Triple X System

The sky was getting light. Gray and cold.

The group stood there for a minute. Just breathing. Thankful to survive yet another hellish nightmare, together.

Then Kyle looked back at the building behind them. It was still screaming. Alarms, breaking glass, people.

”Escape to where?” he asked. ”We can’t just leave them like this.”

Yua wiped her face. ”I knew you would say that, tsk.. you’re growing some balls Mr fly pants.” She joked, some tints of red on her cheeks

”We won’t leave them there, as much as they’re broken and barely alive they are still human. We have to go back in.”

Elara looked at her. ”Back in? Yua, the place is flooding.”

”I know,” Yua said. ”But most of them aren’t getting out on their own.”

She was right. As much as Elara wanted to refuse she had a taste of reality firsthand, so she knew how it felt to be used and discarded.

”Fine, we go back in.” Retracing their steps, the first thing that hit was the smell.

Water, blood, and that chemical stuff. The floor was ankle deep already. Tubes were cracked open. Liquid pouring out onto the tile.

And the people, well.. most of what was left of them anyways.

Most of them were still on the ground. Not dead. Not awake.

Most of them have been in coma for centuries, some decades etc. their body is bound to wither despite sustainable forces. That’s what the monitors said. ”Stasis: 312 years”. ”Stasis: 84 years”.

They looked like it too. Skin paper thin. Hair falling out. Limbs like sticks. Breathing, but barely.

A few were moving. Very few. They could barely move. Crawling. Shaking. Eyes open but not seeing anything.

”Hey,” Kyle said, kneeling by an old man. ”Hey, can you hear me?”

The man blinked. His mouth opened. Nothing came out.

Elara made a sound and turned away.

Yua was checking pulses. ”They’re alive. But they’ve been under too long. Their bodies forgot how to be bodies.”

Kyle stood up. His hands were shaking. ”Then we’ll find a way to fix it, somehow.”

The Rootcrystal Deer stirred in his chest.

”Kyle. Their life force is almost gone. The stasis kept them alive but it ate away at their lifespan.”

”Can you do anything?” Kyle asked, having no other choice.

He’d been accustomed to death, primarily of other species of races. But this was the first time in a long time he was with real normal humans.

And as much as he didn’t want to admit it, it struck a nerve within him. Mostly about the current situation of earth, and the dark secrets and deals that took place underground.

”Maybe.” The deer said. ”I can perhaps give them some additional lifespan to the few that have left but, I must warn you it comes with a cost.”

”What cost?”

”5%. A small amount of Kyle blood. 5%.” Not understanding why the ancient deer with powers unknown chose him, he had a weird feeling it was tied to his blood.

At first he didn’t think much about it, probably due to the symbiote host and partnership like relationships beasts share with their humans. But now he was sure of it, something in his genes attracted the deer to him immediately at first sight.

[You know.. you could always say no. You don’t have to be the hero all the time, some things are just out of your hands.] Snow softly said in a low tone.

She could read Kyle vitals, his says, his heartbeat, basically like a mini functional organ so she could clearly read the amount of guilt flowing in him.

Kyle didn’t even think about it. ”Do it.”

”Are you sure? That’s not nothing.”

”I’m sure.” Kyle said. ”Do it.”

He cut his palm. Blood dripped into the air and the red gem in his chest pulsed. Warm light spread out from him. Soft, like sunrise.

It touched the first person. The old man.

Color came back to his face. His breathing got deeper. His fingers twitched.

He opened his eyes and looked at Kyle. ”Water?”

”Yeah.” Kyle said, voice rough. ”Yeah, we got water.”

The light spread. To the woman next to him. To the kid a few tubes down.

Not everyone. Just a few. The ones closest to dying.

The rest were still there. Still breathing, but still empty.

Kyle was pale now. Leaning on his knees.

Yua put a hand on his back. ”That’s enough. You’ll kill yourself.”

”I’m fine.” he said. ”I’m fine.” Catching his breath, he finally noticed Elara wasn’t with them.

”Kyle.” Yua said. ”Where’s Elara?”

They both looked around but the witch was gone.

---

”Did you search there?” Yua gestured to which Kyle nodded.

Even though they’d taken out most of the threats, this sure as hell wasn’t their territory and there was always the constant chance of a new threat emerging.

And judging as most things here had resistance to dark energy and the likes, Elara was basically the weakest link in the group.

”Here.” Yua hushly spoke, pointing down a side hall. Away from the tubes.

She was standing in front of a wall. It was covered in photos. Old photos. People. Families. Some of them had notes under them. Names. Dates.

She wasn’t looking at any of them. She was looking at one empty space. Like a photo had been taken down.

