"Speak properly. What happened"
"I apologize for the negligence, SIR."
"That's not important. What happened?"
"The equipment here is arcane. It was set up very specifically. The attempt to start it up again caused some of those configurations to trigger. The heating system, for example, was used to preserve samples and purge contaminants."
"So, stuff that normally happens when handling any unknown? That ain't your fault. No need to panic. We just handle it as it happens."
"Yes, SIR."
"What we need is a proper way to scout out noises. Why did all of you suddenly crowd in a single spot?"
"That's poor judgment, sir. It caught us off guard. Been silent for so long, we were all excited."
The soldier in command sighed.
"Never mind. We've been here a while. Let's take a break, swap out for a few weeks, and get fresh air."
"Not bad."
-Sir. Problem-
-Not a problem. Explain it first-
-The two big guys were knocked out clean. No signs of external damage-
-Heat residuals?-
-Sir? Yes. A lot of it. The temperature was as high as 250 degrees at one point-
-Accident. The photographer triggered something getting the machines to work again. They've been standing there a long time. No circulation. Stewing in that level of heat. It would be a miracle if they didn't faint-
-Understood-
-Anything else?-
-Need help bringing them back to hydrate-
-I got it. I'm sending-
"You there McClensky. You're strong. Find some other strong dudes and help carry back those tough guys."
"Yes, sir."
-One other thing-
-What?-
-They found the code to unlock the door. Doors opened-
-Holy **k-
"What is it?"
"They actually found the code to open the locked door."
"How?"
-How?-
-Just randomly pushing buttons until something worked-
"Randomly hit till something worked."
-However, it's quiet now. Feels different-
-How?-
-Empty. Like nothing's there-
-Hurry up and drag them. I don't want to take a risk-
-Yes, sir-
"Do we go down? Swap out and have them do it?"
"I'm thinking. Thoughts?"
"Wait for reinforcements. We need a fresh set of eyes. Having folks familiar with the situation is helpful. In any case, we know what to look out for."
Hiding in the shadows from a distance was Sophia. Her nerves were tight. The pressure on her mind was sky-high. She was looking for a way past the patrol routes, but another soldier stepped around the corner every time she was about to move. She felt like she was sleeping into insanity, almost believing they were in lockstep with her.
As she heard the news about some door in the back being unlocked by chance, she dismissed the idea entirely. She knew Sikhail managed to slip past everyone, find the code, and go down.
She didn't know how he did it. Based on the general time frame, it had been at least an hour. He used less than half an hour to weave through a gigantic floor. This drove her crazy. Did he disguise himself as one of them? They'd know he wasn't one of them, even without a closer inspection. Did he just blend into the crowd? There weren't that many of them. A plausible theory when there were thousands, not only 20.
Did he enter their blind spots? Clearly, she was proof that that was impossible. The routes deeper in the back were even more complex. More people are familiar with each other as well.
How about distractions? Soldiers were quick to respond. If there was nothing, they'd look around for a cause. Any signs of suspicious behavior and she'd get subdued immediately.
As she racked her brain for a solution, she felt the difference in league. If this was a mission appropriate to her skill set, she would be in and out in a heartbeat. The problem was she was currently punching above her league.
The more she thought about it, the more furious she became. Not only did he jump ship, but he also got through so effortlessly!
She was unwilling. What should she do then? That's when the miracle happened. The glass in the corner was shaking. The entire table was shaking. Her interface told her that the possible cause was an explosion from below.
'It must be him!' Sophia thought.
She made her way to the area, carefully slipping in and out of the shadows. As she observed their reactions, she looked for a crack in the defense.
Meanwhile, the soldiers had grim faces.
"What happened?"
"Is this an explosion? From where?"
"Is it possible it's coming from below? Maybe they're accelerating something."
"I don't think we can afford to wait for reinforcements. At the very least, the building might collapse today. We have to go in and extract anything we can."
"We aren't even familiar with the structure. One wrong move, and we'll all die."
"What should we do then?"
(Silence)
"Go in and scan the structure as you go. Set to dynamic analysis. Test out the stability before moving forward. If it falls from a simple tap, find a different way."
"That's brilliant. We can map out a safe path using that. Kushinki, you specialize in sonar analysis, right?"
"That's right."
"Take the lead then? Two of us will be on you, pulling you back when we notice anything wrong."
"Sounds good."
"Let's keep four behind in case something happens to the rest of us."
Hesitation.
"Sounds good. I'll go in. That's what I signed up for. How about the intel specialists stay behind? We need someone to explain to the brass."
"Sounds reasonable."
"But, it's a shared duty to risk our lives. We can't just put it on you all."
"Prioritization of information, if brass doesn't understand what's happening, what did we come here for? Every mission has a risk of death. The military has a high death ratio. We signed up knowing that. No need to comfort us."
"But."
"No buts. I signed up for this because I'm useless everywhere else. At least let me do this."
"Alright."
Two squads of seven approached the door in the back. The leads shone their flashlight down the deep hall, probing the depths of the building. Everything was peaceful, silent, and calm. A pen was thrown down. No reaction. Hand signs to signal directions. They stepped down. Slow. Quiet. Vigilant.
——|——|—|—|——|——
-Jesus, what the hell happened here-
-The movie where the ship broke in half?-
-The hell's with the movie?-
-Trivia is good in times of uncertainty-
-Oh yeah? Any other good movies besides that?-
-The one with the boxer dude. Real intense-
-Stallyo or something? I watched that-
-I want to pick it up after the tour is done-
-You got a mean right hook-
-That a question-
-A statement-
-Damn straight-
-The f**k bomb did this? I only see a damaged wall. How did that shake the building?-
-Teach me a little, will ya? I got some buggers constantly hounding me for money-
-You do nothing wrong. No damage anywhere else. What the f**k. No way a bomb works like that. No bomb I know of, at least-
-Lent. Having gotten back any yet-
-I've seen this before-
-You lent money to some random fools?-
-What have you seen and where? Do you need help collecting? I need a target to practice sometimes. Real-life target. Sandbag ain't as good as a natural body-
-That's pretty grim, sir. This level of precision is prevalent with Supernatural Entities-
-You're saying a person did this, not a bomb?-
-I'm saying the path of destruction, how it's controlled, is more likely to be done by a Supernatural Entity-
-Because they can control their strength?-
-Not to this level, though. Imagine a bomb, not a dud, only realizing half its potential. Unless it was packed in the shape of a star, even Supernatural Entities aren't exempt from the laws of physics-
-So you saying that you have no idea what caused this?-
-She means the closest theory is a Supernatural Entity, but the evidence disproves one at the same time-
-Please, just tell me what we're supposed to do with this information-
-Nothing. It's good and bad information-
-Where I'm from, we had this saying. If it doesn't help, don't confuse anyone-
-Evidence or lack of evidence is still evidence. Just need more information because it becomes useful evidence-
-Alright. Scan it then?-
-As close as possible-
-Naturally. Give me a second. Someone come help me-
-I'm right there behind you-
-Soldier, you got something on your mind-
-Just a weird day, sir-
-Yeah, some days feel like despair. Everything teases you. I came home to my wife once. Saw a trail of roses. She and the kid were having time learning about different types of roses for a project. I resisted the urge to curse-
(Laughter)
-Nice, sir-
-You fellas good now?-
-Yes, sir-
-Let's move on. I saw a crack over there. The depths of hell-