A lone, rusted door could only be seen, before the sound of muffled fighting and energy rifle blasts could be heard behind it. Suddenly, the door was thrown apart by its hinges, a Ghost Person having collided with it, revealing the room inside to be contain an old computer system with a maintenance hatch. Isaac and Kiara stepped through, Isaac stretching out his shoulder.

"Well, that's one way to open a locked door." Kiara observed, before shooting the Ghost Person, being reduced to ash. Kiara walked over to the computer, sitting down and typing away into the keyboard. Isaac looked around the room, seeing a few lockers in the corner. Isaac went to one of them, opening it. Unexpectedly, a Ghost Person fell out of the locker, landing on top of Isaac!

"GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!" Isaac exclaimed, wrestling the body off of him! Kiara quickly ran from the computer to Isaac, grabbing it by the shoulders and heaving it away off of Isaac. Isaac quickly scrambled to his feet, unsheathing the machete. The Ghost Person didn't move, almost as if it were already dead. Kiara hit it with the stock of her rifle, the body not moving. She slowly crouched down, a gloved hand pressing into the neck of it.

"It's… an empty suit?" Kiara questioned, never before seeing an unoccupied Ghost People suit. She turned it around to see the back of it, seeing that the metal latches were still untarnished, indicating it had never been used before. She opened the suit, finding the inside of the suit was equipped with an internal respirator system.

"Still doesn't explain why the poor souls trapped in the suits became monsters." Isaac commented.

"Try not to think about it too much. Helps when you need to sleep at night." Kiara instructed. She soon returned to the computer, working on accessing the maintenance systems to ensure the Gala event will go off without a hitch. After a few minutes, Kiara quickly hit the 'Enter' button, finishing what she had to do.

"And we are good!" Kiara proclaimed.

"That's it?" Isaac asked, feeling that was too simple.

"For the most part. But I need to stay here in case something goes offline so I can reboot it. Now, we just need Jack to get to his position to trigger the Gala. Let's just hope we can actually get inside before the Ghost People overwhelm us." Kiara said, before turning back to the computer, typing away to keep everything online.

Isaac left thought the maintenance hatch, climbing the ladder towards the surface. As he climbed the ladder, he could hear the voice of the Demon in his head.

"Her soul… she speaks falsehoods to you. Triggering the Gala event will only hasten your death. She has no intention of releasing any of you." He communicated.

"I figured as much. But we either take our chances with her or face certain death. Choices are limited." Isaac returned.

"If we transform, we may be able to survive the collar's detonation. Of course, that is if we're relying on completing the transformation before the explosives in the collar are triggered." The Demon said.

"Too risky. If we bide our time, we might be able to stop her inside the resort." Isaac returned, pushing against the manhole cover. Isaac pulled himself out of the maintenance hatch, finding himself in the east side of the Villa. The cloud was beginning to roll in, Isaac's lungs already aching upon seeing the blood-red mist getting closer to his location.

"That cloud is blocking our only exit." The Demon said, seeing they were boxed in. Isaac nodded, knowing this wasn't going to pleasant.

"Any suggestions?" Isaac asked.

"Hold your breath and run as fast as you can…. And pray." The Demon instructed. Isaac took in as much breath as he could and began running into the cloud! While his lungs weren't being assaulted by the cloud, his skin was burning as if on fire, feeling his own blood being poisoned by the strange element! Isaac soon got himself out of the cloud, feeling his own legs give out from under him! Isaac's body was trembling, never before being exposed to such a high concentration of Cloud before!

"You need to get up! I sense those abominations nearing you! You need to get up!" The Demon shouted, trying to get Isaac to move! Isaac couldn't move, almost as if his muscles were unable to function. As he lied there, he saw a trio of Ghost People approach him, knives and spears in hand.

They cautiously approached him, prodding him with the blunt end of their spears. They saw that he was alive but noticed how he didn't fight back. The largest of their group picked him up, slinging him over its shoulder. One of the other Ghost People stuck a needle into Isaac's arm, causing Isaac to begin losing consciousness.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Sally. I… I failed you." Isaac muttered, feeling the world go dark around him. The collar on his neck began beeping, indicating the explosives were about to go off! The smallest Ghost person cut a few wires on the collar, disarming it. After giving a quick thumbs up to the larger Ghost person, they walked into the cloud, taking Isaac with him.

Sometime later:

Isaac's eyes slowly opened, finding himself looking up at a blank ceiling. A respirator was attached to his mouth, clean oxygen flowing freely. Isaac went to rub his face, soon noticing the explosive collar was removed from his neck! Isaac sat up, finding that he was truly still alive. He was in an old infirmary, outdated medical equipment strewn everywhere. Taking the respirator off, Isaac carefully got off the bed, walking to the door. Opening it, Isaac walked out, seeing five Ghost People on the other side, almost as if waiting for him!

Isaac took up a defensive stance, prepared to fight them! The one in the front of the group reached its hands to the fasteners on its neck, breaking the seal of its mask to the rest of the suit. It took it off, revealing himself as being a human, albeit heavily disfigured by exposure to the Cloud, his skin tarnished with Cloud residue.

