The Assault Droid stomped forward, flanked by several guards bearing hand cuffs and inhibitor braces. The massive machine casually backhanded Blind into a wall where he was picked up by the guards, locked down, and carried back to his cell.
For Twilit and his gang, the droid lifted up one arm equipped with a thick shield from which a nozzle protruded from under. A thick green gas sprayed from the device, quickly knocking all the thugs out. The guards, who had been waring gas masks the whole time, as they had been warned about this weapon, gathered up the men and dragged them down to new cells.
It seemed that this little section of the breakout was done and over with.
OOC: Sorry to god mode you two a bit, but there wasn't really much else that could happen.
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.
((Care to clarify something for me, Devious? Is Hotaka's body back in the cell, or are you still being transported at the moment?))
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
((Indeed, Hotaka is sitting back in the cell in solemn meditation.))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
((Mkay... I'll need a little time for Shadowshock to react to this... That, and he's kind of half asleep.))
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
((Pfft, no problems from me. Blind had no defenses at all, so... =P))
((Mm-kay. A day or two of inactivity to recharge them juices, a rather irritating cut underneath the left thumbnail to ensure discomfort, and I'm most certainly back and ready for action! Wootberries!))
In his favor, they hadnt seen him. They hadnt come close to detecting him. But, they hadnt bothered to check, so it didnt really matter. Instead, theyd sprinted the girl off to some interrogation room to figure out exactly how a powerless, unarmed girl had reduced a healthy, 6-foot-something-inches man with a list of charges longer than most peoples arms into a small pile of ash. Without anyone seeing her do it. They might put two and two together. They might figure follow the Sherlock Holmes adage, eliminate her as the mans killer, and then look for nether residue in the ashes, which would finger him quite efficiently. But he doubted it. Humans loved their improbabilities too much. They loved logical fallacies they could label truth more than mundane or explainable truths. Humans were stupid. Humans were exploitable. Which was why he completely doubted the presence behind him was, in fact, human. It had expressly warned him not to harm the girl
as if that was his intention. That girl was Arachnos property, ashes to dust. And she had mystical weavings about her, which made her property of the Mistress, or property of Scirocco, who was, if not an ally, than a very reluctant enemy. Either way it was his duty to bring her back, after providing assistance with whatever her mission was. The presence at his back unleashed a bolt of fleeting power, spending itself in some way. Still, some of it lingered, and so he sent out his reply.
Brother of the Shadows. I mean the girl-child no more harm than she visits upon herself. She is marked as property of my Mistress, I believe, and so is under my protection. But, I must understand her charge before I can execute mine. Thus am I compelled. Stand not in my way in this matter, or I will consume.
((I really haven't got a clue what you're pulling, Devious, as I'm not familiar with your character list, but I should think that I've posted somethign ambiguous to satisfy most situations. If not, drop me a line, and I'll click on the edit button.))
A set of great, predatory teeth suddenly appeared in front of Harlequin Fear, the carnivorous maw reeking of the horrid stench of death and decay.
Before he knew it, the jaws rushed about him and snapped shut on the man with a great crash, the damp, sticky, altogether poisonous atmosphere filling every single one of his senses.
Then it all vanished, just as quickly as it had appeared.
Had it been no more than an illusion...?
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
It seemed he had spoken to soon.
Though the guards had hustled the girl out at once, they were far from finished with the cell.
Even in the Plane of Shadow... it was possible to see a light. The scanning team was coming. It was almost certain that he would be found when they arrived.
To make matters worse, the barriers had gone up, trapping both of the shadowy occupants in the cell, waiting to be discovered.
In the real world, Penny Arcade was shown to an interrogation room, and left there, where she bit her lip nervously, waiting for her interrogator...
((OOC sorry about the slow posting: I am technically out of town until June 5, so hard to get here and post!))
((No worries, just take your time. 
It's a collection of text pages, so not like it's going anywhere. 
