The Enigma Complex Pt 3-1 - Ghost in the Machine - RPLOG

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.1, Part 3.2, Part 3.3, Part 3.4, Part 3.5

Participants

• Syntax
• Junes
• Oswynd
• Umeko
• Ysadora

Date

13/5/2023

Log

(Syntax) The bunker is more humid today on account of a heavy rainstorm pounding the earth outside. There are several technicians bounding about the office as Syntax preps the away team to explore the lower level. There is a definite sense of tension in the air. "Right. We're about as prepared as we could be." The arachnid looks over those assembled. Their hazmat gear was thrust upon them the moment they arrived. Large, bulky, and florescent yellow. If this isn't the start of a horror movie, nothing is. "I appreciate you volunteering. I know we have one newcomer among you, but I am confident you are the right people for the job.

(Junes) Junes was the chimeric hissah in a hoodie, walking into the bunker and their fox tails brushing against the large backpack they carry before turning into a corner to change, coming back in a sealed suit and tucking away the previous hoodie while rushing back over "almost forgot!" jumping a bit to get their leg comfortable and standing again "i wont let you down!"

(Ysadora) Ysadora tries to wipe some of the condensation from the front of her visor, but fails. Her perpetually rain-slicked skin fills the suit with chilling vapors that make it difficult to see details from the inside or out. At her side is a black messenger bag with a pink skull on it, completely at odds with the sterile environmental suit. Idly, Ysadora checks the contents for the umpteenth time. "Spirit box, check. Ouija board, check. Camera, check. Autograph book, check." She mocks a salute, gloved hand clunking against her helmet. "Ready for some ghost hunting, ma'am, Syntax, ma'am!"

(Umeko) Umeko brought along her own gear for this mission, using some old 'borrowed' Zephyr gear with multiple modifications. Her level A qualified suit covered her entirely, as it should, and had an extra visor covering her head and her rebreathing apparatus, along with a radio system to communicate. She had extra harnesses and and a belt over the suit to give easy access to equipment and weapons as well, and special light but armored clothing underneath just in case of any other dangers. "I think I'm about ready, everyone else good?" she asked, as she tested out the radio.

(Oswynd) takes off his helmet, revealing the horned visage of a regal draconic muzzle beneath, two glowing golden irises peering around the gathered party. "Oswynd Ottkinson, the newcomer! Son of the son-of-a-bitch who was too busy to follow up after Eureka's most recent event! Pleasure to meet you all! Hopefully we won't get our brains scrambled by alien fungus down there, but in case we do! ...let's not and say we did. It might make the insurance people very sad and the shareholders upset that their stock values went down after all the payouts, mkay?" he shoots the assembly a wink, then re-dons his helmet with a soft *ksshhhh* "Ready as I'll ever be!" His fist thumps against the metallic surface of his suit's gauntlet with a soft *clank*

"What's the plan for turning that fungus into a salad nobody wants to eat anyway? I'm guessing chemical warfare?" his voice rumbles out the speakers of his suit, as though he were speaking through an intercom. Given how sealed the oversized thing is, it probably needs to be. "Hopefully it ain't sentient, dad's gonna have a field day if he hears there's a mother brain down there." the dragon places one hand on his hip and tilts to one side, his other arm hanging loose to one side. "Best I got with me is... oh, right..." The dragon reaches towards his pack and retrieves some incense, a snap of his fingers lighting it ablaze, shrouding his armor in an added layer of something otherworldly. "Just in case... So best I have with me is some charms and spells to keep the bloody fungus from regenerating. Hopefully that'll be enough for my being here, otherwise I'll buy everyone dinner when we're done and count it as contributing somehow. If that happens, you all good with sushi?"

(Syntax) Syntax nods and crosses her four arms. "Like I said. Happy to have you all." She lets out a soft exhale, then gestures over to a corkboard covered in notes and images. "Despite how it looks, we don't know much about what's down there. Honestly, if not for the potential haunting, we'd already be ready to reclaim the lower floor. But...well, better safe than sorry. Bloody weird shite, let me tell you. Still, we can make the most of this."

