Disclaimer: See previous chapters.
Pairings/Characters: Brittany/Santana, Quinn, Rachel, Artie Abrams, Mike Chang/Tina Cohen-Chang, a bunch of OC's, others mentioned.
Note: [4/18/2014] Minor tweaks.
Word Count: 6,548 ( 8 of 9 )
"What, exactly, do you want me to do," Artie asked, looking across his desk at Brittany and Rachel. Their requested meeting, on an early Monday morning in May had been a surprise. Sure, the month before, after being stonewalled in his efforts to film in the Yucatan for the pilot episode of his new Alien Invaders show, Brittany had said to keep in touch.
But he hadn't expected much to come from it. He might believe that the four women were the four missing teens from his past, but he couldn't use that without some seriously negative consequences to himself and his production company. So their appearance at his office, along with several armored figures, had been a surprise.
"We'd like to hire your production company," Rachel said.
"Why?" he asked. "You have all that alien tech. You probably have cameras so small that I can't see them, constantly recording everything. What do you need me for."
"Yes," Brittany said in agreement. "Everything we say, or do is recorded in real time. It's part of who we are, members of the Dragon Clan Council of Nine. But a historical record is just that. A record for our historians. It isn't something for other people to watch."
"It'd be a bit boring," Rachel said, nodding. "I once asked to see what Quinn sees when she's in the middle of a battle. Paint drying is more exciting. A presidential press conference set to elevator music is more exciting. A filmmaker such as yourself can add emotions and feelings to dry facts that a straight recording doesn't have."
"Okay," Artie said, leaning forward. "So, you haven't made me obsolete. What do you want me to do."
"How much do you really know about the Clan annexation of the Yucatan?" Brittany asked.
"Ignoring what I know of your past history, I know you appeared suddenly on the day of the predicted Mayan apocalypse and claimed almost the entire peninsula, saying it belonged to your clan. And you're turning it into a base for your activities in the area."
"Close," Rachel said. "First, understand that the Clans are similar to a semi-independent police force. The Pan Galactic Confederation have given the Clans some authority to intercede in local conflicts. What happened was that an earlier incarnation of the Dragon Clan came to this world several thousand years ago. Their plan was to set up a base to use while they policed this part of the Galaxy. Their base was in the Yucatan. Clear so far?"
"Yes," Artie said, wishing he could record this for his show.
"Something, we aren't sure yet what, happened to them. The Dragon Clan, as a viable policing organization, disappeared. All that appears to have survived were their Mayan descendants. Or so we thought."
"So, the Mayans really are descended from aliens?" Artie asked excitedly. He could do a whole show just on that idea.
"Yes," Rachel said.
"So, the Clans are aliens, the Mayans are descendants of this Dragon Clan, and aliens," Artie said. "What proof do you have?"
"Irrefutable proof," Brittany said. "There are certain genetic markers that our tech can identify, that current Earth tech can't, that we can use to identify Clan descendants."
"You said that you thought the only proof were the Mayan Clan descendants. What changed?"
"We've discovered several caches of old Clan tech in the Yucatan area," Brittany said. "Basically trash. Broken equipment. Old buildings. Nothing unexpected, until now."
"What'd you find?" Artie asked, leaning forward excitedly.
"We aren't sure yet," Rachel said. "What we've discovered is a large, shielded area off the coast, near Cancun."
"Where do I come in?" Artie asked.
"We thought you would like the opportunity to participate in the recovery of whatever is out there."
"Can't you just go and dig it up?"
"If it is what we think it is, we won't be able to hide our efforts to dig up what is there if we go after it. Anyone sitting on the beach is going to be able to watch us," Brittany said. "So, we want to make this official. You would film everything and at the end, have a documentary."
"Who would be part of it?"
"As the official Dragon Clan historian, I'm in charge," Rachel said. "Quinn will provide security, and Brittany's Shadows will provide logistics."
"And, if there's any Clan secrets that aren't appropriate for others to see, I'll be the censor," Brittany said.
"Censor?" Artie said. "I'm not sure I can work with that."
