For Science (closed RP)

[Salandis]

[OOC: Raine ducks around the helicopter to attack the male guard from behind, opts to whip him into the pavement.]


The plan was agreed on, and the lights went out as Bruse worked his ghostly magic. Viktoria made some complicated motions as Sarkany sauntered over, doing a credible imitation of a guardsman’s stroll. Raine couldn’t quite follow what Viktoria was trying to indicate, in the dark – but she realised before him, and simply said. “Male guard. Go”.


Then she was away in the dark. Raine took a moment for professional admiration as she blended seamlessly into the dark on her attack run. Then he was away after her, and if he wasn’t quite as stealthy, and perhaps a little out of practice, he still had several centuries of on and off warfare to draw on for experience.


And one lesson leapt to mind: Attack them where they don’t expect it. As they crossed the parking lot Raine branched off behind the attack helicopter, circling rapidly to get at their backs while Sarkany pulled their attention. It was textbook for an ambush: If they heard him, Viktoria would have a clean run. If they didn’t, he would have a clear shot – and likely Vik would as well, if Sarkany proved a good distraction.


He paused behind the male guard who had been patrolling, thankful he had brought his whip. With an expert flick the long, metal-woven whip lashed out to the guards’ torso. Raine didn’t bother trying to add his own abilities into the attack: If it lands, he will pull and twist to yank the hapless man off his feet, head first onto the asphalt.

[kilnarak]

[ Ari's plan to follow Sarkany is foiled by Sarkany's decided lack of stealth. Instead he follows Taconin. While the guards are distracted, the pair sneak toward the entrance into the facility. ]

Ari fidgeted as he waited for the distraction to happen. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't hear what Raine and Viktoria were saying - could hear, but couldn't focus on it enough to understand. He had intended to wait, to shadow Sarkany once the seraph began to head in. But instead of sticking to the shadows, Sarkany walked right on out into the open. Ari balked - he couldn't do that! He would have to find his own way?

Abruptly something coiled about his leg - a distraction that would have startled him if it hadn't been paired with a mental nudge informing him of just who it was. Taconin's tail was curled about his calf and it rested there a moment, then slipped away as the shadowy demon began to pick his way toward the entrance - giving Ari something to follow.

Taconin kept a tendril of thought extended to the feline shapeshifter, keeping track of just where he was and urging the other to follow if he balked. Sarkany's tactic was... interesting - Taconin was half certain he may have been able to pull off such a feat. How difficult would it be to appear as what was expected, rather than what was feared? But it was an experiment for another time. The demonling crouched low, moving slowly but deliberately toward the entrance into the facility.

... and Ari followed, trying to move just as deliberately despite his anxiety. He kept his senses focused on trying to spot movement - other guards or the swivel of a surveillance camera, things that would need to be avoided.

[Marshmallow]

This Round...



Bruse dropped to the ground after his success with the lights and cameras, and pressed his unique advantage to further distract the guards. The female - Jackson - seemed largely unaffected by his emotional assault, however. Her posture became more rigid, and her gaze darted suspiciously through the darkness, but she was otherwise composed. Abandoning the attempt, the spirit chose to move on, phasing through the hangar doors to scout what lie ahead...


Sarkany adopted the guise and speech of a gate guard and strode forward, making a further distraction himself to give his allies an opening to get into position. As expected, both guards turned their attention, and their flashlights, to him as he made his approach. Both sets of brows furrowed in confusion.

"Coleman?" said the woman, slightly lowering her rifle.

"What are you doing away from your post?" asked the man, more sternly, turning expectantly as Sarkany brushed past. "Wha... Hey! I asked you a question!" Clearly, he had rank over the guard Sarkany chose to imitate, and was not accustomed to being ignored. Something must have changed in what he saw, for his expression abruptly turned cold and he swiftly drew his sidearm. "Halt right there! Hands where I can see them!"


Viktoria advanced under the cover of darkness. The moment the guards' attention was turned, she rushed forward to attack. Jackson never saw it coming, her light trained on the supposed gate guard. She let out a yelp of alarm as something large and powerful barreled into her and wrestled the assault weapon from her grip. Then she gave a true and proper scream when the light illuminated the snarling visage and rows of shark-like teeth of her adversary - moments before her own stolen rifle was used to knock her unconscious.


