Arkam slowly opened the door and entered a large, cylindrical chamber with a domed roof carved from an earthen underlayer.
The chamber walls supported an iron bridge, and two doors were high on the walls. There was no way to reach the bridge.
He stomped his leg multiple times, furiously and dangerously.
Arkam gathered enough energy through kinetic force.
Ambling, he paused a few steps before reaching under the bridge, stretched his legs, bent slightly, and jumped up, landing on the bridge.
Standing straight, he looked to both sides. The metallic doors were rusted with time.
One of the doors was locked from the outside. White levitated in the air in front of it.
At the top of it, there was air ventilation; White would have detected life from there.
The left was also locked with EMP jammers. Arkam walked toward the right door. His steps echoed in the chamber.
thud-thud,
He looked at the door lock, tried to open it, but failed; raw strength wasn't enough.
He retracted the GEAR that was attached to his legs.
They transformed into arm attachments, black, matted GEAR enveloping his overcoat,
covering his back and going toward his shoulders, transforming, attaching the hinges to his shoulders.
Nano-tech coursed through the shoulders, the other hinge connecting to his elbow.
It covered his forearm and created a gauntlet to cover his fist, the blue tint glowing, a vein surging with energy.
He grabbed the door and released the energy.
The lock was destroyed, and Arkam pushed the door. It creaked as it slowly opened.
After the darkness of the cold chamber and the bunker, a dim light crept onto the face of the Arkam. Beyond it was a small room, with a bed right next to the entry.
A pregnant young girl with scrabbed clothes, a pale and hollowed face with many holes and bruises,
Her skin showed through the holes, sitting on the bed,
She covers herself with her hands. The pale lady saw a dark figure looming at the entrance, she said,
"Ple… Please, not again! I am pra…pregnant, it hurts, please not again, leave us alone," tears gushed out.
The toilet in front of it, at the right inner corner, had a smell of rot and mold.
Right to it has two boys playing with their little sister.
Water dispenser at the left inner corner, and food supplies next to it.
'Kidnapping and Sexual Assault, if the boys and the little girl were born before the kidnapping.
She lived here for 1 to 2 years. But if they were born after it, then 6 to 7 or even 8 years,' the AI calculated.
"Who are you, and why are you here! One of them?" shouted, sitting on the bed.
"One of them", Arkam thought, who are 'them'
The young lady stood up and ran toward the children, grabbing them to protect them.
"Don't come close! Go away", her face wrinkled, tears dripped from her chin.
Arkam calmly and slowly pulled out the black handkerchief, making sure not to make any sudden movements, so as not to frighten them. Folded it and threw it on the ground one step in front of the young lady and children. Indicating to cover her breast.
"I am not here to hurt any of you. I am an officer. And here for a mission," he backwalked near the door.
"If I may, I want to ask some questions, and if you want, I will not come in, is that okay, young lady?"
The girl takes a few seconds, but her eyes narrow, she takes a deep breath, and nods slowly. Tears in her eyes slowed it a bit.
"I'm the vice captain of the Imperial Police 9th Department, and be assured I will not hurt you, as I said,"
His right side lip curled up, forming a smile
"Can I ask your name, lady, or… where you lived?, and can you tell how you got here in this situation?"
"Check the expression of the individuals before me, detect if she lies." He issued the order to the AI in the specs through his thoughts. Arkam used the Nexus drive that was connected to it.
"I… I am Kara Sarbus. I lived in the 'A' empire, Akand County."Her voice was breathless as she tried to catch her breath. She slowly let go of her children, her hand shaking vigorously. She continued,
"I was kidnapped and was going to m… my home,
But they took me and traveled in the sea, I… I don't even know how long it's been." Tears flowed like water,
"They traveled the sea, why? And where ?" his mind whispered.
Arkam was sent to this past ruin for a proper inspection, but he had never imagined finding people living here.
"Now, I have to rescue them! But how can I do that in her condition and with the children involved?"
"What about the fuckers who brought them?"
