The American marine wasn't the usual type to feel bad about a decision, but this one felt personal.
They had come into contact with another person, the only other living person he had seen besides his unconventional allies, in what felt like months... and he just handed her over to the sadistic, maniacal German.
It felt wrong; the thought of her screaming in pain, begging for the doctor not to kill her. Scarred, bloody and bruised. His insane laughter echoing as she cried.
And he would just be here, going about the same, routine practices since they had arrived here; patrolling the facility as if there was nothing wrong.
He knew that twisted man enjoyed other people's suffering too much.
And yet, he hadn't heard a thing from the others on the woman's condition.
The more he thought about her ill fate, the more it made him want to abandon the stupid patrol.
He could run up and kick that bastard's ass, get her as far away from him as possible. She'd be so grateful, probably just fall into his arms.
He'd be the hero that she wanted. No, needed.
But there was another feeling, gnawing at his insides...
It had been extremely quiet since they had linked all the teleporters. The silence of them after they had shut down, made it worse. It was too quiet.
No stragglers, not even the stray crawler. Nothing to suspect that the world inside and out of this facility had been trashed, raided, and left in ruins.
There was nothing to deduce that any undead plague existed.
As he walked around from the animal testing labs to the main courtyard, he mentally recited everything he saw to make sure nothing would sneak up on the group.
Fire, glass shards, dirt and gravel caked in old blood and sinew, rubble everywhere, the sight of someone sitting on the walkway next to the facility sign–
Wait a minute.
He glanced up towards the sign facing into the main courtyard. There on the edge of the railing, legs dangling over the edge, sat the mystery woman.
From a distance, she seemed unharmed.
The moon made her white skin glow unnaturally in the night; the light from above illuminating around her, giving her some sort of angelic aura.
She was staring at something off in the distance.
"Hey lady! Are you that chick from earlier?"
She looked almost in a trance, before her gaze lazily fell on him, and nothing was said in response.
"Uhm. Well, I was thinking about coming to check on you." He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, looking away in embarrassment, "But I guess I don't need to do that..."
He looked back as she stood up, walking off to the side to leave.
"H-hey, don't leave! I didn't mean to scare you away!"
Instead, she made her way, climbing down from above to meet him at the entrance to the engineering garage.
"You wish to speak with me?"
It was a startling introduction, and unfortunately, he fumbled through his words, "Uh ... y-yeah, Hi!"
She again, didn't respond back.
He picked up the conversation in hopes of something less... odd. "I Just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, you going off with the doc and all... just making sure he didn't do anything terrible to ya."
If this mystery woman had been hurt, she didn't act as if she had been in a terrible situation at all, though maybe it was shock that was making her expressions hard to read. He sighed, "I shouldn't've let you go with that freak."
A blank stare was all he was given before she spoke again, "Do you know anything at all about this place?"
It was asked more as a statement disguised as a question.
This mystery woman didn't seem to be harmful, and he could at least tell her what he knew.
"I mean, we don't know much about this place – don't get me wrong, we've only been here for a couple days – but I think Richtofen knows more about what's going on than it seems. Guessing he didn't tell ya, considering you're out here. That shady son of a b**ch."
There was a brief pause of uncomfortable silence. Not the most awkward conversation he had ever experienced...
Maybe that bastard had done something to her.
"Okay."
With that quick resolution, she quickly turned and walked away from him.
He called out after her, "Hey, wait! I didn't catch your name!"
He didn't dare move away from his position to chase after her; He just hoped that it didn't attract the attention of anything unwanted.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Chloe had decided to get back to where she had been sitting earlier, though opted to take the much safer, longer way around.
The conversation had gleamed no new information, other than the fact that the American man didn't seem very fond of the sciences.
Through the automotive garage and up the stairs, she instead decided to explore the other side; walking up the non-broken staircase to the right, she turned to face teleporter room Z-B.
She knew that it would be better to find and question the others to hopefully gain a better insight on the facility, but the call of curiosity was strong.
Then, she heard an unusual tune start up from her left and a yellow light appear.
Suddenly the steel bridge had begun to creak and groan. Steam escaping from the sides as the hydraulics released, letting the bridge down as smoothly as they could. Sparks of electricity jumped from the nearby generator; the facility's power supply was finally back online.
The one who had activated it stood at the bottom by the power switch, watching the bridge descend and connect. The doctor had come out of his office.
Chloe ducked behind the large air conditioning unit to not be seen. As much as she wished to talk to the man, she really wanted more information before she faced him again; She still needed a bit more time to figure out her plan of action on getting home, along with how the teleporters worked. And what the others knew was crucial to having the upper hand.
That was when she spotted something inside.
Hiding on the inner side of the unit, visible through a cracked grate, sat a few books: Two laying on the floor, one closed and one laying face-down, with the other haphazardly opened and resting on the inside of the wall.
She reached inside, being as gentle as possible. Fingers carefully extending to wrap around the open book nearest to her. Slowly she pulled her arm back, book in hand, out of the decaying grate.
The front cover was white on a faded brown background, printed with the logo of a hand clutching the nucleus of an atom, the numbers 935 in the middle. Below it, the words 'Field Operations Manual' printed in bold, blocky lettering.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel beneath before a voice spoke up. "–The hell did you do that for? You could've just called a whole horde to our location! And what the f**k have you done to the girl!"
The sarcasm was dripping from the doctor's mouth as he addressed the American "Stop crying American. It's embarrassing. I was merely getting the power back on, that you turned off."
Silently, Chloe snuck away from the two men's bickering. Hoping she wasn't noticed in the process, she headed into teleporter room Z-B to study what new knowledge she could gain from the book.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
The doctor's look of utter disgust would've made anyone else feel uncomfortable, and yet there the American stood, challenging his authority yet again with stupid remarks.
