Dark Energy by carlsojos

Chapter 18

EVERYBODY! REPORT FOR DINNER!

I had just started to doze off, when Dora's voice pierced the air. You'd think there's a better way to make announcements than that... I said to myself as I collected my wits. I make my way to the cafeteria and get in line.

Come my turn to grab a tray, I am taken aback at what passes for food here. What is this junk? I couldn't identify the origins of any of the entrees.

A huge Parmanian walked over to me, covered in grease. Yeah, yeah, keep talking. I don't get paid enough to feed you bastards.

Excuse me? I felt insulted by this person. As I contemplated jumping the counter to give a complementary lesson in manners, someone touched my shoulder.

Hey, ignore the 'cook', grab your tray, and when you eat it, close your eyes. It's just how it works with Fat Pete. I continued to smolder until I was waved over to a table by Etirn. Sitting down, I close my eyes, and what I thought was meat turned out to be closer to palm leaves in texture, and somehow, with zero flavor whatsoever. As I resist the urge to throw out the tray and go into town to buy some real food, Dora starts the discussion.

Etirn insisted I wait for all of you. Could you guys please tell me what happened now?

I started, Up at the computer core, Etirn connected his little box to it and started talking about I owe this, and I owe that.

Etirn interrupts, IO is short for Input and Output. The primary way to transmit information into and out of a computer core. There is a theory about a better way to look at it at the hardware level, but I don't know about it. Basically, I confirmed that the system could respond to stimulus, and manipulated it into restarting.

Akkosua asks, Was that when the lights came on?

Yes.

I thought about the size of the ruins compared to the size of Etirn's computer. Isn't that a lot of energy for your little box? It's like heating a mansion with a portable stove, right? I remember his analogy to heat earlier.

Etirn nods. That's the first sign of everything going weird. If I was feeding the entire facility, the drain should've killed my computer in less than a second, and the lights would've stayed off when I disconnected. I think the PWR might control which power source the system uses.

So, did the computer tell you anything? Dora seemed anxious to get to the point.

It confirmed your suspicions of it being related to Biology. It seems to be some kind of creature making facility to help the ecosystem. At some point, it likely self destructed.

That would corroborate Professor Mahlay's memoirs...

I had never read the autobiography, myself. Why would the place destroy itself?

Fuck if I know. I just know that when Akkosua turned up her volume, I didn't wanna dawdle.

Dora crossed her arms, Well, with critters crawling around in there, how are we to learn anything from this expedition?

Akkosua looks up from her bottle, Can we just cut our losses and go back to Piata?

Etirn begins to smile. Actually, the computer did give us something. I don't understand it, and it's not my department, but Marika and the guys in the University both believe that it's genetic code for an organic creature of some type. The computer mentioned Rika, but I'm not familiar with the term.

Akkosua closes her eyes for a minute. I've never seen the term in any bestiary. I decide that I haven't, either.

We sat in silence until Dora almost jumped out of her seat with an idea. What if it isn't a 'what', but rather a 'who'?

Etirn looked dumbfounded by the suggestion. Wh- What are you suggesting?

As a child, I heard a story about some people who saved the world a thousand years ago. I think one of them was named 'Fall' or 'Fal' or something, but I think some Parmanians used 'Eeka'? I don't know. Maybe there's a connection.

Eeka, Fal... I wonder where this is going? Etirn spoke up, The timeline would be incorrect. This is a Pre-Collapse structure, which was built at least another thousand years before your story. There was nobody a thousand years ago who was capable of recording a living person's genetics back then, even if they knew what's beyond Birth Valley. We don't even have that capability today. Rather than draw conclusions from a couple arbitrary points, I believe the best way to move forward in this mystery is to figure out exactly what the code is and how it's related to the facility's destruction. Maybe if we could see what the code is, we'd have some answers.

Out of curiosity, How? They said the machines at the University were too valuable to try to input the code....

You forget, there are several more quite close by. I didn't like the sound of that....

We're gonna go back inside?! ...and neither did Akkosua.

I've contacted the campus. There's gonna be a Hunter coming here in the morning, because I said so. It's important we do this sooner than later, since we don't know if the monsters are still growing stronger. I do insist you come along too, Ackland, as it will help ensure that none of us goes home on a stretcher or in a box.

Man...But how are we going to move something that big, while being pelted on all sides? I have to admit, she has a point.

This doesn't phase Etirn. The answer is simple: we don't. Smirking at our confusion, he continues. If we can just get the electronic components, some guys I've worked with before can figure out how it controls the machine. From there, we'll need to find a way to simulate the rest of the machine, but that can wait.

I decide that I had enough flavorless leaves for one night. I get up and take my tray. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to bed early.

Good idea. We can continue this discussion once we have the parts in hand. Dora, could you prepare some explosives? We should destroy the entrance as soon as we get out, so nothing follows us.

I'll look into it.

Have a good night's sleep, everyone. With that, we all went off to do our own thing. I went to my tent, and after searching through my collection of books, decide to start reading Memories of Professor Hahn Mahlay.

Next chapter

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