Rescue Fantasy (34)
As Celestia stepped out of the small cabin and took her first step, she looked anxious, as if everything around her felt unfamiliar. That reaction wasn't strange, considering the mansion was burning.
Just because we had found Celestia didn't mean the situation was over. The hostile space created by something was still surrounding us.
Celestia, clearly making an effort to regain her composure, asked, "What should we do now?"
"This way,"
I replied.
As I moved in the direction my instincts pointed, I suddenly lost my balance and staggered. Celestia, startled, rushed to support me.
"Hyun-woo!"
"It's fine. It's just because I lost some blood. I can still move."
Celestia saw the injuries etched into my body and bit her lips. I was barely holding on, thanks to the effects of high-grade medicine.
There had been so many mutants. I'd gone through quite a struggle to break through them. There were moments when I almost died, but I had won. I couldn't afford to die here.
I desperately wanted to rest. But since we didn't have that luxury, we kept moving. There were moments when my exhaustion made me lose my balance for a moment, but we never stopped.
Celestia, walking beside me, spoke up.
"You seem so resolute."
It was an implied question, as if asking if I really knew where I was going. I answered nonchalantly—or more accurately, without much thought, since I was staying alert to the surroundings.
"I remember this place."
"... Excuse me?"
"I mentioned it before, didn't I? I have memories of a landscape from Earth. I don't remember everything, but I know this place."
"What do you mean..."
"Thanks to that, I was able to find you—... Is something wrong?"
I trailed off, surprised, because Celestia, who was supporting me, was now looking at me with trembling eyes.
She moved her lips as if she wanted to say something. What I saw in her eyes was suspicion, horror, and powerful confusion. Her reaction was odd, but she mumbled evasively that it was nothing.
It lingered in my mind, but the conversation didn't continue. I was already exhausted, and though Celestia didn't look bad on the outside, I figured she was hurt deeply inside as well. We didn't even have the energy to talk.
I was drawn again and again toward the force stimulating me. Having cut down everything I could see along the way, we encountered few ghouls that tried to ambush us.
Those that did attack fell under a barrage of bullets from the smart pistol. No matter how resilient ghouls were, they couldn't withstand bullets poured so generously.
Moving forward slowly like that, we circled near the mansion. I kept feeling there was something below, but there was no way down.
I was starting to wonder if I'd have to dig my way down when Celestia asked, "Where are you trying to go?"
"Below here. There's a basement, but I'm not sure."
"The way down is this way."
"...?"
I was puzzled, but when I followed Celestia's lead, there was a door leading downward. How did she know about this place?
While I was feeling confused, she opened the door, looking more energetic than before. With a heavy clunk, air whooshed out.
On the other side of the door, the scenery changed. On one side was the lakeshore; on the other, it looked like one of the cultivation labs in SB-LV7. Rows upon rows of incubators and lab equipment stood before us.
"Hurry, I'll support you,"
Celestia said.
We crossed the threshold together, Celestia holding a smart pistol in one hand. The space twisted, but it felt more like we had moved into an isolated space, not one that was collapsing. The searing heat that blanketed the horizon no longer tormented us.
'Whew...'
I let out a long breath. Had we stayed there any longer, my lungs might have cooked inside me.
"Hyun-woo, look at that..."
"That must be the culprit."
I followed Celestia's pointing finger. At the center of the incubators was something that looked like it was sucking in all the energy, radiating a menacing aura.
Its shape resembled a charred wooden fragment, as if struck by lightning. I had expected there would be a mutant that manipulated minds, but it wasn't what I expected.
Angry sparks flew in all directions. Each time, sharp black scratches appeared on the floor. It seemed unwise to get too close.
Just as I was about to throw my last remaining military sword to smash it, Celestia stopped me, shaking her head.
"I have a gun. Let me handle it."
As she pulled the trigger multiple times, cracks formed in the fragment. With a sharp snap, it split and turned into countless shards, and the sinister influence faded without a trace.
No explosion occurred, unexpectedly. I had thought it would blow violently, having absorbed all that energy, but only a burst of violet sparks shot up and slammed into the ceiling.
Almost simultaneously, the door behind us began to disappear, along with some changes in our surroundings. The intact incubators instantly broke down.
So did the many corpses and the Hercules lying around. They crumbled to powder as if eroded; it was as if time that had stopped began to flow again.
