Chapter Text
Locus' radio crackled to life. "Why are we doing this?" Felix asked, annoyed. "Shouldn't this be a job for the eggheads?"
Locus keyed his mic. "There was already a science team assigned here." He continued his search of the room, analyzing the various markings on the walls. He and Felix had learned enough of the various Covenant languages to understand phrases like 'BFG' and 'goes BOOM real good', but none of these looked like anything they had come across before.
" 'Was'?" Felix sounded a bit more interested.
"They missed several check-ins, and haven't been heard from since. After we finish our sweep, we're supposed to check out the research station and see what can be recovered."
"Shouldn't we be checking their base first, instead of poking around in here?"
Privately, Locus thought Felix was right. What he said was, "Our orders were to secure the excavation site first. A site suggesting a previously unknown alien race is an invaluable find. One can always hire more scientists." Or mercenaries.
Felix laughed. "That's cold."
"That's business. You would know this if you had actually bothered to read the mission briefing."
"That's what I have you for. Anyway, this room is clear of hostiles, nasties, and other petty annoyances. Moving on to the next."
"Don't get too far ahead. We don't know what eliminated the previous team." Not that Locus thought there was anything that posed an actual threat to either of them. But he felt obligated to try to rein in Felix from time to time.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't be such a mother hen. They probably ate some weird sparkly native berry, sprouted wings, and flew away."
Locus didn't even bother dignifying that with a response. He marked his room as 'Cleared' on his HUD and moved on to the next. He noticed Felix was marking his as 'Boring'. Typical.
"Oh, fucking gross."
"What?"
Felix sounded thoroughly disgusted. "Something fucking died in here and I stepped in it."
Locus refused to laugh. Absolutely refused. Felix had no problem disemboweling someone or watching them choke on their own blood. But leave the corpse to putrefy for a few days and the merc would lose his lunch. "Unfortunate."
"Fuck. Off. Ugh, it's under my armor plates," he whined. "This is going to take forever to clean off." Especially as Felix would likely be gagging the entire time.
Locus would not laugh at him. He wouldn't.
Really.
Maybe a little.
"Perhaps it was one of the missing team."
"Doubt it. Ugh. Looked more like a dog or something. Think any of them smuggled a pet along?"
"Given the restrictions surrounding this endeavor? Unlikely." The next room held something that might have been chairs, depending on how one’s legs bent.
"Then it was probably something local. Hey, wanna see if you can identify it?"
Locus couldn't resist. "You're closer."
"Go fuck yourself."
Locus refused to laugh at his partner. But that didn't stop the smirk from spreading across his face.
They cleared the next few rooms quickly. There was nothing of any immediate interest beyond the dead animal Felix had encountered.
"Hey, I think I found what the scientists were pissing themselves over."
"What?"
"Fuck if I know. But it's big, whatever it is."
That was a useful description. "A weapon?" Locus prompted.
"I wish. Looks more like a computer terminal. Workstation? Lab? Like something that belongs on Star Trek. Real science-fiction stuff."
"You live in a spaceship."
"What's your point?"
There was one room left between Locus & Felix.
Locus didn't remember crossing it.
He paused at the doorway, rifle up and automatically filtering the data his HUD was throwing at him. He had never heard Felix scream like that. Curse, shout, whine? But nothing like what had come over the com when Felix attempted to circle the room and check for exits. He cursed himself for not keeping Felix's vitals up before; he wasn't getting anything now.
"Felix, report." Static. "Felix, report."
The channel remained empty.
Locus eased around the corner, searching for any threats, anything that could have attacked his partner.
The room was dominated by a massive, glowing pillar in the center. Locus couldn't see anything that could be considered a threat on this side of it. Whatever had happened to Felix, he must be on the other side.
Locus barely got a third of the way around the room before his stomach dropped. He could see Felix's hand lying on the floor, just clear of the pillar's curve. There was something very wrong with it, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it.
Locus eased his way around the pillar. "Felix?"
His partner's armor was laying in a jumble on the floor. It was almost as if he had vanished from inside it, and it had collapsed without the support.
He had to be wrong. There was no way Felix could have just ... disappeared like that. Cautiously, he inched towards the pile of armor, every sense hyper alert for the slightest change in the room.
Felix's helmet twitched.
Locus froze.
It shifted again. He slowly reached out and tipped it over.
An orange tabby cat tumbled out.
Locus stepped back, rifle coming up automatically as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
The cat, for its part, glared up at him. When he didn't move, it twisted around, trying to stand up. On two feet.
It promptly fell over. It tried again. And fell again. It let out an indignant yowl when it looked down at itself.
"... Felix?"