At least she's back to her senses again, even if she seems to be deflecting or muddling things through ambiguity.
Maybe the others don't notice, hell, Yung might not notice in more relaxed circumstances. But in his state of high anixety he catches the slips, the subtle changes that only a wordsmith typically recognizes.
If that were all it was, he might not give it more than a passing thought. After all, it's common for Matrix personas to use androgyny to their advantage, as common as the runs after Senor Changs.
Yung stops in the corridor, rising from his partially hunched gait. He turns to face Mouse a comfortable distance away; shining his flashlight back towards her but off to the side. The ambient light is what he wants, enough to amplify his vision so that he can really see her.
He stands in silence. The red accents running along the jawline, forehead, and snout of his wolf mask cast a sheen as the lights dance through the corridor. The emotionless eyes of chalcogenide glass reflect hues of metallic blue, courtesy of their hard carbon coating. After a few moments the mask cocks at an angle in a mechanical motion, continuing to assess the diminutive decker in silence.
Underneath the mask eyes jump from one feature to the next. The small beads of sweat still speckling her brow. The irregular rise and fall of her chest from anxious breathing. The slight tremble of her hand holding the flashlight. And perhaps most alarming the hand still clenching Axel's sleeve.
The mask returns to an upright position. The eyes beneath close, compiling the physical information into an empathic dataset. In his minds eye he travels back to events that transpired mere moments ago. The interactions from when this was all just an anxiety induced panick attack, resulting from a power failure.
He replays the moment Mouse grabs Axel's sleeve, followed by his comforting response. A fragment in time captured by chance due to genuine compassion. Had Axel not said anything, Yung might not have turned back momentarily to catch that critical tell.
He opens his eyes again, wider than usual; a moment of silent revelation still shrouded in confusion. Something is very wrong. But he doesn't know what. What he does know is that the chance it's just some other user is about as likely as Taipan telling a joke, or Mick saying please.
After several seconds he finally breaks off his gaze, returning once again to his slightly crouched stance. Can't push it right now, she's too fragile.
<<DM Taipan: Something's wrong with Mouse. Really wrong. More than she's saying. But we shouldn't press it.>>
He silently approaches the only door in the complex that Taipan indicated was at the limit of his sonar. Placing his free hand on the latch, he turns it and pushes the door open.
Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Furrows deepen across Taipan's brow as Yung's message scrolls upward in his AR feed. << Copy, >> he DMs in response. Frowning, he tucks the nameplate in a thigh pocket. The frag is Zodiac?
He curses under his breath as he backtracks down the hallway, padding softly in the direction of the glow from Axel's welding torch. He glances sidelong at the sealed doors, curiosity picking at his mind -- but thanks to Yung's warning, he deduces now is not the time. Nothing sends a team sideways quicker than someone losing their drek. Unfortunately, he's seen that domino effect more than once.
Upon reaching the hallway juncture, he glances at Mouse, assessing her eyes, the tiny muscles in her face, the set of her jaw. He nods to her in what is probably an overly theatrical show of confidence as if to say, "We're here."
The old samurai stacks up behind Yung, rifle at the ready as Yung pulls at the handle.
He curses under his breath as he backtracks down the hallway, padding softly in the direction of the glow from Axel's welding torch. He glances sidelong at the sealed doors, curiosity picking at his mind -- but thanks to Yung's warning, he deduces now is not the time. Nothing sends a team sideways quicker than someone losing their drek. Unfortunately, he's seen that domino effect more than once.
Upon reaching the hallway juncture, he glances at Mouse, assessing her eyes, the tiny muscles in her face, the set of her jaw. He nods to her in what is probably an overly theatrical show of confidence as if to say, "We're here."
The old samurai stacks up behind Yung, rifle at the ready as Yung pulls at the handle.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Yung grips the valve wheel with both hands and begins cranking counter-clockwise. The wheel only spins a single rotation before it hits resistance. Try as he might, Yung can't get the door to budge. He steps back and checks the door frame, but there isn't any kind of visible locking mechanism or control panel.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
After struggling to turn the valve wheel, Yung relents, “ttong.” he hisses under his breath. For some reason he is convinced this door is the way forward. He turns to face Taipan. “Won’t go any further, odd seeing how it went a full rotation before stopping, yeah? Only way we’re getting through this is with a little boom boom, ne?"
Still hopeful that there is another exit, he motions Taipan to the adjacent room (N) before making his way in that direction. He once again grabs the valve handle and attempts to open the door.
Still hopeful that there is another exit, he motions Taipan to the adjacent room (N) before making his way in that direction. He once again grabs the valve handle and attempts to open the door.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
The valve wheel spins easily, accompanied by the sibilating of escaping atmosphere. Beyond the doorway is a cluttered storeroom, full of boxes upon boxes of medical supplies. There are several ventilators, centrifuges, and crash carts huddled in a corner under a layer of plastic sheeting.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Yung shakes his head slightly. No bueno.
