Kaveman, standing there looking at Connor as the door slid shut behind him, let out a heavy sigh of relief, tucking the red key into a pocket. She still grinned at him from her perch on the wall. He shook his head, chuckling, as she shrugged apologetically about her apearance.

"...Thought I'd slip into something more comfortable while I waited." she said, arms still wrapped around herself.

Kaveman put down his weapons and slipped his pack off his back. She stood up, wearily, and stepped over to him as he crouched down and fished the other soul sphere out of his gear.

"Sit down..." he said, cracking the orb in two on the hard surface of the floor. Connor complied, sitting on the ground and leaning back against the containing wall. She had to close her eyes momentarily, feeling her head swim with that small effort.

Kaveman sat down next to her and took care of the gashes on her face first. Concentrating on the task at hand, he couldn't help wincing whenever she did, well aware that the gel burned as it healed.

"I guess you do need my shirt..." Kaveman commented, cracking up as Connor looked at him, somewhat sheepishly.

Kaveman examined her arms one at a time, grimacing. "Man... they did a number on ya, didn't they?" Holding one arm, he carefully applied more gel, shaking his head. Connor, taking care of more sensitive areas with her free hand, suddenly slipped her arm out of Kaveman's grip as she sat back a moment, taking a deep breath as a head rush came over her.

"What?" Kaveman asked, immediately concerned.

Connor shook her head, trying to clear it. "I feel awful..." she whispered, closing her eyes and drawing her knees up and hugging them, lowering her head.

"You need something to eat." Kaveman said.

"I need a fucking transfusion... that's what I need!" Connor replied, turning her head sideways and glancing at him with a wry grin. Kaveman looked at her sympathetically.

"I mean..." she continued, as Kaveman took care of a couple of jagged wounds across the back of her shoulders, "...I'm supposed to be O-negative, but I'm starting to feel more like negative-O..."

Kaveman shushed her. "You'll be ok... You just need to get something in your stomach and rest a while... Here..." He got up and stripped off his armor and unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off. He handed it to Connor, helping her to get to her feet.

Holding the shirt in her teeth to free her arms, she pulled off what was left of her own armor and shirt, grimacing as she did so. They were entirely soaked from her blood. She quickly tossed them over the wall into the toxic lake, anxious to be rid of the gristly reminders.

Kaveman motioned to Connor as she pulled his shirt on. She stepped over to him and they both watched, wide eyed, as the ruined clothing bubbled and dissolved in the slime.

"Well, now we finally know what that stuff would do to us..." he said quietly, meeting her astonished gaze.

After a long while, the red door slid open and Connor and Kaveman emerged. CG and Cole just stared at them, completely confused.

Connor, stopping and leaning against a wall, looked at them tiredly, but smiled, glad to see that they were ok. Kaveman, carrying his gear and feeling a little self-concious without a shirt, ignored their stares. He put his gear on the ground and walked over to one of the dead zombies, field-stripping it and throwing it's shirt on with a disgusted grimace.

CG and Cole said nothing, still looking at Kaveman, suspiciously. Kaveman continued to ignore them, walking out into the corridor a little ways to collect the green armor that lay in the area near the beginning of the level.

Connor walked wearily over to him as he handed it to her, holding her pack as she slipped the armor on. Cole and CG still eyed them warily, waiting for an explanation.

Kaveman turned to them as Connor pulled on her pack.

"Well," he said, walking back over to them and looking for all the world like nothing was unusual. "you guys coming or what?" He threw on his gear and caught up with Connor, who stood patiently waiting. Bewildered, the other two followed, as Kaveman took Connor's hand, leading the way.

They proceeded cautiously back to the huge control room. Kaveman motioned CG to come up beside him with the plasma gun as they drew nearer.

Kaveman, quietly warning Connor and Cole to hang back, pulled his chaingun in front of him, as they all could hear movement around a corner. Kaveman and CG stepped out, surprising three imps, who had emerged from a hidden niche leading to the outside courtyard.

