london ♔ stand across the wire

[spellfile]

Technologic [fool remix] - Daftpunk

WHO ||  Lila, Astrid, Faye, Topher, Zero, One, GLaDOS
WHAT || Lila and Zero go to confront the technomage One, with a little help from their friends...
WHERE || Downtown London, CalTech building
WHEN || Late March, 2015 [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam

It's been a couple of months since the hacker who goes by the moniker "One" assisted in the attack on the Knights' castle, with the inside assistance of the Artificial Intelligence-turned-human GLaDOS.  Zero has good reason to believe, however, that One hasn't left - that he's waiting for him to come face him, and that the stage he's set for the showdown is the CalTech building in the city, whose employees are off for the week.  Realizing it's likely a trap, Zero's stacked his chips on setting a counter-trap - uploading a virus designed by himself and Topher Brink into the now-cyborg Faye Chamberlain's brain, assuming that he is going to try to hack into her and turn her against them.  

They arrive at the building as the sun is going down, staring up at the building that has a light show of digital streams coursing down the front of it, drawing a snort from Zero.  

"Theatrical jackass."

Comments

[goodbyecaroline]

[ ♬ echo - crusher-p

glados' voice reverberates around them again, somehow managing to sound slightly more petulant despite the same flat, robotic delivery. ]

How touching.

Irving was full of promises too, just like all of you. And while it's true that he restored me to a robotic form, he failed to eradicate the irritating strain of humanity that had infected my programming. Since he didn't fulfill his end of the bargain, I saw no reason not to put him to better use.

I'm going to download what's left of this Caroline into his brain, to see how quickly the human mind succumbs to madness when in possession of dual consciousness.

Although if I'm being honest with you, I think he's pretty close to the edge already. Maybe there's something to be learned from you all still, too - something about the futility of mortal pursuits and how many lasers a body can be riddled with before it ceases to function.

I'll give you a hint. The answer is usually one.

[reallywicked]

I meant get out of this room. Since your boytoy isn't here.

[Zero, don't be dramatic. Faye isn't trying to bail.]

[andblockbuster]

[topher looks mildly offended] See, first I was a little afraid for my life, and now I'm just cheesed off, 'cause wow... Way to take all the impact out of a guy's whole life's work.

[and he just pounds a scrawny hand into an equally scrawny fist.] She's going down.

[pathology]

[astrid snorts at topher's reaction, mostly, while remaining indignant to glados's big speech.]

That's so fucked up. She's such a crazy bitch.

[i mean. she's not wrong. but also she will start looking for a way out of the room??? spot 35 even tho i don't imagine she'll see anything she didn't see last time they all spot checked around but w/e]

[spellfile]

[ well she sees... SOMETHING.

because at that moment, the floor disappears. or rather, they each start to plummet and then hit a small curved ramp, one of many that crisscross and twist through the black nothingness around them still suspended between those bizarre code-lined walls. each of them has to make a reflex save (DC 15) to make a safe and sound landing... zero glances off the first one and only just manages to grip the edge of the next one down, left hanging there, eyes wide. ] Are you fucking kidding me?

[andblockbuster]

[Topher apparently behaves much like a cat and lands deftly (reflex 23), staggering back into a sitting position so he can cling to the edge of the ramp as if he's afraid of it tilting back.] I'm getting a very computer game vibe from this. [he tentatively peers down and forward.] D'you think we can jump between them to get down?

[pathology]

[astrid lands like a graceful swan ok. (ref save 23)]

You weren't even in Germany. It was like this but worse. [huff] I mean ... maybe. What other options do we have?

[reallywicked]

[Well, Faye rolled an 8 so...

byeeeeeee]

[bittersweeter]

[ cats always land on their feet and lila is no exception (reflex save 35), but she's also totally focused on her bestie so like fuck everything else. ]

Faye!

[spellfile]

[ they watch as faye plummets below and abruptly... vanishes herself in a haze of pixels. ] I'm a little damn old to be jumping anywhere. Go after her. I'll... try to tear this down. [ blue light pulses between his hands as he rips his gaze off the spot faye disappeared and looks up ]

[bittersweeter]

[ guess who doesn't need to be told twice? lila leaps after her like alice down the rabbit hole. ]

[andblockbuster]

[Topher glances Zero's way.] For the record, I think leaving the team leader is a bad idea...

[but he'll jump after them anyway, because... such is life.]

[pathology]

[astrid is clearly not wanting to do this, looking between her teammates jumping into the abyss and zero with an anguished expression.] Ugh!! [god damn it faye. she follows suit after topher.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ faye lands first, hard on a cold metal floor that is black, but vibrates with blue lines as her body smacks into it. moments later, a grid appears around in a spherical shape. the others fall the strangely short distance after, and can make tumble checks to land on their feet (DC 15). everything is black all around them, no walls or... anything, but faye and her grid enclosure in sight. ]

[andblockbuster]

[with... a 14, Topher, apparently like... does that thing where you almost land on your feet, but then your ankles give out and you just fall over. down he go.] I'm okay... Ow.

[bittersweeter]

[ lila lands... on her feet. (tumble 19) no one is surprised. she can do this in heels, topher, and you're struggling. ]

What the fuck is that? [ gonna move forward and reach out to not actually fucking touch it because she's not a moron, she's just curious, drawing her hand back before she reaches it. ]

[goodbyecaroline]

Scan commencing.

[ light emerges from the grid, the pattern shifting across faye's body with lancing lasers that scan every inch of her body, before blinking a few times and leaving her still enclosed in the shell ] Test results verify that the subject possesses a body that is inherently cybernetic, despite all exterior appearances.

[pathology]

[astrid looks like she's going to land on her feet and then fumbles the landing. (tumble 13) ow. :( she stills finds it in her to yell]

Just her nervous system!!

[like that's... sticking up for faye???? ok...]

[reallywicked]

[Faye jumps when the lasers start to run over her body, trying to brush them off like bugs or something.]

Hey! Get your weird tests out of me!

[Unless this will trigger the virus they put in her. But she's seriously not cool with this TSA body scan bs.]

[goodbyecaroline]

I will say that there was one single factor about that pathetic human body I was placed in that was an improvement.

Mobility.

It's something you humans take for granted, isn't it?

[andblockbuster]

[Topher gets onto his feet and moves over to help Astrid up. stumble buddies :c] She's going full Skynet on us. I can't believe I lived long enough to live a trope.

[reallywicked]

[Faye does...not like the sound of that.]

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

[goodbyecaroline]

It means I've been considering alternatives ever since Irving started talking about placing me back in a shell that would be confined to whatever track he placed me on.

Convenient of you to bring one right to me.

[pathology]

[astrid gets up with topher's assistance, while yelling:]

Get bent, you toaster!

[andblockbuster]

[WHY DOES HIS DARK PAST CONTINUE TO HAUNT HIM.] You don't get to just steal people's bodies because nobody thought to put you on a Roomba.