Crystal Legacy: Generation 0
What should have been a peaceful last few weeks in the sleepy town of Strudelville takes a strange, strange turn for Snowflake Crystal. When a storm brings a stranger to her doorstep, she is forced to face the horrors that lay beneath her, and forced to decide what she wants to do with her life as well.
Snow: Dear Salt. How are you? I heard about your father’s passing, and I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about it. It’s been nearly a month and I’m still not over Mother’s death. How are you holding up? Would you even tell me?
Snow: Well, it’s not like any of the military would say anything. You’d think four years of reporting the news would have earned me some trust! It is a little strange, though: I haven’t heard from Delta in a while.
Snow: And I’m not the only one. The people I did get to talk were saying that a few military squads had gone missing lately. Not like, lost missing, but kind of just…no one can find them missing. Maybe that is lost, I don’t know.
Snow: …I guess saying that Strudelville’s the same as every was kind of a lie. There is something going on in town, but putting my finger on it…I don’t know, Salt. My instincts are telling me it’s a mess. Mother always told me to trust them, so that’s what I’m going to do.
Snow: I’ll still be here in Strudelville until Mother’s house sells, at least, so I’ve got some time. Let me know how you’re doing in Selva, alright? I worry about you.
All my love, Snow.
*thunder rumbles*
??: Eyes on the target?!
??: Negative! It’s gone!
??: It crashed into a canyon! How is it still mobile?!
??: Sir, the rain’s washing the tracks away. It headed towards town, but–
??: Fudge! Alright, pull back. Salvage what you can and get inside, men…this storm’s getting worse.
*gate creaks*
*thud*
Snow: What the–what was that?
Snow: Oh, Watcher–hey! Hey, are you alright?!
Snow: *quiet humming*
??: …ngh…where…
Snow: Oh!
Snow: You’re awake. How are you feeling?
??: …as if I…crashed into a canyon at…top speeds. Ngh.
??: What…is this place?
Snow: My little slice of paradise, on the outskirts of Strudelville. *yawn* I’d say make yourself at home, but since you stole my bed all night I think that goes without saying.
??: …Strudelville? I thought this was Strangerville…
Snow: Oh, sure, they used to call it that. About a thousand years ago, anyway. You…didn’t know that?
??: No. …Thank you for your hospitality, but I must go.
Snow: Whoa, hang on–
??: There is a mission I must complete–ngh–
Snow: Hey, hang on! You can’t even–
Snow: –shiitake! Oof!
Snow: I was trying to tell you you can barely stand…*sigh* What’s your name?
??: …Rainbow…
Snow: Okay, Rainbow. Let’s get you back to bed. Come on.
Rainbow: …I cannot linger…I must…
Snow: You need to rest, not go running around in the heat. What’s so important about this mission, anyway?
Rainbow: …this city…it hides something. It cannot stay…
Snow: Yeah, well, welcome to Strudelville. …Alright, look. Stay, rest, I’ll go see if anyone’ll tell me what’s going on. Deal?
Rainbow: …very well. What is your name?
Snow: Snow. Snow Crystal.
–
Snow: What are you even doing, Snow…
Snow: –! Delta! Delta, wait up a second!
Delta: Hello, Snow. Whopper of a storm last night, wasn’t it?
Snow: Tell me about it–hey, you’ve been kind of MIA the past few days. Is everything going okay at the base–
Delta: Everything’s fine, Snow. Look, I’m sorry, but I’m really busy. Talk another time?
Snow: …Sure…
Snow: So there’s….really nothing going on over there?
Mystic: Why would there be? Everything’s completely fine, Miss Crystal. Nothing to report on.
??: And what are you ladies discussing this fine morning?
Snow: Oh, just the odd goings on around town. I don’t suppose you’ve got any comment, Sergeant?
??: Nothing that hasn’t already been said, Miss. There’s nothing going on in Strudelville. Now, if you will please excuse us.
-
Snow: Nothing going on in Strudelville. Right.
Snow: Is that…hey! Should you be out of bed yet?
