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I actually slept pretty well that night, seemed that everyone did in all honesty. Wasn't sure why, but I was glad that I did because I was up nine the next morning and felt ready to kick ass. Sarah and Mike were the only other ones up, besides Allen, who I assumed had been up all night trying to bring just one more lab system back online. I sat up from the couch and stretched out, cracking the bones in my arms and back. I grabbed my pants and shirt from the corner and slid them on before setting my jacket over it. I pulled on my boots and put my vest on over it. I grabbed the High-Power and slung it over my back as I walked into the control, finding Allen nearly, but not quite, asleep at the console.

"What ya got for me Allen?", I asked leaning in the door way.

"Dead cameras", Allen answered, "a fifth drone showed up and disabled the lenses of the cameras, but I could hear through the audio feed a shit load of screaming, hollering and hissing. They pulled something of a decent size out of that room and whatever it was those drones chemical sensors detected an obscene amount of Number 12."

"Does Number 12 affect Xenomorps by any chance?", I asked.

Allen shook his head, "it can't take your acidic blood, the only Gene Mod agent that can is Number 40, and that was outlawed in genetic splicing because of it's tendency to bleach through hazmat suits and fuck shit up. Mike shouldn't have a problem either as his immune system is pretty much super human."

"Good to know", I said, "Sarah's cooking breakfast, come on."

Allen grunted as he stood from the chair and followed me into the lounge. We found the others gathered around the table as Sarah was placing the pan full of breakfast sausages around.

"All right", I said pulling out a chair, "meats."

"So I take it that Xenomorphs do derive nutritional benefits from food", Jacob said.

"Only K-Classes", I said, "Primal Xenomorphs rely more on water, which is why you mostly find them in damp conditions, like forests or aquatic planets."

"Okay", Jacob said, "I guess that makes more sense than not."

"So what are you guys up to today?", Matt asked trying un successfully to fit several sausages into his mouth.

"Back to the Biome's", I answered, "were going to check what Allen says used to be a cage for genetically enhanced Rhinos...which you all still haven't explained to me."

"It's a creature native to Ios", Matt said, "they have heavy, steel like armor around their necks, head and shoulders and they've been known to demolish sky scrapers with one charging attack. There problem is that their stupid, even a cockroach could out think one, all they know is "brake things, repeat."

"Thanks for that info", I said, "will the High-Power stop one?"

"What won't the High-Power stop?", Matt asked, "maybe a tank?"

I laughed, "good point."

"Was the story true?", Matt asked.

"What story?", I asked.

"About what happened to you?", Matt said, "I covered my ears...but I still heard it."

I sighed, "yeah, it was. I'd show you the scars...but they embarrass me."

"I understand", Matt said.

Breakfast went by fairly quickly. Once everything was cleaned up, I retrieved my PDA and Mike and I set out for the Biome's. At the end of the hall, we waited for the heavy door to swing open and were met by a cold blast of air. I looked up to see that the sky was bright blue and that the sun was shining.

"Must be a cold front coming in", Mike said, "good that makes the Plant People docile, means they'll leave us the hell alone."

"Good", I said, "ain't got the ammo to waste on them anyway."

I pulled out my PDA and brought up one of the maps that I had downloaded over night. According to it, the cages were 300 meters from our entrance of the lab, so we had some walking to do. Mike and I walked through the tall grass and over an Iron bridge that went over the river that lead us to a different area of the Biome's. The grass was a much darker green than it was past the river and much shorter. There were pine trees that were stretching out past the chain mesh of the huge dome. I could see large, fat green vines dangling down to about head level that were swaying, which was weird because there wasn't any wind.

"What's going on with these things?", I asked, half tempted to reach out and touch one. They looked rather fleshy, not a plant type fleshy, but a meaty kind, almost as if it had skin.

"Don't touch them", Mike said, "we dubbed them Spanish Head Vines, there poison Ivy crossed with Spanish Needle grass and and Venus fly traps, they'll suck your brain right out of your head like a crapachino if you get to close."

