Blinding light poured into my eyes as if the sun released a solar flare. I blinked twice before my eyes could handle the light and then looked left and right trying to understand where the fuck I was, but only found myself in an empty room.

A surging pain pulsed in my right side continuously, forcing me to grit my teeth. It felt like someone had sent an electric shot at my side and hadn’t let up as I rested. “Great,” I croaked, “They could’ve given me a pain stim.”

“Why in the IMBIBE would you think they’d have pain stims here.” A familiar voice growled.

“Because I’m in fucking pain, you fucktard!” I growled.

My eyes drifted to the right and white tiles cemented to the wall gleamed as though they were polished with the finest wax.

A silver counter sat beneath the tiles, it didn’t gleam like the wall, but it tried to. A sink sat to the right between the wall and the counter and after expecting I had one thought. Thank god it isn’t rusted I mused. At least the equipment here is sterile enough.

I turned over and my right screamed from a simple nudge, fire exploding and began to ravage the entirety of my right side. I forced myself to fight the trembling in my body, but I was too damn weak as a thousand crooked lines began pricking me all over my body.

I gnashed my teeth in response, trying my best to quell the pain in my mind. I did so for two minutes, only to realise I was fighting a lost cause. “I guess the Epsom salts are working,” A strange voice said to my left.

Stryme was standing next to a countertop, a smug grin flashed across his face, but worst of all, he was wearing his tattered fatigues allowing the stench to flow towards me, making me gawk. “This is supposed to be a sterile place Stryme, you’ve brought all your germs here,” I grunted.

“I ain’t bring shit Cypher, stop being a wise ass.”

“Wise ass?”

“Yes, “This is supposed to be a sterile area’” He mocked.

“Asshole.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“Are you a child?”

“In heart, but not in body.” He said smiling.

I shook my head, and a sharp pain shot down my neck, and my right side began to swirl intensely, making me gnash my teeth again. Fuck, I groaned to myself.

“Look man, you don’t have any cuts, just a few bruises and possibly a slight concussion?”

“Slight concussion?” I said, “I don’t fee—“

A swirling sensation erupted from the side of my head and began pounding against my skull like a jackhammer. I gnashed my teeth again and watched as Stryme became blurry in both my eyes. Damn ocular sensors, matching the real eye to the max, I thought bitterly.

I knew my SMB’s job was to ensure my brain didn’t get overwhelmed, but sometimes, I just wished it’d do what I needed it to do, make me functional as possible!

“Need anything?” Stryme asked.

“I’m good, but what about Walack?”

“Who the fuck is Walack?”

“The man that was with me!” I howled, frustrated.

“Oh… he’s found, broke an arm and leg. He’s in the next room.” Stryme said pointing with his nose.

I pushed myself up, feeling lethargic. It took me a whole ten seconds to finally push myself up. I rolled my neck as I sat up and slid off the gurney.

Stryme pursed his lips and then shook his head by actions as if he disapproved of what I was doing. Like I cared, I needed to get into the bunker facility before we get royally fucked! I thought sourly.

“How long was I out for?”

“Forty-Five minutes.”

“Good, I still have time.”

“You found a way into the bunker?”

The door to my room slashed open, stopping me from answering Stryme’s question. Light from the corridor poured in. “The door’s malfunctioning,” Stryme said, “no one’s coming in.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“It is. Answer my question Cypher, did you find a way in?”

I shook my head as I closed the mine for a second. Stryme exhaled wind like a thunderstorm, then nodded. “I see.”

“Which room is Walack in?” I asked.

Stryme pointed with his nose again and I followed it, seeing a door, that led right into his room. I turned left and headed into the room next to mine.

The door slashed open and I walked through. The room was as white as mine with medical equipment on either side of the bed. A stale stainless steel sink was stapled to the wall in the corner.

I approached Walack, who had his left leg propped whilst his right hand was also propped up. His face had an oxygen mask and his eyes were closed. “Good to see you’re still here,” I said.

The antiseptic smell of the room wafts around me my tongue sizzles from its acidic texture. It wasn’t what’d I’d expect in the waste, but it was what I got, but then again, I was on an abandoned Federation Base used as a Black Sight for experiments, so yeah…I should know better.

Walack lay on the bed unmoving whilst I watched him for a few minutes. I didn’t know the man, but man, if he died I’m sure I would’ve made some new enemies out of these folks, something I didn’t need right now.

Once my conscious was satisfied with seeing Walack alive, I left his room. Stryme was standing outside hands folded across his chest looking at the ground. His eyes drifted to me then he smiled crookedly. “Yeah, we’re heading to the Chief”

“I see,”

“Yeah, a little warning though. He might string your ass up with a noose!”

“He could try, but lemme guess, he blames me for the explosion and feels I’m a saboteur?”

“Something like that,”

“Then why the fuck Eltessa and you are fine?”

“I’m just kidding Cypher, you know you’re stiff,” Stryme said with a laugh.

“And you’re a dick asswipe, my head pounding I can’t think straight!”

“That’s nothing new,” Stryme grunted with a laugh.

“Fuck you.”

“…right back atcha, Asshole.”

◆◆◆

“What happened at the Communication Centre?” The chief asked the moment I came through the door. Eltessa and Stryme turned to me, awaiting an answer as if they’d been expecting me for days.

I looked at the chief, whose hair was full of grey and had eyes that were filled with wisdom. His face made him seem strict at first, but the smiling wrinkles around his eyes and lips, made it look like he smiled a lot to survive in the Waste.

The Chief turned to Eltessa as I hadn’t answered the question. She then turned to me, fury in her heart and fire in her eyes. It was if as she was gutting me. “Give me a few, my head's pounding.”

“Cut the shit, answer the question,” Eltessa said.

“Fine.”

I walked towards the chair nestled in the middle of the room, holding my right side, and felt jolts of electricity shoot up my legs as I struggled to make my way to it.

Stryme chuckled as soon as I planted my ass in the chair, then scrapped his own, sitting in the corner on my left. Eltessa, who was standing to the left where the chief still stood.

My eyes then drifted back to Chief, who still stood in the shadow of the room. He turned back to me, and then stalked himself up towards me.

The chief of the Sceleratus village was a broad-shouldered man with angry eyes. The wrinkles and light scars slashed across his face showed a veteran warren that fought in many skirmishes.

The fatigues he wore, were skin fitted which made his arms look like tree trunks. His waist was the size of Eltessa's chest and his legs were as big as his muscle. “Do you plan to answer the question?” He asked once more.

“I do,” I growled, biting each word. “A bomb went off whilst I trying to find a communication backup.”

“Back up?” He asked, looking to Eltessa.

“Yes. I answered. Ranton needs to keep in contact with reinforcements so they won’t come here unprepared.”

“If that’s the case, Why the Scanch would they blow up the Communication Centre?”

“I found something.”

“What, what did you find?”

A bitter smile flashed across my head as my head surged as my SMB clutched my brain, agitating it even further.

“Holy shit.” Stryme grunted, “I thought you said you didn’t find anything.”

“I never said I didn’t find anything. I said I didn’t find a way in.”

“Quit the dramatics Cypher, what did you find?” Eltessa hissed.

“The entrance to the bunker. It’s connected to the Communication Centre or I should say it once was connected.