Dark*Matter: Discovery, The Delphi Paradox

[iwatt]

"So, with that stupid risk over, I think it's time we checked the shaft. I'm ready to go down, boss. I think I'm the best one to try 'me speaky ghosty', I think. Though if it turns out to be something else, you guys better fish me out pronto."

 

[Shayuri]

"Lets get a look down there first," Meri suggests.

She breaks another chemical lightstick and tosses it down the elevator shaft.

 

[Falkus]

The lightstick landed in the ruins of the old elevator car, and cast a sickly green glow over the shaft. There wasn't anything immediately obvious aside from rubble and twisted metal, but for a brief moment, Meredith thought she saw the outline of a person by the entrance below, which almost immediately vanished.

 

[Shayuri]

She squints, frowning.

"This damn helmet...it looked like there was someone down there, but I can't see it now. It might have just been a trick of the light."

She shakes her head.

"Guess we'd better check it out though. I wonder what happened here..."

 

[iwatt]

With the others help, Larry soon had a harness and rope ready. "Don't know, Blade. Just make sure you're ready to pull me out quickly. My safe word is pull me out now", he adds with a wink as he begins the decent

 

[Falkus]

Larry descended down into the bottom of the shaft, and stepped out into the high security lab. More technological apparatus was littered about here, but unlike the rest of the base, did not appear to have become a battlezone. The equipment was neat and ordered, and there were no corpses lying around.

Both doors of the airlock stood invitingly open, leading into the test chamber. A red glow could seen in the darkness inside the chamber.

 

[iwatt]

After radioing a description, the conman moves toward the light, careful to aproach from a side. He hoped things would stay nice and calm, but he still drew his gun and released the safety.

 

[Falkus]

Approaching the airlock doors, Larry could see the testing chamber a bit better, and make out some details.

The light was coming from a metal examination table on the far side of the chamber, it was emanating from a ruby.

In the center of the room was another table, on a podium. There was a Greek urn like the others upstairs, except that this one was unsealed. There was also a finely carved stone resting next to it.

And finally, there was what appeared to be an old scientist seated in a wheelchair on the podium, flanked by a half a dozen Soviet soldiers, standing stiff and holding AK-47s. They looked wrong. If they weren't standing up, you'd probably describe them as corpses.

 

[iwatt]

Discretion been the better part of valor, Larry used his PDA's video to record the scene, then stepped back to the shaft to send it to Cade. "Joker, it don't look to good down here. Seems they opened the urn, the ruby is shining, and we've got a bunch of deaders on their feet. What you want to do?" It was nice to have someone to ask for options. "I guess I could try talking to them, but I'd feel a lot safer with some backup before we try that."

 

[Friadoc]

"Now that doesn't sound good," says Cade as he looks down the shaft at Larry. "Hold up, Face, we're coming down to join ya."

"Once I'm down, I'll hold the rope for the next person," says Cade as he ties into the rope and slides down it. "Be ready, though, as the idea of standing dead makes me nervous."