In reply to Basilisk (msg # 844):

Upon Ibis' arrival she points her over to Basilisk, then to Raj before she accepts any healing herself.  Her eyes are briefly unfocused for a few minutes as Percy blockades the other tubes upstairs.

Now that the room is successfully blockaded there is still the matter of the nest.  Raj would it be a poor choice to attempt to destroy the nest while the room is unoccupied?  Percy remains in force in the area.

So the ceiling over the stairwell is made out of a material with standard Solese properties.  The rest of the walls and floors are made of something... different.  This material can be phased through but takes a significant amount of time and focus.  I was unable to do so in combat upstairs.  Billy be forewarned, your favorite trick may not work here, may want to try it before you find yourself in an emergency situation.

That being said the doors appear to be locked down by the security protocols.  I think if we restore power to the building we should be able to move freely through the rooms, we have seen their seamless doors in the front entranceway.  I think down is our best, first option.

"Yeah, kinda," Billy replies to Basil with an awkward shrug, "It's the new normal.  Aliens, secret agents, clandestine organizations, all very violent."

He stands through Rebecca's report looking mostly bored.  At its conclusion he rolls his eyes, "Oh, now you wanna go down.  Not so keen on being separated from the rest of the team after actually meeting the monsters, are we?  We think there's a key in one of the shit tanks," he points to Rebecca and Basil, "Get digging."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 846):

Nightmare shrugs at Billy's rebuke.

If you want me to fetch the map I will gladly do so, Abraxis and I could easily do a flyover and see if there are any forms of life up top.  I will not slog through the entire buidling on the way up though.

She looks at the shit tank with disgust.

Ew.  I'm not sticking my hand in that...

However, Percy reappears in the room with the team and immediately shoves his hand in the tank indicated by Billy, fishing around for a key.

"Hey, you're one of two people in an EVA and there are four tanks, you can stick just as well as your imaginary friend.  No one demanded you slog through a whole building.  If you think flying around with alien turrents we assume are still on standby and flying bear monsters we hope are scared to come close be my guest.  You talk a lot about what you can do without doing it.  The map doesn't matter, we know where it goes.  We need to get downstairs to find the generator.  Unless you think you can figure out alien power sources all by your lonesome too, smartass."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 848):

Her eyes narrow but she remains silent... seething teenager comes off of her in palpable waves.  She grabs one of the bins and sticks a hand in it.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 849):

"Han- hang on guys, just a sec. See if I can get this door open without the key. Sifting through shit is bad for the soul," Roger says a little too late as Nightmare plunges her hand into a bin. "Or..."

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 850):

Ten seconds earlier....

She says to him, her voice flat.

“How about if he can’t hack the door and the three of you can’t find the key we have him reach into vat number four?” Billy offers in an attempt to console the youngest executive.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 852):

"I'll getcha a magnet on a string, Bill, how 'bout that," Roger announces as he continues to look at the door, its frame, and the key mechanism.

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 853):

Roger stares long and hard at the door while a selection of his newfound allies rummage through the rubbish bins.

His eyes suddenly light up at the exact same moment Basil's fingers curl around a thick, palm-sized object. He withdraws it to reveal what appears to be a keycard -- though only the bottom half of one.

Further rummaging in the various bins turns up nothing of use, unless you happen to be interested in the desiccated waste of alien cultures.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 854):

"You made this sound like an emergency," Ibis says with a frown. "Who requires the Goddess's aid? It is freely given, but only to those who ask."

Her eyes narrow slightly.

"And, among those, only to the worthy."

In reply to Ibis (msg # 855):

"Big bugs," Roger says, gesturing to the mangled Wasper corpses. "Nightmare got it pretty bad. Me and Basilisk. You get hit at all, Major Laser? Or did you delegate..."

His flashes a smile when Basilisk fishes the keycard from the barrel. His whole face drops just as quickly.

"Aw shit. That's... no, lemme see," he paces over to have a look at the partial keycard, back to the door, then back to the keycard. He shakes his head. "No, that won't work. That's half a key to a different door. Won't work, even if we get the other part. Doesn't match up."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:53, Fri 12 July 2019.

"No, these are all artillery wounds," Billy assures Roger before glancing over his shoulder at Ibis, "I didn't think it was an emergency," he states dismissively.

