The synthesizer beeped three times. A hiss of compressed air followed.
[Synthesis complete. Please remove the vaccine canister]
Arlo stepped forward, opened the chamber, and carefully removed the glowing blue vial. The casing hissed as it sealed. Arlo turned to Jill and handed it over.
Jill examined it quickly, her expression hard but hopeful. "This… this could be our way out. The higher-ups won't nuke the city until they have this."
Arlo raised an eyebrow. "You're saying they'll just call it off?"
"No," Jill replied. "Tyrell made a deal. If we hand them the vaccine, they'll delay the strike long enough for extraction."
Arlo didn't like trusting faceless bureaucrats. "Then we get out now. We don't have time to hope they keep their word."
"You're right," Jill agreed. "Let's move—"
She didn't finish. A wet sound—like tendons snapping—pierced the air. Then a thick tentacle slammed through the ceiling and coiled around Jill's throat.
"JILL!" Arlo shouted
He ducked, his danger intuition screaming at him, dodging a second tentacle aimed for his chest.
Jill stabbed the tentacle with her knife, but it flung her like a ragdoll across the lab. She crashed through the railing and fell hard to the first floor.
"Shit—" Arlo bolted for the ledge, grabbed the rail, and vaulted over. Link followed without hesitation. He landed with perfect form, knees bent to absorb the impact—Clown's Bodily Control doing its work.
Arlo turned mid-crouch, just in time to catch Link who had leapt after him.
"You're getting way heavy LIink," Arlo muttered as Link barked indignantly. He set the Rockruff down gently, then rushed to Jill. She was already pushing herself up. Bruised, but not broken.
"You okay?" Arlo asked with concern.
Jill nodded through gritted teeth. "I'll live. We need to move now."
Jill pointed to a ventilation shaft. "There—through that duct. Move!"
The three of them crawled into the cramped tunnel. Behind them, the facility groaned as something massive moved in the shadows.
Arlo heard the telltale hiss of pressure—and another tentacle surged forward, snatching Jill again and yanking her upward through a break in the duct.
"JILL! HOLD ON!" Arlo called.
Link shot forward, emerging through the other end of the duct first. Arlo squeezed through just after.
"Link, use Rock Throw now!" Arlo commanded.
Stones exploded around Link and shot toward Nemesis. One connected with the exposed tendril—knocking it back just enough for Jill to regain control.She pulled out her gun and shot of the tank.
Arlo didn't hesitate. "Link use Protect!"
A greenish dome appeared around Link's body—Protect activated. The explosion rocked the entire floor.
Arlo was thrown clear from the duct's edge, slamming into a wall. He coughed, shook off the dizziness, and staggered up.Smoke filled the room. Bits of the ventilation system collapsed. Fire bloomed along the ceiling. He spotted Link first, still protected behind his energy shield.
Then he rushed to Jill—alive, coughing, but conscious."You okay Jill?" he asked again."Still here," she muttered. "Where the hell is that thing?"
As if in response, the facility let out a mechanical groan—another failure in the supports.Arlo's intuition kicked in again. He turned just in time to intercept another flailing tentacle, parrying it mid-air with his Threaded Cane.
The impact nearly knocked him back."MOVE! GO TO THE ELEVATOR!" he yelled. Jill grabbed the vaccine and ran. Link followed close behind her.
Arlo held the rear, deflecting another strike and weaving between falling debris. The elevator doors came into view—one last sprint. Arlo ran full speed, dodging explosions and collapsed beams. His heart pounded. He could hear Jill screaming, "COME ON ARLO, HURRY"
He pushed harder. A support beam dropped behind him—too close. With a last burst of momentum, Arlo jumped. Jill reached out and grabbed his arm, yanking him inside as the elevator doors slammed shut. The floor behind them collapsed entirely.
They hit the back wall of the elevator in a heap."...That," Arlo said, breathless, "was a close call." Jill sat up, shaking her head. "Yeah. You think that monster is finally down?"
Arlo checked the dented floor near the sealed door. "Nope. Just pissed off."
Link panted, tail wagging, happy to be alive.
Jill looked at the vaccine case, still intact. "We hold onto this, we might still make it out of this city."
Arlo nodded, reloading his gun. "Then let's not stop moving."
The elevator began to rise, groaning as it carried them to h next floor.
***
[NEST 2: Maintenance Sector]
The elevator doors opened into a dim, dusty hallway. The sign overhead read Worker Break Room. The place looked relatively intact, maybe because Nemesis hadn't been through here—yet.
Arlo stepped out first, checking both sides of the hallway. Clear."Let's take a breather," he said. "Five minutes." Jill shook her head, moving forward. "We don't have five. We need to keep moving."
Arlo cut in front of her. "You're still nursing that neck. You take one more hit, and you're not getting back up." Jill hesitated. Then, with a sharp exhale, she leaned against a crate. "Fine. But make it fast." Arlo moved quickly. In the southwest corner of the room was an open weapons crate—inside, some leftover first-aid spray. He opened his own pouch and mixed a Green + Red herb compound. Then, adding a bit of the spray to boost application, he knelt beside Jill. "This might sting."
