The I.D.E.A. Chronicles

The Labyrinth

The facility was far more convoluted than they had thought – at least where the interior was concerned. Whoever had designed it had created tunnel-like mazes that discombobulated intruders – which they were. Even though there were five of them, it was taking them far longer to search their assigned sections for their target. It didn't help that intense waves of pain and panic were pulsing through the air and bearing down on them at every turn.

"Tone it down, you damned empath, we're trying to get to you," cursed Impey under his breath as he turned yet another corner. The emotional onslaught was confusing him even more and he was sure that he had already been down this very path, but they all looked the same to him, so he could only check his compass and mark off the section he had covered on the map he was holding. His enhanced speed had no use in such a situation, and he wished there had been a wide open space instead - he'd have picked up the hostage and been out again in no time at all! He pressed the button on his communicator to inform the others of his status. "Impey, Sector 3 all clear. No signs of the hostage. Crossing over to Sector 4. Over."

"Roger, Impey. We'll tranquilise him the moment we get to him. I can't take these waves anymore either and I can't teleport with all these false walls around unless I know exactly where I am. Sector 6 and 7 all clear with no signs of the hostage. Over," Lupin's voice sounded tinny through his earpiece.

"Cardia here. Section 1 is clear, halfway through Sector 2. I had to knock out two guards, but no signs of the hostage. Over."

"Cardia-chan! I guess those moves Van Helsing taught you came in handy after all, but please stay safe!" Impey cried a little too loudly over the communicator, making everyone wince. "Uh... over."

"Why don't you alert everyone to our presence, you moron?" Van Helsing's voice hissed through the earpiece. "Van here. Sector 11 is clear, moving to Sector 12. Five guards knocked out. I suspect he's in my vicinity given the increased guard. Over."

"Roger, Van. All sectors clear on my end. Heading over to join you. San, out."

Another wave of panic sizzled through the air, causing everyone to pause and re-orientate their own sense of self. The waves caused their own heartbeats to accelerate and breathing to harshen, and they had to stop every now and then to regulate their own breathing and check against their blueprint maps to ensure that they had fully covered their sectors, which had been assigned according to a radial pattern. The further they were away from their target, the less intense the waves were, but they were disorientating, nonetheless. Even Saint Germain and Van Helsing, the most experienced and battle-hardened of the group, were not immune to the effects.

Van gritted his teeth and strained the limits of his own physical senses, which were already enhanced, to search for any signs of the hostage. The waves of terror the hostage clearly felt were pulsing with the regularity of a subwoofer, so he knew the empath had to be close by. Then images he did not recognize began crowding through his mind, and he dropped to his knees as his head began to pound. He felt nauseous. Through the haze and fogginess that had begun clouding his mind, he thought he could hear a man's agonised scream followed by another's maniacal laughter.

Impey's voice resounded through the earpiece again. "Bloody hell, what was that? I felt like my mind was invaded. Anyway, I've met up with Cardia-chan, and we've discovered this machine that seems to be a generator of sorts. I'm going to try to shut it down – maybe it's responsible for that poor guy's pain and panic. Over!"

"Lupin here. All sectors clear on my end. Will apparate over to you, Impey! Send me your coordinates. Over."

"San here. That seemed like a telepathic wave. It's not something he's supposed to be able to do, unless Nemo triggered something. Van, are you alright? Send me your current coordinates. Over."

Van had enough presence of mind to depress a button on his wristwatch, a little addition Impey had made to enable each member to indicate his or her precise location relative to a chosen spot. They had synchronised their devices from the point they had entered the building. San would get to him – it was just a matter of how long it would take, given the twists and turns of the sector he had just gone through. "Van here. Coordinates sent. I thought I heard voices at my end. Assistance appreciated, San. Out." He itched to move on ahead once he regained his balance, but he knew he had to remain where he was if Saint Germain was coming to join him.