A Cave Story

Chapter 1

The anomalous floating land mass was dubbed by the old governments as "The Island", though many would argue that it was more shaped like a mountain. The Island was mainly comprised of a singular large mountain that floated idly over the North Pacific Ocean. Within the United States of Canada, as long as you were in the Western states, you could see the island even if it were a black dot. Many would use it as a landmark: "The Island points West."

But to dub it as an island would be considered blasphemy by the science committee, they would argue that it was its own continent with its own form of governance and law. These claims had of course fallen on deaf ears as the next wave of Genocide Robots blitzed through armies of AWOL's and small rabbit creatures dubbed Mimigas. By the time the United States, Russia, most of the United Kingdom, and China fell, "The Island" name had stuck.

Today's historians still alive after the year 2000 consider The Island a large network of caves. Theorists believed the greenery, unnatural light, and species can be traced back to an anomalous power source that lies deep within the heart of The Island. It was why every world power was interested in it in the first place. The first military expeditions discovered that reaching this core was an impossible feat. For starters, The Island was about 100 thousand square kilometers, size and depth wise. An expedition from one side to the other was approximately 2 months, not counting the seemingly invincible wildlife, the vehicle killing terrain, and simply exposure to the foreign elements that inhabited the island, which could best be described as magic.

That was if you were "playing it safe"; not going into the cave network. The old world knew that it would be impossible to drill their way to the center simply because of their machinery would be under constant attack, not to mention the local intelligent life warning them of incurring "The Wrath." The old world had already made their intentions known to the population, having numerous oil fields and mining facilities set up, they began proposing the idea of exploratory units to be sent into the caves.

This was impossible. Many of the humans on The Island had defected, declaring themselves as an independent micronation of all races and nationalities who wanted nothing more than the war to end. After long discussions, and not listening to the protests of their own people, robots were sent up to continue the old government's bidding.

Soldier had finished planting the final row seeds in the flower fields. The opening of Spring was considered the most important part of the year. The canyon their cave resided along would be getting the warmth and rays of the Sun that had already started melting down the ice and the river, reigniting the river. The snow fishers had left a month prior and would begin their perilous journey back to the Sand Zone. Kamadani San had constructed a funneling system which would deliver some of the water dripping from the ice that had formed on the walls down into the garden. This water was rich with minerals, though due to their location, this supply of delicious water would only last them a month before they would have to fall back on sprinklers.

He had dug canals across each row of soil to ensure that the water was able to each every seed, though if he miscalculated the saturation, the gravity, or the acceleration (which he often did) it could spell less flowers grown, and less to be sold on the market. He washes his white body shell with a damp cloth by their water recycler basin. Kamadani San's contraption used a series of filters, drains, and boilers to extend the use of a cup of water for days, assuming you didn't drink it. 

Probably why he let me stay Soldier, like all robots, were useless in the water. Water was fatal to Soldier not only because he sank like a brick but also due to the giant hole on the left side of his head where the second component of a communicator module would have been. The transmitter component on the right side was a green plastic piece shaped like an earmuff with a plastic antenna on top. He wrapped the hole over with electrical tape. Thinking of his wound reminded him to wash his hair. He pulls a metal cord next to the spout to dispense steaming hot water into his cloth. He rubs the damp towel into his black messy hair, looking at the red cap in his hand, which had a metal plate stamped on the front like a poor man's head protection. Soldier threw back on his black tank top before opening the valve at the bottom of the basin so it could begin the filtration cycle.