Back to the Grove
Rumors were spreading. Nasty ones. It was all everyone was talking about in the week and a half since Rhys's incident in the Hollow Wing, aptly named the Corrosion Case by investigators. Kiehra had done everything she possibly could to shut it out, to drown out the voices, but her extraordinary senses seemed to be acting up at the worst possible time, allowing her to hear and feel every snippet of every little conversation around her. Every word, every whisper, every minor thought seemed to be centered around the idea that there were others like Rhys who had been corrupted by the same inky substance.
She was unsure how exactly the rumors even started. Just when it seemed like everyone was slowly returning to a sense of normalcy, a sudden emergency transmission from the Black Grove outpost turned everything on its head once again. The impromptu distress call was broadcasted to a fairly large number of the Sentry personnel Emitter's, including hers. The message sent was utterly nonsensical—garbled words and distorted voices accompanied by heavy static and strange, inhuman muttering in the background.
"Great, just what I needed: a reminder about what happened." Not like she could forget in the first place.
At first those who received the message dismissed it completely, assuming it to be nothing more than a prank pulled off by some newly appointed Officers who just happened to hack into the correct frequencies. Then the calls occurred again, and again, and again. Transmissions went out multiple times in the span of a day—each one sounding more demented and creepy than the last—and their frequency only continued to rise as the days went on. Kiehra had to toss her Emitter into a metal drawer to prevent it from giving her worse nightmares than the ones she already had. The eerie transmissions then suddenly came to a stop, followed by the outpost going completely radio silent, like it had straight up disappeared. By that point it was already obvious that this wasn't some elaborate prank played by some deranged psycho with a twisted sense of humor. Something was really wrong, and it didn't take long for the gossip to start spreading.
"The way they're talking, you'd think they were excited about it." Three mumbled disapprovingly.
"I don't think it's out of excitement Three," She responded in a low whisper, eyes trained on her feet as she walked to the assembly hall. "I feel it…they're scared. It's just a way to cope….just like…"
Just like they coped with the uncertainty around her by spreading lies and insults.
Three hummed. "You mortals certainly are strange. Let's just pray the rumors are just that."
Kiehra smiled softly at Three's concealed attempt to put her mind at ease, but she already knew deep in her gut that there was truth beneath all the murmuring, and she could sense that Three knew that too. It pained her to accept it, but at this point she was getting used to the nonstop cycle of anxiety and harrowing experiences that had been her life in the Sentry. The only thing she could do was march herself to the hall where all the newly formed Units were going to receive their next missions.
"As you all know, there has been a spike in talk about more…corrupted…individuals in the past few days, with the recent calls from the Black Grove outpost being one of the main driving forces behind these assumptions." a booming voice called to the Officers, belonging to one Lieutenant Remus, a stout, heavy-set man whose scowling face was complimented by the presence of tusks jutting out from his lower jaw. His appearance matched his hot-blooded tendencies perfectly.
He looked down at those gathered from his position on the stage, fiery red eyes squinted like he had a hard time seeing. "Still, the lack of decisive evidence doesn't mean we shall sit on our laurels and wait for any potential danger to befall us!"
"Remus is right," the second Lieutenant, a towering wendigo named Romy continued in a sweet, good-natured tone, creating such a significant contrast to that of her companion that it induced a sense of whiplash in all who listened. "The Sentry cannot afford to suffer another mishap like with Rhys—bless her heart. With that in mind, we're sending multiple Officer Units and Sergeants out to cover and investigate the Grove and other parts of Gehenna as much as they can."
Beside her, Remus cleared his throat. "The Units and the Sergeants accompanying them have all been sent to your respective Emitters. Alongside that are details on what part of Gehenna you shall be visiting, as well as transports to carry you to your respective destinations. Remember, your main goal is to find any information which would confirm or dismiss the rumors. Should you somehow come in contact with anyone infected, flee if the battle proves too disadvantageous. We need all the soldiers we can!"
The previous quiet of the assembly hall broke apart almost instantaneously, murmurs and muttering rising into the air as the Officers all rushed to check the devices on their wrists. It didn't take a genius to figure out that most, if not all of them, wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Black Grove. Many sighed in relief when they discovered they had been assigned to another part of Gehenna far from the eerie forest. Kiehra hadn't bothered looking at her Emitter yet, but from what she could see, it seemed like everyone was assigned somewhere other than the Black Grove.
The realization hit her like a runaway train.
"Oh no, oh no oh no oh no!" She raced to turn on the small device, tapping on the newly received notification and waiting for it to load while quietly praying to every spirit and god she'd read about that her hunch wasn't true. "Assigned to the Black Grove, Sergeant Wheeler, Unit 1, Unit 9…and Unit 12…" Her posture visibly deflated, expression turning into a mask of genuine despair and defeat.
"Honestly, I don't know what you were expecting," Three spoke up in amusement. "You should be used to things like this happening to us by now."
"Yeah but a girl could dream," Kiehra muttered bitterly in response, rubbing her face with both her palms. Being forced into a mission with a high possibility of running into more creatures like Rhys was bad enough. It being in the Black Grove was just downright disheartening. If anything, at least she was there with her Unit, who (probably) didn't hate her as much as the other Sentry Officers who were going to be present there. Speaking of her squad—
"Kiehra, there you are! We were looking for you all over!"
