What is this? - Gatekeeper's Shadow, written in 2005, is the sequel to the Gatekeeper Chronicles. The true sequel (The Lost Memories are an experimental "expansion" of sorts). It takes place immediately after the events of the Chronicles - the fallen Gatekeeper has told his story to the Doom Marine, from his very birth to the dramatic conclusion of The Plutonia Experiment. The Marine is left with the unsettling knowledge that there is one surviving demonic colony in our Universe, which has grown powerful enough to threaten Earth. Worse still, he learns of the existence of ancient and powerful entities that have weaved a tangled web of power struggles and treachery throughout the millennia...
Reading the Gatekeeper Chronicles (and Lost Memories) in advance is not strictly necessary, yet it is highly recommended.
This story is an attempt for a crossover – it features numerous lore elements and references from the Wolfenstein and Quake series. I was curious to see if it is possible to merge the three game worlds into one. Was it successful? See for yourself... Of course, the Doom lore and atmosphere have the leading role :)
Who is Kyle Harlan? - This is the name that I chose for the Doom Marine. I wanted to avoid Flynn "Fly" Taggart because it was already used in the official Doom novels.
The name is inspired by two other fictional characters - Kyle Katarn, the awesome protagonist of the Dark Forces / Jedi Knight series of first-person shooters, and Andrew Harlan, the time technician and protagonist of Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity.
Gatekeeper's Shadow
(the sequel to the Gatekeeper's Chronicles)
by Lyubomir O. Ivanov
"No living being dies, unless it alone wishes to." – the Gatekeeper
Prologue: Aftermath
One more outpost remains... you will never find it. Never!
A lonely man sat brooding on the stone floor. Next to him was an enormous pile of torn flesh and pieces of scorched metal – the now dead body of a great demon. The man just sat, still under the influence of what he had heard from that creature in the last hours before it died. He became the only listener of a grim story that shocked him deeply. He was the only one who ever learned of the true history of Hell and its evil deeds over countless eons. He was the only one to fully realize with what humanity had fought and what the enemy really was.
He was the only one who knew the terrible secrets that now weighed heavily on his thoughts. The Gatekeeper's last words echoed in his mind like a dark curse:
"One more outpost remains, ruled by the last Spider Mastermind. It is here, in your Universe, on a planet far away, hidden and well defended. It grew strong over the years and now has the power to decimate the Earth. You cannot do anything about it – you will never find it. Never!"
Was all his fighting in vain? Did he actually lose? So much conflict, so many victims and overwhelming despair, and still one last outpost of Hell threatened humanity even after the last Gatekeeper was defeated and his dark plans had failed. The demons were still out there, hungry for revenge. And probably quite capable of achieving it. The nightmare was not over. It was only just beginning...
He stood up and looked around in confusion. A choice had to be made...
"Should I tell them about it? Or should I try to find it myself..."