Kilmer Archive - Outside
All was chaos; the combination of smoke grenades, bullets, and loud engine noises - in addition to crumbling of the magical wards - and ensured that. When the smoke cleared, the guards that had been outside with the delivery truck had taken cover behind said truck, only ducking out to fire at Wulf - he was after all, the real threat to them. The handful of deliverymen were taking cover wherever they could; determined not to die. A pair of delivery men lay motionless on the ground, having been caught in the cross fire, and a single guard was with them - all lying in pools of blood. All in all, the distraction had worked, save one particularly annoying element - the sudden influx of heavily armed and armored guards, led by a man in a long black coat, with a single massive metallic cyberarm.
These men had taken a more direct approach, advancing from the doorway in formation, moving from the doorway out toward Wulf relentlessly; firing their automatic weapons without regard for their ammo consumption. The man with the metallic arm however was more concerned with a different problem - that of the mage disrupting their shield. As such, he held out his arm, a bright red light coming from the palm, following Nik's movement. When Nik disappeared behind his camouflage cloak, he scowled slightly; taking cover in the guard post to hide from whatever the unknown mage was planning, and setting up his own plan of attack.
With the barriers down, the look of the building changed dramatically - at least on the astral plane. Gone was the dull glow of magical walls, and in it's place was a single bright point of magic, taking cover inside the building. This to wouldn't be much of a problem if not for the way in which the magical power at the spot was flowing - out around it as though trying to tear a hole in the world; to summon.
Kilmer Archive - Inside
Where the outside was a twisted miasma of disorder, the inside of the building seemed as distant from that as possible. As the automated plasti-steel doors closed, the gunfire outside dulled to just above human perception, overpowered by the now highly inappropriate, calming music of the lobby. A few small trees lined the large concrete lobby, alive only by the power of the sun-like lights hanging from the ceiling. A desk sat at the far end of the lobby, though whoever had occupied it was missing - running from the fighting when the conflict began into some deep, dark corner of the building to hide. A pair of corridors shot from the sides of the building, arching around to where Venaticus knew his destination - the data access terminal - lay. The guards who had been formerly in front of the door had pushed outside with the massive group of armored warriors, trying to stop the incursion before it could enter their building. The only occupant of the lobby, besides Venaticus, was a small rat faced sort of man hiding by the door frame, occasionally looking out, but otherwise just muttering words below his breath. he would have appeared a civilian, frightened beside himself, if not for the determined look in his eyes and the magical, fire filled, portal growing in front of him.
Novatech - Roof
Charlie had barely gotten the words out of his mouth and into cover, when the first of the guards turned up the final flight of stairs and opened fire. Bullets screamed from the doorway, cutting at the frame and burying themselves in the concrete. the sound of the automatic weapon was deafening, even hidden from direct line of effect as they were. After a few seconds, a gap appeared in the bullet storm, followed by a few more heavy steps forward - they were alternating movement and cover to protect themselves from the perceived threat of the runners on the roof.
Finally, the first of them reached the roof, ducked for cover on the stairs. He glanced around the entryway carefully, then rolled into additional cover behind an electric box. In the bright light of the early morning, his form became clear.
One-by-one, they reached the roof, getting into formation to destroy the enemies of NeoNET. For a moment, the paralyzed guard seemed to rejoice at their arrival. This was short lived however, as the elf quickly became "short-lived" - his blood staining the roof in the worst sort of spatters. The other guards they first faced soon began to suffer the same fate.
It was during this horrible chaos, that a new sound appeared - the ventilation system deactivating and the sound of "Vougner's" voice on the radio, saying;
"Hello everyone, Vougner here. Just though you'd like to know that everything's ready to go, I recommend you all find the appropriate headgear for whats about to happen."
Novatech - Shipping Bay
Once inside, the shipping bay quickly became quiet. Gone was the hustle and bustle of business, and in its place was an eerily silent room of large metal trucks. The only sounds to be heard the those of the group, the idle sounds of running engines, and a thumping metal-on-metal sound that beat like a drum in the distance, but growing louder. None-the less, they were nearly unpacked anyway - whatever the threat, it was too late to truly be one.
Novatech - Office Area
Sebastian and Roberts managed to suit up, before Sebastian noticed something odd. The computer he had plugged into the Novatech system was running slower then it should've been - a tell-tale sign his computer systems were being compromised. It hardly mattered - the vents had been reversed and directed where they needed and, if the alarm were any sign, Taylor and Charlie had already reached the roof.
They had little time to worry about it however, before the large metal tube - the entry way to the lower labs - opened, and from it flew a pair of bullets, from a pair of guns held by a man who clearly liked westerns a little too much. Despite their timing, the shots were aimed, just a little too wide and to the left - enough to scar their masks, but leave them unharmed.
The shots served two purposes - the first to provide enough delay and distraction to allow the occupant to take cover behind a heavy metal desk; and the second to serve as a warning, for the two shots were almost in almost precisely the same local on both masks. From behind the desk, a voice rang out - thick with a Texas accent that seemed more artificial then real, as though it were practiced for hours on end. "I suggest y'all be gettin out'a here, cause ya done been made. I ain't got no grudge 'gainst ya, being a runner myself, but I rather like my paycheck the way it is - big and fat like a Texas steak."