I took a closer look and noticed the small, white teeth concealed just beneath a light green flap of tissue. Upon a closer listen, I could hear the faint growls that the vine was giving off. I had the slightest inclination to growl back at it, but quickly suppressed it and Mike and I moved along. A few minutes of walking after the Pine Biome brought us to a huge steel wall. It was about 40 feet up and 40 feet across. In the center was a huge hydraulic door that had four, huge piston locks on it and each lock was flashing red. The sign on the door said "Hydraulic blast door, 50K Tons pressure, stay back 100 feet"

"Now that's an impressive door", I said, "where does that lead?"

"Right inside", Mike said, "into the cages, how those drones got through Big Bertha here...I can't even begin to guess."

I put my hand on the door, looking at it was one thing, but being able to just put my hand on it and feel that this door was built to withstand anything anyone could possibly throw at it short of nuclear detonation? My entire body felt light and I felt like I was standing in a zero gravity environment. There was no way we were going to get this damn thing open.

"Allen", I called, "problem, the biggest door I've ever seen is blocking our path."

"Get me a picture", Allen said.

I snapped a picture with my PDA and sent to him, he answered me almost immediately.

"Lock 40", he said, "there are a few of these doors guarding cages where Rhino's were kept. These monsters were all but impervious to anything a even Rhino 23 could dish out, your not getting that one open because of the quarantine protocols. Come on back guys."

I sighed and took my hand off the door, feeling anger welling up inside me.

"Let it go brother", Mike said putting his hand on my shoulder, "just let it go."

Mike and I turned back for base, I found myself kicking up dirt in anger.

"Dammit!", I growled, "we need to know what Martin wanted!"

"I can help with that", A voice came over the radio. It was older sounding, I'd assume the man was in late sixties, early seventies.

"Who is this?", I asked.

"Dr. James Ryan", the man said, "founder of Biosphere Research and Blaze Bio Science. Lemme get that door for you."

There was a loud hissing sound, like compressed air being let out of a tank. Mike and I turned around in time to see red lights start to flash and a siren to sound. There was the ear splitting sound of metal on metal grinding as the huge piston locks on the door released and it slowly lowered itself into the floor. Just beyond the door was a 20 by 20 foot steel hallway that was light by single bulbs placed six feet apart for it's entire 100 or so foot length. I could see that each side of the hall was lined with rooms that had bullet proof glass for windows and the rooms were lit.

"The creatures in this lab could end your lives real fast", James said over the radio, "watch the steps boys."

"Yes sir", Mike said.

Mike and I walked down the hall. Through the bullet proof windows, I could see more than a few kinds of mutant creatures that were trying with everything they had to break their restraints. Some that were out were gnawing on the corpses of the scientists who were researching them and a few of them threw themselves at the windows when Mike and I walked past. At the end of the hall there was a corner. The closer we got, the more the smell of slag and burning metal filled the air. When Mike and I finally rounded the corner, we were greeted by a giant, gaping hole in the wall and a stink unlike any I'd ever smelled that made sick to my stomach, again. I pulled my flashlight and shined it into the room. Inside was a bloody mess. There were bits and pieces of what looked like melted flesh piled up in various parts of the room and there was a thin, red tinted film covering the walls. Another thing I didn't fail to notice were the thick, black tentacles that were stuck to the wall. They were black at their ends, telling they'd been hack off their native body by a laser saw, those drones no doubt.

I knelt down and stuck my fingers into the goo. Something in the constancy didn't seem right, it felt chalky which was weird because normally you think, film coated habitat, Taicharraip, so why would the creatures protective film contain trace amounts of chalk? A soft mineral, but still more than abrasive enough to tear through the skin of a slug, snail or something of that nature.

"Hey Mike", I said, "check out this film, it's chalky."

"So?", Mike asked.

"Think about it", I said, "why would a creature that needs a slick, smooth habitat produce slime to protect itself against abrasion, when it's smile contains an abrasive material?"

"Okay", Mike said, "so your saying that what was here was mutated?"

"Probably", I said standing, and walking over to the melted flesh, which was almost like glue in it's consistence, "this is really weird too...waste of some kind?"

"No", Mike said, "look at the color. It would be darker if it was waste."

