It's a Big Duty

[wreckyeah]

[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.

Comments

[nobirdsallowed]

[In this particular lab, all is quiet... too quiet. The blue emergency lighting here is flickering dimly, giving everything the same eerie glow as the rest of the tower, and then some. In response to his voice, something clatters over and a flash of white breezes by behind one counter.]

[There's a soft mechanical hum, and a tired face appears around the corner of one cabinet.]

Haff hyu been followed?

[The scientist has spent too much time fighting off these stupid bugs for some bulb-headed marine to come in with a hundred on his tail.]

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph keeps his eyes on the room in front of him, though he occasionally glances as the display on his screen that kept track of where his teammates, and the Cy-Bugs, were.

When the stranger pops up, Ralph points his gun at him, but then breathes a sigh of relief when he realizes that it's a human and not a bug.

He lowers his gun and shakes his head.]

No. I made sure I wasn't.

Come on, we needta get you outta here, it's not safe.

[nobirdsallowed]

[He ducked behind the counter as the gun came swinging his direction, and he only peered out when addressed again.]

Shut de door behind hyu, vill hyu?

[The voice is timid, but clearly annoyed. He's not losing anything else to the cybugs.]

Hy haff to gather my things. Hyu vill haff to give me some time- please.

[Nervously the younger man pulled himself into a standing position,adjusting glasses with a spiderweb of cracks along one lens. His coat is spattered with something dark- is it blood? Is it his? Who knows.]

[He stepped out, turning on a slightly brighter recessed light, and it hummed. In the sudden clarity Ralph could see more dark splatters on his pants, a shredded tear high on the thigh of one, and below that- an apparently slap-dash built but functioning prosthetic leg.]

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph sighs at the scientist's requests, he was told to get any survivors he found out as quickly as possible. But, he doesn't want to just pull this guy away and he could have some valuable information.

After what's probably too long for the scientist's comfort, Ralph shuts the door.]

Fine, but make it quick. An' if you've got anything that'll help us stop the Cy-Bugs, grab that, too.

[Ralph looks around the room, trying to spot any other entrances that the Cy-Bugs could come in, other doors, windows, cracks and weak points in the wall, anything that could be walked or broken through.

The blood on the scientist doesn't surprise Ralph, the Cy-Bugs were vicious. He does make one comment, though.]

We've got a couple of medics takin' care of civilians, they'll get ya patched up once we get you to the base we set up.

[nobirdsallowed]

[When the door finally slides shut, he nods in half-attentive approval. He's clearly not listening, not all the way, or doesn't seem intent on being ordered about. There's a great sense of relief in the moves he makes though, and he's scrambling a little to grab papers and small tools that litter the room.]

Thank God hyu marines finally got here. Hy'm as eager as anyvone to get out of this god forsaken place.

[If Ralph steps in a little closer, the utter disarray becomes clearly less panicked and more... lived in. Lab coats, masks, gloves- anything relatively soft- have been hauled into an empty, open cabinet like a nest. The trash cans are overflowing, the sanitation materials had all been dragged out and were nearly exhausted. A few soldering irons and bunsen burners were gathered in a corner, near empty fuel cans. A snack machine had the glass shattered and it's innards raided and torn out.]

[Most of the survivors who hadn't escaped had barricaded themselves in small groups behind lab doors. This one appeared to have been alone the entire time.]

How many others haff gotten out?

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph's glad that the scientist goes right to work and wasn't dawdling. The sooner he gathered the materials, the sooner they could leave.

He does another quick sweep of the room then responds.]

You an' me both.

[Ralph stays by the door, ready to leave as soon as the scientist was ready to. He does spot some of the overflowing mess, but misses the nest. But, what he can see does indicate survival preparations.

At the question, Ralph thinks for a moment before answering.]

'Bout 29 or so. Around 20 were in a building away from the Tower, and we've extracted 9 survivors from the Tower itself. 10 once I get ya outta here.

[nobirdsallowed]

Good. How many casualties?

[This answer the scientist is paying a bit more attention to. Maybe its real curiosity, but maybe he's buying time. It looks like the scientist is putting some of the scattered parts from a bin together into... something. In the midst of it, he stops and offers a hand to shake.]

Virgil Alexandrescu, head researcher.

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph sighs deeply.]

Too many. Last count I heard was 40, but I'm sure they're findin' more an' more as time goes on.

[He cheers up a little at the offer of a handshake, he lowers his gun, holding in one hand. Then, he carefully takes Virgil's hand between his thumb and a finger and gives it a gentle shake.]

