revivalproject | Ad-vent-ura

That, Cal certainly couldn't argue. He continued to eye the ceiling as they went along, as though he could trace their two metal friends just by sight. If only it worked that way.

"I wouldn't rule it out, anyway," he said carefully, frowning as he looked back at the tablet. "...not nearly as much as before. It's more of a normal level of anxiety. Comes with the whole being locked in with not much choice of where to go."

He paused. "...this place hasn't been used any time recently. If I had to go by what I've sensed, I'd say it's never been used by anyone before. There's been no trace of anything having been in here earlier than what I've picked up of Dustin and the Funfronds. Not that I believe this place has been empty all this time, there's got to be a purpose for it."

The vents didn't keep a parallel path to the two in the corridor for long. It veered off closer towards the walls, its own network going more along in vertical lines, ups and downs before crossing above. The lines forming from DATA's continual scans weren't too different from Donnie's maps, just in different directions.

...oh, and watch out for that drop, DATA.

'Normal level' did not do much to reassure Tony that Cal's sensitivity was to the volcano itself and thus behind them. Forced into yet another bunker with the threat that had sent him out of the city in the first place didn't seem to be making it worse, at least. Maybe someone more annoying had earned Wesker's focus. It was harder to believe this strict structure had been kept empty, making Tony glance around like he could point to some sign of life to say otherwise, before he was asking, "Is that something someone could do?" Maybe he should clarify. "Hide their...smell or whatever from you." It wasn't something Tony would have thought to account for. How exactly he was going to start doing that now would have to be a plan for another time, because a distant, thudding sound came from somewhere beyond the wall, and Tony startled and swiped at his screen in time to see the flickering of the spinning camera, and occasional shattering of static as DATA bounced off of the walls.

"Wesker's not part of it," Cal felt he had to clarify. "So long as we're sheltering here, he shouldn't be a threat." Hopefully. Cal couldn't do anything if anyone somehow instigated anything with the guy.

He closed his eyes to try getting a brief sense of their surroundings, shaking his head slowly. "I'm not sure. But otherwise whoever made and used this place was emotionally dead or ...droids." That wasn't something he'd previously considered, ironic when the war he'd fought had been against armies of them.

"But there's another layer to it. I've felt it before. I think...it was on the Agrii ship." It was a little hard trying to place it. Those memories were only slightly clearer than a dream, another lifetime that had manifested only once he'd found himself back in the city. "It's not something I can sense unless I really focus, but if it were that prevalent, I would've been worse off than I'd felt while things were stewing before the eruption."

He blinked at the sound then, looking towards the wall before glancing towards Tony and the display. Oh, that didn't look good.

BD-1 squealed in alarm as his exploration buddy vanished over an edge. Activating his light, he ran over to it to peer downwards with a cautiously inquiring hoot.

At least the drop hadn't been that high, and once the droid spied where the surface below was, he hopped down, slowing his descent with his rear boosters.

Tony couldn't imagine what gave Cal the confidence to make this claim about Wesker, earning him a raised lip of disbelief, because Tony certainly hadn't figured out the man's motivations. He had to admit the attitude was better than Cal running scared, though.

DATA was clattering on the screen, all of his legs out again to reorient himself as BD-1 made his more controlled landing, reaching out and touching each of the walls in a web until he was satisfied. Then he was rolling again like nothing had happened. After a beat, Tony acknowledged, "You don't think BD has emotions?" That couldn't be right. Maybe it would sound less like an accusation if Tony also affirmed, "Those shields that are protecting the equipment, we saw those on the ship as well. Definitely Atroma work."

"We've come to an agreement," Cal said. "Neither of us want any trouble here, especially being stuck under circumstances beyond our control."

He tipped his head, considering how to answer that question as he eyed the wall, listening for any further signs of alarm. "...he has plenty of emotions. And an attitude," he laughed. "But it doesn't imprint the same way. The impressions I pick up tend to be tied to objects, but if something big has occurred in a given place, that's easier to pick up as well. ...usually on the more negative spectrum of emotions." Those unfortunately clung a lot harder to places all too easily.

"I don't like it, that general feeling that's just hanging around. It means nothing good for anyone, which is really reassuring when we don't have anywhere else to go. But it's a passive feeling, part of the structure, maybe some residual intent?"

On the other side of the wall, BD-1 almost gave something like a chortle as he watched DATA reorient himself. The spherical drone was definitely sturdy, and as he continued rolling onward, BD-1 followed without much objection. Eventually they'd come upon a portion of shielding, an overlap through the wall from where machinery stood in the adjacent room, curving through the wall where the droids were. Still no sign of where it was being generated, unfortunately, though it also didn't render the rest of the vent impassable at least.

Knowing something about the intent would have actually been very useful, so Tony ventured, "Could you sense what it's for then? Maybe if we got you some of those crystals, and a yoga mat?" He clearly had some confidence in reading Wesker's intent, because Tony wouldn't say the circumstances Cal had defined were any different down here than they were up in the fresh air. An underground structure this size didn't get made without some serious intent.

