Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Robotech: Beneath a steel sky ❯ Chapter 14 - The ghost in my radio... ( Chapter 14 )

---- Chapter 14 ---- The ghost in my radio...

 

Somewhere deep under Macross City...

Rain, darkness and constant bolts of lightning whipped along the iron sky...

Robert woke up... hiding under countless pieces of plated-junk, using it as an iron blanket that did not keep him warm at all. Waking up from the miserable sleep, he had no idea how long he slept. It has been a while since he has been wandering through the nowhere land of the unknown dark and mysterious Subdeck and the metallic rain was making his life more miserable than ever...

 

"This is not getting any better...", he grumbled as he looked up at the raining sky. Suddenly, while he was getting the junk off himself, a loud scratch sound came out of his shoulder-radio, which scared him. The all-forgotten female computer-voice spoke again, "Communication Signal ... locked", then he heard another voice speaking, ""Mhhrmms - fuzz.- Frsst - ert?! Y-urshrrst - me?""

Lindsay once again managed to focus the communication line to his radio… hoping that she could uphold it with her own willpower… And again, it was a weird experience as she expressed the manipulation between the virtual inner-consciousness of the SDF-1's AI and the real world. For now, though, her thoughts of herself trapped in this inner world were distracted as she focused herself on her attempt.

Robert felt a little better when he heard the voice.

"S-Sarah, is that you?"

 

""Automatic frequency lock on... engaged..."", the computer-voice said, perhaps trying to clear up the signal better.

""Can you here me now? It's me, Sarah Capricorn... -fssht-""

 

"Yeah, I can hear you... loud and... um, not so clearly..."

 

""Thank goodness””, she said and spoke further with a garbled yet relieved voice, ”” you're still alive! I've fina-..rrrlly managed to reach you again. And you owe me several shifts, Mr. Jackson! I have been fighrrrting whole time trying to reach you... Your frequency uplink is constantly jumping around and it trrrook ages until I was able to localize the right one... even though I wonder why I've actually managed to find you just - now - but enough about that. How arrrre you?! Are you fine down there?!""

 

Her words were a lot more corrupted by heavy distracting anomalies then before.

 

At first, he smiled a little, but then got serious again: "I am alright... I think... just hungry like hell... the weather down here is a killer...", he paused and took another deep breath, "- speaking of killer... I was forced to attack those things... killed five of them... five of those that shoot those… spikes..."

""You… You've killed FIVE of those `Invid Shardlings'? How did you manage to do that?!""

Lying on his back, he looked around and only spotted the useless pile of junk all around him. It did not seemed that he was in danger of having unexpected guests to appear as soon as he was openly exposed to the rain.

"Yeah, those… `Shardlings' - Dunno... You better not ask how... How is up there? I'm just glad I finally hearing a human voice speaking", he asked as he wiped water off his face...

""Listen... Robert, you have to be careful. Expect a lot more `Invids' lifeforms down there, a lot more than those you just killed... The `Invids' have taken control of many districts... Including Parisa Square...""

 

Rain kept tapping on his shoulders...

"*sigh* I bet they're right above me…"

""I guess so, but I can't tell how far or how deep you really are... But that's not all -Admiral Gloval has ordered lockdown procedures upon the districts around Parisa Square, as well..."", she replied.

Her words sounded slightly pessimistic as they came out of his radio.

 

“Lockdown around Parisa? You mean “blockades”?”

 

“”Yesssssrrr- The lockdown is a permanent-until-cause procedure that causes the terminal gateways between districts to shutrrrrdown massive barriers, disconnecting any means of connection, no matter by foot or airrrr. What makes this procedure so dangerous is its P.U.C statusrrrr. Once these gateways are lockdown'ed, it could take several days or even months until engineering is able to regain access… Whoever is on the wrong side may be doomed, Robertrrrr… Yet it is Admiral Gloval's decision to finally stop the foregoing advancerrrrr of the invading forces…””

 

 

"That doesn't sound good at all..."

""I'm afraid so... Our forces were not evacuate everybody... Many, including our own soldiers, are caught there... but that is all I can tell you about for now"", his radio fuzzed a little, shortly garbling up the voice - then came back to normal, ""... but listen, I think I have just managed to figure out where you are...""

"Y-You know exactly where I am???", he asked surprised.

 

""To tell the truth, not `exactly' ... I can't really pin-point your signal precisely... but I can tell by the frequency and by other measures where you `could' be... Although not very accurate either... No listen, I have figured out that you must be very close to one of the railways, near a “frequency-emitter”, which initially supports or enchances the radio signal network within this `bermuda triangle' under the city... In other words... Your current position must be very close to one of the outpost-station... I mean... You are `VERY' close to one of the outpost stations... Those emitters have an effective range of 500 meters...""

 

"500 meters... That means I have to be somewhere below that radius!"

Listening to the words of the woman, Lindsay began to understand that she did not need to concentrate as much upon the signal like before. Just by concentrating on her surroundings, she began to `feel' the existence of a force supporting her somehow. Shortly closing her eyes, her `awareness' became so sensitive that she felt a flow of a radiating force right through her. It has been a long while since the “consciousness'” last activity, but it did not seem to need her attention for now. Slowly but surely, her eyes began to reveal the invisible field of energy surrounding them as blue ether, yet affected by the constant rain. While she listened to the `soldier' and the woman's voice, Lindsay looked around and detected an area that caught her attention - a dense area. As the blue ether slowly faded away again, she spotted a very tall object, however very far away as the woman proposed.

Robert lifted himself a little and looked around. Spotting a hill of junk within the darkness, which seemed high enough to have a look around. Though feeling the results of his lousy cold and wet sleep, it was Sarah's call that gave him a bit of strength to ignore how he was feeling. As Robert made his way to the hill, more pieces of small junk fell off him...

 

"Sarah, could you tell me something about those `station'?"

""Well, from what I can tell you, a small variety of them exist all around the vast area of the main research site. Some are just for a stop-by, other stations act more like an outpost or station. Each station usually have a few colonists including RDF personnel, along with soldiers, medics and vehicles - and most of these complexes are connected via railway. I'm unable to tell which one of these emitters are connected to, but I can say that they aren't that far away from a complex either, for their power lines are visibly mounted above ground... ""

The holographic woman looked upon the `soldier', noticing that he indeed was exhausted and slightly wounded just by observing his movement.

"That sounds good, I hope I can finally find some help there... I could need a better shelter, y'know…"

 

Sarah replied with a worried voice:

""Robert... Things are going pretty bad for the deck high above you... Many people have been killed... Our forces have confronted heavy resistance... and the alien threat has taken over a few districts already. Along with the lockdown, they are cutting through our lines like a hot knife through butter. Our troops have managed to stop them from advancing to certain areas... but who know what they will be doing next... Each district they took over started to lose a large amount of power as well... like as if the reactors were loosing output... A dangerous situation since we require the power to interact with the systems…"

 

"Correct me if I am wrong... but those reactors are powerful, or not? Even one could power the seven districts, or?"

