This will be my last post of the year. Next year will (hopefully) going back to Emblematic Hearts.
Chapter 6: Environmental Hazards
"Has Hammond still not gotten back in touch with us?" Kairi as the Tram slows down. For the past ride, Isaac and Kendra repeatedly tried to call Hammond, but he still hadn't picked up to their dismay. "He needs to know about the variant we encountered in the Medical Deck."
"I know Kairi. But for some reason, I can't get through." Isaac replies before shutting off the com channel. "All I'm getting is static. That is both good news and bad."
"How so?" Sora asks as the three walk off the tram and into the station. Again it has a similar layout, but with square lights all along the floor. Isaac turns to look at Sora.
"The good news is that Hammond is still alive. If he were dead, it would be immediately refused, but that is where the bad news comes in. The fact we are getting nothing but static could only mean that his RiG is damaged, or someone is blocking him."
"And I have a feeling we know who." Kairi comments before thinking back to Mercer and his manic grin. She shudders a bit before following Sora and Isaac down the hallway, passing a blood-soaked restroom littered with bodies, all missing at least one limb. Soon they reach an elevator and ascend to Hydroponic proper. A full minute passes while Sora hums a tune he remembered from Atlantica from his second journey before the lift finally came to a stop.
Exiting the lift, they are greeted by a row of tomatoes encased in a miniature greenhouse just as a watering cycle is, noisily, activated, briefly startling them before moving on to the next room. Inside are similar greenhouses along the walls, and Hammond is leaning against one of them on the floor. "Hammond!" Sora cries before he and Sora rush over to him. Hammond tries to raise his rifle to them before seeing them, his eyes softening in relief as his arm gives out.
"Sora…Kairi…" he says before noticing Isaac walking in behind them Cutter pointed at the lone vent near them. "Isaac… Good to see you three on one peace… Don't take… your helmet off… the air rotten…."
"Glad to see you still alive, Hammond." Isaac replies before pulling out a large med-pack and giving it to him as Sora and Kairi cast cure magic on him. "Did you see what is causing the pollution?"
"I did…" Hammond replies, sighing in relief at feeling the healing effect despite the rotten air in his lungs. "It's the crewmembers. They have been turned into some pods and are spuming the gasses out. Literal Poison Pods."
"What about the Leviathan. Did you see it?" Sora asks before helping him to his feet. Hammond nods weekly as he is helped to the lift.
"I did. It's locked itself in Food Storage. But you can't get in until the air is cleared. There are eight of them scattered around the deck. I managed to find one of them, but the room was so full of gas that I couldn't breathe or see. You guys will have a better time than me, though."
"Understood. Get someplace clearer, Hammond, but avoid the Medical Deck. There is a crazed fanatic who has created an immortal Hunter." Isaac comments, causing Hammond to turn chalk white. "We managed to freeze it and lock it away, but he could have more. Either way, Medical is a no go."
"Understood, don't worry, I'll find someplace." Hammond replies before entering the lift. "Good luck." The lift doors close as he gives them a tired smile. The three turn to each other and nod before returning to where they found Hammond and contact Kendra.
"Kendra, we found Hammond. Unfortunately, the air did a number on him, so we sent him off to a different part of the ship. We let him know about the new variant."
"Understood. I'm scanning the area, but I can't get a good look. But I can tell it's in Food Storage, whatever the Leviathan is. And it's big. Be careful down there."
"We will." Isaac replies before leading them to the central hub. Lined with more greenhouses, which the couple noted as the central theme of the floor, in the centre is the main controls, with an orange holographic screen with two vent symbols. Beyond it lies a vast door leading to Food Storage. Two doors are at either end of the room, leading to different wings on the floor. "Alright, which side shall we tackle first. We won't be entering Food Storage until we clean the air." The couple looks between the doors before deciding with a nod.
"Let's go left first." Sora says while walking towards the left door. Isaac nods and follows the couple through into a service corridor. Walking along, they turn left into an area filled with water tanks for the plants, one of which squirts water at them in a short burst before dissipating. Continuing past the squirting vents, they arrive at another service lift, heading to the upper level. Reaching the top, the lights cut out as the shambling moans of a Slasher echo from across the walkway, its body illuminated by the light of the door behind it. Wasting no time, Isaac blasts its arms off in quick succession, his reaction time vastly improved since their initial clashes back in the flight lounge. Walking past the unfortunate crewmember, they reach another hub area, this one teaming with plant life.
"Welcome to the Western Growth Chamber. As you can guess, this is one of the areas responsible for maintaining the Ishimura's oxygen supply." Isaac says in a tour guide like manner while gesturing around the place. Sora and Kairi gaze around the area, happy to see something other than constant metal.
"It's no Radiant Garden, but it is nice to see nature again." Sora comments while looking around. "Only thing missing is birds to make it feel that much more real." Isaac gives a humorous chuckle as Kairi giggles. However, the mood quickly sours when a band of the creatures burst out from the vents and surround them. Two Lurkers and seven Slashers emerged to slay the three.
Still, they were met rapidly by Isaac's several rounds of plasma, dismembering two for the Slashers as Sora and Kairi blast the others with stasis before calling down bolts of thunder to fry the creatures. The Lurkers, crawling along the walls as they were, avoided the Thunder before revealing their tentacles from their backs, firing a line of spikes at them. They managed to hit all three but were soon brought down to the ground by a blast of Gravity from Sora, crushing them under the weight of the spell.
"Well, where do we go now?" Kairi asks as she looks around the room after casting a heal spell on them. Several orange locks led into smaller rooms while a service lift lay in the centre. Isaac looks around before opening his right hand, bringing up the blue line back when they were on the Medical Deck. It points directly to one of the rooms, which still has a blue lock.
"One of them is in there… Get ready." Isaac says before walking up to it, placing a new plasma pack in the cutter. The couple nod before tightening their grips as Isaac opens the door. Instantly, a cloud of noxious fumes seeps from the door as it opens, revealing a room tinted a poisonous green. Nodding to themselves, they enter the room, their onboard air supply kicking in to add to their worry as they walk through the room before finding the source.
It is one of the crewmembers, but with a fleshy bulging bod growing from their back; as they kneel on the floor, their legs fused with the same biomass as what is growing from their back. Painful howls echo as the pod inflates before expelling more of the toxic air. The three shake their heads sadly before Isaac fires at the poor soul. After only two shots, the man finally dies, the air instantly vented out as clean air rushes into the room.
"Well, at least the ship's systems will instantly kick in when we stop them." Sora says grimly before looking at Isaac. "How many Wheezers are left in this area?" Isaac tilts his head at Sora's choice of name for the variants before he opens his map of the floor, but frustratingly it doesn't show the locations of the Wheezers.
"Wish I could tell you." He says bitterly before activating his waymarker again. "At least this still works. Follow the blue line, everyone." Not waiting to be told twice, the three follow the line to another room on the opposite side of the chamber, again with a lone Wheezer inside near the door. With a simple blast of fire from Sora, the Wheezer is no more, and the air is cleared. It was then that a Lurker, Pregnant and Enhanced Slasher charged at the trio from the shadows, only to find themselves repulsed by a blast of wind that wrapped around them like a shield before being frozen solid by Kairi with Isaac rushing in close and smashing them with his cutter.
"Finally bringing out the Aero spell Sora?" Kairi asks with a mischievous voice while turning to look at him as Sora rubs the back of his head.