And maybe it would have helped DATA better understand what he was tapping at. It didn't look like much until he had bounced off of it, but extending a needle toward the obtrusion was met with resistance, and a dancing of light around the point. This repeated no matter how quickly he tapped. He was still hammering a steady beat to shimmering effect when he rolled his camera inquisitively on BD-1.

"Not sure that'd be enough, but then I haven't even gone near the caves since that one time," Cal admitted, grimacing a little. "I haven't experimented much with crystals outside of using one for the lightsaber I made here though. Think it'd help?"

BD-1 cocked his head at the shield, nothing he hadn't already seen back in the hallways, but he scanned it anyway before he came closer to apply a foot to it. Was the shielding consistent? Shame there wasn't anything he could scomp into to turn the annoying things off!

Eventually he hops back, giving another beep before he moved around DATA, looking to continue onward.

Anything would be more productive than the lightshow DATA was putting on for them, making Tony squint and raise his free hand to shield his eyes despite being reluctant to look away from the screen as he answered, "Couldn't hurt. Things have got a kind of resonance with us. Some kind of inverse relationship to the storms--there you go." DATA was inching around the shield to follow after BD, back to his dedicated measuring.

"That's true," Cal mused, nodding thoughtfully. "Well, if you have any stockpile, I'm all for trying." It sounded far better than actively being in that cave, not that such was an option at the moment anyway.

Meanwhile BD-1 moved along, finding that their narrow pathway was angling back up again. He paused to glance back at DATA, trilling a head's up in case the other wasn't paying attention again before he started up to something closer in relation to the hallway ceilings again.

"Wasn't exactly on my packing list," Tony admitted, muttered as he scanned the ceiling like he could pinpoint where the synthetics had gotten to now. DATA had taken BD's warning as an invitation to happily speed up close to him, and most of his feed was the droid's feet scuttling along. "Do you have that lightsaber with you? There's a start. Could start asking around, other people must have made a few batteries, too," Tony said, giving up on trying to see through the walls. Several of the scientifically-inclined kids definitely had a few crystals on them, though instead of saying that outright, Tony asked, "Did you talk to Pete?" His focus only lasted for a second on Cal before it was drawn back to the screen, where DATA seemed to have discovered personal space and was standing still, considering a junction with incredible intensity. There was air blowing in two directions, the constant whisper that had been with them since entering the vent easily buffeted by a stronger gust from up another ramp.

"Fair enough," Cal nodded. He knew he wouldn't have thought to bring such things. He was glad he usually kept his most important things together, so at least that much hadn't been something to worry about. He reached behind him, unhooking the lightsaber from his belt. "Right here."

He paused at the other question, shaking his head. "Didn't get the chance," he admitted.

BD-1 peered one way and then another once DATA stopped. The thin line of his active scanning traced along one way and then the other for as far as he could see before looked at the spherical bot. Then he jerked his boxlike head towards the ramp with a hoot.

The crystals didn't seem to have the same effect on Tony, blowing a fuse at best if they had a chance of overloading his system like they seemed to with Donnie and Jon, so he didn't really know what the ideal interaction with them was and went, "Hm," at the lightsaber like it might be able to tell him. Keeping one next to his heart in the Iron Man hadn't given him magical powers. Luckily. "How did you fix it, when it made everything glow?"

DATA did not need much encouragement to go speeding ahead up the ramp, undeterred by the present possibility that he might bounce off of another wall, or pitch over a ledge. Those things were going to happen anyway, so the speed at which he did them didn't actually matter. It was a speed that did have Tony going, "Uh...," hand raised to stall Cal from answering while he watched the blurred walls through DATA's feed, then swiped quickly to try to see how rapidly the map was managing to update. It was definitely a few feet behind, the process stuttering, but made for a very clear, straight line across the stiffly parallel tunnels they were trapped in.

BD-1 couldn't roll, but he still moved pretty fast on his tiny pedes, skittering after DATA with almost a gleeful trill.

"Where are they going...?" Cal wondered aloud as he watched the tablet attempt to keep up with their two metal companions' progress. And why so fast, but he knew BD had the tendency to run off ahead whenever he found something interesting, and if the live feed had been anything to go by, DATA was even worse.

"I didn't really fix it. It still makes things glow when it's activated." He flipped the dual-ended hilt around, igniting the amber-colored blade of light with the brush of a thumb.

Wherever it was must have been incredibly interesting, which was just about everything to DATA, who would have hurried to observe the pressure fractures on an old mattress. Unfortunately, Tony was not going to find out any time soon what banality had inspired his robot, because he got as far as, "Oh," at the flare of amber light, only then noticing that his screen had gone black.

DATA, meanwhile, had no indication that the tenuous wireless connection that Tony had rigged for him was so easily overcome, and continued his scanning blissfully uninterrupted. There was a sound from this direction as well, a vibration in the ventilation as the air pressure built and exhaled past his metal shell, making a steady pulse for DATA to aim toward.

