Estylwen

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Above the Surface
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: Dawn
@Shu, @Blizz

The waters of Tenebrae's shores shuddered, a stream of bubbles rising from the waters at the lighthouse. Causing a crashing of waves and spray of disturbed water, the wind howled, and then died as the explosions deep below the surface subsided. Calm set into the new morning, the majority of Tenebrae's residents blissfully unaware.

The Laboratory of Microreactor Technology, prepared for any situation, created their self-destruction mechanism to be completely self-contained. No one would know a lab was there for years to come. And by that time, their vital resources would have been siphoned off and repurposed in another place somewhere far away.

A catastrophe perfectly evaded, and with every underwater adventurer accounted for, a new chapter could begin. There was little time to mourn for the heart as sunlight grew stronger, ushering a change that would take all their newfound courage and push it to the limit.

An ominous chill crept into the stirring wind.

---

BREAKING NEWS
Location: All media outlets, Tenebrae
Time: 6:00AM

Terrorist attack on City Hall! Last night, City Hall suffered a devastating attack from terrorist metas.

City Hall is closed while preparations to restore the building take place, estimating a 5-year project from the city's leading architectures.

Reports state that there are five severely injured police officers in the hospital.

The police have refused to comment further at this time.

---

GAME POINTS

@Shu, @Blizz

Congratulations! Points have been earned by our protagonists.

Ellie kept possession of the heart while in the Laboratory corridor against Triad, snipers, and armed guards.

+2 will points earned.

Scarlet Shadow refused to give in to the Triad, despite not having the heart.

+1 will point earned.

+10 noteriety points earned.

+1 experience point earned.

Dream didn't stop fighting despite being subject to several captures and one hostage situation.

+1 will point earned.

These points have been applied to your stats.

Notoriety points affect the world around you, how [different groups of] people view you, and your infamy. It leads to buffs, conditions, and permanent perks.

Will points are critical for the final boss.

Experience is gained when a character feels or experiences some type of loss (usually associated with battles or quests). The more experience a character gains, the better the reward.

Keep taking action to discover other types of points!

~ * ~

Chapter Three - A Stalking Chill

Takeda's Apartment
Lincoln Park, Tenebrae
Time: 6:10AM
@Blizz

His door wasn't opening.

Despite furiously banging on the wood for the past five minutes, Takeda wasn't responding. Every minute that passed caused Dream's stomach to tighten more.

Maybe she should have realized sooner. The entire mission below ground, they saw no trace of the doctor's presence, no submersible drone to assist them in the depths of their underwater hell.

"Take a step back, I'm blasting it open," she said to Ellie.

Light slipped from her fingers, darting under through the seams of the door, and, in a wide arc through the suite, pounded back on the steel bolt latch on the other side with a jarring thud. Holding her breath, Dream tried the handle, and the door freely swung open.

That was their first mistake.

A continuous, high-pitched alarm whined in Takeda's apartment, neglected, emanating from the living room. They crept through the kitchen, Dream's foot skittering broken glass on the floor. There were signs of a struggle.

Her heart painfully thumped. "...Doc?"

There, slumped against the foot of his computer, sat the motionless doctor. The screens above him blazed red with a striking 'X' across corrupted data.

Dream edged forward, kneeling beside the doctor with wide, disbelieving eyes. "D-doc?"

She reached for the man's hand, feeling the wrist. Softly keening, she pressed her head into his chest, holding her breath, listening.

Her eyes searched Ellie, "He's gone."

Dream gazed at the doctor helplessly, "Doc... Doc's gone."

The hand she held made a sound like shuffling paper, and she looked to see the crumpled note that had fallen from his limp grasp. Opening it, she saw it in the doc's hurried cursive.

It's not safe. They have started the hunt to finish the machine. Get out of Tenebrae as soon as you read this. If they take your powers, they will destroy this world. Don't let them. Please. For Suzy's sake.

I'm sorry.

Dream read the note wordlessly, then passed it to Ellie. With a distant look in her eyes, she went to the bedroom. There was a sound of shifting cloth, and she came back with a white bedsheet draped on her arm. Solemnly, she pulled the linen over the doctor, hiding the face that smiled at them only hours before, the hands that fed them, the care they felt before they left him for the last time.

Dream held the silence for a few minutes, her face shaped as if it were a glass that had been violently shattered.

