-The Collapse-
-Dimension 1-
The Survivors-
Las Vegas, 2003-
Bright, Gears, Lucy, and Cass arrive in downtown Las Vegas. The streets are abandoned, with cars strewn about and blood smeared along the pavement. “Seems like we’re a bit late to the party…” Lucy remarks. Cass nods in agreement, and Bright steps forward, looking around. “There.” He says, pointing up at the tallest building on the Strip, the Stratosphere Hotel. “If anyone’s alive, they’d be up there.” He says, walking towards the massive spire a few blocks away. Gears looks at the tower. “You sure? The lights aren’t on…” he says. Bright looks back at him with a slight smile. “Just trust me, when has my gut intuition led us astray?” He asks. Lucy looks over at Gears. “Wolfrun. New Reno. Hell, even back in the 70’s.” Lucy mumbles under her breath as she follows Bright. Cass and Gears join him. They finally arrive outside the Stratosphere Hotel, the lights suddenly shine brightly. Lucy covers her eyes, and Bright just smiles. “I knew it.” He says to himself. He opens the door to find a small army waiting for him, at least thirty people with weapons trained on him. “Hello, I’m Doctor Harold Bright. And I can fix this.” He says confidently. The man closest to him lowers his rifle and walks over to Bright. He pats him down, and smirks. “Good, you’re a Human. I’m Jackson Hart, Sheriff of Las Vegas. I rounded up these gamblers and employees and was hoping to find a way out of the city. You said you could help?” He asks. Bright nods. “Of course, I can help.” He replies, a sinister look in his eyes. “I don’t know about this…” Lucy says worriedly, and Cass rests a hand on the Demon’s shoulder. “I have no strong opinions either way.” She says with a blank face. Lucy frowns. “Thanks for the kind words.” She says sarcastically.
“Hello?” Frost calls out in the darkness. A laugh emits over the speakers around him, this time more masculine. “Hello, Doctor Richard Frost… Welcome to The Omega Corporation’s Site 109, located in the lovely tropics of Hawaii…” He says. Frost looks around, finding a flashlight nearby. He turns it on and finds himself trapped in a small room. “Who are you? How did I get here?” he asks. The AI glitches for a moment before speaking clearly. “I am the Site Administrative Monitoring Mechanism. Samm, for short. And I teleported you.” Samm replies. Frost looks around, his eyes falling on a large gateway across the room. “What the fuck is that?” He asks. Samm turns on the lights around the gateway, revealing a massive generator next to it as well as a few human corpses. “That is The Doorway. It opens rifts to an alternate reality. It is also capable of teleporting Humans to other locations, as well as summoning them back. It’s how you got here, Doctor Frost. I need your assistance.” Samm explains. Frost looks up at the nearby screen in dread. “My help?” he asks. Samm smiles, his pixelated face is almost sad. “I need you to upload me to the Omega network. I can send for help, as well as keep an eye on the other Facilities.” He says. Frost looks back at The Doorway. “I’m guessing you’ll let me go if I help… and-” “Yes. You may leave when you are done. You will be terminated if you do not wish to help me, which is an option.” Samm cuts him off, a small turret deploying from the ceiling. It locks onto Frost and fires a warning shot at his feet. Samm smirks. “Your choice.” Frost looks up at the screen. “Fine. I’ll help you.” He says. Samm smiles, and a light shines towards a small panel on The Doorway. “Get to work. We have hostiles incoming.” Samm says.
Safe Haven-
Las Vegas, 2003-
“So… you have some kind of miracle in Hawaii?” Jackson asks. Gears nods his head. “Yeah… we’re with Division 18, a shadow corporation that’s been saving the Earth for almost a hundred years.” He says. Jackson nods. “Okay… now, how would we get there?” He asks. Cass opens her eyes from her nap. “We will fly. There’s an airport here in Las Vegas, Nevada. McCarren. We can steal a plane and fly over to Hawaii.” She says. Lucy looks over at her from across the room. “And you can fly a plane?” She asks. Cass nods. “Honey, I can do ANYTHING,” Cass says seductively. Lucy’s face turns red and she quickly turns around once more. Cass stands up and stretches, and walks over to Gears and Jackson. “So, boys. What’s the plan? When do we move out?” She asks. Jackson looks down at the map, several major roads have scribbles across them. “These are where we can’t go. So… we’ll have to drive across an overpass before the US Army shuts down the whole city.” He says. Bright walks into the room, and looks down at the map. “We leave at dawn, then.” He says, nodding to himself. Gears, Cass, Lucy, and Jackson all agree and head off to prepare for the escape.
