Chapter 97 The Autopsy
The decontamination chamber hissed, spraying us with a cloud of freezing, chemical-smelling mist.
It was the third time we had been scrubbed since leaving the cornfield, but I still felt dirty. The black soot from the burning Rot seemed to have settled into my pores, a phantom stain that soap couldn't reach.
I stood in the white-tiled room while my body shook slightly. Ryker stood next to me, his body remained still while chemical substances washed over his protective gear. He stared at the wall while his brain already conducted battle simulations for his upcoming fight.
The automated voice declared "Clear."
The doors opened while making a hydraulic whine sound.
The Kael laboratory became our next destination. The laboratory operated as a place where organized chaos maintained quiet through screens that produced sound and droids that created buzzing noises and people who worked with soldering iron while drinking coffee.
The facility transformed into a fortress for the day.
Kael had locked down the facility. The windows received protection from heavy blast shields. The air filtration system operated at maximum capacity which produced continuous low-level noise. The room contained the enemy body parts which were kept inside a triple-reinforced containment unit.
The arm belonged to a Void Walker, which Ryker had defeated by cutting it apart on the battlefield.
The creature remained alive.
The black sludge continued to move even after its disconnection from the main body. It twitched on the steel table while it made contact with the glass surface, which functioned like a fence.
Vane from the corner said "It’s restless." He sat on a workbench while he held his mechanical arm against his chest. He looked pale. "I can hear it."
I walked over to him and asked "Hear it?" Vane said "It doesn't have a mouth Vane."
Vane tapped the metal plating on his temple to say "Not with my ears. I can hear it through my receiver. It generates two different types of static. One sounds like normal static while the other sounds like angry static.
Kael looked up from his microscope. He appeared to be awake for seven days straight. His lab coat carried coffee stains while his hair stood up in tufts.
Kael said to Ryker, Elara to show the students what he had discovered.
The main monitor became our meeting point. Kael displayed a zoomed-in picture of the black sludge.
Kael explained "I thought it was biological" as he pointed to the screen. Biological agents attack cells. They consume organic matter to replicate. The process that occurred to Baron’s wolf involved necrotic tissue decay.
He executed a computer command to change the image display. The image changed to show a different view.
When I added a non-biological element, the system created problems which displayed their internal defects.
A small drone which uses robotic arms to handle hazardous materials operated on the screen as it extended its arm to grasp the sample dish. The metal claw touched the black sludge.
The reaction occurred immediately after the metal claw established contact with the black sludge.
The sludge started to move forward instead of remaining in place. It launched itself at the target.
The sludge enveloped the metal claw. The metal claw did not dissolve because of acid, yet it still managed to infiltrate the metal zone.
The silver steel transformed into a grey shade, which led to it becoming black. The drone’s joints released sparks. The drone started to shake.
Ryker discovered that the metal would not be consumed by the entity, but instead the entity would take control of the metal.
Kael explained exactly how this process worked. The material conductivity properties of the alloy undergo modification through the process. The system converts copper wiring into Void veins through this process. The system consumes electricity to drain the battery completely, which allows it to power the metal machine.
The drones stopped shaking on the screen. The camera eye changed from green to a dead black void. The drone proceeded to execute a turn. It attempted to launch an attack against the camera which captured its movements.
Kael terminated the broadcast.
Kael declared “It’s a techno-organic parasite” while his voice showed signs of trembling. “It consumes all living things, regardless of whether they are flesh or machine, who possess any form of energy, which includes blood sugar and battery power.
The room remained silent, creating a heavy atmosphere.
I turned to face Vane.
The cyborg stared at the blank screen, watching it. His mechanical hand made a fist. His body contained machine components. His heart functioned through a pacemaker. All his body parts, including his arm and eye and neural interface, used technology.
To the Rot, Vane wasn't a person. He was a buffet.
Ryker explained the Grey Knights' downfall because their armor operated with powered exoskeletons. The Rot transformed their own suits into coffins.
Jaxon from the doorway explained the water pumps. The pumps suffered failure before the pipes experienced their burst, which occurred when the electronics lost power.
"The strategic landscape gets altered," Ryker stated, as he walked around the room after leaving his position at the display. "The technology functions as our main support. The hover-cars. The weapons grid. The lights. Our main benefit turns into our main disadvantage when we engage in battle against this entity."
"I understood the meaning of your words when I said that we cannot operate the mechs," I stated. "The drones cannot be used. We must battle it using basic materials like sticks and stones?"
"Ryker corrected me by saying, "The term refers to swords as weapons. "The weapon consists of cold steel material which operates without any power or electrical components."
I inquired about the existence of "magic."
