A couple of minutes earlier, at the other side of the underground colony, Raines could not help but admire Eli's professionalism and skill. Despite their initial blunder at the control station, they had so far managed to slip through the tunnels undetected. That was due to his expert decision making. Choosing wisely when to move and when to wait. When to ambush, and when to duck behind cover to let patrols pass by.

Like some wizard, Eli seemed to detect the few places where there were cameras long before they approached, which made evasion much easier. Of course she knew it was most likely because of some fancy gadget or another, but the common sense to even get such a gadget was not as common as some would think. That alone showed he was a forward thinker.

Raines shook her head as they approached a metal door. Unlike most others, this one was dirty and old, revealing a long time of disuse. "Where is this?"

Eli examined the map displayed on his gauntlet. "Best guess; used to be used as an old service passageway before they installed those new fancy doors." The door creaked and groaned loudly as he pushed, as if lamenting its disturbed rest.

Like Eli said, it opened to an old, abandoned tunnel. Unlike the rest of the colony, the walls and earth (though caked over with moss and dirt) were smoothed over with concrete. Most likely whatever was brought through here was sensitive to bumps caused by uneven ground. Raines frowned as she realized something odd. The ground they'd been walking on, though not laced with concrete, had been unusually smooth. She had not thought of it until seeing the concrete floor in this 'service tunnel' but it was a significant anomaly.

No animal she knew of would care enough to make the tunnels that smooth. Which meant the Vokians had been down there for quite a while. Long enough to create a temporary tunnel until they smoothed out all the tunnels. Damn, the scale of this operation kept increasing exponentially. Raines realized they might just be severely understaffed for the mission.

But this was Eli's OP. Raines watched the young agent's broad back rise and fall with each step. She wasn't sure whether it was the armour he wore, or it was just natural, but he exuded the type of self-confidence that was contagious. They type that got many agents dead.

"Where does this lead?" Raines asked, breaking the silence.

Eli tapped something on his gauntlet. A 3-D holographic image popped up above his arm. It depicted a massive network of tunnels that left Raines stunned. Sure ,she had seen a rerun of Bugs, and caught a glimpse or two on NatGeo, but she was left speechless by the magnitude and complexity of the entire colony.

"The bugs made these?"

"Most of them, if not all," said Eli. The image zoomed in on one particular sector. "Some areas might have been modified after the Red Army moved in." He pointed at a tunnel. "This is where we are. Sonar picked up this route." His finger traced the tunnel line till it reached a massive enclosure. "It will lead us straight to the chamber we want to reach. Only through the back door."

"What's the plan once we get there?"

Eli turned to face her. "You're the careful type huh?"

Raines shrugged. "I just don't want to enter a room filled with automatic weapons trained at me, saddled with only a sniper rifle and a pistol."

"We should be fine," Eli assured. "Pathway leads to a walkway levels above the ground. Except we're unlucky enough to run into a guard patrolling it, we should be fine."

"That's twice you said that," observed Raines. "Trying to convince me, or yourself?"

Eli shrugged. "In this situation, it might as well be both."

Raines nodded. That made sense. They continued on in silence for several meters before curiosity got the better of her. "How long have you been playing this game anyway?"

Eli pondered on the question. "Three months give or take a few weeks. Been spending most of my time in here so feels more like a year really." Eli didn't have to see the disbelief on Raines' face to know it was there. "Hard to believe I know. Who wastes so much time on video games right?" He chuckled. "Believe it or not, some of us get paid big bucks to play these things."

Raines shook her head. "Considering the Gaming Network singlehandedly saved television, I can believe that. I just never personally got the allure."

"You're playing right now, aren't you?"

"Circumstances," Raines countered.

