Into the Dragon's Mouth: Part I

Participants:

alexander_icon.gif claire_icon.gif eve_icon.gif helena_icon.gif mohinder_icon.gif peter_icon.gif trask_icon.gif

Scene Title Into the Dragon's Mouth: Part I
Synopsis PARIAH appears at Primatech Research, intent on accomplishing their goals.
Date September 19, 2008

Primatech Research


The first strain of many.

The world bends, shapes and forms distorting to create a haze of colors and sound that distort towards a distant horizon. Air rushes to expand away from a place where solid objects simply did not exist moments ago. To those who traversed the fold in space-time, there is a momentary sensation of falling, to Helena a familiar feeling of missing a step on a flight of stairs, a brief jolt where the world falls away for just long enough to be jarring. Gravity's welcomed return comes but a moment later, followed by the world snapping back into focus, but not a familiar one.

Peter removes his hand from the center of the circle of people, lifting his hand from theirs, wavering for but a moment as one hand comes to rest at the side of his head. Teleporting himself requires focus, teleporting himself and another requires focus and extreme concentration — but a group of five others is more than he is accustomed to. Necessary strain.

"Eyes open!" Peter springs into movement within the fully packed warehouse facility, motioning towards the switches for one of the large cargo doors, the green "open" button depresses from a distance, causing a rattling clatter to sound out as the door begins to slide open before he focuses on anything else. Now that they're here, Peter's unaware if there will be any "Primatech Paper" staff working the actual warehouse floor, unaware of what's transpiring beneath their feet.

Trask is dressed in black…no really. His face has been covered in black face paint. Over that is placed a black ski mask, layered with an additional black scarf and the usual stocking cap. Trench coat, boots, and gloves all black as well. He carries the pistol in his hand and rolls under the door as soon as it rises enough to get through, coming up in a crouch to cover the room.

The warehouse within the Primatech Research Facility is small, as far as storage spaces go — but that might be because it's just for show. The boxes that fill this room with its concrete walls, floor and ceiling are undoubtedly packed with little more than paper. Once upon a time, before the bomb, this place served as a front for the Company's shady dealings with the Evolved. Today, it exists as a relic of times passed — forgotten by most and, perhaps not surprisingly, empty but for the hundreds of storage crates that surround Peter and his friends.

Following Trask is Dr. Mohinder Suresh, one arm in a sling, the other cradling a crude firearm that he doesn't appear to know how to handle. Keeping explanations short, he nods in Trask's direction. "Your friend here decided that he didn't want to wait outside in case you botched things up. Daniel's taken care of security in the lobby — we have a clear shot to the freight elevator that leads to Level Five. I don't believe we'll run into any resistance before we get there, but — as they say — we're better off safe than sorry."

Helena's hair has been braided back, tucked into her dark sweatshirt, more or less borrowing her style from the House of Petrelli Fashion - black clothes. She looks over at Peter and tilts her head toward the freight elevator. "Once we get down there, split up by wing and proceed through." she says. "You want right or left?" She looks over at Eve and Alexander, murmuring a query as to whether they're ready.

Eve shakes her head a little to reorient her and then she is good. Dressed in a black dress with slits up the side and leggings for easy movement along with a pair of black boots, her hair is in a long braid and she taps her holster that holds one of her pistols, others cannot be seen but there is a possibility that Eve has other guns on her. Her eerie light eyes scan the room and she looks to others as she draws her Desert Eagle and tilts her head, "Safe always better," she says quietly and runs a finger over the gun as if it is an old friend, which it kind of is. A blink is given to Helena and the woman taps her foot lightly and looks around the room again. Guess you can take that as a yes?

Alexander has come armed for bear, as it were — he's grubbed up an actual AK from somewhere, and it's slung over a shoulder. He's also masked, as well — at least, he's wearing a balaclava, though his clothes are confined to his usual t-shirt and fatigue pants. Thank god he never did get those tattoos he was thinking of. "Ready," he says, curtly, eyes already roving.

"Mohinder." Peter covers his brow with one hand, "I thought I told you to stay out of this." He eyes the gun held in one of the doctor's hands, then the sling his arm is in, straining a sigh. "Fine, Helena, Suresh is with you." He shoots a side-long stare to the young woman, watching her intently. Don't let him drag the rest of you down. His thoughts direct towards Helena, a private communique. "There's a freight elevator over there," He signals towards a large concrete wall braced with exposed pipes and caged lights, "That should lead down to Level 5. As long as the access codes Wireless gave us are still functional, we should be able to use the elevator…"

Peter begins striding towards that end of the warehouse, his jacket flaring out behind him at the brisk pace. "Sergei, Claire and I will take the right side once we hit Level Five." Helena's team, tasked with the retrieval of Molly Walker consists of herself, Alexander, Eve and now, also, Dr. Suresh. "Rescue whoever you can from the facility, use your best judgment. If you face resistance…" Peter's brow tenses and he pauses, looking back over his shoulder, "Do what you need to do to survive." Peter's team has a more grisly task; the location of the serial killer Gabriel Gray, and his summary execution. "Remember the rendezvous points, remember your radios!" He slams the call button on the freight elevator as he arrives at the concrete wall. All of the caged lights begin flashing, a single loud klaxon sounds to signal the elevator's approach.

"If we find the wrong target, remember to be ready to alternate your positions." A simple backup plan, if Helena finds Sylar, she radios for Peter to come with his team. If Peter finds Molly… presumably he'll radio for Helena.

Presumably.

