interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 2

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☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 2

Who: Everyone in GHOST QUEST, for both Pride and Virgo.
What: Helping the ghosts save their ghost friends - and then, paying the price.
When: The evening of January 30th, 2055
Where: Pride and Virgo HQ.
Warnings: Violence. In the latter part, covering punishments, there will be even more violence, brainwashing, torture etc.

“But, she looked into your eyes,
And saw what lay beneath.
Don't try to save yourself,
The circle is complete.”

☆GHOST QUEST

Here we go. Below are the general outlines of what will go down for the break ins, based off of the plans put forward by each team. If your character isn't specifically named as doing something at any given point, you are free to assume they are helping in whatever means makes sense to you. Levels of injuries taken from brawls are also up to you.

People may start play in media res from the points specified in the write ups, under the header for each label. These will be single, free for all style threads with no posting order. If you have something to contribute, you may post at any time.

After that, this post will also be used for threading out the aftermath of this choice, if the players involved wish.

☆PRIDE RECORDS

Gradually, the group comes together, including a surprisingly tall stranger who claims to be a "fusion" of Tiger and Kido. Supplies are collected, and plans are discussed. Baryl will reveal himself to everyone sharing his Passion alignment, meaning that they will be able to see him even when outside of their bodies. Everyone else will just have to take their word for it. Baryl will opt to ride Mai to start with, briefly taking control in order to deliver his message to the others more directly. From there, he lingers in a passive role, providing what information he can about the building's layout and saying that he'll be around to give them a more direct assist when the time is right.

While others prepare disguises, Yuffie and "Tigo" work on seizing a key from some lingering guards. Using their invisibility, Tigo creates a distraction, giving Yuffie the perfect opportunity to put her thieving skills to work and pickpocket a key. For now, their scheming is going unnoticed. The two rejoin the rest of the group and get to business.

With everyone wearing face concealing clothing and armed with spray paint, they head towards the elevators. Tigo won't be able to cover everyone in their stealth effects, but they are able to take Tooru and Yuffie to the front to set off smoke bombs from a surprise location, just as the guards are beginning to close in on the suspicious looking masked Pride members. Everyone bolts for the elevator and manages to get on without guards on their tails, Yuffie using the key to send them to Lesedi's office. The guards attempt to cut power to the elevators on the way up, but Baryl will be able to override the electronics long enough to keep it going.

When they arrive at the top, there are more guards waiting for them. There is a confusing brawl as more smoke bombs are released, with Tigo cloaking Roy and Mai to get them to the elevator first. The guards end up getting stymied with spray paint to their eyes, though they manage to rough everyone up pretty good before it gets to that point. Before anyone can get taken out, Baryl exits Mai long enough to do some kind of magic ghost thing that knocks backs the guards, and everyone gets into the elevator and heads down. The power to this elevator doesn't get cut - presumably they don't have access to the controls.

Everyone enters the labs. While hiding from the anti ghost waves inside of Mai, Baryl is able to sense the source of the disruption, and leads the group there. Not long after they arrive, an elevator full of guards will follow them into the labs. Conflict will break out again just as they come upon the barrier, and see a blurred ghostly visage inside. Roy sets to using his tools to tear up the machinery supporting the spell with the help of a few people, while the others set to distracting the guards. Baryl (through Mai) will attempt to use some percussion magic to help fend them off, though it will cause the guards to focus on Mai as a target and she'll get tasered. Baryl manages to hop into Terry and continue, but his energy is running very low.

The barrier will begin to short out, and Lesedi Santiago appears in a blind rage. This is where we'll begin.

☆VIRGO ENTERTAINMENT

Those leading the group will get everyone together, giving Arpegius the opportunity to speak to them through Meril. He'll give them what information he can regarding the layout of the areas downstairs, and everyone can begin making plans. Arpegius will be sort of surprised to discover that everyone starts crossdressing, but will decide not to question it.

