The jump from Earth to the Border World was a sensation that I was not expecting to be familiar with.
In an instant, I was thrust straight into a tunnel of blinding light that flashed and cascaded with an endless array of colours. My body no longer existed in a conventional way permitted by a corporeal existence. I, in essence, was reduced to a temporary fluid presence that mixed and eddied within the maelstrom of this dimensional transition.
The vortigaunts explained this to me as the "raft"; this was the pore in the concrete; this was how one can infiltrate another corporeal realm adjacent to the previous. I had been caught up in this stream once before in my universe, before getting waywardly stranded on Earth in its given universe. While overwhelmed and maintaining a reliable hold on my awareness, I did not feel so scared during this transition. Perhaps my endeavours to grow my vortal vitality provided me with shared endurance possessed by each vortigaunt across the dimensions after fleeing their home.
As quickly as the intensity of our leap began, our landing arrived just as suddenly. It felt like the stream would go on for an eternity and then some, and in a dual sense it did. We just happened to reach the end of it in an instant―or at least that's how our reassembled bodies were able to register it as.
With a matter-breaking shudder and a splash of dissipating light, Adrian and I suddenly found ourselves standing on a brand-new metal platform in a completely new environment to the Arbieit #1 teleporter chamber. It was a very dark one with no illumination aside from the light generated by the teleporter platform. Shephard and I arrived at the end point still standing as stiffly as we did before we were consumed by that rifting energy, but our minds were dazed and very dizzy, so much so we both unconsciously fell to our knees at once.
"Ho…ly…cano…li…" Shephard garbled through the crisp receiver in my helmet, indirectly confirming that our suits' comm links were still operational.
While the initial post-arrival nausea was incredibly debilitating for both of us, it wore off remarkably quickly. I took note of my immediate visuals, regarding that the blue icons inside my helmet's display were one of the only things visible, forcing me to lift my head for me to discover that our new environment was completely dark and devoid of life―confirming so after an impulsive telepathic sweep of the area. Shephard and I were alone, but I wasn't convinced that we were safe.
"Sheeesus…it's really coming back to me now…" Shepherd groaned some more as he lifted one leg forward, now on one knee while holding his helmeted head.
"Are you all right, Adrian?" I wondered, still rather foggy in my mind, but rapidly recovering.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm still functioning. So far. You okay?"
"Stupendous," I replied, making an effort to stand up, though I was a little wobbly and took greater effort not to topple backward―really putting my tail to good use in keeping me balanced. After another short moment of steadying ourselves on our two feet, Shephard and I began to examine our new surroundings. Shephard switched on his suit's flashlight and inspired me to do the same.
Revealed to us was an abandoned laboratory of sorts. The room was relatively spacious to accommodate the teleporter (which was notably smaller than the one in Arbeit #1 from what we could make out with little light) with white metal walls and support beams holding up the rounded ceiling. There were counters and tables along the walls, filled with all kinds of fixed and loose equipment, and loose scraps of paper lying around on the floor.
"Huh…" Shephard contemplated as he looked around, forced to turn his body to shine his light. "Looks like nobody's home."
"It would appear so," I replied, examining my end of the room with my beam. Even though my suit and helmet had a built-in air filtration system; I wasn't able to accurately smell my environment like I normally rely on when surveying a new environment, but I was equipped with a nifty air-quality metre in its place, which was prominently displayed on my visor. The air quality was assessed to be clean and one-hundred percent breathable.
"Shephard, what does your air meter say?" I asked for confirmation as we both took our first tentative steps off the platform and onto an admittedly cute little welcome mat placed just before it.
"Says it's clean, but I'm inclined to keep my helmet on for the time being," he stated. "Better map out our surroundings before we start thinking of loosening up."
"I agree."
Shephard and I began to explore this room more thoroughly, getting a good look at everything left behind. I came across several whiteboards filled with all kinds of condensed notes and a few cheeky doodles. I got an eerie feeling looking at these notes; they looked like they were just jotted the other day, but I sensed that it had been a long time since they were.
"I don't think anybody's been home for a long time," Shephard declared, echoing my thoughts. "When do you think the last time someone's been in here?"