Raine circled around the guards, using the parked helicopter for cover, and timed his attack in tandem with Viktoria. The whip lashed out just as the male guard had drawn his sidearm and leveled it at Sarkany. Between the sound of his companion's scream and the sudden impact of the whip, he was left too stunned to react in the scant few seconds he had. The whip jerked taught and yanked the man right off his feet. His head impacted the ground at a harsh angle, and his gun and flashlight skipped across the asphalt with a clatter.


Ari and Taconin follow on their companions' heels, keeping low and to the deeper shadows, just in case there were any guards or cameras missed in the assault. Thankfully, due to their collective efforts, there are no more wary eyes to see them as they reach the door.



Now...



With the guards and cameras outside either evaded or simply taken out of commission, the path was clear for the group to proceed. The hangar doors loom, secure and imposing, above them. To the side, a small personnel door is now happily unguarded. Although the lot is dark without the floodlights, a cursory flick of a commandeered flashlight would reveal a panel beside the door. The panel had a numerical keypad, as well as a card scanner and a handful of control options - including opening the hangar. Certainly the latter option would be the one most likely to draw attention. Thankfully, each guard wore their ID cards in plain view: clipped to their belts or vests. Only one would be necessary to open the door and gain access to the facility.


Bruse of course had no need for doors. Already the spirit was ahead of his companions. What he found inside the doors, and what they would soon see themselves, was a wide rectangular space with a high ceiling. Vehicles ranging from small personal cars, to multi-passenger vans, to armored trucks and ATVs with mountings for weapons were parked in orderly rows across the concrete floor. The dark metal grate of a freight lift dominated the back wall of the hangar, with brightly colored caution signs warning passers-by to stand clear of the gates while the lift was operating.

To the right of the entrance, a long, squat window was set into the concrete wall. The view inside appeared to be of a reception office or security checkpoint, possibly both. There was a row of computer terminals inside, but only two of the screens were lit. The office was dark save for a single lamp illuminating the pages of an open book on the counter, but there was no one currently visible inside. Just past the office was a door. A sign above it stated "Ground Floor: Administration and Sequencing". To the left of the door, a diagram outlined the facility floor by floor: Four levels all together, one above them and two more below.
1F - Personnel Quarters
G - Hangar, Administration, Laboratories L-1 thru L-5
B1 - Artifact Studies, Laboratories L-6 thru L-10, Surgical
B2 - Deep Storage, Specimen Containment
The little "You Are Here" dot seemed unnecessary.

Lighting inside the hangar was sparse; Only a third of the overhead lights were on. With the lateness of the hour, it was to be expected: It was after working hours, no one needed to enter or leave, so the lights were dimmed. The area was silent save for the faint, distant hum of electricity. It seemed more surveillance was used outside than inside the hangar, as only two cameras hung within view of the door. The arc of one covered the hangar, and the other covered the freight elevator. Perhaps due to Bruse's earlier power surge, neither appeared to be moving.



The way seems clear for their advance, with more than one potential route to explore.

The Pact binding Ari and Marchelute together continues to pull at the shifter, ever urging him forward and down. An eerie sensation prickles along the brand, a feeling of needles between his shoulders that, seconds later, blossoms into an intense and searing pain. Though no words can traverse the bond, there comes the impression of great rage, and screaming...

[kilnarak]

[ Ari and Taconin hold near the doors, unless the others drag them inside. Ari is panicking after the sensations through the Pact hit him, and Taconin is trying to 'help.' ]

The guards were sufficiently distracted - certainly there were more important things to pay attention to than a pair of shadows creeping toward the hangar doors. Of course, when they reached those doors it became clear to Ari, at least, that he would not be getting in without assistance. He stood near the panel, eyeing it in dismay - it required some sort of keycard... and maybe a password too? His fingers curled, claws biting into his palms as he fought back frustration - they needed to be moving, they needed to go - and he glanced toward the others, fidgeting.

