Chapter 1: New Arrivals.
"I wonder what exactly this test will involve," Kairi asks Sora as they ascend the staircase in the Mysterious Tower, its pathways divided yet linked by standalone doors, hovering above a void of light. "I still can't help but have a bad feeling about this…." Sora turns to look at her before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Who knows. I will admit I am nervous too. But look on the bright side; the sooner it's done, the better." Kairi gives him an amused smile at his attempt to lighten the mood. Sora smiles back at her before turning to knock on the oaken door before them. The sounds reverberating around them.
"Enter." A muffled voice answers from behind. The two swallow lumps in their throats before entering the room. Yen Sid sits in his seat, eyes closed, before turning to look at the couple. Already they could tell something felt…off in the room. The usual warmness was worryingly absent. "I am glad you have arrived." He speaks in his usual tone before his gaze hardens. "Are you ready to take the Mark?" The two look at each other before nervously nodding.
"If you don't mind me asking, Master, but what will we be facing in this test?" Sora asks hesitantly. Yen Sid glances at him before smirking, unsettling the two even more.
"If you are wondering that you will be sent back to the Sleeping Realm, then fear not. The place you will be sent to is…special. But that is all I will tell you. However, during your exam, there will be moments in which we can communicate with each other. We will be watching your test throughout, in case something akin to Xehanort interferes with the exam." He shoots a glance at Sora, who bows his head shamefully. "Now then…" he points an open hand towards the corner of the room; a pillar of light appears before vanishing, revealing an unusual object.
It looked to be made of individual layers while spinning around like a helix, growing wider towards the middle before drastically narrowing towards the top into spikes. Red runic glyphs glow across the body hauntingly, making the couple more nervous than ever before. They glace towards Yen Sid, more questions and alarms ringing in their mind.
"You need not fear. This obelisk will take you to the realm in which you will begin your exam. I wish you the best of luck, and may your heart be your guiding key." Yen Sid turns away before closing his eyes again. The two wielders look at each other conflicted. None of this looked or sounded right. They share a silent conversation before their eyes harden in equal parts, determination and fear. Finally, they approach the obelisk with trepidation, now giving off red smoke, before grasping each other's hand and laying the other upon it.
The obelisk seems to beat like a heartbeat to their touch; all the while, a slight screeching noise could be heard, gradually getting louder and louder, until suddenly their vision goes black. They look around, seeing only each other while standing in a black void. Then, a red light appears from the blackness, growing more extensive as it moves towards them, while a lullaby seems to be playing from it, sad, depressing, and quivering. They try to run from it but can't, their bodies frozen by an unseeable force. Eventually, the light falls upon them while a monstrous roar echoes around them.
Back in Yen Sid's office, a singular black and red portal stands where Sora and Kairi touched the obelisk, with Yen Sid smirking maliciously at where they stood. Then, suddenly, a blast of light appears in front of him. Vanishing, the explosion of light leaves the real Yen Sid standing at the centre of his room, his eyes narrow in anger and rage.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"
The first thing Sora notices is the sudden heaviness he feels across his whole body. He struggles to open his eyes, drowsiness clouding his mind as he struggles to stand up. He refocuses his vision, only to see him standing in what looked to be a lounge, with green couches and boxes scattered around the place. Several glass windows stretch before him, showing what looked to be a door with a glowing orange circle on it, an identical one leading from this room to that hallway with a similar light, but in blue.
"Where am I?" he asks, noticing how his voice seemed to reverberate around him. He glances around before seeing a person lying next to him. Dressed in what looked to be a black heavy working suit, with small pieces of pink armour and a helmet around their head with a silver visor. Four green lights are going down the spin on their back, with an empty half circle next to it. Before he could shake them awake, the figure groans with a feminine voice as they crawl their way back to consciousness, a voice Sora know all too well despite the muffle from the helmet.
"Kairi!" he cries to her, helping her to stand, taking in that he seemed to be dressed in something similar, but with red armour instead of pink. She looks around groggily before her gaze(?) falls upon Sora. She steps back instinctively, a hand in a defensive position.
"Who are you?" she asks. Sora tilts his head in confusion until he realises that he is wearing a helmet like her.
"Kairi, it's me. Sora." He says calmly. Immediately Kairi drops her defensive stance. She looks over him before gazing directly at his visor. Sora could swear he could see Kairi's eyes and hair through it as they widened in realisation.
"Sora!? What are you wearing?" she asks while motioning toward his 'new' outfit that, in all honesty, looked like it had seen better days. Sora replies in kind, gesturing to her outfit. They look at each other uneasily and are only slightly relieved when they can still summon their Keyblades. "So, where are we?" Kairi asks while looking around. Several large vents stand in two walls while a third hangs from the ceiling, each as big as a man. Three large doors with orange circles reside along the walls, one the farthest away from them. No air flowed from the vents, compounding on the deafening silence.
"I have no idea where we are…." Sora replies before glancing at a piece of paper next to him. Curious, he picks it up to read, only to let out a short gasp. Kairi walks up to him to look at it, only to let out a similar gasp.
USG Ishimura Entrance form for Engineer Trainees:
Sora
Kairi
Report to Engineering Deck for Examination.
"Well, at least we not what we are SUPPOSED to be, and where we are." Sora remarks before pocketing the note. He glances around the lounge to see if there is a map. Suddenly, the door at the far end hums to life as blips ping across the circle around its centre. It then opens up slowly and mechanically, allowing five people to enter the room, all dressed in varying shades of grey.
