Me : Did ya miss me ?
Audience : Yeah !
Me : Can't hear ya ! Did ya miss me ?
Audience : Yeaaah !
Me : Ya were saying something ? So : LOUDEEEEER !
Audience : YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !
Me : Woooow, dudes, calm down ! Why the hell ya shouting like that ?
Can't ya just speak normally, like everyone else ?
XDDD
Ok, old teasing me is back ! I tried to make this as fast as possible, once PE chapter was finished. I hope ya hung on fine wzout grumbling too much…
Oh, and for the prank, last time… eh eh, just couldn't resist ! And given Blood-of-Silver's reaction, which had me ROFL (Roll On the Floor Laughing), it was worth the joking ! =)))
And, before I forget : maxi thanks to CutieGirl57, for reviewing that much last week : girl, every chapter, really ! Careful, or Blood-of-Silver will think you're trying to outdo her by reviewing every time ! XD
Oh, and because I'm a bit of a sadist, I decided to make ya wait a bit to know what's going on wz the cliffy. Uh uh !
Anyway, without further bla bla, here's chapter 13, served hot and flavoured ! Yummy !
N'joy !
/
13 / THE MYSTERIOUS ROOMS
Katie opened her eyes and stared straight before her. She was suddenly very focused. She could distinctly feel something.
Something she had been waiting for, for hours and hours.
She turned over to Mr Smith, who was grieving by the body of his granddaughter. A body which was now more than half covered by the Black Veil. Death was gaining ground progressively, mercilessly, and the void seemed to be approaching from this room to sweep away poor Cathy...
"Hugo !" she called out.
The old alien turned his weary eyes towards her, and she could feel a shock paralyze her as she saw how red and "ringed" his eyes had got. It was terrible to see him this devastated. He seemed to appear even older now.
Katie swallowed with difficulty and gathered all her will to communicate him what she had just been feeling about.
"Hugo ! They are close now !"
"Close ?" He seemed at a loss, as if his grief had frozen over his reactions.
"They are close to Cathy's shadow !" she exclaimed, trying to pass her excitement on to him. And it worked. The white-haired Rhapsodian opened his red painful eyes as wide as he could and his mouth gaped up in disbelief. He didn't dare to believe it !
Finally !
"Are you sure, Katie ?" He had grabbed both of her arms in his hands and was squeezing them with the strength that only despair would give one. "Are you sure ?" he repeated, as if he dreaded not to be allowed that last-chance hope.
She looked him straight in the eye and gave the answer he feared he'd never hear : "Yes, Hugo, I'm sure of that ! I'm even 100% certain that they are close to the shadow of your granddaughter. I can feel their energies neighbouring with Cathy's. More exactly, Chris's and Danny's energies. Sam's seems to be a tad more distant, but not that much. Which means that they probably split the group in two for the needs of some strategy. But they are really proximate, now ! Isn't that wonderful ?"
The exhausted senior didn't reply, but merely hugged the elderly lady tightly against him, tears of joy now running down his cheeks. He still couldn't completely believe it, although he now had got the proof that she was serious and that she definitely could confirm that the salvage of Cathy's shadow was no more than a matter of, who knows, minutes ?
The slanted-eyed woman returned the hug, closing her eyes as she shared the poor man's happiness, which was all the more intense that he had felt pushed to the extreme pessimistic limit, cornered to despair only a moment ago as he watched the dark matter absorb gradually his most treasured relative, the root of his welfare, his reason to live !
Mr Smith finally broke their embrace and stared intently into the now rejoicing eyes of his long-time friend.
"It's a miracle, Kat' ! A miracle ! They made it ! Finally !"
"Yes, my dear, they did. Well, they still have to actually locate the shadow and get hold of it, but I'm now convinced it will be done very soon, in a near future. After, the main challenge will be to bring the shadow back home before the Black Veil covers up the hair. But as I just said, I'm convinced the MBC can make it ! My intuition tells me so, and I'm almost never wrong when I sense something with such certainty !"
The old alien was now bamboozled, but for positive reasons, this time. Not out of despair, like before : out of crazy hope, out of dire expectation ! He wanted to believe it could happen. He felt now obliged to consider the matter with renewed courage, renewed hope. He knew the kids, he was aware of how brave and efficient they could be. He trusted them. They could make it. Yes, THEY COULD !
And I know they WILL ! Now I feel it for sure ! It can't end up like this ! No ! Something in me whispers about their successing in the mission. They can't lose ! Courage, Shloumba, your friends will be here soon to save you...
/
Sam looked again at the screen. There were so many dots gathered on it. Fortunately, she was able to locate her friends' team and her own thanks to Chris's programming : he had managed to set up the device in such way that it would display also the MBC members, but in the form of red squares. And the position of the A-Scan was indicated by a reverse arrow, which also was of help for locating, especially in an environment full of aliens, like that base.
