Something Unexpected

[animusmods]

Characters: characters selected to go into the elevator
Setting: the admin levels
Format: any
Summary: The admin elevator has been left open, its destination preprogrammed. Where is it going to take you?
Warnings: general horror warnings for now

The elevator doesn't announce itself when its doors slide open. There's no alarm, no message to be found about it. It sits open and waits for anyone curious enough to enter. There's a barrier on it that locks out anyone without a collar, and it isn't going to stay long, but aside from that there appears to be no security. There's nothing stopping someone--or multiple someones--from climbing into the elevator and going down.

Where's it going? Who knows.

Hub Area
A lounge area with sofas and chairs. It's large enough to hold the entire group, constructed similarly to the dorm rooms, and is connected to five doors.

Door One
???

Door Two
???

Door Three
???

Door Four
???

Door Five
???

Comments

[neverbeamemory]

[Great, as if it wasn't bad enough having to actually support his weight against the side of the elevator. Looking possibly the worst in this lift.

Being so heavily reliant on the self-healing properties of his Jenova cells at this moment, Sephiroth sensitively notices once they turn off. Every laceration burns just a little hotter, broken bones get a deeper spike of pain. Don't even go there with how his crushed shoulder is feeling right now!

He wobbles just a little as all of this takes re-adjusting. Setting his jaw and trying not to hold anyones gaze who might he staring. Bear with a sore ass, it's an understatement!]

(notes that we are both in GMT so anyone in/near that timezone might want to jump in here)

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku knew Sephiroth from a past version who had been in the tower, not that they had spoken much but they had patrolled the tower on occasion. Suzaku can tell he is in pain but as there isn't anything Suzaku can do about it and by Sephiroth's reaction he sees no point in mentioning it. Just remains silent as the lift continues.]

[justabignobody]

[Riku is of mind that he just might as well stick with the group of people he's been with so far... at least the other guy from his previous 'team' doesn't look all that much in the condition to just lash out carelessly at anything anymore. Not that Riku could stop him; even with the combination of Cura and Yu's brand of healing magic numbing the worst of his pains... if they are attacked now, he isn't really in much of a position to be all that helpful.

And any support he might have been capable of magic wise is sealed the moment his abilities are sealed and his Keyblade vanishes from his hand, the tingle of its presence completely disappearing. ...He utterly hates that feeling; it's like a piece of him is missing.

He knows it well enough from previous experiences though, even if it rarely leaves him feeling this naked.

He can endure though. Endure the pains and move onwards; he wants to find out just what this has all been for.]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji's just here since Suzaku is, and it's likely that Minato will want to keep an eye on him as well as Ryoji. Though he recognizes Riku's face, he isn't sure that he knows thisRiku, and Sephiroth... well, he at least hadn't meant to murder that girl, but Ryoji didn't trust him.

It didn't matter. What did matter was getting through this, and hopefully not losing anyone else.

But Ryoji soon realizes that may not happen, as he feels his other form disappear, leaving him as helpless as the student he had thought he was so long ago now.]

Oh no... Did everyone lose their powers?

Yay - team GMT-ish!

[neverbeamemory]

Seems that way. [More of a growled mutter. Sephiroth is just going to have to rely on whatever strength hasn't been knocked out of him for this next part. It doesn't look good, but his own pride just doesn't let him admit it.

"PROCESSING ROOM". Sephiroth's eyes narrowed when they approached the door, albeit a lot more in the back of the group than he had been when he'd stormed through Door 4 before. He's doing pretty well considering that heavy limp to the right side, not having to steady himself on the wall for the whole short journey down the hallway.

For processing what, exactly?]

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku blinked in surprise when Ryoji spoke... their powers were gone? Suzaku felt a stab of relief, though he felt selfish for it. Riku used magic to fight and Minato had his personas. But he was still relieved he wouldn't be forced to abandon them if things went wrong.]

Seems to be. [He went to open the door, slowly in case there was something dangerous beyond it]

[notsogrimreaper]

Then I'm not going to be much help... S-Sorry.

[He's just really hoping that whatever is behind the door isn't too dangerous. He doesn't even have a weapon, so if they get in a fight...]

