Planatae

Break-In

Fortunately, it seemed they were indeed lucky, as their trek downwards through the embassy was uneventful. Erin led them through service hallways and stuck to staircases. Using the embassy's lifts would have brought them into contact with far too many Purists.

Still, they did occasionally encounter the ambiguously robed figures as they made their way through the halls. While accompanied by Tiber, they had ignored the intruders, but alone, they attracted lingering stares from those that passed them.

It made Lukas nervous, but Erin barely acknowledged their presence. She moved through the building like she belonged there.

We should have taken their robes, Lukas thought, then almost instantly berated himself. He wasn't - shouldn't - be comfortable with what was happening. Still he did want to get out of this in one piece.

After what felt like an eternity, Erin came to a sudden stop. Lukas checked the map - they were on the embassy's ground floor, but they'd taken a different path than the way they'd come in. They were near the rear end of the building, and directly underneath one of the subterranean systems.

She leaned over and rapped her fist against the floor, eliciting a dull ringing note that filled the air. Lukas sighed. He didn't need his mother pointing it out - his Factor-enhanced senses had already alerted him to the presence of every ounce of metal in the vicinity. The flooring featured the same brooding black as the rest of the space, but within Lukas' mindscape, the paneling glowed like a bed of coals.

"Unless you want to take another pill, I suggest you move quickly. We need to get this flooring out of the way."

Lukas did not want to lift the flooring. He wanted to curl up into a ball and wait for his waves of anxiety to fade. He felt like they were walking targets - subject to attack at any moment.

"Alright," is what Lukas mumbled instead.

Reluctantly, he embraced the burning connection to the metal that lingered in his mind. Then he lifted one of the panels, wincing at the horrid shriek of metal.

Erin scowled at the sound, glaring, and Lukas felt the heat rising to his face.

"We could have just used one of the entrances," he protested, trying to shift the panel with more care.

"What? Walk right through?" She scoffed. "The place is under surveillance. They're not going to let anyone pass."

"Well, they'll notice us pretty soon anyway," Lukas grumbled, moving the now-detached panel to the side. The fresh cavity revealed a layer of cables and conduits; below them was another set of panels.

"We just have to get into the tunnel system," she said. "Once they notice, we'll simply outmaneuver them."

Right. When you put it like that, it sounds so simple.

A fresh rush of indignation and fear fueled Lukas, and he tore away a panel from the second set below with reckless abandon. The metal plate sheared right through the cable system as he pulled it out, sending sparks flying.

"Let's move quickly - that wasn't exactly a surgical touch," Erin said, and she threw herself into the hole, paying no heed to the sizzling cables and metal shards that rimmed its edges.

Lukas, with deep relief, heard a low thump as she made contact with the floor below.

"Jump," came the command a moment later, muffled by distance. Despite the urgency in her tone, Lukas hesitated, eyeing the sparking mess of the cavity.

"Jump!" She repeated. "I'll catch you."

He edged closer, peering down. From his vantage point, he could see his mother, neck craned up at him. The surrounding walls and dim ambient light mirrored the hallway he still stood in. It was like they were trapped in some sick person's idea of a maze. Break down a wall, and look - you're in the same exact place.