Chapter 2: Second Opinion
"So, where does this corridor lead to on the Medical Deck?" Kairi asks as they follow Isaac into the maintenance way, stepping onto a service lift.
"Ideally, it should take us to the Tram Station. When we get there, we should be able to lift the lockdown at the station. It's why we have to walk instead of taking the Tram." Isaac replies as the lift descends, revealing a floor covered in blood.
"But if the stations are in lockdown, how did Hammond and Kendra get to the Bridge? Wouldn't that also be on lockdown?" Sora asks, eyes glancing at the large fans cycling the air. Isaac looks at Sora before shrugging haphazardly.
"Dunno. Maybe one of them had clearance, or Kendra hacked the system. But we can worry and ask them about it later. If they are still alive, that is. Right now, we need to keep moving." Isaac brings his Cutter up, the three blue beams scanning down the hall. Sora and Kairi tighten the grips on their blades, following Isaac as they slowly progress. After walking down a long and winding corridor, they soon enter the Medical Cargo Depot. Stacks of crates on movable rails fill the room while, unfortunately, blocking their way forward.
Glancing around to find a way, though, Isaac spotted the body of a crew mate who had been crushed against the wall with a crate. Lying next to him was a Kinesis module. Walking up to the cadaver while sending a silent sorry and thank you to the dead body, Isaac picks up the module and attaches it to his left arm. The second he did, his HUD informed him that his Kinesis was operational.
"Huh? 'Kinesis is operational'? How did that happen?" Kairi suddenly asks, earning a look of surprise from Isaac. A quick glance at Sora showed, by his body movement, that his, too, had suddenly activated. As evident by the hovering fire extinguisher that he was currently holding with it.
Did they really just regain their Kinesis the moment I regained mine? What the hell? Isaac mentally asks before shaking his head. "Regardless of how, it's good that you two have got Kinesis again." He gains the attention of the two as Sora places the extinguisher back on the ground. "Now then, let's get moving." He raises his left hand, activating the Kinesis, and targets one of the crates. As soon as the grey energy connects with the crate, Isaac gently pulls it to his left, moving it across. Only for a headless torso to drop from the ceiling the moment it moved.
"That's…welcoming…" Sora says with a grimace as Isaac continues to move crates out of the way, creating a path for them towards Medical. But all the while, they couldn't stop but worry. None of the Slashers or Leapers had tried to attack them since the Hanger. It could only mean they were waiting to ambush them or worse.
"Don't let them out…Don't let them out…."
"You guys hear that?" Sora asks as a voice echoes from beyond the door leading to Medical. Kairi and Isaac both nod before rushing forward. Without waiting, Isaac opens the door to the Medical Tram Station, only to encounter a horrid sight.
At his feet, where the bodies of two Slashers, each with their arms blasted off and leaning against one of the glass windows of the Tram Station, was a security officer clutching onto her Pulse Rifle in her left hand and a spent med-pack at her feet. While her right hand grasped a Slasher's blade that had impaled her blood-soaked chest right next to her heart.
"Hey! Hold on!" Isaac cries as he rushes into the Station, Sora and Kairi close behind him. But the officer doesn't acknowledge their presence, staring past Isaac and to the maintenance door.
"Gotta hold the line… They all came back…" she mumbles as her strength wanes before her head and arms go limp, and her RiG flatlines. Isaac shakes his head as Sora and Kairi look at the ground in silence before Isaac picks up the Pulse Rifle from the ground.
"I don't want to do this, but using it will be better than leaving it alone." Isaac mentions darkly before walking over to a terminal next to the Station. With a press of a button, the shutters blocking the station retract, turning into a landing platform for the Trams as said Tram rolls up to the Deck as the system announces the lifting of the Station Quarantine. "So the Stations are locked down due to Quarantine, huh? Lots of good that did…."
"There are so many bodies here." Kairi mentions quietly, pointing out to the numerous body bags around the station. "Did everyone try to flee to the Medical Deck?"
"Not sure. We don't even know where this all started. It could have begun here for all we know." Isaac replies with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Let's find the RiG codes. Come one." With that, Isaac leads them into the Medical Deck. Like outside, blood covered the floor as a mist flowed at knee height. Medical trollies and wheelchairs line the hallway, while a trio of boxes are stacked in a makeshift barricade. Not a problem for them, as with simple uses of Kinesis, the way is cleared. With that, they enter the main Security Station. A large makeshift barricade of steel blocked the door leading to the morgue, while a giant hole punctured through the roof above the door leading to Imaging Diagnostics, sparks falling from the maw. And just like before, blood lay splattered everywhere.
But before they could do anything, Isaac's video comm flared to life, with an exhausted Hammond on the other side. "Isaac, guys, have you heard from Daniels? We were attacked. She ran the other way, but I've not heard from her since."
