Ch. 59: Deterioration – Part 2

A.N.:

Hey everyone!

Huzzah the semester from Hell is over!

Sorry about the wait. Here is the second part of the chapter. As I said, I had originally intended for the past two updates to be a single chapter but finals got in the way so I had to cut them up into two chapters.

I'm just glad that I finally have time to focus on my stories again. It has pained me to be apart from my characters for so long. It wasn't just this story. My BioShock story and my Dead Space story suffered as well.

Please understand, I would never abandon my stories. I know that they are long-winded but I love them and my characters damn it. I put my heart and soul into them…for what it is worth anyway. Shame I cannot write like the professionals do…but hey I have my little worlds that I can call my own (as far as fanfictions go as I, of course, do not claim to be the rightful owner of these registered and trademarked games) no matter how poorly written they might be.

I imagine that I lost a bunch of you because of my long absence. I understand. To those of you who have been patient enough to wait for my return, I do not know what to say other than that I am beyond grateful. Granted I never set out with the goal of making my stories anything other than some stories that I could call my own no matter how they were received, but it is nice to know that people enjoy them or at least find them entertaining.

Anyway,

Enough rambling. I hope that next semester is much less time consuming than this one was. I have a lighter schedule lined up so I do not think that these ridiculously long absences will repeat themselves.

Read and review if you want.

If I do not see you guys again before the 25th,

Merry Christmas!

Moments later, rather than the harsh sudden stop that I had been expecting, I more or less "woke up" to find myself standing in the middle of a foggy street. All around me, I saw the transparent, featureless ghosts of people, vehicles, and even the occasional pigeon as they went about their routine as if they were completely oblivious to not only me but also each other. As I looked around and studied the eerie street, I came to the realization that it appeared to be from a downtown area of Fairport before the Origin Explosion. Of course, it also could have been any street in any respectively large American port city.

Naturally, at first, I assumed that it was just another hallucination that Akira had manifested to buy herself time. However, my HUD was not flickering nor did I feel the telltale psionic vibrations. Whatever the madness surrounding my was, it was not a hallucination. Somewhat fascinated by the situation, I attempted to use the built-in GPS of my HUD Glasses to determine my location. However, when I did, my HUD informed me:

"Error…"

"Global Positioning System Network unavailable...cause: unknown."

"Running system diagnostic…please standby."

Moments later, it informed me:

"Diagnostic complete. Compiling results…"

"Source of error discovered. Current location is outside the range of GPS Network. Please return to the range of the network in order to reestablish link."

Meanwhile, I had been joined by the members of the Second F.E.A.R. Team, Dark Signal, and Delta Team.

Looking around with his Andra Submachine Gun raised, Morales commented, "Never a dull moment…"

Lieutenant Chen asked as he studied the area with his G2A2 Assault Rifle at the ready, "This shit again?"

Foxtrot 813 replied with his distorted Replica voice, "Negative, I'm not sensing any disturbances. I do not know what this is but it is not a hallucination." It was sometimes easy to forget that 813 was a clone of Fettel and therefore among the strongest psionics in the entire world due to his genetic link to Alma. While he did not outwardly show his abilities save for during extreme circumstances, I had no reason to doubt his level of affinity with his abilities.

Making a sweep of the area with the thermal scope on his new Barrett XM500, a lighter bullpup successor of the Barrett M107 anti-material rifle, Bravo 2 informed us, "I'm picking up individual heat signatures from the buildings and their surroundings. Wherever we are, we are really here."

Alma materialized before us as she commented in an exaggerated formal and eloquent manner, "Welcome to Wonderland."

Confused, Chen asked, "What?"

I explained, "In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the world called Wonderland is the manifested subconscious of Alice."

Morales questioned, "So, this is how Akira sees the world? Or at least some kind of buried thing within her subconscious?"

Alma explained, "No...well…yes. This place seems to be how she feels about her existence. She feels alone and scared. Everyone and everything around her are just featureless ghosts that ignore her."