Nice to meet ya, I'm Ralph. Some of the others call me 'Wreck-It', I'll answer to whatever you wanna call me.

[nobirdsallowed]

It's a disaster.

[Another piece gets locked into place angrily, and he shook the hand that was offered.]

Very nice to meet you too, Ralph. Life saving in fact.

If it means anything, hy'm not de vun who thought they should be able to multiply.

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph nods slowly.]

Not gonna lie, it's one of the worst I've seen.

[He'd been a Marine since he was 18, but he's never been on a mission like this. He's been on rescues before, but those were natural disasters.

Ralph gives Virgil a weak smile.]

I'm thankful I was able to find you in time.

[At the scientist's last statement, he barks out a loud, bitter laugh, then gives Virgil a hearty clap on the back, perhaps a little too strongly.]

I'm glad you got a solid head on yer shoulders, Virgil. Not sure what's the worst 'bout 'em, but the multiplyin' thing's on up there.

[It was too late for the statement to mean much of anything, but Ralph appreciates that Virgil wasn't part of creating that programming.]

[nobirdsallowed]

[He jolted forward at the smack, grunting and smiling painfully. Gosh, those are some big hands. He looked down at the thing he was working on and opted to remove the trigger guard.]

Ha, jah... iz not able to be regulated, haz no for sure fail safe... 'Cept de beacon.

Not like dot adaptability. Originally? Just a learning ting. But dot de can assimilate... grow... absorb. Now dot, dots zumting to be proud of.

[Absently, a proud grin parted his lips. Hey, as much trouble as they'd turned out to be, he had to be proud of effectively creating a hyper evolutionary cycle, just one key in the puzzle to life that they'd figured out here.]

But, ve gots bigger tings to do. Und if tings iz like hy tink dey vill be, dis iz gonna be hyu best bet. If hyu ain't got vone already.

[Without much more grandeur, the scientist shouldered the few remaining duct-taped canisters of fuel, lifted the invention he'd been piecing together for the last two weeks, and aimed it at the far wall. With a twitch of one finger on the trigger, a concentrated ball of white flame burst from the barrel and torched away the paint, flame licking at metal.]

Should be helpful.

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph gives him a single nod, it's rather curt, he's frustrated about the situation. But, there's nothing he can do about it now, except help clean up the mess.]

Right, and even then, it's not a great solution. Once we get everybody cleared out, we're gonna light it up and run it as long as it can.

[From what they've been told, it's a high-power operation, so it can only be activated for short periods of time before it cuts off.

Ralph snorts softly, shaking his head.]

They're impressive, I'll give all of ya that. But, looks to me like they're more trouble than they're worth.

[He could see the applications of them, they could even replace the Space Marines. They could do their jobs, plus more, and not have to be paid. They didn't have to eat, either, they gobbled up anything they could get their claws on. However, they're completely out of control and doing far more harm than they could ever do good.

Ralph watches as Virgil shows off his improvised weapon, and he's genuinely impressed.

He grins.]

Nice! That'll definitely stop 'em in their tracks. Wonder if it's bright enough to activate that failsafe of theirs?

[They were attracted to the Beacon because of its light, would fire have the same effect on them?]

[nobirdsallowed]

It'll certainly draw dem. But it ain't got a ton of fuel, unless hyu can pick up more.

De point is, use it only for zumting hyu tink is really vorth blowing to smithereens.

[He withheld it from Ralph's grasp for a moment.]

But ve ain't leaving yet. Dere iz zumting ve need to check on, dot hy haff a hunch about. And hyus takink me vith hyu.

[wreckyeah]

I don't imagine there's a lotta fuel left 'round here, but maybe there's some lyin' around. I'll keep the limited use in mind, I've got plenty of plasma left in my gun.

[He lifts it up to bring Virgil's attention to it, it's a large and stocky gun, very rectangular with not much extra added on. Everything about it is huge, partially to fit in Ralph's giant hands and partially because this model is a hefty grenade launcher, sending large bursts of plasma to deal damage to more than one enemy at a time.

When Virgil mentions that they're not done yet, he snorts.]

We need to get outta here, pronto. Is this thing yer gonna check on a lower level of the Tower? 'Cause that's th' direction we need to be headed in.

[nobirdsallowed]

[He barked an angry, bitter laugh.]

No vay space man. If hy'm right, hyu is gonna vant to see dis. Ve's headed to de tower center, de atrium.

[He paused, assuming he should explain.]

De vater haz been flowing strange for de last several days.