"Kael explained that magic serves as another energy type "We observed that in the cornfield area. Ivy-enabled magic power did not prevent the spread but instead provided additional energy. Your wind worked, Elara, because wind is physical force. But pure mana? It drinks it."
"Vane muttered that we face an impossible situation because all our options to attack the target have failed. "We're completely doomed."
The lab lights experienced an unexpected power surge at that moment.
BZZZT.
All of us became motionless.
"Kael?" Ryker asked with a sharp tone.
"Power fluctuation in the sub-grid. Sector 4" Kael explained while typing at high speed. "The disturbance originates from my location.
"That is the location of the breach," I stated. "The incident took place at the spot where the tunnel failed.
"Kael explained that he could observe a power drain circumstance that caused his eyeglasses to become extended. "The system operates at maximum power consumption because it does not enter blackout mode. "The system experiences power consumption because something actively removes energy from the distribution network.
He displayed the city layout map.
The power grid of the Terrarium appeared as a network of bright blue pathways that spread across the entire area. "In Sector 4, the previously visible lines have changed their color to black. "The blackness started to move forward. The entity was moving through the power grid system, which extended towards the central power station point.
"Kael explained that "it exists within the power grid system. "The system located the wires. "The system uses power transmission to flow through electrical streams.
"Where is it going? I asked while knowing deep inside that I already possessed the answer.
Ryker pointed to the center of the map. "He pointed to the fusion reactor located at the center, which provides energy for the entire urban area.
"The Heart," Ryker said. "The reactor serves as the target for the attack.
"If it reaches the reactor," Kael said while standing, "it will disable all electrical systems. "The system will consume the reactor core, which will lead to a massive explosion that destroys everything within the Terrarium boundaries.
"How long? Ryker demanded.
"At this speed of movement? Kael examined the data. "Four hours. Maybe five.
The General now stood before us after his previous hesitation vanished with the disappearance of the Hollow King.
"The method of drilling needs to be bypassed by us," Ryker said. "The core must be intercepted before it reaches its final destination.
He directed his gaze toward Vane.
"Vane," Ryker said. "Your assistance is necessary for me.
Vane appeared shocked when he lifted his head. "Did you not see the horror show on the screen? "Me? "If I get close to that stuff, I’m a liability. "I’m a walking battery.
"Your role serves as the only means for interfacing with the reactor manual override," Ryker said. "If the digital controls fail—and they will—we need someone who can physically jack into the system and shut it down before the Rot hits it.
"Vane stated that "if he connected to the system. "The Rot will enter my brain through the access point.
"Yes," Ryker answered. "He did not deceive. "He presented the truth without making it sound better.
Vane tested his robotic hand movements by flexing his fingers. "They produced a sound combination of clicks and mechanical whirs together with click sounds.
"You're requesting me to insert my hand into a blender," Vane expressed.
"Your role in the operation requires you to save the city," Ryker said. "I need you to become my brother for me.
Vane showed his head to Ryker. He looked at me. He observed the city lights that showed on the various displays.
He released a deep, exhausted breath.
"I hate it when you use the brother card," Vane grumbled. He left the table by hopping down to the ground. "I will agree to this. "But I want upgrades. "I require additional protection through rubber coating and Faraday cages. "Wrap me in tinfoil if you have to.
"Done," Kael said, already moving to his supply locker. "I have EMP shielding mesh. "The EMP mesh provides limited protection against direct EMP attacks while offering temporary safety.
"Time remains the sole requirement for our mission," Ryker said.
He moved towards the weapons rack to select a heavy assault rifle which he inspected before returning it to its original position.
"Useless," he muttered.
The man reached for his Star-Metal sword which he attached to his neck. "Then he handed me a simple, heavy iron mace from the display wall.
"Magic is forbidden according to Ryker's warning. "You need to use only kinetic force to break bones and destroy the husks.
I took possession of the mace, which possessed a heavy and cold weight alongside its devastating design. The weapon did not belong to a Queen. The weapon served as a brawler's tool.
"What about Baron? I asked.
"The wolves are biological," Ryker said. "They can become infected but they lack the ability to transmit the Rot. "The infected wolves will serve as our frontline defense.
He tapped his comms.
"Baron, "Ryker ordered. "At the Reactor Access Tunnel, we expect you to lead your elite guard. "The operation requires you to use your claws and teeth for combat because firearms are prohibited.
"Baron’s voice growled back. "We can already sense its presence. "We can detect the odor of old blood.
Ryker looked at us.
"Underground operations will begin as we search for the vein that leads to our target," he ordered. "We will execute all individuals who operate the pumps.
"What do we do if we find the Queen? I asked, recalling the voice I heard in the cornfield. Mother.
Ryker looked at the lead box on his belt. He touched it, just for a second.
"If we find a Queen," Ryker said darkly, "I’ll introduce her to the King."