#k. The reason Isay and him weren't affected were because they weren't as weak. "We have to go back...like now!" Reese said. Reese ran through the hallway to get back to the girls. He took out his pistol, where were these little f@#kers. Where were they? He noticed a flash in the corner, he shot at it. He aimed low though. The first Switcher fell down to the ground, he hit square in the heart. Good, he didn't need pollen being spread everywhere. Reese ran back to where the girls were Anna looked sick, the toxic poison must have gotten to her and he stared at Kiera. "We're being hunted if you don't feel sick get up and shoot with me and Isay," Reese said.
Keira looked down at Anna in pity and concern, afraid for her well-being as well as that of herself and Stewart. Anna had fallen to the floor, vomiting, and that vomit was mixed with blood. Reese and Isay had better return soon, or they would all fall victim to the facility's terrors. Keira placed a hand on Anna's back, patting her gently. There was nothing else she could do . . . She felt so helpless. Keira could see that Anna, too, had nearly given up hope of survival. Closing her eyes, Keira began to drift into a world of dreams, a world of peace. And then she snapped out of it in an instant. What! What are you doing? She told herself, shaking her head. She had never been one to give up easily; this wasn't her. Keira was now fully awake, and she grabbed her gun, loading it, ready to continue. If any danger came, she would be ready to defend her friends. There would be no giving up. "Reese and Isay will be back soon, and then we'll all be fine. Just fine," she said, talking to no one in particular. And then Reese returned, yelling something at her. Keira nodded. She hadn't even heard what he'd said, but she stood anyway, pointing her gun down the hallway, ready . . .
Anna blinked, faintly hearing Reese's words. However, only the idea registered in her head: Protect Stewart at all costs. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply through her nose and staggered to her feet, pulilng out her gun and leaning against the wall. Trying her best to remember what Stewart had said about the Switchers before, Anna saw movement in the dark. She aimed low and fired, but between her weakness and the lack of her better aim, she only injured the creature. Making a face and suppressing the rolling of her stomach she took aim again, and fired. This time it went down; she fumbled to reload her gun, wondering what next.
"Anna just lay there like a f@#king fish," Reese said, "I don't like people wasting rounds." Reese found the last one and shot it correctly in the heart. He walked over to one of the flowers, he really didn't want to do this. But this was the only way, he didn't know the affects of humans. He only read reports of what it did to the rats, completely cured and no mutations. The roots were dead by now, now that the creatures had been shot in the heart. He took out a nail file and ripped the stupid flower of the of the kids cheek. He didn't want to do this but they were going to die any other way. He walked over and sprinkled the pollen on the flower of the people laying on the ground. In a way this was like anti-venom. Oh god he just hoped they didn't turn into freaks like the children. He bent down, it would take a hold of them in a few minutes or two. The rats it took at least 5. Reese noticed Keira was half affected by the poison and her own fear. He shook his head and then noticed her ripped shirt he shook his head more. He grabbed her wrist. "I know the poison is affecting you at this moment, but I want you to know not fear the dark...just shoot at it and hope it goes away," Reese said, "Anna you are a f@#ktard."
Anna flipped her gun in her hand and smashed it over the back of Reese's head, hard enough to knock him to the floor but not hard enough to knock him out. "Stuff it, God dammit," she growled, sliding over next to Stewart and leaning against the wall, casting a worried glance towards him.
"F@#k you wanna lose that raise you just got, what the hell you don't hirt f@#king boss on the head," Reese said, "If you didn't get f@#king poison I hit you back." Reese stared at Stewart. "Hey baby stop being a baby and get back up," Reese said.
Anna glowered at Reese and laughed hoarsely, but as soon as she did she began coughing. After a minute she got herself under control and gulped down the air around her, trying to breathe normally. "Go ahead," she dared Reese, her eyes flashing with anger. "Hit me. Go for it. I dare you. And leave Stewart alone."
Reese stared at Keira. "Keira are you all right?" Reese asked ignoring Anna instead he would decrease her pay. That is how he would hit her. * * * Stewart opened his eyes to the noises of being talked to. He still didn't feel pretty good, a wave of dizziness was still there, but he could battle through it. It wasn't as bad before, it might be just from the lost of blood from the head. He slowly got up from the floor. He still hoped to god a Brain wasn't in his head.
