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

[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.

[crouching_sin]

Naoya started checking the machine over to see if there was some kind of memory card or flash drive stuck in there. Anything could be useful, as long as they got it back out. The tint to the air worried him, but he couldn't let that stop him.

[warriorscribe]

"Lucifel!" Enoch calls out, desperate. Maybe the angel was trapped inside like he was, maybe he was stuck on the outside. (That's not up to this player to say, but either way,) Lucifel does attempt to teleport them out of there...only (to avoid making the mod say it twice) to do absolutely nothing. Everyone affected only blinked out of existence before returning as if nothing had happened at all.

"Shit..." Enoch mutters under his breath - not that anyone could appreciate this rare occurrence. He glances about - no room at the door now, the machines are being kept in check...he runs for the door Riki left through. Is it any different from the other door? Are there any potential weaknesses? He's all but useless without his weapon...

[animusnpcs]

Naoya will find himself slowing to a stop, unable to move. The door Riki left through has vanished entirely.

[morphballin]

There's a flash of light, and Samus's power suit attempts to form - it only does partially, however. Her boots, boosters on her back, and her gun materialize, as does a tracing pattern of circuits on her exposed skin. She charges a blast, the tip of her cannon glowing brightly as she aims it toward the door before releasing it.

...after all, shooting doors worked at home!

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias backs up and charges the door, throwing all of his weight against it. It's got to break at some point. There's not much else he can really do here, anyway.

[midgarhorizon]

Worried about the silver tinted air, Reno tries to drag Naoya back from the machine using his longer javelin he made after that unfortunate boar incident, using its reach to try and knock the guy back towards Gandalf and the others.

[animusnpcs]

The door cracks and crumples, revealing a hallway teeming with techno-tentacles. The silvery air begins to thin out. Naoya can be dragged back, but he'll find any abilities begin to go off without his control, as if something were testing him out.

[puppy_lancer]

While everyone else is trying to help with the door, Lancer is still tangling with the monsters. He moves over toward Naoya and Enoch, hoping to protect them.

"Hey, door's open. Hurry up!"

[no_longer_a_king]

"Go!" Arturia roars, still fighting the techno-tentacles in the room. She glances at the door, pauses in her slashes for a moment before continuing. "You have to flee! Move now!"

She's resigned herself to the fact she will die here, but she will not let the others die if she can help it.

[morphballin]

...well, that worked. And opened a door into something worse.

Samus sets her jaw, and aims for the various tentacles, and opens fire, repeatedly. Her base blaster doesn't hit very hard, but it hits fast.

"I'll keep them occupied while I can!"

[crouching_sin]

"Leave me!" He can feel it, something activating his spells, and he stares at the Megidolaon forming in his hand. "Get back!"

He shoots it off, doing his best to avoid hitting people. "Stay away from the gas!"

[warriorscribe]

Enoch turns as Lancer calls, stares out at the writhing tentacles beyond. What had happened to the retrieval unit that had led them down here?

No, wait. As much as he wanted to run...

"We can't all leave! Now there's no doubt he's against us we can't let him take this room back!"

[puppy_lancer]

Lancer's grip on Gae Bolg tightens.

"Then clear everyone out! I'll take care of the room!"

...By blowing it up.

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias yells in thought-speak, hoping to get the attention of some of the retrieval units. <Hey! We need some help down here!> He charges forward, trying to clear some of the tentacles.

[animusnpcs]

Naoya's spells become less random and more targeted--he's aiming at the others in the group now. The tentacles in the hallway are partially occupied with repairing themselves. A few are trying to bash at the elevator on the far end, but it's sealed for the moment.

[slightlyoblivious]

That settles one thing in Yukiko's mind, at least: catching the air on fire will mean also 'catching the machines on fire'. It's a risk she's willing to take at this point. Better to catch the machines so they can't repair themselves.

She whips her head around when Naoya calls out, then mutters another curse under her breath. She knows a Megidolaon when she sees it.

"If you're not getting out of here, take cover," she yells. "You don't want to be close when that spell goes off!"

With that said, Yukiko runs ahead a bit. She's worried about the unit that led them down, but she's more concerned with trying to clear out the hallway.

She doesn't stop to call out her Persona's name; she doesn't need to. Her focus is on clearing a path, and with that, she casts Maragidyne, doing her best to concentrate solely on the metal tendrils in front of them.

[animusnpcs]

The machines, it seems, are quite sensitive to heat; they recoil and melt when the fire strikes them, trying sluggishly to repair themselves but unable to reuse the melted, singed parts. The air looks cleaner as well.

[midgarhorizon]

Reno can see Naoya's struggle, and he pulls his EMR in front of him. "Yeah yeah! Just a sec, and hold still, man, if Cu's goin' to take everything out ya don't need to feel it."

He's got no idea what the thing that has Naoya can do, but he's not about to let the guy suffer either. He's seen too many monsters take out people with things like this...

With a sudden movement, he lashes out at Naoya trying to knock him out.

[warriorscribe]

Wait... "'If Cu's going to'... LANCER, DON'T! We can't damage the machine, either! It's the only link we have to our worlds!"

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia dashes out after Yukiko when she sees the girl running out, trusting the others to take care of what's already in the room. Someone will need to get the girl out should those things come her way once the fire is through.

She pauses at the sight of the melted machines.

"Yukiko, how fast can you do that again?"

Yukiko has herself a body guard while she charges up again.

[crouching_sin]

"Idiots! Don't blow it up, we need that!" Naoya yells at the group, even as he feels another Megidolaon forming.

Still, Reno's idea isn't a bad one, though the first blow bounces off of his shield and back into Reno's face. Any subsequent blows should be enough to take him out, though. He's not exactly the physical powerhouse of the group.