The howling blizzards of the northern tundras blew across the icy landscape with total disregard for anything. The intensity began to calm down, signalling that mother nature had finished her tantrum act.
Along the vast icy desert, shades of red blanketed the once white fields. The ice absorbed the crimson red blood as black corpses rested atop the frozen sheets. A blood bath in broad daylight right after a storm's passing.
Amidst the corpses stood a lone figure, their breath was steady, but their fingers were shaky from the recent duel. They kept a hand on their holstered gun, anticipating that one of the dead Emperor's blades would suddenly rise again.
But none of that happened; they trod through the blood-filled snow plains and kept walking. Leaving behind the carnage, the mysterious gunslinger mumbled to themselves in a thick masculine accent, "That's seven more to add to the list, and they tracked me down for weeks. I've gotten sloppy; need to return to camp and chart another route."
He pulled his hood over his helmet to better conceal himself as some poor wonderer from a distance. The exo-suit was already working overtime to warm his body up lest he suffers from hypothermia in this godforsaken tundra.
Wading through snow and the thick woods, the lone Hunter arrived back at camp unhinged. Letting out a relieved sigh, he lit the campfire and removed his helmet to take in the fresh air.
The winter breeze softly kissed his cheeks as he relished in the peace and quiet. Planting his arse on the damp cold log, he let the fire warm the little haven he had built for himself. Thoughts flowed into the seasoned man's head, his face tired and restless from the constant moving he had to endure.
His gaze moved around the scenery before finally resting on the blazing fire. The fire let out faint crackles whilst embers floated into the air in the thin numbers. A few minutes elapsed, and the man's mind wandered off. His eyelids felt heavy, and they slowly and forcibly shut themselves, prevailing over his will to stay awake.
An unknown amount of time had passed before the man awoke again with a startled grunt. His eyes immediately flicked up to the sky and noticed the sun was already resting well below the trees. Nightfall was about to set in; the last time he saw the sun, it relaxed just shy above him.
"Looks like I'm getting a tad bit sloppy these days, a prime opportunity to gut my throat whilst I was asleep." His expression turned into a frown as he turned his attention to the stranger that had entered his camp, "So tell me, what's a pretty young woman like you doing out here in these dangerous parts?"
A well-dressed figure sat quietly on the empty log; she radiated a calm, composed aura, yet there was more to it. She sat there quietly, sipping tea from a cup she somehow had for the occasion.
The pointed black horns resting atop the mysterious woman's head stood out like a sore thumb from a mile away. Her lush grey hair danced quietly with the gentle breeze that swept through the area. The miniature dangling medals and charms reflected the campfire's faint glow, which continued to roar with energy.
"My name is Talulah; I assure you that I come in peace, good sir; like you said, if I wanted to kill you, I would've sliced your neck open long ago. So please, you can take your hand off your holster." Her eyes stared directly at his right hand, which twitched ever so slightly to grab his gun.
"The name's Huron. Although, I'm afraid I have very little to offer in the ways of food and shelter. I suggest you leave as soon as possible. Dangerous people are chasing me; the last thing I need is another civilian getting caught up in all this." He let out a long sigh, "For your sake, miss, you do not want to linger around me."
The woman raised a curious brow and took a slow sip from her drink, "You mean the strew of corpses you left behind in the snow earlier? Are you referring to those kinds of scary people?"
He paused his actions and shot her a cautious look; slowly sitting upright, he began to question just who he was entertaining, "So, who exactly am I talking to? I was hoping to dismiss you as some traveller who merely stumbled upon my camp, but seeing how well your attire and knowledge about the Emperor's Blades, I must re-evaluate my judgement."
Talulah scoffed, "To these harsh lands, I may as well be a no one; I'm not a significant figure if that's what you're going for. The group I have been travelling with has had a few run-ins with these feared monsters. But seeing such a high number lying dead in the snow was enough to pique my curiosity, so I trailed you back to your camp."
He spoke in an irritated tone, "Is this a sales pitch? Sorry to burst your bubble, ma'am, but I'm not a gun for hire. The Ursus government has painted a target on my back; they'll kill just about anyone who's even exchanged words with me. So, believe me when I say it should be in your best interest to make yourself scarce from here." He drew his gun and began to clean the barrel.
"You tried to protect the last village, didn't you? The one that you saved from the execution squad. You stood up for those workers who refused to return to the mines and freed them from their captors. For a brief moment, you gave those people hope, but it didn't last long, did it?" She asked bluntly.
The seasoned warrior massaged the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh, "I was out hunting for food that day; poor lads couldn't even lift a stick if their life depended on it, so someone had to go." He paused, his expression turning grim, "I wasn't even 500 metres of the place when I could smell the burning corpses. By the time I arrived, there was nothing to save. Those sick bastards…!"
"I apologise for your losses; we Infected get treated like the second rabble no matter where we go on this planet." The Draco took one last sip from her cup before setting it aside.
"Every place I've been in contact with has suffered from the hands of Emperor's Blades one way or another. Hence, I try to distance myself from any form of contact; no one deserves to have their life cut short for such a stupid reason. And yet I chose to help those groups of people in hopes of requesting a different outcome. The fool I was for believing such a thing." He scoffed.
"What if I told you that you aren't a fool for believing in such a thing? Would you entertain the thought again if there was a solution to stop this endless slaughter of innocents?" Talulah boldly proclaimed.
Honsu snorted under his breath, "You're telling me that there's a chance? What makes you think you and your group will survive against the wrath of the Emperor's Blades? Am I going to be your trump card in those situations?" He shook his head in disbelief.
"My dear Honsu, if you would let me explain my position, I think you will change your mind once I am done explaining myself." The Draco woman smiled, a confident one at that.
