Anarchy: The Beginning of the End

Interesting, have to see what this mystery 'serum' is all about. Good job so far, looking forward to reading more.

Nice work, wish I could take more where that came from along on my vacation.

Looking forward for more.

Chapter 2: Corruption Grows

--Encoded Transmission--

~The team you have requested have arrived on time. Nicely done, we need new, ah "test subjects" to see how this outcome of the serum comes into play. It seems that all of the 207 division has fallen. Shame, they were among the best we had. Oh well, with that new funding, we can hire new ones to replace them. Hopefully they'll last longer than 207 did.~

--Encoded Transmission END--

Sarah shielded her eyes from the dock lights that had flooded the bay opening. She was use to the dim lights of the ship so she needed to adjust. She felt a slap on the back and saw Walter wearing tinted glasses, grinning at her.

"And you guys told me it was a stupid idea buying these things. Look who's laughing now. Hehehe"

Nearly everyone else was doing the exact same thing as her. A voice from ahead was shouting "TURN OFF THE BAY LIGHTS! CANT YOU SEE THEY'RE BLINDED?!?"

With a loud snap, the flood lights shut off and Sarah's eye compensated for the blinding. Hurrying over to her was a man dressed in a Weyland-Yutani uniform. His hair black hair was slicked back and looked like it was covered in grease. He had a small scar running the length of his face on the right half. She noticed that this eye was milky white, she wondered what did that to him.

"Hello, you must be Sarah, the navigator. My name is Daniel, I'm the head research director for this instillation. Please come, there is much to discuss."

With that introduction and not allowing a single word more, he marched toward a flight of stairs with the team following behind them.

Once up the stairs, they were escorted into a elevator which traveled to the other half of the facility. After a few short minutes, they opened to what appeared to be a lab containing ground samples being analyzed by other research members.

"This way please." Daniel said walking over to a room nearby.

Everyone filed in and the door behind them sealed shut. The room was dimly lit, most of the light radiated from a small projector that was flashing markings and numbers upon a grid of a map indicating excavation sites.

The team sat in chairs toward the back of the room and waited for Daniel to proceed with the briefing. He proceed with informing the team of the plans WY had in mind for the planet. How long the team was scheduled to stay. And just where the team would start.

In the middle of the briefing Maxiton raised his hand catching the attention of Daniel.

"Yes? What is it?"

"This isn't gonna be another one of your f**ked up experiments is it?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Mark was the next to talk "We remember what you assholes did to us, well nearly did if those marines hadn't shown up when they did." At these words, Sarah had responsively rubbed her neck, something Emily caught.

"Back on Egis-7, your corporation asked us to do something similar. We wound up loosing half our team to those damned Xenos!"

Daniel stood quiet for several seconds before saying "I didn't know about those experiments. I've heard rumors but...I-I never thought they would actually go through with it."

The reaction on his face was enough to convince the team. He was somewhere between vomiting and crying. The team looked to each other then to the director.

"I-I'm being honest with you. My intentions for this mission are strictly for mining. I've scans, got data, even sent in the marines ahead of you. There's nothing but harmless life forms on that rock"

"I've seen the creatures," Sarah spoke, "He's right, there's nothing on there."

The team remained silent just staring at the director, who in turn stared back at them. The silence was broken by another WY member, a female, with her black hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Um is everything alright in here?" Her voice was very shaky uttering these words.

"Who's this?" Mark asked.

"This is my assistant Kelly Snyder. She will be accompanying me when we head to the field."

The team stared at him for awhile before Maxiton stated "If this was an experiment, I doubt he'd go in there as well. Just in case though I've got my eye on you two."

The director took a nervous gulp before agreeing with him. Kelly looked nervously between the two.

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After finishing up the discussion and the plans for the mining, the director led them to meet with the marines that would be accompanying them. Repeated attempts of asking why marines were needed only returned a reply of "A new company policy we have."

The team's elevator stopped in a hangar bay full of drop ships. One of which was being prepped for planet fall in the next few hours.

The marines escorting them were a dozen strong. From what Sarah saw, they wore insignia's of a skull with to knives crossing between them, Marine kill teams.

Things are getting stranger by the second....


END OF CHAPTER

Good job

Chapter 2: Firebase Charile

--Encoded Transmission--

~It seems the team knows what you done. Well with the right strategies and careful observation, I'm sure they'll never suspect whats in store for them. And about those funds, the date you suggested has come and gone. My funds still remain the same as they were before. If I am to continue working under these conditions, I'd better be compensated. I had no intention of going to that hell hole, but if I must, I shall.~

--Encoded Transmission END--

Sarah looked upon the Kill team with a horrified curiosity. The director had told them that there was no serious threat on the planet. 'But why the heavy guns' she thought.

She walked up to the nearest one, a tall, muscular guy in his twenties, with short, brown cropped hair. The tag on his armor said SANDERS.

"Um, Sanders?"

"Ma'am?"

"Whats with the heavy oridinace? I thought the planet had little problems with vicious creatures."

"Well like my granny once told me, a gun is like a condom. I rather have one than not need it, than need it and not have one. Plus, the forward team sent in reports of the native beasts harassing workers and equipment."

"Oh....I see."

She walked away not sure if she was convinced or even more frightful. Emily must have caught word of their talk because she put a comforting hand on her.

"Its gonna be alright, its not gonna be like Egis-7." The director promised us that."

Sarah merely nodded. She was still traumatized about the events back on Egis.

The dock master shouted to all gathered members that the shuttle for the planet was about to take off and for everyone to load in. Sarah followed her team up to the flight deck were the team would have a decent view of the entry into the planet. The marines chose to stay in the cargo bay. Sarah was puzzled by this but a shout from the crew member of the ship answered her thoughts with a sly grin.

"Bit chicken I guess, marines never really liked flying in shuttles. Prefer those combat ships I suppose."

They strapped in and felt the ship lift of and pass through the gravity wall the landing bay had. Instantly the weight they all felt disappeared and bits of loose items began floating in the Zero-G environment. The ship lurched down, or what appeared to be down based on the team's viewpoint and accelerated down to the planet surface.

The upper atmosphere of the planet grew closer. Soon they could make out clouds and what appeared to be a storm brewing on the norther hemisphere.

"Hope that shit stays far up there." Maxiton remarked.

Soon the clouds began passing them and everyone felt the gravity of the planet return back. Closer and closer the ground formed, showing the team tall cliffs, deep trenches and wide valleys. The ship pulled up slightly and and aimed for a plateau located on an outcrop of a cliff. A landing port began swimming into view.

"Were going to land here and take some APC's to the base camp. The magnetic anomaly situated in the valley ahead makes for flying a shuttle of this size impossible." Daniel explained.

The ship touched down with a light thump and the crew began exiting the ship. Crew hands immediately ushered the team into waiting APC's. The marines took to one all their own and raced ahead of the group. The team's APC followed closely.

After a thirty minute ride, the APC slowed to a halt and the team exited out in front of a small base camp. Metal walls, several meters high, stood erected on all sides. Sentry guns were stationed along the wall. The main gate opened and the crew entered.

Inside was a completely different place from the outside. There was a small hydroponics area, that was growing vegetation alien to this planet. Several bunkers were set up along the sides of the wall and in the center of the place stood a relay station.

Daniel clapped his hands together and said "Welcome to Firebase Charile."


END OF CHAPTER

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Apologies for the late arrival of the chapter.