Just like before, we woke up before any light had begun to creep over the horizon, giving us plenty of time to get moving. Restarting the remains of the fire, we cooked a small amount of food to serve as breakfast, before packing up and continuing our journey to the East. We still had a long way to go ahead of us; across barren and frozen tundra, to the South, across small deserts and though thick forests, before finally reaching our base. It was going to be good to be back, although we wouldn't be able to stay there very long. We had a job to do that required the utmost concentration and speed. We had to ensure we recovered the Keystone from The End before the master portal was activated, and before HoN Co. was able to catch up to us. Now we knew that HoN Co. was aware of the alternate use for the Keystone, we couldn't let them get there first. They had technology and many other factors on their side to catching us, but we hopefully had concealment. We were the only ones to know where our base is, where the entrance to the iron mine is and where the portal to The End is. Provided they remained a secret, we could ensure victory provided we reached our base before they found it.
"Is there anything at the base that they could use to help them find the portal? We can't give them the opportunity to find it, especially if they discover our base."
"I don't think so, but there is access to the iron mine from the base, so if they find the base, they've found the iron mine, and will definitely find the portal eventually. Let's just hope we get there first."
"Well as far as we know they don't know where our base is. If they did, why have they spent so long in trying to capture us? They had their chance when we were in their base, right under their noses, so they obviously couldn't have known who we really were. The base should remain hidden for the time being, unless SERVERE sells us out..."
"I don't think he'll do that, he's too dedicated to our cause for that. Although now they know where his allegiance lies as well, so he is likely to keep himself out of the way of anyone."
"Yes, but what about the tracker in the armour? He said they were able to track him no matter where he went in the world, and it wasn't worth giving up the suit for that..."
"Maybe SERVERE was able to talk the Director and the others round. The sedative has a mild amnesiac effect so he may be able to play on that. Maybe he'll convince the Director that he let us go so we'd lead them to the portal. At most it would make everyone weary of him. Knowing SERVERE he was able to talk his way around them."
We all knew that SERVERE had put his position on the line by essentially attacking the Director, but we had a good idea that he was able to get back into his good books by pretending that he placed a tracker into one of our bags. It sounded like the kind of thing SERVERE would do, and it would allow him to maintain his position, but if I were the Director, I would be incredibly cautious. The idea that he could be a double agent would certainly have crossed his mind by now.
"What about these Endermen though? They said they were trapped in The End and needed to be released by us. How do we know we can trust them? At this point in time we can't be sure of anyone or anything we can or can't trust."
"I agree. They're meant to be ancient beings that existed thousands upon thousands of years ago and became trapped in The End by trapping the evils that began to escape through their portals. They wanted us to travel to The End, take the Keystone and destroy the master portal."
"But thanks to HoN Co. the portals are slowing releasing the evil back into this world. By destroying the master portal, we rupture all of the remaining portals, active or otherwise, and remove the threat of invading evil altogether."
"Yes, but what I'm saying is what if they were trapped there for a reason. We were all told by them through the vision that they trapped themselves as a sacrifice to protect the Keystone. What if they were really trapped by some other force...? What if they're the evil ones?"
"What, so the Endermen aren't the ones saving this world from the evil... They're the evil that have been trapped by something or someone else?"
"Yes. We only know what they've told us, and it works in our favour as we want to destroy the master portal to ensure HoN Co. doesn't succeed.in opening the master portal. What if they are actually trying to convince us to let them out, so they can continue their reign of evil?"
"Well we can't take that risk. With the amount of effort we've put into finding these Eyes, HoN Co. has likely made massive progress in activating the primary portals. They're likely to be closer to activating the master portal than ever before. We have to continue with the current plan and hope that we're right. We have to hope that we're rooting for the right team."
We continued heading East along the snowy area, discussing the endless possibilities that lay unknown before us. We didn't know who we could trust, but with the amount of effort we had thrown into retrieving the Eyes for the portal to The End, it only made sense to continue with that. If the Endermen did turn out to be the contained evil, I doubt we'd have long to regret it, and if they weren't then we were one up on HoN Co.! This Ender Keystone was still part of the whole mystery; we didn't know what it was, how big it was and whether it even existed, but we had to at least hope we could gain access to it and take it to the conducting tower. For all we know it could be as large as a skyscraper or as small as a grain of sand. Either way, transporting it could be a problem. However it could be as simple as activating the portal, entering into The End, talking with the Endermen, taking the Keystone and destroying the master portal. However, in my line of expertise, I knew nothing ever went as smoothly as that.
"Let's hope the Endermen put on a warm reception for us then. I'd hate to come this far and have it end... in The End..."
"We don't even know what happens after we take the Keystone though. Say the Endermen are on our side, or at least enough to prevent HoN Co. from succeeding, what happens to them after we open the portal up? We don't know what they're like, how they act or anything. Do they just disappear? Do they spread out around Minecraftia and repopulate?"
"I can almost guarantee one of the first things they'd do is take back their stronghold. If it was one of their ancient buildings that was part of a city, they'd probably rebuild."
"But why do they live underground?"
"Look, there are a billion and one questions that currently don't have answers yet, and some that aren't like to ever have answers. For example, what's going to happen to us if we succeed? Does the portal physically blow up, taking everyone with it? Does the entire dimension get sucked into the portal, destroying the totality of existence? We don't know. We don't even know what will happen when we take the Keystone through to this dimension. I say we tackle the what-ifs as and when they appear, rather than wasting time speculating on them now."
"Well we can discuss and theorise to our hearts' content when we have to stop for the night again. No way are we going to reach the base before the end of the day. Easily by tomorrow though..."
We continued our journey, eventually reaching the ice crossing that we had traversed nearly a week ago, still heading East towards the desert area, before we would then hit the welcoming sight of trees. once we saw that we know we'd be close to home. Let's hope we didn't have any more incidents getting there...
Syeonyx signing off
I've got to break free!
From here on, our journey should be considerably easier; if SERVERE had managed to lower the bridge for us, it wouldn't be long until we would be on the other side and moving back East towards the base. From there we would gain entrance to the iron mine and go through to The End via the portal. We still had a long way to go, but after crossing the bridge, we'll be a long enough distance away from the frenzy of HoN Co. activity to be able to move around quickly without being detected. We could hear voices above us, as we began to make our way onto the boards of the platform beneath the bridge, although they didn't sound like they were searching for us. It was hard to tell, but it put me at ease a little that they weren't shouting, which could be a good thing. The fog had returned, and teamed with our dark surroundings, and the glare from the rising sun to the East, it had become a little awkward crossing quickly over the wooden boards. In single file, we kept it to two people on one board at any one time to prevent the chance of them collapsing on us and plunging us into the icy water a few feet below. Not only would that give rise to the possibility of one of us drowning or dying of hypothermia, but the splash would almost definitely attract the guards above us, plunging the rest of the team into ironically hot water...
"I think SERVERE managed to lower the bridge. It's hard to tell through the fog, but I can still see shadows across the water way out ahead of us. Either the fog is incredibly thick, or the bridge has been lowered..."
As we neared the end of the walkway, indicated by the instant lack of boards spanning the distance, we could see that COLUS was right. The bridge had been lowered; the shadow cast over the water was made by the platform that had been lowered into place on both sides, showing the underside of each, and the plumb lines we needed to access to get back to the other side.
"How long do you think we have to cross over? It took quite a while last time for us all to get across, not counting the time when it was raised again..."
"Well SERVERE said he was going to stall the bridge crew as long as possible, giving us as much time as possible to get over to the far side. How he determines whether we're across or not I don't know, but presumably he'll come up with something convincing. he managed to get us into and out of the HQ, and with the five Eyes we need to open the portal."
