Deep Dive Ch. 07 - Break-In

Compared to yesterday, waking up was rather pleasant.

The dawning sun was shining above the forest and the cool morning breeze carried the smell of wet grass. That already was a huge improvement, since I didn't have to stumble in the dark, not knowing where I was or how I ended up there.

I pulled up my HUD to look at the time and was reassured that I slept for one night, instead of two. Thankfully I didn't take much damage in the last fight, even if that was the only upside of the new tactics the enemies were using. I also scrolled down the menu to check my other stats and was glad to see that my arousal was near zero. Not total zero, which was surprising. I didn't know if girls had their own version of Morning Wood, or if it was something specific to the game or only my character, but as long as it stays in single digits it shouldn't be a problem.

Well, everything looked to be in place, and I still had quite a way to travel, so I should probably get up now. But damn, this bed is comfy. Maybe just five more minutes? Getting up is a big commitment, and I didn't feel like taking such a big step so early in the morning. It's better to break it down into more manageable parts and try to piece it back together later. A few smaller moves instead of a single, big one.

I straightened my arms above my head, reaching the edge of the bed with my fingers. It was made for someone much taller than me, so I had plenty of space. I flexed one arm, then the other, trying to reach as far as I could.

I knew that doing early stretches was good for you, but never understood the appeal. My old body certainly didn't, as a few times I tried it I felt it for a whole day, and not in a pleasant way.

The exact opposite of how it felt now. I reached again, hooking my fingers on the edge of the bed, and pushed my chest out, focusing on the slight tension running from my arms through my torso. The sensation was new, alien to me, but exciting all the same. As if someone was gently running their nails across my skin, but everywhere at once.

A deep breath escaped my lips, carrying a faint sound of my voice as I straightened my leg, the same exhilarating feeling spreading from the tip of my toes, through my calves, then the thigh, and ending at my buttocks.

Wanting even more I pulled my hands down and pushed my hips up into the air, arching my back, feeling the shudder running down my spine. I traced my fingers along the side of my torso, feeling my flexed muscles underneath my suit.

It was almost silly how fun it was, having a body like this. I slid my hand over my thigh, then onto the inner side, just like Veronica did to me. For some reason, it didn't feel as good when I was doing it myself. I sighed, after repeating it twice more to check if maybe I was doing something wrong. No, it seemed to be something besides the physical aspect. Something, that was missing.

I closed my eyes, trying to recall what I was feeling back then, and it revealed itself, piece by piece. The hands all over my body, the stare drinking up every movement I made. The teasing when I was hesitant, and the reward when I gave in. The tight knot binding my hands together, leaving me at the mercy...

Wait, what?

I sat up, shocked. Why was I thinking about that? My brain should better explain to me why the fuck it showed me all those... feelings. That's not what I asked it to do. I wanted...

I pulled up my HUD again and quickly scrolled through the screens. Nowhere near zero now, I just crossed the double-digits.

There is something wrong either with me or with my character. I mean, I already established one of the problems, just before Veronica took full advantage of it and went down on me, but this situation was something completely different. Could I really get so worked up just by imagining things? And why the hell was I thinking about yesterday, I had more memories to choose from!

It must have been one of the many hidden perks my character had. Aside from getting horny when being ordered around. Unless... It's even more broad than this. Maybe it triggers any time I give up control. That would still check out with what I tested earlier and also explain what happened yesterday.

And the worst thing? It excited me.

There was no point in denying that my first reaction when I came up with that explanation was anticipation. It shouldn't have been and now that I was logically thinking about it I could easily suppress it. Okay, not easily, but I could do it, even if it felt as if I was fighting against myself.

I stood up and started searching through all of the chests and loose items scattered throughout the cavern. There was no point in wasting any more time on analyzing my character and its stupid quirks. The goal was still the same either way, get to the teleport and get out.

There weren't a lot of useful things here, but I still had some free space in my inventory, so I took anything that could come in handy. A long piece of cord, a large camping cloth in a camo pattern, some nails, and a coil of steel wire. Oh, and a pillow, it was comfy and I wanted it.

