My eyes open to a loud crash and purple light as Carter shouts, "Come on out or I'll tear the door down!" My eyes dart around the room to find O'Malley drawing a pentagram among countless others, they line the walls. "Scott!" I try to spring out my chair, but fall flat on my face. "Get down here and help! Now!" Rubbing my face, I walk down to him, he tosses me a piece of glowing chalk and points to an open book, "Memorize that symbol!" It's the pentagram, "What is all this!?" He shouts as a loud crash comes from the blast doors, "It's a demon trap! Now put those on everything you can!" Drawing a circle, I turn to him, "Does it have to be a perfect circle!?" Another loud crash sounds, "Yes, you dope!" I grab at my pantleg and shut my eyes, O'Malley's hands dig into my shoulders and he shakes me, his eyes pierce through mine, "Get a fucking grip, Scott!" His teeth grind as his hands shake. "If we don't trap him-" An explosion sounds and then gunfire erupts from the chamber. "He broke through the first door- Lights on!" The lights come on and the symbols he had made disappear. He looks right at me with wide eyes and I look down, "I'm never going to make it to Kinelt, to my family, am I?"
O'Malley sighs, "Follow me, Scott!" He leads me up the ramp as the gunfire stops. "Close door Heart!" Another door I had no idea existed just drops like a ton of bricks, forcing me to cover my ears and duck. WELDING TO FRAME NOW. He frowns, "I don't know. I haven't known how to solve anything since thanksgiving. I've been wrong countless times and now, I hope at least these traps work!" A loud crash sounds, the cameras inside the reactor room turn on, I jump at the sight.
A tall human shaped, blood red figure. Tendrils whip and wriggle out of wide flaps in it's flesh. Millions of scars line it's body, red wings sprouting from his back. From it's blank face, Carter's face pokes out the monstrosity's, "Let me in, O'Malley." He shouts, "Lights off!" The pentagrams react to the blacklight and Carter laughs, "That tickles." He punches the floor and lifts to reveal a huge fist sized hole. Carter simply walks past the many symbols, O'Malley shouts, "What!? They should work! W-why!?" He grabs the microphone, "Carter, if you come in here, I will blow up this ship!" "You have a track record, the kindest king of everything. You always avoid genocides, wars. You wouldn't dare kill everyone living off Feron!" He turns to me, Carter goes on and on, but he just looks at me. He turns away and marches to his computer. Carter laughs, "It's checkmate. I win either way. Blow up the ship. Maybe HE will spare my children." O'Malley calls to me as a hidden passageway opens. He walks to me and rests his hand on my shoulder, "God speed." He pushes a tape recorder to my chest and I grab it. He smirks, then turns away. "Look at your message, Christ!" I look down at the tape recorder, there's a paper to lift up, This room and that passageway is rigged to blow, RUN! I turn to the door and start running.
The door shuts, then machines whirr to life, I cover my eyes as blinding lights spark against the door and machinery, SEALING. I run across the dimly lit hallway. I touch a pipe and pull it close as my hand sears. Bolting further down, blue light emanates from ahead. I walk up and there's a giant computer, a robotic woman's voice sounds, Recognized, Scott Crawford. Rubbing my burned hand, I look around. The door has disappeared, did it shut behind me? "What the hell?" Scott, please put your arm inside me, O'Malley's orders. Looking up, not even a single camera lens stares back, "I'm not going anywhere near that thing!" Time is running out, Scott. A timer shows up across it's many screens. I reluctantly put my arm in, it sucks it in further, to my shoulder. My burned hand presses against the machine as I try to pull out my arm, that turns to banging on the machine in pain, it's doing something to my fucking arm! You are no longer a Pawn, Scott. You are a Bishop. Do not trust anyone, even your superiors. Beware the betrayers. I shout, "The fuck do you mean!?" I scream as thousands of pinches go deep intro my skin. It lets go and I fall onto my back. Checking my arm, there's nothing but a couple bloodied pores. The tattoos will light up under blacklight or electromagnetism. Blacklights turn on, a mirror comes out the machine, On your shoulder, a chess bishop and- "Trinity Ghost?" You have a bad habit of doing things in three, you shall be one of many to bring order to the world in any way you see fit. Welcome to CHESS. A wall flips and there's astronaut suits on the wall, Put one on and hook onto the machine in the next room. Good luck, Trinity Ghost. My hands go up, but all my questions die in the face of the time running out. Not having time to dust, I zip up the old suit, feels clunky- heavy. Secure belongings in the provided bag, Including these papers, crucial to your survival. With the suit's fat gloves, I rip the papers in half, pull out the other half and shove them in the bag, along with the tape recorder and a knife. The door opens as I zip up the bag. Helmet on, make sure it seals. I grab it and put it on, I twist, and the suit starts pumping air. Good luck and whatever you do, do not let go.
