interstellar5555 | ☆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

[Meril is small, but undeniably strong for her size, and the dwindling ghost inside her only fuels her strength with desperation and adrenaline.]

[Seizing the doors to the pod, she hauls backwards, putting the muscles in her backs and legs into the effort. Open, damn it, open!]

[ Ivan makes a dash for the vent he entered in, using the opening created for him. It's the only real exit for him to take. As much as he wants to make sure the pod opens before he leaves, he may have to trust in them to finish it while he's gone.

And he does trust these people.

He almost makes it to the vent entrance when a new guard closes in on him and kicks. Ivan gets knocked away and looses the grip on the cell phone in his mouth. Wincing, Ivan forces himself up and moving towards the phone again. He can't leave it behind. ]

[ Marty doesn't thinks. He just does.

He clenches his fist tight, like he's holding onto something so hard his life depends on it. He approaches the guards and waves it around with a grin splitting his face. ] Hey guys, what's this?

[ that gets their attention. Before Marty can blink, they're after him. He runs, pushing all kinds of people aside before darting through the hallways. Not a lot follow after him, but there's a few! ]

I believe you lost this. [ In the midst of the chaos, Keith is able to help Luce tackle the single guard, knock him out, and present her shoe as a prize. After clubbing him in the head with it for good measure, of course. Just to make sure. ] Thank you, and thanks--

[ Ignoring the deja vu that's starting to creep down his spine, he doubles back to focus on the guards that kicked Ivan. Nobody hurts ~~a dog~~ the defenseless on his watch. ]

No, over here!

[ Like Marty, he'll try to become a focus for attention. Unless he's asked to help with the pod. ]

[Parker's focus is starting to break. Trying to trick computer security is easy when you have all the time in the world. With a liteal fight going on around you — well. Thankfully, she's managed to disable some of the locking mechanisms around the pod, but the pace has seriously dropped.

She gets one more lock and wipes sweat off her brow. Air begins to hiss in — or out — of the pod.]

[ He reaches the cell phone thanks to Marty and Keith's distraction. There's a moment when Ivan pauses, when he reconsiders leaving and helping to fight beside Luce and Cloud instead.

But then he sees that the pod is finally open by Haru, Meril, and Parker's efforts. He has to let others know what Virgo is doing to everyone. He can't keep this information stay hidden. ]

Please, don't give up. I won't let this go to waste.

[ He doesn't say it very loud, not wanting to draw attention back to himself, but he can't leave without leaving some encouragement behind. With renewed determination, Ivan runs with the cell phone gripped tightly between his teeth. He makes it inside the vent, far enough in that no guard will be able to grab him should they try to. However, he doesn't leave just quite yet. He sits and listens. The sounds echo in the vents and are easily picked up by his large ears. ]

[Finally, the combination of efforts overwhelms the pod's defenses. As Meril pulls against the door, Arpegius lends the last of his strength to combine their efforts - just as Parker's hacking releases the last locking mechanism getting in their way. With a hiss, it wrenches open.

Arpegius leaves Meril's body, reaching in to the pod with his own ghostly arms, and pulling something outside with him. The energy emerges in the shape of a young woman, with long blonde hair that swirls around her spectral form. Everyone will find themselves able to see them, their energy combined visible to even those unaligned.

Stella looks at the guards impassively, and the impossibly low thrum of a bass radiates through the room. The sounds itself seems to knock each guard back as powerfully as a physical blow.]

[Cloud, earring rattling from the frequency, looks up and sees Stella. He decides she is the most beautiful woman he's ever seen.]

Thanks.

[He flashes her a grin - first sincere, then cocky - and wades his way over the defeated guards to head towards Ivan's vent, skirts hitched high. He can't let them go after him with gas grenades.]

[From where she's been fighting as best she can, Luce stops as the energy floods the room and draws her eyes. The other woman is beautiful, in a way she can't really articulate with adrenaline pumping through her body still and breath caught in her throat.]

[She's not sure what she's expecting. Yet the feel of bass thrumming through the room, through her, is almost welcoming. That's her instrument, too, in a way.]

[Obviously the guards don't get the same delight.]

[Luce tears her gaze away from the pair of ghostly figures, focusing on the present. With all the glee of a lively cat, she pounces upon the nearest guard that's been knocked off their feet. A night stick is torn from them, and Luce bashes at the head before trying for the next one. She doesn't even necessarily want to arm herself- she just wants to grab whatever they're carrying and fling it back towards the others, the pod- wherever isn't covered by guards.]

Everyone, come on!

[This is their one chance to get out of here, but Luce will be the one at the back if she gets her way.]

[ What the hell?! Ivan cringes as the bass note makes his ears ring and fur stand on end. Against his better judgement he moves closer to the opening to see the two blue ghosts hovering before the pod. They did it. Arpeguis' sister is free.

Then he sees Cloud come over in his skirts to block the exit and hears Luce's cry to action. Ivan spins around and moves fast once more, ignoring his pain.

Now it's time to make his full retreat. ]

[Meril slumps against the pod, the sudden feeling of emptiness overwhelming her. She has, she realizes distantly, spent much more of her own energy on this venture than she expected.]

[But she has to keep moving. With her teeth gritted, she pushes herself upright once more, then turns to force herself forward.]

[ Keith finds himself humming in tune with the bass. No words, just a continuation of the sound, like it's a lifeline. He's so distracted by the touching reunion that a guard gets a solid punch in. That'll probably leave a bruise on his pretty face.

But he stands his ground and continues to play decoy. If just one more person can get away, he'll take any punishment. ]

☆TRACK VII: IN REACHING OUT PT. 2

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