"Where are they?" "Are they planning something?"
"She mentioned 'traveled sea,' but where to? Where she lived is… close to this county; could it be on another
continent? Which one?"
Many questions lingered in his mind, yet not one had an answer, and more flooded in.
Arkam rubbed his temple, sighed while bowing his head, and adjusted his glasses.
Kara was confused by Arkam's actions and silence.
"Sir," she muttered.
Arkam's head lifted subconsciously. His gaze moved toward Kara as she said,
"Is there something bothering you? You can ask anything. I will try to answer, but please save us, sir." She joined her hands and sat on her knees as if praying, but it was a plea. Her children witnessed their mother's desperation; They also begged, joined their hands, and voiced a bone-chilling plea.
"Please, sir, save us."
Arkam, who sat on the ground, slowly lifted himself. He stood straight, dusted off his clothes, and looked into their eyes.
"Sigh," followed by a few seconds of silence.
"I have many questions, will you answer them all?" Arkam knew that this situation was not in his favor.
Many questions remained unanswered. Many variables obstructed taking them to the surface simultaneously.
He had a plan that would simplify things.
Arkam walked outside through the door, stood in the middle of the bridge, and noticed the locked door on the left, secured by an EMP jammer. He knew that drones couldn't bypass these types of jammers.
"But how are these types of jammers here, in the first place? Is it connected to the GEAR sales in the black market case? If it is how many secrets this bunker held," he thought.
Arkam looked toward White, sent a message through the Nexus drive. You can't go near that door, right? If I open it, will the jammer go off?
The White sent the message, "Yes".
"Send the passcode", he said. As he walked close to the left door. Arkam stopped in front of the keypad.
White sent the passcode to the specs.
Arkam saw tapped to the screen, clear like it was new. He narrowed his eyes as Arkam typed the code.
'C234'.
The door opened as the jammer was shut. Arkam ordered,
"Scan the area, make the map, and send it to me," like before, White went in the dark as he scanned the area.
Arkam goes to the chamber where Kara is. "Now I will ask questions," as he stared into her eyes.
Kara was intimidated by Arkam's tone, but she knew that this man in black would not do anything to hurt them.
"Sir, I will try my best," as she let go of her children and sat on the bed.
"Call me Arkam and don't worry, it's not an interrogation," he said.
Arkam stood at the entry."Okay, tell me the individuals who got you here? Who are they? And why are they here?" in a calm and light voice.
One of the boys picked up Arkam's handkerchief, which he threw, and gave it to Kara. Kara covered her chest with it, "I don't know who they are, but I know they are trying to attack somewhere."
Arkam widened his eyes. He thought, "Attack? Where? When? And why?" His mind lingered with questions, more and more.
"Okay, are they rebels?" He remembered that there was a rebel attack, and there was a possibility that these individuals were also rebels. "I don't know, sir." She nodded left and right slowly.
"Well, there can be a possibility," Arkam thought about what the next question he should ask.
On the left side of the specs, AI showed "77% that these individuals can be rebels."
"Are all these kids yours?" Kara wide opened her eyes, hesitated to answer.
"The girl is mine." Her voice cracked, and clutching to her torn clothes, she said,
"But the boys are like my sons, too!" Kara looked at the boys, and tears rolled down.
Arkam was confused about Karas' reaction. "Where did they come from?" the right eyebrow slightly raised.
"There were others!" Tears vigorously dripped down her cheeks.
"Others? Is she saying there were other captives?" The question lingered in his mind.
"Where are they?" he asked, but Kara nodded right-left, she didn't know. Kara's tears continued, and Arkam walked towards the left door.
"Man, that was awkward, but what can we do?" he thought.
He stood to the right of the door, and Arkam leaned by the wall. Closed his eyes and thought more about this situation.
A message popped up on the specs, indicating that White had stopped at a certain point.
Arkam opened the map on the specs and saw that White was blocked by an EMP jammer.
He narrowed his eyes and ordered White to come back.