Windfarm Cavern was an impressive feat of engineering, with windmills and settlements spread out across the cavern powering every facet of life. A staple of the industry of Slugterra, it wasn't the home of final products, like completed mechas or blasters, but it was home to the manufacturing of pieces and equipment that made their way to second locations like the Beast Forge.

The terrain was dangerous, made up of steep cliffs and ravines. Houses and towns were built at the bottom of ravines or into the sides of stone pillars and hills. On a normal day, wind whistled through the stone, its source a mountain at the center of the cavern that housed Slugterra's largest populations of Tormatos and Hoverbugs. And, according to the map left by Will, it was also home to the Air Elemental.

Even though Air hadn't been ghouled, the cavern was still worse for wear, as had the caverns between Windfarm and Undertow been. The Lumino ore growing from the cavern's rocks and plants was tinted red instead of the cavern's usual white, and the wind seemed to have reversed directions, blowing toward the center of the cavern instead of away from it.

As the road around them became narrower and the wind gusts around the gang grew stronger, they had to return their mechas to beast mode, losing speed for stability. Alana was glad for the thermal shirt- the unnatural cold of the dark energy eating away at the caverns was bad enough without a severe wind chill.

"This is a little ridiculous!" Trixie called over the wind as another gust shook the gang's mechas. They were riding as quickly as they could without risking falling off the stone road that spanned over a wide canyon. Below the road, Alana could see houses and buildings built into the side of the canyon, and people running around frantically, closing shutters and barricading doors.

"If the cavern is normally windy, what is causing all the panic?" Junjie asked, watching with a frown as people were almost blown off one of the paths lining the side of the canyon.

"Usually, it blows the other way," Kord explained, his voice almost lost to the wind. "Goes away from the cavern's center. The whole infrastructure relies on that. Even when there's slug migrations, that doesn't change. But with everything in the caverns thrown off 'cause of the energy imbalances, it reversed, and we're seein' problems like- THAT!"

Kord slammed on the brakes of his mecha, the others following suit, just as they reached the end of the bridge. A tall windmill a few hundred yards away let out an echoing creak that Alana could feel through her mecha. Gears screeched as the entire turbine shuddered, and with a series of loud pops, one of the large blades began to detach from the mill.

Alana whipped her head around, looking down at the canyon.

"Kord-?" she called, but the cave troll was already running numbers on the screen on his mecha.

"That thing'll slide down the canyon. There's people living all along the walls- they'll get crushed!" he called.

"On it!" Eli called, loading his Forgesmelter and raising his blaster, trying to line up the shot at the awkward upward angle and accounting for the wind.

"Eli," Trixie warned as another pop sounded and the joint holding the blade let out a series of sparks.

"I got it," he assured, taking a deep breath before firing. Alana watched as the Forgesmelter transformed, heat causing its mouth to glow as it prepared to spit out a mouthful of lava to solder the blade in place, but a gust of wind threw the slug off course and pushed it into the turbine stand instead.

"Floppers!" Eli cursed, and Kord started to load his own Forgesmelter, but Junjie rushed forward on his mecha, beating the cave troll to it.

He fired a Forgesmelter, but he raised his hands as well. Alana watched in wonder as he guided the slug with slug fu, angling it against the wind enough for the Forgesmelter to belch out a wave of lava that hardened almost instantly around the turbine's joint, soldering the blade back into place.

"Nice save," Eli sighed, watching with relief as the blade held strong, even as another gust shook the cavern.

"Yeah, ya gotta admit, that slug fu stuff is pretty cool," Kord noted. "But we need to keep going. Trix, can you let the people down there know they need to keep an eye on that thing?"

"Already working on it," Trixie replied, typing away at the screen on her mecha. "I'm sending out an announcement to this region. Hopefully they can at least take cover somewhere away from this mill, but the best solution will be stopping this mess."

