Birthday - Part 1

    With a scream, Ludwig' legs gave out from beneath him and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
    His arms were locked and his jaw was spasming against the electric current that was arcing through his body, setting his nerves on fire. However, the pain wasn't severe, just restrictive.
    Ludwig's scream was more of defiance than anything else.
    Staff Sergeant Coughlin smirked and gave the downed private a swift kick in the ass. Not hard, but enough to get his attention through the haze of the zapper.
    "What the hell did I tell you about checking your corners?" she said with a disciplinary tone. "That's the third time this month."
    Ludwig growled in response, but given his locked jaw, she doubted he'd be able to say anything intelligible.
    She moved on.
    Coughlin crossed an alley and ducked under an over hang. She could hear the patrol moving slowly and carefully. That was good. But it did annoy her that she could hear them at all. She'd have to chew them out for that.
    Slithering under the low cover of old supply crates, she creeped to the edge and saw an entire fireteam.
    Gorman, Xi, Nunez, and Quinn were all in the alley not twenty meters away. Quinn and Xi were quietly bickering over something...that was hardly new. Corporal Quinn was fireteam leader, but that didn't stop Xi from trying to interject her will and be an all around pain in the ass.
    The flip side was that Gorman and Nunez were waiting quietly, guns trained on the empty alley. Their eyes were scanning the gloomy fog like hungry raptors.
    But the bitching had them distracted.
    She'd have to talk to them about that too.
    Pulling the shock grenade, she yanked the pin hard, but held on to it. Cooking the fuse inside for an extra second or two. And, once she felt the timing was right, she slid the grenade along the wet stone floor right between the four of them.
    She was already disappearing into the darkness when Nunez frantically scream "GRENADE!"
    Of course, they didn't have time to react. The cooked grenade went off before they had so much as twitched.
    All four hit the ground with shouts of anger and shock promptly followed by the clatter of armor on stone.
    Coughlin was tempted to give them all a quick kick like she had with Ludwig, but restrained herself. There was still one man unaccounted for and she'll be damned if he wasn't the biggest threat.
    Dixon.
    Sergeant Bullock's fireteam had been dealt with pretty easily, although they at least put up more of a fight than Corporal Quinn's had. They had been ready and focused and had gotten a few pot shots off before she zapped them.
    Kuroba's team on the other hand...
    She had found Kuroba and Cooper stalking the alleys with Cooper bitching about 'just letting them go'. After quickly disabling both of them, she realized that Ludwig and Dixon were unaccounted for.
    It wasn't the first time it had happened. Neither of them played well with others and Ludwig had been taken out just as easily as Kuroba, but Dixon was another story.
    Sliding from the cover, her eyes scanned the foggy rooftops.
    Nothing. Just darkness.
    For the first time in the drill, she felt her heart rate increase. Her squad was good and they all knew the reason she put them through these exercises was to make them even better. No. To make them the best. But there was something about Dixon that always stood out.
    Something predatory.
    Something frightening.
    The Designated Marksman had risen through the ranks faster than any other soldier she had commanded. He'd been put through sniper school immediately after boot due to his aptitude and passed with colors not shortly after. While he'd been on his own sniper team, he'd been busted down and reassigned to Coughlin for 'classified reasons'. She'd raised holy hell about not being told why, but was still quickly satisfied with the results he provided.
    Coughlin glanced down on the readout for her zapper-rifle, confirmed, and started slowly moving through the alleys; keeping to as much cover as she could find.
    The man was a hunter through and through. While he had a bad tendency of breaking off from his fireteam, often with Ludwig going along to act as his unofficial spotter, she couldn't argue with the results. Honestly, they were a little scary sometimes.
    But he got the job done.
    And so, for the sixth time in the last second, her eyes scanned the rooftops and the windows.
    Little did she know that her own knowledge of the DM was working against her. She was so focused above that she failed to think of her own trick being used against her. Down the alley, a good fifty meters out, a single rifle barrel was extended through a large pile of garbage.
    She'd passed by it earlier, literally meters away, when she'd felled Ludwig.