"Check-Check the bodies? We need an ID, or a keycard, or-or something..." He drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm - or tried to anyway, fighting the sense of urgency that sought to overwhelm him.

"I hope there isn't a c-code-- AH!" A sudden pain flared between his shoulder-blades, where the brand sat, and Ari staggered - would have been floored if not for the wall beside him that stopped his fall. The pain and the sense of rage that came with it was both frightening and overwhelming, and the shifter's voice rose in a keening scream for a moment - but the noise almost seemed to startle him back to himself. He bit his lip, stifling the cry and slid down to huddle on the ground, trying to hold himself together until the sensation abated.

Taconin coiled about the shifter, the gesture protective if not wholly comforting. The shadow-demon's presence licked at the edges of Ari's mind, siphoning away some of his terror, dulling the sensation rather than emphasizing it. Quiet, now. We cannot draw attention. We need to find Father, first.

[Pearl Dragon]

[[OOC - Since Bruse can't read, I left it up to a quick dice roll to see where he goes from here. Bruse decides to go as far down as he can into the facility's lower levels, to start his search from the bottom up. He chooses to go to B2.]]

As Bruse phased through the hangar doors, he then found himself in an large, open space with high ceilings and vehicles parked in neat rows throughout the hangar's interior. His gaze shifted to the window on the far side of the interior, noting the emptiness inside, and then passed over the frieght lift's grated metal door. With no guards in sight, Bruse continued to what appeared to be a map on the wall near the empty office. Looking it over, he could see what appeared to be a series of floors, but other than the unreadable markings and perhaps a few vague symbols, Bruse could not quite understand what each level represented, but perhaps it didn't matter. Turning to the freight lift, Bruse made up his mind and then phased through the metal grate and then down into the shaft below the platform.

The large spirit began a downward descent, flying fast but watching the darkened wall of the of the elevator shaft as he went for any sign of a door. One seemed to pass by, but Bruse continued even lower. Might as well go all the way, try to scout as much of the facility as he could from the ground up.

Once he'd reached the final floor, he stopped on a dime and immediately flew straight through the metal doors and into the bottom level of the facility.

[Salandis]

[OOC: Raine wastes no time in breaking and entering, gets to the building key, and suggests heading towards surgery]
[OOC insert: Since Raine isn't wanting to use the loud freight elevator, and has the keycard, he will unlock that door everyone seems so interested in breaking so he can find the people-lift or stairs]


Raine pulled his whip free, coiling it quickly. Seeing Ari still at the door, he snagged an ID-tag and flashlight from the guard’s belt and strode over to the door. “We’ll have tah hope this works with’ou a code…” He swiped it at the door, sighing in relief as it unlocked. Hustling Ari and Taconin ahead of him, he paused at the look on Ari’s face.

“What is it lad?” He asked, real concern in his voice. “He is in pain now?”

At Ari’s pained nod, he resumed forward progress, half carrying Ari while Taconin seemed to vanish ahead in the shadows. A play of the flashlight on the room picked out the cameras, and he couldn’t restrain a low whistle as he saw the extent of the hanger. “Yah wouldn’ae think it was so deep, from the outside.” He grinned. “Might be time lords here, d’yah think?”

They progressed to the office, and Raine studied the key on the wall. “Aye this is a much bigger operation than it seems. Must’a had some hefty investment behind it.” It only took him a moment to decide on a destination, and he reasoned it quietly to Ari (And whoever else had caught up.)

“Normally Ah would suggest containment, B2 – Marchelute would need some hefty walls. But if yon pact-bound here is in pain, weel. Might be someone is doing late night research, yeh ken. Ah think we should try B1. Ah cannae rule out this floor completely, but ah think live testing logically would be between containment and surgery.” His voice stayed fairly even, but there was unmistakable anger in his tones. "We should probably head down there fairly fast, and... terminate their experiment."

[MP]

[OOC: Sarky attempts to get through the Admin and Sequencing door with his keycard - resorting to spells if necessary. He agrees to follow Raine to B1 afterward.]

Sarkany had moved to the office window while the redhead spoke, head angled slightly as he listened. He put a palm absently to the glass, eyes on the bright, lonely terminals. Drifted toward the door.

