02 ▒ EVENT: STASIS SICKNESS ▒ MAZE

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: The mysterious maze.
WARNINGS: Sickness, body horror, encounters, etc.
SUMMARY: Dying slowly, getting into trouble, adventures in exploration.
NOTES: Open to all!

The corridor stretches on before you. THIS WAY ☺, the farthest wall says, before turning into a darkness you haven't explored before. Perhaps now's a good time to consult that map.

Comments

Maze Hunting with Team Erik

[swagneto]

[ By now it was near impossible for Erik to claim he was fine; the nausea had reached new levels of discomfort that combined with the disorientation he was feeling, he could barely turn a corner without Charles stepping in to nudge him in the right direction. He stopped trying to deny there was nothing wrong, the argument instead switching to Erik feeling well enough to do this after Smiley's comments, including rallying up what team he could get. He'd bring the helmet, but with Charles being a near constant figure at his side, the mental nudges at this point were more than needed - a silent concession of his own current mental state in dealing with the rare moment Erik actually managed to be sick. ]

It goes without saying we don't have much of a choice. [ Erik would spare the conversation and morale booster, but one of theirs had been sick, more so than usual, and he couldn't afford to let anything happen to Raven. ] None of us have reason to trust the message, especially not after what it's known for.

[ That much gets a glance towards both Alexes, who have been around for the moment when Smiley decided to stick Erik's number on a public list, a particular list that came with at least one known casualty. But that's not today's concern, when Erik is far too focused on the entrance of the maze and the map they're offered. Drawing one hand through his hair, Erik's other is gripping Charles' shoulder firmly, trying to fight off the latest bout of nausea that seemed persistent in remaining. He hadn't tested his ability in this case, but Erik wasn't inclined to deal with the consequences; he'd work with the situation as it developed. ]

Get in, find the cure, get out. [ This next part is directed solely to the mutants that gathered: ] I don't need what happened to Raven happening to any of you.

[ ooc: Open to the X-Cast, Ros, Sue, Wesley, Cali, Finnick! ]

[askedtobe]

[ Leaning up against the nearest wall because it was easier than pretending that standing upright felt anywhere near comfortable, Peter refused to not be involved in some kind of hunt to find the cure. Tinged blue, to the point where he swore he could feel it, and nauseous enough that he wasn't entirely sure how he hadn't gotten sick yet, it was probably an idiotic choice to make, but who didn't feel hideous? He wasn't sure how comfortable he felt helping out in the med bay anymore, not when it was possible that he was making things worse for others just by being there.

And so he was here instead, telling himself that if he felt too awful to carry on he could always turn back.

But his name had been on a list, and he was still convinced that had something to do with this, one way or another. Everything else had been connected, why wouldn't this be. Maybe Peter was paranoid -- okay, he was paranoid, but he wasn't sure what to believe and having smiley tell him that the maze had nothing to do with the list was hard to believe when it'd taken so long for everything to lead up to this in the first place.

But pushing himself a little more upright, hand still kept against the wall, Peter looked up towards Erik, eyebrows raised in expectant question. ]

Don't exactly have the most useful ability at the moment-- [ And with a glance towards the rest of the group, it was a seemingly odd question he was about to ask, but he figured if he was going to be here, he might as well make himself as helpful as he could. And being able to fly right now wasn't going to do jack. ] But if nobody minds, I can replicate anything that'd help the most. I just need a hand. [ Literally. ]

[shoyu]

So maybe heading out into this maze alone wasn't the smartest idea. but then again, Soysauce had never had any delusions about being good at thinking things through. After the series of messages from the infamous Smiling Face and kirk, he'd only made a brief detour to his room to get himself properly armed before heading straight towards the maze. (How kind of Mister Smile to mark out the starting point and everything. Maybe it really was trying to help everyone, despite the rumors that it had done a lot of awful things in the past.)

While he'd spent his entire month on the ship without ever relinquishing his beloved revolver, Soysauce hadn't actually touched his rifle since landing on the ship -- the newly reassembled weapon hung comfortably against his back as he cautiously headed down a hallway, peering into the darkness in search of ... well. Something. Anything.

And sure, the symptoms of that 'virus' were starting to grow worse. A little more dizziness here, a spiking wave of nausea there, a brief moment of hearing loss once in a while. But that was inconsequential. Easy to ignore. All of that could wait, really.

Soysauce immediately perked up when he caught the faint sounds of movement from around a corner. Someone else was here. Someone -- friendly? Probably? There were bound to be a lot of other people from the ship exploring the area, right? So he didn't hesitate for more than a moment before peering around the corner to catch a glimpse of whoever was there.




