When All Else Fails (RP)

[Ivy Mariani]

Though her group was moving quickly they never met up with the other medical staff. Along the way they found bits of people but it was nothing to verify it was part of the staff they had been with. Hitting the stairwell with the soldiers she paused long enough to catch her breath, her hair falling out of place and sticking to her skin as beads of sweat collected and rolled downward with gravity. Pressing her back against the door she slumps towards the floor for a moment.

"What is going on here.." she spoke to the soldiers in the stairwell with her. "I thought we were being careful, being safe, keeping things in check... How did it find us..." running her palm over her forehead she moved her hair from her face and wiped sweat away. The soldiers said nothing. She knew they had to be thinking the same thing she was. They had been safe. Overly so perhaps. But it was a necessity with something like the virus. How would it have found them when they had ended the last of the infected weeks ago? There was only one thing that had come to mind. Someone on board the last transport to hit the planet had been infected, or worse... Someone released it into the facility. But why? What would they have to gain?

The human race was dying, they had no way to cure this, they couldn't ransom life off for billions of dollars. Money here was useless even though the former political leaders were attempting to form some kind of credit system that could be universal for everyone still alive. Terra still couldn't figure it all out. Why would someone do this? It was the only logical that someone released this upon the facility, but to know, she would have to seek answers and there was only one person who would be responsible. There was one doctor who was working on formulating a cure, he had weakened strains of the virus, one that would just make people sick but nothing else.

Standing she looked at the soldiers, a new fear rising in the pit of her stomach. "We need to get to the Terrosphere.." that was where the doctor spent most of his time. His lab just off the Terrosphere, accessible via a tunnel while it was likely he wouldn't be infected if he was the one responsible for spreading the virus again, she didn't want the rest of the survivors to be anywhere near him. She had the distinct feeling no one else would suspect him as being responsible. No one outside the medical staff knew he had the virus. "We need to get to Dr Franklin's office.. Asap."

Without another word she took off down the stairs trying to hurry and get to the Terrosphere before more people became infected.

[Raphael]

Rob carefully moved forward, several yards ahead of the group - enough to leave them a comfortable gap if something happened to him, but not enough to leave them vulnerable if he had to react quickly. He looked over his shoulder and nodded to Lucian who was covering the rear, much better equipped this time. Rob knew ammo was vital for the survival of this group but he didn't regret giving his spare clip to the cook. Now at least it was two of them able to help the others.

The hallways of maintenance were dark, damp, and desolate. The blasts had knocked boxes and furniture around, blood stains and chunks of what looked suspiciously similar to human flesh completed the unpleasant environment.

There had been no hostile activity since Rob had killed the deranged infected Chili. But that had been just minutes ago. The maniacal laughter hadn't repeated itself; in fact, apart from Rob, Luc, and the group of injured civilians nothing was making any noise. They were halfway through to the stairs. Rob kept walking forward, eyes locked ahead, ears on stand-by, heartbeat rate slowed down and kept in check. The high humidity combined with the heavy uniform had made him sweat hard.

Step by step, yard after yard the group was moving forward. Their progress was slow, the sarge had to check every room they were passing by for potential danger. But so far there was nothing. He kept looking back for any signs from Lucian, but he had either missed them or there simply weren't any.

And then they were there - the staircase leading down. It was largely undamaged and except for the knocked out lights it was perfectly passable. Rob stood at the top looking down while the rest of the group caught up with him. "Luc" he said quietly. "I'll walk up front, you walk at the rear. If you can walk backwards, that would be helpful. We'll move down slowly, level after level, until we reach ground. The rest of you, stay behind me and Luc and if something happens, remember - we're walking down a staircase, one kick from any of you and the ferenzi that's attacking you will be rolling down and hopefully cracking their skull. So don't panic! You're not dead yet."

And he made his way down the stairs. The group followed. They were halfway through to the 20th level when the mad laughter broke out again - coming from above. Whoever... or whatever that thing was, it was following them, but it wasn't attacking. Well, sarge thought, I hope Luc blows the fucker's brains out when the time comes. He ignored the whispers and scared looks of the civilians and kept moving down - slow enough not to make the injured strain themselves and suffer.

