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

[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!

[ideamachine]

[ the clapping, it does nothing. neither does the german, but it's nice of you guys to humor him.

he mumbles for a few more minutes, before they hear him say: ] Oh, there's a switch. Right in front of my central core all this time. [ a moment later, he apparently flips the switch, as the entire cart THUMPS into movement with a jarring jolt, and then they're sliding up the track slowly. wheatley shouts up from below: ] I'll be right behind you! Hmm, I wonder if this thing can go any faster... [ as he apparently begins flipping other switches indiscriminately, the cart suddenly reverses, and starts dropping down the track at an incredibly high velocity. better hang on to something. ]

[pathology]

[ref save ... nat 20???? ok whatever she is just really good at holding on for dear life after all this bs ok.]

[ideamachine]

[ distantly: ] Sorry about that! I've got this! I've got this! [ the cart slams to a stop that's likely to throw gold's back out, and then starts heading up again, but... just as fast. ] Better! Better!

[reallywicked]

You call that better?! [She shoots a look to Mars.]

Your taste in friends sucks.

[ideamachine]

[ as they speed up past the open doors where they first entered, wheatley yells after them: ] Er, just... keep going, I'll catch up with you ahead! Maybe I can find out how to slow this ... oh dear.

[ robot rock - daft punk

and that's the last thing they hear before it gets even faster, and suddenly they're careening up , and then out along a huge track that twists and turns and ducks and dodges through the bones of the facility. they pass storage racks of those turrets, their red eyes darkened for now, and they can see other testing rooms passing through glass windows as they fly by. a spot check of 15+ might even manage to catch the number 673 on the wall of one chamber.

the thing doesn't seem to be slowing down, which seems particularly troublesome, considering they seem to be heading for a giant wall up ahead. ]

[reallywicked]

[Faye finds it really weird that this thing would just come up against a dead end. Also she got a nat 20 spot so she saw that number. She gives not a single fuck about it, tbh.

Throwing a hand out, she tries to cast Open at the wall, hoping that it's a god damn door or something. She has... no idea what's on the other side, but it's better than getting smashed to pieces???]

[pathology]

[spot 19+ plus her insane mods i'm too tired for math; she caught it. and is glad mars and his robot friend rescued them tbh.]

YOU BETTER FIGURE IT OUT RIGHT FUCKING NOW! [she doesn't think this is like a rollercoaster where it looks like you're about to hit the wall then WHOOSH you go under it or some shit. ... is it???]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ at the last fucking second, faye's spell saves the day, as a panel slides open and their cart goes flying out into the long hallway beyond, skidding down the floor and turning like they're on the tea cup ride at disney, before it crashes to a halt against a giant sculpture that seems to be composed of the Luckman Industries logo. everyone takes 4 dmg from the collision, but is otherwise unscathed, though the cart is dented beyond belief.

they find themselves in a circular room at the end of a long hall, that's white and pristine. the words 'TOURISM CENTER' are emblazoned around the circumference of the room near the ceiling. a series of computer screens are set around the wall at intervals, which buzz to life along with the lights, apparently on motion sensors. a pleasant recorded voice, more human than glados' narrates: ]

As a young boy, George Luckman found he had a dream. A dream that would lead him into teaching himself basic engineering skills at age 8, going on to win prizes and acclaim throughout his teenage years.

[reallywicked]

And then he went on to be a massive douchebag. Where is the god damn exit?

[Actually she will look around for that. Spot 18]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ an interview flicks up on screen with a man who might be in his forties. ]

"As a species, we've worked for thousands of years to guide ourselves into an age where we control our surroundings. I think we all agree that magic, as it stands, is an exception to that rule. Something that by definition seems like a spanner in the works of what we've come to establish as our civilization. I'm not saying magic itself is a detriment - on the contrary, I think that when we can achieve the kind of control over magic that we have over, say, electricity, we will be ready to enter into a glorious new age."

[ there are a few side doors off from the rotunda, both of which faye would notice. ]

[pathology]

Blah blah blah, yawn. [astrid will climb out of the busted ass cart and join faye in looking around the room (spot 20 total)] Over there. [she points, since i'm assuming her spot would ... also notice. then she's distracted by the picture of luckman.] Ew, he's not even cute.

[reallywicked]

[Faye stopped listening before this guy even started talking tbh. She heads over for the side doors. She glances over at Astrid.]

You want to get that one? [She gestures to the door on the right because I guess she is taking the one on the left. BUT DOES IT OPEN????]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ faye's door opens...

but behind it stands a gigantic leopard print sentry turret staring right at her. a red line appears out of its central eye, scanning the room, and lands on her. ]

Sentry mode, activated.

[reallywicked]

Uh-

[What the actual fuck is wrong with this place. Faye immediately nopes out and closes the door.]

Not that way.

[pathology]

Ugh, there are more of those things? [ she only heard the voice or else she might ... actually think the leopard-print crowning wearing one is cute. it's her as a turret ok. her spirit turret. ANYWAY. she's taking out the gun again like she's r. kelly before opening the door on the right. JUST IN CASE.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ opening the door reveals... that same first area that they walked into oh so long ago down here. ]

[pathology]

WE DID IT!!! [what if she gave faye a really gay celebratory jumping hug??? yep. that's happening.]

[reallywicked]

[Oh we're hugging? Okay we're hugging! Astrid's enthusiasm is definitely catching, but as Faye pulls back, she looks back towards Gold.]

Alright, so we know the way out of here, but we have to go back and bring her up here too. Wheatley. [She shouts for their weird robo friend. Where the hell did he go?] What the fuck do we do now? How do we get Emma from down there?

[Oh and I guess turn the magic thing off. Whatever.]

[goodbyecaroline]

[ the voice that answers, however, sure isn't as adorable. ] Wheatley. I should have known that little metal idiot was behind this. You can't seriously be working with that MORON against ME.

[pathology]

[her expression automatically sours like dis bitch.] To be fair ... we're still doing most of the work.