Episode II: Trials and Subterfuge
Chapter 2-2:
From Within a Forest Cage
Zachery had just put the finished touches on the last of the food he had prepared for the trip down to Ragol; figuring he might end up being down there for the long haul.
[I'm probably going to keep Haldane waiting again; probably going to try to go on without me again as well.]
As he packed away his provisions and put them into his sling pack; Matha had entered the room. Placing the sling pack around his back and fashioning it to himself as he turned, he noticed that she was waiting inside the doorframe.
"You're leaving again, aren't you?" she sorrowfully crooned.
"…Yes. I am. I promise, I won't be gone long. I'll be back before week's end. Maybe less than two days, alright?" he replied peppily, so not to ruin her mood. She still stood inside the doorframe as regret and sadness still claimed her gaze. His gaze wandered about the room until it returned to her as he moved over to her, kneeling down and placing his large hands on her small shoulders. "Look…Matha. I know you are afraid of losing the ones you keep closest to you…What I am doing…I'm doing this not just for your sake but the good of all the people here on Pioneer 2…You have to stay strong. I know you that you can. I promise you. I will return, okay?" She sniffed while nodding. "Good, now cheer up alright? I won't have you acting this way. I want you to be happy and expectant for me to return. No bad thoughts!"
"Okay, Zachery…I'll wait for you. You just better keep your promise!" She jumped in the air as she then got out of the doorway so he could leave. He waved to her as she watched him leave from a second story window of her massive mansion estate; waving back while he sprinted down the path to the tram station.
[That darkness from below…I won't let it claim another soul ever again. I now know what my purpose is. To protect those I care for…I will eradicate anything that would stand between me and the path of righteous retribution. Dark Falz and its kin will be wiped from the existence of this plane by the edge of my blade!]
That thought ran through his head every time the demonic suggestions tried to grasp hold of his consciousness; every time he tried to sleep; every time he looked in the deep, gloomy violet eyes of Matha.
Wanting to make a better impression on Haldane, he hurried to speed his way to the Lab, jumping over and jostling a few pedestrians in the process not to mention almost getting attacked by the security personnel. Although his best efforts and with his superior mobility, Haldane had beat him to the Lab anyway. Well-groomed and patient, she was standing in front of the chief with her hands folded behind her back; crooking her neck to the left to peer behind her as Zachery huffed and puffed his way up ramp.
"…Sorry I'm late" he panted. As he caught his breath, Nol waved to him as a friendly gesture which he reciprocated.
"…Yes…Well, anyway. Hunters Zachery and Haldane! Once again, congratulations! You two have passed the exam. We couldn't have asked for a better result. We've decided to assign you to a new point. It's located... On a solitary island in the waters far to the south of the Central Dome" the chief explained.
[I knew it. The same facility I worked at with Dr. Grave.]
"We call it "Gal Da Val." You will go down to the island to begin your search and investigation. Specifically, we need you to find a man. "Deputy Commander, Heathcliff Flowen." He's one of the military's most famous heroes."
[The same commander. Donoph said that he died in the ruins below Ragol; probably before the explosion even happened…I wonder…Was that man that was brought into the facility alive with those wounds…Was it him?!]
"He is the one who sent the message we intercepted. However, he has been officially announced dead. We need you to find out whether he is alive or not, and report back. Oh and one more thing. The operator you worked with during your Hunter's exam has been assigned to be your operator for this new mission. I hope it goes well. Please speak with her for further details on your mission. That is all." The previously unoccupied station to her left now had a perky female Newman sitting it. She looked worlds different but there was no denying it was Elly. She was wearing an operator's headset on her head which replaced her normal red bandanna. On top of that, she replaced her other garb with a more high tech and sleek white and grey one with electric blue running down it in various trapezoidal patterns that still ended around her waist like her previous. The new outfit came with transparently white shoulder cuffs and purple armbands, the left one extending into a whole sleeve of purple, blue, grey and white fabrics all sharing a cybernetic motif. A wide smile was across her face as Zachery and Haldane approached her.
"Zachery…and Haldane! We finally meet face to face! I'm Elly! Nice to meet you Haldane!" she shouted happily, outreaching her hand to shake Haldane's. "This terminal…What you see is the around me is the real "Calus." He's the Lab's newest AI system! I worked with him during the exam, but I never really got to interface with him. But now... I can't believe they let a rookie like me touch the main terminal! Now I get to talk to him all I want! It's great! ...Anyway... Let's see. The Chief went over the basic details of the mission with you, right? According to the data collected by an auto reconnaissance device; architecture from our civilization, meaning from Pioneer 1, was discovered on Gal Da Val Island. The structures... They're very large, which is unusual since they're so far away from the Central Dome, where most of the residential areas are. None of the data sent from Pioneer 1 shows any record of this, just like with the underground mining site on Ragol. There must have been a reason that they kept this hidden. Cal will continue on with an on-site scan. It's the same communication terminal from the VR from the VR field. So cute...! ... Oh... Uh, I will restate your mission. "Investigate and report findings of Gal Da Val Island" "Search for Deputy Commander, Heathcliff Flowen" That's it. When you collect any data during your mission on Gal Da Val, you may transfer it to here by accessing Cal on-site. So…that's basically the whole mission. OK? To get to the island: go down the slope, turn right, and go through the yellow gate. Then you'll see a teleporter. Good luck!"
As a male researcher opened up the bright yellow doors, Haldane and Zachery eagerly rushed inside to the teleporter that brought them to the mysterious island out at sea. It had brought them to the island alright; it was quite a sight. They had arrived on a cat walk that stood over a dense marshland. In front of them was a massive security blast door to a caliber that couldn't easily be moved nor destroyed; they were going to have to find a way to unlock that eventually. To the right was a giant tower that stood tall above strange rotating pillars with three wings which all emanated light as they turned through the murky blue water. Zachery knew the tower very well, as it was that same tower that would lead them to the facilities below to the seabed; their definite destination. A thick white mist covered the cloud forests behind them as it bled onto the facility, obscuring its visage from underneath the brewing grey storm clouds above. Access to the walkway that was far away in the distance which leaded to the tower was currently unreachable from being isolated behind the blast door, forcing them to find another route to unlock it. Next to the door was one of "Cal's" remote access terminals; the two decided to interface with it to see where to go next.
"Transmission from Gal Da Val... Serial code confirmed... Access... Hunter Zachery…Hunter Haldane..."
"... You two okay down there? This is the Lab. Elly here. This is the Central Control area on Gal Da Val Island. You should be in front of the main gate to the facility. But wait... It seems to be closed. Umm... Oh... Cal is running an analysis. ... Here it comes... According to Cal... The gate is locked because the entire island is in Security Mode. Let's see... To unlock the gate... You'll need to disarm the security locks in each of the surrounding areas. Apparently, this island is divided into three main sections: Jungle, Mountain, and Seaside. If you access the remote security terminals in each area, it should deactivate the Security Mode. That's what Cal says, anyway. But that means... If the entire island is in Security Mode, then the security level must be really high. It must be very dangerous. Please be extra careful" Elly worriedly detailed before hanging up the link. Looking behind them displayed a rickety metallic bridge that connected the cat walk to the marshy jungle that surrounded and encompassed most of the Central Control Area. Some wooden planks and logs were connected to the bridge in what appeared to added makeshift support. Next to the guard rail before the bridge was a large dark green and blue terminal that had a touch screen and input panel along with a blinking and gyrating red light on its side. Haldane moved over to it to access it as Zachery stood behind her to watch.
"Security Mode is currently active in this area. The main gate has been locked down."
"It would seem that this terminal connects to the island's main security network" Haldane elaborated.
"Can you access any remote data? Maybe there is a clue on what happened here on it?" Zachery verbally contemplated.
"Let me see…"
"Search Parameter Setup Complete
Establishing Main Terminal Link Accessing AI Olga Database
Initiating search . .. ... 1 item(s) found.
Data Log Download Complete."
"Here we go. It's a message that was recorded from someone. Hold on; I'll play it."
"... I am not sure who will be listening to this message, but... This message will explain the truth about the planet Ragol. My name is Flowen. Heathcliff Flowen, Deputy Commander of the Pioneer 1 military forces. Our mission, the migration to the planet Ragol, was going well. The environment of our home world, Coral, was deteriorating rapidly... The Pioneer project was launched to search for a new home. We arrived on Ragol, we began investigating its suitability to support life. We then began readying the planet for habitation. But, selecting this planet was a mistake. No... That may have been the plan, all along... Ragol... We have awoken "IT." "IT" was way beyond what we could handle. "IT" was not meant to be discovered. This cursed inheritance from the past..."
"That's our guy" Zachery stated.
"So, what now?" Haldane asked.
"We go into the individual areas and turn off the security lockdown." Zachery pointed to the Control Tower in the distance as he continued, "That tower is our ticket to an underwater seabed facility. When I was here last, that was where all the research was done. Our best bet at finding what we are looking for would be down there."
