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

[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.

[animusnpcs]

The electricity, when it strikes the machines, temporarily halts their repair progress. It's only for a few moments, and once they can properly respond they strike out like snakes.

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias reared back again, trumpeting loudly, before slamming into the door again. <Come on come on!>

[attheclocktower]

Still recovering from the shock of what had happened with her corridor, Xion turned at the impact of Tobias hitting the door, eyes widening slightly. She'd... never seen him do that before. But there was a time and a place to worry about that and this wasn't it.

What was more important was the way the door had reacted. It wasn't completely solid and immovable.

"Everybody not holding the robots off, focus on the door!" she yelled.

With a distinct effort, she called her Keyblade to her hand - her real Keyblade - and aimed it at the door. She wasn't physically strong, and... she said she'd be careful. She would fight the tentacle monsters but only if she had to. First, she needed to try something else.

The Keyblade could unlock any lock and break any seal, in theory. No doubt it wouldn't be as powerful here, especially with her powers only half-back, but it it was her best chance. She pointed at the door, and a beam of light from the tip shot towards it, and Xion poured every last ounce of strength she could muster into trying to force her will down it as well.

Open the door.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Veronica didn't need the addition of a buff spell to make her take action. Silently, she charged forward, slashing at every machine monster that got close with her swords.

The monsters kept rebuilding themselves, but she would just keep taking them apart.

[animusnpcs]

The door bulges outward in response to Tobias's ramming it. Then the door creaks and opens a little in response to Xion's keyblade--but an electrical pulse shoots through it and it seals off again.

The air begins to take on a silvery tint. The machine monsters are, for now, mostly kept in check self-repairing.

[puppy_lancer]

"What?"

It takes a moment for Lancer to realize Minato is calling to his Persona, and then he goes back to hacking at the monsters. It's annoying to know that now his real powers are back, he still can't use Gae Bolg's actual power.

...Or could he?

He throws a quick look at the door and Xion.

"Hey, if you get the door open, I think I've got an idea."

[sageprincess]

They have to get out of here, they can't hold the machines off forever. As much as she'd rather help Asch defend, Zelda turns around, facing the sealed door. As soon as Tobias is out of the way, rearing up for another hit, she hold out her arms to blast the door with the magic that once held down a demon king.

Hopefully it'll at least soften it up for him.

[slightlyoblivious]

"Shit."

The word is out of Yukiko's mouth before she can stop herself. The hissing noise and the silvery air are presenting a problem: the first rule of fire magic is that you don't use it when there's a risk of setting the air itself on fire. Yukiko is all too aware of that, which is why she hasn't risked summoning her Persona until now.

As it stands, though, she's also not able to do a lot without it.

That said, there's one thing she can do, and that's make sure everyone is okay. She summons Konohana-Sakuya and casts a Mediarahan on the group - if the machines have done any damage, it's healed now.

[notayoungkitten]

"There must be something I can do," Ocelot says, finally having regained her composure. She's not stupid enough to fire a gun at the door, but she instead turns, aiming her revolver.

The bullets may be film, but the velocity at which they exit the chamber wouldn't change, she reminds herself. She fires one at one of the tentacles. It's not likely do to as much damage as a sword could, but maybe it'll be enough to stun one however briefly.

[crouching_sin]

Naoya considers his options, and then decides to discard some of them. He grins a bit and then does his best to dodge around people, heading for Riki's machine to see if he can get anything out of it. There's plenty of fighters here, and what they might be able to get out of it could be useful.

[midgarhorizon]

Reno sees Naoya make a run for the machine, and considering he has no actual powers outside of using Materia (which he has none that isn't film), he follows after him.

"Naoya, I'll watch your back." He's thinking even if they blew the mission, if they can destroy the machine or disable it, maybe it's not a lost. "I ain't goin' to get that door open."

[animusnpcs]

The machine looms silently in the center of the room, currently inactive. The silvery tint to the air is thicker in this direction.

The tentacle is pushed back by the revolver's bullet, but it soon swallows up the film and incorporates the new material into itself.

The door squeals as the metal is pushed further by Zelda's magic.

[evokingfool]

Instead of joining the battle or the door assault immediately, Minato dismissed Cu Chulainn in favour of another Persona. The warrior disappeared into the brief blue light again, as he fired his evoker again.

"Suzaku!"

The crimson bird let out a cry, before it spread its wings as the Masukukaja spell fell on everyone within the spell's range. Enjoy that speed boost while it last.

They needed it, from how that silvery tint seemed to grow thicker...

[bloodyashes]

Reno and Naoya slipping towards the machine is noted, even as Asch prepares another Thunder Blade - most of the people in the room have ally markings and are safe from his artes, but not all of them, and so he's careful to keep his aim away from Veronica in the midst of the machine battle.

"Just be ready to run if they do get that door open," is the comment he gives them before letting another sword of lightning bolts fall on the machines, practically on top of (but not harming) Arturia.