Since 1951, all government labs and stations were given an A.E.R.B., or an Automated Emergency Response Beacon. If anyone fails to enter the beacon code every four days, a distress beacon is activated, alerting a response team that there is an anomaly. In some rare cases, the facility is never heard from again.

1954, somewhere in northern Colorado. No beacon code entered. Response team sent and reaches the station within one hour. No one on the team reported back. Locals described a large detonation emanating from the estimated location of the lab.

1955, Arizona. A remote Special and Biological Station sends a distress call on its own, two days before scheduled beacon restart. Two response teams are sent, but the beacon was still never deactivated. Four hours after the beacon sent out its automated message, a nuclear bomb struck the location of the facility, the United States government claiming it as a nuclear arms test site.

1987, Classified Location beneath the Atlantic Ocean. A response team, under similar circumstances, was sent to the station. Their last radioed message reported that an anomaly had occurred, and requested evacuation. Wreckage matching the schematics of the station were found afloat two days later.

******

Modern day. 2005.

Somewhere deep within the recesses of a military base, a small computer screen flickered to life in an otherwise dark room. Its processor began to click and buzz as a message began to appear on screen;


Decode beacon message Alpha Foxtrot 129033067

Message received 23:56:02

Working...
Working...

Message Transmit: Automated Emergency Response Beacon, model 1138.



Personnel failure to enter relapse code. Message sent under classified doctrines; E.R.T. requested by default. One team activation is required. Transferring technical and video data...

Working...
Working...

System Failure. Unable to transfer security protocols and technical data. Unknown Error.


Incoming message; received 23:58:32:
Begin: Anomaly uncontainable. Stay away from this location, say again, stay away from this location. Inner sectors overrun, evacuation procedures cancelled, quarantine procedures in effect. I repeat, do not SYSTEM ERROR.

Message transmit terminated. Unknown Error.

End transmit from Alpha Foxtrot 129033067


Relay transmit... sent to Emergency Response Team J-43.

End Program.

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This is the beginning to the second story I have here on the forums. I hope you've enjoyed this section, as another (if you should want one) will be posted by the end of the week.

Feedback is welcomed.


This post has been edited by Jest3r on March 22, 2005 03:39 am

Um, yeah, I definitely want to see more of this. Great beginning, hurry up the next chap!

A beautiful sunrise spread its rays across the glistening panels in the side of the barracks. The light made small bits of dust look as if they were dancing in the moment, quickly vanishing into the darkness of the night which the marines were sleeping off. The first puppet stirred

Ugh what the hell what is that?

Thats the sun. And that means its morning. You know, that time when you get your ass out of bed and get me my slippers? replied a feminine voice.

The first voice chimed in again, Yea, good morning to you too sunshine, you heartless bi

He was cut off by another, gruff voice from the doorway to the barracks. Wake it and shake it. We got a transmission late last night, it only got relayed to us an hour ago. The owner of the gruff voice walked out of the room.

Some dark shape could be seen sitting up. It reached behind its pillow, grabbed a cigarette, and lit it up. A second female voice exclaimed, Anyone remember what I did last night or where I was? a pause. Slight chuckles carried about the room. Her hand grasped her forehead. or why I have a tattoo on my hand?

That would be our units insignia.

Oh thanks.

Dont mention it.

The owner of the gruff voice, a captain, strode back into the room. Get your binging asses out of bed n covered. We got a job to do and who the hell is smoking? Its six in the god damned mornin!

Sir, didnt know it was so early sir! Just trying to catch up sir! said the smoker.

Smartass said the captain with a chuckle.

The first male voice then got to business. Alright, you heard the man. Someone get the light on.

The cigarette lighter flipped open again.

Har dee har har. I mean a light from a light bulb its round? Fragile?

Sounds like Lizzies ass.

I think hes talking about Lizzies ass.

A hung-over voice from across the room added; Is Parker talking about my fat ass again?

A chorus of yes replies filled the room. A light patter of feet upon the metal of the barracks floor was soon accompanied by the click of a light being turned on. Ya see, if you wouldve gotten me some slippers, my feet wouldnt be so frickin freezing... asshole.

********************

While Emergency Response Team J-43 was just waking up, a cold wind blew upon the government facility codenamed Alpha Foxtrot. A thin, rusting barbed wire fence was the only thing that shifted with the end. The wind carried with it naught but the rustling metal and the distant hum of various alarms going off from deep within the mountain in which the lab was contained.

The small iron doors leading to the facility were shut, playing sentry to the terror within. However, the sentries were soon relieved as the doors slowly slid open. Through the dark abyss behind where the doors once were crawled a broken, bloodied form. It gasped and panted, sobbing wildly as if trying to escape from some yet to be seen foe.

The figure, a bloodied man, stopped his crawling for a moment, putting his ear to the wind. His eyes darted wildly from left to right, his ears hearing only the alarms.

