estoria | « 004 ⇢ INTERLUDE004.EXE »

Entry tags:

!event,
!interlude

« 004 ⇢ INTERLUDE004.EXE »

Who: These suckers and E R R O R
When: OOC: 5/29, IC: 7/15
Where: CERES Research Tower and Beyond
What: It seems an old friend has decided the situation is progressing too slowly.
Rating/Warning: PG-13: Violence, injuries and inevitable deaths.

▶ ACTION.EXE | IC: 7/15

For those unlucky saps who disappear today, ranging from early in the morning towards the middle of the afternoon, well...they can't be reached by CereVice.

Any attempt to do so will bounce back the message User Currently Occupied.

It's an odd message, and one that's never been used by the CereVice. How strange. It's probably nothing though, right? No contact can be established between groups or from groups to outside people in Cerealia, whether by technology or magic. You're cut off from everyone but those in your groups, now.

Otherwise, all abilities will remain intact.

As for the people who do disappear, well... things get a little hairy really quickly.

▶ RUN.EXE | MOD NOTES

This is the event log for these sign-ups! Your groups have been sorted below; here are a few handy links for you:

Group 01 | OOC plotting
Group 02 | OOC plotting
Group 03 | OOC plotting
Group 04 | OOC plotting
Group 05 | OOC plotting
Group 06 | OOC plotting
Group 07 | OOC plotting
Group 08 | OOC plotting
Group 09 | OOC plotting
Group 10 | OOC plotting
Group 11 | OOC plotting
Group 12 | OOC plotting
Group 13 | OOC plotting
Group 14 | OOC plotting
There is no tagging order, so feel free to tag in whatever way works best for you as a group.

The characters should not ICly be gone longer than 5 hours -- if they survive, of course. There will be mod involvement in each of the threads.

If there are any questions, feel free to ask them here. Please try to avoid asking hypothetical questions (such as "What will happen if my character does [action]?") as that's part of the fun and risk of the interlude! You are welcome to plot with your groupmates in this post. Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

. . . NEW FILE CREATED . . . CHECKPOINT #001.SAV . . .
. . . CONTINUING ESCAPE.EXE. . .

[ Down the wall goes, crashing right down into dust and shoddy workmanship. Behind it, the pathway has become more metallic, and far more clearly man-made; this isn't an old sewage system anymore, but rather what used to lead into it. Even with the flashlights, it's hard to see more than a few feet beyond into the shadows.

Otherwise, a high pitched beeping at steady intervals begins to occur, echoing slightly. ]

I've been here for months. This is just the way CERES works. They must have their reasons for doing things but most of the time, they don't make sense.

[Nico stands back as instructed, wondering what Yosuke is going to do. He doesn't look like he could bring down a wall by himself. When he summons some... kind of creature, Nico again looks surprised for a moment before he opens his mouth to say something, holding out a hand once he sees that, yeah, Yosuke is really going to break the wall down.]

Wait-!

[Too late. Down the wall goes, and Nico rubs a hand against his forehead in exasperation. At Jaune's question, he grumbles:] Not in my pocket, no. Back at my apartment and wishing I had him here, yes. I'm with Clarke on this one; next time we run into a dead end or a way that goes in different directions, let's discuss it first.

[But what's done is now done, so Nico, after casting a quick, curious look at the Persona, turns to look down the hallway as he hears the beeping noise.] Has anyone heard something like that before...?

[ Sorry, Nico. TOO LATE, GOTTA DO THIS!! Down the wall goes! Whew! That wouldn't been a little embarrassing to do the whole flashy summoning Persona thing if it hadn't worked. Luckily, Susano-o doesn't seem to take offense to Jaune's remark and instead just gives the guy a nod. Yes, they can hear you. Compliment his hair next time and see what happens. ]

Oh, er...heh heh. I guess I got a little carried away, huh? But it worked!

[ He's feeling pretty good right now, all things considered. With Adrien's compliment, he flashes a bright grin despite the dim surroundings. ]

Thanks!

