CHAPTER FIVE: THE WELL OF SOULS
Mirage left the Temple as soon as the sun set on the ocean. Her new clothes were comfortable; her stride had a bounce as her shoes were light, with a firm grip on the soft ground. Feeling her energy returned, her mind was racing, trying to analyse her course of action.
Walking swiftly and stealthily through the jungle, her anxiety faded as she heard only the quiet sounds of her surroundings. Darkness being her strongest ally, she felt confident she wouldn't stumble on a robot bird or any other potential threat.
If something did cross her path, she thought, it would be its problem, not hers.
The jungle was pitch-black in the moonless night. Mirage walked with ease, as someone would walk into a room; every object lit from an inner source, glowing in bright golden hues, as visible to her as in broad daylight. Being so used to this, she felt compelled to see it as some form of privilege.
If being a Super was a gift, Mirage could have debated that... It made her angry to think about her powers too much, feeling they were a curse most of the time, much more than a blessing.
But she had been down that road before; those were the things she couldn't change about herself. She had learned to stop her mind from wandering to where she knew would only be frustration.
Mirage looked down at the knife she carried. It brought memories of her training back to her mind. She remembered how hard it had been to take certain decisions, like the taking of a weapon, taking it for a kill…
Determination had meant survival many times in her life, as it would be so again.
She feared that, but walked on.
If all goes well, I'll reach the base of the volcano just before dawn, she thought, reassuring herself.
Saunders looked absentmindedly at his cigarette. His men had just found traces of her presence at the cottage. Saunders flinched when he saw one of the guards on the video channel hold up her torn, bloodied skirt. He couldn't help staring at the screen, fascinated by the bedroom he could see in the background. He had never been there; he had always wondered what it had looked like. He envied Syndrome when he took Mirage there.
They had found faint footprints leading back into the jungle. Saunders knew she would be returning to the compound.
She has nowhere else to go, Saunders thought
He was a patient man; he would just have to wait. As he looked at his cigarette burning slowly in the ashtray, he drifted away.
Mirage's face seemed to have etched itself in his memory. In his mind's eye she was staring at him, standing there, near the computer console.
In his mind, shewas walking towards him, inviting him.
Saunders frowned as he came back to reality. He took the cigarette and put it out, crushing it.
The jungle ground was slowly getting steeper. Large boulders progressively covered the terrain, some of them old and covered with vegetation, others still uncovered as they had just come off the mountain side. Mirage, climbing one of them, could see above the canopy of the dark and still forest. Looking up, she let her night vision fade to see the night sky beautiful as scintillating stars filled it in the distance.
Mirage focused her attention on the lower base of the volcano, at the edge where the trees were starting to grow. About a kilometer away, lay an opening, barely visible. She took a sip from her water bottle and climbed down the rock.
It took her another hour to reach what she had seen in the distance, the ragged mountain like an obstacle course, difficult to cross.
Having reached a plateau, Mirage came upon a structure coming out of the mountain side. It was large tube of reinforced concrete, high enough for someone to stand in. Steel bars blocked its entrance, too narrowly spaced for anyone to go through.
Mirage looked inside. The tube stretched in front her to what seemed infinity. Moss covered its walls, wet with condensation from the cooler air. Water, foul smelling, flowed out towards the opening, making Mirage flinch as its strong odor reached her.
Sensors were attached to the bars. Anyone attempting to get through would surely trigger an alarm, but that didn't bother her. Not even thinking, she stepped towards the bars. Transmutating effortlessly right through them, she reappeared a few meters inside. Mirage didn't go forward immediately, turning to see the sky had turned pale pink as dawn rose. She turned back and walked into the darkness in front of her, her footsteps resonating as her feet splashed in the water.
Mirage instinctively put her hand on the sheath of her knife.
The tunnel seemed horizontal, but actually had a slight downward slope, barely perceptible to the eye. As Mirage walked, the water at her feet got progressively deeper, becoming an ooze, opaque, with debris floating about. The stench in the air became stronger.
Mirage discovered she was not alone. A rich, self-contained eco-system thrived in the moss on the wall, hosting a variety of creatures; from spiders to insects, prey to predator. Rats squeaked as they scattered, startled by her presence. They weren't afraid of her, just naturally cautious and curious. Keeping a safe distance, they regrouped behind her, to slowly follow.