[ ooc ; open to murphy and whoever else may follow! ]

[yardbird]

Murphy wasn't the planning type. It just wasn't in his nature. Most of the things he'd done in his life, both big and small, were done completely on a whim.

Such as hot wiring a police cruiser, which then proceeded to turn into an unprecedented ten-hour chase over the state line. The act in itself hadn't been a result of Murphy waking up that morning and thinking blithely to himself: Hey, you know what? I think I'll go get myself arrested today! His decisions were equally complicated as they were simple and, of course, stupid.

But just sitting around, planning among group discussions and strategies had never done Murphy any good. It didn't help him before -- it didn't save his son. Waiting for someone to take care of things only wound up hurting even more. Murphy realized that, in the end, if you wanted to get things done, you had to do it yourself, even if you had to do it alone. And, the way he saw it, after seeing what happened to Alayne, then maybe he was better off alone. No one else around to get caught up in the wake of Murphy's misfortune, that had a habit of constantly tailgating him.

To his credit, he had the right mind to take at least some of that advice over the network, and not venture into the hallway completely empty-handed: Armed with the nightstick Cunningham had offered him and the gun that he'd acquired from Tillman, Murphy wasn't at all defenseless. It also wasn't as if this was the first time he'd ever been hurled into confusing, winding corridors, either.

Before long, however, Murphy was stopped when he could hear someone else braving the hallways as well. What more, it didn't sound like one of the groups. As he turned to look behind him, he saw that it really wasn't a group at all -- but a single guy.

"Hey, they said that you shouldn't be here alone. Didn't you hear?" Murphy called, completely ignoring his hypocritical statement simply because he could.

Jarvis + AM + Jaye later, some time near the beginning of the week

[ironnanny]

[ Mazes should be simple work for a super computer, but with the odd sort of disorientation, the heated skin, the blurred vision and lack of balance seeping in, Jarvis is beginning to feel... out of touch. He's seen the map once and that was all he'd really needed, seen the X marked rooms and the scribbled areas and knew they needed investigating, but as it stands, one hand out to trace the wall as he walks, he's having a bit of issue mentally mapping where he's been with the sort of disconnectedness he's feeling. Sickness. That's what it must be - something similar to the nausea experienced after the jumps, but the jump sickness eventually fades and the situation is too dire at the moment for him to worry about the repair of his flimsy human body.

He turns a corner, the last before he should hit a scribbled out area, and squints at what he sees there. Only a second has passed while he stares, trying to make sense of what an anomaly such as that would be doing on the ship, without tearing the ship apart, and loses track of the goings on around him for the moment as he contemplates it. ]

[godofthemachine]

[AM didn't like being sick. He didn't like it at all. It was another nuisance this body provided, making him question yet again if the ability to move and feel was even worth it. It was worth it, but not in this horrid environment.

AM was moving through the maze, partially due to boredom and curiosity. That Smiley character got on his nerves at times, though it amused him more than anything to see the Tranquility's inhabitants all up in arms about it.

But the disorientation and fever was getting to be too much. Human sickness. How annoying. As a computer, AM had dealt with the occasional virus, but that was before he, well... woke up. Humans were so susceptible to the slightest irritant in the environment. There was a time where that caused him endless amusement, but now in this form it was just grating.

His hands felt the metallic wall, stabilizing himself as he traversed the corridors, looking for that supposed cure the Smiley character purported to have. His hands gripped the walls, until finally he felt something distinctly not metallic. A person in the flesh. He still wasn't used to the feeling of another person's flesh, so it did take him aback slightly. His hand didn't move, though, as he was still gripping for balance's sake.]

TEAM KIRK

[goldshirt]

[separate days to follow!!]

WEDNESDAY 6/13

[goldshirt]

[Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Uhura, Deanna, Natasha, Godric, Re-l, ASato, Sherlock, Isaac, Jack Harkness, Edgeworth, Jane Sheppard (et all), Todd (if he wants), anyone else who might want to bump into them idegaf at this point just go crazy tag each other.]

Jarvis + Tali, the 17th

[ironnanny]

[ Several days and the sickness has only gotten worse. At the beginning, Jarvis had shrugged it off as something much like the jump sickness - some nausea and a mild fever, it would pass. He's an AI, human body or not, he should not be as effected by it as the others. He should be able to push through it. He should be able to continue to be operational, continue to serve, continue to function. It defied his purpose to quit the search of the maze when one foot could still be placed in front of the other. Even with previous incidents aside with the blackhole, he hadn't been damaged enough he could not continue to map the area and investigate, especially with so many already ill.

