Containment Breach

"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.