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Forward

There will be spoilers thought the story... Enjoy.

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Falling back right into the system of,

Falling back on all that's erased,

When fighting back right out of this system,

Means falling back right into this space.

Yes, falling back right in with the system,

Who'll see you falling back to the end,

When falling back is better than simply,

Means falling back into pieces again...

-Alexander: Brute Justice

...

HORIZON

Protocol Zer0

Written by Nashmeira Soladat Wrekk

No beta reader sorry

...

Over the last few weeks my world had changed so much. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that something as simple as finding out about my origins would it lead to so much. After the battle of Meridian Plato we had celebrated and to everyone there it was over. The Shadow Carja were scattered there leader dead, along with the mad AI Hades. The world, such as it was was saved.

But it wasn't over for me.

Two days later Varl and the other braves began there journey back the Sacred Lands and I saw them off wishing them well. It had surprised them to learn that I would not be returning with them. Not directly anyway.

I still had one last thing to do. The goal that started all of this.

I still had to find my answers, I still had to find Dr. Elisabet Sobeck.

╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑

"What do you want Ted?" Cried the irritated voice of young brunette. She swiveled her chair so that she was now looking eye to eye with the aforementioned Ted. The words coming out with a venom that made the taller man take a deep breath. The old line 'If looks could kill.' Ran through his mind.

"I was hoping to talk, I have a lot of regrets and for what it's worth I wanted to try and clear the air before..." He trailed off. Looking down like a child whose mother had just chastised him.

"I have regrets also Ted you want to know what regret is chief among them." She waited just long enough for him to look but before continuing. "I regret that day in the boardroom when I was sixteen. Remember? When I threw a glass of water in your face!" He slightly chuckled at that.

"Then I forgi.." Ted was cut off before he could finish.

"I regret that it was water and not Hydrofluoric acid!" She spat as she pushing the bridge of her oval rim glasses up. She then fixed him with a death glare.

"Nadia I can't change the past, and now I'm doing what I can. I wanted to talk to you about something important. As colleges, maybe not friends but it is important."

"Zero Dawn is important, and Elisabet is a college you're just a guy that writes checks and takes the credit for everyone else's work. Now what do you want, because you are keeping me from my work." Nadia stood up from the chair and turned from Ted. She had enough of this began to leave, she didn't see any more value in the conversation. It was all she could do not to punch the man.

"Do you remember DeepDive?" Like running into a wall she stopped. She could hear him coming closer but she didn't allow herself to turn around and when he spoke again he was right behind her. "I never put all my eggs in one basket. As the saying goes." Nadia now infuriated turned on him and just as there eye met she felt a stinging in her neck. "I believe in Elisabet but I'm not as smart as her or you, or that dream team you all have. But I always have a backup plan."

Nadia stepped back grabbing at her neck as her sight grew fussy, her hearing muffled. She tried to speak but her words slurred. Her strength in her legs suddenly felt very heavy, she was on her knees, the scream for help died on her lips.

"No, I'm not as smart as you. But, as you said I can just write checks to people that are smart." The fuzzy image of Ted Faro was right in front of her, she wanted to claw his eyes out but she couldn't fight her way out of a wet paper bag. "This was what I was sorry about Nadia. I'm sorry it's come to this, but better to be safe than sorry."

Nadia blinked slowly but it was no use the light faded, the sounds died out and the world went dark.

( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )

The snow was falling again. I had gone farther west than any Nora had ever traveled. It had taken me weeks to get there with terrain and the weather as it was. While I was not a fan of the Banuk garb however I was happy for its warmth it now provided. Winter hear was coming in fast and as much as I liked the protection that the armor left by the Old Ones it did nothing to protect from the elements.

Now I was returning to where it all began, full circle, at the end of this long journey I had found her, Dr. Elisabet Sobeck, the woman who saved the world and my mother.

As I stood there over her final resting place it brought so many emotions she had saved the world she had sacrificed everything and at the same time it was hard to wrap my head around it. She was my mother, but she was also me. I didn't really know what to think about that, had she, now as me saved the world a second time?

That thought hung heavy over me all the way to her home. A place once called Carson City Nevada. It had taken me weeks to find it but finally I did and her. By that time I had decided that I didn't care, I wasn't Elisabet Sobeck. But maybe I could be Aloy, daughter of Elisabet Sobeck.

