[Log] Forward-dated to the dead of night... Who: Tieria Erde, Ribbons Almark, Regene Regetta, Hiling Care, Revive Revival When: Late evening, Day 90 Where: Sector 3, undisclosed location. Warnings: Rainbow text.
It was time.
Prepared for the cold, Tieria stood silently in a shadow, watching, waiting. The bots were more sparse in this area, so it was more likely they'd find one alone. As long as they avoided the taser, they should be fine as far as disabling it. What they needed was to prevent it from moving and calling back to Acumen for help without completely disabling the communications protocols.
He looked at the time on his communicator. One should by on its regular round soon. He checked back at the others to make sure they were ready. As he did, he heard the telltale mechanical sound of one rolling towards them in the alleyway.
This was it.
Much as Ribbons loathed to go back to those days where he had to follow orders, it had become imperative to see this plan through. The risk was unimaginable but it was one they had to take. If they were able to find a way out, then all the better. If not... No.
This was no time to be thinking of failure. There was no room for that. Shutting out all the other little noises from around the dome , he focused on the presence of his fellows, and the incoming whirring sound of that one lone bot.
He cast a look around: the street, the buildings and the Innovades that were with him. It was surreal and almost ideal at the same time, seeing them all together like this -- save for one, but they would have to do without her.
He then looked to Tieria, waiting for his signal...
If Ribbons had any sense, he wouldn't rebel for quite a while. The reversal of roles was quite entertaining, now he thought about it, though best left for later. He can simultaneously keep an eye on him and function quite efficiently. It was hardly a new concept, after all.
The sounds were much closer now. After a quick glance in Tieria's direction, he stepped toward the bot with a smile on his face and asked, "May I make a request?".
As far as Hiling was concerned, she was still working for Ribbons and doing what he wanted, regardless of who was actually in charge of the operation. She quietly waited by his side until it was her turn to act.
When the time came, she moved in behind the bot while Regene distracted it. She took a breath and grappled it, quickly restraining its limbs so as to avoid any retaliation by taser and holding it in place. Getting it inside would require some help.
Revive had arrived the same time as Ribbons and Hiling, though still avoiding Ribbons what little he could at the moment. He was also waiting for it to be his moment to act.
He made his move when Hiling made hers, aiding in grappling with bot to restrain it, avoiding the taser. He was also able to help her with moving it with how much it was trying to get away. It just didn't know what was good for it.
Tieria's eyes started to glow as he went to help get the robot inside. As soon as they had made their grab, he started the process of hacking in. They needed to act quickly to disable the robot's ability to move, retaliate, and call for help without disabling the connection to Acumen they needed to access further or shutting down the power.
They also needed to act fast. Their practice sessions for endurance and coordinating their link ups had only been able to last twenty minutes at most before exhausting them completely. They'd only have one chance.
Once inside the building, Tieria sat down somewhat heavily on the floor. The connection was already taking a toll on his body's energy. With the others, it wouldn't tire him out as much, but it was enough. Staying on the floor for now meant he wouldn't fall as far if they ended up passing out.
Ribbons paid no real mind to Revive's presence -- he was being useful after all.
While had expected more of a fight from the bot, it was perhaps normal that it got overwhelmed physically and internally. He cast an approving look at Hiling as he followed inside, activating his link and using the door opened by Tieria.
He kept his connection gradual and was still able to stand -- enough to build upon the one that had been set and to be able to prod further and deeper into Acumen's systems. With what he saw, it was not definitely not something that can be done by oneself -- let alone a single human doing some hacking.
Now this was more like it. Tiring as it was -- even already, what a pain -- Regene was quite enjoying not having to exercise so much restraint. Were it not for some of his present company, he'd almost call it comforting. He focused on stability for now. They afford to be careless now, could they? Keeping half an eye on Ribbons wasn't too distracting, for now.
Credit where credit was due, this was taking much more effort than he'd like to admit.
