[ Last time, on Keeping Up with the Krogdashians: the TC siblings dropped by the hospital where Keith Ferrion is being treated! They ran into two things in the ward, however: Ryan Howe, the DRAUPNIR researcher and apparent friend of the family, and the familiar blond firebug, Eitri. ] [ Thankfully, Roch saw the latter coming because apparently she has some sort of power to do that? I dunno. ANYHOW it currently means that they are booking it out of the hospital before they're seen, dragging a bewildered but thankfully unprotesting (for the moment) Dr. Howe. What will they do next?! ] * Rochelle is certainly trying to find a way out - that doesn't get them killed anyway. Her eyes are all glazed over, too. * Zak still has Howe by the neck, though he has probably released Rochelle by this point. Since the hospital is actively _on fire_ his plan has gone from "Hide behind anything" to "Ground floor->exit door", so stairs are rapidly becoming a priority target. (Hospitals on fire are bad. Oxygen chambers make a fine boom.) (Did I already set the hospital on fire?) (I thought that was only in Roch's vision so far.) (AH fire alarm bells okay.) (Crisis averted!) (Yeah, I based my stuff off that.) (It confused me because originally I was just going for "hide from eitri") (Okay, can I make a roll of some sort to know 1. where the fire's going to come from first and 2. how to best avoid it and 3. how to get out asap?) (Simmer down there, Cassandra. I'm narratin'.) (Ha. XD) (BUT NOBODY BELIEVES ME) [ You are not being purused! Eventually, however, you discover a fire door which thankfully you can exit through without bothering anyone. It leads onto a long green lawn which appears to head down toward the emergency room access road, and there are plenty of people fleeing the building so that you don't get too much attention. ] ( I MUST FIND THE STAIRS *presses fingers to forehead* ... there is a stairwell sign RIGHT OVER THERE (+)) (Well for real, I was describing you leaving and she's like HELP ME FORETELL A DOOR!) (*laughs*) [ That said, once you're outside, Ryan seems to come to his senses and protest, and he's not exactly stronger than Zak but he's strong enough to break free and refuse to move, staring at the siblings. "Hey, hold o--" He's cut off by... well, an explosion. Looks like the fire just reached the hyperbaric therapy wing. ] * Rochelle turns. She looks at the explosion, then she turns her attention to Mr. Howe. * Zak finally releases his death grip on Howe, and is about to say something when the explosion happens. He narrows his eyes. "Got to get to safe ground... IS there safe ground?" * Rochelle shrugs. [ Howe cringes from the explosion, then says desperately to Zak's question: "I thought a hospital WAS safe ground!" ] * Dicesuke has joined #atc 2d6+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Yue (2d6+2) and gets a natural 4 for a result of 6. You thought wrong? Look, we've gotta run. If he's here, then the other's probably there, and Space Jesus knows if Kat and mute-girl go up against him there's probably going to be a crater on the hourly news. So... we've gotta split-skate. Yeah. [ That exchange processes in Ryan's head, briefly. He then, with jangled nerves, makes the only observation he can think of to make. He looks directly at Zak, and says: "You're not a doctor." ] (Ha ha ha. Poor guy.) Ten trivits to Doc Howe. Spend 'em wisely. (.... okay for reference since I just made that up) (A trivit is a trivia credit, assume it's like Jeopardy currency or something) * Rochelle doesn't sigh. Instead, she grabs Ryan Howe's arm and starts pulling him towards transport or something - whatever is the fastest way out of there and ideally to the hotel. * Zak sheds the lab coat and badge as he follows Roch. [ Unless you plan on taking the subway again, you'll be walking. And Ryan is *clearly* stronger than Roch because he starts pulling in the other direction, shouting. "Where are you taking me? Security? SECURITY?!" ] (Beat him up!) * Rochelle is tugged! She looks almost surprised; Xavier was WAY easier to lead around than this. "Trying to keep you from dying, okay?" Let him go, Roch. His loss. [ Ryan snags his hand back from Roch in... terror? Or terror mixed with anger. "You started all this, didn't you?" ] * Rochelle stares at Zak. She lets go, though. And then she looks at Ryan. "Don't be stupid." [ Thankfully the crowd is too busy to take notice of one guy shouting like a lunatic... for now. It's going to be a hike across this lawn to get to the subway entrance from here, it's a pretty damn big hospital. ] Man, get a clue, we didn't start anything. We're just tryin' to keep more people from buyin' the meatcube ranch. You SAW the axeman who started the fire, you scanny dipwad! [ "No I didn't!" And you realize: no, he