Operation - Chapter 12
Chapter 12
“You know,” Nova said as he fixed his eyes on the distant sight of the ERS Eastern headquarters, “I’ve seen that thing a couple of dozen times in my life, and I still can’t help but feel that it’s an accident waiting to happen.”
“I took the tour once,” Hunter said as he stepped up beside him, looking through the viewport as their destination drew closer.
“They give tours?” Nova asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” Hunter said with a sheepish grin. “The place is touted as the ‘future of Equestrian architecture.’ I went on one with a date. It’s a pretty impressive structure on the inside. Lots of open space. Glass everywhere.” The pegasus gave his head a little shake. “Kind of made me feel like I was in a giant fishbowl.”
“Huh,” Nova said, drawing his eyes back towards the glassy structure glistening in the distance, its reflective surface shining with the golden light of the setting sun. “So is the building really held up by those cables?” He couldn’t make them out yet, but he knew they were there: the six massive steel cables that ran from the support arms to the base of the building, keeping the building’s own weight from crushing the lower levels.
“Yeah, it is,” Hunter said with a nod. “They took us down to see the counterweight underneath in the basement levels. This huge hunk of bedrock rock at the very bottom of their research labs that all the cables connect to.”
“Bleh,” Nova said with a slight grimace. “Doesn’t sound that safe. There have to be some other supports.” The building in question was drawing closer now, close enough that he could just make out the long, extended shape of the support arms, stretched around the base of the structure like the arms of a starfish. It was from their tips that the cables he couldn’t quite yet see were stretching out to the base of the buildings upper half.
“Well, it’s not completely unconnected,” Hunter said. “There are four steel support beams that the stairways are connected to that keep the upper half of the building from swaying or bouncing, but they aren’t enough to keep the building up there.” Nova looked at him for a moment before turning and looking back out the port.
“It still sounds like a complete hazard,” he said, watching as the structure grew closer and closer. The distinctive shape of the building's upper half was becoming clear now, a cylinder of glass and steel with a smaller, thinner cylinder on top. Nova gave his head another shake as the distinctive gap between the base of the structure and its upper half came into view, a two story space filled only by the four, glass-encased spiral stairways that led to the upper half.
“Well, it’s stood for eighteen years now,” Hunter said. “It hasn’t fallen yet.” The pegasus frowned as he looked out the port. “I just hope they’re here.”
“Where else would they go?” Sabra asked from the other side of the airship. Nova’s eyes widened as the zebra spoke up.
“Dang,” he said, turning towards him. “I keep forgetting how good you can hear.”
“Samahani,” Sabra said, giving him a slight nod of the head. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“Naw, it’s fine,” Nova said. “It wasn’t exactly a private conversation.”
“I wish it was,” Dawn said from the back of the aircraft. “Some of us are trying to concentrate.” Nova rolled his eyes.
“Anyway Sabra,” Hunter said, stepping away from the viewport. “There are a lot of places that they could go. Technically, they’re rich. They have the money. As long as they can keep ahead of any pursuit long enough, they’ll vanish.”
Nova nodded. “But just because they can doesn’t mean they will, especially with Radiant looking as—” He paused as he thought back on the mare's outburst at the Royal Court only eight hours earlier. “Well, as odd as she was.”
“In addition,” Dawn said from the back of the compartment, “The teleport spell that was in that crystal was identified by the Princesses as a fixed, pre-constructed teleport. It had to take them to a preset location.”
“And where more likely than their own building,” Sabra said with a nod. “I see.”
“Exactly,” Dawn said with her own nod as she turned towards Nova. “Nova, how is your horn feeling?”
“It was still tingling about an hour ago, but it feels fine now,” he said. The floor—no, deck, he reminded himself—tilted underhoof, and he leaned to one side as the airship began a long turn.
“Good,” Dawn said, rising from the deck. “It will take some practice for—”
“I know,” Nova said, waving a hoof to cut the mare off. “You explained it twice already, I got it. It’s like lung endurance. The capacity is there but the body is lazy.”