"Maybe what the drones melted to cut what was in here lose?", I asked.

"No", Mike said, "it would be charred, at least to some degree, it's like it just liquefied."

"Mike do you have your bio scanner on you?", James asked over the radio.

"Uh yeah I think so", Mike said groping his vest and pulling out a small, blue PDA looking device with a test tube on the side. Mike bent down and scooped some of the melted flesh into the test tube. There was slight pause.

"That...that can't be right", James said, "it's human tissue....all melted down. Chemical 240 and Number 12 levels are off the charts...this can't be right. I'm going to run some more tests boys, you should take more samples and head on back to your hideout and see what Allen needs done next."

Mike and I filled a plastic bag with the flesh and then started out of the cages. On the way out, Loony Tunes came over the radio.

"So the Bounty Hunter and the Security Guard met the old man?", he asked snickering, "what a perfect chance to kill two morons with one security alert!"

"Warning", a voice sounded over the intercom, "security breach detected in Biome area C, security bots dispatched."

"Pick up the pace boys", James said, "I'm reading that 30 bots have been dispatched on the kill setting."

At Jame's advice we hauled ass out of the cages. The second Mike's boots touched the ground the first gunshot went off. I grabbed him and threw him behind the tree that was next to us. From behind it I could count at least five Synthetic humans dressed in black security uniforms and armed with FN FAL OSWs.

"I count five hostiles with Fals", I said dropping prone and popping off a shot, striking one of the bots in the head.

"Clean shot", Mike said putting a six round burst down range, impacting another one of the bots in the chest and neck, phasing it, but not stopping it.

"Aim for the head", James said over the radio.

Mike took a deep breath and fired another round at the bot, dropping it in the dirt Two more of the 30 bots came around the corner, firing their weapons on fully automatic. The 308 rounds couldn't fight the thick pine we were hiding behind, but if we let them close the distance, we'd be mince meat.

"Use your 203 Mike!", I said as I cracked off another shot, taking out the eye of one of the machines.

"I have one round left", Mike said dropping the magazine out of his M4 and clicking in a new one.

"We only have one life total!", I said ducking behind the tree to avoid the metal shredding fire that was being rained down upon us.

Mike sighed and stepped out. There was a faint thump and then a deafening bang as the 40mm went off, sending a few bots sprawling and dismembering a few more. I was trying to keep track of the number we killed, but I had lost track after about 10. What I could see was that we were dealing with all of them now. The storm of 7.62 grew fiercer by the second and the bots were so close now that I could hear them telling us to surrender and make our deaths easier on ourselves. If we tried to step out now we'd be torn to pieces.

"I can't step out to to shoot at them without getting ripped to pieces", I shouted over the gun fire, "Allen do you read me!? Allen security has us cornered!"

"I read you Skyline", Allen said, "I'm on my way just hang tight!"

The coms cut off as the gun fire continued. The bots were getting closer and closer with every second. Soon I began to feel the impact of the bullets in the tree I was hiding behind.

"There cutting the tree down!", I shouted, "if this thing falls were screwed!"

"We need more firepower!", Mike shouted.

I was about to tell him no shit Sherlock when I remembered I had grenades hanging off my vest. I grabbed one and pulled the pin, tossing it out,

"frag out!", I shouted as I landed and went off, dispersing the crowd long enough for us to relocate to a somewhat thicker tree beside us. As I was running between the trees, I saw Allen sprinting up the hill and Matt crouched with the Mauser at the door to the lounge. I managed to get one shot off at the bots while I was changing cover, but it was a hip shot which didn't hit anything. Mike and I ducked behind the second tree and used the gap between the trunks of it and another one to take well aimed shots at the guards while Allen opened up with his 240 and Matt started making head shots from the entry way of the lounge. Within a few seconds of Allen and Matt joining the fight, the bots fell like dominoes.

"Welcome to pain", Allen said as he popped open the dust cover of his 240, "population you."

"Never thought I'd be so grateful for automatic fire", I said stepping out and taking some ammo from the dead bots.

"Can we save the thank you's until were safe in the lounge?", Allen said.

"Yes", I said grabbing the last magazine I needed, "lets go."