"No, nothing. We've just reached Medical, but it's a slaughterhouse." Isaac says with gloom in his voice. "We found a Security officer outside. She didn't make it." Hammond grimaces on the other end, saddened at the loss of another life. "They've barricaded the door to Morgue. Something had them spooked."
"The morgue?"
"Yeah. It's a pile of steel, but it doesn't look like it was made by experts." Kairi adds on. "Don't think we're getting in anytime soon."
"Don't be quick to judge Kairi. It's sloppy work. A hydrazine tank might blow it open."
"Hydrazine?" Sora asks, puzzled by the word. Isaac nods at Sora before glancing back at Hammond.
"Yeah, but we'll need something to set it off from a safe distance. A shock pad should do the trick. Nicole could also be in there…." His thoughts trail off as he thinks about Nicole while Hammond passes around on his end.
"Guys, the thing that attacked us. I sure as hell it was Chen. But, we saw him die." He says, sadness filling his voice before turning serious. "If they blocked the morgue, maybe it was to keep something big out."
"Guess we'll find out." Isaac replies before ending the call. "Let's head to Imaging Diagnostics. We can find the Hydrazine Tank there."
"How dangerous is that stuff Isaac? It's not going to explode if we drop it, right?" Kairi asks worriedly as they enter the connecting hallway. Lights continue to flicker as bulbs begin to fail.
"Don't worry, I'll keep a hold of it when we get it. Besides, it's only dangerous when an electrical current goes through it." Isaac says, reassuring the two, but he knows better about how dangerous it is. It is better for an old person like me to carry it than someone young with their life ahead of them. Before he could say anymore, a low thumping sound echoed down the hall. Raising his newly acquired Pulse Rifle, Isaac leads ahead of the couple as they approach a turn.
Moving around and finding an offline lift, they find the corridor continuing before connecting to a second one. And inside was a medical worker slamming his head against the glass slowly and steadily. The glass was fractured like a spider web and covered in blood. "Sir? Are you alright?" Isaac asks politely as they approach the worker, who seems to ignore them before slamming his head against the glass one fine time with enough force it cracks his skull. The three stood in silent shock as the man fell to the ground, limp.
"Light…Why did he do that?" Sora asks as the three steps pass the dead body. Kairi only places a hand on his arm while Isaac sighs loudly before opening the door to Imaging Diagnostics.
A large room with two rooms on the left, separated by a glass-walled conveyor belt housing a cylindrical pod. Inside was the body of one of the creatures enveloped by yellow lights as they spun around it. To the right was a security station, while catwalks spanned across, connecting to a second level above them. Stepping up to a walkway through the conveyor belt, Isaac activates his Kinesis to move the pod across, freeing up space for them to move.
"Were they trying to find out what caused the mutation?" Isaac wonders aloud as they pass by the pod. Sora and Kairi shrug their shoulders as they pass another security booth, blood covering its walls. Stepping into the open area beyond, a Slasher ambushes them from a vent to their right. It swings its arms at them, missing as they dodge under as Sora and Kairi swing their Keyblade down at the Slasher's legs. As it falls to the ground, it is blasted by a shot of Stasis by Isaac, who then blasts off one of the Slasher's arms.
As it dies, the trio take a moment to view tier surroundings. To their left was a blocked door and a lift with an empty battery slot next to it. Behind them was a door leading to a small office. And hiding behind a small wall behind them was the missing battery pack.
"Wonder why they took the battery out?" Kairi asks as Sora activates his Kinesis on the battery. "Was there something wrong with it?"
"No. There's nothing wrong with it." Isaac says as he inspects it. "Must have been trying to slow these things down when they infested the deck. Lots of good that did if they use the vents." Isaac walks over to the battery slot before motioning to Sora. "Over here. Don't worry. I'll help you steady it." Sora nods as he approaches Isaac, who gently guides the battery into the slot. The moment it was inserted, the lift came to life, granting them access to the top floor.
While the lift slowed to a stop, the trio took a chance to look at the causes ways before them. To their annoyance, the catwalk leading to the other side was broken in two. Thankfully, the pod that was blocking the way could be used to create a path to the other side. But it was not all easy, for a Leaper smashed through a vent above them as a Slasher charged from a corner in front. While Sora and Kairi focused on the Slasher, Isaac turned to the Leaper. Before he turned his weapon on the creature, he noticed the fan from the vent laying nearby.
With a thought, he grabs the fan with Kinesis before launching it straight at the Leaper. Isaac could only smile grimly as the fan sliced off the limbs and tail of the leaper, despite breaking in the process.
With the area clear, for now, the trio move on through an observation corridor, passing by a room overlooking Zero-Gravity Therapy. Continuing down the corridors, for once cleared of blood yet still covered in a light mist, they pass by a door leading to Cryogenics before moving into another L-shaped corridor. Proceeding down, senses on high alert, they reach yet another door.
But just as Isaac opened the door, the air around them was suddenly and violently ripped outside, plunging the trio into a vacuum. Instantly, their suits activated their onboard air supply, as a large hole in the corridor before them made itself known.
"Crap! Vacuum!" Isaac says through a comm link as he sprints forward, motioning the couple to follow him. But the moment he stepped into the ruined hall, his boots activated their gravity tethers. "Gravity is offline as well! Don't let it slow you!" Turning the corner, Isaac curses to himself as he sees the floor before them has been ripped upward, blocking the path. Thankfully, an office spanned the wall to the left, bypassing the blockage. Rushing through the ruined office and ensuring that Sora and Kairi were behind him in the soundless void, Isaac leads them into the connecting corridor to Zero-G. Thankfully, this hallway was intact, and as soon as the door closed behind them, the air was pumped into the room.
"That was close." Sora comments as they take a moment to breathe, the ice that built up on their suits quickly melting away. "What do you think caused that damage?" He asks Isaac, who is walking up to a circular door. He pauses for a moment before turning back to look at Sora.
"Honestly, it could be a numbering of things. A hydrazine tank ruptured, a spark and some flammable gas. Or even a piece of debris that managed to get past the ADS, as impossible as that could be."
"In that case, let's not waste any more time and get what we need." Kairi says as Isaac opens the bulkhead.
As the door opens, they are greeted by a short walkway that stops before a vast, vertically circular room. On either end were two large holes glowing gold, wide enough to accommodate the pod outside. Above the hole to the left was a window looking down from the observation room. On the far end, opposite them, was another door leading to a storage room, their destination. And around them, inside small pods, glowing white, were the sleeping bodies of crewmembers.
"Do you think we should try and wake some of them up?" Kairi asks as she looks at the occupied pods. "It could help us get off the Ishimura faster."
"While normally I would agree with you, I don't think that's a good idea." Isaac replies. "These pods are to help people with mental and physical issues. Not to mention there is that destroyed corridor we came through. They won't have suits to protect them, let alone tools for defence." Kairi's shoulders slump at Isaac's comment. He was right, but at the same time, it felt wrong to leave these people here. If they were still alive, that is.
"Anyway, how will we get across?" Sora asks as he glances around. "I think we did it by jumping in those dreams, right?" Isaac looks at Sora before glancing at the small pods on his shoulders as a grin forms under his helmet.
"Not this time." Isaac says as he walks towards the end of the platform. With a quick hop into the air, the pods on his shoulders activate as they reveal themselves to be thrusters as they shout out green air. Similar ones are active on his boots as Isaac propels himself into the gravity-less room. Spinning himself around with the shoulder thrusters, he looks back at the couple. "Just do what I did. Your suits will do the rest by themselves. Don't worry."
Giving each other a reassuring nod, the couple follows Isaac into the air as the thrusters on their suits activate. Leaning their bodies forward, they propel themselves forward, passing by random pieces of metal and vent parts as sparks fly from parts of the room. Landing safely, the trio moved into the storage room as one of them looked out behind them for ambushes. Inside the room were two racks holding rubber suits without helmets, with benches and lockers lining the walls.
And at the far end, lying on a workbench, was a tank of Hydrazine. "Good, there's a tank here we can use." Isaac says as he picks it up and attaches it to his belt. "Better call Hammond and let him know." As Sora and Kairi stand on either side of him, he opens up a call. "Hammond, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear, Isaac. Still holding position, what's your status? Did you find Nicole?" Hammond asks professionally. The trio could help but smile a little at hearing how confident he sounded on the comm.
"No sign of her yet." Isaac replies. "But we got a tank of Hydrazine. Just need to get a shock pad to trigger it now."
"How about you, Hammond? Any sign of Kendra or that Slasher that looks like Chen?" Sora asks as the three slowly make their way back to Zero-G.
"No, nothing. I'm worried, but I can't leave this room. Be careful with that Hydrazine, okay? I'm not losing anyone else on this ship." With that, the call ends as they open the door. But just as they reached the platform's end, a Leaper emerged on the other side. It screams at them before leaping onto the interior wall, running around it like a tree critter.
Taking the challenge, the trio activate their suits and take to the air. The Leaper, snarling at them, leaps towards them, arms wide, only for them to dodge out of the way in a very slow movement. The Leaper slams into the wall behind them before a shard of ice impales its arm, followed quickly by a small orb of fire. The Leaper's arm was severed by the small blast created by the opposite elements, yet that was all it did as the rest of its body was free of damage.
Until Isaac blasted it with Stasis and unloaded his Pulse Rifle into the creature's other arm, the rounds severing it off. Sighing at his work, he looks at the couple looking over their Keyblades, worries hidden behind their faces. This can't go on like this. They need something else to make up for their problem… He thinks as the trio moves to the exit, leaving the floating cadaver behind them. If I find any more tools... But just as he finished those thoughts, the entire deck shook, almost sending the three to the floor.
"What was that?" Kairi asks as they stabilize their footings.
"Whatever it was, it must have been big for it to shake the floor." Sora replies before glancing at Isaac, who had a comm link open before closing it. "Did Hammond feel it as well?"
"Yeah, he did." Isaac responds with worry. "He's going to check it out. I only hope it's nothing too bad." The couple nods at Isaac as he opens the door to the vacuum, only for a new problem to show itself. "Well, whatever cause, that shaking blocked our exit. The offices are filled with metal." Isaac says over the comms, as the door leading to the office is filled with metal beams.
"Looks like we can go up." Kairi points out, looking at a hole leading to the floor above. Isaac gives a silent hum before activating his thrusters and flying upwards, smiling as he finds a new path for them through another set of medical rooms.
"We can. But let's hurry. We don't have time to stay out here." Not needing to ask twice, the couple follows Isaac to the upper floor, gliding past medical beds free of blood yet open to the vacuum of space. Thankfully, after stopping at an oxygen station to refill their air, they arrive at another connecting hallway. "Seems like gravity is offline here as well…How has the Ishimura gotten this damaged?"
"Do you think the Slashers are damaging anything when they crawl through the vents?" Sora asks as they approach an elevator shaft. The Elevator was stuck two floors above them with no power, with the door left wide open.
"It's possible. Wires, cables and pipers are commonly placed inside vents since they spread everywhere. The Slashers have likely torn up critical parts if them exploding out of a vent wasn't bad enough."
"Or breaking into one." Kairi adds as they float down the shaft by four floors. Isaac nods at her as they reach the bottom, an exposed fuse lighting up before them. The fuse was destroyed with a quick burst from the Pulse Rifle, unlocking the door before them. Just as they stepped through, finding themselves in a maintenance tunnel, Hammond called Isaac.
"Guys! You won't believe what happened. I took one step out the Captain's Nest, and Chen— that… that thing— he almost got me."
"Oh god, are you okay!?" Isaac asks, fear rising in the three of them. Thankfully, Hammond's response calmed them down, despite him sounding shaken.
"I'm good. I managed to trap him in a damaged escape pod. But Chen…he's looking at me, snarling at me… This is fucked up, man! Hurry, guys." And with that, he ends the call.
"Do you think Hammond is doing okay? That Slasher was Chen after all…" Kairi asks as they approach a large steam pipe. Before Isaac could reply, valves on the bottom burst open, spraying steam across the ground with an ear-piercing scream. Startled by the sound, the trio raise their weapons up in response, only to awkwardly chuckle at each other once the steam stops.
"It… It was just steam. We must be more uneased than we thought…." Sora says as they lower their weapons, only for a Leaper to suddenly appear from a vent in front of them. Followed closely by three Slashers ambushing them from behind.
"Crap, there's too many of them!" Isaac says as he blasts the Leaper in front with Stasis. "Run!" Not arguing with him, Sora and Kairi run after Isaac, Sora using Kingdom Key to slash off one of the Leaper's arms to slow it down when the Stasis wears off. Coming to a locked door with a fuse, Kairi swings Destiny's Embrace at the fuse, destroying it and opening the door. Not bothering to look back at the Slashers chasing after them, the trio run through the door before it closes behind them.
They don't stop running until they find themselves back in the Security Station, panting for air.
"That was close." Kairi says between breaths. "Where to now, Isaac?" After stretching his back out, Isaac turns to the Research Wing door.
"The Research Wing is where we will find the Shock Pads. I'm also sure that's where Nicole's office is as well." Isaac says softly as Sora places a hand on his arm.
"We will find her, Isaac. Have faith." He says with a hidden smile. Isaac nods in appreciation as he opens the door, revealing a descending hallway filled with blood, dismembered corpses, and the sound of a malfunctioning door.
"Another faulty door. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am." Isaac comments as they approach the rapidly opening door. After a brief blast of Stasis, the trio rushed through before continuing in silence and reaching the Main Lab. Entering, they are greeted by a wide room, with a door before them out of power with benches lining the walls. A support pillar lays in the centre as a large gap in the floor reveals a level below them. But just as they began to walk around the side to the lift, the room was plunged into darkness as alarms blared in their ears.
Hazardous anomaly detected. Quarantine activated.
The trio instinctively went back to back as the emergency lights flared to life, plunging the room into an orange glow. Anxiety grew as they waited for the incoming attack as they scanned their surroundings. Just as it seemed they were not coming, four Slashers burst out of the vents around them. While Sora and Kairi focused on one each, Isaac found himself squaring off against two. Looking around, he notices a long and sharp metal rod rolling nearby. Getting an idea into his head, he uses Kinesis to grab the rod before firing it at one of the Slashers.
The rob easily pierces through the Slasher, as the kinetic force drags it along with it before slamming into the wall behind. The unfortunate Slasher went limp not long after as its friend charged at Isaac in a rage, only to be met by a blast of Stasis. Slowed down, it could only watch in primal fury as Isaac switched to his Plasma Cutter before removing the Slasher from its arms.
For Sora, he blasted his Slasher with Stasis before rushing in to slice one of the arms off before a thought came to his mind. He grabs the fallen limb using his own Kinesis before firing it at the Slasher. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he was not complaining when the blast sent the Slasher slamming into the wall, pinned by its arm.
As for Kairi, she decided to swing low, slicing the legs off her attacker before blasting it with Stasis as well. With it slowed down, she then moves to relieve it of its arms, leaving behind the torso with its head. And yet, with the defeat of these four Slashers, the lockdown was not lifted.
"There must be some on the lower level." Isaac says as he looks over the railing. He couldn't see anything, but then again, the lighting was off, and the spinning orange lights were not helping to illuminate the place. "Onto the lift, but be careful. We have no idea what's down there." Nodding slowly, Sora and Kairi follow Isaac onto the lift as it begins its slow descent. Once it reached the bottom, the trio slowly walked off, weapons raised. Before they could even reach the main sitting area, the creatures attacked. Three Slashers, led by a Leaper that was missing an arm.
"It's the ones we ran from earlier!" Kairi points out As Isaac blasts one of the Slashers in the back with Stasis. That sent the other two into a charge, clashing blades of bone against enchanted steel. While the Leaper slowly dragged its way across with its lone arm, Isaac took aim with his Cutter before firing at the remaining arm. Not long later, the Leaper was lying on the floor, but it had bought time for the Slasher in Stasis to start moving again. Thinking fast, Isaac pulls out the Pulse Rifle and fires its alternate fire. But, instead of a grenade, he only got a metal cylinder planting itself before the Slasher. Before he could curse, the Slasher broke from its Stasis and charged at Isaac.
Right into the metal cylinder on the ground. No one noticed the beeping sound it was emitting or the flashing light on the top until it exploded, shredding the limbs of the Slasher. The blast had also impacted the two attacking Sora and Kairi, staggering them and leaving them open to a single strike from the couple. Soon, both Slashers were falling to the ground as the emergency lights deactivated and the normal lights flickered to life.
Quarantine lifted.
"That was something." Sora comments as he stretches his arms before looking at the Leaper. "So, even if we run from them, they will try and ambush us later. Guess that means we must fight or risk having them attack us with more help." Kairi nods in response before both notice Isaac's absence. Turning to the left, they saw Isaac staring at a medical office before opening the door. "Isaac?" Sora asks as he and Kairi follow him.
"Nicole? It's…me…" Isaac says as he walks into an empty room. A desk with medical equipment and papers, a couch and a chair. Two small bookcases and a holographic poster framed by a small red carpet. Frozen in time, with no sign of life. Isaac sighs sadly, chastising himself that it would have been too easy, as Sora and Kairi pat him on his arms. Glancing back at the desk, he noticed something blinking, presumably a message.
"What's that?" Kairi asks as Isaac walks up to the desk, picking up the small device.
"It's an audio log. I'm hoping that whatever is on it can help me find where Nicole is. Might be able to track her RiG activity…." Isaac replies, before activating the log, as Nicole's voice echoes in the room.
"Personal log: Dr. Nicole Brennan. With medication and zero-g therapy, Patient Harris is showing improvement. If this continues, there might be hope for the people of Aegis VII. However, Dr. Mercer continues to interfere. He claims Harris's delusions are 'religiously significant'. If I have to make a complaint, I will. I'm not losing my patient over Unitology bullshit. Not again."
"Nicole…You blame yourself for that, don't you…" Isaac whispers sadly, his voice not picked up by the couple, as he inputs commands into his onboard RiG.
Tracking RiG signal: Dr Nicole Brennan. RiG location: inconclusive. Manual RiG tracking is available.
"Okay, looks like I can track Nicole from the Medical Deck to wherever she is by visiting her last locations. Hope you don't mind a small detour." Isaac says as he brings up a map showing a location of the Medical deck they had yet to visit.
"We don't mind." Sora says with his usual optimism as Kairi nods. Isaac smiles back, even if they could not see it, before heading back out into the Main Lab. Before they could move on, another office caught Isaac's attention. One that belonged to a Dr Terrence Kyne. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walks over before opening the door.
He almost wished he hadn't, as the poster on the back was that of Unitologist propaganda.