"Gotcha. So, I guess we start with the jungle then."
"Yes; let's go." Traversing the haphazard path, they held their weaponry at the ready as they steeled themselves for what awaited them inside the lush and verdant web. The storm clouds must have passed through the area as everything here was thoroughly soaked. It didn't take long from cutting into the brush for a vast network of trees and their roots to make a massive intricate maze of water and shrubbery. A few energy based gates were placed in specific parts of the jungle, most likely to prevent access to the machinery and equipment from the native creatures that survey teams were using as they terraformed the island into a secret facility. Day light, slowly but surely, had crept through the thick canopy and native wild life. Sounds of rushing water, exotic and tropical birds, along with other native mammalian-based life set an obvious tone: wild. Passing through the first energy gate, something was moving up ahead in the trees, something big. Its movement was almost like it was stalking them; waiting. The noise multiplied and spread out through even more trees. Inside an adjacent watery clearing, all noise halted. One couldn't see anything outside the normal path through all the closely intertwined bushes and low-lying trees. Just before they approached the next cyan-colored energy gate, it turned bright red; the gate they just entered had also followed suit.
A cacophony of primal roars and chattering shook the leaves off the trees as a horde of blue-faced and brown-furred apes descended from the sky followed by two larger and red-masked ones; obviously the alphas. Each of them had piercing saffron-colored eyes and honed claws on each foot; the blue ones had dark olive fur on their back which ridged out like needles while the red ones did the same but with actual prominent carmine spikes. One of the apes leapt straight for Haldane which caught her by surprise as it knocked her off her feet and into the muddy and shallow water beneath. Leaping to assist his partner, Zachery didn't make it two steps until he was also overwhelmed by the primates as well. One of the apes proceeded to violently smash its fists on top of Zachery's body repetitively while Haldane shot the one who wrestled with her in the face as she kicked off before climbing back into the fight. Upon standing, she fell three of the beasts as another vomited a fireball straight at her. An explosion erupted from Zachery as he slammed his limbs into the ground to raise himself upright; the blast of which immediately killed the four that were ganging on him as well as cancelling out the hurdling and flaming dribble. The two of them were ready to finish their attacks until the pack scattered back into the jungle for no obvious reason. Before they could discern what just happened, a large thunderclap broke through the brief silence which was truncated by a following guttural sonic boom. The trees shook viciously as a powerful gust reversed the wind's direction. A dark shadow cast over the intermittent light that dropped through the leafy awning until only a few seconds later it passed.
"What the hell was that?" Haldane declared.
"Something big. Really big. I'd warrant that is why the native creatures fled. Once we finish up here, I'm going call in help from a friend to get down here. I knew this place would be dangerous, but that thing will indefinitely be too much for just the two of us if we have to deal with it" Zachery clarified.
"How do you plan to do that?"
"You'll see when we get to that moment in time. As for now, let's keep moving."
The mysterious island only got stranger still. Wading through the flooded forest, suspicion and paranoia gave life to the inanimate. Shadows leapt to and fro and the plants started to move on their own. None of this was an illusion though. The plants were indeed animate. They uprooted themselves when anyone got too close; attacking with their green vines as well, yellow beaked variants blooming with a venomous purple vapor. Up ahead in a subsequent clearing with a waterfall to the northwest laid a large fallen log in the eastern end, the top of which was barricaded with rocks. The log presented itself as the only path forward as on either side were even more tight-knit dense trees. Once they had cleared the area of gibbons and hostile plant-forms; they decided to work at the stones to absolve their current course. Besides the ambient and chittering fauna, the rest of this section of the jungle was laden with inactivity and serenity. A less dense section of the bush was apparently onward, as seen through a hole in the giant log they were sauntering in. Another branch inside the rot extended outwards in an easterly direction when a glisten of sunlight sprang out of place. Something clanged against the woodwork. Zachery held his left arm out to stop Haldane's advance as he then gradually reached for Agito. Haldane reached for her rifle as she took aim around them. Without warning, a robot materialized out of the surrounding ether with a wild punch that Zachery only briefly deflected with his bracer. Haldane reacted almost instantaneously, loosing off two rounds into its shoulder before it vanished again only to reappear directly behind her with another punch. Zachery sliced its arm clean off while Haldane got back up and blew its head open. The green robot's cloak completely dropped as did it, all in a sizzling mess.
"Great. Either we are listed as intruders, or the same dark infection that that monstrosity had on everything, is also present on this island as well" Zachery commented.
"Well, it isn't anything new; we'll just have to be more careful" Haldane added.
