CHAPTER XI: INFILTRATION
Mixed feelings – this is what I had in my head. On one hand, I was sure that your squad of marines would soon meet their horrible demise. On the other hand, I was a little worried because of the Phobos base's low level of infestation – primarily weaker demons that just had to keep watch over our relatively unimportant outpost in your solar system. And, fateful as it seems, I was both right and wrong.
I don't know whether you were just lucky. I don't know if some unknown deity protected you. Yet somehow, you survived. You were left to guard the landing pod – something I could not have predicted. I had warned the Barons of Hell of the marines' arrival and they had set up a nice ambush for them. You look so angry... they were your friends, were they not? I can tell that they resisted for long and managed to kill quite a few demons – so I suppose that they fought... valiantly. The fight was excessively violent, even if when through my observation orb. But eventually, they all fell.
I assume that you heard what happened through your primitive communication device. And you decided to try and complete the mission on your own? You had already entered the base area when I found out traces of human presence at the landing pod. Thinking that someone was there, I warned the Barons of Hell once again. They both left the Phobos Anomaly and went to the pod – only a few minutes after you left. In their anger, they destroyed it with bolts of infernal plasma. And for the first time I got a bit calmer as I saw that the marines' threat was dealt with. I didn't even suppose that you were out there, and my true worries were merely beginning.
There were signs of trouble in the hangar. I ignored them at first, thinking that some of the demons might have messed up with the complex machinery and had been killed or caused a fire. A few minutes later, the hangar's main doors opened and the distress beacon was activated. I immediately realized what had happened – someone must have survived the ambush or, probably, entered the base later. And that guy was killing demonic troops in the hangar, and was ready to head towards the nuclear plant and attempt to reactivate it. I did the best I could – I organized some minor ambushes at the entrance point of every building of the base. But somehow, you survived again. You kept fighting efficiently, despite all traps that the Barons of Hell and I tried to prepare for you.
You went on to reactivate the toxin refinery and even found that sealed service tunnel that led to the military base. I hoped to corner you there by attracting you with heavy weapons to a red pentagram and then teleporting in a squad of demons to overwhelm you. But this failed too – you managed to slay Hell's troops in the base and got those heavy weapons. You were becoming dangerous. After you took control over the Command Control and the Phobos Lab, I gave the Barons of Hell orders to wait for you in the Anomaly, should you reach it. They were to attack you unexpectedly and take care of you for good. I had suspicions that you might be able to escape, so I placed a special ambush at a very special place...
When you reached the Anomaly, I became really worried and contacted the Great Spider at Dis. He was angry to hear the news and gave me permission to use the reserve troops I had left in the Fortress of Mystery. If you were to reach Deimos, my Cacodemons and Barons of Hell would await you on the other side and destroy you immediately while you are still stunned with surprise. It was a few minutes later that the barons of Hell were slain by you. The anomaly was under your control and I initially expected that you wouldn't dare use the gate and would wait for help... while I summon some Cyberdemons to take care of you. But you recklessly entered the Gate without even wondering where it would lead you.
My special ambush was right there – inside the void between the worlds. You were really surprised when you were suddenly shrouded in darkness and demons came to you from all sides. But still you managed to slip away! HOW? The Void is highly volatile and such things happen but why did it have to be that day? You slipped through a wormhole in the Void moments before you were dead. And you continued your journey to Deimos. I smiled as I realized that there were Cacodemons and Barons of Hell waiting for you at the entrance. I adjusted the observation orb and prepared to enjoy your death.
There was no one at the entrance.
Growling with anger, I set the orb to peer inside the Fortress of Mystery. To my great frustration, I found out that somehow a feud had erupted between the Cacodemons and the Barons of Hell – a feud that ended with a fight and a terrible massacre in which many Cacodemons were killed. Still they managed to wound two barons and dragged them off to the adjacent room of the dungeon. It was there that the cacodemons locked themselves and tortured the two Barons to death. They would now refuse to leave their rooms – so those troops were lost for me. Nothing stood between you and Deimos. I had to warn the Cyberdemon Overlord. He appeared to be preoccupied with the construction of the Tower of Babel and told me that he would accelerate the construction and leave some demons hiding among the crates in the containment area.
He promised me that you would never survive the journey through that storage.
But I somehow did not fully believe him – so I went down to Inferno to prepare the defenses there, just in case you went down to Hell instead of exploring the Deimos base. I warned the demons in Pandemonium and the Unholy Cathedral to be ready for anything, as a mortal had entered Hell. Then I hurried to the other side of the continent looking for detachments of demonic warriors who were free to come with me for a special mission. Alas – every single demon in Hell was already assigned to the upcoming assault on Earth. They were waiting for the moment when the Ritual would finally open enormous Gates to Earth, and the children of darkness would flow out and put an end to humanity...
I hoped you would try to go back to Phobos and report your status to your leaders. But unfortunately, you noticed the construction site of the Tower of Babel from the height where you stood after going through the Deimos Anomaly. I suppose you recognized its demonic nature immediately and decided that it would offer you the chance to fight against the invaders that had plunged the UAC colonies into terror. Your courage deserves admiration – that is for certain.
Your fear was dampened by your determination – you seemed to be eager to find out what was going on at that construction site. I have always thought that you, humans, always try to preserve your lives and for that reason avoid risks and dangerous places. Completely defying those principles, you decided to risk going through the whole base and explore the Tower's site. I think that anyone else of your marine comrades would have decided to run away.
Back then, I was sure that the Cyberdemon Overlord would quickly show you the true meaning of pain and this strange crisis would be over. Without the distraction that you created, Hell's attention could turn towards the inevitable defeat of humanity. But one thought couldn't give me peace – you had survived Phobos. You had gone through the Gate. You had infiltrated Hell itself...