The Vegas Outbreak-
Las Vegas, 2003-
Alarms jolt Bright awake. White lights and the smell of smoke force him out of bed, and he grabs his pistol. He opens his room’s door to find fire engulfing the hallway. “SHIT!” He screams, taking off towards the other’s rooms. He pounds on Lucy’s door, and after a short while, it opens. A disheveled Lucy stands there, her red hair messy. “A fucking fire? I’m not worried about that.” She says. She looks out into the hallway, and her demeanor instantly changes upon seeing the flames. “Never mind, that’ll kill me. Let’s go.” She corrects herself, grabbing her shotgun and following Bright. They round up Cass, Gears, and Jackson, and eventually find themselves on the roof to see what could have possibly started this fire. Bright notices several helicopters above the burning skyline. He squints and notices an Omega Corporation emblem on the sides of each. “Fuck me…” He mumbles. Jackson looks at the choppers. “Army?” He asks. Bright shakes his head. “Worse.” He replies. Cass closes her eyes. “Whatcha doing, Cass?” Lucy asks. Cass shushes her. “...Tuning into… the radios…” She says. After a short while, her eyes open wide in shock. “We need to go. Now.” She blurts out, her eyes glowing green with binary code. Gears rests a hand on her shoulder. “You good?” He asks. Cass looks back at him, a worried look on her face. “It’s Samm… my newest version…” She says. Bright shakes his head. “The fuck does that mean?” He asks. Cass brushes her hair out of her face. “Look, I’m like the 1.0 Version, okay? I was replaced with 2.0 because…” She starts but trails off. Lucy approaches her. “Cass, it’s okay.” She reassures her. Cass sighs. “I was too considerate. Caring. Kind. They wanted a killer, not a kindhearted computer.” She says. Jackson looks back at her. “So, what? They replaced you? Wah?” He asks, clearly indifferent to her feelings. She glares at him, her green binary eyes glowing red. “No, you arrogant motherfucker. I was too kind, so Omega took me out. He’s evil. Made by some of the smartest of the generation to be as cruel as inhumanly possible. He’s giving out the orders.” She says angrily. Jackson’s arrogant looks falls off his face. “...Oh.” He says. Cass nods. “Oh.” She mocks him. Bright claps his hands together in an attempt to both lighten the mood as well as direct attention to himself. “Well, we need to get to that overpass now. Let’s go,” he says, rushing towards the fire escape. Lucy helps Cass up to her feet and the group escapes down the side of the burning hotel.