(Syntax) Syntax walks over to a large crate and grunts as she opens it from the side. Within are two packs with box shaped devices about the size of a full sized computer tower. "Outside of opening things up for questions, I'm sendin' ye lot down with these. They're...well, don't really have a proper name for them, but they're basically instant walls. There's two locations we need them at. The opening to the elevator that goes down even further and what we're pretty sure is a stairway. Our limited scouting down below with drones suggests the majority of the cumrot is in the level below where you're going, so we're going to wall it off for now and handle things incrementally. Oh! And you'll have a map of what we've been able to determine."

(Syntax) After retrieving a nearby tablet, Syn sends the team a digital map. It's a pretty basic layout of what's down there, but better than going in blind. "The two passages you need to wall off are pretty close to one another. Once they're set up, you're welcome to evac whenever you feel like it's necessary."

(Junes) Junes listened and nodded, looking to the towers and patting the side of their suit a bit before looking more at the unusual barricades before picking one up "glad we have a map! although mind if i ask about how to deploy these and if theres any risk so we dont clamp a hand or anything?" looking over the others and nodding "although i think we'll do well though, and thank you for the recon" smiling to the others and standing against a wall looking at the barricade more

(Ysadora) Ysadora offers Oswynd a gentle wave. "I'm Ysadora. Nice to meet you and welcome to the team! I'll hold you to that offer of sushi." She turns and tries to give Junes a hug, made awkward by the sheer amount of gear both of them are wearing. After a few clanking sounds fill the office, she detaches. "And it's good to see you Junes! You too, Umeko! Couldn't ask for a better team to go exploring with. Oh, Umeko, do you have that uh..." Ysadora taps the side of her head, near her eye, searching for the right words. "Recording thing? Just in case we see something spooky and I don't get my camera out in time." She doesn't make any move to grab one of the instant walls with her, as Booker so eloquently put it, 'wet noodle arms.'

(Umeko) Umeko gave a wave over to Oswynd, "I'm Umeko, nice to meet you! Hope we can take care of this easy enough, but if things get rough we should probably pull out for sure, doubt we'll be able to clear out the fungus, and if there's anything else down there, don't want to risk exposure." She looked over to Ysadora and nodded, "Yeah, I turn it on and record things, though it'll be awhile after before we can review the footage. It'll be interesting to see what's down there, but my guess is probably more of those fungus creatures living in the woods, especially now that we know that there's a breach down there... I sure hope that's about all there is at least..."

(Oswynd) "GHOSTS! Fun." The dragon shoots a thumbs up. "No crucifix, no smudge sticks, no EMF detector, alright. No evidence run on nightmare difficulty it is." Upon the mention of portable walls, he scratches his helmet where the tip of his head would be, casting a glance at the four-armed one with his helmet tilted to one side in confusion. "Run in, wall it up, get the hell out. Sounds simple enough." Famous last words... he grabs the tablet and takes a look upon its surface, finger scanning over the layout of the area for the sakes of giving it a memorization, before handing it off to whomever was withing arm's length to take it off of him. "I take it the eggheads who have working on samples from this place haven't cooked up a proper weedkiller yet then. That woulda been handy to have, not gonna lie." When Ysadora addresses him, he shoots two fingerguns her way and notes "Eyyyy, there's a shrine in town to Inari with a sushi place that's to die for. I'm not much for sake but the food's next level. Just gotta learn how chopsticks work. You see these hands?" He holds up his three-fingered grabbers. "They are not meant for chopsticks, I'll tell you that much."

"Ah well, nothing like a little haunting to brighten up one's nightmares, it builds character!" The dragon moves over towards the entrance and leans against the wall by the doorframe. "I'll be disappointed if none of us is levitated off the ground with their joints twisting in unnatural ways before we're done, but hey we'll see how it goes. Full disclosure if I get possessed I will not be held responsible for any property or personal damage inflicted. You can take the ghost to court, I know a good lawyer, he can legally screw the devil over if he sets his mind to it. All jokes aside, I'm good to go, this day just got a lot more interesting." Snapping his fingers, the dragon snaps his fingers, making manifest a small sphere of light that looms just over his left shoulder. He turns his fingers in the air as though he were twisting a knob, dimming the light source as he does so. Nodding his helmet-head at Umeko, he shoots a thumbs up her way and adds "I'm really bad at pulling out so I might need some help if it comes to that. I'll be banking on that for you folks. Elsewise I generally keep to the frontline, it's been my thing ever since I enrolled for Zephyr-sanctioned feral-bonking at the ripe old age of two weeks old! Life's pretty neat that way."

