by Jiny Lee
We got out of the vault and looked for the right place to start digging. Purple put out a drill he was carrying on his back. It was a drill that Bertie made for excavating down the floor. He put it down on the ground and we fixed it tight. The drill made a huge noise once we turned it on. It forcefully dug down the ground making that huge noise and smells of burnt bricks.
It went down deeper and deeper. We fixed it on the ground in case it fell down to the empty space, but it didn't. We stopped the drill and removed it to see how deep it got. There was only the hole that the drill made but not any another floor. Purple said maybe we should change the location. So we changed location for some more times.
We made a dozen holes on the ground and the floor looked like we made a dozen ant hills. Purple said, 'Let's try for one last time, and get back to the first floor for the day.'
We set the drill again near Daug's old office and started running the drill. And finally, when the drill almost reached its maximum length down, we could hear it making idling sound, the sound that indicates it had reached an empty space.
...
We made the hole a bit bigger before we removed the drill and went down to the open hole. Alex went down first to see how it was like. We turned on the radio and put on our in-ear monitors. He told us to come down. Purple set up a rope and went down the last.
The second basement floor was very dark since there was no light or whatsoever. It didn't seem like someone was living down there. As we moved, Bertie made the map of the place simultaneously and popped it up on our view through the goggle.
We turned on the flash lights and attached it on our shoulders. The flash lights were made to project the light widely and evenly through the fisheye lenses. We made our ways slowly while taking a careful look around the floor.
There were lights on the ceilings but they were all out. We weren't sure if they were out because they were broken or simply out of electricity. Every corridor and every room was empty. There was not even a single trash lying on the floor. We could only hear the sound of our footsteps and occasional squeaks from some mice.
Bertie told us through the radio that we should look for anything suspicious or a stairway down to the third floor. He said he was using the same device he used when we were surveying the building to make update the map of the place. We kept walking around and made sure there was no uncharted spot on the map.
When we managed to reach the basement fifth floor, Steven, one of the cadets, said he thought he heard something. Alex said, 'Wasn't it a rat?' and he answered he wasn't sure but it didn't sound like a rat. He said it sounded like something bigger than a rat. Purple said, 'Tell me if anyone hears something.'
We proceeded. After hearing what Steven said, I felt like someone was watching us.
After a short while, we went into a small room and took a short break. We took off the armors and took out some food from the backpack Josh was caring. We had put food and extra batteries in his backpack just in case. We put out some crackers, slices of ham and snack bars and Fox made a small fire to boil water for some coffee. We sat around the fire. It reminded me of the days when we were in the rebel.
During the meal, Wonder asked Nari where she had learned how to use the sword. She said she learned it from her father. She said her father was also in the rebel. Purple asked her what her father's name was. She said his name was Jordan. I thought I heard that name once. She said she was originally from the 42nd floor. I asked her if the rest of her family were staying on the 42nd floor like her mother, brothers or sisters if she had any. She said they stayed on the 42nd floor since her father didn't want her and her little brother to be part of anything dangerous.
Then Purple asked Steve to tell us a little bit about himself. Steve said he was a worker in a factory before the revolution. I said, 'Revolution? It sounds too much like ...' Then Wonder finished my sentence and said 'Jacques.' We giggled quietly. Steve continued. He said he did nothing special before he joined the police academy. He said he wanted to do something to help people. Fox sarcastically said, 'What a hundred point answer in a cadet interview.' We all laughed.
I asked Josh where he was from and what he was doing. Josh said, after a little hesitation, that he was from the top floors. He said her mother died on his birth, and had no siblings. His father was one of the guards but was executed when he was young for some reason he didn't know for sure. So he lived and grew up all by himself from when he was a little boy in a huge mansion.
He looked like a good kid. The fact that his father was a guard didn't matter at all. Purple told him it was all right. He said 'As long as you be a good man and live according to your belief, what your father did is not important. Man should be judged by his action. Look at me. I once worked as a guard,'
Wonder asked the three cadets if they have anything to ask anyone of us. Steven said he really respected us and what we did for the people. He was treating us like we were heroes. He said he was honored to be with us, the revolutioneers. I asked him, 'Is that a word?' He said it was the way the cadets called us. It was embarrassing.
I said, 'What we did was not something we did because we thought it was justice. Well, for me, what I did was just to find my old friend and she might be down somewhere around here.'
Nari asked me if she was my girlfriend. I said we weren't. Then Kimmy suddenly spoke on the radio that we were very close like brothers and sisters.
I said, 'What, were you listening all the while?' She said she was. Then she suddenly said, 'You guys want to hear what Endy was like when he was little?'
Steve said he was. He almost shouted. Then Kimmy started telling a little episode we had when we were young. An embarrassing one, of course.
...
After me, the target changed to Alex and Wonder. Josh said he wanted to know what they were like when they were little. Alex just smiled and Wonder started talking.
It was the first time Wonder told anyone herself about what happened to them before they joined the rebel. We only knew that they were from the first floor and helped the rebel even before joining, but we didn't know that Wonder killed their own father. She said it was an accident and she just tried to defend herself.