"Of course, there was a fucking Uni on the ship…" he mutters angrily before spying a terminal on the desk. Against his better judgment, he walks over to it just as Sora and Kairi walk in. They both pause at seeing the Uni poster, breathing in sharply when they see the Marker image on the front. "You two okay?" Isaac asks, noticing the change in their posture.
"Yeah… Sorry, Isaac. Seeing that again reminded us why we are here in the first place." Sora says, anger hidden in his voice as they glare at the poster.
"I don't blame you." Isaac mumbles as he touches the screen. "Looks like there's a recording on this. Wonder what it is…." Pressing the start option, a holographic emitter flares to life as a hologram of a man with black hair in a medical officer suit sits at the desk. Shortly followed by an old man with grey hair, wearing a fancy blue suit with golden embroidery.
"Ben, what in gods name is happening down there?" The sitting man asks. Ben simply smiles before walking to the front of the desk.
"Precisely that. God's work."
"How can you say that?" The sitting man asks, insulted and appalled at Ben's words. "These deaths at the colony, the paranoia, the hallucinations…." He stands before walking around the desk, standing in front of Ben. "You want a scientific analysis? Cause and effect— well, it all began when they raised the Marker." Ben seemingly shrugs off the man's worries as he walks towards one of the bookcases, seemingly searching for something.
"What are you so worried about? The Marker is divine. We know this." He picks up a small Marker statue before walking over to the man, handing it into his hands. "Look, it will be on board tomorrow. You can study it then. Put your mind at ease…."
"At ease? Captain, people are dying! How can that be the 'transformation' the teaching promised?"
"We're witnessing a new begging, Terrence. For Unitology, for humanity… Of course, our faith is being tested. Everything's about to change." And with that, the now-identified Captain Mathius left Terrence Kyne alone.
"That's what worries me…." Kyne whispers before ending the log, leaving the three with more questions than answers. Although, in Isaac's case, that was more anger than anything.
"The Captain was also a Unitologist? Just how many of those fanatics were on this ship!?" He angrily asks before smashing a fist on the desk, breathing deep breaths as he works to calm down. "Sorry, you had to see that." Sora and Kairi gently shake their heads at Isaac, telling him not to worry. Leaving Kyne's office, the trio move for the only remaining door on the floor, leading to a changing room. With no other option, they enter, finding rows of lockers and hazmat suits. And thankfully, another door led to another part of Medical. Walking to it, Isaac saw the sign detailing the area they were approaching. Biological Prosthetics. Entering into another L-corridor, they walk until finding a glass wall, beyond which were vats holding a green fluid with human bodies floating inside.
"What is this place?" Sora asks, an uneasy feeling settling in inside him. Isaac glances at them before sighing, not wanting to tell them about this particular dark part of Medical.
"This is where limbs are grown to replace lost limbs or organs." Isaac reveals. The couple looks at him before turning their gaze back to the vats.
"You mean, these people floating in those are only there so that people can take their limbs? But why? Aren't they living people too?" Kairi asks, horrified at the thought of people only grown for their limbs or organs.
"Honestly, Kairi, I wouldn't be surprised if people asked those same questions when this was implemented. But whatever voices raised to stop it, they don't exist anymore…." He says darkly. Sora and Kairi struggle to suppress a shiver at the thought before a member of the Medical Staff appears on the other side of the wall. Panting hard and slamming his fist against the glass, he calls for them to help. "Hang on! We're on our—!"
Just as They were about to move, the man's hand was suddenly pieced by a shard of bone, pinning him to the glass wall. He cries out in pain as more shards strike him in the back. He slumps against the glass, in pain but alive. Only for his head to explode seconds later in a fountain of blood, as a high-piercing screech cries on his side of the wall.
"What was that?" Sora asks as they look into the room. They couldn't see what attacked the man other than the walls lined with smaller tanks holding babies in different stages of development. All the while, an eerie green hue filled the room.
"I don't know. But we're going to find out soon." Isaac replies, opening a hidden door on the left. Entering, they are greeted by silence, other than the sounds of water pumping through the tubes, until a screech greets them from above. A zombified baby with a large hump on its back was jumping down on Isaac. The moment it landed, the hump retracted, revealing three spiked tentacles that started slamming into Isaac's back. Isaac cries out in pain just as Sora throws Kingdom Key at the creature, slicing through all three of its appendages and killing it.
"You okay, Isaac?" Sora asks as he and Kairi rush up to Isaac, who is rubbing his shoulder. His RiG had lost some of its lights, just bordering above yellow. Reaching into his belt, Isaac grabs one of the Med Packs they had and injects it into his suit. The soothing liquid flows into him, restoring him as the lights on his back light up to full.