One is a woman with her hair tied into a long ponytail and dressed like she should be in an office with a form-fitting shirt and pants. Beside her is a man of African descent, holding onto what looked to be a three barrelled rifle. He is wearing what looked to be a form of security combat suit like the other two, but with marking to distinguish him as a captain.
Strolling behind them, and looking around searchingly, is another man dressed like them, but in dark brown, with light brown metal and helm with a soft green visor. His suit is more banged up than there, with noticeable tears along the front, while a metal piece hangs just below his next, like a scarf. On his left side was an I.D tag, with his name printed upon it. Isaac Clarke.
"Looks like we found some people to talk to." The businesswoman says as the five of them walk up to the couple. "Hello. My name is Kendra Daniels. Computer Specialist. USG Kellion." She introduces herself professionally to them—the man next to her step up, gazing at the two.
"My name is Zach Hammond. Chief Security Officer. USG Kellion." He turns to his left and looks at the other two men with him. "On my left are fellow security personnel, Chen and Johnston." The two men nod at the couple before Hammond turns to the last member. "And this is CEC Ship System Engineer Isaac Clarke." Said engineer turns and nods at the two before gazing around again. Finally, Hammond turns his attention back to Sora and Kairi. "And who might you two be?"
"My name is Sora. Engineer Trainee. Just recently arrived on the USG Ishimura." Sora replies like them, hoping to mask their unease from them.
"My name is Kairi. Engineer Trainee. Likewise, just arrived on the Ishimura."
"Wait, you just recently arrived here? CEC didn't send anyone here ever since the Ishimura was sent to Aegis VII. Unless you were recruited from the colony on the planet below?" Kendra asks the two.
"Yes! We were." Sora hastily replies.
"It would make sense." The group turn to face Isaac, his face impassive behind his helmet. "CEC would recruit people on colonies before cracking to increase their ranks. Considering how you called yourself Trainees, I'm assuming you were just recently scouted to begin training?" he asks the two, who nods in return, thankful for the made-up alibi presented to them on a silver platter.
"We had just arrived here, but the moment we entered here, we lost consciousness. I don't know what caused it. The moment we woke up were found ourselves alone." Kairi says before looking around the deserted lounge. Kendra takes out a phone-like device from her pocket before sighing frustratingly.
"Well, even though we found some people, we still don't know what's going on here. No com channels anywhere." Hammond looks around before spotting a glowing terminal beyond the glass windows.
"That terminal looks to be still live. Isaac, log in and see what you can find of this place."
"Copy that, Hammond," Isaac replies before moving towards the door. Hammond turns to the couple before ordering them to go with Isaac; he can show them the ropes until they get to the engineering bay. They nod before walking to join Isaac. He then turns to Kendra, telling her to open the elevator door.
"Can't. Powers dead." She replies dismissively.
"Then re-route the damn power!" Hammond yells at her as the trio move to the terminal. Sora glances at the two, arguing before looking at Isaac, not noting the blood covering the hallway.
"Are those two always like that?" he asks as they come up to the terminal. Issacs casts a glance at the arguing duo before looking at Sora as he brings up a schematic of the Ishimura.
"Don't worry about those two. Just ignore their bickering, and you'll be fine." He replies casually, causing the two wielders of the key to chuckle at his humour before looking at the image of the Ship. "Alright, schematics are up; let's see what the damage is." He presses a holographic button, revealing a picture of the Ship. Its main body is long and rectangular, with several "legs" pointing out from the bottom. In contrast, several rib cage like pauldron shoots up across the top of the hull, starting hallway and going to the back, itself a giant rectangle soaring higher than the prongs. Red blips dot across the entirety of the hull as Johnston frowns at it.
"Huh. Doesn't look good. She's taken a lot of damage." He replies. But Sora and Kairi were paying little attention to the image or Hammond's ramblings. They were more concerned about the people around them, or to be exact, four of them. Reaching out with their senses, they could only feel one heart coming from the five. Isaac. The rest didn't, not even a sense of light or Darkness. They almost assumed they were Nobodies until they remembered how they acted. They were not faking their emotions; they were genuine. So how?
However, any further pondering was brought to an immediate halt when an alarm suddenly blared around them. Barricades fall on the windows as the lights shoot off, leaving only a single spinning orange light. The guards immediately raise their weapons and activate their lights as Kendra backs towards the door she was trying to open before hurrying up. "What the hell was that?"
"Automatic quarantine must have tripped when the filtration system restarted," Hammond says before sighing a breath of relief. Isaac glances at the two with him before looking at the door they used to enter. "Hammond, the door is locked; the three of us are stuck here."
"There's another door to your right. It should take you down to the tram station. We will meet you there." Isaac nods at him before motioning Sora and Kairi to follow him. They nod before walking towards the door, holding hands after the sudden alarm startled them until the sound of metal breaking catches everyone attention.
"What was that?" Sora asks before looking back into the room, barely able to see the occupants. "Did anyone else hear that?" he asks, getting a murmur of agreement before more metal breaks, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor right behind Johnston. He doesn't notice while continuing to aim in front of him, while the body behind him slowly rises. Its body is in shadows, but its silhouette is visible to the three outside. What grabbed their attention, and made their eyes go wide, was the two very long blades coming out of their hands while held above its head, like a praying mantis. And its target was Johnston.
"Johnston!" Sora cries, grabbing his attention. He turns around and sees the creature behind him, only for his head to be detached from his body seconds later as the being pounces on his corpse.
