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Mr.Mike. · 03-25-2018, 09:14 AM,

Part 5. Final

Alaska System, Juneau Shipyard, interrogation room.

"In short, Michael - no matter how well the crew was unified, still the plot is the same: missing, and then finding and conducting the battle, but against them, not with them..."
"Wait, have an idea", - Said Michael and got up. - "He will not climb under the knife, right? This is logical, so why not create such conditions that he did not have a choice?"
"What do you mean?" - Asked John.
"Can we separate cruiser from the shipyard and transfer crew into in special cargo compartment so that you can get there only through a special passage and no more?"
"It's possible to undock cruiser from shipyard and then attach the cargo bay to it. We can pour in air and put people on guard in advance, and then let your people go there. But I do not see any logic: why such difficulties?"
"I realized what he's driving at", - Said Barney
"In short, we will thoroughly check each crew member before launching into the cargo component. Then we roll the roll call. The infected one will be discovered one way or another, and he will understand this himself when we say what is the matter. Therefore, he will simply try to stay on the cruiser. And then the case for small - detach the cargo component and begin to search the cruiser."
"He can hide there endlessly, think about it."
"And no one said that we will stay there for five minutes. Until we find it, we will not return to the base."
"I do not think so. We will track the entire ship through video surveillance cameras. If we find something, we'll rush there and catch it."
"As if he would not catch us."
"Here the most interesting: 8 people on a cruiser, well for the ninth - infected. I'm sure he will try to kill everyone or infect him. I believe that he needs to get as close to the infection as possible. Then we will catch him."
"Wait, eight people is who?"
"You, John, I, Barney, Jason Stross, 2 agents from Liberty Security Forces and Marcus Fire"
"Are you sure that I'll get into this shit?"
"Do you have a choice? You are questioning me and Barney in this, which means that you must also help in finding the truth."
"Michael is right, except for us no one would go so far in the investigation." - Said John. - "Anyone else could ignore the shutdown of shields, but not we. If we had not brought Michael and Barney to the interrogation, then Hampshire would have become a infected cruiser. Sooner or later."
"Okay, okay... So, which plan?"

And the plan was simple: the agents took a small transport ship and let each person on board it only after a full inspection. Infected haven`t chances to penetrate the transport unnoticed. Michael deliberately announced to the entire crew about what the plan is. He needed that infected person to start panicking, although Michael was panicking more. As soon as everyone moved from the cruiser to the transport ship, Michael began the roll call.

"Anna Connor!"
"I!"
"Jonathan Sword!"
"I!"
"Barney Stross!"
"I!" - Barney, according to the charter, went out of order and said: "Roll call is over!"
"Well, everyone I spoke to approached me - please do it now." - All those with whom he planned to survey the cruiser came to Michael. Namely: Alex, John, Barney and Jason Stross, 2 agents from LSF. The whole company already carried weapons and even masks in case someone disconnects the life support system on the cruiser. Cruiser will be hanging out in space without any outside support while its inspection is in progress. As soon as everyone was in the assembly, Michael said: "Let's check if everyone is here. If we miss someone, this person hides on the cruiser and is infected."

Michael began to check the list. The noted were here. All 69 people. Was not only on the name of some Richard Kappelberg. Michael again held a roll call, and immediately said the name of this man, so as not to suffer. No one said "I". Alex immediately sighed. His expression, as it were, said: "Michael, here it is."

"The whole group is on board the cruiser. Now!" - With this words Alex approached the exit. All the others about whom Michael had already spoken approached Alex. Before boarding the cruiser, Alex said: "All the agents - head to all 360 degrees! If he is not on the list, it does not mean that he not here!" The doors opened. All 8 people passed through a special corridor. The rear door closed, the door to the cruiser opened. Alex was the first to enter the silent silence of the ship. Another 7 people followed him. As soon as the latter crossed the threshold, the doors closed. There was a click from behind: the transport ship disconnected from the cruiser. Now the whole team was alone with the infected and alone with the emptiness of the space.
"Who goes where? Alex?" - Alex stood, as if stunned. He went through many operations, through many battles. He has seen the dismembered body of an infected person many times, which scientists have studied so closely. But he could never think that he would have to catch them. The only encouragement was that he was not alone. After 5-minute pause he said:
"Ah, yes... The plan of Cruiser have all?" - Barney fumbled in his pockets and took out a holographic projector, put it on the floor and pressed the button. Directly in front of the group's faces, a 3D model of the cruiser lit up. The plan of the cruiser was as follows (from engines):

1. Engineering compartments:

The core of the ship
Cooling batteries (1 battery on the left and right sides of the ship).

