Chapter 9: The Bottom of the World
Outer Heaven's pyro expert made his way to Building 3 with Ellen Madnar hung over his shoulder, accompanied by four soldiers who had joined him in Building 2. Between the flame trooper's gas mask and the standard black balaclavas that covered all but the eyes of Outer Heaven's soldiers, it was a haunting, faceless group that strode in formation into the daylight. Exiting Building 2, the group entered a courtyard, Outer Heaven's third building towering ahead of them. As they continued, however, the soldier in the back left of the four-top formation caught movement in his periphery.
The group was on the middle road between rows and rows of tall, concrete buildings, easily mistakable for elaborate supply houses, only the doors opened up for women, children and men, all clothed in olive fatigues, some even wearing masks like the guards. The families surrounded the road and began clapping their hands, applauding the Flame Trooper. The back left soldier's eyes looked to the others in formation. Only the shorter one to his right, the woman, looked at all phased by the response, the rest carried on. This was normal for them. It was a hero's welcome.
Was this the "Heaven" the fortress sought to be? The prisoners being sold a vision to join–was this it? A gated community of militaristic brutalism–Not the white picket fence, but the tall brick wall, the one protected by a death machine and armed guards, that would fight anything, the whole world, if need be, to protect it?
From what the soldiers could see, the children, in their olive fatigues–their vocation already decided–seemed well-fed and in good health. Their bright grins may have been wider than their parents, unphased by the war that showed on every face of the adults, but the eyes, the eyes, no matter the age, no matter the gender, no matter the race, radiated a warmth that could only bloom from contentment. The siege in the prison had either not made it to them, or they had full faith it would be dealt with, and that their heaven would not be breached.
The applause continued even as the group exited the neighborhood and entered into the lobby of Building 3. They mounted the building's service elevator and descended to the lowest sub-basement, the sounds of celebration disappearing behind the sliding steel doors of the elevator. They stood, ordered and without dialogue, on the long ride that brought them lower and lower and lower beneath the surface of the earth until the lift finally opened to the bottom of the world–dim, brick-laid tunnels lined by steel and artificially lit by bright cool beams.
A door to the left of the elevator was the destination for the group. It slid open to one of Outer Heaven's many impromptu prisons, this one housing Schneider and a man with dark brown hair and a thick beard, both on their knees in ragged fatigues stripped of all equipment. Behind, stood two hulking cold figures of steel with red lights emanating from the cavities of their metal skulls that would otherwise host eyes. Between them, was a masked guard, who seemed excessively at attention to man his post in their presence.
"HQ ordered the transfer of a prisoner here," The flame trooper bellowed.
"They did?" The guard seemed confused. The quarters were already quite full with five. The guard caught himself, however, "Of course, sir."
The flame trooper threw Ellen off of his shoulder and landed her between the two prisoners, turned, and left the room. Exiting out to the main hall, the door slid closed behind him, and he found that two of his battalion were dead on the floor and the other two aimed their rifles at his helmet.
The flame trooper scoffed, "So, that is how it's going to be," He shot his flamethrower upward, the flames boucing off the stone ceiling and falling from the stone to rain upon the soldiers before either could pull their trigger. The traitorous soldiers lept out of the way of the fire, rolling to take aim at the flame trooper again. The trooper fired his flame at the same time the soldiers shot their bullets. One of the soldiers fell on the ground, rolling and screaming from fire as the trooper grabbed at the bleeding tears at the front of his suit from the bullets. The door slid open behind the trooper, the two metallic beings marching with inhuman strides to perform their primary programming.
The soldier who had avoided the flame unpinned three grenades and sent them rolling to the approaching feet of the striding steel weapons. Leaping for cover, the soldier covered their head as an explosion erupted in the hallway. One of the androids fell to the floor, continuing its approach by crawling in lieu of its legs, its robotic fingers screeching against the stone as it clawed its way forward. The other was unscathed and quickly outpaced its partner.
Fire freshly put out, the burnt soldier gathered themselves to their feet, shooting at the unscathed machine. It turned without hesitation to approach them. The burnt soldier circled the room leading a chase with the android until it was by the flame trooper, who used all of his strength to raise his flamethrower ashis offhand attempted in vain to stop his bleeding. Before the trooper could fire, the burnt soldier raised their rifle and delivered a burst of bullets aimed, not at the trooper, but at his fuel tank.
There was a high whistle that came from the tank. The flame trooper had only enough time before the next bullet arrived to look down at his tank and utter one final, "Oh no–"
The burnt soldier was sent flying backward by an explosion of flame and debris. They raised up from the ground and turned around to find the other soldier beating the legless android with the butt of their rifle, smashing it in the head, over and over again, until finally the metallic skull caved and spewed wires, gears and all of the machine's mechanical gray matter across the floor.