The gang started their mechas again, speeding up now that they weren't on such a precarious path, slowly angling upwards as they neared the cavern's central mountain.

"I wonder what would happen if the Air Elemental got ghouled," Alana thought out loud.

"The winds would probably be completely out of control. Right now, they're at least in one direction," Junjie replied. "It's at least possible to take cover. If Air is ghouled, it would probably spiral into an unpredictable storm."

"All the more reason for us to make sure the Goon doesn't get it," Eli said grimly.

The gang only rode for a few more minutes, passing houses with people panicking and trying to bolt down what they could, before they reached the base of the mountain. A wide building sat at the base of the gray-brown stone, set into the mountain enough that the strong winds were at least dulled.

They slowed their mechas and Alana tensed as a few people spilled out of the building, but she quickly relaxed when they looked relieved to see the gang. They were led by a young woman in a wheelchair, who drifted slightly as gusts of wind pushed against her, but once she reached the gang she put on the brakes. Two younger people, looking to be around Alana's age, flanked her. They all wore gray jackets with "Windfarm Research Station" embroidered on them. The woman also sported a nametag that read "Lucinda Lansing," while the two younger people had visitor tags.

Now not needing to steer her mecha, Alana pulled her arms around herself, her gaze stuck on the woman's nametag. Something about her seemed familiar.

"Do you know what's going on here?" the woman called, trying and failing to brush her short, hazel hair out of her face. "The caverns are a disaster!"

"We're working on it," Eli promised apologetically. "It's been a day. How are things holding up here?"

"Bad," Lucinda responded grimly. "Everyone's been trying to hold things down, but we have reports from the edges of the cavern of small mechas starting to get some air time. We're lucky here being built into the side of the mountain."

Trixie looked around curiously, holding up her camera and zooming in on the research station.

"What exactly do you do here?" she asked.

"It's a research hub, with several departments. I'm- well, the interns keep calling me Dr. Lansing, but that makes me feel old, just call me Cindy- a visiting slug evolutionary biologist from Futuria Cavern, helping some interns," Cindy explained, nodding towards the two younger people, one of which quickly reached out and helped brace her chair as another wind gust swept past the slingers and scientists. "Thanks. I was here to help process lab samples from a field team up the mountain."

Pronto winced and looked up at the mountain in front of them, and of the wind and debris swirling around it.

"Please tell Pronto that we are not doing a scientist rescue mission up there as well," he begged.

"No worries," Cindy laughed, shaking her head. "They already came down, but not before finding out what made the winds change so suddenly. It didn't help that almost half our slugs have turned into ghouls- climbing without an Arachnet as a fallback plan is a little scary."

The slingers all sighed with relief, but they exchanged worried glances. Cindy looked between them all, and her small smile faded.

"I can't in good conscience encourage you to go up there," she said seriously, shaking her head. "You could get blown right off the side of the mountain. There's no paths to the summit wide enough for mechas, and no slug will be able to carry you up in these winds."

"We have to," Eli insisted, climbing down off Lucky at the news that they'd be unable to use their mechas. The others followed, save for Alana, who decided it would probably be best to sit as long as possible. "It'll help us reverse the chaos that's tearing up the 99 Caverns."

"What could you possibly need up there? We have all the data and information you could possibly want inside," Cindy insisted, pausing as another gust of wind shook the group. "You don't need to risk your lives-"

"Has anyone ever reached the summit?" Eli interrupted. Cindy faltered, hesitating before shaking her head.

"No, the winds have always been too strong, even before they reversed- we've done mapping and some aerial imagery, and it just seems to be a large population of slugs up there, though," she said.

"How did your field team get up as far as they did?" Trixie asked, using her camera as a scope to zoom in up the side of the mountain. "I think I see some pulleys?"

"There's permanent climbing gear affixed to the side of the mountain, but it only goes up around two-thirds of the way," Cindy said. "And the higher up you go, the windier it gets."