Realizing that this was likely going to be our only chance to "save" Akira, I addressed everyone, "Okay, everyone…listen up. This is going to be our only chance to prevent Akira from getting hurt. We need to spread out and hunt her down. She must be here somewhere. However, we are officially outside anything that we have encountered before. Akira is deteriorating at an alarming rate and there is no telling how this will manifest in her subconscious. Be prepared for anything. No one is to play hero today. Work as a group and watch each others backs. Communication equipment is going to be useless here. So…"

Looking at Bravo 2, I continued, "Bravo 2, I want you to go with the F.E.A.R. Team and to act as their liaison."

After adjusting his hold on his rifle so that it would be easier to carry, Bravo 2 said, "Yes, sir."

Looking at Wolf Pack, I ordered as I pointed in the direction behind us, "Delta Team, I want you to sweep that part of the town."

Then, shifting my attention to the F.E.A.R. Team, I pointed in the direction that led to what appeared to be the center of town as I ordered, "F.E.A.R. Team, I want you to sweep that part of town. Since you are a member short…" I looked over at Point Man and then started, "…Point Man, I want you to…"

However, suddenly, Alma interrupted, "Michael." I looked down at her with a questioning look. She frowned before she said with a firm tone, "You promised that you would have some bonding time with your brother-in-law."

I argued, "And there will be a time and place for that. However, this is not that time or place."

However, my wife flashed me a look that chilled me to my core. I dutifully said in response, "Very well. Juggernaut, you will back up the F.E.A.R. Team while Point Man remains with Dark Signal. Meanwhile, Dark Signal will sweep the remaining part of town. Hooah?" They all nodded in response. I finished, "Maintain contact via our telepathic link. Report anything you find no matter how insignificant you think it is. Watch each others backs. Remember your training and we will get through this. Move out."

With that, we began to move in our respective directions through the thick, chocking fog. However, it quickly became apparent that "direction" had very little value. We had barely traveled more than a city block before we inexplicably came to a sudden stop. The entire town, let alone the street itself, was completely gone. When I inched towards the edge and then looked over, I saw that it was as if the area beyond had been separated from the area that we inhabited as if it had been a bisected cake. There were sections of plumbing sticking out of the side and I even saw sewage spilling out as if it was a waterfall.

Beyond the break was eternal darkness. It could have merely been my paranoia but I could have sworn that I also heard the sound of distant cries of agony. Moving back away from the edge, I communicated with the Replica, 'All units, be advised that Dark Signal has encountered what appears to be the edge of the area. We are proceeding back in the direction of the insertion point. Dark Signal, out.'

I turned as my soldiers gave their respective responses. However, I was somewhat startled when I found a mannequin standing in the middle of the street mere feet away. The bizarre humanoid object was nude and appeared to be male in appearance though the only physical trait that I was able to see was that the shoulders were slightly broad. Its right hand was outstretched towards us and the position of the legs indicated, somewhat unnervingly, that the object had been advancing towards us while we were investigating the edge of the area. The fact that it had been able to get the drop on not only myself, Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, Manny, but also Point Man was enough to send a chill down my spine.

With shock in his tone, Morales asked rhetorically as he aimed his Andra Submachine Gun at the mannequin, "What the fuck?"

As we encircled the object with our weapons raised, I noted that the surface of the humanoid was cracked and peeling away. Its featureless face seemed to look off into infinity as if it was in an altogether different plane of existence than us. When the mannequin failed to respond in any way to our actions, I glanced over at Point Man and nodded slightly. Without giving any response, the large, heavily armored operative quickly moved forward and then swung the butt of his G2A2 Assault Rifle's stock into the humanoid object.

The sound of cracking plastic filled the air as the mannequin crumbled down onto the ground in pieces. The sections of the object had barely settled on the asphalt surface of the street before a sudden and strong gust of wind manifested. As I reacted to the wind, the ground beneath my feet began to vibrate violently. Then, moments later, the silent, sleepy foggy façade of the town was torn away as a gigantic red mushroom cloud appeared as it manifested somewhere in the center of the metropolis. A sharp stab of agony filled my mind as the cloud emitted raw negative psionic feedback from a source that was definitely inhuman.

