Facility 17

Corridor

Darkness.

Silence.

Metal rumbling. A door releases, rising into the bulkhead, daylight spilling across the floor. The entrance frames a shallow clearing of compacted dirt and patches of grass. From the forest beyond, sharp clicks and hushed whistles roll across the open ground. Tree shadows encroach across the dry soil.

Lights flicker on in sequence, running the length of the corridor, revealing metal-clad walls and a solid, stone-like floor.

Brevin peers around the door frame, observing the hall for a moment.

He signals.

Asaris, Chase, and Brijent—a Kij—circle around from behind and enter, hugging the metal wall, clustered together, weapons ready.

Rustling in the tree line, Brevin’s attention is drawn to the dense underbrush.

The first drops of rain tap against the dry ground. Thunder rumbles in the distance.

He draws his weapon and shoulders his backpack. He slides around the door frame into the corridor.

Outside, his heavy boots leave prints in the dirt.

The bulkhead rattles as the door slowly sinks.

Against the monolithic wall, the opening narrows and seals shut; the door’s softened strike reaches the forest moments later.

A heavy rain intrudes, drowning out the forest thrum.

Weapons come up. The three men square their stance, covering the corridor.

Brevin settles his weapon site on the far end of the passage. He steps forward, taking the lead.

Their boots drum against the floor, echoes ahead and behind them.

They stop. A pressure door.

Brevin’s hand inspects four holes widely spaced at the center of the hatch. He snaps his fingers and points at the holes.

Brijent and Brevin swap positions.

Brijent fits his four fingers in the holes and squeezes. The lock releases.

The door rattles and the men step back pressing against the wall. Lifting into the ceiling, the door frames a cavernous chamber.

Central Chamber

Stillness.

The men peer around the door jamb into the chamber.

The chamber is tranquil, silence broken only by the sound of a fountain at the center. Fresh grass lines curved paths of gravel. Cement walls reach high along the perimeter, and trees grow in planters throughout the courtyard.

Brevin withdraws from the opening. He reaches into his jacket retrieving a scanner. He extends his hand into the room. The device activates.

No sentient signatures detected.

Asaris’s gaze lifts, and follows a series of observation windows up to a brutalist, vaulted ceiling.

Chase raises an integrated monocular pressing it to his eye.

A faint overlay settles across the image of the chamber.

A topiary tree.

A table and chairs.

Another hatch.

He tightens the view on an amber glowing panel next to the hatch.

Locked

Brevin signals.

Brijent advances to a topiary and drops to a crouch. He surveys the area.

He raises his hand, signaling to advance.

Chase and Asaris emerge from the doorway and push forward to the fountain.

They squat down, shoulder to shoulder, observing the chamber.

Asaris signals back to the door.

Brevin nods.

Grass crunches under his feet as he advances quickly around the perimeter of the chamber.

He glances to the rows of windows lining the upper portion of the chamber’s battered walls.

A shadow catches his eye in the windows.

It disappears.

His boots pummel the granite floors and he stops by the locked door.

Asaris looks over the fountain’s edge as droplets of water splash in his eyes.

Brevin reaches the door and pauses.

He locks eyes with Asaris.

Asaris crouches back down by the fountain looks to Chase. He signals with his hand.

He looks at Brijent and signals.

The three men simultaneously stand and break into a run toward the door.

Their boots kick up gravel and grass as they traverse the courtyard.

The footfalls stop. The team forms up around the lock.

Asaris and Brijent hold their weapons up, eyes sweeping the chamber.

Thin crosshairs drift into view.

A slow exhale. The drift stops.

Asaris fills the center of the scope.

The crosshairs move to Chase. A device activates in his hand.

Brevin and Chase look at each other for moment.

Brevin nods.

Chase attaches the device to the lock panel.

A light in the center of the device blinks slowly, quickens, then settles into a steady glow.

Unlocked

A soft tone sounds from the panel.

The door glides up into the bulkhead. The men walk into the dark corridor, their outlines thinning as the light drops away.

The crosshairs are empty.

They lift.

The chamber is still.

Mechanical Room

A tall room hums—metal cylindrical columns, shimmering lights, glowing panels.

Equipment clatters, the sound lingering among metal and cement.

One large panel lights up.

Welcome to Facility 17

Boots scrape across the floor, stopping at the computer panel.

