Chapter 14 - Release

After knowing that panacea is in this facility I navigated the console and tried to open the blast door. After a few tries a siren blasted from some loudspeaker and the door opened with a loud creak. I abandoned the console and slowly walked towards the middle of the blast door.

After the door opened I walked past the blast door and entered a gigantic room. Rows and rows of test tube are lined in the room. Some contained manner of creature that I cannot explain and few are empty and broken. The tube is filled with bioluminescence liquid that guided me through the walkway.

I followed the walkway until I reached the center of the room. A giant Glass tube that is shining like a light house that guided me into it. It was on an elevated ground and I took the stairs that lead me into it. What's inside the glass tube surprised me.

Inside the glass tube is a girl floating in the liquid. Her eyes is closed and she's wearing something like a straightjacket but even so I could see an ethereal beauty to her. She's floating in the liquid in fetal position. Who is this girl and why is she in here? I could only ask myself such question, this place so far has been nothing but a mountain of questions. Also floating next to her is a case. Bingo that's what I'm looking for.

I then looked for a console that might help me to open the glass tube, I approached a console that's near the glass tube and navigated through it. Most of the entry in the console has been corroded. I however find out that the keyword panacea is being referenced throughout the corrupted entry. Whatever the entry is not important all that important is panacea is in this place. After fiddling with the console for a few times I finally found the option to open the glass tube. I immediately entered the command for the glass tube release.

A siren then blared signaling the release of the tube.

"Releasing main test subject. Please standby." Said a voice through a loudspeaker.  The liquid inside the tube then is drained and the girl along with the case slowly fall down to the ground. After a loud hiss the tube is then raised up and allowed me to approach the girl and the case.

I first turned my attention on the girl, checking her pulse if she's still breathing.

She's still breathing. I wonder how long she has been inside the glass tube. As I looked closer at her I can see that she has a cute doll like face and a petite figure, her short hair is white colored. I then shook my head, I'm here to check out the case not to check out this unconscious girl.

I reached out for the case. I tried to open the latch that is closing the case.

It doesn't open. I used my whole strength to open the latch of the case. How do you open this again? I don't really have the chance to open the case when I got the fake case. I continue to forcefully open the case.

I then felt someone tapped my shoulder.  It was the girl, that was trapped in the glass tube. She stared at me with an empty expression and an open palm signaling me to give her the case. I absentmindedly gave her the case.

She then tried to open the case.

"I don't think-"

She then successfully forced the case open the latch that previously held the case closed has been broken by this girl that looked almost as young as my sister and looked like she held no such power.

"Or you can do that…." She then handed me the case. "Oo-oh Thank you." I nervously stuttered

I looked at the open case and see what's inside.

There's no panacea inside.

There's nothing like a medicine that will cure all ailments.

Inside there's only some computer like parts. Parts like a small monitor, keyboard, and a fingerprint scanner? This looks like really oldschool. It's hard to believe that it was something that came out of humanity's golden age. Maybe there's a lock inside the case that keeps the panacea? I looked towards the girl and all she did is tilted her head at me in confusion as I stared at her.

"You know anything about the panacea?" I asked her

She continues to absentmindedly stared at me and then she looked towards the case. It's seems like there's something else that's inside the case. Alright let's fiddle around a bit with it.

I pressed my finger into the fingerprint scanner.

"Accepted. Imprinting User." Said a voice from the case. "Choose a personality Module."

"Personality module? I don't know, normal?" I answered the voice unsure of what it meant.

"Accepted, personality module set, fourth dimensional development module initiated, Initiating Quantum Run v.2.0, Status running at optimal levels." The monitor then shows a lot of technological techno babble that I don't entirely understand.

"Imprinting complete. Self destructing."

"Wai-!" The case then lets out a smoke and a smell of a burning cable. I then looked towards the girl "Hey! What's the deal with this? Where the hell is the panacea?!"

"Hell if I know." Said the girl calmly with her face devoid of emotions. I then clutched my head with both of my hands feeling a little bit of a headache. Ok Kain, calm yourself down and let us slowly assess the situation.

I then heard the sound of footsteps I looked towards the walkway and there's a bunch of people in black combat armor, the armor almost looked the same as the remains of the people that previously defended this facility, they looked like soldiers They then surrounded us and pointed their weapons at us.

"Wa-what is this?!" I confusedly asked to them.

"Target found. Retrieving main objective." Said one of the soldier as they aimed their guns at the girl. The soldier then walked closer to the girl, sensing the danger I moved forward in front of the girl protectively. If I let this girl alone my little sister would definitely nag me off for not being a hero same as Johnny.

The soldiers then continues to aim their weapons at us. One of the soldier looked at the smoldering silver case that's already self-destructed.

"The subject already Imprinted. Requesting further orders." Said one of the soldier in combat armor, the glowing eyes of their helmet made me feel that I was a small animal in front of a bigger predator.

"Roger." The soldier then looked at me and pointed his finger.

"This one is also in the package secure him." One of the soldier then aimed his gun at me. "Move." He ordered to me. It's impossible to fight all of them even though I have this shotgun that is slung on my shoulder. I looked behind and saw that the girl had the same treatment as me. "Follow the commander." I don't know which one is that so I assumed that it's the one who radioed for orders before.

We followed them out of the lab. We reached a room that seemed like to be a waiting room for something. There's lot of waiting bench and plastic plant. At one of the bench sat down a man in black army dress suit in his head is a military cap, he had a handsome face that seemed to radiate kindness.

"Reporting, Objective 1 and 2 secure sir. Requesting further order."

"Stand down, we've achieved our objective."

The soldiers seems to relax their stances and lowered their weapons. I lowered my arms too, "Hands in the air." Said one of the soldiers, guess they don't want me making any sudden moves. The military uniformed man then looked at me.

"You, I see you have imprinted her to be your partner."

What kind of nonsense is this guy talking about imprint? Partner? Like the girl supposed to be my partner now?

"I see that you are confused. That is alright, as a scavenger you can't know what's inside the dungeon. It's alright. I forgive you." The man then pulled something from behind him and aimed to me. It is a standard pistol that is aimed at me, I looked at him in panic.

"It is unfortunate that she has been imprinted but we only need her parts. I pray that you may safety go to heaven after this."

Then a sound of a gun being fired hollowed in the hall.