"Now what? There's a guard over there." Said Bernie peering around the corner.
Across the large empty room stood a guard armed with a rifle by a laser barrier that marked the beginning of the section of the Mines that fell under WORKS control. Doctor Montague had already determined that Ult's transponder signal was strongest in that direction. Montague also had a peek around the wall they hid behind to see for himself.
"Hmm, if there's a communications node around here somewhere I think I could come up with something." Said Montague.
"Or we could just ask him to let us through." Said Marla striding off towards the guard.
"Oh crap!" Said the other three in unison.
"Halt! This is a restricted area! No Hunters allowed beyond this point." Stated the guard.
"Ah but you see, we're just going to pop in and retrieve a stolen 'Droid. Shouldn't take any more than ten Beats."
"Ha ha ha! You just don't get it do you Hunter scum? There's a Military edict out in force that says I'm permitted to shoot you if necessary."
"That's funny. This badge says that I can do exactly the same." Said Marla as she simultaneously pointed at her beret with one hand while shooting the guard with the Varista in her other.
As the man went down, orange electricity crackling all over his body, Marla stepped to one side and waved the others through the gate. She followed them before hesitating. Turning around she came back and kicked the soldier a couple of times in the stomach.
"That's for the scum remark."
-----
After the incident with the guard at the entrance, the four of them encountered no other WORKS members, the only resistance provided by robots under Military control. These were easily despatched and progress was swift till they reached a room with a large computer terminal and a locked door at the far end. While the Doctor and Elenor interrogated the terminal for possible information, the two RAngers kept themselves busy with hacking the door. Surprisingly, the door opened within a couple of centiBeats of them even trying.
"Is that her?" Asked Bernie as he pointed down the newly unveiled corridor.
Marla narrowed her eyes as she caught a glimpse of a dark red form slinking into the distance.
"That could be. Doc! Elenor! Get a move on, I think we've spotted her!"
The two RAngers set off in a sprint towards their target, but halted almost immediately after clusters of traps sprung out of the ground, set off by their footfalls.
"How come she didn't set off the traps?"
"You go..." Said Marla drawing out her Varistas. "... I'll cover you."
He nodded grimly and made a break for it, head down arms up to protect his face if Marla missed even one. She in turn jogged slowly behind him, photon bullets blazing, each shot a model of precision. Having run the gauntlet and crossed more than half the distance between them and the missing Android, Bernie sought refuge in an intermediate room while he waited for Marla to catch up. As she neared her expression became of one of discomfort and she seemed to have trouble running.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, voice full of concern.
"That's... Definitely... Ult..." Said Marla, struggling to speak.
"How can you be so sure?"
"The Mag cell... It's making me... Feel too good... Turn around, I have to... Remove it."
Distraction dealt with, the pair set off again, Bernie on point, Marla as designated 'shooter'. They emerged from the second corridor section into a large cavernous room. The dark red RAcaseal stood near the entrance staring off into space. She was perfectly stationary but clung to a rifle identical to that of Doctor Montague's close to her chest, as if hoping it would protect her from something.
"Why are you still following me?" Spoke Ult suddenly. "I will decide my own destination. Someone is calling me, I must go, I will go to her."
"What?" Asked Marla. "Go to who?"
"Huh? Who's there? Doctor? Elenor?" Said Ult, seeming as if coming out of a dream.
Montague and his companion entered the room.
"I'm so relieved that you're alright Ult." Said Montague.
"Don't come here... I can't... Calling me... Someone is calling me. From the edge... I..." Every word Ult spoke seemed to be laboured.
"Hmmm... Ult isn't acting normal. Elenor, please restrain your sister immediately."
"Y-Yes." Said Elenor uncertainly.
She stepped hesitantly towards Ult who had begun to shake slightly as green energy began to coalesce around her body. It built up faster and faster as Elenor neared her, culminating in a brilliant flash and a gently fading ring of energy that descended into the ground and disappeared as Ult had just done.
"She disappeared, what an amazing phenomenon!" Exclaimed Montague. "She seems to be reacting to something, could it be the abnormal photons that I've been detecting in this area?"
"Doctor! Look!" Said Elenor.