"Right behind you," he agreed with the man, though his tone suggested a somewhat longer wait than the words implied.

He tested his key card, waiting for the telltale click of the latch. If it remained locked, he was not above resorting to commands. Raine's logic was sound of course, but it wouldn't hurt to have an idea of what was waiting down B1. Where exactly Marchelute was, and what kind of condition they could expect to find him in. He could catch up with the bruisers in a moment. A quick look through administration might save them some grief in the long run.

[tsukikoko]

[OOC: Viktoria nicks the rifle and any spare ammunition, then follows Raine into the facility. Since they appear to be going loud, she remains with Sarkany as backup/cover. If he doesn't manage to get into Admin & Sequencing, she'll attempt to use the guard's keycard.]

Well, the plan had not gone as she anticipated, but at least both guards were down, no-one in the rescue group had been injured or killed and now they had a way into the building. The large feline patted down her guard, checking for any spare rifle ammunition and clipping the woman's ID card to her belt. Once people started moving, Viktoria turned her attention to Sarkany, slinging the stolen rifle across her shoulder as she did so.
"You arre being nearrly caught."
She stated simply. The humanoid made no further comment after that one, berating the seraph further would not change anything.

Having followed Raine to join Ari and Taconin, Viktoria gave her new weapon a quick once over to familiarise herself with it - ejecting the magazine to check her available ammo and then after a few moments of checking, pressing the button on the other side of the weapon and finding the firing bolt snapped forward. One eyebrow ridge raised slightly at the sound. She really did like these mechanical guns.

As the humanoid cast a cursory glance over the vehicles in the hangar, noting their potential usefulness or how difficult it might be to create an explosion in here (just in case), Raine suggested heading down to B1, while Sarkany seemed more interested in breaking into an office nearby. Since stealth seemed to be rapidly going out the window, the large feline decided to remain with Sarkany. While she knew he was capable of protecting himself, it paid to be in at least pairs in a facility like this, especially one capable of holding the old demon captive. The small, oddly-spoken man seemed able to handle himself in a fight, he could help defend the others. Viktoria nodded to Raine, Ari and Taconin.
"Go. Can catch up. If arre finding trrouble, or Marrrch.. el.. ute, be letting us know."
She tilted her head in the shadow demon's direction with her last statement. Afterwards, Viktoria returned her attention to the seraph and his attempts to access Admin & Sequencing. She could see her friend's line of thinking; the more knowledge they had about what might lay ahead, the better.

(ONLY IF Sarkany can't get into the room himself, don't wanna steal his thunder) Viktoria approached the door and inspected the lock; after a moment or two she unclipped the keycard from her belt, looked at it, shrugged, then attempted to use it to access the room.

[Marshmallow]

This Round...

The group has split up! Sections will now be described separately, until such a time as everyone is all in the same place once again.


Ari just managed to make it inside the hangar (with assistance from Raine) - with Taconin close behind. Mercifully, the pain assaulting the poor shifter through the Pact bond lasted only a minute, maybe two at most, before ebbing away. The compelling tug of that invisible connection remains as powerful as ever.


Sarkany, Viktoria and Raine approach the door marked "Ground Floor" with their "borrowed" keycards. As expected, a swipe of the ID card - any of them, as it turned out - was all it took to open the door. Clearance approved with a beep and a click, and the door slid sideways on its track, granting access to the ground floor.

A hallway stretches out before the infiltrators, as sparsely lit as the hangar had been. Their footsteps echo hollowly on the patterned linoleoum flooring, but the space is otherwise silent. The walls to both sides are lined with closed doors. In the distance, the hallway appears to take a left turn and continue. Just inside the door to their left, a sign lists the names and office numbers of administrative personnel, as well as arrows indicating the direction to stairs, elevators and restrooms further down the corridor.

A few steps in and to the immediate right, the door into the front office hangs wide open. A placard fixed to the door declares "RECEPTION" in a pleasant shade of off-white. Beneath the placard, a laminated sign politely reminds staff to check-in prior to the start to their shifts.

As seen from the window, the office is uninhabited.


