Chapter 11: C&C Thang
"It is not about the strength of individuals.
It is about strength in numbers."
Since as early as the Second TibWar, Nod had to radically shift its method of arms and vehicle production from off-site to immediate fabrication in the field. The apparent increase in Ion Storms on top of the threat of GDI aircraft meant that for the most part, the only way of supplying assets for the Brotherhoods forces effectively was if they could build them near instantaneously on demand.
That line of thought led to the discovery of the beauty of nanotechnology and three-dimensional fabrication.
From his place at the control panel, an engineer of the base mulled over the teachings he'd learned naturally over the course of his old life. For all his intelligences, pondering over whether he was a counterfeit or not wasn't within his area. So, he wisely ignored it.
Checking over the data on the screen, he sighed at his misfortune. Or rather, the lack thereof. This was his sixth check and he failed to find even a single out of place digit.
Goddamn foolproof tech.
He closed the terminal before pressing a switch that made the console sink back into the ground below. Even before it fully descended, his eyes drifted towards the land of metal the terminal held dominion over.
It was four times larger than a regular Vehicle Assembly Facilty which meant obviously four times the size or number of vehicles produced. Metal and fire swirled within the depths. Observable only through the plexiglass surfaces that fill between the metal contours that rose here and there. Occasionally, he saw what might have been steam or smoke rising from the gaps of the doors, but that would've meant something had gone wrong and that was a big no-no.
Again, he was reminded of his misery.
"Uhm, hey, excuse me?"
Swivelling his head to the voice, he noted the young man standing. 'Young' as in fresh from the Hand in this case, considering he was rather lacking in the hair department.
"Yeah? What do ya want?"
"You got a lighter?"
His eyebrow raised. "For what?"
"Uh," he muttered, sucking his lips. "You see…,"
"Speak it, kid. I ain't got all day."
"I need to smoke alright!" he stammered. "I'm kinda fuzzy in the head, and I figured a cig would fix-"
Something hard slammed into his chest. Hard, and noticeably cold. Looking down, the militant looked at the open hand on his chest. The hand turned to reveal the steel lighter within its palm.
"Oh," he blinked. "Thanks."
With ease, he took the lighter and stuffed a hand in his pocket for the packet. Not bothering to bring the whole thing out, he fished out a stick and in no time began taking a long-drawn-out inhale.
"Ah."
The effect was immediate. A familiar burning sensation in his lungs and tongue. Yet, there was a distinct 'fresh' sense to it. Strangely, it felt like it was the first time he started smoking all over again.
"Feeling better?"
A gruff voice snapped him from his stupor. With his mind now focused, he took note of the man who'd given him the lighter. He looked to be an Engineer of sorts, judging by the overall half tied around his waist and hard hat. Funnily enough, the man was looked rather stout, which was a first for him since coming here.
Shaking his head, he cleared his throat before answering. "Y-yeah, thanks for asking."
"So, what's a grunt doing out here?"
"Oh, I got sent to pick up the buggy. Speaking of which, where is it?"
"In there," the stout man pointed a large thumb to the VAF. "Still spinning with the rest in the dryer."
"Dryer?"
"The assembly," he sighed.
The younger man let out an 'oh'.
"Aren't you a little too early, coming here?" the engineer asked.
"Yeah, you see," he said sheepishly. "Let's just say I got a little antsy waiting for the, uhm, training course to finish."
"You skipped out?"
"Hey, I finished alright," the man held up his hands. "My gunner got into some trouble, and I just couldn't wait for him to finish. I let the instructors know where I was going before I left."
"Sure, you did," he snorted. "So, where's the rest?"
"… The rest?"
"The other drivers, dumbass," he growled. "If you're here, then where are the rest? They taking a piss or something?"
"You in need of an eye check, pops?"
The two turned seeing a group of men approached them. Like the young man, the three newcomers were in plain combat fatigues with webbing but lack any additional pouches or straps. At the lead, a man with a straight nose and pronounced chest; apparently also being the one to address them.
Said man walked up to the two and gave both an appraisal.
"Who gave you the privilege to get a fag before us, huh?" asked the leader.
The young man who first arrived blinked before his eyes widened in realisation.
"U-uhm, d-didn't know you guys want a-"
"It comes standard after you finish the orientation," the engineer interrupted. "That, or you can probably get a stick if you be nice to your seniors. Am I right boy?"
"…Yes, sir."
The leader of the group still didn't look too convinced at what was heard. However, a loud blaring alarm sounded that drew everyone's attention.
Turning to face the VAF, the doors to the giant assembler opened to lift out the newly fabricated vehicles. The four identical UTV's sported the urban blue colour scheme signature to the Brotherhood in the early days. In addition, there was a mounted gun behind the forward passenger's seat as well as an additional cargo compartment at the rear.
Steam drifted in thick wisps off of the newly made vehicles, much to the awe of the militants but not the engineer.
"Well, there's your ride! Get going, and don't forget to report to your seniors for orders. Away!"
The older man's exclamation roused the group into action. Any hostile sentiments were cast out in favour of their newfound wonder. Granted, it was a hot wonder that threatened with blisters. Yet, this did little to discourage the men from getting behind the wheel and starting the engines.
With a smooth whirr, they were off and leaving a dust cloud. The one at the rear letting out a loud 'whoop!' as they turned a corner in the distance.
Left behind, the engineer hacked and spat to get rid of the dust in his systems.
"Goddamn, kids," he growled.
A loud rattle in the air.
Sounds of paper being shredded.
Tings and clinks as brass falls on top of one another on the dirt.
And the feeling of his shoulder inutter despair from the repeating violent tremors.
"Cease! Cease!"
Across the distance, he saw the red square and almost instinctively his index pulled away from the trigger. A motion with his thumb flicked the safety. Against the pain, he slowly lowered the business end of the rifle. He then began the routine; magazine ejected, and action cleared.
"Check safety! Clear chambers! Lower your mufflers and clear the range!"
He fumbled, the round within the chamber flew and bounced on the ground. Acting on impulse, he lowered himself and grabbed the round, wincing as the hot brass met with his fingers. Pushing through the stimuli, he hastily pocketed the round before grabbing his rifle and its half-spent magazine.
Turning around, he was met with the face of an instructor.
He blinked. Unsure just what to make of it through the dazzles in his brain. Still, he knew there had been a mistake made after he got pushed back whilst taking a step forward.
A pair of hands reached out and pulled down the headphones he'd still been wearing.
"Can you hear me, warrior!"
"Sir! Yes sir!"
"Well, good for you, knife ears! Maybe you can use those two decent sets of ears given to you now hear my orders!"
"What are your orders, sir!"
"OFF MY RANGE!"
Fast as his feet carried, the militant scattered with a trail of dust in his wake. Crackles filled the air and more than a few of those standing shook their heads watching as the junior rushed to join the rest of his squad.
Shaking his head, the instructor turned to look in the direction of a shelter that look reminiscent of a bus stop shelter. The interior of which faced away from the range.
"Next squad, on the line!"
