operating like clockwork.

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camolot the creator

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you wake up. your confused, unsure; you are in a place of humming and clicking, of gears and steel and brass, but you do not remember coming here, though you think you aren't supposed to be here. gears in the walls, gears on the ceiling and gears underneath the back metal mesh that comprises the floor, and you get a feeling of dread. why are you here?
and from the shadows, an invisible camera sees you, watches your movements and observes your confusion for the benefit of the man whose screens are connected to this camera, and to every camera scattered throughout the entire huge complex.
you don't know where you are, but...
you feel the need to find out.
so you get up and go to find out.
(an experiment. anyone can join, and at any time. i will manipulate situations, but for the most part will not be directly involved.)​
 
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The ticking was distracting, competing with the continuous tone, the beginning of a song that would not start. Rolling onto her side Alison froze. The vibration that had been rumbling through her slight frame disappeared. She hadn't been humming, or lying somewhere in a deep daydream lost in the music. It was a machine, the whirring and clicking amplified while her head rested against the floor.
She rolled up onto her hand and knees, looking frantically at the gears surrounding her. This is wrong. Standing she waited for the rush of dizziness to pass, hoping in vain that the clumsy drowsiness would wear off just as fast. Nervously rubbing an elbow Alison turned a full circle and with no distinction of direction set off away from where she was.
Would there be guards to catch her and throw her out? Should she avoid them or seek them out? Either way she wanted to know where she was, what this place was. She walked on down a corridor, looking for any distinction or label, any obvious differences in the mechanics that might offer a hint of where she was. But the speed of window shopping was too slow. She was not learning anything, or getting anywhere by taking her time and picked up the pace. She needed to find someone or something, failure to do so would be worse than pointless, it left a feeling of dread in her stomach. She started sprinting from one intersection and corner to the next. Always turning to the left given a choice.
 
i watched the monitors, looking through the eyes of hidden cameras as they tracked the progress of the girl. a small warning beacon flashed off to my right; security androids had been alerted, their clockwork systems booting up after a long period of inactivity, being automatically sent after the intruder by ancient security systems. my fingers flashed across a typewriter-like keyboard, searching for a weapons cache near her. i couldn't deactivate the security bot, but i could help her survive it. i found a small toolbox of sorts that contained a single bolt gun and a few containers of bolts; not exactly a weapon, but under the circumstances, i'm sure that she would understand. i pressed a few buttons and the hatch opened, the bolt gun and bolts clattering to the mesh floor of the corridor.
"i suggest you take the bolt gun." i said into a microphone. "it'll help with the security 'bot that's been sent your way."
 
Not far in front of her something moved, tools dripping onto the ground. Alison slowed, wondering if someone would be appearing, climbing from an opening after them. The sound of a voice through a speaker was hardly surprising, that even happened at grocery stores. The message itself was alarming. Guards are to be avoided, or fought.
Alison swallowed looking back over her shoulder, so this was not some normal place one might trespass upon and get fined or locked up. Of course it wasn't, she would remember something about coming if this were normal.
Stooping to pick up the bolt gun she was glad tools were fairly straight forward and found the opening for the bolts. There were only a few canisters, the extras she wriggled into a pocket. She was never one for reckless rampages even with arcade games, and would try not to waste too many. She was perfectly still for a moment listening for a sound of the approaching not. Who was she kidding? Waiting like she knew what she was doing, as if she could use a gun accurately on a moving target, as if she knew how far this thing would even shoot. She was doomed. Standing again she took off down the passage, opting to avoid the security bots as long as possible. Another left turn and she stopped to listen for anything that might sound like approaching...feet? Wheels? Anything.
 
I watched her progress carefully; a mistake at this point had the potential to be deadly. This particular 'bot had tracks, rather atypical for it's model, but it would make it easier to detect from long distances as the tracks would rattle against the steel mesh. I turned from the progress of the girl to the progress of the sentry. I spoke into the microphone, examining a map of that level. "Turn right at the next intersection, followed by a left. Then there should be a door to your right, looks like a giant gear. Press the red button in the center to open it, then enter and press another button on the left side, which should close the door behind you. You'll be safe there until the sentries go back to sleep, which they will once they don't find you in the main corridors."
 
Alison turned right, merely glancing down the other corridors on the way, and sprinting for the next corner. The cranking clacking sound of moving machine could be heard. Door, door, she held back her pace, looking for the large gear that had been described. It was enormous compared to the gears she had seen so far. Sticking out her right thumb Alison pushed the red button, watching the door open from the corner of her eye she faced down the hallway in the direction of the rattling noise. As soon as the opening was large enough she stepped through, turning on her heal to look for the button that would put the door back in place. She pushed it hard, willing it to close faster, sealing her off from a robot she would need to fight against otherwise. Finally the girl took a deep breath, several. Glad for the chance to be "safe" Alison turned to look at where she was now. Deciding first thing she needed to do was sit down, even if that meant plopping down on the mesh flooring in the middle of a hallway.
 
