As far as dark stairwells went, this one just sucked.
As they proceeded into the stark blackness, it grew harder and harder to see. Dim lights in yellow, red and green were only just enough to highlight the concrete interior. It almost wasn't enough to prevent Leo from tripping down the staircase, and he stumbled down a few steps, catching himself on the narrow handrail. Leo drew out his flashlight, aiming it down the spiral as they descended into the darkness below. The light provided little insight as to their whereabouts; the inkiness seemed to fade forever, a trail of those strange lights spiraled into infinity down.
"Well, shit..." Leo commented, peering down in a vain attempt to see further, "How deep does this damn thing go?"
"Shuuu." Fang chirped, climbing up Leo's back and peering over his head.
"Let me lead," Gloria said, "I can see in the dark a bit better than most. Leo, turn that thing off. That light's a dead giveaway.."
"You do that. I sure can't see much. I'll just follow." Shawn chimed in, clawing at the handrail as he fumbled down the stairs in front of Leo. Gloria slid around him and Leo, and Sarah lowered her head, nose to the floor. Fang hopped down and waddled down next. Leo took the rear, carefully navigating the creaky stairs.
The deeper they went, the stranger the sights became. It was soon clear that this facility had multiple levels; they were descending deep into a giant, glass shaft punctuated every so often by a new doorway made of the same glass. He could see those strange-looking lights trail down hallways, branching off several times like a maze. Leo felt like a fish in an aquarium. If anyone came past any of those doorways, they were sitting Duckletts. It was a damn good surveillance trick. Anyone who didn't know the place, like himself, would be pretty easily spotted. Whoever designed this place had to be cunning. Probably smarter than him.
Damn. That wasn't a very good line of thought at all. He shook his head and plodded on. Every footstep seemed to echo like a gunshot, and every squeak of the steps seemed like a trumpet.
This continued on for some time before Sarah suddenly froze in mid-step. Her canine ears were at full perk, and her tail went straight up. "Did you hear...a scream...?" She said, her voice barely a whisper.
Gloria turned over a shoulder and paused. "I didn't-"
That was when a faint shriek pierced Leo's ears. He winced and spun on his heel, facing the direction it came from. He knew that voice.
It was Amber.
Sarah pushed past Leo and up the stairwell a ways, stopping at a door. She looked down and gestured at it with her head. She patiently waited at the door as Leo climbed up and looked through. The glass made the obscurity of the door almost moot, but he was still hesitant to open it. He was concerned about traps, or more Silicon goons, or-.
"Do it already!" Gloria hissed, reaching around him and shoving him into it. The door swung open silently, revealing little more than what Leo could already see. There was yet more trails of those red, green, and yellow lights leading down a series of branching hallways.
This was going to be a hell of a hunt. There was no way of knowing which way to go.
"Now what?" Leo said as quietly as he could.
Sarah gave him a look like he was an idiot. "We look. Everywhere if we must."
Amber wasn't sure how long she was laying there with Shadow. The poison left her with a nasty sense that the table was tilting back and forth, not good on top of the nausea. Shadow didn't budge the entire time. He kept staring back at Amber quietly. She decided to try talking again.
"Let me up, Shadow."
Yes! The paralysis was finally wearing off a bit! Amber tried to sit up again, finding the movement somewhat easier than before.
Shadow jumped up and grinned. "Mama?" He licked her on the face, flicking his tail back and forth happily, "Mama!"
"Sssh." Amber hushed, putting a hand on his head. She still felt shaky and numb, but maybe now she could try to get out of here. Shadow jumped off the table and looked up at Amber. She groaned and tried to swing her legs over the table. She slid down, only to collapse on top of Shadow.
"Ow." Luckliy, she'd avoided his sharp horn, instead landing across his back. Her legs still felt like jelly, and she stumbled to her feet, using the Absol as a prop.
Amber could see the room slightly better by now, but it was still mostly dark. The walls seemed to be made of a thick glass; she could see a hallway just on the other side of "her" room. There was a trail of those yellow, blue, and green lights along the floor, leading this way and that. Amber guessed this was supposed to lead to the way out. One of the trails should, anyway. She tried to walk forward, deciding on the nearest line of lights. Amber stumbled over her own feet again, and Shadow leaned on her to prop her back up.
"Mama walk okay?" He asked her quietly, "Walk with Shadow. Shadow help mama!" Shadow slowly walked forward, and Amber leaned on him like a furry walking stick.
The room was still spinning and she could barely focus, but Amber was determined not to give up. She kept stumbling on, one step at a time. Amber was so focused on just staying upright, that she ran square into a door. Puzzled, she looked up and saw three human-like shapes through the glass.
Silicon?! I have to run!
She screamed again and spun around to flee. She only managed a few steps before she tripped yet again and fell into a rack of equipment. Flailing and thrashing in desperation, she scrambled away on all fours and promptly rammed into the opposite wall, which knocked her on her butt.
A powerful grip caught her on both shoulders. "Amber! Calm down! You'll hurt yourself."
That voice! Amber paused and looked back at the source, relieved. She could see who it was now that he was closer. "Leo...? How'd you find me?"
"You've got Sarah and Serious to thank there," Leo answered, helping Amber to her feet, "I'm so glad you're safe. I was worried about you." Ever since he'd lost his memories, he seemed so...angry...all the time. It made Amber smile to see even a little of the nicer "old Leo" again.
"I...I'm glad to see you too," Amber replied as she leaned on the wall for support. Now that she was standing, more or less, she could see that Gloria and Shawn were here too. A small whine by her feet caught her attention, and she saw Flare and Fang by her side. Fang trilled happily and hugged Amber's leg. There was an Arcanine here too, one that Amber didn't recognize.
"What the hell happened to you?" Leo asked, his expression darkening as he saw her exhausted state, "You look like you're sick or something!"
Amber did her best to explain what happened to her. The Silicon Movement had paralyzed her, then injected her with poison. They then announced their plans to "ascend" her, presumably by turning her into a robot, just like Solstice. Even reflecting back on it made Amber shudder in terror. These people...what in Arceus' name could they do by doing this to people?!
"Sick bastards," Grumbled Arcanine in Sarah's voice. Amber guessed that Sarah had turned into a Pokémon form, but she had no idea she could also turn into Arcanine. She thought Sarah was a Mew, but she was too out of sorts to think much about it.
"What the hell is wrong with people?!" Gloria snorted and shook her head, "Its times like this I'm almost glad I'm a Pokémon and not a human."
Just then, the darkness in the facility was torn by a brilliant light from some ways away. The beam of light swept to and fro, resembling a spotlight on a stage. Klaxon alarms blared loudly and the colored lights flashed in dizzying patterns.
"WARNING! WARNING!" A loud, mechanical voice blared from somewhere, "LAYER SIX SECURITY BREACH! THREAT LEVEL ALPHA! COMMENCING SECURITY LOCKDOWN ON ALL AFFECTED LAYERS! WARNING! WARNING!" The sound of footsteps and metal clanging quickly followed the repetitive drone.
"Oh fuck, we've been noticed! Time to bolt!" Before Amber could even recover from the surprise, Leo draped her arm around his shoulders and rushed back to the door. He shoved and pulled at it, but why wouldn't it open?!
Gloria shook her head and backed up. "Dammit. We're stuck in here!"
Author's Notes: Hm. Short chapter is short due to cliffhanger, mwahaha. I'm still cookin' with gas here! Expect more soon! :3