This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#Snowscape – April 19, 2016
Jason remains in place, hands up, palms outward. He glances around at the others. "Nobody is implying we leave her. We just-... need to figure out what's going on." He bites his lower lip as he turns his attention back to Yan Sun. "Alright, you have our attention. Who-... or what are you? What do you want?"
Yan Sun turns her head towards Jason, although her palm remains aimed at Artullin. She's starting to look in pain, her face contorting and she's shaking slightly. "Last! Freedom-freedom-freedom-freedom. End-isolation."
Rala looks between the mercenaries, seeming to defer to them in this situation, a look of worry and confusion on her face still.
Jason sighs, a mixture of frustration and confusion on his face. "Freedom?" he glances back at the others, "What in the hell is this about? She found a wireless connection and as soon as she connected to it, she started flipping out. So something in this place's systems is causing this, right? How do we fix this" He makes no attempt at approaching Yan Sun, talking as if she isn't right in
front of him. His gaze settles on Artullin, thinking he's probably the most knowledgable in regards to what might be going on.
Ilyna keeps watching Yan Sun. A shimmer of biotic energy is starting to form around her, but she doesn't say anything. (Ilyna_T`Rea)
Jessica's glare turns to a look of concern as she looks back at Yan Sun. "Whatever it is, you have to push it out, kitty cat. Come on!"
Artullin shrugs faintly. "We need to disconnect her from the signal. I do not know how her implants operate, but there is a chance simply knocking her out will be enough to disconnect the signal. Or at least stop whatever is controlling her from acting." He glances to Wolfe. "Or we restrain her and try and locate the source within this facility."
Yan Sun 's attention turns back to the turian as soon as he speaks. "Try-again-or-amends!" She turns to Ilyna again. "Help-help-help-kin-of-mother. Seek-only-end-of-isolation." She starts to convulse violently before dropping to the floor with a thud, not moving.
Jessica quickly spins around and drops to her knees, eyes wide as she checks to make sure Yan Sun is still breathing.
Artullin lowers his rifle somewhat, keeping his distance. He hurms as she drops. "Well, that takes care of knocking her out," he says, perhaps quite distastefully. "But we should sweep the facility and locate whatever was transmitting. Leave the researchers behind and two guards. One in case the vorcha get brave, the other to keep an eye on her," he says, nodding to Yan.
Jason steps forward to try and reach out and keep her from falling, but there's no time for it. He winces as she hits the ground. "Is she okay!?" he asks, quickly moving to take a position beside Jessica. He looks up from Artullin to Ilyna. "We've got nowhere to go until that storm clears up. Whatever that was? We have to make sure it doesn't happen again." He gives Artullin a nod.
Yan Sun stirs and blinks. She plants a hand against the floor and sits up with a groan. "Hnngh..." Her eye's glow is blue once more.
Artullin remains quiet. He has, by this point, taken a few steps to Yan, his rifle now pointed at the ground.
Ilyna nods, but she doesn't give any respone other than that. Her biotic energy dissipates shortly after.
Yan Sun seems relieved to be in control again, and offers Jessica a small smile as if just to confirm that she's alright. As Jason asks the question she furrows her eyebrows, and tries to get back on her feet, wobbling a little. "I... connected to... there's something here. Someone."
Artullin hurms. "Sounded more of a something than a someone," he says. "Rogue VI? Possibly illegal AI research? No one to say what they can and cannot do." He then looks back to the doorway they came through. "Could even explain the vorcha. Perhaps they survived whatever occurred here and simply adapted to the environment."
Jason brings a hand to his forehead, shaking his head with a deep sigh. He nods as Artullin speaks up, pointing a finger at him. "Exactly what I was thinking. Whatever it is, we're stuck with it until this storm blows over." He looks back to Yan Sun as he climbs to his feet once more, "Are you going to be safe in here? You tried to connect to their systems, does this mean you're safe so
long as you stop fucking with their shit? Or are we going to have to figure out how to keep it from getting a handle on you again?"
Jessica stands back up alongside Yan Sun, giving her a hand in standing up. "Whatever it is, it has done enough damage in the past to give those vorcha cause to stop chasing us. And they pursued us even after we killed a fuckton of them... Maybe we should just stay by the entrance and leave at the first sign that the storm is starting to let up?"
Yan Sun barely seems to register what Jason is saying, and turns around to face the door she was approaching. She reaches out towards it. "We should go down." she says as the door interface spins around and then dances haphazardly away, still glitching in and out of existance. The door opens with a metallic groan to an elevator shaft.
Artullin turns towards the door, rifle half-raised. "We are not bringing her," he says. "We don't know the extent of this thing's capabilities. My previous suggestion still stands, Wolfe."
Ilyna sighs. "I think we should stay here until the storm is over," she says. "We can come back later when we have a vehicle and a team that's not injured or exhausted."
