Chapter 20 – I'm Sorry Valla, I Can't Do That
"Based on what I've read, this is a university computing facility" said Nova to Valla, concealed in the shadows of a corner table of sorts. "Unless they're super paranoid, that means there aren't going to be laser turrets, death walls, or poison gas!"
Valla didn't quite understand some of the words, but what really confused her is that Nova sounded excited about these things—even though two of three sounded very life-threatening.
"What is a 'laser turret?'" she asked.
"Not now!" hissed the Ghost. "I can explain the advanced technology from my time and, apparently, world, later."
"You said their absence is a positive development" pressed Valla. "So what are we not facing?"
Nova sighed like a teenager being forced to watch an annoying younger sibling. "It means we don't have to worry about being hit in the face with superheated energy."
The Demon Hunter didn't bother to ask about death walls or poison as the former seemed self-explanatory (though how a wall could cause death without demonic influence here eluded her) and she'd encountered plenty of the latter fighting in the Bastion's Keep larder.
"Are you okay?" Nova placed a hand on Valla's arm as the woman retched and coughed, only to have it shaken off.
"Some smells are best forgotten."
"This is the tricky part" replied Nova. "We don't have a map and GPS won't help us here. I can tell where the strongest energy concentration is—that should be the computers. They use a lot of power, both for processing and cooling."
More blank looks from Valla, who only had the most basic idea of what a "computer" was.
"Then let us find the most straightforward path!" cried Valla. "To the heart of this place!"
Nova's eyes rolled in irritation. "We can't just…"
"Why do you have me accompany you, if every time I make a suggestion, you elect to ignore it?" asked Valla, herself becoming irked at Nova's constant refusals to entertain anything she had to say since arriving at the facility.
Nova stuck her finger up and her eyes went wide.
"Of course! I'm such an idiot! No facility, secure or not, has huge air vents that people can just crawl through. Except in holos, obviously, but this isn't a holo. And we're not regular people!"
After Nova explained her plan, Valla had to contain her skepticism, but prepped her crossbows anyway.
"We're going to have to find somewhere with fewer people, more noise, or both" said Nova. "Even though we're small, that doesn't make my sniper rifle inaudible to them."
"What about the water closets? Surely, people do not linger around them longer than necessary!" Valla readied herself to be shot down, again.
"That's actually a good idea!" replied Nova enthusiastically. "Usually, there are a bunch of air vents in there because, well, you know…"
"Indeed. Bodily functions produce foul stenches no matter the world. Come!"
Nova didn't quite understand why Valla was so suddenly confident in following a suited pair of legs, but she wasn't going to argue. The Ghost surmised they must have arrived at the tail end of the morning rush, as few others crossed paths with their unknowing "guide." Without warning, he broke into a sprint only to make a sharp left through a door whose symbol Nova recognized instantly.
"Hurry!"
It would help if you weren't many yards in front of me thought Valla angrily. Realizing the risk but not caring, she fired her crossbow at the closing door. The bolt stuck, trailing a rope behind which rapidly retracted, yanking Valla toward her destination.
Strange devices, but then, the Templar were always kidnapping people from castle towers.
The Demon Hunter didn't notice her scarf tear off as the door closed behind her.
Nova shouldered her rifle, disabling its laser sight and using its scope as a visual aid.
"Aha! There!"
A loud, wet noise made both women jump.
"Now's your chance!" yelled Valla more loudly than was prudent.
FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!
Three shots. Three bolts obliterated, leaving an air-vent cover with only a single fastener. Valla tossed one of her crossbows to Nova, silently willing that the Ghost would both not break it and return it in working order. Two arrows embedded themselves in ceiling tiles, pulling the little Heroes up toward an air vent. Valla secured her line around her waist, tossing her second crossbow to Nova. For what felt an eternity (but was more like two seconds) Nova lined up her shot with a primitive, scopeless weapon.
"How medieval" she muttered, letting loose another bolt. Her aim was true, burying the nose of a grappling arrow deep in the vent cover kitty-corner from the last remaining bolt. A slight retraction bent it outward, hopefully enough that they could both squeeze through.
Nova aimed, but missed as her throw came up short. Lightning-fast, Valla grabbed the trailing line instead before detaching herself from the ceiling. Unfortunately for her, physics asserted itself and she gained momentum before swinging into the wall beneath their intended target.
"Huh?" boomed a voice from below. More unpleasant noises. Valla gagged at the memory of fighting Ghom as both sound and smell brought back memories she preferred to keep buried.
Hurriedly, the Demon Hunter pulled herself up between wall and grate, retrieved her weapon, and began crawling. Again.
The last thing the two Heroes heard as they left a men's bathroom through its climate-control vent were sounds of satisfaction followed by a flush.