"Just a straight hallway," Gale said.
"Good," Ollie said, stepping out of the elevator. "Gale, take point this time. Straight hallway gives us clear L.O.S. Everyone else stays back behind the vanguard."
"Got it," Gale moved up ahead of the group.
Weber on his right hand still felt slightly heavier than usual. Wasting a gun syringe to get rid of the drain's effects would've helped, but that was a waste of resources. A Vit Vial would've also helped, though he could probably manage whatever happens next anyways.
Lean on your team, Gale. Don't do everything alone.
"Those robots giving anyone else the creeps?" Kyle muttered from behind.
"You get the creeps from everything," Clyde said.
"Not true. Just most things."
"Stop talking," Rachel whispered harshly.
The group started their march. The light from Rachel's fireball overhead revealed more of the hallway, which was basically more hallway of the same thing plus more unmoving robots. All the robots had chrome like surfaces that cast harsh reflections of the light. Their faces also held no structure, just smooth chrome that looked to be a humanoid head.
Gale approached the first one cautiously. Up close, it looked less threatening. It had no visible weapons, its body constructed of smooth metal plates that looked almost fragile. He passed it carefully, Weber held ready to smash anything that moved. Seeing how this place was a dead world, ghosts might contain one of these mannequins and haunt him with its creepy faceless head.
Analyze.
[Untitled Architect's Android Failure]
[Description: One of the first few failures of the Architect. But even as failures, they all received love as they were assigned the task to protect the Core of Harmony.]
[Current state: Frozen]
The description eased Gale's heart slightly. So it was really a robot and not something that wore metal plates and underneath was something organic or spectral.
The group moved slowly through the corridor, passing more mannequin robots. Each step on the metal floor created soft echoes despite their careful steps that muffled their march.
"They don't seem active," Lily said.
"Let's keep it that way," Ollie said.
About two hundred metres from the elevator, Gale noticed two doors, one on the left wall and another directly opposite on the right. Each had a small circular window at eye level.
Ollie put up a fist to signal a stop. "Sweep and clear. Lily, check the left. Gale, take the right."
Gale nodded and approached the door on the right. An unmoving robot stood directly in his path, blocking access to the small window.
"Need to move this thing," he said, dematerializing Weber back into the space storage.
He pushed, expecting it to shift easily, but the robot was surprisingly dense. He adjusted his stance and shoved harder. The robot's feet scraped against the floor, creating a harsh metallic screech that seemed deafening in the quiet hallway.
"Jeeeesus christ, rookie!" Kyle whispered a shout.
"Sorry," Gale faked a smile.
Finally, with the robot pushed aside, Gale moved to the circular window and peered inside. The room beyond was dimly lit by the same pulsing glowing circuit patterns that lined the hallway walls and Rachel's fireball at the centre of the hallway. Large pipes ran along the ceiling, with thick cables snaking across the floor. What caught his attention were dark stains splashed across one section of the floor. It looked more organic than something like oil, and he wasn't about to go in there and lick blood.
"Ollie," Gale called out. "You might want to see this."
Ollie joined him at the window, squinting into the darkness. "What am I looking at?"
"The stains on the floor," Gale pointed. "They don't look like oil."
Ollie pressed closer to the glass. "How can you tell? It's just a black pool from here, especially with barely any light."
"I just know," Gale said.
"That's not helpful," Ollie pulled back from the window.
"It looks... organic," Gale said, but Ollie had already turned away.
From across the hallway, Lily called out. "Found something here too."
The group gathered at the left door as Lily peered through its window.
"Giant cylinder pods," she said. "Shattered. Glass all over the floor and the floor's completely dry. Whatever happened was a long time ago." She turned back from the door. "Don't think I want to know what used to be in those things."
"Pods?" Rachel stepped forward to look for herself. "Like containers for living things?"
"Maybe," Lily stepped aside for Rachel. "Big enough to hold a person."
Rachel peered through the window. "We should keep moving. Don't stay in one place too long."
"Agreed," Ollie signalled to continue the march down the hallway. "Same formation. Gale on point."
The group continued down the corridor, passing more mannequin robots. Some stood perfectly straight, others were slightly hunched, a few had arms raised as if frozen mid-gesture. One of the mannequins held the number 0 on its forehead in the foreign language of the world.
"Ollie, look." Gale pointed to the robot that had a number 0.
"A number 0," Ollie said. "What of it?"
"It's the only one that looks different," Gale said.
"Gale might be onto something," Rachel said. "Keep a note on that number 0. It might lead to a clue if anything does happen."
"See? What I tell you. She's always backing him up," Kyle said.
"No, I think Gale's right on that one," Lily said. "Something about that mannequin is different."
"It's missing a finger," Clyde said. "Look, the other mannequins have all four fingers. This one has three."
"Right. That sounds like this shit is a prototype," Kyle said.
