The Task Force Reunited

Ephraim felt a chill run down his spine as he inspected the laboratory. He had taken note over every detail on the nook and crook of the lab. Equipment he took a quick sketch, and description he scribbled swiftly. Anna had helped him about the basic details—he scribbled them promptly afterwards.

Ephraim flinched as he felt the shiver. He turned to examine the place, his gaze drifting to the entirety of the space. Anna noticed him.

"What's wrong?" Anna asks, as she leapt, floating towards him. When she reached Ephraim's side, the two of them soon saw the lights flickering.

"The power source . . . Anna," says Ephraim.

Anna shook her head as she crossed her arms. "I don't know anything. My chips are missing, remember? I only have a basic memory chip and the one for the security,"

Ephraim flinched as he hears a loud bang.

The sound of gunshot.

"Wh-what was that?" Ephraim exclaims.

"I believe that is the sound of a gunshot," Anna answers.

Ephraim clenched his fist. The sound of gunshot? Who could it be?

". . . Anna," Ephraim utters.

"Yes . . .?"

"Am I the first one who ever came down here ever since ANDROMEDA shut down . . .?"

"No?" Anna answers.

THUMP. THUD. CLANG.

It wasn't a gunshot this time—it sounded like a heavy object was being pounded upon a metal.

Something being forced open.

Ephraim took a step back as he realizes where the sound was originating from.

The vault door.

He turned to Anna, who was looking at the door with sheer confusion.

"What was that, Anna?" Ephraim asks, with his gaze fixated on the hologram with the stature of a girl. Anna herself looked back to Ephraim with bemused, glowing cyan eyes.

"It's . . . something," Anna answers as she turned her head back as she fixes her eyes affront. Her eyes gleamed like a glowing screen. "I'm examining what's banging against the door . . . but my sensors are a bit malfunctioning. It's something . . . I don't know."

"It's 'something'? Can't you search it up?"

Anna's gaze was still fixed at the door laden with a continuous bang. Her eyes still gleamed—indicating she was looking through something beyond that door enclosing the two of them in.

"I can't," says Anna. "It's something unknown. Something blocked in my system. I don't have an access to determine what it is,"

"It's . . . made from the lab?" Ephraim asks. The bangs on the door were getting louder. Louder than the gunshots.

<< ERROR >> << ERROR >> << ERROR >> << ERROR >> << ERROR >> << ERROR >> << ERROR >> << ERROR >> << ERROR >>

A hologram red text appeared in front of Ephraim and Anna, which tinged the whole space with a sinister red hue. Ephraim remained vigilant, grabbing the nearest thing he could ever hold on to; a broken Erlenmeyer flask. He then turned to Anna who was now cowering in fear.

"Anna . . .?"

Before Ephraim could even ask why Anna was reacting like that, he was surprised with the vault door collapsing with an ear-shattering thud. The laboratory had a foggy-frost surrounding the atmosphere, which enshrouded the figure behind the shadowy silhouette amidst the mist.

"Graaawww,"

Ephraim flinched. It grunted—a grunt that was certainly an octave lower on the ground. He backed away as the smoke-frost slowly clears.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Through his spectacles, his eyes widened as his sight was bombarded with a person—no, a creature he couldn't put himself to describe.

It had three arms, two thick arms; one atop its head, one on its stomach; whilst the other hand was thinner and was on its shoulder. It had a head, an eye, a torso, and two legs. It was several meter taller than he was, and diameter larger than a normal person. It had a flower growing on its body, and then one eye on its face, several eyes on the chest and foot. They blinked in different times.

Ephraim swallowed his breath as he tried to process what he was seeing. The flowers and vines on the body of the creature seemed alive, as well—they crawled and swirled in a soggy manner. Ephraim couldn't bring himself to move as the creature opened its mouth, revealing sharp, razor teeth.

"Ephraim!" Anna utters. "Ephraim!"

Ephraim immediately snapped back to reality. The creature was walking towards him now—all of its eyes were fixated to him. Ephraim grew pale as its bodily fluids—a mud-colored ooze, dripped down as it walked—

"Ephraim, run . . ." Anna says with a rather silent voice. "RUN!" She shouts finally as she leapt and floated.

Ephraim then did as Anna instructed her to do. And as if on cue, the creature lunged itself towards Ephraim. Ephraim gasped as it quickly retaliated from one place to another. It then threw itself forward to where Ephraim had run to. Ephraim barely dodged it, as he run towards the opposite of the room.

Anna floated towards him.

"Ephraim, you have to run to the door now," she says. "I'll try to lure it away, while you run, alright?"

Ephraim turns to her. "What about you?"

"I'm a Hologram," Anna answers. "I won't die."

"GRAAWWW!" The creature growls, and grunted as it displayed its anger. Anna then landed herself to the ground, walking forward to the creature.

