Chapter 5: The Project

"Angel one, this is Celestia. We've got a sighting on The Nihility, please advise."

The smell of ash burned her nose as she watched the smoke stacks rise in the distance. She approached the broken gate swiftly, hugging the concrete wall as she signaled behind her. A group of Sentinels followed, their lightly armored skin suits emerging from the bushes. She pulled out a pair of binoculars from her bag. A large building stood in the distance, hugging the side of the valley ahead of them. Looking closely, she could see movement in the facility, crates being carried by the crystalized monsters.

"This is Angel one," her earpiece vibrated, "what's the situation looking like?"

"No signs of human life, but they seem to be operating one of Zone 10's factories ahead of us."

"Gather intel and return to base asap. I want to know what these monsters are up to."

She looked at her group's solemn faces, motioning her hand as they cleared the gate and entered the ashen gray land.

They ran to the side of the building, their breaths calm, yet eyes alert as the smoke stacks towered over them. She pressed her ear against the door. Nothing. She glanced back at her team–five troops, each poised, their fingers laying by the trigger of their weapons. Her hand rested on the door handle, letting out a breath as she silently pushed open the door. A staircase stood in front of them, its safety railings brown or even gone.

"Watch your step." Celestia whispered.

The metal creaks of the building twisted their necks at each corner as they tiptoed up the staircase. It felt like at any moment the steps could give way as she carefully planted her foot on each one, gently applying pressure to make sure. Her comrades followed suit, following her path as they gradually made their way up. Droplets of ash sprinkled from the ceiling, illuminated through the cracks of light in the ceiling. Rusty, abandoned, what could The Nihility want with this facility, she thought to herself. Reaching the top of the stairs, she could hear their croaking mandibles beyond the door ahead of them. She raised her fist, her comrades stopping as she cracked open the door slightly. The violet shine of their crystallized bodies illuminated the room below, almost like cracking open a geode as dozens of them stood in the center, staring aimlessly in the dark. Dozens of wooden crates stood around them, placed in a circular pattern as some extended outwards from the shape.

"Angel one, this is Celestia. We've got eyes on the target, how copy?" she said, pulling her head away.

The earpiece crackled as she put her hand on her ear. "An…on...is...here…ou…"

"Hello, can you hear me over?" she repeated.

The sound of static responded.

"Comns are down, let's make this quick," she looked back at her squad, "Get Horizon online."

"...Te…Testing…Testing, audio is working and all systems are a go. Horizon is ready and waiting Commander."

They could see themselves through the pad's screen as the eye of the drone stared at them. A low hum barely escaped its body as the boosters below it powered up slowly, lifting it from the floor. Its body resembled almost that of a hummingbird, small and nimble as its mechanical wings began to flap quickly, darting side to side.

"Activating cloak."

The drone suddenly began to look blurry, almost invisible as it faded into the background. Cracking open the door again, the drone squeezed through. Celestia watched from the screen as the drone slowly descended, hovering above the monsters. The sight of them made her fingers want to curl. She could hear their heavy, wet breathing fill the air with anticipation. Pictures from the drone began to pop up on Celestia's pad as she examined them. The position of them seemed too coordinated to be a coincidence, she thought. 

"Incoming portal."

Celestia turned back to the drone's screen. Tearing open the space into existence, an inky portal appeared in the center of the room as the monsters turned towards it. Emerging with a gurgling pop, a black glove appeared followed by a dark figure. Nose, long and pointy, a mask covered the figure's face as a dark suit hugged its torso. The dead hollow eyes of the mask scanned the facility.

"Tsk, how obsolete," a low electronic growl emitted from his mask as he surveyed the room, "This place is not what I would consider "suitable" for this project."

Another voice echoed from beyond the portal. "Ugh, you science nerds and your need for fancy toys. Can you do this or not Mortimer?"

He turned back to the portal, reaching his hand in as his voice rose sharply. "Correction: Can or cannot are obsolete terms. For me, the concept of impossibility is a mere illusion; only obstacles that exist to be transcended. Bring in my project."

The squeaking of wheels echoed as a large glass chamber rolled into the room. A suit of armor laid dormant within the chamber, its entire construct molded by black crystals. It seemed lifeless, its helmet seeming to house no head and its limbs lying disconnected in their respective spots.

"Correction," the voice from the portal said mockingly, as a familiar figure stepped through the portal, "this is not "your" project. I deserve the same or even more credit for the progress of this work."

Celestia already knew from the sound of the voice. If The Fool was here, they had just stumbled onto something important.

"I don't intend to squabble with children," Mortimer spat at The Fool, "for today is where the concepts of physics, life, and energy, will bow before their new creator." He turned towards the glass chamber, running his hands along its surface. "This will be the first time energy shall be destroyed, reformed, and manifested into a perpetual machine."

The Fool snapped her fingers; the monsters awakened as they began opening the crates, dumping the contents on the floor. Others began bringing in long tubes and machinery as they attached them to the chamber. Dull thuds echoed through the screen as the camera of the drone zoomed in closer.

