Fandom Waves of Dementia, A Marker's Calling... (Dead Space)

[Style Kella]

"Ooh. It's a good thing the recruits kept breaking it. And even better I had the best engineer on the planet to patch it/" Liz said back as she readied her rivet gun and grabbed a spare pulse rifle. The more she was armed, the better she figured she could help.

Having these light hearted moments while death and the chance at it surrounded them made her feel better, grounded her in a way. It was something somewhat new to her, and it gave her a chance to get to know a Nicholas Peters outside of work and reports. He had a charm to him, something that she didn't see until all Hell broke loose. "We should make our way there, if we can knock that monster out of the water, then our chances of getting to an island are more or less guaranteed. After we rest a little more, I think we both are running on fumes." She couldn't help but have some hope, things were going their way. The day had been one long struggle, worse than most, she felt herself ache and groan like an unoiled machine.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

He agreed with the notion of needing more rest. They had been going nonstop since the start and were both more than a little stressed and exhausted. Nick was sore, fatigued and hungry as all Hell and if he was then he imagined the same for Liz.

He couldn't rest just yet though. He still had a few things he wanted to tinker with and he needed to switch suits out for the flooded sections later as well as the second part of the plan, heading out into open water to sink sections of Sanctum.

He approached the suit kiosk and flipped through available suits. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath. There was only the one deep dive suit for now. He'd have to get one somewhere along the way before they hit a flooded area. Perhaps they could double back to an engineering bay? There would definitely be one available there. In the mean time, he could always put on something more sturdy than the standard engineering suit. He wheeled through the screen and landed on one he liked: Heavy Demo Suit Prototype. It's a more experimental suit designed for shrapnel protection from mechanical malfunction and other explosions without the drawback of slowing the wearer down like the previous models. He entered the kiosk and suited up, the machine making all manner of whirs and noises as it removed his current suit and equipped the new one.

He emerged a moment later in a solid black suit that was much thicker than his other suit and had gunmetal armor plating as opposed to the copper he was used to. His mask closed around his head with a heavy clunk and lit up with a purple visor and RIG set up. The mask also looked more aggressive, with three slats coming down into a shape somewhat resembling a V overlapping itself, tapering off with a tiny X at the bottom. He adjusted himself in the suit and definitely felt a difference from his old trusty suit, but it was a good difference and he welcomed it.

"I'll find another deep dive suit later. This will help us in the short term though."

 

[Style Kella]

Liz rummaged through the other supply closets in the armory, luckily some food was still left. It seemed the guards were more focused on fighting than outlasting. She piled all what could ne eatenm then; some crackers, smaller MREs, and a handful of fruit cans. It wasn't a lot or great, but it would get them through tonight and hopefully that was all they needed. She heard Nick enter the kiosk and the whirr it made as he changed over. She wondered what he would come out with, a deep dive suit would be best but from his mumbling she assumed that option was exhausted on her. Was it wrong of her to take it?

She shook that thought aside, there wasn't time to think negatively and for all she knew it would cause her to go catatonic again. These Markers feed off of something, emotion, mental state, she wondered what it was that they went for. She had no files or cases to go off, any of that is either stupidly hidden or detroyed. As she thought she made a make shift fire using a pneumonic torch and some fabrics from clothes. The smell wasn't the best, but they could cook the food with it. And just as it was getting warm she heard the kiosk open and Nick step out, she looked up at the new suit. It was large and bulky, she knew it would definitely keep him safe.

"Going off the path you set we'll pass another small armory and a few stores, we can check there. Unless you wanna backtrack a bit, Storage or something may have a suit." All those involved going around or through flooded sections, on top of it crossing areas with high death counts, so they would be filled with who knows what.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

"Engineering will have a suit for sure, but that's either a lot of back tracking to the one on this level or passing through or around flooded areas. And given my new suit, I'm not swimming and I don't wanna split up unless necessary. But we can talk about that in a bit," he finished his thought, walking back to the bench and messing around with his cutter and ripper.
Much like earlier he combined the two, cutter on top and ripper below. It saved space, but removed the rotator cuff on his cutter. He didn't mind much though, preferring the horizontal rotation anyway. If they made it to engineering again he could juice up the circuits in the weapons and make them more powerful, but that was wishful thinking for the moment.

"Hey, toss me your rivet gun," he said, turning to face his compatriot and noticing the food being warmed for the first time. His stomach let out a soft growl right on cue and he was relieved to soon be satisfying his hunger, at least to a degree.

 

[Style Kella]

Liz watched him fiddle with his guns, this was one of several times, he was always upgrading or expanding. She was curious where he thought up any of this, though, she had her own nerdy talents when it came to coding and computers. Maybe him welding things together was the same as her splicing and replicating codes?

