Well, this be a surprise. After playing through the Remake, i couldn't help myself and redo the 1st part of Dead Hearts as a separate story. So, here-we-go!
Chapter 1: Hauntingly Familiar.
The Guardians of Light stood in silence as they watched through the portal. It had felt like hours since this nightmare began, with the Master of Masters tricking Sora and Kairi into a Dead Realm for a Mark of Mastery. And all they could do was watch.
They were thankful that the man they found, Isaac Clark, had stood by them the entire time. But now they were returning to the place where this ordeal began. But just as they saw the three enter the docking tube, the portal was suddenly engulfed in static.
"What's going on?" Xion asks worriedly as the portal fizzles out. Almost instantly, everyone in the room turns to glare at the Master of Masters, who, despite wearing a cloak to conceal himself, was visibly disturbed as well, given his body language.
"Don't look at me! This is not my doing!" He says defensively as he walks over to it. No one in the room was buying his excuse. After all, he was the reason this was happening in the first place. Yen Sid, in particular, was not amused as he summoned several light orbs. Yet he refrained from attacking, for if Riku's earlier attempt was to show, the Master of Masters always had his guard up.
"Now, what is going on? There shouldn't be any sur- OH! Well, that's interesting…." The MoM hums as he looks over the portal before walking past it to the Mini-Marker behind it. Placing his hands on his hip, he quickly kicks the Marker, startling everyone in the room as the portal begins to show life again. "Change of plans, guys! We are about to see something skipped over during that three-year time skip."
"What are you talking about?" Riku asks through grit teeth. Almost as if to answer Riku, the portal flickers with blue static as an eye materialises.
"What I mean is, we are about to see an alternate take on the Ishimura. Or what some would say, what actually happened…." He replies cryptically as sounds begin to play from the portal. The nightmare was about to begin anew… "After all, what else can you do when stuck in a repeating nightmare?"
If Isaac were to tell you what he was feeling right now, it would be utter confusion. The last thing he could remember was talking to Sora and Kairi as they left Aegis VII, only for him to blackout with no warning. And then there were the gaps in his memory. He could remember some things, such as that headache-inducing talk with Sora and Kairi on the…. Where was it again?
As he tried to piece together his scattered thoughts, a video comm flared to life. On the other side was Nicole. Her blond hair stretched down her shoulders as she wore the white medical officer uniform onboard the Ishimura. And her blue eyes showed a deep sadness as she spoke.
"Isaac, it's me. I wish I could talk to you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything. I wish I could just… talk to someone. It's all falling apart here. I can't believe what's happening. It's strange… such a little thing." As she spoke, Nicole glanced around while gesturing with her hands, almost forcing herself to speak. But soon, the video ends, leaving Isaac alone. Or so he thinks.
"That's her? Nicole?" Kendra Daniels asks as she walks up to Isaac, placing a hand on his chair. Isaac nods as he closes the video before turning back to look at her, a gnawing thought at the back of his mind.
"Yeah. First I've heard from her in weeks." He replies in a tiered voice. Maybe, all those memories he was having were just a dream he was having. He glances over his shoulder to look further back into the Kellion, only for his heart to stop. Sitting on chairs and fast asleep were Sora and Kairi in their pseudo-engineer armour, helmets next to their feet. So, those weren't dreams? What the hell is going on? He asks himself before refocusing on Kendra. He could worry about that when they woke up.
"We're five minutes out, and you still have that thing on repeat? Guess you really miss her." Kendra asks sympathetically. Isaac nods before glancing back at Sora and Kairi, a glance that Kendra follows. "Then again, I suppose having the lovey-dovey couple doesn't help either, huh?" Isaac nods with an absent mind before turning back to look at Kendra.
"The Ishimura isn't a job you turn down lightly. But six months apart with vid calls…." He tilts his head with a grimace. "It's rough. Easy to say the wrong thing. Of course, I would have joined her if I was smart like those two." Kendra gives him an easy-going smile before walking to a screen near the front.
"I don't blame you. I'd listen to my girlfriend over Hammond reciting security protocols…." She lightly jabs at Hammond, who returns the jab with one of his own.
"Forewarned is forearmed, Ms Daniels." He says with a smirk as he stands next to Chen and Johnston, looking out into the silver glow of warp. Picking up a plastic bottle, he turns around before lightly throwing it at Sora and Kairi, waking the couple up with a grin. "Wake up, buttercups. We're approaching the Ishimura soon."
The couple looks around groggily before their eyes seem to widen in surprise. More so when they land on Isaac. "Um, right. Sorry about that, Hammond." Sora says slowly as he and Kairi stretch their arms before glancing at Isaac. While words were not said, the message was in their eyes. What is going on?
"Don't worry about it. I'd be taking a nap, too, if I were you." Hammond replies with a smile, not noticing the glances between Sora, Kairi and Isaac. Turning back to the front window, he puts a hand on Chen's chair as he announces their arrival.
"Alright. Here we go. Nice clean exit." Chen says as the silver tunnel vanishes, replaced by the sight of Aegis VII and a field of asteroids. "Welcome to Aegis VII." Isaac reaches down to pick up his helmet while Sora and Kairi do the same.
"Who would want to be out here looking at that for a long time?" Kairi asks, masking her discomfort of the situation. Not picking up on it, Hammond glances at her with a thoughtful look.
"Well, Kairi, to an independent miner, that's paradise. Aegis VII is one of the richest finds in CEC history. Some prospecting teams are set up for life. Cobalt, Silicon, Osmium. The list goes on." He says with a grin before looking back out to the field. "Now, where is she-?" No soon does he ask, one of the asteroids moves away, revealing the Ishimura against the backdrop of Aegis VII. And hanging from below, a giant chunk of crusty held up by glowing blue gravity tethers.
But while the crew looked on in awe, Sora, Kairi and Isaac felt different. That haunting feeling was back, stronger than before. Yet they still couldn't place a finger on it. It was like a phantom that was there but at the same time wasn't.
"What a beauty." Hammond says, snapping the trio from their thoughts. "Biggest planet cracker in his class, you know. And it looks like they've already popped the cork." But while the Ishimura did look beautiful, one thing was putting them on edge.