"But the wind's usually pushin' away from the mountain, not towards it," Kord said, tapping his chin. "Still won't be safe, but that'll help at least a little bit."

Eli nodded, crossing his arms and thinking for a moment before looking at the rest of the gang.

"I've gone climbing before, just not... here," he said vaguely, and Alana knew he was referencing the surface. "But this isn't too much of a 'mountain' for where I'm from. I know I can handle it. Who else has climbing experience?"

Alana and Junjie raised their hands, while Trixie and Pronto did a so-so motion. Kord shook his head.

"Nah, I'm not really built for that," he said.

"Then Kord, Pronto, and Alana stay down here. See if there's anything in the research center or in town nearby people need help with, and keep an eye out for the Goon," Eli decided. "Junjie, Trixie, and I will go up to get the A- what we need."

He paused, looking at the Lumino ores around them.

"If we start now and hurry, we can be back down by the time it gets dark. I'm eager to get this taken care of, but that's where I cross the line. Trying to climb with low visibility is just asking for something to go wrong," he said.

Alana frowned, leaning forward on her mecha and drumming her fingers on Midnight's control panel. Eli glanced over and held her gaze, smiling apologetically.

"I know you've got more experience than Trix, but we really don't need you passing out when we're hundreds of feet up," he said. "You literally swam us through dark water earlier today. Keep getting rest and do some good down here. We've got this."

Pronto started to grumble, crossing his arms, but Eli quickly gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"And Pronto will be in charge while we're gone," he added. The molenoid immediately perked up, straightening his back and squaring his shoulders.

"Ah, yes, of course!" he exclaimed. "Pronto will stand our ground... from the ground!"

Alana watched the interaction with the faintest of smiles, but it didn't reach her eyes. She wasn't really upset that she was being benched from retrieving Air, but she was upset at the situation that led to the decision. She wanted to keep helping, not just sit by and nap while her friends were risking their lives. The thought made guilt gnaw at her chest, but she knew she'd feel even guiltier if she went along and then became a burden because she couldn't fend for herself.

Her thoughts, combined with yet another growing headache, kept her mind busy until she realized that Kord was rapping on the side of Midnight to get her attention.

"You awake?" the cave troll asked, only half joking. Alana nodded and refocused, driving Midnight after the others, who were following Cindy and the interns into the research station. Once she reached the doorway, Alana finally climbed down off her mecha, stumbling in the high winds and having to be steadied by Eli as the group all rushed inside.

The interns struggled against the wind for a moment, but eventually they successfully closed the research station's doors. The building was modern and well-kept, but chaotic as people ran around. Some wore lab coats, designating them as staff, but many were clearly civilians who had taken shelter here when the winds started to get dangerous. Parents chased children through the lobby, trying to keep them under control, while staff scientists patiently wove around the kids, passing out snacks and water.

"Welcome to the Windfarm Research Station," Cindy said, gesturing out toward the lobby. "It's not usually so hectic, but our doors are open to civilians right now, for obvious reasons."

"That's kind of you guys," Eli said, waving to some kids who were gaping at the Shane Gang. "I assume the labs are all sealed off?"

"Absolutely. I don't need kids messing with my electron microscope," Cindy sighed, running a hand down her face. "It's not a great fit, but it's safer in here than out there, at least for now."

She paused, glancing up at Eli seriously.

"I won't pry. You all clearly don't want to give exact details on what's going on," she said carefully. "But I need to know- are things going to get worse? Are more slugs going to get ghouled? Is there anything we can do to prepare?"

Eli hesitated, then his gaze softened, and he sighed. There was a pang in Alana's heart when she noticed how tired he looked for a moment, but he quickly steeled his features.

"I can't tell you much," he said, drumming his fingers on his side. "But... maybe keep an eye on the slugs you have in here. Any of them that aren't already ghouled... just be ready for the worst case scenario. Don't let any ghoulslingers in. Other than that, just try to hold out until we can fix everything."