Chase holsters his weapon.

He rolls out a metal chair and sits down. The others form up around him.

His fingers tap against a glassy interface. Each tap lights the surface.

Request Unresolved

More taps.

Request Unresolved

Brevin firmly taps next to the computer panel and snapping his fingers.

Chase waves him away and continues tapping.

The interface of the computer changes from a solid color then to a list of items.

General Operations
Security
Systems Monitoring
Utilities Management
Environmental Systems

More taps.

Asaris’s gaze lifts upwards to a narrow walkway along the perimeter of the chamber.

He glances at the tetrum on his wrist.

Biological Scan
Indeterminate life signs

His eyes trace the walkway meter by meter. He brings his weapon up.

The mezzanine above holds his attention where the light does not reach. He taps Brevin on the shoulder.

Brevin’s focus shifts from computer to Asaris, then snaps to the mezzanine.

Nothing. Brevin turns his focus back to Chase.

Asaris briefly turns his attention to Brevin. The mezzanine calls him back.

He pauses.

Lowering his weapon deliberately, he turns back towards his team.

Chase makes one final tap on the computer panel. A schematic of the facility:

Facility 17
Warning
Lockdown procedures active

Chase snaps his fingers and points to the display.

Brevin pats Chase on the shoulder firmly.

“Lockdown has been activated,“ Chase whispers.

“We haven’t hit any countermeasures,” Brevin says softly.

Chase shakes his head and shrugs.

A long emitter emerges from the shadow in the mezzanine. Light cuts across a scope as it shifts forward.

The scope magnifies a large, steel-blue eye.

Crosshairs overlay the team.

The optic narrows, focus stepping inward until Brevin fills the circle.

Brevin points at the display.

“We should take the utility corridor,” Chase says quietly. “It is the most dire—“

The chamber rings with a single, intrusive tone.

A red-illuminated pellet streaks through the room.

Brijent drops.

Asaris ducks, dashing away from the computer. He tucks around a column.

Chase kicks the chair out from under him.

He advances and slides on the floor to meet Asaris behind the column.

Drawing his weapons, he holds it tight to his body, crouching next to Asaris.

Brevin bolts.

The scope and emitter raise, disappearing back into the shadow.

Light pours across the mezzanine as a door slides open. A figure steps through.

Brevin crouches behind a cart.

Eyes wide, he peeks around the edge of the cart, looking back at Brijent.

Brijent lies motionless.

Asaris compresses himself behind the column. He whips around the side, weapon trained on the light in the mezzanine.

The light narrows as the door slides closed.

Chase rotates on the ball of his foot, pressing tightly against Asaris. He point his weapon into the unlit space.

Brevin aims over the top of the cart. Shots ringing through the room.

Flashes of red illuminate the mezzanine.

Nothing there.

The hum of the room returns.

They all lower their weapons.

“We’ve got to go,” Chase yells.

Asaris kneels beside Brijent and removes the tetrum from on his chest.

“Status,” Brevin shouts.

Asaris holds Brijent’s tetrum tightly, eyes flicking over it.

His attention shifts to his own wrist.

Indeterminate life signs.

Asaris looks over to Brevin. He says nothing.

Chase’s weight still sunk into his heels, he peers around the column at Brijent. He exhales, tipping his head back.

Brevin stands behind the cart, “We go. Now.”

Chase nods.

The two move fast.

Brevin leads, pushing through the exit at the far end of the chamber. Chase follows, weapon up, glancing back once more at Brijent’s body before disappearing through the doorway.

Asaris is last.

He looks to the mezzanine as he backs away from Brijent. The silence presses in.

He turns and runs.

The body of Brijent lies motionless. Boots strike the cement, each falling further away.

Utility Corridor

Narrow. Low ceiling. Utility lights flicker overhead.

Brevin throws up a fist. They stack.

Chase leans in, scanning the junction ahead.

Asaris raises his tetrum.

Biological Scan
Indeterminate life signs

Interference crawls across the display.

“Same as the mechanical room,” Asaris whispers.

“Greenout,” Chase replies.

Brevin mouths: Up. He gestures.

They move.

Junction

The corridor opens into a cylindrical shaft—stairs spiraling up and down, metal grated landings at every level.

Brevin takes two steps—

A sharp ringing climbs stairwell—a red pellet cracks into his chest.

