“Fuck!” She hissed, her tailbone aching and her high-heels scrabbling on the polished concrete floor.

The sharp pain and accompanying surge of adrenaline helped to clear away the cobwebs and she remembered where she was. This was her office, a cramped little research office filled with test results, field reports and endless stacks of containment records. The Facility produced literal tons of paperwork every year. Digital storage was particularly vulnerable to Anomalies and so everything had to have a hard copy…and a backup hard copy…and two other backup copies to be shipped off-site.

She had been working late, trying to catch up on her own personal heap of paperwork: checking test results, adjusting medication levels and approving new tests. It was long, tedious work and a far cry from what she had dreamed of when she was recruited by the Facility. She had imagined herself doing fieldwork, hunting down Anomalies with a black ops squad at her back, or working with Project Rosetta, grappling with concepts that defied logic and science. Instead, she was assigned to level 13: the Icebox. Dedicated to long-term containment, all the Anomalies here were kept secured and unavailable for active testing. She was responsible for ensuring all the Anomalies in her charge were kept stable. It was no wonder she fell asleep in her office. Stable was safe. Stable was boring.

Or at least it used to be.

She found her footing and pulled herself upright once more, ass still smarting. Her office lights were out and the only illumination came from red emergency lights that pulsed in time with the klaxon. She checked her laptop and her phone. Both were unresponsive. She slid a panel aside next to her desk, revealing a video intercom. She pressed the large, cherry-red EMERGENCY button.

“Hello? This is Doctor Vera Brenner!” She yelled, trying to make herself heard over the sound of the alarms, “Hello? Can anybody hear me? This is Doctor Brenner in the Icebox, I need a status report!”

The display flickered to life. It was a mess of screen-tearing and jagged pixels, but she could barely make out the outline of a person. The colors looked like the uniform of ACS: the Anomalous Containment Squad. The speaker next to the screen screeched and hissed, but she could just barely make out a few words.

“Th–ha-b-n-a-co–nment br—code is—ow Ki—repe–he–de–Yellow King–n-AC- —nn-l-re to re–t to G-mma–ctor f–tr-ction.”

There was a shriek of feedback from the speaker and the screen went black. Dr. Brenner pressed the call button several more times, hoping to re-establish the connection, but it was no use. However, the few words she had managed to make out made her blood run cold.

Code Yellow King. It wasn’t the worst emergency code, but it still was far from good. A Yellow King scenario was not simply a containment breach, it meant that the Anomaly that had escaped was one with the ability to breach containment on several other Anomalies. Which could potentially lead to more Yellow King breaches. Within hours a Yellow King scenario could spiral out of control and lead to a Red Sun scenario or, the absolute worst case: Nightmare Black.

Dr. Brenner stared at the blank screen for several minutes, heart pounding like a sledgehammer against her ribs. She’d been put through all the drills, but she’d never personally experienced anything worse than a “Blue Walker” scenario when a minor, feral Anomaly escaped its shipping crate and badly injured an ACS grunt.

She tried to calm herself and reviewed the procedure for a Yellow King scenario. Since she was a non-combatant she needed to evacuate as quickly as possible and get out of the way so ACS troopers could deal with the escaped Anomalies and initiate sterilization procedures if required. She was a head researcher so normally there would be an ACS team on the way to her office to get her out of danger.

But it was the middle of the night. She wasn’t even supposed to be in her office right now and there was no telling how much, if any, of her message made it through the garbled intercom. She was probably on her own and it wouldn’t be long until the Icebox went into complete lock-down to prevent the Yellow King situation from spiraling out of control.

That was when the shrieking alarms stuttered and emitted a long drawn off wail that trailed off and then died completely. Several of the red emergency lights flickered and dimmed as well.

That probably wasn’t a very good sign.

Dr. Brenner reached under the desk, feeling the cold metal of the handgun held in a concealed holster. She may have been a non-combatant, but every employee of the Facility, even the kid who delivered the mail, was assigned a sidearm and required to spend two hours every month at the shooting range. The gun probably wouldn’t be very effective against an Anomaly capable of causing a Yellow King scenario but it was better than nothing and it made her feel safer. At least if things escalated to Nightmare Black she could use it to…

She put the thought from her mind and darted to the door, opening it a crack and peeking into the hallway. It was empty and silent, lit only by the flickering emergency lights. She let out the breath she had been holding…better empty than crawling with horrors.

If she was going to get out of here she’d need to make it to Gamma sector where the emergency evacuation center was located. Fortunately, she had an excellent memory and knew exactly how to navigate the Facility’s twisting corridors to get there. Unfortunately, her office was located in Alpha sector and she’d have to cross half the compound to get there. By herself.

For a moment she considered just hunkering down in her office. The doors were reinforced and featured several heavy deadbolts. She had her handgun in case anything managed to get through and she could potentially wait out this whole situation without the need to put herself in harm’s way.

“Don’t be stupid Vera,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head.

Each containment chamber was secured with blast-proof vault doors, automated gun turrets and a dedicated security team. If the escaped Anomaly was able to breach its own containment and that of other Anomalies then her reinforced office door and dinky handgun didn’t stand a chance. Not to mention that if the ACS couldn’t regain control of the Icebox within 180 minutes or if the situation escalated to Red Sun then they would begin to sterilize the Icebox by pumping wide-spectrum neurotoxins into the air vents.

That left escape as the only viable option. She finally got up the nerve to step outside of her office door and padded as quietly as she could into the empty hallway, gun at the ready. Despite her best efforts, the clicking of her high-heels sounded painfully loud in the silent, concrete corridor. She pondered going barefoot, but the thought of stepping into blood, slime or worse with nothing but her stockings for protection was too much.

“Vera, after you get out of here you are never wearing heels again,” She had a habit of talking to herself in stressful situations, “It’s flats forever. Or combat boots. Big, stompy, head-kicking combat boots.”

She felt herself regretting her fashion choices in general. Beneath her lab coat, she wore a short, tight black skirt and a button-up blouse that was slightly too small in the chest, hugging and lifting her breasts. Her long, black hair obscured her peripheral vision and she had to brush errant strands out of her eyes. To relieve her boredom she’d been gradually changing her wardrobe and enjoying the effect it had on her male colleagues. Poor junior researcher Wilkins had barely gotten any work done at all since she started leaving the top three buttons undone on her shirt. It was cruel, but she still made sure to take every opportunity to lean in close to him, providing a clear view of her ample cleavage and a glimpse of her lacy red bra.

Of course, now all that foolishness was coming back to bite her as her rapid breathing caused her breasts to strain painfully against the taut fabric of her blouse and her hip-hugging skirt restricted her stride and slowed her down. She silently promised to herself that from now on she’d dress like a nun and cut poor Wilkins a break. She promised herself a lot of things: she wouldn’t work late, she’d spend more time at the shooting range, she’d eat better, she’d take her pug on more walks.

She just had to get out of this alive.

