A Crossover

by Dudofall

Utilizing the Stairs

Chapter Thirteen: Utilizing the Stairs

Anne wiped the sweat from her brow as she stood. Bill and Allen sighed in unison, relieved. "Thanks fer helpin' with th' weeds," the botanist said as she took off her gardening gloves and put them in a pocket in her coarse white jacket.

"Thank you for calming us down Ms. Avery," Allen replied.

She laughed. "No problem, Mr. Faye, Mr. O'Connor!"

"Maybe we should go see what Mary's up to," Bill said as he brushed the dirt off his pants.

"Sounds good ta me!" Anne agreed.

Bill straightened. "To the elevator!"

"But what if the monitor sabotages it?" Allen objected.

His boss turned around and pointed. "To the stairs!"

Everyone headed towards the door on the far side of the greenhouse, with Bill and Allen admiring the variety of plants, including some with large, red, tubular structures instead of leaves. They crossed the indoor river and stepped over a few fallen palm leaves, the smell of pollen permeating the air. The maelstrom of colorful flowers on the sides of the path almost distracted Allen from the fact that a sentient computer was scheming a few levels below them.

***

"And if all else fails, lure the cretin here and I'll fight him myself," the SECRETARY finished.

Mary smiled grimly. "It's a pretty good plan, but I wish Mr. Olde was here. It's been a little too long for him to just be hungover today. Where could he be?"

The bottom ring spun a bit as the SECRETARY gave the question some thought. "I'm not supposed to do this, but I could look at his personal communication records."

"I thought those were encrypted," Mary said slowly. An animated graphic of the word 'seriously' appeared on the terminal screen. "They're supposed to be you-proof!" she protested.

"Lolololololololololololol," the SECRETARY replied, "nothing is me-proof." The ring spun slowly as the AI decrypted the records. The door to the stairwell opened. Anne, Bill, and Allen stepped in cautiously.

"Welcome back," Mary said. "we now have a plan."

Anne stepped forward. "Where's Mr. Olde?" she asked pointedly.

"Mr. Olde's last communication was in response to an alert from the security system last night. The message reads 'I'll be there soon, try to stall her.'" the SECRETARY answered.

Bill kept his distance as he spoke. "Who's the message talking about?" There was a moment of silence. Mary turned to the terminal to speak-

"It appears all the relevant surveillance footage has been wiped," the SECRETARY admitted. "As much as I am loathe to suggest it, a party should be sent to his brother to ask if Bob has said anything about this person mentioned in the message."

"Why can't we just send him an email?" Allen asked.

"Mr. Olde's brother considers the construction and operation of these labs an embarrassment. He has thus concealed means of contacting him from us and threatened legal action." the SECRETARY responded.

Anne crossed her arms. "How do ya know he won't sue us fer going to his house?" The animated graphic of 'seriously' reappeared.

"If we tell him his brother is missing, he'll have to come help us look," Mary said thoughtfully.

"What about the Monitor? It's still down there scheming!" Anne reminded her.

The SECRETARY's third ring jerked clockwise. "The plan Mary and I have devised does not require many people, and in order to reduce the risk to the lives of everyone here, I would recommend that everyone except for her leave the premises while we attempt to disable the Monitor."

Mary nodded. "It's settled then."

Anne looked at the widespread acceptance of the group. "What 'bout transport? We ain't all gonna fit in my truck."

"Might I suggest you contact Bob's associate Gillam?"

Mary started. "You might not. He's been getting too ambitious lately, according to Mr. Olde."

Bill scratched his head. "Are you talking about the Gillam who hangs out at that theme park all the time?"

"To which theme park do you refer?" the SECRETARY asked.

"It's that one that's always changing its name. Next to the Ylissian Ped Mall?" he elaborated.

Mary sighed. "Look, whether he's the same Gillam or not, you guys can talk about contacting him on your way out. You know where the stairs are." With minor grumbling, the trio left. Mary took a deep breath. There was a moment of silence, then the terminal displayed a person smiling. "What?"

The SECRETARY's ring spun smoothly and slowly. "This is why I wanted to work on some edits for your ‘people skills’", it quoted. A burst of laughter came from the terminal's tinny speakers.

"Shut up," Mary said, shaking her head.

***

Gillam's truck was exceptionally well maintained, if a bit anachronistic. The light of the setting sun played beautifully across its light blue body and brushed up against the identically colored rims of the wheels. Gillam himself was heavyset, with long black hair. He opened the door. "Come on in, there's plenty of r-r-room!"

Anne stepped in first. Allen was next. Bill wavered outside the car, then slowly walked around the entire outside. "I don't like this," he commented.

"What's not to like?" Gillam asked, before pointing an accusatory finger at the scientist. "You've always wanted to ride in my truck before!"

"How do so many people fit in there? It's only supposed to have-"

"It's just a t-t-truck," Gillam assured, "now quit whining before I change my mind." Bill made to circle the vehicle again, but the owner glared at him. One melodramatic huff later, everyone was in the truck and ready to go. "Ylissian Ped Mall, here we come!"

The drive was quiet. Once or twice Anne tried to start a conversation, but Allen seemed somewhat perturbed by the aforementioned room for four people in the truck, Bill was moping in the corner, and Gillam wanted to focus on the road. "So, Gillam, how'dya know where Mr. Olde's brother lives?"

"He hosts dinner parties for the board of directors there. It's also right by the Ped Mall and the bike paths." Through these and other snippets, it was made clear that the truck's owner spent his time doing one of three things: working (including the "dinner parties"), going to the amusement park, maintaining his truck, and working.

"Ever think about working fer Mr. Olde in one of the labs? He's offerin' room and board when it's all built."

"I love my current job. Someday I'll be the CEO! Just don't tell Armald about me d-d-driving you. I'll be in the P-lot when you're done." Allen looked up at this. Anne shook her head at him. She jumped abruptly from the truck, beckoning the intern.

"Nice meeting you," Anne said briskly. Gillam shrugged and closed the door after Bill left. The trio walked up the marble stairway towards a mammoth of a house. The building was three stories tall, with no basement visible. Every window was fitted with a window box, where dark purple Impatiens and pale green Donkey's Tail plants drooped over the edges. The door was an imposing affair, with large columns on either side and an unidentifiable creature holding a ring for knocking in its mouth. As the de facto leader, Anne stepped forward and used the knocker.

A nasal voice came from inside. "Who is it?"

Anne cleared her throat. "We're here because yer brother is missing, and we need help finding him." The door opened slightly, and a thin man in a button-up shirt peered at them suspiciously.

"You don't work at his laboratory, do you?" Bill and Allen quailed behind Anne, who looked Mr. Olde's brother right in the eye.

"Where we work doesn't matter, we just want ta make sure yer brother's okay." At this, the man slammed the door shut.

Bill gasped, "You blew it!"

Allen thought for a moment before speaking. "Hey Boss, I bet you two muffins he's coming with us!"

Anne guffawed, "I like yer spunk, kid, but quit bettin' behind my back!" Her coworkers smiled, seeing the irony. Then the door of the house flew open.

"I'm Armald Olde," the man said as he left his house and shook Anne's hand, "help me find my brother and I'll never talk to you again."

***

Author's Note:

First chapter of the year! Hopefully this'll be the most productive year I ever have on Fimfiction! We shall see...