"If you don't want to be part of this, we can find someone else," Brittany said. "But that is non-negotiable."
"No, no," Artie said quickly, his short future in TV flashing quickly before his eyes if he turned down this chance. "We can work things out."
"Good," Rachel said.
"How do you plan to pay for this?" Artie said. "Even a basic production can be expensive."
"We've worked out a deal with your parent company," Brittany said. "You'll have a budget to cover staff and expenses but as long as you don't get too extravagant you'll be fully funded for the entire time."
"How'd you manage that?" Artie asked, giving them a skeptical look.
"We invested in them," Brittany said, "though they don't know that, so I wouldn't tell them."
"Oh, okay," Artie said, trying to absorb that information. "So, you basically will have editorial control, not censorship of content."
"Exactly," Brittany said, nodding in delight. "We'll provide housing in Cancun for you and your crew and any specialized equipment you may need."
"When do you want us down there?" he asked, mentally going through his crew list.
"Send us a list of the crew you absolutely need, and those who it would be nice to have so we can get them clearance for the job. We'll take care of travel arrangements but everyone should be ready to go by the end of the week," Brittany said. "Any of our old Gleeks you think would be useful are also welcome. We have no problems with nepotism."
"Tina Cho-Chang has done some camera work for me in the past, she has a reputation for working well under difficult conditions," Artie said. "The rest of the Gleeks? Possibly Matt Rutherford might be interested. The rest you've probably already talked with."
"Kurt, Puck, Finn and Mercedes don't seem to have skills that would be useful here," Brittany said. "And I've been unable to track down Michael Chang. He seems to have disappeared."
"He went underground," Artie said. "He joined the family business, investigators for one of the Tongs. He pops up occasionally. He's used us as a cover on more than one occasion."
"That's helpful," Brittany said. "If you have a way to get him a message, let him know I would like to talk with him, please."
"Okay," Artie said, nodding, not feeling it was necessary to tell her he'd already been contacted by Chang through Tina after returning from Cancun. "No guarantees."
"None expected," she said.
"Keep this on your person at all times," Brittany said, handing him a small, slim black object. "It'll block any electronic listening devices in your presence and provide access to our comm network. We'll get you something a little more permanent in Cancun."
"Sweet," he said, slipping it into his shirt pocket.
"We need to get going," Rachel said. "I look forward to seeing you at the end of the week."
"Ladies," Artie said. "A pleasure."
Watching them leave his office, he wondered what it would be like working in Cancun for an extended period of time. And maybe they would let him film enough extra footage to use for his pilot. But that could wait. First step was getting together his crew.
Picking up his phone, he dialed a rarely used number. "Tina? This is Artie. Several mutual friends have asked for my expertise on a documentary project. How would you and your elusive boyfriend like to join me in Cancun?"
Artie covered his ears to bloc the shriek of delight. Now he just needed a camera crew that wouldn't be intimidated by either the four women or their Amazon-like minions.
"So, that went well," Rachel said, as they strolled towards the gate.
"Yes," Brittany said. "There were several bugs in his office, and the public areas. We're tracking them down now. Several are obvious MiB standards and I suspect at least one was Tong. Plus the usual TLA equipment. We'll burn them as soon as they are identified."
"So, we'll hear from Mike Chang soon?"
"Right about… now," Brittany said, pulling out a slim phone, as it started to ring. "And a hello to you too, Mr Chang," she said, after pressing a few buttons on the phone. "Yes, plenty of room for you and your girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Rachel whispered. "He has a girlfriend? Who?"
"Just make sure your bosses know you're working with us and won't have time for any side trips until Artie is done with his project. And we won't allow any pilfering. If they expect access to our tech they'll have to come to an agreement with us. Which we can discuss at a later time. We'll see you in Cancun." Putting away her phone, she glanced over at Rachel. "Mike says Hi," she said.
"Girlfriend?" Rachel asked again.
"Tina," Brittany said.
"You knew all that already, didn't you," Rachel said.
"I do my homework," Brittany said. "Anyone we encountered in high school or anywhere in Lima? I have extensive files on them. Pick a name."
"Jacob Ben Israel?" Rachel said. "What happened to him?"
