The elevator goes up to "L" (lower) floor, and the doors open.  You see before you windowed doors to your left, a sign above you stating "To Parking Garage," and elevators at the far side of the entryway you are in, one marked "To Floors 1-12," another marked "To Floors 13-34," and another marked "Service Elevators."

Between you and those elevators are security guards and metal detectors.  They look in your direction as the elevator door opens.

Screed punches the buttons for all the floors on the elevator before he gets off.  He says quietly, "I don't have time to disable it, I guess.  Let's go and hope the passcodes still work.  Someone feel free to drop back and tie your shoes or something as backup."  He waits to see if anyone else has any other suggestions before leaving.

Finally leaving the elevator, he walks quickly to the guard posts, putting himself out in front.  He says, "His we're here for the code updates for Omniscient Eye."  He winks and adds, "Gotta love those late night calls."

Just trying to keep things moving, everyone.  Feel free to jump in and backpost at any time.  :)

The guards look you over, note your uniforms, and nod.  They wave through toward the X-Ray machine and metal detector.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Mon 12 Dec 2005.

Screed panics a bit as he says, "Excuse me, but we have some high tech proprietary equipment that does not take kindly to xrays or other people's eyes."  He adds the last with a wink hoping that he might realize that the equipment may very well be high tech and especially proprietary or maybe that if this was some kind of special passcode, the bigwigs may not want their illicit stuff known by the little people.

The security guard says, "All exceptions must be approved and confirmed.  Wait there and I will call to confirm.  Our machines are safe for all electronics and computer equipment."

Screed looks to others for direction.

Jade whispers, "Maybe we should tell them we forgot something.  Then we go back in the elevator and find another way in?  Or a distraction of some sort?"

GM:  how many guards are there, and how much time do we have?

Screed whispers back, "We have our friends downstairs also, but I'm at a loss as to what to do."

There are four guards total.  Each is armed with a bully club, a taser, and a pistol.  They also each wear kevlar vests.  (This place is highly secured.)

As you look around, you also see video cameras surveying the elevators.  In fact a camera behind you already has you in its sights.

how much time do we have?

As you look around at each other, an alarm begins to go off.  The guards look at each other and one picks up a phone that begins to ring.  They look over at you and then the guard on the phone whispers something to the others.

You prepare for the worst, and then the second guard says to the others, "There have been shots at the gate.  Security is down there.  We have two intruders in the parking garage...with guns."

All four security guards run toward a stairwell, obviously not giving you a second thought.  You can tell that they did not have any suspicions about you.

The alarms continue.

There is a large clock above the elevators down the main hall.

It is 7:44 p.m.

You are alone in the main hall, but have not yet gone through the metal detectors or X-Rays.

Screed shrugs, turns to the camera, and gives a hat tip with a smile.  He then walks over and prepares to go through the security area where the guards nomrally would.  Hopefully this will keep the alarms from going off.  Otherwise he will take the same path to the other side that they took to this side heading straight for the service elevator.

Dracos, on the otherhand, tries to keep his face out of the camera's direct view. The teen walks behind Screed, letting the Leader of the Misson lead.

Jade hops over with Screed.  "Thank the Lord for small miracles," she says.  "Now, which floor did we need to go to?"

Screed looks at Jade and says worriedly, "What?  I thought you knew where."  A smile splits his face as he says, "Kidding, sorry, service elevator to the 10th floor, room 1019."  He tries to check the time.

What time is it?

It is still 7:44 p.m.  The giant clock by the elevators confirms this.

Shadow follows Screed and the others around the security "Ha.  Thats real funny.  Now can we hurry before I get shot again?"

You hop in the service elevator after jumping over the security ropes.  You make it to the 10th floor with no problem.  As the door begins to open, you hear voices in the hall near the parallel niche where the regular elevators are.

Screed remains silent and still.  He finally whispers, "We're too early.  They're still in the hall."

Sorry, I can't picture it.  Would be able to leave the elevator and not be seen.  One would assume that they heard the ding of the elevator or was there not one?

OOC:  Because it is a service elevator, there is no ding.  They also appear to be talking amongst themselves, not security guards.

    _ __ _
   | >oo< |
-----    -------
-----    -------
     |__<_|

I hope this is clear.  The hallway extends left to right.  The arrows are the elevator doors.  There are two regular elevators on the upper side and your service elevator on the bottom side.  The circles are the two people talking.  They cannot see you and appear to be waiting for an elevator themselves.