(Syntax) Syntax with a humn, Syn looks to Oswynd. "Well. Your primary objective is getting these set up. Once we cut off the source of the spores, removing them will be easy. However, the more information you can find about the hauntings down there, the better. Hell, if ye can find the source and stop it, even better."

(Junes) Junes saw their spectral friend and put the device down to return the clunky hug! "yeah sorry i just wanted to double check those things first but im glad" a slight tilt happens as their tail tried to reach beyond the suits confines before waving with a hand "you too umeko!" and facing the solar dragon to mention "junes, and we don't need to deal with shareholders or anything thankfully and ive had...a surprising amount of experience with possessions honestly" their ears flinched a bit hearing feral-bonking but decided against saying anything before realizing "oh yeah syn any info on whether these are mutant ghosts down there or the spiritual kind?"

(Ysadora) Ysadora looks around at her companions, squinting through the haze on her visor. "Are we ready? I'll take the map!" She takes the tablet from Oswynd and stashes it before standing by, ready to proceed into the unknown.

(Umeko) Umeko chuckled a bit over to Oswynd, "I think there's an all natural solution on the way, though if that falls through I'm all for fumigating the place. Main issue is venting all the chemicals out... But yeah, we'll need to seal it up and keep all that nasty spore infected water out of the place otherwise any attempts at cleansing this place are futile." She double checked her equipment and went over to one of the units. "I think I'm all ready to go, and I can carry stuff if we need somebody to do a bit of heavy lifting."

(Oswynd) "If I find the mother brain, I'll be sure to throw a flaming rock at it." Oswynd casts a thumbs-up towards their employer. "You bet chief, we'll get it done! Who knows, the ghosts might be friendly! Ever partied with the dead? They get wild! Hard to drink yourself to death if you're already dead so they sure do try! But just in case they're out to crunch our cookies..." The dragon reaches towards his back, drawing an elongated serrated blade, its teeth glistening with various augmentations. "I got chemical, energy and good ole physical mutilation in this thing. Any idea what works best?" The device clacks several times as it cycles between the different modes of operation, different rows of its serrated surface coming into prominence while he tinkers with it. "I'll just default to caustic." He tilts his helmet towards Junes and blinks beneath the screen shielding his face. "That awkward moment when technology permits one to be little more than an ethereal cloud of ambient nanomachines. I can't imagine it's too comforting in a hurricane... or someone exhaling a little too hard on them." When Umeko speaks up, he claps his hands together "The voice of reason! I was wondering why you folks didn't just gas the place. Figured there's a reason, but I'm not even a year old. Not my place to strategize here." He crosses his arms and leans back against the wall, casting the group a glance. "I think we're all set chief. I'll take point, if I die, tell that motherfucker who dunked my head into the cleansing pool during my hazing that his mum's a slag and I shagged her last night. I'm still working up to that, but if I'm dead I doubt I'll care I told a lie."

(Syntax) Syntax nods and purses her lips. "I'm...pretty sure they're spectral. I don't have any solid footage of them beyond glitching hardware and unusual pictures. Nothing of a person. I have a feeling a person going down will yield different results." She sees Junes hold up a hand and ask if there are any extra devices for making walls. "Ah! Aye, we got two more. I'll ensure they'll be waiting for you at the airlock in about five. Anything else?"

(Syntax) Gives those assembled a toothy smile, her fangs on full display. "Ah, lovely. Go on out to the airlock. Oh! One more thing! Just in case, I've engineered a little module for your comms. That'll be waiting at the airlock too. I know ghosts and the like can mess with signals, so the module is set up to provide a subtle alert if what you're receiving isn't coming specifically from up here. If the light turns blue instead've red, take what ye hear with a grain of salt."

