Levi proceeded to hunt down the commander,
who was last located in a hidden office. He had likely disabled the signal by hacking into the system using a backup battery and accessing the main interface in the server room. Studying the facility map displayed in the hologram provided by Alina, he planned his next move. As Levi moved toward the location, Alina monitored both him and Brooks while the drive continued collecting data from recent events.
As she reviewed the incoming data, Alina was shocked by what had transpired. Meanwhile, Scouter walked through the headquarters sector, where operatives monitored and controlled various field operations. The facility was filled with specialists working on dual-monitor setups, while a massive central screen displayed essential details on active operations worldwide, carefully limited to maintain confidentiality.
"Any updates on the operation?" Scouter asked, expecting something useful.
"I was thinking... How did such a high-security facility fall into destruction so unexpectedly? And why did all the personnel get trapped inside with no prior alerts?" Alina responded, still analyzing the data.
"So what's new? Scenarios like this have happened before. We've tried our best to prevent it from happening again. What are you suggesting?"
"Someone might have let this happen. This is an outbreak."
"Who, and why, Alina?"
"Well, maybe it's a distraction, or maybe it's for outside research. But what kind of experiment would be valuable enough to justify trapping people inside?"
"Shit, Project Axolotl! I need to report this to the Board."
"Wait... there were more like us?" Alina muttered uneasily as Scouter hurried off to inform the higher-ups. She toggled her comms to relay the new intel to Levi.
"Levi, I have new intel based on the collected data."
"Roger."
"There might be an imposter inside the confidential site."
"Who?"
"No idea, but you'll receive an update on your objective soon."
"Okay. Roger out."
Alina continued sifting through the data, hoping everything would go smoothly. The headquarters remained busy, filled with the constant hum of computer activity, as operatives worked to provide real-time intelligence and support for the ongoing mission.
Meanwhile, an hour earlier...
—
A continuous, rhythmic noise.
(Thup.)
A Japanese man, his voice laced with concern:
大丈夫?
("Are you all right?")
(Thup.)
A soldier, shouting over the chaos of battle:
"Get up, pussy! There's no time to die!"
(Thup.)
A masked figure, admiring their fresh work after finishing a tattoo:
Bitch, she's done. Next... Next!"
(Thup.)
At a grand party, a gentleman, smiling warmly:
„Hoffentlich gefällt dir die Überraschung..."
("Hope you like the surprise...")
(Thup.)
A young woman, bound, her soul shattered. Her eyes filled with nothing but resentment, locked onto her.
お姉ちゃん,どうしてこんなことをしたの?置いていかないで!
("Why did you do this, big sister? Don't LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!")
—
Suki jolted awake, her body trembling, heartbeat racing, drowning in stress and regret. It took her a moment to gather herself. The knocking sound remained, but after hearing it for so long, it had begun to fade into the background.
In the abandoned, dark, and gloomy sector, she sat alone with her flashlight, staring at the smooth, light-grey floor.
She hadn't had a nightmare in a long time. But what truly unsettled her was the fact that she had fallen asleep during the mission—something that never happened.
Regaining her senses, she pushed herself up and started searching for a way forward in the suffocating darkness. Leaning against a wall, she listened to the relentless pounding on the sealed door.
It made no sense, no human should be strong enough to strike thick metal with such force, especially one submerged in that slimy liquid.
Only one word echoed in her mind.
Monster.
Just as David had described.
She had no idea where Cassandra was. Was she trapped in a secured vault somewhere? As she ran through possible scenarios, the power suddenly went out.
Tensing up, Suki quickly readied her weapon, prepared for whatever came next.
A beam of light flickered in the distance as someone approached with a flashlight.
"Hey! Stop pointing the gun at me! It's me," Cassandra said, raising her hands.
"You should've just stayed dead," Suki sighed.
"Yeah, sure. Once you get me out of here."
"Well, for that..." Suki stood up and cuffed her. "You gotta stick with me."
"The fuck...?" (Annoyed)
"I don't like it either. Just deal with it."
"Where are we going now?"
"This place isn't safe..." glancing at the power outage "There's only one place to restore the backup..."
(interrupting) "The Central Control Room."
(Annoyed) "Yeah, let's go."
As they moved forward toward the bridge, a thick black slime oozed from the vents. The liquid flowed unnaturally, as if alive, slowly creeping across the floor. The situation grew more complicated as the substance attempted to spread, as though it had a will of its own or worse, someone was controlling it.
Meanwhile, Alina searched the latest Axolotl experiment reports. As she scrolled through the files, a name appeared—Subject Nakamoto.
"Solome, call access control, level redacted."
"Verify the Code Name."
"Subject Nakamoto."
"Access Denied! Let me know if you need further assistance."
"Acknowledge Permission Access: Code Eagle."
"Requesting... Access Granted. Clearance Level: Omega."
"Finally! Let's see who Nakamoto is..., What?!"
The Syveron Complete Cuisine Canteen offers gourmet meals specially designed for you, featuring a mini metro delivery system, an open-glass cooking view, and an all-you-can-eat buffet with weekly menu changes. Please provide feedback for improvement. As always, self-service is available.
"Man, where is all the food?!"
"Must be inside the freezer."
"Fuck, it hurts now."
"Almost there."
Brooks, holding Orion's arm, helped him toward the freezer to find food for regeneration. As they navigated through the kitchen, they reached the freezer, located on another floor. While passing through another section, the door slid open, revealing the freezer, its door ajar due to the power outage. Inside, two people, a young scientist in a lab coat, looking scared and suspicious, and an older head chef wearing a toque, standing with a faint glimmer of hope, stared at them.
"You're not here to kill us, right?" the scientist asked hesitantly. "But he's injured..." the chef added.