 

""They can, and if I am not wrong either, they could power even more... but it seems that each time we lose control of that district, it does''t take long until that reactor stops producing energy... Its output is by then tremendously reduced... We must face the fact that the `Invids' are stealing its power...""

 

"Hmm, why should they be stealing power..."

 

Robert reached the hill. As he approached the hill, he noticed that was a little bit steep upwards. Though climbable, he scratched his head shortly - but then thought about the station again - Perhaps his only way to find help - or even see people again. He immediately strapped his rifle on his back.

"Hold on a second, Private Capricorn... Gotta do some climbing..."

""Hey! That`s Corporal Capricorn for you, Mr. Jackson!""

 

Robert jumped up a little, grabbing junk to climb up on...

"Oh yeah, sorry `Corporal'”, he added as he worked his way upwards.

""Neverrrrmind...""

 

As he climbed up, he remembered what happened back then while he was hiding under the hill of junk when he was about to snipe upon that creature.
”Y'know, when I was about to shoot one of those things back then, I was hiding and about to fire, when that voice from my radio suddenly shouted to don't shoot - May sound weird but was that you actually?”

 

""What? What do you mean?""
Robert stopped as he tried to maintain a grip with his hands, “A voice spoke, I couldn't tell who it was really - but that was not you?”

“”Negative. I've been trying to re-contact you during the last few hours, but I've not had the chance to reach you until now.””

Robert continued his climb, “Very strange…” After a few moments, he managed to reach the top. It was quite strenuous but as he managed to finally reach the top, he felt like the king of the hill - but laid down again as he saw one of the many lightning shocks long the distant iron sky.

"Ok, I am up on a pile of junk, high enough to have a look around... How far away did you say those stations were, again?"

""... Approximately 500 meters, Mr. Jackson...""

Robert looked around... The visibility was quite miserable. He could not see quite far, but he kept looking around... The thundering `sky' high above him only gave him a very rough appearance of the endless hills of junk… though hoping if he could see something that could give him a clue where he should go...

Noticing that he was having trouble trying to recognize the object of that distance, Lindsay insisted to help somehow. Able to `duplicate' herself, she left a part of herself as she was close to the man, still upholding the signal between him and that woman who claimed to be from the bridge citadel. Immediately blinking ahead, she found herself next to the object, a very tall tower radiating the field that was very intense. Stretching her hands upon it, she tried to see if she could somehow manipulate it.

 

Looking around for a long minute or two, Robert started was worried if he was able to spot the object. He was not even sure if he could look so far as said, since he had no real clue how far his visibility range truly was. But just at that moment he was about to give, he spotted something flashing. Irregular, but faint blinking.

"Alright! I think I can see something... I'm on my way there...", he added and sneezed.

 

 

----

 

Somewhere in the "Parisa Square" District, near the closed terminal--gateway to "Macy's Garden" District...

 

Carrying FoxyRoxy, who was still unconscious over his left shoulders, into one of the buildings nearby, Mick fought trying to carry her. He pulled out the handgun he gave to FoxyRoxy from her suit pocket, just in case some surprise was waiting for him. While he looked around, he saw a stairway going upwards and decided to climb the stairs.

 

"Foxy... you sure are damn… heavy...", he said, as he carried her upwards.

Just barely reaching the first floor, Mick was already panting for air. Leaning himself with his right shoulder against a wall, he noticed that they were in some kind of apartment building. Besides his breathing, there was not even a clock making noise... Indeed, all apartments seemed abandoned - and many doors were left open... “Oops sorry”, he said to her when he accidentally bumped her head against the edge of an open door. Foxy still remained unconscious. He walked into one of the many doors, nearly stumbling over everything that was on the floor.

 

"""Looks like who ever was living here was in a desperate rush to get out of here...""", he thought.

 

After carrying Foxy through several rooms, he finally found a room with a bed - fortunately. Although he tried to put her gently down, he was at the end of his strength. She fell off his shoulders, but landed softly on the bed as Mick collapsed onto his knees just next to the bed.

 

"Man... What did you eat a while ago - anvils?!"

He took a short look over towards her, seeing that she was still alive. It was a good feeling for him seeing that she was alive. Just the thoughts about her being dead made him a bit worried, but he insisted to distract himself with something else. Deciding to leave her on the bed in order to find something to eat, Mick lifted himself up. Having the handgun ready, he went down the stairs, aiming at each direction he walked to.

 

When he reached the entrance of the building, he stuck his head outside, looking first to left, then to the right. The streets were empty. Only a few demolished cars, a lot of damaged or nearly destroyed military vehicles and a quite severely damaged VF-1D Valley-Cat in front of a destructed object along with a long burned trail upon the long street were the only things he could see.

 

He spotted a military support truck in good condition, slightly hidden among the area. He remembered those type of trucks ... They usually transported ammunition... and firearms. The word "firearms" sounded good in Mick's ears, since he was sure they were going to need some "heavy gear". Without thinking twice, he ran across the street, while keeping an eye on his surroundings. The storage door at the back of the truck was open and he climbed inside.

 

"Let's see what we got here...", he said to himself as he spotted a few cases and opened them.

"Grr.. Stuff", Mick opened another, "more useless stuff... hmm `First aid'... We could need that", and grabbed three kits, then opened the next case, "... Rations... something we could definitely need". Deciding to make trips, he looted the truck - of course not for any burglar intention. The case was not so heavy, so he decided to carry the case including the first aid kits back to the apartment.

 

Back upstairs, he dropped the useful items next to the bed. FoxyRoxy was still lying on the bed... He went back down again to look for some more useful things. Just remembering that he forgot to take his sub-machine gun out of the downed Valkyrie, he walked over to the VF-1`s pilot cockpit side and opened the case where he stored the handheld machine gun. Judging by its weight, there were not that many bullets left, and he did not have any spare magazine clips either - but none the less he felt it was better to take what could be useful. After strapping the SMG on his right suit-leggings, he ran back to the truck to see if he could find more things. There were only two cases left, which were closed. He opened both.

 

"Nothing special...", Mick said to himself again and looked inside the other one, "Empty... well I'm done here". He jumped out of the truck. For a brief moment, he took a long pause, looking at the gigantic dominant gateway blocking their way to safety. Taking another look at the truck, he noticed that he had not checked the driver's cockpit of the truck. Mick went over to the driver's seat of the truck, opened the truck's door and climbed inside. Pieces of glass from the windshield was laying everywhere and he also spotted several holes on the rear side of the seats... Strange to Mick, these holes seemed as if they were bullet holes - and not made from shards.

