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Ishirou Well, some things had changed since the original mission was thought up.  The biggest among those is that INDUS was no longer under the control of the consul, the former human leaders, and now under the control of FANTOM, their once defenders and slaves.  

Thanks, Eggman!

It is a far less hostile city that greets people.  Theoretically.  

Now that Ishirou could walk around his home without having to hide his head, being in front of this facility still filled him with the dead he'd expected.  This is weird, he isn't going to get jumped by his fellow androids, or nearly assassinated.  Something about this place just opens up a pit in the bottom of his stomach.  

Also, the Commander of Fantom has requested aid in researching this facility.  Previously she had aided S6 and Ishirou with getting security access, but now she has a different objective for them.  This facility contains the secrets of the Black Boxes, the devices that allow Androids to be living beings.  

Right now, Ishirou is outside the gates of the facility.  High Tech walls, with sections that unlatch and move to let people in, are set in the expected entrances.  This is, in fact, what makes a gate a gate but it's INDUS, everything is overly complicated.  It's here where people will gather.  However, looking just inside the gate will reveal FANTOM forces, cleaning up what looks to be strangely hostile drones.

It seems that the security of this place hadn't been given up the moment the city was taken.  Either it had its own security, or perhaps there was something else going on here.  It was now isolated from the network, meaning that whatever was here was contained, in theory.  

There are several buildings on site.  Two are dedicated to building Androids, which is unrelated to the current mission unless you wanna find out how the sausage is made (once is enough for Ishirou, thank you!)  Several other buildings are things like guard posts, break rooms, and administration staff.  One was dedicated to the storage of data, which was likely where the goal of Ishirou was, but the goal of the commander would be located in the main building on campus.  Easily three sizes larger than the others.

Unlike the others, it does not get taller, but instead goes down, having several sub-levels rather than floors.  "Well...I suppose we should fulfill the commander's request first...which is to find out how the Black Boxes are made..." he says, with a strained expression.  "Which is fair, and I'm still one of the experts on this...subject.." he wanted to add 'disturbing' because the process was fairly awful to him.  At the same time, without it, they couldn't continue to make androids.  

"Any questions before we go in?"
Eggman      "Why, yes, as a matter of fact."

     Oh no.

     "A rather pressing one."

     Oh *no*.

     "What in the world crossed your mind, dear boy, that made you think you ought to attempt this without the greatest robotics engineer the Multiverse has ever known?"

     Doctor Ivo Robotnik.

     Doctor Eggman.

     He just sort of walks out of one of the two side-buildings dedicated to building androids, cleaning off a screwdriver. The man would be almost comical were he not one of the most dangerous men in the Multiverse - he's big, round, literally egg-shaped, with disproportionately long and slender legs, a big nose, eyes hidden by dark glasses, and a moustache so vast it must surely have devoured all the rest of the hair on his head in the process of its evolution. But under that moustache is a smile that has an uncomfortably sinister edge. The end of that screwdriver is just a bit too sharp. And...

     ...who is that behind him?

     An awkward shadow follows the Doctor out of the building. At first it might appear to be a woman - an aging woman, but a beautiful one, a woman who stayed on top of her appearance because it was a weapon towards her goals. And, indeed, as it enters the sunlight, it is a woman.

     A completely mechanical woman. Upon second look it is not a sculpted, sensual android, nor an attempt at imitating a human being with metal - it's too lumpy, clunky, mechanical, boxy. The shape is a woman and the face is a woman but it's a woman the way, say, an old cartoon robot maid might be a woman. And yet there's a clear *humanity* to its face, a clear...discomfort...that lingers in the mind at the unusual dead-eyed stare of its empty black lightbulb eyes and its empty chrome lips.

     Anyone who's been working with Ishirou and Sir Charles instantly knows what this is. Anyone else...well, probably not, but Ishirou will surely inform them.

     The mechanical woman follows Eggman without a word or a glance at the others. There are no signs of life. She appears to be entirely without thought.

     "Don't mind my little assistant, here. I just felt that I might need something to carry all the heavy things I found in that workshop. Truly fascinating, but, hmmm, not *really* my style, I think. A bit messy." Eggman wiggles his fingers. "Messy really doesn't suit me. Even if you have to crack a few eggs, you should at least use a bowl."

     "So!" He slips the uncomfortably-sharp screwdriver into his belt and tugs on his glove with a thwack. "Lead on, my boy. We've things to learn, haven't we?"

     The robot woman looms behind him. She is probably armed.
S6     Since the 'emancipation' by Eggman, several androids have taken to redesigning the combat equipment of FANTOM to adopt new styles. It is one such new style that S6 now wears, a black skirt with gold pinstripes and a faintly glowing blue inner lining, two-tone black and white bodice with gold accents, and elbow-length gloves. The Contract and Treaty float behind her shoulders, crossed over one another. There is no sign of the usual combat visor.

    Which would make this the first time S6's pale blue eyes are visible for most parties present.

    "I do agree that we should not ignore the Commander's request," she states evenly, looking up at the main, central building, "But we should keep in mind that the original intent of this mission was--"

    Eggman makes his presence known. S6's response is instantaneous, though subtle. Her posture shifts just so, immediately shifting from a relaxed posture to something more akin to a wound spring, ready to release. Her eyes shift from the approaching Supervillain to the machine following him, then back. There is no motion to draw her weapons-- but anyone familiar with how S6 fights knows that's not necessarily something she needs to do in the first place.

    "Doctor," the greeting is curt, professional. Ishirou might recognize the tone she typically used when speaking with Indus-native humans before.
Kirishima If not for being told that INDUS had changed rather drastically in recent weeks, Kirishima wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. She's never been here, after all, and seeing Ishirou just head right up to the gate without anything really happening just has the ninja scratching her head lightly in confusion.

"A few. Would it be a problem if we found the data you were looking for and just... Took the devices they're stored on?" She furrows her brow lightly while adjusting her mask, then reaches into one of her trademark ninja compartments to take out a pretty normal looking cell phone. "I suppose I could take pictures instead, if you'd rather we not disturb more things than necessary. Something to clarify, is all."

Indeed, the ninja is dressed in her usual white and blue ninja'ing getup, complete with all sorts of little throwable trinkets and things packed into little pouches and belts on her person while she looks towards all those buildings in the distance. "Secondly... How much trouble would you be in if we were discovered snooping around here?"

Another question comes from one Doctor Eggman, and his arrival is met with a long stare from Kirishima once she starts putting names to voices, then voices to what she can remember hearing about all that INDUS business some time ago. If that wasn't enough to get her to narrow her eyes in a vaguely menacing manner, the sight of the mechanical woman following him certainly is.

"That answers the second question, then... Hm. You, then. Doctor." She walks right up to Eggman with a clear fire in her eyes, hands clenching and unclenching slowly as though she's ready to start some shit. One of those hands comes up swiftly, and...

"Kirishima, member of the Paladins, leader of the IFAS." She's holding out a business card, and it might almost look like she's smiling in that polite office-worker sort of way behind the mask. "For everyone's sake, I do hope we can work together peacefully today." Whether he takes it or not, she starts heading towards the storage building with her hands finally relaxing after that.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT A tiny pulse is felt in the air. A moment, two, and something folds down from some higher dimension in the air above the current group. As the bristling form of a vessel makes itself known, the automated defenses on the outer wall begin angling towards it - but only for a split second. They return to standard function after a wave of static begins gently flowing through the devices of everyone nearby.

A panel slides open on the side of the geometric ship with minimal fanfare, and a dark shape drops down. DRYCLEAN is, like most here, also robotic, though there's a vast difference between their construction and anything else present. Their secondary monitor is shattered, and there is still the occasional drip of black fluid from the damaged screen. Eggman, or anyone else with the robotics know-how, would recognize that this is decidedly not motor oil. They hit the ground and... splay would be the right word, but quickly pull back up and dust themselves off. They adjust their antennae jacket, and start a confident stride towards- Doctor Eggman, it seems.

Their voices are abrasive as ever. "Glad to make it today, folks. Been meanin' to see the sights, and what better way than with some of the best-acquainted fellas with the place alongside the Doctor himself?" An uncomfortably long arm is extended for a handshake; DRYCLEAN may be one of the few people here who actually matches Eggman's stature.

    "Name's DRYCLEAN-SIGINT, pleased to make some proper acquaintance."
    "Name's LAUNDROMAT-OPERATIVE, sure we'll be talkin' lots goin' forward."

Their vessel shuts its door and shoots up and out of view, both through visuals and emissions. It waits.
Blemishine     Aside from some now-taken care of burns and scuffs from the day prior, a certain knight is in peak condition for today's investigation! Strictly speaking, it's Blemishine's first actual visit to INDUS, so there's no shortage of things to see and otherwise 'ooh' and 'aah' at - especially given the subject of their mission. The facility responsible for the Androids' Black Boxes? As far as she's concerned, the grim implications of how they're made and what they're truly here to do aside, it'd be weird if anyone with a mind for the mechanical /wasn't/ interested in learning as much as possible.