From a gap in the middle of the shelter, five on men on each side appeared exited and began making their way to the firing stations at brisk pace. Each began placing their weapons on the flat surface provided.
"Do not begin the exercise until ordered," bellowed one of the instructors.
With that, the range went perfectly quiet. Almost, that is. Three of the four present seniors who double as instructors busied themselves going from one trainee to another making critics and recorrecting anything they found unsatisfactory on each man. Namely, in regards to the tightness of their webbing, state of their firearm and the overall varying skittishness of the soldiers.
The sole instructor not participating in this kept an eye at the far end of the range. Not known to most of the present assembly were the dozen or so technicians the seniors collaborated with to set up the shooting range. Said technicians were now in the process of prepping fresh sets of paper targets for the recruits.
It was only when a green flag appeared at the edge of the range did the instructor on watch signalled to his fellow seniors that the training could begin.
"Alright, newbies! Look sharp! On my mark!"
"….."
"Go!"
From being ramrod straight to bent over, each of those on the firing range began weapons inspection.
The current exercise was a two-fold action. New fighters were to inspect, disassemble, inspect then reassemble their gun within a five-minute timer. Then, after field stripping and cleaning, and only then did the actual weapons exercise begin.
The targets were mounted on rail, and some came with additional padding to mimic the more armoured areas of their new enemies. These targets moved fast on assembled rails and could seemingly pop up more than once unexpectantly. A junior failed if a target got too 'close' to them.
As each freshmen worked frantically to put their weapon in order, the instructors observed every movement. Not interfering with anything unless otherwise concerning safety.
Outside on the waiting bench of the shelter, the remaining fighters for the day opted to loaf and mingle in idle chatter. More than a few had gotten their hands on cigarettes, courtesy of one of the seniors who passed by the range whilst on base patrol.
One of the men let out a long cloud after an inhale.
"Sweet trick, man," somebody commented, opting to make the smoker turn to face them."
"Could make it longer though. Sadly, this new body ain't fitting right."
The other man took drag of his cigarette, coughing out the contents almost right after.
"Need a doc to check that?" he asked.
"Nah," waved the first man. "It's just baby shit. I'll be making Gandalf in a day or two… Okay, maybe a week."
Shrugging, the other man opted to let it slide and resume the dull stare out into the base.
Before them, they could the immense construction work that was slowly transforming the base. They'd been born amidst this. Watching as massive cranes and flat cargo haulers slowly turned the barren, dustbowl into a proper military installation, with the addition of housing.
BEEP!
All eyes snapped right just in time to see four buggies make a pass. Slowing down, both the drivers and gunners began hollering and hurling bare insults as they passed. The infantrymen returned it threefold and in response, they floored the pedal and left a dust cloud, much to the chagrin of those on the benches.
The first man hacked something fierce whilst putting a hand to his mouth.
"Fucking buggies."
"You tell me," joined his brethren. "Getting run over like last time ain't fun. Dropped from the bike job right after I came back and told I'd sign up for infantry."
This earned a look from the man.
"… What?"
Likewise, the other man didn't immediately register what he'd said and was weirded out by the stare he received. That is, until he registered what he'd said.
"Ah, right….. that."
"The fuck you on about?"
"Well," said man scratched his head. "You see, we can in fact be brought back thanks to the data record systems, you know? EVA manages our personal biodata."
"…. You're saying we got respawns?"
"Sorta. You still need to be cleared for respawns. That's all I know, sorry."
The first man took his time to process this. Eventually, he opted to throw the remainder of his cigarette bud and fetch the last one tucked between his neck and collar. After lighting and taking a long drag, he let out a satisfying breath and then responded.
"Whatev. I don't get picked to pay attention to weird shit anyways."
"You and me both, buddy," the other man agreed.
The engineer motioned with both arms for the crane to move forward. The seven-metre structure moved gracefully on its rails whilst carrying its precious cargo in its claw arm. That being, a four by five construction pod from the ConYard.
Using the mounted cameras on the joints, the crane observed for specific commands from the engineer, who in turn used hand motions to direct the semi-autonomous engine to lay the pod on a prepared site.
With a loud 'whump', the pod was dropped from the crane's claw. The engineer fished out his PDA and tapped the command for dismissal. He then watched as the six metres engine slide away on its tracks. No doubt heading towards the ConYard to perform its next queued up building.
Twisting left, approached the massive construction device, PDA still in hand. He then reached out and pulled down a panel to reveal a terminal which he then linked to his device via cord from the latter.
A minute passed before a pleasing ping sounded from both electronics. Humming to himself, he used his free hand to tap the screen of the PDA.
'Final check. Would be bad if there's a screw up.' He mused.
Other than a few irregularities that the system would auto correct by itself, there wasn't anything of note. He disconnected the device and pressed a key on the pod's terminal. Immediately, a buzz blared in the air.
Walking almost placidly away, he turned just in time to watch as outriggers extended from the bottom corners of the pod. Using them, the entire mass seemingly 'stood' and righted itself. It then gradually began to unpack, revealing its contents for the world.
The rest became a swirl of dust, sparks and industrial machinery. Notably, the engineer checked the time on his PDA, actively taking note how long the fabrication took for documentation's sake. He then checked a different tab and noted how many more buildings he had to oversee to meet quota.
He openly fumed seeing the double digit that appeared.
"Patrol 3-4, this is IntCom."
"Go ahead IntCom."
"Sensors' reading indicate your deviating from your designated path. How copy?"
"Copy IntCom, standby, uh… compass still points in the right direction. We're not noticing anything unusual. Wait…"
"Patrol? Patrol, this is IntCom. Please respond."
"IntCom, Patrol 3-4. We're noticing trouble with the technical. Could be something to do with the underside. Request permission to abort task and RTB for inspection."
"Standby 3-4…. Confirmed. 3-3 will overtake your lane. Head back to base quick. We'll reschedule your assignment for later today."
"Understood IntCom. Sorry for the little scare."
"Sorry for yourselves, boys. It's you three that'll have to stay out in the heat."
"Heh."
"Engineering, problem vehicle heading your way," an operator called out.
"State the problem," responded a man.
"Unstated. Could be an alignment."
A click of the tongue. "Damn technical. Can't they replace those with proper buggies already."
"The first batch just left around thirteen minutes ago. Should be making their way to the motorpool. IntSec?"
"Yeah, see them," another man spoke up.
"Well?" the first operator asked.
"It's the long way their taking."
More than a few shook their heads.
"I thought the new plan involved drilling some discipline into those knuckle draggers," someone spoke up.
"Well guess we know what awaits them once they reach the finish line."
Another operator piped in with a new topic. "You know, I'm kinda grateful for this new posting."
"In what way?" the one to their right queried.
"One thing is for sure, we ain't short in hunks or cuties."
"For God and Kane's sake, keep it off the clock, Dani," bemoaned the coworker on the left.
"Come on, don't say that. You have to admit that most of those out in the field do be looking mighty fine."
"There could be the ugliest shiner in this room right now, and the first thing you'd have in mind is whether you'd need to shower him with water or compliments," spoke the one on the right.
"Hear! Hear! And you'd know I show him a good time right after," replied Dani smugly.
"I do hope that what'd you had in mind for a 'good time' to be something extra productive and useful for the Brotherhood, lieutenant."
What humour was had in the room vanished upon hearing the new unmistakeable feminine voice that had joined in. Looking behind, Dani's dark skin took on a mite pale complexion upon seeing a recognisable blonde looking down at her.
"M-Morning ma'am."
"It's close to noon but thank you. Now resume your duties. Your checkout is at 1810 hours afterall."
The blonde didn't wait for a reply as she moved ahead towards her own desk on the raised platform. Had she slowed her pace a little, she would've heard the operator's sniffles and mumbles about missing the cafeteria special.
Sitting down, she got to work. Starting off, was the journal entry.
About a week and a half had passed since the Master's return. The official triumph ceremony two days back was met with more wonder than zeal if anything. The day's leading up to it had seen her superior cooped up in a room with the Militia leaders to discuss how best to proceed with a new training regime for their armed forces. When night came and the meeting was adjourned, the focus shifted to mainly the two of them in the MCV's control room as they discussed how best to expand the base.
It was here that some of her master's peculiarities came into play. He had a shrewd mind when it came to a stable expansion; so long as one didn't get too technical. A watered-down explanation of their current situation was enough to have the gears in his mind pick up fast.
It was also for those reasons that he was once more off-base with a number of the R&D staff.
"Target, Marker, 2000 meters."
"Load Special, Set Impact."
"Special, Impact, ready."
"Fire."
A loud 'thump' reverberated the clearing. Under the clear sky, and with the full scorn of the Sun above, it was difficult to see the shell's travel across yonder. Seconds passed. Turning into almost a full minute. Then…..
Boom.
"Rec that."
"Tell me."
Twitching my index, I adjusted the magnification on the binocs. The lenses zoomed across the hundred meters of distance to focus on the cloud of disturbed earth across the plain. There was no wind in the sky, hence it took time for the dust to settle.
When it did, I was able to see the clearly unmistakable green parasitical growth that had blossomed beneath the clouds.
"Green."
"Size and details?"
I clicked my tongue. Pressure building to the sides of my head as I wracked my mind searching for references from previous shots.
"….. Twelve, no, Thirteen meters by Eleven meters. Aquilentus specimen. No apparent abnormalies from previous case."
"Sure about that?" doubted the man beside me.
"Positive. If there were, we'd have to get in close."
"Same could've been said for the all the others we've observed."
"It was just one accident."
"Each of those machines costs us fourteen hundred TibMarks and over an hour and a half to build. We had to burn the afternoon for that. Accidents are not permissible, commander."
I made a noise with my throat. This bastard. Sadly, as much as I wanted to snap back, I knew he had a point. No wounded pride could ever make up for the catastrophe of a Tiberium disaster. It was the reason the mortar shells were restricted to either direct impact or delayed fuses.
Lowering the binocs, I watched from behind the visor of my suit as the Harvester made its way across the field to quickly gather the crystal before it 'wilted'. Our area of choice for testing was over two hundred kilometres east of the main base. With much emphasis, the grounds we were using were tested to be devoid of any minerals to avoid even the remote possibility of a small field from growing.
So far, we've been able to keep any unwanted occurrences.
Apart of beneath felt sick, really. It was one thing to see it as just an elaborate digital model with filler lore. Its another to see the otherworldly crystal with plant-like behaviour, and knowing the kind of apocalypse even the smallest particles could unleash.
Had it not been my own experiences leading up to this moment, a generous time would've been needed simply to relieve myself.
As it stood, I simply breathed in hard, sucking up the recycled air of the TibMat suit I wore. It looked remarkably similar to the ones I'd seen in my old world. Only, it was made of far more sturdier material, and was coloured red for easier identification in case of contaminants. The front visor for the capsule was also a cladded with a multitude of layers. If it weren't for a rudimentary exoskeleton, it wouldn't be possible for a person to support themselves upright.
Outwardly, the new additions to the Level A getup wouldn't be all that apparent. You'd have to be familiar or close up to notice the details.
A tired sigh came from the man beside me. "Come on, that's enough for the day."
Quietly, I followed. We left the observation post and into the open sky. I was inwardly grateful the suits came with temperature regulators, otherwise this would've been a near unbearable labour.
Those around us wore the same suits as we did. My orders. Though I could tell Stana and the milita may have had a grudge for it, I considered it better than any unwanted happenings. To me, I didn't care if they'd lived and died of old age surrounded by the crystal. No one deserved being ailed with just because.
Taking in my surroundings, I noted the semi-laidback nature of the men. I could relent on that at least. Having to be pulled from their break so quickly was bound to make for more than a few topics for grumbling. Adding the sun and the compulsory attire meant I had to come up with a remedy soon after this.
Shifting my upper body right, I watched as the crew of the M106 begin making the calibrations for the next shot and target. A short distance from them was two stacks of crates with the Tiberium hazard symbol in full display on all surfaces. What should be noted was that there was naught a single soul in the direction of the crates as well.
Eventually, me and the other man reached the lined up convoy of technicals and lone truck used for the research group. In addition to Stana's squad, there was a company of fresh militants attached and along with that, the central members for the research staff for Tiberium cultivation.
White -the man I'd been following- had stepped into the trailer linked to the truck. He passed the manifest he'd been holding to another man whilst he went up to one of the monitoring stations. I didn't pretend to understand a word that was being said, and not wanting to interfere, I stood outside.
The audio receptors boomed and grumbled. Casting a look, I saw the beetle form of the TibDawn Harvester returning to us. It was a massive thing. Easily twice the size of the truck without its trailer. The front mandibles were closed, hiding the grinding cylinder used to crush Tiberium.
Externally, it looked just like any other unit from its era. However, White had personally sent me data for the internal modifications. The data sent referred them as apparatuses for collecting data on the minerals harvested and even with my limited know-how, I saw no reason not to approve after reading the details.
Footsteps behind me alerted me to the man's return.
"Well?" I asked.
"You want the good news or the bad news?"
"Which ever is more important."
The man sat at the edge of the trailer.
"It's pure Tiberium," he breathed.
"Bad news?"
"It's worth six-seventh."
I nodded at that. TibDawn Harvesters could collect around seven hundred units worth each run. Six hundred wasn't a bad sum on its own. Until you factor in the logistics taken just to seed a single 'root' of mineral based on this trip alone.
"What part do you think is worse?" I tried to divert course.
"….Our returns- their worse than our expenditure," he began after a pause, whilst gesturing. "Even if you don't factor in the time taken to produce a seed, the fact that it requires such a complex process in order to produce the quantity we need to sustain an economy is just…"
His hand slapped his lap. I could feel my own spirit dampened with the implications.
Knowing Dust was a stimulant to the dormant vein beneath the base was nothing short of miraculous. While Nod logic would dictate we simply begin pumping the local mineral into the ground to cause a rupture, even the scientist beside me seemed to know that such undertaking wasn't simple.
It's part of why there was so little refute over today's test. Both our intentions were aligned for now.
Pursing my lips, I bobbed my head thinking over what options we had. Malign or not, my status leadership demanded my capacity for solving problems. Anything less meant I shouldn't be here.
Think. Think. Think.
"What if we could mine it?"
The question brought nothing but a look of plain resentment from the man beside me.
"Point 1, to the West. We took the slaves from there remember?"
White's head became inclined to the right. That same spark I'd seen before.
A part of me was equally wary and agitated over it.
"I make no guarantees. But once the away group has an outpost set up, I'll have someone go through the insides of the mine. In the meantime, I'll see what Khadijah can scrounge up from the residents."
He nodded. "Appreciated. So we doing anything else out here, sir?"
"Not at all, doctor. Pack it up. I'll have the Tiberium refined when we get back."
"Work benefits? What?
She looked up from her work to look at him. There was a tug at her eyebrow upon noticing the wholly uncharismatic look, he sported.
"Why are you acting so surprised? Just because this is an organisation built on autocracy and identity politics, doesn't mean you can get away with the negligence of labour assurance," she spoke.
"But in this economy? I figured Tib-based tech doesn't degrade, not to mention there shouldn't be planned obsolescence given the apocalyptic nature of the Old World."
"Time marches, Jared. No matter the quality, every item we create is subject to the wear and tear of use. It's not the fact the crystal is indestructible, but more so that the energy and resources required to remove it is better of being diverted into finding a long-term solution to controlling it."
He snorted at the explanation but didn't follow up.
The two enjoyed new silence.
Rain continued sifting through the various paraphernalia. The two of were sorting through the multitude of reports and requests that'd come through the day. Well, technically speaking the work was divided in half, but in her favour. It was another instance of her master's idiosyncrasies that the day after his arrival, he'd asked her on the topic of learning bureaucracy. Truly, the man knew no shame.
Perhaps that came with his no trust policy.
Something pulled at her. Turning, she noted that his eyes off in another one of his thousand yard stares.
"Jared, get out of your own head and continue your work."
Semi-jerking, he shook his head, and the motion vibrated down his body.
"This is getting stagnant."
"You're the one who'd wanted to learn how to handle administration," she pointed.
"I'm well aware of that. But that doesn't mean I have to like it," he frowned, eyes still on the screen. "Has there been any word from the away group? We need that Dust mine and we need it fast."
Resuming her own work, she replied..
"Expecting trouble, Master? Or does this have to do with something else."
There was soon a decrease in the sound of fingers dancing across keyboards. A scrape to her left was more than enough to for her to know that her Master had lost interest in his work. No doubt, he was staring across the empty room they were in.
Without much activity, there wasn't a need to fully staff the Comm Centre. So close now to midnight, the place was mostly empty, save for the lights of the console stations and the guards patrolling at the other side of the room, far enough that they couldn't hear any conversation between the two.
"Look at that, Rain."
"The empty room?"
"Yeah," I turned to look at her blue eyes. "Awfully pathetic, isn't it?"
"If it concerns the image of Nod, we can always create more homunculi."
"I'm not someone who needs to lie to himself to make it seem he's better than he actually is. I pray I will never be."
"Then what is the problem?" came the blatant question.
"…. I just want to do this right. No, I want to do it like the ones in the stories."
"Jared…."
"I know, I know," he breathed. "It's immature, yes. But I'd rather get this out of me before I do something real stupid."
He leaned back into my chair. Not even bothering to look her way. She wasn't going to have that, and an arm stretched from her side to grab the fabric of his shoulder for a tug.
"Being impatient for results is normal. Being reckless is a different story."
She emphasised with a forceful push-pull of his shoulder.
"As much as you try and downplay it, I have seen you do everything in your capacity to carefully control the cultivation of Tiberium. You could've rushed to get even a small sample exposed to the forests out in the West. Yet, here we are, doing tests in the desert."
A snort-scoff escape him. "Well, it wouldn't benefit us to have the world on our asses this early when we can barely operate a proper logistic train."
"Everything comes with time. You said it yourself; time is on our side."
There was a look on his face now… it didn't last, but there was no mistaking a level of pettiness in it.
Pressing his lips into a line, he gently eased her grip away to resume his work and so did she after a moment.
"Still no word from that away team?" he changed topic.
"Other than the confirmation of their arrival, no."
Humming, another thought crossed my mind. "The citizens, they still idle?"
"No, not entirely. Khayriyyah mentioned that her Sisters managed to convince a few to follow the dispatch group to the mines."
A glance was turned her way, curiosity unabashed.
"That's somewhat surprising. I'd have thought they'd be much more resisting of the idea of returning to their place of bondage."
"Certainly, not many are thrilled. However, Khayriyyah had managed to work out a simple training course to help them integrate to the various duties on the base. The course was put into motion the same day the dispatch group left."
"Convenient," came the comment. "Then that away team better get back on us on the mines."
Days later
The earth rumbled as a violent tremored and shook the dark space. Eons of undisturbed rock, stone and other lineament was violently moved in the space of moments. In a deep, hollow of the underworld, the slow growing spires and spikes found themselves giving way and falling to the floor from above and below at once. Sounds both reverbed and naturally thunderous flooded a once mute space.
Eventually, something had to give way.
The wall of the cavern collapsed into a rubble and vapor. Perhaps, for the first time in eons, light shown down into the space. In response, a low, guttural howl echoed from the darkest depths. Daring the light to go no further than the breach.
As the last few loose pebbles, rock and sediment settled, a tense silence filled the air. Until broken by the sounds of scraping and struggle.
"God damn… fucking demo team," cursed the individual as they descended down the improv steps of loose stone and granite.
'Note to self, always approve the demo duties yourself.'
For God's sake, it was just his luck to be lumped in a group of pea brained, tinnitus enthusiasts again.
The man blew his nose in a vain hope to keep the dust from clogging his nasal canals. Meanwhile, a hand reached to his side to pull out the torch dangling on a hook. Said torch in question didn't look overtly special at first glance. However, it was when you opened the back to check the power cells that things got interesting.
It wasn't the standard stuff. The head chief had cleared for the staff to make use of the local's tech, with the condition they wrote back their findings. Earnestly, it was more so just an excuse to give people something to do than anything else.
Boredom was the main enemy.
The light that shone from the device was standard for what it was. Then again, his own dismantling of the thing didn't note anything worthwhile other than the strange vial that stored the wonder element. He swept the light across the space, noting the nooks and crannies. The formations of stone and otherwise reminded him of those ancient military formations his brother loved so much reading about.
"Hey Raj! Still alive down there!"
'Speak of the devil,' he inwardly cursed.
"Yeah, yeah," he yelled back. "Get your asses down here! Bring in the lights first, can't see jack down 'ere."
He heard the telltale sound of a line descending. What caught his hearing, however, was the sound of someone coming down right after.
Turning around, the man came face to face with the last thing he needed down here.
"I said I needed lights. Not a meatbag," he growled.
"Aw, don't be like that, bro. You said you needed light so," the man raised his arms wide. "Here I am."
