Hive Number One

[Copper]

Re: Hive Number One

Copper waved Siphon off as he asked about her holding the fort. "You boys go storm the castle. If anything unfriendly shows up, I know what to do." She grins, fangs flashing again. Pale as she was, it was impossible to tell if she was feeling better or not, but she was standing a little steadier and her movements were less sluggish.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Hive Number One

He paused only for a fraction of a moment before stating, "I've got it. I'm going to need speed and stealth for this, and their systems seem to ignore me as far as automated defenses go. I intend to use that to my advantage, I'll have Grave stay here with you. Believe me, if I run into trouble, you'll be the first ones to know."

He runs off in a different direction, vanishing from view in short order, a sense of urgency in his step.



He had gotten about half way to where he needed to be when he spotted something strange out of the corner of his eye. Back peddling, he gazed at what at first he thought was rags, but upon closer inspection he could see it was the remains of a human. What was more disturbing was the fact that the bots hadn't been a threat for more than a few months at best, but the body looked as if it had been here for years, completely withered and dry, almost all bone, which should have been impossible. Another look told him a different story, one he wasn't happy with. There was a faint scar marking on the chest area of the body, right above where the heart would be. He looked at the feeder on his own hand, and then lined it up appropriately along the body, and was stunned to find that it was almost a perfect match. The only difference was that the scar on the body was slightly larger than his own feeder was, which meant that, as unlikely as it was, there was another creature like him loose somewhere, and it obviously was capable of feeding on a human life force. When he spoke, he had forgotten the radio was on, and it came across very clearly on the air. "Oh... fuck."

 

[Copper]

Re: Hive Number One

"Oh sure, leave him with me. When I'm hungry. Thanks." Her smile was rather tight at that but given previous comments, it was more to harass Siphon than any sort of threat toward Grave's person.

Staying on alert, she cocks her head to the side. Putting her finger to her ear to make sure she actually heard what she did, Siphon can hear her sarcasm over the radio. "I think I liked Primshock Nelos Telok Tor Nash better. I didn't know what that meant."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Hive Number One

She would be able to detect a faint trace of humor in his voice when he spoke, but it was strained badly. "We have a possible problem. I just came across a human corpse here that looks like it's.... well.... it looks like it's been fed on. By something like me. I'm not sensing another mind like mine around, but I have no idea if I would be able to or not. Regardless, if there IS another being like me around, best pray that it doesn't find it's way to you folks, because this one obviously has a taste for humanoid life forces. Doubt it can feed on a vampire, but if this thing has recently fed and attacks, it'll be bloody hard to kill."

He shook his head, wondering who the person may have been, if it had been the same person who had left the message Tsuki had found. Deciding that wasn't important now, he stood and quickly moved away.

"I'm en route again to the engine core. ETA to it two minutes, assuming nothing tries to stop me, and that I don't find any more bodies like that."

From the sounds of it, he's more than a bit rattled that it would be in fact possible for him to feed on a human, based on what he has seen here.

 

[Copper]

Re: Hive Number One

"Now, Siphon, you know the rule," came over in a slightly chastising tone. "If it bleeds, we can kill it. You just do what you need to do and we'll worry about any uglies that we run across when we run across them." She grins, glancing over that the other man nearby. "Besides, Grave needs a good initiation."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Hive Number One

This time there is a chuckle before he replies. "That may be all well and true, but just remember your not going to be dealing with something that is likely to STAY down after a few rounds. If I'm anything to go by, our uninvited guest will have regenerative abilities at LEAST on level with my own. Recommend if you do encounter another like me that is hostile that you take a trophy like you already have, if you know what I mean?"

It's clear he is referring to taking it's head off, but doesn't wish to say it out loud like that for some reason.


He finally reached the engine core after another few minutes, and there was a low whistle over the radio. "Holy Hannah, that engine is fucking huge. This might take most of the C-4 I took earlier. Oh, hi there."

There is a crunching sound of metal being torn apart before he comes back with his voice. "Sorry about that, uninvited metal guest showed up and refused to leave, so he was forcibly shown the light."

 

[Copper]

Re: Hive Number One

She waits until the grinding stops before she speaks again. "Why am I hearing both Peter Gabriel and Dr. Horrible right now? Anyway, as for your suggestion, noted. That usually seems to stop damn near anything. Except trolls. And those we get to flame, so it's all good. And if the jobs as big as you say, quit yapping and get to it. You still gotta book out of here with the rest of us."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Hive Number One

"Agreed. Standby."