"If I find out you've done anything to her, I swear I'll-"
"You'll what, American?" He glared at the man in irritation. "I do not think you realise how little of a difference it makes to our situation." He turned his back to the man. Nonchalantly stating, "And if the frauline dies, she dies."
Dempsey was starting to get angrier at the doctor. Not only was he going to hurt the poor woman, but if she died in the process? The doctor couldn't care less. It made his blood boil.
"Stop playing around Richtofen, this place ain't your lab! What have you done to her!"
If the sound of slurred speech, complaining about being woken up, and the inclusion of the samurai fixing both men with a stern look from the open window in the boiler room, a fight would have started, one which Dempsey knew he wouldn't win.
He instead, backed down like the countless other times on their previous journey. The doctor sniggered triumphantly before walking away, leaving Dempsey feeling defeated once again.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Finding a quiet corner in the teleporter room, Chloe inspected the book.
Flipping through, the contents contained menial information: Stating the group's manifesto, the rules and regulations, among the list of other things *. The lack of disclaimers was astounding. Though considering it was for a secret organisation, it made some semblance of sense.
So much for a hidden, secret place.
The more she skimmed through the book, the more unusual it became.
Swearing secrecy by lying about their identity?
Talks of capture by enemy troops?
Being thanked in the acknowledgements?
She read thoroughly through the contents a second time and eventually reached the middle of the book again, where the pages had been dirtied, torn and folded; Laid bare to the elements.
'... comes the responsibility of absolute secrecy. No one is to know what you do, where you work, what our research had discovered, or what our purpose will be. You will have no further contact with your governments, or with your families. Your decision to fully dedicate your lives to Group 935 is absolute.
Attached is your field operations manual which will direct you should our manifesto get compromised. We cannot afford to let this power fall into the wrong hands, and therefore the field operations manual should be considered your bible.
Make your preparation now.
A new dawn is beginning for mankind. – Dr. L. Maxis'
The page opposite held a picture of a map; the likely location where the facility was situated, along with the surrounding area. None of it was familiar as it had been written in a syntax she couldn't comprehend. Reading the text below, it stated:
'In the event of any critical failure, you are instructed to take your cyanide tablet that is included in your field operations kit. In the event that you have misplaced yours, there are several methods that will accomplish the same task. For example ...'
"You really shouldn't be reading through those." A sharp voice cut through her reading.
She had been caught.
Glancing up from her place under the desk in the corner, the annoyed glare of the doctor stared back at her, and more importantly, the book she held in her hands.
Closing the book and placing it on the desk above her, she shuffled out from underneath to meet Doctor Richtofen.
The more she thought about the last paragraph she had read, the more unsettled she became, until an idea popped into her head.
"I was just researching about your little group."
He seemed unamused.
Seeing as he gave no response, she elaborated her point. "Look. I just wanted to find anything that could link any of the research your bunch seem to have done, written in peer-reviewed journals preferably, to this teleporter here," Gesturing behind herself out to teleporter B, "and those teleporters over there," gesturing out to the map layout of the main facility teleporters behind him.
Then, her wrist was grabbed by the doctor. His grip was tight around it as he spoke. "You will stay in my office until further notice."
As he pulled her along, back out into the open air she spoke up, "I have one question."
He abruptly stopped, staring at her in annoyance.
"Why would scientists need cyanide tables? Why would they even want to kill themselves?"
He stayed silent, yanking on her arm for her to start walking again.
As they continued walking to the steps of the office building, he faintly heard her voice, "...It doesn't make sense..."
She seemed genuinely lost on any reason as to why a scientist, let alone an entire organisation would or even should purposefully and knowing in full conscience, take their own life.
And soon she found herself back in Richtofen's office.
The man in question had managed to seat the poor woman on one of the nearby side tables.
Finally, something had gone strangely to plan for him.
"Why would anyone want to harm your family?" She mindlessly asked.
"My family?" He replied, looking back, offended. "I worked with colleagues in Group 935." Putting away the last of the research documents into the nearby cabinet.
"It was never any sort of family. It was work." As he turned, he was met with a rather angered woman.
"Well, I've never." She began, rising from her place, "known a single scientist who would abandon their livelihood – even when faced with the threat of death." Coming to stand right in front of him. "It is no wonder then, that they all chose to die so quickly."
Brushing past him, she sat on the rug in front of his desk, folding it over herself.
From the warmth of her makeshift cover, she made one final comment, "We will continue this in the morning."
It certainly was startling for Richtofen to be told such information from such an unconventional woman; knowing she hypothetically was the leader of a place known as the institute, which the woman was fiercely loyal to, as she considered the group to be more a family than work.
How quaint it was that she labelled her work colleagues as part of a family. It sounded borderline delusional, honestly.
So, he played along. For now, he would 'sleep' in his chair and would wait to see what she would get up to in the morning.
Hopefully, something interesting.
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
*The full 935 Field Operations Manual list of contents (made up by me):
- Welcome!
- What is Group 935? (manifesto & goals)
- Why you should shut up about that lousy part-time job and join us!
- Why you've been chosen!
- What you can do to help support us!
- Rules & Regulations. (not R&R)
-Why the lack of legal, moral, and ethical disclaimers for you and your peers?
- What to do in the event of capture.
- Are you a spy? F- it. Tell now or k1II y0ur53If before others find out!
- Acknowledgements and You!
(I just needed to write something for the book contents. Forgive my Fallout-esque dark humour. (some censoring, wattpad plz don't ban.))
But anyways, what will happen next in this confusing tale of yet to be referenced content? I shall find out when I decide to continue writing the next chapter! Be ready for many zany, kooky and wacky times ahead!
Until I update... this has been your host, Alina. Back to you in the studio.