PAW Patrol: Incubus

Chapter 17- Absolute Perfection

Chase and Everest continued on in the journey, following the instructions the mystery voice had provided them. They slipped through tunnels and moved in the shadows, speaking only idle gestures or nods to one another. The passage narrowed down into a small corridor, there was a noticeable line in the floor where the bloodied flesh suddenly transformed into solid bone. It wasn't at all a clean transition; a literal jagged jump into a completely new terrain without anything to blend them together.

"That's odd," Everest approached the new floor, hesitating to stand on it.

Chase walked after her, "out of all things we've seen, this is the most confusing you?"

"Well not really, but this feels weirdly artificial, it doesn't line up with the rest of the environment," the husky noted, putting a paw forward.

The Omnihive instantly reacted, swelling its flesh with a pained hiss. Everest jumped back as the corridor tightly closed itself up, denying her entry. Bewildered at the scene, the husky backed away from the seal, only for it to open up again. Both dogs stared with disbelief at the sudden moment, slowly looking at one another.

"I think we've found the Nexus," Chase said with a nod. "They clearly don't want anything getting through here."

"I'll say," Everest held out a paw, bringing it close to the passage. The fleshy gate immediately reacted, sealing itself up again upon detecting her presence.

"Motion-activated blockades," the shepherd shrugged. "Weirdly advanced for a place like this. We'll have to get around this somehow."

Everest turned to walk away, the passage opening behind her as she left its radius. "It could be by smell, maybe we have to mask ourselves with something."

"Clearly the feroxes go through here, we could probably utilize that somehow." Chase held out his own paw, reaching out to trigger the gate. He held his arm in position, waiting for the Omnihive to react.

It didn't close.

A note of confusion hit him, suddenly ignoring Everest's words and holding his arm out further. Still nothing, the passage was completely open. His arm was well past the distance Everest's had been in, he was practically reaching directly on the other side.

"Uh, Everest?"

"What?"

"It doesn't... it doesn't close for me."

The husky turned back around, unease in her expression upon seeing him. "What do you mean?"

Backing up, Chase gestured for her. "Uh... come here for a second. Reach out again."

Puzzled at the experiment, the husky gave him an odd look before nervously walking back over, approaching the dripping tunnel. The minute she got within two feet of the line, it instantly shut with harsh rebuttal.

"The hell?" Chase narrowed his eyes, gently pulling Everest back from its vicinity. The passage graciously opened at her leave and stayed open even as Chase carefully crept through it.

"Why is it opening for just you?" Everest stepped back, not wanting to trigger its mechanism with Chase inside it.

"I... don't know," he closely inspected the inner walls, hunting for any devices or technology Archline could've installed, but there was nothing there. The Omnihive Nexus fiercely shut away all unwelcome visitors, but for some reason neither of them could possibly think of, it happily allowed access to Chase as if he were a ferox himself.