Sights

The doors slid open with a deep rustic creak, and nothing was in the sights of the guns pointed inside. Spark was correct, once the doors were fully opened they saw that the doors did indeed lead to a freight elevator leading down. Spyder was the first to step inside cautiously; making sure there were no traps or loose pannels that could lead to an ambush. Determining that the elevator was safe, he called in the rest of the group for further inspection. The rear wall of the elevator was made of thick glass, showing nothing but rock on the other side. They were a bit surprised when they saw the button pannel beside the elevator's door, it only had one button. Exchanging worried looks, they knew that they'd have to go down the elevator. It was the only lead they had to go on, and even if this place didn't belong to the New Light, they wouldn't be able to overlook such a big facility not being recorded with the Empire. 

They all filed into the elevator and Grant pushed the only button at his disposal; the button was stiff and didn't move easily, making an audible 'thunk' noise when he was finally able to push it in. The tension in the tight area was palpable as the doors slunk closed sealing them in the elevator, vulnerable to any attacks. The elevator shook as it started to move downwards, making the men stumble on one another. It moved slowly and felt very old, minutes had passed before anything of interest would have happened. Without any verbal exchange, both Q and Riley wondered how it would be possible to transport thousands of people from Hencia to wherever this elevator leads. A few hundred thousand people lived in Hencia before the battle began, even with the tens of thousands of dead bodies they saw lying on the ground while scavenging the city.

Continuing their descent in the elevator, the wall of rock eventually stopped, opening the view from the glass wall to show the true depths of the New Light's facility. The facility was huge, it stretched over a kilometer in each direction. The ceiling, coated from end to end with flood lights illuminated the entire place; with the walls of the facility painted white, you wouldn't be able to tell where it ends on the far side if it wasn't for a stop in the rows of housing units. The units were nothing like the ones in Jimat. These units weren't skinny, they looked like they had plenty of room; even if people had to share units with each other, they would still have more overall room to themselves than those currently living in Jimat. All being from Jimat, the guys in the elevator felt poorly for the citizens, seeing how gleefully these people went about their day knowing that they were failing the very citizens that kept the Empire alive. Spark felt especially bad about what he was seeing; he was next in line to inherit the Empire and up to now, he didn't know how much the people of Alduwitz were really missing out on. Everyone went on about their business here as they did in Jimat, but even from a window in a lowering elevator, these people under the current control of the New Light had a different air about them; they had spirit. These people knew that their contributions were valued and the work they were putting in was paying off, and Spark doesn't remember the last time he saw that same kind of energy coming from anyone in Jimat.

The elevator finally came to a halt, having reached the floor of the facility, thudding as it reached the ground causing the group to stumble into each other once again. The doors slowly opened in the same rustic fashion that they closed. The entire ecosystem on the ground floor was a stark comparison to the current state of Hencia. Artificial grass lined the ground with stones and pebbles spread out. There were a few crates and boxes near the bottom of the elevator Riley's group could hide behind to not be seen by a member of the New Light or someone under their control. From behind those crates, they got a more clear view of what they saw in the elevator. The sidewalks the people strolled on were paved to perfection. People conversing in the streets, generally being nice to one another; something Spark was disappointed that came to him as a surprise. At this point, the group was confused. How could an organization with more bloodlust than Edok be capable of creating such a peaceful environment?  

 "Alright, it's clear we need more information," Riley spoke up, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible while the rest of the guys could still hear him. "Here's what I think we should do. The people here don't exactly know who brought them here, but they do know that they were going to fight the Alduwitz army. So they'd recognize you guys immediately." motioning to Q and his soldiers. "Spark, they probably also know what you look like too, considering your standing. But, no one down here has seen me, I'm pretty sure they came down here before... you know, I was 'brought back'. So I'll go out and take a look around, try to find something helpful to us. How does that sound?"

The rest of the guys glanced around at each other, understanding that what Riley suggested would be the best move in their current situation. After agreeing on the plan, Riley removed his backpack and outer vest that carried the Empire's crest. With the remainder of the clothes he had on, he looked like he fit right in, while still concealing the pistol he got before his first paratrooper exercise. Right before he was about to leave, Ike handed him an earpiece no bigger than a fly from his bag.

 "Alright, let me know if anything happens and I'll come right back. In the same way, I'll let you know if I find something." 

Making sure no one was watching, Riley quickly ran from behind the crates to the rear of the nearest housing unit before walking out onto the sidewalk, acting casual. On the streets, no one was paying too much attention to Riley as he looked around as much of the facility as possible. Farms, markets, housing districts, other shops and restaurants. He passed by as many points of interest as he could find; nothing really seemed to be out of place. Every once in a while, he would see an abnormal glare reflecting from the eyes of a few civilians but he chalked it up as being from the vast array of overhead lighting. Feeling discouraged from not finding anything, he informed his group that he was on his way back to them and they'd talk when he got there; beginning to consider that the New Light had set up an entire city just to protect people. In the middle of his thought, Spark spoke through his earpiece;

 "Riley, get back here! There are another two guards headed in our direction! Most likely going to relieve the guys we shot up above."