292: A Plague of Phantoms: Lab Rats III

Bo

"GODS! HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS ARE THERE?!" I exclaimed as I looked down at the corpse of the most recent evo that Reagan managed to kill.

"Who knows, we're lucky that they have only attacked us in small groups." Reagan replied as he kicked the corpse of the evo.

Gargesh stood beside him with a rifle bent to hell and slung over his shoulder. Both Reagan and Gargesh were covered in blood and looked like maniacal serial killers. Gadget was sitting on my shoulder and furious cleaning his tail which had gotten a couple spots of blood on it.

"Annoying pests!" Gargesh grumbled.

[They've been appearing regularly now for a while big brother] Gadget commented. I nodded in agreement then looked down the hallway that we'd come down. It was littered with the decomposing corpses of evos that had been killed so far.

"I was hoping that we'd have found someone by now." Reagan muttered then threw the empty magazine of his gun over his shoulder then reloaded with his second to last magazine.

"I think we should settle for getting out of this hallway maze." I commented. Reagan nodded hos head towards the ends of the hallway where a clear crystal door stood.

"That might be our ticket." Reagan said.

I looked at the door then down at the nearest corpse. The evos that attacked us came from the doors ahead. If it wasn't for the fact that Old man Seamus told us how to use them it would have taken Reagan and I forever to figure it out. The fact that they knew how to use the doors meant they were smart and familiar enough to the layout of the area.

"Could be trap." Gargesh spoke up and stepped towards the door with a tight grip on the barrel of the gun. Reagan looked at Gargesh as he passed and frowned.

"Trap? What do you mean trap?" Reagan asked. Gargesh stopped and looked back at Reagan.

"Feels...being yanked around. Fights been too easy…" Gargesh replied then looked back towards the door, suspicion was plain on his face. "…evos strong but died too easy. Evos go after me and Newbie but not you, Boss or sub-boss."

[Yeah, that's bugged me too Big Brother. They could have attacked us a couple times but didn't…like they were trying to lead us away from the others.] Gadget spoke up through our connection.

"Gods above, even the evo's calling me Newbie…" Reagan grumbled but eyed the door with looks of suspension now as well.

"Should we contact Chase or Uncle Turry just in case?" I asked Gargesh. The Orkand stopped and scratched his chin then looked back at me.

"Wouldn't help. Not know where Sho'lajah is, can't come get us to help." Gargesh replied. I nodded then looked towards the door, my hand subconsciously reaching for the dagger that I had tucked in my waistband that Chase gave me.

'Should Gadget and I use Crystal Genesis?' I thought.

"We'll be more cautious going forward. If they really want to try and split the kid and the rat from the group then they can stay in the middle where its safer." Reagan said then walked behind me and lightly nudged me forward.

[RAT!] Gadget exclaimed then chattered angrily at Reagan.

"Keep it up Newbie!" I grumbled then started walking towards the door. Gargesh stood in front of me approached the clear door. I watched him reach for the intention that acted as the switch. The door opened and Gargesh poked his head through the doorway and looked around for a few moments then looked back at me and nodded.

"Looks clear. Area look different." Gargesh replied. I frowned and looked back at Reagan. He motioned towards the doorway with a nod while aiming his gun at open door.

I followed Gargesh through the doorway and into the new area. We were no longer in a long, empty, white hexagon shaped tiled hallway, but on the wings of a enormous stair case. I gasped loudly as I walked over to the railing and looked up and down. The stairwell was so large the I couldn't see the bottom or top of it. Reagan walked over to the railing beside me then frowned.

"Shit! How fucking huge is this place?!" Reagan growled.

[Chase! We have a problem!] I called out to Chase through the manacite communication ring.

[Join the club Bo! A little busy here!] Chase exclaimed.

[We'll get unbusy! Reagan and I found a staircase.] I snapped. Chase groaned through the connection.

[Fuck! This place as multiple floors?!] Chase barked.

[Yeaaaah…a lot of floors, I can't see the bottom or top of the staircase.] I said.

[WHAAAAAT?!] Chase exclaimed.

"Kid, let's head down." Reagan said then pointed towards the stairs down. I looked down the stairs and felt like I had dozens of eyes staring hungrily at me then shook my head.

"We should head up, I have a bad feeling about down." I said. Gargesh grunted in agreement then pointed to the stairs heading up.

"Smell death down, should head up." Gargesh added.

"Smell death? You mean you smell dead bodies?" Reagan asked. Gargesh nodded yes and Reagan walked go the top of the stairs leafing down then pointed downwards. "Then we should head down. This place has been sealed for who knows how long and these things seem to be working together. So if you smell dead bodies then that means something or someone is killing them."

"You mean you think somebody from our group is down there?" I asked. Reagan nodded then started down the stairwell. I followed after him keeping close to Reagan with Gargesh bringing up the rear. The moment we reached the landing for the next floor and saw the clear doorway, the feeling of being watched increased a hundred-fold.

