Zero Divide: Episode #2 "Black Star"

[Shalimar]

"This is not the time for your idiocy Alan, and you are not in charge regardless. We have a direction to be going in and that beats waiting around here being indecisively for the Cleaners to show up. Feel free to wait though Alan." Haven tells the obstinate medic, or whatever he was from the hallway.

Turning, Haven follows the light path, watching warily for any sign of danger. I wish this place had a dirt floor, my powers aren't going to do much without anything to work with. he thought to himself.

 

[James Heard]

"I never noticed he was such a vile little toad?" he asks to no one in particular.

"Someone like that, he's probably more dangerous to his friends than his enemies. Undersocialized, with a chip on his shoulder? Whatever happened to us, it's probably his fault."

Alan pauses long enough to permanently put Haven in the "Not to be trusted" category in his head and shake it off.

"I'm finishing here as fast as I can. Someone should probably follow him to keep him from killing us all trying to impress us with how many hairs he's growing in his pants and how his voice is cracking."

What a useless waste. Why couldn't it have been you that survived, he silently asks one of the corpses. I'm sure you'd have been more pleasant.

 

[Shayuri]

"Oh my god...both of you just...ugh, nevermind."

Facade cautiously makes her way out the door, following the trail of light for now.

 

[Vanifae]

Michael's duplicate blinks surprisingly at the little girl in the hallway, approaching her warily. "Hi there. I'm Michael," he says gently. "Look, sweetie, I don't quite know what's going on here, but there's some bad men coming here to hurt you. Are your parents here or something?"

The girl pauses and cocks her head; she opens her mouth to speak and then looks to her right. She turns and runs that way around the corner.

Back in the Room

The VI responds, “Quarantine protocols are not in effect, the quickest path is to Tram B3, the path is lighted. I can assist-” The voice cuts off and the power in the room goes out.

Dee rushes out the other door and the path is lighted just as the VI instructed, “The Cleaners must be close… move it people!”

 

[Victim]

"The pathway is lit? Wonderful." Ashley comments bitterly. "We're done now, Alan." She'll grab a computer on her way out.

 

[Hammerhead]

The First Hallway

"Come back!" Michael calls, chasing after the fleeing girl. "What's wrong?"

The Second Hallway

The Michaels look at each other, then fan out as one to cover the group's flanks and rear; one Michael, the original, stays in the center. I think we might have to split up after we get out of here. Or hell, the others might try to leave Alan behind.

 

[Vanifae]

The First Hallway

"Come back!" Michael calls, chasing after the fleeing girl. "What's wrong?"

Michael’s duplicate goes around the corner to chase the little girl and instead sees only a darkened hallway. A woman or at first glance a woman wearing some kind of body armor is crouched against the left wall working on a panel, instantly her weapon, an assault rifle of some kind rises, hanging on a strap. One hand steadies the weapon the other working inside the panel. The armor is black and has no markings; her helmet is not visible.

Her face is feminine, she is a woman or at least looks like a woman but her skin is a soft forest green and her pupils are a strange gold or yellow. Her hair is short and blonde.

Michael
[sblock]You look over the dossier one more time, in this day and age of modern technology you would think that paper documents would be abolished, but it seems that someone somewhere thinks otherwise.

“I don’t think it is a good idea to recruit one of them, we don’t know where their loyalties lie; besides it isn’t even human,” a man says gesturing to the dossier.

“Its species nearly destroyed one of our first colonies in the First Contact conflict,” a woman adds.

“She had nothing to do with that, besides we fired first on one of their civilian spacecraft; that was the past leave it there,” you hear yourself say.

“You would trust this thing, it is a Junian, her species cannot be trusted,” the woman counters.

“VSC is promoting the future of humankind, that future is joining the Galactic community, Ashana is the best applicant we have; I won’t pass that up based on prejudice,” you reply.

“Fine, but I am telling you now this is a mistake Georgy,” the man counters.[/sblock]
You see her finger nearly pull the trigger and then she turns and shocked realization crosses her face, “Georgy…” she says aloud.

Those following the Light Path

A lighted grid on the right and left side of the hall way shows a path that leads to what you believe must be the elevator; Dee follows it without a second look back either others will follow or they stay behind and die.

 

[Velmont]

Ian is just behind Dee. "And now, which floor? And shouldn't we take the stairs? They might block the elevetor if they are aware we are in it."

 

[Hammerhead]

The Dark Hallway

"Nice to see you too...Ashana," Michael says, frantically deciding on what to say next. "Even under the present circumstances. I never thought they would send you." He lets out a short, barking laugh, shaking his head. "This doesn't change anything, does it," he asks, raising his hands into the air. "You know, I could have sworn I saw a small child run around this corner," he adds with an amused smirk.

The Light Path

Michael follows Dee and the path, moving towards the elevator. "I've made contact with a possible hostile," he says quietly, describing his duplicate's estimated position from the path. "They might block the stairs, and we have no idea where these stairs are, or how high we might to climb," he refutes.

 

[Velmont]

"The stairs are generally near to the elevetor and even if they block the exit at a level, there is other levels. But it's true, for now we don't know where we are going, and that is nothing to give some feeling of security." replies Ian to Michael.