"What… how…?" Haruka's eyes passed over the room, looking to see if there were any bodies at all on the floor. But there were none, there was a body in each bed. They had been there so long, the stench had actually dissipated. They looked like they had been left in the middle of a desert on Mars, in the summer, in the daylight, with no shade. Somehow, the bodies had not only been mummified, but they had been moved from the floor to the bunks.
Proteus pointed at the different stains on the floor. "The bodies had been on the ground… see how the blood stains seem to have pooled from a body? Someone moved them. But who?" Michiru was a good deal paler than when she had first stepped into the room.
"Beth…" This time, both Haruka and Michiru heard the voices. It was obvious, since they were looking around as if trying to find the source of it.
"Told you." Beth muttered. She was about to start walking down the rows when she saw a flash of something to her left. She turned to see what it was, but didn't find anything. Shrugging, she began walking, then saw more movement to her right.
"You sense that?" Haruka asked, glancing around nervously. "There are… beings here. Like ghosts or spirits…"
"Princess Neptune… Princess Uranus…" The voices called again. The two glanced around quickly before hurrying after Proteus, who had found some interest in a large locked metal chest. She tugged at the lock that held it shut, then hit it with her fist. When that didn't break the rusted lock, she took out one of the Kama. Using the blunt edge of it, she smashed the lock and threw open the lid to the chest.
A burst of light and energy threw Proteus, Michiru, and Haruka backwards and onto the ground. Jumping to her knees, Proteus put up a protective wall of gold energy and waited for the blast to die down. They watched through the barrier until the energy surge subsided, then stood up once it was safe.
Inside the chest were what looked like hundreds of small balls of light. Proteus stepped closer, squinting inside the box, trying to figure out what the balls of light were. "What are those?" She asked, but didn't get an answer. Haruka and Michiru were staring at the light orbs with very shocked looks on their faces. Suddenly, Proteus heard the voices again. She frowned, then looked back at the chest. "The voices are coming from the orbs…"
A flash of memories flooded into Proteus' mind, causing her head to spin. She was actually seeing inside the minds of the orbs, into the memories each one contained. They all had one thing in common, though; each orb's last memory was of a single or multiple huge monsters lunging at them, fangs and claws bared, ready to drain the life from whoever the memories belonged to. The last one contained one of the soul survivor, the one that had moved the bodies and finally put himself to rest.
"These orbs are the souls of the men that died in here…" Proteus murmured, staring at the contents of the chest.
Haruka shook herself out of her stunned state. "What?"
"I said these orbs are souls." Proteus repeated.
"The souls of those that died in this room…" Michiru said, glancing around at the mummified bodies that seemed to sleep so peacefully in the beds. "Proteus, do you think you can send them on? Like you did with the Pegasus herd?"
"I can…" Proteus said. "But only if they want to." The voices from the souls had now connected themselves to Proteus' mind alone, keeping Haruka and Michiru from hearing them.
"Take our bodies… burry them… families must know… the Dark is coming… Do it, use your Powers. Send us on once our bodies are put where they belong." Proteus nodded to what she was told.
"Let's go." She said, closing the chest tightly. "We're going to the ground floor and to the security room we came in from. We'll call Leeway and the King and ask that a small task force be sent down here to retrieve the bodies. Once the bodies are taken away, I'll get the souls to move on."
***
Beth, Michiru, and Haruka stood near the security room's computer consol, watching as the task force took the last of the bodies from the fort. "The kingdom has been searching for those soldiers for years." King Neptune said, watching along with his daughter and her friends. "We knew they couldn't possibly be alive, but it was always nice to hope…"
"Yes it is, then it hurts when that hope is dashed on the rocks." Beth murmured. She had moved the chest from the sealed bunker all the way to the security room by herself. The chest now sat on her left side, while everyone else was on her right.
"You could have let us help you with that, you know." Haruka said, glancing at the chest. Beth just shook her head silently.
"You know how she is." Michiru said, placing a hand on Haruka's shoulder. "When she wants to do something by herself, she'll do it by herself." Haruka only nodded in response.
"Beth, if you don't mind my asking…" Kind Neptune began. "Where are you going to be when you get the souls to move on? If it's possible, I'd like to have the guard and army there for a salute."
"I'll be in the cemetery." Beth replied, still staring at empty space. "The guard and army can attend, as well as the families and friends of those that died. I'll send the souls on once all the bodies are buried. How long will the burying take?"
"A few days." The King replied. "If you want, I'll call a few guards to come and take the chest to the Castle."
"Hai." Beth murmured. "I still have to take Michiru and Haruka down to the Sea-breeze."
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Michiru said, looking at Beth with concern.
"We can go another time." Haruka added.
"No, it's alright." Beth insisted. "I'll take you there. I managed to clean out and organize an equipment room, and there are a few sets of protective gear in there to protect against the blowing dust and dirt and ash."
The King stood up straight from leaning against the consol and stretched. Two guards came through and carefully lifted the chest off the floor, then after a nod from King Neptune, they carried it through the gateway and to the Castle. "I'll let you three go ahead, then. Call if you find something else."