(Syntax) The party heads out to the airlock, gets all of their gear double checked and equipped, and heads out past the airlock. The short tunnel the four pass by emits a faint hiss as it prepares to disinfect the room. As they leave the tunnel and shut the door behind them, they hear a blast of chemicals intended to remove any trace spores. Sure enough, in short order, all of the team gets an automated warning that they are now in a contaminated environment. All that's left is to go down.

(Syntax) The elevator isn't exactly standard. Instead of it simply being a square box, it's a large platform situated on a ramp. The lights illuminating the area flicker to life and emit a soft hum which serves as the only source of sound until the large machinery revs to life and begins their descent. At least for the moment, the four have a moment to themselves.

(Junes) Junes took this time to place down the barricade gently before bringing their backpack out for two things, duct tape and their rifle, using some tape and securing the device to their left wrist like a watch and holding it up "anyone else need some tape?" holding the rifle with a shoulder and putting the tape away before holding the barricade once again "oh yeah if anyone sees something that isn't a ghost we should probably have a plan for that but, we should probably know our fighting styles beforehand just in case, i prefer distance and avoiding combat"

(Ysadora) Ysadora hums the Addams Family theme as they descend. After a few moments of compulsively checking her gear again, she speaks up: "I'm pretty durable in spite of how I look, comes with being sorta undead, so I usually harry and distract enemies." Eyes flicking back up to where they descended from, she continues on. "When do you think Syntax had time to install that fancy airlock system? Or was that part of the Complex before we ever found it?" Fiddling with her comm unit, Ysadora checks the light once, then again. "Oh, and this thing is neat. We'll have to keep an eye on each other's. Do we expect to get like, phantom transmissions or something? That would be awesome!" She chatters away without necessarily expecting any response, as though trying to drone out the steady whine of machinery around them.

(Umeko) Umeko was still lugging the wall building stuff as she looked over to Junes, "I don't know if we're gonna be using these suits again, but might be good to grab some more webbing or harnesses or something next time instead of duct tape... Either way, I'm gonna turn on my recording. We should make sure we don't split up down here, should pick a buddy too and stick together, especially if we lose comms. I don't know what these supposed 'ghosts' can do, but I'm hoping that the electronic stuff won't be an issue for me, but it'd be good to have somebody around to confirm what we can see too..."

(Oswynd) "ALRIGHT! So we DO get an EMF reader. Fingers crossed it's not a demon down there, I don't wanna get early hunted." Oswynd shoots two thumbs up and makes ready. With his comm module applied, he takes point and casts a glance around the room. "A big part of me is very happy I am not smelling what's going on in here. I don't wanna know what that smell looks like... all clear so far at least. Alright Alice and company, let's see how deep the rabbit hole goes. First one spooked buys drinks when we're done." Oswynd gestures for everyone to move on forward, his blade still in his hand, eyes peering left and right suspiciously... given it's some Nightmare on Elm St. stuff they're dealing with over here. "Good man." he tells Junes, "I'm still a trainee, most of what I do is take the hits for people. Mostly best with my spells right now, still learning martial skills. I'll take a hit in a pinch but for the most part I'll be looking to make whatever we encounter down here very unhappy. Anyway, keep your eyes and ears peeled! If it's ghosts we're dealing with, don't expect them to be very loud or standing out in the open. Wouldn't want one of those phantom fuckers to crawl up someone's asscrack after all."

(Syntax) As the four descend, the number of functioning lights dwindles to nothing and forces them to break out their flashlights and light orbs. Once the elevator reaches the bottom, their surroundings are dead quiet. Ahead is a hallway that turns to the left. The walls have familiar propaganda affixed to rotting wallpaper and mold stained drywall.

(Syntax) Umeko can just make out the sounds of water dripping and their own synthetic rubber soles pressing against the concrete. It's horribly still here. The silence is almost as bad as there being any noise at all. Oswynd and Ysadora, for a brief moment, count five pairs of feet walking, but their inevitable pause would prove that there's just four.

(Syntax) While Junes does vanish from view, he doesn't feel like he has. Sure, he is invisible and he's pretty confident that the others would struggle to see him...but there's something else. A horrible feeling in the back of his mind that he's not just still visible but a bright beacon in the dark. Like a thousand eyes have turned to face him and him alone.

