The Central Hub was a large reception area one would typically expect to find in a scientific institution. It was a round room, a reception desk at its centre flanked by an identical set of spiral staircases that led to the upper floors, their design intending to invoke images of DNA spirals. Everything was white and metallic with the exception of the green notice board panels and defunct computer screens that stretched from floor to ceiling. Helpful displays of leaflets and posters were attached to the notice boards informing guests of Genetix\u2019s work in gene therapies, genetically modified crops and livestock, as well as the use of bio-circuitry in prosthetic limbs and organs. The room itself was lacking in power, the lights out save for the red glow leading to the nearest exits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exits themselves were glass doors that currently had four foot of snow pressed up against them on the other side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, I see what you meant by the blizzard\u2026\u201d K\u00e4seh\u00e4ndler noted as he spotted the state of the outside world, \u201chowever did you get in here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoor to the lab block was clear. Shouldn\u2019t have to walk all the way back round there though, we can climb out through here,\u201d was Doug\u2019s reply. The doctor eyed the piled up snow beyond the glass with apprehension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026.This is going to be terribly undignified, isn\u2019t it?\u201d he asked, imagining himself struggling to haul his bulk over the mound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWould you prefer to take your chances with whatever other creatures are loose in the facility?\u201d this came from Kate, the red head keeping her weapon trained on the door they had entered by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell\u2026 when you put it like that\u2026\u201d the doctor began to approach the glass doors, \u201cjust what is your plan for when we\u2019re outside, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFind Archie, help him take out that fucked-up-faced arsehole if he hasn\u2019t already done it and get the hell outta dodge!\u201d Doug summarised enthusiastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou think that you can compete with a pair of grade 6 magi?\u201d there was a mix of surprise and awe in K\u00e4seh\u00e4ndler\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, I already cut the fucker\u2019s arm off!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd I blew him up. Twice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo I think we ain\u2019t to be underestimated, myself,\u201d Doug flashed a grin at the scientist. Tilo wasn\u2019t sure if the mercenaries\u2019 confidence was 100 percent justified or not but he couldn\u2019t help feel a little more at ease in the face of Doug\u2019s pure force of personality. The doctor had to hand it to them as well; they were still alive after all\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doug had hopped over the security barrier \u2013 opting to avoid the metal detectors set up there just in case they were still active \u2013 and was now in the process of examining the doors. They were locked, the glass reinforced. His arm was probably strong enough to punch through, or at least it would have been if he hadn\u2019t been forced to eject most of it in order to activate chainsaw mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright, stand back. This might get messy,\u201d he announced as he prepared to reactivate the saw in order to see if he could simply cut his way out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHold on, I hear someone coming!\u201d this came from Kate, the red head straining her ears as she listened out for potential threats. It sounded like footsteps approaching from the upper levels. It didn\u2019t sound like more experiments though; some heeled shoes maybe? Also the distinctive sound of the hydraulics of an armoured suit, the footfalls heavy and echoing down the corridors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doug and Kate exchanged a glance as they both calculated their odds. They had fought off Salmanic Troopers before but it would be more pertinent to save their resources and energy for facing off against Abaddon. Doug found himself swearing under his breath as he grabbed the doctor by the arm and dragged him over to an alcove hidden under the stairs, Kate swiftly joining them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The footsteps came closer, voices joining the sounds of click-clacking heels and stomping metal boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c-is quite unnecessary,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSilverton is very aware of what we are after,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd is welcome to call us whenever he wishes to further discuss,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMatters,\u201d the unique cadence of the Alexandretta Sisters sounded from somewhere above, the group now at the top of the stairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe,\u201d the electronic tones of someone speaking through an armoured helmet began, \u201cbut Mr Salmanic feels you haven\u2019t been entirely honest with him and that you\u2019ll be more useful at the Tower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have been nothing but,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUpfront with your employer!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight, which is why our men found decades worth of compiled data on the Salmanics, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA mere precaution to protect us from,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVictor Salmanic before he,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPassed. Nothing more,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd the rest of it? The data on the Mayor, PSF accounts, The Pillars at large? I bet you even have stuff on ms Silvia in your horde! She\u2019s just a kid!\u201d the sisters remained silent as they were escorted down the stairs. From their hiding place, the mercs could see that the twins were flanked by 6 armed guards, each one in Salmanic armoured suits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get too upset though. I\u2019d consider toping ya if it were my family you were spying on but Mr Salmanic wants to put your aethionics knowledge to good use. Play your cards right and you might just get outta this alive,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe assure you that,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur potential death is far from,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLikely, Sergeant,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah? Why\u2019s that then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sisters merely smiled in response, the conversation and their progression beyond the hall stalling as the sounds of heavy footfalls echoed from the corridor that led back towards specimen containment. A moment later, a grizzled man with a nasty scar down the right side of his face emerged. His once pristine uniform had been ripped open by something razor sharp and he was bleeding profusely. This didn\u2019t seem to bother him, however, the man levelling a FBG at the Salmanic Troopers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHold it right there!