vanillacoldbrew in library

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4413 Part 1 Chapter 9: An Achievement

I had Claire stay right behind me. I thought that was the best way to keep her covered. As I expected, the emergency power was lighting up the inside of P4R4D1S3 a little. There was nothing, no one inside. I couldn’t hear anything but sporadic gunshots from outside.  With a small suspicion in the corner of my mind, I killed my step to blend into the atmosphere of P4R4D1S3. 

“Do you remember where your mother worked?”

I carefully asked Claire with a whisper.

“Once we get to Sector 3, I can show you where it is. My mom used to take me to her workplace.”

With a little surprise that the lab was open to non-staff, I showed Claire a little smile and nodded to keep her calm a bit.

Everything felt so weird. It was too quiet. I could spot no FREEMANs but their traces. Their traces spreaded to everywhere, I had to stop myself from chasing after them by the force of habit. Because going into the center of P4R4D1S3 could increase the chance to encounter the FREEMANs, I took the outer path that goes around the P4R4D1S3 to minimize the danger. 

I found plenty of ‘lyfts’ that are used for public transportation in P4R4D1S3, its speed was considerable to take us to Sector 3 quickly, but the vulnerability from outside impact was the problem. Also taking lyfts might cause drawing attention in the quiet environment. 

“Check this out. I had no idea we are in Sector 4.”

We were close to our goal. George found a sign that indicated we were in Sector 4, and also got the direction to Sector 3.

“We usually have our device to tell us where we are. And everywhere is pretty much the same when we are in P4R4D1S3.”

“Well, we usually don’t have a reason to leave our Sector.”

True. Leaving for duty was the only time I got to look around the other Sectors in P4R4D1S3. And it did not take a long time for me to figure out other Sectors weren’t that different.

“Which Sector are you and George from?”

“Sector 21. It should be on the other side from where we are. I still remember the map of P4R4D1S3 when I was in the security team.”

“That’s good. We can get some help from your memory. Wait, do you know where Himon Lab is?”

I could not be the only one who did not know about Himon Lab. 

“No, never heard about it. Himon Lab was not the lab I was informed about. I thought there were only three labs in P4R4D1S3.”

“That’s right. That's common sense.”

I had to think about the presence of this mysterious lab. Nobody knew of its existence, but it was still open to non-associates. Or maybe Claire was the special case. 

“I know the way from here.” 

Claire stepped up as we approached the square of Sector 3. 

Sector 3 square was not so different from other Sectors’, except there is a P4R4D1S3 administrative building. It was my second time seeing the P4R4D1S3 administration, but I already knew that I had nothing to do with those people inside at first sight. P4R4D1S3 might have saved many people, but left out lots of people too. They left not just the people standing against P4R4D1S3, but innocent people who couldn’t get a place in P4R4D1S3. P4R4D1S3 arose 20 years ago to see FREEMANs die on earth. That was how P4R4D1S3 brutally separated families and loved ones. 

And Claire was guiding us to the building. 

“Claire… Are you sure this is the building? You are not confused where the lab is?

I stopped myself in front of the building entrance, hesitated to go in. I reassured the lab location to make sure P4R4D1S3 administration building was not the place. 

“There is a staircase that goes down to mom’s workplace.” 

As Claire stopped inside, she pointed somewhere behind the infodesk in the middle of the lobby. 

“Ha, what a gorgeous place.”

George commented on the size and the quality of the administration building. I also thought the administration building was built on an undeserving scale. 

Even with the emergency lights, the inside of the building wasn’t fully lighted up. A few dark spaces were here and there to make us stay alerted. I took out a flashlight from my utility belt to look out for any danger in the dark. I checked every dark spot on our way to the entrance to the lab, the fact that there was nothing rather had me anxious. 

“Here. I brought the briefcase.”

Claire showed me a briefcase with unknown origin. She was smiling as if she were proud of her achievements. 

“Claire, where did you get this?” 

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4413 Part.1 Chapter 8: A Step

As Mable took off the covering tarp, there was an unfinished fence under it.  The incomplete fence must be the way they infiltrate the basecamp. I could not notice the awkwardness of that tarp, although it was right next to where I was hiding. Mable and I made eye contact, assuring we wouldn’t disappoint ourselves and civilians. It was also very lucky not to get spotted by the security team on the way out, the lights never came around us. 

I remembered the way to the gathering, since it was to the west of the way to P4R4D1S3. I located P4R4D1S3 to the north of the gathering point in my head. So all I had to do was to walk north from the lights. COM. device becomes useful especially for the rescue team that works on earth, unlike the security team. Of course, the security team must have a more advanced device for communication. I thought that as long as they are on earth, they have no other choice than using COM. device, which signal has a possibility to be intercepted by FREEMANs’ tech. The experienced rescue team’s taking over the control was the most ideal situation at the moment. In a lot of contexts. 

“Do you know what happened in P4R4D1S3?”

In the middle of the thought process, Linda quietly asked a question. 

“We had no idea why we had to take the escape pods. There should have been no danger that couldn’t be handled in P4R4D1S3. And the emergency landing… I understand you guys are not allowed to talk about it, but since we are on our way, could you give us any information?”

