Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - IC

Carefully, Darkon let Scarlet down to the door. It felt good to release the spell. He could now pay a bit more attention to his surroundings.

”I could take a look inside. It would only give us information about the layout of the place and probably about living beings around. Not about drones or anything like that.” Darkon suggested on the group channel. ”Also, if they have astral security inside, they might notice me snooping around. But I guess it is better than going in completely blind.”

When Scarlet finally had opened the door, he took a look inside, and then another look with hisnon mundane senses.

Perception roll mundane(visual) Int5+Perception2-maintaining spell2=5d Astral, same dice (5d6. hits(5)=1, 5d6. hits(5)=2)

”Alright then, does anyone see more sensors or wires? If not, we go in and I sit down for a moment.” He said it in a mock cheerful tone. ”Let's just hope the door hasn't initiated an alarm already.”

"I'm in favor of you taking a quick peak." Sha'hGrim responded. A ceiling mounted machine gun didn't do much to a projecting magician. But it could ruin the day for a 'Runner in the flesh. Even with armor.

4 hits

"Careful. I don't need any new holes in you. It's less fun for us when you're not functioning properly." The Spirit said to Sha'hGrim as she peered down the stairwell with the rest of the group.
"Yeah, you and me both." She responded.
"Is there any way to tell if there's a ceiling mounted machine gun, waiting to descend on us as soon as we set foot inside?" Sha'hGrim asked. She looked over to Mikel with questioning eyes, hoping that the "physical" guys would have a better feel for what they were in for.

After double checking, Mississippi points out a few places that aren't pressure plates. "Step on those, not anywhere else. If I had spray paint or the like I'd mark the pressure plates, but alas I have nothing of the sort."

Perception: 7 + 3 Magnification = 5 hits to find places to stand without pressure plates or wires.

"Alright. Mississippi, can you keep my body upright while I am gone? The less floor I press on the better, I guess. I'll hurry." Darkon sets down on the steps, where Mississippi indicated would be safe. He waited for the man to get to him too. "I can't keep spells up when I leave my body. Inconvenient, I know." He grinned at the man.

Next he turned to Ashe: "You keep my back as always?" He asked, knowing well he could trust her. Now then. Let's see what we can find in there. He thought, leaning against the wall, waiting for Mr M to steady him before slipping out of his body like he would slip out of a well worn sock.

"How about over my shoulder then? That way if I have to move I can move you too. And it will be only one of us touching. Undignified I know, but better than the alternative." Assuming Darkon agrees, Mississippi throws him over one shoulder and uses the strap to help control the SMG, in case they need it. Weight is no issue, but bulk can be. To aid in control of his bulk, Mississppi crouches, but ensures none of Darkon's limbs touch anything they shouldn't.

If he doesn't agree, the orc will go with the magic user's plan, but doesn't like it.

"Well, that's probably not necessary... If we need to move, I can levitate him - and likely move him faster than you can over your shoulder. And if we're in a fight, my guess is that you'll need your mobility. I'd imagine that pinning him against the wall is a better plan." Sha'hGrim added in her own two cents subvocally. Of course, at present she wasn't exactly rolling in the dough... So her two cents were spent dearly.

As Darkon slipped out into the eather of the astral world, he found little of interest at first, or perhaps that in itself was of interest. Often one would pick up at least the aura of a few living things, bugs, insects, even mould or other like. But this place was devoid of such things. Sanitary, clean.. clinically so. If any living thing worked in this building they didn't seem to be here at the moment, nor would flying about the place show any sign of there being any living security on site. Usually a complex like this at least maintained a guard or two at the very least. Then again in this day and age, companies looking to cut down on expenditures increasingly relied on drones and automated systems and given the time of night it was still possible the place simply relied on the technological. Still, it seemed to lack any form of magical defence which usually there was at least some sort of token form there of.

Out on the physical world with the others gathered about, the smell of antiseptic grew strong in the night air. The low hum of an air-conditioning fan kicked on somewhere in a small vent near the stairwell roof while inside was dark with no apparent lighting, and in the stairwell itself, seemed to lack even a simple light fixture.