"When Arbeit shut itself down, most likely," I said, wiping my gloved hand on the cold metal table to discover that a lot of dust had accumulated after wiping some up. "That was when the Combine appeared."
"Over twenty years," Shephard deduced, coming to a rather dismal truth. "If there was anyone still on this end of the gate by the time it closed, I don't know the chances of anyone holding it out here for very long."
"We'll just have to see, I suppose," I said, trying to be a little hopeful, though not exactly sure about what. A little optimism of any kind went a long way in this clearly dead environment we found ourselves in. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much to go off of here.
The power was obviously down in the facility, though the teleporter was the only thing that could be operated independently from a shared grid. The small strips of blue lights emanating from its platform were on, providing the only source of light aside from the lights shining from our suits. The teleporter was explained by Doctor Mofuni and Rod to be powered by xenium crystal decay, which was not only vital for conducting portal energy, but yielded a half-life of more than ten-thousand years.
Shephard and I had to count our lucky stars that our only way back to Earth was the only thing still functional and kept in working order. We had to hope that it could remain that way until we returned after completing our mission. After taking one last tentative survey of this depot area, we began to explore the sections of this station as Shephard took an impulsive lead.
We followed a narrow hall that had a bundle of spiral tubing running along the ceiling, which consisted of ringed metal frames that held up a dense tarp that draped over on all sides until we reached the next section of this station, similar to a fumigation tent. Shephard held his rifle at a cautious ready as he shined his light with his aim, while my light could only light up his backside as I moved close behind him. Now was when I really began to know what it felt like to be almost twice my own size after donning my AES.
"Can you sense anything around here?" Shephard asked through our comm.
"Nothing so far," I replied as my sleeved tail hung low to the ground. "But continue treading lightly. Something could always come across us."
"I hear ya, partner," Shephard said, rounding the next tight corner before gesturing that I stop so that he could be the first to breach the new room. I found him asserting his old role as squad leader to be both endearing and encouraging because it meant that he was a reliable force looking out for me. After tackling obstacles alone for most of my life, it was refreshing to have a capable confidant watching my back. I obliged his command and let him take a peek in the next room, fully stepping out once he saw no immediate threat.
"Hello?" he called out anyway, sounding friendly enough, but he held his M4 at the ready. "Anybody home?"
Predictably, not a whisper answered him.
I stepped in after him after he gave another hand gesture.
Shining my ab light around as I stepped up next to my mutually-armoured friend, I saw lines of large yellow flexible tubes running across the ceiling to presumably other subsections of the outpost. Wires were laid across the floor with mats covering them so one wouldn't trip on them, and various equipment made for what looked like sample collecting and excavation were strewn around the many tables spaced around the canopied walls of the room. Boxy inactive monitors were hanging from a few of the frames over some tables, and numerous supply crates bearing the Aperture Laboratories logo could be seen stacked up in various sections of the room.
Much as the case with what we saw in the previous room, there was no power on anywhere. It was nearly pitch black with the faintest glows seeping through the dense canopy walls and ceiling, suggesting an illuminated environment outside. It had been well-anticipated before coming here that the outpost was abandoned, but I would have assumed that the place would bear signs of…well…struggle if the stranded survey team lost their minds having been cut off from their dimension.
"I don't think we'll be seeing anybody in here, Shephard," I wagered grimly, looking around the room―turning my torso to cast my light.
"Looks like it," Shephard agreed, gradually lowering his weapon at rest. "Dead as a doornail. I reckon we're the first ones to set foot in here since the tether was cut. I guess this kind of sullies the hope of finding survivors."
"Perhaps they moved on," I guessed as we both ventured forward into this new area. "There are other outposts out there; Doctor Mofuni said they're along the path to the Xen relay station."
"Yeah. I remember," Shephard said, shining his light on more whiteboards, which were filled with more notes next to diagrams of captured alien specimens―a vaguely amphibious-looking one from the looks of it. "We were also briefed that the Xenian terrain was…'itinerant'. There's a chance that the way to the relay station floated away years ago, along with our hopes of reestablishment."
"Well, we won't know for sure so long as we remain wandering these desolate confines," I said, trying to remain hopeful. "We need to find a way out of here and get on our way. I'm partial to getting our job done as quickly as possible."
