Adventures in Time & Space IC

[davyjones]

Retreating back to the others, concern creases the professor's features. "Those specific Cybermen shouldn't be here. Far too advanced for the 2000s," he breathes. "Advanced models of Mark VIIs, I'd reckon.

"They'll still be vulnerable to gold, less so to nail polish," the professor whispers to his companions, as if they would know what he's talking about. "But that doesn't really help us get past this one. Confronting it would be like declaring war, and we're not exactly equipped like UNIT. We either sneak past or incapacitate it quickly. Ideas?"

[Ridai]

"Mark VII? UNIT? Nail polish?" Miles asks back, before remembering he should probably also try to contribute something.

"I could try and distract it while you sneak past? Does it react to noise? Is it... uh, smart?"

[davyjones]

"I could try and distract it while you sneak past? Does it react to noise? Is it... uh, smart?"

"Well, the idea is that we'd all get inside together," Calico counters. "And, yes, it's smart. And, not like Robbie the Robot or WOPR; they're human smart. I know that covers a pretty broad range of 'smart,' but they're not toasters, Mr. Marwood."

He pauses to peek out and make sure the Cyberman is continuing its regular routine and ducks back to cover to explain, "Think of Mark VII as you would an auto's model. In this case, it's the 7th generation system. Improved armor, armament, circuitry, that sort of thing. The nail polish thing? Someone from my, well, group of associates got wind of a chemical means of defeating an earlier generation of Cybermen a few hundred years ago. I suspect these Mark VIIs have kept enough composite construction to remain vulnerable to it. And, wait - you've never heard of UNIT? The UN Intelligence Taskforce?"

[Ridai]

"Never heard of them, no. I don't have any nail polish on me, and none of these vehicles are going to work, so I don't exactly have many options available. Wait, armaments?" What armaments?!

[davyjones]

"Well, yes. What did you expect?" the professor rebukes, frowning at the man's general skittishness. "These aren't friendly automatons from a Saturday morning kids show; they're an advanced species of humanoids with as much ambition as your own people. Terrans haven't cornered the market on warmongering, you know."

Pausing to let the momentary frustration pass, Calico furrows his brows as an idea comes to the fore. "This equipment. I know you said none of this stuff works, but it doesn't mean we can't pep one up for a short time," he offers, drawing his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and waggling it between his thumb and forefinger for emphasis. "Find something on the other end of his patrol route, zap it with enough juice to draw the sentry's attention, and slip into the mine entrance as it investigates? Doable?"

[Zelphas]

"I'm quieter than both of you," Donald chips in, still working out how robotic monsters fit in with his worldview. "If I set off the distraction, then you'll both be able to sneak inside in relative peace, and I can avoid the patrols and follow after you."

[Ridai]

"I'm sorry, today's the first time I ever interacted with any sort of alien," Miles tries to explain a little sheepishly.

Donald pipes up soon after, offering to make the distraction. "Are you sure?" he asks, given this is obviously very dangerous. But he also seems relatively calm about all this. "If so, well... we'll wait for the distraction. Just please be careful."

[davyjones]

Regarding the delivery man with some scrutiny, Calico eventually nods and preps his sonic. Once his task is complete, he shows the device to Donald. "Okay, Mr. Jordan, this is already set to 'wake up' any machine with electrical components, so all you need to do is point it at the machine you want to use as your distraction and press this button here," he explains, pointing to the activator for emphasis. "Just make sure you get it back to me in one piece. They take a bit of time to replace, and I'd hate to have to update the firmware so soon."

[Dodgeson]

Creeping across the mine pit until he reached the nearest piece of usable machinery Donald went completely unoticed by the Cyberman standing watch over the lift but what didn't go unnoticed was the results of Calico's miraculous little gizmo. With the press of a button the sonic device buzzed in to life and the excavator went absolutely gonzo, its lights flashing, alarm blaring and its scoop raising and falling seemingly at random.

Turning its head towards the commotion the sentry lifted a single clenched metallic fist towards its chestplate, broadcasting to the rest of its Mondasian compatriots through their shared link "Mechanical activity sighted in vicinity, I will investigate. Request additional support, the heathens must not be allowed to befoul His sanctum."

With that the sentry left its post, marching towards the excavator, the echoes of its heavy metal feet still audible over the sounds of the wild excavator.

[Ridai]

Miles thought the old machinery's batteries were dead and the fuel long evaporated, but he was swiftly shown the error of his ways, observing with lifted eyebrows.

Oh. Right! They should get going!

