Chapter Text
[name] didn't know how to feel when they were called to the docking bay. Several prisoners were often called to the bay daily, but a handful of them didn't return; and those who did wore a troubled look on their face.
An offer that is too good to be true, is what they said.
Only now did [name] realize how right they were. The prisoners selected today, [name] among them, were told of an objective. They had a chance at freedom, and all those who wished to earn it (and a large sum of money) just needed to venture deep within an abandoned facility to secure a certain crystal. This site posed many threats; threats that were unclear to everyone, except those who had experienced them firsthand, which were very few.
Dubious glances were cast around the room where the prisoners stood, shoulder to shoulder. Should they risk their lives for the chance of living a regular life once again? [name] was sure they'd never become the same after being placed in this prison for two years. Two wasteless years.
"Those who wish to volunteer, follow the grey pathway. Those who do not, stay where you are and listen to instructions," the guardsman who spoke to the large number of them spoke loudly, his voice rough. There were a lot of guardsmen like him, who were hard-headed and not so lenient.
Other than that, [name] shifted anxiously as their eyes darted to the others like them in view. The row in front of them did the same thing, no doubt the row in front of them copied the same action. That was until someone finally moved, all eyes were on that singular person until more followed. [name] was genuinely surprised as they didn't give this much thought.
However, the aspect of freedom...even after two years, it sounded as promising as if they heard it upon their first week of arrival. How was it, even now, that they still clung to any form of hope?
[name] found themselves pushing past the small gap of bodies in front of them, walking forward with a frightening amount of courage. They could feel the eyes on their back, as if saying, "are you crazy?"
The grey pathway led the prisoners straight through a guarded, metal door, funneling them through a few at a time. Only now did [name] finally notice the strong smell of salt and oil in the air, and when they stepped through the doorway, they were met with a somewhat fresh breath of air.
[name] thought where they stood before was the majority of the docking bay, but this...this was a sight altogether. There were a multitude of submarines lined at the edge of the water, figures wearing dark, blue jumpsuits with diving gear attached being escorted into many of the subs.
A push snapped them out of their awed stupor, and they were quick to move along in fear that they would lose this opportunity if stalled. Turns out, not just [name]'s group was ordered to the docking bay, but several other prisoners as well, all being told the same thing.
The path they followed turned out to be connected to three stalls, the person behind the stall calling, "next!" every minute or so. They stepped forward quickly, blinking in confusion at the barbed partition that separated them physically.
"Name?"
"[name] [last name]."
The woman behind the counter lifted her eyes, then allowed them to fall back onto the paper in front of her, "identification number?"
The majority of prisoners here were often called by their identification numbers, their names tossed aside the moments they became a prisoner here. [name] answered this question with relative ease, the number a part of them.
"Size." They were no longer questions now, but statements they had no choice in answering.
"What?"
She sighed, "what's your uniform size?"
[name] answered this one as well, hoping that their size didn't change due to the slop they served as meals.
The woman behind the partition got up from her seat and turned around, grabbed something from behind her chair, then sat back down. She slid a faded, blue uniform between the small gap, "next!"
They stepped aside quickly, eyes darting around the docking bay. They noticed a handful of prisoners sitting and chatting on metal, grey chairs near the edge of the grey path with several guardsmen hanging around that area in particular. All of them were wearing the same blue jumpsuit that [name] was just given.
[name] decided to copy the actions of a few of the prisoners they watched and stepped out of the way of the crowd to pull on the jumpsuit over their prison uniform(which was comprised of a grey shirt and black pants). They quickly took note of the heat that gathered within while remaining sleek on the outside.
Each time the amount of prisoners grew, new guards would filter over, eyeing the crowd. [name] managed to steal one of the chairs off to the right of the paths so they could gain a moment of rest. Not a minute later, the intercom blared. Voices diminished, but not completely.
"All EXR-P within the docking bay retrieve a PDG next to the cargo funnel. Do not cause a disruption. Failure to comply with any orders given by the guardsmen will result in immediate execution." To some, it was hard to make out what was said, but everyone knew the last term and was quick to step into line; as was [name].