*********

For a while, Dr. Brenner crept through the corridors in silence and almost wondered if the Anomaly had already been neutralized. She passed containment chamber after containment chamber and all seemed intact, although all of them had defaulted to emergency power. There was no sign of any breach at all and with the alarms silent the whole place was oddly peaceful. She almost wished that they would come back on, just so she could be sure whether or not she was still in danger.

It was then that she came across her first dead body.

It was a man in a lab coat, probably one of the overnight containment technicians who monitored the vaults, and he was very, very dead. His torso was completely severed from his lower half, with both ends scorched and cauterized by intense heat. The wall behind him was damaged as well, with a line of blackened concrete marking the spot where he had been bisected.

Dr. Brenner was surprised, but not horrified. She had seen her share of dead bodies here at the Facility. She’d even performed the occasional autopsy herself when the boys up at the Butcher’s Block were short-handed. She just had to clamp down on the voice in the back of her head telling her that she could be next.

“Some kind of particle beam?” She muttered as she examined the burn. “Maybe plasma. There’s no odor of burnt flesh…organic material must have carbonized in microseconds. A slight smell of…is it ozone?”

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of gunshots, echoing distantly down the hallway: the chainsaw roar of automatic gunfire. ACS must be nearby and engaging the Anomaly. Her heart pounded in her chest and sweat beaded on her face. The voice in the back of her head became harder to ignore…telling her that she could end up just like this poor containment tech at her feet.

“Fuck, pull yourself together Vera.” She gently slapped her cheeks to try and clear her head. “You can do this. You just have to…”

She trailed off. What exactly should she do? If she moved towards the gunfire she’d meet up with the ACS who could provide security and an escort straight to Gamma sector and out of the Facility. She was an important asset for the Facility and so long as things hadn’t escalated to Red Sun her safety was a top priority.

But heading towards the gunfire also meant approaching the Anomaly. If it overwhelmed the ACS, or worse if it ended up being between her and the ACS, then she’d likely end up turned into a charred corpse herself.

Caution won out in the end and Dr. Brenner took a turn through a service corridor. It’d be taking the long way around but this should get her to Gamma sector while keeping plenty of distance between her and the sounds of the skirmish.

After a few minutes, the sounds of gunfire faded and Dr. Brenner let herself breathe again. She felt like jumping for joy when she saw a map on the wall, confirming that she was less than 100 yards from the main corridor of Beta sector and from there it would be a straight shot to Gamma. Even if there weren’t ACS troopers stationed there she’d be able to take the emergency stairs so long as the floor hadn’t been locked down yet.

That unpleasant thought quickened her steps. She jogged down the halls, the click of her heels echoing around her. Several times she had to change her route, finding passageways locked down, probably closed by ACS forces to try and stop or slow the rampaging Anomaly. Several times she had to check wall-mounted maps, reconsidering her path through the maze of hallways.

Eventually she stumbled across a pair of bodies and more scorched walls. Two ACS soldiers, both left a charred mess by whatever it was they had been fighting. One of them still clutched an intact assault rifle. For a moment, she considered picking it up for more firepower but quickly dismissed the idea. She hadn’t been certified in anything heavier than a small-caliber SMG and imagined that she’d likely empty the magazine against the walls within seconds of pulling the trigger.

As she was scanning the body for a radio or flashlight, she suddenly felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed to her back.

“Hands against the wall.”

Dr. Brenner’s heart leapt into her throat. She slowly complied, putting her palms face up against the concrete wall. She felt giddy as blood rushed to her head and she had to suppress the sudden, insane urge to burst into giggles. She had been reading a smutty spy-romance novel the other night and that exact line had led into a very lewd scene and for half-a-second she wondered if this was all some insane dream.

“Identify yourself.”

The rough, pained voice shook her out of her near-hysteria. She cleared her throat and spoke slowly and clearly, just like the manuals said.

“Doctor Vera Brenner. Level 13 Head Researcher and Senior Containment Specialist. I have my ID badge and my Spike attached to the front of my lab coat.”

“Turn around slowly and use it.”

The pressure of the gun on her back eased off. She kept her hands up and turned around, careful not to make any sudden moves. The man behind her was in bad shape. He had the ruined uniform of ACS, with a sergeant’s insignia. He’d clearly encountered the Anomaly, his left arm had been severed entirely. Flash burns had scorched the side of his face and burnt off patches of his salt-and-pepper hair and beard.

She reached cautiously for her badge and the small plastic cylinder clipped to her lapel next to it. She held up the cylinder and pressed it against her thumb. The pressure extruded a thin needle that pricked her finger and drew a drop of blood. The tip of the plastic case began to glow firefly-green as luminescent bacteria fed on her blood. The bacteria were tailored only to react to her DNA. A standard precaution for the Facility to ensure shapeshifting Anomalies couldn’t escape under the guise of a high-ranking researcher.

The man heaved a sigh and lowered his rifle, “Sorry. Can’t be too careful during a Yellow King.”

Dr. Brenner wiped the blood on her lab coat, heart still racing. “What about you?”

“I’m Sergeant Rudolf Nelson. But you’ll have to take my word for it.” He gestured at his chest, where his badge was fused with the melted plastic of his chest plate.

“Fine. That’s fine. Sergeant, I need an escort and evacuation.”

Sgt. Nelson gestured for her to walk with him and the two started down the hallway. “I’ll do the best I can, under the circumstances.”

“I don’t like the sound of that sergeant. Are we in lockdown?”

“Not by choice,” They passed several more bodies in the hallway. “But we are cut off. We had to manually seal the Anomaly behind a few blast doors and we ended up on the wrong side.”

“Fuck.” Dr. Brenner tightened her grip on the handgun, escape was looking less and less likely. “What are we dealing with Sergeant? Can you confirm any other containment breaches?”

Sgt. Nelson shook his head. “There are no other breaches.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because we’re still alive.” They took a sharp turn down a maintenance corridor. “We’re looking at all-or-nothing. If the Anomaly gets where it’s going then we’re looking at 100% containment loss.”

“Holy shit.” Dr. Brenner whispered. “What’s the situation?”

“As far as we can tell, something went wrong at a lower level. Probably level 20” The Sergeant growled painfully, referring to the high-energy Anomalous research station 7 floors deeper. “An electromagnetic lance, it knocked out unshielded electronics and hit close enough to an electrovorous Anomaly to trigger a breach.”

“This is not good news Sergeant. Please tell me there is going to be some good news here.”

“I’ll let you know when I hear some.” Sgt Nelson stopped at a security door and knocked in a rapid, precise pattern. “The Anomaly started draining main base power until our power grid was isolated to prevent reactor failure. So it’s headed towards our backup generator, and if that goes then it’s complete containment loss.”

As they spoke the door opened, revealing a large corridor filled with a group of about a dozen ACS soldiers. They had obviously been in heavy combat and several sported burns.

“Men, this is Dr. Brenner.” Sgt. Nelson introduced her. “She’s Sapphire Clearance and as of right now her safety is to be considered top priority.”