"We got some medical supplies, anyone wanna see if there’s any poppers to make sure the doctor doesn’t crash before we need him?"
Yung walks over to the doctor, who sits propped up against the wall in the hallway leading to the door that seems to be stuck. He grabs under the doctor's armpits, turns him around and drags him towards the medical supply room; once again propping him up against the wall just inside the room.
"Gonna keep looking, gotta find some way through, yeah? Let’s check the room on the opposite side of the hall." After relaying the suggestion Yung moves across the hallway to the front of the door, waits for his teammates to get into position and spins the valve wheel.
"We got some medical supplies, anyone wanna see if there’s any poppers to make sure the doctor doesn’t crash before we need him?"
Yung walks over to the doctor, who sits propped up against the wall in the hallway leading to the door that seems to be stuck. He grabs under the doctor's armpits, turns him around and drags him towards the medical supply room; once again propping him up against the wall just inside the room.
"Gonna keep looking, gotta find some way through, yeah? Let’s check the room on the opposite side of the hall." After relaying the suggestion Yung moves across the hallway to the front of the door, waits for his teammates to get into position and spins the valve wheel.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
The wheel spins and the air escapes, but this time it staggers Yung. His nostrils flare and his stomach churns at the foul odor that assails him. Bracing himself, he steps inside.
This room seems to be some kind of office. Desks are arranged around a majority of the perimeter, littered with pieces of dissected terminals and matrix server components. A storage array stands empty in one corner. Bevels in the walls suggest a large number of screens were mounted against them at some point. On one of the desks is a ruined secure communications terminal, clearly bludgeoned into disrepair by a heavy object.
Lying slumped against a desk in an awkward position is a corpse in the process of decomposition. Though the face is bloated and sagging, it's impossible to miss the single gunshot wound underneath the chin. A blossom of dried blood and gray matter decorate the desk top. Though the body is in a bad way, Yung guesses that it was a human man-- and that's about all he can discern. The dead man's garments resemble a lab coat over a Corporate looking attire.
Keeping his distance, Yung examines the space around the man and finds a curious set of scratch marks in the floor. Letters! He cranes his neck as he reads the jagged script.
神様お許しを
Yung translates the kanji out loud: "God, please forgive me."
This room seems to be some kind of office. Desks are arranged around a majority of the perimeter, littered with pieces of dissected terminals and matrix server components. A storage array stands empty in one corner. Bevels in the walls suggest a large number of screens were mounted against them at some point. On one of the desks is a ruined secure communications terminal, clearly bludgeoned into disrepair by a heavy object.
Lying slumped against a desk in an awkward position is a corpse in the process of decomposition. Though the face is bloated and sagging, it's impossible to miss the single gunshot wound underneath the chin. A blossom of dried blood and gray matter decorate the desk top. Though the body is in a bad way, Yung guesses that it was a human man-- and that's about all he can discern. The dead man's garments resemble a lab coat over a Corporate looking attire.
Keeping his distance, Yung examines the space around the man and finds a curious set of scratch marks in the floor. Letters! He cranes his neck as he reads the jagged script.
神様お許しを
Yung translates the kanji out loud: "God, please forgive me."
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Reiya feels useless. Absolutely useless in this maze of shafts, chrome, and medical supplies, and she hates it. Her reactions feel slow, and when the lights go out, she too feels a moment of panic. The darkness of night, a cave, a familiar room, is rarely this dark, and she knows the architect of that darkness is coming for them.
A cave. It’s essentially a cave, beneath and around these human trappings. She sees the lights of her comrades penetrate the darkness, and hears the exchange between Mouse, Axel and Yung with sympathy for her fellow woman in their crew, and approval of how the guys handled it. She stays close as they move, both for her own comfort and to provide it if need be.
Hearing Yung’s spoken translation, Reiya looks at the body and then up at Yung’s face, which is bleak. Reiya knows it isn’t just the body and the message, but their increasingly desperate situation. The shaman gives him a wry smile. “On to the next door? Can I help?”
A cave. It’s essentially a cave, beneath and around these human trappings. She sees the lights of her comrades penetrate the darkness, and hears the exchange between Mouse, Axel and Yung with sympathy for her fellow woman in their crew, and approval of how the guys handled it. She stays close as they move, both for her own comfort and to provide it if need be.
Hearing Yung’s spoken translation, Reiya looks at the body and then up at Yung’s face, which is bleak. Reiya knows it isn’t just the body and the message, but their increasingly desperate situation. The shaman gives him a wry smile. “On to the next door? Can I help?”
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Reiya steps out of the room Yung is in, grateful that the sickly sweet smell of decomposition recedes. She turns to her right and places her hands on the valve wheel. The door opens with a hiss.
Beyond the doorway is a small room full of equipment. Reiya instantly recognizes the centerpiece: a large isolation chamber. It's a huge plexiglass box with a set of heavy duty gloves inset, so that the wearer can manipulate materials inside without fear of exposure.