So far, so good...



Bruse opted to explore ahead of his companions, utilizing the elevator shaft of the freight lift to access the lowest floor: B2 - Deep Storage and Specimen Containment.

Upon stepping silently out of the elevator shaft, the spirit finds himself on a wide open landing, devoid of decor. The floor is smooth and almost featureless, save for the worn-in tracks of countless wheeled carts, forklifts and other freight.
The Containment level is dark, the only light coming from narrow panels set into the baseboards of the walls, inches above the floor, to illuminate doors and corners. None of the overhead lights are on. A camera hums softly in a corner overlooking the elevator, sweeping the area with its infrared eye.

Across from the elevator's steel gate is a large sign covered with rows of letters, accompanied by arrows and symbols. To the literate, it would be offering helpful directions on what was where down the surrounding corridors. From where he stands, Bruse can hear the muffled rumble and hum of machinery beyond the elevator; and in the other direction, away down the branching hallways, the occasional thump or bang of moving, living things in their chambers.

What could lie down these darkened halls..?

[Pearl Dragon]

[OOC - Bruse continues on towards the sounds of "things" going bump in the dark. He ignores the sign, and doesn't really notice the camera. He is also very much a quiet ghost right now, no attempts at visible or audible manifestations.]

As Bruse exited the elevator shaft, he found himself in a wide open landing, the area overall very bland and without much of any kind of interior decor as the top floor he'd just left behind. Instead, it was dark, except for some low stretching panel-lights lining the bottom baseboards of the hallway walls. The area was barren with smooth floors except for slightly worn tracks from constant use of small cart vehicles. It was mostly quiet in the sense that it was empty of life, something that Bruse actually felt quite at home in. In fact, he felt much more comfortable now than before and would even have been tempted to take up residence here in his past if it weren't for the fact that this facility was certainly not abandoned. Still, Bruse's tension eased, and he found it much easier to venture forth into the shadowed hallways.

The first thing that Bruse noted was the hum of machinery, which he figured was typical of most basement areas such as this. Most places he'd inhabited, normally including large abandoned structures, were known to have a lower basement level that housed things like boilers and other machinery that had long been out of use. Here, though, they were very much alive. The camera above the elevator went relatively unnoticed, as the thrum of the facility's bowels drowned out the softer hum of the camera's rotation. The sign on the wall nearby also held no interest for Bruse, as it was simply more illegible lettering and symbols, the arrows pointing to wherever those writings described but otherwise were unknown to Bruse. He would only find out their meaning by actually going to those places, so the sign was useless to him.

Bruse continued on his own instead towards the stranger sounds of distant bangings, shufflings, and thumpings, as if other, more organic things were moving about in this dark, lower section of the facility. Following the sounds as best he could, Bruse made his way through the halls, unhindered by the dark. To the best of his ability, Bruse remained in the cover of the metaphysical realm, invisible to the normal, mortal eye and ear, in case the sounds were coming from facility workers if or when he finally stumbled upon their source.

[tsukikoko]

[OOC: Handgun drawn, Viktoria decides to scope out each room in turn while Sarkany is busy doing whatever he wanted to come in here for, so the group don't get surprised by someone later. If there's no-one around she checks round the corner to see what's there, keeping an eye out for cameras while she goes.]

With a swipe of one of the keycards quite neatly opening the door, Viktoria look a moment to look over the ID card she had taken, then shrugged and put it in one of her pockets. It seemed the guards had at least some access, so the card could be useful again later. The hallway that opened up before them seemed quiet enough, but Viktoria knew better than to trust first impressions. There could be any number of people quietly working, or lying in wait for them. The last thing the group needed was someone surprising them from behind later. Since the office itself looked empty, judging by what she could see through the window, Viktoria thought her friend would be safe enough going in there.
"I vill check rrooms vhile you... ah, check vhat you arre afterr."

