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

[animusnpcs]

There's no response. Inside the room, there's a vague hissing noise.

[the_white_rider]

Never trust an administrator.

Gandalf taps his staff on the ground and erects an invisible shield around the people in the room-- That probably won't mean much against whatever Riki is planning, but that can only be better than nothing.

[warriorscribe]

Enoch doesn't know what that hissing noise means, but he does know they're trapped in there - he'd had to get out of the way of the door. It's a shame he doesn't have his Arch with him - knowing battle wasn't the aim, he didn't want to go down there with it. And now he's down one tool to possibly pry the door open. Instead, he begins searching the equipment in the room. Is there anything that has an icon next to it, something, anything that looks like it could have to do with sound or voice or speaking? What he's looking for is called a PA system, but he doesn't know that.

[bloodyashes]

Zelda will only get to bang her hands against the door once or twice before one of her companions pulls her back - Asch is gentle, but firm in pulling her away from the door and towards the center of the group.

"I doubt they'll be able to hear us through there." Not much point in locking them up, otherwise.

[midgarhorizon]

"Gas." That's probably what the hissing sound is, though Reno's imagination gave way to something worse. With the administrators, it's always worse.

A few soft curses follow. "Shiva's tits. If anyone's got real powers down here I suggest fucking blasting that thing open. Maybe look for a vent. There's got to be a way out of here." His voice sounds strangely calm, and he starts in on the search for a new way out, using his hands if he has to in the darkness. "Gandalf, if you can do that, can ya blast the door open?"

[imperialsun]

Ahh yes. Why was he even surprised this was happening.

"I can try to contact Chidori, but I'm not sure she'll be able to get here in time" Naoya offered, as he was rubbing the necklace he had gotten back from Zo.

Without thinking, he muttered Erusaer Tsymmom hoping it would somehow cause something to happen much like it had with the other.

[the_white_rider]

The tip of Gandalf's staff would start shining brightly. If it worked, the light should be enough so that the surroundings would be enlightened, but not so much that it'd blind the characters. He then turned to Reno at his question.

"I am maintaining a shield, to protect us from Riki's devices. I will only try if no one else here possesses such power."

Keeping the shield up would be preferable if possible.

[animusnpcs]

All the machines within the room are off at the moment. The hissing sound continues, but for now nothing else seems to be happening. Gandalf's staff lights up the room, casting various shadows from various pieces of equipment.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Veronica is on high alert now. Both her blades are out and she is scanning the room around them. Could she smell gas? Was it her imagination? And what was that noise? She could see better in the dark than most, but that probably wasn't helping.

"Dammit." she hissed. "What do we do?"

Quick tag before I hop into the shower

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia had been rather silent through most of the encounter. This continued even now as, with Caliburn in hand, she approached the sound of hissing to find out what it was.

[animusnpcs]

The hissing comes from high up--through the ventilation system, it looks like, though the vent isn't so much a vent as it is a series of tiny holes in the wall.

[evokingfool]

While he hope there won't be a battle, Minato always carry his weapons with him as a rule. His right hand slipped down and touched his holstered evoker.

"If no one wants or can do, I can use one of my Personas to try to open the door."

[attheclocktower]

Xion glanced around the room, more than uneasy, especially that they were sealed in. There had to be a way out, if they could just get to Aria...

The last time she'd tried this had been when Aqua arrived. It was nearly two weeks after her powers had come back and yet...

"I'm going to try something," she said, her voice shaking, but with a note of underlying steel all the same. She had to do something.

She lifted her hand, willing the corridor - however shaky and unstable - to form, and let her or whoever went through just outside the door that Aria and the other chipped units should be waiting at.

[animusnpcs]

Something snakes through Xion's corridor--it's a mess of whirring and clicking sharp-looking machines. They're sealing up the corridor behind them as they go, and they're moving rapidly.

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia rests her hand on the wall, staring up at the vent curiously.

"Do what you can," she said, cursing herself for not asking about that vision she had of Ruana in the machine during Zo's carnival.

She began to stalk around the edge of the room to see if there were more vents, pausing only when Xion opened her corridor. Then falls into a battle position as the machines snake through.

"Everyone on your guard!" she shouted. If these things were coming through, what about whoever was on the other side?

[attheclocktower]

Xion screamed, letting the power go in an instant when she saw the machines trying to snake their way through.

With luck she might be able to stop the ones or parts that weren't all the way through, but it was entirely possible she'd be all too slow - especially with them working to close it themselves.

A horrible thought occured to her "He wanted this! He wanted us trapped in here!"

[no_longer_a_king]

"Maybe so, but right now we need to get out!" Arturia snapped, "No matter what, stay calm. Panicking will only keep us from thinking things through."

[crouching_sin]

Naoya stepped forward, casting a Shield All on Zelda, Xion, and himself. It wouldn't stop magic, but at least it'd help for a physical attack.

[animusnpcs]

Some of the machines are snapped into pieces when the corridor closes on them, while others get through. The ones that survived, though, take the broken pieces into themselves. They're machines made of whirring, buzzing tentacles, and the floor screeches in protest as they cross it.

[no_longer_a_king]

Tentacles.

It just had to be tentacles.

Visions of the first time she dealt with tentacled monstrosities danced through her head and Arturia ran at the thing, ready to swing Caliburn down in an attempt to at least hold the things off.

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias had landed a little ways away, and he was getting big. Hopefully, other people were getting away from him, because the tiny bird suddenly stretched and grew into a huge African elephant.

<Everybody out of the way!> He yelled in thought-speak, before running forward to try to ram the door.

[animusnpcs]

The sword cuts through the tentacles, separating some of the pieces. However, the pieces squirm and move on their own, rejoining the whole and being rebuilt into it.

The door shudders, but for the moment it holds.

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia keeps slashing. Yes, it keeps rebuilding itself, but if it's busy rebuilding, it will give the others precious time they need to figure out a solution.

[bloodyashes]

Naoya isn't the only one with his thoughts on casting and protecting Zelda, although defensive spells aren't Asch's specialty by any means. Those close to him will hear him voicing a quiet, short chant, and then raise a hand -

"Thunder Blade!"

Hopefully the blade-shaped bolt of lightning will at least slow the machinery down - especially with Tobias' change of form, the group is too tight for melee, and Arturia is out in front of them anyway.

[evokingfool]

Minato had already pulled out his evoker and aimed the tip at his forehead. A click of the trigger, and then a white warrior materialised from an aura of blue light.

"Cu Chulainn!"

The legendary figure thrust out his hand, casting Matarukaja on the group. Everyone within the spell's range would find their attacks, be it magical or physical in nature, hit harder than before.