Like a decrepit house abandoned for centuries, the halls of the lava facility creaked. Vacant corridors groaned and mirrored each footstep, each breath. The luminescent green light crept along the walls and slid through the labyrinthine patterns, dispersing the shadows that had lain there for a dozen lifetimes.
"Are you sure Marguerit will be okay back there?" Samuel asked, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "It doesn't feel right leaving her."
"She's survived way worse than waiting," Cassidy replied. "Besides, it was her idea to wait."
"She promised to call if there are any problems," Lyra assured him, tapping her nail on the PDA attached to her arm.
"And you trust her enough not to run off and leave us here?" Samuel challenged. "Or contact Alterra to tell them where we are?"
"I do." Lyra patted his shoulder as she passed him and jogged up the ramp to the central reservation. Tubes and wiring poked into the tank where a deceased creature lay contorted in on itself. It died helpless. Trapped and alone. She hunched down to get a better look at the specimen, pinpointing the lines where brutal hands had cut and sliced with precision, but not with sympathy. A sorrow prickled within her heart as she stared at the poor little soul.
"My child," the voice lamented, emanating in the deepest reaches of her mind. "Taken from me by savages. Carved up for the vultures to study."
Whooshes of colour rushed past Lyra and she tumbled back onto the grate. Centaur-like beings galloped by her and left a river of lilac and blood red sparkles in their wake. Alarms blared somewhere in the distance, and the stark warning to evacuate looped over it. A creature leapt over her in their haste to flee, their horned head swaying and the lights within their frame shifting from a neon purple to a distressed crimson.
"Monsters. All they knew was to dissect, never to show compassion or to ask for what they desired. They almost took everything. Their ignorance killed them."
Lyra's chest heaved with each panicked breath. Why was she seeing these things? How was she seeing these things? Sturdy arms lifted her and the strange creatures vanished, the trails of sparkling red floating away.
"What happened?" Cassidy inquired, letting go of the woman once she was upright again. "I heard a bang, and when I turned around, you were on the floor."
"I snagged my foot on the grating as I tried to get up," Lyra responded.
"Never had you down as the clumsy type, but as long as you're not hurt..."
Lyra nodded and rubbed her palms down her legs to free them of the scratchy dust. "We should move on. I don't think we'll find much more in here."
The building held a plethora of artefacts and rooms, entire halls crowded with relics and eggs from the creatures that called 4546B home. They spent some time examining them and comparing them to the Alterra archives, and made notes of their own as they ventured deeper into the planet's tumultuous history. Everywhere they went, the green glow followed, igniting in the structural framing and guiding them through the forsaken facility.
Stepping into a darkened chamber, Lyra halted and awaited the neon green shimmer. The place remained shadowed but for the rectangle of water in the centre. Overhead, the ceiling sloped and blocks hung above the pool, reflecting the white sheen.
"I wonder what's down there," Samuel said, leaning forwards to peek into the clear depths.
"Only one way to find out." Lyra hooked her rebreather mask over her face and secured the latches. "If there is anything dangerous down there, come straight back up."
"Like we'd stay down there to get eaten," Hunter jested, his jovial tone crackling through the receivers in their face masks.
"In that case, I'll see you all in there." Lyra dived in and sank onto a platform a few metres below.
Three plumes of white bubbles fizzed as the others plunged feet first into the aquarium.
"What the hell is this doing here?" Hunter spun to gather his bearings, the water whooshing around him.
"Could be a vehicle platform, or an observation stage?" Samuel suggested, crawling to the edge of the platform. He peeked over cautiously and abruptly pushed himself backwards in a rush of bubbles.
Cassidy caught him in his whirlwind haste to retreat and held him steady. "Calm down, Samuel. What is it?"
"There's something big down there," he screeched, grabbing hold of the pilot in his panicked state. Rough breaths whistled through the speakers in their masks. "Massive even."
Lyra floated to the rim of the wide surface and gazed down at the aquarium below. Fish of all kinds swam in peace, not a single aggressive snip or snap in sight. Flora sprouted from the sands, and an arch like the one they'd passed through to get to the facility lay at the other end of the containment. In the centre of it all rested a motionless creature, bones poking through the scraps of skin and scale still clinging to its skeleton. "Whatever it is, it's dead," she assured them. "None of the critters down there seem to be dangerous either. Even the Stalkers aren't attacking anything."
"Doesn't mean they won't try to take a bite out of us," Samuel pointed out.