The yellow member turned to the Chancellor, her arm held out to the orange alien, for the latter to grab the A-Scan.
(Sam) Here you are, Ana ! You can take it !
(Ana) Thank you, Sam !
The fox-looking creature closed her hand over the alien locator. Instantly, all the dots vanished from the screen. All but one. The Chancellor showed the result to the MBC leader, who took a long stare at the screen. She had been memorizing the general disposition of the area, and of course their own location in this minute. And she now had to check the screen to know how remote they still were from that lonely dot, and in which direction they should proceed on.
After a moment, she put her forefinger on the corresponding spot of the solitary dot and asked Ana to give her back the A-Scan. The mass of dots returned, but Sam kept her finger stuck to the screen. She then checked where the team currently was, and thus knew where to head.
(Sam) We have to take this left bend, then walk straight on for a while, then take to the right when we can.
(Ana) Alright. I will repeat the instructions mentally in Beaba language for our men.
She did so, and after this was done, she exchanged a look with Sam, who nodded and started, always remaining in front of the Chancellor, in order to keep her safe from any attack.
They soon found themselves in a long corridor which they followed, until they could see it finish in a dead end. On the right was a staircase winding down in the depths of the base. But it was guarded by two soldiers.
(Sam) We have no choice but follow that staircase underground. But will the guards let us go by ?
(Ana) We'll try, but if they show hostile, I'll take care of it !
They approached the armoured bullies and, just like the African-American fighter dreaded it, those barked out something, menacing the group with their spears. Ana then took a step forward and reached out in between the guards. She opened her hand and a mysterious dust, which she had just poured in a minute before, started whirling towards both soldiers simultaneously. It reached their noses and sneaked inside. The expression of the "watchdogs" changed : all aggressiveness faded away and they put the spears back to their sides, then stood up back straight, in guarding position.
The path was now clear.
The five-person team started down, and while they were sinking through those dark walls, the golden-eyed girl couldn't help asking a question to the blue-jewel alien.
(Sam) What was that dust exactly ?
(Ana) It serves as tension inhibitor. Anyone smelling or breathing it will see all nervousness or aggressiveness vanish from him/her. I have some left, but it won't be sufficient would we be facing a whole armed group.
(Sam) Oh, I see. Very efficient indeed.
(Ana) Isn't it ?
And the orange Beaba smiled at Sam as she uttered that last short sentence.
The crew continued their way down, in a thick silence...
/
(Danny) What... What's that ?
They were now in a huge room which space was mostly occupied by an enormous glass container. A huge cylinder which stood up, and could be easily crushing aliens and humans under its tremendous size. And inside the glass receptacle were... shadows ! Dozens, hundreds of them ! They fell from the top and slowly, slowly floated down the container, until they reached the mass of gathered shadows, and just lay over, at the top of the now thick dark layer. About 2/3 of the cylinder was already full, and black floating shapes regularly kept on filling it.
(Gianell) Hum... they are collecting shadows ! That's exactly what Hattho used to do in order to augment his own power ! He put the shadows in a container and then he... wait, let me check something !
Gianell walked forward, until she reached the giant container. She took a glance down and found what she was looking for. So she turned to the rest of her team and send them a thought.
(Gianell) Come closer ! (she translated this in Beaba as well, and soon all advanced)
The General pointed at a kind of pipeline which emerged from below the cylinder and got straight into the nearest wall.
(Gianell) Do you see this ? I'm certain that it contains the elemental principle of shadows : a dark shiny liquid which can, when concentrated enough, dim light down and finally destroy it completely. That's what Hathho tried to do, long ago : have his evil scientists make some powerful weapon using that dark shiny liquid (which we call "Szônn") and use these to fight the Light civilization. And once the latter would have been got rid of, nothing would have prevented the Dark Army to gradually extend their power on the other planets. And I'm convinced that in this pipeline is flowing Szônn extracted from all those shadows !
Chris had been listening, trying to retain all those precious informations, that would actually explain a lot. Then he formulated his question.
(Chris) So, although Hathho had been deemed dead, according to what you had explained us, it seems that this whole process here definitely is his trademark. Could it then be a henchman of his, or possibly child of his (if he has some), to have copied his technique ?
(Gianell) That's actually my best guess. We've taken every precaution to ensure Hathho's complete destruction, and I can't honestly imagine how someone may still have found a way to bring him back to life. Unless a brand new revival magic has been created...?
(Danny) Anyway, they are going to put Cathy's shadow in that container. And for what we know, it could already be somewhere in there !
Chris put a hand on the red member's shoulder and gave him a small smile.
(Chris) Hey, don't worry, Dude ! We're going to find it ! We can search this receptacle, but there's another place we can check. I looked up before and noticed... this !
