291: A Plague of Phantoms: Lab Rats II

Turak'Kahn

"…No we should be going this way!" Anders snapped and pointed down on hallway on the left. While Seamus was pointing to the hallway on the right.

"And I'm telling ya, boy, we need ta head that way!" Seamus snapped back and pointed to the right.

The three of us stood in the mouth of a three way hallway. I stood in the back of the group and watched the two men. They had been at each other's throats since the moment we landed inside this laboratory. We hadn't stepped a foot from where we appeared since then and it's been twenty minutes since we talked to Chase and formed our plan to find the lab. While it was entertaining during the first fifteen minutes, their squabbling was getting in the way of us getting out of here.

"Old man listen to me, we have training in the army in what to do when exploring foreign territory!" Anders exclaimed. Seamus rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Oh please! What foreign territory is the army going in? Ya frickin' fools are too scared ta even leave the country! Ya can't even leave the country, yer stuck between the frickin' ocean, the Canadian Republic, Aztec Empire, and the No-man's land!" Seamus snapped back. Both men were starting to get red in the face from how loud they were yelling at each other.

"GENTLEMEN!" I bellowed over the two men. The both flinched and looked over in my direction. "Gentlemen, it doesn't matter which direction we take since we don't know where we are. Flip a coin and we'll go in that direction."

"Fine…" Anders said then reached into his pocket and pulled out a fifty cent coin. "…heads…"

"Tails…" Seamus said. Anders flicked the coin into the air, let if flip a couple times then caught it and slapped it down on the back of his other hand. He stared at Seamus as he lifted his other hand and showed it to everyone.

"Shit! Tails!" Anders cursed when he saw the coin. Seamus looked smugly at the American then pointed down the right hallway.

"Looks like we're going right!" Seamus exclaimed.

I sighed in relief then started to summon Delphinium, my ascended Kitsune. I flung her crystalline structure over my shoulder and it shattered. She landed be gracefully behind me, he nine crimson Tails flowing gracefully like wisps in the wind.

[Master.] Delphinium said, bowing her head at me slightly in respect.

"What type of evo is that?" Anders asked, eyeing Delphinium.

"A nine tailed Kitsune." Seamus answered for me as he looked Delphinium with awe. "Looks absolutely gorgeous!"

[Why thank you, kind sir.] Delphinium said. Anders' eyes grew wide and he grabbed his head.

"I can hear it's voice in my head!" He exclaimed.

[It is one of my many talents.] Delphinium said. I reached down and scratched behind her ear while simultaneously speaking to her through out mental connection.

[We're inside a ancient splicer's laboratory and there might be loose experiments running around. Our goal is to find where they are coming from and find a way out.] I told Delphinium.

[Am I running point, Master?] Delphinium asked.

[Yes. I also have an enchanted item with the crystal genesis spell enchanted on it if we find ourselves in danger.] I replied.

Delphinium's dander started to rise at the mention of the crystal genesis spell. She did not enjoy the experience of our fusion when we tested out the spell when Chase enchanted the star of Ammunset to say the least. When we became unfused she found herself in able to use any of her abilities and completely drained. While I was as well it took her a week to recover afterwards.

[If you find it necessary to use it then we will, Master.] Delphinium said, she could barely hide her disdain for the idea.

[I'll try and only use it as a last resort.] I promised her then turned to the others.

"Delphinium will be taking the lead. I'll follow behind her." I announced. Seamus nodded the motioned for me to walk ahead.

Delphinium walked around me and headed down the right hallway, Seamus, Anders, and I all followed close behind with Anders bringing up the rear. He had the gun that Chase had given him at the ready, as did Seamus. Both of their eyes scanning the hallway ahead for the slightest sign of movement. I was more relaxed, though that was because of Delphinium.

Kitsune had a wide range of powers, the number of which was dependent on the number of tails. As an ascended nine tailed Kitsune, Delphinium had ten powers that were unique to her. The one she used the most was heartbeat detection. She could send a pulse from her tails that bounced off walls until it came into contact with a living creature that had a heart and it bounced back to Delphinium. It also had the added effect of mapping out the path ahead, though the range was small in comparison to what a liger shark was capable of. Only about two hundred yards.