Seeing that, I understood. We had returned to reality.
With the abnormal energy drain gone, the flickering lights regained their full brightness. We collapsed under those lights, drained in mind as well as body.
"It's at least a relief it wasn't a mutant,"
I said.
"... Hyun-woo, I'm sorry. I said I'd help, but I just got in the way."
Celestia looked saddened. After confirming that even the pureblood supremacist's bracelet in my belt-pouch had turned to powder, I spoke.
"It's alright."
"I'm the reason you got hurt like this."
"If you weren't there, we wouldn't have made it out. You were a huge help."
If Celestia hadn't told me where the door was, I might've collapsed from exhaustion digging around for it.
"But how did you know there was a door there?"
"It's a familiar place for me, too. Please just let it be at that for now. My thoughts aren't sorted out yet."
Celestia looked up at me as if asking for trust and patience. I nodded at her gaze.
She must feel complicated. After all, she'd just learned that her brother, Ian, was used as an experiment and then disposed of.
Thinking more questions would only hurt, I naturally changed the subject.
"Let's rest a bit before moving. I don't think there are any more lurking ghouls."
Everything around us, including the corpses, had turned to powder and made the floor a mess, but we didn't have energy to go further. What we had witnessed wasn't just an illusion.
Being assimilated into the lab here meant dying here would mean real death. The injuries remaining on my body were proof. If it were merely an illusion, these wounds wouldn't remain.
"Is there anything else worth getting here?"
"Anything to—... Ah, let's grab that."
I pointed toward where the wooden fragment had been—or more precisely, at the wooden fragment and the metal device holding it in place.
"Okay, I'll get it. Rest."
Celestia obeyed without question, using the suit's strength to tear the thing off like a metal spike.
I separated the spike part. The rest wasn't needed. Celestia was curious, her eyes betraying a mind still unsettled, but she tried to act calm.
"What's it made of, that you're picking it out?"
"Probably... rare metal?"
"If it's rare metal... I saw that in the data. How can you tell? It looks the same to me."
"It has the same feel as what the pureblood supremacists carry. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm taking it, just in case."
Even as everything else around us changed in an instant, this spike wasn't affected. I didn't know if it endured or avoided it, but it wasn't ordinary metal.
I gathered the wooden fragment, too, even if nearly all powder. It didn't look ordinary, so it would have been odd not to take it. I carefully scooped the powder into a sample container.
After sorting through my things, I adjusted my posture and sat up. My body felt so heavy that moving even a little was hard. Celestia silently sat next to me, starting to repair her broken helmet with an emergency kit.
Amidst the soft clicking and the momentary silence, I finally decided to say something I'd been debating.
"I'll tell you, in case you're curious—I was here, too."
"What—...huh? What did you say?"
"I was a test subject. Lobelia dropped me here, probably to show me that. I don't know what her goal was, but..."
I told Celestia what I'd seen on the data terminal after she'd passed out. That I had been here just three years ago, and was moved elsewhere by Lobelia afterward.
Since the management switched and all data was erased, I couldn't find out much, but one thing was certain: I had been experimented on at the pureblood supremacist facility.
That probably explained why I was tougher and stronger than others.
Celestia's eyes widened as she caught up with the story.
"You mean you were here?"
"I don't remember, but yes."
"No, I mean, how can you be so calm about it?"
"It's something I already suspected. Besides... it changes nothing."
"If it were me, I'd be furious. I still want revenge. When I think about what they did to my brother..."
Celestia's voice grew murderous as she said she wanted to kill all the pureblood supremacists. On this, at least, I understood her.
"I'm angry, too. Very. But this isn't the time to act on that anger. The people responsible aren't even here."
If I lashed out now, only innocent people would get hurt.
"So, want to get revenge together? Against those who did this to us?"
"Hyun-woo..."
Celestia looked at me, teary-eyed.
"Alright. Let's do it together. I wanted to say that myself."
She wiped her eyes and gripped my hand in a vow. We exchanged grins and held hands at just that moment—
... Thunk.
A heavy thud echoed in the corridor.
Startled, we snapped our heads up and looked around in confusion, immediately letting go of each other's hands and readying ourselves.
"... Did you hear that?"
"Yes."
It was impossible not to. Even though it only rang out once, the sound carried an undeniable presence.
... Thunk.
Another heavy thud. It had started at the end of the corridor, but with each repetition, it began to shake the entire corridor.