"Oh. Sure." She stood and handed over her weapon, he knew more about this than she would ever. "Do you think we could up our damage or would you need certain parts? Engineering would for sure but I know that some of the technicians have circuits that can bump power outage in some tools, as well as a few modules having components that can add some wicked affects to things." A lot of the other technicians used spare parts to make some stupid stuff that burnt or electrocuted something.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

He gave her a glance and chuckled a bit as she handed over the gun and said what she did. "You digging around in my brain or something, 'cause I was thinking the same thing," he said with a grin behind his helmet. "Yeah, engineering would be a safe bet. And any of those supply depots along the way would be good, too. We just need different attachments and circuits to up the juice on these things. That's the best part about all of these. Both actual weapons and tools start with a strong base. Take my plasma cutter for example," he said as he removed his modified weapon. "It's base is a compact frame with a plasma core and default tip. Change the tip, get a different tool of the same type. Change the core, different type of tool. Change the frame weight, heavier tools. So, if I equipped a conic dispersal tip to this cutter I would get a plasma disperser, kinda like a plasma shotgun. If I kept the plasma core and tip default but used a heavy frame, I would get a force gun."
He finished his mini lesson when he realized he was gushing a little bit too much.
"Anyway, point being we can alter our weapons for different purposes. We can upgrade the circuits as we find parts and we can add attachments to really fuck these bastards up."

 

[Style Kella]

Liz smiled behind her helmet as she listened to him go on, he really knew this stuff and enjoyed it. He sounded like a kid in a toy store, wanting everything and trying to explain to his parents why this is better than that. It was cute, at least she thought so.

Once he finished, she handed him some of the warmed up soup and a few crackers. "I'm glad someone on this station who knows something is alive." She scooped a small spoonful of soup into her mouth, it was bland but it was food. "That also means we may have the means to properly get out of here." It was all a long shot still but they both made it this far, they could go further. "Let's show these freaks that Sanctum isn't some playground." She added, ready to fight back.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

He nodded, motivated more than ever now that they seemed to be gaining traction against this. He took a break from the work bench and ate, trying his hardest to not scarf down what little there was, but he hadn't eaten that day aside from his energy drink and protein bar which he was regretting up until the moment food was present. Even though it was bland, it was like a banquet considering the literal Hell they were currently residing in.

Making short work of the soup and crackers, he went back to the bench after thanking Liz. She really knew where to look for things. Stumbling across that supply cache list and this little feast of theirs was really helpful and something he hadn't even considered while just trying to survive. He was crafty, sure, but she had ingenuity. Perhaps all that time in admin gave her a sixth sense when it came to snooping. The thought made him laugh a bit.

He cracked open her rivet gun as well as an smg from the rack. Using the tip from the smg he was able to craft a rivet gun with a burst effect. "Here," he said as he handed the gun back. "Three round bursts are now the primary fire for that gun. I wouldn't be surprised if a dead center shot pinned one of those fuckers to the wall now."

 

[Style Kella]

Liz took the modified rivet gun with an odd calmity, she didn't understand how he managed to keep track of all these parts and what they do, but she was glad it was on her side. "Engineers are the providers of war and weapons", she had heard that somewhere, and she understood now. Jarheads like Smith merely point and use something, it takes a lot more to make it happen.

She turned to a bare wall and aimed, getting a feel for the new weight and look of the gun. The laser sights didn't change, she fired a round, feeling three small kicks from the gun as the rivets landed in the wall in a tight formation, nearly on top of one another. The recoil took her off guard, she expected each shot to weaker than a single shot, but they all kicked the same. "Whoa! I didn't expect that." She laughed at her own fail, it had been a while since she laughed at something,, she wasn't entirely sure why her stumbling was funny either. Took much time in admin and dealing with business makes you long for something off the cuff she assumed.

"Take a break, relax. No more messing with the bench, alright? If it makes you feel better I'll even take watch if you fall asleep." He sounded exhausted, working down in engineering and then fighting this nightmare was a lot. If anyone deserved some rest, it was him. He had been fighting a lot more and got hurt, plus she had it easy before this all went down.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

He didn't want to admit it, but he was struggling to stay awake now as his adrenaline was low. He knew he couldn't move on effectively if they were to up and leave now so he begrudgingly took a seat on some storage crates, modified pulse rifle at the ready just to be safe.

"You're right," he said, sounding even more tired now than before. He quickly set an alarm on his RIG to go off in an hour and fifteen minutes. "I'm just gonna close my eyes for a second," he said as he got comfortable. "I'll take next shift," he said faintly as he already started nodding off.

