Fortnite: Project Mecha

Chapter 17: Ex-Dead

"She really said that?" Shanta gasped.
  Yes, she did. Skye had heard it from Plague as soon as he'd heard what Slone had said and Skye had no reason to doubt him. He had no idea that the glitching had happened again and Skye planned to keep it that way because, if Slone was telling the truth, it didn't even matter. Hopefully Slone had perfected her science this time.
  "Yeah! We need to get to Command Cavern now!" Plague crawled into the tent and yelped, "AH! Oh, Chief! Sorry."
  "My ears..." John groaned, "Just kidding. My ears are designed to be immune to loud sounds."
  "Why?" Plague withdrew from the tent, holding an assortment of weaponry.
  "Bombs." and that was the only answer John gave.
  Plague passed Skye a Combat SMG. She had a feeling that she'd be needing it. Shanta took a Striker Pump Shotgun and reloaded it, scoffing at how it had been left in such a derelict ammo condition. Skye thought of Mothy and how he did that sometimes. She hoped that he was ok, not just for her but for Plague.
  "So how do we get in?" Shanta asked, "It's a mountain, and we can't just walk up to it."
  "Is there a back entrance?" Plague considered.
  "There'll be many entrances, but they'll all be guarded." Skye thought of Slone and how she wouldn't let that happen.
  "Would this Slone even be there?" John asked. It hadn't even crossed her mind that he wouldn't know her.
  "Probably." Skye nodded.
  "Actually, Raz, Lynx and another one of the members of the Seven inner circle went to this place called the Fortress. It's right beside Loot Lake." Shanta mentioned. Skye hadn't heard of it.
  "Loot Lake is close to Command Cavern. We can check out the Fortress on the way there!" Plague suggested.
  "No, she'll definitely be at Command Cavern. It's where she'd expect that I'd look." Skye explained, before adding, "And we don't have time to waste."
  "Fair point." Shanta admitted.
  "So how do we get in?" John restarted the conversation. Skye felt annoyed that they had gotten basically nowhere.
  They all stood still, in thought, for half a minute. Then Skye realised, "Slone wouldn't make it hard for me to get to her. She wants me to go for research purposes. Right, Plague?"
  "Right. Hopefully." Plague confirmed.
  "So let's just go. Which way is it, Shanta?" Skye smiled, glad that her evidence was correct.
  "North West. It's not that close, but if we go now we can make it for midday at best." Shanta answered.
  "Right! Let's go, team!" Skye waved them all on and they followed on quickly.
  The Jonses' pond was silent for the first time in a long time, except for four little flies that buzzed around. The flies flew above the pond freely and yet close together until one strayed off to the side. The other three flies began to drift the other way and therefore could do nothing to stop it when one of the flies was eaten suddenly by a frog.
  The other three flies dispersed, and the pond was silent once again and it would be, it seemed, for forever more. And that was the circle of life.
  If only it didn't have to be so twisted.

***

  "It's emptier than I thought it'd be." John looked around slowly, his green helmet clunking against his neck pieces.
  "Told you Slone would make it easy to get in." Skye smiled.
  In truth, she had not truly believed what she had said before, she'd just hoped that it was true. Hopefully it'd hold up for just a little bit longer, but considering how she literally died and then lived to suffer more just didn't exactly scream lucky, did it?
  Command Cavern was a beast. The lower layers of the behemoth were grassy, but the tip of the tower was snowy and frosty. The base's mouth gaped openly and yet threateningly, the feeling of being watched still itching under Skye's skin despite the lack of eyes... but then she knew better than anyone how to be a spy. She had been one for half a year on the previous island with Ghost and the Seven was technically a spy faction too.
  "I don't like how peaceful it is." Skye remarked, wishing for input from her comrades.
  "Me neither. Are we sure this is a good idea?" John asked.
  "We'll never know if it's a good idea. We just have to run in and hope that Slone does value her subject's safety." Plague folded his arms. The head of Plague's pistol was aimed at Skye and she wondered how many other guns were aimed at her head, clamoring for a prize.
  "She will. She valued you enough to not kill you." Skye prayed.
  "True. And you before." Plague added.
  "Yeah."
  "That's reassuring." Shanta groaned, unconvinced, "So we're just going to walk right in?"
  "Apparently so." John aimed in his Ranger AR.
  And without any more words, the squad began to close in. It was exciting, if not absolute heart attack territory... if their hearts would even have enough time to seize up when they were pierced with a sniper bullet. Would snipers be their weapons of choice, or would they spray them with SMG bullets and make it slow? And then Skye realised that someone else was saying something like this. A little female voice, coming from John's green helmet.
  "Is there someone in your helmet?" Skye asked John as he whispered back to the helmet voice.
  "Yes. She's an AI implanted in my brain, although there's also her audio in my helmet. That's what you can hear. She improves my performance." John explained, almost nonchalantly, "Her name is Cortana."
  "Dude, you're seven feet tall. What more do you need?" Plague sniggered.
  "You have no idea."
  Cortana's voice said, "Hi!"
  "Hi, Cortana!" Skye shouted back. Was she too loud?
  Maybe. Because suddenly they were surrounded by guards in seconds, each of them holding up an Auto Shotgun, ready to blast their brains to the next loop.