Arpegius is be able to help disrupt cameras in the area on the way to the basement, but it takes most of his focus - meanwhile, Luce and Nia start acting acting drunk in response to the first posse of guards they run across, distracting them as Keith, Cloud, and Marty strike. The cross dressing does manage to succeed at one thing, which is causing confusion. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that it actually manages to obscure anyone's identities from the guards - or at least not from what the team can tell from their reactions. Arpegius manages to open the way to the basement, and everyone will manage to run inside, while he spends considerable energy finishing off the robot guards the others have been tangling with while possessing Meril. Everyone gets downstairs and drags the guards with them, and Arpegius locks the door behind them.

Once in the basement area, everyone stands guard while Marty pries open a vent and releases Ivan in the form of a small fennec fox inside, in order to get to the lab areas on the other side of the big mysterious door. It takes a while to do it, but eventually he emerges on the other side of the big door, into a pristine white lab area with tons of bewildering scifi machinery. He's able to open the large gates from the other side, which unknowingly send an alert to guards in the security office, though their reaction won't be as urgent as it would have been at a forced entry.

Everyone enters the labs, with Arpegius hiding inside of Meril and rapidly growing exhausted by the effort of holding on. The labs are filled with strange devices that look like they are meant to examine human bodies, as well as a number of tools that look like they are meant to affect the brain. There are many doors to other areas, but Arpegius will be able to point them in the right direction - until they come upon Stella in her stasis pod. In this form, she only looks like a ball of light.

Parker starts working on getting the computers to cooperate, while others work on strong-arming the actual machinery. Luce takes a ton of pictures of the area and hands them off to Ivan, who is still in his fox form and ready to flee. The pod is difficult to pry, but a combination of Parker's work and the bludgeoning will eventually crack it open...

Just in time for a new wave of guards converge upon the labs from the outside. The big doors open, the guards come in, and then are closed behind them - effectively blocking the only real avenue of escape. As the pod finally begins to open Arpegius is barely holding on.

And this is where we will begin.

“Hold your colours against the wall,
When they take everything away.
Hold your colours against the wall,
With me.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Set up what your character is doing in the moments before Lesedi arrives to begin. We will carry on from there. Questions may go to the Ghost Quest event post.]

[ Roy was nearly finished cutting wires and as hoped, the barrier starts to blink and destabilize. ]

It's going down! Hit it while it's weak! Tido get out of here now!

[ He takes a stand and gives the last section of wires and computer chips a hard kick, taking them out with a small spark. With the guards closing in it's clear they're about to get caught. At the very least they need to finish what they came for and as for Tiger, nobody wanted him sticking around. ]

Huh?

[Tigo has been distracted by keeping the guards busy – thought a combination of their stealth and their strength, they are capable of tripping them up more than most of the others can on their own. They are more athletic than either of their components have ever been, their long curls of green and yellow hair flowing behind dance-like movements.

The person that Tigo is resists the idea of trying to leave first. Their instinct is to protect and defend. Yet, at the same time...that protection extends to their individual pieces. They want to see this through with the rest of the team, but they can’t deny the need to get Tiger and Kido out either.

Somewhere within their consciousness, Tiger stirs with a feeling of guilt. Even if they could get out, how could he just leave them here? He doesn’t know what to do.]

Just give me a minute!

[They plant a foot into one of the guard’s backs, knocking them forward. These guys are way too sturdy to be normal humans.]

Got it, Roy!

[Yuffie is actually on the back of one of the guards when Roy starts yelling, leg wrapped around the guard's neck trying to cut off air and get him to go down. That not working as fast as she'd like, she flings herself forward, using her momentum to flip the guard, and landing. She's functioning on adrenaline at this point. ]

Tido, you gotta move, now! We don't have any more time!

[Disengaging from the fight, Yuffie looks for something to use and settles for a metal chair, picking it up and moving to try and bust open the barrier as she runs, something sparks deep in her chest and she seems to glow for just a moment before the chair comes crashing into the barrier. Whatever damage it does to the barrier, it seems to have done a significant amount to the chair as well, leaving her with a chair leg in one hand and a particularly confused expression on her face. It would probably be priceless in any other situation.]

