estoria | « 001 ⇢ INTERLUDE001.EXE »

Entry tags:

« 001 ⇢ INTERLUDE001.EXE »

Who: Mosley and these unfortunate souls
When: OOC: 6/27, IC: 1/26
Where: CERES Research Tower
What: Mosley takes a few lucky souls on a tour of the CERES offices.
Rating/Warning: PG-13: Some violence, injuries and possible death.

▶ VIDEO.EXE | IC: 1/25

[ The broadcast comes bright and early for those paying attention to their CereVices; the man who appears on the screen is strikingly pale, white-haired and piercingly blue-eyed. He looks young, no more than nineteen or twenty and he's dressed in a crisp black and white suit. He stares into the screen for a long moment, long enough to be, frankly, just a bit uncomfortable.

And then white eyelashes blink and an awkward, unsure smile spreads across his face. He lifts a hand to fix his tie and speaks. ]

This is Mosley.

[ The smile drops, leaving him with a blank expression once again. ]

CERES has decided in a show of good faith to open our doors to you. I have been given the task of, [ He lifts his hands to emphasize with air quotes. ] "being your tour guide." If that is what I must do, so be it. The lazy worm does not get the apple, after all.

[ He looks down at the tablet on his desk, giving it a few taps and suddenly an icon appears on the bottom right hand of the video. ]

That link will bring you to a listing to make an appointment. You will be given a time. Show up promptly or do not, it is no matter to me. The tour will leave ten minutes after your given time and that will be that. Tours will only last a few hours so you needn't worry about the rest of your day. You will certainly return home in time to catch the latest episode of [ Air quotes again. ] "Banana is the New Black." I hear there's going to be a cliffhanger!

[ A pause and he looks oddly thoughtful. ]

I suppose you could also steal it off the internet? [ Blank again. ] Which would be wrong. Our lawyers will contact you if you do that. Do not.

[ And then another of those awkward smiles before quickly turning into something a bit startled and he taps his tablet again, ending the video. Replies to this feed have been disabled, unfortunately. Seems like someone isn't feeling very chatty. It's a miracle. ]

▶ ACTION.EXE | IC: 1/26

[ The next day, that Monday, those who take Mosley up on his offer will find that him standing there right in front of the main CERES office building, waiting. It’s with that same disconcerting smile that he unlocks the door and ushers them in.

Welcome, all of you, to our lovely CERES!

The group will find themselves standing in a lobby. Clean white walls and floors, a bright blue rug leading towards the elevators on the far wall, and a white reception counter. At the counter are two CERES robots answering calls and directing any visitors (though the lobby seems quite empty today) and on the wall behind them is a hologram of the CERES logo for all to see. Mosley stands in the center of the carpet in his usual suit and claps his hands together, putting on a smile. ]

Welcome to CERES.

[ And then the smile drops. Voice flat, he continues. ]

There has been... talk over the past few months that we at CERES have not been working 24/7 to help you, our clientele, return to your homes safely and soundly. There has also been... talk that we do not do anything. That this entire company is a farce, which is honestly quite hurtful to both me and the other hardworking staff at this company. Mr. Vincere had his way of running this place but Ms. Recreare is fond of a more hands on approach. We want to share that approach with you.

[ He spreads his hands to indicate to the building around them. ]

CERES has many fingers in many jars and they've all been sealed tight for a while. We would like to open those jars. So once again, welcome to CERES and please follow me.

[ After that, Mosley turns and begins to lead the group off. ]

▶ 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
There is no tagging order, so feel free to tag in whatever way works best for you as a group.

The tours will technically last 3 hours icly, but that may change as ic events happen; oocly, the threads will last as long as necessary, though Mosley will come and collect your characters if they are moseying around too long! There will be mod involvement in each of the tours.

If there are any questions, feel free to ask them here. You are welcome to plot with your groupmates by using the ooc top level comments linked above. Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He'll follow them as they make their way to the faint source of light, at this point he just wants to get out of here, no matter what.]

Gintoki is what you can call me. Gintoki Sakata, so don't be calling me old man anymore, side-kick.

[When they finally reach the room, he'll simply lean over and peer at the screen; he wasn't good with computers, but at least he wanted to see what was on the screen. Maybe there was some kind of map out of here, or a way to call someone to let them know they were lost.

If he were being really honest with himself though, Gintoki had a suspicion that those who put them on this tour didn't care if they were lost. They were probably exactly where those people wanted them to be. He'll sigh a little, tapping his sword restlessly against his boot.]