Walking forward had become more strenuous, the water rising to her knees now. Mirage shivered as she felt the occasional brushing of rubbish against her exposed ankles. She suddenly stopped when she felt bitten.
A presence seemed to have attached itself to her bare skin. She couldn't see though the opaque water. Reaching down, she felt her ankle covered with small bumps. Mirage lifted it out to see it covered with leeches. Leaning her foot against the side of the tunnel, she took her knife to remove them. The worms squirmed as they were pricked with the blade. Falling off, they left small bloody bite marks. She would have to do that again later.
Mirage felt more and more oppressed as she moved forward. Something in the air had caught her attention. It wasn't the typical smell sewers had, it was something else. It had got to her immediately as she had entered the tunnel.
It was a very specific odor. The scent seemed to reach into her, deep inside, into the very confines of her heart. Mirage tried not to focus on it too much.
But she knew what it was;
There was no mistaking the smell of rotten flesh.
It was growing stronger as she moved on. It made her feel nauseous.
Mirage paused, having reached what looked like an enlargement of the tunnel. It had become a circular chamber about twenty meters wide. Black water filled it to its edge, with no sidewalks to use. On the opposite side, the tunnel went on, but on a higher level that could be reached by using a small ladder fixed into the wall. Mirage noticed daylight reached her through a small opening high up above in the distance.
Mirage walked carefully towards the ladder on the opposite side. As she was stepping in the water, the ground underneath her feet felt different.
A lot of debris must have had accumulated in that area, she thought.
She was stepping on brittle, slippery objects that rolled around underneath her feet, making keeping her balance difficult.
Mirage had reached the middle when she noticed that the pack of rats that had followed her was now nowhere to be seen. Impatience made her want to reach the ladder now. Fear had slowly tightened its grip on her.
Lifting her knees out of the water, she moved in haste now. She thought of transmutating to reach the ladder, but judged against it, being still too far.
Mirage had only a few meters to go when she lost her balance as something rolled under her foot.
She fell flat in the water, face first, hands out to protect herself.
A shiver of horror went through her as her hands came in contact with the soggy bottom. The water was full of debris, cold, hard and viscous. Reeling back, disgusted, she got up too fast, lost her balance again, and felt backwards. As she stirred the water, the putrid smell rising almost overwhelmed her. Forcing herself not to vomit, she stood up again.
Mirage felt her stomach contract violently as she noticed daylight piercing through the murky water had revealed what was around her.
Decaying corpses were everywhere to be seen. The whole area was filled with bodies, festering in the tropical heat, simmering.
Some of the bodies were clad in the remains of Super uniforms. Some seemed to have also been security guards as their gray uniforms stood out in contrast with the faded colors of the Supers. Saunders probably killed his own kind, perhaps to periodically purge his ranks.
Mirage had always wondered what happened to those who were defeated by Syndrome's robots. Her heart sank if she though to much about that. She would never need to speculate anymore.
Mirage screamed in terror. Trying to transmutate, she failed, unaware that more leeches had time to reattach to her. Struggling to get up, she stirred the remains around her. The bones were pushed about, some of them coming out of the water.
Mirage reached the ladder. She felt weak, barely able to lift herself up. Her grip tightened on the bars as she started to climb.
She felt suddenly grabbed by the ankle as she almost got out of the water. Something muscular had wrapped itself around her leg, squeezing it. Pain shot through her as an enormous force pulled her back down. Mirage desperately tried to hold on, but the weight pulling on her was too much. Her fingers slipped off the bars.
She fell again in the fetid soup.
Mirage fell backward in the water, barely having time to take a breath before being submerged completely. Cold liquid ran up her nose, bitter and salty, terror overtaking her.
The pressure on her leg had shifted. She now felt being wrapped in a steel coil that moved upward, in slow, relaxed pulses.
Mirage pushed her hands down. She felt the scales of the large Boa that had taken her, cold under her fingers. Her body tensed as she tried to push herself away from the animal.
Reaching up frantically, as she ran out of air, her hands eventually touched the head of the snake, finding the eyes of the beast. Not even thinking, she pressed her fingers against its eyeballs. The snake pulled its head away, relaxing its grip on her. Mirage reached out to her leg and pulled out her knife. With her free hand, she grabbed the snake's neck, and pointed the blade underneath its jaw.
Mirage pushed it up with all her force, feeling the sharp blade pierce the skin and enter the cranium.
