"We have to move," Emily said, her voice flat with shock.
Arthur rubbed his eyes, forcing his mind to focus. Two immediate problems demanded solutions: getting Amber medical attention and retrieving Soo-Jin. He couldn't sacrifice either.
"Listen up," Arthur said through the comms. "We're splitting into two teams."
The splashing of the approaching Infiltrators grew louder. Marcus raised his eyebrows, his scarred face tightening with tension.
"Javier, you take Amber, Emily, and Remy. Head straight for the southeast exit. The emergency van is parked at the service road. Keys are in the sun visor."
This was something they had prepared just in case, Arthur had no idea they would end up using it so soon.
Javier's arms tightened around Amber's unconscious form. Her blood had soaked through his shirt, leaving dark patches that clung to his skin. "What about Soo-Jin?"
"Marcus and Dale will go after her. I can track her position through the drainage system."
Dale checked his revolver, grimacing at the empty chambers. "Need ammo."
Marcus handed him a spare Glock. "Here. It's not your caliber, but it'll do the job."
Arthur switched camera views, tracking the water flow. "Soo-Jin and the Cephalod are heading toward outflow pipe seven. It empties into a retention pond about half a mile east."
Javier hesitated, clearly torn between his responsibilities. "You sure about this?"
"We don't have a choice," Arthur said, keeping his voice steady. "Amber needs immediate medical attention, and we can't leave Soo-Jin."
The decision settled over the group. No debate, no arguing—just a collective realization that this was their only option.
"Move out," Marcus said, already heading toward the eastern passage. "Dale, with me."
Dale gave a curt nod and followed, checking the borrowed Glock as he moved.
"The rest of you, follow me," Javier said, adjusting his grip on Amber. Her head lolled against his shoulder, her breathing shallow but steady.
Arthur switched between camera feeds, directing both teams simultaneously. "Javier, take the service tunnel on your right. It leads directly to the vehicle bay. Marcus, there's a maintenance ladder at the end of the east corridor that will take you to the surface near the retention pond."
Marcus reached the ladder first, climbing one-handed with his rifle strapped to his back. Dale followed, his movements hampered by age but driven by determination. The night air hit them as they emerged, cool and clean after the chemical stench of the facility.
"Which way?" Marcus asked, scanning the area.
Arthur checked the schematics. "Outflow pipe is fifty yards northeast, empties into that concrete basin."
The retention pond stretched before them, a vast concrete square with sloped sides. Water flowed into it from multiple pipes, creating a churning pool at the center. Dim security lights cast everything in a sickly yellow glow.
"I see it," Dale said, pointing to the largest outflow pipe. Water gushed from its opening, creating a constant white noise.
"I'm not picking up any movement on the security cameras," Arthur said, his eyes darting between feeds. "They must have already exited the pipe."
Marcus moved to the edge of the basin, scanning the surface of the water. "Nothing."
Dale pointed to the far side of the basin. "There!"
A shape moved along the concrete slope—two figures locked in struggle. The Cephalod's bulbous head reflected the security lights as it dragged Soo-Jin from the water. She fought weakly, her movements growing more feeble with each passing second.
"Go! Now!" Arthur urged.
Marcus and Dale sprinted along the edge of the basin, their footsteps echoing across the concrete. The Cephalod sensed their approach, its head swiveling toward them. Its arm tightened around Soo-Jin's throat.
"I don't have a clear shot," Marcus hissed, raising his rifle but not firing.
Dale didn't slow. He charged straight for the Cephalod, his borrowed Glock aimed at the creature's head. "Let her go, you ugly son of a bitch!"
The Cephalod raised its free hand. Dale staggered, his steps faltering as the telepathic attack hit him. The gun wavered in his grip.
"Fight it!" Arthur shouted, his voice cutting through Dale's earpiece. "Marcus, shoot next to it!"
Dale's face contorted with effort.
"Can't... hold... it..." Dale gasped.
Marcus flanked to the right, looking for a clear shot. The Cephalod saw him coming and shifted its mental assault, focusing on Marcus now. Marcus dropped to one knee, rifle still raised but unable to pull the trigger.
Arthur watched helplessly as both men struggled against the psychic attack. Then he noticed something—a pattern in the Cephalod's movements. Each time it intensified its mental assault, its grip on Soo-Jin weakened slightly.
"Soo-Jin!" Arthur called through her earpiece, praying it still worked after being submerged. "It can't maintain full control of you while attacking them! You need to break free now!"
Whether she heard him or simply saw her opportunity, Soo-Jin suddenly twisted in the creature's grasp. She drove her elbow hard into what passed for the alien's abdomen. The Cephalod's concentration broke for a split second.
That was all Dale needed. He raised the Glock and fired three rapid shots. The first two missed. The third shattered the Cephalod's breathing apparatus, cracking the glass-like material of its helmet.
The creature released Soo-Jin, staggering backward. Its spindly hands clutched at its helmet, desperately trying to seal the breach.
Marcus recovered next, raising his rifle and putting two rounds through the creature's torso. The Cephalod jerked with each impact, blue ichor spraying from the wounds. It collapsed, twitching, its massive head lolling at an unnatural angle.
"Finish it," Arthur said, his voice steady.
Marcus approached the fallen creature and fired a single shot through the center of its skull. The twitching stopped immediately.
Dale rushed to Soo-Jin, who had collapsed onto the concrete. "She's alive," he reported.
"Get out of there," Arthur ordered. "Rendezvous with the others at the van. Follow the service road south."
Marcus carried the exhausted Soo-Jin in his arms, her small frame limp but otherwise okay. Dale retrieved his Glock, keeping guard as they retreated from the retention pond.
"What about the body?" Dale asked, nodding toward the fallen Cephalod.
"Leave it," Arthur said. "You don't have time to collect specimens. The Infiltrators will be topside any minute."
Meanwhile, Javier's team had reached the vehicle bay without incident. The maintenance van sat where Arthur had left it, an unremarkable white Ford with municipal logos on the sides.
Remy checked under the sun visor and found the keys. "Got 'em."
Emily had already cleared the back, creating space for Amber. "Lay her here," she instructed Javier. "Gently."
Javier placed Amber on the floor of the van with extreme care. Her skin had gone waxy pale, her breathing increasingly labored. Emily immediately began checking her vitals, her movements precise despite the urgency.
"She's in hypovolemic shock," Emily reported, her voice clinical but strained. "We need to get her to a medical facility immediately."
Remy slid into the driver's seat, inserting the key with trembling hands. "Where to?"
"Dr. Patterson's clinic," Arthur answered. "It's twenty minutes from your position. I've already alerted him—he'll be waiting."
"What about Marcus and Dale?" Javier asked, his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings for threats.
"They'll meet you there. Marcus has Soo-Jin."
Relief flashed across Javier's face. "She's alive?"
"Yes, we were lucky."
The van's engine rumbled to life. Remy adjusted the mirrors, his plump fingers still shaking slightly but his expression resolute.
"Southeast exit, then left on Riverside Drive," Arthur directed. "Stay under the speed limit. We can't afford to be pulled over."
"Roger that," Remy said, putting the van in gear.
As they pulled away from the water treatment facility, Arthur switched to the exterior cameras. In the distance, black SUVs were already converging on the main entrance, their headlights cutting through the pre-dawn darkness.
Javier stared out the back window, his expression hardening as he watched the facility recede. "What about Chang?" he asked quietly.
Arthur felt a cold weight settle in his chest. "We'll come back for him when we can."
The van turned onto Riverside Drive, blending into the sparse early morning traffic. For now, they had escaped. But the losses were mounting, and Arthur couldn't shake the growing suspicion that this was far more than a game.
Marcus and Dale emerged from a drainage culvert a quarter-mile south, Marcus carrying Soo-Jin's limp form. They jogged along the service road, keeping to the shadows.
"Van approaching your position," Arthur informed them. "It's our team."
The white maintenance van slowed as it approached, hazard lights blinking once to signal recognition. It pulled alongside Marcus and Dale, and the side door slid open to reveal Javier's watchful face.
"Get in," he said simply.
As they climbed aboard and the van pulled away, Arthur leaned back in his chair, exhaustion washing over him. The interface continued to display multiple camera feeds, but the immediate danger had passed.
For now.