As the Cyberman moves away from its post, Miles tries to use the opportunity to make for the lift, trying to stay low and in cover where possible along the way. He just hopes they won't be seen, and that Donald will make it.

Spoiler: Actions

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Miles doing the sneaky-sneak! Coordination 4 + Subterfuge 3 (2d6+7)[12]

[davyjones]

Mr. Jordan has done his job well, perhaps too well, but now is not the time to stop and assess potential consequences. Calico's not a sneaker, not by any stretch of the imagination, so he strides across the open space while the Cyberman's attention is on the enlivened machinery. Into the shaft they go.

[Zelphas]

Donald glances down at the screwdriver, surprised by its powers over technology. A useful little tool, that; good for plenty of pinches...

Tucking it into his breast pocket for safekeeping, Donald skirts around the approaching guard and makes his way inside the facility as well.

[Dodgeson]

The wild behaviour of the excavator wouldn't take long for the sentry to deal with (a single silver fist through the dashboard would be enough to silence it) but it would still provided enough time for our heroes to make their way to the platform and begin their descent in to the earth. The shaft was long and the trio would have some time to talk amongst themselves as machinery slowly groaned and grinded around them but eventually it would come to a halt and long tunnel lit by lights studded across the rough walls would stretch out in front of them.

Once upon a time the mine at Birchmoor been the cornerstone of the local economy, employing hundreds of men and it showed, the three of them were in for a long walk. To make things worse (at least for Professor Calico) the further they got down the tunnel the more concentrated the Artron energy in the air became until by the time they reached a heavy looking metal door and damaged digital screen it was almost stifling. Earlier in the evening Calico had theorised that the unusual energy signature that permeated the village and its surroundings might have come from a dying TARDIS and he was half right, the advanced Cyberman would make far more sense now, in front of them was the entrance to a Cyberman timeship.

[Ridai]

Once the elevator reaches the bottom, Miles sighs in relief. "Good thing you made it back safely," he says to Donald, managing a quick smile.

Miles looks about at the place actually being up and working. "This is just... strange. How has no one noticed the mine being in use again?"

And finally at the door, he just inclines his head. "This... I don't think this belongs here." He looks to Professor Calico. "Do you know what this is?"

[davyjones]

While he's not one to feel the "turn of the universe," as his people poetically call their natural connection to the Matrix and the time vortex, the increasing concentration of artron energy is palpable to Calico. The professor feels...uneasy, something he rarely encounters, and he's not fond of it at all.

Once the elevator reaches the bottom, Miles sighs in relief. "Good thing you made it back safely," he says to Donald, managing a quick smile.

Donald catching up momentarily distracts him from the sense of foreboding that was starting to cloud his thoughts. With a slight smile and approving nod for a job well done, the professor raises his palm expectantly...until his sonic is firmly back in his grasp. The smile morphs into a satisfied grin as he drops it back into his jacket pocket.

Miles looks about at the place actually being up and working. "This is just... strange. How has no one noticed the mine being in use again?"

"People see what they want to see, what they expect to see," Calico muses. "How many folks come out this way, really, and are they looking at the quarry when they do?"

There's an eeriness to the whole place that he felt the moment they breached the ridge. The Time Lord seriously doubts any local over the age of ten would purposefully investigate...

...and his thoughts are ripped from him at the sight of the timeship. The professor stops short, his hearts each skipping a beat.

And finally at the door, he just inclines his head. "This... I don't think this belongs here." He looks to Professor Calico. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's a ship, Mr. Marwood, and one, I suspect, that can traverse both time and space," Calico explains as the various puzzle pieces start forming an image in his head. "I know the Cybermen had captured one, but that was the 26th Century and on a different planet and, from what my chapter shared about the incident, was also destroyed along with their control center."

The Time Lord approaches the hull and leans in to examine the materiel detail, hoping to gain an understanding of the temporal origin of this particular timeship. "But, it's possible the ship had a failsafe to bring it to a known time and place. I want to say it was connected to London in 1986, but time travel isn't always an exact science, and she easily could have ended up here. And, if even one Cyberman survived, it would try to rebuild its forces. When did the Beast of Birchmoor start terrorizing the locals?"

Spoiler: Attempt to Determine Timeship Origin

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OOC: Ingenuity + Knowledge +8 (or Technology +8, or Transport +6)
(2d6+8)[13] - or 11, if we're using Transport

[Ridai]

In regards to how many people would come out to the mining pit, Miles says "Okay, fair. But it being lit up feels like it would draw attention at some point."

As for the Beast of Birchmoor: "Since the 18th century or thereabouts, as the legend goes at least. As for the ship, why would it go to London in '86 specifically?"