"Your stalker?" Brittany asked. Rachel nodded. "Working the night shift at the Doublemeat Palace, and going to the Lima OSU branch. After you disappeared he claimed aliens abducted us, loudly. And all those pictures he took of you and the rest of us? Gone. Forever."
"Do I want to know how you did that?" Rachel asked.
"It would be best not to know," Brittany said. "We're keeping an eye on him. He's tried to contact you several times since we appeared on Ellen to blackmail you."
"Ah," Rachel said. "Nasty little nerd grew up to be a nasty adult."
"Yes," Brittany said. "And our ride home," she said, waving at an empty section of parking lot outside Artie's office. "Come on, Santana promised me a massage when we got back."
"I want someone to give me a massage," Rachel said, pouting as she was pulled through the camouflage field and into the shuttle.
"You know my opinion on that," Brittany said, closing the hatch behind them.
"Yes, and it is so not happening," Rachel said, throwing herself onto the nearest acceleration chair. "Neither of us have those kinds of feelings for the other."
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Brittany asked. "Watching the two of you dancing around your feelings is getting old."
"Get used to it," Rachel said. "It would take a miracle."
"What about Shelby and Frannie? They are very close," Brittany asked as the shuttle effortlessly rose in the air.
"That makes things even weirder. That would make Quinn my aunt-in-law."
"You're Clan now. Complicated family relationships are normal. And, if you married Quinn, you'd be your mother's sister-in-law. Sort of."
"It'd be simpler to just not become entangled in that whole mess," Rachel said. "We don't have Clan cat ladies, do we?"
"We don't have cats," Brittany said. "You know that."
"What do we have?" Rachel asked. Pulling her tablet out of a pocket she started searching for the Clan equivalent to the 'cat lady'."
"That's your area, not mine," Brittany said.
"Not seeing anything," Rachel said, grumbling.
"Not every Earth saying or concept has a Clan equivalent," Brittany said. "Especially since the Dragon Clan started out as a matriarchy."
"Of course," Rachel said, agreeing with her. "I'm sure I'll find an equivalent expression to living alone at the end of a long lonely life."
"And then we'll squash that expression into the ground, because I won't allow you to be alone like that. If I have to lock you and Quinn up together in a closet, in a time warp, until the UST takes over."
"UST?" Rachel asked.
"Unrelieved Sexual Tension," Brittany said. "Some times it's so thick between the two of you that you could cut it with a knife."
"No!" Rachel blurted out, blushing a deep red.
"Oh yeah," Brittany said. "Just be glad I've got San wrapped around my finger or she would have locked the two of you up together in one of the low G practice rooms by now."
"Well, if she decides to do it, stop her!" Rachel said. "Quinn doesn't react well to interference in her personal life."
"She's aware of that. But sometimes she can't help herself," Brittany said. "So do something about this before she does."
"Okay, people, our transportation is supposed to be here now," Artie told his crew. Keeping in mind that their employers for this job, the Dragon Clan, would provide any needed junior personnel, in exchange for teaching them, in addition to Tina, he'd limited his crew to two camera operators, an editor, a sound editor, and assistant, all women, which had gotten him a number of odd looks when they'd met the day before in the production company conference room to deal with the paperwork.
"I don't see anything," Tina murmured, holding Mike's hand. Artie had hired him to provide protection for the crew, something he'd done before when traveling with Artie as a cover, though he didn't expect the cover to be needed in this situation.
There was a loud humming sound coming from the back corner of the parking lot. Seemingly out of thin air, two hard suit clad figures appeared, followed by Quinn Fabray in a dark blue, militaristic looking uniform.
"Artie, ladies," Quinn said, approaching them. "Let's get your equipment and personal possessions aboard. We have a very limited window before someone notices us."
"Hey Q," Artie said. "This is unexpected."
"Brittany had planned to be the one to pick you up," Quinn told him, in a low voice, "but something came up. The shuttle entrance is over there." She pointed towards a large clear area. "Between Jody and May."
"That's too bad," he said. "Okay, load everything up," he said to his crew. "That way."
