Chapter 11 Lab 864: A Risky Retrieval

The barrel began to glow faintly, heat building as the weapon worked beyond its design limits. Each bullet left a glowing trail, slamming into the already crumbling wall. The HUD on the gun displayed the bullet count, ticking down faster and faster, a blur of numbers descending toward zero.

The wall groaned and buckled, the cracks growing wider with each impact. Dust and smoke filled the air, making it nearly impossible to see. Dune held steady, her suit absorbing the relentless recoil, until finally, the HUD read 000.

The gun fell silent, the deep roar replaced by the metallic whir of the spinning drum and the sharp, rhythmic click of an empty weapon.

“Dam! Out of ammo!” 

She dropped the gun, the barrel glowed white-hot, radiating waves of heat.

The wall was still standing, cracked and glowing in places but refusing to yield entirely. 

“Guess I’ll have to finish this old-school!”

She swung the beam through the air, clearing the smoke in a single, powerful arc. The metal hummed as it sliced through the smoke, and with a fierce battle cry, Dune launched herself at the weakened wall.

The impact was thunderous. Her steel beam smashed into the wall with the force of a freight train, the cracked concrete finally giving way. A massive hole burst open, debris flying into the next corridor like shrapnel.

Dune stood in the rubble, the beam still in her hands, the edges of her suit glowing faintly from the exertion. She turned to the group, a wild, triumphant grin on her face.

“And that’s how you get through a wall!”

Reed peeked over his cover, wide-eyed.

 “Okay, you’re officially the coolest person I’ve ever met.”

Sable coughed, brushing dust from his coat. 

“You’re also the loudest. If there’s anything still alive in this bunker, they definitely know we’re here now.”

Mia stepped closer, inspecting the hole.

 “Tsk! Show off! Well, at least it worked. Let’s move before something decides to investigate.”

“After you, fearless leader,” Dune said, gesturing toward Sable.

He sighed, pulling up his holographic map and stepping cautiously through the breach. 

Dune wiped the dust from her visor as they stepped into the next lab. The space was cavernous, with scorched walls and scattered debris hinting at the violent experiments once conducted there. A faded sign on the far wall read in bold letters: LASER TESTING GROUNDS, LAB 116.

Her eyes widened as she looked around the room. Weapon stands lined the perimeter, each holding a rusted relic of a bygone era. But one in particular caught her attention—a massive contraption that dwarfed even the Abominator’s heavy machine gun. It sat on a reinforced mount, with thick cables snaking from its base to a broken power grid.

“Whoa,” Dune muttered, walking up to it. She placed a hand on the weapon, tilting her head to take in its sheer size.

 “What the hell is this thing? I mean, come on. You can’t just leave something like that behind. It’s practically begging me to take it for a spin.”

Sable, still engrossed in his holographic map, barely looked up.

 “Looks like a laser cannon. Probably experimental, given where we are. Intriguing, yes, but we’re not here to play scavenger. You want to drag around a two-ton laser cannon that probably hasn’t worked since before the war? By all means. Just don’t expect me to carry it when you realize it doesn’t even have a power source. Come on, Dune, leave it be. Even if it works, there’s no way we’re lugging that monster around.”

Dune frowned, running her hand along the barrel as if it might whisper secrets of its past. 

“Aw, come on, Sable. Look at this thing! It’s practically begging to be fired. Just one shot for old time’s sake?”

“Old times?” Mia said, smirking.

 “When have you ever fired a laser cannon?”

“Details,” Dune replied, waving a hand dismissively.

“Dune,” Sable said sharply, “focus. My mission takes priority. We don’t have time to mess with something that’s probably a glorified paperweight now.”

“Party pooper,” Dune muttered, her gaze lingering on the monstrous weapon one last time before falling in line behind Sable.

Reed chuckled as he caught up with her.

 “Don’t worry. If we survive this, maybe you can come back for it. Turn it into a coffee table or something.”

“Ha, ha,” Dune deadpanned, though a small grin tugged at her lips.

The group moved cautiously, Sable leading them through narrow corridors and past crumbling labs, their progress slow but steady. The eerie silence of the bunker was broken only by their footsteps and the occasional creak of unstable metal.

After a few hours, they finally reached a heavy, sealed door marked with faded lettering: Lab 864. The holo-map on Sable’s device pulsed, confirming their location.

“This is it. We’re here.”

He stepped closer to the door, brushing off dust from an old control panel. 

 “Doesn’t look like anyone’s home. What are we even looking for in here?”

Sable ignored her, focusing instead on the control panel.

 “This lab contains one of the last functional prototypes of the device I need. An advanced bioengineer’s tool capable of restoring vegetation in arid zones. Assuming it’s still intact, this could be the key to reversing our planet's desertification.”

“So, what you’re saying is... no blowing it up, got it?”

Sable shot Reed a glare. 

“Exactly. Be careful. Whatever is inside, we can’t risk damaging it.”

Mia stepped forward; her sniper rifle slung over her shoulder.

 “How are you planning to get that door open?”

Sable smirked, pulling a small device from his bag. 

“With this.”

He connected the device to the control panel, a series of sparks flying as it powered up. Lines of code scrolled rapidly across its small screen, and the door emitted a low groan as its ancient locking mechanism began to disengage.

Dune leaned against the wall, twirling her steel beam.

 “You’re a real wizard, Sable. Let’s just hope you don’t open up a room full of psycho death machines.”

The door shuddered, its gears grinding painfully as they struggled to move. Then, with a final, deafening clank, the massive slab of metal slid open, revealing the darkened lab beyond.

Sable stepped inside first, his holo-map casting a faint blue glow. The lab was vast, filled with rows of long-dead monitors, overturned tables, and shattered glass. At the far end of the room, a large containment pod stood upright.

“There it is,” Sable said. He approached the pod slowly, the others following behind him, their weapons at the ready.

Dune glanced around the room, her eyes narrowing.

 “Something’s not right. This place is trashed.”

Reed nodded, gripping his monkey wrench tightly. 

“Yeah, like one of those haunted labs you see in holo-horror shows. Any second now, something’s gonna jump out and—”

“Stop,” Sable interrupted sharply, pointing to the containment pod. 

“Focus. That’s what we came for.”

He tapped on the pod’s control panel, its ancient screen flickering to life. Lines of data scrolled past, detailing the status of its contents.

Dune approached cautiously, peering at the pod’s cloudy glass.

 “So, what’s in the big creepy box? Some kind of magic plant-maker?”

Sable hesitated, his fingers hovering over the controls.

 “Not exactly. This is... experimental. A biomechanical prototype designed to synthesize plant growth in even the harshest conditions. But if it’s malfunctioning...”

Reed leaned closer, squinting inside the pod. 

“Uh, Sable? I don’t mean to alarm you, but it looks empty.”