A Star's Descent

By evolution-500

Disclaimer: House of the Dead and Resident Evil are properties belonging to SEGA and Capcom respectively. I do not own any of these characters.

Chapter Seven: Empress

Kenneth J. Sullivan always tried to maintain a cool and calm demeanor, especially in the face of danger. It allowed him to be more analytical and cautious. However, his current predicament made it difficult to keep up the facade of stoicism. He was terrified. He and his team were blocked in, with no possible exit. In front of them stood a twelve-foot thing wearing some sort of armor, carrying a dual chainsaw, while behind them was a scorpion that he estimates to be, with the tail, three or four meters in height and one point five meters thick.

"This is bullshit!" Aiken cursed.

"MOVE!" Marini roared.

Before Sullivan even had a chance to react, the armored entity raised her weapon and smashed its frame against a table that was lying nearby off the floor. As the table flew up, Sullivan reflexively raised his arms and shouted in alarm. Pain flared from his arms and chest as he collapsed onto the ground.

"Kenneth!"

Gunfire filled the train car.

Sullivan tried to sit up, but found himself unable to. A heavy weight was pressing down on him, making it difficult to breathe. The table, he realized, was pinning him down, making him very vulnerable. The sound of multiple taps caused him to tilt his head back to look up. The scorpion was starting to move toward him.

With horror and alarm, Sullivan struggled underneath the table, desperately trying to escape, praying to whoever would listen.

* * * * *

Enrico Marini charged over to Sullivan's position as Aiken laid suppressing fire on the giant armored being. To his chagrin, the damned scorpion was laying its beady little eyes on the disabled Bravo, looking at him as if he were a ripe meal. When the bastard was no more than a foot away from him, Marini fired the .557 Tyrannosaur.

A deafening crack filled the air, followed by a shriek as the weapon jerked upward violently, the creature stumbling away backward in reaction.

'This should give me some time,' he thought as he looked worriedly back to his subordinate.

"Kenneth, are you alright?" he asked.

"I have a fucking table on me! Does it look like I'm alright?! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Sullivan snapped.

"Just hold on," Marini said as he grabbed hold of the table. The muscles in his biceps and forearms strained as the table was lifted, and he had almost finished when the scorpion's tail darted for him, missing his skull by mere inches.

"HOLY-!" he yelled in surprise as the floor trembled from the impact of the strike.

Marini frantically raised the elephant gun and fired off another round, blowing a hole into the things shell, knocking it back several feet with a cry. As pieces of the shell flaked off with spiderweb-like cracks surrounding the crater that he blew into the creature's head, realization dawned upon the Bravo Captain as he recalled the contents of that journal.

Reaching into his pocket, he reloaded his weapon, then fired again. The scorpion shrieked, its legs buckling as the blast caused it to stumble away. Marini fired the second round and started to reload again. As the scorpion regained its footing, it raised its claws, protectively guarding its head.

Marini smirked as he finished reloading.

'Like that will protect you,' he thought smugly as he took aim.

BOOM!

The round deflected off into the ceiling, allowing it to move forward.

Shit. Marini carefully aimed again at its head.

BOOM!

The second round deflected, this time into a wall.

He was getting worried now. The creature was now a foot away and Marini barely had time to reload when the thing lashed out with the back of its claw. Pain flared in his arms, forcing him to release the elephant gun along with the box of ammunition as he collapsed away from Sullivan, slamming into the bar table. It was a miracle that none of his bones were broken!

Cursing loudly, Marini frantically tried to recollect his weapon.

* * * * *

Aiken cursed as he loaded in his only remaining clip.

What the hell should he do?!

Gunfire was not having any discernable effect on the damn psycho.

Instead, it just made her even angrier, causing her to swing those massive chainsaws with the violent gracefulness of a Roman gladiator drugged with Crystal Meth, cutting through the walls and carpet alike. He was fortunate enough to get away with some minor cuts on his clothes and grazes, but he didn't know how long he could keep it up for. She was fast, insanely fast! He never knew it was possible for something so big to move so quickly!

'Think, Richard, think!' he thought to himself.

There has to be a way of beating this thing!

'How?! It's heavily armored, it has no vulnerable spots!' Part of him argued.

'Of course it has a vulnerable spot!' he countered. Aiken just needed to find it.

All he needed was some sort of tactic to-

"RICHARD LOOK OUT!"

His thoughts were interrupted as the psycho extended her leg and kicked him squarely in the solar plexus. The next thing Aiken knew, he felt his body painfully soaring through the air, his ribs practically screaming.

"RICHARD!"

