Chapter 21: Questioning Leadership

Heavy metal creaking and groans echoed through the chamber they stood. The mechanisms of the clock tower had not yet stopped, it seemed, despite it not working. Piles of broken machinery, cogs, gears, and trash littered the entry that formed heaps taller than adults.

Wet footsteps echoed as they stepped in puddles of stained water and chemicals that reflected the eerie, green light of Chemtech. 

Looking up, Orion saw beams crisscrossing with gigantic ancient, rusted gears dimly illuminated by the sporadic flickering of the ground lights. Beyond that there was only darkness and echoes of the enormous machinery that was the Old Hungry and the occasional flutter of bats.

"Wow!" Powder exclaimed, her eyes dancing excitedly across the piles of trash.

Vi didn't get the chance to warn her as she dove at the nearest pile, hands clawing at gadgets and boxes.

"Powder! Be careful!" Vi hissed, her voice sharp and anxious. "We don't know who, or what, is lurking here."

Her gaze swept the room, expression tense and on edge.

"This place is a dump," Claggor muttered, beating Mylo to the punch, who sighed disappointedly. "What was all the fuss about?"

Mylo shrugged, his eyes drifting over the piles of rubbish. "Beats me. Maybe it's deeper inside?"

Orion's gaze swept the room, frowning.

"Looks like people have been dumping trash down here for years," Orion mused.

Some rusted metal had large dents from a heavy impact, and his gaze rose to the darkness above.

"It's dangerous standing here. People are dumping trash from above into this building. If anyone does it now and it hits us-"

Screeeeech

The gang jumped when the piercing squeal of metal echoed through the chamber.

A cascade of clattering metal objects followed and crashed loudly to the floor. Powder stood there frozen, guilt written all over her face as she clutched what looked like a metallic torch in her hands.

"Nice going, Jinx!" Mylo snapped, throwing his arms up. "Now everyone knows we're here!"

He scowled, though the harshness in his voice didn't quite match the concern flickering behind his eyes. Despite all his posturing, he always reacted the strongest when Powder got into trouble, even if he hid it behind sarcasm.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Orion glanced at Vi. Her eyes were wide and shallow breaths betrayed her fear, though she quickly shook her head and squared her shoulders when she saw Orion looking at her.

Straightening her posture, she forced her tone into something more commanding again.

"Let's keep moving. Keep quiet this time."

Powder shot Orion a sheepish look before slipping the torch into her bag. The others silently returned to scanning the dim room. Their movements were even slower than before, more wary and anxious as they ventured deeper into the rumbling chamber.

A faint flicker of movement caught Orion's eye, and he snapped his head around. He spotted nothing beyond the piles of junk, but unease lingered. There were bats here, but it was hard to tell with the loud rumbling of machinery beyond that.

'Was it just my imagination?'

The group pressed on and made its way to the end of the chamber. Before them stood a heavy door, its surface coated in rust and a set of metal stairs bolted to the wall spiraling upward into the darkness of the clock tower.

Orion glanced at Vi, whose gaze alternated between the door and the stairs. It was her call-

"Let's climb the tower," Vi declared decisively.

"No."

"What?" Vi snapped, spinning around to face Orion. "I'm sorry, are you the leader?"

Orion shook his head and kept his tone firm.

"Don't you care about safety? Look around. Look at the stairs!"

He gestured sharply at the rusted stairs. They were unstable and bolted to the wall on one side with no support underneath. The bolts, corroded and uneven, barely seemed secure. Orion gently moved the rail, and the staircase squealed in protest.

"We aren't leaving without something good," Vi hissed, her tone sharp with defiance.

Spite crept into her voice and she placed a hand on her hip, the other gesturing dismissively at him.

"You might not care because you have Vander's ear. You've even got jobs of your own! But we don't."

While the argument started, Powder stepped closer to Claggor and the two exchanged uneasy glances.

Mylo, on the other hand, arched a brow while he studied the door. Inconspicuously moving forward, his hand slipped into his pouch and pulled out his lockpicks.