"Hey, you!" She says. "Come here! Chase me!"

Anna then waved her hand as she leads the creature parallel to the opened door.

But it did not follow Anna.

It did not even budge its eyes from where Ephraim is—it looked at Ephraim as if he was a prey. The creature fixed several of its eyes to Ephraim—akin to a predator strategizing how to kill his prey. Ephraim grew paler as he realized the creature's gazes were all on him.

"H-hey! Look at me! Lookie here!" Anna exclaims, as she goes in front of the creature, waving her two hands. "Here! I'm here, chase me!"

The creature passed through her hologram body, with its teeth gnashing as it gnarled. Ephraim could only take a step back, his back pressing to the wall. His eyes did not leave the creature slowly sauntering towards him.

Any movement he makes will have to be calculated and critically-thought out. Any wrong move will end his life. He decided not to break eye contact to the creature which was grating its razor-sharp teeth as it salivated upon the sight of him.

Was this ANDROMEDA's research? An experiment on monsters? Genetically modifying cells? Aliens?

He couldn't think straight. He had to survive first before he could investigate.

The beast charged, and that is his cue. Ephraim ducked with a sweeping motion whilst he turned sideways; the creature bumped against the wall with a loud thud. Ephraim took a few steps back.

"Shit!"

Ephraim didn't have the time to recalculate his next movement as the creature's hand on his stomach seized him by the wait. It was THAT large to be able to seize him easily with one hand. Ephraim grunted as the creature clenched its fist, pressing Ephraim's ribs. He screamed in pain.

Ephraim then quickly withdrew something he had retrieved from the laboratory earlier—the broken Erlenmeyer flask. He proceeded to stab the creature's arm first. It let go of him, with the broken flask embedded on its arm. Ephraim dodged yet another one of its attacks by withdrawing quickly from the creature. His ribs throbbed in pain as he tried to walk backwards. Ephraim didn't have much time to feel the pain, though. He immediately grabbed the small knife in his belt; its sharp blade gleaming as light flickered through it. This was one thing he carried every expedition.

Never engage in a dangerous mission without a weapon.

He grabbed the Erlenmeyer flask first to suspend the movement of the creature. One thing he could be right is his prediction. The moment he heard the loud, heavy thumps on the vault door, he was fairly certain he would be dealing with something with a larger size.

He was right to trust his instincts!

"GRAAAHHHWWW!" The creature screamed its battle cry. It propelled its body forward on sheer impulse from anger.

"Too late!" Ephraim exclaims as he slashes his knife to the creature's hand etched on its stomach. As he slashed through, he moved away from the creature who had now screamed as one of its arm dropped through the floor, with a thick, green ooze leaking down.

"As I thought," Ephraim exclaims. "It's not intelligent,"

Ephraim frowns afterwards as he feels his hand burning. He glances over his hand—and then he immediately dropped his knife.

The knife's metal was now melting.

"GRAAAWWW!!!!"

The creature charged even angrily now. Ephraim tried to dodge its attacks, but then the creature's hand on its shoulder sent Ephraim crashing to the walls as the beast angrily used the back of its palm to hit Ephraim. Ephraim coughed as he felt his back thrashing to the walls.

The creature then leapt with his mouth open, ready to devour Ephraim—

Only to collapse a centimeter away from Ephraim along with a loud gunshot embedding on its back.

Ephraim lifted his gaze slowly. He then sees a pistol on the hand of a familiar figure—

And several others.

"What a cool shot," says Samuel. "You should teach me next time how to shoot,"

Ephraim blinked.

"Leader!"

A girl approached Ephraim with teary eyes. "You're alive!"

"Miss . . . Sanders?"

"Ah, looks like he's still out of it," says Samuel.

"Let me treat your wounds," Berthold Wagner exclaims as he goes near him. He then helps Ephraim stand. "Are you alright?"

"You . . . you guys," Ephraim mumbles. "You guys are alive,"

Samuel smirks. "Well yes, and you're half-dead, Lame leader,"

Esmeralda pouts. "You should look at yourself first, Shorty! You're bandaged all over!"

"Shaddup,"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

���Wh-wh-whoa, N-ninja guy, don't sh-shoot just like that," Samuel exclaims. Hiroaki had just loaded the creature with numerous gunshots once more. Ephraim himself was unable to move because the gunshots are practically away from him in a centimeters' distance.

"Move." Hiroaki exclaims, as he fires another gunshot.

"My bullets won't kill it." He exclaims as he narrows his dark eyes.

"WHAT?!" All of them said in chorus (except Ephraim).

"It can't be killed by metal." Ephraim mumbles.

"ggraa….GRAAAWWWWL!!!!!!"

"Everyone," Ephraim exclaims. "RUN!"