She raised her head just in time to see Pax slip and slide across the hall, squeezing and twisting between other Officers till he got to her. The slime man produced a gurgling sound, which his translator crackled to life to interpret. "Fabian wants us to leave immediately. Apparently, the other Units are already mobilizing, come on!" Pax wrapped his arm around her waist and dragged her along, causing Kiehra to yelp quietly in surprise. The texture of his body was soft and smooth, yet firm enough to keep a durable form. He also had an unexpected warm feel to him, which felt out of place on someone who was literally made of slime.
"Oh, he's cozy." Three mumbled. Kiehra couldn't help but agree.
She let him pull her along to the far end of the assembly hall where the other members of her unit were waiting. Fabian and Barrel appeared to be just staring at each other in complete silence until they arrived, at which point the golem looked down at them, seemingly glad to have something interrupt the awkward quiet.
"Kiehra…pleasantries meeting you. Units already moving…Fabian requests we…go behind them, waste no time." she explained rather robotically, her eyes slowly trailing to the exit as if expressing her own quiet desire to be on the move as soon as possible.
Fabian cleared his throat and pushed himself off the wall, absent-mindedly adjusting his billowing scarf. "Our transport is waiting down at the hangars. We shouldn't keep the others waiting." Cold, calm and straightforward as always, the white haired man had already walked away by the time he'd finished speaking, leaving the rest of them scrambling to catch up. While Pax slid on ahead, Kiehra opted to speed-walk instead of run, lest she accidentally blast herself through the wall, and Barrel…well she was mostly incapable of moving faster than slow, deliberate trudging.
Not wanting to leave the golem behind, Kiehra slowed down, walking beside the giant while rubbing her neck awkwardly. "So, Barrel…."
Barrel lowered her head, a low creaking noise heard as she did so. "Yes…you. Go forward, no need to wait for me."
Kiehra smiled softly. "Eh, I'm not in any particular rush. They can't exactly leave without us, and I don't wanna leave you alone back here just cuz you ain't fast."
Barrel seemed to consider Kiehra's words for a moment before making a low humming sound in response, her eyes appearing to sparkle for a brief moment. "I see. Appreciated. Forgive me, I am not too good at...conversations."
"I'm not too used to talking to people either. I understand."
The two continued their measured walk towards the hangar, an amicable silence hanging between them both as the distant hum of the Sentry's famous hover trucks grew louder. The rest of their unit was already gathered near the last remaining vehicle, with Pax visibly trembling in anticipation.
"C'mooooooon, hurry, hurry! Everyone's already gone!" Pax's voice crackled though the translator, his gelatinous body wobbling in excitement. "I wanna see the Grove before everything goes crazy! I've never been before, c'mon, c'mon!"
Barrel scratched her chin inquisitively. "Excitement, strange." she rumbled. "I hear…Black Grove, not joyful place. Dark. Heavy."
Kiehra sighed, shaking her head. Unlike her slime companion, she was absolutely dreading everything about the mission. "I'm guessing Pax doesn't care either way."
Three chuckled quietly in the depths of Kiehra's mind. "You could say that again. Old slip n' slide there is either incredibly optimistic, or incredibly foolish. Let's hope he doesn't bite it before the end of the month."
Kiehra frowned. "Gee, that's such a comforting thing to say. Be nice." she grumbled, adjusting the strap of her gloves.
As they approached the transport, Kiehra suddenly got an eerie feeling—a warped sensation of dread filling her head that only seemed to get stronger the closer she got to the truck. She didn't have long to think about it before a slow, drawling voice cut through the din of the hangar.
"Late you are, Kiehra and her merry band of misfits."
Everyone stopped.
Sitting comfortably in the driver's seat, lazily resting an elbow on the window frame, was none other than Payday, twirling a dirty rag between her fingers like it was a weapon. The janitor looked perfectly unperturbed, reclining in the chair with the ease of someone who belonged there. That was precisely the problem.
Fabian stiffened, his eyes widening slightly before narrowing sharper than before. His tense posture betrayed his unease, though he said nothing as he climbed into the passenger seat.
Kiehra exhaled slowly, just praying for the day to come to an end already. "Payday…what are you doing here? Where have you been?" Now that she thought about it, how long had it been since she last heard of the eccentric woman anyway? It was like she made a habit of vanishing completely, only to resurface at the most inopportune, strange times.
Payday flashed her typical, slightly-too-wide smile. "All these questions, I thought you trusted me? Can't a girl come along on a little adventure?"
"That is exactly what you are not supposed to be doing." Kiehra groaned in exasperation.
"Details. Details. So many boring details." Payday tossed the rag out the window. "Hold on to your asses and let's get this show on the road you worry-warts. I swear I only crash on purpose."
Beside Kiehra, Pax (not a single thought in his head) let out an excited gurgle. "Let's get this thing ooooooonnn!"
Barrel, who was seated at the back of the truck because of her inability to fit inside, merely mumbled to herself. "This…shatter protocol. Unexpected surprise. Interesting."
Three merely sighed. "If you guys weren't screwed before, you definitely are now."
Kiehra ran a hand down her face. "Yeah. Sounds about right."
With no other choice, she climbed into the transport, resigning herself to whatever chaos Payday's presence was probably going to bring.
The mission hadn't even started, and she already felt exhausted.