170. ImpulseWorks’ Black Box

< Black Box >

< A black music box used to record sound. Used by ImpulseWorks and Caldera Industries for training, documentation, and testimonies >

< Or in catastrophic instances, the final moments of an ImpulseWorks Site >

A music box creaked open somewhere amidst the cityscapes of H5. A soundless tune played as a studded cylinder slowly twirled through a comb lined with thousands of tiny hair-like needles.

The city’s euphoric ambience drowned silent horrors of the box. Frost brought the Black Box along on their journey to the mysterious F-H5, which was located beneath their very feet.

Underneath the major city bordering H3 and H5 was a facility that housed the Corrupted.

< The Black Box cannot be accessed by personnel with Clearance level 1 and lower >

This restriction, however, could not stop Frost.

< Restricted Access Has Been Overruled >

Because she was able to bypass restrictions much like the one placed over Grandis. The Black Box caused her to question whether this was somehow connected to the Nexus. What did restricted access truly entail? Did it mean she could interfere with Atelier technology at will?

She didn’t know anything other than the fact that she could not be stopped by restrictive measures.

They were taken to a remote section of H5. Snap made quick work and brought them to the outskirts of the city, where more of the same plains stretched on endlessly.

But H5 had forests of stone boulders rather than trees. The petrified rocks were massive, and they jutted like the scales of a massive serpent.

Somewhere within the sea was an entry point.

< The music box unwinds >

*Badump*

*Badump*

< A heart beats from somewhere distant within the recording >

*Badump*

*Badump*

*Tick…*

< So does a ticking clock >

*Tock*

*Distant screaming*

< Beginning recollection >

“Navigator. Clearance level 1. Overseer deceased. All responsibilities defaulting onto Navigator… for only as long as the clock ticks down.”

A man spoke in a monotone, robotic voice. The sound of crumbling rubble played as a low-pitched alarm blared, alongside the haunting calls of several trumpets.

“If you are listening to this, then we are already dead. Accumulation A-L7 will shortly become an Obliteration O-L1 site. Self destruct protocol initiated. Risk Level 1 was breached when the site is only certified for Risk Level 7. The likelihood of Risk Level 0 is 100%. Zeroed Horizon Event imminent in Obliteration O-minus 120 seconds…”

The man coughed as rubble sifted. The screams of terror played from somewhere beyond his final resting place as the seconds counted by with a steady beep. An unnatural clock followed it. The man of unspecified age or race was no machine, and despite the imminent horrors that awaited, he continued to monologue.

“Cause: Worker interacted with a category M Aspiration Corrupted. Inanimate, now confirmed to be living. M-A-081-05; the Little Red Heart. Pending reclassification of M to O… Facility wide destruction. All personnel deceased. Cause: heart ruptured from chest…”

His voice became lower. The group listened silently as they investigated the field, touching various stones which emitted a strange sound like that of a tuning fork. The space around them was unnatural, and depending on the direction they looked, the cityscape of H5 would appear everywhere at once, like they were trapped within a Spatial Distortion.

“Leadup to disaster: Worker interacted with the stored Little Red Heart, noting that it was calling for him. Worker was instantly consumed. Flesh expanded more than a hundred meters and decimated the facility. It became a threat that exceeds 1 for White Monsoon, and 0 for Eternal Night. There is no one left but myself.”

*Tick…*

*Badump*

*Tock…*

“The ticking’s growing closer. 60 seconds. We can only hope that the implosion takes it with it. With us, into the devouring singularity. Zeroed Horizon is imminent.”

Eventually, they found a space between two boulders that led into a giant elevator-like room made from a single solid chunk of steel. There were no winches or mechanisms that operated it as far as they could tell.

Rather, it was operated via gravitational manipulation. They were aware that these facilities were fitted with Caldera Industries tech. This elevator was undoubtably one of them.

They entered without a shared word, including Snap. The triplets were left staring down at their feet with nothing but contempt. How could an Atelier retain the Corrupted so carelessly? As Moons, they knew how deadly the Corrupted were, and it was made worse when they were met with the revelation of the Big Red Heart incident being caused by ImpulseWorks.

Someone sniffled. It was neither Frost, nor Jury, nor the others. The robotic voice of the man wavered as shuffling filled the air. The rushing air of the falling elevator failed to drown out the sound of the man’s groans as he crawled towards something…

No. It was someone.

“If only… we had more time… Overseer. The ticking is stronger… I wish you could see how our hairs are floating right now. Intertwined… It reminds me of when winds used to blow. When we used to see the sunshine… That black orb is the only sun we’ll ever see. Goodbye, Overseer. We never knew each other’s names, but I loved you…”

The music box came to a gradual stop. The recount festered in their minds as Frost solemnly lamented their loss. The elevator fell hundreds of meters. A single orb of light illuminated their metal coffin. By now it was a given that Cer would have pulled something fast or cheeky.

But she was also at a loss for words. They felt betrayed by ImpulseWorks, and as they gradually arrived closer to their destination, the triplets eventually turned to Frost and gave her a telling look.

They begged her to figure this out. But what hurt them the most was that they now had confirmation that a certain Corrupted was still alive.

“The Stuffed Teddy Bear…” Res’ fists curled. Their history with the Stuffed Teddy Bear was vague, and she doubted they’d tell her. Not now. Not when a single hair could tip them off into a state of fury.

Everyone was on edge, including Snap. By now, the elevator had reached a receptionist-like area, which was furnished beautifully like the foray of a lavish hotel. Make no mistake, the room was large, and a massive picture of Brandar’s plains was displayed along one of the walls.

A bright ‘ding’ played as soon as they left the elevator, and they were suddenly greeted by a purple-suited Receptionist. It was a man with an unstyled haircut, and he stood behind a walnut counter with all 6 hands laid flat against it.

One hand covertly slipped behind the counter as he asked them what they were doing here.

“We’re here to deliver the predictions on behalf of a Herald. I’m a Color, and I was employed by H5’s Retrofitter to supervise your security for the next 5 days.” Frost succinctly introduced herself, standing her ground as his hand returned onto the counter.

Like a bank, there must be an alarm buzzer hidden underneath the counter. Upon hearing this, the man clapped all his hands together and asked them to kindly take a seat, letting them know that it won’t be a moment before he disappeared into a set of automatically sliding, metal doors.

Those doors were nearly half a meter thick, and the more she inspected this receptionist room, the more she realized just how secure it was. Behind the counter were various tubes that pointed directly at the elevator entrance.

It went without saying just what happened to outsiders that randomly happened to stumble into this place. They took their seats and waited, and not a minute later an Employee with the title of Assistant arrived, delivering freshly brewed tea, coffee, and an assortment of biscuits.

They laid it down for them, smiling vibrantly as they tried to strike up a conversation. Frost and Jury were the only one who played along. The others could not even bring themselves to look at the woman without scowling… aside from Ignis for obvious reasons.

For now, they had to play the waiting game until someone of significance arrived to greet them. In the meantime, Frost speculated on what the numbers and letters meant. It was confusing to hear the voice refer to the Corrupted as a string of letters and numbers, but, she’d be lying if she said that it wasn’t interesting…

Or cool.

“The first letter designates the level. M is lowest. O is highest. It follows the ARU ranking. The second may be related to affinity. Risk Level and Threat Level are confusing. We will learn much here.”

Everything. We’ll learn everything. And thank you. You caught onto that pretty fast, huh.

“Naturally.”