Then the facility broadcast rang out.
「Warning. Severe security threat detected within facility. Initiating lockdown as per standard procedures.」
「Warning. All floodgates have been opened. Data erasure is in progress.」
「All wastewater treatment sectors, including LV6 and LV7, are being sealed. Five minutes to complete lockdown.」
Apparently, our actions were only just now being noticed. Now that the abnormal power consumption had ceased, it seemed that the facility was moving to restore operations to normal.
Restoration. It sounded positive, but not for us. Restoring meant suspended processes were resuming.
It didn't take long to figure out what "All floodgates have been opened and all sectors are being sealed" actually meant.
"... Put your helmet on. And run."
Ignoring the pain from our injuries, we sprinted toward the area with the gate. The subdued hum of the underground facility trembled through the research lab.
We dashed through the lobby, now dirtied with powdery debris, threw open the main door, and ran, climbing as high as we could. Our strength wasn't fully restored, but stopping meant death, so we didn't stop.
Just as we were about to reach SB-LV6 from SB-LV7, a rush of water lapped over our ankles from the end of the corridor.
"To the lake—no, at least up to Level 5!"
The water was rising at an alarming rate. With every swell, the heavy current battered our bodies. It was already up to our thighs. In a blink, it reached our waists as we arrived at the bulkhead to Level 5.
It should have been shut, but it was open. Apparently, the floodgate command included these as well.
'At least that's a relief.'
Opening a door with solid water behind was dangerous. The pressure could break the door and seriously injure or kill.
Splash—splash—!
Passing through the door, we reached the lake and saw waterfalls pouring down everywhere we could see. With every light on, the situation was clear—and unsurprisingly, bad.
Fwoooosh—
The volume of water was incomparably greater than a broken faucet—flooding out and raising the water level rapidly.
Boom!
A giant root, blocking an unopened sluice and corridor, was burst open and flung aside by the onrushing water. If that hit you, you'd be shattered. The violence of the current defied even the word 'fierce'.
The water coming from behind actually lowered the level ahead as it barreled forward, a sign of real crisis, since it could break through the bulkhead. Even I wouldn't survive being hit by tens of thousands of tons of water.
I thought of the sample container stashed in my belt bag—the mysterious fragment from deep in the lab.
'Was it because I took that?'
The roots' durability wasn't what it used to be; it felt like mutations weren't continuing. I spoke tensely to Celestia.
"Celestia, you said we have enough oxygen packs, right?"
"Yes."
"Don't hold back—use them all. It's better than swallowing that water."
"Let's hope the helmets hold."
Celestia pulled out a safety line from her suit and handed it to me. As she put on her helmet, I attached the line to my own suit. It restricted my movement, but it was safer than being swept apart.
Given the situation, finding a path would be impossible. I had no plans to just brace myself, either—we would ride the rising water to go upward.
With all floodgates open, there was no more blockage. Soon, we were floating atop the surging water, the ceiling getting closer.
Doing my best to stay calm, I searched for ways to use the Sewage Treatment Facility layout. My flashlight, half-submerged, swept the water's surface; thankfully, it still worked.
The darting beam caught, 'SB-LV4. Gate 59.' With a landmark, I checked the map and confirmed our position.
We were between the central sector of Heaven and the hydroponics. I mapped the shortest route to the surface and shared it with Celestia. Now at Level 4, the base-linked functions had revived.
"That way!"
Battered by the current and colliding into things, my head was already starting to swim, but I forced myself to focus. Even underwater, I could faintly hear sounds below the surface.
Metal bending, things snapping, shattering, and collapsing—every chaotic noise mingling to make me dizzy.
"Whew... Once the place completely fills, when the current shifts, we'll use it to get to the surface."
Looking at the unresponsive Celestia, I finally remembered—even though we were out of communications jammer range, the helmet comms still didn't work, the sets having been damaged.
I signaled with my hands instead. There were a lot of bubbles but not much debris, so the message was clear. Celestia gave a thumbs up to show she got it.
Before long, with a subtle shudder, the current pushing us shifted direction slightly. Even just floating still, we started to move forward.
To conserve stamina, we followed the mapped route. When debris blocked the way, I broke through with a military sword. When the suit's oxygen ran out, we switched to spare oxygen packs.
Sometimes, eddies formed in the corridor and threatened to sweep us off, but the safety line kept us together. If one lasted too long, I held the wall and endured.
