NOVEL NEXT The control room was cloaked in a serene silence.
On the floor lay a pair of men and women, each sprawled in different positions, utterly still.
Time ticked by, though none could say how long it had been.
Suddenly, a finger twitched, signaling movement, and a faint groan echoed out as Eleanor slowly lifted her head.
“Are we awake?”
A familiar voice drifted into her ears.
Turning her head, she found Cooper standing by the control panel.
For a moment, she stared blankly at him until reality hit and she quickly glanced around, finally realizing she had been out cold for quite a while.
“What… happened? Are we still alive?”
“Does it look like we’re in some afterlife?”
Cooper’s response wasn’t particularly helpful for Eleanor as she sought clarification on their situation.
However, she did notice that there was no urgency in his voice compared to before.
“Ugh, my whole body hurts, so it doesn’t seem like it’s a no-brainer…”
With another painful groan, she adjusted her position.
From her entire body came the feeling of sharp pain, like she had been stabbed and prodded by someone.
She was undoubtedly fatigued, but with this level of pain, she was sure at least a bone or two was broken.
“So, what on earth happened while I was out?”
After surveying the room, she directed her question at Cooper.
The scene before her suggested a terrible event had unfolded.
She could easily deduce that the monstrous thing she sensed earlier had likely originated from the very door she had seen pounded relentlessly.
Yet, how that had devolved into this chaos remained a mystery.
“You’re surprisingly calm. I figured you’d be screaming after seeing this mess.”
“Believe me, I’d love to scream, but I don’t think I have the energy for that.”
“Trust me, I feel the same. I don’t even know how I’m still standing.”
Cooper chuckled hoarsely, not sparing a glance her way as he continued working at the control panel.
“Well, it is what it is. That thing walked in after the door opened and—”
He raised one hand, pointing at a mysterious object in the center of the room, intending to explain what had happened while she was out cold.
But then—
—KABOOM!
A sudden loud noise from somewhere interrupted him, causing him to wince.
“…!”
“Whoa, hang on—”
Immediately following the sound, Eleanor sensed something was off and quickly picked up a firearm before dashing into the hallway outside.
Given the sight inside the room and the gruesome things smeared all over Cooper, it was clear he had already battled something.
He looked too worn out to run away, meaning someone had to deal with whatever was outside so he could keep working on the control panel.
And judging by the circumstances, it seemed most likely that someone had to be her.
“…Huh?”
However, contrary to her fears of encountering something horrific, she found a single girl standing outside the door—someone who looked out of place.
“Hey, Number 19!”
As soon as she thought she recognized the girl from somewhere, she remembered the girl who had fallen with her in the elevator.
She waved her hand, feeling a wave of relief wash over her, but then—
—CRASH!
She suddenly felt something small and sharp hit her face, causing her to freeze in place without even a chance to react.
“…? Oh, you’re awake.”
Upon hearing her voice, the girl turned around reflexively.
She looked just the same as ever.
However, unlike the tidy girl, the area around her was a gruesome sight that was hard to stomach, making it unattainable to keep her composure.
“Go inside and rest. I’ll handle things here.”
Her tone was surprisingly gentle, yet as she swung that iron door in her hand, she completely disregarded the surroundings and unleashed more carnage, flinging pieces everywhere.
“…”
Eleanor, standing outside, returned to the control room.
An awkward silence followed.
Once inside, she remained motionless, not even attempting to shake off the pieces of flesh clinging to her.
Then—
“Ugh.”
In stark contrast to her earlier claim of not having the energy to vomit, she hunched over, retching under Cooper’s sympathetic gaze.
Before long, the confused gaze of Elijah, who had just regained consciousness, darted around the room, lost in the emptiness.
“So, that’s what’s going on because of that?”
Having pieced together the events minutes before, he stared at Eleanor, who was huddled in the corner with her knees drawn up, checking if what he heard was correct.
“What? Do I look pathetic?”
“…No, I doubt I’d be any different.”
While she seemed hopelessly out of it, he shook his head in disbelief.