Her eyes scan the rest of the room, snagging over equipment she is unfamiliar with. Some kind of laboratory. Most of the cabinets have been ransacked and almost all of the equipment is damaged or wrapped in plastic. Curiously, there are several bullet holes in the wall panels. A handful of discarded rifle shells scrape under her boots as she steps throughout the space.
The room itself makes Reiya shudder.
Beyond the doorway is a small room full of equipment. Reiya instantly recognizes the centerpiece: a large isolation chamber. It's a huge plexiglass box with a set of heavy duty gloves inset, so that the wearer can manipulate materials inside without fear of exposure.
Her eyes scan the rest of the room, snagging over equipment she is unfamiliar with. Some kind of laboratory. Most of the cabinets have been ransacked and almost all of the equipment is damaged or wrapped in plastic. Curiously, there are several bullet holes in the wall panels. A handful of discarded rifle shells scrape under her boots as she steps throughout the space.
The room itself makes Reiya shudder.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Thoryne steps up behind Yung, having to hunch over to fit through the doorway. He glances at the corpse, his expression indecipherable. "Coward," he mutters.
Seemingly uninterested in the contents of this room, the big troll squeezes back into the hallway and gently places a hand on Taipan's shoulder. "I'm gonna cover the elevator. Just a matter'a time before someone comes down after us."
Seemingly uninterested in the contents of this room, the big troll squeezes back into the hallway and gently places a hand on Taipan's shoulder. "I'm gonna cover the elevator. Just a matter'a time before someone comes down after us."
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
In many ways, the manner in which her teammates have busied themselves with the task of exploration, rather than asking follow up questions about the broken decker’s claims is an ideal scenario. All they need to do is find a safe way out and they can leave any matrix monsters behind, preferably after dropping a few explosives in the basement for good measure.
The larger troll moves past the group, prompting the decker to finally speak up again: “ANOU… THE SENSEI” she tips her head toward the elderly doctor’s slouched frame. “MAYBE PUT HIM IN ONE OF THE WHEELCHAIRS AS YOU GO. WILL BE EASIER TO MOVE WITH HIM.” At least this is a more pragmatic suggestion given her mindset, even if it’s purely to facilitate the team’s hasty escape.
She continues to shuffle along with the others as they double back through the hall, though her feet stop at the sight of the ruined office. Despite knowing better, she takes in the full spectacle of the scene, eyes passing over the bloated, rotting form within. “NOBODY’S BEEN THROUGH HERE TO REMOVE HIM.” But there’s someone else still down here. The second thought clings to her consciousness with a sense of urgency, and yet, she forces her trembling hand to sweep her flashlight away from the body, toward the comms equipment.
“THIS AREA- IT USED TO BE WIRED. THE LAB WASN’T AIR GAPPED.” She can feel the distinct sense of pins and needles creeping back into her fingers, even as she maintains a tight grip on both her dim light and the rigger. Broken servers, broken terminals, missing monitors: one of these things is not like the others. “WASN’T ENOUGH TO JUST DESTROY THE DATA.” The light hangs over the hub for the screens, conspicuous in their absence. “EVERY LAST PIECE OF MACHINERY THAT COULD BE USED- SMASHED.” Her expression is grim as her eyes trace the jagged curvature of metal, crushed under a brute force. “-IN A HURRY.”
Unspoken questions and uncomfortable implications hang in her statements of raw fact: if whoever smashed the room was only worried about destroying data, why would they waste time with the screens? This wasn’t some precise, surgical removal of inconvenient evidence from a crime scene. This looks more like a frantic, desperate attempt to ensure that no piece of machinery here could ever function again.
…And why might that have been? Her blood runs cold at the thought.
The larger troll moves past the group, prompting the decker to finally speak up again: “ANOU… THE SENSEI” she tips her head toward the elderly doctor’s slouched frame. “MAYBE PUT HIM IN ONE OF THE WHEELCHAIRS AS YOU GO. WILL BE EASIER TO MOVE WITH HIM.” At least this is a more pragmatic suggestion given her mindset, even if it’s purely to facilitate the team’s hasty escape.
She continues to shuffle along with the others as they double back through the hall, though her feet stop at the sight of the ruined office. Despite knowing better, she takes in the full spectacle of the scene, eyes passing over the bloated, rotting form within. “NOBODY’S BEEN THROUGH HERE TO REMOVE HIM.” But there’s someone else still down here. The second thought clings to her consciousness with a sense of urgency, and yet, she forces her trembling hand to sweep her flashlight away from the body, toward the comms equipment.
“THIS AREA- IT USED TO BE WIRED. THE LAB WASN’T AIR GAPPED.” She can feel the distinct sense of pins and needles creeping back into her fingers, even as she maintains a tight grip on both her dim light and the rigger. Broken servers, broken terminals, missing monitors: one of these things is not like the others. “WASN’T ENOUGH TO JUST DESTROY THE DATA.” The light hangs over the hub for the screens, conspicuous in their absence. “EVERY LAST PIECE OF MACHINERY THAT COULD BE USED- SMASHED.” Her expression is grim as her eyes trace the jagged curvature of metal, crushed under a brute force. “-IN A HURRY.”
