Wallace trudged through the large, ice-cracked pipes. A frozen
bittersweet world sat around him, icy dead bodies, frost covered corpses,
and a friend. It was cold now. Really cold. Not outside, but inside.
Wallace shook partially from the low temperature and partially from the two
deaths he caused. He saw the flames licking out from the heat control room.
And it all faded away. As if the steel tubing was mirroring his mind, it faded away. The memories of death and agony stopped and one direct goal came to mind: Destroy. He was now traveling down a black tunnel with a small light at the end. When he reached the light he looked up and examined its source. A ceiling-hung florescent light flickered, beaming its dim rays through a drainage cap. Wallace climbed the rusted ladder and removed the cap, a sign on the wall welcoming him saying: "Short Range Slipgate Field Testing." He grinned and lifted himself out.
The room was a long corridor, adorning a metal platform at each end. The two platforms were identical, about one foot by one foot each, rising about four feet off the ground. The platforms held a patchwork of crystalline shapes under glass with wires running out of them into the pedestal. The pedestal was lined with some lights and dials. Suspended directly above each platform was a tower of the same proportion with a bright light aiming down, each marked with either a red "A" or "B".
In the center of a room was a small control station with some switches and levers. "So…this is a slipgate." He gently kicked one of the platforms. "This is what's causing all the trouble, 'eh? May as well find out how it works." Wallace pulled a worn knife from a holder at his waist. The letters NIN were professionally engraved, resembling the words on a tombstone. He propped the blade at platform A, and flipped a large switch labeled "INITIATE" at the control station. Sparks shot out of both towers and a knife sat on top of platform B. These smaller short-range versions were nothing compared to the massive long distance stations that sat a room ahead. He walked to the other end of the room, gave the knife a quick inspection, and then pocketed it. Beyond this door lay the source of all this. Ground zero. The long range slipgate field-testing. Wallace's hands reached for the lever to open the door.
The door at Wallace's left side swung open. It was a strange man with some armor unskillfully thrown over some work clothes. He nervously aimed the M16 he held at Wallace. Wallace looked barely concerned, "Too bad you didn't pick up a shotgun. Don't know why but they got an awful lot of ammo."
The man let the rifle fall to his side and sighed, "Thank god! Survivors! I knew there were some of you left! I followed your path of destruction in from the entrance, awful lot of chemicals in the way. So, where are the others…by the way I'm Klatt".
The giddy man held out a lonely hand, expecting a shake. Wallace nodded and continued, "Wallace. Survivors? Heh heh, there were none. Just a couple others that are fresh dead. Whatcha' carrying with ya'?"
Klatt dwelled on the unhappy answer he was given. He though, "I'm gonna die down here too." He twisted his head to look at his belongings and told Wallace, "I got some extra ammo, a couple med kits, and a power charger."
Wallace looked at the digital meter attached to his armor. The device he held had taken a severe beating. Through all the dents and scratches in the screen it read 1.4. He was in major lack of armor.
"Toss me the charger." Wallace grunted.
Out of fear Klatt threw the cylindrical tool with brass prongs extending out the top. Wallace inserted the prongs into a socket in the armor's left side. The meter shot up and up and he let it rise to 100, while the charger's screen decreased to 50. He felt the renewed lightness of the armor and comfortable flexibility, despite some bullet holes with white threading sticking out. Wallace gave Klatt the charger back, "So why did you come here?"
"I have come to help you. There are many things the NIN corporation is not telling you. There's some important information you'll want to know."
Wallace laughed, knowing the news would be completely irrelevant anyway.
"NIN knew what was going on the whole time. They left these slipgates on: they were letting the monsters come in at completely free will. You may have noticed the short amount of first-wave soldiers NIN sent in. They knew they would all die so they used as little as possible just to make it seem like hey were trying to help. This place is a test zone, there dropping a bomb here. It's a special bomb, the "A2". It is supposed to have the effects a modern nuclear bomb however it has a shield of hyperactive atoms that will stop the blast-radius. NIN's leader Jonathan Fent is trying to sell it to the military so that they could do massive amounts of damage without allowing the bomb reach innocent areas. I'm not one hundred percent sure but the bomb is supposed to be arriving soon. Oh yeah, Fent knows your hear but he could care less."
"You sure do talk a lot. Well if the bombs gonna be here soon we better clean up this mess quick" Wallace suggested.
"What? You want to go deeper in? I came here to help you get out!"
"Hey, your from NIN? You know an awful lot of there secrets…you are going to help me, yes, but not to get out. Do you know how to turn the core off?"
"What? What?! Your crazy! I'm not going in there, if we don't go soon we'll be toasted!"
"Look I don't care what you do. I am trying to shut this place down and do it right. You know how to do it, so it seems you're with me."
"No the bomb will clear this place out, we can forget about this whole thing, come on!"
"You haven't seen those freaks…I wouldn't flinch if I saw them still fightin' after gettin' hit with a bomb. Fuck your cowardice and help me go against NIN. Think about what you're doing, you're only going to end up back at a NIN office anyway."
Klatt gave it a long thought. "Alright, what do we have to do?"
