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Post by Gaia on Aug 5, 2020 14:34:32 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
The defenses of the fortress made it difficult for even his keen eyes to see through, his vision fuzzy and distorted as though it was meeting interference, despite being on the same network - like it was being jammed from within.
Annoying as it was, it wasn't strong enough to keep him at bay. Seeing the additional moving parts coming towards them, and watching as Genesis let a Pod by to see what it was going after, Vanguard turned his attention for a moment to the sound of the girls behind them talking.
He saw Mistair working on the door, and, while it confused him for a second, he remembered what Rosso had once said - a really good secretary. Perhaps too good. He chuckled at the thought, wondering why he hadn't thought of it first, but nonetheless, he had information to provide himself.
"I can't tell if there is any water between this floor and the next. I can see a hollow shaft up ahead, like an elevator, just beyond the corridors. There are six more pods that I can count, most of them on the upper level, but all of them are coming our way. There is one in the upper levels that has the same general feel to him, but a different signature - likely the one commanding the rest."
Vanguard continues walking ahead as he talks, but considered something that might be of use to Mistair. Her ability to modulate other's abilities might also enable her to use this, if he'd will it - light a bolt of energy, a ray flew from his eye and darted behind him, planting itself onto the door that Mistair was trying to work with. His reticles were known for channeling power that was funneled through them into a hair-fine point, requiring precision to fire through, but allowing for a massive boost in power. If Mistair had the patience for it, and if he was right, the Reticle may slow her down just a moment, but make her efforts more effective.
For Genesis, he rounded a corner and also watched the pod move behind them, able to watch all directions at once, and went looking for that shaft he had seen moments ago.
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Post by Raven8 on Aug 8, 2020 16:17:21 GMT -8
Preon: INTRUDER!
The Preson continues to hop its way down the hallway and towards Genesis without hesitation or fear. It reaches the bend in the hall and turns the corner, and then passes right by Genesis without engaging him or anyone else.
Rosary's attempts to hear what's happening on the other side of the room yields similar results to what Vanguard had just recently garnered: on the other side nothing seems to be happening, but the tell-tale sounds above tell her that someone or something is still fighting its way through the base, apparently moving towards the doorway in some manner.
Mistair's work opens up a panel on the side of the door, and a screen with a keyboard below that. Her skill with this kind of system eventually leads her to find another command to open a large panel closer to the floor, one with five key holes. On the panel, a total of seven boxes appear, one with a red "X" in it. While she continues to look, the Preon that Genesis had allowed to live hops up behind her and slips past.
Preon: INTRUDER
The Preon slips its spike-like arm into one of the slots, and one of the boxes on the screen gains a green check. With its duty done, the Preon hops backwards once or twice and goes into standby mode.
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Post by Warrior on Aug 8, 2020 17:33:56 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/stQVi94~png " ... "
Faith didn't intervene as it all happened. A preexisting red "X" on the panel could or could not have corresponded to the first preon that Genesis blew up, she thought, after she had seen the green check appear as a result of the surviving preon reaching its destination.
If that were the case, it'd mean that the preon bodies scattered throughout the hallway were no good either. Picking up their husks and shoving their spikey appendages into the key holes didn't sound appealing anyway, but now they could at least assume the preons needed to be alive to get the process to succeed.
Then again though, the one that Genesis and Vanguard had welcomed was vaporized entirely. Perhaps it'd be best to at least try one of the bodies lying around. Vanguard did say there were 6 active ones left though, after the first one they had nuked.
" What a strange protocol. "
An intruder shows up, so go unlock the interrogation room?
That's what it added up to, at least. It implied many things: was there something beyond this door they didn't know about, perhaps a secret weapon? Was the path to the intruder beyond the door? Was Silverhorn even behind it, or was he upstairs causing the ruckus that they assumed to be the "Intruder" as the preons marched for the door here? Or was this particular one just glitching out that badly was all?
" Well, at least we don't have to worry about them attacking us. Looks like they just want the door opened. "
The question now was whether or not the party still did.
Faith stood up finally from the first preon she had been observing, changing her mind on what she had said earlier about "taking up the rear".
" These deactivated ones got close, I guess. "
She went on to move in the same direction as Genesis and Vanguard, albeit at a bit slower of a pace than them, effectively populating the middle space between the group ahead of her and the group that was now behind. If there was a split in the path, she'd consider detouring to ensure they didn't miss anything as they continued advancing onward.
