Chapter 4: A sun in the darkness
Mark looked at Niko and then to an empty doorway leading down into a sickening black and asked Niko " The sun is down there right?" "Mhm" Mark began to take slow steady steps towards the entrance and peered in to only see a thin ray of light peering in from behind him, illuminating a small flight of stairs leading to the bottom.
Niko walked towards him and peered in as well while noticing Marks hands tremble in fear, Niko then passed Mark into the thin dark "Niko! wait..." Mark whispered not wanting to draw attention and heard the pitter patter of footsteps and with this Mark followed. He slowly drodged down the Steps unlike Niko and tried to make out the boys figure in the dark, he made it close to the end of the basement when he heard something that may have not outright terrified him but still sent shivers up his spine; a frightened gasp from the boy that almost sent the Mark into a panic.
"What's wrong Niko?" Mark called out in a loud whisper "The sun is GONE!" Niko responded, Mark froze and felt at such an unease that he was going to pass out and got out of the basement, Niko following suit, they sat in the doorway looking at each other with a heavy confusion that kept them in a state of paranoia and then they saw it... "AHHHHHHHHHH!" they screamed in unison and fell to the floor, they were now confronted with a dim pair of eyes faintly piercing through the darkness opposite to their side of the room and simply sitting there unmoving.
Mark held tightly to Niko, grasping his hand to show a blind confidence and pulled him and himself up "YOU DON'T SCARE ME!" Mark shouted at the eyes bracing himself and Niko to run from this unknown threat and waited to move and then it spoke "MESIAH NIKO IS NEEDED ON THE SURFACE" Niko felt his body lossen up and tugged on Mark's shirt "We should be fine" as Mark then realized the non-existent threat and put his palm directly to his face as he then made out the cute frame of the robot out in the darkness, with its oh so exaggerated tone of a typical robot and raised his hand about to speak when the small framed automaton began to stride in a clunky pace up to the two, holding something in its hand.
"MY SENSORS TELL ME IT IS VERY DARK, THUS IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO CARRY A FLASHLIGHT ALWAYS AND AVOID STRANGERS EVEN IF THEY OFFER CANDY OR PHOSPHOR" "Thanks?" Mark said as he took the light and pressed the button to hear a satisfying click and to see a beam of light pop into view finally able to see "REQUIREMENTS MET: RETURNING TO POST" the little robot left as silently as it came, even if its steps was a bit.. uncoordinated.
Mark then looked back at Niko who was staring at the simple device in his hands "Have you never seen a flashlight before?" "Uh-Uh" Niko said simply while starring at the device, Mark lowered the device into Nikos small hands and watched as the child's corriosity peeled over the entirety of the light and as he toyed with the button turning it off and on over and over until Niko eventually handed it back.
Mark looked towards the vacant doorway leading back to the basement growing a small frown and shunned the darkness with the light only leaving an empty stairway retaining nothing but old memories, Mark felt another tug and looked to find Niko holding his hand with a confidence that was almost ruthless "I'm sure we'll find it" Niko had a grin that could warm any person's heart and Mark was one of them, he lowered himself to Niko's eye-height "let's do this" and gave him another hug and had it returned in spades.
They both turned and looked at the door that would lead them to the outside and took a swift breath and went on passing the door that had a familiar, peculiar key hole that needed to activated to progress but... it doesn't matter really does it? They made it to a room lined side to side with deactivated or broken terminals, all of which were obviously not going to be of much use so they passed on through without a second thought and after they made it through a doorway in they finally saw the outside.
Everything was lined with a gentle and calming blue coming from the various light sources still scattered around the barrens and then as their eyes lowered from the sky to the ground they began to take notice of a multitude of lights moving in the distance, all in the same bright color that lined the little robots eyes, they looked at each other with a grin adorning their face and began towards the mechanical workers to finally figure out the mystery that surrounded this world and its unfortunate inhabitants.