Screed reaches over and pushes the door close button.  He then pushes the top floor button.  Then he will push the floor 10 again.  This will keep the elevator engaged and at least not go down until they hit the 10th floor again.  "It seems that there are people still leaving.  Let's give them a minute or two to catch their elevator.  They tend to move slowly this time of night."  He crosses his arms and starts whistling silently to pass the time.  He watches the floors tick by.  This reminds him of something, "Did anyone see the Blues Brothers when they were logged in.  I hope this is not reminiscient of them riding the elevator."  He goes back to calmly watching the elevator rise.

Jade gives Screed a hard stare and hits the Open Door button before the doors close.  She whispers, "I wanted to listen in on their conversation.  You never know what intel you'll get, especially since we're on the right floor for the meting anyway."  She makes sure the top floor button is still pushed, however, just in case they need to make a quick exit.

Her gun is in her hand, and if anyone seems to walk toward her, she will quickly push the door close button.

Screed shrugs and remains quiet, listening also.  He gives a quick smile and a thumbs up.

"Anyone got a mirror, maybe get a look who is there?"  Shadow pulls his pistol out and waits for a response.

Jade says snidely, "Left my makeup at home.  I'll have to ask X for one next time."

"...and don't forget to cut it at 8:08," a voice says.  Then it pauses.  "Did you hear something?"

The voices stop.  Jade pushes the door close button, and the elevator starts to rise.

Screed sighs, "Okay, we have enemies here, we knew that was going to happen, but at least we now know a timetable.  We can assume they are going to cut the power at 8:08.  Should we split up?  Remember we have to do the following:

Goal 1
Da Vinci, Merotech second in command, will be holding a meeting with the leader of the Shadow regime.  They are trying to work out a truce.

You should listen in on the meeting and take information back to Zion.  It is 7:30 p.m.  The meeting is at 8:00 p.m.

You must avoid hurting any of the Awakened at the meeting.  (The Awakened will also have a spy there.)  The Awakened are most likely to sympathize with the cause of Zion.

Goal 2 (optional)
Retrieve the remote control device held by Da Vinci.  It changes reprogramming sequences for doors.

If you cannot retrieve it, then try to destroy it.

Goal 3 (optional)
Destroy the vampire prototype (Vlad) and the werewolf prototype (Jack) to set back development of such models by the Merotech.

Goal 4 (optional)
Destroy the servers containing the genetics research.  They can be found in the hall where no elevators go, where no stairs lead, in door 3.

Goal 5 (optional)
Capture Da Vinci alive and bring him to Jaguar.  Then Jaguar can become a member of the Awakened, help Zion in the future.  He has also promised to give useful coding and information to Zion if you can accomplish this.

It may be the awakened that are going to crash the meeting.  I don't know.  We have to do the first, listen in on the meeting.  In order to do 3 and 4, we are going to have to do number 2, get the remote control device from Da Vinci.  We have radios, we can split up and take multiple places on the floor.  We can stay together.  Only one person needs to definitely be in the room 1019 to listen in on 1020.  I plan on being in the room.  Ideas?"

Jade says, "Maybe we should go to the 11th floor and find an alternate way in, such as through grating or a stairwell, assuming we have time.  We're just supposed to spy in anyway.  I don't know about splitting up, especially if we can't communicate to each other."

"We have radios given to us by Jinx."  Screed goes ahead and puts his on.  "I think we have time to take the stairs from the 11th to the 10th floor.  It would suck if they were locked from the stairwell though, but I am willing to go with the consensus."  He smiles as he looks at the others.  "Our instuctions were fairly clear, take the service elevator to the 10th floor and go to room 1019 to listen to 1020."

"Well listening in on the conversation is not gonna be hard.  Catching Da Vinci might be a little harder.  I was thinking of waiting on top of the elevator for him and dropping in and eliminating everyone but him.  Catch him and his door thingie in one sweep."  Shadow shakes his head "As for the mystery floor, how we even gonna find it?"

"I was kind of thinking that we would have to get the remote control thingie from Da Vinci.  Then we ask him I guess if it doesn't have this big button on it that says push here.  I might be able to figure it out if it is not too complicated.  As far as the elevator thing, how do we know which one he is going to get on?  I guess we could disable all the others so that only one works.  We only have a little over ten minutes though.  Plus when the drek hits the fan at 8:08, we have to be ready for that.

I think we need to listen in and then make grabbing Da Vinci our top priority."  Screed rubs his young chin.  Even within the matrix he looks little more than a kid.  "I wonder how tough these walls are.  IF there really is going to be an attack, maybe we could all just aim at the same spot on the wall and blow the heck out of it, getting straight into room 1020.  Then again, there may be room to go through the ceiling tiles if there are any.  It all just depends on what we see when we get there."