Cindy nodded, sighing and turning her chair to face the slingers.

"Right. Well, let's get to it, then. If you head down that hall," she said, pointing to the left, "Room 113 is where the most recent climbing research team is. Fill them in, and they'll gear you up and do their best to help you chart a safe route."

She looked to Kord and Pronto next.

"You two, if you could head down the hall straight ahead, you'll find the elevators to the basement, where our staff is bringing up food and water for the civilians. Some first aid supplies, too. There's a lot of people and a lot of supplies to gather, and not a lot of staff. We could use the help. And of course, you can help yourselves to some snacks, too," she added quickly. "I'm sure you're exhausted."

Kord and Pronto fist bumped, quickly making their way through the crowded lobby to help with the supplies. Alana shifted her weight back and forth, once again finding herself the odd one out. Cindy looked up at her last, unable to keep sympathy from her eyes.

"And you look tired," she said carefully. "I don't know exactly how your abilities work, but I'm sure today has been difficult. I'll take you to my lab's break room so you can rest. Then you can help out here."

Alana still felt a little bit useless, but there was no argument she could make when she knew she looked like a hospital patient. She didn't want to take her frustration out on anyone else, though, so she just politely nodded.

Junjie, Trixie, and Eli took their leave, the latter two pausing to wave to Alana before heading off to talk to the climbers. Alana sighed, pressing down the unease that splitting up in such uncertain times brought, and carefully rebuilt her small smile and calm demeanor now that it was just her and Cindy.

"Right, follow me," the scientist said, wheeling down the hallway to the right of the lobby, away from the worst of the crowd.

The noise faded as the two made their way down the hall. Alana looked around curiously, glancing over research posters decorating the walls. A Comparative Analysis of Soil-Based Viruses in Dirt Urchin and Vinedrill Burrows. The Change Over Time in Flatulorhinkus Morphotypes. The two passed a few windows that looked into labs. None of them hosted scientists, only empty equipment and computers left behind to deal with the current crisis.

"It's not much, but my lab has a small break room with a couch," Cindy explained, coming to a stop in front of a lab door. She grabbed her name tag, which was attached to her lab coat by a retractable wire with a Flatulorhinkis button on it, and held the tag up to a scanner next to the door. It blinked green and the door automatically swung open.

Alana followed her in, looking around curiously at the small lab. Black tables held computers, pipettes, and trays. Cindy followed her gaze, her hazel eyes lighting up with pride.

"Someday, when the world isn't ending, I'll show you and your teammates around," she said. "I've been meaning to reach out to you all, anyway, actually."

"What for?" Alana asked, a little wary. The Shane Gang hadn't exactly had the best track record with scientists. From Dr. Blakk to Quentin, they'd seen their fair share of trouble.

"DNA samples from your slugs," Cindy replied, her eyes lighting up as she started talking about her passion. "From Infurnuses to the Enigmo, the Shane Gang has some of the rarest slugs in Slugterra! They're some of the last species we don't have annotated genomes for. I understand if you don't want to bring them in, though. Last time you visited my school's neighbor, the Slugterra Institute of Technology, things got pretty hectic. You actually saved my girlfriend- Katherine McGregor."

Alana perked up at the reminder of the purple-haired scientist from SIT who'd sounded the alarm when Quentin went rogue.

"I hope she's doing okay," Alana said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself as a shiver shook her limbs. "We haven't had time to slow down and talk to many people through the caverns."

"She's doing okay," Cindy assured. "I talked to her about an hour ago. It's plenty chaotic over there, but they're holding down the fort. I called Bonnie Springs, too. It's... well, not great, but most of the slugs who inhabit that cavern haven't been ghouled, so they've been able to focus on the people."

The mention of Bonnie Springs finally got Alana to make the connection as to why Cindy's name had seemed familiar. She glanced down at the scientist's name tag one more time, reading her last name. Lansing. It had been a while, but Alana remembered Sam Gray's colleague, Gwen Lansing, a very stoic but kind young woman.

