"My mind, my cunning, my gifts, my knowledge, my healing, my Gnosis."

[renferret]

The Cyberrealm, part 2.


The way is mostly dark for a long while. The tunnels they take are in an obvious state of disrepair. Once, they come upon a spider, or what may have once been a spider, though it has only three limbs and their leader takes it out without really even slowing. The lupus takes the time to 'juice' it, putting a final end to the spirit as the rest of them continue on.

Eventually, the group comes to a ladder leading upward. It's ensconced in a small alcove, half-hidden by refuse, and the ladder itself is covered in rust, some of the rungs missing and others nearly eaten through by decay. Machine stops and gestures for the lupus to go first. She doesn't shift, but makes use of those extra limbs, climbing with paws and metalic hands up rung after rung until she disappears from sight.

By the time they arrive at the ladder, Three From Ashes is in obvious pain not just from her remaining injuries, but her back as well. There are visible muscle spasms that can be seen in spite of her fur. While she's doing her best to keep it under control, and the only audible sign is heavier panting, she's not going to be fooling anyone into thinking she's doing fine.

Bitter-Draught is still mobile, but obviously not in great shape either, pushing himself to keep up with sheer cussedness and willpower. Damned if he'll ask for help, though. Breathing heavily, he watches -- with /great/ interest -- as the lupus uses her extra limbs to climb.

"You next," the leader says to Sewall. "Careful on the way up, some of the rungs won't hold your weight, so test it before you step all the way." He looks from the Silver Fang to Mouse. "Binary'll go next. Then you. I'll bring up the rear. You gonna be able to make this climb, or you want to grab onto my neck? You've got about three stories to go before we break out."

Three From Ashes tips her head back and looks up, as if she could see to the top. Her ears flatten, but her response to Machine is steady and confident. I will make this climb if I have to. But I would certainly prefer a lift.

Sewall shifts down to homid, hooks his cane into a loop at his belt (the young Fang comes prepared), and with jaw set set and teeth clenched, he sets to the arduous task of climbing the ladder.

Binary gives Sewall a bit of a head start, and then starts up behind him. Several rungs are loose, and one dislodges from one side, bending dangerously under Sewall's weight, but up and up he goes. Somewhere far above the clackity-clang of metal hands on metal rungs can still be heard.

"Grab on," Machine says to Mouse, and drops into a crouch to give her better access. Once she's relatively secure, he, too, starts his way up the ladder.

The way is narrow, so narrow that Mouse's back scrapes more than once against the rotten brick behind them as they head upward. There is the sense of eyes on them, even in the darkness of the narrow shaft, but eyes only, nothing makes an overt attempt to disuade their travel.

Mouse shifts to glabro for the climb, and holds on as tightly as she can manage without actively choking the other Garou (not that he's in any real danger from that). She suppresses several shudders when her back scrapes against the brick, but for the most part she takes the opportunity to see what little she can.

Sewall soon breaks out into a sweat as he climbs grimly upward, lips peeled away from his teeth in a determined, angry grimace worthy of any supervillain.

Ten feet, twenty, thirty, always up, always in that dark, close space, with no sign of an escape route. Eventually, from above, there is a scraping sound that echoes through the shaft, and light pours down on those below, blinding in the sudden change from darkness. While those below can only see the light, Sewall is able to make out the lupus slipping into that brilliance and stepping out to the side from the upward shaft.

Even the last of the climbers is beginning to tire, and this, unfortunately, has the effect of longer and more frequent bumps of the glabro on his back against the muck of rotten brick.

Sewall, limbs trembling, face a sheen of sweat, hauls himself the last (he hopes) bit upward to follow the lupus.

Mouse is likewise trembling, but she certainly won't be doing any hauling today, either of herself or anything else. Her eyes have squeezed shut; she's no longer bothering to attempt to see anything, she's putting all of her effort into simply holding her grip.

And up, up, up into the light. The garou emerge into a side alley that, while not pristine, is certainly a lot cleaner and more stable than the tunnels from which they came. The light seems to come from everywhere and nowhere, not unlike the web through which they arrived in this realm. And, in fact, looking up, the sky itself seems to be clouded with the same webbing. The buildings all show tendrils of silk, strands that bind the corners to the ground, here, the awning to the side, there. The higher one looks, the more prevalent the webbing, and the more light that permeates the atmosphere.

"Don't stand around gawking," says the man leading this journey, though he seems ready to let someone else take over the carting of the theurge. "We still got a ways to go."

Sewall had been, perhaps, gawking a little, and who could blame him? At the leader's words, though, he closes his eyes, draws upon his last strand of nerve, and drops down into lupus.

Mouse fairly drops from Machine's neck once they're clear of the tunnel, and immediately shrinks back to lupus, where her tongue continues to loll heavily. She looks as though she fully intends to keep following (limping? dragging?).

Machine lets the lupus take the lead again, heading down the alley and then out onto a street. There aren't many others visible, here, and those that are seem to be either very wary, or very mindless.

Down the middle of the street, like a tank in the middle of a parade, a gigantic spider is led by two, smaller, wolf spiders on what seems to be a rather routine patrol. Those who appear on the more wary end, dash into whatever alley or store front are most readily available, while the others seem to take no notice at all.

Machine gestures for the group to take the first door on the right, which at first glance seems to be a diner.

Bitter-Draught glances back to check on Mouse, then limps wearily toward the indicated door.

Three From Ashes attempts to move as fast as she can as soon as Machine indicates where they should go. This is...not very fast, but she manages a jerky, dragging sort of lunge that gets her some much needed ground.

It's a near thing, with five of them attempting to get through one door, and two moving fairly slowly at that, but they manage to get inside before the sweep team spots anything amiss.

Inside are the tables and counters one might expect of a typical diner in the midst of urban decay, and several patrons look up from their meals at the appearance of the garou. None, however, seem the slightest bit alarmed, and all return to their own agendas after just a moment.

Behind the counter, a waitress winks at Machine. "Ya gonna stay for a cuppa?" she asks him, but at the glower he casts her way she just shakes her head and presses a button under the counter. A soft buzz sounds, an electronic lock disengaging, and he pushes through what looks like a second door to the kitchen. On the other side, however, is a set of stairs leading downward, and the basement they open onto is filled on one wall with weaponry, and another wall with comfortable furniture.

"All right," the man says, as the lupus flops on one of the couches. "Tell us what the fuck you were doing trying to get yourselves killed down there."

Sewall shifts back up to his birth form and, with as much dignity as possible, collapses into a chair. He lets Mouse answer and instead fishes for a handkerchief with which to clean his glasses and wipe his face. His hands shake. He pretends that they don't.

Three From Ashes's transition back to homid is slow, shivery, and seems to take a monumental effort. She also doesn't attempt to get off the floor when she does so. "Believe it or not," she says around labored breathing, "looking for you. Or, at least, the Cyber Wolves. We're here to trade help for help." And she produces the plastic bag containing the small amount of energy that Nick lent her.

Sewall shifts back up to his birth form and, with as much dignity as possible, collapses into a chair. He lets Mouse answer and instead fishes for a handkerchief with which to clean his glasses and wipe his face. His hands shake. He pretends that they don't.