He stiffens, momentum carrying him forward. He collapses hard against the railing and rolls down to the landing below.

Chase steps forward, firing blind down the stairwell.

Another shot from below—clipping Chase’s hip.

Chase drops to one knee, hunches over, weapon clattering against the metal steps.

Asaris presses flat against the wall, breath controlled, weapon held close.

Heavy footsteps clamor on metal, cascading down the stairs as the sound thins.

Silence again.

Asaris leans forward, reading the space below.

He presses his hand on Chase’s shoulder and shifts him back against the wall.

Brevin lies motionless on the landing below.

Gone.

Chase reels in pain, clinching his jaw.

Asaris reaches into a pouch on his thigh and pulls out a small yellow cylinder, dropping it down the stair shaft.

A burst of light blooms into sparks floating down the shaft. Yellow illuminates everything, shadows cut across the walls.

No one there.

“Status,” Asaris queries quietly.

Chase grimacing, “it burns!”

Asaris drops his backpack next to Chase and removes a small device.

He mists Chase’s wound.

Chase relaxes his breathing.

Asaris throws the device back in the bag. He slings his pack over his shoulder.

“Can you make it?”

Chase nods.

Asaris stands. He reaches out and Chase grabs his hand. Asaris pulls him to his feet.

They continue up the stairwell, every step deliberate.

The Gallery

Overlooking the forest canopy, a gallery juts out from the facility. Wilderness chatters below.

The gray cement structure towers overhead, wet and dark. Wildlife murmurs in the foliage below. A low fog hangs obscuring distant rock formations.

A metal door swings open, its hinges groaning.

Asaris emerges from the doorway, covering the walkway in one direction, then the other.

He creeps onto the gallery.

“Clear.”

Asaris covers the walkway with his weapon.

Stacato boot steps break the wilderness chatter. Weapon drawn, Chase limps out, turning to cover the opposite direction.

A flag flutters at the corner of the structure.

Asaris moves forward, Chase right behind him, one of his boots scraping along the ground. Back to back, they progress along the walkway.

A single, gray eye peeks around the distant corner as they approach.

A shrill tone washes over the gallery and forest canopy.

The red pellet zips past Asaris. He drops to one knee and fires back.

Chase whips around and fires in the same direction.

The Kij slips back behind the corner as the volley rakes the façade.

A barrage of shots comes from beneath the flag. Glowing pellets tear past Asaris and Chase.

A brutish Kij stands in the open, long weapon steady—one steel-blue eye fixed on the men.

Chase whips back around, aims—

A pellet strikes him square in the chest. The warble of the discharge echos down the structure.

His body seizes.

He falls backward onto Asaris.

“Chase?!”

Asaris turns swiftly.

He fires back—controlled shots—then presses his body against the angled wall of the building.

Pellets strike the structure leaving scorch marks as the Kij steps calmly to the side, disappearing behind the structure.

Asaris’s aim remains fixed near the flag.

The gallery goes quiet for a moment.

A single pellet from behind Asaris hits right above his head, scattering particles of cement.

He pushes off the wall, weightless for a moment, and rolls to the parapet.

Dust kicks up as he hits the ground. He stops the roll on his back.

A Kij steps into the open. Holstering his sidearm, he swings a carbine by its strap around his body, bringing it to bear.

Asaris spreads his legs.

The two lock eyes.

The Kij aims.

Asaris aims.

They both fire.

The pellets cross, close enough to blur.

The Kij remains standing.

The strap against his back catches the light. His weapon lowers.

He turns—

—his body gives out.

He folds and drops to the ground.

Asaris keeps his weapon trained downrange.

Panting, his gaze snaps to the scorch mark on the parapet next to him.

He scrambles to his feet and moves swiftly toward the fallen Kij.

Another barrage of pellets cut past him.

He glances over his shoulder—three Kij advancing in formation, weapons up.

Two break off near Chase’s body.

Asaris bolts.

Boots skid as he rounds the corner of the building, out of sight of the Kij.

He swings his backpack forward. His hand goes inside—comes out with three items: a data pad, Brijent’s tetrum, and a glove.

Another door, identical to the last.

He stops.

Breath comes fast.

He tucks the pad and glove under his arm. Raising his OP to the door, he taps the screen.