Jill didn't flinch as he applied the salve to the red marks along her neck. Burned skin hissed under the healing mixture, and her breathing evened.
"Still hurt?" Arlo asked.
She moved her neck side to side. "No. Actually… not bad."
Arlo nodded. "Rest for a few. Let the mix do its work."
Meanwhile, Link curled up near the wall. Arlo gave him a quick once-over. "No limping. No bruising. Lucky bastard." Link barked once, tongue out, tail wagging.
Arlo smirked. "Yeah, yeah. You carried your weight." While Jill rested, Arlo moved to the northeast corner and checked the other weapon crate. His eyes lit up. Inside were three Flame Rounds, still intact.
Even better—he broke open a wooden crate near the vending machine and found Explosive Rounds wrapped in bubble foam.
"Looks like someone packed for a war," he muttered.
Jill stood slowly, testing her neck. "I'm good. Let's move."
Arlo handed her the rounds. "Flame and explosive rounds. Should keep your grenade launcher fed."
Jill took them, nodding. "Thanks. You're surprisingly good at this."
"Necessity makes fast learners." he said calmly.As they prepped to move out, Arlo paused at the far wall. A laminated document was bolted next to a sealed steel door. He read aloud: "This facility is to be used for the dissolution and disposal of test subjects used in NEST 2 experiments. The potent solvents used will ensure that any biological matter within the vat, living or dead, is completely dissolved and ready for disposal. Please follow all safety protocols."
Jill raised a brow. "That… sounds like a deathtrap waiting to happen."
Arlo looked at the schematic pinned next to the message. "This should lead us through the Disposal Chamber Walkway and out toward the surface shaft. If we don't get caught in the incinerator system, we'll be out of here in under fifteen minutes."
Jill checked her gear. "Then let's not waste time." Arlo nodded, eyes narrowing. "Right. Before something else explodes behind us." Jill stepped toward the door, loading a Flame Round into her grenade launcher with a click.
"Still think the monster's down there waiting?" she asked.
Arlo stared at the door's locking panel, then at the dark hallway beyond. "Knowing our luck? Definitely."
Link growled low, ears perked toward the next corridor.
Arlo took point. Jill followed. Link stayed in step between them, sharp and alert. Every light flickered. The hallway ahead gave off that same cold, metallic stench of synthetic rot. The kind of place you leave things to disappear.
***
[Nest 2: Disposal Chamber]
The trio stepped into the Disposal Chamber Walkway, a long, grated catwalk suspended over an industrial abyss. Steam hissed from vents along the walls. The air stank of chemicals and rot.
Arlo scanned the ceiling as they moved. "If I were a monster with a vendetta, I'd drop in about... now."
As if summoned, a loud crash echoed ahead—and a reinforced gate exploded open. Something massive stormed through it. Nemesis. But more mutated than before. Still four-legged, but bigger. Its torso was warped, one arm mutated into a twisted mass of claws and muscle. It roared, shaking the entire structure.
"Shit!" Arlo barked, just as the creature leapt—higher than it had any right to.It landed directly on the walkway.The metal groaned. Sections collapsed under its weight. The shockwave knocked them back—Jill fell toward the right ledge, grabbing a dangling pipe. Link slid across the steel but managed to dig his paws in.
Arlo instinctively grabbed Link with his left arm and lunged for a handhold—fingers catching a narrow ledge not far from Jill's.He held on, breathing slow.
Externally calm. But internally: I'm one bad grip away from turning into a shit stain.
Then the worst thing possible happened. Nikolai stepped out from a secondary catwalk above, gun in hand, calm as ever. "Such resilience," he muttered.He stomped on Jill's hand. She cried out—and fell.
"JILL!" Arlo shouted.She hit another platform below and rolled—alive, but dazed. Arlo didn't wait. He looked down, checked the angle, and let go. He dropped like a pro, sliding down the sloped support rail and landing hard, knees bent.Link landed beside him a moment later, no worse for wear.
Arlo dashed to Jill and helped her up. "Still breathing?"
"Barely," she muttered, coughing. "Where's that son of a bitch"
A roar cut her off. Nemesis had dropped down after them, its form even more grotesque than before. One arm pulsed like a living cannon.
Arlo drew his Threaded Cane and snapped it into whip form."Time to work," he said grimly. He darted in first, using the whip to lash at Nemesis's limbs—cutting into exposed muscle. Jill backed him up with Flame Rounds, blasting the mutated flesh with intense fire. Link launched Rock Throw after Rock Throw, battering the Nemesis side. It staggered—but not for long.
Nemesis roared and lunged toward Arlo, its massive fists slamming down. Arlo rolled to the side—barely dodging the cratered floor.
"Too close!" he growled.Jill fired another Flame Round. Arlo shouted, "Link, hit the back!"
Link spun and launched a barrage of rock throw at Nemesis's exposed spine.It howled—then immediately began regenerating.
Arlo narrowed his eyes. "He's healing too fast. Faster than before."
They kept up the pressure—every second mattered. Then a crackle came through their radios."Jill? Arlo? Are you two okay?"
