Contract 3.5

“Do you understand your assignment?” Melanie asked me as I adjusted my costume to make sure it sat properly.

It was a bit over two days after Christine had shown up and luckily there had been no incidents after that. My friend… girlfriend had settled into her new surroundings pretty quickly, probably owing to the fact that I was here to help her along and to get used to hanging around the crew.

Her and Gregor especially seemed to hit it off which I hadn't really expected. It seemed that the big man had a certain air about him that Christine really vibed with because if she wasn't with me, she was usually with him or Elle.

I was glad that she had settled in so quickly, especially so because I wasn't going to be around for a little while.

I nodded in answer to Melanie’s question, “Yep, survey the area and find Darwin's base using my powers. Once I do I need to look for a way for the crew to get in.” I recounted as I tightened the straps of my knife holster, making sure it was secure, “If I see an opportunity to get some information on what we're gonna be up against I can take it but not at risk to my own well-being.”

She nodded, satisfied with my answer, “That's right. Your powers are uniquely suited to this sort of thing so unfortunately you'll have no backup on this one. You'll be on your own with only comms to keep you company.”

She gestured towards the door and I made my way out of her temporary bedroom, the woman following closely behind me as we made our way into the suite proper.

“Assuming Darwin hasn't set up some sort of field that disrupts them at least.” I commented as I fastened my mask to my face. I gave Emily a small nod as we passed by her and Elle sitting on the couch doing… something that involved flowers, I couldn't really tell all that much.

“That too.” Melanie sighed, “Hopefully that doesn't matter though. This is strictly a reconnaissance mission so there's no need to make yourself known unless absolutely necessary.”

“Got it. In and out, quick as can be.”

“And be careful.” Melanie urged, “There are few things more dangerous than a Tinker in their own layer and Biotinkers are some of the most dangerous parahumans on the planet besides that. If you are caught there's no telling what he could do to you before we can stage a rescue.”

I nodded in understanding. Blasto, Bonesaw, Biotinkers were a special type of dangerous to go up against even with the proper preparation. There was no way I was going to do anything to get myself caught, much less actually try to fight Darwin by myself.

“Don't worry, he won't even know I was there.” I promised.

Melanie gave me a serious look before nodding, “Alright then. I’ll be on the line if you find anything and Newter and Gregor will be ready to go at a moment’s notice to back you up if need be. Though once again, it shouldn't come to that. Do you have your earpiece?”

I nodded, tapping the small bit of plastic inside of my ear, “Got it right here.”

“Good. Then I guess I won’t hold you back any longer.” Melanie gave me a nod, “Good luck, Aspect.”

I just gave her a wave as she walked off to do her own thing before turning to leave the suite. Hopefully this would go smoothly.

Just as I passed the kitchen on the way to the window that led into the alley outside, I was interrupted by a familiar voice, “Hey, Valerie!”

I turned to find Christine giving me a wave as she walked out of the kitchen holding a steaming bowl. The heavy look that had been on her face perpetually for the past two days had slowly begun to fade, replaced with something much lighter and easier. She actually gave me a genuine smile as she approached, putting her bowl down on a nearby table and holding out her arms for a hug which I accepted happily.

She smiled into my shoulder as my arms wrapped around her, squeezing her tightly as we embraced, “Where are you heading? Did Faultline give you something to do?” She asked curiously.

I scrunched my nose as my face was tickled by floating wisps of my girlfriend's hair, “Melanie needs me to do some scouting for our contract. We're going up against a Tinker so I've got to find out where his base is located and find a way in.” I answered through the stark white strands.

Turns out, Christine's powers are permanently active. Since she had gotten them, her hair and eyes hadn't stopped glowing or floating, remaining as eye-catching as they had been days ago. I had expected her to be sad or angry about that but she had just shrugged it off, stating that it wasn’t like she had anything left in her civilian life anymore anyways.

It was just another reminder of what the Empire
had taken from both of us.

Christine froze at my words, before she slowly pulled back to look at me. Her softly glowing eyes were full of concern as she spoke, “You’re going alone? Why aren’t Newter or Emily going with you?”

