//------------------------------// // Chapter #8 // Story: Operation Imortuus // by Pika53 //------------------------------// Upon reentering the main hall, Cameron felt as though she'd become the butt of a practical joke that simply wasn't funny. It appeared the grand hall was deserted; their esteemed captain Seabiscuit, or whatever his name was, was gone. They hadn't been gone for more than five minutes and the map they'd all just seen moments before indicated that he was here. Where the hay was he? Glancing around, she could see that Jaden and Tess were as confused as she felt. “Do you think he ran into one of those... things?” Fluttershout asked. Jaden merely shrugged and shook his head in reply as the group silently began to search the enormous room for any clues that would explain what happened. While the others searched nearby, Cameron began investigating the massive staircase. Curiously, the staircase wasn't a single continuous path but rather it extended three-quarters of the way up before turning into a platform; two smaller staircases connecting it the second floor balcony. What resembled a door stood in the center of the wall between the second set of stairs. Cameron approached the door and tried the handle but found it securely locked. Continuing onto the second floor balcony, she next tried the closest door to her left and discovered that it lead to the upper floor of the dining hall. The next door appeared to lead to a exterior landing of some kind. Although curious about where it would lead, Cameron continued to sweep the immediate area. The next door she tried was locked and the final one seemed to lead into another hallway. Sighing, Cameron made her way back downstairs while continuing to struggle with making sense of the situation. On one hoof, everything that had happened tonight defied any known chain of reason. Yet just like the others, she'd recognized the map Selena had displayed as being form a particular survival horror game that Jaden seemed to enjoy playing. She was more of a first pony shooter mare herself; lacking the patience or skill for more strategy-oriented games although a few of them were fun to watch. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Cameron saw Tess slowly approaching from the area near the front doors while Jaden appeared from the other side of the staircase; shaking his head as he rejoined her. Shaking her head, Cameron was still a bit freaked out from the face-to-face with the walking corpse; but thought she'd accepted the facts of the matter pretty well. Apparently, it would seem that zombies had somehow invaded the surrounding forest and were responsible for all the carnage. If she hadn't already known better, Cameron would've assumed that this was all a part of some plot to a trashy romance novel her sister would read. With a sigh, she let the thought go as Tess spoke up. “So, do we go looking or do we wait?” “Go looking. Since it seems one of the Zeta's made it here, its possible that the rest of that squad could also be somewhere in this place.” Jaden replied. “I suppose this means we're splitting up then.” Tess muttered. Jaden nodded. “Although dangerous, we'll need to cover a lot of ground as quickly as possible. If anyone finds anything let's meet back here.” he said. “We can use this room as a staging area.” “I suppose I'll take the east wing then.” Tess said as she made her way toward the door the captain hadn't tried earlier; Edi and Fluttershout right behind her. “We'll head back through the dining room and see what we can find.” Jaden replied. “Hopefully we'll find Zan along the way too.” “Watch your flanks.” Cameron called out. Tess nodded before disappearing through the doorway as she and Jaden made their way back into the dining hall. As they passed through the room, Jaden pulled out his rifle. Letting her gaze drift, Cameron noticed what looked like a large depression in the wall beside the old clock and one of the paintings laying on the floor. She blinked, not recalling seeing such damage when they'd first passed through the area. Exchanging glances, she could see that Jaden was just as confused by the sight as they pressed on. Stepping into the next hallway, Cameron snorted at the stench of decay that assaulted her once more. The hallway itself wasn't much to look at but seemed to be a major route through this wing of the mansion. To their right, the hall stretched out a few yards before ending in a stairwell leading down. Two dark, heavy looking doors could be seen between where they stood and the stairwell. To their left, the hall turned sharply into a small rest area. Cameron shuddered at the memory of what lay beyond as the pair headed in that direction. As they entered the rest area, Jaden approached the remaining corpse and checked the damage. The Zeta had once been a unicorn colt yet Cameron was still amazed, despite knowing about the games he had, that Jaden could accurately describe the scene she'd stumbled upon the first time she'd passed through here. Seconds later, he shot her an apologetic look before searching through the soldiers pack. Cameron let out a soft sigh as she looked on. They needed the ammo; the colt certainly didn't. Soon enough, he came up with two clips of ammo for a handgun and two magazines for a rifle. They promptly split the goods between one another. Letting her gaze drift, Cameron noticed another door just past the body that she hadn't seen earlier. “Sel, how's Zan doin'?” Jaden asked. Seconds later, a top down holographic blueprint of the mansion's first and second floors materialized in the air before them. Studying the map, Cameron could see that Zander was relatively close by and breathed a sigh of relief that he was safe. She couldn't help an amused snort as Jaden cast her a glance. “Let's hope this works.” she muttered before triggering her radio. “Zan, can you hear me?” Relief coursed through her as Zander responded to her call. “Stay where you are, we're heading your way.” she continued. Seconds later, Zander replied that he would wait. Studying the map more closely, Cameron noted that two different staircases were just beyond the door in front of them leading to the upper floor near Zander's current location. Turning, she saw Jaden shoot her a lop-sided grin before speaking. “Go on ahead. We'll clear the rest of this hallway then meet up in the main hall.” Cameron nodded as one of the dolls wished them luck before the trio turned and headed the opposite way. “Let's go, squirt.” she said to