Zero Tolerance: The Vault
Title: The Vault
Characters: Zero, Cass, Wyatt and Jeb Cain and OCs.
Rating : PG13-16
Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything.
Summary: The team arrives at The Vault.
Table of Contents
The Vault was like an evil twin of the palace. It had a dark and lifeless look to it. "Creepy..." Jeb remarked.
"I don't like this..." Burke hissed.
"Don't say that," Zero rebuked him, even as his horse grew uneasy. "Just in and out. Come on," he told his sister. "The perimeter is nearby."
"I'll get the broom."
"Broom?" Pechetti repeated.
Cass replied with a shrug. "Magic's weird."
"Wards off evil charms," Zero explained. As Cass swept, the charms lit up before finally dropping to the ground. "And we're past the first hurdle." They moved towards the building. In their way was a large door, much like the other palaces in the O.Z. Cass found herself unable to open it. "There must be another way in," Zero reasoned. He looked around and alighted on something interesting. It was some kind of font. Frowning at it, Zero pulled a knife out of his pocket and slid it against his palm.
The blood pulsed out of the wound and he squeezed it over the font, allowing it to dribble down. A light emanated from the small stream as it made its way to the bottom. Cass tried the door again and the door swung open. Cain nodded at him.
The only sound within The Vault was the soft whisper of dust falling onto the ground. A glamour from Cass lit various torches lining the hallway. It didn't improve the ambience, however. The shadows cast by the light made it seem slightly more ominous, if that were possible.
"Welcome to The Vault!" Zero announced, throwing his arms out dramatically.
"Thanks for having us," Cain replied, handing him a handkerchief for his hand.
Zero took it with a nod of thanks, wrapping it around. "Take whatever you need, my house is your house!"
"Ok, we're going to split into three groups," Wyatt began. "Jeb and Stolzoff are with me. We're taking the West Wing. Pechetti and Amaro, you go with Cassandra, take the East. Burke and Zero, you take the North. Remember, there are still booby-traps, don't move into an area without looking at those charms you were given, blue means ok, red means bad. If something doesn't seem right, don't touch it. Call for help," he indicated Cass and lifted up one of Ambrose's inventions, created after DG had described a 'cellular phone'. "Clear?" They nodded. "Let's go."
Cassandra's group disappeared almost immediately with the minimum fuss. Wyatt's hand clamped on Jeb's arm, giving it a squeeze before heading off in a different direction, with Stolzoff alert behind them. Burke looked over at Zero, giving him a nervous smile. Zero smiled back. "I'll go first," he offered, heading off to the North. Timidly, Burke followed behind.
Cain had the charm out and found it was turning a little purple. "Uh, Dad? What does 'purple' mean?"
"Trouble, just not quite here," Stolzoff suggested.
"Or could be some of the gems," Cain guessed. He noticed a blue light shining through a nearby door.
"That doesn't look good," Jeb remarked. "Should I get Cass?"
But Cain was already at the door. It was covered in some blue slime but Wyatt only realised that after he grabbed the handle. He pulled a face. "Ugh!" he wiped it off his coat. Jeb grabbed his own handkerchief and used it to open the door.
The light was coming from a lamp covered in the stuff. "Looks like there were people in here," Jeb remarked, looking around. "Barracks for the guards?"
"Over here," Stolzoff spoke up, pulling up a rafter that had fallen on top of one of the beds. Wyatt and Jeb helped her before looking down at what they had found. The occupent of the bed was still inside, now reduced to a skeleton. "Been dead for almost a year." He looked up at his father. "Why didn't they go into hiding like everyone else? Get out of this place."
Stolzoff picked up a regimental badge nearby the corpse. "This could explain it. Third Battilion, First Order."
"I'm calling Cass," Jeb replied, pulling out the phone. It chirped when he opened it and he sent a signal to all the others to join them.
"These beds are warm," Wyatt remarked, pointing to the other two bunks.
Cass pulled out her phone and saw the message Jeb had sent. "Let's go," she told the two others with her. Shortly after she heard a scream. It wasn't human. She picked up speed, searching for the source.
The source turned out to be one of the horses. They were all lying on the floor. "That's not right."
Amaro reached for one of the pulses. "She's dead." He moved over to the others, confirming that each were in a similar condition. Cass saw the blood had just began to pour out.
"This is bad."
The group stood silently, processing what Cass had told them. "Well, we know this," Zero remarked, angry, "those horses didn't kill themselves."
Cain nodded. "Which leads me to believe that the former occupants of these chambers are up and about."
Pechetti looked at the badge. "If you're telling me that there are two Longcoat soldiers from the Third Battalion loose on this station... we're in trouble. 'Death to All.' That was their motto."
Zero nodded. "Three simple words, but it does sum them up nicely."
"There was probably some magic at play here," Cass remarked. "They were to wake up if anyone came here."
"It's possible," Zero agreed. "But one thing's for sure, they're out there somewhere. And considering what they did to the horses, friendly, they are not."
Stolzoff hoisted her rifle. "Could be upset that we haven't introduced ourselves," she suggested with a vicious smirk.
"We should find them and say hello," Amaro agreed.
"We've got to get out of here," Burke told him.
"I like his plan," Jeb put his hand up.
"That door is locked, isn't it?" Burke asked, after every effort was made to open it.
The Byrnes looked at each other, seeing their fears echoed in the other. "Looks like it," Cass remarked.