I stayed there for a few days talking with her, telling her about my life growing up, about Rost. About the world she saved, about what happened and how it was almost destroyed again. Then about how her daughter and her friends had saved it just like she and her friends did so long ago.

In the end I couldn't stay there forever and she would not have wanted me to. There was to much left to do, to see and to learn. So at the end of my tales I thanked her for what she did as I held her locket. It was a locket that looked like I world and I would cherish it forever.

I laid her to rest there on that spot that she had set for close to a thousand years. I wish I could do more, somethings should be preserved from the old world. Especially someone that sacrificed everything they had for their world. Then the next day I left to return back to the Nora, whether or not I would stay once I let Tersa know I found her I didn't know.

I had no intentions of destroying them with the truth. But I didn't expect them to worship me like some god. The truth was a heavy burden that I carried knowing now what happened to make the world I knew what it is was mind boggling.

Currently my plan was to make it back to Meridian then after resting up a day or two return to the sacred lands. I had promised Avad I would return to regale him with my tales of adventure. Right now however I was wondering if I was going to freeze to death.

The trek to Carson City had taken me over the great mountains and at the time it was not snowing. Now however the snow was coming down heavier now so my options were quickly getting smaller. I could ether find a place to bunk down for a while or try and make it through the mountains before winter was in full swing. I guess I could add die of hypothermia to that list too.

Excitement is never far from Aloy, daughter of Elisabet!

I looked out over the valley below and there seemed to be some ruins scattered about it.

"Come on boy well find some shelter and you can rest up." One habit I had started when being out here in my solitude was walking with the Strider that I had taken control of. I knew it wasn't going to answer me but it helped being out here by myself for the last few weeks.

As we reached the valley floor I scanned the area with my Focus, it seemed that farther I got form the Cauldrons the number of machines were lessened, I'm not complaining though. But that also meant if anything happened to my Strider then I would have to travel on foot.

There didn't seem to be any machines around the area but the closer we got to the ruins I begin to pick up a signal, there was a high energy output coming from around here, one almost as strong as a Cauldron. It seemed to be coming from the middle of the ruins and as I looked it seemed to be underground, no big surprise there.

So when I finally made it to ruins where the signal was coming from I scanned the area again. This was the place, there were a few watchers in the distance but nothing to worry about. I dropped off my Strider and grabbed my pack. The place was in pretty good condition, easy to defend if it came to that.

The doors of the structure had long been destroyed so I walked into the large open area. I was immediately welcomed by a cheery voice of a female and a virtual rendering of the name of the place.

"Welcome to Pearl Labs. For over 75 years Pearl Labs has been a leader in biotech and pharmaceuticals and with the acquisition of Pearl Labs to F.A.S. it promises to be another great 75 more."

"Sorry lady but it wasn't that great for anyone." I shook my head.

ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ

After getting my baring's on the ground floor and dropping off my pack in a good hiding spot I started exploring the ruins.

From some of the documents that I had picked up on my Focus the place was made for a collection of Doctors but not those like Elisabet but healers. When I reached the second floor of the build thanks to an empty shaft I was in luck, there was still power so there were a few lights still working. Say what you want about the old ones but they built things to last. As I leisurely ruffled thought the open rooms I didn't feel a need to try and break into any that were sealed. Yes I want to know more about the place but the signal was the most promising option for that. With any luck it would be a data storage device like the one I found at the FAS ruins.

There was a sealed door at the end of the corridor and only one room left on this floor that was sealed looking I had a stroke of luck sitting on a desk was a data pad. Queuing up my Focus I downloaded the data and a few moments later there was a piece of virtual parchment in front of me.

-BEGIN LINE-

[25-12-2065]

Dr. Gregory Blanch

Merry Christmas! For whatever that means any more. Dr. Banarie and I had a drink together this morning to celebrate the holiday, he doesn't do the Christmas thing but he was not opposed to having one last drink with a college. He left a few hours ago, to head home… I'll probably never see him again.

The patient is still under and DeepDream is proofing well. We'll be packing up and shipping out in the morning and lockdown will take care of the rest. No one can get into the lab after the lockdown unless they have high level clearance and it could only be opened without it from the inside. Not like there will be anyone to try and break in. They can say what they want but the truth is it's the end. I'm not dumb there is no stopping the swarm at this point. Whatever the hell Zero Dawn is it's not going to save a damn soul.

