Rinkaiel: Kidnappers

[Graybeard]

The low rumble of the descending elevator, or whatever it was, reached all the way to where Layla and Faye were standing, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Uh, oh," Layla said, getting an amusing parody of the expression from her son. "That didn't sound good."

"Elevator?" Faye asked.

"Probably." Then she noticed something else.

The descent of something as massive as what was carrying Leo, Jade and Ace into the depths couldn't happen without some air, or something else, below it getting out of the way to make room. Not far from where the two women were standing, an innocuous-looking pipe sticking out of the ground had started to emit a vapor cloud with a low whsshhh at the same time as the rumble.

"Let's go check that out," Layla said. At least it might be an emergency access to whatever was happening below ... or a path out for the trio if things got too hairy.

[Jack Rothwell]

The elevator touched down with an audible clunk, making its occupants sway gently on their feet. Mathis took off with barely a pause through the open archway with now formed the entrance to what Jade now classed as 'the factory floor'. The researcher waved a beckoning hand at his 'bodyguards' without turning back in a manner that irritated her despite her wonder of the room beyond.

As they approached the strange machinery it immediately became obvious that their previous perspective of the chamber had lied to them; the 'track' stood over their heads, the mechanical 'arms' were the size of tentacles you might find on some enormous, deep sea squid. As Mathis approached another control panel at its side the blacksmith drank in the rest of the details of the factory. There were empty chassis in rows towards the back which resembled the golem-like construct they'd run into earlier, interlaced with these were other frames of various shapes and sizes whose final appearance and functions Jade could only guess at. Some of them appeared to be miniaturized airships, others...

"Oxen?"

"Huh?"

"That frame..." She pointed.

"Oh." Leo strode past her and made his way to a short ladder with stretched up to the overhead track while the blacksmith stood staring. Some twenty feet away, Mathis began tapping buttons.

[Graybeard]

Layla nodded as they inspected the air vent. "I can get down that if I have to," she told her mother. "It'd be a tight fit, but I can do it." She thought some more. "A really tight fit ... but I can do it."

Faye couldn't help but get a wry smile. "Still got a bit of baby fat, do we, child?"

"MOOMMM..."

[OOC: This reference in honor of the missing Jamie. Over to you, JR; you're kinda driving the train on the sub-surface stuff for now.]

[Jack Rothwell]

"Top of the world, ma!" Leo exclaimed as he reached the top of the ladder and hoisted himself onto the track. Mathis looked up with irritation on his face.

"That's delicate equipment! Don't touch anything!"

Jade cocked an unbelieving eyebrow at the man's declaration; the dwarves had clearly built their contraptions to last, it was unlikely that a lean man like Leo was going to do any damage simply by standing on a piece of technology designed to carry the weight of the things like the guardian they'd run into getting there.

"Just do your job and keep an eye out from any more surprises. I need to concentrate. I can't have idiotic mercs interfering with other plans. This is a very delicate..."

"<AUTHORISATION. CODE. INCORRECT.>"

"Oh shi-."

The end of the researchers expletive was lost into the bray of siren which sounded, to the blacksmith's ear, as a sign of the apocolypse. But even more disconcerting was the low rumble of big stone doors sliding shut.

And others sliding open.

[Graybeard]

The rumbling noises weren't lost on Layla, who could hear them clearly through the ventilation shaft ... not to mention the siren. "Mom, I don't think this sounds good," she fretted.

"Not much we can do about it, though," Faye pointed out reasonably.

"But Ace is down there ..." She made a decision. "Come on."

A minute later, they were back in the inn, and Layla was changing into the jump suit she used for close-quarters work or things that would involve significant climbing.

[Jack Rothwell]

Leo jerked sideways as a stray button press started the conveyer belt moving. His eyes were wide as he turned from side to side, drinking in the scene around him.

"What's happening?" Jade called up to him.

"You remember that golem thing?"