“Ignore that order,” Dr. Brenner snapped, with courage she didn’t truly feel. “If we are looking at complete containment breach we’re all dead. Top priority is re-containment or neutralization.”

She sighed and slumped against the wall. One of the soldiers, a handsome young man she remembered seeing around the place, reached out to help her stand but she waved him away.

“It’s alright. I’m just…tired. Please, Sergeant, tell me you have some plans for resolving this.”

“We’ll do our best. We’ve sealed the thing behind several blast doors but the electrovore can create a kind of plasma lance, like a giant arc welder. ACS procedure is to prioritize the lower levels first, so it may take a while before we get back up. Hopefully, the doors hold long enough or else we’re probably fucked.”

Dr. Brenner took off her glasses and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Is this something we can shoot?”

Sgt Nelson shook his head, “It hasn’t worked so far. It’s a corporeal Anomaly, but a tough one. It’s got some kind of magnetic field that bends bullets and even if you get in close the thing’s a nightmare.”

The handsome soldier caught the sergeant’s attention. Ricardo. That was his name. He was one of her favorite targets, and she always made sure to drop a pencil or something so she could take the chance to lean down and feel him take a good long look. He didn’t seem injured but was clearly exhausted, sweat matting his dark hair and beaded on his five-o-clock shadow.

“…probably have under 15 minutes until it penetrates the final door.” His words managed to snap her out of the momentary reverie she had fallen into.

“Fuck. We’ll need to try and draw it away from the generator.” Sgt. Nelson looked over the remaining soldiers with grim resignation. “For as long as we last.”

“Sergeant, maybe we can come up with a less…sacrificial strategy.” Dr. Brenner tried to work out how long it would be until reinforcements arrived. “Do you know its designation? Containment cell?”

Ricardo spoke up, “It’s 3-4-3 Kilo-Alpha ma’am. I was there when it breached containment. quasi-humanoid…maybe three meters. Four arms. Kind of canine and hairy. Shoots fucking bolts of lightning”

“Give me a minute.” Dr. Brenner’s mind raced, mentally sifting through the mountains of reports that went across her desk every week. Electrovores weren’t uncommon but they were usually dynamorphic or pure humanoid. A large, four-armed, electromanipulating quasi-humanoid…”I’ve got it! 343-KA! It came in three weeks ago for long-term storage.”

Sgt. Nelson grumbled, “I could have told you that doc. Doesn’t exactly help us right now.”

“Quiet, I’m trying to think.” Dr. Brenner snapped, trying to recall the intake paperwork for 343-KA. “I remember that one…there were a lot of KIA reports…but the initial contact force was successful. There were two, they neutralized one and captured the other.”

“Two of ’em?” Sgt. Nelson had retrieved a wall-mounted medkit and was injecting a painkiller while he spoke. “Mated pair?”

“Ah…no. Both males.” Dr. Brenner flushed slightly, remembering the details of the report. “Wait! I think that’s it!”

“You’re going to need to explain, doc.”

“The initial contact force was able to contain and subdue with only conventional light arms. Observation of the creatures noticed a behavioral pattern. The Anomaly would shift between feeding behavior by seeking out and draining energy sources, and uh…” She trailed off.

“Doc?” Sgt. Nelson raised his one remaining eyebrow.

“They would shift to a…uh…mating pattern. Where they were more-”

Before she could continue Sgt. Nelson shot to his feet and grabbed her by the arm, hauling her forcefully down the hall and around a corner.

“What the hell! Let go of me, Sergeant!” She yanked her arm free. “I’m trying to keep us alive!”

“Doc. I’m trying to keep you alive!” Sgt. Nelson hissed at her, voice raspy. “You said mating behavior right? But they were both males. So what were they trying to mate with, eh?”

“Female…humans.” Dr. Brenner said quietly, not meeting Sgt. Nelson’s gaze. “During mating attempts they scale down their energy output, effectively neutralizing their electromagnetic shield.”

“That’s what I thought,” Sgt. Nelson growled, leaning in close. “Now, tell me, doctor. You see a lot of women out there in the hallway? Because I can tell you that there were only three women on the night shift…and they’re all piles of ash and bones right now.”

Dr. Brenner found she couldn’t respond and Sgt. Nelson continued.

“Now, we got fourteen scared, desperate men out there. And if you go out and tell them that their best chance of survival is to feed that thing a woman I don’t think I can stop them from stripping you naked and handcuffing you to a wall.”

She stared at the floor, clenching both fists.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” Sgt. Nelson turned to head back around the corner, “I’ll get you an escort. Once we draw the Anomaly away he can take you to the emergency stairwell.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Dr. Brenner took a deep breath, steadying herself.

“What?”

“I said it won’t be necessary, Sergeant!” Her voice was trembling despite her best efforts. “We can use the Anomaly’s mating instinct. I’ll be the bait.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“Does it look like I’m joking!” There was an edge of hysteria to her words and she forced herself to lower her voice. “Look. I lure the creature into a killbox. I’ll signal you once it’s completely powered down and you and your men can fill it full of bullets before anything…happens.”

Sgt. Nelson looked her up and down. “Are you sure about this doc?”

Dr. Brenner sighed. “It’s the best option we have.”

“God damn…” Sgt. Nelson breathed, “Well. I guess you aren’t wrong.”

“One more thing, Sergeant.” Dr. Brenner’s face was hot.

“What’s that?”

“I’m going to need to…borrow Ricardo.”

********

Dr. Brenner and Ricardo waited at the far end of the main hallway, eyes on the blast door. Sparks and gobbets of metal sprayed from the door as the Anomaly on the other side cut through the thick steel. It had managed to cut almost a full semicircle and would likely breach the door entirely soon.

“Ma’am,” Ricardo fiddled with his assault rifle nervously. “I’m sorry, but I’m still not clear on what we’re doing.”

Dr. Brenner tried to keep her breathing steady as she adjusted her lab coat unnecessarily. “I’m going to need you to call me Vera.”

Ricardo laughed nervously, “I’m not sure if this is the time for that Ma’am.”

Dr. Brenner pursed her lips and whirled on Ricardo. She grabbed both sides of his face between her hands and forced him to look her in the eyes. She could feel his stubble rubbing against her palms and the thin layer of sweat on his skin.

“Say it.” She said firmly.

“Sorry, yes Ma-uh…Vera.” Ricardo looked confused. Cute, but confused.

Dr. Brenner sighed. “Look. We don’t have time and I already had this argument with sergeant Nelson. I need you to do exactly what I tell you, with no questions or hesitation, you understand?”

“Yes, Vera.” Ricardo tried to look confident. It was clear the Facility hadn’t hired him for his SAT scores.

“Okay. Exactly as I say, starting now.” She grabbed his left hand and planted it on her hip and then pulled his right hand off of his gun, leaving the rifle dangling by a strap, and put it on the back of her head. “I need you to pull my hair.”

“What?”

“Shut up and do it!” Dr. Brenner snapped.