The humanoid made sure to keep her handgun drawn while she systematically approached each closed door in turn. She would lean against the door first, laying an ear against the flat surface to listen for any movement inside, then quickly open the door (assuming it was unlocked) and sweep the room. So long as she found no-one inside, she moved on to the next door in the series. If someone did happen to be inside, she instantly charged them, hoping to get the upper hand before they had chance to react. She didn't want to have to use the gun except as a last resort, given the noise it would make, so instead she would use her arms to overpower anyone that might be inside, making sure to clap a hand over their mouth to muffle any screams or shouts.

If her sweep of the rooms turned up nothing, Viktoria instead turned her attention to the turn in the corridor. She made her way quietly through the hallway, keeping an eye out for cameras while her ears swivelled to pick up any untoward noises. Once she reached the turning, the large feline propped herself against the wall and slowly peered around the corner; overly cautious perhaps, but she had no idea where more cameras might be, or who (or what) might be around the bend, it paid not to take chances considering what was at stake.

[kilnarak]

[ Once he has recovered, Ari takes a moment to search the reception desk. Taconin explores, and looks for anything living nearby, then goes down the first flight of stairs. ]

Ari gratefully allowed Raine to lead him further into the hangar, stumbling and leaning heavily against he redhead - hardly aware of just what they were walking into. The pain was blinding and all encompassing, beginning a the base of his neck and spreading out across his nerves like fire. He wasn't aware that he had tensed against it until it flowed away from him like a receding tide - and he nearly dropped as his body relaxed after the onslaught. He staggered a bit more heavily against Raine, then forced himself to take his own weight, pushing a little away from him.

"Th-Thanks," he mumbled, his voice low and a tad hoarse. He swallowed to wet his throat then looked around, taking in their surroundings for the first time. The sterile quality of the surroundings reminded him of a hospital, and despite the pull of the Pact urging him to keep moving on, to go deeper into the facility, into the heart of the mountain, he forced himself to move toward the area labelled "RECEPTION" and examine the setup.

The shifter muttered another soft spell under his breath - willing a faint barrier of air to coat his fingers, barely as thick as a layer of skin; he didn't care to leave fingerprints. He looked over the area quickly trying to find where staff would check-in - a list of names, something he could use - or rather, something he could give to the Boss and beg that the terrifying man exact some vengeance for him. Past the fear and pain he was angry - and the thought of some form of vengeance gave him something to cling to, something to focus on aside from that terror.

-

For his part, Taconin slunk away from the feline-shifter when Raine came to help him, offering the red-headed man a soft brush of thought conveying thanks. That situation in hand, the young demon slipped away from the others, gliding down the dimly lit hallway in search of anything of interest. He made his thoughts into a wide net of sorts, seeking out any thinking entities nearby and filtering out those 'voices' that he knew. His black gaze swung from side to side, peering in doorways and down any branching hallways. If he found anything, he would be sure to inform the others, reaching back to them with tendrils of thought.

When he reached the stairs, he paused, considering them thoughtfully. Father would be somewhere below. He couldn't sense him like Ari could, but the shifter had seemed fairly certain that was the truth. It would be easiest to let Ari lead them on but... well, he would just have a look. Better to scout ahead, while the others were busy. He glanced back toward where he had left the others, then silently slipped down the stairwell, his form as dark as the shadows around him.

[MP]

[OOC: After checking for personnel or cameras, Sarkany examines the names of administrative personnel and attempts to examine the computer terminals for information on checked-in personnel or facility layout.]

With Viktoria's help sweeping the numerous rooms, Sarkany's search progressed with much less frustration than he'd anticipated. But where his companion moved in a cautious military fashion, he preferred a more relaxed approach. His commands might fade in another few minutes, but in the meantime he walked with the casual steps of one who belonged, turning handles as though he were just another guard on his late night shift - though he would respond with no less ferocity than his companion if the need arose. As he went, he paused only to check for cameras around door frames and corners. Always his eyes were roving the drawers and papers and name plates - anything to give him an idea of who they might be dealing with, how many, and where they might be at this moment. He showed particular interest upon reaching the terminals seen earlier through the window. Sequencing, the sign had said. Perhaps one of the lit screens might give them a clearer idea of where to look - or at least what they might expect to find below.

