“...Getting in won’t be that easy...”

Perplexed, I ask Ivana to explain.

“Why do you think so?”

“Well, according to her memories, these doors won’t open for something like a commotion on the outside. They only open at very specific times, for very specific reasons.”

Sylvia speaks.

“When is the next time they open the doors Iva?”

“In about 5 minutes, according to the woman you captured, but there’s still a problem. Every four hours, before the doors open, the inside personnel checks in with the outside team leader to make sure that everything is okay.”

With a grim expression, I throw a gaze at the carnage left behind by Sebastian. I scoff.

“You mean the guy who’s in multiple places at once right now?”

“Yeah, that guy” Ivana answers.

The situation does not look promising. Our initial plan has proven to be useless now that we know that these doors do not open so easily. We could attempt to simply break through, with a second stage and all of us, that might be achievable. There is no ordinary material that can withstand the might of an [enlightened] after all. However, if that was possible, that would have been our plan from the start. We would have had Sebastian demolish the place. Unfortunately, with a single glance, all of us can deduce that this material is not something that we can bulldoze our way through, at least not in a short amount of time. It holds some sort of power, perhaps the result of one, or multiple [melodies]. Whoever built this place, did not want the world to know what was happening inside. If Sebastian had kept the man alive, we might have had a chance, but now, all hope seems lost. If we fail to breach the entrance, upon learning of our deeds, these criminals will surely relocate their manufacturing plan, dragging us back to square one.

Sebastian, as proud as ever, speaks.

“Fear not! In our dire battle, I have managed to keep that man’s head intact!”

In a blur, he disappears and returns a few seconds later, carrying the man’s head in his palm.

“And the communicator is intact!”

Surprisingly enough, Sebastian thought ahead, his slaughter was not senseless. He holds the head in front of him proudly. It wears a distorted grimace, a truly horrific sight that seems to bother the others as much as it bothers me. Though as he claimed, it is perfectly intact, with the communicator still attached to the man’s ear, not a scratch on it. This gruesome display accurately showcases the gap between the enemy second stage and Sebastian. To have the leisure to cause no harm to the parts he needed is a clear testament to his kill as an [enlightened]. I no longer harbor feelings of admiration towards him, but I must say, his fame is evidently not baseless. With the opportunity he obtained for us, the four of us concoct a scheme in the remaining few minutes we have left. Once we’ve all agreed, Sylvia reiterates the plan.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Sebastian will pose as the team leader to the best of his ability in order to fool the enemy. Since there are no cameras anywhere, we are certain that the inside has no way to know what goes on outside and vice versa. Ivana, Alden, and I will hide, as soon as the doors show the slightest sign of opening, all four of us will sneak in using the camouflage feature of the suit. We will likely be met with numerous enemies, but Sebastian will take care of that, his ability is perfectly suited to exterminate a large number of opponents, giving us the perfect cover to slip through. The rest of us will run deeper into the factory in hopes of discovering where and how they make the ‘tuning pill’.”

“Leave it to me!”

“Understood!”

“Got it.”

We get into position, after a few moments, the communicator emits noise.

“Outside....Team...Leader...Situ...ation....report”

“Team leader reporting, no issues in sight.”

“...resupply.... required?”

“Yes.”

“Please... provide...identification...code...”

‘Damnit! Of course they’d have some sort of precautionary measure!’

Instantly, Sebastian answers the question, brimming with confidence. He gives a series of numbers and symbols. When he stops, there is silence for a second, and the person on the other end of the communicator responds.

“Code... correct... steer... clear... doors... opening...”

‘I guess Sebastian took his own measures, is that why he never seemed worried from the start?”

Two massive dull grey doors open inwards, granting a peek into the inside of the factory. Sebastian, readies his stance, as soon as they realize that he is not the bald man, they will surely attack. A second passes, then another. Eventually, an ordinary black cart is rolled out by a lone worker. On it, there are simple supplies, med-kits, snacks, water and clothes.

“Supp...lies.”

The worker marches back towards the entrance without sparing a moment to examine Sebastian who is clearly not the team leader. Slightly perturbed, Sebastian takes a step forward. Immediately, the worker swiftly turns around and gives a warning.

“Do... not... approach...”

Halted by those words, Sebastian freezes. The three of us are taken aback by the situation, but we quickly regain our composure. I speak to Ivana and Sylvia through our communicators.

“The plan hasn’t changed, let’s move in before they close the doors again!”

All of us, but Sebastian, who is seemingly not allowed to take even a step forward, move in using the dynamic camouflage feature of our suits. Thankfully, aided by silent step, it is enough to slip past the retreating worker unnoticed. At last, we have finally made it inside the facility. It took a substantial amount of effort and preparation, but we have made it in. What meets us, however, defies any expectations I previously had. The interior is dimly lit with flickering light bulbs hanging from the ceiling at set intervals of space. Filling the emptiness of the interior, there are massive rows of shelves with unknown materials from which few workers retrieve what they need. Crevices in the walls and ceiling leak murky brown water, each drop echoing through the silence that fills the place. Besides the drops of water, there are only the rolling of carts and movement of carboard boxes that can be heard. Moss crawls up the walls almost halfway to the ceiling and dirt is smeared everywhere. Evidently, no maintenance has ever been performed here. The few workers who move around wear tattered clothes and seem a bit skinny? All of that, however, is not the worst of it. The worst is the putrid smell that pollutes the air, more vile than any I've ever smelled before.

The worker who pushed the cart out of the facility walks in a straight line, soon disappearing in one of the many hallways of the building. With our concealment enhancements still active, we move deeper into the facility and leave the main room with the series of shelves arranged in rows. As we traverse the hallways and inspect the numerous rooms, the scenery does not change, there is no sign of an active industrial process anywhere. In terms of people, I notice that there are three types. Those who push carts with a purpose, those who wander aimlessly, and those who have stopped moving. After going through no less than a dozen rooms, I have an idea and communicate it to my allies once we are in a relatively empty room.

“I don't know if you've noticed, but the ones with the carts, they look like they’re going somewhere, what if we follow them?”

Both Ivana and Sylvia look at me and they nod.

We identify a cart-pushing worker and follow her through the halls and rooms. On the way, we pass by many more workers. Observing them, I realize that the weirdest part of this facility is the workers being as odd as the environment that surrounds them. They do not salute each other or chatter among themselves. What’s more, S.O.N.G. has been unable to detect any foreign human vital signatures nearby, but I see them moving around and I heard that first cart-pushing worker speak. They may be a strange type of androids, but that seems unlikely just looking at them.

In time, the cart-pushing worker we are tailing leads us to a large elevator with some sort of identity recognition function. She places her hand on an elevated podium, a red light flashes green, and the doors open. She then rolls her cart inside, the doors close, and the elevator takes her somewhere else, deep underground. Ivana speaks.

“Seems like whatever we’re looking for is down there”