Sorry about the long wait for this one. Been focusing on Emblematic Hearts!
Chapter 10: End of Days
No one said anything as the Tram travelled to the Crew Deck. How could they, when they had just lost Hammond on the Valor? Isaac certainly couldn't, as he held Hammons rifle in his hands, the only thing that remained of him. Sora, meanwhile, was busy comforting Kairi as the two sat in silence at the rear of the tram. They were so close to leaving this hell that it was unfair for Hammond to die! It wasn't until they felt the Tram slow down did they move from their spots.
"Are you two okay?" Isaac asks as he places the rifle on his back and unholsters his cutter. "You can stay here on the Tram if you want to wait a bit longer." A deep sigh from Sora answered his question as the couple slowly stood up from the seat before walking over to Isaac. Despite the helmets, he could feel the stern determination radiating from them.
"As much as we want to, Isaac, we can't sit around doing nothing. Hammond sacrificed himself so we could get what we needed for the shuttle, but more than that, now is NOT the time for us to split up." Sora replies before looking at the exit. "The Neomorphs are getting smarter and stronger. If we split up now, then there is a good chance one of us will end up like Hammond." Isaac looks at the two as he ponders their words. He couldn't help but agree that splitting up now would be the worst thing to do—Especially with the Hunter on the loose.
"I see. Sorry, I won't bring it up again." Isaac acquests as he steps off the Tram, the couple following suit. Instantly they were on edge as the station was dimly lit. The floor was plastered in blood, not helped by the fact that what looked like a fog or mist was coming from the doorway leading into the Crew Deck proper. Raising his cutter, Isaac opened up a call to Kendra. "Kendra, we're on the Crew Deck. Did you find where the shuttle that Hammond found is?"
"I did, Isaac, but it's brain dead. Someone removed navigation cards. Probably Mercer or someone else, but we can worry about that later. I found where they are and am sending the location to your waymarker. Unfortunately, you'll need the Crew Key to access the location."
"There is always something…." Kairi remarks while shaking her head. "Don't worry, Kendra. We will find those cards. We won't let Hammond's death be for nothing."
"I hear you, Kairi. Good luck, you three." With the call cut off, the couple looks to Isaac as he activates a map on his RiG, highlighting the deck.
"This was once a popular deck, you know?" Isaac says grimly. "It wasn't just the quarters and bedrooms. It was also the dining and recreational as well. You could always hear something when you got off the tram. But now, all there is now, is silence."
"Looks like the power is off on this floor as well, Isaac. Someone has lit candles near the door." Sora points out with his Keyblade. The two turn to look and see two ceremonial candles at the door's entrance while mist continues to pour out of the door. Several similar lights could be seen glowing through the fog, highlighting a path.
"Alright, I'll go first. You guys got my back?" Isaac asks as he aims his cutter at the door, the blue beams of light piercing the mist. Sora and Kairi nod as they tighten the grips on their Keyblade and follow Isaac through the door. Beyond them was a large room with glass walls coated in a low red light. Two doors glowed blue, showing the way to Residential Block C and the shuttle bay. Posters lined the walls, while at the far back was an altar, with the marker drawn on the wall behind in white chalk. Numerous random scribbles and words were written alongside it, seemingly at random.
And along the floor before it, staining the floor red, were numerous bodies with cloths wrapped around their heads. Each with a single hole in their forehead.
"What happened here?" Kairi asks, horrified at the scene before them. No matter what they saw on this ship, there was always something else that either matched or was worse than what they had seen.
"My guess Kairi? These guys were Unitologists. Extremists as well, from the look of things." Isaac says with disgust in his voice. "Must have been some elaborate ritual to 'prepare' themselves. Bunch of idiots…."
"Well, what do we do with them?" Sora asks, scanning the room. "If we leave them here, then we risk an Infector turning them all into Necromorphs." Isaac hums in acknowledgement before scanning the room. There were too many to dismember with his Cutter, and he would instead not use Hammond's gun on them. Asking Sora and Kairi to do it also felt very wrong to him as well. Even though they had no problem with the Necromorphs and whatever they faced in their reality, these are still regular people. And doing it by hand would be long, tiring, and sore.