"Yeah," Eli murmured as they pulled up to a large rusted double-door. "That's how it always starts." A square device appeared in his hand. He fixed it to the door, then double-tapped it. Beyond the human perception, a pulse travelled through the door to the room on the other side. Within seconds, the pulse had bounced off every object in the room, and returned to the device. Linked to his gauntlet, Eli's map was immediately updated to show the details of the hall they were to infiltrate. The device dropped to the ground where it short-circuited.

Eli brought up a 3-D hologram of the hall. At about 250m x 162m, the enclosure was large enough to fit at least two football fields. And all of that space was sorely needed. Hundreds, if not thousands of wasps buzzed around the space, coming in and out through tunnels burrowed in the walls. Equipment manned by several life forms which he guessed to be the vokians were interconnected by series of wires and huge cables. All of which seemed to intersect at two major locations in the chamber.

Both locations housed large cylindrical structures, almost two to three stories high. He could not make out their contents from his position. But he could hazard a guess as to what the closer one was. The giant test tube that housed the monster bug they had seen in the control room was too structurally similar for it to be coincidence.

Eli explained all these to Raines. The two spent the next few minutes debating countermeasures for possible scenarios. They settled on having the giant bug as their main objective, pending investigation into the second structure. Satisfied, Eli drew his pistol, then pushed his way through the door. He swiftly pivoted left, then right. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he signalled Raines.

Raines nodded, then joined him on a dangerously rusted metal walkway. Several sections had fallen prey to the red virus, and every step wrought a chilly creak. But none of these were forefront in the agent's mind. Her entire attention was sucked in by the vast expanse beneath them. Forget two to three stories, they were over forty meters off ground level.

Several wasps zipped to and fro in strangely orderly fashion. Their routes were distinct and clear, like workers at a factory. Two particular routes caught Raines' attention. The first, were wasps with an eerie glow about them. They would zip across the factory to a strange machine that resembled a carwash. When they got out at the other end, the glow would be gone.

Raines peered through her sniper rifle to get a closer look at the structure. Several vokians dressed in stylish black coats studied the methodic process with apt attention. If they had gotten the intruder alert, it did not show, as it seemed all they cared about was whatever it was that went on in that chamber. Raines traced a pair of large cylindrical tubes escaping the structure. She traced one of them to the base of a humongous cylindrical structure.

Raines took her eyes off the scope, and mentally kicked herself for not noticing earlier. Their primary objective was right ahead of them. The cylindrical tube sealed an approximately 30m Nadae Wasp in a vat of luminescent honey-colored liquid. If her considerably limited NatGeo induced knowledge was to be trusted, then that was most likely the queen of this colony.

The other large structure in the factory was shielded from view by high concrete walls that reached all the way to the ceiling.

Raines examined the metal walkway. It only ran the length of the wall they were at, and there were no ladders or stairs connecting it to the ground. No wonder the vokians had not bothered sealing the pathway. There was no way down from here. Of course, that also meant there was no way up. Raines sat down, her back resting against the wall. She angled the rifle so its middle rested slightly on her right knee while the front of the barrel rested against the lowest rung. It was an unconventional and honestly quite uncomfortable sniping position. But unlike movies where everybody used a prone, bipod, shooting stance, in the field, it wasn't uncommon to find oneself in improvised positions such as the one she adopted.

Raines peered through the sights, then strafed the barrel left then right. She made minor adjustments to her stance until she was sure she had the best position to see majority of the factory, and take a shot if necessary. Once she was satisfied, she trained the rifle at the glass tank that held the bug prisoner. "I can't breach that. Especially not with the rounds I have."

"You can tell that from here?" Eli asked, dumbfounded. He had guessed so before, but seeing Raines in action confirmed his thoughts. This woman was a professional. He could not afford to take her lightly.

"Yeah," Raines confirmed. "My dad used to take me window shopping as a kid. Made sure we knew what kind of glass could be breached by what caliber rifle. Our little test tube's over ten centimeters of Level 10 or above glass."

"You're an army brat?"

Raines smiled within her helmet. "Takes one to know one."