[What is it with everyone and chairs? Mai sighs out a breath in the brief moment where Baryl isn't trying to help fend off the guards. She feels vaguely useless at this point, though Baryl has been hitching a ride with her for most of the trek.

Whatever. A few more guards, a few more percussion blasts from Baryl that she can both understand and can't. And a few appropriately grumpy words from the violinist.]

Stop beating the thing with chairs and just open it already! These guards aren't getting any slower!

[What is it with everyone indeed. Terry stops for a moment, stunned given he's fairly sure he just saw Yuffie glow, but he can ask her about that another time. He's gonna totally disregard Mai's words and grab the broken vhair so he can use it to pick up where Yuffie left off.]

What a complete and utter cluster fuck.

[Tooru is all but useless in melee combat, so he sticks as close to Roy as possible. Trowing what bombs they have left at strategic targets and offering suggestions on who to hit. He can see the weak spots in their defense.]

Terry, mind your two o'clock.

[He cuts his eyes to Roy] Are you almost done with that?

[Then Mai uses the percussion blasts and that's when the guards begin to converge onto her.]

MAI-CHAN WATCH OUT!

The barrier is coming down! The instant he's out, we retreat! Someone get those guards away from Mai!

[ The blinking increases, and the intervals of the barrier blinking out start to grow longer. Roy looks for signs of the ghost inside, hoping he's trying to escape. Roy turns back to the guards in time to catch one of them breaking away and charging at Tooru and himself. Roy grabs a wrench from the floor, one of the tools he had brought, and hits the guard in the head. ]

[Converge is definitely the correct word for it. One breaks away for Roy and Tooru and a few of the others keep on their course for Mai herself.

She hisses out an annoyed breath, yelling now.]

Baryl, you better do something. Quick!

[Before anything can be done though, one of the guards proves a little smarter than the others. He has a taser and he puts said taser to very good use. Mai can only back up a step or two before before the taser shoots, hits her and there's little that can done on her end besides her muscles stiffening in protest. Mai herself bites back on the cry that she wants to let loose of.

She drops heavily the next moment and Baryl has to abandon her for a new host.]

[It's a good thing Mai shouting at Baryl caught Terry's attention, he rushes over to grab Mai and get her away from the guards before they can get close enough to drag her away. He pulls her to her feet and gets an arm over his shoulder as fast as he can - even if she can't walk right now, it'll be faster to drag her over this way than trying to scoop her up.]

We really need to get through that barrier!

[He can take Baryl, but that's just delaying the inevitable if they can't get through that barrier.]

[The broken part of the chair is something like a baton in her hand. She's continued bashing it into the barrier, metal zapping her as the barrier's begun to break down. But hearing the mess behind her Yuffie turns on her heel and throws catching a guard in the head and knocking them down before they can trip up Terry and Mai They hit the ground hard and Yuffie grins in spite of herself. This is horrible. Everything about it is horrible. They're outmanned, they're caught, and they're in so much trouble.

But she's not felt better in a very long time.]

It's coming down!

[Yuffie really hopes, though she wishes it would hurry the hell up. She elbows the barrier again, hard before yelling.]

Tido! Roy! Somebody! Help me! It's almost done!

Mai-chan!

[He wants to run to her. Terry has her though. That's good. He looks over at the fusion and points at Mai and Terry]

Tido, Tigo, whatever the heck your name is, get them out of here!

[Probably futile, but it's okay. As long as he does his part he can go on with a clear conscious. They're screwed, but if they rescue the alien ghosts and Mai and Tiger gets out he doesn't give a fuck.

He feels a grin on his face.]

This is for the aliens!