[26-12-2065]

Well this is it. I'm heading out to Site-42, Faro has found another use for me so there is more to do before the end. Everything is packed and shipping out now.

Good luck old girl. God speed.

-END OF LINE-

"What did they do here?" I looked around the room once again for more answers but there were none. "More questions, always more questions." I stepped back out of the room and appraised the sealed door. It was a blast door but unlike the other it didn't require just a simple virtual spin lock, it actually scanned me like a vault door would.

[HOLD FOR IDENTA-SCAN]

I sighed as like so many time before I was scanned and like so many times before there was the image of my mother and it compared us before announcing I was allowed entrance.

[Welcome Dr. Sobeck. This is your first time at this facility, please continue to the lift and proceed to floor B5 so that we can process you through security.]

"Really the door wasn't enough?"

The surprise this time was that what I expected to be a shaft was not there was a tiny room in front of me lit with lights and there was… music playing. When I entered the room, I looked around and as I looked back from where I had come I noticed there were buttons on the wall. B1, B2…

When I finally pressed the button I was surprised to feel the floor move, no, the whole room moved it was an elevator in a why like the those in Meridian but this one moved to more than just the platue and the village it could stop on any of the floors that. After a moment, there was a chime and the monotone voice again spoke up.

[FIFTH FLOOR – SURGERY THEATRE, LEVEL ONE STORAGE, DEEPDREAM]

There was a hiss of air as the door opened and I exited the elevator, it looked like a waiting room in a similar style to the one at Zero Dawn. There was a terminal here and I scanned it to see if there was anything I could find out.

[ACTION LOG]

[25-12-2065]

#37593-A12 = TRANSFER = NO | Euthanize

#37532-B77 = TRANSFER = NO | Euthanize

#97596-C34 = TRANSFER = NO | Euthanize

#37590-D94 = TRANSFER = NO | Euthanize

#47572-E67 = TRANSFER = NO | Euthanize

#67531-F65 = TRANSFER = NO | Euthanize

#72323-G43 = TRANSFER = YES | DEEPDREAM

#37537-H27 = TRANSFER = NO | Euthanize

#27530-I95 = TRANSFER = NO | Euthanize

Had anyone been there to see me I'm sure my face had a grim look. Eight people had died here. I looked to the right and at the end was yet another large sealed door. But straight ahead was a long corridor with rooms on each side each labeled with a letter A, B, C and so on. The door to the rooms were shut but there was an observation window so I was able to see inside and inside each one was a bed and in it was a black bag with a somewhat human outline. They had killed all these people and just left the body's here.

On and on till the end and the only exception to the rule of death was room G. It was empty. I had no interest in disturbing the dead any more then I had to so I made my way back to reception and headed for the sealed door. After yet another ID scan the door opened and inside was unlike anything I had ever seen. There was a bed that seemed to have some kind of cover that would go over the whole thing it didn't seem like it would be comfortable. The bed was bad of metal and there were wires and other things running all around it to a towering group of wire in the middle of the room.

Other devices and large data units hummed in the room as I looked around and my eyes rolled.

"Oh look. Another vault door."

After approaching this door, I was again scanned and allowed entrance. The lights flickered and the room eliminated. I walked in and apprised the large glass window in front of me and the terminal in front of it. To the right there was another table that was agendas the wall and seemed to have a small door at the head of it. I interfaced with the terminal with my Focus and for the first time in a while a menu appeared in my view.

[Access Granted]…

[ACTIVE PROJECTS]

#45498 = EXPIRED

#56274 = EXPIRED

#67721 = EXPIRED

#69751 = EXPIRED

#70231 = EXPIRED

#73232 = ACTIVE

[…PLEASE SELECT PROJECT]

"Not really sure which project I want but let go with the active one." I was beginning to think that I might have an unhealthy habit talking to myself but there was no one else was around.

[PROJECT #73232 | STATUS = ACTIVE | STATUS CHANGE = PENDING EVENT: PROTOCOL ZERO]

[DO YOU WISH TO OVERRIDE?]

"This could be bad." My logical mind told me, but the curios Sawtooth in me said go for it. "I don't know what this is, for all I know it could be the next Hades... but… YES Override." Then another alert popped up into my view.

