CHAPTER 5
" What is our next plan of attack? " Mishra thought about this for a moment, then said, " Zathura and his android friend will no doubt be off on a mission for the Lab. We'll be there to make sure it does'nt go so well. " Yawgmoth looked at Mishra. " But would'nt it be easier to just take him out in his apartment? " " We don't want to expose ourselves just yet. Zathura already knows we're after him, we don't need to involve the military police in this, it would only make getting at Zathura that much harder. " " So how do we get down to the island? " A frown spread across Mishra's face. " Fool, you think I hadn't planned for this. You don't give me enough credit Yawgmoth. We'll hack into the transporter system and follow them to the island. " Mishra laughed as the first rays of light penetrated through the darkness of the night. Things had been different for Zathura however. His night had been plagued with horrible dreams, leaving him in a cold sweat when he awoke. He looked at his clock, 500 beats. He didn't have to be at the Lab until 667. He figured he might as well take a shower and get something to eat, he had a feeling it was going to be a long day, especially after the previous night with Iria. He didn't know how he was going to handle her today. These thoughts ran through his mind while he took his shower and made his breakfast. He had all but forgotten the wound on his leg, it just didn't seem to matter right now, and it wasn't hindering his movements at all. As he finished his breakfast he put the dishes in the automatic washer and proceeded to take his armor from the closet and procure his weapons from the corner in which he'd layed them. 649 beats, which roughly gave him about 25 minutes to get to the Lab. More than enough time if he were to take the transporters, but for some reason he felt like walking today. He set out the door and walked through the somewhat rundown streets of his neighborhood. At this time of morning the shops were still closed, even the street dealers hadn't set up their booths yet. It truly was an ungodly time to be awake and heading out for the day. He failed to see how the blue collar class could do it everyday for years without fail. As a hunter he had usually been able to wake up when he felt like it, and if he wanted a day off, it was no matter to simply cancel a mission. The Lab was a different matter entirely. Working for them meant a full time job, and if you didn't show, there would be serious repercussions. Zathura didn't care much about that. If he'd had any say in the matter he'd be late for work everyday, unfortunately that would jeopardize his mission to the Principal. " Oh yeah, that's right. " He thought, still half asleep. He'd completely forgotten that Iria had learned of his true mission. How could he forget such an important thing, he was definitely loosing his edge. He needed to start training more. By the time he'd gotten to Lab however, his resolve to exercise and train had already been forgotten. Iria was already at the Lab when Zathura showed up, which meant that he was late, as Iria had a knack for being punctual, never early, never late.
" Where have you been? You're nearly eleven beats late. Why didn't you just take the transporter? " The chief said with a scowl on her face. Zathura was starting to realize he didn't like her very much at all. " I felt like walking is all. " He said sleepily. Iria didn't even look at him, and he started to wonder what kind of day this was turning out to be. He wasn't very positive about it to say the least. " Well, now that you're finally here, I might as well brief you on your mission. Today you will be going to the Seabed facility located beneath Gal Da Val. " " There's an underwater facility? " Iria asked. " Yes, it was discovered in the data that you brought back on your last mission, fortunately we were able to save it to the Cal's memory banks before the explosion. Due to this fact we also have information on the hazards that you will be facing while there. " Zathura stopped her. " Just what are we doing there anyway? " The Chief glared at him. It was obvious she didn't like him either. Zathura smiled at this thought. " I'm getting to that if you would be so kind as to not interrupt me. " " Sheesh, if looks could kill..." Zathura thought. " Apparently there is another database, separate from the ground level facility. We think there may be more data pertaining to the experiments that were being conducted there. " Iria piped up. " What kind of resistance will we have while down there? " " Good question, I'll let Elly answer that. " Elly's face appeared on the viewscreen behind the Chief. " Well, according to the last log entry of one of the facilities staff, there had been an energy discharge emanating from their subject disposal area. Anyway, it caused a shockwave that shook the facility. This disturbed the "experiments" there, and they broke free of their restraints and holding cells and attacked the staff. According to the entry, the creatures had overrun the facility and had all but decimated the staff. Being a laboratory, they weren't really prepared for such an outbreak, and were not stocked with weapons. You shouldn't have too much trouble, after all, you're experienced at handling things such as this. Anyways, the most common creatures were dubbed Dolmolms. There are also Sinow Zeles, much like the Sinow Zoa that you faced above ground, however, their cloaking device is much more advanced. They also have an ability similiar to Ryuker, since it was in the testing stage they can't go very far, but they can surprise you from behind, so watch out. Oh, one more thing, the facility's security system was also affected, so the security drones cannot distinguish between friend or foe. " Zathura looked at her like she was crazy. " And you're just going to send the two of us, expecting us to handle all of that? " The Chief smiled. " Yes. " Zathura started to believe this was more than just not liking him. The Chief seemed like she had it in for him. If that was the case Zathura wished she would leave Iria out of it. No sense in her getting hurt because someone had a vendetta with Zathura.
