[when riku and roxas don't respond to him, sora decides this means they're just sleeping and they're safe. the glow to their eyes is weird and he frowns heavily, shaking his head to try and clear it. he's still having trouble hearing alex entirely, but he gets the gist of what she's saying. i'm not sure where they are but the sofa's in room 3 so we can say she saw the tubes and then they went back.]
The monster's got the key then. I don't know if we can get back to that thing in the center to unlock it. And if we do, nothing says we'll actually get into the room before the monster comes out. [...he nods though and looks up.] Can you stand? Take it easy. I think...I've got my jacket, I can go. [he demonstrates by pulling his jacket over his nose.] If that thing breaks out of its room, we need to run.
[and with his mind made up, he's thinking this through.] There's a lamp in the operating room. It's on wheels, but maybe you can use it to hit it. [up on the sofa he goes.] Be careful. I'll be right back.
[somewhere in his confused little head he has convinced himself they really need to move, so up into the vent he goes and he tries to cover his nose. if possible, he will slowly crawl his way from the vent in room 3 and over to room 4. he'll follow the arrow but he's also being quiet, trying to see if he can look down into the room.]
[ Alex can still walk! She's physically and mentally exhausted, but she can stubborn herself into moving. She didn't stay in there too long, so it's more the overall effect from being in these rooms for so long with the ventilation system fucked up. So wild you guys did that.
Putting a jacket on his face works to make Sora's life less horrible than Alex's, though since he's stubborning his way through the vent unlike her that won't last too long. The vent to room number 4 is a little further in, but Sora might want to not bother. The keycard was in between both rooms, still in that vent. It reads [EXECUTIVE ACCESS].
Despite being next to it, the noise from room number four has completely stopped. ]
[ well she's taking that lamp just in case, like sora suggested and looking around -- are there any other loose needles or scalpels or anything she can use as a potential weapon in here or did sora take everything?
once she's had a look through in there she'll wheel the lamp into chamber three and after a moment of thought... she'll take a duvet or blanket or whatever is on the bed if it's not too cumbersome, and a pillow if the blanket option is going to be too much.
[...he still wants to see the monster, but he's at least aware enough that they should go while its quiet. so he grabs the keycard and scuttles his way backwards to drop down onto the sofa, holding it between his fingers. also he absolutely missteps and falls on his ass, but it's fine.]
Got it. I don't know what happened, but the monster seems to have gone back to sleep again or something. I can't hear it anymore.
...do you remember how to get back to the stairs? There's nothing we can do for them now, but...we can come back.
[them being the people in the tubes. he'll pocket the card though and begin to walk out into the passageway again. he should offer to help her take the blanket but also...why are we taking those, alex? he has his shitty shield and a scalpel, they'll be fiiiine. (no.)]
[ Sora fully looted the operating room!! He's a monster.
Speaking of monsters, Alex, taking everything she can carry from this bedroom. Why. Why are you guys like this. It's going to be incredibly awkward, but sure, she can carry the blanket. And the lamp. It won't turn on if they take it out of the room it's plugged into, but, y'know.
Once they walk out into the passageway, they may notice that whatever was on the walkway seems to have vanished. There's only purple goo left behind.
... Speaking of which, was there always drops of purple goo all over the floor? Hmmm. That's probably fine. There's nothing standing in their way back to the observation room! ]
Yeah. [they'll start walking that way then, though sora shoots a look back to room one before looking back at the contraption. and then he steps in a few drops of goo.
...hm.]
...where..did the other ones go?
[alex...? they're going to have to keep walking, but he seems to immediately go on guard as they leave the passageway and begin to make their way down to the observation room.]
[ The rest of the passageway is clear outside of the goo, though the same can't be said of the observation room when they get to it. The console's been turned over, and there's more goo everywhere, this time with some blood mixed in. Probably more important is what they can see through the glass, however.
Down near the test tubes is... something. It's vaguely humanoid in shape, dripping everywhere and dragging the bodies that were on the walkway. It's bringing them in front of the test tube, dragging them both with one arm that seems to be... growing claws, sporadically, where it's holding them? Longer inspection will show that the thing is melting and growing in equal spots, making loud, pained noises as it starts scratching at the test tubes.
If they take a look down the stairs, they'll see that the door has been fully ripped off its hinges to match the one in the decontamination room. ]
alex just ducks down, behind anything that looks big enough to hide her and makes a sharp motion to sora to do the same. when she speaks it’s less speaking and more mouthing the words slowly at sora: ]
Can you hear it?
