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✱ CHAPTER 8 : HOSTILE
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Caution: Entered Anomaly Zone. Proceed with caution. Stay vigilant. Avoid anomalies or terminate if necessary.
The submerged facility had an eerie presence. The air felt unnaturally cold, and an unsettling silence loomed. The walls slowly cracked and seemed to shift, as if trying to morph into something else. Glass panels had transformed into solid crystal ice, and strange, vein-like patterns resembling Sakura petals spread across the walls.
The sea surrounding them was a pale, ghostly blue, barely disturbed by movement. Few bubbles escaped their breathing apparatus, adding to the suffocating quiet.
As the operatives descended in the lift, the doors slid open.
In the background, the Syveron insignia was illuminated. Standing in front of it was a menacing, pitch-black figure with an elongated head and unnaturally long, clawed arms.
As the doors opened completely, an eerie calm settled over the scene. The operatives remained on high alert. Brooks, standing at the center, was its first target. His reflexes kicked in. He adjusted his staff into a spear grip and stabbed the creature straight through the head. Levi positioned on the left with his pistol, and Orion to the right, gripping his SCAR rifle. Breaking the silence, Orion asked, "You good, mate?"
The response was an unnatural, ear-piercing shriek: "EEEErrrrrrEEErrrrrrEEEEErrrrrEEEEEE..." It sounded as if its vocal cords were tearing apart.
The creature's body was a mass of molten-black flesh, its grotesquely elongated arms and head contorting as it suddenly charged toward them, moving in an unnatural, four-legged sprint. It lunged, ready to pounce and tear them apart.
Brooks, standing at the center, was its first target. His reflexes kicked in, he adjusted his staff into a spear grip and stabbed the creature straight through the head. Upon impact, a thick, acrid smoke burst from its body. The others raised their guns, ready to fire.
"Is it dead?" Levi asked as the ashes vanished. But instead of dying, the creature disintegrated into a swarm of slithering, ash-colored snakes that writhed and lunged, biting at the operatives. As they struggled to fend off the serpentine horrors, a second creature lurked behind Orion.
"Look out!" Brooks shouted. Orion, already aware, reacted swiftly, slashing through the creature with his sharpened bone claws. Its remains also dissolved into snakes.
The situation worsened as three more monsters emerged, drawn by the noise of the encounter. The operatives fought back, but the increasing numbers made it nearly impossible to hold them off without risking their equipment being destroyed.
The monsters' final stage—transforming into swarming snakes, caused even more chaos. While battling the creatures, the team stumbled into the office cabin zone, where even more monsters lay dormant. As they rushed through the office, the creatures and their serpentine remnants pursued them, snapping and lunging.
The room was cramped, filled with horizontally aligned office cabinets, and the floor was littered with the remains of multiple individuals. As they reached the control room, a horrifying sight awaited them. People were fused to the walls, encased in black, molten cocoons, as if undergoing a grotesque metamorphosis.
They hurried forward as Levi threw a grenade to slow the monsters down, while sealing the doors. Upon reaching another sealed door, they found it obstructed by tangled, branch-like growths. Using Orion's claws, they tore through the branches and forced their way inside. The door sealed shut behind them.
In the admin room, a screen flickered to life. Salome appeared on the monitor, displaying a message.
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[Countdown starts: 60:00]
| Status Report
Dear Operatives,
This is to inform you that the facility submerged in the anomalous substance VXD-4 is contaminated and induces abnormal effects on exposed subjects. These effects include mild to severe mental delusions, hallucinations, and irreversible body modifications if proper precautions are not taken.
Once deformation occurs, body modifications caused by exposure cannot be reversed. Precautions must be followed as per the guidelines accessible through the Data Store located on Floor B1 (Data Store).
[Countdown in progress... Screen starts glitching]
Please use the provided information, as the map is not functional due to dimensional changes:
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Sector A - C: General Personnel Wing
SGI Confidential | Medicus Sector
Level 1-2: General Personnel (Floors A-C)
FLOOR MAP
Facility Type: Underground Secret Biomedical Research Lab
Primary Research Fields: Genetic, Biomechanical, and Radiation Experimentation
Tracking System: Alphabetic Floor Designation (A-Z) with Numbered Sectors
[A - C] [D - G] [H - L] [M - R] [S - X]
A1 – Exhibition Dome (Futuristic glass dome with a simulated sky, used for festivals/events)
A2 – Administrative Sector (Offices for project managers & executives)
B1 – Data Store (Massive research library storing general and classified data)
B2 – Secure Archives (Sealed data storage with restricted access)
C1 – Research Laboratory (Meeting rooms, brainstorming zones, and presentation halls)
C2 – Engineering Bay (Development of new tech and biomechanical parts)
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"What do you mean by dimensional changes?" Levi asked the AI.
"The facility has been affected by severe dimensional shifts. Some floors have merged, while others have expanded beyond their original spatial limits. Each modified floor now possesses a distinct atmosphere and unique anomaly types. This phenomenon is too advanced to be caused solely by the subject culprit. Make sure you remain in motion and avoid staying in one place for too long."
