CHAPTER 1: Prologue Part 2/3

Horizon Zero Dawn, has been one of the most incredible games I've played for quite some time. The story, character design, concept and more. It truly lived up to my expectation to the point where the urge to write my own take regarding a character I imagined and how he may have an inpat on the world itself. Now let it be known that this story takes place along side the main storyline but does not however interact with it directly (at least not yet).

Disclaimer

I do not own Horizon Zero Dawn. Any Quotes, Plotlines used (inspiration from other shows or games) within the story will be given credit and as I've said before I do not own any of it.

The purpose of my stories is to entertain those who are willing to read my own take of something I've enjoyed playing or watching's


3rd POV

Crashing down and being killed on impact would have been a mercy if you think about it, but what Kairos wasn't expecting, was the sound of a loud splash of ice-cold water, cushioning his fall and thankfully deep enough that they didn't hit the bottom with the force they expected.

"Oh, Old one's shit gotta move, gotta move!" he thought to himself swimming to the side trying to avoid the large chunks of Eartha and metal crashing down piece by piece to the pool.

As he swam under water trying to avoid getting hit on head, something else had been down there waiting to be found. A circular shaped metal door with triangular pattern in the middle that seem to have been damaged causing a tiny gap within its structure to open, Kairos held his breath and swam into the door hoping that there was a way out inside.

"Need to get out of here" he felt his lung began to burn with the intense need to breathe. "There's got be a way- "

His thoughts were cut as he managed to see through the murky water, a blue light shining once again. This time it was even brighter. "There!"

He swam as fast as he could seeing faint glimmers of light run across the strange cave system he was in; he didn't really have much time to think about it given that his lungs felt like they were about to explode, Until finally.

"Oh, Old Ones, Thank you!". He gasped out for breath. Coughing as he struggled to regain his composure while dragging himself out of the water.

Moment's past as his breath gradually returned to normal and laid flat on his back, feeling the adrenaline slowly leave him after this near-death experience.

"This is the last time I do a job for them; shards be damned!" he wheezed out, short of breath.

Kairos slowly collected himself as he took a quick glance around where he was, the exit he managed to swim out of wasn't an exit. But rather an entrance to something else.

"What the hell?... where am I?".

His surroundings were a mixture of earth, metal, lights, and ruins. Tunnels that had stairwells going down deeper into the facility. Through the entire underground layout, faint lights glimmer on and off at every turn and strange machinery attached to the entire base. Kairos's eyes wide with disbelief, he hadn't expected this, walking forward, his head darting in every direction, examining everything.

For a while he assumed that this was the "threshold of the anomalous" the Hell, the priest of the High - dwellers kept on preaching about to those who didn't follow their High-laws.

He shook his head "this isn't that time to get distracted, whatever the hell this place is I'll worry about it after I get out".

His footsteps could be heard echoing through the halls. As he continued to find an exist, he could at least conclude to himself that this place. It wasn't some mythical realm, or whatever nonsense that high priests could possibly imagine. It was a type of facility…not unlike the ruins of the old world.

Kairos found himself walking up a set of stairs that led to a sealed door, he couldn't really see any glimpse on what laid on the other side since it was took dark and the windows that were made from some sort of solid crystalline shield had them sealed shut with intricate patterns etched on their frames.

"Hold for Identiscan" a voice spoke with a metallic voice resembling a woman as suddenly a red light emitted from the frame.

"What the Hell!"

He jumped back, startled by what occurred, and raised his arm blocking the red light as it seemed to run its rays all over his frame.

"Genetic Identity unknown, Entry Denied" the metallic women's voice replied.

Kairos lowered his arms as the red light slowly vanished within and looked around to see if something had changed. He didn't understand what the voice did, but he knew what 'entry denied' meant. He has heard that his entire life.

"Oh God how the hell am I going to get out of here… she must be worried sick" he muttered letting his body slide against the door, until he sat on the ground. His back leaning against the metal.

"Huh… After all the wars, the troubles we've faced this is how I die? Slowly starving while stuck in this… whatever this place is called. Wow, what a way to go out… ay Violet?" he thought to himself slowly, closing his eyes. Accepting that this might be it. This is how he Dies.

"You giving up lug head? Come on get your ass up!" a voice echoed in his mind, it was the voice of someone who's seen him at his best and worse.

What would she think of him simply giving up after everything they've been through?

"No…"

A spark emerged but from the depths of his being, one he thought had slowly faded away as time passed by.

"No, no, no. I haven't come this far to die now!"

His anger rose and as his fists tightened, he refused to give up now. He wasn't going to die because of a job They told him to do. He would rather-.

"You are not Alone."

Kairos immediately stood up.

A new voice emitted this time, this was different. It sounded human or at least, something like it. It wasn't the same metallic voice as before, suddenly the red light emitted from the door again.

"Unauthorized En-" the metallic voice seemed to glitch out… almost as if it's being taken over.

"Entry Authorized. You are clear to proceed." The doors that were sealed shut opened revealing another facility of mystery.

"Welcome to Lyceum, a place of learning." The metallic voice introduced it. Kairos couldn't believe what had just happened. Taking cautious steps, he surveyed the new surroundings he found himself in. It was a type of circular facility that went up, with strange machines and small curved metal plates attached to their side, each one was separated with a singular metal seat placed Infront. That meant people were supposed to sit and stare at these machines.

"Was this place some sort of torture facility?" he thought to himself, the idea of being stuck on a chair and forced to stare at some… thing, sounded unbearable. He noticed a small metal post attached to the side of the strange machines and thought that something might come out or play if he tapped it… but nothing did.

"Huh, I guess not everything is working here" he mused.

