Chapter One: In The Dark
See A/N Bottom of Page
"I admit, I was desperate, cowardly, and more importantly, I was scared. And I have every right to be, but those excuses don't matter. We were gonna lose; it was a fact. Everyone I considered family getting slaughtered around me. I just couldn't accept losing those three; the ones closest to me. So under my order, we ran."
"From one darkness to another, I didn't care where it took me; I just couldn't bear to live in that memory again."
/ERROR/LOCATION UNKNOWN/
PLEASE VERIFY LOCAL MAPPING COORDINATES
*RESTART REQUIRED*
Inside a brightly lit room, a multitude of monitors and computer screens hung from the ceiling alongside a pile of unkempt wires loosely scattered around the floor. Rays of sunlight peered through the glass wall overlooking a massive city below; casting light on the unorganized mess of machinery and electronic devices cluttering the room.
Followed by a sharp beep that echoed across the room, multiple popups soon flashed on several of the screens. Behind a desk center of all the mess, a girl with pink-colored hair styled into pigtails raised her head from the wood furnishing, her half-lidded eyes blinking twice before glancing towards the rude awakening.
She stretched her arms out, joints cracking in response to the sudden movement, before slumping back down into the chair.
Reaching down underneath the desk, she brought out a bag of chips readily stored away in one of the drawers, quickly tearing away the seal.
With the wave of a hand, a holographic display materialized in front of her as she began scrolling through a list of contacts, stopping occasionally to chomp down on greedy handfuls of chips.
Seconds later, the girl found what she was looking for. Her hand hovered above the call button, swallowing hard as droplets of sweat trickled down her temples.
Nanagami Rin: hard-working, punctual, straightforward, and cold-hearted at first glance. One of the higher-ups on the general student council, currently acting as a placeholder for their missing president; How they managed to get along was beyond her.
"Yikes, things are about to get busy - which means more work for me." The girl shuddered at the thought, letting out a puff of air as she took another handful of chips before, begrudgingly, tapping the button.
Not even five seconds and the call was connected. The quick response caught the pink-haired girl off guard as she cleared her throat, choking slightly, trying to swallow the remaining food.
"H-Hey Rin, It's Momoka, I'm calling to tell you the team upstairs just finished gathering info on the stuff you confiscated from those four guys. I'm sending you the report right now."
It was half a lie. Truth be told, they finished several hours ago, but Momoka's mood didn't agree with the work, despite the reminders.
"Yeah, no problemo, I'll have that in for you right away."
"Last week- What about last week?"
"Wait, since when did-"
"A-Ah, n-nevermind that! More importantly, the staff monitoring the holding cells has news." Momoka stammered, quickly changing topics as she reached over for the computer mouse, scrolling through a list of overdue work.
After clicking through several tabs of her favorite takeout places, Rin had no awareness off; a fact she was thankful for. Momoka brought up an email with attached live surveillance footage.
Opening the attachment, a clear display of a room came on screen. Occupying it were four boys, two of whom appeared to be in a heated argument, evident by their intense expressions. While the other was dropped to one knee, watching over the fourth, who was knocked out cold on the floor.
"They said those three have been pretty quiet ever since you threw em in there - three or four days ago."
"Now they're kinda getting intense in there." Momoka mused, reclining back all the while scooping another mouthful of chips, watching with piqued interest at the growing argument as if it were a TV show.
"Yup, lots of yelling."
"Hm- The other one?" Momoka took one last bite, licking her fingers before tossing the empty bag in the trash, a new addition to her collection of wrappers.
Reaching over for the mouse, she expanded the display, zooming in on the boy lying flat on the ground.
"I think they're dead- Ah, Wait! No, yeah, their breathing- Why you aski-" Before she could finish, a sudden beep turned her attention back over to the hologram.
"The caller has disconnected."
"Oh well." Momoka shrugged, rotating herself back towards the computer. "Time for work."