As they arrived at the island, Elly called. " Hey, it's me. I'm going to send you a separated telepipe to the seabed facility, hold on. " Suddenly a yellow beam of energy appeared not ten feet from where they stood. " Alright, it's all set up. Also, while you're down there, could you try to activate the transporter system from the main console. It seems to be malfunctioning. " Zathura nodded and terminated the link. The two hunters stepped through and came out in a room surrounded by glass windows. Iria gasped, she had never seen anything so beautiful before. The water was a dark, almost navy blue, and yet was so clear you could see for miles along the ocean floor. Creatures small and large swam past, ignoring the two hunters staring at their underwater world. They stood there for another minute or two entranced by the beauty of it all. Then Zathura snapped out of it. " Don't forget we have a mission to complete. " " Right. " Iria replied. Well, good,...at least she had spoken to him. That was a start he thought. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad day after all. He activated his double cannon and activated the door mechanism. As the door slid open Iria hoisted her guilty light in anticipation, while zathura stood just at the edge peering around the corner. A long hallway beckoned for them to enter. " Whatever you do, don't let your guard down. Sinow Zele could be anywhere. " Zathura thoroughly detested optic camoflauge. For being so smart, scientists did some really stupid things. They cautiosly proceded down the corridor. As they neared the end there were two pressure switches. " How convenient. " Zathura thought. They each stood on one, Zathura at the frontmost switch, and Iria about five feet behind him on the other. The door opened with a hiss. As they entered the next room, they were surprised to see the bodies of three dead dolmolms. Perhaps they had cannabalized them in order to provide food to the strongest and cull the weak. This was not a comforting thought to Zathura, he would much rather fight the weak and sickly ones. As they passed through the room, one of the doors came alive, unlocking without any provocation. Iria jumped. Zathura knew something was wrong, but since it was the only one unlocked at the time, they really had no choice but to travel through it. Before they walked through, Zathura activated the radar on his armband. He didn't like to use it much, as it wasn't very reliable, it only picked up movement. If something was standing still, it was for all intents and purposes, invisible. However, it would help out with the Sinows should they encounter a problem. The two hunters walked through the door into the next room. Not much here, there was a recobox however, but the small security droids it released were easily dealt with by Zathura's varista and Iria's guilty light. As soon as those were finished off, another door mysteriously unlocked. Zathura was starting to get a sinking feeling they were being led somewhere, but by whom, and why? A similiar pattern led them through nearly half of the facility. They never experienced much more trouble than a few security droids. A wounded Dolmolm inhabited one of the rooms, but it barely put up a fight at all. They continued until they reached a large room filled with knee high water. At first glance the room seemed empty, but as Zathura and Iria moved further into it, they realized all to soon that they were wrong. Suddenly the door they had come through locked behind them. " A trap! " Zathura yelled as several Dolmolms rose out of the water. Zathura wasn't about to wait around for them to surround him, he charged off into their midst and started slicing away at their soft fleshy bodies. Tentacles flailed as they were stabbed and cut, while others exploded from the force of Iria's guilty light, splattering fatty tissue about the room. One of the Dolmolms spat a sticky substance at zathura, gluing his feet to the floor. Zathura, being out of range for his double cannon, summoned a foie and sent it flying towards the dolmolm. It's weak flesh easily gave and it's innards were incinerated by the blast. Zathura cut free of the glue and stepped back so Iria would have a clear shot at the last remaining dolmolm. Iria quickly finished it, and thinking it was done, lowered her gun, only to raise it once more as three Sinow Zele dropped from the ceiling. The sinows cloaked themselves and attempted to surround Zathura. He was glad that the camoflauge was still in testing as well, because the water interfered with the mechanisms, creating a shimmer around the robots.
