"Why go there? Why not up and leave this place?"
"Well umm. Emmy is it okay to disclose the things?"
# Yes, Mr.Kovalski Protocols are not secret things. You can share the task you have with her as she is an employee of this Complex. But you should continue to the lower floors. Time is against us and you lost some of it for coming here to meet with her"
"Oh. well, Emmy says it's okay to share with you. I got tasked with the carrying research data Otawa Complex have to some safe place"
She noticed a small delay in Harry's responses while he keep pointing his ears.
"What's up with that pointing the earthing? And Emmy as AI one?"
Henry stops "it's my ear implant what else? And yeah?"
"So you have a communication implant in your ear. Transhuman thingy? I thought you are communicating with Emmy via your Communication Bracelet. You need to go to Equipment Lab D5 for something and Otawan AI gave you a task to carry some research data to some safe place. " after a short moment "how's my captain's obvious act by the way"?
"Well, you are very great being captain obvious that's for sure. and hit most of the points at 12. How about it? Oh except Transhuman blah. I got my ear implant after joining the team I was recruited for. It was offered as a package I had one for my eye. Well inside of the eye small but powerful thing. "
She glanced up and down at him as if checking something, a few seconds later with a confused expression in her eyes, "Are you crazy? You're not a soldier, are you not? You're probably a researcher or something like that... how can you be sure, how can you survive?" Of course, that implant makes you somewhat especially, actually in the Otawa complex as far as I know no one has any implant. Except for people with higher salaries. I don't know them maybe they had to.. are you the golden spun guy, does someone support you from above, or what?"
"Yeah I'm a Software Engineer AI - Implant Specialist, Not a soldier and not part of a security or something, most certainly no golden spun as I'm an orphan, Other than that I can't let the research has been done here got lost because of some scare too right?"
"You expect me to believe that you risked your own life as a software engineer with no military training or gear. Except for that implant, just to save this research data that researchers have built up against so many hardships? I didn't become stupid just because I saw some people killing each other right in front of my eyes, some people dismembering other people, and lots of body parts here and there. It's called shock mate and spill the real reason why are you want to go down"
# She got you there Mr.Kowalski.
"Emmy? Really? Meh. Well Miss Cunningham I have my reasons. Like a reward and a ticket to leave this place 'alive' and oh I like adventuring to"
"Call me Elisa, the other is such a mouthful, and hearing 'This is Miss Cunningham that is Miss Cunningham' makes me itch. If Complex's AI tasked you with this it's probably judged you to have a chance of success, so if I hitch a ride with you. I'd be safe too I guess."
"Umm, I'm 6th choice. But I was Unconscious and the first 5 choired ones somehow managed to die for some unforeseen reasons. It kind of dropped to my laps"
Elizabeth stopped for a second and stared at him
"Well you are still alive that's something right?"
"Yeah and got you too that's counts too. Now we can continue to go down. When I get my sword from that lab."
"What sword," she said with another stare.
"The one in the Lab D5 of course that's why I'm in this fleer in the first place and of course after I heard you from Emmy. Changed my way to get you first"
"What's with the sword and you? So I'm something like a side quest that you get it down on the road. That feels nice."
"Woman and their point of view. Never changes. and for the sword, I kind of know how to use it and with it probably my probability of success will increase…"
# Mr.Kovalski you need to make haste. I was serious about the time issue. they are a lot of factors that keep changing.. the ones at down floors acting more differently as time passes"
"Uh oh. We need to move now Elisa. Otherwise, things get nastier."
Elizabeth nodes and points the way.
"This way to equipment labs and can you explain while we move to there. what's changing?"
# Follow the way she points. The way to the equipment lab has cameras that working and I only have a few blind spots. I will inform you when you near them"
"It's like this. Some of the 'Abnormals' started to change and let's say they are started to act like a mob and sideway thugs."
"Sideway thugs? Acting like a mob? Can you explain in a way that I can understand?" Elizabeth said with a frown
"Um. Thug kind; some of them started using things as clubs for bashing things and hitting others. And Mob kind; some stronger ones started organizing their little groups to hunt others. Exciting isn't it?"
Elizabeth's frown got deeper after listening to the explanation
"I have started to reconsider the idea of joining you."
"Well they are not that smart still so we have still the advantage on that"
# You need to be careful on the next corner. I don't have any covering on that section and a few others next to it. For your information, you need to move 126 Meters more to reach Equipment lab D5"
"Elisa, we have to be careful" Harry points around the corner "after that corner we'll lose surveillance support for a few sections any idea what to expect?"
"Honestly, I passed out because I hit my head. More like because of a file cabinet, I passed out. So I don't know what happened after that. When I was "awake" they were killing each other. But these labs are usually very crowded. Equipment divisions have the most staff members than other divisions. "
Harry's steps freeze for a second.
"What's with this complex. A cabinet for you and an LCD screen for me. It's like equipment of this place is trying to kill us."
Elizabeth was amused after hearing that
"What Lcd screen ?"
Harry while increasing his walking speed and checking here and there pointed the back of his head.
"The one tried to kill me by dropping to the back of my head. look here." He pointed, touching where the wound and swelling were supposed to be." Well I'll be damned there was a gashing wound there I'm sure "
Elizabeth tried to look where Harry was pointing but saw nothing there, not a wound, just some clotted blood.
"Well, there's some blood in there. At least it's coagulated. So now you had a wound that was nowhere to be seen?"
"Weirdly yes."
# You have arrived at the corner so please be extra careful
"Ohh right we should focus on staying alive after this point till Lab D5"
They started to move forward, leaning against the wall as quietly as possible. After the confusion and signs of bloody melee in the main hall, they saw fewer and fewer bloodstains or body parts. While that's less of an impact on Harry from the start. Elizabeth was deeply disturbed by the traces of blood and the sight of mutilated bodies. Seeing less helped Elizabeth calm down a bit.
After smoothly traversing several corridors and rooms. They saw three 'Abnormals'. Weirdly they were not fighting each other but it was like a staring match. It is as if they are acting with fiction. They circled the smashed table in the middle of them, checking each other. As if they are in some kind of weird ritual
After checking their weird behavior Elizabeth said "So what we do now? if we try to pass them we will surely be seen by that three and I don't want to imagine what will happen to us"
# Turn back to section 3 and I'll create another route from there
"Emmy says we should turn back to section 3 and then move from there. Damn, we get this near and going back to where we came."
They turn back and moved a bit more quickly than before till they reach section 3 of the D floor.
"So now we need to move to the left side of the D Floor till we reach Eq. Lab D5? We have a long way to go Harry."
"Tell me about it. It likes I have been walking and walking for days. We need to rest at some point. With two people we can even sleep a bit"
"You can sleep in this situation?" Harry got another stare with that.
"Sleep is something that helps the body and mind. So of course I can sleep. What is that look? If I don't sleep, my reaction time will decrease. I don't want to die because of my carelessness."
Elizabeth shakes her head and said "Harry you are one such a weird guy"
"Says someone with weird quirks."