(Junes) Junes glanced around the area, sniffing before realizing the suit prevented scents from passing thankfully and saw the hallway, seeing there was only one way they crouched and said "ill try and see whats ahead" their form dimming before a few moments and then reappears "yeah maybe not, that did not feel great, like a group was just staring daggers into me" still crouching before looking to the group "alright so who wants to go first?"

(Ysadora) Ysadora fishes out her spirit box and gets ready to turn it on, then pauses. How many footsteps had that been just now? She turns around, only to see that Junes has seemingly vanished. Ysadora squints, little creases of worry gnawing away at her expression. "Hang on, hang on. There are four of us, right? But I could have sworn I just heard...five? And now Junes is gone, which makes three. This math doesn't add up any way you frame it!" When Junes flickers back into existence, she lets out a sigh of relief. "I mean, that's one mystery solved, but... How do things look up there at point? Anything unexpected yet?" Ysadora's phrasing seems to imply that encountering the unexpected must only be a matter of time down here.

(Umeko) Umeko frowned a bit as she looked over to Junes, "Hmmm, well I can hear some water so that could be our destination if the halls start splitting. I can lead the way if you want, though somebody else should hold the wall building stuff... I have a few potential theories on how to combat the supernatural if that's -really- what we're dealing with, but only one way to find out and I'll need my hands free so I don't drop and break the thing..." She looked at Yadora with concern as well, "I'm guessing this isn't going to go smoothly and we're going to run into whatever it is that's down here then..."

(Oswynd) "Sounds like we're not alone down here. Whatever it is, it can walk." The dragon checks his comm unit for the presence of that little blue light. "Hm... well whatever it is, it's not being very forward. Something doesn't quite add up however... guess we haven't exactly reached the fungus yet. What is the deal with this bunker anyway? You'd think this place isn't worth the effort if it's haunted and infested with something as horrifyingly named as the cum-rot mushrooms. There some ancient tech buried down here? Some STC type crap?" The dragon shakes his head and presses on. "Let's keep our presence here to a minimum, the more we linger the bigger our odds of attracting something genuinely interested in using our pasty gray matter like playdoh."

(Syntax) As the team turns the corner, it's clear that Syntax wasn't kidding about how closely placed the stairwell is from the other elevator. Straight ahead, there is a double door passage who's actual doors hang slightly ajar. The sign over it has heavily faded with time and wear, but "Elevator" is definitely part of it. To the right is a smaller door with "Stairway Access" painted over it as well as a quite long hall that leads to parts unknown. To the left, there is a closed door with quite a lot of light shining from beneath the crack. Based on the red cross on the door, it's likely the infirmary. Further down from that is another long hallway leading to more parts unknown. All is quiet.

(Junes) Junes listened to the group and nodded "only four of us yeah, and if you need i could hang onto the other barricades" continuing to walk and listening to oswynd "as long as we keep our cool and work together we should be fine" holding up their duct taped device "and this should help too" finally seeing the stairwell junes pointed saying "ill close up the stairs" heading over and looking up making sure the device was lined up just right and warned "alright here this goes" before pressing the device

(Ysadora) Ysadora scoffs at Oswynd's question. "Don't you see? The exploration -is- the reward! Who knows what kind of cool tech or real ghosts or vampires or mother brains or whatever we can find down here. Doesn't the excitement just get you..." She trails off as they turn the corner. "...Light? There's light coming from under that door, right? Is there someone else here? Or some-thing-?" Although her voice is tinged with trepidation, Ysadora is practically vibrating with excitement.

(Umeko) Umeko looked over to Oswynd, her features hidden beneath the hazmat helmet visor. "I guess if you define 'ancient' as 'cold war military tech', whatever that may be off the records... It's going to be a pain to crack open the shell safely like we're doing now, but I think it's well worth seeing what's inside... It's not like we have a surplus of much safer unclaimed military bunkers to stumble into after all." She nodded to Junes and dropped off the wall units to get stuff patched up as she took point to keep watch down the hall. "At least we'll have one less to carry now too, hopefully we can get a proper seal on it." She then looked over at the door Ysadora mentioned, "If there's ever a place that's probably got ghosts, it'd be the infirmary... If the hallway lights are out, I have my doubts about that place being lit up normally too... Want to wait until Junes is done sealing the wall before checking it out?"