The man looked at her face and saw that she wasn't joking in the slightest ounce, just who exactly was this woman? Eventually, he gave up trying to mentally jump hoops and accepted her request, "Fine, what is it that you want?"
"I have a proposal that I think will benefit the Infected population and us as a whole." Talulah's face lit up with a bright smile.
The sound of roaring afterburners screamed through the sky as a sleek metallic aircraft zoomed across the desert sands between Ursus and Yan. The light-coloured brown sand stretched as far as the eye could see, with temperatures fluctuating with the day and night cycle.
The aircraft's designation number and the name were across the grey paint job painted in white, 'Odyssey 007' was written clear as day for everyone to see. Inside the vehicle was a small group of operators on their way to investigate a mysterious sighting that was given to them by their forward operations centre.
Cresting the horizon at breakneck speeds, the visible image of a black pyramid revealed itself to the travellers in all its disturbing form. The afternoon sun was absorbed by the dark metallic surface that blanketed the entire structure, giving an ominous feeling to onlookers.
The dropship decreased its speed on approach and pulled up loud as if announcing its presence to the dwellers within the structure. Landing gears retracted themselves with an audible hum whilst the thrusters kicked up a miniature sandstorm on the vehicle's descent.
With the aircraft sitting perfectly on the sand, the engines abruptly shut down, and the rear cargo door popped open with a bang. Footsteps banging against the metal ramp audibly rang out in the air as five operators descended onto the dunes.
"Welcome to the Yobi desert, where if nature doesn't kill you, then strange pyramids in the middle of nowhere will." The operator exclaimed with his arms wide open.
"Oh, so we're jumping straight to the hostilities now, Jax?" His colleague rolled her eyes.
"Come now, Hannah, you're seriously telling me this isn't throwing red flags across the entire board here? A black pyramid with no origins whatsoever just magically appears in the slap-bang middle of nowhere, and only now we get wind of it?" He pointed with both hands to the towering structure.
"Ugh, for crying out loud, we're not even five minutes into the operation, and you're already jinxing in Jax." A short red-haired Sarkaz strolled past the man with an irritated gaze.
"Looks like we'll have to use the quad bikes for this terrain; there's no way we'll be able to set up a perimeter quickly with this giant structure in the way." A rugged defender operator voiced his opinion as he scanned the area with his binoculars.
"We only brought two ATVs on the dropship, though, as for perimeter nodes, I don't think we have enough even to encompass the pyramid itself." Jax glanced back at the cargo hold before shifting his gaze towards Vigna, "So, squad leader, what's the call?"
"You and Lee dismount the ATVs and begin setting up a perimeter around the aircraft and the survey site. There's no need for us to wander too far from the area; our job is to data about the structure and leave."
Hannah dusted the stray sand off her coat, "Sara and I will set up a temporary camp then; it shouldn't take us more than twenty minutes to fully start this operation."
Vigna silently acknowledged her with a nod before turning her attention toward the giant structure. Feeling a slight chill run down her spine, she shuddered at the sensation and mentally berated herself.
"Get yourself together, Vigna; you can't chicken out now in front of the squad. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get back into jamming out on the guitar."
"Don't you think it's strange?" Hannah approached her from behind.
"Well, there's a lot more than strange to describe this situation, truth be told."
"I'm surprised Rhodes Island even greenlit this operation; shouldn't this be Ursus or Yan's job to investigate?" The operator scratched her head at the scene.
Vigna shook her head at the incorrect statement, "This place is beyond the reach and influence of any of those nations. Besides, there are hardly any resources or points of interest in the first place; no one's going to touch this barren oasis."
"But why should Rhodes Island be nosing its way here? Seems like an expensive operation to ferry five operators to the middle of nowhere to survey a pyramid."
"Beats me; the folks back on the landship seemed pretty spooked about the mention of the existence of this pyramid. So much so that they gave strict orders not to interact with the structure but just to let the devices scan it." The Sarkaz shrugged.
"Sara will be nearly done setting up the camp, which reminds me, I should go give her a hand with the tent."
"Oh, before you go, you got the scanner on you? I'll head on over and just set it up near the base of the pyramid so we can kick start the calculations. I don't want to stay in this place any longer than I must."
Hannah fished out a small cylindrical device from her bag and handed it over to the short woman, "If you run into any problems, give us a holler." She pointed to the earpiece.
Giving a silent nod, Vigna promptly made her way across the sandy terrain towards her objective. With each step she took, the towering construct grew ever more immense, almost to the point she was an ant.
Arriving at the pyramid's base, she held the little survey gadget in her hand and twisted the top to activate it. The device let out a low hum, and three claws deployed themselves at the base.
Pointing the device at the sand, she threw it straight down and watched the object bury itself at an odd angle. With three short beeps, the device straightened itself upright and anchored itself.
"Huh, guess closure really had a hand in making these." She murmured to herself.
A mild gust of wind slammed into her back, throwing her train of thoughts off. Noticing that her beret had been blown off, she grumbled at the sight and hurried over to fetch it.
Dusting the sand off it, she placed it back on her head nice and snug. However, another thing caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Seeing that the sands were being taken together with the wind, she followed the trail with her eyes until it stopped at the pyramid.
Noticing a large rectangular doorway sitting casually wide open, the trails of sand grains stumbled in without a care. Only the first 3 metres of the entrance were illuminated correctly; the rest of the inner hallway was pitch black from what she could discern.
Her curiosity piqued her interest, but her mind was vehemently protesting at her not to go any further. Unfortunately, by the time Vigna had noticed the changes in her surroundings, she was already at the entrance, ready to step into the unknown.
