Turning point(26)
The seals of the stasis chambers were being undone, and dangerous entities were emerging. That was clearly a negative situation. Hostile beings were bound to block our path.
Still, if it were a single entity, we could simply deal with it. We hadn't made it this far by luck, and the combined strength gathered here was nothing to take lightly.
Even with multiple entities, it was the same. It would just require more effort, but it wouldn't change the fact we could handle it.
However, the environment was different. There could be situations we simply couldn't get past, not just situations that became more troublesome.
And in the end, what I dreaded most ended up happening.
- It's causing decay symptoms.
Celestia relayed her situation. Apparently, among the native biosphere released from the stasis chamber, there were ones with the trait to alter their surroundings to their advantage, so not just a single sector but several sectors had been contaminated.
- The contamination is spreading in real time. At first, I tried to overlook it, but it wasn't just simple corrosion. That's why I called it decay.
If it were water, we could just use a helmet and get through. Even areas on fire could be crossed safely with the suit's protection. Extremely low temperatures or toxic gases like in outer space could also be dealt with. But, I couldn't confidently say what to do about decay.
- I might be able to barely make it through, but the others can't. Before they even get halfway, their suits will melt away.
"Is it really that strong?"
- Yes. I don't think this is the usual Titan native biosphere. Not only do they look different from what we've faced before, but they're also organized in colonies.
Celestia sent a photo. Something like mold or spores was densely stuck all over the floor, walls, and ceiling, regardless of surface. In some clumped areas, a smoky haze was being emitted. It resembled the creep where mutants lived, but there were some differences.
Since Archive's composition was originally designed to seal such things, there weren't additional cracks forming, but any shelves or other facilities inside had all lost their form.
The elegant design was gone without a trace, leaving behind small holes or dull, blunt surfaces, as if unable to withstand the passage of time.
- Even burning it with a flamethrower only gets rid of it for a moment. If anything, the heat makes it proliferate even more.
We zoomed in on the picture as much as possible. Through a partially closed gap in the bulkhead, something sticky and squirming kept oozing out. Colonies streaming in from beyond that door were contaminating the sector.
- Once we get past this segment, the central control room is right there, but getting blocked right in front of it...
Celestia barely swallowed what sounded like a curse and replaced it with a sigh.
"Licorice, isn't there some kind of contamination removal protocol?"
"Of course there is. But you know we can't use it even if we know about it, right? The control crystal's influence only reaches the relevant sector, and remote control is only possible from the central control room. But with our path there blocked, that's not an option right now."
Licorice said that if a manual was created and distributed, Celestia's team could handle the control crystal without her direct involvement.
However, the contents of such a manual would only concern security door opening and stasis chamber activation. So far, we still didn't know how to activate the contamination removal protocol.
Even though Licorice was starting to intuitively understand how to operate the Archive system due to Lobelia's conscious—or unconscious—interference, she didn't automatically learn everything step by step. So, passively waiting wasn't an option.
- Then we'll have to find a detour. If we turn back here, we'll have to go quite far...
"No, there's no need for that. We still have one option left."
At my words, Nadia perked up her ears and Celestia looked at me with curiosity.
"We'll use this here."
I pointed to the portable stasis chamber device. A rhombus-shaped crystal containing a sphere of darkness. If this could pixelate anything it touched, it should be able to get us through the decayed zone.
Nadia spoke in a worried voice.
"I thought the same thing... but will it be okay? Sure, offensively that'd make a breakthrough, but it's aggressive, and we haven't really checked if the matter transporter works correctly."
"We'll figure that out from now on. In the field. Licorice, please prepare it so it can be sent right away."
"... Who's going to stop you anyway."
Licorice gave a wry smile. She didn't look well, so it seemed like she was forcing herself. I could tell she was struggling to keep her brow from furrowing.
Thanks to Licorice, we'd learned that equipment had been placed throughout various sectors. Until activated, it was just a strangely shaped object, but once the lock was released with the control crystal, it became equipment with abilities far beyond current technology.
One such device was the matter transporter that Nadia was now holding. Judging by its size, it wasn't possible to transport a person, but it could send the portable stasis device. It seemed it was specifically made for such uses.
"There should be a sector number on your end. Let me know what it is, so I can transmit to that sector."
- Just a second. The sector number... Ah, I found it. It's BIO-D3.
"Got it. I'll send it right away, so—no, just in case, step back a bit before you wait."
Licorice began operating the matter transporter. When she touched a panel-like section, a holographic window appeared.