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Sirens blare and yellow lights flash as Carter tears through the doors, he towers above me. He picks me up and just smirks, "You're such a weak man to be the leader of everything here." Grabbing at his arms, I smirk, "There are no pawns here, Demon." He shakes his head as I shout, he tries to cover my mouth, "Operation Liberty Ghost!" He muffles me as the engines shut off. The hidden door explodes outward and smacks against him, forcing him to drop me to the floor. My joints ache as I stand and shout, "Cycle the containment doors! Now!" I turn, pull my gun and unload it against the mob of soldiers, they quickly pin me to the ground. "Keep him here!" Carter’s legs tense up and then he pounds against the floor. You better run, kid.
Stepping through the door, I come to a dark abyss. A heavy motor squeals as an orange hue comes from it, lighting a cable overhead, I hook into the motor. An intense dread sinks into my skin. My heart pounds as something clangs against the metal floor behind me. My fingers dig deep into my leg as it gets louder. My heart skips a beat as Carter laughs, "Scott Crawford!!" “Oh shit!” Kicking off, the motor roars to life and scrapes me further along the cable. Bright explosions come from really far away, defining just how big the room is- A vast creation like this could only be the work of a crazy old man.
The motor goes silent as it dips upward, the cable shifts slightly and I start to float. As the explosions near the end of their light, my skin jumps to find Carter’s monstrous body, climbing along the cable after me. The giant walls start falling away and blue light shines through the darkness. My stomach turns as the cable shifts upward, back towards the ship.
The cable twists violently and I’m forced with it- I scream at the whips and turns until suddenly- it stops twisting and as the weightless motor ascends, there’s that big, dark blue planet. Is this my home? Why is it all so dark? Even so, it’s beautiful to see way up-
The slightest vibration comes from below, the demon is just below me. He leaps as the wire snaps. He misses and lands on a large piece of debris. He stiffs up and screams silently in the deadly cold vacuum of space. He bends his knees and his wings spread outward. I grit my teeth as he zooms forward, the motor starts to glow orange along with the wire, he takes a swing at me, but a dark green blade slices through his shoulder.
The monster from the reactor room pulls Carter off the cable, Carter punches Lasal away. Carter zooms towards me, but green goo latches onto his limbs, Lasal and Carter collide, all with Lasal punching his face. I can't help but watch Carter try to get at me and fight Lasal at the same time. Countless sparks shine against Carter's flesh. A subtle flash come from behind- I look back at Kinelt, “I’m coming home.” I huff, thinking it can stop the waterworks. I can’t even wipe my face with this damn suit on. The view is cut short as I enter the ship, an old airlock. It cycles and I fall chest first to the floor, DO NOT REMOVE HELMET! Airlock will detach in 60 seconds, run. I spring up and bolt for it, "I hate you, O'Malley!" I walk through a doorway and the wall seals behind me. Keep on equipment, oxygen levels low. Refer to the Hazard Section of the Liberty Codes
Carter marches in with Lasal, cut to ribbons, "You Irish bastard." I laugh and Kaylin punches me in the gut. He forces me to the floor and the poor soldiers start beating Lasal.
Carter squats, "Tell me where he went." Holding my belly, I laugh, "I have no idea!" My laughs explode louder to a sigh as he grabs me by the shirt, "You better tell me if you value your life." Smiling, I look into his eyes, "Back to the genocides, to the second world war. I am the worst king of the galaxy." He screams in my face, "Unlike my family on Ferron, Lady Liberty will never fall to a demon, so just torture me so hard, I go to heaven." He smiles wide, "We took over Heaven long ago. They're going to torture you forever as he did to everyone uttering those same words." Nodding, I smirk, "That's fine, as long as this ship is still standing." He puts pressure on my throat, "Then I'll go in there and blow it up myself." I laugh through the pain, "Do it then, big bad Demon." He drops me and then screams. I yawn and he turns, "Am I boring you!?" Waving my finger, he follows to the computer, "No, but I have a contract right over there for you." He chuckles, "You agree to me! Say you consent!" I smirk, "You'll have to kill me." "Kaylin! Hold him down." Looking to the ceiling, I shout, “Computer, enable autopilot, confirm!" Autopilot engaged. I lick a capsule free in my mouth and crunch down on it. Carter holds out a hand, "NO!"