"-zzzt- Vigna, where are you? I've lost sight of you from the camp. Is everything alright?" Hannah's voice chirped in through the earpiece.
"Agh! Shit, that scared me for a second!" She clasped her chest in shock as if her heart were about to jump out just then. "Sorry, Hannah, I just got distracted for a moment there. I'll start making my way back now."
Before the Sarkaz vanguard could turn around, a glimpse of a familiar figure caught her attention down the dimly lit hallway. For some strange reason, lights had suddenly activated themselves, giving the place a better view.
The hairs on her neck stood upright, her instincts telling her to turn back and get the hell out of here. But her curiosity fought back, urging her to stay just a bit to confirm her suspicions.
Her eyes widened in shock as the hooded figure seemingly crept out of the dimly lit hallway nonchalantly. No way, the Doctor, here? Surely her mind was playing tricks on her; what's the Doc doing all the way out here?"
At this point, her legs began to move themselves as her body finally convinced itself it was time to get the hell out of here. She turned around, never daring to look back, fearing something terrible creeping up on her.
But she faced a new problem now; she swore she was just standing outside the entrance a few moments ago. Yet now she was walking past walls with the exit, as clear as day, slowly shrinking.
Her power walk quickly turned into a jog and into a full sprint as her fear of being trapped inside this nightmare induced state got the better of her mind. Her footsteps echoed across the metal flooring as she ran as fast as her legs could go.
"Guys, help, this place is alive!" She screamed into the earpiece.
"What's happening, Vigna? Where are you?" Jax answered her pleas in a troubled tone.
"Don't worry, Vigna; we're on the way!" Lee assured her over the comms.
"The pyramid is-ack!"
Before she could utter another word, a cold metal feeling grabbed her back with enough force to stop her dead in her tracks. She squirmed and struggled with all her might to break free from the mysterious thing gripping her.
Using her spear, she began to poke violently in the general direction of the perpetrator, but her blade only made a twanging noise as it bounced harmlessly off the metal device. With a series of clicks, the device surged backwards, dragging her deeper into the abyss.
Vigna cried for help as her spear left her hands; her vision blurred as the walls and lights moved by so fast. She lost track of time she spent being dragged and was violently thrown onto the floor in a split second.
Landing on the cold floor with a loud thud, she felt the wind knocked out of her chest by such a violent move. Regaining her breath, she slowly gazed around and tried to take in her environment.
Her brain was lost and confused as it tried to interpret the abstract surroundings they were in. Pillars rose high at varying heights whilst platforms were joined at odd angles around the massive room.
Seeing that she had been placed on some random platform, the only source of light in the area came from some unknown opening high in the ceiling of the place. The most prominent feature of this vast room was the emphasis on triangles in the architecture.
Squinting her eyes at the object in the distance, the light brightly illuminated an object that closely mimicked that of an operating table. The placement confused her; was there a message she had missed entirely?
"Phase 2 complete, subject retrieval was a success. Commencing start-up procedures of Phase 3." A loud mechanical voice boomed overhead.
The cold, commanding tone shocked Vigna, causing her to let out a tiny yelp. Her eyes frantically darted around to find the source, but she only saw darkness everywhere besides the light source.
"Scanning subject for compatibility results." It promptly announced, "Scan complete; the subject is fit for conversion. Beginning preparation stages for ascendancy, may the Dark guide thee."
"Wait! What the hell do you mean conversion!? I'm not some plaything for your sick-minded games; whoever is in charge, I'll gladly throw my fists at your face!" She protested loudly, but her entire core shook in fear deep down.
"You have been chosen to ascend to a greater form as per the orders of The Witness. Your flesh container is weak; by my calculations, your new form will outperform and outlive any living species on this planet tenfold." The mechanical voice coldly stated, "Do not resist; you will only make things harder for yourself."
"Fuck you; there's no way you'll be doing anything to my body!" She waved her middle finger in the air.
"I wasn't asking." It replied.
Out of nowhere, several mechanical claws sprung from the dark depths and viciously latched onto Vigna's small frame. The Sarkaz screamed and struggled to free herself, but the claws' iron grip had overpowered her.
"No, no, let me go!"
The mechanical arms swiftly brought her closer to the operating table and suspended her above the bed. Having her body bask in the bright light, a smaller claw revealed itself and began to slither over her body ominously.
Vigna's breath began to speed up, her heart was beating at an abnormal rate already, and the number of emotions going through her was indescribable. Every waking moment she resisted, but her body did not budge.
A mechanical hiss audibly made itself present as a black haze descended upon Vigna. Slowly it crept down and covered her before fully encapsulating her figure and hiding it from the naked eye.
She held her breath, but it was futile as the mysterious gas invaded her lungs. She felt violated at every step. Was this it? Is this where she was going to die? Tears began to form in her eyes as reality started to set in for her.
She didn't want to die; she begged silently for life to give her another chance. She couldn't accept this fate; this wasn't the end she was hoping for.
The metal claw revealed itself through the gas, and it spread open its appendages. Diving in towards her, she prepared for the worst and waited for the pain to hit her like a runaway bus.
The metal linkage smacked her in the clavicle and embedded itself into her skin. Sending a sharp jolt of electricity through her body, a pained squeal was muttered, followed by incomprehensible noises of pain.
Vigna's mouth began to froth up as the foreign intervention overstimulated her entire body. Her consciousness wavered, and her mind was losing all its cohesion.
The light at the end of the tunnel began to shrink; her eyes began to shut themselves as she couldn't handle it anymore. Her will had let go despite her fighting spirit clinging on to desperation.
And just like that, she awoke with a violent stimulus shocking her. She frantically scanned her surroundings, hoping to find something that made the slightest bit of sense to her. But all she saw was a gloomy barren wasteland before her.
The sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks drew her attention; her senses were slowly coming back bit by bit. She peered over the rocky platform she was on, gazing into the hazy blue abyss below.
She ran her hands over her body, feeling for any signs of change. The after-effects of being gripped by such a vile automaton lingered in the back of her mind, leaving a phantom impression.
Slowly but surely, she rose to her feet and took in the rest of her surroundings. The cold wind rushed in from behind, blowing her red hair everywhere. The entire terrain was foreign to her; she felt no connection to the land. Just where exactly was she?
"I don't like this place…." She mumbled to herself as she saw only decay as far as the eye could see.
Seeing a large shadow cast itself overhead, its presence was enough to drown out the dim sunlight. Naturally turning to see the disturbance, the Sarkaz woman audibly gasped as she strained her neck to better view the flying monstrosities.
Dotting the sky in large swathes, several black pyramids suspended themselves with a threatening presence. Vigna felt a chill run up her back as she was immediately reminded of her horrendous encounter earlier.
Pulling her attention away from the ominous display, she felt nauseous suddenly and was on the verge of throwing up. Collecting her thoughts and calming herself, she averted her internal crisis.
"Steady breaths Vigna, steady breaths. Remember your training; remember what Dobermann taught you."
"Vigna, Vigna, what a pleasant surprise!" An energetic voice greeted her.
Moving her head to the source, a familiar person caught her gaze. Instead of giving the usual feeling of relief, her entire body screamed at her to turn tail and run for the hills. Something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"D-Doctor?..." She edged the words out carefully, hesitant to approach the man.
"Oh, I suppose you aren't as gullible as I thought." The man clapped his hands together, yet the hint of disappointment lingered in his tone.
"Then you aren't him, are you? Where am I? Why are you impersonating the Doctor?" She slowly backed away, glancing over her shoulder for an escape route.
The armoured individual shrugged his shoulders, "I'm merely going off with what I know, but an interesting title you have given this Guardian nonetheless."
"This is an illusion, isn't it? I just need to wake up, and this nightmare will be all over." She raised a brow, eying her opposition.
"Well, I need to figure out how to wake myself up first that is."
"Have you noticed the environment you're standing in? Surely you must've deduced that this is far from normal." He gestured calmly, "How do you think this world came to be?"
"Enough of the cryptic games; I know this is an illusion for you to keep me here for as long as you want. Save your breath, pal." She pointed at him defiantly.
The man sighed, "I wouldn't deceive someone like you so openly; in fact, I rather hate having to lie to my enemies. So, believe me when I say this, Vigna, this place is your planet in the far future." His arms flung open.
"Huh?" Vigna simply wore a confused look.
"I think it's time I gave you a thorough history lesson. Maybe a hands-on approach will best suit you; you might make up your mind after I'm done here." He casually said, although his underlying tone implied something far more sinister.
Without uttering a word, a black cloud burst forth from various parts of the battered armour and swarmed towards Vigna. The Sarkaz girl attempted to flee but was overwhelmed by the unknown entity in a heartbeat.
The same sensations began to hit Vigna all over; it was the same feeling when she was on the operating table earlier. Was she going to pass out again? What nightmare awaited her this time around when she would wake up? Was she going to wake up?
"There now, I have high hopes for you being compatible with my Ascension program. If you succeed, then that means all the better for me. If you get rejected, well, I suppose the trash compactor still has space left." The black mist spoke malevolently at the unconscious body.
Jax stoked the fire with a stick as he took another bite out of his ration box. Glancing over to Lee, the defender operator stared at the metal door with a killer gaze that was enough to make people rethink their decisions.
"Give it a break Lee; you've been staring at the door for hours now. Hannah is worried you might pass out from the stress. You've barely touched your food as well." He told the stern man.
"I've got no appetite at the moment, Jax." He told the Kuranta bowman.
"You take a page out of his book Lee, at least munch down on your taters; poor Sara worked hard to cook us these meals." Kamui, the dropship pilot, said.
Silently moving his hand, the operator poked one of the roaster potatoes with his fork and began eating his meal. His eyes never left the door, still fixated on the hostile structure.
Hannah walked over gently and sat down on one of the foldable chairs; she greeted the men with a warm smile. "Sara is keeping watch of the ship now; I came in to check on you boys to make sure with my own two eyes that everything's alright."
"Well, we finally managed to convince Lee to eat his dinner." Jax proudly pointed at the defender.
"I can see that; I thought he would definitely skip out." The woman smiled happily.
"Any reply from command?" Lee asked before taking another bite.
"They've told us to stay put, for now, unfortunately. The landship is running low, and supplies are speeding for Lungmen to resupply. Sending out another expedition team will strain their resources even further; it seems like we've been caught in a bad moment here." The caster operator massaged her forehead in frustration.
The rest of the group took the bad news hard, knowing they couldn't do anything whilst their squad leader was abducted by this foreign structure.
"Sheesh, talk about a slap in the face." Kamui groaned.
"We've been out here for more than eight hours already, and we're expected to wait even longer to stage a rescue operation? For all we know, Vigna could be dead by the time we pry open those doors!" Jax exclaimed.
"What do you suggest we do then? We've tried the laser cutter and explosives, and the door still won't budge. Whatever this place is made off, it's built like a fortress meant to withstand invasions." Lee grumbled.
"Our hands are tied. Unfortunately, we'll just have to hope that Vigna holds out long enough in there for us to break through." Hannah proclaimed.
The low rumbling sound of heavy metal being dragged across the ground instantly caught the group's attention. All eyes immediately landed on the metal door as it slid open slowly like a lumbering giant.