Claire's dressed not in black, but in a deep, dark shade of red — a sweater and matching pants. It isn't so much that she has any objection to the usual Covert Colour of Choice, but she's not so much concerned with blending into the warehouse — and subsequently underground — walls. And truthfully? She would prefer to be the proverbial painted target than one of the others that can't simply Get Better. Before the two groups can part, the girl readjusts her ponytail and gives Helena a brief, tight hug. "Try not to get any blood on my sweatshirt, 'kay?" She flashes her a smile before unslinging the shotgun from her back and waiting for the elevator with a determined expression.

Trask steps into the freight elevator first, just to make sure no one is invisibly hiding in it. Once he has cleared the car, he nods to the others to join him inside.

Helena troops inside, once Trask has given the okay. Bizarrely, this would be the moment for inappropriate elevator muzak, like the swing version of Down With a Sickness or something. "Alex, you should be on point. You've got sharp eyes, and your teek should be able to make short work of anything in our way. Eve, keep behind me, okay? Guns are a last resort, and you can keep eyes on what's behind us."

Eve smiles softly at Helena and pats her shoulder in comfort and nods her head, not saying much today are we? She enters the elevator and leans against the wall. Her eyes stare forward as she thinks about the vision she had. Please don't let them happen? please. She closes her eyes and breathes and opens them back up. Ready now. She cracks her neck and flexes her hands before eyeing the elevator door.

"Understood," It's weird how Alex's drawl is more or less gone. He's already positioned himself to be first out of the elevator. None of those awkward attempts at avoiding everyone's eyes. He's actually chewing gum, and bobbing up on his toes, like a ballplayer eager to get into the game.

The loud roar of the freight elevator rising up grates on Peter's nerves, and his hands twitch restlessly at his side the whole time it makes its ascent. When the caged doors finally slide open and the security bar lowers, he breathes out a sigh of relief seeing the elevator isn't full of waiting security guards with automatic weapons. Sergei enters first, Peter's eyes following him until he gives the all-clear. He waits for the rest of the team to make their way inside, then strides into the large interior, large enough that he can keep out of Trask's dampening field by sticking to the opposite side from him. Once inside, Peter flips open an internal console with a small digital readout featuring the "Primatech Paper" logo. He punches in the six-digit code, recalling it from memory after having viewed it in Wireless' file just once.

[ ACCESS GRANTED ] — Welcome, Mr. Bishop.

Peter manages a crooked smile, breathing out a sigh of relief as the elevator doors begin to slide shut with the groaning sound of old steel. Peter's right hand flexes open and closed anxiously as he looks to Mohinder on the other side of the elevator, then over to Helena, anxiously. He tries to reach her mind, for one last gentle reassurance, but finds only empty static due to Sergei's proximity to her.

[ PROCEEDING TO LEVEL 5 ]

The elevator lurches, rumbling before it begins the slow and steady descend down into the bowels of the Primatech facility. The journey down is a slow and long one, an old analog display at the top of the elevator's doors display the floors, and once it hits Basement 1, it continues to descend, no longer openly showing just how deep underground the elevator goes. Finally, after that long descent, the elevator grinds to a halt with a creak of machinery, the caged doors rattling and screeching as they slide open, revealing dark concrete walls painted halfway up from the floor with burgundy. Stenciled writing on the right wall by a security light clearly reads, "LEVEL 5".

Trask sits calmly on the opposite side from Peter, but covering most everyone else. So that anyone downstairs will think Peter is coming in alone. He keeps his gun out and level on the opening of the elevator, ready for anything.

Claire is likewise relieved when there aren't any guards with automatic weapons waiting for the two teams, given her proximity to Trask. "Welcome to Level Five," she murmurs darkly when the elevator comes to a stop. "Good luck, everyone." They'll need it.

Helena lets out a soft breath. "Okay, everybody. Here we go." Once the doors part, she'll wait for Alex to declare it clear before stepping out, taking a quick peek to make sure Eve keeps behind her.

Alexander actually blows a pink bubble. And then swallows his gum. Lest he choke on it, at some inopportune time. He's first out of the elevator, rifle now at the ready, power already at a hum of energy that raise what little dust there is as he passes. He signals the way ahead clear.

When Eve sees the writing saying LEVEL 5, her heart pounds a little faster and harder, but outwardly nobody would be able to see, her expression set. Her eyes survey the hall and it is all coming real to her any moment she can go all 'precog-crazy'. The energy of the entrance jumping at her and flashing images of her dream before her eyes. No milk white eyes yet. Eve stares at Helena again and looks off. "I want to see all of you back at home when this is over. Be well." She looks at each and every person in the elevator and giving each a two second stare she then looks away again and cants her head, "Here we come?" Who is she talking about?

Alexander actually blows a pink bubble. And then swallows his gum. Lest he choke on it, at some inopportune time. He's first out of the elevator, rifle now at the ready, power already at a hum of energy that raise what little dust there is as he passes. He signals the way ahead clear.

Peter marches out down the hall from the freight elevator, hands flexing open and closed with each thumping footfall. He stops halfway down the hall, looking to the placards at the T-Junction that read, "Cell Block A" and "Cell Block B." He turns to look over his shoulder, motioning four fingers towards Helena, then motioning towards the direction of Cell Block A. He then motions one finger to Claire, making a gesture for her to follow close, then signals Sergei to keep watch on the rear.

He watches Helena, tensely, then closes his eyes and draws in a slow, calming breath. Without another word spared, he turns and heads down the hall towards his team's side of the facility. There is no turning back now from the course of action they've set out on. For better or worse.


This log branches off in two directions. Please see the Storyline cell. Parts II and III occur concurrently.


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September 18th: Friends in Digital Places

Previously in this storyline…
Friends in Digital Places


Next in this storyline…
Into the Dragon's Mouth: Part II
and
Into the Dragon's Mouth: Part III

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September 19th: Into the Dragon's Mouth: Part II
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