    Especially given what's visible past the gates. Drones that had fought back? That means that either automated forces...or perhaps someone responsible for managing them? That may or may not be something to be concerned about. That's at least one thing to worry about and maybe worth digging into.

    Though the reason for the frown on her face is partially because of the mixed bag of circumstances that have resulted in Ishirou being able to walk around here freely in the first place, and partially because of the uneasiness he's been showing. And, of course...

    "...Doctor Eggman," she presumes, with an obviously strained tone in her voice and a furrow of her brow, her left hand on the sheath of her sword before she even realizes she's put it there. And there it stays for a long moment before it falls away and her tensed up posture only barely relaxes, though the look on her face doesn't change glancing from the portly man himself to his...assistant. Those eyes of hers are taking in every imaginable detail.

    She looks like she wants to say something, but rather than voicing any of that to Eggman immediately, Blemishine instead half-turns towards Ishirou. "...Just one question."

    "Will you be alright doing this?"
Petra Soroka     Petra hops out of the Kana with some trepidation, alighting on the ground with her revolver already in hand. Her gaze is turned upwards, taking in the architecture of the walls and gates with some curiosity, while walking towards Ishirou.

    It's her first time here, so she has nothing to compare it to, but her idea of a robot city that was taken over by a (pretty cool seeming) supervillain is being betrayed, somewhat. The tech is impressive, it's somewhat imposing, but she doesn't feel the kind of horrified awe she was hoping for.

    "Hey, Ishirou." Petra raises her hand halfway into a wave, then drops it, nodding instead. "Didn't Dr. Eggman make it so the people you escaped from aren't in charge anymore? How difficult are we really expecting this to be?"

    Then Eggman's here too. Petra briefly looks constipated, eyebrows drawn together as she looks between the two and considers her loyalties. She did have an offer from Eggman to be tutored by him....

    Eggman seems like the type to not get upset about her helping Ishirou with this, though, so she sticks by her new friend. "Oh! Hi, Dr. Eggman. You weren't kidding about your style being distinctive, I recognized you before you even said anything." She gives him some placating words, to hedge her bets. Also, with genuine, if careless, interest, she adds, "This will be my first time seeing your work, rather than just hearing it through the radio. So I'm hoping to learn about that, too."

    Petra side-eyes Ishirou, checking for his opinion on her amiability with Eggman. "What kind of defenses should we be worried about, in there?"
Tamamo     It's been a while since Tamamo had actually seen Eggman, and the last she'd heard of him had been during some sort of conflict between the doctor and Ishirou in Secundus. She was busy with her own expeditions and conflicts during that time, so it wouldn't be odd if she had no personal animosity toward him.

    But that assistant puts her on edge, without really knowing why. The uncertainty of it just makes her more concerned. They've only had a couple of occasions to meet, roboticist and bunrei, and she's not that familiar with his methods.

    She is, fortunately, polite. And she remembers how he'd introduced himself, both his name and his preferred moniker. "Oh, hello, Dr. Eggman. It has been some time, has it not?" You wouldn't think she was bothered at all, without having paid attention to the earlier look.

    But she's here for Ishirou and S6 and INDUS. It's a good thing this didn't turn out to be a stealth operation. She's not very good at those, by her own estimation. None of her 'disguises,' of which she has many, cover up her pointed ears, and there are only so many three-tailed fox women active in a multi-world capacity.

    "Oh, Ms. S6, is that a new outfit?" Tamamo's present clothing is very much her 'standard,' today. A vaguely miko-styled dress. "How unusual to see... ah, your eyes are not still sensitive, I should hope?" She may be a little unclear on how the old visors worked, and how blocking out light may not have been the primary function.
Eggman      Eggman shakes hands whenever he's asked. His smile is unchangingly polite, if also consistently mildly sinister. "Of course! I'm here to help. This is, after all..."

     "My property!"

     Ah, yes. An unsubtle reminder backed up by the machine behind him. This is his territory, and his things, and Ishirou doesn't *actually* have any say in who gets to take what!

     Whether that stops anyone or merely encourages them is really a question for individuals to worry about.

     Eggman adjusts his glasses as the damaged machine lands. He may be committing something to memory. Or maybe his glasses are just digging in a bit too much. They do look kind of set into his eyelids a bit.

     Petra draws his attention. There's an almost grandfatherly chortle as he settles in alongside the rest of the group. "I'm pleased to see it working. I did tell you it's important to cultivate! You'll learn. Don't worry. I'm quite certain of it. You seem a bright lady."

     He pats the strange robot on the shoulder like it's some kind of pet. "I'd love to take more credit for this but I'm afraid this is adapted off the work of a different Ivo Robotnik." He sighs. "Stupid name, clumsy design, but honestly useful. You learn to make do with that sort of thing. Still, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunity to see me work as we go sort out this mess."

     We?

     Eggman folds a hand over his chest and beams at Petra. "After all, I *am* here to ensure my new subjects are able to continue their existence to the utmost. Why it would be terribly irresponsible to leave *that* up to - and do pardon me terribly - enemies of the State."

     Technically correct only insofar as that he is himself the State they are enemies of.

     He straightens. "Miss Tamamo-no-Mae. Splendid and dignified as ever. It has been some time indeed. Tell me, do you like what I've done with the place?" The Doctor gives another throaty belly laugh. "I feel that it's been long overdue but getting the pieces to fall together *just* right...why, you have to take your time with craft."
Ishirou God, of course, Eggman is here, and, /of course/, he knows what's up and, /of course/, The Commander probably made sure he was aware of this for reasons.  He's not sure what's worse about him being here, the fact that he came OUT of the building where the Androids are assembled, or if it's one of those now Robot Humans behind him.  Treating it as a drone, instead of a person.  

Ishirou just makes a face at Eggman, and then answers, "At least a part of this is magical in nature, and if I remember right you're not a mage?  Also, I hate you.  Yeah.  Those reasons," he gives a side eye at the robot.  She seems...familar..?  Weird.  He was sure he knew almost next to no humans in Indus.

Ishirou nods to S6, "I know, but I have to agree with the Commander that this is also rather important to the continued existence of androids so...and besides, compared to getting my research it shouldn't be /too/ hard," Also now he feels he has to keep an eye on Eggman.

Kirishima's question gets a weird look, "Well, because I can get it off the servers and have access...also because servers are heavy and might have other data that does belong to my people...so no vandalism if we can help it?"  He sighs, "It'll be fine, Kirishima, at worse there will be some weird defenses up, but nothing threatening to us."

DRYCLEAN gets his attention when it...crash lands?  Wait did DRYCLEAN know the Doctor was going to be here?  Did it guess?  Is it just being opportunistic?  "Good to see you both here..?" Ishirou says, not sure if it's that good, but another /not Eggman/ face is better than more Eggface.

Blemishine's question gets a sigh out of Ishirou.  "Yeah, I'll be fine.  It's likely going to be another horror show, as everything about the Android's creation seems to be, but...we also can't ignore my people's numbers and desire to thrive."

"Hey, Petra!" Ishirou tries to remain upbeat, even if Blemishine knows he's putting up a front.  "Not much, I expect.  It appears there are defenses still active, and people think a Virus got unleashed when...the robotization happened.  We're not sure.  It's not a threat to the Androids or us.  We'll probably have to disable some minor security...if it shoots at us it won't be a problem for the group, and if it's hacking I got it."

Ishirou is also trying to look uncaring that Petra is getting along with Eggman.  He's trying /very hard/ to make it look like he's not caring.  He cares a lot, and it's not great for his morale that all these people come here to help him, and instead flock to the Eggman.  Ishirou also hates Eggman.  

Tamamo being here is a huge relief to Ishirou, because he's sure he's going to need some of the comforts she provides him.  This is going to be a looooooong day.  Very long, very awful.  "Oh...our eyes aren't sensitive to light..."

Ishirou also gave Eggman a side glance, "Actually the thing we're getting is mine.  It'd data so if you really want to keep it it's not like I will go around leaving viruses to erase things," Ishirou says, knowing he won't because that'll hurt Indus.  

Pushing on, they'll approach the building.  Inside is a small entryway.  There are places to take breaks and a drawn-out elevator area.  Cameras with red lights seem to follow the group, but nothing immediately comes out to try and shoot at them.  The elevator area has several floors, but the most obviously important ones are...

B1: Finalization and Testing.
B2: Casing Assembly.
B3: Crystal stabilization.
B4: Crystal Processing and Mining.
B54: Oblivion Protocol.  