The poison in her body beginning to fade, Keira shook her head once more. She had had no notion of what was going on for what seemed like hours, but now that the fogginess had begun to pass, she heard the voices of her companions. "I-I think I'll be fine. That was so weird . . . One moment I was fine, and the next . . . I was half out of it." She looked around to see that Anna and Stewart were both alright -good. "Is everyone OK?" She questioned, even though things seem to be getting better. They wouldn't die . . . Not yet. Keira stood, clutching her gun in her right hand rather tightly, using the wall nearby to support her weight. "Don't you all think we'd better get out of here? This hallway's giving me the creeps." Keira tried to supress a shiver, to no avail. More aliens would be coming soon. They had to head out.
"Feel free," Anna muttered, knowing full well what Reese was thinking. "Maybe I should just shoot you and be done with it." She tried to straighten up more, still leaning against the wall, but grimaced at the pain that shot through her side. Next she moved the fingers of her right hand--good, she could still control them, though the arm itself was pretty much useless. "Do you suppose any of the emergency medical supplies are hanging around? There are supposed to be some in most of the offices, right?" she asked. "If it is I could make this useful again." She pointed to her arm, then felt the bandage at her side; the blood had soaked through. "And this could use stitches..." she added grimly. "Not to mention Stewart's head still needs to be treated..." She frowned.
“We’ll find you your supplies,” Isay said. He had found his charge back, and Maris had started leading. There was a deal between the two of them; Maris would present a plan, Isay could oppose him once, then it was Maris that made the decision, and Isay would execute the plan. “And captain. If you threaten to shoot him one more time, I will consider you a threat and take you out. I am still your commanding officer.” And if she would forget it again, he would take precautions; perhaps take her away her weapon.
"Well?" Keira questioned, making her way down the hallway. "Are we all just going to stand here and let everyone bleed to death, or are we actually going to get something done?" She turned her back on the others, creeping down the hallway with her gun in hand, peering around corners as she went.
"Shut up, Isay," Anna snapped, disregarding his comment about being commanding officer by referring to him by his first name. "Just because you're the commanding officer--orders are not my priority in life or death situations. Living is, and protecting Stewart. That clear?" Anna slipped her good arm around Stewart's waist; he was still wobbling. She ignored the pain in her broken wrist and pulled out her gun, ready to shoot as she helped Stewart along and followed Keira down the hallway.
Isay looked at the woman as she helped the two scientists down the hallway. “Perfectly.” She was a SPO, and she was protecting her charge. Like he was a SPO, and he was protecting his. He shouldered his gun and aimed for her head, trying to decide how to compensate for his damaged barrel when Maris put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Fine. Let her live. But if she did threaten the Chief Scientist again while armed, he would give her something to think about.
"Try, Isay, try," she warned, not turning around. "Feel free, try and shoot me. I'll do anything to protect Stewart--including killing you. You think you're so much better than me just because you're Brigadier General and I'm Captain, but it's not that simple. I know what I'm doing. And I'm willing to bet my life I'm faster than you. So just try--I'll make sure you regret it."
Keira turned around once more to face Anna and Isay, who were threatening each other and arguing. The whole situation was beginning to hurt her head. "Would you two stop it! We don't have time to argue." Of course, if things got too heated, Keira would take Anna's side. She had never liked Isay, and now he was getting on her nerves. "Anna, just ignore him. He won't dare shoot you. Not with me here. I'd tear his ugly head off." Keira then once more spun around to make her way down the hallway without even worrying about Isay. They had to find medical supplies as soon as possible, and none of this was helping.
Marcellus split up with Vic to go searching for Walter. Flames and smoke increased throughout the building, making breathing more difficult by the second. He turned a corner and spotted Keira. He didn't recognize her initially, he stuck his shotgun in her face. Once he knew it was her, he pulled it away. "Sorry bout that, babe... are you alright?"
Keira was shocked when she turned the corner to find a shotgun in her face - she flinched. Then, seeing that she recognized the face behind the gun, she took a deep breath. "Mercellus?" So, he was alive, and that meant that Vic was probably alive as well. The two had been together the last time Keira had seen them. "I'm fine. You just scared me," she muttered, and then, "but I'm glad to see you're still alive. Where's Vic? Wasn't he with you when this . . . whole incident happened?" Keira had completely forgotten about her companions behind her, and when she remembered, she immediately said, "You have to lead us to the nearest office. We need medical supplies right away! Have you seen any?"