[davyjones]

As for the Beast of Birchmoor: "Since the 18th century or thereabouts, as the legend goes at least. As for the ship, why would it go to London in '86 specifically?"

"Details were a bit sketchy, but I think it had something to do with preventing the destruction of their homeworld, which was in Earth's neighborhood. Mondas, I think the name was," the professor recalls, then adds with a smile, "As for London - doesn't every happening thing happen in London?"

[Zelphas]

Donald looks at the Professor's hand of a moment before realizing what the man was asking for. Odd, he'd practically forgotten... he hands over the sonic screwdriver a moment later without any incident other than that odd pause.

"London does seem like a... comfortable place, for all its foibles, I suppose," He comments quietly in the conversation, taking a few slow breaths. The air felt fine when he checks his breathing, but something feels off when he doesn't pay attention... well, no matter. This whole situation is strange, after all, or at least it's supposed to be for most normal people.

[Ridai]

"I... I guess that is a time-traveller thing, then." Shifting in place. "So... how do we get in?"

[davyjones]

Calico frowns slightly as he inspects the craftsmanship. Possibly a human timeship, repurposed by the Cybermen as before; possibly of direct human-Cyberman design. Mondasian/Talosian/everywhere-else-ian histories and origins have been mucked up ever since the Cybermen decided to start messing with time. Who knows what the original, untangled history of these people was?

"One thing's for certain," he muses aloud. "They're here, no matter how accidental or purposeful, and they're trying to build their forces."

Looking up at his companions, he adds, "To what end, you might ask? In the broadest terms, dominance of everything in their grasp. Here, specifically? Hard to say. But, to answer your other question, Mr. Marwood, we 'break and enter.' I doubt they'll call the local constabulary over it."

He draws his sonic again, thinking he hasn't gotten this kind of use out of his trusty tool for quite some time. "Communications disruption, jump starts, now lock picking - you're just getting put through all your paces, aren't you?" he coos at it.

[Ridai]

Miles looks at the ship's entrance, a long exhale with puffed cheeks escaping him, then looks back again. "Given the circumstances, what with invading forces wanting to take over, I'm sure this falls under civil courage."

[Dodgeson]

The plucky buzz of Calico's sonic screwdriver was soon replaced by the grinding protests of gears and metal as the door in front of them slowly juddered open in fits and starts, showering the hallway in a spray sparks before finally going still again and one thing was immediately clear on the other side, wherever and whenever the cybership had come from it definitely did not have a fun time getting here.

Stretching out in front of them until it terminated in a pair of corridors running off at right angles was a cold metal corridor dotted with doors along walls that were scorched with laser fire, at least the parts of them that hadn't had holes blown straight through them showing all sorts of pipes and wires and the occasional flash of scuttling silver. That wasn't even getting started on the grated metal floor that was in similar shape or the other wires that were dangling from the ceiling and ominously twitching and buzzing to themselves.

The likelihood of getting tetanus or electrocuted wasn't the only thing the trio would have to worry about though, after all the sentry back in the mine had signalled for reinforcements and the oncoming sound of heavy stomping footsteps was a sure sign that they were on their way!

[Ridai]

The door opening thankfully reveals no Cybermen. Instead, they are treated to the torn-up interior of the ship. Miles eyes the corridor and its many damages. "Certainly lends credence to this having been through a hostile takeover-"

Miles freezes. Oh no, footsteps, and coming closer. Okay, quick thinking. No point trying to hide in the mines. No idea where the doors lead. Might mean they run into Cybermen, open wires, or... assorted future-time-space shenanigans. Of the unkind variety. The kind one does not want to run into while trying to hide. Or... something...

So instead, he steps in, squats down, and quietly tries the floor grating, successfully so, even! "Quick, close the door and get in here." Miles adds some hurried gesturing for good measure.

[davyjones]

The door opening thankfully reveals no Cybermen. Instead, they are treated to the torn-up interior of the ship. Miles eyes the corridor and its many damages. "Certainly lends credence to this having been through a hostile takeover-"

"Indeed," Calico counters as he surveys the ship's interior. "A lot of unknowns to make known..." The Time Lord trails off as he hears the sound of approaching footsteps.

...So instead, he steps in, squats down, and quietly tries the floor grating, successfully so, even! "Quick, close the door and get in here." Miles adds some hurried gesturing for good measure.

"Good thinking, Mr. Marwood!" the professor concurs enthusiastically. "Come, Mr. Jordan. No dawdling."

He quickly ushers Donald into the ship and uses his sonic to close the door. A moment later, he drops through the grate and finding cover in the underfloor.