The Journey To Hell
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Chapter 2: The Journey To Hell
30 October 2006: 2100 Hours
Leon sat at the foot of his bed, resting his head in his paw, staring out the window. The sun was setting over the trees in the distance, casting the sky in a pinkish-orange glow. Far off, he could see clouds forming. Even though he was inside, he could feel the barometric pressure rising. Rain was coming.
He glanced at his digital clock, 9:00. He sat up, walked over to his closet, and slipped a dark gray T-shirt over himself, and threw on a fleece jacket. He switched his sweatpants for a pair of blue jeans, and put on a pair of tan hiking boots. Before he left, Leon walked over to the south wall of his bedroom, where a large crucifix hung over a post, where a golden crucifix necklace hung. Before going on any severely dangerous missions, Leon would wear it.
This time was no different. He removed it from the post, hung it around his neck, and genuflected. He strode out of the apartment room, picking up his car keys as he shut and locked his front door.
30 October 2006: 2115 Hours
Leon parked at the SWAT headquarters, and got out. He pushed open the large swinging door, and approached the security gate. He entered his ID number and scanned his ID card. The gate to the main lobby swung open with a pneumatic hiss. Leon walked in, and went to the Briefing Room.
No one was there, so Leon sat down in one of the chairs, which was a sort of disgusting shade of green. There was a large wipe-board on the far wall, and on it was scribbled a ton of rough maps of the region of Hoenn. They all overlapped each other, resembling a sort of odd mural that covered the majority of the white surface. Leon leaned back and gazed at the ceiling. He could see cracks where water came through the roof. Why he focused on the ceiling was probably due to boredom, but it was quickly broken when he heard the door open, and a female Umbreon walked in.
"This is where we're supposed to meet, correct?" she asked.
Leon stood up. "Yes, that's right." He watched closely as she took the chair next to his. She wore green fatigues, and had a gold nameplate above her breast. Leon didn't examine too closely. She's a soldier, and they've got so many ways to damage their honor.
"My name's Kassandra Nachtstern," she said, extending her hand.
Leon shook it. "Leon Bryant. Now how'd a lady like you become involved in the military?"
Kassandra leaned back in her chair. "It started when the riots broke out all over Hoenn because some military operation went awry and destroyed almost half of a city. I was part of a cover-up operation that was working to keep the media out of this, you know how they are. Well, somehow, word leaked out, and I was the prime suspect for the leak, since I wasn't at the base when all of this got out. I was taken before the general, and got my ass reamed. I kept protesting, but he wouldn't listen. So I got demoted from Brigade Commander to Demo Rifleman." She sighed. "Sometimes I really despise the military."
Leon chuckled. "I've wanted to go into law enforcement since my freshman year in High School, and it was my senior year that I decided that being a regular police officer wouldn't be as much fun as being a SWAT officer. So I went through college, and went to the Police Academy. I haven't seen much action since I joined, other than a couple shootouts that ended too quickly. One guy surrendered as soon as we fired a shot. I was thinking of transferring to Johto when the Chief told me I'd been promoted, and that was only about a month ago. This is my first big assignment."
The door opened, and Hunt and Jensen walked in, followed by the Sheriff. He rolled an overhead projector in front of the large wipe-board and turned it on, showing a huge map of The Dungeon's 200 acre lot.
"Alright," he began, taking a pointer from above the board, "as you know, we got a 911 call reporting a murder. We went in to investigate, and according to you three," he pointed at Leon, Hunt, and Jensen, "Cooper was killed by a skeleton that plunged through a glass display case." It wasn't hard to detect the skepticism in the Sheriff's voice. "Though whatever happened, there were a total of 5 people killed, so we're going to destroy the entire lot."
Leon raised his hand. "Sir, why don't we just have a construction team take care of it?"
"We can't risk the publicity," the Sheriff said, "and besides, they're defenseless. If we send them in, there's a possibility that one of them will get killed, and the shit's gonna hit the fan." He went back to the map. "Now, underneath the center of the entire lot is the mainframe that controls all of the attractions of the park. That's where you need to escort the soldier-" He was cut off as Kassandra cleared her throat.
