The Deep Underground

Intro to the Deep Underground

For a summary of what the Deep is about, go here.

The first few installments of the Deep are up and have generated some wonderful commentary and feedback already!  Thank you to all who read and to all who comment.

If you’re new to the site, start here.  Otherwise, you can find the latest post here.

Hacker Centeral

Hacker Central, led by WolfmanX (a hacker who knows his way around the framework of the Deep and the City), is where you can go for the latest dirt on just what the Genetics Council is up to.  For now, it looks like they’ve got files on the more notorious members of the Deep.  Head over here to take a peek, but be warned, the Genetics Council is always watching.

Genetics Council Archives

The Genetics Council is making available to their elite members all information they’ve gathered on certain high-interest subjects.  The archive can be found here. (Author Note: For now the information here and in the Hacker Central Category will be the same. The Archive is simply a way to have all the information in one place.)

Universe Hopping: Invasion of the Baby Snatcher

The Deep Underground has teamed up with a host of other webserials in some crazy “universe hopping” story telling.  Details on the Alternate Realites Page under Universe Hopping.

Pyr woke to warmth on his face.  He opened his heavy eyelids just a crack to find an oil lamp above his head.  The feel of gravel on his eyes told him he’d been in prolonged REM sleep–a normal result from overuse of his powers.  The ragged ache in his body and mind reminded him just how much he’d over used them.  With a few careful breaths, Pyr closed his eyes for meditation.  Several minutes passed before he opened them again.  The pain was there, but cordoned off so he could at least think and move.

“Ya wan’ some water, mistah?”  The soft, hesitant voice snapped Pyr’s head up and to the side.

There sat the slight, pink-haired girl from before.  He could see that he was in a small room that, despite its decayed state, was clean and tidy. Unlike the girl, who still had dirt and who-knew-what-else on her face and bare arm.  She sat crouched in the corner. Close to her was a small table with another lantern that glowed brightly.  Beneath Pyr was a small mattress covered in a clean, if faded, blanket.  Upon closer inspection of the lamp above his head, he found it held no oil, yet emitted enough heat and light to keep him warm. Continue reading

Present Day
Year 190 D.R. (Descendant Reign)
Location: The City – The Waldgrave Memorial Building

Soi Soren’s arms ached as she hung from the white wall by her wrists.  The shackles around her wrists were a polymer mix that resisted any attempts she made with air to bend or break them.  She heaved a sigh, her head bowed with fatigue.  According to Jet, they’d been hanging there for two days, but to Soi it’d felt like two months.  They’d been given shots periodically to keep them hydrated, but they were being starved for obvious reasons.

A groan from Jet, pulled her pale eyes to her right where he hung three feet away.  She grimaced when she saw his face.  She could see his third membrane halfway across his eye, unable to move.  His purplish-silver skin was now dark gray and wrinkled.  The shots had not been enough to keep him hydrated.

“Jet…” she murmured softly. Her fingers twitched; she could hardly feel them, but she ached to touch him one more time. Continue reading

Greetings fellow ne’er-do-wells!  I offer you something that I came across in recent forays into the forbidden Genetics Council Mainframe!

Below are documents that have been gleaned from the Genetics Council’s archives.  Looks like they’ve been checking up on the new girl in the Deep.  Watch out Ada, I bet they also know what you ate last night.

Subject: 002459

Actual Name: Adaira Rokiana

Current Name: Ada Kaze

Aliases: Blue Girl, Cat’s Eye, Demo Chick

Age: 22
Height: 5′10″
Weight: Approx. 180lbs
Blood Type: O Negative
Eye Color: Blue
-Notes: Irises are slitted like that of a feline, unknown if they operate as a feline eye would.
Hair Color: Blue
Skin Color: Blue
-Notes: Black tattoos of swirling pools of water, ocean waves and rivers, show on every part of subject’s skin below the neck, sans palms and the bottoms of the subject’s feet. (Speculation: Possibly symbolic in nature.)

Evolution Status: Hybrid Evolutionary Variant
-Notes: Subject’s mother was E.V. and Father is T.E.V.