"Fuck off, Bhaanu."
"Now, now, what would mother say?"
"Nothing," he walked up and stepped past his sibling. "She'd hand our asses and then yell at us to get back to work."
Craning his neck upwards, he could see figures moving at the lip of the hole above.
"I want those lights down here in one minute, people! Get it right, or somebody's sleeping down here with only the clothes on his back!"
Behind him, Bhaanu could only look on in silent amusement at his elder brother's antics. Turning to look into the darkness, he brought out his own torchlight. They'd found plenty of the miner's gear and appurtenances still stowed away neatly in the stores or work quarters. Most of it was in utter shit, but the few still functional was put to work until they could fully integrate the system with their own.
A stronger beam lanced through the darkness of the underworld. Bhaanu had figured out how to draw more power from the torch with a little trick of his own. Sure, it probably wasn't the best idea but it wasn't like the local stuff was ever going to surpass their shit.
Whistling a tune, he took bold steps further inwards. His gaze switched between his front and the ground beneath his feet, noting the loose earth that was both stoic yet eager to trip him.
"Bhaanu, get back here!" he heard Raj calling behind him.
"Yeah, yeah, just a minute!"
Well, maybe a minute and a half.
Ignoring the low curses thrown his way, he began searching for the walls of the cavern. He counted maybe twenty to thirty steps before he found a wall. Fishing out a chalk, he made to mark it and then repeated the process five or so metres out.
Why was this important? Who knows. Even the original owners of the mine didn't put much thought into where they were placing explosives. The particular tunnel above them had reached the end of the mineral vein it'd been following. Blowing up the floor might at best had been a guess as to whether or not something valuable existed under.
Thus far, he was starting to feel this was a waste of time.
Eventually around the seventh or eighth mark, the man reached an alcove. Blinking, he tried hard to recall if he'd seen the recess before when he initially had shown the light across the cave, but in response he felt a twitch at the top of his scalp. It made him back off.
"Oi! Done yet!"
Bhaanu turned to see his elder sibling. The man quite a number of stuff around him. All of it definitely being the lighting equipment he'd been ranting about.
"Yeah, yeah, coming," he waved back.
Making his way over and up the incline, he wordlessly began assembling one of the floodlights. His brother was already at a head start.
"So, find anything interesting?"
"Yeah, no. Thought I'd mark places for the wiring."
He didn't need to see the brow raised his way by the other man.
"Hoh? That so? What makes you think we're gonna get paydirt down here?"
"Nothing, really. Well… maybe one thing."
"What's that?" asked Raj.
"You noticed the walls are a little too clean?"
Raj paused in his work. Now it was his turn to blink. From where he was hunched over the half-assembled floodlight, he reached down to grab the torch wedged between two rocks. Flicking it on, he shone the light to the nearest wall.
….. What was seen couldn't be unseen.
His light may have not been as strong as his brother's, but years of labour trained his senses to notice the most peculiar things. One's life could depend on noticing -if even a fraction of a second- a danger lurking in the grain. Now that he'd been pointed out, the first reaction he had was to tense his shoulders.
"Yeah," drawled Bhaanu between exertions. "Had that reaction two after the second marker. Not at your level of course."
"Should we call it?" asked the older sibling, worried.
"No."
With speed that could put a base defence turret to shame, the elder sibling whipped his head to stare almost dumbfounded at the younger man, earning a sigh for the action, partly from exhaustion, but also annoyance.
The younger sibling looked up to give a deadpanned look.
"You think we'd be having this conversation if something were in here?"
"But if its still waiting?"
"Same answer, just different victim."
"Those Grimm things that kept harassing us on the road?"
Bhaanu lamented over his siblings critical thinking at times.
"Read. The manual," he half-growled. "They're not here, because there is NO ONE HERE!"
The man emphasised with both arms. The shaft for the floodlight clattering harmlessly below him.
"So what's the big deal then, smartass? If this is some stunt to get me to piss myself, I'm writing off your next meal requests."
"One, fuck you and don't touch my dinner. Second, I'm pointing out the oddball just because. You fucking donkey!"
"Uhm, sirs?"
"What?!" snapped Bhaanu at the third voice, earning an eep.
Darker skinned than both he and his brother, the new individual had both his hands held over his face. The engineering overalls he wore looked at least two sizes larger than he was. Long fingers clawed the air, as if expecting some form of punishment.
"Well?" pressed the younger sibling. "What you doing here?"
"S-sent me down here to see what's wrong. H-heard you screaming up top. J-ust worried that's what."
Perplexity was what Bhaanu felt at first over the newcomers strange speech and thick accent. Until it occurred to him.
'Fucking locals,' he grumbled inwardly.
He then pointed to one of the unassembled lights.
"Nevermind, us. Go there and layout the stuff. I'll come over and help you assemble it."
He didn't bother to get a visual confirmation. Rather, he simply returned to what he was doing.
At the same time, Raj had finished his and had climbed up the slope to call in the rest of the team down. Over the next hour, more men and materials descended into the dark space. A once quiet obscurum became populated by the voice of many. Some loud, others low, fewer still in tongues foreign to the rest.
Eventually, this new balance was also disrupted,
"Alright, hit it!"
All at once, light exploded in every way throughout the space. Walls unseen and unobserved for millennia were now revealed under great intensity. It was no different than having an artificial sun within the confine. Obviously, there were more than a few men who were blinded.
"Turn it down!"
"Did nobody check the knobs?!"
Raj wasn't spared either despite standing behind most of the floodlights. Fumbling with the controls on his lap, he let muscle memory guide him into decreasing the brightness. His heart hammering away at the anxiety assailing it.
The glare was eventually softened enough that people could see the interior without irritation. It was only then they began to appreciate the room they were in.
"Whoa," mouthed Raj.
Recalling his brother's words to mind, there was definitely something strange about the cave. Aside from the usual stalactites and stalagmites along with the wearing of time, there was a strange degree of smoothness to the walls that couldn't be exactly replicated by natural means.
There were a dozen men within the space now. Each sporting a different perplexed look. Bhaanu had been standing on the opposite of the incline from his brother. His gaze fell once more on the alcove he'd spotted earlier. Flashlight in hand, he made to move towards it.
The bright beam pierced the darkness. Mayhaps, there was a chance he'd have seen nothing earlier when the room lacked illumination. As is, his torch shone brightly, and he was able to follow the circle of vision it provided all the way to a dark line at the end of the alcove. The line in question divided two mirroring contours, preventing them from merging into a strangely familiar shape.
"Hey guys," he called over his shoulder, voice quaked.
"Raj?" he heard his brother call, clearly having heard his concern.
"Um, can you see this?"
No less than half a dozen of those present approached where Bhaanu stood. Raj motioned for two men to stand at the incline as a precaution. He then made to push through the gathering to stand beside his brother.
Only then he saw it.
"Gods, what is this?"
"No, brother," Bhaanu turned to look at him. "It should be whose is this."
At the far end, all of those gathered stared on at the familiar chamfered triangle embossed into the stone. The same triangle adorned on their outfits, complete with the Scorpion Tail.
