The hallway was unnaturally silent, the only sound being the soft padding of Cal's footsteps as he navigated through the hospital. This level of quiet was unusual for a place that should be bustling with activity – wasn’t this a Ma’kovian space-cult stronghold?
Granted, Cal had slipped through any modern security by entering through the air duct system, a vestige of Old Earth structures that was now all but useless with conventional air modulators. But Cal knew better than to let his guard down – cult headquarters were not meant to be this still. He would know.
As he moved through the hospital, Cal focused on shielding his body's sounds to avoid detection by any patrolling cultists. But he also relied on Sari, his partner and handler, to use her unique oversoul to block out any security feeds and provide him cover from the outside. His trust in her had nothing to do with the undeniable chemistry between them; they were both professionals, after all.
"20 feet, and to your left - the target should be there. Kill on sight." Sari directed in his earpiece. "You have a two-minute window after being exposed to recon the isolated room and rendezvous with the escape team."
Cal felt his heart flutter as he heard distant footsteps echoing through the silence. He quickened his pace and headed towards the adjoining room, pistol in his right hand and knife in his left, towards where his mark was supposed to be.
Peering inside from a safe distance, Cal's eyes scanned the empty hospital room. "It's empty. No one’s here, Sari. Where's the target?" he asked, confused.
"The target should be there," she insisted.
"I don’t see anyone here."
Confused, Cal stepped into the room and surveyed his surroundings. It seemed too ordinary - just another rundown hospital room, no different from hundreds of others within the hospital. But he knew better than to underestimate Sari's intel - that had not gone well in the past.
His attention was drawn to a small wooden box sitting on the nearby bed. As he approached, his surroundings faded away without his notice and all that entered his eyes was the box, his name inscribed on top - Cal Run.
"Damn it, Cal, get…!"
Sari's voice cut through the fog that clouded Cal's mind. Cal knew then and there that he'd been made, but his eyes couldn't break away from the box in front of him. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, unlike anything he had ever encountered before. The patterns on the wood seemed to radiate a mesmerizing aura that beckoned him closer, tempting him with promises of hidden secrets and unknown power. Part of him wanted to resist, to turn away and leave this alluring yet dangerous object behind - the professional part of him. But another part of him, something more primal, yearned to succumb, to delve deeper into the box's mysterious enchantment and discover what lay within. He was torn between his instincts and fascination, unsure of which path to take.
His fingers itched to trace the delicate patterns etched onto the wood, each one seeming to pulsate with an otherworldly energy. But as he considered giving in to the temptation and reaching out, he could anticipate a profound sense of loss. He knew he would lose something in exchange. As he fought to restrain his hand reaching out to touch the glowing patterns, he felt himself being pulled deeper into its hypnotic maze towards a brilliant source of –
“Cal Run! It’s a –” The sound cut off and Sari’s oversoul dropped off.
Sari's exclamation snapped him out of the trance. He could feel the hum of security measures coming alive as if on cue with Sari’s oversoul slipping away. Enchantment gave way to cold reality crashing back in. The sound of footsteps grew louder, and the alarms blared in the distance.
Cal tore his gaze away from the box and cursed as he quickly activated a backup AI module. "Temp, report status," he commanded.
In a burst of metallic dust, the AI transformed from a simple bracelet into a burst of intelligent dust as it integrated with the hospital system interface nearby. Temp’s familiar hum filled the air, giving a sharp and pungent smell like oxidized metal.
"Sensors online," reported Temp. "Four class-3 signatures approaching, 43 seconds to contact at their current pace. Your position has been compromised."
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With no time to waste, Cal beckoned Temp and bolted towards the door, intentionally disregarding the box. Cal’s heart thundering in his chest and as the hospital corridor stretched ahead of them, the footsteps grew louder and closer.
"Sari, can you hear me?" He called out desperately as they ran.
No response.
As they barreled down the corridor, Cal knew he was on the clock. He could almost feel his pursuers reaching out with their oversouls to probe for his location.
"Temp, take me to the next objective and give me an escape route," Cal commanded, his voice tight with urgency.
The tension in the air was palpable as he waited for a response.
"Already analyzing..." A robotic voice echoed through his headset. "There is a service elevator located at the end of the hallway to your right."
