Chapter 9 - Breaking and Entering
“Hold it, Ember!”
She steps back quickly. “Uh… okay.”
Arc looks at the door evenly. “What’s wrong, Rose?”
“I’m detecting some kind of device near the door!”
Sereb frowns. “Could it be some kind of magic-based lock?”
“No! I believe it’s some kind of magical bomb!”
Arc steps between Ember, Sereb, and the door. “Thanks for the heads up.”
Sereb backs up. “Agreed.”
Ember groans. “Well, we still need to get in there!”
Arc sighs. “Anyone have any ideas?”
Viktor turns to Rose. “What about the Boiler Room?”
“What about it?”
“Is that door trapped?”
Rose shakes her head. “No. But that doesn’t really help them get into the room in question.”
Xenos grins. “I think I know what you’re getting at there, Viktor.”
Hugh snaps his fingers. “You thinking about that movie was saw last week?”
Viktor nods. “Right.”
Cherry sounds confused. “Movie?”
Arc looks the door over as he talks. “What are you guys talking about?”
Max talks excitedly. “We watched the hero get into a secure area by crawling through the heating ducts.”
Sereb turns and looks down the corridor. “I might be able to fit through and open the door from inside.”
Ember frowns. “True. But who’s to say there aren’t traps in there too?”
Arc nods soberly. “Can you scan for traps through the ductwork, Rose?”
“No. Sadly your armor’s sensors don’t have that kind of range. I was barely able to make out the data about the door being trapped.”
Ember frowns. “And it’s a good thing she did. But how can we be sure Sereb would be safe in there?”
“I have an idea. Follow me.”
A short time later the trio walk through relative darkness. Sereb frowns.
“This is creepy.”
Arc chuckles. “Afraid of the dark now, Sereb?”
“The dark I can handle. It’s this particular… environment.”
Ember shudders. “I’m with Sereb on this one, Arc.”
“Look on the bright side. We’re all going in together.”
Sereb looks around. “I suppose we are. However, this strange metal cavern is certainly… disconcerting.”
Arc points to a curve in the duct. “Yes, well… this has to be the vent leading to that room. We’re almost there.”
The group makes their way over to the grille and stops.
“Rose, can you scan the room properly now?”
“Yes, Arc. Just a moment.”
A few seconds pass as Rose works.
“It appears the door explosives are all there are to worry about in there.”
Sereb breathes a sigh of relief. “Good.”
Arc nods in agreement. “So we can safely enter the room from here?”
“Yes.”
Ember looks down. “Sereb, do you smell anyone in there?”
“No. I also do not hear any movement.”
Arc steps forward. “Alright, let’s go.”
They squeeze through the fins of the vent and look around. After a few moments Arc speaks.
“Let’s get back to normal size now.”
Ember grins. “Yeah. It would be kinda embarrassing to get eaten by a rat, or something.”
Raising his gauntlet, Arc casts the Matter Compacting counter spell. They return to their original sizes. Arc frowns as he takes off his robe and looks it over.
“Great.”
“What is it?”
“This thing’s going to need to be dry cleaned again.”
Ember takes off her own dusty robe and hands it to Arc. “Agreed. But that does give Rarity extra business after all.”
Arc blushes slightly under his helmet. “Y-yeah, I suppose it does.”
He clears his throat as they look toward the door.
“Rose, can you scan the bomb for ways to disarm it?”
“I already have. It would appear you merely have to turn it off.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, what?”
“There’s a wire that leads to the surface of the device. Is there some kind of button or switch there?”
Sereb steps forward. “I’ll take a look.”
He deftly walks over to the bomb and looks it over.
“There is a small lever here similar to what Arc has in his house.”
Arc’s eyes grow wide. “What?!”
Sereb continues talking. “However, those only turn the lights on and off.”
Arc breathes a sigh of relief. “Good. Is it safe for us to do this, Rose?”
“Yes. I’ve mapped the bomb’s schematics from here. That should kill all power to the explosives and detonator.”
Arc approaches the bomb and looks it over.