'Stupid stupid stupid!' Aiken cursed before slamming hard onto the floor. Groaning, he opened his eyes, and found himself staring into the mandibles of the giant scorpion. Saliva spilled onto his forehead as the arthropod looked at him hungrily.

THOOMTHOOMTHOOMTHOOM.

The rumbling of the floor caused Aiken to raised up his head. The humanoid juggernaut was running, dragging one end of the dual chainsaws along the carpet, its metal teeth chewing up the floor hungrily toward him.

"Fuck me," he said as he watched the scorpion raised its stinger, rearing it back to deliver its killing blow.

"RICHARD GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

'MOVE!' his brain screamed.

Tightening the muscles in his jaw, Aiken quickly rolled over to the right as the two collided into each other. The spear-like tip repeatedly jabbed and deflected off of the humanoid's armored shoulder as the chainsaw chewed its way slowly through its right claw. Shrieks of pain and rage echoed across the room, deafening the Bravo as plumes of smoke and sparks filled up the air. The two creatures grappled with one another, neither one willing to let go.

"RICHARD!"

Looking over to where he heard the voice, Aiken spotted Marini trying to lift the table off of Sullivan.

"Get your ass over here!" He barked.

Aiken stepped forward only to cry out and stumbled as something large knocked him down. Looking back at the two combatants, he got back to his feet, keeping a steady eye on them as they shoved and delivered blows, trying to overpower each other. There was constant movement.

Aiken swallowed, exhaling loudly through his nostrils.

He had to time it carefully. If the timing was off, it could potentially mean his own demise.

The scorpion pushed the humanoid to the other end of the room.

Seeing that as an opportunity, Aiken bolted over to Sullivan's position.

In a sudden move, the humanoid lashed back at the creature, shoving it toward him.

Oh shit!

They were gaining on him.

Shit, shit, shit!

In a last minute effort, Aiken dived next to his comrades, the floor shuddering mere inches away as the two creatures struggled for dominance. Screaming, Aiken waved his arms wildly and protectively over his head as he folded himself into a fetal position, rolling around as the creature's feet stomped around him, narrowly missing him. How he was able to avoid becoming a S.T.A.R.S. pancake, he had no clue, but he was screaming at the top of his lungs when the psycho's foot came crashing down.

* * * * *

"RICHARD!" Marini cried.

As the creatures pulled back, he saw Aiken lying there, shaking furiously before finally rising up onto rubbery legs.

"Are you okay?" Marini asked.

"Yeah," Aiken said, his voice ghastly.

"I thought it stomped on your head!"

"No. Close enough, though. Too close."

"Grab the end of the table," Marini ordered, sighing with relief, "Okay, on a count to three. One. Two. Three!"

The two men groaned as they lifted it up.

"Kenneth, crawl!" Marini muttered through gritted teeth. Sullivan pushed himself back out from under the table with his elbows, wincing with each movement. Once he was out, the Bravos set the table back down.

"How ya feeling? Can you walk?"

"My chest hurts. I...I'm having some trouble breathing," Sullivan gasped out, wincing in pain.

"Don't worry, everything will be okay," Aiken tried to reassure.

The Bravos flinched as a loud roar filled the compartment, followed by a crash. They looked over in time to see the humanoid standing over the scorpion, which was pitifully lying on its back, struggling to get back up. The titaness had her foot down on its belly. Judging from the way she was hunched over and how she gripped the handles of her weapon, she was beyond angry. She was pissed.

"Move, move, move!" Marini whispered as he and Aiken lifted Sullivan onto his feet.

The titaness rammed her weapon into the scorpion's limbs, eliciting a shriek of agony, causing Aiken to nearly drop his wounded comrade. The Bravos crept over toward the ladder, eager to get out while they still could.

* * * * *

Empress Type-1210 was furious.

The damn scorpion interfered with her work! Aside from some bruising, the scorpion caused some dents in her armor, especially around the helmet. The titaness wasn't concerned about the damage, however. It was the opportunity lost that angered her the most. Stole her kill. Looking down at her adversary, she watched as the creature pitiably wiggled under her massive foot, frantically trying to get away.

While not what the Empress had originally wanted, she would have to make due with what she had. There would be time to collect the others.

She readied her prized chainsaws for the meal.

Mechanical blades whirled as they carved into its shell. The scorpion cried out, louder than before. The sounds of its shell being crunched, the audible popping of muscle and the powerful engines roaring away mixed with its screams, echoing across the room.

Green blood and bits of flesh sprayed onto the walls and tables. Eventually, the shrieks turned into one long and horrific gurgle before finally dissipating along with the chainsaw engines.

In the train compartment, only one figure remained, standing victoriously over her prize. After roughly removing her weapons from the scorpion's remains, Empress studied her bloodied hands with a joyful, almost child-like quality. Before she had a chance to continue her examination, a sharp pain like piercing glass caused the titaness to reach up and grab both sides of her head screaming.

