by C. Gockel
“Thank the Founder,” Felar announced after enough dust had settled to see a small tunnel piercing the door. Her apprehension ratcheted up a notch as she noticed the entrance's full construction. It was a meter thick, with at least 20 centimeters of metal alloy covering a composite core.
Once inside, Felar looked for the security mechanism holding the door, hoping she could open it. Don’t want survivors having to climb out the hole. She discovered nothing. The interior was completely smooth. Must be controlled remotely , she thought. That means they need to keep people from leaving as well as entering...
Ackerson led down the long, steeply pitched corridor. It was almost completely dark on the ramp. Felar was reluctant to leave the light streaming through the doorway. She switched on the illumination at the end of her primary weapon and watched the rest of the squad do the same.
It took some time, but they finally reached the bottom of the ramp and entered the complex proper. The air felt heavier here and Felar could sense the weight of all the ground above. It was oppressive. Most of the lights were off here as well, leaving the long corridors in eerie pallor.
“Must be running on backup power,” Ackerson noted. “At least it isn't completely dark.” He stopped at a wall monitor and tried to check the compound's systems. As Ackerson worked, Felar wondered just how deep underground they were now. The ramp had seemed to go for at least a kilo or two and was fairly steep. She ran some quick mental math. At least 400 meters below the surface, maybe more.
“Bugger it all,” Ackerson swore, breaking into her thoughts. “It's unresponsive. Enlightened, all the monitoring and system control access is disabled on this terminal. Should we try another one?” The squad looked at Felar expectantly.
“If the complex is on lockdown, they'll all be the same.” She tried to signal Overwatch to give a sit-rep. Nothing. Her eyes flicked to the HUD on her face plate. It showed her comm status as up for local and down on long range. “Blightheart,” she cursed, her expression calm, but her voice beginning to betray unease. “The command link is down. We are on our own for now. I'm guessing we are too deep. The APC should relay comms to AF Command, but our signal isn't reaching it.”
She paused a moment to think. It would not be wise to share her feelings about this facility with her squad. Fear was infectious, and she, more than any of them, was better equipped to handle it.
“We all stay together and work as a fire team. No one leaves the squad for any reason. We run this facility top to bottom, find anyone still shaking, and bring them out. Search and rescue is our mission. Stay alert. Be prepared for anything. Keep your weapons hot.”
Felar took point, alert, but on edge. The situation felt too serious to let an Init lead the team, even an Init she had trained. They searched room by room, corridor by corridor. The first few contained desks and terminal screens flashing “Lockdown. Report to secure quarters.” No people. They also discovered a rec room with giant terminal screens flashing glitched out remnants of gaming software. The same lockdown message flickered and mingled with the game images, making the room look like an Ashamine-2 dance club.
Continuing the search, they found more offices. Their plainness allayed Felar's fear at first, but then she realized something. There is nothing personal here, no decorations, no individuality. It looked sterile, unused. There were no people here either, which was strange. Where is everyone? Where are the 'secure quarters'? And if this is a research facility, where are the labs?
Down, she thought, stomach tightening.
“We need to find the lift,” she commanded. “Facility personnel must be on the lab levels.” After additional searching, they found an elevator. Ackerson quickly touched the screen and selected the lift call option.
“It's requiring a security code, ma'am,” Ackerson said, sounding resigned. Felar watched as he typed in the sequence supplied by Intel. She wasn't surprised when the screen displayed “Code Denied”.
“Damn it,” Felar cursed. “I don't want to blast through this door. We risk damaging the lift. That would make evac a nightmare.” She tried to think of other options, but nothing came to mind. Her squad stood around her, looking nervous but keeping a strong perimeter. “We don't have much of a choice,” Felar finally decided. She began to take out more explosives, but as she did, the control panel switched from a flashing red hand to a green thumbs-up symbol. Seconds later, a rumbling sound emanated from below.
The entire squad tensed and aimed their weapons at the lift doors. “I didn't do anything to cause that,” Ackerson said, stress evident in his voice. “Maybe someone initiated it remotely at AFC?”
Felar made her voice confident and commanding, “Alright, when the lift gets here, we clear the interior, and then we all get in. This should take us straight down to the labs. We'll find any survivors and escort them back up. Keep your fields of fire sharp. No mistakes.”
They finished moving into combat formation just as the lift doors slid open. Its interior flickered between bright and dark, the lights strobing in disturbing syncopation. Felar quickly checked her squad, noting the dread and unease on the Initiates’ faces. She hoped they were ready for whatever faced them in the deep unknown of this eerie place.
17 - Lothis
Lothis awoke, pain pulsing rhythmically through his head. His hands were coated with a crust of red. Dried blood? He was scared. Everything felt foreign, unfamiliar. There is no voice, no instructions. What do I do? He stared at the half-open wall. No, no, that's not a wall. That's a—door? There had never been a door there in the past. What is happening?
His routine was broken, strict rituals lost forever. The voice was silent, the screen dark, the exercise apparatus still. No meals had come and the tap was dry. New sensations grew in his abdomen. It felt like it was gnawing at itself, like he had a ravenous creature inside. Is this hunger? His mouth was dry, his throat raspy. It was difficult to swallow. Thirst?