One at a time, with UOPETA in the lead, we began to make our way across the bridge. Just like before, we only had two people crossing at any one time to limit the stress put on the plumb lines. We couldn't determine how secure they were, but we needed to get everyone across without anyone left behind. My turn soon came, and I traded my rifle for two bags, which I slung over each opposing shoulder, creating an X shape across my chest. They wouldn't fall off unless I fell, and I had no desire to go for a quick dip! Remembering what UOPETA said, I kept my gaze fixated on the figure just ahead of me, which happened to be THEROS. I didn't look down, instead concentrating on putting one hand in front of the other and keeping the momentum up by swinging forwards as I went. It was a great strategy, and it wasn't long before I was jumping to the concrete strut just after THEROS. Once there, I placed the bags down and began to help the others down as they crossed to the end. Next to come was Amie, followed by Joe, then AMPHIS, then OROTHO, until we were all across. COLUS was the last to come across again, bringing up the rear to ensure no-one got left behind.
"We owe a lot to SERVERE. If he hadn't managed to get the bridge lowered, we would likely have been caught by now. Let's hope we get a chance to thank him la..."
COLUS didn't finish the sentence; the still, quiet air around us was interrupted by the harsh, metallic sounds of machinery activating. We all turned towards the source, watching both sides of the bridge slowly and inexorably climb towards the sky. The whole process of the bridge sections raising, from parallel with the main walkway to at least a 45o angle took about a minute, all of which we stood transfixed. When it stopped, the loud clang of the brakes locking into position snapped us all out of our stupor. I could guarantee everyone was watching it thinking how close of a shave that had been, rather than the marvel of the machinery.
"We're cutting it a little close there... Let's go before more obstacles catch up with us..."
We made our way across the walkway on the Eastern side of the bridge, to where we would meet land again, and continue our journey back to the iron mine. We were likely to encounter some more resistance from HoN Co., but with the bridge lowered, that should at least slow down anything that was following us.
We did it! We managed to take both the Eyes of Ender out from under the noses of the HoN Co. guards and the director. I didn't want to jinx it, but it had been easier than I thought. Don't get me wrong, there were times when I feared for my life. But the process of taking the Eyes and escaping seemed to go a lot smoother than I had anticipated. We reached the far side of the bridge and continued our escape to the East, travelling as far and fast as we could. We had timed our escape perfectly as the sun had only begun to rise when we reached the far side, but it didn't seem long before it was setting again. In that time we made massive headway! We were taking so many precautions; UOPETA and COLUS were no longer scouting up ahead. Instead we headed up in one large group, not stopping even for a break, pushing on until we were sure we had travelled far enough until they wouldn't be able to find us. Eventually we stopped for the night, settling down for the most rewarding rest we had ever earned!
"We should be able to cover the remaining ground by tomorrow if we're quick, the next day at the latest. We need to ensure that whenever we stop, we make it hard to spot us, and leave no trace of our presence."
Sitting around the fire in silence, we just appreciated the rest that would could now enjoy without worrying about being spotted by HoN Co.! I have a feeling this may be the last relaxing moment we'll have for some time.
Syeonyx signing off
"I think SERVERE managed to lower the bridge. It's hard to tell through the fog, but I can still see shadows across the water way out ahead of us. Either the fog is incredibly thick, or the bridge has been lowered..."
As we neared the end of the walkway, indicated by the instant lack of boards spanning the distance, we could see that COLUS was right. The bridge had been lowered; the shadow cast over the water was made by the platform that had been lowered into place on both sides, showing the underside of each, and the plumb lines we needed to access to get back to the other side.
"How long do you think we have to cross over? It took quite a while last time for us all to get across, not counting the time when it was raised again..."
"Well SERVERE said he was going to stall the bridge crew as long as possible, giving us as much time as possible to get over to the far side. How he determines whether we're across or not I don't know, but presumably he'll come up with something convincing. he managed to get us into and out of the HQ, and with the five Eyes we need to open the portal."
One at a time, with UOPETA in the lead, we began to make our way across the bridge. Just like before, we only had two people crossing at any one time to limit the stress put on the plumb lines. We couldn't determine how secure they were, but we needed to get everyone across without anyone left behind. My turn soon came, and I traded my rifle for two bags, which I slung over each opposing shoulder, creating an X shape across my chest. They wouldn't fall off unless I fell, and I had no desire to go for a quick dip! Remembering what UOPETA said, I kept my gaze fixated on the figure just ahead of me, which happened to be THEROS. I didn't look down, instead concentrating on putting one hand in front of the other and keeping the momentum up by swinging forwards as I went. It was a great strategy, and it wasn't long before I was jumping to the concrete strut just after THEROS. Once there, I placed the bags down and began to help the others down as they crossed to the end. Next to come was Amie, followed by Joe, then AMPHIS, then OROTHO, until we were all across. COLUS was the last to come across again, bringing up the rear to ensure no-one got left behind.
"We owe a lot to SERVERE. If he hadn't managed to get the bridge lowered, we would likely have been caught by now. Let's hope we get a chance to thank him la..."
COLUS didn't finish the sentence; the still, quiet air around us was interrupted by the harsh, metallic sounds of machinery activating. We all turned towards the source, watching both sides of the bridge slowly and inexorably climb towards the sky. The whole process of the bridge sections raising, from parallel with the main walkway to at least a 45o angle took about a minute, all of which we stood transfixed. When it stopped, the loud clang of the brakes locking into position snapped us all out of our stupor. I could guarantee everyone was watching it thinking how close of a shave that had been, rather than the marvel of the machinery.
"We're cutting it a little close there... Let's go before more obstacles catch up with us..."
We made our way across the walkway on the Eastern side of the bridge, to where we would meet land again, and continue our journey back to the iron mine. We were likely to encounter some more resistance from HoN Co., but with the bridge lowered, that should at least slow down anything that was following us.
---
We did it! We managed to take both the Eyes of Ender out from under the noses of the HoN Co. guards and the director. I didn't want to jinx it, but it had been easier than I thought. Don't get me wrong, there were times when I feared for my life. But the process of taking the Eyes and escaping seemed to go a lot smoother than I had anticipated. We reached the far side of the bridge and continued our escape to the East, travelling as far and fast as we could. We had timed our escape perfectly as the sun had only begun to rise when we reached the far side, but it didn't seem long before it was setting again. In that time we made massive headway! We were taking so many precautions; UOPETA and COLUS were no longer scouting up ahead. Instead we headed up in one large group, not stopping even for a break, pushing on until we were sure we had travelled far enough until they wouldn't be able to find us. Eventually we stopped for the night, settling down for the most rewarding rest we had ever earned!
"We should be able to cover the remaining ground by tomorrow if we're quick, the next day at the latest. We need to ensure that whenever we stop, we make it hard to spot us, and leave no trace of our presence."
Sitting around the fire in silence, we just appreciated the rest that would could now enjoy without worrying about being spotted by HoN Co.! I have a feeling this may be the last relaxing moment we'll have for some time.
Syeonyx signing off
Where is everyone...?
We left the cafeteria; thankfully the woman who had served us earlier was no longer working, and there was no-one else there. Leaving through the door, we headed towards the stairs leading back up, leaving the Director and the two guards slumped on the floor. As we reached the top, it wasn't hard to spot the others; everyone else had left, either to rest or to work, and they were the only group of people in lab coats in the entire courtyard. As we walked towards them, I realised that we had actually seen them before. UOPETA must have acquired their disguises pretty quickly after we had ours. They saw us, and walked the remainder of the way towards us.
"Did you manage to retrieve the last Eye?"
"Shush! Keep your voice down! We don't know who's listening in! We do, and we have the other three spread among us. Our armour is stored in the bags left in the debriefing room, thanks to SERVERE."