"Why is it so dark? Should there be light on?" Sora asks, although, for some reason, he already feels he knows the answer.
"Good question. We should be seeing her running lights." Chen answers with a suspicious tone. "I'll get us into hailing range. Someone has to be waiting for us." He says, pushing the ship forward. Hammond glances at the debris around them as the Kellion presses on.
"Just be careful on the approach. I'm not taking any chances with the CEC's pride and joy." Kendra seemed to scoff lightly at that as she turned to look at him with a smirk.
"No chances, huh? Is that why you were digging around my personnel files before we left?" She asks with a knowing tone. Hammond, for his part, didn't rebuff her or get angry. Instead, he we genuinely surprised.
"You check your file access?" He asks. Kendra shrugged her shoulders at him before returning to the screen she was looking at.
"Computer analyst. Comes with the job." She then moved to a nearby seat next to Isaac, just as Chen informed them they were in hailing range for the Ishimura. With a nod from Hammond, Chen attempts to contact them.
"USG Ishimura. This is the emergency maintenance team of the USG Kellion, responding to your distress call. Come in, Ishimura." However, instead of a response, all they got was static. Unphased, Chen tries again, only to be met with the same silence. Curious, Kendra turns to look at the trio.
"Have you ever heard of a total communication blackout on one of these things?" She asks. Sora and Kairi shake their heads, for obvious reasons only known to themselves, while Isaac replies.
"Never." He says quietly. "Come on, someone pick up the damn phone…." Silence falls for a few more seconds before a comm line opens from the Ishimura. But instead of a voice, all they got was a garbled mess. "Sounds like their communication array is busted….Maybe a broken encoder. You get us onboard, and the four of us can handle it. Twenty-four hours, max." Hammond nods confidently at Isaac while Kendra gives him a knowing smile. As everyone straps into their seats, Johnston brings them in.
"Gravity tethers engaged. Automatic docking is a go." She informs as a blue aura fills the outer edges of the window. But just as they began their approach, a sudden strike from a rouge piece of rock slammed into the ship. Within seconds, the Kellion flies out of control, its landing vector too hot, sparks and electricity sparking inside the ship. Just as it looked like they would slam into the ship's deck, Isaac spots their way out.
"Johnston! Aim for the emergency stabiliser! The blue light!" He points out as a tower rising from halfway up the deck loomed over them, a glowing blue light illuminating the top. Johnston nods, bringing the Kellion through the hole in the tower, realigning the ship with the hanger bay. In response, the emergency shutters close down, protecting them as a holographic screen pops up. With years of flying under their belts, Chen and Johnston bring the ship in for a rough landing as it shakes and lurks from the vibrations. Soon, the ship comes to a halt as all lights inside die.
"Everyone alright?" Hammond calls out with a grunt.
"I'll live." Isaac replies, unhooking himself.
"We're okay. A bit shaken but fine." Sora replies as he and Kairi join Isaac. Kendra and Chen also reported they were fine, but Johnston was, unfortunately, the unlucky one. "You okay, Johnston?"
"It's my ankle. Might be broken." She replies with a slight pain in her voice. Hammond looks on with a grimace as Chen places a hand on her shoulder.
"Shit. But better than a broken neck. We should count ourselves lucky." He says before walking over to Isaac and the couple. "Good call on that stabiliser, Isaac."
"Glad I read the manual." He replies with a hint of sarcasm.
"How did this even happen? I thought we were going to die for a second. That guidance system was a death trap." Kairi says with a bit of bitterness in her voice. Kendra nods in agreement as Hammond tells them to add it to the repair list before asking Chen about their damage.
"Comms are down. Lost the bort booster. We've got a fire in one of the stabilisers. And the singularity core is a mess. Could be worse, but not by much." Hammond frowns at the damage result. What was supposed to be a repair mission for the Ishimura became a double repair job. They better get paid good for this.
"Best we head on in and get some help, huh?" Sora says as he points outside the damaged window. Hammond agrees, telling Johnston to stay with the ship as she, Chen and Kendra move to leave. As they do, Isaac glances at the couple before giving them a discreet nod. They would talk when things were quiet. The trio put their helmets on in silence, noting they were in Level 3 RiGs. The same ones from their thoughts. Although they did notice two additional thrusters on their shoulders. While Sora and Kairi had Stasis and Kinesis modules on their left arms, Isaac had neither.
"I'll never understand how you can fit all that hair in your helmet Sora." Isaac quips as the three start to leave the Kellion. The couple chuckles at Isaac's quip before stepping off into the hanger bay. It is a vast open area stretching for miles, with several platforms stretching for a fair distance. The area is lit in a pale blue glow as boxes and crates litter the landing pads. At the far end, several windows looked down upon them, indicating where the flight control was. While underneath, displayed in large glowing white neon signs, was the ship's name welcoming them in. USG ISHIMURA.
"Crap, we came down hard." Isaac notes as he looks at the back of the Kellion. The support boosters were a tangled mess.
"Not a great start to our repair mission." Hammond agrees as he and Chen equip themselves with Pulse Rifles. Kendra looks at them with a questioning look, which Hammond shrugs causally. "Standard security, Ms Daniels. We will get them registered in the Flight Lounge. Let's go, people." With nods all around, the group of six move out, with Chen calling out to anyone nearby. But all they got was silence.
"You would have thought we would have been heard with how we came in." Sora says as they glance around before looking at the sign above them. "The sign looks like it's seen better days. It's flickering at some parts."
"Just another thing to add. And you should be proud, Chen, you got us down here in one piece." Chen seemed to stand tall at hearing that before glancing at the Kellion.
"Johnston might disagree. But if you're offering to buy the first round tonight…." He says with a grin as Hammond shakes his head fondly. Upon picking up the banter, Kendra throws her hat into the ring.
"I wouldn't mind something to steady my nerves, especially on CEC's tab." She turns her head to the trio. "How about you three?"
