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Post by DataNinja on Sept 20, 2016 5:21:54 GMT
"Alright, everyone ready?" asks Omega, his (certainly not-going-to-accidentally-explode) databracer firmly clamped back onto Leslie's arm. "In that case, we can go. Oh, right. You probably want a map. You humans don't have inbuilt HUD or GPS."
Following the directions that appear on the bracer, you all skirt the edge of the Shaft, before delving briefly into the belly of District 1-3. It takes only about an hour of walking, before you find yourself at a rather... imposing... set of doors, which Omega says belongs to the "District Warehouse". There doesn't seem to be any windows along the corridor, nor, in fact, any way of signalling to whomever might be in control of the door that it needs to be opened.
Luckily, that doesn't seem to be an issue, as, soon after you arrive, the - almost ridiculously large - metal slab of a door begins to slide upwards, just enough for you to be able to walk in underneath. "I made sure to call ahead." You can detect a bit of satisfaction in Omega's voice at that... not that he'd informed you that you'd need to have called ahead.
Immediately inside the foot-thick door, which begins to close behind you once you've entered, is a blond, stocky, woman in a Technician uniform, wearing a bit of a curious look at your entrance. But that sight probably takes a backburner compared to the frankly huge room that you've found yourself in. It looks like it could probably go on for quite a distance - as well as going up and down at least another couple of floors - but you can't really tell, because there's an enormous amount of metal crates stacked around, as well as plenty of equipment that looks like it's supposed to organize and move around said crates. Apparently this is why it's called a Warehouse. It could probably also be called a Labyrinth, because all of the crates look the same, and there certainly doesn't seem to be any directions. The fact that there aren't any crates in a path ahead of you is the only real indication that that's the way that you're likely to go.
"Well, this is rather unusual," the woman comments. "HQ tells me I'm supposed to show you to the lifts to take you down to Rainbow. Without any cargo, either. Just direct point to point. Is there something going on that I'm allowed to know about? Because most of the time the higher ups make Technicians walk." She gives a wan smile at that remark. "Builds character or something. So does keeping tabs on this Warehouse where nothing interesting ever happens. Really, it mostly runs itself, besides supervising..." She sounds rather resigned at that.
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Post by ThRevanchist on Sept 20, 2016 17:56:05 GMT
"Good. Waiting while we were cleared would have been an unnecessary setback", Thoron replied to Peter's notification. It was mildly annoying that their briefing didn't mention needing to confirm their entry remotely, though. If Peter hadn't taken the initiative, how long would they have waited while everything was sorted out?
When they entered the Warehouse, Thoron was impressed, if nothing else, by the sheer size of It. He couldn't help but wonder what they were storing, here... Not that that mattered to him right now, really.
Since they hadn't been told what was available for disclosure, and more importantly, this Technician hadn't been informed, it was probable Headquarters didn't see the need for her to know about their mission. That in mind, he says, "Time is of the essence, they must have decided that walking to our destination would be a poor use of it..." He wasn't sure what to say in response to the joke, and somehow 'you have a very well-organized maze of crates' didn't seem like an appreciable sentiment.
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Post by Major on Sept 21, 2016 5:59:18 GMT
As Soleil skipped into the requisition office she pondered what to get. She could finally shoot most things and not have to focus on hitting people in the face with pokeballs. However, as she looked over the stuff she stopped and frowned. They had claimed the blob things were unable to be captured...but what if she DID capture one? She'd be super awesome! Deciding to capture the uncapturable, Soleil looked over all the items and started grabbing random things that looked useful. She grabbed various nets, that weird sleeping ball thing that Silas had used, some rope, some jars to store gloopy gloop in, and finally a small tent. She didn't actually WANT the tent, but she figured the fabric would be great for grabbing something and tying it up in! With her items settled, Soleil headed out with the others. When they arrived in District 1-3, Soleil pulled out her camera and snapped a picture. She followed mostly in silence working on saving the picture in her camera until they arrived at the warehouse. When they entered, Soleil was very surprised at the set-up and weird look. Her eyes quickly scanned the area. It looked like a good spot to ambush someone...or be ambushed. It was a shame they weren't fighting the things here. She would have loved to climb up on top of the boxes and fire from up there. When the woman spoke, Soleil looked over at her. "Weeeeeellll if you weren't allowed to know about it we wouldn't be able to tell you would we?" She asked teasingly. "It could also be that we are really special and awesome." Soleil said with a nod. She then quickly waved, "Oh! I'm Sol!"