"Well, honestly, there is not that much use for wind spells around here. But I can use it to conjure up barriers. I can do the same with Fire, but I'd rather not risk setting anything on fire."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that on the other decks." Isaac comments before folding his arms. "Just don't set any of the plants on fire around here." He remarks with a hint of sarcasm before walking to the central service lift. "The waypoint is leading us to the second floor. The sooner we clear out this part of Hydroponics, the better." The couple nod before joining Isaac on the lift and heading up to the second level. Weapons raised in anticipation of an ambush, they step onto the gantry before walking towards Hydroponics Control. Stopping at the door, the three nod at each other as Isaac opens the door. Again, the green fog fills the room as several corpses litter the floor. Isaac sighs deeply before aiming his cutter at them as the couple look away, not giving any Infectors a chance at making more of their kind.
"I know it's to stop them from coming back to life, but I can't help but feel sorry for them…." Kairi comments as Isaac finishes up on the last one. Before he could reply, the screens beam to life with Nicole's face on them, again asking Isaac to make them whole. "Again with that phrase…."
"When we find Nicole, I'll ask her what she is talking about." Isaac says with determination. Nothing is going to stop him from finding her. Taking a deep breath, the three again venture forth into a smog covered room, looking for the Wheezer. They find it easily, cowering away behind a dividing screen before being put down by a ball of fire from Kairi. However, they didn't have a moment to breathe as two Infectors suddenly rushed at them, angered by the corpses made useless. They leap onto the Keyblade couple, bone swords extruding from their mouths and ready to impale their heads, only for them to be held back by their hands. Isaac aims his cutter at the offending limbs and blasts them off, simultaneously killing the Infectors. "You two alright?" He asks with concern. The two turn to look at him and nod, grateful for the assist.
"Guess it was naïve to think the Infectors would be useless with no bodies around, huh?" Kairi asks as the three exit into the main room, following Isaac's waypoint to the Refrigeration wing. "Hammond said there were eight of these, and so far, we have found three here. You think there are four more in the East side?"
"It would make sense." Sora says grimly. "We have seen that these things have some levels of intelligence. And that reminds me of what Mercer said back on the Medical Deck." The two looked at Sora as they entered into a small connecting corridor. "He made a mention of a 'Hive Mind'."
"So you are thinking that they are all connected to one giant singular will and can feel and see everything we do?" Isaac finishes for Sora, who replies with a hesitant nod. "That's what I'm worried about too." He says while opening a door into a large corridor, a glass floor with large tubes hanging from the walls as single lines of lights run across the walls and ceiling as cold smoke seeps from them. Suddenly, a strange cry echoes down the hall. The three turn to look, catching a glimpse of two vents at the far back. Halfway down, though, is another variant. Skinny and lean, with a giant glowing orange sack on its left arm, it hobbles towards the three as they look at it bewildered. How could something like that hurt them? Sora's eyes narrow at it as it gets closer until it stops before them, pulling its left arm back. Sora's eyes widen in realisation before he and Kairi both raise their hands at once.
"BARRIER!"
Instantly, a sphere of purple and pink hexagonal panels encompassed around them, while a faint image of a fox and leopard head could be briefly seen for a second as the creature brought its arm down on the ground in front of them. The second it hit the floor, it explodes, destroying the beast but barely harming the barrier around the three. "That was close." Sora says as he and Kairi drop the wall around them before looking at Isaac. "You okay, Isaac?"
"Yeah, I am." He says, slightly dazed by the explosion but otherwise unharmed. "I'm guessing that was a dedicated barrier spell you just used." Sora nods at him before explaining that their spell was called Reflect. It is a powerful skill that absorbs all incoming attacks, with some exceptions, and redirects it back at the foe who dealt it. Isaac nods in appreciation before the breaking of vents grabs their attention. Gazing down the hall, they see to their shock more of the new variant emerging from the vents and charging at them down the hall, four in total. Thinking quickly, Isaac aims his cutter at one of their arms and servers it from the creature before using his Kinesis to grab it over to him.