Shaking his head, he concentrated again on looking for using things. Opening a small box above his head, he found a different looking handgun with three magazine clips. A couple of loose bullets rolled down and fell onto the seat. Taking a closer look, he recognized the cold and yet light handgun. Its frame was made of a special material that allowed the grip to slowly form into the hand of it's user. "Hmm, well I'll be damned. A `Brogan .09er' - Special issue. Geez, Jester would kill for just having this thing in his hands", Mick chuckled.

 

Deciding to head back, he made his back to the apartment building, thinking that it was better to see how FoxyRoxy was doing - For sure, it was a better idea than wandering around, just provoking his bad luck to come across an "Invid"... or across one of the "dog-like Invids", which were even worse...

 

He ran up the stairs. Entering the bedroom, he could see that FoxyRoxy was still knocked-out. Feeling hungry, he sat down next to the bed and opened one of the rations.

"Field Ration - Nutrition packs ... open here"

The rations tasted like dry crackers, some were sweet, some were salty... but edible... and he had quite a lot to eat. A few minutes and several packs of food - not quite the luxury he expected as a Veritech rookie.

 

----

 

The metallic rain was tapping everywhere, making it hard to tell if something was around. Although 500 meters did not sound really far, Robert needed quite a long while until he managed reach the tower, right next to a railway leading somewhere. According to his technical knowledge, the tracks and power-lines from the tower both gave him a clue in which direction he should walk. In a hurry to finally get out of the rain, he began to jog and make fast steps, albeit the slight pain he felt everywhere.

 

Something was up ahead. Making his way up a small hill, he finally reached what he was looking for. Lifting his head slowly over the edge of the hill, he peeked ahead.

 

She did the same as she floated right next to him.

With a faint smile in his face, he seemed happy to finally reach some man-made compound with bunker-looking buildings along with railways within this underworld junkyard. Just for the moment, he felt happy to see some light emitting in this nearly pure darkness, disregarding the weak dark blue illumination upon the surface around him. A flag with the symbol of the RDF wove by the unusual windy air as well. But as he felt the joy, his smile slowly began to disappear. The compound's spotlights remained as they were. Taking the look from afar upon the area, he came to the conclusion that there was not a single activity going on, other than constant rain streaming down everywhere.

Not a single person was available, not even a single thing was moving other than countless raindrops and hanging service chains. He turned away, slid down to hide and looked around.

 

The young navigator looked at him as he shortly looked towards her direction. Needless to say, she felt his disappointment somehow. Until now, she understood that he was in a world of misery and the last bit of hope he had surely faded away again. He must have thought he was finally rescued…
Feeling a flowing field upon her again, she felt that there was another unit transmitting a communication field or something alike… however a lot stronger and yet familiar. But wait… it was not only a single field. “Emotionally”, she felt something touching or calling her attention somehow. Floating upwards again, she detected that several fields existed among the whole area - many of them emitting from the largest bunker complex. From her experience ever since she had been in this mysterious inner world of the SDF-1's “consciousness”, she learned that she was able to manipulate anything that was affected or powered by any type of power grid. A fact she manipulated several times in need to make an immediate contact with the sensory officer of the bridge. Making a nervous look upon him, Lindsay began to come up with an idea - an idea that could probably help both him and her. Again, she duplicated herself, concentrating on following his moves as she once again flew ahead with her other self towards the main building at the same time.

Robert wiped his face and coughed…

“Uh, Corp-Corporal”, he called over his radio, hoping she was still on the line, “are you there?”

“”Always ready, Robert””, she replied with a very loud frequency scratch in his ear piece,”” Listen - you can call me Sarah, actually…””

“Okay - Sarah - I don't know, but I think this place is abandoned.”

“”Have you tried broadcasting? Maybe you weren't in range back then.””

“Good idea - hold on a second.”

 

Taking the small handheld radio transmitter from his shoulder, he called, “Is anybody around who can hear this message? Please respond.”

“”*Empty garbled sound* “”

“I repeat, is anybody in this region?”

“”*Empty garbled sound* “”

 

After waiting for a while, he dropped his head shortly and shook it. Setting his radio back to Sarah's channel, he replied, “Nah, nothing *cough* - guess I'm all out of luck…”

“”Robert, are you really ok? You do sound a bit exhausted…””

“Heh, you bet. All this running around is killing me and actually, I did receive a few scratches - but it doesn't look all to bad.”

Albeit his sarcasm, he was actually in a very bad shape. He seemed to have a cold, was affected by exhaustion and slight pain and his clothes and gear was soaking wet and heavy.

“”I'd say you should investigate the area. You need to get out of that rain to recover somehow.””

Robert looked around again, “Well, I don't have much of a choice… but just the looks of this place is creepy…”

 

Lifting himself up more, he noticed that it was not a good idea of sitting that long on one spot. His whole body was getting sore. He needed shelter - a dry shelter.

“Alright, I'm heading in - I just hope none of those things are in there.”

 

Resetting the protoculture rifle on standby, he scanned the area with his eyes one last time and climbed over the hill. As he came closer to the compound, he discovered a severely damaged military object, both interiors of its arms hanging down as if something tore them out of the limbs. It looked like one of those heavy tank mechas used by the military. Its hull seemed to have taken heavy punishment. Judging the damage by the amount of dark spikes stuck in it, it must have confronted an outnumbering force.

Robert did not really expect anybody to be sitting in there either. Wind blew from time to time through the area, causing chains and other hanging metallic things to make noise. At this moment, he started to feel a lot more unsafe than before - It was the appearance of this abandoned looking place that disturb him. Thousands of raindrops could be seen as they fell past the beams of light emitting from the guard towers, slightly angled to the side as they were affected by the frequent gush of wind.

What truly disturbed him was the fact that in this area, he was no longer protected by darkness - Walking through the compound with all these spotlights pointing down around him surely was not the best idea. There were several strange looking stains upon the puddles around the open ground, but he ignored them.

 

Entering the center field of the compound, he needed to decide where to go. There were a total of four buildings, with one of them being largest. Making a wild guess, he insisted to investigate the smallest one first. But as he walked ahead, something suddenly happened.

In an instant, the outer lights of the smallest building suddenly went off, throwing an immediate shadow over him that surprised him. Aiming once again in all directions, he found nothing other than other spotlights around.

“What the…”

 

Again, another two groups of lights went off, leaving only a single spotlight of the largest building active…

 

“Damn it, what the hell is going on in this place…”

“”Explain…””

“I dunno - the lights suddenly went off… that is, all but one.”

