While Agent Kay was busy with a debriefing based on everything he had learned about the temperamental Queen Catalyst on his helicopter flight back to Cheyenne Mountain, the queen herself was being lead on a tour of the facilities around the base.
"Why do you have a box with two doors on it, just sitting in the middle of this room?" Catalyst asked, pointing to the metallic box in question.
She had been lead through one of the breakrooms on the way to see Maria, Karol and Ricky, but had become sidetracked by nearly every oddity that had crossed her vision. One of which being the device she now stood in befuddlement of.
"That's a refrigerator." Lieutenant 'Olive' explained. "It keeps our food cold so it doesn't spoil as quickly."
As Queen Catalyst gave a renewed look that was a combination of disgust and intrigue at the refrigerator, Lieutenant Olive did his best to retain his composure. At first it had been funny- The alien having no idea what a sink or a sliding door was- but now it was becoming annoying.
"Is this related to the freezer?" Catalyst asked, pushing on the top of the refrigerator and nearly shoving it over.
"Hey-hey! Easy there!" Olive quickly blurted, pushing on the opposite end to prevent the food preserver from falling. It landed back on its side with a metallic thunk that made Olive wince from the imagined damage to it. "Let's just get you to some love, alright? No need to touch everything."
This distracted Catalyst from her examinations of Terran appliances as she directed a suspicious gaze towards Olive. "I had meant to ask about that before I was intrigued by all of..." She motioned to the refrigerator with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "That..."
Olive motioned towards the nearest door, directing the comparatively large queen on the right path again. "What do you mean?"
"How do Terrans harvest love? Do you keep them in chrysalis', cocoons...." She paused to turn around with a now wide eyed expression. "Do you use the Freezers?" She whispered conspiratorially.
Olive didn't know what Catalyst meant by keeping 'them' in cocoons, but he knew that the volunteer kids weren't frozen. "No, nothing like that. They have their own quarters here in the base where they live mostly normal lives while we get everything figured out." He explained while leading Catalyst through another concrete hallway. The main chambers that housed heavy or expensive equipment were made from Granite, though to save on operating and construction costs the remaining portions of the base were constructed from easily repairable concrete.
"You let captured prey wander around?" Catalyst asked, ducking her head uneasily through another sliding door while half expecting it to decapitate her as she walked through. "That is very dangerous." she pointed out.
Olive shook his head when the pressurized door closed behind them. He tapped a button on a nearby console which then lit up with the number eight. "It's not like that." He explained, and the elevator they had stepped into lurched downwards suddenly, causing Catalyst to temporarily freak out by expanding her insectoid wings to catch herself from a fall that never came. Unfortunately, her wings had smacked directly into Olive, whom was now pulling them down in order to speak. "They're volunteers. We can't order anyone to love a changeling, but these three came along with a different changeling and have been helping us out."
The mention of another changeling immediately made Catalyst think of Chrysalis, however unlikely her being here would be. Her wings buzzed in rage, hammering Olive in the face as he fought for dominance over the appendage. "Another changeling!?" Catalyst blurted out in a fit. "Where!?"
At that moment, calming elevator music began to play.
"Wait." Catalyst again blurted, her body frozen. "What is that noise?" She asked in confusion, looking around the cramped walls of the elevator. "Where is it coming from?"
Olive now had temporary control over Catalyst's unattended wing, pushing it down enough that it would retract. "That's music." He replied wearily.
Catalyst's carapace nose scrunched in confusion. "Music? What is that?" Her ears twitched as she looked around again. "Is it magic of some kind?"
Olive was simply thankful that the very large queen wasn't freaking out about the news of another changeling in the mountain for the moment. "Some people think it is, others just like how it sounds. We have better songs than elevator music though, if you're interested."
Catalysts eyes were wide and entranced as she located a speaker box, drawing closer to it and unintentionally shoving Olive out of the way. Her mouth was slightly open, revealing her fangs and sharpened teeth that soon formed a fairly terrifying rictus grin. "It's..." she blurbed half-attentively.
With a ding, the music ended and the elevator halted. "Floor Number: Eight." The elevator announced. Catalyst shook her head and blinked the trance from her mind and attempted to regain her composure.
"It's alright." Catalyst finished, her wings chittering a small amount as she made hasty retreat from the elevator. She then completely froze, turned around, and stared at Olive. "Did the elevator just speak!?"
Olive covered his face with a hand while pointing towards the barracks that the volunteers were staying in. "Just through there, Queen Catalyst." He sighed in somewhat contained exasperation.
The queen paused only for a moment to regard Olive's quickly fraying patience before turning towards the mentioned room. A robust metal door was embedded into the concrete ahead, a sign confirming it as a VIP Bunker Barracks. In her weakened state, Catalyst could only faintly pick up the fluttering emotions of those whom awaited her on the other side...