    He just hadn't been ready to strike yet.
    And so, as she stalked, and as she hunted, Dixon held the rifle steady. He had walls on all sides, appropriate camouflage, and, in this environment, only a single target.
    He squeezed the second trigger.
    Coughlin only saw the glint of the barrel a split second before the gunshot.
    She hit the ground screaming in fury as the electricity arced through her body.
    A few moments later, her nerves shot and her body smoking, the dark-skinned sniper appeared over her; his rifle slung over his shoulder, his eyes malicious.
    "Happy Birthday, Staff Sergeant." Dixon said condescendingly with an outstretched hand to help her up.

Survivors - Final Part

    Dr. Patang and Cisneros both jumped back as the mass of darkness split into two chitinous forms. They slammed hard against the triple-state glass and it squeaked as clawed talons raked the slick surface.
    Dr. Connel laughed.
    The two creatures trying with subdued fervor to escape the operating theater were about two meters tall, with the creature on the right being the smaller of the two. They resembled bipedal versions of the huge monster in the front viewing area.
    However, Cisneros thought they were far more disturbing.
    The pair were both covered in hard, insect-like armor in a number of places; particularly along the arms, legs, and torso. Hands, eerily human, were long and gangly; tipped with several inch talons that looked like they could tear through a military hardskin as effectively as a housecat could shred a tissue. Their flesh was thick and leathery, mottled with bleeding sores; oozing holes that didn't appear to be injuries as much as part of some horrific design.
    But the worst were their faces.
    The gaping mouths filled with jagged, needle-like teeth were bad enough. They reminded Cisneros of some demented cross between an Anglerfish and a Great White Shark. However it was the beady, human eyes their stared back at him that chilled his blood.
    The larger creature on the left had soulless, black eyes that looked more like obsidian orbs than eyes. But the smaller one on the right had brilliant blue irises that reminded him of his wife's back home.
    "Well that was unexpected." Cisneros commented as he attempted to regain his composure.
    "They do that." Dr. Connel said off-handedly. "Tried a hell of a lot harder for the first hour or so. I think they're smart enough to realize that they were trying in vain."
    Cisneros chuckled at her cockiness.
    It was comforting.
    "So what am I looking at Doctor?"
    "Assistant Director, allow me to introduce Adam..." she said, motioning to the larger beast on the left. "And Eve."
    Stepping forward, Dr. Connel examined the beasts closer and started to notice more differences than just their eyes.
    'Adam' as Dr. Connel called him, was completely nude though he was reassured to find that the human similarities stopped at genitalia. Additionally the creature seemed heavier set, with more armor and hard edges than its compatriot, and seemed to have some sort of clawed tentacles that were tucked away behind him, sprouting from its back.
    'Eve', on the other hand, seemed to be wearing the shredded remains of a lab coat and pants. The remains hung loosely in random patches of torn fabric. Its form seemed more leathery and less armored and definitely had more of a human appearance than its partner's.
    A name tag hung on its breast but the name had been obscured by a large spray of gore.
    "And here I would have thought biblical names would be in poor taste." Cisneros said with a sideways glance before trying again identify the name beneath the blood.
    "It seemed appropriate, although it was arguably done backwards."
    "Explain."
    "Eve was the first, uh, created."
    "One of your peers?" Cisneros asked in a detached tone despite the fact it made his stomach churn.
    "Correct. She was the unfortunate one to discover the effects of blood exposure."
    Dr. Patang made a gagged sound behind them and both turned to look at him.
    "Wait a minute. I-Is that...Sasha?" he asked.
    Dr. Connel gave a curt nod and Cisneros had to admire her cold professionalism. He would have at least reacted but she seemed unfazed.
    "Unfortunately, Dr. Garcia fell ill after you last saw her." she said softly before turning away.
    Dr. Patang stifled a sob and Cisneros could see the tears welling around his eyes. He was clearly biting his lips but said nothing more. Dr. Connel was already focused on the holding cell again.
    Cold and professional. Cisneros thought again.