"Ellie," she softly whispered, "What are we gonna do?"

"Doc wasn't safe. Despite being a genius, he couldn't save himself from whoever- whatever did this. He only had time to leave a vague note. It's not enough to go off of. Who's after us, what are we up against, where will we run?"

Her head tilted back, eyes swimming in the growing odds. "...Will running even work?"

---

Boardroom 21, Titan Division
The Loop (Underground), Tenebrae
Time: Morning
@Shu

150 feet below Tenebrae's construction signs and yellow tape marking off crumpled vehicles and mangled choppers, far below the rebuilding of City Hall, lay an underground government division, absent from any legal ledger or public knowledge. Polished steel and clean-cut corners lined with ethereal tubes of light dressed the hallways. Shadows of government administration, officials, and agents flickered along the walls, crossing a doorway marked "Boardroom 21".

In Boardroom 21, all lights were off except for a holographic projector illuminating the 12-seat table. Light constructs rose from the table, displaying the coastal edge near the city's Navy Pier.

At the press of a button, a red marker illuminated a spot 200 meters out from the port.

"They're making their escape as we speak," said a crisp, feminine voice.

A woman holding the remote leaned over the map, tapping the red marker, long tresses of dark purple and sea green strands curling at her elbow.

"Our intel suggests they're headed to Italy to make arrangements for a multi-chain trade. If they reach their destination, we will never recover that prototype until it's too late."

The map expanded, showing the layout of the enemy's yacht, and pinpoints of where the syndicate's men would be positioned.

"We've counted between six to ten men on the deck, and four bosses below deck accompanied with an additional ten guards, each heavily armed with automatic weapons." She said.

Her face flicked up, revealing thin cheeks, sharp chin, and a small mask of dark gray, covering eyes with an illuminated sheen of light.

"We need this syndicate dealt with quickly and quietly with no witnesses, and their cargo recovered before they enter international waters. I'm giving you the option to take a team out with you, or solo this. You'll have your gear ready in the armory room down the hall, and a designated boat waiting at the dock."

She paused briefly. "And as per last night, all division exits are being redirected east using the hidden elevator on North State Street."

The director stood straight, adjusting her business attire before clasping her hands behind her back.

"Do you have any questions, Titan?"

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

New post is up!! :D

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Corridor, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: Far After Midnight
@Shu, @Blizz

A booming voice crackled to life over the intercom, declaring throughout the Laboratory of Microreactor Technology.

"Critical breach detected, repeat, critical breach detected.

"Descruction sequence initiated.

"Facility will self-destruct in T-minus 10...
"9...
"8..."

--
@Shu

The Triad veteran stared furiously at his men that fell helplessly into the boiling pit, and then at his empty hand where his charge once was. That damn whirlwind was doing it all over again to them. The same thing she did with his brethren, the same thing that weakling Pak Tsz Sin witnessed with his own eyes.

"Scarlet!" he yelled, cocking a gun in his hands, "Come here and face me!"

But Scarlet Shadow had no intention of doing as such. As Ellie, Linus and Dream fought their way through guards and Triad to the hallway exit, she was a blur of speed to the elevator exit on the opposite side.

As she reached it, a portal opened up, blocking her way. She saw two figures in black step out, one with red, wild, and flaming hair and exotic mask, and the other with short blond hair, black hair tattoos, and a black mask. Chronos.

The moment Scarlet spotted Chronos, his body fizzled in and out of reality, like a blip. At that moment, it was as if an unseen explosion hit the platform, and every single guard and Triad man was launched off the railing, spinning down into the boiling darkness below.

Their screams were cut off by the computer's droning voice.

"7...
"6...
"5..."

Myriad took another step out of the portal, eyes glancing curiously at the master thief. "Scarlet Shadow? I've heard so much about you. We have tea ready for you. Do you wanna head out?"

She offered her hand, smiling. "I'm Myriad, by the way."

Scarlet Shadow could see, within the portal, a large, complex machine. The central piece was missing, but above it, sitting in a glass container was a sparkling clear liquid, lights interlinked like neurons of a brain. Below the central piece were several small canisters attached with tubes, filled with what looked like captured sunlight. Some of the attaching tubes were missing their canisters. Four, to be exact.

A scientist stood beside it, the one she met on the rooftops during the rain. Instead of bodyguards, this time he was accompanied by a man in a black mask with silvery lights in his eyes, the one she recognized from the waterfront warehouse.

