It took Hallucinogen a few seconds before he realized he was just standing in the middle of the room. That was right. . . he was supposed to go check out the lab. . .
He disappeared on the spot. Years of being able to turn invisible had taught him how to move silently, and he didn't make a sound as he crept toward the lab. He was apprehensive. He knew something strange was going on here. . .
Walk, walk, walk. Eventually, Hallucinogen made it to the dreary looking lab. If seen from above a hole could be seen in the roof. Outside, several officers and the detective were outside of the laboratory and inside Andrew was examining the rubble at the entrance with Archlich and Experiment further inside.
~~
As Essex moved upstairs and walked down the hall in the direction Ian went earlier, various pictures decorated the walls. Some with Ian as a baby, others with William and Sandra together in some foreign land and two of Ian with his parents together. When she finally got to Ians room, the door was open and peering inside she could discover no one was inside. His room was rather bland, a bed, a few dressers, a small shelf of books and a large closet of clothes that, if you knew Ian, he never wore. His tux was messily thrown on the ground.
But just across the hall, a door was slightly ajar. Ians voice could be heard behind it, grunting and thumping.
Hallucinogen continued past the officers and detective into the laboratory, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. He was having trouble.
Come on. She obviously still likes you. You should be happy.
"But she doesn't remember anything. . ." Hal sighed.
So what?
"So. . . what was even the point? After all I did for her, or tried to do, she can't even remember any of. . ."
Calm down! Don't blame her! Look. Aren't you supposed to be PAYING ATTENTION TO THE INVESTIGATION?
". . .Oh yeah."
You are the worst detective ever, you know that?
Hallucinogen tried not to breathe too loudly as he looked around the entrance.
He saw Andrew, and quickly jumped into the shadows. Great. . . a robot. His invisibility wasn't very useful against anything without a mind. . .
((Oh, and. Hal didn't actually say anything out loud. . . it would just be too confusing for both him and the Phantasm to be in italics. 
))
Essex sighed. She thought she knew what Ian was doing.
Training.
Training to get his mind off things. It seemed a very...Ian thing to do.
Turning to the room across the hall, she carefully tapped on it.
"...Ian?"
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
((*Knocks on Khell and Prodiguy's door* I know you're in there...I can hear you typing. 
...oh wait, are you waiting on me or something?))
"Oh, goody, you just happen to be sarcastic. Sorry if I happen to like to laugh once in a while, but to me, it seems as though one crisis after another happens nowadays, and right after having a building collapse on me because of freakin' NINJA, I am sort of pissed." 2.0 scoffed at the Lich, crossing his arms.
"So, since you seem to want to be the smart-[censored], why don't YOU tell ME where we are going, hm?"
<Leeksoup>
(By the way, Andrew has a human brain. So, he can still be fooled by Hal's invisibility, I think... I'm not sure. He does use robotic sensors to see and hear and stuff, would that offset it?))
Andrew gratefully ran his hand up and down the flat of his liuyedao. He was beginning to think he'd lost it. He looked out the window and saw no one, so he carefully stepped back into the room with the big hole in the floor. This was insane, he woke up in a box, got blasted into wakefulness by an explosion, threatened by a knight who was later a friend who was now... something else, probably, then ninjas came from nowhere and attacked. He wanted answers. He jumped into the shaft, using his sword against the wall to slow his descent, and swung into the adjoining room where the "Silver Knight" and 2.0 were.
"Okay, it's just the detective up there. He'll probably be wondering about the hole, but oh well. Now, I have some questions. Why exactly did ninjas drop from the sky and attempt to kill us? What happened today?"
((Thanks, Leo.))
~~
It was true. Since moving upstairs from earlier Ian decided to keep himself occupied from his thoughts. He took off his dressy clothes and went to put on his training gi although none of them were clean so he just wore a pair of not-clean martial arts pants and tabi along with the wrapping covering his right hand and headband.
Inside was Ian's huge training room which he heralded more than his room. It rivaled even the Pits from Golden Eagle High but only had the equipment needed for his progress so wasn't as big. Ian was punching and kicking a heavy looking kicking bag that was at least twice as big as himself. Even without any knowledge of martial arts, you can tell how horrible Ian's form was and it looked like his punches were hurting himself more than whatever he was striking at. He was breathing heavy and sweat running down his small shirtless torso. He looked tired and frail which is odd because although he may resemble frailty with his small yet tone physique, he never seems tired.
When Essex tapped the door, it opened slightly which caused Ian to stop punching the punching/kicking-bag and turn toward the door, "Who's there?"
"Ah...it's just me." Essex repeated, pushing the door open a little more. Her eyes were full of concern, and she skimmed in a little, grabbing a towel from a nearby rack and bringing it over to him.
"...I just wanted to come up here to see you. I know it's stupid to ask you if you're all right, but..."
She looked down. "...I know if it had been Dr. West, I would quite decidedly need a hug."
