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The sound of boots hitting tile echoed throughout the facility as you ran from room to room to room. The tinny screaming sounded almost like a distorted song as it signalled the approach of something fast and dreadful. You opened another door frantically, praying for a hiding space other than a locker to keep you safe. Why of all places did the NAVI have you traverse the trench tunnels?!
Pandemonium was not a creature to be trifled with. Many runs have ended with you being torn to shreds by it whether it be from ripping you out of a locker, being caught unawares, or it barrelling towards your hiding spot simply because something as small as your shoe was in its sights. It was the bane of your existence, but if you didn't hide soon, it would be ending yours.
Another door opened, no vents or alternate paths in sight and your time was almost up. You could see Eyefestation beginning to rear its head through the windows, but you flung yourself into the dark of a locker too quickly for its sight to take hold. You held your breath, ready for the inevitable.
Immediately after, a loud bang caused the structure of the locker to shudder as the entire weight of Pandemonium slammed into your metal coffin. Quickly, you grasped for any kind of hold on the doors to keep them shut to the beast. You could see its eyes through the crack in the doors and it could see you too. You tried to keep your breathing steady.
Enraged at its prey, it screamed, the sound of ripping metal echoed from its throat throughout the cramped space. The reverberation tore through your eardrums. It was so prevalent that you almost feared that Pandemonium had grown claws in order to tear through the locker and pluck you from hiding like a stubborn sardine. The sweat on your brow certainly helped you feel like one, but you couldn't wipe it away now. Pandemonium quickly began bashing its head into the doors; you held on for dear life as they were jostled and dented in its wake. You could feel the vibrations rip through your arms and cause your bones to shudder, making you grit your teeth. Pressing yourself to the back of the locker, you used your weight and your death grip on the doors to keep them from bouncing or being pried open to the predator. Somehow, they stayed closed at your will, but your hands ached from such violence.
Pandemonium became more frustrated as you watched it writhe in the darkness. An impact from the side threw you from your position, one of your hands losing grip for just a moment. But, a moment was all Pandemonium needed to try and burrow its head into the gap in attempts to reach you. You frantically snatched the open door in a blind panic, regaining your grip after a moment. With all your strength, you squeezed against Pandemonium's emerging head in an attempt to close it - or at least get it to back off. You pulled and pulled and pulled. Enough pressure against the rotting flesh, teeth, and eyes caused it to writhe more - you could feel its skull between the metal.
Suddenly, the door was jostled open. You gasped. But, in the gap it forced, the fishy beast used it to retreat instead. The doors snapped shut. The force at which you were pulling at them nearly took off your fingers, but you couldn't care less in the moment. Instead, you focused on yanking the door against the warped frame in hopes of any protection against the barrage of primal rage at your soon-to-be corpse. More and more you pulled before Pandemonium bashed itself into the doors again, the two (now unrecognisable) doors became wedged shut like interlocking fingers and securing themselves in place. Hopefully. At least this outcome would save your trembling arms the strength needed to keep the beast at bay for the time being, but you wouldn't let yourself be certain. Yet, you decided to thank whatever higher force that be that it did not bless Pandemonium with the intelligence to understand that its blind rage could prevent it from reaching you.
A few moments more. This assault kept up for too long in your impatience for it to be over. You kept your hand clamped on the doors, just in case. But, eventually, Pandemonium exhausted itself and left as quickly as it arrived. And yet, it did not leave without one last tantrum, throwing itself against the locker as it absconded. The impact threw you around inside the locker and you felt both yourself and the unstable metal tomb lurch to the ground. Your brain was jostled inside your skull in the collapse as you tried to catch yourself with little success. As you recovered in the few seconds afterwards, you could feel Pandemonium's scream vibrate through the ground, lessening with the distance before silencing completely.
You stayed down there, listening and feeling for any more danger that could be waiting to pounce. The halls felt impossibly loud, but that might have just been your heartbeat becoming deafening to your ears. You gulped down a breath and tried to listen again.
...
You could only hear your ragged panting and the gurgle of water beyond the glass. Good.
You wheezed, letting out all the air you had been holding. You should have at least a few more minutes before something else comes along and you could already feel the adrenaline turn to anxiety as the prickles spread through your fingers. The longer you kept yourself inside the locker, the worse it would get. You rubbed at your face to try and get rid of the feeling, but it would be gone much sooner once you were outside of the damn thing. You'd allow yourself a breath or two once you picked yourself up, but you couldn't stay for much longer than that no matter how much you wanted to.
You tried to forget what the guards at the facility told you what would happen if you dawdled, but your hands brushed against the PDG. It beeped. You shuddered.
