NationStates Jolt Archive

The Ancient world held history beyond knowledge; a cursed and barren land only now recovering from the ancient wars that had marred its very soul. The Zakian research and military base that now dominated it; had no idea of the secrets that lay, silent and sinister beneath their feet.

Millenia ago, an ancient civilisation had ruled the globe; a world of life, beauty, molded and shaped by the near limitless psychic powers of the Ancients. Yet like all things, these beings heard the sinister whisperings of the Warp; and of the darkness beyond even that plane; they heard Hell. And some, desiring power over even their own souls; made pacts with the Daemons of these two twisted realms; and unleashed their power on the far side of the world. The Ancient Daemon Prince; Naz're'thim walked the earth again, and brought with him an army of Daemons, and puppets of twisted flesh. Their war of attrition knew no bounds; as the ancients struggled to hold back the tides of Darkness. All hope seemed to fade as the scourging armies of Hell itself came forward against the Capital.

Deep within its depths, the Seer King; Lord of the Ancient Race; summoned forht the remainder of his races vasy and noble power. He completed his spell, even as the horde poured into the city, and streamed into the abyss; determined to claim him.
He fought bravely; slaying many of the infernals with his own hands; before the Daemon Lord came to him; a Knight of Hell itself, it swore it would destroy him.

But it was too late; energy streamed from the rock itself; scouring the world of life and energy; purging the entire planet of anything that drew breath. The energy coalesced; unified; surging back to its source; as the Seer King drove his blade into the heart of Daemon, and both were drowned in the flames, burned to nothingness....Imprisoned in the very rock of the world.

For centuries, the world lay quiet; the artefacts and seals of the ancient world holding the untold armies of the Warp, and Hell itself within the world; bound by the ultimate power of the Dark Artefact; the Daemon Seal...

And now; something stirs in the depths; something yearns to be awoken...For new life has come to the dead world....And Hell awaits them in its dark depths.

0430, Moon Phobos, orbitting Zakia Prime, Research Facility involved in the study of: Plasma fuels, military research and ancient artefacts...


Gunter went about his work in the control centre, the dark, dank room was dully lit by the multitude of consoles that littered the walls, the only respite from the consoles and spartan metal of the walls was the view port into the red planet, much akin to Mars in the solar system, Phobos was an airless planet but it was rich in numerous resources. The atmosphere contained various things that were applied to Zakian scientific and military applications. The control centre was one of many, each one contributing and overseeing their own particular section, the control centre that Gunter was assigned to had two jobs, it had to keep open communications with the dig teams below and it had to keep long range communications open with Zakia Prime and communications were absolutely vital to keep the thirty mile long labyrinth of pipes and steel going, the amount of fatalities each month were rising due to a lack of maintenance and parts.

Dr Stukov Swann was the head of all operations on Phobos Base, the facility was at least fifty years old now and was in constant need of repair, the lighting systems frequently failed and, on very rare occasions, the safety glass broke and pressure was lost to entire sections of the base but thankfully, those occasions were rare. Stukov was engrossed in the report he’d been sent, he’d read it three times and still wondered if his decision was the right one..

To: Dr Stukov Swann, head of operations on Phobo Base
From: Jake Haknett, leader of dig team alpha three
Subject: A new artefact

As you may know, after our first few, unfortunate expeditions into the pyramid-like structure, buried in the earth of the subterranean dig site, we have been finding more and more artefacts and tablets, these tablets hint at a contained evil, we have thus far assumed that they must mean a weapon or an item of awesome power that could be used by the Zakian military…however, I have reason to believe something much more sinister is indeed locked beneath the cold, hard earth of the main dig site.

