Chapter 13: The Surface
"Nothing like the simulations."
His mind was playing tricks on him. What he was seeing was nothing more than a hallucination. That had to be it, right? That's what Akikta wanted to believe, but his assumption shattered when the white eyes crept closer.
Instinctively, he backpedaled swiftly. At the same time, Subject 7 dropped from the ceiling onto the computer Akikta used.
He gritted his teeth and turned on his heel, sprinting out of the dark room while leaving behind a trail of tears.
As Akikta ran down the hall, he looked over his shoulder to see Subject 7 was keeping up, relentlessly pursuing him. Could the ink man not see he was chasing his brother? "Chaska! Please, it's me!" He pleaded, receiving no reaction from Subject 7.
A slight unexpected buzz of static came from the radio, reactively making Akikta clutch onto it tighter than he already was. "Subject 7 lacks a brain. Unfortunately, he can't understand you." O.R.C.A stated.
Akikta refused to believe the brother he knew was fully gone. Inside all that inky, soulless goop, some remnant of Chaska had to be there. There just had to be...
The teen tripped due to not looking where he was going and fell hard with a rough thud, nearly dropping the radio. Immediately, Akikta felt something grab the ends of his flippers.
Despite Subject 7 being made entirely of ink, he had a solid vice grip.
Luckily for Akikta, he managed to slip out from the flippers. Afterward, he hastily got up and continued running through the halls barefoot.
He reattached the radio to the utility belt while he ran, which took a few seconds since he could hardly see through his watery eyes.
Akikta wiped away his tears, only to spot the two droids from earlier further down the hall. They didn't stop their pursuit after all.
"Do not resist detainment." One said, which caused Akikta to ball his hands into a fist.
"Move!" He shouted angrily and jumped to a nearby wall before the first droid could swing its baton. Akikta then boosted himself off the wall and landed on the droid's head. Keeping the momentum, he immediately kicked himself off the droid's head, hopping over the second droid and landing behind them both with a roll.
From there, Akikta hauled ass through the Security District. Sounds of heavy conflict boomed behind him. He didn't need to turn around; he could tell Subject 7 and the two droids engaged in violence with each other.
Though it went against his chances of survival, he hoped Subject 7 came out on top. Not that he'd stay and see who the victor was.
The adrenaline that was brought on by fear forced Akikta's legs to carry him all the way to the tunnel of the alternative exit. He'd ignore the slippery ground and scurried up the stairs adjacent to the ladder connected to the hatch.
Akikta nearly slipped as he grabbed hold of the big lever. He heaved heavily when he pulled, but the lever barely budged. Years of being in the same upright position and the room's moisture got it stuck. He hadn't noticed that before, partially thinking the lever was stuck because of insufficient power.
Plopping sounds suddenly echoed through the tunnel. Akikta peered over the platform, seeing Subject 7 rushing through the tunnel towards him.
He defeated the droids with seemingly no injuries. The wet ground wasn't harming him either, at least not enough to deter him from getting closer.
Akikta got another adrenaline rush and pressed all his body weight onto the lever, loudly groaning as he pushed against it. Subject 7's sloppy footsteps grew louder with each passing second, and the lever barely budged.
"Come on!" With a loud and frightened yell, Akikta jumped onto the lever violently. It finally pushed downward like he wanted, emitting an audible click.
Alarms blared in response to the lever switching, and the lights around the rim of the hatch lit up. Steam hissed as the hatch loosened. The metal of the hatch creaked and moaned as the water on the other side pushed down on it.
Akikta jumped back as the water took the hatch clean off. The pressure on the other side must've built up over the years, so when the hatch loosened, the water didn't even wait for it to fully open and broke it off its hinges.
The hatch crashed to the ground with a loud clang, allowing gallons upon gallons of water to flood in like a tsunami. The water was enough to move the hatch towards the tunnel.
When Subject 7 reached the end, the water burned him as the hatch pushed him back. The ink monster let off a deafening screech before the hatch fully pushed him out the area.
It crashed against the wall with a heavy smash, briefly shaking the room.
Akikta knew Subject 7 wasn't dead from that, but even then, he felt horrible. "I'm sorry, Chaska! I'm so sorry!" He shouted as he grabbed onto the railing and started crying profusely. Akikta hoped Subject 7 could hear him from the other side.
His attention quickly shifted back to the hatch, which was now blocking the tunnel entrance. With the room closed off, the water began rising rather quickly.
Akikta looked over at the hole the water spewed in from, only for a massive gush of it to jut out and flood the place almost instantly. He barely managed to get a gulp of air in before submerging.
The water moved around violently, as the pressure had yet to equalize. Akikta closed his eyes and covered his head with one hand while using his other hand to hold onto his utility belt.