“”Maybe somebody is trying to signal you to enter that building - maybe you aren't alone as we thought…””

“*sigh* Hoo boy…”

 

Making slow and cautious steps, he made his way towards the main building. Aiming forward, moved from one corner to another, always checking his surroundings from cover - then he stopped. Maybe it was a trap?

 

But unexpectedly, an unfamiliar voice spoke. A voice that sounded like the female computer voice from the radio, yet different. It did not have that `for him familiar' monotone and lifeless voice though…

“”- Thisss way -””, that voice said. It definitely was not Sarah who said that. Yet it was a demand - but more likely an advice… or invitation?

Speculations filled his mind, but still, he was left clueless in a field of rain standing not far from a large complex with a spotlight and voice inviting him.

 

He needed a break…

 

"Sarah, are you still there?", he repeated himself, hoping to hear something from her her.

""Yes yes - I can here you..."", he heard, luckily...

Robert felt relieved and said, "I dunno - This place is just as quiet as a cemetery - but just now that voice spoke again. That same one that told me not to fire back then...", as he aimed from a crouch position.

""Very strange... Although I can't confirm anybody else down there using you're frequency, I can assure you however that nobody else from the bridge is on this commline.""

 

"Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice, as usual", he said to her, wiping drops off his face again.

""You should be careful... Who knows what could still be running around there...""

"Hopefully a good guy..."

 

Standing in front of a closed metallic entrance, he spotted an access panel… but he did not need to do anything. As he just arrived, the entrance rose itself automatically… Full of suspicion, he entered the building. Cold air rushed pass him and gave him a short cold shiver as he sneaked into the building cautiously. Robert felt himself a little bit relieved ever since those heavy raindrops stopped tapping his shoulders. A moment of victory shortly over came his face expression as he looked back upon the rainy outside - At least he completed one objective. Robert tried to walk silently through the hall, but his shoes made "squish-squash" with each step he made. Leaving a long wet trail behind him did make him a bit worried.

" Sarah... I'm finally inside. What should I be looking for here? Got a clue?", Robert asked as his eyes slightly ached due to the brightness.

 

He slowed down and observed his path...

Just down this short blue corridor was a lobby that seemed to be an intersection to many other areas the building. Scratches and burned marks were everywhere.

""Well, I think it is appropriate to stay in shelter for now... *frequency scratch* You're already somewhere deep inside the ship... and we don't even know where you really are unless you find the name of the base perhaps…""

 

"So what's your suggestion?"

"" Since you are at some kind of station grounds with somebody around, I think it would be a good idea to look around for that person and find the automated train station to follow those who left to the next base... Remember that each station is connected by railway systems... *fuzz* Outposts and main stations have quite a distance between each other... But if you manage to get to one of the trains with that person, you'll be on the right track to the next station... Maybe that's how you can find allied forces. What do you think?""

 

"Guess that is best to do..."

“”Commonly, such large building consist of the main facilities. I expect a sickbay and armory to be around. Usually off-limits without the chief's or quartermaster's authorization, but this is somewhat an emergency situation. You should consider heading somewhere there first. I'm sure you should be able to find a place to rest as well. But speaking of danger - How did you manage to overwhelm those `Invid'? Our forces have confronted heavy issues dealing with such enemy.""

 

He stopped...

Remembering his fight a while ago, he answered, "Major Goodings gave me his rifle... This, um... E14... Galla-something"

""Oh, `E'? Sounds like an energetic-pulse rifle, or?""

 

"Yeah..."

""A very effective weapon indeed - E14 Gallant assault rifle, I assume. Take very good care of this delicate weapon - What else have you got?""

Robert looked around himself, checking what he was carrying... "He gave me this vest, a light...um, light armor vest or so... a handgun, and this messed-up radio gear... And this thing I used as a weapon from one of those bugs I killed… Some kind of spear."

 

""Remarkable… Robert, in any way, have you ever served in an army or any military segment alike?””

“You kiddin' me? I actually wanted to stay out of such mess… err, `trouble'… don't take me wrong there.”

“”According to your status, though, I'd strongly suggest visiting the armory section before making a leave with the person who is trying to contact you. Although it seems as if your rifle is effective, you need to more equipment to at least protect you from the cold rain and any other gear that will improve your chance of survival... I know it all of this is very unusual for a non-combatant, but we don't have a choice at all, Robert.""

Besides the faint noise of heavy raindrops tapping everywhere along the building, only his voice and steps were the only things making noise. It was easy to say that this place was like a ghost town - Yet haunted by a single ghost…

"I should probably try heading there first...", he replied as walked down the empty corridors... "But how can I find it?"

""I am not sure. Maybe terminal computer maps...or wall directions..."”

“Yeah, I'll…”, but something occurred making him stop his speech.

The lights around the lobby were suddenly shut down, leaving only trail of small supportive lights on the edges of the other corridors. Being left in the darkness at first, the certain region to his left leading down a corridor suddenly re-illuminated, having its lights turned on, one by one along its path. Looking over his left shoulder with a surprised face, he began to worry…

 

“This place is giving me the creeps.”

“”Go ahead, Robert.””

“Just seconds ago, the lights went off - and right now, one of the hallways had its lights reactivated.”

“”I don't assume the aliens are trying to play games with you. Maybe that person is trying to lead you to the right place.””

 

”Yeah, well, why is that `person' playing hide-n-seek?”

“”Wish I knew…*fsssh*””

 

“”- Trust me -””, again that other voice…

 

He was starting to hate these occasions of one-way choices.

Looking upon a map with symbols and color-legends upon the wall, he found out that the orange line leading in that `suggested' hallway would lead to some “comm./ops” section - his wild guess of a some kind of communication area. The armory was also in that direction, referring to the red line, but it was more likely off the trail, splitting off to another corridor on his left side.

 

Taking a while as he followed the poorly lit area, he made his way ahead with great caution - and stopped soundlessly as he heard strange sounds ahead….

”clank, clank"...

 

"I think something is ahead, in that room... I'm going to check it out... - I'll get back to you in a moment", he said and pressed a button on the side, causing the radio to go on standby.

 

Hearing his words at the bridge, Sarah said, “Bu'-”, wanting to say something before, but her line was cut off for standby. Making a grumpy face, she had no other choice but to wait.

 

He walked slowly towards the wall behind him, having his back against it, then moved forward as slow as possible, so his soaked shoes would not make noise. There was dried fluid on the floor, smeared and spread every along his path. Along with the smell, it was needless to say that this was blood from a person who was pulled along the floor.
Indeed, he reached the communication room…

Floating near him, she wanted to warn him that something dangerous was in that room…

 

Robert leaned over slowly, looking deep inside the room... Inside, he could see a small creature... only little bit taller than a meter. Observing this strange looking creature, it had two sharp and bloody looking claws and two skinny legs... The creature stood in a puddle of crimson blood, darkened... Along with a disgusting smell…

A dead body was severed by creature, slashed and ripped, which could easily be judged by its blood-smeared looks. The creature was indeed eating from the dead body... definitely "Invid".