didn't. You grabbed him and started running for the exits before the fire alarms started, and before he could see Eitri, thanks to Roch's premonition. ] (Actually, Howe might not have seen, but Zak didn't know there was a premonition) (Irrelevant anyhow.) (Roch would get it even if Zak didn't.) * Zak frowns. "Yeah, well... you should have! Instead of quizganging honest fake doctors who're just trying to get some info!" [ "Do you realize not even a single word of that makes sense?!" Ryan demands, before shutting his eyes, tensing up, and then turning back to the hospital. "Well to hell with you, I'm not going to leave Keith in there." With that, he heads back into the hospital, or at the very least toward it. ] Keith? Your kid? I make plenty of sense! [ The white-coated researcher whirls back at the question/statement pair. "No! I told you, he's a friend of the family, but he's... forget it. People who'd set fire to a hospital wouldn't understand anyway." ] I didn't set fire to the fucking hospital! We didn't. You'll get hurt if you go in there. 2d6+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Yue (2d6+2) and gets a natural 4 for a result of 6. [ "That doesn't matter!" Howe says... well, hotly, pardon the pun. The crowd density is starting to thin out; looks like there were a lot of fire doors. Let's hear it for urban planning! Fire sirens can be heard approaching, as well. "He doesn't deserve to die before we can test Director Ferrion's experiment!" ] * Zak looks back and forth between Roch and Howe. "Wait... you can't.... experiment? What?" * Rochelle blinks. "What?" she says at the same time Zak does. [ Nerdrage... building! There's a moment while he debates whether he wants to tell the people who set the hospital on fire or not, but in the end he hopes the explanation will shut them up enough to let him go. He sounds testy, therefore: "His father has been working on a technique to save his life. He doesn't have long to live. So I'm not going to let him burn to death before we can try it." ] 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Todd (2d6) and gets a natural 3 for a result of 3. 2d6+3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Katherine (2d6+3) and gets a natural 9 for a result of 12. 2d6+3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Yue (2d6+3) and gets 15, a CRITICAL FAILURE!!! "Hey, a failure. Oh, by the way... I heard what you've been saying about me." * Zak looks to Roch. Then to Howe. Then back to Roch. Then back to Howe. Finally he smacks his forehead with his palm, resulting in a cloud of ice dust. "FINE! Fucking fine! I'm gonna prove it to your scanny feebmind that we did not start the fucking fire!" He starts walking back towards the place. (.... it was always burning, since the world's been turning! :D) (I love how mad you are that you're so suspicious.) ("I know we've been proven to have fake IDs while fleeing the scene of the crime with the only witness but you have to believe us!") * Rochelle gives Howe a 'now you did it, and also you're fucking stupid' look before hurrying after Zak. "Hey! You don't even know how to get there again!" I'll find it! [ For the record, most of the wing you were just in is... actually, relatively fine. The ones around it, not so much. Ryan is heading back toward, but he seems conflicted. Arsonists offering help?! ] And die. Eitri might still be in there. I beat him before. [ That stops Ryan cold. "...what does Eitri have to do with this?" Zak's followup isn't helping. You are going to give this poor man an anyeurism. ] I am NOT gonna let some WHITECOAT tell me I'm as bad as Eitri! I'M NOT. Zak, shut up. * Zak shuts up. But he's not happy about it. * Rochelle looks at Ryan. "He was there. That's how we knew the fire was going to happen." Go semi-lying! Why, do you know him? [ "Of course I know him. He's one..." A pause, as if processing the combo of 'fire' and 'guy who can control fire'. He frowns, then reaches into his jacket. "Give me a second." ] [ He produces a phone! Then turns away from you while he makes his call. A chance for you to converse! Or listen in like mannerless barnyard children. ] (haha, you present the option like you know us already or something.) * Zak looks at Rochelle, but keeps quiet. * Rochelle falls silent, too. And listens, because TC kids are very mannerless. [ It's muffled; he's clearly trying not to be heard, but is also not a superspy. "It's me, sir." A pause. "Yes, I was." Another pause. "No, I'm fine, but Kei..." A blink, and then a longish pause. "Is that so? Good to hear, sir." One final pause. "Uh, yes sir. I'll do that." He then hangs up, and turns back to you looking sort of pale. "Dr. Ferrion says he sent Eitri to collect Keith." ] Looks like he did. No shit. [ Ryan looks back at the burning hospital. "Why? Why