"Yes?"

"He has friends. A lot of friends."

The hiss of steam caused the blacksmith to wheel around, coming face to face with the opening hatches and sentinels making their eager approach, barking mechanical warnings on a language neither of them understood.

Escape was impossible. The exits and entrances to the chamber had slammed shut with interlocking, thick metal plates which Jade wasn't sure she could've blasted her way through even if she'd had the foresight to bring a mana-rifle or the golem blade with her.

"Climb up!"

Jade squeezed off an ineffectual shot at the nearest enemy, then followed her boyfriend's advice, waving at Ace and Mathis to follow suit. The researcher, however, paid the woman no mind. His hands jabbed at the control panel in a frantic blur, sweat ran down his forehead in streams.

"No! I can stop them! I just need to find the right sequence!"

"MATHIS!"

"Shut up! I need to-"

A heavy footstep behind the researcher cut him off mid-sentence. He froze.

Turned.

Opened his mouth to scream.

The mercenaries heard the crunch of breaking bone even from across the room.

[Graybeard]

What irony, Ace thought. I'm going to get killed down here by dwarven technology, after relying on it to stay alive for the last ten years, if Peter got that airship the way I think he got it. Somehow the thought wasn't very reassuring, but there wasn't much else he could do.

Well, at least it would be quick, based on the highly unpleasant noises he was hearing. He was turning to look at what was making the crunching sounds ... when he noticed something.

There was one button on the airship's control panel that Peter had warned him never to push unless the craft was about to explode. It had dwarven runes all around it that someone had told his boss said "EMERGENCY SHUTOFF SWITCH" or words to that effect ... and lo and behold, there was a prominent button sticking out of a panel next to where Jade was frantically pushing other controls. And Ace thought he recognized the runes.

Well, what the hell.

He pushed the button.

[Jack Rothwell]

A low rumbling followed Ace's optimistic control mashing. It did nothing to alieviate the nervousness Leo felt as the machines reached the stairs lining the conveyor belt and clambered upwards with surprising agility, in fact it felt his trembling was coming from the device he was standing on, it...

A sudden of intuition made him look down.

"Oh shit."

The belt was moving. Whatever process the assembly line was meant to do was now being done. The blacksmith rolled out of the way of a buzzing arm to join him just as the process really got going. Tortured squeaking noises made the pair look up to see that the huge arms were moving as well.

Theere was no time for further consultation. Jade and Leo performed a series of overlong steps which would have put an observer in mind as a well rehearsed dance routine as a maul-like appendage the size of a man's head came swooping down to administer surgery to an empty metal carcass that had been vomited out of some kind of tunnel at one end of the belt.

"Thanks Ace!" Jade sarcasmed. "That was a huge help! We..."

An ear-splitting crash announced that one of the guardians had gotten in the way of something it really shouldn't. The humanoid mechanism waved its arms imploringly and toppled sideways off the belt into a crumpled heap.

"...might have a chance after all! Get up here handsome! Try not to lose a finger!"

[Graybeard]

OOC: I'd like to call a brief pause in this thread, for several related reasons. First, I'm going to be out of town for a week and will have limited connectivity. Second, the other thread is so active right now that I want to be prepared to spend what connectivity I do have on that one. (Great to have you back, Sareth!)

And third, just a little heads-up: a cross-over between this thread and the Veracian (temporarily Lorrelian) one is coming soon. Not going to tell you what it is, JR, but it'll be ... interesting. And thematic, I might say. All will be clear when it happens.

Shouldn't be down for more than about ten days. Let's not let it grind to a halt. And if anyone else wants to join this thing in the interim, by all means propose a character; we can still go about working newcomers in, even if forward progress on the "plot" is temporarily in abeyance.

[Graybeard]

OOC: OK, with the other thread now heading north, let's re-open this one, if there's more to be done at the moment. In the long run, there's definitely more to be done ... and the timing is right.