[technology isn't flynn's forte, either. figuring out how to work the basics is easy enough, but fiddling with it and working things on the fly when still new to them is beyond even him. he'll frown at the screens upon entering the terminal. what are all these doing down here, anyway? better question, too, is why are they on? that alone doesn't make sense. the pathway earlier literally fell apart due to lack of upkeep. all logic points to these computers being in the same state of decay.

but they aren't. they're functional. it's strange and doesn't make sense. flynn tenses the slightest bit while moving on ahead with that paranoia from earlier returns full force. maybe it's nothing. maybe ceres' technology doesn't suffer the impact of time the same way other things do.

...maybe one of his two new friends knows more about technology and could help ease some of these worries.]

How can they still be working?

Whatever you said, old man. Besides, you're the sidekick. [But she's teasing! She'll use his name, probably.]

[Maya may not know much about technology, but she is squinting at the screen. And she's prepared to smack these computers, if necessary. Because that would definitely get them to work, right? Maya knows technology.]

I bet there's some super secret powersource booting them up! Maybe it's running power to the greenhouse...

[Don't expect a logical answer from Maya. She only barely knows how to turn on a computer.]

Anyway, let's see what's on these bad boys! [Trap or not.]

. . . OLD FILE OVERWRITTEN . . . CHECKPOINT FINAL.SAV . . .
. . . CONTINUING TOUR.EXE. . .

[ Maya is very good at computers.

But turning it on does everything they need for now; it seems the settings were already ready. The terminal flickers to life, and there's a message:

Communication Transmission Beginning

And then, on the screen, there's an alien with a mask. It's clear that whatever it is, it isn't human; while it stands upright, there is no uncovered skin, and nothing can be seen behind the mask or dark clothing.

On the mask, there is a smile.

Silently, the alien surveys Maya. And then reaches over and turns off the transmission.

Wow, rude!! ]

[He'll draw back some from the screen, startled at the sudden image and that really unsettling smiley mask. With a quick glance between the screen and Maya, he'll clear his throat a little.]

Uhh, o-oi, you know, hi, could someone come get us? We're stuck down here, but we were on a tour--

[Aaaaand yeah. The . . . whatever it is. . . just shuts off the transmission like he didn't hear a word Gintoki managed to stammer out. He'll give a growl, hands coming down hard on the computer terminal.]

Oi! OI! I WAS TALKING TO YOU! ASSHOLES, I WANNA GO HOME!

[damn. He wasn't talking about going back to his apartment either, he wanted to go home home. He's so angry that his sword is clutched tightly in his hand, and he looks a few seconds away from going to town on the computer terminal with it. Hopefully his respectable knight of a group-mate will stop him right about now.]

I just wanna get out of here. . .

[whining like a child, great example Gin-san.]

Edited 2015-07-04 17:28 (UTC)

[good work, maya! not only is she the main character but a tech wizard, too. the suddenly alien popping up stops any chance of celebration. flynn tenses, almost instinctively attempting to reach for a sword that isn't there. a note gets made to bring that with next time ceres extends an invitation for something. just as soon as it appeared, it vanishes. huh. nothing bad happen. flynn almost relaxes until noticing that old man is about ready to skewer the computer. that... is something bad. dammit.

so stop him he does. before gintoki could destroy the defenseless piece of technology, a hand very firmly grasps his wrist. chances are, it's a lot stronger of a grip than expected out of good sir knight. flynn sends him a very stern look, almost like one a dad would give to a misbehaving child.]

We all want to go home, Gintoki, but destroying this won't accomplish that.

[who knows what'll happen if they bust it up. he pauses for a second before speaking again.]

Someone appeared on that so clearly someone realizes we're down here.

[possibly a fact known to them all along. it can't be a coincidence that someone appeared on computer in an area that's falling apart right when they came by. as badly as that rubs him, it also means that someone will likely come to grab them at some point.]

[RUDE INDEED. Maya's going to demonstrate her great computer prowess by whacking the thing once]

Heeey! Come back!

[But that's about when Gintoki decides to play his own tech savvy (as well as a Very Mature Temper Tantrum), so that'll be the end of her tech support, for the moment. The team mom prevents any severe property damage, and Gintoki's whining... like a five year old...]

[Yeah, she's definitely the main character.]

Well, Guy or Girly Smiley over there clearly saw us.. they might be sending someone over.

[Like a final boss.]

[But she goes back to peering at the computer... maybe there's something else that can be found. Isn't there an ASCI command for daring escapes or plot information or something?!]

[Anyway, to the whining Gintoki:]

We'll make it out there sooner or later! We've got a main character and two sidekicks, after all.

