07-20-2016, 10:38 PM
Like a thousand other doorways before it, Abner abruptly popped through the entry to a room filled with computers, speakers, and microphones. His pistol was raised, and he was happy to confirm that the premises was devoid of life. Not that he didn’t hope to eventually find someone, but now was certainly not the time, with fatigue and injuries setting in. This final room interested him, but he’d dig through it the secondaries in tow. After all, safety was relative on this island, and there was no point in leaving them in the lobby.
He holstered his pistol and made his way back to the waiting room, where Trent and Kristen were in the midst of looting a vending machine. He had to admit he was slightly impressed by the secondaries actually doing something that wasn’t screaming in terror. At the same time, he took note of the fact that Colonel wasn’t back yet. During his building sweep he’d spotted the robot going through recordings, so he guessed that the soldier navi wasn’t quite done with that, yet. It would be wise to dig up whatever information they could, then compare notes.
“Catch!” Trent shouted, snapping the older man from his thoughts.
Abner snagged a bag of potato chips and a Pepsi out of the air when they were flung to him, and nodded when he saw Trent and Kristen already working on their own shoddy meals. He stuck the Pepsi in one of his cargo pockets, next to one of the flasks he’d managed to retain during all the chaos, but when ahead and opened the back of chips.
“Not thirsty?” Kristen asked, sounding almost disbelieving as she did.
“That stuff’s bad for you,” Abner replied, tucking the bag away just long enough to light a cigarette. The secondaries stared blankly at him, unable to tell if he was joking or not. He simply waved them over. “Come on. There’s a room I want to check out, and it’s safer than here.”
That last part was clearly the information they needed, and they wasted no time running after him. The three human members of the quartet ascended the stairs and entered the room that Abner had last been in, taking note of the various monitors that lined the wall.
“See if you find any clues about what happened to this place,” Abner ordered, pacing over to the main computer system.
The secondaries got to work in the rest of the room, while Abner looked over the largest piece of technology. If Colonel was able to get some recordings off of something similar, he didn’t see why he shouldn’t be able to do the same. It didn’t seem to be a broadcasting or recording station, though. He turned a few dials and watched the monitors change, before the realization hit him. This was a communications station. This room was for talking to people on other parts of the island, or if they were lucky, off of the island.
Abner leaned over the microphone and pressed the transmitter down, mouthing a silent prayer before he spoke. “Radio check, radio check. Does anybody read us?”
Trent and Kristen dropped what they were doing and looked to Abner with great interest.
“Identify,” a cryptic voice responded through the room’s few speakers. The voice sent a chill down the secondaries’ spines, like a powerful, unseen figure. It triggered a different reaction in Abner.
“Identify?” Abner repeated, in angry disbelief. This asshole was really going to throw protocol in his face? “Motherfucker, we’re the only goddamn people left on this shithole island. That’s who the fuck you’re talking to! Identify yourself, jackass. Where is this station reaching?”
Abner continued to seethe in rage, but no response came through. An air of eerie silence hung in the room, and Kristen gave Trent a worried look. She hoped Abner hadn’t just pissed off someone capable of helping them. Trent saw the look, and gulped. Kristen gave him a powerful level of courage, so he’d just ask the embittered man.
“You didn’t just scare them off, did you?” Trent broke the silence, but Abner never turned or even stood from the console he leaned over.
“Hopefully went to get his supervisor,” Abner was careful to not direct any of his rage to the two that didn’t deserve it.
“Unknowns, are you still there? This is Syntech Headquarters,” a distinctly different and far less ominous voice came through the speakers. Abner grinned and turned long enough to give Trent a knowing nod.
“That’s affirmative,” Abner said back into the receiver as he silently fistpumped. “We’re survivors from a plane crash. We dropped into whatever the hell is going on here.”
“The plane crash?” The voice sounded relieved. “My God, we’ve been looking for all of you. Do you have Karl Jak with you?”
“Negative,” Abner responded, rolling his eyes. Figures that would be the first question. “I’ve got me and three others, and we have injuries. Can you get us a rescue?”
“We’re mobilized and searching,” the man responded. “What transmission point are you located at?”
