>>5331987The ONI system was active and quiet. Prodding the integral system it lights up, a grid map of the surrounding area flowing out as the sensors send you warm data. Nothing but dust and echoes. Nothing vaguely humanesque. You hoped the system wasn't malfunctioning within the strange zone. "We should hurry up." You were only about a quarter of the way round. "Fuck this place…" Eleven breathlessly adds, you could tell he wasn't having a good time either. He was murmuring to himself over the LO and the others seemingly weren't receiving your signals. Nineteen doesn't wait for you, taking the lead instead, his Phobos kicking up a storm of sand and trash as he pushes the machine hard.
As the world slips by giant faces carved from rust and limescale stare out at you, their empty dead eyes tracking the something wicked. Emotions on display ranging from joy and ecstasy to revulsion and rage. Stray coils of pipes and vines dangle from the patchwork ceiling consisting of city structures. Clattering across your taller frame. Like the reeds of a river bank, rain drops trickle down to drip onto the rushing machines. Droplets rolling down the observer's lens and partially blinding you, if only for a second. Betweening the swinging strands of roof reeds you spot an abomination. Blood running cold. Lifeless flesh glistening slick against bold violet veins that bulge out to map the inhuman shape. Scales the shades of amethyst and teal, an uneven spider webbing that copies shattered glass. It moves with a jolty jittery gait, long lean limbs grasping at the hanging vines.
Your teeth grind together as it turns to witness your passing, countless eyes and mouths addorn the things underbelly. Flabby lips move without a sound, shaping vowels and syllables unknown to man. "Move it!" you send across the LO Comms to Nineteen. A blink from the ONI systems catches your eye in time to spot The Pride of Silbrisk vanish from your tracker. They had been on the tip of your range for some time. You stare at the other directional pings as the Lance of Yiga disappears next followed by the Dream Strider and then the Nomad Swallow. It was just you and Maxima left. "I'm getting corrupted frequency pings from the west!! It is nothing but an uncompressed Matter Index…" Nineteen stammers not bothering to restrain the shrill fear in his voice.
