[Plot] Hello, We Must Be Going

[Victor Freud]

There wasn't anything Vic could do for Robin without giving himself away, and if he did that then there was an even greater chance that one or both of them would get caught. Right now they only knew about one intruder - a shapeshifter. It felt callous, but right now their best chance of success was for him to stay out of sight and hope that she would prove to be enough if a distraction that he would have a chance to get a signal out. Somehow.

[Narrator]

Robin easily made it past the same small collection of goons she had before, but now more of them were inbound. Ducking them wasn't the issue... what was is that she'd gotten a lot of attention very quickly, and now something was pressing against what Robin would think of as her mind.

"Who are you?"

-------------------

As for Victor, he was now completely alone in the room, to do as he pleased.

[Robin Stanton]

"Mrow meow mrow, I'm just a kitty cat, please open the door to the outside again yes okay thanks!" she responds. A telepath being around would be quite the inconvenience. She has some mental fortitude and anti-telepath training but focus and discipline aren't exactly Robin's strong suite.

[Victor Freud]

When the commotion of Robin's escape attempt was far enough away Victor got out from under the table and quickly ran to shut and lock the exam room door. Leaning his back against the door he wasted no time in fishing his phone out from his utility belt and checking to see if he had any bars. If he could get a message out to Chase and Chisaki, or the school, they could find them - and then it wouldn't matter if they were captured or not, help would be on the way.

[Narrator]

"Mrow meow mrow, I'm just a kitty cat, please open the door to the outside again yes okay thanks!" she responds. A telepath being around would be quite the inconvenience. She has some mental fortitude and anti-telepath training but focus and discipline aren't exactly Robin's strong suite.

"My subjects won't be opening the doors until you are contained.

Submit to our will, or I will be forced to take action."

‐---------------------

Victor would pull his cell phone to find that he had no cellular reception, though that in itself might give him a clue to where they were.

[Robin Stanton]

"Okay first of all, nobody reasonable uses the words 'submit to our will' so I'm going to have to go with a big old nope on that one. Second of all, come and get me, butt-face!"

In her experience telepaths react poorly to low-brow insults and stupidity. It's very possible that's down to the individual ones she's happened to meet, but cerebral powers tend to be on cerebral people and cerebral people generally aren't fans of stupid nonsense.

"What are you doing here anyway? Secret underground lair? Are we in a volcano? I bet you got a laser room. Maybe a piranha tank? I'll stand down if you show me your piranha tank." she lets her thoughts just kind of rapidfire at the unknown telepath while she continues to run around. Somewhere around here must be something she can either absorb into to hide (unlikely with a teep on her case) or cause some real damage. It's a high-tech place, maybe they do have lasers or a robot. Hell even something more mundane like an MRI machine or a standing centrifuge could do some real damage if operated incorrectly.

[Narrator]

The entity didn't respond to Robin's childish insults.

As Robin ran to look for something to destroy, panic mode seemed to settle into the facility. An alarm began to blare overhead, and any door she came up to no longer helpfully slid itself open like the one to the exam room one had. She was running a shotgun style hallway now, and as many as ten orderlies were closing in on her on what appeared to be a dead end, a door at the end of the hallway again did not open for her.

But those orderlies seemed to have keycards clipped onto their nice, white, crisp shirts.

The voice that had been in her head now reverberated out of an overhead speaker.

"I do not know what you think is going on in here child, but you won't find any supervillainry afoot. Give up now, this is your last warning."

[Robin Stanton]

"Give up what? I'm still just trying to find the exit!"

She'd rather not have to deal with the goons, but with the hallway ending in a closed door she might not have a choice. Unless...

"Infinite Starpunch! Go!" she shouts, pulling back her fist and hoping the random attack-name and their uncertainty about her abilities will make them flinch or at least distract them for a brief second. And then she throws her hand towards the goons, arm stretching out like taffy as she tries to yoink a keycard from the front-most orderly.