You'd think the sensation of sudden uplift before a fall was something you'd get used to.
Apparently, not as I found myself being forced to keep a straight face whilst having my pelvis bones stab the meat of my ass. Fortunately, that happened to have been the only misfortunate thing on this trip.
Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling something was…. Off.
To my left, the ramp door of the craft opened down like the maw of a whale. The buzz-roar that had been a constant within the cabin now sounded louder than ever. Adjusting to the outside light, I could see the dust storm being kicked up by the spin of the rotors above.
There close to two dozen men on this transport, and the lot of them were quick to disembark. Stana was among the first down, and I could hear through my earpiece as he coordinated a defensive formation for me and my second. Speaking of, I spared a glance at her, and I noted the same uneasy sensation in her blue eyes.
It didn't make me feel anymore at ease.
Eventually, Stana came and motioned that all was clear. I quickly made my exit, landing with a slight hop. The sand hear wasn't firm, but it didn't mean I was sinking either. Once more, I had to wait for a split second to adjust to the light. It was only then I could see the activity abuzz in both sky and dune.
Other transport copters, Mi-17s just like the one I came out from, were making their own landings around the mining quarry. Unlike mine, these four had the job of securing the perimeter and establishing the beginnings of a proper defence network. Another copter carrying a construction crate would be here soon. All of this I knew as their orders came straight from me, technically speaking.
Stana slapped my shoulder. Beneath the fabric covering his features, I was aware he wanted me to get a move on. I saw no reason to not comply.
We moved together, all twenty-four of us. Rain to my right, Stana in front and the rest around me. These men were straight from the first expedition. All veterans of the first foray into finding civilization. I still felt no comfort in that.
In fact, I didn't feel in control at all. Not with what'd been found under the mine. This was not supposed to happen this way.
We approached the mine steadily. A force of two technicals and a half dozen men were awaiting us. As we neared, two men approached us from the group.
"You guys from base!" he shout-called over the sound of the helicopters still above us.
"Yeah, we're here to see the sight," Stana responded his gait was slightly hunched, his shoulders tense.
The man in front -an engineer I recognised- looked over the militants shoulders and right at me and Rain.
"Well, who the hell's pocket boy there?! You brought the Lady, but not the boss?!"
"He's right here, no worries!"
My shout felt much louder than I would've like. I neither liked the attention nor the thought of backpedalling at that moment. What I did was necessary, including lifting the balaclava just enough for them to see my face before pulling it down.
"Inside! Brief us on the way!" I ordered, earning a nod from the engineer as he brought us in.
"We'd following the mapped tunnels the locals already had, see? We haven't yet fine-tuned our own tech to better sniff the mineral veins, and since they'd already done the work for us, we figured that it was convenient cutting time."
"Sounds good," came my brief comment.
"You used the local's assets? Why wasn't this mentioned in the report?" probed Rain.
The engineer turned around with his hands raised. "Hey, it's not like we completely relied on their stuff for our work. We just…. Built on the foundations, you see?"
Something about that served only to make my heart's pulses skyrocket. I gave the man in front a look. It got him to sweat more than he already was.
"Forgiveness, commander. And vice-commander. Forgiveness."
I didn't answer. Turning to Rain, her own glare was void of any favour for action. I turned back to the engineer.
"Let's see exactly what you've found. Our verdict shall be based on that."
The man only nodded. As we passed further into the cave system, I took a chance to use the WMT to ID the man. His name was Balraj, and the man close to him was his brother, Bhaanu. Both engineers with distinguished service records. Although, the records also showed that they met their end due to circumstances related to work habits.
My nerves were getting fired up, but now I was certainly to be cooked alive by my own electric chemistry.
It was instinct that I tugged Stana's shoulder. I shared a look at him, and in return he caught on to my distress. Had he known beforehand? Was he only doing this to let my guard down? Who knows, but something had to be done either way.
"Leave a trail back up," was the hushed words I sent to him.
He only nodded. Looking to two men on either side of him, he gave them hand signals. Those two men, I watched, then sent those hand signals to other men near them. Again and again, until it reached the last two men who then ran up the path we came through in.
Soon, more pairs left. As we descended, the distance between each pair seemed to decrease; my guess being that it was better to keep each men within eyesight in case of anything. Smart move.
By the twentieth minute mark, we reached the place where the manifestation of my paranoia had been found. A gaping hole, mayhaps ten metres wide or less. Lights pointed downwards into the dark, and even a couple men stood at somewhat attention on the opposite edge, no doubt due to our arrival.
Raj pointed with an open palm. "Right this way, sir. The doors were found within an alcove."
I almost couldn't believe my eyes at what I saw.
The alcove was about 4 meters high with barely enough elbow room to turn back. Lights were hung above, embedded into the walls. Their cables suspended in the air and running throughout the perimeter of the space.
My heartbeat. I couldn't feel it anymore. The sensation of my ribcage moving told me that I still breathed, but that only served to excite the growing trepidation building. So much so, I nearly spasmed when something grazed my left.
Turning my upper half to the left, I watched through the periphery of the mask's lenses as another figure had approached me. It took me longer than I would've liked to realise that it was Rain, and only then it was because she was the only other person with a WMT in this whole organisation. She, like me, was wearing full PPE gear. Hence, I could barely make out her features.
I turned behind me and noted that just about everyone else within the underground space was fully sealed in their own layered protection. Per my orders, the copters also came bringing all the necessary equipment needed for quarantine. As we speak, the surface group would've already been sealing this particular vein of the mine.
Maybe it was stupid of me to be here as well. Afterall, there was no telling what awaited beyond those damned doors. If my experience with the games were any indicator, it could be Tartarus or Pandora's Box at the very least. Yet here I am; having -in a very metaphorical sense- flailed-run here upon confirming the reports.
"Master," I heard my aide address, prompting me to turn to look. "We're ready to begin."
I inhaled deeply, then breathed. "Good. Let's begin."
She nodded, then turned to look at the assembly and nodded once more. I ended up stepping back a step as two men moved past, assault rifles in hand. Another three followed, large torchlights in hands with additional light sources mounted on their chest rig which turned them into literal flashlights.
Some part of me worried over not having brought the TibHazMat suits used during the TibTesting event. Alas, those suits were a limited production due to our current resource constraints. Not to mention that without advanced decontamination facilities of the Third Era, it was difficult to tell if we removed all the particles after each use. Hence, most of the gear was sitting in a lead storage container until there was a serious need of use. The only exemption of course being White's group who was actively working in the Tiberium sector.
Deep down I prayed I wasn't making a mistake being here. Sadly, growing up with one too many grim novelist, I could tell almost exactly what might occur here- no, it was more accurate to say what was happening now.
With a mighty groan, what must've been almost solid granite began to move. The men pushing the doors took care not to touch the Scorpion Tail itself as they grinded their bodies against the solid rock.
Slowly, a black line began widening in the centre. Ten centimetres, twenty….
The door eventually was wide enough that the other three men could pass through in single file. All three were quick to brandish their lights in every direction. The gunmen who opened the doors followed a few seconds after them, rifles raised.
