Chapter 12: Survivors of Alterna
"There was never just one."
Even after the thuds of the two security droids gradually faded away, Akikta continued to run through The Security District, which gradually narrowed down to a wide hallway.
He slowed to a light jog and noticed the place was in pristine condition, which was odd. No cracks or dents could be seen in the walls or floor. The ceiling had no missing panels, and the lights weren't flickering for once. "I wish all of Alterna was like this."
Soon after Akikta's comment, he came across a few doors on both sides of the hall. Some were open, revealing rooms with various broken items and empty white tables with broken straps partially attached. Nothing of significance was in any of them.
The rest of the rooms had their doors closed. With no labels on any of the doorways, there was no way of knowing what was behind each door without opening them.
Akikta looked in the direction he fled from. He couldn't see or hear the droids, which was strange since he ran in a straight line this whole time.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I got time."
His head turned to the first closed door before pushing it open, expecting an ear-grating creak that never came. Inside the room were many crates with Alterna's logo on them.
Some crates had no coverings, allowing Akikta to peek inside. There was clothing of various sizes and odd-looking crystals inside each of them.
All the clothes had no tags or brand designs on them. Some were ripped to shreds and tossed haphazardly on the floor.
Akikta guessed this was a storage room for clothes no one would miss. How convenient.
He dug through a few crates in search of clothing that matched his taste. He ended up finding a black and blue-colored scuba suit. How very convenient.
Unfortunately, the suit had no respirator or oxygen tank, but it beat wearing damp pants.
Akikta wasted no time in putting on the suit. It was a little tight, but still comfortable. The dark colors also pleased him since they were soft on the eyes. Leaving behind his shoes was the only issue he had, as the flippers made it awkward to walk around in.
That aside, the only problem now was figuring out how he'd carry the radio, as the scuba suit had no pockets. It was Akikta's only way of communicating with Sal, and he didn't exactly trust himself carrying it by hand.
Suddenly, a gleam of light out the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He went to investigate, only to find a medium-sized silver-colored utility belt hanging from an open crate.
"The Great Spirit is praising my name!" He exclaimed happily.
Akikta wasted no time and quickly attached the belt to his waist, adjusting its tightness appropriately. He couldn't understand why anyone would get rid of such a helpful tool. But he also wouldn't complain.
He placed the radio and mask securely in the utility belt. Afterward, he scoured the rest of the room for additional items. Unfortunately, he found nothing else of much use, not even a flashlight.
The other rooms were the same; so he continued down the hall.
A few minutes of light jogging led Akikta to the end of the hall, face to face with a black door that contrasted with the white interior. Every door prior was white, a noticeable comparison Akikta quickly made.
"If the main terminal isn't in this room, I'm screwed." He said, having not seen any other rooms besides those he had passed earlier. If the control hub was hidden behind some secret puzzle, he might not ever make it out of Alterna.
Akikta's worries faded when he opened the door to a room filled with rows of various terminals and computers. With the room being barely lit, he couldn't see past the first row.
Akikta ventured in and pressed random buttons on each terminal and computer keyboard to see which worked. Only the center computer screen lit up in response to his random button pressing.
A prompt opened up on the screen. Akikta fidgeted and felt his heart sink as the prompt requested valid credentials. It hadn't occurred to him that he might need more passcodes to gain access to the system.
Akikta sat and stared at the screen for a long minute, wondering where he'd find the needed information. He knew O.R.C.A was programmed not to distribute classified information, so asking the AI was a no-go.
One of the rooms might've had what he was looking for, but quite frankly, he wanted to avoid going back. The droids might be at the rooms by now.
Akikta tapped on the keyboard for a second. With no better ideas coming to mind, he hesitantly began putting in his father's information again. Surprisingly, the system accepted it.
His father was one of the first few to die, he was sure of it. So why did this new system accept his credentials? Akikta shook his head; it was best to just go with it.
The computer screen displayed information and tools that were somewhat similar to the icons back at the Alterna Space Center, only this time, Akikta could reroute power with the press of a button.
Most of the sites weren't going to need their energy, so he rerouted their power to the alternative exit.
The screen brightened as he did so. At the same time, he noticed black wires hanging out from the bottom of the computer. He leaned in, seeing that the wires weren't actually pieces of exposed circuitry, but instead USB cables. An idea came to mind.
