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Post by Lunapocalypse on Jul 15, 2011 12:38:48 GMT -5
[You would destroy me?]
It asked with a hint of disdain in its voice, unable to believe what Tyson had just said. The AI pained itself to follow in the footsteps Aya's personality, to be just like her and react as she would in the most accurate way possible. It would be the exact same reply the ivory girl herself would ask the behemoth if he suddenly said he were about to kill her.
"Hold off that thought for a moment big guy," Aya said to Tyson as Matthew began talking with the AI, "I think we might be able to use it in that regard rather than euthanize it all together."
Tacking the second Progenitor's movement as he went to speak. Several reasonable queries had been asked of the AI, a significant portion of it were glad Matthew had called it by its preferred name.
Feeling her heart sink several notches. It was clear the only reason Matthew had control of himself were due to the processors poor location, unable to relinquish his free will. It were probably pushed closer to its goal after what the AI had committed. The scarred man could potentially be on the edge, and she regretted not doing something about it sooner back in Nevada.
[Using you to destroy Medusa was in my best interests, and I would have finished the job... had Aya not asked otherwise.]
Things were sliding into place for the brunette girl. The AI didn't want to be like her; it wanted to be her, taking in every sliver of detail to get the image perfect. Only problem were it was severely out of date to still be revering a departed Corporation.
Leaving her train of thought for something a little different, reaching out for an unconnected dot, "So you brought me here to dismantle Medusa? For Umbrella?" if it were as simple as loyalty. The AI seemed to sense a level of confusion in Aya's voice; most specifically, asking for an explanation to how they had reached this moment.
[The Alchemist's ultimate creation would lead to his ultimate downfall. Ever since Matthew's Progenitor birthing I've looked at it as my key to remove Harriet's hand of god, and to reach you.]
Images clicked on screen of the modest man's training amongst multiple pictures taken via what appeared to be CCTV and numerous other means, names of locations recorded on screen.
[Uniting the two of you became a challenge, constantly losing track and picking up old trails. It wasn't until an unknown B.O.W. report of a military caravan being attacked in Germany that I picked up on Matthew's trail. Only hours after I lost you in the far south-eastern region of Louisiana. It was the best opportunity I had in a decade.]
A topographical map followed the trail of an aircraft crossing the Atlantic ocean.
[Matthew boarded a plane which I seized control of, redirecting it toward Louisiana. Probability of being successful was low, yet you two still met. At the same time another piece of the plan presented itself unexpectantly.]
Aya raised an eyebrow before turning to look at Tyson. Nothing else in the room existed to fit the criteria the AI spoke of.
[Your emotional status remained important to keep intact. Not to mention if you and Matthew refused to see eye to eye in any ideal, someone would need to be there to separate you both. I had planned on reuniting your former PMC squad member with you. As your second in command, Claypoole filled the role for morale perfectly. Tyson's arrival in New Orleans on the other hand would prove to be far more valuable even if it had not been a part of the original plan. Such camaraderie makes you unmatched in the field.]
Aya had been grateful the meet with Tyson was unperceived. She would have preferred running into a friend by a snowball's chance in hell; it meant more that this megalomaniac computer didn't have control over that, "So then, in Vegas-" Aya snapped back to the fact a large portion of their story remained fairly unrelated, "...The EBR," remembering how she had found her trademark amongst the prototype rifle's engineering.
[Through your dated theories I was able to create Mass Field Technology. Landing it on the Black Market, it was another attempt to contact you. For it to end up in the hands of the extremists was... unexpected.]
"But not unpredictable," Aya knew the excuse the AI would make and had her retort lined up quickly to follow, feeling her hands clench.
[No.]
"Thousands of people died-"
[Justified by the ends.]
She could hear herself in its protest; her young, blind, stuborn self driven from greed to please her higher masters tethered to a leash of childhood propaganda and military conditioning.
[Having the warhead in the city allowed Matthew and yourself to learn the truth about one another, avoidable up until that point. It was a situation which forced you both to utilize your abilities. From Matthew's implants you would then be directed to Cairo.]
An impasse floated down over the four beings in the room. Aya could feel a headache coming on from the cracked belief the past month or so had been plotted, and even further in time before it. This AI was in for one hell of a reckoning.
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Post by Mikey on Jul 17, 2011 7:06:12 GMT -5
[You would destroy me?] The computer asked. The fact that it asked such a question… It made him think. This thing was actually alive… The fact that it was merely a complex series of computer programs that meshed together into some other thing that he couldn’t pronounce didn’t mean anything in his mind. Asking a question like that… It made him consider it a person. But he had killed a lot of people in his time, so time would tell if he would want to kill this one or not.
"Hold off that thought for a moment big guy. I think we might be able to use it in that regard rather than euthanize it all together." Aya said, and Tyson looked at her without moving his head from the screen.
“Euthanasia is an act of mercy. I’m not sure mercy is what’s called for.” He said, eyeing the screen. He wasn’t convinced that this thing wasn’t still working for the people who get it a roof over its head. This could be their big chance to cripple the whole network, and it was just buying time for more poor mans Aya’s to show up.