And work she did, easing into her chair with a gleeful smile as she re-opened all the previous tabs. "Let's see here… Two for one at Angel 24 down by 31st- Thirty percent off at ShibaSeki Ramen from 2 pm to 4 pm- Oh and free delivery!"
XXXXXX
Palus, just like anyone else who had the misfortune of slaving their lives away in a gruesome conflict, witnessed many monstrous acts; some of which, he's admittedly ashamed to have been part of.
He was no stranger to the unreasonable. However, the events that transpired back in the lab challenged any form of logical reasoning.
"We thirst for the seven wailings, we bear the koan of Jericho."
A woman's voice kept repeating those words.
It didn't make sense; none of it did: The blue rifts forming out of thin air, the mystifying voice, all of it, felt like a ludicrous drug-induced dream he'd woken up from.
Yet, all of it seemed familiar.
'Deja Vu'
The pseudo-slumber was suddenly broken by a cacophony of sharp buzzing and low whistles that rang inside Palus's head. Moments ago, he could recall the otherworldly feeling that washed along his body before abruptly blacking out within the lab.
Despite the mind-shattering pain that circulated throughout his body, It was a sign that Palus was gradually regaining consciousness. His senses nullified, everything was pitch black, but the cold touch of hard ceramic tiles coupled with the cool gush of air sent minor sensations that tingled his body, a small reprise that remedied the pain.
"Am I dead? No, that can't be it. Everything still hurts like hell…"
His whole body was rigid; the feeling of nausea coupled with a searing pain that further weighed on his body made it impossible to move, resorting to his ears for making out the new surroundings, a difficult task given his current condition.
"Tell me then, how long have we been stuck in this shit?"
"C'mon bro relax, it's too early to call in quits-"
"Nah, don't give me that shit vato, Palus is out cold! The hell you mean talkin about calming down!"
"Don't forget ese. We could be stuck in a whole ass new dimension, with no way back home, even if we did break out of here!"
Muffled voices could be heard from a distance; they were faint, but Palus could barely overhear the growing argument. Those voices were familiar, from the delivery and emotion; all of it he could trace back to people he knew all too well - a sign that meant he wasn't going completely insane.
A low sigh was let out as a third voice spoke, much closer than the ones arguing in the back. "Please Palus, you have to wake up."
"That must have been Feng and Diego going at it; those two were always the rowdy ones. That last voice had to be Shiloh then. Huh, I guess we're not dead…"
"Still, it doesn't make sense. I'm not dead, but if I'm comatose I shouldn't even be able to process all this-"
Crash!
His thoughts were interrupted. A resounding slam echoed throughout the room against what he presumed to be metal, given the loud clatter that followed.
"It's bullshit, man!"
"Diego come on… He would've wanted us to keep our hopes up."
"Guys! He's moving-!"
Reacting in mere seconds to Shiloh's sudden callout, the two boys dropped their argument, immediately rushing in next to Shiloh, carefully watching their friend's unconscious body.
The room fell silent. Even the buzzing sounds of the room's fluorescent lights seemed to stop as the three boys watched anxiously for any sign of life from their friend's unconscious state; even the smallest movement would've been enough to alleviate their growing worry.
Moments passed, and still no response, not even a slight twitch. Their heads began to hang; frowns forming, the thought of them potentially losing another eating away at their sanity.
Dropping to his knees, Shiloh frantically double-checked Palus's vitals, pressing a finger against his wrist. He knew he was still alive, but the fear of having him comatose indefinitely had the blonde making desperate attempts to try and soothe the dire situation, however futile they may be.
"Come on Palus, you need to wake up; we need you..." Shiloh muttered.
No response.
"I need to get up. Pain just means I can keep going."
To the three boys' surprise, the comatose body responded with a small jolt in the arm; with it, a glimmer of hope sparkled in their eyes. Each of them glanced at one another, confirming whether or not they bore witness to the same thing.
"No way-" Diego uttered, pushing closer in.
Determined to wake his friend, the heavy set grasped his giant hands firmly around Palus's shoulders, shaking him hard.