Ricardo hesitated but then closed his fingers around a fistful of her wavy black hair, tugging gently at it.

Still holding his left hand to her hip she smacked him in the chest, “Harder!”

Finally, he tightened his grip and pulled with enough force that Dr. Brenner had to curve her neck back. She tried to ignore the smell of ozone and the crackling plasma lance just at the end of the hallway and focused on the feelings of Ricardo’s hands on her body.

“That’s good. Now, say my name.”

“uh…Vera?”

“Whisper it.” She pulled his head closer to her.

“Vera” he hissed in an overly-theatrical stage whisper.

This scenario was not going nearly the way she had imagined it on lonely nights but she did the best she could. She moved one hand to cup her breast, feeling the nub of her nipple through the shirt and flimsy bra. She circled her fingers around it, feeling it grow firmer.

“Kiss my neck,” she saw him start to open his mouth and cut him off. “And if you say ‘what?’ or ‘why?’ I am going to fucking shoot you.”

Finally, Ricardo seemed to have given up on trying to make sense of things and he obeyed. She felt the rough stubble of his chin scrape against her collarbone and his hot breath filled her hair as he planted rough kisses on her neck. Eventually, he became more confident and started to suck and lick the soft skin of her neck. With her free hand, she guided his head lower and he took the hint, leaving a trail of kisses over the ivory skin of her cleavage.

“Vera.” He whispered, this time appropriately husky.

“That’s better.” As he nuzzled her breasts she moved her hand lower, across her stomach, and slipped it under the waistband of her skirt. It had been a couple of weeks since her last wax and she could feel light stubble scraping her palm as she worked her fingers under her silk thong. Ricardo finally took some initiative and tightened his grip on her hair with one hand and with the other he reached around and squeezed her ass, pulling her body tight against him.

She was just starting to lose herself when a particularly large spray of sparks from the door brought her attention back to the present. She glanced over at the door over Ricardo’s shoulder…there wasn’t much time left. The Anomaly was probably only minutes away from cutting through.

She worked furiously at her clit with her fingers but she felt only a slight tingle. She had only managed to work up a bit of moisture and even with Ricardo’s lips sucking gently at her skin she was too distracted by imminent death to really work herself up.

“Fuck…give me a minute.” She muttered angrily and pushed Ricardo off her, shaking his hand free of her hair. She reached down and unzipped her skirt, working the tight fabric down over her curvaceous thighs. Her bright red thong followed and she tossed both into a corner. She didn’t take the time to shed her heels or her sheer, thigh-high stockings.

She turned around to see Ricardo fumbling with the buckle of his belt, ready to remove his pants. She slapped his hands away.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

“But…” Ricardo gave her a look like a smacked puppy, “…I thought.”

She rolled her eyes and snarled, “This isn’t about you! Keep your pants on!”

She turned her back to him and leaned forward and rested one hand on the wall and with the other, she pulled back her lab coat, baring her plump ass and waxed pussy. Spreading her legs she turned to look over her shoulder at Ricardo.

“Now, spank me!” She snapped.

He just stared at her, completely dumbfounded. She wanted to scream in frustration, so she did. “Spank me if you want to live, you idiot!”

This seemed to convince Ricardo and thankfully he seemed to know better than to half-ass it. He brought his hand back and smacked her ass forcefully, the sound echoing off the wall. She gasped and for a moment the heat spreading from the red mark left by his hand made her forget about the situation. For a moment it was just her and her body. She moved her free hand between her legs and she could finally feel her pussy opening up to her fingers.

“Again!” She panted.

Ricardo flexed his hand, causing his fingerless leather gloves to creak slightly, and smacked her ass again. He put his full weight behind it, maybe a little vengeful after her earlier mistreatment, and she had to lean her head against the wall to keep from tipping over. Her pussy was starting to flow in earnest now and she rubbed furiously at her clit as the creamy skin of her ass turned bright red from Ricardo’s strong blows.

“That’s it…” Dr. Brenner was breathing hard, fingers slipping in and out of her wet slit. “More…”

Ricardo did one better. He reached forward with his left hand and grabbed a fistful of hair right above the nape of her neck. He pulled back, arching her back and causing her to whimper with pleasure, and with his right hand, he slapped her ass three times in rapid succession. Each time was harder and louder than before. She jammed two fingers as deep into her pussy as she could and each time he smacked the soft skin of her ass with his rough, gloved hand she felt the muscles of her pussy clench around her fingers. The sensation was mind-blowing and when he paused she was left dizzy and gasping.

The sound of her pussy-juice dripping on the concrete floor helped remind her what she was supposed to be doing. She worked her fingers in and out, spreading her wetness over her pussy and letting it run down her legs. She felt Ricardo ready for another swing and for a moment she considered letting him continue to tear her ass up, but time was short.

“Wait! Wait!” She pulled free and turned to face him. She was light-headed for a moment and leaned against him for balance. She could feel his hard cock through the tactical khakis. It felt even bigger than she had imagined it. “That…that was good. Next we ne-”

She was interrupted by a sudden, deafening clang that echoed through the hallways. The circular hole had finally been completed and the chunk of metal had fallen to the ground with a final shove from the other side. The edges of the hole glowed red-hot from the heat of the plasma lance.

“Shit!” Dr. Brenner regained her balance and shoved Ricardo into a side passage, out of sight of the hallway. “You’ve got to stay here! Stay down and stay out of sight. Don’t shoot until I tell you, got it?!”

“I don-”

“Shhh!!” She hissed and turned to face the blast door. Smoke obscured whatever was waiting on the other side, and for a moment she worried the last thing she would see would be a bolt of lightning blasting through the hole. Her charred body would be discovered with her ass hanging out for all to see.

But then the Anomaly stepped out of the smoke, ducking to squeeze through the hole in the blast door.

She remembered the Anomaly’s pictures and measurements from its intake paperwork, but seeing it in person was entirely different. Its skin was dark black with a shiny texture like a polished leather shoe and it was stretched tightly of the thing’s muscles and bones, with no hint of body fat. Its legs were digitigrade and ended in stubby claws which clicked against the concrete floor. The Anomaly’s chest was wide, with rippling pectorals that supported two sets of arms. The top pair were massive, with a reach of almost two meters and sporting huge, taloned hands that could completely encircle a man’s head. The lower pair of arms were comparatively slender and looked more human-like, although they were still equipped with sharp-looking claws. Most of its body was hairless except for a mane of white hair from its head and a few tufts of hair on its arms and between its legs.

She bit her lip and forced herself to stand very, very still. The thing could rip her apart in an instant if it wanted to, without even needing to resort to its electromanipulative abilities. She told herself that all she had to do was remain unthreatening and let its instincts do the rest.

The Anomaly lifted its head and seemed to be sniffing the air. Its head was vaguely humanoid but featured a stubby muzzle a bit like a bulldog. Its mane of hair seemed to stand slightly on end and arcs of electricity crackled between the strands, arcing from the creature to ground against the ceiling and walls. It let out an apelike series of grunts and lowered its crest of hair.