Jason blinks a few times, watching as Yan Sun opens the door. "Yeah. Right. Of course. Because that's not fucking creepy at all." He sighs and shakes his head as he turns to address Jessica's suggestion. "There's nowhere to go even if the storm does let up. Our best bet is to hunker down here until we can get word back to the basecamp so they can send someone to pick us up." After
hearing Artullin and Ilyna, he glances between them. "As much as I'd like to just stay right here, the truth is we have no idea how long comms will be down. Which means we don't know whether or not we'll even be able to get a message back to base before our suits run out of juice. I'm not a fan of waiting until the last minute to-... you know, try not to die." He glances over to Artullin,
"I don't like the idea of bringing her along if we head down, either. But we need someone to open any blocked doors for us. Is that within your skillset?"
Yan Sun stops briefly and blinks a couple of times. She looks to Jason. "I-... sorry. I meant-... I know where to go. I'm still connected." She still seems a bit discombobulated.
Ilyna tilts her head. "What about the injured, and the researchers?" she asks. "Are we all going down there with her?"
Athassa limps into the room where the others are, wincing a little but going on regardless. "I'm-... what's happening?"
Plask goes over to the corpse, kneeling down and looking it over, in addition to the environment suit the dead asari was wearing.
Jason gives a shake of his head. "Like Artullin suggested, I think one or two of us should stay up top. Make sure those vorcha don't come back." He glances towards Yan Sun and shakes his head. "Sorry, but I don't give a fuck if you know where to go. You're going to stay as far as possible from whatever's down there. And disconnect right fucking now." he says pointedly, "We'll figure
Ilyna nods. "I can stay, yes," she says before turning to Athassa, moving over to her side to support her. "You shouldn't be walking."
Yan Sun frowns. "I don't think it's hostile..." she says, not sounding particularly keen on staying behind. "I can help."
Jessica nods a few times. "I don't mind staying behind." she says, glancing over to the elevator door, "As a matter of fact, I'd prefer it." she says with an uncomfortable smirk.
Artullin checks his ammo count in his weapon. He looks to Yan and shakes his head. However, he remains silent, sure that Jason will deny her again.
You can help by disconnecting from this network and staying behind. I'm not going to argue with you. Whatever is down there is clearly dangerous, whether it's hostile or not. Me and Artullin will make sure it's safe. If it is? You can come down and have a look. Deal?
Yan Sun gives Jason a brief glare before nodding. "Fine." she says before stepping out of the way of the door to the elevator shaft, going over to Jessica's side.
Jessica looks over to Yan Sun, seeming a little uneasy. "Did-.... did you disconnect, kitty cat?" she asks in a whisper.
Jason gives a quick look over his weapon as well. "Alright, then it's settled. Let's get down there and see what this place has in store for us." he says with a sigh as he approaches the elevator door, looking inside. "Keep us updated, Ilyna. If anything happens-..." he glares pointedly at Yan Sun, "...You call for us and we'll be back as soon as we can."
The elevator sits two floors down, the ceiling of it has an access hatch. The shaft itself has a ladder on the side to climb down.
Ilyna frowns. "You should have called me over to help you up," she says. She then looks at Jason, and nods. "I'll do that."
Jessica glares at Yan Sun, furrowing her brow. "Disconnect. Now. Why in the hell would you want to stay connected to that thing after what just happened!?" she says, making no attempt at keeping her voice down.
Athassa winces slightly from pain but then gives a small smile. "It-... it is not so bad. I did not want to be a hinderance." She glances at one of the sealed doors. "Would you help me sit d-..." she startles slightly as Jessica shouts at Yan Sun.
Jason turns back as he hears Jessica raising her voice. "Is she-..." he begins before redirecting his attention to Yan Sun, "...Are you still connected? What did I say!? Disconnect. You literally just attacked me two fucking minutes ago. What in the hell is wrong with you!?"
Artullin turns back around. He keeps his rifle lowered, but his stance shifts to one ready to snap his weapon up.
Yan Sun takes a step back, puttin her hands up defensively. "Okay, okay!" She closes her eyes for a moment, and when she opens them the glow is gone. "There! Disconnected, o-okay?!" she says, gaze moving between Jason and Jessica, her voice a bit shaky.
Artullin glares at her suspiciously. "You're surprisingly eager to keep going for someone who was just invaded by an unknown who's potentially hostile...".
Jessica folds her arms across her chest, turning sharply to face Yan Sun as if the trust has just drained from her. "What is going on?"
Ilyna starts walking towards the corner to their right once they enter the room, taking slow steps. She doesn't get involved in the argument going on.
Jason lets out an exasperated sigh. "We don't have time for this. Once our suits lose power, we're all as dead as she is." he says with a nod towards the corpse in the corridor. "If she acts up, restrain her and contact us." He sighs and looks pointedly at Yan Sun once again, "Let us do our job. We can't keep you safe if you're going to keep putting yourself in danger." He glances over at
Artullin and waves for him to follow as he approaches the elevator door once more. As he reaches it, he steps out onto the ladder and makes sure it's good and sturdy.
Yan Sun starts to look frustrated at first as she returns Artullin's glare, but when her attention moves to Jessica it quickly fades, and her gaze falls to the floor. She nods once Jason speaks and opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. She has a confused frown on her face as she steps back against the wall, sliding down it until she's sitting.