There were many things Celestia had thought could be in those crates, but she could feel her stomach contract, her hand unconsciously covering her mouth in disbelief as she saw the grotesque contents spill out. Slashed limbs, bodiless heads, and arms that stuck out like nightmarish branches covered the space as the monsters dumped body after body to the pile. A circle of the dead surrounded the glass chamber, forming a wall of decaying flesh with dozens of frozen eyes that seemed to almost be staring right at her.

"It is time to begin the ceremony!" 

The room became silent as he approached the glass chamber, a loud hiss erupting as he opened it. The amour laid still, but its glossy and warping sheen made the crystals seem almost as if it were alive. Placing his hands upon the mound of rotting flesh, a putrid stench filled the air. A pulse emitted from the fleshy wall, rolling like waves as a stream of dark energy shot from his hand. "By my hands, I will take finite life and give form to infinity. It is the natural order that life begets death, but today, let death beget a new life." Crackling like lightning, bolts of energy slithered among the corpses, eating away at the flesh as a brown liquid stained the floor. "More," he grunted, his arms shaking as the wall vibrated more violently, "every atom, every subatomic particle, they all must be destroyed beyond the limit." Stray bolts escaped his hands, smashing into the roof as the facility shook and streams of light entered the room. The wall of flesh began to steam and hiss, like the screams of the dead calling for help as the liquid turned black and the bodies became nothing more than a foul stench in the air. He reached his finger out, touching the inky liquid. "Analysis complete: The first part of Project Void has been successful and the creation of Null Energy is ready."

A slow cap filled the room. "Bravo my dear Mortimer," The Fool said, "but I'm afraid our little experiment has had some unwanted visitors."

A broken drone dangled from her hand, its body glitching in and out of its cloaking as she tossed it into the spotlight. The energy from Mortimer's hand crackled inside of it. "Hmph," Mortimer sighed, turning to the crowd of monsters, "Find them, leave none alive."

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"This is Celestia to Angel one, requesting immediate extraction! Our position has been compromised."

The ringing of rifles and the screams of the monsters flooded her ears as the crunching of loose dirt shuffled beneath them. A light rain of ash snowed upon them as she stared up past the foliage of the ash-covered trees.

"This is Angel one, we have your position, eta one minute."

She hurdled over a fallen log and turned around, watching as her comrades followed closely behind. Taking steady aim, she unloaded a few rounds as the monsters pursued her squad. The monster's hard crystal exteriors exploded into shards and purple goo as they roared in dying pain. Her squad members followed suit, climbing over the log and turning around as they covered for their comrades.

"Keep moving, the extraction is just up ahead!"

"Leo, above!" Celestia shouted.

Emerging from above the tree branches, a pair of claws sliced into his body as he was lifted into the air. His mouth fell agape in horror, but no sound followed as his body stood paralyzed. The shots riddled the monster's body as it shattered onto the floor, dropping its lifeless prey beside it. 

"Leo!" a voice screamed beside her.

The Sentinel beside her threw their helmet to the floor revealing a young man's anguished face. His arms reached over the log as tried to reach his fallen comrade. Celestia reached out urgently, grabbing the man by the collar as she forcefully fought to hold him back.

"Ron, we've got to move!" she grunted, pulling him away from the log as the rest of the squad began to retreat.

Their struggle turned into a swift sprint as she saw the man's eyes turn from resentful anger to terror as the monsters approached. She could hear the snap of the log explode behind them as the sound of the monster's heavy footsteps thundered in pursuit.

 "Extraction point spotted, create a perimeter!" The rotating blades of a helicopter roared overhead as the vegetation below parted. Bursts of gunfire erupted from inside the cabin as they rushed into the clearing, racing towards the landing.

 "Get in! Get in!" the pilot's voice crackled through her earpiece as the doors of the helicopter slid open and the squad began to scramble in.

The downwash from the rotors whipped her hair and clothes, making it difficult to hear anything, but she could just barely see it as she helped the last member in the helicopter. Her breath grew short as she stood at the edge of the helicopter. Emerging from the shadows of the forest, a crackling flame shot, black as night. Instinctively, her wings unfolded, glistening in a gold light as she planted herself in front of the helicopter. A piercing scream erupted from the flames as it exploded against her wings, engulfing her in a sphere of black fire. All she could see was darkness as the fire tore away at the gold light. Kneeling to the floor, she coughed rapidly from the suffocation, the heat clouding her thoughts. Swinging her wings, a gust of wind exploded around her as the flames dispersed. Red and blistered, she couldn't feel her arms or legs, yet she could hear it again, a wind-up of metal and electronic buzzes. She looked up, noticing a metallic body in the distance. A living armor, glowing in the twilight. Its eyes, two blazing red slits, locked onto her as it advanced with heavy thuds. A surge of adrenaline rushed through her, her legs straining with effort. The living armor raised an arm, and she could see the destructive glow of another shot being charged.

A metallic noise crackled through the armor. A cold monotone voice, void of any humanity.

"All will be reborn in the waking of a new world."