Mission Rules: To further explore the alternate dimension. MTF has been instructed to reach Arena-81, and search for surviving Centre personnel. Report back with findings.
In the red corner: Four members of Mobile Task Fist Betta-12. Four members of Mobile Task Fist Alfalfa-2 ("Heavyweight Sink-Bait")
In the blue corner: SPC-2935. Definitely some sharks.
<Round Two>
[Reinforcements meet MTF Betta-12 members and proceed to commandeer a pair of vehicles. Departure is delayed due to the fact that MTF members spend several hours constructing two massive fists out of scrap metal, which they affix to the front of their vehicles. The teams proceed to Arena-81, deliberately swerving to hit every shark along the way. They reach the Arena unscathed, and break up into two teams.
The first, led by Agent Russell, enters into the Arena proper via a freight elevator. The second, led by Agent Tyson, access Arena-81's offsite data storage bank. Due to the distance traveled, two-way communication is hampered, and agents are unable to receive commands from Centre Coaches.
Russell stands cross-armed in the corner of the elevator. Adrian paces back and forth nervously. Segal shadow-boxes across from Maggie, who is attempting to access the Arena's intranet on her tablet.]
Segal: Any luck, Mag?
Maggie: Not really. I'm having a harder time than I should. The Site's AI isn't responding to any of my requests - and I think it's actively working against me.
Adrian: Isn't that a typical breach response?
Maggie: It would be, if we didn't already possess the proper credentials.
Russell: Well, whatever happened here probably tripped every emergency countermeasure, so I wouldn't fault the paranoid android.
Adrian: You guys think… do you think it took care of all the sharks on-site?
Russell: The personnel? [scoffs] Definitely. Arena-81 has the highest ratio of spring-loaded-boxing-glove traps per square-foot out of every Arena in the Centre. They'd be tenderized before they knew what hit them!
Segal: I don't like th' sound of tha'.
Maggie: Why not? Makes our job easier. We'll just have to wade through some leftover shark guts.
Segal: Y' know wha' happens when you kill a buncha sharks in one location?
Russell: Bragging rights?
[Here, Segal leans in towards Adrian.]
Segal: [whispering] Ghost sharks.
Adrian: [shaken] Christ! What did I tell you about that?!
Maggie: Ah, quit hasslin' the kid.
Segal: Just passin' the time, s'all.
Maggie: Well, no need to; we're here.
[The elevator comes to a halt, and the doors slide open. The team moves into the front offices.]
Russell: Odd.
Adrian: Everything's so clean still.
Russell: Place should be shark-viscera city
Segal: Maybe this place was empty when whatever it was hit.
Russell: Maybe. Maggie, any luck getting in?
Maggie: Negative. Jarvis seems to be fighting me still.
Adrian: We could try this terminal here; see if we can't talk some sense into him.
Russell: Good idea. You try to get in touch with him. Let him know that we're here, everything's going to be fine. Poor fuck's probably traumatized after having to turn on staff.
Adrian: Right.
Russell: Segal, stay here with Adrian. Maggie, on me. I'd like to check out the boxing ring. I spent practically the whole day there on the 16th.
[The pair departs while Adrian attempts to contact Jarvis]
Segal: This won't take long, will it?
Adrian: Not at all. In fact…[pause] Yea, I might just have it. [leans in towards microphone] Jarvis? Hey, Jar-Jar! You in there?
[Russell and Maggie stroll down the hall towards the boxing ring. It is noted that none of the Arena's defenses have been triggered.]
Maggie: That's some morbid curiosity you've got there, trying to catch a glimpse of the sharked-out you.
Russell: It's… it's not that.
Maggie: Ah. Then what, you wanna go put it out of its misery?
Russell: Not quite.
Maggie: Than what the hell are we doing taking a detour?
Russell: Don't worry about it. Just follow my lead.
[Russell opens up the door to the boxing ring. A loud, fleshy slapping noise can be heard.]
Russell: Let's get this over with.
[The slapping noise continues, it is coming from behind the ring. Maggie and Russell slip on their knuckledusters.]
Unidentified Selachian Entity: Shyark, shyark?
[slapping intensifies]
Unidentified Selachian Entity: Shhhaaarrk?
[The agents come around the corner, and discover the transfigured form of Shark-Russell.]
Maggie: Oh, damn.
Russell: It's… so pathetic.
Russell Shark: Shhh… Shyark.
Maggie: You alright? You need me to take care of it?
[Russell nods. Maggie proceeds to trounce the instance. After several moments, it is confirmed deceased. Maggie hits it a few more times just to be sure, as is standard-practice.]
Maggie: [panting] …there… one dead… shark.
Russell: Thanks.
Maggie: So, what was this about, anyways?
[Russell bends over, and begins rummaging through the pockets of his sharklegänger. He withdraws a fat wad of cash. He waves it triumphantly in Maggie's face.]
Maggie: You fu— Did you really have us come here so you could rob yourself?
Russell: You're just mad you didn't think to do this first. Anyways, let's get —
[Maggie's tablet produces a high-pitched "meep!", distracting the Agents.]