The entire area was soon bathed in a hellish red light and, before my eyes, the town began to warp and crumble. The cracking of concrete and asphalt filled the air as whole buildings were ripped off their foundations and then torn apart as they were lifted into the air to become part of a growing cloud of debris that hovered above what remained of the town. Meanwhile, sections of various sizes began to freely float above the transformed metropolis as if they were small islands of rubble, some seemingly as large as an entire city block.

Though the massive mushroom cloud remained, the pain eventually began to subside and I was able to focus. Through our link, I ordered, 'All units, sound off!'

Seconds later, Bravo 2 replied, 'Bravo 2, Juggernaut, and The Sergeant checking in, sir. Lieutenant Chen is MIA.'

Shortly afterwards, Delta 1 replied, 'Wolf Pack checking in, sir. All members accounted for.'

I ordered, 'I have no idea what the hell just happened but the mission still stands. All units be on the lookout for Lieutenant Chen. Remember to report in if you find anything. Becket, out.'

By then, the other members of Dark Signal had gathered around me. Their body language indicated that none of them had lost any resolve in completing the mission despite the bizarre turn of events. Foxtrot 813 assured me with a steady tone, "Right behind you, sir. Let's go find her." Everyone present except for Point Man nodded in agreement.

I smiled slightly before I said, "Alright. On me, let's move out." Then, I began to make my way down the only remaining path through the twisted, maze-like street with my Patten Assault Rifle at the ready. I moved methodically but with a renewed sense of urgency. If what was befalling the town was any indication of Akira's deteriorating psyche, we did not have much time left to find her and stop her self-destruction. My surroundings seemed to echo my thoughts as bolts of lightning appeared in the hellish red sky along with the accompanying claps of thunder. Moments later, a rain of burning embers the size of one of my fists began to fall from the dark red sky.

It occurred to me that if we failed to save Akira from herself, there was a very good chance that we would join her in her descent into the black abyss. As this realization hit home, I questioned myself for my illogical and reckless desire to prevent the destruction and death of the being that was technically my enemy. Akira had killed every living creature on Earth nearly an infinite times over. She was the most irredeemable individual that I had ever met. Yet, I was willing to put my life and the lives of those around me in jeopardy for her.

I was willing to gamble everything for Akira and yet I could not even answer the simple question of why. Why was I so determined to save her? I had Amara. I had my own family. Akira was merely an alternate version of Amara. So, why was I so desperate to save her? I could not answer these questions and yet here I was in Akira's deteriorating psyche risking not only my life but the lives of Dark Signal, F.E.A.R., and Wolf Pack in a foolhardy mission to rescue the dying psychic.

My inward interrogation was derailed moments later when a small, dark, humanoid figure suddenly dashed out in front of me. As the unidentified individual darted down a side path that ran between the remains of a bank and a convenience store, I called out, "Hey! Stop!" Giving chase, I followed the figure down the side path. As I did, I informed the other groups, 'All units, Dark Signal is in pursuit of an unidentified individual.'

The child-sized figure moved at a seemingly impossible speed as it weaved through the narrow path between the town buildings. More than once, we lost sight of the being when we had to work together to move the remains of an automobile or a section of the surrounding buildings in order to continue the pursuit as we entered what appeared to have once been a residential area. I became unsure if the figure was leading us somewhere, fleeing from us, or was merely playing with us as it was able to always stay two steps ahead of us. Even with Alma attempting to cut the individual off, it was able to evade us.

Finally, the figure squeezed between a gap in the thick, rusting metal fence that surrounded an imposing but dilapidated estate that was either some kind of secondary medical care facility or some rich prick's tasteless idea of a mansion. I counted no less than seven chimneys protruding from the shingled roof of the five story building. The turrets in the corners of the rectangular building gave it the appearance of a fortress while the elaborate and emotional appearance of the structure itself indicated a Victorian-Era origin or inspiration in its design.