"You're related to Gwen?" she asked tentatively. Cindy smiled and nodded.

"She's my stepsister. Another person who's had great things to say about you kids," she said, wheeling forward and pressing a button on a side room door. It automatically swung open. "Here you go. Take some time to rest, and come back whenever you're ready."

Alana nodded, smiling gratefully.

"Thank you, Cindy," she said. "For this, and for believing in us."

Cindy smiled back, though her expression was a little sad.

"It's the least I can do. You all put plenty on the line," she replied. She waved farewell, pressing the automatic door button to close it behind her as she left Alana alone in the small break room.

The second the door shut, concealing her from view, Alana's smile fell. She let her shoulders sag and eyelids droop as she looked around at the small room. It was just big enough for a cushiony couch with a blanket folded over one arm, a small table and chair, and a minifridge. She kicked off her black boots and collapsed on the soft couch, laying on her left side so her right hand could rest on her holstered blaster.

Ash and Mage hopped up onto the couch's arm, tugging the blanket forward. Alana reached forward and took it from them, tossing it haphazardly over herself and savoring the small bit of warmth it provided. Ash and Mage both exchanged worried looks, chirping quietly at their slinger.

"I'm... as okay as I can be," Alana assured, shifting and trying to get comfortable. "Just tired and a little cold. And frustrated."

Bitterness clawed at her throat, the frustration of the nightmare this day had become growing and threatening to spill over, but she fought to keep it in check. Getting angry at the world wasn't going to help anything.

But man, was she angry.

At the stupid Goon Doc, at the Dark Bane, at Doctor Blakk, at Dana. At their refusal to just let the 99 Caverns live peacefully.

And, a little further down, a shameful spite that she was too scared to see if Eli, or any of the others, for that matter, felt.

Why didn't Will ever mention the Elementals?

Their existence and the implications it brought were monumental. Had these slugs been around as long as Slugterra? Had they always been lurking in the 99, just out of reach? If all it took was ghouling one to ghoul its ancestors, wouldn't it have made more sense to make sure Eli and Alana knew about them? For Will to know what the effects of the Elementals being ghouled were, had they been ghouled before?

At the end of the day, none of that mattered, at least not now. Not until this mess was fixed. And Alana knew they only had the benefit of hindsight to think that if they'd only known about the Elementals, they could have prevented this. Them knowing wouldn't have stopped the Goon, though that was another question- how did the Goon Doc know they existed?

How did he know where they were, if it seemed like even the Shadow Clan didn't know? If they'd known, Alana was sure they would have tried to handle the problem themselves, or at least in tandem with the Shane Gang. Maybe it was like the incident at the Lightwell, where the concentrated slug energy had affected their abilities, and they weren't able to teleport to the Elementals. Maybe their locations had been something Will had kept hidden even from them.

It's a good thing we didn't know, Alana realized with a sinking feeling in her stomach. If they'd known before all this, the Goon Doc would've found out the Elementals' locations the second he took over Eli's mind. He would've left Gateway Cavern and sought the Elementals immediately, and Alana and the others wouldn't have known what was happening to be able to keep up with him.

She groaned and rubbed her eyes, trying to stop the headache that her overthinking and worrying was only exacerbating. Ash and Mage both hopped up on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek and chittering soothingly.

"Alright, alright, I'm fine," Alana sighed, forcing herself to close her eyes and focus on the softness of the couch. "You guys should try to get some rest. And the rest of the arsenal that's left."

Her heart sank at the thought of her other slugs, who'd scattered the instant they'd been ghouled. She probably wouldn't see them again until the gang returned to the hideout if they succeeded.

Wait, no. When they succeeded.

