December 23-24, 2022

lock walks out and sits down. Oleander walks in. Luna's been up all day, sitting on the top bunk.

Lock looks over "how are you?" 

"I'm okay. How are you??" Oleander responds

"Slowly dying inside, but otherwise ok." she smiles

Cole appears and adjusts his jacket as he clears his throat, "Chillin maxin relaxin"

"I’m ok" Lock replies.

"Makes sense" Oleander nods.

"So Isaac's gone, I have a signal where he is because of his hand" Cole sighs "he's on non-feral earth."

"Oh” Lock says confused.

"...how? he can't world hop," Luna asks.

Cole shrugs, "good question, I don't have an answer."

"Is he in danger?" Lock asks.

Cole shrugs again, "says he's where the manor used to be."

"...so perhaps the bunker if it still exists?" Luna looks a little uncomfortable.

"The manor? What's that?" Oleander looks a little confused.

"Moore Manor most likely. Where the cult on nonferal Earth resided," Luna replies.

Cole sighs, "We should probably go look for Isaac now."

"I wish you guys the best of luck. I'm gonna stay here if that's okay," Luna says.

"That's fine," Cole affirms.

"Ah, I see. Can I come?" Oleander asks.

Cole nods, "sure, I could always use a helping hand," Cole raises his hand, "ready to leave when you are."

"Good luck," Lock says.

"Best of luck out there," Luna says.

Oleander takes it, "Im ready."

Cole and Oleander disappear.

"And there they go. Hope they can get Isaac back soon." Luna sighs and returns to her work.

They appear at the lighthouse. It's really cold. Cole swaps to his wrath form as he starts walking up the stairs. On reaching the top they met with a freezing breeze and a snow-covered forest. They can see a large area of the woods burned down and flattened by the fire. Oleander shivers a bit and follows Cole.

Cole shivers slightly, "fuck it's cold." Cole kneels down, "Get on so you don't shatter your bones."

Oleander nods and gets on his back. Cole slowly stands up and vaults the railing.

"Yippee!” Oleander exclaims as they walk to the ruins of the manor. There are burnt pieces of the building left in the rubble.

"Let me just," Cole sniffs the air for Isaac's scent. He picks up the scent and it leads into the rubble. Oleander watches for now. Cole sighs heavily and starts digging through the rubble. The smell leads to an opening with a stone staircase that goes underground. It’s the steps to the bunker.

Oleander follows. "This must be the bunker then?"

Cole nods and walks down the steps while keeping his head on a swivel. The steps are covered in slick snow. It leads into a dark and familiar corridor with a dead-end door. He heads down the hallway to the door.

Cole slips a little but regains his balance, "fucking paws..." Cole follows Oleander.

Dren’s face peeks out from behind a doorway with a worried look before her ears raise, "Oh goodness goody guh it's you....people!"

"Have you seen Isaac?" Oleander has never met Dren.

Cole narrows his eyes at Dren, "Where's Isaac?"

Dren waddles out into view and squints as she taps her chin, "If I do call myself a remember, I say Isaac that way not too long ago," Dren points at the dead-end door.

Cole glances at the door then glares at Dren, "You're not lying right?"

Dren shakes her head, "No lie."

Oleander walks into the dead-end room. Cole grumbles and follows Oleander. The door opens to an empty room. There are claw marks on the walls of unnatural size.

Oleander carefully looks around. "Isaac?"

There's no one there except Isaac's scent. Cole sniffs as he looks around curiously, "It smells like him..."

"Group of big tough boring people walk through with him. Not know where go," Dren watches.

"What did they look like? What species? Was he awake???" Oleander asks.

"Look very, species very, and not know. was busy hiding," Dren frowns.

Cole sighs, "God damn it, so he could be anywhere."

"Well... where’s their back up base?" Oleander asks.

"In the walls" Dren says.

"What..." Cole says flummoxed.

Oleander pauses. "Seriously???"

Dren nods, "They walk up to the wall and go," Dren points at the wall in the dead-end room. Cole walks up to the wall dren is pointing at and sniffs. It smells of Isaac. Cole snarls and punches the wall. the cement cracks some but there is defined straight line

"Maybe try pushing it open?" Oleander offers.

Cole tries pushing on it with a sigh, "fine"

The concrete crumbles some revealing a thick metal door behind it

"The scientist took my gauntlet so you're gonna have to open it," Oleander says.

"I'll make you a new one," Cole sighs as he cracks his neck and looks for a handle with no luck.

"Oh, of course, there's no fucking handle-" Cole groans and punches the door with all of his strength. The door folds and it opens into a large room.

"Thank you-" Oleander looks around. Cole peeks his head in and looks around.

It's a room with 3 elevators. There's a plastic decorative plant in the corner. The ground is covered in smooth tiles and the walls are clean.

"Where do we go?" Oleander asks.

Cole takes a deep breath and groans, "Fuck it i'm going in the middle one," Cole walks into the middle elevator.

There's a long list of buttons, all of them are unlabeled. Cole looks for an openable panel inside the elevator but there isn’t one. Oleander follows and watches. Cole stares at the buttons then presses the button in the exact center. The button lights up as the door closes. they begin moving down and no music plays. Cole and Oleander tap their foot while waiting. After a long time the doors open to a large waiting room with a few benches and a reception desk with someone sitting at a computer. Above her is the large text "W.A.C. Warren Anomalous Collection” either side of the desk is a door.