With the robot successfully captured and subdued, Hiling moved back towards Ribbons. She smiled with the knowledge of a job well done, but it wasn't over yet. Her Quantum Brainwaves joined the others' to strengthen the connection, while watching the network for those who would attempt to hinder their progress. She knew just what to do if, and when, that happened. Her concentration was on the mission, but she still allowed her hand to brush lightly against his. She was confident nobody could stop them.
Now that they had gotten the bot under control, Revive also joined the group in using his Quantum Brainwaves to hack through the system. However, at the same time, he was doing something else. He was attempting block any interference this would have with his twin. She didn't need to be bothered with this.
As Tieria had found out, the security algorithm was a rotating one. It wasn't going to be easy to get past. Even without having experienced the one Lain had, Tieria had a feeling this one was going to be harder to get through. Still, with the bot under their control, they had that advantage, at least. It was a matter of pulling the right passkey from the system without triggering suspicion.
"The bot should have the access code," he told the others through the link. "We will likely only have a few tries before we're locked out."
Lightly, Ribbons' fingers twined with those of his twin and he eventually held onto her hand as he had seen the daunting task that lay ahead of them. Without needing to be told, Ribbons took to the task of carefully picking at the bots memory banks like a locksmith...
If he had been able to hack through VEDA's mainframe then this would be a similar -- and eerily familiar -- exercise.
While quietly acknowledging Tieria's word of warning, he would be making enough leeway but he would need support -- if he opened the door, someone else would have to step in and retrieve the correct code.
Little by little, they were finally getting somewhere. It was terribly unfortunate that the closer they got, the more he felt the need to shift his focus elsewhere.
As he prepared to enter, Regene let out a few words of warning. "Now Ribbons," as condescendingly as he could manage through the link, "this is a group exercise, don't forget."
Condescending remarks weren't going to get them anywhere and were best ignored. As much as she wanted to retort, it would only cause undue tension and they were all under a great deal of stress already. Instead, she would quietly let Regene know that he, too, was being watched.
Hiling had completed her task of blocking outside access as best she could and set to going in and acquiring the necessary code. She squeezed Ribbons' hand as she began sorting through the database, knowing she had to work quickly, and before long she had found what she was looking for. The code that would allow access to the Dimensional Stabilizer was then transferred to Tieria, allowing Hiling to return to watching the network.
While everyone else was working on getting through the system, Revive had taken up a different goal. He was working backwards to cover their tracks as much as possible. Since not all of them would be leaving, it was best to hide the identities of the hackers especially since Tieria had tipped off the Defense Force. At least this way, nothing could be proven though the one he'd told - Lacus would probably still have her suspicions of who had done this.
The code received, Tieria shifted his attention away from the comments and remarks. He kept his concentration on the task at hand instead of the quips and taunts between those he was working with. It was a waste of time and energy.
Submitting the code, he mentally crossed his fingers that Hiling had gotten the right one. Sure enough, they were in. It was only a matter of time now before they either tired out or Acumen detected unusual activity.
"Let's go," he said, then dove in. Inside was a large database. Most of the entries were hidden to them, as if they could only see their own. Tieria skipped through the ones he couldn't see, finding a unique number in his own entry. "A dimensional code..." he muttered. It seemed almost too simple. Yet, it made sense. That was the code he needed to locate. He looked to make sure Regene could find his own. They'd need to find those two to get out.
Ribbons wondered as to how Regene still had the energy -- and the gall -- for taunts, whereas they were in the middle of doing something much more important. He held onto Hiling's hand, doing his best to focus, all the while fighting the oncoming signs of fatigue. He would have sat down as Tieria did, but he felt that he might just succumb to sleep if he did. Might as well be on his feet as it were...
At Tieria's signal, Ribbons followed. Almost obediently, he supported the search for the dimension matching the code. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack -- daunting, but perhaps doable for those like them.
Importance is, in fact, a subjective matter; and Regene decidedly did not regret giving the reminder, even if he quite quickly had to join Tieria on the floor. Well, at least it was clean.
Finding where to go seemed like such a tedious task, and frankly he was quite glad to be in a more passive, supportive role. It was a shame they had to remain focused on a single goal, he could have spent decades looking through Acumens system more closely.