Lee sprang up and retrieved his shield from the sand; he assumed a defensive stance in front of the group with his short sword drawn. Jax drew his bow in a heartbeat and pre-aimed an arrow at the entrance.
Hannah took up the rear together with Kamui, and the entire squad waited on edge for something to appear from the darkness. Silence befell them save for the occasional crackle from the firepit.
Seconds passed, which turned into minutes; nothing had emerged from the mysterious structure so far. The group remained vigilant, but eventually, Lee lowered his shield as he saw no imminent danger.
"Looks like there's our cue to stage a suicidal operation." He pointed.
"You're joking, right?" Jax raised a brow.
"Wait, something's moving. It's coming from the entrance, is that-Vigna?" Hannah squinted her eyes through the dimly lit area.
"Wait, is that her?" Jax cautiously drew back his arrow, awaiting confirmation from Lee of all people.
"No, that isn't her; I would know from her height. Either way, someone's managed to find their way out, so let's help them." He babbled before hurrying over to the stumbling figure.
As the moonlight broke through the clouds, its calm rays rested on the mysterious figure hauling her entire body out of the pyramid. Her expression was hard to read, almost as if her mind was elsewhere.
She barely made it more than three metres from the entrance before collapsing into the sand, her red hair covering her facial structures and features. The sounds of hurried footsteps made themselves clear as Lee rushed to her aid.
"Quick, get Sara over here to perform her healing arts. Jax and I will begin a rundown analysis of the patient." He swiftly said.
Hannah broke off and sprinted towards the dropship, leaving Kamui to assist the other two. As the two operators promptly turned the mysterious woman over, they were surprised to find her eyes half-open.
"Ma'am, can you hear me, ma'am?" Jax snapped his fingers in front of the lady to garner her attention.
At first, there was no response, but after a few seconds, the woman blinked rapidly before looking at Jax straight in the eyes.
"Well, she can definitely respond to your cues," Kamui stated the obvious.
"Miss, are you okay? Are you hurt in any part of your body? Are you able to speak?" He asked for the basic stuff.
The woman blinked several more times before opening her mouth; for a moment, she struggled to choose the right words to respond. Instead, she opted to say something that would forever shock the group.
"Jax?..."
The sniper was too stunned to speak; he wasn't sure how to respond to such a thing. How could some random woman whom he'd never met know his name all of a sudden? "Eh?!"
"Did I miss something here?" Kamui stroked the back of his head as he tried to make sense of the situation.
"Uhhh, um, I'm sorry. But how'd you know my name?" He politely asked her without coming off as creeped out.
The woman was taken aback by the response, almost offended, "It's me, Vigna….." She muttered before her head slumped back and her eyelids shut themselves.
Victor Braun strode through the empty corridors with a heavy chest after being bombarded with paper works and resolutions upon his discharge. Ever since the 'incident' at the village and the Chernobog rescue operation, logistics and planning had gone awry.
Currently, Rhodes Island itself has chartered a course for the city of Lungmen, one of the few non-nomadic cities to remain firmly planted on its original soil since its founding. With the landship low on supplies, this was the only logical choice, as seeking another replenishment site would've cost them a few more weeks.
But it wasn't all smiles and cheers on the way there; the process of handling the deceased and managing the onboard patients was a struggle as the medical department has received a more significant influx of casualties recently.
Engineering was operating on fumes practically, doing whatever they could to keep the landship operational before it finally kicks the bucket. From the original report, it seems the powerplants themselves were in dire need of replacement parts.
Then there was managing the various F. around the globe and trading supplies with them via air transportation. The fuel supplies needed to fuel the transport ships were critically low, allowing only emergency sorties.
From this standpoint, everything was a mess; the bureaucracy needed to handle the approval request for dozens of operators and sign off on trade deals here and there swamped Victor in paperwork.
The first day was terrible, with paper stacks burying his desk, hiding his form from any visitors. It took a whole day to clear the piles before he had any time to himself. The present-day rolled around, and the first thing that happens is he gets called into a meeting on the bridge.
Tapping his card onto the scanner, the bulkheads grumbled and groaned as the locks disengaged and slid the thick metal mass open. Walking into an entirely different area, various crew members paced around whilst others sat down and relayed information over the comms.
At the centre of the room was a large desk displaying a holographic map of their current topography and location in real-time. Amiya and Kal'tsit stood hunched over the object, discussing something amidst themselves.
Noticing his presence, the Cautus girl waved excitedly at him to come over, her warm smile radiating her presence even more. As for Kal'tsit, her expressionless face said it all about her attitude toward the Doctor.
Joining the pair, Amiya greeted him with an upbeat attitude, "Good morning, Doctor; I hope you enjoyed your rest. Is everything going smoothly so far for you?"
The man scratched the back of his head to gather a response, "Slept like a log, really; as for the landship itself, I'll probably take some time to get used to the whole thing."
"That's good to hear! Now that you're with us, Dr. Kal'tsit and I were just discussing our next angle of approach once we docked in Lungmen." Amiya cheerfully said.
"Alright, fill me in then. Do I have to look forward to another conflict so soon?" He paused, rephrasing his question in a more honest manner, "I jest, is Rhodes Island raising its sword again, riding straight into the maw of the conflict itself?" His eyes were fixated on Kal'tsit.
The woman blankly offered her usual neutral stare and just closed her eyes. A small sigh escaped her mouth, and she shrugged her shoulders. "I won't deny the fact that conflicts may arise during our time spent in Lungmen, our hands are tied at the moment, and this is our only ticket out of the situation we're in."
"The influx of refugees migrating towards Lungmen from Ursus and Yan and the surrounding areas have increased by almost 200%, according to our intelligence reports. There's no doubt our rescue operation in Chernobog contributed to this influx." Amiya moved her fingers and brought up various charts with the appropriate report to back them up.
It didn't take a genius to piece together the problems that would arise from this situation, Victor saw a pattern emerging, and he wasn't fond of it. "If you would call the devastation of Chernobog a victory for Reunion, then I guarantee you, they'll be targeting Lungmen next."
"There's no way the local police force will be able to stamp out the infiltrators amongst such a large group. A lot will slip through, putting together their plan to strike at Lungmen and cripple the city the same way they did to Chernobog." The little Cautus pointed at the rising population count.
Kal'tsit inserted her opinion on the matter, "There's no doubt Wei-Yen Wu is well aware of this ploy; in fact, I'll leave early and make my way over there to begin our negotiation talks. By the time the two of you arrive, the boring political drabble is put to rest."
"I assume that Lungmen isn't simply going to let us dock for free without some form of compensation. We'll be taking on a massive resupply operation alone in the first few days. Do we have the funds to cover this exchange?" He voiced his concern.
"Hopefully, I can have that sorted by the time you and Amiya arrive. Knowing Wei, he can blabber on about the most useless topics if it means boring his guests to leave him alone." Kal'tsit remarked.
"Then, that means we'll find ourselves coming to blow against Reunion again. But with Lungmen being a foreign entity, we don't exactly have the best intelligence data on their city. It seems like anything to do with combat will be done on the fly," Amiya turned towards Victor with a hopeful expression, "We'll be counting on you, Doctor."
The man replied with a confident smile, but deep down, the anxiety of having to command these operators festered slowly. Maybe the Chernobog incident gave him a confidence boost; however, that operation still resulted in a mess that made him doubt his prowess.
Feeling a slight rasp on his back, it disrupted his train of thoughts momentarily. Turning around, a pair of green eyes greeted him with mysterious intent. It was hard to even penetrate the hidden layer in Kal'tsit's gaze, let alone wonder what she's even thinking at the present moment.
"Yes?" Victor edged the words out.
"Come with me; there's something I wish to show you." She gestured with a finger. "Amiya, this meeting is adjourned, have a break if you will. I can't have you overworking yourself in front of me; I will not allow it."
The little Cautus grinned from ear to ear, "Don't worry ma'am, I'll get right on it."
The two figures gracefully exited the bridge with the bulkhead sealing itself shut behind them. With no other voices present, Kal'tsit took one quick glance at her surroundings before fishing out a strange device with a needle on the end.
Victor noticed the sharp tool and wondered what he'd gotten himself into this time around. "Did closure give you a new toy to play with?" He began the awkward conversation.
"You could say she played a part in designing this, but that's not important right now." She extended her arm and offered the device to him, "Take it and stab your forearm, it doesn't matter which one; just do it."
He was taken aback by the sudden request, "Huh? Stab myself, what for?"
Before he could utter another word, the strength akin to that of a gorilla clamped down on his right forearm and drove the strange device straight through his skin. The needle embedded itself and emitted a slight hiss.
Promptly removing the apparatus, Kal'tsit released her grip and began reading the numbers shown on the small projector screen. Victor could only muster a small 'ow' from the event, although the monster strength by Kal'tsit hurt his arm more than the injection.
"You were too slow; you need to be quicker than that when you're on the battlefield. Deciding which medical treatments must be administered to an operator, reacting to weak points and shortcomings. All this comes down to the strategist on the field, ensuring our personnel walk out of those warzones alive." Kal'tsit bluntly told him, as if his anxiety didn't need further fuelling. "I am well aware of the burdens I am placing upon you, but the operators of Rhodes Island are putting their faith in you to lead them out of the many battles we'll be facing. I need to make sure that you're up to that task."
Victor kept a tight lip; he was unsure of how to respond in this situation. He felt the terms he was presented with were unfair. He wasn't the 'Doctor' of before, whoever this brilliant strategist and tactician were. He's not the same man who went into that stasis pod and came out of it.
"Your vitals are showing average numbers across the board, although I will be running more tests on you in the coming days just to make sure. Also, I am the only one authorised to do such tests, and anyone else is barred from doing so." She explicitly made it clear, "You have that troubled look in your eyes."
The two of them stopped in the middle of the hallway; somehow, they ended up in another part of the landship that barely any crew members visited. The woman folded her arms and turned her body towards him.
"Be honest with me; I'd rather you tell me the truth now than have you lie and compensate for something beyond your league." Her tone spared no remorse.
"I'm not sure I can lead our operators again; I don't have that confidence in myself. Call me stupid, but I feel like the Chernobog incident was more of a fluke than anything else. To top it all off, I feel responsible for the massacre of an entire village, so I'm sorry if I'm not performing at my best right now." He blurted out the words, unable to shelve them any longer.
Kal'tsit looked at him, her expression ever so unchanging which threw the man off. She knew he'd been shaken; she was just waiting for the walls to come crumbling down.
"Thank you for being honest." She genuinely said, a small smile creeping up onto her lips. "It's not every day I get people to vent their true feelings to me, so I'll act in accordance with your wishes then. You'll be withdrawn as the main commander for our operations. Instead, you'll act as a guide for Amiya and the strategist team."
"But isn't that what I'm already doing?" He looked confused.
"Technically, no, Amiya will be calling the shots together with the senior operators on the team. Normally you'd be accompanying her on the field and relaying orders on the fly; this time, you'll stay back on the landship and advise on tactics together with the senior operators."
Victor was shaken by the drastic change in leadership, "So fast, are you sure Amiya and the others are willing to accept this change?"
The woman raised a brow, "They will have to accept this change because you yourself told me you aren't ready for the fieldwork. Are you sure you're not trying to backtrack on your statement earlier?"