Robert leaned back...
Then without warning, he leaned over again, aiming his rifle straight at the creature and unleashed a burst of shots, which busted right through the creature... The shots busted the side of its body and caused the creature to violently slam against one if the consoles behind. Nervously having his finger on the trigger, Robert aimed straight the creature...

The creature did not move again...

 

Lowering his aim a bit. He started to wonder if this thing was `teasing' him with the lights… But then again, its looks showed it was more interested on its feed. Robert looked upon the corpse. The creature surely did make a mess out of that man - just the looks of him really disgusted Robert.
””- The console -””

Robert looked around as he was once again surprised by that unknown voice wandering in his radio. What was she talking about?

Right when he wanted to reply, he noticed that all but one screen far to the right was active - Something blinking and written on its screen. Needless to say, he hated these mysteries more and more by the second as he entered the large room filled with the disgusting smell. RDF symbols and those of some UEG insignias were along the screens as he entered, some of them flickered while others flashed. Walking closer, he began to see what was written on the screen.

“- I am aware that this may sound strange for you”, stood on the screen, but then more words appeared upon the screen, he spoke what he read, “- Make your way to the Armory and find a radio repair set. I am unable to communicate clearly with you over your shoulder-radio. Your radio unit is damaged und you will need to modify it with a new one. Lindsay…”

”- is my name?”, Robert repeated. Looking around in the room, he did not discover any cameras in here. Whoever it was, he had no idea how this person entered his frequency. But what surprised him even more, he wondered how this person was able to warn him back then as he hid within his little concealed spot. The voice, now sounding a bit more different than the monotone computer voice, was a soft female, yet rather unclear but familiar.

Slowly moving his hand over his radio to broadcast, he said, “W-who are you?”

 

After a short second, the words disappeared and reappeared with a new message, “There will be enough time to explain, Mr. Robert Jackson. Please, follow my instructions. Make your way to the armory section and find a substitute radio unit. Take the electromagnetic identification card to your side.”

As Robert looked around, he did not find the card at first.

“”- To your left -””, that `Lindsay' voice said to him…

 

Surprised by her words, he looked towards that direction…

“”- Further… -””

Indeed, he spotted it on the left, hidden behind a screen… Looking around in the room, he did not spot any cameras or any surveillance systems alike at all. How did she know where it was. Picking up a small blue but sophisticated looking card, Robert read "ID Access Card - 8V.AQ `Skeleton Key'". Although he had no idea what to do with it, he pushed it into his pocket.

He shook his head.

 

Pressing the key on his radio, he recalled Sarah Capricorn's signal, "Sarah... I..”, but he did not know where to start, “I've just killed another creature... but this one looks a lot different than the other shooting ones... This one was smaller... with many sharp claws..."

“”- Armory, go there, now -””, that `Lindsay' voice said.

“”Who was that?””

“You heard her, too? I wish I knew.”

“”Unidentified person, please identify yourself””, Sarah requested, but Robert immediately interrupted her.

”*sigh* Beats me - but I'm outta here, on my way to that armory place.”

Just before he made his way out of the room, he looked upon the severed corpse. A disgusting view and yet, he did wonder if were able to find more people, at least people alive. He was on their track, but they were not here. Slightly limping his way with fast steps out of the room, he backtracked his own trail of puddles until he met the intersection with a red line showing where the armory section was.

 

Lindsay levitated ahead of him. She had to understand that her efforts in trying to make contact with the man were causing mistrust, but she knew he needed help. Keeping her hopes high, Lindsay hoped he would be able to upgrade another unit, allowing his radio to finally communicate freely with her.

 

Arriving with sore legs, he approached the entrance with caution. The corridor descended to a dead end blocked by a thick door, electronically secured by a pad and a closed window, presumed for the quartermaster - if any were here.
Just before he discovered the access pad, for which he insisted to use the key card, the automated door slid open.

"*Positive tone* Access granted"...

Just how did this - `Lindsay' - do this, he wondered.
Quickly entering the large room, the automated door behind him.

“*Double tone* Access doors - sealed”

 

“Grrreat..:”, he mumbled.

The young man spotted several shelves, lockers, cases, boxes and other storage-thing, however many of the racks had missing weaponry and other tools. The air was thick and had a certain intensive metal and plastic smell as he walked along the shelves. The lights emitting from the ceiling were dimmed and a few of them flickered rapidly as Robert slowly walked into the quiet area. Having a look around, he spotted various numbers of RDF symbols and those of the military organizations he usually had seen in the city. There was a closed service handout canopy at the side along with a messy desk and a monitor hooked to a computer - probably the access computer of the quartermaster.

 

“”- You require medical care. Find… Medkit… Corner… -””

Doing as this `Lindsay' insisted, he limped his way ahead and searched for the kit this `ghost' mentioned. He did not need long until he found it - thanks to her hint. Carrying it, he scanned the large room with his eyes again. The shelves were only filled with a few guns, rifles and other things. He did not have enough knowledge to use the weapons that were lying there. For sure, it would not make sense to arm himself full of weapons if those creatures could kill him within a few seconds. All these things belonged to those RDF soldiers and marines…
Finding a rack full of accessories, he found a variety of backpacks. Deciding to take one, Robert grabbed one of the many large field backpacks accidentally dropped it on the floor.

"...Oops", he said towards himself as he kneeled down and made sure nothing was wrong with it. The young man took a look on the backpack and noticed that it offered a high capacity for storing anything. These backpacks seemed to be those special ones used for long field-trips Robert once heard of - especially at a place like this, way deep under the city.

 

The lights flickered a few times again.

“”- Seek advance radio unit chip stored in the concealment chamber. Find it -“”

Annoyed by this hunting game, he wondered if this `Lindsay' was watching him. Although the room had a camera, there was no explanation for her watching each of his moves back then and recently…

 

After taking a long while, Robert found use of the keycard as he opened the chamber and pulled out an asset of radio chip units, each with different features and settings. Able to configure the units manually with a level three techkit, he finally had the chance to use his technical knowledge as `Lindsay's' voice gave him very short instructions. Needing quite a while, Robert did successfully manage to integrate the new units although he was unfortunately unable to fix the damaged main unit since it was the core unit between him and Sarah - removing it would have cut him off for good.

“”- Good. Please, treat your wounds. I must… synchronize to the new signal… This might take a while -””, that Lindsay's voice said in very distorted tone, very slightly `misphased' that made it sound as if two of her voices were talking at the same time.