But somewhere along one of the loops back to the beginning of the maze, a hacking fit of coughing takes him suddenly and Jarvis has to stop to brace a hand against a wall, the other going to cover his mouth as he rides the fit out, the floor seeming to blur as vertigo takes him for a moment. When it subsides, he pulls his hand away only to see stark crimson spots of blood dotting his palm. A cold, unfamiliar chill seems to ruin through him that Jarvis accounts to the fever. Brushing it off on a pant leg, he pushes off the wall, intent on moving forward still. ]

[gofortheoptics]

[She's been keeping her eye on everyone that she can manage to, maze or not. Jarvis is of particular concern -- a human body must be a strange thing for a synthetic to have, even if they had already possessed sentience before this place.

She catches him coughing and sees the spatter of blood, frowning.]

Jarvis, you need to get to medical.

[She jogs up next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.]

TEAM JAILBAIT or something

[ripstides]

[ he feels fine.

yeah, just fine, he tells himself. he doesn't have anything crazy yet. he hasn't lost his coordination but he can tell something's up, could tell since this morning (okay, this afternoon) when he pulled himself out of bed. he holds onto the feeling of being resilient in the fist around his sword, where he taps it against the floor. if there's anything to worry about in those halls, he hopes that celestial bronze is going to cut it because the water line is spotty at best to his senses. his only hope is that ambrosia and nectar in his bag are enough to keep him stable, only long enough to find some answers.

he's waiting by the door, ignoring the red print because it's disturbing (wondering if they are going to be anymore clues like that) and scoping out everything for any familiar faces or the sound of footsteps. he knows he has about as much control here as he did back home but nobody's getting past him alone, as long as he's standing here. ten minutes, that's all he's donating. ten minutes after Wichita and Robb show up (not that he knows their names) and then he's turning his back on the few for the many, no matter how the jagged bitter truth lodges in his throat. ]

[ OOC: Open to Robb Stark, Jon Snow (anyone else in their group), Hayley (anyone accompanying her), Wichita, Kurt, Brendan (?), Simon, etc. in no particular order. ]

best team name

[northerner]

[ his balance is impaired, and it is only grey wind's guidance that keeps robb from walking into walls. the fever does not abate, and tully curls stick to overheated skin, but none of that can be acknowledged. his family suffers, shall continue to suffer, and if there are those venturing out into this maze in search of a cure, than robb shall venture out with them. he can lend his steel and the fangs of his direwolf in service of this quest.

it is what his father would do. how could robb do any less.

grey wind whines at the newcomer, at the unfamiliar scent, and robb tightens his fingers into the fur at grey wind's shoulder. it's reassurance, it's stand down, for the danger cannot yet be present. ]

We will venture forth soon, won't we?

14th??? CLOSED TO FROLO FOR NOW..

[tofindthesun]

[he did not wish to have frodo with him; the hobbit was far from healed, though he certainly looked better than when he arrived. the hands of a king work wonders indeed. it is unfortunate that these hands are the ones for which they must now go to fetch a cure for. he cannot even hope that it will be as simple as finding the sun.

the walk to the garden is done in silence on legolas' end. it is not that he is new to sickness (he is, but it is not the point) and must concentrate on staying upright that he is quiet, but rather like how their journey began. he has not had much luxury to spend time on idle chatter, nor does the situation currently warrant it.

perhaps he is grave, for an elf. but they are tinged blue, wavering, feverish and ill. and it is grave.

yet it is not until they reach the gardens and the entrance to this maze that he does turn to frodo, brow furrowed slightly. a memory resurfaces, and he knows he has done this once before; he must do it once more to reassure himself. it is only his experience in mirkwood that keeps him from despairing, why again, so soon after the last time?]

Have you any weapon with you, Frodo?

CLOSED TO LEGLANDOLAS FOR NOW

[ringbearer]

[ frodo quietly walks beside the elf, knowing that he very well could slow him down. and yet there's a sort of quiet resolution that has settled over frodo, not the weary, driven resignation of his quest, but the one of a friend. he does not forget how aragorn fell, the bloody hands..--

for a minute he sways a little on his feet, staring down at his blue-tinged toes and fingers. to have blue on a hobbit's feet..it's hardly a dignifed thing. he comes upright in pace when legolas speaks to him, and he glances up at the elf.

his hand goes beneath his cloak, showing the hilt of sting. ]

I do. Though I do not think there are any orcs here, so it will not give us the advantage of surprise.