"Alright, guys. Use your Kinesis, drag the bodies out of the room, and dump them into the Tram tracks. That will keep them out of reach for a while." Isaac then uses Kinesis to pick up the body next to the altar before carrying it out of the room. Sora and Kairi look at each other before reluctantly following along with Isaac. Soon, the room was cleared of bodies, yet the blood remained. Once done, Isaac activated his waymarker, showing them to go to the second floor via a service lift. On the second floor, they find two doors leading to residential blocks, similar to the one on the ground floor.
Continuing to follow the line, they enter Residential Block A and are greeted by the floor covered in flesh growth. At the same time, a cafeteria with glass walls stood before them. Inside was a man dressed in engineer clothes, still breathing, tied to a chair, while a woman dressed in medical gear lay motionless at his feet.
"Jacob!" Isaac calls as he stumbles over the growth, Sora and Kairi close behind him. Jacob moves his head to Isaac, surprise in his eyes, yet his mouth is gagged. He could only grunt and struggle as Mercer moved into view. "You psycho! Let him go!" Isaac yells in anger before he sees the dead body. "Oh my god. Elizabeth."
"Why do you resist the inevitable? You should know you can no run." Mercer says with no emotion in his voice. "You should give up and embrace your fate. Dr. Cross was a believer. One of the faithful."
"I don't believe any of that, you murderer!" Isaac yells while slamming his hand on the window. As Isaac drew the ire of Mercer, Sora and Kairi moved around the corridor, aiming to flank him. Yet the flesh on the ground hampered their movement.
"You call me a murderer, yet here she is, awaiting rebirth. Are you ready, Mr Temple?" Mercer's maniacal eyes fall on Jackob, who continues to break three of his bonds, as he pulls out a syringe. "Witness, Mr Clark. And you as well, Sora and Kairi. The conviction of a TRUE BELIEVER!" Mercer plunges the syringe into Jacob's eye with a deranged glee, injecting poison into him as the needle pierces his skull. Sora and Kairi gasp in horror as Isaac yells at the top of his voice as he punches the glass wall, doing nothing but hurting his hand. Jacob stops moving, seemingly in a trance, before he slumps and falls over next to Elizabeth. "They are ready. Take them! EMBRACE THEM!" After yelling towards the ceiling and glancing around, Mercer quickly leaves the room; just as Sora and Kairi burst in, Keyblades raised.
"Screw that guy! He's just as messed up as Xehanort was!" Kairi yells as she and Sora rush over to Jacob and Elizabeth's bodies, sadness on their hidden faces. "If only we were faster, we could have saved them…."
"Yeah…" Sora replies numbly as his mind wanders back to the Keyblade Graveyard. Had I not acted back then, I would have been too slow to save Kairi. Just like now… he shakes his head as he hears the door opening behind them. I can think about the past later! Right now, getting out of here is important! "Sorry, Isaac. If we were only faster…."
"It's okay, Sora." Isaac replies, yet the sadness is evident in his voice. "Least we can do is make sure the Necromorphs can't use them." Bringing his cutter up, he aims at the arms of both of them before firing his shots. He grimaces at doing this to old friends while worrying about his limited ammo.
"Isaac, you okay?" Kairi asks softly, noticing the deep sigh from Isaac.
"Sorry, it just hurts to do this to old friends, is all." Isaac replies grimly, as the knowledge that all his friends aboard the Ishimura are long gone, either from madness, death, or transformation. As Isaac brings up his map, Sora and Kairi say nothing as they look away. "Alright, the first card is below us. Let's grab it and move on to the next." Neither says anything as they follow Isaac onto the service lift, descending into the lower level. While the giant viewport showed a view of the planet below, no stars could be seen twinkly away. Only rocks and debris.
The lower level was covered just as bad as the hallway above, while tables and chairs littered the room. But that was not all that waited for them. As soon as the lift stopped, two Dividers rushed at them from behind a central wall, holding the platform above them. Sora did not give them any time to move, casting stop on both of them as Kairi unleashed blasts of fire on them. Seeing the frozen Dividers, Isaac switches to Hammond's gun before firing a grenade between the two, just as the stop wears off. As the smoke cleared, neither of the Dividers nor their parts remained.
"Hammond was definitely packing heat with this. Usually, it would do something else. Must be a newer model." Isaac remarks as he looks over the Pulse Rifle. Sora and Kairi glance at him as they walk to the windows, curious at his comment.
"What do you mean by that, Isaac?"
"Well, Sora, usually these things have a 'crowd control' function. The three gun barrels at the end would separate from the main body and spin around. Holding up vertically allows one to clear a room out quickly. But that won't work on the Necromorphs. Push them back and give us some room? Yes."