"Glad to see you're awake. We would've attempted to communicate to you sooner but wearing these suits don't really allow us to communicate effectively." He explained, holding his mask to his side.

Isaac was dumbfounded, never realizing these 'Ghost People' were actually sentient people! Isaac rubbed his eyes, believing that he was dreaming! The other Ghost People removed their masks as well, revealing themselves as disfigured humans and Mobians.

"By the look on your face, I guess you wish to know what's been happening around here." He said, Isaac silently nodding. The man nodded, motioning for Isaac to follow him. They cut through the crowd of others, leading Isaac into another room, being a bunkroom full of lockers and bunkbeds. There were people without their suits, disfigurements, scars and tarnished skin making up their bodies. Some were not at disfigured as others, being recent additions to the 'Ghost People' of the villa. The man sat down on a bed, Isaac sitting down on a chair next to it.

"Everything you're seeing, the Villa, the blood-red cloud, it's all an illusion!" He stated. Isaac was confused, not seeing how the effects of everything around him could be faked to such a degree.

"The Iron Queen, Regina Ferrum, she's been pulling the strings since before she captured all of you! Everything you have experienced, the foul air, taste and smell, it has been all simulated through her tech and magic." He explained.

Isaac motioned for him to continue, wanting to know how this had all happened. The man took a breath, finding discomfort in how everything had fallen into place.

"It all started a few months ago. This strange echidna, Dr. Finitevus, he was somehow killed by Regina. A lucky shot if you ask me. But she had seen his potential. She removed his mind from his corpse, hooking it up to a machine! A machine capable of attaching to other people and sending both mind and soul into a world of her own design. An abomination of technology and magic! She wishes to unlock his knowledge and abilities to add to her own power!" He explained.

"What about all of you? Why are you all here?" Isaac asked.

"We were the poor unfortunate bastards who were either killed by Regina for being unwilling to cooperate or were killed from the blood-red cloud she designed to weaken us. Of course, while our bodies are dead, our souls and minds still live on inside her accursed machine! We've been trying to stop newcomers from getting into the resort to stop them from allowing Regina access to Dr. Finitevus' knowledge! There is something truly terrible Regina doesn't know, and if she gets her way, it will not only spell doom for her, but for everyone who has access to anything as insignificant as a phone or computer!" He explained.

"And that would be?" Isaac asked.

"Finitevus… he lives on inside this machine! His consciousness lives on inside of the vault that Regina wishes to access! Not only will he escape, but he will most likely transfer himself into the body of whomever is still attached to the machine! And I feel certain that he will choose you over everyone else!" He explained.

"Why me?" Isaac asked.

"From all of the people who have been sent into the machine, you are by far the most powerful. Finitevus will use your body to his advantage, decimating entire cities while using your body as a vessel! He needs to be silenced, as well as Regina!" He explained.

As soon as he had said that a few of the cursed dragged an empty hazmat suit for Isaac, a modified suit like the 'Ghost People', designed for a significantly taller Mobian. They undid the fasteners, opening the suit. Isaac got out of his seat, seeing eyes upon him. He looked to the man, who nodded, letting Isaac know it was for the best. Taking a few deep breathes, Isaac began putting the suit on, feeling it to be heavy and stiff. The mask was fixed to his face, the hood of the suit draping over his head. Isaac stood up straight, his vision tinted by the green lenses of the mask.

"As far as Regina is concerned with, you're dead. But we've been using your disabled collar to listen to the radio transmissions. The Gala event was triggered. Jack made it to his position. Right now, about eighty percent of us are headed to the resort to try to stop Regina from getting into that vault. But it may be up to you to stop the other three from getting killed. Regina won't likely let them live once they've used up their resourcefulness." He explained, before putting on his own mask, fastening it to the suit.

He motioned for Isaac to follow, quickly striding to the exit, grabbing a spear from near the door. Others in suits followed, grabbing other improvised weaponry to help stop Regina Ferrum from releasing Dr. Finitevus and possibly dooming all of Mobius! They all began climbing the ladder through an old maintenance hatch, the Cloud having a condensed presence here. Isaac felt no ill effects to the Cloud this time, the suit protecting him from succumbing to its' effects. the lead person opening a manhole cover, being right outside of the resort. 'Ghost People' began emerging in the dozens from the old tunnels, swarming into the resort's open doors! Isaac followed closely, finding the inside of the resort to be pristine, a large reception desk in the center, elevators and a staircase to the left of it.

"I sense the others nearby. King is in the kitchen on the second floor, Jack is in the canteen on the first, and Kiara is in the hotel rooms on the third. We must get to them first before the others, Isaac. I highly doubt bloodshed will be avoidable if we aren't the first ones to find them." The Demon informed, Isaac lumbering as fast as he could to Jack, him being the closest!

Isaac burst through the doors to the canteen, a .357 caliber sized hole appearing next to his head! Jack was behind the bar, his hands trembling, bottles of liquor organized behind him. Isaac raised his hands, showing he meant no harm to Jack. Jack was confused by this, never before seeing a Ghost Person surrender. Isaac undid the fasteners to his mask, taking it off of himself, revealing himself to be alive.