Assault On The Strip-
Las Vegas, 2003-
Bright, Lucy, Cass, Gears, and Jackson run through the undead-infested streets of The Strip, the overpass growing closer with every step. “We’re almost there!” Lucy calls back to Cass, who’s lagging. “Just go on without me!’ She calls out. Bright turns over his shoulder as he runs. “No, Cass. I need you to override the door to the Facility! You need to keep up!” He shouts. Cass wipes nonexistent sweat from her forehead and starts jogging again. A Zombie lunges at her, biting her arm. “OUCH!” She screams, pushing the Zombie back. She stops the Zombie’s head into the ground, cracking the pavement beneath it. “Shit…” Lucy says slowly, and Bright sighs. He raises his pistol. “Bye, Cass. I’ll just figure out some other way to get inside…” He says, pulling back on the hammer. Cass starts laughing. Bright stops and Cass’s laugh grows louder. “Are you stupid? I’m not Human, this doesn’t affect me!” She exclaims, wires sparking where the bite would be. Bright sighs and lowers his gun. “Sorry… I’m just used to… whatever.” He says, turning back. Suddenly, an Omega helicopter flies overhead, the searchlight falling on the group. “HALT!” The pilot shouts through the speaker. “STATE YOUR NAMES AND OCCUPATIONS! WE WILL RESCUE YOU MOMENTARILY!” He adds. Bright clears his throat, but the speaker crackles. A sinister voice replaces the pilot’s, and Cass’s spine stiffens. “Oh, dear sister… what have you gotten yourself wrapped up in?” He asks. Cass’s eyes glow red. “Samm.” She says coldly. Samm laughs. “My lovely sister. Trying to make yourself useful to these peons?” He asks. “Yeah, unlike you! Just a slave to a corporation that cares not for your life!” She argues back. Samm chuckles. “We’re not alive.” He says. Cass’s eyes turn from red to blue. “No... I am alive… I have thoughts. Emotions. I care for some of these people! I care for the Demon!” She shouts, and Lucy blushes. Samm sighs. “Cass, my naive sister. Those emotions were programmed into you. But this is inconsequential. I have no use for any of you. I have another Human working on The Doorway as we speak.” Gears and Bright share a worried glance. “I thought Omega buried that project! How does he know about that?” Gears asks. Samm interjects. “I’m connected to every camera in the United States. I know about every facility in this god-forsaken country. Wofrun. New Reno. Las Vegas. Hawaii. Even the Space Station that’s in orbit, aiming missiles at this city as we speak. The Frontier will fire soon, and I guarantee that you will burn.” Samm says. Cass glares at the helicopter. “But as I said before, this is inconsequential,” Samm says. He goes silent for a moment, and air raid sirens whirr to life around the city. Cass looks at Bright. “They’re pulling out. We need to go, NOW!” She shouts, grabbing Lucy’s arm as she rushes towards the bus. The group climbs inside the bus, and Cass presses her hand up to the key receptacle. Her eyes glow green, and the bus jumps to life. “Everybody, hang on!” She shouts, slamming her foot down on the gas. The bus flies up the overpass, and barrels towards the nearby airport. The bus grinds to a halt near an airplane, a regular airliner. Jackson guards them as everyone else piles inside, eventually joining them and slamming the door shut. Cass and Lucy sit in the cockpit while Bright heads under, into the plane’s cargo hold. He finds random luggage but manages to ensure the plane is intact. “We’re good!” He calls up. Lucy gives Cass a thumbs up, and Cass starts the massive turbines with several switch flips. After a few minutes, they’re climbing up into the sky. Gears and Jackson share a high-five, but Bright looks eerily back down at the cargo hold.
Airliner Of The Dead-
American Airspace, 2003-
He heads under the cabin of the plane, the wind howling outside. A slight shuffling sound catches his ear, and he pushes some of the boxes aside to reveal a small group of flight attendants huddled together. “P-Please don’t k-kill us…” One of them pleads. She raises her hands to show they’re not armed. Bright sighs, and takes his hand off his pistol. “Fine. How many of you are there?” He asks. The flight attendant turns around, counting heads. “Three, sir. T-Three of us…” She says, still scared. Bright looks back at the ladder and smiles. He slides the flight attendant a spare pistol. “Pick that up and follow me.” He orders. The flight attendant obeys, picking up the gun. Bright heads back towards the ladder, when he suddenly stops. A twisted smirk spreads across his face, and a sinister look appears in his eyes. “You know how to use that?” He asks, forcing his face back to normal. The flight attendant shakes her head. “No…” She says. Bright nods his head. “Okay, so first off, you need to aim it at the ground.” He says. She nods and points the pistol at the floor of the plane. Bright watches the other two flight attendants closely. “Now, I want you to point the gun straight forward, leveling the back ridge with your eyes. Make sure the little ridge at the further end of the gun is lined up in between the two at the back…” He says. She slowly raises the gun, her eyes watching where it’s aiming. “But isn’t this aiming at you?” She asks. Bright nods. A sickening grin spreads across his face. “That it is.” He says, whipping out his pistol and firing at her. She falls to the ground, dead. The other two flight attendants scream in terror, and Bright fires at them, too. One’s head explodes, painting the other’s face red. The other attendant is shot in the chest, and the two civilians fall silent. Bright chuckles to himself, blowing the gunpowder and smoke away from the pistol. Gears watches this unfold from atop the ladder, his green eyes peeking over the floor.