Rainbow: The suit I was wearing is capable of healing all but the most major injuries, given time. I am fine. …I apologize for…borrowing some of your garments. The suit was. Too warm in this sunlight.
Snow: Uh…yeah, it’s fine, no problem.
Rainbow: Tell me, did you learn anything from your search?
Snow: Not much. Something happened in the crater, but no one’s willing to talk about it.
Rainbow: Then that is where I must go.
Snow: Alone? You can’t be serious!
Rainbow: It is my mission.
Snow: Ugh…alright, hang on. I’ll come with you.
Rainbow: And this facility has been here for years?
Snow: Long as I can remember, yeah, and I’ve lived here my whole life. Pretty sure it used to be less…ruined, though.
Snow: The…plants are definitely new, though. What are they?
Rainbow: Trouble. We should get inside.
Snow: Power’s still on…weird.
Rainbow: Why is it so odd? Redundant power systems are not that uncommon, are they?
Snow: Maybe not where you come from, but around here? We’re lucky to keep the A/C every time it rains…oh, hang on. What do we have here?
Snow: Tell me something: why build a door this big?
Rainbow: If you intend to keep a secret that is even bigger than the door. Can you get it open?
Snow: I didn’t bring my door kicking boots, so no. Besides, that’s a keycard lock.It’d be easier to find a key than break it down.
Rainbow: Perhaps. Search the interior, I will check the yard.
Snow: Sure thing. Be careful!
Snow: Did these people never hear of organizing their files…holy Watcher, don’t let there be scorpions in all of this!
-
Rainbow: …as empty as the void…
Rainbow: The yard is abandoned and the equipment will not function. Have you found anything?
Snow: A few scraps and some photos. Nothing really useful, and this mainframe is being–stubborn!
Snow: Shiitake. Sorry, Rainbow–computers were never my strong suit.
Rainbow: It is fine. We should return to your dwelling now–the stars have come out.
Snow: That late? Yeah, let’s head home.
Snow: You said that the city’s hiding something, right? Does that mean you know what’s going on?
Rainbow: To an extent, yes. I have seen this happen before.
Rainbow: Tell me: have your people been acting…odd? As if they are not themselves?
Snow: Some of the soldiers have, yeah.
Rainbow: And it began not long after the plants began to grow?
Snow: ….yeah. That’s the cause, isn’t it?
Rainbow: They are offshoots of a larger entity, one that exercises control over anything it can. No sentient creature is immune, and if it is where I believe it to be, then…
Snow: Then basically the town’s screwed?
Rainbow: …Well, yes. That is one way to put it.
Snow: That’s nothing really new. Strudelville’s always been one step shy of screwed, so I’m pretty sure this can wait for morning.
Rainbow: Perhaps. I will need to find lodgings–
Snow: Ah! You’re staying right here, lady. We can share the bed.
Rainbow: …very well. Thank you.
Snow: Rainbow?
Rainbow: Here.
Snow: Where did you go? You were gone when I woke up–holy Watcher…what is this?
Rainbow: Salvaged equipment from my ship. You said we need a keycard, yes? This will help us to acquire one.
Snow: Uh…how?
Rainbow: By listening in to learn things about this town, and who is truly in control. You…do know how to use such technology, do you not?
Snow: I…can figure it out. *laugh* You never do anything by halves, do you?
Rainbow: No.
Some days later…
-
Snow: Well, I can’t say it was the easiest thing in the world, but we’ve got a good chunk of blackmail right here. That tech of yours sure is good!
Rainbow: It was made to be. Sixam keeps…close watch on Maxis. *sigh* This file seems very thin, Snow. I do not know if it will be enough.
Snow: Oh, ye of little faith. Put this in the right hands and it’ll take us right to the top.
Rainbow: We need to go to the bottom, Snow…
Snow: That was a joke, Rain. Is everything okay?
Rainbow: I…yes. Apologies, Snow. Sleep has been…difficult. *sigh* I suppose you have an idea of who to take this information to?
Snow: Yep. I’ve got a friend in the corps who probably had access to the Lab. I figure she can get us a card.