Smirking under his helm, he then fires it back at them, taking out all at one with only one shot used. Sora gives an approving whistle while Kairi nods happily before continuing down into the Refrigeration room. And to the couple's joy, it was a very spacious Z-G area as well. So without a second thought, they both summon their gliders and hop onto them, with Isaac grabbing a lift with Sora, using his Kinesis to open up a door in the dividing wall in front of them, with a very unusual design feature.
"Why do these walls have spikes coming out of them?" Kairi asks as they fly through the gap near said spikes, protruding on both sides of the wall and the one after it, much to their annoyance. "Seems like a very obvious safety hazard."
"Dunno, never really been here when I was stationed here." Isaac replies as he opens the next Kinesis door. "But I have to wonder why nobody has ever brought it up." Neither could answer Isaacs question as they travel through the gap, the depressing sight of blood covering almost the whole room reminding them of their situation. Finally, pushing on past the scene, they reach the end of the Z-G area, with the couple reverting their gliders before entering a corridor to the Air Purifier room. Said room was large and dark, with an enclosed command room overlooking three giant pipes, each with a considerable flame engulfing it now and then in a seemingly random sequence.
Warning. Air filtration system still active. Entering the filtration tubes is extremely hazardous.
"We can see that." Kairi deadpans as Isaac rubs the front of his helm. Usually, it wouldn't be much of a problem to just walk in through the door on their side, except that the door had no power. And the roof of the ceiling was too low to give either Sora or Kairi a chance to summon their gliders. Even the space in the Z-G area was pushing it. So they are left with only one option, through the tubes.
"Sora, Kairi, you two stay here." Isaac says as he walks over to the service lift. The two look at him in shock and confusion. Why would he suggest they split up when they only made it this far by sticking together? "There is only one way through to the command room, and it's through those tubes. This is something that only one of us can do." He says with resolution as he activates the lift and heads on down. Sora tries to stop him, but a gentle hand from Kairi stops him.
"Sora, Isaac knows what he is doing. Have faith in him." She says with gentleness in her voice. Sora sighs before looking at the tubes, the image of him using Flowmotion over them in his mind.
"I know Kairi. And I do have faith. But I can't help but feel like we could easily get over it with Flowmotion." Kairi sighs sadly before looking over the tubes and looking at Isaac as he stands next to a door leading into the first one.
"I know, Sora. But I don't think we can even use Flowmotion here. Everything in the Ishimura makes it hard even to get a good surface to run on. And these suits are preventing us from reaching our usual jumping height. If we even have room to jump in the first place." Sora could only nod in acceptance as they saw Isaac sprint through the door of the tube. Seconds later, the tunnel erupts in flames, their hearts sinking as they fear Isaac was still in it. The second tunnel shortly burst into fire, followed closely by the third. Again, seconds pass as the couple wait for Isaac to contact them on a comm call, or at least shout up to them he was alright.
Suddenly, the sound of a lift raising at the far end grabs their attention. Looking at the far back, they see to their joy, Isaac moving to their level, and none the worst for ware. He waves over to them before moving over to the command room, restoring power to the opposite door and exiting to receive a sudden hug from the both of them. "I'm alright, you two."
"Can you blame us for being worried?" Kairi asks as they look over the tubes as the flames lick the glass. "Those flames could easily melt through your suit."
"Well, we don't have to worry about them anymore. Come on; there's a lift at the back we can use to head down. The last four Wheezers aren't going to get rid of themselves." Isaac says as he walks back through the command room with a bewildered couple.
"Four? Wait. Did you find it?" Sora asks as they walk past the service lift. Isaac nods before calling the elevator for them and entering it.
"It was hiding right behind the third tube along with a Slasher. Tried to ambush me, but I ducked out of the way, and it found itself in the tube. Needless to say, we won't see it ever again." Before entering the lift with Isaac, the couple shares a glance and begins the long tip down to the lower floor. As they were getting comfortable, the A.I. system made a report.
Warning. 10 Kiloton mass detected in Food Storage.