AP spent to add district to archive I'm a filthy liar...or tired Perception to look around. 14 if Warehouse is a new location, 16 if part of district
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Post by Moriya on Sept 22, 2016 3:22:16 GMT
Silas is quite impressed by the scale and automation of the warehouse, though that's to be expected of a warehouse for the whole distinct, especially this high up. Still. only one Technician for the whole place leaves it surprisingly vulnerable. Sure, there is probably an automated defense system, and they wouldn't have gotten in without being let in, but leaving one person to guard the whole thing seems prone to corruption. That seems double unwise given that the "supervisor" job is probably a punishment or demotion. The inevitable smuggling isn't Silas's problem. It's in her best interests to do the job smoothly and keep the profits flowing.
Speculations of crime aside, this Technician seems nice enough. The team's arrival is probably the most interesting thing that's happened in weeks. He returns the woman's smile. "Yeah, I hear you on the walking thing. Our last mission had us searching two districts on different levels in one day." He shakes his head at the memory and continues speaking. "As for our current business... Unless you've seen something strange here, it's nothing you need to worry about."
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Post by Gear Skitty on Sept 22, 2016 13:32:50 GMT
Walking. Waaaaaaalking. For once it will be worth it, because this walking is to a shortcut to lower the overall walking Leslie will have to walk on this walk. Walk.
Once she enters the warehouse though, her mood brightens ever more. Yes, it's ludicrously large, but there's one person and a bunch of automation. And promises of an elevator. This is what Arcadia should be like all the time. Nobody around, and the rooms move for you!
Leslie even gives the supervising Technician a genuine smile, the lucky lady. This cushy job? Who's ass did she kiss to land it, and is there room for Leslie to brown nose too?
She blinks out of sync to show her enthusiasm. And tiredness. Just because this is going to cut out a couple hours of walking doesn't mean she is reinvigorated by that knowledge. In fact, perhaps she can never be reinvigorated, for that would require having vigor in the first place.
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Post by DataNinja on Sept 22, 2016 19:27:31 GMT
"Ah, well... I see," she replies to the group. "It's a shame that you're only passing through. Soph's the only other company here during the Warehouse rotations. Well, other than the Porygon. I miss the days when it was a full team here."
"Well, anyways," she says, shrugging, "Much as I'd like to, I probably shouldn't keep you waiting. So, I'll just take you to the elevator." As she begins leading the way down a part free of boxes, she turns to Silas and asks "Really? Two Districts in one day? You must have done something to annoy HQ if they forced you to do that..."
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Post by ThRevanchist on Sept 23, 2016 2:52:15 GMT
"Perhaps they'll permit us returning through the lift, when we've accomplished our goal. If that happened, we could provide more fulfilling company", Thoron speculated aloud. His interest had been piqued by the mention of more Porygon, perhaps Peter would appreciate contact with more of his kind?
He didn't see any issue discussing previously accomplished missions with a fellow Technician. In fact, perhaps the (likely) more experienced officer would have advice for them? He explained, "It would be misleading to say we were forced. We were tracking a lead across Districts is all: a distribution center and a supplier. They were apparently surprised when we dealt with the disturbance in a single day."
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Post by Moriya on Sept 23, 2016 3:21:05 GMT
An AI would explain the automation quality in the warehouse. Perhaps this is where one of Omega's predecessors ended up after being discontinued as a P*DA. If so, it's hard to blame the AI for wanting to avoid a similar fate.
Silas expect the woman to find Thoron's ambition perplexing, so with a self-deprecating expression, he tries to translate. "We probably could have left the second district to the next day, but waiting could have caused the trail to go cold. And since we're here, it seems the reward for a job well done is more work."
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Post by Gear Skitty on Sept 24, 2016 18:08:20 GMT
"We totallyyyy could have. Who knows, maybe there wouldn't of been enough ffish for a Gyarados. Or plenty enough for a half dozen."
Leslie speaks absentmindedly, more focused on the coming elevator ride than the conversation. It is truly one of man's greatest achievements.
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Post by Major on Sept 25, 2016 6:34:52 GMT
As Soleil skims the boxes she doesn't say much of the others. Nothing stood out as dangerous or a threat, so the blobby things hadn't made it up this far. Given, she hadn't expected that they had, but it didn't hurt to always keep your eyes out.