“I hate to say this, I was on my way to P4R4D1S3. I have no idea what was happening inside…”

Right at that moment, I recalled what happened at Dock 50. The evacuation, the smoothly cut hole, and consecutive emergency landing. I could not understand why I couldn’t dissociate FREEMANs’ terror and the Fall. I wanted to think of different dangers. 

“It was a gas.”

Suddenly, Claire opened her mouth. 

“People were collapsing in the gas, Dan told me to cover my mouth and nose. And mom came to get us.”

I thought P4R4D1S3 should have used a ventilation system for a gas. And they could not have used a ventilation system if it were sabotaged. Only the security team should have access to such an essential system. I felt something was very wrong. Continuously heard gunshots behind us were not the problem, whomever planned the Fall should be the most problematic in the situation. 

The gigantic structure of P4R4D1S3 started to reveal its silhouette over the top of the dead forest. Even though it was in the middle of night, the majestic spaceship had its shape. Not just its size, the emergency lights were sporadically spreaded across the P4R4D1S3 surface. It seemed like electricity or some life sustaining systems were still available. If gas was the cause of the Fall, it shouldn’t have been a problem to us with an air filtering mask. I just wished the hand laser gun have no problem solving breaching the P4R4D1S3 surface. 

One of the worst scenarios that I had in mind was that I had to see the trace of someone making it into the P4R4D1S3 before us. I was rather lucky not to encounter them on the way to P4R4D1S3. When I stood in front of the man-sized hole on P4R4D1S3, I immediately regretted not having night vision goggles. I completely had no idea what other techs the security team dropped, how many FREEMANs would be in P4R4D1S3. Without knowing any information, I was sure it is a suicide going in. But I somehow relieved FREEMANs’carelessness for not having any lookouts left on the outside, I handed my old handgun to George. 

“Do you still remember how it works?”

“No jokes kid, I used this old weapon for decades before I got onto P4R4D1S3. But this handgun looks a bit new. Where did you get this?”

“I got it from the captain. Of the rescue team.”

There are two captains on earth, so I had to elaborate. With a surprised face, Linda suddenly interrupted.

“Hold on. You never told us that you are one of the rescue team. Civilian supported rescue team, right?”

Then I realized that I never told them that I was on the rescue team. I thought I might have made a mistake. Even though the rescue team is mostly civilian supported, there are some people who dislike how we involve in FREEMANs’ lives. 

“Well, I thought you all knew. Isn’t that kind of obvious for having different uniforms from the security team? Don’t get me wrong, I am basically on the same mission: Getting you all back to P4R4D1S3.”

“I think you are the one getting this wrong. You are doing the right thing young man. Don’t get too stressed explaining. We are on your side. I’m sure Claire understands it too.”

Claire flinched at how the conversation went to her, but soon she nodded with positivity. I understood the way she nodded with her eyes fixed to the dark inside P4R4D1S3. I lowered my body to even the eyeline with Claire. 

“It’s okay if you wait here. I will quickly run in and out. George and Linda will take care of you. Do you want to wait here?”

“I will go.” 

Claire said as she slowly shook her head. I never intended to let her stop from going into the P4R4D1S3, but I felt bad to see how she was brave enough to move forward. 

“Alright then.”

I stood up to get my mind prepared for a step. A step to an unknown world. The unknown P4R4D1S3. 

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4415 Part 1 Chapter 7: A Mess

The security team was waiting for us as we went up the hills where the gathering point was established. It was a smart move for the security team to take the higher ground above dead tree forest. Behind the shades of the dead trees, there must have been hundreds of FREEMANs lurking in the dark. 

“I’ve got the report from one of my men about you. Where is the rest of your little….”

“Are there any dropped or stolen weapons from you?”

The taunting face of that man in charge had my anger surge all the sudden. 

“Well, we are still searching the area. There is no rush. Those FREEMANs that you concern are no match for us.” 

The situation was worse than I ever imagined. Their pride in technological superiority was blinding them as arrogance. No matter how superior the tech is, the one who wields is the most important part. The guy that was talking to me was completely considering himself as a different species to FREEMANs. I could not even comment on his nonsense. 

“One or more of the civilians were shot and killed by one of YOUR weapons. Do you even understand how serious the current situation is? They can raid us whenever!”

The man listened to me quietly. After finishing my sentence, he took a deep breath. 

“You need to learn how to speak to upper rank first. Take him. Escort our civilians to the camp.”

As soon as the man gestured, the security team took Claire, George and Linda. Two other men apprehended me. 

“Let go of me. I need to report to my team now. At least protect the civilians! They got your toys!”

I shouted to warn the security team. I wished they listened. The two men took me to the corner of the basecamp. It was getting dark so the structures created perfect shadows against the tower light of the guards. I started to plan my escape.

“Eric, it’s me.”

“Mable? How did you get here?”

Mable, the second man in charge of the rescue team, took off the cap to reveal himself. The other man was also one of my teammates. 

“It looks like they had everyone not to talk about what happened to P4R4D1S3.  I could not figure out anything. And the man in charge, Bradley Baddel, he is not trustworthy. I am going to evacuate the civilians with the captain. He is here too. You should go figure out what’s with P4R4D1S3 and a new base candidate.”

