Chapter 23: Down in the Mines
You made me die!
Marker-Nicole's words echo in Isaac's mind as he swims back to consciousness. The impact has not been kind to them, as evident by the torn-up escape pod smouldering before them. Isaac counted their lucky stars. They were thrown from the pod as it landed. Otherwise, he, Sora and Kairi would be burnt to a crisp.
Staggering to his feet, Isaac glances over the destroyed pod before a video comm flashes before his eyes. On the other end, Ellie was pinned to the ground, struggling to hold Stross's hand holding a screwdriver back. Pointing directly at her face.
"Stross! Put that down now!" Isaac screams into the call. Stross pauses for a second to look at Isaac, a deranged grin on his face.
"But Isaac, I promise it won't hurt her a bit…." He says delusionaly, as Ellie's eyes widen. "Cross my heart…hope to die…." He says as he pushes the driver towards Ellie's left eye. "Stick a needle…in your eye…"
"STROSSS!" Isaac screams as Ellie screams in fear and pain, just as the video is cut off. "GOD DAMNIT!" He yells again, slamming his hand onto a nearby railing. "I'm so sorry…Ellie…" He whispers before turning around. Behind him was a blue forcefield, keeping the air in. Beyond, he could see the Ishimura, fires ripping across her hull as explosions ripped across the plating. "Goodbye, Ishimura…" He says before glancing around him. Seeing he was alone on the platform, he headed to a nearby ramp heading to the lower area. He breathes a sigh of relief when he spots Sora and Kairi lying on the ground before panic flushes into his mind.
"Sora! Kairi!" He cries as he rushes up to them, pulling two med packs from his belt. Gently pulling their helmets off, which was far easier than he expected it to be, he pours the medicine into their mouths before stepping back. It didn't take long for the two of them to wake up as they swam back to wakefulness. "Glad you two are still alive." Isaac says as he helps the two of them up.
"Isaac? What happened? The last thing I remember was us about to crash." Kairi asks as she and Sora put their helmets back on.
"We were lucky. We got thrown from the pod when it crashed into the dock. Just as well, seeing how it's nothing but a flaming wreck." Isaac replies, glancing at the burning scrap pile on top of the landing pad.
"What about Ellie and Stross?" Sora asks. Isaac clenches his left hand at Stross's name.
"Stross has lost it. He's stabbed Ellie in the eye with a screwdriver." He informs them, to their shock. "I don't know if she is alive or not. The comm died just as Stross…." He leaves the rest unsaid before shaking his head. "Anyway, let's get out of here. Tiedemann has probably figured out where we landed by now." As Isaac moves to a nearby cargo door, Sora and Kairi give each other concerned glances before following after Isaac. They didn't tell him, but they had that same dream again from when they woke up. Only this time, they heard voices.
Attention shift workers. Abnormally high seismic activity in all sectors. Secure equipment and tools. The on-duty shift supervisor is Dom Regan.
Sora and Kairi ignore the automatic announcement as they follow Isaac past the cargo doors and into three separate corridors. One of which was filled with corpses. Moving past, they enter a large room that slants downward, with several support pillars following the slant. But what caught their eyes were the dozen or so security personnel bodies lying around, along with several Stalker bodies.
"They must have been trying to buy the civilians time to escape." Isaac comments as he looks over one of the bodies mashed up against a pillar. "The Stalkers must have run rings around them…."
"Isaac. There's a tag on the ground here." Sora says, kneeling down next to an identification tag. Isaac walks over to him before picking it up. Looking over it, he couldn't see anything useful about it but decided to place it in his belt regardless.
"Might unlock something at a Shop Kiosk. I'll hold onto it for now." He says, giving Sora a nod before moving down the slant. The couple followed after him, entering a circular room with three doors, all of which were locked. Above them span a huge fan, mostly for ventilation. Before they could decide on their next move, a voice called out to them.
"I seeeee you!" Stross's voice echoes from above, prompting the trio to turn their weapons skyward to the fan. But all they could see beyond it was a bright light.