It looked like Eos and Arc were expecting her.

--

Eerie stillness settled over the shaft, upset only by the seconds counting down and the faint scent of burning hair. Wisps of heated sparks flew through the air, stirring the emptiness in the shaft.

Scarlet stared at the portal in front of her, the slight tug of dislike pulling at her lips, hidden behind her mask. She should feel relieved that she wouldn't have to scramble like everyone else to evacuate the lab, but the escape so easily placed before her felt... Off. As if she was cornered all over again.

Not only that, but something happened to all the remaining enemies in the shaft. She had a feeling Chronos was involved somehow, but she didn't have any concrete evidence, and the master thief prefered to have all the evidence and data she needed for an effective strategy.

Her only reprieve was when she saw, past the complex machinery, familiar and unfamiliar faces, the only person who maintained the professional qualities she prefered when she was working on contract. Eos was looking expectaly at her, in the calm, unhurried manner that strikingly contrasted with the panic filled moments this shaft experienced mere minutes before.

But she didn't have the heart.

They never discussed what would happen if she came back empty-handed. She assumed that she would simply not get paid, but with these unknowns, it was hard to be certain.

But with the way Eos interacted with her previously, she had a pretty good idea of what to expect.

With explosions echoing behind her, she glanced at Chronos, then Myriad, and took the hand extended out to her.

"Let's get this over with."

And the portal closed behind them.

--
@Blizz

Lines of submarines fled the underwater laboratory, filled with panicked scientists and guards. Almost the entire lab was evacuated. The last remaining people were the ones piled in with Ellie, Linus, and Dream in the elevator. They could hear the computer's countdown in the elevator, many scientists holding back their terror through sheer will.

"4...
"3...
"2..."

"There's still time, we can make it!" Dream called out. "When that door opens, everyone run in an orderly fashion. We're gonna be okay."

"1..."

The doors opened as an explosion shook the elevator, causing it to sink two feet as the cable slipped off its rail. As the first scientists clamored frantically over the gap into the hallway, a violet wave of black pushed them, throwing everyone in the elevator back against the wall.

As the darkness dissipated, a figure stepped toward them from the hallway, black ooze pulling away from him in layers until he became recognizable.

Astra, the king of the Shadow Knights.

Strings of black mist wrapped around his finger, and he pulled gently. Scientists shrieked as the elevator jumped on its cable, sinking another foot.

Astra chuckled, slowly loosening his hold on the string, the elevator sinking further and further down into the shaft, until, he let it go. And at that moment, Dream's heart pressed into the top of her throat as they plummeted down into the dark elevator shaft, sparks scattering off the metal door as they fell deeper into darkness.

--

DING!

As suddenly as they were falling, they stopped.

The elevator door creaked open, letting in the fresh rays of a new dawn.

They were outside, and they were alive.

Dream stepped out of the elevator, hobbling over moaning scientists. Steel ringed her wrists, the metal binding them sliced apart with Ellie's help during their escape.

"Hey, Ellie...?"

Dream looked back at Ellie and Linus. "We're back in Tenebrae, but uh... Hope no one has a fear of heights here."

Their elevator sat in the middle of a cement rooftop, appearing very much out of the norm with the absence of any cables or an elevator shaft. Dream stared at the city skyline, studying the buildings before turning back to Ellie and Linus. SHe was about to say something when her eyes darted down to Ellie's empty hands.

"Ellie... where's the heart?"

Her eyes quickly scanned over the scientists wearily standing up and filing out of the elevator, and to her growing horror, she could see all of their hands were empty. No one here had the heart in their possession.

"That son of a... I gotta call the doc." Dream said, pestering the scientists for a phone until she managed to pry one off of them, typing in a number with frantic hands and listening to a dead dial tone. She tried again. The doctor wasn't picking up.

"He's expecting us... something's wrong. Something's wrong, Ellie. He might be in trouble."

Dream passed the phone back to its owner and stood in front of Ellie and Linus. She crossed her arms, eyes ringed in worry.

"Listen, I gotta check on him, tell him what's... what's happened. Ellie, you and your friend can come with you if you want. We need all the help we can get, especially if we have to hunt down the heart again.

"If not, I have your number and I'll update you on what the doc thinks our next move should be."

