[Massive Infiltration Plot] || [Semi-Open]

[great_king_of_evil]

Characters: All the characters who signed up for this infiltration, too many to write them all here. Characters who stay behind and do not infiltrate can tag into the mingle thread.
Setting: The Cafeteria, then the Elevator's Shaft and finally the Administrative Floors. The 29th of July, in the morning.
Format: Action most likely.

Summary: A month ago Ganondorf planned an infiltration to go and pay a visit to Riki's floor-- Given what has happened these last weeks, the 'Evil Alliance' has accepted to allow Enoch and the people he gathered to use the infiltration in order to do their own thing. Namely, retrieve scientific instruments from Jason's laboratory, so as to study the Collar Fluid. The infiltration will begin on the 1st floor, the Cafeteria.

The first thread is a traditional mingle thread, happening before the infiltration and briefing begin; anyone can tag into it. The second thread is a quick briefing before the infiltration starts, where Enoch and Ganondorf will explain to everyone what to do and what to expect in case they don't already know. Then there are the seven group threads, one for each individual team infiltrating.

The OOC post is here for more information. If you have signed-up but didn't pick a group yet, please do so here. While the infiltration takes place, the villains who stayed behind are unleashing a distraction on the tower and those who don't go.

Warnings: Administrative floors, danger, death, horror. Anyone tagging here is probably going to die, or at the very least meet with a terrible fate.

Mingle || Briefing || Meanwhile, in the Cafeteria...

Group 00 (Ganondorf, Sephiroth [OU], Veigar, Ocelot and Jin)
Group 01 (Enoch, Lancer [AU3], Patrick Dawn, Tohko, Raven and Ryoji)
Group 02 (Xion, Fon Master Ion, Yu Narukami, Asch, Luke, Jonouchi Katsuya, Dark Pit and Sheba)
Group 03 (Nesir Aeser, Zett Takajo, Kain Highwind, Solas and Minato Arisato)
Group 04 (Kyoko Sakura, Amelia, Shepard, Homura Akemi, Terra, Sephiroth [AU2] and Labrys)
Group 05 (John Egbert, Rose Lalonde, Naoya Toudou, Dave Strider, Riki [AU3], Sora and Riku [OU])
Group 06 (Zelda, Ruler [AU1] and Saber [AU5])

Comments

Group 02 || Team NOLO (Jason's Floor)

[great_king_of_evil]

((This thread is for those who are going to die and couldn't care less. Closed to [OU] Xion, [OU] Fon Master Ion, [OU] Yu Narukami, [OU] Asch, [AU] Luke Fon Fabre, [OU] Jonouchi katsuya, [OU] Dark Pit and [OU] Sheba.))

LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD

[bloodyashes]

[And now it's time to get serious. For those familiar with Asch back on Auldrant, there's something familiar in the way he carries himself now; a military commander on a mission, not so much a prisoner looking to break his cage. He's still got something of his pride.]

My team, get over here.

[And that's a harshly barked order from over near the elevator - he knows well enough most everyone who should be coming over.]

[fragileprophet]

[Ion follows behind Asch like a good Fon Master. It's kind of nostalgic, following his orders. Half the time he was listening to Asch's commands he was in the middle of being kidnapped, mind you, but it was a strangely pleasant familiarity, regardless.

Only someone like Ion would actually enjoy the sharply spoken words of the former God General.

At the moment, he didn't really have anything to say. Instead, he simply waits at attention, ready to do what he's told to do next. Of course, Ion can't help his eyes from wandering toward the elevator.]

[invisible_friendship]

[Like a loyal dog Jonouchi actually wasn't too far behind Ion when they arrived. His casual mood was relinquished for the purpose that they go into this infiltration and succeed.

He was ready, but didn't say much.]

[attheclocktower]

[Unlike many of the others, Xion isn't quite nearly as used to seeing this side of Asch. Regardless, she follows him over and slightly past, towards the elevator. One hand firmly on the doorframe, she peers down into the shaft itself for a few seconds before letting go and taking a few steps back.]

We should be careful of anything in the shaft itself.

[She winces a little a little, remembering the horrible tearing, screeching sound of whatever it was having been crushed by the elevator a couple of long weeks ago.]

Um... I have an ability, it's called Float. I should be able to fall safely if I use it. I could probably carry somebody else too.

[Nobody too big and probably not more than one, but it's something]

[ambassadorasshat]

[Luke is also tagging along with Ion, looking slightly surly at being ordered around, but at least he keeps his mouth shut.