Sometimes, a live ghoul must have been swept along—it struggled over, but Celestia handled it with her smart pistol and an added attachment.
A little harpoon fired, and as it struck the ghoul, it was electrocuted into paralysis. We passed on by.
I couldn't waste precious oxygen killing enemies. We had to conserve every bit.
After Level 4 came Level 3, where clustered debris blocked our sight.
Small bits brushed against our skin but passed by, but now and then bigger chunks struck us in the swirling current, bringing sharp pain.
Still, we made it to Level 2 without trouble. The debris cleared and water became clear again, the flashlight's beam shimmering but unblocked.
That was when it happened: Celestia, keeping up just fine, suddenly stopped. I noticed as the safety line tugged at me.
Turning in alarm, I saw Celestia's helmet self-destruct, finally giving in to damage.
I groaned. Celestia's panicked face showed clearly. She slapped her suit, desperate to fix things, but nothing changed.
Her nervous, rapid breathing just used up the oxygen in her blood. Air bubbles drifted up and popped at the surface.
'We're so close...!'
The water now reached the ceiling. No more spare oxygen packs, and Celestia's helmet—her only way to get oxygen from the suit—had failed.
By calculations, our suit oxygen alone could have taken us to the surface, but with no helmet, the plan was ruined.
Celestia could no longer get oxygen from the suit. Cold water quickly drained the color from her face. Even deploying the EVA respirator would mean nothing.
That tech only filtered toxins from air, not water.
'No choice.'
I didn't hesitate. I pulled her close with the safety line, took a deep breath, and removed my own helmet.
Then, pressing my lips to hers, I transferred the air I'd held into her lungs.
It was such a dire situation that Celestia was too stunned to push me away; instead, she seemed relieved as she got more oxygen.
The water was so cold, I barely felt our lips touching—but the warmth of my breath passed clearly into her body.
As needed, we continued to share breaths. Thankfully, we never ran out.
***
Heaven Mining Base, Sewage Treatment Facility, gate 3
Rrrrmmmm...!
The tightly sealed door, in sharp contrast to the quiet outside, trembled more and more, as if on the verge of bursting. Roaring water could be heard from behind it, the vibration growing ever stronger.
Bang! A blast, and the door was smashed open. A geyser of water spit out two people—Celestia and me.
Feeling our bodies buoyed, we skidded along the ground under the force of inertia, scraping over frost-heaved ground and feeling the sharp pain.
Still, the blurry sky above made me smile. We had finally escaped.
'If only that last floodgate had held, we wouldn't have needed to blast out like this.'
With the water receding, the EVA respirator auto-activated as designed. I rose unsteadily and picked up the limp Celestia.
She had fainted, knocked unconscious by debris I'd failed to block. But, it was only briefly—no serious injuries.
The EVA respirator consumed a lot of energy, and the suit was almost out of power. I quickly put on a spare; I did the same for Celestia.
Soon, she came to. Worried by her weak breathing, I gently patted her back in case she'd swallowed water.
"Celestia, are you awake?"
"Bububu..."
"... Celestia?"
"Uu?"
She looked at me, making weird noises, almost like an infant. It wasn't her usual self—something seemed changed.
Her eyes, too, looked blank—what was that? Drool? Or was it just water?
I was overcome with nameless fear and reflexively struck her neck, knocking her out again.
"Hah... hah..."
It lasted only a moment, but it was scarier than fighting Blue Eye. After that, I carefully carried her on my back to where the hoverbike was parked.
Thankfully, it turned out to be a temporary phenomenon, and Celestia was back to normal when she woke up. She didn't remember what had happened.
That was for the best—it had been awkward for various reasons.
Sighing in relief, I sped straight for the town. Just thinking I'd soon see Nadia and Carry gave me fresh energy.
It bothered me that we still couldn't reach town comms even though the jammer was gone, but I decided the comms were busted after being swept along by the flood. They really were in bad shape.
When we finally reached the town vicinity, Celestia and I were in for a shock. The town looked nothing like we remembered.
The place looked like it had been through a fierce battle. The outer wall was wrecked beyond recognition.
'What the hell. Where's our home?'
No matter where I looked, one thing was clear—the place was definitely not open for business.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Survived but still no answers, aside from Ian dead.
Also, the Town got wrecked.
【(⩌_⩌ )】