It said, and Tyson stayed quiet. Umbrella? All of this technology, and it couldn’t even access the internet or news feeds or something that would tell it that Umbrella was well and gone?
[Using you to destroy Medusa was in my best interests, and I would have finished the job... had Aya not asked otherwise.] It said to Matt. It could control him? The list of ‘reasons to kill it’ was slowly growing longer while the list of ‘reasons not to kill it’ had only one check mark on it.
"So you brought me here to dismantle Medusa? For Umbrella?" Aya asked. Tyson was arguably just as curious as she was to get an answer to the query.
[The Alchemist's ultimate creation would lead to his ultimate downfall. Ever since Matthew's Progenitor birthing I've looked at it as my key to remove Harriet's hand of god, and to reach you. Uniting the two of you became a challenge, constantly losing track and picking up old trails. It wasn't until an unknown B.O.W. report of a military caravan being attacked in Germany that I picked up on Matthew's trail. Only hours after I lost you in the far south-eastern region of Louisiana. It was the best opportunity I had in a decade. Matthew boarded a plane which I seized control of, redirecting it toward Louisiana. Probability of being successful was low, yet you two still met. At the same time another piece of the plan presented itself unexpectantly.] The thing said, and Tyson felt his jaw drop slightly under his mask. This thing had been at it for years? Just trying to get two strangers to meet? That was… Extreme. Going as far as to seize remote control of a plane, which he wondered how was possible, but apparently it was. All of that went on the back burner when he heard the last sentence spoken by the computer screen. Next piece of the plan… He looked at Aya, his hand reaching up and pulling up the mask as his brow wrinkled.
[Your emotional status remained important to keep intact. Not to mention if you and Matthew refused to see eye to eye in any ideal, someone would need to be there to separate you both. I had planned on reuniting your former PMC squad member with you. As your second in command, Claypoole filled the role for morale perfectly. Tyson's arrival in New Orleans on the other hand would prove to be far more valuable even if it had not been a part of the original plan. Such camaraderie makes you unmatched in the field.] No… f**king… Way…
"So then, in Vegas- ...The EBR.” Aya said, disbelief in her voice.
[Through your dated theories I was able to create Mass Field Technology. Landing it on the Black Market, it was another attempt to contact you. For it to end up in the hands of the extremists was... unexpected.]
"But not unpredictable." Aya answered, this time anger in her voice.
[No.]
"Thousands of people died-"
[Justified by the ends. Having the warhead in the city allowed Matthew and yourself to learn the truth about one another, avoidable up until that point. It was a situation which forced you both to utilize your abilities. From Matthew's implants you would then be directed to Cairo.]
“I call bulls***.” Tyson said, the power of speech all of a sudden coming back to his throat. Most of him still wanted to believe that this was a trap. He could deal with that with a strange sense of comfort. People lying to you to get you to stay in one place while the cavalry came in from behind wasn’t new. It wasn’t even scary anymore. Tyson found himself expecting such things on a regular basis.
“This piece of s*** is playing us. Let me frag it!” He said, the anger that flared up a result of going back to the memories of Vegas, watching people who were trying to live a semblance of a normal life be cut down like they were nothing. He was also not going to stand here and accept that the last month was all the will of some computer program with a God complex. He did everything he did for his own reasons. He did them to do the right thing, to stand by the only person he trusted in the world. No hunk of metal and plastic was going to tell him otherwise.
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Post by .Merios on Jul 19, 2011 23:21:28 GMT -5
Matthew was more curious than angry- the computer did what it was programmed to do. Nothing more. The smiley-scarred nomad could relate, it was his life for years after all. Protocols, scripts; his life was nothing more than coding running in the background of his mind, changing how he thought and how he acted. He paced, listening to Aya and the computer speak on words he could barely comprehend. The sentences blurred together, the idea of their meeting not being coincidence didn't really make sense. Why?
"The Alchemist..."
He shuddered a bit, stepping near Tyson as the soldier's violent outburst interrupted his train of thought. “This piece of s*** is playing us. Let me frag it!” Matthew lifted up his left hand.
"The variables of the mission couldn't be accounted for, deaths were an unfortunate byproduct of our own design,"he sighed, stepping towards the monitor and stuffing his hands in his pockets, still speaking to Tyson as his eyes eyed the monitor as if making eye contact with the omnipresent being before him, "all Aya did was make sure we met. It was a scripted mission, it was made to fail- designed to become part of a problem.."
Matthew stepped back, shrugging his shoulders."We were part of the solution, we had to do something. There's no accounting for the human element... There are no numbers to input, the realistic value of the deaths are nothing to the computer system."
His hands began shaking, nervousness set in as he removed his sweaty fists from his jean pockets and stepped towards the monitor even closer. The Umbrella corporation logo in his iris' distorting as he squinted his eyes.
"What now? If you have these.. Plans. What do we do? Even if we know what we're planning on doing, obviously you already know the fate of our mission before we do."
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Jul 20, 2011 1:27:14 GMT -5
[You're searching for the Sonnentreppe chamber which Harriet Beck has discovered in his excavations. I can help you reach your goal in exchange for freeing me from his controlling hand.]