Binary gives the pair a look that isn't particularly friendly, and slips off through a door beside the weaponry wall.

The lupus yawns, but doesn't seem inclined to give more of a response, either positive or negative. She resettles a little, pulling her haunches beneath her, but only lets her muzzle settle across a foreleg as she watches.

The dark skinned man is silent for a long while, a soft whir coming from his right eye, as the lens there contracts and expands with the efforts of his study. "Help for help," he says eventually. "What are you looking for?"

"It's probably pretty obvious that my friend and I've got some physical issues." Mouse indicates Sewall. "His in the line of duty. Mine when I tried to stop two frenzying tribemates; though my spine has always been trouble. Neither one of us has our main strength in our bodies--we didn't come here to be crippled at you. But we're looking for help in fixing the problems. In return," she hefts the bag of tass, then tosses it lightly to Machine. "Juice. And we help you get things you want. More juice, more victories against the Weaver's shocktroops; whatever we can agree is worth the price."

Sewall replaces his glasses and puts away his handkerchief. "We are both... significantly more gifted in intellect than average. That intellect could be at your disposal."

The lupus, for all that she appears to be uninterested, tracks the bag of 'juice' with both eyes and ears, and the tip of her tongue flicks out from between her front teeth.

Machine catches the bag one handed and hefts it before peering within. He turns away from the others, bringing the offering to a workbench by the wall of weapons. "You've got my attention," he says, his back still to them. "But I'm not convinced there's anything we can do for you that won't cost us far more in time and resources than you'd be able to repay." He turns to lean against the table. "You have the look of 'passing through'. Nothing about you says you're here for the long fight. We put time and effort into fixing you up, and all that goes back to the realm when you leave. What does that buy us, except trouble?"

Mouse breathes deeply before looking squarely at Machine. "My name is She Who Led the Blood Dance and Called the Three From Ashes. It's a mouthful, I know. I prefer Mouse. I'm an Athro Theurge of the Glass Walkers, and one year ago I reawakened a Caern for my Sept, a Caern that I'd put to sleep myself with a Wendigo rite that had been long forgotten, adapted for multiple tribes. I did it with only two deaths on our side, one which was, frankly, the result of an idiotic suicide charge. I learned how to open the Caern from an old Fianna Elder after I trapped and then cleansed an ancient Wyld tainted spirit known as the Ghost Stag. I've seen to the destruction of two Black Spiral Hives, including the one being opened by Carnage-Ikthya's pack, and I killed Akultot, the Warder of the Gorge Gut Hive, without touching him, before his heart stopped beating. There's more, but I don't want to bore you, and while around here those sorts of things are distant and probably fairly meaningless, my point is that, yes, you're right. I can't stay. But for the time that we're here, the time and effort that you need, I'm yours. My mind, my cunning, my gifts, my knowledge, my healing, my Gnosis. So to answer your question: it buys you whatever you're creative enough and strong enough to dream up doing."

Sewall shifts his weight, sitting up, chin rising. He might not look particularly typical for a Fang, especially not in his current state of disarray, but the breeding's there. "I am Sewall Cecil Gagnan, called Drinks the Bitter Draught, Cliath Ragabash of the Silver Fangs. With my pack, I solved the mysteries of lost fetishes, and after they were destroyed, I survived a year of daily torture, escaping it with my sanity intact. Give me enough time with your technology, and I'll have it doing things you never dreamed of." He pauses a beat, glancing at the Glass Walker, then turns his eyes back to Machine. "And, unlike Mouse-rhya, I /can/ stay."

The man leaning against the table is quiet, his expression as difficult to read as many find Mouse. Eventually he pushes off to stand straight, folding his arms over his chest. "Rank and tribe have little meaning, here, but I was once a Glass Walker, once galliard, once adren. You can call me Machine. That's DIY," he says nodding to the lupus. "Call her Kit." He lets both arms drop and begins a thoughtful pacing through the open space. "We can at least put you up for the night. I'll have Shelly bring you down some food. Binary'll be back in a while and Kit will stay, in case you need anything. Get some rest. I'll be back in the morning to let you know our decision."

For her part, the lupus slips off the couch, but doesn't seem inclined to offer more of an introduction than Machine has given on her behalf. She gives a rough shake that seems to have no impact on the harness she wears, and then settles on the cold stone floor.

Mouse controls her reaction to Sewall's announcement, at least for the moment, but she can't stop a sharp glance toward Sewall before she turns her attention to Machine. "Thanks," she says to him. "Like I mentioned, Mouse is the better, shorter name anyway."

Sewall avoids looking at the Athro, only echoing her thanks to Machine.

Machine gives a single nod and slips out through the same door Binary used, earlier, and Kit, to all outward appearances, seems to be drifting off. A short time later, a young woman comes down the stairs, a round waitress's tray balanced on one hand. She seems a little hesitant around the others, but leaves the tray on the workbench with the offering soup and grilled cheese, and glasses of soda before she slips away again.

Mouse waits until Kit seems to be dozing, the woman has come and gone, and they've both had the opportunity to work their way through the food enough to take the edge off of their hunger before she looks directly at Sewall. "Okay, so, when exactly did you suddenly decide on staying, and when were you planning on mentioning that, if at any point before /now/?"

"I admit that it had been... on my mind," Sewall says, fiddling with his soup spoon. "Though I hadn't made a firm decision until now." He pauses. "I'm not... particularly satisfied with where I am. Was." He looks up, solemn. "And it's true what he said, about the cost to them for helping... two people who are just visiting. And /you/ certainly should not stay longer than you have to, Mouse-rhya."

Mouse exhales slowly, and takes the time to eat another bite of sandwich before she says anything. "I rank you," she says, "but I'm not your elder. Or your mother. I can certainly understand the need for a drastic change, but I didn't bring you here to leave you behind. And this..." she gestures toward their surroundings. "You understand what staying means? Getting in was hard, getting out will be harder; you might not get more than one chance, even if we manage that chance, and the Umbra's /inconstant/...who knows what the Realm will be like if you do ever go back. You could be here for years, days, decades or seconds. And where you were? Chances are high it won't be there. Any family you have may not be there. Any connections to the world at all..."

Sewall's expression hardens. "My mother's already disowned me for Renunciating from Ahroun due to my injuries," he says flatly, "and the Sept where I was Rited made it clear that it would have been more honorable for me to undergo the Winter Wolf. My pack is dead. The /only/ thread that I have left hanging at home is the lost Shield of Huitzilopochtli, and my efforts to drum up help for that have come to nothing. Even so, I /have/ made arrangements for the finding talens and all my information thus far on them to be delivered to Mr. Lee... and if it's still not found when I get back, then I will... deal with that then. Mouse-rhya, I /have/ no connections back home."

The changes in Mouse's expression are subtle, but there. "...I'm sorry." She pauses. "I know you probably don't want to hear that, me being sorry at you, but I am. That's a big bag of shit. I...can empathize to a small degree. But why here?"