"Affirmative," Shephard agreed wholeheartedly. "Alls we gotta do is find the exit. Shouldn't take long."
Adrian was correct. After a few more minutes of exploring the remains of the outpost, I came across a small assortment of signs at the end of the room where two different halls branched off. The one to the right read Medbay and Examination, and the one to the left read Kansas Airlock. Finding that a promising sign, I waved Shephard over to follow me down the enticing hall, which was still rather narrow with just enough room to walk through.
We soon emerged onto another room filled with industrial shelving and heavy branded metal crates, though a few had been knocked over with their contents spilled out―consisting mostly of spools of steel cable and electrical wires. There were also familiar-looking docking bays for AES suits along the canopied walls, but they were all vacant. Moving around the relative clutter of this environment, we arrived at an encouraging metal door that was housed within a white metal buckyball-like structure.
There were bright yellow warning signs plastered around the door that forewarned hazardous wildlife and geography beyond this point. There was a sign that stated the requirement of wearing a suit before venturing outside, making sure it was fully charged, and another sign reminding all survey members to pack plenty of spare ammunition, and encouraged if you had a spare sample bag, you could use that to carry ammunition as well.
"Looks like we found our exit," Shephard stated, now certain that our path was clear.
"It would seem so," I added, studying the signs carefully. While I did, Shephard motioned past me towards the door to look more closely at it. It had two handlebars on it and looked quite weighty. There was also a small viewing window on it, though what lay beyond the door was shrouded in darkness.
"Okay. Looks like you just pull it with both hands," Shephard deduced, setting his rifle against the tarped wall. "Don't really see a knob or a latch on of any kind. A little weird for an airlock door by my assessment."
"There's a knob right here, just off to the side of the door," I said, pointing to it along with a shine of my light, drawing Shephard's attention to it.
"Looks like an egg timer," Shephard noted, returning his attention to the door again. "Well, it won't hurt to try to get it open. You ready?"
"I am," I said, taking one step back.
Shephard grabbed the two handles on the door and began to pull, though nothing came of it. He more firmly positioned his feet and pulled back even harder, but the door still wouldn't budge. Favouring working smarter and not harder, Shephard withdrew his strength and stepped away from the door.
"Damn. That's locked up tight," he lamented. "Wonder how we're supposed to open this?"
"Perhaps this is a powered door?" I pondered, wanting to put my hand to my chin thoughtfully, but my helmet prohibited me. "I'm betting that dial contraption there is the locking mechanism."
Shephard took another look at that dial and walked over to it. He grabbed it and tried twisting it in both directions for a moment, but it was as inert as the door. "Figures," he grumbled, pulling his arm away. "I guess we'll need power to work the powered door. Haven't seen too much of that around here…"
We both thought about our dilemma for a short moment, pondering on how we would get that door open. I had a feeling that tearing our way through the tented structure of this room wouldn't be much use given the lack of wind, suggesting an enclosed environment outside. That just left us with the only option of trying to get the power restored, and it didn't take me long to find our first potential clue in pulling that off.
Having been found in numerous situations identical to this before, Shephard spotted the lead around the same time I did, and our eyes followed a cheeky little cable coming out from the door frame as it ran up along the ceiling and back down the corridor we came from, joining up with the track of tubes and wires but made distinct by its blue colour. We both looked to each other after we arrived at the same conclusion, figuratively and literally.
"Well, how about we backtrack a bit and see if that wire's important?" Shephard suggested.
"You've read my mind," I complied, shifting my balance to my other leg. Even though I couldn't see Shephard's face through his visor all that well, I could practically hear his smile.
We traced the blue wire running along the ceiling back down the hall from where we came and back down across the large room.
It led me and Shephard down another narrow hall to a room that was labelled as the Breaker and Synchronisation room. Very much a promising-sounding destination if one had the desire to reactivate this base's power. I was a little bemused with myself that I hadn't noticed this branch until now.
The new room wasn't as big as the presumed main one we just came from, but it housed a slew of sophisticated-looking equipment. There were large mechanical arms on a few racks with pincers on the end, which were most likely used for sample collecting. There were these devices placed on metal circuit ports on the end of the room called "Zero-Point Energy Acquisition Svengalis", which looked something like one would see at the end of a firehose with three concaved antennae on the end.