Yes, it does jump from B4 to B54.  It appears that there might be an active mine in this area...or that whatever Oblivion Protocol is...it has to be deep in the earth.
Kirishima "Your...? Ah. I suppose pictures will have to do, then." Kirishima nods at Eggman once as she slips that phone back into her pocket, keeping it close at hand. Ishirou affirming that with his own ability to access the servers and their importance here helps confirm that, too, and there's a visible relief in Kirishima's shoulders once she gets those answers.

There's still a clear caution in Kirishima's eyes, though, mirroring Blemishine's and S6's to an extent as she glances back at Eggman. "Let's hope those defenses aren't too troublesome, then. Or... At least that they won't be too distracting, then." She offers a sympathetic look to Ishirou and S6 (mostly hidden by the mask, but still), and that caution fades relatively quickly once she sees the monitor-headed machine being dropping out of a ship.

"... Are you alright? Do you need... Repairs?" She's not really sure how to handle such repairs, but that won't stop the ninja from asking! She glances towards Ishirou and Eggman after saying that, almost as if though she's expecting them to know better about that before nodding towards DRYCLEAN. "A pleasure to meet you. Watch your step now."

She doesn't have to worry about Petra as much, at least, since she seems to show enough ability to get out of her machine without falling in the process. That just gives Kirishima more time to stare at the Kana, although even that doesn't keep her occupied for too much longer. Instead, she heads for S6 when Tamamo mentions a light sensitivity. Kirishima takes out another a business card and nudges it against S6's hand discreetly, but it's not one of her own. Instead, it's for an eye doctor. "I've been with that one for years."

Once it's time to get into the building, Kirishima heads in near the front as is proper for a ninja doing non-sneaky things. She stares right at those cameras for several moments before continuing onwards once it's clear she's not getting shot at, going for the elevators to see where their goal could be here.

Or in this case, the most ominous sounding floor. "Oblivion Protocol? That's... We're going there first, right?" She's trying not to sound excited, but there's a liiiittle bit of excitement sneaking in. It sounds terrible, so of course Kirishima wants to see what the cool thing is immediately.
Eggman      Ishirou hates Eggman. Eggman hates Ishirou. But unlike Ishirou, who is young and has never had any form of Nemesis before on which to practice, Eggman has been living and breathing nemeses since he was a little boy. Ishirou's growls, his tones, his little bits of fury - each little droplet gives Eggman a little more energy. A little more *verve.* For the Doctor this is an art form and it's fueled by his own distaste and other peoples' distaste for him.

     So every time Ishirou says something angrily about him Eggman's moustache twitches delightedly.

     "Oh, no, not a mage by trade, but I *am* a *very* quick study. And, you know, Grandfather, his diaries were *extensive* and *broad*, so I owe it to the Robotnik family name to be as capable and competent as dear old grand-da was."

     Eggman pats Ishirou on the shoulder with a smile. Still no Grin yet. That's nice. "I know. For you, this is a hostage situation. You haven't yet been able to accept that in the end, Ivo Robotnik - is your world's *greatest hero*."

     The feel of the words on his tongue is almost sickening, but underlining that aspect to Ishirou is enough spiteful glee for him to push past it. He leans very far over to Ishirou and drums his fingers on the young ex-android. "And you were nothing but too slow."

     Then he straightens up and whistles as he heads off towards the elevator. Kirishima asks if they're going to the Oblivion Protocol. Eggman just wanders over, points out his finger like a Dr. Seuss character, and presses the button without a hint of hesitation. Maybe even a bit of childlike glee, based on the way his eyelids move.
Blemishine     Ishirou says he'll be okay, and his expression gets scanned over for a moment before she nods. "...Alright. You're right, we still need to do what we came to do." She knows he's definitely not alright, and he can probably guess that she'll be keeping a concerned eye on him all the same. And almost certainly on Eggman settling in with them.

    But she's not unfamiliar with polite smiles with all sorts of intentions behind them - and whether she likes it or not, working together with the man if he's decided to tag along is something they're not in the position to do anything about right now. There's nothing for it but to work within the rules. Onwards and forwards.

    And in the middle of said 'onward and forwards', on top of some small chat involving DRYCLEAN's physical state and more, the knight takes in the cameras tracking them but pays them no mind beyond marking them down. If there /were/ anywhere that drones could feasibly pop out from, she's looking for them. Though so long as they're actually in the clear...best to be focused ahead.

    Namely, on the elevator. "As far as I can tell, the process starts as far down as possible and gets closer to completion the higher you go, so..." Eggman, of course, is going to make the decision for them, but that's just fine by her.

    Beyond some more uncomfortable frowning at his treatment of Ishirou, she does actually voice a question with some oddly genuine curiosity behind it, for how on guard she's been with him. Though there's also nothing but time, given the nature of how elevators work.

    "...Your grandfather, Doctor. It sounds like he was an amazing man that you respect a lot - though, what kind of man was he, exactly? Were you and him much alike, the genius roboticist part aside?"
S6     "Yes," S6's tone grows more relaxed when addressing Tamamo, though her posture remains tensed, "Thank you for noticing. I . . . liked it." Admitting to her emotions out in the open like this is still something she's getting used to. She does shake her head, though, "No, I have no afflicted light sensitivity. My visor's functions have long been internalized." Lifting a hand, she gestures, "I mostly wore it just for appearances. But that is no longer necessary."

    The POD floating beside her changes sides in the same moment her eyes lift skyward, observing DRYCLEAN's arrival. The gaze snaps back to Eggman. It's an unfortunate effect of no longer using an eyepiece that conceals her eyes-- the object of her attention is now always one hundred percent clear.

    "Understood," she offers to Ishirou, "'Perform the more difficult task first' is a saying I am familiar with. It seems reasonable in this case." Approaching the elevator, though, she dismisses the Contract and Treaty; both weapons dispersing in swirls of golden sparks, to make the elevator itself less crowded. Her own Pod settles on her shoulder, using its mechanical arms as if they were legs.

    Once the elevator itself is loaded, S6 positions herself immediately in front of the doors. She intends to be the first person out. . . or at the very least, the first person to get shot at by defenses, assuming the destroyed drones outside were any indication of off-network security not strictly adhering to Eggman's control of Indus.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT DRYCLEAN is making a big show of taking in the sights as they all walk through the city. Giving a two-finger salute to any passers-by that stare at them, checking out the defenses and architecture as they move past it, occasionally asking irrelevant small-talk questions to any passing androids. It's... unnerving, especially if you've been around them before, like Petra has. This might be the most directly animated they've acted in her presence so far.

Their vessel is, of course, doing a far better job of doing what they're making a show of. The city's electronic defenses are probed, buildings scanned, population estimates gathered. Data, data, data. Mundane, but they are very, very good at the job.

As they approach the elevator, their attention is pulled back to the rest of the group. There's a survey of everyone present, though most would be hard-pressed to notice the static swelling slightly as they consider everyone in turn. The androids, here to find something important on the servers. The pilot, here to learn something. The ninja, here to... hm. More Paladins, most likely just here to support the other two. The fox and the knight fall under a similar category, then. Consideration.

As they enter the elevator, then, they move back into a corner of it, spin 180 degrees on their feet, and... where the hell did they get a folding chair from? They unfold the shitty plastic seat and settle into it.

The elevator ride down is not idle, though it may look like it from an outside perspective. They're checking out the emissions from every floor they pass, doing their own cursory poking into systems that are further down than their ship can handle. They quietly play a fitting tune as the time passes and conversations continue.
Tamamo     'Tell me, do you like what I've done with the place?'

    "It is rather less hostile to our presence than I would have expected, and I am glad for having avoided the need to take such measures as to obscure my presence." Tamamo is, again, not made for sneaking missions. Even in a catsuit, foxtails are going to set off the laser sensors right away. "I know others are similarly grateful."

    It's not lying, nor a half-truth, to mention only the positives, when asked for an opinion. That's just basic politeness. Ishirou's explanation of something made 'somehow worse' does get her to frown, however. "Is it a reversible procedure, then, at all? I am unfamiliar with this particular field of transformation." All the more reason to feel unease at Eggman's 'assistant.'

    Comparatively, it's much easier for her to give friendly greetings to the others present, though her purposeful calm mutes any apparent differences in attitude. "Ah, Ms. Soroka. Were you already acquainted with the doctor, then?"

    "Ms. Blemishine -- ah, your pardon. 'Blemishine' is a 'codename,' yes? I should simply call you by this name on its own, or is that not so?"

    After making certain that Dryclean is (or says they are) fine, Tamamo takes their word for it. She could do a little snooping, analyzing the mystery machine person using her own talents, but that would be rude. She'll save that for when there's some possible necessity.

    Following along with the group, it's a given that they're not splitting up, based on the fact that they're using an elevator. Tamamo can simply go with whatever's chosen, even if it means waiting for the car to descend over fifty floors.

    'I mostly wore it just for appearances. But that is no longer necessary.'

    "Oh, I see! Though I did think it a rather striking look, and not an unpleasant one, it did somewhat lessn your presence while among those others who were likewise, ah, visored." Not 'blindfolded.' "It is well that your eyes are more striking still."
Petra Soroka     Kirishima stares right through Petra at the Kana, and Petra's eyes widen in mild alarm as she misinterprets the stare, pointing a finger at herself in lame confusion. Eventually she figures out her intent though, and glances back at the Kana, then towards Kirishima, silently inviting a question, if there is one.

    Petra winces at the clear indication that Ishirou is withering. She rationalizes to herself, though, that upsetting Eggman would only make this mission more difficult. In the worst case scenario, they could all get trapped, with the full facility's weaponry trained on them. It's in everyone's best interests to be civil with him, right now.

    That must be why her posture softens, and she walks closer to Eggman than Ishirou, in the group order. And why the horrifying state of the Roboticized slaves doesn't seem to bother her all that much. And why her face lights up a little when he calls her bright. "I guess that's true, it'd be reckless of you to let people wander around your new city unattended."

    If anything, DRYCLEAN's behavior has Petra more on-edge than any of the other mechanical people here. She eyes DRYCLEAN warily, her trust in them steadily falling every time she hears them in the radio.

    "Ah, hi, Tamamo! I've talked to Dr. Eggman in the radio, briefly. We're not well acquainted, y--though." She hesitates before that last word, as if reeling in an impulse.

    At the elevator, Petra is immediately attracted to the "Oblivion Protocol", but stops to check in with Ishirou first. It seems to require effort from her to do so, with Eggman already on the way to press the button.

    "A-ah, Ishirou, are any of those floors important, besides...?"
Eggman      ABOVE

     Considering that all of the defenses of INDUS are technically automated, but many of them are manned by machines, it isn't long before at least *something* decides to take notice of DRYCLEAN's vessel and object to its presence. And considering that Eggman is not a stupid man, and knew that the people present would be here today, and that he would need some insurance...

     What takes notice of the vessel is of course a much, much larger one.

     The Egg Carrier.

     Eggman's flying masterpiece. The flagship of the Egg Armada. Arguably the centerpoint of his entire Empire, aside from the man himself.

     The vast ship descends from the clouds. It casts a massive, ominous shadow across the Egg INDUS Zone, darkening every doorway and enshrouding every street. It is very much the definition of bringing a sledgehammer to kill a fly.

     Flying robots begin pouring out of the Egg Carrier's sides and wings towards DRYCLEAN's vessel. Troublesomely they are not drones; they are each independent existences, networked together but not controlled from a central location. They open fire the instant they're within range.

     They are not taking warning shots. They are simply raking laser machine gun fire through the air. There's no such thing as a warning shot if you're violating Eggman Empire airspace, apparently.
Lilian Rook     "Tamamo, even if the supervillain is terribly polite, I really do wish you wouldn't get so close to something this abhorrent with only Blemishine and S6 for protection. One is a novice and the other no doubt has complicated feelings about being here."

    Tamamo was standing by herself for a second, and now she isn't. This time, Lilian hadn't specifically meant to spook Petra by appearance exactly where she wasn't looking, but it happens incidentally anyways, out of broad habit; an old one that dies hard. "Even if he is a gentleman, I'd rather you didn't worry me." she says, smoothly, confidently, wildly hypocritically.

    Lilian is clearly not actually dressed to be here. It's any guess where she just came from, given the fancy updo with extra pins besides the iconic one that she has yet to pick apart, and meticulously laced up black formal dress set with the tights still on, yet also having clearly sourced semi-fingerless gloves for something not long ago, and having a much smaller bag than usual, simply slung around her waist on a loose belt. In addition to her perfume, she smells vaguely like automotive(?) oil and cordite, only really noticeable for having suddenly intruded on a closed space.

    She glances at Petra, and silently stares at her long enough to be uncomfortable. Then she looks past her, at the drone. Then the urban area itself. Her gaze wanders over Eggman, and she closes her eyes. Letting out a deep breath, Lilian says, in strangely relaxed tones:

    "It's so quiet."
Ishirou Ishirou stares at Kirishima, "You...don't know how computer stuff works do you..?" he asks, worried that at some point the 'Ninja' would attempt to take pictures of circuit boards and think that the data has 'been captured'.    "I doubt they will be any trouble...drones and turrets are the most likely, but nothing that we can't take on as a group."

Grating his teeth as Eggman taunts him, slamming several stabs into his pride and moral compass in the process of a few moments.  Ishirou, so badly, wants to stab Eggman in the kidney and then watch him bleed out slowly.  To that end, he's been picking up things from Lilian.  He takes a breath.  Long, slow, and meaningful.  

"So how's Sonic doing?" Ishirou immediately claps back.

Blemishine can easily tell he's very, /very/ unhappy with Eggman.  However, he's keeping himself together, and already trying to see if he can tap into things remotely.  The answer is no.  He looks occasionally in contemplation, before giving her a weak smile.  As if to say 'I'm still fine, I promise.'

Ishirou nods at S6 as if to indicate that was the goal.  The hard part first, the easy part can be done with just some basic research and hacking attempts.  That part won't be hard at all, especially since the situation changed.  NOT THAT ISHIROU IS GOING TO THANK YOU EGGMAN.  

Ishirou moves with Tamamo, because she's usually in the back like he is.  "Thanks for coming, by the way," he says, glad for another friendly face.  "As for restoring them...I don't know.  I really don't.  Charles is a genius, and in fact, created the process.  And he's not even sure...I focused my attention on making sure their free will remained intact, first.  There is also the problem of.." he pauses, considering the woman.  "Of should."

Ishirou gives Petra a weary glance and keeps his distance.  Probably because of her closeness to the Egg.  Obviously not because she's a lot of points with him.  

Ishirou hates that. -30

Ignore that notification.  Also Ishirou's withering.  

Ishirou gives Lilian a frown, "Hey I'm here too!" he argues.  Ishirou should know better than to make this exact argument because everyone here knows what Lilian will retort with.
Ishirou As the elevator heads down, towards Oblivion Protocol, DRYCLEAN can get some scans.  The floors they pass are actually rather mundane.  It's assemblies of what are called 'Black Boxes'.  The mining of specialized crystals, refinement, and then storing of the crystals into a literal small black box.  That is after the crystal is infused with something.  The infusion process apparently happens at the very bottom.

The elevator ride itself is long, but oddly the elevator is larger than normal.  Obviously, if something needs to make trips a far distance, then it needs to be able to make the least number of trips possible.  There is a soft, but annoying, jingle that plays while the group waits.  They are on here for a while.  A long while.  

Then the lift grinds to a halt and slowly opens.  Immediately greeting the group is a long corridor.  Along the corridor are Roomba-type drones with knives attached to their heads.  Flying drones with machine guns and various heavy weaponry attached to walls pointed at you.  This appears to be a kill zone.

However, for you guys, this is a time to make various stunts, and destroy lots of robots.  These are drones and automated turrets.  They are not very dangerous to /you/.  Well, maybe to DRYCLEAN.  Get some health!

Clearing this reveals a door at the very end that has to be hacked into.  Once hacked, the door will slowly open.  

What is revealed is a large room.  Massive in size.  It doesn't go up all fifty floors, but it almost feels like it does.  In the center is a circle cut into the ground, and a swirling black mist seems to surge into the air like a whirlpool.  Every once in a while, a white screaming orb is drawn from the direction of 'above you' and is grabbed by the nexus, as it swirls around.  

Around the place are various controls, and there are various arms around the vortex itself.  Whatever the arms do, they require very fine control to do it.  
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT Bluff called.

The KEYHOLE begins realigning its external plating as it drops straight downwards, its communications bristles aligning with the main mass and the angles forming into something slightly closer to sloped armor. Its descent is almost uncomfortable to watch; there isn't an acceleration to this particular movement, nor to any of the adjustments it makes while continuing to descend.

Though the vessel itself is slow, and obviously isn't intended to take much of a hit, the swathes of machine gun fire just keep missing. Brilliant arcs of light cascade around it, dissipating in midair from interference or, as the elevation continues to plummet, on the ground outside the vast walls of the city. Bright burns from the ammunition begin to make their mark closer to the wall's edge. Closer.

A volley of fire clips a panel. Slag. It shifts slightly to compensate for the lost mass as a halo of hard-to-see light begins coruscating across the ship. Closer. The wall-based defenses align against it. Closer.

And it's gone, folding in almost an instant into some higher dimension. Systems tracking extradimensional movement spot it taking a hard shift to return the way it came.

Fly swatted.
Eggman      Eggman claps him on the shoulder with only a mild twitch of the moustache. "Better at annoying me in absentia than you are in person."

     You can tell he's actually pretty pissed because he admitted Sonic was good at anything at all. Ishirou got him for sure.

     "Goodness, Dame Rook, I'm not going to hurt anyone here. That would be completely unproductive. You're here to solve *my* problem - why would I want to get in the way or otherwise cause trouble on the road? Honestly, just think of me as an advisor. And a political figure you need to keep happy."

     Very politely he slows down to let Petra match his stride. The big man puts a hand on his stomach. The horrifying enslaved converted-human automatically adjusts to his. Eggman laughs at Tamamo. "It is rather easier with my assistance, isn't it?"

     The lift grinds to a halt. A whole lot of things happen at once - almost all of them mechanical in nature.

     One of the drones comes straight for Eggman. It's much too fast for the thing behind him that was once a Consul to react to. It is not much too fast for Eggman to *ram his fist straight through*, punching a hole clean through the machine and pulling the innards out the other side. He flicks the dead husk to the ground and pops open the lump of metal as he falls back to the back line.

     In less time than it takes most people to process turning left or right, Eggman has already produced some kind of awkward-looking arm cannon out of the junk and strapped it to the RoboConsular. From that point on the machine acts just exactly like you'd expect some kind of weird robot zombie to act - lumbering forward and shooting an arm cannon into the crowd to protect Doctor Eggman.
Kirishima "I do, don't worry. I've got a micro... Mini... Hold on." Kirishima trails off while answering Ishirou, taking out a short cable with one end looking like it has an adapter plugged over it. "I don't know if it'll all fit inh ere, but if we need to transfer anything...!"

It's pretty easy to tell that Kirishima's grinning behind that mask.

Eggman hits the button. Kirishima nods slowly in approval. She crosses her arms over her chest in that classic ninja idle pose with the flapping scarf and everything, but it's clear she really wants the elevator to get down there nice and fast. At some point, she even starts sliding around, barely moving her feet at all while sort of sliding around to try and keep herself busy until they finally reach their destination.

At least there's an interesting story to listen to! Kirishima closes her eyes as Eggman speaks, not quite understanding all the words he's saying nor recognizing all those fields of study, but they sound impressive enough to get the ninja to nod firmly every few seconds. It's when he finally brings up the whole government-coverup thing and the execution of his father, though, that Kirishima's eyes shoot back open.

So many things to get mad about, so little she can do about any of them from here. It's all rather frustrating, but Kirishima's able to calm herself down sooner rather than later. Recalling Petra's silent invitation for questions, she finally gets around to approaching her. Not from the front, of course, because she's vaguely familiar with (hearing) Petra over the radio several times before.

Kirishima abruptly disappears from view, and the only sign of her moving anywhere comes from the dust on the floor getting kicked up a bit with each step she takes. Those footsteps circle around the elevator towards Petra, eventually stopping behind her as Kirishima reappears.

"Did you build that machine yourself? It's quite the impressive specimen. Does it have a name?" So many questions already, and from someone that's just tried to startle Petra by (more or less) appearing behind her for the hell of it.

Her barely masked excitement falls off rather quickly, though, when Lilian shows up and names Blemishine and S6 as Tamamo's only source of protection. "G... Good evening, Lilian. There's no need to worry here, as Lady Tamamo has been in safe hands." Although she sounds confident enough in saying that, there's a visible sag in Kirishima's shoulders as she does even though she's facing Petra. She straightens herself back up a few moments later to approach Ishirou and just claps him on the shoulder lightly.

At least they're not alone in that.

She's gotten her spirits back by the time the elevator stops, at least, although there's little for Kirishima to distract herself while waiting for the first hackable door. When they reach the giant room with the ominous mist, however, it's Kirishima's time to shine! Maybe.

She's gonna check out those controls first. She takes a cursory look around for anything that might look like a screen or even a manual indicating what any of this actually is, but she doesn't spend that long on it before just going for the controls furthest away from the elevator to start nudging and poking at different buttons to see what happens.
Lilian Rook     'So how's Sonic doing?'

    "Brave first attempt, but obviously a first." says Lilian Rook, Mean Girl Supreme. "All you're doing is bringing up something he hates. It doesn't have any specific impact. It's an emotional irritant." she says, sounding distracted and unimpressed. "You'd have to try something like--"

    And then she suddenly sounds really into it. The nasty grin, the upturned chin, the hand hovering loosely at her mouth. You don't need to have gone to highschool to know what that lilting fakeness in her voice means. "--Goodness! Your grandfather sounds like a brilliant man! I wonder if he achieved even the dizzying heights of intellect required to beat a rodent that goes fast."

    And then she drops right back to it. Disaffected and uneasy. Because she doesn't really know Eggman, and doesn't really know Indus, and doesn't really know Ishirou's rivalry with the Doctor; she just knows what pisses everyone off. "I know that you're here Ishirou, but you're not exactly the big, burly, bodyguard type are you? I'd expect Tamamo to protect you as much as the other way around."

    Even though she'd just talked that sparkly underscored shit, Lilian even responds to Eggman himself with perfectly practiced neutrality. "It isn't a rational thing, Doctor. I know perfectly well that you aren't an imbecile nor a barbarian. When you fall in love with someone, it simply becomes irritatingly possible to start feeling things like 'concern' where there is no need." She said that right in front of Petra too.

    She looks at Kirishima. She stares her in the eyes, and says, absolute dead-assed, "My apologies. You were so stealthy that I hadn't realized you were here. I revise my earlier statement."
S6     S6's POD lets out a chime the instant Lilian' manifests beside Tamamo. She turns her head slightly in recognition, accompanied by a "Thank you for accompanying us, Miss Rook." To Tamamo, she clarifies, "The visor was... expected, on androids under the prior command structure. It no longer is." Her eyes are striking? She pauses, then fixes her attention ahead, ". . . Thank you."

    Notably, the POD lifts up off her shoulder at about that time.

    Her posture shifts into something subtly more aggressive when the elevator can be felt slowing itself. The doors are scantly an inch open before, in a flurry of golden sparks, S6's entire stance changes. A foot sweeps back, planting one stiletto heel back while she sweeps a hand forward. A swirl of golden sparks manifest into a stylized longsword which is sent spinning down the corridor-- just as the door is wide enough for the blade to pass through.

    At the end of the corridor, the spinning blade stops suddenly, its hilt wreathed in a ring of golden runes. After a short pause, the blade swings itself into a new spin, hurtling back towards its owner in a more wild, chaotic fashion.

    S6, already advancing into the corridor, has produced her signature katana Virtuous Contract to defend herself and press the attack-- catching her thrown longsword in her free hand as she advances.
Tamamo     Things are becoming clearer to Tamamo just 'who' had been turned into robotic slaves, and with this, she understands part of Ishirou's conflicted position. "Oh, have I met this Charles?"

    It's not as if she's so magnanimous as to forgive each and every person. She of the Pale-Gold Face was never that sort of divinity, though neither does Tamamo want to be thought of as lacking compassion. For her, the issue is more personal distaste for the result, and she's keeping that to herself, even as Lilian shows up to deliver the entirely reasonable opinion that no one should stand too close to the supervillain and his horrifying creation.

    "Oh, Lilian." The appearance of her knight brings that clearly genuine warmth to her voice, beyond the usual, elegant politeness. "I am glad for you to join us. Have you... oh, hm." Her nose picks up something, on which she will naturally not comment. "Had you been busy with another matter, until just now?"

    Back to Ishirou, "Of course, you may ever count upon my aid. It has been long since I first came to this land, has it not? So much has happened, since then. I could hardly stay away while my own talents were in need. And if, by some chance, they are unneeded, I shall offer you my moral support.

    It's a very long ride down. Good thing Lilian is here, wearing a new outfit, for Tamamo to spend the time looking it over and providing praise. She looks curiously over toward Eggman and Ishirou when Lilian delivers her lesson in hedgehog-related put-downs, but only covers her lower face with the end of her long sleeve, and refrains from commenting.

    As they reach the bottom level and the doors open, Tamamo elects to stay in the back, rather than deal directly with guns and knife-roombas. Lilian had even asked her not to do worrying things, after all. Out of concern, and a desire to contribute to their easy, forward progress, Tamamo removes a set of paper talismans from inside that same, voluminous sleeve, and sorts through them before selecting a few.

    "Ah, Lilian... and Blemishine, as well, one moment. Please accept these, and know that you go with my blessings." Placed directly onto each knight (the position doesn't matter, but shoulders tend to be easy to reach), those ofuda stick tightly, and deliver a good twenty seconds worth of energizing warmth and miraculously good fortune before burning themselves away. It carries with it a natural feeling of being able to take on any challenge, and aligns seeming coincidence to make even reckless aggressiveness an ultimately safe approach.
Petra Soroka     Petra tugs at her hair, fidgeting in discomfort at Ishirou's disapproval. But what is she supposed to do? Eggman is being so polite, and because he's being polite, she has to be nice to him too. It's out of her hands, really. That's all.

    Petra turns back to face Ishirou, opening her mouth to respond to something he'd said, and startles so violently at Lilian's presence that she stumbles, nearly tripping over her feet. Her lips are parted silently, posture contorted slightly from stopping her fall, her whole body frozen in place under Lilian's stare, except for her eyes, looking anywhere except for Lilian's. When she finally looks away, Petra straightens up after a moment, rubs her cheek with one hand, then says, quietly, "Rook."

    Petra stands a little closer to Eggman, after that.

    Inside the elevator, Petra leans up against a wall, spinning her revolver around in one hand, the other alternatively rested in her bomber jacket pocket, then toying with her hair, then tucked into her armpit, then gripping the railing. Full of nervous energy, directed between Lilian, Ishirou, and Eggman.

    It's in this state that Kirishima jumpscares her, for the second time today.

    Petra squeaks and jumps, bafflingly swinging her hand with the revolver around as if she's planning on punching with it. "O-oh. Kirishima. Yeah. Or, um, no. I didn't build it. I, I found it. Took it. It just has a model name, nothing other than that. It's the Ekanamsha S1, or the Kana. I guess "Kana" is kind of a name."

    Despite having invited questioning about the Kana, Petra seems uncomfortable when actually talking about it.

    She twists her foot into the ground when the elevator begins to slow, grateful for the interruption. Then she turns her head back towards Ishirou, with a worried expression. "Wait, what's going to be on the other side--"

    It's a killing room of robots! When they open fire on the party, Petra first dives to the ground and shrieks, then, with her gun beneath her, fires into the floor, launching herself up into the air. She makes a bit of a show of bouncing between the flying drones, using the recoil of each killing shot to propel herself into another victim, not putting her feet back on the ground until the room is clear.
Blemishine     "--Maybe you have a point, Miss Tamamo. I suppose it's a little weird if you put anything like that in front of a codename, isn't it? Though 'Miss Maria' has sort of a ring to it...for when we're not on duty, at least." Answering Tamamo's question with some mild bemusement, the poor girl had no idea who exactly it'd be revealed she shared a name with only a few moments later, tying back to the story of the good doctor's grandfather and cousin. That one probably stings her much more to hear about than Eggman himself.

    Past that however, Lilian's arrival gets a surprised and muted 'bweh!?' just from how sudden it is, before it's laughed off. "Ahaha...it's not just us! But you at least have my word I'd do everything I could if something happened, Dame Commander!" She entirely knows that 'novice' is spot-on, of course. The cheery proclamation is a sort of her own front, with Ishirou in the corner of her golden eyes.

    She doesn't like this one bit. But as long as he's able to at least manage that much, she'll trust that he's okay. Especially if he still has the ability to clap back against Eggman.

    There are some more immediate problems when they hit the final floor though, and that means she needs to focus. Blemishine is naturally one of the first forward, and both drawn blade and raised shield are used to help carve a path forward and make herself a prime target - something done much easier with a certain someone's aid. "Thank you, Miss Tamamo! Ehehe, I think I could get used to this sort of feeling!" It's almost too sad it's only going to be a less than half minute affair. Having an excuse to be a little reckless is liberating.

    And that said, knife-wielding drones are less than a non-issue for her, even as the heavier equipped ones take more effort. Still, she has a knack for tracking and compensating for their firing arcs, and turrets especially are both immobile and even more restricted. Some acute acrobatics and attacking from unexpected angles is a tried and true method, and with good luck on her side, she can charge ahead without concern!

    Once the door is moved past, and she's able to put her weapons away once again, they find their way into... ... "What in the world is this...?" This overwhelmingly large room, the black mist, and those orbs...she doesn't like this place. Not one bit. She rather has the idea that they're not supposed to be here. "...Ishirou? Miss S6? I don't suppose either of you have seen anything like this before?"

    The arms surrounding the vortex, however, are at least a start. Having the same brand of idea as Kirishima, sort of, Blemishine is less interested in fiddling with controls than thoroughly examining them and trying to determine their purpose and function. A computer or otherwise to consult would be great, but for right now, she'll settle with making sure anything the ninja is hitting won't cause anything too awful.

    "If this floor is the 'Oblivion Protocol', then..." The knight has a rather morose look on her face, observing another orb get drawn into the nexus, and she's watching closely to try and see /exactly/ what happens to it.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT Though only two people present would have any inkling of what went down upstairs, one of them promptly coalesces a sharp grin on their primary monitor. Just for a moment, and not directed at anyone in specific. Yet it remains there, as they remain seated, hands in constant yet subtle and irrelevant motion. Run along the wall. Adjusting a pocket. Giving a quick finger gun to Ishirou.

    "Ah, miss wholesome. Glad you could take the time out of your day t'feel concern, then." Grating. You swear they were already looking in the direction Lilian made herself known in. The grin is directed at her, then. It's interrupted by the elevator giving a polite Ding! though.

They spend a few moments watching everyone fight the drones. Maybe... a bit more than just a few moments. After the main swathe of carnage pushes just a bit further down from the entrance to the elevator, DRYCLEAN finally opts to stand up, grab their folding chair, and step out of the room. They pick up the drone Eggman cored in their other hand and looks over it for a few moments, paying particular attention to the innards revealed in the demolition. It's promptly discarded, then, before they begin a remarkably confident stride straight down the center of the corridor.

It's a relatively simple trick, what they're doing here. The drones don't attack each other. The drones are also, obviously, self-contained within this floor. No operator. Automated systems check for automated signals to pick who not to shoot.

DRYCLEAN, of course, happens to have some manner of speciality in that field.

A signature from one of the active knifebots is quickly detected, decrypted, reapplied. The bot itself is promptly crashed into by another as it ceases to be marked as friendly, while the tall figure striding down the hall now registers as just another drone. And so they walk down the hall, conspicuously never running even close to the attacks of allies or enemies, at least until about the halfway point when one of the turrets does put a round through their already-broken secondary monitor. S6's sword also nearly clips them. Looked cool for a bit at least.

They halt in front of the main door and start prying through the systems, retracting bolts and leaving the rest of its particular systems wide open, a tandem effort with anyone else such as Ishirou who would be doing the same.

In the chamber, then. They watch the orb, and Kirishima pressing buttons arbitrarily, before shrugging and setting their chair right back down next to one of the control systems.

    "So, the big room, ha ha. Here's Oblivion, then. You mentioned these things usin' souls?" A rhetorical question aimed at Ishirou and S6. "Surprised you folk gotta do it manually. You reckon our ninja friend's button-mashin' is gonna break somethin'?"
Kirishima FIGHT CORRIDOR
At least Kirishima isn't all talk. When those doors open, she charges right out the front,  charging head on at the drones and weaving through gunfire to draw as much of it her way. She kicks up knife-Roombas to use them as shields and projectiles against those turrets, even breaking off a few of those knives to add to her own supply of throwable garbage. Throwing things is one of her specialties, after all, so she does't even need to fire off a single explosive! She'll save that budget for later.

@LILIAN
Just when all hope seems lost, Lilian gives her rationale for not naming Kirishima earlier. That gets the ninja to straighten up a little more, push back her shoulders, and stand a little more proudly. It's as if she's taking that statement completely at face value. "None are needed, but thank you! A ninja's job is often an unseen one, after all, even if they must be prepared to lay down their lives for their... Comrades!"

@HETERA PETTERA
Unless Petra actually stops herself, Kirishima just takes that swing like a champ. She knew what she was getting into, and she's not about to let a little pistol whipping stop her from good conversations! "A chance discovery, hmm? How curious... Well, not that curious, but I'm sure there was some reason for it. There always is in... These kinds of matters."

She almost said anime. Close save there. "Do be careful, then. A machine like that can be a great boon or curse, depending on the hand that wields it. It's up to you which one that is!"
Ishirou Ishirou stares at Kirishima and her...secret device.  He looks back up at her, then down at the device again.  He sighs but forces a smile and nods once.  "Yeah...yeah that'll help..." Trying to be supportive of his friend.  Even if she is as technical as a lever.  Taking a breath once she's gone only to get jump scared on her return.  At least it was a comrade jump scare.

Ishirou gleams the annoyance out of Eggman, and that satisfies him.  Some deep and visceral part of him feels good when people like Eggman take a hit to their pride.  This is backed up more when Lilian unleashes a nuclear bomb on him to follow him up and teach him her mean girl powers.  She can tell immediately his mood has improved.  Though it slips a little at the Tamamo comment, "A-ah...come on..."

Ishirou smiles at Tamamo, "The way I go and do things I think I'll never tire of either..." he says laughing at his own attempts to try and beat Go at being in the ER or needing healing.  Thanks to Tamamo, he doesn't even notice Petra about to turn to talk to him.  Though he does turn his head towards her as Lilian jump-scares her.  He looks mildly amused by this for some reason.