Sewall looks at her, eyes gleaming with intent behind the thick glasses. "The technology. Robotics and cybernetics that don't exist anywhere in the Realm outside of fiction. The kind of technology that your lupus tribemate uses without thinking about how it works, how miraculous it really is. I've taught myself as much as I can, but I am far from satisfied."

Binary returns sometime in the quiet hours and begins tinkering with one of the weapons from the wall without so much as a glance to the two strangers. He leaves again, still without a word, and for a long while after, it's quiet other than the soft snores from the wolf.

Machine's return is much more abrupt, as he shoves the door open and nearly slams it behind him. "All right," he says. "We've come to a decision. Beta Seven has been trying to get at a data node for months, but the security is tight, and they've lost three from their team in the attempts. Due to their /stupidity/ the security is even more of a problem, now, than it was to start with, but we /need/ that data. Get us the node, and one of you stays behind at least long enough to make use of what we find. R-2 says he can figure something out for solving your problems. You in?"

Mouse has not been resting easily, but she's at least made a pretense of closing her eyes. Machine's return brings her up and awake in a moment, and it takes only a moment longer to digest his offer. She looks toward Sewall, then back to Machine. "We're in."

Sewall, who hasn't slept much better than Mouse, simply nods.

Machine snatches up the bag of tass and tosses it to Mouse. "We can't offer anything in the way of aid, but keep what you came with. You might need it to pull this off, and that'll be worth more than what's in the bag." He pulls what looks like a fairly old PDA from a holster at his hip and tosses that, as well, this time to Sewall. "Directions on how to find the right node, and what you're looking for when you get there. Download everything to that and get it back here, and we're good."

Mouse tucks the bag back into the pocket she pulled it from. While she glances at Sewall, her question is clearly meant for Machine, "Any advice?"

Sewall almost fumbles the PDA but manages, clumsily, to keep it from hitting the floor. Jaw tight, he examines it carefully.

"Don't get caught," Machine answers. He gives a slight tick of his head, an aproximation of a shrug that doesn't touch the shoulders. "Stick to the high ground. And from the look of the two of you, you're better off trying to hack your way through the gates than climb the webs. Neither particularly recommended." He looks between the two and then nods toward the stairs. "When you're ready, Binary will get you to The Office. From there you can choose whether to climbe the Corporate Ladder from the inside of the out."

The device looks simple enough, an LCD touch screen on one side is currently blank. It's thicker than one might expect, though, and within the battery compartment is a cable with a USB connection at one end, splaying out like an octopus into eight different connectors.

Mouse says briskly, "Got it." Actually getting up takes a fair bit longer, but at least the rest was enough to settle her back for the moment.

Sewall carefully tucks the device away in a pocket -- he made sure the pants he wore for this field trip had extra -- and collects his cane, using it to get himself upright.

The trip through Old Town isn't particularly short, and Binary has them duck out of sight more than once to avoid spider patrols. Eventually, though, they arrive at the area Machine called The Office. It's not simply a building, but several square blocks of office buildings, interconnected at levels above ground by skywalks, until somewhere above they seem to merge entirely.

Webbing clings to the edges of the buildings, denser in the alleyways between, and though steep, someone with good athletic ability could probably climb without getting stuck. Examination of the webs shows quite a few somewhat irregular areas, especially higher up, and it doesn't take much to conclude that those lumps are the remains of others who have attempted the climb.

Mouse's lips purse, as though she's going to whistle at the sight when she looks up, but no sound actually comes from her. From her expression, though, it's clear she's dubious at best about their prospects of actually making that climb. "...You know," she murmurs, "you go on a trip, and it's only after you get there that you start noticing all the little things you could have brought with you that would have been helpful. I'm wishing for a particular bit of Walker trickery right now."

"What trickery is that?" asks Sewall. He looks just as dubious about their chance of success at climbing.

Binary doesn't so much as say good bye as he leaves the pair to their discussion.

Emanations dressed for drudge work pass by the Walkers without a second glance. Most seem to be heading into the buildings collectively known as The Office. It's hard to tell from the light around them, but given the behavior of the locals, it seems to be morning.

"Being able to move along the Pattern Web," Mouse explains. "Mostly, the appeal being that Weaver spirits usually ignore you while you're at it. Doubt it would be nearly as effective here, and I don't have the gift. How dangerous do you think climbing up inside is going to be?" Her eyes flick toward the emanations heading for work, and her eyebrows lift thoughtfully.

"To be perfectly frank, Mouse-rhya, I was never especially good at climbing, even when I /didn't/ have to walk with a cane." Sewall adjusts his glasses, then joins the Walker in considering the drudges. "But perhaps we could blend in?"

"What I was thinking." Mouse's yellow eyes follow their progress into the building. "They've got to have fairly significant security in there, or people wouldn't try to climb the outside. Which means..." She clears her throat, then reaches out to grab lightly at the shoulder of one of the passing emanations, in an attempt to get his or her attention.

The young man of completely neutral appearance turns to regard Mouse at the touch. His eyes blink with confusion at being pulled from his routine. "May I help you?"

Sewall shifts his weight a bit to lean more heavily on his cane and does his best to look bland and businesslike. Official.

Mouse likewise looks bland and businesslike, or as much as a yellow eyed, scarred up woman can. "Random security check," she states, flashing her wallet at the young man before swiftly tucking it away. "Administration is concerned about possible break-ins from the lower city riff-raff. Would you mind stepping over here and answering a few questions?"

The young man becomes quickly flustered, looking between Mouse and Sewall and the door towardh which he was heading. "I'll be late," he says, fingering the ID badge clipped to his shirt.

"Only a few," Mouse says, an echo of her previous briskness. "Let me see the badge. My associate will pat you down. Department and position?"

Sewall limps forward to administer the pat-down in the manner of a bored official. "Raise your arms, please."

"IT," the man says, confirming the information on his badge. "Level 1, A." He licks his lips, looking decidedly nervous, but does as requested. "I'm going to be late," he repeats. "It'll go on my record."

Mouse studies the front of the badge, then the back. "What is standard security procedure during a breach, sir?"

Sewall meanwhile frisks the drudge, checking for suspicious bulges and, hopefully while Mouse has him sufficiently distracted, picks his pocket.

"St-- Stay at your desk. Don't move. Let the security team do their job," says the man, glancing back toward Sewall. "D-- D-- Don't move until the clear is announced." He swallows again. "I'm late!"

Mouse nods at Sewall and returns the badge. "Very well, move along."

Sewall steps back and glowers at the man.

The man hurries toward the door, trying to get his badge back in place as he moves. He pulls open the door, but rather than move on through like all of the others, he's pulled roughly aside by two large security guards, and scanned several times with what appear to be hand-held metal detector wands.

Mouse jerks her chin towards that activity, and then straightens up, focusing on what she can see from her current position regarding those wands and the security guards.

Sewall mutters something under his breath about lateness, then takes off his glasses and squints at the scene.

The security guards appear human only with the most cursory of examination. Once actually under study, the illusion is easy to pierce and the arachnoid form beneath is apparent. It's difficult to tell exactly what is being scanned by those wands, but the security guards are taking no chances of missing anything. Like Sewall, they pat him down physically, as well, and after scanning his ID card into a machine behind them, they eventually let him go. Shaken and distraught, the man makes his way past the security desk within and toward the elevator.