[And he takes a few steps back an pulls out the newly purchased Volleyball out of the bag he was keeping the bombs it. It was supposed to be a cover for the bombs in case one of guards did a random search. Now it's his last chance to save the aliens. He drops the bag gently and throws the volleyball into the air. As it falls he runs towards it, jumps, arms spread out behind him like wings, and then quick as a whip he smacks the ball and with prefect aim it flies towards the barrier. Hitting exactly where it needs to with enough force to break it.]

Edited 2016-02-05 06:29 (UTC)

[Terry will feel Baryl leaping from Mai's body and into his, the electric energy of his power practically radiating in the air. But, instead of focusing on the guard's, his focus is on the barrier - at the exact moment that the volleyball strikes.]

YES!

[Baryl's voice will cry out in Terry's head, his ghostly form dashing for the disintegrating barrier in a streak of blue light. Many things start happening at once. As Baryl reveals himself and the barrier falls apart, there is a sound like cracking thunder.

And suddenly, Lesedi Santiago is there. Her eyes are burning, like she is boiling with so much energy that the excess is leaking from her eyes. She is furious. She is unbelieving. And before anyone can remark on her, she has already disappeared in another crack, and reappeared behind Tigo - smacking them into a wall in a flash of light with enough force to break their fusion.]

YOU WORTHLESS SHITS!

[She advances on the barrier, he eyes set on the flare of ghostly energies appearing in the center of the machine. But it's too late.]

[Genos might understand the way Lesedi is burning- but he doesn't care. They managed their objective, and Genos immediately goes running over to Kido. As if this human body is enough to be a shield.]

[Shit that's hard. Holy frickle frackle she just slapped a being out of existence in a way. Kido groans as she slides down the wall, trying to get her bearings again while she feels like something's missing and--

Lesedi. Like in all reality, fuck Lesedi. This entire venture is over if she's here and that means everybody's in trouble. Big trouble. Maybe dead trouble. Including the person she just separated from.]

Tiger!

[Which sets her in a panic. Is he okay?! She moves to bring him closer to her, to get herself between him and the murderous CEO. She doesn't hold much hope it will do anything, but she can at least try.]

[Tiger is barely conscious of what's happened after they hit the wall, everything that connected them falling apart in a near instant. He drops down to the floor in a pile with a pained moan, his eyes dazed as they waver up to take in the chaos filled room.

It only takes a moment to notice Lesedi, and to remember what happened. He yelps, and tries to crawl towards Kido, as if for shelter. Oh no, what do they do? There's nothing they can do, now.

He grasps Kido's hoodie and hides his face against her in terror.]

[Shit-- Shit.]

[Confronted with Lesedi, Terry almost freezes in terror. But he remembers Yuffie and Mai and his panic sets in in a whole different way. His instinct is to defend Yuffie, but Mai's in no state to be doing much of anything and he moves in front of her, as if he's in any way able to defend anyone from Lesedi. Though he does have a moment to question the instinct he has to reach inside himself for... Something. Something strong that might stand up against her.]

[She doesn't mean to lean quite so hard on Terry but it takes a moment of gritted teeth and hissed breath before she forces her feet to start bearing her weight again.

And all in time to see Lesedi Santiago appear. Tiger and Kido are rudely separated and she can't help but sag a little more against the man. And Terry shielding her, a move she never saw coming.]

... This is pretty bad.

[Understatement. She leans from behind Terry, her muscles still stinging from the earlier shock, and shouts in the direction of Tiger and Kido.]

Don't just huddle up, you two! Move it!

[Fuck, her body. She's almost as angry at her muscles for not listening well to her as she is over getting tasered to begin with.]

[Tooru goes through a bunch of emotions real fast. One is pride for helping the aliens, two is utter terror at seeing Santiago like this and her smacking Tigo into Kido and Tiger ~~Are they aliens too? Something to ask later~~ the next is anger.

Worthless? Him? Fuck you, Santiago!

He looks around, Genos is heading towards Kido, Tiger and Kido are trying to reach each other, Mai's still slumped against Terry. She's awake though and that makes Tooru feel some small relief. How he thought this would go is completely fucked. Roy and Yuffie are still tools he can use. They just need a distraction.

