A Ruined Factory on the Island of Majaphit (PL1)

Construction workers and engineers toil in a dark ruined factory rebuilding numerous ruined machines and assembly lines. A man in a military uniform marches in, his numerous medals and fine clothing indicating he is of high rank. "Wish the damn engineers would finish rebuilding this factory. To think that after decades we still haven't finished recovering from the war...". The officer hacks and spits on the ground before muttering "...damn Japanese.". The officer exits the factory doors. The factory lies on top of a hill and a is supplied by a nearby village at the base of the hill. As the officer gazes down at the small rural village, once a proud industrial city before the Japanese leveled it to the ground, he sees smoke rising from the normally tranquil rural community. "What the hell is going on?!" The officer shouts and quickly climbs into his nearby military transport. In heavily accented Javanese he commands his native driver to hurry back to the village.

One of the support engineers run up to the officer, out of breath. "Sir! We have a problem in the town." He speaks between gasps of air, seemingly unable to get adequate air into his lungs. "The... pipes. The pipes that transport the... the... the exhaust. They've, just... moved! They just... emerged from the soil. We don't know why, but they're spewing some... fumes. They're choking the town."

A secretary nearby the officer raises a brow, "What the hell do you mean moved? Someone had to have moved them! Get us in line with security, officer, how should we preceed?" she asks.

The officer turns to the secretary. "You, do you speak Javanese? If you do escort the locals in the village down below to the nearest port. If not use this to elicit their cooperation." the officer commands her before tossing her a large pistol. "That thing can pierce an elephant's hide. Take could care of it." He warns before stepping out of the military transport. He opens the factory doors then proceeds to shout "Get out of here! Something strange is going on!" hastily in Arabic.

She nods quickly, taking the weapon, and disappearing into the factory, and exiting it with a handful of gas masks. She sprints towards the village, ready to confront whatever is there.

Inside the factory, the ruined walls stand, many with large portions nothing more than rubble from the bombs that wrecked this place two decades ago. Ample sunlight filters in from the large holes, yet everywhere the light doesn't reach seems exceptionally dark. As the officer pushes the doors open, the doors grate heavily across the cement floor, causing a loud scrapping sound to reverberate in the demolished factory. Virtually all the original machines in the factory have been stripped away for scrap metal, leaving behind only the too large or too specific pieces of machinery. Near the other side of building, a large door-less way has stairs leading down to the basement floors. Eerie creaking and hissing can be heard from below, as if blown pipes are leaking steam...

The workers begin packing up their tools and shuffling towards the factory doors, donning their hard hats as they do so. The engineers murmur among themselves, wondering the reason for the sudden evacuation. Nevertheless, they obediently follow the orders of the officer.

In the town, pandemonium is occurring. From the ground, many rusted pipes have emerged from the ground, and from their bolted seams small openings have been made, forcing noxious gases to spew out from them. Women are carrying their children and fleeing the town, coughing and choking, while men try to cover the pipes with any sealants they can find- dirt, cloth, spare clay, even chunks of meat. Alas, nothing seems to work, as the pressure from the pipes unplugs and scatters any bindings applied. Many of the townsfolk who have stayed in the town for more than three minutes are beginning to collapse, as their lungs have been filled with the toxic fumes and they have suffocated to unconsciousness. Near the path upwards towards the factory, a teenage girl with her left eye three times larger than normal has her foot caught in a particularly large pipe, with the metal seemingly tightened around her ankle. Instead of fumes, this pipe has air violently sucking into it, acting as a vacuum, as the girl fights desperately to not be inhaled.
The workers wearing the gas masks are protected from gas, but whatever being pumped out of the pipes appears to be highly corrosive, as it begins chewing at the filters on the masks. It seems that even with the masks, they may have only a good ten minutes of protection.

The secretary sprints onto the scene, offering masks to any who look strong enough to carry other people, and orders them help her move the unconscious. She then begins to lead them towards the ports, issuing simple orders in an accent.