 

[Style Kella]

Liz nodded and stayed close to the small fire. She pulled up her RIG to find something to read or go over as she waited. For the first 45 minutes it was quiet, nothing really jappened. She scrolled through a few books and files she had, trying to make sense of something else than the Marker and Unitology. During the last half hour she heard a few footsteps pass by the armory door, they were slow and cautious. The usual grunting and snapping from the slashers or any other thing were absent, she wondered if it was human. But the steps went on. 15 minutes before the alarm was supposed to go off she was beginning to doze herself, she tried to focus on her RIG but the blue light was harsh on her eyes.

Went the alarm finally went off she felt relieved, she was ready to nap herself. She stretched, her muscles tightening and loosening felt confining, like she was trapped in a small box. She must have been slouching too long. She looked over at Nick, then she looked for a good spot to rest as she waited for him to get ready and settled.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

Nick half jolted awake when his alarm went off, yawning and stretching as he stood and walked around a bit to get his blood flowing again. He wished for a longer nap, but the brief one was better than nothing.

"Anything happen while I was out," he asked as he stretched some more, his bangs falling in front of his eyes which he flicked back once he was upright. He was regretting his napping position right about now, but he'd slept and woken up worse before so it wasn't too bad.

He approached the bench again and opened up some schematics on his RIG. They were of his own design and were practical applications of his typical arsenal of tools. He found himself altering them for the current situation, turning what were once practical tools into objects of visceral destruction and dismemberment.

 

[Style Kella]

"Not much, some footsteps outside, I think they were human. Other than that.." Liz trailed off as she watched him shamble about, he was upright the entire time and probably didn't sleep. "Look, I'm sure this room is secure, we can both rest. I..." She knew that was a risk, she knew it could cost them. "Half an hour, then you can get more, I promise." She spoke in a firm tone, she knew he needed more rest. She could bounce back from little rest, she did it through school and most of her time here. She rarely slept past 6 hours and she napped through the day, she could handle it. She stared at his back as he worked, she wanted an agreement, she wanted him taken care of before she could rest properly.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

"Sounds good," he said, turning back and giving her a thumbs up before pulling up his alarm again and setting it. He planned on deactivating it and letting her sleep longer, but would have to wait for that which wouldn't be an issue. He had plenty of plans to tinker with when it came to their weapons and he even had some ideas of where to find certain attachments for lethal applications of force to their ammunition.

After about ten minutes had passed he ticked off the alarm and kept at the bench. He started to doze off standing up and shook himself awake, focusing then on mental exercises to get him through the next little bit.

He had almost given up on staying awake when he heard the footsteps outside. His adrenaline spiked and he felt that much needed boost that he craved. He got close to the door and listened. It was definitely human steps. There wasn't any groaning or awkward shuffling noises from the missteps of the slashers and, this might be his imagination, but he could swear he heard soft chanting.

He was bewildered at this but pulled up his RIG to record the anomaly, boosting his mic sensitivity to hopefully pick up the soft voices. "What the fuck," he silently cursed.

 

[Style Kella]

*I deeply aplogize for the absence, it has been a busy week at work and I came down with a minor infection from a work injury that had my ass kicked the last few days,_

Outside the armory a small group of people were chatting, talking about the two "sacrifices" they had yet to capture. Several key words were heard as the boost in his mic cleared the distance. "Marker", "convergence", "Father Isa".

Liz stirred in her sleep, she had been asleep longer than she attended and barely knew it. All she knew was the dream, she was walking down the halls of Sanctum, things were fine and clean. But then a scream and bullets ripped the peace away and the hall filled with blood and those things. She heard several voices, people she knew and didn't, screaming for her. Outside of the drea, her body was moving, rolling back and forth as she tried to tried to escape.

Eventually, as the halls filled with no escape, she woke up, jolting upright. Her face was drenched in a cold sweat as she looked around, fear and worry gripped her. "Nick?" She whispered, the box in front of her blocked the door, and he was not near the bench. She quickly stood, leaving her weapon to check. The fear of him leaving her behind clawed at her mind, she doubted h would, but she wouldn't blame him. "Nick!" She spoke louder, rounding the crate and sighing in relief as she saw him, her heart slowly calming down.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

(No need to apologize! I actually was going to check and see how you were doing but didn't want to intrude. Hope you get better soon!)

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

His eyes widened as she came to in her panic, turning to her and gesturing for her to keep quiet. He silently cursed to himself, hoping to whatever God would listen that those damn cultists didn't hear her behind the heavy door of the armory.

"Unitologists, right outside," he whispered. He listened closer and couldn't really tell a difference in their footfalls and chanting, but he knew that didn't mean a damn thing. They could just marked the area to search later and catch them off guard. Regardless of the possibilities, he tightened his grip on his weapon and waited for them to pass, hoping they would leave the area soon.