"I have a name." She stood up. "My name's Kassandra Nachtstern, not 'the soldier', 'lady', or any other generic female nickname. I may have been demoted, but I've still got my dignity."
The Sheriff continued when Kassandra sat back down. "That's where you'll escort Rifleman Nachtstern to, and have her plant the explosives. You'll all be armed with M16 rifles. Since we can't make a direct path due to the setup of the lot, you'll have to get through all of the buildings. When you get through the final building, a chopper will airdrop the explosives down to you. This shouldn't be a huge problem, after all, it is only a tourist trap. Now, head into the other room to get your armaments." He shut off the projector, and led the team through a door on the right.
There they were each given a black long-sleeved Under-Armor shirt and a black flak vest. They were given a black helmet with a visor and a headset inside, black cargo pants, and black military boots. After suiting up, the team went to the next room.
The Equipment Room was large, with rifles and various other weapons. There were four M16 rifles lined up, each one accompanied by a belt holding several clips of M16 ammo, 2 flash grenades, 3 hand grenades, and 2 incendiary grenades, and an oxygen mask, ("You never know what you'll run into," the Sheriff had said)..
Each of the officers picked up the rifles and clipped the belt over their shoulders in an "X" shape. It fastened in the center, with each clip suspended in a row. Leon clipped the grenades to the belt of his pants, and picked up his rifle. The weight felt good in his hands.
The Sheriff escorted the team to the SWAT van, and each of them took a seat and buckled in. One of the staff got in the driver's seat and started the engine.
"So what's the first plan of action?" Hunt asked Leon once the van had left the parking lot.
"First thing we need to do is find our route. From the main entrance building, we can either go left or right. The left leads to the Haunted Garden, and the right leads to the Cemetery. Personally I don't see why the Chief armed us, but after what happened to Cooper, I think this assignment might concern a little more than some animatronics. Though it's probably unlikely, this place might actually be haunted."
Leon didn't quite get the response he was looking for.
"Good one, Captain," Kassandra said, wiping tears from her eyes. "You can't tell me that a 6 year veteran of the SWAT team believes all of that magickal shit." She wasn't aware that she was the only one laughing. The other two officers just stared at her, a dull sort of glaze over their eyes.
"He's not kidding, Kassandra," Jensen said, "Bryant, Hunt and I all saw it. What Bryant suggests is possible."
"But you can't actually be serious," she said. Being of the Dark type, she'd know if something evil were afoot. But then again, Bryant WAS an Absol, he'd know too.
"As farfetched as it sounds, I actually do believe it. When I was taking my squad through the entrance building, I felt something evil. I don't know what it was, but it was there. The best thing to do is to stay alert and always keep your rifle loaded. Whatever we're facing will try to pick us off one by one. If that's true, we leave no one behind," Leon said.
The van came to a halt. Leon opened the side door and the team got out.
"Good luck Bryant," the driver called before pulling out. Leon and the others loaded their rifles, and pushed the door to the entrance building open.
Already Leon could feel the sinister power around him. Unconsciously, he pulled out the crucifix from under his shirt. Clasping it in his hand, he prayed and genuflected. He lowered the cross back into his shirt and went into the long dining room. The glass where the skeleton was held was still shattered, though the skeleton had disappeared, as well as the sour smell of whatever acid had dissolved Cooper.
Turning the knob of the door to the left, the door didn't budge. Leon set the rifle on the floor and delivered a solid kick just below the knob, but to no avail. Leon swore, and picked up his rifle.
"Captain, check out the inscription above the door," Hunt said, pointing above the door. It read "The plants are deadlier than the ghosts."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Leon asked, frustrated.
"Maybe it has something to do with the cemetery," Kassandra suggested, "it's the door across the hall. Maybe the key is somewhere in there." Before Leon could say anything, she had already started heading towards the other door. She turned the knob, and the door swung open with a loud squeak.
Overhead, thunder rumbled, and a single raindrop fell from the night air. A bolt of lightning shot across the sky, and another deafening clap of thunder rolled above them. Rain started falling quicker, and the thunder reached a crescendo as the storm grew more furious. The outside lights had gone out, casting them in darkness. From the fake tombstones, Leon could see brown figures raising themselves from the dirt.
Whatever ruled over this place knew Leon and his team were here, and they weren't welcome.