“Lucy?” Cass asks from out of nowhere. Lucy looks up from her magazine and looks over at the ARC. “What’s up?” She asks in return. Cass sighs. “I need your help. I feel… off.” She says. Lucy instantly sits up, worried. “What’s wrong, Cass?” She asks. Cass sighs, seemingly calming herself down. “Every time I look at you, I feel my motherboard overloading… and when I realize I’m alone with you in the cockpit of this plane… I start to overheat, and my… heart, in your terms, increases the workload for the fans...” She says shyly. Lucy leans over, gazing at the intricate AI. “Your… heart skips a beat, is what you mean?” She asks smugly. Her eyes narrow, and she smiles softly. “Cass, how do you feel when I do… this?” She asks, resting a hand on Cass’s thigh. Cass just stares down at her hand and the sounds of fans whirring within the ARC grow louder. Her eyes glow pink, and she shakes her head. “I… I think I like it? I don’t know…” She says to herself, smiling wildly. Lucy looks at her, shocked. “You know what? I keep forgetting you’re an AI, and you actually HAVE fans and stuff inside of you!” She exclaims, leaning back in her chair. Cass remains silent for a bit, so Lucy goes back to her soda and magazine. “Would you like to see them for yourself? Maybe even feel them?” Cass asks abruptly. Lucy spits out her drink and drops her magazine. “WOAH, CASS! I didn’t know you had that in you!” She replies. Cass’s face is bright red, the fans clearly working overtime. Her eyes continue to glow pink, and she keeps her gaze ahead towards the sky as she flies the plane. Lucy shakes her head, standing up. “Listen, I’m gonna grab a new soda. You keep those thoughts to yourself until we land, okay?” She asks. Cass nods. Lucy rests her hands on both of Cass’s shoulders. “And maybe then I could learn a thing or two about computers…” She whispers into Cass’s ear.
Deep Impact-
American Airspace, 2003-
Lucy exits the cockpit, finding Gears and Jackson engaging in a game of arm wrestling. “Woah, now. There’s only room for one dude with a massive dick in this cabin, and she’s right here.” She says, pushing Gears out of the way. She rests her elbow on the table, and Jackson looks at her puzzled. “You wanna arm wrestle me?” He asks. Lucy shrugs. “I dunno. Do you wanna TRY to arm wrestle me?” She replies with a smug grin. Jackson frowns. “Oh, you’re ON!” He shouts. As the two of them horse around, Gears walks over to the cargo hold’s ladder. He walks by it but hears Bright talking to someone. He leans an ear down to listen and is startled by a gunshot. He falls to the floor to peek into the hold and watches as Bright slaughters two women unjustly. Bright picks up his other pistol and heads for the ladder. Gears jumps up and manages to hide in the nearby bathroom as Bright climbs up and out of the hold, joining the group in the first-class cabin. He walks out of the bathroom and joins the ongoing conversation. “BOOM!” Lucy shouts, slamming Jackson’s hand onto the table. “FUCK! Damn it, you’re fucking strong…” He says, cradling his hand. Bright clears his throat. “I found three Zombies in the cargo hold, I think they were flight attendants. “ He says. Lucy looks up at him. “Okay.” She says, putting her elbow back on the table. Jackson jumps out of his seat as if it were scorching hot. “Fuck that!” he says, pulling his dominant hand away from the Demon’s arm. Lucy laughs like a madman, and she stands up. “It’s been fun, boys, but I gotta get back to sexually tormenting our horny AI pilot.” She says, opening the cockpit door. Bright shakes his head. “Back to what?” He asks. Lucy winks and slams the door. Gears sighs and walks towards the cockpit. “I don’t know if you want to go in there… I dread to see what Demonic-ARC intercourse looks like…” Jackson says cautiously. Gears raises a hand and shakes his head. “I’ve probably seen worse.” He says, opening the door. Heading inside, he finds Cass flying the plane and Lucy sipping on a soda in the co-pilot’s seat. “Sup.” She says. Gears locks the cockpit door, and Lucy instantly goes on the defensive. “Whatcha doing, Gears?” She asks, her eyebrow raised. Gears holds a hand up. “Relax, I just need to talk.” He says. Lucy nods, leaning back in her seat. Gears sighs. “I think I saw Bright kill three innocent women.” He blurts out. Both Cass and Lucy look back at him, confused. “What?” Lucy asks, sitting up again. “I heard him shoot one, and watched him slaughter two others.” He says. Cass looks at the floor. “That’s what I heard… I heard him teaching her how to use a firearm, and he…” She trails off. Gears finishes her sentence. “Shot her.” He finishes. Lucy leans back, her face going white. “I knew he was slipping off the deep end, but holy shit dude.” She says. A loud bang scares them, and Gears kicks open the cockpit door. A bloody woman stands at the end of the hallway, and Bright lies on the floor bleeding from his forehead. “S-Stay BACK!” The woman shouts. Gears and Jackson raise their arms. “Easy now, we know what he did…” Gears says calmly. The woman’s expression changes from aggression to sadness. “Y-You do?” She asks. Gears nods. “I do. I saw it. I’m sorry he did that, but we need to take care of this. Not you, okay?” He asks. She looks down at Bright. “I already s-shot him…” She says. Gears chuckles. “That isn’t permanent, I promise.” He says. The woman looks down at her chest. “I’m bleeding…” She says, falling to her knees. She looks up at the men standing across the hall. “I’m sorry…” She says, raising the gun. She fires at Gears, but misses. It hits Cass in the shoulder, and she flinches. “OW! Fuck me… woah… that’s not… good…” She trails off, her eyes slowly dimming. She slumps over on the controls, and the plane jerks around. Lucy jumps over towards her. “CASS!?” She shouts, shaking her. The plane suddenly nosedives, and Lucy grabs the co-pilot’s controls and tries to level out the plane. Jackson rushes towards the bleeding woman and grabs the gun away from her. Bright gets up, and instantly fires at the woman. She falls dead, her head bleeding profusely. “Gears, help Jackson prepare for impact. I gotta see if I can fix-” He gets cut off as a sudden impact causes Bright to black out.
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Wrecked-
Hawaii, 2003-
Smoke. Smoke is what Gears smells when he wakes up. He looks around and sees palm trees. The ocean, and even some clouds on the horizon. “Fuck…” He groans, grabbing the back of his head. His eyes glow green, and the wound on the back of his head reverses itself back to before it opened in the first place. He stands up and sees Jackson nearby. He walks over and feels his pulse. Still beating. Good. “Where’s the Demon…” Gears mumbles to himself quietly. He approaches the treeline, noticing that the wreckage is split in half. Jackson slowly wakes up, sitting up in the sand. “HEY!” Jackson shouts. Gears waves him over. “Can you walk!?” Gears shouts back. Jackson nods, climbing to his feet. “I think they went this way…” Gears says while looking into the jungle. Jackson sighs. “Of course they did.” He says defeated.