Edited 2015-07-04 19:56 (UTC)

[Why is he the old man???

He's not going to do much more once Flynn takes hold of his wrist; he won't get mad at him. He'll just drop his hand, giving the computer screen one last fuming huff before sitting down on something in the room with a sigh. Maybe there was a table, or another console to sit on. ]

Oi oi, that's not a good thing. I'm telling you that it's a bad thing, if someone knows we're here and then turns off the screen. They're up to something, and I'd rather stay up all night playing Tetr*s in bed than play this game anymore. Even if I had a math test in the morning.

[He'll kick his feet some, heels bumping lazily against whatever he was sitting on, looking around for any other doors or items in the room.]

Are we gonna sit here and wait?

Edited 2015-07-04 22:32 (UTC)

[ There's only the single switch on the computer; Maya could press it again if she wanted, though it's the same thing as before and likely will do exactly the same thing.

On the other hand, once that transmission concluded, a small but bright red light flickered on on the computer terminal.

Ominous. ]

[comforting as maya's cheery words are, gintoki's worrisome words hold a certain truth to them. given ceres' history, whatever that was has a chance of somehow coming out of that and harming them without leaving a trace. the light that pops up on the screen doesn't help in disproving that. ominous indeed.

sit and do nothing or try to do something: choice b sounds better hands down. potentially becoming some monster's meal won't be happening today. plus, checking out every inch of this terminal is something to do as opposed to simply sitting and waiting. his hand lets go of gintoki's wrist as he starts glancing around the area. ]

We should look around some more. There may be an exit hidden somewhere.

[the storage room in the green house led to all this so this place having a door hidden somewhere isn't out of the question. he starts walking around the terminal in search for something to lead them out of here.]

[But doesn't hitting it fix it??]

[Maya's not sure what math tests have to do with this situation (or Tet... what did he say?), but math tests are roughly as horrible as being in a dark, evil plant infested underground computer lab (or something), so she sees his point.]

The red beeping light is ominous, but more importantly, she'll never pass down an opportunity to snoop.]

[...I mean, yeah, she's going to look for an exit with them!! Maya starts rummaging around the computer room, poking whatever she can find and examining it. She's good at this part]

Oooh, another secret tunnel! Yeah, let's find it. Maybe there's a secret rocket compartment in here....

[ Searching around the computer room will reveal a door in the corner, but should they open it, it seems to only be a storage closet (a real one, this time). In the closet are documents, these all on the contact of an "alien race" that is "a grave threat" and notes on "communication is difficult to establish. For some reason, they will not discuss anything with most of us."

There is also a stack of flowerpots and some fertilizer.

This is a long way to go for storage, but oh well. ]

[Once he sees the door, Gintoki's pulling it open almost . . . reluctantly. Anything could be in there, but as it turns out it's just a bunch of flowerpots and dirt, which he'll nudge at with his foot. The documents, though, are a little strange. For now, he'll pick them up and shuffle them a little; they're probably a little dusty from the fertilizer that's in the closet.

Before looking at the documents anymore, he'll look around to see if there is any other door or exit from the closet.]

[flynn can't resist the allure of the door, either. doors are just far too enticing like that and definitely beat secret rocket compartments (sorry maya). a peak inside reveals pots and fertilizer. ...wait, is this really a storage closet? do they have staff venture THIS far for pots and stuff?? who ever could have thought this to be a good idea?

rather than dwell on how inefficient and dangerous that is, he'll shift focus to the documents. holding one up and skimming results in a frown forming on his face. they won't discuss anything? who exactly are 'they'?]

So it's just a storage closet after all? That's so boring.

[Why would they even put a storage down here? Gardening tools in a computer room? That didn't make sense, not even to Maya.]

[In any case, the plot documents are what really draw her. Maya peers at the papers as Gintoki and Flynn read them, attempting to as well]

Hey, hey, this could be an important clue! Let's take 'em.

[As the other two come in, Gintoki will leave the documents with Flynn ~~mom~~ and keep looking for another door. Maybe there would be plenty of time to read those documents if they were trapped down here for awhile, and that just isn't what Gintoki wanted to do today. Still, he'll ask about them absently.]

Does it say anything important? Maybe someone was trying to get out of work down here.

Edited 2015-07-07 19:10 (UTC)

[ No other doors around, from the looks of things, just old metallic walls and the loud noises of something very very large approaching.

Oh, wait, that's not normal.