Unspoken questions and uncomfortable implications hang in her statements of raw fact: if whoever smashed the room was only worried about destroying data, why would they waste time with the screens? This wasn’t some precise, surgical removal of inconvenient evidence from a crime scene. This looks more like a frantic, desperate attempt to ensure that no piece of machinery here could ever function again.
…And why might that have been? Her blood runs cold at the thought.
Last edited by Molly on Sat Apr 09, 2022 10:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Invisible, icy fingers caress Taipan's spine at the decker's interpretation of the scene, though he takes great care not to allow the unease to crest his air of composure -- save for the hairs standing to attention at the back of his neck.
He nods in response to the troll, "Thanks, big man. Hopefully not before we've seen the back of this place."
The crawling sense of wrongness intensifies as he follows Reiya into the lab, sweeping the room with the rifle in a drilled-in motion. He steps up to the isolation chamber and peers through the plexiglass barrier.
He nods in response to the troll, "Thanks, big man. Hopefully not before we've seen the back of this place."
The crawling sense of wrongness intensifies as he follows Reiya into the lab, sweeping the room with the rifle in a drilled-in motion. He steps up to the isolation chamber and peers through the plexiglass barrier.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Taipan's breath fogs the plexiglass as he leans in. The container is empty. Like the other myriad objects in this complex, the abandoned chamber serves only to breed questions and a sense of bourgeoning dread. In fact, the whole place is saturated with it: an ammonia scented diorama of secrets and madness.
He tries to brush away the intrusive thoughts and nagging hypotheticals. They have an objective and their window is closing.
He tries to brush away the intrusive thoughts and nagging hypotheticals. They have an objective and their window is closing.
-
Drew Buddy
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Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
"I mean, they could have needed to move some of the eq–" He stops when he spots the body and scenes of technological violence. "Oh," he finally breathes out. Unknown to him, the realization hits him around the same time that Taipan makes the same connection.
"Thissss..." He trails the word off looking for something less stupid than this is a bad place.
"This is a very bad place, isn't it?"
He suppresses the urge to grab Mouse's sleeve for comfort.
"Thissss..." He trails the word off looking for something less stupid than this is a bad place.
"This is a very bad place, isn't it?"
He suppresses the urge to grab Mouse's sleeve for comfort.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
"Sure is," Reiya agrees, nodding grimly at Axel. "So let's get the fuck out of it, and fast. I'm checking that next room over," she decides as she says it, jerking her head a little too quickly in the direction of the big room they haven't yet looked in.
(( Checking out Room K ))
(( Checking out Room K ))
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
The stench of decomposition triggers the initial connection, the pieces that don’t seem to be adding up; the real reason that Mouse is so on edge. This body has been here a while, this whole facility undisturbed, but she said someone…it…is here. How’s that possible?
Yung can feel the uncomfortable tension continue to build among the team, punctuated by Axel’s most recent comment. His revelation coupled with the rising anxiety results in a permeating feeling of impending danger, separate from the one presented by the above ground hostiles.
He tries to shrug off the sensation, focusing on the only thing that he deems relevant, the way forward. “Hey Reiya before you do that, you got any way to see through doors with that mojo? If so, maybe you can see what’s blocking the other side of the door in the hallway, eh?”
“I’m gonna see about the road less traveled.” He inserts his earbuds as he waits for the verbal back and forth between the crew to die down. He focuses in on the rhythmic whirring of the ventilation system, trying to home in on the most noticeable source of the ambient sound.
(( Perception to locate the source of ventilation ))
Yung can feel the uncomfortable tension continue to build among the team, punctuated by Axel’s most recent comment. His revelation coupled with the rising anxiety results in a permeating feeling of impending danger, separate from the one presented by the above ground hostiles.
He tries to shrug off the sensation, focusing on the only thing that he deems relevant, the way forward. “Hey Reiya before you do that, you got any way to see through doors with that mojo? If so, maybe you can see what’s blocking the other side of the door in the hallway, eh?”
“I’m gonna see about the road less traveled.” He inserts his earbuds as he waits for the verbal back and forth between the crew to die down. He focuses in on the rhythmic whirring of the ventilation system, trying to home in on the most noticeable source of the ambient sound.
(( Perception to locate the source of ventilation ))
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Reiya back-tracks, eventually arriving at the top of the second corridor. The door opens in an identical manner as the others, albeit this one seems to swing inward. She leans on the door to push it open. Slam! The door abruptly stops after an inch or so. Something in the room seems to be lodged behind the door. The room is pitch dark beyond the thin gap.
Even using all her strength, Reiya is unable to force the door any further. She has the impression that with enough brute strength, one would be able to force the door open enough to enter.