She said, 'My father was a terrible human being but he wasn't that bad from the beginning. He was a factory worker. He often got a few days off once every month and spent most of the time to play with us. He wasn't a perfect dad, but he tried to do his best and I know that. But after my mom died of a disease, he changed. He started to drink and spent all the money to buy wax. He became addicted to it and got fired from the factory. That's when we first began to make our living by helping out the rebel. At first, he said he was sorry for everything, but you know, people get used to it. They become insensitive to the sorriness and regrets. He was the same. He started taking it for granted. We told him to quit it but he got mad. He shouted how dare you say that. Most of the time he was high on drug. When he wasn't, he was mad at us and hit us with everything he could grab. So we were not at home most of the time.'
We said nothing but just listened. I didn't know they had such hard memory. She continued.
'Then one day, I was left at home alone with my dad. Alex was out by himself. Dad was sleeping. When he fell asleep, he didn't wake up for a day so Alex thought it would be okay to be out for a while. But that day, he woke up a little earlier. He told me to go out and buy wax. I said we didn't have any more money left. Then he started to hit me. I waited for him to get tired out but... I said something that I shouldn't. I mentioned mom. He got more upset. I think he tried to cover up the shame with fury. I was so afraid. I thought I was going to die. He kept hitting me with his hands, kicking me with his feet, and shouted mom died because of me and Alex. I almost passed out, and my clothes were badly ripped off and I became half naked. And maybe, that triggered something in him. He looked down on my body without a word for a few seconds, and I heard him ... I heard him undoing his belt. That's when Alex came rushed into the house and tried to stop h
im. Then he pushed Alex and went to grab a kitchen knife and ... It all happened so quick. I thought he might kill Alex if I didn't stop him. I got up and pushed him with all my strength, but he simply just pushed me away. But it was lucky that I could buy Alex some time. Alex grabbed a nearby steel pipe and hit him on the head. So we escaped down to the basement and joined the rebel from an early age. Daug knew what I did but he didn't say anything about it. He kept it a secret so no one knew about it. Even Danny didn't know about it. The guards also didn't do any investigation. I heard that they just threw his body outside the building. And that's it. That's my story.'
Alex said nothing but gently put his arm around his sister's shoulder. Fox said, 'Well, I wish we had brought some beer down here but, cheers. The past is the past,' and held her cup of coffee high up in the air.
,,,
Just when we were about to get up and wear the armors again, I heard the noise Steven said he heard. As a matter of fact, we all heard. Purple said, 'Everyone be quite and suit up.' After wearing the armors, we tried to go out of the room quietly.
Alex was in the front. And geez, when he took one foot out of the room, something snatched him with an incredible speed. He flew away to the wall and made a loud crashing noise. We all rushed out, and there, we saw them. We instantly knew what they were the second we saw them. The night crawlers.
28
There were more than a dozen of them crouching low and ready to strike us in any minute. I looked for Alex. He was moaning in pain beside the wall. We slowly went to his side, so we naturally backed on a dead end wall.
Purple said, 'Damn, we were put into a corner. Hey Alex, are you alright? Come on up, I'll help you up.' He helped Alex stand up on his feet. Alex said, 'Did you see me flying? Man, they're strong! I thought I was hit by a truck! Now, what should we do? They don't look gentle.'
Fox answered, 'Looks like there's only one way out of here. Everyone, get your weapons ready.'
Just then, they began to rush toward us with an incredible speed. They were moving like animals.
The sounds of the rifles firing bullets like thunders and the bullets smashing the fleshes and bones filled the air. I heard Bertie asking what's going on through the radio. I shouted, 'We're in contact! Check the camera! We don't have time to explain!'
The dead bodies of the night crawlers piled up on the floor. More and more came. I kept pulling the trigger till I emptied all the bullets in the magazine.
I shouted 'reload!' and Josh said, 'Is this gonna end?'
Alex said, 'Shut up and just pull the trigger!'
They came from nowhere like endlessly. If they continued without stopping until we were out of ammo, we had to prepare for a close combat. But then, all of a sudden, they just stopped coming.
Steve said, 'Is this over?'
Fox said, 'It seems like it, for now.'
Purple told us to check the inventory. I had a couple more magazines left. Everyone was about the same.
Josh said, 'Don't we have to go up and get some more ammo?'
Purple answered, 'No, son. We're going down. But before going down, Alex, Wonder, check the bodies. Bertie, can you see what they're made of?'
Bertie said, 'Yes, I'm analyzing the data now, but I'd need one of the bodies here to do the research. Bring one for me on your way back. But look at the number! How many dead bodies are there?'
Purple said, 'Not enough to kill us, Okay, we go down. Everyone get ready. They know we're here.'
So we proceeded to the next level. The basement sixth floor was a little different from the fifth floor. First of all, the ceiling was much higher than on the fifth floor. It was more than 30 feet high above our heads. And the whole floor was slightly lighted. We turned off the flash lights on our shoulders. It was dark but it was enough to get our eyes soon adapted to it.