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph huffs when Virgil insists that they need to go to the atrium. He's about to argue, when he mentions that the water's been different. Obviously something was causing problems, and it was likely a Cy-Bug or a hive of them causing it.

He's here for rescue and extraction, he's not supposed to seek out Cy-Bugs to pick a fight.

But, there's also a chance that maybe someone else rerouted the water, perhaps there's survivors that've holed up and used whatever resources they could from the atrium.

Ralph tilts his head.]

Are you thinkin' there's survivors there? Or just Cy-Bugs?

[nobirdsallowed]

Probably cybugs, but mebbe people. De atrium holds a greenhouse and watering system, und hy vas in charge of it. Dere's food dere survivors might have been brave enough to seek. Hy'm checking it out, und hyu need hyu vith me sp- Ralph.

[If he uses your name, that means you're friendly, right? You're his friend now and you're going to help, For Science and to maybe save lives.]

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph sighs.]

If you think there's a pretty good chance there's some survivors hangin' out there, then I'll go with ya.

I'm not lookin' for trouble, though. If you think there's just Cy-Bugs that've taken it over, I'm not goin'. My job is to get as many people outta here as possible before we start clearin' the bugs out. There's no time to be pickin' fights for no reason.

[nobirdsallowed]

There's probably pipple.

[The scientist said decisively, not looking up. He doubted it, but Ralph couldn't just abandon potential victims. Not even imaginary ones. He unshouldered the fire canon and offered it to ralph, brown eyes wide, hopeful, and immensely tired behind his cracked, blood-spotted glasses.]

But ve haff to go. Hy need hyu vith me.

[wreckyeah]

[Once Virgil says that there's probably people in the atrium, he nods. That had made his decision for him, there was no way he was going to leave anyone to die in this place. There had been so many bodies and victims already, he wasn't going to contribute to that by not helping where he could.]

Then lead the way.

[When he's offered the fire cannon, Ralph looks to his own weapon, then holds it out to Virgil.]

Which do ya want? I can't shoot both, I need two hands to fire mine.

[nobirdsallowed]

Hy've alvays vanted to try vone of dese.

[The young man took Ralph's grenade launcher in his arms. At first, it looks like he might not be able to lift it- he struggles to position it in his hands and the prosthetic leg he's leaning heavily on groans distressingly as if it's going to give out. But he grunts and shifts the eight around, propping it on his left hip with two hands.]

Let's go.

[On the opposite side of the room he hit a button, raising the door and offering them access to a new part of the tower- the path two the atrium. And a whole host of nests along the way.]

[wreckyeah]

[Ralph carefully takes the flamethrower from Virgil, it's light in his hands, due to his size and strength. It takes him a moment to adjust to the lower weight. He's not particularly happy about handing over his gun, but if they were both armed, they had better chances of getting out of here alive.

He nods and follows Virgil out into the Tower, keeping an eye on his radar as they go.]

You got any idea how many people are holed up out here?

[nobirdsallowed]

There's no vay to tell. Could be de whole agriculture unit.

[Virgil is hunched slightly forward to help keep the pressure of his leg, charging ahead carefully. He turned his head from side to side, looking out for any cybugs that appear.]

[At first it seems fine, the first hundred yards is clear. But, that doesn't mean its going to last long. The closer they get to the atrium and suddenly Ralph's screen is crowded with incoming enemies.]

[wreckyeah]

[That could be a lot of people. With 100 floors, the Tower was a hive of activity, it took a lot of people to run it for the many people that worked there.

Things are uneventful at first, but as soon as Ralph spots the enemies onscreen, he gives Virgil the Space Marine hand signal to stop and says.]

Hold up, we've got an incomin' crowd of Cy-Bugs.

The grenade launcher you've got is fulla plasma, so don't worry 'bout wastin' it. The explosive blasts it shoots can take out multiple enemies at once, so you don't hafta worry too much 'bout accuracy, either. Just point an' shoot an' be quick about it to take 'em out.

[Ralph shifts into a solid battle stance, holding the flamethrower at the ready. This round would be up to Virgil, because of the limited fuel for the flamethrower, but he'd scorch anything that got too close. His number one goal is to keep Virgil alive and that's what he plans on doing.]

[nobirdsallowed]

Thenks, hy tink hy can handle it.

[When they do start coming in, the scientist seems shockingly adept at this. The plasma canon has a little kickback, but he seems to handle it alright. It becomes quickly clear that Virgil has some sort of weapons training. He's sticking close to Ralph, practically under one armored arm as he blasts away at the bugs.]