"Why did you do it, Stross!?" Isaac yells in anger.
"I can't face it! I thought Ellie could! I had to make her see! Step 3!"
"That doesn't mean you should have stuck a screwdriver in her eye! What is it about the steps that you can't do?!" Kairi asks, herself wanting to know why Stross did that.
"Her! It's what they were afraid of, that I'd face her, destroy the Marker and the Portal. But it's too much. You have to help. You need to see. Step 3"
"You're not making any sense! Who is 'her'!? Stross!?" Sora shouts, only to get nothing but silence. Stross had left them again. "What is Stross talking about?"
"I don't know." Isaac replies before ripping a panel off near one of the doors. "But I'm not waiting around for him to show up and stab any of us in the eye." He pulls some wires and unlocks the door, opening the way forward. Before them was a walkway built next to a wall of stone. The path broke off into two, although one had been destroyed by falling rocks as the tunnel it connected two surged with flames. Rumbles shook around them as loose stones fell from above. Some bounce off their helmets as they pass through, eyes peeled for any signs of collapse.
All around lay the signs of a Necromorph attack. Blood trails staining the ground, pools of blood and broken vents. Passageways blocked off with metal barricades and rocks. And amongst them, Cysts lie in wait, ready to fire their deadly payloads.
Fortunately, the Cysts were spread out, allowing the trio to pass them without wasting precious ammo. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of the Twitcher prowling the halls. Unimpeded by the growth on the floor, it flickers around, searching for prey, before its vacant eyes fall upon them. Sprinting at them at frightening speeds, it quickly crosses the distance between them before slashing at Sora. Only for its blades to collide with Sora's Contact Beam.
Staggering at the blow, it was left open to a blast of Stasis from Kairi as Isaac opened fire with his Pulse Rifle. A Stasis explosion bursts out of the Twitcher's back, slowing it down even more as it slowly falls to the ground.
"Guess we should have expected to find Twitchers around here." Sora comments as they continue on, feet tearing at the undergrowth. "Do you think this was where it began?"
"It wouldn't surprise me if it was." Isaac replies as they pass by another heavy-duty door. Before them was a vast cavern with scaffolding and lights lining the stone walls like jungle vines. Water drips from the ceiling as circular vents line the walls. The fans within long since stopped spinning. "Wonder how many people were working here. How many managed to get away. And how many were killed by the Necromorphs."
"What is this place anyway?" Kairi asks as they pass over one of the walkways, the yawning abyss stretching below them.
"My best guess is this is a mining zone. I'm honestly surprised that they are still mining out Titan's remains. Then again, Titan was one the largest moon of Saturn. If memory serves, it was around 2,575 kilometres in radius. What we are walking through is the core." Isaac informs. And while he could not see it, Sora and Kairi's eyes were wide with awe at the size of Titan and fear at how such a large moon was reduced to this. Following Isaac down a slope, they arrive at a central hub with a broker power cell while a new one lies nearby.
"All of a sudden, I'm getting a feeling of déjà vu." Sora says as Isaac removes the dead power cell. Before either could respond, a swarm of Enhanced Pukers emerged from the vents, along with several Exploders. The moment they appeared, the Pukers unleashed a torrent of bile on the trio, who ducked behind cover as the Necromorphs advanced. The Pukers hang back, allowing the Exploders to charge, but before they can even get near, Kairi shoots the explosive arms with her Seeker Rifle, destroying them.
Isaac follows her up, launching a grenade at the Pukers. While the blast did not kill them, it did remove their heads and stop their long-range attacks. Allowing Sora to power up the Contact Beam and unleash a stream of pure energy into the line of Pukers.
"Someone has been here before us." Isaac says as the last of the Pukers dies. "It's hard to see, but there are markings around here that were made by a Pulse Rifle. They could be one responsible for breaking the power cell."