"Ayo Diego, relax, you trying to knock him out again-?!" Feng exclaimed.
Ignoring the comment, he continued to shake the limp body. "C'mon compadre, don't leave us just yet. You gotta wake your ass back up!"
Shiloh placed a hand on the Hispanic's shoulder; the blonde was fully aware that no amount of physical nor auditory stimulation would wake their friend - futile attempts.
"Diego, you need to stop-"
Shiloh froze upon saying those words; the faint sound of muffled groans escaped Palus' mouth, his head even beginning to move in response to the rapid movements.
"Wait a minute, it's actually working!" Feng called out; the Asian boy glanced over to Shiloh, his face in complete astonishment.
"Yo Diego, shake em some more, this shits actually working!"
He nodded, tightening his white-knuckled grip. "C'mon boss, quit lazing around, yo ass always shittin on us for doing it!"
"Hrm- D-Di"
The three boys huddled close, trying to piece together the mumbled speech; Feng leaned in with a hand cupped to his ear.
"You keep stuttering over your words, man!"
Diego continued to rock his body, hoping to force out a reply. "Come on now ese you gotta speak up!"
"For f-fucks sake-cough relax and let go of me already!" The boy raised a hand to his face, letting out an exasperated groan; it was the most life the comatose body had shown in days.
The three boys were frozen with astonishment, remaining silent as Palus let out several dry coughs through his labored breathing.
Shiloh was the first to break the silence, a glistening shine coating his eyes as he approached with a frown. "Palus, are you alright?"
He didn't respond immediately; instead, he took a moment to address the burning sensation circulating throughout his entire body, pressing a hand against his temples.
Palus struggled to work past his aching throat, forcing out words in between dry coughs. "Out cold-cough how the hell do you shitters still manage to be a pain in the ass-cough"
Shiloh blinked rapidly as the boy readjusted his glasses. He was grateful, yet shocked at the sudden recovery; the moment felt too good to be true.
"Coma lengths vary, but still, this just seems off."
Attempting to fight through the daze, Palus was immediately met with a searing sensation that soaked his body, arms buckling underneath the weight. "Doesn't help that you two are also one of the loudest people I've had the pleasure of meeting."
Feng shot him a smug look."Come on now, boss, you should know by now, that's what we're all about-"
Palus rolled his eyes."Helluva luxury."
The two boys pulled him in a tight hug, an unexpected, but welcoming embrace nonetheless.
"Thirty seconds in and this guy already talkin out of his ass." Diego commented, placing a meaty hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Okay, that's enough, it's getting weird." Palus remarked. The three complied, taking a seat further back, forming a small circle. "Situation ain't any better since we're still stuck here."
Diego gave the boy a hard slap on the back, earning an irked glare from their squad leader.
"Damn, straight to business huh - can't even have a moment to enjoy the fact you ain't dead?" Diego groaned, crossing his arms as his brows deepened. "Worst-case scenario, our asses would've been down to just us three."
Palus gave him a half-smile, pointing a thumb towards Feng."Don't get soft on me, this guy wouldn't let you hear the end of it."
The Asian boy perked his head up, flashing Diego his signature grin.
"No stress, I always knew the guy had a heart under their-"
"Don't even try that shit tio."
The two continued to poke jabs at one another as Palus turned his body towards Shiloh; the blonde watched from a short distance. Upon making eye contact with Palus, however, the blonde's amusement soured; his smile shrinking down to a worrisome frown.
"Are you sure you're feeling alright? There's no telling what exactly singularity jumping can do to a person."
Palus waved the boy off, shaking free any remaining grogginess, before turning his attention towards other matters. "Don't worry bout it. I'm guessing the effects vary from person to person. Besides, if you guys are fine, then I should be too."
Raising a hand to his chin, Shiloh examined Palus momentarily before downcasting his eyes; he wasn't convinced.
Pivoting his body in place, Palus examined the room, eyes moving from one corner to the other. It was average-sized and surprisingly clean, far above earth's standards. Walls made of sleek metal, coated in with a glossy white finish and a dash of blue paint, wrapped around the four sides, appearance alone made it more akin to a futuristic lab than housing for prisoners.