[OVERRIDE NOT ALLOWED! STATUS CHANGE ONLY UNDER EVENT CONDITIONS.]

"What? Then why ask me at all!

[DO YOU WISH TO EXECUTE PROTOCOL ZERO?]

"Yes, override execute protocol zero you stupid thing."

[OVERRIDE: ACTIVATE PROTOCOL ZERO?]

"Yes, whatever activate."

[PROTOCOL ZERO IN EFFECT! THIS ACTION CANNOT BE ABORTED!]

[BEGINNING REGULATION AND ACTIVATION OF PRIORITYS…PLEASE WAIT.]

[ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETION = +/- FOURTEEN HOURS… ]

"Well good thing I was planning on staying the night." As I looked incredulously at the window and the circular hatches further in the room I was surprised to see a machine of some kind begin to move. Whirring noises flooded the room as yellow lights began to blink and displays light up all around the room. One showing the face of a person, she was short from the image and seemed to be wearing glasses on her face. She was wearing a while looking lab coat over her clothes and on her shirt, were words that said Journey. As I read over the info about her I also found a name listed for her. On a profile window.

[PATIENT LOG]

#NADIA ODINE

#BLOOD TYPE: XX+

#STATUS = PENDING...

#BEGINNING ACTIVATION...

BANG!

I jumped as the sound echoed throughout the room and the hatch door near the metal bed opened, there was a brief blast of cold air as a large looking device covered in glass was pushed through an opening in the wall onto the bed. Ice formed on the glass seconds after it was entered the room and a new window opened. It displayed again the image of Nadia Odine and that it was beginning activation. The ice on the glass began to thin and I was rendered speechless at the young women that I had been seeing on the screens was right in front of me and it was not just a picture it was her.

Nadia Odine was right there in front of me, not a corpse from a long-forgotten era but a real person of a long-forgotten era. This must be one of the cryo things that Sylince spoke of. I wasn't sure but I was pretty certain that she was being woken up. Points lite up on the screen as small mechanical arms inside the tube began to poke and prod her unconscious body. Then there was a ripple on the screen in the middle of her chest reading heart rate.

Nadia Odine, an Old One was alive.

(((( ;°Д°))))

"The procedure was a success Mr. Faro but are you sure about this? This just seems… wrong. More than likely she is never going to wake up. For a situation like Protocol Zero to be initiated... Sir she very well may be the last living being on earth." Dr. Gregory dipped his head shaking.

"Well if she is the last living being alive and everything else has failed then she is the best chance the world has. I am not putting all my faith in Zero Dawn if there is a chance for another way." Ted Faro looked through the glass as a glass cylinder was inserted into a wall with other such cylinders.

Ted turned away from the glass and started to walk out of the room, Dr. Gregory following right behind into lab. Medical tools were still on the table most still bloody from a past procedure. The poor Doctor wiped sweat from his brow as he looked around the room.

"How long do you need to be here to monitor for any problems?" Ted asked as the two entered the empty waiting room.

"A week at least to get the other patients ready and then to button up everything…"

"Euthanize them. There is no time for moving them out and we don't have the resources to move them and everything else. So how long do you need to confirm that Miss Odine is good?"

The horror the doctor face was palpable. He had to put his foot down. Wasn't his hands red enough already.

"Ted you can't expect us to just kill them!" Ted Faro rounded on the doctor fixing him with a gaze.

"We will not be moving them out. You can either give them a peaceful end or you can seal them in here when the facility goes into lockdown. If you don't like that then you can stay here with them forever. Now how long?" The doctor was speechless and could only stutter as he looked down realizing how grim the situation was.

"A week should be enough, I'll dismiss any staff on the 24th and... I'll take care of the rest myself. The transport can be here the 26th, I'll have the facility locked down and be ready to go by then." Ted stepped into the elevator.

"See that you are doctor." He said as the elevator door closed.

ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑)

From what the displays were saying I had some time before this Nadia Odine was awake. I had just finished off some of the rabbit I had hunted down and was laying on my pack looking off into the distance. The stars were out and the sky was exceptionally clear, not a cloud to be seen.

