CHAPTER THREE ♔ in an isolated system the entropy can only increase

[goodbyecaroline]

♬ the device has been modified - victims of science

WHO || Gold, Faye, Emma, Mars, Astrid, GLaDOS
WHAT ||  The Knights become unwitting test subjects for a psychotic AI  
WHERE || Luckman Industries computer-aided enrichment center, Germany
WHEN || May 31st/June 1st [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

Why Wynn ever thinks there will be such a thing as a 'simple recon mission' we just don't know.  

Several Knights were dispatched to a small isolated town in Germany where magic was rumored to not function, only to discover that the situation was a bit more complicated.  Yes, magic didn't function when attempted - sometimes.  But other times it had bizarre and dangerous side effects, including driving townspeople insane.  

Research led the team to a company called Luckman Industries who had bought digging rights to make a large quarry beneath the town, but further investigation revealed that they had actually constructed a massive underground laboratory instead.  Some sort of strange device stood at the center of it, magical in nature, but when they attempted to leave, they found the doors locked, and were forced into trying magic despite the potential side effects.

The spell seems to have attracted the attention of something within the building itself - a disembodied voice that's offered them a (mostly) pleasant greeting - to the Luckman Industries computer-aided enrichment center.

There will be cake.

Comments

[ideamachine]

[ wheatley glides back in and comes to a screeching halt, chiming in chipperly: ] As good a reason as any for us to shut that machine down, don't you think? You like that? That would be my master plan for those following along at home.

Now, what are you waiting for? Right through the doors, there, just a bit further.

[reallywicked]

Wait. How do we know we can trust you?

[SQUINTING AT THAT DOOR TBH. and at the robo ball (sense motive 21)]

[undealt]

Well, I'm certainly not opposed to that.

[Turning off the machine that is. He leans down to confide in Faye, going off her suspicion.] And if it turns out as bad as the other one, I'm sure it will be as easily dealt with as the little ones.

[It's small. And it's stuck on that rail. Totally easy to light on fire.]

[ideamachine]

Trust me? [ he sounds almost a little hurt by the implication. and she really doesn't sense anything malicious at all from the little robot, particularly in contrast to the sinister nature of the one they just dealt with. ] Well, it's not as you've many alternatives at the moment, is it? But if you really don't want to escape, I suppose I can leave you here until she finds you all and sticks you right back where we found you. And you can just keep testing for the ressst of your lives, or until you're all statues. And then... not statues anymore. But ...then... statues again! Just when you thought the whole turned into a statue thing had had its run, lookit that! Marble as ... cake.

Or - alternative option - we can all not do that, and go out this very convenient door that I have provided for you. Your choice. I'll just be waiting... right here.

[pathology]

[on that note!]

Fuck it, I'm taking the door. [astrid is 200000 million percent done, ok. walking over there. bye bitches, hi wheatley.]

[ideamachine]

That's the spirit! Or, well, I guess a sort of ... listless acceptance, which will also do. Carry on. [ the hallway in front of her stretches out quite a ways, and the floor is composed of kind of dirty tiling that doesn't look like it's been kept clean, unlike the upper floors. wheatley whirs along down his management rail ahead of her, turning this way and that, stopping at an intersection to say to himself: ]

Now, let's see. Escape route. Escape. Route. Route of escaping. If I were planning to route some sort of escape, I woulllld beeeee... [ his eye narrows a bit as he contemplates that, and then he turns abruptly to indicate a door to her left ] There! That one!

[charismapotion]

[ Mars frowned some at that and take a breath, looking up to Wheatley and nodded.

Take the bitch down, then come back and figure something out.]

Wheatley, if we get that machine off, can you bring me back here? We cant leave her here. Not for long.

[ He spoke as he stood moving after Astrid. Besides, he wants to shut down Glados, she took his cellphone. XC]

[undealt]

[gold sticks close to faye, watching "wheatley" very closely.]

I get the impression they've only made it this far on sheer luck.

[ideamachine]

Why, if she's gone, you can come and go as you please! She runs the place, after all. Luckman put her in charge after he found us. I tried to warn him about her, but would he listen to ol' Wheatley? Noooo no no. She talked him into throwing me down here on the scrap pile, she did. After she'd already taken everything from me! I used to be somebody, you know. A real big wig, I was. Very important. Ran a facility all my own!

She's evil, that's what she is. A right proper villain.

[pathology]

Yeah, no shit. I noticed around the time she tried to set me on fire. [just fucking saying ok.] So is there like a switch or something? We just turn her off, and bam?