“Alright, I still have the COM. device and radio sets. If I don’t contact you every hour, give up P4R4D1S3.”

I showed Mable the radio sets. As we split for our missions, I stopped Mable.

“One last favor. Can you bring here a kid named Claire?”

I hid myself in the shadow, and organized the information. I did clearly remember the shout that warned me not to go near the P4R4D1S3. Why in the world would everyone have to evacuate from the P4R4D1S3? What made the security team be silent about P4R4D1S3? I needed Claire for the key card to Mireen Lab, and I also promised Dr. Mireen and Dan. With the information I had in my mind, I thought of the possibility that Mireen Lab could be the cause of this. I wondered what they did in the lab, the reason why I had not heard of this lab. 

The COM. device was indicating 19:35PM. Mable brought Claire and also the old couple. As I opened my mouth to question why the old couple came, George spoke first.

“Let us at least go with this kid. You are not the only responsible person for her. We got your back.”

“George used to be in the security team. I am sure he is still better than most of those lads. And my first aid certificate is still active.”

George and Linda were respecting my choice whether to take them or not. I had a strong feeling that they could help the company. 

“This trip can be more dangerous than you imagine. You two are sure of that?”

“We lived long enough to watch this giant spaceship fall. What more should we see?”

George shrugged, and I thought, if there were people who did not want to be in P4R4D1S3, this old couple should be one of them.

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4413 Part 1 Chapter 6: The Capacity

The sun was almost gone. The dark had come from the other side of the sky as if to tremp on the sunset. It might have been too late to move. But the thought, the terrifying thought could not let me consider defending the area until the next morning. I quickly finished contacting the rescue team with a couple of sentences, and let the survivors prepare to move. 

The old couple, Linda and George, seemed to have no problem moving to the gather point. And the problem was, how I was going to explain the situation to the Mireen kids. 

“Kids, I really do not want to rush you. But we better move now.”

Damn it. I don’t understand why I couldn’t come up with better words for kids.

The brother, Dan, seemed to understand the situation. He skillfully comforted his sister and sent me a bitter smile. Claire also seemed ready to move on. Dan handed me Dr. Mireen’s ID card to me.

“Can you take us to Mom’s lab?”

“...Your safety is the priority.”

Dan seemed to know that I won’t be positive to his request. I could read a small disappointment from his face. 

“I am sure we can talk about it when we get to the gathering point.”

I commented as I stepped out of the escaping pod. I pulled out the handgun from the security team and swiftly searched the area. It was getting too dark then, but I started to direct the civilians to the gathering point. 

“That direction where you can see the small sunlight. Quick.”

All four of them began to run with me. The sunset became too small. I assumed that there was less than 10 minutes for us to move in the little bit of light. I had the kids move right behind me and the old couple was following. I started to plan and sort things I need to do. And sudden, I saw a flashing spark from a far rocky hill ahead. 

I thought, ... That cannot be... “..a sniper.”

Pwep. It was not on me. I turned my head to check behind. 

“Nooooo! Dan!”

I carried both kids to the boulder right next to us. Linda and George had themselves covered as well. I quickly fastened Dan’s wound with my ripped shirt. All I could think was to stop the bleeding. I desperately fastened the wound as hard as I could. But the bleeding didn’t seem to stop. I was losing my mind to save Dan and suddenly, Linda woke me up. 

“You can stop.”

As I stopped Dan’s care, Dan spoke with his eyes fixed to me.

“Can you.. Take Claire?... To...”

A shock from too much lost blood stopped Dan. Regardless of the number that innocent lives die on my watch, the terrible feeling shutting me down does not seem to get better. I did not hear Claire’s cry anymore, I sat down next to Dan’s cooling body. I stared at his body. I was trying my best to come up with a way to get out of this situation. 

“WhatcanIdoWhatcanIdoWhatcanIdo?” 

I realized there were no subsequent shots. The sniper was not shooting anymore. I was not sure if the sniper was waiting for us to step out of the cover. The shot on Dan was definitely silent. I had never seen a sniper with a silencer on. Not on earth. Again, a terrifying thought passed through my head. I checked Dan’s body. The bullet penetrated his body, no. There was no bullet at all in the first place. The sniper was not using FREEMAN’s weapon. It was a P4R4D1S3 tech. I looked at the gun that the security team handed me. I triggered the gun pointing to the dead tree. I had no idea when P4R4D1S3 developed such a weapon. It was a lethal laser gun. There was a big hole left on the dead tree. 

I despise them. P4R4D1S3. The advanced tech never led them to develop non-lethal weapons. Instead, they developed a weapon that can kill humans more easily. P4R4D1S3 must have been prepared for this moment. To kill every single FREEMANs left on earth. That is the only explanation for the security team armed with this weapon as soon as they landed on earth. 

If P4R4D1S3 tech was on FREEMANs’ hand, I had to let everyone know about this. If the sniper was one of the security team, I needed to know why. 