I tried to imagine what this place must have been like back then. All the people moving about in their daily lives that was so far removed from the daily life of someone today. Then my mind traveled to the present, how could anyone that that lived then understand the world now. The two were as different at night and day. The old world had been destroyed but it wasn't the fault of everyone it was the fault of a few that had caused it. No greed and power and the lust to have more of it had caused the end, which was something that had not changed. Maybe that was something that was passed on into all human beings. Just most of us were strong enough to control it.

From the info I read Nadia had been a member of Zero Dawn but the records indicated that she was brought here before ZD was finished. Brought by Ted Faro himself, but there is something else going on here. What was the procedure they performed on her and what was Protocol Zero? The notes I found from Dr. Gregory seemed really certain that she was never going to wake up again. Which very well might have been the case if I didn't happen by here. The question of what this Protocol Zero was still bothered her. In my frustration I had done something that I knew nothing about.

"Too late now, and I'm pretty sure Gaia being destroyed was as bad as it could get."

I looked back out through the roof again at the sky and stars. Connecting invisible lines between them the Watcher, the Grazer, the great Stormbird and so on. As I let my imagination create shapes and images it occurred to me that the stars were the only things that was the same. Due to Ted Faro's intervention and destruction of Apollo they were the only witnesses still left other than a few scraps of knowledge they were scattered at best.

"It wasn't all bad, it just ended that way."

I continued to look off into space and draw constellations in the night till I started too nodded off. I could afford to get a few hours of sleep. There was nothing else to do but wait now and it had been a long day. With tomorrow being even longer if Nadia Odine actually woke up.

(-, – )…zzzZZZ

Nadia walked into a small room that was sparsely decorated. A few small potted plants were on a shelf just above the bed that was made in to the wall. A desk also made into the same wall as the bed a recliner like chair and a small closet. Rummaging through said closet, was a female in what could only be a wheelchair though obviously top of the line and she seemed to be complaining to herself in a low voice.

"What's got you in a fix?" Said Nadia to the chair bound female. Who turned to address her, a pout forming on her face?

"I don't ask for much but could they not put a little more color in the uniforms. There ether white or gray with only a light stitching of color on the zipper line." She turned her chair following the commands to turn her without the need for hand controls. The white choker around her neck transmitting the command to turn her chair to face Nadia who just smiled.

"I'm sorry Lady Hannah I was unaware of your preferences, I shall pass them along." Nadia leaned in planting a quick chaste kiss on Hannah's cheeks. The chair bound girl smiled as Nadia set down on the bed facing her lover at a more equal level.

"Stop that, you know what I mean. I just really miss my garden. How is everything going so far? Dr. Sobeck and the rest of the team doing well I guess? Is she sleeping at all?"

"Doctor Mark made her go get some sleep. He threatened to have SecOps restrain her so he could administer a sedative if she didn't." Nadia chuckled.

"Well she is not the only one."

"Aww are you really worried about me sleeping or is my special little lady missing me?" Hannah's face turned red.

"Quite it!" Her hands covered her face in embarrassment. Nadia sighed.

"As much as I would like to tease you some more I unfortunately have to leave in an hour. There is a minor issue at FS-43KB, the programs worked on the modules I have here but did not work on the one there when they went to implement the final patch and the algorithms that... sorry you know I get carried away." Nadia bit her bottom lip her bad habit of talking about stuff that Hannah had no earthly idea of what she was saying.

"Oh, how long will you be gone?" Hannah's expression failing a little.

"It's just over night, I should be back tomorrow and we can have lunch." Hannah just nodded. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just when you're not here I feel a little overwhelmed. All these really smart people and then there is just me."

"Come on now you're smart just in different ways."

"Nadia if it wasn't for you I would be out there with everyone else living in ignorance till the end. You're the only reason I get to live out my life here in some semblance of peace."

"Well I think that might be changing very soon. Dr. Samali that's working on Apollo mentioned something about methods of teaching children and I happen to overhear. I suggested that she might like to talk with a teacher that has taught children. She thought the idea was great so I told her you would meet her at the Apollo lab tomorrow at 0900. She is really nice and I think you will have fun." Nadia smiled as she looked into the eyes of her lover and the gloom seemed to melt way.

"That should be fun. I'm glad I can at least do something. So umm..." The blush returning to Hannah's cheeks. "So how long till you have to leave?" Nadia cocked her head to the side as her eyebrow arched.

"About an hour why."

"That's just enough time for a quickie." It was now Nadia's turn to blush. The last thought Nadia had as Hannah's lips crashed down on her own was.

