novel bin Chapter 1576 Liquid Snake
Chapter 1576 Liquid Snake
--- Hunter ---
Hunter made her way downwards using just her hands while her tail was wrapped over her shoulders to keep it out of the way. It was just simpler then messing around with balancing on her tail and moving it down, probably slower to do it that way as well. Hunter was also using this chance to check out the elevator shaft itself.
The doors started further down, some light was shining through the cracks in the elevator doors indicating there were at least six floors to explore but they were all a good distance downwards, much further then Hunter would've expected just based on the compass. The rest of the shaft was empty.
*It seems the power is still on. Not completely strange... sturdy solar panels or some sort of magical generator would do it and we've already seen a smaller one on the outskirts... but the fact that the lights are still working is a bit strange. Perhaps they have a fancy skylight setup that moves natural light downwards with magic? Enchantments do wear out as well though... hmm...*
Taking the chance to look around a bit more Hunter found that the elevator cables had snapped a long time ago and she could just barely make them out in a pile at the bottom resting on top of the elevator carriage that was probably as low as it went.
There were a few vents in the shaft as well as electrical wiring that had been routed through the elevator for some reason though it was all covered in a thick layer of dust showing that nobody had been in here for a long time.
*I wonder if the elevator fell down or if it was resting at the bottom of the shaft when the cable snapped. It seems like a silly question but the elevator DID make it all the way to the bottom instead of getting caught up above and I don't see any scraping along the edges. What does that mean though?
Did the scientist here survive the fallout before slowing dying out, trapped here in the mist bubble? Or is it simply coincidence.*
It didn't take long for Hunter to get to the top floor of the basement facility, but before cracking open the doors she pulled out the compass to check which floor was correct... only to see the needle wobbling quite a bit. It was still pointing in the same direction but it was no longer giving her an accurate depth as it wobbled up and down.
Hunter quickly put away the compass and slid down the ladder until she reached the bottom floor, or at least the lowest floor she could get to using this elevator shaft. Sitting on top of the elevator itself she pulled out the compass... and it was wobbling just the same.
Frowning Hunter shot upwards until she was past the first floor, roughly halfway between it and the hatch at the top and finally she had something.
This place is unbelievably clean. Unless the people inside have OCD or perhaps hypochondriacs... then I see no reason for them to keep it this clean, and it would be a difficult task. Unless this first floor is rarely used? I suppose I'll withhold my judgement until I've had a chance to look around some more.*
Hunter glanced at her three choices for which way to go. Forward, a path with quite a few doors along it and a pathway at the end, left which quickly split off into a T-junction and prevented her from seeing further, or right which had a solid looking door with a keypad reader. Quickly discarding the right path, Hunter didn't take much longer to decide on simply going forward.
Trying the doors, Hunter found them unlocked and she found herself in an office. It was... somewhat clean. Not as crazy as the outside and there was a bit of dust inside but nothing crazy. There was a computer at a desk, a few bookshelves a main office chair and two lounge chairs and a footrest that was sitting up against the side of the desk.
Hunter noticed as she moved inside that there was a trash can near the door. Empty.
Moving her way over to the computer Hunter pressed the power button... and nothing. No boot screen, no fans starting up. Nothing. Quickly checking around for the power socket, Hunter found that the wires simply vanished into the wall. Not standard, but the wiring looks intact. Doesn't tell me if the computer is dead or the wires are fried somewhere and I don't know enough about the topic to check.
Deciding this computer at least was a dead end Hunter started going through the drawers primarily to look for a access card to get into the door on this floor. It seemed however, that the drawers had been cleaned out. None of the ones she opened, even the one with a shitty lock even she could pick, actually had anything inside of them except for a bit of dust. *So what does this mean?
The desk looks much newer then the age of the facility would suggest... but the signs outside fell apart. So what's keeping this together?*
Hunter made her way across the hall and found a similar office in essentially the same condition. The books on the bookshelves weren't all the same, but quite a few of the titles were. Hunter debated checking a few out but decided it just wasn't worth the time so she checked the computer, and once again it failed to turn on. Moving from there she opened the next door. Another office.
Another test of the computer, another disappointment. There was a pack of unopened gum in one of the drawers though.
Hunter winced at the thought but picked it up anyway and checked for the best by, or created on dates usually listed on such packaging... only to realise that she had no idea what date system these guys would be using anyway. Even if Bower knew what the 'current year' was, the people that may or may not be trapped the in the bunker definitely wouldn't know.
So Hunter continued down the hall, checking each room and confirming it was an office before moving on. One had nothing in it, at all, which was somewhat noteworthy but nothing too crazy. Perhaps it was storage or perhaps the person it was meant for never arrived. The computer continued to remain silent and no keycards were present by the time she'd cased the hallway.