[LucianLuna]

"Ok Rob, will do."  Lucian slowly walked backwards and watched the staircase above. he didn't like that laughter coming from behind them. Maybe whoever was making the sound would be dumb enough to try to jump on them from above and fall down to the bottom of the stairwell and it's death. He continued to slowly follow behind the rest of the group. his gun drawn in case the laughing fool decided to attack. It was a good thing he knew how to handle a gun, he wouldn't be much good if this was the first time he had used one. he glanced down at Rob and then behind them again. Lucian hoped the doctor was ok and nothing happened to her group. He listened to the people whispering and knew they were scared.  "Rob's right. If you can kick you can defend yourself in a staircase. One could kick will put them off balance and send anyone stumbling down the stairs."

[Raphael]

Rob nodded gratefully to Luc for the support and kept going down. He was wondering what was happening with Dr Seris and her group, but he didn't give it much thought. He was busy being edgy and nervous.

Step by step, the group moved down to level 20, then 19. Blood and devastation were now the trademark look of the science facility. Ripped off cables sparkled dangerously. Some lights were still on but most were damaged, either flickering or completely dark where the blasts had knocked out the circuit or the light bulbs themselves. Broken glass crunched beneath Rob's boots. A few bodies on every floor reminded him that the virus had spread all across the facility. Objects were lying around, twisted slide doors slammed into one another relentlessly, odd noises echoed down the dark hallways. Nothing was moving.

Whoever was laughing from behind the group hadn't been heard or seen again. Rob kept moving down, level after level, exhausted and scared injured civilians behind, Lucian at the rear. Sarge was on the alert, eyes shifting left and right, pistol locked in front of his chest, pointing down at the dark stairs. Still air, no draft, no noise, no humidity - dry and cold, scratching his throat, drying his eyes. Faint smell of death and chemicals reigned over the place.

His uniform heavy with sweat, his senses tired, he kept moving down. He had a job to do - protect the civilians. And by Earth, he was going to.

[Ivy Mariani]

Terra fell to the floor as one of the bodies of the now dead soldiers was knocked into her. Grunting she fell to the floor, her weapon skidding a few inches away from her reach. With her legs now pinned under the dead soldier there was little she could do except huddle there and wait until the gun fight with the remaining soldiers was done.

A scream filled the air, another round of shots as the last soldier tried to fend off the swarm of infected. Grabbing the side arm of the solider pinning her, she pushed with all of her strength and somehow managed after a couple of tries to roll him off of her legs. Shoving the gun into her right boot, she scrambled forward and grabbed her gun before heading towards one of the grates that led to some of the under tunnel passages.

Turning back to the remaining soldier she saw him become swarmed with the last three infected. Pulling the grate back she dropped down into the under tunnel passage and slid the grate back into place, praying that the infected were too busy with the last soldier to notice her escape. Running she started peeling off her lab coat, trying to get rid of the fresh blood that now covered most of her body. Switching the gun from one hand to the other she shed the coat and allowed it to drop to the floor of the tunnel. Using the beam of light from the top of the gun she continued down the passage glad that most of them were straight shots and only used for maintenance. If she had to worry about running into anyone down here she was going to be glad that they should be relatively unarmed and hopefully uninfected.

[LucianLuna]

Lucian was glad when the mad laughing stopped, but that also worried him more because without the laughing he had no idea where the infected person was. He really kept his eyes peeled now, wanting to catch sight of anyone who might sneak up from behind. He wasn't having any problems with the cart because some of the least injured of the group had decided to help him with it without him saying he needed help. he smiled a thanks to the guys as he continued to keep an eye out for any infected and follow the others down the stairs.

[Raphael]

Floor after floor, the group advanced further and further down, closing in on the Terrosphere. Some of the wounded were getting tired of all the walk and the stress, a few people nearly stumbled down the stairs a few times. But they were advancing and they were all still alive.