Snake pulled his charred mask off of his head. He had managed to put out the fire before it had burned through his skin, but it had still managed to eat away shoulder and collar, as well as blackening patches all across his stolen fatigues. Jennifer also tore her mask off, her shoulder lengthed, pale brown hair spilling down her shoulders behind her headband. She propped herself up on her hands as she sat on the floor. She gritted her teeth, sucking in sharp breaths. It wasn't until Snake had closed in beside her that he noticed the android had gripped its hand around her ankle, and the hand had died with its clenched fist biting into her flesh with its steel.
Snake reached into his equipment to produce his medical kit as Jennifer attempted to alleviate her pain with a nervous laugh.
"Oh," She breathed, "The TX-11s. God, I'm glad they only built two. They wanted to mass produce these."
"Well," Snake began removing the steel out of Jennifer's leg, one finger at a time, "We're not going to let that happen."
Jennifer let out a reserved cry of pain before another laugh, "Here's hoping."
Moving as quickly and precisely as possible, Snake treated Jennifer's wound, bandaging her ankle, and helping her to her feet. He steadied her, and two inched their way, their rifles in the free hands that weren't holding onto one another, back to the prison door.
It slid open once more, and within the room, the remaining guard held Ellen around the neck, his rifle hanging loose at his side as he held his pistol to her head.
"Don't move," He cried, "I will kill her. I will blow her brains out if you take another step."
Schneider grunted and cursed as he kneeled beside them, realizing what needed to be done. He hurled his body up and over and shouldered the guard and Ellen, disconnecting them. The guard cursed and fired a shot before he was eliminated by Snake and Jennifer's rifle. The leader of the Galzburg resistance fell to the ground.
"Oh God–Schneider," Jennifer parted from Snake and limped to him. She drew her knife and cut him free, as Snake did for the other man and for Ellen. They all joined Jennifer in examining Schneider, and the pool of blood at his side.
"Good to see you again, Jennifer," He breathed.
Jennifer got out her medical supplies, "Damnit Schneider. We need you."
"I'll be alright," He wheezed, "Just… It's Venom… I saw him… He's…"
"Save your strength," Jennifer dressed his wound, "We've got to get him out of here."
"Alright, You head for the elevator, I'll head for the Hangar," Snake said.
Once Jennifer had finished with Schneider, she gathered herself to her feet and hugged her brother.
Mark, elated and with gratitude, whispered to his sister, "You shouldn't have come for me."
His sister responded, "Shut up."
Mark continued to support Jennifer's balance as he released her and spoke to Snake, "You're not thinking of going there alone."
Snake shrugged, "Jennifer and Schneider need help. They'll only slow me down. You all need to get out of here."
"My father built that machine. Any blood it spills is on the hands of my family, now for generations to come," Ellen picked up the guard's rifle, cocking it. "I'll go," She hovered the barrel between the three. She spoke in cold fact, "I will kill whoever tries to stop me."
After a moment, Jennifer broke the silence, "Snake," She shrugged, "I'm not going to try and stop her."
"Alright," Snake sighed, "The three of you get out of here. Miss Madnar, you're with me."
Ellen nodded and swung the strap of the rifle over her shoulder.
As Snake helped Schneider from the floor, He quietly moaned, "No… No… We… We have to…" but he wasn't able to form the complete thought as the five made their way out of the room and the short distance to the elevator.
Then Schneider grew more coherent, mustering up all of his strength as he pointed to the surveillance camera of the corridor, "I built this place. It's full of traps. They can see us. They won't let you get to the hangar. Snake, run."
The elevator door opened, and Schneider shoved Snake and Ellen away to the left and Mark and Jennifer forward into the lift just before a trap door opened beneath him. Mark and Jennifer leapt forward, grabbing Schneider before he could fall into the black abyss that laid beneath the floor.
As his feet hung over certain doom, Schneider screamed at the top of his lungs, "Run!"
Snake and Ellen leapt to their feet, sprinting down the hallway as each square of the floor gave way just behind them, dropping and dropping. They had just left the elevator corridor behind when dust exploded from the weathered mechanisms that began lowering the ceiling, spikes sliding from their diamond sheaths pointing down upon them. They turned the corner–another hallway, they turned again–another. Damn–when would it end? They lowered their heads, ducking beneath the spikes and sprinting at a crouch. They turned again–another hallway–it was long, but there was an end–an opening! Ellen and Snake ran, hunched down–they couldn't afford to crawl now, they had to make it, make it before they ran out of space. It was getting closer, but they were out of room, there was only one shot. They dove, simultaneously, sliding to the end of the tunnel. Ellen cleared the dive into the clearing, but Snake stopped just short–by God the spikes–here they came! Snake shifted to his side rolling the last half-yard of the hall, the spikes cutting into his arm and shredding through his sleeve as he pulled himself through to the other side just as the stone jaws of the hall closed tight.