Zathura lunged towards the nearest Sinow and sliced at it unmercifully. When it finally uncloaked it was missing both it's arms below the elbow and had several deep gashes in it's midsection. As it crumpled to the floor Zathura turned towards the other two, which had cleverly placed themselves between Iria and himself, preventing her from shooting for fear she might hit Zath. Zathura realized it was his fight, and blocked the first Sinow's punch with his double cannon, swiftly raising it's twin blade quickly ending the functions of the Sinow. As Zathura turned to impale the third, it was gone. Not just invisible, it was gone. Then he heard Iria scream, " Behind you, it's behind you!! " Zathura turned just in time to see a shimmering fist make contact with his face, knocking him to the floor. At this point the Sinow placed it's foot on Zathura's chest, attempting to drown him under the water. Zathura forced away the ringing in his ears and brought his double cannon around, neatly slicing the Sinow's feet off below the ankles. As water rushed into it's legs it's internal mechanisms shorted out and fried it's electronic brain. Zathura was able to push it off of him and get a short distance away before it's power cell shorted and the Sinow exploded in a shower of sparks and assorted debris. At this point their final opponent showed itself. A vicious dog-like creature (Which was later identified as a Delbiter.) appeared seemingly out of thin air and attempted to trample Zathura. As it prepared for another charge, Iria let loose a blast of energy from her guilty light. This didn't do much more than get it's attention. It then turned to run towards Iria when the Delbiter was suddenly encased in ice. Iria had bought enough time for Zathura to summon a Rabarta spell, effectivly freezing the Delbiter, as well as encasing Zathura's legs in solid ice, but that was a mute point. Iria fired once more, this time shattering the Delbiter into pieces, effectively ending that particular battle. Zathura thrust his double cannon into the ice around his legs and broke it up enough for him to step out. Though the battle was finished, the doors had not yet unlocked, and Zathura didn't think they were going to. They had obviously been lured into a trap, and now that they had survived the battle, whoever brought them there was not going to let them out. Zathura explained this to Iria and she told him she too had felt it was a little out of place. Iria suggested they force their way out, Zathura had no choice but to agree, it seemed the only remaining course of action. Iria informed him that her sensors indicated a large source of power emanating from a nearby corridor, which they agreed was probably the main computer they were looking for. They approached the door that led to their target, and Iria motioned for Zathura to step back. Iria shouldered her guilty light and fired directly at the door. The door bent a little, but didn't give. After two more shots the door finally gave and busted into several pieces. Using strength only an android could possess, Iria cleared the doorway of debris, and the duo headed down the short corridor into a small room. The room not only contained the computer they were searching for, but a disabled transporter pad. Zathura tapped into the computer and activated the trasporter pad. Lights around the bottom of the pad lit up, and were shortly followed by an energy barrier, alerting the hunters that it had been fully activated and was in working order. Zathura then continued to make a copy of the computer data for the Lab, then continued to make his own copy. Iria glared at him when he did this, he tried to avoid her glare.
Once back at the Lab, Zathura handed the Chief the data. She immediately started saving the data to Cal's database. When she was finished she looked up at the hunters. " Very good, you've done well. It will probably take a day or two to analyze the data that is on this disk. So you two can take some well deserved time off. You will find you're pay for your first two missions at the hunters guild. We've already given them confirmation, so they'll have your meseta waiting for you. " Zathura and Iria left the Lab, and while Iria headed for the teleporter to pick up her pay. She noticed Zathura was heading in the direction of his home. " Aren't you going to get your meseta? " " Umm....later, I have something to take care of first. " Iria looked at him, knowing what he was going to do. She stood silent for a moment, then, " Maybe, we could, you know, get together later,...or something. " " umm...yeah, sure. Just come by later. " The two separated ways for a time. As Zathura was uploading the data to the Principal's office computer, Iria walked in. Zathura just finished and switched off his monitor as Iria rounded the corner of the hallway. They talked for a bit, then decided to go out and see Pioneer 2's night life. As they left, a cloaked figure lowered a pair of night-vision goggles and slipped away into the darkness.
