The group followed the 'watch compass' to the lab, which looks like a dome-like structure. "So that lab looks like a dome?" Jack asked. "I guess so," Braum replied.
The group were finally happy, as if their journey would end. They soon arrived in front of the dome, only to see that vegetation is actually inside. It was impossible for vegetation to exist, due to the Earth's radiation and the solar flares.
It's as if the vegetation was protected by the dome.
They entered the door, only to activate a still-functioning airlock function. "PLEASE STAND BY UNTIL THE AIRLOCK FINISHES," a computer-generated voice said.
"How the Heck is this still functioning?" Steven asked. No one seemed to answer.
It was the first time after 10 years that they've seen electricity and vegetation.
As they entered, they stepped on the soft, warm grass. Murph opened his mask, and was surprised to know that no radiation's present.
The group opened their masks, and noticed a building on a hill. Kelly approached it, and found that the building is overgrown with vines. She brushed away some vines, to see that the sign reads, GREENHOUSE RESEARCH.
"Huh. So the lab and the dome are separate?" Kelly wondered.
The group set foot in the abandoned lab, only to find that is absurdly small. It looked more like a regular two-story house rather than a lab. "We were fooled! Of course it won't be this easy!" Derek shouted. Desperate to go for another journey, the group decided to stay in the house overnight.
Steven, while sitting against the wall, noticed that the files in the watch had more videos. These videos contained various recordings of his family and himself.
Steven played these videos one by one, and started to tear. He never knew what happened to his family, he doesn't even remember his life 10 years ago.
While Steven was experiencing nostalgia, Jack told everyone that he found a secret lift.
"It was just hidden behind a wall!" Jack said. The lift seemed to go deeper, and was still functioning. The group hesitated to come in, but if the Seeds of Life do exist, it must be hidden somewhere, and that means going down.
After a cramp elevator ride, they found themselves in a lobby-like area, with a hologram of Earth. Around the hologram, are the words,
"Greenhouse Research. We'll Protect the Environment at All Costs!"
"Turns out the lab is just underneath the house," Murph sighed. The globe showed the current year, which is 2104, too. Despite being left abandoned for years, the tech is mostly intact. They continued to explore the great lab, and found an automated train in a station-like area. The train opened its doors, and the group rushed in. The train moved by its own, and soon arrived in another section of the lab.
"This thing is sick!" Braum exclaimed. Later, they found themselves in a Research Facility.
There were three paths to choose from: the left door showed the words Control Room above it, the middle door showed the words SUBJECTS above it, and the right door showed the words CAFE above it, but the door was blocked by debris.
The group chose to take the middle door, and inside were a bunch of cages. All of the cages had different signs on them, such as A045 - Slime on it. One particular cage seemed to be broken, as if something broke out. The cage was filled with magma, and the sign says
D472 - DRAGON on it.
Derek found a computer which had video files in it.
"15th of December 2094, we recently caught some wild Shredders, but these Shredders are unique: They have special abilities. One particular specimen is very intriguing. Subject D472 has the powers similar to that of a dragon. Its cell is to be prioritized at ALL costs, due to its high aggression level. We hope, that by analyzing these Shredders, we can develop something against these vile creatures."
Braum noticed a second file, which read the following:
"23rd of December, 2094. Subject D472 has gained intelligence. It is
able to perform simple tasks, such as opening doors and completing simple puzzles to get its meal. I think that this experiment is going too far. I reported to the Directors, but they rejected my request to shut down the project permanently. If it gains more intelligence, we must, at all costs, eliminate it."
"That's all. This is... interesting." Kelly commented.
However, Steven noticed a third file, and its contents are more disturbing:
"30th of December, 2094. This might be my last document. Subject D472 has... escaped. It broke through its cage, and killed most researchers. Worst of all, it also freed the other Shredders. I told them! I told them, but they won't listen! 'We've got it under control', they say. Even if we all lose our lives here, we must, at ALL costs, cannot let these things escape. And that means shutting down the entire lab. I heard that there are only two other people left. I wonder what happened to them. Well, this is my last---"
The video cut to black, followed by static and distorted screaming and screeches.
"Ok, if those things are still here, we've got to get the HELL out of this place. Get the seed, and just skidaddle." Jack suggested. But their journey couldn't stop without finding the seeds. Then, Braum started to doubt their objective. "Are you even sure that seed exists? What if this is all a wild goose chase?" he said.
However, they were shocked to hear the shrieking of a Shredder nearby.
They immediately ran towards the exit, only to find a group of Shredders. "Crap, it's that thing again!" Jack shouted.
The only way was to go to the Control Room. In it, they blocked the door with a dispenser and some chairs lying around. Though what they found next was worse.
A sleeping Shredder was seen in the ruins of a room behind the Control Room's window.
"Is that D472?" Kelly whispered. Before they can talk more, the Shredders broke through the barricade and started to attack them.
They all scattered, with Steven being caught. For the first time, he had never felt such dread in him. The Shredder started snapping its mouth, with Steven dodging them as he could.
He noticed his gun, and tried to reach it, but the Shredder stabbed his hand with its claw. Holding the pain, Steven finally reached it, and said, "Eat this instead!"
He fired the gun to the mouth of the Shredder, which made it fall to the ground. It then began omitting blood out from its mouth.
The others came in, only to see one of its comrades dead. The Shredders retreated, shrieking in fear. "Did... Did I just... Kill that son of a gun?" Steven stammered.
Murph examined it closely, only to see its lifeless eyes staring at him.
Surprised, Steven came with a surprising conclusion. "Maybe its scales are like an armor. Its skin is beneath it, and if exposed, its skin hasn't developed a counter attack, so the skin is fragile. The mouth is no exception too. No one has ever got to close to the Shredders to test it out until now!".
However, night had fallen already, and though they can kill Shredders, they only did it on one. So they agreed to camp inside the lab for the mean time.
But one threat lurked within the dark,
waiting to strike at the right time...