"Maybe for me, but I doubt these two would have something alcoholic." He looks at the two, who gives him a nod as they walk hand in hand beside him. Kendra chuckles at them before the six of them enter the Security Check-in. Booths lined their right while a security booth stood by the door to the flight lounge on their left. While Kendra and Hammond fiddled with the consoles around them, Isaac stepped up to the door with Sora and Kairi before a blue light shoot from above and scanned over them in one go.
Welcome, Isaac Clark, Sora Osment, Kairi Stoner, to the USG Ishimura.
No sooner does it finish scanning the lights on their backs activate, glowing green and full. Sora and Kairi give their hands a few movements, feeling their magic flowing through them. But what disturbed them was how…limited it felt.
RIG synced. Isaac Clark, collect Kinesis and Stasis modules from: Acting Chief Engineer Jacob Temple. Location…
Alarms blare suddenly as the system fails to locate Jacob.
Error. Employee not found.
"Acting Chief? What happened to the actual chief?" Kairi asks. Sora shrugs before the two glance at Hammond, who is still trying to contact someone on his comms, before grunting in defeat.
"I can't reach anyone in security. How about you three?"
"It's the same with the Chief Engineer and the acting chief. What is wrong with their comms?" Isaac asks bitterly. Not deciding to linger on it, Hammond opens the door to the Flight Lounge. All they saw was darkness for a second before the lights automatically turned themselves on. Screens lit up in yellow and brown, showing flight times. Couches line the centre of the room, littered with lugged, while scraps of paper litter the floor. But just like the room before, they found no sign of life.
"Just like outside. What is going on?" Kairi asks as she, Sora and Kairi walk over to a nearby vent next to a door leading to a service hallway. Kendra walks over to the door leading to the Tram Station while Hammond and Chen stand in the centre of the room.
"Where's the security detail? Where's anybody?" Hammond asks, his frustrations building. Kendra checks the duty roster, only to find it blank.
"There's nothing logged. No duty roster and no power to the elevator. If this is some prank, then I've had enough of it."
"For god sake…." Hammond mutters, before noticing a console in the service tunnel, glowing blue. "That security console is still working. Isaac, Sora, Kairi, get a damage report. I'm done playing around."
"Copy that, Hammond." Isaac replies before opening the door. As the three stepped into the corridor, a sense of déjà vu fell over them. So much so that Sora stopped before glancing down at his feet. He couldn't see anything, the lights from his visor doing a terrible job illuminating the floor, but he could see something. Something wet and red.
"Wait, what's this? Is this-?" he asks before kneeling down, only for Kairi to tell him to hurry up. Standing back to full height, he joins Kairi and Isaac as the latter activates the console, Hammond and Chen walking to the window to get a look. "So, what's wrong?"
"Shit." Isaac breathes as he brings up a schematic of the ship, nearly everything glowing red. "It's not just comms or the guidance system. Half the Ishimura is in the red. Engines, hull, the trams…." He lists the extent of the damage dawning on them with increasing weight.
"What could do that sort of damage to a planet cracker? And what is that smell in the vents?" Chen asks as he steps away from one. Hammond could only shrug in reply before the sound of machinery turning back on rumbles around them. Soon air begins to flow again through the vents as dust is sucked from the ground into the system.
"Okay, I got us some power. Ventilation is up. Power to the elevator should be next." Kendra reports with a grin as the air flows once again. While Hammond and Chen were happy, the trio outside could not help but feel a sense of familiarity again. This has happened before. I know it! They think to themselves, but no matter how hard they try, they can't remember.
But all such thoughts were ended when security grates slammed shut on all the doors, with the lights instantly shutting off as all the screens turned red. Each displays a bio-hazard sign along with one word. Quarantine. Soon, orange lights spun around as an alarm blared through the room.
Hazardous anomaly detected. Quarantine activated.
"Another malfunction?" Hammond asks, unphased by the alarm as Chen aims his gun around. Isaac looks over the system while Sora and Kairi stand near him.
"No. The quarantine system is working fine." He replies, a building sense of dread rising within him. It was then that sounds began to echo throughout the vents. Something was crawling its way towards them. Something big. Alarm bells ring in the three's minds for reasons they cannot remember as Isaac hesitantly calls out to Hammond.
"Stay calm and keep it easy. Chen, eyes up. Daniels, get the doors open." He says calmly, although it is clear from his eyes he is also freaked out. Kendra voiced their opinions, stating that something was in there with them. It was only proven true when a vent above Chen was busted open, long blades made of bone poking through.
"Up there!" Chen cries out as he turns his gun on the vent, firing at whatever is in the vents. His cry had gotten Hammond's attention, who turned to the vent. But in the heat of the moment, he forgot to watch Chen's back. Just as Chen managed to drive the creature away, another ran up behind him from another vent and impaled him from behind.
"Chen!" Sora and Kairi cry out from outside as Isaac's breath hitches up.
"What the fuck is that!?" Kendra screeches as she turns back to the door.
"Chen! NO!" Hammond cries out in anger as he fires at the creature, its disgustingly naked humanoid feature slamming Chen onto the window, cracking it as blood smears. Chen could only look at the trio outside with an expression of pure pain as he screamed in agony just as the light left his eyes. Seeing its prey was dead, the creature drops Chen's body to the floor before stalking its way towards Hammond, who continues to fire with his Pulse Rifle. "Kendra! Get the doors open!" He barks out as his shots do nothing to the beast before the rounds finally tear off its bladed limbs, only for a second one to burst out another vent.
"Get out of there!" Isaac yells as Kendra finally opens up the doors around them. Isaac spots the door near them leading to Tram Maintenance before pulling on Sora and Kairi's shoulders roughly. "To Tram Maintenance! Go!" The two don't argue as they sprint through the door, only for one of the creatures to burst in from a vent in front of them. Sora, on instinct, summons Kingdom Key to his side before slamming the mythical weapon into the creature's side, clearing the way. Not bothering to stop to see if it's dead, the trio sprints down the winding hall, more creatures bursting through each vent they pass as they continue running.
"Kendra! Hammond! Are you okay!?" Isaac yells into the comm link, only to hear the sound of gunfire followed by Kendra's screaming.