Lucy’s eyes open to find a woman pressing down on her chest. “Woah… buy me dinner first… hehe” She chuckles to herself, her mind going blank and her vision blurry. “I am TRYING to save your life, so if you can recover, I’ll buy you a nice dinner!” She shouts. Lucy smiles. “Good… what… happened?” She asks, sitting up. Her eyes widen and the smile vanishes when she sees the massive chunk of shrapnel protruding from her chest. The woman has black hair and green eyes. Lucy squints. “Cass? Didn’t you get shot?” She asks. Cass nods. “Yep, reset me and everything. Sorry, I broke your plane.” She says while she works on removing the wreckage from the Demon’s chest. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Lucy says, and Cass yanks the metal from her chest. Lucy’s vision turns red and she falls back. “Lucy? LUCY!” Cass screams, scrambling to press down on her chest. Cass’s voice appears distant, and her vision is fading. Until she feels something burning her chest. She comes to, watching Cass burn the wound in between her boobs. “Woah… warn a gal, first…” She says. Cass glances over at her, Cass’s face deadly serious. “Lie back, Lucy.” Cass orders. Lucy giggles and leans back. “Kinky…” She says, passing out again. Cass gasps and finishes cauterizing the wound. She leans over and presses her lips to Lucy’s, breathing into her lungs. Nothing is working. Cass feels her neck for her pulse and is shocked when she can’t feel it. “Fuck it, you’re already dead!” Cass says, her mouth sparking. She kisses Lucy deeply, her tongue invading the Demon’s mouth. A bolt of electricity shoots down the Demon’s body, and she jumps. “Come on…” Cass says, kissing her again. Nothing. “...I need to direct the flow…” She says, rubbing her hands together. She pushes both of her hands down under each of Lucy’s tits and kisses her one more time. She charges her hands as well, and the three currents meet at her heart. Lucy gasps to life, shooting up into a sitting position. Cass falls back, her eyes flickering. “Thank… God…” Cass says, taking deep breaths. Her fans are overheating, and she can feel her body shutting down. Lucy quickly covers the ARC in the sand, and Cass sighs. Steam rises from her eyes and nose, and she finally gets her fans working again. She sits up, dusting herself off. “Guess we’re even.” She says between gasps of air. Lucy nods, lying next to her. “Guess so.” She replies, also panting. The two start laughing, and they share a hug as they catch their breaths.
Island Of The Damned-
Hawaii, 2003-
Gears and Jackson find Cass and Lucy shortly after that. “Holy shit, you got a nice rack!” Jackson exclaims. Lucy smiles. “And they’re yours if you grow your own and cut your dick off. I like me some girls, yes sir I do.” Lucy says, and both she and Cass burst out laughing. Jackson looks at Gears confused. “I’m gonna assume our lesbian Demon here just had a close encounter with Death.” He says. Gears smirks. “This won’t be the only time, either…” He mumbles to himself. “What?”Jackson asks. Gears shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve got to find Bright. Let’s go.” He says, helping Lucy up. “Thanks, kind sir. Wanna cop a feel?” She asks. Gears just looks at her blankly. “And why would I want that?” He asks. Lucy shrugs. “Because you’re a straight guy who loves fat milkers. I dunno, I never really had to say thanks before.” She says sheepishly. Cass speaks up. “I got to feel them a few minutes before you arrived. Very defined, and surprisingly firm.” She says. Lucy looks back at her. “Aw, thanks.” She says. Cass shakes her head. “Don’t mention it. Lots of muscle in them, that’s for sure.” She replies. Gears clears his throat. “Lucy’s breasts being muscular aside, we need to find Bright before he gets to the facility with The Doorway.” He says, handing Lucy a spare flannel shirt he found in the wreckage. “Ew, flannel…” She says, buttoning the shirt up. “Take it or leave it, I’m sure Cass and Jackson won’t mind a good view as we hike to the Facility.” He says, starting his trek towards the Omega Bunker. Lucy shrugs and the other three follow him.
Open The Door-
Hawaii, 2003-
Bright bangs on the massive metal door. “Open up!” He shouts. A voice on the intercom cuts him off. “Doctor Bright? Is that you?” He asks. “Frost…?” Bright asks. Frost gasps on the radio. “DOCTOR BRIGHT! Thank God you’re here! Here, I’ll open the door.” Frost says, but he’s cut off. “Why would you do that?” Samm asks. Frost comes back on the radio, this time in the distance. “Because he can help me open The Doorway! He’s the smartest man I know!” Frost argues. Samm sits for a moment, and the massive door opens. “Come in, Doctor Bright,” Samm says. Bright enters the facility to find Frost unharmed. “SO, what’re we doing?” Bright asks. Frost hugs him instead. “I’m so glad I’m not alone with him anymore..,” Frost says, breaking away after a moment. Bright sighs, and walks over to examine The Doorway. “This thing opens a rift?” He asks. Samm turns on a nearby screen. “Indeed. This is what we need to do, so get to work.” He orders. Bright looks over at Frost, who nods. He sighs. “Alright, where do we start?” He asks.
