Infinity Legends

Chapter 22: The Lab in Bibelo III

The five Infinity Riders had gathered in the cockpit to witness the ship’s arrival in Bibelo III, and it was underwhelming to say the best. The only one of them to have ever visited that planet was Gurm, so all the others had individual expectations for the place. Some imagined it would be a lively jungle world with countless different creatures. Others had anticipated a bustling citadel or a mysterious temple.

Instead, all they came upon was an infinity of grey dust, laying perfectly undisturbed thanks to the lack of an atmosphere. There were no buildings on the planet’s surface, no flora or fauna populating it and as far as any of them could see there was no dark-matter crystal for Gurm to collect.

“You sure this is the right place?” Takol asked the purple alien.

“Yup! Been here before!” she said, then leaned over his seat and pointed ahead. “That crater! That’s where we’ll find my crystal.”

Takol looked at Kramen, not entirely convinced, then shrugged and flew towards the indicated geographical accident. As the Infinity crossed the edge of the huge deformity, however, the first sign of intelligent life came into sight, but even that failed to fill the eyes.

At the very center of the crater, likely caused years prior by the collision of a meteorite, a ring of red and blue lights flickered, inviting them to approach. From the cockpit of the Infinity, one could be tricked to assume said ring to have no more than a couple feet in diameter, but that was a mere illusion caused by the comparison to the magnitude of the crater itself. As the ship approached, one would come to the realization that the lights signalized a landing pad as big as the Infinity itself.

A cloud of dust raised as the crater ground trembled, the greyish powder bathing the ship as a round portion of the ground opened beneath it. In between the colorful lights, there was now a gigantic hole just big enough to fit a starship.

“I’m not putting my ship in there!” Takol eased on the thrusters, bringing the Infinity to a halt.

On the back of the group, Lord cleared his throat.

“Okay!” Takol said before anyone else could interject. “But we better not get stuck!”

“It’ll be fine. Pinky swear!” Gurm offered Takol what would pass for a pinky on her four-fingered hand.

“What is this place, even?” Kramen asked as the ship descended into the metallic tube that had just been revealed to them.

“It used to be a research station,” Gurm said. “Some mad scientists used it to try and unlock time travel!”

“Let me guess,” Takol grumbled. “It went south, now the place is haunted by insane security bots and weird interdimensional creatures.”

“You’d be right on the weird, that much I say,” Lord spoke. “This place is notoriously feared, be it as it may.”

“What do you mean?” Takol turned on his seat.

“From what I’ve heard this place brings you to face the most unimaginable foe in all of Fantasy Stars!” the bard said in the tone one would use to tell a ghost story. “Yourself!”

Takol and Kramen frowned, while Serry raised her eyebrows, uncertain. Whatever the bard meant by that, it sounded bad!

***

The landing platform of the abandoned secret underground laboratory in Bibelo III was exactly what one would expect from an abandoned secret underground laboratory. Floor walls and ceiling were pristine white, and aside from the Infinity only one other old ship was found in the hangar. Overhead, most of the lamps had already burned, with a few still flickering and eventually sparkling. The only sound was that of the atmospheric generators struggling to recycle oxygen for the benefit of the newly arrived visitors.

The first to step out of the ship was Gurm, who contemplated the derelict hangar with surprising familiarity. Right behind her came Kramen and Serry. Kramen held a laser pistol at the ready, while Serry advanced step-by-step, palms raised ready to freeze any threat.

Luckily, there were no threats. Not immediately, at least.

“Hey, Gurm,” Serry called out after a 360 degree sweep of the surroundings. “That old ship right there. Was it here the last time you came?”

The sage in white nodded to the dust-colored freighter stationed two landing pads down. It was impossible to tell how many years ago the base had fallen off the grid, but it would be no surprise if that ship had been just sitting there for a couple decades.

“I don’t know,” Gurm whispered, afraid her voice would disturb the low hum of the exhaust vents. “Didn’t pay…”

A loud ding echoed over the hangar just as Takol and Potathunder came out of the Infinity. The sound was soon followed by a low-pitched voice, heavily modulated and distorted by static and busted speakers.

“Greetings brothers and sisters,” the voice said.

“Is it talking to us?” Takol asked, looking around for the source of the spectral manifestation.

“It is…” the voice continued, but was cut by muffled static. “…year in the era of Shay. After handling dark-matter, hand washing is mandatory…” more static. “…long live Supreme-Commander Shay!”

“At least the forces of evil are sanitary,” Lord muttered.

Gurm was already leading the way out of the hangars and into a narrow corridor that spread as far as the eye could see. Just an endless stretch of doors and white round walls. The lights all along the corridor faltered, blinking on and off with more intensity the further underground they went.

“I hope we can find our way back,” Takol whispered. As the group advanced in a single file, he had taken the second position, right behind Gurm, his gun trained over her shoulder just in case. “Should’ve brought breadcrumbs.”

Serry had taken the rear, and constantly kept her hands up, walking backwards. That left the weaker party members, Kramen and Lord, safely surrounded by their stronger friends.

