Closed

[hornedomen]

Date & Time: Around 2330 to 2500
Location: Hong Kong, ruins of an abandoned research facility
Characters: Kano duplicitoussight and Ico hornedomen
Summary: Stealth mission through techno ruins
Warnings: Techno ruins may be dangerously awesome.

They're everywhere.

[Ico watched the old machines circle around the outer perimeter of the facility. Despite the years that passed and the aging state of the architecture, the old sentries continued their guard without rest.

He sat on the ground, his back against what may have been a wall at some point in the past.]

I can't even see how we're supposed to get in from here. How are we going to get through those things?

Comments

[hornedomen]

[He grasped onto Kano's hand. He was not sure exactly how his powers worked, but Ico knew he had to hold onto his hand. The robot scanned the room with a bright red light that hurt Ico's eyes. Age and sand had taken a toll on it and the machine made a loud, grating sound that frightened the boy.]

[duplicitoussight]

[He can feel the tension from Ico. Kano gives his hand a gentle squeeze, to reassure him. His eyes are working the best they can--all he can hope is that the robot will see only an empty room.

A minute passes. Then after another sweep the robot clanks away. Kano heaves a sigh but doesn't let go of Ico's hand just yet.]

Let's hope his friends don't come along.

[hornedomen]

[That minute felt like an eternity. While he grasped onto Kano's hand, he was ready to draw out his sword. Once it was gone, Ico finally relaxed. He could not remember breathing the whole time it was there.]

At least we'll hear them. They're so loud.

[He reached over to take the folder that Kano found.] Is this what we're looking for?

[duplicitoussight]

It's better for us if they are~

[He hands the folder over to Ico--they're plans and blueprints, detailing some of the weapons they've been searching for.] Well, this is close enough, isn't it? They got a couple of samples lying around in the basement, but this can work too.

[hornedomen]

This is great; we won't have to carry all that stuff with us. [He put the folder in his backpack.]

Now we have to find one about those machine guards here.

[There were two ways that Ico could think of, either find the plans like the one Kano found, or bring one back. However, he was not sure if he could fight one of those guards.]

[duplicitoussight]

Getting one to come back with us would be too hard, huh?

[The idea of dragging a robot back makes him snicker a little. It'd be much too heavy for them, wouldn't it? They wouldn't get very far if they tried something like that. That, and the fact that neither of them had weapons aside from Ico's sword.]

It turns out that this mission's a paper-pushing sort of thing~ I feel like a spy!

[hornedomen]

[He smiled.] That's right. Even if we got one, it must be really heavy.

[He would ask Kano about paper-pushing and spies later. This place was too dangerous for idle questions. He cautiously looked outside of the room before leaving.]

This way.

[Exactly where 'this way' went, he did not know. There was nothing useful left in that room so any other place seemed like a better chance to find those plans.]

[duplicitoussight]

[Fortunately, Kano had a general idea of where to go thanks to the folder... though knowing that they had to go to the basement only pointed towards "down." Well, a direction was better than no direction at all. He turns the way that Ico does without question once the coast was clear.]

... I hope they have elevators around here.

[hornedomen]

Elevators?

[Those were moving rooms, right? He continued in his direction, not knowing if where they were going went to such a room. Suddenly, good fortune shone upon them in the form of an electronic screen with a map.]

Over here. [Ico went to it at a quick and quiet pace.] This is where we are. We need to go through this hall and it'll be on the left.

[A grating sound grew louder, as well as the sound of footsteps. Another guard was coming.]

[duplicitoussight]

[So some of the power in this factory was still working. That was a relief... and possibly dangerous. They wouldn't be able to tell if any other systems were online, security or otherwise. Still, he pays attention as he looks at the map.

He's begun nodding and was about to speak when he hears the footsteps. Without thinking, he reaches for Ico's hand again, glancing at the map, making sure he knows the route. They can't speak, unless they wanted to be heard.

They had to run again.]

[hornedomen]

[He had the same idea. Once Kano grabbed his hand, he ran ahead. The hall was too open; there were no places to hide. He went inside a room, one that connected to other rooms.

Door after door, Ico raced closer to the elevator. Suddenly, he stopped. More footsteps, that meant there was another guard ahead. The noises droned in his ears. They were both getting closer.]

[duplicitoussight]

[At this rate, they would be trapped. Kano's grip on Ico's hand tightened and his eyes glowed a bright red. If he could concentrate on keeping up their cover as they moved, they should be fine.

He hasn't managed something like this before. But there was no other choice for them. He tugs at Ico, tilting his head towards the direction of the elevator. He could hear the robots closing in on them.]

[hornedomen]

[He did not need more prompting than that. He raced to the elevator, never letting go of Kano's hand. The sounds of the guards consumed all other noise.

The elevator door was broken; Ico noticed that it looked like it was forced open. Inside, the elevator lay at the bottom. He reached for the cable and pulled on it. It should be strong enough to hold them. However, Ico could not hold Kano's hand and climb down at the same time.]