[animusnpcs]

[Beyond the door is another hallway that curves slowly downward. There's a door at the bottom of the curve.]

[neverbeamemory]

[OOC: Putting this up now to fill in for the actually not-so-much injured Seph due to that group heal before they came down]

[There is no barreling ahead now. Clearly they were all more vulnerable now after being decontaminated and as such Sephiroth is reminded of all the reasons why humans are so weak. He'd have no weapon, no flight nor any of the skills he'd been able to use to at least keep himself alive in the previous room. That being said- after a glance at Ryoji and Minato as they head down the next hallway - it could be worse.

He's a whole lifetime of combat training behind him. Sure he'd be weaker, slower and he hated it but just because he prefers a blade does not mean that he can't put up a passable fist-fight. As they walk along Sephiroth stretches his hands out (with a few tension cracks!) from his sides as if to warm them up. Being human means you can't go from zero to sixty in a blink like he'd usually be able to.

He's just going to have to be careful, and not get so easily wound up with his company this time.]

[swordofzero]

[Well Suzaku has his gun, and fights without magic or superhuman capabilities of any kind, even if he sometimes relies a little too heavily on his Geass. But knowing it's gone means he can concentrate on protecting the others. He followed the others down the hall towards the next door.] Stay close then Ryoji, try and stay in the middle of us.

[justabignobody]

[It's kind of strange; Riku almost feels even more alert than he usually does when he does has six senses, when he can taste the light and darkness in the people and things around him - but now that he can't, he is tense and straining the rest of his senses, just waiting for something - or somebody - to attempt to jump them from the shadows.

...Not that he's really much use now that he's without a weapon, at least not against anything much bigger than him. What hand-to-hand he knows only gets him so far.

He stays at the tail end of the group, eyes glancing from side to side; he won't let them get caught off guard easily, not if he can help it. And well... hopes that somewhere there might be a stick or pipe or something he can uses as make-shift-weapon lying around. Anything that helps making him stop feel so terribly vulnerable.]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji comes forward like he was asked to, looking down at the ground in shame. He's just a liability to the group like this, and it's frustrating to go from practically immortal to completely mortal. If this place wasn't so dangerous, he would have been overjoyed to not be a part of Death any longer. Here, however, in a place where danger is around every corner, where all Ryoji can do is hope to protect his friends... he's nothing but terrified.

All he can do is try to keep an eye out for a weapon or some sort of clue or hiding place, basically anything that would make him stop feeling worthless and that may actually let him help people like he wishes to.]

/guess we'd better open the next door now huh?

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth tried his best not to scowl at the idea of protecting anyone else in this team that he's ended up in. Being so selfish is difficult to get over but they'd all come down here and he could well have been killed in the last room and then it wouldn't have been worth it at all would it. Of course that wouldn't have happened if they'd have just let him go on his own

No use keep thinking about it, Sephiroth. Especially with your hand going to open that next door. Since when did you edge your way to the front of the group again?]

Stay sharp. I should imagine this is going to be more dangerous.

[That's about as close to any piece of advise one might expect.]

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku didn't mean to make him feel bad, he's just trying to keep him alive. He glanced at Riku before handing over his gun, he could fight unarmed well enough and they needed all the advantages they could get.] Can you use this?

[He nodded at Sephroth, and got ready for whatever was behind the door.

[justabignobody]

[Riku blinks at the weapon offered to him, then shakes his head sharply. As much as he appreciates the offer, he is more likely to miss or even worse shoot himself or someone else in the foot. Or so.]

I'm a sword-person. [Or you know. Something-like-a-sword-person.] You don't need to worry about me though.

[He has no intention of being a burden to anyone.]

[animusnpcs]

[The door opens to the floor of a large room--it could be described, maybe, as a factory. They're midway up a massive machine--below them they can see chutes, and bodies spilling out of those chutes, where worker units are carrying bodies off into a different part of the machine.

At the top of the machine, this is taking place.]

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku nodded and took the gun back before stepping through the door...

And stopping... To look at the corpse machine in horror. He recognised one or two here and there... people from the tower...