"No, we're with the rescue operatives. You must leave this facility now. But first... do you have any high-protein food?" Brooks asked.
"Well, even in times like this, food must be served hot," the chef replied.
Later, gunfire erupted in the lab as the Commander shot Levi. Levi fell to the ground, his gun slipping from his grasp.
"Oh no! Fuck...., no! What did I do? I just wanted to resign..." the Commander muttered, his voice shaking.
Tears streamed down his face as he sank into despair. "They wouldn't let me go... I just wanted to save my family. My lovely wife, Alicia... and Marcus... they died because of my ignorance."
His sorrow twisted into rage. "Why do I have to suffer this?!" he shouted, raising the gun and trying to pull the trigger...
A few minutes earlier, Levi discovered the commander hiding in the system room, accessing his laptop to manipulate the power mainframe.
"There you are, Commander," Levi muttered softly, moving stealthily to catch him by surprise. As he follows him, he looks at him trying to check for any power source and tries to go towards the locker room.
Time was ticking as Levi moved to counter him. The commander, agitated and shivering, pulled out his gun, pointing it at Levi with deadly intent.
"You thought you could do whatever you wanted Ah! You pathetic selfish assholes!" he says pointing his gun and ready to kill in his eyes.
"We are here to help you, Commander Benjamin."
"You didn't do shit, I was forced into staying here, the power plant modulation and this fucked up secret projects done behind our backs. I know damn well you bastard messed up and tried to wipe us all..."
"We are here to get you out of here..."
"... Just like my family." he pauses with full determination he goes rogue.
"(Sneezes), wait sorry I am allergic to dust."
"..."
"Benjamin, why don't we put our guns down and get out of here? I just want the keys to activate the backup systems and save more colleagues who might be trapped."
"You're really not here to kill me?"
"No, we're here to save you." Levi lowered his firearm. "Let's keep our weapons down and act civilized." But midway, he fired the shot.
As he fell down. "Oh no! Fuck... no! What have I done? I just wanted to resign..." the Commander muttered, his voice shaking.
Tears streamed down his face as he sank into despair. "They wouldn't let me go... I just wanted to save my family. My lovely wife, Alicia... and Marcus... they died because of my ignorance."
Levi, understanding his pain, hesitated before lowering his gun.
His sorrow twisted into rage. "What did I do to deserve this?!" he shouted, raising the gun and attempting to pull the trigger once more.
"My hand! What's happening?!" Benjamin gasped as his hand trembled uncontrollably, causing him to lose grip on the gun.
"You messed up, Benjamin. Well, just so you know..." Levi, wounded from the gunshot, slowly got up, gripping his handgun. "Nothing personal."
He fired. The shot ended the Commander's struggle. The strange manipulation over him faded. Levi glanced at the bullet—it had missed him.
Searching Benjamin's body, he found two keys. "Lucky me."
Beep.
"Mission report."
"Commander eliminated due to hostility. Both keys acquired."
"Proceed with caution, contaminated liquid detected!"
"Oh, shit..." Levi muttered, his eyes darting to the vents as the ominous liquid seeped in.
"Restore power immediately to reboot the AI and seal the vents."
"Roger that!" Levi bolted toward the control panel.
Beep.
"Mission report."
"Teammate injured recovery in progress. Two civilians found unharmed. Identification: Walter Morrison - Head Chef, Dr. Evelyn Foster - Energy Systems Specialist. Awaiting verification..."
"Verified. Proceed with caution—contaminated liquid detected! Reunite at the control room immediately."
"Roger that!" Brooks responded as Orion opened the door, his leg now completely healed.
"We gotta move, mate. I can sense the lava nearby." Orion said, grabbing his gun.
"But what about the confidential members?" Evelyn asked, frustration evident in her voice.
"We'll get to them later. Right now, we need to make sure you're safe."
"Sure thing. Pack up, people."
Brooks grabbed his gear and readied himself to move forward to the control room. Survivors followed soldiers, preparing to evacuate as soon as possible.
The Syveron Energon Sector oversees global energy management and supply, maintaining absolute control over the world's power infrastructure. It pioneered the development of Enjix, a superior, everlasting energy source—an element capable of generating virtually unlimited power for an extended period. However, its production and distribution remain exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Syveron Power Plant.
Levi reached the control panel, holding the keys. As he started the process, Brooks arrived with his teammates and the survivors.
"Brooks, finally! Help me insert the key..." Levi said, handing him one of the keys. Together, they inserted them into the designated slots.
At that moment, Suki and Cassandra sprinted into the control room, chained together, with Cassandra out of breath.
"Hey guys, happy to see you, but we gotta get out of here right now!" Cassandra said, her tone tense and urgent. Suddenly, the ground trembled as the slime seeped further into the facility.
(Long Beep) The control panel flickered to life as power surged back.
Lockdown sequence activated.
| SALOME AI initializing... Processing facility status...
Status: PROTOCOL ECLIPSE
Multiple sites are inaccessible due to anomalous interference.
Many personnel have become hostile.
Surveillance is offline.
Sector Medicus is under complete lockdown, except for Floor 19, Floor 6 and The Exhibition Dome.
Precautionary protocols are in effect. Operatives proceed with extreme caution. All activities are monitored as per regulations.
Report restrictions and containment procedures are available in the system logs.
Critical Updates:
Black Box recovery kits (Alpha & Omega) are located on Sector Medicus, Floor 20.
Security clearance levels have been heightened and unauthorized intruders will be eliminated per property code violation.
Stand by to complete all system functions for further analysis.
Maintenance sequence activated. Cooldown time: T-minus 30 minutes.
Enjix Backup Power System activated. Full power will only be restored to uncontaminated areas T-minus 50 minutes.
See Command Logs for details on AI operations.