'How did I get so…'

(;¬_¬)

'…lucky?'

The last word of the dream still hung fresh as eye lids cracked open, the light of the room was like daggers. Her body felt numb, she felt weak. So weak it was almost too hard to blink.

Her eyes slowly moved around the room as the pain from the lights lessened. It looked clean, medical clean, things were coming into complete focus and her slow breathing was getting easier she was starting to feel less numb her mind was still trying to rationalize what was happening. Where was she, what was today? She had things to do.

[HELLO DR. ODINE. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO STAND YOU ARE STILL WEAK. YOUR VITALS ARE COMING INTO THE NORMAL RANGE. THE PROCESS CAN BE DISORIENTING, THIS IS NORMAL.]

Nadia cold only look up at the unflattering ceiling and her mind was racing. None of the questions were getting answer laying here but she was still weak. She began to do calculations in her head to pass the time, her breath became controlled and just as the computer had said things were starting to feel better. Fingers began to twitch at her command. Then toes, then her hand pulled into a fist flexing.

Then went on for some time and while she still felt off she was finally able to set up. Hear head moved around flexing her right hand came up to her face brushing hair out of her way but it stopped. Looking at her hand they seemed different somehow, flexing right and bringing her left to do the same.

"Where am I?" she said aloud.

[YOU ARE AT PEARL LABS PROVO, UTAH. YOU WERE INDENTURED HERE UNTIL PROTOCOL ZERO WAS ENACTED. AS IT IS NOW ACTIVE I WILL DELIVER THE MESSAGE THAT WAS LEFT FOR YOU. STANDBY…]

The lighting in the room dimmed slightly as a hologram appeared off with the Pearl Labs logo, a blue leaf but created out of ones and zeros. She knew the logo well, she had in her earlier years worked for Peal Labs. She clinched her jaw thinking about that and what she lost the day she was fired.

The logo faded and then none other than Ted Faro stepped forward. This caused not only caused Nadia's jaw to again tighten but also her hands furled into fists as the hologram began to speak.

["Hello Dr. Odine," Said the hologram. Nadia rolled her eyes, she never received a doctorate, she didn't have time for that there was more important things then an expensive piece of paper. "If you're watching this then the worst has happened. Zero Dawn has failed and you very well might be the last living being on the planet."

The color drained from her face at hearing these words. The question of how long she had been here was hanging heaver as the hologram went on.

"As you pointed out I'm not the smartest guy in the world when it comes to science. You, Sobeck and that dream team are far smarter then I will ever be. But you were right about me being able to write checks. See I don't have to be the smartest guy. I just have to pay for smart people." Ted sighed and looked down trying to regain his composure. The after a moment he returned to addressing the viewer.

"Sorry, sorry. I believed in Elisabet but nothing is 100% so I came up with a backup plan. Y

ou. Should Zero Dawn fail, if G-Prime is compromised then Protocol Zero would take over and wake you up. You ..ee. ….."

...

[DATA CORRUPTION DETECTED. ATTEMPTING RECOVERY… PARTIAL RECOVER SUCCESSFUL RESUMING PLAYBACK.]

...

"…ake it to Site-B. There you will be able to bring everything back online and restart Zero Dawn and hopef.. fix m….. Site-… l…ted at 23.9191 …..44….2..

The swarm wil… ….. …en deactivated by now, that was one of the stipulations for Protocol Zero so you don't have to worry. We were n…. …. … . … SO you wiLL have ….. ….. . . … .. .. . .. . .. . … Central core. .. .. .. .. onlineeeeee…..

I'm sorr….. it has come to this but I wasn't going to risk anyone else because you have the know-how if there is a problem so….. Site-B can be accessed us….. . .. .. .. .. . . . o key allows you to h..e O…g. aceess. ..ss.s. .s.s.s..

I know it doe… ow but I'm sorry about ever..hing, and for what I .id then an. w..t I have done to you now…. …d luck a.. God speed…"

[DR. ODINE I AM DETECTING AN INCREASE IN HEART RATE DO YOU REQUIRE A SEDATIVE?]

Throughout the speech her legs had slowly pulled into her chest. Her arms circled around them pulling them tight to her chest. Ted had done something to her, had someone do something to her and now she might be the only living being on the planet. It was too much. This couldn't be real, this was wrong all wrong then it hit her. If Minerva had cracked the Faro Swarm code to deactivate them then that meant she had been out for at least 300 years.