There was a large assortment of other equipment of interest in this room, but the only thing of any immediate interest to us was the large hexagonal port in the middle of the wall to our right. The wires that had been running along the ceiling found their way there just behind the base of it, bundled up with ties to not risk tangling at the ports. Our important blue wire was hooked up to this large mysterious module; me and Shephard both got the inkling that something important was missing from this equation: a power source.
It looked like something was meant to be plugged or placed into the hexagonal space on top of the module, and the little four spokes placed around inside it suggested it was meant to hold something in place. We immediately began looking for a battery of some kind, sweeping the whole room for anything resembling such. When we couldn't find anything that looked helpful, we returned to the module and discovered a set of instructions, which highlighted the implementation of a Xenium crystal, and such an object was nowhere to be found.
I would have settled on finding another way out if Shephard had not recalled seeing a few crates in the teleporter room that said they contained such specimens, so we backtracked a little further to retrieve the potential power source. Shephard did remember correctly, there were indeed a few green metal crates that were labelled to contain pure Xenium crystals. They must have been loading them up near the teleporter to be brought back to Earth before all connections were abruptly severed.
After cracking open one of the crates with a bit of effort, Shephard gingerly pulled out a dense crystalline object that was lying in a bed of what Shephard said were called "packing peanuts". It was a truly dazzling piece of crystal; it was similar in structure to a quartz and was no bigger than the average mammalian baby, and it also had a captivating orange sheen that made it glow from the rays shining from our suits, subsequently making the room sparkle with refracted orange light.
With nothing else to work with aside from what we found in that crate, Shephard carried the little treasure back to the room with the module. The crystal looked like it could fit snuggly in between those spokes, so that was Shephard's first tactic, and it turned out to be the correct one. All he had to do was simply plant the flattened end of the crystal directly on top of the hexagonal surface and the spokes immediately began to directly draw energy from it, making the crystal glow a bright orange.
As the room illuminated with the orange glow, the whirring sound of old but functional machinery began to churn to life, and before we knew it, the once dark light fixtures placed around the frames holding up the tarped ceiling flickered to life amidst the hum of this newly revived generator as it drew continuous power from the crystal. We both found equal elation upon being greeted with this outcome. After looking around at his apparent handiwork, Shephard looked to me, where I could see his eyes more clearly now that the lights were on―though the visor was still quite tinted.
"Ah. That's more like it," he said, placing his hands on his hips and nodding around in accomplishment.
"Quite so," I agreed. "I'm quite partial to visibility."
"Aren't we all?" Shephard said, switching his suit's light to off as I did the same. Looking over to the now power-generating crystal, Shephard added, "Looks like they may have built their whole power grid around these charged hunks of jolly ranchers. I wonder who would take it off if it's running everything?"
"You're guess is as good as mine," I admitted, though a dreary idea did cross my mind after I said this. "Perhaps the activity in here drew too much attention from the local wildlife. Doctor Mofuni said that there weren't many docile creatures in this realm."
Shephard looked at me a little quizzically, tilting his helmeted head a couple of degrees. "You sound like you've seen that happen before," he said, quite perceptive for someone who currently only heard me through a crisp but somewhat raspy comm. We began making our way back to the Kansas Airlock.
"The numerous beasts of Fortuna did not take kindly to some of the researchers mapping out their landscapes," I explained, citing one of my many identical experiences when I lived in solitude on Fortuna. "The creatures had high sensitivity, particularly in air vibrations, and much of the equipment Cornerian survey teams used disrupted in semi-rare occasions to the point where they became aggressive towards them."
"Hmm," Shephard recognised, following behind me on our way back to the airlock. "I guess we can't rule anything out while we're here, but I am leaning towards the idea that the power might have been cut for a reason. I'm hoping we don't find out what that reason was."
"And just as well, let's pray that this elusive reason does not threaten our only way home by the time we return," I added.
'Assuming we do…' Shephard thought to himself a little anxiously. He seemed to have forgotten I could pick up on telepathic ticks like that, though I withheld thinking my rebuttal back to him. It didn't seem like my place to rebuke his lingering fears regarding the alluded dangers of this realm when I also had them within me.