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

New post! This one was a difficult one to write because I planned more to happen, but had to split it into this post, and then the next. It's not perfect, but I hope so I have put a little bit more pressure on the situation so we can really feel like 'this is it'. My writing isn't perfect, so if you have any suggestions on how it can go better, just let me know.

If anyone has any plans they want to execute, or anything they want to do before the lab chapter comes to a close, now would be a great time to 'show your hand', as they say.

Hope you enjoyed reading it, I sure enjoyed writing it. :)

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Unknown Location
Tenebrae
Time: Far After Midnight

"This is spiraling out of control."

He stared at the harsh blue light of the screen, hands hanging by his sides. His eyes were wide, silver mask reflecting the chaos he saw. A thermal-sight drone reading the lab displayed its data across the screen in a splatter of red. Pain points in the walls, on the platform, all enemies. Only two signatures stood out, one haloed against the wall, labeled as 'Code Red', and at the center, far away from their contact, was a luminescent sphere, the heart. Astra's hands gripped the empty air as if he were trying to will the heart closer to Scarlet, to success.

Corva stood beside him, her eyes carefully passive. "I disagree."

Astra growled, gesturing harshly at the screen. "Yeah? And tell me how the heart, our contact, the armed detail, and that unknown group, give any reassurance that everything is fine?"

She stared back cooly, sweeping a curtain of black hair over her shoulder dismissively. "Your mission is complete, my king." She turned away, "Now leave and let me do mine."

He folded his arms, tilting his head back in an arrogant huff. "You should have intervened ten minutes ago. What? You so badly wanted to get out into the field; this is your perfect chance."

She shot him a cold look. "I decide when and where I—"

His eyes leveled with her. "Corva. What I'm seeing here is a heart, our heart, in the wrong hands, people about to die, and a bomb ready to set the whole place off."

"You talked about wanting to get out with Operation Phantasm," He nodded at the screen, "What about this? Look me in the eye and tell me that you'll fix this."

A chill entered the room as Corva tried to square her shoulders. "I..."

Astra stepped aside, a circular void opening behind him. He gestured to the hole with an arm. "Then let's go."

She didn't move.

"That's what I thought." Astra stepped toward Corva, the hole closing behind him. "If I didn't know what happened to bring you down to this level, I'd feel some shred of indignation toward you."

His face softened. "Corva, you know something must be done," his voice tightened, "You know what he's going to do if we don't give him that heart."

---

Corridor, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: Far After Midnight
@Shu, @Blizz

"I think you’re scared this ain’t gonna work.”

The Triad leader sighed, the stress lines hallowing his face. "Meta. I can see you've done this before. So, out of respect for what you once were, I'll be honest with you, one veteran to another."

He gestured to the Triad men around him. "Look at them. Do you see them?"

His face went dark, as though a heavy shadow took over his thoughts. "Each of my men came with a death sentence hanging around their neck. Nothing peaceful, mind you," he tucked away the cross-bolt, instead holding up a tiny dagger.

He jabbed the air over his bare, wet arm. "This, a hundred times over, until we die, is what's waiting for my men and I if we return home without the heart."

"So you can understand, friend," in his other hand his thumb pressed the charge's button, causing it to light as a count down started, "if I'm prepared to go all chips in. If your friend hands over the heart in 30 seconds, I will get you out. Or we can wait and watch how reactor material reacts with a bit of fire."

His head turned to the side, scanning the wall until he saw the faint outline of Scarlet Shadow, unmoving and unyielding. "Men, go get her. Quickly."

Two tattooed Triad men nimbly hopped on the tightrope, edging past gusts of heat as they snaked their way to Scarlet. Hands reached out for her, polite enough to let her reach out to them first. The tightrope attached to the wall at waist-level beside Scarlet, meaning they had to dangerously bend to even touch her. Their straining ankles showed their unstable equilibrium, a sliver of weakness that a master thief could use to her advantage.

---

Corridor, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: Far After Midnight

Dream

"Just get ready, when it happens, we aren’t slowing down.”

Dream nodded her head, watching the light growing around Ellie's hands. Mild, sweaty relief flashed across her face, and for a moment, the horde of guns pointed their way, the lasers, the active bomb—they all seemed to blow away like leaves in the breeze. Not from Ellie's light—though it did make her feel a kinship of sorts—but from the way she spoke. The light pooled, growing in brightness like the calm settling over Dream's face.