 

Well, this looked like he was about to make a new contact with this mysterious person. But since she needed some time to calibrate that signal she mentioned, Robert insisted to do as she said and get himself treated.

Robert got up and looked around. Spotting a few more cases in the corner of the armory room, he insisted to take a look. He limped over and opened them discovered special "soldier gear"...

He read some of the case instructions and skimmed a few informative descriptions. From what he read, these cases contained pants, vest-jackets, boots... All water-proof, light, variable in sizes and in camouflage. One case also had a camouflage-net for snipers, also water-proof... although it was a net.

Robert knew that he was just a civilian and carrying these things would make him look like a soldier, but he already was sure to take these things. Since he had to take off his cloths anyways, he sighed and did as needed. He took off the organic spear-weapon, along with the light but scratched BPA vest, and his other ripped clothes.

It was a strange feeling for him and he did have the paranoid feeling of being watched as he laid med-patches upon the scratches and slight wounds he had. Worried about the warning of “caution: contains minor drug agents - Excessive use may lead to addiction”, Robert did feel a bit nervous, but as usual, he did not have any other choice. Laying many patches upon him, he wondered how he survived so long with this burning pain.

 

Very embarrassed by his looks, Lindsay turned her back upon him and tried to concentrate on her self-calibration with his radio unit.

 

After his treatments, Robert pulled out military looking leggings, which seemed very dense and protective, and a marine vest-jacket, boots and two pairs of thin black gloves, both with and without fingertip covering. Although we hated the idea of leaving his clothes behind, it was a luxurious feeling of finally wearing dry clothes again. All in all, the clothes was water-resistant, probably the best aspect to counter the rainy hell outside.

 

He strapped on a different type BPA vest, medium, which was just as light as the "light" version, but definitely more protective. After putting on his new soldier-looking gear, he grabbed the camouflage net and through it over him. The camo-net covered him up like a cape... but it had special "sleeves" to put arms through. The net itself was also not too long to trip over when walking or running. Taking a closer look on the net, he noticed that between each hole of the net, he could see a very thin silky film that hardly reflected light. Now he understood why it said `water-proof' on the case. To the left side at the lower rows of the shelves, Robert spotted many packs of field-rations. He immediately filled his new backpack with a lot of rations, water packs, two medical kits along with one small mechanical toolbox and fitted them perfectly inside. Lifting himself, he walked a few steps towards the side. Looking above, he spotted gasmasks that seemed similar to those he used when he used to work as a civilian servo-mechanic. The ones he used to use were simple masks to filter the air - The ones he found here were the special military ones that had a small but nifty unit allowing the carrier to use it as a rebreather for several hours. Indeed, a tool not to be ignored.

Opening a special box with the name "Eagle Eyes *All-purpose combat field googles". These goggles seemed to be the perfect mix between night-vision/light-amplification and sunglasses. The lenses were round and seemed they could cover up his whole eye area. Reading the information on the side of the box, Robert read the abilities of this vital tool. They would not only allow him to see in the dark, they would also act as an eye protection against high light radiation. The whole item included a headband, allowing the user to slide it up or down. Powered by special regenerative cells, for sure, Robert would be needing this for his journey.

"Man, I'm starting feel like I'm on a shopping-spree", he mumbled as he went along the shelves again. Grabbing a belt with few small hard hand-sized green "pineapples" with rings, he recognized that these things were the typical war-toys called grenades. Robert hesitated... but then threw the whole strap over his shoulder. Leaning down slightly, he discovered a row of different looking belts. Reading the words on a small metal plate just under each row of belts, he pulled out the one listed under the name "high utility belt". This special belt had enough pouches along with four holsters, two on each side, along with lower right one wide enough to even hold a sub-machine gun. He also grabbed another belt-looking object, which seemed to be a shoulder holster for a handgun and a few clips - Those that were normally carried by those special police troops he saw a few months ago.

"Hmm, what else could I need?", he said towards himself as he walked further.

Just as Robert walked around the corner with the backpack in his hands, he discovered the main reason why a few soldiers called this place "toy-land". He spotted at least twelve shelves full of different looking weapons and other things. From handguns to rocket launchers, each shelf had a row of ten weapons that laid vertically, each inside a rack. No wonder there was an intense smell of oil, plastic and polished metal. Robert really hated the use of such weapons... but just had no choice. Still keeping in mind that avoiding action rather his way of surviving, he threw a few cartridges of flares into his backpack and strapped a pack of six on his left waist side.

 

As he hasted along the shelves, he found a case with the words "class II - surveillance equipment" and opened it up. Spotting several tools, he grabbed a self-recharging flashlight, along with light amplification goggles, a scope and binoculars. Even the climbing gear which he found was very light and could comfortabley be hooked up on the rearside of the backpack.

The backpack was almost full. Robert noticed that his backpack had on it's left and right side rifle-strap holders, which meant that it was possible to strap two rifles on the back... and carry another in hand.

Robert went back to the shelves that had rifles. Nearly every type of rifle was there, typical assault and close combat rifles, along with a variety of hunting rifles. Pulling out one of the rifles, which was over the silver plated name "Sniper Rifle -- M-27 12.7mm", he strapped it on the left side of the backpack, pushed three boxes and a few of five-bullet-clips inside the side pouches of the backpack as well and a few single rounds into the special utility belt's side to pull out easily. This rifle was fitted with a scope and integrated bipods. Robert did seem astonished as he noticed how light this rifle was.

 

"War-toys"... Robert felt like a kid in a world of guns as he slowly walked past the shelves. Not even reading the next shelf, he pulled out a sub-machine gun, which had a long and thick muzzle - perhaps a silencer. It was very light and small, just perfect for him - He grabbed an additional amount of clips as well. Looking over to the other side, he found many lockers with the letter "E" on their doors ... Perhaps "E" like energetic, he guessed. As he pulled out one, several things flew out of the locker he opened... Robert grabbed one of the handguns, along with a few cells and pushed them into the left side of his belt.

 

Testing the weight of his new gear, he was surprised by its lightweight, as yet his legs did not ache any more - perhaps the drugs causing pain inhibition. Taking a seat again, he wondered how far this `Lindsay' woman was. But happy to finally have some rest, he sat down and packed a few more things…

 

 

Flash. The consciousness of the SDF-1 once again duplicated her, leaving an avatar of herself still synchronizing with the radio signal. Surprised by the sudden event, Lindsay felt disorientated as she looked around. Spotting the base from afar, she wondered why the consciousness recalled her to this position - it did not seem as if something important was -

 

After a few moments, he managed to strap both belts and his radio-gear again. Finally ready to continue, Robert laid the special goggles over his forehead, which fitted perfectly.