Redirecting your focus, you needed to get out of the locker and move on. You pressed your hands against the surface beneath you and pushed yourself up from the floor - only for your oxygen tanks to meet metal almost immediately. You stopped and your breath hitched. You focused your gaze through the darkness at the ground below you, only to see the vents in the doors that were warped to almost incomprehension. The information was slow to dawn after the encounter with Pandemonium, but the full weight of understanding pressed heavy against your chest like the ocean surrounding you. Pandemonium knocked the locker over, door-side down and you were trapped.
A distant thought sparked through your mind, reminding you of a document Sebastian had allowed you to read a few runs ago after thoroughly exploring through Heavy Containment. Apparently a box that resided there - Paranoia's Box - had gases that could invoke specific fears into any person that breathed it in. It had been a long time since you were on the surface, long enough for you to forget what fears you had before you were even arrested. But, you had learned with your time in the Blacksite that Cleithrophobia (the fear of being trapped) was one of the fears that it could invoke, and would only grow stronger the more a person breathed its air in.
Sebastian chuckled when you noted it, pointing out that it was him who filled the facility with its wretched smoke--
You couldn't help the memory clawing itself to the forefront of your mind with every quickening breath you took. Tremors took over your body as you slapped a hand to your mouth in hopes of stopping whatever gases that was in the air from getting in your lungs. You already knew it was in vain however. You had already inhaled enough with the amount of time you had been scurrying through the Blacksite like a rat in a maze. And, it wasn't like you'd be able to reach your diver mask in the cramped space and waste the precious oxygen in your tanks just for you to drown later. No, of course you couldn't. It was never that simple.
Squirming inside your prison - your fight or flight was being stifled and constricted and all you wanted was out out out OUT OUT OUT!!!! Hitting the walls, the ceiling, anything to get you OUT you tried, yet in your panic you knew it wouldn't work - it couldn't, it didn't. Still, you clawed at the seams, hoping for any small weakness in the welding that would allow you to pry the metal away to your escape. You scraped and scratched and searched everywhere your hands could reach until your nails were chipped and your hands were rubbed raw. You kicked and writhed and yelled and whined. Your vision blurred with tears as you sobbed into the dark, stuffy air, getting more and more desperate with time.
You weren't sure how long you were in there for but fear distorted your senses that you couldn't trust yourself to say...
You cried out again and again, not caring what could hear you. In this moment, if you had to choose between fear and death, death had to be a better option than this. If anything, you'd rather be back at the start of it all; with the salty waters and ping of the submarine as you'd exit onto the recieving platform, and Sebastian complaining through the radio about bringing whatever items you had bought for that run-
"Well, what do we have here?"
You jolted- Sebastian. You launched at the opportunity.
"Get me out of here please, please, please! I need out, get me out! I'll give you all my research, my equipment, I don't care! You can have it all! Just get me OUT!" You wailed for your freedom. You couldn't handle this fear, you HATED it. You hated how you trembled and sobbed and how weak it made you feel. You were like a mouse caught in a trap and hearing Sebastian's voice was so relieving. Even if he'd help you escape into the jaws of a cat.
You heard Sebastian's bags shuffle against the floor as he slithered closer to you. "My, my, so desperate. I would have thought you'd have at least more dignity than that before you'd start begging for my help."
"I don't care," your voice trembled, coughing as mucus brought up from your sobbing got caught in the back of your throat. "Please Sebastian, I can't get out of here on my own. Please, please!" You slammed your hands against the metal beside your head. Your energy was already spent from Pandemonium's assault earlier, but you'd use whatever you could that would help you get out. You couldn't stand another minute being TRAPPED!
"Hmm..." Sebastian shuffled just beyond the walls of the locker, seemingly making a show of thinking. You punched approximately where you heard him to stop your shaking hands and to get him to hurry up.
You heard something scratching in response before the locker was roughly tilted backwards, suddenly throwing you back upright.
"You're so impatient for an Expendable, you know?"
You didn't care! You started throwing yourself at the door, punching and kicking it to open inch by inch. The way the doors were stuck that had saved you earlier now hindered you in your escape. You gasped and choked at the effort, becoming more frantic as the red sheen of the emergency lights filtered through the growing crack between the doors.
"How much damage did Pandemonium even do?" Sebastian muttered. "You must have done something to set it off worse than usual."
What did that matter? You needed OUT!
You were submerged into darkness again, flinching back as claws pushed their way through the crack before Sebastian started pull. The doors strained and creaked, and you gave the doors a few more kicks in the limited space you had until they popped open with a loud bang. As soon as they did, you practically leaped out like a madman and clutched onto the first thing you could reach to hold your shaking body steady. Beneath your hands you could feel cool scales and bag straps and time almost slowed.
"GET OFF ME!"
