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Aberrant: The Long March - Chapter 9: Where the Road Leads


Mr Fox

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"Actually I think I'd rather like to walk." Andrew smiles as thick membranes cover his eyes and his nostrils and mouth seal shut. Over the link he adds, *I'll meet you down there. I've been waiting a while to do something like this.*

Andrew heads to the airlock and allows it to cycle through. Before it does he modifies his body to contain a pressurized air pocket and fills it. Enough to allow him to manuever in space for half an hour. As the airlock opens and Andrew is exposed to the harsh near vacuum his body shifts reflexively compensating for the lack of pressure and the stunning cold. Andrew takes a running leap out of the airlock and with a quick burst of air jets toward the atmosphere, his skin thickening to armor plates to ablate the intense heat of reentry.

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Kyria's own eufiber shifted much as Omar's had, her normal street clothes flowing into a light grey martial looking outfit. She nods to Steve, *I can carry some of that, if you'd like.*

Her eyes flicked to her father for the briefest second after that statement, braced for any objections but wanting to feel like part of the team now that they were apparently in another dimension. Talk about leaving the nest.

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Kyria's own eufiber shifted much as Omar's had, her normal street clothes flowing into a light grey martial looking outfit. She nods to Steve, *I can carry some of that, if you'd like.*

Her eyes flicked to her father for the briefest second after that statement, braced for any objections but wanting to feel like part of the team now that they were apparently in another dimension. Talk about leaving the nest.

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"I'll be following Andrew - just in case something unexpected comes. We should stay at least in teams of twos.", having said that Joani quickly followed Andrew to the airlock and dived after him once the pressurizing system has cycled the locks.

Sending over the link she added for Andrew. *I got you covered, Andrew. Just in case.*

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"I'll be following Andrew - just in case something unexpected comes. We should stay at least in teams of twos.", having said that Joani quickly followed Andrew to the airlock and dived after him once the pressurizing system has cycled the locks.

Sending over the link she added for Andrew. *I got you covered, Andrew. Just in case.*

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Michael frowned at his daughter but didn't say anything aloud. Over the private link, *Be careful out there and don't get used to it. After this test run we are going back home. I wouldn't have come even on this jump except that the records they are seeking could be very useful to us as well.* He pauses for just a moment then adds, *That and I've been curious for the last 80 years what jumping through time and across dimensions would be like.* You feel your fathers amusement over the link and a slight disapproval for your 'adventure' but almost equal amounts of pride.

Aloud and over the open link he says, "I will stay aboard and scan for minds and see what can be found in this barren place. After you have retrieved the records, I would like Lorean to jump back home so that Kyria and I can disembark."

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Michael frowned at his daughter but didn't say anything aloud. Over the private link, *Be careful out there and don't get used to it. After this test run we are going back home. I wouldn't have come even on this jump except that the records they are seeking could be very useful to us as well.* He pauses for just a moment then adds, *That and I've been curious for the last 80 years what jumping through time and across dimensions would be like.* You feel your fathers amusement over the link and a slight disapproval for your 'adventure' but almost equal amounts of pride.

Aloud and over the open link he says, "I will stay aboard and scan for minds and see what can be found in this barren place. After you have retrieved the records, I would like Lorean to jump back home so that Kyria and I can disembark."

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Watching Joani follow Andrew down, Ulric can only stand back and chuckle.

"I'll be taking the shuttle, thank you very much."

Looking to Steve,

"Good idea. You never know what you'll meet."

Ulric grabs a sidearm, vision amplifiers, and a med-kit. He also gets a breathing mask and some urban camoflauge, seeing as he's never invested in eufiber.

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Watching Joani follow Andrew down, Ulric can only stand back and chuckle.

"I'll be taking the shuttle, thank you very much."

Looking to Steve,

"Good idea. You never know what you'll meet."

Ulric grabs a sidearm, vision amplifiers, and a med-kit. He also gets a breathing mask and some urban camoflauge, seeing as he's never invested in eufiber.

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Reentry for Joani and Andrew was not bad, it was actually pretty enjoyable in fact, until they got lower into the atmosphere. Then the visibility reduced and the sulfur and ash began to coat them. The others had an uneventful trip in Cody's cruiser and after about 45 minutes everyone stood assembled before the building that housed Proteus' secret facilities. Several feet of ash and dust were piled up against the front of the building blocking the doorway. Walking around the perimeter reveals a service entry at the back that is surprisingly not blocked.

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Joani dusted off the Ash that covered her using some of her superbreath. After she was satisfied with the results she nodded to Steve and scanned the door using her X-Ray vision and Microscopic Vision.

(ooc: I'm trying to see if there are any traces of recent use and of course if there is anyone inside)

"I'll have a good look the old fashioned way", said Joani smiling.

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Omar stood next to Cody. After he spoke, Omar gave him a slight push to the front. "Lead the way..Oh sensitive one." Omar gave Cody a teasing slap on his shoulders before addressing him again.

,,

"You had better hope that you feel the danger before it arrives." Omar said to Cody with a smile, as a grin spread across his face. "Or I will need to take a shower and replace my eufiber."

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Originally Posted By: Ulric Reikspar
"Just to be clear, what kind of threat level and aggressiveness are we likely to face? Just trying to determine how likely we are to talking to people."
Steve answered,

"Think of this as the White House right after the US lost a nuclear war. Better still from their point of view we were probably on the other side."