" What is our next plan of attack? " Mishra thought about this for a moment, then said, " Zathura and his android friend will no doubt be off on a mission for the Lab. We'll be there to make sure it does'nt go so well. " Yawgmoth looked at Mishra. " But would'nt it be easier to just take him out in his apartment? " " We don't want to expose ourselves just yet. Zathura already knows we're after him, we don't need to involve the military police in this, it would only make getting at Zathura that much harder. " " So how do we get down to the island? " A frown spread across Mishra's face. " Fool, you think I hadn't planned for this. You don't give me enough credit Yawgmoth. We'll hack into the transporter system and follow them to the island. " Mishra laughed as the first rays of light penetrated through the darkness of the night. Things had been different for Zathura however. His night had been plagued with horrible dreams, leaving him in a cold sweat when he awoke. He looked at his clock, 500 beats. He didn't have to be at the Lab until 667. He figured he might as well take a shower and get something to eat, he had a feeling it was going to be a long day, especially after the previous night with Iria. He didn't know how he was going to handle her today. These thoughts ran through his mind while he took his shower and made his breakfast. He had all but forgotten the wound on his leg, it just didn't seem to matter right now, and it wasn't hindering his movements at all. As he finished his breakfast he put the dishes in the automatic washer and proceeded to take his armor from the closet and procure his weapons from the corner in which he'd layed them. 649 beats, which roughly gave him about 25 minutes to get to the Lab. More than enough time if he were to take the transporters, but for some reason he felt like walking today. He set out the door and walked through the somewhat rundown streets of his neighborhood. At this time of morning the shops were still closed, even the street dealers hadn't set up their booths yet. It truly was an ungodly time to be awake and heading out for the day. He failed to see how the blue collar class could do it everyday for years without fail. As a hunter he had usually been able to wake up when he felt like it, and if he wanted a day off, it was no matter to simply cancel a mission. The Lab was a different matter entirely. Working for them meant a full time job, and if you didn't show, there would be serious repercussions. Zathura didn't care much about that. If he'd had any say in the matter he'd be late for work everyday, unfortunately that would jeopardize his mission to the Principal. " Oh yeah, that's right. " He thought, still half asleep. He'd completely forgotten that Iria had learned of his true mission. How could he forget such an important thing, he was definitely loosing his edge. He needed to start training more. By the time he'd gotten to Lab however, his resolve to exercise and train had already been forgotten. Iria was already at the Lab when Zathura showed up, which meant that he was late, as Iria had a knack for being punctual, never early, never late.
" Where have you been? You're nearly eleven beats late. Why didn't you just take the transporter? " The chief said with a scowl on her face. Zathura was starting to realize he didn't like her very much at all. " I felt like walking is all. " He said sleepily. Iria didn't even look at him, and he started to wonder what kind of day this was turning out to be. He wasn't very positive about it to say the least. " Well, now that you're finally here, I might as well brief you on your mission. Today you will be going to the Seabed facility located beneath Gal Da Val. " " There's an underwater facility? " Iria asked. " Yes, it was discovered in the data that you brought back on your last mission, fortunately we were able to save it to the Cal's memory banks before the explosion. Due to this fact we also have information on the hazards that you will be facing while there. " Zathura stopped her. " Just what are we doing there anyway? " The Chief glared at him. It was obvious she didn't like him either. Zathura smiled at this thought. " I'm getting to that if you would be so kind as to not interrupt me. " " Sheesh, if looks could kill..." Zathura thought. " Apparently there is another database, separate from the ground level facility. We think there may be more data pertaining to the experiments that were being conducted there. " Iria piped up. " What kind of resistance will we have while down there? " " Good question, I'll let Elly answer that. " Elly's face appeared on the viewscreen behind the Chief. " Well, according to the last log entry of one of the facilities staff, there had been an energy discharge emanating from their subject disposal area. Anyway, it caused a shockwave that shook the facility. This disturbed the "experiments" there, and they broke free of their restraints and holding cells and attacked the staff. According to the entry, the creatures had overrun the facility and had all but decimated the staff. Being a laboratory, they weren't really prepared for such an outbreak, and were not stocked with weapons. You shouldn't have too much trouble, after all, you're experienced at handling things such as this. Anyways, the most common creatures were dubbed Dolmolms. There are also Sinow Zeles, much like the Sinow Zoa that you faced above ground, however, their cloaking device is much more advanced. They also have an ability similiar to Ryuker, since it was in the testing stage they can't go very far, but they can surprise you from behind, so watch out. Oh, one more thing, the facility's security system was also affected, so the security drones cannot distinguish between friend or foe. " Zathura looked at her like she was crazy. " And you're just going to send the two of us, expecting us to handle all of that? " The Chief smiled. " Yes. " Zathura started to believe this was more than just not liking him. The Chief seemed like she had it in for him. If that was the case Zathura wished she would leave Iria out of it. No sense in her getting hurt because someone had a vendetta with Zathura.
