Dead Space

by IamtheRazgriz

Exit Wounds

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The elevator slowed as it arrived towards its destination. The door slid open, and a new objective appeared before him: Retrieve the Stasis Module. VANDAL stepped out. He looked both ways, and noticed a Node locked door to his left. When he inserted his only Power Node into the slot, the ship's systems asked him if he was sure if he wanted to spend one Node. He accepted, and the door unlocked.

When he opened the door, there were five ammo boxes in the room; four on either side and one in the back. When he opened them, he found credits in the four boxes on the side walls, and one Power Node in the box on the back wall. Then, suddenly, the lights turned off for a few seconds. When they came back on, there were bloody limbs all over the room. On the walls, VANDAL noticed that there was blood. And written on the walls in blood, he read things like Infidels and Bastards. The door was locked now, so he couldn't leave.

Then, the lights shut off again, and room returned to normal. VANDAL shook his head.

What in the World Just Happened?! As VANDAL walked down the hallway, he came to a dark area due to a broken light fixture. Out of nowhere, another monster jumped from behind the wall into a vent. Suddenly, he remembered what they were. Applejack! That's what they're called! They're a pale orangeish color with pale yellow hair, they slash up their enemies using their two appendages that grow out of their back. And those two appendages are like scythes, using them to kill their targets.

He kept walking, and one jumped from a vent in the ceiling. VANDAL remembered how many shots it took to kill the other two. What if I try immobilizing them? He shot of the two front legs, and it fell down in an instant. The arms were lying on the ground, covered in blood. One more shot to the head, and it died. His RIG went off. Incoming Transmission from Director Hans Tiedemann. "Attention RIG number 438642. We have just linked recent acts of sabotage directly to your suit! Who are you?"

"Uhh, call me VANDAL. Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! Those damn bastards at the church tricked me! I swear!"

"Well, I guess that doesn't matter now, does it?"

"I'll do anything, I promise!"

"Well I guess there is a chance to redeem yourself. I need you to repair the quarantine seal on Crossover Tube A. Due to your engineering skills, you should be able to fix it."

"Isn't there anyone on your end that can do it? I'm fighting for my life down here."

"Yes, but unfortunately everyone is locked in the Public Sector. And you're the only one close enough to do it."

"Alright then." That marked the end of the conversation. VANDAL kept walking. Soon, Tyler radioed in to him. "Hey VANDAL, are you alright?" Then VANDAL said, "Tyler, You Son of a Bitch! You left me for Dead!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Then tell me, what the hell happened back there?"

"I don't know. The church tricked me into doing it. I had no idea."

"I guess that makes two of us."

"Anyways, all the Crossover Tubes have been sealed, there's no way to get over to the Public Sector."

"Not exactly. The Quartine Seal on Crossover Tube A is broken. If I can get over there, I can repair it, and tell everyone what the church tricked us into doing."

"Sure thing. But for now, just focus on your objective, that Stasis Module should be nearby." A while later, VANDAL stumbled upon a malfunctioning door, opening and shutting quickly. He noticed there was a dead scientist, severed by the door. There was an unlocked door, and VANDAL walked in.

The room had a divider in the center, with windows, having two open ends. The first thing he noticed was the extreme brightness of the room. The second thing he noticed was a mirror image of himself on the other side of the room. The image mirrored exactly everything he did. He went around the divider and found an open locker with the Stasis Module. He checked two unlocked lockers, and found credits and some ammo. He picked up the Stasis Module, and the Suit's systems said, "The Stasis Module allows its user to slow the temporal flow of energy through an object. Users should be aware of using Stasis on Organisms, as it may have unforeseen consequences." Simple enough, don't use it on organisms. But this was a different matter. In this kind of situation, if you wanted to stay alive, you would want to use it on those ponies to slow them down and to kill them easily, or, you didn't and you had a higher chance of dying.

VANDAL had walked out of the room and used Stasis on the door. It slowed down, and he was able to cross through. He noticed the walls were ripped wide open by the monsters coming through, and they were covered in bloodshed. He saw something of great importance written in blood: CUT OFF THEIR LIMBS. "Well that helps me figure out why it's easier to kill them after I cut off the one pony's fore legs", VANDAL thought. After he passed through the door, he accessed his locator and it showed him to go to the right. He followed it.

As he was walking down the circular hallway, he came upon a door at the end. He entered and was in a short hallway. He entered the door right in front of him, and found himself in a small room.

He checked out the two offices closest to him, finding ammo for the Plasma Cutter, and a few credits. He then ventured into the one in the back right corner of the room, finding nothing. When he walked into the fourth office, he found ammo in the one ammo box. When he walked out, he noticed some monsters that wee actually humans against the walls with the words 'TAKE US' written above them in blood. Now they're turning humans into them!?! These were a dark, orangeish red color, their arms acting as the scythes, sprouting two tiny useless arms out of their stomachs.