They simultaneously opened up on the beasts. Kaveman ducked quickly as a fireball whizzed by his head, the two of them dropping the enemies quickly. Cole peered around the bend, joining CG and Kaveman as silence descended over the immediate area.

Connor, still in the corridor, leaned heavily against the wall, waiting. Kaveman came back for her. He took her hand encouragingly, leading her over to join CG and Cole, who were standing by the elevator in the yellow door room.

Kaveman and CG boarded the lift and rode to the hidden top of the mainframe, wanting to check it out for any left-over enemies that might be hiding before calling the other two to join them. Cole and Connor kept watch below. Cole kept glancing at her, suspiciously.

"What??" she finally demanded. Cole opened his mouth to say something, then apparently

changed his mind.

"Nothing...never mind, it's none of my business."

Connor looked at him, warily.

"Look," she said, "I haven't forgotten what you tried to do back in the other level... As far as I'm concerned, you just better watch your back, Cole, 'cause I swear I'll kill you without a moment's hesitation if you even THINK about tryin' anything with me again..."

Cole was about to answer her, but then Kaveman and CG gave the all-clear and Connor, not taking her eyes off Cole, hit the elevator, stepping onto it with him as it reached the bottom. Cole looked away as they ascended, stepping off quickly and going off to sit by himself.

Kaveman came up to Connor as she stepped off the lift, glancing as Cole walked away. He took her weapons and pack from her, looking at her, wondering.

"What did you say to him??" he whispered.

Connor shook her head. "Just the truth..."

They stayed on top of the mainframe for a while. It was still early in the afternoon. CG was

stowing away the rest of the MRE's in his pack after they'd settled down to eat.

Kaveman had encouraged Connor to try and sleep a while, but she was too restless and sat up again after a few minutes. She was starting to feel a little better with food in her stomach, but now she was getting frustrated as she tried to comb through her blood-caked hair with her fingers. CG came over to where she sat, disgruntedly, and plopped down next to her.

"So... you feeling any better?" he asked, concerned. Kaveman and CG had exchanged stories as they had eaten, Connor content to let Kaveman describe her part. CG was glad he'd started out this level where he had.

Cole was still sitting over in his corner, sulking. Kaveman had brought some of the food over to him, earlier, but he'd hardly touched it. Kaveman was standing now, arms crossed, leaning against one of the tall computer units, watching him.

CG grabbed one of the backpacks lying within reach and turned it on its side, patting it invitingly.

"Come on, Connor, you'll feel a lot better if you just lay down for a while..." She looked at him, warmly, appreciating his consideration, but shook her head gently, refusing. CG frowned. He turned toward Kaveman.

"Hey..." he said, as Kaveman, hearing him call, turned and looked at him. "Will you tell her to lay down for a while?? She won't listen to me..." Connor was looking at CG, amusedly.

Kaveman looked at him, sympathetically. "Why are you asking me? I already tried... She won't do it just because I say so..."

CG looked thoughtful for a moment. "No?..." he said, somewhat stumped. Kaveman shook his head, solemnly.

Connor shook her head, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Come on you guys..." she said. "What I'd like to do is find someplace to get washed up."

She got to her feet, stepping around CG and grabbing her shotgun as she heading to the elevator. Kaveman picked up another shotgun and joined her as she stepped onto the lift.

"I'll keep and eye out..." he said.

Stepping off at the bottom, they pulled their weapons in front of them and proceeded cautiously to a large shower room that CG had found while waiting for Kaveman and Connor at the red door. It was in the secret nook which had opened as the red door was unlocked, revealing the hidden zombies.

Connor stepped over their bodies as she went inside, Kaveman guarding the doorway in case any more surprises materialized.