Rob wiped the sweat off his brow. The gun felt so heavy in his hand. The boots felt heavy on his feet, the uniform felt heavy on his body. His eyes were getting dry and itchy in the dusty still air. He kept moving down, step by step. The group was close to the ground floor when he heard the echo of gunfire. He immediately raised a fist in the air in the universal soldier sign: 'hold your ground.' He did it without thinking. But most of these people have lived under military authority for years, so they knew what the sign meant, and they halted. Without looking back, hoping that Lucian would know what to do, Rob advanced alone, picking up the pace until he reached the place where the shots were fired.

He slowly peeked from behind the corner to see a soldier being taken down by ferenzies. Others were lying around, both infected and not. A grate was slowly pulled back into place on the background, but Rob couldn't take a clear look of who was doing it. The last soldier still standing was Richie Ignacio - Madman, one of the soldiers that had taken off with Dr Seris. His last shot took away one of the infected, but the other two just jumped on him and tore him apart. It all happened in the moment he peeked through.

Rob shouted and the Showstopper jumped in his hands - once, twice. The last two infected fell dead, brains and bone shatters flying across the air. Sarge ran towards Ignacio but the man was dying, his guts ripped open, his eyeball popping out. He tried to speak something to his sergeant, but only gurgling came out before he tilted his head back and took his last painful gasp.

Rob had no time to grieve. He spun on his heels, his eyes sweeping across the environment for any more potential danger. But things seemed quiet at this point. He also noticed that there was no body of Dr Seris around. He looked back at the grate, wondering if it was her, or a civilian, or somebody infected. He had no time to go check it out. He had to go back to the others.

[LucianLuna]

Lucian slowly followed the others, freezing when he heard the gun fire and saw the sign from Rob. He waited as Rob went to go check out what was happening, his gun raised in case someone tried to attack them. The wait seemed to last forever. He wanted to peek around the corner when the gunfiring stopped, but didn't move. He trust Rob knew what he was doing but wished he'd come back around the corner soon.

[Ivy Mariani]

Terra had been running so long that her lungs were burning as she collapsed in the tunnels. Darkness was only broken by the intermittent light of the warning lights blinking on and off over head. Their meager beams of yellow becoming broken by the squares in the floor grating. With her cheek pressed against the cool metal of the floor below her she allowed herself a chance to break down.

There wasn't anyone around to witness it, no one she would need to worry about being infected. She was the lone person in the middle of an ocean of despair. Each wave of emotion came crashing down on her, unrelenting, breaking upon her back in bitter, mocking, force. Closing her eyes she was tempted to drift into sleep, but she knew that alone would be the worst idea she'd ever had.

Crawling to her hands and knees she sat that way for a countless number of minutes before getting back to her feet. Brushing her hair out of her face she looked around before starting off in the direction of where she had sent the group.

[Raphael]

Ten rounds left. Not good. But they were close to the Terrosphere, so maybe if they didn't encounter any more infected, the ten rounds would be enough. Rob thought about it as we walked back towards the group of civilians. He could make a quick trip to the armory on level 10 - on his own, once the civilians were safe. But that was so far ahead in the future he just didn't want to think about it too much.

They were all where he left him - frozen, scared, hurting. He nodded at them and figured it was time for a motivational speech.

"OK listen up. We've made it all the way down here safely. We're close to the Terrosphere now, and it's isolated and very safe. So just hold on a little more and..."

His words were interrupted by one of the more seriously injured men who gasped and fell down, his limbs shaking violently. The others circled around him, holding him. "What's going on," said Rob. A few of the scientists looked up at him and spoke simultaneously.

"Seizure... blood clot... could be..."

The man shook and shuddered for a few seconds, and then suddenly he didn't anymore. He just froze still and one last desperate breath announced his end. The others stood up, one by one, too scared to say something. Rob looked at Lucian for a moment.

"Alright, he's dead. We've seen enough death today. Let's just go to the Terrosphere were the rest of you can be safe. Come on, people, we're so close." He turned around and led them towards the main entrance of the facility.