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"Where am I?" Josie's voice rang out, her voice in perfect harmony with the never ending ticking. The small girl on the floor did not know what to do, she was too shocked. The only thing she did remember was that she had been at home.. then she had blacked out.

Josie began to rise, her head looking from side to side of the room. Her curly blonde hair hit her cheek as she did so. "H-Help! Someone! " she yelled, all she got was the 'tick tick tick tick' of the constant ticking. It was beginning to give her a headache.

With a sigh, the girl sat down on the ground. Josie pulled her knees up to her chest and stared into the darkness. She radiated innocence, that was what most people told her. So why would Josie be here?
 
Alison raised her head at the sound of another voice, not from the speaker this time, but ringing around through the machinery. Someone must be close, but the 'bot was not far away either. She was told to come here, she was safe here, and the 'bot would be finished patrolling soon, right? When the robot was gone, she could go find the person, she decided, folding her hands in her lap. At least they would not be alone, just lost.

But she scrambled to her feet when the young voice called for help. The lump in her stomach was back. She stood at the door, considering, if it was an adult she might have simply yelled for them to come join her. But this voice was young. Taking a deep breath to rally her courage Alison opened the door, poking only her head out, flat brown hair falling in her face as she looked back and forth down the hallway. No 'bot in sight, but the rattling was getting louder. Holding tight to the bolt gun she stepped back into the hallway, leaving the door open. "Where are you?" she yelled.
 
Josie jumped at the sound of another voice. One thought ran through the young girls mind, I'm not alone? she jumped up and ran at the steel door, it was like a freezer door she had seen from a horror movie. It was locked though, but she began screaming. "Im right here!! Help!" Her voice rose to a squeak, the highest a 15 year old voice could go.

She really hoped this person would be nice, and not be the one that put her here. Hopefully she would get them both from the place out of Hades. The ticking began getting louder, andher head popounded in response at the same exat rythem.

Josie began jumping up and down, impatient.. Her hopping making large echoes throughout the room. She tried again. "Please! Get me out of here!"
 
[OOC: sorry guys, i was stuck with spotty internet while visiting family, so i didn't have adequate internet since my last update.]
i grimaced as i watched the 'bot turn it's head in the direction of the voices. "listen, both of you, the bot is alerted to your presence, and will broadcast your last known location to all other security mechs in the area. the best thing you can do is keep on the move and be ready for a fight. both of you head north of your positions, as according to the rooms. each room has an arrow pointing toward the north passage; if you both head that way, then both corridors meet in about 300 feet. after that you should continue on down until you see another door; that leads to one of the weapon caches. you'll be able to hold out there until the security 'bots stop searching for you. i'm going to delay them until you get there; pipe recordings of your voices through speakers in the south corridors, seal emergency bulkheads, stuff like that. good luck."
i switched off the microphone and began security lockdowns, triggering preprogrammed responses from the mechs as they forgot about searching for the fugitives and moved to guard several sealed rooms that were vital to system functionality. other mechs i distracted by playing recordings through the more southern speakers, then sealing bulkheads behind them, forcing them to have to travel all the way around. i made sure that the armory 5 door was unlocked, then went back to delaying the security bots.
 
Good luck to you, and thanks! Alison thought, not daring to speak again. Just move and be ready to fight. She stepped back into the room frantically searching for an arrow, very practically placed if you knew what you were looking for. She hit the button closing the door behind her and headed north down the passage. Childhood skills like hide and seek on hardwood floors were suddenly coming in handy as she knew how to hurry quietly, although the mesh floor would not allow for silence, it was not as loud as the pounding of running feet.
She waited at the next intersection, listening beyond the 'bot rattling for feet coming her way hoping the girl was alright and could find her way just as easily.
 
Josie jumped when she heard the speaker guy, then she waitedfor the oother person to come. It there were bots coming for her, why wasn't the girl in the hallway coming for her. Now she was scared.