Dawn frowned, her lips pursed together. For a moment she looked as if she was going to reprimand him, her mouth opening, but then she shut it again. “Very well,” she muttered as she walked past him. “Just don’t overdo it.”
Nova felt the airship tilt again under his hooves and his body once again became light. “Feels like we’re getting closer,” he said, trotting back towards the viewport.
“So do they call it anything?” he called over his shoulder as the massive structure grew larger and larger. He could see the cables now, thick steel ropes radiating outward from the center. In the fading sunlight, it looked less like a starfish now. More like a spiderweb.
“Call what anything?” Hunter asked.
“The headquarters,” Nova said. “They can’t just call it the ERS R&D Eastern Headquarters building.”
“Oh, that, right.” Hunter let out a small laugh. “Yeah, they call it the Chandelier.”
“Huh,” Nova said, tilting his head to one side and looking at it. “I guess that makes sense.”
“What would you call it?” Hunter asked, stepping up alongside him once more. The airship was even lower now, and Nova could make out the railway lines leading into the building’s side, see the last rays of sunlight shining off of the well-used metal. There were even a few rail cars sitting in the yard out front.
“Maybe the starfish,” Nova said, watching the structure grow closer and closer. The sun was almost down now, faintly visible as the airship continued to change directions. “But right now, with it getting dark and all, I’m thinking spiderweb.”
“Thank you,” Dawn said from the other side of the compartment, her voice dry, “for that cheery suggestion.”
The door to the cockpit slid open and Steel stepped out, it behind him with one hoof. “Alright everypony,” he said, his voice carrying across the airship compartment. “We’ll be on the ground in less than twenty minutes, so everyone make sure that you have all the gear you need.” The captain trotted forward as the airship gave a little rumble underhoof, shaking for a moment and then steadying. “We’re going to be landing about a quarter of a mile from the target structure ...” He paused for a moment. “Hunter, what are we calling that building anyway?”
Hunter winked at Nova. “Spiderweb, boss,” he said with a grin.
Captain Song raised an eyebrow. “Alright,” he said after a moment. “It’s appropriate enough I guess. Now, as soon as we’re on the ground we’re going to make for the Spiderweb, full run. No dallying.” The airship gave another lurch underneath them, and Nova widened his stance. “If there’s already a Guard force on the ground—and there might be—we’ll meet with them. If not, we’ll see if anypony is in the building and initiate an evacuation. The last thing we want is anypony getting caught in a potential crossfire. Any questions?” The airship gave another sickening lurch, and Nova’s stomach began to answer with a lurch of its own.
“How large is the bu—Spiderweb? What is the interior like?” Sabra asked.
“I can answer that,” Hunter said, looking towards Captain Song, who gave him a quick nod. “The top half of the building is comprised of offices and is ten stories from top to bottom. Unlike most buildings, it's very open. Most of the offices have glass walls, and there’s a central atrium on the lower levels. The top portion—that’s the smaller bit—is reserved for only the highest offices, and it’s another three stories. Lots of visibility with the glass.”
“The lower portion of the building,” he said, continuing, “is mostly underground and made up of the R&D labs and just general storage, or at least that’s what it looked like when I took the tour. There’s the top floor, which is the one floor above ground, and mainly just a visiting center with some offices and I’d guess some storage or access elevators for the lower levels. Under that, about ten levels of R&D labs. Not very large, most of it’s just storage space or building space from what I remember. Then there’s the big bedrock counterweight in the middle at the bottom of the last floor, and that’s it.” The airship began to lurch again, and Nova could feel his insides shifting.
“Did it have an open shaft? Anything like the atrium on the top half?” Captain Song asked.
Hunter shook his head. “No, unless you count the big room they had the counterweight in, but it’s closed off. You can look at it from the other levels, but not access it. I say it’s about ten stories down, but that counterweight room is about five, six stories tall. So … four, maybe five stories and then you’d see the counterweight.”
“Well, hopefully we don’t have to go down—are you alright Nova?” the Captain asked, giving him a strange look. “You look a little green.” The airship gave another lurch, followed by a rapid drop before settling out.