Like Xion, he also moves to check out the elevator shaft, looking for anything that might be obviously dangerous and avoided. He's never been in the lower levels before and has no idea what exactly it looks like down there.]

[animusnpcs]

[The cables go down some ways--but somewhere below the cafeteria level they hook into the wall and stop. There are strange devices that seem built to decouple an elevator from its cables--this is where the switchover from residential functions to administrative functions occurs for this elevator shaft, and it will require crossing this cable-less gap.]

Group 02 Right Branch: Team Christmas

[fragileprophet]

[The way that Jason's voice changed was more than a little disconcerning, and Ion could feel his heart racing in a mixture of fear and adrenaline. He had never, not once, been more relieved for the glamour to have been shut down since he had seen himself as a wireframe at the beginning of June. For obvious reasons, Ion didn't like to face anything that made him feel less human than he already considered himself--but now? He was just thankful.

The instant that the illusion had dropped, Ion felt that familiar, creeping weakness of his body snap off as well. He was still sore from the events in the elevator shaft, mind you, but the exhaustion and dizziness set in by his standing condition had left him as if a switch had been flipped (which in a manner of speaking it had). He could hear Luke running behind him and wouldn't be surprised if the taller, much more athletic teen was able to pass him, but for now he'd concentrate on looking around.

He didn't want to have to face what was behind them. There had to be something useful they could find down the right hallway--and if not? Well...Ion at least hoped they could find an exit.]

[ambassadorasshat]

[He won't pass Ion unless something come up really close behind, and if that happens, he'll probably grab Ion to try to pull him along. But for now, he's keeping himself between Jason/retrieval units and Ion, though not too far behind.

The loss of the glamour threw him off for a couple seconds as he has to adjust to the dark and the sudden difference between his actual wireframe body and the one he's more used to.]

Ion, do you know where we're going? I've never even been down here before.

[animusnpcs]

[Ion and Luke are chased after by the two retrieval units who had previously been blocked by Xion's spell--once the glamour is disabled, of course, the spell no longer applies. Still, without glamour, they are forced to run normally, rather than pulling off their usual quicker tricks.

The hallway is lined with doors to small examination rooms, but through the windows it's clear they're all dead ends. The hallway does open up, eventually, to a large surgical ward. The room is oval-shaped, with holding cells places all around the operating table in the center. There's another hallway straight on, leading to a door.

There's a tray of surgical tools beside the operating table--scalpals, saws, gloves, syringes, that sort of thing.]

[fragileprophet]

No--I don't, but we don't have many options!

[So they'd keep going straight, because Ion doesn't plan on getting stuck anywhere. It's a small comfort that the retrieval units behind them are slower, but even as a frame of wires Ion knows that their energy won't last forever.

He doesn't want to stop--not even when the hallway widens out into a room. Ion surges forward still, toward the next hallway ahead of them, but not before he spots the table he's passing.

It doesn't seem wise to remain weaponless, even if he's never been much of a fighter. As he passes the table, Ion reaches out with one hand to wrap his metal fingers around the handle of the nearest surgical saw.]

We need to keep moving!

[ambassadorasshat]

[In any other situation, seeing Ion run around with any sort of sawlike weapon would be slightly weird, but in this case, it's not a bad idea. At least he'll probably be more useful.

Luke also stops at the table, glancing over the tools there. He jerks his head at Ion's warning to acknowledge it, though.]

Gimme a second, we might be able to use some of this stuff.

[Though he's not picky, he's grabbing whatever tools he can fit in one hand, and as quickly as he can--scalpels, small pointy tools, etc.--before following Ion again.]

[animusnpcs]

[The door at the end of the hallway is closed, needing to be pulled open. Still, it doesn't appear locked. The retrieval units use Luke's pause to close some of the distance between themselves and him, though they haven't quite caught up yet.]

Group 02 Straight Branch: Team Meddling Kids/Scoobies

[attheclocktower]

[Xion's grin fades quickly as the lights go out, the emergency lights go on, the glamour is gone, and of course, Jason is roaring his fury behind them. Something about his voice makes her less triumphant and more cautious, though. She rips the Stone Mask off her face (it's useless now) and, slowing down as much as she dares (she daren't stop entirely), she reattaches it to her hip instead.

By then, she's slowed enough that Yu's managed to catch up with her. She grabs his hand and speeds up once more.]

Let's go.