did he do that?" He turns back to you, expecting an answer. Zak said he DID beat Eitri before, after all. ] ... because he's fucking psycho? (Succinct and correct. Hooray Zak.) [ That gets a grimace, and a shake of the head. "Elias -- Eitri, sorry -- wasn't always... hnnngh." He shakes his head, then steps closer to you. "Please, what's going on? Nobody at DRAUPNIR tells me anything, and ever since Ferrion brought on Platina, everything's been insane!" ] (PLATINA SUX) We gotta get out of here first. [ Ryan breathes in slowly, then breathes out. "Okay. I drove, we can take my car and you can explain on the way." ] * Rochelle nods. Sounds good to her. "Is Keith going to be okay?" [ You're walking! Ryan's heading in the opposite direction from public transit, toward the circle drive, oddly enough. "The Director said they're about to start the experiment," he observes. "So... maybe? I don't know the details, but..." ] Yeah... What's wrong with him? (ASK ZAK HE KNOWS HE IS A REAL DOCTOR) * Zak follows. This is roch's show. [ "Nobody knows," Ryan says morosely, as you step onto the pavement. On cue, a... midrange-looking groundcar pulls up. The back is full of books and papers, like any good academic's car; Ryan walks around the other side and takes the keys from the valet(!) who brought it, before looking at you. "Hop in." ] * Zak looks to Roch, then the full backseat. * Rochelle nods. She looks back to Zak, then... waves him to the passanger seat, going to the back and trying to find space to squeeze in. * Zak opens the door and gets in. He takes a look back at the hospital. "Fuckin' unschway to see fire. Seems to be a lot more of 'em these days." [ Once you're in, Ryan starts driving off. "He's a 24... but nobody can figure out what his power is. All we know is that it's eating away at his body. He has maybe 3 more years to live, if that." ] I'm sorry. * Rochelle sounds like she actually means that. (UGH sorry. never splitting scenes again.) (Sokay.) [ "We all are," your driver says, somewhat quietly. You pull out of the hospital parking lot, and start heading toward the edge of the city, on the other side of the lake. "So... I think I deserve to know what YOU have to do with all this," he states, turning to look at Zak. ] (Haha, yes! Ask Zak questions!) Uh. It's kind of a longish short storyvid. [ "Summarize," he responds. You are in his car. You owe him. ] (Kevin's here, so I've kinda got to go eat soon.) (Uh... can we pause and maybe pick up on the weekend or next week or something?) (Probably. let me finish my summary first.) (With just you two? Split scene + time limit + return from 2 hour drive = my brain slowly oozing out my ears.) (That's fine with me. I'm going to be out of town until Tuesday, though.) (Greg and Kate's wedding.) (Well we have 2 weeks, so.) (Yup!) (Anyway, I'll be back in 30-45, so we can talk then. ^^) * Zak holds up his hand. He's going to need a presentation aid for this one, and he ticks off on his fingers as he goes. "So my scanny ex-girlfriend got hired by Platina to guard Professor X on his way to Twilight for no reason anybody knew of. We got to go 'cause I was drunk in her apartment, but when we got there a dude with a sniper rifle tried to deadify us! Unschway, right? So we get to Stargazer and everything goes trip-heavy - Professor X wigs out, start (Cut: Professor X wigs out, start) (... goddamn it, I forget that /mes don't trim) Professor X wigs out, starts being someone else. Platina wants him back, turns out he's an ex-dead guy we used to know, but he's only that for a little while, so we don't want to give him back. Platina decides she REALLY wants him back, and wires TC with megakilos of plastique!" Zak pauses for a minute, both for air and to grimace at the memory. "That was after Eitri and what's-his-name tried to derezz us back in Box City, and THAT got on fire, too. Only they were there with Platina when she threatened Twilight, but I got Eitri good, so I don't know what kinda ultraschway nanopaks they got. Then, we decide Platina's bad, so we have to stop her, so then we're here. For some reason." He scratches his head with the hand he's counted off like fifteen points on. (Also, that was AWESOME.) [ He can't turn to look at Zak, because Doctor Howe happens to be driving; however, there is the sort of long, uncomfortable silence that indicates if he COULD give, say, 30 seconds of his attention to just looking uncomprehendingly at Zak, he would. Eventually, he just says: "...I see." ] So, yeah. It's all pretty unschway, but you gotta roll with the space debris. [ "You realize I was only saying that as a formality and didn't understand a word of what you said, right?" ] We just wanted to find out what was going on. (Should be before what Howe just said.) (In fairness I am reading this