 

""Hey Robert? Are you still there? Please respond..."", Sarah's voice asked from his radio-gear...

"I can hear you..."

 

""Robert - Uh, I have here someone who would like to speak to you..."", Sarah replied, sounding slightly nervous, ""it's Admiral Gloval...""

 

Robert lifted his head - "Did you just say `Admiral Gloval'?!", and made a surprised face, "You don't mean "the" `Admiral Gloval' who..."

 

A deep voice with a Russian accent spoke.

""Good day, Mr. Jackson...""

 

"Uh, Mr. Gloval, I mean, Admiral Gloval, sir..! It is a pleasure to meet... I mean, hear you, sir!" - Robert was just too surprised to hear the voice of the SDF-1 commander himself...

 

""At ease, Mr. Jackson. You are a civilian, not a soldier... No need to call me "sir"...""

 

"Y-yes sir... Admiral, I mean..."

 

""I am pleased to hear that you have survived well down there - although alone. I am sorry to say that it is not possible send you any assistance. We have lost contact to the whole deck below a few days ago. Our troops are trying their best to stop the creatures which have invaded the city above... but the enemy is strong... and I can not speak long with you... but I want you to know that you are the only person we have contact to within the lower deck down there... I am desperately pleading you as the Admiral of the SDF-1 to investigate whatever has happened to the men and women down there... Are you willing to take this task, Mr. Jackson?""

 

Not taking a second thought, Robert answered, "I'm willing to do so, Admiral. Problem is that, I am already lost. I've luckily discovered this base, but it seems to have been abandoned ever since several hours. Priva- eh - Corporal Capricorn suggested me to head to the train station and continue along the tracks to the next base, hopefully to link up with other survivors."

 

""Survive... That is all the advice I can give you...""

 

"Survive"... Robert repeated to himself again... and nodded.

 

""I assumed Corporal Capricorn as your contact person. I assure you, she will assist you where she can. Good day, Mr. Jackson...""

 

"Yes, Admiral..."

 

""Sarah here - Looks like I've got a new job..."

He paused, then said, "...I managed to get enough gear now", as he lifted everything he decided to take with him, "gonna head to the train section now..."

 

Warming up in his new outfit, he slowly felt more confident, when suddenly the mysterious voice of Lindsay speaking again, yet in a more desperate tone than before.

 

“”- You must evacuate immediately -!””, that double-voiced `Lindsay' demanded at him.

“Huh?!”, he replied with a surprised face as the doors immediately opened, “heh, you kiddin' me? I'm not heading anywhere - ”

“”- Your life is-s endangered -!””

Though a bit confused, she sounded so desperate that it did cause him to get worried after all, “What's the problem? How do you know that -?”
””- Nno Time-e to explain-n. Several alien ground units-s are approaching the compound! They are not-t far away! It is-s urgent that you evacuate and leave this station! -””

 

Her desperate demand made him anxious. Dumping everything out of the packs, he blindly stuffed as much rations and water packs as he could into them and shoved them into the pouch of his backpack - along with weapon that seemed to be energy-charged one. Mindlessly stuffing his backpack and side-pouches full, he nervously dropped several things - not having the time to see what was needed and what not.

After mounting his gear upon his back, he made his way through the automated door, Robert left the armory section and went up the stairs. Hasted to get out of this place, he rushed along the corridors, following the maps and colored lines on the walls with each step making the typical army boot “tap” on the floor.

After talking a closer look on the map in order to reach the train section, he would have to leave the complex and head to the outer compound of the outpost station. Robert did not like the idea of heading out in the rain again... nor did he like to find one of the "Invids" running around here.

 

Outside again… and it was still raining heavily…

Sprinting across the compound, hoping nothing would detect him.

Though Robert's bane once again fell upon him, he was better protected from the rain than before. Splashing with each step over puddles, Robert sprinted across the compound. The pain around his legs has practically faded away, presuming the medical patches were now fully effective.

 

Finally reaching the train section, Robert immediately kicked the door open and ran inside. He observed the area he was at. The area was indeed wide and had enough space for loading trains with large cargo. Among the five pairs of rails only one train was left. The train itself was a bulky maintenance train, from what Robert could see.

Thinking shortly about the last man who was killed by the creature a long time ago, he guessed this train must have been his ticket out of here - Unfortunately, the man must have been surprised and caught off-guard. Climbing onto the train, which size was three times longer than common vans, Robert opened the door into the main compartment of the train. Looking around, he could see mainly panels and other things that seemed familiar to him. Reading manufacturer plate on control panels, "Vice Corporation", he thought, """... I had my hands once on this type of model... Automated train..."""

””- The-e aliens have entered the compound region and are spreading along the area-a. Another group has surrounded this building-g. I assume-e they know you are here… You-u must hurry-y -””

“Grrr, well, I hope I'll make it out of here but - ”, he said, but then - something did `click' in his mind - what about this `Lindsay' woman…? The whole time she told him what to do, for which he was thankful for, but nonetheless, where was she?

 

“Hey, where are you - How are you supposed to get to out of here?! Maybe I should --”

“”- Don't worry about-t me… I am in safety - I am a lot closer to you than-n you think… But this-s is not the right time to argue. Your-r life is endangered and it is important-t that you survive-e. I will open-n the railgate as soon as the train is ready to depart from the station…-“”

 

“but- “

 

“”- Please-e… Trust me… - ””

 

He shook his head, “””Closer than I think? Hell, who is this person…”””

For sure, Robert knew what to do, but his mind was confused about this woman. He activated the train... turned on it's lights...

"Systems activated... Power generators online...", a computer voice said. Charging engine sounds could be heard. Thanks to his skills in mechanical engineering, he managed to override the check-up sequences. As she stated before, the gates ahead started to open.

"Better get out of here... This place was giving me the creeps, anyways...", he said to himself...

 

He pushed the velocity lever to the front... The train started moving. As the train started moving, Robert laid his backpack onto the ground. The train left the station. Just he started to feel confident about his escape, he suddenly heard strange sounds coming from the behind as if the train was being hit by dozens of rocks... He looked to the back as the train gained speed. Just as he got up, something busted through the panel and smashed into another one behind him. Surprised by object, Robert slowly turned his head and spotted a dark blue shard stuck halfway inside one of the panels behind him. Astonished - with his back against the wall, he said quietly "...Bloody lucky... "

 

A few more shards slammed into the upper train cockpit, slicing through the cockpit like swords... As the volley paused, Robert got up quickly and made a look out of one of the side windows. Indeed, the train was being followed by a group of "Invid-Shardlings" `running' after the train. Shocked by their appearance, Robert immediately threw himself inside the train's cockpit again, before teasing his bad luck to make him catch an unwanted shard.