There were several big chambers which were made to reproduce a variety of terrains. Deserts, rain forests, savannas, and tundras. There were several night crawlers inside each chamber, but once we got the hang of it, it wasn't difficult to handle them. The problem was that we were out of ammo. Steve suggested we go up for resupply but Purple insisted on going further down. Purple asked Bertie if he could send someone down with supplies. Bertie said he'd ask the counsel and send some people down.
We slowly moved down. We encountered some roaming night crawlers on the way. We moved on without stopping. We killed them over and over again. They were like rats in a sewer. Bunch of cockroaches. They kinda helped me get used to our suits. We boldly put our rifles on our back and took out our combat knives. Nari took out her sword, too. I looked forward to seeing her using her sword, but unfortunately, she didn't have a chance to show off her talent.
...
The seventh floor went down even deeper than the sixth floor. It looked like the floor was full of laboratory facilities. What was this place? I asked Purple what he thought about this place.
He said, 'It seems like they were doing some experiments down here. Obviously, it's reasonable to assume that the whole building was meant to be a big research facility. The question is, what kind of experiments they were doing and how deep does it go down.'
I remembered the writings on the picture, The Lunar Corp Headquarter. It was clear that it was a big company building. I asked Bertie if he knew anything about the Lunar Corp. But instead of Bertie, Jacques answered.
'The Lunar Corp was a medical company. It was made by a man named Nergui. Nergui was the only son of a powerful businessman. It is said that he was sensitive to the sunlight from the time he was born. He spent most of his life inside the building in a dark room. He barely had contact with anyone. He didn't go to school, he was tutored in his room. He read tons of books. Maybe he was the smartest man alive when he was at his age of 20. When he became 20, his condition got worse and he couldn't even stand a single ray of the sunlight. He did everything to find a way to cure his condition and eventually his study led to an establishment of a huge medical company. The medical company became one of the most powerful corporations in the entire world. The corporation moved the headquarter to a newly planned city and they built a huge building in the middle of the city. There were research facilities and everything. The man lived on the top of the building. It was his house and his office at the same time. And that building, my friends is the building we're in right now.'
I asked, 'What, did you know all this from the beginning?' He said, 'No, I just learned it. Ganbold taught me. He's still searching through every information he can get. I'll tell you more if he finds out more. And about the people you asked the counsel to send down, I got some of the people I can trust. We got the veterans.'
Yeah, the veterans. We could trust them. They were the ones who helped us a lot when we were taking over the cartel. Their combat experiences and skills, with their metal arms and legs, were more than enough to rip off the night crawlers on their way to bring us the supplies we needed.
But one who got the most excited was not me. Steven shouted out, 'Woah! You mean them? The metal armed day walkers? They are legends!'
Jacques answered, 'Yes, soldier. They are going down with supplies. You'll know you can trust them. They'll get there in a short while. Wait on the seventh floor and don't go further down yet.'
Purple said, 'Okay. I think it'll take some more time to take a look around the floor, so take your time. We're not going further.'
And we continued searching the seventh floor. One by one. Then, we found a huge door. The door was locked and there was a number pad beside the door. It was apparent that the room was holding something very important.
'I think we should get a password or something,' said Wonder.
'You don't need one. Alex, smash the wall as hard as you can,' Bertie said through the radio.
'Okay everyone, now stand back,' said Alex and he took three steps back from the door. We all stepped aside. Then Alex rushed to the wall and smashed it with his metal arm.
A huge breaking sound and dust filled the
air. After the dust was all settled down, we could see that the wall was broken.
'Now that's how you breach through the fire wall,' said Bertie.
...
Inside the room, there were computers and a bunch of equipment that looked like they were made for surgeries and researches. Purple told the cadets to stand guard at the broken wall. I pushed power buttons on the computers. Most of them were not turning anything, but fortunately, one of them turned on.
I said, 'Hey Bertie, one of the computers got turned on.' Bertie told me to see what's in it. But I didn't know anything about computers. Bertie told me follow his instruction. I did as he was telling me to do. There were bunch of video files in it. He told me to turn them on one by one.
When I turned on one of the videos, a man came out and started to talk. I could tell he was a scientist by the white gown. he was wearing. He was saying something in a language that wasn't familiar.
Bertie told me to watch all the videos one by one while he'd record it through the camera on my goggle. He said he'd show it to Ganbold.
So I watched all the videos in the computer. As I said, the language was different from ours but I was able to understand some of it.
The scientist was talking about an experiment, the sun light, and some accidents, I supposed. While I was watching the videos, the others also found some important things as well. Purple found a file of documents, and Wonder found some small bottles that looked like containing some sort of chemicals, maybe medicinal. And Alex found a small safe in one corner of the room and forced open it with his arm.
There was a small kit that contained a needle and some bottles of medicine. We couldn't read the labels since it was also written in the old letters. Bertie said that the veterans were on their way now and he wanted us to give them the things we obtained there.
...
We kept searching the other rooms on the floor. The more we searched, the more positive we became that this was made to be a research facility that did some sort of biological experiments. Human experiments, to be more precise.