"Huh." That was all that Sora could say while Kairi walked over to a man stuck in the wall, halfway becoming a Guardian. Seeing a box beside it, she casts fire on the poor soul, realising him from the pain, before moving to the chest and opening it, finding one of the cards.
"Here's the card Isaac." Kairi calls as she rejoins the boys. Isaac nods while Sora pats her on the shoulder before the three move to the lift to leave. But as the lift went up, Isaac's comm flared to life, revealing a still alive Dr. Kyne. "Dr. Kyne! We were begging to worry the Necromorphs got you."
"It has been touch and go on my part. I saw what happened on a camera in the mess hall. It hurts to see what has happened." Kyne says with regret in his voice before he focuses. "Besides that, I really must speak with you three. I am close to your position. What I have to tell you I can not risk it over the comms. Mercer could be listening for all we know. Once you get the Nav Cards, I'll open the door to the Security Station. But please, hurry! I don't know how much longer we have."
"Understood, Kyne. Just make sure you're still alive when we get there. There is A LOT we have to talk about." Isaac replies before ending the call. No one missed the unease in his voice when he spoke to the doctor, yet the situation could not be helped. Pushing the sense of urgency behind them as much as possible, the three leave the Mess Hall before entering the Residential Lobby. Or at least, that's what it should be.
"That growth is all over here too." Sora remarks as they look down the growth-covered hallway. Even the rooms, whose doors were not covered, were completely blocked off by walls of flesh.
"Apart from the woman's bathroom through." Kairi remarks as they walk down the hall with the least amount of growth. Moving past it, they come to a functioning cargo lift, taking the lift down until they reach the Block A Commons. Entering, they are greeted with a square room with three doors, while four glass walls rise from the middle, where chairs and a holo-project lie. "Looks like only one of the doors is open to us, Isaac." Kairi points out the far right door, its low blue glow illuminating the dimly red-lit room.
"Looks like Block B has suffered a total decompression. We're going to have to override it if we want in." Isaac grunts as he looks at his map before they walk over to it, opening the door and are met with countless rows of movable beds.
"Are these what people sleep in on the Ishimura Isaac?" Sora asks as he looks at one of the red cylinders, the blue bedding visible. "It doesn't look all that comfortable."
"Well, you'd be surprised, Sora." Isaac replies as he stands near a pile of crates. "What they lack in comfort, they make up for in practicality. The Ishimura wasn't really designed with luxury in miiiIIIIIND!?" Isaac's panicked voice grabbed the couple's attention as a Drag Tentacle burst through the crates and grabbed Isaac's foot before it slammed him to the floor, knocking him out, and started to drag him away.
"ISAAC!" the two cry out before giving chase. Thankfully, no growth was beneath them to slow them down. This particular one seemed to take breaks before yanking Isaac further along, unlike the other two. It was not long before they caught up as it continued to drag Isaac. Not wasting time, Sora casts stop on the Tentacle before the two run up to either side and start slashing away at the orange pod. Soon the stop spell ended, and with it, the orange pod exploded, covering the unlucky two in residue. But neither of them was worried about their attire as they turned to Isaac, who had begun to regain conciseness.
"You okay, Isaac?" Kairi asks with worry as Sora casts a healing spell on him, helping to relieve any pain in Isaac's head. Shaking his head as the two help him up, Isaac stumbles for a bit before regaining his balance.
"I'm alright now, thanks to you two. Holy crap, that hurt." He remarks as he rubs his neck. "Now I can see why you two hate those things passionately. Let's just find the override controls and get out of here."
"About that, I think the door is behind us." Sora points out behind Isaac, as a storage door could be seen in the wall opposite the one they came in. So focused on saving Isaac, they had run right past it. Isaac chalks it up to a stroke of luck before moving to it and entering the room. Inside, besides finding some Plasma Packs, a Medkit and three cans of air, he finds the lock override.
Using Kinesis, Isaac activates the lever, initiating the override sequence. But just as he sighed a breath of relief, an explosion echoed in the hallway behind him. Tightening the grip on Hammond's gun, Isaac rushed outside combat ready. Only to find Sora and Kairi standing over the remains of an Enhanced Slasher. "What happened out here?" Isaac asks quickly. The two turn to look at him with what he assumed were sheepish looks. Couldn't tell due to the helmets, though.