[ and then she pauses... and points down to where the ... well. monster? is, before holding up her hand in a clear “No 5” gesture, a look of question on her face.
now they have to figure out how to get past it, because wow. those claws are going to slice them like butter. if she watches a moment longer, can she see what the monster’s trying to do with the bodies? why it’s dragging them in front of the test tubes? ]
[he's quick to duck down, too, after taking a look at the monster. he looks a little more than worried, and he seems to be squinting to read her lips.]
Barely. [it's whispered.] It sounds like it's hurt. [he nods though because that is probably their number five, and oh boy that looks...not fun. he'll pop back up to also watch through the observation window, still staying partially hidden.]
Maybe we can help it...look at how it's changing. [...they need to figure out what to do, but yeah. what's the monster doing?]
[ Well. It's violently bashing at the tubes now. They're starting to crack underneath the pressure as they keep going. Again, and again, and again, despite their form and size changing constantly. Pieces of the goo keep flinging everywhere.
The other two bodies are still held in one... claw... hand, arm? It's not doing anything to them, just keeping them nearby. It does not seem to have noticed the both of them in the observation room right now. ]
[they might not have to wait to open the tubes with the way the glass is cracking. it's...hard to watch, really, and he shifts uncomfortably as he stands to his full height.]
Either that, or it wants to free the others. [...he shakes his head.] We can't stay here. We have to keep going, maybe we'll understand better when we get down there.
[...because...down is the only way to go, right? but he pulls the syringes out of his pockets and gestures to alex.] You think we're supposed to use these somehow?
[...they're empty but can they tell anything about the syringes?]
[ there might have been a way to open the tubes at some point, but considering how the console is broke, well. the only thing left intact seems to be the intercom. which they should absolutely use.
there's no other way but down! they can choose to try to sneak past it, or they can just walk down normally. either way, it does not seem to want to stop, and the glass is very close to breaking completely.
the syringes tell no story other then wow! they sure are used syringes! disgusting. don't prick yourself, sora. ]
[ well. zia has spoken. it’s time to use the intercom to try and sooth the creature.
or not. ]
Sneaking might be the better option.
[ also yo while they’re here if she had a little closer look at that bracelet she pilfered will she notice anything important about it? she has the drawing too but let’s not get too distracted.
she might have to leave that lamp behind if the wheels are too squeaky (are they?) but that will give her more arm space for the other stuff, right? ]
[there's a nod of agreement and he picks up his stupid shield again, but he's also keeping the syringes close by just in case.]
Stealth mission it is. [alex can look at her bracelet that i'm not sure he knows about. he's going to go ahead and start heading down and watching the monster's movements.]
[ There's nothing written on the bracelet itself, though it's intricately made. There's space where something small and round could fit. Possibly a jewel slot that's since been pilfered?
The lamp would definitely make noise if they dragged it down the stairs, so goodbye, operating lamp. The monster is still beating down the glass, though this is the last tag it will do so, considering they're starting to leak whatever liquid was in them. It does not hear them going down the stairs right now as they move quietly. They still have to cross the length of the room to get to the decontamination chamber and the exit, though.
[ if i'm remembering rightly there's still some desks and stuff in the lab area so now it's time to play the world's most terrifying game of traffic lights/hide and seek and sneak through the chamber using the desks as hiding spots and maybe even obstacles between them and the monster.
"becks the monster tore two entire doors off their hinges with those terrifying claws?"
obstacles.
thank god, once again, alex is wearing space boots and not her usual heels for this encounter. ]
[everything down here is likely a mess, but he's using that to his advantage as he begins to sneak his way across the floor. his steps are light and he's following alex but he keeps an eye on the creature itself to get a closer look and make sure it's not about to completely obliterate them.
the thing about going through a wrecked lab is that there's debris everywhere, so they will have to go slow to avoid crashing through it.
maybe the monster's so distracted it won't hear the faint crunch of glass under their feet?]
[ the good news is, they gef a good half of the way through without being heard or seen, since the monster was busy smashing glass. The bad news is, it has finished that. The bodies (?) lifelessly on the ground, unmoving, and it roars, collecting them as well. And then it turns around to leave, and, well.
The speed at which it drop its collection is only topped by how fast it starts running (sliding melting fumbling, really—) over to them, odd claw like arms outstretched with an angry roar. Part of itself is reforming into spikes.
Back to good news: the resulting adrenaline should be able to boost through their half drugged state to let them run? Yaaaay. ]
well, alex reacts in the way any normal person would —- she throws one of the pillows directly at what she hopes in the monster’s face. i hope that adrenaline spike makes her throw all the more impressive, but she’s not going to sit back and wait to see what happens because she’s immediately grabbing sora’s arm and
legging it towards the decontamination chamber like someone lit a fire directly under her ass ]
[oh. well shit that moves fast. he doesn't really need alex to tell him to run but she grabs his arm and they're off running, sora looking back just once to see where it is while holding onto his cheap shield and zipping toward the decontamination chamber.]