Dr. Brenner froze when the creature’s gaze met hers. Its eyes glowed with the same blue-white light of an arc welder. According to the retrieval reports, this indicated that it was still in its feeding mode. Supposedly once the thing entered its mating phase then the glow would fade and its eyes would turn yellow, indicating that it had lowered its defenses.

She really, really hoped that those reports were accurate.

The creature’s nostrils flared and its eyes flickered as it began to approach Dr. Brenner. It seemed cautious, perhaps uncertain if she was a potential threat. But thankfully it did not cut her in half with a plasma arc. Instead, it began to move, muscles flexing and sliding under its dark skin. It opened its mouth again and let out another series of coughing grunts.

Dr. Brenner forced herself to stay still. If she broke and ran then the entire operation would be ruined. She had to stay strong. She had to let the thing get as close as possible.

She wished she hadn’t stripped her skirt and underwear off. Standing half-naked in front of this monster left her feeling intensely vulnerable and exposed. Especially given what the creature did to women…

After a few cautious steps, the Anomaly sniffed the air again. The glow in its eyes dimmed but didn’t extinguish entirely, and the energy crackling in its mane faded, leaving its hair flat against its back. It seemed more confident, striding slowly down the hall towards Dr. Brenner.

“That’s it…” She whispered under her breath, “…come and get it. Nice sexy times over here.”

The Anomaly was almost halfway down the hall and just a few yards from an intersecting passage. This was the moment of truth.

Waiting down both sides of the intersecting hallway was Sgt. Nelson and his remaining ACS forces. They were waiting for her to signal the Anomaly’s defenses were down so they could leap into action, catching it in a crossfire.

But its eyes were still glowing blue-white and the occasional arc of energy still coursed along the thing’s fur. If it detected the ambush first then it would tear the ACS to pieces and then probably do the same to her.

“Come on. There’s some quality pussy right here.” Dr. Brenner rubbed at her slit, trying to work up more juice. “Come on big boy.”

She tried to avoid imagining impending death. Thinking about Ricardo’s tanned Latin skin, the feeling of his stubble against the nape of her neck, the sensation of his palm smacking her bare ass. According to the report the Anomaly was attracted to sexually active human females, especially the scent of vaginal lubricant. But she was finding it difficult to focus on anything other than the giant creature in front of her.

She found her eyes drawn to the tuft of white fur between its legs. According to the report its genitalia was concealed in its body…and exceptionally large once extended. She swallowed a lump in her throat before forcing herself to return her gaze to the creature’s eyes, so she could see the moment the glow faded.

She almost let out a sigh of relief when the Anomaly walked past the mouth of the intersecting hallways without any sign that it noticed the ACS troops concealed there. A few more seconds and it would be within reach.

She held her breath as it loomed over her. Up close she could make out every deadly, glistening muscle and she sharp outline of bone and claw under its skin. It’s huge upper claws flexed menacingly and each one looked capable of lifting her bodily into the air. Dr. Brenner’s legs trembled, fighting to stay still while her body screamed at her that she must run or die.

The blue light in its eyes was fading to almost nothing. She stood her ground.

The Anomaly opened its mouth, extending a long, pink tongue roughly the size and shape of a boa constrictor. Saliva dripped in ropy strands from the glistening proboscis and the tip flexed, reaching down towards Dr. Brenner’s face.

Hot droplets of saliva spattered against her shirt and the skin of her chest, dripping between her breasts.

The Anomaly’s eyes flickered, fading.

Ricardo lunged from the side passage she had hidden him in and shoved her out of the way. He let out a defiant yell and raised his stub-barreled carbine to the Anomaly’s face.

Dr. Brenner fell to the ground, bouncing painfully against the concrete. Desperately, she reached out, trying pointlessly to stop Ricardo. “No! No! It’s not time!”

Her words were drowned out by the overwhelming noise of Ricardo unloading his entire clip into the Anomaly from only two feet away. But it was too late, the thing’s eyes had already flared back to pure blue-white intensity and an overwhelming smell of ozone filled the air. Chips of concrete burst into the air as the steel-jacketed bullets were deflected in midair by invisible magnetic fields.

Within a matter of seconds, Ricardo’s gun clicked on an empty chamber. Before he could react the Anomaly’s two smaller limbs came together and electricity arced between them. Then the world filled with thunder.

Dr. Brenner was stunned for a moment, her senses completely overloaded by the blinding flash of light and the physical impact of the sound. Her ears were ringing and her glasses had fallen off when Ricardo shoved her aside, leaving her vision blurry. She could make out his body, a smoking husk of carbonized bone and muscle. Over the violent ringing in her ears, she could make out the gravely shouts of Sgt. Nelson and the sound of gunfire as the remaining ACS forces tried to engage the Anomaly.

She crawled into the mouth of a side passage, trying to avoid being fried by the Anomaly or struck by a stray bullet. Her bare legs were chilled by the cold concrete floor as she huddled against the wall, holding her hands over her ears. There was another blast of light and sound as the Anomaly fried more hapless ACS trooper. And then another. And another.

It wasn’t long before the sound of gunfire went silent and she could hear the victorious roar of the Anomaly. Hidden around the corner she could see its shadow cast against the wall by the dull red glow of the emergency lights. It raised its four limbs high and let out another triumphant scream, the sound shaking her to the core.

Any minute now she expected it to turn the corner, electricity crackling in its hands. Ready to end her in a terrible flash of blinding light. She wouldn’t even have time to hear the thunder before it cut her down.

She forced herself to climb to her feet, her ringing ears causing her to wobble and stumble. She checked her coat pocket where she had concealed her handgun. It was gone, likely spilled on the floor when Ricardo tried to “save” her. Of course, it wouldn’t have done her any good if she did have it.

Dr. Brenner tried to hurry unsteadily down the hallway, desperate to escape. Then the heel on one of her shoes gave way with a sharp snap, sending her sprawling back to the cold concrete. She hissed as her knee struck the ground and for a moment it was all she could do to curl into a ball, clutching her leg.

She looked up, expecting to see the Anomaly looming over her. To her surprise, she saw its shadow moving away, further down the hall. It had forgotten her. It was leaving.

It was going.

It was going to find the generator.

There was no-one left to stop it. The micro-fusion reactor had enough power to keep the containment vaults going by itself for three months, but if this thing could drain the power from the entire floor in a matter of seconds it’d be able to drain the reactor’s fuel in only a few minutes. Then the other Anomalies would start to breach. Things far worse than this one. And their rampage would trigger other breaches. And then the chaos would spread to higher and lower floors…to the testing labs and short-term containment chambers…to the Pandora Depository. Everything might be unleashed.

Nightmare Black.

Dr. Brenner kicked off her shoes and climbed to her feet. The high-pitched noise in her ears was fading and she could hear the sound of the creature’s claws clicking on the concrete floor as it stalked away. She could run. She might make it to the exit before the power grid failed, or at least before the other Anomalies began to breach. If she got out of the Facility quickly enough she might even survive this. After all, it wasn’t impossible for the ACS to prevent things from spiraling out of control. There was a chance.