her remaining pegasus companion before walking toward the nearby door. *************** Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; east wing first floor, 9:15 pm 9th July 20xx, Evening, Weather: Clear Navigating down the current hallway, Tess could do little more than shake her head at the absurdity of the situation she now found herself in. Beside her, a chorus of murmurs indicated that her current companions were just as unnerved by the situation as she was. The first room they'd entered had been a small shadowy area coated in shades of blue and as silent and cool as the main hall had been. Muted track lighting had illuminated yet more expensive artwork upon dusky walls and in the center of the room had stood a large statue of an earth pony mare holding an urn on its back. On the far end of the room had been two additional doors. The one on the left had been open but a small chest had been pushed in front of it; blocking access. The trio had passed through the right door instead and continued along a long L-shaped hall filled with numerous windows while three large display chests lined the inner wall. Soon after, they had found another door that had lead to a small enclosed area outside and yet another encounter with the mutant mutts. Tess didn't want to think about that anymore than the incident in the bathroom shortly after they were all back inside. They hadn't traveled very far from the bathroom but the hall had widened significantly. From where she stood, a window sat directly behind her and another large chest stood along the wall to the right. The hall itself was a mild gray-green color and ahead of them Tess could see another pair of doors; the further one on the right marking the end of the current corridor. Tess wasn’t sure what was behind the door on the left and was rather curious to find out as the trio approached. Passing into the next room, Tess noted that they'd entered a small square-shaped chamber that was totally empty. While heading for the only other door in the room, Tess heard Edi whistle softly as the trio briefly appraised the chamber's simple elegance. It had a high, light ceiling and the walls were a cream colored marble with gold trim. Reaching the second door, Tess cautiously opened it and discovered a sitting room of some sort. Stepping into the room, she could see a fireplace on the wall to her right beneath an ornate red and gold tapestry. To her left was a small couch and oval coffee table, and on the wall near the door was what looked like dual hooks mounted to the wall. The room itself was coated in shades of gray-green like the other hallway had been. Frowning, Tess walked over to investigate further as the dolls explored the rest of the room. Something about the hook mount set-up seemed odd and as she drew closer Tess could see a small ornate box was sitting in the left hook. Lifting the box free with telekinesis, Tess blinked as both mounting hooks clicked upward, released from the weight of the box. At the same time, there was a heavier sound behind the wall; a sound like balanced metal changing position. Although she didn't know what the sound was, Tess didn't like it as she quickly turned and searched the room for movement. Aside from the curious glances of her companions, nothing seemed to happen. Shrugging inwardly, they searched the rest of the room but found nothing else of interest. The trio quickly exited the room and strode across the slate-colored tiles of the classy marble room. As she grasped the doorknob to the main hall, Tess hoped that Jaden and Cameron had managed to find Zander and the captain as they obviously hadn't come this way. The door however, was locked. Tess frowned as she turned the small gold knob back and forth. It rattled a little but refused to give at all. Confused, she turned and saw Fluttershout having similar problems with the door they'd just passed through. Moments later, the pegasus let out a frustrated sigh just as dust began to rain down from above as the sound of gears turning filled the room; a deep rhythmic clatter of metal from somewhere behind the stone walls. Startled, Tess looked up and felt her stomach shrivel in upon itself; her breath catching in her throat. The high ceiling she'd admired earlier was collapsing; the marble at the corners powdering into dust with the heavy grind of stone against stone. At the rate it was descending, Tess knew they didn't have much time. Panic rising through her system, Tess peered closer at the crack between the door frame before her; searching for the cause behind why the door was locked. Her heart sank faster than a flaming unicorn falling from Cloudsdale when she saw it; the thick silver of steel that indicated a very solid looking dead-bolt. Tess hoped they could return to the sitting room and figure out what to do next as she turned an anxious glance toward Fluttershout. “Please tell me you don't see a piece of metal sticking out between the door and frame over there.” she begged. Tess groaned when the pegasus murmured that a similar device was affixed to the other door. She knew she didn't have the ammo to blast open either of the doors and that they were now trapped. Taking a moment to think, Tess figured that teleporting to the hallway beyond might be their best option for escaping this fiendish trap. Although she would normally have difficulty teleporting multiple passengers or objects at once, her companions were small enough that it wouldn't be a problem. Closing her eyes for a moment, Tess focused on her destination; horn glowing softly as she charged up in preparation for casting the spell. Seconds later, she let out a groan as an unexpected wave of dizziness overwhelmed her. Blinking in astonishment, Tess was dismayed to discover that they were still trapped within the same room. What just happened? Why had such a simple spell failed? “Well, that went well.” Fluttershout grumbled sarcastically from somewhere beside her. “Uh, this isn't good.” Edi piped up. Almost immediately, Tess's left eye started twitching, and her normally straight mane started fraying at the ends. Struggling to suppress her growing frustration, it was all she could do not to get worked up over the restating of the obvious. After all, Tess knew it wouldn't help any of them if she panicked further and snapped at the blue unicorn considering the little creature had meant well. Moments later, she reached for her radio; desperately hoping that somepony would receive her message and reach them in time.