Conflicting Objectives XXVII

- If I didn't know you, John, I would've thought you just converted or something - Martin said that, looking at his friend with a smile - Doesn't seem to be working from the looks of it.

Marlow was kneeling with both his hands placed on the ground, showing a form typical of serious believers, yet there was no reaction, nothing at all happened.

After waiting for a bit longer, for a total of several minutes, John stopped kneeling and sat down on the ground, checking both his hands - ultimately, he sighed and turned his eyes towards Martin.

- How about you give it a try? - Marlow suggested to Johnson - I keep forgetting this facility considers my body to be defective, so I might have wasted time again.

- You mean I should kneel? John, you remember that I don't follow any religion and doing such stuff is a big no for me?

Major stood up and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder.

- I don't consider myself to be a believer, too, and yet, I did kneel, because I felt it could help us get out of here. Still, my cybers are likely blocking me from the proper interaction, which is not the case for you, or anyone else we have in the current group. Please, do me a favor and check if it's going to work with you being the one touching these two spots.

- I get that, and yet...

- C'mon, Martin. I'd rather not have Andy doing that. With all due respect, he's much better option to stand guard than you, and I don't think it's really that offending for you, given how you were making jokes about me doing that moments before.

Johnson sighed.

- It's not that, it's just I'm starting to feel there are some powers I cannot comprehend after encountering Ghasts, and it seems I may be toying with things I don't really know. Either way, you did make a point, so I will give it a shot, but be sure you defend me in case of anything.

Marlow smiled.

- Of course, you can count on it.

Martin inhaled and exhaled a number of times before taking a kneeling position. Then, a few seconds later, put both hands on the spots John previously used, yet there was no reaction.

- Ok, so what do we do now, John? - Martin asked him, still keeping his hands on the ground.

Marlow scratched his head, watching the spots more closely - the way blood marks were placed suggested exactly this placement.

- It seems we are missing something - he said to Johnson - I'm trying to figure our what exactly is the the thing I'm not seeing.

- But do I need to stay like this?

- Yes, please, for a bit longer.

John turned on the sensors in his PEC and started scanning the area around Martin - as he did that, major noticed a specific energy flow.

- It may sound weird, Martin - he spoke to his friend - but could do do me a favor and move your head to this spot.

Johnson looked at Marlow as if he was crazy.

- John, you are aware how much of a stretch it's going to be for me? And I don't even want to see how I'm going to look in that position...

- Just a moment. If it doesn't help us out, I won't force you into anything else here.

Martin sighed.

- Ok, but you owe me a drink.

- Sure, whatever you like.

Because of the distance between the tiles he had to use, Johnson stood up to kneel in a different spot and put his hands on two panels, Then, after adjusting the rest of his body, he moved his face towards the third panel.

- John, what's happening? - Martin asked his friend after a few seconds - I'm feeling these tiles getting hot and my body is going numb here.

The moment Johnson started complaining, metallic sounds could be heard from underneath their feet, and pedestals started emerging from the ground in several spots within the corner area.

- Looks like it's working, Martin. Can you stay like that for a while longer?

- I'd rather not, John, and I'd have long stood up if it wasn't for the fact I'm nearly paralyzed here.

Marlow hesitated for a moment, then approached his friend to move him away. As he was focused on helping him out, he did not fully notice what is happening around, and would be completely unaware of one important thing if it was not for sarge Krawczak.

- Major, you should see this!

John, while pulling Martin, turned his head and only then could see the walls around the corner room raising again.

- Shit! Where is Alina?

As he realized it, Boskovitch already managed to get to the other side of the wall - she was fleeing, while other three got trapped.

- Alina, can you hear us? - Marlow attempted to contact Boskovitch via PEC comms - Alina, is all fine on your side?

He continued attempts to contact her, and heard Andy shooting before feeling a pain in his right arm - when John turned his head, he noticed a terrifying sight of Jackie biting into him. For a moment there, Marlow froze, both scared and surprised - first of all, Jackie was dead and the only reason why it could be the case was presence of a Ghast, but it was also impossible for human teeth to bite through the F-suit, and exactly this happened there. Moment later, after John got his composure back, he hit Jackie with his left arm, sending this part of the dead man's body several meters away.

- The fuck was this, John? - Martin asked that, slowly regaining feeling in his body.

- Are you okay, major? - Andy followed up, standing next to other two and looking around with his gun ready - It appeared from below, so I couldn't properly react...

Marlow could feel a slight pain in his right hand that got bitten, but it was slowly going away, owing to automatic treatment from F-suit's system.