Essex didn't move to hug Ian, as she knew he didn't usually need comforting...but she didn't go anywhere, either.
"...So I just wanted to say...if there's anything you need that I can do. Absolutely anything. Please don't hesitate to ask."
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
((No, robotic sensors would have no effect. Hal's invisibility works by causing those around him to hallucinate into thinking that he isn't there. If you can hallucinate, you can't see him. . . unless you have a bunch of +perception buffs or something, of course! ))
Ian looked over to Essex as she grabbed a towel and entered the room. He just returned to punching and kicking as he listened to her speak. I'm.....fine, he said between punches. I never....got much of.......a chance......to do things......with my dad..., Ian continued to gasp as he relentlessly attacked the bag, I just.....I wish I.... He stopped and took the towel. After wiping the sweat from his eyes, he draped it over his shoulder and sunk down to the floor.
Im worried about my mother. No one knows where she is and I dont know what Id do if shes... Ian interrupted his own sentence when he looked toward the door. He could see into his room because the door was wide open. Did you go into my room? he asked with a coaxed brow.
~~
Okay, no one gets in or out. As long as those dumb robots are inactive, the evidence should be undisturbed, detective Holmes barked. You, he said point at one of the group of officers, find out whats the deal with the guy in the bushes. You, he continued and pointed at another, check around the building for anyone else suspicious. And you, call for another team from the crime scene to get over here quick. Ill take a look inside.
The detective entered the lab and soon found the destruction within. What in the blazes!? Rich exclaimed before he saw Archlich and 2.0. You did this!? Bah! I should never have trusted crazy capes inside of an investigation. And who is that? he asked pointing at the less silver knight.
Essex hovered over Ian with a concerned frown. At his question, she shook her head.
"The door was open when I got up here." she said. "I looked in and you weren't there, but I didn't go in - I heard you training in here."
Tilting her head to the side quizzically, she blinked.
"Didn't....you leave your door open?" she asked, unsurely.
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
OOC: Sorry. Been overcome with the amount of postage I have going on and this must have fallen through the cracks. Uh...Where was Archie last?
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
((He was talking about moving on and getting out of the messy rubble but now is under heavy interrogation by three characters.
2.0: "So, since you seem to want to be the smart-[censored], why don't YOU tell ME where we are going, hm?"
Andrew: "Okay, it's just the detective up there. He'll probably be wondering about the hole, but oh well. Now, I have some questions. Why exactly did ninjas drop from the sky and attempt to kill us? What happened today?"
Richard Holmes: You did this!? Bah! I should never have trusted crazy capes inside of an investigation. And who is that?
[EDIT] By the way, I think Curtis is still having tea in the foyer room.))
Curtis looked about, and shook his head.
"C'mon, les' head to the dinin' room, er the crime scene, er whutever the 'ell 'appened in thar."
Experiment glanced up from his frown toward the 'Knight', shaking his hands in response to Holmes' question.
"Woah, woah, no! No, we did not do this! There were these ninja, see, and they attacked, with wind and really really sharp leaves, and then one of them caused the ground to collapse, and I tried to pull him down, and I couldn't but then-"
He stopped, his usual 'Damnit' face coming over him.
"Sounds like I am insane, doesn't it..."
Ah, maybe I did leave it open. I cant really remember....I may have gotten a little lazy with those robots cleaning my room and doing my laundry so it was probably one of them, Ian replied with a forced smile. He moved toward his room, talking to the android as he did. Im really sorry that my dad asked you guys all the way out here. He picked up his discarded tux that was lying on the ground and tossed it into his closet. If youd like, you all can stay the night in one of the guest rooms. We wouldnt mind at all and I really enjoy having company, Ian finished saying after closing the closet up and flashing Essex a weak smile.
~~
Curtis and the other TacOp moved out to the Banquet Hall, although they probably just teleported there. There were a few police teams around taking pictures but many were just sighing and smacking their foreheads. Inside the hall was a huge reception ready to be enjoyed by guest and a dozen and a half magitech robots hovering about, making sure everything was neat and tidy. A few of the investigators were huddled over a table of equipment.
~~
Ninjas huh? Were there any pirates involved too? I outta have you all locked up right now but what little evidence is left probably just got cleaned up and disposed of by those stupid robots so I dont even f*cking care. Rich knew he was going to have to bring a team to sift through this mess but he felt about ready to leave.
"Howdy." Curtis nodded to the police around the equipment.
"Whatcha got thar?"
He obviously wasn't very well versed in crime scene procedures - Probably since he was usually far from it by this time.
One of the investigators was on an important call so he didnt give the Maltas any attention. Another had big earphones so he could listen to audio so he couldnt hear the pair either. There was one that looked over to them, he looked pretty young too(22 perhaps) so he was obviously a rookie. Hey, you guys with some kind of special ops? If youre going to take out these robots, its a bit too late now. But we did manage to pick up a bit of info here.
