The Descent

Chapter 46 - The Depot

"My apologies, Mr. Staxx," the receptionist said after reviewing Denton's credentials. "Mr. Forsythe has a standing order not to be disturbed under any circumstances."

"Which Forsythe are you talking about? Carter or his father?"

"Eh, well, both. If you don't mind, let me call my head of security, he can fill you in on the details." The receptionist turned and spoke softly while she scanned what appeared to be a terminal screen out of Denton's view. Since she didn't pick up a handset, it was likely she had a similar implant to his that allowed her to communicate without using a physical device. Or, maybe she just had a small earpiece that he couldn't see. Either way, her conversation seemed to drag on, and he found himself drumming his fingers on the counter as her quiet mumbles continued.

"Denton," Tanner said, "Leah's signal has popped up again. It's moving further north, down the mountainside."

"Hang on just a second, Miss. Do you have a map of the facilities?"

The receptionist pointed to an interactive hologram against one of the walls. Denton jogged over and examined the slowly rotating structure. A flashing red dot showed him the location of the lobby. Various other facilities extended to the left and right of the main building along the ridge but none of these were to the north. With his hands, he rotated the projection until he was looking straight at the resort from the north. 

There, at the foot of the slope, below the resort, was another building. Built in the shape of a half-circle, the building appeared to have a panoramic view of the north, although Denton was confused as to why. At the bottom of a slope, the visibility north would hardly be appealing. He spotted what appeared to be some sort of garage attached to the main building. He touched the projection of the structure with his finger, and a semi-transparent popup with information about the purpose of the building appeared.

"Tanner, there's a building just north of the resort, at the bottom of the mountain. It's-"

"Yes, I see it. It's their outdoor adventure hub. They run guided tours into the Shadowlands from there. Each guest operates their own, personal snowtrekker as they experience what the darkness and the cold are like."

"You make it sound so enjoyable."

"It may be."

"Cold and darkness, enjoyable? I don't think so. But, that's not the point. Is this where Leah is heading? To this outdoor adventure?"

"Affirmative, it would appear that way."

"Great. I hope they stay put. I have no interesting in exploring the Shadowlands," Denton said and walked back over to the receptionist. "How do I get down to the outdoor center?"

"The elevators around the corner will take you there. However, if you please, my chief of security would like to have a word-"

"He can wait, or tell him to join in the adventure hub," Denton said and walked off in the direction the receptionist had pointed. He joined a few other guests waiting to descend, politely smiled and nodded as the other guests did the same. When the elevator arrived, they all packed in and waited in silence as they dropped into the mountain, accompanied only by the barely audible whine of the elevator machinery.

"Denton...jus...aware...signal...poor."

At first, Denton didn't quite realize what was going on. The comms link to Tanner was breaking up badly. When he laid his eyes on the red numbers above the door, he realized what was going on. It was the mountain, of course. Heading straight down into the belly of a mountain would impact any signal, that Denton did not doubt. Whatever Tanner had to say would have to wait until he was out in the open again.