They peered around the many shoulders ahead of them, watching as two guardsmen suited one volunteer in an oxygen tank with a circular device attached to the bottom of it, with a diving mask hooked onto the jumpsuit. Their heart stopped at the sight, realizing only now what the PDG, also known as prisoner diving gear, was for.
A time-bomb.
[name] was numb as they fitted [name] into their own set of gear, feeling the press of metal against the back of their neck. They were hot as they walked back to their chair, uncomfortable with the heaviness on their back and their mind, was this truly worth it?
"Hey, you doin' alright?" Someone questioned, waving a hand right in front of their face. They blinked, pulling back and turning to the man who stood next to them.
They were tall, taller than [name], at least. He had dark, sunken eyes, brown hair with bits of grey, and a nicely shaped beard framing his jaw. He had a tired look in those eyes of his but smiled nonetheless.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah. Just...thinking is all," they frowned, glancing at the guards that walked by, disappearing through the door they entered through, "just feeling that we're all being left in the dark."
There were things that those people were leaving out on purpose, that was what [name] was sure about.
The man took a seat next to them, slumping back with his long legs stretching out onto the path in front of him, "I bet yer right. We may be riskin' our lives over some crystal, so the least they can do is give us a bit more information."
His voice grew louder as guards passed by, causing those men to give him a look, but continue on their way. [name] gave a grin, the two sharing a chuckle.
"Emil," he offered a hand to them, and [name] took it, giving it a shake. They felt warmth wash up their arm, the roughness of his palms sending their hair on end. Emil. It rang a bell, someone in their cell block spoke about him before, how his strength was like a bear, and how he was at the center of most fights. Yet, looking at him now and shaking his hand, was [name] wrong in believing in those rumors?
They gave their name, Emil nodding and pulling his hand back. Even though they spoke with a sense of normalcy, [name] couldn't forget that they were still in a high-security prison; everyone was here for a reason.
"You two," [name] jumped at the loud voice, three guards stepping close in front of both Emil and [name], "stand."
[name] did so with more urgency than Emil. Their eyes darted around them, noticing the growth of guards within the docking bay, how groups of them corralled different prisoners, separating them off, sometimes adding them to groups.
"Follow after him. Do not attempt to go anywhere else." The guard on their left spoke, muffled through the mask which they could barely see his eyes from. He motioned with a nod of his head to the one on the far right, in which he turned, beginning to walk and expecting Emil and [name] to follow.
They did so, Emil walking at a leisurely pace much to [name]'s astonishment, and since they were walking behind Emil, this resulted in [name]'s pace being the same. They also knew for a fact that a guard was right behind them, escorting the two from behind all so that they didn't try anything to the guard up front...which was unbelievable to [name] since guards seemed to swarm this place like a hive.
Surprisingly enough, they were guided to the front of a submarine where another guard stood waiting, another prisoner standing off to the side beside him. The prisoner unknown to [name] was pretty tall like Emil, but lankier in build. He was dark-skinned, with black hair in unkempt dreads.
"Stay." This simple command was all that they were left with as one guard left, leaving three prisoners with two guards eyeing them closely.
[name] used this time to count the submarines that were here before the bay of this area got too crowded. As far as they could tell, there were ten, possibly more, awaiting passengers, and, as much as they hated it, this was most likely their way of getting to the abandoned facility. A run-downed look sub caught their eye and their feelings became a bit more relaxed knowing that at least their group wasn't on that one.
The chatter became much more loud and muddled together as prisoners were being led and commanded to stay near different submarines. Another thing they noticed was the mouth of a cave at the far end of the docking bay. Their eyes widened upon spotting a greyish-blue sky, the ocean nearly blending the two. And, surprisingly enough, there was a lighthouse positioned nearby.
"It's so cool, huh?" An unfamiliar voice spoke quite close to their ear, to which [name] responded by whipping their head around quickly.
The perpetrator wore a big grin that contained her laughter, "sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" This woman had curly, brown hair and had warm, toned skin. She jutted her chin at the mouth of the cave once more, "I was hoping to see the lighthouse again before we go down, guess that's off my list now."