"JESUS! OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE!" Hammond cries as he and Chen fire upon the creature, their shots either missing or not phasing it at all. The three outside could only watch in horror at the scene before another beast leaps out of a vent near Chen, tearing him to pieces as blood flies everywhere in the lounge. Luckily, through skill or a power surge, Kendra manages to open the door, allowing the two to flee the lounge before she opens a com to the remaining three.
"RUN, YOU THREE! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!" snapping them out of whatever trance they were in, and they began to run. Opening the door behind them and entering a metal corridor, they just about make it to the corner before the sound of metal breaking behind them grabs their attention. Behind them is one of the things chasing them, but due to the room's Darkness, the only thing they could see was its glowing white eyes. Kairi shrikes at the creature as Sora grabs her arm and drags her behind him, himself screaming in terror. Isaac doesn't yell, yet his heavy breathing indicates that he is wholly terrified, just like the two with him.
Luckily, after turning a second corner, they come across an elevator. Isaac smashes the holographic panel to open the door, allowing the three to rush in before hitting the board on the opposite side, closing the door. Sora is desperately holding onto Kairi as they shudder in fear. Just what the hell is Master Yen Sid putting them through!? Just as they begin to breathe a sigh of relief, two bone scythes force the door open, terrifying the occupiers. Before them, standing in the light is the creature in unshadowed form.
While it still looked like a person, clothes and skin were the only familiar thing. A small hole lay in the centre of their chest, while the lower part of their jaw was gone, their upper teeth pointed a jagged like spikes. Their arms are bent upwards, like a mantis, with the two long bone scythes emerging from their hands. It roars at them, getting ready to pounce, until the door closes on it before it could get through, cutting its arms off. They then feel the elevator moving. They were finally safe.
Isaac looks to the young couple, who were clinging to each other for dear life. He couldn't fault them. Had Nicole been here…That sudden thought sent a chill down his spine. Nicole! She was here when the Ishimura lost communications! If those things got to her… He shakes his head. He can worry about her when he can defend himself. He returns his attention to the two as the elevator slows down.
"Are you two alright?" he asks gently before slowly placing a hand on their shoulders. They glance at him through the visors, and although he couldn't see their faces, he could only imagine the sheer terror written on their face. "I'll give you two a minute, just don't touch the panel, okay? I'll go look around." He turns and leaves the two and enters the room. The couple, still holding onto each other, stare at the door before looking at each other. Kairi buries her head into Sora's shoulder before crying while Sora rubs her back comfortingly, himself losing a few tears.
"It's okay, Kairi. I'm here; I'm here…." He says reassuringly, as her crying stops along with their shaking. She turns to look at him.
"Those things…they are way worse than the Heartless…" she mumbles to him, to which he agrees with a nod. "This places, this entire realm….Just where has Master Yen Sid sent us?" Sora had no answer for her, for it was the same question plaguing his mind. Turning to the open door, he nudges Kairi towards it.
"We won't find out by staying here. We have to find a way of the Ishimura. Let's stay with Isaac. I don't know why, but he feels like the only person here who has a heart…."
"You sensed it too?" she asks the brunet, to which he replies with a nod. Then, steeling themselves, the two exit the elevator to enter a room with some lockers, the same green boxes from the lounge, and a glass wall separating the space. But it was what was on the other side that made their blood run cold. Isaac was kneeling in front of a bench, with a dead body leaning against it, covered in cut, with blood splattered around him. And on the wall, written in his very same blood, is a haunting message.
Cut off their limbs
The two gulp before moving to Isaac, who turns to look at them. "You feeling better?" he asks them, which they reply with a nod. He sighs a breath of relief. "Good. I wouldn't have blamed you for staying in there a bit longer."
"It's not like we have a choice. We have to link up with the others and find a way off the Ishimura." Sora says while taking a step towards Isaac. He looks at him before shaking his head with a sad smile.
"Believe me, that is something I want to do as well. But I can't leave yet." The two look at each other confused. What was it that was important that he couldn't leave? "I need to find Nichole." Isaac could feel their gaze change from confusion to curiosity before morphing to sympathy. "She is my girlfriend. Chief Medical Officer. She has to be somewhere on board, and if one of those things finds her-" he is cut off by the sudden feeling of hands on his shoulders. He turns to look at the two, their sympathetic eyes barely see able through the silver glow of the visor.
"We know, Isaac. We know what it's like to worry about someone you love and wanting to do anything it takes to see them again. The amount of times fate tried to separate us is a sobering reminder of that." Sora's words easy a burden on Isaac's heart he didn't realise had formed. He stands tall, casting a thankful gaze on the two.
"I had a feeling you were a couple by how you acted. Thanks for the pep talk." Sora nods at him before Isaac turns to look at the table, a metal tool resting atop it. The device in question has a grip and body like Squall's Gunblade, but that was only the handle. Instead of a long blade and a revolver chamber, it instead has a bulky box attached to it, with a metal rod stretching out below the grip. On the top and bottom are two golden guards.
Isaac picks it up and glances over it, pointing it in one direction. Three beams of light in a light blue shoot out from the device, forming a line of three dots on the wall. Isaac hits a button, and the beam changes from vertical to horizontal. He nods in approval before looking back at the couple. "221-V Plasma Cutter. It is primarily used in engineering and mining work, but it should be just as good against those things." He glances around before noticing the two are defenceless. "hmm. I wish there were a couple more around. You, too are defenceless." The two of them look at each other before nodding to each other. They hold out their hands, and in a flash of light, their Keyblades come to them. While Isaac looks in shock at the two, Sora takes a glance at the weapons that had saved their lives more than once.