(Syntax) Junes steps into the stairwell and, after hitting the button, hears several beeps as a series of lasers shoot out to scan its surroundings. Four slender insect like legs slide out from its corners which allows the device to move to the first step. As he waits for the device to activate, he can clearly hear the sound of water below. No small amount of it either. No wonder the fungus has been thriving so well! The humidity here must be intense. As the device activates and begins to spray a web like substance in a horizontal pattern, the door behind Junes suddenly shuts. While everyone's comm light turns blue for only several seconds, it appears to be far longer for the poor Hissah.

(Syntax) When Junes turns to the shut door, he can hear the sound of many footsteps just outside and panicked yelling. After the floor beneath him shakes, a warning indicator on the wall previously obscured by years of dust and cobwebs is now visible: Above Ground Radiation Detected. The door slams several times as it sounds like someone is desperately trying to get in. There are sounds of sobbing from the lower floor and cries of pain.

(Junes) Junes heard the noises stressing a bit before checking their wrist for a light, calming down they quickly put their bag down and was about to write going downstairs but seeing as the light was blue decided to try something else, grabbing onto the spider and sliding it away from the point and seeing if a change in scenery can delay the device

(Syntax) The legs insistently try to keep it in place.

(Syntax) Without other options, Junes looks back to the door he entered from and approaches it. The moment he's in front of it, everything stops. The light isn't pulsing, there are no sounds, the ground isn't shaking. When he looks back, the drone is still working...although it almost seems as if it's been working for less time than he was just trapped. To the others, nothing unusual has happened except the closing door. It has only been a few seconds.

(Junes) Junes saw it wouldn't budge and decided to continue writing ( trapped inside, radiation upstars? ) sliding the paper out from under the shut door, but seeing things calmed decided to grab some fish from their bag and tossed it over the insectoid robot, wondering if it would help in some way before reaching for the knob

(Junes) Junes slowly turned the knob, surprised it actually opened and stepped back outside looking a bit confused

(Ysadora) Ysadora waves Junes over, crouched near the infirmary door. "Did you find anything neat over there? Get the wall put up alright? Actually, nevermind all that. Someone might be in here. Let's stay quiet and see if we can..." She trails off, seeing Junes' expression. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

(Umeko) Umeko noticed the blue light and took a more cautious stance, looking about before noticing Junes. She kept her voice down as well as she spoke, "Yeah, this infirmary room looks really suspicious if you ask me, and we just got a blue light... Say the word and we can try busting in there to see what's up, or maybe we can just keep it down and try to patch up that last hole. I've... got a couple ideas if this is an actual ghost, though I can't say I've had much of a chance to test them out before... Basically fighting the supernatural with the supernatural, assuming that's even the case."

(Oswynd) The dragon nears Junes and places one hand on the kobold's shoulder. "You alright lad?" he asks through the speakers on his suit. "I didn't catch much of what happened, but it looks like you saw something a little out of this world." Taking a look at the device they'd been given, noticing the strange light indicator on it, the dragon concludes solemnly "We're either being pranked by a ghost or our air filtration systems aren't up to snuff and hallucinations are setting in. Check your rebreathers everyone, and let's keep moving. That's one objective done, one more to go. If anyone's feeling like things are getting out of control, speak up."

(Junes) Junes was calmer but still a bit tense although giving the fish helped, but out of curiosity they grabbed the paper that they had previously slid out, but... their expression made it obvious something was different and said aloud "yeah there was a radiation warning and some horror noises downstairs alongside the door banging but before trying the door i wrote something out but right when i touched it, nothing... offered a fish cause why not and well" turning over the paper they said "i wrote trapped inside, radiation upstairs but as you can see" in the chimera's handwriting was simply ( Dreamer? ) "i know i sleep pretty deep sometimes but no clue what this could mean" glancing back at where their kitsune tails would be curiously

(Ysadora) Ysadora takes only a cursory look at the paper before gasping. "We didn't hear anything. That's paranormal activity for sure! I bet the ghost is trying to communicate using that paper. If that's the case..." Ysadora shrugs the pack off her shoulder and bends down to sort through it. "Here! A ouija board. Maybe we can give them a channel to communicate with us." Laying out the dusty old board lightly on the floor, she sits down next to it cross-legged, as comfortably as is allowed by her heavy clothing. Her hands stretch forward and touch the planchette. Then, she looks up at the others and motions with her chin. "C'mon! It'll work better if we all hold it."