))
The door of the interrogation room stayed open for now - it was much safer to post two guards across the hall with a full view of the prisoner, as well as another on each side of the door in case she really did try something.
"One more check." the very out-of-place fifth guard told the others as he stepped into the chamber, "Gotta make sure she don't got anything on her that could mess with ol' Gray."
The others nodded, allowing the man to proceed. While the Mark II's credentials were awe-inspiring, and its service record spotless, the guards had learned from the arena that this woman was an avid technologist - and they didn't want to take the chance of her posing a threat to a machine that made their job a whole lot easier. After all, that was all the Mark II was to them.
"Shh." the fifth guard put a finger to his lips as he entered the room, the visor of his cap casting a dense shadow over half his face, rendering his eyes unseen. He whispered, "They will be sending the machine. Do not acknowledge my presence, or it might well think you've lost your mind. It will not see me. Only you can."
"She's clean." he then said loudly to the guards outside, making sure to position himself in such a way that it very much looked like he'd searched her. If any contact had been made, however, Penny would notice a very disturbing fact.
She passed straight through the man, as if he wasn't even there. He might as well have been thin air, for he certainly felt like it...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Its impossible to blink when you possess a mask for a face, and thus lack eyelids. However, for all the rancid smells, disgusting imagery, hunted feelings, and whatever else had been laced into the manifestation, when it snapped itself shut, it slid right through Fears body without any resistance. He did not blink. Instead, he shook his head slightly, to fight off a wave of disorientation, and then concentrated on the cell he was occupying.
He wouldnt be able to escape it, the nullifiers prevented that, the fields, too. He wouldnt be able to hide for long, as light automatically reduced the presence of the netherworld. If they shone some at him, hed probably rematerialize. And, with all the power he had currently maintaining his connection to the netherworld, a disruption would leave him quite vulnerable. So
did he pray for stealth, or prepare for combat? A creak at the cell gate answered his question for him. It slowly pealed open, and he began withdrawing into reality as fast as he could. Then stopped
what the devil was that?
((I'm leaving it open for someone to jump in there, I really don't mind what ya do, so long as I don't get godmoded, or something. Really, though, I'd dig seeing some uber robot brought in to capture Fear.))
Back so soon? Michael looked pleased but a bit confused as the female interrogator came back into the room and set her pencil and paper down.
It seems Ive got more time to spend with you. She opened his file again and thumbed through it. He poured her a glass of water and slid it toward her as she ignored him.
Finally, he breathed in, while still regarding her with one eyebrow raised. No questions? You must not be happy about it. He watched her shoot him a look that he was waiting behind the plate for. Cmon. Were both just here playing our parts. You cant seriously think that some magical bad thing will happen if you and I should end up liking each other, can you?
I dont think you and I will become friends, Mr. Helsinger. She stared coldly at him, letting her pen go limp in her fingers.
What a horrible approach to interrogation you have. So youre basically going to drag me into a room, a room I dont get to go into often so its a change of pace for me and therefore exciting, and just order me to tell you what you want to know? Seriously? Do you think that will work? I mean, if youre going to go about this in a way guaranteed to be nothing more than proving that the idiot who thought of this was wrong, we may as well chat, dont you think? Michael folded his hands in front of him.
That is not how this works. You see, if you want to see the light of day again, youre going to cooperate. If you want privileges while youre here, youre going to cooperate. She pointed the cap of her pen at him.
But I dont care about those things, and neither does anyone else. The Zig isnt for purse snatchers or people whove set the garbage bin on fire with petrol, its for mass murderers and armed robbers and rapists. These arent people who are going to help you out for a chance to watch The View. Theyre going to tell you what they want to tell you to suit their purposes. Dont get me wrong, Im not attacking you, its not your system is it. Michael smiled.
It works, she retorted.
Really?
Yes.
When?
Excuse me? She flipped her hair out of her face as she leaned forward toward him across his folder.