While his Kingdom Key has not reached its 'final form' as Terra and Aqua would say, apart from getting slightly longer due to his age, it was still the same mystical blade he obtained since he was fourteen. Kairi's Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, was more unique in design than his. The guard is in the shape of an upside-down heart, with one side blue and turquoise with some waves branching off it, while the rest is a sandy yellow. A golden vine wraps around the shaft as it changes from yellow to orange as it goes up, the vine connected to several flowers and vines forming the teeth. He remembers how Kairi was unhappy with the design when she first got it but has stopped complaining.
Isaac stares at the two dumbfounded before he finally finds his voice. "How-how the hell did you do that?" he asks the two. They both look at each other shyly as Sora rubs the back of his helmet.
"We have had these for about three years. They have saved our lives more than once. We only just now remembered that we can summon them." He says. Isaac stares at them for a few seconds longer before nodding in acceptance. It was pretty hectic up there.
"Well, at least you have something. I don't think you'll be able to swing them around here, though. The Ishimura's corridors are small and tight." Isaac says, looking towards the nearby locked door, a power line feeding it from a battery.
"Don't worry, we can do more with these than swing them, but it will be better to show than explain," Kairi says before looking around nervously. "Can we please move on now? I feel like those things are watching us."
"No arguments here…" Isaac says before moving to aim at the door. He nods at the two who ready themselves. With a deep breath, he fires the Cutter, taking out the power and removing the lock. The three cheer before the sounds of panic erupt from behind the door. They could hear someone begging for the door to be open. Isaac rushes towards it and slams on the button, opening it. But he is too late. One of the monsters has pounced on the man and has torn his throat out. It turns to look at him, hunger in its eyes. Isaac backs away, aiming his Cutter at its arms, until two blasts of fire shoot past him and blast into the creature, slamming it against the wall. It falls, its components shattered from its body, and lays motionless.
Isaac turns around to the couple and sees embers floating around the ends of their weapons. They lower their weapons as Isaac chuckles to himself at the scene before him. "Alright, so I have two young adults with giant keys for swords who can shoot fire from the tips. What's next!" he exclaims in a joking manner. While he is questioning HOW they are able to do this, those questions are secondary to the immense relief he is feeling at how easily they took down the creature before them. Sora looks at him with what he could guess was a sheepish look before her replies.
"Well, if you want to know, we can shoot ice and lightning as well. But we can't do it repeatedly. If we don't give ourselves a chance to rest, we can drain our reserves and have to wait for our magic to 'recharge'."
"Magic, huh?" Isaac says before glancing at the monster before them. "If I didn't see it happen before me, I would have written you off like those Unitologist nutcases. But yours's is the real deal." The two look at each other at the comment.
"Unitologist? What is that?" Kairi asks innocently. Isaac turns to look at her, his visor hiding the anger in his eyes.
"Just a crazy cult of people who believe that death and transformation is our true path. Bunch of idiots if you ask me. It doesn't help my mother was a member who threw our entire money into her donations. How I managed to get through education to where I am now, I'll never know." He says with a hint of anger in his voice. The two look at each other worryingly. They couldn't help but wonder how he would react in their realm. A haunting cry gabs their attention, reminding them this was no place to chat. Nodding to each other silently, they enter the hall. After going through the zigzagged hallway, they pass through another door at the end; they come across a two-way intersection. A glance to the left shows the way blocked by debris, while the other continues with a corner. Opening up a second door, the three come to what looked like a maintenance bay.
"Well, looks like we have some room to breathe," Isaac says to the two, who both nod before the sound of static erupts from Isaac while metal blinds open to their right. Across the hall on the other side of tracks are Hammond and Kendra!
"Isaac? Sora! Kairi!" they could hear Kendra's voice from the screen playing in front of Isaac. The two wielders move to his side to get a better view of the screen. They could hear sighing a breath of air as she passed the hologram to Hammond.
"You guys alright?"
"We're fine. We managed to kill one of those things between us." Isaac says. Hammond raises an eyebrow at that, asking how they managed to do so. "Shoot of their limbs. It's the only way to do so. Well, unless the two don't blast them to hell with fire first."
"Oh? What do you mean? All I see them using are giant keys." Hammons replies, looking at the two weapons Sora and Kairi held. The two glance at each other before looking around for a place to demonstrate. Seeing no other option, they aim their blades at the glass wall in front of them.
"Blizzard!" They both cried as two shards of ice shoot from the Keyblades before impacting upon the glass. Since they used a low-level spell, It didn't break but merely froze the glass. Surprised shouts could be heard from the other two on the coms.
"Holy shit!" Hammond says while Kendra gasps loudly. He stares numbly at the ice before looking back at the video, chuckling nervously. "Remind me not to anger you two. Now I see why CEC decided to recruit you. Those things won't stand a chance against you."
"About that, do you know what they are, Hammond?" Kairi asks. "We got a good look at one of them, and it was wearing what looked to be a uniform that the crew wore. You don't think-" she leaves the question unanswered, the implications sending shivers down everyone spine.
"I'm afraid I don't know Kairi. I've never seen them before anyway. But we need to keep moving." He glances towards Kendra. "We need to get to the bridge, but first, the tram system needs to be repaired." Kendra glares at him with steel in her eyes.
"How can you still be thinking of repairing this Ship while those monsters are still after us!? You're going to get us all killed!" she yells at him.
"Kendra, calm down. If you yell too much, you may cause them to come to you." Sora says over the coms. Kendra glances at the video before taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. Hammond also takes one, releasing stress as he exhales out.
"Sora's right. Arguing amongst ourselves won't fix anything." Isaac says before glancing at a control panel to their right, an empty slot glaring red on display. "Looks like the motherboard is fried; we need to get a new one."
"He's right," Kendra replies. "But there should be a new one in maintenance. It looks like they never had a chance to bring it over. Also, there is a damaged tram blocking the network, but it's already in the position to be removed." She slams a foot down on the metal platform before tuning to face Hammond. "Damn it, everything we need is on the other side of this quarantine. We can't do anything!"
"We can't, but they can," Hammond replies, gesturing to the three on the video. "Isaac, Sora, Kairi, If I can get to the bridge, I should be able to access the personnel files. You fix the trams, and I'll help you find Nicole and get off this hulk."
"You got it, Hammond," Isaac replies before shutting the video off. "Well, let's get moving. The sooner we fix the Tram, the better." He motions to a door on the far side. "This should take us to the tram repair station. The sooner we get it off the track, the better."
"And find the motherboard for the computer." Sora reminds before gesturing to the sparking control panel. Isaac nods before moving towards the door, the two following closely behind. Coming to another junction, they spare a glance down the left, seeing another corner turn, while a door lies on their left. "Well, which way now?" Sora asks as they glance down the hallway. Kairi looks between the two before letting her heart choose.
"We should go right. I just have a terrible feeling about the hallway." She gestures towards it, electricity sparking off the wall. A sense of dread covers the three as they quickly agree before moving towards the door. Opening it reveals a corridor going down to a lower level. But no sooner do they take a few steps forward, a body falls from above, scaring Sora and Kairi while Isaac raises his Cutter in response. Quickly calming themselves down and stepping over the corpse, they move down the hall.
Coming to another door, they find themselves in the tram passageway; the rails are hanging overhead. Walking down the vast hall, which the three are happy for the vast space it gives, a chilling howl echoes around them. They raise their weapons up at the ready before moving slowly forward, reaching a malfunctioning door with several corpses beside it. "Well, that's cheery…." Sora says despondently. So far, all this exam was doing was removing his cheerful persona. While the two stare at the rapidly closing door, Isaac picks up three objects from the ground. He grins behind his mask before putting one on his hand.
"Here, this will allow us to get past." He says, handing the other two to the couple. They look at the device quizedly before following his example and attaching it to the left hand. "It's a Stasis Module. It will allow us to slow objects down like this. He looks at the door before firing a blue mist with cyan bolts at it. It slows down drastically, allowing him to run past the other side before it reverts to its fast speed.
"Time it right, and you will get through. Just stay calm." He says to them. They look to each other before Kairi steps forward, willing to take a shot. Sora stands next to her, ready to run through with her at the same time. "When read, just motion with your hand like you posting a letter." He says coachingly. Kairi nods before waiting for the right moment; just as the door is about to slam shut, she sends out a burst of Stasis, slowing it down as it opens again. The two dash past the door just as the Stasis wears off. "Great work, you two!" Isaac says while patting their backs. "That timing with the Stasis was spot on, Kairi. And that sprint together was perfectly timed."
"Just didn't want to waste it. I can tell from the circle on your back we only have a limited charge." Sora points to the device on Isaac's back, the glowing circle on it down by a seventh, meaning they could only fire seven shots before recharging. Isaac sighs in agreement before motioning them to keep moving. They walk up the hallway back to the level they were on before; they come to a long hallway with several paths. One end has a door on it, while another leads to a restroom. Another door lies at the other end but is glowing orange, while a glance down the third corridor reveals another orange door.
Left with little choice, they move to the only remaining door, leading to the Tram Repair Room as luck would have it. "Looks like we found the tram maintenance," Isaac comments before opening the door. Before them is a vast room, the metal grate suspending them over a vast area. Two claws hang under a platform, while outside is the damaged tram car.
"Alright, let's get ready. Sora, you stand at that terminal and press it. Kairi, follow me." Sora nods before moving to stand next to a glowing panel. He sees a button blinking on the screen. Without thinking, he presses it, sending out one of the arms to connect with the Tram. Isaac nods at him before gesturing for him to follow them. They approach the top, only for a warning light to grab their attention. "Well, that's just great," Isaac says while the couple moves towards it.
"It says here that the right arm is malfunctioning," Sora says, gesturing to the diagram. "There is also a note here by someone asking for a Stassi Module." Kairi glances at the arm below them, tiny sparks emanating from it.
"Maybe it can still grab onto it, but it won't hold on like the other one."
"Well, we don't have to worry about that," Isaac says. "You two head down to the other terminal; I'll stay up here and activate it." The two nod at him before moving down the ramp until suddenly, one of the monsters pounces out of the vent in front of them, startling them while they scream in terror. Isaac hears the intrusion and turns around; Cutter aimed horizontally and fires. The jest of hot Plasma flies through the air and slices off one of the monsters arms. It roars in rage before charging at Sora, who swings his Keyblade up, slicing off the last arm.
