Factory Reset

Chapter Twenty-Three: White Visor

Mason felt his heart sink as he heard those bells roar and the lights flash, shooting instantly up from his position on his bed. Marissa and Axel both looked terrorfied, and Hannah was looking around.

Axel was the first to react, grabbing Marissa and tearing through the door, "We have to go! We have to get out!" He yelled through the alarm, yanking Marissa with him. Mason slid off the bed and quickly picked Hannah up.

He then grabbed B-64's hand and rushed through the doorway, following Axel as he led them down a hallway. As they ran past each door, they heard a calm and collected robotic voice call through some speaker, "Security Breach: MTF Squads that are available are asked to follow protocol."

Mason heard another sound, sharply reducing and impairing his hearing. The sound shook the very walls of The Foundation, startling enough to cause Axel to trip, though he caught himself.

"Hurry up!" Marissa yelled, tugging Axel as he continued to almost trip his way down the hall. The voice in the walls voiced another warning, "All Non-Combatants please make your way to the Breach selter. Profile Red is in action, please make your way to the Breach Shelter on Floor J-4."

What does that even mean? Mason wondered, but he didn't have much time to think as another explosion sounded off, just above their heads. The ceiling shook violently as a creature seemed to roar. That sound was familiar to B-64, who tried to process it.

By now all the sounds and noises had disturbed Hannah, who clung onto her Brother for support. Mason held her close as he continued to run, holding her ears close so that she could not hear the noises.

They found their way into another hallway, labeled J-1. Marissa called them into it, hoping that they could at least find this so-called Breach Shelter that was talked about. Mason found himself silently thanking every single God he knew for having them on the exact level they needed to be.

The hallway stretched for some time before reaching another bend, with a single sign declaring it J-2. They all could hear roars and screeches, horrible amalgamations of noise that if they were any louder, it most certainly would have made their ears bleed.

They reached J-3 before too long, and they felt hope rise in their chest. That was quickly crushed as they heard a crash, and the ceiling before them, right at the bend into J-4, collapse.

Rising from the pile of rubble and support beams was a blackened and charred creature, a single Puppet. The thing's flesh was smeared around it's body in disproportionate angles, it's mangled face beyond recognition besides a single eye dangling from it's socket.

They stood still for a moment, a horrid cacophony of different voices raging out from a single wide orifice that it called a mouth. B-64 quickly covered Mason's ears, disconnecting his own sound sensors. 

Marissa and Axel quickly covered their ears as well, and Mason did to Hannah. They stood there, not making a single sound as the creature roared, the walls vibrating with hard energy, causing them to somehow melt.

The singular Puppet slowly closed it's mouth, it's bones making a harsh snapping sound as it turned it's. The single eye dangling from it's decomposing head swiveled to look at them, the string of flesh connecting it to the brain slowly sapping due to the stress. 

B-64 was quick to react, knowing what kind of devastation that thing could wake. He pushed Mason out of the way gently with his arm, making his way towards the unnatural creature. He knew how these things worked.

He skipped into a run, activating his shield and slashing it into the ground. With a strong flick of his wrist, he sent rubble and concrete flying from the earth and hitting the creature straight in it's abdomen.