Despite the pulling from the old man George, I stepped out of the cover. I knew the sniper moved away, otherwise the sniper would have never stopped shooting with that death laser. I hurried the left survivors to move since the sky was already black. The gathering point was very close. I and the survivors spotted the lights from the gathering point. Time to answer some questions, P4R4D1S3. 

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4413 Part1 Chapter 5: The Survivors

I didn’t even notice the approach. I slowly turned to keep the atmosphere as calm as possible. It better be one of the security teams. 

“Eric Banaton. Rescue team ALPHA. You can check my uniform.”

“Rescue team? What the hell are you doing here? Freaking FREEMANs are everywhere. Get yourself armed at all times.”

Security team. I was very lucky. I’d be 99% shot if I were spotted by FREEMAN. Well, FREEMANs wouldn’t say a thing before they shoot. I could loosen my tension by little then. 

“Sounds like my team didn’t get the line recovered with the HQ. We barely made the landing. Can you tell me what happened as detailed as possible? I’ll report the content to let my team be aware of the situation.”

“Before that, it’s priority to find all the escape pods. Secure the civilians first and I will explain. Freemans are sniffing around besides us. I didn’t really get to get rid of them, though, if they keep sneaking out like cockroaches.”

That’s right. Securing civilians must be done before anything else. That was the reason why I left my team in the first place. Just like I knew how FREEMANs were roaming around the area to attack anyone, I should’ve thought what to prioritize. FREEMANs might think a genocide through this situation could get them a revenge that they wished for the last 20 years. It is pretty clear for the security team what to do to save the civilians. Eliminate all the danger. Another genocide. 

The strength gap between the security team and the FREEMANs is quite huge. FREEMANs’ advance in technology had stopped 20 years ago when P4R4D1S3 arose and took everything on earth. It is impossible for the FREEMANs to ‘fight’ with the security team. 

“Right, take this. It must be better than your artifact handgun. Find the civilians, secure and make the gathering in the west. There’s a secured point. It should be easy to find. The sun is falling that way. Good luck.”

He handed me his weapon that I never got to use but took a look on. Quite handy, brand new, and unnecessary to reload. How great. 

“Ah! Forgot to warn. DO NOT GO NEAR THE P4R4D1S3!”

With that sentence, he left to search near escape pods. I wanted to guess the reason why he told me not to go near the P4R4D1S3, but I decided not to question it before the rescue. 

I was aware that any conflicts with the FREEMANs would slow the mission. I had to be quiet. No shouting to find the people, I could only rely on my luck. A luck to avoid encounters, but to meet the escaped survivors. Regardless of how bad the situation was, the sun was not waiting for me to finish the mission. The darkening environment made me hustle the search. If people left the escape pods…., no, they would not want to make such a choice. I wished they were not that brave to do so. If they opened the pod by themselves, it would make it hard to find them and endanger everyone. I needed to rush. 

 After one and the other empty escape pods, I spotted an escape pod that was sealed. The entrance of the escaping pod was poorly damaged, I could find some traces of the FREEMANs attempting to open the entrance. The survivors must have been locked in the escape pods due to gate system failure. FREEMANs weren’t present around the pod at the moment, I suspected that they might come back with tools to break the entrance. I made sure no one was around before I shot to break the entrance system. I carefully shot the edge of the entrance to avoid hurting the survivors inside. Without the compressed fresh air released, I could finally face the survivors. 

“It’s alright. I’ve come to rescue.”

“Please! She needs medical attention right now.”

One old couple, one teenager, one kid and one bleeding woman. I spotted everyone already having masks on as I ran into the pod to check the woman’s condition. It was a bullet that penetrated her stomach. Quite a large amount of blood pond was gathered around her. Her consciousness was clearly fading. The old lady seemed like she had been taking care of her. 

“How long has she been like this?”

“A couple of hours. She got shot.”

A young girl was holding the woman’s arm tightly. A daughter?

“Can I take a close look on her? Let me help her out.”

I softly asked the girl to make a space next to her. The girl stared at me for a second, shortly made a hard decision to let go of her mother for a while. 

I deliberately diagnosed her. She was barely holding on to her consciousness, too much blood had been lost, and must suffer from secondary infection even if I treated her right at the moment. It was rather a miracle for her to stay conscious since the crash. In conclusion, there were not many things I could do at the moment. It would be more dangerous to transport her to the base that all the survivors were gathering. It was a shame for me to say such a thing in front of her daughter, but I would never like to lie to her. 

“Kid, I am very sor….”

The wounded woman suddenly grabbed my shirt. It looked like she had something to say. Or she actually wanted me to shut my mouth for her. And that was when she opened her mouth to deliver her will. 

“I...am Dr. Mireen from Himon Lab. There is a future of our kind back in P4R4D1S3. In the lab. It was my life’s work. For Aaron, too. Now it’s yours. Claire... Dan… That’s all I can do for you. I am so… so sorry. Go.. before.. too late…”

With her last breath, she gave all her efforts to let their children know the time had come for them. The young girl named Claire bursted into crying on Dr. Mireen. An adolescent, Dan, was trying to hide his face away from people in the room. I could not see clearly because of the dim blinking light, but I shortly understood why he had to hide his tears from his younger sister. He was a guy already. 

