Chapter 104- Into The Unknown

The team gathered at the edge of the dried-out canal, their eyes fixed on the imposing complex beyond the rusted perimeter fence. The fence, though mostly collapsed, still hinted at the high-security measures that had once protected the facility.

Stone squinted, trying to make out more details of the building beyond, but the distance and the haze made it difficult. "We need a better look before we go charging in," he muttered, turning to the team. "Retainers, get the drones ready. I want a full sweep of the perimeter and whatever we can see of the building's exterior. No surprises."

A pair of retainers nodded and hurried back to the convoy, where they began unpacking compact surveillance drones from one of the supply crates. The drones were sleek, designed for stealth and efficiency, with high-resolution cameras and limited thermal imaging capabilities. As they prepped the devices, Rion approached Stone, his usual smirk playing on his lips.

"Mind if I throw my bot into the mix?" Rion asked, jerking a thumb toward the transport vehicle. "My Sentinel's got much better sensors, and it can handle itself if things get dicey."

Stone glanced at Rion, then at the vehicle where the Sentinel Mark-2 was stored. He had seen the bot in action before—its armor and integrated weapons systems had actually even saved his life. Rion had clearly made upgrades since their last mission, and Stone wasn't about to turn down an advantage. "Fine," he said with a nod. "But make sure to control it properly. We're here to scout, not start a firefight."

"Sure thing, leader," Rion replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he turned and headed back to the vehicle.

Vance watched as Rion unloaded the Sentinel Mark-2 from the transport. The bot's blue plating gleamed faintly under the dim light, its tank-like treads crunching against the ground as Rion activated it. The Sentinel's optical sensors flickered to life, a faint hum emanating from its core as it booted up. Rion linked the bot's main cameras to the control tablet in his hand, the screen displaying a somewhat grainy, real-time feed from the Sentinel's perspective.

"Damn! It looks better than before," Vance remarked, eyeing the upgrades. "What'd you do to it this time?"

Rion grinned. "Oh, nothing much."

By now, the retainers had finished prepping the drones. The small devices whirred to life, their rotors slicing through the still air as they lifted off the ground. The Sentinel Mark-2 rolled forward, its treads grinding against the cracked pavement as it followed the drones toward the facility. The team watched in silence as the devices disappeared into the distance, their feeds relayed back to the control tablets.

"Signal's already pretty bad," one of the engineers muttered as the feed flickered onto their screens—grainy, full of static, but still serviceable.

Rion leaned in slightly, narrowing his eyes at the distorted images. It wasn't unexpected. The strange properties of the area messed with all sorts of signals, so it was bound to also mess with their equipment.

The drones moved forward in formation, sweeping across the perimeter of the fence first. Their floodlights illuminated the rusted metal barriers, which were barely standing. The years had not been kind—jagged holes and deep corrosion marked the once-imposing security fence.

Then they noticed the warning signs.

Rusted placards lined the perimeter fence. The colors had long since faded, but the symbols remained. Some were bent or partially obscured by heaps of dust, but they all conveyed the same message—this place had been important once. Whether it was dangerous remained to be seen.

The drones continued their slow approach, passing beyond the fence line and hovering toward what had once been a heavily fortified checkpoint. A rusted gate stood twisted and broken, half-buried in the dirt. The guard booth beside it had collapsed inward, its roof caved in and windows shattered. Inside, a desk and chair sat in decay, their wooden surfaces rotted through, and metal components rusted beyond recognition.

Beyond the checkpoint, the facility's outer defenses stretched into view. Watchtowers, or what remained of them, loomed like skeletal husks in the darkness. Their ladders were missing rungs, platforms sagged dangerously, and the long-dead turrets mounted on them were frozen in place, their barrels eaten away by time. One tower had collapsed entirely, lying in a heap of twisted metal, its remains partially consumed by the earth.

As the team watched, the drones crossed the final barrier, noticing more signs of the facility's former security. Faded lines marked the ground, likely indicating vehicle checkpoints or patrol routes. Rusted barriers, once used to control access, lay scattered and useless. The remains of surveillance cameras hung limply from poles, their lenses cracked and wires dangling like dead vines. A few of the cameras had fallen to the ground, their casings split open to reveal corroded internals.

The drones finally reached the main building, and up close, it was even more imposing. It was massive, almost oppressive in its size, with thick metal plating lining its exterior.

Corrosion had eaten into the surface, leaving deep scars and pitted holes, but the sheer durability of the structure was undeniable. Faded insignias and markings stretched across the upper walls, their meanings lost to time. Chunks of the roof had collapsed, and parts of the outer walls had crumbled, yet the facility still stood, defying its own decay.

At the base of the building, the drones split up, scanning for an entrance. They found a massive outdoor elevator system, now in complete disrepair. It had once been a direct route into the facility, but its cables were snapped, and its platform dangled precariously from a single remaining wire.

There was also a series of sealed hatches that looked like potential emergency exits, but they were too rusted shut to be of any immediate use. After some minutes of searching, they spotted one.

A massive entryway, once heavily reinforced, now hung open. The doors had been completely torn from their hinges, one lying half-buried in debris, the other bent and partially leaning against the wall. Whatever had breached this entrance had done so with overwhelming force.

"Well, that's ominous," one of the mercs muttered.