“It was called Radio Station Karl,” Abner responded as he looked around futilely for anything resembling a map.
“…I’m not familiar. Do you have co-ordinates or a nearby landmark?” the man said back through the speakers.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s down the road from Radio Station Jak?” Abner began to sound a bit overwhelmed, even through his sarcasm. “I stopped counting street signs when some rock smashing monster was chasing us.”
“Okay, we’ve got you,” the voice ignored Abner’s mouth, as many people forced to work with him over the years quickly learned to do. “There should be a blue pad somewhere in the room, near the console.”
Abner looked around, and noticed Kristen pointing at it. He nodded, then keyed up the transmitter again. “Yea, I see it.”
“Ok, we can teleport you back to headquarters through that,” the man continued. “We have to do it one at a time, but at least we can get the four of you out of there.”
“Kristen first,” Trent suddenly said, before Abner could fully process that comment.
“Trent, I…” Kristen started to respond, flustered by his chivalry.
“We’re all going. Let’s just get you back first, alright?” Trent gave a firm, confident nod. It was a lot easier to show some courage at this point.
“Just get on the damn teleporter,” Abner snapped, breaking up the moment. Of course the kid would grow some balls now. “I’ll go get Colonel after we send you two back.”
Kristen smiled, and grabbed Trent by the shirt collar. The boy’s eyes went wide as she planted her lips on his firmly, giving the young man the best kiss he’d ever received. He sure felt like he earned it. Abner rolled his eyes, but noted that Kristen hurried her way to the platform.
“Alright, first one’s up. What do I do on my end?” Abner asked back into the console.
“Nothing. Stand by,” the voice responded.
Abner and Trent watched as blue energy began to surround Kristen. The girl held her hand up and looked it over, unable to tell where the energy was coming from. It was beautiful, and not just because she knew it meant she could leave this island behind.
“At least it’s all over,” Trent commented. “It could have been a whole lot worse.”
Kristen vanished in a flash of blue, but immediately all the other lights in the room went out. Emergency backup lights flicked on almost immediately, preventing the darkness from lasting long. Abner pressed the transmitter in silent fury, but nothing went out. The console had lost power.
“What happened?” Trent was almost too scared to ask.
Now, Abner had somewhere appropriate to direct his rage.
“I am going to whoop your ass.”
He holstered his pistol and made his way back to the waiting room, where Trent and Kristen were in the midst of looting a vending machine. He had to admit he was slightly impressed by the secondaries actually doing something that wasn’t screaming in terror. At the same time, he took note of the fact that Colonel wasn’t back yet. During his building sweep he’d spotted the robot going through recordings, so he guessed that the soldier navi wasn’t quite done with that, yet. It would be wise to dig up whatever information they could, then compare notes.
“Catch!” Trent shouted, snapping the older man from his thoughts.
Abner snagged a bag of potato chips and a Pepsi out of the air when they were flung to him, and nodded when he saw Trent and Kristen already working on their own shoddy meals. He stuck the Pepsi in one of his cargo pockets, next to one of the flasks he’d managed to retain during all the chaos, but when ahead and opened the back of chips.
“Not thirsty?” Kristen asked, sounding almost disbelieving as she did.
“That stuff’s bad for you,” Abner replied, tucking the bag away just long enough to light a cigarette. The secondaries stared blankly at him, unable to tell if he was joking or not. He simply waved them over. “Come on. There’s a room I want to check out, and it’s safer than here.”
That last part was clearly the information they needed, and they wasted no time running after him. The three human members of the quartet ascended the stairs and entered the room that Abner had last been in, taking note of the various monitors that lined the wall.
“See if you find any clues about what happened to this place,” Abner ordered, pacing over to the main computer system.
The secondaries got to work in the rest of the room, while Abner looked over the largest piece of technology. If Colonel was able to get some recordings off of something similar, he didn’t see why he shouldn’t be able to do the same. It didn’t seem to be a broadcasting or recording station, though. He turned a few dials and watched the monitors change, before the realization hit him. This was a communications station. This room was for talking to people on other parts of the island, or if they were lucky, off of the island.