Upon arrival, the dig site seems perfectly normal, the pyramid, most obscured by the earth that it is buried in, however, everything appears normal, nothing wrong at all but upon entering the pyramid, people start to, well, change, they grow paranoid and aggressive, the seem to believe that something is watching them and, this part I found most disturbing, when you go in deep enough, you start to hear voices and scratching noises, like something locked in a tomb trying to get out, one man, Kurgan if I remember right, after spending an extra two shifts in the deeper sections of the pyramid, he came out, aggressive, paranoid and he claimed that there was something in his head, a scratching like a trapped animal trying to claw it’s way out, three days later, after being subjected to the psychology ward, one night, when an intern went to check on him, Kurgan was nowhere to be found, he had left the psychology ward in the night and after a panicked search, they found him in the morgue, he had mutilated himself vastly, apparently, he had carved holy symbols into his stomach or so he said but we couldn’t identify the religion from the symbols, in fact, the symbols seemed to predate all known records of religion but it didn’t end there, he had also sliced off his own ears, the man claimed to have done this so he wouldn’t have to hear the endless scratching and finally, the man had ripped out his own eyeballs, saying that “if the daemon took him, it won’t use his eyes to wreak havoc.” What daemon he spoke of, we do not know, many of my people are spooked because of this and more and more good archaeologists are being sent to the psychology ward, I hereby request that we have two more security teams dispatched down here, it may not be any real help but it will help my people feel a lot safer, also, I know this may well be very difficult to do but can we have a marine team on standby, this will add to my people’s welfare.

I know this may be hard to understand but…I truly think something evil is down there, I suggest we lock that pyramid up and never open it again, something is lurking and it is driving my men mad…the artefact is being transported to the higher levels as we speak because I didn’t have the authority to send it back down into the dig site but…please, send it back, we are dabbling in something we do know enough about to even contemplate, however the decision is yours…I just hope you make the right one.

Yours sincerely,

Jake Haknett, Leader of Dig Team Alpha Three

Dr Stukov Swann was still unsure if his decision was the one that should’ve been made, on the one hand, he was taking massive strides forward in all fields, especially that of archaeology but what If Jake was right…he couldn’t think like that, he was on the verge of a historical break through, they’d learn more and more about this ancient civilisation, he simply couldn’t afford to follow the word of one man…the intercom chimed in, a voice beckoned for Stukov to go to “Delta Labs, level one, room 061,” Stukov smiled, today was the big day, they would get more funding and more staff, things would be easy going from now on.

Dr Stukov arrived at lab, the door slid open with a hiss, the green light atop the door frame gave a friendly flash in a hostile environment of cold steel. The doctor strode into the room and took his place next to the other scientists, one of them leant over and whispered in Stukov’s ear while the presenter talked about the artefact, ”Amazing, isn’t it, a true marvel; we couldn’t be more pleased that you decided to bring it up to Delta!” Stukov smiled outwardly but inside he felt rather unsure, especially now, after his dismissive ways with Jake Haknett, he began to hear something else, he heard a voice and he heard scratching, he surveyed the other scientists in the room and the presenter, who stood near a block of dirty stone inscribed with hieroglyphs, the presenter seemed alright until he stopped talking, the scientists seemed fine until their faces paled as well.

”Did anyone else receive Jake Haknett’s report” Dr Stukov said slowly. A series of nods confirmed that they had.

“Can anyone else hear scratching…or a voice” Stukov asked, fear openly tinging his voice now.

Stukov paled, as did the rest of the men in the room as they stared in horror at the slab of dirty beige stone as the hieroglyphs slowly began to light up with dark, menacing red…

The voice rose; speaking in an ancient dead language, intonation and verse fading into babbling, hissed whispers filling the room as the heiroglyphs burned with primordial fire; before the writing seemed to pour forth. The floors writhed, metal screeching in protest as the writing began to spread; almost virally across it, the hissing and screaming and scratching filling the air, fear became palpable in the cold artificial air, now alive with static, as the symbols continued to move; spreading, the walls and ceiling now covered with the multitude of constantly shifting alien letters.

The rock began to glimmer, glowing madly with pure energy, gouting forth fire and light, the fabric of reality ripping in a blaze of energy, a gateway to something dark and promising beyond....Things swam there; crawling, hissing things; and then the light seemed to grow; coalescing in a mighty wave which burst forth through metal and rock and flesh. And it was done.

