[IC] Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

[WhiteAngel25]

Annalise barely registered all that happened within those moments before the white light. Her ears were still ringing from the screeching of her protein bar-turned-mutated flesh. She slowly turned her head to take in the scene, blinking her eyes to see a giant man trying to eat Researcher Jay, followed by a knocked-out Nick being carried, or more like dragged, by Cosette. Suddenly, Nova called out for Nick to grab Cosette and then shot an arrow from her bow.

Anna winced as she heard the giant man scream in pain and then just as she predicted before the light, everything began to dissolve away that wasn't on their person. She frowned as a slow clap echoed over an intercom, causing her to sigh, and roll her eyes. The young woman looked at her guardian. "Told you this was a simulation," she spoke with annoyance as she crossed her arms.

She glanced at Toren and noticed that the young man was back to almost normal. Anna knew that Von Galloes tinkered with means beyond what was right. It was clear by Toren's expression that the mad scientist was on his hit list. She was glad that Toren was okay overall. Annalise understood having to share a body with a created monster by Von Galloes, no one should have to experience that pain.

The sound of the door opening at the end of the white room. "I trust that stairway as much as a fat kid trusts a salad," Annalise quipped and made eye contact with Nova, causing her to blush softly. "I'm just saying that we should be careful if we choose to go that way. It also seems that we don't have a choice as it is the only way out so far," she added as she bit her bottom lip softly, embarrassed that she let her thoughts voice themselves.

[Days]

Caana

Once more, her aim was impeccable despite the nerves causing small tremors in her body. Her hand reached for another arrow as she witnessed the explosive result of her decision. She shielded her eyes, the second compact arrow still in her palm as the ground platform they were on shook beneath her. Not at the impact, but at the shrieking of the being, who definitely was affected by Nova's hit. She just hoped it wouldn't piss it off. Sucking in a breath, Nova ran once more, toward Cosette and the dropped Jay. If the being was to retaliate, Nova wouldn't damn allow it.

She shot a glance over her shoulder toward the group she had departed from, noticing Nick's form still on the ground. He hadn't gotten up after her shout for him to go for Cosette, and Nova knew that she meant a lot to him. Was he...? The man from the slab was beside him, curiously looking at the scene. The scientist shook her head, she'd have to check on him after she got to Cosette first, her speed already closing the distance between her and the curly-haired girl on the cold stone. The being shrieked, and Nova's heart thumped loudly as if she didn't watch him. It felt like running up the stairs after you'd just turned off the lights. She slid to a stop in between the two girls, almost losing her balance as her momentum wanted her body to keep going. She regained her footing and tried to shield the unconscious Cosette from the crumbling being, her eyes shooting to Jay to check if she was even still alive.

How had this gone so wrong, so fast?

Her laboured breathing rattled softly as she lowered hovered over Cosette, her hand moving aside the hair covering her face. It seemed she was alright, at least from what Nova could see and what the metrics in her eye were telling her. The awful sound of the large being died down, and Nova looked up as he disintegrated in front of them. A relieved sigh pulled from her chest but something in her told her that it wasn't over. God, if Kai knew what she and Annalise had gotten themselves into? She knew he was already worried. Biting her lip, she shook the thought of her husband from her mind, trying to figure out what to do next. Her eyes went back to Annalise to check if she was alright, relieved to see that she was. Before any of them could act, it was the crackle of a speaker that demanded their attention but evaded the deaf woman's attention.

She frowned, sitting with her knees on the ground in between Cosette and Jay, her neck craning as a sudden voice vibrated in her very sternum, the words being spoken visibly in her retina, but the man's tone and grating arrogance was something even Nova could hear. Von Galloes. That was fucking it. That was the damn breaking point for Nova's composure. Her hands moved under Cosette, and she lifted her up into her arms, groaning a little at the strength it took.

A gasp and a surprised flap of wings beside her alerted Nova to the awakening of Jay. Good, at the very least, that was a good start. Now they needed to get out of here. As Von kept going, Nova walked Cosete back toward Nick, Annalise and the man from the slab. Just as she arrived, the raging asshole addressed her directly. She carefully put Cosette down next to Nick before she rose, her head snapping upward to try and look into the coward's face. "You fucking cunt. Didn't you cause enough misery yet?" the researcher complained, her voice laced with annoyance and anger before she flickered her eyes back to Annalise, her features softening a little. She didn't want to be this way around the girl she was supposed to be some type of example and guardian for. Jay called at the chaos-causer, too, and Nova heard the astute Annalise confirm their situation.