Eli nodded. "Jarhead?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Raines joked. She pointed at the oversized test tube. "Bring that down, and get us out of here alive, and I might just tell you."

Eli held out his fist. "It's a deal."

Raines bumped her left fist against his. "Deal."

Eli nodded, seemingly satisfied with the agreement. He climbed over the railing then held the top rung to prevent himself from falling. He turned to Raines and raised his right hand in a thumbs up sign. Before Raines could fully process what he intended, he jumped.

Rains panicked for a moment. But just one, as she knew that man would not have jumped if he didn't have a plan already. She listened for the tell-tale sound of all that mass slamming against the ground. But it never came. She could not track him yet as he was directly beneath her so she called through the radio. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Eli replied. His voice was low, indicating he was in a crowded area. The buzz of machinery trickled through. "I'll be in your sights in fifty." Below, Eli snuck his way past several guards, using the machines to mask the his footsteps. He refrained from turning on the optical camouflage as much as possible, as it was preferable to have a backup escape method if he ever got spotted.

From the ground, Eli could better understand what this space actually was. Though it was one large warehouse, sections were demarcated by 7 foot walls to give a semblance of order to the chaos. The warehouse/factory seemed to primarily be for the manufacture of weapons judging from a conveyor belt of unfinished rifles he ducked under. But there was another purpose. One which the guards did not talk about as much as they did the weapons they were expecting. Moreover, it seemed they themselves were not entirely sure what was being made in that cordoned off area.

"Can't believe someone was stupid enough to try and infiltrate us."

"Maybe, but Viktor'll still be pissed. You know how he likes his secrecy."

"Damn, who was in charge of security this week?"

"Forx. He just got promoted too."

"Damn. Poor guy. He'll be lucky if Viktor lets him hold a gun after this."

"Who knows, Viktor might move him to the research department."

"Ha! At least he'll know what the hell's going on in that area. I mean we're using these bugs to harvest bio-radiation, but what exactly do they plan to do with all that?"

"Who knows. Maybe a b—"

"You two! Back to Work! We've got intruders, and the alert has not been called off!"

Eli slipped out from beneath the conveyor belt when he was sure no one was left in the vicinity. "You hear that Raines?"

"What the hell's bio-radiation?"

"Not sure. Probably one of those fake things videogame producers come up with."

Raines went silent as she tried to make sense of the whole thing. "Forget it, we can find out what it means later. For now get a move on. You've got three guards bearing down on you from the east."

Eli moved quickly but silently. With Raines as overwatch, he was easily able to avoid detection without wasting his suit's energy. He finally reached the station where three of the Vokian black-suit scientists were poring over a control panel installed at the base of the test tube. A narrow walkway led to the panel, with machinery taking up the rest of the perimeter round the glass chamber. Eli observed crouched low beside the walkway's entrance then peered at the scientists from cover. "Can you pick them off?"

"Want to lose your eyes?" Raines mockingly asked. "These early level rifles don't have silencers attached."

"Ah," Eli muttered and shook his head. "Completely forgot." He warily observed the scientists. "Is there a way round them?"

"Not unless you want to blow a hole through rows of machinery."

Eli nodded, then drew a knife strapped to his side. He pushed a button its hilt. A very low hum escaped the blade as it began to vibrate at an almost molecular level. Eli crouched low, then swiftly stole around the corner. His massive frame oddly made no sound against the platform as he tore down towards them.

The vokian scientists, though primarily meant for research development had all undergone the compulsory military training of their race. They instinctively felt something was wrong and spun around. But their reactions were too late.

Eli's blade tore up the chin of the one in the middle. Before the vokian went limp, the blade had already slid out. Eli ignored the ghushing of blood as he swiftly punched the one to his left in the throat. As that one dropped to a knee in shock, he swiftly spun to the one to his left and buried the blade in her throat. The vokian woman clutched his arm, eyes red with hatred. She opened her mouth but Eli withdrew his blade. Her voice drowned in the stream of blood that escaped, splattering red all over the Auger.