“Shh!” Lord hissed and raised a fist. “I think I heard something…”

The group stopped its advance, all of them freezing in place. Some had even stopped breathing as they trained their ears to hear past the electric buzz of the dying lamps. With some effort, the sound Lord had picked would become audible to all. A rhythmic tingling of metal against metal, echoing through the walls around them, resonating onto the floor and ceiling.

“I think it’s coming from inside there,” Takol nodded towards a door labeled ‘LABORATORY K-37’. The reptile pushed past Gurm, aim always ready, and approached the indicated door.

Lord Potathunder followed suit, holding his lute like a club, and Serry was not far behind. Kramen and Gurm had chosen to stay a safe distance away.

The three more daring explores exchanged a quick confirmation nod, then on the count of three Takol slammed the button beside the door. The doors slid open with a hiss, revealing a laboratory in a much better state than the rest of the base. It was a mess, for all effects, with tools, parts and notes spread all over several workbenches, desks and even the floor, but at least the light functioned perfectly.

Takol risked a step into the room, but as soon as he did a loud metal clang echoed through the base as a massive robot plummeted from the ceiling to land right in front of the reptile invader.

The eight-egged machine turned four red optical readers to Takol, who immediately jumped back and opened fire.

The mechanical spider, the size of a small car, crossed two of its limbs in front of its face, and the long continuous laser beam fired by Takol’s rifle evaporated upon contact to the machine’s energy shields.

Takol pressed on, the nearly invisible blue glow around the robot growing stronger until it turned orange, then red. It would soon have broken, but not before Takol’s weapon needed to be reloaded.

“Don’t just stand there!” Takol yelled at his companions. “Shoot it!”

“I intend no hostility,” the robot replied in a flat, emotionless voice.

Takol did not care. After reloading, he emptied another magazine into the thing’s refreshed shields, to no avail. When Takol stopped to reload again, one of the robot’s arms swung at him, tossing him across the corridor.

“Forgiveness,” the robot said. “Threat control was necessary.”

“We don’t mind,” Serry shrugged as Takol cursed something on the background. “I’m Serry.”

“I am unit DM3-C4,” the robot said. “Welcome to my home.”

“A very polite war-robot!” Lord smirked.

By then, Kramen and Gurm had edged closer to the commotion.

“Please supply data: Who is your leader?” DM3 asked.

“I guess that would be me…” Kramen slid past Serry and Lord. “I’m Kramen Blacksky.”

“I am unit DM3-C4.”

“We heard you the first time!” Takol growled, still laying where he had fallen.

“Scanning party,” a red holographic grid left the red robotic eyes and covered the five explorers. “Scan completed. Two dark-matter manipulators detected. Conclusion: You search the time crystal.”

“That’s right!” Gurm excitedly took the lead. “Can you help us?”

“Affirmative. In return, I request assistance,” DM3 projected a holographic map of the entire base, which expanded kilometers further in all directions. He signaled the bottommost chamber, then zoomed in. “I must acquire a dark-matter containment fuse located in the dark-matter vault. Our goals align.”

“Great!” Gurm beamed. “Welcome onboard!”

“Not so fast!” Kramen raised a hand. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Serry asked. “Safety in numbers. The more the merrier”

“What about that thing Lord said of fighting ourselves?” Kramen reminded. “Everyone we add to our ranks is one more enemy to fight.”

“We know that applies to people, but what about robots?” Serry asked, looking at Gurm for the answer, but the dark-clad mage just shrugged.

“She doesn’t know,” Kramen said. “It’s too big a risk.”

“You can’t know that,” Gurm protested.

“If you don’t have enough data, the logical outcome is the most conservative one,” Kramen stated.

Potathunder cleaned his throat. “Logic is surely an art, and it’ll often save your neck. But forget to use your heart, and it will only hold you back.”

“My heart says no!” Takol screamed from the ground.

Kramen rolled his eyes. “My heart tells me to use logic.”

“Then all you will get, is eternal rumination. For you have not fact, data or information.”

“Then what is your suggestion, oh wise bard?” Kramen asked.

Potathunder smiled, then reached into the pockets of his green pants. The bard squirmed as he searched for something. He first pulled out a pocket watch, then a yoyo, then Rubik’s Cube and a half eaten cereal bar. After dumping all the items on the ground, Lord finally found what he was looking for.

“A coin?” Kramen asked. “Who carries currency?”

“I’m a street performer, people don’t often pay in check,” Potathunder laughed, then showed the shining blue token to his friends. A genuine galactic credit. “Suns we take him. Chimeras we don’t. Deal?”

“Deal!” Gurm smiled under her hood.

“Deal,” Kramen’s response was a bit more bitter.

The bard flicked the coin into the air, then intercepted it and delivered it on top of his gloved hand. When he removed his hand from over the coin, the illustration of twin suns was revealed.

“Ugh, fair is fair,” Kramen grunted and walked out of the room. “Welcome to the team, robot!”

“Updating Allegiance Parameters,” the robot said, then followed Kramen out of the room. “You will not regret your choice.”

Like the gentlemen he was, Potathunder held the lab doors for Gurm and Serry to leave before him, then pocketed the coin while smiling to himself.

For the first time he was glad to have spent some skill points in Sleight of Hand!