The two of them ran towards the facility's entrance with excitement. Mary was way faster than the old professor, but she didn't leave him there, even though she was jumping out of her skin from eagerness.
The Angelic Order Research Facility's entrance was concealed beneath the hippogryph nests. They provided an additional defense for it. Not like it was needed. The whole place was well hidden and unless someone knew where to look, they would never find it.
The two of them walked into a small natural cave and went through its labyrinth-like system until they reached an unassuming wall.
Mary stepped forward and knocked on the random cave wall. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the wall moved inward without making a sound.
A team of soldiers stood in the doorway in their golden armor. They each saluted and greeted the pair, but they were too excited to notice.
The facility was enormous. They needed a lot of space for their machines and research areas. They also needed living quarters, of course, and recreational rooms for everyone.
The whole place was made within a week by a few Evolved. Their powers were perfect for excavating extensive areas, and with the help of a few advanced digging machines, the place was setup with ease.
The entire facility comprised five different floors. The first contained the entrance and the soldiers' quarters. The second was the recreational area and the attendants' quarters. The third held the researchers' quarters and a few office-like rooms for cataloging.
The fourth held the entire facility's life support and generator systems. The fifth and last floor held all the research areas, with the different machines and experiments. Mary and Collins were headed there.
Movement between floors was done by both elevators and stairs, but before they could reach either, a team of soldiers with the facility's head of security stopped them.
They were both sweaty from running. Collins had to lean against the side of the corridor to not pass out. He hadn't run for the past twenty years; it didn't sit right with his current age.
"We heard the news. We will escort you and prepare for whatever happens next!" said the lead officer.
He was a tall and taciturn man who wanted the best for everybody. He was also strict and followed each order to the letter.
One soldier moved and helped the professor walk towards the large elevator.
The entire team comprised twenty men and women, plus Lee, the lead officer. They fit in the elevator with ease, leaving a lot of space empty. Experience more on empire
They designed its size to facilitate the moving of machinery. They also used it to move large quantities of food and other non-renewable resources.
The elevator doors rumbled as they closed shut, then with a sudden jerk, they started moving downwards. The entire journey took less than half a second, and soon they were already exiting the elevator.
The fifth floor was in disarray, all the scientists running around carrying papers or tablets, writing while walking. They saw the doors of the elevator open and breathed a sigh of relief when Mary and Collins stepped out.
A few scientists ran to them, but before any of them could say anything, Mary spoke...
"What was their response?"
The researchers looked at one another with anxiety, one of the younger woman answered, her voice meek and scared...
"'Message received... We will arrive in... Ten minutes...' Ma'am, that was nine minutes ago!"
Collins was about to berate them for not forwarding the complete message, but then something happened...
The girl with closed eyes raised her small hands, and the picture became clear in the next second. She breathed a sigh of relief, then turned away and gave a small nod to the other eight.
A tall man with white hair and beard held out his hand and touched the Gate. It came through without resistance, and after taking a deep breath, he stepped through.
He looked himself over once, then motioned for the others to follow.
Mary and the rest of them just stood there, speechless. The soldiers had their weapons out, but their position was non-threatening on purpose. A cautiousness, born of uncertainty, colored their view of these supposed allies.
All of them stepped through one by one. The white-haired, tall man looked down at the soldiers with freezing-blue eyes. His facial expression revealed nothing but calculated coldness.
The next to step through was a blue-haired woman. Her long hair, though braided neatly, almost reached the ground.
Next to her walked a well-muscled man. His hair was blue too, but a different tone. The woman's was more of a grayish-blue, like a storm cloud, while the man's was more like the ocean's deep blueness. Both of their eyes were blue too, and they stared down at the soldiers with curiosity.
The fourth person was another woman. Her skin was an unnatural pale white, while her hair and eyes were, in its exact contrast, pure black. Her hair only reached her shoulder, and in her hand she carried a wicked dark scythe.
Next to her stood a man... Or more like a cyborg.
As Mary watched him, it wasn't clear where his actual body started and where it ended. His arms and legs seemed robotic. His face was normal, except for the pair of robotic eyes examining everything inside the room. His hair was messy and brown, and in his hand he carried a blue energy sword.
Behind them entered the next person. A tall man in dark red armor. He moved with proud confidence, and a straight back. His hair and eye were a deep crimson, which resembled the color of blood and fire.
Close to him, two people entered. One was a woman, the other was the previous girl. The woman held the little girl's hand and watched everyone with dark eyes.
With a single glance, Mary knew that the woman would protect the child, and would kill anyone who dared to threaten them.
Her black hair was like deep shadows as they danced on phantom winds.
The little girl looked much more innocent, but deep in her white eyes, there was unmeasurable sadness. Her body trembled as she held onto the shadowy woman.
Her pure white hair was styled in two pigtails on either side of her head.
The last woman didn't step through after the girl. Everyone watched in awe as the giant roots of the enormous tree dug through the ground and went through the Gateway.
They knocked over machinery and dug straight into the metal floor of the warehouse.
The brown-haired woman, with green eyes and greenish skin tone, stepped through the Gate. She wore a brown dress that seemed to grow out of her skin. Her face was pure nonchalance, but with just one step, the entire room changed.
One moment they were in a large warehouse; the next, they found themselves in a lush forest.
From the metal floor grass, bushes and trees grew out, obscuring the lights above and plunging the area into darkness.
The woman stepped forward until she stood in the front of the other eight. Her eyes scanned the other 23 people in the room and judged each.
She stood there for a few seconds in silence, then she spoke. Her voice was full of authority and demanding obedience...
"Where is Seraphine?"