Eli grabbed the last survivor, who still choked from the earlier punch, by a tuft of hair. He yanked his head backwards so he stared into the vokian's eyes. "Will you talk?" The scientist's face contorted with predictable fury. The vokian's lips twisted into a nasty snarl as a low enraged growl began to escape his mo—Schlick! "Guess not." Eli retrieved his blade from the vokian's skull. He let the body drop unceremoniously, then made his way to the terminal.

"«Begin Hacking»" Hacking was one of the few skills that were inbuilt into the gauntlet from day one. It allowed Augers to infiltrate terminals and computers to gain information. Of course, the modules needed to be upgraded at tuning stations to hack restricted information or locked terminals such as the one Eli was currently at.

Having a highly advanced Hacking level paid off, as in only twenty seconds, he was able to gain and store all data on the terminal. An impressive twenty terabytes too. It would take quite a while for the techies back at base through sift through what was important and what was not. For now, having the data alone would have to suffice.

Eli jumped over the terminal to a small indenture that rounded the giant test-tube. Eli placed five metal devices at its base, then pushed two buttons on them. The first activated the devices, while the second activated the camouflage, making them increasingly difficult to be spotted.

Satisfied, Eli returned to the walkway. He paused at the corpses, taking in the deceased's varying expressions. Oblivion, shock, rage. Each body told its own tale, the thin red lake between the three, a sign of their dispatchers frightful skill. He had ensured he cut them in a way that prevented spray as that would have made clean-up a right bitch.

A corpse-retriever appeared in Eli's hand. This was slightly larger than the previous one he used, as it was meant for large RADs. Eli bent over the researchers and took out their shields, which were kindly strapped to their waists. He activated each shield. There was Security Lv 1, 3 and 5. Since he wasn't sure in which order their security worked, he dropped the middle one.

Eli stood straight then pushed a button on the corpse-retriever. All organic material, save for living beings, in a two meter radii was absorbed into the device, including their clothing.

Above, Raines felt a shiver go down her spine as the bodies disappeared. Even the blood had all gone, removing all traces of Eli's actions. There were certain things that should never be created, not even for the sake of science. For the sake of humans everywhere, Raines hoped this device was never made in reality.

Despite her initial chill, Raines knew there was a job to do. She immediately quelled her emotions then swept the area. "Lone guard approaching from the South. About fifteen yards out. Move."

Eli nodded. He took off in the opposite direction, headed for the second structure. It was imperative they found out what it was. Under Raines' guidance, he set similar explosives on anything that looked flammable.

Eli's bones rattled as he approached the second structure. Not only was the security tighter, but the familiarity of the structure struck dread in his heart. The guards here even bothered to don a leather protective suit. The closer he got, the more it resembled a silo. He would know. He had seen so many of the damned things as a kid. "Raines, see if you grab a look at the ceiling directly above this thing."

"Roger." Raines adjusted her stance so she was almost laying on the floor. Her legs were raised from the waist up, braced between the lower and middle rungs, while her head rested against the wall. It was a really uncomfortable and unconventional position she had only adopted once before in an emergency. Back then she'd had to fire a .380 caliber rifle. She'd almost shattered her spine. Thankfully, this time it was only for reconnaissance. If she stood up, it increased the chances of her getting spotted by some guy who just randomly decided to look up. It happened a lot more often than movies led people to believe.

"Something's wrong," Raines reported with a slight frown. "I've got about fifty feet of smooth, flat rock directly above. There's nothing else like it. What's going on?"

"Our second structure," Eli said as he examined one of the large tubes that flowed from the 'wasp wash.' "It's a silo." The biohazard sign on the side of the tube confirmed his suspicion. "They've got a missile in there."

