Trap to the Lab

JP with mdman, Lasersexpanther, Lorem, LucianNepreen and Cindy

Elizabeth waited until Cronk had left with the children then finished cataloging what was important in the room. "Let's move into the next room." There wasn't much of interest in the next two rooms, just a few tables and chairs, they looked like rooms for meetings or meals.

The third room however had wooden boxes and inside the wooden boxes were papers. A lot of papers. Elizabeth sighed, it was a lot to go through. "I highly doubt the first team didn't see this. I doubt they knew what they were looking for." She thought for a moment looking at the files. "It seems as if some are in Greek but the majority are in English. We need to find all the Greek ones and put them aside. Any with the name Lemaire, Antinea, Socrates Staniadis, William Sable, Nigel Baddington, also put aside.”

Sasha made a note of the room as well checking the angels of all the objects in the room. "Have the people who come for these check for pressure plates and traps before moving them. They are meticulously placed and that could mean something we are missing on a quick viewing.”

"I doubt it, it seems like they left a lot for us to find." Elizabeth tone wasn't overly pleased with the first group that had come through but she was more annoyed at the Baron who probably requested they do the minimum.

Sasha pressed a thumb against the spot between her eyes, suppressing a headache. "With respect he's an idiot." She said "Why send people to do nothing, then send them again later?" She asked to nobody in particular. "Lady Elizabeth, can you aim some light at the base of the statue?" She asked crouching, when provided the light she ran her knife along the stone floor under its base, once she was sure it was clear she stood back but. "They'll be able to move the statue with no risk of a trap." She insured her, before going to help search the documents with the others.

Elizabeth only nodded, she had no real reason for some of the things the Baron did, and shined a light where Sasha had asked her too. It was clear, she also started to go through the files.

Lorem was a little more relaxed now that the room seemed to be secured and the uncertainty of danger dispelled. She dared to venture further from the protection of Elizabeth’s side and likewise looked about the place and the items available for gawking at. She still wouldn’t go near any doorways or openings though.

Vor busied himself away from the statue, cataloging the other paintings and artifacts. He saw Lorem looking upon them as well and sought to break the dismal atmosphere.

“One would think they were made of gold with how the Children go after them, eh?”

The works cataloged, the files separated, and it was time to move on. "We need to go to Lamaire's lab next." Elizabeth explained.

They passed a few other rooms with nothing of importance in them, then got to the hallway which ended with the door to Lamaire's lab. "I would like to play this safe. Lorem and Sasha can you both check for traps." Pointing down the hallway.

Lorem did comment back to Vor along the lines of not fully understanding the sentimentality and obsession people had with such collections. In engineering you want to keep finding better ways to make things, out with the old and in with the new.

When they got to the hallway and were prompted by Lady Elizabeth, Lorem once again pulled out the little ear trumpet and lowered herself to the ground to listen to the vibrations moving through the material. She had a little hammer she used to bang the stone and then would listen. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on her superb elite hearing and mechanical imagination for anomalies.

After a minute, or so, Lorem sits back up and exclaims, “It sounds like parts of the wall opening, with many gears turning inside. There are a series of clicking sounds going down the entire hallway. I conjecture that it is likely there are a bunch of traps either as one big system or the traps might be localized, similar with slight variations.”

Sasha approached the hallway slowly, roughly five steps in she crouched, low enough that she was almost sitting on the floor. She began to point her torch at the where wall met floor. "I think I figured it out." she said, but her voice carried a note of frustration. Getting Lorem's attention she pointed the light at the floor. "See those scratch marks?" she asked pointing to spot on the floor, that ran horizontal from wall to wall against the floor, with matching pairs on the celing. "I think it activates when you are half way down the hall." she said pointing to another section on the wall that look like a meter wide section that if you weren't paying attention blending in but on inspection the rock was slightly different in color. "This piece slids out quickly to block where you came from, and either the door to the lab locks or a twin of this wall slides in place to box you in, then the walls..." Sasha put both hands up and moved them together. "Crush you. Both escapes blocked you are just doom to be smashed." She looked around for a moment again. "And I don't see a switch on this side, so its likely in the lab, since that has a secondary escape route.”

"It seems like our choices are then, try to disarm the trap or go around to the other side." Elizabeth stared. "I am partial to going to the other entrance. Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter."

It just seemed like a long time to spend on an uncertainty if they chose disarming it.

Lorem inquired, “If we just leave it, wouldn’t that be unethical knowing the next passerby’s could spring it unknowingly?” It seemed to her that they had a moral obligation to disarm it now that they knew and had the potential to successfully do so.

"Do you believe it can be disarmed successfully? Or would it be better to look for the switch in the lab?" Elizabeth hadnt meant leave the trap intact, she had planned on searching for the switch to disarm it. "However, if you feel confident in disarming it, you are welcome to do so." Elizabeth certainly trusted the Gnome's ability with such things.

“If the lab has a disarming switch that would be best. How about I stay here and try and work it out in case it doesn’t?” Her voice faltered a little with the proposal to have the group go on without her. It seemed like a risky idea to her.

Sasha shook her head. "I don't want you to risk activation of the trap.”

"I have to agree with Miss Lagrave, but also I don't like the idea of you staying behind by yourself." Elizabeth said, with a tone that indicated she wasn't budging on the issue. "There must be a switch because this entrance to the lab could not have been inaccessible all the time if Lamaire or others had to go in and out of it.”

Lorem sighed silently in relief. She was glad Sasha raised the objection and Lady Elizabeth seconded it. She was in complete agreement.

“Affirmative.” She nodded and put away the instruments in her hands.