Second attempt at horror, first attempt at psychological warfare.
Last One Out, Hit the Lights"This is Bravo-22, approaching submerged facility now." The Pilot, Chris Langley, said through the intercom.
"Alright everyone, check your gear, we're closing in. Langley, any sign of the missing squad?" A lone Lieutenant, Theron Helix, spoke.
"Spotting floating wreckage. Rapidly sinking." Langley reported.
Helix put on his helmet, hearing it click as it sealed to the bodysuit. Instantly a wave of cool, metallic air filled his helmet. He checked his armor for any compromises. It seemed perfectly fine. Aquatic mission was a go.
"Approaching drop-off site now." Langley spoke into the intercom.
The dropship hovered over the water, and the back ramp angled down, and the side doors slid open. The starry night was now visible. Helix gave a quick briefing.
"Alright. You all know what we're here for. But for those of you who need extra clarification, let me enlighten you. This planet here is an Oceanic planet, called 'Trident'. Meaning, all ocean, hardly any land except for the bottom of the sea. We've had facilities established on this planet before. UFE wanted to conduct research here, specifically on the other species we've encountered. This particular facility is completely off-the-grid. Blacked out. Doesn't exist. Brass doesn't think it's necessary that we know what's gone on here, so it's classified. We don't know what they've been doing here, but what we do know, is that this place was evacuated just short of a month ago."
"So, we're pretty much hunting in the dark?" A private spoke up.
"A team was sent here a few hours ago. Elites. And they've gone dark. Their purpose here is also classified. Our objective is search and rescue. We find the squad, we evac them. Boom, mission accomplished."
"Dunno about you guys, but I'm more interested in this facility than the squad."
"Getting that team is top priority. Exploring the facility, finding out what happened, that's all secondary and optional. Considering the secrecy of this place, it's probably not a good idea, either."
"Neither is searching for a missing team in a virtually non-existent top secret facility that we know next to nothing about."
"Good point. Alright, no more wasting time, let's get down there. Jackson, take point." Helix said to the private.
The private approached the back ramp, and jumped out of the dropship into the wreckage filled water below, disappearing. Everyone else followed suit, Helix being the last one out. Loud splashes sounded as each soldier hit the water. The second Helix hit it, he was overwhelmed with a feeling of cold, until his bodysuit used thermal regulators to keep him warm. Bubbles clouded his visor, but when they finally cleared, he was mesmerized by the beauty of the ocean. Hundreds, possibly thousands of fish swam around a great many of coral reefs and forests of seaweed. However, it was dark; Moonlight isn't as good as sunlight when it comes to the ocean. The drop to the seafloor, shrouded in darkness, was a long one.
"Wow. Look at this place. Makes me wonder why we haven't tried making ocean cities or something." Sergeant Baxter spoke over comms.
"We'd go bankrupt." Helix replied.
"Can I just point out the swarm of Draxes heading towards us?" Jackson said, warning of incoming Drax, a species of fish similar to sharks, the average member being slightly bigger than a Great White. However, they were a brownish dirty gold color, and had a great many dorsal fins running along their backs.
"Act casual. Maybe they won't notice us." Baxter joked.
"Not funny. Those things are deadly, and we haven't met one that isn't hungry."
After a few moments, the swarm seemed to swim off into the distance, however, one Drax had stayed. It had noticed the team, and it was rapidly moving towards them.
"Engage thrusters, evasive maneuvers!" Helix called out, angling his body downwards in a dive and engaging his thruster pack.
The rest of the platoon did the same. The dived further into the deep sea with the help of their thruster packs, but the Drax was incredibly fast.
"Help! It's closing in on me!" Jackson yelled, unholstering his pistol. He aimed it at the Drax, but it was ultimately faster. The Drax clamped down on Jackson's leg, ripped it off, and swam away, getting ready for a U-Turn. Jackson's screams filled the comms as the Drax returned, devouring him whole in a shower of blood and gore. The rest of the platoon managed to reach the seafloor, landing in between a small ravine. They unholstered their rifles, designed specifically for aquatic missions, and began firing at the Drax.
It was incredibly resilient, but ultimately, the combined firepower of the platoon overwhelmed the Drax. It flipped upside down, dead, as it's green blood filled the water.
"Come on, we've gotta keep going. That swarm will be back. A single Drax can smell blood miles away." Helix said, moving through the ravine. It wasn't long before the swarm could be heard, the sound of flipper getting closer.
"Facility in sight." Baxter said. Indeed a facility could be seen at the end of the ravine, and airlock in sight.
"Keep moving!" Helix said.
They rushed as fast as they could to the facility, but it was hardly fast enough. The swarm easily closed the gap. However, as a weight suddenly solidified in each of the soldier's stomachs, the Draxes stopped just short of them. The platoon had a standoff with the Drax. Helix stared one in the eyes. It's eyes moved rapidly, looking at the facility rather than the soldiers. Helix couldn't really tell all too much, but it seemed afraid. It slowly turned away, before swimming away as fast as possible. The rest of the swarm followed.