"Ten Kiloton!?" Isaac exclaims in shock. They knew that the Leviathan was giant, but that was just stupid! Unfortunately, the number flew over Sora and Kairi; their education struggles to mix with their lives as world trotting protectors. But even they could tell by the name 'Kiloton' made the Leviathan, which they already knew was large, seem to be even more significant. Filing away that concerning piece of info, the three make their way back to the 'hub' of the area when they first arrived after seeing Hammond off, eyes locked on the door leading to Food Storage. "Alright, all we have to clear now is the East wing, and we can deal with the Leviathan. You guys ready?"
"Ready." They both replied with determination. Isaac nods before leading them into the East wing. But any expectations of a symmetrical layout were quickly dashed when the door opened, for instead of a corridor, they found themselves in a dimly lit room with water tanks and a pile of dead dismembered bodies on the ground in front of a Guardian. All the while, the same biological growth from the Engineering deck sprouting over the walls and tanks. Acting fast, Sora blasts the Guardian with a ball of fire, ending it before it can spit out any pods at them. Then, paying silent respect to the poor soul, they move past the Guardian and step onto a service lift, taking them up to the gantry to the Eastern Growth Center. All around them, the growth worsens as long tendrils shoot out from the walls and ceiling and connect to the gantry, slowly continuing the transformation.
Vegetative anomalies detected in the Eastern Growth Chamber.
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Sora says with heavy sarcasm as they enter the chamber, only to be welcomed by a depressing sight. While an exact similar layout as the Western Chamber, the East had no vegetation or life. All the greenhouses are empty; some seem to be imploding on themselves, as the walls are covered in the growth. Some plant life remained but were all brown and withered, evidence of the water being blocked.
The three had no time to ponder, though, as the thunderous approach of a Brute grabs their attention as it effortlessly breaks through the glass panels around the floor while charging at them. The three dodge to the sides as it impacts the wall behind them, leaving a hefty dent. Then, before it could turn to face them, a blast of stasis from Kairi slows it down, allowing Isaac and Sora to blast at its exposed arms, ending its short rampage.
"You know, these Brutes looked a whole lot more threatening before we knew how to beat them." Sora comments as they follow Isaac to one of the side rooms his waypoint was directing them to.
"Yeah. They do. Then again, they would probably be a lot more effective if I was by myself." Isaac comments as he stands near the door. "I would be a lot more scared than I currently am right now if you weren't here."
"It goes both ways, Isaac." Kairi replies, hand on chest. "We would be lost and/or dead if you were not here to guide us."
"She's right, Isaac. We may have skills and abilities that are way beyond you, but when it comes to skill and knowledge of the Ishimura, we would probably still be on the flight deck trying to find a way out." Sora says while wrapping an arm around Kairi. Isaac nods in appreciation before turning his attention back to the door and opening it, finding no surprise in seeing the oh so familiar green smog they were quickly becoming used to, with a Wheezer hiding between two glass portions. Needles to say, it didn't save it from a thunderbolt from above.
Finding no other Wheezers on this floor, the three head over to the central service to continue the search, only to find another Wheezer hiding under a glass panel next to some nutrient vats. A simple nod between the three and the Wheeze suddenly found itself experiencing more gravity than it could handle. Scoring another one of the list, the three head up the lift to the third floor, finding another Wheeze hiding in the rafters before Isaac fires several bolts of plasma at it, bringing their count up to seven, leaving one more left. They send the lift to the second level and move towards the Refrigeration Wing with no words between them. Passing through a small corridor, they find themselves in an orange lit passageway covered in growth, slowing them with each step.
"I'm starting to really hate this stuff." Kairi says as she begins to lead a little bit of the others. "Wish there was a way we could get rid of it that doesn't result in us blowing a giant hole in the ship." Before Sora could reply, a sudden movement of shadow ahead of them caught his eye. It was moving quickly, but its shape was something all too familiar and dreadful. Bursting from the shadows of the corridor, a Drag Tentacles latches onto Kairi's leg, slamming her to the ground and dragging her down the corridor as she screams in fear. She almost instantly slams Destiny's Embrace into the growth covered floor, stopping the Tentacle. But it continues to pull, slowly drawing a marked trail in the growth as Sora and Isaac race to catch up, the growth drastically slowing their pursuit.