A voice, cold and mechanical, audible only to her, spoke.

"Forgetting ourselves, are we? Remember your objective. Play time will have to wait," the voice said. "Collect the subject, or face the consequences."

The pain disappeared, but Empress' rage and bloodlust grew anew.

* * * * *

Enrico Marini watched as Aiken scurried down the ladder, focused on getting Sullivan out of harm's way, trying not to listen the horrible sounds of wet meat being torn and hitting the walls.

Once the younger officer was at the foot of the ladder, the Bravo Captain started to lower Sullivan down. His arms and back strained as he continued to lower the officer down, who groaned in pain. The scorpion's screams had ceased. Marini nervously looked over his shoulder and shuddered.

The damn thing was now being pulled apart.

After Sullivan was lowered, the Bravo Captain started his descent.

He was half way down when the titaness let out a pain-filled scream that nearly made him fall off the ladder. The elder officer hastily climbed off and went over to Sullivan's side, draping the Bravo's right arm around his left shoulder. Together with Aiken, they hastily scurried out the door and into the hallway. Upon closing the door behind them, a figure appeared before the group, startling them. Marini drew out his sidearm and aimed with his right hand but stopped when he finally saw who it was.

It was the prisoner. The albino.

Marini sighed, his hand easing off of the trigger.

"Jesus, you scared the hell out of us," he said.

"My apologies, sir," the albino replied.

The Bravo Captain frowned.

"Don't worry," he said. "I would say sorry for thinking you're full of horse shit, but now's not the time. Where are the others?"

As if on cue, Forest, a man that Marini presumed to be Coen, and Rebecca ran through the hallway over to their position. The young medic panted as she tried to catch her breath. The other Bravo, however, was furious, aiming his sidearm at the albino.

"You! Get up against the wall!" he barked.

"But I-"

"Against the wall! Hands where I can see 'em!"

Rebecca watched as her comrade marched up to Star.

Before they could even respond to his orders, something crashed through the windows at the other end of the hallway, startling the group. Her pulse quickened as she gazed on the nightmarish sight before her. A twelve-foot figure encased in some bizarre form of armor with wires running down its arms and neck stood there, carrying what looked like two massive chainsaws strapped together. Its concealed eyes glowed with a hellish red aura as it howled in primal rage, mixing with the sounds of the running chainsaws.

Coen stared with disbelief.

"What the hell is that?!" the convict asked slowly.

Forest's eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

"It's her! That's the thing that got Kev!" he cried out. Before anyone could respond, it started to charge forward, the chainsaws whirling hungrily for meat.

"HAUL ASS! MOVE! MOVE!" Marini roared.

Despite his order, Rebecca couldn't move. She willed her legs to move, but they were rooted to the spot. Nothing within the Police Training Manual prepared her for this, leaving her feeling helpless and terrified.

A rough hand shook her by the shoulder.

"C'mon, girl, fuckin' shift it into gear! Take Sullivan and head back!" Marini said through gritted teeth.

Rebecca nodded, returning to her senses as she helped carry her comrade. From the way he was clutching his chest, as well as his laboured breathing, he might have some broken ribs. The journey back to the entrance was a staggeringly long and arduous task, with the weight of her comrade and her growing terror pressing on her shoulders.

"Covering fire!" Coen shouted.

The sounds and smell of echoing gunfire, running motors, rage-filled howls and shouting bombarded her sensory perception with furious abandon, threatening to put the girl into a state of absolute hysteria. The sounds of train doors slamming behind her made her look back up. The creature pounded, roaring angrily, causing Rebecca to flinch. The doors themselves were in danger of being smashed off completely.

"Barricade the door!" Marini ordered.

Coen, Star and Forest grabbed whatever bags they could. Piles upon piles suitcases, along with a few trolleys, were laid out. By the time they finished, there was a massive wall of luggage stemming from the floor to the ceiling. Kenneth groaned as he shifted uncomfortably on his comrades' shoulders.

Star stood next to them, eyeing the door with stark terror.

Marini shook his head. "We need to keep moving. Let's head -"

He was cut off by a loud cacophony of noise that filled the car that they were in, the very wails of the damned, straight from hell itself. The group whipped around. Rebecca watched with horror as the once-deceased bodies of the passengers twitched and jerked as they slowly rose up from their scattered positions. She paled as one of them made direct eye contact with her, filling her with revulsion. Despite their clothing, faces and varying hairstyles, Rebecca couldn't even think of them as people, let alone as human beings. Whatever it was that defined them as human was gone. What rose back up onto their dead feet, wearing their dead flesh, could only be described as monstrous bastardizations of their original selves.

