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« 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

[Han isn't planning on holstering his blaster any time soon. Of course, even now, he didn't, as a general rule]

Maybe not whatever did that. But if they're covering something up, there's likely to be alarms.

[Mia crouches down to inspect the blood on the floor; she's not squeamish but it doesn't inspire her with confidence.

What the hell went on down here anyway?

She looks around the room, frowning as she sees the others advancing ahead.]

Wait, hold on a second. We don't know what's down here, don't you think it'd be better for us to stick together? Sure this blood's old, but that doesn't necessarily mean who or whatever put it here's gone. What's to say we're not about to walk in and interrupt something worse through those doors? We need to tread carefully.

[ The walls and the ceilings are bare, lacking in both doors and windows, and somewhat old and rusted. There is still the single door waiting for them at the end of the hallway, unlocked, while there are muted lights in the hallway to show them their way.

Otherwise, it's quiet in the hallway, and their words are the only sounds present. ]

Edited 2015-07-08 00:00 (UTC)

[Mizael sighs, but he does stop just short of actually going through the door to glance back at them. As far as he's concerned, they've already been moving slowly and cautiously enough.]

I think I can handle it. And trust me, if I were going to go off on my own, I would have done it by now.

[And then he looks more directly over at the guy with the blaster. Monsters or other things don't really concern him, but he doesn't have much experience with alarms.]

If there are alarms, what do you think would set them off?

Opening doors. Pressure plates.

[So far nothing on the floor to indicate that]

We'd better hope it's not heat or motion detectors, those are harder to fool.

[Spoken like someone who has broken into far too many facilities.]

There's only one way to find out, in any case. Either we go through the doors, or we go back and try to use the elevator again.

[Mia's got a point, but what are they supposed to do about it? He doesn't see any way of being more cautious than they already are, so he shrugs.]

I, for one, don't want to go backwards, so we should do our best to be careful while we keep going forwards.

[Mizael nods and eyes the door thoughtfully.] I could avoid both of those...but I don't think I could reasonably help all of you avoid them.

[At least, he's not going to expend that much energy if he doesn't have to. Getting the others out of a falling elevator is one thing, but it's really not necessary here.

So in that case, he just goes ahead and pushes open the door the normal way, keeping an eye out for anything that might be waiting to attack them.]

[Mia sighs resignedly. There's no way they're getting out using the elevator so forward seems to be the only way they can go for now.

And then she has a brainwave as she fishes in her jacket for her CereVice.]

What if we called for help? We could get someone to come down the elevator shaft and help us out. It'd be much safer than going off into the unknown and facing god knows what on the other side of that door.

I am not going back in the elevator. [It's more than just he feels it's pointless to go back to something that doesn't work, that it brings back bad memories for him, but he's also in agreement that going forward is what they should do. It may not be the safest option, but there's still the urge to see if they can find something out about getting out of Cerealia down here.] But we should definitely be careful. We could split up if we wanted, have people stay here and wait for help while a few others check out what's up ahead.

[And since Mizael is already going through the doors, Nico gets to his feet and follows him, sword still out and at the ready, wordlessly volunteering to be one of the people to scout out what's further on if others decide they want to stay here and wait.]

Edited 2015-07-12 06:01 (UTC)

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

[ Pushing the door open leads them to a wider, open room.

It's hard to tell due to the wreckage, but it was once a hospital room of some sort; there are hospital beds thrown against the walls, though they all have steel bindings attached to them. It's probably not a friendly hospital.

Though that's obvious enough by the absolute and utter wreckage. Everything is broken down, as if there was some sort of huge disturbance, and there is dried blood on the floor and the beds. It's extremely old.

Nico will notice that the presence of the spirits is growing much stronger, as if they're very close and just waiting on the fringes, as if to see what they do. Further on, there is a door with a red X over it--blood, though just as old as the rest. And the large room is cut down to size by an incredible amount of wreckage some ways in, as if the ceiling caved in through some disaster of some sort.

On the bookshelf and scattered about, there are medical files, though they read more like scientific inquiries, and the subjects have no names. ]

[Mizael just looks very confused as he steps into the room. He was expecting some sort of (probably dead) creature not...a bunch of beds. Why are there so many beds? Who would be living way down here?]

What is all this...?

[On the other hand, the immense amount of wreckage is a little less surprising...and there's no saying how long ago the ceiling caved in, or how stable it is now. So the first thing he does is start walking over to inspect the damage and make sure it looks like the rest of it isn't about to come down.]

[Han keeps his blaster handy as he steps into the room. He keeps a close eye on the rubble, watching it for stability.

He's drawn to the files. He's been on enough covert operations to look for something like that.]

Nothing good. Definitely a hint at why they didn't want us down here.

[Since they all seem to be splitting up, now seems like as good a time as any to go ahead and check out that door with the big red "X" on it.]

That only makes me more certain Mr. Mosley doesn't intend for us to leave.

[When he gets closer, he'll just temporarily improve his sight and sense of smell while nobody's watching to give it a really thorough check-out, looking for any hints of something recently being near it. Maybe some kind of animal did this? If it's a machine, he might not get that lucky, but there's always a chance he'll spot an illusion while he's at it.]