Head for the stairs and don't stop! We can lose it in the stairway! [probably. hopefully. just how likely is it that this monster's speed will catch up to the pace of two humans that still have another room to go through before they get downstairs?]
[ well alex might not be looking, but sora is, so he can see the thing spit what looks to be acid directly at the pillow! there are melted and burnt feathers everywhere now. so yes actually running is good because, while it almost looks surprised itself, it keeps going and is, uh, now aiming at them both. why's it so accurate.
also, probably worse, when they get to it they'll realize they need to pull out the finger to reopen the decontamination door from the inside too! i hope you kept it! and that you can do it very fast because it is gaining. ]
[ i believe sora has the fingie? please say he still has the fingie.
when they get to the decontamination door, alex is going to turn around and-- y'know like when people have a stressed budgie and they put a blanket over its head?
yeah.
she's gonna lob the duvet at the monster too. even if it can spit acid it's going to have to shred its way through or out of the blanket, so that's a few extra seconds of time. hopefully. ]
[unless the acid just melts the blanket immediately which is possible. regardless, they get to the door and sora's just trying to tuck his shield thing under his arm, shoving his hand in his pocket.]
Try to keep it busy! [fingie...fingie??? fingie! his "collect everything" mentality has come through because he does in fact have the fingie in his pocket still wrapped in the paper. god. screw it, forget the paper, he's just grabbing this gross finger and slapping it against the scanner to try and get the door open before the monster can reach them.]
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The monster's got the key then. I don't know if we can get back to that thing in the center to unlock it. And if we do, nothing says we'll actually get into the room before the monster comes out. [...he nods though and looks up.] Can you stand? Take it easy. I think...I've got my jacket, I can go. [he demonstrates by pulling his jacket over his nose.] If that thing breaks out of its room, we need to run.
[and with his mind made up, he's thinking this through.] There's a lamp in the operating room. It's on wheels, but maybe you can use it to hit it. [up on the sofa he goes.] Be careful. I'll be right back.
[somewhere in his confused little head he has convinced himself they really need to move, so up into the vent he goes and he tries to cover his nose. if possible, he will slowly crawl his way from the vent in room 3 and over to room 4. he'll follow the arrow but he's also being quiet, trying to see if he can look down into the room.]
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Putting a jacket on his face works to make Sora's life less horrible than Alex's, though since he's stubborning his way through the vent unlike her that won't last too long. The vent to room number 4 is a little further in, but Sora might want to not bother. The keycard was in between both rooms, still in that vent. It reads [EXECUTIVE ACCESS].
Despite being next to it, the noise from room number four has completely stopped. ]
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once she's had a look through in there she'll wheel the lamp into chamber three and after a moment of thought... she'll take a duvet or blanket or whatever is on the bed if it's not too cumbersome, and a pillow if the blanket option is going to be too much.
maybe she's going to have a nap? (no) ]
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Got it. I don't know what happened, but the monster seems to have gone back to sleep again or something. I can't hear it anymore.
...do you remember how to get back to the stairs? There's nothing we can do for them now, but...we can come back.
[them being the people in the tubes. he'll pocket the card though and begin to walk out into the passageway again. he should offer to help her take the blanket but also...why are we taking those, alex? he has his shitty shield and a scalpel, they'll be fiiiine. (no.)]
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Speaking of monsters, Alex, taking everything she can carry from this bedroom. Why. Why are you guys like this. It's going to be incredibly awkward, but sure, she can carry the blanket. And the lamp. It won't turn on if they take it out of the room it's plugged into, but, y'know.
Once they walk out into the passageway, they may notice that whatever was on the walkway seems to have vanished. There's only purple goo left behind.
... Speaking of which, was there always drops of purple goo all over the floor? Hmmm. That's probably fine. There's nothing standing in their way back to the observation room! ]
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It was back through the observation room and that room with the trashed computers, wasn't it?
If we're quick this shouldn't take too long. Hopefully.
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...hm.]
...where..did the other ones go?
[alex...? they're going to have to keep walking, but he seems to immediately go on guard as they leave the passageway and begin to make their way down to the observation room.]
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Down near the test tubes is... something. It's vaguely humanoid in shape, dripping everywhere and dragging the bodies that were on the walkway. It's bringing them in front of the test tube, dragging them both with one arm that seems to be... growing claws, sporadically, where it's holding them? Longer inspection will show that the thing is melting and growing in equal spots, making loud, pained noises as it starts scratching at the test tubes.