“I—” Nova said, cutting off as something in his stomach gave a little twist, and he threw a hoof over his mouth, bolting for the nearby bathroom.
“Oh,” he heard Steel say over the sound of his own retching. “Yeah, I see.” Nova let his hindquarters drop to the floor as he finished, looking down at what was left of his lunch of fruit bars. At least none it had splashed on his armor.
“I hope you get used to this,” Steel said as the ship gave another lurch, first up and then down. “Because we’ll be traveling like this a lot more from now on.” Nova let out a moan and leaned back over the bowl as the rest of lunch decided to make an appearance.
* * *
“Hold up,” Nova said, popping out of the brush as the team approached the wall around the facility. Hunter held up his hoof, the team coming to a stop behind him. They could see the Spiderweb through the trees now, brilliant lights all around its base shining up on the glass sides of the building.
“Any guards?” Hunter asked, and Nova shook his head.
“No, in fact, I went around the whole facility wall and didn’t see a single pony. It’s downright creepy,” Nova said, sitting back on his haunches.
“No security at all? No watch ponies?” Hunter asked. “Could they just be hiding?”
Nova shook his head. “Not from me. They’d have to be really, really good to hide from me, remember? Trust me, no security is that good. No, I didn’t find anypony.”
“What about inside?” Steel asked, and Nova shook his head again.
“I didn’t get a very good look. All the inside lights are out save the very top floor, so I couldn’t make out much.” Nova grabbed a water bottle from the saddlebags hanging over his back and took a quick sip. “Nothing but shadows with all those lights everywhere. There could be a whole battalion of golems in there and we wouldn’t know until we were really close.”
“Alright,” Steel said, letting out a sigh. “What about an entrance point?”
“Ah, that?” Nova said with a grin. “I think I might have you covered. The back wall of the building isn’t as well maintained as the front side, and the forest stretches right up to it. From there it’s about fifteen feet to the backside of the building. It’s the backside, so there aren’t any windows on the ground floor, and I spotted a few service entrances. They’re probably locked,” he said, flashing the team a grin as he flipped something out from his saddlebags. “But, I’ve got my picks.” He gave the small case a flip in his hooves.
“Any other possible entrances?” Hunter asked, looking up at the structure. Between the lights from below and the full moon, it almost looked like something out of one of the stories he’d heard as a young colt, a fortress of evil. Then again, Mint and Radiant were probably in there with who knew what waiting for them. Maybe it was.
Nova shook his head. “Not that I’d try. There’s a light out on the Southeast side, but it looks just a little too convenient. If I were watching for intruders, I’d have somepony keeping an eye on that spot.”
“Alright,” Steel said, giving the unicorn a grin. “If the top floor is lit, then that’s where we’re going. Lead us to the back.”
“Bingo,” Nova said in a low voice, feeling the faint shift in the magic that told him he’d been right. He let go of his magic, the faint blue glow from his horn and the lines on his suit vanishing.
“What was it?” Sky Bolt asked as he pointed his horn at the lock, foregoing his picks in favor of a more direct method.
“The door had a trap on it,” he explained as he felt the tumblers click. “Several of them, in fact. Open that door without a corresponding key, or force it open and ‘pop.’” He clicked his tongue against his teeth for emphasis. “A stun lock spell goes off, hits the area, and sounds an alarm.” There was a faint click as the lock gave way, and the door cracked open. Nova let a grin slide onto his face as he pulled the door open, checking for any signs of abnormal magic concentrations ahead of him. I’ve still got it.
“Out of the ordinary?” Hunter asked as they stepped into a dark room, Nova giving his horn a faint glow and trying to remember the spell that let him see in the dark. From the look of things, they were in a service entrance. Boxes were scattered across the floor, some of them open. Nova trotted up to one and took a quick look inside.
“No, not really,” Nova said, looking from the box to the shelves on the wall. Office supplies. Ok. “Pretty standard.” The rest of the team filed into the room, the only sound the occasional rasp as a piece of crystal armor slid against another.
“Alright,” Nova said, looking back at the team. “Nothing that I can pick up in here.”