Does anyone else see a second door out of here, or is this the only one?

[Mia heads over to join Han by the files; this room makes her feel distinctly uncomfortable. Something's prickling on the edge of her consciousness, niggling at her senses. For some reason it reminds her of when she was little and being on the other side of the door to the Channelling Chamber in Kurain in the middle of one one of her mother's seances.

Could there be spirits down here?

She shivers involuntarily and tucks the shoe under her arm as she gingerly picks up one of the abandoned files from a shelf.]

Maybe this was used as a sick bay or something, or a high risk patient or psych ward.

[She opens the file and starts to read, frowning as she does.]

[ The rest of the rubble seems stable enough; even slamming into the walls won't shake it (but why would you do that).

And there are no illusions by the door or around it; it's a simple door (as simple as blood-covered doors can be) and while it is locked, the lock is old and rusted. A good shove should open it just fine should he go that route.

As for the files, they are clearly medical files of some sort. All of the name fields are blank, though the files are numbered. The file Mia picks up is file #32, and it reads about a patient who could still breathe fire even after his larynx was cut out ("Necessary due to high-risk patient", the file reads).

There may be more doors beyond the pile of rubble, but it's so massive that getting over it may not be plausible, and it doesn't look all too steady. ]

This looks stable for now.

[So far as he can tell without doing something to test it, anyway, and he's not going to do something that stupid. But he's satisfied enough, and he walks back over to where some of the others are looking over some of the files.]

Anything interesting?

[Han continues going through the files]

They don't seem to have been particularly interested in healing. These don't read like actual treatment to me.

[He touches the door, shoving a bit just to see if it gives way. When it does, he decides to double back to the files, instead of going ahead. It's a working way forward, so they've got a little time to look over what they've found.]

Are you suggesting they were dealing in experimentation?

[That's not good. He's not super familiar with the concept outside of what he's read, but he knows it tends to go hand in hand with torture.]

Perhaps we should take some of the files with us. They may be useful.

[While the others pay attention to the files, Nico stands by the door, trying to get a better understanding for the spirits. There's a little frown on his face as he focuses on them, sending out a warning vibe with his powers and attempting to get them to back off because of it. His powers don't work exactly like they used to here, so he's not sure if it will actually work, but it can't hurt to try - he hopes.

When Cynbel tries the door, he stays where he is but gives a few words of caution.] Don't go through it just yet. There are spirits further down; I'm trying to see if I can get them to give us more space.

I say we definitely take some of these files with us. If they were running experiments on people- nasty experiments- then who knows what else they're capable of? I don't want to put anything past them.

[She grabs a handful and stuffs them under her arm along with the shoe. Perhaps she should have bought a purse with her.

At the mention of spirits, she looks in Nico's direction.]

Is there anything I can do? I'm a little rusty and I'm definitely no pro at it, but I come from a family of spirit mediums and I might be able to help.

It definitely looks like experiments. The sort of things some of the fringe Empire scientists pulled.

[Nasty, nasty business that. Han continues gathering files, trying to get a good representation of everything.]

I'll have to let you guys handle the spirits. I'm the only one in the family who's useless for that sort of thing.

Spirits?

[That's creepy, and with the experiments idea confirmed, he decides to let the experts handle it.]

I'll leave the door to the two of you, then. I don't know how to handle something like that, either.

[He holds his hands up, stepping back and letting them at it.]

But I can help carry some of the files. We should take as much as we can with us, as I doubt we'll be coming back here again.

[Well, add one more to the chorus of agreement that they take a few of the files with them. Although Mizael's targets are the ones that are scattered about. He lifts a hand to reach out with his powers and then starts twirling a finger in the air to have the now glowing pink files levitate back over to himself.]

I agree that we should try to take as many as possible, but we should also consider how we're going to get them out of the building. Somehow I doubt CERES will want to let us leave with them, if they notice them once we're back upstairs.

[ The spirits respond to Nico's pressing, retreating as if nervous, burned. If nothing else, they seem skittish, though certainly hovering right beyond that door still. There's a certain tentative nature to them, and when Mia joins Nico, they seem even more urgent, even if they still do not legitimately approach in any way.

They can grab as many files as they like; nothing happens when they do so, and though some are grimy, water-damaged and unreadable beyond repair, there are many that are in perfectly acceptable condition.

Otherwise, the room continues to be quiet, almost unnaturally so, though the door they came in through slowly swings shut, as though a breeze closed it (though there are no breezes down here). ]

[Nico glances over at Mia curiously then gives a little nod. Using his powers in front of other people gives him a twinge of nervousness because of the often rejection that follows in people's reactions. It gives him a little more sense of ease knowing he's not the only one down here with similar abilities.]

I don't think they're malicious spirits. If we go through the doors, I can try to hold them back if they do try to attack us. They feel nervous, not evil.

Maybe we can help put them to rest? [He directs that last question to Mia.]

« 001 ⇢ INTERLUDE001.EXE »

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▶ FINAL CHECKPOINT.SAV

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▶ END TOUR.EXE