Creatures born from corruption. Zombies.

Rebecca was startled by the thought, but the truth was that there couldn't have been a more appropriate way to describe them. There was something so completely and utterly vile about these entities that it could be felt on an instinctual level. Once they were on their feet, the passengers - no, creatures, - started to march over toward them with a disturbing uniformity.

"Jesus," Aiken muttered.

"I used up my last clip. How much ammunition do we all have?" Marini asked.

"No ammo here."

"Chambers?"

Rebecca stared into the eyes of the approaching ghoul.

"Chambers!" Marini said sharply, causing her to flinch.

"Two clips, sir," she answered, holding her weapon with her free hand.

"Got nine rounds for the Magnum," Coen piped up.

"No more clips for the sidearm. Want me to use ole painless?" Forest asked, pointing to the strapped grenade launcher on his back.

"Absolutely not! They're too close to our position!" Marini snapped.

"Take these, sir," Sullivan groaned. He reached into his vest and extracted three ammunition clips,holding them out to his coworkers. "I'm in no condition to fight."

"Are you sure?" 

The injured officer nodded.

With a nod of thanks, Marini took the clips and handed one to both Forest and Aiken, who removed himself from Sullivan's side, hastily reloading. The undead were now only five feet away.

"Take 'em-"

CRASH!

THOOMTHOOMTHOOM!

The group whipped to their right to see the titaness dangling off the side of the moving train car. With her free hand, she stabbed her weapon through a train window behind them and started to drag it toward the Bravos, slicing through the wall as well as through two of the undead that were unfortunate enough to be caught in her path. Sparks blazed furiously as the serrated edges of the chainsaw carved through metal before messily separating the first zombie's lower jaw and cranium from the neck, leaving only a blood-spraying stump. The second zombie was sliced through the torso, its organs spilling out. Rebecca gagged with disgust. Blood geysered across the floor and ceiling as the saws ate their way through bone and muscle.

"Focus fire on that bitch!" Marini barked.

"But sir, what about the others?" Rebecca asked.

"I'll deal with these creatures," Star answered. With that, he withdrew the two large swords from their sheath and moved toward the approaching cadavers while in a fighting stance. When he was no more than three feet, he lunged.

"Everyone, form up on the kid! Whatever you do, don't stop! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" The Bravo CO ordered.

The Bravos backtracked toward the other door as the albino cleared the way as best as he could, but the titaness was filling the distance between them. Round after round slammed into the creature's body, but it still moved toward them with a sinister and murderous intent.

Rebecca struggled with the weight of her comrade, trying to keep him calm and awake.

Aiken had left Sullivan's side and was providing fire support, trying to take down the titaness.

When the medic turned to see how Star was faring, she was stunned by what she saw.

Though the scene was horrific and brutal, it was also mesmerizing to behold.

She noted how his actions were not random spurts of uncontrollable rage, nor were there were any wasted movements. His eyes were narrow slits as he maintained what appeared to be a defensive position, only offering counter-strikes to the creatures that attacked first. Each step and strike was calculated and done with precision, the movement of the blades quick, fluid and graceful.

Dodging one lashed-out set of hungry hands, the albino responded to his attacker in kind with a whirling overhead slashing gesture, followed by two upward slashes that managed to dismember some of the others' limbs and heads, crimson arching up into the air. Combined with the roaring engines of the chainsaw with the echoing of gunfire in the car, he almost looked like he was dancing. Thrusting both blades downward into one of the creatures' heads, Rebecca watched as Star roughly removed one weapon and slammed the fist guard into the face of an approaching ghoul.

The medic flinched as the zombie's teeth flew out from its mouth, pulling her back into reality. Rebecca watched as Coen fired multiple shots with his Magnum. One shot went off target and hit a fire extinguisher that was five feet away from her group but close to the creature, causing it to explode. To the girl's shock, the titaness let out a grunt, causing it to falter.

"Got ya," he muttered as he reloaded.

"Nice one!" Aiken called out.

The titaness suddenly pulled itself back onto the roof.

"Haul ass back to the next car!" Marini barked.

The Bravos hustled toward the door as the undead closed in on their position. Rebecca's heart pounded in her ears, trying to keep up with Sullivan on her shoulder. He coughed, letting out a groan of pain. As the doors opened, the Bravos hastily slipped inside, slamming the doors behind them.

Each person panted. They were now in the small connecting passage between the seventh car and the sixth.

"We can't stop. We need to keep moving," Marini panted.

The group opened the train door slowly, checking around. Rebecca sighed. They were back in the sixth car, where they had first encountered the albino.