Sora pants heavily while looking at the dead body, small patches of blood covering him and the Keyblade, before he dismisses his weapon and resummons it, cleaning it off. "Well, at least I can get the blood of the Keyblade, but not me." He says while Kairi moves up to him, wrapping him in a comforting hug, to which he returns fully. Isaac moves down the ramp to check on them, receiving a thumbs up from Sora, before moving back to the top. The couple moves to the malfunctioning arm and get ready to activate it. After confirmation from Isaac, Kairi hits the button sending the arm out. Sora sends out a burst of Stasis to slow it down a little, giving Isaac time to wait until the screen registers both arms on the Tram. Once done, he brings the components in, replacing the damaged Tram with a new one.
Kendra contacted the three, letting them know that the whole line was working again with the Tram replaced. So all they needed to do was replace the damaged motherboard, and things would normally be running. However, a sudden intrusion by one of the creatures extinguishes the happy atmosphere as it charges at Isaac but is brought down when Sora and Kairi slash its legs off. But even without its legs, it still crawls towards Isaac, who aims and fires at its head.
"Alright, all we need to do now is find the replacement board, and we are good," Isaac says to the two as they leave the room until the rumbling of movement grabs their attention. They look up into the exposed vent to see another of the creatures in it, but it is vastly different. It has no legs but a long tail with a bone spike at the end. Like the others, it has no jaw, but while the other creatures fangs were sharp, these were like blades. Sticking out like full laded knives. It screeches at the three before vanishing deep into the ventilation. "What the hell…." Isaac could only say as it disappeared.
"Is that…also one of the crewmembers?" Kairi asks.
"Probably…I should have guessed there would be variations…." Just like our usual foes. Sora says before looking at Isaac. "We better let them know there's a new one around." Isaac nods before contacting Kendra. After confirming the sighting of a new variant, it was decided to name them to make call outs easier in engagement. So the humanoid ones were now called Slashers, while the new one was called a Leaper.
They move past the damaged door again, Sora using up the rest of his Stasis for them, saying that the recharge station on the other side would fill them up. The sound of a grate opening catches the three's attention. Shambling towards them is a Slasher before it breaks out into a sprint towards them. A flurry of Plasma and fire brings it down before it can get close, but the growling from the shadows alerts them to more.
Dashing from the shadows is the recently seen Leaper, and it was living up to its name. It pounced on Sora, sending him to the ground. Kairi yells his name before dashing in, smacking the Leaper with the side of her Keyblade. Isaac opens up with his Plasma Cutter, severing the head and tail from its body and dropping it to the floor. Sora groans as he picks himself up the floor, Kairi and Isaac helping him up faster before a hug from Kairi envelops him. Isaac checks his back and sees his RiG has gone down by one light.
"Well, you took some damage Sora, your RiG has lost a light." He says to him. The two turn to Isaac, confused about what he meant. "Wow, CEC didn't bother to tell you? They are slipping." Isaac mumbles before pointing out the lights on their spine. It was a way of tracking one's health and how much punishment one could take before they flatlined. He mentions how it can be easily cured with a med pack and was about to pick one out until Sora pointed his Keyblade into the air.
"Heal!" he cries, as a green aura surrounds them; Isaac could feel stamina returning while the RiG on Sora's back lights up to full. Isaac chuckles to himself; of COURSE, they know healing magic if they can cast fire and ice. Continuing, they make their way back to the last junction and now go down the left path. The sparks at the end are still flying as they turn the corner, only to come across one of the Slashers lying on the ground.
"Huh, did one of the crewmen kill this one?" Sora asks; while keeping Kingdom Key ready, Kairi, in turn, holds Destiny's Embrace at the ready, magic prepared to be thrown. Isaac ventures closer to the body and checks it over.
"No… there are no wounds…" he says before stepping back. Suddenly, the Slasher raises up faster than they could blink. It grabs Isaac in its hold and tries to bite on his neck but is barely kept away by him. As Isaac struggles to break free, Sora and Kairi aim with their Keyblades and fire blizzard at the Slashers arms, freezing them. It jolts in pain, freeing Isaac, who punches its head clean off in return, shattering the arms in the process. He breaths heavily before hearing Kairi cast a heal on him. He turns to look at them. "Thanks for that…."
"Don't worry about it, but we should be more careful now. If they are that smart to play dead…." Sora says while staring at the now really dead Slasher. These things are way more intelligent than the Heartless. It's like fighting Nobodies that have Heartless Elements with Unversed like pouncing…. He could feel Kairi laying a hand on her shoulder, her silent though carrying the same worry. They move on past another vent, eyeing it with extreme caution, before arriving at another elevator. The three step inside before they are contacted by Kendra again; apparently, they need a key to enter the storage bay, which should be somewhere around the maintenance bay. Sora and Kairi briefly wondered if the Keyblade could unlock the doors, but seeing no visible Keyhole quickly shelved that idea.
As they enter the bay, they are greeted by a vast room with the remains of a Tramcar hovering in mid-air. "So, this is how it gets repaired?" Sora asks Isaac, who nods in confirmation. "Alright, if I was someone who worked here, where would I put the key." Sora rhetorically asks as they look around until the growling of a Slasher alerts them to their front. It was already in mid charge when Sora cast a blizzard spell on it, freezing it mid-leap. It smashes to the ground in pieces. Before they could breathe, Kairi spotted another one charging towards them from a pathway on the right. She spots what looked to be a container with a fire symbol on it. Thinking quickly, she casts a fire spell on it. The tank ruptures with an explosion, killing the charging Slasher while revealing the corpse next to it was another one, its arm taken by the blast. Isaac finishes it off with a well-placed shot before they move on.