Rion frowned but didn't comment. Instead, he directed the Sentinel inside.

The drones passed through the threshold, their lights flickering against the walls of an expansive chamber. Unlike the small buildings from before, the drones finally encountered some actual base components. The walls and ceiling were lined with an unknown metal material, which didn't look as decayed as the ones elsewhere.

"This doesn't match the construction outside," one of the engineers muttered. "Whatever this place was, they used some serious materials."

Massive machines filled the chamber, their sheer scale dominating the space. Towering structures of rusted steel and exposed wiring, their purposes unclear. Stone squinted at the feed, trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

"What the hell are we looking at?" he asked the trio of engineers.

The main reason they brought along these non combat personnel was to clarify matters like these. The knowledge that they collectively possessed was far more valuable than bringing along extra combatants.

The engineers discussed among themselves before one of them spoke up. "What you're looking at is most likely some of the most impressive power generators of that time. While we don't recognize the exact model, based on some loose estimates, we estimate that a single one of them provided enough energy to power a modern day small scale industrial plant."

"That much?!"

Stone might not be an engineer, but his job required him to be well informed. It was incredibly difficult for a single power generator to service all of the energy needs of an entire industrial plant. This was especially the case as modern day plants were all power hungry compared to their ancient counterparts.

Right now, the hall they were in boasted six of these power generators!

A facility that needed that much juice was definitely promising. All of that power had to be utilized in a productive manner in order to justify the existence of all of these power generators.

They continued surveying the room. Alongside the generators, they found massive HVAC systems, water and waste management stations, and various infrastructure components. Everything pointed to this being the lower level—the facility's utility hub.

Then the drones found a stairwell leading to an upper level by the corner.

"Looks intact," Rion noted as the cameras scanned the metal stairs leading to an upper level. It seemed stable enough, but his Sentinel was not equipped with the ability to traverse stairs.

"Alright, let's see what's up there," Stone ordered.

The drones began ascending. That's when things went wrong.

The first sign of trouble came as static interference on their HUDs. The feed grew choppy, flickering with distortion. Then, one of the drones abruptly lost power and plummeted down the stairwell, crashing into the metal steps with a loud clang.

"Shit," the retainer controlling the drone cursed.

The other drones began acting erratically. Their movements became jerky, their cameras flickering between clear and completely scrambled. One veered sideways, narrowly avoiding slamming into the wall.

"The hell's going on?" Adrian, a retainer who acted as the vice leader of the team asked.

The engineer who had answered earlier was the one who answered once more. "The signal interference of the area is messing with the controls. It looks like it gets worse the further up they go."

The group nodded in agreement. Her logic was sound.

"Either way, pushing further with the drones is a bad idea," Stone said. "We should pull them back before we lose more."

The retainers guided the remaining drones back to the base. The feed steadied as they returned, and they continued mapping out the base level. After some time, Stone ordered them to bring back the drones while they contemplated on their moves going forward.

After they spent some time analyzing the drone footage, the team had concluded that the lower levels of the abandoned complex posed no immediate threat—at least, none that their drones had detected. The upper floors, however, remained a mystery. If they wanted answers, they would have to go in themselves.

Stone stood at the head of the group, his sharp eyes scanning the faces of his team. Of the 14 combatants and 5 non-combatants, he had chosen 10 fighters, 2 engineers, and 1 biologist to accompany him inside. This run wasn't to carefully study everything. They just need to identify threats and valuable assets.

The rest would remain outside, monitoring the perimeter and keeping them informed of any changes. It was a calculated risk, but one they had to take.

"Weapons ready," Stone ordered, his voice low but firm. The team nodded, their expressions a mix of determination and unease. They checked their gear one last time, ensuring their weapons were loaded. The air was tense, the weight of the unknown pressing down on them as they approached the building.

"Looks like this place was locked down tight," Rion remarked, kicking a piece of broken fencing with his boot. The metal groaned and crumbled further under the weight of his foot. His tone was light, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed his casual demeanor.

"Yeah, but not tight enough," Vance muttered, his sharp eyes scanning the area. He paused, his gaze catching on a series of warning signs posted along the fence line. The signs were faded, their colors bleached by time and weather, but the symbols were still faintly visible: biohazard warnings, radiation symbols, and text too weathered to decipher.

"Cheerful," Rion said, squinting at one of the signs. "Wonder what they were cooking up in there."

No one answered. The question hung in the air, unanswered and unsettling. The team moved deeper into the complex's outer grounds, their boots crunching on broken glass and debris. The air was thick with the scent of rust and decay, and the silence was unnerving.

As they walked, they saw a lot of brown and black stains around the area which the biologist among them confirm to be dried blood. They passed the collapsed guard booth, the watchtowers and remains of the surveillance cameras. It was all as they had seen through the drones, but seeing it in person made it feel more real, more ominous.

Finally, they reached the entrance. The massive double doors were partially ajar, their surfaces pockmarked with rust and corrosion. Rion smirked, though there was little humor in it. "After you, fearless leader."

Stone ignored him, his focus entirely on the task at hand. He motioned for the team to form up, his movements precise and deliberate. "Stay sharp," he said, his voice cutting through the silence. "If anything happens, we fall back to this position. Understood?"

The team nodded, their grips tightening on their weapons. Stone took a deep breath, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade, and pushed the doors open.