After getting the workers out of the factory the officer rapidly commands them to make their way towards the bay where they'll be retrieved by military vessels. The officer proceeds to set-up his radio and begins sending messages to IRC command to send over boats and medical supplies to deal with the situation.

As people race towards the shore, it is apparent that more pipes have reached out into the water; however, these pipes appear to be sucking in the liquid and not spewing gases. The girl that was ensnared by a pipe is now up to her thigh. She cried out for help, as she is visibly tiring from her struggle. From the factory, steam appears to be venting out of old pipes near the roof.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on in there!" he curses under his breath. At this point, he begins contemplating calling in a strike. He eyes his radio warily, afraid of the potential damage that could be done by a hasty decision. Finally, he comes to a conclusion. The officer radios the secretary and gives her explicit instructions to "report a code violet to IRC command" if he doesn't report back within fifteen minutes. He proceeds to put on a heavy duty mask and construction helmet before loading his gun and entering the factory.

The steam above spurts and fizzles, giving of a sighing sound, as the officer enters the factory remnants. The entry to the basement yawns ominously across the way. From below, hissing and steam can be heard.
Meanwhile, the girl is now up to her waist and barely keeping herself from being sucked in. The pipe appears to be able to stretch as the section of her it is encompassing becomes wider.

The officer steps hesitantly into the entrance to the basement and shines a flashlight into the dark foreboding passage below.

The secretary sprints forward, bracing her leg against the ground, and attempts to pull the girl out of the pipe.

Despite the ruined upper level of the factory, the basement has kept a decent level of repair. The pipes drip with condensate water as steam erupts from some of the rusted seams. The pipes groan ominously as the officer intrudes. The steam appears to flow more profusely, obfuscating the deeper bowels.

The girl looks up as the secretary attempts to help her escape the pipe. The pipe seems to fight back, as the suction only increases in intensity, trying to keep the girl. From the nearby ground, a rusted pipe unearths itself, and begins to spray the toxic gases directly at the secretary's mask.

The secretary calls for help, and a couple of the engineers run up behind her, attempting to help her pulls the girl out, she yells as they heave, "These masks aren't going to last much longer, what's going on here?!"

With a great heave, the group manages to save the girl from the pipe. The vacuum ceases, and the opening begins to bend shut, but suddenly a gout of hot steam bursts forth, burning some of the closer engineers.

The officer pulls out a small canister the size of his fist. He prays that he needn't use it but nevertheless prepares himself should the factory be unsalvageable. He proceeds even deeper into the bowels of the factory.

As the officer delves deeper into the factory, the hissing of the steam grows louder. Farther in, the sounds of operating machinery can be heard. The pipes seem to strain and bend ever so slightly towards the officer as he ventures. From a large nearby pipe, he can hear thumping, like someone pounding on it, and muffled screams. The noise is carried away from the pipe as it travels further in. Across the room is another set of stairs leading deeper down.

The officer proceeds cautiously down the next set of steps, being sure to peer around corners and pay attention to the noises around him. In one hand he moves the flashlight around his surroundings while his other rests on a smaller backup gun.

Once the officer begins to walk down the second set of steps, the stairs shift and crumble, making a steep ramp. At the bottom, a large pipe gapes open, large enough to easily hold a man inside. To aid in its cause, it begins to fiercely intake air.

The officer breathes in and out before willingly jumping into the open pipe.

The officer bangs and bumps into the sides of the pipe as he is whisked away. After about a minute of travel, the officer is dropped into a glass container filled with hot liquid. Around him is a room with similar glass containers, a few empty but a few others with other unconscious individuals in them. In one of the glass containers, a pipe from the bottom opens up and the person and the liquid are sucked up and transported away. Across the room, a large furnace can be seen, with large licks of flame seeping out of the grate. Pipes lead into and out of the furnace, each shifting and shaking every so often as any combustibles are deposited into it.

The secretary leaps back, the front of her body and arms scorched. She turns and ambles away, petitioning one of the engineers to help her towards the dock.