These small corridors are used primarily for the maintenance people to keep the building in good working condition. Since so few people see it there is little in the way of ascetics. The walkway looked like a thin catwalk on the ground and there were no walls, just pipes, hoses, and electrical cables running through metal braces. There was plenty of light back here so the workers could see what they were doing. The small corridors wound through out the entire compound but only had access hatches near the major rooms.

Scorch looked over his shoulder once to make sure everyone was still following him. "So anyone know what kind of hell we're headin into?" He had his flimsy looking homemade weapon propped against his shoulder as they moved steadily through the corridors.

Liddia and the Marines only shook their heads. "Never been back in here", Liddia said. "Rarely get any time to leave the labs, especially after this new discovery."

"I have a strange feeling I should be wearing a red shirt." Spook said bringing up the rear. Scorch, being a film lover as well might actually get that reference. No one else ever did.

Scorch couldn't help but laugh at that. "Nice, Spook." He hadn't expected her to know that one. The little Spartan was always surprising him it seemed.

"Take a left up here." Spook told him, constantly keeping an eye on their direction with her VISR.

"As you command." Scorch replied and turned left. So far they had run into no resistance whatsoever, but he hadn't really expected much of anything along this route. There was as far as he was aware, only the one alien to deal with. He knew the armor he brought back was empty and the specimen that Stitch brought was thoroughly dead.

Spook was only telling him which direction to travel. She didn;t advise taking a right to bypass some unknown enemy.

They travelled for a few minutes with no sign of any problems.

Liddia seemed to be on high alert as she travelled with the battle hardened group. Any ping or pop she heard caused her to jump slightly and turn to make sure nothing was going to get her. "How much further?"

"Not far." Spook told her. "If we were traveling in a straight line we'd have been there by now."

Liddia frowned, that straight line business didn't help anything. "Ok." she said simply.

As the walked, one of the warning lights near them turned on for a brief second or two before turning off again. One of the Marines looked at it, "That seemed foreboding."

"Doesn't it always?" Scorch asked the marine, though he found himself wishing he had a true weapon again.

A few seconds later and another light came on for a bit then went off. Shortly after that, several came on, and were followed by others as more and more quickly lit up and stayed on, flashing a silent warning that none of them understood.

"Scorch," Spook said from the back of the group. "We need to pick up the pace, double-time." She didn't see anything on her hud, but she had that feeling... The feeling that said you'd better move before the enemy stepped in the center of your back.

Just as they started moving faster, her HUD started showing an interesting development. All the water pipes were starting to heat up rather quickly.

"You heard the lady, Marines. Get the lead out!" Scorch ordered their little ragtag group and started to hustle, still following the directional commands from Spook. All the tunnels looked the same to him and he wasn't gifted with the VISR for his helmet, though he certainly would request it after this crap.

"Scorch..." Spook said from behind them. "It's time we run." She hated being in the back right now. She was fast, faster than the rest of the Spartans. With everyone congested behind her that law of "never go last" began ringing in the back of her mind.

Scorch brought his spear down from his shoulder and held it with both hands as he ran through the corridors. He knew where they were supposed to be going, but without any sort of map of his own, it was easy enough to get lost in these things

About this time the danger was becoming evident to everyone else as the pipes were starting to groan and steam was whistling out of several joints. Suddenly a bolt popped and ricocheted off Scorch's shield and into the mess of wires next to him. A pipe could be heard bursting somewhere behind them.

"He's trying to overwhelm the pipes!" Liddia said, almost pointlessly now. "Putting in more water then they can hold at ridiculously high temperatures."

"Really? I had no idea!" Scorch shouted back to Liddia. It was him that the bolt had just struck. For someone with brains, she certainly said some stupid things.

"Less sarcasm more running!" Spook shouted behind them. She'd felt that pipe burst dangerously close and the steam began billowing up behind her.

The Marines were more eager to get moving then the Spartans were. They didn't have full body armor with energy shielding. If they get hut with water or a flying bolt, they aren't going to be able to just keep running.

The temperature began to increase steadily, about 2-3 degrees every 30-45 seconds and had already reached 98 degrees, while steam was making it difficult for most of them to see.

"Yeah yeah..." Scorch shouted back to her as he hustled forward more. He was starting to get a little toasty, even in his armor, he was feeling the heat. He supposed that was all well and good, weren't they supposed to be distracting the alien while the others got the guns after all?

"Scorch, take the next right!" Spook shouted. It would lead them away from the labs, but it would put them out of the way of the steam pipes. She didn't fancy leaving any dead marines behind and there was Liddia to think about.

The next right was a bad idea. It looked like one of the pipes had detonated and the shrapnel had tore into several electrical wires causing a very fatal hallway. Another pipe next to them popped and part of it struck the trooper in the back of the line right in the shoulder, burying itself. "AAhhh!" was the only thing the trooper was able to say as the impact put him on the floor in the very hot water.

Shit. Spook realized that this was her fault. Without breaking stride she scooped up the mariene and slung him over her shoulder, wishing the lab were closer than it was.