"Something that powerful would be drawing tons of juice. I can try and sense the code of the electricity if we get close enough. Otherwise..." he glances to Jade, before back to Shadow, <b>"I'm sure at least one of us could make him talk."

Dracos slips on the radio, "I can do the spying if we split up, it is somewhat my specialty afterall. Perhaps half of us should set-up the trap, while the others listen in to the conversation. This way, if the listening post is compromised, not everyone is compromised at once."

A grin is on Shadow's face "Oh I imagine I can be persuasive and as to splitting up, sounds like the best plan.  If the werewolf and vampire are here they might be with him."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:54, Sat 17 Dec 2005.

Screed speaks up, "The werewolf and vampire might be with him, but they are supposed to be in the lab which we can reach only after we have this device.  What do you mean, 'something' drawing that much power?"  He is intrigued.

"Think about it. To maintain a database of that size, and genetic manipulation tubes would require massive ammounts of electricity to maintain in this programmed world. I can sense the electrical energy in devices, if I can touch it... maybe even if I get close enough... never tried it..." he scratches his head.

The elevator arrives at floor 34, and the doors open.  The hallway is empty.  The doors start to close again...


OOC: Not sure if you guys decided exactly what to do yet.  11th floor and stairs?  10th Floor?  I'll just follow your actions, since I'm just the person who decides what the results of those actions are...and the ticking timebomb.

Screed pushes the button for 10 and then looks at the others, shrugging.  "I need to go to the room to listen in."

"I hope those guys aren't waiting for us," Jade says, her M-16 ready.  "You sure we don't want to go to 11 first?"

Screed shakes his head, "I don't know if the stairway doors are oneway or not.  I don't have the tools to take care of them if they are.  We can check them if you like though, fairly quickly to see if they are.  We have a little time."  He pushes the button for 11.

<b>"I can mess up the locks or hinges if they are..." he mutters to Screed, waiting for his stealth to be needed.

The elevator reaches the 11th floor.  The doors open...and the hall is empty.

Screed steps up and takes the lead.  He looks for the exit sign leading for the stairs.  He checks the time and says, "Okay, one of you come with me to check the stairwell door.  The other one stay here and hold the elevator.  We'll check it out and be quick."

Dracos follows Screed, his eyes continually searching for any threats. Specificly, he searches for nodes on the wall and floor that may be sending out IR beams.

"The plan is simple," Screed suggest to Dracos, "One of us goes through the door and the other stays on this side.  Then the one tries to get back in.  If they can't the other lets them back in.  Okay?"  Screed keeps his eyes and ears open.

You note that the door to the stairway is directly across from the service elevators (where the other elevator would be if it had two like the side with the regular elevators).  Above the door to the stairway is a sign marked "Emergency Exit Only.  Use Stairs in Case of Emergency."

Screed sighs, "Okay, Will the alarm sound?  Will a silent alarm sound alerting security of an emergency?  What do we do now?"  This is the others' plan so he goes along with it.  He is fresh out of ideas at the moment.

"Ah, screw it!" Jade says, a bit frustrated.  She runs forward and opens the emergency stairway door to see what will happen.

Screed holds the elevator door.

Dracos, being closer to the door, steps infront of Jade as she runs, trying to prevent her from hitting the door.

OOC:  Okay, guys, I'm back from the holidays.  Hope you all had a good break.

Jade runs forward...and Dracos is just a bit too late.

She pushes open the door, and you are surprised to see that it does not open onto stairs at all, but instead upon a brightly lit white hallway lined with doors.

Screed continues to hold the elevator door waiting for them to report.

"I think we found that hallway," Jade says.

Screed asks, "What hallway?  Oh... that hallway?  Are there numbers on the doors?  Especially a number 3?"

Jade notes that there are numbers on the doors on the left side, starting with 1, and letters on the right side, starting with A.

Jade says, "Let's remember where this is and come back here.  But for now, I think we need to just take the elevator down a floor and spy on the meeting."  She runs back into the elevator with the others.

Screed glances back and forth along the hallway as he continues to hold the elevator, "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.  It does us no good to go in there if we fail our first mission.  I wonder if it's temporary though, like it's just been activated by that remote thing.  I also wonder what would happen if you left the door jammed open.  Would it never reset?  Heck, stick something in the hinge of the door and let's get out of here."  A bead of sweat starts to slide down his forehead near his temple.  His nervousness is coming through.

Jade removes her shoe and wedges the door open, then jumps in the elevator and pushes the button for the 10th floor.  "Here we go again," she says.  "I sure hope those guys aren't waiting for us downstairs this time."

"And if they are, we now have one less shoe to throw at them."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:23, Tue 10 Jan 2006.

Screed adds, "Way to think on your feet."  He smiles as they descend.