It was still in incomprehensible script, but Licorice now seemed so fluent that she didn't need to translate, entering the coordinates deftly. Each touch made the light ripple across the screen.
Presently, the top section of the matter transporter deployed, signaling readiness. At Licorice's nod, I promptly set the portable stasis device atop it.
The transporter recognized the device with a resonant hum, and in the next instant, a small flash—then the portable stasis chamber was gone. There was none of the dramatic reaction I'd expected.
"... It disappeared."
Nadia, eyes wide, murmured, having watched the entire process.
"It disappeared...!"
Suddenly more shocked, Nadia raised her tail alertly and shouted again, while Licorice was as nonchalant as if it were a foregone conclusion. Celestia's surprised voice came through almost simultaneously.
- Ah! It arrived!
Celestia announced that it suddenly appeared in the air and that she'd received the portable stasis chamber device safely.
- It's almost like warp technology... You called it a matter transporter, right? Can't we take one of these with us?
"Unfortunately, I don't think so. Basically, everything here is classified as non-removable. If someone were to force it out, a self-destruction protocol would be triggered. I'm not sure how far that extends, but all equipment here is also powered centrally."
- ... I'd better not get greedy, and focus on scanning as much as possible.
Regretful as it was, there was nothing I could do. Though I'd rather it was someone else, for now, Licorice understood Archive better than anyone. If she said so, it was so.
- Then, how should I use this? It seems dangerous—it probably shouldn't be handled carelessly.
In answer to Celestia's question, I replied simply.
"Just throw it."
- ... Throw it? Really?
"Yes. Throw it. It'll take care of eliminating whatever's causing the decay all on its own."
- Ah...
Honestly, in terms of actual danger, the pixel crystal was far riskier than the decay colony. Even if the contamination spread, it was slower than the crystal's movement.
- Then, how do I reseal it...?
"I just sent you a manual on using the control crystal. By chance, it ended up being like a bomb-defusing guide, but even if it's a bit complicated, if you follow it as it describes, you'll be able to use all the control crystal's main functions. Just set up the stasis chamber and retrieve the crystal again."
- Got it. I'll contact you again once the decay zone is cleared.
Celestia apologized for only asking for help and said she'd speed up so she could be the first to reach the central control room. She added that she'd get all the preparations to face Lobelia in order.
With the promise to regroup at the entrance to the central room, she ended the communication. We resumed our progress after a brief pause.
Archive's structure was simple, but due to its vastness, getting through a sector took some time.
Now, no longer holding back on using strength to the minimum, we aimed to save time, pushing forward relentlessly. It was, in a word, unstoppable momentum.
「Kraaaaargh!」
Even when dangerous monsters suspected to be from Titan's native biosphere appeared, we didn't slow down.
"Do you have nine lives or something?"
I grabbed the charging monster and snapped its neck. Crack—there was the sound of bones not just twisting but shattering, and the creature stuck out a part resembling a tongue.
Of course, it wasn't dead from that alone, so Nadia stuffed a round bomb into its mouth or wherever, making sure it exploded from within.
When it exploded—BOOM—the insides were pretty much turned inside out and death was certain. So far, I hadn't seen anything survive even that. The one I just killed was the same.
"Only one of you, and you're acting tough."
Nadia wiped the sweat from her brow. Still, she didn't take her eyes off the now-lifeless monster. Sometimes, entities that parasitized robot circuits would target Multipurpose Unit 1 and 2.
Fortunately, they bounced off the shielding generator, but the ferocity meant Nadia never let her guard down.
'Thank goodness there aren't more of them.'
From what Licorice learned, one reason these entities were sealed away was their extreme reproductive power. Once they started multiplying, unless the entire planet's surface was burned clean, they were impossible to eradicate, so caution was well warranted.
If our technology level were any lower—if we were at the initial stages of exploration—the entire survey team, along with any station in orbit, might have been wiped out. Not just because these things parasitize, but because there are records saying they can be utilized directly, too.
They were nearly as dangerous as mimic-type mutants. Maybe even ancestors of the mimic. There were many similarities.
"Whew... Let's move on; we're almost there."
"I can't believe we've made it this far by taking out everything in our way—"
As I was speaking, I kicked forward. Licorice staggered, on the verge of losing her balance. Before she could hit the ground, I caught her.
"Licorice!"
I quickly placed a hand on her forehead. The suit's sensors checked her temperature and informed me: she was burning up. She had been talking less and less as we progressed, only fiddling with the control crystal, so I had been worried. Sure enough, her condition was rapidly deteriorating.