"Christ, it's still after us! Run!" Just as it looked like the creatures would catch them, the trio found an elevator. Rushing into it, Isaac slams his hand on the panel, closing the door. The three take a moment to breathe before one of the creatures slams its mantis-like arms into the door, prying it open. Standing before them in normal light, what they saw widened their eyes.
It was a crew member of the Ishimura, a security guard by the clothes. But his stomach had burst open, intestines gone as two small clawed hands emerged from the wound. His lower jaw was missing, his mouth covered in blood, and his arms were hunched over his head like a praying mantis. And two long scythe-like blades made of bone extending from his hands. The creature snarls at them while Sora and Kairi stand in front of Isaac, Keyblades summoned as their fear reaches an all-time high.
But as the creature readied itself to pounce, the doors slammed shut, severing its arms and head off and showering the trio in blood.
"Jesus!" Isaac shouts on instinct as the lift begins to descend. He could feel his heart begging to slow as the relative safety enveloped them. But despite that, Isaac swore that he didn't feel as scared as he should have been. As though he had been through this before. He shakes his head before looking at the couple. "Guess those dreams I was having were real after all." He says knowingly to them, who looks back at him.
"You had strange dreams as well?" Kairi asks. At Isaac's nod, Kairi sighs a breath of relief. "Thank light. I thought we were going to have to explain everything again."
"But still, what is going on? Why is this all familiar?" Sora asks, arms crossed. Isaac takes a deep breath before sighing despondently.
"I don't know. And frankly, I don't care. All that matters is getting out of this nightmare alive." He states defiantly as the lift comes to a stop. As the blood-soaked doors open, the trio find themselves in a workshop, boxes and tools littering the ground. In a closed-off part of the room, separated by glass walls, Isaac spots a table with a disassembled tool on top. One that he knows very well. Walking up to is, as Kairi and Sora stand behind him with their Keyblades out, he resembles the tool back together.
The 221-V Plasma Cutter.
After giving it a few tests, switching it from horizontal to vertical mode, Isaac nodded in approval before picking up as many plasma packs as he could carry. A nagging feeling told him he would need all the ammo he could find. But as he was doing so, the screams of a crewmember echoed from the other side of the locked door. Glancing around, Isaac sees a fuse box linked to the door and, pointing his Cutter at it, fires a bolt of plasma at the fuse.
The moment the fuse goes out, the door opens, revealing the crew member on the other side. Unfortunately, he was not alone, as one of the creatures had pounced on top of him, ripping his throat out with its mouth. The creature snarls in a human-like growl, turning its head towards the trio, only to find Sora and Kairi swinging their Keyblades from above and slicing its arms off. Blood flies free as the blade slice through rotting flesh and muscle, bones shattering at the impact. The second its arms are gone, it falls to the ground.
"They really are crew members…." Isaac mentions sadly as they look over the half-naked creature before looking at the dead person, eyes frozen in fear. "I'm sorry we weren't fast enough." He says, kneeling down before closing the man's eyes. Sora and Kairi looked down in pity as Isaac stood back up, Cutter armed. "Let's get going. Be on the lookout." The couple nods as they follow Isaac through the corridors before them. The lights flicker around them as the floor is covered in fresh blood. Coming to a junction, they see the lower path blocked off by crates and baggage just as one of the creatures shuffles past, growling as it goes.
Seeing that way was blocked, they three take the right path, passing through a door and into another small corridor. Lying on the ground at the far end was another crewmember, his gut sliced open as a small med-pack was held in his hands. As Isaac bends to pick it up, a sudden thought enters his mind before turning to the couple. "I've been wondering. You can still use your Keyblades, but what about your magic?"
"We don't know." Sora replies hesitantly as he grips his left hand. "We can feel it running through us, but it feels weaker than usual. Like it's being blocked by something."
"I'm sure we can still use some form of magic, but it probably won't be as strong as usual." Kairi adds on, rubbing her arm nervously. "We might not even be able to use healing magic…." Isaac looks between the two as he glances at the few memories he has. He can remember the warm feeling of the Cure spell at work, removing his exhaustion and sealing his wounds, its effect just as powerful as a large med-pack. Losing that would be a hard blow.
"We'll deal with that when we reach it." He replies, standing straight and pocketing the med pack. "To be safe, I want all of us to carry at least one med pack at all times. Better to have something rather than nothing." Neither Sora nor Kairi argues with him on that point as they follow Isaac into the Tram Repair Station. Entering, the metal grates covering the windows retract, revealing the Flight Deck Tram Station on the other side, along with a tiered Hammond and Kendra. The movement of the shutters had gotten the two attention, as Kendra activated a video comm to Isaac as Hammond patrolled the Station, Pulse Rifle raised.
"Guys? You made it." Kendra says, relief coursing through her voice.
"Just barely. They're everywhere." Isaac replies with some strain. Glancing at Kendra and Hammond, he suddenly remembered Chen. "Chen. Is he…?"
"He's….Gone. Nothing I could do." Hammond replies, grief evident in his voice as he tries to maintain a professional look. The trio hold their breaths in silence as the reality of Chen's death falls on them before Hammond asks the question they were all thinking. "What the fuck are these things?"
"Some of the ones we saw were wearing Ishimura uniforms. We think that they are the crew." Kairi says with slight hesitation. It was all they could come up with, but it was their only explanation. Kendra didn't believe her, yet couldn't come up with a retort to Kairi's claim.
"We need to get to the bridge." Hammond says with determination. "There are a thousand people on board. Someone will be there."
"We can't. The tram system's wrecked. Everything's locked down because of the quarantine." Kendra replies.
"And you're all repair techs? So how do we do this?" Kendra rolls her eye at Hammond before walking to a nearby terminal. Using her authorisation, she logs into the system and retrieves the damage reports.
"We've got two problems that need to be fixed. First is a broken tram car blocking the tunnel. It's jammed up the whole system. Second is a burnt-out data board. Without it, I can't lift the lockdown or call the Tram to the station. But it's all on their side of the station."
"Don't worry. We'll handle it." Sora says with a hidden grin. "You guys, just make sure you don't get found."