“Is it going to be this dark the whole way in?”Sky Bolt whispered as the door shut behind them with a soft click, all light fading save the soft blue glow of Nova’s horn. “I can barely see anything.”
“As open as this building is, we should be alright once we’re inside,” Hunter said from the left of Nova. “It’s a bright moon tonight. We just need to get further in. Nova?”
“On it,” Nova said, moving across the supply room towards one of the far doors. It was … exhilarating to be sneaking around someplace again. He’d almost forgotten the rush he got sneaking into someplace new. Behind him the team had gone silent. It would be strictly hoof signals from now on. No speaking unless absolutely necessary.
The far door opened easily, not even a faint squeak from its hinges giving him away as he stepped out into a long, wide hallway. Moonlight cascaded across the bare tiles, falling from interspaced windows set in the roof, and he instinctively slid towards the far side of the hall, away from the shafts of light. The hallway was lined with doors, most of them closed, but a few left open.
He crept down the hallway and peered into one of them. It was a kitchen, knives sitting on cutting boards, blades glinting in the moonlight as he moved past the open doorway. Heads of lettuce sat wilting nearby, and there were even pans and pots on the stove, vegetables wilted or browned as if they’d been sitting there for some time.
Hopefully that just means that everypony left in a hurry for something ordinary, Nova thought as he moved on, and not some disaster. He had a brief mental image of golems attacking the ponies who might have worked in the building, and frowned. Then again, I don’t see any signs of panic. He moved down the hall, towards a large set of closed double-doors at the end.
A quick look behind him as he approached the door showed the rest of the team making their way down the hallway, following his lead and sticking to the walls. They were doing their best to be quiet, and by the standards of any of the security guards he’d ever snuck past, or even Night Guard, they were doing great. His ears could still make out the occasional soft tap of a hoof touching the floor, mostly coming from either Steel or Sky Bolt, neither of whom seemed quite as stealthy as the rest of the team.
Still, they’re a lot better than any of those ‘sneaks’ on the Night Guard were, he thought with a smirk. He set a hoof on one of the double doors, running his eyes around the frame to check for anything out of the ordinary. Satisfied that there weren’t any surprise locks or security measures, he eased the door open with one hoof, pushing it forward. Faint moonlight came through the crack as it grew wider, and Nova crouched, putting one eye up against the small opening.
The light in the next room was bright enough that he could make out what looked like massive atrium, its white floor glowing a faint pearlescent blue under the light of the full moon. His view, low as it was, was partially blocked by a reception area, so he slowly moved up, putting one hoof on the door’s handle to lift himself. Satisfied that the room was clear, he eased the door open far enough that he could slip his head through it, sticking it out just enough that he could get a better look at everything.
It was an atrium, and a very large, luxurious one at that. The floor looked to be marble, and couches and business chairs ringed the side walls, set into their own little alcoves. Stairs at both the front and the back of the room led up to balcony overlooks on both sides of the room, and from what he could see of the upper half of the building hanging above them, those balconies led to the connecting stairways as well. Light from the magilights outside mixed with the moonlight from the horizon, bathing portions of the room in heavy shadow.
Nova took a few hesitant steps into the room, eyes searching for any sign of movement. Nothing. Even the potted plants spread along the walls in between paintings and reflective metal award plaques were still. He took another few steps forward, peering over the low, varnished, wooden wall of the reception desk. The first desk he saw was somewhat messy and scattered, papers strewn about, pencils lying askew as if dropped where they had been being used, but the chairs were pushed in, and the drawers were shut.
An orderly evacuation maybe, Nova thought as his eyes ran over the scene. Not enough time to put everything back where it belongs. His eyes swept over an open file on a desk that clearly belonged in a nearby filing cabinet. But enough time to push chairs in, no signs of any sort of alarm or struggle. I wonder how they pulled that off? He frowned, but only for a moment. At least they didn’t turn golems on their own employees.
He backed up until he was partially through the door again, keeping his eyes on the atrium at all times. He made two rapid motions with his hoof, first waving his hoof towards himself—move up—and then swiping it back and forth across his throat—no noise.
