Chapter 6: Survivors

As the elevator rose up to the Talos I lobby, Owen began to run a check over his gear, making sure his pistol was ready and prepared to take out multiple grenades depending on what he saw. However, when he reached the top, he saw nothing. That all changed when the elevator doors opened, and the sound of gunfire rushed in, causing Owen to duck down slightly in fear. After confirming he wasn't being shot at, he quickly slinked out and took cover behind a statue to the left of the elevator. The statue resembled a golden globe of the Earth with wings facing upward.

He peeked out to the right of the elevator and witnessed a group firing at what appeared to be a swarm of mimics chasing them. The attacks had little effect, as the injured mimics quickly retreated and were replaced by two fully healed ones charging forward. The previously injured mimic also healed rapidly to rejoin the fight.

Owen thought to himself, "One shotgun, three pistols, and a wrench," as he watched the ongoing battle. The group eventually retreated to the area behind the elevator, located in the center of the lobby, where heavy blast doors stood with two turrets on either side.

Unfortunately, as the group approached, they froze as the blast doors opened, revealing a phantom. However, without missing a beat, the phantom swiftly moved in front of one of the five group members—a female in a black uniform, indicating she was a security officer aboard Talos I. Armed with a shotgun, she pumped a shell into the phantom, sending it backward. The group turned their attention to fighting off the following mimics, but their efforts were notably less effective without the assistance of the shotgun-wielding woman.

"Well, no time like the present," Owen thought. He dashed out from behind the statue, unloading his pistol until it emptied. He stowed it in his inventory and retrieved two grenades—a recycler charge and a typhon lure. He threw the typhon lure into the middle of the group of 30 mimics, causing them to stall their attack as they were drawn towards the pulsating lure, which emitted a black and white strobe light, slightly straining Owen's eyes. He then threw the recycler grenade into the gathering mimics, resulting in a disastrous effect as 26 mimics were consumed within its range.

"KEEP ATTACKING!" the black-uniformed woman screamed at the other survivors, who stared at Owen in stunned silence. But with her reminder, they quickly snapped out of their daze and attacked, killing the remaining mimics. Meanwhile, the security woman dismantled the attacking phantom with multiple shotgun shells to its body, legs, and head. The tenth shot finally brought it down.

Owen quickly assessed the situation, taking a moment to catch his breath after the intense encounter. The survivors seemed relieved that the immediate threat had been neutralized. Owen approached them cautiously, still tightly gripping the wrench in his hand.

"Are you all okay?" Owen asked, scanning the group. There were two men and three women, all wearing various degrees of disheveled uniforms. Two were engineers, two were scientists, and the last was the female security officer.

"We're fine, thanks to you," one of the men replied gratefully. "I'm Mark, and this is Sarah from Psychotronics, Jake from Medical, Lisa from Water Treatment, and Alexa from Security."

Owen nodded, acknowledging their introductions. "I'm Owen. We need to find a more secure location. Do you have a plan?"

Lisa, one of the women, stepped forward. "We were heading to the security control room to regroup and assess the situation."

"Lead the way," Owen said, determined to assist them in any way he could.