"And that there is still power when we get back." Isaac adds on. "No point in us doing all this just to come back and find no power to run the damn things." Kendra nodded at Isaac, but Hammond stepped up before she could end the call with a softness on his face.
"And Isaac? I'm sure Nicole's okay. She's a doctor, right? She'll do the smart thing."
"Yeah… Yeah, she always does." Isaac replies, suddenly sounding very tired before ending the call. Through the window, they could see Kendra and Hammond leaving the station to find a more defensive position, leaving the three of them alone. "Alright. First up, let's get the Tram fixed. Even with a new data board, so long as that Tram is there, the system won't work."
"Which way is it?" Sora asks, looking at the two doors before them. Isaac brings up his left hand, activating the waymarker. Soon, a blue line shines across the floor, going through the door next to the windows. "That answers that." Without further ado and finding a medium med-pack in one of the wall containers that Kairi grabbed, the three enter the tram corridor. Glancing to the left, they could see the problematic Tram blocking the system, its dies dented and smashed. All the while, the sound of a malfunctioning door echoes below them. The tunnel stretched on for miles in both directions, leading into darkness.
Moving down the ramp, the three begin to pass under the broken Tram just as a dead body is thrown out, landing on Kairi. With a shriek, she threw the cadaver off her and down to the floor below, just as Sora sent a fire spell towards it. The fireball set the corpse alight as it burned to ash.
"Not. A word. To anyone." Kairi says with a hidden glare to Sora, who nods silently as they follow Isaac to the floor. The sound of the door grew louder as they approached a pile of dismembered bodies strung about before it. The door was rapidly opening and closing quickly, easily able to shear through flesh and bone. While Sora and Kairi looked at the door, Isaac glanced at the bodies, finding one of the dismembered arms with a Stasis Module attached. Picking the Module up, which was still attached to the arm before finally detaching, Isaac attaches the Module to his left arm, activating the Stasis. Glancing behind him, he spied a Stasis recharge station, ready to recharge.
"Sora, Kairi. Over here." He calls the couple towards the station. The two follow him as he places a hand on it, energy being sent to the unit on his back. With a grin, he could see the meter on his helmet visor reading a full charge. Pulling his hand back, he steps to the side to allow the couple to do the same. "Stasis recharge station. Should jumpstart the Stasis module on your arms."
"Will that work?" Kairi asks as she places a hand on the station. Sure enough, the Stasis Unit charges up, filling the gauge on her back. Shrugging her shoulders, she stands to the side as Sora does the same while Isaac looks at the faulty door. Gripping his left hand, he holds it up as a blast of blue energy shoots out, impacting the door and slowing it down tremendously. Taking the chance, he sprints through before the Stasis wears off as it speeds up again.
"You guys remember how to use Stasis?" He asks over the sound of the door. The couple doesn't reply to him. Instead, Sora raised his left arm as a similar blast of blue energy shot out, slowing the door. The couple sprints through the open door, stopping before Isaac. "Well, that answers my question." He pauses for a moment before glancing at their arms. "What about Kinesis? The modules are on your arms." The couple glances at their arms before raising their hands, but nothing happens.
"Huh. I remember how to use it, but it's not working for some reason." Sora says as the trio begins to ascend the ramp. "Do you have any idea why?" Isaac hums for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.
"I have no idea." The couple glance at each other as they enter a long corridor, a ventilation system exposed above them. "Alright, Tram station is to our right." Isaac points out to the locked door, past a bathroom. "Cargo and Tram Repair are to our left. That's our—" Before Isaac could finish speaking, a sudden wave of pressure fell on the trio. The feeling as though someone was pressing down on their very souls overflowed their senses as the lights around them flickered off, the doors losing all power. But just as it began to build, it stopped. With the lights and power returning quickly after. "What the hell…?" Isaac says numbly as he shakes his head.
"What was that?" Kairi asks, she and Sora on edge. Isaac could only shrug his shoulders before moving towards Tram Repair, eyes darting wearily to the nearby vents. Entering the Tram Repair, Sora and Kairi follow Isaac to the central bridge connecting both parts of the room. On the other side, they saw a door leading to Hydroponics, which was locked down. Ignoring the door, Isaac activates the central consul, bringing the system online as the shutters before they retract.
Repair systems online. Loading system reinitialization.
As the Ishimura's systems brought the system online, a damaged tram care was brought before them. From here, they could see how bad the damage was. The entire side facing them was chard and twisted as though it was hit by a flaming fist. While the damage on the outside didn't look that bad, the inside was probably a mess. Especially the delicate internal systems.
Warning: autoloader malfunction. Please contact a repair technician.
"Of course, it would be too easy…." Kairi says as Isaac looks over both arms. Both seemed to be in good condition from where he stood, so what was the problem? While Isaac pondered, Sora walked down to the left loading arm console. Normally, computers and Sora don't mix well, but in this case, he only had to press a simple button on the screen. But before he could do so, one of the creatures jumped out from a vent behind him.
Spinning around, Sora pointed Kingdom Key at it and immediately went to cast one of his go-to spells. Blizzaga. But instead of the expected steam of ice, all he got was a shard no bigger than his head. It still managed to damage the creature's arm, the bone underneath visible, but that was not Blizzaga! Before Sora could ponder why, the thing charged at him, arms swinging. In response, Sora ducked under the flailing arms and swung Kingdom Key up, slashing off the weakened arm. As the creature stumbled back, blood splattering everywhere, a small ball of fire streaked past Sora and slammed into its head, incinerating a small part of it as bolts of plasma slammed into the remaining arm, severing it.
"Sora! You okay!?" Kairi asks as she runs down the ramp, Isaac staying on top with his Cutter raised.
"Yeah. I am." He replies, looking at the thing. "What's going on? I tried to cast Blizzaga, but it came out as a Blizzard."
"You too?" Kairi asks, worry filling her voice. "I tried to cast Firaga, but it came out as Fire. What's going on?" Sora could only shake his head as thoughts of Castle Oblivion filled his mind. At least, what Riku and Naminé had told him anyway. Why do I always find myself de-powered at the start of a new adventure? He wonders bitterly before looking back to the console. He reaches out and touches the button, bringing the claw online.
