The sidekicks got to the burning Project Cadmus building about 30 minutes after they and the League had all left the tourist trap called the hall of justice. Wally had immediately seen two trapped scientists through a hole in the second floor wall flailing their arms for help. About half of the fire fighters stopped fighting the humongous fire to try and help them.
Wally used his speed to get the scientists onto the road by the other firefighters. Just as Wally and the scientists hit the pavement of the road, an explosion happened. Percy used her flight and her water powers to help the firefighters douce the fire. See, Wonder Girl was known by the public to help the police departments or the fire departments of a lot of cities.
Which includes Washington DC and the surrounding 150 mile area. When the fire was smaller and be able to be handled by the fire department, the 4 sidekicks entered the building. They needed information on the place.
The firefighters allow the team of 4 to investigate the building. Well, after the said that the building was not going to fall and kill them. They did find a elevator that was not supposed to be working at that moment.
"Umm, guys. I know that you know that our friend Annabeth is the only building and architectural expert person that I know. But isn't the elevator supposed to be shut off or something in an event of a fire?" Percy asked in a nervous tone.
"You're right Perce! The elevator should be off!" Wally said knowing the basic amount of elevator and fire safety that was drilled into him by the school board and Barry.
Dick moved past his friends to the nearby elevator. He was looking at it with scrutiny and the codes. Dick pulls up a halo-screen on his gauntlet thing and looks at the specs of a silver slip express elevator.
"Guys, the specs that I have say that this elevator does not belong to a two-story building. I just don't know how far down the well goes yet." Dick said as he continued to type away.
They all under stood that. Percy had learned from Annabeth a while ago that a 2 story building, the stairs would be exposed. It was common in 2 story buildings, sometimes 3 story, in the DC area to have no elevators, only stairs.
And if they had elevators, they would not be used for a different purpose. Like wheelchair bound people or people with crutches or anyone who could not use the stairs. And the elderly use elevators a lot.
"And neither is what Percy and I found in the files over there. It's very strange." Kaldur said pointing to the piles by the hole.
Earlier, before the elevator started going off ding by ding, Kaldur and Percy looked through the files that were thrown everywhere and the file cabinets. There very few files from the back part of a bottom cabinet that stated that there were more then 2 stories. They said floor levels for different departments.
Percy could understand if there was a basement that the building was built on and they used that. But from what the files said, Cadmus basically had 60 basements. And they all 60 extended past all four sides of the property line.
"I'm starting to have a weird feeling about this mission." Percy said as she started to bounce up and down nervously.
Percy sometimes had the feeling of demigod dreams while awake. And on her last mission that made her feel like this, she soon found out that it was Apollo trying his hardest to warn her about something.
This time Percy closed her eyes know how the god of prophecies works. That's when she saw flashes of her and her friends trapped somewhere. And she saw what looked like a younger version of her father.
"Like this is really not a building with only a few floors?" Wally asked already knowing and dreading the answer he was about to get.
Wally began thinking about theories about this building. Like if there were stories up in the air with invisible paint or something else making the building like this. Or levels underground.
Percy nodded her head in understanding with her hair moving with her. When Bruce gave this mission to Percy, he knew it would succeed. Even if there would be a whole lot of violence and maybe an explosion or two. And Percy had a feeling that this mission would have an explosion and a big one.
Percy closed her eyes once more. That's when she saw the explosion and her holding up rubble with Superman junior.
"Like it's more then what shows on the outside to the public eye. Or in here to us." Percy said
Kaldur looked to Percy. He knew what she saw when she closed her eyes. What Apollo showed her. That's when he knew that they would be safe, maybe a little banged up, but safe.
She and Kaldur then walked to the shiny silvery elevator doors which opened like the soda cans. The four teens look down the elevator shaft. It looked like it went straight to the underworld right into Hades's throne room. Like it was made for Thanatos and Hermes to use when they collected souls.
Well, this was without the screams of pain from the fields of punishment. Or the soft but quiet moaning from the fields of asphodel. The noises from Elysium were always welcome because of how happy and joyous they sounded.
Or that is what Hades said when he came up to talk with Bianca and Nico at the beginning of the summer right before school gave out. Bianca and Nico have not visited the underworld just yet. They had to deal with training, surviving being kidnapped and the battle of the Labyrinth.
"And this, lady gentlemen and any gods eavesdropping, is why Cadmus would need a express elevator in the building." Dick said
Dick and Wally were told about the gods at the beginning of the summer as Kaldur already knew. Batman said that they needed to know just in case they went out on a mission with Diana or Percy and a monster showed up.
Percy took Kaldur and flew down. Dick used his grappling hook, grabbed Wally and jumped down. Percy and Kaldur watched as they went lower and the numbers going higher instead of lower. The numbers SL21 SL22 SL23 SL24 and SL25 all passed on. The four teens all then stop at SL26.
"I'm at the end of my rope." Dick said
Percy drops Kaldur off on a ledge near the metallic doors. She couldn't hold him the whole time that she was flying. She did not have her Uncle Ares's strength that he gets during a fight. She was not like Clarrisse who has natural super-strength.
"Will you all hurry up already?" Percy asked in a hurried voice
Percy's did not have ADHD as bad as the other demigods at camp, but it was still there, haunting her. Making her feel like an outcast in both the godly and mortal worlds.
"Just be patient my little demigoddess. I'm bypassing the security now." Dick said
They waited for Dick to do his thing. Then the light turned green on Dick's wrist computer. This was good news for the 4 teens. Bruce had taught Percy a lot about his tech and how it worked.
"There, go." Dick said
Kaldur and Percy open the door. They all walk through. They all looked around the cave like hallway.
"Lady and gentlemen. Boyand girl. Fish, demigoddess and speedster. Welcome to the hell hole genetics laboratory otherwise called Project Cadmus." Dick said as he swiveled his head
Wally looked around the room and smirked deviously. Everyone around Wally groaned knowing what the speedster was about to do. Sometimes Percy thought Wally was a demigod from how much he could not sit still or focus. But no god or goddess that Percy had talked to on Olympus or the Underworld had taken credit for one Wally West.
"Oh no. Wally don't you dare." Percy said as she tried to stop her friend
Wally just looked to the demigod, smirked then took off down the hall. He just left a roadrunner shaped dust cloud in his wake when he ran off. He was acting like Wiley coyote was after him.
"Kid wait!" Kaldur said as loudly as he dared but still being quiet as possible.
Kaldur knew not to be loud enough to get Cadmus personal's attention. But also not quiet enough for his friends to not hear him.
"He will never slow down. Will he?" Percy said in a tone that sounded like she wanted to cry and then rip off Wally's head.
Percy sometimes didn't understand the complex mind that belonged to one Wally West. She sometimes didn't understand boys in general.
"No he will not." Dick said shaking his head as he emphasized each of his words
Dick sometimes wanted to tie Wally up with rope he knew that speedsters couldn't get through. You know, the stuff that Barry made when he was board.
They soon start to hear footsteps, heavy footsteps. To Percy the foot sounded like they came from an elephant. Wally heard the footsteps as well and tried to skid to a stop before they reached him. But he couldn't stop his speed in time.