Then, a hand yanked on Dream's shoulder from behind.

A few of the elite guards behind them strapped masks to their faces, shaking off the gas. One, standing at 6'1 and towering with eyes like cold flint, dragged Dream back into a chokehold. She squirmed, gasping for air, hands fighting the steel binds.

Her breath caught when she felt the cold metal of a pistol against her temple.

"Put the heart down, and back the hell up if you want your friend to live," the guard said to Ellie in a rumbling baritone, digging the gun into Dream's head.

Dream squinted at Ellie, vision blurred as she tried to breathe. The heart, glinting in Ellie's hands.

The doctor, his face turning white every time she asked what would happen if they failed. Above all else, he said, they had to keep the heart safe. They had to, even if it meant...

She snarled, her boot stamping down on the guard's foot, a burst of light bruising the bone. He yelped, losing his grip. That's all she needed, and she tore away. But in her haste, she saw his free arm reaching for her, and she slipped on panicked feet as he pushed her off the railing.

She held back a scream, staring straight down into the boiling pit below. The guard wrapped a tight hand around her ankle, and Ellie could see Dream's other foot flailing; she restrained herself poorly from kicking the guard, desperately hoping she wouldn't die.

As her captor supported himself against the railing, his pistol pointed at Ellie.

"I'll drop her, I swear I'll drop her!"

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Thanks.

--

New post is up! I've tried to keep everyone's options open as much as possible, but let me know if the scene needs tweaking. :)

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Corridor, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: After Midnight

Dream

"Stay behind me, let's go!"

Shiny, steel-toed leather boots stampeded the platform as Ellie spoke, blocking the way behind them. As Linus and Ellie finished making the water shield, Dream gritted her teeth, pulling frantically on the steel binds on her wrists. If she couldn't use her hands, she wouldn't be able to protect them.

The smell of gunpowder mixed with the hot air as guards fired off a warning shot over them.

"On the ground, on the ground now!"

Dream tried rubbing the sweat from her brow with the edge of her shoulder. Whether it was from the heat or nerves, she couldn't tell. There was something off here. She stood beside two metas, both strong. The security detail were suicidal if they thought a few bullets could stop three seasoned metas. Sure, Dream was stuck in handcuffs, but Ellie and Linus could hold their own easily.

What was the source of the guards' confidence?

A laser light caught her eye, and she turned.

The lobbed smoke grenade from the vents cast a veil, suffused with the updraft from below, lit up with snaking, lethal red beams. She could see them play over the shield, Linus, Ellie. They traced figures over the heart before lining up with vital points on all three of them from both sides of the platform.

Security had extra detail in the walls. Men hidden in the numerous vents. If she squinted, she could see the cold glint of rifle barrels sticking out of the grates.

Dream's heart dropped. These people were just waiting for an excuse to open fire. Did they care about the legalities of harming metas?

Probably not.

Staring at the pointed guns and padded vests in front of her, the haze of smoke disfigured the details just enough, and panicked images flashed in front of her eyes.

~*~

The smell of fire and sweat, eyes straining as she staggered away from the unconscious man on the cement in front of her. Weak flames curled off his limbs, slowly extinguishing, leaving no marks. A pyro meta, a criminal by trade, finally defeated in the wet streets of Tenebrae's Japanese village.

"Don't move!"

Her panting breath caught as blinding lights took over. She blocked it with her hands, watching silhouettes come into focus. Vests, badges, automatic rifles. She couldn't count how many surrounded her.

And, slowly, she raised her hands.

~*~

Light dripped from her hands, angrily curling, useless behind her back.

"They got snipers in the vents. They haven't shot us yet, but we're running out of time."

---

Section A, the Hole Above the Corridor, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: After Midnight
@Shu

In the sabotaged remains of one of the world's most secretive lab, the Triad men crouched around the hole that once held the heart, checking their ropes.

A gunshot rang out, and screaming. The toy soldiers had found their targets.

A man surveyed the hole behind the others, dressed in dragon tatoos and bullets.

"Let's go, men."

"Yes sir!"

As men leapt down, he turned to see one of the smaller, less dressed men behind him, feet shuffling toward the hole.

He held up a hand, "Stop right there, Pak Tsz Sin."

The younger one looked up, bandage hiding the gash on his neck. The one Scarlet had spoken with in the alley. "Sir?"

"You're staying here."