"Who do you think it was? One of Tiedeman's friends?" Kairi asks as Sora grabs the power cell with Kinesis. Isaac shrugs at her in return, unsure himself. Just as Sora replaced the power cell, Lurkers began to run down the ramp. On instinct, Kairi blasts the approaching zombabies with Stasis as Isaac switches back to his Plasma Cutter. Helpless in their slowdown state, the Lurkers could only glare angrily as the two open fired on them. Just as the last of them died, the lights around them suddenly burst to life as machinery grumbled awake.
"Power's restored." Sora cries cheerfully, standing next to a glowing blue power cell. Isaac and Kairi chuckle at Sora before the trio return to the upper level, only for the roar of a horde of Necromorphs to reverberate around the cave.
"Oh crap, run!" Isaac yells, sprinting up the ramp with the couple close behind. Not wanting to see how big of a horde was coming, the trio sprinted past a door before it closed behind them and locked.
Attention shift workers: Be mindful of your nearest survival chamber. These are your only hope of survival should a cave-in occur.
"Just great." Isaac bemoans as the trio walks through a mining tunnel. Around them, supporting metal frames hold up the roof and walls around them, ice forms on top and forms into stalagmites. The sound of dripping water echoes through the tunnel as another rumble shakes the cavern. The crumbling of ice beneath their feet soon gave way to metal, as a door soon appeared. "Well, at least nothing worse can happen."
"There you are!" Stross suddenly says to their left, slamming himself against a barred wall, shocking the trio and earning a yelp from Sora and Kairi. His face was wide and deranged as he gripped the bar with his left hand. While on his right was the screwdriver.
A screwdriver with an eye.
"We've been waiting for you. Now it's your turn!" Stross says with a grin, as the trio can only stare in horror at the eye on the screwdriver.
Ellie…I'm so sorry! Isaac screams internally as he looks at Stross before noticing a long metal pipe rising behind him. Without a second of hesitation, it is swung into the side of Stross's head, sending him flying to the left.
And taking his place, with a bloodied strap of cloth over her right eye, was Ellie.
"Ellie! You're alive!" Kairi cries in happiness as Ellie approaches the grate, exhausted and weary, yet still managing to crack a grin at them.
"Of course. Think I'm going to die that easily. And besides…" She looks at Isaac before pointing a hand at him. "You owe me an eye, you bastard." Before they could exchange more, Stross, recovering from Ellie's attack, charges at her. Unfortunately for him, while he did claim her right eye, her left eye was still alive. Stepping backwards, she lets him run past her before slamming the pipe into his back, sending him into the wall, just as security shutters block the view.
"Come on! She needs our help!" Isaac says, rushing to the nearby door. Sora and Kairi rush after him, eager to reunite with Ellie. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. For as soon as the door opened, a Drag Tentacle burst through a wall and grabbed onto Isaac's foot. "Oh fuck!" It was all he could say before the Tentacle slammed him onto the ground. Right next to Sora and Kairi.
Without thinking, he grabbed their feet right before the Drag Tentacle pulled him along the ground. Sora and Kairi didn't even have a chance to respond as they suddenly found themselves getting dragged through a mining corridor. Before they could even ask, they then found themselves floating in the vacuum of space alongside Isaac. Before them were several docking tubes and scaffolding, with a Nest growing on top of the scaffolding coming to life, sensing the presence of the three.
"Just great…" Isaac mumbles while Sora charges up the Contact Beam. "As if Stross going crazy was bad enough." He watches as Sora fires a blast at the Nest while Kairi floats before him. Judging by how she had her hands on her hips, she was not amused by what he did. "And I am suddenly glad I'm in a vacuum…." As Sora floats over to them, their comm links activate, with Stross's voice echoing through.
"Ellie lied! She won't help! But you will, Isaac. You will see her after Step 3!" Stross mumbles before his voice quietens as Ellie replaces him.
"Damn it. He's run off, deeper into the mines. I can't follow him with this injury."
"We've got problems on this end too. Get someplace safe. We'll contact you when we get back inside." Isaac replies before Ellie cuts off the call on her end. "Least we can speak to each other now, and I know that pose, Kairi. I'm sorry I grabbed onto you two like that."