Lyra grabbed the side of the metal plank and propelled herself down into the depths of the aquarium. She kicked her legs to continue the downward motion and halted once she'd reached the Architect structures at the bottom. Alien blocks seemed to spring from random locations around the containment, situated strategically she imagined, not that she could sense any pattern to them.
The others split to cover more ground, and Lyra explored the arch and the skeleton. Five empty holders sat around a plinth like the one Marguerit used to get them there. She reached into the first box and felt something sharp brush against the back of her hand, startling for a moment before realising it wasn't moving and drawing it out. She thought it a piece of fractured pottery, but when she turned it over she clocked the distinct curve of an egg.
"My children, now free," the wispy voice called, louder this time. Closer.
Lyra looked up at the colossal skeleton, her eyes almost bulging from their sockets. An absurd thought struck her. "Are you the one speaking to me?"
"What was that?" Samuel questioned, his words waning through the fluctuating connection.
"Nothing." She kept her attention fixed on the decaying face and the drooping antennae of the deceased creature. "I thought I heard something, but it was a bit of static. Nothing to worry about." She jabbed at the side of the mask to shut off her microphone and paddled towards the remains. "You're the one who's been talking to me?"
"I am, child."
"How? I mean no disrespect, but you seem rather... dead."
"A body may die, but a spirit does not," the creature replied. "Your father came here once. He helped me. But I was awaiting your arrival."
Lyra glided forwards and crossed through wide, crooked ribs, the arching bones flowing above her and sinking down into the sand below. "Why were you waiting for me?"
"We must protect our world at all costs. Greedy hands reach for the riches this planet nurtures, and whatever they can't take, they will destroy."
"But what has this got to do with me?" Flecks of colour jostled before her eyes. A prickling sensation teemed at the outskirts of her mind, and a roaring pain flared in her brain. A flickering face grew before her, four blue orbs examining her and a veiled silhouette fluttering behind them. She clenched at her head where the excruciating torture blazed and fought against the overpowering tide bristling against her. Her finger flicked at the microphone switch on her mask as she desperately clutched at her skull.
"There is a woman who needs your help. She is cold. Take this. You will need it."
The agony sparked through her body, her vision riddled with a crushing light. She tried to call out to the others, but all that shot through her lips was an unstoppable, ear-piercing cry before the darkness swallowed her whole.
* * *
Hunter thundered down the hallway. His footsteps resounded on the metal like a coin rolling down a pipe, clanking in a rapid rhythm as he rushed back to the gate. Lyra jostled and whimpered in his arms. "It's okay, I've got you," he soothed, rounding the corner and finding Marguerit waiting for them.
"What the hell happened to her?" the mercenary demanded, taking one look at the limp woman in his grasp and staring at the others accusingly.
"No idea," Cassidy replied, collapsing to her knees opposite Hunter as he lay Lyra down on the ground.
"Here," the doctor said, lifting Lyra's head. "Put your hand here. And be careful. I don't know what damage there might be." Once Cassidy had a secure hold of the injured woman's neck, he ripped the first aid kit from his belt. The velcro backing scraped against his fingers as he turned the pack over and wrenched at the zip. "Samuel, take this. Keep it pointed towards me. Steady as you can." He thrust out his PDA for Samuel to hold before loosening the top of Lyra's dive suit and sticking multiple pads to her pulse points. "Her heart rate is a little high, but she's breathing."
Marguerit held back, waiting to be of service if the physician called upon her. "Was she attacked?"
"There was no blood, so I don't think so," Samuel said, hunching down to position the PDA better and peering up at the mercenary. "We were in a containment aquarium, but the creatures down there weren't aggressive. There was a massive skeleton, and Lyra was exploring it. We heard her scream through the comms, but by the time we got to her, she was unconscious."
"Temperature stabilising," Hunter reported, concentrating on the many readings popping up on his PDA. "Physiology scans won't settle though. They're scrambling around her head." He slipped his hands underneath Lyra's skull and gently unlocked the clasps on her mask, sliding it over her face. He almost buckled at the sight that greeted him, but kept himself composed for his patient's sake.
"What are they?" Samuel gasped, gaping at the semi-circular orbs sticking out of Lyra's temples.
The doctor checked her vitals and took a syringe from the first aid bag, ripping the protective tube off with his teeth and spitting it onto the floor. "Cassidy, support her head again and try to keep still." He urged the needle into the sleeping woman's neck and gradually pressed on the plunger until the clear liquid had drained.
Lyra's ribcage heaved and she vomited water, coughing and retching uncontrollably. Her hand shot to Hunter's chest as she desperately tried to grab a hold of him.