“With how my power works, they wouldn't be doing much but standing around.” I shrugged, “Remember how I appeared in your house after I triggered? That’s basically what I’m planning on doing except I don’t plan on making myself known.”

That didn't make her frown disappear but it seemingly helped. The worry on her face was still present but somewhat lessened. Still, I could tell she wasn't exactly ecstatic about the news that I was leaving

I pulled back from our hug looking down at her in slight concern, “Are you gonna be alright?” I asked quietly.

She hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding her head. “Yeah, I’ll be fine just… hurry back please? I don't think I'm gonna be doing anything but worrying about you while you're away.” She joked halfheartedly.

I gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her lightly, “I’ll be back as quickly as I can, I promise. If you need someone to talk to to take your mind off of things, I know Newter’s usually free and shouldn't mind the company.”

That brought a slight smile to her lips, “That's true. Maybe he even has some stories to tell about you. I've been keeping up online but a first-hand account is probably much more interesting.”

Uh-oh. “Actually, nevermind. Newter's a terrible, horrible person and absolutely abhors any kind of company. You should just hang out with Gregor instead.”

Gregor hadn't seen me get stuck in the floor while experimenting with my powers and laughed at me for nearly half an hour before helping me out. He was nice like that.

Christine’s grin widened, “Yeah, I think I'll pay Newter a visit. I'd like to know what kind of stuff you two have gotten up to.”

I sighed, shrugging my shoulders helplessly, “Well I tried. When your opinion of me is forever ruined, don't come crying to, well, me.”

Christine just gave me an unrepentant grin and I laughed lightly, giving her hands a squeeze before letting go, “I'll try and be back soon, Chris. Go bug Newter for that totally not embarrassing story, I'll be fine”

“I'll do that. Won't stop me from worrying though.” Christine leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss on my cheek before stepping back, her fingers trailing along mine as we seperated.

I gave her one last smile, my cheeks feeling particularly warm, before turning and opening the window, feeling a bit more light than before.

The alley outside the hotel was empty as I dropped down into it, falling a few feet to land firmly on my boots. Since I was alone, I made no attempt to hide my actions as I pulled my hood over my head before placing my hand on the ground and melding with it, sinking down into the street and rocketing off towards the edge of Accord's territory.