Things only got worse as they went along. The water was getting higher and was quickly about to go over the boots of the other Marine and Liddia. Since they were the only thing keeping their feet from being severely burned, it was an issue.

Scorch looked over his shoulder and saw how high the water was getting on the unarmored-folk. He'd hate to lose the marine, but he knew that they needed Liddia more. He slowed and let the group catch up to him and then knelt slightly, "Liddia, climb on."

"I am grateful for your show of chivalry, but no thanks." Liddia said, patting him on the shoulder. "I don't want to be getting any special treatment because of who I am."

"You're getting special treatment because as the technician with access codes, you are not expendable." Scorch told her, half tempted to simply scoop her up. He knew the words would hurt the marines, but he hoped they would at least understand the honesty of them.

The Marine on her shoulder cringed in pain before saying. "Well, your off my Christmas card list for sure now." This earned a chuckle from the one standing Marine. "I think sending her a picture of you and your family would have been a worse punishment."

"I'll see you get some time off at a recreation planet." Spook told the marine. She did honestly feel bad about him getting hurt. This was after all her idea and she'd said to go right, which put them further from their goal. Her intention had been to protect them, but she'd obviously screwed that up."

The Marine didn't say anything as he had passed out, hopefully just from the pain. Pipes could be heard bursting all around them with the occasional crackling sound, thankfully there was not enough electricity running through the water to electrocute them or they would all be dead now. "How much further Spook." The other Marine said, the concern for his friend showing through in his voice.

If Liddia wasn't going to climb on, in a few more steps, he was simply going to have to pick her up, Scorch firmly believed. There was little choice in the matter. The water was getting far too high for them to be traveling safely, especially at these temperatures, and she was the only one with the access codes.

"Take the next left." Spook told him, hoping this didn't lead them into more hell. "We're over half way there."

The steam had become a very think blanket and without the guidance of Spook and her VISR mode they would be bumbling about and probably get lost very quickly. The water was almost to their knees by now, and the water was rising at a quicker pace.

Scorch followed Spook's instruction and had to fight the urge to simply start swimming, as the water got higher and higher.

"Right!" Spook shouted behind them. They were closer now, almost close enough she could taste it. "At the end of the hall there should be a ladder."

He turned when she instructed and Scorch hauled ass to the end of it, seeing the ladder

Spook was glad that her VISR hadn't been wrong. That metal ladder was a shining beacon in the distance that would rescue them from having spartan and marine soup with a dash of lab technician.

Scorch reached the ladder and after a moment's thought as to whether or not he should go first or send up the weaker ones, he chose to head up. For all they knew, the alien could be waiting at the other side and if he sent the marines up first, surely they would have died. He at least had his energy shield if the thing should try to attack as soon as they popped out. "Everybody outta the pool!"

When Scorch tried to open the hatchway, he found that it wouldn't budge. It seemed that with all this heat the metal had expanded slightly and was now wedged in place.

"What's wrong?" Spook asked at the bottom of the ladder. The water was rising and it was becoming a bit uncomfortable.

"The heat! It's made the hatch seal itself!" Scorch cursed under his breath, shoving at the hatchway. It wouldn't budge, what a wonderful way to go. The door to freedom literally in their grasp, but without sufficient power to open it.

"Shit..." Spook thought for a moment. "Here, I have an idea." She said and passed one of her sniper rounds to the Liddia. "Wedge this near the hinge and back up several rungs. Set your shield to full strength. Everyone plug your ears, this is gonna be loud."

The round was passed forward to Scorch by Liddia and the Marine who immediately stepped well enough back to be safe.

Scorch wedged the round into the hatch, as Spook had suggested. It didn't take much to crank his shields up to full and he lowered himself down a few rungs.

"Alright, everyone watch their eyes." Spook stepped off the ladder, back into the water that would already be far too hot for the Marines or Liddia to stand. But this gave the others room enough to move down and shield themselves from shrapnel. She pulled Lil Buddy and took aim and shot.

There was a loud bang that stung the ears of everyone since the sound was confined to such a small area. Despite this the hatch did pop open and hang limply from its hinges.

Scorch winced as the sound of the gunshot seemed to reverberate off the inside of his helmet, bouncing around and around in his head. He shook himself and looked up at the hatch, that now barely hung from its hinges. He climbed back up the few rungs he had descended and slammed his fist into the hatch, throwing it up and out of the way.

Spook was seriously feeling the heat by now. She was on the ladder but the water was waste high and still rising. It was even more difficult keeping the marine on her shoulder out of the scalding water.

Scorch climbed up and out of the tube and reached down to help the others

Spook was practically pushing Liddia and the last marine up through the shaft to get away from the water. She deposited the marine on the dry grown and took a moment to catch her breath. She wasn't short of breath but it was obvious that her armor was steaming.

The hatch deposited them right outside of the labs entrance. Liddia, once she recovered, got up and punched in a few buttons. This caused the flashing red light above the door to stop and the door to hiss loudly before opening. "Quarantine is cancelled now, we can go in."

Spartan Labs

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- Halo C.E. RPG