Mouse mouths the word 'spiders' to Sewall, and steps back just a little bit out of any potential line of sight. "I wouldn't chance weapons in there unless I messed with those wands, and even then, the physical patdown would likely find something."

Sewall nods. "The PDA." He frowns. "But surely there's a back door. Both mundane buildings and computer systems have back doors. Usually more than one."

Mouse tips her head toward the back of the building, and begins to shuffle that way, though she does take pains to /try/ and walk semi-normally. "Well, let's see what I can do with this..."

Sewall puts his glasses back on and limps after her, back stiff and straight.

You paged Machine with 'Sooo. Expanding that gift then, ears trying to track/tap into wireless signals or radio channels. Scanner eyes looking for any sort of hidden cameras, doors, security, blah blah. Necessary to come up with all of the Cybersenses at once, do you think?'.

Mouse tips her head toward the back of the building, and begins to shuffle that way, though she does take pains to /try/ and walk semi-normally. "Well, let's see what I can do with this..."

Sewall puts his glasses back on and limps after her, back stiff and straight.

The stream of those heading to work has stopped and the streets are nearly empty. There are multiple entrances apparently to each of the buildings that make up The Office, though from what the pair can see, all the ground level entrances are similarly designed - a security desk through which one needs to pass before entering the building proper where the stairs, elevators, and offices lie, and security guards posted nearby. Another latecomer runs past the duo, heading into one of the other buildings, only to be subjected to the same scrutiny as the one they detained.

Reluctantly, Mouse turns her attention to the webbing again, studying it carefully to see if it might not be easier for their purposes to go up a little before entering via a...less conventional means.

Sewall's mouth thins as he presses his lips together. "I could attempt the Milky Eye, but there's no guarentee. And I can't extend it to you."

From afar, to (Mouse, Sewall): Machine rolled for both of you and you each got one success at difficulty 8, so here's Int 5 GM Hint: Being on time results in very little inspection if you have an ID card. Being late results in extreme inspection. Everyone is now at work, so anyone arriving in the next couple hours would be considered very late. But there are other times when people arrive.

Mouse looks from the webbing to the sky--there's not exactly much difference--and then looks back toward the main routes the workers took to reach the office. "I think we're going to have to snatch two people during the next shift." She pats the pocket she stowed the tass in. "I'm wondering how bribable any of them are."

"I think that one we detained would be too terrified," says Sewall. "Perhaps a middle manager type?"

Mouse nods. "Someone with ambition who might be willing to bend the rules for a little extra kick up the ladder," she agrees. "We've got a while to stake out the best spot to pull someone aside. Somewhere not in sight of the entrances or general traffic, in case we make a bad judgment call and it has to get physical. If we target the early birds...mn. Could go either way."

Sewall sighs. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think we are simply going to have to use our best judgement and hope. I am personally not much experienced in muggings."

"Between the two of us," Mouse says, "it's surprise tactics all the way. Take them out quickly and quietly if we have to, because if they get a shout off in this neighborhood, it's not going to be pretty."

Sewall grimaces and mutters, "Agreed."

The blocks around The Office include several 'luncheonettes' as well as a few other dingy rest stops for those who remain in Old Town but have managed to secure jobs within the structure. Farther off is the rubble where the Cyberwolves and their allies hide.

Mouse heads for the luncheonettes, looking for a good place along the path most of the workers were taking where they might usher someone out of sight without too much attention.

Sewall mutters somthing under his breath as he follows the Walker.

The alleys between buildings are narrow, dark despite the brightness of the sky. They find the perfect spot between two of these restaurants, closed between breakfast and lunch, with no windows facing out onto the alley.

And with that, Mouse settles in to wait for the next shift arrival. She's certainly not calm, but she's able to affect the look of it, at least.

Sewall joins her, checking his watch at regular intervals.

Sewall discovers a local time setting on the PDA, and is able to use that to set his watch. At exactly 11:30, the workers arrive to prepare the lunch places, and they begin to show signs of opening. At just a few seconds past twelve, the first people spill forth from The Office to enjoy their lunch hour. There seems to be a pattern to where they go, though it wouldn't be obvious to most. Those of lower levels choose some of the eateries, while those of apparently higher levels choose others. Though Mouse and Sewall, with their various gifts, catch sight of several ID badges, none read higher than 1K.

Mouse straightens up once the eateries show signs of activity, anticipating the spill of employees. She does indeed study the badges that she can closely, her expression schooled, but thoughtful.

"One could hardly tell them apart from humans in the realm," Sewall remarks quietly.

"There's a cheery thought," Mouse quips, in the same low tone. "Should we try to snatch one of the higher levels now, or wait? I'm not keen on actually going into any of the eateries."

Sewall says, "Let's try it."

They all look nearly identical, men and women alike, with nothing more than the ID badges to really distinguish one from another.

Mouse tries to spot a 1K badge in the throng. She picks a man nearly on whim, and attempts to catch his eyes with her own before he draws level with the alley.

Sewall meanwhile keeps an eye out for unwanted attention from authority types.

All of those passing by keep their gazes fixed on the path before them. Gaining the attention of one or more will take more than an attempt at eye contact.

Mouse echoes what she did before. She steps out just as the intended target is passing, and puts a hand on his shoulder.

Once again, the nondescript man turns at the touch, brow furrowing with confusion. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Mouse replies, and she gestures into the alley. "In fact, maybe I can help you."

Sewall remains unobtrusive this time and continues to act as lookout.

The man turns more fully to face Mouse, confusion firmly in his expression. "But it's lunch time," he says.

Mouse responds by taking a step backwards, then reaching into her pocket just enough to let the man get a glimpse of some of the bagged tass. "Yes it is," she agrees. "But some things might be worth losing a little lunch, don't you think?"

The man glances to the bag, but his focus doesn't remain there. "But it's lunch time," he says, again. "I have to go to lunch, now."

Mouse shrugs. "Fine by me if you want to pass up an opportunity for your stomach. Go on then. I'm sure I'll find someone more interested."

"Okay," answers the man, a little uncertain. He does, however, turn back toward his path and away from Mouse, moving on with his day.

Mouse shakes her head slightly, and exhales. She tries for the next person she can spot with the right level on their ID tag, once more waiting until they're right near the alley before reaching out for their shoulder.

Like the last, the worker seems more invested in maintaining routine than in any gains that might be possible from deviating. Just as all the workers appear outwardly similar, they seem to be inwardly created around the same model as well.

"We're going to have to force it," Mouse concludes, after the second worker has gone on their way. "You ready?"

Sewall nods, his Gift still activated. "You lure them in and we'll... force the matter, yes."

This time, when Mouse steps out to take a shoulder, she's far more firm about it, taking up the persona she was using earlier. "You. Random security inspection." Wallet flip. "Come with me."

Instead of confusion, it's fear on the drone's face as he turns to Mouse. "What?" Still, he turns, following Mouse's direction.