Off to the corner, Palus was confused, yet thankful nonetheless to find a rare commodity within a holding cell, a clean toilet crammed inside a small cabinet-sized stall. Aside from that, however, and the four bunk beds that accommodated them, the room was empty.
Last to catch his attention was a sturdy pair of white metal doors on the furthest wall: dents, scratches, and layers of chipped paint blanketed the surface.
Letting out a low whistle, he turned to his squad.
"Yo, Diego. This you?" Palus called out, motioning his head towards the battered door.
The heavyset glanced over, ruffling his hair. "Ye, that was me. I think that was from like- Two days ago."
"Some ten minutes ago," Feng added.
Having mostly recovered from his daze aside from the headache that lingered, Palus stood up, moving towards one of the bunk beds, taking a seat on the neatly made sheets.
The three others joined in as well; Diego sat on the bed across, shortly after Feng sprung up, plopping onto the mattress above. While Feng stood near the bedpost, leaning back with crossed arms.
"So, what exactly did I miss?" Palus questioned, eyes glancing between the three boys.
Shiloh was the first to respond."It's a little foggy, but after our little pep talk at the lab, I remember my vision getting fuzzy and that constant buzzing before I blacked out; the same goes for Diego and Feng."
The two boys nodded in response.
Palus observed the three, brows furrowing as he brought a hand to his chin."Y'all are still sane, right? No crazy-ass side effects?"
They paused, exchanging looks before shaking their heads.
"Just me slowly going insane then, huh-" Palus pondered.
"Wha bout you?" Diego asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Palus straightened himself, snapping back to reality."Yeah, same here. I remember the buzzing and everything noises getting drowned out. Last thing I remember was Feng gettin knocked."
It was half a lie.
Trying to explain everything he saw didn't appeal to him; that included the women's voice. If anything, the three boys would've seen it as him mentally losing it or whatnot; unneeded worry, better left untouched.
"What about after that?" Palus continued.
Shiloh sighed, shoulders tensing as he downcasted his eyes."Well, given our current circumstances, it didn't go well-"
"What he meant to say was, 'it was a total shit show.'" Diego cut in, sinking himself into the bed, his laid-back demeanor turning into a scowl; the thought alone ticked him off.
"Basically, after that freak ass incident, we slowly woke up: Feng first, then me, and finally Shiloh."The heavyset pointed at each of the prior mentioned, leaving Palus last.
"Everyone aside from Walt Disney over here-" Sitting back up, Diego quickly wiped his glossy eyes before focusing on Palus.
"Shit tio, we thought you weren't gonna wake up."
Feng poked his head up from the top bunk, gesturing down towards Shiloh."Yea, we was freaking out about it till Shiloh checked you; told us you were comatose as if that were any better."
Clearing his throat, Shiloh readjusted his glasses before making eye contact again with their squad leader. "When we woke up, we were out in a desert - given all the sand. We quickly brought out our gear and sorted out our weapons. Feng scoped in on his rifle to do recon for us."
"Yeah, at first it was chillin, aside from the endless desert and rocky hillsides - I spotted in a couple of busted down houses; they looked similar, to my home country and stuff - even matched the destroyed part-" Feng continued to ramble.
"But - More importantly, aside from that, I spotted out this massive ass city: tall towers, beaming with light. I'm not even joking about this man; that shit looked like an even newer 'New Vegas.'" Feng attempted to scale what he witnessed, expanding his arms out.
Palus shot him a sideways glance.
Shiloh, however, nodded along with each added point.
"Y-Yeah, all of it is true-" His voice trembled slightly; It was a rare occurrence for the blonde to break his usual stern appearance, a sight that further challenged any skepticism.
"I know it's hard to believe; I-I didn't believe it at first, but it's all true-"
The Blonde cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "We decided to head out, duck for cover in one of the ruined buildings. With Diego carrying you-"
"You're heavy as shit, by the way." Diego added.
