Chrisker One-Shots

Torture Technology

Summary: As Chris and Sheva make their way into the Ndipaya ruins they are faced with impossible odds, and an old foe will return to end an old rivalry. What other dark secrets lay not far off from the ruins?
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The hiss of hydraulics filled a corridor of chrome as two figures passed through a heavy-duty laboratory door. Their light breathing was like a phantom of sound in the silver passageway, faint and evanescent; hardly leaving a sign of its existence. They stood still, surveying what little they could in the shadows that eluded the light of the nearly naked bulbs hanging overhead.

The taller, masculine entity took the first step, brave but cautious. He aimed his M29 Magnum at the unknown and continued onward. The shorter, feminine counterpart covered him with a HK MP5, a light and suitable submachine gun.

Walking further on, the male's senses were on full alert; just waiting for a threat to present itself. Slowly, he made his way using the very same menacing and combative walk utilized by many military divisions. After a few paces and looking down a minute turn in the hallway, the man signaled to his partner with a wave of his hand. Urging her on with, "Come on. It's all clear, Sheva."

The young woman lowered her weapon, exhaling with relief. Feeling a little more confident in their surroundings they both picked up speed to a light jog as they went on; cautious still. It was only a short distance down the metal passage before the walls seemed to be eroding or uncompleted; right after that they were met with a different surrounding; solid rock. The lights that hung overhead in this spot were simple with metal shades that one would see in any older factory. As they made their way through the mine-like tunnel they entered a large cavern, a breath-taking structure stood before them about a yard away.

It seemed to be some sort of temple built by the Ndipaya people. Flood lights shined upon the ancient stone, adding an almost eerie and majestic effect to the already ominous complex. Silently they admired as their eyes took it all in. Surrounding the path to the temple was various bits of contemporary machinery; a small cage elevator with a simple lever beside it, a draw bridge, and a wide range of construction equipment. The most advanced object in the room was a large industrial door that was the entrance to the temple, the Tricell symbol was painted in bold white on the panel. The draw bridge was raised, leaving a canyon between them and the door.

The man was lost in his thoughts for a moment, "This is going to get complicated... I can only imagine what's next. We need to-"

Sheva's voice cut in, "More ruins. You think Excella is here, Chris?"

He gritted his teeth at the thought of the vile woman they were hunting for and then replied with, "If we wanna find out, we're gonna have to lower that bridge."

"Then we need to find the controls. Maybe they're in that building...", her voice calm and calculating.

The building she was referring to was on the right side of the cavern, it was almost like a large utility shed. Chris rested his hand on the long handle and pushed down; it refused to budge. He tried again, a little harder this time. It was not long before he was slightly jiggling the handle in frustration. His attempts produced no results, the door was obviously locked. The two glanced at the yellow front door for a moment. They nodded to each other, as if they were telepathic twins sharing thoughts. Suddenly they were assaulting the door, their shoulders crashed into it in united execution. The door held. They backed up and hit it again with a grunt. Still it remained in place. By now they were punching and kicking it, doing whatever they could manage in hopes of opening the door. Each hit sent out a loud 'klang!' The very structure of the cavern amplified the sound; making it echo throughout.

The sound waves traveled down into the canyon, bouncing off the walls, until the echo was nothing but a vibration at the bottom of the blackness.

Something stirred in the abyss, exposed muscle tissue began to twitch; claws the size of steak knives grinded against hard rock. A mass of fleshless souls huddled together began to wake from their deep sleep. These demons sensed the disturbance even in the deepest part of their hellish subterranean environment. The creatures exhaled as their minds were coming online, creating a sound that was like the malicious whisper of some poltergeist. Suddenly they began to disperse into smaller groups, going into various burrows dug into the walls of the ravine. They were driven by the instinctual craving that is inside every living thing, to consume in order to survive, in this case; that was warm, raw meat.