 

[Style Kella]

Liz clasped her hands over her mouth as Nick shushed her, she had lost all sense for a moment and nearly blew their cover. Unitologists, outside? Maybe that's what she heard earlier on her watch, maybe not. Either way, this place was no longer safe. She readied herself, grabbing hold of her weapon and standing bejind Nick. For the next fifteen minutes they waited for someone to come barging in and kill them, or alert others or those things to where they were. Luckily, nothing came,

Liz whispered softly as she set her weapon down a bit. "Are you gonna be ok to go out there? I doubt this place is safe, my bad, but I want to make sure we're both rested enough." She was worried for their health, she had plenty of sleep on accident, and Nick hardly slept, and what little he did it wasn't comfy.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

"I'll be fine," he replied softly, lowering his guard slightly. "There'll be time to rest when we're out of this hellhole. Besides, we're passing medical on the way to those guns. That means caffeine, adrenaline and bacta. It's not ideal, but it'll help."

He brought up the recording on his RIG and listened to it intently with Liz. It was almost creepier hearing the playback over hearing it in real time as the voices were more clear. "What in the Hell do these bastards want," he asked in frustration. "Again with the Marker and convergence... and who the Hell is Father Isa?"

 

[Style Kella]

Liz nodded, while the use of of adrenaline and bacta was risky, it would help the power through the next...however long they would be here. Worse case scenario they find some place to rest and take shifts again, or double back here.

The recording of the cultists talked made her spine shiver, the lack of humanity and sympathy in their voices. It was like their minds were gone and they only wanted to kill and achieve their stupid convergence. As for the name, that was faniliar. Liz pulled up a list of high ranking members and office holders, there was the picture of a bald man with a long beard. "He is the head Unitologist here and he leads mostly sermons, he also has seniority on the medical deck, he was a renowned surgeon for a while until he left the field for his studies on the Marker." The guy had a clean record, she had never heard anything bad about him and he didn't stand out, but given the people outside and the Marker, it was clear he had some hand in this.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

Nick nodded. "I guess this thing can brainwash anyone, especially those that are extremely devout... how are you holding up by the way," he asked, thinking back to his own hallucinations. He hadn't had an episode in a little bit but knew that thisbwas unpredictable and probably would continue to happen at random.

His hallucinations were... strange. All of those weird symbols, almost like a foreign language that He could almost understand, flashing around, over and over and in the blink of an eye before they disappeared. Granted it seemed familiar, but he still couldn't make heads or tails of it.

 

[Style Kella]

Liz was unsure how to answer the question, while she was awake she hadn't had any hallucinations for some time, but she was sure they were coming. Counting her dream, she wasn't sure if that was a nightmare or a delusion. "I had a dream about these things, if that counts. Other than that, I think I'm ok. Are you?"

Most of her images and flashes were of death and emotional, she saw people she could have saved or people she let down. Not just with this, but before. Maybe the Marker attacked people differently, maybe this is what it was doing to the cultists and the people killing each other. It unbalances their psyche and emotions until they snapped. Would she do that? Turn on Nick and attack? God, she hoped not.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

"I think," he started, hesitating as he tried to gather his thoughts more cohesively. "When I see things, I think they're instructions... blueprints... I'm not certain, but I just feel like it's telling me how to do something or build something. I don't know for sure what or how or why, but..." He trailed off, losing track of it all and feeling like he sounded insane. Because it was insane, at least to him. Surely it didn't make sense to her. But it did to him, kind of. He didn't like it, regardless. He didn't like the idea of some magic rock from the sky digging around in his head and planting seeds, making him an instrument of its own design to do its bidding and rendering him a mindless husk.

 

[Style Kella]

Liz didn't know what to say or make of what Nick was saying, instructions? Why would he need instructions, what would the Marker need him to do? Those were questions she felt would go unanswered, what mattered was they kept level headed and focused on the mission. "Look, you have your own plans, so its instructions can piss off for all we care. Given what has happened here and on the Ishimura and what will happen on Titan station, I think we can both agree it isn't good. So, let's get to dismantling this station and going top side." They had to be each other's voice of reason, keep the other going. She trusted Nick and she needed him, he probably didn't need her as much, but she could at least try to make this a smaller job for him.

 

[Icarus-Ulrich]

She was right. Somehow she had a way of keeping him grounded, ripping his head from the dark clouds and dragging him back to reality.

"Yeah, right," he said, sounding a bit more chipper than he did just a moment ago.

"Look, we've rested long enough for now. Let's get to medical and then to those guns while things seem to be cl--" he was cut off by a massive bang on the door. The two jumped back in shock and Nick readied his newly crafted rifle. Whatever was behind the door was large and strong enough to leave a massive dent in the thick reinforced steel.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered as another blow connected, and another, and another. This thing was pounding the door like a monster and making it look like a tin can.

"You ready," he asked Liz, adrenaline flowing now more than before as his finger was itching at the trigger.