Silhouette

Ivan Decanov had his remarkable rectangular metal eyebrow raised as he looked at the thing on the table before him. When his latest employer called him to take a look at something, he was not expecting this scenario. Doubly so because at no point did he ever show an inkling of an interest in the topic at hand.

"Let me get this straight. You called me in the dead of night to study the body of a likely alien creature that has been plaguing this city for some time now and that both the police and Union are certainly trying to track down? You called me, an engineer, to handle a subject even a competent biologist would struggle with? Mister Silhouette, I am quite curious as to what gave you the bizarre idea the plan you formed was a good one."

"I figured we should take the time to study the creature before dropping it off to the authorities and fool that I was I had the misguided idea that an intelligent mind such as yourself might be interested, and as a fellow member of the group of entities that do not need sleep, you would not mind taking the time to satisfy both of our curiosities."

The Draskian robot tapped his metal chin with his cubic fingers as he spared a look at the shadowy figure at his side. Silhouette had proven to offer the best work so far, and he had shown no hint of a thought of betrayal. To the doctor's knowledge, the man of darkness was genuine in his promise to pay him fairly and treat him well. Not to mention, he did provide some of the most interesting work the doctor had to handle yet. He couldn't fault the man for wishing for his highly-valued input, not when he had been respectful so far. Silhouette's wish to see if Ivan would find this discovery useful was likely true as well.

"Though your decision was flawed, I cannot blame you for wishing for my aid. Am I the only person you could ask for help in your circles?"

"No, though you are the only one I could contact right away. Sorry for bothering you for nothing, feel free to return home. I'll have to take a quick trip to see the others."

The mechanical man put his hand on the shadow's shoulder, though he made sure not to move too quickly or use too much strength. His employer seemed to be the paranoid sort at times, and he wanted to be sure he knew this was a way to ask him to stop and not an attack. He had never seen the man fight himself, but he'd rather not discover what someone who could live past Abrakaboom's explosions could do to mere metal.

"If you would not mind, I believe I would like to accompany you. We both know I am no simpleton, I am well aware this is only the tip of the iceberg. I think now might be the time to introduce me to the rest of the organization, particularly those you deem worthy of giving you advice. My work would be more efficient if I knew exactly what we are working with and to what ends."

"Are you sure, doctor? You've already signed a contract to keep my secrets, but I worry you might not enjoy the experience."

"As you said, I cannot share what you seek to hide. Besides, I've known you long enough to know you aren't the Villainous sort, if you have any trouble with the law it is within acceptable margins."

"If you say so, doctor."

The shadows unfurled as Silhouette turned, the rolled-up Nightsnatcher under his facsimile of a shoulder, and the engineer took that as a sign to follow him. Before long the two were walking down to the basement, only to turn to face one of the black walls. Dark tendrils snaked their way from the figure to the stony surface, only for a panel the size of a door to detach itself and rise to the ceiling, supported by yet more tentacles. Beyond the revealed opening was an unlit tunnel that even the robot's enhanced eyesight could not see the end of, though he could distinguish strange shapes scurrying away in holes in the sides.

"If you would, please inform me next time of any secret passage in advance. I might accidentally cover the entrance and alterations unaccounted for might result in structural instability."

"Of course, doctor. I'll do my best."

The machine scoffed before following in Silhouette's shadow, his heavy steps contrasting with the silent way the dark figure moved. Faint light began to emerge from Decanov's eyes, a way for him to keep his vision to a respectable level. It was too weak to illuminate anything before them but provided more than enough to reveal that countless creatures were watching them, their beady eyes reflecting the rays from the doctor's own. The Draskian did not react to the revelation, aside from a side glare at a critter that came a little too close and risked dirtying his lab coat.

Minutes passed and soon the tunnel gave way to an open room where more doorways welcomed them, and Silhouette made no pause before turning and entering one of them. The doctor followed, taking the lack of instructions to stop as a confirmation he was doing something correctly. The things in the walls were still here, and fine-tuned audio receptors caught the pitty-patter of feet in the dark, tailing them.

"Will traps need to be installed here?"

"If you have the time, though this underground area is low-priority. The Penumbral Palace is more urgent, and if you have the time, the facility we will reach soon is second."

"What of the dens?"

"Give them a way to protect themselves from threats such as flames or chemicals. They can deal with living things on their own."

"Very well."

This time the tunnel ended not in a room but with a ladder, or something somewhat similar. The well was a straight hole down to the depths, with ridges carved into the stone clearly meant for things much smaller than people. The small mercy for the claustrophobic who might one day use this way was that the hole was wide, with enough space for a dining table to fall. However, given that the ridges formed multiple ladders with space between them, it was obvious they were meant to be used simultaneously.

"Would you prefer to climb down yourself, or have me hold you?"

"You know I will always pick efficiency over dignity. It will still be highly unpleasant."

In a blink of an eye - though neither of the two needed to blink - a black tendril wrapped around the surprisingly thin waist of the robot before the duo plunged into the depths, emerging once more in a dark alcove, though this time it only took a few steps to reach the humid pathway on one side of a great canal of putrid water.

Sewage flowed without pause, and bizarre critters formed their own ecosystem - though they were far smaller and less dangerous than their counterparts in the slums' sewers. The main city took the time to purge things too dangerous for their employees, leaving behind a somewhat mundane if strange sight. Eye-catching black and yellow salamanders walked placid millipedes munching on the patches of moss growing on the stone, all of them living under the hungry eyes of large chunky centipedes sporting legs of various lengths on the ceiling, only kept at bay by the smooth and warty toads and frogs perched on floating islands of detritus.

