Future Defenders - Book 1 - Rise of the Murderers

Chapter 19 - Experiment Abandoned

Walking out of the void back into the Crystal Cavern, Riley was still trying to get his head around things.

"You're telling me that you wan to use the thing that almost killed us all, except even more powerful!"

"Well yes, but it's only a back up plan." ###### responded. "I have another plan and we'll only use it if the first plan fails."

"Right, and that is?"

"Can't tell you yet. Still working on it."

As they descended into the Crystal Caverns towards the lab, ###### told Riley what he experienced after his supposed death. He spent the entire time in the void, only being able to watch everyone through one screen. He yearned to return to life, but with the basement of the lab shut down, it meant Riley's experiment couldn't be finished. Eventually, he had made his way to the start of the massacre.

"I knew what Rusty was capable of. I knew their motives, their skills, their powers."

"So why didn't you warn me?" Riley said angrily.

"If I could, I would've. But I was stuck in that room."

"Then how are outside of it right now."

"Since I'm attached to you, I can leave. I was always hoping that you would come into that area and find me."

"So you were able to remember that happened in the previous reversals."

"About that. I'm the reason you remember it all. It was the only way I could warn you."

Riley stopped in his tracks. It made sense now. But even then, more questions arose.

"Why only me then. What about my friends. What about everyone else."

"Believe when I say I tried. The only reason I was able to do it to you was because of how closely linked we were. Well, that's my theory."

They continued to walk through they Crystal Caverns and into the Magma Depths, where the lab resided. ###### hesitated slightly, being back here for the first time in 3 years, but followed behind Riley as they entered. It was busy like usually, however no one paid attention to them, especially since no one could see ###### but Riley. Walking into the hallway, Riley immediately moved to open the doorway, how ever he felt someone tap him on the back of the shoulder.

"Riley, what are you doing here?" Jester asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Riley responded, pretending like nothing was up.

"I got a message from the others about what happened early. Care to explain."

Riley turned around to go back to trying opening the doorway. It didn't matter if Jester saw, he'd be dead soon. "I don't want to talk about it." The doorway opened as he went to enter with ###### not too far behind. Before he could descend down the stair, Jester blocked his path.

"Why are you going down into the basement? You know that is is off limits."

"I need to retrieve something I left down there. I know it's been 3 years, but I remembered about it early today when looking through some old notes."

This was partly a lie. He did need something from down there, but he hadn't touched his old research, not wanting to uncover his past again.

"Ok... just to make sure, I'll follow you behind."

Jester moved out of the way to allow for Riley to pass through and descend down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, everything had remained the same, except with a few additions. A crater where the core once was. A whole where the experiment went wrong. Vines now leaked in through the holes in the ceiling and plant life covered majority of the walls. It had grown into ruins, with almost no one having been down here in the 3 years since that day.