[A Doctor Who/Steam Powered Giraffe for pandoraslittleblackbox ::smooches::]
“Entering Cavity Three Seven Niner Delta,” said the humanoid on the end of the abseiling rig. “Are you still getting vid pickup, Investigator Base?”
“We got your cam feed good. Audio’s coming through clear. You’re good, Explorer Five.”
“…m’ name’s Tae,” the humanoid mumbled. Aloud, she reported, “Floor’s stable. Well made or well-preserved, I can’t tell. I can see furniture. Not many relics in this level, any more.” Tae knew better than to try and touch the books or the papers. If she tried, they’d crumble to uninformative dust. “No doors, of course.”
The muzzle of Tae’s gun followed the beam from her helmet as she looked around. Empty darkness with hints that people had once lived in this maze. So many empty doorways and no doors.
So many before her had gone down, and met… resistance.
The creature that dwelled here did not permit explorers anywhere near the legendary treasure of Sanyago.
Thus, Tae was extremely cautious when she found the stairs that seemed to lead all the way down to Hell. She was so cautious in testing each step downwards that she didn’t see the signs that this staircase, like many other places in the Labyrinth of W'r, had been repaired.
And she didn’t hear the ticking of the beast that stalked her.
“I found another set of rooms,” Tae reported. “What used to be the beds have fallen to pieces. Somebody’s taken all the metal springs out. There’s… no metal on this level, either…”
“Wrong,” said a voice.
And then it struck.
Something fast stripped her of her gun, first, and then her helmet. Plunging her into darkness.
“There’s yours.”
[Cue opening credits]