A/N 6/13/16: Hey everyone! So you might be wondering why I'm reposting this and why the title changed. So I have wanted for a long while to go through and remaster this whole fic because I love the story so much, and I finally started tonight! The story itself will not be changing with regards to plot, but I really just want to edit it, flesh it out, and make it better. I will be reuploading the chapters as I work through them. "Reforged" was amaranth121's idea, and was more than perfect to rename the remodeled fic. I'm also hoping this will give me fuel and motivation again to keep working on my other stories, which I promise I haven't forgotten! Again, this is the SAME as the other Iron Legends, but will be heavily edited. Thanks for bearing with me, all!
"Levy, what are we going to do if we get caught?" The blond whined to the unrelenting blunette in front of her.
"But just imagine what kind of stuff we would find in there? I bet there are loads of text books and notebooks left behind." The girl in front, sporting wild blue waves, replied.
"Calm down, Lucy. Stop being such a wet blanket. Rebel every once in a while. It feels good." The pink-haired boy flashed a smile at the frightened blond, mirroring the confidence of the girl in front.
"Shut up, Natsu. Rebelling is staying out past curfew, not going to ax-murder-town." Lucy retorted with a glare, earning a giggle from Levy. "At night. Why are we going at night?"
"For authenticity." Natsu replied with a snicker. "It's almost Halloween." He held the flashlight under his face for effect and cackled before Lucy punched him in the arm. "OW!"
All three appeared to be around eighteen, walking in a line with Levy in front bearing the brighter flashlight, Lucy sheltered behind her, and Natsu bringing up the rear.
"The lab's been abandoned for years. No one even knows it's here anymore. No cops or anyone is going to be out here this late." Levy added. "It'll be fine, we'll be in and out in no time. I just want to look." Lucy let out a dramatic groan in response.
Levy saw little reason to keep talking, and trudged onwards through the dense forestry, her excitement spurring her forward. The decision had been made to come out here a few days ago, when Levy's ambition to visit the abandoned lab was ignited after flipping through some urban legend books during a slow shift at work, and was surprised to see Magnolia had made the list. Curiosity stoked, Levy asked around a little, getting little information but just enough to leave her hungering for more. Mostly word of mouth and what she could find from the urban legend texts. They spoke of breakthrough experiments and hush-hush science that was definitely not FDA approved that went down in that building, and she wanted a look around. The texts that could have been left behind were beyond tantalizing for the bookworm. Because what else would be there other than ruins and old books?
The three had been walking for at least an hour, before they finally came to the old, twisted and vine-covered chain-link fence. Rusted 'No trespassing' signs hung along periodically, and while those would have deterred Lucy without protest, Levy enlisted Natsu to help her find a decent spot to get through in one piece. Finally, they found a part of the fence that, curiously enough, looked like it had been run over repeatedly and flattened into the ground.
They stared a moment, before Levy was the first to move and make her way towards the massive, two-story building. "They say it was abandoned after an experiment went wrong and funding was cut after the authorities discovered how much red tape they bypassed. They just left the place with everything inside. Didn't have the money to salvage or support anything." Levy explained.
"And who is 'they?' How do we know we aren't going to find something else in there? Or at the least something that could get us in trouble for knowing?" Lucy prompted, still trying to find some way out of it even though they were making their way across the facility's yard at this point.
"It's all rumor, Lucy. I couldn't find anything too concrete. We might not find anything at all," Levy responded.
The front doors were smashed off their hinges, discarded by the entrance and dented beyond recognition. They stared at the destroyed doors, before moving onwards inside into the dirty, dank room. Levy mulled over her last words for a moment, but urged herself onwards. She had made herself the initiator here and she couldn't back down from that now.
Levy moved her flashlight to catch every detail, walking eagerly through what appeared to be the lobby and looking at what machinery was left. "Woah…" She mumbled, moving more tentatively as her companions fell silent behind her, observing. She wanted to head upstairs, but doubted it possible or safe because of the damaged staircases. But after a while, she was surprised to find another staircase leading down, beyond a destroyed door. Levy looked back at the others, before she headed for them.
"Levy…those stairs don't look good at all," Natsu cautioned.
"They're fine," she assured, proceeding. They creaked in protest, but the stairs held her as she and the others moved down. It was like a whole other facility opened up downstairs, full with all sorts of equipment, separate rooms, and large glass holding tubes.
The others followed close behind, tense. The shadows danced as they walked through, and there was more than enough space for things to hide in a space like this.
All three jumped when they heard a sudden sound, like something being dropped to the ground. Their flashlights went in every direction to find something, with Lucy whimpering in fear. Thankfully, their lights only saw rats.
"It's nothing," Levy assured with a little shake in her tone. She started to head deeper into the room, to the holding tubes. They were large enough to hold a person…or even something bigger. Some were empty, some filled halfway with a strange cloudy liquid, and some smashed open. Something definitely went on in here… She thought, moving on towards what looked like cages: small, large, and massive. What was held in here…? Levy mused to herself, looking at the machines and shelves. Syringes, jars, and a million other things that just looked weaponized, and straight out of a movie.
She peered into one of the smaller cages, while the larger cages were bolted to the floor. Levy gently reached up and pulled open the creaking door to the kennel and shined her light inside. She frowned deeply at the sight of old, caked grime, and some stains inside the kennel she didn't want to identify. She wanted to blame age, but the pervading, foul smell through the building hinted otherwise.
The girl shook her head, ruffling blue curls, before hearing a guttural noise from Natsu. She turned around to look at him and the profound, pallid fear in his face. "Oh come on, not you too Natsu," She tried to tease. Levy was now trying very hard to put up a front, and had been since they descended the stairs. She had been so adamant on them coming that she couldn't bear the inevitable teasing if she were to admit that she was now, definitely, afraid.
But as she moved her light to him, the fear turned out to be horror, and all color had left his face. His eyes were wide and staring just past her, mouth open. Lucy was in the same state, before lifting a shaky finger to point behind her.
Levy tilted her head and tried to inquire, "What's wrong with yo—"
"Grrrrrgh…."
The blue-haired girl was cut off by what sounded like an animal, snarling too close for comfort. She felt the hairs on her neck stand up, and swore she could feel hot breath fanning down upon her. Slowly, she turned in the direction she was facing moments before, and lifted her flashlight.
Metal? All she saw was what looked like it could have been iron machinery, Was that there before? She narrowed her eyes in confusion, lifting the beam until it shone on what seemed like a face in the metal, partially hidden behind other machinery. Red eyes glowed frighteningly in the dark, staring right at her and her friends. Levy felt her breath leave her in a gasp and she dropped her light. The second it hit the ground, the …thing roared in rage and threw cages everywhere. From that moment, everything seemed to happen at once and it all became a blur.
Cries of terror erupted from the group as they ran. The creature, a massive, metallic figure, took off after them in a rage, crashing through machinery and sending bottles and debris scattering. They scrambled up the damaged stairs as the monster chased after, bashing into the walls and creating the distinct sound of metal on metal. It was cacophonous chaos punctuated with the roars of a terrible beast.
They raced down the hall, fueled by the monster on their heels. Even once in the woods, they did not stop. They wouldn't dare even look back or slow down as branches and shrubs whipped mercilessly against them. Their legs took them until they heard growls no more, and finally saw city lights. The relief of familiarity hit them hard with the orange-lit street, lined by the safety of the neighborhood's homes. They took a moment to breathe, collapsing into the grass and clutching their heaving chests. Lucy lifted her pale, sweat-glistened face to say something to Natsu and Levy, but her words died before they ever reached her lips.
Only then did they realize they were one short.