Mus'ad stomps his way through the fence, and continues on across the yard to the large building. As he approaches the hum of machinery inside grows louder,
The noise of machinery grows louder, accompanied by the sound of splintering wood as the door erupts inwards at Mus'ad's mighty boot. Inside the structure is a confusing mass of pipes, pumps, and gauges filling three quarters of it's bulk, while the remaining quarter holds several smaller rooms, one larger and elevated above the rest clearly labelled as the control room, with large glass windows giving it a good view of the place.
Isabelle observes the area for signs of recent activity/habitation.
'Advocate, you might see if you can do anything about .' As Belledonna points in the direction of a control panel along the wall.
Hauling the contraption through the brutely forced doors, Mus'ad stands tall and proud... like an overgrown carrot in a field of potatoes as he turns to ask "Where now?"
"Done"
The dark clothed villain walks to the panel. Hood pulled up to block the cameras view.
The Advocate studies the control box for a moment then places a single white disc on the top before walking away. A thin line of chemical smelling smoke rises from the panel for a moment, the disc is gone.
DA realizes that disabling the security system will likely have triggered a fault; of course, being that it's in the slums of Southpoint...
A short search of the place finds a technical schematic showing the layout of the building on one wall. A tunnel labelled as maintenance access seems to be leading downwards off the map
"We will need to come back another way. The water company just had some lights turn on in the main office. Shouldn't be a major issue though."
The Advocate pauses a moment to photograph the schematic before heading down the (dark? lighted?) tunnel.
Jack runs up to peek into the control room for anything of interest, and then zips back down to join Mus'ad and DA. "You think our Fin-ly friends will notice that light more than the other evidence of our entry?". He gives a brief hand wave toward the door. "Besides, entering and leaving via the same point is utterly boring."
To Musad: "Down and out."
To Jack: "It might even help. The door tripped the security but reducing that to scrap might send a general system fault which could lead the poor water company tech to think that the system broke again rather than realizing that security has been compromised. Well we live in hope."
Mus'ad nods, adjusts the way he is carrying the contraption to spread the load and then starts off towards the tunnel to head deeper within the compound.
The tunnel descends down into the earth, until the relatively clean and modern paneling of the pump station gradually gives way to damp, muck-encrusted brick and stone walls that wind out from the pump station, complete with the expected odor...
Notice: and
Mus'ad squints his piggish eyes against the dark as they stumble through the sewers and his pantaloons gradually become stained with the unmentionable muck that adorns the floor. After a time he exclaims "Fegh, anyone know which way? Mus'ad punch through walls if it will help to lessen time in cesspit."
Belledonna nad Mus'ad feel thoroughly lost, and likely a bit sick, while the good Professor thinks he could still at least lead the way back to where they entered.
Sorry Mus'ad, brute force, though a wholesome entertainment and a present friend in a time of trouble may not be the answer here.."
The Advocate stands still in the middle of the path and thinks aloud..
"....living underground..."
"...need food, power, water..."
"...under the radar....
"Follow me!"
The Advocate sets a rapid pace heading into the minor access tunnels. The smell improves somewhat though the lighting fades.
Pinhead red spots pick out details here and there as The Advocate moves swiftly through the maze of tunnels.
[d]"Hmm this pipe was repaired recently....."[/b]
Following the pipe down a stairwell.
"and this was tapped......."
Through an access door and along a long long downward sloping corridor barely lit by emergency bulbs.
Hmm wiring is rather far from code. Someone got sloppy."
Across a heavy steel gantry over a large settling pool.
......?
Devil's Advocate seems to know where he's going or at least thinks he does. After a couple of dead ends and discarded theories however, when he's almost given up hope he spots a small, odd marking on an otherwise ordinary stretch of wall--a square with small dots and lines in an odd arrangement. Scouting around in the nearby tunnels he finds another, and after some more laborious searching he and the others discover enough to determine the rudimentary code they seem to be using, a system of coordinates.