Jena wiped sweat from her brow and blood from her cheek. Her throat burned from inhaling smoke and her arms ached even more from dragging Ara. She had managed to get them to the hallway she thought led out of the cafteria, but in all the destruction it was hard to tell. Right now her goal was to find someone, someone who could tell them what was going on and what the hell that thing she might have just killed was; but there was no one....just her and the unconsious Ara. She felt tears spring to her eyes but she fought them back angrily. Pain was for the weak, and so were tears, and she wouldn't let anyone call her weak.
Keira was understandably ruffled by Marcellus nearly pumping her full of lead. She's always been cool, so Marcellus tries to look out for her as much as possible. She had questions about Vic's whereabouts. Wait, wasn't she with some people earlier also? She told him she was glad to see him breathing and asked about meds. "Likewise. Uhhh... honestly I haven't been looking for any medical supplies. I split up with Vic to find Walter. He's a big boy, though, let's go." He lead the way to the next office down the hall. "Was someone hurt?"
Reese clear his throat. "Isay I still need that gun I asked you for," Reese said, "And no more fighting with Anna or I'll put a bullet in your wallet for the both of you." Reese caught with Keira to see a officer talking to her. "Make sure he isn't infected somehow Keira," Reese said. Reese didn't want any more surprises. And Reese stared. "How the hell did the generator blow up the place so that way places that shouldn't meet up with other places do meet up?" Reese asked. * * * All though his head still felt like it was being rocking on waves Stewart was feeling better enough to walk on his own. He didn't enjoy the argument between Isay, Anna, and Reese now that you think about it. But at least he was being able to enjoy the little bit of walking by himself.
Edgar sighed. He would be the stuck with someone that was deaf. What use was he going to be if something tried sneaking up on them. He wouldn't hear a thing. He accepted the piping and used it to support his weight before slashing it against a wall making a horrible noise. One to test if Donovan would flinch and was lieing but mainly to check it was sharp. It seemed to do the job although he hoped he wouldn't have to get up close and personal with any of these things. He knew they wouldn't stand a chance in close with most of them. He watched as Donovan turned round and went to set off. That's when he heard the noise and saw a shadow flicker in the corner of the room. He grabbed Donovans shoulder tightly not spinning him round but pushing him forward towards the corner pointing his piping in the direction. Keeping the distance between him and whatever it was and putting Donovan in harms way. If he couldn't protect him he would settle for bait. It wasn't the first life he had handed over to the aliens for the sake of himself and his job. He hadn't formed any attachment with the men he was merely there to watch out for him and if he had to point this guy in the right direction clearly he wasn't much good for him.
"All of us are in some way or another," Keira said in answer to Marcello's question. When Reese told her to see if he was infected, she shook her head. "No, he isn't. The poison would have kicked in by now if he was." She followed Marcello, checking to see if Stewart, Anna, and Isay were following as well. They were. Good. At least everyone could walk. "Lead the way," Keira told Marcello. "We're all following." Then she added, "but we need to hurry. Some of us are losing quite a bit of blood already." She turned to Reese to answer his question. "The explosion must have knocked down a few walls. I'm surprised the facility is still standing."
"There is a little difference, Keira between poison and infected....poison they want to eat you and make you suffer mentally....infected means you are an alien and that they are pretending to be you, I thought as a scientist you already knew that...guess I thought to much of you," Reese said, "Now make sure he isn't f@#king god damn infected." Reese stared at her. He really did want to find Edgar and bash his head in right now.
Marcellus heard the boss's words. He shook his head at the man. He was creepy, and often appeared scared of the silliest things. Still, he wrote the checks. Just hold on, Marcellus. He smirked and turned to face Keira. "I'm not infected. Do you really wanna stop and get my clothes off now to check? Or wait til later?" The tone in his voice was playful, but he was tired of the crapola that constantly came with being a guard on the facilities. It wasn't for everyone, be he'd shoot himself if he had to babysit like Vic. He cocked an eyebrow at Keira as if to say, "Well?"