'We always come back to this spot,' she thought wryly.

THOOMTHOOMTHOOMTHOOM!

The group stopped, listening as the loud stomping on the roof passed by their position.

"I think it's clear," Aiken whispered.

The creature thrusted the chainsaw into the left window at the other end of the hallway, dragging it toward the Bravos.

Forest looked at him.

"You had to bloody jinx us," he muttered.

"Forest, quit your bitching and shoot the damn thing off!" Marini snapped as fired at the creature's helmeted head.

After a moment of frenzied and intense shooting, the creature cried out, stopping its attack. With a speed that surprised the medic, the titaness leaped up back onto the roof.

"Move it, move it!" The Bravo Captain barked as the group hustled over to the doors at the other end of the hall.

Rebecca saw Forest hesitate.

"C'mon, snap out of it!" Coen said, grabbing his arm and dragging him along.

After slipping through the doors, out of the connecting passage, they quickly entered the fifth car, which had a door at the front as well as a staircase.

Rebecca watched as Aiken frowned.

"Which way?" he asked.

The sound of grating metal on the second floor caught the group's attention. The ceiling section above the dining area collapsed, revealing the massive, heavily armored freak.

"Oh c'mon! Give us a fuckin' break already!" Forest shouted as the creature approached the handrails overlooking the bottom floor.

The group ran forward. Rebecca stumbled as the metallic giant crashed onto the floor, the train shuddering from the impact.

"It's okay, Kenneth, we're almost there," she said softly. "Just bear with us a little longer. We're almost there."

The medic tried to maintain her balance and composure, but it was hard to do so for various reasons.

For one, the train car was constantly tilting, threatening to toss them onto their asses at a moment's notice.

Other problems that made it difficult to accomplish this task were both the psychopath with a chainsaw chasing after her team, as well as the man pressing his weight into her shoulder. It wasn't until the group approached the center of the car that she became aware of something else that made her wonder if some force, divine or otherwise, was working against them. As if the preceding were not inconvenient enough for the Bravos, a horde of undead were rising to their feet, completely surrounding them.

It was a scene of pure chaos.

The S.T.A.R.S. members struggled violently with the horde, shoving, shooting, slugging and kicking their way through, even going so far as pushing them toward the titaness, desperately trying to survive the vicious onslaught. The metallic being, when it was not slamming its massive frame and weapon into the undead, was swaying unsteadily down the hallway. A few zombies were helpless as its heavily-armored body crushed theirs against the wall and floor. Frustrated, the beast let out a howl of rage, stomping in a manner that reminded Rebecca of a child having a temper tantrum and she would have laughed if she had not been so terrified.

The creature bent down and suddenly leaped up, smashing through the ceiling.

After finally making their way through the zombies, the group of survivors clustered out the door. Rain and wind pelted furiously at them. Rebecca raised up her free hand, trying to see what was ahead, wary of her surroundings, trying to keep her balance. In front of the group were the remains of the shredded shipping container. On both sides of the container were catwalks with hand rails to keep passengers from falling off. At the other end, the Bravos spotted the fourth car.

"Hold tight onto the handrails!" Marini shouted, his voice barely audible. As the group neared the container at the center, the familiar sound of stomping made Rebecca's eyes widen with alarm.

"Spread yourselves out and take both catwalks!" the CO shouted.

Rebecca was too exhausted. The constant running and Sullivan's added weight were becoming too much for her to handle. She was about to collapse when she felt her comrade's weight lifted off from her shoulder. He cried out in both pain and protest. At first, the medic thought that the mechanical demon had taken hold of him, but when she turned to her left, she watched with surprise as Star leaned down and carried Sullivan onto his own shoulder.

"Go! I'll take over!" the albino shouted to her.

With a nod of thanks, Rebecca grabbed onto the handrails and made her way toward the fourth car.

She turned back and saw their pursuer; the creature was standing erect on the train car, oblivious to the rain and wind. Lightning flashed behind it, giving the creature a very ominous appearance. It seemed to be studying the group intently. After five seconds of observation, the creature ripped the leather straps holding her weapon together, leaving her with two running chainsaws. When the humanoid looked over at Rebecca, it tilted its head up, then seemed to mockingly nod at her, as if saying 'I know what you're doing, you won't succeed.'

In a sudden move, the entity leaped forward onto the remains of the container and started to swing wildly downward, cutting the handrails of the catwalks.

The girl wobbled. Her body turned in the direction of the creature, threatening to spill onto the track.

"NO!" Rebecca cried out as she lost her balance and started to fall. A rough hand grabbed hold of hers. When she looked up, she was stunned to see Coen as he dragged her back toward the fourth car, firing his weapon at the same time. After five shots, the creature backed up toward the rear car.