\u201d he sternly stated in a voice the mercs recognised as being the one that had come from the tannoy the moment the trap had separated them. His name tag identified him as Captain Barnes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Troopers seemed more surprised than worried at the appearance of the heavily armed Captain, the group merely staring at the man for a brief moment. The Sisters merely took this in stride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, Captain Barnes,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow is the containment issue?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve shutdown the Specimen Containment Wing but a number of specimen somehow managed to breach into the warehouse, or at least what\u2019s left of it. The security teams are dealing with it now, Ma\u2019ams,\u201d Barnes casually informed them as he kept his weapon trained on the trespassers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood. And the,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBackup generators?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnline, Ma\u2019ams, along with all the cameras,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood, we shall enjoy,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExamining the test data later\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What happened next took place so quickly, the mercs barely had time to register what had transpired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sisters turned and embraced one another, their bodies moulding together into a roiling ball of flesh. As the Salmanic Troopers became aware that something horrific was happening to their hostages, spindly arms shot forth from the ball with a sickening squelching sound. There were four or them, each one elongated and barbed. The front set ended in wickedly sharp, taloned claws. The back set were meatier and ended in a thick, club-like hoof, the appendage reaching down to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next the heads emerged, the features gaunt and skull-like with long fangs and large ears reminiscent of a bat\u2019s. Thick, green-tinted mucus dribbled down their maws in grotesque globs. They hissed and screamed as the metamorphosis continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of the blob writhed and compressed as a torso and four insectoid legs formed at the bottom. The torso stretched out of proportion and was segmented like an ant\u2019s, the waist thinning down to be as skinny as a man\u2019s leg before ballooning out like a centaurs to make room for the skinny yet muscular and barbed legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thing was practically naked, only scraps of clothing left over. Most of the Alexandretta\u2019s clothes had been shredded as this new entity grew in their place. It was twice the size of what the sisters had originally been and was now surveying the shocked Troopers hungrily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the blink of an eye, one of the heads swung round and chomped down on the head of one of the Salmanic men. The sound of grinding steel could be heard as it wrenched the head free of the torso and swallowed it, the man collapsing dead at its feet as they finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This acted like a wake-up call, the Troopers springing to action. Most opened fire on the creature, a couple tried to run for the door only to find Captain Barnes had sealed them in whilst they were distracted by the sister\u2019s transformation. The Sisters paid them no mind as they beat on the door, screaming for help. Instead, the Sisters swiped a hoofed arm at the nearest Trooper, sending him flying across the room and slamming into a wall with a sickening thud. The Sisters then swiped at another with their claws, lifting the Trooper up and using him to scatter the others before leaping on and eviscerating one of the men that had attempted to flee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gun fire was doing little to nothing to slow them down, the bullets being ejected from the creature\u2019s body as it rapidly healed. There was nothing the Troopers could do, the Sisters picking them apart in a matter of seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And during all of this, the mercs watched aghast, fear setting in as they realised just how powerful the Sisters actually were. All they could do was hide and pray they weren\u2019t next\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five minutes later and the screams had subsided. All that was left of the Troopers were chunks of meat that were yet to be scooped out of what remained of their armour. The mutated Sisters were picking clean their teeth in satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mercs waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr K\u00e4seh\u00e4ndler did his best to stifle a whimper as he cowered behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat was a most successful field test\u2026\u201d one of the heads hissed as it surveyed the corpses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery successful. But what is it we can hear?\u201d the other head wondered aloud, it\u2019s ears twitching. The mercs held their breath. K\u00e4seh\u00e4ndler shrunk further back, biting down on a fist in the hopes that would muffle any noise that he was making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…we hear three little heartbeats all a flutter\u2026 the scent of fear is still in the air\u2026\u201d the first head observed. It was impossible to tell which head had been which sister, both now completely inhuman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second head began to sniff loudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe know these scents\u2026 Dr K\u00e4seh\u00e4ndler has wandered far from his den\u2026 but who are his friends?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI believe that\u2019s little Katherine and the third must be the puppy dog that follows her around\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow quaint…did the little puppy escape confinement to run to her rescue?\u201d the creature disappeared from view as it began to pace around the room. The next thing the mercs knew, the stairs were being ripped from their housing and two ugly faces were peering down at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, Puppy, did you?\u201d asked the left head in a sing-song voice as she stared at Doug, thick drool running down her chin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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