"Where did all that come from?" Cassidy sputtered, angling herself away from the gathering puddle. "She was wearing a mask and it's dry."
"I don't know," Hunter replied, busying himself with pacifying his frantic patient. He brushed through her hair with his fingers and held onto the hand clutching the blended Lycra of his swimsuit. "It's all right, just breathe. That's it." He gave a cursory glimpse at the readings on his PDA. "Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty. How are you feeling?"
"Rough," Lyra wheezed, the initial shock dissipating. She squinted around at the perturbed faces surrounding her and puffed out some steady breaths. "How did I get here?"
"You blacked out," Cassidy explained, stroking her head. "Do you not remember?"
With Hunter's aid, Lyra sat herself up, the dizzying sensation beginning to melt away and the memories returning like bubbles popping. "I recall a face," she mumbled. "And a voice."
Marguerit stooped down by the shaken woman, unable to avoid the glowing ellipses protruding from the side of her head. "What did this voice say?" she asked gently.
"Something about greedy hands wanting to take things, and that the planet needs protecting." Lyra groaned and rubbed at her forehead, the pounding relentless and nauseating. "I can't remember much more."
"We shouldn't worry about that now," Hunter said, removing the pads on her chest and helping her zip up her dive suit. "We need to find somewhere to rest."
"I saw an old Alterra base as we were coming in," Cassidy told him. "It didn't look like it was being used."
The skilled doctor packed up his medical gear and stuck the pack back on his belt. He aided Lyra to her feet and wound an arm around her waist, keeping all of her weight on him as he manoeuvred her towards the gate. Once there, he passed her over to their pilot. "Send her through after me," he instructed before rushing through the portal and emerging back in the cave. Seconds later, the raven-haired woman staggered through the wavering green liquid. He caught her before she could topple to the stone and held her tight. "You good?"
Lyra nodded and chuckled as he slipped an arm behind her legs and around her middle, lifting her off the ground. "I can walk. I'm fine."
"Do you know how many patients have claimed they felt fine, only to collapse when they got up?" Hunter raised his eyebrows at her. "The last thing we want is for you to take a tumble down the cliffs." He peered back over his shoulder to make sure the others had made it through before he headed towards the cavern entrance. "Come on, princess. Let's get you to your castle."
* * *
Hunter gently placed Lyra down on the bed, careful as to not disturb her slumber. He balanced his PDA on the table next to her and hooked up a few wires to her arm. "Rest easy," he whispered, shifting a strand of hair from her face and covering her with a frayed blanket. The gentle breaths emanating from her lips deepened as she slipped further into her dreams, and he scanned the four readings split across the screen. Nothing abnormal or worrying until he returned his attention to the luminescent blue spheres. They weren't causing her any discomfort by the looks of things, and her results revealed no traces of distress. Yet there they were. Pulsating. Alien.
He shoved himself up from the edge of the bed and trod quietly back through the bulkhead, encouraging the heavy door shut to give Lyra some privacy while she slept.
"How is she?" Cassidy asked, whirling from her spot by the fabricator at the sound of the doctor's soft footsteps. "Do you know what those blue things are?"
"She's resting," Hunter replied. "All of her life signs are normal and she doesn't seem to be in any pain. It's just a case of waiting for now." He scratched at his head, his cracked nails catching the loose fibres of his bun. "As for the orbs, the scans all seem to suggest they are ocular transmitters."
"Like eyes?" Samuel clarified.
The physician nodded and slumped down in the seat by the window. Something crunched as he leaned his forearms on the glass table. He lifted them and cringed at the clumps of grit and dust clinging to his dive suit. "Sort of," he muttered, grunting in irritation and swiping at the muck.
"What do you mean sort of?" Marguerit challenged. "You're a doctor, aren't you? Surely you know what's wrong with her."
Hunter grumbled under his breath and tugged lightly at the earrings around his left ear. He was sure Marguerit didn't mean to sound so brash. "Whatever happened to her, it has altered her biology," he explained. "Only slightly, nothing worrying from the initial scans. The orbs on the side of her head seem to act as a second set of eyes, but they're not like ours. I don't know what they can see or if they're even capable of sight."
Cassidy glanced between Marguerit, Samuel, and Hunter. "So what do we do? Lyra is in no fit condition for travel, and we found nothing of Astrid in that facility."
"We need to help her recover," Hunter responded adamantly. "Once she's better, we'll work something out from there. For now, we should all get some rest. It's not been a simple day and I'm sure we could all do with some sleep."