[ He looks up at his Persona who takes the hint and disappears. It does take more energy to have them out and about, so it's best to conserve that. He's ready to accept some praise from ~~Team Mom~~ Clarke, only to have something a little more grim pointed out. His pride slumps a bit. And swallows, looking a little sheepish. ]

...Yeah, I guess that's true. No way of knowing unless we opened it up, though, right?

[ Trying to cover for himself a bit? Yes. He assumes the hand on his shoulder is meant to be part consoling and part reprimanding for jumping the gun, but instead he's met with a small glow and warm spreading throughout his torso. What vitality he'd lost for the attack is restored. He blinks, visibly surprised. Did she just...Dia him? ]

...How'd you--how'd you know?

[ What other tricks is she hiding under that--no, don't finish that thought.

Following Nico's gaze, he turns his attention to the newly unveiled pathway. He shakes his head. ]

Nuh-uh. [ A beat. ] I mean that could be anything, right?

[ Even if they discussed it first, the wall still seems like it's their best way out, especially now knowing that the path leads further. Somehow Jaune doesn't question how a van got down here in the first place. As for the beeping-- ]

Yeah, like a microwave, or... or a bomb. ... Please be microwave.

[ Either way, if anyone or anything else is down here, then this group has likely made their presence known to them. Jaune being the paranoid nervous wreck that he is, decides it's time to draw out his blade and shield as he slowly creeps forward. Time to be a tank, I guess?? ]

Best case scenario is that it's something connected to the internet. If we find it, maybe we can contact the outside world and get outta here, right?

Edited 2016-05-29 20:34 (UTC)

[ probably best to be a paranoid nervous wreck in this case. adrien feels tentative, but they aren't at risk enough for him to pull out the catsuit and blow his entire secret in front of people he doesn't know. high pitched beeping along with nice, new surroundings... nothing ominous about that at all.

he squints into the darkness, useless as that is, and hopes for the best. they've got sensible people mixed in with their bad decisions dinosaurs, yeah... ]

Microwave and that sounds a lot better than bomb. [ anything sounds better than b o m b. ] Would anything we want even make a beeping like that for this long...?

[ hopefully it's just annoying instead of actually dangerous.

plagg's definitely not enjoying it inside adrien's hoodie, as he shifts slightly. ]

[ Clarke just smiles brightly in response to Yosuke's question before tapping her ears; keen sense of hearing seems to be the only explanation to be had here.

Facing forward towards the beeping, clarke squints her eyes into the darkness. Even with her increased senses, she can't seem to tell anything that might be ahead of them. It has her on edge, and a soft purple glow surrounds her right hand, at the ready to throw up the barrier when need be. ]

The beeping sounds like the Ark. [ A brief pause in which she realizes they won't know what that is. ] A space station with lots of electronic equipment on it. I haven't heard anything similar to it before.

[ Clarke glances back behind them to the sewer, and ahead into the darkness. Their options are limited, and with her immortality giving no her the benefit, she steps forward and leads them into the darkness. ]

[ Leading them into the darkness will take them right to the front of a building, nestled right amongst the tunnel. It's not a dead end; there are at least four or five tunnels connected to this central hub-like area.

There are no lights on the small building, which is mostly nondescript; it is white, made of concrete and squat, mostly unimpressive.

The beeping is louder here, and likely originates from the building. ]

[ She could hear his HP drop? (No, Yosuke.) He's just assuming she's got some sort of special abilities, some "know how". Maybe she's like Rise? Who knows. Either way, he's learned that this place has people from all walks of life and even different planets, so it's best to expect the unexpected.

Should they have expected this?

When the hallway leads them to the central area, his flashlight first hits the building. Yosuke pauses, his eyes widening a bit after a few seconds. ]

Is it just me, or is it louder in here? [ He steps forward, scanning the area. The light ends at the entrances of each of the tunnels, the rest of their depth plunging into darkness. ] Looks like we've got more tunnels. [ He turns his attention back to the building. ] ...You think this is the base of sewer operations? Or just a way station?

[ Or the Ninja Turtles HQ? ]

Whatever’s inside, we should probably go check it out. We dunno how long we’re gonna be stuck here, so we should probably start thinking about supplies. There could be food inside, or… other facilities, like……. other facilities.

