[u]Corridor, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology[/u] [i]Coastal Waters, Tenebrae [color=lightgray]Time: Far After Midnight[/color][/i] [@Shu], [@Blizz] A booming voice crackled to life over the intercom, declaring throughout the Laboratory of Microreactor Technology. [code]"Critical breach detected, repeat, critical breach detected.[/code] [code]"Descruction sequence initiated.[/code] [code]"Facility will self-destruct in T-minus 10... "9... "8..."[/code] -- [@Shu] The Triad veteran stared furiously at his men that fell helplessly into the boiling pit, and then at his empty hand where his charge once was. That damn whirlwind was doing it all over again to them. The same thing she did with his brethren, the same thing that weakling Pak Tsz Sin witnessed with his own eyes. "Scarlet!" he yelled, cocking a gun in his hands, "Come here and face me!" But Scarlet Shadow had no intention of doing as such. As Ellie, Linus and Dream fought their way through guards and Triad to the hallway exit, she was a blur of speed to the elevator exit on the opposite side. As she reached it, a portal opened up, blocking her way. She saw two figures in black step out, one with red, wild, and flaming hair and exotic mask, and the other with short blond hair, black hair tattoos, and a black mask. Chronos. The moment Scarlet spotted Chronos, his body fizzled in and out of reality, like a blip. At that moment, it was as if an unseen explosion hit the platform, and every single guard and Triad man was launched off the railing, spinning down into the boiling darkness below. Their screams were cut off by the computer's droning voice. [code]"7... "6... "5..."[/code] Myriad took another step out of the portal, eyes glancing curiously at the master thief. "Scarlet Shadow? I've heard so much about you. We have tea ready for you. Do you wanna head out?" She offered her hand, smiling. "I'm Myriad, by the way." Scarlet Shadow could see, within the portal, a large, complex machine. The central piece was missing, but above it, sitting in a glass container was a sparkling clear liquid, lights interlinked like neurons of a brain. Below the central piece were several small canisters attached with tubes, filled with what looked like captured sunlight. Some of the attaching tubes were missing their canisters. Four, to be exact. A scientist stood beside it, the one she met on the rooftops during the rain. Instead of bodyguards, this time he was accompanied by a man in a black mask with silvery lights in his eyes, the one she recognized from the waterfront warehouse. It looked like Eos and Arc were expecting her. -- Eerie stillness settled over the shaft, upset only by the seconds counting down and the faint scent of burning hair. Wisps of heated sparks flew through the air, stirring the emptiness in the shaft. Scarlet stared at the portal in front of her, the slight tug of dislike pulling at her lips, hidden behind her mask. She should feel relieved that she wouldn't have to scramble like everyone else to evacuate the lab, but the escape so easily placed before her felt... Off. As if she was cornered all over again. Not only that, but something happened to all the remaining enemies in the shaft. She had a feeling Chronos was involved somehow, but she didn't have any concrete evidence, and the master thief prefered to have all the evidence and data she needed for an effective strategy. Her only reprieve was when she saw, past the complex machinery, familiar and unfamiliar faces, the only person who maintained the professional qualities she prefered when she was working on contract. Eos was looking expectaly at her, in the calm, unhurried manner that strikingly contrasted with the panic filled moments this shaft experienced mere minutes before. But she didn't have the heart. They never discussed what would happen if she came back empty-handed. She assumed that she would simply not get paid, but with these unknowns, it was hard to be certain. But with the way Eos interacted with her previously, she had a pretty good idea of what to expect. With explosions echoing behind her, she glanced at Chronos, then Myriad, and took the hand extended out to her. "Let's get this over with." And the portal closed behind them. -- [@Blizz] Lines of submarines fled the underwater laboratory, filled with panicked scientists and guards. Almost the entire lab was evacuated. The last remaining people were the ones piled in with Ellie, Linus, and Dream in the elevator. They could hear the computer's countdown in the elevator, many scientists holding back their terror through sheer will. [code]"4... "3... "2..."[/code] "There's still time, we can make it!" Dream called out. "When that door opens, everyone run in an orderly fashion. We're gonna be okay." [code]"1..."[/code] The doors opened as an explosion shook the elevator, causing it to sink two feet as the cable slipped off its rail. As the first scientists clamored frantically over the gap into the hallway, a violet wave of black pushed them, throwing everyone in the elevator back against the wall. As the darkness dissipated, a figure stepped toward them from the hallway, black ooze pulling away from him in layers until he became recognizable. Astra, the king of the Shadow Knights. Strings of black mist wrapped around his finger, and he pulled gently. Scientists shrieked as the elevator jumped on its cable, sinking another foot. Astra chuckled, slowly loosening his hold on the string, the elevator sinking further and further down into the shaft, until, he let it go. And at that moment, Dream's heart pressed into the top of her throat as they plummeted down into the dark elevator shaft, sparks scattering off the metal door as they fell deeper into darkness. -- [b]DING![/b] As suddenly as they were falling, they stopped. The elevator door creaked open, letting in the fresh rays of a new dawn. They were outside, and they were alive. Dream stepped out of the elevator, hobbling over moaning scientists. Steel ringed her wrists, the metal binding them sliced apart with Ellie's help during their escape. "Hey, Ellie...?" Dream looked back at Ellie and Linus. "We're back in Tenebrae, but uh... Hope no one has a fear of heights here." Their elevator sat in the middle of a cement rooftop, appearing very much out of the norm with the absence of any cables or an elevator shaft. Dream stared at the city skyline, studying the buildings before turning back to Ellie and Linus. SHe was about to say something when her eyes darted down to Ellie's empty hands. "Ellie... where's the heart?" Her eyes quickly scanned over the scientists wearily standing up and filing out of the elevator, and to her growing horror, she could see all of their hands were empty. No one here had the heart in their possession. "That son of a... I gotta call the doc." Dream said, pestering the scientists for a phone until she managed to pry one off of them, typing in a number with frantic hands and listening to a dead dial tone. She tried again. The doctor wasn't picking up. "He's expecting us... something's wrong. Something's wrong, Ellie. He might be in trouble." Dream passed the phone back to its owner and stood in front of Ellie and Linus. She crossed her arms, eyes ringed in worry. "Listen, I gotta check on him, tell him what's... what's happened. Ellie, you and your friend can come with you if you want. We need all the help we can get, especially if we have to hunt down the heart again. "If not, I have your number and I'll update you on what the doc thinks our next move should be."