*SNIFF*

"You smell that?" Sha'hGrim asked the group over the open comm line. The smell of antiseptic was making her nervous. And while it could have something to do with the lack of anything living that she'd noticed earlier, it just occurred to her that it could also be a potent and highly effective anti-magic defense as well. An entirely physical anti-magic defense...
"You're just being paranoid" The Spirit replied to her inner dialogue. It had very little understanding of purely physical issues, the kind which Sha'hGrim was afraid she and the team may have just triggered. And it could have been a big issue, if she was right.
"You're amazing, but in this you'll have to trust me. This is something about which you would have absolutely no experience, and you'll simply have to hope, as I am, that my fears are misplaced." She responded. While the Spirit was impressively intelligent, and it knew things that Sha'hGrim would never even know she didn't know, this was something that she was infinitely more prepared to recognize than the Spirit was. This was physical.
"The Antiseptic is giving me an idea. And it's an idea that I don't like. Are we sure that no alarms or countermeasures were tripped when we opened the door?" She asked after giving a moment for Mississippi and Scarlet to have a sniff at the air.

Mississippi looked otherwise engaged, and Sha'hGrim wasn't sure there was time to wait. If the smell she was smelling had anything to do with what might be a seriously effective defense mechanism, she knew that the team had seconds, at best, to respond to this threat.
"Scarlet, hold on to me now. Hold on tight." She said, giving Scarlet a moment to clamp her arms around Sha'hGrim's petite shoulders. Sha'hGrim may be petite, but in her current state, she could handle far more than the girl could dish out. Scarlet's impressive bear-hug was no issue at all for Sha'hGrim's significantly enhanced body.
"Now Mississippi: Go ahead and throw him over your shoulder. Sack-of-potatoes style is just fine. But be quick about it!" Sha'hGrim barked the order in to her Commlink. Again, if her suspicions were correct, they didn't have time for deliberation. She needed to get them out of there first, and they could discuss it after. The subvocal mics didn't pick up the urgent tone that her normal voice would have, but the way that she bit off her words was well translated. There was no room for discussion here, especially if her suspicions were even remotely appropriate. And if not; hopefully she wouldn't have any spellcasting headache to worry about, and there would be no harm done.

Casting a Force 2 levitate on self; it needs to be force 2 to hold both Sha'hGrim and Scarlet (actually, probably a force 1 would be sufficient; but I'm not taking any chances). Then, with that sustained, she will be casting another Force 2 Levitate on Mississippi, with him holding on to Darkon - again it needs to be Force 2 to hold the weight.
Casting a Force 2 Levitate on self: 7 hits; Force 2 so only 2 count Holy Crap!! No Drain
Casting a Force 2 Levitate on Mississippi: 4 hits; Force 2, only 2 count No Drain

In a matter of a moment, Sha'hGrim was lifting off the ground quickly with Scarlet hugging Sha'hGrim in a death-grip, using both her arms and her legs. Sha'hGrim might have considered this situation uncomfortable, if she wasn't preoccupied with life-or-death situations first.
In a careful moment of consideration, Sha'hGrim thought about exempting her Levitate spell from her Masking, allowing Darkon to immediately know what was going on. She really didn't want him to come back surprised and struggling. She decided against it, though, leaving her spell masked, and choosing instead to reveal them for a moment as soon as he was paying attention.
As soon as she had done that, she reached out with her mana tendrills and cast another Levitate spell, wrapping the spell about Mississippi just as Darkon's body flopped over his shoulder. As Mississippi adjusted the weight of Darkon's body, Sha'hGrim's spell lifted him straight up in to the air as well. Sha'hGrim again chose not to adjust her masking, which would have allowed that spell to show as her own as well.
She felt a chill pass through her bones as she waited impatiently for Darkon's return, hoping beyond hope that he returned where she would notice. Her Astral sight would tell her immediately once he had passed back in to the open area, and she would know when he understood what she had done. She would re-mask her spells at that very instant, again hiding her spellcasting capacity.

Darkon carefully floated down the stairs, through the door. He tried to avoid going through walls or doors, in case they had glowmoss inside. Unfortunately, he could not avoid it alltogether. His translucent hand was gripping his staff tightly while he was looking through the corridors and rooms. There was not a single lifeform except himself. 

Darkon did his best to dance the rope between thoroughness and speed. But he was aware of his comrades waiting. So when he had run his course, on the astral it didn't take longer than collecting a string of thoughts, he returned to the place he had left his body. It wasn't exactly in the same place it had been before, but still near enough. 

Darkon was relieved that he didn't have to search for it. The shaman slipped back in inhaling slowly. Then he became aware of his position. "How dignified. What happened?" Darkon looked around, and down at the ground beyond him. "What is that smell? Did I sleep through my dentist appointment or something?"

"Dignified? Oh, right. Sorry, I was concerned with the smell. There's nothing alive around here, and that smell is the same sort of smell that, well, you find in a dentist's office..." She replied, chuckling. Darkon's analogy had been perfect.
"I couldn't take a chance, and needed to lift us up and out of there. I think it's a defense system." Sha'hGrim said, unsure of herself, but certain of the very real risk of a defense system somewhere. This one would have been among the more clever that she'd encountered - and if they'd been caught in it, it would have been virtually inescapable. Of course, she could also be wrong.
"Are you sure about this?" The Spirit asked, still wondering if Sha'hGrim had acted in the appropriate manner.
"Yes and no. I am sure that it's a possible risk. And I am sure that without acting, if I was right, none of the team has any defense system against it. Except maybe me, with your help. But I am not sure that I am right. Better safe, though, than sorry." She said, still wondering if she'd done the right thing. She didn't have the tools to test the air quality - she needed Scarlet or Mississippi to take care of that.
"Now that we're all more or less safe, Darkon, do you think you could levitate Scarlet down there with some sort of air tester thing to test the air? She's mostly safe hanging off my shoulders for now, as are you hanging off Mississippi's shoulders. But we need to know if I was right." She asked.

Darkon nodded. "It could very well be a defensive system. Maybe against biodrones or something." He mused, hanging over Mississippis shoulder relaxed. 

"I didn't find anything alive inside. Fortunately, no astral barriers either." His mind reached out to grab Scarlets form gently, lifting her off Sha'hGrim slowly.

Spellcasting Levitate on Scarlet Force 2 Mag7+Sorcery5=12d Drain F/2+1 DV=2: Cha7+Will6=13d (12d6. hits(5)=4, 13d6. hits(5)=6) (Two effective hits, no drain)

 meanwhile he continued nonchalantly: "I would say this facility could be used to keep bacteria or something like this enclosed. Like a biological warfare lab. Or maybe..." 
Another thought occured to him while he held Scarlet amongst them so she could prepare a chem sniffer or something. "Where would you put a magical artifact if you don't want anything living reach it?"

Mississippi had worked with enough mages and shamans to know when they say something you don't understand, but they have worry in their voice, you immediately take their advice and ask them about it afterwards. When Sha gave directions, the ork more used to giving orders than receiving them reacts with the professional quickness of a corporate trained special forces operative. He is back away from the door with Darkon before the projecting consciousness returns. Only when they are all safe. "Can someone please explain to me what happened? I smelled what you did, but are we sure it's lethal? All the same I'm glad we went safer than sorry, but we need in there. Do we need to get some masks real quick and get back in this after that? At this point we would know the approach and could go in with more assurance, or we can push forward and deal with it. I can probably hold my breath a minute or so, but that won't help us much. One time a chummer of mine used an air spirit to put up an air wall to funnel away smoke from us, as well as providing a nice cover from the freaking zombies which couldn't power their way through the air wall. Can either of you do something like that with the antiseptic stuff?"*


*OOC: True story, though it was in a SR3 game.

Darkon wrote:

Where would you put a magical artifact if you don't want anything living reach it?"

"See, that's pretty much the direction I was going. Except I hadn't gotten to what might be protected. It seems to me that this is just about the perfect way to protect something that you don't want living creatures to get access to. If nothing living can survive the trip inside, then no one is going to be stealing it!" Sha'hGrim agreed with Darkon.
"And this is why I had to react so quickly... I just didn't know if we would have any time to respond or not... At least now we can find out the easy way. The hard way isn't usually any fun." She added. She was sometimes annoyed by how a subvocal system wouldn't really be able to pick up subtle vocal qualities, like intonation. This was one of those times.

Mississippi wrote:

"One time a chummer of mine used an air spirit..."

"Actually, I think I can. Although, I am not sure to what extent I am able to assist everyone on the team... Let me think about it for just a moment..." Sha'hGrim responded, considering how she would be able to assist them with Spirits, rather than with spells, as would normally be her first consideration.
"Darkon and I use very different kinds of Spirits. And mine can do some things that his cannot do. I think maybe that between the two of us, we just might be able to come up with some sort of plan that should work." She added, breathing just a little bit easier as Scarlet lifted off her shoulders. It wasn't the spell that was the problem - her Force 2 levitate could hold the two of them without the slightest issue. The issue was that Sha'hGrim was just not a powerful, muscular Metahuman, and supporting Scarlet's weight on her shoulders had been wearing on her. It was out of necessity as the group figured out whether the antiseptic smell was lethal. But it was tough.
Sha'hGrim spent several moments in deep thought.
"Ok, I am not certain how my Spirits can assist against an airborne threat. But I am willing to try it out myself and see how it will work. If it works, I can go in, and take one of the three of you with me. I am afraid that I am not in a position to assist more than one of you though." She said, still not revealing how she would be able to help. Darkon, of course, would likely be able to guess that she was suggesting one of her Spirits would possess one of the team. But she was unfortunately able to bring only two major spirits to bear at the moment, since she had only the one Bound Spirit which was possessing her. That meant that the Summoned spirit, currently residing in Chasky, would have to be repurposed for one of the team to come in with.
But first Sha'hGrim would have to lower herself down in to that antiseptic smell, and see if her Spirit's protection would keep her alive in there.
"Are we ready for me to test it?" She asked, looking down at the roof-top, then looking at the three faces of her team mates.

Darkon was still slung over Mississippis shoulder. He tried to make it look not humiliating but instead as if he were the one at an advantage. At least, I don't have to bear the weight here, so maybe I am the one at an advantage. That thought made him grin, and he put his elbow up on Mississippis shoulder, placing his chin onto the palm.

The shaman listened to the others suggestions, thought about them and then replied:

"I'd say we wait until Scarlet tested the air with her equipment. If nothing shows up, you go down and risk it. Not earlier." He said rather convinced. "If we have to split, I think you should go with Scarlet. She can open locks. And we would have some magical support on each part of the team. Besides, we're only a small jump away from you." Darkon grinned.

"If it helps, I've got a respirator. But those don't help against a contact vector substance." He thought about their options. "I can summon a spirit of air, but then I have to let go the earth spirit. And our concealment will drop. At least until the air spirit has stabilized on this plane of existance. I would prefer not to risk that."

I need new binding material. Just one spirit at a time is not enough sometimes. And this definitely is one of those times.

All the while, he still kept up the concentration to have Scarlet float next to him. He thought he saw Sha'hGrim let out a sigh of relief after he had lifted the woman off his companion.

Scarlet looked at Mississippi and their two new companions who were currently keeping them levitated and concealed above the door she had just opened.   Granted the concern that Sha was currently feeling was valid she felt it might be a bit extreme.   The again a careless runner was a dead runner.  

She indicated the now open door with her SMG and spoke through her sub vocal mic. "The door is open and we're  not going to find out what's in there unless we go in.  I'll go in with you Sha and we'll take the first look and we need to do it soon.  We can't hang up here indefinitely and the longer we wait the faster quicker this run has a chance to fail."

She looked at them all again her gaze finally resting on Sha.  "Take us down and let's get this run finished."

Perception check. ( int 5 + att coprocessor 3 + perception 4 + vision enhancement 2)
14d6.hits(5)=3

Infiltration check (Dex 10 + infiltration(urban) 6)
16d6.hits(5)=2

Mississippi nods at the logic. "Scarlet and I first. Sha and Darkon*follow, and Sha, your friends bringing up the rear. Sound like a plan?" Upon a positive response, Mississippi waits until they are all returned to the ground, and steps in, twisting his nose in distaste behind the ballistic mask. Commlink, record note. Get respirator added to mask. End note. Once down and after setting the elf down, Mississippi rolls his massive shoulders to ease the tension, rolling his neck at the same time. Although it's not a conscious act, it does serve to accentuate his rather powerful build. "Ready to rock and roll. Scanning thermal and wireless as we walk. Scarlet, you've got normal and nightvision, and one of you magic types can scan astrally. We should be able to cover all bases. Watch all surfaces, of course. Given the pesticides and cleaning stuff, if you see an insect, it's a drone. Darkon* your friend still got us cloaked?"

Perception - 7 (7d6.hits(5)=2 hits)
Infiltration - 10 (10d6.hits(5)=4 hits)
Leadership - 13 (13d6.hits(5)=4 hits)

* if Darkon gave another name to use, I used that one. I can't remember right now.

As the group begins to enter the building, it's hard not to notice the sudden flashes in AR and other indicators on everyone's comlinks that signal strength is degrading already. Then again with any high security facility these days, security measures like wireless inhibiting paint and wall linings were quite common, and it did nothing to hinder everyone communicating with each other's comlinks so long as there was at least some form of rough 'line of sight' though it did mean one had to pay more attention to their surroundings to be sure they knew where everyone was. Beyond the chemical smell though, no one starts to faint or feel dizzy as they enter, unless they just couldn't stand the smell of antiseptics at least. The door at the bottom of the stairs opens out into what appears to be some sort of cafeteria, complete with a pair of soy/krillfood dispensers and a drink machine. Some other basics like a dishwasher, coffee machine and other assorted items fill the room along with tables and chairs, but little else. There's no posters, plants or anything else for that matter and the place is just as sterile as the stairwell the team comes in through. The floors even look freshly waxed with hardly a spec of dust to be seen. A faint whirring can be heard not far away behind the door leading out of the lunch room, though as there seems to be no windows of any sort it's hard to say. Like the stairwell, the place reeks of antiseptic and other than each other, the place is as dead as can be on the astral.

Mississippi says nothing as he moves towards the exit, watching where he steps and looking for cameras. Once reasonably sure he wasn't stepping in front of a camera, he motions the others through.

(still watching thermal and normal vision)

Corporate Security Procedures-2 hits; Perception-2 hits; Infiltration-2 hits

Just as carefully and methodically Scarlet followed after Mississippi when she saw the hand signal from the Orc. There wasn't much to see other than an empty and very sterile cafeteria which looked out of place. As she scanned the area her weapon followed her line of sight. She came up alongside Mississippi and crouched down running a gloved finger with her free hand along the floor. Standing up she examined her thumb and fore finger. She looked at Mississippi and raised an eyebrow as she showed him her fingers. The black covered fingers didn't have a speck of dirt on them.

She indicated the exit door from where the faint whirring could be heard coming from. She leaned towards the door listening to the sounds coming from beyond it. Using her earbuds she began to filter out sounds trying to focus on behind the door in an attempt to hear if there was an actual person cleaning the floor or if it was a automated drone.

OOC:
Perception check. (INT 5 + att coprocessor 3 + perception 4 + vision enhancement 2)
14d6.hits(5)=5

Perception check. (INT 5 + att coprocessor 3 + perception 4 + Audio enhancement 3)
15d6.hits(5)=8

Infiltration check (Dex 10 + infiltration(urban) 6)
16d6.hits(5)=3

"InstaFactory. Just add water and electricity." Darkon whispered, looking around at the spotless appliances. "It is awfully clean." He changed to astral sight and back every now and then, comparing what he saw on either of the planes.

The shaman kept behind Mississippi and Scarlet. If they got attacked, second row was a good spot for him to be, since his magic would work just the same. And he wouldn't block the other two's line of fire. Out of habit, he also checked their back regularly. After all, they didn't want anyone to sneak up on them, would they?

"Are you still keeping us concealed?" He mentally asked Galathea, the earth spirit. Slightly annoyed, it replied: "No, I am juggling with potatoes. Of course I am still concealing you and the other meatbags." Then it added. "I don't like it here. This place is so... devoid." Darkon nodded in agreement. He didn't like it any better than the spirit. He kept on looking out for anything living. Especially for anything magical. He had gotten an idea about the purpose of this place, and with the thick head of his, such ideas tended to stick around for a while before he got rid of them. "You should do what you have come here to do and then leave. This place is not good for me. I mean for us." The spirit corrected itself, a little too hasty to be convincingly smug.

There didn't seem to be a ton of cameras in this particular bit of the building, or at least none that were standard size. One couldn't rule out the possibility of micro cameras really but that would take a far more dedicated search of the room. There were however two fixed cameras covering the room, each set across from the other in an obvious attempt to keep an eye on the whole room. Meanwhile Scarlet's attempts to deduce what was on the other side of the door seemed to point to it being some sort of cleaning drone, but it was hard to say for sure. She at least couldn't hear any sounds of people talking or moving around, though there was the definite sound of something like a floor polisher.

Upon seeing the cameras, Mississippi looks around behind them, and then looks to Darkon and Sha. "Can you reposition them? Magically? Best option I have is to hope its wireless so I can hack it, or to shoot it. But if you could point them both down, gently but forcefully, then we can continue with no fuss or muss."

He looks to see if he can tell if the cameras are wireless or wired.
Perception + Vision Enhancement 3 (Ballistic Mask) (5 hits)

Scarlet was focusing on what she heard behind the door as Mississippi spoke to Darkon and Sha about the cameras. With a combination of natural talent and her earbuds it sounded like a cleaner drone. What she didn't hear was any sounds of anything living beyond the door.

She looked back to the others and keyed her mic when Mississippi finished speaking. "Sounds like a cleaner drone on the other side. No sounds of anything living."