Only when it became clear that no immediate harm was there, did one of them signal for a second group to enter. The second group comprised mostly of engineers with detection equipment. Each of the four men carried a backpack as large as their torsos with handheld devices.
They passed deeper into the room, but only by a few strides. Each was quick to brandish the handheld instruments, make appropriate adjustments and then brandish them some more. Like wielders of esoteric knowledge holding out fetishes against supernatural, they with great zeal repeated the steps and kept vigilant for any changes in their recording instruments.
Eventually, tens of minutes would pass, I did not begrudge them. At the very least, I made note to commend these people for taking this job seriously. Afterall, death was more than just an apparition, it could very be playing arbiter for all of us at this very moment.
I watched as the two groups in the room began to slowly disperse. The second group, namely, was spreading out, and the first group began to widen as a result in order to keep each of the four engineers in the light.
"…..Clear!"
Huh?
Both me and Rain gave each other a look behind our masks. Done already? That shouldn't be impossible.
Turning to look at the opened doors, she called out. "Sitrep!"
"The space is safe! Engies are advancing into the next room. It's safe for both of you to enter!" came the shout-growl of a gunmen.
Not one bit of that sentence did me any calm.
I turned to see Stana behind me. I could tell namely because he kept his tactical vest above the rest of his suit, and so his officer's patch and rank were visible. With a hand signal, I motioned for him and five more to follow me and Rain in.
And so began our insertion.
There was that one scene I remembered from Alice In Wonderland.
You know, the one with the grow and shrink edibles?
Well, call it trick of the mind, but I wasn't expecting to step into a room with objects seemingly out of proportion, and by that, I mean objects really out of proportion.
There were pillars. Clean and smooth. All nine of which were neatly spaced throughout the room and stretched to the ceiling some three meters above us. At the same time, each pillar was barely thicker than my hand.
Strange, cube-like rock formations were also present. These were about waist height, if a bit higher. One look, and I swore the stone had grown over something.
Other than that, there was nothing else that served to be noticeable. Sure, there was more of that smooth walling scene from outside, and there now actual holes where I guess sconces once were.
Still, all of it was still strange to me. These scenarios, the first room should've been laden with traps or some sorts, no? Were fortunate or was there something still abound waiting for us the deeper we go. Too much, too much; I could feel the queasiness building in me.
Eventually we reached the end of the room. Another door, another repeat of the earlier procedure. Stana agreed to leave three men in the current room just in case.
The next room wasn't large, but it was wide. I was reminded of a hallway. This time around, the lights of our helms showed markings on the walls. No, not markings. Actual symbols, and worse still I recognised these.
"Rain, these are…." I trailed.
"Hieroglyphs, unmistakeable, Master," she confirmed.
Of course, the Brotherhood always claimed that they were from the ages of Prehistory. Hieroglyph -while something I myself may not easily relate to Nod- was something that anyone with rudimentary interest in history would recognise at a glimpse. So says the me with passing interest in history.
Still, a part of me felt comforted by that. How long has it been now since I came to this new world? How long since I accepted being placed to fulfil something greater than me? Even if foul, there was something about what we're here to accomplish on this celestial dustball that was….
"AH!"
A scream from the front drew the attention of every head in the hallway. In addition, every light source was pointed forward as well, allowing the source of the sudden fright to be illuminated. To say I wasn't surprised was putting it lightly. Rather, I had my worries buried deeper into the cavity of my chest even more.
The statues features were immaculate. A perfect recreation from stone, perfectly preserved somehow as well. Even lacking colour, there was no mistaking whose form it was that loomed over us from atop his pedestal.
"Kane!" bent a man, he'd been in the process of getting the one who'd initially screamed and fell. Now both were kneeling before the statue.
"Kane!" wailed someone else; a gunman.
"Kane is the light!"
Fifteen men now were fully knelt. Hands clasped in front of them in an act of reverent prayer. Any equipment or weapon they had in hand was placed beside them, and short of removing their personal protection, they completely disregarded anything else in the room.
Including the two individuals who didn't join their host.
I could feel how loose my lower jaw became upon seeing the act before me. Yet, at the same time there was twist in my chest that I couldn't exactly place. It hurt, and I couldn't understand why. Rain would give me no answer either from behind her mask.
All I could do, in the end, was stare…..
It was my folly in the end.
With so much of my focus tied with the expansion, finding sustainable source of income and figuring our future plans, I'd paid no heed to the true inner workings of the Brotherhood. Hence, unwilling to interrupt the process, I sidestepped the men and opened the doors leading into the next room.
Foolish? Probably. However, I didn't it'd mattered too much.
As always, Rain was quick to my defence. She stood close and upfront, ready to take me out of the way of harm if necessary. For my part, I took precaution by lowering the hood for the pistol holder on my thigh.
The next room was large. Maybe even larger than the last three spaces combined. It had more of that characteristic smoothness to the walls and floor, but something told me there was more to what we could barely see past our flashlights, both handheld and chest mounted.
Crack!
Leg muscles went tight as I found myself raising both arms to regain balance. Looking down, I felt my heart skip a beat at the thing I'd stepped on.
Bone. Actual bone. Ahead, just in front of my feet was a ribcage, along with what I assume to be the rest of the body.
It wasn't alone.
Rain -who had initially trained her light on me and then my foot- now began directing her beams every way across the floor. Sure enough, there more bones. As a matter of fact, it wasn't just the floor, but even the walls had them as well.
Only then it dawned upon me what exactly we'd stepped into.
"By His Grace…."
A simple glance over my shoulder was enough to let me know that the others had come to join us within the room. Even behind their gasmasks, I could tell the looks of awe they had.
"Focus people," I chastised softly. "Be in awe later, we need to finish mapping this place."
It was the right move. A few nodded their heads, hesitantly at first, then much firmer as they realised the sound logic. From there, the expedition resumed its more cautious but steady gait.
It wasn't long before we realised that this was the last room in this strange place. The end of the room opposite the way we came in had more of those cube formations seen in the first room, along with massive urns. Reasonably enough, no one dared to touch any of them if it couldn't be helped.
Seeing as how there was no other place left to go, the engineers began deploying larger light sources. The stronger beams from these, served to illuminate the top where the walls meet the ceiling. Immediately, a strange form of nausea assailed me.
"Stana."
"Yeah."
"Enlighten me, what part of the Brotherhood deals in burying the dead in the ceiling."
"I could be asking you the same thing, sir. I heard they did some weird things the further up you went, but I never heard of something straight out of fucking Aliens."
Both of us stood near the centre of the room. With not much to do, me and the guards were mostly exploring every nook and cranny or at the very least staying out of the way of those that were being useful.
"Commander," Rain called.
She was further into the back of the room, standing before one of the cubes. No, unlike the rest, this was more elongated, like a massive sarcophagus. A flicker in my chest served to mark my growing curiosity. It only grew larger as I approached.
Hunched over, my aide seemed to be focused over something on the plane. I moved to stand by her side, and what I saw made me perplexed.