Without hesitation, Cal sprinted down the dimly lit corridor, his mind racing with adrenaline. He couldn't afford to get caught now – he wasn’t ready to find out what the Ma’kovians did to prisoners.
Sari hadn't signaled a change in the plan, so he continued onwards to extraction. Each step echoed like thunder in his ears as he raced down the corridor. Drops of sweat formed on his forehead as he pushed all of his oversoul towards maximizing his agility to push his speed further.
Finally, he caught sight of the flickering red light that signaled the presence of the service elevator. Cal's heart filled with relief as he skidded to a halt in front of the metal doors just as they slid open.
“Thanks Temp.”
Breathless and trembling, Cal stepped inside and pressed the button for the basement level. The doors closed behind him, enclosing him in the small, cramped space of the service elevator. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart as the elevator began its descent. The sound of his own breath was deafening in the enclosed space, drowning out the distant alarms and approaching footsteps.
As the elevator descended, Cal's mind raced with questions. What was in that wooden box? Why did it have his name on it? And most importantly, what happened to Sari? His thoughts spiraled into a whirlwind of possibilities, each more terrifying than the last.
Suddenly, the elevator came to a jerking halt, jolting Cal out of his thoughts. The doors slid open with a groan, revealing a dimly lit basement corridor. Cal peered outside cautiously, scanning for any signs of danger. The corridor appeared deserted and eerily quiet.
"Temp," he said, "Any signs of pursuit?"
"There are 5 additional signatures converging on our location from the right on this floor. One signature at class-4. Sensors indicate no signatures on the left." Temp's voice was steady and calm, but Cal could hear the urgency behind it.
Cal's heart stilled. A class-4 signature meant that there was a powerful entity in close proximity. He was tempted to turn around and return the way he came, facing only a few pursuers from the floor above. But half-measures were not his style – both his training and his mother ensured that this was the case.
Besides, he was confident in his ability to survive. That’s why he was selected.
Cal made a split-second decision, darting left to reach the sensor isolated room. Any intelligence he could gather would be better than nothing. This would have to make up for not silencing his target.
Cal hurried down the dimly lit corridor, his footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. The walls were lined with flickering fluorescent lights, casting ominous shadows that seemed to dance in lockstep with his own. The air in the basement was thick and musty, carrying a faint scent that he couldn't quite place, possibly cinnamon. As Cal approached the sensor isolated room, a sense of foreboding washed over him. Even Sari and Temp had no idea of what awaited them inside. But there was a pull in his blood, urging him onwards, knowing that this room held the key to their mission.
With shaky hands, Cal pushed open the door to reveal an otherworldly sight. The room was bathed in an ethereal glow, empty but pulsing with complex patterns reminiscent of ancient Old Earth artifacts. The patterns hummed softly, as if alive, and energy flowed from pattern to pattern. It was like nothing he had ever seen before; no technology or remnants of Old Earth could compare.
As Cal's eyes widened in awe, he realized he needed time to fully catalog this extraordinary discovery. Glancing at the nearby vent, he quickly grabbed a chair and wedged it under the doorknob for the marginal added security. With every second bought, he hoped that Temp could analyze and make sense of the intricate patterns.
“Take in as much in as you can! This tech is beyond anything we've seen before."
But as soon as he closed the door, a bright series of patterns began resonating across the room, setting off a chaotic buzz of power. "Damnation, Temp! what’s happening?” Cal shouted over the din.
He frantically moved the chair and tried to open the door again, but it wouldn't budge.
In a panic, he dashed towards what he thought was a ventilation duct in the corner of the room - his only chance of escape. But as he reached it, he realized it was just a cleverly disguised decoy.
“Shit!”
Feeling trapped and desperate, Cal's gaze fell upon Temp, who was now a swirling cloud of dust near the chair. And there, embedded in the center of the cloud, was the very box he had left behind in the hospital room above. "It was an error to bring this box here," Temp's voice echoed through the chaos. "It is resonating with the walls and cutting off my sensors from outside the room."
The last thoughts Cal had before the world shifted out of focus were surprise, fear, but mostly confusion - confusion for why Temp picked up the box.
As everything faded into darkness, Cal's mind raced with additional unanswered questions. What was happening to him? What was happening to this room? And most importantly, why was that damn vent a fake!?