"Uh. Was that suppose to happen?" Baxter asked.
"..Doesn't matter. Let's get inside before something else happens." Helix said, slightly shakened.
Helix dialed buttons on a keypad near the massive airlock. Access granted. It took several moments before the airlocks slid open, in which water had already filled the room. The water from the room connected with the water outside without much turbulence. They entered the airlock, and the outer doors closed. The water drained from the room, and the inner doors opened, revealing a hallway. A red, floating light appeared before Helix, and it floated down the hallway, rounding a corner.
"What the...?" Helix said aloud. He turned around and looked at the other end of the hallway. It also rounded a corner.
"Split up. Baxter, half the platoon, take your pick of soldiers. I'll take the other half and follow that light."
"Aye, sir." Baxter said, picking out 9 of the 18 soldiers to go with him. Helix took the others down the left side of the hallway, where the light went. They rounded the corner, and saw the light again. It floated down the hallway some more, before transforming and taking shape. It took the form of an armored being, but it had a slender build of a woman. She was covered head to toe in advanced-looking armor. Her helmet had "horns" where the ears were at, angled backwards and protruding upwards toward the sky. She turned her head slightly, so that half of the front of her helmet could be seen. She then exploded in a shower of red floating lights, smaller than before, but much brighter. They lit up the incredibly dark hallway, revealing mangled bodies littering the floor.
Suddenly, oily shadow-like tendrils laced Helix's vision, and a headache formed in his head. He put a hand to his head, and the other soldiers did the same, some dropping to their knees in pain. A chorus of laughs and chuckles could be heard. It was odd. A mixed blend of deep laughter, to child-like laughter, to feminine laughter. But of all the mocking laughs in this chorus, the feminine giggles were the most profound. Almost as suddenly as they appeared, they receded. Helix looked up, and noticed his vision was slightly distorted.
A pounding on metal could be heard, as a door on the right side of the hallway began denting outward. The metal door launched off of it's hinges, and hit one of the windows on the left side of the hallway. The window showing the ocean cracked greatly, but it didn't breach. Xelials swarmed through. They were a species created as a bioweapon by the highly advanced Erai. They had a great many of castes, each having their own specific roles within the species' society.
A combined group of two castes blocked the way to the rest of the hallway. Swarmers, the most common caste of the Xelials, lacked mouths and absorbed nutrients through their skin. They ripped apart their prey to "eat". They had armored, chitin layered-like skin, and spikes protruding from various places on their body. Three particular spikes protruding from their heads. The second caste of the group, was officially unnamed, but the few soldiers to have encountered them have nicknamed them "Flowerheads". There were only two present.
Flowerheads were technically arachnid-crustacean hybrids. They had eight legs, the front two armored with thick chitin to protect their vulnerable faces, and were almost always held up at an angle in a striking position, the two prongs at the bottom used for stabbing. They were called "Flowerheads" because of their "mouths". They had two sets of mandibles, three "outer mandibles" and four "inner mandibles". The inner mandibles connected to the throat-hole and were used to chew and drag prey, piece by piece, chunk by chunk, into the throat-hole to swallow. The outer mandibles were much larger than the inner mandibles, as they formed the head, and were used to hold prey in place for the inner mandibles to devour. They could also chew and bite slightly, but it was rather odd and slow.
Top: Swarmer. Bottom: "Flowerhead".
Flowerheads were completely blind. They don't have eyes. However, they do have slits in their "mouths" for smelling. A pair of slits on either side that had an extremely well-developed sense of smell. They used this strong sense of smell to find prey. However, once they got ahold of prey, it'll be the only thing they can smell until they realize they're being attacked. Similar to bloodlust, but more like a lack of surrounding-awareness.
"Boss, why in God's name are there Xelials here?" Corporal Bobby Jenkins spoke up, his voice trembling with fear.
"Top secret place, remember? Brass might of wanted this secret, too. Just aim and fire." Helix replied.
They focused fired on the Swarmers first, who charged then. They went down one after another, but there was at least ten of them. Two managed to grab a Private, and began ripping him to shreds. By the time the two went down, they were covered in gore. Along with entrails.
The squad returned their attention to the pair of Flowerheads, who stood their ground defiantly, shield-legs raised to protect their mouths. One decided to be reckless and charged, it's pronged legs in striking positon. It stabbed a soldier in the chest and flung him out the way, before clamping down on another soldier with it's outer mandibles. It pinned him on the ground and began devouring him, while the soldiers focused fire on it's thick hide. It released the mangled soldier and turned it's head towards the group, getting a mouth full of lead.
Helix turned to witness Jenkins get stabbed in the chest by the second Flowerhead. The group focused fire once more, bringing the beast down. The oily tendrils in Helix's vision suddenly expanded, until he could see only darkness. His eyes opened, his hands were on his head, he was on his knees, and the Xelials were gone. Helix gasped for breath, the fight taking it's toll.