Thanks to Delphinium I was less worried about getting caught off guard by roving. As well as more sure about our path ahead. Our group continued to walk down hallways, picking which we went down by a coin toss to prevent arguing between Seamus and Anders. After about forty minutes of walking I was starting to get concerned by the fact we hadn't come into contact with anyone or anything.

"Fig's bones! How big is this fucking place!" Anders exclaimed as we turned a corner which lead to another hallway.

"Massive obviously." Seamus quipped then stopped to stretch. Anders groaned then kicked the wall.

"We've been walking forever and haven't seen anything! This place is a fucking maze!" Anders snapped.

"Yer right about that, lad." Seamus said then ran his hand along the wall. "We're in a maze alright, the maintenance ducts to be exact."

"Maintenance ducts?" Anders muttered then frowned. "You mean we're not even in the main lab but actually the fucking hamster runners! How the fuck did that happen?!"

"Not by accident…the security fer the lab sent us here on purpose." Seamus answered.

"Why? Why us? Why did it separate us from the others?" Anders demanded.

"I don't…" Seamus suddenly stopped mid-sentence, I noticed that he had stopped walking behind me as well and turned around to see what happened. I was greeted by an empty hallway, both Seamus and Anders were gone.

"DELPHINIUM!" I exclaimed and turned to face her. She'd spun to face me, noticing the absence of Anders and Seamus heartbeats.

[I don't know where they are! They vanished so suddenly!] Delphinium exclaimed. I frowned and focused on the mana communication ring that I received from Chase and focused on contacting Seamus.

[Seamus! Where are you?!] I called through the ring. His reply was instant.

[What do ya mean? Yer right in front of us.] Seamus replied.

I frowned and looked up and down the hallway, now noticing a couple of oddities about it. The hallway was a less clean and pristine, there were slight cracks in several of the tiles that covered the walls and floor near Delphinium and I.

[Seamus, I'm not walking and you and Anders are nowhere to be seen!] I told him, feeling a panic start to come over me.

[No, you're…oh no…] Seamus replied.

[Enchantment spell! Son of pox ridden slag!] I cursed.

'How long ago did I come under its effect? How did I not notice sooner? Am I still under the effect?' I thought as I ran my hands through my head. I then froze as I remembered what Seamus had said at first. 'No…who is walking in front of Seamus and Anders?'

"DELPHINIUM FIND THEM RIGHT NOW!" I bellowed.

[I am trying, Master!] Delphinium assured me.

[Yer majesty…] Seamus said in a deadpan and emotionless voice, grabbing my attention. […I need ya ta remain calm and listen ta me. Anders and I are surrounded, splicers most likely but I can't see 'em. Still under the illusion. I don't think they know I know but that won't last forever… I need ya ta find us…and fast.]

[Delphinium is looking but I don't know how far away you are!] I replied.

[I know lad, but wherever this fake you is taking us, ain't fer a nice picnic!] Seamus hissed.

[MASTER!] Delphinium screamed in my head suddenly. White flames flew past my head and struck something behind me. I heard a gargling screech followed by the smell of burning flesh. I spun on my heel and jumped backwards, coming face to face with what I assumed was the same evo type that attacked Bo and Reagan.

A bi-pedal humanoid evo with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a goat. It screamed in agony as it flailed around to try and put out the flames. Delphinium jumped between myself and the new evo, the forth of her tails glowed and a blade of black energy appeared from seemingly nowhere and slashed the head of the evo clean off. The evo's body dropped for a brief moment only to catch itself and its head began to grow back. The bone of the skull growing out from the stump of the spinal column.

[It's growing back!] Delphinium exclaimed in alarm. I started casting a offensive spell sigil that created a spear of light that shot through its chest, dead center and destroyed anything inside its chest. The evo fell to the ground on the heap and this time it didn't regenerate.

