Warren Exploration - Forward Team

[tempredmental]

WHO: Keith, Tony, Cayde, Billy H, Eddie
WHERE: Warrens and into the new area
WHAT: EXPLORATION TIME
WHEN: During the event
WARNINGS: WELP... will update as this goes forward.

It was like someone had heard him and Cayde talking several weeks ago. The storm had escalated this time to the point of them needing to hide, so everyone that had still been in Temba was back in those deep warrens beyond the mines.

It was time...

Comments

Initial Starting Point

[tempredmental]

With the group decided, the team made their way past the first obstacle to get into the "secret" area behind the blocked down. For now, it looked like a very, very long corridor, similar in look and feel as the rest of the Warrens.

Time to walk... and walk...

[playingtough]

It had started with talking to Tony. That was supposed to be 'safe', Billy figured, wanting to talk to someone that understood cars like he did. Even to gush a little over the part that Tommy had gotten for him. It was a great gift that he hadn't allowed himself time to look over properly because it had been his boyfriend's birthday.

And somehow along the way in those talks, he was here, with this group that included Tony at least, and Munson, with his axe strapped to his back and the security datapoint's gun on his hip. Hopefully no one was nervous about Billy having weapons to go with his quick temper.

At least being upfront and chattering off and on with Tony about cars was keeping Billy in a decent mood. Especially since this tunnel was boring. So very boring. "So is this a mission from the aliens or some bullshit like that?" Billy supposes it beats carving out names on the Warren walls.

[deal_me_in]

"Nah, this one's all us," Cayde replies cheerfully. He's backtracked but whenever the way ahead dipped out of sight even just slightly, the Exo would run off ahead to presumably check things out before coming back to join them. The saying is 'no news is good news', but continually finding nothing thus far has been a bit boring.

"Last time we were down here, we didn't have the means to check things out because of those silly shields, right? Which clearly means something more's back there that someone doesn't want us to find. So...opportunity's come knocking- would be a shame not to bust down the door."

[the_freak]

"This place could really use one of those moving walkway things in the big airports," Eddie grumbles. They've sunk enough time into the walk already that turning back seems just as daunting as carrying on, but it's not going to stop him from complaining. "You think whoever built this stuff was making this kind of commute every time they needed to come down here?"

[tempredmental]

Keith couldn't argue with Eddie's thoughts on that one. This was a really long corridor. He was glad they'd gone back to get more supplies and some other people once they'd gotten the door open. He just listened to people chatting about how they'd decided to come down here, remembering back to helping Cayde with the bottles from the ships and them having the brainstorm that got them here. Thankfully, they had people who'd been involved in building the machine they'd needed to get through the forcefield, so that had worked out nicely.

Now, though, as he listened to some small talk, he was intrigued by the talk about a car, and he remembered that someone had managed to get their Camaro here. Not gonna lie, Keith was jealous. He wanted his hoverbike... he hadn't been able to use it in years...

The further in they got, though, the more he started to feel normal and less affected by the storm affects. At some point, the lights on his armor came back on, too.

"Oh, hey..." he was happy about that. Next to him, Kosmo gave a wag of his tail, indicating that he was feeling normal again, too. It wasn't long after that when they finally, after a couple hours of walking, reached a junction... except going straight or right were closed off by bulkheads behind forcefields again. There were no ways to access the bulkheads this time, though, which meant it wasn't worth trying to waste more charges of the Smoolsher to open up the forcefields.

The left path was open. Keith stared at it for a moment.

"This feels kind of convenient, doesn't it?" he said quietly.

[playingtough]

This really was a long corridor. Even Billy couldn't bite back at Munson that it wasn't so bad because it kind of was. There wasn't even any nice scenery to look at for him (he was the scenery for everyone else in his mind).

Every now and then, he glances back at the sound of the weird machine guy scampering off and back. Also to make sure that everyone else was keeping up. So far, so good. The talk about the cars drifts a little, from talking about needed parts, to necessary upgrades (no, the Camaro did not need a CD player), to roads, to California scenery.

That's when they all seemed to stop at the junction. He scowls at the closed off routes. "Yeah," Billy agrees with Keith, staring it down like it was going to magically jump out at them. It doesn't, and he heads through open way with a hand on the handle of his axe. Billy looks ahead and... doesn't really see anything that'd be considered dangerous. "C'mon. No sense in waiting around if the path is gonna be just as long."

But it's only when they all get through does the bulkhead snap down closed behind them. It definitely startles the blond, who plants his feet and grabs his axe out of habit. "What the hell?!"

[deal_me_in]

Cayde was inclined to agree as they were herded along. Sure, it's not like they'd been given much choice to begin with, but while he didn't particularly like the idea that they might be headed into a trap, he hopes at the very least that things would start to get interesting.

"Haha! Was wondering when something'd happen."

For having their way back abruptly blocked off, the Hunter still seems to be in good spirits.

[the_freak]

"Jesus H Christ-" Eddie startled away from the bulkhead, and sighed heavily, though really it wasn't all that unexpected.

