Martinez and his squad marched through the corridor after passing the air-lock, arriving at the entrance to Alpha Labs. The corridor was undergoing maintenance, it had bare panelling and conduits left hanging open, a step ladder and a pair of toolboxes lay upon the floor. Sergeant Martinez taps a universal control panel on the wall and brings up surveillance footage from within the facility. The small monitor displays groups of frightening creatures moving through the blood splattered corridors. Their bodily features were flooded with the darkest shadows, sharp fangs and glowing red eyes pierce the dark veil.
"Sweet Jezebel" Martinez says, taking a step back in shock, "Is that what they're calling 'aliens'? They're more like bloody hell-spawn" Martinez exclaims.
"What do you propose, loading these rifles with holy water?" taunts one of the Marines.
"I think hot plasma will suffice" he says without a trace of humour. "It looks like they're right behind this barrier... assemble Tango-formation and rifles to full auto. We're not giving them an inch" states Martinez.
The squad formed into three columns, rifles pointed at the sealed door, Martinez stood in the front-centre column.
"Alright, Marines. We're gonna turn this facility into a fucking ashtray" he says, then levelling his rifle. "Computer, open security barrier 00-2B" Martinez commands.
Obediently, the door lifted upward and animalistic snarls and grunts, along with a nauseating aroma, spilled forth from the passage, a blur of movement triggers the Marines and three streams of plasma erupts from the rifles. Sounds of agony in an alien tongue beckoned them forward.
"Advance" commands Martinez, still squeezing his rifle's trigger.
The aliens were rapidly cooked by plasma, sending out plumes of ash and littering the floor with smoking, sizzling chunks that were crushed into crumbs under the Marines' boots. A short distance from the passage's threshold, the hallway was intersected by another corridor. The rear column Marines flood the adjoining corridors as alien forms continued to fall to dust. The marines on point drop empty energy cell canisters to the ground as they reloaded and resume firing, the canisters impact the floor with hollow clangs. The number of aliens before them dwindled, two marine swing their rifles towards the intersecting hall as Martinez finished off the last of the large-jawed demons before them. The adjoining halls were flooded with the large-jawed stompers and spiked shadowy creatures with a humanoid form. Low-sounding snarls, flashes of sharp fangs and hissing tones filled their senses. The heated, foul aroma of death hung in the station's cycled air. A spiked arm extends its sharp claws from behind an advancing demon, the closest their attackers would get. The Marines' reload, making another chorus of clanking energy cell canisters. The hordes of demons began to shrink as the piles of black chunks and ashes grew. The Marines laid waste to the remaining demons and released their triggers, the sounds of flying plasma was drowned in the emerging silence. Smoke rises from their rifle's energized prongs, the floor littered with scorched chunks.
"Christ, what the hell were those things?!"
"Those weren't aliens, those were God-damn demons!" the Marines exchange.
Demonic grunting came from the corridors beyond. Sergeant Martinez's mind went racing, 'This was a vast number of hostiles. If this is going to be a typical engagement, we could face some serious danger' he thought.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we need more firepower. Numbers like that could easily overwhelm us in the right conditions" he explains.
Martinez reaches into his pack and hands out bundles of energy grenades held together by a clip.
"Use the grenades as often as needed, we can't allow them to get that close again" he explains. "Alright, let's move out"
The Marines move deeper into the facility, toward the otherworldly sounds.
Elsewhere, the station's Chief Administrator Alexander Burvochov, his assistant Pauline Wolfe, the Alpha Labs Director and other UAC executives were in an Administrative Division conference room, a few buildings away from the Alpha Labs facility. The room had grey walls and a lush green carpet that was woven with a simple, industrious design, a window stretched from one side of the long rectangular walls to the other, displaying brilliantly shining stars. A long conference table with several luxurious chairs filled the centre of the room and the ceiling was dotted with circular lamps fitted into the ceiling. They we're watching events unfold on the large holo-monitor with clinical expressions.
"There it is, again!" shouts Pauline Wolfe, pointing at the monitor "They're bypassing security barriers"
"There's no way! How in the...?" stammers Director Lawson.
The Chief Administrator watches in silence, confusion painted upon his face, his arms crossed across his chest. On the monitor another group of aliens appear from a flash of green energy.
"Ya v osádke" says the Administrator, emphasizing his surprise in his native Russian tongue. "They can breach Alpha Labs anytime" he says.
He reaches for the communication panel in the table and calls the engineers in the Fusion Power Plant.
"Hey Chief" says an Engineer on the line, "we've cut the power to the teleporter as you asked. The physical connection is severed, but the damn thing is still running" explains the Engineer.
"Yáscik" curses the Administrator. "Cut all power to sector" he commands in his heavy accent.
"You got it chief" he says, tapping the control panel in front of him. "Sector-B is now in the dark"
"Good, keep off grid unwess authorized by Pauline or myself" he instructs.
"Yes, sir" replies the Engineer.
Alex closes the channel, then runs a hand along his face in frustration.
"Alex," says Director Lawson, "you know that we won't be able to monitor the Teleportation Chamber without power"
"Well, I can't justify to myself sitting here doing nothing. I don't know how or why, but something is powering that test chamber" Alexander says loudly.
"Hmm, I suppose that's sound reasoning" the Director replies.
"I seriously hope Marines can deal with this, losing Alpha would be enormous loss" Alex says.
A loud scream of pain erupts in the conference room from Senior Analyst Portman.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" shouts Director Lawson.
Alexander turns from the holo-monitor to see Pauline Wolfe wielding the knife she keeps hidden in her tall boots, Senior Analyst Portman was taking his final tortured breaths, freely oozing knife wounds upon his chest and face, his right eye protruded grotesquely from the attack. He lay struggling to breath as Pauline continued to attack in a blur of fast, delicate movement. She moved from one victim to the next, slicing with wide, deliberate sweeps. Alex watched her approach the Director with dark, menacing eyes, her blade dripping with blood. Director Lawson tries to evade by moving to the opposite, far side of the conference table, she leaps onto the table and tackles the Director, pinning him against the wall and rapidly sinks the blade into his chest. The conference room was suddenly filled with death. The possessed Pauline had killed six UAC executives, their pools of blood were still growing and staining the fine carpet, the walls, table and chairs were speckled with red droplets. The Administrator was frozen from shock.
"Jebat' " he swears softly, "Pauline, what have you done?" Burvochov manages.
After continuing her slaughter for a few more seconds, she casually turns her glowing eyes toward Alex, gently rolling her neck playfully. She rises from before the dying Director, absently extracting the knife with the motion as she stood.
Pauline's face was drenched in shadows, she steps toward the Administrator with delicate steps, seductively swaying her hips, her eyes rapidly shifting in brightness and tone. Alex staggers back until his back was against the wall as the former-human stalked closer. The Administrator was awestruck by the intensity on her face, the odour of nearby pools of blood assaulting his senses, his mind began to spin as clouds filled the edges of his vision. Pauline grins devilishly as she licks the blood from the blade. Alex was overtaken by her shifting hypnotic eyes, his mind slipped into darkness.