"Guys, just keep moving. It's just a number," Ollie said.
The march started again, Gale at the front. Robots passed them by, and he saw ones with a number on their forehead that went up to the number 11. In total, 12 robots with numbers on their heads, and the rest had none. Each of the numbered robots had barely noticeable flaws.
Coming up to a large wall, a single door stood in the way at the end of the hallway. Unlike the previous two doors they passed by, this door had no window, just a solid metal surface etched with the same circuitry that lined the walls.
"A giant wall with a single door at the end of the hallway," Clyde muttered.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
"That's some bad omen waiting to happen," Kyle said.
"Totally," Clyde said.
"More important detail is, where do I put the tablet in to open this door?" Ollie said. "Everyone, spread out. Find the indent."
The group fanned out, running their hands across the wall surrounding the door. Gale ran his hands across the left side while also letting Breath of the Void's tendrils lick every inch of the wall to see if there were any changes in taste. Salty, iron, and some other metals he didn't know. Thankfully, his sense of taste was back.
For about half an hour, no one talked, focusing on the task at hand. All Gale could think of was that he was tired of the iron taste. Give him some dirt or soil, and he'd be happy to taste anything.
Clyde stepped back from the wall, squinting at the door. "Maybe we're overthinking this. Every other door in this place had the indent right on it. What if the door is just a normal door? Like try touching it."
"That's the stupidest thing I've heard," Ollie shook his head while feeling a section to the right. "The last few doors we encountered were tablet operated. There has to be an indent somewhere."
"What if it's not?" Clyde said. "Not every door has to work the same way."
Thirty minutes later, they'd covered every inch of the surrounding wall. Nothing resembled an indent for the tablet.
"Fuck this," Kyle slumped against the wall. "We've been at this for an hour."
"I'm telling you," Clyde said, "try the door itself."
Stepping forward toward the metal door, Gale looked carefully at the etchings. The circuitry lines covering it weren't random. They all converged toward the centre point of the door. There was a single rhombus that didn't have any lines crossing or intersecting it. Inside the rhombus was a circle. In the walls and other places that had the rhomboid patterns, lines and other shapes freely crossed or intersected any point of the rhombuses. This one was different. It had lines that shot outwards from the four points, but no lines or shapes that laid on top of it.
"I think Clyde might be right," Gale said. "The door pattern is different from the wall patterns."
Ollie sighed heavily. "Fine. But you're touching it, Gale." He shot a look at Rachel. "And don't say anything about it."
Rachel pouted, crossing her arms.
"Why me?" Gale asked.
"Because you're the sturdiest out of all of us," Ollie said firmly. "If something's going to blow up, you'll recover faster."
"Ok," Gale muttered.
"Everyone get behind me." Lily stepped forward, positioning herself between Gale and the rest of the group. She whispered something under her breath, and a blue translucent shield materialized in front of her, curving around to partially cover the group.
"Go ahead, Gale," Ollie said from behind the shield. "Touch the circle in the middle of the rhombus."
Gale sighed, eyeing the door. The way they were preparing made it seem like touching the door would trigger something catastrophic, which made him even more anxious to touch the thingy. But that was his job as a vanguard, wasn't it? To take the risks so others wouldn't have to.
He stepped forward, extending his hand toward the centre of the pattern. The metal felt cool against his fingertip as he pressed it against the circle inside the rhombus.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the circle pulsed once with a soft blue-grey light that pulsed outwards from the 4 lines that shot out from the rhombus. The door shuddered and slid open without incident, revealing the next part of the hallway.
"See? Told you," Clyde said.
"Shut up," Kyle punched his brother's shoulder.
"I guess not everything in this place wants to kill us," Lily dissolved her shield.
Ollie gestured at the hallway beyond the door. "Vanguard first, followed by the candle. Everyone else after."
Gale stepped through the door while Rachel followed him. For a moment, there was darkness as the previous fireball dissipated while she cast another one into the new corridor.
The others filed in behind them, footsteps echoing against the metal floor.
"Very creepy," Kyle muttered. "More dark hallway. Because why not?"
The robots stood in different positions and postures now. Some with arms outstretched while others in a half crouched pose. Gale passed another one with the number 3 on its forehead. Several metres later, a 7 and then a 1.
The numbers had to mean something. This kind of detail didn't make sense there wouldb be unmarked robots, but he couldn't put a finger on what.
"Keeping track of those numbers?" Rachel asked.
Gale nodded.
"I'm thinking the same. They have to mean something," she said. "Has to mean something."
They continued forward until they met two doors again, one on the left, one on the right. Both had small circular windows at eye level, just like the last time.
"Same drill." Ollie made a quick hand gesture. "Lily, take left. Gale, check the right."
Gale moved toward the right door. This time, the robot was positioned further away, not blocking his way to the door. He leaned in close, cupping his hands around his eyes to see through the door.