Mouse points at a spot that's conveniently both out of sight of the main thoroughfare, and, you know, in front of the blurred Sewall. "No questions. Stand there. Hold your arms out to the sides. This won't take long."

The man does so, arms thrust out the sides. He shivers a little, not from cold, but from fear.

Sewall might look rather like an extra from the Big Bang Theory, but he has learned a thing or ten about cold brutality. The heavy cane comes up and cracks sharply against the drudge's head.

Mouse, meantime, takes the man's wrists in both of her hands, as if she were actually going to inspect his arms. Really, she's just trying to prevent any reflexive attempts at defense.

Mouse needn't have worried, as the man crumples immediately as the cane strikes his head.

Mouse shakes her head again, this time a lighter form of exasperated, as she carefully eases down to one knee and rummages through his pockets. The first thing she takes, of course, is the ID badge, which she hands up to Sewall. "Let's get him out of sight fast, then grab a woman if we can."

Sewall nods and primly clips the badge to himself before reactivating his gift for a second go.

As with the first man, when Sewall checked, this man's pockets are empty. All he seems to carry is the ID badge.

Once they've got the poor worker nominally out of sight, Mouse repeats the exercise, word for word, and move for move.

The stream of those leaving the buildings has nearly stopped by the time they get this man out of sight, and the only woman heading in their direction carries only a 1G badge.

Mouse inhales and goes for it anyway. She reaches out for the woman's shoulder.

Sewall remains faded out from notice, as before.

The woman reacts almost identically to the man, from the way she turns when touched to the way she crumples when struck.

Mouse takes the woman's badge for herself, and sighs. "That's that. Take some of their clothes, maybe. See if we can fit in all the more."

Sewall, after a moment's dubious consideration of the man's build in relation to his own, pulls off his sweater-vest (which was not in great shape anymore anyway) and steals the man's necktie.

As the pair find what clothing they can that fits, the other workers begin heading back toward The Office. At the other end of the alley, the shadows of a trio of hunters can be seen patroling the opposite street.

Mouse does a few last minute adjustments--especially of the nametag--and then starts out into the street to join the workers. She gives Sewall a glance, then situates herself amid the walkers, attempting to match their walk (difficult), general blank expression, and posture.

Sewall invokes his Gift again for good measure as he mimics the herd of drudges. Maybe security won't notice him. Maybe their eye will just slide off him.

Along the sidewalk and toward the first of The Office buildings, they move not unlike a herd of cattle, or sheep, but perhaps even less individual than those. The herd splits, as some head for other entrances, lessening the burden on each.

Through the door and into the building, no one yet seeming to pay the Garou any mind. The spiders masked as guards stand to either side of the door, but neither give an alarm. The herd moves through the checkpoint by the desk, showing their badges to the guard, there, who scans each and then opens the half-door.

Mouse follows along. She takes in everything she can without making it seem as though she's scanning the place (which she is, of course, in more ways than one), and when she reaches the checkpoint, she follow the lead of the ones in front of her and shows her badge.

Sewall does his best to conform as well, letting his drudge-typical behavior hopefully boost the effectiveness of his Gift.

As the workers pass through the security check, some head down one or another of three hallways, and some head for the bank of elevators that seem to be central to the building. Neither Mouse nor Sewall get more than a passing glance, as their 'borrowed' ID cards are scanned. "Next," calls the guard each time, while buzzing the current worker through.

Mouse turns for the elevators without a bit of hesitation. Outwardly, she looks just the same. Inwardly, her heart beats a little faster.

One corner of Sewall's mouth quirks upward, the subtle smirk of a supervillain who just pulled one over on the authorities.

One elevator door and then another slide open with the ding that announces arrival, and the workers file in.

Mouse files in along with them, apparently intending to 'climb' the interior, at least insofar as she can get away with. She makes sure to slow her pace just enough so that she's not in danger of leaving Sewall behind should the elevators need more than one trip.

Sewall's little smirk fades once they're heading upwards, and he maintains a watchful, suspicious eye as he follows Mouse.

Notably, most of the elevators head down. Mouse finds one of the two that answer to the up-call and files in along with Sewall and three other workers. The buttons run from LL6 to 10, but the worker who enters first only pushes the 2 button, and none of the others seem inclined to push another. In addition, there is a card reader in place, presumably acting as a key for any of the higher levels. The building, from the outside, was certainly several times taller than the elevator is set to run, even with the correct access.

Mouse studies the card reader as they go up. And up. By the time they reach the top of the floors the employee pushed the buttons to, she's apparently decided to continue along with them, at least out onto this new floor. Out she goes, giving the elevator keypad only a passing glance.

Sewall limps close enough to Mouse to mutter into her ear. "Stairs?"

The elevator doors close and the car whirs quietly, efficiently upward. There's another ding as the car stops on the second floor and the doors slide open again. The elevator opens onto a corridor lined on both sides with similar elevators, just as the lobby level below. To both left and right the corridor opens out into what appear to be row after row after row of little grey cubicles. The others who exit the elevator with Mouse and Sewall hesitate not at all, but file out and toward their own seats behind the low, grey walls.

Mouse nods at Sewall's suggestion. She files out with the others, and this time she really is scrutinizing their surroundings, looking for a potential stairwell. She doesn't pass up the opportunity to peek at any of the elevators to note any differences, but most of her focus is elsewhere.

Sewall limps after, adding his pair of eyes to the search.

Any stairwells must be somewhere other than near the elevators, as there are no doors here. Turning toward the left set of the oceans of cubicles, the pair can see that they're laid out in clusters, with clear paths between. To the right, the clusters continue on, eventually merging behind the bank of elevators, beyond what can clearly be seen. To the left, however, there is a break behind the elevators, where a set of machines that appear much like ATMs are available. From time to time, one of the workers leaves his cubicle to swipe his card at the ATM, and then either returns to his desk, or moves on to the elevators, pushing the 'up' call button.

This certainly catches Mouse's attention. She turns, once again without visible hesitation, and makes her way to the machines.

Machine pages: This one you can communicate with fairly easily. The hard part will be doing so without tripping alarms.

Sewall lingers a bit, scanning over the layout of cubicles as though there might be meaning in it, then moves to join Mouse at the ATMs.

There are, now that the two are out in the gallery, two visible doors marked with the universal 'stairwell' symbol, one each to the left and right, at the far ends of the open space.

Mouse gives the tiniest of chin jerks toward Sewall, then one of the stairwell doors. For her part, she studies the ATM-looking machine intently, carefully, with her ID in hand.

Long distance to Machine: Mouse spends a willpower on the gift. She's being super cautious. She's going to see if it takes, and then try to figure out the basic purpose of the reader and what it's looking for.

Machine pages: You make the connection and sense a presence, waiting. And old command line prompt. Blinking. >

Machine pages: (An not And.

You paged Machine with 'And this is where my knowledge fails. I know zip about DOS or similar systems. XD Or programming.'.

From afar, Machine laughs. I was using that more as a what it was like than what you needed to do. It's basically a sense of presence. Something is awake and waiting, when you prod, but not reaching out.

Sewall nods and heads for the stairwell.

Long distance to Machine: Mouse oh!