- Don't worry, guys. I'll be fine - he assured the other two - We need to secure the area and figure out what happened to Alina.

- She went with us, because she wanted to recover Jackie's body and you were just attacked by his zombie version - Johnson pointed out - It's suspicious if you ask me.

- Did you notice what she was doing, Andy? - John asked sarge - Since I was helping Martin, I couldn't really see.

- It seemed she was finishing with the body bags - Krawczak replied - She was around one of the pedestals at the moment walls emerged. Then, I noticed that torso approaching you, major, and shot it. Afterwards, I saw exactly the same thing you di - she fled outside the walls before the route closed completely.

- So, she panicked most likely? - Marlow speculated - I guess she might have gotten scared, but not replying to my broadcast is alarming.

Johnson sighed.

- I'd say thinking that was the case may be too naive - he said that with a serious face - It seems to me to be too much of coincidence for her to disappear just like that. If I'm to be honest with you, I didn't have a good feeling about Alina from way earlier.

- But she was with us for so long and helped out by a lot, Martin - John replied to his friend - I'd rather not jump to such conclusions.

- You don't have to. Just promise me you will take what I'm saying seriously, and take this possibility into consideration.

Major was not among those who would act rashly, hence he preferred to treat everyone participating in the expedition to be an ally, even though they already had cases of treason within the crew. Still, seeing how Johnson reacted, he knew it was not a laughing matter and had to be treated with utmost care.

- You have my word, Martin. I'm going to investigate this matter thoroughly. Yet, for now, we need to ensure our safety, and it seems Jackie's body is still able to move.

Indeed, even from the distance, several pieces of the man's body were either twitching or slowly moving in their direction.

- I've seen the Ghasts before, John - Martin spoke, while observing this unusual sight - But none could move the parts that were not connected to the brain. As per what Kate told us, Ghasts take root in your brain, so they need to have a way of sending signals through the body, which shouldn't be possible when the body is dismembered.

- How would you explain this then? - John pointed at legs moving forward, several meters away from the torso - Maybe what Kate learned is not everything there is to these Ghasts? Aside from brain, there is also a spinal cord that operates on electric signals.

- Yes, I recall Kate investigated that, but spinal cord would either way need a connection to the brain...

- I guess, we should get some data for Kate too. I feel bad by bringing up this idea, but maybe if we were to detach the head and bring smaller pieces with us...

Marlow could see Johnson's face getting pale, yet sarge Krawczak kept his composure, his face not showing such emotions.

- I'd say it's quite possible, major - Andy confirmed - Though I don't really feel fully comfortable at the thought of cutting the head off.

- Still, it would be the safest way to make this Ghast pretty harmless.

Ultimately, they played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would do a gruesome act of decapitation, and it was sarge Krawczak who got the worst luck.

Sighing, the soldier approached the upper portion of Jackie's body and used the bayonet to behead it. Afterwards, they started putting all the body parts separately into the special bags.

- You know, John, the fact Alina did not secure the bags doesn't feel right - Martin commented as they were completing the process.

- You don't say - John actually spotted something peculiar - Look here, this part of the head...

Johnson looked closer and noticed a scar, and quite a fresh one.

- Wait, don't tell me...

Marlow nodded.

- Yes, his PEC was cut out.

PECs were special implants majority of human population had - it was an obligatory device if you wanted to be an active member of society, and first such implants were installed in a human head by the age of twelve. The way these were constructed allowed to extract recordings of the person's experiences, including footage, sound and even what the person was thinking for the high-end models.

- If it was Alina, it means she might have needed the data Jackie registered - Martin pointed out - I don't know what she is plotting, but we should quickly get out of here and contact others.

- I agree, it's a disturbing thought - John replied - Still, finding the way out may take us time. Of course, Alina will need to find an exit, but it either way gives her a handicap. After all, we are one person short for investigating, and she already has all of the data about the area outside we shared before.

- Let's us pick up the pace then - Andy joined in the conversation - I may not have the same level of knowledge, but I can also help.

- Ok, then - Marlow opened the map of the room - My sensors found total of five pedestals that emerged from the floor. We need to check each of these, but we need to approach these carefully and don't tinker with them too much before we confirm it's secure thing to do. I will start with the one next to which Alina left the Jackie's body, and the other one here - he marked the spots on the map - Then, Martin, you will take these two, and the last one will be for Andy - he added three more marks - Just be sure to stay in touch with me, and don't broadcast signal too far so Alina won't be able to receive the data. While we are still unsure if what she did was intentional or not, but I want to play it safe.

Other two confirmed with a nod and proceeded to their assigned spots.