"Well, we saw this Slasher charging at us from around the corner, so we blasted it with fire and ice magic." Kairi explains while scratching the side of her helmet.
"Yeah. Turns out that fire and ice really don't like each other." Sora adds on while rubbing the back of his head. Isaac could only look at the two with a dumbfounded look but let off a laugh at the sight. Despite being magic, it would seem the rules of molten fire and solid ice in equal amounts create a giant explosion.
"As long as that's all it was. Now come on. We have a card to obtain from Block B. And here." He tosses over two of the air cans he picked up. "Don't know how long we will be there, but it's better to be safe than sorry. You still have the two from the Medical Deck, right?" The couple nod before putting the air cans next to the others on their belts.
Nodding in satisfaction, Isaac leads the two back into Block A Commons before turning right and heading to the corridor connecting to Block B Commons. Opening the door, they were relieved to see the passage was airtight, but that relief was quickly washed away by the A.I.
Life support and climate system malfunction. Hazardous condition. Please contact repair specialist.
"You know, I feel bad for the A.I. Even though it's not aware like Tron, it's still trying to do its job even though there is no one to answer it." Sora remarks as they near the door. "Does the map show which room the Nav Card is in? I don't feel comfortable walking around in there with a limited air supply."
"Good point." Isaac says before bringing up the map. Thankfully, a small beeping dot could be seen from the room labelled Block B Bunks. "Well, that answers our answer. The Block B Bunks' door will be directly in front of us when we go, though. There should also be an emergency air supply station as well. Standard issue on all ships." The two nod as Isaac walks towards the door, taking one last breath before opening it. Instantly, the air is vented out of the room as their onboard air kicks in as they walk into the B Commons.
Its layout was identical to Block A's, yet with the lights turned on, illuminating the frost-covered room in a soft white glow. But frustratingly for the trio was the appearance of two Slashers and a Pregnant charging at them the moment they walked through. As Isaac used Hammond's Pulse Rifle to deal with arms on the Pregnant, Sora and Kairi fired streams of ice at the Slashers, freezing their feet to the floor, before rushing in to slice their arms off with their Keyblades.
But no one took a moment to congratulate themselves, for their air was steadily counting down. They rush into the Block B Bunks, finding it in much better condition than Block A's, albeit covered in frost, before two Lurkers busted through a vent in the roof, as a second Pregnant lumbered around a corner.
"The Necromorphs are taking advantaged of our need for air!" Kairi yells as she and Sora use Gravity on the Lurkers, bringing them crashing to the floor. "The sooner we find that card and leave, the better!"
"I know!" Isaac replies over the comms while injecting the air canister into his suit. "Let's be thankful that the lights are still on."
"Found it!" Sora cries from the right. Running out from between some beds, they could see a small card held in Sora's left hand.
"Great! Let's get out of here before any more show up." Not needing Isaac to tell them twice, the trio rush out of the B Bunks back into the comms room. Sora and Kairi used the air canisters to refill their air as it got worryingly low. They were soon sprinting down the connecting hall leading to A commons, with the door behind them closing. Soon the corridor was re-pressurised, while fresh air whipped around them as they sighed a breath of relief.
"You know, I hope we don't have to encounter any more vacuums while we're here." Sora says as they three walk to the elevator, eyes peeled around them. "If we were in Keyblade Armour, it wouldn't be much of a problem for us, but…."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Isaac replies as he starts the lift. "It's bad enough having to fight with limited ammo, but it's even worse when dealing with limited air." Kairi was about to add her opinion just as the lift stopped, with the doors opening shortly. But the moment they did, an exploder stood before them, its explosive sack pulsating. Instantly, Sora and Kairi activate Reflect to shield themselves. Still, the Exploder ignored them, jumping up into the ventilation shaft and vanishing.
"Okay?" Sora mutters quietly before glancing up at the vent, Keyblade aimed and ready. Seeing nothing moving, he moves back toward Kairi and Isaac, who are walking down the hall back to the mess hall. "Either these things are playing with us, or they are leading us to a trap."
"Judging by how things are, I can say both are equally possible." Isaac mutters before bringing his map up. "The last two Nav Cards are located in the Z-G Basketball Court, a strange place to hide a card, and Block C. The Z-G Court is easier to get to, so we'll grab that next. Then it's off to Block C."