The three others gathered around Elenor to see what had got her so excited. She pointed at the business end of her Meteor Smash gun, its end still smoking slightly having come so close to Ult before she vanished. Marla crouched in front of it and examined it closer. Its surface was rough and damaged in an unusual way... In a way she had seen before.
"Bernie, remember cat-lady?"
"Yeah." Replied Bernie, going all dreamy.
"No. I mean, do you remember when she showed us her PSU? It was covered with the same damage. I think she encountered Ult yesterday. She mentioned that she was in the Mines. Her clothes were probably taken and her memory erased so that no one would see the effect caused by the energy."
"Hmmm." Said Montague thinking deeply. "If Ult was already in this state yesterday then I think it's even more imperative that we find her. Who knows what those photons could be doing to her internal components. Which way should we head now?"
"Don't look at me!" Protested Marla. "I had to remove that Mag cell or I would never get any work done."
Elenor paused for a moment. "That way!"
-----
The purple clad HUnewearl knelt in front of the door's control panel and fiddled with the wires some more. If WORKS had gone through the trouble of locking this door then whatever was behind it must be of importance, it was just a shame that she did not have such a natural affinity for technology. Her ears pricked up as they picked up the sound of something 'unusual', a sound not heard before in the Mines. Her other senses caught up rapidly, danger?
She spun around just in time to see a dark red female Android materialise in front of the closed door on her right and walk across the room towards the door on her left. She was tempted to activate her weapon but the Android appeared to be ignoring her presence. When the Android reached the far door she vanished in a shower of energy. The HUnewearl thought about it for a moment before resuming her work on the door's electronics.
MiliBeats later she heard something else. A group of people rapidly approaching from the same direction the Android had come filled her with panic. The room she was in was a small T-junction with no real hiding places. There was only one option left for her...
-----
The door slid open slowly and the four Hunters rushed impatiently inside.
"Which way now?" Asked Marla.
"I-I'm not sure. Her signal is close but I cannot get a proper reading." Replied Elenor.
Marla cast a glance around the room. There were two exits, one in front and one on the left. The left one was locked but Ult's habit of teleporting through doors guaranteed nothing. Sitting beside the locked door was a white fox, but not a normal white fox. This one had black stripes, four tails, a shock of green hair, gold earrings in each ear and purple leggings. Marla raised an eyebrow and approached it while Montague tried to find a way to boost Elenor's sensitivity.
The fox watched her approach with some trepidation. Marla bent over and stared at it closely. The fox stared back.
"You look familiar somehow..." She remarked.
"No I don't." Replied the fox.
"Oh, must be my imagination then." Said Marla returning back to the others.
"If we get no luck with tracking her, I suggest we find the next WORKS soldier who comes along and ask them politely where Ult is." Said Bernie frustratedly.
"Excuse me? Are you looking for a red robot lady?"
The Hunters all looked in the direction of the voice only to see a HUnewearl with green hair, dressed in purple standing by the locked door.
"Yes we are! Did you see her?" Asked Montague.
"Yes, she went that way." Said the mysterious HUnewearl pointing at the final exit.
"Not that I don't trust you, because I don't, but who the heck are you and how did you get into a WORKS restricted area?" Demanded Marla.
"My name's K'Tani and I'm just an ordinary Hunter with no special abilities just like you. I'm here because I'm investigating what WORKS is up to."
"And what is WORKS up to exactly?"
"I'm still investigating, but they've been installing devices all across these Mines. I overheard a couple of them talking about it one time. They said they were putting in 'Photon Amplifiers' if that makes any sense."
"Well Doc? Does it mean anything to you?"
"Hmmm, I'm not sure but I know it's definitely not good news for us... Or Ult."
"Doc? You're a Doctor?" Said an alarmed K'Tani. "I... I must be going."
"Wait K'Tani! You could join our group and..." Marla tailed off, K'Tani had vanished and where she once stood was a purple banana slug with green hair.
"She's vanished! Just like Ult!" Exclaimed Bernie.
"We don't have time for this. Let's get going." Said Marla.
-----
The door-light switched from red to green and it slid open with a smooth whoosh. An orange and green RAcast brandishing a newspaper peered into the room.
"Bloody sound-proof doors! People can't hear me shouting that it's occupied." Fumed an angry Garanz Mk II.
He took a step forward before slipping and falling to the ground with a crash.
"Oh great! Who decided to leave a banana slug there?"