[LucianLuna]

Lucian silently watched the man suddenly start convulsing. While the scientist were thinking blood clot and seizure Lucian was thinking something else. Could he have been infected without them knowing? had they all been exsposed before this man died? he hoped his fear didn't show on his face as he silently followed behind the others. he was doing good at being brave until now, when suddenly the risk of him being exsposed hit home. he glanced around at the scientists as he followed them, trying to judge if they really thought it was a normal death or if they just didn't want to panic the others.

[Ivy Mariani]

 Terra moved quietly, her feet scuffing ever so slightly on the floor below causing her to turn back, pointing the gun and  panning it around cautiously. Heart thudding in her chest she leaned against a wall, closing her eyes briefly to catch her breath and control the urges to panic. Swallowing against the lumps in her throat she sighed quietly before pushing herself from the wall again.

Internally she counted off her footsteps, her ears picking up the hum of sound of boiler systems and the thrum of noise filtering through the heavy layers of metal that made up the compound. She could almost imagine the flames licking at the side of the building as the atmosphere allowed it to grow out of control. She only hoped the ships from the other facilities could make it in time to put the fire out from the air. If they could do that, they stood a chance of being rescued. They'd check the area for them, bring more troops, clean the area out of the infected.

Everyone knew what to look for. Two monorail systems didn't simply derail for no reason, much less explode. A few low intensity lights continued to guide her way through the tunnels as the caution lights above were choked out by some kind of substance that covered the grating. Stopping she looked upward cautiously, moving the gun to point the light on top to try and get a better view.

Pat.... Pat.... Pat....

The sound of something dripping made her narrow her eyes in curiosity. Standing on her tip toes she tried to touch one finger to the substance but instantly changed her mind. Something about the substance was off, and wrong.

Pat... Pat...

This time she felt the drops upon her cheek causing her to stagger back. Lifting shaking fingers to her skin, she wiped at the moisture before looking at it in the scant amount of lighting. She expected to see nothing but clear substance, water most likely, one of the cooling vents leaking or one of the water pipes doing the same. Instead she saw something black, and sticky. She didn't need the light to tell her it was blood.

Dropping her gun she tore a section of the bottom hem of her shirt away before she hastily wiped her cheek raw trying to remove the blood. Picking up the gun again she noticed the floor was covered in the sticky substance as well. Gasping she staggered back against the wall. If this was something that could get her infected she would need to worry about getting it in her eyes, nose, mouth and any cuts on her body. Her clothing didn't matter she was one of the many who were resistant to the airborne strain of the virus.

Gingerly she picked her gun up again, looking upwards at the material blocking out the light. As the beam of light focused, a hand dropped down into view. The ones pink skin was now pale, covered with streams of clotting blood. Gasping even louder she squished herself against the wall, training the light towards the face of the person mashed against the grating. A hole had been formed somehow in the metal, though she didn't want to imagine how.

Having had enough she backed slowly out of the blood on the floor and started to run back in the direction of the Terrosphere. She needed to get there, to warn the others about the scientist who was still likely inside. The man would allow them in, but that wasn't likely all he would do. None of them had a way of knowing what they were about to face.

[Raphael]

Once again, Rob found himself in a painfully familiar situation - spearheading the desperate attempt of a group of scared injured men to reach safety and get help. The main entrance to the Terrosphere was just a couple of turns ahead of them, in the labyrinth of hallways, facilities, and rooms that was the ground level of the research facility. With only 10 bullets left, Sgt Hound Dog was pacing forward cautiously, the Showstopper in his left hand, his right hand instinctively clenched into a fist. The injured scientists were groaning and whispering behind him. He could smell them whenever he got close to them - blood, sweat, urine.

