//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - The Office Job // Story: The Freelancers // by OverHeart //------------------------------// The two stood in the lobby of this Darkspace office, gobsmacked at just how large and open the interior was. Bat ponies and Pegasi alike flew overhead with documents and other objects clutched in their mouths as they darted in and out of the upper floor. The ground floor was no different and the more flightless of the ponies employed here set about their drudgery and worked with a startling amount of visible tedium. What was more alarming was the presence of Power Armor clad troopers. Their mission plan had said nothing about their presence, and they were mostly clustered around the stairwells and the elevators with several more along the far end of the lobby. Their armament matched that of a standard security detail but it could be assumed that they’d deal with any trouble like one would snap a twig, with little effort and cold indifference. The two were snapped out of their daydream by a guard looking less than impressed at being ignored by them. “Can I help you?” “We’re expected.” Sheet Rock said confidently. “Step over here for a moment. My colleague will see to your friend here.” They were funneled towards separate lanes in a row of metal detectors situated near a small guard station and ordered to empty their pockets into a small tray. Access placed the tool case into one of the trays and the guard who’d been saddled with dealing with him opened it and started to inspect its contents and pulled aside each tool and gave each a cursory glance before it was placed back into the case. “Step through the detector please, sir.” Access complied and as expected the metal detector screeched loudly the very moment he walked through, the guard raised a hoof to stop him who was equally as unsurprised. Access shrugged. “Do what you gotta. I’m used to it.” Sheet Rock had been cleared and allowed through with no real issue and stood to one side and watched the guard pat her annoyed looking friend down with a certain air of amusement. “Wow. No wonder the detector went off.” the guard said absentmindedly as he clutched Access’ legs and lower body. “I know, it’s just so surprising. Can’t imagine why it went off.” he said sarcastically. The guard grunted in annoyance and each pat resounded with a metallic clank as the metal plates that made up the covering of Access’ bionic limbs shifted around noisily. “You or your friend carrying? Especially you, what with those limbs of yours.” “We’re just repair ponies. You’ve got your job and we’ve got ours.” The guard eyed Access suspiciously and motioned for him to pick up his tool case and move on through the checkpoint. “You literally can’t go anywhere without causing trouble can you?” Sheet Rock teased. Access grinned. “What can I say? Me and metal detectors don’t see eye to eye.” The reception desk was directly ahead from the entrance and two overworked and tired looking Pegasi worked tirelessly at what must be the most tedious job on the planet. One saw them approached and sighed tiredly, and spoke in a stilted, almost defeated tone. “Speak quickly, we’re very busy right now.” “I believe you’re expecting us? We’re here to carry out some work.” “Hoof over your paperwork and I’ll get to it. I’m sorry to be so short with you, it’s just been one thing after another today. I’m sure you understand.” Sheet Rock slid over her paperwork as instructed as did Access and the reception pony took them from the desk, where they were set down onto to an ever increasing pile of paperwork. The reception pony pointed to a cluster of fancy seats set around a low standing glass table. “Please wait over there while I deal with this, someone will come to collect you when I’m done.” The two nod and walk away, leaving the overworked receptionists in relative peace. They seat themselves and watched ponies pass them by their expressions wrought with indecipherable frowns, whatever has them so riled must’ve been pretty severe. One of the troopers stationed close to the bank of elevators eyed them suspiciously and slowly approached them, the hissing of the suits hydraulics alerting the two waiting Netrunners to its presence, not that you could miss the towering mass of gray Plasteel and heavy weaponry. “I wasn’t aware we’d be having visitors.” the pony inside the suit said, and judging from the drawling high-pitched voice it was a mare, though her face was obscured by her helmet. “Emergency repairs, so we were told.” Sheet Rock responded quickly. “Is that so? Are you waiting for anyone in particular?” the mare asked. Sheet Rock knew she couldn’t just blurt out Star’s name, and instead tried to sound as confident as possible. “Work order just said to wait for someone to collect us, don’t know who. It’s always the same when someone calls with a so-called emergency.” A noise resounded from the mare’s helmet, likely a snort of amusement. “Sounds about right. Better get comfortable, it might take a while for someone to come get you and even longer to get where they want you. And don’t cause any trouble, if you would?” With that, the mare stomped off noisily and took back her position at the bank of elevators, it wasn’t clear from the angle but they felt as if she was still keeping a close