The claws that had just saved you now pierced into your shoulder as Sebastian ripped you off of him, throwing you into the tunnel's window with a force you had never quite experienced from him before. You crashed into the glass, all air expelling from your lungs, winded. You think you heard something crack too. You collapsed to the floor, coughing and spluttering from the impact, only being held up by the weight and sturdiness of the tanks on your back. A stream of water trickled down from just above you that caused you to shiver before your body began to curl in on itself against your will.
Glancing up, you watched as Sebastian roared at you about how you grabbed him- at least you think. You couldn't process his words through the haze your mind started to churn through, barely catching a glimpse of his sharp teeth and the way his snout scrunched up in anger before the panic you felt transmuted into a deep and heavy dread. He restlessly snaked through the room in his frustration, hands scrubbing at where you touched, but your gaze slipped off of him and towards your still shaking hands. Then, to the grated floor and the glass walls that restrained the full breadth of the ocean while water began to flow into your shoddy uniform from above.
As your body failed to respond to move, get up, leave, your thoughts began to fill your mind and take over.
There were a lot of things you could have listed about the similarities between you and the previously human, ocean-serpent in front of you, but trapped describes you both very well. Everyone and everything in the Blacksite in fact. You were all trapped. It didn't matter that you were now freed from the locker, when you were still stuck in the depths of this endless facility, your fear would not differentiate between the two. And, unless you were finally successful in retrieving the crystal, there was no escape waiting for you.
Without that crystal, there wasn't a single person who would be willing to save your sorry self from this place, and if there was, they certainly were not a part of Urbanshade nor had even a fraction of their power, knowledge, or skills to save you. Why would they help a convict like you anyways? The only reason you had an opportunity at freedom was because of that decrepit old man, both the head of the company salivating for the crystal, and the one that paid to keep you alive for reasons unknown to you.
But what about The Saboteur in front of you? Or Painter? They were trapped here just as much as you were. Didn't they have a plan to escape? Painter might have mentioned something about plans but... Would any attempt at escape be successful? Even if they were able to reach the surface, what would happen to them? What about the rest of the other creatures and objects forced to stay in the Blacksite for the sake of profit (or lack there of) by this uncaring corporation? Would they be left behind to rot? Would you be?
In the rooms broken open to the ocean, you couldn't even swim to freedom. Many prisoners before you tried, that's why you wear the PDG. The psuedo cell walls that kept you here was made up of carnivorous parasites, along with the sheer depth pressure outside the Let-Vand Zone that would promptly cause your implosion if your PDG didn't trigger the reverse before you could get there. Hell, Eyefestation would probably have a field day melting you from the inside out if it spotted you swimming out into the ocean. You wouldn't be fast enough to turn around, let alone escape it.
You were a prisoner through and through. Everyone and everything in the Blacksite was. And none of you could get out of this place. Not. A single. One.
You were all trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped-
Something snapped in front of your face.
"Hellooo? Wakey, wakey!"
You jerked back harshly. Only now remembering that you could breathe, just to regret it a second later as you gasped in salt water that splashed down your face. The blurred visage of Sebastian retreated from you as he dragged a hand down his face.
"Ugh. Here I am helping you out and you go ahead freaking out and touching me. Maybe I should've just killed you and taken your stuff instead." He muttered to himself.
You ignored him, mostly to focus on trying to breathe without choking on salt water. How much of it was your own tears? You wouldn't know, but the pain behind your nose certainly told you were ready to burst again at the slightest provocation. You felt ashamed. How were you so weak?
Sebastian sighed as he leaned towards you again, the claw that was in your face a moment ago extended palm-up towards you. "Here."
It took a second to process it, but soon you reached your trembling hand to the bag your data was stored in, or at least you would have if the shaking didn't make it hard to grasp the zipper. Maybe you should just take off the entire thing and given it to him. It wasn't like you'd be needing it for the rest of the run if it was all going to him anyways. If only your aching hands wouldn't stop shaking-
"What are you doing?" You whipped your gaze back towards him instead of the bag, his eyebrow raised at your attempts to even hold onto it.
You gulped around the growing dryness of your mouth, trying and failing to not let the ocean water wet your tongue again. It was a struggle to get the words out. "I-I- You- Payment." You offered it to him yourself after all, and you'd keep to your word. But, you were confused when his face scrunched like you had just offered him dog food to eat. Didn't he want the data?
"That's not-" he huffed. "Let me just-"
He grabbed the hand that was still fumbling with the bag zipper while his other two arms were shoved under your armpits, proceeding to lift you into the air like he had just picked up a shivering stray kitten he found in some kind of car wreck. You didn't think the imagery was off that much, but any protest you had was silenced with the feeling of his claws through your suit. You'd rather not piss him off again...