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Post by Genesis on Aug 14, 2020 21:06:28 GMT -8
*So they weren't hostile and were trying to open the door? How did that relate to everything exactly? No... if it was their protocol for an intruder then it meant that it had value all the same. It would be a pointless protocol if that wasn't the case, but there was a thought of his that very likely lined up with something that someone had said just as well in response to that particular protocol that was taking place now.*
"What a strange protocol."
*So it was a fetching quest to get them all here? If they were all heading here they could wait it out, but that was the long way to say the least and he didn't have the patience for that. It would be faster if they just dragged the required number here and got the job done. If there was water somewhere he would be fine given his set of abilities, but he could understand Vanguard's concern for it. Not all of them were good for underwater adventures should things end up leaning in that direction.*
"We'll split up and bring them here all at once."
*Starting from the farthest ones and then picking up the closer ones would likely be the ideal way to go about it. From what he was told he could map out where he needed to pick them up at from there, but it wouldn't hurt if Vanguard mapped it down and handed it to Faith and himself or otherwise. He'd leave the rest down here in the meantime up to Mistair and Rosary, starting toward the shaft-like elevator. They likely would each need to take it to their respective floors of choice and go from there, so they would end up meeting up there with all of them in tow by the time they were done if this was the only elevator. It also meant they would need to bring it to each of the ones that were trying to get to them anyway or else they could possibly drop down the shaft without considering the consequences of their actions.*
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Post by Gaia on Aug 21, 2020 9:15:50 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
Noticing their protocol, Vanguard couldn't help but come to the same conclusion - it was a strange one.
Still, if that was the point of the command, then, it was the most efficient one. If the defenders of the prison were intent on opening the interrogation room, who was Vanguard to stand in their way? There was much to question on the matter, but, they had little time to themselves and had to figure out what was going on so that they could be of help, and potentially get out of here.
He grabbed a few plates of metal off from the guards that had fallen, and, using his eyes, bore the map that he had just described onto them for easy referencing. Three dimensions was difficult to portray on a flat surface, so, he kept it simple, but effective. If they were to split up to collect them and drag them closer, knowing where they came from and how to get back would be the easiest way to move forward.
He passed out the plates of metal with the map inscribed on them for everyone, not needing his own due to being able to see through the facility on his own. Just then, as he passed a plate back to Mistair, he looked her in the eyes for but a moment, trading a message between coworkers and friends - I'll return. Be safe until then.
Without a word to her, he turned around and headed towards the elevator shaft he described, more than willing to start dragging Preons here if need be. "Let's do this. If anything goes wrong, agreed to do our best to make it back here?"
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Post by xoDeathy on Aug 22, 2020 7:55:17 GMT -8
Rosary took a map from Vanguard. A game of hide and seek with adorable little robots? Now that sounded like a good way to start the day. She saluted Vanguard's efforts and began her the fulfillment on her task.
"So pick up an adorable little robot and bring it back here, got it!"
With that, she simply took off down the hallway, and was about to keep heading in a direction opposite of Genesis' intentions, until she noticed the elevator. She quickly hopped in without wait and randomly clicked a button.
"I wonder where that button will lead!"
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Post by Zane on Sept 12, 2020 8:17:12 GMT -8
She smiled a bit when she saw the Reticle, understanding what it was for. It helped her do her part here and when the Preon had finished its work, she understood things about how it was intended to work out here.
"I thought as much."
Now just came taking a bit more time then. With the additional boost and her own handiwork, while the others did their part to bring the additional triggers back, she would keep at it for a bit longer here. She had something in mind in the event they ran into some other difficulties involving things here. The sounds above made it sound as though something was still moving through the base as it were, which meant that the others might run into it as they went to the upper levels. She took the plate from Vanguard and wordlessly met his eyes with her own, exchanging the same gaze with him. From here it would be up to them.
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Post by Raven8 on Sept 12, 2020 19:13:25 GMT -8
As Vanguard, Genesis, and Rosary board the darkened elevator and Rosary presses the button for the next floor, a voice rises from the shadows behind them.
Preon: INTRUDER!
The second Preon hops up to them, then past them to the doors. It waits there until the doors open. As they do, another voice rings out.
Preon: INTRUDER!
The Preon hops into the elevator and begins hopping in place with the other Preon, waiting impatiently as yet another voice rings out deeper into the floor!
Preon: INTRUDER!
This voice comes from even deeper into the complex, and doesn't seem to be drawing closer....
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Post by Warrior on Sept 13, 2020 0:49:32 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/stQVi94~png " ... "
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Post by Gaia on Sept 14, 2020 7:53:49 GMT -8
Vanguard.EXE
Vanguard is a little startled by the sudden upward climb, but welcomes the presence of Rosary with them. If nothing else, as he noted before - if the warden were scared of her, he would at least respect her.
As the elevator stopped, it got a little cramped with a number of preons squeezing in to join the three occupants. By the time the second one came in, Vanguard was entirely nonplussed.
He did, however, notice the presence of another Preon farther in the complex - one that didn't sound like it was moving. If it was having difficulty moving around, then it would be one additional preon that they would not be able to get to the door downstairs. He turned back to Genesis and Rosary, nodded at them, and set off down the hallway, trading out one hand for an arm-mounted cannon as he prepared to search for the struggling preon. He kept his senses keen, constantly scanning down the corridor to check ahead, maintaining his steady pace, expecting Genesis and Rosary to go on without him.
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Post by Warrior on Sept 14, 2020 8:30:49 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/stQVi94~png All jokes aside this time, Faith more or less had to assume there were no alternate paths by the time she had reached the departed elevator; the 3rd in a series of pure assumptions, really. Her thought process was illustrated a bit more than she liked here, but being one to make lemonade out of life's lemons, she shrugged at the observation and made her way back to the door Mistair was at.
Unsurprisingly, nothing of interest happened along the way back, but fortunately she could just skip the assumption phase of that one. Confirmation just wasn't in her cards today, given her last three actions.
" And then there were two. "
Her voice let Mistair know she was returning as she approached from the dark hallway. Mistair was a smart enough type that she could converse while typing away at the console, no doubt. Faith leaned with her back against the wall that the panel was on, letting them be face to face (as was her preference while talking) without being too disruptive to what she was doing.
" So tell me about yourself, Mistair. I'm sure you've got a backstory. "
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Post by Genesis on Sept 14, 2020 18:16:23 GMT -8
*Well minus the fact that there was no doubt seeing one of them hop in place constantly was going to be annoying, he at least knew that they could be just as impatient as the rest of them. It didn't change what needed to be done so he didn't let that influence anything on the subject matter. As Vanguard went to go pick up the straggler, who he presumed just fell on its face and couldn't pick itself up due in part to their limbs not being optimal for use, he would keep going as Vanguard expected to get the rest who were waiting for their ride and come back here unless the Zealot just scaled his way back down with the Preon in tow while the elevator was out of the way.*
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Post by xoDeathy on Oct 12, 2020 6:22:45 GMT -8
Seeing as Vanguard wanted to head out on his little adventure into the dark, Rosary decided to chill with Genesis. He was one she was unacquainted with, so perhaps she could initiate witty conversation to cover the down time.
"I like your threads, friendo."
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Post by Raven8 on Dec 16, 2020 14:42:08 GMT -8
As the previously discovered Preon group makes its way back to the main door and interface with the door, bringing the total up to three, the remainder of the group makes their way deeper. In one of the darker hallways that skirts the outside of the subaquaeus compound. Down this damaged and scarred corridor, the obvious scars of battle are seen. The remnants of damage from the weapons held by the Preon guards are all over, made even more obvious from the scraps of Preon armor that litter the passage, but evidence of another also stands out. A mix of blunt-force damage and explosives decorates the ruins, and leads the small group to their destination.
Near the end of the hallway, one of the still intact cells is locked, and inside is a a lone and heavily damaged Preon that hops impatiently at the door. Its head is partly caved in and its carapace shows scorch marks, making it obvious that this little guy took whatever caused all of this destruction on head-first, and somehow survived. Around him are the bits and scraps of at least a dozen other Preon guards, ranging from weapons to limbs to disembodied programs.
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Post by Genesis on Dec 22, 2020 8:30:23 GMT -8
*The scars of this battle were definitely something that he was all too familiar with. He had a feeling up until this point but there was no denying the close similarities that they shared with someone he wasn't fond of. But it was someone who was more than capable of getting this much done and causing such a ruckus all the same. It was good that they had splintered off for each of their operations thus far, as it did afford him to not get snared with the rest of them.*
*But this Preon was hopping impatiently at the locked cell door? It wasn't really his problem either way for whoever was still caged was what he would like to think, but the other Preons were rather compliant with heading to where they needed them right now with this one as the exception. He would take this opportunity to do what he had with that Golem before as chains coiled off of his form to pick up some of the various weapons and disembodied programs lying about to store them inside a separate space for later, aiming his hand as a sphere of gravitational force was fired at the locked door to see if it couldn't be taken down like the doors that kept them prisoner now that things were in chaos.*
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