Meanwhile, Yung finds himself in the opposite corner of the complex, looking up at a small vent. It's no larger than a license plate and has a grill mounted over it, but he feels a gentle draft of recycled air blowing against his face.
Even using all her strength, Reiya is unable to force the door any further. She has the impression that with enough brute strength, one would be able to force the door open enough to enter.
Meanwhile, Yung finds himself in the opposite corner of the complex, looking up at a small vent. It's no larger than a license plate and has a grill mounted over it, but he feels a gentle draft of recycled air blowing against his face.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Mouse jolts with the sudden slam of the door. “BE CAREFUL.” Her attention flits rapidly between the directions where Reiya and Yung both separated. She can feel her breaths become faster, more shallow, though she forces herself to keep speaking out loud- if only to cover the sounds betraying her own emotional state. “WHEN I SAW… SOMEONE, WE WERE JUST OUTSIDE THE ELEVATOR.” Forcing her thoughts back to that moment, the sense of viscidity inherent to the “other’s” digital movements, sends a renewed sense of cold dread through the decker’s body.
“EVEN UNDER THE BEST CONDITIONS, I CAN ONLY PICK UP HIDDEN SIGNATURES BROADCASTING WITHIN A HUNDRED METERS. MAXIMUM.” She looks up, trying to read Axel’s expression, as though seeking some implicit confirmation of her calculations, or preferably, a reason why her logic is completely wrong. “THIS… PERSON… WAS OPERATING ON THE LOCAL WIRELESS, IN A LAB THAT HAS HAD NO EXTERNAL COMMS OR GRID ACCESS FOR DAYS, OR ANY OTHER SIGN OF LIFE THUS FAR.” Her expression turns grim as she circles her conclusion, drawing closer, but forcing others to make the logical leap on her behalf. Not even the most overpaid security spider would have reason to linger in this “very bad place."
She swallows- there’s a beat, then a breath that could almost pass for a laugh- the smallest of breaks out of sheer absurdity, or gallows desperation. “AT THIS POINT, I SUPPOSE I SHOULD REASSURE YOU THAT NO, I’M NOT ON DRUGS.” A sardonic twist plays at the corner of her lips as she instinctively tries to to make out the team leader's silhouette through the blackness.
“EVEN UNDER THE BEST CONDITIONS, I CAN ONLY PICK UP HIDDEN SIGNATURES BROADCASTING WITHIN A HUNDRED METERS. MAXIMUM.” She looks up, trying to read Axel’s expression, as though seeking some implicit confirmation of her calculations, or preferably, a reason why her logic is completely wrong. “THIS… PERSON… WAS OPERATING ON THE LOCAL WIRELESS, IN A LAB THAT HAS HAD NO EXTERNAL COMMS OR GRID ACCESS FOR DAYS, OR ANY OTHER SIGN OF LIFE THUS FAR.” Her expression turns grim as she circles her conclusion, drawing closer, but forcing others to make the logical leap on her behalf. Not even the most overpaid security spider would have reason to linger in this “very bad place."
She swallows- there’s a beat, then a breath that could almost pass for a laugh- the smallest of breaks out of sheer absurdity, or gallows desperation. “AT THIS POINT, I SUPPOSE I SHOULD REASSURE YOU THAT NO, I’M NOT ON DRUGS.” A sardonic twist plays at the corner of her lips as she instinctively tries to to make out the team leader's silhouette through the blackness.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Yung takes out his survival knife, attempting to pry the vent covering off. <<Aye, wanna send Jerboo over here? I found something, maybe a way to get us eyes into the other parts of this complex.>>
<<Anybody else seeing anything? Big man, any signs of activity from up top?>>
<<Anybody else seeing anything? Big man, any signs of activity from up top?>>
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
It annoys Reiya to no end that she can't open the door, and to ask for the physical strength of others. She does it anyway; there's no point in summoning or using spellcraft before she has to. <<Yung or Mick, can I get an assist with this door? Think it's jammed.>>
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Dice
Courtesy of Yung's light, Reiya can now make out the interior of the room. It seems to her to be some kind of control room. Bevels along the walls suggest a large number of monitor had been mounted. The room is cluttered with various pieces of equipment that are alien to Reiya but look highly technical. She picks her way through, looking for anything that might shed some light on the complex's function or the way forward.
At the rear of the room, hidden behind a number of empty storage crates, Reiya finds a small control panel. Though such devices are not her forte, she can't help but notice the small label that reads: FACILITY SECURITY - B1A. There don't appear to be any switches or buttons to operate, but at the center of the panel is a DNI port.
As Reiya turns to report her finding, the tip of her boot knocks over a small box. She bends down to examine the box, which contains a dozen stimpatches.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Mick rounds the corner into the room, having come running over upon the slams of Yung and Reiya's entry into the chamber. Glancing over the room, the ork suggests, "1A, huh. Reads to me like there's at least a 1B, if not a 2. Either way, I think we're crazier than whatever drek happened here if we keep going deeper into this nightmare instead of making our way back to daylight." Mick jaunts back to the entryway of the room, glancing out into the hall. "I say we take the elevator back up and fight our way out. Unless any of you have any ideas on how to move a few thousand tons of rock you've been waiting for the right moment to drop."