As I raced through the streets of Boston, completely unbeknownst to anyone who might be up above, I couldn’t help but think that despite everything that had happened, things could be far worse.

~~~

It didn’t take long to reach the edge of Charleston and even less time after that to find the place that Accord had said Darwin was supposedly holed up.

The gas station was even less impressive in person, practically the textbook definition of an abandoned property. Weeds grew tall and thick, jutting up even through the concrete parking lot and the grass looked like it hadn’t been cut since the building’s conception.

Accord had said that Darwin's base was built somewhere near the gas station and was more than likely underground as well. Luckily, just like Melanie had said, that suited me perfectly.

“Alright,” I clapped my hands before bending down to place my fingers against the ground, “Let's see what I can find.”

With a thought, I sank down into the earth underneath me, submerging myself into the dirt and rock around the gas station with my power. I spread my presence out, sending my senses in every direction but mostly focusing them downward. If Darwin's lair was underground, I would find it.

The moment that I got only a few meters below the ground, I stopped, frowning internally at what I felt or more accurately, what I didn't. My senses extended several yards in every direction. I could feel every single rock, stone, and random piece of junk within the ground around the gas station as my senses expanded.

And then, just before they reached the limit of my range, I was suddenly inundated by a sense of nothingness several meters across. A massive blank spot within my senses where I couldn’t feel anything sing out to me as it should.

My power couldn't touch organic things thanks to my Manton Limit, which meant that whatever this stuff was made of, it was alive. It wasn’t something mundane like tree roots, the incredible size and lack of gaps in the nothingness in it cued me in to that immediately. There was no doubt that my quarry was responsible.

That was worrying for several reasons. Darwin was a biotinker with a mutation specialty, who knows what this stuff was made of or if it was dangerous. Best to steer clear.

Deciding to do some more investigating, I reeled in my senses, focusing them completely on the probable base as I swam around it, circling it as I observed it from every single angle. The organic substance seemed to cover the entire outside and any attempt to find any sort of gap in its armor was completely useless. It was airtight.

Just as I was about to call the whole thing a bust however, I detected something just at the edge of my range. I immediately honed in on it, sharpening my senses and bringing it into focus. It was a small box, maybe only a few feet around and made of what felt like sheet metal. It was absolutely tiny in comparison to the rest of the base, but oddly enough, it also began exactly where the base itself ended.

‘It's some sort of bunker!’ I realized as I took the thing in with my power, “Maybe that's how he gets in and out of his base!’

It was just a guess, but I hadn't been able to sense any other gaps or break in the base’s shell and this thing was too close to it to be just a coincidence. There was no way the two weren't at least a little connected.

I began to make my way in that direction, swimming through dirt and rock as I passed the gas station on my way to my new destination.

The closer I got to it and the more my senses were able to capture it, the more sure I was in my belief. The bunker was pretty small, only a few dozen square feet, but I noticed that the blank spot in my senses began exactly where the edge of the bunker ended, as if they were connected. That could be our way in.

Reeling my presence back in, I rose back to the surface, climbing out of the earth like a zombie and deactivating my power. I turned around, eyes searching for something specific and I grinned as I found it. Two rusted metal handles stuck out of the ground, connected to what looked like a pair of doors covered in a green film.

I brought a hand to my earpiece, pressing the small button on the side, “Hey Faultline.”

“I'm here, Aspect. Go ahead.”

“I think I found us a way in. Not sure yet, but there's a small bunker here that feels like it connects to what I'm almost completely positive is Darwin's base.” I said, bending down to the entrance of the bunker. The door itself was rusted and the handles had almost fallen off, but the hinges looked brand new. Someone was clearly still using it.

“Good work. Are you able to scout out the base any further or would you like to pull back?” She asked, “Just knowing where the entrance is should be good enough, but I won't say no to any additional information on what might be down there.”

I thought for a moment before leaning forward and pulling back on the bunker doors. They gave a slight bit of resistance but opened easily enough. Inside was a staircase that led downwards, made of a gleaming metal that was completely at odds with the rusted doors.

Inside looked like a standard prepper’s stache. Dozens if not hundreds of shelf-stable items sat upon shelves that lined the walls of the somewhat tiny space. The walls were made of metal that was just a maintained as the staircase was as were the floors.

I eyed the stairs for a second before nodding decisively, “I'll check it out a bit more. I might be able to get into the base without him knowing and see what we'll be dealing with.”

“Be careful, Aspect. Don't get too cocky and get yourself caught.” She warned.

I just grinned as I leaned down to place my fingertips on the staircase. Just like I thought, the metal was completely inorganic, singing out for my power to use it, “Who do you think you're talking to here, boss? I would never.”

“Mhmm. Just don't be too reckless and get out of there at the first sign of trouble.”

“Will do. Over and out.” As the call disconnected, bent down to meld with the staircase, grinning as my presence spread much further than the bunker itself seemed to go, gliding underneath the far wall and continuing far enough that I couldn't even sense all the way inside. My hunch had been correct. This place was connected to the base beyond.

I made my way into the bunker, hidden within the metal staircase, before slipping directly underneath the far wall and into the room beyond.