First hieroglyphs, now….. whatever this is…
"It's….. some form of Semitic," Rain inferred. "Mediterranean-based lingual."
Semitic? Hang on.
Bringing up the WMT, I browsed through the features tabs until I found the one I was looking for. It surprised me at first as to why it even existed, but now….
A scanner popped up near the edge of the tool closest to my wrist bones. There was a soft electrical beep, before the device shot out a scanning beam. Lines and contours were illuminated under the horizontal line that passed through in a up-to-down fashion, ending with a positive electronic beep.
I could've used it earlier, but I'd rather not stay in that hallway longer than need be. The light of the scanner also wasn't very nice to have in a tight, dark space.
Adjusting my left forearm, both me and Rain were able to see the translated text on screen.
-Pentecost Year 50, Month of May, Day 21-
I have buried the last man.
I myself will remain unburied. My body left to rot in a corner, unprocessed, ill-disposed. Yet, I will not sombre.
Our task is done, and that is all that matters.
We have done all we can in His Name.
And soon He who Descends shall come.
Our gift, for him. Safeguarded likewise in Four Winds.
If he is worthy, than our gift shall be an auspice.
Be, and it has become.
She blinked, perplexed at the text translated from the device.
"What do you suppose it means?" she queried.
"….."
"Jared?" she turned to look at him.
Still, and unmoving as if he'd looked into the eyes of the Gorgon.
"Jared?" she carefully manoeuvred to be in front. Careful as well not to touch him. "Jared? What's wrong?"
The rest of the company had filed into the room. Some began inspecting the various bones, wary enough to avoid touching them. Others stood idly. Discomfort was endemic due to the heat and humidity of the suit contrasting the cool air. Subtle -and equally careless- as it was, the first to loosen their protections were the engineers. Having noted the lack of anything hazard as of yet, and the air itself being nothing out of the ordinary of an underground space.
Bhaanu had his curiosity peaked at a large grouping of jars in one corner of the room. All of which, looked remarkably well preserved despite having spent who knows how long down here. A wave of the wand, and the details on the screen of his detector proved that at the very least, the surface of the jar and its top were safe.
He switched the flashlight he had in his right hand into a reverse grip. The same one he'd gotten from the previous miners. It'd worked before, and there shouldn't be any problem, now.
Step by step, he approached. Up close, it was easy to be intimidated by their size. Each was up to his neck in height, and they were as wide as he was, if not more.
Certain in his protective covers, he reached out with a gloved hand and wrapped his fingers around the knob of the lid. Pulling it up, required more effort than he'd like.
'What was it made of? Lead?' Was the question on his mind.
With need for greater exertion, he wrapped both hands around the knob, and was able to force the lid to the sides. He proceeded to widen the small gap, using the close proximity of the adjacent jars to support the weight of the heavy lid.
The new gap was enough for him to hold the lip of the jar comfortably. His flashlight served to illuminate the contents within.
Jared wasn't responding.
She'd called his name numerous times, each more stressed than before.
Eventually, she just grabbed him, taking care to make sure her grip was firm for the eventual retaliation.
It never came.
Instead, he turned to look at her, slowly.
"It's a setup."
"…. What?" came the obvious ridicule.
"He who Descends," he repeated the text. "Why is my name written within a tomb?"
Blue eyes widened. Her heart went from slow, but strong beats, to feeling like she'd taken an adrenaline shot.
But before she could word out an alarm….
"AAARRGGHHH!"
All present turned-snapped their heads to a corner, where an engineer had fallen on his rear. A light emitted from one of the jars situated there, now half opened.
"Bhaanu," another man, the chief engineer, called out. "What the fuc-"
"TIBERIUM!"
Of course, it was.
This was all meant to happen.
Everything was premeditated.
Behind the lenses of my mask, I saw as the light from within the jar flickered. It was strangled by something, growing more and more erratic until-
CRACK!
Sounds of electricity and shattered glass haunted the air. I could've sworn I saw arcs of crooked light flow out of the lid. I was affirmed moments after.
"RUN!"
Deep, and thick was the scream-yell that escaped the tunnel of my neck. My body moved of its own accord, pushing Rain first in hopes that'd she be the first to run.
Both our backs were turned when the first explosion went off.
SCKRHRASSSHH!
There was the sound of ceramic shattering, and what a pitched noise it was. Sizzle sounds followed, growing in intensity and pitched. It was followed by more bursts.
We didn't even manage two steps from hell unleashed.
Something pelted my back. I moved, pushed Rain down and used my form to shield her from the fragments.
But my aide had a mind of her own. No sooner than the explosion had subsided that she broke free and turned to inspect the damage.
The screaming started.
Wasting no time, I didn't even bother turning to look, I just pushed her further.
"RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!"
It was getting painful, my throat. I could feel it all the way to my back. Something sharp there? Strange.
Others were getting the message now. I saw shadows and silhouettes running towards the door. Rain was still ahead of me. I could hear more of that high pitched sizzling, and each one caused more explosions.
We entered the hallway. I saw two of my men by the door. I pushed them away and told them to run. It was right before I started hearing the heavy cracks. I'd gotten to the other end of the hallway when I braved myself to turn.
Sure enough, green miasma was slowly creeping out of the tomb. Not small, either. It was a rather thick cloud. Kane's statue at the far end was slowly being enveloped waist up.
"Sir?!" came a panicked shout.
Turning my head left, I saw Stana standing there. His whole form tense, and I didn't need to see his face to know just how shaken he was.
"Keep moving!"
CRUK!
Something fell within my chest. Raising my head, I could only watch as the ceiling began to sunder. A familiar green mist seeping through the crooked gaps.
"Move!" I shrieked, killing my throat.
And damn this back pain!
Stana was already turning heel. He tripped, and I quickly caught him before he could fell. Ahead, a light shone our way.
"JARED!" Rain called, fear resounding.
"Move!" I repeated. And continued to repeat.
I dropped every other form of senses I had aside from my sight. Crossing the room felt less like an action, but a slideshow. At some point, I even collided with Rain, forcing both her and Stana -who'd gotten ahead of us- out.
We barely cleared the alcove when the earth gave way behind us.
That was when I made my mistake.
Maybe it was because I needed to assess the threat. Maybe it was because I just had to know how far it was still spreading.
Maybe it was because I was just a fool.
Against my better judgement, I turned to look behind me as the three of us cleared the alcove.
Rain, her voice filled with worry throughout this ordeal, became replaced with naked fear.
Stana was the same.
But I didn't discern what they'd said.
For I was looking into the face of Pestilence. It's green cloak rode out from the narrow path that'd once lead into what I'd later know as a Nod enclave.
It'd became hard to breathe. I felt, something pushed down my throat.
Green fade to black.
A/N: I apologise for the late update. Originally, this was supposed to be done sometime last month after I got my work sorted out.
Then Battletech 2018 happened, and I got hooked.
Warhammer my beloved.
Anyhow, we've reached the last leg of what I'm calling the Prologue. I've gotten my feet in the story, I think. I also know where I'm taking it. So, stick around and find out!