Raines swore as she readjusted her position, then tracked Eli. "Well this just got a lot more co—" Brraack! "Shit!" Raines swore out loud as the entire chamber rocked heavily. Bits of dust and rock fell from the ceiling as small cracks appeared. "Eli!"

"Wasn't me," Eli confirmed.

Raines gritted her teeth as the vokian soldiers suddenly went into a frenzy, barking chaotic orders into their radios. Only one person she knew could cause so much chaos on a covert op. "I swear I'm going to kill that asshole."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Eli peered out of cover at the frantic guards. At this rate, getting into the silo with stealth was a big ask. He considered gunning his way in, but that plan was thrown out of the window when even more guards converged at the location. Whatever was in there was extremely important. Eli needed to get in. "Can you spot a way in?"

"Negative." Raines observed the guards. "Is your optical camouflage functioning?"

"Yes," Eli confirmed. "But it fluctuates when I move. I will get spotted if I try to make it past that many people."

"Activate it."

"What? I just said—"

"Just do it," Raines pressed.

The urgency in her tone convinced Eli to do as she asked. He activated the optical camouflage, then kept an eye on the timer. Sixty seconds before it deactivated. Then he would have to wait another thirty for it to recharge.

BANG! BANG!

Eli's eyes widened in shock as two vokians dropped to the floor, gaping holes in their chests. That shot was from over 100m with a level 1 rifle! And she'd hit two consecutive targets in one try!

"Sniper!" "Sniper!" "Take cover!" "Suppressive fire! Flush him out!"

The space in front of the silo was wide open, making them easy pickings for Raines who dropped one body after another. This inevitably gave away her position. Once the vokians had cleared the space, and taken cover behind machinery, they began to fire on her position.

Raines was quite far, and since most of them were equipped with assault rifles, albeit laser rifles, their shots were inaccurate. Furthermore, her position on the platform meant it served as a natural shield, so only one in twenty shots ever got close enough to worry her.

Amid the sound of gunfire and lightshow, a solitary figure calmly strolled into the silo's entrance.

Eli could barely suppress his rising excitement That had been beyond exhilarating. The fear that somebody would look in his direction or accidently spot a slight distortion had forced him to walk slowly. Immediately he was past the entrance, the camo wore off.

The interior was as he had imagined. Thick concrete walls served as demarcations to prevent radiation leakage as much as possible. As this was only a tiny silo whose only purpose was most likely to house the missile, there was only one wide corridor. At the end of the corridor were large double doors marked MCN.

Eli refrained from attempting entry just yet. He had spotted a few other doors at either side of the walls. He stopped at one marked maintenance. It was marked:

'Bio-Radiation Warning'

'Please Wear Protective Suit.'

Eli used the Level 1 shield he gained from the dead researchers on the panel next to the door. The lock gave way and Eli pushed down on the handle. The door opened to a narrow staircase lit by ominous, dull, red overhanging lights.

Eli gently shut the door behind him, then took the stairs slowly in case any guards still remained. A door at the base of the stairs opened to a chamber as dark as night. The only light that entered, came from an observation screen. Eli squinted, activating his suit's zoom function. The room on the other side of that screen was porcelain white. He caught movement, and noticed the researchers were frantically scurrying about like lab rats.

Most likely, they were in the process of destroying all data pertaining to this research. Undoubtedly, in a few days time, all traces of their presence would be gone. The vokians probably guessed the attackers were Augers. Even if they were killed, they would only regenerate somewhere else and return with a stronger force. It was best to continue this research elsewhere.

While Eli lamented the loss of valuable information, he consoled himself with the assumption that at least some of it would have been stored in the files he stole from that terminal. After all, from the looks of it, they never expected to be attacked.

Eli activated his helmet's night-vision. One look at the center of the room confirmed his fears. Right there stood a fifty feet death machine. Eli took out the explosives. "Let's end this."

***

A/N: To all Army Brats out there.. Keep on Keepin' :)

P.S: No, I ain't one... lol