There was a long period of silence, while he likely was setting charges.



It took him almost ten minutes, but he finally had the charges set where he wanted them. He had been correct, it had taken roughly three quarters of the C-4 he had to properly cover the engine and core to blow it up. He only hoped when they got to the main core itself that someone else had some C-4, otherwise they wouldn't be able to blow it up. Stepping back he pulled out the detonator, set to push the button when he realized the explosion would probably be larger than he thought. Frowning, he ran out of the room, and down the hall. When he was satisfied he was out of range, he pushed the button on the detonator, blowing the engines up real good, and about half the ass end of the hive too. Luckily he was far enough away to not be in the blast range, but he could spot the massive wreckage easily enough. As he moved to leave, shots rang out, pushing him for cover. Looking about he spotted a small army of bots, each with quad chain guns moving in on him from all angles, effectively cutting him off.


Copper and Grave likely would have felt the massive explosion even where they were, it was so powerful. The floor would shake for a few moments, a rumbling sound audible in the distance. When the explosions stopped, it was deadly silent, no word from Siphon at all. Should Copper or Grave try to call him on the radio, the only response they would have would be the sounds of a ton of weapons fire, and not all of it M249 fire. Some sounded much like chain gun fire, similar to what the bots had been seen using before, only much faster of a firing rate. Other than that, there would be nothing from him at all, no matter how much they tried to contact him. Whatever was going on, he apparently could not answer them.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Hive Number One

The rumbling reached Shrike just as her and Burrito mopped up the last of the bots at their location. She takes a look at the sounds of gunfire from Burrito's radio, then glances back to Tsuki still focused at the terminal, then locked eyes with Burrito. Something unspoken passes between them, and Shrike nods and dashes off down the corridors, desperately reaching out with her mind to find Siphon's. She reaches a dead end, but instead of turning she simply drives her shimmering blue blade into the ground and spins in a circle, completely severing a four foot potion of the floor and dropping down a level. She does a roll as she lands and sprints off deeper into the hive.

SIPHON!! Answer me, dammit, where are you!?

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Hive Number One

The answer does not come from the radio, but rather directly to her mind, and is very brief. Rear of ship, eleven levels down from you. Under attack, close to a thousand of them, can't maintain link and fight. Let the others know please.

That would be all she would get from him no matter how much she tried to get him talking again, but if she focused hard enough, she might be able to briefly make out a section of the hive in her own mind's eye, as if someone were trying to show her something, but it faded quickly, although not before she caught a glimpse of an army of bots moving in on what she might think was her at first, but a quick look around would tell her that was not the case.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hive Number One

Grave wasn't too when Copper suggested using him as a food supply. He kept observing the area, muttering under his breath. "I'd like to see you try to bite me." During the radio conversation between Syphon and Copper, Grave was listening carefully, but he didn't say anything. When the conversation ended, he was silent for a while, but in the end Grave decided to ask some questions. "What the Hell were you talking about? There's something much stronger than those bots around here, right?" Any other questions Grave might have asked were interrupted by a big explosion, silencing him for a moment. "Ok, I guess he blew up the engines... Hey, can you contact your robotic friend?"

 

[Copper]

Re: Hive Number One

Given that she seemed to be joking about biting him anyway, she doesn't respond to his mutters, just his questions when he asks. "He seems to think there might be something similar to him running around here but he doesn't know for sure. And by similar to him, that means fast, strong, and able to suck the energy out of the bots. He's just worried whatever it is might still be around."

After the explosion, she gets back on the radio. "That certainly got some attention, didn't it?" The only reply being the radio static. "Siphon. Siphon, dammit, answer me." Nothing. "Answer anybody."

She looks over at Grave. "This can't be good. He'd answer if he were able, especially to assure us he's fine." She glances around the room. "Ah, hell, we cleared it once, we can do it again. C'mon." She darts past Grave, heading down the way that Siphon went. "And if you mean Burrito, I have a feeling he'd be yelling at us if he were able to radio in. He's too far away right now anyway."

((For the record, I think Burrito's off the forum for a bit, hence the excuse.))

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hive Number One

Grave sheathed his sword and ran after Copper, heading towards the place Siphon blew up. "Well, that bit about a mechanic beast running around here got me quite worried. I hope it has some weakpoints." The warrior glanced at the core chamber. "I hope that the bots won't seal that place."