Orion sighed deeply, catching Mylo's movement out of the corner of his eye. He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaustion creeping into his tone.

"Vi, can we just-"

"What?" Vi snapped. "Do you think you're better than me?"

"No, that's not- Look, that has nothing to do with-"

Cla-clink.

The metallic click of a lock disengaging cut through the tension like a blade. All heads rotated to Mylo, who crouched next to the slightly ajar door with a smug grin. His dismissive, mock-innocent tone followed.

"What? You two were taking too long. I want a good haul too."

Both Orion and Vi walked over and whacked him across the head.

"Ow!" he yelped, clutching his head.

"Wait, VI!"

Orion was too busy glaring at Mylo to notice in time Vi yanking open the door without regard for their safety or subtlety. Her gaze scanned the room before striding inside with a sharp glare back at Orion.

Fuck! Her attitude is going to get us killed! I need to-'

'No, no. Arcane happened without any problems. I need to let her grow.'

'I need to smack her around after we get out of here though. Get what we need and get out.'

While Orion stood there silently fuming, Claggor and Powder passed him and shook their heads with disappointment at Mylo as they passed.

Mylo remained crouched, his expression shifting to one of sheer disbelief. He glanced at Orion anxiously as he rose, who openly sighed with anger and gestured toward the door with an open hand.

Like a scared child, Mylo quickly stepped past him and inside while eyeing his demeanor nervously. Orion glanced back one last time at the dimly lit chamber, the sense of unease never leaving him now mixed with anger before entering.

The room, in stark contrast to the chaos outside, was significantly cleaner. It was dusty and unkempt, but not piled with trash. A faint chemlight at the back of the room illuminated the surfaces with the typical dull, green hue.

At the center stood a sturdy desk with the custodian's chair and two worn visiting chairs while bookshelves lined the walls. Behind the desk, several hangers displayed what looked like old maintenance uniforms, faded and untouched.

'Reminds me of Vander's office in the mines,' Orion thought, his mind drifting to Vi, Jinx, and Isha in the mines trying to help Vander.

Orion blinked and froze.

'Wait, didn't I see a little girl who looked exactly like the toddler version of Isha before I left myself?'

He briefly recollected the little girl with a miner's cap holding a miniature pickaxe running past him in the mines. She had the same look but was much younger. Brown hair and amber eyes.

'No way... Isha worked in the mines leading up to the Arcane show. Could-? I need to check up on this after I get out of here. There are toddlers in the mine with brown hair, but amber eyes?'

While he stood frozen in place, Powder was already digging through the bookshelves. Her fingers trailed the spines of books and boxes that were filled with unique, less plundered items. Her blue eyes darted between the gadgets, mind burning with curiosity.

Claggor, meanwhile, found himself by a drawer filled with what looked like maintenance tags and tools.

He picked up a small rusted wrench and turned it over in his hand, only half-listening to Powder and Orion. He looked unsettled as he eyed the cleanliness of the room compared to the outside.

Claggor glanced back at Vi and Powder and then to the dark chamber outside.

Orion coughed, cutting through the silent rummaging and ignoring the potential ire he might draw from Vi.

"This looks like the custodian's room."

He wasn't wrong.

Vi's head twitched at the remark, her irritation evident even if unspoken. She strode toward the back of the room and dropped herself into the custodian's chair without a heed for the grime.

She smirked and leaned back, her posture deliberately exaggerated like that of a Chem boss.

Orion rolled his eyes, refusing to take the bait, returning his attention to Powder and the bookshelves lining the wall.

A haughty huff emerged from Vi, followed by the aggressive clatter of cupboards being wrenched open.

Orion chose to ignore it for now, letting his eyes wander through the titles. Brushing away the dust, he revealed titles etched into the aging spines.

How was he able to read the language? He didn't know, but he could, and his fingers halted at one that said "Mechanical Introductions: Basics of Clockwork."