Himon Lab… I had no idea if I had ever heard the name before. I could not be sure what she meant by the future of our kind, what is in the lab, and going back in P4R4D1S3. But I was aware that the person who killed Dr. Mireen was capable of destroying P4R4D1S3 tech. It could have been a misshot from the security team, but the most terrifying thing was if FREEMANs had done this. 

The sun was almost set. It is too dangerous to move around in the dark with 4 civilians. We had to move quickly. But where? To the gathering? Or to the lab? I was lacking too much information. I had no idea why I couldn’t go near P4R4D1S3, but it must be dangerous enough to make P4R4D1S3 fall. I had both duties for my team and for these survivors. It should be a right choice to safely escort civilians to the gathering and then contact my team as soon as I gain some information I need. But before deciding where to go, I had to leave that site. There could be a possibility that FREEMANs were being active at that moment around the crash site of all the escaping pods. I comforted the Mireen’s kids. At least a few moments to arrange their mind. That was all I could do for them.

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4413 Part 1 Chapter 4: The Frees

“... see what happened up there?”

“Yeah, it was like tons of fireworks in the broad daylight. Thank god I was not right beneath it, haha” 

“They deserve this. For dumping us like garbage on this planet.” 

“Hehe, it’s their turn to get robbed.”

“It will be the end of this….”

Luckily, it seemed that they did not notice me while I was hiding myself in the bush. Captain was right. FREEMANs were gathering up. I needed to hurry. There would be massacres and I had to hurry my way to the land site to save one more person.

FREEMANs are the ones that aren’t chosen. Not chosen to be on the P4R4D1SE on the day of ascent. Chosen ones were not announced until the day of ascent and everyone got the same chance to be on the P4R4D1SE which made them believe that all could be on the P4R4D1SE. Not chosen ones got left behind on the earth while the chosens are enjoying their peaceful lives. Everyone was waiting for such a life. People have never stopped fighting even since before the construction of the P4R4D1SE. Of course, it was mostly a fight for survival. They had to fight for resources while natural resources were being drained for the construction. I vividly remember how it used to be on earth. People were expected to give up the resources for the construction, and the result was a Great Depression around the world. People could never gather themselves to fight against the stagnation. Their wish to be on the P4R4D1SE did not let them stand up against the government. As far as I remember, I was one of the people who remained silent and prayed for the luck to be the P4R4D1SE. Some people could not tolerate any longer, attacked construction sites. Their resistance did not even last a week. They got disqualified to be on the P4R4D1SE, that must be the beginning of the FREEMANs. 

After the ascent, the struggle for survival got worse. There was barely anything left on the earth, the air between people became a lot menacing. In recent years, I started to witness a few meaningless massacres around the mission area. Whole group of people were found dead in their place, there were no signs of battle, not even kids could not avoid what was coming to them. For usual cases, there is usually plundering without lots of killing between FREEMANs. Which is a smarter way of surviving for the plunderers, most of the survivors could hold on to their lives, while the plunderers keep their chance to ‘harvest’ for later. These recent massacres must be the sign that FREEMANs were on the edge. Maybe it’s the sign that the weaponry is running out or they cannot be satisfied with the amount they collected. My captain could have foreseen this occurrence as soon as he saw a bunch of dead bodies, and had rescue teams focus on work for 3 years. We had to trace the strong FREEMAN group and interrupt them every time they tried to execute another massacre. That is what my team does. We arbitrate and conserve the FREEMANs. 

If we had actual support from the HQ, we could have provided enough life sources and prevented these killings between living ones. Well, it seemed clear that FREEMANs are the least caring thing for the most of the people  in HQ. 90% of the support that the rescue teams get comes from the civil organizations. 

...

“Did you meet him?”

“Huh? I am sorry ma’am. What was it again?”

“Did you meet him? My husband. He promised me that he will be there waiting for me.” 

“Yes, it was Mr.Rockwell, right? Thomas Rockwell. I’ve met people who saw him. It sounded like he has been staying in the F3 area since the ascent. I shared some supplies with the people around that area. He will be fine.”

“No… that is not good enough. You need to check his well-being by yourself. You know what? Please do me a favor and take me with your team the next time. He needs me. I need to be there. I am tired of staying in a safe place and praying for my husband's wellness. Please. I will pay at any cost. Take me with you.”

“Sorry ma’am. You know it is illegal. No civilian is allowed on the ship for a mission to earth. You cannot risk your safety to meet your husband. There must be a reason why Mr.Rockwell chose to be left behind. He wanted your safety more than his. Even we cannot guarantee your safety once you go down on earth.”

“I don’t care whether it’s safe or not! My husband is not..! Please. I don't want to be safe just for myself anymore… Please.”

…

Hmm. she would not have expected that she would actually come down on earth the way she never thought about. I hope she got to meet him now that she is on earth. 

Most of the supporters of the rescue teams are just like her. People who left someone important on earth. Hope they don’t go crazy and run around to look for people. It is a lot more dangerous than what they think on earth. A living hell for outlaws. It is not a good place for the civilians. 