"What just happened?" Helix asked. So much had happened, and now it's like it didn't happen at all.
However, Helix saw Jenkins on the ground, appearing unconscious. Helix tried to shake him awake, but it was clear he was dead, as were a few other soldiers, however, they had no visible wounds.
"We.. need to keep moving.." Helix said, realizing he was gasping for breath. The fight was taking it's toll.
"No way, man! That was too intense!"
"And where do you expect to go? We're on the ocean floor. You can't run. We need to finish the mission, and be done with this whole freakshow." Helix said.
Helix approached the door where the Xelials had supposedly come from, and it slid open. The squad walked down to the far end of this new hallway, approaching a cargo elevator. It was much bigger than a standard elevator, easily capable of fitting the entire squad. When the last soldier got on the elevator, it descended into the basement level. The oily shadow-tendrils appeared on the edges of Helix's vision again. But the pain was much more intense this time.
"Helix! There everywhere! We're being overru-" Baxter could be heard over the comm, but it was cut out to static.
Helix quickly succumbed to the intense pain, alling unconscious.
***
He woke up, in some sort of void. It was pure black, but he was fully aware.
Interesting... The feminine-dominated chorus of voices called out. Your will to live is much more resilient than I thought. However, you have dared to enter my territory. Now I will invade yours!Instantly, a flood of memories filled the void. But they were all bad memories. When he was pants in 6th grade. The embarrassment. When he accidentally burned down his house. The guilt. His last Halloween, where he angrily destroyed the neighbor's pumpkin patch, and was punished severely for it. The shame. Voices filled his head, from various bad memory relapses. It was beginning to drive him insane. He felt so much pain, and it gradually built up.
And then suddenly eased away. The void appeared once more.
Hmm... The chorus whispered.
The feminine Erai-like figure appeared before him.
Come to me... She spoke.
Helix woke from his slumber. He was still on the elevator. The door was opened, revealing a single hallway ending with a single door. His teammates were gone, and he felt very, very cold. He stumbled trying to get up, shivering. But the cold came to pass. He picked up his rifle, and cautiously walked down the hallway. As he came closer to the door, the oily tendrils reappeared, but came with no pain.
The door open, revealing a single large room, with doors lining the place. The door closed behind him as he walked into the room. He looked back at the door, then back at the center of the room, where the feminine Erai-like figured now stood.
"Do you want to play a game?" She spoke, the chorus of voices echoing around the room.
"Who are you? Where is my platoon? The Elite squad that was here before?"
"That is not an answer. But I assure you, they are safe. As you can see." She said, the metal doors around the room opening, revealing cells containing the platoon, as well as a cell at the end of the room, containing the squad Helix was searching for. "I am known as the 'Siren'. Now answer me. Do you want to play a game?"
"I want my platoon. And the Elites."
"Then play the game."
"Fine. What is the game?"
"I call it... Trick, or Treat."
"What kind of name is that?"
"Figure out the trick, and you get the treat."
"And the treat?"
"These soldiers."
"Alright... fine. I'll play."
"Good. You have as long as you can stay alive to figure out the trick." She finished, as Xelials entered the room from where Helix had entered. He opened fire on the Swarmers, taking note of the fact that they began to disappear in a purple smoke as they went down. He then remembered earlier, how they disappeared after the battle. Even as he gunned down the Swarmers, more came to take their place, and soon, Flowerheads entered the room. Sure of what he was thinking, Helix finally called out to the Siren.
"I have the answer!" Helix yelled.
"Oh? Do tell." The Siren replied.
"The trick is that, none of this is real. You've been in my head this entire time. These Xelials are not real. You created them. You have been tormenting me. Tormenting my men. You are not real."
"Good answer. Very good answer, in fact. You are very perceptive. But ultimately, you are wrong." The Siren said, giggling.
"What?! How?!"
"You provided the wrong answer. Yes, I have created all of this, with the intent of tormenting you. Before killing you. And I am very much real." She said, as the oily tendrils disappeared from Helix's vision.
The Siren now appeared as a Xelial. She had masked herself. She had spines protruding from her arched back, four tendrils on her back, two large ones over her shoulder and two smaller ones by her side, as well as clawed, slender fingers. She floated from the ground as she possessed no legs. Her head was eyeless, but looked rather eel-like. Her mouth appeared quite small, but could easily expand three times it's current size.
"Why? Torment me? Why kill me?"
"I told you. You invaded my territory. Not to mention you're potential food."
"Wait, if that's not the answer... Then what was the trick..?" Helix questioned, terrified.
The Siren began giggling intensely.
"I lied."
Those were the last words Helix ever heard, as the Siren floated towards him faster than he could comprehend. Her gaping maw expanded, revealing a great many teeth. She closed the gap between them extremely quickly, and the last thing he saw was the darkness as her maw devoured him whole.
), though.