"Okay, taking bets now, how long is this next part going to take us?" he asked, eying his watch as he started walking again. "I've got 2hrs."

Billy, Cayde, Keith

[tempredmental]

In which Billy thinks he runs the team, and Keith is doing his best not to be a disrespectful jerk.

[playingtough]

Billy certainly thinks that this robot guy can't pout, so color him a little surprised when he sees what can only be one on Cayde's face. Either way he heads down the path, listening for anything that might be lurking further down the path or something.

He's not entirely nervous about tunnels. No. Never.

There is a quick glance over at the other two as they walk, then eyes forward again. "So what kinda of places do you two come from?"

[deal_me_in]

Cayde doesn't look like he's taking much of anything seriously but he's on the alert as ever, and unseen, Sundance has her scans going in case anything of interest might come up.

He doesn't say anything as Billy seems to be taking his job Very Seriously. Ah, he knows the type. And he's been around long enough to know better than to try bossing anyone like that around, not that Cayde's much of a bossy person. He's more of a go-with-the-flow kinda guy.

"Oh, you know, nice bit of a city on Earth. That's only when I'm stuck with paperwork, otherwise I'm out and about. Used to travel everywhere in the Sol System before I got saddled as Hunter Vanguard."

[tempredmental]

Keith and Kosmo were walking ahead of the group, and, now that it seemed the storm wasn't affecting his armor and bayard, Keith had called the blade into existence. A quick flash of light and the weapon's handle was in his hand, followed closely by a second to activate the blade. Unfortunately, the walls down here were more of that indestructible material, so he wasn't able to mark the walls like he and Gladio had done in the mines and the area where they had sheltered during the volcano eruption. But he was still making mental notes and marking things in his sketchbook any time they stopped for a break.

"I'm also from Earth... Near the Grand Canyon in America," he answered. "Humans are in space, though. We got to Pluto... one of the moons, specifically. But, we also met some aliens who can make portals, so now we've been exploring more of the galaxy, too." Hence, cosmic wolf with blue fur that glowed in spots that could teleport when the powers that be on this planet deemed it okay and didn't suppress it.

[playingtough]

Having this other guy with the armor and wolf with them, makes Billy a little uneasy. He doesn't like it, like the guy will turn on him with that animal or weapon. Or both. The other guy doesn't even seem to be taking this shit seriously!

He looks between the two as they walk. "So you both do things in space." The first thought is that they're weird astronauts, but he keeps that to himself for the time being. He huffs a little, glaring at the wolf's back as they keep going.

"I live in Indiana right now, but I'm from San Diego. Probably about an 8hour drive to the Grand Canyon. Last I heard about space, we had the maiden voyage of some shuttle. Atlantis I think it was."

They hadn't quite made it to Neptune or beyond just yet. Billy wouldn't get to hear about that.

[deal_me_in]

"Sometimes," Cayde shrugs. "Not so much fun, space. I prefer a good solid terrain under my feet. Easier to explore that way."

He tilts his head at Keith and then back to Billy. Right, he vaguely remembers something about Keith being a pilot. Or was that because of memory things with Shiro?

"I'm not super-brushed up on my pre-Golden Age history, but then again, if we're dealing with several different versions of Earth, I'm guessing the Traveler might not even make an appearance. But maybe that's a good thing- space travel's great and all but it also draws attention from who and whatever else is out there."

[tempredmental]

Oh, Billy... Keith took everything seriously. Some would say too seriously. He just wasn't loud about it and usually preferred to work alone. Though, honestly, considering they were teammates right now, Keith was more likely to just yell at someone if he got angry than actually attack them.

"Yeah." In space. Keith honestly preferred it there, not being tied down to one spot. It was one thing he and Lance had trouble agreeing on because Lance got homesick often.

"It's a pretty strong possibility that we're from different realities," he continued, agreeing with Cayde on this part. "Though, there are sometimes shared histories or particular moments that are the same with maybe only a few differences." For example... "I remember learning about the Atlantis shuttle in one of my history classes." It was one of the few times he'd paid attention. Anything that didn't involve space travel had been boring.

[playingtough]

Golden Age history? What the hell was Cayde talking about? Maybe the 1980s was considered that from the metal guy's point of view. "Yeah, I heard about the overlap from realities or some shit. I... I don't want to think about that kind of thing. Not down here."

At least there was light down here. It wasn't filled with ash and dark.

And he wasn't alone. That only did a little to keep him from being on edge.

"So what the hell are we looking for down here again? Some sort of alien tech?" If the tech was tied to the storms, that would help Tommy. He couldn't do a lot of the speedster, but getting the storms to stop would do a lot. For him, and everyone else.

Eddie, Tony

[tempredmental]

Cayde watches his BFF go off with another........

[the_freak]

Eddie was going to sleep for a week when they got out of this. If they got out of this... It was like karmic payback for all the years of PE he'd skipped out on, all coming back to bite him in the ass.

"I swear to fuck, if we end up getting cornered down here by yet another thing that wants to eat us, I'm definitely some kind of cursed, or fucking delicious."