The rest of the team coming behind him he moved right, making for the balcony on the side of the room as he slid along the wall, pausing as he reached the base of the stairs and checking for any signs of magic in the area that could indicate a security spell. He almost never found anything except at doorways, and even now he could sense the brilliant pulse of magic by the glass doors of the entryway. That indicated a fairly high level security spell in that direction, but they didn’t need to go that way. He kept his attention up regardless. He’d been known to lay a few traps on stairs, it made sense that eventually he’d find a security guard with the same idea.
A quick sweep showed nothing out of the ordinary, so he moved forward. I really need to thank Sky Bolt for making this armor so quiet, he thought, feeling the steps against his hooves through the thin, rubbery material of the suit. The Royal and Night Guard can’t sneak to save their lives thanks to those armored horseshoes they wear, but this armor ... His eyes darted down to the crystal covering that stopped just an inch short of the end of his hoof. Just as good as those horseshoes, and with no loss of dexterity.
The rest of the group came up the stairs behind him, their hoof falls almost as silent as his own. In front of them was the entrance to one of the four spiral staircases. Nova lit his horn for a bare second, the dim blue light glimmering as he checked for security spells. There were none, and he shook his head. As little crime as there is in Equestria, these guys really aren’t trying much. Then again, he’d never had a reason to break into a railway headquarters before. Who else would?
Nova pointed at the staircase with one hoof, signaling towards the Captain. Stairway clear.
Scout ahead, use caution, Steel signaled back. Then he motioned towards Sabra. Stick together, you, Sabra. You lead, Sabra assists trouble.
Trouble? Nova signaled back as Sabra moved forward, the armored Zebra moving as silently as he had. Cause?
Unknown threat, the Captain motioned, and Nova nodded. Just be on the lookout. He turned back towards the spiral staircase, taking his first few steps up it. The staircase was even better lit than the atrium. Between the moon still sitting low on the horizon and the ground lights shining upward, the staircase was by far the most exposed part of the experience so far. Nova gritted his teeth as he moved up the lit stairway, sticking as close to the central metal supports as possible. At least between the steps underhoof and the solid base of the building above them, the only way for anypony to see them if they stuck close to the center was to be on almost equal height.
The staircase wound upward towards, and Nova found his thoughts drawn towards the marble steps underhoof, so polished that he wouldn’t have been surprised to have been able to make his reflection out had there been more light. But why marble? Most businesses these days just went with wood or some other, cheaper material. I know the building's supposed to be an eye catcher, but the only other place I’ve seen this much marble is Canterlot Castle. Then again, he reflected, maybe that’s the point.
Up ahead a landing came into view and he slowed down, glancing behind him to make sure that Sabra was still sticking close. He took a few more steps, carefully moving forward in case something was waiting at the top of the landing—and came to a stop as he saw what was waiting just past it.
The stairs continuing up past the atrium had been blocked off, furniture and desks of every kind stacked across the landing from top to bottom. Even worse, they’d been very carefully stacked, leaning precariously downwards over the landing. Nova could feel his horn prickle, the telltale feeling of a hastily cast spell. He darted to the opposing side of the stairs, crouching so that anypony on the first floor landing wouldn’t be able to see the telltale glow of his horn.
He probed out with his magic, heart pounding. Sabra was watching him, still holding his position by the pillar. It wasn’t hard at all to find the spell slapped over the blockade. It was brash, loud by most spell standards. It wanted to be found. Nova’s heart stepped up its tempo as he let go of his magic. Trap, he thought. Definitely a trap.
He looked at Sabra, pointing at the barricade and then signaling him to stay away from it. The spell he’d sensed on it had been sloppy, loud, brash, clumsy even. But what it lacked in finesse it made up for in effectiveness. He’d been able to sense the faint threads that led upwards. The spell wasn’t dormant, it was active. Somewhere up above, somepony was holding the strings. The moment he so much as tried to interfere with it, they’d know.
