A hologram rose up from his Resource Integration Gear (RIG) on his forearm with his personnel information.
---
Name: Michael Feld
Occupation: Maintenance Engineer - Primary: Electrical
North Sector
Megavent Access: 23-27
Unit: 17 - Megavent 25
Level One Clearance
Notification: Level Two Clearance RequestDENIED - Temporary Access Granted
---
Level One
Who has it: Engineers, junior technicians, general crew, medical staff
Access: Crew quarters, basic maintenance rooms, non-restricted storage units, non-critical systems.
---
Level Two
Who has it: Senior Engineers, Medical Officers, mid-level supervisor positions
Access: Critical systems, limited security room access, restricted storage
Note: Granted temporarily, often, for maintenance purposes.
---
Level Three
Who has it: Security Officers (P-Sec), Department Heads, Senior Engineers
Access: Control Rooms, Security Hubs, Power Control Rooms
---
Level Four
Who Has it: High Ranking Officers, Senior Researchers, Upper Management
---
Level Five (Maximum)
CLASSIFIED
---
"Access Authorized: Stay Safe, Michael Feld"
Hiss
The heavy iron shuttle bay door rolled open and revealed the desolate wasteland of Aegis VII. Toxic air, dust storms, but rich in minerals like osmium, silicon, and cobalt. Everything built here is part of an illegal mining operation under the CEC.
Donning his RIG, Michael's work for the day was strangely familiar to what he used to do back on modern Earth. Minus the high-tech gadgetry.
One of the communication arrays, consisting of omnidirectional antennas and a bidirectional amplifier to transmit data between the sectors furthest north and HQ was acting up. Specifically, the bidirectional amplifying system (BDA) wasn't transmitting to the next station.
"This is Michael Feld, Unit 17 Engineer, given TAG to restore comms between C and D. Please advise when it is safe to proceed."
"Copy Michael Feld, this is C-site Control Tower. You are clear to proceed. All SHF transmissions have been stopped from sites B to C and C to D. As per safety regulations, we must remind all personnel not to stand in front of antennas for an extended period."
"Received Control Tower. Proceeding to the relay tower, over."
There is always someone who behaves like an idiot and forgets to do something. Otherwise, such a redundant warning wouldn't be required if all dangerous wavelengths were turned off.
It had only been a day since he arrived. Bryan was nowhere to be seen when he checked in, nor were the other two, but his job for the day was at the terminal. After receiving temporary access for this job, he scanned the maintenance tunnel maps off the terminal monitor, similar to taking a picture with a phone.
Why?
When the shit kicks off, he needed to memorize all the routes along the North Sector leading to the nearest shuttle bay. The maps cut off right before hitting the colony however. This was purposeful by the CEC to restrict information and compartmentalize should a problem arise or, depending on their agenda, if they wanted to create one.
But for now if for whatever reason he got stuck out in the North Sector when the chaos began, he at least had the maps.
Removing the control panel, he proceeded with the inspection. The RIG came with a built-in oscilloscope, something any RF technician would be jumping up and down for back on Earth.
Come play with me!
"Go away," Michael grunted, shaking his head.
A small pair of icy-cold hands covered his eyes accompanied by an innocent, mischievous giggle that froze his body stiff.
Do you want to play?
"I'm working."
But we've reunited! I want to get to know you better...
His gaze slowly shifted sideways as long, raven-black hair drifted into view.
"I don't know you... Who are you?"
A pale face of a young girl slowly crept into view, flashing between white skin and black eyes to distorted, gaunt pale skin and glowing red eyes.
What about them? Do you want to play with them?
An invisible force forcibly rotated Michael's head ninety degrees as the young girl pointed out into the distance.
"There's nothing there..."
~Static~
"Michael Feld come in. This is Control Tower."
Michael gasped for air, shaking his head again as both the girl and the force vanished abruptly.
"Control Tower I'm here. What is it?"
"Your heart rate is abnormally high. Is everything alright?"
"...Yeah. I'm fine," Michael cleared his throat before focusing. "The coupler's broken. Do we have any left in storage?"
Quiet followed.
~Static~
"We do. What caused it?"
"Could've be anything. Dust, a power spike, maybe some power got reflected... I don't see any other damage though..."
"Copy. Come back inside. We'll get what you need."
Sighing, he began to put everything back together and tighten it. All the while, he couldn't help but glance back repeatedly in the direction the hallucination had pointed toward before disappearing.
Is that where the Marker is pulsing from?
But... why am I experiencing symptoms when no one else is? I thought the symptoms began once the miners discovered it.
He blinked and cresting one of the hills several hundred meters away, a small silhouette of the girl in a long dress appeared, prancing and skipping with her arms out like a bird.
And her innocent laughter echoed.
------
"His vitals appear to be in a flux," Tom Sciarello observed as a video of Michael climbing down a ladder played in Carthusia's office.
"Hm," Carthusia hummed, his eyebrows furrowed. "Is this normal?"
"No. And I don't know what's causing it," Tom said with a sad tone before glancing over at a P-Sec officer standing at attention.
"We've hacked into his RIG," the P-Sec officer continued after seeing Tom look his way. A small badge with 'P-Sec Officer Nathan McNeill' was pinned to his chest.
"He's scanned all maps leading back to the colony and..."
On the screen next to the video feed, a playback of what he could see through his visor, and what he was mumbling, replayed.
"I don't believe it was his coworkers, but I don't believe Michael Feld's outburst was manufactured either. This is the only time he's worn his RIG since yesterday and—"
"And I had him tested this morning before he went out," Tom finished. "This is most definitely a psychotic break."
"Is it," Carthusia murmured.
"Yes...?" Tom said with a confused edge. "What else could it be?"
Carthusia silently stared at the screen, his glasses glinting once again from the light.
"What else indeed..."