She hurridly showered, scrubbing hard with the soap, grossed out by the seemingly endless red water that rinsed off of her and swirled down the drain at her feet. She couldn't help wrinkling her nose at that awful blood-smell ...How long does it take to regenerate a pint of blood?, she wondered. ...A month?...A week? She couldn't remember, but she sure felt like she was about two quarts low...

Kaveman looked at her curiously as she emerged, dressed, still scrubbing her head vigorously with a rough towel.

"Feel better?" he asked, raising an arm to fend off the droplets that scattered all around as Connor shook out her hair. "...Hey!!"

Connor looked at him, wondering what he was hollering about. "Oh!... sorry... Yeah, I feel more like a human again."

Kaveman smiled, but couldn't help regarding her with a worried expression.

"Are you sure you really feel strong enough to go on?" he said, "You just look way too pale..."

Connor reached out and cupped his face in her hands, leaning toward him and kissing him on the mouth. Kaveman looked surprised as she turned away and nonchalantly headed down the corridor to join the others. He shook his head absentmindedly.

"Why did you do that?" he called after her.

Connor just shrugged, smiling to herself as she continued walking.

"Women..." Kaveman muttered as he let out a heavy sigh, trotting to catch up with her. Their conversation could still be heard as they rounded the next corner.

"Hey, you could do that again if you want..."

"Kaveman..."

"Just thought I'd let you know..."

Connor couldn't help cracking up...

After Kaveman and Connor had rejoined CG and Cole on top of the mainframe, Kaveman called the four together to decide how they'd proceed. There was still enough time to clear out the enemies beyond the blue door and exit this area before nightfall.

Kaveman liked the idea of hitting the final area just as it was getting dark, reasoning that the two Barons of Hell they were expecting to face in the next to last confrontation would have a harder time spotting them. Everyone tended to agree. None of them wanted to spend another night in this awful place.

CG and Kaveman had discovered another rocket launcher lying in a corner when they'd first come up here and Kaveman decided that it would be best to try and take out the enemies in the blue door area by using the launchers out in the courtyard.

Kaveman grinned at them. "You'll like the effect, I promise..."

Pulling on their weapons and gear, they descended to the ground together, using the lift. They all walked over to the spot on the wall where the hidden door accessing the outside was located, stepping over the mutilated remains of the imps that CG and Kaveman had fragged earlier.

Opening the next hidden doorway, they headed down the corridor leading to the outdoors.

Stepping out cautiously, they managed to skirt all the way across the middle of the gigantic

courtyard, positioning for a good angle on the blue area on the second level. They could see lots of enemies milling about all through the open windows of the area. Remarkably, so far they were unnoticed.

Kaveman and CG both put loaded launchers to their shoulders, and with Cole and Connor

standing ready with additional rockets, they simultaneously pulled the triggers, aiming at the open windows.

Sizzling red missiles shot out from both weapons, flying cleanly across the distance and connecting squarely with their targets, causing an enormous thunderclap as they exploded, throwing ripped up enemies in the air. Reloading quickly, with the aid of Connor and Cole, CG and Kaveman let fly another volley, dropping everything else that had survived the first round.

"Yes!!"

"Alright!" Giving each other high fives all round, the four trotted back to the hidden door leading to the inside, and proceeded back in, jubilant.

"Almost there guys!" CG said happily, as they rounded the corner. Connor inserted the blue key card into the slot and hit the door. As it slid upwards, everyone got weapons ready, in expectation of stragglers.

There was no movement, so Cole climbed over the sill of a nearby long window that connected the room with another one containing a switch. He hit the red button, opening the access door to the exit. Kaveman and CG were appreciating their handiwork, commenting on the deep pits and blasted walls all over the chamber where the rockets had done their damage.

Cole and Connor caught up with them, and they all proceeded to the exit.

Standing in front of the switch, Connor took both CG and Cole's hands, and CG grabbed

Kaveman's shoulder, grinning affectionately. "Ok, Bro." CG said. "Bombs away!"

Kaveman grinned and hit the switch.

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