"The sooner, the better, Isaac. I can't stand being on the deck anymore." Kairi replies, her eye glued to one of the vents as they pass the mess hall, Jacob and Elizabeth's bodies still left untouched, thanks to Isaac. "I swear I saw a pair of red eyes following us through these vents."
"It must be the Hunter." Isaac replies grimly as he moves forward, opening the door to the central atrium. "Strange that it hasn't attacked us yet."
"It's probably nervous about Kairi and me. We did manage to hold it back on the Medical Deck." Sora replies, looking over the dimly lit room again. "But that just makes it even more dangerous. If it is that smart, waiting for us to drop our guard…."
"All the more reason to find those cards and get off this ship." Isaac finishes before activating the service lift. As it lowers, he takes a glance around, seeing a vent haven been burst open. Signs of a Necromorph searching for bodies were evident, yet no Necromorphs could be seen. Signalling with his hand to the couple, the trio walk towards the door leading to the Block C elevator and Z-G Court. A lone Enhanced Slasher wandered about in the corridor beyond before it was brought down by Isaac, using Hammond's Pulse Rifle. A quick glance towards the elevator showed it glowing blue, singling it usable, but a quick glance above showed that it wouldn't be for long.
"There's growth in here too." Kairi motions towards the ceiling, not a spot left untouched by the growth. "Why does it feel like the crew deck is just as bad, if not worse, than the Hydro deck?"
"We can thank the Leviathan for this, I'd wager. Plus, the Crew Deck is usually the more populated deck during downtime." Isaac replies before walking towards the Z-G door. "The court is just through this way. We will need to go through the locker rooms, but it won't take long."
While Isaac continued on in, Sora and Kairi remained outside, watching for movement. Left alone by themselves, the quietness of the Ishimura began to dawn on them, with the odd creaking sound of straining metal.
"It's so sad." Kairi says, breaking the silence. "This place used to be filled with life. People were going about their lives. How did this happen, Sora? Why did this all happen?"
"I don't know, Kairi." Sora replies, his gaze wandering around the room. "There are many things that don't make sense in this place. But it's not hard to see some similarities between the Heartless and the Necromorphs. I'm just glad that there are no objects like this 'Marker' that can cause any of this in our world."
"But what about the obelisk we used to travel here? Wouldn't that cause an outbreak in our reality?" Kairi replies with fear in her voice. Sora couldn't fault her for that. If the object they used WAS a Marker, then they are in trouble. Yet, there was something off about it.
"I don't know why, but I don't think we will have to worry about it, Kairi. Don't ask me why, but I didn't feel anything off apart from how it looked. But until we see the Marker here, we won't know if everyone else is in trouble."
"Right." Kairi agrees before her thoughts wander. "What about Riku and Aqua? We haven't heard anything from them or Nicole ever since we saw them in the Mining Deck. Do you think they are alright? I can't sense them anywhere."
"I've been wondering about that two…." Sora admits with a hand under his chin. "There are other things that are bugging me as well." Before Kairi could ask what, the door behind them opened as Isaac walked into the room, fresh blood plastered on his chest. "You okay, Isaac?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Had a run-in with a Lurker and Slasher, but Hammond's gun came through. Running low on ammo, though." Isaac replies before placing Hammons gun on his back, switching to the Plasma Cutter on his hip. "Anyway, I found the Nav Card. It was sitting right on one of the platforms in the court. Course, no sooner do I step inside does it start a game. Tempting as it was to play, I got out as soon as I got the card."
"That leaves only one more left." Kairi adds. Isaac nodded before leading the couple to the Block C elevator, thankful it was still operational. As the elevator descended, Sora and Kairi took the opportunity to try and clear their gear as best as possible. While most of the slime and gunk came off, blood had soaked into the suit underneath, while some stains refused to leave the armour. Isaac's suit was in a similar state of duress, with some armour parts showing damage from the Necromorphs' strikes. Soon, the lift reached the bottom, opening its door to the trio as they stepped out, only to hear Mercer's voice echoing from inside Block C Commons.
"Great. Looks like that maniac is delivering a speech on the other side." Isaac growls before raising his cutter. Sora and Kairi tighten the grip on their Keys as they follow Isaac into the room, only to be met by a pre-recording of Mercer delivering said speech. "Of course, it would be too good to be true." Isaac grumbles before activating the Navi-Point, the blue line zooming towards the Block C Bunks. Entering the said room, the trio are met by a wall of bunks while the Kinesis modules on their sides glow a soothing glow. "The Nav Card is on the other side of these bunks. We'll have to move them if we want the card."
"Hey, Sora? Do you think Magnet might pull the beds off the tracks?" Kairi asks curiously. Sora looks at her for a moment before pondering her question. It sounded like a long shot, but if the Magnet spell worked like Kinesis, then it should be possible.
"Well, only one way to find out." Sora replies before standing before the beds. As Sora raised his blade, Isaac and Kairi stepped away to the side, away from the targeted beds. "Gather!" He cries, conjuring up a Magneaga, the highest tier he knew. As the orb twisted and turned, pulling all sorts of small loose objects around the room, one of the beds before him began to lean forward. The sound of steel scraping against metal echoed in the room as the bed struggled to resist the spell. Soon, its gave way, leaving its designed track before barrelling towards the spell. Sora had wisely moved out of the way just as the bed began to move and was grateful he did so as the bed zoomed by into the wall, leaving a sizable impact.
"Well, it worked." Isaac remarks as he moves up to the hole. Behind it lay another row of beds, but a gap was already visible between them. "And the way is clear. Let's find that last card and get to the shuttle." The couple nod at him before following Isaac deeper into the room, no one noticing the pair of red eyes gleaming from the vent. But as they moved in deeper, the floor became cloaked in red before entering a room full of dead crew members.
"Even more Unitologists?" Kairi asks, disgusted at the sight before her. Isaac moves to one of the bodies before sighing profoundly and placing a hand on its shoulder.
"No, Kairi. Not Unitologists. These people were normal crew members. It looks like they were cornered in here." He saw the signs of a sword-like object slashing into the bodies. Some were even missing limbs. As Isaac closed the eyes of those still open in frozen fear, Sora walked behind one of the upturned beds, finding the last card.
"Got the last card, Isaac." Sora calls as he picks it up before re-joining them. "Now we can get that shuttle working, right?"
"You bet." Isaac replies, taking the card. "Best leave it to me. I AM an engineer, remember?" The couple chuckled at his little jab, before their comms were abruptly opened.
"I am afraid you will not have a chance to do so, my friend." Mercer says over the comms, startling them. "For you will not be leaving here alive. I admit you have all been resourceful up till now. By my creation, my child is free! Reborn in the fires of life itself! Now, it is time for you all to play your part." The call soon dies, and a low howl echoes beyond the walls.
"Shit. Looks like Mercer is no longer playing around. Now his 'creation' is after us." Isaac growls as he checks over his cutter. "Hope you don't mind, but I'll be counting on you two to slow down the Hunter. No doubt it's got friends alongside it."
"Don't worry, Isaac. We'll keep it busy." Sora replies with a form nod along with Kairi. They were caught off guard by it before, but this time they are ready. Or as prepared as they could be. They had already talked about it before, but the spell Megaflare or Ragnarok could quickly end the Hunter or leave it in such a small state that regeneration would no longer be possible. The only problem was the size of said spells. With how small the inside of the Ishimura is, they could quickly destroy the corridors if they were to use them. And with how some could be right next to the vacuum of space…
But such thoughts had to be put on hold as soon as they returned to the Commons room. The Hunter was indeed there, standing in all its horrifying glory, as three Enhanced Slashers and a Pregnant stood to its sides. With a sicking roar, the Hunter yelled towards the trio, commanding its underlings to charge and kill. Reacting fast, Isaac blasts a Slasher in the head before removing an arm and leg, before switching over to the Pregnant. Meanwhile, Sora and Kairi put the other two on ice before throwing their Keyblades towards them, shattering them on impact.
The Hunter, furious at the perseverance of its prey, lumbered towards them, only to soon find itself frozen in place as clocks swirled around it. Its eye tracked the three like a hawk as they ran around its frozen form before rushing into the elevator, just as the force holding it still relented.
"I hate that we can't get rid of that Hunter." Kairi remarks as the lift goes up. "There has to be some way we can get rid of it, like sending I out into space or trapping it in a room with no vents."
"I wish it was that easy, Kairi." Isaac replies before their comms activate, with a very relieved Kyne on the other end.