"Presumably if we know to come here then they'll have to assume we're here for their ass. But after all this time they might be more interested in living than loyalty."
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Cody materializes a large gun into the air similar to a replicator type effect. It is a canon and wraps around his arm and shoulders with a robotic support arm connected to the suit. His other hand materializes an electroshock pistol which he sets to high level stun.

*Don't worry about me Omar. I can take care of myself.*

*I can't feel any life signs. It's not impossible that the building could be shielded but I am not picking that up either. Michael, can you sense anything?*

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Andrew lands and makes no bother to clean off the ash, the look on his face shows that he probably had more fun in the past fifteen minutes than he has in a good long time. In reply to Cody he says, "If you'd like I can send a scout ahead ... I shouldn't have any trouble keeping focus with just one clone, and if it runs into trouble we've risked nothing."

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"Steve was right," said Joani, "there are traces of recent use. I can see it on the microscopic level. Let me check on heatsources next before we enter."

Joani squinted her eyes and changed the spectrum of her perception to IR and UV, scanning carefully the doot and its immediate surroundings.

(ooc: EM-Vision active)

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*That would seem to be a good idea on the surface. However i am concerned that any booby traps may be set to destroy the base, or computer files. If possible I would like to avoid setting off the traps rather than sacrifice one of your scouts to them.*
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Michael sends back over the open link. *I'm detecting a few minds within a short distance of you, but none at your current location. They appear to be nova scavengers just trying to eke out enough food and shelter for survival. They don't appear to be very stable either and are likely to be quite aggressive. I will let you know if they approach.*

(Joani does not detect any heat signatures within sight.)

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"Going forward with heightened senses and a probing mind makes more sense than sacrificing a scout at this point and time. Joani should go forward as our detector and I'll disarm whatever we come across. I'm no TrapMaster, but I've dealt with the engineering aspects of this kind of project before."

Smiling toward Omar,

"If you would be so nice as to hang out close by so as to give me some level of protection to hide behind incase I mess up, it would be appreciated."

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Steve comments,

"There will be traps and they will have already been sprung on whoever was left in there. We had to clean out a batch of old nerve gas last time, they don't believe in loose ends."

{Steve activates Lie Detector & MP: Investigative}

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Omar smiles back at Ulric. "Sure. Feel free to use me as your meatshield." Omar winks at him. "Wouln't want you to break a nail"

Omar watched as the others prepared to enter the facility. If it was up to Omar, he would smash down the door, laugh at the exploding trap, and then whisk his friends in after him. He knew, that if it really became violent and dangerous, that he would be needed.

"Lets get moving before they see us out here and we lose the element of surprise."

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Originally Posted By: Ulric Reikspar
"Going forward with heightened senses and a probing mind makes more sense than sacrificing a scout at this point and time. Joani should go forward as our detector and I'll disarm whatever we come across. I'm no TrapMaster, but I've dealt with the engineering aspects of this kind of project before."

Smiling toward Omar,
"If you would be so nice as to hang out close by so as to give me some level of protection to hide behind incase I mess up, it would be appreciated."


Joani nodded to Ulric and prepared herself to enter the building concentrating primarily on her senses to detect any immediate danger. "Omar - not a scratch on my husband, understood? That's a mans word.", she blinked at him smiling in a mock impersonation of Han Solo to Lando.
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As you proceed deeper into the building it is apparent that someone or more than one someone has used this area recently. There are fresh tracks in the dust at the entrance. Here on the ground floor of the building you don't encounter any traps. You see signs of the security you would expect but the cameras and such have no power to them.

You know for a fact that the secret Proteus facility is on a lower level, but that the entrance is via a special elevator accessible from the top floor. Interestingly enough, the footprints in the dust move about the all over the building, but most of them seem to end right up against a blank wall.

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Joani raised an arm as if to say something as she scanned the wall intensively. "There is something like an elevator shaft behind this wall, but I can't see the access point. Someone... must've walked through the wall, knowing what lies behind. Do you want me to punch a whole through it?"

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Just to be safe and avoid any possible traps Lorean teleports all of you to the top floor of the building. You appear inside of a board room with a massive oak table and leather chairs. The room seems to be intact and even in good shape. The windows of this room must be of a strong glass because it has withstood the elements and the disaster for three years. Despite the dirty state of the windws you have a good view of the downtown area and it looks pretty grim out there. Despite being nearly noon it is only about as bright as dusk outside and looks like a storm might be brewing by the look of the overcast; it's hard to tell though given the atmosphere.

The elevator shaft is concealed behind a hidden panel on the back wall. Cody walks up to it and easily opens it. The elevator seems to be at the bottom of the shaft and the door opens into a dark hole going down the 14 floors to the secret Proteus Base beneath the building. There is no power of course, but there are steel rungs set into the wall of the shaft.

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Looking down the shaft Andrew mutters something like,

"Ladders are for chumps..." and simply jumps in. As he falls his body contorts and patagia form between his outstretched limbs slowing his descent into something akin to a leaf tumbling off a tree. He lands softly at the bottom and adjusts his eyes to the minimal light at the bottom of the shaft looking for a way to access the lower level.

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Joani immediately jumped after Andrew cursing his careless attitude. On the way down she kept scanning the surroundings with her X-Ray vision trying to see beyond the walls.

As she landed next to him she said with a disapproving tone in her voice "You've got some guts, Andrew..."

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