The Time from Before

Contractual Obligation

What a sight...

Allen was standing on the edge of a huge crater that looked like it had been carved out of the earth. The crater was lined with metal platforms that descended in steps until they reached the bottom. There, a circular disc of concrete lay in the center. It seemed solid, but he noticed that there were metal grates around it, suggesting that there might be something hidden underneath. The actual Alterna site, for example.

He lay down on the ground, making sure that his silhouette wasn't visible to anyone who might be looking. He glanced back and saw Agent 4 panting on the sand, exhausted by the long walk. Agent 3 plopped herself next to Allen, resting her head on her arms.

She then pointed, saying something akin to, "That's as far as we (...) get."

Allen nodded, seemingly understanding what she was trying to say. His PDA then buzzed, prompting him to grab it.

* Mission site picture updated. Please take a look at the picture below.

The PDA showed him a pixelated image of the crater. On the eastern side, there were three pale blue dots, representing him and the two Agents. But the rest of the crater was filled with nearly a hundred red dots. Red meant enemy, and there were a lot of them.

When he cross-referenced the red dots with what he could see, he realized that each dot represented an...

'What the hell?' Allen thought, feeling a surge of fear and disgust. He expected to see something like Marina, who had suckers on the outside of her tentacles and looked somewhat human. But these things were nothing like that. They were monstrous... octopus-like creatures, with bulbous heads, and beady eyes... yuck.

They look grotesque, really.

> Are those things a part of the Octarian Army?

Allen showed Agent 3 what he had typed on his PDA. She read the translated text and nodded her head. She took the PDA from him and wrote back.

> Yeah. Those guys are what we're fighting.

She gave him back his PDA.

"Great..." Allen murmured sarcastically. "Just great..."

Allen looked over the edge he was lying by. Just underneath was a metal platform that seemed sturdy enough to support his weight. So, he swung himself around and jumped onto the platform. He was careful to break his fall and not to make too much noise.

With his PDA, he could know the exact positions of the enemies. All he needed to do now was draw a physical map of their locations, likely guard posts, and any potential patrol routes. He couldn't rely on Cv-7 to create all that, as satellite coverage wasn't great in this area. Not out here.

Allen gestured for Agent 3 to follow him, so she tried to copy what he did. However, she tripped over her own feet and almost crashed into the platform head-first. She managed to catch herself and assumed a handstand, twirling around onto her feet. Damn impressive for a save like that.

Agent 4 followed them, but he just rolled over the edge and crashed into the metal platform with a loud clang.

Allen crouched, looking over the rest of the crater nervously. From what he could tell, none of the enemies noticed them. They seemed too busy with their own activities, whatever they were. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to get a better position. You go that way." Allen pointed ahead of him, and then started walking slowly backward.

Agent 3 understood what he wanted them to do, so she grabbed Agent 4 and dragged him along with her.