When does it work? When has it worked? Do you know if Im lying about what Id seen? Do you know if I made it all up? What if I saw her shoot fire out of her eyes and burn him up, then turn to me and threaten to do the same if I didnt keep quiet? Michael got comfortable in his chair and refolded his hands in front of him.
Is that what happened? She tapped her glasses twice with her pen, then put it to some paper.
Not at all. Michael leaned in. Further, I didnt see the fight, Fist did. He told me all about it, and I believe him to be incapable of making things that complicated up.
So you lied to me.
Of course, Im a villain. But then I also told you the truth. Michael smiled.
Why?
To establish trust. Its the cornerstone of any successful relationship. Dont they teach you that in psychologist slash interrogation school? Michael shrugged. Now, your turn.
She quirked an eyebrow. How?
Drink the water. Michael indicated the water he poured for her.
Why, what did you do to it? She tilted her head and looked at the water.
You see, that is entirely the wrong way to go about it. You just accused me. Michael feigned a hurt look.
She looked at him for a moment, then sighed. Did you do something to it?
Could I? How many people are on the other side of that viewing panel? Would none of them warn you? Michael indicated the mirrored panel on the wall.
As she started to pick up the glass, Michael stopped her by holding up his own hand, careful not to make physical contact with her. Wait
maybe I know something you dont. Maybe I slipped something in that they wouldnt see. Maybe I know that theyre not watching for some reason. Maybe theyre all dead on the other side of that glass because I paid Coyote Bear in cigarettes to clear out that room so I could drug you and [censored] you. Are you sure you want to trust me?
She considered all he said, then put the glass to her lips and drank, her eyes never leaving his. She set the glass down on the table. There, satisfied?
Whats your name? Michael smiled at her.
Linda Smart. She tilted her head as he laughed at her name.
Of course it is. Im Archon Steele, but you may call me Michael. He held his hand out to shake hers, and she looked nervously at the glass.
((Well, I meant for the mouth to be large enough where he could stand up inside it, but I guess I didn't describe that well enough. This works too. 
))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
OOC: *hijacks neighboring unsecured wireless network*
I R RETURN'D.
I've been away at my grandma's house for the last little while. I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to get back onto the forum until I get home, so I shall use this time I have now to do stuff.
...even if the person I'm doing stuff with won't be back till I am. 
BIC: "She's clean," said one of the guards standing next to the door as Mark 2 walked up. "Scanner team just hauled her in."
"Very good," the prototype replied as it pushed open the door and walked into the clean, white room. Behind it one of the door guard's held the door open for a second longer than neccessary. The prototype assumed it was because he expected one of the battle drones to also enter.
"You may close and secure the door," Mark 2 said with a look over its shoulder. "I shall not require my drones for this interrogation."
The guard closing the door looked around himself for a second, as though confused, and then shrugged before closing the door. The sound of the locks engaging was very final.
The metal chair screeched slightly as the prototype pulled it out from the table and eased itself into it. The prototype wasn't quite sure the folding metal chair could hold its weight, but when the chair didn't buckle immidiately, the android relaxed slightly and rested both forearms on the table in a position that looked a bit rehearsed.
"What have you gotten yourself into now?" the prototype asked Penny simply.
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.
[ QUOTE ]
"What have you gotten yourself into now?" the prototype asked Penny simply.
[/ QUOTE ]
A black eye was now blooming spectacularly on Penny Arcade's face, just below the cut on her forehead - the result of the rough transport out of her cell and into the interrogation room. Her hands were still cuffed behind her back. But she seemed to be in good spirits as she smiled at him. "Hi, Gray. Er - sorry, Prototype Mark 2."
When she heard his question, she gave a little sigh. "I was put in Cellblock C, which I was told was the non-paranormal section of the jail. I was put in with a fifth column guy. I admit we got into a fight. I don't generally get along well with fifth column anyway, as a rule. So, he was hassling me, and I kicked him, and knocked him down."