"Hey Quinn," Tina said, stopping next to her. "Long time, no see."
"No more stutter?" Quinn asked.
"It served its purpose," Tina said. "No more HBIC?"
"Real power requires a different type of command," Quinn said. "They call me the Hand of the Dragon. When necessary, I lead over a thousand hard suited troopers like those two into battle," she pointed at Jody and May. "But they would not follow that teen that thought she was the hottest thing in a short skirt."
"But they follow you," Tina said.
"Yes," Quinn said. "As the Fleet follows Santana, they follow me."
"Santana?"
"Artie didn't explain, did he?" Quinn said.
"He just said he needed a cinematographer for a project in Cancun," Tina said. "Something about the aliens. He didn't say anything about who."
"But you already knew about Brittany and Rachel," Quinn said.
"Possibly," Tina said. "Mike may have mentioned a conversation with Brittany."
"We're all loaded," Artie said.
"Good, still inside our travel window," Quinn said. "Everyone aboard."
Artie and his crew cautiously entered the shuttle. Loading their equipment into the hold was decidedly different than going for a ride.
"Everyone take a seat," Quinn said. "I recommend hanging on."
"Put your seat belts on, put your trays in an upright position," a cheerful voice said from the front. "We've got a short launch window."
"Just go!" Quinn said. "We don't need a comedian."
"Yes, Lady Hand," the pilot said, grinning at their passengers. "Launching now."
With an almost imperceptible jolt, the shuttle moved into the sky.
"Ladies, Artie, Mike, next stop is our base at Chichen Itza," Quinn said. "From there we'll provide transport to your hotel. You'll have to excuse the rather dramatic departure. We didn't have time for you to take the standard mode of transportation you're familiar with."
"Artie? Introductions would be welcome," Quinn said, after they'd all settled in.
"Of course," he said. "You already know Mike Chang, our security consultant. Tina is our cinematographer. If it looks good, it will be due to her efforts."
"And if it looks bad, it will of course also be my fault," Tina said.
"Of course," Artie said, winking at her. "My two camera operators, Lynne and Red Angmar. Katie Jones, my favorite editor. June Wiltshire, sound editor, and my assistant Penelope Fisk."
"Penny, ma'am," she corrected.
"I see you've taken note of our Clan makeup by bringing a crew that will fit in," Quinn said.
"It was a suggestion made in several quarters," Artie said. "I would prefer we be as unobtrusive as possible while your people work."
"We're landed, Lady Hand," the pilot said.
"Welcome to the lands of the Dragon Clan," Quinn said to them. "Grab your equipment on your way out. We'll have a short meeting and then take you to your hotel." Stepping out of the shuttle, Quinn waited for them to join her before leading them to a conference room in the base spaceport.
"As Artie may have informed you," Quinn looked at him shaking his head, "or not. We've hired Artie Abrams Productions to document a project for us. As such, you are considered employees of the Clan while you are here. Our rules are few, but we believe them to be just. The information packets you received cover most things. Make sure you read the entire contents.
You aren't a bunch of men, at least most of you, so you should fit right in. All Clan are women at this point in time, so it should be easy to identify us.
Different color uniforms are worn by different Clanswomen. My uniform color is that of the Clan Hand, or what you might call mobile infantry. Anyone wearing the hard suits you see there," she pointed at Jody and May, "work for me. My personal team, Gold Team, can be identified by this symbol." She pointed at a small gold, faintly Chinese, dragon. "They will be participating in this project. Some may also be providing security. Fleet personnel will also be participating. Their uniforms are similar to mine but in red."
"Will we have time to explore?" Red asked.
"That's up to Artie," Quinn said. "We won't interfere with how he manages his crew, all of you."
"Same as always," Artie said. "We'll discuss work plans later, since I'm sure Lady Q has other places to be."
"That was an interesting trip," Tina said, collapsing onto their bed. "Can you believe that the 'Unholy Trinity' are now in charge of an alien invasion force?"
"You know I can't reveal what I've been told, but word on the street is that they are building a peacekeeping force," Mike said, lying down next to her. "Though what they plan to protect the Earth from hasn't been revealed."
"And Artie is doing a documentary of some special project of theirs," Tina said. "Though he hasn't really explained in any detail yet. Hopefully tomorrow."
Artie looked at his crew, eating breakfast in the private room they had been given for their use in their hotel. They'd all seemed to react well to the trip to Cancun. How they would react to the project remained to be seen.
"Okay, finish up," he said. "We're expecting a guest, and then we'll get started."
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I," a soft, musical voice said, causing everyone to turn towards the door. A short woman, dressed in a colorful cape, stood just inside the door, flanked by two tall figures in the now recognizable hard suits of the Dragon Clan.
"Rachel, and friends, come in!" Artie said, rolling back from the table to greet her. He'd realised after their last encounter that he'd really missed her, more than he'd consciously thought. Her absence from McKinley had left a hole in the small high school world he and others had briefly inhabited. "Would you like some coffee?"
"No, I find that excess caffeine can lead to over excitability, leading to things that should not be said. But some of that orange juice would be welcome."
"Of course," he said, nodding at his assistant to get her some juice. "What can we do for you?"
"Quinn was exceedingly brief yesterday, when she welcomed you all to our little domain," Rachel said. "Before you get started, I'd like to increase your knowledge of the task you are all about to undertake." Slipping out her tablet, she laid it on the table in front of her. "Side issue," she said. "Mike and Tina, if I could speak with both of you afterward, it would be appreciated."
"Certainly, Rachel," Tina said, speaking for both of them after Mike squeezed her leg under the table.
"Artie has some idea why we hired his company, and all of you, for this project. We being the Council of Nine of the Dragon Clan of the Pan-Galactic Confederation. For those of you who don't know, the Council of Nine is our ruling body. There are currently four members - myself; Lady Quinn, whom you met last night; Lady Air the head of our space Fleet, whom you may here some of us refer to as Santana, though only family and friends are free to do so; Lady Shadow, whose position encompasses so much that we would be here all day to explain it. As others have said, Lady Shadow sees all, and knows all. She most likely knows more about each of you than your own family. If you have skeletons, she knows where they are buried or what closets they are in. It is possible you may encounter her during this project. Those of you wielding cameras will be asked to not film her.
As for myself, I go by many names and titles but I am the Memory of the Clan. The closest description of my position to something you would be familiar with is that of your medieval Irish bard. At assorted times I may be an ambassador, entertainer, historian, or speaker. For this project, I am project manager. The two young ladies you see here are for my protection. As much as I don't need them, others insist," she said, shrugging.
"As for the nature of this project, we have discovered what we believe to be historical artifacts of our Clan. You will be documenting the recovery of these artifacts. When we are done, we expect two things. All footage will be entered into our historical record. You will also take the footage and do what you do best, create a documentary suitable for viewing by a global audience that gives viewers some view, some indication of who we, the Dragon Clan, are and where we come from. Preferably in a positive or neutral fashion, of course.
Now, we don't know exactly what we will find, but off the beaches of Cancun is an area that our sensors indicate contains artifacts from the Clan's first residence on this planet. Troopers from Lady Quinn's teams and Fleet personnel will be assisting us but you must be aware that their primary purpose is the safety of all involved. They are not prone to request arbitrary actions. Any questions?"
"The documents we signed all mentioned some 'educational' component, but there has been no explanation given," Penny asked.
"It's fairly simple," Rachel said. "Several of you will be provided with assistants who will learn all they can about your craft during filming. This is not because we wish to start our own production company. It would be easier to buy one. Or to replace you. Although we have a number of people proficient with sound and audio recording equipment, they have no experience turning a dry record of an event into something people would actually want to see. And, unfortunately, we need these skills to 'humanize' events in places where you cannot travel to."
"Okay," Penny said. "So, part of this project is to teach people to see the art in what we do?"
"Correct," Rachel said. "Although I believe that being an artist is not something that can be taught, I do believe that talented people can produce art if exposed to it. Any other questions?"
"If we're considered employees, do we get our own special uniforms?" Penny asked.