Another turn, and another empty, broken hallway with shattered glass and objects lying around. No bodies - not here. A few splatters of blood on an open door, and a single shoe on the floor. A right shoe. Rob carefully stepped over it as he continued to walk, eyes wandering through every shadow, every open room, every obstacle. But there was nobody - infected or not. He assumed that the fight back at the other end of the ground level had drawn the attention of all ferenzies. No sign of Terra or any member of her crew who could have survived so far. He remembered the scene with the dying 'Madman' Ignacio. They had been overwhelmed there. Rob realized how lucky he was that he had only encountered infected crazies one at a time up to this point. He didn't have the manpower nor the firepower to withstand an attack from 3-4 or more infected. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen to the scientists if he fell. It would be a massacre, bloody and horrifying.

Heart in his throat, neither wanting to die nor to see any more civilians die, he continued leading them forward. Another turn - and there it was, the entrance to the Terrosphere, a massive double door, completely intact, at the other end of the hallway. There was no sign of people here - dead or alive.

"We're almost there, careful," he said to the group of people as they slowly, step by step approached the double doors. He could feel their relief - this nightmare from the mess hall to the ground level was finally at an end. He waved at them to stay back as he entered his code and the doors of the facility slid open. Oh, no... The first thing he saw through the opening door was bodies. Many bodies. And blood. What he had imagined about the group of civilians he was leading in case he fell - that had actually happened here. Rob closed his eyes - he knew how foolish this was, but he couldn't not do it. He shut them and rubbed his forehead. His heart sank.

[Ivy Mariani]

 She was almost there, another few junctions and she should be near another hatch that would allow her to get into the Terrosphere. She hoped that everyone would remember what the building looked like. After all they did use cadavers for their research on the virus. They needed it, and since the tissues were technically dead the virus couldn't spread unless there had been some incident with a needle, and any time there was it was always reported immediately.

Still she knew the grisly scene that would likely await those who got there before her. The place was the perfect birthing ground for the virus, but it was also perfectly contained against the spread. It was why she had chosen that place to go. Aside from all of the amenities it had it would make a great place for them to stay until help arrived, whenever that was. They would have enough food to supply them if they rationed it well enough, and enough water to last them for a year.

Moving slowly through the tunnel she came to a ladder. If she remembered the schematics correctly she would be a few hallways away from the Terrosphere if she surfaced here. She hadn't heard or witnessed any sign of infected humans, it should be safe enough. Looking around one last time she slid the strap of the gun over her shoulder before she placed her hands onto the rungs of the ladder. Carefully she stepped up, up again and pushed her fingers hesitantly through the metallic grating. Pushing upward she opened the cover for the man hole.

Pulling herself out she turned carefully and sat onto the floor before swinging her legs free and closing the grate silently. Moving to sit on her knees she slid her weapon back in front of herself, panning it around as she'd been trained, looking for any signs of the infected. Moving her right foot out and planting it firmly, she shifted her weight and stood. Keeping close to the wall she started down the last stretch of the hallways towards her final destination.

[Raphael]

He opened his eyes slowly and his gaze wandered through the scene. It was horrific, it was...

It was wrong. He shook the emotions off and took a closer look. Something about the corpses of the butcher people wasn't right. His eyes wandered through their pale skin, their torn clothes, the blades and shattered glass stuck to them, the name tags on their toes, the cut off limbs, the...

The name tags on their toes. Rob sighed and rubbed his forehead. These weren't victims as such. They were cadavers - corpses the scientists in the Terrosphere used for research and experiments. Whatever had happened to them, it had happened after they were already dead. His heart resumed his normal rate and he took a few steps forward.

The bodies were lying around the entire entrance hall of the facility. No two wore the same clothes or were in the same positions. Some had various objects sticking out of their flesh, others were partially skinned or cut on. Dry blood was smeared all over the walls and the floor. Sarge began to realize what must have happened here and he shook his head in terrified disbelief. It was the work of a ferenzi. Those of the infected who didn't die got insane in very unique ways, bringing the worst of their personality forth. Some were sadistic, others masochistic, paranoid, schizophrenic, some liked to kill, others to rape, torture, even steal. And this one... this one must have envisioned himself or herself as some sort of a sick artist, and this here was their exhibit, their work of art. Rob nearly vomited. It was sick, alright.