One of the two interesting things I found was an overbuilt earpiece that barely fit me. There were some buttons on it, but with no markings or instructions, I had no idea what they did. I pressed the biggest one and it emitted a white noise for a second before going quiet again. At least it worked, so I decided to keep it, putting it back in my inventory. Maybe I will figure out a way to use it later.

The other thing was a yellow keycard. Except for two black lines on one side, there were no other markings or text. As a gamer, I immediately knew that it was important, so of course I took it.

Walking to the opening of the cavern I noticed that the bodies of the enemies below disappeared. It's a shame I didn't know that this would happen before I went to sleep, or I would have looted them. Or they were eaten by something when I was asleep, but that seemed unlikely and I felt safer assuming that they just vanished.

I checked the laser rifle I picked up yesterday. It was fully functional, but I only had as much ammo as it held right now, with no spare. I will stick to my old guns for now. It was reassuring to know that even in the future, with laser and plasma weaponry available, perfected through millennia solution of hitting someone with a thrown rock was still viable. Even if the rock was replaced with a metal bullet accelerated to triple the speed of sound, the idea remained as effective as ever.

Time to check how far it would get me.

------------|V|------------

As it turns out, pretty far.

Over the last few hours of walking, I had to take out only two patrols. On the one hand, I kept up a good pace overall, but on the other, I had only three spare mags for the alien rifle, and that thing chewed through ammo at least twice as fast as it should have, considering its effectiveness. Or maybe my rifle spoiled me when it came to damage-per-shot, and the laser one was simply average. At least it was fairly quiet, which was the only thing still making me hold onto it.

That proved to be a good decision, as I stood on the edge of the crater, watching the facility below me. It was a maze-like complex of buildings with little to no structure or planning put into integrating them together. If you were looking at each one by itself, there was nothing wrong with them, it's just that as a whole it looked like it had at least a few architects, and they all hated each other.

Despite that, I could differentiate a few unique segments. In the center, there was the biggest and most high-tech-looking one, probably the first one that was built. Around it, surrounding it in a ring was a series of heavy, concrete blocks with no windows, which I guess were built as a layer of protection. Connected to them were numerous smaller buildings, some of which looked like warehouses, others like production plants or housing units.

It was fairly obvious that the teleport would be in the high-tech part, but the real question was how tough it would be to get through the ring surrounding it. Guards for sure. Most likely security systems like turrets or locked doors. Maybe traps? I hope there won't be any puzzles, or I will shoot myself.

Okay, equipment check. It's gonna be all close-quarters, so using my rifle won't work. And sneaking through is more safe anyway, no way I could fight my way through once I trigger the alarm.

I placed a knife and a rope in my quick-access slots, then added a laser pistol and an alien rifle, since they were relatively silent. I wasn't planning on using any of it, maybe except rope if needed, but given the choice between alerting everyone with gunshots or simply surrendering I still preferred to try my chances.

Now I just had to get down somehow. There were three separate stairways leading to the facility, but I didn't even need to check to know, that they were all heavily guarded.

The whole crater was perfectly circular, making it look like an oversized bowl. Looking straight down the inside wall was smooth and any loose or jagged rocks started only near the bottom, near the buildings, but I should have lost most of the speed by then.

Sadly, the fact that this was a stupid idea made itself known only halfway down when the slide became increasingly bumpy and I was going much faster than I anticipated.

------------|V|------------

And there goes my last medkit.

Previously I wouldn't have used it and hoarded it for a critical situation, but I outgrew that loot-goblin mentality. I'd rather curse at myself the next time I need one than die with a full inventory of unused consumables.

The plan all in all went relatively well. I was down near the outer edge of the facility, alive, and I heard no alarms, so there was a chance I hadn't been spotted yet. As a bonus, the walls looked easy enough to climb on, so even without any windows in my immediate vicinity getting inside shouldn't be a problem.