"Come on, we're against the clock! We've got to get back through the tunnel to the bridge before the sedative wears off! We can only hope that the bridge is lowered when we get there."
"Don't worry, I can have that covered as well. I can get them to keep it lowered for long enough with a good enough excuse."
"Thanks again SERVERE. Let's get out of here!"
We headed towards the entrance, where the guard from before had thankfully left, leaving a new guard on duty. He hadn't seen us before, and didn't seem to notice anything odd about nine scientists leaving the HQ followed by an Elite. Despite SERVERE saying he could come up with an excuse to get us out, it wasn't necessary. The guard simply wanted us to sign out with a valid name and signature. He didn't even want to scan our lab ID badges! Obviously we all made up our own names and signatures, which we tried to write quickly to make it look more convincing. It would have been hard to explain why we were having trouble with our names, especially when we were dressed as scientists. Leaving through the door, the guard was quick to secure it behind us again, and we headed off to the right away from the boat. When we were far enough away, SERVERE stopped us to update us on the plan of action from now on.
"Right, you'll need to pass back through the tunnel checkpoint, gate B. You won't achieve that wearing those lab coats. I'll head back to retrieve your bags, and I'll add the guards' uniforms inside."
"Erm, there's a problem... The guards at gate B were only aware of UOPETA, THEROS and Syeonyx being guards. If they're the same guards on duty, they'll recognise us as the 'captured' members of the Lone 7..."
"True... Well I'll need to go ahead of you to get the bridge lowered. You will have to follow me so that you can quickly take out the guards at the gate. Best to do it from a distance with the rifles otherwise the CCTV may catch you. Even with the head-start we potentially have, we can't afford to let anything slip!"
SERVERE began to head back to the HQ, but began to slowly fade, presumably as he activated the stealth function within his armour. We remained where we were, trying to stay out of sight until HoN Co. returned. We ran ourselves through the plan to make sure that we were all aware of our roles. It wasn't long before SERVERE returned however; from the looks of things, he had procured the guard armour from the boat, as he appeared from the right rather than the left.
"Here. Change quickly and I'll set off to lower the bridge. The security should be a little lighter with it being night, but that'll change at daybreak. The activity hear explodes at about six in the morning. It's best if we're not here at that point. Hopefully we'll be across the bridge by then as well."
"If we can get across the bridge before the sun fully rises, our job will be infinitely easier."
SERVERE headed off down into the tunnel to lower the bridge for us, whilst we changed back into the guard armour. No longer having a need to keep the lab coats, we disposed of them in the dense foliage, not that it mattered. By the time they find them, we'll be long gone. We managed to reach the corner of the tunnel within five minutes, and using one of the rifles, we were able to spy on gate B from a long distance.
"Erm... I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but... There's only one guard at the gate..."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Take a look yourself..."
"Do you think you can take him out from here?"
"Easily... But I'd rather get closer. I want to make sure there's only one guard there, and where the others are..."
"Maybe they've been posted to the outpost just outside the tunnel entrance."
"That's possible, but surely the sedative has worn off from the original guards there... They could have been taken to one side, relieved of duty, or something... Given a break. It's not every day you're knocked unconscious with a dart..."
We crept closer to the gate, trying to keep our activity around the CCTV cameras as normal as possible. Once we were closer, UOPETA took another look through the scope, and verified that there was only one guard on duty there. With a moment of concentration, he fired once, before lowering his rifle.
"We're clear. Let's hope getting through the outpost is as easy as this."
We passed through the gate, removing the dart as we passed the unconscious guard, finding the checkpoint empty besides. We began to head up the stairs, noticing that it was still dark outside. The lights from the tunnel however were enough to illuminate us as we exited into the outpost. However, we found the outpost to be as deserted as the gate. There were no guards posted there at all, and we couldn't come up with any reason as to why this would be the case.
"You heard what SERVERE said: we have a head start and we can't afford to lose any of it. Come on, we've got a bridge to cross under..."
We headed South towards the bank so we could reach the bridge from underneath. It was going to be another long day...
Syeonyx signing off
"Did you manage to retrieve the last Eye?"
"Shush! Keep your voice down! We don't know who's listening in! We do, and we have the other three spread among us. Our armour is stored in the bags left in the debriefing room, thanks to SERVERE."
"Come on, we're against the clock! We've got to get back through the tunnel to the bridge before the sedative wears off! We can only hope that the bridge is lowered when we get there."
"Don't worry, I can have that covered as well. I can get them to keep it lowered for long enough with a good enough excuse."
"Thanks again SERVERE. Let's get out of here!"
We headed towards the entrance, where the guard from before had thankfully left, leaving a new guard on duty. He hadn't seen us before, and didn't seem to notice anything odd about nine scientists leaving the HQ followed by an Elite. Despite SERVERE saying he could come up with an excuse to get us out, it wasn't necessary. The guard simply wanted us to sign out with a valid name and signature. He didn't even want to scan our lab ID badges! Obviously we all made up our own names and signatures, which we tried to write quickly to make it look more convincing. It would have been hard to explain why we were having trouble with our names, especially when we were dressed as scientists. Leaving through the door, the guard was quick to secure it behind us again, and we headed off to the right away from the boat. When we were far enough away, SERVERE stopped us to update us on the plan of action from now on.
"Right, you'll need to pass back through the tunnel checkpoint, gate B. You won't achieve that wearing those lab coats. I'll head back to retrieve your bags, and I'll add the guards' uniforms inside."
"Erm, there's a problem... The guards at gate B were only aware of UOPETA, THEROS and Syeonyx being guards. If they're the same guards on duty, they'll recognise us as the 'captured' members of the Lone 7..."
"True... Well I'll need to go ahead of you to get the bridge lowered. You will have to follow me so that you can quickly take out the guards at the gate. Best to do it from a distance with the rifles otherwise the CCTV may catch you. Even with the head-start we potentially have, we can't afford to let anything slip!"
SERVERE began to head back to the HQ, but began to slowly fade, presumably as he activated the stealth function within his armour. We remained where we were, trying to stay out of sight until HoN Co. returned. We ran ourselves through the plan to make sure that we were all aware of our roles. It wasn't long before SERVERE returned however; from the looks of things, he had procured the guard armour from the boat, as he appeared from the right rather than the left.
"Here. Change quickly and I'll set off to lower the bridge. The security should be a little lighter with it being night, but that'll change at daybreak. The activity hear explodes at about six in the morning. It's best if we're not here at that point. Hopefully we'll be across the bridge by then as well."
"If we can get across the bridge before the sun fully rises, our job will be infinitely easier."
SERVERE headed off down into the tunnel to lower the bridge for us, whilst we changed back into the guard armour. No longer having a need to keep the lab coats, we disposed of them in the dense foliage, not that it mattered. By the time they find them, we'll be long gone. We managed to reach the corner of the tunnel within five minutes, and using one of the rifles, we were able to spy on gate B from a long distance.
"Erm... I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but... There's only one guard at the gate..."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Take a look yourself..."
"Do you think you can take him out from here?"
"Easily... But I'd rather get closer. I want to make sure there's only one guard there, and where the others are..."
"Maybe they've been posted to the outpost just outside the tunnel entrance."
"That's possible, but surely the sedative has worn off from the original guards there... They could have been taken to one side, relieved of duty, or something... Given a break. It's not every day you're knocked unconscious with a dart..."
We crept closer to the gate, trying to keep our activity around the CCTV cameras as normal as possible. Once we were closer, UOPETA took another look through the scope, and verified that there was only one guard on duty there. With a moment of concentration, he fired once, before lowering his rifle.
"We're clear. Let's hope getting through the outpost is as easy as this."