If they take a look down the stairs, they'll see that the door has been fully ripped off its hinges to match the one in the decontamination room. ]
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ohhhh... no.
alex just ducks down, behind anything that looks big enough to hide her and makes a sharp motion to sora to do the same. when she speaks it’s less speaking and more mouthing the words slowly at sora: ]
Can you hear it?
[ and then she pauses... and points down to where the ... well. monster? is, before holding up her hand in a clear “No 5” gesture, a look of question on her face.
now they have to figure out how to get past it, because wow. those claws are going to slice them like butter. if she watches a moment longer, can she see what the monster’s trying to do with the bodies? why it’s dragging them in front of the test tubes? ]
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Barely. [it's whispered.] It sounds like it's hurt. [he nods though because that is probably their number five, and oh boy that looks...not fun. he'll pop back up to also watch through the observation window, still staying partially hidden.]
Maybe we can help it...look at how it's changing. [...they need to figure out what to do, but yeah. what's the monster doing?]
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The other two bodies are still held in one... claw... hand, arm? It's not doing anything to them, just keeping them nearby. It does not seem to have noticed the both of them in the observation room right now. ]
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Is it in pain because it’s unstable? Maybe the injection was meant to stabilise it...?
[ the tubes had the dead test subjects in didn’t it? maybe it’s trying to get to them...
she has a look around the observation area —- is there a button or something that might open the tubes it’s trying to break? ]
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Either that, or it wants to free the others. [...he shakes his head.] We can't stay here. We have to keep going, maybe we'll understand better when we get down there.
[...because...down is the only way to go, right? but he pulls the syringes out of his pockets and gestures to alex.] You think we're supposed to use these somehow?
[...they're empty but can they tell anything about the syringes?]
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there's no other way but down! they can choose to try to sneak past it, or they can just walk down normally. either way, it does not seem to want to stop, and the glass is very close to breaking completely.
the syringes tell no story other then wow! they sure are used syringes! disgusting. don't prick yourself, sora. ]
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or not. ]
Sneaking might be the better option.
[ also yo while they’re here if she had a little closer look at that bracelet she pilfered will she notice anything important about it? she has the drawing too but let’s not get too distracted.
she might have to leave that lamp behind if the wheels are too squeaky (are they?) but that will give her more arm space for the other stuff, right? ]
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Stealth mission it is. [alex can look at her bracelet that i'm not sure he knows about. he's going to go ahead and start heading down and watching the monster's movements.]
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The lamp would definitely make noise if they dragged it down the stairs, so goodbye, operating lamp. The monster is still beating down the glass, though this is the last tag it will do so, considering they're starting to leak whatever liquid was in them. It does not hear them going down the stairs right now as they move quietly. They still have to cross the length of the room to get to the decontamination chamber and the exit, though.
Ganba, team... ]
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"becks the monster tore two entire doors off their hinges with those terrifying claws?"
obstacles.
thank god, once again, alex is wearing space boots and not her usual heels for this encounter. ]
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the thing about going through a wrecked lab is that there's debris everywhere, so they will have to go slow to avoid crashing through it.
maybe the monster's so distracted it won't hear the faint crunch of glass under their feet?]
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The speed at which it drop its collection is only topped by how fast it starts running (sliding melting fumbling, really—) over to them, odd claw like arms outstretched with an angry roar. Part of itself is reforming into spikes.
Back to good news: the resulting adrenaline should be able to boost through their half drugged state to let them run? Yaaaay. ]
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well, alex reacts in the way any normal person would —- she throws one of the pillows directly at what she hopes in the monster’s face. i hope that adrenaline spike makes her throw all the more impressive, but she’s not going to sit back and wait to see what happens because she’s immediately grabbing sora’s arm and
legging it towards the decontamination chamber like someone lit a fire directly under her ass ]
Run, run, run—- RUN!
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Head for the stairs and don't stop! We can lose it in the stairway! [probably. hopefully. just how likely is it that this monster's speed will catch up to the pace of two humans that still have another room to go through before they get downstairs?]
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also, probably worse, when they get to it they'll realize they need to pull out the finger to reopen the decontamination door from the inside too! i hope you kept it! and that you can do it very fast because it is gaining. ]
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when they get to the decontamination door, alex is going to turn around and-- y'know like when people have a stressed budgie and they put a blanket over its head?
yeah.
she's gonna lob the duvet at the monster too. even if it can spit acid it's going to have to shred its way through or out of the blanket, so that's a few extra seconds of time. hopefully. ]
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Try to keep it busy! [fingie...fingie??? fingie! his "collect everything" mentality has come through because he does in fact have the fingie in his pocket still wrapped in the paper. god. screw it, forget the paper, he's just grabbing this gross finger and slapping it against the scanner to try and get the door open before the monster can reach them.]
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