I scaled the nearest building and for a moment wondered if I should simply try walking on the roofs to the center of the complex, but quickly dismissed the idea. I had no cover or even any concealment up here, and the concrete ring halfway through would surely prove an intimidating challenge. If I were to get through it, then doing so from within sounded like a much better plan. Now the only question left was how to get in.

Vents, an old and reliable way, at least three in my immediate vicinity. It was almost too easy to forget that I was still inside the game and everything around me was designed to be in some way useful to the players. At least I hoped it would be, getting sliced in a ventilation duct would be a humiliating way to die after everything I went through.

I moved to the only one that wasn't making any noise, a box of sheet metal roughly four feet in every dimension. Looking inside I could see the corridor down below, unobstructed by a clearly missing fan in the middle of the ventilation shaft. The grate blocking my way was held by two screws, both rusted through. Even with my strength, I could probably tear the grate off, but stealth was the priority now. I took out my laser pistol and shot both of them, twice just to be sure, melting the bolts on the spot. It can't be tight if it's liquid.

My suit had full energy, so I first activated heightened senses, and when I couldn't hear any footsteps or voices, I turned on enhanced mobility, slipped through the opening, and jumped down.

Landing was a masterclass, I barely could hear it even with my first skill still active. Right behind me was an entrance to what looked like a large warehouse, so I moved there quietly, not wanting to stay in a tight corridor. Looking around there was no movement, which wasn't that surprising after I gave it a few more glance-overs. Most of the stacked boxes and containers were covered in a thick layer of dust and the only living beings here were probably spiders, judging by the cobwebs everywhere.

This was weird, wasn't this supposed to be a central hub of the whole region?

I moved back to the corridor and went the opposite way. Turning left led into a smaller depo but in even worse shape. Turning right would be blocked off by massive gates if only weren't they lying on the floor, broken off of their hinges.

There were guards outside. I saw them. I fought through the outposts and patrols stationed along the way. Hell, back at our camp we were attacked by a scouting party in a drop ship! Are they all protecting a bunch of decades-old junk? And even if, where is everyone? This doesn't make any sense!

Maybe I'm too far from the heart of the facility. That would be wise, to keep all the important stuff behind the fortified ring. Or maybe I'm making stuff up to fit my worldview because the alternative was to start questioning my sanity. Yeah, I like the first option more.

Let's go check the rest of this place out.

------------|V|------------

Footprints. Not mine.

After what felt like hours of wandering around, trying to orient myself in an endless maze of tight corridors and abandoned warehouses I almost gave up on the idea that there was someone alive here beside me.

But right there in front of me was a proof. I crouched down to get a better look, and to make sure they weren't my tracks. The last thing I needed was to learn I've been walking in circles. Thankfully, from a certain point of view, they were not mine. Too wide, and the sole had a different pattern.

I walked close to the wall and took out the alien rifle. I must have finally got close to the inner ring, and with the enemy's presence, I had to be more cautious from now on. I think I still preferred this to the boredom of the last... however long it has been.

After a few turns the footprints lead down the stairs, the first sign of any vertical design in this place. Going underground was always more dangerous than staying up, but my curiosity won and I followed suit, weapons ready.

Two orange light bulbs lit up a long corridor with four separate holding cells on the right side, each one made from thick steel bars. I scanned the room for any movement, then burned another few points off my suit's energy to sharpen my hearing, just to make sure no one was about to surprise me.

I did a quick survey of the room, trying to gather as many details while my buff still lasted. There were at least two sets of footprints, and in general, there was less dust gathered on the floor, so this area must be at least sometimes visited. The cells weren't rusted and the metal bars looked sturdy. Each cell had a separate door with a lock integrated into them. A shame, you could always destroy a padlock, but trying to melt an internal lock had a high chance of welding the door to the frame instead.

Hey, if those are holding cells then there is a chance that this is where they keep prisoners. Prisoners such as captured players. I had time to spare and after mindlessly wandering around the complex some mental challenge was exactly what I needed.