"I-…..no, you are correct." He sighed at the reality of things. "I'm sorry, I'm not the brilliant strategist you were hoping for when Amiya pulled me out of the rubble."
The woman rested a hand on her hip and wore her usual moody appearance, "I'm not one to mince my words, Victor; when you left that pod, I wasn't even sure of what we were going to pull out. While there is a sense of freedom hanging over you, I assure you that freedom is not free. You lost your memories, woke up, were forced to fight and witnessed lives being taken. This whole time you barely had time to choose for yourself," She looked him dead in the eyes, "Tell me, Doctor, why do you still choose to stay and fight?"
He leaned back against the wall with all his weight and pondered on the words. After sending a few moments to choose his response, he uttered a simple line, "I don't know, I don't have your answer yet, Kal'tsit."
She folded her arms with an intrigued look in her eyes, "Is that so? Very well, I look forward to hearing your answer then."
Fishing out a key card from her lab coat, she moved past the man and tapped it against the reader on the wall. The machine beeped in response, and the locks on the door released themselves.
Pulling back the iron curtain, a wave of dust spilled out from the darkroom, indicating it hadn't seen any walks of life come through it. Kal'tsit motioned him to go inside as she calmly disappeared into the abyss.
With a flick of her fingers, the lights came on in sequence, starting from the front of the room to the back. With each part of the room illuminated, its purpose became evident to the Doctor.
"An armoury?..." He said slowly, his eyes trailing down various weapons hanging from the wall and racks.
"I figured if you're going to start digging up your past, I may as well point you in the right direction." She motioned around the place.
His eyes jumped from item to item, his curiosity peaking at levels he'd never felt before. Everything about the equipment in the room was just begging to be picked up and used. To think they'd been collecting dust this entire time showed how long the original owner had been out of commission.
"Is this what I wore?" He stopped in front of an armour stand, taking in the craftsmanship that went into each piece.
"You used everything in this room at some point; I took it upon myself to make sure none of this would fall into the wrong hands. Hence why it's been sealed up and locked away until your return."
"I can see why…." He looked at the light machine gun mounted on the wall; the design looked like it was meant to fire large calibre bullets than anything normal-sized.
He noticed a picture of himself and two other people he faintly recognised coming up to a desk. Picking up the framed photo, he recognised the two men standing next to him.
"Scout and Ace…." He spoke softly, "Is this what I used to look like before?" He showed the image to Kal'tsit.
"Who else could it be?"
"It's just…..I barely recognise myself, to be honest." He scoffed.
"Does anything feel familiar to you? I was hoping something in here might act as a trigger point for your memories. Or else having to recite your already obscure past will be a tough challenge for me."
He glanced around the room and felt various things draw his attention, but none of them seemed to kick start his memories. The only thing that felt vaguely familiar was the glaive that sat suspended on the rack.
It wasn't calling out to him, far from that. Instead, he felt the urge to just touch it, pick it up and start swinging it. His fingers inched forward towards the weapon, his tips brushing against the wrapped hilt.
Feeling a jolt of electricity course through his body, his facial expression visibly changed into shock. Reeling back from the weapon, he shook off the incident as if nothing had happened. Yet he felt mentally exhausted, somehow like his brain was just hit by a runaway truck.
"Did something happen? You look like you've seen a ghost." Kal'tsit glanced up from her tablet, seemingly oblivious to what had happened.
"Yeah, yeah, just overwhelmed, that's all." He turned his face away to avoid being probed further.
"Well, this is the real reason why I dragged you out here, to show you this place. I was hoping we'd make some progress in terms of recovering your memories, but alas, retrograde amnesia isn't the same for everyone." The woman sighed.
"I don't suppose it's too late to ask for a story session. Obviously, I'm not asking you to recite it to me like a bedtime story; I'd prefer a written report more than anything." He chuckled at the thought.
Kal'tsit groaned at the mention of reciting a bedtime story, "Don't expect me to dig up a miracle for you, but I will try to give you the most relevant report." Hearing a buzz coming from her wristwatch, a surprised expression crossed her face.
It is exceedingly rare to see Kal'tsit omit a startled face, and typically when that happens, it's never a good sign. "Pardon me; I need to attend to this matter." She hurriedly walked out of the room and disappeared down the hallway.
Following her up to the door, he leaned his head out the doorway and lost sight of the woman. "Huh, wonder what that was all about." He murmured in confusion.
Kal'tsit tapped her right foot anxiously as she rode the elevator down towards the hangar bays. Her shoes noisily echoed inside the metal box, but her thoughts drowned out the noise.
The door slid open, and she dashed out onto the noisy runway filled with the sounds of jet thrusters roaring overhead. The wind pressure was kicked up violently, turning the woman's hair into a crow's nest.
She simply brushed the strands aside that were blocking her vision and eagerly awaited the occupants' arrival inside the dropship. Landing gears kissed the pavement, and the rear ramp shot open onto the deck.
A stretcher was quickly rolled off the ship by the crew members inside, and they rushed past Kal'tsit. Without uttering a word, the woman matched their pace and promptly began taking notes on the situation.
More medical personnel rushed to the scene and took control of the stretcher, relieving the initial operators of their duties. "Initiating superficial scans of the patient, I need OMI on this patient now."
"Get her to bay 33, have the pulse oximeter and cardiac monitor ready to go. Make sure we have a defibrillator in case we get serious dysrhythmia." Kal'tsit calmly instructed the staff.
The group burst through the doors and wheeled the stretcher into an isolated room, hastily transferring the unconscious woman onto the bed; the advanced machinery sprung to life and began analysing its patient.
"I've got no pulse; she's cold as rocks." The medic looked at Kal'tsit with a panicked face.