"Don't worry, I got ya," he grunted.

"TAKE COVER!" Forest shouted.

Rebecca heard a click, followed by a whistling sound. Looking up, she watched as something small headed toward the humanoid, leaving a mini smoke trail behind it.

BOOM!

In the next instant, there came a loud pop, causing the humanoid to be flung back into the next car, smashing through the door frame.

Forest whooped loudly.

"DID YOU LIKE THAT?! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, HUH?! HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW, BITCH?!" He shouted, his voice laced with laughter.

He fired two more rounds into the train car. Two miniature explosions filled the car. Windows shattered. Rebecca looked at her comrade with concern as he continued to laugh. He seemed...unhinged, and it frightened her.

"Forest, quit fucking around and get your ass inside pronto!" Marini barked.

The weapon specialist hesitated, stopped what he was doing and immediately darted inside. Rebecca felt a hand roughly grab her arm, causing her to look up.

"C'mon, princess!" the convict shouted as he dragged toward the fourth car entrance.

She shook herself free.

"I can go on my own!"

He shrugged. "Whatever."

"Billy!" she called out, stopping him in his tracks. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me."

The convict gave her a thumb's up before turning away.

As he departed, Rebecca looked around for Sullivan.

"Kenneth?" she called.

"He's over there," Aiken replied, pointing to the corner.

The injured officer was in a semi-seated position, leaning toward the right. The forearm of his injured side, which was on the left, was supported diagonally across the chest, with the fingers pointing toward the opposite shoulder. His skin was pale. Kneeling beside him was Star, who took off his coat and draped it over him, keeping the Bravo warm.

The medic approached the albino.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He is having problems breathing as well as pains within the chest," Star replied.

"Do you mind if I take over?"

"By all means."

She kneeled down to his position and took his pulse, noting how weak and fast it was.

"Don't move. I'm just going to take a look at your wounds, okay?"

Sullivan nodded lightheadedly.

"Yeah," he answered.

Slowly, she lowered the coat down and unbuttoned Kenneth's shirt, she examined his chest, checking for any abnormalities in chest movement.

His breathing, she had found, was shallow.

Rebecca then took off her backpack and extracted a white sheet.

First, she started to fold and cut the sheet on a diagonal, producing two triangles. Then, the medic took one of the triangles and fitted it over the forearm and hand, the point extending beyond the elbow and the upper end over the shoulder on the uninjured side. Next, she tucked the base of the bandage under the injured arm to make a pocket that ran the length of the arm itself. After twisting the bandage round and round towards the body, thereby closing the pocket, gathering it at the elbow, bringing the lower end across the back and over the shoulder on the uninjured side, Rebecca finished by tightly tying off the sling, the knot resting in the hollow above the collarbone.

"Is that too tight?" she asked.

"No."

"Okay." The medic nodded, glad that she was able to help.

"Alright, everyone, time to move," Marini announced.

"Captain, I must advise against that. Kenneth is in no condition to keep running," Rebecca replied.

"We don't have much of a choice, Chambers."

"But Captain-"

"We're being pursued and this train is not stopping. If we don't worry about them now, it's only a matter of time before one of the two start to catch up."

"I know of our situation, Captain, but what about Kenneth? He has some broken ribs. If we keep pushing it, he could go into shock! We need to stop for a minute!"

Marini stared hard at her. Rebecca felt like a small child under his gaze.

"We don't have a minute," he answered coldly. "Once we get to the engine room, then we can stop."

Mere seconds after he finished, a chainsaw crashed through the ceiling. Star let out a dog-like yelp as it grazed his left arm, causing him to stumble back into a wall.

In a sudden move, Aiken grabbed hold of Coen's Magnum.

Marini's eyes widened.

"Richard don't fire in here! The room is too small and tight-"

Before he could finish, Aiken pulled the trigger.

* * * * *

Empress Type-1210 howled as a shot pounded into her helmet. She stumbled away, removing her weapon from the passageway, trying to maintain her balance on the train roof. A new pain caused her to scream, forcing her down onto her knees.

"You imbecile! Your bloodlust nearly compromised your mission!" the voice snapped angrily. "I warn you, Empress, do not make me regret sending you. There's no time for making careless mistakes! Now, collect the subject!"

* * * * *

Back inside the train, the titaness was not the only one suffering.

"AIKEN, YOU STUPID FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Forest shouted as he pressed his hands to his eyes. Various groans filled the train passage. Though the Bravo's efforts saved the others, it managed to render them both deaf and blind, causing the group to wander around aimlessly and helplessly.

* * * * *

Rebecca stumbled, her eyes squinting, feeling her way along the wall with her free hand, terrified.