As he slowly made way up, following the stairwell's direction, he couldn't help but notice the metal and crystalline platform, placed at the very top. From the direction it was in, it could've led to a way out.

Kairos sprinted to the very top, feeling adrenaline course through him, as he climbed up the stairwell leading up to the platform, he noticed that this entire facility was built to go down. When he finally reached the platform, the door to the room was broken and thankfully could be pried open.

Checking whatever was left on him since he got here, most of his gear wear lost during the fall and escape. He made a mental note to stop by Bimbo's to acquire some new ones. Kairos took out his knife and placed it in the middle of the metal door. The door itself had already created a small gap for his blade which made things easier.

Gritting his teeth, he leaned forward, adding more pressure. The blade bending to the side until finally the door opened and slid inside the frame. He took a moment to examine his knife, he needed to make a new one. Entering the platform there was a curved desk located near the center of the room. The room itself seemed quite dead with no lights flickering.

"Is this place some… office?"

He'd heard the High - dwellers often gave special treatment those who are claimed to be the higher ups in the military or politics. He guessed this might have been some chief personal room and from the direction it was pointed, whoever was supposed to be here oversaw, Old One's know what was going down the downstairs.

Kairos scanned the desk hoping to see if anything would give him some answers, but the entire thing was dead and unresponsive. He decided to leave since there wasn't much here but as he looked at the door from the other side of the room, he noticed that.

It was already unlocked.

"Ok, that thing from before… it is definitely watching me" he thought, the door wasn't broken or damaged. Which meant that whatever it was that gave him access to the upper layout of the facility was… aiding him in finding a way out. But why?

What did it want?... why was It aiding him?

Kairos's placed his hand on his waist and took a moment to gather his thoughts. He was given a job from the high - dwellers, went down a hole, fell into the hole, found an old ruin, and now is being followed by some spirit.

"….."

Wow. He thought he would've at least had a few more years before his mind had gone off the deep end.

Walking past the door, Kairos followed the trail of stairwells and ruins upward hoping that this would finally lead him to an exist or at least a chance to find a way up to the surface. As he climbed up the stairs one last time, it had led to another facility. One where there was a round platform built in the middle of the bottom floor and expanded upward connecting with the rampart and its platforms above it. Inside the round platform, the contents within it were a mix color, and toys scattered across its floor.

The walls around it were painted with drawings of people, animals, plants and even the sun. From the way it was drew. Kairos knew it was made by children. Lots of children, this place… was where children were kept? His heart ached at the thought. But why underground? How could anyone want to spend the rest of their lives underground. Denying the children kept here to see what the land above could offer.

Kairos brow's furrowed in puzzlement as he tried to make sense of this bewildering situation.

"Open… ELUTHIA 15 Chamber B5 – 009" the metallic voice from before. The one that aided him in reaching this far. Its voice came out of nowhere. Kairos eye's widened in surprise as he looked around, wondering where this being is and what was it saying.

"Open...…. Chamber Bb5 …Dual System assault has been… identified…, Verified Threats H…. have initiated Corruption Override… Initating ShielD WalL ProtocoLs … You must…open Chamber B5 – 009…"

The way it was communicating seemed to have changed. Before the voice sounded clear and even human. Now it sounded as though it was glitching out, like it was being attacked.

"Open chamber…what? What's happening?!" he shouted to the voice.

It didn't respond.

Kairos didn't bother shouting at it again, he could tell that whatever was happening was beyond his own understanding and finding a way out was his only concern. Slowly he made his way up the rampart to the second platform of the facility, finding the same drawings and colored walls as before, metal crates and all sorts of machinery were scattered across the floor.

The one thing that stood out here was the odd giant machine built in the middle of the platform. Pod like machinery were attached to the floors and walls and were built deeper into the facilities corners and sides.

Kairos took a few steps leaning at the edge of the railing. Realizing how far deep he'd climbed out off; this entire structure was built into the very depths of the earth. Whatever this place was, it was meant for a lot of people.

"Shield Wall Protocols... failing…"

The Voice filled the facility, he didn't know why but he couldn't help but feel as though a sense urgency filled its words. Something was going wrong.

"Safeguard Percentage at 75%... Open Chamber 05 -009"

Kairos's face scrunched up in confusion, ever since he had made his way up to this place it's been telling him repeatedly to open some… chamber?

"What?... what chamber! The pods in the sides?... Does things... is that it?"

"Safeguard Percentage at 67%..."

He shouted at the voice hopping for some confirmation only to receive some count down. He wasn't sure what it was for, but he didn't want to stay here for too long to find out.

"Safeguard Percentage at 50%... Nearing Critical Security Breach"

Kairos took that as his cue to stop wasting time, rushing to investigate each pod. Some were already opened others were still sealed, he tried to use his dented knife to at least make a crack into the locks only for the blade to finally snap.

"Oh, come on."

"Safeguard Percentage at 46%..."

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm on it"

"Chamber 5 – 009 which one is it?" he thought to himself meticulously checking every pod that was available in this facility, he didn't have any equipment left on him to force every pod open. Not to mention he was already running out of time. Hands going up to grab his hair out of frustration and panic, Kairos' eyes scanned the surrounding area, trying to decide whether it was time to leave and abandon this search.

"I'm sorry but I can't fin- "

Kairos stops for a moment, his ears catching a distant, delicate sound. It's a faint cry almost imperceptible at first, but steadily growing louder with each passing second.

It was the heart – wrenching cry of a BABY.


Still figuring out how I plan to set the tone and plot of this story, feel free to leave a review and share your opinion on the possibilities of this story and how I can improve it for future chapters.

See you in the next Chapter.