She frantically looked around the room to find a tool of some sort. Maybe she could protect herself with it..
 
i saw the other girl hesitate, looking around, and i assumed she was trying to locate a weapon of some sort. my hands hesitated over the keyboard as i chewed my lip, considering the options. finally, i made a decision; my fingers danced across the keyboard, and a section of mesh close to her feet sprung up, opening like a trap door. i selected the speakers close to her and turned on the microphone. "in that storage cupboard, you'll find a small collection of 9mm PM9s and a limited selection of ammunition. take two of the clips that are painted blue; those're plasma rounds. they'll pierce through just about anything. only take one pistol and two clips: others might need them later." i turned off the microphone and went back to the task of delaying the 'bots, reversing the motor control commands of a 'bot that got too close from the west, causing it to halt and go backwards when it tried to go forwards, left when it tried to go right, ect. i knew that would keep it's rudimentary brain busy for a few minutes while i delayed the rest. briefly, i remembered the man who had put together the cache of PM9s together and how he had died, then dismissed the memory. i needed to concentrate here, in the present; this was no time for calling up dark memories.
 
Alison didn't hear anything, something was wrong. She was starting to worry. Looking back down the hall she had come down she tried to judge the distance, this was the place he said their paths would cross wasn't it? So where was she?

There was no sound, no sign of movement to the north where the weapons cache was supposed to be. She had to keep moving, waiting around to be found was not option. She clenched her empty hand into a fist, almost trembling at the decision she couldn't talk herself out of. That's why she had to turn down the other passage. That girl couldn't afford to stay still either. What kind of help did she need?

As quietly as she could manage Alison crept down the hallway, bold gun ready to fire as best she could at the first bot that came into sight. There was no trace of the girl in the long corridor. Alison would not risk a shout, but she needed to know where the girl was. The bot's already knew this location anyway, right? Then the feeling of dread intensified, her eyes widening. What if they had already found the girl? "Are you here?" She said quietly. Then daring to speak just a little louder asked again. "Where are you?"
 
A strange man appeared in front of Alison and he spoke to her the moment he appeared. "Why hello my dear what can i get you a bloody mary or do you want vodka!" the man said. The man had a strange crimson cloak on with markings on his hands and he spoke again. "The name is Dalgon master of magic...sadly i forgot my spells.... all i have is this desert eagle....do you want it?" Dalgon asked Alison awaiting her reply.
 
The young woman jumped back at his sudden appearance, quivering hands aiming the bolt gun at the cloaked figure, she was caught. But that assumption quickly began to alter, her hands hesitantly lowering. "What? Were you making that girls voice?" She asked suspiciously eyeing the man of magic.
 
"Do not worry young one i came here the same way you did i do not recollect any memory of coming here on my own and no i was not making the feminine voice you heard but i did wake up in a nearby room." Dalgon replied to Allison.
 
The parallels of their situations were not comforting. "So you didn't hear her? She was calling for help. Someone said the 'bots knew where we were, he was going to try and stall them… but you're the first person I've met. What if they found her?" That dreadful question refused to leave her thoughts, but she didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary. Looking back over her shoulder Alison considered her choices, should she continue south looking for the girl or assume the worst and head north again to the weapons cache?
 
i tapped a few keys on my keyboard and flipped a few switches. "look you two, you've got two options here. you can head north, and i assure you that you WILL make it to the armory, where you can seal yourself in and be safe, at least for a while. if you head to where the other girl is, you might not make it back in time. the 'bots are making their way around the security systems i managed to commandeer; eventually, they will make it south down the same corridor that the armory is on." i breathed in, then out. "i have also lost contact with security cameras close to the other girl's location. sensors show several heat sources converging in the area, most of which are probably bots. however, there might be a way to accomplish both goals and make it out alive." i steepled my fingers and leaned forward towards the mic. "one of you will have to rescue the girl, the other will have to help me defend the hallway until the others arrive and all of you can take cover in the armory. i will take manual control of a sentry turret close by." i tapped a few buttons, and a container rose out of the ground, then opened to reveal a straight sword, hand-and-a-half, 4 feet in length. "tungsten steel. whoever goes after the girl, take this. it's a silent weapon, and you need to avoid bringing attention to yourselves if you can help it. the one who chooses to stay and help me defend, they should probably get the bolt gun. ranged weapons will be better for this." i hit a few keys, then grabbed a manual controller that popped out of the control panel, then looked through a camera attached to the sentry turret to see a bot racing down the hallway. "hurry!" i said with renewed urgency, "the first of the bots has already made its way to the armory corridor!" i pressed down the firing triggers and a burst of hot lead exploded from the barrel of the turret, cutting down the bot in seconds. there would be others after it, though; too many for the turret to handle alone.
"enemy kill count: one." a small automated, but feminine, voice announced. "error: User should leave enemies for Candidates."
"oh, shut up you old bat of a computer..." i muttered, facing away from the mic.
 
"I agree with that guy i will tell you where i found the desert eagle though....had quite alot of ammo in there." Dalgon tells Allison as he begins to head north. Then Dalgon stopped Allison by pulling back her arm. "Listen that other girl we ae going to assure she is safe ok." Dalgon tells Allison
 
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