 

[Copper]

Re: Hive Number One

"Bah, I've got a way in if need be. And so do the rest of the guys. C-4, when you absolutely, positively have to get that door open now. Accept no substitutes." She pounds along the corridor with him, now and then trying to get Siphon on the radio. "Decapitation," she states as he mentions weak points. "You take the head off anything, it stops moving. Most of the time," she mutters the last part.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hive Number One

Grave smiled once more. "Well, it's good to hear we're prepared... This might get quite entertaining." The warrior continued to run, not really worried about others. Hell, I've just met them. I don't even know who are those guys.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Hive Number One

"Dammit!" Shrike yells out loud as she focuses on the only other mind she knew well enough to pick out: Copper's.

Its Shrike, I'm almost to Siphon, he's pinned down by about a thousand bots with chainguns. I have a plan to get him out of there, i could use some cover from a level above him around here...

She sends out a mental map of the general area she wants Copper to head, then continues.

There will be a hole in the floor there, either we'll be up it shortly or you'll find us on the way.
She doesn't wait for a response, not sure if Copper can even give one, and rounds the last corner to the spot directly above Siphon. She carefully figures out his exact position, then takes two large steps forward from him, and kneels with her blade out in front of her.

Siphon, In five seconds from now I'm landing two paces ahead of you. our exit is the hole in the roof directly above me. Move fast.

As soon as she finishes, she cuts out the floor from beneath her and drops, landing with a thud and spinning her blade in front of her with one hand to create an opening in the continuous stream of bullets while the other is held straight back waiting for his grasp as she yells. "Alley-OOP!"

 

[Copper]

Re: Hive Number One

Whether Shrike can hear or not, Copper is thinking back and what's in her head isn't exactly pleasant. Cover you with what, exactly? In case you hadn't noticed, Grave and I have a severe lack of rapid-fire projectile weapons.

All Grave gets is a growl out of the woman running with him. "Hopefully the two of them are going to be clear by the time we get there because even I can't handle that may bullets." She shakes her head. "They're in a hole, surrounded by a lot of lead and she wants us to create a distraction. This'll be fun."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Hive Number One

Siphon had just enough time to register what Shrike was saying when she came right through the ceiling into the line of fire. Knowing they didn't have much time, and with a momentary hole in the firing squad of bots, he took the opening as fast as he could. Shrike might be able to hear him step back for a moment, then taking an insanely fast stride in her direction, propelling himself upwards as hard as he could at just the right moment and angle.

What might come as a surprise to her is, since he had no way of knowing what she could and couldn't do as far as getting back up with him, he wasn't going to chance leaving her behind. The next thing she would know was she would feel the strange sensation of his feeding hand grasp hers tightly, and yank her upward into the hole she had created along with him. Luckily for him he had been prepared to do that, and he was able to clear up into the next level along with her, but just barely. They landed, more rough for her than for him since he had been the jumper. He landed in a crouch, already spinning around to cover her backside should any bot get the bright idea to try and fire up at them through the hole, dragging her with him past the hole, on the way back towards the direction she would have come from as fast as they could manage.

Copper, we're clear and one level ABOVE the engine core. Get the hell out of that area while you haven't been detected yet. Meet us one level UP from where I WAS if you can.

 

[Copper]

Re: Hive Number One

Too many voices in her head. This was starting to get annoying. Well, Shrike had said they might meet them on the way, so Siphon's words came as no surprise, especially as they skidded to a stop after rounding the corner that lead to the hole.

"No shit, Sherlock. She told us to meet you--" The words die on her lips, which, until a second ago, had been twisted up into one of her usual smirks. Her expression goes slack and it's possible to see her actually sucking in a breath. Her eyes go almost black from her pupils expanding. With a deep growl, she sprints forward, body low this time and it's clear she's got one target: Shrike.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hive Number One

Grave wasn't too happy about the fact he was supposed to be used as a meatshield. However, his grumbling was interrupted by Copper's sudden reaction. Grave wasn't sure what caused it or what exactly happened, but he knew enough about vampires to realize that it was a bad sign. "Oh shit." Grave ran after Copper, moving as fast as possible. Thankfully, the vampire didn't transform, so he was able to keep up - but outrunning or stopping her was beyond his abilities.