This relative tranquility would not last long. He screamed in terror and tried to crawl faster, away from the doors, as a frighteningly quick, metallic thud of footsteps seemed to get closer and closer. Something reached out from the darkness behind the doorway, grabbing his leg. A bloody scream was the last thing heard from the man as he was pulled back into the darkness as the doors began to shut again. He desperately struggled to stay in the light, but he could not resist the hungry force behind him.

Within the quick second in which the incident had taken place, he had left his bloodied palm prints around the crease of the door, his broken fingernails at the end of the pattern.

To be continued...

************

Hope you're enjoying this so far... if anyone is reading this!

Comments/criticisms are welcomed and appreciated! Also, all questions will be answered!

Next selection will be posted by the end of next week.
Until next time...

This post has been edited by Jest3r on March 24, 2005 04:21 am

I like the lack of information in the first post. Has someone been clearing up the evidence? Or is something destroying these stations actively? Just what happened? The sort of questions that lead well into this kind of story.

The dialogue is pretty good, though if you'd used "Assholes and elbows people you heard the man" (from Aliens - the dialogue reminds me a little of the marines) I wouldve been a happy man.

One thing - I'm not too sure about the policy about mixed gender squads. Would that be right? (if not, doesnt matter really - its a story.)

Thanks for the feedback. I would've used that very same line, but I didn't want to be discredited for copying a script.

As for the gender thing, you're right, but it's technically not an army squad. The squad is really ex-marines, who are now sort of the 'government's private seperate army'. The story development will show that the elite E.R.T. teams are to be as discrete as possible, so large facilities are frowned upon, therefore one barracks fits all. It's really only a minor issue, as the other stages of the story are far away.


As always, any other new critiques are welcomed!

Next selection will be posted soon.

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NEW SECTION POSTED
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This post has been edited by Jest3r on April 13, 2005 02:41 am

Back at Emergency Response Team J-43s barracks, in the briefing room. The team read over the printed lines in the briefing, just another part of their normal mission routine

I dont get it, said Parker as he slammed his briefing manual on the metal table. I dont get why we gotta go in blind on these damn drops. Shouldnt the feddies, our esteemed nimrod colleagues, at least tell us what the hell could be inside that lab?

Parker had always had a hot temper. No one on Emergency Response Team J-43 would doubt that he would prefer to charge an assailant with his bare hands rather than his weapon. Although Parker was one of the best mission operators in the nation, he felt frustrated that his talents were constantly being wasted on baby sitting the nerdy folk as he so aptly put it.

Chill, Parker, said Amy Cho, another member of the unit, Its just going to be another hump in, hump out mission. We slap the scientists on the wrists, tell them to remember to hit the switch every four days, and were back here in a day or two. Amy Cho leaned back in her chair, satisfied that she had thoroughly pissed Parker off. Sergeant Davlo, the leader of the small, elite group, nodded his approval to Cho, although he agreed with Parker.

He had received the automated beacon alarm just hours ago, and he still had no overhead or inner schematics of the facility, the name of which he knew only as Alpha Foxtrot. Something seemed wrong about this one. The computer transmitted landing data, and general terrain data (listed as mountainous; cold weather; precipitation probable). It also looked as if someone tried to send a warning within the automated message, but that was deleted during the relay to his base. Davlo was a soldier, taught to treat every situation with circumspect, but how does one think about possible solutions to a problem he does not yet know?

A grizzled, tanned man with a heavy accent pushed the briefing Parker had slammed onto the table back over to him. You read good?

Yeah I read mucho good, what about it Riz?

I dont speak Spanish. Read it again. This base never failed to reset its beacon for nearly a decade, and even then it was just an equipment malfunction, said Ricky Riz Tabert. Riz was an ex-Moroccan assassin who was once sent to kill a high official working in weapons development for the States. Emergency Response Team recruiters saw his brutal potential, and offered him the new job as a permanent E.R.T. member. He was well liked for his sarcastic attitude, which brought out his honesty as well.

Amy Cho asked, Couldnt that just be whats happened now?

Riz is right. Its not likely that that happened again. Also, the info we got says they havent gotten rid of any of their senior scientists, so they wouldnt forget to reset the beacon, said a much cooler, calm Parker. Besides, we have large metal sticks that shoot small metal thingies at high speeds. We can blow the hell out of anything we want to.

Including ourselves? Alice Bates, the youngest member of the team, walked into the briefing room. I checked the data again Sarge, we got data from that base again... she stopped and looked down at the piece of paper in her hand.

And? inquired Sarge.

It wasnt from the beacon. The message came from the rogue signal that we thought was asking for help in the first relay or warning us whatever. I think you should read it, sir.

Sarge took the piece of paper. On it was written a few ominous words:

No one can stop them. God help us all.

To be continued

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Try and think of any theories you might have on what is going on, apply your imagination and fill in the holes provided with this selection.

You will know what had happened, and what is going to happen, soon enough.

Feedback and criticisms are encouraged...

What do you think about it?

More coming soon...