Chaaaarge..! BD-1 was having a ball, and not just because he was following one! This was the most excitement he'd had in days. It was tough to beat a volcanic eruption but Cal wouldn't let him stay to watch.

As DATA tumbled onward and upwards, the exploration droid beeped out something that sounded suspiciously like a tune, providing their own daring soundtrack as they raced towards... well, wherever they were going. Was this a stealth mission? Cal hadn't really said, but then he had said that no one else seemed to be around but them and the plant people.

Cal, upon seeing Tony's tablet screen blank out on him, immediately shut his lightsaber off with a wince. "Was that me?"

"No, I should have...made it better," Tony muttered, already focused on trying to bring the feed back online before they entirely lost track of their metallic explorers. They were still going fast, until abruptly they weren't; another junction opened up, and DATA's flicking camera barely registered movement to his right in time for him to try to put on the brakes, far too late. He veered and went pinging off of the walls in an attempt to manage his momentum, legs peeking out to try to grab, only to dart back in before any of them were crushed against the vent. It was something sticky on the floor beneath him that finally dragged him to a proper stop, and smeared across his polished dome.

That was only mildly relieving, but all the same, Cal tucked the lightsaber away again, still watching as Tony tried to reestablish connection.

BD-1's song abruptly cut off as he registered DATA's dilemma, but the spherical bot was too fast for him to catch up. As he went pinballing off of the walls of the vent, the little droid beeped frantically in alarm. But finally DATA came to a halt, BD-1 darting over with a flurry of inquiring sounds.

He paused, scanning the goop that was all over the other, head angling downwards as he scanned whatever traces were left along the vent floor itself. Huh! Some sort of organic substance? Where did it come from? The droid hooted thoughtfully as he looked around the vent. Were those sounds he was picking up? Hopping over to DATA, BD did his best to avoid the mess on the ground and on the ball himself as he brought a toe up to tap at that domed body.

DATA didn't have his own voice to respond, only the slow extension of his legs to carefully search for an unblemished surface to touch down and start tapping in acknowledgement. His camera rolled toward BD-1, shuttered slowly, then darted to aim back the way they had come and the junction where he had captured the image of a Barry. He had to lift himself up out of the dark sap, his eye dropping toward it as he stretched clear then went scuttling out of its range. There were streaks through it now where DATA had disturbed it, but it hadn't been an organic puddle. There was a pattern in it that DATA did his best to interpret as his legs carried him back toward the junction.

With little warning of his intent, BD-1 squawked in surprise as DATA started at him, jumping back as the other skittered past. He followed after, dancing between the gobs of sap until it was clear enough, pausing a moment as he watched, but soon enough he was racing after DATA again. Going back and forth was standard procedure, so at least the droid wasn't going to offer any complaints.

There was a Barry waiting for them, watching DATA's delicate approach and BD-1 bouncing after him. When DATA paused briefly in front of the plant guard, they assessed each other roundly. There was definitely something new beyond the Barry, so DATA's eye was darting again, and he made a very gentle attempt to manoeuvre his way around the guard, with his full strength, and all of his legs, not particularly discouraged by the frustrated tapping of the Barry. He could tap, too! DATA also was not discouraged by the fact that he was just making random noises. That was clearly what they both were doing.

Oh! A tiny local. BD-1 slowed as he came up behind DATA, chirping a greeting at the little guy. He watched the strange interaction between the two, head tipping in consideration. He even scanned the Barry as the tap wars went on.

Hm. What was it trying to say? The droid cocked his head again. They didn't seem random or merely frustrated knocks. BD-1 wasn't sure what else to make of it though, although he did offer an inquisitive borble. Looking down the way the Barry was...guarding? he moved to carefully try maneuvering around them to scan the tunnel beyond.

The vent was not designed to accommodate all three bodies abreast, and DATA was not getting any new information from the noises they were sharing. Everyone needed to stop, so DATA helped by tangling several legs in BD-1 again, and trying to scoop another around the Barry so they could all be very still for him to take plenty of pictures of the tunnel beyond, and the delicate pulley structures that he could see shivering up another vent.

The droid gave an indignant sound at being caught up in DATA's legs again, giving an experimental wiggle before dropping his head with an exasperated tone. He wanted to see too!! His new situation was not going to keep him from beaming his own scanning light down and as far as he could manage.

Eventually, enough didn't happen that DATA accepted that he could release this party and move on to the next thing to record. He did this by retracting all of his legs and dropping back onto the ground, where he rolled back a few feet with a sticky sound as the sap that was left on him clung to the vent and left new prints behind. DATA stopped to consider them, then BD-1 like the droid might be able to explain this development, before rolling very quickly in a tight circle to leave more, slowly fading impressions. Tony would like to know what they looked like, surely.

Oh, gross. BD had been in all sorts of terrains and exposed to swamp water and sea but he still had no wish to partake of the sticky mess DATA had found himself in. He stepped back, watching the round bot circle about, glancing at the Barry before twittering and heading back the way they'd backtracked, mindful of the gooey tracks DATA had left from his initial passing.

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