Code Red: Containment Breach

Chapter 30

"...?"

........

"...-rl?"

................

"Ka-..."

............

..................

..

..................

"KARL!"

He blinked repeatedly. The ringing buzz in his ears disappearing, the white noise around him turning into fluent English. Karl came back to his sense to the sensation of someone gently tapping his face,

"Karl?"

Their tone was gentle this time. Not the jolting yell it was before.

Y/n hovered above the sitting male, her cool hands placed on either side of his cheeks, concern lacing her features. Behind her Karl noticed George and Clay looking down the hole, estimating how far down it went before his attention snapped back to his adopted sister,

"Nick- He- I-" the boy stuttered, his eyes frantic. Nick was just taken before his very eyes- and he was powerless to stop it.

"It's alright, try to calm down, you're fine."

Sha ran a calming had through his hair and shot him a reassuring smile,

"Niki! Can you come watch Karl for me?"

Y/n was replaced in Karl's vision by a calming looking Niki, who did her best to calm the boy down. Y/n wondered over to George Clay and now Techno who had just arrived,

"It took Nick, we have to go after him."

"I agree. Suit up and grab your weapons, we'll head down in ten minutes." Techno dismissed the group, he himself going to fill Eret in. Clay and Y/n quickly headed up to their room, going through the motions of changing swiftly and fluidly, Y/n throwing Clay's axe pole to him, and him throwing her pouch of throwing knives. With five minutes to spare the two headed back to the hole in their lab, followed by George,

"How are we going to catch up?" George pipped up, throwing glances to Y/n and Clay,

"That's a question for Techno, yourself and Mr Dream here." Y/n threw a cheeky smirk and warp-walked the rest of the way to the lab, earning an eye roll from both Clay and George. Techno was already back and waiting from them, sword hilt clipped to his belt, a plan formulating in his mind.

"What's the plan Tech?"

"Follow it." The pinkette dropped down the deep seeming hole, disappearing into the darkness below. Y/n turned, giving a two fingered salute and followed Techno down, George and Clay quick to follow after. Y/n hit the ground in a puff of nebula-mass, quickly reforming to her humanoid state of being. Clay landed like a cat beside here while George just kinda floated there.

"Let's get moving."

Once more, George and Techno hung close together, both using the beam of Techno's flashlight to see the path ahead, while Clay and Y/n held no need for it thanks to their night-sight. They jogged down the dirt and stone tunnel, sometimes slipping on loose clumps of rock or mud, their rush making them slightly careless.

"It feels as though something is moving through the earth." Clay spoke up after a while of silence, his voice laced with interest and concern. Y/n hummed in agreement, Techno nodding in acknowledgement.

"Then we best keep up with the pace, we don't want to waste time with a needless fight." Techno mused, eyes briefly glancing to Clay.

"Dream, you're our guide in this maze: can you do the mind thing?"