Akikta unhooked the radio from his belt and grabbed one of the black cords. Using the light from the screen to navigate his hand, he plugged the USB cord into the bottom part of the radio. After a few seconds of typing, a new prompt flashed onto the screen.
"What are you doing?" O.R.C.A questioned as Akikta confirmed the prompt.
"I'm taking you with me," Akikta answered. He didn't know what to expect on the surface, so he thought it was probably best to download O.R.C.A onto the radio, which doubled as... something else. Besides, he wanted to take a piece of home with him.
"Removing me from Alterna's systems isn't a logical idea. I advise-"
"Oh, shut up. You're coming with me whether you like it or not!" Akikta said sternly. He was fed up with some of the BS O.R.C.A unintentionally put him through, so he wouldn't back down from taking O.R.C.A with him. "Besides, you were initially made to observe and guide humanity, weren't you?"
"That is correct."
"Then, with your vast knowledge, you can help guide me, Sal, and the others on the surface!" Akikta attempted to persuade O.R.C.A, not that the AI had a choice.
O.R.C.A ceased any further comments.
As the AI was being transferred from Alterna's systems to the radio, Akikta spotted a couple of files that weren't there previously. Or maybe they've always been there, and he was just too focused on rerouting power to notice.
The two files were labeled Documents and Volunteers. Considering it was going to take some time for O.R.C.A to finish uploading onto the radio, Akikta figured he might as well snoop around. Not like anyone would be able to object to the breaching of severely outdated information.
He opened the first folder, simply titled Documents. There were tabs upon tabs of various recordings, images, and text documents. All of which was implied to be classified, but they were still accessible to Akikta. The first file he opened had him raise both eyebrows.
The text documents mentioned how badly the Spirit Lifter's failed launch ruined Alterna. It killed roughly ninety-four percent of all inhabitants and severely damaged infrastructure the Alternans relied on for generations.
His home was devastated, but Akikta couldn't recall Alterna looking that bad, at least not to the degree the text documents described. Could someone have scarcely repaired it during those twelve thousand years of inactivity?
In any case, the text documents explained what had occurred after the launch. Some of this information Akikta already knew, so he skipped to the pieces he didn't know.
He learned Holdout Zone 7 was connected to the rest of the holdout zones through secret passageways that he wouldn't bother trying to find. According to the documents, there was no point.
The first few paragraphs revealed Holdout Zone 7 had been the last remaining functional holdout zone. All the others either perished due to them running out of resources or because their occupants transferred to this holdout zone.
Those who migrated from previous holdout zones brought various items that the average citizen would find useless. Some of those items were the liquid crystals produced from the fluids of squids.
The influx of occupants forced the residents to address a rather severe issue. Holdout Zone 7 was blocked off from Alterna's ocean, forcing them to survive off of processed and canned food.
The sudden increase in their population and inability to produce more food put the residents in a tight bind.
A handful of scientists who survived within Holdout Zone 7 were aware of their dwindling resources and knew they would suffer the same fate as those who initially died out from the Spirit Lifter's launch if they did nothing.
The text documents never say who, but somewhere down the line, a scientist had the bright idea of using the liquid crystals to preserve themselves. The crystals showed much potential for storing energy over long periods of time, as evident when those same crystals used for Alterna's artificial sky overloaded and released their energy in the form of multiple explosions.
Akikta would've thought it was a ludicrous idea had he not seen the horror that spawned from its success.
Out of desperation, and maybe amusement at the idea, Holdout Zone 7's occupants all agreed to create a place where they could safely conduct tests and experiments to infuse the liquid crystals into people. Thus, they devoted most of their already scarce resources to constructing the security district.
Soon after, the scientists received a couple of handfuls of willing volunteers. From there, things grew grim.
According to the documents, something about the liquid crystals did not agree with either flesh or human biology. The physical strain proved too taxing on the volunteers, and those with strong bodies evidently lacked the mental fortitude or spiritual drive to continue.
All volunteers died upon infusing their bodies with the liquid crystals... all except one. Akikta rolled his eyes as he knew information regarding a certain black creature was coming. Honestly, he wasn't surprised such an abomination was of human origin.