“Uh… are you sure about this?”
“Completely.”
“Okay. Ember, you and Sereb should get out of here.”
Ember shakes her head. “Not a chance. I have faith in Rose’s abilities.”
Sereb nods. “As do I.”
“Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Turning back to the bomb Arc takes a deep breath, squeezes his eyes shut, and flicks the switch. Nothing happens.
“Did… did it work?”
Rose smiles. “Yes, Arc. The electronics inside the bomb have deactivated.”
Ember sighs. “That’s a relief.”
Sereb frowns as he looks over the casing. “But what of the bomb itself?”
Max grimaces. “Sereb’s right. You can’t just leave it there, sir.”
Xenos nods in agreement. “Yeah. That’s not safe at all!”
Hugh looks over his shoulder. “Rose. What’s your assessment as to how much damage that bomb would do to the building?”
“Judging from the inner workings, and its strategic location near a main support column, it would most likely bring down the entire building.”
Viktor winces. “Can they safely remove it?”
Ember frowns as she looks to Arc. “I sure hope so.”
“As do I. The state’s bomb squad would have no clue how this thing works or how to remove it.”
Rose clears her throat. “As it stands, the bomb is completely inactive. You should see a couple wires leading to the door tongue.”
Arc kneels down. “Yes, I see them.”
“Remove both.”
Ember grimaces as Arc does so. “So someone opens the door and blows up?!”
Rose shakes her head. “Not quite. It appears the current setup would have disabled the bomb temporarily if the door was opened a certain way.”
Max looks to Rose. “You mean like with a key?
“Right. Had the door been unlocked and the knob turned completely open, the wires would have been pulled apart to bypass the detonator when the door swung open.”
Hugh shudders. “But if someone forced the door open?”
Xenos grimaces. “Boom.”
“Right.”
Sereb turns to Ember. “I am certainly glad we avoided that.”
“Me too.”
Arc continues working. “Yeah. Well, the wires are free. What now, Rose?”
“You can safely remove the bomb itself. There’s no longer any danger.”
Ember looks at the device. “Well, that thing sure looks heavy.”
Max calls out. “Can you shrink it down and put it in your ring, sir?”
“Probably. Would that cause a problem, Rose?”
Rose shakes her head. “No. In fact, it’s probably the safest way to transport something like that.”
Arc casts the Matter Compacting spell. The bomb shrinks down to the size of a baseball before he stops, picks it up, and puts it safely in his ring. Breathing a sigh of relief, Arc turns to the others.
“I’m glad that’s over.”
Sereb looks up to Arc. “Shall we begin our search now?”
“Yes. Let’s get this over with. Rose, it is safe to turn on the lights?”
“You can. I don’t detect anything but very old electrical connections in the walls.”
Arc reaches toward the switch on the wall. A lone bulb illuminates the large room as its light spills over the floor. Ember is the first to speak.
“What the…? Crates?”
Sereb frowns. “Perhaps this is a storehouse of some kind?”
Arc looks around. “Agreed. But whatever they’re keeping here, it has to be dangerous.”
Max frowns as he watches the video feed from Arc’s armor. “Or at the very least not something they want falling into the wrong hands.”
Xenos raises an eyebrow. What do you mean? THEY’RE the wrong hands!
Viktor nods. “It had to be worth booby-trapping that door.”
Hugh grimaces. “Yeah. And potentially killing everyone in the building.”
Ember shudders. “I wish you guys wouldn’t put it that way.”
Arc turns to Ember. “They’re right though. Remember when we met Diva? She was willing to risk Frank’s life when she intentionally set the farmhouse on fire.”
Sereb growls. “Yes. Had we ignored her words and given chase, Frank would have perished there.”
Ember grits her teeth. “I don’t think she cares about those humans living above us at all.”
Max nods soberly. “How could she be so cruel?!”
Arc sighs. “Some humans view addicts as worthless wastes of resources. They don’t stop to think that they’re people too.”
He pauses before continuing.
“I’m almost sure I know the answer to this, Rose, but is it safe to go through these crates?”
