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Phase 1, Chapter 6.

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Shouldering his weapon, Kalevar steadied himself before emerging into the hallway once again. Quick, calculated shots rang out as the wildcat began to put out each camera that he passed. They were dead, of course, but there was no harm in precaution. If there was a backup generator installed the last thing the hunter needed was video feed left behind. It simply wasn't a risk worth taking when the problem was solved by something as simple as a handful of bullets. Not to mention the wildcat intended to leave this place in utter shambles, irreparable, unsalvageable, useless to anyone who may dig up the shattered remains of the chaos he left behind. He would leave no mark, no trace that he had been here save for the absolute destruction which followed in his wake. Down the corridors he tread, the silent footsteps of a trained killer lost amidst the resounding echoes of gunfire.

Stopping at every door, Kalevar would turn to kick the entryway in, quickly ducking inside with his weapon at the ready in a right-to-left sweep. Uninhabited rooms filled with interconnected chains of vials and beakers laced over heating apparatus. Taking the time to deliberately check behind every counter and desk, the wildcat moved through the remainder of the facility. Everything seemed to be dead to the world, until a faint whimper from one of the rear cells caused the feline's ears to perk. Carefully, Kale pushed the door open only a crack, leading into the room with the barrel of his weapon. Emerald eyes soon found the limp body of a mongoose where the male had been tethered to a chair via generous wraps of duct-tape. Blood ran from open wounds in his face, wounds which an experienced set of eyes could tell were from ruthless beatings causing the flesh to split against bone. Knife gashes covered the mongoose's arms and legs, very deliberate, and spaced evenly enough that Kalevar could only assume it had been a method of torture. He knew in an instant that this individual was beyond saving, but that didn't stop him from starting to sling his rifle across his shoulders in order to offer a last bit of comfort. Before he could kneel beside the wounded scientist, however, a sudden movement from the corner of the room caught him by surprise.

"Die, you little bitch!"

A bull, easily larger than both of the bears who had guarded the upper entrance came barreling overtop of the wildcat. Catching the feline with his horns and slamming him against the wall so hard that the drywall crumbled into dust. A surprised cry of pain escaped Kale's muzzle, hissing angrily as he lashed outwards with his hindpaws for the Bull's thighs, raking with his claws. He felt his extended nails tear fabric and rend flesh, but the large bovine did not falter in his assault, rearing back and slamming Kale again with such force the wildcat was certain a few of his ribs had been crushed. The world became a haze, black spots dancing over his vision as he kicked outwards even harder, squirming to free one of his upper paws to grab a hold of the bull's horns. Jerking his attacker's head as forcibly to the side as he could, Kalevar caught a hold of the male's ear in his sharp fangs, ripping the appendage clean off the bovine in a spurt of blood. This certainly got the attention of the larger animal, and as the bull flinched backwards in both pain and preparation to pulverize Kale against the walls, Kale gave up on holding the bull by the horns so to speak, and instead jabbed his claws into the bovine's eyes. He could feel the soft tissue squelch around his fingers as he bent them into hooks, now kicking outwards again, this time aiming to put heavy force into the bull's stomach. The alternating directions of force allowed him to take control of the animal by the leverage he had on his head, leading them both to the ground.

Thanks to his grip on the brute's skull, Kale was able to avoid having all that weight come down on his already destroyed ribcage, though his legs were pinned beneath the massive bulk of his opponent. Weakly the wildcat scrambled for his pistol as the bull flailed angrily in his now blind rage, attempting to drag the feline beneath his bulk to be beaten into pulp by his hammer-like fists. Crushing blows found their way into the cat's legs, and pained mewls broke out from Kalevar's lungs, causing even more pain as the sudden exhale strained his broken bones. Struggling to remain conscious, Kale brought his sidearm to bear and fired away. Four rounds, five, six, then seven. Tactical reflexes forced him to stop before wasting the entire magazine, but it was certain that more bullets then necessary had been applied.

"Can't die just yet.. sorry... Haven't killed your family... ass..."

Kalevar groaned between pants, not attempting to move out from under the shredded remains of his enemy just yet. Instead he lay there on the cold cement, blatantly able to feel the contrasting temperatures as hot blood seeped around him in a puddle. The sudden influx of pain and the overpowering scent of blood was too much for the feline, and with new sharp pains to accompany the wretches of his body, Kalevar rolled to his side in order to vomit. Gasping for breath as the fluids in his stomach were sprayed out onto the floor, the cat made a mental note that the stout irish carbomb did not taste very good coming back up. Without the energy to fight it, Kale was left with nothing to do but let his head fall back to the floor into the puddles of vomit and gore. He couldn't be sure how long he laid there, struggling to breathe, waiting for his body to reach a stable point. For a few minutes, he felt as though unconsciousness was about to claim him, when a weak voice helped keep him awake.

"S-sir.. Sir... I.. I want to say.. Thank you.."

"... What... Do you mean...?"

Disorientation and fatigue was setting in heavily now, leaving Kale without a very sharp cognitive sense. His green eyes rolled almost entirely to the back of his head when he fought to focus them on the mongoose who was speaking to him now. The Mongoose himself did not seem to be in much better condition, his chocolate eyes filled with sadness and pain. Both men could hardly speak between their labored breathing, but both were also too stubborn to allow pain to silence them.

"Thank you.. I don't know who you are, but thank you.. Thank you for standing up to these men... I thought no one ever would.."

"Don't.. Thank me.. You don't know.. Me... I haven't helped.. You... You know.. You're still.. Going to die..."

"That doesn't matter anymore.. These people, they are doing horrible things...."

"You mean.. They were.. doing horrible things... until I ended them."

"Yes.. Which is why.. I'm grateful to you..."

"Don't thank me... for fighting. If you're going to thank me... For anything... Let it be this... Sleep well."

There was a flash of powder and smoke, and the mongoose fell limply into his chair with a fresh hole in his head. It may have seemed cruel, but for Kalevar, it had been as close to an act of compassion as one could ask for on the battlefield. A mercykilling. The male had been dead to rights, and there was no way of getting proper medical attention even if he had been within savable parameters. No reason to let him suffer anymore than he already had. Whispering a prayer, the wildcat soldier cringed in pain while struggling to drag himself to his feet. He was beginning to deeply regret his decision to wreck the elevator.

Originally he had planned to simply climb back up the shaft using the cables for the machine, but in his current condition that was seeming less and less fathomable. Slowly, using the wall as a crutch, the wildcat brought himself to a standing position. Moving to the desk in the back corner of the room, he found the tape which had been used to tie down the deceased scientist. Whimpering quietly, he sat upon the edge of the furniture and began to wrap his torso tightly, hissing through his teeth as bones popped into positions relative to where they should have actually been. Every few moments he would pause, giving himself time to recover so as not to fall into the blackness which gathered over his vision. There was hardly an inch of his fur or clothing now which was not soaked in someone's blood, no article of clothing on his frame which was not torn. In a matter of perhaps fifteen minutes he had gone from perfect condition to looking as though he had walked through hell and had a fistfight with the devil himself. Shaking his head in exhaustion, the wildcat reached into the side of his pack for the tall bottle of tequila, taking a generous few mouthfuls in an attempt to dull his senses to the searing agony which ravaged his nerves. Limping forward, he began to pour the rest over the corpses in the room, leaving behind him a trail of the liquid as he hobbled pawstep by pawstep into the hallways once more.

As his alcohol ran dry, the wildcat moved into the drug labs, taking beakers of liquids and retracing his steps to resume his walkway of puddles. Trailing through every room, he threw the chemicals everywhere. Splattering them across the walls and furniture, over bodies and equipment, smashing glass everywhere he went. At the end of his journey, Kalevar could be found standing in the broken down elevator, tearing off the upper vents which lead to the cables as he toggled his psionic comm-link on.

"Zulu-Three to Fayah... Fayah.. You there..?"

"S-sir! You.. Your vitals.. I've been trying to contact you.. Are you.. How bad is it?"

"It's.. Pretty bad, actually.. I.. Fucked up.."

".. Kalevar..."

"Don't worry about me.. Look.. The elevator is shot.. I'm going to try... To climb out... I just wanted to call... To say.. That if I offended you while... we've been working together... Then I.. I deeply apologize."

"... Does it hurt?"

"... Yeah.. Yeah, it hurts."

"Kale.."

"Let's not start... With nicknames... You get attached to things... That you give nicknames... Kitten."

Fayah's awkward giggles were half sobs, half chokes as Kalevar shut off his comm-link once again.. Fayah didn't need to hear him crying in pain as he tried to climb his way out of this hellhole before being burnt alive. With arms barely able to hoist his own weight, the soldier limply dragged himself onto the top of the elevator. Steadying himself against the cables, he closed his eyes. If this didn't work... Well... If this didn't work he wouldn't have to worry about the results of it not working. There was a spark and a flame as a lighter was set and dropped. A burst of heat filled the small upwards shaft, as the hot air and gasses rushed to elevate themselves. Eyes instantly blurred by the sudden sheen of vapor, Kale began to climb off of touch alone. A sensation like blades tearing through his veins greeted every movement, and the wildcat found that he was grinding his teeth so fiercely it was adding a headache to his already unfathomable amount of problems. As the combustion reached the main pools of liquid in the further rooms, flames again erupted through the lower levels of the facility, their hungry tendrils lashing upwards into the elevator vents and singing Kalevar's fur. Calm had to be key, had to be maintained. He couldn't afford to panic here, not now. Upwards he drove on, fighting a war with every raise of his paw.

The upper entrance was in sight.. Closer, steadily closer, as the flames began to eat at his jeans. He could feel the fabric igniting, melting into his fur. Just a few more pulls, a handful of feet.. There was screaming now, the music of the club left to blare endlessly as the patrons abandoned the premise. All that was left now was a jump.. Attempting to rock the cables to allow himself to swing as close to the edge as possible before letting go, Kale threw all his weight towards the ledge and released. His arms found the edge of the carpet, claws digging in for dear life only to lose their grip as his arms gave way from fatigue, allowing his broken torso to slam against the walls of the vent. Scrambling to reclaim his ground, the wildcat caught hold of the floor again with one of his paws, practically sobbing in pain. His pride would not allow him to cry outright, but the tears welling in his eyes from the mixture of smoke and injury could not be stemmed. He tried to lift his weight, but couldn't. Inch by inch his claws tore through the carpet, slipping ever closer to the end of the elevator shaft and the fires which awaited him. His legs were already being engulfed, searing through his silky coat and into the flesh underneath. Resigned to his fate, Kale's eyes turned towards the heavens in a final acceptance of what was about to happen... To be met by a terrified pair of soft blue orbs.

"Hannah?! What.. What are you..."

He wanted to scold her, to tell her no. To tell her to run, to get out. But there was simply not enough fight left in his body to force the words from his lungs.. He was fading out, the sounds of her cries reaching him as if he were beneath several feet of water. Everything blurred to darkness, and the last thing Kalevar felt was the doe's small hands cupped around his... His world slipped away, and within the deepest caverns of his mind, nightmares would sense their chance to awaken.