AM + Soysauce - Closed for now? Later - middle of the week

[godofthemachine]

The sickness was getting worse. He had to find a cure. Every minute that passed, AM cursed this body for being so weak and fleshy and so susceptible to everything. No wonder the human race had been so easy to kill... But now he was practically on his knees like those five, cursing his own weakness, wishing this pain wasn't so debilitating.

But he was no slouch. He wasn't going to sit back and let some overblown flu incapacitate him. He had failed to find a cure last time, but he was back in the maze, traversing again.

At least now he was familiar with what those symbols on the map entailed. That provided some much-needed entertainment in these painful days.

As AM clutched the walls of the ship, he found he wasn't alone. How pathetic that these people should see him reduced to this state. How embarrassing and infuriating...

[shoyu]

Under normal circumstances, Soysauce probably would have noticed the sounds of someone approaching far more quickly. Under normal circumstances, he might have even gone looking for its source as soon as he heard. But as it was, Soysauce was slow to look up even as AM rounded the corner and into sight -- his hearing had been fluctuating for a while, and the fever really wasn't helping. Seated on the floor, resting against a wall, he had to stare for a moment to realize what he was looking at.

Still, the moment he realized it was another person he immediately scrambled to his feet to try and help. "-- woah, sir? Are you alright?"

It was a good distraction from his headache, at least, when he stepped forward to try and prop AM up. Poor man looked like he might topple over any moment -- looked like he was getting hit harder by the symptoms. There was clear worry in his expression as he looked over the other. "... that was probably a stupid question. Would you like some help getting back out of here?"

Alex + Sif

[doomhoops]

[ By whatever bizarre twist of fate, Alex has managed immunity from the sickness - how that is possible, considering people newly arrived are getting it and he'd been around for a couple months now, he isn't certain, but it is what it is and if he's not sick, he should be hunting down the cure. This is what finds Alex roaming the maze, separated from the rest of the X-men for the moment, his fingers flex in the leather gloves of his suit as his head whips about, watching the dimly lit corridors around him for things lurking in the dark. Smiley led them to this place and Smiley can't be trusted, not really.

This wariness is exactly what gets him into issue, seeing as he's too busy watching behind himself one moment to notice the dimness in front of his isn't shadow alone, but something swirling, something pulling, and before Alex can tell the difference, his feet are being dragged across the metallic floor and he's getting pulled into the minor black hole behind him. ]

Shi--!

[agile]

[ sif's immune. she isn't quite sure what to think of it, so she doesn't. people who arrived after her on the ship are becoming sick, while she, an asgardian warrior, hasn't succumbed to it just yet. she's heard there's a cure. she's very intent on finding it.

she's down the corridor alex happens to be in. she's passed many people since she entered this maze, some familiar faces and some not. but she hasn't experienced any of the traps that are hidden in the shadows until now.

fortunately, sif is close behind alex when he happens to be sucked into something from underneath them. without thinking, her arms go up and under his armpits and she pulls him back from whatever wants to make a meal out of him. being an asgardian warrior has given her a large skill set of agility, strength, and also the ability to pick men up when they've fallen on the floor (mostly metaphorical, but playing with the boys has paid off.) she takes steps back, not looking behind her to see if the suction has a brother or sister behind them, as she doesn't want to set alex back down only to disappear into odin knows what. ]

OPEN

[mutelunatic]

[she's dressed up in her usual orange jumpsuit, tied around her waist. she's sweating, lips blue and pale at the edges, and she looks as though she would fall over if she weren't wearing those strange boots on her legs.

she has an odd-looking weapon in hand as well. it's practically useless, as far as she's seen there's no use for a portal device on this ship...it doesn't work.

but you never know.

she's surprisingly resilient despite looking like shit, her face grim and set and she's maneuvering through the maze in a way that speaks of someone who had done something similar multiple times in the past.

she's determined.

she knows she's dying, and she doesn't want to die.]

HAYMITCH CATCH-ALL POST

[killarevolution]

[ooc; anyone who wants to do something with Haymitch during this plot can feel free to tag this. He's going to be with Finnick and Peeta briefly and then send them both off and sort of wander around alone and merge with various groups as the adventure progresses, so if your character is currently groupless, feel free to IDK make your own group with him. /I MAKE GREAT PLANS.]