Considering this girl wasn't moving anywhere else, [name] assumed she was a part of their group which was comprised of the quiet man off to the side, Emil, this woman, and [name].
Actually, they had assumed too soon; two guards pushed two more prisoners over, both women. One was quite short, with blonde hair and green eyes; but [name] reminded themselves that appearances don't matter here. The other woman was taller, not as tall as Emil and that other guy, but still pretty tall. She had tan skin, with scars lining a few places on her face, and long, black hair. Her blue eyes met [name]'s, glared, and crossed her arms.
"Look, over there," the brown-haired woman next to her pointed a finger past [name]'s chest, "looks like we'll be going in groups of eight!"
She was right. Eight prisoners stood in a forced-together group before two guards, two more standing behind the group as one of the guards at the front droned on about their objective. His words were hard to overhear, but [name] was pretty sure they'd hear them eventually. [name] and the unnamed woman watched as the prisoners shuffled into the submarine one by one, disappearing into the metal maw a few seconds before the gate folded in, sealed, and dove under. Water that was kicked up felt like mist against their face, refreshing, but that gnawing feeling about diving so deep still felt unsettling.
"Since we're probably going to be diving buddies, might as well know each other's names, yeah?" The dark-haired woman nudged their arm with her elbow.
[name] paused. They hadn't given their name away this many times since the day they first arrived here, and at that time, [name] believed all this was only temporary, "yeah... Yeah. I'm [name]."
Her smile only now seemed to reach her brown eyes, "pleased to be diving with you, [name]. I'm Aisha."
Both Aisha's and [name]'s attention was brought over to the guards who approached with two more prisoners, the last of the bunch; both men of differing ages. One had black hair that was to his shoulders, but some strands were pulled back in attempts at keeping them out of his eyes(that was quickly falling apart). His brown eyes were dull and he wore a frown as those eyes gazed across the group.
The other, however, was smiling in a place like this. His hair was messy and looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. His face was fair, but an uneven stubble lined the lower half of his face.
The second the two guards that had guided them over had stepped away, the black-haired one pushed the brown-haired one away from his side in a rough attempt to make some space.
"Hey, hey! Gentle now, you untamed beast," the one who was pushed dusted off his jumpsuit, as if he had been dirtied. This only earned a glare from the other as he moved to stand as far as he could away from the group while staying within the general vicinity of the guard's sight. However, his few seconds of solitude were quick and over with when four guards came over after one more submarine dove under the water's surface.
"Make two lines and line up!" One of the guards ordered, his voice scratchy and his uniform different than the others; outlined in a deep blue with a green, protective film over his face rather than the light grey.
[name] stood behind Aisha who stood at the front of the left line while the blonde girl stood behind [name] and the smiling, brown-haired fellow behind her. Emil stood to their right, the quiet one at the front, the black-haired man standing behind Emil, and the scarred woman behind him.
"You eight are to retrieve the crystal within the site. At any time, if you attempt to remove your PDG, we will set off a timer. If you do not halt your attempts, it will go off," [name] swallowed. "The same goes with attempting to flee the facility, stray from the path, or loot corpses of deceased personnel found inside. Apart from that, you are to collect any loose assets found."
Rather than asking if they had any questions, the guards parted, "enter!"
They got a better view of the submarine on the inside as they entered. There were red lights barely illuminating the space around them. Eight seats were bolted against the walls, four on each side, with no windows to glance out of on the ride down(for that, they were thankful). The eight of them sat in the seats, some struggling with their belts while the metal door, which acted as their path across, folded in on itself.
"Down to hell we go, I suppose!" The brown-haired man chuckled aloud, his voice rattling [name]'s ears. Emil's head turned in his direction.
"You know what's down there?"
He shook his head, "not at all. But considering they're sending so many of us down at once, it's safe to assume that we all won't return in one piece!"
A few of them stared at him in shock, surprise, or general realization. This also settled on [name], their thoughts attempting to reach back when Urbanshade had begun gathering volunteers in the first place.
Silence engulfed the submarine, [name]'s ears popping a few minutes later. It was hard to tell how long it had been and nobody spoke about what was to come or about their mission. It was clear that all they were looking forward to was the reward.