You paged Machine with 'Hm, so basically, something's watching the system, so to speak.'.

Sewall, for his part, passes cluster upon cluster of cubicles as he makes his way toward the stairs. Once the space opens out further, he sees a less welcome sight - a security desk up against the back of the elevator wall, complete with Spider-Dressed-As-Security. Other individuals move in and out of the cubicle areas, seeming free to move between them in a way the generic workers aren't. These also carry ID badges that are slightly different - yellow edged, unlike the simple white of the workers.

Machine pages: Or, more, the system is watching.

You paged Machine with 'My inclination here is to lean on willpower and her computer fu to see if she can bluff her way into, say, upgrading their IDs for higher levels. Given the threat level, she's going to be supremely cautious about any resistance though.'.

Machine pages: 'Kay!

Mouse breathes deeply, but if anything, her focus on the strange machine seems to have entered zen levels of concentration.

The machine in front of Mouse whirrrrrs quietly, where before it had been silent. It doesn't, however, anounce any obvious alarms.

Sewall's jaw tightens. Time to see how effective Blur of the Milky Eye really is. Keeping to the same pace, he limps toward the stairwell.

Machine pages: There is a sense of awareness, and it's less about programming, than about convincing. The sentience within the system is supremely logical and requires an equivalent logic to be willing to upgrade the identicards. After significant cajoling, it's willing to give level 10 access, but nothing above without gaining authorization.

Neither 'Bosses' nor Security seem to notice Sewall, though when he reaches the stairwell door, he sees that his two options are to use his identicard to release the lock or set off alarms in using the emergency exit.

You paged Machine with 'Logic. Logic Mouse can do. She's patient. Careful. Polite, if such a thing can be said to exist between two cold machines. Once it's clear that the system will not budge further, she swipes her card.'.

Mouse's movement, when it comes, might seem abrupt given how still and careful she was before. She neatly swipes the ID card through the reader, as if it were something she'd done hundreds of times before.

In an unconscious and unknowing mirror of Mouse's actions, Sewall swipes his 'borrowed' card like he has every right to do so.

The swipe of Mouse's card goes unnoticed, though the soft whirr of the machine finally ceases. Sewall's swipe, on the other hand, results in several turned heads, when the little red LED switches off and the green one takes its place. A subtle click can be heard within the locking mechanism of the door.

Mouse clips her card back to her front, then quietly walks in the direction that Sewall took. She doesn't attempt to get near the security point, let alone past it, but she does look for the Ragabash.

Sewall opens the door before it can relock and glances over his shoulder to check on Mouse.

Mouse appears to idly tap the corner of her badge, and then, for a moment, she holds up both hands, all ten fingers spread. It might look like an odd, aborted stretch, but she doesn't linger. She turns back toward the elevators.

The opening of the door gets several more heads turning in Sewall's direction, and one of the 'Bosses' stands up straight and starts moving in that direction. The security guard looks up from his post, but he doesn't yet rise.

Nothing ordinary going on here. Sewall lets the door slip closed after taking a brief glance at the stairwell past it, then limps off after Mouse. No, nothing strange here at all.

The security guard settles back into his seat when the door closes, and most of the eyes return to their work. The boss, however, keeps watch on Sewall as he heads toward the elevators, and begins following after.

Mouse reaches the first elevator with an 'up' button, and presses it. Only then does she look back towards Sewall. She doesn't miss the boss either, but nothing outward about her changes.

Sewall manages to avoid looking backward and continues to pretend that nothing is wrong as he joins up with Mouse.

The elevator doors slide open just as Sewall arrives, allowing both to enter. The boss is visible, coming down the clear alley between cubicles, just in sight when the doors slide closed.

Mouse spies him, and then does the polite thing; she reaches out one hand to stop the doors from closing, and keep the elevator in place.

Sewall glances sidelong at Mouse, eyebrows rising quizzically. His fingers tightly grip the head of his cane.

Tugging at his jacket the man stands before the open elevator doors, bringing his own hand up to mirror Mouse's in keeping the doors open. His eyes narrow as he looks over the two within. "What is your designation?"

Mouse repeats the flashing of her wallet I.D. that she did outside, and says without hesitation, "I10, Internal Affairs. Come with us." She spares the tiniest of glances toward Sewall.

Sewall nods and stiffens his back, turning his coldest, most officious stare on the man as he shifts to one side, making room between him and Mouse.

The man is not as easily fooled as the drone, earlier, and he looks to the flashing ID with suspicion. "Identicard," he says, holding out the hand not on the elevator door.

Mouse's eyes narrow very faintly, but her voice remains cool and business-like. "Are you refusing to cooperate?"

"Very irregular," notes Sewall, blandly.

"Identicard," the man says again, though this time nervousness colors the demand. His gaze shifts between the two, and his fingers tense and twitch where they hold the door open.

Mouse blinks once at the man. "Refusal to cooperate is noted. You will come with us." She reaches out for the arm that is held toward her.

Sewall stares at the man as though memorizing every hair, every skin cell.

The man nearly collapses in on himself when Mouse takes his arm, and he begins dissembling immediately. "I'm sorry," he says. I was trying to do my job. You never know. You didn't seem like the others. Please, give me another chance!"

All of this while he steps inside the elevator with Mouse and Sewall.

Mouse tugs him lightly into the elevator as he moves (lightly being about all she can do, but it's not as though he knows that). She lets the doors close, and then gives Sewall a sharp, significant look the instant the car starts to move.

Sewall shuffles backwards a little as the man enters, positioning himself behind him. As soon as the doors close, he brings the cane up and gives the drone a sharp thwack on the back of the head.

It takes two strikes for the man to go down, but he doesn't put up a fight. Instead, after the first hit, as he crumples, to his knees, he just brings his hands up to cover his head. "No! No, please, don't juice me!" Then the cane strikes again, and he's out for the count.

Meanwhile, the elevator continues to climb, a soft whirr of motors surrounding the car.

Mouse reaches down to take the man's I.D., while gesturing to the front corner of the elevator, on the opposite side of the control panel. "Thanks, guilt," she mutters. "Let's stash him there, out of sight of anyone on the other side. Won't last if anyone steps in, but it might buy us some time."

Sewall nods and works on dragging the drone to the corner. "This one actually acted... real. Moreso than the others." His tone is thoughtful.

Up and up, the elevator continues to climb, as they move the unconscious form out of line of sight of the doors. It's a long climb, but eventually the car slows and jerks to a stop. The number 10 is illuminated over the doors, and then the bell dings and the doors slide open. The view immediately outside is the same as what they saw below, a short corridor with banks of elevators on either side.

"Higher rank, greater autonomy?" Mouse suggests. She looks over the ID from the drone, searching for a designation. When the doors open, however, she steps right out.

Sewall follows. "More responsibility, more need for complex decision-making," he says, not whispering but keeping his voice to a low murmur.

The identicard Mouse swipes says only 5L, no name or image are present.

The elevator corridor is short, but rather than opening onto the open maze of cubicles, each end faces onto another hallway forming an H with the elevators in the middle. From each of the legs, mechanical whirring can be heard, not unlike the sounds from within the elevator car. No crowds appear, but a lone worker passes down the lefthand corridor, and a moment later another elevator opens and another steps out to turn to the right.