I tried the doors one by one, but all were locked. I thought about melting all the keyholes so the cells couldn't be used, but they would notice and probably just move the prisoner somewhere else. Maybe I could weaken the hinges, and grind some metal away until it barely holds together. Two hinges for each door, times four cells since they could put me in either one and no power tools to do the work with. Right, next plan.

Now that I thought about it, were they taking the items from the inventory away? There is a timer on putting things into the inventory made exactly with situations like this in mind, so maybe they could only strip you of what you were actually carrying on yourself. Kinda made sense, but at the same time someone could have a rocket launcher hidden there, and I don't think the security would let it slide.

Okay, so I had to assume the worst outcome, which meant all my stuff would be taken away. I mean, if I got myself caught in the first place, not that I was planning on that happening at all. Well, expect the best, prepare for the worst.

Wait a second, didn't I have some steel wire on me? I scrolled through my inventory and thankfully I remembered correctly. A long coil of thin metal that could theoretically be used as a lock pick.

I mentally cringed each time I had to use my knife to help me split the wire into parts, knowing full well that if someone in real life borrowed my knife and tried doing that I would be later that day charged with murder. Now, with that atrocity out of the way I had four pieces, one for each of the cells. To test my idea I had to fold one piece a couple of times to make it more rigid, but after a few minutes of trying I heard a satisfying click when the lock turned hundred and eighty degrees.

Only for the door to remain stuck when I pulled them. Same when I tried to push. Fuck, I bet you have to rotate the key twice to unlock them.

Screw that, it works, tested and proven. I slipped a piece of wire into each of the cells, trying to not make it look too out of place. I think I did a good job, anyone not knowing what to look for would easily miss them.

There was boredom earlier, and now I added mental challenges and a healthy bit of frustration. I should be close to the fortified ring, so maybe it's time to throw some action into the mix.

Wait, no. Stealth. I should sneak in, no run forward guns blazing. Eh, we'll see how it goes, I had my get-out-of-jail-free card ready and it would be a shame to waste it.

------------|V|------------

When I called the ring in the middle 'fortified' I was guessing judging by its outside appearance. Large, bulky, and intimidating, I was expecting some of those features to carry over to the interior design. What I got instead was a disappointing dead end.

Literally, a set of double doors, not even that large, a thick wall, and nothing else. No hidden buttons, pressure plates, or keyholes, the only thing accessible from this side was what looked to be a blue magnetic card reader on the side, marked with two black stripes. I knew that this was the correct spot since many different footprints were leading here and through.

I was about to be angry but then I remembered that I had a keycard, the one I found in the cavern where I slept.

"Oh, yeah. It's all coming together." I smiled as I took the card out of my inventory and placed it against the reader.

A little diode flashed red twice then went dark again.

Nothing happened.

Let's not get discouraged, it's just a fluke. That's an old tech, it can glitch, and you only need to try again for it to work.

It didn't. Not after the second time, not after the third or the tenth.

Fucking bullshit, why would the game give me a keycard if I couldn't even use it to open the...

And like that, the doors slowly moved with a series of mechanic clicks and grinds. Only the moment the hermetic seal broke I could hear multiple voices coming from the inside and even more footsteps joining.

Yeah, I fucked up. But I still have the element of surprise and they are standing shoulder to shoulder in a tight entrance. I pulled up my quick-access menu to grab my rifle and realized that at this exact moment, I fucked up even worse.

I didn't immediately run, as I should have, and I also didn't have my.308 marksman rifle in my quick access slots, only that weak-ass alien gun.

They saw me through the gap in the door and I sent them a long volley of automatic fire as a welcome, forcing them to dodge to the sides. That gave me a good few extra seconds, maybe more if I play this right.

"Let's do this slow," I mocked myself as I sprinted back towards the outer zone of the complex. "Let's go quiet. Freakin' idiot, stick to the plan for once."

But I had a plan this time. I didn't even think about it, I subconsciously knew what to do. First, through the short corridor, turn left, through the long corridor, then the second entrance to the right. They will still find me, I couldn't hide my footprints, but that's what I was hoping for.