When the card is found Billy joins Roger's brief excitement before growing confused by the dismissal of the diminished card, "Half a key?  Who cuts a keycard in half?  Does it even work if it's cut in half?  And what door?  This is the only locked door we've got.  We got our stupid hands dirty like this asshole said," He stops to look at the actual dirty members of the party, "well you did.  Either way, this is still bullshit."  He huffs slightly and glances around the room clearly frustrated before taking a deep breath and twisting at his wrist once more, "Fuck Hitch and his shitty scavenger hunt, I'm blowing the door.  Everyone stand back."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:18, Fri 12 July 2019.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 857):

"Now if we could cobble together a wedge and a lever arm and then elec... nah, y'know what, you're right just blow it. Too tired."

Roger plods away from the blast zone.

"We should all get some rest. Rotating watch. Get ourselves fresh for this maniac's scavenger hunt."

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 858):

Basilisk steps back to make space, liquid alien vitae dripping from his gauntlets
This message was last edited by the player at 11:47, Fri 12 July 2019.

Billy points his fist at the lock and rather than a red beam, a blinding white flash is emitted from his fist into the door's locking mechanism as best as he can determine it, "Skeleton fucking key," he grumbles as his hand goes limp at the end of the blast.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 860):

Percy slouches his way over to the final container for a last rummage.  She will clear Ibis and herself from Billy's potential blast radius.

Nightmare shows Ibis her wounds which are actually fairly gruesome despite her stubborn refusal to acknowledge them.

The suit is about the only thing keeping me standing at the moment, also Basil and Raj have gotten chewed up pretty badly.  Fortunately the threat was diffused and neutralized prior to anyone being knocked unconscious.

I would appreciate it, if the Goddess would bestow her blessing.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:45, Fri 12 July 2019.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 861):

"Still can't believe you built that into your arm. You ever get any radiation, residual heat, anything? When's the last time you had it tuned up or looked at?" Roger says to Billy.

He catches eyes with Ibis and points to his gouged shoulder.

"Ibis I could go for some Goddess when you get a chance, please."

"It's a laser, not a nuclear reactor.  My laser guy was moaning about heat dispersal and energy production for most of its design, but apparently he figured it out.  I had it upgraded before we left home, so this is actually new," Billy holds up his limp cybernetic toward Roger demonstratively, "I think I'm gonna call it Oh point two."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 863):

"Yeah but lasers produce... all right. Well lemme know when you wanna..." Roger says, yawning mid-sentence and blinking glassy eyes, "Ah, 'scuse me. Lemme know when you wanna step it up to a one-point-oh."

He begins exploring the rest of the room and pulling various components, parts, and pieces from devices, piling them into his coat like a man stealing food from a buffet.

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 864):

Billy unloads a significant amount of energy into a slot intended to receive a keycard. This results in 3 distinct reactions:

First, the keycard receptor blisters apart like a blown firecracker.

Second, there is an audible SNAP as the deadman latch behind the receptor, weakened by the onslaught, fails.

Third, and most noticeably, the door to the next room reveals itself as a panel of the wall slides open on invisible runners.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 865):

"Very well. I shall pray over each of you in turn," Ibis says.

[Prayer of Healing (Rebecca, Roger): 40,95]

Sickly yellow light pours forth from the auger's splayed fingers, dripping onto her patients' before being absorbed with a flickering flash.

A portion of Rebecca's wounds knit themselves back together (Healing (Rebecca): 20), though Roger finds himself much more significantly restored (Healing (Roger): 60).

"The Goddess smiles upon you both," she declares with a satisfied nod. "Are there others who wish to ask for benediction?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:23, Fri 12 July 2019.

In reply to Ibis (msg # 866):

His body mended, Roger saunters over to the door to inspect its construction -- or destruction, as it were.

"Yeah not so impassible now, are ya?" he gloats in Billy's stead, eyeing down the sundered receptor and evincing his own rejuvenation.

"Ibis, does the Goddess do offerings? Feel like I owe her one. Or several."

"Isn't that what prayers are for?" Billy asks matter-of-factly as he looks into the technically unlocked doorway. "If there are any giant burrowing lizards I swear to god I'm running straight back to the giant robot and I don't care who's in my way," he states as he shines his light into the passage beyond and steps forward.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 868):

"Yep. Bright light and book it. Course you could also lure it onto an ice-covered declined plane that empties into a 20-odd meter pit, then drive an armored landcraft over the pit to trap it... that'd work even better."

Roger looks up from the key-reader's guts.

"That's uh... what we did last time."