FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

IX: Sins of the Past

Terminus: Containment Facilities

Oct-19th, 2034, 07:30

The Doctor

Adrian awoke to the glare of artificial sunlight and the feeling of cold air being directed onto his face from an overhead vent. Despite this, the rest of his body was surprisingly warm. He’d even go as far as to say that he was comfortable. Upon further investigation, the man noticed that he was now in fact wrapped in a set of weighted blankets, which were decorated in a thicket of rosebuds.

The doctor pulled back the sheets and pushed himself into a seated position at the edge of the bed, moving a hand to his face in an attempt to dissipate the morning haze. His bare skin felt warm to the touch, but as he continued to brush it across his stubbled face, he noticed that his skin gave way to a series of bandages, all of which had been changed recently. Furthermore, he now also wore an oversized undershirt, which was otherwise spotless. It appeared as though the wrappings across his back had also been changed, without his prior permission.

He hesitated for a moment as the dots began to connect in his head.

Adrian was immediately on his feet and driven into a panic as the memories of last night finally surfaced. Although his mind was fuzzy on some aspects of what transpired, he remembered being attacked by Rooker over an argument about the viper.

Viper.

Adrian’s heart began to race over the thought of spending another day with the giant alien. The way its oversized coils slithered across the ground, how its claws seemed to shimmer in the light, and how its fangs could make short work of his minuscule body.

It took all of his willpower to force the memory back into the depths of his subconsciousness. He looked around in desperation for his wooden box, which had become his sanctuary. Luckily, he found it only a short distance away on a nearby bookshelf. Adrian then pushed his way through a myriad of hanging paper airplanes and origami shapes, taking the box in both of his hands and feeling its heart-shaped surface with a thumb. However, as he continued to brush his finger along its surface, it caught a small snag near one of the box’s corners.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared as though the jewelry box had been chipped, but someone had managed to mend the two parts back together with some form of adhesive. It wasn’t perfect, but whoever did it seemed to make the best with what they had at their disposal. Adrian then slowly opened the container, which came to reveal the psionic chip still cushioned within the velvet padding. At a quick glance, it looked to be in one piece. He immediately shut the box and held it close to his chest, feeling his heart rate return to normal and a wave of relief wash over him.

He would've surely been lost without his anchor point.

A musical chime suddenly broke out from another room in the observation wing. Drawn to the noise, the man placed the box in a pant pocket, shuffled his way to the threshold, and looked out across the tables and workbenches, which were still occupied by a hoard of useless, old-world junk. With the area clear, Adrian turned towards the source of the noise, which led him to an adjacent room with what appeared to be graduated marks on the door. Luckily, there was a large enough gap in the entryway for him to peek inside.

The layout of the room was similar to the one that he'd just left; however, there weren’t any windows to provide light to the area, a shortcoming corrected for by additional copper wire lighting, which weaved itself around the perimeter of the room. Adrian looked back one more time to check if the coast was clear and then made his way into what he assumed was Rooker’s private study.

After he returned the door to its original position, the doctor began to take in the rest of the room. There was a bed that looked like it hadn’t been used in ages, a wardrobe and dresser area, a workbench with a light sheet covered over it, but what caught his eye most was a large corkboard that had every square inch of it filled with scientific documents and Advent literature. It honestly looked like an evidence board from some old-world crime drama, with red string pinned to mark the different connections made over time.

Adrian moved closer to inspect one of the documents, lifting it up to see the title: Keystone Intraspecific Variation of the Template Species, as compiled by the ‘illustrious’ Doctor Fairchild. This was one of the many papers that he'd sent to Terminus before he departed from New Providence. However, the damn thing was more of a bestiary than anything else. He looked at a couple of the other documents. One was on the effects of mass transfer and manipulation, another one was on cryogenically frozen embryos. The last one seemed to be disregarded in favor of the others, yet all three were interconnected in that each of them dealt with the Viper species to a large degree.

One stood to question how Rooker had managed to get a copy of all of these, and to what end?

The doctor let the final document fall back against the corkboard and turned to find himself faced with yet another one, which had a very different theme to it: the development of the crimson viper that he had encountered yesterday. He'd already forgotten its name, but here were parts of its life laid out in over a hundred photographs.

Adrian risked a closer glance at them.

There were ones where it was barely the length of a human, smiling towards the camera while it was covered in acrylic paint and worked on some out-of-frame canvas. Others had it curled up next to a video projector as it watched some action movie, and still more had it huddled next to a mountain of books. As he moved further down the board, the viper steadily grew larger and larger until he reached the bottom right image, which was just a photograph of an empty room—the same one that he'd just left.

What possible use could such an image serve? Motivation perhaps? No. Rooker was a brute who was only interested in what he could extort from other people, yet…why even take all of these photos in the first place? Adrian’s memory of yesterday was still a bit hazy, but he for sure remembered his last moments before he succumbed to another one of his episodes.

He took his eyes off of the final corkboard and moved them to a nearby study area, complete with a roll-top desk filled with various binders and the source of the musical chime: a vintage pocket watch. However, he chose to leave it be while he opened a binder on top of the stack. He only needed to page through the first few sections to realize that he was looking through a flight manual, specifically for an Advent cargo freighter. A shipping manifest was located in the back sleeve and contained a precise listing of its cargo—all categorized by ASD.

He transported Advent peacekeepers? It would appear that the aircraft schematics in the other room weren’t just for show. Adrian placed the manifest back in the sleeve and closed the binder. He then turned back to the musical pocket watch, which had a burnished inner surface outlining a wooden cabin in some far-off forest. A dying sunset amidst the birth of countless other stars filled the sky and watched over a lone stag in the foreground. There was also a semicircular mirror installed closer to the watch’s stem that reflected Adrian’s green eyes back at him.

The man shut the lid and shifted his attention to the picture frame behind it. The photo within featured a family of three in front of a large suburban home with green grass, a white picket fence, and apple trees surrounding them. An older couple stood to the left, where the woman leveled the camera with a hardened gaze while the man offered a lighthearted smile. They both held some kind of document in their hands. The young man to their right had a trimmed ebony beard and smiled alongside the older gentleman.

He'd come to loathe that smile, although here it wasn’t cocky or boastful, rather it showed genuine affection towards what seemed to be a happy event. However, what interested Adrian most was who stood behind the camera—a yellow tail had accidentally entered the bottom of the frame.

“A housewarming gift from our Advent homestay,” a voice announced from behind him.

Adrian pivoted on his heels to find Rooker leaned up against the doorframe. He had been caught in the act and the other man blocked the only exit. The doctor backed away on instinct and braced himself for what would no doubt become his punishment. However, the pilot only walked past him and opened the pocket watch, letting its characteristic chime be heard once again until the musical measure finally ran its course.

“My mother used to hate hearing the damn thing. For a time, I did as well,” Rooker stated rather ominously before he closed the lid.