Carefully, Orion pulled it from the shelf and opened it. Dead, brittle insects spilled out and clicked softly against the floor.

"Ew!" Powder squeaked, wrinkling her nose.

Orion chuckled, holding the book for Powder to see. "What do you think? After we've cleaned it."

"Maybe. It looks like something little-man would like."

"Little-man?" Orion asked, tilting his head with feigned ignorance. "He likes mechanical things too?"

"Yeah!" Powder's expression brightened, and she began to ramble.

"He's about my age and anything that ticks he can't help but tinker with. Benzo's shop has a clock and he's always fixing it. I think Benzo breaks it on purpose."

She giggled, looking up at Orion with a wide grin.

Orion smiled back and briefly ruffled her hair, earning a small squeak of protest before their lighthearted moment was interrupted.

Multiple metallic cascades echoed from outside the room. Everyone froze in place.

Orion, closest to the door, snapped to attention and rushed over to peer out, his heart pounding.

A wet, gurgling sound echoed, the noise thick with the rasps of damaged lungs. From the top of a junk heap, a deformed man tumbled down and landed with a sickening thud.

His skin was a sickly, pale green, marred with bulbous pustules and tumors that deformed half of his upper body.

Wide, bloodshot eyes locked onto their location, onto Orion, frozen as he peered from the door.

Orion had only a split moment, catching the same glint of movement from before, to lunge for the door handle.

Loud snarls and wet, fluid-filled barks erupted from the other side of the door, followed by a powerful impact that slammed the door shut just as he pulled it.

The force sent Orion flying backward and he landed hard on his back with a painful grunt.

Thankfully, Vi was right there. Without missing a beat she grabbed the lock above the handle and twisted it into place, securing the door with a sharp click.

"What was it?" Vi shouted, faint panic slipping into her voice despite her best efforts to sound composed.

Orion quickly stood back up, brushing his clothes off.

"A chem-hound and a ghoul," he replied flatly.

The group tensed, despair moving in like a heavy fog as they exchanged uneasy glances.

More snarling came from the other side, followed by violent bangs that threatened to take the door off its hinges.

Powder's breath hitched, fearful whimpers escaping her trembling lips as tears welled up in her eyes. Her grip tightened around the straps of her bag, fingers curling with white knuckled tension. The green glow of the room reflected faintly in her tears that formed.

She hadn't expected this. Not really. In stories, they always got out before the monsters showed up or fought them back. She turned slowly to Vi, searching her face for strength.

Orion knew this was where Vi's leadership shone.

Without hesitation, she silently motioned everyone to start searching the room. She then walked quickly to Powder, pulling her in for a tight hug and burying Powder's face into her clothes.

"Don't worry, Powder," Vi murmured, her voice steady and reassuring despite the chaos. "We'll make it out. I promise."

As she held Powder close, Vi's gaze snapped up to Orion, who was seemingly observing the door, doing nothing.

"What are you waiting for? Search the room-"

Orion's actions silenced her when he pulled the gun from his jacket.

With practiced motion, he checked the chamber with a crisp click, ensuring the round was still firmly in place. Another click as he snapped it shut.

Sucking in air between his teeth, Orion turned his gaze back to the group. They were staring at him again in stunned silence.

Vi's expression wavered, surprise etched into her face. Powder peeked out from Vi's arms, eyes locked onto the weapon. Even Mylo and Claggor, who had begun sifting through cupboards and drawers again, were in stunned disbelief.

"Since when did you-" Vi began, her voice full of shock.

"Grab the valuables," Orion interrupted, his voice cold and steady. "Get ready to run."

Mylo hesitated, still watching Orion with a look that wavered between awe and unease. He nodded without a word and turned back to the cupboards, hands moving faster than before.

The room had shifted. The tension wasn't just from the snarls behind the door; it was in the air between them now. And it was only getting heavier.

Click-Click

The sound of two clicks as Orion pulled back the hammer.

"Let's fucking go."