[in_extremis]

The cycles of Tony's exhaustion were more staggered, already drawn and tired before losing access to Extremis, which had been shielding him from the worst effects. Adjusting to life without it, and with zombies, was mostly an explosively debilitating reaction of adrenaline, which left him numb as they reached the still silence of the underground's security. He could have been asleep right now, for all he knew, the repetitive trek through the empty halls a long, trudging dream, making the zombies seem far enough away that he blinked at Eddie at first, not sure what he could have possibly meant.

"Delicious, obviously," he concluded for Eddie. "A curse couldn't be so consistent. Magic, you know." He declared this with confidence, as though this nature of magic was self-evident. "Explains why Billy keeps looking at you like that, too. Very gracious, to pretend not to notice. Probably why everyone was so enthusiastic to get you two apart, it's exhausting."

[the_freak]

"Billy's fucking that weird fast kid, I think." Oop, maybe that's too blunt with a sort of technically adult, though he and Tony rarely talk as though their age is all that different. "He's definitely not interested. Mostly just making sure if Steve isn't dead he can say he kept an eye on me I think," he admitted, trying to quickly brush over that whole 'Steve might be dead' part. If he doesn't think about it, it's not real.

Rounding a corner, it appeared for a moment as though they'd hit another very long dead end, a set of doors with no handles blocking off the way forward. But there was a small opening set above it, and Eddie's shoulders drooped at the obvious conclusion that only one of them was going to fit.

"...we should've fought for Cayde. He could've sent the little...floaty guy," he bemoaned, shrugging off his jacket so he could drop as much bulk as possible. "Gimme a boost, and I'll see if that's the way through or just some kind of alien air duct."

[in_extremis]

It must have been a little blunt even for Tony's composure, because it had him flinching with a tick of his mouth in regret. The guilt was easy enough to bury, though, as he watched Eddie inquisitively for that very breezy comment about his boyfriend, not sure if he was supposed to follow the example. He wasn't terribly good at that sort of thing.

He was glad to buy himself time by correcting, "Her name is Sundance," sounding an edge more defensive than entirely necessary even in his distraction with his focus on the pitiful path forward. There had to be a better way than sending this skinny kid into the unknown--"Now I know Billy'll kick my ass if you get stuck in there," Tony grumbled his displeasure, glancing back around like he might see the threat looming and wasn't just looking for any other option. Met with only smooth walls, he had to acquiesce by graciously taking Eddie's jacket in a careful drape over his arm before kneeling to offer a step up in the cup of his hands.

[the_freak]

"Sundance, right. That make him Butch Cassidy?" he asked with a smirk.

He hoisted himself up a little clumsily with Tony's help, swearing at the tight fit. "...If I get stuck, make up a more glamourous death for me, 'kay?" Eddie called, before army crawling forward into the space. "...I think I see some light-" he reported, edging forward. It takes a minute or two before he crawls out coughing onto a sort of balcony, overlooking a large dark put.

"I'm out!" he called back to Tony, dusting himself off and trying to find...something. He did not want to crawl back through that tunnel. Beside the door was a rust crank, and with little else to go off, Eddie gave it a few tentative cranks.

Below, the door started to open for Tony, though it blocked off the route Eddie had come by, and above a glow brightened from the ceiling, allowing Eddie to see a gleaming path with twists and turns over the pit. From the angle Tony would come out however, it looked as though there was nothing but a long fall.

"Tony? Is it working? Can you get in?"

[in_extremis]

Movies were not one of Tony's many indulgences, so he only had raised eyebrows for Eddie's joke and a bit of a shrug. That was a cowboy thing, it was probably funny, but Tony didn't have more context to volley back and was watching Eddie get consumed by the vent before he could ask him about it. Then he was left in an empty hall, leaning against an unforgiving door and up on his toes, then bouncing back like anything would give him a better angle to spot where Eddie had gone, regretting letting him go. Listening to his heart beat in his ears was much too loud, and Tony had to call, "Munch...?" when he couldn't bear to count anymore.

The immediate relief of hearing Eddie call back was enough to make him drop back onto his heels, hand on his heart, but it was short lived. He was quickly rushing back toward the door, not liking how far Eddie sounded, pressing his hands against it like anything might have changed and--it started to open. He hardly let it move before he was shoving impatiently, then trying to force himself through the gap, only to yelp when that was revealed to be a poorly considered plan and forced to catch his balance on the shifting door before he pitched into an empty pit. "Uh--kind of," he eventually thought to answer when he had both feet under him again, and used the doorframe to lean himself forward, searching for the source of Eddie's voice in the void and squinting up at the light.

[the_freak]

"Come out onto path thing so I can see you!" he called down, leaning a bit precariously over the balcony, not realizing how insane a thing he was asking from Tony's point of view.

"I can't come back. So um...ya know, hopefully there's something on the other side that helps with that, or else I'm gonna hafta try and jump I guess?"

Reunion

[tempredmental]

The team finally got back together. They'd mapped a lot, found some challenges, and now had to get through another door into the control room. Now came the fun part.