Some of the civilians, impatient and uneasy, approached a little closer and gasped when the horrible view unveiled itself to them. One woman threw up, another sobbed. Rob quickly raised his hand and turned to them.

"Nothing to worry about. All of these you see here were cadavers used for research," he said, repeating his own thoughts. "Look at the name tags," he pointed. "An infected must have passed by and wanted to leave a sick joke behind, but there's nothing to worry about. You will be safe here." He beckoned them to follow as he stepped into the Terrosphere, carefully stepping over an elderly woman impaled with what looked like a sharpened leg of a chair. The ferenzi that had done this could still be here, he reminded himself as he steadied his hand. Scared and reluctant, the civilians followed.

[Ivy Mariani]

 Terra continued to count her steps, unsure why she was doing this. It was something she'd done as a kid but had grown out of once the virus had hit. Maybe it was something that was coming back from the stress of seeing the virus this close up again. She continued to count, her lips moving silently as she continued onward. She knew the three levels of the Terrosphere loomed ahead. They should be relatively safe there, it was easy to defend only one way in and out. As long as they could keep the virus out they had a chance.

Opening the door she stood off to the side not knowing what to expect. Keeping her gun up and at the ready she turned cautiously and looking into the top level which was mainly the labs where the cadavers were worked on. She'd spent many days within the labs working into the late hours of the night. They'd come close numerous times to finding a cure but by the time they had it was too late, the cure would break down or the subject being tested would become infected to the point of death.

Sighing she let her eyes roam about the room, her stomach clenching at the sight of strewn body parts. She'd seen gore before, but nothing as brutal as this. Covering her mouth with one hand she let out a soft cough and sob at the sight. She hadn't expected this, and had hoped everyone else had been able to make it past the gruesome display.

[LucianLuna]

(cool. My first attempt at making a group RP is getting interest. *does a happy dance* Just had to get that out of my system)

Lucian follows closely behind the others and looks around at the bodies.  "Damn, that's sick. Even the dead can't get rest in this place."  He carefully made his way past the bodies, being careful not to bump any of them as he made his way into the terrosphere.  "I didn't think even an infected would mess with already dead bodies, guess i was wrong on that one."  He kept his gun raised in case the person who did that was still around. He wanted to make sure he didn't get surprised by anything. His body was already tense from being over alert all this time and he was getting sore from pushing the cart all this way, but he made it. he was alive and he planned to remain alive in this outbreak. he stayed alive during the original outbreak and he can do it now. he just had to keep alert and not panic, don't let anything get to him and he'll be fine.

[Raphael]

{Lol, congratulations :-)}

Some of the civilians backed Lucian's words in various verbal and non-verbal ways, but sarge said nothing. He just beckoned them to hurry out of the main hall and leave the grizzly view behind.

The first lab room on the left as they stepped into the corridor behind the entrance hall was clean and empty. Rob urged everyone in and closed the door before turning to Lucian.

"Luc, would you do me a favor?" he said quietly. "I want to keep the rest here while I do a sweep on the Terrosphere to check for infected or survivors. I sure as hell could use you out there, but we can't just leave the rest here unprotected."

Some of the healthy and less badly injured scientists began to check out the equipment of the lab they were in to see what they can use to start treating the wounds and traumas of the others. Rob nodded towards them.

"If you think you can handle it, you could stay here and guard them until I return. And if I don't return - well, then at least you'll know you're not alone in here, right?" He forced a smile on his face but it wasn't funny. He tapped the young cook on the shoulder. "Lock the door behind me, you've got food and some medical supplies here. I'll be back as soon as I can." He nodded and he turned around to leave the lab.

[Ivy Mariani]

 Sighing her back slumped against the wall. She wanted nothing more than to slide down and sit, allowing herself a moment to break down and let out the large amounts of stress and other emotions that seemed to be plaguing her system right now. Her nerves were beyond shot, beyond being frayed, they were simply.. Gone. One instance of the Ferenzi had been enough, but at least on Earth they had places to run, places to hide from those who had no idea the layout of the land they found themselves on. But on this planet, they all knew the buildings, knew the structures ins and outs and worst of all.. They were left with little room to run.