“Yes. There’s no inherent danger.”
“Good. Let’s get to work then.”
They split up and begin opening crates. Ember calls out.
“There’s some vials over here.”
Sereb looks over. “Like the one’s from the mine?”
“Yeah. They look identical.”
Arc calls out. “It’s the same over here. Crates of vials.”
Max turns to the others. “Could this be where they were hiding their goods?”
Hugh calls out. “What about the materials that go into production?”
Arc shakes his head. “I’m not seeing any unmixed chemicals here.”
Viktor puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “That makes sense. After all, they don’t really need to hide the base materials, as they’re not suspicious alone.”
Rose nods. “And readily available. Other than their secret ingredient… whatever that is.”
Arc sighs. “It’s all so perfect. No one would think to look here for such things.”
Xenos grins. “You going to take away their stuff, sir?”
“I guess I’d better. They’re certainly not going to use it for anything good.”
One by one they check the crates. Arc shrinks each one down and stashes it in his ring. As Ember moves to push another crate toward him, she grunts.
“What the heck?!”
Sereb looks over. “What is it, Ember?”
“This one weighs a ton!”
Arc walks over and rips the top off.
“Huh?”
He reaches inside to pick up a large contoured metal plate. Ember looks confused.
“What the heck is that?!”
Arc looks the plate in his gauntlet over carefully. “Hmmmm… I wonder. Cherry, let me out.”
“Oh! Um… okay.”
Cherry does so. Arc steps out and turns to his armor.
“Let me see that plate.”
“Here you go.”
She hands the plate over. Arc looks it over again.
“It looks kinda like steel body armor.”
He puts it to his own chest. Ember looks him over.
“It’s about the right size to protect your torso.”
Sereb growls. “Are they looking to outfit their warriors with armor now?!”
“I’m not sure. But I seriously doubt it. Body armor isn’t made with metal armor anymore. It’s too heavy.”
Max gasps. “What about super soldiers?!”
Viktor turns to his companion. “Come again?”
Xenos clenches his fist. “Like someone really strong?!
Hugh nods nervously. “Bloodletter?”
Ember pulls another plate from the crate. “He was certainly strong enough to wear something like this.”
Sereb growls. “A sobering thought. An armored beast such as him might very well have been unstoppable.”
Arc sighs as he tosses the plate back when he found it. “Maybe. But this stuff looks like normal human size. Bloodletter grew significantly if you recall.”
Ember gasps. “What about Diva and the other lieutenants?! They’re really strong!”
“I suppose so. But I’m guessing this armor is meant for males.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?
Arc rolls his eyes as he points to his chest. “Think about it a minute.”
Ember looks down at her breasts.
“Oh… I see what you mean now.”
Arc chuckles. “This COULD be worn by a female. But it’d be VERY uncomfortable.”
Sereb sighs. “We should give this more thought later.”
Max nods nervously. “Yes sir. Every minute you stay there is another chance for our opponents to discover you.”
Ember looks around. “Yeah. Let’s finish with these boxes.”
Arc nods as she puts the plate back in the box. “Sure. Let’s continue.”
As they move aside a stack of crates the trio finds a cot and chair in a corner. Ember grimaces.
“Uh oh. You think someone lives down here?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not likely. There’s no food, toilet, or shower. I’m guessing it’s kinda like a fallback safehouse.”
Sereb growls. “That is not reassuring.”
Rose calls out over the airwaves. “Sereb. Who’s sent is on the bed?”
Sereb walks over to the bed and sniff the pillow.
“Diva, Stingray, and Hammer.”
Ember frowns. “No Mio?”
“Not that I can smell, no.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin. “She didn’t strike me as the kind of woman who likes roughing it.”
Max nods stoically. “Could they have an apartment upstairs, sir?”
“Maybe. But that raises the question of why they’d be sleeping down here then.”
Sereb sighs. “More questions.”
Ember clenches a fist. “Yeah. I was hoping they’d be down here to answer some.”
Arc nods angrily. “I was hoping for Diva myself. She and I have a score to settle, after all.”
