NOVEL NEXT Chapter 160: Traps
Location: Solar System; Earth; Outside of Shanghai; Song Medical
Lisa's Communication spell comes knocking a few minutes later, and I happily accept.
"Hi Sara, I've got some news. Mom went through the archives and looked for the designation you found. What I said before about Alpha Zulu stands true, so be careful. Code 003, on the other hand, is vague… Mom's best guess is that this was the third research center of Song Medical back then, but it could also be a secret code, indicating something… We don't know."
"Thanks, Lisa! We found a floor plan that indicates the complex consists of a large hospital and a small lab… We're not sure if we can trust those plans anymore after what you told us, but as it's from a security briefing, we're tending to do so. That's also what led us to believe that this could be where Song Medical researched Healing spells or something similar."
Lisa pauses for a few seconds, and I imagine the gears turning in her head. "My gut says to trust the security briefing, but still don't take unnecessary risks. Also, you're probably spot on with the spell research… That was a huge thing back then. Maybe the hospital people did live testing and the lab guys analyzed the body's reactions to the spell?"
"That's what I was thinking too! Thanks again, Lisa, I'll call you again as soon as I know more."
"See you, Sara, and keep your team safe!"
The spell ends, and I look back at my friends. "Are you ready to go?"
They all nod, and Lucy moves to take point again. She casts two Shield spells this time. One that encompasses our whole group, and a second one that's more mobile in front of her. Then she starts moving toward the broken-down security gate, and we follow right behind her.
The broken glass fragments crunch under our boots when we cross the security gate and continue down the narrow hallway beyond. Lucy is proceeding very slowly and watches her every step.
That still doesn't prevent her from tripping the first trap we're encountering. At least it isn't one of those auto turrets I've run into before. Instead, small panels on the wall swing open and the coverings fall to the ground as the materials have degraded too much – one last rally before their death… Behind the now-removed panels are a bunch of nozzles.
Lucy curses herself and lifts her foot from the pressure plate below her. I, on the other hand, watch the nozzles intently. Shouldn't something happen here? I take a step closer toward the edge of Lucy's Shield bubble around us and study the closest nozzle. Ahh, that's why.
"False alarm, guys. The trap is long gone! The nozzles aren't connected to anything anymore. There's a connector for tubing at the back, but the tubes didn't make it. But depending on what the nozzles were spraying back then, this could have turned nasty real quick. Good thing we have the shield around us, but we can't take it for granted with all the anti-magic stuff that exists."
Lucy sighs in relief, then we continue onward. Lisa wasn't lying… We're already past our first trap and have barely entered the building. I look back at the security cubicle behind us. Those guys probably had the means to deactivate the traps for authorized visitors, but I'm pretty sure whatever mechanism they used is long gone too.
The hallway turns to the right, and Lucy stops right before the bend. "I think there's anti-magic ahead of us, my Shield spells start to feel wonky." She turns around to look at me. "How do you want to proceed?"
I look at a piece of metal lying on the ground close to us, then at Lydia. "Can you float this piece around the corner with your Telekinesis and look what happens, Lydia?"
She shrugs. "Sure can do."
Seconds later, the metal starts floating around Lucy and passes through the Shield spell. One-Way Shields are so convenient! Anyway, as soon as the piece floats around the corner and we lose sight of it, Lydia gasps, and I hear a clanking sound of something hitting the ground.
"I lost it," Lydia confirms a second later.
I nod and address my team. "Okay, I guess this is where we call it a day. I don't want to step into the unknown without our magic. Especially not after all the warnings we've received. I've got a few ideas on how to proceed, but that requires a bit of preparation. So I'd say we go back to the yacht for the night."
Tim and Nick both nod while Lucy looks relieved. Alina looks back at me. "I agree, but we should at least take a look at what's behind the corner." She lifts a hand to stop Nick from responding, as he's already opened his mouth to do so. "I'm not saying to risk anything, but we do have cameras, so let's use them."
Nick blinks once, then nods. "Right…" His eyes wander over to me, and he pulls something small out of his backpack. "Clara, can you use one of the mini drones?"
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Her reply is instantaneous, and the small device in his hands unfolds itself and starts floating. Her voice comes through the speaker of the small drone. "Certainly, I thought you would never ask."
A video feed appears on my interface, and I see a zoomed-in view of Nick's stupefied expression. A light laugh escapes my mouth. Clara, meanwhile, flies the drone past Lucy and across the corner. The feed changes and now shows the hallway continuing. The main difference is that there are now doors left and right of it. Unfortunately, the labels next to them are long gone, but if the map we have is correct, this should be offices and prep rooms before another bend should lead to the hospital section of the research complex.
Various round thingies on the roof get highlighted in red, and Clara's next words confirm my fears. "Those look like hidden turrets. Unfortunately, I can't determine if they're still active. They don't seem to react to our drone at least."
Pretty much the second she finishes speaking, there's a bright red flash, and the video feed abruptly cuts off. Well, damn!
"I stand corrected… There was a reaction to the drone. Looked like a laser coming straight down from the roof. I'm still not sure if the turrets still work, but I would suppose so, considering what just happened."