"We can talk about that later." Kairi replies over the comm. "Right now, we need to get back inside. Sora and I are okay, but you only have limited air." She points out to the timer on his back before pointing to an air tank nearby. "And the only way back in is blocked by those beams."
As Isaac attaches himself to the tank, he glances towards the nearby docking tube. As Kairi pointed out, six beams of red energy were blocking the entrance, projected by two mining lasers. Thankfully, there was a chance to clear the way. "Those beam emitters are free floating. All we need to do is find some emergency thrusters and place them on the side like we did with the elevator and vents."
"Like one of these?" Sora asks, floating over with said thruster. Isaac nods at Sora before pointing towards one of the emitters nearby. Floating up, Sora places the thruster down with Kinesis before turning his Plasma Cutter on the ignition switch. With a single shot, the thruster ignites, pushing the emitter away and partly clearing the way. Nodding to himself, Sora repeats the process on the other emitter while Kairi protects Isaac. A simple place and shot later, and the way was cleared. Detaching himself from the air tank, Isaac pushes himself towards the docking tube, Sora and Kairi close behind. The tube was filled with Cysts and the floating bodies of workers, but such obstacles were nothing for them.
Moving through the airlocks, the trio soon found themselves safely back inside while Isaac opened a call. "Ellie, we're back inside. Where are you?"
"I'm safe for now, but Stross has lost it. There's no sanity left in those eyes of his. I think he's coming for you guys." She replies, with a slight pain in her voice.
"Ellie, I'm so sorry. If I had known Stross was that close to losing it, I'd—"
"It's not your fault. Sure, you still owe me an eye, but you had no idea he would lose it then. Anyway, I've found something that the three of you will want to see. I'm sending you my location. Hurry and get here. I can't fight in this condition."
"Alright, we're on our way. Stay safe." Ending the call, Isaac glances around the room they are in. A small security station overlooks another cavern. Above them, catwalks stretch across like tree branches as a large structure stands in the centre, nestled by the rocks around it. "Let's keep moving, guys. With Stross hunting us down and Necromorphs on the prowl, we can't stay still for long."
"Hopefully, another Drag Tentacle won't attack us again. I'm sick of those things." Kairi says as the three steps onto a service lift. Sora and Isaac stay silent as they head up, glancing around the vast open space of the cavern. So far, no sign of the Necromorphs. But that could easily change in an instant.
A premonition proven, when several Lurkers appear on the bottom structure. Screeching as they crawl and attack, tentacles ready, they fire a barrage of bone spikes at the trio. Forced to duck behind cover, they soon found themselves surrounded by Enhanced Slashers and Pukers from both sides.
"Kairi! Flame wall! Sora shouts as he pulls out the Contact Beam. Nodding in silence, Kairi unleashes a firewall on the right, blocking off the Necromorphs attacking them. As she turned around to help Isaac with the ones on the left, Sora unleashed a stream of energy from the Contact Beam into the flame wall. The charging Slashers try to brute force their way through the flames, only to fall to both it and the energy beam. The blast, now encased with flames from the firewall, slams into the Pukers at the back, igniting them as the blast cleaves through their mutated lungs.
While Sora dealt with the ones on the right, Isaac and Kairi were busy dealing with the ones on the left. Thankfully, there were only a few on this side, and with the two of them able to use Stasis, they were able to keep the Slashers at a distance. As Isaac used his Plasma Cutter on the Slashers, Kairi switched to her Seeker Rifle to deal with the Pukers in the back. Shooting off their heads to stop their range attack before sniping off a leg and arm to stop them.
All the while, the Lurkers continued to fire bone shards at them, forcing them to remain behind cover.
"Alright. That's it!" Isaac snarls as he pulls out his Pulse rifle. Aiming around the cover, he launches a grenade at the Lurkers, killing one while leaving the other two dazed. An opening that Sora and Kairi took ruthlessly, slicing off the offending limbs and ending the relentless assault.