2. Weapons bay.
3. Crew bays (under command deckhouse):

The main server of the cruiser, where all the information from the video-cameras was collected.
Canteen.
Compartment with life saving capsules.

4. Cruiser command deckhouse.
5. Siege gun:

The upper part of the gun
The lower part of the gun.

"So, the plan is this. We will check all parts of the ship. Let's start with the engineering compartment (we are already here). We will divide into two groups. The first group is Michael, Barney, John and Jason, will check the starboard side of the cruiser. The remaining: our two agents, Marcus and I take on the port side. If you suddenly see some movement, then shoot at once. We will not go to you until we warn. If there are thoughts about where the infected will run, then let us know, we will try to intercept. Immediately I say: it's forbidden to enter into close combat. A shot was made, then another two or three controls in the head. Okay, we know who to look for!"

So, the group split. It's just as Alex said. They started from the engineering compartment. The core of the ship was not so huge, but still all 8 people were divided into groups of 4 and so did not see the participants of the other group. The check went as carefully as possible: on occasion, any rustle was answered by shooting. The radio only sounded the questions: "Contact?" or a comic expression "Enough of making noise, show respect!" The exit from the nucleus consisted of two corridors, which intersected. There, the two groups merged again and discussed everything. Realizing that nothing had been discovered so far, they followed. Now there were cooling batteries, which were located almost near the core of the cruiser. There was a spacious compartment, so the band members could see each other. The compartment was divided into 2 floors, so that 1 group was observed from above, and the other was searching from below.

And so it began! Together with a bright flash, there was a shot. It was Barney. The unknown man began to run between the designs of the cooling batteries, and Barney yelled at the entire radio:
"Contact-contact-contact! Group upstairs, track it!" - Alex heard Barney and began to examine everything from above. And suddenly he saw the infected. Two more shots were heard. Miss! The infected ran very fast, Alex just did not have time to catch the moment when it was possible to make a shot. Marcus made three more shots about where the infected could run. The infected made an incredible, by human standards, jump, caught on the railing of the second floor of the compartment, where there was a second group and incredibly quickly began to run to the exit from the battery compartment - to the weapons bay. Two agents made a series of shots. Or they were taught to shoot badly, or the infected was lucky again: it was never touched by any laser bullet.
"Yes fucking! To the whole group - now upstairs! Immediately to the second floor of the cooling batteries!" - Meanwhile, Alex began to reload the weapon. Each cartridge was important. It would be very stupid to make 28 shots and stay with an empty magazine and let go of the infected, without making 2 more shots that could stop it.

4 people began to climb stairs slowly upstairs. In front of the entrance to the armory, Michael thought that now their enemy has weapons and can defend. The weapons bay was not designed for cruiser guns. It was designed for the crew's weapons in the case of a ship's boarding. The compartment was divided into three rooms. The left and right rooms were for storing weapons, and the room in the middle was a shooting gallery. However, the glass of the left and right rooms allowed to see what was happening in the center. The group again divided into 2 groups of 4 people each. Now they walked cautiously: in addition to hand-to-hand fighting, he could open fire as soon as the doors opened. The doors opened and the lights went out.

"The light turned off."
"Only here?"
"No, judging by the fact that the cameras are off - on the whole cruiser. The life support system also turned off. Wear masks." - All 8 people put on masks. Now the air in the cruiser was not filtered, and the absence of light led pursuit in a horror film. Every wrong step could be the last one.

They quietly dispersed through the two rooms. 4 people walked on the right, 4 more - on the left. There was already no such space, like in the cooling batteries compartment, so that it was necessary to choose positions in time if they will be attacked. The floor was a rubber lining of black color. The steps were not as audible as walking on bare steel. The rooms were divided into two sections. The first had with him various weapons, and the second had spacesuits or special exoskeletons for fight. Light of lanterns from weapons was a ray in this dark realm. The group on the left, like the right group, saw each other through the glass, which allowed them to see the central room. Only at the end of the room right and left room again united in the corridor.