These sensations were starting to drive Lothis, almost as much as his routine once had. I must find food and something to quench my parched throat. At the rate the sensations were growing, Lothis knew they would soon force him to exit the room.
Leaving was impossible though. Or is it? What is on the other side of the door? And then Lothis' cognition shifted, creating a new model of his environment. This room, my world, is only a tiny part of a larger world, all interconnected by doors. How could I not have realized this before?
Lothis crept towards the door, hesitant. What if there are other beings, like myself, but different? He couldn't make himself go through, couldn't force his way into the unknown. He returned to his bed and sat, mind racing. Lothis felt unstable, both physically and mentally. His hands trembled.
Time passed, his hunger and thirst increasing. He tried staring at the terminal, but its blank screen didn’t distract him for long. The door kept drawing his attention back, tempting him. What's out there? His hunger became a dull ache. Lothis’ throat grew more parched and his tongue began sticking to the roof of his mouth.
Curiosity and a need for water finally overcame his fear of the unknown. Lothis had to know what was on the other side of the door, had to find out what the rest of the world was like. And maybe I can find water out there.
Rising, he crept closer to the door. His bare feet fell silently on the cold metal decking. Cautiously peering out the slight gap, he noted the outside illumination was dim. A negative feeling welled within him. Dread?
Lothis wanted to stop, wanted to go back and sleep, but he had to know what was outside . He understood now the protein compound bars, liquid vitamins, and water had been fuel for his body. I'm still learning, even without the terminal, he thought, mood improving slightly. Something like a smile crossed his small face.
Once out into the corridor, he was forced to make yet another decision. Left or right? Having no information to base a choice on, he stared one way and then the other. Blank hallway ran in both directions, fading into obscurity. They looked identical. Lothis was disap
pointed. What was I expecting? He made a random choice, and went left.
As he crept down the hallway, Lothis began to feel more confident. His shaking steadied and his breathing calmed. When he reached the next intersection, he could see the right corridor opened to a large room a short way in. Lothis moved towards it, excited, and nervous, to see something other than a hallway.
Upon entering, he noted there were large, jagged fragments of a clear material lying haphazardly over the floor. There were large gaps in the walls. Lothis quickly determined the pieces would fit into the gaps, forming compartments within the larger room.
After observing the space for several seconds, he realized there was a tremendous amount of blood everywhere. There were pools of it on the floor, sprays on the ceiling, and crimson smears along one wall. It puzzled Lothis how or why so much blood had been spread this way. And how was it produced?
Something moved. Lothis' heart hammered in his chest. A hunched form crouched in the darkest corner. His small ears picked up a wet, crunching noise coming from it. Slinking to one side, Lothis saw the form was crouched over a dead, half-eaten body.
His dread increased exponentially, and a cry of terror escaped Lothis’ pursed lips. The form turned towards him, rising to a height of three meters. What is it? Lothis thought, eyes widening.
The grotesque figure had matte black skin, spattered with fresh blood. It was unlike anything Lothis had been educated about. It was humanoid, with long, stoutly muscled arms. Broad, blunt claws tipped the ends of its stumpy three-fingered hands. Short, spindly legs attached to its thin torso. The creature's feet had long, scythe-like claws extending from them. The narrow head had black eyes and a single slit for a nose. Non-existent lips exposed a gaping maw of dagger-like teeth.
The monstrosity let out a bellow and locked eyes with Lothis, its slit nose taking in rapid breaths. Lothis stood still, having no comprehension of how to deal with the situation. The monstrosity glared. It seemed to decide Lothis was not a threat and turned back to its meal, the wet slurping sound resuming after a moment.
As the creature's gaze left him, Lothis felt able to move again. He backed out of the space as quietly as he could. The world is dangerous compared to my room. He was afraid, but yearned to learn. Cautiously, he resumed exploring.
Stopping outside a partially open door, it occurred to him blundering around without any knowledge was illogical and hazardous. He needed to find where he was and formulate an action plan. Adapting to these challenges was exhilarating.
Lothis felt himself changing, his mind expanding in ways he never knew possible. His routine, which had once been everything, seemed stifling and claustrophobic now. The boundary of my imagination is growing rapidly.
Peeking his head inside the room, he saw nothing of interest. No threat. No dangers. He ducked in, deciding it was a suitable place to hide and form a plan. He momentarily considered barricading the door, but discarded the idea. The thought of trapping himself inside a small room reminded him so much of his old quarters that it made his stomach churn. Remaining undetected would be a stronger defense, so Lothis kept his movements silent.
Once inside, he discovered several pieces of furniture and equipment he was unfamiliar with. A large table sat in the middle of the room with a few chairs around it, all made of a white composite material. The walls were display screens, currently dark. On another, smaller table were several box shaped items formed from the same material as the table and chairs. Lothis guessed they were used for scientific analysis, but their specific purpose eluded him.