"The Necromorphs are attacking in larger groups. Do you think they have caught on to what we are planning to do?" Kairi asks, as they make their way across the catwalks. The distant roar of Slashers echoes around them in response to her question, sending a deep chill down their spines.
"I think that was a yes, Kairi." Sora replies, opening a door leading deeper into the mines.
Attention shift workers: your work practices are being monitored at all times. Please show pride in your work.
"What is there to be proud of? We only do it to survive…." Isaac grumbles at the A.I. before glancing at their new problem. A series of trip mines blocked the door. Fortunately, there was a dead body lying nearby they could use. Even if Isaac did feel bad, he would be using it as an impromptu object.
With the mines dealt with, they move through the door to enter another shaft.
"Where is Stross? Ellie said he was running deeper into the mines, but we haven't seen him yet. Did the Necromorphs get him?" Sora asks, leaning against the locked door before them. Kairi stands beside him as Isaac tears a panel off the wall to hot-wire the lock.
"Honestly, I think it would be for the best. I don't think we can get to him, even if we had our Keyblades." Kairi replies solemnly. Sora nods slowly before glancing at Isaac. "But even then, despite what he's done, part of me still wants to try and save him."
"Do you really think that's possible?" Isaac asks, pausing in his work. "You both saw how Stross looked back there. And what he did to Ellie. Do you really think there's a chance he can come back?" The couple remained silent, words dying in their throats before they could speak. Unaware of the door slowly opening behind them. "I want to believe too. I want to believe that we can still save him. But when you stop and look at the facts—"
"There you are!" A voice echoes behind Sora and Kairi before a figure bashes past them, sending them to the floor. Isaac snaps his head in their direction as he felt someone pull him away from the panel. It was then that Isaac saw his attacker.
"Stross! What are you doing!?" Isaac asks as Stross grasps his suit with his left hand before slamming the screwdriver onto his helmet. While his suit protected him, the impact caused his helmet to retract.
"You have to face her for me! Tell her I didn't mean to do it!" Stross yells manically before he is pulled away by his arms.
"Stop it, Stross!" Sora shouts as he restrains his right arm.
"Can't you see what you're doing!? You're only playing into the Marker's hands!" Kairi pleads as she holds his left arm.
"Why can't you see!? You must face her! Tell her!" Stross screams, pulling at Sora and Kairi as they fight to restrain him. Isaac watches on in pain, eyes glancing between them before settling on the screwdriver. The eye was still impaled, but for what Isaac needed it for, it wouldn't matter.
"Step 3!" Stross cries as he pulls his left arm free of Kairi, smacking his enclosed hand into the side of her helmet. With his left arm free, he punches Sora in the stomach, freeing his right before bashing him in the side of his head. "Step 3!" He says again, his sanity slipping away before lunging at Isaac.
Only this time, Isaac was ready.
Sidestepping out of the way, Isaac grabs onto the screwdriver before pulling it out of Stross's hand. Gripping it in his right hand, Isaac knees Stross in the stomach before ramming the screwdriver into the side of his head. With the handle sticking out, Stross staggers back, blood spilling from the wound as he tries to pull it out. But his strength fails as he falls to the floor, his eyes glossing over as the light leaves his eyes.
"Why did you do it, Stross?" Isaac asks, sadness leaking from his words. But Stross doesn't answer as he breathes his last breath. As the adrenaline fades from his veins, Isaac turns back to Sora and Kairi as they stagger back to their feet. "You two alright? No wounds or anything?"
"I'm fine. A bit lightheaded but nothing else." Kairi replies, rubbing her helmet.
"Same here." Sora confirms, rubbing his stomach before looking at Stross's body. "In the end, we couldn't save him…." The three stand in silence, morning the passing of Stross. A man driven crazy by the machinations of the Marker and people in high places. In the silence, Sora noticed that Kairi was holding onto something in her hand. "What's that, Kai? You got that from Stross?" Kairi looked at him before gazing at her hand, surprised that she was holding an audio log.
"I must have grabbed it when we tried to hold him back. I wonder what's on it."