A feeling of dread settles over him. Well, they all have to go sometime. And this is his time to be a hero. He picks up his bag, only got a few left, better make them count.

He takes one, and throws one of the smoke bombs at Santiago with as much force he can muster without setting up a serve, hoping to grab her attention. Hoping that Roy, Yuffie, and Genos will take the sign and get the others out.]

Edited 2016-02-05 15:46 (UTC)

[Yuffie's turns to watch in horror as Santiago throws Tido and splits them apart. She cries out wordlessly and tries immediately is stuck trying to make a decision. She wants to get between Terry and Santiago, and she wants to get between Tiger and Kido and the bitch who threw them. He can move. They probably are still stunned and she's not sure Genos can carry both.

She curses under her breath in the language she's started to realize must be hers.]

Ter, Mai, Come on!

[Yuffie books it, jumping over a downed guard and skidding along the floor to get to Kido and Tiger. She looks scared, but she's still moving. ]

Comeoncomeoncomeon, we gotta go. Genos help me get them outta here!

[ How did Santiago appear like that? How did she have the kind of strength to send someone the size of Tido slamming into a wall? He really doesn't have time for these questions.

Roy raises the wrench in his hands defensively and looks for an opportunity. Santiago is distracted at least for a second by the ghosts. Roy keeps his eyes on her and watches out of the corner of his eye the others moving to help each other and Tooru preparing another smoke bomb. He holds his breath. The moment that smoke bomb explodes he's going to take a swing at the woman herself. If everyone else makes a run for it then they just might make it out. ]

[The smoke bomb hits Santiago directly in the head and explodes - and she doesn't even flinch. Smoke flares up around her face and hair, and all she does is scowl, the light in her gaze cutting through the clouds. Then, within that same moment, she lifts a hand to catch the wrench that Roy is swinging at her - and twists it hard enough to send him to the floor. She lifts the wrench as if preparing to bash Roy's head in with one casual swing.]

This is your doing! I'll wipe you from existence for this!

[She roars in the direction of the ghost lights, just in time for something to appear - instead of an ambiguous spectral glow, everyone whether matching alignments or not will be able to see the clear shape of two beings: Baryl and the liberated Octave.

The older spirit sets his sights on Lesedi, musical energy radiating from his being, like a soundwave too low or high to hear. It rattles the metal in the room, and for a moment Lesedi staggers, lifting a hand to one ear in agitation. She is too distracted to strike against Roy, her previous target momentarily forgotten.]

I should have torn you apart when I had the chance!

[The smoke bomb has started to obscure the room, making it harder to directly pinpoint the locations of the scattered musicians - but more guards are enclosing from the outside.]

[There's so much going on at once it's amazing. Smoke is filling the room, obscuring everything around them. Baryl and Octave might have been an amazing sight when she could see them but now that they're gone, Mai grasps hold of whoever is closest to her. She can barely do more than hobble at the moment but like hell she's just waiting until the smoke clears and the guards find them.]

Grab who you can and move. Forget about trying to get back at her or the guards!

[She's going to try to head in the direction of Yuffie's voice from just moments ago, having little else to go on as smoke obscures everything.]

[Terry's still close to Mai, and he puts an arm around her to support her weight and try to get her moving at a faster clip than a hobble. He whips his head around as he walks, trying to spot more than just hazy shadows in the smoke.]

Yuffie?! [He can't see her, but he hopes she's moving.] You better be moving!

[Yuffie whoops in glee as the ghosts break out, that, at least, was done. With the smoke filling the room, she pulls the scarf back over her face. She can't see fantastic, but hopefully this will work to help with breathing. ]

I'm Here! Come on! This way!

[She isn't sure which of them she's got, Tiger or Kido, but she starts trying to pull them up, trusting Genos to get the other at the moment. They have to move and move fast. The side of the room the guards were entering from is lighter. That means that's the way out.]

Get to the doors. Follow the light!

☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 2

PRIDE RECORDS

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