My first impression was dark. The room I had found myself in was completely pitch black, with not a single iota of light to be found. As I listened closely, I could just barely pick up the sounds of frantic scratching and heavy thumps of things unseen. There was something inside the room.

Thoroughly creeped out, I decided that I didn't want to stay there any longer and continued on my way, slipping under another wall and further into Darwin's base.

Although, as my vision adjusted to the sudden influx of light I realized that word didn't quite fit Darwin's base was more of a lair than anything else.

The entire thing looked like a massive open lab, with test tubes and medical equipment spread out along the walls and floor with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Several tables sat around the room, covered in random medical equipment and three gurneys were propped up against one of the walls.

Near those gurneys was a lounging table with several leather straps attached to it. It looked like something out of Frankenstein and was clearly a place that Darwin put his victims when he did whatever he did to them. Disgusting.

Adding to the sheer creepiness of the base, the walls were completely covered in moss, making me realize what was interfering with my powers outside. It spread along every once of the walls and the ceiling and a thick layer of it covered every other surface and object sitting inside. All except for the floor which I was hidden in.

There were a couple dozen things in here too. I say things because they certainly weren't human and definitely weren't animals either.

The… creatures were made of what looked like moss, fuzzy green plant matter covering the entirety of their seeing nude bodies and from what I could tell, seemed to come in two distinct types.

The first was massive and lumbering, heavy footsteps resounding throughout the base as they slowly ambled back and forth on some unseen route, never going more than a certain distance in one direction before stopping and turning around to do it again. A single, large eyeball sat in the center of its chest, rolling around in all directions, constantly in motion as it sought something out.l

The other were much smaller, only a foot tall or so, and moved much more erratically. They gave me the impression of imps, thin little bodies jittering and jerking as they scampered around in chaotic ways.

Unlike their bigger counterparts, these ones didn't seem to have any sort of normalcy in where they were going, darting in whichever direction they chose on so much as a whim and covering the entirety of the lab in mere seconds. They also seemingly didn't have eyes which made me wonder if they worked completely off of touch and sound. They were certainly fast enough for it.

These creatures were likely some sort of security measure and I came to the realization that these things must have been what I heard but couldn't see in that other room. They were scuttling around in the dark, probably waiting for any possible intruders.

Creepy. Still, they couldn't see me or sense me so I could just ignore them for now.

As I scanned the lab for anything else of interest, at the same timelooking for any sign of the Darwin himself, I froze at what I caught at the edges of my vision. I shot my eyes towards it and after a moment spent just making sure I wasn't seeing things, I immediately began making my way in that direction, swimming through the walls with much more urgency than before.

I stopped several feet away from a large glass container, just staring at it intently from within my hiding place. Truthfully, it wasn't so much of a container as it was a cell, big enough to hold Gregor and completely filled to the brim with water. That wasn’t what had me so interested though. That would be what was inside of the container.

It was clearly a Case-53, that much was evident by the omega symbol tattooed on his abdomen. He had scaly, pitch black skin and a ring of ivory horns around his head. His eyes which despondently stared outside of his tank glowed a sickly green and his hands were webbed, thin green membrane sticking his fingers together. Topping off the picture, his legs were replaced entirely by a fishlike tail, as if he were a mermaid or some other sort of aquatic creature.

This must have been Darwin's most recent victim. He didn't look hurt, just somewhat depressed which made sense given the situation he was in.

I just watched him for a moment, hidden within the walls. As much as it pained me, I couldn't do anything to help this guy right now.

Darwin seemingly wasn't present at the moment. Whether he was simply deeper inside the base or not here at all, I didn't know.

What I did know was that the moment I stepped out of the wall, whatever those things were would see me and likely alert him. Not to mention I had no idea what those things were capable of in the first place. There must have been a reason that Darwin had so many of them patrolling his base.

And that wasn't even considering that I wasn't equipped for a rescue mission in the first place. Even if I somehow got him out of that tank which I was almost one hundred percent sure he needed to be in given his appearance, where would I go? It wasn't like I could bring him with me when I sunk back into the floor.

There was nothing I could do right now. It was time to go.

‘I'll come back for you.’ I silently promised the man before making my way out of the base.

He didn't hear me because of course he didn't, but I resolved to make sure that this man saw the light of day again. Darwin's little experimental rampage would end soon.

I left Darwin's lair the same way I came in, slipping out without them even knowing I was there in the first place.

The moment that I slipped out of the ground, I immediately brought my hand up yo my earpiece, wanting to inform my boss of the new development.

“Faultline.” I said as I pressed the button.

It took less than three seconds to get a response, “Welcome back, Aspect. I assume things went well?”

I shrugged as I began to make my way back towards the city, “Well enough I guess. I was right about Darwin's base, and now I've got some idea of what we'll be dealing with when we bust in. That's not what I'm calling about, though.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Our little search and destroy contract just gained a rescue clause.”

"...Get back here quickly."