At least that removed the last doubts about my decision not to turn the corner for the time being, and I cast a Teleportation spell that takes us back to the living room on the yacht.
"Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be right back," I call out as soon as we arrive. Then I cast another Teleportation spell and jump up to the Stargazer, specifically right in front of one of the cargo bays. With the anti-magic tech in play, our Earth Adventure Suits won't work reliably, so we need something else to get past the guns and lasers in the hallway.
That's why I now enter this specific cargo bay. It's our own small armory and features pretty much anything we could find that might be useful to protect and defend ourselves. Most of it is somewhat magical in nature, so I ignore it and walk straight toward a rack in the back of the room. There are six very ugly and bulky hunks of metal.
The PA400 is normally used by special commandos to storm hostile starships when magical means are too risky. The things look like spacewalker suits on steroids and basically are the same thing, just much, much, much more armored! Normally, they also feature their own anti-magic emitter to take away the magic from hostile forces and give the commandos with their suits the advantage. For obvious reasons, ours don't have those emitters, but we also don't need them… The thick armor is more than enough.
The stripped versions were rather easy to buy, and now that I look at them, I wonder if those are the remaining stock of a failed invention. I mean, their original purpose sounds a bit, I don't know, stupid? Even with anti-magic tech, who would storm a ship full of Mages of unknown strength and not simply respond with overwhelming power of their own? A&D Mages are not that hard to come by…
Anyway, I pull them off the rack with my Telekinesis and shrug. They fit our needs right now, so I'm not complaining. I put the six suits down in the middle of the room and walk over to another rack next to the entrance. Time to find a fitting solution to our little turret and laser problem. I'm talking about guns!
Again, I run into the same issue here… Most of the weapons we've picked up are some kind of Magitech, which makes them completely useless for our current situation. That leaves me with four options. Well, actually three, as the fourth one is a rocket launcher that would probably obliterate the whole building. It's still a bit surreal what we were allowed to buy for preparation. But compared to a Master A&D Mage like Lucy, even the rocket launcher is tame, I guess. The only limitation to all those weapons is that we can't use them against other people… Only stun settings are allowed, but that's another topic for later, probably as soon as Prince Kai's little extra competition starts.
Anyway, the remaining three options are the bog standard laser gun, an energy blade, or an old school rifle with actual bullets as ammunition. I look at them lying in their boxes before me, trying to make a decision. In the end, I shrug, close the lids, and take them all. Let the others choose their preferred weapon…
Three Telekinesis spells later, the boxes stand in between the PA400s, and I'm ready to leave. I take another look at the six bulky suits. Yeah, that's not going to fit…
I give Lucy a quick call. She quickly accepts the spell. "Yo, Sara, I was about to call you… Can you get me some tomatoes, please? I'd like to make a fresh sauce for our spaghetti tonight."
"Uhh, sure…" She caught me completely off guard. I clear my throat. "That aside, can you please secure a, uhh, three by three meter square outside of the yacht and send me the coordinates? My solution turned out a little bigger than expected."
"Sure, just don't forget my tomatoes. I don't want to torture you guys with over-processed junk food… It's our first night on the planet after all."
I end the call with a laugh and walk over to another storage room to get the tomatoes while Lucy takes care of things down on Earth. When I return with a bag full of the red vegetables, I receive the coordinates and a go-ahead sign from Lucy. Perfect timing!
I stand between the six suits and cast a Teleportation spell. I expertly mold the space bubble around everything I want to take with me and wait for Clara to lock in the coordinates. As soon as that's done, I trigger the spell and vanish with a purple flash.
Back down on the planet, I step out from between the suits and chuck the bag of tomatoes at a baffled Lucy.
"You've got those things?" She asks in bewilderment.
I nod and grin at her. "Yep, that's our best shot at staying safe with an unknown amount of weapons and no magic to use."
She frowns in response. "Huh… Yeah, that's true, I guess."
I pat her shoulder. "Take your tomatoes, I'll take care of getting those monstrosities inside…" I look at our yacht, then back at the six suits. "Err, or I can put them on the roof…"
She laughs. "Yeah, that sounds better. Otherwise, we can't move anymore! I'll send out Tim to help you."
She vanishes through the airlock, and I grab the first suit with a Telekinesis spell. Just when I set it down on the yacht's roof horizontally, Tim exits and walks over to me. "Hi Tim, can you give me a hand with those things?"
"Sure," he replies with a chuckle and casts his own spell. "You didn't find anything bigger for us to wear, huh?"
"Smartass," I reply and laugh too. With Tim's help, the suits are quickly stored on the roof, and we take the gun boxes with us into the yacht. I'm greeted by a delicious smell – Lucy is already hard at work in the small kitchen at the side of the living room.
While she's cooking, I quickly step into the cockpit and flip a switch. Now the magnetic shields are activated and should protect the suits outside from the weather! Back in the living room, I sit down with the others at the dining table and we wait for Lucy to finish our meal.
A bit later, she sets down a bowl of steaming spaghetti and a pot of tomato sauce. "Bon appétit!"
We dig in, it's delicious!