He felt himself being flung around. His heart pounded as he bashed into various things, probably walls or even the ladder. Akikta wasn't sure if he'd come out of this alive.
Eventually, he felt himself being shot upward by the water. He spun a little as he shot out into an open space, which he knew was open only because he couldn't feel himself bumping into things.
The water in his ears and the coldness around his body told him he was still submerged. His lungs started to feel tight. He needed air, and fast.
He opened his eyes, and where he expected darkness, he saw a minimal amount of light instead.
Without another thought, Akikta desperately swam towards the light, dying to get a mouthful of oxygen into his lungs.
It felt like he swam upward for hours before finally breaking through the water's surface.
Akikta flailed about in the water, coughing and gasping for air as he couldn't see where he was. He only stopped when he grabbed onto something solid.
The teen hoisted himself out of the water and panted like a dog, selfishly downing gulps of air.
Akikta gradually calmed down, feeling that he was safe for the moment. He felt a grainy texture rubbing against his hands and cheek as he settled. It was warm.
He lifted up and finally opened his eyes, only to see...sand. And none of that fabricated nonsense like Alterna used for snow. It was genuine sand.
It felt rocky, warm, and a little pebbly. It was a bit soft and moldable from the wetness of his hands, but it felt natural.
Akikta blinked a few times and looked over his shoulder to see the lower half of his body still submerged in water. He had gotten out of a large pond. Or lake? No, maybe it was an oasis. Either way, it was water not belonging to Alterna.
A giant ball of light reflected off the body of water's surface. Akikta couldn't look at it from his current angle, so he hoisted the rest of his body out of the water.
He stood for only a moment. The pain and soreness hit him like a truck, causing him to fall to his knees. The adrenaline finally wore off now that he was settled; he couldn't muster the strength to move his legs.
Akikta groaned before raising his head to the ball of light. It was insanely bright and closely resembled the simulated sun back at Alterna. No, wait, that was the sun! That was the actual sun!
Akikta's excitement caused him to make the grave mistake of looking directly at the ball of light. Pain shot through his eyes, and he quickly averted his gaze. He felt himself go blind for a few short seconds.
After his vision returned, Akikta stared back up at the sky. He made a conscious effort to avoid looking directly at the sun this time.
The sky was a beautiful shade of blue, dotting it were white clouds in various shapes. They looked as fluffy as cotton candy. The warmth shining down from the sun contrasted with the shivering cold waters Akikta was subjected to. Not to mention the gentle breeze, which was absent in Alterna.
This feeling. This sight... A simulation could not compare.
Akikta outstretched his hands, allowing the sun's rays to shine down on him. The feeling of euphoria only lasted for a moment.
Memories of the past flashed through his mind abruptly. His home. His family. His friends. They all came to him like moths to a flame. This was their dream to see the surface. And Akikta had finally grabbed hold of it. But...
This wasn't the dream he dreamed.
Akikta chuckled. That chuckle grew into an ominous fit of hysterical laughter as he bent down with both hands on the sand. He couldn't stop laughing, and soon enough, wet droplets fell from his eyes onto the already moist grains of pebbles.
"You were right. Father Axe. You were right." Akikta said in between his fits of laughter and sobs. "Family is much better than the sky..." He cried softly. Akikta stayed in his fetal position for a long while, digging his hands through the grainy sand as it slipped between his fingers.
Akikta's laughter and cries stopped when he felt the radio buzz. The crackle of static replaced the sounds of the blowing wind.
He sat up and heard a familiar voice break out through the humming static. "Akikta? Akikta, is that you?" Sal said, finally establishing a connection. Akikta unhooked the radio from his belt.
"Y-yeah..." He murmured with a sniffle and wiped away his tears for the billionth time today.
"Finally! I was afraid I lost you." Sal sounded a little on edge. Despite never meeting each other, Akikta could tell the man cared about him. That brought some bit of comfort.
"N-no, I'm still here. I managed to escape Alterna..."
"You did? Well, that's perfect timing. One of my people should be arriving at your exact location any minute now. Be sure not to freak out, alright?"
Akikta wasn't sure what Sal meant. But at the moment, he didn't care; he was too emotionally drained to do so. Plus, other things were on his mind.
He looked over his shoulder once more at the large body of water. Underneath those murky depths was the broken hatch that led to Alterna. And in Alterna was his brother.
Was the brother he knew really gone? ...No, there had to be a way to turn him back, A way that might be revealed in due time.
"I promise I'll come back for you... Chaska." Akikta muttered.
He stood when the strength in his legs returned and looked dead ahead at the sandy dunes before him.
Akikta was free, but his journey was not over yet. In fact, it was just getting ready to start. The journey would only end once he saved his brother. That much he knew.
"Sal." Akikta held the radio close to his face. "What happens now?"