They were getting closer now, at last. Good thing, too. The effects of the limitations were quite rudely making themselves known.
Hiling intended to remain standing along with Ribbons as much as she could, though she did need to lean on him for support. She let out a small whine with the effort it was taking. There didn't seem to be much time left, but if they kept up their pace, despite the onset of exhaustion, they could make it. The more they progressed, the more manageable the search became.
Having made sure to cover their tracks up until that point and deciding that his efforts would be better used with what the others were doing, Revive turned to helping them sort through the quite numerous possibilities of where their home could lie. He was, however, feeling the effects of this and decided to sit down as well.
With each of them being from just slightly different points in the timelines, it was going to be difficult to pinpoint exactly where they needed to go. Granted, for all intents and purposes, Hiling, Revive, and Ribbons really couldn't go back to the exact points they had come from. Tieria knew that, and he knew Regene knew that as well. Ribbons had expressed he was aware of that fact, but Tieria wasn't quite sure how much Hiling and Revive truly understood about that fact.
For the time being, he focused on what he remembered about when he had come from. Only Regene could find his own point in the timeline, as there might have been details Tieria wasn't aware of. If he remembered correctly, Regene was from slightly in Tieria's future.
There... He could spot it... That was where he needed to go.
Hilling leaning was taken considerably well, though tension was rising in Ribbons' body. It was only through sheer willpower that he was still able to stand. It was only a matter of time and --
There it was.
It was as if a chasm opened up from beneath his feet, reflecting the abyss that had been buried in his heart all along. There it was: the one thing that he wanted, and the one thing that had been taken away from him.
The finding was enough to distract him from fatigue's onslaught. How can he forget? How can he pretend -- lie -- to himself to have turned his back on that one goal for a so-called 'new life' in this hell-hole of a prison? How can he settle for a mockery of what he once had in the palm of his hand?
The monsters, the personal attacks, the questions, the scrutinizing, the helplessness -- he will have no more of them.
What he will have, was right there. And so he moves -- and there was no mistake on where he was going, on his intent.
Regene easily picks up on what he has to do next, and suddenly finds that his earlier warning was not only necessary, but is being completely ignored.
"Ribbons! What do you think you're doing?!" If he had his say, Ribbons should not have come at all, and that Tieria should have learned his lesson -- something about fooling once or twice.
They were faced with a Catch-22, but he realizes the consequences if Ribbons was left to his devices and so Regene chases after him. Alas, this takes a quick toll to his system and he feels compelled to slow down.
Damn you, Ribbons...
The moment Ribbons took off, Hiling dropped everything. The blocks she had carefully set up to deter security dissolved as she put all her remaining energy into going after her twin. Nothing else mattered.
"Ribbons!" She called out through the connection, desperately trying to get his attention. If he was going to escape, she was determined to go too.
Well... that wasn't good. Immediately as Hiling let those barriers fall, Revive was picking up on someone else in the system. It had to be the person that Tieria had mentioned: Lacus. Oh GREAT!
"Hiling!" He tried to hold Hiling back. The fact that Ribbons was so recklessly proceeding didn't sit right with him and he didn't particularly want Hiling to race off in a panicked state and make the situation worse.
Damn it! Tieria hadn't been watching close enough. All pretexts for caution had been thrown to the wind. If Acumen or Lacus detected them now, it wouldn't matter, but, if Ribbons replaced Tieria in their world, there could be hundreds of unimaginable consequences to the timeline. Not to mention any problems in the system from trying to insert a person through the portal who didn't belong there.
"Ribbons!" Tieria charged forward, not noticing Hiling until he heard Revive's yell. "I won't let you mess this up!" he yelled. He asserted himself over the link, pushing back to the front of the others in order to keep Hiling at bay and, in some back area of his mind, protect Regene and Revive from any backlash. If this didn't backfire because of Ribbons, Revive might have to take control to get Regene back to his point in the timeline in the next few minutes...
But, that wasn't going to be an issue.
