Unity stand aside from the metal pad. "It does seem like Henri has the best chance of opening this," they agree.
Henri steps toward the pad, but continues 'speaking' to Mother mentally. We are in the airlock, Mother, do I need to place my hand on the pad?
Legato follows all into it, but his body language indicates he is not terribly fond of the water, his swimming ability suggests he certainly has learned how to swim properly but perhaps more to avoid drowning than for enjoyment.
He is curious about Henri's oddities and seeming wifi connections but its beyond a lot of his knowledge.
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As they swim, Theo sticks near Legato, to encourage him and make sure he doesn't freak out.
Mother tells Henri that she has opened the door.
She has not.
Mother tells Henri that the door appears to be one of the 'parts of her body' that she no longer has access to. "Henri, my boy, do you remember when you were so brave that you stepped into my mouth? You must do that for me again?"
Ta-Hashar attempts to slide the airlock open by force. It does not move. He looks both ridiculous and typically Atlantean.
Hamel says to Henri, "She's still not talking to me. But, I can hear you. I'm going to meditate; try to find a way to connect with her."
"While you guys work on that, I'll see what I can do here", The Olympian says as his swims closer to the door. Theo checks the door and finds the seam. The godling tries to force open the door.
The door remains shut. Theo may be strong, but the door is big and locked.
"I've got a connection," says Hamel, speaking his Avignonian version of French. "Seems like Mother's brains are a bit scrambled to you, Buddy?"
Unity dig their claws into the door and heave along with Theo.
"I've got a connection," says Hamel, speaking his Avignonian version of French. "Seems like Mother's brains are a bit scrambled to you, Buddy?"
"Yes, mon ami, she speaks to me through a figment she picked from my memories. She says I must enter the dream realm again to help her. She cannot open the door. Do you know of a fail-safe?"
"Mmm. Is it bad to break the door?" He asks, looking to Henri. Then starts to examine the door itself, looking for any cracks, or if its fully sealed. perhaps any manual handles or manual lock releases, or maybe something simply unplugged.
"Might be able to punch a hole through with enough work..Depending on what this is made out of?" Knocking on the air lock, trying to decide what it is. "I could try my truck gun-with a bit o magic. Or maybe one of yas could give it a whirl if ya know a good spot"
Nissa says, “I can always weave between atoms to take a peek inside without harming the door. But I get the feeling it’s a bad idea to enter without permission.
“If Henri thinks he can dream his way in, we should probably hold off on other means of entry.”
"I don't know, Nissa", Theo interjects. "Mother wants us in there to help. But she can't open the door for us. So I think we need break in."
“You may be right, Daddy.” Nissa still thinks this is something Henri should weigh in on. She turns to him.
“Henri, perhaps it’s best to ask Mother if she would like help opening the door. Also, is it something that can easily be opened from the inside?”
"Mmm. Is it bad to break the door?" He asks, looking to Henri. Then starts to examine the door itself, looking for any cracks, or if its fully sealed. perhaps any manual handles or manual lock releases, or maybe something simply unplugged.
[dice=Perception if needed]1d20+13"Might be able to punch a hole through with enough work..Depending on what this is made out of?" Knocking on the air lock, trying to decide what it is. "I could try my truck gun-with a bit o magic. Or maybe one of yas could give it a whirl if ya know a good spot"
Legato finds a small patch of wall, not far from the portal, that can be pushed in and slid aside. The contents are familiar. It's another vial of that black goop that Henri drank.
"I've got a connection," says Hamel, speaking his Avignonian version of French. "Seems like Mother's brains are a bit scrambled to you, Buddy?""Yes, mon ami, she speaks to me through a figment she picked from my memories. She says I must enter the dream realm again to help her. She cannot open the door. Do you know of a fail-safe?"
"I don't recognize her at all," says Hamel, "This isn't anyone from my memories ... I could ask her to show me where the door is..."
Legato finds a small patch of wall, not far from the portal, that can be pushed in and slid aside. The contents are familiar. It's another vial of that black goop that Henri drank.
Theo swallows the air within his bubble. "If no one else steps forward, I'll take it", the godling states grimly.
"But Nissa. If you can get through those doors by going mini, I say go for it."
Unity eye the vial with obvious wariness. "More nanites? That seems... risky, to say the least."
"But it does seem that some of us, at least, will need to confront this 'infection' on its own ground, at least to get us past these doors."
They flex their claws. "Or we begin tearing them down."
Legato shrugs "I dun quite get why taking more would change nontin? Aint it that the missus in there can't connect to the door? Whyn would having us dose make it easier for thems?" Looking to Henri,
"Or are ya like a infosphere hotspot and she needin more connections to connect?"
jabbing his thumb to the door "Ask mommy dearest what happens if we break in? Mini or Breakin seems a fair safer. Thoughn I betcha my magic gives me a mit o resistance na?"
"Henri," says Hamel, "I don't think this is Mother I'm talking to. I'm gonna ... Tabernacle!"
Henri feels the connection he had to Hamel snap shut.
The door remains shut.
Nissa is willing to go subatomic to take a peek, but she wants Henri’s permission first.