I started to hear several gunshots from ahead of me. I looked around to hide, almost stumbled behind a man-sized boulder. A few gunshots were bursted out as if they were responding to the previous ones. It must’ve been a shootout between the security team and the FREEMANs. If the security team was around, the landsite should be near. As soon as I reported to the captain that the shootout was already starting, I hurried my steps to the destination. 

“Identify yourself.”

Gun loaded in the back of my head. Damn it.

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4413 Part 1 Chapter 3: A Descend

I slowly opened my eyes. A dim sunlight itched my cornea. A slight ringing in my ears. Agh, my head. Where am I? It’s… it’s the earth. I could feel the natural loathing from the depth of my heart. A place that I am sick and tired of, a place where I wanted to be away at least for a while. I could not be sure what happened before I got here. It felt like everything was a dream. One of the worst dreams I could ever have. A dream that I wished it just stays as a dream. I exhaled the deep breath as I was done recalling everything. The land site seemed like how hell would be viewed in reality. A bunch of tall bony trees on that dead field made me flinch for a moment. My team was in the middle of the dead forest. Some of our teammates were struggling with the trees on fire, since those dead dried trees would be blazed up with just a tiny spark.  

“Eric’s up.”

“Any casualties?”

 I realized how bad our ship got wrecked. It was clear to see how the ship landed from the part where my team was boarding. The ship was beyond repair. One side of the land site, there was a stack of leftover supply that my team used from the last mission. It was lucky to have those supplies since it must be impossible for us to survive without them on this planet. I had an air-filtering mask on my face, so as the others. 

“It was rather a miracle to survive that landing...well, it was more like a crash. We lost 5... Assholes. We are taking over their duty. They are free from now on. Rest in peace, boys.

Team, we are on our own now. All of the communication system is down, and we lack food sources. First thing we need to do is recover our line with the HQ in P4R4D1SE.”

Captain looked quite arranged. I guess that is the difference between me and captain. He has a vision to go forward without getting bound by the past. 

“Can we figure out what happened to our pilot system?”

“Sorry sir, the remnants are irrecoverable. The important parts are burnt and gone. It is just too late to check what happened 2 hours ago.”

“Sir, I did not get to see the emergency landing of the P4R4D1SE. Did they make it?”

“Fortunately, yes. I am assuming that we are 5 KM to the south east of the P4R4D1SE landing point. I felt a huge impact shortly after I woke up. Let’s hope the P4R4D1S3 isn’t much damaged to get repaired as soon as possible.”

“Sir, then what are we waiting for? We need to start moving and help those who made the landing.”

“Eric. We are considering the reason for this incident.”

“Incident?”

It is not an accident?

“Captain and I think it’s the FREEMANs.”

“FREEMANs? FREEMANs do not possess any technology like the P4R4D1SE. Not even one tenth of it. We all know that better than anyone. There is no way they can shoot down the P4R4D1SE.”

“It was not a shoot down. You all did not feel any impacts. Eric, you know there were no impacts. Then the only explanation is that it was from the inside. It seems appropriate to think the FREEMAN’s terrorizing did the critical damage to the P4R4D1SE.”

“Our priority is getting contact with the security. We collect the information of what is happening, then we make our next move. Understood?”

This is not good. It’s dangerous. I...

“I am gonna go, Cap”

“Eric, you heard me. Go check around what’s nearby as a team. We need to stay together especially in a situation like this.”

“If this is planned by FREEMANs, they are in huge danger. There are people in need of help. I need to go.”

“We are contacting the security first. This is an order. Listen to me. (Whispers) I understand that you cannot ignore those people. But there are other teams that can help them. We are holding back for a moment. We’ll be on our way soon. Just get yourself ready for it. Eric, I cannot afford losing more teammates. Stay together.”

“Captain. There could be lots of people in need of help from us right now. We are going to be too late… Sir you said we lack information, right? I will be the scout. I am taking one of the radio sets. I’ll go ahead and report every hour. Please captain. I don’t think I can forgive myself if I hesitate any longer.”

I rescue people. That is what I do. Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to save people from danger. Just like I was rescued when I was alone and in need of help. To pay the debt for my rescuer. 

“Fair enough. If that’s what you want. This is for saving my ass up there. Be as stealth as possible. We are not the only one who felt the impact. I am sure the FREEMANs are already gathering up around the landing point. We will be after you as soon as we set the line with the P4R4D1SE. Keep in mind that we may not be there for your backup.”

“Yes, sir. Take care.”

I saluted him with all my respect. Salute to my best captain and friend. I tried to neglect his concern for my reckless act. This is not on you, Cap. 

I hurried my way to the land site of the P4R4D1SE. People must have been suffering not in a way that I can understand. I should be there for them. I do not condemn my teammates for holding back. There was an order from my captain, and I do not doubt my captain’s order. He meant for the best of the team. The ALPHA team has a lot more people to rescue henceforth. We should not sacrifice our lives under reckless situations like I chose to be in. I am aware that I have more people to be responsible for in the future, but I cannot ignore the option that I can save as many people as I can at the moment. 

‘… Someone is…!’

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4413 Part 1 Chapter 2: An Audience

“What are you playing?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s my own. I did not name it yet.”

