Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 1.4, Taiyou-Shi City of the Sun

Once the door had opened, there was no turning back. They quickened their pace, afraid of being discovered. Gustav was surprised how easy it was to make it into a reactor core. The Cores were maximum security. The key codes required sequences that randomly changed in addition to the codes on the keypads. Only employees of the Diskarma Corporation or government employees were allowed access into the Cores.

It took a full ten minutes for the elevator to take them down below the city, past its three plates to the underground level. The elevator didn't provide much of a view. A tiny viewport showed their progress as they descended but there wasn't much to see, just layers upon layers of metal walls as the elevator moved slowly down. A light screen projected out, marking their position on a three-dimensional holographic representation of the city and its three plates. Once the elevator doors opened they were greeted by a security sentry.

Gustav turned pale and was about to pass out from the fear when Fala spoke up.

"I'm here with my boyfriend. We're here to see my dad. He's on the North Block. We both have permission to see him and it's a scheduled visit. You'll be able to check your records and confirm this appointment." Fala showed her ID from her communicator.

The sentries nodded wordlessly and let them pass.

"Fala, I thought I was going to die back there!" Gustav said, as soon as they were out of earshot.

Fala smiled. "Relax! I told you I've got this under control."

"Although I must admit, I liked the boyfriend part..." Gustav muttered under his breath."

"Did you say something?"

"Nope. Not a word. Okay, we've made it this far, I doubt we're going to make much progress without a map..."

Fala took out a folded piece of paper from inside her sweater. Gustav threw his hands up in the air. "The printed paper was a nice touch, Fala. Untrackable, and it leaves nothing for the hackers to get at. Well done."

She grinned and continued on her way.

The reactor was labyrinthine on the inside, an endless maze of dimly lit hallways and passages, looking more and more alike as time went by. There were several security checkpoints built into each area, and the reactor workers knew them by heart.

Fala and Gustav made their way through the reactor's long hallways. They reached an area that was better illuminated. Light spires lined the heavy metal walls of the reactor at regular intervals. The process of converting the Goddess Essence to other forms of energy involved triggering a chain reaction. Diskarma held the patent behind the science that created the chain reaction which allowed the Goddess Essence to be utilized for various purposes. There was always the possibility of a violent reaction occurring during the transformation of energy from one form to another. The reactor cores managed the transformation of the Goddess Essence on a daily basis, and safety was a primary concern of the residents of Taiyou-Shi.

Fala navigated herself and Gustav through the facility with ease. They reached an area where rows and rows of black, rubber-like Dark-Suits hung on metal racks. Exposure to the raw Goddess Essence was not fatal, but over-exposure did bring a certain level of intoxication.The Dark-Suits, made of a material impervious to solar energy, were worn by all employees at the reactor. Metallic helmets protected the head from possible intoxication or physical shock. Once the outfits were donned, employees were unrecognizable and could only be identified via the biometric keycard they carried on their persons at all times.

The pair suited up, discarding their clothes.

"You better not be looking, Gustav!"

"Believe me, I want to, but I'm not that stupid!" Gustav retorted. "I would never brave the wrath of Fala." he whispered.

"Did you say something?"

"No." Gustav sighed. "Maybe one look..."

"What?"

"Just kidding."

Once properly suited up, the pair stepped out and continued.

Fala had taken the time to memorize the entire map's layout. She effortlessly navigated through the maze of rooms and hallways.

According to the map, they were getting near their goal. The measurement rooms were physically situated near the containment units that housed the Kurokyuu Orbs.

"We're here. What now, boss?" Gustav said.

"I'm disappointed in you, Gustav."

"What now?" he sighed. "The lady sure is hard to please."

"Think back to what we know about the measurement units. They send regular updates to the main data store in twenty-minute intervals. This is done because an error in the measurements would require a rebalancing of the financials. Remember that the Goddess Essence is tied to the GEUs."

Gustav shrugged. "Ok, I know that much at least. Why don't we just hack into the data store like we did to get the rest of the information?"

"Alas, the main data store uses high-level encryption. It would take far too long to compromise with the current tools I have at my disposal."

"Ah. But then how do we do this?"

"A breach of the data store is practically impossible, but a breach of the measurement units wouldn't be out of the question. The procedure includes a human audit of the measurement. That's where we come in, that's why we're here."

"Fala, if we ever do this again, I would appreciate being briefed in advance as to the nature of our activities," Gustav muttered as they hurried along.

"Don't you like surprises?" Fala smiled back at him.

"Not this kind," Gustav retorted. "This is like making a swan-dive into a bed of flowers, then realizing the flowers were barbed wire."

"Oh, come on, Gustav, it's not that bad. Admit it, you're enjoying yourself in all this."

"Thrilled, Fala. I'm having the time of my life."

Fala beamed. "Of course you are!"

"This is so not worth it." Gustav muttered under his breath.

The measurement room was cold and clinical. The hum of electronic devices filled the dimly lit room. Even the Dark-Suits did not provide enough insulation from the cold that permeated the area. The operation was massive, with such widespread technology. Fala wondered how many lives they were jeopardizing in their search for the truth.

"We can't just waltz in there," Gustav said.

He had barely finished his sentence when Fala held her biometric card up to the scanner and walked through the opening door. She looked back at him. "Are you coming or not?"

"So whoever's ID it is we compromised is someone from the Measurement Division, huh? Should have known you had this all planned to the end, Fala."

"Shhh!" Fala suddenly touched Gustav on the arm shortly after they entered. She was looking at one of the observation cameras in the Measurement Room. A tall man dressed in black was speaking to one of the employees. Beside him was a tall, striking woman. Though she appeared to be older, she was still very beautiful. She had silver hair, a very rare color, a finely chiseled nose, clear blue eyes and a small pouty mouth. Her features were framed by a perfectly oval face and a delicate chin. She was dressed in tight, form-fitting silver leather with a gray cape.

"That's Zentar Stryker and Felicia Silverstath, both part of the Council." She looked more closely at the screen. "What could high-ranking members of the Council be doing here at the #3 Reactor?"