He pointed his finger up and the rest of them turned their heads in that direction. They saw Poisoners coming out from a room up there, each one pushing a hovering plate on which were piled... shadows ! And they brought the plates down to a footbridge leading to the massive container. The rest seemed easy to deduce : they poured the plates in a hole on top of the cylinder and the dark silhouettes then fell down until landing on top of the great shadow heap.
(Danny) Do you think Cathy's shadow could be in that room ?
(Chris) I haven't got a clue, Dan', but we can quickly have a look. If the outcome is negative, we'll swiftly get back down here and contact Sam, to know if she has found the Queen ! For only her can locate Cathy's shadow rapidly ! Come on !
The team moved on, skirting around the huge cylinder, and finally found some stairs making it up to the level of the mysterious room. They climbed it up fast and found themselves close to the premise the Poisoners were exiting from.
(Gianell) Alright, time to find out what's in there.
They entered and opened wide, surprised eyes when they saw what was there.
(A/N : Yeah, I know : I can be that much bothering with "cliffies"... but still, you LOVE that, don't ya ? ;)
/
Sam, Ana and the three other Beaba's arrived in a circular room. The two guards standing by the entrance showed as authoritarian as the previous ones, but the Chancellor used the same technique as before to counter their aggressive attitude. They blinked and got back to their usual position, spear upright in front of them, eyes staring straightforward.
The black girl took a glance at the A-Scan, to determine their current location, then checked with Ana where the single dot was in relation to themselves.
(Sam) According to the scanner, the alien symbolized by that dot is a little further, on the left.
(Ana) Right. We're nearing our goal. Let's think positive. We can make it.
(Sam) And I'm confident we will !
The group went on and came to a crossroad : one path going left, the other right. Following the indications provided by the device, they turned left and soon came to... a dead end ?
(Ana) Oh no ! It was the wrong way !
(Sam) But... there gotta be something in that direction, otherwise why ever building this path at all ?
(Ana) Maybe there used to be some other room or passageway further on, and they decided to seal it up ?
(Sam) Makes sense. But how to be sure ? Wait a minute ! We need to check the A-Scan again !
The MBC leader raised the small machine in front of her eyes and mentally noted the position of their team. Then she handed out the alien locator to the Chancellor.
The single dot was now very proximate from them. In fact, it was set right in front of them, that is... beyond the wall that was now blocking their way !
But it wasn't the only point that could be deduced from the analysis of the data displayed on the tiny screen. Sam put her forefinger on the area where the sole mark was visible.
(Sam) Have you seen the configuration of the room where that alien is being held ?
(Ana) Yes. That room seems to be near us... straightforward. That means, beyond that wall here. But we probably arrived from the wrong side. The access must be in another corridor, and then it may be another squad of ours to find it.
(Sam) What you say sounds logical, Ana. But by looking attentively at this screen, I can affirm that it's not so and that there is another explanation. See, there is only one way to get to that detention room. It's by moving forward. There's a link between that room and this one. And should we make a close-up...
The teenager made some setting and had a portion of the map enlarged : the portion that was right between the two premises, the one where the groups was and the detention one. And they could notice that there was some kind of rectangle separating the rooms.
(Ana) What's that ? Wait... could it be...
The Chancellor stopped and stared at the young human. She had guessed.
(Sam) If you're thinking about a doorway, then you're right. I can't seriously think of anything else symbolized by that rectangle. And given that we see only a wall, it means it's a hidden doorway. So we must figure out how to trigger the mechanism opening it.
The twin-bunned girl approached the obstacle and took all the time needed to study its nature.
She had thought the wall might be a mere optical illusion to deceive intruders and deter them from walking on, the simple sight of a dead end logically discouraging anyone. But the physical contact with the hard panel proved her the wall was real.
Sam didn't see any particular mechanism around. If there was one, it was either concealed within one of the side walls to her right and left, or set somewhere inside the rest of the small room they were now in.
(Ana) Did you find anything, Sam ?
(Sam) Hum, no, not yet. But there has to be something hidden nearby to trigger the opening of that door. Let's check the whole place for anything out of the ordinary !
Ana nodded and transmitted these last instructions to the three soldiers standing behind her.
The five members of the second team began examining the room for something unusual, which could be some kind of lever to the door. They were walking real slow, to avoid overlooking any detail that could be relevant, and their eyes kept on probing all walls and even the ceiling.
Suddenly, one of the soldiers let out a sequence of Beaba words. Ana turned around and saw him looking at her. He was waiting for his chief to come see what he had found.
(Ana) Sam, my soldier Pojskkan just let me know that there was something bizarre with the wall he has been inspecting. Please come with me, we will investigate this !
(Sam) Alright, let's have a look ! Who knows, it may be a serious clue !
