Chapter 4: Trapped in Alterna

"No way out."

Akikta ran far from the vault door. He never looked back and didn't stop running for the longest time. He only stopped once the adrenaline wore off. The pain in his legs shot through him, causing Akikta to fall. Next was the intense wheezing that erupted from his burning lungs. He would've cried, but he was too frightened. He believed that monster would hear his sobs, even if he were totally silent.

Akikta backed up against a broken wall and took selfish but needy gulps of air to catch his breath. "What the hell was that thing?!" He shouted quietly in a semi-whisper. He had never seen a creature so terrifying before, not in person nor in books. Akikta wasn't sure what it was, but he was certain if he had let it catch him, it would've meant the end.

Akikta continued to breathe heavily, only to receive an answer to his question from O.R.C.A. "That was Subject 7. It appears you have found him." O.R.C.A had no tone to speak of; his voice was emotionless. But Akikta swore there was a bit of sarcasm in his last sentence.

"Subject 7? What?" He replied, curious to know more about what nearly killed him. O.R.C.A would indulge the teen.

"Not all Humans were wiped out after the failure of the Spirit Lifter's launch. Those who survived constructed holdout zones and adjacent rooms within them across Alterna in an attempt to preserve themselves. The one you stumbled upon was Holdout Zone 7." O.R.C.A started from the beginning, which wasn't what Akikta asked for, but he was glad he received some context. If what O.R.C.A said was true; that would explain why the first room to Holdout Zone 7 looked like a lobby area. "The Humans in that particular zone had limited resources. To offset this, they attempted to find a way to sustain themselves through the crystals created from the bodily fluids of squids. Seven experiments were conducted, and the seventh resulted in Subject 7."

Akikta should've guessed that was the case. Only Humans could spawn such horrible creatures, though he would not bash the people too hard. They were in a dire situation. Besides, he doubted their intent was to make an inky monstrosity. Akikta sighed, knowing there was no point in throwing complaints at the dead.

He surveyed his surroundings, only to realize he had no clue where he was. This part of Alterna was unfamiliar to Akikta, so he couldn't memorize the path to Alterna's alternative exit, at least not from here. He grabbed at his eight braids in frustration. "Where the hell is that alternative exit?!"

Akikta was so focused on pulling his braids that he did not hear the printing noises O.R.C.A made. "Continue north, then pass the moai statues and go right." Akikta froze in place for a second before he raised his head slowly. He had forgotten O.R.C.A knew the ins and outs of Alterna better than anyone else, so if anyone could guide him out of here, it was him.

"Why... You knew I was looking for the exit; why'd you wait 'til now to give me directions?!"

"You never asked." O.R.C.A promptly responded, angering Akikta slightly. His response sounded sassy, despite his voice still having no tone. Akikta decided to swallow his pride and follow O.R.C.A's much-needed directions.

Half an hour of walking and turning led Akikta to a familiar tunnel that was dimly lit and a little wet; It ended once he got to a large circular room.

The base of the floor was wet, soaked even. To the left was a staircase leading to a small platform. Akikta walked up the stairs and found a dry floor, but more importantly, a big lever sticking out of the ground. He turned and realized that even when he stood on the platform, he could still see any and everything in the tunnel because of its large size. The teen gave his attention to the center of the room, which had a rusty but still intact ladder that led upward to a hatch in the ceiling which leaked water droplets. This hatch was smaller than the main hatch but still leagues bigger than Akikta.

"Alright, surface world, here I come!" Akikta said in a giddy tone before he gripped the lever. Before he could pull, O.R.C.A would dash his hopes and dreams.

"Apologies, Akikta, but the alternative exit cannot open. There is an insufficient amount of power." The teen raised a brow at O.R.C.A's comment. He knew this place was in bad shape, but he thought power worked fine in Alterna since the lights were still on. Not to mention his pod had been sufficiently running for over twelve thousand years.

"That doesn't make sense; how is there not enough power to open the hatch? Even if the lights don't need that much power, there was enough to keep my pod up and running, wasn't there?" Akikta questioned. It wasn't adding up in his head.

"Your cryogenic chamber ran adequately because it was connected to an alternate power reserve. But even then, it wouldn't have provided enough power to wake you. The required energy only came after the second launch of the Spirit Lifter. Granted, the residual power from the launch took approximately a month before it reached you." O.R.C.A explained, which still didn't make much sense to Akikta. Why was his pod the only one connected to the reserve? Why'd it take a month for the power from the Spirit Lifter's launch to wake him? His head hurt from thinking about it all.

"Right, so there's not enough power to open the alternative exit. That means I'll have to reroute the needed power here." Akikta dreaded what that meant: a long walk. He focused on what was more important. All controls for such an endeavor were nestled at the Alterna Space Center, mainly so only the head scientists could handle such a crucial function.

"I must also add that the other side of the alternative exit has been subjected to heavy flooding over the past few hundred years. It is likely submerged." O.R.C.A always had to be the harbinger of bad news. Akikta sighed and stretched his limbs. Now he had to find a scuba suit and an oxygen tank.

"Life is just full of disappointments today..." Akikta moaned in anguish before he promptly shook himself awake. If this were the price of freedom, he'd have to pay it. It was back down through the tunnel. Back down to Alterna.