"Excellent work, you three! I've unlocked the doors to the executive suite. The shuttle is not too far from where I am. But please, be quick." And just like that, the call goes quiet. Soon enough, the lift stops, opening back to the main hall. Wasting no time, the trio make their way back to the service lift and head up to the second floor, entering the previously locked door. Stepping inside, it was clear that the quality of living was different just from the walls, painted in a red and white scheme, with soft orange light illuminating the room. The floor was even covered in a rich red carpet! Moving through the short hallway, they enter a security office with windowed walls and two locked doors.
And behind the glass wall was Kyne. He appeared to be talking to himself about someone called Amelia, unnerving the three as they walked up to him. The sound of their boots must have alerted him as he soon spun around, sporting a relieved smile on his face.
"Ah! You've made it!" He beams in joy. "I am glad. I have been following your progress on the monitor behind me but have been able to do little else. While the plan to use the shuttle to escape is good, I fear it won't work. The shockpoint drive is damaged."
"Shit." Isaac mutters under his voice. "That's just great. That's going to be a pain to fix." After rubbing the head part of his helmet, Isaac looks at Kyne, his face hidden. "Well, what do you propose we do, doc? You said you know how to stop this, right?"
"I did." He replies, a frown forming on his face. "The Marker is key. On the surface, there is a Hive Mind, controlling all of the other, as you call them, Necromorphs. While the marker was on the planet, it slumbered, but when we removed it, it awoke, causing the madness that consumed both the colony and the ship." Kyne exaggerates motions with his hands.
"So, you saying that putting the Marker back when it was found will stop this?" Sora asks uncertainly. This sounded like a giant gamble.
"I understand your hesitation, but it is our only shot. If we do not, this madness might continue to spread until it consumes our whole galaxy, nae the universe!" It was then that his face fell into a gloom. "That's why I sabotaged the ship. I was the one who shut down the centrifuge, planning to destroy the Ishimura, Hive Mind and Marker all in one go."
"So that's why." Isaac replies with a hum. "Well, sorry about running that plan, but we much prefer living to dying. Still, do you have any 'proof' of a Hive Mind, Kyne?" The former Unitologist nods before bringing up a video from the surface. In it, a female colonist was seen running away from a platform's edge as a giant shadow rose from the ground, its size easily dwarfing the building to its side.
"That looks the same size as the Leviathan in food storage, if not bigger." Kairi says as the video ends. Isaac stays silent as he ponders what he is told. Normally, he would flat out refuse to work with a Uni, former or otherwise. But this was not a normal situation. Kyne has been nothing but adamant about ending this, unlike Mercer and his deluded mind. It was strange that Kendra had been quiet since they reached the deck, though. He had half expected her to participate in this conversation, yet she hadn't.
Why do I get a bad feeling about this? Shaking his head and forcing his worry to the side for the moment, Isaac turns his gaze back to Kyne. "Okay. We will do it. If this is the only way to stop this nightmare, then I'm in." Sora and Kairi nod in turn, bringing a smile to Kyne's face.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. While it might not be enough to remove the sins I have committed in being a part of this, I swear that I will see this nightmare brought low." With a flock of his fingers, he pressed down on his wrist, opening the lift to their right. "The shuttle is just down there, past the captain's room. Good luck, you three." With that, he leaves the security room, weary of his surroundings. No longer seeing the need to remain, the three enter the lift before lowering to the lower floor.
The executive room continued with the fancy detailing, exuberant rooms, and pillars filled with rear rocks and jewels. While the same scheme as above decorated the rooms' halls and floors. To the far left was another enclosed space.
Ignoring the fancy décor, the trio move forward towards the large doors leading to the Executive Shuttle Bay. Opening the door, the three are greeted by a ship that looks closely in design to that of the Kellion. Only, as though following a pattern, was more elaborate in painting. Moving to the left, Isaac moved into the ship's interior, noting the layout to be that of diplomatic quality, before reinserting the Nav Cards into their proper housing. Smiling to himself, Isaac left the shuttle to rejoin the couple. Still, just as he was about to inform Kyne and Kendra about the cards, the growl of a hungry predator echoed to their left.
"You've got to be kidding me…." Sora says with intimidation, as the Hunter made its presence known. Emerging from a ground vent, its eyes glare towards the trio before stalking forward with arm blades ready to strike. The three backed away briskly, keeping enough distance between them and the unkillable monster. Soon, they turned to the left, backing onto a causeway behind the ship's engines.
"We can't keep running like this. Sooner or later, it will kill us." Kairi whispers to the boys, Keyblade pointed at the beast. Sora only nods his head while keeping his blade pointed at it as well. Isaac could only grunt in response, angered by this stalker they had picked up.
