Delasa pressed the record button on her pen and began speaking.
"Bartholomew, this isn't how it works! I'm already on a job. I can't take on another one!"
"Delasa, hear me out. You were supposed to be stationed at the canyon for a year, but if you complete this task, you can end your mission early."
Those words made Delasa hesitate.
The chance to wrap up her assignment a year ahead of schedule was incredibly tempting. But Delasa knew that any task from Bartholomew, that old schemer, wouldn't be simple.
Still, the lure of early retirement was too strong. Delasa gave in.
"What's the job?" she asked.
"Around two o'clock this afternoon, the military will send two people into the canyon for a mission. Your job is to secretly follow them, find the Layton couple, eliminate everyone, and take the research data from the base."
"But the canyon's a straight shot. I'll be spotted by the military outpost across the way!" Delasa protested.
"Don't worry about that. There's a hidden passage in your outpost that leads straight to the canyon floor."
Delasa's heart skipped a beat. She knew something must have gone down in the canyon for the military and Amacham to set up outposts, automatic turrets, and trip mines above it. That hidden passage could be a death trap—if whatever was down there found her, she might die in her sleep.
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Delasa snapped, furious.
"Oh, dear Delasa, some things are kept from you for your own good. There's also an ID card in the passage. Use it to get into the base. You understand the mission now, right? Good luck!"
The radio went silent. Delasa returned to her lookout post, waiting for the military personnel Bartholomew mentioned.
A nagging unease gnawed at her. She kept wondering if she'd made the wrong call, so distracted she didn't even notice the man at the opposite outpost signaling her.
At two o'clock sharp, a flashing signal appeared in the sky—likely the military team Bartholomew had mentioned.
Delasa hurried back inside her outpost to prepare. Knowing Amacham's track record, the canyon floor was probably a bio-leak disaster zone. Having done countless dirty jobs for Amacham, Delasa knew to wear a gas mask and gloves, leaving no skin exposed.
---
Across the canyon, the military guard on duty stared at the signal flare in surprise. His radio crackled to life.
"Sergeant Levy, two soldiers on a top-secret mission have arrived at the canyon outpost. Meet them and assist as needed."
Levy grabbed his radio and replied, "Roger that!"
Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Levy headed toward the flare's location and soon found Roy and Jay.
"You two the ones on the top-secret mission?" he asked.
"That's us. I'm Captain Jay, ONI," Jay replied.
They exchanged ranks and unit designations—not the movie-style serial numbers, but proper military unit codes.
"Captain Jay, good to meet you. I'm Sergeant Levy, Marine Corps," Levy said, shaking her hand.
He glanced at Roy, who hadn't given his designation yet.
Jay stepped in to explain. "He's not military. He's an FEA agent assigned to assist with the mission."
"Alright, let's head to the outpost," Levy said with a nod, leading Roy and Jay toward the canyon outpost.
"The radio said you're on a classified mission and I'm to assist. What do you need me to do?" Levy asked.
"Nothing," Jay replied. "Just keep monitoring the canyon like you've been doing. If we're not back in 24 hours, contact the outside via radio."
As they reached the outpost's terrace, Roy caught sight of the canyon's breathtaking scenery.
"Wow, this place is gorgeous! They could totally turn it into a national park," he said.
"Yeah, and how many tourists would die every year?" Jay shot back, scanning the opposite side. Noticing Delasa's absence, she turned to Levy. "Where's the Amacham guard?"
Levy shrugged. "The Amacham guard's kinda introverted. Doesn't talk much. I often don't see her."
Jay caught Levy's use of "her" instead of "him" and realized the guard across the canyon was a woman.
"Sergeant Levy, don't forget your mission! You're not here to flirt," Jay scolded sharply.
Levy snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes, Captain Jay!"
Meanwhile, Roy eyed the canyon's cliff walls, littered with countless trip mines, automatic turrets, and traps. "How do we get down there?"
"There used to be elevators on both sides going straight to the canyon floor," Jay explained. "But after the incident down there, they were destroyed. So we'll use zip lines to reach the bottom."
Jay rummaged through the outpost and pulled out two zip line kits, handing one to Roy.
"Sergeant Levy, once we're down, we'll tug the line. Pull it back up. When we're ready to extract, I'll fire a flare, and you drop the line again."
"Roger that!" Levy replied.
Roy and Jay secured their zip lines and began their slow descent.
With Roy's physical conditioning, he could probably jump down without issue, but he didn't want to reveal too much of his abilities and invite trouble.
The problem was, Roy had no formal zip line training. His clumsy technique led to a slip, and he nearly lost control of his speed, almost plummeting. Luckily, the zip line's brake caught the rope, saving him from a free fall.
"Black, you okay?" Jay called out.
"I'm fine, just slipped," Roy replied.
They continued their descent, soon plunging into the mist.
As they went deeper, the mist shifted to an eerie pale yellow.
After a grueling half-hour descent, Roy and Jay finally reached the canyon floor.
"Man, this canyon's deep. Are we below sea level or what?" Roy asked.
"Shh! Keep it down! Noise attracts whatever's down here," Jay whispered urgently.
