889 Without a Trace

The Awakened warrior was simply gone. The whole facility was swept, both by the soldiers of the garrison and Sunny's shadows, but no trace of him were found. Verne even made the decision to unseal the dome of the old observatory. However, there was nothing but old equipment, darkness, and dust inside.

Sunny then sent his shadows to scour the coastal plain outside the fortress, hoping to discover a clue. He did not.

A sense of unease and foreboding spread through the isolated fortress.

As people were crowding together to alleviate this tension, Sunny, Verne, and Professor Obel gathered in the security center to have an emergency discussion. However, none of them

seemed too eager to speak first.

They simply had nothing to say.

Eventually, Sunny rubbed his face with a sigh.

"Well, there are only three possibilities, right?"

Verne looked at him darkly.

"And they are?"

Sunny hesitated for a moment.

"First... he might have really deserted."

The stern Master simply shook his head. There was no hostility or defensiveness in this gesture, since Verne was not the type of leader to be insecure about his people or himself. He did not have the kind of fragile pride that would make the statement sound offensive.

"That is improbable. I know this Awakened very well. He was... is a stalwart man."

Sunny moved on with a shrug.

"Still, that would be the best outcome. The other two possibilities are much more troublesome."

A tired frown appeared on his face.

"The second possibility is that he was killed, for whatever reason, by another person stationed at LO49. The killer subsequently disposed of the body and removed the signs of the crime. Considering that it is not easy for a mundane human to kill an Awakened, the most likely suspect would be one of your people, Verne."

Professor Obel let out a heavy sigh.

"Surely, you don't think that one of these brave soldiers..."

Sunny looked at him with a somber expression.

"I am just exploring what could have happened. However, don't be mistaken. We Awakened are always only one step away from turning into monsters. With how much pressure Antarctica exerts on people... many will inevitably start to break. In any case, we should pay attention to those Awakened that have Aspects suitable for getting rid of incriminating evidence. Verne, you know your soldiers best, so this task will be on you."

Verne pursed his lips, but then silently nodded.

"What about the last possibility?"

Sunny lingered for a few moments.

"There might be a Nightmare Creature that has infiltrated the facility and is now hiding somewhere within these walls. Considering that we failed to find any traces at all... it has to be either very powerful, very elusive, or both. Since I am the best scout among us, investigating this possibility will be my task."

Verne remained silent for a while, then said somberly:

"That sounds like a plan. However, what happens if neither of us discovers anything?"

Sunny looked at him. His eyes were full darkness.

"Then we just need to wait for the Ariadne to arrive and hope that no one else disappears. According to the last communication we had with the outside, it will reach us in four days at the earliest, and in eleven at the latest. Surely, we can hold out for that long."

As he spoke, the persistent noise of the Call kept scratching, pressing, seeping into his mind.

Verne closed his eyes for a moment.

"Then, that is what we will do."

***

Verne started investigating his own soldiers, while Sunny climbed back on top of the Rhino and sent his shadows to explore LO49 for the third time that day. He had little hope of finding anything, but the thought of an elusive, uncanny horror hiding somewhere within the confines of the fortress, waiting to snatch its next victim, prevented him from remaining idle.

At least he had something to do now.

People locked inside the facility had already been tense and exhausted, but with a new, unknown threat looming somewhere just out of sight, their moods grew even more bleak and unstable. Most held up fine, for now, due to the hope of the Ariadne arriving soon.

Sunny knew all about hope and how important it was in situations like these.

While the search went on, new safety protocols went in effect. Mundane humans were prohibited from remaining alone, and a mutual responsibility system was established to keep

anyone from succumbing to the First Nightmare unexpectedly. Living quarters were fitted with additional sensors and alarm locks, Awakened were supplied with powerful stimulants to remain awake, and so on.

Many soldiers were pulled off the walls to reinforce internal patrols and make sure that the protocols were followed.

There was no established tradition of dealing with a crisis like this, since the Chain of Nightmares had changed the rules of the game. Cut off from Army Command, Verne was forced to come up with enhanced measures on his own. Luckily, Professor Obel was able to help out. The old man still had memories of the cataclysmic descent of the Spell, and of how the First Generation had dealt with similar problems.

Isolated from the outside world and surrounded by an unknown number of active Gates, LO49 was holding on as best as it could.

But was it good enough? Sunny did not know.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it...'

To his frustration, he failed to find any proof that an unknown Nightmare Creature was hiding somewhere in the settlement. His shadows had explored every corner of the fortress, both above and below the ground, as well as many kilometers of the snow-covered coastal plain beyond the walls. But all of it was to no avail.

Either the abomination was too cunning, possessed truly frightening powers, or it simply did not exist.

Verne failed to discover anything. as well.

At some point. Sunny found himself studying the spot where his cohort and the garrison of LO49 had defeated the Scavengers. Two of his shadows were sniffing around the battlefield, one was studying the distant Gate, and one was keeping an eye on Professor Obel.

'...Maybe that soldier really just ran away. I looked everywhere. There's just no sign, of anything.'

He was almost ready to believe that theory.

It was then that a tall figure approached the Rhino. Sunny shivered in the cold and walked to the edge of the APC's roof. then looked down on Verne, experiencing a sense of déjà vu. His heart suddenly fell.

"What happened?"

Verne stared at him with a dim expression. A few long moments later. he opened his mouth and said in an even voice:

"..Three more people have vanished."