ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

BUILD STRENGTH - ELIMINATE WEAKNESS - UNLEASH POTENTIAL

Gaming Zone – Black Metro – The Successor Ch.3

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

This penultimate blog post series unveils the final chapter that I will be publicly releasing. It presents the first obstacle for our protagonist to navigate through.  Enjoy! 

Chapter 3

Danielle rushed back frantically toward the Shadowforge Factory, hoping that no one was harmed. The front gate was unoccupied, so Danielle slipped into the complex without complication. She closed in on the area where the fire originated and evaluated the situation; the fire was not massive, but it was spreading fast into the area in front of the warehouse. Her eyes began to tear up. Smoke filled her nostrils and the burning sensation caused her to cough repeatedly as she wiped her eyes and covered her mouth. She noticed a fire extinguisher near the warehouse entrance. She struggled to lift it, but she aimed the device at the fire and cleared a path to the doors.

As Danielle approached, she heard a faint cry from within. She needed to hurry. The fire raged inside, and the enclosed space made it difficult to breathe. Danielle looked around to see if she could find some protective equipment, but instead she noticed a switchboard on the inner wall of the entrance point. Her eyes scanned the series of buttons. She pressed one which opened the warehouse roof and she watched as it split into partitions which receded completely. The resulting updraft lifted the suffocating smoke.

With visibility improved, she quickly located the safety equipment. Hastily, she covered her face with safety goggles and a mask, and donned a pair of durable gloves. Danielle resumed spraying the fire extinguisher and moved toward the source of the cry. It was not long before she spotted, through the dusty visor of her goggles, the person to be saved. Some debris pinned him down and he was surrounded by flames, which were closing in by the second.

Danielle managed to eliminate the surrounding flames with the extinguisher. She discarded it and crouched over the wounded man.

“Everything’s going to be okay!” Danielle said reassuringly, while working to remove the debris. “Hang on and I will free you in just a sec!”

The man gave a slight nod. Working together, the pair managed to shift the debris to one side and, after he examined his body slowly, the man was able to stand. He wore thick gloves, a mask and visor, and his uniform, although ragged, outlined a solid, muscular frame.

“Thanks, I thought I was done for!”

“We’re not through the fire and flames just yet.”

“Speaking of which …” He hesitated before continuing, “You’re going to think I’m insane, but there is something I must retrieve before I leave. It’s just a little further in.”

“You must be joking! You almost died a few minutes ago!”

“We don’t have the luxury of time to be arguing. You with me or not?”

“I cannot believe I’m agreeing to this …” Danielle muttered, more to herself than the recently rescued.

Danielle followed as the man grabbed the extinguisher and moved deeper into the warehouse. The fire engulfed most of the factory. The flames were blinding and the smoke choked the pair, like invisible hands squeezing slowly around their throats. Even with the protective equipment and the ventilation from the opened roof, it was difficult to get a decent lungful of air.

The man was determined, however, and continued to spray open a path relentlessly until the pair reached a work station.

“There it is,” remarked the worker as he made his way to a worktop surface and grabbed a metallic case with his free, gloved hand before turning to Danielle.

“Take the extinguisher and let’s get out of here, before we’re cooked alive!” he said.

“This had better be worth it!” Danielle chided, as she took the extinguisher from him and slowly made her way to the entrance with the man following close behind.

A nearby fiery explosion caused the pair to collapse to their knees. The fire extinguisher slipped from Danielle’s hands and tumbled into nearby flames.

“Oh no!”

“Back on your feet, hurry!” the man urged. “Forget the extinguisher and run for your life!”

She did not need telling twice. The pair bolted as fast as they could toward the exit. More explosions caused them to stumble a few more times, but the exit was in clear view. They were mere moments from escaping, but the force from another explosion lifted Danielle and flung her against the perimeter wall. Her body slammed hard against the metal surface and she collapsed onto the floor. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the man crouched over her. She thought he shouted something, in desperation, but before she could process the thought she embraced sweet oblivion.

Conclusion

Stay tuned for next month when I detail how my UK Games Expo debut went!

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.