I play piano. In a remote place in the campus, when anybody is hardly around, without being bothered by anyone. 

“Can I stay here? I just want to be relaxed. Because your song is pretty good.”

First weekend since school started, I met a person. 

“Sure, just help yourself.”

Even though I tried my best to stay calm, being watched by someone is fairly uncomfortable in a way that cannot be put in words. 

A 15 minutes of song. The song was played in 4 different variations that I learned on my own. Variations derived from changing to slow tempo, fast, and different pitches of flat and sharp were the practice I was doing every time I had a chance to play piano at that time. I went to play piano in the early morning, right after a short meal, and right before people got ready to go to bed. When I was fully focused, I was able to neglect the fact that someone was watching me playing piano. It was just me and the tune that was ringing in the place. I may have put some effort not to make any mistakes. Surely, a short period of embarrassment came to me lately as soon as I finished the song. 

(Applause) “Wow, that was nice! How long have you been playing piano?”

My quiet ‘thanks’ went missing under her follow-up question.

“Not so long. It should be about half an hour.”

“No, haha, that is not what I meant.”

Most of the people that I saw around this place were here to play piano or to be alone to have some space on their own. What happened was that I presumed she was also there to play piano. I do not prefer dominating a space from anyone. Also I do not feel comfortable playing piano with someone watching. I knew what I had to do.

“Oh, I see. I have played piano since I was 6.” 

“That long… I get the reason why you are so good on piano.”

“I am done here, so I will be off. This place is all yours.”

I packed my remaining in the place and removed myself to let her feel comfortable being on her own. Just like I feel comfortable when I am not being watched by anyone. 

“Well, I was gonna go too, anyway.”

The girl that I thought she was going to play piano left where she was sitting wordlessly while I was playing piano.

“I thought you were there to wait for me to stop playing piano, so you can play next.”

“No…? I was just there to be an audience. I just love listening to piano songs, although I cannot play any piano songs, haha.”

I nodded my head with the minimized expression of offense. I think I was supposed to laugh or smile at least. 

“…By the way, it’s Eric.” 

I introduced myself to break the awkward atmosphere that was formed shortly. 

“Hmm? I’m Stef. You are new to this school right?”

Correct. I just got here. I barely knew anyone. I met my neighbors at the dormitory, but I do not think I can say that I ‘know’ them. 

“Yeah…”

“No need to be shrunken. Just be yourself. Nobody is really bothered by anyone in this school. It is also best to be like that.”

Being myself…

“Alright, I will see you somewhere, sometime later! Bye!”

“Bye.”

Stef walked down the path to the girl's dorm. Huh, that was an encounter. It is surely nice to meet someone who is being friendly to a stranger like me, but at the same time, I subconsciously evade a person who tries to break into my bubble. Everyone needs their bubble. Small or big, people need their personal space separate from other people. Mine is just big and sturdy that makes people hard to break in. I think Stef is a fine person but the fact is, we just met and barely know each other. 

[v-coldbrew]

PRDS - 4413 Part 1 Chapter 1: The Indestructible

“It’s been a while, eh?”

“Yes, sir. I think it has been almost 4 years. The duty kept me away from P4R4D1S3 for sure.” 

“Well, I’m very proud of you all for saving thousands of people. It must’ve been pretty tougher for a guy who just joined the rescue team. You deserve your vacation more than anyone. Your next duty call won’t be as soon as a month. Take your time, have yourself be prepared for the next duty. Get on some dates, too. Already got over that girl in your COM.device, okay? Haha” 

“Yes, yes sir. I’ll try.” 

I responded as if I ever tried hard enough. I appreciate your concern, Captain. But the romance of my life seems not in control of mine. 

“Oh come on, I know you’re just saying that to dodge the issue. I’m serious. It’s really different to have someone important in your life. You’ll be needing somewhere to go back, Eric. You can’t always have yourself roll around. Just think about it, while enjoying your ‘Free time’.”

The way he mentioned ‘Free time’ reminded me about those times he tried to drag me into socializing events. I kept evading him saying that I’ll be fine with my own, but I guessed there were not many things I can refute. 

‘Someone, somewhere to go back…’

A gigantic spacecraft that is labeled hugely ‘P4R4D1S3’ on the outside comes into sight through a relatively small window of an approaching spaceship. Discharging light from the far west edge of the earth briefly warned me to apply sun coating on windows. 

‘Harbor 31, this is rescue team ALPHA. Requesting for docking.’

‘Team ALPHA, your request is granted. Your dock is 50, be ready in 20 seconds. Welcome back to the P4R4D1S3’

“Alright team, we are almost at the P4R4D1S3. I understand your excitement to be on it for once in a while. Get yourself prepared and well rested, and your next task will be arranged in about a month. (Crews complaining) I also do understand your disappointment of this short break, but keep it mind that it is still chaotic down there. Our vacation should be good enough for a month.”

Behind all the small complaining noises, I was keeping my eyes through the window to take a casual view of the P4R4D1S3. Quiet, peaceful, with many people moving here and there. That was right. That is how it feels like to be in the P4R4D1S3. Sweet scent of vitality in silence. 

“I will see you all in a month.” Captain said as he gladly got off the ship for the first of the crew. 