"Do you really want them?" Rachel said. "My people do not usually wear uniforms other than a basic ship suit."
"Would it be easier for us to blend in?" Artie asked.
"Well, given that we have no men in Clan colors, you and Mike won't blend in anyway. But we can arrange something."
"Great. Well, we need to go through our equipment, and then Tina, Red, Lynne, Penny, and myself would like to visit the site."
"We've provided you with several vehicles. The keys are at the front desk. The site is currently inaccessible right now, under fifty feet of sea water. We should be ready to allow entrance some time tomorrow."
"Good enough," Artie said. "We can use the time to familiarize ourselves with the area."
Quinn stared down at the shield below her, wondering how anyone could have missed it in the past ten centuries. At low tide, the surface of the water was barely ten feet above it. Based on her experience with the shield on the Men In Black's island, her hard suit should be able to penetrate it, though the interaction with the surrounding salt water was a serious concern. "Ready ladies?" she asked her team. "If at all possible, we want this intact."
Stepping to the edge of the hovering platform, Quinn and her team dropped towards the shield. Passing through it with only a slight shudder, she found herself several hundred feet above an expanse of sand, her suits' decelerators automatically kicking in. Spread out for several thousand feet were several ancient looking Clan space ships. A cruiser, as they'd expected, but also several shuttles, of the heavily armoured type used to transport important Clan leaders.
Halfway down, she could see several large collections of prone figures spread out on the sand. According to her sensors, which detected Clan ID bio chips, they were Clan. Her sensors were picking up additional ID's from the cruiser and one of the shuttles. "Artie? Can you identify these ID's?" She signaled her team to maintain their position, hovering above the sand.
"Yes, Lady Quinn," Artie said. A map appeared within her view screen. As she watched, numbers that resembled old style ID numbers began to populate the screen, following by names and Clan ranking and bio readings. "Eight of the last known Council of Nine appear to be present," Artie said.
"Who's missing?" Quinn asked.
"The Mother," Artie said.
"Mother?"
"The Head of the Council," Artie said. "Her role was to ensure that the Clan survived. That nothing the other Nine did endangered the survival of the Clan."
"So, very important person," Quinn said. "And she's not here."
"She's not one of the expired Clan here," Artie said. "It is possible she is in a location shielded from your suit sensors."
"Can we use your sensors or the flagship to find her?"
"My sensors cannot reach down into this shielded area," Artie said. "I am already using the sensor arrays on the flagship to reach you and provide assistance. Your suit sensors are much more accurate in this situation."
"Okay, any suggestions?"
"Continue with the initial phase, and turn over the site to the Memory and her researchers. They are better equipped for the next phase."
"Okay," Quinn said. "And what did you want to do with the suit sensors?"
"They can be combined to get a much more detailed view of the site."
"Danger level?"
"Seven," Artie said. "While the scan is going on you will not be able to detect any incoming attacks."
"That could be a problem," Quinn said. "So, scan and be defenseless or find a way to go around this."
"I believe that there are more than sufficient suit sensors available," Artie said. "I will leave yours out of the loop this time."
"Let everyone know and then go for it," Quinn said. "My team, my risk."
After a long break in time, Artie returned control to the individual suits. "Scanning complete,"
"And?" Quinn said from the ground, her team having completed the drop while Artie digested the scan.
"There appear to be several active life signs. One in the cruiser, and one in this shuttle," Artie said, two red circles appearing, hovering above two map coordinates.
"How is that possible?" Quinn said.
"This style of shuttle could be converted into a stasis system," Artie said. "It was rarely done, due to the risk to the occupants. The cruiser contains several stasis units in its infirmary."
"Were you able to detect an ID from either life sign?" Quinn asked.
"No," Artie said.
"Okay," Quinn said. Switching over to her team comm channel, she addressed them. "Ladies we need to determine if automated defenses have been activated before we allow the Memory, her crew, and the doc crew down here. Whist, Pip, Squeak? You have the shuttles. Pin? You and Bobbi are with me. We'll check the cruiser."
"Boss?"
"Yes, Bobbi," Quinn said.