I ran to the locked main gate and then uselessly pulled on the left section with my gloved left hand as I watched the small figure enter the building through the seemingly unlocked front door. Standing beside me, Manny asked sarcastically, "Don't suppose we have a key…do we?"

I replied, "No, we have something better. We have an Alma."

As I finished my statement, my wife appeared on the other side of the locked gate while she giggled softly. A red aura manifested around the metal barrier until, seconds later, a loud click filled the air as the tumbles in the lock were forced to turn to the unlocked position. Giving off a piercing metal shriek, the two sections of the heavy gate began to slowly swing open. As I passed through the opened threshold, I said with a grateful tone, "Thanks for your help." In her child form, the raven-haired psionic smiled and then saluted quickly in response.

We had all entered the grounds of the estate when the gate slammed shut behind us. At the same time, one of the floating islands of debris suddenly fell from the sky and smashed into the ground just beyond the gate.

Morales commented, "Figures…"

Foxtrot added with a sarcastic tone, "Oh no…we're trapped…again."

Though I agreed with their sentiment, I remarked, "Focus." Taking point, I began to make my way along the cracked driveway that led to a roundabout in front of the main entrance to the mansion. On either side of the driveway loomed the remains of several marble statues that were the size of an adult human being. Time had seemingly eroded away all identifying traits of the humanoid figures to the point that they were now featureless silhouettes of men and women that were frozen in various poses.

In the center of the roundabout was a long-dry marble fountain that was itself plain but had ornate figurines that appeared to be small children surrounding its main reservoir. As we neared the fountain, both the figurines and the statues surrounding the driveway behind us suddenly began to twitch and give off soft hissing sounds. As the figurines broke free from the fountain and then lunged at me, I opened fire with my assault rifle.

Luckily, the marble bodies of the creatures were little match for the powerful rounds of my weapon and I was able to quickly dispatch them. I had no sooner finished off the last figurine before alarm bells went off inside my mind. However, I was too late to dodge the heavy fist of one of the male statues as it struck me square in the back of my head. The brutal blow was enough to stagger me briefly but, giving off an enraged demonic growl and with a dark red aura surrounding my frame, I turned and then used my psionic abilities to vaporize the animated marble humanoid.

Moments later, after we had dispatched our assailants, Morales commented, "That was a new one."

Foxtrot added, "It is such a shame when people mistreat such nice things."

Looking up from where I was urinating on one of the slain marble statues, I asked, "I'm sorry…what?"

Alma shook her head in disappointment before she asked me with a disapproving tone, "Really?"

Zipping up my pants, I shot back, "Hey, I've been holding it in since before we were ascending the path to Akira's Beach House. Any port in a storm."

She shook her head and sighed again before she replied, "Whatever…"

After re-situating myself, I motioned to everyone else and then took point as we continued towards the main entrance of the building that loomed before us. Moments before I had reached the partially open double doors to the mansion, in my peripheral vision, I saw a silhouette in one of the windows on the second floor. I paused to get a better look at the individual and was soon in for a shock as I recognized it as Lieutenant Chen.

The F.E.A.R. Operative had a frantic expression on his face as he pounded on the glass before him with his gloved right fist. Seconds later, a dark shadow appeared behind him. Before he could turn around, the shadow thrust its right arm into the operative. Blood appeared on the window and the soldier slowly slid down the panel of glass before slumping out of sight.

Enraged, I yelled, "Chen! Hold on!" As I charged towards the main entrance, I informed the Replica, 'All units, Dark Signal has located Lieutenant Chen. He appears to be in need of immediate assistance. I will update you as the situation unfolds. Continue your search for Akira. Becket, out.'

Then, without a second thought, I forced my way through the double doors and into the darkness of the mansion.