I had no idea what to do in the P4R4D1S3. A month… Visiting and spending time with loved ones like most of my teammates is not an option for me. Get on some dates...? Maybe. I started to wrap my head to come up with something to kill a month. 

At the same time, warning alarm sounds, loud shouts and screams suddenly cut my non-accomplishable plans. People were running away in one direction in terror. 

“Stay back!”

“Get out of there right now!”

My intuition warned me that something bad was happening. Something serious to break the serenity of lives. 

“Captain, hold on a second!” I hurried to call the captain back to the ship. 

I stepped out of my seat to chase the origin of the breakage. Through the front window of the ship, I could clearly see the smoothly cut hole on the floor of the dock area. I did not get to see the entire hole behind some cargos, but it seemed large enough to endanger everyone. Everything was being sucked out of the hole to dark space. Starting from the air, cargos, and small vehicles. An evacuation of the whole dock was happening. Luckily, it seemed all the staff members made it out of the dock. Some of the big and small cargos temporarily sealed the hole. The screams had stopped, yet the situation was too unstable to be loosen up.

‘This is an emergency situation. This is not a drill. Every staff member must evacuate out of Dock 50 right now. Repeat….’

“What the hell is going on…”

Everyone on the ship was trying to understand how this situation escalated.

“It is going to take a long time to get that hole perfectly fixed. So, let’s move on to the next dock, shall we? ”

Captain ordered as soon as he quickly came back to the ship. With his order, the cabin became a bit arranged. 

“Also, thank you for stopping me, Eric. That was close.”

“The team needs you captain. Just say you owe me lunch.”

While checking nobody is out in the dock, our ship was preparing to leave for another dock. 

I remember the clear cut hole in the floor of the P4R4D1S3. How did that happen? How can the cut be so smooth and be there the whole time? I had no clue about what happened in Dock 50, while an unpleasant feeling had me think about that accident over and over again. 

“... Eric! Are you listening?”

“Hmm? Sorry sir. I did not. Can you repeat for once please?”

“I thought you fell asleep again. Other than that, the control tower seems very busy. The response is taking too long.”

“Sir, do you remember what happened back in Dock 50? How did it happen?”

“Yes, it seemed there was a collision with an asteroid. It happens occasionally. Does it bother you that much?”

“No, sir. It wasn’t a hole formed in a collision with an asteroid. The hole was clear cut. Something sharp smoothly cut out the hole. Plus, there was no sound of a collision.”

“Hmm, I did not see the hole for myself. But I did not hear the sound either. Surely it sounds very… very strange.”

“Sir, the response came in! It says the whole P4R4D1S3 is getting ready for an... emergency landing?!”

“Hold on… The whole P4R4D1S3? Did I hear this correct?”

“Yes, sir. They did not tell us the reason. But that is all it says in the response from the control tower.”

The ship was getting loud. Is this real?

“Silence! We are the ALPHA rescue team. If something is happening there, we are the one who rescue people. We are going into the P4R4D1S3.”

“But sir! We have no…”

The ship suddenly started to fail. A loud warning siren began. 

“Sir! The pilot system is failing! This ship needs an emergency landing right now!”

“Can we make it to the P4R4D1S3?”

Then the team could clearly see the P4R4D1S3 from a distance with thousands, thousands of escaping pods coming out of the P4R4D1S3. The P4R4D1S3 started to execute an emergency landing. The giant anti gravitational engine had been turned off and the P4R4D1S3 was getting out of its orbit as it started to descend slowly towards the earth. The emergency landing was not a joke. It was happening right in front of my eyes. 

“Gotta go back on earth. God damn it. Alright team, be prepared for the emergency landing. As long as you can survive this…”

Captain jokingly ordered a preparation for occasional death. But everyone knew that it wasn’t a joke at all. As much as we know our captain, his fake smile which was supposed to loosen up the tension was actually working the opposite way. 

While the P4R4D1S3 was making its landing, countless amounts of escaping pods were following the P4R4D1s3.. That moment I did not realize why those escaping pods had to get out of the P4R4D1S3 for emergency landing. But that moment was purely, genuinely impressive. The P4R4D1S3, built on the essence of technology across 30 nations, as large as east Europe, took almost 30 years and cost 85% of Earth’s natural resources. This giant and indestructible fortress of humanity was falling after its 20 years of duty. Nobody had imagined this would happen. Nobody. There was not even a single crisis, not even a single accident was anticipated in the P4R4D1S3. Everything was in control. Dangerless 20 years had not been spent based on nothing. But how did this happen? I was a part of the worst scenario that no one had ever thought or imagined about. It was too unrealistic for me to think rationally or even take the situation more seriously. Nobody in that ship seemed prepared or able to keep themselves calm. Right, the ship was making its landing to the earth. 

I had to hold on to something. Both mentally and physically. I held as hard as possible onto the harness on my seat as well as my weakened mind.  As the ship entered the atmosphere, all I could think was to survive the quake and the impact of the ship during the emergency landing. The teammates started to shout out loud as if they wanted to beat the quake noise. The noise got louder, I later noticed that I was already shouting from the depth of my soul.