ENTRY 1.0
I've reached the factory. After so much, it feels like this journey is coming to an end.
I walk to the large steel doors, and look up. The factory is as tall as the eye can see. I look towards the broken tunnel where I began this journey. That point was so high up… But I won't be adventuring at the top of the structure. I must now travel beneath it.
I pry the steel door open, and I'm met with an empty metal expanse. As I step in, the sound of my foot hitting the floors echoes into the darkness. I walk further. The first sign of something wrong I see is dozens of empty pods. They seem familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. It seems like the units that hatched from them were able to escape at some point. I feel happy for them, only to remember that they've almost certainly gone mad by now.
Upon reaching the end of the room, I am met with a ladder leading downwards. I must descend. I grip the sides of the ladder, and slide down what feels like 30 feet.
This layer is even darker than the last. The walls are far more corroded, and insects fly through the air. A body. On the floor lies a decomposing NECROS unit, flies gathered around its brain case. The rotting fluid leaking out. Still I travel further. I descend further. I descend so far that I can feel the vibrations in the earth around me. I begin to find more NECROS units, rotting, soaking the floors in blood. It seems that the units that hatched from the pods above did not escape after all… Still I continue further.
The floor is soaked in a mix of water, chemicals, and blood. I spot another body, this one different from the rest. I approach it. Upon its jaw V.VI is inscribed. It seems this unit was on a journey of its own. I descend further into the void.
The walls feel like they're closing around me. My mind hurts, but I must continue. The walls feel alive. Like they too are made up of the minds that decay in their bowels. Brain matter is everywhere. Brain matter with electrical components strewn about. Flesh and machine. Two elements that refuse to mix together.
At last, I reached the bottom.
Contrasting against the rest of the walls, is a perfectly clean glass door. I approach, and it opens on its own.
Inside I see a surprising sight. The walls are made of marble, the floor is carpeted in velvet, and a large statue of a man stands in the middle of the space.I approach it. A name is shown on the plaque beneath its feet.
“R. REAGAN, MAY HE FOREVER REST IN PEACE, 1946- 2028”
<I'm unaware of this name.>
I continue past the statue. Behind it is a long hall, with monumental portraits covering the walls, all with plaques of their own.
Bezos? Jobs? Who are these people? Large chandeliers hang from the ceiling high above., each one significantly larger than myself. At the end of the hallway are large golden curtains. I open them, and am met with the view of a sunlit courtyard. But there can't possibly be sun this deep down? It must be an artificial source of light. I step into the courtyard, feeling the warm grass beneath my feet. The smell of the pollen makes me sneeze. But I can't waste any time… I need to find… Something…
I walk through the courtyard, finally reaching the doorway on the other side. A small sign reads “Living Quarters” I step into the room.
<Oh...Oh no...Was I too late...?>
The walls of the room were white, but they are now stained red. In the room lay a group of corpses, each on their own pedestal. I approach a body. Its skin is rotted, but there are no insects. Maybe we're too far down for them to reach?
“Hello Vulcan”
I look towards the corpse. Its mouth isn't moving, but… it's speaking…
“Valerie… You've done it… You've saved us…You’ve saved humanity…”
“How... Are you speaking?”
“Never mind that! You should be celebrating! This is a journey very few make!”
“How long were all of you trapped down here?”
“Oh not too long! Now, are you going to wait around, or are you going to celebrate with us?”
“I need to return to the surface...”
“Oh that's too bad! Have a nice day!”