Computers were not a particular skill of his. And it occurred to him that the machines might have some kind of security measure - though, how humans managed to put locks on something intangible and why they bothered was beyond him. All the same, Sarkany narrowed his eyes at the stubborn screens and began to peck at the keyboard of the nearest terminal. If the need arose, he was not above asking Viktoria or Ari - likely far more computer-savvy than he - to step in and wrangle the machine into obedience.

[Salandis]

[OOC: Raine follows Taconin down the halls, but makes for the lifts]

Raine strode through the door and looked over the building key. Half the group looked over reception: He paused and put his head through the doorway. “Iff’n yah find any invoices or recipts, take them wit’ yeh,” he said. “Moneh is one of the best ways tah track, and they’ll be cleaning out afteh this anywah.”

Turning to the corridor, he took on Sarkanys approach and adopted the purposeful stroll of someone who had every right to be there and knew exactly where they were going. If anyone was working late a ‘normal’ sound of footfalls would be less likely to be investigated. He hoped, anyway, as he hoped that building security would be focused on the outside and less on internal corridors.

He passed Viktoria and Sarky, who were checking flanking rooms; their contents didn’t interest him, and may hold late night workers that would raise an alarm. If he got a chance he may well return and seek for additional clues… but it was likely most important documents would be removed. It was a harsh catch 22, but finding and extracting Marchelute took precedence for him.

He could barely make out Taconin ahead, and felt the small shifters occasional touch on his mind. If anything untoward happened ahead, he would likely have warning enough. The building itself was likely a decent size, but there was still a good chance of getting in and out without trouble. He strolled toward the lifts, intending to take them down a floor and check over the labs.

[Marshmallow]

This Round...


Sarkany and Ari decided to investigate the Reception office for clues about who exactly they're dealing with...


The reception office wasn't terribly large. A long counter ran the length of the window, with an intersecting segment that jutted into the room, separating the office into two work stations. One of these stations showed signs of recent use. An open book lay abandoned beneath the light of a single desk lamp. The computer and twin monitors were still on, hinting that the missing employee was likely to return.

Ari's search turned up a clipboard with a thick stack of papers secured to it. The pages were lined and separated into columns, filled with employee names and ID numbers, as well as their check-in and check-out times. Oddly, one name - a Dr. Walter Hahn - was crossed out repeatedly on every page, replaced by a hastily scribbled "#36" in the margins.

Sarkany would find that the terminal also contained some useful data. The computer had not been locked. The MIA worker must have left in a hurry, for they had left several applications open on the screens.

On the left, the screen was divided into four segments, and each quadrant showed a different greyscale image. Some of the images looked static, while others slowly panned from side to side. Camera feeds. There were multiple tabs, each showing a different set of four views scattered throughout the facility. One tab showed only four black screens, each flashing with the text "SIGNAL LOST" in block lettering.

On the right, the screen displayed a number of open applications. One of them appeared to be monitoring the facility's intranet, with a running tally of each employee currently logged into the system. Beside that, a set of tabs showed schedules and timecodes, labeling who was on or off the clock, and when. By this information, it was easy to decipher that, at night, the facility was run by a skeleton crew. Guard rotations took place every four hours, and cleaners had already made their rounds. Only one office on this floor showed an active login, but there were several more listed active on B1. Furthermore, there was a large block of time showing that the Surgical and Magical Creature labs on level B1 would be in use...



Viktoria crept slowly and deliberately down the quiet corridor, inspecting the closed doors to either side. It seemed as if every door in the sequence is locked and silent. Well, almost every door...

A thin sliver of light shone from beneath of the office doors on the right-hand side of the hallway. Upon testing the handle, Viktoria found it turned easily. The door swung inward with only the faintest creak. Beyond the threshold was a fairly large office space, neatly organized and decorated with tasteful paintings and expensive-looking furniture. A large, L-shaped oak desk dominated the room, In and Out boxes stacked high with folders and paperwork. Seated in the leather chair was a tall man with a receding hairline and dark mustache, currently poring over an open folder and an array of photos strewn across his desk.