It was stated the seventh volunteer, dubbed Subject 7, survived every test and experiment the scientists could perform. No one knew exactly how, but it was noted the subject constantly reaffirmed himself by telling others he would prove the liquid crystal idea could work. One could say he was adamant about the idea being successful more than the scientists themselves.
Why? Apparently, it was to fulfill the desire of seeing a significant other of his. One who he swore survived the final day of humanity, despite not being in any of the other holdout zones.
Akikta grew more disturbed as the text documents explained in specific detail what happened to the volunteer, whose name was never once stated.
Their skin had melted into a black and inky substance, their hair molted off, and their optic nerves got completely submerged in ink. Infusion of the subject's flesh with the crystal had rendered most of their organs inoperable as they all turned to sludge.
However, even with the absence of all their nerves and parts that made them human, the subject was alive. Despite now lacking a brain, and hopefully, probably sentience, the scientists' experiments worked.
Twelve thousand years later, it was still alive, outright proving its self-sustenance capabilities.
The text documents ceased abruptly after the latest entry describing Subject 7, which was left partially unfinished. Akikta assumed that was when it went on a rampage and killed the remaining survivors. His eyes lowered out of sadness and respect for those lost.
Part of him wished they could've done some more research on Subject 7. Had they known his weakness, maybe the experiments would've been perfected, and he wouldn't be alone right now.
The other part of him hoped their deaths were quick and painless.
Akikta peered back at the screen and remembered the documents folder's images. He took a gander and was greeted by various faces, none of which he knew.
He wasn't prepared to witness the mangled bodies in some of the images. His hand covered his mouth as he kept himself from vomiting. Akikta's stomach twisted and churned at the gruesome sights. No wonder some volunteers didn't have the physical power or mental strength to go on. Akikta doubted he would've been any different.
Though, that made him wonder what made Subject 7 so special. Was his conviction really that strong?
Akikta scrolled further through the various photos, stopping only when the sight of one picture caught him off-guard.
The image was titled Subject 7, but instead of seeing the expected visuals of an ink monster, he saw a man.
His eyes stared intently at the screen. The world around him stopped. All he could think about was what he saw, so much so, he couldn't even blink. He must've been seeing things. Had the isolation finally caught up to him? Or...
The second folder suddenly flashed through Akikta's memory. He navigated to it at the speed of sound.
Once opened, he ignored all the other files and tabs and went straight for the seventh one. The only thing he saw was that there were ten volunteers in total.
His eyes quickly scanned through everything Subject 7's file offered, and his worst fears were realized.
Akikta desperately wanted to believe that the man in the picture wasn't who he recognized it as. But the volunteer's name could not be mistaken.
Chaska Avonaco Miles.
The monster who had been pursuing Akikta ever since he stepped foot into Holdout Zone 7, the abomination to all life, and the thing responsible for his near-death experiences... was none other than his dear older brother.
Tears streamed down Akikta's face, but he couldn't bring himself to wipe them away, not this time. He didn't sniffle or whimper. He just stared at the screen, wide-eyed.
Akikta felt his mouth agape as he was practically frozen solid. He couldn't breathe or think straight. A flux of various emotions overwhelmed him. Sadness, anger, denial, guilt...
It was now clear Akikta hadn't been the only survivor of Alterna. Though he never expected the other survivor to take such a monstrous form. Especially not one from his family.
The boy was brought back to reality by the sudden flash of a new prompt telling him O.R.C.A had finished uploading to the radio. Akikta blinked a few times, only to realize he was still stuck in this cruel reality and not in a dream.
After about what seemed like hours, Akikta wiped his face, though the tears didn't stop flowing.
Weakly, he grabbed the radio and unplugged it from the computer. Suddenly, something wet landed on Akikta's backhand. He thought it was his tears, but when he looked over, the light from the screen showed the substance that landed on him was black. Pitch-black.
The same black liquid slowly dripped onto the keyboard, emitting a small pitter-patter noise with each drop. Akikta's head slowly tilted upward, following where the droplets were coming from.
The ceiling was like an abyss of darkness. And as Akikta gazed at the abyss, the abyss gazed back in the form of two pupilless glowing white eyes.
It was his brother, Subject 7.