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

[pathology]

Seriously? Is no one else going to — [pick up wheatley's corpse??? WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO DO IT???

she'll carry him out with her, but hate you both while doing it. MEN ARE FUCKING USELESS.]

[undeleted]

[ ♬ blinding - florence + the machine

behind them, the machine gives one last sparking whir, spurting as the power in the facility seems to flicker, the lights vanishing and then coming back on as something seems to overload.

when they head out into the hall, something gives them pause: a figure with its back to them, standing in the very center of the lobby, dressed all in white. it appears to be a brunette woman, her shoulders very tight, fingers flexing for a moment, before she reaches one hand up as if to claw at the skin of her neck tremulously. she turns towards them very slowly, an alien sort of expression in her eyes that's halfway between shock and horror and anger.

when she speaks, there's something terribly familiar about the voice. ]

You.

What have you done?

[undealt]

I believe we made good on a threat.

[ONE-LINERS ARE SO CHEAP WHEN YOU ARE CONSUMED WITH GUILT. OH GOD THERE WAS SO MUCH FIRE. HE'S SORRY. THIS ROBOT IS DEAD AND also what the hell. No really.]

At any rate, I don't imagine we'll be doing any more testing today.

[undeleted]

[ she looks severely unsettled as her hands drag down her cheeks, and then lower so that she can stare down at her own palms. ] This body... I know this body. [ she raises her eyes again, and the haunted look there only magnifies ] Caroline.

[pathology]

Sorry. Actually, wait, jk [yeah she legit says jay-kay] no I'm not.

[undeleted]

[ her eyes narrow at astrid, hands curving into fists ] You've destroyed our work. Crippled this facility. Helped that idiot put me in this dying body with its... [ her lip curves up in disgust as she shakes her head ] feelings.

I should have expected you to be as bad as her.

[pathology]

Do you want to be dying or actually dead? [she holds up wheatley like LOOK WHAT I DID. and the other ppl. but mostly me lbr. wild magic fail.] Because I can arrange that.

[can you really astrid??? can you???]

[undeleted]

[ her expression hardens, the panic turning to malice in her eyes. human or not, there's still something about her that's... vaguely terrifying i guess, because she got a nat 20 intimidate???? accurate as fk ] Try me.

[undealt]

[ahahaha. okay everyone play nice.]

That won't be necessary. [He steps between Astrid and GLaDOS... well... more accurately, he steps closer to Astrid and places a hand on her shoulder because lol gimpy.] There are easier ways to accomplish whatever the hell it was that Luckman wanted to do. Preferably without torturing anyone.

[He straightens up.] And besides, if you've any desire to have the effects of the magic reversed, I sincerely doubt Luckman will have any sympathy for your plight. Assuming he's even still in contact with this facility.

[Wheatley did say he... left her in charge. For all they know, he fucked off to Boca.]

[undeleted]

[ gold's logic seems to cool her rage a bit, and she looks sharply at him for a moment, jaw tense as she considers. ] And I suppose you have a better suggestion.

[undealt]

The organization we work for doesn't abandon its agents in Germany to fend for themselves. I think for reason alone, it's far better than your current situation.

[pathology]

[yeah her 15 will save made her ... stop sassing glados, but she slow head turns at gold like HOW ARE YOU EVEN REAL.

IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING???

]

[undeleted]

[ glados all but snorts in disbelief of her own ] So you aren't just incompetents - you're organized incompetents.

[ still... she seems to recognize that she's not in an ideal position, looking around the busted up sparking lab beyond them ] But maybe you're right. Luckman doesn't possess the technology to transfer an organic intelligence to a superior robotic body. That's one reason he was so fascinated with me in the first place.

My own memory of the process is... corrupted.

[pathology]

[muttering to herself bcuz her sass thunder is still quenched by that intimidate nat 20:] How very sad for you. [she looks down at wheatley's corpse. would he be hot as a human??? maybe. he was british and a psychopath. he could totally be henry cavill.]

[undealt]

That tends to happen with the Veil. One of the many mysteries our researchers are working to uncover. And there's no reason why they can't figure out a way to restore you to your... other shape. [Proper seems odd, especially given the way she talks about... Caroline...

And more importantly...] You can think about it. At any rate, with you out here, there's no reason to leave Ms. Swan behind.

[charismapotion]

[ Mars was looking a little confused at it all. Sorry, he needs a second to process this woman was the robot. ]

[undeleted]

I'm surprised you're so invested in saving her, after she was so willing to let you die in the middle of testing. [ just sayin ] But if you won't depart without her, I can show you where to find her.

[pathology]

[AND THEN THEY WENT TO FIND EMMA AND RODE OFF INTO THE CASTLE SUNSET WITH WHEATLEY AND GLADOS]