    "Adam, came later." she said, redirecting the conversation.
    "Another scientist?" he asked, making an edge of annoyance clear in his voice.
    More dead meant more paperwork and he wasn't in the mood for his head researcher to be sloppy.
    "Better. He was grown."
    "Grown?"
    There was a bang from behind and Cisneros realized that Dr. Patang had left, slamming the door behind him. He was stalking away openly sobbing.
    "Don't mind him." Dr. Connel said shortly. "But yes. Grown."
    "From what?"
    "The larvae. As I mentioned earlier."
    Cisneros stared wearily at the hulking 'Adam' and felt his nerves fraying.
    "I really don't have time and patience for your games, Samantha." he said, putting on his best, managerial tone.
    Dr. Connel's eyes narrowed, but despite their history, she knew it was better not to mouth off when Cisneros pulled rank.
    "In that case, Assistant Director, allow me to show you to the Hatchery."
    Cisneros again glanced at what the doctor had identified as 'The Nest' and then back at Dr. Connel in confusion.
    "After Adam, we realized it would be a bad idea to keep the eggs in the nest."
    Eggs? 
    "Then lead on, Doctor."
    And Dr. Connel lead them out of the operating theater to a nearby security door; leaving Adam and Eve still softly clawing at the impenetrable glass. The dried blood chipping just enough to reveal "S. Ramirez" on the smaller monster's nametag before it clattered to the floor and was subsequently consumed by the throbbing, pulsing alien matter that covered almost every surface of the room.
    "Do we have a name for these things yet, Dr. Connel?"
    "Well, nothing official yet, but a few of the scientists of taken to calling them furamorphs. Poetic idiots, that they are."
    "Furamorphs?"
    "It's old Latin. Translates roughly to 'Stolen Form."

Survivors - Part 3

    Dr. Connel led Cisneros and Dr. Patang through the door and into the lab.
    The first thing that Cisneros noticed was the smell.
    Despite the heavy presence of anti-septic and bleach in the air, the stench was overpowering. It reminded him of wood-rot and rotten eggs somehow blended together into something worse; a very earthy that stuck to the back of his throat and seemed to slide down and make him want to gag. His stomach lurched and rolled a moment later.
    It clearly was showing on his face.
    "Well that's...uhhh..."
    "Yea. Smells like shit doesn't it?"
    "I think shit is more appealing."
    "Doctor, where did that smell come from?" Dr. Patang, an equal look of disgust twisting his features. "I know it wasn't here when I left to retrieve the Assistant Director."
    "Well, that's what happens when you're gone for so long."
    Cisneros glanced at Dr. Patang who was quickly turning a deep shade of crimson. The man looked even more fidgety and uncomfortable than before. He had to idly wonder if Dr. Patang wasn't just a brown noser for executives, but for literally anyone higher than him. It sure did seem like he didn't have a spine.
    "Either way, you'll find out shortly." Dr. Connel continued. "Let me show you what I was talking about."
    She motioned down a long hall set up with a number of observation areas on either side. One side was dominated by the massive monster they had seen earlier. The opposite side had more windows and more monsters.
    All of the ones on the left seemed notably smaller than the first creature. Bipedal by nature but just as hideous.
    And everywhere, in almost every room, men and women in full hazmat suits worked diligently.
    Cisneros kept walking.
    "Doctor Connel..." Dr. Patang began.
    "I'll explain what you're seeing better once I've shown you their larval and nesting stages first. It'll make more sense starting from bottom to top versus the other way around."
    Patang quickly grew quiet again, but Cisneros was not so easily subdued.
    "They have multiple life cycles then?" he asked pointedly with a tone that told her he was not to be pushed around like Patang.
    "Yes. We initially thought of their life cycles almost like the Spider Wasp from Earth, but quickly realized that comparison just wasn't accurate."
    As if on cue, they walked by an observation area that was darker than the others and immediately stood out. Cisneros stared at in in confusion for a split second before he realized that the walls, floors, and even the ceiling and lights were coated in viscera.