Pitch black. Nothing visible beyond the glass.
"Can't see anything," Gale said. "Just darkness."
Lily stepped away from her window. "Same here. Complete darkness."
"Let's keep moving. We're not here to explore every room," Ollie said.
They continued down the corridor, passing more of the mannequin robots. Gale counted them silently. Once again, he found that there were 12 robots in total, where the numbers starting from 0 to 11, just like before.
"Twelve of them with numbers," he said to Rachel. "Same as before."
"What do you think it means?" she asked.
"Not sure."
"We'll find out soon enough," Rachel said.
The hallway eventually terminated at another large wall with a single doorway. Like the previous one, it was covered in the same circuitry patterns that converged toward a central rhombus with a circle inside.
This time, Ollie stepped forward without hesitation. "My turn."
He pressed his palm against the circle in the middle of the rhombus. Blue-gray light pulsed outward along the four lines extending from the points, and the door slid open with a soft hiss.
"No need for shields this time?" Kyle asked.
"Didn't blow up the first time," Ollie said.
Gale and Rachel entered first, passing through the threshold into yet another section of the corridor. The robots here stood in different formations, but remained as still and lifeless as before.
"Something's weird," Rachel said.
She was right. This looked exactly the same as the first two hallways they passed through. The patterns were all exactly the same. Tendril licked at one of the spots he remembered licking, and that place tasted of the same metal.
"Should we be concerned?" he asked.
Rachel shook her head. "Let's just keep moving. Stay alert."
They continued their march down the corridor. More robots passed them by. Again, Gale counted the numbered ones, this time they had different arrangement and different poses. One of the robots was even suspended in the air in a pouncing motion somehow.
After another hundred metres, they reached yet another set of doors with circular windows.
"Again?" Kyle said. "This doesn't look like a coincidence."
"It's like we're going in circles," Clyde said.
"I don't care if we're making progress or not," Ollie said. "I just want to find the way up and get out of here."
Gale stepped up to the right window again, peering through the glass. Just like before, nothing but darkness greeted him.
"Same result," he said, turning back to the group. "Can't see anything inside."
"Me neither," Lily said as she turned back from the left window. "Just black."
Ollie paced back and forth, hand on his chin as his eyes flicked to the fireball overhead of them and one of the numbered robots with a 6. He stopped suddenly, saying, "This isn't working. Everyone follow me."
Without waiting for a response, Ollie broke into a run down the corridor. His form quickly disappeared into the darkness beyond.
"What the!" Kyle said.
"Just go!" Rachel sprinted after Ollie.
Gale didn't hesitate. He took off behind Rachel, feet pounding against the metal floor too loud for his comfort. The robots blurred past him as he tried to avoid them. Kyle and Clyde trailed behind him while Lily followed suit.
The corridor stretched ahead, and the patterns were all the same. Same rhomboid patterns, and the robots were in slightly different positions closer to the entrance from which they came from.
Ollie skidded to a stop at the end where the expected large wall with a single door, having no windows, greeted them. Gale and Rachel came second, followed by the twins and Lily. None needed to catch their breaths.
"Why the rush?" Kyle asked.
Ollie didn't answer. He simply stepped forward and pressed his palm against the circle in the middle of the rhombus. Just like before, blue-grey light pulsed outward along the four lines extending from the rhombus points. The door slid open with the same soft hiss they'd heard twice already.
"Vanguard and candle. Go," Ollie said.
Gale and Rachel entered first. As they crossed the threshold, Rachel's fireball dissipated just like it had before. When she crossed the threshold, she created another fireball that illuminated the surroundings.
The robots had arranged themselves differently again. This time, they stood much closer to the door, their frozen postures more animated than before. Some looked like they were mid-step, others with arms outstretched toward the ceiling.
"Another repeat," Gale said, looking around. The déjà vu feeling was strong enough to make his skin crawl. Something was clearly wrong with everything.
"Not exactly," Rachel said.
Without warning, she thrust her palm toward one of the robots. A second ball of fire shot from her hand and hit the robot square in the chest. The flames wrapped around the metal body, igniting even further.
Nothing happened. The robot didn't move, didn't react, didn't even show signs of damage. The fire died away after a few seconds, leaving the chrome metal surface untouched.
"Shit…" Kyle muttered.
Gale stepped forward. Weber materialized on his right hand as he approached one of the robots with a number 5 on its forehead. Swinging the sword at its neck, a dull clang echoed along the hallway as Weber bounced off. Not even a scratch marked the chrome surface as it stood motionless, frozen in its pose and arms half-raised.
Phase Touch activated along the edge of Weber. He swung again. Another clang as it bounced off the neck again.
"They're indestructible," Gale stepped back.
Ollie rubbed his chin, glancing at the light, darkness, the robots, and where the two doors would have been in a couple of hundred metres. "I know what's happening, and you're not going to like it."