October 31st, OE 102
Earth Cradle, England
Alkahest HQ
10:18 PM
Clank, clank, clank.
The labyrinth interior of the Earth cradle rang with the sound of mechanical feet, as a pair of machines strode through its outermost extremes, searchlights sweeping through the murky darkness of the disused sector. Far in the distance, a festive mood had taken the offices, lit with cackling Jack-O-Lanterns, ghosts and ghouls, casting a curious orange light in the backdrop as the two Huckebein Ms began to slow their pace.
One of the two glanced up, eying the clusters of hexagonal Machine Cells teeming just at the edges of the dome's interior. No matter how he worked for Alkahest, he thought, those things would always give him the creeps.
"We're missing the party, man." He sighed, looking wistfully back at the twinkling lights.
His companion, the one leading the way, stopped and held up a hand for silence.
"Shut up for a second."
The lead Huckebein dropped to its knees - and a complicated looking apparatus on its right arm extended, a metal spike slamming into the ground. Sonar waves began to travel out, forming a picture of the surroundings in the dimly. Being the last ones on duty, they'd picked up an unusual reading from what must have been the absolute last place anyone would ever think to look - so unusual it demanded investigation.
Right when their shift was about to end.
"Have you seen this place's foundation?" Said the second machine;
"Absolutely nothing is getting through hundreds of meters of reinforced titanium! This place was meant to survive the end of the world!"
The lead unit sat in silence for a minute as the sonar filled out. Nothing. Whatever had been making those... tremors, for lack of better term, had finally stopped. His curiosity assuaged, the sonar spike was retracted, and the PT rose to its feet.
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, man. Let's head back."
"Hell yeah, moth-"
Krrr-krr-krr-krrrrkkk...
They heard it first.
A terrible, ear-splitting grinding of metal and bone. As though something enormous was gnashing steel plates between its teeth with relish. A horrible splitting, tearing of armored plates as easily as if they were tissue paper, as two massive, cruelly curved claws erupted from beneath their feet, closing about them like steel traps snapping shut about unwary prey.
A pair of leering red eyes peered at them from the darkness below for an instant. Almost as if it were enjoying their fear, before - with a pair of terrified screams, they were yanked out of sight and down, down into the depths, swallowed whole until even their shrieks faded away into still, oppressive silence....
Earth Cradle, England
Alkahest HQ
10:18 PM
Clank, clank, clank.
The labyrinth interior of the Earth cradle rang with the sound of mechanical feet, as a pair of machines strode through its outermost extremes, searchlights sweeping through the murky darkness of the disused sector. Far in the distance, a festive mood had taken the offices, lit with cackling Jack-O-Lanterns, ghosts and ghouls, casting a curious orange light in the backdrop as the two Huckebein Ms began to slow their pace.
One of the two glanced up, eying the clusters of hexagonal Machine Cells teeming just at the edges of the dome's interior. No matter how he worked for Alkahest, he thought, those things would always give him the creeps.
"We're missing the party, man." He sighed, looking wistfully back at the twinkling lights.
His companion, the one leading the way, stopped and held up a hand for silence.
"Shut up for a second."
The lead Huckebein dropped to its knees - and a complicated looking apparatus on its right arm extended, a metal spike slamming into the ground. Sonar waves began to travel out, forming a picture of the surroundings in the dimly. Being the last ones on duty, they'd picked up an unusual reading from what must have been the absolute last place anyone would ever think to look - so unusual it demanded investigation.
Right when their shift was about to end.
"Have you seen this place's foundation?" Said the second machine;
"Absolutely nothing is getting through hundreds of meters of reinforced titanium! This place was meant to survive the end of the world!"
The lead unit sat in silence for a minute as the sonar filled out. Nothing. Whatever had been making those... tremors, for lack of better term, had finally stopped. His curiosity assuaged, the sonar spike was retracted, and the PT rose to its feet.
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, man. Let's head back."
"Hell yeah, moth-"
Krrr-krr-krr-krrrrkkk...
They heard it first.
A terrible, ear-splitting grinding of metal and bone. As though something enormous was gnashing steel plates between its teeth with relish. A horrible splitting, tearing of armored plates as easily as if they were tissue paper, as two massive, cruelly curved claws erupted from beneath their feet, closing about them like steel traps snapping shut about unwary prey.
A pair of leering red eyes peered at them from the darkness below for an instant. Almost as if it were enjoying their fear, before - with a pair of terrified screams, they were yanked out of sight and down, down into the depths, swallowed whole until even their shrieks faded away into still, oppressive silence....