As they arrived at the island, Elly called. " Hey, it's me. I'm going to send you a separated telepipe to the seabed facility, hold on. " Suddenly a yellow beam of energy appeared not ten feet from where they stood. " Alright, it's all set up. Also, while you're down there, could you try to activate the transporter system from the main console. It seems to be malfunctioning. " Zathura nodded and terminated the link. The two hunters stepped through and came out in a room surrounded by glass windows. Iria gasped, she had never seen anything so beautiful before. The water was a dark, almost navy blue, and yet was so clear you could see for miles along the ocean floor. Creatures small and large swam past, ignoring the two hunters staring at their underwater world. They stood there for another minute or two entranced by the beauty of it all. Then Zathura snapped out of it. " Don't forget we have a mission to complete. " " Right. " Iria replied. Well, good,...at least she had spoken to him. That was a start he thought. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad day after all. He activated his double cannon and activated the door mechanism. As the door slid open Iria hoisted her guilty light in anticipation, while zathura stood just at the edge peering around the corner. A long hallway beckoned for them to enter. " Whatever you do, don't let your guard down. Sinow Zele could be anywhere. " Zathura thoroughly detested optic camoflauge. For being so smart, scientists did some really stupid things. They cautiosly proceded down the corridor. As they neared the end there were two pressure switches. " How convenient. " Zathura thought. They each stood on one, Zathura at the frontmost switch, and Iria about five feet behind him on the other. The door opened with a hiss. As they entered the next room, they were surprised to see the bodies of three dead dolmolms. Perhaps they had cannabalized them in order to provide food to the strongest and cull the weak. This was not a comforting thought to Zathura, he would much rather fight the weak and sickly ones. As they passed through the room, one of the doors came alive, unlocking without any provocation. Iria jumped. Zathura knew something was wrong, but since it was the only one unlocked at the time, they really had no choice but to travel through it. Before they walked through, Zathura activated the radar on his armband. He didn't like to use it much, as it wasn't very reliable, it only picked up movement. If something was standing still, it was for all intents and purposes, invisible. However, it would help out with the Sinows should they encounter a problem. The two hunters walked through the door into the next room. Not much here, there was a recobox however, but the small security droids it released were easily dealt with by Zathura's varista and Iria's guilty light. As soon as those were finished off, another door mysteriously unlocked. Zathura was starting to get a sinking feeling they were being led somewhere, but by whom, and why? A similiar pattern led them through nearly half of the facility. They never experienced much more trouble than a few security droids. A wounded Dolmolm inhabited one of the rooms, but it barely put up a fight at all. They continued until they reached a large room filled with knee high water. At first glance the room seemed empty, but as Zathura and Iria moved further into it, they realized all to soon that they were wrong. Suddenly the door they had come through locked behind them. " A trap! " Zathura yelled as several Dolmolms rose out of the water. Zathura wasn't about to wait around for them to surround him, he charged off into their midst and started slicing away at their soft fleshy bodies. Tentacles flailed as they were stabbed and cut, while others exploded from the force of Iria's guilty light, splattering fatty tissue about the room. One of the Dolmolms spat a sticky substance at zathura, gluing his feet to the floor. Zathura, being out of range for his double cannon, summoned a foie and sent it flying towards the dolmolm. It's weak flesh easily gave and it's innards were incinerated by the blast. Zathura cut free of the glue and stepped back so Iria would have a clear shot at the last remaining dolmolm. Iria quickly finished it, and thinking it was done, lowered her gun, only to raise it once more as three Sinow Zele dropped from the ceiling. The sinows cloaked themselves and attempted to surround Zathura. He was glad that the camoflauge was still in testing as well, because the water interfered with the mechanisms, creating a shimmer around the robots.