Yes, the average citizen would be in a blind panic by now, screeching their heart out at the size of insects the length of their forearms, but in truth, they were harmless into anything larger than themselves. Sewer work wasn't glamorous, but running into an opportunistic Villain was likelier than getting gobbled up by a crocodile, and both scenarios were made nigh impossible by the frequent patrols of Legion and new Heroes by the Union.

The Draskian for his part merely noted that the alcove they just exited was not a modification but part of the tunnel's original design, possibly meant to house a portable outhouse back when the dome-like structure Zalcien was built on was being manufactured. The irony of such a contraption in what would later on become the city's sewers wasn't lost on the man, but rather than finding it humous he merely considered it wasteful. Not because expelling waste was a useless activity, he was well aware of its necessity for the organic sorts, but rather because the system could have been directly incorporated into the sewage system so that future employees - those living in his present time - could have a place to use. He failed to consider the unlikelihood of anyone disrobing in the den of excrement particles.

They walked for a few minutes, and the engineer noticed the trend of leaving this section as unmodified as possible was continued to their destination, yet another outhouse alcove that required them to climb a ladder before going down a well once more. While Decanov could understand the need for safety by avoiding making a straight path, he pondered the reason why the first well simply hadn't been dug deeper to reach their next stop.

One more humiliating lift later and they were in an even grander tunnel, one that was closer to an artificial cavern than an underground hallway, and this time, the canal was far past the size required for the safe passage and passive filtering of waste and rather had become a true river of filth, one that could be navigated by a small boat with no issue. And, judging by the black embarkation waiting for them, bobbing up and down with the waves of brown water, it appeared that was exactly the plan. Mercifully, the small ship would have no problem holding both of the men and their rolled-up cargo, the elongated yet thin design more than capable of ferrying a dozen people.

The only thing the doctor doubted regarding his safety was the wildlife, scaly and finned backs creeping out of the sewage around the vessel, threatening to flip it over and lead its passengers to their doom, only serving as further nourishment for the creatures. A bolt of dark energy firing out of Silhouette's body into the agitated mass was enough to disperse them and have them leave the small ferry alone.

Decanov raised his brow when he saw the figure covered by a black hooded robe standing on the wooden boards and waiting for them, combined with the oddly long oar in their hand that vanished beneath the murky waters painted the vessel with the look of a psychopomp welcoming them for their journey to the afterlife. Not that he thought he had died, he had a subroutine dedicated to keeping track of that, just in case. He had no hesitation to follow Silhouette onto the ship, and their trip began.

It was silent, aside from the noises from the natural wildlife. The robot looked on as the environment grew wilder and deadlier as time passed and they advanced, occasionally traversing massive chambers that could easily fit the entire facility Silhouette owned on the surface. At one point he noticed a large creature following in their wake beneath the waters, the swimming patterns matching that of a crocodilian. The reptile showed no sign of aggression and the fact it was simply approaching rather than attempting to ambush them led him to conclude it wasn't planning on hurting them. Still, he preferred to make sure.

"Should I be worried about the beast behind us?"

As if on cue, white leathery skin peeked out of the sewage.

"Allow me to introduce The Marked. I am not too familiar with it myself, but it is well known in local circles. Well, I met it once before, though it was brief. It is a noticeably peaceful crocodile if I remember correctly. She isn't an albino, she is instead covered by so many scars that she has no scale left. She should leave us be, she only eats monsters and those that dare challenge her territory. Besides, neither of us would make a good meal."

"What of your ferryman?"

The answer to the doctor's question was the snapping of powerful jaws belonging to a creature the size of a bus biting on catfish the size of a car in a gracious jump that had both animals far above the boat before diving back down beneath the sewage.

"Uh. Say, I've noticed the black spotches on the walls on the way here. I assume they are your work?"

"False entrances. A single one would make tracking me down far too easy."

"Of course. On an unrelated note, why is this floating plank not equipped with a motor?"

"The answer is simple, I didn't have a boat to modify in the first place, and I had to improvise at the last minute when I first needed one. Since then, there hasn't been much of a need for speed. I can simply crawl on the ceiling, and no one else under my employ uses this passage regularly."

"I'll have to remedy that. My time is valuable, Silhouette."

"Well, you'll be disappointed. We'll need to wait for the others to finish their sleep to introduce you to them. Though it's possible Techlord might still be working at this hour. The boy has no sane sleeping schedule."

"Ah yes, your mysterious inventor."

With nothing to do and not much to discuss the trip seemed to go on infinitely. Decanov's inner clock revealed it was less than an hour in total, even when accounting for the initial walk down dark corridors and the following bit of bureaucracy in the unexpected office they reached, though it aligned with the rumors the doctor heard about the Sunken City and the many checkpoints one could use to descend to the lawless pit.

Mercifully, a somewhat functional car waited for them and made the journey to their final destination much shorter. The sight of the repurposed orphanage gave the engineer pause, as did the sight of a tall translucent figure phasing through a wall to open the gate and door for them. The Draskian took a moment to stare at his host as they entered the undoubtedly haunted site.

"Was that a ghost?"

"Yes. Stay clear of the small ones, they're harmless but like to play pranks and the others are very protective of them."

"In the future, please inform me of spiritual activity in advance."

"Not a fan of specters? None of them would posses you if that is your worry."

"No, I am equipped for such a situation. Simply, technology and the supernatural have a tendency not to mix well. Why, a lesser design might be dysfunctioning right now."

"I'll keep it in mind. Now, I'm sorry but we'll have to wait. Even Techlord is asleep it seems."

"It is what it is. I suppose I could take a look around and see how I can improve the place."

"Thank you, doctor."

"You haven't seen the bill yet."