Behind The Door

Daniel's journey through the heart of Arkanis to its outskirts was marked by the relentless decay of a once-great city. The further he moved from the Central Area the more desolate and unwelcoming the environment became.The outskirt of Arkanis the boundary between the remnants of urban life and the vast expanse of the Wasteland. The streets grew emptier, the air thicker with the metallic tang of rust and decay. Buildings that once housed bustling research facilities and laboratories now stood as hollow shells, their purposes long forgotten.Daniel walked while scanning the surroundings. The buildings around him were mostly intact but clearly abandoned, their interiors likely stripped bare by scavengers or claimed by the ever-encroaching vegetation.These structures were part of what had once been a vast complex dedicated to the development of advanced weapons—an endeavor that had ultimately contributed to the very destruction it sought to prevent.He paused for a moment in front of a particularly large building. Its façade, though weathered and cracked, still bore the faded insignia of the Terran Defense Corps. Daniel knew that this place had once been a hub of innovation, where scientists and engineers worked tirelessly to create the tools of war that had devastated Terras. Now, it was a ghostly relic of a bygone era.Daniel pushing through the heavy rusted door and stepped inside. The interior was dark and musty, the air thick with the smell of mold and decay. His footsteps echoed in the empty hallways, the sound amplified by the stillness that surrounded him.Flickering lights from his headlamp revealed glimpses of overturned desks and broken equipment. The silence broken only by the occasional creak of the building settling and the distant hum of the Wasteland beyond.As he moved deeper into the complex, Daniel's mind drifted to the mission at hand. The folder Dorian had given him detailed a recon assignment in the outskirts, with instructions to gather specific information about the old laboratory sites."This job seems easy enough and the pay is decent. I might get paid enough for a meal and a few bottles of cheap alcohol."It was a task that seemed straightforward enough so he proceed with easy steps. This place already looted a lot of times and almost nothing remains.Reaching what appeared to be the heart of the complex, Daniel found a large room filled with rows of empty workstations. Broken monitors and disassembled machinery littered the floor.He approached a console at the far end of the room, its surface covered in a thick layer of dust. Carefully, he brushed it off and powered it up, the screen flickering to life with a dim, wavering glow."This thing still works? The technology of the past was impressive. But unfortunately they use it for war."The system was surprisingly still operational, though barely. Daniel navigated through the outdated interface, accessing files and logs that had been left behind. As he sifted through the data he discovered information about experimental weapons and prototype technologies—projects that had been abandoned in the wake of the Great Cataclysm.His task was to gather as much information as possible, but something in the logs caught his eye: a reference to a hidden sub-level beneath the complex, a place where the most secret and dangerous experiments had been conducted."Hmm... What could be there?"Intrigued and wary, Daniel take a keycard laying on the table and made his way to the indicated location. The entrance to the sub-level was concealed behind a heavy metal door, its lock long since disabled.With a grunt of effort, he pried it open and descended into the darkness below. The air grew colder, the weight of the building pressing down on him.At the bottom of the stairwell Daniel found himself in a narrow corridor lined with reinforced doors. Each one bore warning signs and biohazard symbols. He moved cautiously.Finally, he reached the end of the corridor and found a room that looked different from the others. The door was still intact even though it was covered by rust and vegetation. But the door still looks very strong.Daniel use the keycard then pushed open the door, it creaked loudly, revealing a room that starkly contrasted the dilapidated corridors he had just been through.Inside, the space was surprisingly well-preserved, almost pristine. Soft, ambient lighting illuminated the room.Daniel's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Unlike the rest of the decayed complex, this room seemed like a hidden gem, untouched by the chaos and decay that had consumed the rest of the facility. He stepped further inside and the door to close behind him.Unbeknownst to him as the door sealed shut, three figures approached from the shadows outside. Their presence masked by advanced tactical armor equipped with stealth technology.Each wore an expensive, high-tech mask that obscured their features and they carried advanced weapons. Their armor shimmered slightly that hinted at the active cloaking systems making them nearly invisible.These operatives had been tracking Daniel from the moment he taking the job."We wait here," one of them said through their com system. His words carrying weight which indicates that he is their leader."Are you sure he will be able to get it?" another one asked, this time it was the voice of a woman."He just needs to open the compartment, that thing will go into his body so we just need to snatch it as soon as he comes out," the leader answered.As soon as they heard their leader's words, the other two immediately became silent.---Inside the room, Daniel's gaze settled on a small, metallic case resting on a central table. It was as if the case was places right there to be founded.Intrigued, he approached it and seeing its high-tech design. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and unlatched the case, opening it with a soft click.There was a small cylindrical device inside it. Its surface shimmered with a faint glow. Daniel carefully lifted the device from its cradle, turning it over in his hands to examine it more closely.As he did, a series of tiny lights on the device began to blink in sequence and a soft hum emanated from within. Before Daniel could react the device activated and releasing a swarm of microscopic nanobots into the air. The tiny machines swarming around him before he could even take a step back.In an instant the nanobots latched onto Daniel's skin, seeking entry points into his body. He felt a sharp, burning sensation as they penetrated his pores, and a wave of intense pain surged through him."ARRRGGHH!!!"The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced, as if his entire body was being torn apart and reassembled from the inside out.Daniel's vision blurred, and he dropped to his knees, clutching at his chest as he writhed in agony. He could feel the nanobots coursing through his bloodstream, altering his very cellular structure.Every nerve in his body screamed in protest, and he could do nothing but endure the excruciating process.He fell to the floor. His body convulsing as the nanobots continued their work. Minutes stretched into what felt like an eternity, and just when he thought he could bear no more the pain began to subside. Slowly, the searing agony dulled to a throbbing ache. He lay gasping for breath, drenched in sweat.His vision cleared and he noticed a faint translucent overlay appearing before his eyes. A notification blinked into existence, text scrolling across his field of vision.[Calibration complete.][Welcome, new user.]---