Zathura lunged towards the nearest Sinow and sliced at it unmercifully. When it finally uncloaked it was missing both it's arms below the elbow and had several deep gashes in it's midsection. As it crumpled to the floor Zathura turned towards the other two, which had cleverly placed themselves between Iria and himself, preventing her from shooting for fear she might hit Zath. Zathura realized it was his fight, and blocked the first Sinow's punch with his double cannon, swiftly raising it's twin blade quickly ending the functions of the Sinow. As Zathura turned to impale the third, it was gone. Not just invisible, it was gone. Then he heard Iria scream, " Behind you, it's behind you!! " Zathura turned just in time to see a shimmering fist make contact with his face, knocking him to the floor. At this point the Sinow placed it's foot on Zathura's chest, attempting to drown him under the water. Zathura forced away the ringing in his ears and brought his double cannon around, neatly slicing the Sinow's feet off below the ankles. As water rushed into it's legs it's internal mechanisms shorted out and fried it's electronic brain. Zathura was able to push it off of him and get a short distance away before it's power cell shorted and the Sinow exploded in a shower of sparks and assorted debris. At this point their final opponent showed itself. A vicious dog-like creature (Which was later identified as a Delbiter.) appeared seemingly out of thin air and attempted to trample Zathura. As it prepared for another charge, Iria let loose a blast of energy from her guilty light. This didn't do much more than get it's attention. It then turned to run towards Iria when the Delbiter was suddenly encased in ice. Iria had bought enough time for Zathura to summon a Rabarta spell, effectivly freezing the Delbiter, as well as encasing Zathura's legs in solid ice, but that was a mute point. Iria fired once more, this time shattering the Delbiter into pieces, effectively ending that particular battle. Zathura thrust his double cannon into the ice around his legs and broke it up enough for him to step out. Though the battle was finished, the doors had not yet unlocked, and Zathura didn't think they were going to. They had obviously been lured into a trap, and now that they had survived the battle, whoever brought them there was not going to let them out. Zathura explained this to Iria and she told him she too had felt it was a little out of place. Iria suggested they force their way out, Zathura had no choice but to agree, it seemed the only remaining course of action. Iria informed him that her sensors indicated a large source of power emanating from a nearby corridor, which they agreed was probably the main computer they were looking for. They approached the door that led to their target, and Iria motioned for Zathura to step back. Iria shouldered her guilty light and fired directly at the door. The door bent a little, but didn't give. After two more shots the door finally gave and busted into several pieces. Using strength only an android could possess, Iria cleared the doorway of debris, and the duo headed down the short corridor into a small room. The room not only contained the computer they were searching for, but a disabled transporter pad. Zathura tapped into the computer and activated the trasporter pad. Lights around the bottom of the pad lit up, and were shortly followed by an energy barrier, alerting the hunters that it had been fully activated and was in working order. Zathura then continued to make a copy of the computer data for the Lab, then continued to make his own copy. Iria glared at him when he did this, he tried to avoid her glare.
Once back at the Lab, Zathura handed the Chief the data. She immediately started saving the data to Cal's database. When she was finished she looked up at the hunters. " Very good, you've done well. It will probably take a day or two to analyze the data that is on this disk. So you two can take some well deserved time off. You will find you're pay for your first two missions at the hunters guild. We've already given them confirmation, so they'll have your meseta waiting for you. " Zathura and Iria left the Lab, and while Iria headed for the teleporter to pick up her pay. She noticed Zathura was heading in the direction of his home. " Aren't you going to get your meseta? " " Umm....later, I have something to take care of first. " Iria looked at him, knowing what he was going to do. She stood silent for a moment, then, " Maybe, we could, you know, get together later,...or something. " " umm...yeah, sure. Just come by later. " The two separated ways for a time. As Zathura was uploading the data to the Principal's office computer, Iria walked in. Zathura just finished and switched off his monitor as Iria rounded the corner of the hallway. They talked for a bit, then decided to go out and see Pioneer 2's night life. As they left, a cloaked figure lowered a pair of night-vision goggles and slipped away into the darkness.