Dead Space (comics) - Backstory - Issue Five

Issue Five

The story picks up from where Issue Four left off. Neumann is still confused about the situation with the Marker and what it does. "All right, fine, so it mutates dead bodies, but what killed them in the first place? This... stuff?" Marla replies that she's not sure. She attempts to call the Ishimura but with no luck as the comm is still down. They both watch in disgust as one of the bodies starts to mutate and its ribcage appears to rip itself open. Marla receives a distress call which she at first tries to put on hold but the caller yells "... are dying down here! We're being attacked! They're coming ...!" Marla is at first confused by who their attackers are. When Neumann sees the creature start to move he tackles Marla to the floor in fear of her safety, but she points out that it wasn't after her, it was going for another corpse to reproduce again. Neumann starts shooting the creature, swearing to kill Carthusia if he sees him again.

Back at the morgue, Carthusia says "I'm ready. Take me." And almost as if on command the Necromorph impales him through the chest. It leaves the morgue for the hallway. At Avenue B7 North Sector 3 we meet the caller of the distress signal. Further, he exclaims "People are dying down here! We're being attacked! They're coming right out of the walls!" but loses the signal and is cut off from further communication as a Necromorph attacks him.

Neumann at first thinks he's succeeded at killing the creature, only to see that the newly infected corpse has now mutated into a Necromorph. He shoots it as well but the bullets have no effect on it. Marla gets an idea to use an overturned table to trap it against the wall. But they realize that the first one is still alive and is infecting another corpse and the current one is not as trapped as they thought. Neumann grabs an axe and cuts off the Necromorph's head, believing it to be dead but they realize the first one will just keep making new ones so they decide to leave. He tries to call Dr. Sciarello but can't get a hold of him. He says they need to head for Union Square and get everyone out and head for the shuttle bay. Marla points out that there's a no-fly order in place and Matthias will have a fit. Neumann simply states "Then I've got two balls for his chin, because we're not staying here."

Sciarello and a few others are seen running for the Med-Labs trying to figure out the situation themselves. One doctor explains they need to be at the Med-Labs as that's where people will expect them to be if they need help. Sciarello reluctantly agrees. They enter the morgue and Sciarello sees that the suicide victims are all gone, pointing out to the others that Carthusia kept them here, against Sciarello's wishes. Sciarello starts to wash up when he feels a drip on his head, at first believing it to be a leak, only to his horror to discover a Necromorph hanging from the ceiling, which proceeds to impale him through the forehead.

At Union Square the colonist are in mass panic and are waiting for the trams, but the one that arrives is already full. The conductor attempts to convince them that it won't support the weight if any more get on, but the colonists are worried that they'll be dead before the next one comes. Natalia is seen heading in the opposite direction, which one of the colonists points out that it's her funeral, to which she responds "Yes, I suppose it is." Marla and Neumann arrive and he attempts to "organize" the crowd but Marla stops him. She thinks they should head for the shuttle bay on foot and help out with those on the way. The tram is about to leave as the conductor is finally able to keep them off, but he notices someone climbing on top. He attempts to warn them to get off, only to realize it's not a human. The crowd becomes more panicked than before. Neumann calls out telling the crowd to follow him as the Necromorphs start to attack.

At East Sector 2, Level 1, Natalia is slowly walking along the halls infested with the alien flesh and dead bodies. Among which are Necromorphs hidden in vents and behind doors, ready to attack. Natalia's fate is not yet revealed.

At South Sector 4, Level 6, Neumann and Marla are leading the surviving colonists from Union Square. One of them asks "What the fuck are those things?" Neumann replies "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." At first the colonist replies angrily but Neumann tells him that they're hostile and that bullets are ineffective against them. They come up to a closed door and Neumann can't get it open. Marla takes a look at it while the other colonists ask to find another way but Neumann shrugs the idea off as the only other path is a two-hour walk. The two hours apparently looks good to them when the door opens. Beyond the door is a room littered with bodies and the smaller Necromorphs move around to infect them. Neumann states that they can move through safe if they go quietly and quickly, as the creatures are too busy with the already dead bodies to bother them. The colonists are scared to do so as they witness the creatures "eating" the corpses. One of the colonists heads in to save someone he recognizes, kicking the creature off of the body, only to realize that the body is already infected. The body has mutated, and a nurse questions what it is. Marla simply responds "It's a sign. A sign that we just ran out of time. Run!"