Abner leaned over the microphone and pressed the transmitter down, mouthing a silent prayer before he spoke. “Radio check, radio check. Does anybody read us?”
Trent and Kristen dropped what they were doing and looked to Abner with great interest.
“Identify,” a cryptic voice responded through the room’s few speakers. The voice sent a chill down the secondaries’ spines, like a powerful, unseen figure. It triggered a different reaction in Abner.
“Identify?” Abner repeated, in angry disbelief. This asshole was really going to throw protocol in his face? “Motherfucker, we’re the only goddamn people left on this shithole island. That’s who the fuck you’re talking to! Identify yourself, jackass. Where is this station reaching?”
Abner continued to seethe in rage, but no response came through. An air of eerie silence hung in the room, and Kristen gave Trent a worried look. She hoped Abner hadn’t just pissed off someone capable of helping them. Trent saw the look, and gulped. Kristen gave him a powerful level of courage, so he’d just ask the embittered man.
“You didn’t just scare them off, did you?” Trent broke the silence, but Abner never turned or even stood from the console he leaned over.
“Hopefully went to get his supervisor,” Abner was careful to not direct any of his rage to the two that didn’t deserve it.
“Unknowns, are you still there? This is Syntech Headquarters,” a distinctly different and far less ominous voice came through the speakers. Abner grinned and turned long enough to give Trent a knowing nod.
“That’s affirmative,” Abner said back into the receiver as he silently fistpumped. “We’re survivors from a plane crash. We dropped into whatever the hell is going on here.”
“The plane crash?” The voice sounded relieved. “My God, we’ve been looking for all of you. Do you have Karl Jak with you?”
“Negative,” Abner responded, rolling his eyes. Figures that would be the first question. “I’ve got me and three others, and we have injuries. Can you get us a rescue?”
“We’re mobilized and searching,” the man responded. “What transmission point are you located at?”
“It was called Radio Station Karl,” Abner responded as he looked around futilely for anything resembling a map.
“…I’m not familiar. Do you have co-ordinates or a nearby landmark?” the man said back through the speakers.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s down the road from Radio Station Jak?” Abner began to sound a bit overwhelmed, even through his sarcasm. “I stopped counting street signs when some rock smashing monster was chasing us.”
“Okay, we’ve got you,” the voice ignored Abner’s mouth, as many people forced to work with him over the years quickly learned to do. “There should be a blue pad somewhere in the room, near the console.”
Abner looked around, and noticed Kristen pointing at it. He nodded, then keyed up the transmitter again. “Yea, I see it.”
“Ok, we can teleport you back to headquarters through that,” the man continued. “We have to do it one at a time, but at least we can get the four of you out of there.”
“Kristen first,” Trent suddenly said, before Abner could fully process that comment.
“Trent, I…” Kristen started to respond, flustered by his chivalry.
“We’re all going. Let’s just get you back first, alright?” Trent gave a firm, confident nod. It was a lot easier to show some courage at this point.
“Just get on the damn teleporter,” Abner snapped, breaking up the moment. Of course the kid would grow some balls now. “I’ll go get Colonel after we send you two back.”
Kristen smiled, and grabbed Trent by the shirt collar. The boy’s eyes went wide as she planted her lips on his firmly, giving the young man the best kiss he’d ever received. He sure felt like he earned it. Abner rolled his eyes, but noted that Kristen hurried her way to the platform.
“Alright, first one’s up. What do I do on my end?” Abner asked back into the console.
“Nothing. Stand by,” the voice responded.
Abner and Trent watched as blue energy began to surround Kristen. The girl held her hand up and looked it over, unable to tell where the energy was coming from. It was beautiful, and not just because she knew it meant she could leave this island behind.
“At least it’s all over,” Trent commented. “It could have been a whole lot worse.”
Kristen vanished in a flash of blue, but immediately all the other lights in the room went out. Emergency backup lights flicked on almost immediately, preventing the darkness from lasting long. Abner pressed the transmitter in silent fury, but nothing went out. The console had lost power.
“What happened?” Trent was almost too scared to ask.
Now, Abner had somewhere appropriate to direct his rage.
“I am going to whoop your ass.”