[Seamus, the evo is dead. Do you have any idea where you are?] I asked through the manacite communication ring.

[Obviously not laddie, but hopefully you'll hear me soon enough…] Seamus replied.

Before I could ask what he meant I heard a loud boom echoing through the hallways. The echo made it sound distant but the fact that I could still hear it meant the source was hopefully nearby.

[Master, that was a gunshot! This way!] Delphinium exclaimed then darted down the hallway towards the source of the gunshot. I immediately ran after her, thanks to her heartbeat detection she could be trace the echo back to the source.

[Seamus was that gunshot you?!] I demanded.

[Aye! Little busy 'ere!] Seamus exclaimed.

'Shit!' I thought and started running faster. Delphinium, noticing my increase in speed, sped up as we raced through the hallways. More gunshots rang out, getting louder and louder with each passing second. 'Dammit! I can't let anything happen to Seamus, Chase's rage would be incomparable to anything this world has seen!'

Seamus

"FUCK OFF YA FUCKING DECREPID BASTARDS!" I bellowed as I swung me axe towards the next of one of the evos that attacked Anders and I. The evo batted away my axe effortlessly and swung a clawed hand at my neck.

I spun on my heel, dodging the attack by a hair's breath, then used my momentum to bring my axe ta bare against the evo's arm and cleaved it clean off. The evo screamed bloody murder and stumbled back to recover. I quickly raised my shotgun and fired a blast at the fucker's chest. The buckshot tore through the evo's ribcage and decimated its lungs and heart. The evo collapsed and I turned to look to Anders.

He was facing off against three of ta things. Using the narrow hallway and the fast firing speed of his gun to keep them from advancing on him. He was lucky that his gun had a large magazine or else they would have taken him soon. Having to constantly regenerate their bodies from the spray of bullets they couldn't advance.

"Old man! You okay?!" Anders demanded. I stood beside him and aimed my shotgun at the closest enemy, blasting the bloody thing's heart out of its chest. It collapsed to the ground immediately and died.

"Better than you, I managed ta kill two of 'em!" I replied then aimed and fired two more shots at the remaining evos. The first shot struck true and blasted a hole in the first evos chest. The second shot missed by a mile, the evo noticing its partner's fatal wound jumped to the side. "Make that three!"

"How the fuck did you kill it?" Anders asked before he fired another volley at the evo. It started jumped around the narrow hallway, dodging the flurry of bullets.

"Aim fer the chest! It's weaknesses must be its heart!" I replied as I tried to aim at the evo. It was too fast.

"Easier said than done! These fucking things are fast!" Anders exclaimed.

The sounds of gunfire echoed down the narrow hallway as he tried to hit the bloody evo. Then all at once it grew silent save a soft but deafening click that signaled the Thompson MK.4S was put of ammo.

"Fuck!" Anders exclaimed as he quickly moved ta knock off the spent magazine and grab the next one.

The mysterious evo took the chance and dashed towards Anders, a clawed hand raised to slash. It forgot about me though. I stepped in front of Anders, my shotgun aimed at its chest and fired. The impact of the buckshot sent him flying backwards, spinning in mid-air. I hit the thing but didn't kill it, the shot wasn't centered, I blew off its arm instead. Feeling rage well up inside me I dropped my shotgun as I rushed forward and held my axe with both hands, jumping into the air and bringing it down ta bare on evo's chest.

"JUST DIE YA FUCKING POX CURSED, LOUSE RIDDEN, PISS BRAINED, ARRGRIGNASHAN!" I bellowed as I swung my axe over and over again, hacking away at the evo's chest until only a lumpy cavity remained of its chest and I was out of breath. I threw my head back and gasped for air as I looked down at the corpse of the evo. It was already starting to decompose.

The sound of running footsteps coking from behind snatched my attention and I looked back to see the Pharaoh and the Kitsune he owned running towards Anders and I. He skidded to a stop when he saw the corpses of the evos as well as me standing over the corpse of a evo.

"Took ya long enough!" I exclaimed.