[ He may need to pee. ]

Also judging from the other tunnels, doesn’t it seem like all roads lead here?

Other faci—

[ this is a questioning look from adrien as he repeats that statement at first, wondering what exactly jaune could mean... and then it dawns on him. ]

—Oh. [ MOVING ON. there's potential murder or sewer crocs or ninja turtles jumping about. no need to linger on the concerning thing that is jaune's bladder.

look! shining his flashlight here and there! first towards the tunnels, and then the building, as he steps closer. ] ... Er, yeah, loud beeping sure is louder. [ ... ] I vote for going in, we're not gonna find out much [ or find a place to pee ] just standing outside. All those other tunnels could be just like the one we came from...

[ are there any windows in nondescript building they can peek into? adrien's certainly looking for anything of the sort. ]

[ Clarke considers offering to shadow travel Jaune somewhere secluded, but she needs to have a destination in mind, and in this place? All she could do is take him back to a sewer.

Following Adrien's flashlight as it pans from the tunnels to the building, she feels- Torn. ]

There might be other people in the tunnels like us. [ But Jaune is right; they need to look for supplies in case they're down here for the long haul. It won't be long before the rest of the group will need water and food, and Clarke's diet is fairly... specific. ]

We could look for windows to see inside the building? That way we could try and see what's in there before we actually try going in, just in case it's dangerous. I'd like to avoid anyone being hurt while we're down here. [ Or, you know, killed. It might only be a sewer and a building, but Clarke knows how dangerous tunnels and odd hubs can be. ]

[ OH. Yeah. Crap, he didn't even think about that. It's not like they were warned and had a chance to take a leak before getting kidnapped! That's a legitimate concern. Man, it's just like his first foray into the TV World all over again...except Yosuke doesn't have to take a piss. Now, at least. Because he handled that like a mature adult last time. (Spoilers: He didn't.) ]

Man, I hope we're not down here long enough to need that...

[ Yosuke rubs the back of his neck. He kind of figured their odds of finding a way out would be better as a team, wouldn't they? ]

Other people? [ He drops his hand. ] Yeah...but we don't even know why we were targeted in the first place.

[ Getting out is the first priority. If they run into someone else along the way, there's no reason to leave them behind. But they also have no idea where to lead anyone at this point.

Yosuke steps up to the side of the building, placing his hands on the concrete. It doesn't feel like anything special. Just solid. Yet as he turns to his left, his flashlight lands on something. ]

Hey, is that a door?

Only one way to find out!

[ Jaune kicks the suspected door with much force (he really wants to get in!). Does it break open or did he just embarrass himself? ]

[ He breaks it open! Revel in your victory, Jaune Arc.

The door slams to the ground of its hinges (those hinges must've been pretty old and rusty), stirring up a fine layer of dust, and letting them into the building.

In said building, all of the robots that had once been in standby mode look up at the same time, eyes training on Jaune.

Then they hold up the little stop signs. ]

[ Okay, so much for looking before you leap... Adrien's head is whipping over with Jaune's I'M A COOL GUY kick onto the door, as he flinches slightly in surprise. They were talking about going in, but that's sure... one way to go about it... He can't help the amused: ]

This is how we're going to solve all our problems when they come up, huh? Not that I'm really complaining.

[ God knows he just hits things whenever he's facing a particularly tough opponent. Who's judging? Since they've already come this far, he's making his way over to the now doorless doorway and peeking around the corner. ]

... They're kind of cute. [ He has to say that first, because they are. ] So, I guess we're just ignoring them?

[ This is the mondus operandi of Team Friendship: Weenies and Armories, after all. ]

[ The purple glow around her hand disappears when Clarke lifts her hands to her face, burying it against her palms with a deep breath. Really, she should be used to this, to reckless decisions like kicking down doors -- it reminds her a little too much of Bellamy or Miller, and while she wishes that she had both of them with her, it's a weird sort of comfort that the people with her can be compared to them.

When she hears the door hit the floor, Clarke looks up again, spotting all the robots as they all look at Jaune before lifting their signs. It's... unsettling, to say the least, and her worry creeps in ahead of anything else; their hats look reminiscent of police during her history classes, but they look out of place atop a mechanical head.