Adrian was so caught off guard by the other man’s statement that he failed to respond. Instead, he was left to look at the pilot who eventually came to bridge the awkward gap in their conversation.

“How are you feeling, Adrian? I know that last night ended on a rather…sour note, but I’m genuinely curious.”

Rooker now almost looked to be the one who was afraid of how the other would react. Very odd.

“Fine. The bed was a little stiff, but I’ve slept in far worse,” Adrian answered truthfully.

The other man offered a small smile and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Ha. I'm afraid that mine wasn’t much better.”

Adrian looked at Rooker’s unused bed and then turned back with a raised eyebrow. One could now cut the rising tension in the air with a knife.

“Look, Adrian...I’m absolutely terrible at these kinds of things, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about last night. I was a grade-A asshole and overreacted.”

Overreacted?

Rooker had done a little more than just overreact. Adrian felt a fire grow inside his belly and he shoved a finger in front of the other man’s face.

“Maybe if you didn’t run that mouth of yours constantly, you would've picked up what would happen if I stared at that oversized viper of yours for too long. But you had to get your damn confession out of me and bring me over the edge! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Rooker suddenly looked unsure of himself. Back in New Providence, the pilot had always known what to say or could at least bullshit his way out of a situation, but here he just let his eyes fall to the side and appeared to tuck his tail in between his legs.

What the hell had transpired last night while he was passed out on the floor? This wasn’t Rooker, he didn’t know who he was currently cussing out. Nevertheless, he took the other man’s silence as his answer and continued his own tirade, knowing that Rooker was now the one on the back foot.

“Furthermore.” The doctor went over to the first corkboard and ripped off one of the documents as a show of evidence. “These were all supposed to be sent directly to Dr. Vahlen, so why the hell do you have my research nailed to your wall? What use could they possibly serve an overzealous, self-righteous bastard such as yourself?!”

Adrian even surprised himself with his outburst. At this point, he figured that he could walk right out the door and Rooker would do nothing to stop him. However, despite being completely fed up with Rooker’s bullshit, he still wanted to get some kind of reaction out of the pilot. Anything to get back at the other man before he'd quite literally tell him to go shove it.

“Because I didn’t have the answers that I need to save her,” Rooker finally responded, a mix of somber futility and bitterness in his tone.

The other man then found his way into a nearby office chair and wound up the pocket watch, keeping his eyes on the family photo all the while and failing to acknowledge the prosecution.

“Save who? Damn it, Rooker, you’re not making any sense. Were you dropped on your head last night while I was asleep?”

The pilot did in fact have bandages around his head as well, and by the looks of it, whoever applied them took several times to get it right. However, again Rooker failed to respond immediately. Instead, he moved to look at the photo collage on the second corkboard. Of course, everything revolved around that damn crimson viper of his.

“Why?” Adrian demanded.

“Because she’s a better person than I'll ever be, and circumstances out of her control prevent her from living the life that I want for her,” Rooker answered back.

He had heard this argument before, and Rooker was clearly too blind to see what lay just under the surface. If he wasn’t currently locked out of the rest of Terminus, he’d spit in Rooker’s face right then and there and proceed to walk out of the containment cell with his head held high.

However, there was still a part of him that was willing to humor Rooker, if only to hear what he had to say and then tell him what a blithering idiot he was afterwards. And maybe he was at least a little grateful that the pilot ended up righting a few wrongs over the course of the night. Furthermore, he’d have a better chance of keeping himself out of harm’s way within these four walls, at least until someone came to let him out of this cage. Unfortunately, he was still trapped in here with that red and white viper.

The doctor made his decision and let out a sigh. He then pushed himself onto Rooker’s bed and let his feet dangle in the air as he looked at the pilot.

“Explain.”

Rooker looked over in surprise as if the notion of Adrian even granting him an audience was improbable at best. Lucky for him, the doctor actually ended up well-rested given the circumstances.

“I actually don’t know where to begin.”

“How about at the beginning?” Adrian suggested.

Dammit. He was already sounding like a licensed psychologist, and there was no telling what kind of skeletons Rooker currently had hidden away in his closet.

The pilot nodded and shifted his attention to the family photo.

“As I stated earlier, the pocket watch was a gift from our Advent homestay. I use the term loosely because she was more or less stationed there like so many other cases,” Rooker began as his usual zest returned.

“Gauging from the tail in the photo, it was a viper? Also, I was not aware that quartered Advent soldiers were required to hand out gifts upon their arrival?”

Rooker smirked at the question.

“Well, she wasn’t either. The story goes that her handlers had to make a pit stop at a local Advent redistribution center and showed her a wall of someone’s old possessions. Their owner evidently disappeared into the night and was never seen or heard from again. Nevertheless, she took a shine to the forest scene and her reflection in the little mirror. So, there we all were not an hour after, looking out to see a giant humanoid snake clutching the musical watch on our front porch.”

“You mean the three of you?” Adrian asked.

“Yeah, I was an only child and between jobs, at least for the first week or so. Father was a construction foreman turned politician after Advent rolled in and began to look for volunteers. He was always sympathetic to their cause, believing that humanity was but a single cog in a much larger machine, and like many others, astounded by the medical advances of the Elders.

“As for my mother, she was former XCOM and so was I. Well, at least I went through all of the necessary training and received the certifications required to pilot a Skyranger. However, I was never hardened by boots on the ground combat like she was, so needless to say that she was rather close-minded about her husband’s willingness to allow an eighteen-foot reptile with a beam rifle to enter our home.”

Adrian looked back at the woman’s hardened expression in the photograph.

“Anyways, the viper gave us her offering and my father was pleased, choosing to use the little musical watch as a conversation piece with dignitaries and while consulting with his constituents. This was relatively early on into Occupation and everyone was distrustful of the alien force that had suddenly decided to call Earth its home.”

“And the viper?” Adrian couldn’t hide the curiosity that now surfaced in his voice.

“Well, she didn’t even speak a lick of English, but more or less became my father’s shadow. He loved showing her off and touting the ‘great commonwealth of species.’ Was his favorite phrase and the driving force behind a great many arguments between my parents. He believed that the Elders were honest in their commitment to the advancement of our civilization.

“As for me, I chose to listen to my mother’s wisdom and tended to stay clear of the viper. Had enough bitterness inside me already after being relegated to flying around Advent freight for a living. However, their cargo ships were something else, and I’m honestly surprised that the Resistance has yet to commandeer one—their identification security measures are quite exploitable. Nevertheless, it kept me out of trouble at first and on the road for most of it.”

Adrian neglected to bring up the fact that Rooker evidently ferried Advent peacekeepers around, instead he gestured at the photograph.

“But things didn’t stay that way, something happened,” the doctor surmised.

Rooker frowned as he opened a desk drawer, taking out a bottle of whiskey and a pair of glasses. He had both of them filled in short order and moved to offer Adrian a glass.

“Are you serious?” Adrian couldn’t help but balk at the gesture.

“For what comes next,” Rooker replied, still holding one of the glasses out to him.

“I’ll pass, thank you very much.”

Rooker merely shrugged and downed the entire thing himself, flipping over the empty glass and then turning back to him.

“Now. How familiar are you with Advent’s second purge?”

The question gave the doctor pause. While he didn’t witness the second purge firsthand, he walked past the remains of the old Resistance headquarters each day he traveled to and from work. It served as a painful reminder to those who wished to oppose the Elders’ will. Indeed, once shielded by the vast reach and connections of a wealthy business tycoon, the Resistance operated right in Advent’s backyard. However, like with anything, the Ethereals were soon made aware, and a sledgehammer came crashing down across their empire.

“I’m familiar with it. There’s a lot of harbored resentment even today because of what they did,” Adrian acknowledged.

“What they did was commit a false flag operation within their borders and then proceeded to go door to door and drag people from their homes, regardless of if they were even remotely related to XCOM, the Resistance, or anything in between.”

Rooker allowed anger to enter his voice as he eyed the second glass but neglected to drown himself in it just yet.

“I got off unscathed initially because I had a flight logged to head back home and…I may have been operating off of another identity at the time. Kept the smuggling stuff under wraps from the folks and didn’t want my reputation rubbing off on my father. However, it didn’t matter in the end...”

Adrian was well aware as to where this conversation was likely headed but asked his next question anyways.

“Your parents didn’t make it through the night, did they?”

Rooker sighed and took hold of the pocket watch, moving it into his lap as a means to steady himself. It would appear that the two were cut from the same cloth after all.

“I called them an hour before my scheduled flight home, just before Advent decided to flood the streets. Mom was pissed at the viper, like always. Apparently, the alien had gotten herself into a hissing match with the neighbor’s new Rottweiler and was causing quite the scene.” Rooker let the smallest of smiles slip through. “My mother swore that she’d go out with a roll of newspaper and show the oversized snake how XCOM handled insubordination. I still believe to this day that she went out into the backyard after our phone call and put the viper through her version of The Crucible.”

The pilot then let his frown return.

“News broke of the inquisition after I landed. I ended up watching the local news from the terminal television screens while I waited for my tram. Given my father’s position of power, the camera crews rolled right up to our home and began reporting on the situation immediately. Bodies littered the streets and Advent peacekeepers were everywhere. It was a goddamn bloodbath and the Resistance was to blame—they made sure to dress the dead in insignias and similar body armor.”

Rooker then looked at the floor as his right leg began to shake.

“That was when they showed a pair of body bags. One was likely my mom, evidently too mangled to show on camera. But my dad…they made sure that the entire city saw his face as they unzipped that bag. He was as white as a ghost and Advent had failed to come to his rescue in time.”

The other man looked back into Adrian’s eyes, his own now set ablaze.

“But someone in the news crew fucked up big time and failed to turn my father’s collar up before they showed his face to the entire world. Because on his neck was a set of puncture marks, no doubt belonging to the friendly, neighborhood reptile. It was all a damn façade and orchestrated by Advent. They saw him as a useful idiot and then threw him to the wolves just like any other scapegoat.”

Rooker’s grip tightened on the musical watch, refusing to succumb to his vices just yet.

“Their home had long since been ransacked when I slipped in through the back entrance. Family photos burnt, drawers everywhere, and no snake to be found.”

He then lifted the watch for both of them to see before he set it back on a shaky thigh.

“She took this with her, evidently caring more about it than the people that she swore to protect. In my rage, I geared up using the family armory in a hidden crawlspace—perks of living under the same roof as a paranoid former XCOM officer. Then I called in a final favor from one of my contacts and tracked the viper down via her ASD to an Advent processing center disguised as a morgue. Figures that I’d find her already assigned to a new rotation and in the same place where everyone seemed to be disappearing to over the years.”

Adrian simply nodded his head.

Civilians vanishing into thin air was business as usual for the Elders. Whether it be for acts of dissidence or simply for having scored high marks on a recent Gene Aptitude Examination at a local clinic. There was a reason that many within Advent’s ranks chose to do the bare minimum when it came to involving themselves with such gene clinics.

“I killed everyone who blocked my path as I blazed a trail to my family, human or otherwise. It didn’t take long to find them and confirm firsthand what I saw on TV. I then offered them each a parting eulogy before I began to burn the entire place to the ground, now intent on tracking down their murder.”

Rooker closed his eyes, pausing to take in the steady hum of the overhead air-conditioning. He then opened them back up and stared into Adrian’s own.

“Our firefight was short-lived as I found her patrolling a nearby loading dock. After beating the viper within an inch of her life, I gave the alien a momentary reprieve while I rummaged through what little belongings she had, finding the little musical watch tucked away in a side pouch, as expected.”

The other man then pressed a button on the watch’s winding stem and allowed the delicate measure to be heard as the lid popped open.

“I…made sure that this was the last thing that she ever heard while I strangled the life out of her,” Rooker finally said, each syllable came out heavier than the last, yet the pilot held himself together. “She had no hope in making a verbal case for herself, but in my eyes, she signed her death warrant as soon as she attacked me on sight. It’s…funny what people’s eyes will show you in their last moments of life. Her red ones showed a kind of sorrow and regret that will be etched in my brain for the rest of my life. However, at the time I was too blind to care.”

Rooker took in a shaky breath before he continued.

“As the viper breathed her very last, she didn’t even look at me. No…she looked at the beautiful stag blanketed in the fleeting sunlight of the pocket watch, which sang her a parting lullaby and had caught her eye from the very beginning. As the fire died from her eyes, I was left to stare into their emptiness through the reflection in the mirror. Even today…I sometimes catch a glimpse of them, staring at me from the void and begging for a reason as to why her life was cut short, while a sinner like myself is still somehow allowed to walk this earth.”

The pilot closed the pocket watch and went for the second glass of whiskey. However, the tremors that racked his body were such that his only achievement was tipping the entire glass on the floor.

“Dammit…suppose I have to clean that up too,” Rooker mumbled.

It didn’t take a genius to see that Rooker was distraught about his dark confession. If Adrian had really wanted to pick him apart, he would've told the other man that the viper’s true personality likely showed through in the final moments before her death, but he thought better of it and felt that the pilot somehow knew this fact already. Nevertheless, the anger inside of him had long since withered away.

“I assume that you linked up with the remnants of the Resistance afterwards,” he questioned, to which Rooker nodded after he took a few moments to recollect himself.

“I stole an Advent dropship shortly after and used some of my older connections to get into contact with the Resistance. Advent may have flooded the tunnels, but as a consequence drove the rats elsewhere and in harder-to-reach places. I became one of them and used my unique skillset to launch clandestine operations aimed at raiding the same supply lines that I once helped maintain.”

“But why keep the watch after all these years, especially if it’s something that you get so worked up over?”

Rooker shuffled uncomfortably in his chair.

“I originally took it as a trophy—I was proud of what I had done. It was a way to remember how I had come to avenge my family. It fueled my anger towards the Elders and how little regard they had for human life. However, over time I came to understand the hypocrisy of such beliefs and choose to now hold on to it for an entirely different reason.”

It would appear that Rooker wasn’t yet willing to elaborate on what that ‘reason’ was. However, the other man had at least been truthful up to this point. Despite this, Adrian was far from convinced that he should even give the pilot a second thought after their conversation concluded.

“That’s all well and good, Rooker. And I’m sincerely sorry for your loss, but I really don’t see what this has to do with my research or that red viper that’s no doubt lurking outside of these walls,” Adrian stated bluntly.

It was going to take a lot more than a simple sob story to win him over. Even then, he wasn’t entirely sure if he could give the other man what he ultimately wanted. And yes, the scientist in him wanted nothing more than to compare notes with a member of the very subspecies that he had toiled endlessly over to recreate based on charred Advent manuscripts and corrupted databanks.

“After my parents’ deaths, I was nothing more than a loose cannon that the Resistance directed Advent’s way. I killed for the sport of it. Humans, sectoids, mutons…if you stood in my way, you got mowed down without a second thought. If you think that I’m an ‘overzealous bastard’ now, I’d hate for you to have seen me back then.”

“And taking Nessie under your wing somehow made you less of an insufferable oaf?” Adrian joked in an effort to inject some lightheartedness into the conversation.

Rooker again shifted in his chair as he looked to the second corkboard.

“Many would have you believe that XCOM harnessed the power of Elerium before their organization collapsed under the will of the Elders—this is completely false. In fact, we only managed to shoot down two UFOs during that time and failed to even understand that technology before the Council threw in the proverbial towel.

“Needless to say, the Resistance wanted this technology for themselves, so when it caught wind that a UFO decided to leave orbit and park its shiny alien ass at an Advent Blacksite in the arctic, a task force of six was quickly assembled with myself as the second pilot.”

“Bullshit.”

“What?”

“You were going to just waltz into an Advent Blacksite and escape via a UFO, which I’m guessing you had no idea how to fly at the time,” Adrian challenged.

“Well…kinda. Not saying it was a great plan, but when the Resistance big wigs come to you and want you to steal a UFO out from under Advent’s nose, you can’t really say no to a once-in-a-lifetime experience like that,” Rooker countered.

“I would,” Adrian fired back.

“You’re a landlocked egghead that doesn’t understand the thrill of getting to take an alien spaceship for a joyride—pilots live for that kind of shit,” Rooker smirked, his past vigor returning as a result of their tangent.

“Fine. Gauging from what I saw hanging in the next room and the fact that you didn’t pick me up via UFO back in New Providence, I’d say that things didn’t exactly go as planned?” Adrian conceded.

While he didn’t know the full details of the facility’s destruction, he was now curious more than ever, given that Rooker apparently took part in the daring raid, and his former superiors chose to withhold information pertaining to the supposed UFO. He'd play dumb for now. After all, he didn’t want Rooker using any such knowledge against him.

“Infiltrating the facility was easy enough. Advent still hadn’t bolstered their encryption methods, so the routine pre-occupation methods still worked. They even let us land right inside one of their underground hangars. However, the creatures that we found inside afterwards were anything but routine.”

Rooker looked to the second to last photo of the red viper, its head skimmed the ceiling while it looked to be attempting to force its way into the same room that he had woken up in.

“She wasn’t all too pleased about that one. I got the silent treatment for nearly three days because of it.” Rooker gave a rueful laugh. “But her size in that photo showcases the sheer scale of some of the aliens that we suddenly found ourselves uncovering inside that compound. There were hundreds of them and each seemed larger than the last. They were submerged in a foreign substance with some of them completely covered in scales, others reinforced with organic plating, still more with extra limbs and grotesque extensions that looked like something straight out of a John Carpenter movie. However, all of them appeared to have been based on what people normally think of when they see a viper.”

“And you then felt compelled to shut down the facility?” Adrian pressed Rooker for the rationale that would serve as a catalyst for the endless supply of headaches that he faced in an attempt to reclaim what was lost.

“I…we believed them to be abominations at the time. Giants to be released on the Resistance and city centers should the need arise. Facing regular-sized vipers was enough, but ones that were twice the normal size? In the end, a decision was made to destroy the facility through whatever means necessary, even if it meant that we’d give up our original objective.”

“And you were successful in that task?” Adrian attempted to hide his annoyance.

“We put the facility’s reactor into meltdown. However, this triggered some kind of doomsday protocol, which released the giants from their tanks. Luckily for us, many succumbed to the change in environment and fell dead on the spot. However, more than a handful survived and my team came to immediately regret the decision.”

One only needed to look at what was done to create the Thin Man to understand that the Elders were the masters of size. However, everything comes with a cost, especially when one spoke of size manipulation.

“They attacked you?” Adrian feigned ignorance.

“Us and anything else that fell into their gaze. They were mindless animals that even Advent had no hope of controlling. We took advantage of the chaos and double backed towards our dropship. Despite this, four of us didn’t even make it back to the hangar.”

“You neglected to head towards the UFO?”

“Adrian, the monsters inside that facility had to be destroyed at all costs. We had no hope of making it to the secondary hangar on the other side of the complex. However, we did manage to steal some schematics before shit really started to hit the fan.”

Rooker looked to the bottle of whiskey that still sat on the surface of the roll-top desk.

“In the end, it was only me who made it back to the dropship. I’ve…been on lonely flights countless times before, yet that one seemed to hit differently.”

The pilot then let a smile form on his bearded face as he shifted his gaze back to the top of the corkboard.

“But as I touched down in Terminus, I learned that I was not alone after all. In fact, there was a little red and white stowaway huddled next to the FO’s seat. While I don’t entirely know what compelled her to join me on that ride out of the arctic, I surmised that she sought shelter from the cold after she entered the hangar, choosing to then curl up and fall asleep next to the closest heat source.

“Funny enough, what first notified me of the alien’s presence was the rustling of a paper bag. Now, Resistance pilots were especially hard to come by back in those days, so we had to pick up pilot numero uno on the outskirts of another Advent mega-city. The guy was a maverick but had a thing for ordering an Advent Burger Number Nine with no onions before every flight. Seemed to think it was his version of a rabbit’s foot. Sadly, they fucked up his order and gave him two Number Eights to compensate. Ended up eating the first, but never got around to the second, since eight turned out to be his unlucky number.” Rooker couldn’t help but smirk at his own joke.

“He wasn’t the only one…” Adrian muttered to himself.

“What?”

“Nothing. Please continue.” The doctor was now the one who shifted uncomfortably in place.

“Right…well, the little alien had gotten hungry and went straight for the extra burger after she woke up, rustling the bag after shoving her entire face into it, and I mean hood and everything. Gave me quite the scare and I pulled a gun on her right as she pulled out and held the burger in her tiny claws. However, she paid me little mind as she shoved half the thing right into her mouth and her eyes started to water out of joy, which gave me a chance to look her over.

“While she appeared similar to some of the ones that I saw in the tanks, she was so much smaller and had features that were much closer to that of a human. She had five fingers instead of four, she had more expressive facial features, and her petaled crown was also slightly different from the rest. She made no move to attack me, focusing all of her attention on a greasy burger with too many pickles on it.”

“How did you get its attention?” Adrian let his scientific mind get the better of him.

Rooker moved the pocket watch back into his hand.

“I don’t know what possessed me to use this instead of my gun—had a habit of bringing it with me on missions where our chances were slim. Maybe I was too exhausted to think clearly, maybe I just didn’t care anymore about what would happen to me, but I wound the watch up and…”

He pushed in the button on the stem and the musical measure began to play.

“The viper took a shine to it almost immediately, and much to my surprise moved to position herself in my lap while she ate what remained of the burger and placed a greasy hand on top of the watch, which was directly on top of my own. She then gazed at the decorative scene and her reflection until she fell asleep again, still situated on my lap. Even back then the viper trusted me…”

Rooker’s gaze fell to the stain in the carpeting as he closed the pocket watch.

“But I betrayed that trust by notifying security as soon as she dozed off. It didn’t take long for the viper to be carted away in a glorified dog kennel. She didn’t put up a fight though, rather stuck out a clawed hand in an attempt to reach me while I followed the guards to what would become her temporary cell. I believe that I was one of the first living creatures that she saw after escaping her tank, and she somehow imprinted on me as a result.

“My superiors soon forced me to serve as a sentry to her cell as the scientists began to uncover what the hell I had unknowingly dragged home from the arctic. She would try to get my attention whenever possible and I…just ignored her, instead harboring bitter resentment that I was now stuck watching over the very thing that I had hated for years. I’m ashamed to admit that there were even times that I contemplated on walking straight into her cell in order to put a bullet between her eyes.

“Then the scientists wanted me to start taking care of the damn viper myself, stating that she only cooperated while in close proximity to me. I unhappily obliged, but as I relayed to Major Rabczewska last night, I was a brutish bastard to her during the first week. I starved her, beat her, and blamed her for relegating me to the sidelines once again. During that time, I wanted so desperately for her to attack me and give me a reason to cave her alien skull in.”

The other man looked back up.

“On the sixth day of suffering my brutality, she finally snapped and attempted to cut off all circulation to my arm after I struck her in anger. She latched on to me, clawing me directly across my face and leaving four ugly red gashes in its wake. In retaliation, I punted her small body across the room, moving to tower over her and kicking her where her hood met her head as she tried desperately to get away from me. With both of us having suffered open wounds, I then moved to strangle her much in the same way that I had done to the viper that killed my parents some years back.

“However, in our struggle she had somehow managed to grab onto an all too familiar pocket watch, opening it herself and letting the music be heard throughout the cell. The thorn in my side then proceeded to bawl her eyes out, yet she refused to look away because she wanted me to see the fear that found its way directly into her red eyes as I continued to drain the life out of them. At that moment, she wanted me to know that I was the monster and she was the victim.”

Rooker then closed his eyes.

“And she was right. This alien neonate could see what I was too blind to see for years.”

The human opposite to him then opened his eyes and allowed liquid films to collect underneath his eyelids before he blinked them away. The other man had gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in such a short period of time.

“I hugged her right then and there, opening myself up to retaliation, yet she chose instead to wrap her arms around my larger frame and we let the sound of the watch play out inside her cell. I then made her a promise that I would never allow her to go hungry again. She…fell asleep in my arms as I hummed that same tune to her and propped myself up against the closest wall. I stayed the entire night in that cell alongside her, watching over her, keeping her warm. And when my superiors came in the next morning, demanding that the viper be punished for mauling me, I told them to go straight to hell and that it was my fault that the situation had even occurred in the first place.”

The pilot let a smile return to his face.

“Things only blossomed from there, but much of that is personal and you’d have to get Rose’s permission before we can speak about it, well…aside from whatever you can see in those photographs. Now, to re-answer your previous question about why I still hold on to this vintage watch after all these years.”

He then held the pocket watch by its chain and allowed it to swing through the air in front of them.

“This watch serves as a reminder of that day and of the one where I failed to see the world for what it truly was. I’d like to say that I’m a completely changed man, but we both know that said statement isn’t even remotely true. I’m a horrible person and will surely burn in hell for what I’ve done. But just because I am, doesn’t mean that she gets to be dragged down because of who she is, or because of what she cannot control. To be frank, I don’t give a damn about what you think of me, but when it comes to my Rose, I will do everything in my power to make sure that she gets the life that she desires, even if this...”

The man opened the pocket watch for a final time.

“...is the last thing that I ever hear before I breathe my very last.”

Rooker closed the lid and slipped the watch back into his pocket.

Adrian had remained largely silent during Rooker’s explanation of his earlier encounters with the red viper and was only left confounded. Every piece of Advent literature that he was able to recover stated that all test subjects were uncontrollable and were only let out of their tanks to be processed and reused. There was a reason that after the facility’s destruction, much of the effort was shifted towards a more promising venture, whose results were readily used in the field today.

If he had come across this information years ago, he would've been jumping for joy at the prospect of uncovering what made this giant anomaly tick, but time changes people and he’d like to think that he had learned his lesson at this point. However, it wouldn’t hurt to see where the rest of this conversation led them.

“You mentioned multiple times now that there are forces out of its control and my past research could somehow rectify the situation and ‘save’ it. Would you care to elaborate, since I’m guessing that this is the whole point of these long-winded stories?”

Rooker’s face fell as his sense of nostalgia ran its course.

“For years Rose’s development resembled that of a human child. While she grew at an increased rate during the first half of what could be considered a viper’s adolescence, she was still proportional to that of a regular viper. Of course, we expected there to be some differences given the fact that we were dealing with an Advent science project. However, once she reached the second half of adolescence her size ballooned at a pace that left our scientists completely bewildered. She outgrew her old room in short order and still showed no signs of stopping. To make matters worse, she was in constant pain as her body continued to swell around her and as she began to pack on muscle.

“She…became little more than a passenger in her own body, which destroyed her self-confidence in a matter of months. As for me, I did everything in my power to comfort her and try to get her to see the positive in the changes, but things only got harder as time went on...

“Luckily, the scientists were able to eventually develop an inhibitor, which served to slow her growth to a more manageable rate, but by that time she had already surpassed anything that I saw inside that Advent facility. Ultimately, we believe that her body may have—”

“Developed a series of mutations during the later courses of her development.” Adrian finished. “If you’ve read my papers, you’d understand that genetic tampering with regards to size manipulation is a delicate and dangerous process that opens the door to countless adverse effects, which may go undetected in a specimen until much later in life. There's a reason that hybrid Advent soldiers undergo countless examinations throughout their service and are often terminated because of it. Also, from what you’ve shared about your experiences inside that Advent facility, it’s a miracle that its body hasn’t already deteriorated at this point.”

The color immediately drained from Rooker’s face.

“What do you mean by deteriorate? She’s become ill several times as a result of forgoing her injections.”

Shit. The doctor had already said too much.

“From what knowledge…was passed on to me during my time with Advent, such creatures had exceptionally low life expectancies due to the instability of their genetic code. Your viper likely came from a subspecies that wasn’t designed to make it long term.”

“But then what were they designed for? Why keep them locked up in stasis and why the exaggerated size?” Rooker asked in earnest.

“There's never a straightforward answer when one speaks of the Elders’ motives. I believe that said subspecies may have been created in order to lay the groundwork for something much larger. Unfortunately, all I have to work with is conjecture and baseless rumors. Although, they were utterly devastated at the loss of the facility.”

Rooker looked down momentarily, mulling over this newfound information before looking back up.

“Terminus scientists have looked at portions of her genetic code before but were unable to make any noticeable advancements to stem her growth outside of the constant injections that I’ve already mentioned. However, her doses are becoming less effective and her metabolism also seems to be slowing down, which seems to go against what you just said,” Rooker stated.

Slowing down? The major had mentioned something along those lines last night as well.

“Which suggests that its life expectancy may in fact be increasing. That…is very concerning.”

The subspecies it came from was meant to be roughly twice the size of a regular viper at its apex, but it had already reached that and then some. Regardless, the viper would likely reach an inflection point before things got too out of hand, but to even think that such a creature could get even larger. The notion seemed comical, ridiculous even, but it was becoming ever clearer that everyone in Terminus was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. Matters would only be made worse if it started exhibiting stark behavioral changes, but best not to dwell on such thoughts.

“And why do you think that I could be of any help in the matter?”

“Because I’ve read your work and know that you’ve performed genetic sequencing and halted adverse mutations in the past. If you’d take another look at her genetic code, I’m sure that you’d find something. After all, the developments that you’ve made in your field are nothing short of—”

“Monstrous,” Adrian interjected.

The doctor pushed himself off of the bed and retrieved the same document that he had shoved in Rooker’s face earlier. He began to page through it, stopping every so often as he took in each of his creations.

“These creatures are not the work of someone who should be celebrated or respected. Yes, I was directly responsible for acclimating many of these aliens to our planet, but I also created monstrosities that should've never been allowed to walk, skitter, or slither across this earth. The abominations that you found in that facility were nothing compared to the hellions that I developed during the last few years of my tenure with Advent.”

He closed his bestiary and threw it as hard as he could against the closest wall, where it fell into a nearby wastebasket after a resounding bang.

“While you’ve come to tolerate vipers over the years, I’ve only come to fear them.”

Rooker had gotten his confession the night before, but Adrian never got the chance to elaborate on it.

“But why? Adrian, there's still so much good that you can do with that knowledge. Just stop and think about it for one minute, if you help Rose, maybe there’s a chance for—”

“Because they took something that was very precious to me. I’m sorry, Rooker, but at this juncture in my life, I’m only looking to start over and forget those aspects of it—I’m done with vipers.”

He could already feel another episode coming on as his core began to shake and he was forced once again to take solace in those heart-shaped valleys. Thankfully, he was quick enough and his elevated heart rate returned to normal. However, all this happened in front of Rooker, who gave the doctor a look that he had never seen from him before.

“Adrian, I think we really need to discuss what occurred last night in greater detail. This is clearly not a—”

“Normal reaction? Forgive me for being blunt, but my problems are none of your damn business.”

He was coming to the horrible realization that Rooker had witnessed everything. The purpose of his box, the crippling nature of his episodes, what was underneath his wrappings. The pilot looked like he had more to say on the matter but quickly changed his mind as he looked down at the wooden jewelry box.

“I understand, Adrian. But you don’t have to tackle this on your own. Speaking from experience, it’s all going to come spilling over eventually.”

“I’ve been perfectly fine over the last three years. It’s just that damn viper of yours that is making things difficult.”

A bald-faced lie. By what right did Rooker have to judge him anyway? The other man even admitted that he killed for the sport of it. Rooker had no idea what he went through and was nothing more than an egocentric, overstuffed, conniving brute. On second thought, they weren’t even remotely the same, and it would be a cold day in hell before he sought help from the likes of him.

“Look, I get it. We all have parts of our past that we’d rather not have dredge up. I only ask that you do the same for me.”

Adrian narrowed his eyes at the request.

“I don’t follow.”

“Only one other person in Terminus knows this much about my life and I’d like to keep it that way, so please refrain from dredging up my past or using it in any way to harm Rose. I promise to do the same with what I’ve witnessed over the last twenty-four hours,” Rooker clarified.

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“What? No Adrian. This is just an agreement that both of us will keep our mouths shut about what was discussed inside this room, especially when around Rose.”

The pilot then stood up and moved in an attempt to have them shake on it, but Adrian only looked down at the outstretched hand.

“How about I sweeten the deal by promising to talk to Katarina about allowing you to tour the other lab facilities, maybe meet some of the other scientists as well. You clearly don’t want to be stuck in here for the rest of the day.”

Rooker was definitely up to something. While the doctor had won this round, he had a feeling that the war over the matter was far from over. Nevertheless, he would take up any opportunity that could rid him of this place and its occupants. Besides, he didn’t plan on talking to the giant viper again anyways.

“Fine. You have yourself a deal, Rooker. I promise that my trap will stay shut for the remainder of my stay inside this cell.”

Both men shook the other’s hand.

“As do I. Now, I think we’ve spent enough time huddled inside my private quarters. I say that we go make ourselves some breakfast, don’t you?”

Breakfast? That might have been the best suggestion that he’d ever heard come out of the pilot’s mouth.

“That actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“Good. I’ll need to tidy things up in here first, then wash out the stench of alcohol from my breath. Lord knows that Rose would throw a hissy fit if she were to find out. Oh, and feel free to wait for me out on the walkway. I managed to get the air-conditioning working again, but it does tend to get a bit stuffy in here regardless,” Rooker suggested as he eyed one of the overhead vents.

“What about the viper? Isn’t it still slithering around outside?”

“Rose? Oh yeah. She wanted to soak herself in the water basin for a bit. She has a solid handle on applying bandages now and more or less shooed me away while she did her business. You would've had quite the surprise if you'd have chosen to walk out on me earlier.” Rooker said with a stupid-looking grin on his face. “She should be finished up at this point. I told her to head back to the cave afterwards in order to give you some space.”

“I…appreciate the gesture, Rooker. It won’t be joining us for breakfast, will it?”

“Nah, not unless you want her to be there.”

Rooker had cleared a path for him? Perhaps things were looking up and today was going to be a good day. Now hopefully Rooker would make good on his promise and he'd be free of that viper forever. Adrian couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

“I’m fine, Rooker, but thanks for asking,” the doctor replied and turned to make his way out of the room, unaware that the pilot had since moved to recover his discarded bestiary from the wastebasket, unwrinkled its edges, and carefully pinned it back onto the corkboard with the others.

***

Adrian cautiously poked his head out of the observation wing, making sure to have the reinforced door at the ready, should his tormentor decide to get the drop on him. Luckily, the water basin across the enclosure appeared to be empty and he was blessed knowing that vipers had yet to harness the ability of flight.

The doctor then made his way to the edge of the walkway and leaned over the railing. Apparently, there was a designated eating area just underneath the alien’s old room. Unfortunately for him, arrangements were made to the benefit of the viper and there was an accursed rockface between him and it, meaning he’d be stuck taking the long way around should he wish to eat. Figures that the place was designed by someone operating off of government time.

He shifted his feet in place out of annoyance. Rooker had left him without shoes the night before and now claimed that his original pair were still soaking wet as a result of their ‘underwater excursion’ in the nearby brook. However, out of his overflowing generosity, his warden had lent Adrian a set of his own—stupid oaf had larger feet than he did and the damn things kept slipping in the most irritable manner.

Eventually fed up with his failure to get them in the right place, Adrian kneeled in order to get the left one just right. After a series of adjustments, he was satisfied and shifted his gaze back out into the enclosure; however, he was immediately greeted by a set of red eyes and a wide hood.

[Good morning, Adrian, I hope that you…]

The doctor didn’t even give the viper a chance to finish as he pivoted on his heels and sprinted straight for the reinforced door, but quickly came to a realization that said door to the observation wing had somehow locked itself on its own and its handle refused to budge even the slightest of an inch.

Fearing for his life, Adrian then chose to double back towards the giant alien.

[Maybe it’s best that…]

He shifted his entire body to the right in the hopes of finding an adequate piece cover but was left with nothing.

[I really…]

He skidded into a final one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn, nearly face planting into the metal grating in the process, but he still somehow managed to locate and dive towards a protective cluster of rocks about ten feet from the top of the staircase. After he caught his breath, the doctor peeked over his barrier in the hopes that the beast had grown tired of him and dispersed.

[Are you quite finished?]

Unfortunately, it hadn’t as the red eyes narrowed and pair of muscular arms crossed over an ample chest. It would appear as though his antics had only angered the colossus, who flicked its forked tongue through the air at an irritable rate.

“R-Rooker said that you were told to wait in your cave and that the area was safe.”

“I did.”

Adrian spun around to see the pilot make his way out of the observation wing. He now had what appeared to be a large revolver strapped to his side and a concerned expression on his face. However, he directed his attention to the viper instead of the doctor.

“Rose, we talked this over and I thought that I was quite clear. Is something the matter?”

The viper looked down and held its forearm before it responded.

[I’m sorry, Rooker. I sensed a shift in the air and went to get you before—]

“Dammit Rooker, did you mess with that radio of yours again?!” A woman’s voice shouted in the distance as five humans rounded the corner and began to converge on their location by means of the metal staircase.

[She showed up…]

Rooker’s viper looked less than pleased at the sudden presence of whoever ‘she’ was. However, at least for Adrian, it was hard to forget a voice that had you locked inside an interrogation room.

Nevertheless, it didn’t take long for Captain Fahlström and her entourage to make it to the top of the walkway. All gun barrels were immediately pointed at the viper, which somehow managed to seem even less amused. It coughed and locked its red eyes on Katarina, who narrowed her own gaze at the serpent.

“Hello again, Rose. I trust that you’ve been behaving yourself in my absence?”

[An unpleasant morning to you, captain. I see that you still have a terrible taste in perfume.]

Despite the movement of claws through the air, everyone remained stationary as the alien leaned its massive body over the metal walkway and took in all of their scents.

“What did she just say to me, Rooker?” Katarina turned to the pilot.

“She wished you a good morning. Isn’t that right, Rose?” Rooker gave the viper a dirty look before he addressed the captain. “What’s this about a radio? I told you before that the one you gave me was a piece of crap, so I used it for target practice.”

“You did what?! You’re telling me that I walked from my security ward and halfway across this enclosure because you thought that a communicator was best served on the receiving end of a gun?” Katarina seethed.

“Yup, figured that I’d bring back good old fashion face-to-face interactions. It’s worked great for me so far. Speaking of which, can you tell your cronies to aim their weapons someplace else, because they're scaring my viper, and I’m afraid that I can’t allow that to continue.”

The captain didn’t answer Rooker immediately, instead, she seemed to be locked in a staring contest with said viper, which paid the guards little mind as it too became engrossed in a battle for supremacy.

“Kat!”

Katarina narrowed her gaze further before she shifted it back to Rooker.

“Fine, but if she tries anything, you’ll be helping her pick lead out of her teeth.”

The signal was given and four high-caliber rifles were lowered away from the alien.

[Better luck next time, captain.]

“Rooker…I’m going to need you to translate—”

“She said thank you for lowering the guns.” The pilot proceeded to cut the other human off and then turned to address him. “Adrian, it turned out to be a false alarm, just Captain Fahlström and her guards, so you can come out from behind those rocks now.”

While it was nice that Rooker covered his ass, there were now seven sets of eyes homed in on his location, and he much preferred to stay behind his newfound shield. Nevertheless, he stood up and shuffled his way over to the pilot. Unfortunately, Fahlström now had two data points from which to draw conclusions.

“Care to explain why both of you look like you’ve been through a meat grinder?” She continued to appraise them while the viper looked down and started to rub its forearm again.

“Adrian lost his footing after tripping over a tree root and ended up in the brook. As for me, I smacked my head against an overhanging rock while I made my way back to the observation wing. Happened after getting Rose situated for the night and I forgot to bring a flashlight with me. However, we got all of that taken care of with the medical supplies that I had on hand. Rose even pitched in on my end by helping with the medical wraps,” Rooker responded as he smiled at the viper.

“Uh-huh. Well, I can definitely see her clumsiness on display. Frankly, it’s a miracle that she didn’t take your head clean off in the process.”

[What did that bitch just say about me?!]

“Rose, language please!” Rooker pleaded.

“What did that snake just say about me?!”

Katarina was immediately in the viper’s personal space as it lowered its massive head and the two locked horns.

[Allow me to clarify myself, what I meant to say is that you’re nothing but a scarlet whore who doesn’t know how good she had it!]

The pilot immediately went ripe as a tomato and made an attempt to cover his face.

“Rooker, translate that last sentence for me right now. That is a damn order!” The captain fumed as she shoved a gloved hand right in front of the viper’s muzzle, which pushed out its hood to make itself seem even larger.

All the while, the guards twitched in place as they waited in anticipation for an open fire command. The pilot sensed the mounting tension and moved to wedge himself between the opposing factions. Losing his body shield, Adrian chose to cower behind the closest piece of cover, doing his best to focus on the humans instead of the viper.

“Ladies, ladies please. Let’s all just take a couple of deep breaths and put away those claws. Kat, you promised me yesterday that you’d leave your prejudices and biases at the doorstep. You know that Rose is sensitive about her size and the limitations that go along with it. So why go on the offensive like that?” Rooker reproached the woman.

“I…you’re right, Rooker.” Katarina looked up at the viper, which now wore a smug look on its face. “I’m sorry about that, Rose. I’m under an immense amount of stress right now and I chose to take it out on you.”

[Wouldn’t be the first time. Frankly, I’m surprised that you even have the brain cells to—]

“Rose!” Rooker smacked the viper on its striped snout. “Please accept her apology and then apologize as well.”

[Ow. Okay…]

The creature turned to face its rival after it nursed an aching muzzle. An interesting tactic that proved surprisingly effective.

[I accept your apology. Also, I’m sorry for suggesting that you fornicate with copious amounts of members of the opposite sex in order to justify your sad existence.]

Rooker made a move to bop the viper on the snout a second time, but it was wise to his efforts this time around and moved to once again tower over everyone else in the enclosure.

[Fine, fine. Sorry for my long-winded apology.]

The viper then bowed its head in a manner that didn’t require a translator, to which the captain nodded her own in acknowledgment.

“Fantastic, we’re all friends again! Now, can you tell me why the hell you’re dressed as though you’re prepped for an op? I thought that this inquiry of yours was going to be kept on the down-low until we started piecing things together? So, would you mind filling in the gaps here, because I think that you’re going a bit overboard if you were intending to protect yourself from Rose,” Rooker said.

The pilot then moved himself back over to Adrian, offering a hand and helping the doctor back to his feet. Upon further inspection, everyone including the captain were decked out in what appeared to be Kevlar armor and each carried multiple firearms. Adrian hadn’t the foggiest idea of what the names of any of them were but he knew that they meant business.

“You’re absolutely right, Rooker. We’re wasting precious time here. In short, something came up last night and there's been a change in plans. We’ll need your wings and pilotage, so are you fit for duty with those injuries?” Katarina questioned as she again motioned towards the pilot’s head.

“Yes, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I’m not leaving without a solid explanation as to what happened,” the pilot countered.

[Rooker...]

The giant viper began to rub its forearm with greater resolve as it turned to the pilot, clearly not happy at the sudden turn of events.

[You’ve just returned to me. Surely there's someone else to take your place?]

“I’m sorry, Rooker, but the snake goes back in her cave while we discuss this matter privately,” Captain Fahlström stated, ignoring the viper’s last set of gestures.

“Absolutely not, she deserves to know where I’m going,” Rooker insisted.

“No. This isn't up for discussion. We’ve already lingered here for far too long.” The captain then turned to her guards and gave a signal. Afterwards, four assault rifles were once again pointed in the viper’s direction. “Ramirez, you’re with me. Everyone else, escort the viper and make sure that she makes it safely into her cave. We’ll meet you back in the courtyard after—"

A gunshot suddenly went off and struck the rockface behind the captain, who turned back to see her Lieutenant leveling his revolver at her head. One of the other guards shifted his sights onto the pilot while the rest attempted to keep the viper in their crosshairs. However, the alien seemed to be rattled by the noise and ducked underneath the walkway, its red eyes peeking over soon after. Adrian was left to seek shelter behind the pilot out of instinct.

“What the bloody hell do you think that you’re doing, Rooker?” he whispered.

“Something stupid, but hey, I’m sure that I’ll somehow find my way out of this,” Rooker answered over his shoulder and then looked to the startled viper. “I’m sorry for scaring you, girl. Can you do me a favor and protect your hearing in case another shot goes off? I also want you to stay where you are and don’t interfere, regardless of what happens. Can you please do those things for me while I sort this out with Katarina?”

The giant serpent nodded and complied with the final request as it tucked in its hood. The pilot then turned back to the other officer.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind, Rooker? Pointing a gun at a superior officer,” Katarina hissed.

“Sorry Kat, I had to get your attention somehow, and you know how I feel about guns being pointed at my viper,” Rooker shrugged.

“So, you decide to fire one over my head instead?! I could have your head for this, lieutenant. Is this really how you want my inquiry to start out?”

“You already do, Kat. However, I can’t help but notice that you’ve traveled all this way to my little corner of the world to request my aid when I’m technically supposed to remain out of sight and out of mind. This tells me that something has gone horribly wrong and you don’t have another pilot to fill my shoes, which suggests that you’ve either lost the other dropships or something happened to the other pilots. Now, given this set of circumstances, I’d say that I have all the leverage in the world here. Does that about sum things up, captain, or should I keep monologuing and waste all of our valuable time?”

The captain groaned and ran a hand across her exasperated face.

“Why do you always have to make my life difficult, Rooker, especially in front of my guards? Fine, your precious Rose can tag along, but we do this in the courtyard and we do it quick. Does that sound reasonable or do you have any other outlandish demands that you wish to bring to my attention at this time?”

Rooker looked over his shoulder at the doctor before turning back.

“Just a quick one. Adrian made it known to me that he wishes to tour the other lab facilities, outside of what was shown to him while we were ferried to this enclosure. Is this a possibility, considering that I’ll be out to lunch and he’ll be without a warden?”

Adrian perked up at the suggestion. Rooker actually made good on his word and it could very well pay dividends if he was allowed to converse with the other scientists. Although, he hated the fact that he was more or less being treated like extraneous baggage once again.

“I’m afraid that he’ll have to stay here until the situation is resolved. Afterwards, we could definitely set something up with Dr. Hoffman,” Katarina answered, looking over to him with an apologetic set of eyes and a knowing smile. “He can stay inside the observation wing while you’re out of office if that makes him more comfortable.”

Dammit. It wasn’t what he had wanted, but at least the possibility was still on the table and he’d be safe and out of harm’s way from that oversized viper, which had since succumbed to its self-pacifying gesture once again.

“Does that work for you, Adrian?” His warden looked back and waited for a response.

“Y-yeah. I guess that’ll work for now. Just keep me away from the likes of that thing.”

“Sounds like we’re all in agreement. Alright, captain.” Rooker twirled the revolver around his finger and maneuvered it back into its holster. “Let’s talk details, because I want to get an idea of how much firepower I need to bring to the table.”