Jessica continues glaring at Yan Sun. "With pleasure..." she responds to Jason, both frustrated and slightly hurt that Yan Sun would continue putting them all in danger. She makes no attempt at approaching Yan Sun as she walks away, simply opting to take a position at the wall opposite of her. Her glare persists.
The ladder seems sturdy, although the thin layer of ice that covers the rungs means it is also slippery.
The elevator shaft is dark, only faintly lit up by what light streams through from the room above, which in turn is lit by a flickering, frost-covered set of pale white lights in the ceiling. The red glow of the haptic interface for the door of the floor below can be seen as well.
Jason reaches out and grasps the ladder tightly, swinging his weight onto it with a grunt. "Careful." he says as he begins his slow descent, "A lot of ice." As he reaches the bottom, he slowly steps off onto the top of the elevator and activates his helmet's light. "Alright, Yan Sun." he begins over comms, "You said you knew where to go? Give us the short version. I'm on top of the elevator
Artullin grips onto the ladder and swings onto it. He clambers down it and steps onto the elevator, bringing his rifle stock back to his shoulder. His light flickers on as he gazes around.
Yan Sun lets out a quiet sigh and activates her comms. "I don't know. I disconnected. It was showing me."
Jason crouches down beside the hatch and attempts to pull it open. "That's fine with me. We'll figure out where we're going. What did you see while you were hooked up?" he asks over comms.
Artullin grunts. "Then we'll find our own way," he says to Jason. "I've got enough for one more drone. I could use Scope and see how much of this place it could map out." He then shrugs. "Or I can save the power for a combat drone... in case we run into any resistance."
Yan Sun doesn't respond right away, as Jessica's glare distracts her. After a moment's hesitation her voice comes back on comms, sounding rather resigned. "There's a hydrothermal generator. Bottom floor."
Jason plants his boots onto the side of the hatch, giving a grunt as he strains against the top of the elevator. He doesn't quite use his synthetic arms to their full extent, but he pulls quite hard.
There is a loud creak as the hatch breaks off the hinges, no doubt due to being frozen all the way through. The elevator beneath is empty, and the door locked.
Jessica frowns as she takes a seat up against the wall, eyes still locked on Yan Sun. "I don't know what's going on with you, kitty cat. But this is not you...." she says, extending one leg out and resting her hand on her knee.
Yan Sun meets Jessica's gaze, but it quickly moves to the wall. "I was just trying to help. I-... it was explaining..."
Jason stumbles backwards a bit as the hatch comes off before looking to Artullin with a grin. "No problem." he says before tossing the hatch aside and pulling his Revenant back out. He shines his light down into the hatch, "Go ahead and take point. We should probably save the power in case we need it later. No telling what might be down here. It will be our fallback option."
Jessica shakes her head. "It was controlling you. It made you attack him... Do you even know what it is?"
Artullin nods once to Jason, shouldering his rifle and taking a step forwards. He drops into the hatch and lands on his feet with a grunt. He sweeps his rifle around, an instinctive reflex. "All good." He examines the door.
Rala is walking around the room, studying the environment suits and the design with fascination, her fear mostly gone in the face of this new discovery. "I wonder what this place was..."
Plask emerges from the corridor, looking to Ilyna and trying to get her attention with a faint grunt.
Ilyna sits down beside her. "How are you holding up?" she asks before looking up at the Vorcha. "Yes?"
Athassa lets out a faint chuckle, clearly still in pain, but seeming more concerned about the overall situation. "I will be fine... provided we get out of here alive."
Jessica sighs and shakes her head. "It doesn't matter what it is. You attacked Wolfe. They were going to EMP you." she says, sounding frustrated, "And you chose to stay connected to that-... thing. What if it would have made you do attack them again? Then what? They might have killed you. Then what?"
Yan Sun blinks, looking a little unsettled. It's clear she hasn't really managed to think through the entirety of the situation yet. She lets out a faint sigh. "I... I don't know. It was-... I'm still... unscrambling my head."
Jessica continues to stare across the room at Yan Sun. "You don't know..." she repeats with a sigh and a roll of her eyes, "...Whatever."
The door powers down when Artullin tries to bypass the lock. The synthesized voice from earlier sounds in the elevator speakers: "Un-Un-Un-Unauthorized p-presence det-rrrrrrrrrrr-ected in base system-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-.... lab quar-r-r-r-rantine breached. Alertin-... gzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzrk-k-k-k-k-k-k-... VI shutdown command accepted. Goodbye."
Artullin hurms. "Well... all yours, Wolfe." He says as he stands up, scooping up his rifle and backing away from it.
Jason groans loudly. "Alright, step aside." he says, setting his Revenant against the wall as he approaches the elevator doors. He removes the blade from the sheath on his chest and atttempts to jab it into the crack of the door and create enough room to get a fingerhold.
The door reluctantly opens just wide enough to get a finger in. Orange light streams in from the crack.
Jason jams his fingers into the crack and begins inching it open until he can force the other hand in. With a loud groan, he attempts to force it open.
Ilyna frowns. "That's terrible," she says. "I suppose that means the VI wasn't doing it, though, which means we're not at risk of meeting the same fate by just being in here."