Tieria couldn't reach Ribbons. He tried, certainly, reaching as far as he could, but it was looking like he was going to cross the threshold. Before they could confirm if he had, the backlash from the attempt flared out, and Tieria took the brunt of it because of his place in the link. A searing hot pain surged through his mind. He heard yelling... screaming... images flashed before him too quickly to comprehend... and then it went black.
For him, the link was severed. It wouldn't be long before the others were disconnected if they were unable to take control of it.
As far as Ribbons was concerned, there was no turning back. He had found what he wanted and he will pay any price to get it, the rest of them be damned as he moved forward into the system.
And then there was Hiling's voice...
Promise you'll stay?
He paid a look behind him, a fraction of a second's distraction as everything fell apart around him. All his promises -- to do good, to change, to live a new life -- turned to dust just as he did, drifting out and away from Marina and into the life that he wanted for himself...
I promise.
... and for no one else.
Much as he tried to race and reach for it, he had to pay the price for messing with a power more potent than his. The same backlash hit him hard, throwing him out of the system, and effectively knocking him out, his limp form crumbling to the floor.
Regene didn't like where this was going.
"Tieria, what are you doing?" But it wasn't soon enough. He watched the two of them disappear as their links were severed, not knowing the extent to which it had happened for either one. There was a moment of shock as the potential loss of his twin settled in, but it didn't last long.
They had to back out now before they ended up lost in the system or worse. His sense of self-preservation kicked in as he felt the exhaustion building faster now, and he backed out, letting Revive know he should do the same. Barely conscious once back completely in the physical, he saw Ribbons sprawled on the ground, eyes closed.
His eyes narrowed at his unconscious form. It would certainly be something to look forward to, but that would have to wait. The more pressing concern was that rest of them hadn't woken up.
"Ribbons!!" She had seen his intent to leave, and perhaps even felt it. But seeing him thrown out of the connection was both a relief and a grievance.
She barely had time to process her thoughts and emotions as she eventually found herself suffering the same backlash and pushed out of the systems. With a plaintive groan she fell oh her knees beside her twin like a lifeless doll. Her eyes barely focused on her twin's unconscious form as her lips moved, fighting to call him, to have him wake up...
The backlash hit Revive hard, but he didn't try to keep the connection. The attempt had failed and staying in the connection would have been futile. He nearly blacked out coming out of it, both from backlash and from exhaustion. Somehow he managed to stave that enough to see that Tieria, Ribbons and Hiling had blacked out. Exhaustion was too much, but he lay down on the floor, determined to stay conscious for as long as possible.
There was no way to know nor to predict what was to happen as it was all too sudden:
Ribbons vanished.
He vanished as if he were never there in the first place -- not even invisible. Was it part of the backlash? An anomaly? A curse? There was no way to know.
She could barely move, and used the bit of energy she had to bite her lip, forcing herself awake. "Rib...bons..." Her voice came out as barely a whine, seeing her twin disappear.
This can't be happening! She squeezed her eyes shut, in the last hopes of undoing the things she had just seen. Her eyes remained closed, however, as her consciousness drifted further and further away until to her, there was nothing.
Regene was sure they made quite the pathetic sight, collapsed on the floor like this. As it was, the longer spent watching the others succumb to exhaustion, the more he found he didn't care. Distantly, he was quite aware that it didn't matter whether they escaped or not now anyway. If they were lucky, the penalty would at least be inventive.
He was in the middle of imagining various ways Ribbons could be on the receiving of these potential punishments when he saw what looked an awful lot like Ribbons body vanishing. Were he in less exhausted, he might have been angry, or frustrated, or something along those lines. However, in his current state it was all he could do not to laugh at the irony before promptly passing out.
Revive had much the same idea as he lay there trying to hold off exhaustion and failing, watching Regene, the only other one who seemed to be conscious at least for the moment. It was anyone's guess what would happen now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that something was suddenly missing that had been there only moments before. Turning to look, he saw that Ribbons was gone. Of course he wasn't able to react as exhaustion took over and his eyes fell closed.