In the Wing

The room was a stark contrast to the caverns and tunnels they were previously in. The floor and the walls were covered in cold blue-gray metal. The ceiling reached up far beyond the reach of Garrett and even taller than the room with the turret. The room was illuminated with yellow crystals dotted all around the room, far out of reach. There was a gentle hum in the air like the buzz of electricity. In the center of the room was a chair that folded out into a table. Dried blood stained the floor around it and the smell of old chemicals assaulted Garrett's nostrils. Up near the top of the room were windows, though it was dark and the windows were frosted so he couldn't see inside.

"What is this place?" Garrett asked as he walked around. There were holes where things would be plugged in all over the floor.

"If I had to equate this to any sort of place in my databanks," Plex said as it looked around, scanning the room, "then it would be a surgery room with an observation deck."

Garrett stared down at the blood on the ground, no telling how long ago it had dried, but there were clearly layers of it. Some of the blood, or whatever fluid it was, wasn't even red. The chair was cold and hadn't been used for a long time. There were restraints where for a person's neck, wrists, and ankles, all of which had signs of attempted escapes. Just standing near this chair sent a shiver down Garrett's spine.

"Well, if this is a surgery room, then there have to be some sort of medical supplies somewhere." Garrett's eyes searched around the room, but there wasn't anything else besides a few empty cabinets. His eyes then turned to a set of doors in the wall. "If there isn't anything here, there must be something nearby."

He waved for Plex to follow as he approached the doors. Gently, he pressed his ear against the door. Silence. Garrett twisted the knob and cracked the door slightly ajar and peered behind. The hallway was dark, but he could tell that it was empty. The only source of light came from the surgery room they left. There were even some potted plants, but they have long since died. This felt eerily like an abandoned hospital, long decrepit from years of neglect.

"Plex, do you know what the Darge is?" Garrett asked as they stepped into the hallway.

"Searching databanks," Plex said, slowly closing the door behind them. The only light was from Plex's face, illuminating the room in a dull blue. There was some soft electronic chirping, that echoed through the halls. "Okay, data found. The Darge is a series of tunnels built long ago in search of minerals and other resources. It was later converted into a hospital for the miners, but has long since been absent of activity."

"Do you know why?" Garrett asked, looking for any signs that would tell them where they were or where to go.

"That data is not accessible right now, Boss. It appears to be corrupted. I can attempt to recover it, but it will take quite a long time." Plex looked down at Vanessa. "By my scans, this woman does not have long."

"Alright," Garrett said. His eyes began to adjust to the dim lighting and focused on a sign down the hallway. He looked at it, but he couldn't understand any of the symbols. "Plex, are you able to translate these?"

Plex walked over, illuminating the sign with his blue light. "More Anikind language. I do not have a library converting Anikind to Illiman."

"Okay, I guess we'll have to figure out a way out of here," Garrett said, heading down the hallway. The light of Plex's "eye" was the only source that allowed Garrett to find his way without tripping over anything. He tried every door that he came across, but all of them were locked with a keycard scanner. It didn't seem like there were any holes or anything where Plex could plug himself into either.

Suddenly, there was a sound that drew both of their attentions. Plex turned and shined his light in the direction, and the two of them heard the sounds of footsteps down one of the hallways. "My sensors are picking up someone."

"Hey, Cerezie! Is that you?" Garrett naively called out. There wasn't any response, so Garrett drew his sword. Slowly, the two of them approached the corner. "Okay, Plex," Garrett whispered, "You turn the corner and shine your light down. Then I'll go and confront them."

"Understood Boss," Plex replied in a low voice. "I will wait for your signal."

Garrett waited for a few moments, then rushed around the corner. Plex immediately followed and shined his light down the hallway. Garrett charged forward, shield up and sword brandished down the hallway. A shrill scream echoed from a lone figure as it cowered in fear of Garrett before Garrett realized what the figure was. Garrett skidded to a halt in front of the figure, his sword shy of a few inches from the figure's face.

Cowering there was a small goblin, but not like any of the other goblins before. This one was sharply dressed in brown and green leather with a small hat. Beneath the hat were strands of brown hair contrasting to the green skin. It had an unusually large backpack on and a small pair of glasses. The goblin was shaking in its boots, which were pointed at the tips. Its eyes were covered by its hands, which were covered with a neat pair of gloves.

"What the?" Garrett said, taking a look at the goblin before him.

"Is something wrong, Boss?" Plex asked, approaching Garrett and the goblin.

"It's a goblin, but, something's different about it," Garrett said, sheathing his sword but keeping a grip on it. "This isn't like any goblin that I've seen before."

The goblin mumbled something to itself, still shaking. It kept mumbling things until there was something that Garrett understood. "Is the Illima gone? Am I dead?"

"Wait a minute, you speak, uh, Illiman?" Garrett asked, relaxing his grip on his sword.

The goblin peeked through his fingers and looked around before taking a deep breath. It dusted itself off and fixed its attire before bowing to Garrett and Plex. "Greetings. I am Soxart. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thank you for not killing me."