[With that she begins looking around frantically for something, a way out, somewhere to hide, the tools they'd come to get - though to be honest it's fairly low on the priority list right now - or, if all else fails, something else that might make their journey down here worthwhile. But first priority, exits.]

Team Meddling Kids, goooooo~

[pitiedthefool]

[At least the glamour also made it so that it was easier to see what was real, Yu thinks as they run and attempt to avoid any pursuit. With all the close calls he's had before, at least he's trained himself not to get too cocky.

Taking Xion's hand, he nods, keeping an eye out for the tools as his friend looks for somewhere to hide.]

[animusnpcs]

[This hallway is the shortest of the set--it opens into Jason's office. There's a desk to one corner and a computer still left on; Jason was obviously in the middle of working. There are a few containment cells here, along with one door that has no window on it on the far side of Jason's desk. Aside from the computer, the desk has a few scalpels on it, but is otherwise surprisingly clean.

Jason pursues them, though with the head start they have it will take him a few moments to catch up. There's something not normal about his gait--his steps are too quick and sound to be coming from an odd angle.]

[attheclocktower]

[Upon bursting into the office, Xion takes one moment look around. Even just that one cursory glance shows there's only one exit.

She runs around the desk, sparing only half a glance for the computer as she reaches for the door's handle and attempts to open it.]

[pitiedthefool]

[Yu follows without much of a thought, although he spares more than a glance at the computer, at least trying to get a glimpse of what's said on the monitor.]

[animusnpcs]

[The computer has a list of names--they may recognize them as the current Tower residents--and further information, though a quick glance is too quick to read the details. The door, meanwhile, is locked, but loose--it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility to break it down.

Jason, meanwhile, clears the corner--six arms reaching and pulling and crawling along the walls and ceiling of the hallway to provide more speed than his long legs alone would provide. He looks stitched together from corpses, with none of the too-long arms matching quite properly. His face resembles that of a plague doctor, if skin were stretched out over the entirety of it and it were grafted to his face afterward. The eyes that look out at them are entirely human, in startling contrast.

He speaks, but no mouth opens. His voice seems to come from somewhere beneath the long beak.] Do you even know where you're going?

Group 02 Left Branch: Team Cavalier Wannabes

[seekinganswers]

[Sheba has to bite her tongue to keep from cursing when the glamour cuts out. Last time a retrieval unit had disabled her powers down here, they'd come back eventually; with the glamour out, that's not an option.

The only thing there is left to do is run. So she does just that, and she's intensely grateful that Dark Pit isn't too fast or two slow. From the looks of things, they'll be able to keep up with each other rather well.]

Keep running! At least if our powers are out, theirs might be too!

[alae]

Got it!

[The loss of glamour pisses him off - with nothing to show otherwise he looks just like Pit like this. He's about ready to collapse but he can't yet. He's got to keep going, even with his injuries.]

[animusnpcs]

[The two retrieval units who formerly stood with Jason pursue Sheba and Pit down this long hallway. It's lined with doors to various surgical wards, but they're clearly dead ends just looking in through the windows. At the end of the hallway is a spiral staircase leading down.

The retrieval units are chasing after them, but without the glamour systems in place they seem unable to do their more spectacular tricks.]

[seekinganswers]

[Sheba makes the mistake of looking back over her shoulder as she runs, and were the glamour system in place, all color would have drained from her face. Since it's not, and since her wireframe body isn't one for facial expressions, she just swallows hard and keeps running.

The doors are largely ignored, on her part - last time she was down here, they hadn't led anywhere.

The staircase is more promising. She sets her sights on it and pushes herself to put on another burst of speed, hoping that they'll be able to outrun the retrieval units to the staircase. If they manage it, she'll take the stairs three, sometimes four steps at a time.]

[alae]

[Dark Pit keeps going, whining a little from pain and exhaustion, but he keeps pace with Sheba just fine. He's not sure if they're going up or down, but he'll let Sheba take the lead - it doesn't matter to him either way.]

[animusnpcs]

[The retrieval units keep up tireless pursuit, but they seem only able to move as fast as a regular person might without the glamour aiding them.

The spiral staircase opens into a large mess of a library. There are books as far as the eye can see, covering countless shelves and cluttering the floors and tables. The room itself is a messy one, with blood and gore often puddling in neglected corners and smeared on the sides of bookshelves.

From the top of the staircase, it's clear there's a door directly ahead on the north wall and one on the east wall, although getting to either will require navigating a maze of bookshelves.]