boxofmystery | It's a Big Duty

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It's a Big Duty

[The Space Marines hadn't been on the unnamed planet for very long, but so far, this mission had been something of a disaster. Most of the Marines had been injured and they had even lost a couple. Not a good start to what was shaping up to be a long mission.

The distress call had been responded to promptly, however, even with the speed, it appears that they had gotten there much too late. There were a few survivors, but they were few and far between. The Cy-Bugs were programmed well, they took down their targets with ease in most cases.

Despite the danger, it was deemed best that everyone split up so that the area could be searched quicker. Time was of the essence, the Space Marines could defend themselves, the scientists and other civilians didn't have the resources that they did that would keep them safer. The main goal was to find all the survivors and get them to safety, then start a mass elimination of the Cy-Bugs.

The planet was on a strict quarantine, some reinforcements and supplies could be brought in, but no one could leave the planet until the Cy-Bugs were completely destroyed. They were much too dangerous to be let off the planet, just one could cause untold damage.

Ralph had been assigned to check some of the labs, he's bigger and stronger than most of the other Marines, so he was assigned some of the more dangerous sections of the planet.

He kicks down doors, scanning rooms for any signs of life. Occasionally there's a lone Cy-Bug he has to deal with, but, so far, it's been all quiet.

Every now and then, he calls out to anyone that might be able to hear him.]

Hello? Is anybody there? I'm here to rescue you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ralph, dere are bigger problems in de vould den monsters und var. Hyu vent out to protect hyu mama, aint hyu gonna visit her?

[He really doesn't mean to guilt you but, seriously?]

Und jah, it better. Dey can't brush dis off; dis is deir accident.

[There was nothing they could do to pay for the fear, the pain, the Paranoia and, he'll mention it again, losing a very significant part of himself. But starting with a steak dinner might help.]

[Ralph shakes his head.]

I'd like to, but, like I said, there's always a mission that's assigned and people to help. They're countin' on the Space Marines to keep safe.

[He nods.]

Right, they gotta do somethin' to make it right by everybody who got caught up in this mess.

[It could be a while before that payment comes, and, if things go poorly, neither of them could be alive when it's time for Virgil to be paid for his suffering.]

Vell, vhatever vorks.

[He pulled the gun back up, shifting his weight around uncomfortably.]

Lets finish dis zo I can go home.

[Ralph nods and readies the flamethrower.]

All right. Which way do we need to go now? We're pretty clear at the moment, I don't have any bugs on my radar.

[The young man looked back and forth quickly, finishing regaining his bearings.]

De atrium should be de first exit on either side. Its a fifteen floor open area ov de tower. Either efferyting vill be dead or overgrown, but if dere are survivors

[Probably not, but he's got to check on his experiments and if there are survivors, that's good.]

Dey'll be inside.

Got it.

[He's glad for the overview, he can pick up some of the floorplan on his radar, but it's pretty limited.]

Is there anything else interestin' about it? Does it have a lotta windows?

[If it was a greenhouse-like area, it might have windows to bring in outside light. Unfortunately, that meant that the Cy-Bugs outside could possibly spot them or any survivors.]

Since de security system has ben set off, de outdoor vindows vill be closed. But dere are vhite sunlights, dey'll only be off if de emergency backup failed. If y'm guessing de time right, dey'll be on.

[He nodded to himself.]

De water und lighting systems all hookup through dere. De vater haz been running strangely, so someting has happened to it. Ve gotta go in and check it out. See if its survivors.

[That's good news and some interesting news, Ralph nods.]

Hey, how bright are these sunlights, anyway? You think they'd be enough to distract the Cy-Bugs?

[If they could get them to light up brighter, it could keep them occupied while him and Virgil run in and pull out the survivors.]

Dey's supposed to emulate natural sunlight, so probably not.

If dey plants have grown out, ve may have some good cover.

[Oh well, it was a thought, Ralph nods.]

I'm glad for that.

[It could also make the Cy-Bugs and the survivors harder to find, but with his radar, he should be able to spot them before they spot him.]

You said that the hookups all go through here, are there pipes or somethin' we can follow right to the source?

[If someone or something was messing with them, that would take them straight to the problem.]

Should be two floors up, vhere the atmosphere and climate control systems meet in the center.

[Virgil dug through his blood-spattered ripped coat, removing a systems map and offering it to Ralph.]

Take dis, so hyu know vhere to go.

[Ralph nods and carefully takes the map from Virgil and starts looking it over.]