(Umeko) Umeko tilted her head as she looked at Junes, "I didn't notice anything either, and you weren't exactly gone for long... I didn't notice the extra foot steps people heard earlier either, so these don't appear to be shared phenomenon. Unless people really did fuck up their air supplies... Honestly I haven't really noticed much of -anything- out of the ordinary other than that weird light. I guess we can try the board though, assuming this thing is willing to communicate with us. Worth a shot at least." She kneeled down and placed a hand on it as well, though kept her right arm free, just in case things went south.

(Oswynd) "What the hell is that?" Oswynd tilts his head, having never seen a Ouija board before. Nonetheless, it looks like the party is settled on using the strange device, perhaps to perform some kind of ritual. It certainly wasn't anything he was familiar with, given he didn't even have a single year on this world. "Uhhh... alright." The dragon moves over to lean against the nearby wall and observe curiously. "Whatever you are planning to do with that thing, I hope it doesn't take too long. The sooner we get out of here the better our odds of not being used like marionettes by whatever entity is lurking around here."

(Junes) Junes smiled and nodded "yeah this mysterious stuff is what i live for! but first lemme check something" they would open the previously locked door to check on the barricades progress rather calmly considering being potentially trapped before heading back and sitting on the ground "alright lets get this going"

(Ysadora) Ysadora smiles as Junes and Umeko place their hands upon the planchette. Then, she begins to speak in a stage whisper. "Hear me, spirits of the bunker! Are you present with us in this hallway? Can you hear us? If you wish to communicate, we willingly lend you our hands! Move them so that your message may reach us from the other side!"

(Syntax) For a moment, nothing happens. Then all of your arms feel as if they are chilled to the bone as the dial moves. At first it's slow, but then it moves rapidly. "D-R-E-A-M-E-R".

(Junes) Junes looked around feeling something... familiar before speaking up "hey guys? this might be more scientific than we thought, I think its nanomagic and well... if some of you trust me I could disable this but it is a bit risky and i feel like having some insight to what this things goal is the... illusions? might help"

(Junes) Junes activated biodetection but... nothing besides the group appeared so they simply said "i dont think anybody is near us?"

(Ysadora) Ysadora gasps as the planchette moves under their hand. "I'll be honest, guys. I was planning on just moving this thing around as a spooky prank, but I swear that wasn't me. And what's more, it said the same thing as what was on the paper! This is an honest to goodness gho-" Ysadora cuts herself off from contradicting Junes. "A uh, nanomagic ghost! Maybe the nanomachines work like a spirit box and allow the departed to hijack their wavelengths to communicate or...something." She quickly packs up the board and stands up, usually pallid face flushed with excitement. "So now we're sure we aren't alone down here, we have to figure out what we're gonna do about it."

(Umeko) In true paranormal video fashion, Umeko's recording abruptly cuts off at the most tense part after the DREAMER reveal. There was a good reason for this as she swapped her nanomagic programs around, immediately monitoring the use of other nanomagic in the area. If this was truly supernatural, nothing would register, though the results were certainly surprising to her... "Um, well, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is what Junes said, it's registering as nanomagic and not a totally mysterious force. The bad news... It has no source. A non-metaphoric ghost in the machine if you will. It's as if it's coming straight from the server somehow. Maybe it still could be supernatural, or something else I've never seen before is happening..."

(Oswynd) "And you got all this from a piece of wood with some letters and numbers on it? Impressive." Oswynd remarks, then bobs his head off to the side. "So essentially we're dealing with a glitch in the server. Great. Do you have any idea how much these things are worth? Zephyr are gonna have a field day if they find out. That might be the cause we're seeing this cumrot fungus too. One hiccup of the nanites and we could be reduced to goo at any moment. Well... barring any extraplanar influences, but that's besides the point. Any of you know how to handle one of those gamecube-looking-ass devices? Or where it even is?"