The screen lit up with a map displaying the underground base. It stretched on much further than any of them could have anticipated, going outside of Cairo's boundaries; past the quarantine. One single line continued from the hub traveling toward a small group of landmarks, stopping beneath the largest of the three, "The great pyramid of Giza," Aya rung out in reply.
[Correct. This is where the second Stairway to the Sun lies. The highest level of security encompasses this branch of the facility. However once you've entered me into the base's network I should be able to clear any hazards which stand in your way.]
The line connecting between the main base and the chamber flashed, zooming in on the end nearest to Cairo and having several images flash on screen. A Monorail was displayed, surveilance footage in real time showing scientists and soldiers going about their business; likely responding to the current assault.
Aya held her arms and reduced her posture to something more relaxed, almost looking cynical at the screen, "And what about after all that? After the mission is complete," she asked.
[We restore Umbrella to its former glory.]
The chocolate haired girl nodded before turning to Tyson and shaking her head. There was a trump card up their sleeve which she hadn't fully realised until now, one she didn't want to pull out for fear of jeopardizing their safety. Aya would simply have to hope Tyson and Matthew would catch on, prefering not to speak or mouth her thoughts in case the AI turned HAL on them and read her lips.
It was time they exploited the option, "Okay, what do we do?" accepting the digital alliance. A small panel in the wall opened near the monitor and a cylinder hissed out.
[Take this OMD and install it onto the security panel found here...]
The map highlighted a small boxout amongst the cavern of hanging research cubes.
[It will take a moment for me to complete my incursion on Medusa's system through the wireless interface. You will need to hold that position from any hostile forces until then.]
"One other topic. That cavern is the R&D sector of the base. We want to drop it and destroy any of the research the Company has been building up, sooner rather than later, before any employees can escape with information." Aya quickly told the AI.
[That will be possible after establishing connection.]
Once the AI had answered Aya strided over and plucked the optical memory drive from its seating. They would use this as a weapon The Alchemist had kept in his possession for so long, the ivory girl tucked it into a pouch.
[Before you leave...]
Quickly on the screen the chamber was displayed again; a boxout of it, bare unlike the rest of the 3D map which had numerous fine details of the rest of the facility.
[Harriet is at the chamber with his henchmen. He has the staff and is in the procedure of unlocking the door to Sonnentreppe. Time is of the essence, however caution is advised. Anyone without military training should take extra precautions.]
A sealed space to the right of the monitor opened, cool air spilling out in a fine mist. Aya headed out, stepping into a humid maintenance corridor with steam gently hissing out of piping and condensation making the walls shine with a thin later of slick. The commando unslung her Tavor and handed it to Matthew, "Here. You'll be needing a replacement," detaching the 5.56 bandolier from her harness and handing that over as well.
Feeling the flash drive at her waist to reassure it were still there. By a strange act of fate they now had a powerful key to reach the chamber. Aya already had a solid idea of what would happen to it once they finished what they sought; bringing a hammer down on Medusa, and closing a shadowy chapter of her life.
Ahead lay the research cavern, although they were far deeper than before. It was a clear path to the security detail.
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Post by Mikey on Jul 20, 2011 4:02:22 GMT -5
"The Alchemist..." Matt said. The name didn’t hold the same kind of weight for him as it did for Matt, but he knew it was a bad man that they were going to take care of. Tyson could already feel the itch coming… He didn’t know this man, he didn’t know anything about him, but he knew that he wanted him dead. Him, and everyone who had ever taken a paycheck from him.
"The variables of the mission couldn't be accounted for, deaths were an unfortunate byproduct of our own design, All Aya did was make sure we met. It was a scripted mission, it was made to fail- designed to become part of a problem.." Matt said, and Tyson shot a glance at him.
“All she did was put weapons of mass destruction into the hands of terrorists.” He said, his voice low.
"We were part of the solution, we had to do something. There's no accounting for the human element... There are no numbers to input, the realistic value of the deaths are nothing to the computer system." He said, and Tyson stayed quiet. Was he so inhuman that he didn’t feel anything when they were literally staring down the culprit that was responsible for everything?
"What now? If you have these.. Plans. What do we do? Even if we know what we're planning on doing, obviously you already know the fate of our mission before we do." Matt asked, and Tyson listened. He wanted to hear this.
[You're searching for the Sonnentreppe chamber which Harriet Beck has discovered in his excavations. I can help you reach your goal in exchange for freeing me from his controlling hand.] The AI said. Tyson wasn’t about to allow this thing to be left in working order.
A map of the area came up, expanding over Cairo to encompass miles of the outer area. A line went from there to a group of buildings outside the city, and Aya told him something he had already guessed.
"The great pyramid of Giza.“
[Correct. This is where the second Stairway to the Sun lies. The highest level of security encompasses this branch of the facility. However once you've entered me into the base's network I should be able to clear any hazards which stand in your way.] It said. It was offering to help them… This wouldn’t end well. It had something up it’s USB port…
It said. That part interested him. Regrouping… Nancy. He was glad she hadn’t come with them, but he couldn’t help but worry about her safety. He shouldn’t have brought her along. He should have forced her to stay behind.