Jill grabbed her radio. "Carlos! Yeah, we're alive—barely!"
Carlos replied, "I've got eyes on your position. Let me spot for you!"
Nemesis let out a deafening roar—then moved with a speed that shouldn't have been possible. It closed the gap on Arlo in an instant, striking with blinding swipes.
Arlo dodged, barely—one claw tearing his jacket. This thing is faster than it looks. He thought
"Link use Quick Attack and Bite! Go!" Arlo barked.
Link's body surged with white light. He jumped, using Arlo's shoulder as a platform. Midair, his jaw glowed dark violet. A dark spectral mouth formed around his own. He bit down on Nemesis's side—ripping out a huge chunk of corrupted muscle. Nemesis reeled, screeching
.Carlos's voice came through again. "What the hell was that?!"
Jill's voice followed, stunned. "Arlo—what the hell is your dog?!"
"No time to explain!" Arlo shouted, already charging forward.He used the opening to leap onto Nemesis's back and stab downward—his cane plunging into raw tissue again and again.
Nemesis roared, thrashed—then slammed its shoulder into a wall, launching Arlo across the platform.He rolled twice and came to a crouch, winded but intact.Jill wasted no time. She fired an Explosive Round straight into the exposed wound Link had made. The blast was massive—Nemesis howled and stumbled, smoke pouring from its side.It dropped to one knee—but even now, tendrils were knitting the wounds closed.
"Dammit, it won't stay down!"Jill shouted.
Arlo stood, reloading. "Then we keep hitting until it does."
...
Nemesis roared again—this one deeper, more primal. The sound vibrated through the metal floor and echoed in their chests. Then suddenly, the lights flickered—and one of the massive electrical pillars short-circuited. Arlo's ears rang as the blast wave rolled through the chamber. Sparks rained down. The short-circuit knocked the main lights out for a second.Everything dimmed.
Arlo winced, clutching his temple. "Shit… EM feedback."
Jill staggered, dazed. Link barked but looked visibly disoriented, his stance loose.Nemesis vanished into the shadows. They couldn't track him anymore.
Carlos's voice crackled in the radio, "He's hiding! Behind Tank 8—move!"
Arlo blinked the blur from his eyes and pulled his sidearm. "Jill, aim for the red panels. We light this bastard up."
They aimed together, targeting the red squares on the side of Tank 8.
Jill's first shot pierced one panel. Arlo followed with two more. The tank overloaded—electrical discharge burst out violently.Nemesis screeched and collapsed, twitching. Sparks danced across its mutated hide.But before they could breathe, groaning echoed down a side hallway.Zombies. A whole pack."Shit. Jill, focus on Nemesis!" Arlo shouted, spinning to face the incoming horde. "Link, with me!"
"I got it!" Jill replied, reloading her grenade launcher.
Arlo holstered his sidearm and switched to his Pit Viper. The first zombie lunged. One clean headshot.
[EXP Gained: +200]
Two more. Headshots.
[EXP Gained: +200]
Link snarled and launched Rock Throw, crushing two more that got close.The last one tried to bite him, but Arlo moved in, grabbed it by the collar, and slammed it against the railing. One shot to the temple ended it.
[EXP Gained: +200]
He exhaled sharply. "Clear!"
Turning, he saw Jill had kept Nemesis pinned with well-timed Flame Rounds.
"Carlos! Status?" Jill barked into the comm.
"I've got visual—he's moving toward Tank 9!" Carlos said
"Copy!" Jill muttered
Jill immediately turned to Tank 9. "Cover me!"
She fired a precise shot into the tank's red square. It sparked violently—electricity surged outward in another controlled burst.Nemesis stumbled again, growling like a cornered animal.
"Arlo!" Jill shouted. "He's down!"
Arlo nodded. "Let's make it count."
Jill fired an Explosive Round directly into Nemesis's chest. The monster recoiled—its arm blown open briefly. Then, it lunged with surprising speed, swinging its mutated claw like a hammer. Jill barely rolled in time, landing hard on her shoulder.
Arlo sprinted toward the creature. "Link use Quick Attack then Sucker Punch! Go!"
Link's body surged forward—blurring. He struck Nemesis mid-charge, stunning it just long enough for Arlo to vault into position. He spun his Threaded Cane into full-blade form and leapt.He landed on Nemesis's back and drove the blade in—again. And again. The flesh gave way like cutting into overripe meat. Blood sprayed, black and steaming.
HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, HUH?!. I'M GONE STAB YOU IN BLOODBORNE STYLE, Arlo thought
Nemesis screeched. It reared up, flailing violently. Arlo was tossed off its back—but managed to twist midair and land in a crouch, sliding across the grated walkway. He stood quickly.
"Still here." Jill stepped up beside him, bleeding but unshaken. "FUCK!, He's regenerating again."
"Not for long," Arlo said. He turned to Link. "One more push. Everything you've got."
Link barked sharply—ready.Nemesis growled, already rising again. Its body was a mess—half-burnt, shredded, black tendrils trying desperately to hold it together. But it was slowing. Breathing heavier.
"We're getting close," Arlo muttered