The corridor is no challenge for the various elites here.  Between the hacking from DRYCLEAN and Ishriou, the various blade works of Blemishine, Lilian, and Kirishima being supported by Tamamo, the brute force and effective weaponry of Eggman, and the swift gun work of Petra the way is clear without so much of a scratch.

It really is no challenge, these defenses obviously were meant to be used in conjunction with something else.  Perhaps manned troops, or something else...but with control being pulled away from the last owner, one wonders why they were even active in the first place.  It seemed more like a fancy noise maker than a threat.

The main room is, like before, large.  The middle magical field is /powerful/.  You don't even need to have some sort of magic sense to know it's magic, it's that powerful.  Those that can detect magic know not to directly lay eyes on it...because it'll blind you.  The entire room gives off a necromantic residual energy...

That is to say, people who study it or with magical senses, or whatever other means of discerning this kind of magic know this is an anchored ritual.  A spell that is very powerful made so that it can't move, but can affect a large area.  

People that die are drawn here, they pass from life and are recycled here. They are scrubbed clean of the baggage of their previous lives, as that seems to be drawn down, while the lighter soul floats upwards.  In fact one such soul trapped in the vortex is doing that now.  Kirishima touches some buttons and pulls some levers.  It's not extremely complicated, but the precision is likely recalibrated every day.  

The arms pick up a small crystal and push it into the maelstrom.  The lighter soul slowly floats toward the Crystal, before it merges with it.  It stays there, waiting for input.  

The purpose is obvious, given what was seen on the other floors.  This is where the population of this world goes to once they die.  They are then processed into components for the black boxes.  The attachments to their previous souls are sucked down towards the bottom.  If you look into the bottom of the well...

It's a quivering mass of /something/.  Ectoplasm?  Slime..?  It's there, congealed into a single mass.  The memories and echos of countless previous lives.  They seem to be sinking into a fire.  Slowly doomed to burn away, the essence they contain is likely recycled into the city's power systems.
S6     After swift work with combat drones, S6's weapons flip out of her hands and assume their readied positions across her back, anchored in place by rings of glowing golden runes. She advances forward into the larger space, lifting her eyes to the ceiling.

-CAUTION: SENSORY SYSTEM OVERLOAD-
-TEMPORARILY DISABLING DYNAMIC SCANNER-

    The POD's announcement falls largely on deaf ears, though, as S6's eyes lock on to one of those glowing little lights. Slowly, it descends and she follows it with slow, incautious steps.

-ALERT.-

    Starting, S6 stops herself just shy of the pit's edge with a gasp. She snaps back to herself abruptly, eyes darting towards other things. The machinery. The glowing spirits. The maelstrom. The roiling mass beneath it.

    If she had a stomach, the look on her face suggests it would be twisting itself in knots as she beholds that captured sludge. It's all she can do to tear her eyes away from it, only to rest them on the effects of Kirishima's meddling.

    The golden runes of the VRCS flicker and fade, dropping S6's weapons on the floor behind her. A heartbeat later, the android drops to her knees, then settles back into a makeshift wariza. Head bowed, she wraps her arms around herself. Closing her eyes, she mutters something.
Lilian Rook     '[My] eyes are striking?'
    ". . . Thank you."

    Lilian doesn't need to hear it all said out to understand. She swivels on point --somewhat impressive in formal heels-- and grips S6 by the chin without asking. Gently, but firmly, she tilts her face to get a direct look into her eyes, dazzling grass green on glittering ice blue, for a long, deeply normal moment.

    "They're even nicer than the picture." Lilian concludes, turning back towards the door as she feels the elevator slow. "What inauspicious timing. If you were going to take that blindfold off in the end, you should have done it forever ago."

    'Had you been busy with another matter, until just now?'

    "Ah, yes, I'd taken some time off my schedule to visit Miss Goldstein. She finished the adjustments I asked for, and it'd be a while otherwise." Lilian says, mysteriously. She is much more fixated on glowing up at Tamamo's outfit praise. "Ah, I'm glad~ I'm not quite used to so few layers. You don't think showing the shoulders is too much? Or the slit? Ah, someone suggested a little keyhole right here, but I wasn't entirely sure." Yes she is also discussing this in front of Petra too.

    The doors open. Greedy little battlebots pour out. Lilian sighs, in a 'ah shit here we go again' way, at the familiar sense of events slowing down and Tamamo's magic filling her up. "Well, I suppose it's just as well I stopped by." she says, and in the blink of an eye, snaps the glasp on her back, extends her lead foot, turns side on to the corridor, only shielding Tamamo, and extends her arm out towards the robot wars showpiece in a single motion.

    She has a gun. Not the typical sidearm carried as a privilege of having petty officer status, like a year ago. Jet black, oddly glossed, all smooth contours and sharp oblique angles with a heavy and slender profile. What should be the guide and slide split apart from one another down the middle, where she slams in a double stack of hexagonal metal rods into a golden inner-skeleton from the side, snapping it closed with the flick of her wrist. Glowing sights blink into existence an inch above the rail. She aims downrange.

    The trigger squeezes. A magical circle briefly flashes at the muzzle, along with pale flame. A perfect line of searing light streaks right through one drone, the turret behind it, punches a melted hole in the wall, and then cooks off the struck battlebot's battery. The slide rocks back. Glittering gas gushes from tiny vents for an eyeblink. What looks like a shell casing of pure gold ejects from the chamber. The slide rocks forward again. The visible line of the hexagonal stack depresses a half-inch into the gun. Ishirou's sensors read a whole lot of magic in an instant. The light catches an inscription on the side, done in cursive.
Lilian Rook     Silently pleased by the feeling, Lilian continues firing for the full length of time of Tamamo's buff talisman, superlative luck meaning she barely has to aim to strike various critical points, until the hallway is cleaned. Less than twenty seconds later, something goes ping, and a stripper clip frame clinks into the empty, smoking hallway. "Let's keep on shall we." says Lilian

    Her positive attitude remains in place for only as long as it takes to reach that room.

    Lilian's face turns pale as the wave of prickling magical radiation hits her. She flinches at the door, as if too close to the start of a bonfire. She looks to Tamamo, then reaches out to grab her hand and squeeze. She has barely put the gun away before a ghostly orb comes screaming in, and Lilian reflexively covers an ear, as if it'll help. "I'm going to be sick." she says, and not in English.

    When Kirishima reaches for the button, Lilian cries "Don't--!", but much too late. She rushes forward and shoves the ninja aside, but is only able to watch, in horrified fascination, at the handling of the crystal. Her hands fall on a blank space of the console. She leans over, shuddering lightly, at the well. Her eyes go wide. Lilian retch--

    Lilian turns around, looking straight at Eggman's little totter along robot assistant. She has the gun again. Ever muscle in her arm is tensed with the restraint it is visibly taking her not to shoot it.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT Well, someone sure is unperturbed by the torment nexus soul well. Demeanor as lax as ever, DRYCLEAN watches the occasional soul scream in, get filtered, and get repurposed, with obvious interest. Their tap their fingers together.

<J-IC-Scene> Blemishine says, "...Everything else. Left to mix together and burn away..."

At this, they stand. One slow step towards the well. Another. They approach the well as close as they can without abject danger, a slow and purposeful stride, and if they can get close enough, they bend down, and with an almost theatrical flourish - move to stick a finger in the sludge. Disrespectful!
Ishirou DRYCLEAN sticks his finger in the soup of memories, emotions, and echoes.  It's an endless scream that comes back.

Anyone who can detect thoughts detects /millions/ all at once.  Those who can /hear/ them or can see into feelings and thoughts can hear a million voices all clammering at once.  Everyone can hear them normally, each screaming or begging for something.  Talking incoherently about their lives...or just screaming in whatever motion they happen to be caught up in.  

Panic near the top, and absolute despair and pain near the bottom.  DRYCLEAN gets a front-row seat to everything.
Kirishima Kirishima's phone all but goes forgotten as she's busy observing the machine at work, learning more about what it's actually doing from her companions. The mask helps hide the discomfort on her face, but her eyes are still shaky as she watches the process going on in front of her. Her hands remain at the controls until Lilian pushes into her.

Unlike earlier, Kirishima actually stays right where she is instead of letting Lilian just shove her off. "Someone has to figure this out, Lilian. You're..." Bracing herself, Kirishima reaches over to try and reassure Lilian with a pat on... The wrong shoulder?  Did she just turn around suddenly? Whatever the case is, the gesture is there, and she keeps her gaze focused on the controls and the contents dropping into that horrid mass below.

"Unless we learn which function is responsible for what, we won't be able to shut down this machine for good short of destroying it. And if we can't do that..." She inhales slowly, then takes out a pen and a notepad before looking straight at Lilian.