"All our tech was scrambled; we had to re-route our local maps and switch to our proximity channels for comms."
Shiloh stopped, rubbing the back of his head with a trembling hand. "Turns out our arrival wasn't discrete. We were just near the outskirts of the ruins when we heard choppers in the distance; Feng counted three to four-"
Deigo cut in, smacking his hands together. "And that's when they started utterly manhandling us; we couldn't cover our tracks because of the sand, so their choppers circled around the area; at that point, we ducked into a building."
He paused: jaw clenched, eyes sealed shut, and nostrils flaring as he recollected the events that transpired; the thought alone irritated him; never in his life did he feel that hopeless, not out of fear, but the mockery they made of him and their washed-up squad.
Yes, it's true, they partook in many conflicts, but their combat knowledge stemmed out of necessity, given the war they were forced into. They weren't experienced war veterans; they never claimed to be, and they were far from it.
But the situation was a hopeless cause.
That feeling of defeat and cowardice they've known all too well, forever engraved in their memories. It was what led to being guinea pigs for the mission in the first place, and why they were down to only four members.
"They knew damn well we got dealt a bad hand of cards, so they jumped in on it."
Diego fumed, clenching his jaw before shaking himself back to reality.
"Feng spotted a bunch of silhouettes dropping from the choppers; they were hard to see, but I kid you not that bright-ass city lit up the entire area around it-"
"I wasn't exaggerating man; the whole thing was an overgrown glowstick." Feng commented.
"They were gonna box us in, so we started to move through the buildings, making sure we avoided their searchlights; carrying your fat-ass made it even harder, so go hit the gym - por favor y gracias."
Shiloh placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder, stopping him before he could continue.
"Alright, Diego that's enough."
Deigo's head flung to the side, his seething glare locking in with the Blondes' icy stare. A tense showdown that Diego was reluctant to back down. Moments passed, however, and the heated moment died down; both members broke eye contact as Diego's intense glare shrunk down to a sour expression, muttering something to himself.
A tense aura surrounding the members further bewildered Palus; the boy remained clueless as he brought a hand towards his face, his headache heightening from the whirlwind of questions.
Switching topics Feng poked his head down from the top bunk, eyes sparkling alongside a lopsided grin. "Oh, don't forget about that pretty lady!"
Diego threw his hands up, eyes rolling to the side."And there he goes again-"
"Hah~ you should've seen her boss. She had this entrancing yet menacing feel to her: long black hair, piercing eyes- and a freakin halo above her head man- and elf ears! " Feng giggled, sinking back into the cushion.
Despite the doubtfulness he had, Palus was trying his best to make sense of recent events; outlandish as they may be, his three friends wouldn't lie, something he valued about the group. Everything was believable, to an extent, that was before, now he was calling bull-shit.
"An Elf? A halo? Feng actually seeing a woman?" His thoughts trailed on, stretching out whatever fantasy Feng conceived. "Yeah, no, the third ones too much."
Palus snorted, mouth agape with disbelief as he glanced towards Diego; he wasn't having it, hands pressed to his face muffling his pained wails. Turning to the only sane person in the group, Palus shifted to Shiloh.
"D-Did they drug him- or what? " Palus snorted, struggling to stifle a laugh.
Shiloh didn't answer; he either gave up trying to sell their crack-pot of a story altogether or was simply done with Feng.
"Unfortunately, Nope, kids loco- If they did, it couldn't be worse than what we got. " Diego griped, sitting back up from the bed as he stuck his head out, squinting up at the bunk above him.
"Ah hah~ mann what a beauty!"
And earlier, Palus thought he'd be the insane one; Feng was leagues ahead, 'Hall of Fame' even.
"Santa María, Madre De Dios, arreglar esta pobre- This guy's mother wasn't praying when she had you, was she?" The Spanish slinging giant stood up, pinching his nose as he leveled his eyes with Feng." . .A PRISON CELL-! Don't forget she was the one that put our asses here!"