Xenos grins. “Looking for some payback, sir?”
“Yeah. After some answers, that is.”
Max frowns. “Be careful for what you wish for, sir.”
Hugh nods. “Yes. Your previous encounter didn’t exactly go well.”
Ember grits her teeth. “Agreed. But she has to be stopped.”
Sereb shakes his head. “All of them do, yes. But not at the cost of our lives.”
Arc walks over to the bed. “I know that. But…”
The floor under his boot creaks. Frowning, Arc turns around and walks over it again as he muses aloud.
“Rose, is there a sub-basement under here?”
“My scanners show nothing under you.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “Then why is the floor creaking?”
Max gasps. “Unless there’s something under there!”
Hugh speaks up. “Try banging on it a few times, sir.”
Arc does so.
“It sounds hollow.”
Ember grins. “That means there has to be an entrance below the floor somewhere!”
Sereb nods. “A reasonable assessment.”
Rose shrugs. “While my scanners disagree, that is the logical conclusion, yes.”
Xenos frowns. “But where? There’s no place left to search.”
Hugh looks at the feed. “How about under the bed?”
Ember sighs. “Worth a shot.”
She pushes the bed aside and walks over the floorboards.
“Nothing here. And the ground feels pretty solid.”
Viktor frowns. “What about that crate in the corner?”
Ember shakes her head. “I checked it already.”
Arc turns to her. “What was in it?”
“Nothing. It was empty.”
Sereb looks to the lone crate. “Perhaps there is a trapdoor under it.”
Max shakes his head. “It’s kinda small to hide something like that.”
Rose nods. “Agreed.”
Ember lifts the crate easily to reveal the wood floor beneath.
“Nothing under here.”
Xenos taps the desk in front of him. “What about a secret stairway behind a wall, or something?”
Rose shakes her head. “All the walls are either adjoining other rooms or are just dirt and rocks behind them.”
Arc puts a gauntlet to his helmet thoughtfully. “This just doesn’t make sense.”
Max frowns. “Could the spot in the floor simply be from a minor sinking of the ground, sir?”
“I suppose so. But that empty crate still bothers me.”
Ember appears confused. “What do you mean?”
“Think about it. Every other one was filled to the top with stuff. Why leave it here?”
Sereb tilts his head to one side. “Perhaps they were in a hurry?”
“Maybe. Rose can you scan this crate?”
“I can if you get closer to it.”
Arc walks over to the crate and kneels down in front of it.
“One moment…”
Rose frowns. Viktor turns to her.
“Something wrong?”
Rose furrows her brow. “This is strange indeed.”
Arc calls out. “Find something?”
Rose nods. “Yes. That box has a very strange magical aura around it.”
Hugh raises an eyebrow. “Can you elaborate?”
“Sadly, no. It’s like nothing I’ve ever encountered before. That and there’s nothing to compare it to in my memory banks.”
Sereb sighs. “So it’s unknown magic?”
“Yes.”
He walks over to the crate and sniffs it.
“Interesting.”
Arc turns to him. “Sereb?”
“Diva’s scent is heavy here.”
Ember shrugs. “Maybe she used the crate as a makeshift table?”
“Perhaps. But her scent is strongest INSIDE the crate.”
Max raises an eyebrow, skeptically. “Like she was hiding in there?”
Sereb shakes his head. “Unlikely. But it’s the only lead we have.”
Arc peers into the box again. “Hmmm… what’s this?”
Hugh frowns. “Sir?”
“Look at these marks on the inner sides of the crate.”
Xenos furrows his brow. “They look kinda like scuff marks.”
Arc nods. “Right. As if the crate had a false bottom.”
Reaching inside Arc pulls at the bottom.
“It’s loose.”
Ember grins. “Good. Maybe there’s a clue in there.”
Removing the bottom, Arc stares down to see the wood floor beneath the crate.
“Nothing. Just the floor.”
Max frowns. “That doesn’t make sense. It clearly appears someone has moved that bottom many times.”