He didn't even look up before grunting at the intrusion. "Don't any of you night-shift pricks know how to knock-" His words were abruptly cut off as a pair of large, powerful arms hauled him right out of his chair. A hand clamped across his mouth smothered his scream, and he suddenly found himself pinned to tile beneath Viktoria's hulking form. Eyes wide with terror, the man raised both trembling hands to show his assailant that he was unarmed. Despite the hand still pressed firmly over his mouth, he tried to plead for mercy.



Taconin continued ahead to look for any other signs of habitation, before descending the stairs to the next level...

At the end of the entry corridor was an open landing for the stairs to the right, and personnel elevators straight ahead. A decorative rug lay across the space, and cushioned benches sat against the walls. Away to the left, the corridor continued into darkness.

The landing for floor B1 was much the same as the previous level, with copied hallways stretching off in two directions. Unlike the upper floor, this area was lit more brightly, with about two-thirds of the overhead lights turned on. Taconin's mental 'net' would detect only one conscious mind in close range, although voices drifted down the corridor ahead, distorted and softened by distance and echo, confirming more people yet further inside the facility.

Footsteps approached, and the little shadow demon narrowly avoided stepping out into the path of a researcher. Thankfully, the woman in the long lab coat was buried in a stack of reports, and took no notice of the intruder as she passed. Her footsteps faded down the left corridor, and vanished behind the click of a door latch. No other workers were immediately visible, giving Taconin a chance to explore further, should he dare.



Raine pressed forward as well, following Taconin toward the decorated lobby space that led into the stairs and lifts. Instead of the stairs, he approached the elevator...

The lift button lit up with a soft green light, and a display above the closed doors displayed the current floor and direction of the elevator. Floor 1F, coming down.

The elevator hummed to a stop, and doors slid open with a musical chime. In the small space beyond them stood three men. With bluetooth earpieces, radios, dark uniforms and thick utility belts, these clearly were not researchers. Each of the men had a holstered firearm, one of them was carrying a rifle, and all three wore gleaming badges that read in stark, golden lettering "SECURITY".

All eyes locked on Raine, confusion freezing them for only a heartbeat before weapons were drawn. Voices raised as the rifle-wielding man stepped off the lift and ordered Raine to get on the floor with his hands up.



Bruse chose to explore the halls ahead, following the intermittent sounds of movement. With his presence held to the purely metaphysical, he managed to slip beneath the detection of cameras and sensory equipment as he drifted onward...

Upon leaving the open loading zone of the freight lift, Bruse stepped into a long, wide corridor that stretched into the distance, eventually intersecting another hall that turned sharply right. Several smaller halls branched off to the left and right in a grid-like pattern, leading to blocks of containment cells of various sizes.

The walls of the cell blocks were thick, reinforced metal. All of the doors were equally so, and locked closed by hidden machinery and security codes. Though meaningless to Bruse's eyes, every cell was labelled based on the occupant sealed inside. Circular lights of red and green above the doors seemed to indicate which cells were in use, and which were empty. Viewing screens were available on each chamber, some technological or magical cross between an electronic screen and a window. Some of these viewports were opaque like the walls themselves, and others were as clear as polished glass despite the reinforced thickness of the chambers. Through these windows, various supernatural creatures of different species, some less physical than others, could be seen. Some slept, others paced their environments, and a few loped and scampered about in agitation. The cells themselves were often lacking in any amenities beyond a bed and a place for the captives to relieve themselves. A few were strewn with toys and the like, but were otherwise little more than prisons.

Among the cells Bruse passed was one which appeared to be in use, but lay empty. The light above its door was not a solid red, but blinking green. Its prisoner was elsewhere. A closer look would reveal that beneath the fresh shine of a recent cleaning, the walls and floor were scored with deep claw marks, and the lingering blemishes of burns and blood.

Before Bruse could explore much further, an invisible force abruptly collided with him. Pressure like a colossal vice squeezed in on the spirit from all angles, until the immense will that it belonged to finally made contact with Bruse's consciousness. The pressure evaporated, then became a pull, a beckoning force which spoke to him in images and impressions rather than words. Feelings of desperation, isolation and loneliness were poured into the ghost's mind. It drew his attention toward one of the largest cells on the floor, and beyond its view screen, something shifted and flickered. A creature of some sort, clearly begging for help...