Project Venom #Watty's2016

Bad News

When I came to, I found myself laying in a bed in the Area 29 infirmary. Doctor Sun and Morningstar were sitting in the corner watching us and I could tell the AC had been turned up. I felt a little numb, but no more so than I would wake up after sleeping off a cold. My vision was a little fuzzy, but other than that I seemed to be fine.

"Welcome back", Doctor Sun said.

"The fuck happened back there?", I asked sitting up, realizing everyone else that had been with me, except Mercury, John and Hawk, looked like they were on life support.

"As far as Green and I can tell", Doctor Sun said, "you and the others were hit with some kind of weaponized virus programmed to seek out and brake down the cellular structures of carbon based lifeforms."

"Like the Ceph from Crisis?", I asked.

"Not quite but very close", Doctor Sun said, "now given I know next to nothing about Project X-04, but it seems to me that what we have here is a sort of tenderizer for X-01, designed to soften up enemy fighters prior to an X-01 release. The tower you and Hawk destroyed was likely only one of several that Black River intends to use in their endgame, whatever that might be."

I sighed, looking around at my friends. They looked helpless, like any fuckhead on the other end of a switch could flip it at anytime and end them.

"Ace", Morningstar said, "I really hate to tell you this...but at this point, Green says it's more than likely that they won't wake up."

I shot Morningstar a glance, "what the fuck did you say?"

Morningstar sighed, "Green told me that he doesn't think the others are going to wake up."

"You can't be serious!", I stuttered, "stop...stop lying to me Alex! It's not funny!"

"Why would I lie about that Ace?", Morningstar asked solemnly, "Your not the one who has to send out causality letters to the parents when their kids die."

"Maybe not", I snapped, "but at least you get to keep your kid! If Nina dies, I won't even get the chance to have any!"

I pushed the covers aside and got out of bed, walking to the door of the infirmary.

"Who said you could leave?", Doctor Sun asked, "your not cleared yet."

"You gonna stop me?", I asked angrily.

Doctor Sun didn't answer.

"That's what I thought", I hissed leaving the infirmary. I walked back to the barracks, changed into a white shirt and jeans before heading to the lounge. When I got there, Calen, Vortex and the others were there snacking on the Pizza Taro had picked up earlier.

"Ace", Calen said standing up, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine", I sighed, "somehow...but no one else is."

"What's going on with them?", Vortex asked.

I sighed and stuffed my paws in my pockets, "hell if I know...but according to Green...", I looked at my ring, "I bought that ring for nothing."

My friends exchanged concerned glances.

"Ace what are you", Taro began, but I cut him off.

"It's more likely than not that their all going to die", I said flatly.

I could feel the cloud of "holy shit what did he just say?", set in like a hydraulic press. I felt like my insides were getting ripped out. I knew that any of us could get killed in combat, but I always expected it would come after a Leanna or Arnett had worked their asses off to keep us alive until Medievac showed up, but didn't get there in time. I didn't expect to have to watch my friends die and be helpless to do anything about it. I was almost certain that at least one of us wasn't going to walk away from this one. As selfish as I'm sure it sounded, I prayed to god, anyone but Nina. If she died, I would too.