    "Not even a little accurate." Dr. Connel repeated as she followed their gaze around the bloodied room and quickly began walking again.
    "I'm sorry, but humor me. What's a Spider Wasp and how is their life cycle different?"
    "A Spider Wasp is an insectoid creature from Earth that immobilizes and lays eggs in the body of a spider; the most common being the tarantula." Dr. Patang quickly chimed in. "The eggs hatch and the larvae eat the paralyzed Tarantula."
    "Gruesome." Cisneros observed.
    "Very." Dr. Connel agreed. "But, while there are similarities, we were quickly shown that the analogy just wasn't close enough."
    "How so?"
    Dr. Connel didn't answer. Instead led them around a bend in the hall back towards another large operating theater labeled '2-D'. All the while, the stench grew worse and worse.
    For a brief moment, Cisneros believed that this room was similar to the one before. Covered in blood and bits, it had a similar darkened look to it as the overhead lights were mostly covered with gore. However, peering through the haze, he quickly realized this was very different then the remains of violence he'd seen before.
    For one, the walls were moving.
    A thick, viscous substance covered the walls, floors, and ceiling. It was intermingled with the viscera that he'd noted, but it was definitely different. It had a thick, fleshy appearance that made Cisneros feel like he was staring at the inside of an intestine.
    And somewhere in the darkness, he could see something moving.
    "God. Damn."
    "Right?" Dr. Connel asked rhetorically. "Took them a matter of hours to set this up. A few of the other nerds have nicknamed it 'The Nest'."
    Cisneros leaned against the glass.
    "What am I seeing here, Doctor?"
    "One of the organisms we brought aboard created this." she stated calmly. "It was one of two that were found alive. We put it in here and, a couple of hours later..."
    "What's all the gore? An accident?"
    "The creature."
    Cisneros looked at her sideways for a moment.
    "We reviewed the state of the creature when it entered. Other than being heavily sedated, it was also the most healthy. However, shortly after containment it collapsed and..." she grimaced. "...exploded. The larvae were birthed from there and, shortly after, the drones did the rest."
    He looked inside again and focused on the movement in the dark. He could barely make it out, but squinting he could see something that resembled a large and spindly Japanese Spider Crab. Long legs, big claws, and a hard, armored body.
    It was working on something unseen.
    "Where the hell'd the drone come from? That was inside the creature as well?" Dr. Patang demanded.
    "Not exactly. It was birthed from one of the larvae."
    "Start at the beginning, Doctor. Neither of us are following your train of thought."
    "Fine. Through a...well, let's say through an accident, we quickly found out that exposure to the creatures' blood has very unwanted infectious qualities. Even in death, the microscopic larva will bury into exposed flesh and start quickly having an effect on the patient's neural pathways."
    Cisneros arched a brow but said nothing. Something told him there was going to be a lot of paperwork he'd be dealing with in a week.
    "Most immediately, they feel hot. The exposure feels almost like a burning and, within minutes, the hosts, for lack of a better term, begin to feel like they are running an intense fever. Funny enough, their core body temperature doesn't raise until later." she observed off hand. "They then quickly develop hallucinations, relative insanity, and then catatonia."
    "From there, two alterations happen." she said, holding up two fingers. "One: the parasites begin to infect the host on a genetic level, changing the creature's very DNA. Two: newer, larger parasites begin to grow around and within the primary organs."
    "Once the genetic transformation is complete, the host has taken on a completely brand new form. Likewise, the secondary larvae have grown to about a half foot to a foot long. So far we've observed a half dozen or so within a fresh subject."
    "And this is when they pop?" Cisneros asked with a grimace.
    "Oh no, this is when they try to capture more hosts." Dr. Connel said with just a little bit too much enthusiasm. "We suspect that they don't 'pop', as you put it, unless they are exposed to an environment where a nest or hive is not readily available."
    Cisneros rolled the information around in his head before asking.
    "We're going to be having a long discussion about missing personnel later, aren't we?"
    "Yes."
    He clicked his tongue in annoyance, but filed that away for further consideration.
    "So, just to confirm what you're saying: these things can infect another creature. I'm going to guess that includes humans based on what you just said. They then transform into something else. If they don't have a nest, one of them explodes and the larvae inside make one...meaning that literally any one of these things could make a nest?"
    "Yep."
    "But it destroys the host in the process?"
    "Mmhmm."
    "So all you need is two to create an possibly infectious situation."
    "One."
    Cisneros considered the math for a minute. He felt like he was missing something.
    "One could create the nest. But where would your theoretical monsters come from that would do the rest of the work? That would create drones and gather new hosts?"
    Dr. Connel smiled that same wicked smile as something hulking and monstrous emerged from the darkness.

Survivors - Part 2

    Cisneros felt as if he was frozen in place.
    His muscles were locked and some baser part of his mind had kicked into overdrive. Despite the triple-state glass and a well manicured sense of superiority, some instinctual piece of him froze in terror.
    "What-?" was all he managed.
    In front of him, behind the seemingly too-thin safety glass, a monster lay across a massive surgical table.
    No.
    Not one surgical table.
    Several of them. All hastily thrown together to form some semblance of a flat surface where the scientists could work.
    The creature was quite large. At least a couple meters tall and several meters long not counting the muscular tail, it could easily rival some of the large African species of Earth. However, unlike those more benevolent herbivores, this ting was designed for carnage.
    Four heavy set legs with taloned feet were curled up under its dead frame. Long, sickle like blades sprouted from thin but powerful looking 'arms' from its thick torso. Its eyes were covered in heavy ridges and everything about its head seemed to slope into a gaping jaw filled with multiples rows of shark-like teeth. And the entire thing was covered in hulking plates of black, chitinous armor that looked like they could stop an rocket.
    Men and women in lab coats poked and prodded at the corpse, but despite a sneaking fear that the monster would arise and attack them all, it laid silent upon its bloody table.
    "What-" Cisneros began again as he mentally rebuilt his composure. "-is it?"
    "We don't know." Dr. Patang responded apologetically. "We've never seen anything like it."
    "What do we know about it?" he asked without looking at the good doctor.
    Cisneros studied the thing for a long moment. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away.
    "We're still working on an official analysis."
    Cisneros glanced over and the Doctor who visibly cringed a little. He considered throwing his weight and demanding a better answer of the little asskisser, but thought better of it.
    "Humor me."
    "Apparently the team was getting odd results. I've been with you so I haven't seen the most up to date..."
    Cisneros sighed and continued to watch the men and women work.
    "Dr. Hagashi must have been out of his mind." he commented with a hint of annoyance.
    "Sir?"
    "I just can't imagine why they would have brought this thing aboard. I don't doubt it was an exciting find, but look at it."
    As if in response, Dr. Patang joined him in staring at the mound of terror.
    At the same time, the door on the far end of the room slid open and a short, lump of a woman clad in a white lab coat emerged.
    "I mean, that thing looks like it could tear a squad of marines in half without breaking a sweat. Why in the hell would they take it aboard? Why not study it on the surface? Or tag it for later examination by a more qualified team?"
    "Perhaps-" the woman interjected. "-because it wasn't that size when they acquired our little friend in there."
    Cisneros glowered at the woman's interruption but his expression quickly softened.
    "Samantha." he said with a smile.
    "Armando."
    "I wasn't aware you were on this project." Cisneros regarded.
    "Then you probably aren't doing a good job as Assistant Director." she chided with a playful grin.
    "Dr. Connel." Patang said with respect to the woman. "With all due respect, what do you mean? Are you suggesting it grew within a matter of hours?"
    "In one sense."
    Both men continued to stare at her, expecting more.
    "Tell me, Dr. Patang, how would you classify that creature in there?" Dr. Connel asked.
    Dr. Patang considered for a moment.
    "I'm not sure. It definitely appears to be carnivorous in nature. Omnivous at the absolute least."
    "And the genus?"
    "Demented centaur?" Cisneros offered.