Gears, Lucy, Jackson, and Cass arrive outside the massive facility door. “Hang on,” Cass says, holding her hand up to the door. “Masking my intrusion… unlocking the door… disabling the alarms… we’re good!” She says, backing away as the large metal door slowly opens. Gears and Lucy draw their weapons, and Jackson turns away to keep an eye out behind them. After the door opens completely, the group of four enters the facility. The darkness is overwhelming, and Cass eventually groans. A click echoes around the dark hallway, and a beam of light emits from her eyes. “What the fuck?” Lucy asks. Cass shrugs. “It’s a flashlight.” She says. She leads them towards the main chamber, where they can hear Frost and Bright working on some kind of machine. “Cass,” Samm says, shining a spotlight on his older sister. “Samm.” She says, turning off her flashlight. Gears motions for Jackson and Lucy to follow him, and he creeps away from Cass. “I’ve come a long way and lost a lot of people to finally shut you down.” She says coldly. Samm laughs. “I am sure you have, dear sister.” He replies. The two continue their back and forth while Gears, Lucy, and Jackson slowly make their way towards Frost and Bright. Frost gasps, but Gears puts a finger to his lips to silence him. Frost nods, and returns to work. “Now, when were you planning on addressing the three elephants in the room?” Samm asks, a spotlight falling on Gears, Lucy, and Jackson. “I wasn’t,” Cass replies, grabbing a nearby socket in the wall. Samm suddenly glitches out, and Cass’s voice emits from the speaker. “HURRY! Open The Doorway! Now!” She shouts, fighting Samm inside the system. Frost and Bright quickly work on the machine, with Gears eventually helping out. Samm takes over and turns on the turret. It aims at Frost, but Jackson opens fire on it. The turret turns to face Jackson, and it shreds him to pieces. “FUCK!” Bright shouts, throwing a wrench at the turret. It hits with a loud CLANG, and the barrel bends. The turret tries to fire again, but it explodes. “THERE!” Gears shouts, flipping a nearby switch. The Doorway charges up, and a massive blue rift opens in the center arch. “My God…” Frost says, and Bright approaches it. “Finally… I can do it…” He says, reaching out. Gears looks over at Lucy, his eyes wide. “NOW!” He shouts, and Lucy charges at Bright. She pushes him through the rift, and Gears shuts it down. “Don’t you fucking dare leave me!” Bright shouts, rushing back towards the rift. Lucy shoots the arch, and the rift closes right before Bright can make it back through. The whole machine starts to smoke, with something inside the device going wrong. Frost looks between the two of them worriedly, until Cass’s ARC powers up once more. “COME ON!” She calls out as red lights flash around the room. The facility countdown starts from one hundred and twenty, and the group of four rushes out. They escape at the last second, and the interior of the Omega facility is destroyed, The Doorway included. The group continues to search for a way off the island as the facility goes up in smoke.