"Yeah. I'm good." He replies, throwing away the empty bottle. "Looks like we found out what killed him. Let's keep our eyes peeled for more Lurkers. If they are anything like that one, then they'll try and attack from above." The couple nods at Isaac before following him past the bodies and onto a nearby lift. They reach the second level and find several more vats and a glass cabinet. But no sooner do they near it, a Lurker bursts out of the glass, startling them as a second one shuffles into view past one of the vats. The two Lurkers plat themselves as their attack spines deploy, only to find two spinning Keyblades slice through their appendages.
"Looks like we can take them out in one strike, but doing it like this leaves us open to attack." Kairi points out as they walk past the bodies. "If only we could use our magic." Sora hums in agreement as they enter a sanitary shower while Isaac stays in his thoughts. Soon though, he had to leave them, for they found what they needed in the following room.
On an operating bed was the charred body of a crewmember, as a sparking shock pad flares with power above him. Spying a power regulator next to the bed, Isaac reroutes bower from the pad and into the locked door, opening the way back while allowing them to grab the pads. With Kairi picking the pads up, Isaac's RiG link activates.
"Danials still isn't answering her calls. How's the situation?" Hammond asks as the trio leaves the room, heading back to the Security Station.
"We've got the Shock Pad. I checked Nicole's office, but she wasn't there. However, I did find out that the captain was a Unitologist, along with one of the head doctors." Isaac replies with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Is that so? I'll look into the crew roster and find out how many were onboard. No way CEC would put a Uni in charge of their pride and joy." With the call ended, the trio returned via the route they came, avoiding the malfunctioning door. Soon, they find themselves back in the Security Station as Isaac takes both the Hydrazine Tank and Shock Pads.
"Okay, you two stay behind that blast screen. I'll plant the bomb." He says, motioning his head to a security booth. Following Isaac's words, the two stand behind the glass as Isaac attaches the Hydrazine to the shock pad. With that done, he attaches it to the barrier before removing two pads from the device and planting it on either side of the tank. With it armed, he rushes back to join the couple before activating the pad.
The tank detonates with a blast of light, creating a hole in the barricade and clearing the way. With a hint of satisfaction, the trio exited the booth and entered the Clinic. Stepping into the waiting area, the seats stained with blood, they could see the room beyond filled with blood-soaked operating tables and barely working lights.
"How many people die in this place?" Isaac wonders aloud as they enter the operating room, noting the empty power socket next to the exit leading to the morgue. There was also a lift that led to the Morgue. However, it required a Security Clearance. Something that neither of them had. Walking past several of the tables, one of them suddenly sprung to life as a recording of Nicole and a patient, covered in wounds and lacerations, begins to play.
"Loop and transmit to all personnel. This is Senior Medical Officer Nicole Brennan. Medical is overwhelmed— we need help!" She gestures at her patient, who was sleeping despite his injuries. "Look at his wounds. We can't handle this many trauma cases. And the command crew won't tell us what's happening." Just as she was about to continue, her patient began to seize, prompting her to restrain him before rushing off towards a walled-off spot of the clinic.
"Where did she go?" Kairi asks as they approach the wall. Isaac gives a curious hum before noticing scratch marks on the ground. With a hidden grin, he activates his Kinesis to reveal it to be a fake wall, hiding a hidden shower room. Stepping in, they find another audio log left by Nicole, which Isaac did not hesitate to play.
"Medical log, Dr Nicole Brennan. So much for being paranoid." She begins sounding depressed. "I've repurposed this room to run counselling sessions without Unitologists interfering. Now it's the only place I feel safe. I recovered a limb after yesterday's attack. Genetically, it's human tissue with…bizarre alterations. But it's just a sample. Not enough to figure out a cure… I need… Wait." The sound of typing could be heard over the log. "Where's that report from Engineering?" More keys could be heard before they suddenly stopped. "Here. The engineers pulled something out of the machinery. "Limbs missing. Torso intact." Okay. It's time for a real autopsy." And with that, the recording ends.
"So, she went to Engineering to find a body? Was she hoping to find a cure?" Kairi asks as they exit the safe room. Sora shrugs his shoulders as Isaac plays around with a power box just before the lights around them die. A power cell is ejected from the wall as Isaac grabs it with Stasis.
"Maybe. I'm just happy she never gave up on trying to convince people to leave Unitology. Hope she was successful…." Isaac says as he walks in the darkness before the couple summon their Keys and light up their surroundings. "Thanks. I can see where I'm going now." With the aid of the Keys, Isaac manoeuvres his way around the beds before inserting the power core into the wall. With a surge of power, the door comes to life, allowing access to the ER hallway.
But just like everything else, blood was spilt. Dead bodies litter the beds as light hopelessly flickers on and off. What concerned them the most was the large hole in the wall highlighted in blood. Walking down the blood-soaked halls, a feeling of dread falls over them. They haven't been attacked since the encounter with the Lurkers. Where they getting smarter? Waiting to spring an ambush on them? The feelings only got worse as they entered Intensive Treatment.