"But sir, if Scarlet Shadow is in the vicinity--"

"The heart's extraction is our top priority."

"She is a priority as well, sir. I have to sway her to our side, Hung Kwan."

The Hung Kwan rolled his eyes, "She's as good as dead, Pak Tsz Sin. The sooner you realize that, the better."

"Sir, this is the one job I have. I want to make Shan Chu proud." He said, jutting out his chin.

The Hung Kwan paused, then sighed. "No."

He pushed the younger one to the side, "Go watch our escape route. If I need you, I will call you."

The Pak Tsz Sin watched grimly as the Hung Kwan followed his men down the hole, and he turned away sharply, kicking the metal floor with a jarring clang.

--

@Shu, @Blizz

In the center of the platform, meters in front of Linus' glowing shield, a dozen men with heavy boots, QBZ-95 automatic rifles, and bare arms covered in tattoos landed from the ceiling. They lobbed canisters high over Ellie, Linus, and Dream's heads, landing in the security guards ranks. The canisters bursted, and white clouds covered the guards.

The frantic gasping for air and coughing on hands and knees made it clear these were tear gas canisters. They thickly coated the doorway and far part of the platform, threatening to inch closer to Ellie and Dream.

The tattooed men turned their guns on Linus' shield, others pulling grenades off their belts. The Hung Kwan held up a hand, studying the metas in front of him.

"Friends, not sure where you're trying to go, but I think we might be able to help each other."

His hand gestured to the heart in Ellie's hands. "Hand over the heart, and I can grant you safe passage."

The smoke grenade previously launched was almost finished, leaving a thin film of smoke in the air. Ellie, Linus, and Dream could see red beams realining like a morbid rave show, highlighting the chests and faces of the tattooed men.

The Hung Kwan clicked his teeth, pulling off the velcro of his front chest pouch. A charge, safety cap knocked to the side and red button lightly depressed by his thumb, was pushed into the air.

"And if you all zhū tóu think you're safe in those vents, you know better than me what happens when the reactor matter below is lit by something like this. Don't push me."

One of the men beside the Hung Kwan passed what looked like night vision binoculars, pointing to the wall. The Hung Kwan scanned the wall, and a smile tugged at his lips.

"Well, I'd be damned if that wasn't our master ninja come to join the party."

He passed back the binoculars and pulled out a crossbolt in his other hand, lining up a shot. A metal bolt smashed into the wall beside her, creating an anchor. Rope spilled out as he fired off a second shot on the opposite wall, making a tightrope perpendicular to the platform.

"Why don't you come join us?" He said. "A certain low-life friend of mine wants to talk to you, so I won't shoot you. Yet."

The crossbolt was back in his free hand, other hand gripping the charge. "Trust me, the closer you are to him, the better."

On the other side of the platform, behind Ellie and Linus, Dream staggered back, eyes tearing up from wayward vapours. She squinted, seeing the guards spluttering and choking on the ground. It gave her, Ellie, and her friend precious minutes to make a plan, and if the draft stayed back, her and Ellie wouldn't have the same suffocating problem.

Dream leaned to speak low to Ellie, eyes shifting from the charge in the tattooed man's hand, to the shadowy blob on the wall. "If the heart falls, it'll be destroyed. If you push that, they might back off and we can figure a way out of here."

---

Corridor, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: After Midnight
@Shu

A buzz in Scarlet Shadow's ear. "Code Red, what's your status?"

Scarlet could hear tapping of a keyboard. "There's no cameras in this part of the lab, so I'm blind. Have you located the heart yet? I have an escape route available, but it involves leaving the vents. There's a lab above this reactor shaft with direct access to open water. We can have a getaway device on standby for you."

A pause. "There's another way that involves the vents, but it's a much lengthier process. What do you think?"

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Hello, @Aristocles

You have a valid question, it is a bit strange to see a ladies only roleplay, so I understand where you're coming from. If I wanted to join a roleplay that had a rule like this, I would have questions too.

Actually, you're the second person who has asked why this roleplay is ladies only.

I said at that time that sometimes boys like to do boy things with other boys. Same goes for girls. And I think it's okay to make space where girls can hang out and do what they enjoy doing.

Not all girls are like this. I'm talking about myself particularly.

I'll add the quotes from before for you as well:

I gotta ask why ladies only... Other than that, can we only play female characters? I tend to prefer playing male characters, but I could play a girl.