Continuing to scan the room, something caught his eye. It was a terminal screen that resembled the one in his room. He had a hunch it might have knowledge of this new world. A feeling rose within him, a powerful emotion that made him excited and positive for what was about to happen.
He nervously touched the screen, thinking of how much he had learned in front of a terminal just like this. The memory caused mixed emotions, conflicting and powerful. Lothis had always loved learning, and the screen provided it. Now, he could see this activity was part of what kept him confined. The manipulation and imprisonment angered him. Surprisingly, melancholy was also mixed in this strange, toxic brew of feelings. He knew he'd been abused, yet habit and nostalgia made him want to go back. And who or what was keeping me there? The monstrosity? Something unknown?
Lothis jumped in surprise as the screen flickered on, its brightness glaring in the dim room. He squinted and tried to read the words, but it took a moment for his pupils to adjust.
Once focused, Lothis realized the interface was unlike the terminal in his room. Lessons were the only available feature on his old display, but this one had cascading menus and options. On the primary menu he saw “Personnel Status”, “Experiment Status”, “Security Systems”, “Defense Systems”, “Lock Down”, as well as several others that were less interesting.
Lothis selected “Personnel Status” and saw a long list of names and a system to track their vital signs. Something had to be wrong with the interface though, because everyone was non-responsive. There were over two-hundred people listed. Not one had a heart rate. Odd , Lothis thought. Perhaps a receiver malfunction? And then he thought about the creature and began to wonder if perhaps the data wasn't erroneous after all.
He returned to the main menu and started to select “Experiment Status”, but was interrupted with a pop-up notification box. “Complex in lockdown. Lab access requested from primary lift.” In the box was a video of six humans in front of a metal door. Below the video were three options, “Allow”, “Deny”, and “Defend”.
Lothis was captivated, all his attention focused on the video. One of the figures was working on the terminal next to the door, while the rest nervously watched him and their surroundings. One figure stood out from the rest. It was female. She was gesturing to the others, and they responded immediately. Lothis wished the feed had audio, but he saw no option to enable it.
He pondered which of the choices to select. Either they had come to save or destroy him. The longer Lothis watched the woman, the more he felt drawn to her. Have I seen her before? Do I know her? That seemed impossible, but Lothis couldn’t find another way to explain the growing connection.
If all the personnel inside this place are dead, these people must be from outside. They might be my only way out. Between his fascination with the woman and his lack of other options, Lothis decided to make contact with them.
Without further hesitation, he selected “Allow” and watched the door open. The figures went through, looking wary. Once they left the vid frame, the display disappeared.
Wondering what to do next, Lothis stared at the menu options. He needed a view that showed the corridor layout, something that would help find the people from the video. He selected “Security Systems”, deciding it was the one most related to the sought-after data. Lothis was rewarded with a map of the facility, complete with indicators showing the status of each of the doors. Scanning the display, Lothis saw three different icons, one type labeled with names, one with “U”, and the other prefixed with “E” and ending with several numbers. All name icons featured a single letter followed by a name. None of these moved. Those must be the facility personnel. The fact they were stationary further confirmed they were all dead. A pattern of movement in the map caught his attention. Lothis quickly forgot everything else. All the “E” icons were converging on a door near the bottom of the screen. Behind it lay the “U” icons. Looking closer, Lothis saw the door was labeled “Main Lift”.
An awful, sinking feeling slammed into his gut as Lothis understood what was about to happen. With even more agony, he realized it was his fault. He had let his rescuers in, sending them towards a grotesque ambush.
Hurriedly, Lothis memorized the map and tried to orient himself. Where am I? Where am I? he thought, panic stabbing him. Then he noticed another icon, one that was alone and unmoving. It was labeled “S” and was in a room tagged “Conference 4”. When Lothis
recalled his path here, it matched the map. Am I the “S ”? What does that mean?
Without time to form a hypothesis, Lothis found a series of turns to take him to his rescuers. Jumping up from the terminal, he looked around the room, trying to find something to defend himself with. Nothing was readily apparent, so Lothis raced out into the corridor, thinking he might discover something later. He accelerated to a fast pace, confident all the danger of the “E” icons was concentrated closer to his destination. As he headed towards the elevator, Lothis was uncertain of what he would find when he got there.
18 - Maxar
It felt good to be out of the games for a few days, not having to fight for your life every moment. But now Maxar had recovered, and Bloodsport was thrusting him back into the same old blightheart. He wished his stomach ulcer had been worse. Well, maybe not worse, but at least recovering might have kept me out a little longer.
“So what happened to you?” a small, wiry man named Benson asked. His accent was strange and lilting, characteristic of the inhabitants of the Maris-4 colony. It had been difficult for Maxar to understand him when they’d first met. Both men were lounging in the staging area, waiting for the match briefing. My first one back. Yay...
“This blighthearted place pushed me over the edge and gave me a stomach ulcer. Who'd of thought Bloodsport would be bad for your health, right?” Maxar gave Benson a sour grin. “Anyway, the med heads injected me with experimental nano-tech. I guess it worked, because I recovered almost immediately. In fact, I think I feel better now than ever before.”