The snake tensed up for a brief moment, before going limp. Mirage breached the surface, gasping for air, pushing away the carcass. As she got finally free, she rushed to climb up. In the opening of the tunnel, she stood there for a minute, shaking, trying to gather her senses.
Stumbling forward a few meters, she then vomited.
Saunders still sat at his desk. He selected a new communication channel. On the screen, a man appeared, wearing a thick rubber suit that completely covered his body. It seemed slightly pressurized, as its orange fabric was distended. An air hose, attached to a clear plastic bubble that made its helmet, reached to the ceiling. Saunders could see the man's gaze pierce through the plastic.
"So, where are we now?" Saunders inquired.
The man in the suit hesitated for a moment.
"Sir, we still need about three more days to finish the cycle. If we used them now, they'd still be able to do their job, but their life span would be reduced. They wouldn't spread as far."
Saunders became impatient. "I don't want excuses. I want the batch to be operational in forty-eight hours…"
The man responded. "You won't have reached the optimal level, there aren't any guarantees... It could fail completely."
Saunders barked at the man. "I don't care about that, the client won't mind, he won't see the difference. But you will if you don't finish this in time."
Saunders turned off the video. He stared at the phone for a second before picking it up.
"This is the Captain. I have good news... Your shipment will be ready in about forty-eight hours…
Yes, I assure you it is of the most superior quality… You have nothing to worry about."
Saunders thought for a second.
"However, I have to mention that the security of the operation might have been breached… Oh, don't worry... It's nothing of importance. It seems one of our operatives has turned on us. Yes, we know who... Syndrome's young assistant. She is not a significant threat."
Saunders voice hesitated when he said that.
"We are confident no information has been leaked. We've got the situation under control… May I recommend extra caution the next couple of days? I hope this doesn't alter the deal?"
He looked pleased.
"Thank you, I'll keep you informed when we've disposed of her or when we have new developments."
He hung up the phone.
Mirage forgot for how long she'd been walking now. The tunnel was completely dry. It seemed she could breathe better.
Mirage wondered about the rumbling sound she heard, coming from the distance ahead. The darkness that surrounded her was slowly receding as the sound grew louder.
Mirage was sure of it, there was daylight somewhere ahead. She felt compelled to rush forward, exhausted by the darkness, desperate for fresh air.
She was temporarily disoriented as daylight suddenly engulfed her, a roaring sound filling her ears. A gust of wind almost made her lose her balance, barely having enough time to grab hold of the wall.
Mirage had come upon an enormous opening; the tunnel had ended abruptly on the inside of a gigantic chimney. The structure was colossal, making her feel microscopic.
She looked around her.
The chimney's inside were smooth, gray concrete, disappearing in the distance in front of her, but plunging also, far away. Looking down, Mirage couldn't tell how deep it was. A ladder, embedded into the wall besides the opening, led down to the bottom. High above, the chimney opened to blue skies, its walls slanting up in a negative slope.
Mirage had reached the main cooling tower of the geothermal power plant that supplied energy to the island.
She stepped carefully on the ladder, and started her descent.
They won't be expecting me down there, she thought, going through the next steps of her plan.
I'll have to find a console, wait for the window, and make the download...
Mirage felt her hope fade as she went down the ladder.
I'll have to create a diversion to get to the plane... As soon as I'm out of the transmission blackout bubble, I can send the data out...
Mirage knew what that meant.
It won't matter then if they send missiles after me... No, it won't matter anymore.
She looked down.
I wish I could fly...
Mirage kept going, counting the steps she took to take her mind off the dark path she was on.
The wind was getting stronger as she went down, the air, hotter. The low frequency of the rumbling sound made her whole body vibrate. Mirage's hands were getting tired of holding on to the bars. She was getting eager to reach the bottom. It took about an hour for her to touch the ground.
She felt relief as she got off the ladder. Valves and pipes came and went from every direction, engulfing Mirage in an industrial maze. Some of the pipes were glowing red from the lava flowing within. The automatic processes around her were oblivious to her presence.
Mirage had reached the heart of the island. She knew if she were to deal a final blow to this place, it would be here she would make it happen.
She reached an open door as she walked on a marked path between the steel and concrete. Glancing on the other side, Mirage made sure no one was in sight before proceeding. As she expected, the area was deserted.