Ember shrugs. “Right. But there’s nothing.”
Rose gasps. “Arc, the magical energies of the crate changed slightly when the bottom was removed!”
“Did they now?”
“Yes. It was as if the crate was trying to materialize a simple spell.”
Viktor frowns. “That’s impossible though.”
Hugh shakes his head. “Maybe not. Think about how magic is used in Equestria. Items can be imbued to have a magical effect.”
Max puts a hand to his chin. “True. But that would require a source of some kind.”
Arc nods. “Like a magical battery?”
“Right, sir.”
Sereb scratches at the craft. “Could it be that the spell failed to cast due to a lack of energy?”
Rose nods. “That is probable, yes.”
Arc looks over the crate yet again as he talks. “So if this crate had a power source, it could cast the spell?”
Rose shakes her head. “There’s a little more to it. The source would have to be the right one.”
Ember groans. “So we can’t just power it up ourselves?”
“Not for this, no. I’d also like to point out that it’s a pretty complex spell for such a mundane item.”
Arc stands up. “I have an idea.”
Ember sighs. “Yeah? I’m open to anything right now.”
Picking up the box, Arc carries it to the spot in the floor that had creaked earlier. Max watches curiously.
“Sir? What are you doing?”
“Just trying a magical experiment.”
Setting the box on the floor, Arc kneels down next to it.
“What do your sensors say now, Rose?”
“I… don’t believe it. The magical field has increased!”
Ember takes a step back. “Is that dangerous?!”
“At present, no. I think Arc may have found the proper power source though.”
“I’m going to pull that bottom out again. Is that safe, Rose?”
“Yes. However, I’m getting some strange readings from under the floor now.”
“Should we stop?”
Sereb frowns. “Haste certainly makes waste.”
“I’m not detecting anything dangerous. The readings are just… odd.”
Arc nods soberly. “Alright. I’m doing it.”
He slowly pulls the cover back and peers inside.
“What the heck?”
Ember takes a step toward him. “Huh? What do you see, Arc?”
“Nothing at the moment. Let me try something.”
Reaching for his ring, Arc removes a cherry cupcake. Sereb raises an eyebrow.
“I do not believe now is the best time to eat.”
Arc shrugs. “It’s part of my plan.”
Eating the cupcake in a couple bites, he saves the cherry for last. Chewing around it carefully, Arc spits the pit into his gauntlet. Ember puts a hand to her stomach.
“That’s… kinda gross.”
Arc shrugs. “Maybe. But I need it for this.”
Looking down into the crate Arc tosses the cherry pit inside. Ember frowns as she speaks.
“I didn’t hear it hit the bottom.”
Sereb raises an eyebrow. “It did. However it took one and a half seconds.”
“…what?”
Arc grins. “This is the entrance to the sub-basement apparently.”
Max gasps. “That… shouldn’t be possible.”
“My scanners agree with you, Arc.”
Ember looks at the crate, skeptically. “Okay. Let’s assume it is. What now?”
“I go in and see what they’re hiding down there.”
Sereb walks over to him. “May I accompany you?”
Ember joins him. “Me too!”
Arc shrugs. “So we’re all going, huh?”
Ember chuckles. “Guess so.”
Arc turns to the crate. “Let me go first though, okay?”
As the other two nod, Arc jumps into the crate and through the bottom. Landing on the floor below he quickly casts a Light Spell and looks up.
“Come on down.”
Ember and Sereb do so and look around. Ember is the first to speak.
“What… IS all this stuff?!”
Arc walks over to a rack and picks up a strange looking gun.
“This looks like Hammer’s weapon.”
Sereb calls out from the other side of the room. “There’s a few different models over here as well.”
Ember gasps. “Uh… Arc?”
Arc turns to her. She points wordlessly at a rack. Before her lay half a dozen staves.”
“These look like Mio’s weapon of choice.”
Sereb grins. “So we have stumbled onto their safehouse and spare weapons?”
Ember rubs her hands together. “Looks like it!”
