The Mother

Chapter 17

"Sorry you're carrying that, I could take it." Scarlett said softly as they headed up the torch lit path. She felt bad he was lugging the large thing they had received once they had put all the Rose flasks inside.

  "It's fine, I don't mind carrying it especially since you carried the first axe we got. It's not nearly as heavy." He assured her and she sighed, soon they were at the top of the hill, and she helped him place the 'giants chalice' onto the ceremony circle. There were sounds of something rising far away, it was faint, but her ears still picked up the sound of water rushing off of something as whatever was raising  locked into place.

  She tensed as the large circle began lowering into the ground, Ethan carefully moved over to her and made sure she was ok. She gave him a weak smile, hoping that they weren't going to have to go through a cave system, if they did, she hoped it was a small one. They both looked up to see large triangular stone had risen from the ground and closed the opening above them, she made a face when it resembled the umbrella symbol because of the difference in how light or dark the engraved stone was.

   "Don't worry about the kid you two. It'll be fine. Just get your asses across the bridge!" Heisenberg's voice blared over the speakers he had obviously set up once the strange lift had stopped, and they found themselves in a short tunnel they could see light spilling through the opening at the end.

  "We'll take care of this and find a way to help Rose." Scarlett said softly as they neared the end, she welcomed the open air even being in the small tunnel had frayed her nerves a bit. Ethan nodded in agreement, and they started across the stone bridge, careful not to slip and fall as it was slick with water and they both assumed this had been what she heard raising.

  "Ah, Ethan Winters and Scarlett Kennedy. Welcome. I didn't think he'd make it past Donna or Moreau, but I suppose he survived worse back in America. Hm? He had help both times though didn't he Mrs. Kennedy? I like you. I'd like to speak with you about Rose, and Miranda. Oh, come on in. Don't worry, it's not a trap." Heisenberg said as they walked through the gate that swung open into a field before the factory entrance. There were broken down old vehicles scattered around, and they took the time to walk cautiously and check to see if they could find anything useful.

  "What're you planning?" Ethan asked softly and Scarlett knew he wasn't talking to her.

  "Probably our deaths if whatever he wants to talk with us about goes wrong." Scarlett commented and shrugged when Ethan gave her a blank look. She wasn't going to pretend this new man was at all friendly despite how he talked, she wasn't one for trusting people who led her on a chase with little to no real answers.  Once they neared the building standing near the center of the field a loud alarm sounded and the large tan metal doors slid open revealing the beginning of a factory, complete with broken down machinery.

   "I don't like this... It feels like a trap." Scarlett said softly as they entered the building and looked around the doors at the back were locked so they went left, Ethan found gunpowder on one of the shelves near a door at the back. He shrugged and pocketed it in case they could use it for something, they hadn't found anything else, so they went through the only unlocked door. They followed stairs down to a short dim hallway and found another door.

  "He's around here somewhere." Scarlett told Ethan when they went through the door into what looked like some sort of workshop. She picked up a chemfluid bottle off a workbench before they went further in, to the right there was a slightly larger, more open room with a tattered cloth hanging over another workbench that had light spilling from the cloth.  She followed Ethan toward the cloth where he pulled it down to reveal several photos of each of the lords surrounding a portrait of Mother Miranda, the photos of Moreau, Donna and Alcina had been crossed out with red x's and there was a map to the left. There were also photos of Mia holding Rose, Rose, Chris and one of Ethan facing away from the camera as he entered Alcina's castle. Scarlett frowned when she saw there were various other photos, one of which was of her, Leon and Aden and it had a red circle surrounding her face.