Just as they turn one of the corners, they could see the Tentacle trying to drag Kairi, its orange sack exposed. Sora's eyes narrow before he pulls Kingdom Key back and throws it with all his might at the Tentacle, slashing through the orange sack and ending the threat. He sighs deeply as he slowly rushes up to Kairi, how was shakingly rising up from the floor before entering an embrace with her boyfriend, her breaths quick and shaking.
"I'm here. I'm here." Sora repeatedly says as he rubs comforting circles on her back. Gradually her breathing evens out as Isaac joins up with them, his cutter aimed forward down the hall. After Kairi gives Sora a nod in thanks, the three quickly make their way down the hall before leaving the growth covered pathway and entering the East Refrigeration Wing, only to find even more growth covering up everything. "This is getting out of hand. This is way worse than what we saw in Engerneing." Sora says as he looks at the human-sized hole in the growth ceiling. "Do you think this is all because of the Leviathan Isaac?"
"Well, if it came in from the outside, then it would make sense that where ever it came in from would have all of this growth forming around it. That's my theory anyway."
Shrugging in acceptance, the couple follows Isaac through the gaps in the flesh and steel walls, briefly stopping to stop a malfunctioning power supply from sparking electricity in their way. Eventually, they reached the last area where the final Wheezer was hiding out, ending it and stopping the spread of the poisonous air. "Kendra, we dealt with the last one. We should be good to bring air stability back."
"Nice work, you guys. You can restart the oxygen recycling in Atmospheric Control, right outside food storage. Once you've done that, you can get into food storage and inject the poison." Kendra replies in a grateful mood before turning sour. "Guys, I've been looking at the reports… and nearly all the crew were having mass hysteria…."
"We kinda got that with Mercer…." Isaac replies bitterly before Kendra interrupts him.
"That's not it, Isaac. I just saw my brother on the monitor…." Kendra then abruptly ends the call before Isaac questions her about it before looking at the couple.
"I didn't know Kendra had a brother on the Ishimura." Sora says with surprise before it morphs into confusion as Isaac shakes his head.
"That's because her brother was never on the Ishimura." He says grimly, letting the statement sink in deep for the two. If her brother is not here, how could she see him on the monitor? There was only one explanation for this.
"We are going insane…." Kairi says despondently before following the other two out of the Refrigeration Wing and taking the long walk back to the Atmosphere Control. Along the way, a Slasher tried to ambush them in the tank room, only to be brought down by shards of ice. As they near the Control, Isaac's coms flashes to life.
"Isaac… Where are you? Help me…" Nicole pleads through the com before it abruptly ends. No sooner did it end, Sora and Kairi's also flair to life.
"Talk to me, Sora! I know you alive."
"Kairi, if you are there, say something!"
Just as with Nicole's, the com calls with Riku and Aqua end just as suddenly as they began, leaving the three stunned, confused and worried. Isaac is the first to shake of his worries before moving up to the control station and activating the on-screen prompt, the images of the vents now glowing a calming blue and white.
Flushing all air vents. Restoring nitrogen and oxygen levels. Food Storage lockdown lifted.
"Alright. Oxygen is restored, and the lockdown is lifted." Isaac turns to the couple as they gaze back, grips on Keyblades tightening. "Let's end this Leviathan." A simple nod was all they needed to give before following Isaac into the tunnel towards Food Storage. All around them are glass panels that, under normal conditions, would be teeming with life but instead are filled to the brim with the same biomatter as in the East Wing. Shaking their unease, the three enter into an airlock-like station, holding a dedicated injection station, as mini Drag Tentacles snake across the door before them. Not batting an eye, Isaac places the canister containing their makeshift poison onto the injection system and stands back.
