The atmosphere in the poorly lit hallway was palpably tense. After battling Nexus' merciless army, Vex and Nyx were experiencing an exasperating quiet. The low whir of some machinery from within, which they had ever-presently been aware of, reminded them that they were still well within the bowels of Echelon.
Vex was seated against the metallic wall, panting heavily with his weapon placed across his lap. Nyx was close by, examining the dint's on her armory. The tension in the air was palpable, yet the silence surrounding the two was comfortable, as if both were waiting for a fight.
"Are you okay?" Vex inquired after some time of silence, his tone deliberately soft. "I'm fine."
Nyx momentarily met his gaze and looked away. She answered, "I've had circumstances that were worse than this," while moving the shoulder that had the fresh injury on it. "And you? I never expected you to throw yourself in front of that weapon's claws for me."
Vex only shook his head, a smile playing at the edges of his lips. "Think of it as a strategic move. I cannot afford to lose my only backup."
"Uh-huh," Nyx replied, but there was a glimmer of something in her gaze, something indicating that she did not believe him completely.
Their HUDs blinked and drew their attention at the same time. Within moments, a new notification came up in bright colors and a short burst of vibration was felt through their gear.
Warning: Anomalous Data Detected. Proceed with Caution.
"Anomalous information?" Nyx said raising her eyebrows. "This is a first."
Vex tightened his grip on his blade. "That's another surprise, a trap perhaps."
Before they could contemplate their next actions, the horizon in front of them twinkled, the sections of walls visibly distorted as though reality was malfunctioning. Just a moment closer, a door materialized from what was impossible, a complete blank zinc, deceptively inscribed with various weird shapes whose brightness throbbed gently in sync with their heartbeats.
"That was not there before," stared Nyx and her voice drew out.
"No shit," admitted Vex. He took a step ahead, cautiously scanning each corner of the door for possible hidden weapons or concealed traps.
His heads-up display appeared to be normal — specifically, at the beginning. Then out of nothing a sliver of sound whispering some word which he automatically dismissed as his imagination and almost did not pay attention to came.
"Can you hear anything?" he asked as he turned his head towards Nyx.
She shook his head looking fearful, "hear what?"
Vex was given a pause, "Forget it."
The door slid sharply, revealing a small round room that was flooded with soft, yellowish light. In the middle of the room was a glass ball that has many changing images on the surface which were blurred so fast that they could not be seen clearly.
Nyx moved in closer, her breath hitched in her throat. "A Memory Core," she breathed out finally.
Vex blinked. "Huh?"
"They are uncommon," she said, just barely managing to catch her breath. "Bits and pieces of the game's very first programming — the one inscribed with every single detail of the making, the existence… even the players of Echelon."
As she finished speaking, the orb emitted a pulse which pushed energy across the entire room. Vex staggered forward clutching his head, his mind filled with wholly different images those which belonged to others – memories.
A little boy darting across the green stretches of the field.
A person veiled fully in darkness standing in front of an enormous screen.
A distant voice, somewhat known, broadcasting his name.
"Vex!" Nyx's voice once again pulled him to the present. She had a firm grip on his arm and looked concerned.
He shook his head as the hallucinations subsided. "I am okay," he proclaimed, but it was clear to all that he wasn't quite normal.
"You did not appear okay," Was her response and she added," What was it you saw?", with an edge.
"Nothing," he said as he moved away from the orb, but with a painful calm. "It's just a bug."
Nyx accepted the silence as it was, even though she watched him with skeptical concern.
Without warning, the orb changed direction, casting a shadowy figure with no visible face in the center of the screen.
"Near enough," the shadowy silhouette acknowledged, its tone akin to metal rubbing against metal. "But the road to Echelon is for the strong only."
"Who the hell are you?" Vex uttered, tightening his grip on his blade.
The figure averted their attention from the question, turning—or what one fancied as turned—towards Nyx. "You ought to speak the truth to him," they advised.
Nyx became rigid, her hand flinching towards her sidearm. "I have no idea what you are referring to."
"Don't you?" the figure mocked. "Why don't you explain to him the true reason of your mission? Let him know what it is you are really after."
Vex narrowed his eyes as he turned to Nyx, "What is happening?" he asked.
Nyx played through the moments in silence for longer than she wished to and even herself. She was about to say something, but before she managed to, the orb glimmered in a series of pulses and darkness enveloped the room.
The next moment the light returned, the figure had vanished, and the orb was in pieces on the floor.
"Nyx," Said Vex, keeping his voice low and level. "What are you not telling me?"
Her sight returned to him, her face void of any emotions. For a second there, it felt like she would just ignore the question once more. But then, with an exhausted breath, she seemed to give up.
"In other words, I confess I wasn't quite truthful with you," she finally responded. "Echelon is not all I seek. My reasons are…"
Her voice faded away as an eerie commotion commenced under the floor on which they stood. The edges of the room seemed to warp, as a deep growl reverberated in the atmosphere. "Afterwards," she said, pulling out her gun. "Mind the others."
Vex clenched his tendril sword and instantly drew his attention somewhere far from his previous inquiry, but a new peril came into view. However, even as they all geared for battle, one thought stayed at the far recess of his skull.
What was Nyx keeping a secret—and how many lives would it take to unveil that?
Her words dropped off as an ominous commotion began somewhere underneath the floor they stood on. The borders of the room seemed to waver, accompanied by a deep rumble resonating in the atmosphere. "Afterwards," she stated, pulling her gun. "There are other things to worry about."
Instantly Vex's grip on his tendril sword out of necessity clashed with his previous inquiry, for attention was demanded by the new danger that arrived. Fighting warfare was one of the things he could handle, but even as they all got ready for war, one thing remained at the back of his mind.
What was Nyx concealing—and how many people would die because of it?