She had entered the power plant's generator area. Like everything else on the island, it had gigantic proportions; Pipes of all sizes came out of the ground, glowing from the heat within them. They led to heat exchangers located underneath massive boilers. Turbines, powered by the steam that the heat of the lava created, were humming, running at optimal capacity. At the bottom of a large fissure in the ground, lay an open pit where lava overflow was diverted, heating the air to a point where it was nearly impossible to breathe.
Mirage focused her attention on the three steam boilers in front of her, spotting an elevator shaft near one of them. Its door gave on to a small platform that one could reach by climbing a few steps.
On the left of the platform, an unattended computer terminal was operational.
Mirage dashed towards it. Sitting down on the chair, she glanced at the controls.
Five more minutes until the next window, she thought.
I'll have about five more to reach the surface before they get organized... I'll have to keep them busy...
Mirage looked around.
I could blow up something...
Something preferably big...
Mirage stared at the giant boilers.
The sound of a conversation suddenly broke Mirage's chain of thoughts. Men were coming her way. Panicking, Mirage looked beyond the platform, focusing her gaze on the base of one of the boilers. Transmutating there silently, she reappeared in the darkness behind it.
Mirage saw two men clad in what seemed like protection suits, pushing a cart loaded with glass canisters. They were heading towards the end of the room. Stopping in front of a closed door, one of the men held up a magnetic card. The steel door slid open.
Mirage hesitated as the men walked in. The glass canisters they were carrying were of a familiar design.
She hadn't succeeded in gathering all the information she wanted on the activities of the island.
The opportunity was too great to pass.
Mirage transmutated towards the open door. She reached it in a few jumps, to stop on the other side, diving for cover behind pipes near the opening.
The room, smaller than the main hangar, seemed to have been carved directly in stone. Power cables on the ground went to its center, connecting into a steel and glass structure erected there, similar to a laboratory.
The men opened an airtight door and entered the small enclosure.
Mirage transmutated again, jumping towards the back of the lab. Hiding between the rock and its outer wall, Mirage could peek inside without being seen.
On the other side of the window lay rows of glass canisters, each of them numbered. On tables, Petri dishes were open. Mirage could see some of them had been used already, as they were filled with colored streaks.
Mirage knew the color display meant something grew there. As she looked around, she didn't have to guess anymore.
The lab technicians weren't discreet, confident the lab was a secret.
The tables were plainly marked to identify the contents of the jars...
Marburg.
Ebola.
Smallpox.
Sarin.
Ricin.
Mirage sweat as she read the names of the poisonous agents before her.
There seemed to be enough there to kill millions, perhaps more.
Did Syndrome know about this?
Mirage was trying to remember if anything he said could have linked him to this.
She had no memories of anything.
Syndrome was a child... He was vain. He would have told me something...
Mirage ducked as she saw the technicians come into view inside the lab. One of them typed a few commands on a nearby computer console. Mirage flinched when a familiar face filled the screen.
Saunders.
It was Saunders who controlled the operation. It made sense to her now… He was always suggesting to Syndrome that he should take on the more mundane part of operating the island, so that Syndrome could focus more on his little ambitions.
Mirage had noticed that the laboratory wasn't a permanent installation; it probably would be easier to dismantle and move around in case Syndrome had become too inquisitive…
She couldn't hear what Saunders was saying through the thick glass window. Without thinking, she lifted her head up to better see inside.
Saunders saw her.
He froze for a second. He then glared at the technicians. Mirage saw them turning around to point at her. They dashed towards the exit, as an alarm blared out. Getting up, she stared at Saunders. Through the glass he seemed to be yelling out orders.
Mirage had pulled her knife out as she expected the technicians to come around the lab to confront her. She was surprised to see them run towards the exit instead.
A loud voice came booming out from an intercom, echoing on the walls.
"Hello again, Mirage," Saunders said, calmly. "I was expecting your visit. I knew you'd come back, there was nowhere else for you to go…"
The voice on the PA darkened.
"I admire your determination, but I'm not surprised you made it this far… After all, you are a Super, am I right? How do you like my little operation? I think you know what it's about by now."
Mirage listened on.
"You know, curiosity killed the cat, Mirage… I'm truly sorry, but I have to deal with you now, like I should have done a long time ago."
Saunders paused.
"I've sent you an old friend to keep you company. I'm sure an introduction isn't necessary…"
Mirage heard a rumbling sound fill the room.
She hadn't seen that the wall opposite the lab was actually a gigantic door that had now opened.
Mirage froze as she looked up.
She had come face to face with an Omnidroid.