Which meant the only recourse was to use the other landing. Nova took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He ducked a few steps back, looking through the glass at one of the other stairways and lit his magic, pushing a soft feeler out towards the distant spiral. Sabra moved across the stairway, putting his body between Nova and the top of the stairs, blocking the glow from Nova’s horn as it grew brighter.
I really need to track down something that will hide that glow without interfering with my magic, Nova thought. He probed out, guiding the sense spell up the far stairs—and stopped almost immediately, the same telltale tingle buzzing in his horn. There was another spell at that landing, and if they’d trapped that landing, then the same setup was bound to be at the other two landings as well.
He released his magic, taking a few steps back so he could motion to Sabra. Return, he signed. Then he turned, heading back down the staircase. Steel was going to love this.
“You’re sure?” Steel asked, the normally strong voice so silent it was almost non-existent. “Did you check the other two stairways?”
Nova shook his head. “No, but whoever went through this much trouble wouldn’t have neglected the other sets of stairs.”
“I agree,” Dawn said, her voice almost indistinguishable it was so quiet, and Nova found himself leaning slightly forward, his ears twitching as they tried to pick up her words. “Keeping active hold on a spell such as that would be an effort for the unicorn on the other end. The only sense in blocking two sets of stairways and then leaving one of the other unblocked would be a trap.”
Nova nodded in agreement. “Either way, somepony is waiting for us. We still might be able to make it past without somepony spotting us, but one way or another we’ll have to cross that atrium.”
“And we can’t fly up,” Hunter said. “They’d be able to see us coming and we don’t all have wings anyway.”
Steel let out a soft sigh, his massive shoulders falling slightly. “Alright, we’ll take the stairs and try to sneak round the atrium up there. Hunter,” he said, turning, “how hard would it be once we were in the atrium to get to a higher level and use the stairs?”
“Not that hard unless we don’t want to be seen,” Hunter said, rubbing his chin with one hoof. “We might be able to conceal our movements behind something. They did have some plant life in the atrium that might provide some cover if large enough, but that was a long time ago, they might have moved it.”
Steel sat for a moment, looking at the group, and then gave his head a soft shake. “Alright, we’ll go for it. We need to get to the top one way or another, and with this kind of setup they probably expected us to come. Everypony be ready,” he said, looking at each one of them, “because we’re probably springing a trap. When it goes off, everypony follow my lead.”
Steel’s eyes met Nova’s. “You lead, Hunter follows. When we get to the landing, we’ll hang back until you find a good way for us to get up. Signal us, and we’ll join you. Clear?”
“Got it,” Nova said, nodding. He turned for the stairs, listening to the faint muffled sounds of the team falling in behind him. Simple, just get to the top of the stairs, don’t trip the one trap, try not to trip the real trap, or better yet don’t set off either of them. But we don’t know what the other trap is. Nice.
The trip to the landing went smoothly, the entire team following his lead as he made his way up. The stairs were a little darker now, the moon having moved on from the horizon, hidden from sight by the lower half of the building. He paused at the landing, giving the team one last signaled reminder to stay away from the barrier of desks and chairs blocking off the stairwell up. Then, Hunter at his side, he moved into the atrium.
Hunter had been right in his description, Nova realized as they took the first few steps into the atrium, sticking near the wall. This place is huge! Above them sat ring after ring of balconies, one for every floor, stretching all the way to the large glass ceiling a dizzying height above. The room was dim, with little light from the outside making its way in. Maybe Hunter’s description of this place as a fish tank isn’t bad, Nova thought as they crept around the edge of the atrium, searching for anything that could conceal their team long enough to make it to the next balcony. But I can’t say it's the best description. He thought back to the glass jars he’d once caught fireflies in at the orphanage and grimaced. Yep, great happy thoughts. He pulled his gaze away from the sky far above them, focusing back on the task before them.
The moon wasn’t high enough that it’s light filled the atrium yet, leaving a good portion of one side wrapped in shadow. Nova held his breath as he and Hunter made their way towards the darkened portion, slinking between the wall and a series of indoor planters that circled the the inside of the room. As soon as he slid out of the moonlight and into the shadowed portion of the room, he relaxed, breathing easier.