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
"Agreed," Reiya replies to Mick, considering. "I could try calling on the spirit I met back in the caves; she can certainly move earth. I'm just not sure how far, or how long I can maintain it." She frowns, then shrugs. "My sense of direction is worth drek in here, but if anyone thinks there's a chance of connecting to somewhere useful and idea where to start, I'm willing to try."
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Mouse shuffles toward the security office, feet barely leaving the ground as she trails behind the others, into the control room. Her attention latches onto the DNI port placed conspicuously amongst the controls, seemingly awaiting her arrival like a prison tailor made to her form and compulsions: a digital Amigara Fault. The sounds of her teammates’ voices, as they debate returning to the line of fire, are drowned out by pounding of her heart, the rush of blood in her ears.
She takes a step forward, oddly steady now, even as she can feel her blood run cold. “...IF THERE’S ANYTHING THERE- A FLOOR PLAN, A MECHANISM TO UNLOCK THE DOOR, I’LL FIND IT.”
Another step. Axel’s sleeve drops from her hand.
There’s a strange sense of solemnity to her as she reaches for her own datajack and the surrounding layers of scar tissue beneath the heavy layers of makeup. She kneels beside the panel as though pressing her head to a chopping block. “Ne... if I don't come back, promise you won't wait up for me. Wakarimasuka?”
She plugs in.
She takes a step forward, oddly steady now, even as she can feel her blood run cold. “...IF THERE’S ANYTHING THERE- A FLOOR PLAN, A MECHANISM TO UNLOCK THE DOOR, I’LL FIND IT.”
Another step. Axel’s sleeve drops from her hand.
There’s a strange sense of solemnity to her as she reaches for her own datajack and the surrounding layers of scar tissue beneath the heavy layers of makeup. She kneels beside the panel as though pressing her head to a chopping block. “Ne... if I don't come back, promise you won't wait up for me. Wakarimasuka?”
She plugs in.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
As Mouse sidles up to the dataport, Yung can’t help but feel a palpable sense of anxiety. She shouldn’t do this…He thinks to himself, but knows it’s not his place to say. Deep down he understands the struggle, the feeling of being in a hole when you can’t rely on anyone else to dig you out. The most he can do is stand and watch, and be ready if something doesn’t go according to plan, whatever the frag that is at this point.
Still, despite all of the misgivings about the path they’ve chosen, this somehow feels like the best way forward. Sanasatasamara is likely a guaranteed means of egress, but for now he feels like it might be a more valuable asset at a later point. He turns to address Reiya, disquieted by Mouse’s last statement “You save dat mojo, she got this.”
Still, despite all of the misgivings about the path they’ve chosen, this somehow feels like the best way forward. Sanasatasamara is likely a guaranteed means of egress, but for now he feels like it might be a more valuable asset at a later point. He turns to address Reiya, disquieted by Mouse’s last statement “You save dat mojo, she got this.”
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
The DNI jack slides in. There's a sensation of free fall, for a split second.
Mouse finds herself floating in a small, self-contained construct. What happened here? The borders are coalescing, fractal fairy fire. Phantom data trails swim aimlessly, like blind eels. The code has been ravaged but is still stable enough for her to be here. Her deck is screaming twelve kinds of warnings at her that VR here isn't safe and...
The physical sensation of a hand on her shoulder. Mouse's adrenaline spikes, causing yet another alarm to trill. She spins, but of course nothing is there. Faulty biofeedback? She isn't sticking around to find out. Propelled by the speed of barely contained panic, she flits into the swarm of broken algorithms.
No security here. Of course not, the IC lays shattered in a million pieces-- binary rubble. The core of the construct is still there, represented by a pulsating golden bauble. Mouse's persona approaches the light. No marks, but she doesn't need them. The construct's sub-routines present themselves to her like a lost puppy looking for an owner. Mouse decides not to muse about the existential nature of purpose-built programs and opts to select the only sub-routine that isn't garbled, corrupted gibberish.
From what Mouse can tell she's just deactivated a kind of fail-safe lockdown for the complex, thereby thwarting the resident host. All of this is getting too strange.
Out in the real world, the runners standing by the corridor's exit door hear the sound of a large metal rod retracting.
Mouse finds herself floating in a small, self-contained construct. What happened here? The borders are coalescing, fractal fairy fire. Phantom data trails swim aimlessly, like blind eels. The code has been ravaged but is still stable enough for her to be here. Her deck is screaming twelve kinds of warnings at her that VR here isn't safe and...