Thanks.

[After a couple of minutes of looking it over, he turns his attention back to the scientist.]

Should we head up that way first? Or is our best bet of findin' survivors straight through the atrium?

Either vay. Dis is de closest access point, ve can see vhat ve pick up along the vay.

[He shrugged casually, tilting his head towards the doorway they had stopped at.]

[Ralph thinks this over.]

If that's the closest way in, I guess we better take it.

[The way upstairs may be blocked off or could take a while, he's trying to hurry this up, so the quickest way in is what seems to be the best.]

Sounds good.

[Virgil opened the door, stepping back and allowing Ralph to lead the way.]

[The atrium is teaming with life- far more than one would expect. Stalks of overgrown and underpicked corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, strawberries and so on bumped the ceiling, tendrils and vines crawling across the floor. Something enormous hung down the center, passing deep below them and high above, tangled in vines. Virgil's eyebrows shot up and he moved closer behind the solder.]

[Ralph goes in without hesitation, but he's taking it slow, in order to get a good look at the situation.

He's scanning the area for any signs of life, sudden movements, broken plants, anything that would signal that someone has been there at some recent point.

Ralph's also keeping an eye on his radar, trying to spot any Cy-Bugs or humans as soon as he can.

He remains silent, not wanting to draw any attention to their position just yet, there's still a chance this place could be full of bugs and not survivors.]

[It quickly becomes apparent that there at least someone has been here. Some corn cobs scattered the floor here and there, long dried. Apple cores sat in mulchy piles of ripe brown.]

[Observing without a word, Virgil tried to keep quiet. His leg betrayed him, hissing with each bend of the knee and the occasional squeal of strain. The young man's eyes stayed trained on the great mass, occasionally craning his head up to see. It seemed to be stemming from what used to be the climate control system, pipes holding it precariously stable.]

Dis ting vasn't here before. Is fascinating.

[His voice was hushed, but full of wonderment[

[Ralph's eyes widen when he sees the remnants of food. Cy-Bugs wouldn't leave a scrap, they ate everything. There definitely had been survivors here at some point, but it was hard to tell how long ago. He starts following the trail of debris, when Virgil speaks up.

He freezes in place and looks back towards the scientist, hissing a hasty whisper at him.]

If it hasn't been there before, then it's probably somethin' the Cy-Bugs caused. We gotta get these survivors out quick before there's any trouble.

[Alright Spaceman, you do that. Virgil has made up his mind, he knows where he's going.]

...Ve check dose two floors up, dey may have tried to fix de system.

[If the cybugs have put something here, the people who ate those corncobs are long dead. The overgrown plants scream abandonment. That growth is the centerpiece, and he's partially responsible for it, just humor him. Or don't, he'll go anyway.]

[Ralph grunts in frustration, he wants to check the lower area for survivors. But, he's got to keep Virgil safe, that's his main duty.]

Fine, maybe we'll get a better view of where the survivors might be at from up there.

[He's willing to go, but he doesn't like it. They should already be halfway down the Tower by now.]

Oh, jah, sure.

[But, Ralph, what is up there is important- it's new! Exciting! It's the best thing he's seen in two weeks! He cares very little for the original plans. Not that he wants to put Ralph in danger, but... you can't not be curious about what the hell this mass of pipes and vines is.]

[He started limping up the grated stairway, grunting in pain more often than not as it echoed off the walls. The sound of hissing air and running water whispers in the background.]

[Ralph lets Virgil lead the way, he doesn't know where the scientist is wanting to go. As he grunts, Ralph frowns.]

Are you sure you're wantin' to do this? I can get ya back to a medic after we exit th' Tower.

[Virgil definitely sounds like he's in pain, he shouldn't be climbing stairs like that.]

[Virgil stopped to rest at the top, sighing.]

Iz just de damn bum leg. Hy can make it to de top, und ve can look at vhats happened here and go on.

[And get a home cooked meal, and some much needed pain medication.]

Trust me.

Well, if yer sure that yer fine...

[He's not so sure about it, but hopefully this wouldn't take too long and then they could get out of the Tower.

Ralph'll wait for Virgil to continue and lead the way, he doesn't want to push his leg too much. He might need it to run.]

[Determined to make it up, Virgil lugs the canon and starts up the next flight of steps. It seems to be getting warmer as they move, the perspiration building up on the scientist's glasses and Ralph's helmet.]

Hy vonder...

[The mass is clearer now, obscuring the view down the next seven floors.]

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