When at last the descent into the antediluvian depths had ended, the harnesses were released and your small party were allowed to take their first steps unaided by themselves.

"A series of supply caches are being delivered to you to assist with the completion of this task." The Warden's garbled, mechanical voice echoed out from within the tube-like structures that had shunted you down the Boreholes. "Try to avoid being crushed." Sure enough, as soon as the voice had quietened, a soft rumbling could be heard, a series of similar looking devices deposited around you. "Firstly, life support." A soft red glow would shine out from the lower portion of the first of the drops to have arrived, and when approached steel shutters noisily cranked back to reveal bottles, boxes and pouches; similar to those that you might find in a child's lunchbox, but with a viscous, thick internal consistency when touched. "Water. Nutrient paste. Gas mask filters. The gas mask contains a small rubber tube that runs throughout its construction. Attach to the provided straws to consume the contents." The upper area would then open.

"Other pertinent pieces of equipment. Use sparingly, power is limited." Handheld torches, small knives better suited for fabric than flesh, and a single peculiar device that looked like a box with a microphone attached to a wire, if the microphone was a simple silver cylinder. A dial on the front of the device had a needle that currently bounced about on the lowest bounds, but there was only a series of numbers with no appropriate unit to measure those numbers in. There was also what appeared to be a medical kit, complete with a pale grey cross on the front and what appeared to be a small tablet, if said tablet had been crossed with a brick. Lastly, a blocky plastic carrier case held a series of test tubes and stoppers along with syringes of various sizes and a small set of nitrile gloves. "Various tasks will require the use of these. Protect them well. The medical case should be used to ensure a member of the team is fit to continue onwards. Remember, extraction is only avaliable in limited areas of the Borehole.

Then, another drop would open. There were no different compartments here, instead every one of the walls were covered in firearms. "Primary and secondary weapons are located near the bottom. They are designed for quiet and efficient removal of threats. Tertiary weapons are located at the top. They will bring more attention than they remove. Use for large, unavoidable conflict exclusively, ammunition is scarce." The lower bounds of the supply shuttle held eight sets of guns, four copies of two different models. The smaller gun had an elongated surpressor attached to it, and appeared to be bolt action, whilst the second was stubbier and the surpressor was much smaller. "The smaller gun utilises subsonic ammunition. Working the cycle is louder than firing it. Use only at point blank range, and only when a lethal first shot is guarenteed. The second gun is far more versatile." Then there was the 'tertiary' guns. A bullpup submachine gun, magazine fed shotgun, assault rifle and what appeared to be a squad automatic variant of the assault rifle, with an elongated barrel and a larger magazine. In addition, numerous blocks of a marzipan-looking substance had been stacked up, with what could only be detonators pushed inside. If you wanted firepower, this was where it was. Ammunition, unfortunately, seemed scarcer. Even the large squad automatic had a mere three magazines for it, whilst the smaller pistols had entire boxes for themselves. If a large fight was gotten into, it seemed that finishing it quickly was the priority.

"Lastly." The Warden's voice would crackle out. "Many have owed their lives to these tools." The final shuttle would open, and inside were four, identical, peculiar devices. They looked like the bastard child between an axe, a crowbar and a shovel, and it even had a serrated edge on one side for sawing through obstacles. Just below the crowbar bill there was also an elongated spike, allowing the weapon to slash and stab effectively. "Use them well. Your first task; find room Blue 5. It will be locked. The tablet will allow you to spoof access." There was a momentary pause. "Warden out."

With that, you were left to adequetly equip yourselves in silence. Apart from the occasional groans of metal around you the facility was dark and silent, only a few motes of thin light piercing through here and there. Lines traced the walls; red, yellow, blue, each running off in different directions along the unchanging steel of the walls.

Confusion. That was all Sam felt as he made his decent into the Borehole. Where was he? What was happening? The voice speaking to him didn't offer much explanation. What task was he supposed to be accomplishing here? Whatever it was sure seemed to involve a lot of supplies. He looked at the nutrient paste in disgust and reluctantly took it. That was gonna taste nasty. No doubt about that.

He took the other supplies offered to him, though he couldn't help but be a bit worried about what the syringes were for. What choice did he have really but to take them? He didn't even know what some of these things he was getting did. "I don't suppose you answer questions, do you?" he asked. Probably not. It was probably just a recording.