Mouse mutters, "As long as we don't run into the Cult of Skar--" she stops as the worker appears, and those sounds become known. Silently, the Walker hands the identicard to Sewall. She turns right, after the second worker, though she's far slower than the drone.

Sewall clips the ID to his shirt and limps after the Glass Walker, looking intrigued -- likely making a mental note to ask her later about that aborted reference. Presuming they make it out in one piece.

Right and then right again, the new worker makes his way down a long hallway, apparently unaware of those behind her. Along the lefthand wall, there are doors every 20 feet, but across from the first of these, there is another bank of elevators, appearing for all the world exactly like the first. Beyond that, the doors seem to appear on both walls, and it's through the fourth on the left that the worker disappears. Two others appear, at nearly exactly the same moment, and turn toward the pair.

Mouse does her best to mimic the drone's walk, though her shuffling gait is entirely unhelpful in that regard. She makes note of the other two heading their way, but pivots toward the next bank of elevators, looking for any sign that these, like the last, head further up.

Sewall follows. His use of a cane isn't much better than Mouse's shuffle in terms of blending in, but at least he's good at looking like he's perfectly allowed to be there.

Neither of the workers heading their way seem to take notice of Mouse or Sewall, and each one turns to enter a door on the opposite wall, again at the exact same time.

The new bank of elevators seems, at first glance, identical to the last, however closer inspection reveals two significant differences. One, these elevators are somehow cleaner, both in line and physical care. Two, rather than going from Floor 1 to 10, the ones on the right are labeled 10 - 19, and those on the left are labeled 10 - 100.

Mouse turns toward the ones on the left, rubbing her chin for a moment. Experimentally, she reaches out with a finger and presses the 'up' key.

Sewall glances down the hallway as Mouse checks the elevator, keeping an eye out.

Immediately as Mouse pushes the call button, the doors of the second elevator slide open. Another worker passes down the right hand hallway, but doesn't look their way.

Mouse again doesn't hesitate. She steps right into the elevator, and flits her gaze toward where the ID reader was in the last one.

Sewall mutters something about things being too easy as he follows her in.

The card reader is exactly where it was, before, but the buttons above are number by tens. This elevator, also, contains a glass dome in the ceiling one might assume contains a camera.

"Try yours," Mouse murmurs very quietly. "Though I can't imagine it'd be that easy."

"I'm starting to think the same thing, but..." Sewall shrugs, tries the manager's ID.

There's an electronic hiss as Sewall slips his card through the reader, and the buttons for 10 - 50 light up, and the doors slide closed.

Mouse reaches over and presses '50'.

Sewall glances up at the ceiling dome.

It's impossible to tell whether the camera is focused on the garou, or even whether it is on, at all, but when Mouse pushes the button, the elevator begins to rise. It isn't the mechanical whirring of the previous car, but a near silent whoosh of speed. Inertia nearly flattens both, and by the time they've recovered, the elevator jerks to a halt at what is presumably the 50th floor. The doors part, and unlike the floors below, this floor is a bustle of activity, and not merely human-appearing drones. Two spiders take up posts at either end of the elevator corridor. Also unlike the other floors, nearly everyone present turns to regard the pair in the elevator when the doors slide open.

Mouse steps out into the hallway, turns right, and begins making her way toward that end of the elevator corridor. She walks as though she belongs, but she's abandoned that 'I'm in charge' air that she was using on the supervisor. No, just another drone, clearly meant to be here. Really.

Sewall, his cane in a death grip, limps after Mouse, keeping his face neutral and bland.

One of the workers moves to intercept Mouse. The tablet in her hand has a card reader attachement and she holds out one hand in anticipation. "Identicard," she says with a tone of impatience. The nearer of the spiders seems to shift position with that same air of impatience, but it doesn't leave its post. Three other workers enter the elevator that the garou just departed, and another two continue on what was apparently their original path to the other side of the corridor.

Mouse unclips her stolen identicard and offers it over to the worker. If her thumb is covering up the low number, that's surely a coincidence, and not one she expects to give her more than a second's reprieve.

Sewall remains still, but his fingers tighten on the cane, knuckles turning white.

The woman swipes the card. She looks at it. She looks at her tablet. She looks up at Mouse. Then another cycle of card, tablet, Mouse, and she swipes the card again.

The nearer spider takes a step away from its post; one leg moving at a time until all eight have moved, carrying the great arachnid form a foot away from the wall.

Mouse doesn't meet the woman's eyes. She's watching the tablet instead.

Sewall looks over at the spider, affecting -- as best he can -- a bored, casual air.

One more cycle of card, tablet, Mouse, and then the woman, with a slightly confused expression and tone, says, "Very well," and then turns her focus to Sewall. "Identicard."

Mouse takes her card back and clips it back into place. She starts for the same end of the hallway that she was initially going for.

Sewall wordlessly hands his card over.

This time, the reading of the card goes much more smoothly, with the woman doing a simple glance at the card and then back to Sewall before returning the card. "HR is the third door on the right," she tells him.

The spider's eyes seem to focus on the Silver Fang, though there's not a single twitch of movement.

Sewall gives a curt nod as he take the card back, then cuts a look over to Mouse.

Mouse continues on her way without pause, or a glance back.

The elevator doors slide open, and the woman turns to greet the next trio that arrives. The spider remains where it stands, still a foot away from the wall, and it seems to track Sewall's movements without turning.

This floor is a bustle of movement, and though it initially seems another double-barred H like the floor from which they came, they soon find that it holds significant differences. After the first hundred feet, the outer wall disappears and the building opens outward. The connections between this building and it's neighbors are suddenly visible. In fact, seen through the windows, skywalks seem to extend in every direction. Everything here is brighter than below, though the light, still, seems to have no direct source.

Ahead of the garou, a worker looking much like the 'boss' they incapacitated opens the door mentioned as HR. From within, a voice can be heard, "Ah, yes. Your promotion came through. Please have a seat."

Once they're clear of the immediate danger, Mouse's attention turns first to the skywalks, and then, at the voice from the HR door, she nods very, very slightly, and heads in that direction.

Sewall chews on the inside of his cheek, looking (unsurprisingly) pensive.

Through the HR door, the scene looks very like a typical office, except that beyond the trio of desks lies another door, securely closed. The man who just entered sits across from another young man, who taps away at the keyboard before him, and then turns the monitor so that the 'boss' can see.

Mouse continues into the office, unhurried and to all appearances completely uninterested in the conversation going on. She walks toward one of the other desks.

Sewall follows, though looks somewhat reluctant, but he enters the office after giving the skywalks a final glance.

All four people in the office look up as Mouse and Sewall enter, though the Boss and his HR worker return quickly to their own affairs. The woman sitting at the middle desk looks at Mouse with surprise. "Hello," she says. "I wasn't expecting you, today. Did you wish to apply for a promotion?" Meanwhile, the man to the right gestures to the seat opposite his own and says to Sewall, "Ah, yes. Your promotion came through. Please have a seat."

