Isolation

Determined to prove that his sister is who she says she is, Jack Greenspan sets out from ERAC for an investigation of his own...

Background
Written by SDM, Isolation takes place after S4E04: Wicked Hands as Jack searches for proof of Saiyo's innocence. It is written entirely from his perspective

Synopsis
The solo begins with Jack crunching through the leaves in what used to be known as the Everfree Forest (prior to Hellgate's arrival and subsequent decimation of the place), trying to keep his nervousness at the silence around him to a minimum. Only the thought that if he failed he would truly be alone kept him going. To this end he begins to circle the border of the Forest, both to measure its size and to inquire in neighboring towns about the whereabouts of his brother, James.

Despite a desire to find his brother, Jack still has a sincere hope that James was the body they found in the damaged pod because if he wasn't then that was absolute proof that Saiyo was indeed a Sayan. But if James had escaped, then he may very well have been eaten alive by the creatures in the forest since James was the only one out of him, Jack, and Saiyo to not undergo the augmentations at the space station they called home. So if Jack found James' corpse, Jack would be the solo surving Greenspan, and he cannot tolerate that though. So he must believe in Saiyo's innocence.

Jack's initial talks with local villagers gave him confidence, as none reported seeing a hairless biped walking around. But as the days passed by his confidence had begun to fade and his thoughts wandered back to if James was still even alive at all. He pushes those thoughts away with the setting of the sun, and investigates the appearance of buildings he sees in the distance for a place to rest.

As he approached the town, however, Jack began to feel that something was wrong. First of all was the fact that the town remained dark even with the lengthening shadows, and no lights were coming on to light the way. This unwavering darkness did not make Jack feel any desire to enter in, but his fear allowed for a partial activation of his augmentations, most notably the blue glow to his eyes. He expected this to help him see, yet from his position he can see some automatic streetlights on the main road, casting shadows into alleyways. However, these shadows and the eerie stillness made his fear become even worse; only the thought that there might be evidence within kept Jack moving into the city.

Traveling along the main road only showed him the vacant buildings alongside it, but nothing else. Heading down an alley and peering through a window only displays what looks like a quickly-emptied tavern, with food out on the table and clearly going bad. As Jack re-enters the main road, however, he gets the sense that something was nearby, though he cannot get a good look at it. From that point on he feels like he is being watched by something invisible. This only served to bring out more of his augmentations, as one hand peeled back to reveal a cannon in his wrist and a headache grew in his head. Quick to tamp down on his tenseness, Jack quickly searches the rest of the buildings, but finds nothing. It isn't until he reaches the opposite end of town that he finds anything: A corpse of one of the locals, lying among its own dried fluids.

Jack could easily tell that the Sayan had killed it, and realizes that if he could prove it was eaten after Saiyo was apprehended, then he could get her free. Aware that the Sayan must know that he knows about it, Jack continues on as if nothing was wrong until he reaches the edge of town and is assaulted by a poignant, heinous stentch. The source was a building that initially seemed unremarkable, but the back was covered in a brownish-red substance that gripped the building. From the back Jack could see that the substance, which was what had taken over James' pod, had reached and pull over other nearby buildings, making it look like a weird tornado.

Not needing to see anymore, and with his headache growing worse, Jack quickly leaves the buildings and heads down a different alley. But his confusion and headache only heighten when that alleyway somehow leads him to a river with trees inexplicably right beside the alley. he follows the river past the town until he sees a figure on its dark banks. With a cry he walks up to the figure, but it doesn't respond. A closer look shows it to be human-shaped like Jack himself, but it remains unresponsive other than some shuffling. Wary of a surprise attack, Jack arms his cannon and whirls the figure around, but is shocked when he comes face to face with both a fishing pole and his brother.

This revelation left Jack elated and depressed: Elated because his brother was alive, but depressed because it meant Saiyo was the Sayan. The fishing pole tells Jack that James must have survived on fish and sheltered in the nearby town, but the mention of the town makes his headache spike, and he stops thinking about it. Now that he's ready to put all of this behind him, Jack leads his newfound brother back to ERAC.

Tracklist

 * 1) Hellgate 2 Part III Soundtrack 35 - Silence
 * 2) Metroid Fusion [OST] - Environment Sound (Disquieting)
 * 3) Metroid Fusion OST #4 - Environment Sound (Silence 1)

Trivia

 * The town that Jack finds closely resembles the town in the fan game Story of the Blanks