A/N: Just an Intermission while I write a much heftier chapter. This arc will probably have 2-3 more chapters before we return to SCP-Earth. As much as I like the idea of this underground city, and the different aspects of writing I could explore, I don't want to drag this out too much more.
Half an hour after she'd finished vaporizing the Reapers that had been borne from the deaths of the parents of the Senda Family, Juno had returned to the now empty market where 'The Executive' Datos Hoier waited. In the interest of being at least somewhat presentable, she'd swapped out of her dust and gore covered armor for a set of armor from her time among the Cormorant Blades, her mark that of a glowing Ace of Spades. "Hoier, may I present to you the surviving members of the Senda family, Elizabeth and Narec. For now, they are under my protection until I can find somewhere safe for them to stay."
The old man gave Juno a raised eyebrow but made no comment, even as he moved to kneel before the two children. "I'm so sorry that such a horrific thing has happened to your family, young ones. I assure you that I will not let this incident be repeated in the future, and if there is anything you want or need, you should only ask."
After a moment, he stands and turns his attention once more towards Juno. Hidden by a new helmet, her expression is hidden, but her body language speaks of tense anger. "I think it best we not keep the Administrator waiting any longer. Come with me."
The inside of the Central Tower was an…unusual sight. It was clearly industrial in origin, rigid in structure and utilitarian in layout, but it was hidden behind an eclectic veneer of wealth and opulence. It almost, almost reminded Juno of the labyrinth that was the Leviathan. The Leviathan had an order to it, though, a strict Cabal feel that even Calus couldn't shake. This tower felt as if it had been decorated, partially cleared, and redecorated time after time until there was no sense or order to it. Display cases of technology or artefacts were mixed in with ancient paintings and cloth banners, while gold, marble, and various other rare or precious materials were scattered practically everywhere in an effort to cement the sense of prosperity.
It was honestly disappointing, Juno reflected. For a city that seemed perpetually on the edge of disaster, tectonic or logistical in nature(Traveler forbid the Reavers somehow found a way in), she would have hoped that instead of focusing on greed and opulence, the 'Administrator' would have had eyes for the needs and wants of the people above their own. Still, she had yet to meet the man or woman in question, and she would reserve her final judgment until then. Hoier pressed a button as they stepped up to an elevator and Juno turned to her companions, "Shane, Raz, stay here with the kids. I'm taking Vaz with me. Keep safe, Surf will be listening to the radio if you need to get in touch."
The two nod and turn around to guide the kids away, and Juno pats Vaz on the shoulder as she follows Hoier into a nearby elevator. As the elevator starts moving, Hoier turns and faces both of them, "Apologies, but we will have to switch elevators about half way, there is no single shaft that travels the full height of the building as a security measure."
Juno, for her part, merely shrugs. "Makes sense. It sounds like something I'd do when designing this type of place."
Vaz makes a non-committal noise and shrugs. Defensive design was not his forte, evidently. The elevator slows to a stop after about two minutes of ascent, opening into a long hallway with a series of alcoves and sunken doorways that at first glance seemed random, but were much more likely positions that defenders could hide in to defend the secondary elevator. "Were these defensive positions originally part of the structure, or a later addition, if I may ask?"
Hoier frowns and glances towards Juno, "To be quite frank, I'm not sure. This structure has stood here for several centuries, and while there are records of changes to it, they are woefully incomplete. If these positions were additions, it was well before my time here."
"Interesting. I wonder what the designer was defending against..?" she muses out loud, even as they step up to the door at the end of the hall. Their guide draws a small key from a chain around his neck and inserts it into a panel to one side, opening it to reveal a keypad. Juno watches just from the corner of her eye, memorizing the motions if not the combination itself. It wouldn't be hard to reconstruct, only five numbers and in a very distinct pattern. The door slid open a moment later, revealing another identical looking lift.
Another similarly long ride deposited the three of them at the end of another hallway, this one ending in a pair of large wooden doors, dark oak or something similar that looked quite heavy. Hoier stepped forward and led them towards the end of the hall, explaining that this was the highest normally accessible point of the tower. It doubled as both a final redoubt and the central control center for the city and that the First Administrator, a man long dead, had made it into his office.
Just as the older man reached out to open the door, the motion tracker in Juno's helmet flashed red. And that, of course, is when everything exploded.
Elizabeth Senda raised her head from where she'd been leaning up against her brother, the lobby of the central tower quiet aside from the armed adults talking nearby. "Something bad is about to happen."
Nerec gave her a worried look, even as the lady who'd protected her brother, Raz she thought her name was, glanced in their direction. "What do you-"
His question was silenced as a terrible rumbling shook the building, dust streaming from the ceiling even as the floor rocked beneath them. Nerec wrapped her in a tight hug and pulled them both under a nearby table, even as she whimpered. The adults were shouting and a pair of boots moved towards the table.
Raz leaned down and gave them a strained smile. "Stay under there for now, okay? We're gonna figure out what's happening. Nobody is going to hurt you anymore, I promise."
Strangely enough, Elizabeth believed her.
A/N: Semester finals are coming soon, but hopefully I can actually get my shit together. Wish me luck. I also forgot to address reviewers in the last chapter, which I'm doing here. Apologies.
Sir Bob The 1st: SCP-682 is the first that comes to mind, the 'Unkillable Lizard' as it be. I'm obviously not going to include uncontainable anomalies or anomalous locations in the list. It's a safe bet, but I'd be curious to hear what others think would be the hardest for a Lightbearer to kill.
One Punch Slayer: Sir, your comments confuse and frighten me. Intriguing, but frightening.
Edboy4926: That's an excellent question, one that I have been debating on rather heavily. Given that Juno's currently stranded in an entirely separate reality, at most I might throw in some armor or weapons from more current content. Who knows though, maybe I'll throw in some surprises in upcoming content?
Marcellasnow231: I'm glad to see you're still around! Once the chaos of the current setting is set to the wayside, I definitely intend to explore the concept of Immortal/Mortal relationships more. Not every chapter can or will be Juno in the thick of some disaster after all, the Foundation would probably run out of patience real quick.
Crazy Cakes 23: An interesting concept, though I'd have to put a fair bit of thought into how a Worm God ended up in the wrong reality.
Ebuc: I hope these last two entries have been satisfying at least as an intermission. More soon to come.
Thank you to everyone who came, read, and reviewed. See you starside!