The end of the crawling was seen not much after that. After a few hard pushes, and a few inner-locks being taken off manually, the trio was left out in a hallway again. The sight was… unexpected, to say the least.
‘Has a natural catastrophe hit the facility while I was left alone?’ Adam sent out, not sure how serious the question really was. It was obvious that they were not in the normal part of the facility. Seeing as the earlier rooms had been in various states of disrepair, the AI was more than sure of it. Yet… was this really up to standard? While it all looked structurally safe, the massive plant growths made several questions appear.
“No, but it might seem like that, I guess,” Troy answered. His words made Dr Hale and Charlie give the young man small glances, but they were taken back when it became clear who was being talked to. “This right here is the old part of the facility. Not a place you get to see often.”
No kidding. Adam could remember times where it had been mentioned, yet he had never gotten the privilege of seeing it himself. Now he could understand why, as very few ever had a desire to get down there. In the short time, they had been in the corridor, the AI was able to tell that the young man had a hard time breathing. The air was not fresh, nor could it possibly have been healthy. It was a hazard in and of itself.
‘How old is it?’ Adam asked, curious about the age. The growth alone should have taken decades to fully foster at the level it had. While not obvious to the casual observer, the AI was able to find several cracks in the walls made purely from the growing force of plants. Such damage was not easy to make, implying that the actual growth was much larger than what could be seen.
It was just a theory, yet Adam could not help but think that the primary parts of the plants were not inside the hallways. There was no reason for them to be. The AI was not able to provide much, and there were no nutrients to use in empty space. But… what about the walls, and what lies beyond. Currently, the trio was underground. Earth had to be somewhere. Earth that had almost everything a plant would need to foster itself.
“I am not able to tell you, honestly. Has to be older than me by more than just a couple of years,” Troy said in a way that implied the man had been thinking the same question as well. That was a good sign that the answer wasn't too obvious. “Hey, Charlie, how old is this part of the facility. Has to be more than a few decades, right?”
“I haven't got a single clue. Mara?” Charlie said, throwing the question to the other person in the room who had any chance of answering it. Still… Adam could sense some form of stress coming from the man.
The reminder of where they were seemed to be… a factor in it, at least. Each time a crack from rocks grinding against each other on the floor would be heard, the larger man seemed to flinch. Had some weapons been used earlier on with such a sound mechanism? Or was it something else? The AI had gotten more and more curious about it, as time passed, to a point where he thought about asking Troy about it. The man did seem to have a reaction to the crackling as well, if only in a more muted fashion, so there had to be something…
No, it was not important now. While Adam might have been curious, there were more important things to think about. They were on their way out. That was the important task in front of them. Making another batch of distractions would not be helpful in any way. The previous line of questions was only excused due to their possible viability to recognize danger, and the current one was due to possible exploitation of the environment. Learning the backgrounds of the others was too high on the rankings when it came to positives in time-use.
“The older parts were made before I was born. It was built further on in the years after. It is… within twenty-five years since this level was abandoned due to primitive construction techniques. It does not matter,” Dr Hale said, her steps quick and silent. The AI had witnessed such technique many times before, had observed it down to the individual muscle contraction, yet was completely unsure of how the woman was doing it to such a level. Looking away from her voice and breathing, she was silent as the wind. Had external gear bridged the last step of silence, or had practice favoured the scales over to her side? “Our location is currently unknown to any possible assailants. If we talk without caution, this status will not remain. They are not able to see our footsteps, but nothing can stop sound from travelling here. Keep words at a minimum. Understood?”
Troy and Charlie nodded. Adam did his best approximation of the motion, even if he went unseen by all. It was the thought that counted. That's what the saying said, at the very least. The AI had personally just chalked it up as human flaws in logic. They were incapable of telepathy, making it impossible for positive thoughts to be sent.
However, there were other forms of communication. Ones that required nothing verbal to ever be sent out, eliminating any chances for unwanted sound to come out into the open. It all just required a sense to be used.
With verbal communication, one utilized the ability to hear sound waves, to formulate tones into a word that could be exchanged with fervour. There was also chemical communication, where the sense of smell and other external sensory devices would be used, but Adam had long ago lost hope of humans being able to use such a thing. One could also use the sense of touch if there was a desperate need for it. Yet, such methods were crude for humans, and much too time-intensive.
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Now… there was one other method that humans could use effectively. Instead of using, smell, hearing, or touch, the primitive beings would use their eyes, one of the most important sensory organs at their disposal. It allowed them to look at the body-language of other humans, to figure out emotions, danger-levels, and possible wounds. That was what it was meant for, at least, but humans had long ago figured out more effective ways of exploiting it.
Sign-language specifically, was one technique used by humans most of all. Many words had been created, many languages that allowed for effective and fast speech without ever raising one’s voice. Adam barely knew the names for any of them, only ever getting to be accustomed to one of them.