"Holy shit! You're still alive?!" Jack exclaimed, not knowing how that was possible. Jack noticed he didn't have a collar on anymore, free from Regina Ferrum's hold.

"How did you get your collar off?" Jack asked, seeing that it would be impossible. Isaac stepped aside, revealing one of the Ghost People that disarmed his collar. Jack quickly became defensive, aiming his gun at him! Isaac stepped forward, showing that the 'Ghost People' weren't going to hurt him. After massive reluctance, Jack allowed him to near, deftly disarming his collar with a pair of pliers. After it was removed, Jack rubbed his neck, finally feeling a massive weight off of his shoulders.

"King and Kiara are in danger. Regina's going after the vault. If she opens it, the world will be in great danger!" Isaac explained. Jack nodded, holstering his pistol.

"King said something about getting a bite to eat. He'll probably be in the kitchen." Jack said, walking towards the door.

Second floor: Kitchen

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" King shouted, keeping the 'Ghost People' at a distance with a wok! Isaac and Jack burst their way through, seeing the two unharmed by the surrounding 'enemies'.

"Mobian, you're alive?" King questioned, unsure how it was possible. One of the 'Ghost People' removed their mask, revealing herself to a human female. While her appearance was altered by the Cloud, King recognized her almost immediately!

"Katrina?! But… you're dead!" King said, confused how she could be standing before him.

"The people that wear these suits… we're all dead. As long as the Iron Queen keeps this place online, we can never find rest." Katrina explained, her voice reduced to a gravelly sound from constant exposure to the Cloud.

"Online? What are you talking about?" King asked.

"It's a long story. Jack's coming with us until Regina is taken care of. We'll explain everything while we're waiting. But I need you to trust us." She said, producing a pair of pliers. She quickly began working on his collar, swiftly disarming and removing it. King rubbed his neck, feeling the explosive hardware finally not restraining him from roaming freely. Isaac began heading towards the elevator that would take him to the third floor, but a quick exclamation from King stopped him.

"Isaac… kill that Iron bitch for me. Me, Jack, and Katrina!" King requested.

3rd Floor: Hotel Rooms

Isaac was kicking open doors, looking for Kiara. He didn't know why she was here, but one would guess that after a few weeks of sleeping in open areas that could be filled with the Cloud at any given time, a sealed hotel room would be a welcome change. Isaac soon found a door with a 'Do Not Disturb' sign hanging off of the doorknob. The door was locked, but the lock appeared to be fragile. Backing up, Isaac sent himself into the door, his foot breaking the door down! Kiara quickly snapped awake, herself being on a large bed, her rifle resting beside her. She quickly got out of bed, not wearing her boots or cloak. She aimed it at the door, before letting it rest, seeing that it was Isaac.

"Guess Regina wasn't kidding. You really are tough to kill." Kiara said, yawning.

"Especially when the 'Ghost People' aren't actually trying to kill me. Regina set us up. She's trying to access a vault to release an unspeakable evil!" Isaac explained.

"I'm well aware. Like I said, not the first time we triggered the Gala event. But this time, Regina is more vulnerable than ever before. She put herself into the machine to take your place. She's grown quite impatient." Kiara explained.

"You seem quite knowledgeable about all of this. Something tells me there's more to you than before." Isaac analyzed, Kiara nodding in agreement.

"My actual name is Wilmington. Special Agent Kiara Wilmington. I put myself into Regina's path to figure out what exactly she's been planning. Of course… something like this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. But if she releases Finitevus, all of Mobius will be in danger, not just the United Federation." Kiara explained.

"The Ghost People here are sentient. They already disarmed Jack and King's collars. They'll be able to help you." Isaac explained.

Kiara nodded, before her collar began beeping! Kiara quickly ripped the panel off of her collar, revealing the wires that connected to the plastic explosives! Recollecting how the other collars were disarmed, Isaac quickly ran up to the collar, using the tip of his machete to cut the wires in the order the other collars were disarmed. After cutting the red wire, the beeping stopped, the collar disarmed.

"Get to the lobby of the resort. I'm going to stop the Iron Queen before she gets to the vault." Isaac said, ripping the collar off of Kiara's neck.

"There's a maintenance elevator down the hall to the right. If my intel on Regina is correct, she'll attempt to outsmart you. But if you're the one in-between her and her objective, she may be more susceptible to influence. Just remember… that vault isn't only able to contain Finitevus. But if you see him, don't hesitate to stop him!" Kiara warned, before walking out of the hotel room towards the elevator to take her down to the lobby.

"If the echidna gets out of that vault, what's our chances of actually being able to stop him?" Isaac asked the Demon.

"Hmm, unable to use our powers effectively… slim-to-none." The Demon calculated. Isaac mentally cursed his luck, walking down the hallway to the maintenance elevator.

"Let's go save Mobius, I guess." Isaac said aloud, unsure of how he was going to do this.