"Well," Aisha's voice started [name], their head turning quickly to left to find her leaning forward, her eyes flicking upon every face, "shouldn't we introduce ourselves? We'll be together for a while, so I'd like to know everyone's names!"
"Then why don't you go first?" The black-haired woman finally spoke, her face a bit obscured by the mix of the dark and the red light near her head. Aisha stared at her with a blank smile, but she ended up nodding.
"Aisha!" She enthusiastically turned to [name], who pulled their head back in surprise.
"Uh, [name]."
The ones that were interested in this turned their attention to the blonde that sat to the right of [name]. Her shoulders stiffened at the attention, but it didn't seem like she disliked it, "I'm Evelyn..."
"Ozzy! Just call me Oz," Ozzy, or Oz, the brown-haired man spoke cheerfully despite his earlier words. [name] was unsure how to feel about him.
Those who had introduced themselves looked at the scarred woman who was still brooding in the back seat of the sub, arms crossed, just like the man to her right and the one in front of Aisha.
"Vanessa," she said curtly, eyes glaring at both Aisha and [name], who questioned mentally why they deserved that.
Silence followed after turning to the next fellow, his dark eyes staring knowingly at Aisha, who never once broke eye contact.
"He's Kei," Oz spoke up after an agonizing twenty seconds. Kei, sat up straighter. If he wasn't buckled into his seat right now, they were sure he would've descended upon Oz in a wild fit. Despite this anger, Oz just laughed, "c'mon, little Kei. You can't solve everything that annoys you with your fists."
"Allllrighty," the female next to her looked at Emil, who just smiled, that smile reaching his eyes, unlike the previous smiles they had seen on others.
"Most people know me, but I'm Emil."
"The Bearclaw?" Oz's voice pierced the air once again. This nickname stuck in [name]'s mind, a memory suddenly resurfacing. They had heard that nickname before; a man who could tear a human apart with his bare hands...that was Emil?
Emil chuckled, his arms coming up over his chest as his legs lazily lengthened in front of him, nearly meeting [name]'s at the middle, "the one and only, I suppose."
[name] felt their ears pop as the awe in sub settled down and their attention turned to the remaining prisoner within the metal confinement. He hadn't spoken a word this entire time, but, to be fair, Evelyn and Vanessa hadn't either until now.
Aisha groaned, "another dark and broody type?"
"I'm not here to make friends," the male responded.
Aisha mockingly repeated his words, voice lowered until she spoke normally once again, "I don't think any of us are either, but it damn sure would be helpful to know your name!"
The two of them held eye contact.
"He's Ezekiel." Kei, surprisingly, said with a ghost of a smirk on his face. Ezekiel grunted, glaring off to the left before shifting his body somewhat to the right.
Aisha and Ozzy laughed. [name], Evelyn, and Emil shared a grin. Even in their attempts to normalize themselves in such dangerous territory, there were still some things left unsaid.
⋅˚₊‧ ଳ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
[name] was counting. Nine times their ears popped. One time they had fallen asleep. Two times they had heard something either outside or inside the submarine(surely it had to be inside). And two times did anyone speak up since they had departed, not counting the initial introductions.
They were counting on spending as much time as possible daydreaming about what they would do upon docking wherever this underwater facility was, but it seemed that [name] had waited too long. The submarine let out a chime, an item dropping to the left of Vanessa, its case a bright yellow with many grey buttons and one red, the red one flashing.
Vanessa tentatively pulled the item closer to her face, the object hanging from some sort of flexible material.
"Don't press-" Just before Emil's words could reach Vanessa's ears, she had already pressed the blinking button. The submarine made a noise, one that [name] had only heard when they were enclosed in the sub and submerged. They felt a sudden weight press from above, gravity keeping them in their seat, and by the looks of things, everyone else felt it too, this weight woke anyone asleep or dozing off. Then, there was a feeling of relief.
It felt as if the submarine was floating like a boat, teetering. [name] got to their feet first, feeling light. Evelyn groaned, feeling her ears as she had just woken up from a short sleep. All heads turned when the submarine's doors unfolded, seawater dripping at the opening.