We passed through the gate, removing the dart as we passed the unconscious guard, finding the checkpoint empty besides. We began to head up the stairs, noticing that it was still dark outside. The lights from the tunnel however were enough to illuminate us as we exited into the outpost. However, we found the outpost to be as deserted as the gate. There were no guards posted there at all, and we couldn't come up with any reason as to why this would be the case.
"You heard what SERVERE said: we have a head start and we can't afford to lose any of it. Come on, we've got a bridge to cross under..."
We headed South towards the bank so we could reach the bridge from underneath. It was going to be another long day...
Syeonyx signing off
Stand off
Nobody moved... Nobody spoke... We stood there staring down the glare the Director was giving us right now, seething hatred visible in his eyes. The two guards that accompanied him meant business; instead of swords that we had usually experienced them carrying, these two were inside armed with guns. A decent sized handgun, pointed at arms-length towards us, covering all five of us. If we made any unexpected move, a single command from the Director, and they could put all of us down in less than a second! SERVERE began to move over to them, but the guards nor the Director battered an eyelid.
"I managed to lure them here after they retrieved one of the Eyes from the towers. The other six should be on their way back soon with the last one. With the two they've stolen, they should be able to activate the portal to The End."
"Good work, SERVERE. I had my doubts about your plan to get the Lone 7 here, but it seems more faith should be placed in you in the future."
"Thank you, sir. They came in under the guise of guards with the others, pretending they had caught all but one of the Lone 7 group. I allowed them access to the One and Two labs so they would be able to get to the towers. As an added bonus, I was able to give them enough time to weed out any of the scientists with morality issues with their work. Seems it worked better than we had planned..."
"So it seems... Do you have anything to say for yourself, Dr. Stone?"
Jeff was silent; he looked absolutely petrified. The colour had drained entirely from his face, and his mouth was slightly open in an expression of shock.
"And before I... deal with you three, do you have something to say...?"
"SERVERE!!! YOU TRAITOR!!!"
"SERVERE, go and round up a few guards to cover the other entrance to the remaining labs. If the rest of the Lone 7 are nearly done, we'll need to stop them from getting anywhere else..."
"Yes, sir."
SERVERE promptly turned around, and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving the rest of us to deal with the Director and his two cronies. We weren't in any position to coordinate an attack as they could gun us now instantly! I was still torn between feeling fear and rage after SERVERE's deceit. He had spent so long helping us, ultimately leading us to a place full of HoN Co. thinking we had the upper hand, before revealing our true identity and trading us all in!
"What happens now? Are you going to kill us? Would it really be worth the amount of resources you've put into finding us? Would you gain any satisfaction from doing so?"
"I'm afraid it's not down to me. I've notified the home base where the message will be passed to the Paragon. He'll determine what method of disposing of you is best, although I can guarantee it's unlikely to be pleasant. Be it safe to say, it's not going to be as simple as putting you to work again. That would merely offer you the opportunity to escape."
"Who's the Paragon?"
"I'm sorry but that's confidential. Even though you're unlikely to be alive much longer, telling you our secrets such as the identity of the Paragon would still be foolish. Luckily I'm not an idiot. You three on the other hand... Falling for the old trick of trusting an old friend. A trick as old as time..."
"You won't get away with this! What you're doing is wrong, and it'll only take a few people to catch on to what you're doing before you have a revolt on your hands!"
"I doubt it. We can contain any form of disapproval from anyone in our employ, and quietly remove them from their post if they do not wish to change their minds. We all have our jobs, you understand. I'm merely carrying out the tasks required of mine."
"What are you going to do with the Eyes then? There's nothing in The End that posses any use to your goal!"
"Once again, I'm not stupid. We're aware of the Keystone, and the alternative use it possesses. Placed into the frame of an active portal close to the master portal and we open it instantly. We don't need it, but it is a useful backup and it prevents you from having it. Not that that's an issue any longer."
The two guards began to approach us slowly, guns still raised towards us. We remained where we were, afraid of what would happen if we made any movement at all. Jeff seemed to have frozen up entirely; his face hadn't regained its colour and he hadn't said anything or moved since being discovered.
"I'd suggest you come with us quietly and without incident. It'll make things a lot easier."
The Director quickly turned to look in the direction of the door, as it slowly opened by itself, before closing again. Shrugging, he turned back around and repeated the order to the two guards. Suddenly he bent backwards and clutched his throat, as though he was being strangled. The two guards aimed their guns at the Director who was trying to fight something off with one hand whilst keep the guards from shooting at him. He eventually settled, still clutching his throat, when the air behind him began to shimmer. After a second or two, a figure appeared behind him, holding him in a neck hold which had immobilised him.
"SERVERE!"
"Put the guns down, or I break the Director's neck. If you don't think I will, try me; I've had enough of all of you lately, and I'm liable to do something crazy!"
The two guards looked hesitantly from each other to the Director, who began to nod slowly.
"Okay, now kick the guns over to them, put your hands up slowly and head to the far wall."
I took the opportunity to reassemble my dart rifle. THEROS followed suit, and we had our rifles ready and aimed at the two guards, forcing them back against the wall. UOPETA picked up the two guns, removed the magazines from each and drew back the slides, ejecting the chambered round, before throwing them back to the ground. Jeff was slowly returning to normal; his face a mixture of bewilderment and fear.
"THEROS, if you would do the honours..."
I kept the two guards pinned against the wall, whilst THEROS turned to SERVERE, with his rifle raised. Firing once, the dart impacted against the Director's neck, and he quickly slumped in SERVERE's arms. The two guards attempted to fight back, but THEROS quickly turned pressing the barrel against the guard's forehead. he fired once, quickly followed by my shot to the other. They dropped like stones.
"Well... That was... Erm..."
"No need to thank me, but I would suggest hurrying up. The others are already ready and waiting to leave. Disassemble the rifles again and I think I can get you through the entrance and out of here. Wait for me at the mouth of the underwater tunnel. I'll have your guard armour ready for you by then."
"Thank you so much, SERVERE! For a moment I genuinely thought you had betrayed us. Next time you do that, give us a sign that you're playing them for the fools rather than us..."
Syeonyx signing off
"I managed to lure them here after they retrieved one of the Eyes from the towers. The other six should be on their way back soon with the last one. With the two they've stolen, they should be able to activate the portal to The End."
"Good work, SERVERE. I had my doubts about your plan to get the Lone 7 here, but it seems more faith should be placed in you in the future."
"Thank you, sir. They came in under the guise of guards with the others, pretending they had caught all but one of the Lone 7 group. I allowed them access to the One and Two labs so they would be able to get to the towers. As an added bonus, I was able to give them enough time to weed out any of the scientists with morality issues with their work. Seems it worked better than we had planned..."
"So it seems... Do you have anything to say for yourself, Dr. Stone?"
Jeff was silent; he looked absolutely petrified. The colour had drained entirely from his face, and his mouth was slightly open in an expression of shock.
"And before I... deal with you three, do you have something to say...?"
"SERVERE!!! YOU TRAITOR!!!"
"SERVERE, go and round up a few guards to cover the other entrance to the remaining labs. If the rest of the Lone 7 are nearly done, we'll need to stop them from getting anywhere else..."
"Yes, sir."
SERVERE promptly turned around, and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving the rest of us to deal with the Director and his two cronies. We weren't in any position to coordinate an attack as they could gun us now instantly! I was still torn between feeling fear and rage after SERVERE's deceit. He had spent so long helping us, ultimately leading us to a place full of HoN Co. thinking we had the upper hand, before revealing our true identity and trading us all in!
"What happens now? Are you going to kill us? Would it really be worth the amount of resources you've put into finding us? Would you gain any satisfaction from doing so?"
