At first, your muscles don't seem to be up to it, but you can feel them slowly awaken, as if your limbs were asleep.

However, by that time, you are flying higher...

I think to myself. ::Blast! My muscles took too long to warm up. I'd better wait for a more opportune moment.::

I scan my surroundings, trying to gather information. I take note of any point of interest and pay attention laypit and the presence and structure of drones (especially the one carrying me). I pay special attention to anything that looks like a weapon, particularly if it looks like something that I could use.

Am I still near-sighted? If so, I still do what I just mentioned, but I prioritize all nearer objects.

As you regain more control of your muscles, you realize that your movements are still hindered.  You seem to be secured to the drone so that you don't accidentally fall out during transport.

However, as you look around (as best as you can), you realize that you can see the various corridors you traverse clearly.  There is no sign of nearsightedness... and also no sign of you looking through glasses...

I blink a few times as I take in my lack of nearsightedness. I think to myself. "Huh? Why can I see?"

The weight of my situation settles in. "I need to find a way out of this. MetaDeep probably won't have need for a defective piece of its machine. Escape is unlikely right now. I had better sit back and observe until my situation."

I observe my environment. I take note of any point of interest and pay attention layout and the presence and structure of drones (especially the one carrying me). I pay special attention to anything that looks like a weapon, particularly if it looks like something that I could use.

GE=14.  Woo hoo!  :D

The drone approaches what looks like a queue of automated gurneys.

It gently places you on the empty gurney nearest the front of the queue, and departs.

None of the other "patients" seem conscious, and there are no machines currently nearby.

There are no evident weapons nearby, unless you want to try pushing a gurney as a battering ram.

The queue stretches toward an open doorway.

The corridor you are in has a high ceiling, obviously, since flying drones can access it.  You also have an impression of other corridors that you were able to catch glimpses of from above, arranged in a grid pattern...

I wait for an opening when the drones appear to be absent or too far to stop me. As soon as a gap presents itself, I leap off the gurney and make a dash for the open doorway.

My mind begins racing. "Any port in a storm."

I continue watching for weapons. I also keep an eye out for small maintenance pathways or other areas that look likely to be unguarded. I also keep watching for drones.

Stepping through the doorway, you see some type of tube vaguely resembling an MRI machine.

On the far side of that, you see several drones parked.

As you watch, an unconscious patient on a gurney emerges from the tube, and is scooped up by a drone that flies up and away...

Although it might seem like a strange reaction, I feel calmed by this sight. "Hmm..." I think as I stroke my chin. "This tell me something important. The drones seem to be built to engage in highly specific tasks without much deviation. In other words, I have some time before MetaDeep notices and tries to deal with me." Another thought occurs to me: "On the other hand, if drones that are large enough to men are used as minor cogs, MetaDeep must be an absurdly large machine."

Since I am presumably standing at the doorway and looking into the room, I cast a glance over my shoulder to look down the hallway that I just ran down. I then move deeper into the room while looking around for something useful: perhaps some tools (maybe even ones that could be used as weapons in a pinch). Despite my belief that the drones will take some time before noticing me, I give them a wide berth and try to keep out of what I think their direct line of sight is. As I search, I activate my Vector Sense.

By the way, am I wearing anything? Are the other humans wearing anything?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:30, Thu 16 May 2019.

No weapons in sight... nor clothing, for that matter.  Those on the gurneys are each covered by a thin blanket.  You are a bit more drafty...

With the previous tube occupant gone, the next gurney wheels into the tube, and you hear it start to power up.

You activate your vector sense, and... whoa.  More vectors than you can count!

One direction stands out as having a bigger density of vectors.  Another stands out as being in a different octave, like for your belongings...

I am startled by the numerous vectors. "What the!" I think to myself."What in the world is all that?" I shake my head. "Never mind. I'll worry about that later.

I leave the room and try to pick my way through the grid of hallways toward the more familiar Vectors (i.e. my stuff).

I am careful to avoid being spotted by the drones.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Thu 16 May 2019.

As you start to follow the vector, you see that the corridor you are leaving is designated "Maintenance".

The vector does not align with the corridor grid, so you have to zig down one corridor, then zag down the next corridor, then zig again...

With each turn, you observe that the vector seems to be changing a bit more rapidly as you walk.

And so you approach a corridor designated "Research and Development"...

I take a deep breath and try to find my stuff in the Research and Development corridor.

I watch my surroundings for threats and drones. I keep looking for any useful tech or weapons; however, my priority is finding my stuff. I ignore any closed doors that seem unlikely to be concealing my stuff.

Research and Development looks like an interesting mixture of warehouse and lab.  Multiple aisles with multi-story shelves with stacked crates surround a central enclosed Plexiglas-like lab area, perhaps to help contain any unexpectedly explosive experimental results.

A drone is working on something inside the lab.

Another drone is moving through the aisles, possibly to fetch a crate for the lab drone.

You sense your stuff nearby, but as you get closer, you realize that your stuff appears to be in one of the crates on a higher shelf.

Neither drone has spotted you yet...

Do the shelves look like they could support my weight without tipping? Are there any convenient, pushable crates nearby? About how high is the correct crate?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:22, Fri 05 July 2019.

The shelves seem quite robust.

You would have to take crates off shelves to stack them.

From what you can tell, your stuff is perhaps forty feet above floor level, give or take...  :o

I sigh, and I take note of the apparent location of my stuff, move to an area that is out of sight of the two drones, and start climbing the shelves in a slow and methodical manner.

My plan is to ascend the shelves in an area that is out of sight and maneuver my way sideways toward my stuff.

You start climbing... up... and up... and up.  Don't... look... down...

Other than the height, however, things go surprisingly smoothly.  The aisle drone is conveniently occupied in other aisles.  The shelves aren't destabilized by your weight.

Even better, it seems that your crate is on top of an outer pile on that particular shelf.  You realize that if it had been underneath or within other crates or piles of crates, getting to it would have been troublesome.

And so, you and your stuff are together again.  And you even have a convenient crate for your stuff too!  A convenient... sealed... crate...

I look around at the crate to find some sort of opening mechanism.

There appears to be some type of electronic lock.

The crates are wooden, not unlike crates you might see in a warehouse...

Does the crate have hinges?

None that you can see...

Does it look like the lock requires some sort of external tool to open it with? Or, does it look like it is meant to receive an opening signal from a drone?

It looks like there is some type of port access for drone hardware to plug into...

I sigh again. After considering my very bad situation, I come up with a plan.

I move to an out of sight location (as far away from stuff as possible, moving), descend to roughly 15-20 feet off the ground, attempt to get behind a random crate, wait until the aisle drone is far away from me, shove the crate onto the floor, descend the shelf as quickly as possible (jumping the last 10-ish feet), grab one or two useful-looking items from the hopefully destroyed crate, and leg it as fast as I can to another out of sight location.

Climbing, climbing, climbing, while trying not to fall...

Moving, moving, moving, while trying not to be seen or heard...

Pushing, pushing, pushing, while trying to budge this heavy thing...

Oof...  Ooooofff...   OOOOOFFFFFFFF...

It bidged!  It badged!  It boodged!

A little more... a little more...  a lit...tle... more...

It flies through the air with the greatest of ease!

As if in slow motion, you see gravity enfold it in loving arms, and suck it into the floor.

SPLAT!

You see a slightly dented crate, still structurally whole.

You see previously unnoticed security cameras swiveling.

You see the aisle drone approaching from afar...