Data Retrieval
Door 7 Gamma
—

He snaps a look back the way he came. Nothing.

A glance the other way—still clear.

He glances down at his wrist.

Then, without hesitation, switches devices.

Brijent’s tetrum:

Door Entry Configuration
3-7-2-2

His hand hovers over the black square beside the door while he slips Brijent’s tetrum into his jacket pocket. The panel wakes.

He enters the code. The lock disengages.

Asaris pulls the door open, hinges creaking, and throws the pad into the darkness. It clatters down metal steps.

He presses the glove into the corner of the frame and lets the door close on it.

He focuses on the edge of the building one last time—then breaks into a run toward the next corner.

Reaching the turn, he vanishes around the threshold.

The blue-eyed Kij trots around the corner, weapon raised.

He slows as he approaches the door, steps measured.

His eye locks on the glove.

Four fingers slide into the gap of the door. He pulls it open.

He lifts the glove, brings it close, and inhales.

His eyes close. His head turns slightly.

He stands still, listening to what remains.

The gallery settles. In the distance, the forest resumes its low murmur.

He opens his eyes, his gaze runs the length of the gallery.

He pauses.

The Kij steps through the door, closing and locking it behind him.

Subsystems Regulation Room

In a long and narrow, dark room, metal columns protrude from the wall every few meters. Glass-like tiles of various lengths run parallel between, illuminating the room.

A door slides open at the far end.

A long shadow stretches into the room, cast by the silhouette in the doorway.

One step forward, they pass the threshold. The door slides closed.

They look at their tetrum.

Data Retrieval
Security Protocols
Panel Delta
Column E
Segment 9-17

They move to another panel, fingers gliding over the lights.

Their finger stops: Segment 9-17

A rainbow of lights from the panels illuminate Asaris’s face.

Pressing on a blue band of light, a translucent segment extends outward from the wall.

His fingers trace the panel’s symbols, his focus shifting to the telemetry on his wrist.

He taps the panel once more and eases it back into the wall.

The lights catch in his eyes as the blue glow changes to amber.

Mechanical Room

The room hums.

The pitch changes.

Brijent’s body lies motionless next to the computer.

The Facility 17 schematic collapses into a single line.

The room dims.

An amber light activates next to the exit.

Another activates on the mezzanine door.

Corridor 7B

A long service corridor ends at a large hexagonal door frame. Natural light filters through vertical slats in the far room, spilling into the corridor. Quiet, except for footsteps.

A Kij patrols the corridor. His weapon hangs from his shoulder.

The silence breaks—low whirring of gears flows from the lit room.

The slats rotate slowly, blocking the light beyond.

The Kij picks up his pace, nearing the door frame.

An amber light blinks to the left of the door as it seals.

He approaches and puts his palm on the amber light.

A low buzz emits from the panel.

Subsystem Regulation Room

Asaris places his hand into a slot on the side.

A click releases a convex door releases and the column opens revealing a ladder.

Low voices mutter outside the room.

Asaris’s head snaps over at the door as he steps onto the ladder and climbs. He begins upward a few rungs and stops. Reaching out with his boot, he catches a lever on the inside of the hatch and pulls it shut.

The opens installs halfway, light spilling onto the floor. An amber light activates next to it.

A Kij peers through the opening. His long, muscular arm reaches in, then one leg. Sideways, he attempts to slide through.

He grumbles and twists, unable to make it.

He withdraws.

Eight fingers close around the edge of the door, casting long shadows into the dark room.

Another eight on the other side.

A hard syllable cuts the air.

Another answers.

The last is swallowed by motion.

The door slide into the wall.

Two pairs of boots step into the room. They move slowly together past the panels and columns.

One of the Kij clutches a round tetrum hinged on his chest plate. A blue ring pulses around the outside of the display scrolling with unfamiliar glyphs. The blue ring fades to amber and continues to pulse.

Service Conduit

Darkness.

Faint breathing.

Asaris’s face is caught in the glow of his lamp turning on.

He holds himself on the ladder, voices murmuring just outside.

The voices grow more distant.

He closes his eyes for a moment and lets out a breath.

Tilting his head back, he points his light into the conduit and looks up. He continues his ascent.

Conduit Interlock

In a small, dark cubic room, a column protrudes from each of three walls and a round hatch on the fourth.

The room waits.