"I'll tell you what I know: Beyond this door is the slipgate and the core, Probably a nice sum of monsters in there too. All you have to do is shut the core down as fast as possible, I'll hold off anything coming your way. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
The door swung open.
And it all faded away. As if the steel tubing was mirroring his mind, it faded away. The memories of death and agony stopped and one direct goal came to mind: Destroy. He was now traveling down a black tunnel with a small light at the end. When he reached the light he looked up and examined its source. A ceiling-hung florescent light flickered, beaming its dim rays through a drainage cap. Wallace climbed the rusted ladder and removed the cap, a sign on the wall welcoming him saying: "Short Range Slipgate Field Testing." He grinned and lifted himself out.
The room was a long corridor, adorning a metal platform at each end. The two platforms were identical, about one foot by one foot each, rising about four feet off the ground. The platforms held a patchwork of crystalline shapes under glass with wires running out of them into the pedestal. The pedestal was lined with some lights and dials. Suspended directly above each platform was a tower of the same proportion with a bright light aiming down, each marked with either a red "A" or "B".
In the center of a room was a small control station with some switches and levers. "So…this is a slipgate." He gently kicked one of the platforms. "This is what's causing all the trouble, 'eh? May as well find out how it works." Wallace pulled a worn knife from a holder at his waist. The letters NIN were professionally engraved, resembling the words on a tombstone. He propped the blade at platform A, and flipped a large switch labeled "INITIATE" at the control station. Sparks shot out of both towers and a knife sat on top of platform B. These smaller short-range versions were nothing compared to the massive long distance stations that sat a room ahead. He walked to the other end of the room, gave the knife a quick inspection, and then pocketed it. Beyond this door lay the source of all this. Ground zero. The long range slipgate field-testing. Wallace's hands reached for the lever to open the door.
The door at Wallace's left side swung open. It was a strange man with some armor unskillfully thrown over some work clothes. He nervously aimed the M16 he held at Wallace. Wallace looked barely concerned, "Too bad you didn't pick up a shotgun. Don't know why but they got an awful lot of ammo."
The man let the rifle fall to his side and sighed, "Thank god! Survivors! I knew there were some of you left! I followed your path of destruction in from the entrance, awful lot of chemicals in the way. So, where are the others…by the way I'm Klatt".
The giddy man held out a lonely hand, expecting a shake. Wallace nodded and continued, "Wallace. Survivors? Heh heh, there were none. Just a couple others that are fresh dead. Whatcha' carrying with ya'?"
Klatt dwelled on the unhappy answer he was given. He though, "I'm gonna die down here too." He twisted his head to look at his belongings and told Wallace, "I got some extra ammo, a couple med kits, and a power charger."
Wallace looked at the digital meter attached to his armor. The device he held had taken a severe beating. Through all the dents and scratches in the screen it read 1.4. He was in major lack of armor.
"Toss me the charger." Wallace grunted.
Out of fear Klatt threw the cylindrical tool with brass prongs extending out the top. Wallace inserted the prongs into a socket in the armor's left side. The meter shot up and up and he let it rise to 100, while the charger's screen decreased to 50. He felt the renewed lightness of the armor and comfortable flexibility, despite some bullet holes with white threading sticking out. Wallace gave Klatt the charger back, "So why did you come here?"
"I have come to help you. There are many things the NIN corporation is not telling you. There's some important information you'll want to know."
Wallace laughed, knowing the news would be completely irrelevant anyway.
"NIN knew what was going on the whole time. They left these slipgates on: they were letting the monsters come in at completely free will. You may have noticed the short amount of first-wave soldiers NIN sent in. They knew they would all die so they used as little as possible just to make it seem like hey were trying to help. This place is a test zone, there dropping a bomb here. It's a special bomb, the "A2". It is supposed to have the effects a modern nuclear bomb however it has a shield of hyperactive atoms that will stop the blast-radius. NIN's leader Jonathan Fent is trying to sell it to the military so that they could do massive amounts of damage without allowing the bomb reach innocent areas. I'm not one hundred percent sure but the bomb is supposed to be arriving soon. Oh yeah, Fent knows your hear but he could care less."
"You sure do talk a lot. Well if the bombs gonna be here soon we better clean up this mess quick" Wallace suggested.
"What? You want to go deeper in? I came here to help you get out!"
"Hey, your from NIN? You know an awful lot of there secrets…you are going to help me, yes, but not to get out. Do you know how to turn the core off?"
"What? What?! Your crazy! I'm not going in there, if we don't go soon we'll be toasted!"
"Look I don't care what you do. I am trying to shut this place down and do it right. You know how to do it, so it seems you're with me."
"No the bomb will clear this place out, we can forget about this whole thing, come on!"
"You haven't seen those freaks…I wouldn't flinch if I saw them still fightin' after gettin' hit with a bomb. Fuck your cowardice and help me go against NIN. Think about what you're doing, you're only going to end up back at a NIN office anyway."
Klatt gave it a long thought. "Alright, what do we have to do?"
"I'll tell you what I know: Beyond this door is the slipgate and the core, Probably a nice sum of monsters in there too. All you have to do is shut the core down as fast as possible, I'll hold off anything coming your way. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
The door swung open.