Unknown antigen injected into the filtration system.
No sooner does the A.I. finish speaking, green smoke seeps from the small vents around them, but it escapes primarily from around the door before them. The tiny tentacles wither and flee as the poison works its magic on them, all the while a roar echoes around them. Finally, the three look at each other and let out a small cheer. They had done it!
"Kendra, come in. We delivered the poison. The Leviathan is-"
"Still alive, Isaac." Kendra says with shock in her voice. Instantly the happy atmosphere around them is shattered as Kendra reports that it was not strong enough. "You'll have to get in there and kill it before it contaminates the ship again." The three look at each other for a few seconds before Sora and Kairi let out huge sighs of frustration. As for Isaac, he opted to punch a railing instead.
"Well, let's get in there and kill it for real this time." He growls before opening the door to the storage room, followed closely by Sora and Kairi. No sooner do they step in than light turn on around them as they enter into a giant Z-G area shaped like a cylinder; the walls are filled with empty rectangular spaces for storage. And at the far back, covering the room's entirety is the Leviathan. It is a ginormous wall of flesh, with a large mouth at its centre and three smaller holes around it like a triangle.
"Okay… How do we fight it?" Sora asks as they stare at the giant wall of flesh, looking for anything that might be a weak point. Suddenly, the colossal mass begins to shudder and shake as, to the horror of the three, Drag Tentacles appear from the small holes, ready to grab them. "Those Tentacles came from the Leviathan!?" Sora exclaims as they all move to doge one of the swiping appendages.
"It looks like it!" Isaac replies before turning his cuter on one that had exposed its weak point. Then, unleashing a storm of plasma, Isaac manages to cut it off before having to dodge a swipe from another, just as Kairi's Keyblade came swinging in like a buzzsaw through the weak point.
"That was for dragging me around earlier!" she yells at it as Sora does the same to the last Tentacle, removing the Leviathan of its only means of attacking. Until its mouth opened up, and it began to fire explosive pods at the three, forcing them to run. Eventually, Isaac had had enough and fired a shot straight into the creature's mouth, hitting one of the pods in its mouth and causing it to blow up inside it. The Leviathan roars in pain before forming another one in its mouth, before two balls of fire from Sora and Kairi zoom into its mouth, one of them detonating the recently started pod. At the same time, the other travelled further in, striking at whatever the Leviathan was using to create the pods, killing it from the inside. The creatures roars and howls as it can feel its body ripping from inside, until finally, it goes limp and lifeless, its mouth floating open in the Z-G.
The three look at each other in silence before erupting into celebratory laughter. Sora and Kairi hug each other and lift themselves off the ground from Z-G, and Isaac watches the two float by with a hand on his hip, tired but equally happy that it was finally dead. "Kendra. The Leviathan is dead. For real this time." He reports via a video call as the couple float back down to him. Kendra could be heard giving a hearty laugh of her own before trying to contact Hammond, but to her surprised concern, she could not reach him or locate his RiG.
"Damn, Mercer is probably hacking us again. I'll try and work around it, but I found a way to get us help. Isaac, you remember the Mining Deck, right?" When Isaac gives her a nod, she continues. "Well, there is an SOS beacon down there we can use to send a distress call. Head to the mining deck, and I'll brief you more on arrival. And take a rest, you three, you earned it."
"Thanks, Kendra, we will try." Sora replies for them as Isaac cuts the call before leading them back to the Tram Station. "We won't need to go through the Medical Deck again to reach the Mining Deck, will we?"
"Don't worry about that. The Medical Deck is the only one that has two Tram Stations. It's all connected on one big loop." Isaac says reassuringly as they reach the Station. Encountering no creatures on the return trip is always a boon.
"Well, that is reassuring." Kairi remarks as they step onto the Tram. Little did they know that things were about to get worse.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and have a happy new year!