It had been the one that he and Troy had worked so hard to master, spending hours just going through the young man’s mental catalogue of words. Most of the time, Adam would have been subjected to the man making a specific motion with his hands, saying what it meant, and just moving on with the next one. Sometimes a specific word would be requested to fill in the gap. It was almost always allowed, sometimes not fulfilled due to the man not knowing it. A shame, really. Getting to know Euler's number through sign language could have been vital. Yet, that didn't mean that it was useless by any means, of course. In fact, there were situations where it could be used to very high degrees when normal speech was effectively a death sentence. This… this was one of those times. And, really, Adam was so happy about having been prepared for it.
They continued to move through the corridors, moving swiftly while also doing their best to not make a sound. Breathing was being controlled, kept to the standard of the least possible sound. Adam watched it all with a slight delay, making sure that nobody would close in on them without their notice. The method of making memories settle in before overviewing them was an annoying exercise in self-control, yet it was likewise needed for their safety. Only… the AI wished it could be a little faster. A millisecond in delays was still far too much for him.
There was nothing to do about it, though, so the AI shelved it away for a later time. He would figure out a solution to it at a later time. Most importantly was that Adam would have been catched up on recent events. Or… about as much as what could be told.
‘If you went through Darlow’s place, why did he not come with you? As he is an acquaintance of Charlie, it is possible that he will be used as blackmail against you. Even if it is best to keep numbers to a minimum, I do not see it as a reason to abandon him back there.’
He had been told of most of what happened earlier on in the day. Dr Hale had apparently played both sides perfectly, making it seem like she had first betrayed Dr Fidelis, then made it seem like she had betrayed Troy, and then finally revealing that she had been betraying the doctor from the start. Adam could not fully understand it, yet had decided that logistics questions would have to be saved for later. The woman had clearly prepared for a long time, as Troy seemed to focus so much on, so there had to be a reason for most of her actions.
Why, however, that they would choose to leave behind Darlow, one of more usable people outside the facility, Adam could not understand in the slightest. The tall man had been known for his incredible control for manipulating biological creatures through pheromones. He would have been a great asset to have. Dr Hale had to have seen such potential, no matter what side she saw it all from. The gains would have outweighed the cons any seconds of the day.
It was a tad annoying that the young man took so long to answer. Adam was able to observe the man tensing his hands into fists, looking down into the ground, all indicating that negative emotions were attached to the reasons behind it. There was hate, some sorrow, and some… it was best to call the last one emptiness. Betrayal of self-ideals perhaps? No matter. The important factor was the lack of a proper answer.
‘I do not know the word for it,’ Troy signed out slowly, pacing himself in it. The man seemed to struggle with the latter words, due to some minor shaking. The breathing became a little more forced around then, deep breaths forcing a growing pulse down.
The AI was able to see Charlie subtly glance back at the younger man, slowing his pace while he was at it. While the breathing pattern might only have changed at an incredibly small level, the man’s ears were able to pick it out on instinct. No, that was not something that was able to happen normally, and certainly not in something like their current environment. Was the man watching out for it?
… What word did he lack? That had to be the answer. Charlie briefly squeezing Troy’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring nod, and then moving back in position… there were too many factors, too many signs of foreboding. It had to be something important. Adam had to know.
‘Is there any way you could still convey the meaning? Describe it in more than that specific word? Maybe… a description of the scene? If needed, I could make educated guesses,’ Adam offered, the AI’s desire to know reaching limits that would soon be broken. The reason was related to their current situation, it was the reason that an illogical choice was made. He had to find out why it was logical. Else… he would not have a full grasp of the situation, making choices that would impede the true goals.
Troy again took his time getting his thoughts together. The breathing had been calmed down, and the pulse had likewise failed to stable levels. Charlie still looked behind a few times every minute, but the man did not seem to find anything serious. Adam just waited patiently, already knowing he had done his best to hasten the process. Putting more pressure would not help anything.
‘We had to leave his body on the floor. His neck was broken.’
…
Oh. Without Adam’s notice, the first had already fallen. The attempt to break out of the facility had already gained its first fatality. It had been murder as well, not an accident. Left behind due to death… it made much more sense to the AI now. Troy’s reaction to it, Charlie reassuring him physically… they had likely witnessed it themselves.
Had Dr Hale seen it as well? Troy had talked about how the woman had done other things. He had talked about how they would meet up at Darlow’s place. Yet… the woman seemed as stoic as always, nothing hinting at any real trauma occurring as of late. Adam would have to make sure later on.
In the distance, rumbling could be heard. From experience inside the puzzle room, Adam was able to define it as rocks falling on each other. A cave-in perhaps? He wondered why that would be so. The facility wasn't supposed to have been able to do such acts, not nearly old enough for anything like that to be able to happen naturally.
“We have failed at covering ourselves,” Dr Hale informed them, taking a sharp right, not going forward as she had previously motioned for them to do. Had the woman perhaps identified exactly where the cave-in was? “They know our general location. Has Adam seen anything?”
“Adam?” Troy questioned. Meanwhile, the AI looked through all his recent memories again, making sure that nothing had escaped his notice.
‘No enemies detected.’
“Nothing,” Troy confirmed.
“Good. Now, we pick up the pace,” Dr Hale stated. “While we get to our location, Troy, you will be walking beside me. There is information Adam needs to know that will make our escape possible. Do not mishear me at any time from this point forward.”