Rustling in the Dark
Characters: Zero, Cass, Wyatt and Jeb Cain and OCs.
Rating : PG13-16
Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything.
Summary: The team arrives at The Vault.
Table of Contents
The Vault was like an evil twin of the palace. It had a dark and lifeless look to it. "Creepy..." Jeb remarked.
"I don't like this..." Burke hissed.
"Don't say that," Zero rebuked him, even as his horse grew uneasy. "Just in and out. Come on," he told his sister. "The perimeter is nearby."
"I'll get the broom."
"Broom?" Pechetti repeated.
Cass replied with a shrug. "Magic's weird."
"Wards off evil charms," Zero explained. As Cass swept, the charms lit up before finally dropping to the ground. "And we're past the first hurdle." They moved towards the building. In their way was a large door, much like the other palaces in the O.Z. Cass found herself unable to open it. "There must be another way in," Zero reasoned. He looked around and alighted on something interesting. It was some kind of font. Frowning at it, Zero pulled a knife out of his pocket and slid it against his palm.
The blood pulsed out of the wound and he squeezed it over the font, allowing it to dribble down. A light emanated from the small stream as it made its way to the bottom. Cass tried the door again and the door swung open. Cain nodded at him.
The only sound within The Vault was the soft whisper of dust falling onto the ground. A glamour from Cass lit various torches lining the hallway. It didn't improve the ambience, however. The shadows cast by the light made it seem slightly more ominous, if that were possible.
"Welcome to The Vault!" Zero announced, throwing his arms out dramatically.
"Thanks for having us," Cain replied, handing him a handkerchief for his hand.
Zero took it with a nod of thanks, wrapping it around. "Take whatever you need, my house is your house!"
"Ok, we're going to split into three groups," Wyatt began. "Jeb and Stolzoff are with me. We're taking the West Wing. Pechetti and Amaro, you go with Cassandra, take the East. Burke and Zero, you take the North. Remember, there are still booby-traps, don't move into an area without looking at those charms you were given, blue means ok, red means bad. If something doesn't seem right, don't touch it. Call for help," he indicated Cass and lifted up one of Ambrose's inventions, created after DG had described a 'cellular phone'. "Clear?" They nodded. "Let's go."
Cassandra's group disappeared almost immediately with the minimum fuss. Wyatt's hand clamped on Jeb's arm, giving it a squeeze before heading off in a different direction, with Stolzoff alert behind them. Burke looked over at Zero, giving him a nervous smile. Zero smiled back. "I'll go first," he offered, heading off to the North. Timidly, Burke followed behind.
Cain had the charm out and found it was turning a little purple. "Uh, Dad? What does 'purple' mean?"
"Trouble, just not quite here," Stolzoff suggested.
"Or could be some of the gems," Cain guessed. He noticed a blue light shining through a nearby door.
"That doesn't look good," Jeb remarked. "Should I get Cass?"
But Cain was already at the door. It was covered in some blue slime but Wyatt only realised that after he grabbed the handle. He pulled a face. "Ugh!" he wiped it off his coat. Jeb grabbed his own handkerchief and used it to open the door.
The light was coming from a lamp covered in the stuff. "Looks like there were people in here," Jeb remarked, looking around. "Barracks for the guards?"
"Over here," Stolzoff spoke up, pulling up a rafter that had fallen on top of one of the beds. Wyatt and Jeb helped her before looking down at what they had found. The occupent of the bed was still inside, now reduced to a skeleton. "Been dead for almost a year." He looked up at his father. "Why didn't they go into hiding like everyone else? Get out of this place."
Stolzoff picked up a regimental badge nearby the corpse. "This could explain it. Third Battilion, First Order."
"I'm calling Cass," Jeb replied, pulling out the phone. It chirped when he opened it and he sent a signal to all the others to join them.
"These beds are warm," Wyatt remarked, pointing to the other two bunks.
Cass pulled out her phone and saw the message Jeb had sent. "Let's go," she told the two others with her. Shortly after she heard a scream. It wasn't human. She picked up speed, searching for the source.
The source turned out to be one of the horses. They were all lying on the floor. "That's not right."
Amaro reached for one of the pulses. "She's dead." He moved over to the others, confirming that each were in a similar condition. Cass saw the blood had just began to pour out.
"This is bad."
The group stood silently, processing what Cass had told them. "Well, we know this," Zero remarked, angry, "those horses didn't kill themselves."
Cain nodded. "Which leads me to believe that the former occupants of these chambers are up and about."
Pechetti looked at the badge. "If you're telling me that there are two Longcoat soldiers from the Third Battalion loose on this station... we're in trouble. 'Death to All.' That was their motto."
Zero nodded. "Three simple words, but it does sum them up nicely."
"There was probably some magic at play here," Cass remarked. "They were to wake up if anyone came here."
"It's possible," Zero agreed. "But one thing's for sure, they're out there somewhere. And considering what they did to the horses, friendly, they are not."
Stolzoff hoisted her rifle. "Could be upset that we haven't introduced ourselves," she suggested with a vicious smirk.
"We should find them and say hello," Amaro agreed.
"We've got to get out of here," Burke told him.
"I like his plan," Jeb put his hand up.
"That door is locked, isn't it?" Burke asked, after every effort was made to open it.
The Byrnes looked at each other, seeing their fears echoed in the other. "Looks like it," Cass remarked.
Rustling in the Dark