 

"Damn, where the hell did those things came from...?", he asked himself and nodded his head. Although he managed to find a vehicle for escape, his life was still in danger. He needed some advice and he needed now.

"Sarah!", he shouted into his headset, "I'm in a train, heading somewhere - but I'm being followed by a group of those `Invids'! They're after the train!"

""What?!"", she shouted back at him.

 

"Dunno how the hell - but they're damn fast and they're shooting through this thing as if it were nothing! Damn lucky that `Lindsay' lady told me to get out of here on time"

""Is it possible to return fire?! Lindsay - you say…?"", Sarah asked. Up at Bridge Command, a few of the other officers noticed her shouting. She got up from her chair as she held her headset close to her ears. Indeed, she was very worried about Robert's situation.

“No time to explain - you got any suggestions?!”

 

Back down in the darkness, Robert looked around, then heard more shards slamming against the outside. "...Bad idea... If I point myself out there again, I'll end up like a dart board!", he replied. His sarcasm did say the truth.

 

"You've gotta stop them somehow, before they cause to much damage to the train -Jackson! Do you have any explosives! Anything you could throw out!"", she replied

"...Don't think so...", he said back to her, but then noticed the grenades on his shoulder strap, "whoa, wait a sec! I've got explosives... grenades... How do I use them?... Just pull the ring?"

 

""Look on the grenades... What type are they?""

Robert took a sharp look on the grenade in his hand...

"`Mk II Anti personnel'... `Handle with care'", Robert read for her.

 

""Alright, do the following... Be very careful - Pull the ring from the grenade, but do not let the safety handle loose. If you pull the ring while holding the safety handle, the grenade will not be primed until the handle is loosen - along with a certain click sound. Also, Mark two grenades are very powerful! Pull the ring, keep it ready before throwing!""

 

He got up a little -"Understood...Pulling out the ring"

Robert made his way to the rear section of the train, which had a damaged window at the end.

Slowly pulling out one of the grenades from his shoulder strap, Robert did as she said, held the handle and pulled out the ring. "Here goes nothing", he said at himself as he tossed the green object like a hot potato out of the window. After a few seconds, a bright flash emitted for a brief second, along with a loud bang from behind. Although there was a short moment of silent, shards were launched again - probably an act of retaliation... but for sure, a few of the creatures were held back.

Deciding to toss another one, Robert primed another grenade... Just as he tossed it towards, something went wrong. Unfortunately, the movement of the train made him throw the grenade against the side of the window, making it bounce to the floor...

"Crap!", he shouted and threw himself onto the floor trying to catch the grenade that rolled away. Just managing to grab the primed grenade, Robert threw it out of the window...

 

Another explosion...

 

Surprised at what just happened - or at what could have happened, Robert sat on the ground with his back above the floor of the train. A few seconds passed by. He did not hear any sounds slamming against the train any more...

 

"" Robert? Are you ok?! Answer me! Are you ok?""

 

Robert needed a few seconds to recover...

" I - I'm fine... I nearly blew myself up! I accidentally dropped a hot grenade... but managed to throw it out... just a second or two before it went off..."

""You've got to be more careful...""

 

"Hey... I don't know how the to use things like that..."

""I'm just glad you're fine, Robert..."", Sarah said back to him - with much relief in her voice as she sat back down and sunk into her chair. Other bridge operatives stared at her as her excitement gained much attention around her.

 

"Looks like I got a little peace now...", Robert replied and laid his back onto the floor. Suddenly, he started to laugh as he stared at the ceiling of the train.

 

Sarah, staring at her console, heard his laughter, "Erm - Robert? What is so funny ?"", she asked, smiling slightly as she wondered about his sudden but strange reaction.

 

"Hahhhahhahhaah", he laughed so loud and too much to answer...

""Robert? Answer me - Why are you laughing...?""

 

Robert laughed a few seconds... then started to calm down again...

Saying calmly - he replied - "... I survived..."

 

He got quiet again...

 

"How did I manage to survive...?"

 

""I can understand you're undergoing pure stress - I'm sure you'll make it somehow. By the way, back then, didn't you say, `Lindsay'""
”Yes - I think that was her name”

“”Indeed?””, Sarah said, as she looked over towards the empty navigation station of Dr. Karen-Lindsay Young. She did not know what happened to her, but she did remember that she remained unconscious as medics took her away after the great blackout that occurred hours ago - ”I'll have to report this to the Admiral. Do you know anything about her?””

 

"Not a clue, but actually - I wonder where I'm heading…"

""Check the navigation panel..."", she suggested, ""it should reveal your current destination""

 

Robert looked up, but then saw that the panels were full of shards. Sparks and many loose parts hung out the consoles.

As Lindsay listened to them speaking, she began to suffer a feeling of weakness, as if she was being to loose strength. The uplink! Her efforts in upholding the signal between the bridge and this train was fading away, along with the supporting field of the emitter…

"No chance... The screens are messed up... Guess I'm riding into nowhere..."

""Robert? - frsst - Robert?!"", Sarah suddenly called out. Something was not right - Her voice started to become garbled once again. ""I am starting to have problems keeping the signal link upright - fsssht -""

 

"Sarah? Sarah! Please, don't leave me now!", he said into his headset.

 

""- Frsssht - Robe rrr t - you are lea -. chrt - the perimeter signal sup - orchstts-"", that was all Robert could understand just before a loud frequency scratch. Once again, te female computer-voice spoke from his radio-gear, saying "communication signal... lost..."

 

Robert laid back...

"Damn... Alone again..."

“”- Not quite… I am still-l near you-u… - ””, Lindsay's doubled voice said.

 

Robert was in `Nowhereland'... Further more, he was on a nowhere-trip through `Nowhereland'...

He had no other choice but to stay on the train... and hope for the best.

Judging his current situation, it seemed as if he did have an advantage, despite that he was lost. The train offered him protection from the cold rain, allowing him to finally have a place to rest... and stay dry at the same time. Yet, the unknown woman was right, he was not as alone as he thought, though he still wondered how she was able to be around. But the fatigue was already getting back to him - or it was the side effects from the several medical patches he had. Laying on his back, he used the backpack as a pillow. Although it was hard and his head bumped each time against it as the train moved along, he got used to it.

 

Having the rifle in his arms, he crossed them and closed his eyes...

“Lindsay - I have no clue who you are - or how the hell you're still around, but I'm glad you are around. I need to rest a bit - all this stuff happening was too much for me.”

“”- I understand. I suggest you take some rest, soldie, I-I'm sure you need-d it.r - Don't worry, I will remain-ain awake. There-e will be enough-gh time to explain later-r. - ””, the displaced female voice said from his radio.

"-", Robert said, “Soldier…?”

 

 

 

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