eye on them, though the mare didn’t make it obvious. “Strange mare.” Access remarked. “I don’t like the way she looked at us, it felt like she was staring a hole right through me.” “She sounds familiar too, though I can’t quite place from where.” “I must admit she does, very familiar. We’ll worry about that later though, for now we should be focusing on the task at hoof.” The two waited for what seemed like an eternity, the harsh white fluorescent lighting from all angles didn’t help matters any, and a pony carrying a large stack of documentation slowly lumbered her way towards the reception desk. The reception ponies stacked yet more documentation on top of the already gargantuan pile eliciting a growl of annoyance, along with Access and Sheet Rock’s temporary passes. “I’m sorry to bother you further, but there’s two trades ponies waiting, Miss Starry Night.” “Very well, I’ll deal with it. Call an elevator for us, would you please? Basement level twenty.” “At once.” She along with her stack of papers, lumbered over to the two. The stress and sheer tiredness in her voice was highly evident and her words sounded forced in places. “Oh thank the moon you’ve arrived. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it.” Sheet Rock blinked in confusion. “Did you expect us not to? Traffic was pretty light, if I’m honest.” Star dropped the heavy stack of documents on the floor haphazardly where it collapsed into a loosely collected pile, the only thing she picked up from the pile were the access passes which were unceremoniously shoved towards the two. “Just play along, yeah?” she whispered. “Get your things together and I’ll show you to where we need you.” Access once again heaved the heavy tool case onto his back and he followed Star and Sheet Rock to their waiting elevator. From the lack of buttons on the outside, it was highly likely that there would be no way for them to call an elevator on their own should something go wrong, so they’d have to tread carefully. The elevator door slid shut, and almost immediately Star’s stern and professional expression fell. “Sorry about that. I am glad you two made it here okay, just had to keep up appearances.” “I might be going crazy so just humor me, but did something happen? Everyone seems to be really on edge.” Star looked at Access in disbelief. “I suppose it isn’t too much of a stretch to assume it’s been kept fairly quiet, despite the explosions, I’m surprised you don’t have eyes everywhere, given who you are.” “Wait, explosions?” Star nodded. “Yeah, a few hours before you two arrived a number of bombs went off in the leisure districts. Relatively small ones, not designed to kill.” “Any idea who they are? The ones that set them, I mean.” “No idea. I’m guessing you saw the hired muscle upstairs? They’re to make sure we don’t get buried, should whoever set the bombs come back for seconds.” The elevator jolted suddenly and it began to accelerate rapidly, descending deeper into the earth, further than should realistically be necessary. “How far we heading down?” Star pointed up at the elevators control panel and at the basement floor labels. “All the way to the bottom floor, all twenty of them.” “Good thing we aren’t taking the stairs then. What’s security like?” “Minimal. Pretty much all the security is upstairs, and as you’ve seen, they anticipate trouble up there and…“ “...not down here.” Sheet Rock said with a smirk. “Quite.” Star said with a smirk of her own. The elevator rapidly decelerated and ground to a stop, and the door slid open, strangely fresh and cold air poured into the cabin. In front of them, massive steel and poly-carbonate bulkheads sat in their closed position, and through them more power armored security staff could be seen stood behind each going back the entire length of the hallway. All of Star’s attempts to get them to notice her failed spectacularly, no matter how much she flailed her limbs in annoyance. She guessed she was being ignored, likely knowingly. The thought that their plan might have been foiled crossed her mind but there was no way for them to have been found out, at least not this quickly. “So. Got a plan B?” she said with a nervous grin. “Minimal you said. That doesn’t look like minimal security to me.” Sheet Rock grumbled. “I can’t possibly keep up with every arrangement being made. This isn’t exactly my department after all.” Star said with a stern stomp of her fore-hoof. “It isn’t much to ask for you to check, is it? I mean come on, this was your plan!” Only one corridor was currently accessible and simple steel doors sat at each end of the harshly lit corridor. While Star and Sheet Rock argued with one another Access opened the door closest to the elevator, revealing a utility room and more importantly an electrical box, sealed with a heavy duty cover which should also have an access point he could use. Access cleared his throat loudly to catch their attention and pointed this out to the two arguing mares. “I think I might have an idea. The two of you will have to keep anyone from entering this room, while I go in the long way.” “You’re going to be immobile while you work, how long do you think you’ll need?” Access heaved the tool case off his back, knowing he’d likely need them. “Half an hour. Tops.” Sheet Rock sighed inwardly. “Get to it then.”