A short time later as DA homes in on the [0,0] point, the terrain starts to change, leaving behind the crumbling brick and occasional 'clean', modern stretch of tunnels. Instead the cell finds them replaced with the rough stone walls of what seems to be an area of natural caverns, though there are occasional signs of human hands--passages having been widened, ceilings raised.
The symbols are nowhere in evidence however, and neither are lights, but before the cell can get themselves lost in these dark caves they round a corner to find a shadowy shape which resolves into a human figure dressed simply leaning against the wall. He stubs out a cigarette as he spots you, straightening up. "Evening folks..." he says, scanning the group until his gaze settles upon Belledonna. "If yall'd like ta follow me." he says, turning and starting to head deeper into the dark caves, seemingly unfazed by the lack of light. It is as he turns that it becomes apparent that he has a dark skinned, meter long tail which drags along the ground, causing a soft rustling as he walks.
"Certainly." Belledonna replies as she precedes the others after the mutant.
Walking confidently through the darkness (gotta love that awareness) The Advocate speaks to their guide.
"Nice retreat you have down here. I knew there were some natural caverns under the city but nothing this extensive."
Rebecca silently records the face, body, and movement algorithms of our guide for future duplication.
Jack skips over the guide's tail twice or thrice before appearing at their shoulder. "And what shall we call you, my underground friend? 'Gent with a tail' is a bit cumbersome and possibly not specific enough."
Mus'ad continues his stony faced walk with barely restrained disdain for their guide. At the bald deceiver's words Mus'ad hisses at him "Quiet Nīca dhōkhēbāja... Maybe demented lizard man not want draw attention to fact he is horrific mutant, hmm?"
Matters were going well too...
"Surely we're all mutants here, or our friend with the ferrous face should not have asked us to perform these tasks, neh? And as for 'horrific' and 'demented', well, that's more my metier than our new friend's." Jack bows exaggeratedly toward Mus'ad.
Spitting to the side "Freakish hairless man is mutant... but Mus'ad is prime hunk of superior kashmiri flesh... not fault of mine that none of you were so gifted"
"and we'd like ta keep it that way if'n it's all the same to you." he replies to DA's observation as he moves unerringly through the dark, leaving what little light there was in the sewers long behind. Even with Rebecca projecting the fuzzy outline of the caves as they pass through them DA would have some difficulty finding his way out of here should their guide abandon them... The others are forced to switch on their torches lest exactly that happen, their guide not slowing when one of them whacks their shin on a rock outcropping, or smacks their head on a low ceiling.
"Ya'll can call me whatever ya'd like. While ahm sure people fall all over 'emselves to spend time with such a lot of beauties as yerselves up above, we undergrounders don't have much truck with surface folk, so ah'll skip tha introductions if ya don' mind."
After a quarter hour of inscrutable silence from your guide and many twisting and winding passages and tunnels, the passage starts to widen. Up ahead the Omegans are able to detect a faint light, which grows brighter as the cave ahead opens up into an enormous cavern, the ceiling of which seems to be glowing softly. While not as bright as their torchlight, the glowing ceiling is nevertheless sufficient to illuminate the many ledges, caves, and tunnels that rim the caverns walls at various heights, many of which currently hold distrustful, watching eyes.
The Omegans find themselves lead out onto the uneven floor of the cave, and told to wait, their guide nimbly clambering up a wall, and disappearing into another tunnel, while dozens of eyes bore down upon them from above. After less than a minute Valerie Ramirez steps out from a cave and shimmies down a rope of vines. "So... you wish to call in your favour already? Or did you have another deal in mind?"
"To be honest, I was hoping more for the possibility of a mutually beneficial accord. Having been afforded a better understanding of matters here, I'm not entirely certain what might gain from such an endeavor however..." Belledonna replies, the opportunity for ms. Ramirez to confirm or rebut her opening obvious.
"Well there's always things we can use that we can't easily get a hold of or make down here." she observes, turning and leading the way to a medium sized cave dug into the side of the larger cavern at ground level. Inside is a large rug and some mismatched furniture, most of which have seen repairs of some kind made to them. "If you were to provide us with some supplies--particularly medicine--then it would certainly go a long way to improving relationships if that's what you want."