Left loader claw, engaged.
"Alright, that's the left claw. I don't see any problems with it, so that leaves the right one." Isaac informs, glancing to the right claw. "If what the system says Is true, then we will need to use stasis on the claw to get it to work."
"How does slowing it down help it?" Kairi asks curiously as she and Sora walk to the right claw. Isaac looks at her momentarily before putting a hand on his chin.
"Good question." He says before bringing his Cutter up, aimed at one of the nearby vents. As Kairi walks up to the controls, Sora stands to her back, Keyblade at the ready. And it was good that he did, as another creature bursts through the vents behind them, followed closely by a second one near the left claw. As Isaac used Stasis to slow the one on the left before shooting its arms off, Sora used his own Stasis on the right one before rushing in to slash its arms off with Kingdom Key.
Right loader claw, engaged.
"Got the right claw. Thanks for watching my back." Kairi says as Sora turns to look at her, noticing a blue hue enveloping the right claw. He could hear Isaac giving a yell of approval before turning to the main control. With a click of a holographic button, the claws retract.
Replacing damaged tram car. Please stand by.
As the system worked to replace the damaged Tram, three more creatures burst through the vents surrounding them. As Isaac opened fire on one of them, Kairi and Sora tried to use Thundaga on the remaining two, but like the other spells, it only came out as Thunder. But even in its weakened form, the bolts of lighting still managed to slow the creatures down, not by much, but it was noticeable, leaving them open to the couple's Keyblades.
Tram replacement complete.
"You two alright?" Isaac asks as the new tram car is placed into the corridor. He keeps his eyes on the vents, ready for anything new, but is met only by silence.
"We're fine, but we can't say the same for our magic." Sora replies with a hint of bitterness. "We're going to have to rely on the Keyblades more than our magic. And if our attack spells are this bad, I don't want to think about defensive spells or Cure…."
"Shit… I remember how effective that Cure spell was in the dreams, but I'm guessing that was a high-end version?" Seeing the couple nod their heads only made Isaac hangs his in defeat. "Great. Anyway, that's one down. Next up is the data board. Should be one in Tram Maintenance. Let's move." With the silent agreement, the trio head back to the connecting tunnel, only for the sound of movement drawing their eyes upwards.
Rushing above them is a new version of the creatures attacking them. It still had a man's torso, but the head's jaw had been split in two, with long sharp fangs emerging from where the teeth once were. As for its lower body, it had all been fused together into a long tail with a sharp bony spear tip. It glances at them through the steel mesh, snarling, before vanishing back into the ventilation.
"A new variant? Not good." Isaac mumbles as the three retrace their steps, returning to the faulty door. But as soon as they pass it, one of the humanoid creatures ambushes them. Pulling its head back, it unleashes a ball of acid at them, just missing Sora's head by a few centimetres before being blasted by a shot of Stasis by Isaac. As the creature slowly turns to Isaac, it fails to see Kairi throwing Destiny's Embrace towards it, the Keyblade spinning like a blade saw as it tears through its arms, ending it as it falls to the ground on the green sacks growing from its stomach.
"Now we got ones that spit acid at us. What's next?" Isaac mumbles in irritation as the three retrace their steps. Soon, they return to the Tram Control before glancing to the remaining door, leading to Cargo and Baggage. Entering the corridor, with luggage littered across the conveyer belt, a quick glance to the right revealed a blood-covered exit for the luggage, while lights flicker at the far end to the left. Slowly, the trio advance down the hall, eyes and ears on high alert, before turning around to find one of the creatures lying on the floor in a pool of blood. It looked convincing, but not for them.
Taking aim with his Cutter, Isaac shoots at one of the creature's limbs as it roars to life in a fury. It was blasted by Stasis as the couple rushed up to it and slashed its arms off with their Keyblades. So far, their strategy of stunning and slashing was working, but for how long would it last?
"Isaac, we have a problem." Kairi says as she looks at the door leading to Tram Maintenance, with a big red sign with a thunderbolt. "The door has no power. We can't get through." While Sora groans in annoyance, Isaac glances at the door before seeing a red power cord running from it. Following it, he sees it running to a power box while a second blue tube runs out from it and back into the corridor. Curios, Isaac looks back into the corridor and sees it running to a storage room.
"Interesting…" Isaac mumbles before moving back to the junction box, while Sora and Kairi try to use Thunder on the door to power it but have limited success. "Nice thinking, but I know a better way." He says to them before moving to the box. They look at him as Isaac presses a few buttons, turning the blue tube red as the red tube turns blue. The moment it does, the door before them reactivates, opening up and showing the way. "Power boxes. We can use them to reroute power, so keep an eye on them."
"Are they hard to use?" Sora asks as they enter the L-shaped room. Isaac shakes his head as they near the bulkhead door. Sora sighed in relief as the doors opened, revealing the room. A vast square of catwalks, with a single beam of light shining down on the skeleton of a tram car. Water drips from the ceiling into the yawning abyss below, while vents and lights dot around the room, keeping it well-lit and vented, while red cylinders stand at random places. Each is emblazed with a fire symbol over a triangle.
"Be careful. Those things are explosive. If you guys could use Kinesis, we could use them as projectiles." Isaac informs as they keep a wide breadth of one of the cylinders. The two nod as Isaac guides them across one of the catwalks to the storage room, only to groan in annoyance as they approach. "Great. The power is out. We need to reroute power."
"There's an elevator over there we can use to get up." Kairi points out to their left. It was hidden behind several work benches, but nothing they would worry about. Climbing on, the trio ascended to the higher level, nerves frayed at no attack as they moved across the catwalks. Several dead bodies litter around them, one being a creature with its arms and head blown off. The silence around them only worsened as they found the power box, two of its three cylinders glowing blue. Sora and Kairi stood at the entrance while Isaac approached it, only to let out a curse of anger.
"What's wrong? Is this not the one?" Sora asks in worry. Isaac shakes his head at his question before looking back at them.