(Junes) Junes thought on the results...only us and the cloud of spores.... before listening and answering "alright so! considering nanites are machines and spirits have been known for affecting them it could make sense, my other theory is either somebody among those spores on my radar or an agent got infected and is currently trying to attract us, no clue on what the dreamer could mean" before turning to oswynd "and most of all zephyr can suck it! we're getting this done together without anybody else and none of the factions, besides maybe eureka but that's a talk for later as" their arms reaching out "a group!" calming a bit down they continue "just don't say shit to the big three alright?" thinking more they added "and about the dispelling, I can keep this thing from affecting you but it will not feel right and be more dangerous so what do you all say?"

(Ysadora) Ysadora places a hand to her mouth...visor...in mock astonishment at June's language. "My, Junes. I didn't know you had it in you! I'm with you, though. I work on the paranormal investigation team for RSX but they're just so stuffy. I'm really excited to do something like this without all the red tape." She seems to consider for a moment, then nods. "And whatever you have to do, Junes, I'm up for it. I trust you."

(Umeko) Umeko was certainly getting a bit nervous now, though this was hidden beneath all of her gear. "I don't know much about Eureka's server specifically, though I don't think Zephyr holds a ton of sway out in these parts. Still, if this is a case of a malfunctioning, or god forbid, self-aware nanite server somehow, then this could very easily go south fast, like Las Vegas Grey Goop Part 2 kind of south as Oswynd said... Due to the lack of other devices around us, I think we can rule out this being some extraordinarily over elaborate hack by somebody. I believe that the only way something would understand that the Ouija board was here and could give a proper response is if it was indeed paranormal, or it could interface with the nanites themselves somehow, and collect information from them... Whatever it is, it likely holds a lot of power, so please try to avoid pissing it off in any way..."

(Oswynd) "Do I look like I have stakes with the big three? My only loyalties are to my patron, he's the reason I'm here to begin with, to help with keeping this place safe. I hate to be the one to tell you this, Zephyr will find out one way or another. They have eyes and ears everywhere. Your eyes and ears. The instant this gets out of here in any way shape or form, written, spoken, whatever, they will know. Call it a thorn in my throat after some family conflict with big Z and their surveillance network, which if the theories are correct and they can simply use the nanite server in their possession to extract thoughts out of people's heads, the instant any of you make it back to the main server, if they want to find out what's been going on here, they will." He raises his finger and points it sternly "I hope for all your sakes the rumors are false, but my family's been around long enough to witness more than a few war crime tier shady shit on Zephyr's behalf. You wanna resolve this for certain? We find the cause, and unfuck it, paranormal or not."

(Junes) Junes gave a sigh and seeing as only ysadora answered they grabbed a leash from their bag and hooked it onto themselves, giving the held part to ysadora and kept two condoms in their hand just in case "alright so try to avoid trouble but you are going to be our eyes, ears and voice of reason, believe it or not im genuinely curious about this thing and...im going to trust it as well by accepting whatever it wants to show but this leash is here so i know where you are, and well only one so these condoms are backup tethers for you both if you choose not to have it affecting you but i will say, if its a sentient bubble I want to keep it free as we can and unharmed" before looking to ysadora and with a bit of theatrics raised a fingergun and ( shot ) it off, countering the effects of any nanites "stay safe okay? and tug the leash if you need it down"

(Ysadora) Ysadora takes the end of the lead and holds it awkwardly, confusion evident in the furrow of her brow. With her other hand, she hefts the messenger back back onto her shoulder. "Uh...Okay, I'm ready. For whatever this is. Eyes, ears, and voice of reason. Right." She looks around for any obvious response to whatever Junes just did, hand tight around the leash.

(Umeko) Umeko stopped and stared at the condoms in absolute confusion. "H-huh? I'm not sure about the condoms, but I'll be fine disconnected from the bubble myself. Honestly it's probably our safest bet, assuming the others are alright and can keep themselves together. Also I'm not -exactly- saying that the server is sentient, but something is either managing to conceal itself very well, or is performing rather precise and specific tasks with the server itself, which is highly abnormal, but -could- be the server acting on its own... Does the wall builder even work without nanites though?"

(Syntax) TO BE CONTINUED