"Have you heard?"
"What?"
Something small fell to Michael's feet. Looking closely, he understood...
"Grenade, in the shelter!" - Said Michael and just kicked the grenade until it exploded, and he ran in the opposite direction. There was an explosion. Several splinters cut through the rubber floor, but they did not reach Michael, who lay down on the floor, not finding shelter. Rising, he said: "All okay?"
"Yes, all good."
"Everything is normal!"
"Contact, Michael?"
"Yes, he..." - Before Michael could stand, suddenly a flurry of fire fell on them. Fired from the opposite end of the room. Michael barely crawled to Barney. As soon as he was in cover, he shouted: "Richard! Stop running, you do not have a chance. You're surrounded! You or now you get out yourself..." - Another bullet slipped over Michael's shoulder. The form was slightly burned, but in general everything was in order. - "...or I'll get you myself and shoot you head!"
"Michael, we're coming!" - On the position of the enemy from the flank, a series of shots appeared. There was motion and again flashes of lasers. Shot, a few more... Someone cried out in pain. Silence... Loud explosion... Again silence. Michael and Barney exchanged glances, nodded and stuck their heads together from their position, holding the guns at the ready. They were blinded by the light of the lanterns, and then Alex's voice said: "Don`t fire! We have a wounded!"

Michael and everyone who was next to him dropped their weapons. They approached Alex's group and saw the following: Marcus was lying in the corner with wound in the place where the heart was, bleed profusely. He breathing heavily. Two agents provided him with medical care. Alex stood as if dead and trembling. Not from fear. From adrenaline. He himself did not expect to be nervous on such an operation, although he could be understood: it was the first him hunt for infected. His fingers squeezed the rifle so that the bones were bulging outward.

"Hell, Marcus. Alex, what do we do?"
"I... I'll hold out, go."
"Are you sure?"
"Michael, when did we fail you? We are with you before the end. Come, catch him, now..."
"Alex. What plan?"
"Now we go together. Agents - stay and give him medical help. Residential sections of the cruiser have little space, we will get it." - Alex turned, and when he started walking near Michael, he said: "Kill as soon as you see."

So, now the group was from 5 people. Another 3 people were in one place, but who knows what will happen to them in the next five minutes? In the next hour or two? What if the infected person deliberately wounded Marcus, then to return and kill them? It seems that someone managed to get on the infected one, as Michael noticed fresh traces of blood on the floor and told everyone to follow them.

Of course, they came to the cabins of the crew. It was a corridor with rooms on the left and on the right. In each room they did not look, but simply followed the bloody trail, which did not stop. The trace did not lead to the main server of the cruiser, but in the dining room the group had to stop by. The track led straight there.

"All ready?"
"Yes."
"Aha..."
"Plan is next: John and Barney - go left. Michael and Jason - you are both to the right. I'll knock out the door and go to the center. I will be the highest priority goal, so if they shoot at me - just shoot back. At least we will know that he is still resisting."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it will be easy... I think." - Alex went to the door. Everyone was ready. On his fingers he counted: 3... 2... 1... The kick kicked the door. All immediately ran to their positions. A few seconds later, Alex was already in the center, holding the rifle at the ready. But the shots did not happen. The dining room was clean and tidy, as befits any canteen on a space military cruiser. But the purity did not extend to the bloody track that led to the compartment of the rescue capsules, the door to which was directly in front of Alex. It's amazing, but the light worked there. And then Alex understood what was going on...
"All fast there! If you see the capsule before starting - fire to defeat! This shit tries to escape!"

All group members seemed to understand his hint and literally broke into the compartment. But it was clean there. Only some capsule was preparing to be launched. It was visible even a seat on which there was nobody. The capsule was open and waiting for its owner. Bloody trace led just to this capsule.

"Where is he?!"
"A trace you see? Let's all on it!" - When he was near the capsule, they were stopped by a voice: "Stay where you are or you will all die!" - The voice came from the back. Realizing what a critical mistake they made, Michael was about to turn around, but just behind him flew a laser bullet. - "It's not a joke, Captain! The next bullet will be in your head! Immediately drop your weapons! All, now!"

There was nothing to do. Alex almost threw back his rifle in fury. His task was right behind him. He never thought he would make such a stupid mistake. It was necessary to think of not to check what was behind! All 5 people, on the command of the infected, turned around. Now Michael saw the face of his enemy: it was quite a young face of a 28-29 year old boy, well, or about that. No flaw, nothing to complain about. In appearance - a pretty young man, who, perhaps, was not deprived by women. In his right hand, which was the cause of the bloody trail, was a laser rifle, which he aimed at the group. Looking at his left hand, Michael gasped: it was a suicide detonator. It has not yet been activated, but if you just press a button, then an explosion will follow. Michael knew perfectly well what it would be to blast Richard - Hampshire.

