>>5747019Without saying a word, you retrieve <span class="mu-s">PEPPER’S PHONE</span> from your pocket and play back the recording she took of your tormenter. Chuck listens quietly the whole way through, and it’s only after you put the device away that he opens his mouth again.
“So that’s how it is…” He remarks as he runs his hands along his beard, “Sounds like you’re one of her new playthings.”
What the hell does <span class="mu-i">THAT</span> mean, exactly?! Is he suggesting-
“A few months back this island was just another company testing site.” Chuck explains as he gestures to the woods outside, “The camps and all were still here, but at the time Hauser was workin’ on some kind of <span class="mu-s">SUPER SOLDIER SERUM</span>.”
That explains the labs, you sigh, but what changed?
“Somethin’ happened up North in <span class="mu-s">CLEARWATER,</span>” Adds the groundskeeper, “Somethin’ to do with sunken cities and machines that teleport people. Hauser wanted it <span class="mu-i">bad</span>, and when Smythe’s guys found some dirt on it and built a prototype, Hauser was over the moon: couldn’t keep his hands off of the damn thing.”
But it wasn’t enough, you interrupt with a frown.
“Nope,” Chuck replies with a shake of his head, “He came here almost every day of the week before throwin’ in the towel–ended up tracking down some kind of biology <span class="mu-i">wunderkind</span> in some Egyptian prison and sprung ‘em to get research moving along.” His already stern expression darkens. “They shoulda’ kept her locked up.”
They found something, right? Some kind of parasite…
“Some kinda <span class="mu-i">alien</span>, more like. Next thing you know there’s cargo ships coming by around the clock–all of ‘em filled to the brim with stray pets and homeless folk thinkin’ they’d won a contest or somethin’.”
And they ended up becoming the things out there, right?
“Some of ‘em, yea, but that bitch they hired kept burnin’ through ‘em–always askin’ for more because of some breakthrough...”
That hard drive right there has all of her logs, you add, but they end talking about some sort of ‘<span class="mu-s">SITE B</span>’--is that related to ‘<span class="mu-s">SITE D?</span>’ Chuck shakes his head.
“<span class="mu-s">SITE D’s</span> where the boss is holed up–his dumb ass got stuck here with the rest of us when his pet scientist opened all the cages. <span class="mu-s">SITE B,</span> though…” His voice trails off in thought, “... couldn’t tell ya.”
He <span class="mu-i">can’t</span>, or he <span class="mu-i">won’t</span>?
>CONTD. 