"Begin CPR!"
"No, this isn't right; this can't be true?!" One of the medics stared at her tablet in shock.
Kal'tsit noticed the disturbance right away and probed the woman for information, "Talk to me; I need to know what we're dealing with."
"S-she's barely got any organs?! But how, this isn't possible?" She showed the scanned results to the senior woman.
"Halt the CPR process!" She barked, bringing the room to a standstill save for the automated bed.
Her eyes skimmed across the information on the screen, picking out significant bits and ignoring the rest. Her ears twitched in frustration, yet another case of things way above her skills to tackle. She may be familiar with dealing with organic tissues, but how is she supposed to deal with a synthetic of all things?
"Goodness gracious, what a terrific start." She groaned under her breath.
/…/
Jax paced nervously outside the emergency room, it had been over an hour since Vigna had gone through those doors, and no word had come out. Lee sat down on the chairs with a collected composure, but the rapid taps of his feet said so otherwise.
Hannah was too tired to even respond; her eyes were half-open, and she was already dozing off. Within a few seconds, she'd fallen asleep in front of her fellow peers.
"I forgot that Hannah's been awake for more than a day now; she's the only one that refused to rest until we got back to the landship." Jax eyed his teammate.
"Let her rest; she's more than earned it." Lee stifled a yawn.
Hearing footsteps approach them down the hall, Kamui greeted them with a burnt-out expression. "We're bingo fuel on the dropship, no sorties for me, so it looks like I'll be grounded until we reach Lungmen." He stopped next to the sleeping Hannah.
"Do us a favour, Kamui. Can you carry her back to her room? It's on deck 3, so you don't have to go far." Lee asked the man.
"Sure, hopefully, I don't arouse her from her slumber and get punched in the face." He chuckled softly whilst picking her up.
Jax ran his fingers through his brown hair, "Man, I wish I could get carried back to my room."
Hearing the doors swing upon, the two men quickly turned their heads to face the newcomer. Instantly seeing Dr Kal'tsit, the two stood to attention to greet the senior official.
Kal'tsit waved her hand at them, "You can cut the pleasantries; I won't bite your head off as Dobermann does."
The two of them relaxed their postures and breathed a sigh of relief. "Is it bad?" Jax popped the question straight away.
The woman shook her head, "There's a lot of unknowns at the moment; quite frankly, I am more familiar with organic bodies than I am with synthetic components." She pinched the bridge of her nose in displeasure.
Lee's expression quickly turned into a confused one, "Synthetic? I don't follow."
"You're joking, right? Just so we're on the same page here, you're referring to robots. Like human robots?" Jax butted in.
Kal'tsit pinched the bridge of her nose, "Technically, yes, that is what we're looking at. But I must run more tests to confirm my theory."
"This is rather disturbing." Lee grimaced as he buried his face in his hands. "As if shit couldn't get any weirder."
"I apologise if I don't have the answers you need right now, but I'm just as lost as you two regarding Vigna's condition." Kal'tsit coldly told them, "If you'll excuse me, I will return to my work and begin uncovering our new predicament. In the meantime, feel free to take a break. We're due to dock in Lungmen in the next few days; the majority of our operations are on hold until then." She informed them before disappearing behind the doors.
Jax exhaled audibly and sat down next to Lee, "I could use a drink, don't you agree?" He looked at the man.
Lee didn't return his gaze and only replied with a slow nod.
"Well, that settles it; time to head for the wet mess!" He shot right up with a festive look.
/…../
Kal'tsit entered the isolated room by herself, her eyes skimmed over the various machines outputting different sets of information. Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, she approached the bed and began pulling up Vigna's operator records.
Getting a good look at the person below her, she compared it with the picture on her tablet. A slight frown formed across her face, "You two look nothing alike as if the pyramid ripped out your consciousness and stuffed it into a new suit."
"Well, the only thing that carried over is the hair colour, aside from, may as well give you a new name." She told herself.
Running the numbers side by side, the new body had a height of 164cm compared to the previous stubby 142cm. The Sarkaz horns were removed, instead replaced by a black headband. It was an odd choice in terms of clothing styles, to say the least.
"Let's see if I can retrieve a blood sample," Her hand grabbed the motionless limb and revealed a fingertip.
Fishing out a lancing device, she placed it over the exposed finger and pressed down it. An audible click rang out in the empty room. Removing the tool, she expected a small bead of red but was surprised by the revelation.
Seeing no trace of blood, the needle itself had been broken, rendering the tool obsolete.
"Interesting, a reinforced frame all around, yet simulated to mimic that of an organic being." Kal'tsit pressed her hand against Vigna's.
She felt her skin depress, reinforcing her theory. Squeezing other parts of the unconscious woman's body, they all relayed the same feedback. "Just what are you supposed to be, miss Vigna?"
Hearing a scanner beep loudly, she pulled one of the screens up and saw that it had finished performing a deep examination of the body. Finally breaking the superficial barrier, she glanced over the various imaging results in quick succession.
"Arms and legs show a thin tissue layer but nothing to the extent of organic muscles. Various fluids are everywhere, many I'm not familiar with. I have to say, a lot of effort went into this to make it blend into everyday society." Her fingers tapped the bed frame lightly, "Here's something worth studying, organs, something I do recognise."
She enlarged the image and hovered her finger over the items she knew, reciting their names silently. "I see a heart, what's supposed to be some lungs but heavily modified. Kidneys are non-existent, yet their artificial replacements are direct replicas in size and shape. The stomach and intestines are still there, but I'm seeing heavy metal traces all around."
A small sigh escaped her mouth; her feet took her to her desk, where she took a sip of coffee and pondered on her new findings. "What a pain."