Though she wanted this moments reprieve from the chaos that had befallen all of them, she couldn't grant herself the time. There was still much to be done, still too much she had to figure out and too many lives still at risk. Straightening her shoulders she sigh, pushed herself from the wall and took a step forward, her foot catching a metal canister and pushing it noisily along the floor.

Instinct made her free, her gun at the ready as she backed towards the wall again, having more than an adequate view of any entrance to the area she was standing in. If something were to come inspect the noise, she would be ready.

[Raphael]

He couldn't even finish when a sound echoed off the walls. It resembled a can being dropped on the floor, and it came from the entrance to the Terrosphere. Rob froze. There was a can, he had seen it. A can filled with pieces of human flesh, in the middle of the 'art gallery' in the entrance hall.

"Shit. Luc, close the door," Rob said and stepped out of the lab, gun pointing straight forward. A quick look to the left and right assured him the hallway was clear. Or so it seemed. Sarge took a deep breath as the familiar feeling of adrenaline being pumped into his veins spread through his body. Step by step, hoping it was a dead body giving in to gravity and tumbling over that pushed that can, he sneaked back towards the entrance, looking over his shoulder every couple of seconds to make sure he was the only one attracted to the sound.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Back among the hallways and staircases of the facility, there was always space to run, always room to fight. But here, back in that tiny lab, all the civilians were trapped. Back there the thought kept him going that if he falls the others would still have a fighting chance. But down here all they had was Luc's gun and a cart of food enough to keep the sated for maybe a day. And no place to run.

No other sound came from the entrance hall. But that meant nothing. It could have been a survivor, an actually sane human being that had caused the noise, now scared and waiting, or running, or hiding. But it could have been an infected now lurking, or just walking around wondering whether to eat the contents of the canister or pluck their own eye out, or masturbate. The virus affected them all differently and their behavior was simply unpredictable. Rob remembered the manic laughter from the maintenance area of the 21st level. Did that creature follow them? Or was it the insane artist - came back and didn't like their work? Or something else? He reached the door leading to the entrance hall and stopped. This was the most dangerous moment. He took a deep breath, looked back to make sure he was alone, and pushed the door open with a powerful kick, stepping back at the same time and aiming forward with the handgun.

[Ivy Mariani]

 The footsteps were easy to hear as she held her breath and prayed for the best. She didn't like the idea of having to face one of the infected while she was on her own and with only a few rounds left in the magazine for the gun she now had. Though she had extra weapons she couldn't waste the time trying to get them free of the bag or their holsters to defend herself.

Leveling her gun she tried to figure out where the footsteps were coming from, whether it was someone coming into the Terrosphere from the hallway she had just left or if it was someone from the labs. She wasn't opposed to shooting Dr Franklin right now if that's who it was. He deserved it, he was likely the cause behind this new spread. But if it was another survivor she couldn't bring herself to do that. But if it was an infected on the other hand.

Swallowing she pushed the thought to the back of her head, finding some form of cool reserve as she lined her sights up. Steadying the gun on a pan of both doors she continued to watch them both with great caution. As the one door came swinging open with a rush of strong force and a loud noise she pointed her gun and squeezed off one shot. The bullet pinged against the wall just next to the door frame, the spent shell popping free of the gun to tink on the floor before it bounced once and rolled underneath one of the gurnies.

Her heart pounded fiercely as she took a strong stance, getting her gun ready for another round. Her ears still rang from the shot and her body shook with adrenaline, but she was ready to make any snap decisions that she might need to make.

[Raphael]

The gunshot echoed off the walls and Rob saw a bullet hitting the wall not 5 feet from his face. He cursed and took cover. Was that one of his soldiers or an infected with a gun? His heart almost skipped a beat. Great. Now they were stuck. Rob weighed his options.