But the pace was not leisurely; as they got near the elevator, three more Slashers came out of hiding and charged at the trio. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, all three took a hit before hitting them with their weapons, giving them space while Isaac finished his off with Plasma shots.
"Just how much of the crew has been turned? All of them?" Sora asks after casting a heal spell on the three. Isaac shakes his head before looking down. "Oh, sorry Isaac, I didn't mean-"
"No, it's alright," Isaac says, understanding Sora's annoyance. "I'm frustrated too. It does feel like the whole Ship has been taken. But I won't give up. Nicole is stronger than that." The two wielders look at each other before nodding. They enter the elevator before heading up a level, finding themselves on one of the gangways. They look over to an area and see a glowing white light. "That must be the key. Who would leave it up here, though?" Isaac asks before walking forward, only for Kairi to grab his arm. "What is it?"
She motioned her head to some bodies on the catwalk, one of which strangely had one of them on top of it. "I think we have another sleeper." She says. Isaac nods before backing away, letting the couple deal with it. The two of them glance at each other before raising their Keys high, calling for thunder. The bolts of lightning come down upon the sleeping Slasher, frying it with thunderous fury. The couple nod in satisfaction, happy that all three spells can harm the creatures with no problem. They turn to Isaac, who gives them a thumbs up before moving forward, Cutter raises. "I wonder if thunder magic will work on any doors that need external power?" Kairi asks as they near the key.
"Well, if we come across any, I'll let you guys test it out," Isaac says as he picks the key up. They scan the sides as they return to the ground floor. Surprisingly, or worryingly, no more Slashers tried to attack them, possibly out of waiting for a more suitable ambush spot. Finally, they arrive at the sealed storage room before using the maintenance ky to enter it. Laying on one of the tables is the spare motherboard they need.
"Alright. Let's get back to the terminal and place this in it." Sora says, picking up the spare part. He and Kairi were just about to leave before Isaac stopped them, standing near what looked to be a workbench.
"Wait a moment; we should do some upgrades." He says, patting on the table. The two tilt their heads at him before walking over to him. "I picked these up while walking over here." He holds up eleven small discs in his hand. "These are power nodes. I was holding onto them in case we needed to use them to open some doors. But seeing as you can cast thunder magic, I decided to use them to upgrade our suits and Cutter."
He takes two and places them onto a side panel in the Plasma Cutter. Tiny sparks streak across it before the discs glow. He nods in satisfaction before doing the same to his suit, adding three to his, before he motions Sora and Kairi to come over and repeats the process to them. "There that should do it." He turns to look at the couple, who are looking with interest. "I upgraded our air capacity while the damage and clip size of the Cutter is increased. Hopefully, it should give us an edge."
"Well, hopefully, we won't have to need the extra air, but it never hurts to have some," Kairi says before they turn to leave. She decided to contact Kendra about their progress. "Kendra, come in. We have the replacement motherboard and are on our way back."
"Glad to hear that, Kairi; it should get the Tram system back online. And please hurry, we can hear something crawling up there…."
"Understood." Kairi ends the call before falling in step with Sora, Keyblades out. The walk back was tenuous at best, with the fear of Slashers jumping out of the vents to attack them. What worried them the most was the disappearance of the previous Slashers they had killed. Eventually, they managed to make it back to the console and replace the motherboard, restarting the Tram system. With it restarted, a Tram arrives at the Flight Deck, where Hammond and Kendra are beyond the glass before them.
"Alright, we are on board and heading to the bridge. Good work, you three." Hammond talks over a video call. Sora chuckles shyly while Kairi holds both her hands behind her back.
"It was nothing, Hammond. I'm just glad we managed to do it this fast. It sure wasn't easy." Sora replies before placing a hand on Kairi's shoulder. Even though she was putting on a brave front, he could feel some very tiny tremor from her. The same one he is having. "Hope you find something that can tell us what happened here."
"As do I, Sora," Hammond replies as the announcement system states that the quarantine around the lounge has been lifted. Kendra remarks about how strange that it has now just been raised, while Hammond writes it off that whatever was there has left. While Kendra and Hammond gradually fall into another argument with each other, Hammond orders Isaac to prep the Kellion for launch.
"Are you sure, Hammond? I don't think the Kellion is in any shape to fly right now." Isaac replies with uncertainty in his voice. Of course, there is no way that the Kellion can fly in its current condition, but Hammond is adamant. And so he begrudgingly accepts. Watching the Tram leave, the three of them retrace their steps back where they killed the first Slasher, but when they get there…
"Ooookay….Where are the bodies gone?" Sora asks as all that is in front of them is a large pool of blood and several bloody footprints leading away from it and into a vent. Neither Kairi nor Isaac could come up with an answer as they re-enter the room, noting even the body in here was missing. Travelling back up, they continue to retrace their steps before arriving in the blood-soaked lounge, only… "Now Chen and Johnston's bodies are missing!" Sora exclaims as they walk through the empty room.
"You don't think they could have been taken away to be," Kairi gulps, "Eaten, do you?" she asks with a small voice. Sora looks at her before putting a comforting arm around her. This place was going to take a toll on their minds.