Maggie: [Removes the tablet from her belt, begins typing.] Hey! Adrian must have gotten us in. Let's see…huh. This is odd.
Russell: What's that?
Maggie: It appears that, well, none of the emergency countermeasures were triggered.
Russell: Damn. There's something in the ballpark of three thousand people working here. If they're all still active, we're going to need to be really careful not to -
[Klaxon alarms throughout the site begin to sound off. Emergency lights activate, pulsing red light through the facility. The sound of screaming can be heard over the racket. Adrian appears, running full-speed from the main offices, through the room, and towards D-Wing.]
Adrian: Run! Run for your lives!
Russell: Hey —
Maggie: Wait!
[Segal comes running as well, and follows Adrian.]
Segal: Go, go, go!
[Maggie and Russell stare at each other in confusion for a moment. Hundreds of slow, metallic, clanking noises become audible and grow increasingly louder.]
Russell: Do you hear that?
[Now, the sound of dozens of nasally, high-pitched and excited voices can be heard. All are repeating the word "shyark" (sic). Russell peers out the door to get a look.
The hallway is seen to be filled to capacity with selachian-based personnel. Each one possesses a walker to assist in locomotion. They slowly hobble towards the agents.]
Russell: Hey, Mag. We need to —
[Russell turns around. Maggie is no longer present, however there is a smoky outline roughly in her shape. It appears to be waving.]
Russell: [sigh]
[Squad is running through the D-Wing halls. Shark-people alerted by the klaxons are exiting individual rooms lining either side of the hallway which the squad must avoid as they move. These sharks join the ever-growing crowd pursuing the team.
The squad comes to a T-junction, which hosts an elevator. Sharkmen are pouring into the hallways on either side of the squad - prohibiting movement. The team slows to a halt: Maggie surveys the situation, Segal takes a pugilatory position, Adrian doubles over and hyperventilates, Russell's momentum carries him right into the elevator doors. Russell begins pressing the 'Call' button repeatedly. It does not respond. Segal proceeds to pound his fists into the metal, causing it to explode from its frame and topple into the empty shaft.]
Russell: Alright, we're in!
[Each member leaps into the shaft, and begin sliding down the cables moments before the sharkmen reach their position. Several floors down, the primary SPC Hold's access point is seen to have been torn apart from the inside. Team exits on this floor.
Though most of the lights have been damaged, with few still blinking, the Hold can be seen to be in ruins - large sections of concrete litter the floor, the remaining walls bear shark claw marks. Several doors leading to the holding cells of various selachian entities and countermeasures are found to be breached.]
Adrian: Oh jeez, oh fuck! Oh no, oh no, oh no.
Maggie: Comon', kid. Relax. Whatever caused all of this is long gone.
[The team slowly progresses down the hall in the dark - pausing to confirm the absence of several previously-held selachian entities.]
Maggie: Let's see… Oh! Hey, check that one out, down the hall.
Segal: Tha's a broom closet.
Adrian: It's seeping blood!
[The team exchanges glances.]
Russell: Mag, get up there and open it. Be prepared for anything.
Maggie: Right. You ready?
[Maggie counts down from three on her free hand, and pulls open the door. The corpse of an unidentified human in Centre tumbles out from within.]
Russell: God, that reeks.
Maggie: Odd. This one's not sharked-out like the rest.
[Adrian approaches the closet, retrieving a note that was attached to the back of the door. He studies its contents.]
Segal: 'e took one hell of a beating though.
Maggie: His fists… did he do this to himself?
Segal: Musta' knew 'e was turnin' - punched his own ticket. A basta'd after me own heart.
Russel: This man should be remembered for his heroism. I'll check his wallet for identification.
Maggie: Of course you will.
Russell: Hm… our mystery combatant is none other than… fuck! No. No way.
Adrian: Ooo! Do we know him?
Russell: Adrian it's… it's you.
Segal: Hell'd ye suppose happened?
Adrian: Nevermind that, you guys. How'd you think OUTLANDER's holding up?
Russel: SPC-682? Well, he was pretty shark-like to begin with, so I can't imagine how he'd be worse off.
Maggie: Well, he should be around the next corner and down a ways, I say we go pay him a visit.
[The team continues uneventfully for several minutes through the darkened corridors, ending at SPC-682's holding cell. Adrian punches in his access codes, and the door opens. A deafening buzz emanates from within the chamber.]
Russell: Oh…
[The entirety of the room's interior appears to be filled with monochromatic scenes of war-time reel footage, played at 1.5x speed. SPC-682 is seen hovering in the air several feet from the team amidst this backdrop. Its appearance is that of an disturbingly hyper-realistic cartoon goblin shark. It makes no movement, but appears to stare at the team intensely as a loud, grinding drone echoes within the chamber.]
Adrian: [weeps hysterically]
Segal: [high-pitched shriek]
Maggie: Its staring into my soul!
Russell: Fuuuuuuck!!!
[The squad retreats down the hall towards an emergency exit and leaves the Arena, screaming the entire way. The rest of the recording is filled with unintelligible screams and cries as they await MTF Alfalfa-2's return; at which point, they settle down. The decision is then made to travel to Arena-19 to determine its status.]
