As the trio approached the theater's entrance, Ariel paused to gather her senses. Beside her, Mandy mirrored the action, gracefully touching her neck. Ariel, slightly annoyed at Mandy's flamboyance, watched Leroy stride confidently ahead.
"Something wrong?" Leroy inquired, glancing back.
With effort, Ariel closed her eyes and reached out with her intuition for any sign of energy or emotion – but found nothing. She opened her eyes with a shake of her head, signaling the all-clear to Leroy. All eyes turned to Mandy, who was still intently scanning the environment. Ariel anticipated Mandy's findings even before she gave a despondent shake of her head and whispered, "Nothing."
"It's okay – perhaps Taylor and John have picked up something on their equipment," Leroy suggested optimistically, pushing through the theater doors.
Crossing the threshold, both Ariel and Mandy stood immobilized. Suddenly, Ariel's world began to spin; she could feel her meager breakfast threatening to resurface. Her hand flew to her mouth in an attempt to quell the nausea. Next to her, Mandy crumpled into a kneel.
"Ariel! Mandy!"
Leroy's anxious call seemed to come from afar. His sturdy grip pulled Ariel forward, guiding her through the disorientation. Gradually, clarity returned; the room stopped spinning and her stomach settled against its earlier protestations. As the turmoil subsided, Ariel was left with only a throbbing headache as evidence of the episode.
"Ariel..?" Leroy's voice persisted, echoing through the hallway as footsteps approached.
"What in the world happened here?" exclaimed Taylor, her voice laden with shock.
"Worried whispers from John followed, "Mandy, Ariel - are you both unharmed?"
Ariel glanced up at her concerned companions; Leroy was crouching by her and Mandy, "I'm unscathed..."
"I'm not hurt either..." Mandy chimed in softly.
At that moment, Jasper and Max entered the scene, their eyes widening at the unexpected tableau before them. They rushed over. "What's the matter here?"
Jasper!" Mandy exclaimed as she leapt toward him, "It was just dreadful..."
With fists tightly balled, Ariel rose to her feet. "Rest assured, I'm quite alright..."
"What has transpired here?" Jasper pressed for answers, remaining rigid even while Mandy clung to him.
"It's a mystery," Leroy admitted, puzzled. "We had just walked in when all of a sudden..."
"I suddenly felt ill; it was as if the room itself started to revolve," Ariel recounted.
"And my legs just collapsed...the world turned pitch black around me..." added Mandy, her words muffled against Jasper's shirt.
A rush of anger surged through Ariel. Both she and Mandy suffered the same ordeal, yet only Mandy received Jasper's attention — he hadn't even spared a glance of concern for her. Jasper gently unwound himself from Mandy's desperate grasp and led her into Leroy's steady arms. Though visibly recovered, Mandy now shunned any support from Leroy.
"You experienced this upon entering?" Jasper inquired before heading back toward the corridor.
"Yes," Ariel and Mandy responded in unison, then exchanged icy glares.
Max met up with Jasper at the doorway, inspecting it cautiously.
"Nothing out of the ordinary caught your eye?" Jasper probed further while his fingers traced the doorjamb thoughtfully.
"Other than fleeting specks of color? No," retorted Ariel with a hint of sarcasm.
Jasper gave her a brief look before pondering over the door again. "And you...Makenzie?"
"Nothing comes to mind," replied Mandy reluctantly.
Jasper sighed deeply. "Max, can you discern anything?"
Closing his eyes, Max took a moment to reflect before responding. "I detect pressure — there's a faint throb in my temple... but it's so subtle that it would take significant time here to truly appreciate it."
Jasper nodded in agreement. "I sense something similar...it's peculiar indeed. John, Leroy — how about you both?"
The two men stepped closer and after some contemplation John spoke up with a furrowed brow. "There's an undercurrent of discomfort here..."
Leroy mentioned with a hint of distress, "I feel a bit overheated and uncomfortable." Jasper gave a solemn nod before turning to speak to the priestess, "Mills, could you assist us?" Taylor rose with poise and moved confidently towards the doors before pausing abruptly, discomfort etching her face. "My head..." she whispered feebly. Leroy swiftly escorted her back into the corridor, while Jasper, with a contemplative frown, ushered the rest to follow, noting with concern, "It appears that this situation affects women more profoundly."
Suddenly there was laughter — Mr. Warner and Shiloh appeared around the bend into the lobby. Shiloh's laughter halted abruptly as confusion spread over her face; her hand flew to her nose as if to ward off an unpleasant scent, her complexion flush with alarm. Without warning, her legs buckled beneath her.
