Hi folks. I really am sorry for the huge delay in the next installment of this series. I've had a whole lot of things happening in real life. From the move, finding a job and getting an apartment, it has been a bit hectic for me. I'm also trying to spend a little extra time on the stories (whenever I can get around to it) so that I can get a little more editing and proofreading in before submitting the final product. Depending on how things go I may or may not be able to get stories submitted on a monthly basis but I will try to get new chapters to you until I can figure out a clear path to the ending I want. In the meantime please enjoy the other chapters including this one. I'm very surprised with the amount of support that I have received for my writing. Including the few emails I have received. The likes, votes and even the emails are greatly appreciated. You are all awesome.
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Johnson and the rest of Squad Six entered the empty building. They stealthily moved through the main lobby past abandoned counters and overturned chairs. The lobby of Zenith Memorial Hospital seemed alien in its dark blue emptiness. Other than the hum of a few janitorial bots, the inner sanctum of the hospital was silent. The squad's plastic biosuits seemed to fit in well with the strange landscape that lay before them.
Squad Six crept past the information desk in the center of the lobby. Motion sensors around the desk detected the suited men and women coming through and a blue light from above the console activated. A distorted holographic image of a woman appeared behind the counter. Despite her human appearance, her actions and speech gave away the fact that she was just an automatic recording meant to provide information connected to the hospital's computer system.
Ignoring the light show in human form, Johnson and his crew continued through the lobby. They reached the metal barrier blocking the entrance to the isolation wing. Johnson, Ellis and Ben used the chairs lined up against the wall in the nearby waiting area to create a makeshift wall to protect themselves from any entity that might attack them from beyond the barrier. Jeanine, Brandi and Erica crouched behind the overturned chairs ready to cover their team-mates if it came down to it.
Johnson and his half opened the nozzles to their sprayers and loosened the valves on their tanks hanging over their backs. According to the briefing they received on the way over, an infestation of HeLa had taken over the entire area. They weren't completely sure how it got into this section of the hospital. Mutated strains of HeLa cells usually invade cellular research centers and hospitals' biomedical treatment labs. However the infestation reached isolation for some reason and Johnson and his team had a job to do. They knew the routine.
"We're in position," Johnson said into the com-link microphone built into his helmet.
"Roger that," a voice on the other side replied. "Remember, you only have enough of the anti-HeLa chemical to keep the biological agent at bay. This is not an extermination mission. Do not waste it. Just get in, retrieve any information you can find, rescue any survivors and get out. Do you understand?"
"Understood."
"Removing the barrier now. I will monitor your progress through cameras attached to the helmets of your biosuits."
With a pop and a hiss the metal door blocking the hospital's isolation wing slid open. A horrific sight greeted the members of Squad Six. Draped from the ceiling were long, sticky, undulating stalactites of pink slime. A strange white liquid dripped from the pulsating fleshy slimesicles forming a thick milky puddle on the floor. The globs of dripping slime didn't seem to notice the officers. Johnson quietly gave the signal to his colleagues. They quietly crept toward the door and stepped through the threshold into the abandoned wing. The boots of their biosuits squished and squelched in the strange white substance that covered the floor. A pungent and sweet odor seeped into the air filters of their suits while a small stirring of arousal grew deep inside each of them. The stirrings were only a minor inconvenience. Not strong enough to fully effect the mission. As soon as they entered the hall, the metal barrier slammed shut and the locking mechanisms clicked back into place separating the team from the outside world. Each squad member turned on the lights built into the top of their helmets so they could see through the darkness and navigate through the pulsating ooze.
"Lieutenant," Johnson said into the mic. "Things are worse than we thought in here."
"Affirmative," the lieutenant said. "That's the worst infestation of HeLa I've ever seen."
Johnson stretched an index finger toward a nearby mass of pink goo. It pinched up into a pseudo-finger toward the squad leader's glove covered hand. Gurgling, the tip of the tendril opened up. Teeth lined the four small slime flaps that folded open. A thin red tongue snaked its way out and split open into an even smaller mouth. Before it could make contact, Johnson moved his hand away and the tendril sank back into the slimy mass.
"This is strange," the squad leader said. "I have never seen HeLa do anything like that. Normally it's just a flat, continuously expanding membrane of cells with minimal movement. This stuff is more dynamic. It bunches up and moves changing with the environment."
Hot moist air hit the members of Squad Six like a strange artificial breath. They could feel it now. The sweet, musky scent of the air became stronger with every step deeper into the slime encrusted isolation wing. Now the balmy moist air seemed to penetrate protective coverings of the biosuits. The three women felt slight tingles between their legs as a trickle of their juices dribbled out. The men, likewise, felt their manhoods lengthen causing uncomfortable arousals in their tightening pants. After stopping to regain their composure, Johnson and his crew continued to move on. The undulating, pulsating slime moved, sucked and squelched over the walls and ceiling more vigorously making strange, slimy, sticky noises as if anticipating the much needed nutrients the men of the group held. Long strands of slime hanging down from the ceiling moved and snaked their way up and down along and around writhing pillars of pink glop dripping with more white liquid plopping onto the floor. Ellis took a bag out of one of the pockets of his suit. He held the bag open letting a few blobs of the white liquid ooze out and drip from a low-hanging stalactite into the bag. He sealed it as soon as the sample was inside.