Forty-Seven Hours Ago
For the first time in history, Curdun Cay held nothing but silence. Not a single D.U.P. agent or prisoner inhabited the station. The massive complex was only a small ghost-town. However, it wouldn't be for too long. Only hours after the conduits had left, Curdun Cay Station had become inhabited once again. D.U.P. agents spilled out of vehicles both on the ground and in the air. It had become a crime scene investigation. Left and right, agents examined damage and took inventory. After another half-hour, their superior arrived. He showed up in a completely black S.U.V. that contrasted the snowy landscape and, despite the cold, wore light riot armor and no helmet, his short black hair blowing ever-so-slightly in the wind. As he left the vehicle and walked into the complex, another agent, holding a tablet, greeted him.
"Status report," he ordered.
"Mr. Callot!" the agent replied while walking alongside him towards the main building, "Sir, all of the bio-terrorists are reported missing, as well as the agents who were stationed here."
"Any leads?" Callot inquired, staring straight ahead of him.
"We believe it may be an inside-job."
"Is that so?" Callot replied, unamused.
"During the time of the attack, one D.U.P. agent's privilege was revoked," the agent explained.
"Who's the agent?"
"Sam Campbell, number A623."
"I see."
"We're already having agents search his personal belongings as we speak."
"Excellent, have you examined the security footage?"
"We were unable to sir, the past twenty-four hours of footage has been deleted."
"Interesting," Callot whispered before returning to a normal volume, "Was anything taken?"
"Only one thing sir," the agent replied.
There was no response from Callot.
"They took the map," he replied after a second of silence. Callot stopped dead in his tracks.
"So… they're after the Ray Sphere," Callot said blankly.
"That's our assumption sir."
"But every attempt to retrieve the Ray Sphere failed… why would he try—"
Callot was interrupted by an audible ding coming from the agent's tablet. The agent tapped on the screen a few times and a look of shock appeared on his face.
"What is it?" Callot asked.
"His… I.D. sir," the agent replied while showing an image of an identification card to Callot. It was an N.S.A. card with an image of an eagle inscribed on it as well as a photo of a man with short brown hair. However, what caught his attention more than anything else was the name that went with the picture.
"Sam… Cooper?" Callot murmured.
"Yes sir, it appears that Sam Campbell was a cover."
"And more importantly, he works for the N.S.A.," Callot added.
"Do you believe this was an assault made by the N.S.A.?" the agent asked.
"No, the government wouldn't dare to attack the D.U.P., it would only give them more problems to worry about. However, this wasn't a random attack. It was strategic. The conduits were freed, minimal damage was caused, and only one thing stolen."
"Bio-terrorists sir," the agent whispered.
"I'm sorry?" Callot asked, slightly annoyed.
"Bio-terrorists sir… not conduits," he corrected.
"Of course, my apologies," Callot replied coldly, "Have a team intercept Cooper immediately."
"Yes sir," he replied while Callot continued alone inside the main building. After some walking, he found his way into one of the large training rooms. He stood on a circular platform with an image of the D.U.P. insignia on the bottom. Using a small remote he pulled from his pocket, he raised the image of the eagle on the floor up to waist level. Now pulling a key from his pocket, he knelt down and inserted it into a keyhole. A small door slid open and a yellow button revealed itself.
When the button was pushed, the eagle raised even higher above his head. An even larger door slid open and Callot walked inside. Once inside, he pushed a button with an image of a downwards arrow on it. The door slid shut, and the entire eagle-shaped contraption slowly lowered itself. The elevator sunk downwards for a few minutes until it slowed to a stop.
Soon enough, a beep was heard from inside the elevator and the door slid open. What it opened to was nearly unbelievable. It was a circular room that encompassed a large prison cell. A steel shield prevented anyone from looking inside the cell. Scattered throughout the room, sat computer terminals and consoles. One particularly bigger than the other. Callot walked over to that terminal. He tapped away at the computer until it beamed to life. Once the computer was active, he opened a program, tapped a few more keys, and hit enter. As he hit it, the steel shield lifted up to reveal a monster.
Each limb was restrained securely to the walls. He was the size of an average man, but he was in no other aspect average. His skin was charred and cracked with bits of red flowing throughout his body, giving him a molten look. His only clothing was a pair of tattered shorts. His eyes were closed and his head hung low, as if he were dead, or asleep. Callot walked over to the cell with his arms behind his back.
"It's only a matter of time John," Callot said, speaking to the monster, "Only a matter of time."