"That can't be, there was no way to keep a human body alive this long." She had to think rationally. She was a not a medical doctor, she would have to trust the fact that she was alive as evident that there was some way to keep a human alive. "How long have I been," She hesitated on the terminology the system here used. "Intrude here at this facility?"

[CURRENTLY THIS FACILITY HAS MAINTAINED YOUR LIFE FOR 334,261 DAYS DR. ODINE.]

Nadia's mouth went slack. Almost a thousand years, she had been here for almost a thousand years. Taking calming breath Nadia picked her jaw up off the floor and began to think. This wasn't right this was wrong, she should be dead she and… She closed her eyes banishing those thoughts. She would dowel on them later she had to think. This was not a time to ball like a baby, she would do that later after she knew what she was doing.

But that was a problem, Ted had a plan but the message for the plan was fubar, and had not helped at all. Zero Dawn failed and he had left her a solution as a backup but the message telling her what she needed to do was gone. To make matters worse she might be the last living being on the planet if ZD had failed.

"What is the weather like outside?"

[ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON THE UPPER FLOOR ARE READING 17'C]

Slowly one after the other Nadia put her feet on the cold floor and took a careful step then another. There was a rumble a few feet away three tiles began raising from the floor and in each was a cubby holes.

[HERE ARE YOUR PERSONAL EFFECTS DR. ODINE.]

"I'm not a doctor. I don't know where you got that from."

[YOU WERE GRANTED AN HONORARY DOCTORATE POST-HUMOROUSLY AS REPORTED BY MR. FARO.]

Nadia shook her head focusing on her breathing. She knew rationally that all the stress was going to come crashing down around her but for now she had to get her baring's and figure out her first move. She wasn't sure where she could go now or if there was even anything left that she knew. Nine hundred years was a long time.

[YOU WILL FIND HERE A FOCUS HEADSET AND CLOTHES FOR BOTH AIRED AND COOLER CLIMATE.]

"What no gun or anything to protect my self, or environmental suit?"

[NO WEAPONS WILL BE NEEDED PER INSTRUCTIONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT IS LIVABLE]

She pulled off the medical gown, letting it fall to the ground. Then began to put on the clothes, they were the generic gray shirt and pants with the only color being the red stitching that followed the zipper.

Clipping the Focus to her ear she scrolled through files on the device. There was Ted's message and a map both having a symbol denoting they had been corrupted.

What the hell am I doing? What can I do? I don't even know where this Site-B is.

She grabbed the jacket in her right hand and looked at the doors leaving the room. She looked back once at the metal bed and shivered, this place was creeping her out. So on that not she walked to the door. They opened giving the reception room a once over the noted the neon exit virtual images that directed her to the elevator and she pressed the call button. The elevator doors opened and she entered pressing the ground button and she was on her way up. Her breath was coming faster now, she had been staving off everything that she had found out.

She was taken and put to sleep for almost a thousand years. Everyone she knew was dead and dust, there efforts to save the human race failed and rotting like them. Worst of all she was tasked by the man she hated more that any person that ever lived had done all of this. She was feeling ill, and her head was spinning. The reality of the situation was weighing heavy on her, not for the first time she thought that maybe it would be better if she just ended it, but no. She would not do that. Hannah wouldn't want that. It went against everything she believed in. So no taking her own life was not a choice. She was so deep in thought that she never register the tears that began rolling down her face as the image of a smiling Hannah passed through her mind. Only a second later came chime noise and the doors of the elevator opened and Dr. Nadia Odine stepped out into a world she was completely unprepared for.

::AN::

I had no intention in writing another fic until I finished the first. So before I posted this I decided that I needed to finish the next chapter of my first fic. Well I reading over that and getting ready to send to my beta editor. This story was an idea I had that jumped at me. See I came up with an ending first then I had to figure out how to get to that ending. Horizon had such a great story and a fun game play.

When I started writing this I originally wrote around 10K+ words. I decided to cut this in half so I would update over the course of a few days. This was not edited by anyone but me so I apologies if it is very rough. I concede it is more of a draft than anything else.

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Please let me know what you think and if I should continue?

No flames please constructive criticism.

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