"We aren't the first to find this," she said. "Look over there." Bobbi pointed at several mummies wearing the pseudo uniform of the Men In Black near the cruiser.
"Doesn't look like this agreed with them," Quinn said. "Okay ladies, it looks like there's a defense system still running. Please be careful clearing the area."A flurry of 'Yes Boss's were sent her way.
"Lady Quinn, I have been able to access the cruiser log. It appears to be a part of the original Clan fleet but there is no indication of who might be in stasis."
"What about the shuttles? They're standard Clan fleet design," Quinn said. "They must belong to a ship."
"One of them does belong to the cruiser," Artie said. "The other one containing the life sign is running in stasis mode. Its' ID is not in my records but is recognizably Clan."
"Okay, more mystery, and the only log is for the cruiser," Quinn muttered, heading for the cruiser. "Are we ready to enter?" she asked, standing in front of the main air lock.
"In a moment," Artie said. "Disabling internal defenses now."
Quinn reached over and entered the standard emergency access code into the air lock control. Warning Bobbi and Pin to double their shields, something they could do for several minutes before it affected their suit's power systems, she keyed in the open sequence. There was a slight hiss as the door slid open, revealing a dark air lock.
Manually triggering her night vision, Quinn entered the air lock, closely followed by Bobbi. Pin waited for a slow hundred count before following them.
"Need some lights," Bobbi murmured across their combat channel. "Barely enough ambient to enable our night vision," she added.
"Command center or infirmary?" Pin asked, when they came to a crossing path.
"Infirmary," Quinn said. "I want to check the ship's log but I can read that later. Let's find out who managed to get stuck in stasis while everything died around them."
"Got it Boss," Bobbi said. "That way, follow the red strip on the wall, it'll lead us right to it."
Although the only life sign was coming from something in stasis, they cautiously entered the infirmary. Early stasis pods had been known to be configured with active self defense systems.
In a classic maneuver, Bobbi went through the door to the right, Pin to the left. This left Quinn to take the center.
As they entered, there were several bright flashes of light, and Quinn's armor registered several kinetic hits, though no damage registered on her suits systems. "Minor hit, no damage," Quinn reported. "Anyone else get too close to whatever has the kinetic weapon?" she asked.
"No, you're just lucky that way, Boss," Pin said. "I've found the light control."
"And?" Quinn said. "What are you waiting for?"
"Just checking to make sure we have enough power for them and the stasis chamber," Pin said. "Lights on, now."
"That doesn't look like an old Clan stasis chamber," Quinn said, stepping closer.
"Boss! Wait until we disable its defence systems," Bobbi said, when the kinetic weapon revealed itself again by shooting a dozen rounds in Quinn's direction, all of them missing now that her hard suit recognized them for what they were.
"Master Tech Jantel says it's a modified Red Pirate stasis box," Pin said. "She's never seen one anywhere except in a museum history vid."
"Pirates?" Quinn muttered. "Can we find out who's in there without cracking it open?"
"Checking now," Pin said. "It says 'Crimson del Ho' or at least it would if it was written in a language that wasn't all consonants."
"Artie? Can you find out who Crimson del Ho is? Do we release them? Leave them here until we know what to do with them? Hand them off to Brittany?"
"Unknown," Artie said. "Crimson del Ho is not in my data banks for that time period. Recommendation is to not open it."
"Got it," Pin said. "Old Tiger Clan battle story. They encountered a fleet of pirates with that name. Their last known attack was several centuries after the Clan base facilities here were built."
"Which makes no sense," Quinn muttered. "Unless they were behind the disappearance of the original Council of Nine."
"If you say so, Boss," Bobbi said.
"I believe a second opinion is in order," Quinn said. "Don't go anywhere. And kill that pod's defense system." Shaking her head, Quinn headed towards the airlock. "Rachel?" she sent down the Council of Nine comm channel.
"Yes?"
"I believe we've found something interesting that you should see. Bring Brittany with you if you see her, she's not answering her comm."
"She's out on an op," Rachel said, after a brief pause. "Santana says she can come instead."
"Good," Quinn said, closing the channel.