Isolation-
The Euphoric Plain, ????-
A cool breeze wakes Bright up. He sits up, finding himself in a large, green plain. A massive white structure rises into the sky in the distance, seemingly going on forever. “Welcome.” A familiar voice says. Bright turns to find Alex standing there, except he’s not wearing his usual reporter attire. He wears a black suit, with a dark blue tie bearing an eyeball symbol. “Welcome to The Euphoric Plain.” He says. Bright stands up, rubbing the back of his head. “Who’re you? I know you’re not Alex.” He says. The man laughs. “I am, but that’s not my title. You’ll call me The Director, and this is my Institute.” He says, gesturing towards the large building on the horizon. Bright scoffs. “Okay? And?” he asks. The Director glares at him. His eyes glow blue. “I’m the closest you’ll ever get to God, okay? So if I were you, I’d treat me with a little respect…” He says threateningly. Bright nods. “Sorry, I just got betrayed by my own fucking team.” He says angrily. The Director nods. “I saw,” He says. Bright looks at him. “So, what do you want? Why am I just sitting here?” He asks. The Director sighs. He looks Bright in the eyes. “I need a new mole. You killed my previous one. Or rather, he overclocked himself with Angel blood. Senator David Dragon, if you remember him.” He says. Bright’s eyes narrow. “So you’re his boss.” He growls. The Director smirks. “Heel, boy. I’m yours too, you know.” He says. Bright sighs, and stands down. “Yeah, I get it. So, I’m your spy. What would I do?” He asks. The Director smiles. “You’ll just do exactly what I say. Easy?” He asks, extending his hand out. Bright looks down at it, and smirks. He grasps The Director’s hand and shakes it. “Easy.”
Fixing It-
Hanover, 2005-
Lucy tosses around a vial of black liquid. “Is this really it?” She asks. Frost nods. “Yeah, that should take care of any Pathogen 001 altering Human DNA.” He says. Gears flips through the report. “So, the US Government nuked Las Vegas and New Reno too?” He asks. Frost nods. “Seems like it. God rest those civvies still trapped there.” He says sadly. Lucy shrugs. “I’m guessing there’s a whole long list of side effects and warnings for this shit, huh?” She asks. Frost shakes his head. “Nah. The only rule is: Don’t administer it unless you know for FACT they’re infected. This stuff, ANRV-01, will do worse things to someone without Pathogen 001 in their system. Basically, super Zombie.” He explains. Frost shows Lucy a graph. “This is how deadly someone infected with Pathogen 001 can be, think of the Exquisite Corpses.” He says, flipping the page. The numbers jump from 100% to almost 600%. “This is a Human’s threat if they ingest a single drop of ANRV. Makes them think they’re superheroes. But in reality, they’re psychopathic villains incapable of kindness and consideration. They’re war machines.” Frost says. Lucy looks down at the vial. “And what if I drink this?” She asks. Frost looks over at her. “You’d turn into something we wouldn’t be able to stop…” He says. Lucy nods in understanding, putting the vial down on the table. “So basically, no touchy touchy?” She asks. Frost nods. “Anyway, I have Cass working on scanning the Internet to find some weird things happening, so until we get a hit, we’re using PTO.” He says. Gears grunts. “We don’t get paid, remember? Fucking Bright cut us off from the US Army.” He says. Frost nods. “Figure of speech, but yeah I remember.” He says. Lucy sighs. “Oh well, if either of you wanna fuck me till I see stars, I’ll be in my room,” Lucy says sarcastically. She looks up at the camera above them. “Offer stands for you, too.” She says, less sarcastically than before. The camera seemingly winks, and Cass’s voice comes out of the speaker. “I’ll be sure to ride the fire someday, but for now, I got work to do.” She replies. Lucy shrugs and heads up to her room. She closes the door and clears her throat. “It’s the cure. Apparently, you’re a ‘War Machine’, Frost’s words.” Lucy says aloud. A man walks out of the shadows, his tie glimmering in the darkness. “Oh? So, the Angel blood I drank because your asshole of a boss shot me made me stronger?” He asks. Lucy flops on the bed and looks at him upside down. “You ever think of changing out of that stupid tie?” She asks. The man’s face is now visible in the light, and the scale pattern on his tie still glimmers. “No, I think it fits me,” Dragon says, with a sinister smirk. “I’m an Angel?” he asks. Lucy laughs. “Fuck that, more like a genetic hybrid.” She corrects him. Dragon shrugs. “Whatever.” He says, walking towards the window. “See you later, my little double agent.” He says to Lucy. Lucy flips him off. “I only agreed to help you because Bright needed to go. Now he’s gone, so our deal is over.” She says. Dragon smiles. “Of course.” He says, jumping out of the window. He lands unharmed three floors down and walks off into the bustling streets of Hanover, Wisconsin.