Evolution Powers: Unknown
-Notes: Subject’s mother can breathe under water.  Subject’s father has the ability to manipulate water within a thirty yard radius.

Current Location: The Deep, Alpha Quadrant
-Notes: Subject lived with her Mother in the City until age 16 when the subject’s heritage became apparent.

Skills: Arms and Munitions Specialist, Martial Arts Expert, Armored Vehicle Operations
-Guns Proficiency: Expert – Hand guns, rifles, shotguns, semi- and automatic machine guns
-Munitions Proficiency: Expert – Flash, smoke and impact grenades, RDX and various chemical explosives.
-Bladed Weapons Proficiency: Weak to Medium – Daggers and throwing stars
-Martial Arts Proficiency: Expert – Black Belt Equivalent in Tai Kwon Do, Jujitsu and Akido
-Armored Vehicle Proficiency: High – Hummers, Light Armored Cars, Small-Weapons Class Tanks

Background:

-No history until age 16.  It was discovered the subject’s mother hid her Hybrid status.  The mother smuggled her out of the City, into the Deep before she could be acquired.  Her whereabouts were unknown for two years.

-At age 18, she emerged as a Freelance Mercenary, doing odd jobs within the Deep and charging less than what they were worth to the locals, thus garnering more clientele and eventually more money.  She also gained the Enforcer’s attention by her high powered explosions and her willingness to break into the City to perform jobs.

-Notes: It is believed in those two years she was gone, she trained under several well known Transies (e.g., Pyr Shiro) in order to gain the skills she possesses.

The oddly familiar smell of coffee and her mothers perfume roused Ada from her slumber.  Her muscles screamed as she slowly sat up in her single bed.  The throbbing of blood in her temples and ears were like a nagging swarm of insects.  A groan was dragged from Ada’s throat as she rolled out of her pristine white sheets.  The floor of the apartment was cold–again.  Shivers ran over her thin body as she fumbled on the floor with her feet until she found her warm slippers.

Slippers in place, Ada shuffled toward her door. She ran her fingers through her tangled, black hair as she waited for the sensors to recognize her presence.  Still distracted by the pain in her head, it took a moment for her to realize the door wasn’t opening.  With a frown she reached out and touched the control pad.  A red light flashed at her.  More awake now, Ada scowled at the panel as she thumped her fist against it.

The door shot open.  On the other side stood her mother with a smile and a steaming cup of coffee.

“Good morning, dear!”  Terrina said as she held out the coffee cup in her hand.

“Mother?” Ada frowned at the woman, her gaze drifted to the coffee. Continue reading

Pyr Shiro was a man of many talents.  Though most saw him as a self-made negotiator; he thought of himself more along the lines of a distraction.  Pyr’s element was fire.  And what better way to distract than with fire; more specifically, explosions.

The charges Pyr had placed on the pillars that supported the old high rise building contained enough explosive power to level several buildings.  Pyr didn’t want to flatten the area, he simply wanted the building to drop in on itself.  That should minimize casualties while ensuring he had the attention of the Enforcers.

The doorway Pyr had chosen to wait in was intact unlike most in the Deep.  Though Pyr was one of the oldest living Transies at the hoary age of forty-five, even he couldn’t remember a time when the Deep looked anything but decayed. Continue reading

Present Day
Year 190 D.R. (Descendant Reign)
Location: The Deep Underground – Transport Tunnels – Genetics Council Building

Ada climbed into the transport. The machine had no roof or sides–the hover technology that kept it off the floor of the tunnel also kept the cargo from falling off. The controls were simple, but automated like everything else the Descendants created.  She ran her fingers over the console and tried ignore the familiar, yet hated color her skin had acquired.

Soi, Jet and Zare appeared a few moments later. The trio settled onto the single bench that ran down in the center of the transport.  Jet nodded at Ada. “Workers ‘r hidden. They won’ be a problem for awhile.”