[10-second countdown in progress... Screen starts glitching]
"The VIP and operatives are alive, as their health statuses remain active. Good luck operat..." The screen shuts down. "Better get moving!" Levi says as he collected the Floor Data to his watch.
Brooks and Orion moved through the room, realizing they were still inside the Energon Institute. To reach the critically breached zone—the Medicus Facility. They needed to cross the connecting bridge ahead. The facility was eerily empty, filled with a low, unsettling hum as they walked through the sterile ceramic-metal hallway, where green, capillary-like vines crept along the walls.
Approaching the breach, a dim light glowed faintly behind the translucent wall, silent proof that the automated lighting system was still active.
They attempted to access the sealed door. Brooks had a toolkit capable of bypassing it. Inside was a yellow caution jack with a star-shaped key, designed to fit a large keyhole embedded in the sealed wall. The other end of the tool featured a sharp wedge used to pry it open. While Brooks worked on the door, Levi began collecting data with the holo-scanner attached to his suit belt.
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[MAP]
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(Vacuum door opening sound) "We have to go through Level 2 to access the Research Database and proceed to the next sector."
As they entered the Exhibitions Zone, they ascended a wide staircase leading to the grand floral park. There, in the distance, they spotted a man, a scientist, with a grotesquely disfigured face, staggering toward them. He called for help in a surreal, high-pitched voice, his vocal cords seemingly tearing apart. "Help... Help..."
Before he could get close, he was suddenly sliced in half. It happened in an instant. Standing before the bisected corpse, was a Robota—originally designed as a self-aware robotic waitress. Now, despite their human-like faces, their vision sensors were scratched out, as if removed deliberately for an unknown reason. Their mechanical joints pulsed with eerie blue veins, and their bodies were sheathed in partially torn silicone layers. Their arms had mutated into long, razor-sharp blades, with red-blue synthetic blood dripping onto the floor as they advanced with the unsettling grace of polite servants.
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Meanwhile, inside the Syveron Research Facility, Scouter moved swiftly through the corporate hall, bypassing several suited employees and lab-coated staff using his Card ID. He entered a lift just as another person entered. "Alina, what's the status?"
"They're inside the facility, searching for Suki and retrieving the data. The place is messed up with monsters and abnormal veins around. The only thing left is to escape the facility and ka-boom the site."
He said, "I don't think that will be enough…" "What do you mean that's not enough? Killing a monster that's basically a god in its own void? Of course it's not enough! We definitely need help and we also have limited context regarding the subject. We need more data to proceed further."
He said, "I know. That's exactly what I'm about to do. Let me do the talking. Understood?" Alina nods.
Two armed guards stood menacingly, surveying the area in the sleek, metallic hallway. As Scouter and Alina proceeded down the narrow corridor, a vertical glass scanner mounted along the hallway activated, analyzing them as they approached the door to the Board Members' Office.
"Access granted. Welcome, Scouter and Agent Eagle." The guards stood, allowing them in. Inside was a large hallway with a central seating and presentation area. Toward the back was another room labeled Director of Intelligence. Scouter walked inside.
She sifted through the files filled with cryptic manuscripts, her malice-filled eyes analyzing every detail. She wore a formal outfit in contrasting white and red.
"I'm busy, Scouter. Later!" she said sharply. "Ma'am, we need clearance approval in order to proceed forward," Scouter replied.
"Hmm, Done. Keep me updated about the mission and the Raptors are assigned to safeguard beforehand. You may leave now and remember, don't disappoint me."
A notification ringtone chimed. Alina said, "Excuse me." "Carry on, I'll update you with the details later."
Alina checked her phone and left the room. Scouter continued, talking with a folder in hand. She made her way toward the headquarters sector, passing through the silver metallic hallway lined with wooden benches. She sat, talking on the phone with a calm but slightly annoyed demeanor.
—
Hello?
Hey Alina, are you alright? I heard about the SGI outbreak…You're not assigned there, right?
I'm alright, Mom. I'm just overseeing the mission.
Oh, it's fine then. Be safe dear.
How's Dad...?
What! Why are you doing this to me again, Alina…
Yeah yeah, of course, must be busy bashing his ex...
Alina!
How's Rose?
(She sighs) She's prepping for her GMAT.
Take care of her at least. I'll be cutting the call now.
And yeah, I might not be able to come tonight...
—
Putting her hand to her head in frustration, Alina made her way to the headquarters sector. She found Scouter waiting by her desk. As she approached, he informed her that she had received approval to access any confidential information regarding the SGI and Project Axolotl files. He also reminded her that further mission details must be provided to him as soon as possible.
After getting the heads-up, Alina went through the files, hoping she could establish contact with the team inside the abnormal facility. Her desk was cluttered with papers and hard drives, but two photo frames stood neatly among the chaos, offering a glimpse into her personal life:
One frame held a family picture of her with her father, mother, and younger sister, Rose. The other displayed a group photo of six operatives dressed in black tactical outfits, holding glasses of champagne. Orion, who was in the photo, was smiling brightly in the background. Orion and Levi stood together, raising their glasses, while Suki stood beside them, holding her cup quietly, content yet reserved. Alina and Ivan stood close, raising their glasses with joy. Behind them, a cozy cottage was visible, surrounded by heavy snowfall under the soft light of an early evening.
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