***

  The Scientist's hunt for the Paradigm continued. He said that he was 'searching for her DNA across the multiverse' or something which Drift didn't understand, but he pretended he did. The Imagined worked a little more closely to home, calling people to see if they had seen anyone who looked like her. One of the people she called was Drift's friend from the IO base Rox, who he had a nice time catching up with. Apparently she'd deserted IO and had fallen in love, which was nice. When he asked the Imagined why he'd called her, she said that Rox had lived in the city where the Paradigm, as Singularity, was mayor.
  "How are things going?" it was Lynx, arriving with a coffee, "Also I broke the coffee machine. Sorry."
  The Scientist didn't look up but responded, "Trust me, that thing breaks all the time. I'll get on it once we've found the Paradigm and she's on her way here."
  "Right, then." Lynx stared at Drift tiredly, knowing that it could be a long wait.
  "GUYS! I'M GETTING A TRANSMISSION!" the Scientist yelled, requesting a crowd although only the Origin walked in.
  The Origin considered, "It might not even be the Paradigm, we must stay weary."
  "Oh wait, no, it's not her..." the Scientist sighed, "Oopsie daisy."
  "Well, for some of you this could be even better."
  "Slone?!" the Imagined gasped.
  How on earth had she managed to get ahold of someone from the opposite faction? And why would she want to talk to them with her mind games when she could send an army to blow them up? It didn't make sense, but it was definitely her. Raz, Guff and Mothy joined the crowd, the latter panting loudly.
  "I'm sending you a video, Scientist. It'll be interesting to say the least." Slone talked in quick, sharp sentences.
  It was impossible.
  But Slone often twisted her words, but she very rarely straight up lied. If it was a lie, it'd be the perfect bait because it appeared that Skye and Shanta were still alive, accompanied by Plague and another man who Drift didn't know, all of them staring sourly at the camera. Skye was dressed differently, but it was not a loop. It'd have to be a massive coincidence for it to be a loop.
  "What is this?" the Scientist whimpered.
  "Science. Skye and Plague remember their previous lives." Slone explained, as if it was obvious.
  "Plague was a loop?" Mothy asked bluntly.
  "Well, he died and I bought him back to life! How else do you think he survived the Caretaker attack? I did it with Brite Bomber, no harm in doing it with someone else." Slone said, but Drift disagreed. Death was better than living on this island.
  "And Shanta isn't a loop?" the Scientist asked, his voice not having a little wobble for the first time in days.
  "No. You're all just very bad at searching. These three got there before you did and my guards did. They were punished accordingly." Slone turned the camera to face her and she smiled.
  "SCIENTIST, GET TO COMMAND CAVERN NOW!" Shanta yelled, blasting everyone's ears.
  "QUIET!" Slone interrupted, "But yes, I'm keeping them at Command Cavern. I wouldn't exactly call them hostages, but their safety is still a concern. Better come quick."
  And then the doctor had left. Everyone's fearful panting filled the room. Guff began to panic and Raz hugged him, trying to comfort both the pink creature and himself. Their safety was still a concern, huh? Well Slone better be concerned for her own safety.
  "We need to go there!" Drift demanded.
  "Ok, then. I'm staying here, we desperately need the Paradigm." the Scientist gulped, "Save Shanta for me."
  "But we don't have a mech!" Yonder yelped. Drift hadn't seen him or Tina enter.
  "We just better hope that the Paradigm has one of her own. Scientist, I'll help you find her." the Origin stated.
  "Origin, you don't have to-" the Scientist began but he was stopped.
  "I wronged you, Scientist. This is how I make up for it." the Origin spoke softly for once in his life, "Do your best, Imagined. I believe in you."
  "What happened to the Origin, and who are you?" the Imagined joked.
  "The Origin got tired of being hated by everyone and changed his ways, I'm the result." the Origin went along with it.
  "Fair enough. It's good to have you on the squad." the Imagined sniggered.
  "Ok, people! Move out!" the Foundation had also materialised at some point. His loud voice made Drift jump.
  "Off we go to help the undead." TnTina laughed, realising how crazy she sounded.
  "Wouldn't ex-dead fit more? Undead kinda implies zombies, I dunno..." Mothy wondered.
  "Ex-dead. I like it." the Foundation nodded and Mothy gave enthusiastic thumbs up in return.

To be continued...