Slypheed
LimeTime966
Days
NoriWasHere
Thayr
Asuras
AtomicEmperor
Kronshi
OwO
SnowdropsHiveMind Underwater Research Facility, Hallway Outside the Contained Lab
@Lexisheeps
There was a low, dark chuckle over the intercom as Von Galloes watched from his drones and CCTV. Subject #6425's attempt to find a loophole was imaginative for a subject. There was a reason Von Galloes had chosen him for this particular project. And why he wasn't at all perturbed when he was asked for pain medication.
"You won't like my remedies, Subject #6425." His voice was cold, calculative.
If Nick and Thierry looked hard enough, they would find a directory along the wall outside of the small pharmacy. It detailed all the contained labs in the hallway, the exits to the stairs, breakrooms, and the central elevator at the end of the hallway. Among the details it gave, it mentioned floor 1B, which seemed to have a submarine hanger. Perhaps it would be their way out.
They were currently on floor 2. The multiple blast doors made navigating to the stairs impossible. However, the elevator was just at the end of the hall, and if they went in that direction, they could gain access to the other floors of the facility.
"If you're in pain, Subject #6425, you should take a nap. A nice, long... sleep." At the utterance of his last word, there was an audible snap that echoed over the intercom.
The lights flickered and went dim, plunging the hallway in tones of emergency red and blackness. The howls of creatures in the hallways cut off, replaced by eerie silence. There was the slight drip of water from a tap in the back of the pharmacy, echoing on metal. The creak of a motor pumping air through the ducts. And... breathing.
Behind them, flickering in and out of visible sight, was a shadow. A tall, long shadow without a face, staring.
The moment Nick would look over his shoulder to see it, he'd be hit by a flash of memory - except it wasn't his memory. In the depths of the basement of this unyielding underwater fortress, rows of black doors with numbers on them. Designation numbers following a similar pattern to Subject #6425's own numbers. One could only guess what the black doors had hidden behind them. Another flash of memory, and Nick saw for the briefest moment a numbered panel on the wall: 1C. The floor.
Behind Nick and Thierry, the slightest puff of air, the slightest shuffle - as the shadow took a step toward them.
HiveMind Underwater Research Facility, Sealed Section, Outside
@WhiteAngel25, @Days
Subject #3's trembling body, once submersed, took to swimming surprisingly well. She held onto Star and Stella tightly, her eyes squinted through the water, struggling to see, breathe, and swim at the same time. Eventually, they made it to the platform, and Subject #3 sat on the edge, shivering from the cold and dripping well. Nevertheless, there was a warm smile on her face as she looked up at Star and Stella.
"Thank you..."
As Stella fiddled with the TRUMPET device, she would find the power switch for it easy to find. Once switched on, the screen would flash green with visual coordinates, like a radar. Every pulse emitted an audible beep and flashed a specific dot on the screen. According to the device, the dot that alluded to a source of dark energy in the vicinity was ahead and to the left, through the sealed door and into the smog.
Subject #3 stood there patiently as Stella dressed her in a hazmat suit, looking a bit nervous. She had seen these suits before, but they had been worn by the doctors who took her on and off the field long ago when she actually had privileges like going outside of the facility to run their errands, like testing dark energy.
If Stella noticed the nervousness on Subject #3's face, Subject #3 would try to hide it. Instead, she would ask, "What do you think is outside?"
Regardless, the moment everyone was suited up and ready to go, the first door was unlocked. The decontamination chamber made them wait about a minute before the outside door opened, and a howl of wind ripped through. The open door revealed a tight cavern cut away by water, and filled with thick, unbreathable smog. They had to travel by pressing a hand to the wall, following the TRUMPET map, and following their wits.
Eventually, after what felt like 20 or so minutes of walking, the cavern opened up into a large expanse.
Subject #3 pointed, her voice nearly drowned out by the howling wind. "What's that?"
In the center of the expanse was a large, swirling void. It almost looked like a black hole, if such a thing could exist on a planet. It was surrounded by glowing purple tubes stabbed into the rock - anti-dark energy rods. One look at the TRUMPET device would indicate the source of the dark energy was just up ahead, within the void.
Crossing the void, if the group dared to do such a thing, would reveal the true ruins, except this time covered in a palpable layer of glowing purple light, making everything highly radioactive. Up ahead, they would see the clock tower. But another stark difference would be the mismatch of architecture. There were ruins, but from what appeared to be different time periods, materials, and make. Stone huts, then rotted wood, then chiseled and highly detailed stone. There was also a scattering of artifacts, like a stone figurine, and the worn remains of what appeared to be some type of ornate stick.
The 'sky', once again, was painted in a purple-tinged storm along the rocky ceiling. There was more dark-energy wildlife this time around. Dark birds fluttering in the whistling winds. Small, rabbit-like creatures nibbling on the scraps of dark grass blades growing up between the white ruin stone.
Somewhere, though, likely near the old submarines, there was a roar.
