The Beach consisted of a thin layer of sand on the floor's edges with water in the middle. The ceiling was a glass dome with a metal frame. Thanks to the glass, the countless stars and even the Moon was visible outside. Near us was a rickety pier made of old wood. Umbrellas and blankets were visible in the distance, but many people were running away, having heard the news from the Orbital City. Some space shuttles were visible through the glass, which meant that people were fleeing the "wartorn" Hyperspace.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhUByCVTw2
Escapists aside, it was quite a beautiful and serene view, if we were to forget about the Perseids, which we sadly couldn't.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwqVUYBmzV
Vlad and Bruise occupied the pier, having their handcuffs cut open by Leonid. They now fired at us, but we dodged and the light pellets almost hit Rill. Alia lunged forward and tried to retake the electroblade from Arika, but she bravely held onto the weapon and even managed to stun the aggressor. I hid behind an umbrella for a bit, not really sure what to do. Said umbrella was quickly pierced by laser pellets and, to my horror, real bullets. It turned out that Leonid was armed with a pistol. The teal mask covered up the bottom half of his face, giving him a sinister look.
- You have nowhere to run, so give up - he hissed at me.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzl784CI72M
However, I did have a way: the other pier. It was significantly longer than the other one, but that would only give the villains more time to shoot me, as I'd be extremely exposed. Instead, I wanted to hide under the pier, hoping that the wood would shield me at least for a bit. Vlad and Bruise didn't expect my move, as they fired onto the top of the pier. The wooden supports held up the pier despite being damaged by pellets. I was forced to run into the water and my shoes instantly turned damp. I still kept running, as there was no turning back. Eventually, I reached the end of the pier with half of my body underwater.
- Cannonball! - Rill Gomana jumped off the pier, but he underestimated the water, thinking it was much deeper.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsPahr1XjS
He smacked into the silt and yelped. He didn't manage to crush me. Vladislav and Bruise were tracking me, so I resorted to swimming. It felt horrible with full clothing, but time was of the essence, so I ignored the feeling and pushed onward. Rill followed me and leaped out of the water. This was a part of my plan, as I led him directly under the pier. Rill landed on the shorter pier, knocking Vlad and Bruise into the shallow water. I stole their laser blasters amidst the mayhem, which meant that now I had the upper hand. As I emerged onto the surface, I saw Amber facing off against Alia on the shore, with Leonid chasing Sebastian and Claudius. As I looked around, I noticed a small building to my right and chose to hide there. My trick bought me valuable time, as it took the three villains a bit to get up, not to mention the fact that Vlad and Bruise got into an argument with Rill, all three sounding angry.
- You know that this place has artificial waves? - Arika welcomed me in the building. It was some kind of control center, with several computers on the front wall. Arika was sitting in front of them. Through the window, I saw Leonid forcing Sebastian and Claudius underwater.
- It makes sense, because there's no wind to create real ones - I replied.
- I can control their strength - Arika smiled mischeviously. She cranked up the wave generator to the maximum and soon a massive wave soaked everyone outside. Another one soon followed, albeit stronger. Strong enough to knock Leonid's pistol out of his hand. He looked puzzled by this, making Arika laugh. Amber protected herself with an umbrella and soon folded it to attack Alia. Alia was knocked into the water by Amber's force. Now, everyone was wet. As the aquatic onslaught continued, our team reunited in the control center.
- Oh, you turned up the waves? - Sebastian asked and Arika nodded - Now all my clothes are soggy - he sighed.
- Oh, and the note is completely... gone - Claudius added.
- Speaking of the note, it mentioned floor 17, which is the Core. That's where we need to come if we want to foil the Sunset Protocol... - Arika got up.
- Whatever that is... - Amber muttered.
The Perseids were getting their act together, so we decided to start climbing. Fortunately for us, stairs were nearby. The climb was exhilarating and everybody was uncomfortable, because we were completely soaken. I heard heavy footsteps far beneath us, which meant that either Rill or Bruise was coming after us. They were prompty joined by the others and the pressure made us climb faster. The stairs suddenly ended in the farm, which is floor 9. It wasn't like a farm on Earth. Instead of open fieds and fresh air, we were met with large containers and UV lights, as well as a pipe network delivering water to the various containers. Apparently, some of the water from the Beach was filtered and used here, so HISS was efficient with water whilst also providing luxury to the guests. Normally, several robots would be monitoring the plants, but it seems that they all went rogue.
My suspicions were confirmed when a small group of androids blocked the nearest elevator. One of them had a rake for an arm, and it was the first to attack us.
- Please tell me that the blade is still functional - Claudius begged.
- No, it's dead after my time in the water... - Arika sighed.
- So it will be a good ol' fist fight! - Amber leaped forward and attacked the rake android. The other robots tried to help but were no match against the combative girl. With support from the rest, we made it through.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEefjs5EoQ
At this point, the Perseids arrived. Bruise was eqiupped with an umbrella from the Beach, which he threw like a spear. It landed on one of the defeated bots, puncturing a hole into its body. The elevator only went up a floor when Rill tossed the rake robot at the elevator. Because of the sharp tool, it was stuck to the elevator and slowed it down as ballast. Vladislav Kilov tried to climb the empty shaft but failed and landed on Leonid, who was furious. His pistol was still functional and he fired a few shots, knocking off the robot, which landed on Vlad. We accelerated for a bit, but as we reached the gaming floor, smoke bursted out of the elevator and we were forced to abandon it.
We saw several people rushing to the dock, wanting to escape. The laser tag arena was now completely empty, until the Perseids came back. We were in for a rematch, but this time, with real laser blasters.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEX9ZN0alcA
I don't know from where Alia got a real blaster, but she was firing randomly, destroying some of the decorations. I gave Claudius one of the stolen blasters and he was now using it against Alia. I had to dodge Rill again, until Amber clobbered him with Sebastian. It took a while, but they eventually took the giant down, forcing Bruise to intervene. Along the way, he hit a metal pole and scratched his other cheek. I guess that's from where the first scratch came too. Bruise tried to punch both Sebastian and Amber, but they jumped away and Rill ended up being hit. Bruise apologised to him in Russian and even helped him get up. Arika grabbed a few toy laser blasters and threw them at Leonid, as that was the only way to use them well. Leonid took them for real blasters, trying to fire and ended up throwing them away upon noticing their quality.
Suddenly, the commandos arrived, forcing the Perseids to split their forces. The first commando gave Arika a keycard that gave her access to the core. We ran to the nearest elevator as the commandos tried to chase down the Perseids. We had to avoid the panicking crowd along the way and finally relaxed for a bit as we started ascending.
- The note mentioned hatches on floor 17 and opening them. I wonder which hatches they meant - Claudius panted.
- I have no idea - I replied.
As we made it to the 17th floor, we found ourselves in the same hallway. in which the real AI supervisor was kidnapped on camera.
All of a sudden, we heard an automated message.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbB1GbqcPd
- Sunset Protocol initiated. Draining oxygen. Asphyxiation in ten minutes - it was HISS.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.