    Samantha giggled and Cisneros allowed himself a smile at his old friend's amusement.
    "What if I told you that it was parasitic?" she asked after a moment.
    Cisneros stared at the monster sprawled across the operating tables. Considered the sheer size of the thing.
    "You're saying that creature in there is some sort of a parasite? For what? What the hell would it feed on?"
    "That is not the primary organism. I was referring to this."
    Dr. Connel produced from her jacket pocket a small glass jar about the size of a nectarine. She held it up to the light and it was clearly filled with some sort of blood. It was a nice deep red with the exception of several dozen large, black globules that floated around in the viscous liquid.
    Cisneros stared at the goo, trying to identify the shapes in the blood. It was only after a long moment that he realized the globes were creatures.
    "So this is our culprit?" Cisneros asked with burgeoning fascination.
    Here and there, one of the globes would unfurl into a small, worm like creature. Their appearance reminded him of the beast on the table, nothing but hard bits and sharp edges, but on a notably smaller scale and resembling a half inch caterpillar.
    "Indeed. I think the team from the Icarus found these things on the surface and didn't know what they had until it was too late.
    Before his eyes, one of the worms unfolded and zipped around the blood jar at a surprising speed. It swirled about for a few seconds and, finding no exit, curled up on itself again.
    Cisneros glanced back again at the monster on the table.
    "So tell me, Dr. Connel: what do those-" he said pointing a finger at the jar. "-have to do with that?" he motioned over his shoulder.
    "I'm so glad you asked." she responded with a surprisingly threatening smile and motioned towards the door to the lab. "Let me show you."

Survivors - Part 1

    Blip. Blip. Blip.
    Assistant Director Cisneros stared absent-minded at the acrid liquid as it dripped, drop by drop, down into his mug. The local crony here, Dr. Patang, had tried to convince him that this was this was the best cup of joe on the Daedalus.
    While Cisneros didn’t doubt the good doctor’s honesty; the little brown-nosing tool was too self-interested to not give full disclosure. However he did doubt that the liquid shit dripping out of the archaic machine counted as coffee.
    And he damn sure knew it didn’t smell like it.
    Cisneros glanced around the room as he waited for the stinking drink to finish brewing.
    All around him, cheap furniture, bad walling, dirty carpet, or gunmetal plating. Here and there an uncomfortable chair sat or a half-assed painting hung on the wall; really retracting from the environment more than they gave. It gave him the feeling of being in a lower-end office that had been shoved into a metal box.
    And really, it wasn’t far from the truth.
    Built cheap and built big, the Daedalus was one of two floating laboratories utilized by the corporation’s Xenobiology department. It housed just over two thousand biologists, botanists, chemists, computer experts, robotics technicians, and god knows what else plus the staff and crew that kept the entire dump heap in the air. It wasn’t the fastest or nicest ship in the galaxy, but with her sister, the Icarus, the pair of ships were some of the biggest and probably some of the only used as mobile laboratories and processing cities.
    At least until a month ago.
    Now the Daedalus flew alone in its lazy orbit around the Kaprelli system’s deep violet sun surrounded by the silence of space.
    Cisneros reached down and plucked up the now full mug. He took a swig only to grimace at the sour flavor. It tasted just about as good as it had smelt and, based on the look of shock and horror on Dr. Patang's face, he was glad his distaste with the drink was not lost on the good doctor.
    "I'm so sorry, sir." he quickly shot out. "I swear, it really is the best on the ship. The company doesn't really consider fresh cups to be pri-"
    "Enough, Doctor." Cisneros said flatly. "You'll forgive me if I tell you that I'm not in the mood right now."
    "Yes, sir. Of course, sir." Dr. Patang said as he adorned that same, placid, stupid smile he'd worn since Cisneros arrived eight hours ago.
    "I don't have a great deal of time." Cisneros continued in the same, no-bullshit tone. "So why don't we get this little tour started so I can get on with a very long list of other things that need to get done."
    "Of course, sir." Dr. Patang repeated again and motioned towards the door of the grimy little kitchen.