[ideamachine]

A switch? Ohhhh no. No, it's a bit... bit more complicated than that, really. It's been done before, I know that much, but what we can actually do that's less likely to end with everyone's horrible deaths is undermine her, see? Thwart her! That's the word. Good word, thwart.

Anyway, it's that ruddy machine of hers that's causing all the trouble right now. We turn that off, and she can't control magic anymore!

[reallywicked]

[Faye glances back at Emma, not really sure what to do. Finally she steps up and snaps to get Wheatley's attention.]

If anything happens to her while we're gone? I'm holding you personally responsible. I'll show you how fast each part of you melts. [not even sure if you can intimidate something like this but she's mean muggin it fo sho (intimidate 27).

And then she teleports into the next room where everyone else is already in deep conversation idk.]

It can't be that easy.

[charismapotion]

No way it's that easy, but we gotta do something. I don't want to know what will happen to Emma if she goes back to normal without her head. So we don't have much choice.

[ Sure he doesn't really know Emma, but she was on the team, and people don't get left behind. Not for long anyway.

His damned optimism.

He moved along all the same as Wheatley spoke, complete faith in Wheatley... god help them.]

[undealt]

Exactly how do you propose we reattach her head at this juncture?

[He's just saying. He doesn't want her to be dead either, okay. He needs that bitch. I mean... Poor Emma.] A mending spell might not be enough.

[pathology]

[i rolled a knowledge check for astrid just on the off-chance she might remember seeing something with her magical eidetic memory and got a fucking nat 20 (I SCREENCAPPED IT IF YOU NEED PROOF!!) so ... ] Oh! Um, I think I read about something like this once. [it's easier to think when you're life's not on the line ok.] If someone in a petrified state is broken, as long as you join the pieces together before un-petrifying them, they should come back as a whole person. The study was like, really fucked up. The guy was humpty dumpty. ANYWAY. So, as long as we ... hold on to it, I guess?

[reallywicked]

[That actually makes Faye feel slightly better except...]

Mars, you just... turned back, right? [No on undid it for him.] Hold on-

[Faye will back track and reposition statue Emma and her separated head in such a way that SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN while they are gone, the pieces would be touching in the right way. There. Okay Faye goes back to the group.]

Alright, so what the fuck are we doing here?

[ideamachine]

Er, actually - actually, I beLIEVE he turned back because the same wave of wild magic that turned your other friend into a statue turned him into - well - what you see there! So I mean, if you want to just go... flailing about with spells again until you hit that one, could work, could work. But could also turn the lot of you ... into stone. So there's that to keep in mind as we move ahead with our operation. [ wheatley has been hovering over that same door he indicated earlier, and he once more sort of rolls in that direction to 'point' at it ] Right here! It's a um, a shortcut. You're all going to have to pack together a bit, however, it's not really built for humans. [ behind the door is what looks like some kind of service elevator, where a large bucket-shaped cart hangs off the management rail. there are a few spare parts already inside it, if anyone looks in, and it appears to be used to transport mechanical bits from one place to another. ]

[reallywicked]

[Faye looks around at the rest of the team and sighs.]

Time to get friendly. [She will go ahead and climb into the thing? I'm assuming since it's a bucket, there is climbing involved. And if a climb check is needed, she got a 15 /covers all the bases.]

[charismapotion]

Yeah, I just turned back.

[ Mars looks a little uncertain. He's tall and doesn't like the idea of being that packed in, but fuck it. On he goes to follow Faye.]

[undealt]

[Long-suffering sigh.

And Gold joins the group. This is gr8.]

And you're absolutely certain he isn't going to drop us into the furnace, Mars?

[charismapotion]

I would say more like 75 percent, but hey, that's good enough odds for me.

[ Oh Mars shut up.]

[ideamachine]

Alright, now, you all get comfortable in there and I'll start it right up. [ wheatley hovers outside the door a ways, but they can still hear him muttering to himself out there. ] Now, let's seeeeee. Activate, activate...

[ he raises his voice slightly, as if trying to give a voice command. ] "Engage elevator!"

[ a moment passes. ] Well that... didn't work, did it. Course not. Too obvious. Hmmmm.

"Thrusters on!"

No?

"Ele... vate! ... Tor. Elevator! March! ... Go?"

Hmm, maybe it works via claps...

[undealt]

[you are fucking kidding me...]

75%, was it?

[reallywicked]

[Fuck it. Faye will clap. Just to cross that one off the list.]

[pathology]

[ASTRID FOLLOWED ALONG AND WAS TOTALLY HERE THE WHOLE TIME. here to be incredulous.] Ugh, try German? Aufzüge aktivieren!