But even if they were successful then there would be no chance of them doing so without more casualties, extreme casualties. And if they did fail then it wouldn’t just be the end of the Facility. Humanity as a species might be no more if the Things in the Pandora Depository got loose.

She forced herself to follow the creature, padding past the bodies of the ACS soldiers. Most were charred wrecks, like Ricardo. Sgt. Nelson looks like he had been slammed against the wall and one side of his face looked almost crushed. Her handgun was on the ground, but it must have caught a stray arc of electricity and its composite frame had been half-slagged.

She forced herself to move on and followed the sound of clicking claws. The concrete was cold under her feet, protected only by her sheer stockings.

As she crept along her mind ran over the retrieval report for 343-KA. They had neutralized the first specimen when it had caught a female strike force member on her own and engaged in its mating behavior, dropping its defenses and allowing her to kill it with her sidearm. They had used a similar strategy to lure and tranquilize the second specimen, using a drugged civilian as a lure. After recovery, it was put through a battery of tests and observational exercises to ensure that it could be safely moved to long-term containment. One test involved allowing 343-KA to successfully mate. Upon completion the Anomaly went into a prolonged hibernation, lasting over 36 hours.

Dr. Brenner stepped out of the passageway and saw it, the Anomaly was loping down the corridor towards a blast door labeled “Power Generation”. It stopped, sniffing at the door, its mane standing on end once more.

36 hours would be plenty of time for ACS to mobilize, deal with the incident on the lower levels and re-establish containment on 343-KA.

As she crept closer behind the creature she saw arcs of electricity crackle up its fur as it ran its claws across the blast door. Once it penetrated the door there would be only a hundred meters or so until it reached the generator.

She crept closer, struggling to keep putting one foot in front of the other. If it successfully mated then the Anomaly would be rendered harmless.

The Anomaly paused, raising its head and sniffing the air as she approached.

There was no one left but her.

The Anomaly turned as she approached, letting out another series of quiet coughs. For a moment, she wondered if it would simply kill her. But those fears proved unfounded. The Anomaly loomed over her and leaned close. Its breath puffed her hair back, the air hot, wet and tinged with a bestial musk.

The electric glow of its eyes faded, shifting to a bright, predatory yellow. The Anomaly’s gaze felt hot on Dr. Brenner’s skin and she could see the primal hunger behind its eyes. Its mouth opened, dull pink tongue lolling out and drooling more saliva over the floor.

The slimy appendage extended towards Dr. Brenner and she took an involuntary step backward. Clenching her fists she forced herself to stop and stand her ground. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as it dragged its tongue across her neck and face.

The tongue was soft, hot and slimy, leaving a glistening trail over her pale skin. She could feel soft bumps covering its surface as it stroked against her cheek. It wriggled over her skin, running along her collarbone and then traveling down, nestling between her breasts and straining the buttons on her shirt. The slick warmth was simultaneously repulsive and electrifying against her skin. The tongue found its way beneath her bra and flicked her nipples, causing them to harden involuntarily.

She finally forced herself to open her eyes. As the Anomaly slathered her neck and chest with its tongue she could see the patch of white fur between its legs twitch and expand, something swelling beneath it. A glistening, red head rose from the fur, extending from the creature’s hidden sheath.

Taking a deep breath, Dr. Brenner fought against her own instincts and took action, reaching out cautiously with both hands. She gently placed them against the slick surface of the inhuman cock, watching with a mixture of horror and fascination as more and more of it extended from the creature’s body. The heat from its shaft was intense, like holding a hot water bottle covered in grease, and she could feel it grow thicker as she gripped it.

Although large and firm the monster’s shaft was surprisingly soft, bulging around her fingers as she gripped it tighter. The thing let out a loud groaning cough and for a moment she was worried she had caused it some kind of pain and it would take her head off. But it only pressed forward, squeezing more of its massive cock through her fingers. Once it stopped growing it was well over a foot-and-a-half long and as almost as thick as her wrist. Its head flared out, its tip leaking clear, viscous precum.

Dr. Brenner’s heart hammered in her chest and despite her fear and disgust, she could still feel her body reacting as the monster’s tongue lapped between her breasts and the heat of its cock warmed her fingers. She crossed her legs, rubbing her thighs together as though she could squeeze this disturbing tingle from her pussy.

As she felt the wetness starting to spread she tried to tell herself that this thing probably had some kind of aphrodisiac saliva or pheromonal musk. It was the only explanation. There’s no way she could be getting turned on by this otherwise.

Wrapping her fingers firmly about the Anomaly’s shift she slowly began to work her hands up and down its length. It let out a weird kind of gurgling purr as she stroked its cock and she could feel its heartbeat under her fingertips.

She picked up the pace, hoping to bring the creature of a climax as quickly as possible but keeping it under control was difficult. Its slick cock slipped easily between her fingers but the monster kept pressing its body and hips forward, causing the head of its cock to press against her face and neck. She was slowly pushed back until she felt her back press against the concrete wall and now she was caught between the hot, thrusting cock and the cold, solid wall.

The creature kept pressing forwards with its hips and seemed no closer to a climax. She felt like it must be missing something, some vital sensation. Without making a conscious decision she realized what the thing wanted and pressed its cock to her face, running her lips and tongue along the thick, pulsating length of it. The taste was salty and slightly bitter, but not unpleasant or disgusting as she had expected.

Dr. Brenner leaned down and starting from the base just above its white fur she licked the length of the Anomaly’s shaft. Reaching the tip she squeezed the hot flesh between her fingers and ran her tongue in a circle around the hole in the tip, teasing it as she felt the giant cock twitch and spasm. She could no longer deny her own reaction either: her pussy felt hot and tense, the sheer eroticism of her actions overwhelming any fear or disgust. If she didn’t have both hands busy handling the monster’s huge cock she’d probably have started fingering herself.

Probing the head with her tongue she reached one arm back down to the base of the thing’s cock and began to pump at it with short, strong strokes. The creature let out another gurgle and she felt its body flex against her. She could feel how close it was.

She actually felt it cum. A tangible lump formed at the base of its cock and slowly moved up its shaft, squeezing between her fingers. The lump approached the head and she instinctively pulled back, pointing the cock away from her seconds before it exploded in a small fountain of white, sticky cum. The liquid, as thick as pudding, splashed over her face and chest and droplets spattered against the Anomaly’s torso.

Dr. Brenner collapsed against the wall, the feeling of relief almost orgasmic all on its own. She had done it. The creature’s cock flopped against her face and chest, still leaking thick cum and filling the air with a heady, unidentifiable scent. She almost burst out laughing at the sheer joy of being alive.

She looked up at the Anomaly, expecting to see its eyes going heavy and sleepy from its explosive release. Instead, it’s gaze was just as intense as before. There was a weird, whining growl deep in its chest. It seemed…confused. Frustrated.