Things at the canyon floor? What did that mean?
Seeing Jay's serious expression, Roy didn't press further and followed her lead.
The ground was bizarre—a sticky, crimson carpet-like surface that felt like walking through glue. The plants here were twisted and grotesque.
Roy had seen these plants in the briefing files, but they looked even stranger in person.
The two moved silently, unaware of the shadow trailing them.
As a top-tier sniper, Delasa's stealth skills were unmatched. Even Roy didn't notice her.
Since Roy was fully geared up with a gas mask covering his face, Delasa didn't recognize him. If she knew she was tailing Roy, she'd have abandoned the mission on the spot.
"Where are the monsters from the files? I haven't seen a single one," Roy whispered.
"Shh! The monsters down here only come out at night. During the day, they're dormant. Just watch out for the plants," Jay replied.
"Careful!" Roy warned.
Ironically, while preaching caution, Jay nearly stepped on a Venus flytrap-like plant. It was camouflaged against the ground, ready to snap shut when triggered, with only a few serrated edges betraying its presence.
The trap snapped shut, nearly catching Jay. Roy yanked her back just in time.
Jay gasped, shaken but unharmed. "Thanks, Black!"
"No problem," Roy said.
Helping a teammate in a pinch always builds camaraderie fast. Jay's opinion of Roy softened considerably.
"If the monsters come out at night, why are we going in the afternoon instead of the morning?" Roy asked after a bit.
"Because we need to investigate the base, which could take hours. If we went in the morning, we'd likely finish at night, making extraction risky. By going in the afternoon, we hit the base at night, investigate, and stay safe inside during the dangerous hours."
It was a solid plan, but Roy had a bad feeling the base might be even more dangerous.
He noticed a small stream running through the canyon, its water a sickly yellow. Every so often, pale yellow gas bubbled up from it.
"We're here!" Jay announced.
After about an hour of walking—around four in the afternoon—Jay led Roy to a massive metal door built into the canyon's stone wall.
"Wow, building a base like this must've cost a fortune," Roy remarked.
"Yep, the military and Amacham have sunk tens of billions of dollars into this place," Jay confirmed.
She approached a smaller door in the corner of the massive gate and began working on its computer panel.
Tens of billions? That's a huge mess to clean up. No wonder Hammer was so desperate—if this went south, he'd probably be forced into retirement.
Jay quickly passed the authorization check, and they entered the secret base.
Inside, the base had a sleek, sci-fi aesthetic, all white, like a movie set. But getting through the outer door wasn't enough—there was a second door to clear.
"Two doors? They really went all out on security," Roy said.
"Quiet! I need to enter the code. If I get it wrong twice, automated turrets will shred us," Jay warned.
Roy smirked. All this security, and the place still went to hell. Fortresses always fall from within—truer words were never spoken.
Jay carefully entered the code, and the second door opened, granting them access to the base's interior.
The corridor lights were on, meaning the power was still running.
Roy and Jay moved cautiously, covering each other. The base's rooms were a mess, as if they'd been ransacked. Bullet holes and bloodstains marred the walls, but there were no bodies.
That struck Jay as odd. Did the intruders take the time to clean up the corpses? Unlikely.
She'd already checked the outer and inner doors—no signs of forced entry or hacking. This wasn't an outside job. If there was an intrusion, someone on the inside had to have let them in.
But with Mist Island under Navy lockdown, a guarded dock, and outposts at the canyon, an external breach was nearly impossible. The problem had to have started inside the base.
The easiest way to uncover the truth was to check the security footage.
"Black, we're heading to the control room. We can view the surveillance tapes there," Jay said.
"Got it," Roy replied.
Jay seemed to know the base's layout well, as if she'd been here before. She led Roy straight to the control room.
"Black, cover me while I access the control room's server," Jay said, setting down her rifle to work on the computer.
Roy stood guard at the door, ready for any threats.
With her high-level clearance, Jay quickly accessed the server—only to find all the surveillance footage gone.
"What the hell?" she muttered.
"What's wrong?" Roy asked, glancing at the screen. The folders were empty.
"Could the videos be hidden?" he suggested.
Jay shook her head, biting her lip in confusion. "No way. I wouldn't make that mistake. The server's completely empty."
"Deleted, maybe?"
"The surveillance server can only be wiped with the highest clearance. My advanced clearance only lets me view footage. As far as I know, only three people have that level of access in this base."
"Who are they?" Roy asked.
Jay didn't answer—likely some military secret she couldn't share.
Suddenly, a man's voice crackled through a walkie-talkie on the desk. "Hello? Can you hear me?"
Roy and Jay exchanged a look. Neither had expected survivors in the base.
Jay grabbed the walkie-talkie and responded. "We hear you. Who are you?"
"I'm Cliff Layton, chief scientist on Project Canyon. Who are you?"
Jay's eyes lit up—she clearly knew the name.
"Miss Jay, you know him?" Roy asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, he's one of the three with top-level clearance."
"Could he have deleted the footage?" Roy asked.
"I don't know, but he's definitely key to figuring out what happened here," Jay said.
Canyon Poster
Adapted from "Canyon" and "Splice."