Mus'ad looks at the rug and furniture, then at the people themselves "Mus'ad think maybe soap too..."
As Valerie Ramirez presents her peoples opening bargaining position, the rest of you feel the familiar semi-imaginary tingle you have come to recognize as Belledonna's mental contact.
Jack points his toothy visage at Ms. Ramirez. "And what sort of medicine did you have in mind? The ancients claim laughter is the best, and Jolly Jack can play the fool as well as any.". He capers about, being careful not to further damage the furniture.
"I think we'd prefer ones with a more proven track record. Antibiotics, painkillers, that sort of thing." she observes, her tone slightly sour as she watches the unfamiliar man darting around her cave.
"If one of you sewer rats get Mus'ad under where stuff you want is hiding. Mus'ad will crack open secrets with power of fist." nodding like a three year old that has just made up his mind.
[ooc]Get Mus'ad below somewhere - then he'll burrow into complex from below... no-one ever expects the Spanish Inquis.."[/b]
"I'd rather you didn't use the sewers; the V'Sori don't bother us down here, and I'd prefer it stayed that way. We don't need you lot drawing their attention to us."
I will open with, say $1,000; in whatever emergency supplies we can obtain once we have returned to the surface?'
'Or do you consider that too stingy an initial bid Advocate?'
Personal note, should have foreseen the possibility of negotiations & made certain we had something us...
Next time.
"Of course, ms' Ramirez, I wouldn't dream of endangering potential allies so pointlessly."
With no rebuttal from ms. Ramirez, Belledonna continues. "$1000 in emergency goods & medicines once we have returned to the surface to retrieve them." Her expression grows a tad embarrassed, "An error in foresight & manners I'm afraid. I failed to consider how rude it would be to arrive without an appropriate gift for our hosts."
Valerie reclines in her dilapidated, but comfortable chair, mulling the offer over. She leans slowly forward, meeting Belle's gaze. "Either you've had the connections to be able to obtain medicine 'legally', or the fortune not to have needed it since the V'Sori showed up. If you had, you'd know how little a grand will buy you on the black market. You've seen how many of us there are." she gestures to the cave beyond and the shadowed figures. "A thousand dollars is but a drop in the bucket."
"Feh, Mus'ad tires of those who do not speak of what they want. You tell Mus'ad exactly what you want... or Mus'ad might decide to make your bucket a little smaller."
Valerie bristles visibly at Mus'ad's threat. "You want to speak plainly? Very well, eight thousand cash, or seven in medicines and supplies; food, fuel, electronics. Get that for us and then we will show you this place you are looking for."
Grimacing then spitting on the ground "Fine, we need one of your horrific mutants to show way back to top... then lead us down again. Unless you prefer Mus'ad make tunnel straight up?"
Note to self: Mus'ad away from any negotiations in the future.
The Advocate looks amused.
"The take from a convenience store for one of Terron's old hideaways? Either there is a great deal you are not telling us or your ambition truly knows no bounds. In either case I find your terms acceptable."
"No need for us all to go my muscular menace. Simply send a guide with me to retrieve the goodies and we will all meet at philippi. Agreeable?"
Valerie doesn't bother to respond to Mus'ad turning her attention to Devil's Advocate as he speaks and accepts her deal. "We have something you need, you have access to what we want. It seems a fairly standard negotiation to me." with the deal made she stands and turns to leave, gesturing out into the cave, pausing at the entrance.
A few moments later a small woman with fine golden fur running along the back of her arms scurries up to her and they converse before Valerie turns back to the group. "Rini will take you back to where you entered the caves, and wait there to show you back. The rest of you can wait here, do not wander around." she instructs before leaving. Rini looks nervously at DA to ensure he is following and then scampers away, moving quite quickly into a different tunnel to the one you entered through previously setting a brisk pace back towards the surface.