"Captain? Richard? Forest? Star? Anyone?" the medic cried out, her voice filled with panic.

She couldn't even hear her own voice. The girl whimpered as she tried to search for the other door. Bumping into someone...or something, Rebecca recoiled in fright, looking around blindly as she tried to call out again. No matter how many times she called, no matter how loud she spoke, it didn't matter; all that the medic could hear was that blasted ringing.

'Please god don't let this be permanent," Rebecca thought fearfully.

Dismayed, she stopped walking and sat down, cursing this damned train, tears dripped down her face as she stared helplessly to the floor.

"Mommy," she whimpered with a sob.

* * * * *

After waiting several minutes, maybe half an hour, her sight returned, although somewhat splotchy.

White patches of light dotted her vision, leaving her a little disoriented. Marini looked over at her and gestured for her to pick up Sullivan. She quickly wiped away her tears with embarrassment, checking her weapon before checking on her comrade, who remained leaning beside the wall. He was barely conscious, but stable. As the injured Bravo rose up, the red coat that was draped over him fell into an indelicate heap on the floor. The albino took a step over toward them, bent down and then collected his coat, sliding it back onto his sloped shoulders.

Moving over to Sullivan's uninjured side to the right and placing his arm around the back of her neck to support him, Rebecca rubbed her right inner ear with her index and middle fingers, wincing. The ringing was still there, although she was able to hear the other members of her team. From their movements, they also seemed to be in similar conditions.

"ASSHOLE! FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Forest screamed at Aiken, grabbing at his collar.

"I'm sorry!" her coworker shouted back.

Marini moved in between them, wobbling slightly.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he roared. Both Bravos backed down, wary of their Captain, who turned to face Aiken, his face full of anger.

"You. When I speak, stop whatever the fuck you're doing, listen and listen well," he growled.

"I-I'm sorry, sir."

The Bravo Captain glared at him for fifteen seconds before finally turning away abruptly.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Well, aside from the ringing, white flashes and dizziness, thanks to dickless here, I'm swell," Forest said sarcastically.

Marini glared, shutting him up.

"Is there anyone fit enough to take point?"

Star stepped forward.

"While my condition is not as optimal as I hope, I'll gladly aid you however I can," he answered.

The Bravo Captain hesitated before nodding.

"Let's go. You lead, but stay close enough so that we can see you," he muttered.

The albino nodded before unsteadily proceeding toward the doorway. After sliding it open, he peered cautiously into the new car. The compartment was softly lit. Aside from some luggage that might have been tossed aside during a struggle of some sort, it was empty. Satisfied, the albino moved up ahead. Slowly, each person followed after him.

As soon as Star was no more than eight feet from the doorway, the wall from his left imploded, knocking the albino down to the floor.

Lights flickered before dying out.

The compartment, though dark, still had enough light to allow for Rebecca and the others to see the titaness as she crashed through the gaping hole that she had made in the wall, landing near the albino.

Her armor blackened and charred, with pieces of flesh and wire were flaking off, she looked the worst for wear, the red lenses cracked in a spiderweb-like pattern.

Cold wind and rain filled the car as the entity took two steps toward the albino. As the creature approached him, she was met with another maelstrom of lead as everyone fired upon her, Rebecca herself included. Round after round pounded into the titaness, but to no avail. With one hand, she reached down and grabbed Star by the right leg, who feebly struggled. With his leg in hand, the humanoid started to drag him toward the exit. The albino had a look of stark terror, like an animal ensnared in a trap, kicking and clawing at the carpet.

Rebecca tried to aim her weapon, but the splotches of light were making it difficult to aim properly. After regaining her balance, she fired her entire clip.

Several rounds pounded into its back.

One round actually caught the corner of its damaged dome-like helmet, causing the demonic creature to drop Star.

The massive figure reached up to its face as it cried out. On the front of the helmet, a crack appeared. Slowly, the crack started to extend itself. In an instant, the helmet broke apart like shattered glass, revealing, to the Bravo's horror, the creature's head and face.

The skin was white, almost a sickening yellow.

On the scalp were the shaved remnants of reddish-brown hair.

What whipped around and glared at Rebecca was a woman's face. At some point in time, she must have been an attractive woman, but it was horribly mutilated as a result of surgery. Rebecca herself was more than certain that what constituted surgery on behalf of the person who had performed the operation was nothing more than torture under the guise of a legitimate name. From the right side of the forehead, down past the eye, tracing along the lips and chin were medical clamps. The eyes were full of venomous hatred and insanity. The jaw and mouth were clenched and twisted. What remained of the nostrils were flared like an angry bull.