He paused, holding his breath and freezing every muscle in his body. His eyes darted upward, ears twitching. Was it just his imagination, or had he heard something shift up above? The noise had been so faint, so imperceptible ... His ears twitched as he turned his head. Behind him, Hunter had frozen, his own ears twitching.
Noise? Nova signed, pointing upward with one hoof. Hunter sat for a moment, ears swiveling furiously, but then gave his head small, slight side-to-side shake. Nova sat for a moment more, ears straining, but the room was so quiet he could hear the thump of his heartbeat. Maybe it was nothing. They moved forward again.
Moments later Hunter waved him to a stop. They were deep in the shadows now, the rest of the atrium looking almost bright by comparison. Hunter motioned towards the balcony above them, giving Nova the signal for flight. Nova shook his head. Not yet, not until we’re sure there’s no other way. In a room so quiet and so large, even the rustle of wingfeathers could carry. Nova’s eyes climbed over the shadowed portion of the room, searching for anything that could be a better way to get up without being spotted or making noise.
After a minute of searching however, neither of them had found anything. The plants weren’t remotely tall enough to offer concealment, and there wasn’t anything nearby that the team could climb. Nova looked at Hunter as they both shook their heads.
Flight, Nova signed, and Hunter nodded. Nova turned, creeping back to the edge of the shadow they were hiding in. He reached the edge, put one hoof tentatively into the moonlight—and paused, looking up. This time he was sure he’d heard it. A faint rustle of some kind from above. He sat, motionless, eyes searching the space above them looking for any signs of movement. Stars twinkled through the glass. He waited even longer than he had before, running his eyes over every balcony rung, over every shape. Nothing. No movement. No noises.
He could feel his heart pounding in his chest now, his coat rubbing against the armor around his neck as it tried to stand on end. Something was off. Of course it is, he thought as he made a small gesture with his hoof in the direction of the landing. Moments later the first of the team slunk out, sticking to the walls just as he and Hunter had. It’s a trap. But was it? Something seemed off, he couldn’t put his hoof on it ...
He slid his eyes back up, running them over every balcony, panning his gaze from left to right, over every single—wait. His eyes narrowed, staring at the third floor balcony. Something's not right. He ran his eyes over the lower balconies again, paying close attention to the faint shadows the moonlight cast on the far wall. The lower balconies were casting shadows that were boxy, square, the balconies smooth shape broken by occasional boxy rises. The upper balconies were completely smooth, their shadows an unblemished arc. Boxy, Nova realized as the team crept closer to his position. Like a golem.
His heart began to pulse harder, adrenaline moving through his limbs. Okay, so we know the trap, Nova thought, slowly tilting his head until he could see Hunter, already crouched in the shadows by the far wall. Hold, he signaled, gesturing upward. Trap. Hunters head turned upwards and he gave it a small shake.
Where? he signed back.
Above! Nova signaled. One-two-levels. He pointed at the shadow on the far wall, miming the boxy silhouette with his hoof.
Hold team! Hunter signaled back. Nova turned, looking for the team. He couldn’t see them.
Where did—the planters! Nova slid to his left as quickly as he dared, easing his body around the planter and almost coming face to face with Captain Song. Nova threw his hoof up and the captain froze instantly, the rest of the team following his example. Golems, Nova mouthed. On the balconies above us. Steel gave a slow nod.
Something else was nagging at his mind, something he couldn’t quite place. Something about the golem they’d fought on the train. In the dark. His eyes widened in shock. In the dark—which the golem had had no problems seeing them in.
Nova spun, facing Steel and staring him right in the face. Move! he mouthed. It’s an ambush! Steel’s brow lowered, the stallion looking at him in confusion. Nova leaned in close. Golems can see in the dark, he mouthed, his muscles tight. They can see us. Steel’s eyes opened wide and the Captain raised one hoof, waving the rest of the team back.
“Well, well, well.” Nova froze as the unfamiliar voice began to echo through the atrium. The team froze, heads up, eyes alert as they looked for the origin of the voice. “Look what we have here.”