Panem Boy Scouts } Finnick and Peeta

[killarevolution]

[Haymitch shows no sign of sickness and while venturing into the unknown seemed like the worse plan imaginable, it was better than sitting on his ass and waiting for one of the so-called hero types to come back, which was why he's presently lurking near the oxygen gardens with Peeta and Finnick in an attempt to figure out what needs to be done.]

You two feeling up to this?

Ned + Cat + Resnik (AT SOME POINT IN TIME)

[fly_like_pie]

[This way.

That way.

Go that way.

Go.

Go.


Stalling for an indefinite amount of time, the Pie Maker takes off in a sprint, barely reaching over that hill of hesitation and bubbling fear in his mind. Popping and spilling anxiety through his nerves. Armed with frying pan, purely meant for reasons other than frying goods (not purely, actually), he's going into the lion's cave. Or is it tiger's? He's not entirely sure how the expression goes, but it doesn't feel good. The shuffle of his feet varies from slow to fast, unsure whether he might be going in the right direction or stumble along those ominous x's.

And at worst timing, about to turn another corner, he thinks 'why did I go alone?']

[besiege]

[ Well, here's hoping that Ned has fairly decent reflexes, or that Cat's aim is a little off in these dreary, unfamiliar corridors, because as soon as he rounds the corner, there will be a somewhat on edge young woman swinging a metal pipe at him. When you've spent quite a bit of time down in the maze already and come from a place where just about any sound might herald an enemy, you learn to act far quicker than you think. ]

FRIDAY | HELEN, MAGS, SHERLOCK, GODRIC

[consulting]

[ It's been a couple of hours since he told Kirk's group to tread on without him. He's on his way back to the medbay. ]

[ Then Sherlock decided that it was a perfectly apt time to investigate what one of the squiggles on the map were. He's in terrible shape as it is. He's taking the worst of the cold and the symptoms are starting to catch up to him. Walking seems like enough of a chore. The X's seemed too foreboding, but he could take a squiggle. He was so sure. ]

[ he had the phaser armed on him as he walked through the hallway. Waiting for something to happen before he feels like something pull at him. He staggers, stumbles because he can't find a centre of balance. The phaser slides away from him and he's being sucked into whatever the black pool of nothingness is. ]

[ He feels pressure. Crushing against his ribcage. He's on the floor, he doesn't even register how that happens. He's just fallen. He's clawing at it to try to move himself away from it. Blackened fingertips leaving trails of blood on the cold metallic floor. ]

[ Help. ]

[ Sherlock screams. ]

tell me if this is alright sjhfdhjd or if this goes against some plotting you all had?D:

[longevities]

[ Helen has taken to the maze, though searching for the cure, searching for discoveries was not her top priority. She realized that many of the people that went in there were sick and she knew they will be needing help. So she took a few syringes of the serum she was trying to modify to perhaps lessen some symptoms, at least lessen the pain some might have felt, and in quick strides, started tracing through the maze. She hated that she couldnt find a cure. She hated that she couldnt find the reasons behind this damn sickness.

Bloody hell, was the majority if the ship full of those too stubborn to --

She flinches first, when she hears the scream. But her body still only for a second, before she pushes herself to a sprint, bending around the corners to get to the source.

And in a few moments more she's kneeling beside the man, trying to grip him firmly enough to drag him a bit further away, closer to a wall to steady him.] Dear God.

[ She's quick to start checking his vitals. ] I'm going to get you to medical, just stay with me. [ Her hand digs into her coat's pocket, proceeding to remove a syringe.]

14th; creeping around the maze | sylar, hayley & peter

[evolved]

[ He knows he's being followed, that he has been for the last ten minutes or so -- it's something which most likely would've sent another person running, but Sylar maintains his pace as though he's completely unaware of the fact that he's got someone, or something (to make a dark labyrinth with a reward at the end empty and harmless would sort of defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?) on his tail. The footsteps are light, however, so he really doubts it's a beast looking to tear unsuspecting victims to shreds, unless it's half his size, agile and intelligent enough to know to keep its distance, avoiding alerting prey to its presence.

His first guess is, quite naturally, that it's a fellow passenger, lost in the maze or simply hoping to follow somebody capable instead of doing the hard work all by themselves. It doesn't truly matter, because in any case, upon turning around the next corner, his steps come to a halt and he waits. ]

You could've snuck up on someone undetected. [ someone who's not him. ] I'm almost impressed.

[entrapments]

[ The group she'd started out with looked promising. They were capable, for a bunch of kids yanked from all over the universe- but there'd been too many of them. Hayley likes her mask, has put a hell of a lot of work into keeping it fixed over her features, and sickness or not cure or not maze or not- she's not going to give it up that easily. Not in front of that many people.