"I don't know, but I sure as hell don't want to find out," Isaac replies before opening the large door to the flight deck. After passing a mini waiting area, they enter the landing bay. It is a vast open area that seems to stretch on for miles, with several platforms stretching out for a fair distance. The sight took the breath of the couple for a second, almost forgetting the danger they were in. Along with the platform closest to them is a small ship with large thrusters on the back. Sora couldn't help but compare it to Gummi Ships and was really wishing they had one now. "Alright, let's see if the Kellion is still flyable," Isaac says as he approaches the crashed Ship. Sora and Kairi stay outside, looking for trouble as Isaac goes inside. The sound of liquid running catches their attention as they move to the back, only to see something pouring out of one of the engines.
"What is that?" Sora asks Kairi, who shrugs her shoulders in response. It's not water; they could quickly tell that. However, the identity of the liquid soon became apparent when a tiny ember ignited it, sending flames back into the Ship. Their eyes widen in horror. "ISAAC!" The two of them cried as they rushed for the Ship's entrance, only to see Isaac running out as small explosions rock the tiny Ship. Suddenly a large one erupts from the door, sending Isaac o the ground. The couple follows him and ducks to the ground, shielding themselves as the Kellion explodes in a storm of steel and fire, taking away their only ride home.
Getting to their feet, they had no time to think when several Slashers and a Leaper charge at them. Reaching quickly, the wielders of the key unleash a storm of fire and thunder, while Isaac lets loose with a barrage of Plasma, wiping out the attacking foes. After silencing the last one, the trio looks to the burning remains of the Kellion, hearts sinking. Not even a sudden call from Kendra and following argument with Hammond grabs their attention until Hammond snaps them out of their trance.
"Isaac, Sora, Kairi three! I know you are shaken, but this is our only hope now!" his voice snaps them back to reality as they finally notice the video call.
"Sorry, Hammond. We just…couldn't believe it is all." Isaac speaks for them, finding it difficult to form words at the shock. Hammond nods his head at him.
"Don't worry about it, Isaac. But we need the three of you to head to Med Bay. We need the captain RiG to access the Central Computer and get a message out for evac. Head back to the Tram Station. We'll fill you in when you arrive." Just as Hammond finishes speaking, a squeal could be heard from their call. Suddenly, Kendra and Hammond run from the screen, only for a Leaper to takes its place before it cuts out. The trio could only look in horror before coming back down to, well, Ishimura.
"Alright, let's get out of here…" Isaac says as he moves toward the exit, Sora and Kairi following behind slowly to have a private chat.
"You know. I'm starting to think this is not an exam at all. This is, well, hell." Kairi says to Sora, who is not shocked by Kairi's choice of language. On the contrary, he found himself agreeing with it.
"Your right Kairi. It IS hell. Just what was Master Yen Sid thinking when he sent us here? Was he even thinking at all?" he received no reply as they followed Isaac through the lounge and towards one of the doors to the Tram station. Upon reaching it, Isaac points to a nearby store.
"We should have a look in there. See if we can upgrade our suits differently." He says tiredly. The other two nod in agreement, too mentally exhausted to say anything. Walking over, Isaac was relieved to see an option to turn his suit into a level 2 suit. Eagerly pressing the button, the shop menu folds open before revealing a small compartment behind it. Isaac moves into it as Sora and Kairi stare on dumbfounded. What is he doing? Their answer came when the shop suddenly closed doors in front of them, followed by what looked to be a beam of light behind the door. Once finished, the door opened, revealing Isaac in a more robust suit. Gone were the wears and tears (and his I.D badge), and in its place are strips of orange armour along the sides of his right bicep and some along his chest. An armoured belt and boots replace his old ones, while his undersuit, while still green and grey, looks like it was just newly bought (which it kind of was) while his helmet is more plated, leaving only two green lines of his visor still showing. He nods in satisfaction before turning to the other two.
"Alright, you two, step up here and press the Level 2 Suit icon. It will upgrade your suit to be like mine." The two of them eagerly nod before going through the same process, coming out looking like Isaac but with noticeable differences. Sora's armour pieces are red while his undersuit is black and silver, while the greaves are yellow and black. In addition, an image of what looked to be his crown necklace is stamped into the side of his helm.
Kairi, on the other hand, had a dark pink and white bodysuit, while her armour and gauntlets were black. On the side of her head is an image of her lucky charm, its shape resembling that of a star made of seashells. However, one thing they both had in common was what looked to be the forming of an animal head on their helms, with Sora's looking cat-like, while Kairi's was more canine-like. Both retained the silver visor underneath, but it was more armoured like Isaac, only leaving two oval shapes where their eyes would be.
The two glance at each other and give themselves approving nods before turning towards Isaac, who himself looks on with what could be called a smug expression. "Those suits look much better than your old ones." He says approvingly before moving towards the recently arrived Tram. As he messes with the screen in selecting their next destination, Sora and Kairi collapse on the bench, exhaustion taking its toll.
"Hey, Isaac?" Sora asks sleepily while Kairi leans her head on his shoulder. "If you don't mind, we're going to take a quick nap." Isaac looks at them sympathetically. They are still young and haven't been through the mining and engineering world like he has, not to mention the recent attacks by their mysterious foes. He nods to Sora, saying that he can rest until they reach the Medical Deck. Sora nods in thanks before leaning his head on Kairi, sleep taking the both of them as Isaac stays on which, not trusting the journey to be a smooth one.
Hope you enjoyed this sneak peak at Dead Hearts. I'm not going to focus more on this until Emblematic Hearts is done. But i will see if i can sneak in a chapter every now and then if i hit a wall on Emblematic. Laterz!