Nova hated how Von Galloes pressed her points. She, an expert on CDE, was completely baffled about this site and he damn knew it, and enjoyed it, too. It didn't help Nova not feeling like a failure, which was becoming an increasingly more permanent fixture in her life. She couldn't find Stella. She couldn't fully figure out the heart of hearts and she couldn't figure out the instability in this facility. And God did she hate that man. Paris a year ago was still too fresh, too raw, and now he just fueled the rage she felt bubbling under her surface. She reconnected the bow to her back before reaching for the holster on her thigh, lifting out her gun as Annalise spoke quickly and without filter, making the guarding blink. She gave her an encouraging smile. "Yeah. If there's anything we know, it's that we can't trust this bastard." But Nova wanted to give him a piece of her damn mind. And being familiar with his antics meant that the door was the only way. But she didn't want to leave Cosette and Nick.

She clicked off the safety from her gun, her eyes steeling as she looked at the odd mix of companions. To Annalise, she spoke first. "I know I say it often but, stay close." Her eyes went to Jay, then to the man on the slab. She didn't know these two, but she had to trust them like Cosette had trusted her in the submarine. And the girl and her stepfather were able to weigh in. "Jay, you good? And what about you?" She asked the woman and the man from the slab, her finger curling around her gun, aimed to the ground and ready for anything Von would throw their way should they head up those stairs.

[Lexisheeps]

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

The Nightmare Child

Hide Me pls

---

It didn't take very long. Buluc's tightened grasp easily squeezed Nick into slumbered unconsciousness. Buluc might as well been squeezing on a tube of toothpaste, with Nick's head being the lid. How? How had everything gone so sour, so fast? Was one of the last things Nick consciously pondered as he struggled against the Mayan war deity.

If Cossette had listened carefully through all the noise, or read his lips, she would have heard a faint, "Run." Nick was fully aware of his inability to protect her at this point, and a certain lack of generalized self preservation, despite best efforts. The realization was that his idiocy was currently getting him killed, and he hoped against all odds that Cosette would learn from his mistakes. But then again, Nick also realized that Cosette was a de Villiers...

Dammit, Thierry.

At one point, Cosette's screaming turned into Nova's. A brief thought crossed his mind as he zoomed in and out of a waking state. I'm lucky to still be alive at this point. The yelling turned into an explosion? Check. Then more yelling? Check. Then Von Galloes' cackle? Check, check, and check. The feeling that Von had been behind this whole thing had been with him from the beginning, but was heavily incapacitated, thus unable to react beyond the occasional exhaled slow blink.

With one last shaky inhale, Nick was out cold. Or was he?

Questioningly, Nick easily got to his feet, "This is a simulation." He said as he twirled around on his heels, "It has to be, but where the fuck am I?" He'd been whispering to himself as he steadily walked down the darkened hallway. Doors to his left, a waiting room to his right. An empty hospital. He knew this place? It felt heavily familiar, but he couldn't remember why.

The lights above were unsettling to say the least. Their brightness lingered awkwardly with a faint humming sound... Where the hell was everybody?

The voice was slightly monotoned, as if he was bored... or maybe merely mimicking human speech after having freshly learned it, "So we meet again, Von. Do you ever miss the real world? Surely, living in these simulations can't be healthy." But his demeanor was off, and would feel slightly amiss to those who knew Nick personally.

The girls had already yelled and said their angered piece, but Nick seemed uneager to join in. A dead give away that this wasn't the real Nick. Nor did he aim for his guns. "I admit that these games you play are quite intricate, Von, but I come with a message of sorts."

A certain smirk played across his lips, "Fear your own shadow." Before Nick's body collapsed like a ragdoll. The shadow had used Nick like a puppet, but had meant the young man no harm.

An inhaled gasp as Nick pulled himself upright. Much slower than before, more in tune with the grimacing pain. He felt odd, but not just because he'd been Buluc's play thing. The sensation felt tingly, sugar coated with a massive migraine. He rubbed at his forehead gently, trying to soak in the bullshit scenario he'd got caught up in. He'd felt this way once before and mumbled to himself, "The Hollow. Damn."

The girls seemed to be okay, much to Nick's relief at seeing Nova, Jay, and Anna. But what about... ? Stumbled around on his knees to her, before patting at her limp body, "Cosy! Cosy, stay with me!" Realizing the situation was just as shitty as ever, Nick placed his hands on his hips with a sigh. Inhaled, catching his breath to a normal rhythm again. An idea rattled around his mind, and knew it was an idea that he'd probably kick himself for later.