Licorice's eyelids fluttered as she regained consciousness for a moment. She was still herself. Lobelia hadn't seized control.
"... Why are you looking at me like that? I just passed out for a moment."
"Passing out isn't... It's not normal to just faint, you know."
"Hmph, if I say it's nothing, then it's nothing."
Licorice struggled to get up. I moved to support her, but she shoved me aside and forced herself to her feet alone.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go."
"... Alright."
"Lee Hyun-woo, don't forget what you have to do. I haven't forgotten, so you shouldn't either. Make that your priority, not worrying about me."
What I have to do—Is it to activate the restraint device if Licorice loses control of her body to Lobelia? Or is it to deal with Lobelia before that happens?
Or is it to uncover the rest of my own past, which I still haven't figured out, and return to Earth?
'Probably all of the above.'
What I had to do wasn't just one thing. I had to accomplish them all—or someone would be lost.
Remembering that, my heart thudded in my chest. I tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
"Maybe I'll just activate this right now?"
"Are you insane?"
Licorice played along, smacking my shoulder, her face showing exasperation. It stung enough that maybe she wasn't joking.
"... Like I said before, when you activate it is entirely up to your judgment. By then, there's nothing I can do anyway."
"...."
"Well, I'm keeping every promise I made before then. I don't intend to go out pathetically."
Just as I was about to speak, good news arrived from Celestia.
- Decay zone cleared and the crystal has been resealed!
Celestia said she was speechless watching the decay itself turn into small cubes and pile up on the floor. Even though we'd described what would happen, seeing it first-hand was another matter.
"... That's a relief. Any casualties? It seemed to take a while."
I continued the call as I watched Licorice walk away after retrieving the control crystal.
- Didn't expect it to take so long. It turned out more than just a couple of sectors were contaminated. But nobody was hurt. Once the crystal cleared out the decay, it was quick to get through each sector. Actually, more time was spent subduing the crystal again than crossing the sector.
Celestia said that without the stasis chamber instruction manual Licorice had provided, it would have been almost impossible to take back control of the crystal.
- The black energy in the crystal seems to be consumable. After a few uses, it's down to about half compared to when I first saw it. I hope I didn't use too much. Maybe I should've saved more.
"No, you did well. Better to use it and stay unharmed than be stingy and get hurt. Even if there's some left, you can't take it back to Earth anyway."
- True... Oh, Hyun-woo. I have one more thing to report. I've found a clue about the spatial encryption barrier.
"...!"
- There were so many Wardens disabled by the decay zone. Most were finished off by the attack from our crystal, but I was lucky to find some parts that hadn't been pixelated. There were still some decay colonies, but burning those with a flamethrower handled them.
According to Celestia, there was a special Warden, different from the usual, and its data shard gave her insight into the nature of the spatial encryption barrier.
- The spatial encryption barrier doesn't just define one area. Every wall in Archive's sectors is a spatial encryption barrier. They isolate phases to thoroughly secure the inside, so that's why the walls withstood the decay colonies' flood.
As expected, the Wardens responsible for internal surveillance and defense were the answer to gathering information. Though we had one with us, we hadn't encountered any others, just native biosphere creatures to this point.
I wondered whether the number was divided by party size, as Celestia's side seemed to run into a lot more.
"Confirmed. Let's keep advancing. We're almost there. Just one more block and we'll reach the central control room."
- Okay! I'll go ahead and wait there!
After ending the call, I headed for Nadia and Licorice, who were waiting by the security door. I relayed what I'd learned as Licorice finished manipulating the control crystal.
Originally, it was the kind of security door that required solving a mechanical puzzle, but Licorice managed to bypass it by tricking the system directly.
"Hyun-woo, as soon as we get in, I'll grab it with Big Hand. Whatever the high-energy reaction is, it won't shake me off in one go. If it hesitates, you go for the head and pull it off."
"Do you think it'll have a head?"
"If it doesn't, grab anything that looks similar. As long as I can hold it."
As we prepared for the upcoming fight, focusing our senses, the especially heavy security door began to gradually open.
When it was entirely open, all we could do was loosen our clenched fists in surprise.
What awaited us in the sector with the high-energy reaction wasn't a hostile entity. In fact, it wasn't an entity at all.
As expected, nothing was moving; it was just a huge facility that looked like an incubator. There was no sense of anything hiding, either.
As we stood bewildered, Licorice absentmindedly muttered,
"... It's in my memory. This place..."