The table was pretty much all the evidence the teams collected before it could be altered. It was full of video, audio, testimonies and maps. Some evidence was already shipped to the labs for further analysis along with the body.
"Look..." Experiment tried to come with a strong voice, taking a small step forward, his hands easily seen. "Let me try to explain it a little better... Maybe I shouldn't have said Ninja... These guys, I think there was a female too, used some elemental powers. It seemed as if each controlled a single element, or something like that."
He put his hand to his head, trying to remember.
"Big noses... Not like, slightly large noses... BIG noses... Their armour was kinda cool, but apart from that, not that many distinguishing features... Apart from the whole different coloured skin thing..."
He shook his head, sighing.
"Hey, knight-boy, help me out here, would you?"
As the commotion nearby had surely stopped Andrew from noticing him, Hal crept further into the lab. He looked around the entrance carefully, noting the doorways that led further in.
((As in: Please tell me about them. ))
"They were demons," Archlich said. "Demons trained in ninjutsu, to be exact."
The lich folded his arms and tried to restrain his impatience. If this detective detained them any longer, he would probably just put him out of his misery.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
<Leeksoup>:Andrew figured that the detective's questions had been answered well enough, and besides, it didn't seem he'd beilieve them if they'd shown him the ninja-demons in person. He sighed and looked behind 2.0 and the Knight. He saw the old, magical looking room, and wondered why it was buried underground. I don't recall seeing that room before... Was it sealed off, or am I just oblivious? He slipped off into the room and looked around for other entryways.
((Tell me if there are other doors!))
~~
((No, there arent really any more doors of importance.))
In all the clutter, Hallucinogen somehow managed to move about without making much noise and calling attention to himself((dunno if the hallucination he causes masks noise and smell too)). After a little exploration, it was apparent that, unless you knew a good deal about technology or magic, one wouldnt know what the heck he was looking at. Some of the rooms were full of tables covered in prototypes that were probably too dangerous to use. Soon, Hal found the stairs that lead to the floor below. He could hear 2.0, Archlich and the detective talking around the corner but discovered Andrew examining a sack about the size of a purse that was lying on the floor. It must have been tossed around by the collapsing floor.
((Theres other doors but I really dont feel like describing each one of them, especially if theres nothing important in them.))
~~
Big nosed demons huh? Maybe this is a job for the big league capes....but Ill solve this crime, so help me. The detective began rubbing the stubble on his chin, Maybe we should get a proper description of these guys so we can try tracking them. Perhaps theyre the cause of this crime....but maybe you should come with me just in case......you know....youre both full of crap.
Suddenly, Leider De Onne Worter began playing on Richs cell. He flipped it open, Yeah, what is it?.....Where?....okay, be right there. He eyed the group from up on the 1st floor and shook his head. Dont do.....anything. Ill be right back. Rich then ran out of the entrance to the lab and ran around to side of the building.
Experiment watched the detective leave, frowning. "Great. Try and help out and suddenly you are pretty much wanted. Well, this sucks. As far as I know, they don't even have anything that matches my spines' residue at the crime scene!"
He shook his head, looking back up at the place the detective had stood. "I bet he thought himself all high and mighty, standing up there... Pfft... Some detective..."
((Yeah, it does. So in that sense it's better then ordinary invisiblity, even if it has no effect on machines. It's basically like, if you notice him, you hallucinate and think that you didn't.))
Hallucinogen tried to get a good look at the sack, but Andrew was already examining it. . .
Eh. He could come back to that later. . . He continued around the corner, and saw Experiment 2.0 and. . .
. . .Archlich?!?
Well, he was cleverly disguised, but his radiation scanning wasn't fooled that easily. Hal's eyes narrowed. What the hell was he doing here?
Hal reinforced his invisibility. He didn't trust his radiation quite as much around the powerful mage. . .
((Oh, the murder took place in the Banquet hall... 9_9 I should have paid more attention. *facepalms* I was like, "Wait, but.... D:"
And don't WORRY, Ian!! XP My lawd, you're as bad as I am. Relaaaaax. Relaaaax. *Surrounds with fluffy animals*))
"You're right." Essex said quickly, "We won't find anything here."
Turning back to Hal, she frowned a bit. "...I want to go and talk to Ian after all. But...alone. You can turn invisible, right? I would suggest going to the lab and seeing what you can find...without being seen."
She began to skim away, but paused, half turning back to face him. "...Come and get me when you're done. I don't...want to be alone here. And I don't want to bother Sir Curtis all the time....so maybe I'll bother you." The last sentence was accompanied by something of a mischevous smile as she hurriedly skimmed out of the room.
Back to the house she went, quietly skirting around and trying to be unobtrusive as she hurried up towards Ian's room.
"...Ian?" she called out quietly outside his door. "It's me, S-6. ...May I come in?"
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace