Ex Machina; Infiltration

[animusmods]

Characters: Riki and the infiltration team
Setting: administrative levels
Format: any
Summary: Riki's efforts must be sabotaged. Stealth is the name of the game and time is of the essence.
Warnings: psychological horror

Though the chipped unit does not follow, he sees to it that the team advances the rest of the way. At the end of the lit corridor is a set of double doors, heavy-duty polished metal with small windows set into each one.

Through the windows, a massive machine is visible, connected to thousands of holographic screens that are hard to make out at the speed at which they're being manipulated. The machine sits in the center of the room and is networked to four elaborate terminals stationed along the walls via a complex tangle of panels, wires, and towers. Each of these terminals controls its own set of floating screens; the sheer amount of holographic monitors in the room is disorienting, and really, it's hard to tell what's connected to what.

In the chair in the middle of the enormous set-up is Riki, maneuvering all of the screens with the same ease with which most people breathe. His back is to the doors that lead into the room, and for the moment, he is utterly engrossed in his work.

Comments

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Veronica glances over at the armoured man, less surprised than she should be by the fact it could fly.]

I don't think anyone here has powers like that. I was trained to sneak really well though.

[megazero_to_superhero]

[David turns in mid-air to look over at Veronica. Yet another face he hasn't really met before until now ... This, even after Zo consolidated the residential floors. Either the Residents are still rather numerous or David's been far more of a recluse than he'd like to admit!]

[Still, his response is swift and to-the-point.]

I do.

[A beat.]

Well, my suit here does. Was thinkin' about usin' it to get in, start shuttin' down dose terminals, an' get out.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[It was more the fact that Veronica had, until recently, spent most of her time with a select few. Alas, socializing wasn't something she did much or well.]

That's smart. [Her gaze moves over the suit.] But what if there's something important on the terminals?

[megazero_to_superhero]

I can try lookin' before I do dat. I was thinkin' dis would be more "sneak into Riki's lab an' find out what he's up to" anyways—

[He flips open one of the pouches on the suit's utility belt. In it, there's a pencil and a scrap of loose leaf paper he'd taken from Aria's secret hideout.]

Not how I'd usually do things, but I can jot notes down for later.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

We don't really know what's down here. Doing some investigating might be a good idea.

[She nods. Somewhere in her cloak was a sheet of paper of her own, brought just in case.] Great.

[megazero_to_superhero]

[David glances out to the others who volunteered for this mission for a few seconds before looking back over to Veronica, trying to make sense of any plans that the others have formulated. But most of what he's hearing involves a lot of people volunteering to distract Riki ...]

So, uh—how are we doin' dis? 'Cause I can try takin' any of terminals no one else is goin' after.

[Assuming Riki can't see right through glamoured equipment, getting to one of them should be a piece of cake. He's had plenty of experience flying right through dens full of villainous minions undetected to solve a time-urgent crisis first, at least.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[The key part of the plan here seemed to be distracting Riki if it came to that. Enough that people were basically disregarding the other part of the plan. Veronica heard the voices as well, and it really didn't help her hopes that things would turn out okay.]

[All she could do was shrug.] I think we just choose a terminal? I could go after the first one in there.

[megazero_to_superhero]

Arright. I'll see about takin' any of da others.

[David makes a show of cracking his knuckles. Or ... well, that probably was his knuckles, but it's hard to tell with those thick armored gauntlets he's got on.]

[Far as he's concerned, all there's left to do is wait for the doors to be opened ...]