1.14 Hive
1104 Words
As a man came into the elevator with his head down eyes intently focused on his tablet Ghost slid the hatch open and swung down landing lightly behind the man. Without a pause he shifted out of the elevator just as the door closed. The elevator went up one floor and stopped. Luca immediately noticed a vent shaft running into the shaft. A quick glance showed it to be just big enough for him. Ghost would have stood no chance. Luca wondered how he’d missed seeing it on the way down but for one he’d been looking into the elevator and for two Ghost would have been standing in the way.
Still while the elevator remained stationary Luca wriggled into the vent and carefully moved his way along. With some flexible turns Luca found his way to a vent grate. Luca wasn’t as talented with opening things the way Ghost was, but he could be creative. Pulling out one of his step knives Luca considered the screws they were worn, the thread that he could see from the inside lip looked uneven and shiny in several places where the outer layer had shaved off. Not sure what people have been doing that they vent has been opened frequently enough to wear but happy to take advantage.
[Rӓv: I have the cameras. Thanks Ghost.] Luca sighed in relief, that would make things easier since he also didn’t have Ghosts camera sense for avoiding being spotted by the darn things.
Luca’s step knives in their closed form resembled nothing more than a steel cylinder not much bigger than a glow stick. The blade on them only springing out on a heavy impact. With a sharp stab Luca struck against the side of the vent. The knife popping out and jamming into the edge of the vent grate. With a judicious application of torc Luca popped the vent open and slid out.
Immediately Luca released the two butterfly drones that Rӓv had sent with Ghost. Luca expected that Ghost had wanted the thrill of doing the run cold. Rather than not wanting to use Rӓv’s tech the way he claimed.
Still Luca would take the extra vision without a qualm. The two butterfly’s fluttered silently in either direction down the corridor and registered as two green specks on the model map. Rӓv was no doubt watching the visual footage, but Luca wouldn’t risk that type of multi-tasking when he needed to be actively moving around the area. He would have to rely on the motion notators from the butterfly to mark reds on the map.
Using the sonic mapper again Luca found a trace of stairs and started that way checking rooms as he went to see if he could find anything useful. [Lucky: Ghost lets leapfrog you take odds I’ll take evens.]
[Ghost: Da. Bottom floor small technological lab area. Have plugged one computer. Not seeing anything else. Found stairs. Heading up.]
[Rӓv: The first five floors appear to be only offices they are well monitored; I see a lot of camera overlap so you probably won’t need to do them.]
Luca listed to the continued breakdown from Rӓv and Ghost as he moved along the corridors. Suddenly he noticed red dot popping up from both the butterfly drones closing in on his location. Luca looked around and compared the updated map. Noting a very small room on the map ahead Luca headed there. Slipping into what he expected to be a supply closet.
Luca pulled the door quietly closed and then turned to face the room. There where low lights on around the ceiling so even without turning the main light on it was still easy to see. [Lucky: Any one good with artifacts?]
[Rӓv: Huh? Why would there be artifacts literally no one that has come here has any specialities in history.save the crazy relic man]
[Tails: No one at all? We cover every other speciality available and no one for history? Finished the medium building going back to play lookouts.]
[Lucky: I think that’s a deliberate oversight.] Luca looked over the various things in the room. There was a strong scent of dust as some pots and broken pottery occupied one area of shelves, but other shelves contained weapons and a third contained what looked like jewellery. All of the artefacts were inscribed with strange pictography and glyphs.
[Rӓv: Wow, none of this looks familiar. Huh? Even a search brings up no similar results for the writing. Maybe its fake for the contest.]
[Lucky: Not sure but this room smells old. Not to mention the weapons. I may not know about other things, but I know how metal ages in weather. This looks old, it would take a great deal of effort to fake this.]
[Holly: If its real though why not bring a historian?]
[Lucky: It’s because its real that they couldn’t bring a historian. Any decent archaeologist can tell the difference between real and fake aging. Thus, they can pretend that real is fake for the rest of us, but if they brought them, they would not be able to.]
[Tails: This is such a set up and I don’t like it.]
[Lucky: Neither do I.] Luca glanced down at his watch and winced. He didn’t have time to hang around.
[Lucky: Ghost prioritise mapping. I think we’re going to have to take a second run at this. Map it tonight and then Rӓv can compare her visuals with the map, and we can just search the hidden areas.] When a path cleared Luca moved out swiftly lapping the floor to map before he headed up and did the same again. His frown deepened as despite the searching he found no signs of the missing academics. He would hope that Rӓv had more luck though the computer system.
[Ghost: Lucky, come here.] The serious note in Ghosts voice had Luca headed for stairs as quickly as he could manage. A quick check and the rapidly filling map showed that it was most mapped out. Rӓv had obviously been adding bits as best she could from the cameras and whatever else she could get a hold of. Ghost was on the seventh floor or the second floor below the five office floors Rӓv had mentioned.
[Lucky: What?]
[Ghost: Found morgue and what looks like medical experiment lab.] Luca didn’t like the flat tone to Ghosts voice at all. With all the things they’d seen trapped in the underworld it had to be bad to be riling Ghost.
Reaching the large room where Ghost waited Luca understood immediately the reason for Ghosts state.
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