They're attacked, not far in, and the group splinters just a fraction. It'd been enough of a distraction for her to slip away. Pursue the course on her own.

Well. Not entirely on her own.

She isn't an idiot- and despite the browning she has tucked into the back of her jeans, and Irene's knife slipped into her bag, despite the pipe wrapped up in her palm, she's just one person. And those monsters are desperate. And- three times her size. She follows who she can, allows them to take the brunt of the activity so that she can continue on- but this one is different. He rounds the corner, and she knows she's been noticed- which is why when she follows, when she finds him waiting for her, she just smiles. Sheepish and wry. ]

Those freaky monsters can hear a pin drop. Quiet's kinda the point, right?

late 14th; dominick & mal cobb | open.

[toppling]

[ He's never been sick within a dream, but he can't dwell on whether or not it'll matter when the virus reaches his heart and causes it to still, can't think about death or reality when the blue of Mal's irises bleeds into the whites her eyes, when the fingers that close around his wrist are turning a faint hint of purple, when Ariadne coughs up blood in a hospital bed and hopes, waits. Stay, he'd told his wife back in their room, and it reminded him of the way he'd attempted to keep her locked away in a world inside his mind, but it was not for the same selfish reasons anymore, not an attempt to have her remain his but an attempt to keep her safe.

It's not safe inside the maze; anyone can tell, the dark halls that seem to twist and warp and change each time his gaze leaves the path ahead, the presence of something so clearly lurking around the corner yet never within sight. It's possible that it's the sickness, reaching inside and grabbing a hold and throwing his senses off, but he doesn't doubt the unexplainable and impossible anymore, even here. It matters very little - his grip on the Beretta is just as tight in any case, trigger finger eager with what might be merely paranoia, and he clutches Mal's hand the same way, just as protectively, just as reassuringly.

Don't disappear from me. ]

right in the feels, man. right in the feels.

[shadeling]

[ she was not sure. She was not sure how this was possible. How this dream had managed to trick her mind into thinking that she was getting sick. It felt like she her body was slowly starting ignore what she was trying to tell it to do.

Pain is in the mind, right? For once, she wished this would end quickly.

She wasn't afraid; she thought that perhaps, this was the dream, finally trying to push her out of it in this horrible way but --

Dom. He was here. With her. Like he has always been, in every reality, dreamt or otherwise. When he insisted she stayed behind however, her answer was immediate; a quick roll off the tongue, almost sharp. Her gaze held her determination, however wavering her vision might be now.

She would not stay behind. He would not leave her behind. She could help him. She knew mazes. Together, they knew mazes. And she refused to allow the to be separated in this, because she guessed that that's what the dream would want them to do; abandon each other, so that they would be weeded out of it.

But it still hurts; the pain is a constant pulse with each step as she wavers suddenly, her hand tightening around his.]

Dom... [ he seemed so real; it actually scared her. The thought that she might die. But wasnt this a dream?

She had to stay strong? Though what is the point... ]

[agent_k]

[Stay on wide path. Slight left. Hard right. Forward. Hard left. Right. Forward. Right. Forward. Slight left. Slight right. Hard right. Forward. Hard right. Hard right again. Hard left. Go straight on the narrow corridor. Turn Right on the larger one....

He has a copy of the map, and he's memorized the directions. He's alone at the moment, but he'd much rather be doing this with back-up. He plans to move in behind the first group he comes near that doesn't raise a fuss about someone joining them. He couldn't imagine why they would, though. Seemed like everybody would need to have all the help they can get.

For now, he's going to work his way through and avoid anything on the map marked with anything special.]

[closed to Peter Petrelli]

[cargojet]

[ Nathan was sick. He was sick, and all he could figure was that the Smiley wasn't the bad guy any more. He'd been thinking about it that way ever since the jump, ever since Ward and Resnik had made such a point of telling everyone on board not to communicate with it. Of course Nathan wasn't crazy enough to try and communicate it given their warning, and the odds that Hotspur had been murdered for threatening their command in the first place.

Their command.

The original captain was dead. He had to wonder--had it been a mutiny? Would it have been possible to - with the same expertise as had been used on Hotspur - lock everyone on the ship in where they couldn't get to the grav couches to survive the Jump? And why not? Given the circumstances, it could be easy. With the right experience, the right knowledge, he thought that even he could do it.