[Victor Freud]

Victor sighed through his nose. Of course there wasn't any signal, that'd be too easy. Probably no GPS either. Which meant one of three things; that it was being blocked, that they were deep underground, or so far out in the middle of nowhere that there simply wasn't any service. It seemed unlikely that he'd be able to find a landline that he'd be able to call out on. So he was going to have to do the next best thing - get outside. And the best way to do that was to go up - if it was a regular building, he'd get to the roof. If it was underground, he'd get to some sort of access point. Either way, he'd have a better chance of getting a signal out. He could only count on the tracker to be picked up a mile away, he was going to have to call in his position, somehow. The question for him now was, how to get up?

Then the alarms sounded, and he immediately began looking for the nearest air vent. Yes, it was an old trope, but it was one that'd suit his purposes just fine.

[Narrator]

The Tweedles weren't easy to frighten, and they came at her to pile on, but she managed to snag a keycard before they could get a grip upon the sly shapeshifter.


"I really wish you wouldn't go in there." The voice commented, clearly meaning the door she had been backed into.

-----

Into the vent the tiny man went.

The lack of cameras or other security in the vents made things easier for Vic to move around unseen, though his feet did make an echo-y sound as they lightly pinged against the sheet metal.

[Robin Stanton]

"Oops." Robin says as she pretends to stumble and swipe the card to make a break for the door.

[Victor Freud]

Victor licked his finger and held it up feeling for which way the air was blowing from. Logic dictated that fresh air would be pumped in from outside, so it made sense that walking into the "wind" would be his best avenue for escape. While his footsteps made soft sounds against the aluminum ductwork he wasn't too concerned; anyone who overheard him would probably just attribute it to a random pink of the metal contracting or expanding from a change in temperature, or perhaps there was a mouse scurrying around. While it may have seemed like an easy route for him, there was one major problem - that a moderate walking pace at this scale would mean that it could take hours for him to reach the point of egress, if there was one.

[Narrator]

The door opens, and Robin gets through. The Tweedles don't follow.

As the door snaps locked behind her and Robin peers into the darkness of the room she realizes why.

The room lights flash in and out in pace with the blaring alarm, and as the lights come up, Robin gets a small glance of a large assembly of people all dressed in hospital scrubs. What she can make out of this mob is the occasional wing, tail, unusual eye colour, extra limbs, and all manner of combinations of physical mutations.

Everyone in the countless horde of individuals turn to look at her. "I told you you shouldn't have come in here." They scold in a cacophony of voices.

If Robin attempts to turn around and use the key-card to get out again, she'll find there's no panel to swipe it to, and the door was tight against the floor, so slipping under it wasn't really an option. Not to mention she could hear the goons laughing together on the other side.

[Robin Stanton]

"Ah beans!" She walked straight into whatever mutant containment they have set up. And it's full of creepy hivemind mutants. Or they're mind-controlled, which would be significantly worse. "You guys wouldn't happen to know the way to the exit, would you? No? A faucet or cable-shaft maybe? Hell I'll take a drain-pipe if you got it." What are the odds this part is hermetically sealed on all fronts. Judging by the door probably higher than she'd like.

[Narrator]

It was likely she, like Vic, could eventually find an exit somewhere if it wasn't for the on going situation she found herself in.

None of the group replied to her inquiry and Robin with get the impression they were sizing her up between the alarm light's flashes.

As she attempted to survey the room in the sketchy light, she'd realized she'd stumbled into what served as this place's cafeteria judging by the half eaten plates of food and spilled cups from the assembly standing in unison, and the terrible seating that was always provided in such places.


--------

Victor would indeed locate the direction of the airflow but now he would inevitably be hiking through the facilities air system for who knew how long.

[Robin Stanton]

"No? Figures. Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but it's super sus and you guys aren't helping with your whole hivemind routine. I don't wanna throw down because I'm pretty sure you're the victims here, so it's really up to you how this goes down. I'm just passing through and seem to have locked myself in here on accident. So just go back to your dinner, I'll be out of your hair and scales toot swuit." she says and slowly walks into the room, looking to sidle her way past the crowd while continuing to face them.

"Also, if any of you want to chime in here I feel like we could really break some of this tension. I'm really feeling like I'm the only one carrying this whole conversation and it's getting awkward." she keeps talking with an awkward smile.