The next round of supplies terrified him. What the hell were they going to be facing that he was being offered so many firearms?! He grabbed a shotgun and a couple handguns and the ammo for them. The next object he was offered was unusual, to say the least, but certainly looked like something with many uses, including as a weapon. He took it and took a deep breath before finally looking around at the others there. "Does anyone here have any clue about what's going on?"

Aaron rubbed his wrists as the harness around him undid itself and he could step free from the armatures that had lowered them down into the depths. His breaths were deep and slow in the confines of his gas mask that he'd woken up in, although the rest of the suit didn't feel as uncomfortable. It calmed him, this ritual, and it was a holdover from somewhere, some time long ago.

He couldn't remember why or how, but it was like instinct. The sleep he'd had before waking up in a suit, trussed up like a turkey with a stuffy gas mask on his face was oddly calming and he didn't feel panic. Only a sense of grim unease and foreboding, tempered by some sort of willpower that he didn't really know he had or whose origins he understood.

Around him were his presumed companions, released from their own harnesses and left to their own devices. But then the Warden's voice boomed from above: a briefing, as it were. Bags of equipment and supplies ferried down from above to be distributed equally among themselves, which is what he did. His hands worked like they had a mind of their own, attaching pouches and boxes to the appropriate places on the vest he had, along with a knife on his left shoulder, handle outwards. But he took only what he deemed necessary for himself, leaving enough for the others to stock up based on their own needs.

Then came weaponry. There were enough of both sidearms to sufficiently arm himself and his three companions, so he took both the semi-auto and silenced pistol and shoved them roughly into holsters on his tactical rig; silenced on his thigh, semi-auto on his chest with the grip oriented towards his right side. And finally, he took the assault rifle. It sat very well in his arms and with a practised eye, he looked over his weapons; removing the magazine to check his round count, slapping it back into the weapon, chambering a round and performing a quick press check to make sure the round sat within the chamber.

Then a quick click of the safety to turn it on, before he continued with his sidearms. Methodical, slow and measured in his actions, it wasn't until he finished checking the ammunition and safety of the bolt-action pistol did he talk.

"No idea. But whatever it is, we do it or we die here. Alone."

She was a bit shaken up, though not entirely from fear. Cassidy took in her surroundings, trying to make out what little she could see with the limited lighting. Someone who would later refer to themselves as the Warden voiced instructions to her and the others who found themselves in the same predicament. The young woman did her best to listen, her gaze angled downward to concentrate and analyze everything he was saying. As the Warden went on, she picked off the supplies she would need for the tasks. What were the tasks for, exactly? That she didn't know, but she would find out in due time and so at that moment it was best to listen to the instructions and follow along.

The armament presented to them made her curious as to what exactly they'd be going up against. Cassidy reached for two of the handguns and made sure they were safely secured on her person. She then reached for the larger rifle, taking a moment to inspect it and try to familiarize herself with the weapon. What felt like a million thoughts were racing through her mind as she couldn't help but wonder just what the hell was going on. Even though she continued to organize her equipment, Cassidy wanted answers.

Blue 5

Cassidy hadn't been paying much attention to the others, but that would stop then. They were getting through the challenge they were up against, and they would do it together.

"I'm ready to go," she said, turning to the rest of them there.

The silence was deafening. When Cassidy's words had finished echoing, the group would be left in silence for a good few seconds, until from somewhere below them the groan of old metal would rumble out. The Borehole was clearly not the most stable of constructions. Torches swept through the gloom, disturbing only dust and long-rusted desks. Had this been an office complex? Or, more disturbingly, an educational facility? Who could tell? Past these, where the lines ran off to, there was a sign. B2. The blue line had encircled it, and then pressed on, forking off in a hallway and darting away both directions.

Neither of which looked particularly promising.

For a start, the entire area was pitch black, barring a single small spot where a thin light streamed down from some unknown location. Underneath this spotlight, a black, withered mossy plant had eked out a living, eating away at whatever scraps it could scour from the dust and dirt that lay in the decaying facility. A torch shone down that direction would show several more doorways and then another fork far at the end, whereas the other direction revealed itself to have but two. A choice would have to be made.

"Blue 5, huh? Well I suppose we should-"

And then one of the group, a taller, burly man, made a move and left the group, heading into the borehole without waiting for anyone else. Probably the worst thing he could do in a situation like this. Aaron swore, tightened the strap of his rifle and ran after.