But Nathan sure as hell wasn't going to be sick. He wanted to get through this damn maze the way that Smiley had suggested. Follow me if you want to live. He wanted to live. And there was the question of the list. All very well, except Nathan had taken the wrong turn at one point, doubled back on himself and lost all understanding of which was left and which was right compared to where he was on the map.

He had no damn idea where he was, but there was a shape at the end of the corridor. Someone else. He head for them, hoping to god it wasn't straight into a trap, but much more hopeful that it would be someone who knew where they were--who wasn't as lost as he was. ]

[askedtobe]

[ Peter had been determined. Even after Erik and Charles' group had dismantled and left the maze, even after Sylar had dragged him out the second time with the younger girl, Peter was going to get to the end of this damn maze, which is what he'd reminded himself the third time he'd gone in.

Except he didn't realize that he might not survive the attempt.

He'd woken up a number of minutes ago, crumpled on the ground, and had only just scooted so that he could sit with his back against the nearest wall. He'd had another seizure, his sixth, and he'd refused to admit to anyone that he was having them in the first place, if only because he didn't want to truly end up in the med-bay. But he couldn't remember where he was this time. Which way's he'd turned, what floor he was on, anything except that he was in the maze and he was starting to get far too scared for his own good.

The fact that he was nauseous wasn't helping anything and he leaned sideways, closing his eyes as he retched violently, just wishing he could curl up and go back to sleep. But he had to get to the end of the maze, he reminded himself, he just didn't know if he had the energy to stand up. Hiccuping a frustrated breath, Peter stared down into his hands -- his fingers that had only been black tipped yesterday now appeared to be completely necrotic and he curled them into tight fists, not wanting to admit defeat.

Not wanting to admit that he was just this sick.

Pushing a hand against the wall behind him, Peter once again began the slow process of trying to get to his feet, the action itself starting a gush of blood down his nose, but as soon as he was standing, he told himself he could walk. If he could stand up, he could walk, and if he could walk, then he could get there.

It didn't matter that everything hurt, that he took one step and had to spit up blood as if it was something he did every day. It didn't matter that he knew he had to keep his hand on the wall if he wanted to keep some sort of grip on which way was up, because there were certain things that Peter expected of himself. The ability to get back up again was one of those things. He'd gone up against his father, against Samedi, without any abilities whatsoever, and he'd still managed to survive.

He could survive this, right? Right? ]

Anytime prior to the 15th | Topher & Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

[andblockbuster]

[Leaving Wheatley alone in his present state wasn't high on Topher's list of options, but investigating a noise in the next hallway over was probably an undertaking not best done by someone dragging another body around.

...And what was that about avoiding horror movie cliches?

Regardless, it would only be five minutes, enough to check and see who was lurking, and then get back to the task of finding the end of the maze. Easy.

And by the end of this journey, Topher would learn that the easier he thought something would be, the harder it actually was.]

[cryptid]

[ Wesley's used to going it alone, though without a projectile weapon or Faith to watch his back, he's far more wary about it than he feels comfortable admitting; that, paired with the slow and steady loss of hearing in his right ear and the way his feet seem to be dragging more than they ought to is more than enough to be worried about.

He hasn't got a torch and doesn't particularly need one, at least not at the moment; despite the creeping hearing loss, he can clearly determine someone—or something—is ahead of him, at some junction, lurking, perhaps, somewhere— ]

It might be in your best interests to show yourself, [ he says, placidly, hefting the crowbar shoulder-level in the dim light. ] Otherwise you may end up with more of a headache than you bargained for.

Late Week/Weekend, OTA

[defenestration]

[ He would have preferred the protection of his old costume, but the only part of it that appears to have made the journey to the Tranquility with him is the circlet -- significant, he's sure, but not particularly useful. So instead he's wearing his jumpsuit for the first time since his arrival. Less stylish, but eminently more appropriate than a three piece suit for the task at hand.

Bubastis prowls at his side, taking her cues from her owner and therefore alert and tense, occasionally hissing softly in agitation. They've set out into the maze alone, Adrian confident in his own abilities but somewhat less confident in the skills of people he hasn't seen in action. ]


[ooc: Open to anyone, please note which day it is in your tag please. ]

6/13!

[tumbleweeds]

[ Jaye's not a complete idiot. She knows she's sick, dizziness taking hold at inopportune moments, the slight blue tint to her eyes, lips, and fingers growing steadily more apparent. Still, she's never been content to sit around and wait, so it was into the maze for her. She's swapped out her jeans-and-bra combo for her jumpsuit once again, earrings dangling from her ears. One of these days she'll find something to pull her hair back, but for now it's long and blonde and in the way if she gets into a fight.

