by Leona Jarnefeldt 31st December 2020, 1:37 am
-On the Communications level-
Annette led the way while Leona followed her into a hallway that was full of computer screens at eye level showing various pieces of data that Leona could not even begin to understand. On the right side of the hallway was another lengthy viewport displaying outer space. At the end of the hallway was another door that presumably led to another command center, perhaps even the communications control room.
"Up ahead is the communications control room, Leona. There should be an access hatch that'll you'll have to use to get to where you need to go to fix the relay." Annette informed Leona and pointed towards the door. Leona nodded in acknowledgment.
"OK. I don't think I'll be able to shout loud enough for you to hear me. Do you have anything I can use to communicate with you like a headset, walkie-talkie, or something like that?" Leona asked Annette. The blue-haired young woman nodded.
"Yeah, there should be a few headsets in the communications control room. We'll use those to keep in touch since I'm claustrophobic and really don't want to go down there. Someone's also gotta stay in the control room and let you know where to do and what to do." Annette replied in the affirmative. Leona was glad to hear that.
"All right then." Leona replied. She and Annette continued to walk until they reached the door at the end of the hallway. Annette approached and the door opened. Leona followed her through.
-In the Communications Control Room-
The pair entered a large room much like the first two Leona had been in. There were the same viewscreens and the same banks of computer terminals, but the viewscreens on the left and right sides of the room were showing static. Annette saw that and frowned while crossing her arms.
"Ugh, I just had those viewscreens fixed last year! Someone did a poor job with the repair work!" Annette exclaimed. She set aside her frustration and walked over to a bank of computer terminals beneath the middle viewscreen, then typed in a sequence which must have been an authorization code for accessing the terminal. The computer monitor flashed to life and the station manager began to read the monitor while Leona hung back.
"Great. Just great." Annette said in frustration. Leona turned to her. Whatever the problem was, it must have been worse than Annette had anticipated. She turned to Leona.
"Well Leona, here's the situation. Some of the connections have somehow come undone and I need you to go down there and fix them. If you have any metal objects I suggest that you leave them up here with me. I also suggest that you leave that backpack because you'll be going into some tight spaces where you have to crawl to get where you need to go." Annette suggested to the Wizard Saint. Leona handed Annette the keycard and put the IIC in her backpack so that she would have both hands free, then took off her sword belt and Argent Gloves and handed them to Annette. Annette took them and walked into the office on the right side of the room, then stayed in the room for a few minutes. She then came out with a pair of black headsets and handed one to Leona.
"OK, here are the headsets. They're wireless and all of the controls are on the right earpiece, so we should be able to communicate without any trouble. They're also fully charged and boast a seven-day battery life, so battery life won't be an issue. Here, let's try them out now." Annette suggested to Leona. Leona nodded and put her headset on. She powered it on with a small switch on the back of the right earpiece and adjusted the volume using the down button on the side of the same earpiece, then finally put the microphone at mouth level. Annette followed suit.
"Walk over to the left side of the room." Annette requested before moving her microphone into position. Leona nodded and walked all the way over to the left corner where a door stood, a door with a keypad to its left. Once Leona was in place Annette gave a thumbs-up.
"Hello? Leona, can you hear me?" Annette asked. Leona adjusted the volume a bit so that Annette was not quite so loud, then replied.
"Yes Annette, I can hear you perfectly." Leona replied. The blue-haired young woman gave another thumbs-up.
"OK, now that we've established that our headsets work, you'll need to go into the underground access area. It starts out with plenty of space to move, but to get to what we need you'll have to crawl in some crawlspaces. Fortunately I can bring up a map on the computer terminal so that I can guide you." Annette laid out what Leona needed to do next. Leona nodded and took off her backpack, then handed it to Annette. Annette then took it into the office to join the rest of her gear. She felt naked without her Argent Gloves, Silver Longsword, or backpack on, but she had to do this without her familiar gear. Leona checked her right boot for either Ses Revanche or the knife her brother had made and did not find either... she must have forgotten to grab a knife before she left the guild hall.
"All right, Leona. You're ready to go. I'll open the access hatch for you." Annette said to the Wizard Saint. Annette walked over to the same terminal she had accessed earlier, typed out another access code, tapped on a screen, and opened the hatch.
"OK, the hatch is open. It's just behind that door in the corner. Here, I'll get you in." Annette replied. She walked with Leona to the door and tapped out a sequence of numbers on the keypad next to the door. The door hissed open and showed a small room about the size of the average walk-in closet. Inside and to the left was an open hatch.
"All right, Leona. You'll have to go down the ladder to get to the Communications Maintenance Tunnels. I'll keep in touch and guide you from up here. Good luck!" Annette informed Leona before wishing the blonde luck. Leona gave a thumbs-up and walked into the room, then turned around at the ladder, gripped it, and began to carefully climb down it into the space below.
-In the Communications Maintenance Tunnels-
Leona got off of the ladder and turned around to find a fairly spacious and well-lit hallway that could accommodate two people walking side-by-side. It was also tall enough where Leona could walk upright. However, it was fairly warm down here, warm enough to make Leona glad that she had chosen to wear a tank top instead of her normal outfit top.
She looked around and noticed several doors in the hallway. There were four to the left, four to the right, and one at the far end of the hallway. She had no idea where to go, so she called Annette for instructions.
"Hey Annette, I'm in the tunnels. Where do I need to start?" Leona asked Annette for instructions on which door to go through first.
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