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We didn't wait to load up and head for the Hotel. There were still more than 18 hours of daylight left and the last thing I wanted after the fiasco yesterday with those mercs was to get caught out in the fucking dark. With mike at the wheel of the Ford, Allen riding shotgun and Alcatraz and I in the bed, we started for the hotel about an hour after we got back from the lighthouse. The road was mostly unblocked, minus a few stray ghouls that proved no match at all for the Ford's deer guard. When the hotel came into view, the first thing I noticed were plumes of black smoke rising from the parking lot.

"That ain't good", I said, "Mike, stop the truck. We hoof it from here."

Mike slowed the Ford to a stop and put the transmission in neutral before pulling the parking brake. We climbed out of the truck and gathered behind it.

"Good reason why you stopped us?", Mike asked.

"I saw black smoke rising from the hotel parking lot", I said, "I have a feeling were in for a fight."

Allen sighed, "can't anything go smoothly?"

"No", Alcatraz said as we started for the wall around the hotel, "not how the universe works."

Standing in my toes, I managed to peer over the fence. There was a swarm of well uniformed and well armed Mercs, all wearing the same dragon on their shoulder patches that Ryu had on his jacket. These guys seemed higher up than the men at the pharmacy though, though they weren't armed with energy weapons, rather they were armed with FNH FAL's, their weapons were heavily modified and seemed to be tailor made for the individual. I counted over 200 people in the parking lot, most of them armed with FAL's, but there were snipers and a HMG emplacement on the roof. In addition to the heavy security, the source of the smoke being burning zombies on wooden pallets, I also noticed white, air conditioned tents with hazmat teams and what looked like doctors tending to the sick and some people who looked like they were near death from Agent 41's infection, but were somehow resisting it.

"Something is very off here", I said.

"What do you see Sky?", Mike asked.

"Ryu's men are...tending to the sick", I said, "the hotel parking lot looks like an aid center."

I ducked back down behind the fence.

"You sure their not just executing them?", Mike asked.

"I haven't been sure of anything since this shit started Mike", I said, "but stick your head up and see for yourself."

Mike peered over the fence, along with Allen and Alcatraz. They observed for about a minute before ducking back down.

"Why does what I saw make me so uneasy?", Allen asked, "something is very off....either that or what happened last night was a very bad miscommunication."

I sighed, "either way the mission still stands, let's see if we can blend in, I saw some other well armed people who weren't in Ryu's uniform, so let's see if we can pass off as some people who were just ready."

"Sounds like a plan to me", Alcatraz said, "but in case things go bad, we take out the roof top snipers first."

"Agreed", I answered.

With that, we continued on foot to the entrance of the hotel parking lot, where we were instantly stopped by a tank and six men.

"You four!", one of the men shouted, "stop right there."

"They got a tank", Alcatraz said, gritting his teeth as we raised our hands.

"Hey their not infected, lower your weapon already."

I saw the guard with the hand held mini gun lower it, "well you look sane, hahaha, that's all that counts, come on in, this is a secure area."

We slung our weapons over our shoulders and walked inside the barricade, past the idling tank and the guards, who closed the gate behind us. Even with as populated as the area was, it was strangely quiet, my guess was that there was some kind of noise rule in place. There was a lot going on inside the hotel area, there were soldier's drilling, some humans and Xeno's playing basket ball with makeshift hops and doctors and hazmat teams treating some injured people and people who looked like they were from a hospital while a few people looking like their life was slipping from their grasp to Agent 41 were being comforted and eased along by doctors and family. I was nervous as hell as it was, but that nerve increased ten fold when I spotted Ryu speaking with some wounded soldiers. Now that it was day time, I got a good look at him. He was an older looking man, 70 or so I'd guess, but the only thing that suggested it was his snow white hair. He was dressed in Japanese styled garb that appeared to double as practical combat fatigues do to the way they looked. We tried to slip by unnoticed, but somehow he still saw me.

"Skyline", he said as six men with heavy machine guns surrounded us, "stop where you are."

"Do I have a choice?", I asked as I turned to face them.

"Can't one thing go to according to plan!?", Alcatraz said.

"You can keep your weapon down young man", Ryu said as he approached us, "I have no intentions of harming any of you."

"Sure about that?", I asked, "last night you tried to kill me."

"You attacked me first did you not?", Ryu asked.

"I suppose", I said, "what do you want Ryu?"

"I could ask you the same question", he said instructing his men to lower their weapons, "come, we have much to discuss."

