[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

[seekinganswers]

[Sheba nods to Jonouchi - yes, it is, but that's what working out the levitation thing is for. Then her gaze settles on Luke and she shifts a little to roll over in midair before settling her chin on her hands.]

I just said that, yes. I can. But if you'd like a demonstration -

[She smiles pleasantly, and then there's a roar of wind right at Luke's back. If he manages to catch his balance or grab onto something, he should be alright; if he's caught by surprise, though, the wind will blow him right into the open shaft of the elevator.

He'll fall a few feet down before abruptly stopping, cradled by the wind.]

See? I'm holding you just fine.

[bloodyashes]

[This is Asch being forever amused by Luke's misfortune. Still, he trusts Sheba enough to approach the edge without too much concern.]

The cables don't look like they go very far. A slow drift down is probably the best way.

[And on that note - it's not particularly nerve-wracking for Asch to jump off ledges like this, as long as he's not thinking about how far down it goes. He's jumped off plenty of buildings in his time. The sensation of being buoyed up by the wind is actually stranger than the fall.]

No point waiting.

[alae]

[Dark Pit stares at them for a moment, before spreading his wings and leaping into the wind. They catch the air, and he floats easily above the others.]

[fragileprophet]

[Ion can't help but sigh as it seems his sentiment was more-or-less overlooked. He didn't dote on it long, anyway. Not when it seemed as if everyone had come to the idea that it would simply be best to go all at once and hope things worked out.]

I agree. I doubt hesitation will serve us much purpose in this case.

[So, taking a cue from the redheads, Ion steps out onto the empty shaft--staggering slightly as he reorients himself against the support of Sheba's magic.]

[invisible_friendship]

Here goes nothing!

[Following the examples of those before him, Jonouchi freely leaped off into the elevator, expecting to be caught before he could gain any momentum.]

[ambassadorasshat]

[Don't mind Luke down here, he's only slightly traumatized at being pushed into an apparently bottomless pit...but not dying. He failed to regain his balance after being pushed and fell, trying to grab for Sheba as he did.

He's pretty much stayed in the same position as everyone else joined him and Sheba, partially curled into a ball.]

H-hey, don't do that again without warning me!

handwaving Yu's following with Twi's permission

[attheclocktower]

[After Yu, Xion's the last one left to jump. She glances towards the stairs briefly, then behind and around at the assembled people left. She'd been able to mostly push the matter mentally aside while they'd discussed it, but not any longer. Shion still hadn't turned up, and they couldn't afford to wait any more.

Biting her lip miserably, hoping that he was all right and would just be mad at her for leaving him behind, Xion steps out after the others.

It's kind of terrifying, standing on nothing but wind. She turns to Sheba.]

Like I said, I can drift down myself, if it'll help conserve energy... We'll probably need it later.

[Unless Yu was right and their powers would be disabled. But still... If Sheba does let her go, Xion'll catch herself after a few startled seconds and begin drifting down slowly, as if she were sinking through water, otherwise she'll wait, ready to follow the others' lead]

[animusnpcs]

[The gap in the cables goes down some way--soon the cafeteria entrance vanishes completely, swallowed up by darkness. There is a glowing red light beneath them partway down the elevator shaft, though there are no cables near it.]

[alae]

Sheba.

[Dark Pit speaks up as they descend.]

Can you make it so there's a stream of air long enough for me to float down there?

[seekinganswers]

[Luke's hand snags Sheba's cloak and she makes a strangled sound as he pulls her a few feet down - but her control over the wind never wavers, even as she struggles to either loosen his grip or loosen the cloak from around her neck, and none of the others entering the elevator plummet to their deaths.]

Ow! Let go and I'll warn you next time, promise! ...sorry about that...

[She nods to Xion - it'll help conserve a little bit of energy if she lets Xion descend under her own power, and so she releases the other girl from her Psynergy's hold.] Alright... if you're sure. Let me know if you want me to take you again. [And then, to Dark Pit, she nods again.] I can do that, no problem! [She focuses, then - down the shaft they go, Sheba carefully directing the flow of the wind in the confined space to keep them aloft and to allow Dark Pit to float. She frowns as she sees the red light a ways ahead of them.]

What is that...?

[alae]

[Dark Pit dives down until he catches a good stream of air and spreads his wings as wide as they can go in the confined space. Hopefully he'll see something before the others do.]

[bloodyashes]

[If it were possible to slow himself as they approach the red lights, Asch would. As it is, he drifts down with the others, since Sheba is controlling their airflow.]

Looks like some kind of boundary lights. Slow us there.

[and with that he'll drift to the wall - nothing to grip here, but at least worth taking a look at.]

It's probably the division between the administrator levels and ours.

[attheclocktower]

[As they get closer to the red lights, and Xion hears Asch's comment about slowing. Slightly distracted, she wobbles a little uncertainly in the air. Float required focus after all.]

Sheba, can you catch me? I can't... stop myself from falling.

[Even if it is slower, and she isn't eager to go diving through that ring before they've got a good look at it.]

[seekinganswers]

I've got you, Xion. And... slowing, Asch. I'll hold us here. Let me know if you want to take a closer look.

[Sheba expands the flow of air to include Xion as she slows the group and then brings them to a stop, hovering above the red lights. She looks down at them, curious - but conscious of how she's responsible for the seven lives aside from her own, she doesn't try to get any closer.

Instead, she addresses Dark Pit -]

Say the word and I'll pull you back in, too. Be careful.

[fragileprophet]

Can you see anything?

[His question, like Sheba's warning, is also directed at Dark Pit. From where Ion's suspended, he can't very well tell what may or may not lie beyond the lights: he's simply hoping that the winged boy might be able to clarify from his lower position.

The more they stand in the tunnel, the more apprehensive Ion begins to feel. He tries not to look down--as safe as he is right now, that's a long...long way to fall.]

[alae]

It's a whole lotta dark.

[Still, he tries to make out anything in the gloom.]

[ambassadorasshat]

Let's try sending that one thing down again to light it up like last time.

[Luke's also examining one of the walls, though pointedly on the opposite side of the shaft Asch is.]

[animusnpcs]

[Sheba's wind will die on the other side of the ring of red lights--Pit will plummet as soon as he passes them.]

[alae]

Augh!

[Dark Pit spreads his wings as far as they can go to get them to act like a parachute, attempting to slow his descent. He braces for impact, and realizes his healing skill won't work. Welp.]

[animusnpcs]

[His descent is slowed to some degree, but he falls far past where he can see his groupmates at all. Eventually, the cables reappear, though grabbing onto one will take good timing. There does seem to be a handle of some sort sticking out from the cables, though.]

[alae]

[Fortunately, he's from a game where timing isn't crucial but it is important. He reaches out to grab the handle, aware that this is gonna hurt.]

[animusnpcs]

[In reality--though there was no way to tell in the dark while falling--it's a woman's severed arm. His arm strains and pops out of its socket, but after a moment the arm comes free from its tangle in the elevator cable and he will fall again, with the arm. The cable whips about violently in response to the sudden pull.]

[alae]

[He screams in pain, but tries to reach out to grab the cable with his other arm.]

Come on come on come on!

[animusnpcs]

[His arm tangles in the cable, but he holds on. His wrist pops and cracks, but the fracture is hairline--he will hold on, as long as he doesn't let go from the pain.]

[alae]

[He gasps for breath, and pulls himself up the best he can, bracing against the side.]

... Yeah don't do that!