The Cardinal Directive: Mission Log #51
It's Almost Over
>> ...
>> Confirmed.
>> Now playing Mission Log #51...The footage CLICKS several times through cameras at Olympica but struggles to make sense of any of the scenes it presents. It runs through cameras in the Pit, at the track, on high looking down at the empty fighting arena, and more, but never quite locks onto what it wants to.
Instead, it returns to Solena’s camera, her suit scraping the mic as she steps through the door and into the cold, damp, musty interior of… a building.
She’s greeted by a long hall stretching around a corner, red lights lining the ceiling at just the right frequency that the way is never in complete darkness, though to call the hallway “lit” would be pushing the definition.
There was an eerie familiarity and yet strangeness to the walls around her as the door shut, closing her in to the building. The walls seemed to be carved out of stone but smoothed by professional hands. The ARNEN logo was painted prominently along the side of the wall, but it was partially obscured by moss growing from the corners of the ceiling.
Minus the ever-present hum, it was deathly quiet. The sound of her boots against the floor echoed, and she did her best to move heel-to-toe, reducing the overall noise. It did mean she wasn’t moving quite as fast as she could, but there was no telling what was beyond the next corner, or what might react if it heard something moving in these halls.
She passed a few doors branching off into other rooms and pathways, but these had keys, and none of them would open without some substantial force.
Solena breathed slowly, whispering under her breath. “…I think it’s about time you explained what happened there, Outrider.”
There was a moment’s pause — not hesitation, but consideration — before that familiar sensation prickled at her neck.
“Your hallucinations, you mean.”
“That would be a nice start.”
The Outrider’s answer was simple. “The MK2 had a rather significant design flaw. Something your people didn’t find until later.”
“…That really doesn’t tell me anything.”
Solena got to a corner, peering out ahead of her. More walkway, more hall. The moss was patchier here, and the air not quite as thick. Empty of people, devoid of any other life.
She grimaced as a signal passed through her ear and along the top of her spine, a small but deliberate chzt. Refusal to elaborate. Quiet observation. Waiting.
Rubbing the back of her neck, Solena continued slowly down the hall.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Author's Notes to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.