"Hey! Wait!"

Once he'd caught up with the bigger man, he grabbed him by the shoulder and attempted to spin him around in a threatening manner. But the man was too burly and all he did was make himself stumble as the walking refrigerator tromped off into the darkness. More than a little pissed, he yelled at the vanishing figure.

"The fuck, man?! We're all stuck down here without a god damn clue of what's ahead of us, and you want to just waltz on ahead and get yourself killed by yourself?!"

The young woman had noticed she was the only female of the group. Did that mean something? And why her? These thoughts lingered in her head for a few moments as she fiddled with her equipment once more. Cassidy had slightly underestimated the combined weight of the gear. Not that she couldn't handle it, but the bulkiness made her feel a tad awkward, and that was not ideal in the event they needed to break into a sprint for whatever reason. If that were to occur, she was betting she'd be last.

In the midst of it all, however, the biggest one of the group decided to take off without addressing them at all. It seemed he was the silent type, or at least, that's what she pegged him for. Cassidy only hoped that he wouldn't be hard to work with, though at that point things weren't looking all that great.

It was then someone else intervened, but to no avail. There was the possibility of a fight for a moment, though that didn't happen and instead, the giant kept on walking as if none of them were also stuck in the same shitty situation as him. Not that there was an expectation for them all to suddenly become best friends, but a little cooperation would have been nice.

"Don't worry about it, apparently he couldn't care less about himself and neither should we."

Cassidy shook her head with a sigh. She may have said those words a little louder than she had intended, but that didn't bother her. However, the other guy's attitude was a different story. "Let's find this room, shall we?"

Sam took the time to check his weapons and ammo, making sure they were in good condition and that he was prepared for whatever was ahead. As he did this though, he listened as the others spoke. It seemed no one else had any more idea than he did of what was going on here, which wasn't comforting yet...kind of was at the same time. At least he wasn't alone in his confusion. He couldn't help but wish someone had answers though.

He watched as the burly man walked off and another attempted to stop him. He agreed that they needed to cooperate together. Hopefully that guy would realize that...before it was too late. "Let's get moving then. He's right. We need to stay together," he said as he followed.

The group was at a crossroads. If she was being honest with herself, Cassidy would undoubtedly go with her first pick. But she wasn't alone, therefore she had to take into consideration what the others wanted to do.

"Alright, so which way?"

The young woman took a step forward to place herself between the two paths. "We can go down this route as there seems to be more rooms. But that's just me, we make this decision together." Cassidy stood and waited for the others to chime in with each of their opinions as she looked over at the man who had caused the ruckus a moment ago. She had judged him too quickly, that much she could admit, though she was just glad he hadn't ran off.

Aaron followed along a few steps until the group reached the first junction. Obviously the first of many. The burly man he'd stopped earlier went ahead a few paces to shine his flashlight down each hallway to indicate the fork in the road and that a decision needed to be made. The other three people didn't seem to make concrete judgements, so Aaron stepped up to the plate.

"Let's check the left first. If nothing comes of it, we come back here and go the other way. Either way, let's try and follow that blue line on the wall."

At a slow and steady pace, Aaron took the lead, his silenced pistol now out and in one hand with his flashlight in the other. He pointed the firearm straight ahead and braced his flashlight-holding forearm underneath his right wrist, holding the light backhand to illuminate his path as he took the first few tentative steps into the hallway on the left.

Marty had watched in a fugue as everyone settled into their circumstance, pillaged through the caches that had fallen from above them, and began walking in the direction of the blue line. As he came to feel alone he let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and his mind started working. What is this? he thought, What did I do? ....Oh, God! He looked up on impulse and felt himself begin to pray, What does thou wish of me Oh Lord? What is thy test?

Resolutely, he walked over to the container with the nutrient pack and began to load what gear he could. There was a military issue duffle bag at the bottom of the crate under the blocky container of vials. Marty smiled, he felt a strong sense of familiarity see the duffle, Thank you Father, he prayed. Carefully he loaded the vials, the med kit, the rest of the nutrient paste, and the blocks of what he figured were c4 explosives. The device with the dial that didn't make any sense hooked to a carabiner clip on his belt. Checking the weight and fit he shouldered the pack and picked up his weapons. He attached the torch to the small machine gun and then holstered the handgun and the weird looking thing that had the silencer on it. Every weapon had it's place on his person, it was too perfect not to be intentional.