@WolfredWolf

@WolfredWolf I have no issue with ladies and guys roleplaying together. But aren’t there times when you like having just guys around? It goes both ways.

The characters can be any gender, yes.

@Estylwen

This is the link to the quotes

Thanks for you question, hope so that answers it.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

New post! Now everyone is in the same room, a very steep shaft with glowing liquid at the far bottom. Maybe a reactor that powers the building?

And wow, now the heart is out and ready for the taking.

If you need any help with your post, or if I need to edit anything to make it easier, please just let me know! There are literally no wrong moves so don't feel pressured. Let's enjoy! :)

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Vents, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: After Midnight
@Shu

"Dammit." Corva cursed as she watched Scarlet's signal slip into the vents.

Her hair whipped in cascade as she raised her hand toward one of her assistants.

"Get me access to the vent system." She commanded.

"But ma'am, that's a level four encryption. It'll take hours to—"

"We don't have hours. Use the meta skills we have to get in there and take over those wasps."

The assistant gulped. "You mean... Me?"

Corva nodded gravely, turning her eyes to the screen. "It's her best chance."

—

As Scarlet Shadow made her way through the vents, the security system detected her faster this time. A whirring sound, like a mosquito, reverberated off the metal as she shimmied forward, and she saw the little lights of the lab's robotic wasp diving toward her. It took a little effort to squash it, but that was only the start.

More lights began filling the vents as the wasps began to pick up her trail, causing Scarlet to clamour through the vents. The air became thick with wasps, trapping Scarlet in a long stretch of closed venting. But before Scarlet could use the ace up her sleeve, the wasps froze.

For a split second, the vent was eerily quiet as the wasps stopped all function. No wings, no lights, no movement. Then, as one, they convulsed as they fell to the ground, dead.

"The vents are now safe to traverse." Said a voice in Scarlet's comm.

There was shuffling and the roll of metal wheels. "Get him to ER."

As the sound of squeaky wheels left the control tower, the voice focused again on Scarlet.

"Two lefts and a right will take you to the shaft. From there, it's just an elevator ride to the next floor. Be prepared—that's where the heart is. I'm detecting a high level of activity."

As Scarlet moved over dead wasp bodies, she eventually found the exit. And as she kicked out the vent grate, watching it fall into a bubbling, oozing liquid far, far below, the first thing she noticed was the heat.

She looked out into a shaft full of vents and steel ribbing on the walls and the ceiling. Below her, a single, narrow metal platform went from one end of the shaft to the other, suspended by unknown means. One end, on the right, showed a closed security door with a console. On the other end, behind a layer of lasers, was the elevator to Section A.

All she could hear was the bubbling of the liquid below her, until the door to the rest right blasted open.

---

Corridor, Laboratory of Microreactor Technology
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: After Midnight
@Blizz

It worked.

A high-powered kick to the door came with a cascade of snapping pins, and the door rocked open on its hinges.

Beyond the door was a long platform of grates hovering in a narrow, large column. Despite the safety rails, the sheer drop could make anyone with a shred of vertigo nauseous. If one looked over the edge, they could see a glowing, bubbling liquid shining down at the bottom of the shaft, sending up waves of uncomfortable heat. Overhead by 50 feet, they could see vents and steel ribs. And on the sides of the walls were a number of large vents, some with numbers, other closed and covered in dust and neglect.

If they looked carefully, they could see one vent on the left completely open.

"The elevator is just up ahead." Dream said, nodding toward the other side of the platform. She appeared okay, grateful, even, despite the cuffs on her wrists.

But before Ellie, Linus and Dream could take a step forward, something happened.

—
@Shu, @Blizz

Cracks began forming in the ceiling. The faint sound of drilling fell ominous on straining ears. The platform began to creak and sway as the shaft shook, growing as chunks of ceiling broke away.

And then, Ellie, Linus, Scarlet Shadow, and Dream saw it fall from the ceiling.

Twinkling in its glass canister, suspended in between the sealed metal ends and spinning loosely, seductively. A small, intricate cube, easy to fit in a child's hand, hovering within its protective case as it fell neatly in the middle of the platform.

The heart.

"You idiot!" Came a voice from the hole in the ceiling. "When I said 'extract it' I didn't mean 'drop it'!"

Feverish apologies, then leads of rope dropped down from the ceiling.

They'd have company, fast.