"Please. Believe in us to get this done. I'll take responsibility for however long this takes." Turning to Ishirou and Blemishine, Kirishima beckons then forward with her head, then turns to Eggman. "We'll discuss the rest later. If you know how to turn this off, that would be helpful as well. If not..." She trails off, then starts the meticulous process of testing every button, every lever, every panel to see what they do, then writing it down while suggesting Ishirou and Blemishine to do the same. If going through all of them individually doesn't work, then she'll move on to trying combinations, once again going through it in a labored and methodical pace. Should something look like it's starting to go through the process again with a yet-untested function, she'll even offer to take over for them if desired.

It may be a little too slow for Lilian's liking, but it's meticulous, and it's the best plan Kirishima has for figuring out how to turn it off without repeating too many unnecessary steps.
Eggman      Oh, look at that. It's the shitty Chinese knockoff version of a Roboticizer. They can't even get the part where you turn *living* people into robots right. Had to do it the long way 'round. Pathetic.

     Eggman sighs one of those 'good gracious you people' at the roboticized Consular behind him, shaking his head. His fingers go to his brow. Honestly he has half a mind to turn the thing off on his own and-

     -and then Lilian starts screaming and shows a moment of Empathy and Weakness.

     And Ivo Robotnik's lips split into that nasty, nasty Grin.

     The conversation is fast. Ultimately, though, he's willing to allow it to be turned off. He doesn't really care. As he said - he could do this blindfolded and make a better AI. But...

     ...but this is a bit of a moment of curiosity.

     As Kirishima and Ishirou are going to work the machine, Eggman rubs his chin, slowly. And then, with the lightest hint of a shove, he knocks the roboticized Consular into the muck, almost as if it's an accident.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT Sensory overload. Screaming, terror, and... a normal person would flinch. Failing that, anyone with a normal mind would flinch. Failing even that, anyone with a normal perception of consciousness would flinch. If they were, in any way, just a normal person, as they have so often claimed to be, they would flinch.

DRYCLEAN does not flinch. They take a handful of it, and ponder it.

THEY
    LISTEN
        TO
            IT
                ALL

And then something splashes next to them. It breaks their reverie.

They listen for the new voice amongst the millions.
Blemishine     Everything begins clicking into place, in the worst way possible.

    She can see it. Every last moment of it. The crystalline soul gripped, drawn into the whirlpool, and the separation that occurs thereafter. She already had a sickening suspicion what those orbs were, coming down from above, before. But seeing it in action is something else entirely. Tamamo had mentioned reincarnation cycles. A function of the world.

    But this is...something done purposefully, by INDUS' former rulers. Recycling the souls of the dead to serve as their military, and sloughing off the rest. It's enough that she staggers in place for just a second, her hand going over her mouth. She looks queasy. Silently, she's grateful that Kirishima is in a position to try to reassure Lilian - because she's not. At all. It's going to take her the better part of a minute to recollect herself, and only after a dry swallow and a few deep breaths.

    Especially because there's a job to do, and Kirishima and Ishirou might need her help. So she straightens her posture, nods slowly, and steps in to join them and assist. "...What...what she said, Miss Rook." No 'Dame Commander' this time. "Between all of us, it shouldn't be a problem at least shutting it down." 'Destroying it', what she can only assume to be a magical ritual, is something she'd have no guarantee on. But halting the actual process of souls being...well, processed...

    She's glad to have a mind for the mechanical at times like this, and she doesn't need to write anything down with Kirishima on the job; she commits what each button or lever to memory, makes educated assumptions based on the layout to narrow down how much they'll need to trial and error, and otherwise acts as both her and Ishirou's second in turning things off.

    ...Which puts her in a position to where, in the middle of messing with everything as she is, the only thing she can do when she spies what Eggman is doing is look up with surprise, and then shock, and then a flash of awful horror.
Tamamo     After getting closer and closer to being forced to Do Something that she would actually rather not, Tamamo is saved from that by Eggman agreeing with Lilian to, first, turn the thing off. As long as it's not operating, it's not her business. Mostly.

    Using any sort of analysis magecraft is tricky here. She can more or less figure out just what sort of pull the ritual has on the souls passing through here based on what happens when DRYCLEAN touches the mud. It's horrible, but primarily, from her perspective, for esoteric reasons she has no obligation to explain.

    She has to make a circuit of the pit to do her work. It's both a circuit in the sense of walking around it, and in the sense of sprinkling silvery dust in lines that form a magical circuit, held down by dropped ofuda. It's a ritual circle within a ritual circle, though the types are entirely different. Both deal with the dead, both interact with spirits, but to nearly opposite purposes.

    To let the dead rest is an essential function of the rituals of priesthood, including the shrine-maidens whose dress resembles Tamamo's own. The necromantic ritual pulls souls in and strips them, but the bunrei's is to release them. It does nothing to the arms, the crystals, or any aspect of the physical machinery. It doesn't even prevent the necromantic ritual from continuing.

    All it does is continually purify the pit, ceasing the downward burning of compressed soulmass, reversing the spiritual gravity enforcing their doom and despair.

    It probably won't help with what just happened with the roboticized sonular. There's too much to deal with it all at once. Preventing the ongoing process from taking place is the part most important to Tamamo, in any case.
Petra Soroka     Of course, Petra is stealing glances at Lilian while she discusses her outfit with Tamamo. Lilian doesn't even need to look at her to know that. It's obvious, no matter how subtle Petra tries to be, and her stillness only makes the flush crawling her cheeks more suspicious.

    Lilian's new gun, however, she more openly gawks at, stunned somewhat by the performance. Even Petra can't deny the raw style that Lilian is emitting, though she tries to pull her attention away before she notices.

    The adrenaline of the fight drains out of her instantly, upon stepping into the main room. The black maelstrom and pale white lights bleach her face of color, the shadows they cast haunting and unnatural. Petra shivers, the solemn atmosphere settling as a pit in her stomach.

    She slowly turns her gaze up to the ceiling, watching in blank comprehension as the soul is cycled through the process. She stands at the back of the room, disconnected and seemingly calm throughout Lilian's shouting episode, and the frantic scrambling at the controls. Petra wraps her arms around herself--loosely, not a desperate grip to keep herself together, but, rather, detactment.

    This is where thousands upon thousands of human souls are shredded and processed through some abstractly horrifying ego death? Transformed into blank slates for the purpose of powering machines? That goop down there, is the concentrated essence of innumerable lives?

    Intellectually, this all makes sense to Petra. But in terms of scale... it blurs into incomprehensibility. One death is a story, Ishirou's past is something to get upset about. A millions deaths is a statistic, uncountable by the nature of perspective.

    Petra watches Lilian negotiate with Eggman, and this seems to register as a victory in her mind, but she finds it difficult to care strongly either way. She's not going to cause any trouble, she couldn't even articulate why she'd want to.

    But then, Eggman pushes his Roboticized servant into the ectoplasm, and Petra starts forwards a few steps, dazedly fascinated and deeply curious. This is a reference point she can latch on to.
Ishirou Ishirou can't help himself, the moment he see's S6 sink to her knees, he runs to her side.  He doesn't know what to do, his friend is hurting, he's hurting...this is awful and wrong and terrible.  People are screaming, and angry...and they have every right to be all of these things.  He just wraps an arm around S6, trying to provide her some support.  

"It...it is...I'm...what...is going to happen.." he isn't sure himself, perhaps needing the comfort of his partner as much as she needed him.  The woman in the robot can not move, does not move, does not respond, or even look alive.  She moves when commanded.  Lilian's threat goes unlistened to.  

Lilian and Eggman are coming to an agreement over this forces Ishirou to break the comforting posture.  "I'll be back, S6, okay?  I have to help stop this.." he says shaking.  He is moving to the panel with Blemishine and Kirishima.  Together they can figure out the machine.  

Tamamo is setting up the ritual, in the long term if this is restarted it will at least grant rest to the previous life, allowing it to move on in peace instead of becoming sludge a being burned as fuel.  Ishirou is focused on his task.  

Then. Eggman. Does. A. Thing.

The woman falls into the sludge of souls.  A fresh soul, unseparated is merged with countless memories, emotions, echos, and karma.  Petra dives over to watch this, as something she can finally latch onto.  She sees this robot lady, slowly sink into the sludge.  Unmoving.

Until it hits her neck, and then she starts thrashing.  She starts to scream, but the scream stops being her own soon.  When she goes under the scream doesn't stop...but gets louder.  There is a reverb, the entire ground shake, and...A monstrous hand reaches out of the pool.  Followed by another.  Slowly it pulls itself out.  Both metallic, but also sludge.  Its features are horrific, covered in brown and black substances.  

Hands that end in claws that stretch far too unnatural spread out, as its massive maul screeches.  When it speaks, it speaks in so many voices that it's hard to understand.  Not that its words mean anything.  It's like the half-memories of a few thousand people speaking all at the same time.

One voice rises above them... "Help...help me.." it says, in a familiar voice.  In Ishirou's voice.  "Kill...kill her...revenge...she killed me..."