"..." Cole walks over to the reception desk casually. Oleander follows. The receptionist finishes typing and gives them a smile. She looks like a non-feral poodle. She's dressed well for business casual, "Can I help you two?"

"Do you know where a certain Isaac Greco is?" Cole twiddles his fingers as he looks around.

"And what are your credentials and full name?" she smiles.

Cole clears his throat, "that's confidential"

"Sir, what is your full name?" She requests.

Oleander reaches for his gun. Cole makes a throat-cutting motion at Oleander then looks back at the lady, "Marco Joseph"

She turns to the computer and begins typing. Cole waits with his arm on the counter. She stops typing, "There's no one under that name, are you wishing to register?"

Oleander takes his hand off it and looks around for another door. There's a door on either side of the desk and the doors they came from.

"I'm just looking for Isaac Greco, I don't wanna register," Cole grumbles.

"What are your credentials?" She questions.

"I already stated those are confidential," Cole says.

"I don't think you can enter without disclosing them unless you wish to register," She responds. Cole groans and takes his wallet out and pulls out his government ID and shows it to the lady. She looks at the card and seems to be scanning all of the text and starts typing again. Cole puts the card back into his wallet.

"Please head to the door on your right and enjoy your visit at Wac," She says.

Oleander nods and heads to the right door. Cole follows. The door opens on its own by sliding into the wall. it opens to a small room with another door and short benches on either side. An intercom speaks "Please set any items that could fall off your person during your visit in this room. They will not be disturbed."

Cole doesn't put anything on the benches as he folds his paws. Oleander doesn't either and waits. The door behind them closes as the door in front of them opens. It's a large high-ceiling hallway. There are massive circular metal doors each with abbreviations on the bold text above them and smaller text below it. There are researchers dressed in different outfits and uniforms walking along the large hall. They can't even see the end of the hall.

Cole sniffs for Isaac's scent as Oleander looks to Cole nervously. There's a faint scent of him leading far down the hall.

"We haven't lost it," Cole motions for Oleander to follow as he follows the scent.

The scent leads to a large door labeled, "HHZ Halusnagine Holding Zone." This door is open as there's a researchers with blue uniforms moving in and out. They see a stretcher with a wooden cube taped to it moving by and heading down the hall. The cube pulses as it's trying to struggle against the tape. Cole sniffs as he watches the cube. 

"...alright," Cole keeps walking as Oleander follows.

They walk into another corridor with elevators lining the walls. The scent leads far into the hall and to one of the elevators. Cole motions for Oleander to follow as he walks into the elevator with the scent. As they step in someone with a stretcher steps in as well. There's a plastic Halloween skeleton laying on the stretcher with an edible candy necklace. There's only one button that the researcher hits. The doors close as they move up. Cole waits in the elevator while tapping his foot. The doors open as the researcher leaves. The smell leads down another hall to a door. There's no one else around.

Cole follows the scent, "Lotta walkin..."

"Yeah... Do you know what this place is???" Oleander asks.

"No, but I'm following Isaac scent," Cole replies.

"It's weird...." Oleander retorts.

They reach another door.

"Yeah..." Cole sighs and tries to open the door. It’s locked.

"Maybe break it?" Oleander offers.

Cole tries to pick the lock with his claw. It unlocks fairly easily. Cole walks through the door. Oleander follows. Inside they see Isaac laying in a dentist's chair with an iv in his arm and an altered oxygen mask designed to fit a non feral crocodile. He's looking ahead at the ceiling.

"ISAAC," Cole's tail wags incredibly quickly as he sprints over to Isaac and shakes him. Oleander goes to see what's on the iv bag. The bag is labeled as an unknown form of hallucinogen.

"Goddamnit. It's a hallucinogen," Oleander tries to gently take out the iv. Isaac doesn't react any as it's removed.

Cole is still shaking him, "ISAAC!"

Isaac isn't reacting at all, he has a dazed look.

"He's probably still on the drugs- we should just get out of here-" Oleander says.

Cole rips the oxygen mask off and tries to scoop Isaac up into his arms. He's completely limp and relaxed.

"Now we backtrack," Cole starts tracing his steps back to the elevator as Oleander follows. The elevator only has one button, they hit it and head back down, they end up in the same hall, researchers passing by give weird looks at them. Cole continues to trace his steps as Oleander follows. They continue getting weird looks as they reach the small room with the benches. The door out is closed.

"Please collect your personal belongings," speaks an intercom as the door closes behind them. Both of them wait. Vents near the ceiling open as the small room starts filling with a dense fog.

"SHIT-" Oleander runs to a door, trying to open it but It’s locked.

Cole mutters, "shit-" Cole runs over to Oleander and looks for somewhere to pick the lock but finds nothing. The fog quickly starts to reach chin height, Breathing it in makes it hard to think straight.

Oleander coughs, while stumbling, "Try the other door!"

Cole scoops Oleander up into his other arm and holds him above the fog as Cole slams his body weight against the door. The door breaks off the hinges and leads into the waiting room.

"Thanks-" Oleander coughs, looking at Cole. "We gotta run-"

"Not a problem," Cole sprints into the waiting room and looks for the elevator.

Oleander looks around, getting a little loopy as the effects set in, and leans against Cole.

The poodle non feral receptionist looks startled as she watches.

Cole looks over at the poodle, "shhhhhh don't say anything or i'll find you-" Cole sprints into the elevator and presses a button.

Oleanders is relaxing in Coles's arms. The doors close and they head up. The doors open and lead to the dead-end room of the bunker.

"We are leaving-" Cole, Oleander, and Isaac disappear.

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