Chapter 7: The Crazy Program
Planet Ragol: Mines: Monitor Room
"What's going on? I can't see a thing," Zechs said nervously. Danielle quieted him, and used his Heat Saber's glow to find her way to a computer console.
"Get over here, Zechs, and let me use you Saber for light." He obeyed, and Danielle began to type in various commands. Still nothing. The RAmarl shook her head and headed for the door they came through. Zechs held his Saber to where she could get enough light and waited. While Danielle was trying to get the door to open, the lights came on in an instant, and an alarm sounded. Danielle looked up at Zechs, before screaming in pain as electricity surged into her body. The Ranger was thrown backwards, and the monitor screens came on. Vol Opt's physical form appeared before them on one of the monitors and circled the room.
"Danielle! Are you alright?" She sat up, shaking of the effects of the shock. It had unsettled her more than it had caused injury.
"I'm fine, but I would rather not repeat that little experience. Let's take this guy down." She drew Vulcans and aimed at the monitor Vol Opt was on. "This is for electrocuting me," the RAmarl whispered as she pulled the trigger. Sparks flew, and glass shattered. Vol Opt entered another screen, which was destroyed by a hail of bullets. The third monitor it entered was near Zechs, who was unsure of what to do. "Zechs! Take out the monitor that Vol Opt is on!" Danielle yelled. The HUmar nodded and took out his Daggers. He threw them both into the monitor that Vol Opt was looking out of, and winced at the shower of sparks that landed on him.
There was a mechanical sound, and four pillars rose from the floor. One of them was flashing red, and Danielle had a bad feeling about it. Sure enough, a bolt of electricity shot out and hit Zechs. The charge rippled across his armor and dissipated. It was obvious that he was not happy. He charged the pillar that had attacked him and sliced through it. The other pillars retracted back into the ground. Vol Opt reappeared on an intact monitor and began to circle the room once again. Five monitors were left now, so Danielle took each of them out. The pillars rose up once again, and the hunters took out the red one before the others.
"Doesn't this seem a bit too easy?" Zechs asked. His teammate nodded and took out another pillar. Suddenly, explosions rocked the room, making the hunters lose balance. Vol Opt's immense body lowered itself from the ceiling and turned to face them. It then spun around, opening up panels and revealing missile tubes. Two missiles shot out and headed for the hunters. Zechs jumped out of the way, making the missile impact against the wall. Danielle pulled out her Bravace and shot down the one coming after her. Vol Opt spun around again and presented a new side to them. A targeting laser tracked each of the hunters, and the RAmarl began to run.
"Zechs! Get moving!" she ordered. Two large metal pillars, which must have been Vol Opt's legs, came crashing down on each of the hunters. It came so fast, that even the leg brushing against her shoulder sent the Ranger sprawling. Danielle rolled out of the way of the other two strikes and prayed Zechs was okay. Clutching her shoulder in pain, the RAmarl got to her feet and retrieved her Bravace. She opened fire on Vol Opt's head, scoring a couple of direct hits. From the sounds on the machine's other side, it was obvious that Zechs had found his Daggers and was attacking one of Vol Opt's sides.
To the right of Vol Opt's head, something opened up and repaired its damage. Ignoring the pain in her arm, Danielle took out her Vulcans and held down the trigger. Bullets slammed into the machines armor, and the part under its head broke off. Vol Opt spun around and aimed its missile launcher at her. Once again, the Ranger held down the trigger. This time, the missile launcher broke off. Seeing the weaker armor, Danielle drew her Agito and began to cut into Vol Opt's body. Pain shot through her shoulder as she managed to pierce through the armor. The hole in the armor began to spout flames, but she pushed the sword deeper in still.
The armor blew outwards, knocking Danielle into the wall. Her shoulder slammed against the wall, and she cried out in pain. Vol Opt rose into the air; flame shooting out from openings in its armor. There was a mechanical scream, and the machine blew up into a hundred pieces. Shards of metal pelted the ground, and Danielle leaned back against the wall, clutching her shoulder in pain. Zechs ran over to her and helped her up. The other door in the room, the one they didn't come through, opened up silently. They walked through and entered the tunnel beyond.
Planet Ragol: Mines: Excavation Area
A door made of what seemed to be stone loomed ahead of them. There were three capsules, each one getting closer to the door. There were boxes and equipment littering the area, and the first capsule was by one of these boxes.
"I can now say there was an ancient civilization on this planet. Ruins buried in the ground. This is the evidence. The government was about to secretly conduct an excavation to study the ruins."
Danielle thought for a second. Why would the military have an army of robots guarding the entrance? There must have been something inside the ruins that the military was afraid of. Why else would they leave such heavy defenses here? Over by a larger supply box, there was another capsule.
"No intelligent life was discovered when Pioneer 1 landed here… Something else must have caused the destruction of this ancient civilization. What happened on Ragol in the past?"
The two hunters turned to the final capsule, located near the door. On the door, there were three symbols like the ones she saw on the monuments in the forest, caves, and mines. The first was glowing red, the second was glowing blue, and the third was glowing green. There was something familiar about them, like Danielle had seen them somewhere other than on the planet. Ignoring this feeling, Danielle played the capsule message.
"The government was decoding the characters as well. Here is their analysis. I'll try to fill in the gaps with my own data. 'Light, darkness,… a pair, no,… exist, no exist… unlimited, seal,… MUUT DITTS POUMN.'…? What's the last line? An incantation? Seal, seal… What is sealed? Where? Is it this door? Was it sealed with the words, MUUT DITTS POUMN? Maybe each word in the incantation represents something? I found three monuments… Are they keys to open the door?"
The Ranger looked up at the door, and was surprised when each of the symbols blinked out, one by one. He door slid upward, revealing a path into the ruins. Danielle stood their, feeling the evil that seeped out of the opening. There was something in there, the very same thing that had called her to the underground. She turned to Zechs, a look of concern on her face.
"I know what you're going to say, Danielle. I don't want to let you go in there alone."
She shook her head. "Go to the Pioneer 2 and get the hunters name Draslushee and Jaden. Tell Principal Tyrell that I went into the ruins alone, and that I told you to come back and get my friends. You should get going now." Zechs nodded, and dropped a Telepipe.
"I'll see you soon," he said quietly before stepping into the Telepipe. Danielle turned to the entrance to the ruins, adrenaline pumping through her system. She ignored the pain in her heart and shoulder, thinking about what lied ahead. Suddenly, a phrase she read from her Bible came into her mind. It was one she always remembered when she was going through some troubled times.
"The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths for the honor of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. You are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff comfort me. You prepare a feast for me right in front of my enemies. You pour oil on my head. My cup runs over. I am sure that your goodness and love will follow me all days of my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever."
Danielle looked up, tears streaming down her face. If she failed, she would never again see her friends. Swallowing her fear, the Ranger stepped into the darkness.