Well, if she gets into a fight and doesn't shift, anyway. She's had worse disadvantages. Besides, she's got her brother's switchblade with her, tucked into one hand -- closed, for now, but still there. It's become more familiar to her, Jaye flipping the blade in and out as a new nervous habit. It also gets tucked away as soon as she turns the corner and sees someone she recognizes -- well, and Adrian, whose name she at least sort of remembers. ]

Hey, girl. [ Her voice is quiet enough that it hopefully won't startle the large cat, and Jaye approaches with one hand held out. Despite the illness, she should still smell the same as she did as a tiger. ] Remember me, gorgeous?

backdated to 6 / 14 | jaye & soysauce

[shoyu]

[ a quiet length of hallway within the maze. for the most part, that is.

not too far down the hallway from where those scribbles decorate the map. where the air's just a little too thin and the atmosphere's just a little too tense. those ugly black holes. and the hallways are mostly empty save just a few tiny things. a few specks of blood dotted here and there, dark against the corridors -- not massive splatters, but faint mistings that have since dried out. a stray strap of torn fabric snagged against a corner. and some distinct scuffing on the floor, where a person had dragged themselves arduously from being unable to walk properly.

and not far from it, the heavy doors to one of those rooms. those rooms marked with the deceptively alluring "x-marks-the-spot" on the maps. looks like that door's been opened before -- it's not completely wedged shut. ]

[tumbleweeds]

[ Blood has a distinct scent, even when you're human, and thinning air is even more noticeable. It's worse now that she's sick, but the blood and the scrap of fabric, that's interesting. It's something to follow, and so Jaye does, pausing outside the room.

She probably shouldn't go in. Instinct is telling her not to -- but in a place like this, that just means she should, right?

Well, if nothing else, she can push the door open some and peek in without actually stepping inside. ]

TEAM NORMANDY - after groupsplit w/ Kirk & co, Thurs 6/14- and on catchall

[galacticheroine]

[Shepard is getting uncomfortably used to traversing through narrow badly lit hallways on strange ships. She was going to need to sit down and take a hard look at her life once everything was all said and done.

For now, though, she leads. There's no question of it, and she didn't ask when they split off from Kirk and the others, automatically assuming point. It doesn't matter that she's hit occasionally by a wave of vertigo, she's fit to lead. They have a map, though it became apparent pretty quickly it was hardly perfectly accurate. Shepard doesn't know what she'd give to have one of EDI's prediction algorithms right now, but it'd be significant.]

Looks like we're coming up on one of the crossed off rooms. Expect trouble, but if we can bypass it, that might be for the best.

[She doesn't know what's in those rooms, but chances are that in this case x doesn't mark the spot.]

[gofortheoptics]

[It's hard, seeing the Commander struggling like she is. She covers it up well enough, of course, but with her always being so strong -- especially after her Cerberus enhancements -- if she's like this, she's got to be in rough shape.]

Noted. I can try and send the drone in ahead of us.

[She brings up the interface of her omni-tool and lets her fingers fly over the keyboard, letting Chiktikka hover next to Shepard while she waited for confirmation.]

TEAM FREELANCER bringing up the rear [who invited donut?]

[ex_myturn41]

[it was hard to focus on everything. of course, one tended to have issues focusing on what was in front of them when they were bleeding from their eye sockets. it wasn't getting into her vision yet but on top of the rest it really wasn't helping. her fingers were almost completely black and she could still feel the painful sensation of... she wasn't sure what in her stomach. she doesn't know what to call it but she assumes it isn't good.

so with north out of commission and south hopefully watching him, she'd gone out to find the cure. a maze didn't seem like the most dangerous prospect to find a way to solve this problem- she'd just have to make herself focus long enough to make it.

of course, the fact she was currently slumped against a wall, trying to wipe away the blood running down her face, doesn't exactly bode well for her.]

[traitortwin]

[You know, North told her not to go out there. He said that he wasn't letting her go without him, but he was in no shape to get out of bed, so how was he going to stop her? South had slipped off once he'd fallen asleep, and though the vertigo was a bitch and a half to work through, she'd somehow found the beginning of the maze. It just got a little more difficult from there. North and Carolina got sicker a lot faster, but she was quickly catching up, after all.

Speaking of catching up...

When South spots what looks like a familiar redheaded boss of hers against the wall up ahead, she picks up the pace a bit and makes her way over, though she does have to keep a hand on the wall to steady herself.]

Hey! You... what are you doing here?!