let's get dangerous ][ closed

[baguablade]

Who: Cain (baguablade), Koltira (respired), & A2 (atwo)
What: sneaking into the Institute
When: early January
Where: Olympia
Warning(s): n/a

[ Cain's a big fan of finding out all the dirty little secrets going on in the background of a prosperous nation. It's something of a personal stake to him, a painful reminder of his past. He hadn't needed an offer of a reward, though he hadn't agreed to take this task on for free, when Cree had approached him with it. He probably would have done it on his own anyway, but he has no intention of giving up secrets to Cree so easily, not when he still doesn't trust the man. Still, it'd been an easy sell. Find out what sort of corruption is lurking in Olympia's shining streets. He doesn't want to see another kingdom fall the way his had. Not that he's letting on about that particularly personal motive to his two co-conspirators.

No, the reasons he's given are much more practical, though they're also true: the Institute is the source of Violet, and it's dangerous not to know why the virus was developed, or what else is going on in the Institute's halls.

It hadn't taken much convincing to get Koltira and A2 on board with sneaking in and finding out as many answers to all their questions as possible.

Armed with a helpfully provided map, a couple "borrowed" uniforms, and a well-used lockpick that Cain's produced from his pocket, Cain crouches beside the door they'd been assured would be left unguarded for a few minutes. As he works at the lock, he reminds his companions, not for the first time, of a few of their mission's basic rules. ]

Remember, no killing. If we run into anyone and I can't talk our way out, just knock them out. [ He pauses to slant a very pointed glance at Koltira, hovering over his shoulder. That means you, mister. ] We're here to find answers, not hurt anyone. Hopefully we can manage to keep anyone from finding out we were ever here.

Comments

[respired]

[ Koltira shrugs in a 'hell if I know' kind of way. He isn't an engineer. ]

I cannot say. Such things are beyond my expertise. But perhaps we should take it, and think on it later.

[ He glances back down the corridor, his long ears twitching. ]

It is not wise for us to tarry here.

[atwo]

Destroy it.

[ her tone is flat when she says it and she glances away. any sort of machine or robot that isn't an android is an enemy in her eyes.

of course, she isn't going to snatch what cain has. in fact, she won't even throw the parts she has away as she drops it on the ground instead. no need to get her hands dirty with that. ]

I agree. We should move on.

[baguablade]

—destroy it?

[ He gives A2 a completely bewildered look. She hasn't told him the difference between androids and machines in her eyes, and he doesn't understand why she's so quick to destroy something that might be the same as her, a machine that could have its own humanity — or the potential for it. It's hard to say how far the experiment's gone from what seems to be scrap parts, but that's all the more reason not to just destroy the automaton as the researchers had intended.

He crouches to gather up the parts A2's dropped, clearly intending to take them along with him; they're both right, of course, they can't risk lingering. ]

If we do that, we can't figure out what they're up to. [ There's no time to ask why A2'd spoken with such vehemence, not right now. ] And we're lucky, they won't notice this missing since they were going to throw it out anyway.

[respired]

[ Koltira has no opinion as to whether or not the thing should be destroyed; he isn't an engineer, and he can't tell what purpose those miscellaneous parts would even serve. ]

I leave that matter to the two of you. I know nothing of automatons.

[ Magic swirls again about his feet. He looks to the hallway, his ears twitching. ]

But we must go. Now.