It seems the red light was a warning of some sort and if any of them has the presence of mind to look at the display for some bafflingly weird reason, there's a word:

B A R E

But that aside, probably of far greater concern is the giant subterranean monster that just came crashing through the wall.

At least there's another way out now? ]

[all those documents are happily taken in by the human file cabinet. huh. some of this stuff really is interesting. flynn keeps flipping through them, about to share the details with the others when--

the wall explodes and in comes a surprise guest!! congrats on being right about all this being a bad thing, gintoki. a quickly executed dodge to the side saves flynn from having a large chunk of debris nail him in the head. his gaze snaps toward the direction the debris came from and...

what the hell is that!?

aside from bad. really really bad. first thing first: the documents. there might still be useful information on them so he needs to save those. the papers get folded haphazardly in half and shoved down his shirt. pockets risk the papers falling out far too easily. now back on task: they need to find a way to escape and fast. think, flynn, think. you're a goddamn commandant now, you can think of a way to save at least the two of them. wait... the way the monster came in could work.]

We might be able to escape through the hole it made!!

[Maya shrieks loudly as the thing bursts through--]

[But she's quick to compose herself, even upon seeing exactly what it is they're dealing with. Oh boy. In a muttered aside:]<

I knew it, I knew there was a final boss coming....

[But Flynn's taken care of the documents, and so Maya commits the word "BARE" to memory (whatever... that means) grabs whatever else is in the room: the... fertilizer.... She nods to Flynn, (they definitely need to get out of here, and that hole might do the trick), then stares back at the huge monster with the gaping maw.]

M...Maybe we can talk to it? I know it never works in the movies, but...

Edited 2015-07-08 02:25 (UTC)

[Gintoki barely has time to register that he'd heard something loud before whatever it was came crashing through the wall. He'll take quick stock of the other two, and the enormous hole the creature had made as it came in.

While he hadn't ever seen one of these before, Gintoki was no stranger to large monsters, or large aliens. They were one and the same to him, and there was no doubt in his mind that this creature wanted to harm them. Talk to it? Yeah, right! He's already got his sword in hand, anyway, and did she even see how enormous that thing was? And all they were looking at right now was it's head! It was gigantic!]

The--the closet! Go back to the storage closet!

[maybe they can make it back to the closet before it really notices them, unless it already has thanks to the screams of a brave main character. Anyway, maybe it will have trouble with the door, unless it just decides to smash through it, too.]

Edited 2015-07-08 04:48 (UTC)

[ Yeah, it seems to be following those valiant, brave screams. At the very least, that means it leaves that hole unattended, so it would be a viable escape route if you can get past it.

Unfortunately, that also means that the monster is lunging forward facefirst, straight at Maya.

Probably don't try to talk to it, no. ]

[Why always her!!!]

[Well, hiding in the storage closet is no longer an option, Maya's no stranger to things or people trying to kill her, so while her eyes go cartoonishly wide, she's also reacting right away, throwing herself away from it as fast as she can possibly manage, shrieking (again), at the other two]

G-Go, guys!

[THROUGH THE HOLE.]

[(She doubts they're going to listen, but... it's worth a shot)]

[shit! of course it'd go after the main character first! flynn almost makes a dash to tackle her out of the way, but that proves unnecessary. good reflexes.

a valiant shot at giving out orders, but one that fails. maya's stuck with idiot heroes and the blond one opts to, what else, serve as distraction. the instant maya moves out the way and no long has a chance at becoming monster chow, he starts casting and unleashes a nice holy lance at the bugger. pay attention to HIM and nobody else. please.]

You first two first! I'll follow.

[now will they listen to him? flynn can only dream.]

[Actually, Gintoki would probably listen to him, mostly because he knows how that hero thing works, and Flynn looked like he had some pretty impressive magic. One thing he does is go over to Maya, but then he's going to have to go back to the monster.

Flynn had all those documents they'd found, and he's either going to get them from the kid, or send him with Maya out of here.

And Gintoki's fast. Faster than someone would guess from a guy who's usually called lazy. He's strong, and he's skillful, and when he can get the leverage -- maybe from the wall, and from the computer terminal -- and get close enough, he's going to take an impressive leap and stab that monster right in the eye, holding on to his wooden sword for dear life if the strike is successful.

Because there was one thing the other two might be forgetting about monsters, and that was even if you got away, they were gonna follow you no matter what. All bets were off if it was just going to attack them for no reason. ]

The-the papers! Do you have the papers, goody-goody! Those damn papers, oi!

Edited 2015-07-09 07:13 (UTC)

no subject

no subject

no subject

▶ FINAL CHECKPOINT.SAV

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject