Brokenly, Restored

Chapter #17

(Matt's POV)

I stare at the keypad, trying to decide how to proceed. I can't just break open this door like I did the last. The coordinates are drawing me forward, but I do not know what the password is for the keypad.

"So........ what now? How do we get in?", Pete looks at the keypad, clicking a few random numbers. He types in three of them before the keypad beeps, showing a red 'X' and resetting.

"We could just put in some random numbers and get lucky", Choco suggests, typing in another three numbers. He gets the password wrong, and it resets with another beep.

     "Why would Matt get called all the way here, and then not be able to get in?", Pete frowns, fiddling with the keys. They both try a few more combinations. Each attempt is met with another small beep. Three digit code?

"Let me try", I say, moving between the two of them. Taking a guess, I type in a number. My protocols don't like guesses. 2...... 8....... 4. I type in my experiment number, even when my system says it's illogical. The door makes a loud clicking sound and slowly swings open on squeaky hinges.

"Awesome, you got it, Matt", Choco says, his voice a little louder then before. He pats me on the back and walks into the bruising with Pete following. That's strange. Productive things aren't suppose to happen when I don't follow protocol. Proud. You are proud.

I follow the others into the building, scanning the room. My coordinates are farther in. This first room is filled with filing cabinets, all of them labeled with a range of numbers. Two more hallways branch off from here. This place looks a lot smaller then the old lab. Choco ignores most of the filing cabinets, but he does open the one with the late 200's and early 300's.

     "These should be interesting to read later", Chcoc says, pulling out a few files.

     "They really kept all the information for us on another continent? Do they have backups? It's kind creepy", Pete shivers.

     I have no need to read the files on stuff that I already know. I ignore the right hallway, but turn down the left. The door here I can easily push open. Choco and Pete both grab it to stop it from swinging shut, following me into the new room. The lights inside this building help, but my system gives me a little warning that my primary battery is low on energy. My second one is still not operational.

The new room is just a short hallway to the next room. It's a little darker, but I'm still able to see just fine. Display cabinets line the walls of the hall. The one nearest to me has a small bowl at eye level with a few white scales inside. The number '301' is beside it as a label.

     "I think I'm gonna be sick.......", Choco gags, and I turn around to see the cause of his odd noise. There's a picture frame on the wall, but instead of a picture, a few orange feathers are pinned behind the glass. They're shaped like the primary feathers on an owl's wings.

     "Are those your's? Is all this stuff from one of us? That's so gross", Pete looks around the room again with a new facial expression. Neither of them look at anything else as we cross the small hall. I look at a few more cabinets, but they are not my objective. The coordinates are in the next room. These doors also swing on their hinges, so I push my way inside with the other behind me. I walk into the center of the room and stop right on the spot where the coordinates line up. Objective complete.

     The room is small, with a single bed across from the door. Everything is white, gray, and smelling of sanitizer. There's a counter along one wall with heaps of medical tools and supplies on top. I even identify a pink bottle of an alchemy sorcerer's potion. My attention turns back to the bed. Four different beeping machines are hooked up to the bed's occupant. His skin is pale, and I can barely see his face with the oxygen mask. Oh God, I look awful. My arm twitches a little, reacting to the foreign presence.