The two co-leaders of the team approached the wall the soldier was standing by. The latter stretched his arm towards the partition, to single out the exact part to be analyzed. Sam and Ana narrowed their eyes and soon noticed that there was a very discrete square slit inside the wall. The human took a step forward and touched the square part delineated by the slit. She then pushed it firmly.
At first, nothing seemed to happen. Nothing moved. But after a few seconds, a sound could be heard, faint yet distinct. And all could see the square part sink slowly into the wall. It went on and on for a while, moving gradually backwards, until a different sound was heard.
Silence succeeded to that promising moment, and no new event took place. Sam bit her lips, starting to dread that it had been a wrong track to follow.
But then another sound could be heard, very faint as well. They all pricked up their ears and tried to locate the origins of it, but the almost unnoticeable noise lasted only a few seconds, which made it difficult to pinpoint within the room.
(Ana) Where did that come from ?
(Sam) I couldn't tell, really, but looks like we'll have to seek through the premise again to know. It was too brief for us to find out its source.
Before restarting to examine the room, Sam decided to check out the doorway. It was still closed. She stared at it for a moment, then turned around, ready to get back to her "wall probing"... and then just stood still, as an intuition crossed her mind.
She turned her head and looked above her shoulder, at the still locked passage.
What if... she thought to herself.
The yellow member calmly walked to the doorway, and turned to look right, then left... and her eyes widened !
There, in the wall, a square hole had opened !
Sam rushed to it and glanced inside.
There was a small red shining circle inside. It seemed to be floating right in the middle of the cavity.
The thoughtful girl moved her arm forward and unfolded her forefinger. The next second she was putting it over the circle. The latter grew a tad bigger then divided in three and all parts moved away from each other. Once they were in triangle pattern, they began going round slowly, counterclockwise.
Sam hesitated, unsure of what she should do next. But after a short moment of inner debate, she made up her mind and opened her hand. Then she spread her thumb, forefinger and middle finger apart, so that they would find themselves over the circular path made by the three red circles.
Once it was done, she waited, motionless.
(Ana) Did you get another clue, Sam ?
The Chancellor was beside her, watching her.
The MBC fighter almost jolted, as the thought had suddenly appeared in her mind while she was focusing hard on something. It was as unexpected as the sound of a voice interrupting a daydream, hence the movement of surprise of the earthling.
(Ana) Sorry if I scared you ! I didn't mean to !
(Sam) No, it's okay, really. And to answer you, I may have found some important stuff here. Please just let me try to do something... and we will see what occurs next !
And just as all red circles were all under all of her fingers, Sam lowered swiftly these on the circles, as if to push three switches simultaneously.
The three rings immediately assembled in the center of the hole and disappeared.
A moment of silence.
And then the doorway opened in a smooth upward motion, thus granting the group access to the secrete premise where the mysterious alien of the A-Scan was held.
Sam looked at the open passage, then back at the Chancellor, and smiled.
The three Light soldiers lined up behind their chief, who nodded to Sam. The black fighter nodded back and started to walk in direction of the enigmatic room.
Inside was only one thing, in the center of the room : a large pedestal on which was laid what seemed to be a long black rectangular box. It reminded Sam of... a coffin !
In this very moment, the courageous teenager felt a shiver run down her spine...
At the four angles of the box were big black upright objects ending at the top in balls, and a luminescent smoke, rising in lazy curls from within the box, seemed to disappear inside the balls.
Sam, however brave she was, didn't feel too secure for once, yet she still advanced to the long black box. Her heart was pounding so powerfully inside her chest.
Come on, you silly girl ! What are you afraid of ? Okay, this definitely resembles a coffin, but don't you know vampires don't exist ? Yes, you know that. So stop trembling and look inside ! And you'll see there's nothing to be scared of in there !
She gathered her will and walked to the lower end of the box, while Ana and her men all positioned in various spots around it. Then they all made a step forward and lowered their eyes.
Time seemed to stop.
Heartbeats seemed to slow down.
And for the first time in a long while, a voice was heard.
It was Gianell talking aloud. She hadn't forgotten about the necessity to avoid speaking, but this time, she just couldn't hold herself back... because of what she saw there !
And the two words she uttered were more important than any of all their previous thoughts :
"HER MAJESTY !"
/
Ahaaaaaa, the great moment, at last ! The one you've all been dying to read about ! Here it is finally ! The plot is evolving seriously and crucially now !
Not exactly a cliffhanger, this time, but the chapter ends on a fundamental note. One of the key moments of the expedition. Therefore, a very intense conclusion.
I'm pleased to have been able to publish this in 2 weeks instead of the 3 I initially thought would be necessary. I worked hard just for ya all. See how much I love ya ? ;)
Ah, about the title of this chapter : it refers both to the giant container room (Chris and Danny) AND to the detention room (Sam) !
Right, I'm waiting for your reviews, as always. Thanxxxx in advance ! And write again soon *cough* SKYDIVING *cough* ...
Take care, all !