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Chapter 2: The Journey To Hell
30 October 2006: 2100 Hours
Leon sat at the foot of his bed, resting his head in his paw, staring out the window. The sun was setting over the trees in the distance, casting the sky in a pinkish-orange glow. Far off, he could see clouds forming. Even though he was inside, he could feel the barometric pressure rising. Rain was coming.
He glanced at his digital clock, 9:00. He sat up, walked over to his closet, and slipped a dark gray T-shirt over himself, and threw on a fleece jacket. He switched his sweatpants for a pair of blue jeans, and put on a pair of tan hiking boots. Before he left, Leon walked over to the south wall of his bedroom, where a large crucifix hung over a post, where a golden crucifix necklace hung. Before going on any severely dangerous missions, Leon would wear it.
This time was no different. He removed it from the post, hung it around his neck, and genuflected. He strode out of the apartment room, picking up his car keys as he shut and locked his front door.
30 October 2006: 2115 Hours
Leon parked at the SWAT headquarters, and got out. He pushed open the large swinging door, and approached the security gate. He entered his ID number and scanned his ID card. The gate to the main lobby swung open with a pneumatic hiss. Leon walked in, and went to the Briefing Room.
No one was there, so Leon sat down in one of the chairs, which was a sort of disgusting shade of green. There was a large wipe-board on the far wall, and on it was scribbled a ton of rough maps of the region of Hoenn. They all overlapped each other, resembling a sort of odd mural that covered the majority of the white surface. Leon leaned back and gazed at the ceiling. He could see cracks where water came through the roof. Why he focused on the ceiling was probably due to boredom, but it was quickly broken when he heard the door open, and a female Umbreon walked in.
"This is where we're supposed to meet, correct?" she asked.
Leon stood up. "Yes, that's right." He watched closely as she took the chair next to his. She wore green fatigues, and had a gold nameplate above her breast. Leon didn't examine too closely. She's a soldier, and they've got so many ways to damage their honor.
"My name's Kassandra Nachtstern," she said, extending her hand.
Leon shook it. "Leon Bryant. Now how'd a lady like you become involved in the military?"
Kassandra leaned back in her chair. "It started when the riots broke out all over Hoenn because some military operation went awry and destroyed almost half of a city. I was part of a cover-up operation that was working to keep the media out of this, you know how they are. Well, somehow, word leaked out, and I was the prime suspect for the leak, since I wasn't at the base when all of this got out. I was taken before the general, and got my ass reamed. I kept protesting, but he wouldn't listen. So I got demoted from Brigade Commander to Demo Rifleman." She sighed. "Sometimes I really despise the military."
Leon chuckled. "I've wanted to go into law enforcement since my freshman year in High School, and it was my senior year that I decided that being a regular police officer wouldn't be as much fun as being a SWAT officer. So I went through college, and went to the Police Academy. I haven't seen much action since I joined, other than a couple shootouts that ended too quickly. One guy surrendered as soon as we fired a shot. I was thinking of transferring to Johto when the Chief told me I'd been promoted, and that was only about a month ago. This is my first big assignment."
The door opened, and Hunt and Jensen walked in, followed by the Sheriff. He rolled an overhead projector in front of the large wipe-board and turned it on, showing a huge map of The Dungeon's 200 acre lot.
"Alright," he began, taking a pointer from above the board, "as you know, we got a 911 call reporting a murder. We went in to investigate, and according to you three," he pointed at Leon, Hunt, and Jensen, "Cooper was killed by a skeleton that plunged through a glass display case." It wasn't hard to detect the skepticism in the Sheriff's voice. "Though whatever happened, there were a total of 5 people killed, so we're going to destroy the entire lot."
Leon raised his hand. "Sir, why don't we just have a construction team take care of it?"
"We can't risk the publicity," the Sheriff said, "and besides, they're defenseless. If we send them in, there's a possibility that one of them will get killed, and the shit's gonna hit the fan." He went back to the map. "Now, underneath the center of the entire lot is the mainframe that controls all of the attractions of the park. That's where you need to escort the soldier-" He was cut off as Kassandra cleared her throat.
"I have a name." She stood up. "My name's Kassandra Nachtstern, not 'the soldier', 'lady', or any other generic female nickname. I may have been demoted, but I've still got my dignity."
