Chapter 682

Kat sprinted ahead down the road. Now that the plan had been finalised it was time to get to work. Part of her wanted to fly back into the compound but the bracelet reacted much more poorly to her flight then it did to running; her speed was also higher by a few notches because of that same bracelet, so it was all around better to stick to the ground for the time being as long as you didn’t need to see more than the nearby area.

Kat jumped over the walls and into the compound. The edge was covered in ash and lacked the fire that had spread deeper in. When Kat hit the ground a cloud of black and grey dust burst up around her, clouding her vision and getting stuck in her mouth when she reflexively breathed in. Spitting out a glob of dust though Kat could still taste it. Keeping her mouth shut and her nose covered Kat moved away from the ash cloud, a significantly more deadly foe then the fire for someone like Kat.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She moved past two bubbles that were situated in the ash, and waved at Gareth who was digging around in the rubble. Kat wasn’t sure what he was looking for with the bubbles so close by, but she had a few guesses. *Perhaps he thinks the people in the bubbles are safe and don’t need attention? Alternatively, they could be looking for bubbles underground. I mean they are panic room, safe house things. It wouldn’t be weird to find them underground or something.*

Kat kept running until she got to the first bubble bordering on the edge of some fire. Kat could actually feel the temperature difference. It certainly wasn’t a problem, more like a warm spring day, but the fact it was noticeable at all was certainly something to be concerned about. The bubble was a simple one and covered the area around what looked like a bunker in the back of a building. It had rough edges that cut off abruptly around the bubble with some slight charring on them. It was clear the surrounding building had been turned to ash at this point and the white flame nearby was likely some chemical compound that had continued burning after the structure had been completely destroyed.

Kat’s hand reached out carefully towards the bubble, making sure to apply as little force as she could while her hand moved forward. After Nixilei had explained that she really shouldn’t just bring people out of the bubbles, Kat was endeavouring to be more careful. As such when approaching this bubble, Kat wanted to ensure it let her in without issue. The chance she had enough power to force her way through was higher then she’d like for safety reasons so a light touch was required. When Kat’s fingers finally met the shining surface there was a slight tingling, similar to the pins and needles experienced after limiting blood flow to one’s limbs.

Despite the strange sensation though, Kat’s fingers felt no resistance at all, managing to make their way through the bubble as if there was nothing there at all. Kat walked forward kindly, the bubble giving way to her with no trouble except for the strange feeling being particularly prominent in her horns for the few moments it took to completely cross the threshold. Once she completely inside it all stopped, as if things were completely normal.

Kat walked forward up to the door set into the panic room. It was a big steel thing and looked to be air tight. There was no handle, which Kat thought was slightly poor design, though perhaps she was just missing something. Kat stood in front of the imposing steel door and gave it a good knock in the rhythm of, one, two, one, before stepping off to the side the door didn’t open. She waited a few moments, and was about to knock again when a creaking groan sounded out before air started to rush out from the door as it swung back.

.....

Inside the room was Kat couldn’t see too much. There was a small sitting area with four bunkbeds pressed against the walls and a table in the middle. There was another door at the back and a single light in the dead centre of the room. Three worker Thymes were half dressed in work clothes. Their boots were on the ground and their jackets were resting across the bedheads. Two of them had even unbutton their long sleeved work shirts, though the one who opened the door looked slightly more professional.

“Hello?” said the Thyme uncertainly.

“Hello,” said Kat with as much cheer as she could muster hoping it would put them at ease, “I’m here to potentially help you guys out. I’m just checking in to see how long your barrier will last and evacuate you if necessary.”

Foreman Thyme frowned, “I’m afraid you’ve caught me in between somewhat of a rock and a hard place. The fact you could make it here suggests could things about your competency and the current state of the outside world. However, company policy prohibits me from disclosing any specific details about the panic room setup to unauthorised personnel. Additionally, for liability reasons, without due cause or a manager, or manager equivalent employee present we have been instructed to wait in the panic room after activation.”

Kat’s jaw dropped open as she tried to figure out if Foreman Thyme was actually as sorry as he currently looked or if he’d done the equivalent of telling her to ‘fuck off’ using corporate jargon. Kat... wasn’t sure and suspected the answer was whatever Thyme personally thought was more entertaining at the time. *I... I have no plans for this. I mean... who expects this? Do I just like... leave them here? Is that the right call? Hmm...*

*The fact they seem rather unconcerned makes me think this bunker will last a while and the beds imply that ‘a while’ is at least twenty-four hours. The thing is, is that just for the bunker or is it for the bunker and the shield. I don’t exactly know what these sort of rooms were actually designed for. Industrial accidents perhaps? Earthquakes? Fires clearly to some extent... but exactly what extent. That’s the question and I don’t know if I can get answers. Hmm... I suppose I’ll stick with polite for now but perhaps I can get something.*

“I... I understand that sir, however with the large fire nearby and the exit clear I was instructed to help you all escape the area if necessary. I’m currently working with the fire fighting efforts and the industrial area is still potentially dangerous. Due to my own speed, strength and fire resistance I was sent in. If this barrier can last for an extended period of time I’m happy to leave you here, but I CAN get you out,” said Kat.

“That’s not nec-” Foreman Thyme was cut off by one of the ones sitting on the bed, who had a scar over one eye.

Scar Thyme interrupted with, “Just tell the lass. Company policy ain’t going to mean much when it’s all been burnt down. I’m perfectly happy to leave with her,”

Foreman Thyme frowned and turned to the side so they could speak to everyone, “There is something called, insurance. Plus, the business has a good chunk of cash saved, we aren’t out of the job just yet. If you really want to walk out I’m not going to stop you. I’m also not going to promise YOU still have a job at the end of this whole fiasco so perhaps consider what you want to do here a bit more carefully.”

Scar winced and said, “You’re the boss I suppose. I’ve lost a cousin in a similar incident you know? Enchantment was rated for a week but it failed after just three houses. Didn’t even make it seven hours let alone seven days. Forgive me for wanting to get out boss. If you’re making me stay here... well I suppose you trust the enchantments enough. As much as I don’t like it, that’s good enough for me.”

Foreman Thyme nodded and said, “Good. The company keeps the enchantments updated, and this is nothing. Well, they might be due for an update once the fire clears. The constant use will wear on them but I think this was money well spent. Makes me wonder if investing in some general fire suppression wards would be worth the money. Something to look into perhaps.”

Kat felt the need to add, “Not sure ‘general suppression’ would really do any good. Theirs white fire right next to this and the area is ash. I feel like to keep it constantly up would take too much mana or be rather expensive. Not that I’d really know,”

“I suppose it really does depend on prices and effectiveness. We aren’t just down a warehouse and all the product inside it, we’re also down all the lost time it’ll take us to get things back up and running. Still... it probably wouldn’t be worth it. A Thyme can dream though,” said Foreman Thyme.