November 19, 2056
8:34 A.M.
Vicerole, Underground Caverns
Renee Luna
I'm the first to wake up.
I flutter my eyes and find myself lying on a cold hard surface, with everyone else around me still unresponsive. I try pushing myself up but a sharp pain in my chest makes me stop midway. I press down on the spot, feeling around for anything when I finally find the source. A fractured rib. Every breath I take is a challenge now along with intense pain that makes me want to pass out again.
Nevertheless, I grit my teeth and push through the pain as I sit myself up, turn on my flashlight and peer around my surroundings. There's nothing of importance in the cavern that I can see other than tunnels that stretch far into various directions. Peering back up, the broken surface we fell through still illuminates us with dim light but is well out of reach to climb back out. It's too high up and frankly, we might be safer from those things down here. Then again, these tunnels could be how these things traverse...
Just the thought makes my heart skip a beat as I hear a pebble drop from above with perfect timing. We need to keep moving.
"Frost... Frost," I say, shaking him while holding my side.
After a few more attempts, I get him to wake up and he looks up to meet my eyes.
"W-Where are we?" He groans.
"We fell through the ground and landed in a cavern. Are you hurt?"
"I don't know... I think my shoulder's fucked up. What about you?"
"I may have fractured a rib, but don't worry about me. We need to start getting everyone up before those things attack us again."
He takes a second to respond but nods and shortly later, everyone is up with most of us sustaining some sort of injury. Heal Enhancements helped a bit but the few of us that sustained broken bones won't fully heal until a few days or a week later. It's still nothing compared to what Carl is experiencing... His thigh is completely torn open with the bone beneath shattered beyond repair. The pain is excruciating from what he says, but he doesn't show it in person. He's probably trying to keep Carel calm, seeing how stressed she is now. The medics wrapped and nullified the wound as best they could with Enhancements, but it took four people just to cast it. Everyone is just so exhausted.
"Black Shard to Vision, do you copy?" Macy says through her radio but her only response is the sounds of crackling and hissing static.
"Cruz, are you getting anything?"
"Negative. Can't get a signal down here."
They've been trying to get in contact with the fleet for a couple of minutes now to no avail.
"It's no use..." Macy gives up and rubs her temple. "Flash what are we at now?"
"...Eighty-three... With nine-teen being unable to fight."
I see her clench her fist and hold the urge to say something before taking a glance at the wounded shards. The expression on her face makes everyone pause as she ponders in her head what to do. Usually, she's the first to come up with a plan of action but now... she seems lost.
Cruz notices this as well and quickly assesses the situation before redirecting everyone's attention to him.
"Looks like we're on our own until we get back topside. I'd like to consider all the options going forward but we need to relocate before those machines realize we're not dead." He takes a moment to scan each tunnel before eventually setting his gaze on one. "Let's take his passageway and with any luck we'll find another opening."
"Sir? That leads north. Shouldn't we start making our way to the coast for extraction?"
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"I didn't choose this tunnel based on its direction. I'm going off my best intuition. For all I know these tunnels can lead us in a spiral without us even knowing. I just want to get as far away as possible from here. Now let's go." He finishes and after a minute or two we start our march through the pitch black with only the lights from our headlamps lighting the way.
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It's been almost an hour, and another problem has arisen. The heat. On the surface, we had to battle against winds that constantly bombarded our bodies and snow that was up to our shins. There wasn't a second that you didn't feel the cold... and yet now it's the one thing everyone is craving now.
Every layer of clothing I have on is soaked in sweat and even after removing my outer layer and thermals I still feel no difference. The water in my canteen barely helps as it's gone warm and only irritates my throat whenever I take a sip. Thankfully, Cruz knows we can't continue like this, and decides we take a break and rest for the time being.
The pain in my ribs has yet to subside as I sit against the cool damp walls of the cave, the only thing that brings a little comfort. My feet are numb, and my legs are killing me. I honestly don't know If I'll be able to get back up If I need to. I also feel sick to my stomach and can't bring myself to eat my MRE. I'm so tired...
"-Vision, are you receiving? This is Black Shard-"
"Just give it up, Captain. Your Major already tried with no success, what makes you think you'll get through?" A crimson member next to me comments on Frost.
He's been attempting to get in contact with the fleet for a while now but so far, he's only managed to irritate some of the other shards from the constant static bouncing off the walls. I have to sadly agree too... I'm starting to get a headache from all the noise... But he's grasping for straws and it's more than what this sack of rubble next to me is currently doing.
"If you don't have anything to say to aid our situation, then keep your mouth shut." Before I can comment, I turn to see Alice glaring at him, "Frost is at least trying to get us help. If you hate the noise so much you could always find a spot deeper inside the cave."
"I think you're missing the point, Black Ink." Another crimson shard joins in, "Atlis isn't coming for us. We're completely on our own whether you like it or not."
"And you're sure on this how exactly? I don't assume you have magic powers that let you know what the fleet is planning, do you?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you? We're Shards! We are worth nothing to them! That's why they had White Shard stationed in this hellscape and is now why we're stuck here fighting for our lives!"
Around me, more shards begin to join in as fuel is added to the ensuing argument with voices overlapping each other.
"We went in here with no intel and that has gotten our friends killed! And you still expect Atlis to come to the rescue, girl?"
"Don't you talk to her like that!"
"Once reinforcements arrive, I'm sure the fleet will make a move on those AA emplacements and come for us. We haven't been forgotten."
"You really believe the bullshit coming out of your mouth?"
"Atlis didn't leave us when we were encircled in Sevakia, and they won't leave us here."
"Funny, wasn't it their incompetence that got your Company encircled in the first place? Looks like things never do change, do they?"
"If you think that way of Atlis then maybe you shouldn't have come!" A Shard from our squad yells as he shoves the smirking crimson member.
"Don't touch me!" He barks back as the two begin to push and shove each other.
Shards from each side now surround them, trying to break up the fight but only make things worse as other pockets of fighting begin to sprout. I get up from my spot and back away from the brawl as Zoe stands on the outside of the group of people, not knowing what to do.
"Guys! Knock it off please!" She pleads but no one pays her any attention.
The fighting starts becoming more restless as fists start flying and the dirt being kicked up makes it hard to breathe and makes my eyes watery. How do they even have the energy to fight after everything that happened?
"Divine Concussion!"
From the corner of my eye, an orb shoots out of Macy's palm as it lands above the group of shards and explodes with a blinding light. The shards separate soon after as I turn to see Macy approaching, fury etched on her face. When she finally speaks, I nearly can't hear her from the ringing in my ears.
"Get a hold of yourselves! All of you! Keep up this act of yours and consider yourselves dead in the next encounter we have with those machines!" She barks, "For the ones talking down on Atlis, let it be known that Atlis gave you a chance at life! Go to any other Nation and see how it is for unfortunate Shards that get beaten, humiliated, looked down upon, and killed every single day just because they're different. You are privileged to be a citizen and yet you still cast doubt on them."
Everyone stays quiet as she continues.
"Now, if you want someone to blame for our situation, then blame me... I take full responsibility for not taking extra precautions. For not expecting an ambush when we first arrived... And... for not being able to keep you all safe. So, stop blaming Atlis. It's not their fault. Maybe... if I was a better leader..."
She hangs her head low, something I've never seen her do. Her hair covers her eyes now, but I still catch the glimmer of a tear streaking down her cheek.
"Macy... it's not-" Frost begins to say but Macy shuts him down and walks away from the group without saying anything else. He glances our way, visibly upset with the other's actions before going after her.
The shards eventually apologize to each other before going back to their activities. That's if you call sitting around in silence for the next half hour an activity.