"I'm afraid it's not down to me. I've notified the home base where the message will be passed to the Paragon. He'll determine what method of disposing of you is best, although I can guarantee it's unlikely to be pleasant. Be it safe to say, it's not going to be as simple as putting you to work again. That would merely offer you the opportunity to escape."
"Who's the Paragon?"
"I'm sorry but that's confidential. Even though you're unlikely to be alive much longer, telling you our secrets such as the identity of the Paragon would still be foolish. Luckily I'm not an idiot. You three on the other hand... Falling for the old trick of trusting an old friend. A trick as old as time..."
"You won't get away with this! What you're doing is wrong, and it'll only take a few people to catch on to what you're doing before you have a revolt on your hands!"
"I doubt it. We can contain any form of disapproval from anyone in our employ, and quietly remove them from their post if they do not wish to change their minds. We all have our jobs, you understand. I'm merely carrying out the tasks required of mine."
"What are you going to do with the Eyes then? There's nothing in The End that posses any use to your goal!"
"Once again, I'm not stupid. We're aware of the Keystone, and the alternative use it possesses. Placed into the frame of an active portal close to the master portal and we open it instantly. We don't need it, but it is a useful backup and it prevents you from having it. Not that that's an issue any longer."
The two guards began to approach us slowly, guns still raised towards us. We remained where we were, afraid of what would happen if we made any movement at all. Jeff seemed to have frozen up entirely; his face hadn't regained its colour and he hadn't said anything or moved since being discovered.
"I'd suggest you come with us quietly and without incident. It'll make things a lot easier."
The Director quickly turned to look in the direction of the door, as it slowly opened by itself, before closing again. Shrugging, he turned back around and repeated the order to the two guards. Suddenly he bent backwards and clutched his throat, as though he was being strangled. The two guards aimed their guns at the Director who was trying to fight something off with one hand whilst keep the guards from shooting at him. He eventually settled, still clutching his throat, when the air behind him began to shimmer. After a second or two, a figure appeared behind him, holding him in a neck hold which had immobilised him.
"SERVERE!"
"Put the guns down, or I break the Director's neck. If you don't think I will, try me; I've had enough of all of you lately, and I'm liable to do something crazy!"
The two guards looked hesitantly from each other to the Director, who began to nod slowly.
"Okay, now kick the guns over to them, put your hands up slowly and head to the far wall."
I took the opportunity to reassemble my dart rifle. THEROS followed suit, and we had our rifles ready and aimed at the two guards, forcing them back against the wall. UOPETA picked up the two guns, removed the magazines from each and drew back the slides, ejecting the chambered round, before throwing them back to the ground. Jeff was slowly returning to normal; his face a mixture of bewilderment and fear.
"THEROS, if you would do the honours..."
I kept the two guards pinned against the wall, whilst THEROS turned to SERVERE, with his rifle raised. Firing once, the dart impacted against the Director's neck, and he quickly slumped in SERVERE's arms. The two guards attempted to fight back, but THEROS quickly turned pressing the barrel against the guard's forehead. he fired once, quickly followed by my shot to the other. They dropped like stones.
"Well... That was... Erm..."
"No need to thank me, but I would suggest hurrying up. The others are already ready and waiting to leave. Disassemble the rifles again and I think I can get you through the entrance and out of here. Wait for me at the mouth of the underwater tunnel. I'll have your guard armour ready for you by then."
"Thank you so much, SERVERE! For a moment I genuinely thought you had betrayed us. Next time you do that, give us a sign that you're playing them for the fools rather than us..."
Syeonyx signing off
Backs against the wall...
SERVERE and the others didn't know we would be waiting for them in the cafeteria, but he said he would come looking for us when the others had retrieved the last Eye. With the one we managed to take back from the first tower safely stored away in UOPETA's pocket, all we had to do was wait for their return. I had been wondering about how we would be escaping the HQ, as I could guarantee that it wouldn't be as simple as walking through the exit. For starters the guards there are likely to recognise us, especially the other six who were playing the part of the "captured" ones. As well as that, we had to keep out of the Director's way. It seemed that everyone was at least cautious about the Director, with some people actually afraid of him. I had to admit that he was creepy; I couldn't put my finger on it, but he had this air about him that instantly put me on edge. Judging from the reactions from the others, he creeped them out as well. A small part of me was constantly concerned with the idea that the Director had caught onto our plan from the start, but that was unlikely... I hoped.
"What do you have planned after they come back with the fifth Eye? Are you heading straight to this conducting tower and getting the keystone?"
"No, we've got quite a way to go yet. Once we have all of the Eyes, we need to return to our base, and make our way through the tunnel entrance from our iron mine and find the stronghold we managed to get to. Hopefully HoN Co. hasn't found that yet; if we can get to our base without bumping into any more HoN Co. guards or the Elite, we've pretty much won! We need to activate the End portal, travel to The End dimension and retrieve the Keystone. Once that's done, we then head to the conducting tower and use it to destroy the master portal."
"How are you going to do all of this without HoN Co. knowing? Surely they'll have caught on that the Eyes they had have gone missing?"
"Hopefully it'll be some time until they realise that. We only need a day or two of a head start from them and we can guarantee we can bring down the master portal. You should come with us! You seem fascinated by our efforts and sticking it to HoN Co. would fit you perfectly! You'd be about the tenth person we would have liberated from HoN Co.!"
"I'd love to, but they'd notice me missing. I'm a senior lab engineer with the Two labs, so I'm often called to meetings with others to update the Director and the committee on our progress. I'm scheduled to show them the results of our experiments with the Affinitas cages we performed recently, along with the data we collected from the recent pigman dissection."
"Why would it matter? You would be out of the HQ before the end of the day! They wouldn't be able to track you at all, so provided the meeting wasn't set up until before today, you'd be home free!"
Jeff was silent for a moment, obviously thinking it through, weighing up the pros and cons; it seemed blatantly obvious to me that he would be better off coming with us. But after a few moments, he began to shake his head.
"I'd rather stick it out here. If HoN Co. begins to crumble, I'll know you were successful and I may be able to perform my own subterfuge from within."
We couldn't force Jeff to come with us against his will, but I felt a little defeated when he decided to remain. I suppose he thought it was better to stay in an environment he knew he'd remain alive in rather than risk everything. I had felt the exact same thing when I first began to piece together the evil parts of HoN Co. before encountering the Lone 7. I knew I couldn't go back, and I wasn't sure I could trust anybody. I felt like running from my troubles and hiding somewhere where they couldn't find me, and start anew. However, I'm glad I made the choice to join up to fight against HoN Co. As we went back up to the counter to for more coffee, when SERVERE came in through the door. We headed back to the entrance where he stood waiting for us.
"Well SERVERE? What's the news? Have they managed to retrieve the last Eye?"
"They have, and they're waiting for you at the entrance to the other labs. We'll need to concoct a new method of getting you out of the front gate. With it being night, activity around the HQ has reduced considerably, so there are more rigid guidelines enforced."
"Why are they more enforced during the night?"
"Well they're technically not, but they're easier to enforce to their fullest extent when there's little other people around serving as a distraction. The guard that was on duty at the entrance when you came in has gone, but you'd still need to get past the Director. He's fuming at the moment because the others disappeared. I've a feeling they're trying to pin it on me, but I'm trying to take any of the CCTV footage that suggests that."
"Why don't you just come with us? We could use your help in determining what HoN Co. is planning next and how we could avoid them."
"Sorry, but that would mean giving up the Elite armour. It's a useful asset to me, and it'd be foolish to do so."
"Why would you have to ditch the armour?"
"They have built-in long range trackers which uses GPS-based monitoring to pinpoint my location. They can tell where I am within five feet, anywhere on this planet. It's a little daunting but provided I do what I'm told and go where I'm supposed to, HoN Co. don't bother me."
"How have you managed to contact us within our own base then? Surely they could have tracked you and you would have essentially led them directly to us?"
"You'd think so, but I radio in on a regular basis about what I've discovered. Every time I go anywhere near your base or any of you, I radio in that there's nothing to report."
Just as we began to get ready to head out, the Director burst through the door, flanked by two armed guards, holding pistols at arms-length in our direction. We leapt back defensively, and myself, THEROS and UOPETA instinctively went for our rifles... Our rifles which were still dismantled...
"Dr. Stone... You disappoint me..."
Syeonyx signing off
"What do you have planned after they come back with the fifth Eye? Are you heading straight to this conducting tower and getting the keystone?"
"No, we've got quite a way to go yet. Once we have all of the Eyes, we need to return to our base, and make our way through the tunnel entrance from our iron mine and find the stronghold we managed to get to. Hopefully HoN Co. hasn't found that yet; if we can get to our base without bumping into any more HoN Co. guards or the Elite, we've pretty much won! We need to activate the End portal, travel to The End dimension and retrieve the Keystone. Once that's done, we then head to the conducting tower and use it to destroy the master portal."
"How are you going to do all of this without HoN Co. knowing? Surely they'll have caught on that the Eyes they had have gone missing?"
"Hopefully it'll be some time until they realise that. We only need a day or two of a head start from them and we can guarantee we can bring down the master portal. You should come with us! You seem fascinated by our efforts and sticking it to HoN Co. would fit you perfectly! You'd be about the tenth person we would have liberated from HoN Co.!"
"I'd love to, but they'd notice me missing. I'm a senior lab engineer with the Two labs, so I'm often called to meetings with others to update the Director and the committee on our progress. I'm scheduled to show them the results of our experiments with the Affinitas cages we performed recently, along with the data we collected from the recent pigman dissection."
"Why would it matter? You would be out of the HQ before the end of the day! They wouldn't be able to track you at all, so provided the meeting wasn't set up until before today, you'd be home free!"
Jeff was silent for a moment, obviously thinking it through, weighing up the pros and cons; it seemed blatantly obvious to me that he would be better off coming with us. But after a few moments, he began to shake his head.
"I'd rather stick it out here. If HoN Co. begins to crumble, I'll know you were successful and I may be able to perform my own subterfuge from within."
We couldn't force Jeff to come with us against his will, but I felt a little defeated when he decided to remain. I suppose he thought it was better to stay in an environment he knew he'd remain alive in rather than risk everything. I had felt the exact same thing when I first began to piece together the evil parts of HoN Co. before encountering the Lone 7. I knew I couldn't go back, and I wasn't sure I could trust anybody. I felt like running from my troubles and hiding somewhere where they couldn't find me, and start anew. However, I'm glad I made the choice to join up to fight against HoN Co. As we went back up to the counter to for more coffee, when SERVERE came in through the door. We headed back to the entrance where he stood waiting for us.
"Well SERVERE? What's the news? Have they managed to retrieve the last Eye?"
"They have, and they're waiting for you at the entrance to the other labs. We'll need to concoct a new method of getting you out of the front gate. With it being night, activity around the HQ has reduced considerably, so there are more rigid guidelines enforced."
"Why are they more enforced during the night?"
"Well they're technically not, but they're easier to enforce to their fullest extent when there's little other people around serving as a distraction. The guard that was on duty at the entrance when you came in has gone, but you'd still need to get past the Director. He's fuming at the moment because the others disappeared. I've a feeling they're trying to pin it on me, but I'm trying to take any of the CCTV footage that suggests that."
"Why don't you just come with us? We could use your help in determining what HoN Co. is planning next and how we could avoid them."
"Sorry, but that would mean giving up the Elite armour. It's a useful asset to me, and it'd be foolish to do so."
"Why would you have to ditch the armour?"
"They have built-in long range trackers which uses GPS-based monitoring to pinpoint my location. They can tell where I am within five feet, anywhere on this planet. It's a little daunting but provided I do what I'm told and go where I'm supposed to, HoN Co. don't bother me."
"How have you managed to contact us within our own base then? Surely they could have tracked you and you would have essentially led them directly to us?"
"You'd think so, but I radio in on a regular basis about what I've discovered. Every time I go anywhere near your base or any of you, I radio in that there's nothing to report."
Just as we began to get ready to head out, the Director burst through the door, flanked by two armed guards, holding pistols at arms-length in our direction. We leapt back defensively, and myself, THEROS and UOPETA instinctively went for our rifles... Our rifles which were still dismantled...
"Dr. Stone... You disappoint me..."
Syeonyx signing off
Day 164: Sorry thermodynamics...
For a moment I couldn't tell what we were supposed to be looking at, but as I looked around the room, unable to find THEROS, I suddenly realised he was standing right in front of me! It was amazing! As far as I was concerned, I was looking at a wall; there was no hint of distortion like with the Elite armour, and even slight movements seemed to be compensated for. THEROS then suddenly started waving furiously, and he was only just visible, as the sensors and projectors attempted to keep up in real time with the change in environment.
"It has a few delays and bugs that could be ironed out with a lot more work, but it more than functions as required for the purposes you'd need it for. I was going to use it to simply walk out of the door, leaving HoN Co. behind, but with this you have a better chance of crippling HoN Co. entirely, ensuring that we all get to leave!"
"How does THEROS see though? I would have thought with the light being projected away, if we can see behind him, he won't be able to see us."
"No, no I had thought of that, or something similar, but the light is semi-refractive. We can't see through the projected light to see THEROS and the device, but THEROS can see out. It doesn't interfere with his vision at all, nor should it ever provided it remains functioning as intended."
"I have to say, I don't feel different at all. I thought it would make me invisible to myself, but I can still see my hands, feet, body, everything I'd normally be able to see."
"That's for the same reason; the projection is done so away from you rather than onto your body so you still appear visible to yourself. Whether that was intended or not I don't know, but I'm glad it worked out like it did. If you were unable to see your limbs, coordinating them may have proved tricky."
"What does it run on then? I would have thought something this powerful would need a massive power-pack to work, but I can't see a power source at all!"
"That's a little secret of mine, which, until now, no-one has ever known about. When I performed experiments in the Nether, I was often teamed to find certain objects to conduct tests on. We'd always go in teams, collecting small samples to determine their energy efficiency of. One day I came across this strange, orange rod. It was just lying on the ground, and after determining it wasn't putting out radiation or heat into the air, I picked it up and packed it away for personal study. I've had it for many years now, and I've determined that it contains mass quantities of potential energy that can easily be converted to fuel whatever is necessary. It's about 120% more efficient than any fossil fuel that we currently use today, and could easily power the CPD for a full day!"
"What happens when in runs out then? Can it be recharged, or is that the end of it?"
"No, but that's another beautiful property I found out about it. It self-recharges! When it's not in use, it will recharge itself when in contact with anything that radiates heat. The intensity of the heat source determines the recharge rate, but it can essentially recharge itself from body heat! It would take quite a while, but this ability makes it an incredibly potent power source."
"Wait, so you managed to take this from the Nether? But we thought that all energy sources from the Nether instantly lost their potential energy when being brought back through the portal to our world...?"
"That's what I thought as well, but I suppose it may have something to do with the recharge ability it possesses. The other energy sources are much like any normal source, and when the entire source has been spent, the material is useless. Like when burning coal, you are left with ash, and a residue which contains no more potential energy and has little use for anything other than waste. That rod however recharges, and is the only source of energy we have ever found that can do so."
"Why didn't you turn this over to HoN Co. then? This could have made you incredibly famous! An energy source that recharges itself! You've actually find infinite energy!"
"Yes, but with great power comes great responsibility. Pardon the trope, but if HoN Co. were to get their hands on this, they would only abuse it. I couldn't have that riding on my conscience. If I had they would likely have activated the master portal by now too!"
THEROS popped back into view as he removed the device from his belt and handed it back to Jeff. He took it and slid back a small panel that revealed a small, thin, orange rod. He carefully took it out and placed it onto the table top, placing the device behind him.
"This is it."
"Wait, hang on a minute. What about the conservation of energy? If this thing is able to convert heat into potential energy to use in the CPD, what energy form is it giving off when it's being used? The energy doesn't just get used up..."
"I simply don't know. I've monitored the device while it is operational, and the only form of energy it expels besides converted electrical energy is heat, and that is insubstantial to count for the amount of power it is supplying. It's not emitted in radiation form, at any point along the EM spectrum, so I simply don't know. Some form of energy that we haven't encountered yet, possibly. As such we can't detect it yet, so we don't know what form that takes and what effect it has."
Jeff placed the rod back into the CPD, which hummed as the back plate was slid back into position, before growing silent.
"If your friends only have one of these... Eyes to find, they should be back by now. I recommend we go back to the cafeteria and stay there until they come back. Everyone else will either be asleep or working in their own labs, so we'll need to keep out of sight of the other guards, and especially the Director."
Taking the device with him, slipping it into his lab coat pocket, we left the lab, going through the mandatory disinfectant mist again before heading towards the cafeteria.
Syeonyx signing off
"It has a few delays and bugs that could be ironed out with a lot more work, but it more than functions as required for the purposes you'd need it for. I was going to use it to simply walk out of the door, leaving HoN Co. behind, but with this you have a better chance of crippling HoN Co. entirely, ensuring that we all get to leave!"
"How does THEROS see though? I would have thought with the light being projected away, if we can see behind him, he won't be able to see us."
"No, no I had thought of that, or something similar, but the light is semi-refractive. We can't see through the projected light to see THEROS and the device, but THEROS can see out. It doesn't interfere with his vision at all, nor should it ever provided it remains functioning as intended."
"I have to say, I don't feel different at all. I thought it would make me invisible to myself, but I can still see my hands, feet, body, everything I'd normally be able to see."
"That's for the same reason; the projection is done so away from you rather than onto your body so you still appear visible to yourself. Whether that was intended or not I don't know, but I'm glad it worked out like it did. If you were unable to see your limbs, coordinating them may have proved tricky."
"What does it run on then? I would have thought something this powerful would need a massive power-pack to work, but I can't see a power source at all!"
"That's a little secret of mine, which, until now, no-one has ever known about. When I performed experiments in the Nether, I was often teamed to find certain objects to conduct tests on. We'd always go in teams, collecting small samples to determine their energy efficiency of. One day I came across this strange, orange rod. It was just lying on the ground, and after determining it wasn't putting out radiation or heat into the air, I picked it up and packed it away for personal study. I've had it for many years now, and I've determined that it contains mass quantities of potential energy that can easily be converted to fuel whatever is necessary. It's about 120% more efficient than any fossil fuel that we currently use today, and could easily power the CPD for a full day!"
"What happens when in runs out then? Can it be recharged, or is that the end of it?"
"No, but that's another beautiful property I found out about it. It self-recharges! When it's not in use, it will recharge itself when in contact with anything that radiates heat. The intensity of the heat source determines the recharge rate, but it can essentially recharge itself from body heat! It would take quite a while, but this ability makes it an incredibly potent power source."
"Wait, so you managed to take this from the Nether? But we thought that all energy sources from the Nether instantly lost their potential energy when being brought back through the portal to our world...?"
"That's what I thought as well, but I suppose it may have something to do with the recharge ability it possesses. The other energy sources are much like any normal source, and when the entire source has been spent, the material is useless. Like when burning coal, you are left with ash, and a residue which contains no more potential energy and has little use for anything other than waste. That rod however recharges, and is the only source of energy we have ever found that can do so."
"Why didn't you turn this over to HoN Co. then? This could have made you incredibly famous! An energy source that recharges itself! You've actually find infinite energy!"
"Yes, but with great power comes great responsibility. Pardon the trope, but if HoN Co. were to get their hands on this, they would only abuse it. I couldn't have that riding on my conscience. If I had they would likely have activated the master portal by now too!"
THEROS popped back into view as he removed the device from his belt and handed it back to Jeff. He took it and slid back a small panel that revealed a small, thin, orange rod. He carefully took it out and placed it onto the table top, placing the device behind him.
"This is it."
"Wait, hang on a minute. What about the conservation of energy? If this thing is able to convert heat into potential energy to use in the CPD, what energy form is it giving off when it's being used? The energy doesn't just get used up..."
"I simply don't know. I've monitored the device while it is operational, and the only form of energy it expels besides converted electrical energy is heat, and that is insubstantial to count for the amount of power it is supplying. It's not emitted in radiation form, at any point along the EM spectrum, so I simply don't know. Some form of energy that we haven't encountered yet, possibly. As such we can't detect it yet, so we don't know what form that takes and what effect it has."
Jeff placed the rod back into the CPD, which hummed as the back plate was slid back into position, before growing silent.
"If your friends only have one of these... Eyes to find, they should be back by now. I recommend we go back to the cafeteria and stay there until they come back. Everyone else will either be asleep or working in their own labs, so we'll need to keep out of sight of the other guards, and especially the Director."
Taking the device with him, slipping it into his lab coat pocket, we left the lab, going through the mandatory disinfectant mist again before heading towards the cafeteria.
Syeonyx signing off
The ultimate disguise!
We went back inside the lab where we had seen the two scientists dissecting something on the top of a table in the far corner, which meant going through the same disinfectant process again. Pressing the button, the light flashed, before the room filled with the same sterile mist, which dissipated quickly, opening the door in front of us. Entering into the other side of the room, I noticed that the other scientist had already left, leaving us on our own with Jeff. Walking to the far side, he flicked a switch and the table they had been standing around earlier sank into the ground, leaving only a slight raise in the ground.
"As you no doubt know by now, we're been able to experiment over a wide area of topics and subjects, and have had access to some of the best equipment and scientific minds of our generation. Up until now, I couldn't think of any practical application to the experiments we were performing, but I had faith in the Director that he knew what he was doing. It's only recently when we were told to begin experimenting with the creatures they had managed to bring across from the Nether. I have dissected the remains of pigmen that have been subjected to many forms of torture and physical stress, most of which I was unable to determine the cause of. But it seems that HoN Co. are not only trying to find ways to bring large quantities into our dimension, but they're trying to beef them up as well!"
"You think HoN Co. are trying to improve the pigmen?"
"Not just the pigmen; once or twice I have dissected the remains of infant Ghasts, Blazes, Creepers, and many more creatures that didn't as yet have names. Through vigorous study I was able to determine that many of the corpses had similar traits, but only those that had been performed on them. Some had received numerous, deep lacerations, burns and a vast array of other physical deformities."
"What about the Creepers? What did you notice when you were dissecting those?"
"Well a couple of years ago I noticed that there had been a significant change to the physiology of the Creepers I had dissected in the past. They possessed a new organ that secreted a hormone or chemical that only occurred while it was alive. We were told very little of its use, except that it was involved in making them 'more volatile'... We also weren't told how they had come to have these new organs, but early on I came up with the theory that they had been altered on the genetic level. It wasn't a random, spontaneous mutation of DNA, but a precisely engineered modification."
"So another cell within HoN Co. was altering the genetic code of Creepers to grow this additional organ inside of them?"
"Yes, but it hadn't hit me then that it was us doing the genetic modification. They told us to stop asking questions and get on with our work. Well, I'm sorry, but when you tell a scientist to stop asking questions, it's like telling them to quit! That's what a scientist does! For at least a year I've begun to understand that HoN Co. cares not about morals or ethics, but only on reaching their ultimate goal, that of which I am now aware. For about as long I've been wanting to leave, but I know that they wouldn't let me go freely. A HoN Co. scientist does not simply quit. They 'disappear'... Something I'd rather not do. So I've kept up my work for the purpose of preserving my life, so that I may get the chance to escape one day."
"You're not the only one, you know. In our time we've opened the eyes of HoN Co. scientists, guards and other employees being kept blind to the whole picture. In fact one of the scientists studying portal technology has joined us. Her name is Amie, and we found her working on the master portal. She had the same doubts about HoN Co. as you do, and if these doubts are as widespread as we believe, it's only a matter time before everyone leaves, and the public gets wind of this."
"See, due to the way in which HoN Co. keeps us in these distinct cells, I hadn't even heard about any kind of portal, let alone experiments with making ones that take you to other dimensions. It's unlikely she knew about the work we did, although I use the word 'work' in the loosest possible sense."
"Anyway, you said you had something that could make things a little easier for us?"
"Ah, yes I do. As I already mentioned, quitting from this job is practically impossible, but I had an idea to simply walk out instead."
"I don't get it, what's the difference?"
"This is..."
Jeff came from the other side of the room carrying a small device which I thought was another PDA, until he placed it onto the table top.
"What is it?"
"Is it a way to destroy the master portal without having to go into The End?"
"No, unfortunately. I've been working on this for some time, so I wouldn't have known about the portals back then. No, it's a small device that mimics the environment around it through an array of sensors and projects a true-to-life stream of light which can be used to hide objects."
"In English...?"
"It's a device that can hide any object, including people, by mimicking the environment around it, essentially bending light by allowing viewers to look straight through it, without seeing it or whatever it is attached to."
"So it's like an invisible shield, based from the Elite armour?"
"Oh no, that's true invisibility. They have spent billions developing a technology that can bend electro-magnetic radiation at the visible light level. This detects, copies and then mimics the surrounding colours and textures, and then projects them out, much like a chameleon does. It adapts to its environment through the sensors, and within seconds, it can conceal an object as it moves between varying levels of colour and texture. It's called a CPD: Chameleonic Projection Device. Well, I called it the CPD, and as far as I know, nothing else like it exists. The technology is so very different from that used by the Elite armour, but it essentially does the same."
"How effective is it? Does the light level effect it?"
"Well I would say it's more effective than bending light, as with that method there is always a level of distortion. Light naturally travels in a straight line, which is usually the path of least resistance, but obviously attempting to bend it will cause distortion. This is often seen as a rippling effect, like that of gently flowing water. However with the CPD, it replicates the light level, shadowing, colour and texture of any and all objects in a 360o radius."
"Can I try it out?"
"Sure! Place it on a central position on your body, turn it on and wait a few moments for it to gather enough data to operate. It'll take effect momentarily."
"But how does it work?"
"Like that..."
Syeonyx signing off
"As you no doubt know by now, we're been able to experiment over a wide area of topics and subjects, and have had access to some of the best equipment and scientific minds of our generation. Up until now, I couldn't think of any practical application to the experiments we were performing, but I had faith in the Director that he knew what he was doing. It's only recently when we were told to begin experimenting with the creatures they had managed to bring across from the Nether. I have dissected the remains of pigmen that have been subjected to many forms of torture and physical stress, most of which I was unable to determine the cause of. But it seems that HoN Co. are not only trying to find ways to bring large quantities into our dimension, but they're trying to beef them up as well!"
"You think HoN Co. are trying to improve the pigmen?"
"Not just the pigmen; once or twice I have dissected the remains of infant Ghasts, Blazes, Creepers, and many more creatures that didn't as yet have names. Through vigorous study I was able to determine that many of the corpses had similar traits, but only those that had been performed on them. Some had received numerous, deep lacerations, burns and a vast array of other physical deformities."
"What about the Creepers? What did you notice when you were dissecting those?"
"Well a couple of years ago I noticed that there had been a significant change to the physiology of the Creepers I had dissected in the past. They possessed a new organ that secreted a hormone or chemical that only occurred while it was alive. We were told very little of its use, except that it was involved in making them 'more volatile'... We also weren't told how they had come to have these new organs, but early on I came up with the theory that they had been altered on the genetic level. It wasn't a random, spontaneous mutation of DNA, but a precisely engineered modification."
"So another cell within HoN Co. was altering the genetic code of Creepers to grow this additional organ inside of them?"
"Yes, but it hadn't hit me then that it was us doing the genetic modification. They told us to stop asking questions and get on with our work. Well, I'm sorry, but when you tell a scientist to stop asking questions, it's like telling them to quit! That's what a scientist does! For at least a year I've begun to understand that HoN Co. cares not about morals or ethics, but only on reaching their ultimate goal, that of which I am now aware. For about as long I've been wanting to leave, but I know that they wouldn't let me go freely. A HoN Co. scientist does not simply quit. They 'disappear'... Something I'd rather not do. So I've kept up my work for the purpose of preserving my life, so that I may get the chance to escape one day."
"You're not the only one, you know. In our time we've opened the eyes of HoN Co. scientists, guards and other employees being kept blind to the whole picture. In fact one of the scientists studying portal technology has joined us. Her name is Amie, and we found her working on the master portal. She had the same doubts about HoN Co. as you do, and if these doubts are as widespread as we believe, it's only a matter time before everyone leaves, and the public gets wind of this."
"See, due to the way in which HoN Co. keeps us in these distinct cells, I hadn't even heard about any kind of portal, let alone experiments with making ones that take you to other dimensions. It's unlikely she knew about the work we did, although I use the word 'work' in the loosest possible sense."
"Anyway, you said you had something that could make things a little easier for us?"
"Ah, yes I do. As I already mentioned, quitting from this job is practically impossible, but I had an idea to simply walk out instead."
"I don't get it, what's the difference?"
"This is..."
Jeff came from the other side of the room carrying a small device which I thought was another PDA, until he placed it onto the table top.
"What is it?"
"Is it a way to destroy the master portal without having to go into The End?"
"No, unfortunately. I've been working on this for some time, so I wouldn't have known about the portals back then. No, it's a small device that mimics the environment around it through an array of sensors and projects a true-to-life stream of light which can be used to hide objects."
"In English...?"
"It's a device that can hide any object, including people, by mimicking the environment around it, essentially bending light by allowing viewers to look straight through it, without seeing it or whatever it is attached to."
"So it's like an invisible shield, based from the Elite armour?"
"Oh no, that's true invisibility. They have spent billions developing a technology that can bend electro-magnetic radiation at the visible light level. This detects, copies and then mimics the surrounding colours and textures, and then projects them out, much like a chameleon does. It adapts to its environment through the sensors, and within seconds, it can conceal an object as it moves between varying levels of colour and texture. It's called a CPD: Chameleonic Projection Device. Well, I called it the CPD, and as far as I know, nothing else like it exists. The technology is so very different from that used by the Elite armour, but it essentially does the same."
"How effective is it? Does the light level effect it?"
"Well I would say it's more effective than bending light, as with that method there is always a level of distortion. Light naturally travels in a straight line, which is usually the path of least resistance, but obviously attempting to bend it will cause distortion. This is often seen as a rippling effect, like that of gently flowing water. However with the CPD, it replicates the light level, shadowing, colour and texture of any and all objects in a 360o radius."
"Can I try it out?"
"Sure! Place it on a central position on your body, turn it on and wait a few moments for it to gather enough data to operate. It'll take effect momentarily."
"But how does it work?"
"Like that..."
Syeonyx signing off
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