Rhythmic metal clanks echo from a column, getting louder with each repetition.

They stop.

A convex door swings open from the side of a column.  

A boot descends carefully onto the floor.

Asaris climbs out of the conduit, sweat visible along his forehead.

He pulls his sidearm and kneels beside the round hatch set into the opposite wall.

Pressing his ear against the hatch, he waits.

He grasps a round fixture at the center of the hatch and turns it. The hatch releases.

Level 10

The circular hatch swings open into a bright sterile corridor.

Asaris’s head emerges, checking both directions.

Crawling out of the portal, he stays low to the ground.

He closes the hatch and pins it shut.

Shadows hover on the frosted glass across from him.

Asaris trots down the hallway and disappears around the corner.

Duty Officer Suite

A long rectangular table surrounded by chairs stretches through a windowless room. A circular light hangs from the ceiling.

A screen displays a schematic along one of the walls.

Metal slides. A door opens.

Asaris leans into the room, weapon raised. He observes intently.

Stepping into the room, the door closes behind him. He engages a lock, sealing the door behind him.

The room is still.

He moves to the display, tracing the schematic with his eyes.

Touching the roster, the display reveals details.

Operations Station
Unassigned

An icon response to his touch.

Analytics Station
Unassigned

His fingers glide over the interface, station by station.

Communications Station
Unassigned

He looks over the Control Room schematic again.

Unassigned
Unassigned

Asaris backs away from the display.

He glances over at a passageway leading out of the room, then back to the display.

Unassigned

He straightens his jacket.

One step back—he turns and proceeds through the passage.

Control Room

Daylight reaches the pressure door, muted by darkened windows. Overhead lights soften the shadows as the two compete.

Computer displays, chairs, and workspaces line the interior, and a long computer surface glows in the center. 

For a moment, everything is still.

Metal grinds through silence as the pressure door opens.

Asaris’s eye looks around the edge of the door. Left. Right. Up. Level. The tip of his weapon rises up nearly touching his eyelashes.

His first step in touches the floor softly, rolling from heal to toe.

The rest of his body shifting into the room, his weapon fixed in front of him.

He pauses, head pivoting as the computer stations come into view.

At one console, he sits, palming a small coin-like device from his pack and lifting it toward his tetrum.

Millispace Transmitter
Activation sequence
UMN link established
Signal stable
Awaiting interface connection

He releases a latch below the console and the display raises.

Data pathways and nodes hold his attention. He places the device onto the components—it snaps into place.

Asaris grabs the top of the display and pushes it shut.

His fingers address the computer interface on the worktop.

The interface reacts.

Diagnostic mode
General operation — diagnostic engaged

A chirp comes from his wrist.

Signal received

A smile comes across his face.

System transmitting...

He settles back in the chair. A breath out.

The computer panel shuts off.

Asaris’s eyes widen.

The rest go black, one by one, his eyes darting from one panel to the next.

Shutters lower over the windows.

Asaris jumps to his feet and grabs his weapon.

The lights go out.

Darkness.

All is silent except for Asaris’s breath.

A high-pitched electrical trills cuts through.

A floodlight shocks the room, illuminating everything. Asaris snaps his eye shut.

The long musclular arm of a Kij presses a weapon against Asaris’s temple. “Bang. You’re dead,” says Iaro.

His blue eyes bare down on Asaris.

The room is still.

The lights come back on. The floodlight clicks off, revealing Kiuto, a Kij, holding it.

Asaris opens his eyes.

“Simulation complete,” a computer voice announces. “Bravo team, objective achieved.”

Iaro lowers his weapon.

The window shutters raise.

A steady tempo of footfalls takes hold of the Control Center, unhurried and exact.

Commandant Injirri enters the room.

“You’re here, Cadet Asaris.”

“Your team, Alpha, is dead or otherwise incapacitated,” Injirri says.

Asaris exhales, “You were already here.”

Iaro, “You were exactly where I expected.”

Asaris, eyes down, nods subtly.

Brevin and Brijent walk into the room.

Chase limps in behind them and leans against a console, steadying himself.

Iaro steps back, giving Asaris space. “Next rotation,” he says, “I expect more resistance.”

Asaris allows himself the faintest smile. “I’ll try not to disappoint.”

He lifts his eyes to the control room windows.

Beyond the glass, the forest is still.