"Give it to me. I'll play it from my suit." Isaac says hand outstretched. Kairi nods before handing him the log. A few seconds later, it began to play.
"Alexis, if you get this, I love you. I would never do anything to harm you or our son. After the sessions, I keep seeing you. But… you're so mad, so… angry. You're scaring me. I want you to stop. What's happening to me? Please come get me…."
"So, that's who he was talking about." Isaac says as the recording ends. "It was Alexis, his dead wife. He couldn't face the fact that he had killed both her and his son, so he ran from it. And in the end, it's what killed him." Is this what will happen to me too? But I know that is not Nicole! But if I continue to run from it…
"Isaac, we can't stay here. The Necromorphs are still after us." Kairi says suddenly, staring at their surroundings. Isaac shakes himself from his thoughts before turning back to look at Stross. With a heavy sigh, he aims his Plasma Cutter at his corpse.
"We can move in a moment. I'm not letting these bastards get at his body." He says with resolution before firing his cutter. In a few shots, he removes his head, an arm and a leg. Leaving him free of being turned. "Hope you find peace in death, Stross."
"Hey, Isaac! Looks like we're back in the first mining area. Where we changed that power cell." Sora calls out from the doorway. After walking through, as Sora said, they had managed to make their way back to what could be called the central hub. "But where do we go from here?"
"Hmm…" Isaac glances around before his eyes fall on the lower area. "Ellie said he was running deeper into the mines. That means there should be a door on the lower level that he came through. It should lead us to Ellie."
"So what are we waiting for?" Kairi asks, standing on a nearby lift. "Not sure about you two, but I'm getting tired of this place." Isaac shakes his head at her while Sora chuckles as they join her on the lift. Heading down, they could see that one of the doors had indeed been unlocked. Whether it would lead them to Ellie was another matter. But seeing as though they had no other option, the trio headed through it.
Entering into an L-shaped corridor stacked with boxes, the trio keep their senses sharp for any ambushes. Only for a sudden spike of pain to pierce their skulls as the Marker made its presence known again.
It was a shame what happened to Stross. That's what happens when you fight it.
"Shut up… Just shut up!" Isaac yells through the pain. "The Marker… It was you! Both of you made him do it! You made me kill him, didn't you?!"
How is it that you still haven't come to terms with who I am? Who am I, Isaac? I will ask only once more before the end. Be ready.
And with that, the presence fades away with bitter resentment. Shaking their heads three of the influence, they continue down the corridor, arriving at the elevator shaft, blood dripping from the walls while a large pool forms at the centre. No one needed to point out what happened here.
Attention shift workers: All persons are subject to search upon exiting the mines. Mineral resources, precious or otherwise, will be confiscated.
No one said a thing as the lift rose, passing through the green smog that had built up within the shaft. Standing back to back at the centre, the trio awaited the inevitable attack to begin.
It began small, two Slashers at a time wearing the protective gear of miners who fell to the horde. It soon grew into three as Enhanced Slashers joined their brethren. The pauses were sort but brief, as the Necromorphs assaulted in waves as the elevator climbed through the tunnel. Eventually, the lift arrived at its destination, allowing the trio to leave for the only exit before them.
But as Isaac approached the door, Sora and Kairi froze in their tracks. There was something wrong with this door. Before they could even warn Isaac, he opened it.
And was immediately met with a hand around his neck as he was dragged through the doors. He grasps onto the hand, holding his neck as he is lifted into the air. Sora and Kairi chase after them, only to find a searing pain in their should as they fall to the ground.
They try to move, but the pain only grows as they feel metal slicing through their shoulders.
Moment of truth, Isaac! Who am I? You're friend? Your lover? The one shred; one light; one bright, shining star you clung to in this Universe?
Isaac struggles to respond or fight back as his helmet retracts before he is slammed into the stone wall. Marker-Nicole's grip tightens as she pushes him.
Or am I your guilt? Crushing the life out of you because you can't get over the fact I'm dead? That you feel responsible? Who…am…I?
