Perilous Paths Doomsday - Chapter 3 - Ra 1/2
Ra stalks around the corner. Less concerned about the occupants of this level picking a fight, and more so not wanting to draw in any other curious dinosaurs. He wanted to explore this level alone, without anyone to slow him down or distract him. He pads through the crumbling hallways, avoiding the sounds of others while maintaining his general direction. He wanted to get a better mental map of this level of the labs for more efficient exploration later. Lights flicker above his head where they were still functioning.
He rounds a corner off the main hallways, into a smaller hallway with fewer functioning lights. Best part is I don't smell or hear anyone down this way, he thinks to himself. The first set of doors he comes across are half collapsed and bear large gouges from where some other dinosaur had tried to force their way in. It’s hard for him to gauge what species might’ve done it, but chances were it was the residents of this level. He can see some light coming in from the twisted gaps. And it’s not flickering. But it is dimmer than the hallway.
Lowering his body into a crouch to inspect the gap, he sees that there is enough room for him to squeeze through; but the fit will be tight. Ra pokes his head through to see how bad the damage is on the other side and if he’ll be able to get back out. The bulges and warped metal is thankfully open enough for him to get back through. Now, it was just a matter of squeezing through the opening. He tucks his arms close to his body and stretches his legs out, before wiggling in a manner that would make the hatchlings back home fall over in fits of laughter.
The thought brings a small smile to his face as he works his way into the room. His hips catch on a bent piece, and for a moment panic flashes through him. Then with a twist of a leg he’s through. He shakes himself off as he stands back up. Looking around, he can see dust covered work areas, and places where pieces of the overall structure have crumbled onto the floor. One corner near the doors has a pile of fallen waterlogged ceiling tiles. He curls his lip at the musty smell and slimy look of the had-disintegrated material. A steady drip of water can be heard from the same area.
Eugh, why humans thought that is a good idea to use is beyond me. Mostly out of a desire to check that nothing interesting was covered by the slimy masses he checked out the tiles. He reached with a foot to tap one of the drier tiles, and it crumbled into a foul smelling powder that made him cough. Sigh. This won’t work. Ra walks around the edge to see if anything was under the pile, since he couldn’t move the pieces. Nothing but shadows and slop. If anything was under there, it’s not worth digging out now. Turning from the pile he scans the rest of the room. It’s an oddly shaped room, like two squares not properly lined up. One corner wasn’t immediately visible from the door, and from his corner, even less so.
He works his way towards the corner. The various lab equipment is in good condition, aside from the accumulated dust. A few areas were crushed from fallen shelves, with broken glass and shattered instruments on the work counter and floor. He gave it a wide berth, suspicious of whatever fluids some of the glass containers might’ve held. Even dried, some of them could still be dangerous. One of the smaller work areas he passes has a tap that drips out water. It doesn’t smell off like the water dripping in the corner.
Once he reaches the corner, he’s surprised to see another smaller door set into the wall. And that it’s a door that he can just push to open with his shoulder. So, he does just that. Inside a bright light flicks on, blinding him for a moment. Once his vision clears, Ra sees that this room was in better shape than the rest of it. Less cracks and crumbling pieces of wall dotted it. A row of electronic equipment was along one wall, and that was it besides the rolling chairs. Most of the chairs were relatively intact, and he pushed a few out of chick-like curiosity. They roll smoothly, some crashing into each other with soft thumps and clacks.
Ra chuckles at the sight. He leaves the small strange room to check out the rest of the larger area. The corner opposite of him had a row of sturdy tables that ended halfway across with large sleek lab equipment. Not even the dust could hide how shiny some of it was. He approaches them cautiously. Strange metal containers, and old smells litter the table closest to him. Beside it is a very large piece of equipment that still thrums with power. Soft lights blink in the dim lighting. There was a large hollow in it, as if it was meant for larger things. Next to it were pieces of things on a tray, and inside the hollow he could see another tray with different pieces.
Huh, I wonder what this could be for. He checks the table again, and sees old fragile papers somewhat neatly placed beneath the packages and canisters. Ra notices that some of the packages have old food smells under the dust. Whatever it was for, the humans who left it still left it somewhat organized. Maybe they were very specific with how they split food to avoid fights. He shrugs and continues on with his exploration. Other tables had similarly large equipment, but nothing as large as the strange machine with the hollow inside. One particularly interesting machine had a lid he could lift with his clout,and inside were rings of small glass vials.
Some of the vials had lids, and others were left open to the air, with desiccated material on their bottoms where the light let him see in. But that wasn’t the most interesting thing. It spinned. He accidentally hit a button when he shut the lid, and it whirred to life; startling him. It spun dizzyingly fast, the vials looking like a blur of rings through the clear lid. After a few tries and experimentation, he manages to press the button to turn it off with his snout. It slows to a stop, vials becoming distinct from the blurry ring. Then it was still. It was delightful to watch. Idly, Ra wonders what purpose a machine like this served.
Clearly, it was important enough to be here, and to be so sturdy and long lasting. He’d noticed that some human items weren’t built to last, and it showed from years of disuse and harsh elements, but not the equipment here. It was incredibly interesting. He makes a mental note of the location of this room. Perhaps he could trade the information of the location and general contents for things he could bring home. Or maybe he could keep it to himself and come back later to explore. He continues down the row of tables, but nothing is quite as interesting as the spinning machine.
He follows the far wall where it meets the wall with the twisted doors he came through. There were no lights here, and he nearly missed a door set into the far wall. It had no windows, and was sealed well. Ra can’t detect any airflow or scents coming from the other side of it. Interesting. There’s no visible push handle like the other door. He puzzles over how it opens, when he sees a dimly lit panel next to it. Ah. One of the card doors that I’ve heard others speak about. The panel doesn’t look damaged, but it doesn’t look powered either. At first he’d mistook the dull light for a dull metallic shine.
What did that old albertosaurus say? Look for a card on a plastic chain? Ra turns back towards the rest of the room and starts looking for any signs of one of the cards that may grant him access to the other room. He trots around the path he came from, checking to see if any of the tables or unlocked drawers had one. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. He checks the room with the rolling chairs, nothing. A frustrated hiss escapes through his teeth. He continues around his path, and arrives back towards the disgusting pile of half-disintegrated slimy tiles.
Once again, he approaches the tiles. A thin layer of water pools around it, reflecting back the low lighting. With a sigh, Ra looks under the pile. This time, looking for something specific. He shivers as he puts his head too far under the gap in the pile, not wanting the foul smelling water to drip on his head. He hisses a curse when there’s nothing there. As he lifts his head back up, he shifts his weight and slips in the water. His leg slides into the edge of the pile, and with it a horde of disgusting smells assault his nose and mouth.
When he gets his footing again, he feels something catch on his claw. Out of habit he goes to fling his foot, but stops halfway when he sees the shape of the item clinging to his claw. A long cord of plastic, with a plastic cord flopping on the end. He stares at it stunned for a moment, and then carefully lifts it with the very edge of his teeth. Ra brings it to the tap that has clean water dripping out, and waits for it to get most of the gunk off the card. Anticipation makes him unusually impatient. He taps a claw against the floor in irritation, and as soon as it looks clean enough for him to put it back in his mouth he grabs it and trots to the card door.
At first Ra is tentative, what if it doesn’t work, then he darts his head forward to press the card to the reader.
Click.
The door unlocks.