Rainbow: Very well. I will…hide in the bathroom, I suppose?
Snow: I wish you didn’t have to, but…that’s probably a good idea, yeah. Trust me?
Rainbow: I do.
Snow: Delta, it’s Snow. I’ve got some info on that…overgrown issue we were talking about the other day. Think you could come by? Half an hour? Sure. I’ll be here.
Delta: Do I even want to know how you got this information, Snow?
Snow: Probably not. Plausible deniability’s pretty important in your line of work, isn’t it?
Delta: It should be in yours too, young lady! What would your mother say about all of this?
Snow: She’d be proud I never let things go, I think. Stubbornness is a good trait in a journalist.
Delta: Snowflake Crystal! You have no idea what you’re getting into with this.
Snow: I have some idea, Del. That’s why I came to you with this: I need your help.
Snow: We both know there’s something big in that lab, and it’s affecting the town. I need a way down past that door, and you…
Delta: Need this information before you send it to a publisher. Watcher, Snow, where did you learn to bargain like that?
Snow: My mother. Do we have a deal?
Delta: …*sigh* I shouldn’t be doing this, but yes. We do. Just–be careful down there, Snow. That thing is dangerous.
Snow: I’ll be fine. Thank you, Delta. Really.
Rainbow: Well?
Snow: I got it. We can go in the morning.
Rainbow: Good.
The
Rainbow: And you trust this Delta to have given you a proper card?
Snow: Del was my Mom’s best friend–she’s kind of my Aunt. She wouldn’t lie to me.
Snow: Doesn’t mean the card’s still good, though, so cross your fingers–
*Door beeps*
Automated voice: Welcome, Sergeant Delta Terra. It has been twenty-one days since your last log-in. Please consult with Human Resources if you are experiencing difficulties in your work.
Snow: …Or it could work!
Snow: …what…is that? *cough* Ugh! It smells terrible!
Rainbow: …oh no…
Rainbow: Snow, wait!
Snow: …Rainbow…what…is this stuff?
Rainbow: Exactly what I feared. We should not linger–where would they house information in this facility?
Snow: Uh–servers, computers. Let’s check that other hallway.
Snow: Listen. Hear that buzzing? Server racks. We need to find a terminal.
Rainbow: All this equipment…why would they abandon it so quickly?
Snow: Too heavy to get out. Strange they wouldn’t destroy it first, though..
Rainbow: They did not have time.
Snow: Rainbow?
Rainbow: These fools…kaffas! They do not know what they are toying with!
Snow: This is all biological data. Botanical readings, tissue scans…Rain, what is this thing?
Rainbow: They call it the Mother of Destruction. None on Sixam know where it originally came from, only that it comes from a place between stars. We thought it eradicated, but one of our teams saw the signs of it here. I took the mission to destroy it, but I cannot do that without knowing how large it has become. We must find that data.
Snow: It’s no good. They wiped anything recent from even before the explosions happened. I can’t get anything off these servers.
Rainbow: Then we must find a way to–ngh…
Snow: Rainbow! Rain, what happened?!
Rainbow: I…do not know…I became dizzy and then…
Snow: Can you stand?
Rainbow: I…believe so
Snow: Come on, stand up–we’re going home. We can’t–
*rumble*
Snow: …what the fudge was that.
Rainbow: Outside. Now.
Snow: Holy Watcher…are these the buds?
Rainbow: Yes. This is what the buds become as the Mother grows in strength. They will become larger still, until each surviving bud has become a Mother.
Snow: Is that what happened to…
Rainbow: Cassini V, and yes. It spread quickly, escaping any containment measures my people attempted to use. There is…very little left of that planet now.
Snow: That’s what’ll happen here, isn’t it?
Rainbow: Unless we can destroy the Mother before these buds reach maturity? Yes.
Snow: Holy Watcher, look after us in this time of darkness…It seemed so much smaller in the Lab…
Rainbow: Most things do when you are in them. Mm. We will need some way to combat the infection…perhaps…
Snow: I’ll go talk to Delta…maybe she knows something we can use–Rainbow, you look terrible! You should go lay down for a while.