"No. This is the right one. But I must reroute power from the elevator or the lights to open the door. And since the elevator is the only way up…."
"I think we will be fine." Sora replies, drawing a confused look from Isaac. "Trust us." Isaac, hesitant and worried, flips the switch and reroutes the power. In an instant, the room was plunged into darkness, with only the lights from their visors and emergency lights on the catwalks lighting the room. At least, for a moment before Sora and Kairi's Keyblades began to glow, illuminating their surroundings with light. "See?" Sora says cheekily as he and Kairi hold their weapons up.
"Okay, you've made your point." Isaac admits before taking point. "I doubt you'd be able to fight like that, so stay behind me, okay?" They nod in response and retrace their steps to the lift. Then, two of the creatures burst out of the vents to attack them. While Sora and Kairi couldn't fight back as they were, they could still cast Stasis at them. Slowed down, Isaac quickly relieved them of their legs before he took away one of their arms.
"Let's hurry and get that board. We can't fight them forever like this." Isaac says as he quickens his pace, Sora and Kairi not far behind him. However, as soon as they returned to the lower floor, they found five creatures waiting for them near the storage room. "Shit, Slashers! There's too many of them!"
"Isaac! There's one of the red cylinders near them!" Sora shouts, pointing his left hand forward, just as a blob of acid smashes into his arm. He screams in pain as Kairi instinctively grabs onto him, de-summoning her Keyblade. Thankfully, the Plasma Cutter's inbuilt light shone on the barrel next to the creatures, what he now called Slashers due to their arm blades, as they slowly moved towards them. Not wasting a second, Isaac pulls the trigger and fires. The moment he did, it exploded in a large fireball, engulfing the Slashers and shredding their rotting limbs. Taking a moment to breathe, he turned back to Sora, who was holding his arm as Kingdom Key lay on the floor next to him, while Kairi looked over the arm with worry.
"Are you alright?" Isaac asks worriedly. Sora nods as he tries to cast Curaga, only for it to come out as Cure. Thankfully, even at its weakest, it was still enough to ease the burning pain in his arm. Taking the small Med-Pack from his belt, Isaac attaches it to a small port on Sora's suit, injecting the liquid into it. Sora gives out a breath of relief as the mixture flows into him, healing the damage to his arm and a fast rate. "Better?"
"Much better." Sora says, standing up with Kingdom Key. "That hurt."
"Can we get that board and get out of here. I feel like those things are waiting for us." Kairi pleads as she re-summons Destiny's Embrace. Neither of them argues with her as they quickly head to the storage room. Inside, they find more Plasma packs for Isaac, two med packs, and the all-important data board. Kairi picks it up and clips it to her waist as the three quickly leave the room, returning to the darkness engulfed room. Just as they started making their way back, Hammond called them.
"Isaac, we can't stay here for much longer. Hearing a lot of movement. How's it coming with the Tram and data board?"
"We've got the data board. We're on our way back to the Tram Control. The damaged Tram has been taken carded off, so get ready to move. Hold on, Hammond." Isaac replies as they return to the L-shaped room, thankful to return to a light-filled room. A sleeper tried to ambush them, but it was by a blast of Stasis by Isaac, leaving it vulnerable for Sora and Kairi to finish it off.
"Understood. Daniels, get ready to move!" With that, the call ends as they return to the baggage tunnel. A lone Slasher drops from a vent in front of them, only to lose its right leg to Isaac as Sora and Kairi cast fire at one of its arms. The hope that both would do more damage together than by themselves proved fruit as the two balls of fire severed the right arm of the Slasher, and Isaac removed the left.
"So it takes two spells to remove a limb? Not good, but certainly not bad either." Kairi says as they walk past the dead Slasher and to Tram Control. While she and Sora walk to the controls, Isaac head to the back to insert the new data board. Plugging it in, the system reboots as the Tram moves to the station. Outside, they could see Hammond and Kendra moving to the Tram, both looking around with worry. Soon, the Tram departs with Kendra and Hammond, with Hammond activating a video call to them shortly after.
"We're on board. Something hit the roof, but it seems operational."
"It's that something that worries us, Hammond." Sora replies while shaking his head. "What do you want us to do?"
"The quarantine lockdown has lifted, so you can head back to the hanger." Kendra informs, causing the three to suddenly pale under their armour.
"Oh no. We forgot about Johnston! She doesn't know what's happened!" Kairi exclaims, much to Hammond's grimace.
"We know. I've been trying to contact her, but all I've gotten is static. Head back to the Kellion and get a damage report. See what can be fixed. We'll head to the bridge. Standard emergency procedure."
"'Protocol'? Hammond people are dying here." Kendra replies with confusion at Hammond's decision.
"And I'm not losing anyone else! We stick to protocol, and we will get through this." Hammond retorts before ending the call. The trio look at each other before shrugging their shoulders and retracing their steps. All the while keeping their eyes open for any Slashers waiting for them. All the while, the lights around them flicker wildly. The sound of a great being busted open alerted them to a potential attack, only to find nothing waiting for them. But one thing was missing that worried them.
"Where did that man's body go?" Isaac asks as they look at the pool of blood, the body it bled from missing. Looking at it, Isaac could see drag marks leading to the busted vent, indicating their thoughts. Not staying for a second longer, the three return to the escape lift, heading back to the flight lounge. Where there were once blaring orange lights, now only calm white stood in their place. No one noticed the trail of bloody hand prints dotting the floor. Soon, they eventually return to the Flight Lounge, Chen's blood still staining the cracked glass where he died. Stepping inside, Isaac's comm flared to life.
"Guys, we've made it to the bridge. It's… There's no survivors." Hammond reports regretfully. "Daniels is trying to get into the Command Computer. Try and find out what the hell happened."
"Understood. We're almost back to the Kellion—"
"Isaac! Chen's body is gone!" Kairi suddenly shouts. Isaac turns to look at her as she and Sora stand beside a pool of blood where Chen died, only for his body to be missing. A cold feeling seeps into Isaac's veins as he shakes his head free of invading thoughts.
"Chen's missing? God, what are those things doing to his body?" Hammond questions before refocusing. "Get to the Kellion and warn Johnston. I'm not losing anyone else on this ship." And with that, he ends the call. Isaac looks at Sora and Kairi before indicating his head to the exit. With only questions left, the three leave the Lounge and return to the hangar.
Rushing down the landing pad, they could see, to their relief, Johnston still sitting at the controls, alive and well. She even called out to them for a hand. Stepping into the sparking ship, the three remove their helmets before almost wanting to put them back on when the smell of blood on them reaches their noses. Shaking past it, they head to the cockpit to find Johnston struggling to sit up.
"Did my best, but the singularity core could use an expert or three…." She says before wrinkling her nose. "Dang, what is that smell? Have you three been—?" The words die in her throat as she sees the three of them covered in blood. "Is that blood you have on you?"
"Hailey, I need you to listen." Isaac says firmly, brokering no argument. "The Ishimura has been overrun by…fucking monsters. They got Chen."
"What? Chen is-?"
"Hammond has been trying to reach you this entire time. You haven't heard anything?" Kairi asks. Hailey shakes her head, a look of shock and confusion plastered on her face.
"We need that damage report. Have you got it?" Isaac asks sternly. Hailey nods, indicating to the screen next to her as she picks up the Pulse Rifle next to her. Isaac walks over to it and looks it over while Hailey looks down at the floor.
"I should have gone with you." She bemoans sadly.
"It wouldn't have made a difference." Sora says sadly. "They came out of the vents. And with your leg injury, you would have died next to Chen." Hailey continued to look to the floor before security footage began to play on the main window. "What's going on?" The screen showed a containment device holding a small electrical instrument with electricity shooting towards it. And before it was two of the crawling type they saw in the vent. They screech at it before attacking the device with their tails, destroying it as the power spirals out of control.
Warning. Singularity core overloaded. Evacuate immediately to a minimum safe distance.
"GO!" Isaac yells to Hailey, who begins to hobble her way to the exit. The trio put their helmets back on before the sound of gunfire caught their attention. A Slasher had somehow made it onboard and was attacking Hailey. But before they could do anything, an explosion rocked the ship, flinging Hailey into the ship's hull. Another explosion quickly followed, throwing the trio out of the dying ship as explosions ripped across its hull. "Hailey! HAILEY!" Isaac cries out, only to be met with silence as the remains of the Kellion burn before them.
But they were not alone for long, as two crawling ones leapt onto the walkway and began advancing towards them. Not taking a chance and seeing how agile they were, Isaac sent out a blast of Stasis towards them, hitting both with one shot. While he aimed his Cutter at the one on the left, Sora and Kairi rushed the one on the right, swinging their Keys down on its arms. Bereft of its frontal limbs, the creature goes limp while Isaac cuts off the other one's tail.
Then, Isaac, either conserving ammo or furious at these, charged forward himself before repeatedly slamming his boot down on the creature in anger. Screaming profanities, he tore off its arm and head with nothing but his foot stomps, leaving him winded. "Fucking Leaper." He mumbles as Sora and Kairi check on him, just as Hammond activates a video call.
"We just got a read of an explosion in the hangar. What's happened?"
"Johnston is gone. The Kellion too. These fuckers overloaded the singularity core." Isaac reports between his hard breaths. On the screen, Hammond visibly clenches his hands as he stomps on the ground in anger.
"What now? Without the Kellion, how do we get off the Ishimura?" Kairi asks, looking back over to the smoking ruins of the ship.
"I couldn't tell you even if I could. The computer is a brick. I can access anything without the Captain's command codes." Kendra reports with equal parts exasperation and indignation.
"Is there a way to track him?" Sora asks. Kendra looks at Sora before nodding and rushing over to another console.
"I can. If I can track his RiG, I should be able to…Here we are! Captain Benjamin Mathius. Location: Medical. Status…deceased?"
"Even the Captain? God…" Isaac says as the reality of the situation falls over them. No one was safe from this. Hammond, picking up on Isaac's distress, speaks out to him.
"Isaac, you, Sora and Kairi are closer to Medical. You can double back through Maintenance at the Tram Station. The system is locked down, so you'll have to walk it. Find the Captain's body and get his RiG. With his codes we—." A sudden sound cuts Hammond off as he glances up, slowly reaching for his Pulse Rifle. Kendra had also seemingly heard it, as she had stopped looking at the screen and was slowly backing away with Hammond. Sounds of movement could be heard before Hammond uttered a single word in confusion and disbelief. "Chen?"
"Oh god. Hammond, run!" Kendra suddenly screams as she bolts away, Hammond slowly running after her as the screen is knocked to the floor. Before it fades out, a Slasher stumbles into the frame, flailing its arms widely. But what caught the breath of the three was the clothes it was wearing and the visible hair on its head. It was Chen. And with that, the call ends in static.
"What the? That was Chen, right?" Sora asks in alarm as the three make their way back to the flight lounge. "But, we saw him die. So how?"
"I don't want to even know Sora. If whatever ever turned Chen into one of those Slashers is still around here, I want no part in it. Let's head to the Tram Station and get to Medical." The couple silently nods as they follow Isaac to the Lounge, entering through the door Kendra and Hammond fled through. Along the ground, they could see fresh blood from the Slashers that attacked them, although some of it peeled away towards the nearby bathroom. Ignoring it, the trio step onto the lift and descend to the Tram Station, senses alert at all times.
"According to Hammond, there should be a maintenance door around here…" Isaac hums as they step onto the platform. To their right was the door that led to the Cargo Bay and Tram Repair, along with an offline store. Ignoring the pane of annoyance at the stores not working, Isaac looks to their left to find the door leading to the Medical Deck. "Sora, Kairi, this way." He motions with his Cutter, leading the two towards the maintenance door.
Unaware of the nightmare they were once again stepping into.
There was another inspiration for doing this. A common theory i saw at some point, was that New Game plus could be considered Isaac being forced to relive his experience on the Ishimura before he was found. So, that's why I'm having them have some form of familiarity at the start, but unable to recall anything else.