"So, where's your tame documentary crew?" Santana asked, poking her head into Rachel's private studio in Chichen Itza. "Shouldn't you be with them?"
"They hired a native guide and are exploring the area before we open the site," Rachel said, "since we can't let them near it until Quinn has declared it safe."
"And, let me guess, she's taking her time, since she doesn't consider it a priority," Santana said. "And she want you to be safe.
"That would be an accurate assessment of the situation," Rachel said, sighing. "Have you been talking to Brittany about this?"
"I don't need to," Santana said. "Q and I go way back. Reading her mind is something I don't need help with. Just a sec."
Rachel grimaced. She didn't see any need to involved the others in one of Quinn's paranoia drenched scenarios.
"Rachel, you need to come see this," Quinn's voice over their private channel interrupted her thoughts. "If you see Brittany, ask her to join us. She's not answering her comm."
"Santana? Have you seen Brittany?" Rachel asked as soon as her comm cleared. "Quinn wants her to go down to the site with me."
"She's busy with an op," Santana said. "She's under radio silence. But I can be a reasonable facsimile and tell her later."
"Okay," Rachel said, relaying the message to Quinn. "I have no idea what Quinn has found but we should go now."
"Heading out now," Santana said, offering Rachel a hand up. "Did she say where at the site?"
"No," Rachel muttered.
"This is an amazing place," Rachel said, sliding off of the scooter Santana had flown them down on. "How big is it?"
"Three times the size of Cowboy stadium in Dallas," Quinn said.
"I'm not sure how big that is, but I'll assume it's something really large on the inside," Rachel said. "So, what are we here to see, before we let the film crew in?"
"We found a large number of really old mummies," Bobbi told her. "Most have been identified from old Clan records. The rest appear to be Men In Black, not so old."
"Okay, though ewe," Rachel said. "I'm assuming you need to know the proper procedures to use with retrieving them?"
"Yes," Quinn said, "though there is no rush, since they aren't going anywhere. You'll get to do the whole fancy funeral thing you've been looking into. Eight of them are the missing Lost Clan Council of Nine."
"Probably need to deal with them first," Rachel said. "But you said eight. Who's missing?"
"Mother," Quinn said.
"Mother? That's not good," Rachel said. "Mother is the heart of the Clan. Have you searched all of these vehicles for her?"
"Yes," Quinn told her. "She's not here. We have identified several life signs."
"People are still alive down here?" Rachel said.
"That's a surprise," Santana said. "Who are they?"
"There is what appears to be a pirate in a stasis pod in the infirmary. Artie's records don't include any info on that pirate tribe, so we can't confirm what the stasis pod inventory says. But the pod had an active defense system, so it is likely someone important."
"And the other 'several'?" Santana asked, while Rachel listened wide-eyed.
"One of the shuttles is running in stasis mode," Quinn said. "We've never run into one like that, so we'll need help opening it."
"When can we let Artie and his crew down here?" Rachel asked.
"I can't say," Quinn told her. "We have a potentially dangerous person on the cruiser and who knows what on that shuttle. We'll have to move the shuttle and stasis pod to a safe location first."
"You can do that?" Rachel asked. "Can we have them film that process?"
"Sure. I guess. There weren't any signs of biological hazards here and we've set up an air cleaner. We'll take the pod and shuttle off-planet just in case and use the time loops to make sure nothing dangerous gets out."
"Okay, I've contacted my salvage crew," Santana said, rejoining the conversation. "We should be able to move on that in a couple hours. That'll give the TV geeks time to set up. And we really need a better way in and out of this," she said, waving at the shield overhead. "Getting down here would have been extremely awkward if Shorty and I weren't such close friends. Though I think we're a bit closer than before."
"We should have Brittany take a look at that pod before we move it," Quinn said. "How long before she can come down here?"
"Tomorrow morning," Santana said. "She's off doing something with Coach. We can move that shuttle out of here first after the cameras are set up. Let them take lots of video."
"Okay," Quinn said. "You alright Rachel?"
"There was a reason why we don't have a Mother on this job," Rachel said, chewing her lip worriedly. "Hopefully that isn't her in stasis."