The Sheriff continued when Kassandra sat back down. "That's where you'll escort Rifleman Nachtstern to, and have her plant the explosives. You'll all be armed with M16 rifles. Since we can't make a direct path due to the setup of the lot, you'll have to get through all of the buildings. When you get through the final building, a chopper will airdrop the explosives down to you. This shouldn't be a huge problem, after all, it is only a tourist trap. Now, head into the other room to get your armaments." He shut off the projector, and led the team through a door on the right.
There they were each given a black long-sleeved Under-Armor shirt and a black flak vest. They were given a black helmet with a visor and a headset inside, black cargo pants, and black military boots. After suiting up, the team went to the next room.
The Equipment Room was large, with rifles and various other weapons. There were four M16 rifles lined up, each one accompanied by a belt holding several clips of M16 ammo, 2 flash grenades, 3 hand grenades, and 2 incendiary grenades, and an oxygen mask, ("You never know what you'll run into," the Sheriff had said)..
Each of the officers picked up the rifles and clipped the belt over their shoulders in an "X" shape. It fastened in the center, with each clip suspended in a row. Leon clipped the grenades to the belt of his pants, and picked up his rifle. The weight felt good in his hands.
The Sheriff escorted the team to the SWAT van, and each of them took a seat and buckled in. One of the staff got in the driver's seat and started the engine.
"So what's the first plan of action?" Hunt asked Leon once the van had left the parking lot.
"First thing we need to do is find our route. From the main entrance building, we can either go left or right. The left leads to the Haunted Garden, and the right leads to the Cemetery. Personally I don't see why the Chief armed us, but after what happened to Cooper, I think this assignment might concern a little more than some animatronics. Though it's probably unlikely, this place might actually be haunted."
Leon didn't quite get the response he was looking for.
"Good one, Captain," Kassandra said, wiping tears from her eyes. "You can't tell me that a 6 year veteran of the SWAT team believes all of that magickal shit." She wasn't aware that she was the only one laughing. The other two officers just stared at her, a dull sort of glaze over their eyes.
"He's not kidding, Kassandra," Jensen said, "Bryant, Hunt and I all saw it. What Bryant suggests is possible."
"But you can't actually be serious," she said. Being of the Dark type, she'd know if something evil were afoot. But then again, Bryant WAS an Absol, he'd know too.
"As farfetched as it sounds, I actually do believe it. When I was taking my squad through the entrance building, I felt something evil. I don't know what it was, but it was there. The best thing to do is to stay alert and always keep your rifle loaded. Whatever we're facing will try to pick us off one by one. If that's true, we leave no one behind," Leon said.
The van came to a halt. Leon opened the side door and the team got out.
"Good luck Bryant," the driver called before pulling out. Leon and the others loaded their rifles, and pushed the door to the entrance building open.
Already Leon could feel the sinister power around him. Unconsciously, he pulled out the crucifix from under his shirt. Clasping it in his hand, he prayed and genuflected. He lowered the cross back into his shirt and went into the long dining room. The glass where the skeleton was held was still shattered, though the skeleton had disappeared, as well as the sour smell of whatever acid had dissolved Cooper.
Turning the knob of the door to the left, the door didn't budge. Leon set the rifle on the floor and delivered a solid kick just below the knob, but to no avail. Leon swore, and picked up his rifle.
"Captain, check out the inscription above the door," Hunt said, pointing above the door. It read "The plants are deadlier than the ghosts."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Leon asked, frustrated.
"Maybe it has something to do with the cemetery," Kassandra suggested, "it's the door across the hall. Maybe the key is somewhere in there." Before Leon could say anything, she had already started heading towards the other door. She turned the knob, and the door swung open with a loud squeak.
Overhead, thunder rumbled, and a single raindrop fell from the night air. A bolt of lightning shot across the sky, and another deafening clap of thunder rolled above them. Rain started falling quicker, and the thunder reached a crescendo as the storm grew more furious. The outside lights had gone out, casting them in darkness. From the fake tombstones, Leon could see brown figures raising themselves from the dirt.
Whatever ruled over this place knew Leon and his team were here, and they weren't welcome.