บท 251: Stupid Scientists
After recovering from the brief fight with the Spore Rose, the duo got straight back to work. While this floor wasn't as populated with Spore Carriers as the one above, no, instead quality replaced quantity.
Everything room was covered in a thick layer of spores that concealed everything inside. Forcing them to remove it, of course this would usually be prevented by whatever mutated abomination would be living within it.
The potential mutations didn't seem to be restricted b anything either, as the group ran into short, incredibly fast creatures, large ones with skin-like steel, or even ones that attacked via ultra sonic sounds... Yeah, the latter one was a headache, literally.
After a couple hours of clearing the floor, a beaten, battered, and weak pair of Afton and Anja stumbled across the mainframe of the terminal systems. They could see it through the window of the room, and Afton was sure the backup of the research would be held inside.
He coughs into the crook of his shoulder as he fingers the door control for a moment, scowling when it seemed to be locked. "A-Anja, could you get this open please?" he says weakly.
She nods had opens the panel before beginning to fiddle around with its internals... Afton finds it somewhat amusing as she grimaces and pulls her hand out, revealing that a root had been inside the control and tried to grab her.
Not wasting any time, he grabs the root and tears it out. "Continue please, Anja."
A few minutes later and wallah! The door slowly slides up but gets stuck halfway, forcing them both to duck under it to get into the room... Strangely enough, this was the only room thus far that wasn't completely infested by Spores... In fact, Afton was sure not a single plant was within here...
Shaking his head he accesses the mainframe terminal and is greeted by many, many things. It contained every message ever sent across the Vault, a note every time someone accessed the system, and, all of the combined research that'd been conducted here.
He sighs and asks Anja to close the door to the room, not wishing for this temporary safe haven to be taken over. He'd probably need a few hours in the least to look through all of this.
Four hours later :
Afton grumbles to himself at the result of his search... He already knew that the floors were separated so they could work on different functions of the fungus, but it was only the fifth floor that knew the dangers of it.
The first couple of floors researched methods to increase the plant's oxygen recycling efficiency and other similar concepts. Some even tried to get it to use other chemicals entirely, which, if it had worked might just make the world suffocate if the fungus spread.
The third floor was responsible for improving food production, a noble goal that might have been able to feed millions if the subject matter wasn't an incredibly dangerous and infections fungus. The only thing they really managed to accomplish was the 'sweet substance' the plants sometimes produced that seemed to attract insects, hence the large number of mantises lingering around.
The fourth was obviously the common areas, the place where most scientists in this place actually lived. Which Afton found incredibly stupid considering the ventilation system was directly above the place where they were researching ways to improve the fungus.
But, most criminally damning was the fact the fifth floor was the only one that actually knew what they were working on. No designing to mention how truly fucked everyone would be if it escaped, and, even when it had escaped to the upper floors no one was warned of this impending threat.
The fifth floor worked on ways to control the fungus's growth, control the creatures reanimated and manipulate spore growth. Obviously all of the above were failures, and once it broke out the spores infested the ventilation system, firstly infecting the common areas and slowly moving up via the Spore Carriers who slowly succumbed to the infection.
Now, while all of this was happening, you'd think the scientists would put their heads down to find a cure, right?... FUCKING WRONG! They did nothing! Actually, it was worse than nothing! They ignored it entirely and continued trying to improve the fungus! Were they fucking stupid!
Afton mental tirade is cut off as he breaks into another coughing fit... Truly, he considered himself pretty screwed at this point, there was no research that could help him here. The only other place he could think of that could potentially hold it would be the locked cavern access... He'd check on their way out, if he lived that long.
He looks at Anja and shakes his head while disconnecting his Pipboy. Just because the research was useless to him didn't mean he wouldn't download it. Though, he definitely wouldn't be handing it to Hildern. "There's fuck all here, all the research is useless... But, judging by the logs, Keely is still alive somewhere around here, probably within the cavern the plants managed to escape into." he says, wondering why she'd venture into that place when it was clear most people who go to investigation never return.
Anja nods, "Maybe she'll know something that can help you? She's spent more time down here than anyone else." she observes, but Afton just shakes his head, "I doubt it..." he mutters.
They leave the room and shut the door behind them, continuing to explore the floor until they come across the room that seems to have had one of the walls torn apart... The thing responsible? Some roots were still growing from outside the wall, resting against the sides of the wall as if they were the ones who'd done it. If Afton knew one thing from his time here, it was that the plants KILL.
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บท 252: Cavern Delve
Afton sent a knowing look at Anja who nods and raises the Laser Rifle at one of the roots.