In the psychology ward screams rose, many and tortured as the energy met the willing flesh of the supplicants; their self-inflicted symbols glistening with that same dark power; their bodies twisted, something forcing its way inside of them, violating them as it took control. As one by one they rose from their beds and moved towards the doors.

Deep below the earth, the Pyramidal structure seemed to shift in the dead earth; symbols burned there, lighting paths down long forgotten corridors; as something terrible stirred in the black depths; its roar sending shockwaves throughout the superstructure...As black and twisted many eyed things began to scuttle free of ancient prisons; and darker, stronger things roared their birthcries in the inky blackness of the chrysalis.

All over the base, things went wrong, lights went out, pipes hissed and exploded and something else happened as the shockwave of evil went over it...people started changing but only certain people, it was as if some force was deciding that the people had done sins shall be punished whereas those who had done good were given the chance to survive...it was almost as if the sinners were the ones had gotten the better end of the stick.

Dr Stukov Swann screamed as he two of his compatriots...turn, the life went out of their eyes and they began to look about, eyes glazed but still showing a primal hunger and hatred. Dr Swann yelled as one of his colleagues lurched towards him, arms outstretched and mouth wide open as if to sink his teeth in Dr Swann's neck but thankfully, the deranged scientist never finished it's fell swoop because one of Stukov's human companions drove a cube of diamond into the nape of it's neck, the thing collapsed to the ground and stukov looked around to see another one of his unturned allies fending off a bestial scientist, Stukov screamed again and by now, two nearby marines swarmed in through the door, raised their rifles and fired, blood painted the steel wall, the terrified scientist clambered up and fled to the marines.

Of the presenter, nothing was known, he had simply disappeared in the melee that ensued after the slab of stone expressed it's power, one of the four remaining scientists barked for a marine's pistol, the marine complied and gave him the pistol, the scientist then whirled and let loose a round at the block, the bullet ricocheted and flew right back into the scientist's chin, sending dark crimson flying through the air, accompanied by pale brain matter.

The marine retrieved the pistol but otherwise, the room was in silence, screams and bangs echoed through the dark, dank corridors. From somewhere, the group of two marines and three scientists heard a cracking noise...

The presenter was in a ventilation shaft, lying face up, glazed over eyes told that the man was dead as the imp buried it's head into the open rib cage, teeth gnashed and snapped as it ripped out organs, sending spurts of blood into vents, after a few minutes of the bloody feast, the imp left the body, ripped open with half the organs removed as it leapt down the vents in search of new prey.

Gunter cowered at his console as the security teams barricaded the doors, the walls were smeared with blood from when half the control centre turned, out of a staff of twenty, only seven remained, four marines and three scientists. Gunter was busy cowering when a marine strode over to him and handed him a pistol, Gunter was near sobbing when he took the pistol and tried to steady his breathing, he knew he should've stayed on Zakia Prime.

The morgue exploded into an orgy of violence and death as the dead began to rise; hissing and growling; possessed of a sinister and hateful drive to murder the living. All across the base, hell itself has been unleashed, and the dead stalking the hallways, along with the screeching and roaring from the vents, told the survivors that they could neot be safe for long.

Things moved in the shadow; shifting, moving, their hissing cries echoing over the communications that had been left on in the wake of this terrible disaster. The survivors heard moanings in the walls, and the crack and smash of metal being twisted into new shapes; they could not hold out forever...For the forces they had unleashed were resoureful, cunning and methodical.

Daemon voices echoed in the wind; maddening whispers and taunts; torment beyond knowledge as the forces grew in strength, seeping from their ancient prison into reality; feeding on the material realm and the new hungers it brought. They would know every taste of it...they would know flesh.

Within minutes, the security at the morgue was overran, the groans of the dead ceased as the zombies gorged themselves on their kills, the security were quickly ripped apart and devoured before the deceased went in search of new prey in the dank halls of Phobos base.