With a loud yell, the she-demon yanked the chain on her weapon and charged toward her. Rebecca had no time to react as the creature grabbed her by the throat with her left hand and hoisted her into the air, smacking Sullivan aside. The medic gasped, her eyes bulging from the lack of oxygen as she struggled to breathe, but the creature's vice-like grip around her throat made it impossible. The titaness' mouth formed itself into a sneer as it raised its chainsaw.

Before the creature was able to impale her, several shouts filled the car as both prisoner and police officer lunged at her. Star leapt onto the creature's back, plunging the two swords through a gap in her armor, deep into her shoulder blades. He remained there, pressing his weight down. Coen and Forest were trying to restrain the one arm with the running chainsaw with all of their strength, while Marini rammed his shoulder into her mid-section, causing her to stagger and drop the medic.

Rebecca coughed, then took several deep breaths and made her way to Sullivan's side, checking on him. A crash caused her to stop and look back. The creature howled with rage as it wrenched its body to the right, throwing Coen and Forest off, causing them to careen toward the other end of the car. With its free hand, the entity backhanded Marini across the jaw, sending him onto a nearby chair with a grunt of pain. A long arm snaked itself up and grabbed hold of the albino latched onto her back before slamming him down onto the floor, causing him to cry out.

* * * * *

Empress Type-1210 seethed as she gazed at the albino.

She no longer cared about the pain that ached her body and her mind. Nor did she care about the mission, not anymore. All that she wanted now was blood. With that thought in mind, she readied her chainsaw once more.

* * * * *

Rebecca helplessly watched as the creature stepped toward Star. It swung the chainsaw downward, only for the hilt to be caught by the albino's boots. Star strained his neck and arms as he forced himself into an awkward position.

"Grab that damn thing and help him out!" Marini cried out, his lips swollen.

Soon, everyone grabbed hold of the creature's arms in all directions and yanked upwards. All of them strained their muscles, trying to help free the albino from his predicament. In a sudden instant, the train jerked and tilted, causing the chainsaw to jolt upward and bury itself into the creature's shoulder. The titaness screamed as her weapon chewed through her. Blood splattered onto the roof, walls, carpet, as well as the faces of Aiken and Coen. Rebecca screamed, unable to take in the horrible sight. The creature wove unsteadily toward the gaping hole that it made and fell, disappearing down into the thick forest outside.

* * * * *

Dizziness and pain racked Empress Type-1210's body as it descended into the dark wood below. Soon, both sensations gave way to numbness. For a brief moment, the numbing of her body gave Empress a moment of clarity. She started to remember things about herself, about her past, her identity.

She had a name, an actual name!

Not a code-name, not a serial number.

A name.

So many thoughts and memories sailed through her mind. The more she took in this whirlwind of information, a peculiar sensation crept up inside of her. It was anger, but it was directed at herself. It was mixed with another emotion that she hadn't felt in ages: remorse.

Empress was confused as to why she would feel this way until her eyes widened with realization. The memory of her own demise came back with a startling vividness, along with the memory of who was responsible. If only she had known sooner. She could have prevented all of this. Why couldn't she have remembered?

As thoughts poured out, one stood out from the rest, a memory from her past. True horror struck her as she recalled every bitter detail.

It was the day when she took a young man under her wing, with the intention of making him into a government agent. A killer. Even worse were the memories of what had happened after.

With the few drops of life leaving her, Empress Type-1210, formerly known as Amy Crystal, prayed that he would be freed from the horrific cycle that he has to endure.

* * * * *

The train was quiet save for the heavy pants of its occupants. Aiken and Coen were wiping blood from their faces.

"Jesus Christ," Marini muttered, rubbing his sore jaw, wincing in pain, shaking his head with disbelief. After several moments of silence, he spoke up again wearily.

"Alright everyone, take five."

With that, the group let out a sigh of relief. Rebecca wiped away her tears, taking in a few breaths as her CO approached her.

"How are you holding up?" Marini asked with concern.

"I'm fine," the girl said as she looked down in shame.

"First day on the job and already things are turning to shit," he muttered. "I want you take some time to recuperate, catch a breath, just get your thoughts together. I'll look after Kenneth for now. If I notice anything wrong with him, I'll let you know. Okay?"

The girl gave a slight nod.

Marini nodded back.

"Take it easy," he said before departing.

As the medic felt herself relax slightly, she began to question what was happening around her. The whole experience felt as if one were stepping into the pages of Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland. Rebecca couldn't think of an even more appropriate title for comparison. Here she had unwittingly entered the rabbit hole and entered a world where nothing made sense. The medic wondered if there was even a bottom to this particular rabbit hole, worrying how long it would take until she became lost in madness.