Zare sat on the end of the bench closest to Ada.  Her gaze strayed to his now hairless face.  The concealment drugs had even changed his bone structure. His features were pinched, but Ada knew it wasn’t from the drugs; they didn’t hurt to her knowledge.  Zare rolled his shoulder with a grimace, unaware of Ada’s scrutiny. With a shake of her head, Ada turned back to the controls.  She didn’t have time for sympathy.  Zare would likely reject it outright anyway, which tugged at Ada’s strings all the more–she reacted the same way to pity. Continue reading

Present Day
Year 190 D.R. (Descendant Reign)
Location: The Deep Underground – Sub-basement 37G – Genetics Council Building

The hallway was illuminated from all directions, even the floor.  Ada’s fists clenched as she eyed the area.  Only the Descendants would bother to keep their basements well lit.  She inhaled a slow breath as she walked past Soi and Jet to take point with Zare.

His yellow gaze flicked to her briefly. “What’s the plan?”

A com appeared in Ada’s hand. The unit flashed as her fingers danced across the surface. “There’s a storage room a kilometer from here.  From there we’ll be able to access the rest of the building.”

“An’ yer sure they won’ know we’re ‘ere?” Jet’s spoke in a low tone. Ada strained to interpret his drawl. Continue reading

Present Day
Year 190 D.R. (Descendant Reign)
Location: The Deep Underground – Gamma Sector

Pyr arrived at Ada’s safe house shortly after his abruptly ended conversation with the woman. The place was a small apartment in the back of a high-rise. Cracks lined the walls and floors. The sink in the kitchen dripped a substance that burned Pyr’s eyes.

The sanguine man had mulled over his conversation with Ada regarding the double agent. The conversation had ended abruptly when Ada had told him she’d be at the safe house then she cut the connection.  That had been an hour ago. So Pyr meditated while he waited.

The sound of Ada’s motorcycle stirred Pyr from his relaxed state.  He rose from the middle of the cracked tile floor.  After several moments Ada shoved her way in then kicked the door shut.  She held a large duffel bag slung over one shoulder.  Pyr held out a hand, but Ada waved him away.  She dropped the bag near a large stainless steel table.  Four empty rucksacks were piled on top of the table as well as four boxes. Continue reading

Present Day
Year 190 D.R. (Descendant Reign)
Location: The Deep Underground – Gamma Sector

The roar of Ada’s motorcycle vibrated her bones. A grin tugged at the corner of her blue lips as she sped down a side street in the Gamma sector.  Rarely did she have the chance to ride her bike. Fuel was a luxury she rarely indulged in unless it was for a mercenary job.

Brakes squeaked as Ada pulled to a stop in front of a large, crumbling building. The crooked, neon sign said The Blue Dragon. Ada sneered at it as she cut the engine on her bike.  With a soft grunt, Ada tugged off her black helmet.  A small kick from her booted foot set the kickstand in place. She swung her muscled leg over the seat as she tucked her helm into a leather saddlebag.

The windows of the building were empty frames that hung ominously above the grimy street.  As Ada approached she felt, more than heard the muffled hum of rock and roll from deep within the building.  Near one corner of the building a prole lay wearing his own vomit like a blanket of inanity. Continue reading

Present Day
Year 190 D.R. (Descendant Reign)
Location: The Deep Underground – Delta Sector

The hooded figure stood in the doorway of Tomo’s bar.  If dive described every place in the Deep, Tomo’s was the dregs.  The building was a converted trio of stores connected by holes knocked into the walls.  The first store was the bar proper where booze and drugs of all types were served for the right price.  The middle section was for the gambling tables and bloodsport ring.  The third room was where Tomo himself set up shop, presiding from a raised leather chair over dancing patrons, thumping music and writhing employees as they entertained and served drinks to the clientele.

Harsh music, strobe lights and smoke permeated every rough surface in the dance room.  The hooded figured moved through the crowd, avoiding contact with a carefully timed gait. A punch from nowhere was easily dodged–the owner of the fist, soon jerked deeper into the crowd before a fight began.

The figure arrived at Tomo’s raised dais, his features covered by his dark gray hood.  Despite the shadows, a sneer could be seen on his lips as he stared at Tomo and the pets that flanked either side of his self-appointed throne. Continue reading