After a moment of marveling at the progress of metal engineering, the man walked through the doorway. Soon the heavy doors closed shut behind him.

“Okay… So, this is how it works… You unfold it like so… And you can use it to control people that are either dead or… You know, no fun if they’re not dead… Anyway, it’s so their bodies remain upright, or sitting, pondering, or even sniffing their own asses… Which is hilarious by the way.”

“How will we get them dead from up here?”

“You know Ferran, I really like that you always ask the right question at the right time! We’ll use this little gift wrap here… I’m so proud of it, but Carys says that using what she calls biological weapons is very bad form… Eh who cares right?”

A short pause followed.

“What do you mean chemical weapon? Huh? Well… No, it isn’t a live substance… Whatever… The point is it’s fun to use.”

“So, it won’t kill us?”

“Nah… It… uh usually evaporates quickly, but here Ferran, just in case, put on this mask… You too Indas, since I really care about you two!”

She put on the mask, which felt strangely damp to the touch. Tilia opened the small gift wrap, and very gently handed her a glass marble roughly the size of an adult thumbnail. She then crawled over to Indas, who had positioned himself above the guards and prepared a pair of small holes. She passed one metal stick to Indas, and then motioned for her to drop the

The marble shattered upon contact with the floor. At first, nothing happened. Then, simultaneously, the guards began coughing behind their helmets. Immediately, Indas and Tilia pushed the metal rods through the holes. They fell straight down, and impacted with the floor. The two guards seemed to shudder momentarily, and then remained perfectly still.

“Oh, that’s beautiful… A flawless execution in the literal sense of the word… Now we just need someone to open the door…”

“Huh? But we’ll lose the guy.”

“Well, that’s the flaw you know… I mean, the whole archive is probably warded and sealed, so only way in is through the door… That said… Take this tube, and be careful not to inhale through it. Leave your mask on until I nod. Then aim it at the keyhole.”

Suddenly, the door at the other end opened, and two apparently high-ranking officials entered the room.

“Huh? Oh heavens… It smells like feces in here!”

“Yeah… Who knows, maybe one of the guards did it…Hey? Any of you responsible for this?”

“Don’t waste your time, they’re under strict orders not to talk, just get out your key and let’s go through.”

The two officials approached. Like the first time, Indas and Tilia expertly moved their fingers, and the two dead soldiers crossed their weapons, barring the doorway. One of the officials presented a badge, and they immediately made their puppets return their weapons.

With the same smooth movement, the doors swung open and the officials walked through the opening. Tilia nodded. She took off her mask, aimed the tube at the keyhole and sharply exhaled.

A short pause was followed by a strange, foam-like substance, pouring out of the keyhole and solidifying.

“Oh, good shot, couldn’t have done it better myself! Except that one time, anyways! Let’s get down there quickly!”

They silently climbed down a rope Indas threw down. And soon, she could look at the two guards. What seemed to be knives, were impaled into various points of their bodies. She could only imagine the sharpness, as they had gone clean through metal armor meant to withstand sword blows. Tilia meanwhile walked over to the keyhole, and gingerly pried loose the foam block, vaguely shaped like a key.

“So lucky! The lock parts remain pressed in as long as the door moves. Now all we have to do is…” Tilia put the keylike block back and turned it. The mechanism immediately responded, and soon the doors slid open.

“See? Worked like a charm… How about I get a reward for my trouble?”

She wondered what Tilia might like as a reward, but in the end, she merely patted her on the head. Her wide smile told her that she had been right to do so.

“We’re like sisters you and I… We understand each other so well! Now let’s go explore this place!”