Deep in the Mine
Deep in the Mine
Aisling tugs at your hem, a small shadow mirroring your every step. The mine tunnels wind unpredictably, their old paths altered by the recent tremors; some of the marks you left on the way in are now nearly impossible to find.
Following what few marks remain, you locate a temporary safe zone and sit down to operate the terminal.
What's... this?
During the short journey, the girl has shed her fear. Now, she curiously peeks around your side, her eyes fixed on the movements of your hands.
Contact...
Oh...
She peers at it, her expression a look of only partial comprehension.
You said, contact, Liv?
Hmm... Signal?
She scampers to the side and, with great earnestness, waves both hands upward.
I want signal!
The words haven't even left your mouth before the Punishing Virus detector screams, its readings spiking dramatically.
With a swift lunge, you pull the girl to safety just in time. A Hetero-Creature bursts from a side tunnel, its form filling the space where she stood a moment before.
!!!
The child's eyes widen in terror, frozen in shock.
The stutter of gunfire echoes dully through the mine. A claw of the Hetero-Creature flashes past your cheek, leaving a stinging line of blood in its wake.
How is this possible? There shouldn't be any Hetero-Creatures here—
Disregarding the still-ringing dial tone, you gather the child into your arms and flee into the mouth of a dark, unexplored tunnel.
As you run, the call abruptly connects.
...Commandant?!
Liv's voice comes through the terminal, heavily distorted but just clear enough to understand.
Commandant...! Where... are you... right now...?!
Hetero... Creatures...?
And there, on the screen, you see a woman's silhouette looming behind Liv... Is that Melinoe? What is she doing here in the mine?
Can you... share your location... with me...?!
Liv asks anxiously, her voice full of concern.
It is, evidently, a near-impossible task: to carry a child, fend off Hetero-Creatures, and simultaneously relay your coordinates through the terminal.
Liv, clearly, has received none of it. She leans closer to the screen, straining to decipher the fractured words.
For the moment, the tunnel falls silent again. The creatures, temporarily repelled, have retreated into the deeper shadows.
Commandant... are you... alright?
Liv's concern is so palpable it almost seeps through the screen.
...Commandant... don't worry...
...
I'm on my way. We'll meet—
The call cuts off without warning as a Hetero-Creature lunges from the shadows.
There's no time to think, no time to worry about the voice on the other end. Instinct takes over. You draw your gun and turn to face the threat.
The damp air hangs thick, a cold shroud clinging to Liv and Melinoe as they press deeper into the mine.
...Watch out!
Without warning, the ground heaves. In a blur of motion, Liv yanks Melinoe backward as a jagged stone explodes against the spot where she just stood.
!
Th-thank you...
Melinoe stays close behind Liv, still shaken from the close call.
The tremors continue—erratic, unsettling grumbles from the earth. Liv's sensors flicker, scrambling to pinpoint a source, but the readings are a chaotic jumble.
The tremors are persistent... It feels like an induced earthquake from concentrated structural stress.
Th-then what do we do? Aisling's still in there...
The epicenter of an induced earthquake is usually shallow. It shouldn't escalate into a full collapse... Let's keep going.
She just caught a glimpse of the commandant's position. Though it only flashed for an instant, it was enough for her to determine the general direction.
We turn right up ahead. They likely have passed through that safe zone...
Liv's lips press into a firm line. She quickens her pace without another word.
They pass a third intersection, and ahead lies the first safe zone where Commandant and the child might have stayed...
L-Liv! Look...! What's that over there?!
Liv's battle instinct screams a warning before her visual module can even adjust. The air shifts. In one fluid, practiced motion, the Lotus Wheel is in her hands. Its blade arcs through the darkness, meeting the Hetero-Creature that crawls from the shadows, slicing it apart.
...Why would Hetero-Creatures show up here...?