With that soothing thought, even though Alana felt anything but peaceful, exhaustion won over, and she felt herself drift off.

~~~~~~~~

Dana laughed as another house toppled to the ground, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. The neighborhoods of Quiet Lawn Cavern were in disarray. People ran screaming, trying to find somewhere safe, but in the chaos of the red storm that had descended upon the cavern in the wake of Slugterra's energy imbalance and the several Dark Bane looting the cavern, safety was hard to come by.

Her Greneater returned to her, cackling at the devastation he'd wrought. Dana looked over her shoulder, a wolfish grin on her face.

"It's not over here either, Goon!" she hollered. The Dark Slinger, down the street a few houses, snarled and shook his head in confusion.

"And you don't feel its presence at all?" he asked, for the third time since they'd arrived in Quiet Lawn Cavern.

"No," Dana confirmed, though she spread her senses one more time to make sure. Like her previous attempts, she felt only the raging storm of dark energy that was beginning to coat the caverns. There was no concentrated slug energy like she'd been able to feel even across the dark water sea from the Water Elemental. "It's not here. Or, if it is, it's being concealed, but I don't see how that's possible."

Dr. Blakk appeared from around the corner, stalking down the cracked road with rage in his scarlet eyes.

"We're wasting time. The Shane Gang must have arrived before us," he spat, glaring down at the Goon.

Dana shook her head, tapping the folded holoscreen clipped to her belt.

"Nah, I just saw a post. They were spotted in Windfarm. The Goon was right, they're going for Air," she corrected. "They're predictable."

"Then where is Energy?" Blakk growled, his clawed fingers curling into fists. "Are you losing your grip on him, slug? Is he feeding you false information?"

The Goon Doc narrowed his dark eye, baring his pointed teeth at Blakk.

"He is still under my command. The Energy Elemental is supposed to be here," he insisted. "We must find him! He will be the key to our success."

Dana huffed and rolled her eyes at the bickering, looking over her bandoleer and wondering which ghoul she should use next. But a metallic click from behind her made her freeze, and at the last second, she dove down to the ground. A red and silver hook shot through the air where she'd just been standing, retracting back to its owner with a mechanical hiss.

"I'll only say this one time," Red Hook spat, glaring at the three ghoulslingers with malice as he raised his hook again. He gestured to the ruins around him, broken mailboxes, fallen power lines, demolished homes. "You'd best get out of my cavern!"

Dana scoffed and climbed to her feet, grinning at the old man.

"Real threatening," she said sarcastically. "Is this the best protection Quiet Lawn can come up with? Disappointing."

Red Hook grumbled, shaking his head at Dana.

"Kids these days," he grumbled.

The Dark Slinger stepped forward, tilting his head in thought. Red Hook sneered and shot his hook again, aiming right at the Goon Doc, but Blakk stepped forward, grabbing the machine in midair and giving it a harsh yank. Red Hook was pulled forward, and Blakk grabbed the collar of his jacket, holding him up off the ground.

"Hm. I see his memories of you," the Goon Doc said as he looked up at Red Hook. "He never told you. But if anyone in this cavern knows, I suppose it would be you."

Red Hook frowned, glaring at the helmet covering the Dark Slinger's face.

"Who's under there?" he asked. "You sound familiar."

The Goon let out an amused laugh, shaking his head.

"It matters not. What matters is the location of the Energy Elemental, and whether or not I'll feel merciful and spare your life after you tell me where it is."

Red Hook sputtered with confusion, wheezing as Blakk held him up further, his collar digging into his neck.

"What-? An Energy Elemental? What're you on about, you crazy slug?" Red Hook snapped. "I ain't ever heard of an Energy Elemental!"

The Dark Slinger loaded his blaster with a Thresher, pointing the barrel at Red Hook.

"That's not the answer I want to hear."

~~~~~~~~

it's alana's birthday tomorrow (october 9) everyone say happy birthdayyy i might do a oneshot if i have time but no promises, sorry alana but i am Employed