She hesitated. "And this - guy, I guess - a different guy - walks through the wall. He says, 'Don't tell anyone I am here,' and he disappears. And my cellmate, the guy I kicked, he just... crumbles into dust. It was creepy." She shivered. "So - when the guards came - I wasn't very cooperative. I was scared that the desolid guy might still be there, or might be listening. I wanted them to take me somewhere else. That actually worked out pretty well, here I am in interrogation, yay me." Her voice was dry.
"So, the bottom line is, I didn't kill my cellmate. I feel ridiculous saying that I didn't do it, because I'm sure that every prisoner in every interrogation you ever go to always claims they didn't do it, and really the blame lies with some invisible ghost person, or an evil twin from an alternate dimension, or some equally ridiculous story. But... I'm hoping you have video... or at least the forensics might back me up. I'm not sure... I hope they will." She bit her lip uncertainly. "I'd really like to not go back to that cell. I'd be scared there. But I really don't have any reason to be given special priveleges. I've thought of trying to bite you or something and see if I could get moved to the Pit or somewhere, but I haven't been able to decide if that would be better or worse than the haunted cell." She sat back in her chair and regarded him. "But I am glad to get a chance to speak with you, at any rate. You have me terribly curious, you know."
+++++
Back in Penny Arcade's old cellblock, the scanning team reached her cell.
The first thing they did was bathe it in brilliant lights, lights of every possible spectrum, so that not even the tiniest shadow remained. They had plenty of firepower ready as they began the scanning process...
"Remind it of your lack of defenses without your armor." the fifth guard whispered into Penny's ear, just quietly enough to not be noticed by the others outside, "It is programmed to maintain prisoners to the best of its capability."
The unreal guard kept hoping Penny would follow his advice without response. If she responded directly, the Mark II might well think she'd gone insane.
Then again, that may not have been such a bad idea. The psychiatric ward for the 'normals' was a relatively low-threat zone...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
That turned out to be a Spectrum Emitter, or some other such technological goody, and it was emitting everything from x-rays to micro-waves. Oh, Mistress how it hurt. But Harlequin Fear wasnt human. Pain was a reminder of limits, not a factor in decision-making. And, as Fear was mostly outside the Netherworld when they flipped the switch on that damn contraption, he had a goodly amount of power to pummel it with. And pummel he did. Wisps of nether flecked from his body as he tore into the contraption, ripping, rending, destroying. As he broke emitters, he was able to channel more power into his blows, and break even more emitters. Soon, all that lay in front of him was a twisted hulk.
And then, Fear had a startling realization. They sent the emitter in to him. They had opened the door. Shut down some of the fields. He could walk right out. The power he could absorb from their bodies would easily allow him to teleport into a safe location. He began to walk towards the exit, weaving shadows around his body as he did. Guards in hard suits spun into attack position in front of the opened gate, and began firing at him, but he paid them no mind. The shadows would absorb anything they could shoot at him. Puny mortals. he thought. Always trying to solve a problem by shooting it. Even when bullets dont work.
But then, he felt the sting of light. They werent shooting bullets at him. They were shooting light bursts. Fear threw himself into a dive forwards, to dodge further incoming beams, but as he came to his feet, he stopped. The emitter, the one hed trashed, wasnt nearly as trashed as hed hoped. It was whirring. It was up to something. He looked on in horror, as a massive bag of white powder was lifted into the air by some robotic arm from deep inside the hulk of metallic scrap.
One of the hard suits noticed his reaction. Thats right, meat. Magnesium. Were gonna burn you, punk. A spark twitched out of some hidden ejector, and floated towards the bag. It splattered onto the edge, and then began a chemical reaction, in which magnesium rusted at a remarkable rate, producing Magnesium Oxide, a small amount of heat, and the most brilliant light known to man. Fear screamed. He was still screaming when he hit the floor, and continued to writhe until he passed out.
Dr. Julius Greene was sitting in his cell, idly listening to the commotion of the breakout as he leaned against the concrete and steel wall. He was leaning against the wall, because he had been forcibly evicted from both beds. He sighed, and looked over towards his cellmate. "Do you really need both beds?"
His cellmate, a short and wiry man with a nasty grin just flashed filed teeth at him. "If you don't like it, why don't you just break out with the others?"
Dr. Greene just glared, and retorted "Are you sure you belong in the powerful yet frail section of this prison? Because to me, you look more like the "likely to gnaw at prison guards" type." This only earned Dr. Greene a quick slap from the other prisoner, and a kick in the side.
Dr. Greene withdrew again towards the wall, and waited until this breakout nonsense was over, and he could get out of this cell.
Twilit was brought, or dragged rather, into a bleak room with one mirror-like window. Apparently, he was being considered bit of a threat right now, considering he had three guards in the room and one person interrogating him. Unfortunatley they didn't seem all that happy to see him. Two of the guards nearly threw him into his chair.
"Ah Damn! Come on now, no need to be rought here." He added the last bit with a smirk, though his interrogator didn't seem amused. "Alright you piece of ****, shut up and tell me what I need to know. Now, just how in the hell were you able to blow up your cell."
"I didn't, guy in the cell next to me. I was actually unconscious at the time....."
"Yeah, of course, enough bull****, tell us now." He was visibly irritated by what he perceived to be a smart***. "I don't have the patience for this, maybe some time in The Pit will change you tone." With that two guards "escorted" him on his way.
((OOC: This looks really interesting and fun. I'll maybe jump in when the breakout has simmered down.))
As the breakout attempt came to a close, a number of things happened.
In the interrogation room, Penny Arcade gave no indication that she had heard the voice, except to narrow her eyes, and thin her lips. She frowned, wondering what to do, but said nothing else immediately, waiting to see what the Mark 2 would do.
In her former cell, the wannabes were using tried and true techniques to be sure that Harlequin Fear remained unconscious, and that there were no other perps hiding anywhere. One of them got onto the radio to the Mark 2. "Prototype Droid Mark 2, do you copy? One perp apprehended in cell C-31, Harlequin Fear. We're moving him to Handcuffs lab, then to Interrogation. No other signs of additional paranormals, all scans completed."
Harlequin Fear was loaded into a special, lit gurney and escorted, unconscious and under heavy human and droid guard, to Handcuffs lab. Handcuffs was one of the few individuals in the Zig who was looked on not so much with terror as with exasperation. The word was, when Handcuffs locked you down, you stayed locked down. Many prisoners never even saw Handcuffs: like Harlequin Fear, most had tried unsuccessful escape attempts, or other such stunts. Because Harlequin's attempt had resulted in the death of another prisoner, he was under the most stringent security measures possible.
Some time later, it became apparant that Handcuffs was extremely good at his job. Harlequin Fear had been fitted with cuffs, anklets, and a collar designed not to restrain his physical movement, but to restrain his movement into and usage of any form of shadow. The restraints could not be phased out of or scared off and, worse, any application of shadow in their immediate vicinity would make them totally immobile. Then they would light up. Though their origins were technological, they had been inscribed with symbols which made them resistant even to mystical tampering. They were totally harmless and passive, unless Harlequin tried something he shouldn't, and then they were meant to give him a very bad day indeed.
His good behavior ensured, he was then transported to an interrogation room, to find out what had happened to the soldier from the Fifth Column. The Mark 2 was duly notified of all developments.
Blind was taken to the Pit and dumped in. It was a dark place, its only lighting an eerie greenish glow, but in the darkness, something moved...
+++++
Elsewhere, unknown by the prisoners, things were happening.
The communications center was one of the most heavily-guarded sections of the Zig. During full lockdown mode, however, it was lightly manned. Today, however, it was more lightly manned than usual, for one of the guards had called in sick earlier that day, and two more had been pulled when the escape attempt and muder had been discovered.