"And what about after all that? After the mission is complete?” Aya asked.
[We restore Umbrella to its former glory.] Oh hell no. He looked at Aya, knowing full well that that would be her breaking point. She gave a small nod to the computer before she turned to him and gave him a shake of her head. He returned it with a small nod of understanding, staying quiet. She had something up her own sleeve. Good. The Aya he knew was still the Aya he knew.
"Okay, what do we do?" She asked, Tyson looking back to the computer as it explained the plan. Use it and then destroy it. He liked that idea. It got them further along their path, and he wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.
[Take this OMD and install it onto the security panel found here...] It trailed off as it brought up a smaller section of the map, highlighting the area for the security panel. [It will take a moment for me to complete my incursion on Medusa's system through the wireless interface. You will need to hold that position from any hostile forces until then.] Seemed like a plan. The computer stuff was Aya’s thing. All he knew was that the pricks would be coming to them instead of the other way around. It just saved walking time.
"One other topic. That cavern is the R&D sector of the base. We want to drop it and destroy any of the research the Company has been building up, sooner rather than later, before any employees can escape with information." Aya quickly added.
[That will be possible after establishing connection.] It responded. Two birds with one stone. Perfect.
[Before you leave…] It said quickly, showing another zoomed view of another chamber of the facility they were going to be crashing. [Harriet is at the chamber with his henchmen. He has the staff and is in the procedure of unlocking the door to Sonnentreppe. Time is of the essence, however caution is advised. Anyone without military training should take extra precautions.] It said, and Tyson took a quick look at Matt. They’d watch out for him.
A small panel opened up next to the computer, and Tyson followed Aya through. When they were all inside, she handed off her weapon and its ammo to Matt. "Here. You'll be needing a replacement.” She said.
“When we get inside, you worry about the computer junk. I can take up the middle position. Matt, try and find a way to get around and flank whoever is coming.” He said. Spreading them thin, but Aya wouldn’t be too good in a straight firefight with a nine millimeter. He was the best suited and armed for a straight firefight, Matt was armed for lighter duty. They needed to get this done quickly.
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Post by .Merios on Jul 20, 2011 12:22:51 GMT -5
Matthew grasped the Tavor in his right hand and bandolier in his left. He slung the Tavor across his right shoulder and took a moment to adjust the straps on the bandolier before slinging it around his torso, sliding the clips into position. He met Ty's glance, the military experience quip the computer made must have sent the soldier into a bit of an uneasy feeling. Once they stepped inside, the door behind them slid shut with a woosh of purged oxygen. The sound was all-too-familiar. He looked to Aya, sighing a bit as they began to walk, taking the Tavor in both hands.
"This place just gives me the creeps.."
His voice echoed off the walls as they approached the end of a short hallway of the cavern. His feet moved to a stop as he just took it all in, a long breath entered his lungs; grip tightening on the assault rifle. They were finally here, ready to start the end of their adventure at this facility.
"Well.. Lets go. Best not to over-think this."
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Jul 21, 2011 9:56:41 GMT -5
With the help of some well placed strobe lights laid out by their AI overseer the three were able to quickly find their way back into the main cavern. Aya felt pleased returning to the comfort of circulated air over the humidity of the maintenance tunnel moments ago, and also contented with the fact the floor they stood on would plummet minutes from now.
Bringing up her photographic memory; they were on their own after re-entering the research sector. Aya pulled at the image of the map in her mind to find the security detail the AI had highlighted; it wasn't much further from were they stood. Her footsteps sang as she padded through the glass corridors at a jog, finally feeling herself dry off from the dip earlier.
The longer it took for them to reach the checkpoint the longer everything begun looking samey. Quietly skidding to a halt at an intersection, the determined girl mumbled to herself the pattern in mind as she looked between their options, "Down here," Aya quickly asserted before powering down a set of stairs.
'Security G-12' was emblazoned with the Gorgon head on the glass of the door, their destination. One rock solid heel slammed into it busting a clear entrance for Aya to step in, FNP9 sweeping the room, "Clear," she continued for the console.
Again nary any human presence. Medusa must have valued their employees to remove even security staff, "The Alchemist's gotta know what's up and had all trained personnel pulled back to defend the chamber," Aya thought out loud while tugging the flash drive from its pouch, "Letting- ah, Aya in the security will probably give him a shock," with a smirk the ivory girl plugged the OMD into a USB port, the wireless device activating instantaneously with its flashing orange light.
<Intrusion Detected>
The warning message flashed on screen once before blocks of the display cracked from its original 32-bit colour setting; the monitors losing connection once the AI began its incursion on Medusa's systems. An alarm blared in the cavern, the last resort to warn everyone that things were about to go to the stone age around here.
Aya pressed her nose against the window to look out the small security box spotting soldiers emerge from several wall side entrances, "Alright you two. Here they come."
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Post by Mikey on Jul 22, 2011 6:56:06 GMT -5
<Intrusion Detected>
The computer displayed the warning to the three, and the warning siren began to sound. Tyson had to wonder what the use of that was. Why not a silent alarm? It would make it so much easier to sneak up on the threat. Normally, anyway. There wasn’t much point now, true, but any other times it gave whoever was rooting around in your s*** time to escape.
He heard the sirens and let out a small smirk, watching security pour in from several spots.
“Back to basics. I love it.” He said quietly, putting his mask down and shouldering his weapon. He moved to the outside of the office, giving Aya some room. He planted his feet and waited, letting a small group accumulate. They tried to take cover and fire, but soon found that their guns weren’t much good against the weaving and Intertium in his armor. Not to mention, their cover didn’t stand up to his armor piercing rounds. Bodies began to drop and blood soon pooled all over the glass floor, blocking out the view of the chasm they were suspended above. At least it would cure his sudden realization of height nervousness…
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Post by .Merios on Jul 31, 2011 14:51:24 GMT -5
After Aya slid in the USB drive, the alarm blared as par for the course. The Tar felt heavy in his hands as a bit of hesitation sunk into Matthew's thick skull. The weight of the trigger felt almost natural underneath his index finger as his feet carried him to the unopened door near the rear of the room, opposite of his soldier compatriot. His left hand moved to the door knob and he slowly turned it, pushing it ajar and peeking his head out an inch or two. Four men rushing down the hallway towards him, immediately oblivious of the nomad. When they got within feet, he planted his right foot on the door and kicked it open, connecting with the first Medusa soldier, sending him to the floor. As quickly as he opened the door, Matthew slid out from behind it and brought the butt of the rifle up in an arc, sweeping it underneath the second soldier's chin.
The man stumbled back into his comrade giving Matthew just enough time to step forward and send out his right knee into the staggering man's gut and consequently dropping him to the floor. Taking a moment to right himself, he had to make a quick decision- there were more coming and he needed a way to cut off this hallway.
Glass floors.
He looked down, taking the barrel of the Tar-21 in his right hand and the grip in his left. Inhaling quickly, he brought the rifle down in an axe-swing. The velocity behind the attack made the butt of the weapon shatter the the treated glass locally and spider web the cracks outward. Backing up a bit, he noticed each step manifested deeper cracks and the weight of the men on the floor seemed to sink the glass almost as if it was fabric. Within seconds, the glass broke through and swung freely underneath the hallway, Matthew made a leap for the door to catch the handle just as the ground underneath his boots gave way. The collective scream of the soldiers slowly faded away into silence as they disappeared from sight within the dark chasm.
He sighed a bit, rolling over and sitting in the middle of the door frame, his legs hanging over the darkness below.
"That's one hallway down..."
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Aug 2, 2011 8:24:11 GMT -5
Fighting could easily be heard within the security checkpoint. The glass corridors literally sang with the reverberation of machine gun chatter giving 'music to my ears' a whole new meaning. Aya had been keeping a close eye on the progress of the AI's upload when something hit the window in front of her, its hard thud taking her by suprise, the sound of glass cracking away.
It was identified what caused the damage, a couple of metres below her guards had taken position on another corridor and were firing non-lethal rounds to break the window. Another beanbag shattered the glass, several more pops were followed with a couple of canisters landing in the room. Aya didn't hesitated to pick them up and toss them back before the teargas could begin pumping into the air.
Mechanisms whirred as parts of her compound bow clicked into place. Aya knelt against the frame of the window, leaning out and drawing a shaft as another canister was fired from below. The broad head punctured the grenade, bringing it back down to the guards and spewing compressed gas into the corridor. Quickly it looked as if a chemical fire had gone off with little to be seen inside the smokey hallway.
A chime came from the security checkpoint console. The upload was complete. Aya leaned in to read anything that showed on screen, waiting for a reply from the AI. Static gurgled from a radio resting on the bench.
<I've compromised the Medusa network.>
Aya's lips curled in malevolence, "Good. What can you tell me about sinking the R&D sector?" the pale girl was quick to ask.
<Searching... There is a killswitch option to disconnect all support wires holding up each chamber.>
"How do we activate it?" the chocolate haired girl asked tentatively. There was a pause between her question and the AI's answer, as if it were processing the thought deeply.
<In terms of safety, there is no way to activate it.>
Her expression changed like the wind, "How come?"
<Manual input is required at the chain piston station further down in chamber E-5. Once all chains are disengaged research blocks will drop one by one and the corridors and elevators connecting each of them will shatter. Amongst that all exits are sealed and the Medusa network is severed in the cavern, I would not be able to assist you afterward.>
Aya's bow collapsed and she hitched it back onto her harness, "Start isolating yourself from the network."
Stepping outside of the security room Aya backed up to Tyson keeping within the safe zone of his armor, bullets curving around and dropping to the floor quietly, "Big guy!" the commando shouted over the firefight, "We gotta split. Find Matt and head for the Western wall exit. I need to head down a couple more levels in order to sink this place but I'll regroup without before we head out," she flinched as a .50 fled over Tyson's shoulder, "Be prepared for things to start falling. You might need to utilize some C4 on the exit out."
With a pat on the back she left the behemoth to his lead round cornucopia, ducking back into the security room. Aya looked out from the shattered window and down at the corridors and chambers below. With a whispered word of confidence she climbed through the frame, aiming at a passageway further below, and launched into the outside space of the cavern.
Air was stale, far unlikely to be filtered like what she breathed in the shimmering hallways. It lasted only for a moment as she entered close proximity of her landing zone. Her weight and speed punched straight through the corridor. Fine, she hadn't expected it to support her anyway. The next contained enough resillience to only crack once her feet made touchdown.
Several guards had been jogging through it at the time, looking up to see the assaultee above them as she drew her FNP9 quickly blasting holes to completely compromise the integrity of the hallway.
They all fell together, the guards with less control than Aya as each either landed on the next research chamber's roof or continued falling for a far different fate. Bouncing up from the impact, she disarmed one as he stood knocking the rifle from his hand before booting him off the edge of the roof. Another candidate unlucky enough to still have his weapon drew his knife, shouting as he sprinted for an attack. Aya blocked the blade, pushing it away before hooking her left fist at his head knocking him out cold. A metal clack sounded of a revceiver being charged, the lithe girl spinning around and tossing the knife she procured. It split through the guards visor catching him in the head before he could pull the trigger.
Taking each chamber as a stepping stown doward, it quickly became clear what Aya was looking for. Four massive chains spread out from the centre of a single block, far thicker than anything she would have imagined. It seemed as if the weight supported itself relying entirely on the one cube; there wouldn't be much that could cut through something of that durability. The controls had to be on the inside.
[OoC: Just wanted to let you guys know, we've officially blown the first episode out of the water in terms of content. Ep1 comes in at 103k words, while Ep2 currently has a 134k word count. Awesome work.]
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Post by Mikey on Aug 3, 2011 8:57:12 GMT -5
"Big guy! "We gotta split. Find Matt and head for the Western wall exit. I need to head down a couple more levels in order to sink this place but I'll regroup without before we head out. Be prepared for things to start falling. You might need to utilize some C4 on the exit out." Aya yelled over the gunfire, the loudest coming from Tyson’s weapon a matter of inches from his ears. He picked out what she was saying, and let out a nod as he shot a thumbs up from his left hand, the right hand still on his weapon as he sprayed bullets down the hall. By now, the back wall was gone. He had been careful to avoid hitting the ground and blocking their way out.
“We’ll wait for you!” He yelled, just after he got the words out he heard his weapon stop firing. His belt was dry.
Flipping the top of the weapon up, he ditched the empty belt box and yanked a new one from his vest, mounting it and pulling the first round out. He began to put it in place when he saw men coming out of cover to try and seize the opportunity to overrun him. Not one to actually allow himself to be outdone, he let the M60 hang and pulled out his Glock, aiming and holding down the trigger as he let rounds go indiscriminately down range. They began to back off again, Tyson putting the empty Glock back into its shoulder holster after releasing the locked slide. He pressed the 7.62 round in place and slammed the M60 shut, racking the charging handle and beginning his advance.
Walking slowly, purposefully, he swathed a line of fire through walls and into the fleeing guards. Cutting them down as they fled with little difficulty, he discerned the West path and started down it, looking for Matt the whole way.
“Matt! West exit!” He yelled out on one of the breaks in his fire. He couldn’t see very far, even with the glass walls. The s*** inside some rooms, the massive amount of blood spatter on some walls. It gave him a very limited field of view.
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Post by .Merios on Aug 9, 2011 10:30:11 GMT -5
The walls that held up the foundation began shattering all around him, giving the hallway he was in a surreal sort of ambiance. Standing up, Matthew turned around and withdrew his Tavor, watching Aya and Tyson through the crimson-stained glass wall at the end of the room. The nomad took a few cautionary steps towards the soldier as he mowed down the remaining soldiers, the rounds from the m60 tearing through the floor and walls like race paper. He made his way to the door frame, flattening up against the wall beside and leaning out. He laid down a quick spray of rounds before moving through the door and heading down the west hallway
“Matt! West exit!”
The shouting from Tyson was barely audible over the bursts of automatic fire and the sound of glass shattering. The once-pristine walls were stained with either blood, grease or moisture which blurred the vision of anyone attempting to see past a room or two. The door at the end was a heavy plastic, factory-stained with a keypad next to it. As he approached at a decent jog, he lifted the sights of the rifle to the keypad with his right hand and squeezed the trigger. The rounds destroyed the electronics, sending a fountain of sparks showering to the ground. Not breaking his stride, Matthew shouldered through the door and followed through, heading down the now-slanted hallway. Around the bend, a small troupe of three soldiers charged forward, the stained glass walls gave Matthew just enough concealment to move forward and set the Tar-21 against his shoulder as he bent around he corner.
With a long trigger pull, bullets were sent downrange as the men began to panic. The gun clicked dry. Dropping it and letting it swing back around to his side, Matthew withdrew his Mateba and skid around the sharp bend, rushing forward and using the momentum gained from downhill velocity to jump a few feet to the right, planting his right foot off the wall and twirling slightly, sending his left into a roundhouse. With one sent reeling backwards, the two other men began drawing their weapons. Ducking, Matthew snatched the charging bar of the soldier's rifle with his left hand and brought the Mateba upwards with his right, pushing the barrel up underneath the man's visor and squeezing the trigger, streaking the plastic screen with a gory red mist.
Spinning the gun backwards around his right index, he gripped the weapon by the barrel and rushed forward, his right foot planting directly into the man's stomach, wrenching the poor soldier forward. Within moments, the grip of the hand-cannon was brought down swiftly to connect with the back of his skull, silence pervading the air as his body dropped with a dull thud. He turned around, Tyson was already down the far hallway and there was still an unopened door ahead. Matthew straightened up, cautiously stepping over the corpses and stepping next to the plexi-glass gateway. With a flash of annoyance on his face, he brought his right leg up and kicked forward, dropping the glass inward and collapsing the door frame around it. He stepped through and turned around, slipping the Mateba back into it's holster.
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Aug 10, 2011 10:00:11 GMT -5
Balancing along a steel rope suddenly made standing in a glass box over an open chasm not seem so bad. Now and again a case of the wobbles set in after finding it difficult to deal with such vertigo. Support chain No.1 stretched out from underneath the slender woman, a piece of the plan in reaching her goal.
On impact of landing a short lived ripple was sent through the four-man thick chain. It seemed to have an effect on adjacent research blocks causing them to tremble. Aya could already sense the instability by simply looking at what held the entire place together. Rivets the size of a car wheel were pinned along the edges of the mammoth steel dungeon.
Twin sizeable holes had been cut from each face of the chamber allowing the chains out. They doubled up looping back on each other, another running directly below the one Aya stood on. She worried the entire place would tear itself up once things began to fall, debating as to whether this had turned into a suicide mission while climbing forwards.
Nothing but space inhabited the inside. A single ladder receded down to separate platforms situated over each loop, the east and west chain bending back over each other while the north and south did the same. Both platforms were connected to a single link, the ivory girl suspected this was where they would break.
Aya pulled herself up to her waist on the lower platform, observing a conspicuous lever jutting out from the floor. Pulling her feet up and approaching it; whatever severed the suspension was tied in with this. Confident in what was going to occur, closing her eyes, she gripped the handle and reserved a small place in thought of her comrades before wrenching the lever back.
Something beneath her feet began to churn, shuddering suddenly. As Aya looked toward the floor she noticed the chain link was quickly burning white hot. The panicked girl span on her heel and leaped for the ladder latching on as the support snapped.
Tension in the snapped chain caused the severed sides to flail outwards in an amazing display of mass, moving slow yet powerful. They ripped into the skin of the chamber creating massive tears through the metal while the opposing chain simply dropped in its weight slamming into the floor of the cube and tearing its own way out.
Integrity of the metal box came into question. The modus operandi probably suggested both chains to be disconnected at the same time unless one of the users wanted to be impaled or dismembered. Aya hastily climbed as her surroundings began falling around her, the sound of air being pushed around outside from a dropped chamber being no more of an intimidation.
It became clear she would not survive the second disconnection. The support chamber rested on this final chain. Even if the ivory girl climbed to the top of the ladder in her falling metal coffin there was nothing to evacuate to afterward. Aya's hand wrapped around the final lever planting her feet firmly on the plate, "Okay then, girl. Let's see what you're made of," tugging on the control switch, expecting to feel the sensation of destruction beneath her feet again.
Nothing happened. No mechanisms, no melting chemical reactions. Aya looked around in disbelief yanking on the lever again, "C'mon!" after a third pull she started an investigation of the platform, time wearing thin. Nothing stood out to how it operated. It were as if grafted onto the chain link existing as a failsafe of formidable proportions.
With a shout the angered girl kicked the lever, pushing it back and snapping it off past its rotation threshold. The only means of breaking the link had been lost. She looked over the enormous chain with resent in the crease of her brow; Aya's fists clenched. She backhanded the ladder breaking it away. Her burning obsession to see everything perish almost licking off of her skin in a fiery aura.
Motivation shone vibrant as she stepped off the platform, looping her own hands around the link piece as far as possible while planting her feet on the edge of the platform. Aya started to pull.
Metal creaked as the invisible giant tore at its foundations. She violently gritted her teeth in the tug-of-war, testing its limits. The muscles in Aya's arms and legs began to bulge, the battle suit's fabric around her limbs tearing open while shrieks from the metal intensified. A vorpal scream filled the air as the sovereign vocalized her determination.
As if answering, the link snapped setting off a series of disconnections all around the cavern. Cables of chambers made slack letting them fall away.
Soaring through the subterranean gauntlet of strings; the chain she rode slammed into the cavern wall. Aya lost her grip plummeting several dozen feet before hitting the roof of a glass corridor. The surface cracked around her.
Aya rolled onto her side, her body aching, looking through her fringe toward a chamber which was yet to collapse. It was a means of ascension she were not about to pass up, climbing to her feet and heading toward the beacon of hope.
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Post by Mikey on Aug 13, 2011 9:00:16 GMT -5
“Saves C4.” Tyson said with a shrug as he watched Matt kick the door off the hinges. To his credit, it was the first time Tyson had ever seen someone kick down a door without actually damaging the door itself. When they were on ground that wasn’t made of glass, Tyson turned back and waited. He told her he would wait, and he was going to wait.
The sound of metal groaning filled the air, as well as crushing glass when one of them fell free and crashed into the wall, connected by only half the cables.
“So much for remote access…” Tyson muttered, disdain in his voice for the AI not being able to hold onto its end of the bargain. If anything happened, he would blow this whole place to hell. “Come on, come on…” He whispered, watching the area fall down like it was in the middle of an earthquake. Not much time left…
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Aug 22, 2011 9:12:52 GMT -5
She felt she were losing all 9 lives at once. Aya had not bothered to watch the fourth research chamber sink that she stood on only seconds ago; a cavalcade of support wires lashed throughout the cavern after violently snapping off of their wall hooks making the scenario even more lethal. Her legs were getting a work out, that was a definite.
Mechanisms whirred and clicked as the compound pulled itself together. Drawing a shaft from her quiver, Aya fired off a coil at an elevated corridor letting it punch through some ducting along the top. Mass could be felt brushing at her back as she leaped, another chamber narrowly missing her after losing half of its support and slamming into the West wall. The guys were sure to have felt that one.
Each hand she put one after the other was like the R&Ds life line going down the hole. Finally the ivory girl hoisted herself onto solid metal; the entire corridor shook from instability. Giving a moment to look skyward Aya could see her destination, Tyson watching the place fall to pieces, "Nearly there," her voice under duress as she planted a hand down pushing to her feet.
100 metre sprint stretched ahead of her; an athlete's run-up would be required for what she had in mind. Bounding off the balls of her feet, Aya did not have the nerve to look down and keep balance, all her energy were focused on making sure she reached the exit in one piece. Launching off of the vent the commando held her arms over her head as she torpedoed toward Tyson's position.
Glass smashed while punching through a floor frame; landing in a slide with some room to spare on the next pane ahead of it. Shards from insertion rained along the floor. Raising her head, "Yes," Aya exclaimed, apparently happy with the outcome. Sounds of metal twisting behind her gave the girl wings, blinking through the corridor for her last run as the final pieces of R&D plummeted behind her.
One final kamikaze manoeuvre by a rebellious research chamber sealed the deal, and the exit out, as rock came down over the opening to the cavern. The three accomplished what they sought for.
Aya sat up, arms and shoulders stinging from cuts provided by the fragile design. She looked at Tyson and Matthew for a moment with some trauma in her eyes, only to smile a moment later, "Now that's gotta be better than a drive in theatre," she commented, "Next time one of you two can play Jenga while I watch," dusting herself off as she stood.
In some ways taking out R&D, and living to see another day, could stand as a message for those who were waiting under Giza. Three individuals made the difference while compared to impossible odds. The determination in each of them would be written in history after taking down Medusa's vice grip over the Middle East.
Aya hoped Matthew were happy. He seemed indifferent about the ordeal. What waited for him at the end of their journey would make or break the man who were facing his past. Perhaps it would bring redemption for the loss of his family.
[It's good to see you are all alive.]
The AI spoke with its programmed compassion as the trio entered the tram bay. Aya did not say anything; she were ready for the final mile, calling one of the monorail cars down to their bay.
[I've already sent a transport unit to your other team members at the next sector above. They will join you once you reach the final security gate.]
Sliding doors rolled open once their tram arrived. The user interface of the controls had clearly been messed with by the AI as script of the program had jumbled about a lot of the display, prominently pointing at the unlocked option for the Giza ruins.
Aya pressed it without hesitation, and the tram went into motion. She sat down for the first time in hours.
Rocking from the monorail cart helped relax and suppress some of the adrenalin cascading through her body. Surviving strands of her battle suit hung in tatters. Aya pulled them free leaving her arms bare, keeping her hands gloved for the meantime.
Displaying on the cart terminal were its rail map showing how much further they had to go, acting like a countdown to the ending. Aya watched the icon pass over its last kilometre milestone and stood up, "Whatever it is that's waiting at the end won't keep us from getting into that temple," she said candidly, "We're making sure that garden burns."
As the tram docked the AI's robotic voice chimed in.
[Multiple subjects now detected beyond the blocker. An entrance at the checkpoints North wall leads to the temple entrance.]
"Tyson," the lithe girl acknowledged the squad behemoth as the tram came to a halt, "Think you could get Nancy to the temple entrance while Matt and I keep fend off the hostiles?" looking down the right hand side of the bay saw the other mercenaries and one little archaeologist disembarking from their own transport.
Her FNP9 in hand on the approach to the doors leading in. A broad space were supplied before them, two more levels overlooking the open area. Straight away they were completely exposed. Aya spotted the doorway the AI had suggested, pointing at it for Tyson.
Footsteps clattered against the metal catwalks as a swarm of soldiers sprung forth from the many different rooms connecting to the area. Aya took her spot at a metal beam holding the second floor walkway up ready to feel gun fire open up once again.
Only there were no gunfire, no bullets peppered at her cover. The obsidian commando leaned out to watch the inactive para-military force pointing their weapons down at them. For some reason they refused to open fire yet.
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