thing OOCly and STILL working it out, and it's MY PLOT.) Look, it's pretty glassclear. DRAUPNIR's full of scanmasters, Twilight's got a ticking fuse, and everything's crazy. (Hahaha!) * Rochelle nods, not that Ryan can see her at all. Well, maybe from the rearview mirror, but still. [ You can see that you're pulling out of the city and onto a highway that appears to run around Red Stockholm in a circle; in the distance, thanks to the height of the buildings, the DunnoCorp HQ complex is visible, and probably not a surprising destination. "I don't like her," Ryan says. "Platina. She creeps me out." ] Yeah, and she's evil. (Ugh, Zak uses slang but is not that dumb. I almost typed "Evil like... an evil fox.") Everything about Dunno creeps me out right now, man. .... where are we going? [ Ryan grips the wheel tighter. "The lab. I want to know what's going on." ] * Rochelle looks out the window. * Zak nods slowly. "...and you think heading there after Eitri just bomblit the hospital's a GOOD idea?" [ Red Stockholm must look very strange to Roch; it's surprisingly open for a corp-owned Martian city, particularly near the building you're heading to. On the road -- with surprisingly little traffic heading *away* from the hospital fire -- Ryan has time to look at Zak briefly. "You said you've taken down Elias before, haven't you??" ] (Dunno why there's two ?s) (He's very, very curious.) (He is very inquisitive) * Zak looks Ryan straight in the eye. "That doesn't mean I'm craving some potential time in a burn ward, whitecoat! Eitri's fucking schizoid, doesn't care about bystanders or anything. Makes it hard to fight him." [ "There won't be any bystanders in the DRAUPNIR facility. Director Ferrion's had everything for this... whatever he's doing... built underground. There's maybe 15 people in the entire place that have security clearance to get in, anyway." ] * Rochelle turns to face towards the two in front. "Yeah. I think we should go." * Zak looks back at Roch. "... really, sis?" * Rochelle nods. "I'm pretty sure the kid will be there. We want to help him, right?" [ Howe nods an emphatic yes as he pulls the car off the highway at an exit clearly marked "DunnoCorp Headquarters". The closer you get to the place, the more aggressively he's driving, you might notice. ] Yeah, I guess. Wonder where Kat and mute-girl are. Maybe there, too. * Zak runs his hand through his hair, icing it over more than usual. "Gonna get toasty quick, then." (Oh lord. I don't remember how I described Dunno's HQ at all.) (It's in the log!) [ Eventually you pull up to an obvious security gate, but one different from the visitor's entrance Kat and Yue were directed to. It's clearly an employee-only entrance, and a showing of Ryan's ID to the guard gets you onto the campus and driving down the windy internal roads toward the DRAUPNIR lab. "What I don't understand is, if Elias has become such a... bastard, then why..." ] (More) [ "...did Director Ferrion send him to get his own *son*?" ] * Rochelle shrugs. She really has no idea! * Zak furrows his brow. ".... maybe cause he's crazy too?" [ For a moment, Ryan looks down at the wheel, his eyes a bit heavy-lidded. "He has been... a little erratic lately. But I put it down to Keith's condition." At a stop sign, he turns to look at you two, the car stopped entirely. "I mean, how must that feel? Watching your own son waste away and despite all the science at your fingertips not being able to do a damn thing about it?" ] Probably kinda like watchin' a scanny she-dile hook bomb leads to a city I kind of like and tell me to dance a jig. No good when you can't do anything. * Rochelle nods. She's got pretty much nothing, maybe because she's a robot. (Shuriken suddenly fly into Rochelle's torso! SHOCK.) [ Zak once again gets the ._. of not speaking the Queen's English before Ryan steps off the brake and brings the car around. Finally, you pull up in front of the... well, cement block-looking thing that is DRAUPNIR. There's no sign of anyone outside and the sliding glass automatic doors sit there patiently. The lobby is clearly deserted. ] * Rochelle ... gets out of the car? Well, stumbles out of the car is more like it. So much stuff. * Zak looks around, then gets out of the car. "Probably know we're coming." Yeah. Well, whitecoat? You got the badge. (Sorry, sensory overload on people wanting things.) (Sure.) [ The car gets parked and just... left where it is. Ryan gets out and walks toward a 'printer next to the door, expecting to need to ID himself to get in. Instead the doors open on their own, appearing to be unlocked. The scientist appears duly stunned by this because he just sits there looking at them, for a moment. ] * Zak sighs, and finally divests himself of the labcoat disguise. "Knew it. Too fuckin' easy. Let's go." He