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Post by DataNinja on Sept 25, 2016 7:49:39 GMT
"Well, that's interesting," the woman says, although her actual interest seemed to be piqued most by the possibility of company, rather than actually hearing about the mission.
In a short time, you all get to what looks like a bank of large, steel doors in what seems to be the center of the room. As you approach, one of the sets of doors slides open, revealing a large, spacious, and empty room. The only things seem to be a few metal... almost guardrails coming out of the floor. Weird. A faint humming fills the air.
Once all of you have entered, the other Technician gives a small smile as the doors begin closing, saying, "Oh, by the way, if this is your first time in one of these, especially without cargo, you might want to hold on. Just a suggestion. And, don't worry. They haven't failed yet." A small wave is the last glimpse that you get of her, before the doors hiss shut, leaving you in the spacious, empty room.
For a moment, nothing happens - and then the humming decreases, as the floor abruptly begins to drop, accelerating quite swiftly. Those of you who didn't heed the advice of holding on experience a sudden loss of balance, as the room races downwards. It seems to continue for far longer than it needs to, but then, mercifully, the humming increases again, as you feel the elevator begin to slow, gradually coming to a stop.
The doors open upon a room very similar to the one that you were in before, except the boxes reach much higher - almost to the ceiling. Clearly this Warehouse is full up. But that isn't the most immediately apparent thing. That would be the tall male Technician with curly brown hair standing right outside the door, next to a white vulpine creature with... an awful lot of tails. Floating a short distance behind him is something that looks similar to Omega, except it's much larger - over a foot in length, compared to the four inches of the P*DA - and a fair bit sleeker and more organic looking.
"Well, good to see backup arrived in one piece," the Technician says, with a relieved looking smile. "I was afraid that the Pokémon were going to figure a way to get inside and bypass our perimeter. So far we've gotten by with only one breached door. I'm really wishing this place had less entrances... but, I suppose that's the hazards of being a Warehouse. You want a far bit of accessibility for distribution. Anyways, the name's Terrance. Glad to see HQ took our request seriously. We've managed to keep this place locked down... for now, at least. But we don't have the manpower to stop them at the source... hopefully they have one. Anyways," he gestures inwards. "You should probably come in, and I can take you to where Erin is, at the breach. I'd rather not leave that un-reinforced for too long. I imagine you have some questions, and I'll try and answer them on the way. Though, I'll warn you, there's a lot we don't know." With that, he heads inwards, through a gap in the boxes.
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Post by ThRevanchist on Sept 27, 2016 3:11:10 GMT
Thoron had trusted the senior Technician to have a reason for giving her warning, and so firmly grasped a nearby guardrail. Rather fortunately, given his regrettably average balance. Even then, it took a moment before he was ready to release his anchor.
Instantly curious if the previous Technician's P*DA was closer in nature to their Peter, or this new man's apparently upgraded model, Thoron makes a note to ask, if they manage to return this way. It wasn't likely that Peter knew. And this was without getting into questions of authorization. Agreeing with the idea of a walk-and-talk, he says, "If they managed to perform an infiltration, then it was unbeknownst to us. We weren't informed that they could breach this facility outside of specific areas, however... Nor were we informed just how many hostiles are attacking; do you have any estimates?"
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Post by Gear Skitty on Sept 27, 2016 4:07:00 GMT
Leslie heard and understood her advice. It's just that she opted not to adhere to it. Standing is work. Holding on is work. Obviously to get the most out of a room that moves for you is to let it do all the work entirely, by laying on the floor. Face down. The metal is cold to her cheek, and it's not like it will ever be described as comfortable.
Halfway through the ride, she chides herself for not bringing Espurr out to use as a pillow. And of course, so it could enjoy the ride too, of course.
As the elevator halts and the door opens Leslie rises to her feet a new woman. She has tasted divinity, joining the ranks of historical prophets. And like all prophets, she must share her profound enlightenment with the masses. She listens to the towering man with a honest smile and a glimmer in her eyes. Her mind has been opened to a new level of laziness and efficiency. Someone could tell her to jog back to the origin point and she'd probably make it a full ten minutes before she realized what she was doing.
Mind. Blown.
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Post by Moriya on Sept 27, 2016 4:57:54 GMT
Silas manages to keep his balance by finding something to hold on to, then appreciates the ride down. Despite the bumps, this is orders of magnitude better than taking the stairs.
When Terrence summarizes the situation, Silas starts thinking. He's not really equipped for a siege, and the team isn't suited for it either. Ideally, they'll stabilize this warehouse then attack the source. "Do you have anything that could shore up the breach? Any wounded that need treatment?"
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Post by Major on Sept 27, 2016 16:21:51 GMT
As she stepped in the elevator box, Soleil tensed up a bit unsure what to expect. She didn't care for the small room that apparently needed handles.
However, when it dropped her hesitation faded as she couldn't help but feel almost like it was similar to flying. She didn't like the enclosed feeling or forced one direction, but it was better than being locked to the ground.
As it dropped, Soleil gave a light jump while holding the handle to see what would happen.
When they arrived, Soleil was glad to see all the boxes again. While the others talked she looked up at it gauging it's value as a snipers perch.
At a pause in between people talking Soleil pointed up at the boxes. "What's in them? Can they support human weight? Seems a good perch for shooting."
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Post by DataNinja on Sept 27, 2016 17:22:43 GMT
"Well," the other Technician says, "As far as I know, we aren't under attack right now. They like to come in waves, try and overwhelm us. Which is probably the smartest thing that I've seen out of them. Not that that's saying much."
Continuing on after just a few odd looks at Leslie, he turns to Silas, answering, "Well, I mean, in theory we could use some of the crates. But, after seeing what that one thing did to the door, I don't think that the containers will hold them long if there's another one like it. Luckily, there hasn't been another one." He shakes his head. "But, the good news is, there's no... well, no human casualties. We've had to restore some of our Pokémon, and a few of those are dangerously close to the threshold of permanent dispersal. But we've lost a couple of the Porygon." "I don't know why you're relying on those idiots."
Terrance looks surprised at the voice of Omega. "Because we don't have the human numbers to defend the whole damn Warehouse? And they aren't idiots. It's just when there's more than a few in the same place, the processing ability gets... strained. When we only need to have one or two active, there's basically no reason for a human to be here."
He seems to be about to continue on, and turns instead towards Soleil. "Boxes? Ah, yes, right. Well, you should probably ask what isn't in them. Which is, as far as I can tell, mostly food. I couldn't actually tell you, though, because everything's handled by the system. They could probably support human weight... though don't quote me on that. I wouldn't want to risk standing on any of them that are near the edges, though, just in case. Too high. As for a good shooting perch... well, sure, to shoot anything in the air. But you aren't going to be able to see anything below that level."
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Post by ThRevanchist on Sept 28, 2016 4:06:42 GMT
Based on the new information, Thoron asks, "Are the waves becoming more frequent over time, or is it simply that we lack the means of recovering from prior attacks between said waves?"
He wasn't clear on whether the Pokemon were invading this warehouse because it was a stronghold, or to secure something from within... and there wasn't data enough to conclude one way or the other. Not that he expected to be notified either way. He would just have to keep an eye out for any sort of searching behaviour among the Pokemon. There were also questions to be asked about the Porygon, but now wasn't the time...
For now, it was important that they knew Terrance's plan. "Were you expecting us to help fight off the next wave, then strike back at their source? Or should we hasten to attack preemptively?"
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Post by Moriya on Sept 28, 2016 4:34:44 GMT
Silas takes it on himself to answer Thoron's first question. "Some injuries can't be cured with a potion, and this building can't be repaired easily. It's probably the latter. What did you mean by that one though? Is there anything we can do to be sure you can take it down while we're out?" Having their only escape route swarmed by unknown threats seems like a situation to avoid.
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Post by Major on Sept 28, 2016 4:40:01 GMT
"Eh, I meant standing near the edge and shooting down. But I guess climbing up there would waste time." Soleil said with a shrug. "Plus I wouldn't be able to try out my new toys and show off for the bossys" Soleil grinned and drew her rifle, holding it in her arms as she looked at the others waiting for them to decide. Personally, she didn't care much as long as she got to shoot some things and capture some things to show off.
"So where they normally come in?" Soleil asked pointing her rifle around. "I'll watch the door while you guys blah blah about the plan."
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Post by Gear Skitty on Sept 29, 2016 1:33:48 GMT
Still in a state of bliss, Leslie checks in with reality with a query.
"These intruders attacking with any debilitating attacks? Poisonous, paralyzation, that sort of stuffff? Or maybe signs of immunity?"
She. Leslie has.... Leslie has a skip to her step. She honestly wants to move in, and is mentally picking out decor.
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