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

[warriorscribe]

Enoch is, for the most part, standing near the retrieval unit, cursing his decision to not bring his weapon. He glances over at Lucifel, sure he could have joined in to help. Was he more concerned with him, as his support?

But then the screens appeared near everyone. And they were undoing their work on the third panel. He couldn't do much - but he could try to attack the floating screens, rushing at one of the ones around the panel and drawing his arm back for a punch with all his strength.

[keybearer]

If the circumstances weren't so dire, Riku would've thanked Zelda then and there. Unfortunately, pointy spikes of death take priority right about now. The good news is, there's another set of plugs exposed. Normally, he'd consider using another round of Graviga, but after the last round of spells ricocheted back at his chest, he'd rather not take that risk.

So, what does he do? Well, the only thing he really can do right about now. He ducks and rolls under the nearest spike, attempting to take a grab at the plugs as he slides across the floor. If he can just unplug the darn thing, that should buy the others time to take care of that last panel.

[animusnpcs]

The spikes crash into Zelda's barrier again and again, sparks flying at their attempt to get past it and at the people working on the panel. They are relentless in their attempts.

Enoch's punch and Riku's pulling of the plug occur at the exact same moment, and before Enoch's fist can connect the screen flickers out of existence, along with all the others. The spikes crashing into Zelda's barrier cease their assault at that moment as well, snaking back into the wall.

A breath later, the screens reappear, but the spikes stay put. The damage dealt to the final panel continues to be fixed by some screens while others float ominously among the group.

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia, for her part, has been staying put beside the retrieval unit to ensure he didn't get hurt in the chaos. They need him, after all, and she trusts the group to figure things out.

It doesn't mean she hadn't been forced to restrain herself from time to time and when things go quiet and the screens appear throughout the room, she finds herself startled. It's almost more ominous than the glittering monsters from earlier.

Just like before, she knows she doesn't need to tell them to be careful. Being careful is out of the question at this point.

[ninjainviolet]

If it's not one thing, it's another, and Sheena has had about enough of this. Literally growling as she gets to her feet, she pulls out a Pyre Seal and makes her way to the the front of the floating screens--dead center.

"Everyone stay back," she tells the others. "And shield the ones who are hurt. I really don't know what will happen." And no one ask her not to do this because the answer will be "no".

"Please work," she says softly.

Immediately, she tosses the Pyre Seal up, and as a glow surrounds her, it multiplies rapidly, encircling all the floating screens completely before setting off a powerful explosion--which usually manages to knock down or incapacitate an enemy for a time.

[animusnpcs]

The seals multiply around the screens but slide off them like water - physically, they don't seem to stick. But while they are still being deflected (and thus are in range of about half the screens), they explode; the screens caught in the explosion are overcome with a sharp static and vanish abruptly.

They do not reappear, though the half that still remains continues to repair any damage done to the panel and float among the characters.

[midgarhorizon]

This is what he had been waiting for. Lifting his EMR, Reno took a few steps to build up speed and tried a swipe at a screen floating nearby using his momentum and agility to hopefully catch it by surprise.

[attheclocktower]

Seeing Reno spring into action. Xion follows suit. She's no good for physically prying a panel off, and she's all out of magic. But this? This she can do.

She runs forward with a fierce cry, swinging her Keyblade at as many screens as she can reach, jumping from one to the other, making her way towards the screens that seem to be fixing the panel. At the very least, she hopes the distraction will help buy some people time.

[animusnpcs]

Reno's EMR slides off the screen like water, never really seeming to connect - but when it comes away, it has melted down.

Xion's Keyblade, while real enough, never seems to connect with any of the screens, as if there is some force subtly deflecting it from connecting. Some of the screens float in her path as if to impede her progress.

[warriorscribe]

Enoch crashes into the wall as his punch fails; luckily for him, the spikes were no longer there to harm him. He pushes himself away and takes a quick stock of the situation in the room. Whatever the screens are up to, he doesn't know, but it can't be good. He takes a swing at one of his own screens before running back towards the retrieval unit, trying to get the screens off his defenders.

He hasn't yet seen the effects of the others' attacks.

[imperialsun]

Well if that seems to be the strategy everyone is adopting, he'll try and help them out as much as he can. The figure behind him vanishes before another one appears to take it's place.

"Here goes! Amon-ra!"

The Persona raises its staff, as it uses Hieroglyphen at everything in its path, in hopes that it will at least distract or do some damage.

[attheclocktower]

There's more screens in her way then there was before. If Riki's trying to stop her... maybe she's doing something right? It's hard to tell, and she's moving too fast to really stop and think that hard about it.

She continues to try to deal glancing blows to the screens she passes, but now she's putting all of her focus in trying to move around and dodge the screens getting in her way, making a beeline for the screens repairing the panel, and attacking them if she can, as soon as she's within range.

[animusnpcs]

Enoch's punch slides off the screen without really seeming to connect; Xion's Keyblade does the same thing. When Naoya's Persona casts Hieroglyphen at the same time, the magic deflects back at him from all of the screens but two: Enoch's screen, and the one screen Xion's keyblade was being deflected from at that exact moment.

Those two screens are overcome by a sharp static before vanishing. The other screens remain, those closest to the panel continuing to fix the damage while the others float among the people, occasionally floating directly into their paths.

There is an ominous crackle of electricity and the sound of spikes scraping out of the wall; the electric whips and the spikes have reactivated, and now the residents have them to contend with, as well.

[midgarhorizon]

Cussing up a storm, Reno tossed the now useless EMR away after unhooking the Shiva materia from the handle and watched Xion move into the field of screens. When Enoch goes by, it's enough to catch his attention.

"Enoch, stop! Follow Xion! I can't touch 'em!" He's yelling just before the whips and spikes start up again, running toward the retrieval unit and the defenders.

[megazero_to_superhero]

David has been hanging back again since the last remaining panels had been removed—he had to duck out of the way when Tobias bum-rushed the panel he was trying to remove, taking the sword with him. Seeing the that the screens are seemingly impervious to physical blows, much like the first panel, he's tried to keep out of this current phase of the battle. Especially after seeing Reno's EMR melt like that. Ouch.

—but when the room comes alive again with electric whips and spikes, David moves into action. He can't do anything about the spikes, and does his best to keep from getting impaled by them, but maybe ... maybe he can protect people from the whips.

So for now, he's going to try and intercept any whips heading for other members of the Infiltration Team, especially anyone attempting to use their powers on the screens—swooping in, hacking and slashing at the whips while trying not to get stung or pierced himself.

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias is getting hit, something he can't avoid while in this massive morph. He makes noises of pain but does his best to shield others.

<Can someone try and get the electricity to hit the screens?>

He has no hope of even making an attempt, but he'll play meatshield as long as they need.

[warriorscribe]

At Reno's warning, Enoch skids to a stop and turns to the repair attempts. He did notice his hand just seemed to glance off that one, but then that spell(?) had destroyed it...

Right. He'd go after the repairing ones then, turning and attempting to shove another screen out of his way on his way there. If it didn't work, he'd heed Tobias's advice and try to lead it to one of the whips, ducking out of its way and hoping it hit the screen instead.

[morphballin]

Samus isn't sure how she feels better, but she's not gonna look a gift pursehorse in the mouth. The situation changes and escalates pretty quickly, however. She charges up a sphere of energy, and lets it fly toward the screens - if her grapple beam got deflected before, it'll likely be so again, so back to basics.

[sageprincess]

Well, it's as good a plan as any, with Zelda's magic drained as it is. She begins dodging towards the screens, attempting to use them as floating cover as she ducks and weaves (and occasionally yelps - with the electricity, even a grazing hit burns) around the whips.

[attheclocktower]

Xion hears Tobias' suggestion. Electricity...

She's getting closer to the screens near the panel, which also is bringing her within range of the whips and spikes. That gives her the same idea, the others have, at least. She races close to the screens nearest her, then at the last second, uses dodge roll to try to get out of the way.

Thankfully she has the foresight to try to dodge roll away or parallel to the walls, at least, rather than towards them.

[animusnpcs]

David's attempts at shielding some of the others from the whips are half-successful. While he slashes at some of the whips, those whips focus their attention on him and leave the others unmolested. The other whips, however, are out in full force.

Zelda and Xion's dodging results in some of the whips coming into contact - of a sort - with the screens. They slide off without doing much damage, and Enoch's shove does the same thing. However, as their attempts are deflected, Samus's sphere of energy catches all three screens in its path, and they all go staticky before vanishing.

The screens are beginning to thin out; only a few more remain, and the screens nearest the panel swap places with the screens among the chaos of the people, whips, and spikes.

[keybearer]

So the whips do nothing either, huh? There goes that idea. Still, they've made at least some progress. Sheena's attacks blew up at least a few of the screens. The screens Enoch and Xion struck exploded from Naoya's magic...

A lightbulb goes off in his head, and he whips towards the others.

"Okay, I think I got this. If we can nail these things with offensive power and magic at the same time, we might be able to clean up shop here."

Provided the others start attacking the screens, Riku will hoist his Keyblade over his head and shoot down surges of electricity around the room. In the mean time, he opts to dodge and swerve, moving closer to the repair screens.

[midgarhorizon]

"Not at the same time! You got to hit them first!" Reno yells back at Riku, seeing Xion and Zelda's success. The energy happened after they got the whips to hit the screens- they can't afford a mistiming here. He catches his breath and heads back into the fray, trying to grab one of the whips' attention. Hell, he's built for this, dodging and even rolling, heading for the screens closest to the panels.

[attheclocktower]

Hearing Riku's call, and Reno's. Xion turns in the former's direction, nodding.

"Got it!" she calls. And indeed, wherever she sees one of his spells about to hit a screen, she runs forward with her Keyblade to strike them first.

Unfortunately, even as she strikes at one of the screens, a spike - unnoticed, slices hard across her side, right around her ribcage and - to a lesser extent - some of her inner arm.

She stumbles, nearly falls with a yell. But then-

"I won't give in!"

She pushes herself upright, her Keyblade cloaked in Light. She moves, sharply, erratically, still trying (though it's much harder now) to focus on the screens Riku is targeting, and moving towards the ones that are repairing the panel. She's not as good about timing in this state, however.

[megazero_to_superhero]

Seeing that he's been successful in, at least, thinning down the sheer amount of the electrical whips posing a danger to the team, David doesn't let up—but now that he's got a number of them focused on attacking him, he's having to put more effort into trying to keep from getting stung. Drawing so much attention to himself, however, is making it hard for him to be such an artful dodger. Several of the whips find their mark, giving David a rather unpleasant jolt.

David's also being more choosy about which whips to intercept, after seeing that some of the other infiltration members are trying to bait the whips into attacking the screens for them. Anyone that looks vulnerable to getting whipped, though, is David's top priority in protecting. All the while, he continues trying to hack away at the whips targeting him or targeting others.