She repeats before dragging him off the wall, hanging him in mid-air above Sora and Kairi. Pinned to the ground by the deformed blades, they could only look up in horror as Isaac was held in Nicole's grip, struggling to breathe.
Why do you keep fighting me? Why can't you let go?
"Cause you were my everything! And if I let you go, I got nothing." Isaac replies through gritted teeth. It was all he could say. It was why even now, he refused to forget her. Because without her, he had no direction. No compass. No hope.
Silence roams the hall as Marker-Nicole continues to hold Isaac. Suddenly, she loosens her grip on Isaac's neck. The constant flashing hue of orange vanishes just as quickly as the pain in Sora and Kairi's shoulders.
"Step four: acceptance." Marker-Nicole says, but instead of her voice being surrounded by static, she sounds like a normal person. Her clothes, which were blooded and covered in grit and grim, were spotless. And her face was full of colour, her hair neatly combed, and the blood dripping from her eyes was gone. Even the harsh bright light from her eyes and mouth was gone, replaced with her normal blue eyes.
She fully lets go of Isaac's throat, dropping him to the floor as the Keyblades, once deformed and bleached white, returned to her side. Green particles float from the restored blades before vanishing into mist as Sora and Kairi feel their wounds mending. "Now you're ready to finish this." She says before walking away, vanishing into the mist.
"You guys alright?" Isaac asks as he rubs his neck. The pain was going away, yet he could still feel where Nicole had gripped his throat.
"Yeah, somehow." Sora replies, rubbing his shoulder. A tear could be seen in the shawl and undersuit, along with a blood stain, yet no wound remained. A glance at Kairi revealed the same wound on her shoulder as well. "What happened there, Isaac? Why did—?"
"I'll tell you later." Isaac says, cutting Sora off. "For now, we need to meet up with Ellie. We are close now. So close." He begins walking down the corridor, ignoring the concerned looks he is getting from the couple, before stopping at a Shop Kiosk. "I didn't think there would be one here…." He mutters before activating it. Retrieving the small device from earlier, he plugs it in before smiling behind his visor.
Once again stepping into the back of the Kiosk, Isaac changes into a new suit. And unlike the others, this one was unique.
A formfitting undersuit of silver and black, with deep blue and silver metallic arm guards and greaves. Small pauldrons on either side of his shoulders, thighs and shoulder blades in similar blue and silver. His chest was covered in the same coloured metal, with the projecting part a deep orange. He looks himself over, giving an approving look as small wings test themselves on his back. Stretching his arm, the helmet activates. Triangular in shape and coloured silver, blue and orange. With three lines of green across the face lighting up in activation. It was the best suit he could use.
The Advance Suit.
Sora and Kairi look on in awe as Isaac walks out in his new suit before he motions o the Kiosk. The couple didn't need to be told twice as they stepped into the shop once again. And like all the times before, their armoured changed again in the smallest of ways.
The eye-like visors now had silver embroidery colures surrounding them, while several parts of their armour were etched in gold and silver. But the biggest change came with the addition of the long-awaited capes. For Sora, his was gold on the outside and black on the inside. While Kairi's was silver and blue.
But other than that, their armour had not changed in any other way.
"Looks like this is as far as our armour will go." Kairi points out as they join Isaac, who is busy tinkering with their weapons at a nearby bench. "All that's left is for us to destroy the Marker and Portal, find our way out of here and get back to our dimension."
"About that." Sora says, looking at Isaac. "Do you think Ellie will want to join us, Isaac? When we go back to our realm?" Isaac pauses in his work, looking over Sora's Contact Beam to look at him.
"Honestly, I don't know. Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask her, at any rate. Sure as hell know, I'm not staying here anymore." He replies, taking the Contact Beam off the bench and returning it to Sora. "Let's get going. We're almost to the end of the crazy journey." The couple nod before following Isaac through one last door.
A door leading to the Exploration Mines.
Been a while for this one. Also, I am doing a Remake of the first part of this as a separate story, based of the Dead Space Remake. Check i out if it sparks your interest ^^