Ark: Survival Evolved - Sunset

Gateway

Mei walked into the room where the meeting was being held, Xiao perched on her shoulder, his usual place. He bleated happily, his tail wagging and horns glowing, as he looked around at all the people. Maybe one of them would have food for him. The lantern-goat, which the villagers had called a 'shinehorn' was quite adorable, and thus often got attention, berries, and head-scratches (between the horns or behind the ears, his favorite spot) from the villagers. Once, he had gotten to try a cake. Mei took some mushroom pieces out of a pouch on her bag, handing them to Xiao, who happily ate them. The stripe patterns on his back appeared to glow brighter, along with his horns. These types of gatherings were not Mei's favorite (in fact she had even postponed arriving there). But she too was interested in the outcome, and she was one of the first Helena had asked for advice. 

She was the one who suggested that Helena should speak to Diana about it, she should at least be there to hear the outcome, and as support for Helena, in case something went wrong. Helena had explained how the Gateway Project may actually be a danger to the tribe. She had told her about how a friend of hers on a desert station warned her that there was a village that had gotten too large and had been destroyed by the station itself somehow. Helena said that her friend never liked to go into detail about the event, and she assumed it was because it was personal to her. So Helena never pressed for details. But she worried that if a village simply growing too large and complacent enough that the inhabitants had no need to struggle to survive was a reason for the Obelisks to destroy it, then a portal large enough to take them to Earth's surface would definitely be a reason to destroy the Tek city. 

She wanted their plan to work so badly, as she wanted to return to Earth. But she knew that as soon as it neared completion, the Obelisks would react, destroying the gateway and everything around it. And considering the state this station was in, she doubted it could survive any more destruction. It meant that not only would the Tek city where she and all her friends were would be destroyed, but the whole station itself too. And she had no idea what she could do about it.

"Have you spoken to Diana about it yet?" Mei asked, breaking Helena's anxious train of thought. 

 "No," said Helena, "Would she even listen? I've barely settled in here and I'm already coming to her with doomsday prophecies."

"Helena," Mei said, "go talk to her. She'll understand your concerns." After Helena still looked unsure, she added "Diana was the one who first welcomed me, she was the one who made these caverns feel like home." 

In fact, Diana did more than just welcome her. She had revealed to her something that she did not know she was missing. Ever since that day in the caverns, when she had realized just how grateful she was that Diana was still alive. When she realized that there was a reason why she had rushed into certain death to save Diana. And when Diana had ran up to hug her, when they had climbed the cliff separating them from home, and once they had finally reached the top, laughing, crying, and lying in the grass, watching the bioluminescent branches glow a vibrant blue... She didn't completely understand everything she felt yet. But that was alright. She had time. She and Diana had time, to figure things out, together. 

Mei was brought back to the present by a racket of irritated voices.

"Dismantle the Gateway Project?" one said, startled.

"But we were so close!" another exclaimed. Mei had walked to the other side of the room, to where Diana, Helena, and Santiago were. She didn't know Santiago too well, but he was Diana's friend, so he sometimes accompanied them on trips to gather resources, etc. Mei waved, and greeted the group. 

"Mei!" Diana smiled. 

 "How did it go?" 

 "They weren't too fond of the idea. And I expected that," Helena said, "They did believe my story of the desert, but they think that the obelisks don't pose a threat anymore. They've already damaged the station's control center, so they aren't worried."

"But," Diana added, "we have come to an agreement. We're putting the project on hold until we gather more data from the Obelisks. And since all the Obelisks are on the surface, which makes them dangerous to travel to, I convinced them to let me lend you a team to gather data."

"Thanks, Diana"

"It's a small team, but I've selected the best people. Santiago was a well known Federation hacker, and a computer expert. He'll be able to examine the obelisk's terminal. That should show you if there's anything wrong."

"I've hacked into it before," Santiago added, "I'll be able to do it again."

"Mei will also be joining you," Diana said, " She knows the place, and you two already know each other. I'd assume it would be helpful to have a familiar face. I asked Rockwell, but he is still helping the other scientists... and seems rather engrossed in his work." Diana knew Helena was worried about Rockwell. He was starting to become obsessive about Element—he called it 'Edmundium'—and it was becoming concerning. She wasn't the only one who noticed this. Some of the scientists were starting to avoid him. "I'll look after him while you're gone though," Diana said. 

Helena thanked Diana, and decided that she needed to focus. The fate of the village may depend on the expedition, and she cannot be distracted by Rockwell. 

Besides, she thought, he'll be fine. It's not like I'm leaving him by himself. He'll have Diana, the other scientists, and the rest of the village. Focus up, Helena! Let's do this!