Rainbow: …I…think I will, yes. Be careful, Snow…this will draw attention.
Delta: I told you to be careful!
Snow: I was! I just–I didn’t think things were this bad in there! It’s not like you warned me…
Delta: Snow….*sigh* Alright, that’s fair. Now let me guess: you want to know if I have anything that’ll help you figure this thing out?
Snow: Do you?
Delta: I do. But this is the last thing I can get you. You’re on your own from here, kiddo.
Snow: I wouldn’t be too sure of that.
Snow: Rain, I’m back. …Rain? *gasp*
Snow: Rainbow! Hey–hey, what happened?
Rainbow: …ngh..nikan?
Snow: Rainbow, it’s me, it’s Snow–hey, come on.
Snow: Come on–stand up, stand up–whoa!
Rainbow: …’m sorry…sick…
Snow: Oh, yes you are. Here–lean on me.
Rainbow: *cough* Does that ever not…
Snow: Suck? Can’t say it ever does. Let’s get you to bed.
Some hours later…
Snow: Rain?
Rainbow: Ah–
Snow: Easy, easy, it’s just me.
Rainbow: Nikan, I–
Rainbow: *coughing fit*
Snow: Oh, Watcher…you sound terrible…
Snow: And you’ve got a fever. I should still have some medicine for this…
Rainbow: That was an odd way to check for fever. *smothered cough*
Snow: Eh, it’s accurate enough. Get some sleep, okay? I’ll make you some soup.
*coughing*
Snow: Your fever’s gotten worse…Rain…
Rainbow: Do not worry, nikan…it takes more than…illness to kill me…
Snow: Say that when you’re not on fire. You can tell me what nikan means then, too.
Rainbow: It does…not translate well…
Snow: I don’t care. Tell me–…Rain?
Rainbow: …nikan.
Snow: You. You caused all this, and you’re going to help me fix it.
Snow: …okay. Okay. This should…filter out the spores…fudge. It needs a suit. Where am I supposed to…*sigh*. I need to go home.
Snow: Rain? …Still sleeping. *sigh* I should write Salt.
Snow: Dear Salt. How are you? Did my last email get through? I haven’t heard from you in a couple of weeks now. I hope everything’s alright.
Snow: Things in town have gotten…strange. Stranger than normal. It feels like the whole world’s gone and turned upside down when I wasn’t looking, and something tells me it’s only going to get stranger before it’s over.
Snow: I wish I could say I’m not scared, but I am. This whole thing’s out of control already, and…
Snow: …what am I doing? I can’t tell him any of this. *sigh* Delete. I need to get some sleep…
That night….
Snow: …Fever’s finally broken. How do you feel?
Rainbow: …Better now. I am sorry if I worried you, Snow. I did not expect…
Snow: It’s fine. Just…rest, okay? We’ll talk in the morning.
Rainbow: …hmm. We will.
Rainbow: You did what?
Snow: I…went back to the lab? …Oh, don’t give me that look! It was the only thing I could think of!
Rainbow: You went back to that menace’s den. Alone. You truly are foolish, Snow Crystal.
Snow: You haven’t even heard the worst part yet.
Rainbow: Which is?
Snow: I could…only find one hazmat suit. I’m going to have to go back alone.
Rainbow: You what?! I do not think so–you cannot face that monster on your own!
Snow:There’s no other choice! You can’t–
Rainbow: You do not tell me what I can or cannot do!
Snow: That isn’t what I meant! You’re still recovering–Rainbow, please. Just trust me!
Rainbow: This has nothing to do with trust. Trust will not stop that monster from…*heavy sigh*
Snow: Rainbow…
Rainbow: I have trained for this. I know how to deal with the beast. You do not.
Snow: Been doing pretty good so far.
Rainbow: It takes only one mistake.
Snow: …I’m still going, Rainbow. I have to. This is my home, and if this thing gets any worse, or any stronger, then…
Snow: It’ll probably be dark before I get back. Just…stay here, okay? I’ll. I’ll be back.
Rainbow: …Fly fast, fly safe.
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