I've had enough of this! He mentally yells before his eyes wander over to the engines, noticing that the Hunter is now standing directly in their path. That was when Isaac got an idea. Crazy and stupid, but if it worked, that would be one less Hunter to deal with. Looking at the couple, he was about to tell his plan but stayed quiet. If these things share an intelligence, then I'd rather not risk saying our plans. Deciding action spoke louder than words, Isaac acted.
Pulling the trigger pack, Isaac opened up on the Hunter's right arm, signalling the couple to fire back. At once, the two responded with a twin fire blast, destroying the limbs and head of the Hunter. Just as it fell to the ground, Isaac blasted it was a shot of stasis before rushing past it towards the small room. "KEEP IT RIGHT THERE!" He yells back before running inside.
Not knowing what he was doing but trusting him with their hearts, Sora and Kairi unleashed a twin gravity blast, holding the Hunter down as it fought the stasis and gravity to regenerate. Just as they started to feel their mana wain, a voice echoed through the room, saying a simple yet direct message.
Engine test fire initiated. Please step back.
Soon, the air before them was engulfed in a plasma storm as the ship's engine roared to life. While the couple was safely outside the blast, the Hunter was not so fortunate. As its regeneration fought against the plasma storm, its body warped and melted, with chunks blasting off from the force of the heat. Soon, it released one final agonising cry and anger as its very body was vaporised to the smallest atom. Never to rebuild itself again. Seeing that no trace of the creature remained, the three of them broke out into jubilant cheers of joy as Sora and Kairi latched onto each other with hugs of relief. Isaac, for his part, took a moment to sit as the adrenalin left his system.
"I heard the engines firing! The ship works?" As he entered, Kyne's voice echoed through the room, noticing the two Keyblade wielders hugging in joy. Before he could ask what, Isaac's tiered but relieved voice echoed over the comm, informing him of the engines working and that Mercer's pet had been atomised by the test. Kyne's voice could soon be heard joining the relief, glad that Mercer's abomination had been destroyed. "Isaac, could you remove the docking clamps? I will move this to the Flight Deck to pick up the Marker. It is time we ended this."
"Copy that." Isaac replies with a tired voice before hitting the control panel. Soon, The shuttle descends into an opening below, with Kyne at the controls, entering into the vacuum of space as the trio left the shuttle bay and went to the elevator. Then, Isaac decided to call Kendra, annoyed by her constant silence. "Kendra, do you read me? You have been keeping an ear on what we've been doing, right?"
"Yes, Isaac. I have." She replied, although there was something behind her voice. "I don't trust him, but it's clear that we need that shuttle. Anyway, Tram is at the station, ready to pick you up. I'll get ready to leave as soon as you arrive at the Flight Deck." With that, she ended the call. Isaac tilted his head to the couple, silently conveying a message that did not go unnoticed. But it was not long before another comm appeared. A video message with Mercer's mug plastered on it. And he was angry.
"How dare you destroy my child! Why do you still resist your destiny!?" He asks in anger, while the trio ignore him. Noticing their silence, his anger vanishes before it is replaced with a cruel grin. "So, that is your answer? Silence? Am I not good enough for you to talk back?"
"Did you two hear something?" Kairi asks nonchalantly. Sora shrugs his shoulders while Isaac shakes his head, amused grins on all their hidden faces. Seeing them continue to ignore him, Mercer slowly chuckles to himself as his sanity, or what little, if any, remained, snapped.
"Very well. But know this. Your time has come." He begins to ramble as the three exit the lift. It was only then they noticed that he was standing on the second level of the main hall, just beyond the next corridor. "Many have come before us, and now it is time for us to take the voyage together. Watch me as I gaze upon the face of a real divinity!" Then he turned around, before lowering himself to his knees, as an Infector walked up to him, before plunging its lone blade into Mercer's chest.
They could hear the Infector getting to work on Mercer through the corridor walls as they approached the exit to the hallway. Entering the main hall, they catch the Infector halfway into turning Mercer into a Necromorph. But it would not get the chance to finish its job, as it soon found itself blasted by fire, plasma and ice. The three elements combine to cause a large explosion, obliterating the Infector and Mercer's corpse while leaving the surrounding walls charred and black. Soot was also present on the three as they proceeded to leave the hall, none commenting on Mercer's death.
In the end, he was just a maniac.