He promptly placed you on the floor, "There!" Before your jelly legs immediately gave out from underneath you. "Oh for f- Can't you even stand up on your own two legs?"
"I'd like to," you breathlessly shot back. Trying to get your legs back under you was an effort in itself when you were exhausted, your entire body hurt from all the pain and stress, and you were still so, so scared. "J-Just give me a moment..."
The lights flickered and you completely deflated.
With how much time you spent in this room already, you shouldn't be surprised another angler was approaching. But you didn't want to go back into that metal death trap- not yet. Not yet. You don't think you could stand to run in time with your shaking legs, and you bet that your chances with Sebastian helping you run were low too. You were just... stuck. Heck, your death here might just be easier. You can just try again another day, no matter how painful it may be to reset.
Although, your eyes caught the movement of Sebastian flicking his head back and forth between the tunnel's doors. He quickly glanced at you before a growl bubbled up from his throat and he grasped at his face in frustration.
He muttered, "no, don't do this to yourself. Just leave, It'll be fine. You don't have to do anything. They'll come back like they always do. Just-" He caught sight of you between his fingers. "UGH, FINE!"
Suddenly the world turned upside down as you were ungracefully snatched up by Sebastian who proceeded to barrel through the trench tunnel doors at lightning speed. You were held closely to his hip as you quickly grasped onto his coat, desperately hoping that his grip on you would be secure.
You cried out to him. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Doing you a favour, that's what!"
He moved through with surprising speed as you flailed at his side, trying not to kick his face with the position he held you in. Looking back. you could see through all the open doors as the darkened rooms raced closer and closer to you. You don't know where he was taking you, but you could barely see his steeled face as he concentrated on moving forward.
"Sebastian!"
"Just a minute!"
The darkness was approaching too quick to outrun. You could see the angler emerging from it. It's scream was deafening.
"SEBASTIAN!"
"Almost-"
Another door opened and suddenly you lurched upwards, leaving the trench tunnels (and the ground) behind. You were practically thrown into darkness with a loud CLANG before Sebastian quickly followed suit. The two of you filling up the small space before you could register where exactly you were.
A roar echoed past, shaking the space until the angler disappeared. As soon as it did, Sebastian grabbed hold of you again and dragged you down with him, flopping out of what you could now see was a vent in the ceiling. Just before your nerves could get the better of you again.
You were unceremoniously dumped to the floor next to him. He held his upper half up with his three arms as you watched him try to catch his breath. His usually hidden gills now visible after he brushed his hair out of the way, seemingly helping him exhale with how the air pushed around his flyaways. The sight grounded you as you unconciously copied the deep breaths he took.
After a few moments, when his breathing didn't seem to stutter, did you dare to ask him.
"Why did you help me?"
He glanced over to you for a moment before sighing and lifting himself off the floor, stretching out his back.
"Well, you just looked so sad and pathetic that I couldn't just leave you there. It also gave me an excuse to charge you twice as much the next time you came into my shop." He grinned.
Wow. Okay. He didn't have to do that, but okay.
"But, I already offered you everything I had on hand-"
He was quick to wave it off. "You'd spend it all at the shop. Besides, what good would it do me if you only had 10 credits and a broken flashlight. Not much, I'll tell you."
He was offering you an out. You were skeptical to take it, but you kept your mouth shut in hopes that you wouldn't screw yourself over mentioning it.
As you stayed quiet, he shuffed over to the next door, opening it. Turning back to you, he motioned his head towards the exit.
"C'mon."
You stared at him in confusion. "Where are we going?"
"To my shop, duh."
You looked towards the sign next to the door. It counted 47. Sebastian waited expectantly.
You could feel how exhausted you were. Your emotions were shot, you were caked in sweat, tears, and ocean water, you had a hunger like no other from the stress of it all. It felt like if anything else went wrong, it'd be the end of the world for you and you alone. So, you accepted this act of grace with ease.
He watched you get up and waddle over. "You know this means I'll triple my prices with this."
"You're a snake, y'know that," you huffed.
"More whale than snake, but yes."
Sebastian surprisingly let you rest up in his shop for a while before you went on your way. You didn't need to buy anything, you realised, but you did leave your bag of data when you took the keycard. You almost reached the Ridge this time, but you were jumped by a walldweller before you could get there.
The next run was easier for you. By the time you reached Sebastian's shop, you almost forgot about his comment on raising the prices if it wasn't for the fact that they didn't change at all. You mentioned it to him but he gave you a little smile and feigned ignorance about it.
You gave him double the data and left before he could say anything. Later on, you found he snuck an extra first-aid kit into your pack. You barked out a laugh when you realised. Maybe being trapped here wasn't entirely bad...