The physical sensation of a hand on her shoulder. Mouse's adrenaline spikes, causing yet another alarm to trill. She spins, but of course nothing is there. Faulty biofeedback? She isn't sticking around to find out. Propelled by the speed of barely contained panic, she flits into the swarm of broken algorithms.
No security here. Of course not, the IC lays shattered in a million pieces-- binary rubble. The core of the construct is still there, represented by a pulsating golden bauble. Mouse's persona approaches the light. No marks, but she doesn't need them. The construct's sub-routines present themselves to her like a lost puppy looking for an owner. Mouse decides not to muse about the existential nature of purpose-built programs and opts to select the only sub-routine that isn't garbled, corrupted gibberish.
From what Mouse can tell she's just deactivated a kind of fail-safe lockdown for the complex, thereby thwarting the resident host. All of this is getting too strange.
Out in the real world, the runners standing by the corridor's exit door hear the sound of a large metal rod retracting.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
The heavy mechanical sound from just around the corner piques Mick's ears, and the ork quickly slides into defensive position at the corridor corner just outside the office where some jerk ate his last leaden meal. Their back to the wall, Mick peers cautiously around the corner, their fist balling into a singularity of flesh and bone and muscle with a series of meaty pops, compressing, collapsing denser and denser upon itself, aching to explode.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Reiya's almost relieved to be off the hook, unable to shake the feeling that they'll need Sanasatasamara—and all of Reiya's power to guide her—later on. But the shaman eyes Mouse with concern, recognizing the certainty behind her fear. She resolves to stay close to the decker, for whatever small comfort she can provide.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Everything about the matrix wasteland is inherently alien, the logical scaffolding that forms its structure warped beyond recognition. There’s a quiet reverence to Mouse as she floats through the wreckage: no theatrics, no stylized programs. Even the script that maintains her persona’s costumes unravels entirely into its threadlike lines of source code, as if to abide by the newfound physics of this space. For the decker, the scene is like a return to the ruins of a burnt out building. She can squint at her surroundings and force herself to imagine the shape of the before, and the carnage that razed it.
”What happened?” That question keeps prodding at her consciousness, and every time, she rebuffs it. The problem is that, on an instinctual level, she knows what happened. This place evokes flashes of vivid memory, lived and lived again, like a skipping record:
She remembers the sense of a host collapsing inward under its own weight, the foundations crumbling into pieces, concrete broken and crushed under plunging roots. She remembers the way cracks spread across the edges of existence, shattering outward in sharp jags of expanding fractures, each splitting and stretching into infinity, like branches of a tree. She remembers suffocating, choking tendrils of corrupted reality dragging her thrashing body beneath the surface of the realer-than-real, blanketing the world in a canopy of choking darkness.
There’s nothing else to see here. She knows it’s all gone.
On the surface, in the meat, her breathing is still steady, if shallow. This time, she doesn’t make a sound, her muscles still, almost indistinguishable from the deepest phases of sleep, betrayed only by a constant stream of tears trickling from her closed eyes. Then, a message: <<Lockdown procedures reversed.>> At once, she takes a deep breath. Her heart rate elevates as her mind starts to surface, the persona kicking with the force of a diver submerged in arctic waters.
Eyes flutter open. In darkness, it takes a moment to register that she’s back in her meat-body. Wordlessly, she forces her crumpled body back to its feet, not even acknowledging the others as she shuffles her way toward the door at the end of the hallway. There’s nothing else to explain at this point- nothing else to say.
She braces her hands against the cold metal of the valve and turns.
”What happened?” That question keeps prodding at her consciousness, and every time, she rebuffs it. The problem is that, on an instinctual level, she knows what happened. This place evokes flashes of vivid memory, lived and lived again, like a skipping record:
She remembers the sense of a host collapsing inward under its own weight, the foundations crumbling into pieces, concrete broken and crushed under plunging roots. She remembers the way cracks spread across the edges of existence, shattering outward in sharp jags of expanding fractures, each splitting and stretching into infinity, like branches of a tree. She remembers suffocating, choking tendrils of corrupted reality dragging her thrashing body beneath the surface of the realer-than-real, blanketing the world in a canopy of choking darkness.
There’s nothing else to see here. She knows it’s all gone.
On the surface, in the meat, her breathing is still steady, if shallow. This time, she doesn’t make a sound, her muscles still, almost indistinguishable from the deepest phases of sleep, betrayed only by a constant stream of tears trickling from her closed eyes. Then, a message: <<Lockdown procedures reversed.>> At once, she takes a deep breath. Her heart rate elevates as her mind starts to surface, the persona kicking with the force of a diver submerged in arctic waters.
Eyes flutter open. In darkness, it takes a moment to register that she’s back in her meat-body. Wordlessly, she forces her crumpled body back to its feet, not even acknowledging the others as she shuffles her way toward the door at the end of the hallway. There’s nothing else to explain at this point- nothing else to say.