"Comee onn- you can not tell me I'm wrong about this- don't go hatin on me just cause I'm trying to find the good in this situation-"
"Chica the one that put us here, Armando- and I'm here trying to tell boss all the shit that happen- but yo ass ke-"
"Diego stop! I told you we weren't going-"
"Man, what's with all the recent bullshit Shiloh! I ain't got a clue why you out of all people ai-"
Palus watched. Just like earlier, but this time, with all of them being audibly and visibly clear, they erupted. The seemingly harmless back and forth escalated out of nowhere, but poor circumstances paired with the emotional burdens they've bottled sparked a flame on the deviously short fuse.
"Fuck not again-"
His body turned to ice; a chilling air washed along his back as he winced in pain; his headache was worsening, much worse than before; a minor pinch drastically rising into an excruciating pain kind of worse. The boy gripped his face, eyes blinking rapidly behind his fingers as he helplessly watched the commotion slowly drown out into muffled murmurs.
"Why is this happening? This isn't the first time they've exploded- so why now?"
"Okay Feng, now you're really starting to piss me off!"
"Not my problem, your always the one suddenly making a bit deal out of it- "
"It's cause- YOU don't think much about anything- ! Yo ass always going on about shit this, and shit that as if you forgot that everyo-"
"EVERYONE STOP!"
The room froze, the sudden outburst had heads pivoting and wide eyes focusing on Palus. They've always been used to him putting a halt to any excessive commotion. But this felt different - the pained, quivering, almost trembling voice felt less so like a captain barking orders to organize his men, but more so an emotion-fuelled plea; up to this point, it was a sight the four have only ever experienced twice in their group's history together.
The room fell dead still as the others watched Palus silently, a whirlwind of words failing to escape their minds and out through their lips. Whether it be words expressing their guilt, worry, shock, or their much-needed apologies, neither of them spoke, not even an utter as their churned stomachs tightened with each passing second.
"P-Please everyone just- "
Palus stopped himself, an isolated noise from outside the doors capturing his attention, the subtle interruption barely reaching the dead silence within the room. He could hear a mixture of heels briskly clicking down the hall, creeping closer, soon shadowed by two pairs of bulky mechanical footsteps striding behind; the soft whirs of hydraulics matching each thump in their steps, composing a near spine chilling rhythm.
Plans to formulate an ambush could've been devised but the four anticipated in angst; instead, their eyes remained locked to the doors across the room, instincts telling them to remain where they are.
They all heard it; in truth, the menacing march on top of the sharp clicks were the only things they could hear; their heartbeats, their steady breaths, even the thoughts inside their heads were drowned out by the distinguished tempo drawing near.
Upon reaching the door, it ceased, echoing slightly down the hall before dying down. The four waited in anticipation.
"Open holding cell zero."
Author Notes:
Sorry for the extremely delayed chapter. I initially had this planned a week ago, but some issues regarding family popped up. My family and I needed some time to let it all sink in, not to mention I wanted to be there for support.
Sad stuff aside, this chapter was really fun to make. This being my first actually writing something properly(Not school-related, of course) I had a good time experimenting and seeing what I liked. With that in mind, I plan on going back to chapter one for a few minutes when I'm working on the next chapter to iron it out and fix my writing a bit. No promises on how long these chapters are gonna take, but I'm gonna aim for two weeks max.
Very character-oriented chapter, but one that really established the four faces, we'll be seeing a lot of, a few of their personalities, tiny hints about backstories, that type of stuff. Gets my mind thinking about the potential problems and solutions I can make with them for the story moving forward. Next one I plan on having some action.
Feel free to share any thoughts, opinions, or suggestions. I love being open about stuff like this.
One last thing, Thank You. I'm happy the story has a bit of an audience, albeit a pretty small one lmao. For those that enjoy the story or the ones that simply drop by, I appreciate the time you spend reading.
I hope to see you again in future chapters, if not that's fine too. Stay safe, treat each other with respect and ill catch yall later.