Feeling the duffle on his shoulders and a vest loaded up felt good, it felt familiar. Marty took a moment to acknowledge that he didn't know who he was, how he had gotten to this dark place, or what was going to happen; but oddly, he didn't feel afraid. Somehow, deep inside, he knew he believed in a righteous God, and if this was where he was then this is where he deserved to be. He took a steadying breath and marched towards the voices of the others, they hadn't gotten far. There was the short girl and the giant, and there was the handsome guy walking ahead of them following the blue line. Marty sucked on some of his nutrient paste from the straw in his visor and wordlessly followed from the back.

The one with more doors would be chosen. Other colours darted off this way as well, into the gloom and the darkness. Yellow, Red, Green. Each step taken was another towards their goal... Or, away from it. Perhaps both; maybe in this mismatched maze of corridoors and hallways even space itself fell prey to the Borehole. Blue 5 was their goal, and it lay somewhere in this place. R16. B3. B4. Y31. Then there was an open door, the blue line circling past a rusted sign. Through the door however, there was nothing. Up above, jagged metal and scorchmarks showed the passage of something large and sparking, and the floor of this area had collapsed through time and time again, leading to a vortex of black that swallowed up any hope their objective would be that easy.

They would need to descend, then, one way or another.

Marty took a few hesitant steps forward, using his weapon to point his flashlight into the bland darkness of the hallway. Nothing but doors and dusty colored lines, he thought, hopefully one of these leads to the room "Blue 5," I'm guessing the blue one. Father help us if the Warden is just messing with our heads.

The others had their back turned while Marty slipped by them through an open door, his breath echoing loudly behind his mask. Behind the door was a large room that felt colder than the hallway. Slowly Marty panned his light from left to right, there was nothing too see on the walls but more grey with colored lines. Marty would have turned to look in another room except for the massive gaping hole where there was supposed to be floor. Reluctantly he shined his light into the hole, the small L.E.D. flashlight only penetrated about 30 or 40 feet down which was just enough to illuminate the broken edges of some lower levels before getting swallowed up by the inky darkness. He then shifted to shine his light on the ceiling where he saw metal and concrete that looked jagged and blackened.

"Guys," Marty said out loud, still looking up, "I think something really big fell through here... at least, I hope it fell."

"I tend to follow instructions so we keep trailing the blue line. I don't really want to find out what happens if we don't complete our task because I don't think the Warden is someone we oughta be messing with."

They kept walking for a little while longer and eventually, Cassidy and the others reached the room with the open door. Purely out of curiosity, she followed one of them inside to take a closer look. The man was right, something had appeared to have fallen through. What, exactly? Who knew. After a moment, she then took another step forward and instantly regretted her decision. The young woman must have bumped her foot on something as she nearly fell forward into nothingness. Luckily, Cassidy caught herself, backing up until she hit the wall. At that point, her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. "Nope, fuck that, I'm not messing with what appears to be a black hole." Beads of sweat started to form on the surface of her skin. Cassidy was out of it momentarily until she eventually moved again, this time to head out into the hall once more.

"This is ridiculous! This place isn't safe, and we're supposed to wonder around, inches away from death while some idiot is playing god with our lives?"

It was unusual for Cassidy to take such tone of voice, but her words were a result of the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

"...yeah I'm gonna agree with that last one, lady."

Aaron moved forward and shined his flashlight down the hole, but the darkness within seemed to swallow up whatever light that shone from the LED within his flashlight. With a shake of his head, he stepped back from the edge of the hole and reattached the flashlight to the shoulder of his combat vest, before turning to address the rest of the motley crew.

"Options? Unless the rope we have is long enough to go down...however deep that hole goes. And I can go first, if anyone else isn't going to volunteer. Or maybe we could...go around?"

Aaron turned his light onto the edges of the hole ahead of them, trying to figure out if the blue line on the wall that they'd been following went past the crevice in the floor.

Marty began to pull the rope from his pack. "The blue line goes around this hole and I think that's where Blue 5 is." Marty stopped and looked at the others, "I think one of us has got to edge around the hole, tie a line to the other side, and the rest of us can shimmy across." Marty handed the rope the Aaron, "you wanna go pretty boy? You and the big guy are in the best shape," Marty smirked.