The Fall of the City of Steel

The Power Plant

Emilia and her crew waited by the helicopter's radio, hoping for an update.  She heard the voices of Acridodea and three others, but could not make out what they were saying. Individual words were all she understood.

After a particularly long hiatus, a mumbled conversation issued through the radio. Buthoidea looked excited. No one from the crew paid heed until Emilia noticed that, of the three conversing voices, only two were female; one was a raspy, hoarse male voice.

"Sounds like they sprang one," James optimistically guessed, after pointing this out.

"That means they're in the plant!" Emilia extrapolated happily.

"It sounds like they made it there in one piece, too," Waldo added.

More voices whispered on the radio, followed by a sudden hush, then the entry of a new female voice.

"That's Joan," Emilia whispered to the rest of the crew, recognizing Acridoidea's deep mumble.

"Someone's coming," reported James, staring out the open side of their helicopter. "Two of them... no, wait- just one. The other one's staying behind for some reason."

A tribal warrior, who Emilia would later learn to be Acromymex, strode up to the helicopter while her boyfriend looked on from a safe distance.

Emilia watched, mystified, while Acromymex stepped into the helicopter, greeted Buthoidea casually, then looked around the room, before settling her attention on the helicopter's radio. She spoke something into the microphone.

"Do you know what she's saying?" James whispered to Emilia.

"Something about permission," Emilia answered, shrugging.

Concluding her business, Acromymex stepped away from the radio with a satisfied nod, then began back to her waiting companion, followed all the way by the perplexed stares of the crew.

"Joan?" asked Emilia, into the radio. "What was that?"

"That was Acromymex," introduced Acridoidea. "Her boyfriend wanted to join us, and I told her to get an update on our position before she came for us. We haven't gotten far, and we have much, much farther to go than I thought."

"What do you mean?"

Acridoidea paused, concocting a concise explanation.  She began, "This isn't just an ore refinery, Emilia. They're producing power here. The aboveground part of this facility is only half of it. The other half is completely subterranean, and most of the workforce and the guard are down there. We're going to have to repeat this process here with the lower levels; while Procyonidae and her group round everyone up above, we're going to clear out the downstairs."

"Why did Acromymex wait?" asked Emilia, more interested in her initial question. "Why didn't she and her friend join you when you left?"

"He hadn't thought to ask to come until minutes before, and Acromymex had to make him a stealth suit before he could come along."

"I'm surprised that he was willing to fight so soon," Emilia commented.

"To be honest," Tony came in through Molossoidea's radio, "I'm surprised he was the only one."

"Sugar, are you there?" Emilia addressed, perking up at the sound of Tony's voice.

"Safe and sound, baby," Tony replied.

"Tremarctos wasn't the only one who wanted to fight," Acridoidea reentered, addressing Tony's prior comment. "Our prewar hunting team was much smaller than our current fighting team, and only a third of it was male. Of them, Tremarctos was the only man who rejuvenated quickly enough today to fight the night after he escaped. There were more who probably would have joined us if they could have."