Elara kinda wonders in search for something or someone secretly, with an inner conflict and turmoil when she turns up empty. Her hands were clenched.

”Elara?” Kyle called, but she didn’t answer. Her body was here but it seemed her soul was on a self discovering journey.

Yua walked up slow. ”What are you looking for?”

Elara shook her head. ”Nothing. It’s nothing.”

”Bullshit,” Yua said, but soft. ”I know that look.”

Elara finally turned. Her eyes were red. ”I thought... I thought maybe she was here. In one of the tubes. My mom.”

The word hung there.

Kyle didn’t say anything, he didn’t know how to react faced with a similar condition.

”I looked too.” Yua said. ”When I first got turned. I checked every facility for a year.”

Elara looked at her.

”She’s not here.” Yua said. ”We both know Elara, she was like a mother to both of us even though she was never really there. She took us in. Fed us. Then she was gone one day.”

Elara laughed. It wasn’t a good laugh. ”Yeah. Never really there.”

”I’m sorry.” Yua said. She put her arms around Elara. ”I’m so sorry.”

Elara cried. Not loud. Just quiet.

Kyle stood there feeling useless, the growing tension trying to be submerged within him.

After a minute Elara wiped her face. ”We should go.”

---

The group made their way back to the main chamber. More people were awake now. Some were helping each other. Most were still on the floor.

The water was up to their knees, more pouring out from more tubes. It was an endless disgusting sight, one that etched things born from nightmares into someone.

”We can’t carry them all.” Kyle said. ”Not like this.”

”We don’t have to.” Yua said. ”We blow it.”

Kyle looked at her, understanding exactly what she meant.

”Vampires and butchers have low resistance to fire.” Yua said. ”Well.. the weaker ones which are luckily this set. And this place runs on power. If we blow the generators, the whole thing comes down. It’ll be a mercy. For the ones who can’t wake up. And it’ll stop them from using it again.”

Kyle was quiet. Then he nodded. ”Where are the generators?”

”Basement. B-4.” Yua said. ”I saw it on the map.”

With efficiency they started moving people. The ones who could walk, walked. The ones who couldn’t, we carried. It was slow. It was hard.

Kyle was still weak from the blood. But he carried two people at a time anyway.

Snow was cheering in his head the whole time.

[Kyle. You’re pushing too hard. Rest or you won’t have any stamina left for a threesom, or..] she paused excitement filling her imaginary lungs.

[Even a gangbang when the need arises!] She declared with upmost certainty, making Kyle wonder just how shameful she really was.

”I will when they’re out.” He played along.

Elara didn’t talk much. She just worked. Helping people up stairs. Giving them water from a broken pipe.

Yua stayed with her. Not saying anything. Just there.

After some minutes they got to B-4. The generator room.

It was huge. Four massive machines humming. Fuel tanks everywhere.

”Explosives?” Kyle asked.

”Over there” Yua said, pointing. ”Emergency charges. For if the facility gets compromised.”

She was right. Crates of them.

Kyle picked one up. It was heavy. ”How long?”

”Set them for 20 minutes.” Yua said. ”That should give us time to get everyone out.”

Beep.

The confirmation alarm was set for all four generators. Kyle’s hands were steady even though he was exhausted.

When they were done, they went back up.

The sun was up now. Real light. People were outside, sitting on the grass. Shivering. Crying. Helping each other.

We got the last group out with 5 minutes to spare.

We stood a hundred yards away. Watching.

”Do it.” Kyle said.

Yua pressed the remote.

The building shook. Then fire. Orange and black, out of every window. The sound was huge. It knocked people back a step.

The kalkai chamber. Gone.

No one cheered.

We just watched it burn.

Elara sat down in the grass, and Yua sat next to her. While Kyle just sat on the other side.

For a long time nobody talked.

Finally Elara said, ”She’s not here.”

”I know.” Yua said.

”I know too,” Elara said. ”I just wanted her to be.”

”I get it.” Yua said. ”I really do.”

Kyle looked at both of them. ”We did something good today.”

”Yeah.” Yua said. ”We did.”

”Even if it doesn’t feel like it.” Kyle added.

Elara leaned her head on Yua’s shoulder. ”Thank you. For... for following me.”

With a light smile. ”Always.” Yua said.

Kyle closed his eyes. The Rootcrystal Deer was warm in his chest.

”You should rest now.”

”I will.” He sighed

Snow was quiet, choosing not to tamper with this private moment of serenity.

The fire kept burning behind them.

And for the first time in a long time, none of them were running. Not yet anyways, cause on kraken something always lurked in the shadows.