Now Rob Trevors took up his post in the communications room, waving at the guard he came to relieve. All guards were supposed to have a second person with them, but with staffing levels today, it just wasn't possible. He wondered who had been careless enough to leave their jacket strewn across the back of the chair he was to occupy, and tossed it absent-mindedly aside as he sat down and put on his headset.
For long minutes, nothing happened. Rob watched screens, filtered messages back and forth, and wished he had remembered to get a cup of coffee. He tended to lean forwards with his elbows on the console, so he hardly noticed that the discarded jacket had resumed its position on the back of the chair.
He stiffened when it put its arms around his neck. He had brushed against it when he leaned back in the chair. The jacket liquified itself, flowing over his body, under his clothing, over his head, up his nose, before disappearing entirely. He spent some minutes making a strange, soft gurgling noise.
"Trevors?" asked the radio. "Trevors, you OK?"
The finger that pressed the button was encased entirely in black. "I'm fine," Trevors said.
"What was that noise?"
"Coffee was too hot - I choked."
"Oh. Well... everything OK up there?"
"Everything is fine," Trevors smiled. "Nothing to report."
He let go of the button. From a nearby locker, he took a pair of leather gloves, and slipped them on, and smiled to himself, rather eerily....
The darkness surrounding his skeletal form was enough to give Blind a nice little 'jump-start.' His arms flailed up, his dark aura pulling his body up in return. He stood, brushing his clothing off and glancing around. Then, if he could have, he would have scowled.
He wasn't at full power, he knew that, the dampener still affected him... But he could sense something moving around. He couldn't see, mind you, but he could sense.
Clouds of negative energy swirled around his fists as he began backing up, away from the sense of being watched. "Alrighty then, I'm kind of scared. That's something new. Sometimes, I just let things happen, but if I can sense you, that's PROBABLY not a good idea right now..."
((Hey, peoplez!! Did'ya miss me? I know you did. ^___^))
Shadowshock awoke with a start.
The alarms and guards shouting... This breakout was taking a lot longer than...
He noticed Hotaka just lying on the floor. Odd... Why didn't he wake up when the guards brought him back? Perplexed, he rolled off his bed and leaned over his cellmate.
"Hey..." Shock waved his hand over Hotaka's prone form, "You alright? What'd they do to you?"
He snapped his fingers in front of Ryuu's face, but got no response. What was worse, too, was that it seemed he wasn't breathing. Shadowshock checked for a pulse...
One...
Two...
Three...
There!
A single beat...
One...
Tw-
Another one...
Pretty slow pulse rate... Shadowshock remembered some of the "far-out" kids back in high school (the few times he actually went, anyway) talking about how "Yoda Masters" were able to hold their breath for long periods of time and slow their heart rates... Was that what this was? If so, why was Hotaka doing it? Was it a better form of rest?
Shock couldn't imagine how... It seemed to him that Ryuu would be expending more energy to keep his body in this state.
"Dammit," he muttered to himself, "I should have stayed asleep..."
A set of booted feet ran past his cell. What the Hell was taking the guards so long with this breakout?
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
I have reached a point of writer's block on this thread. 
I am thinking of fast-forwarding to the actual Arachnos breakout. Does anyone have any objections?
Jen 8)
((Well, we just had an attempted and failed breakout, so I dunno. And we also haven't really gotten a chance to get to know other inmates, which might create problems if you want our characters to be friendly, or at least cooperative.
I suggest some sort of social setting, in which our characters can get together and talk?))
((Sorry, I haven't been around for a while... *Eyes Emo-and-Blocky-Prodi.* but I am back until either gets free, as I posted in the Galaxy City thread.))
Blind, grumbling, moved his right hand in a 'come-get-some' manner at the guards, his bottom jaw trying to grin.
"Cawm gat suum you maffer fooshers." he chuckled.
Of course, he wouldn't be able to defend himself at all, but that didn't keep his sarcasm down any.