Pursing her lips, she looks around to see if there's anything else inside other than the robots. ]

As much as I want to say no and that we should listen to the warning, it's either this or the other tunnels, and we've already knocked the door down.

[ Clarke pauses, clearly considering something, before she calls out into the room -- she isn't sure if the robots are sentient, but- ] We're not here to hurt anyone, we're just looking for supplies or other people.

[ ...Yeah, they are kind of cute. Like, almost too cute not to take seriously, which seems to be what most of them want to do. Clarke's attempt to reach out to the robots seems well-intended, but do they respond?

He's on board with Adrien on this one. ]

They don't look that tough.

[ FAMOUS LAST WORDS? ]

I mean, unless they're hiding weapons underneath those hats or something...This place still looks pretty unused. Maybe it's an old security system.

[ Time for Team Good Ideas! Though it really should be someone else's turn by now. Since the robots don't seem to be antagonizing them further other than trying to stop them with cute little signs, Yosuke walks up to them to see if they react.

No?

Well...

Is it a bad idea to tap one on the head? Because that's what he's doing. Carefully, right? Just...a light tap. A gentle tap. The kind of tap that hopefully wouldn't get one of them to unleash a bazooka or something. But how careful can someone really be? ]

[ Holy shit, Jaune can't believe his kick worked! Though once they're inside, he quickly forgets about looking for certain facilities as he takes note of the robots all locking on to him.

It's a good thing he still has his weapons drawn. ]

Uh..... I dunno about you guys, but I have a bad feeling about this place.

[ Though he remains frozen for now (gotta obey the signs!), Jaune still glances around the room as Yosuke tries interacting with the stop-bots. Did the beeping come from the machines or something else? ]

No humans here, so that probably rules out food...

[ Clarke's words are ignored; it's hard to say if they didn't hear them, didn't process them, or just didn't care. Thankfully for Jaune, their attention shifts from him to the rule-breaker, aka Yosuke, as soon as he starts to walk towards them.

The robot he pokes hits him in the face with the stop sign. It's just a broken nose, it'll be fine. More importantly, the beeping suddenly stops as soon as he moves, and then there's the announcement. ]

Security breach.

[ The robots don't move, but they really don't have to, because that's about when the reinforcements arrive. And they look much less friendly, and they're all completely focused on Yosuke.

Way to not obey the rules of the road!! ]

Edited 2016-05-30 16:01 (UTC)

[Nico follows the group without saying much, looking like he wants to bang his head into the side of the building when Jaune just kicks the door down. Great, now they can't close it. Then Yosuke walks in, pokes one, and gets hit in the face.

The announcement gives him a bad feeling, one that doesn't get any better when the dogs show up.

Nico hasn't ever died here yet, and he's not afraid to because he knows you just come back (and hey, maybe he'll be able to see his father that way, who knows), but he still doesn't have any desire to actually experience it. With this group, he's thinking that it just might be a possibility because of the impulsiveness of a few people.

Since Yosuke doesn't have his summoned... whatever it was anymore, Nico moves forward to step in front of him protectively.]

Get back! [He holds his sword out at the ready, prepared to slash at anything that jumps at the group.]

Nico, no! [ Protective instincts? Yeah they're definitely kicking in now, even more than they had before; this might not be the Nico she knew, but the familiarity has her defenses kicking up higher than they might have been normally. Clarke moves with inhuman speed when she bolts for him, and while she'd like to inspect Yosuke's injury a little more, the addition of their new friends and Nico's own desire to look out for the group does not leave space to do that.

Robots mean electronics, right, and Clarke's never experienced a piece of machinery that likes being overloaded.

Lightning crackles across her fingertips, and while the others might feel the atmosphere in the room changing from the concentration of the electricity, Clarke's fully aware of the places she needs to direct her magic and where to not. The team, she knows, will be safe.

There's a quick mutter of thunder bomb for her required incantation before the lightning surges from her fingertips and towards the mechanical dogs to surround them, a desperate hope to fry their circuitry. ]

Aaaaahhh!!

[ Jaune screams as Yosuke is hit and prepares himself for combat until he hears Nico speak. ]

AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

[ Damn it, he forgot that the guy is here with how quiet he's been. ]

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHLIGHTNING--

--oh wait, that's from our side.

[ Clarke's correct; electronics don't like being overloaded at all, and a few of the robots go down with a sizzle, no longer functioning. They crumple to the ground with a clatter of metal on the ground, but the remainder lunge forward, and they're still going for the people who are ignoring the stop signs.

So Clarke and Yosuke are the target of the remainder of the dogs, and when they go, they are fast. In fact, unfairly so -- it's almost as if they glitch from one place to the next, and then one is latching onto Yosuke's leg with razor sharp metallic teeth, and the other is grabbing to Clarke's arm, biting into her wrist.

Her magic has taken out the majority of them, but there's a third dog coming towards them as well, the last one -- but this one's zeroing in on Nico. It's further away, though, so he might have just a moment to react. The others who didn't move are perfectly fine though. ]

[ Well, jesus christ, Cerealia sure went Cerealia very quickly. Jaune's screaming and Yosuke's hit in the face and now Adrien's left with the dilemma of: leave the dogs to them, or just respond to danger as he always does, secret identities be damned.

Maybe he would've left it if he had a weapon and the things weren't so fast, but as it stands he's only left to respond as quickly as he can. Plagg, sensing this, comes out of his hoodie and there's a very, very Cool Guy yell of— ]

Plagg, claws out!

[ —before bright light precedes a long silver staff extending to hit the dog latching onto Yosuke's leg (the closest one to Adrien), Mister Regular Weenie turns into Mister Embarrassing Catsuit Superpowered Weenie, holding that extra long staff in two hands. While also ignoring the rules of the road here, fuck your stop signs. ]

Thanks for reminding me why I'm not a dog person, tin cans!

[ It's a good thing that his suit's Very Sturdy, because those teeth look damn sharp. ]

[ Nothing should be just a broken nose. Okay, so it's not the worst thing that's happened to him, but the audible crunch and force of the hit is enough to make Yosuke stumble backwards, clutching his face. ]

Ow! Shit!

[ And there's blood, because faces are full of it! On his hands and probably going to ruin his shirt, too. ]

I thin' 's brok'n...damm't!

[ Well that sucks.

Except you know what sucks more? Mechanical dogs who are clearly there to be the muscle. Shit. Double shit. Yosuke's in a bit of shock when Nico steps forward and is a sword really going to do much damage? Even with its glowy thing? He considers taking a quick moment to cast Diarama on himself and at least stop some of the bleeding, but there doesn't seem to be time for that. Not when there's well-intended sparks in the air and a smell of ozone. Yosuke is, unfortunately Weak to Lightening, so while the attack isn't aimed at him, it definitely makes him a little dizzy, just for a second. A second is long enough. (Jaune's screaming really helps, too.) There's soon relief when the front line of mechanical dobermans goes down, but it lasts just about as long as that buzz from the electricity. ]

Gah!

[ There's no time for anyone who is, unfortunately, human to react to that. Yosuke is pretty fast, but not that fast. No way. So he goes down the second the dog grabs his leg. His shoulder hits the concrete awkwardly, a jolt of pain followed by numbness going into his arm. And those aren't regular dog teeth, either. They're a series of individual blades that go right through the material of his jeans and into his flesh. It hurts. He, understandably, shouts and grits his teeth. He tries to roll onto his back and slams his free foot into the face of the mechanical dog. ]

Dammit--

[ Lesson Learned: Don't hit the robot. Don't even remotely try to hit the robot. Armed with basically nothing, Yosuke tries to summon his Persona and the tarot cards starts to float down from the ceiling.

Then there's a flash of light and he pauses in his struggle long enough to be blinded by it and--

What...just happened...?

...

Is he wearing a catsuit? If he wasn't in so much pain, it would be funny. It would almost be funny. But you know what's not funny? Robo Fido chewing on his leg, he kind of needs that to walk. Here's hoping Adrie--er, Chat Noir's attack is effective. ]

▶ CHECKPOINT ONE.SAV

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