"Shiloh!" Mr. Warner's shout carried an edge of panic. He was at her side in an instant. Jasper sprung into action, bringing the faltering actress back into the passage with a bewildered Mr. Warner trailing close behind. Shiloh groped at her neck desperately as Jasper assessed her rapidly; "Leroy, fetch some water!"
Leroy darted off and returned almost supernaturally quick with water in hand. Without hesitation, Jasper doused Shiloh with it — she choked and spluttered through the deluge of liquid but soon regained composure, Casey breaths gradually steadying as she began to sit upright with Jasper's support. A concerned Mr. Warner hovered nearby, gripping her hand tightly, his expression aflame with worry. "Shiloh...are you alright?"
"What on earth is happening here?"
The crowd turned towards a striking tall woman at the hall's end with golden hair cascading over her shoulders.
"Ah, Miss Marlowe— what impeccable timing," uttered Mr. Warner, his voice laced with tension.
Miss Marlowe's frown deepened as suspicion glinted in her eyes.
"Clearly something is amiss. Shiloh...is that you? Are you unharmed?"
Mr. Warner pressed for answers while Miss Marlowe dashed off briefly around the corner—likely towards the ticket booth—and returned promptly wielding another bottle of water for Shiloh who was still wide-eyed in shock.
"Here," Miss Marlowe extended the water offering only for it to be smacked away vehemently by Shiloh whose eyes seethed with fury.
"You— it's your fault!"
Miss Marlowe recoiled in disbelief, stammering out incredulously, "Excuse me?"
Shiloh's voice broke through anger and accusation.
"It's because of you! Your actions have invoked his fury!"
Recovering from the initial astonishment, Miss Marlowe countered,
"You're not suggesting my father is responsible?"
"Absolutely she does!" declared Mr. Warner, voicing his support for the actress. With a disdainful glare, Miss Marlowe responded, "You are insufferable! I arrive in search of documents, offer my assistance, and this is the gratitude I receive?" Her tone dripped with scorn. At this, Mr. Warner's confidence wavered.
"Well..." he began, attempting to regain his previously authoritative voice that had eluded him, "you should leave. This issue isn't of your concern. Your documents will be provided to you later."
Miss Marlowe's stance grew rigid; her face suggested she was poised to object but instead she pivoted sharply,
"I shall return. Ensure everything I require is prepared."
As she departed with the front doors banging behind her, Mr. Warner was momentarily at a loss for words before he indignantly muttered, "The audacity of that woman!" Regaining his composure, he reassured Shiloh, "Worry not; such an incident will not recur."
Shiloh gave a nod of acknowledgement and then impulsively hugged Mr. Warner tightly around the neck. Uncomfortable with the display of emotion, Jasper stood and addressed the rest of his team with resolve, "Let's establish our headquarters."
They guided Shiloh to a room they had used for discussions the previous day where they served her coffee before leaving her in John's care.
"Regarding this headquarters you're planning – where had you considered setting it up?" inquired Mr. Warner curiously as they strolled down the hallway.
Jasper tossed a look his way,
"My thoughts were on utilizing Shiloh's powder room."
Mr. Warner raised an eyebrow in surprise before responding with an apologetic shake of his head, "I'm sorry to say that due to damage and disarray, the room isn't available at present."
"Is that so?" Jasper's tone carried a note of skepticism.
Sensing tension from her boss's reply, Ariel flinched. With discomfort visible on his face, Mr. Warner swiftly offered an alternative,
"However, the parlor is free for use...?"
"Agreed. Please show us there."
Arriving at the parlor previously used for briefings—a spacious area adorned with a table and surrounded by couches and armchairs forming its core—Mr. Warner revealed,
"I had anticipated your needs and prepared this space yesterday... we've even brought extra tables for you," he added.
Jasper acknowledged his efforts with a nod before directing his crew,
"Alright team, bring in our equipment."
After an hour's work, ten cameras bathed the room in cool blue radiance as screens flickered to life. Ariel scrutinized one monitor intently that displayed the entrance hall—what was it earlier that unsettled her? What triggered Shiloh's reaction? Nearby Jasper fine-tuned some settings on his computer,
"Max, status on our generators?"
Positioning himself before another computer Max confirmed, "Operational for now."
Jasper expressed his approval with a nod before addressing Ariel,
"Well-done installing those cameras."
Ariel beamed a grateful smile toward Mandy although her acknowledgment seemed lost on her.
Jasper then turned to Leroy and Mills as he stood straighter after adjusting some controls on his console,
"I entrust you both to get a feel for this location—the aura here."
The monk and spiritual healer silently agreed with a nod and exited.
Turning to Makenzie he instructed further,
"Makenzie, enlist John's help; I want you two to garner some insights about Shiloh from local sources."