"Von, let's make a deal." Nick looked up at Von, stoicism danced across his expression to hide an otherwise pleading tone of voice, "You hired me on a year and a half ago, to do some digging for stuff found with TRUMPET. Just..." He sighed heavily while looking to the girls, then back to Cosy, "Let me do my damn job."

Under calmer situations, Nick would have asked to let the girls go, without hesitation... but the realization that he needed their expertise, their help, was rather overwhelming at this point. They were all in over their heads, but Nick couldn't help but think Von was as well.

Remember me.

[Estylwen]

@SporkoBug, @Days, @WhiteAngel25, @Lexisheeps

---

“HEY WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT?"

Jay

Von Galloes looked down at her, disapproval evident in his tone as it reverberated through the speakers.

“Now, now, is that any way to speak to your company's largest investor? At least, I would be, if anyone in Mechozs.io was awake…”

His eyes locked onto Toren briefly, his face a mask from where he stood in the observation deck, before he moved on.

He gaze passed over Annalise, before a chuckle reverberated over the speakers. “Yes, the little one who fluttered like a lost butterfly through the hallways of my labs… Annalise. Wouldn't you like to know what I had your parents working on…?”

"You fucking cunt. Didn't you cause enough misery yet?"

“Oh, you don't know the half of it, my dear.” Von Galloes said, the sneer evident in his voice.

"I admit that these games you play are quite intricate, Von, but I come with a message of sorts. Fear your own shadow.”

’Nick’

There was a pause as Von Galloes paced a little closer to the glass of the observation deck, hands clasped behind his back casually.

“Well, well, and here I thought we had an understanding…” He said, before shrugging.

It was then Cosy slowly roused herself, blinking in a confused manner before she looked up at the observation deck. She immediately paled, trembling where she half-sat up.

Von Galloes relished in the group's attention, hands clapping together once. He leaned forward a bit, a cruel smile on his face. “Now, since you've failed so dreadfully at discovering the source of this aberrant site, I have a new task for you.”

“Haven't you wondered ehy everything is… so strange? What are your memories beyond our last little… exchange in the Ethera?”

A hologram appeared in the center of the raised stone table. Everyone would be able to discern a disturbing sight.

In a white room, there were six tubes. Suspended within, hooked up to breathing apparatuses, were themselves. Nick, Cosy, Jay, Axen, Toren, Nova, Annalise, everyone. Eyes shut, appearing dead, or asleep.

“What you are witnessing is yourselves in the real world. Oh, yes. Nothing is quite as it seems, and I have had quite the hay day in your absence.” Von Galloes said, a deep chuckle in his throat.

“Alas, its a bit boring not having anyone witness what I've done, my latest creation, my eternal domination… So I've decided to return you to the real world. Yes, yes, you can shower me in your gratitude in a minute.”

The hologram shifted, flicking through live feeds of other tubes in different locations. Stella was one of them, Dragon was another. Close associates of the group, in need to saving.

“I want you to try and find them. Your old friends, loved ones. Fight against me, in your pitiful way. It will satisfy my desire to crush your wills.” Von Galloes said with a cold laugh.

“Any questions before I send you to the real world? Come on, speak up.”

[SporkoBug]

"Largest.... Investor?" Jay uttered quietly before she looked to Axen, hoping for any sort of explanation before she listened to Von Galloes explain everything, she hadn't really paid much attention to the rest of the group before now, she looked back and noticed Toren staring up at Galloes. "Uh, who's the new guy?" She asked out loud before Galloes caught her attention again, Ethera? What the fuck was Ethera? She thought to herself before she glanced towards Axen again.

Axen was looking towards the tubes, moving slightly to flutter towards the hologram, looking at himself and Jay. "How.... How long have we been living a lie?" Axen asked, looking back to Jay, mild fear in his little eyes. Jay pulled herself up and moved to follow Axen quietly, furrowing her brow but she said nothing.

Toren watched Von carefully, before he glanced over towards the hologram of the tubes. Oh fuck, How long had he been here? He could sense Maw slowly putting things together, trying to figure out everything in his own time before he let a rumble out of Torens' mouth himself.
"How long without food?" Maw rumbled loudly, staring back up towards Von angrily. His voice more rumbly than Torens, it was definitely easily distinguished from Toren's more shy-sounding voice.