As far as [name] could see, they were in a lit room, one with a few, small lockers and metal chests, papers scattered around on the cemented floor. The chime of an intercom caused them to flinch in surprise.
"As discussed during your briefing, your primary objective is to secure and bring back the crystal. Your secondary objective is to secure as many loose assets possible," the voice was the same as the previous docking bay, "you've been equipped with a diving tank, allowing you to navigate any potentially flooded areas. You've also been equipped with a Crystal Container, used for securing the crystal if, er...when you reach it."
No doubt the submarine was filled with sour looks at the correction.
"You have permission to use any additional equipment you may find. Our Navi-Path AI system has marked the shortest route possible to your primary objective. It should be noted, that you'll mostly be left on your own, as we are currently busy managing multiple teams. We will tune in from time to time, if it matters in the moment. Open the door, and proceed when ready." Then, the intercom chimed once more, flooding the group into silence.
That is until [name] made the first move to exit the sub. They could hear someone struggle to remove their buckle, either wanting to join them or stop them from leaving, but they didn't turn back and decided to survey the area first.
It was a mess, that was for sure, this smaller version of a docking bay. Overturned desks, leaking walls, and papers scattered about. They picked one up off the ground but found it to be unintelligible, the text smudged and soaked, and tossed it aside.
"Not even a little bit scared, eh, [name]?" Oz spoke, having stepped out into the open alongside them. They shrugged, turning to look at the others. Evelyn was groaning, rubbing the side of her head, muttering to Emil about something. Aisha hurriedly opened the small lockers near a metal door, her expression falling upon finding nothing. Kei, Ezekiel, and Vanessa seemed to either linger on their own or move to investigate other things...on their own.
"I found a keycard!" Aisha exclaimed, a blue and white keycard between her fingers. Nearly everyone eyed the keycard, then the door near the far corner of the room. A thin, metal box was connected to an electric sign on the wall that read; 001. Aisha inserted the card, and the door opened.
A chime, familiar, but not one from the intercom, came from behind them. The submarine they had come from closed up, then dove back under the water.
"What the hell?!" Kei hissed, eyes glaring at the water, "they left us!"
"They probably don't want us back 'til we get what they need," Emil wandered over, having been closest to the submarine, alongside Evelyn.
"Let's get this over with then," Vanessa announced, squeezing passed those who stood blocking her way. She entered the next room, which was only a hallway, with two lockers on the left-hand side with a desk on the right. Another door at the end of the hall read 002 with big, blue numbers.
The group followed as they really had nowhere else to go. Evelyn found a folder full of papers in the next room inside a drawer of one of the desks, so [name] made a mental note to check desks more often.
003, 004, 005.
They ran into a tiny bit of trouble on 006, the door needing a keycard just like 001. Vanessa and Ezekiel stood by the door while everyone else began searching around, a few unenthused, but, even so, gained some loose assets in the process. [name] found the keycard and had the honor of inserting it, the first to enter the next room.
006 wasn't any different than the last five, but there were two doors, one destroyed; claw marks raked completely across the metal.
"That's odd." Emil commented aloud as he stood examining the door, "I wonder what sorts of creature made somethin' like that."
"What kind of creature could survive down here anyways?" Ozzy questioned in remark to Emil's comment. The older man just shrugged in response, eyes following along the deep groves as he moved away. [name] had to force their eyes away so they could all keep moving.
007, 008.
009. The lights flickered.
"Shitty electricity," Kei grunted.
[name] felt a cold sweat begin to form at the back of their neck.
Three lockers to their left, one on their right. There was a door, outlined in a faint yellow in the middle of the three lockers. [name]'s mouth opened.
"Guys." Evelyn conveyed their same worry, her eyes wide, "I think something's...wrong."
Screaming. Something was...screaming.
[name] felt it before they could see it, there was something that hit them in the back and pierced their waist. They saw a few of their companion's expressions, morphed with slow shock, then fear. The room upturned as a sharp maw of teeth pierced them once more, and [name] experienced their first death.