"Hey! Why aren't you answering? Who the hell are you guys?"
Since Roy and Jay were busy discussing, they didn't respond to Cliff Layton's question over the radio. He asked again, his voice crackling through.
Jay quickly keyed the radio to reply.
"We're two operatives sent by the military!"
After Jay's response, Roy added, "Sounds like that guy can see us."
Jay subtly glanced at the security camera in the control room.
"Someone with top-level clearance for the base can access the control room's servers through the intranet and view the cameras."
After addressing Roy's comment, Cliff Layton's voice came through the radio again.
"So you're military! Finally! Are you here to rescue us? Why are there only two of you?"
Roy's expression turned odd.
"From the sound of it, the Marines General Hammer sent didn't even make it into the base. They all died out there?"
"It was an emergency. The Marines went into the canyon at night. The canyon's always been dangerous, but it was manageable before. After something went wrong in this secret lab, the canyon just got worse and worse."
After answering Roy, Jay responded to Cliff.
"We're advance scouts. The rescue team will move in after we report back."
Jay wasn't lying. The soldiers on the ship were indeed Hammer's rescue team.
As soon as Roy and Jay figured out what was going on in the base, the rescue operation would begin.
"That's great news! Hurry to Lab 3. I'll tell you everything!"
Cliff Layton's willingness to spill the beans right away caught Roy and Jay off guard.
"Black, should we go? It could be a trap," Jay said.
She found this Cliff Layton guy suspicious. The entire base's staff had vanished—why was he the only one still alive and well?
Unsure, the female soldier looked to Roy for his take.
"Let's go. We'll just be careful."
Roy wasn't afraid of any traps.
Jay gritted her teeth and decided to head to Lab 3 to see what Cliff was up to.
"Alright, we're going to Lab 3."
Jay led Roy out of the base's administrative area and toward the entrance to the lab sector.
The door required clearance to unlock, but when Jay tried, it wouldn't budge.
"What the hell?"
Jay looked shocked. Roy glanced at the computer screen.
"Maybe your clearance isn't high enough?"
"No way! My clearance is the second-highest. I can open every door except the three top-clearance offices and the main lab!"
"Then maybe that guy locked it. Ask him what's up."
Jay immediately radioed Cliff.
"Mr. Layton, why won't the lab sector door open?"
The radio crackled with a quick reply.
"Sorry, I forgot to mention! There was a bio-leak in the main lab, which contaminated Labs 1 and 2. Lab 3 is the only safe one. To stop the contamination from spreading, I locked the door between the administrative area and the lab sector. To get to Lab 3, you'll need to take the maintenance tunnel to the energy sector, then enter the lab sector from there."
It sounded complicated, but it was simple enough.
The base's entrance led to the administrative area, where daily office work and guest receptions happened.
Straight ahead from there was the lab sector, home to the main lab—the one Cliff said had the bio-leak.
To the left of the administrative area was the living quarters, with dorms and a cafeteria.
To the right was the greenery area, a small park with a hydroponic farm where base personnel could relax.
Finally, the energy sector was at the back of the base, separated from the administrative area by the lab sector.
The base was essentially four zones surrounding the central lab sector, which itself was divided into four parts: the large main lab and three smaller labs.
Lab 3, where Cliff was, was near the energy sector, at the far end of the lab sector.
"But why didn't he just let us go through the living quarters or greenery area instead of the maintenance tunnel?" Roy asked.
Jay relayed the question to Cliff.
"The living quarters and greenery area are also contaminated to some extent. Their cameras are down, so I don't know the exact situation. I had to lock those doors too. Right now, only the administrative area and energy sector are free of bio-contamination."
So, the living quarters and greenery area were compromised too.
"Black, looks like the maintenance tunnel's our only option," Jay said.
Roy smirked.
"Who knows if that guy's lying? But there shouldn't be cameras in the maintenance tunnel, right?"
"Of course not. Why would they put cameras in there? Maybe one at the entrance, but that's it. Wait, are you saying…"
Roy didn't answer her directly.
"Ms. Jay, do you have a photo of Cliff Layton?"
Meanwhile, in a hidden lab somewhere in the base, a pale-faced middle-aged man sat at a computer, a sickly smile on his face.
"Two more fools walking into their graves! Dren, you'll have fresh food soon!"
A seductive voice responded from behind him.
"Oh, darling, I can't wait!"
A strange humanoid creature stepped out of the shadows and wrapped its arms around the man.
The creature had a bald, hairless head, yet its face was strikingly beautiful.
Hairstyles can hide flaws or change someone's entire look, but to still look gorgeous without hair? That meant this creature's features were flawless.
Below the head, its body was equally hairless, with curves like a supermodel—ample "headlights" up front and a perky "taillight" in the back, complete with a long, rodent-like tail.
On closer inspection, the creature was androgynous, with legs structured like an ungulate's, featuring reverse-jointed knees and feet that looked like natural high heels.