Dr. Brenner’s eyes went wide as its cock rose again in a series of twitching jerks until it was once more at full mast. The Anomaly growled again and she realized what it wanted. This monster was not a human. It didn’t want an orgasm. It didn’t want a blowjob. It wanted to mate. It needed to sow its seed.

At that moment her resolve failed her and she tried to run, trying to duck under its huge body so she could flee to freedom down the hall. But the creature was too quick.

One of its huge claws lashed out and wrapped around her arm. The strength of its grip was immense and she could sense that if she fought it would simply snap her arm like a twig. Before she could take any action the other arm was snagged by the beast’s other giant claw. Without any apparent effort, it lifted her off the ground by both arms. For a moment she dangled in midair, bare legs kicking fruitlessly at nothing. Then it slammed her back against the concrete wall, pinning her in place by her arms, still two feet off the floor.

The Anomaly’s hunched posture put them both at eye level and it extended its tongue again, licking droplets of its own cum off of her skin. Its smaller pair of arms reached out for her and gripped the fabric of her shirt. With a sharp tug, the claws tore her shirt open, sending buttons skittering across the floor and baring her lacy red bra.

The Anomaly ran its tongue up Dr. Brenner’s bare stomach before creeping up to wrap around the flimsy fabric of her bra and pulling. Its clasps gave way with the sound of tearing cloth and her breasts bounced free, exposing perky pink nipples.

“No! Put me down!” She begged, pointlessly. Her earlier determination to save the world eclipsed by terror. “Leave me alone!”

However, despite her protests, she couldn’t help but gasp quietly when the thing ran its warm, bumpy tongue over her breasts. Every time one of its soft, wet nubs rubbed against her nipples she felt her stomach and pussy throb, a tight, hot excitement building inside her.

She was panting now, her heavy breathing making speaking difficulty and causing her large, round breasts to bounce and heave as her chest jerked up and down. The Anomaly continued to drag its tongue across her body, lashing at every inch of her exposed skin.

When its probing tongue reached her legs it seemed to find what it was looking for: the splash of wetness spread over her inner thighs. Dr. Brenner shuddered as the Anomaly’s tongue crept upwards following the glistening trail to its source.

“Fuck you! I swear I’m going to get you on the dissection table and I’m going to-aaaaah…” Her angry words were cut off by a strangled moan as the creature’s tongue found her pussy. She tried to clamp her legs together but that succeeded only in pressing the slimy appendage tight against her slit.

The Anomaly’s prehensile tongue shoved its way in and out between her thighs, rubbing its moist, bumpy surface against the lips of her pussy. Despite her best efforts, she felt her body opening to the sensation, the muscles of her stomach and thighs trembling on the edge of orgasm. She could no longer hold her legs together and could only kick weakly against the wall.

After what felt like an eternity fighting against the pulsating waves of heat and pleasure the Anomaly retracted its tongue. The creature let out a satisfied-sounding rumble as it sampled the taste of her and for a moment she thought her ordeal might have ended. But then the Anomaly lifted her even higher in its massive claws and reached out with its smaller pair to grip her legs, forcing them apart and baring her puffy pussy lips, glistening from a mixture of its saliva and her own juices. Again, she tried to convince herself that the thing must have some kind of stimulant in its saliva but even she didn’t believe it anymore.

But Dr. Brenner’s conflicted feelings were completely forgotten at the sight of the monster’s twitching cock, inches away from her pussy.

“No! It’s too big!” She knew begging was pointless but she couldn’t stop herself from babbling as the flared, cum-drenched head drew closer. “There’s no way it’s going to fit! You’re going to split me apaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA!!”

The cry of shock was yanked from her as the creature proved her wrong. The wide, flat tip of its cock rubbed up and down against her opening, building a tingling heat in her clit matched by the creature’s intense body heat. The Anomaly pressed its hips forward and, lubricated by their mingled fluids, pushed its cock inside her.

The resulting orgasm was immediate and intense as the walls of her pussy were stretched taut over the creature’s pulsing, red member. Her back arched against the wall as her body convulsed involuntarily. She tried to say something: to scream more threats or insults at the beast or to reject the pleasure she was feeling, but all she could do was gasp and whimper at the intensity of her own reaction.

Surprisingly there was almost no pain, just the feeling of taut, hot pressure pushing against her pelvis. The Anomaly’s cock was firm but malleable, squeezing down to fit inside her tight, wet passage and then, once it was inside, regaining its full girth. She felt stretched to her limit but not torn in half.

And then the Anomaly began to thrust.

“Oh fuck!” Dr. Brenner gasped, feeling the cock shoving in and out of her body and getting deeper with each thrust. “Oh FUCK! That’s…that’s too much! I can’t take it!”

The thick, hot mass of monster cock filled Dr. Brenner’s pussy to bursting. She could feel it expanding inside her as more and more of its length was shoved inside. She had never felt this full…it should be impossible to feel this full. She could feel every thrust in her torso and her chest as the fat head of the thing’s cock slammed against her cervix. The white fur lining its crotch tickled her stomach and inner thighs, residual electric current stinging her skin with small static shocks.

She could feel another orgasm building as her pussy clenched tightly around the thick, cherry-red shaft. She tried to cry out but the sensation was too much and she could only pant, open-mouthed, as the thing reamed her pussy, her eyes rolling back in her head. The creature leaned in and pushed its tongue down her throat.

Fortunately, Dr. Brenner had put a lot of practice into suppressing her gag reflex. She liked nothing more than the sight and sound of a man feeling his cock disappearing down her throat for the first time. But this pushed her to her limits. The Anomaly’s tongue was thicker and longer than any man’s dick and it shoved in and out of her mouth with enthusiastic abandon. It was only years of experience that kept her from choking on it and even then it brought tears to her eyes, smearing her mascara.

Her second orgasm hit then while the Anomaly filled her mouth and pussy. Spasms of pleasure rocked her body, exploding from her pussy and spreading from her head to her toes. She couldn’t even feel disgust at what was happening anymore, there was only the feeling of hot, wet meat filling her mouth and cunt. Another orgasm hit almost immediately after the first and then another. Rivulets of pussy-juice flowed down her thighs as the Anomaly’s cock pumped it out of her.

The monster slurped its tongue back into her mouth and she coughed, spitting up gobs of the monster’s saliva and gasping for air while it continued to pound her cunt. Finally granted a break from the endless ecstatic peaks she tried to collect her scattered thoughts.

The Anomaly pressed itself closer to her, its body trembling slightly as well and letting out more of coughing grunts. A small part of her still-conscious mind screamed at her as she realized what was happening…the universal signs of a male on the verge of cumming.

Cumming.

It was going to cum.

It was going to cum inside her.

Her eyes snapped down and she could see it, that bulge she had felt when it came the first time. That huge lump of thick cum slowly working its way along the creature’s cock which was still slamming in and out of her convulsing pussy.