The movement at the top of the machine caught his eye, he recognised the girl from the elevator... He watched silently, hoping the others in the group stayed quiet as well.

The machine extracted... something... Suzaku blinked and looked at the others.]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth wasn't going to hold the door this time. He'd open it and step through, allowing each person behind to hold it open for their own entry.

First there was a quick glance around their immediate area to take in details and ensure no threats before - damn, big machine. Something going on the top of the machine caught Sephiroth's eye. Violet. His collar, the color he had gotten all too used to. Some bright, glinting light in a sphere was unmissable.

He'd likely have identified it as a soul if his powers hadn't been turned off but as it was Sephiroth could connect the dots well enough. It took great effort to force himself from staring up there at what was going on but that dropped feeling in his stomach was growing quickly, just at the extensions of thoughts by the very fact they appear to be extracting someone's soul from them and carrying it off- this is where it all happens!-

No. Unacceptable. Sephiroth tears his eyes away and that hand that's strayed up to fiddle with one of the tubes on his own collar.]

We shouldn't linger here. [He muttered, catching Suzaku's glance for a moment before dropping it to look again around their immediate surroundings. He's trying hard to control that outrage now, reminding himself strongly that he doesn't have the power to do anything about this insult right now.]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji knows he should move, that they need to keep going, but he's frozen. Just a few hours ago, he had been speaking with the girl whose body was now trapped inside the machine. He's disgusted, and all he wants is to look away, yet the machine holds his gaze. You can't pull your eyes away from something so terrible.

When the shock finally overwhelms him, he feels an overwhelming need to scream, cry, vomit, attack something, do anything, but the part of him that used to be Death is keeping him sickeningly in control. All he can do is say her name, voice hoarse.]

Sheba... What did they do to you?

[justabignobody]

[Riku just swallows at the sight - what in the light's name!? - then reaches up to pull the hood of his cloak over his head, better safe than sorry after all. His hair isn't exactly all that inconspicuous after all.

He presses his lips together before pushing onwards, carefully tapping Ryoji's shoulder, voice a low murmur.]

He's right. If we don't get moving, we'll end up like that too.

[Possibly. Maybe. Riku honestly doesn't want to think too much about it.]

[animusnpcs]

[They can go upward to the catwalks, down to the main floor, or climb the machine from here.]

[swordofzero]

[Sheba... She was dead then... He looked at the corpses again, dead bodies didn't really phase him, but this machine... Suzaku didn't understand exactly what it was doing, but it was extracting something... He reached up to touch his own collar when Sephiroth did and stepped closer to the others.] Which way?

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth doesn't know Sheba at all but nevertheless casts a glance back at Ryoji. While clearly the process is somewhat shocking to witness, he figures this is what gives them all the ability to even survive here. Despite the process shouldn't they be at least a little safe in the fact that it actually works? What was the alternative, other than being dead on their dead planets?

This being the first time Sephiroth's been able to informed-ly think that logic through and he doesn't much like it. His soul is HIS SOUL and after so much work in empowering it the way that he has - how DARE they think they can just control it such. He's always been the one with the will over his own soul; impossible it may seem the Tower just got more personal.

This wasn't the time to work his mind around it all. Suzaku had asked a question, and with another glance around Sephiroth looks down now at the rest of the machine below them. Anywhere up, and even climbing the machine was possible but it would leave them out in the open - easy to spot if anyone was looking.]

I'm going that way. [It wasn't an invitation so much as a 'do what you like but it's not a good idea to stand there gawping and I'm not about to drag you away'. Sephiroth heads towards the route leading down onto the main floor. If nothing else, they've been in a downward journey this whole time and therefore it makes sense?]

[notsogrimreaper]

[It takes a moment for Ryoji to listen, but he does eventually shake himself out of his terror, listening to Suzaku and Sephiroth.]

Should we stick together or split up?

[He's going to be even less help if he's partnered up with someone, but he'll agree to whatever they decide. He's still in shock from losing Sheba, and is finding it difficult to care about his own safety.]

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku frowned but nodded at Sephiroth before looking towards Ryoji.] We should probably stick together... [And either way he would be sticking near Ryoji, not willing to leave him alone here.]