Leave The Monster Alone

Coming to the lower quarters was almost akin to visiting the slums, or at least that was the feeling Mark got when he walked inside that place. Even the entrance hall was full of people of all shapes and sizes. 

No visible space could be sound with such an arrangement of space and people laid down like puzzle pieces to block even the necessary travelling space. It was impossible to tell where one person began and where the other ended.

"A new person seeking shelter? Ah, wait here while I check the available space for you" the person was not polite, even if his words were. His tone suggested that he would like nothing more than for Mark to go away and it was understood why.

Every space was given limited resources and with more mouths to feed, things were bound to become more difficult. As such, no one wanted more people to join them at such short notice. 

"No need. I'm not here looking for a place to stay but to conduct an investigation for the stolen vials. I hope you all have heard the announcement yesterday" a wave of whispers seemed to break through the crowd and that was to be expected. 

The person who had greeted him at the start looked to be the one most spooked out, now realising that he had likely messed with the wrong person. Luckily for him, Mark was not really a vengeful person.

The main reason for such an open show if discomfort was clear - no one really knew who Mark was here. Since he took the night shift, people here would likely not see him except in case of a real emergency. The night shift had costlier material along with a mon-approachable time frame so Mark was not really recognizable.

Even those who could choose not to say anything which was smart of them. Who knows what kind of trouble that may lead them to in such a palace.

'Is he sure someone here bought those Vials? We're all too poor to buy then though' that along with various other comments made their way to Mark and the atmosphere tensed by quite a lot. 

"I'm not saying that they are here for sure but this is a protocol I'm supposed to follow" Mark tried to ease their tension but clearly it did not happen. Mass panic has become a viable option now.

Mark did not know what he could do to salvage this situation. 

Thankfully, his saviours came in the form of his system message and he mentally cheered. Even if he had just arrived here, he would be more than glad to be able to make his exit now.

___________________

Report to Luna's quarters. They found something amazing buried deep down. I'll send people to take your place for now 

___________________

Mark could not tell you how happy he was with that message. The people were still waiting for his explanation and he only realised that once he looked up from his system. He faked a cough and began his excuse. 

"Head office will be sending the checking force in a short while. I was just here to tell him the conditions of this place but I need to leave now" now the in charge looked worried and he should be. His say if treating people was not appropriate but at least it was not downright horrible. 

But hopefully, he would get better with such a fright.

The journey back felt much faster and without an active attack on his person, he easily made it back in record time. He did consider checking on that young girl first but then he decided to wait on that. Clearly, whatever they had found inside that hole should take priority in this situation.

It was dead silent in the corridors and Mark was sure that it was Liam's doing. Perhaps he had made everyone empty this place out just in case that thing turned out to be dangerous.

Jean was the one who met him right in front of that doorway, her body leaning against the wall but it was tense. Clearly, she was not happy with something and was willing to let everyone know with her body language.

"You're not inside?" Mark asked as soon as he was near enough which made the female lose her balance but she held herself.

"Not allowed inside. Apparently, I'm not high enough authority yet but the kid and that scientist is. What gave them that right to,....hey-" before the female could go on any further, Mark crossed the threshold and closed the door on her huffing face.

The only people inside were Liam, Alan, Luna and Rika. Considering him, that made it a party of 5 people far too diverse in nature.

"What did you find?" Mark asked once he was close enough to be noticed. The four others stood in the circular formation surrounding a hole that Luna had likely dug in his absence.

"We're not sure. We found something but we've not disturbed it yet. We thought it was best to get you to take it out just in case" ah, so he was the guinea pig here. 

He could hear what was not being said here - if it was something really leather then his loss would not really affect the overall scene and since Alan was not an option with Luna around, then he was the only one left.

He was really feeling the life here.

"So we have no idea if it would explode or not? It would be better if I do this alone while you all wait outside" they seemed to be considering his words but Rika and Alan did not look too happy at that suggestion. 

Liam, though, seemed to really like this idea where the least casualties would be risked. Luna was indifferent as far as Mark could tell but he also knew that Luna would consider Alan's safety before Mark's own.

"If even Mark agrees with this proposition then we should follow his wishes. Everyone, please follow me out" looked like he was not the only one to propose it. Clearly, this was a topic that has been raised before and Liam had clearly prioritised the key elements first rather than him which was rather fair. 

Even Mark had placed his mission before the lives of others and that's how it should be if they wanted to survive till the end. 

But what was the end exactly?

"Alan go with them or you'll just distract me" the youngest clearly did not want to leave him which was adorable and heartwarming in equal measures. The teen was really good to him and he really wanted to tell him that.

But now wasn't the time.

Mark made a small gesture toward Luna who nodded in return before he had his brother secured in his hold and proceeded to drag him out. Rika did not need that incentive, clearly realising the gravity of this situation and walked out on her own.

She did pause to look back at him though and he could just pass her a small smile as a reassurance. This felt far too much like a suicidal mission all of a sudden and that was not a pleasant thought to have. 

And then he was alone in the room. Just him and that mysterious object now and his mind flashed back to Kuro all of a sudden. Would she be alone should he get killed here or would they force her on someone else? Both did not sound too amazing to him.

He did wish he could meet her before he had to do this but time wasn't on his side.

He forced his hand through the hole, his hand seeking out to get a hold of the mysterious object. The biggest problem here was that he could not see where the object laid inside that hole and since he had no idea about the exact placement, he had to guess.

He had seen its silhouette whole while he was standing but now that he was laying down, he could no longer say for sure if he was doing it correctly or not.

His hand touched something and a small burning feeling made itself known right on his fingertips. He grasped it into his hand and despite the burn, he pulled it back with a force he had never possessed. 

And then the alarm bells sounded inside his ear and his hand burned with a familiar feeling and he knew that it was nothing good. The energy seemed far too unstable to hold itself together. 

It was far too clear what this energy would do now that it had a chance to come out and Mark did not have to be a scientist to know the specifics of it.

His system ticked down and he checked the screen for only a few seconds before his brain refused to work any longer in such stress.

___________________

System warning: energy overload 

Countdown begins in:

10

9

8

7

.

.

___________________

And it kept ticking down.