“You…fucking…animal…” Each word came out as a gasp, pushed from her body by one of the beast’s thrusts. “Don’t…you…DARE!”

But she knew it was too late. For a moment she tried desperately to remember if the testing reports on this thing indicated whether it was cross-fertile with human females, but her normally excellent memory was completely failing her. She could only hope her birth control pills would be enough to fight off the flood that was coming.

The lump in the monster’s cock reached her pussy and the pressure intensified as the lemon-sized bulge pressed against the mouth of her pussy which was already stretched to what she thought was her limit. There was a deep, aching tightness as her cunt clenched around the lump, sending another orgasm crashing through her body. Then it was inside her.

She could feel it traveling further into her body, expanding the thing’s already fat cock until it finally reached the tip. She let out a ragged, exhausted groan as she felt the hot, thick liquid burst explosively inside her. She imagined she could feel the creamy white liquid filling her womb to overflowing, packing every inch of her with monster cum.

With its load finally spent inside Dr. Brenner’s pussy the Anomaly at last relaxed its grip on her. For a moment she simply hung, supported against the wall only by the length of the creature’s cock inside her. But she quickly slid off its slick, cum-drenched length and fell to the floor in a heap.

Dr. Brenner lay helpless on the floor, dressed only in her lab coat and her cum-drenched stockings. She considered trying to crawl to safety in case the Anomaly decided to make a meal of her…but she simply didn’t have the strength to move. Every muscle in her body was tingling with exhaustion and her mind was barely clinging to consciousness.

It was a matter of supreme effort to roll over and face the Anomaly. As she shifted she could feel its cum running down her legs. The creature looked down at her, tongue licking at its muzzle and its dripping cock lolling between its legs. For a moment she worried that it wasn’t satisfied yet and she wondered if she could stay sane after a second round of frenzied monster fucking…but somehow she still felt a tingle in her pussy at the thought, some part of her wanting to know how far she could go.

But she still felt an intense sense of relief (and only a tiny twinge of disappointment) as the Anomaly yawned, baring its huge fangs, and swayed on its feet. After sniffing the air it let out another yawn and curled up on the floor just a few feet away. Within minutes it was snoring softly. Dr. Brenner imagined finding one of the fallen ACS assault rifles and blowing the creature’s brains out but she simply didn’t have the strength to stand and shortly she lost consciousness as well.

This was the scene that ACS reinforcements found 16 minutes later when they swept the floor. The escaped Anomaly hibernating soundly and, a few feet away, the mostly nude Dr. Brenner covered in drying cum.

*******

After four days spent in the infirmary, Dr. Brenner was called before the Board of Administrators. She’d recovered without incident and so far there was no sign of any kind of Anomalous insemination. The Facility had excellent stress-relieving medication and, other than a few…interesting…dreams she managed to keep the events that occurred during the containment breach from weighing too heavily on her mind.

But now, standing before the Board of Administrators she couldn’t help but replay what happened in her mind as they questioned her about the circumstances that led to the Yellow King scenario. She felt an odd mixture of emotions: disgust, nervousness, arousal (which only heightened her feelings of disgust) and even a hint of pride. After all, hadn’t she single-handedly prevented a full-scale Nightmare Black scenario? Even if her methods had been…unconventional.

The voice of one of the Administrators brought her out of her reverie. The speaker was a slightly older woman with the attitude of either a schoolteacher or a dominatrix (or perhaps both) but dressed in a sensible, well-fitted suit. Her name was Uriel, or at least that was the code-name assigned to protect her identity.

“Thank you for your cooperation with our investigation.” She said, signing a stack of papers next to her and then passing them down the table for the other Administrators to sign off. “Now, if you feel ready, we would like to discuss your future with the Facility.”

“My future?” Dr. Brenner repeated, feeling immediately foolish. Perhaps it was the medication but it had simply never occurred that anything would change.

“Yes. For a variety of reasons it is the decision of the board that your current position is no longer suitable.” Uriel adjusted her glasses. “Given the altruism and courage of your recent actions, we would be happy to offer you a generous retirement package.”

Dr. Brenner’s heart fell slightly. She didn’t know if she could handle retirement. Knowing what she did about the true nature of the world, she didn’t know if she could handle standing by while Anomalies preyed on humanity. At least if she stayed at the Facility she’d know that the world was teetering on the brink of destruction. Somehow, living in ignorance and uncertainty seemed worse.

“Or…” Uriel continued, seemingly not noticing Dr. Brenner’s inner conflict. “…we would like to offer you a position as a senior field researcher. Naturally, fieldwork carries risks but we feel that you would find it rewarding. And you would receive commensurate compensation.”

“Fieldwork?” Dr. Brenner winced internally as she dumbly parroted Uriel’s words. “I mean…this is unexpected is all.”

“Really” Uriel arched an eyebrow. “Considering your actions during the containment breach it is the decision of this board that you would be wasted on desk duty. If you’d prefer an officer position within ACS that could be arranged but you would be required to undergo extensive combat certification and we felt your qualifications would be more suited to research.”

“But, we had a containment breach under my watch. And I…uh…” Her face flushed at the thought of saying it out loud.

“You displayed exceptional courage, ingenuity and dedication to your duty.” Uriel finished her sentence for her. “Nothing more need be said. And responsibility for the breach ultimately lay elsewhere and only your actions prevented further damage.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Dr. Brenner’s blush only intensified with Uriel’s approval. “I…I just don’t know what to say.”

“Understood.” Uriel snatched up a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. “We are authorizing a three-week rehabilitation retreat at the Facility’s expense. Please, take your time and return with your final decision.”

“Thank you…I really appreciate…” Dr. Brenner stumbled, still somewhat stunned.

“Yes. Dismissed, Dr. Brenner.”

Leaving the boardroom, Dr. Brenner ran into a familiar face in the antechamber. He was covered in numerous stitches and bandages and sported a new cybernetic left arm and right eye, but she could recognize the grizzled face of Sgt. Nelson. When he saw her, he grinned and saluted.

“Good to see you, doc.” His words were slightly slurred, probably from pain medication.

“Sergeant?” Dr. Brenner gasped, “I thought you were…”

“Dead? Yeah, I can’t say I expected to still be kicking myself. Have a good meeting with the top brass?”

“Oh, uh…yes I suppose.” Dr. Brenner was still preoccupied with the offer, “They’re saying they want me to move to fieldwork.”

“Good!” Sgt. Nelson laughed, which turned into slightly pained coughing. “Glad to see that they know a good idea when they see it.”

“You think it’s a good idea?”

“Damn right I do! I was the one who made the suggestion.”

“You what?” Dr. Brenner’s mouth dropped. “I mean…do you know…”

“Doc, you literally put your ass on the line to try and save me and my men. That’s what matters.” The Sergeant gave her a thumbs-up with his new robotic hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got my own report to make.”

With that, he walked past her into the board room, leaving Dr. Brenner standing alone in the hallway, her future stretching out before her.

THE END OF CHAPTER ONE