*PEW!*
The green beam strikes the root and causes it to recoil like an arm too close to fire, a long low rumble echoes from the cave system behind the broken wall as the roots retract back from where they had come from.
Afton feels goosebumps go up his arms as the sound echoes through him... That didn't sound good... Behind the broken wall was likely the cavern that the plants had infested, that was likely the source to the initial infestation, so, given enough time... How powerful could the organisms grow? Judging by that sound just now, he was slightly unwilling to make a guess and have the universe kick his ass in return.
The 'good' thing about this whole situation was the fact the cavern didn't seem entirely filled with spores... He could still see inside it, meaning that the spores were all likely sucked through the ventilation system.
He sighs and readies his weaponry, "We better go then..." he mutters and steps into the cave system with Anja slowly following.
Afton's forced to use his Pipboy light as the cave system was almost completely empty of light. The only other thing provided any degree of light being the bio-luminescent mushrooms that seemed to be sprouting from the floor, walls, and ceiling.
They continue walking and are forced to occasionally step over the roots lining the floor. They could try to cut or kill every root they see, but it would likely do nothing but anger whatever creature resides in this place.
Eventually, they reach an opening and are greeted by a vast cavern, a wide underground place with pillars of stone and stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Though, that isn't the most eye-catching thing contained in this place. No, that would be the hundreds of Spore Plants, and the enormous luminescent tree sitting in the middle of the cavern...
The base of the tree was huge with roots spreading across all parts of the cavern, a good portion of thing digging into the stone and likely expanding as more time passes. Afton wasn't even able to see the top of the tree as it went through the stone ceiling of the cavern... This was incredibly dangerous as if it was left to its own devices that it'd likely breach the surface and begin spreading spores around the wasteland.
Afton sighs and chews on the inside of his cheek, "I don't think we can kill that thing..." he mutters. He didn't think they had enough firepower to outright kill it, and he doubted setting it on fire would do anything but anger it.
Not only that, but he wasn't sure how it would react to being attacked... From what he could see, it was probably perfectly capable of collapsing the entire cavern itself. He looks to Anja who was warily pointing the Laser rifle at the tree, "Don't shoot the tree... We'll probably need to kill the Spore Plants to look around the place, but I have no interest in seeing what kind of damage that thing can do."
Anja quickly nods, agreeing with him on that point. "Yes sir."
He bites back a retort at her commonly used phrase and looks around the cavern... It was fortunate the tree was luminescent otherwise they'd have a lot of trouble searching for Keely in here... If she's still alive of course.
After looking for a couple minutes he finally spots a cave-like entrance on the other side of the cavern. There wasn't any other exit here so if Keely was alive, that's where she'd be. He points it out to Anja and starts shimming around the room to try and avoid gathering the Spore Plants notice.
Halfway through Anja stumbled on something and accidentally kicks some pebbles down a rocky incline, the sound of them skittering down it echoing through the room...
Every single Spore Plant in the Cavern slowly turned towards their direction...
...
The duo stays as quiet as possible, from what they'd observed in previous encounters, the plants reacted to sound... Afton could hear Anja's erratic breathing, she was terrified and was ready to run at a moments notice. Quickly, he cups his single hand around her mouth, suppressing the sound enough to allow some reprieve.
After a couple minutes the Spore Plants lose interest and turn away. Afton breathes a quiet sigh of relief and sends a stern glare at Anja. She needed to control herself before she got them both killed.
Soon enough, after a couple more close calls they reach the cave and enter inside. Both relaxing slightly as they were now out of the line of fire of the Spore Plants. Afton glances around the small cave for a moment before spotting a humanoid figure. It was a ghoul with patchy, ragged-looking grey hair. That wasn't something weird though, no, the weird thing would be the green veins covering her entire form... If Afton didn't know any better, he'd say that she was infected.
"Hello?" he tentatively asks.
The person restrained to the wall by roots opens her eyes and lifts her head in his direction, "W-what? W-wait, are you real?"
...
"Er, I think so?" Afton mutters, patting himself over to get the point across.
"You shouldn't be down here, but..." she examines him, "I can see its already too late to warn you."
Afton shrugs, stifling the scowl that wants to make itself known, "You're Keely right? I was sent to rescue you by Doctor Hildern's assistant."
"Ah, that must be Angela then... Such a dear. I feel the need to apologise to you, my incompetence has damned you... I should let my curiosity die and warn the NCR about this place."
"What do you mean... And why did you come down here anyway, I can't imagine anything useful being here." he asks, wanting to know why she was in this cave in the first place.
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