In short, it was a humanoid yet distinctly alien creature, exuding a deadly allure.
(Poster from a certain movie, can't mention the title. Features Dren and the Laytons.)
The middle-aged man—Cliff Layton—turned and embraced Dren, kissing it passionately, like a lover.
After a moment, Cliff let go.
"Go, Dren. Enjoy your dinner."
"I'll be back soon, darling!"
Dren sashayed toward the hidden lab's exit, its reverse-jointed legs and swaying hips dripping with seduction.
Step by step, Dren's body faded until it vanished completely.
"You sure that guy's in this direction?"
"Positive!"
Jay held a military-grade PAD, used for downloading critical data on missions or doubling as a decoder.
The PAD contained photos of Cliff Layton and his wife, Elsa Layton.
The Laytons had transferred from Amacham Corporation to the base earlier this year. In just a few months, their biotech expertise had overcome several major hurdles, earning them promotions to chief scientists.
Cliff, in particular, had gained top-level clearance.
After hearing Jay's rundown, Roy couldn't help but wonder if the Laytons were behind whatever caused the base's downfall.
Jay clearly had similar suspicions, which was why she was hesitant about going to Lab 3.
After getting Cliff's photo, Roy activated the Hound Ring's effect.
Since he hadn't met Cliff in person, the Hellhound's phantom tracked slowly. Photos weren't as effective as a real encounter.
Luckily, Jay's photo wasn't edited. If it had been a heavily filtered smartphone pic from the future, the Hellhound's phantom would've been clueless.
"No issues. I'm using a mystical ability to track someone within a certain range. But since I've never seen Cliff in person, it might take a bit."
Roy was also giving Jay a heads-up.
If things went south, he might have to reveal his supernatural powers. As an ONI operative, Jay had to know something about the mystical world.
"You… you've got mystical powers?!" Jay stared at him, stunned.
"Yeah. How else do you think I became an FEA special agent?"
Jay pursed her lips.
"So, this afternoon on the ship, when you shot those bottles—were you using supernatural powers too?"
Roy gave her an exasperated look. This woman was so competitive!
She was still trying to poke holes in his marksmanship, but he hadn't even used Bullet Time back then.
"Nope. That was pure skill."
Roy's blunt honesty dealt another blow to Jay's confidence.
"Black, has anyone ever told you you're kind of a jerk?"
"Nope. I'm usually the guy everyone loves, like flowers blooming when they see me!"
"Gross!"
Jay clammed up and followed Roy through the cramped, pipe-and-cable-filled maintenance tunnel.
Large bases like this hid their utility lines for aesthetics, but that made maintenance a pain.
Hence, dedicated maintenance tunnels like the one Roy and Jay were navigating.
The tunnel was pitch-black, but Jay had night-vision goggles, and Roy had shifted into Ghost Wolf form, granting him darkvision.
The lack of light didn't slow them down.
After a while, Jay started feeling warm.
"Black, is it getting hotter?"
"Yeah, seems like it."
"Hang on, let me check the PAD's environmental readings—oh my God, it's 82°F (28°C) already! I checked when we came in, and it was 62°F (17°C)!"
A 20°F jump in just a few hundred meters? That was wild.
Roy considered a possibility.
"Could it be because we're nearing the energy sector? Maybe it's hotter there."
Jay shook her head.
"The energy sector has state-of-the-art cooling systems. It's the same temperature as the rest of the base. No way it'd be 20°F higher. Something's definitely up ahead. We'd better be careful."
They slowed their pace, moving cautiously. Soon, they noticed a faint red mist filling the tunnel ahead.
"The temperature's hit 90°F (32°C) here!" Jay said.
"Looks like the heat's tied to this red mist," Roy replied.
Roy activated his True Sight to check if the mist had anything unusual about it. To his surprise, he caught a glimpse of a figure darting through the fog.
Startled, he turned to Jay.
"Ms. Jay, did you see something run past up ahead?"
"Nope. Just the red mist. What else would there be?"
If it wasn't Roy's imagination, then whatever ran by must've been invisible, which was why Jay didn't see it.
"Let's go check it out."
Their gear protected against toxic gases, so they didn't hesitate to step into the mist.
The temperature spiked again, nearing 100°F (37°C).
At that heat, even doing nothing would make you sweat buckets—especially since Roy and Jay were in full, non-breathable gear.
The high humidity in the misty area made it feel like a sauna.
"Damn, why's it so hot?!"
Heat and humidity sapped energy fast, dulling focus. It was why tired driving was banned.
Jay was starting to feel it.
As she ducked under a pipe, she misjudged the distance and banged her head on it.
Clang!
"You okay?" Roy turned back and helped her up.
The impact sounded rough, but thankfully, Jay was wearing a tactical helmet.
Oddly, the metal pipe she'd hit had a visible crack!
Either Jay's head was made of steel, or that pipe was shoddy.