“Blade!” Hunter called, stepping out of the shadows, head up and wings out.
Blade? Nova wondered. Oh, right. That griffon he knew, from the railyard.
“Been waiting long?” Hunter called, his voice echoing around the balconies.
“Not too long,” the voice came back. “But long enough to be bored. What took you so long?”
“I wanted to bring some friends,” Hunter said, his head swiveling as he turned, looking up at the skylight. “They wanted to meet you, and I just couldn’t say no.”
Blade laughed, a chuckle that echoed off of the walls, growing and changing as it bounced around the chamber until it sent shivers down Nova’s spine. “Well then, I guess we’ve both got some introductions to make.” Blade said. There was a click from up above, and the balconies above them began to light up, boxy shadows moving, twisting, growing as the golems unfolded. One by one, crystals lit up around them as the golems stood, two rings of glowing red crystal staring down at them from the balconies above.
Twelve lights per level, Nova counted. Twenty-four golems. Tartarus.
“After all,” Blade’s voice came from above. “You’ve got your friends. And I’ve got mine.”
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This will be epic. EPIC!!! I say. I absolutely cannot wait for Friday's chapter.
You know, I was wondering if there might be a purely mechanical trap. In D&D terms, Nova's been using Detect Magic to find the traps as they come, which wouldn't work with something purely mechanical. I suppose the golems come close to that, though.
Also, these are box-golems, not crystal golems, right? So they aren't magic proof/resistant?
And it looks like we'll finally be getting the Blade vs Steel fight that's been foreshadowed.
Finally, I still think that changelings are involved somehow, but it is mostly just for meta reasons at this point. They've been foreshadowed enough that I keep expecting them to show up, at least.
3113801 Nor can I
danbolton.com/sites/danbolton.com/files/admiral_ackbar_says_its_a_trap.jpg
So psyched for next chapter!
3122100
Thank you! Fixed!
3117035
Equestria's greatest thief? He'd almost certainly spot a mechanical trap, rest assured.
Friday is coming!
3122135 Fixed? Fixed what? I don't remember seeing any mistakes
3116849 3113801 3113164 3093850 3117035 3122149 3120762
You guys are all awesome. Glad you're all enjoying the story so much.
And again PPS, I'm not answering because I don't want to spoil anything. But you can discuss it back-and-forth with everyone else!
3122167
I suppose it might not be evident from my phrasing, but I'm not expecting an answer. I'm just throwing out speculation. If you made a policy of telling people whether their speculation was right, we'd all figure out the metaplot 4 books in advance and get bored.
Turns out the villains do have more golems. That is actually an astounding number of golems for the time and personnel they appear to have had. I suppose if they have a plan to get the golems where they need to go, e.g. more teleports, they could try a military takeover of Equestria or something. I had a bunch of speculation about why they'd bother with the trap, but then it rapidly turned into picking holes in everyone's tactics, and I don't think it was leading anywhere useful.
3117035 Glad I'm not the only one expecting those insectoid pony thingies!
3122841 They could have been building the golems for a long time before all of this started.
Radiant looking odd might be result of someone else mind controlling her, or changelings if you want to use occam's razor.
Airsick? Try ginger. Pills or candy versions work fine.
Stealth mission fail, everyone go loud now. Want to see if Griffin will get beaten by Steel. Need to figure out how to reduce the number of golems fought at one moment. Maybe filter them down a hallway?
2
45 against 6... This sounds familiar. How thick/efficient are the supports?Do it, nova.
Bring down the starfish.
, Hunter thought as he moved on, and not some disaster. He had a brief mental i..........A quick look behind him as he approached the door...
--- Speaker confusion. You should mention who's POV this is.
Also, it would be nice if you translated the Zebra speech somewhere.
4604822 Griffins are honourable, I think single combat.
6 against 25? sounds a lot like some thing before...like CTF only the real life w/ crystal golems edition. This is gonna be fffffuuuuuuuuuunnnnn
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Here's hoping the Gryphon bi**h gets put into the ground.
4604822
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