They looked like they were dead. As it turned out, they weren't, as when he bumped into one, it jumped up. VANDAL jumped back and used his Plasma Saw in an effort to conserve ammo for his Plasma Cutter, but it wasn't working fast enough. He used his Plasma Cutter to cut off their legs, and he stomped on them to kill them. He killed every one of them before he saw a flash of light and found himself in the hallway, the door he had entered from the circular hallway behind him. With a nervous laugh, he said, "Whoa! What the Hell!"

The door in front of him led to the room he was trapped in before. This time, it was extremely neat, except for one of the floor panels knocked out of place, exposing some pipes and wires. There was a door on the other side of the room now, locked. He had to activate a system to open the door. When he did so, the Sprawl's PA said, "Quarantine Lockdown Initiated." Immediately, ponies started coming out of the ceiling, and VANDAL easily dispatched them by severing their limbs. When he finished, the Sprawl's PA said, "Quarantine Lockdown Lifted." He left the room behind, and found himself in a hallway, one that looked like the one he had used to escape from the ponies in the beginning. It was like a maze. He walked a few hundred feet down, and noticed a break off of the main hall to his left. He checked his locator, and it said to go straight.

VANDAL walked to his left and found a hall to his right halfway down. When he entered, he was in an office. There was an Applejack lying next to the doorway, feigning death. VANDAL was careful so as to not get it to jump up. He found a locker full of Plasma batteries, and some Power Nodes in a box on the wall and on the desk against the far wall. When he walked up to grab it, the lights went out for a moment. When they came back on, there was one of the human monsters, which he decided to call a slasher, with the arms as scythes and two tiny arms in their stomachs. He also saw two small ones that were small and looked like infants, that had three tentacles protruding from their backs. The slasher swung at him, and VANDAL instantly became standoffish, backing up and taking cover behind his arms. Instantly, the lights turned off again, and the monsters were gone.

VANDAL said, "Tyler, I'm seeing shit!" Then, Tyler said, "You're having visions?"

He turned around and decided to kill the Applejack next to the doorway, keeping his distance and making sure his Plasma Cutter was reloaded. He fired a shot at its hind legs, and it jumped up. With a deathly roar, it started walking towards him. It stood up on its hind legs, and VANDAL quickly took 'em out, making it fall to the ground. It then started crawling towards him, and he stomped on it to kill it.

VANDAL started out of the room, accessing his locator to figure out where he was going. He followed his locator to a room, one that was big and looked something like a locker room. He saw the Ripper in an open locker. When he grabbed it the computer aboard the Sprawl said, "The RC-DS Remote Control Disc Ripper is a tool that can be used to cut through hard material, that the Plasma Saw wouldn't normally be able to cut through. Its primary firing mode allows the operator to steer the Ripper's blade around the desired mining area. The Ripper's secondary firing mode sacrifices control, for speed."

Just then, Tyler said, "You can use the Ripper to dispatch these monsters quickly! You never know, it just might come in handy." VANDAL had a new objective now, Activate the systems to open the door. Sure enough, it was right against the wall right behind him. He activated it, and he was in another lockdown. He started to use his Ripper to take out ponies. Then, he heard voices over his radio. Director Tiedemann saying, "Keep that door locked down! We don't want any of them getting in here!" He also heard other anonymous voices: "We can't stop them they just keep coming!"

"Listen! Take out their limbs! It's the only to stop them!"

"We're trying, there's just too many!"

"Use your tools! That Aughta stop them!" VANDAL then heard the Sprawl's PA say, "The Plasma Cutter is an all around tool, designed to fire rapidly. You can rotate the cutting head 90 degrees for an alternate firing pattern."

VANDAL had kept taking out the ponies, throughout that whole conversation. He had finished with only minimal damage, nothing to worry about. He noticed the door that he had needed to unlock was now open. He walked into the room and had to do some new things; one of them being to gain access to the control room. He had activated the two control terminals needed to access the room, and he entered. It was another small office, two doors on either side. He opened some lockers and found some blades for the Ripper. When he activated the controls, he was in yet another lockdown, this time with new enemies: He noticed a small pony on the ceiling, deep red orange in color, with a magenta mane. He noticed how it had no mark on its flank, and how it was quite fast. He decided to dub it "Scootaloo". He also noticed that there was a Necromorph. It was a slasher.

Damnit! Now they're converging humans!?! He took them both out quickly, and had to fight another Necromorph. He had gotten up close and it jumped on him, forcing him to use his Plasma Saw and cutting off its left arm. He took off its head and it died. Then, VANDAL ran outside of the office, taking care of an Applejack, and two more Scootaloos, before the lockdown was lifted. He entered the one door he needed to go through, and he was in a Tram Station. He ignored the Bench and Store, searching for Power Nodes and Ammo. He found nothing, and got onto the Tram.


Author's Note

If you're wondering why there is excessive limb cutting, it's because it is a crossover between the video game, where you need to cut their limbs off if you want to kill them quicker and save ammo. That isn't necessary, as you can kill them just by aimlessly shooting into their body, but you use up more ammo that way. Sorry for any inconvenience.

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