Having witnessed what had transpired in Base 17 with his own eyes, he couldn’t fathom her feelings at all.
More importantly, the chilling sounds echoing through the hallway painted a vivid picture he strongly wished to avoid envisioning.
“Anyway, how’s the situation? Is the countdown stopped properly?”
After steering the conversation towards safer waters, Elijah glanced at the vintage control panel, asking.
It was fortunate Number 19 had arrived, but time was of the essence, and they couldn’t afford anything less than success.
If that didn’t happen, they could end up dust, having never met the girl outside.
“Yes. As you can see, half of it has already stopped. At this rate, the other half should follow suit without issue.”
Fortunately, Cooper’s response was quite optimistic.
The dim warning lights that had ominously flashed earlier were now halved.
Moreover, the remaining signals were gradually fading.
“Though it’s likely to revert to the original state in a week… well, Headquarters can handle that when the time comes.”
He shrugged as he answered.
While they managed to regain control by clearing away the flesh covering the controls, it still writhed as if alive.
Even if they stopped the launch, it was clear those things would reclaim control over the panel once they left the facility.
“Is there no way to stop it permanently?”
“Stop being ridiculous. The Abnormal Phenomena Management Office wouldn’t let that thing be left alone for no reason! It may be fine to just halt the firing, but if you lay a finger on it, it would definitely explode.”
While Elijah asked, filled with faint hope, Cooper immediately frowned at the question.
The Management Office wasn’t a congregation of cowards.
Even if something terrifying had occurred in this basement before, if handling those things would neutralize the facility permanently, it was likely some sacrifices would be made to achieve that goal.
But considering the Management Office has only managed the facility with temporary patchwork solutions, there must be a valid reason for that.
Perhaps it was too hazardous to tamper with.
“You’ve played the hero enough for one day already. Let’s just focus on getting out of here quickly.”
So, he didn’t want to needlessly court danger anymore.
Today had indeed been quite eventful, but they had ultimately found a way to escape alive from this mess.
He wasn’t so starved for glory or recognition that he’d choose a path filled with risk when the right answer lay clearly before him.
“…”
Elijah showed no intent to retort Cooper’s remarks, choosing silence instead.
The sound of tapping on the control panel filled the quiet room.
The process of halting the launch system was now nearing its end.
Soon, a single missile remained, and a sound more frantic than before erupted, signaling that control was being handled more roughly.
“…Haah.”
Ultimately, as he pulled the lever down, the last light on the control system blinked out, marking the completion of their task.
“Is it over?”
“Yeah. It’s really over. What a long, freakin’ day…”
Exhaling deeply, he spoke.
His voice sounded drained yet somehow refreshing—a strange mix of exhaustion and relief.
“Hey, Eleanor. Time to get up.”
“Eh, what?”
“Start packing. We need to get out of here.”
“Out…?”
Cooper called Eleanor, still sprawled out on the floor, but she seemed like she hadn’t fully regained her senses.
Well, it was a natural outcome given their day’s experiences.
They probably couldn’t ever bring themselves to believe they would come out alive after everything they had been through.
By this point, even the meaning of ‘going back’ felt blurry.
“Why? You’re not getting attached to this place, are you?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that. I just feel like I can’t grasp the reality of it.”
Especially since odd misfortunes had continuously plagued their attempts to escape earlier.
The idea of escaping felt bizarre to her.
“Given all the strange stuff that happened until now, I can’t help but wonder if something else catastrophic will occur…”
But just for a moment.
As the thought of returning home crossed her mind, she mustered her strength, getting to her feet.
Trying to brush aside her earlier statement lightly, she walked toward the door when—
—RUMBLE rumble rumble!
She felt a weak tremor beneath her feet.
All three of them froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
“…”
An awkward silence loomed.
Two men stared at her without a word.
Eleanor knew this was not her doing, yet somehow felt the need to apologize to them.
“…Um, I’m sorry about that.”
Hearing her apology, the two men exhaled small sighs, turning their heads toward the window at the source of the vibrations.