"Mhm…" At the end of the log was another terminal from Cal.
"Transmission from Gal Da Val... Serial code confirmed... Access... Hunter Haldane...Hunter Zachery…"
"Zachery? This is the Lab. Elly speaking. Message Log transmission has been confirmed. Our analysis is complete, too. ... The voice print on that message matches our files. This message was recorded by Mr. Flowen himself. The time stamp indicates that this happened before the explosion. Since this was recorded before the explosion, we cannot determine if he survived the explosion or not. The security deactivation terminal for the Jungle shouldn't be much further ahead. Keep up the good work and good luck!" Elly stated.
Upon exiting the log, they came upon another extension of the facility's work. The cool-grey platform reached over to a guard rail that acted as the boundary to a few terminals that didn't do anything other than study climate data and native creature movement. They had come quite a ways from the facility which was now seen far away in the distance over the vast cloud forest they just hiked through.
[Not much further to the mountain region now. Hopefully there will be space for landing there.]
Their path moved around a slippery and shrub-loaded cliff side with more of the mutagenic living red plants. After dicing some and knocking a few off the mountain; they marched forward. A humongous and healthy looking tree shot its roots in all directions in this large clearing. Several of the yellow and red mutated florae were dancing in the sunlight of the small lagoons that were created inside the roots between the tree and an immense red flower that was sat right below it.
[Peculiar as it may seem, I swear it looks like that those mutants are dancing in tandem with the flower's petals as they move with the wind.]
"Got anything that can make a loud noise with a shockwave? Like a stun grenade?" Zachery asked out of nowhere.
"Yeah, I carry a few" Haldane answered. "Why?"
"Toss one into the crowd. I have an idea." As she threw the grenade and as they covered their eyes, the plants dug themselves out and started shrieking as they ambled around. Zachery mustered his strength and fired off Gifoie as the swirling vortex engulfed them in conflagration as well as striking the flower in the process. One by one, they burned to a crisp and fell down. Before they all died, a high-pitched screech ruptured the duo's ears, forcing them to cup them. Painfully glancing up, the origin of the cry was from the flower. Lowering its petals revealed a nightmarish maw; removing its roots to reveal squirming tentacles and two large, blade-like red arms. Clawing its way towards them and spitting a befuddling orange goop; it wanted revenge. Narrowly dodging its first blade, the second blade hit Zachery hard but only hard enough to leave a nice scratch on the side of his armor as he tumbled. Some of its putrid saliva managed to smack Haldane in the face which both stung and also blighted her vision as she aimlessly shot around. One of its tendrils had wrapped around her leg as she hopelessly shot in all directions, one of the shots only just missing Zachery's foot as he ran for her. The fire from Foie shredded the vine that gripped her and the shot from his gun stunned the beast away from its onslaught. Wiping the mess from her eyes, she threw another stun grenade into its mouth; its head soaring backwards as it went off. Taking out her cannon, she blasted it repetitively while it was reeling from the shock of the grenade. She ignored the screams as it steadily withered and died, while ablaze.
"Well then…Remind me not to get on your bad side, hehehe…" Zachery chortled.
"Sorry, that was a little out of character for me…It got on my nerves" Haldane responded.
"No need to apologize. It is dead after all. Let's continue." Up ahead, past another energy gate, was a small alcove with a single terminal before a steep rocky path. "Maybe that terminal can shut down the security lockdown in this sector?"
"I'll try…There, it's down. It would seem there is another message on this terminal as well. I'll play it now."
"... The first time I encountered "IT"... That was when... We were well into the excavation process of the ancient spaceship. We were researching the remains of an ancient civilization on Ragol... To find technology that could help advance our science. That was our mission. At least, I was led to believe that was our mission. While terraforming and construction of the Central Dome proceeded on the surface... The excavation project continued in secret. No one could've imagined the huge project going on right under them. After long hours of hard labor, the excavation team finally made it into the interior of the ancient spaceship. But the celebration ended shortly after. We encountered "IT." …Everyone on the excavation team died. No one has ever made it back from the ancient spaceship since then. We were finally able to confirm the existence of a hostile life-form. With this knowledge, we created an attack plan to remove the creature. I will never forget. "IT" crawled up from a vast abyss of darkness. It appeared to be mutating as it moved toward us. It looked like its "body" was cycling through the stages of life and death. ... The force under my command was completely demolished. I managed to escape, but... I was badly injured. My wounds move, as if they were somehow alive." I'd almost believe that my wounds were consuming my body to take control..."
"One area down, two to go."