[A/N] Since I didn't mention it before, Shelly belongs to InsomniousNights as well.
Not sure where it is I'm going with this, but let's hope it's someplace good!
Shelly didn't immediately respond. She watched them for a moment, and then said "Did you really think I wouldn't notice you were gone?"
"It's good for my ego," Michael replied with a big grin.
"Much as I like this little scene..." Jake interrupted.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Michael griped. "Are we good to go?" He looked at Tori quizzically.
"Yeah. I think this is fine," she said.
"Perfect," Michael said. "Let's get out of here." He started to run out of the room when Jake grabbed his arm and pulled him back in.
"Down, boy," he said. "Do we know the way outta here?"
Michael blinked. "Guess not," he said sheepishly.
"Then get your ass back in the room," Jake told him. "It'll be safer to plan something from in here than to just run around aimlessly."
"And I still want an explanation," Shelly added.
Jake jerked his head back toward her. "There. You can't go disappointing your lady friend now."
Michael grumbled a little, but settled down.
"I'll watch the door this time," Jake continued. He turned to Pip and Tori. "Maybe those terminals can tell us something about how to get outta here."
Pip nodded and walked back toward the pair of terminals. Jake took up position by the door, and Tori, Michael, and Shelly took their seats in the middle of the room.
"So how'd you know I was here?" Michael asked Shelly.
She shrugged. "You left this morning and didn't tell anyone. I followed you."
Michael bobbed his head a few times. "Fair enough," he said.
"So get me up to speed," Shelly said. "Why are we all in here?"
Tori and Michael got her caught up on everything that happened - his visit to the apartment, the decision to enter, and everything that had happened to them inside the facility.
Shelly nodded along the whole time. "Okay," she said when it was finished.
"That's all you have to say?" Tori asked incredulously. "'Okay?' That's it?"
"Shelly is a woman of few words," Michael told her. "I'm surprised you got that much out of her, to be honest."
Shelly didn't reply.
"Ooooo-kay!" Tori said. She got up and walked over to the terminals. "Any luck here, Pip?"
"A little," Pip mumbled. "I got a map of the place, but… well, see for yourself."
Tori, Michael, and Shelly all took a look at the map as Pip moved aside.
It was very complicated. The map was barely readable. There were hundreds of interconnecting tunnels in the area, and it looked more like a bowl of spaghetti than a map.
"I can't tell what's what from this," Michael said indignantly. "I can't read a word."
"You don't read Octarian," Tori told him. "Let's see…"
Pip pointed at a flashing dot on the screen. "Here's us," she said. "From here… the exit is right there." She pointed to another area.
"How can you tell?" Michael asked.
"Because this bit here says 'exit,'" Pip replied patiently.
Michael looked away sheepishly.
"That's halfway across the facility," Tori groaned. "More than halfway. How are we ever gonna get there?! There's no way we could remember all those twists and turns!"
"There's gotta be some way we can write it down or something…" Pip muttered.
They mulled that over for a while.
"Could we ink the walls?" Shelly thought out loud.
Everyone looked at her. "How do you mean?" Tori asked.
"Put a bit of ink on the walls when we reach a crossroad," she explained. "That way, we can tell where we've already been."
They mulled that over for a while.
"It could work," Tori said.
"Agreed," Michael agreed.
Pip nodded.
"Let's roll, then," Tori said, rubbing her hands together.
They started walking toward the door. Jake got up, and they filled him in as they left the room.
"A plan," he muttered. "I like plans."
"Coulda fooled me," Michael said under his breath. Jake shoved him lightly.
Shelly, who covered the group's rear, noticed this and smirked.
The group walked through the hallways for what seemed like an eternity. Michael and Jake left a blotch of ink on the walls every time they took a turn.
After they were walking for a while, Michael spoke up. "Where the hell is the exit?" he griped.
Jake shoved him again. "Jeez, dude, we're all in the same boat here. We got it, okay?"
"I'm just saying what everyone's thinking!" Michael shot back. "Do they need a base that's so damn huge?"
"Children," Tori called behind her. "Behave. Can we talk about something worthwhile?"
"I got something," Shelly said.
"Shoot."
"Where is everyone?"
Tori slowed a little at that. "You're right…" she muttered.
"We've been walking for a few hours," Shelly continued. "And there hasn't been a single guard."
"Maybe they're working on missions?" Pip supplied lamely.
"But they know we're here," Tori said. "Why wouldn't-"
"Shh," Michael said. "Do you hear that?"
"Dammit, Michael," Jake said. "I know you're bored, but-"
"I'm serious, asshole!" Michael hissed. "It's… a rumble or something."
Everyone stopped moving. "I don't hear anything," Jake said.
"No, he's right," Shelly said. It's coming from behind us."
Everyone looked back. There was nothing there.
Suddenly, a giant yellow ball covered in ink came into view. An Octotrooper sat underneath a glass dome inside it as the ball started rolling towards them.
"Th-That's an Octoballer!" Pip screamed.
"I don't care what it's called!" Michael yelled as he ran by. Everyone else followed him.
Tori chanced a look behind her. "It's gaining on us!"
They kept running from it. They soon came across a fork in the hallway.
"It can't turn!" Pip shouted. "We're close!"
The Octoballer was right on their heels. It was dangerously close to crushing them when they finally made it to the fork in the road.
The Octoballer slammed into the wall with a great deal of force. The noise was ear-splitting, and dust was shook from the ceiling.
Jake was thrown to the ground. When the noise died down and his ears stopped ringing, he got up and looked around.
Michael and Pip were lying in similar positions. From where he was standing, it looked like they were fine, but something was missing.
"Tori?" he called out frantically. "Tori?! Where are you?!"
"Jake?" He heard her voice call out faintly.
"Tori?" he shouted. "Where are you?"
"I'm over here!" she cried.
"Shelly?!" Michael yelled, startling Jake. "Shelly!"
"She's here too!" Tori said. "We're fine!"
"Hold on," Jake said, picking up his Hero Shot. "I'm coming!"
He shot the slight bit of ground in between the Octoballer and the wall, but the ink disappeared.
"What the hell?" he muttered. He tried to swim in the gap anyway, but he was pushed away by an unseen force. "I can't get through it."
"There's a force field," Pip said. "You won't be able to get close enough to get to the other side."
"Dammit!" Jake shouted. "Tori, can you get through here?"
There was silence for a moment. "I don't wanna leave Shelly alone over here," she replied. "And you guys need to keep Pip safe for me."
"...I got it," Michael said. "You guys keep going. We'll go this way and meet up again later."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jake said. "We can't just leave them there! If we both keep moving, it'll take forever to find them again!"
"And if we keep moving, we double our chances of finding the exit," Michael retorted. "We need to get going."
He gestured toward Pip, who was looking back and forth between the two nervously.
"See? You upset her," Michael said.
Jake glared at him. "Fine. Let's go." He left a blot of ink on the wall and started walking off.
On the other side, Tori listened to Jake stomping in the other direction and turned to Shelly. "Well, guess it's just us now."
Shelly nodded, and tossed a Burst Bomb at the wall in front of them. She threw a look back at Tori and cocked her head toward the hallway.
"Yeah," Tori said. "Let's go."