walks in ahead of Howe, keeping a weather eye peeled for trouble. Or heat sources. [ Inside it's deathly quiet, and Ryan is more than happy to let Zak walk ahead of him. There really is nobody here; there's not even any sound. Air conditioning is not in evidence, either; it's slightly warm to confirm that. Looks like if nobody says anything for a while, nothing will happen. ] (Snrk.) * Rochelle walks along. She doesn't seem keen on talking right now. * Zak continues on into the building. "What's the bearing, whitecoat?" [ "Everyone should be down in the B1 lab..." he murmurs, stepping away from the group at a different tangent. "Elevator's this way." ] Okay. * Rochelle tags along some more! What are you going to do? * Zak follows. "Freeze stuff?" Not you. Him. [ He pauses for a moment, just outside the transparent, Charlie-and-the-Chocolate-Factory-looking elevator, then looks back at Rochelle. "I'm going to key you down there, then take my suspicions to the higher ups." ] * Rochelle blinks at him. "What if you get hurt?" Or if they don't believe you? [ Rather bitterly, Howe looks at the two siblings and asks, pointedly: "Why do you care?" ] * Rochelle blinks, a bit at a loss. "... Because?" Cause you seem like a frood who's got a good grok on life. [ That gets a sharp, short laugh. "Yeah. And that's why despite all this going on under my nose for... however long, I know less than you do." ] We got fate on our side. Or something. [ "Well then," Ryan says faintly, thumbing an ID on the control panel, "pray it's on my side too." A moment or two later, the empty elevator car arrives. ] * Rochelle looks to the elevator for a while, then turns her attention to Ryan. "Good luck," she says, before getting on. * Zak looks at Ryan. "Kay." He gets into the car. (guys plz i have like eight npcs down there cut me some slack T_T) (Wait what) (Did Roch get in the elevator or is she just giving it the evil eye?) (I tihnk she's waiting for a response.) (Oh, never mind, she got on.) (I did!) [ Once the Krogstads have boarded, Ryan leans in, thumbs something on the inside, and then keys in a code on a pad. The elevator makes a little chiming noise. He steps back, still blocking the door from closing, and stares at the two of you for a moment. (more) ] [ Eventually, he says: "I don't know about Platina or Elias, but... don't be too hard on Director Ferrion." With that, he steps back and the doors shut! You can see him watching you from above as the elevator sinks down. ] * Rochelle stands and zones out. Maybe she'll develop elevator music creation powers. (That is Anders' power! RUN) (The elevator rains shuriken on everyone instead.) (WOOT) [ There is no mu(s/z)(i/a)(c/k) involved. Instead, you see concrete as you pass through the foundation layers, and then... well. It's a large, warehouse-type room with overhead lighting that has a purple tinge to it, almost like a black light. Floor lamps at regular intervals help keep the lighting from being TOO creepy... ] [ What's on the ground? A circle of 'chairs'... big, superscience-y looking chairs. 24 of them, each with an unconscious person strapped in. The center of the circle is a final chair, in which sits Xavier Aurin, also looking thoroughly unconscious. Despite Roch's vision, Keith doesn't seem to be in evidence yet. ] * Zak peers at the scene. "... what the SHIT?" [ At the far side of the room are the big man you've fought before, as well as Platina and a tall, dapper-looking scientist with Phoenix Wright-style hair in a salt and pepper color... and standing next to them are Kat and Yue, looking as :| as they ever do but not tied up or anything of the sort. ] (You can see all this from the elevator as it descends, BTW.) (Okay!) * Rochelle watches. "I dunno." She looks around for Keith. [ The elevator hits the bottom! Naturally, standing outside of it is Eitri, holding a bewildered-looking Keith Ferrion by the hand. "You took your sweet time," he says, smiling. It's the sort of smile that shows off one's incisors way too well. ] Busy vacuuming up your messes, hothead. (Sorry, friend telling me she spent most of the day at the ER. Slightly distracting!) (._.) (D:) Have fun blowing up a hospital? [ "Lots, thank you. This way." He turns around and starts walking toward where Kat and the others were visible before, Keith in tow. ] * Rochelle furrows her brow a bit and exchanges glances with Zak. * Zak trades back the glance to Roch. He shrugs, and stays very, very alert, but follows Eitri. (Gonna wrap it up here, I think.) * Rochelle follows after Zak after Eitri. (Okay.) (kay) [ And so our heroes(?) have finally gathered in one place! What is Director Ferrion's plan? Is it evil? Why aren't Kat and Yue restrained, or the Krogstads for that matter? What is the secret of DRAUPNIR? Find out next time!]