Before them were several sealed glass rooms in circular pods. All of them are empty, apart from one. Inside was a female nurse overlooking a patient. She stroked his head before plunging a curved dagger into his chest, dragging it along in a crazed daze. She stops as the man dies, turning around to look at the trio with a crazed look before slitting her own throat before them.
The three could say nothing as blood sprayed over the interior. Knowing nothing could be done, they continue past the cubicles, passing by another office belonging to a Challus Mercer.
Ignoring it, they continue on into another hallway. But just as they began to walk down, an explosion shattered the glass windows, sucking all the air outside and plunging them into a vacuum. Thankfully, the system kicks in as emergency shutters rapidly close across all the windows, sealing the hallway and allowing air to flow again. Even if they were now plunged into a red hallway.
"You two okay?" Isaac asks, making sure no glass has punctured their suits. Thankfully, they were lucky in that regard, with the few shards of glass deflecting off the metal on their suits. Continuing on, they enter into a lift that descends to the Morgue and the Captain's body. As the lift opens, they are greeted by a blast of cold air and mist as they enter the blood-soaked Morgue. Body bags and gantry lay strewn about, some with intact bodies, others with dismembered ones.
And laying peacefully in a central room was the Captain's body, still clothed in his uniform.
"Alright, there he is. Keep an eye out here for any of those Creatures. I'll grab the RiG." The couple nods at Isaac, who enters the Autopsy Room. Glancing around, he walks over to the body, noting one of the eyes had blood stains leaking from it. Pushing the cadaver onto its side, he began the process of detaching the RiG from his back. But before he could finish, he was attacked by a new variant.
Glancing up at the approaching shadow, the best way he could describe it was as though someone took a bat and enlarged it while removing its fur. It latches onto the body as an appendage bursts from its head before swiping at Isaac. Despite holding onto the RiG, he was forced onto the ground, the sound of the struggle alerting Sora and Kairi, who rushed inside.
The new variant lets go of the captain's body before trying to fly past Sora and Kairi, who slices off its wings. They turn to look at Isaac, who now has the body on him, before freezing in their tracks.
Mathias's body pulsed and converged like he had returned to life with a seizure. He turns around as his clothes melt away, as the bony blades of a Slasher burst from his hands. He rises, towering over Isaac as his transformation is complete, screaming in rage as blood pours from his mouth. Two smaller hands burst from his abdomen as he stands there in rage.
But he never got a chance to attack, as Sora blasts him with Stasis before they both charge at him and slice his arms off.
"You okay, Isaac?" Kairi asks as they two help him up. Before he could reply, Hammond called him, asking the same thing. As all forms of talking passed through his mind, Isaac said the first thing that he could think of.
"Fuck me!" He shouts angrily, startling all three of them, before grabbing the former Captains RiG from the bed. "Transmitting codes now."
"Okay. What the hell happened?"
"We saw it, Hammond. A flying version of one of those creatures. It grabbed the Captain's body before turning it into a Slasher." Sora informs as Isaac calms himself down from the adrenaline rush. "I think the same thing happened to Chen."
"God… And by Isaac's reaction, it was done right on top of him?"
"Just as he was detaching the RiG, yeah." Kairi replies as Isaac finally calms down.
"God. No wonder he sounded so angry. Maybe the Command Computer has some info on these things. Where Daniels when you need her. Anyway, head back to the Security Station. It's safer there. I'll upgrade the clearance for all three of you. I can do that, at least." When the call ended, the three could see an info box on their HUD informing them of increased security access. Glancing at the nearby Clinic lift, the three walk over to it and, to their joy, find they are cleared to use it.
Stepping onto the lift, they ride it back up to the Clinic. But not even halfway up, shocks rock the ship. With the same amount of violence as last time. Before they could ask what was happening, a video call from Hammond opened up. And his face was grim.
"Guys, we've got a problem. The computer says the Ishimura's engines are offline. We're on a decaying orbit toward Aegis VII."
"Oh god. I have to get to Engineering. I'm the only one here who knows how to fix them. Sora and Kairi haven't been taught that yet." Isaac replies as he runs to the Security Station, the couple hot on his heels. But he only gets as far as the Waiting Room before Hammond cuts him off.
"There's no time. The Tram Station is offline. Unless…Here." He brings up a map of the Flight Deck with an image of the outside. "Head back to the Flight Deck. I'll guid you guys from there. If this damage report is right, there is a shortcut to Engineering."
"Better than nothing!" Isaac replies before ending the call. Without saying words, the three sprint back to the Tram Station, passing quickly through the Security Station. Getting on the Tram, Isaac selects the Flight Deck option as the Tram leaves the Station.
He could only hope they could make it in time.