My hand reflexively went to the manacite dagger that Chase gave me and I gripped it tightly. Gadget and Gargesh sensing my increasing unease both growled. Reagan stepped in front of the clear door and I saw his eyes widen, and he spun around and shoved me back into Gargesh. My manacite dagger falling from my hands, at that same moment the door opened and a evo rushed out, grabbing Reagan by the arm to yank him back. Gargesh jumped over Gadget and I, brining the butt of his rifle down on the evo's head.

The evo let go of Reagan as Gargesh landed on top of it and started bashing its head in over and over with his makeshift club. Reagan quickly recovered and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the fallen evo's chest and fired a short burst, shredding its heart. The evo died instantly that time. Gargesh and Reagan both turned towards the open doorway and held their weapons at the ready.

I expected another group of those evos to come barreling out of the doorway and attack Reagan and Gargesh but instead I felt a hand grab me by the back of my neck and yank me into the air.

"Aaah! Let me go!" I screamed and kicked helplessly dangling in the air. Gargesh and Reagan both turned and ran to help me but they were too late.

The evo that grabbed me pulled me close to its chest and jumped over the railing, falling down multiple stories. I struggled against the evo's grip, kicking and squirming despite my situation. Gadget clung to my shirt tightly, growling menacingly at the evo but unable to attack without falling off me.

Wings suddenly sprouted from the evo's back and it let out a ragged screech as it flapped them, rapidly ascending. Gadget lost his grip on my shirt from the sudden perking motion and nearly fell but I managed to catch him in time. We rapidly flew upwards, passing the floor that Reagan and Gargesh were still on.

"Let me go you fucking…." I barked as I kicked. I stopped mid-sentence as I felt a wave of exhaustion falling over me suddenly. My body went limp and I had to struggle to keep my eyes open. "…what…the hell…?"

[Big brother! Your mana!] Gadget exclaimed as he clung to my arm.

'My mana"s being drained?' I thought.

It took all my might to look up at the evo that grabbed me. It's eyes were glowing dark blue. Veins of a similar shade pulsed with vigor from its arms to its chest.

[It's draining my mana!] I told Gadget through our connection.

[Let my brother GOOOO!] Gadget growled as he jumped from my hand to my my shoulder and onto the evo's arm and bit it, drawing blood. It was enough to annoy it but not really hurt it, the evo screeched and reached for Gadget with its other hand regardless. But Gadget jumped up onto it's shoulder and bit into the side of its neck. The evo managed to swat Gadget away while keeping hold of me, sending him flying towards a railing below.

"GADGET!" I yelled, felling a surge of mana. My farm crystal glowed a pale purple, shining brightly in my mouth as Gadget's entire body glowed with the same colored light.

Gadget stopped falling and levitated in mid-air. His body growing longer, lankier, and more monkey like. Two rows of crystal spikes sprouted out of his back from the base of his neck down to his tail. The evo that held me hostage stopped hovered where it was and watched as Gadget evolved into his true transcended form. Gadget's body stopped glowing as the evolution was completed and immediately fell and landed on the railing below him.

"LET MY BROTHER GOOOOOO!" Gadget growled. He channeled mana into his hand and a black crystal spear formed in his hand. He threw the spear immediately at the evo aiming for it'd head.

The evo saw this and dodged the throw with a quick sway to the right. As the spear passed us, I felt a swell of mana coming from the spear and knew instantly that it wasn't just a crystal spear. It flew a few feet more before it suddenly shattered and a surge of mana erupted from it, creating a black hole larger than Midnight. The sudden and strong gravitational pull made the evo lose balance and forced it to drop me as it struggled to keep from getting sucked in.

"GADGEEEEEEET!" I screamed as I fell sideways. Falling straight for the black hole. Gadget crouched on the railing and eyed me with a unblinking stare.

[Big brother, do you trust me?] Gadget asked through our connection. I could feel gravity getting strong and saw the mouth of the black hole getting closer, certain death assured if I fell inside. I answered regardless.

"ALWAYS!" I bellowed.

Gadget jumped and was sucked towards the black hole as well. He clapped his hands together and the black hole closed, disappearing as suddenly as it appeared. I floated in the air for a split second before I started falling. Gadget managed to get enough upward momentum that when I started falling he was still rising. We crashed into each other and used that moment to wrap our arms around each other. We were spinning in a free fall, getting further and further away from the railing.

"Big brother!" Gadget exclaimed as he held onto me tightly. Three rows of crystal spikes on his back shattered into dust, the dust collecting into a crystal ball in Gadget's mouth.

[Big brother! Take the crystal and shatter it! We'll survive together!] Gadget told me through our mental connection.

[Together…?] I said softly, my thought interrupted by the angry screech of the evo. It was diving towards us with its clawed hands extended and quickly gaining on us. Suddenly the sound of gunfire echoed from below and bullets flew past Gadget and I, hitting the evo in the head and wings.

I looked to the side and saw Reagan and Gargesh, both nearly jumping over the rails to try and reach Gadget and I. But we were too far and their faces quickly disappeared as we fell past their floor.

"Together!" I exclaimed with renewed passion and grabbed the crystal out of Gadget's mouth. Memories flashed before my eyes as I grabbed the crystal. Every moment and second we spent together, replying before my eyes along with three words whispering softly in the recesses of my mind. "BIO GENESIS ACTIVATE!"