0-SA (The Last Ship Series)

Chapter One: Scouts

"Aha! There it is! Just look at that bitch squirm."

"Just do it already."

"Getting soft on us? Look at it. I bet it doesn't have a damn clue what is going on. We kill these fuckers all the time. You act like these one's are any different!" The man raised his voice. He glared towards the woman commenting, "These leech heads can rot in hell, where they belong. We kill 'em every day. Get used to it sweetheart."

"Could you shut up for god's sake, Jacques?" The woman pressed her shotgun against the alien's head and shot. Her ears began to ring for a moment, her eyes followed the splatters of the iridescent blood.

Ka-boom!

"Ahh! Fuck, Raven. Way to ruin the fun, and my ear drums." He took over the intercom speaking into it, "Sector five has been cleared, William, Sage, move in, no sign of the estranged Irinaut, over." The man adjusted his vest, "You shouldn't get so soft with these things. They abduct people like you. Infect everyone else. These bastards deserve to suffer. Can't even breathe the air anymore, and why is that, Raven? Because of them. I wouldn't piss on one if it was burning." He gave the limp, already decaying alien a kick in the head, "Pieces of shit."

Raven rolled her eyes, "Look, we're wasting time sitting here harassing it's corpse...besides, be better then the enemy." She reloaded her gun, glancing around the city that was now in ruin, "Why are we looking for this thing anyway? Not like someone's not going to kill it."

"Well, I don't know much other then it's A Class. Big ugly fucker, but they're saying he's filtering oxygen. It's been stealing oxygen tanks from the facilities. It's not the lack of trying. It just seems to be a few steps ahead every time." Jacques adjusted his own mask, "It's bad enough we can barely keep the air systems cleaned out without someone getting infected."

"Why would it be stealing the oxygen?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out." A male walked up next to Raven. He was on the smaller side, lean, but we'll built. His entire body was covered in a black armored suit. All were in this protective attire. Only bits of his sandy blonde hair were visible on the top of his head. He held out a tablet, showing the Irinaut easily getting through the electrical systems and inside, "I've never seen one act so-"

"In the right mind?" Raven took the tablet from him, glancing over the creature with the mask over it's face before the camera suddenly shut off, "What happened there, William?"

"Well-"

"Did you not read the report this morning Raven? Let alone listen to the plan on the way here?" A woman wearing a long black coat walked up next to Raven. Her suit similar to the others aside from the coat. Risking infection was the last thing any of them wanted. She was carrying what looked like a rifle, but her sash was lined with tranquilizer darts, "Shows how much you pay attention to anything at all lately."

"Sage, enough. We were all roped into this last minute. Give her a break."

Raven swallowed as Jacques ordered Sage to stop. The woman simply shook her head before glancing back towards William. She pullover cloaked cape over her head, "You were saying?"

He shook his head, his eyebrows raising in the mask, "From what I heard, they looked like they just crushed in on themselves." He shrugged his shoulders, "I heard a rumor that this thing can control things. Ya know, make them just move telepathically or some shit." William scratched the back of his head, "I say we zap it as soon as possible, knock it out and hope for the best."

"Hope for the best?" Sage started laughing hysterically, "You all act like this is going to be something great, seeing one that's not infected, but jokes on all of you, they're just going to dissect it, just like the others." She kicked a few pieces of metal down the cracked paved road. They were in a worn down town. Nothing was left, ruins and some rubble. Some buildings stood, but even they all looked questionable to enter, "How much further anyway? We've been walking for the last hour now. I don't get why we couldn't just take the truck."

"We'd risk the leech head moving further out. The last thing we need is to lose it. They've been trying to catch it for a while now. Maybe longer then the chief likes to let on." Jacques rolled his shoulders, his bag coming up to his back. The man always had the pack.

William shook his head, "It's not very far out. About another twenty minutes worth of walking maybe?" He pulled open his map, "At least that's the last area the creature was seen snagging those oxygen tanks. They evacuated the refugees and moved them to the main base. We're hoping that it will take the bait, and end up back at the building." He rubbed the back of his neck, "Only way we're going to catch it is to give it what it wants, so why not give it a supply 'unguarded'?"

Raven listened to the group talk. For the most part, she just listened. Attempted to that is. At times it just sounded like jumbled words to her, and blocking them out at this point of time was what was easier for her. Herself, she'd easily just kill it and call it a day. The beings had been nothing but trouble for Raven her entire life. Bringing one back alive to their home in it's own felt, wrong. She had read over the reports. She had been called on the mission because of her time in the fields, and her ability to craft and disarm traps was what got her drafted in. She hadn't wanted to be their in the first place.

"Alright let's get a move on. I want this leech head bagged and tagged today. Let's move out!"