Ryu motioned for us to follow him. So with my finger hovering over the trigger of my FAL, we did just that. Ryu led us through the hotel parking lot and front plaza before taking us inside, where what looked like a few shops had been set up, offering weapons, ammunition and food. There were several soldiers and civilians doing business with cash as well as ammunition as currency.

"Allow my men to exchange some ammo for you", Ryu said, "you may find what we have more applicable than your full metal jacket rounds. Please excuse me for just one moment."

Ryu stepped into another room with someone who looked like an officer. I sighed at myself, trying to get a grip of what was going on here when someone called out.

"Prince Imese."

I turned to see a young looking Xeno girl at a table with boxes of ammo with different colors of tape underneath it.

"Come here", she said, "let me exchange some ammo for you."

'What do you have?", I asked.

"A ton", she answered, "I've got hollow point incendiaries for 5.56 and .308 along with Armor piercing and regular hollow points, soft tip and hollow point .50 action express, Ap 9mm and dragon's breath and slugs for shotgun shells. I've also got quite a bit of standard ammo in case you just wanna stock up."

"How well does the .308 HPI work against the zombie Xeno's?", I asked.

"It usually takes two rounds to drop them", the girl said, "only one if your willing to let whatevers inside the rounds light the target on fire, which they do real well."

"What's the rate on the HPI?", I asked.

"1-1", The girl said, "it's a straight trade."

"In that case", I said, "let's change it all out."

The girl smiled at me and helped me empty my magazines. We replaced all of my standard .308 with the HPI rounds and then I payed a little bit to fill the few empty mags I had on me. I simply stocked up on .50 Action, but had a bit of an issue with the Tactical High Power. I was running really low on ammunition for it, and the girl sadly didn't have any .950 Tyrannosaurus Magnum rounds for sale so I couldn't stock up. It was also too much of an asset to just trade away for a shotgun I saw at the weapon's table that could see myself getting some use out of. I couldn't carry any more guns, so I decided to give the High-Power to Mike, who took it from me gladly and then I traded the AK in my pack, which I hardly used anyway, for the revolving shotgun. I was also able to purchase a Sure Shot red dot sight for it and exchange the stock and grip on my Fal for Magpul parts, which fit better in my hand. I also picked up a few pipe bombs to replace my grenade supply, some makeshift incendiary grenades and a couple of throwing knives. I traded my spring knife and it's blades for a trench spike that felt heavy and well made as well as loaded up on slug rounds for the shotgun and then checked out another stand which was selling what looked like surplus of Ryu's uniforms.

They came in complete sets, consisting of a helmet, jacket, undershirt, pants, boots, full thumb, half finger gloves and plate carrier. The pants and jacket on the Xenomorph version of the uniform had a short tail sleeve and mesh sleeves for our downpipes that my guess were there to help vent off heat. It was green cammo, which would better than what I was wearing and it looked a lot lighter than what I was wearing.

"How much for the uniform?", I asked inspecting it.

"100 rounds or 125 dollars", the man sitting there said.

"I can do that", I said handing the man three bills. He took my money and I quickly changed into the new uniform, packing my Multicam away and stealing the pouches off my carrier before trading it to the man to get some of the money back. Alcatraz and the others had finished stocking up on ammo and food just as Ryu came back.

"I do apologize for the wait", Ryu said, "I had matters to attend, now...you are here for the radio yes?"

I nodded.

Ryu sighed, "the radio does not work. As you can see, the power is out. The generators are located in the basement, but many dead ones walk there and I cannot spare the man power to send them to rest."

"I could take care of that for you", I said, "on the sole condition I get to use the radio."

"A fair trade", Ryu said, "come, I will show you."

Ryu turned to another solider and said something in what sounded like Japanese, the solider stuck his head in the door and yelled something I couldn't make out, which seemed to prompt six other men to follow us. Ryu took us down the hallway and to a stair well. As we started down, I spoke up.

'Ryu, a question if I may."

"Of course", Ryu said.

"I heard a rumor form someone who claimed to know you that you were an evil man who liked to do his own dirty work. That you weren't afraid to kill someone to get a point across."

"At one time this was true", Ryu said, "I was a very bad man for a very long time. I however have set this behind me. The fight you and I had in front of the Pharmacy? It was the first time I had fought hand to hand in some time. I knew, given your reputation, that you would eventually come for the radio here, as well as myself. I gave the frontal guard post orders not to fire unless fired upon and to let everyone alive, that way I knew we would not meet again on bad terms."

"Your a smart man", I said as we arrived at the basement, "I'll give you that."