She braces her hands against the cold metal of the valve and turns.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
The door at the end of the corridor swings open, revealing another junction. A few dust motes hang suspended in the beam of Yung's light. Whatever purpose this additional wing serves, it seems it was built wholly separate from the ventilation system.
From Mouse's position, she sees a short hallway with a single junction. An identical door lies at the opposite end, but she can also make out the silvery sheen of elevator doors against the right-hand wall.
From Mouse's position, she sees a short hallway with a single junction. An identical door lies at the opposite end, but she can also make out the silvery sheen of elevator doors against the right-hand wall.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Mick slips forward toward the open door's yawning mouth, stops shy of its threshold, and peers through. Having tripped the drone and wandered into full view of several security cameras not moments ago like some kind of fraggin' amateur, the ork refocuses on their well-worn B&E procedures and looks for apparent security measures in the next chamber, their shadow dancing a cautious jig in the beam of Yung's flashlight.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Dice
Even the presence that lurks in the dark waters of their mind seems oddly placid, as if the tomb-like atmosphere is an opiate for the aggressive impulses that mere minutes ago were begging to be unleashed. Mick might shiver if they weren't so at home in derelict places, for this subterranean complex seems ominous foreshadowing for the greater conflict above.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
"Clear!" The ork's call back to the team echoes numbly in this bad, desolate place. 'As clear as any haunted house is, anyway.' The thought draws a frown upon Mick's face, sending a ripple across the placid surface of their their odd and acute sense of ease in this tomb. Shaking it away, Mick turns their attention to the elevator call buttons.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Silence speaks volumes, the moment would have been easier to process if there had been some kind of physical reaction. Everything leading up to this had been riddled with emotion, balancing on the edge of a blade carving a swath through the tangible tension. Then nothing, save rivulets of reckoning from a fractured psyche.
The frag do I care…
He waits a moment, bending down to pick up the box of stimpatches that Reiya had discovered but left behind. Using it as a brief distraction to let the others clear out of the room, before forcing down the lump in his throat.
It’s not supposed to be like this.
The churn comes while he walks down the hall. As he follows his clandestine companions, their shadowy forms dancing in and out of the beam cast by his flashlight. He can’t avoid dwelling, despite making the progress that was the sole focus of his ambition just moments ago. The thought that this cast-off association made out of necessity would push themself so far; perhaps beyond the point of no return.
We had alternatives.
He rounds the corner, leveling the light on Mouse as she opens the valve and continuing to watch as Mick makes their way into the next part of the complex. After hearing the all clear he turns his attention back to the medbay, barely remembering to retrieve the doctor. The echoes of a more coherent, more alive, Mouse resound in his head.
“MAYBE PUT HIM IN ONE OF THE WHEELCHAIRS AS YOU GO...”
He grits his teeth, eyes squinting beneath the mask, before quickly moving to grab the closest wheelchair. He brushes aside the lingering discomfort it once projected and wheels it over to the doctor before lifting him into the seat. He scans the room once more, an attempt to distract himself from the rogue waves of emotion battering him about; nothing comes into focus in the futile attempt.
He resigns himself to the simple task of catching up to the group as they proceed through the passage.
The frag do I care…
He waits a moment, bending down to pick up the box of stimpatches that Reiya had discovered but left behind. Using it as a brief distraction to let the others clear out of the room, before forcing down the lump in his throat.
It’s not supposed to be like this.
The churn comes while he walks down the hall. As he follows his clandestine companions, their shadowy forms dancing in and out of the beam cast by his flashlight. He can’t avoid dwelling, despite making the progress that was the sole focus of his ambition just moments ago. The thought that this cast-off association made out of necessity would push themself so far; perhaps beyond the point of no return.
We had alternatives.
He rounds the corner, leveling the light on Mouse as she opens the valve and continuing to watch as Mick makes their way into the next part of the complex. After hearing the all clear he turns his attention back to the medbay, barely remembering to retrieve the doctor. The echoes of a more coherent, more alive, Mouse resound in his head.
“MAYBE PUT HIM IN ONE OF THE WHEELCHAIRS AS YOU GO...”
He grits his teeth, eyes squinting beneath the mask, before quickly moving to grab the closest wheelchair. He brushes aside the lingering discomfort it once projected and wheels it over to the doctor before lifting him into the seat. He scans the room once more, an attempt to distract himself from the rogue waves of emotion battering him about; nothing comes into focus in the futile attempt.
He resigns himself to the simple task of catching up to the group as they proceed through the passage.
Re: Run #2 - Between The Rock and a Hard Place
Mick stands in front of the pair of metal doors. The familiar form is a welcome sight in such an uncanny place.
As they somewhat expected, there are no controls present. No, that would be too easy. For a facility with such an emphasis on control, it would be almost ludicrous for there to be a glowing button-- a beacon of escape, beckoning from the darkness.
As they somewhat expected, there are no controls present. No, that would be too easy. For a facility with such an emphasis on control, it would be almost ludicrous for there to be a glowing button-- a beacon of escape, beckoning from the darkness.