Nissa is willing to go subatomic to take a peek, but she wants Henri’s permission first.
No one requested a Communicator and none of the Communicators could swim to that depth.
While the group waits in the airlock for the door to open, Ta-Hashar turns to Charles and says, in Atlantean, "So, you're Moreauvian, aren't you? I don't recognize the planet."
Henri holds out a hand to Nissa, signaling her to wait a moment. He concentrates, thinking, ”Do you hear me?”
"I am sending you my schematics, Henri," says Mother. "You should be able to visualize yourself inside the airlock if you try and move from there."
The more Mother learns Henri's language, the more directly she is able to express herself. Aviary was the same.
"Henri, mon ami, I think I am in la merde. That wasn't Mother. I'm going to try something. Be back soon. Be careful."
”Be careful, Hamel.”
Henri focuses on the schematics, reading them to the party so they know what to expect on the other side. If he can zoom in on details and pick out how to bypass the lock, he will do so.
While the group waits in the airlock for the door to open, Ta-Hashar turns to Charles and says, in Atlantean, "So, you're Moreauvian, aren't you? I don't recognize the planet."
Unity frown once Nissa translates.
"We do not know what "Moreauvian" means," they state.
"The majority of us is from our version of Earth, though we're aware of at least a couple other sources for some of us." They slightly spread their wings.
"The one who made us into me took material from other worlds, we know. Maybe they were... Moreauvian?"
"Dr. Moreau is a god in some parts of the Julian Cluster. He's given birth to trillions. Seeded worlds with his creations. Some of his creations were more creative than others," explains Ta-Hashar before getting distracted by the conversation about the door.
"Do not damage the door," he says, "It would cease to function as an airlock and the complex could be flooded when we exit."
Henri points at his temple. Out loud, he asks, ”Nissa, did you hear that? I tried to communicate like I do with Hamel now.”
Nissa says, “I didn’t, but…” She looks at the vial. Oh, I may regret this, but there are too many innocent lives at stake!
She drinks the nano-goop!
Theo watches his daughter drink the nano-goop and sighs with worry.
Nissa feels the process she observed within Henri. She feels the nanites multiply and build structures. She is wracked with pain, but it is so brief that she hasn't time to react before the nanites start building structures that integrate within her brain.
As soon as the communicator is built, Nissa senses four signals. They sit like floating orbs in a visual representation that is forming. She knows the red one is Henri. She knows the purple one is Hamel. The green one could be Mother. The black one throbs.
Nissa no longer hesitates. She is subatomic… …and as she weaves about the universe of nuclei and electrons, mere femtometers tall, Nissa is free of the nanites—
—but the signals are back when she reverts to inches tall.
☀️
The black ooze underneath the frost is alarming. Nissa prepares to strike, but waits.
The heat around Nissa’s tiny hands intensifies. She curls them into fists.
Nissa, entering into the door, finds the internal locking mechanism and the biocircuitry that must be part of Mother are covered with nano-goop which is covered in ice.
Nissa attacks the ice with fire!
She circles the door handle…
…creating a firewall around herself, should the goop attack her!
She then gives the door handle a swift kick to break the ice (or at least hopefully melt it some)!
To those on his side of the door, "Nissa's on the other side. Mother shows me the situation with representations rather than pictures. I felt like she was telling me that there was an icy coating over a gathering of black nanite matter. Nissa sees that and is working to melt the ice. She can't tell if the nanite material is animate yet."
"I'm going to see if I can assist Nissa." He closes his eyes and tries to commune with Mother again, like when she was asking him to fix the "tooth".
He mutters, "Mother, can you tell me if the door here is one of the teeth we need to fix? If I pull the tooth, would that repair the door or would it break it?"
The ice melts quickly and the black nano-goop beneath it absorbs 25 points of fire damage. Instead of shrinking, it swells. It quickly doubles in size, and then doubles that size again.
"I'm going to see if I can assist Nissa." He closes his eyes and tries to commune with Mother again, like when she was asking him to fix the "tooth".
He mutters, "Mother, can you tell me if the door here is one of the teeth we need to fix? If I pull the tooth, would that repair the door or would it break it?"
Mother screams in fright, "They're all over me. My god. Get them off."
Theo, Legato, and Charles see the door grow frosty as if all the heat were sucked from it in seconds.
"Oh Hades! What's going on?" the godling asks as he swims away from the frosting door.
☀️
Legato shirks back with Theo. "Er.. weren't Nissa was a firebug, not'n ice fairy? Should... I use a bit of fire too?
”No! It is drawing in the heat and growing in response! I think now’s the time…”
Henri moves to the door, calming his breathing and flexing his hands like he’s about to snatch food from the maw of something very hungry. He snatches at the handle and opens the door in a blur of motion.
The nanites swarm towards Henri's hand in the mindpalace version of the complex, built and shared between him and Mother. In the real world, Charles, Legato, and Theo can see Henri reach out and quickly turn an invisible doorknob. Then, you can all hear an audible click as the lock on the portal releases. The door can be pushed open with a Strength check now, but you might want to use Aid Another.