Gunter was pounding at the console, begging with it to work but it was to no avail, the console simply said, again and again, "Communications dish not aligned, please align communications dish." The monotonous message driving Gunter mad, also, the undead had found the control centre, the doors were being constantly pounded on, the groans of the dead wafted into the control centre, the marines were an inch from the cliff drop of despair, the scientists had already fallen off, one scientist, Alex Newton, was hold up in the corner, hugging his pistol, his eyes darting about, beckoning anyone to try and goad him out of his safe spot, one person had tried and had nearly had his head taken off when Newton narrowly missed with his pistol.

Stukov and his party made their way through the corridors until the encountered one man with his back facing the group, Stukov called out and the man turned around, most of his lower jaw was missing, showing only a constantly moving tongue, one of the scientists vomited at the sight of the mangled face, a marine handed Stukov a pistol.

"Time to prove yourself Stukov, if you can't kill now, you won't live long."

Stukov grimaced as the foul monstrosity made it's way towards him, holding a wrench in a deformed hand, his orange jumpsuit dull and bloody, Stukov loosed a round to it's leg, the beast groaned and was slowed for a second before resuming it's relentless advance, this time, Stukov wasn't going to take any chances, he aimed for the beast's head and sent another bullet flying, it went right past it's head and embedded itself in the steel wall of the narrow corridor, Stukov took aim and shot again, the bullet flew into the zombie's cranium, sending a jet of blood down the corridor, followed closely by chunks of skull and brain matter.

After a few more minutes of fruitless searching, the lucky group found a door, marked with the lettering that spelt out "ARMOURY."

"We hit the motherload" commented one marine as they made their way into the armoury, in the hope of finding some excellent firepower...

The creatures continued their rampage; as yet more horrors were generated from the power of the ancient artefact. Outside, things materialised; swooping and diving in the halflife; within, the walls were torn asunder as things formed, half from raw and bleding flesh, and half from the metal of the station itself; immense roars echoed out, rocking the very fabric of the building.

And still the dead came on; some grasped knives and other makeshift weapons, some held guns; remenants of their former lives, now dark tools to serve the things that possessed them.

Flaming skulls stalked reality, hissing and whispering in archaic tongues, waiting...Always waiting for new flesh to take and possess.

Stukov Swann followed the two marines into the armoury, the scientists followed in timidly; the marines quickly searched the armoury and gave a small cheer.

"Hey Stukov, we got us two plasma rifles back here, some shotguns, a few machine guns and a hell of a lot of pistols, not to mention a few riot shields." A marine yelled.

"Put them in duffel bags and get ready to move to the cafeteria, we'll get food, find a communications centre and then find somewhere to hold up."

"Yes sir and by the way...were you in military? You seem pretty damn good at leading."

"Believe me, marine, running this damn base is a lot harder than any battle you'll have ever fought in." Stukov said with a grin, the rest of the group couldn't help but smile the scientist was a charismatic man but beneath his confident exterior, Stukov felt a steadfast guilt, all those people...because he wanted to make things a little easier.

Within minutes, one of the marines was toting a plasma rifle while the other was wielding a riot shield in one hand a pistol in the other, Stukov was equipped with a plasma rifle, he had practiced with one when the weapon was only in it's beta stages so he had an idea of how it worked, the other two scientists had pistols shoved into pockets and trousers because they were the ones tasked with carrying the duffel bags loaded with weapons and ammo.

The group made their way through the dank corridors, dispatching the occasional zombie and finally found their way into a cafeteria and settled down to eat some food...

Meanwhile, at the communications centre, the door was being smashed against even harder, something large and strong was on the other side of the door - and it wanted to get in. Gunter prayed.

The door buckled, bent, rocked by impact as the thing struggled to shatter it; blood smeared across the door, staining glass red and black with foul ichors; as above the vents echoed with screams, and a stinking fluid dripped down. Slowly; surely, eight legged monstrosities scuttled through the black of the vents; and all around, the air was thick with whispers; twisted snickering voices that told of death and failure.

Winds built in the base; the corridors howled with sinister echoes. Something stirred in the deep black; and the roarings of dark and terrible beasts began once again.

OOC: TAG, to watch another research facility fo FUBAR.