Arc points over his shoulder. There’s a few melee weapons over there. I’m guessing they belong to Stingray.”
Rose frowns. “What about Diva?”
Arc shrugs. “I didn’t see her with any kind of weapons when we saw her last time.”
Max shudders. “She was powerful enough without them.”
Xenos nods soberly. “I think she IS a weapon!”
Hugh sighs. “That might not be far from the truth.”
Viktor looks at his screen carefully. “Sir, there’s some strange looking capsules in the corner.”
“Let’s take a look at them.”
Walking over to the capsules Arc pushes a button on the side. They open to reveal a strange looking uniform. Ember raises an eyebrow.
“What the heck IS that?!”
Sereb looks the garb over. “Perhaps some kind of military uniform?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not of our country it isn’t. The color scheme is all wrong. What do you think, Rose?”
“I’ve just finished searching the Internet for all known military faction’s uniforms. No matches found.”
Max frowns. “Could they be some kind of new Shard outfit?”
Arc shakes his head. “I doubt it. These look professionally made and very military. Could Diva and her ilk be some kind of anti-government terrorists?”
Viktor nod nervously. “That is possible, sir.”
Arc steps forward and grabs the uniform. He looks it over.
“No tags. Must be a custom job.”
Putting the whole uniform in his ring, he turns to the others.
“Grab everything that isn’t nailed down.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “Arc?”
“I want Sunburst to look these weapons and uniforms over.”
Sereb nods. “At the very least we can deprive our opponents of their additional armaments.”
Max grins. “That too.”
Xenos laughs. “If we’re lucky maybe their weapons could be useful.”
Hugh turns to his friend. “You mean like implementing them into the commander’s arsenal?”
Viktor thinks for a moment. “That’s a possibility.”
“For now I just want to learn how they work. Let’s just grab everything and get out of here.”
Ember turns to grab the guns. “Yeah. This place is creepy.”
Sereb nods as he picks up the staves with his magic. “Agreed.”
Arc reaches forward and grabs another one of the uniforms.
“This looks like it’s roughly Mio’s size.”
Ember grins sarcastically as she looks over. “Missing that witch?”
Arc glares at her. “Lay off, Ember. She’s not a bad person.”
Sereb raises an eyebrow. “Arc?”
“Sorry. But I’m just kinda worried about her. I mean, I guess her injuries should of healed by now.”
Ember nods angrily. “We did see her in that mine.”
Sereb growls. “She appeared to be just fine.”
“Yeah! So what are you worried about?!”
Arc shrugs. “I don’t know, Ember. She just didn’t seem as… intense as Stingray and Hammer. But let’s get this done.”
Ember and Sereb bring what they can to Arc. He stashes the items in his ring as the pair take a last look around.
“I think that’s everything.”
“Indeed. Shall we depart.”
Arc nods. “Yeah. Mission somewhat accomplished.”
He raises a gauntlet and opens a portal.
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Ohhh! Things just got more intersecting!
10651735
They clearly thought things through if they have off-site safe-houses... and high powered magical explosives. 
I guess this proves that the errant lieutenants are more than just mere thugs.
They're also not afraid to kill to keep their materials safe.
The crate and magic floor trick is one of the best, but was it meant like that, leaving the crate totally empty, or just one of those usual oversights, like having tomorrows newspaper on the desk?
No offense but it was fairly obvious they were more than just a couple of lower rank thugs that were given magic powers. They're way to organized, have know each other for some time, trust each other, very well trained, well armed, and well rounded as a unit. Clear indication that they have been working with one another through some serious missions not jobs. The way Diva gloats that she is better at magic and talks down about them is another indication that she has known them outside the Shards involvement for some time and the fact that she already knows exactly who Arc is is a big give away that she is has access to a very tight nit information network in clear public view, even when NO PERSON is around to see Arc.
by now arc has quite the colecktion in his ring xD , i wonder if he ever throws something out :D
10653168
Think of his ring kinda like a spare closet. It has the tendency to fill up with various useful (and not so useful) items. But I would have to say that perhaps some spring cleaning would be in order.