"So you got caught..."
"Got you! You are now alive only because I so want!"
"Well, you bastard, Richard." - Said Barney, holding his hands up. All stood in one row. The first in the series was Michael, the last one was Barney. When he told them to stand up like that, Michael saw that the gun was in Barney's holster. And Barney never misses the opportunity, if she is. - "What are you going to do now?"
"You better not know. Although, I'll tell you. At first I'll piss your soul off, how I fucked on this cruiser, how such a wonderful opportunity for me to take revenge for all the mockeries at once, as I now have 5 idiots who think they have another chance to stop me."
"How did you become like that, Richard?"
"It's a long story. Although, you will like... Well, then. That infected person was killed by me. When it all began, I realized that I can prove myself. That they will notice me for the first time... I took a rifle and went at night to find this creature. I found it in the engineering compartment. The agents were then in their posts, but I bypassed them. Once in the compartment for cleaning water, I saw it. He tried to kill me, but I was faster. Dying, I wanted to kill this thing... But he touched me and showed them the world... He said that they can give me a new life, that I will be a hero..."
"Who are "they"?"
"They... Walking among the stars..." - A smile appeared on Richard's face, and then Michael saw some tentacles or something like that fall through his face, right under his skin. Richard touched them as if to something native and said: "They will understand me... They will understand what I did. Having destroyed your cruiser and telling it to the whole world, everyone will understand that Liberty has a secret system with very poor protection. I will tell everyone what you are doing here. then the war will begin... And they will... be grateful to me!"
"If so, then what hindered you from infecting us during all these 3 months? You could take a cruiser from under your nose, which is much more profitable."
"You do not deserve life... And I decide whether to live for you or die!"
"You do not even know what mistake you made..."
"It was you who made the mistake of aboard the cruiser today! Michael, what inspired you when you became a captain? That this cruiser and its crew is a family, that everyone here is helping each other. They told me that! But I did not notice, all spat at me. And what I will do is a triumph that you can not stop!"
"Do you know how different Alaska differs from other systems?"
"How?! Tell me!"
"Nobody will know about our death beyond this system."

Barney did not stand on ceremony. The infected man still held his sight on Michael, but when Barney snatched the pistol from his holster, no one noticed how two shots flashed, how Barney hit the head of the infected man, and how the infected shot in Barney's shoulder. In a split second, shots, flashes, and scream mingled. And suddenly everything was quiet.

"Barney, shit!" - Michael came to his senses and ran to Barney, who was lying on the floor and groaning with pain. - "How are you?!"
"Good, good..." - Barney exhaled, holding his hand on his shoulder, where the blood was coming from. - "This scum shot me off my shoulder! Alex, did he die?!"
"Barney, you just put him in the head. This is the quickest and most accurate murder that I have seen. Will you go to our agents? I need peoples like you."
"Pick me up, Michael." - Michael obeyed. However, he would have raised Barney. As soon as he got up, he began to walk by himself, still holding his hand on his shoulder. Approaching to the infected, Michael whistled: yes, the shot really was very accurate. A smoke was coming from the hole. It was all over.
"And... All?"
"Yes."
"Poor thing... I feel sorry for him. But why did not he infect everyone, in that case? I still do not understand. Did not these "walking among the stars" command him?"
"He did it because he thought it was right. They obey them, but not completely. He did not have time to detonate the detonator, so we are alive."
"Hah, this pleases... What the?!" - The body of the dead Richard began to beat in convulsions. Blood flowed from his back. And then some strange, blue creature came out. It is difficult to give a description. But out of it protruded a huge tentacle, which somehow resembled a mouth. This time, Barney seized the initiative, realizing where this creature was crawling: "Detonator! Kill it!" All 5 people started shooting as soon as they could. While each of them did not spend their ammunition, the shooting did not stop. The last shot was made by Barney, who was the control.
"Now he's definitely dead... Alright, let's turn on the light and help Marcus and Barney! In the meantime, I'll call our agents to clean everything up here. Michael, do you have a mini-bar on the cruiser? I want to drink after this..."

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