Mouse takes a seat in the indicated chair, though it is, of course, far more of an effort than it should be. "Yes, I would," she replies.

Sewall resists giving Mouse another glance and limps over to take the seat proffered to him.

"Identicard," the woman says to Mouse, and holds out her hand expectantly.

The man opposite Sewall doesn't seem to require such things, and has already begun typing, much like the one to the left. After a moment, he turns the monitor so Sewall can see. "Manager R, current level 5L, to be promoted to Supervisor, level 7T."

On the other side, the Manager rises, escorted by his HR worker to the inner door. The light in the inner room is bright enough to be distracting when that door opens, and the unmistakable electronic hum is almost loud enough to hurt the ears.

Mouse once again unclips her card and passes it over. Out of the corner of her eye, she watches the inner door as it opens.

Sewall folds his hands together on the desk and studies the monitor with a bland expression. "I see."

Against the brightness within that other room, Mouse can make out a metalic table set into what appears to be a crystaline structure. Colored lights blink from somewhere out of sight, their reflections caught on the facets of the crystal or glinting off the table. There's something reminiscent of the images presented by alien abductees in that brief glimpse, but then the door closes behind the man and the HR worker returns to his desk.

"It will only take a moment," the other man says to Sewall. "If you'll just be patient, you'll be called next."

The central HR worker takes Mouse's card and slides it through the card reader on her monitor. She looks up at Mouse, that same confused look on her face held by the woman at the elevator. "I'm sorry," she says. "There must be some mistake." Then she runs the card again.

Mouse folds her hands in her lap, waiting; or at least, appearing to. Once that door closes, the HR worker and her computer have her full attention.

Sewall, nodding, mutters, "Of course." He cuts a glance toward Mouse, brow furrowing.

The wall and door must have extraordinarily good soundproofing, because for all the electronic sound that bled through when it was open, there is near silence with it closed.

The woman runs the card a second time and again frowns at the results that appear on her screen. "I'm sorry, ma'am," she says after a moment. "If you'll wait for a moment, I can page my supervisor."

The man at the desk before Sewall returns to tapping away at his keyboard, as does the HR worker at the far side, neither taking any further note of Sewall or Mouse.

You paged Machine with 'She's trying to Data Flow again. Because. If she can do something, she will, if not, she'll just observe.'.

"Of course," Mouse replies. Her focus narrows on the computer now, but outwardly, she doesn't seem to change much.

Machine pages: Now is a good time to Data Flow, yes. Mouse will have to be very careful not to interrupt the texting between the HR worker and her supervisor, but if she makes sure to keep things in the background so the worker can't see what she's doing.

You paged Machine with 'She goes for it then. Smooth out the issue, and hopefully get a similar 'promotion' to Sewall's. But basically whatever haxxor smart things she can do which I can't think of.'.

Sewall is good at waiting and expressing patience, though he does shift his weight from time to time, and he keeps cutting subtle sidelong glances at Mouse.

Machine pages: When Mouse looks at the data available, she can see that she currently has a level 10F, Sewall's about to be promoted from 5L to 7T.

Long distance to Machine: Mouse hmm. "Any way to make it look as though her ID is due for that promotion as well? I mean, it's going to freak out the HR lady, but."

Machine pages: It'd be an anti-promotion...? A downgrade, which would probably set of ALL sorts of alarms.

You paged Machine with 'Oh!'.

You paged Machine with 'Okay, that's what I wasn't getting.'.

From afar, Machine laughs!

You paged Machine with 'Well, in that case, while she's waiting, any chance of her figuring out what those designations in specific mean? Orrrr, the best route to where they need to go?'.

Machine pages: Ah! Yes. There are a couple good options. One is to upgrade Sewall to a 10 so he can get up to the hundredth floor. (That's not, by any means, high enough to walk out onto the web, but it'll give them access to everything they need, if they're clever enough to get it without being discovered.) Option B is to get them both a much higher promotion and get up to the 1000th floor, where they can walk out onto the web.

"It'll be just a few minutes," the woman says to Mouse, and begins to look just a little nervous. The men, on the other hand, seem entirely oblivious to anything happening. The door to the inner room opens, and the former manager steps out. At first, there's no sign of anything different about him, but something in the way he moves makes it clear that there is. Everything about him seems cleaner, sharper, from his step and posture, to the cut of his shirt. He takes no notice of those still seated, but adjusts his new identicard and exits the room.

You paged Machine with 'Option B would seem to be better, unless they get horribly caught.'.

From afar, Machine grins.

You paged Machine with 'Ominous! *flips a coin* Going with Option B, unless she runs into sudden resistance.'.

Machine pages: Mouse thinks she can get them both access to 400, if she pushes the 'go' button, right now, or she can keep pulling at threads, so to speak, and try for more.

You paged Machine with 'Let's press the 'go' button for 400. She doesn't want to wait for him to get in there.'.

There's a click and a blink, and the man before Sewall looks up at his screen. Surprise registers on his face. "Excuse me," he says. "May I see your identicard? I think your promotion has been adjusted."

The woman in front of Mouse makes a similar face. "Please wait, ma'am," she says. "My supervisor will be right here."

Mouse nods briskly at the woman. She remains sitting in her seat, back straight, hands folded.

Sewall's eyebrows lift a bit. This time, he manages to avoid glancing at Mouse and just... nods and hands over his card.

The man swipes Sewall's card again, and the door to the inner room swings open. "This way," the man says, rising to lead the Silver Fang within.

Sewall takes a deep breath and pushes to his feet. With a death grip on his cane, he limps toward the inner door.

Machine: Okay. It seems likely that if Sewall goes in there alone, /if/ he comes out at all, it's going to be with some serious Weaver reformation going on. Mouse has an in with the computer system, right now. She can affect things without going into the room, but it won't be easy, and might also draw attention.

Machine: and there's a 'supervisor' on the way.

Sewall: DUN DUN DUNNNN.

Mouse: She's going to do it, because she really doesn't want to rewrite Sewall. Spending willpower, for what it's worth.

Machine pages: What does Mouse want to try to do?

You paged Machine with 'Stop whatever's in there from actually upgrading anything but his identicard/giving him a new identicard.'.

Once inside the room, Sewall is grasped by mechanical arms and assisted onto the metal bed. The blinking lights come from a series of panels off to the right, and while several were on the last time the door opened, this time it seems that nearly all of them are lit with one color or another. They blink in a rhythm that even Sewall cannot immediately discern.

From above, a robotic arm descends, a glowing crystaline structure at the end. It appears to be scanning the Silver Fang's form in a slow, steady pass.

Three times Mouse nearly trips over alarms, and once she nearly set the inner room to take Sewall apart completely. Eventually, however, about the time the crystal reaches Sewall's ankles, she finds the 'stop' function, and all the equipment simply ceases to move.

It's about all Mouse can manage to avoid sighing in relief. She focuses on sitting still, looking relaxed, but her gaze doesn't really move from the monitor.

Sewall waits for a moment or two, his feelings oddly mixed. Mostly, he's relieved. Finally, he works on getting himself down off the bed.