What is this? - Gatekeeper's Shadow, written in 2005, is the sequel to the Gatekeeper Chronicles. The true sequel (The Lost Memories are an experimental "expansion" of sorts). It takes place immediately after the events of the Chronicles - the fallen Gatekeeper has told his story to the Doom Marine, from his very birth to the dramatic conclusion of The Plutonia Experiment. The Marine is left with the unsettling knowledge that there is one surviving demonic colony in our Universe, which has grown powerful enough to threaten Earth. Worse still, he learns of the existence of ancient and powerful entities that have weaved a tangled web of power struggles and treachery throughout the millennia...
Reading the Gatekeeper Chronicles (and Lost Memories) in advance is not strictly necessary, yet it is highly recommended.
This story is an attempt for a crossover – it features numerous lore elements and references from the Wolfenstein and Quake series. I was curious to see if it is possible to merge the three game worlds into one. Was it successful? See for yourself... Of course, the Doom lore and atmosphere have the leading role.
Who is Kyle Harlan? - This is the name that I chose for the Doom Marine. I wanted to avoid Flynn "Fly" Taggart because it was already used in the official Doom novels.
The name is inspired by two other fictional characters - Kyle Katarn, the awesome protagonist of the Dark Forces / Jedi Knight series of first-person shooters, and Andrew Harlan, the time technician and protagonist of Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity.
Book II: The Gatekeeper's Shadow
(the sequel to the Gatekeeper's Chronicles)
By Lyubomir Ivanov
No living being dies, unless it alone wishes to. – the Gatekeeper
PROLOGUE: THE AFTERMATH
One more outpost remains... you will never find it. Never!
A lonely man sat brooding on the stone floor. Next to him was an enormous pile of torn flesh and pieces of hot metal – the now dead body of a great demon. The man just sat, still under the influence of what he had heard from that creature in the last hours before it died. He became the only listener of a grim story that chilled him to his bone. He was the only one who learned of the true history of Hell and its evil deeds over the countless eons. He was the only one to fully comprehend what humanity had fought with, and what the enemy truly was.
He was the only one who knew the terrible secrets that now weighed heavily on his thoughts. The Gatekeeper's last words echoed in his mind like a dark curse:
"One more infernal outpost remains, ruled by the last Spider Mastermind. It is here, in your Universe, on a planet far away, which has remained hidden and silent over the eons. It grew strong over the ages and now it has the power to decimate the Earth and continue the plan that was given to it by Lord Baphomet himself. You cannot do anything about it – you will never find it. Never!"
Was all his fighting in vain? Did he actually lose? So much fighting, so many victims, and overwhelming despair, and still one last outpost of Hell loomed over humanity, even after the last Gatekeeper had been defeated. The demons were still out there, hungry for revenge. And probably quite capable of achieving it. The nightmare was not over. It seemed that it was only just beginning...
He stood up and looked around in confusion. A choice had to be made...
"Shall I tell them about it? Or shall I try to seek it out myself..."