Stand in place? Great, but that would lead nowhere. He couldn't engage openly because he would risk being riddled with holes as soon as he enters the main hall. He couldn't shoot from behind the corner because he didn't know where to aim and he only had 10 rounds left, not enough for the possible 100 infected still roaming the facility. Besides, he didn't know if this wasn't friendly fire, so aiming blindly risked killing a fellow survivor.

Go back? He could walk away from the entrance hall and lure the mysterious shooter into following, maybe, but what if it was an infected? Rob would risk hiding safely somewhere to prepare an ambush while the deranged killer massacres Luc and the other civilians. No.

Neither was good. Retreating, engaging, or standing where he is, no one of these options were good enough unless he knew who he was dealing with and where they were. Talk? Why the hell not, it's not like they didn't know where he was. He decided to give it a try.

"Eiah..." His throat was aching dry. He swallowed a couple of times and wiped the sweat off his face. He tried again.

"Hey there! I'm Sergeant Rhodes and I'm not infected! Seize fire!"

[Ivy Mariani]

 The sudden urge to yell back 'No, you stand down' was overwhelming despite the fact she recognized the voice and knew that the tone didn't seem to fit that of one of the infected. Still she couldn't bring herself to believe that it wasn't just some sort of trickery meant to lure her into some form of false security, only to have her body torn to shreds by some deranged psycho.

Still keeping her gun on the level she took a slow breath only now realizing she was getting light headed from holding it so long. Breathing a little easier she held her ground, maintained her stance and adjusted her grip upon the gun. Something still felt off to her but she wasn't about to object. Chances were it was merely the stress getting to her.

"Sarge?" her eyebrows pinched together as she managed to form the words around a cotton like tongue. Blinking a few times she adjusted her grip again. "Come out from behind the door so I can see you." reaching one hand down she grabbed a retinal scanner, prepared to make sure she was in the clear.

[Raphael]

Rob blinked. "Terra?? Is that you?" The relief was like a sweet drug flowing into his veins. But it was suppressed effectively by growing suspicion. It really was her, he already knew that. The question was, how could he know if she wasn't infected? He saw her entire team butchered. What was the chance she made it out of there alive when fine young trained soldiers had died? He contemplated for a minute.

"How do I know you're clean?" he shouted finally around the corner. A quick look back to make sure he was alone in the hallway. Truth was, he couldn't know. There was no way for either of them to prove they were uninfected unless they could come close to each other. Suddenly, Rob laughed out loud. "I can't know if you're infected. And you can't know if I'm infected. That's a funny situation, don't you think, doctor?"

It wasn't funny. Not one bit. But Rob laughed and with laughter the stress of the last hour started to fade. He felt his head clear up a bit and he waited to see what Dr Seris had to say about this. He pictured her situation - in the main hall, between two doors on the opposite ends of the room, surrounded by an art exhibit of mutilated corpses. He doubted she would find it as funny as he was.

[Ivy Mariani]

 Holding the scanner to her eyes she took an image of them, turning the scanner with the use of her hip so she could see the image for herself. Freezing it she looked over the details. The way the sclera of her eye looked, the veins within them looking as they should, her irises looking as they always had and her retinal scan completely clean. Keeping the image there, she placed the scanner onto the floor as she crouched. Giving it a shove that would get it across the floor but not tumble and run into anything causing it damage, she stood again.

"The scanner. Take a look for yourself. Then scan your own eyes and send it back." she was glad she'd had the presence of mind to keep the scanner on herself and not in her lab coat as she often did. It was one of those small things she was thankful for. Though she'd heard the laugh in the Sarge's voice she hadn't been able to find the slightest bit of humor in the situation. She was surrounded by mutilated corpses from those she had likely once known.

As she waited she resumed her tight grip on her weapon, keeping it aimed and ready in case she had to face him and open fire. She had maybe seven rounds left, not many but it would be enough to keep her safe especially if she hit him with a crippling shot. She didn't want to think of that scenario but it was necessary to keep herself motivated and from breaking down right there.