"Give Marco my regards when you return to the lifeguard tower", Ryu said as we came to a heavy door that was bared with a fat steel I-beam, "and please, my friend, make the passing of the dead ones quick, their spirits are tormented enough by this plague."

I nodded, "I will."

"Open it up", Ryu shouted as one of his men handed him a gas mask, "very toxic gases my friends."

"Don't have to tell me twice", Mike said putting his mask on.

"Me either", I said putting it on.

Alcatraz helped another man in an Exo take the heavy beam off the door and set it aside. Once of Ryu's men pulled the door open and shined a flashlight inside.

"Clear", the man said, "it's a straight shot from here to the generator. Once your there, you'll have to refill the tanks, but their should be a barrel full of diesel near by. Good luck!"

My friends and I entered the room, turning our lights on as they shut the door behind us, but didn't bar it. Allen and I were out front while Alcatraz and Mike were in the back so no one could jump us. I could hear the growling of the zombies coming from seemingly everywhere.

"Shit", Mike sighed through his mask, "right in their fucking nest."

"Or hive", I said as my light found a ghoul shambling straight for me. I pulled out my new trench knife and stabbed the zombie straight through the head, the knife passing through bone and brain with little trouble.

"No live fire here", I said, "too many gas lines."

"Rodger that", Allen said changing to his knife.

"Got ya", Mike and Alcatraz replied.

We cleared one foot at a time as every zombie in the basement was alerted to our presence. Trying to keep my promise to Ryu, my friends and I made the zombies deaths as quick as we could, but some of them still took several stabs to drop from sheer toughness, so we resorted to severing the spinal cord, which left them alive, technically, but completely paralyzed and unable to even move their mouths. After about a half an hour of fighting, we found the generator, a large, Briggs & Stratton W-60 hooked to a 12 speed transmission which drove a cluster of fifty five electric motors that powered the hotel.

"That's a big bitch", Mike said, "wonder how much diesel it sucks down just to start."

"Who knows?", I asked, searching around for the drum of diesel, which I found next to one of Ryu's men, his neck and face had been partially eaten and the arm with his gun in it was snapped off, but somehow, he was still alive, barely, but he was there.

"This guy's still alive", I said, "Imma take him back to the hotel, can you guys handle things here."

"Not a problem", Alcatraz said heaving the full 55 gallon drum to his shoulder like it was nothing. I picked up the hurt man and carried him back through the basement to the door. I pounded on it and the Juggernaut on station opened it.

"What the fuck!?", he asked, "Steven's still alive?"

"Barely", I said taking my mask off, "where do I take him?"

"Follow me", the man in the exo said.

He led me from the hotel, outside, through the parking lot and down into the parking garage where the barracks, mess hall and hospital for the soldiers had been set up. We walked to a huge air conditioned tent and the man in the exo pulled the flap aside. Inside the tent were two of the men from last night, along with dozens more that were suffering from the same injuries the man on my back was, partially eaten faces, necks and one arm ripped off.

"There's a spare bed over there", the man said pointing to the corner, "set him down as carefully as you can."

I nodded and carried the man over to the bed, a nurse quickly came over.

"Another one?", she sighed, "damn monsters, they got smart quickly."

"What do you mean they got smart?", I asked.

"Look around", the nurse said, "these men are all missing their dominant hand. Plus, the wounds to their necks weren't meant to kill out right, Ryu suspects they were meant to maim and incapacitate, maybe to use the victim as breeding."

"Where is Ryu?", I asked.

"Over at the command tent", the nurse said, "Morgan!?"

"Yes?", the man in the exo said standing up from his chair.

"Show our friend to the command tent."

"Of course", the man said.

I followed him from the hospital tent over to a smaller tent with fans and a window unit set up behind a couple of tanks. Ryu was talking with some men who looked like they'd been with Ryu from the very beginning.

"You've got enough firepower to go toe to toe with the Bespinite Rangers", I commented as I stepped behind the mesh screen.

"Not quite that much", Ryu said, "but yes, it is a large amount. You have a question for me yes?"

I nodded, "I found one of your men in the generator room, alive, but missing an arm and partially eaten. The nurse there says the monsters have gotten smart and that you suspect that the wounds on your soldiers are there to incapacitate instead of kill."

"I do", Ryu said, "before we lost radio contact with Miller, the man I sent to restart the generators, he informed me of a spider like creature that appeared Xenomorphic in a web near the generator. This was when radio contact was cut and the air in the room became toxic. I was not willing to send another man, nor did I have another man to send, so I ordered it barred off. Did you bring Miller to the medical tent?"

"I did", I said.

"Come", Ryu said, "I have a bad feeling all is not well."