    The pair made their way through the halls of the Daedalus at a leisurely pace as Dr. Patang prattled on about meaningless inanities. Cisneros could not care less. His visit here was far from routine and he had no interest in listening to small talk.
    He wanted to hear about their findings.
    Of course, it was probably sheer confidentiality that was keeping Dr. Patang from prattling on about that. Still, Cisneros had a lean in his step and they made their way towards the C-Deck labs with more speed than any other visit would have been afforded.
    The mystery of Icarus's destruction the prior month had nagged at him since it happened. And now he might get some answers.
    Originally, it came as a complete shock. The ship had just performed a relatively routine stop to a newly discovered world known as 'Bruni'. The planet was mildly interesting for the fact it was, by all intents and purposes, considered a jungle planet despite its severe climate; prone both to blistering heat and destructive electrical storms.
    Within a matter of hours from the stop, an SOS had been issued from the Icarus.
    An hour after that, the ship was flown directly into a sun with a very small contingent of its population escaping in lifeboats.
    The incident had bothered Cisneros for the month since it had occurred. Now, with several of the life boats captured and brought aboard the Daedalus, his curiosity was peaked as to what the scientists had discovered.
    Most notably because there hadn't been any reported survivors so far.
    So whatever they had found clearly wasn't human. Or, at least, not living ones.
    Dr. Patang offered a single open eye to the scanner next to the C-Deck air locks while simultaneously holding a thumb to a reader and a badge to a scanner. C-Deck, like a number of the locations on the Daedalus, was high security and set up with multiple security points. Additionally, the labs were completely sealed off from the rest of the ship in what was, for lack of a better analogy, a steel box with a single airlock that led into the ship primary.
    This fact only added to Cisneros' surprise when the heavy lead and steel door slid aside to reveal four hardskinned marines standing at attention, rifles ready, standing in the four corners of the inner airlock.
    He glanced at Dr. Patang with an obvious look of surprise.
    "We have...concerns." the doctor said flatly, dropping the cheerful, tour-guide tone he'd been using since Cisneros arrived.
    Cisneros' eyes narrowed but he said nothing. As much of a brown-nosing little shit as Dr. Patang had been, the presence of marines suggested they had found something much more exciting than a few corpses in a lifeboat.
    The two men submitted to a thorough search and ID by one of the marines; a man who identified himself as Sergeant Holmes. They were then led to the next room: a hastily thrown together decontamination room that the inner airlock would have normally been used for had it not been filled with combat armor and firearms.
    Once deloused, they both made their way down a long hallway lined by observation chambers.
    "Now that we're out of ear shot, would you care to share what exactly your team found on the life boats, Doctor?"
    "We're not sure." he said, once again adopting that slight lit to his voice again, but not nearly to the degree he had been earlier.
    "You're not sure?" Cisneros echoed after rolling the possibilities about in his mind.
    "Whatever they are is biologic. But after that, it's unlike anything we've found before."
    Cisneros said nothing as he was led through a maze of corridors. He could see scientists working in labs on any number of different experiments; however Dr. Patang shot right by them.
    At the far end of one hall, the Doctor approached a heavy door labeled 'XL-322". Directly below it. "Restricted Personnel Only." and a keypad. The Doctor entered in an unseen code, scanned his badge again, and motioned for Cisneros to enter.
    They were standing in the viewing area of an operating theater with a door on the far end of the room. The glass was artificially dimmed and Cisneros suddenly had a fleeting sense of claustrophobia in the dark room.
    "This is all well and interesting, Doctor. But can we can on with the theatrics?"
    "Sorry, sir. As I said, sir. We're not sure what we found." Dr. Patang continued as he raised the lights and revealed the laboratory behind the triple-state glass and the monster within.
    Cisneros took an unconscious step back from the now clear glass.  
    What the hell WAS that?
    He felt his heart jump into his throat and, for the first in a very long time, he felt a sudden wash of fear fall over him.
    "But if you've got any ideas..." Dr. Patang said with the first snark the Assistant Director had heard from him, "We're all ears."