[Narrator]

They slowly part for her as she attempts to reason with the group, but unfortunately it becomes clear why. Whether it was the telepath she'd heard controlling the herd of them or they truly were a hivemind, it worked well with their plan to allow her to move deeper into the room.

They'd learned mobbing Robin did nothing. Instead they allowed her to move closer to a pair of mutants they had chosen to try to subdue her. And when Robin was within range, she'd find a blast of frost was barrelling at her from one of the pair.

[Robin Stanton]

Robin might not be the most intellectual person in the world but even she can tell when she's walking deeper into a trap. She's still caught off-guard by the blast specifically but at least she manages to react in time. A good quarter or third of her, right arm, shoulder and a good chunk of her torso get caught in the blast and freeze solid. The sudden lack of movement and ability to shift makes her stumble though she can still shift the rest of herself and twists her leg separately from the rest of her, caching herself and then using the momentum and unpredictable movement to swing her frozen arm around and at the one who froze her.

"That's n-n-not very ice of y-y-you." she chatters out a quip.

[Narrator]

The ice mutant may have been frost resistant, but he definitely wasn't 'solid object' resistant. Her frozen arm connected and threw him back, he clearly wasn't trained in using his abilities for combat as an X-Man might have been.

His 'friend' took the opening to attempt to seize Robin with telekinesis.

[Victor Freud]

Victor would indeed locate the direction of the airflow but now he would inevitably be hiking through the facilities air system for who knew how long.

Victor didn't really see much of an alternative. Whatever this facility was, mutants were being brought to it, which meant the staff probably knew how to deal with people like him. Dropping down into one of the hallways would have just left him exposed and, worse, more easily lost. At least in the vents he had a constant guide in the flow of air, as vague of a guide as that was. He felt bad for abandoning Robin, it really made him feel like a coward, but the logical part of his brain was winning over the emotional part. Of the two of them, she was the one better suited to looking after herself. If he went back to help her, there was a pretty good chance that they'd both be caught, and then who knows when the might be rescued? No, she'd just have to fend for herself for a little while longer. He picked up the pace, setting into a brisk jog.

[Robin Stanton]

"Anybody else wanna try their luu-oah!" she's interrupted by her body being grabbed by an unseen force. Her Dad would just turn into liquid or gas and she kind of hates how often her first impulse is to think what he would suggest. She can't make herself be that loose. She tried once and, for lack of a better term, sprained her shifting and left herself a viscous blob for a day and a half.

"Oop, you got me." she says. She could probably find a way out of the grip, shift all her mass to her top and try to pop out of the grip or something but if these people think she's caught they might chill (hah!) a little and let her get a better idea of what they want or are doing here. "I was just following my friends, got a little worried they'd get disappeared and I guess I was kind of right? Didn't expect to crash some kind of Prepper Dinner Party in the basement but here we are." she chuckles nervously.

[Narrator]

Probably over confident in their own abilities (or perhaps the telepath was? This was getting confusing for sure) the telekinetic held Robin in place while the door slid open from behind the sea of patients/ The alarms stopped, and the lights came up as the orderlies came to collect her.

"Come quietly this time or she'll make it a lot worse for you." One of them quartet of them spoke up to Robin.

[Robin Stanton]

"Don't exactly have a lot of choice here, do I?" she shrugs though it ends up being kind of an awkward squobbling of her shoulders.

[Narrator]

"Not really." He replied, the group of doppelgangers grabbing her up to take her elsewhere. While one of them did cuff her arm, for the most part they let her walk of her own volition. Or stumble maybe, with the frozen limbs.

With the alarms off and the intruder captured, the assembly broke out of their mind controlled fog, and slowly went back to their meals. As they did, Robin would realize outside of mostly wearing the same stark white outfits in various sizes, they also all wore what almost looked like livestock tags through their ears, with numbers and letters.

The pack of four shuffled Robin off back in the same direction she came. Perhaps they didn't want her to see anything more than she was already familiar with? Eventually they dumped her rather unceremoniously into a boring white room not unlike the hallways with no furniture, decor, or anything of actual interest.

Except of course for an air vent.

These people clearly weren't prepared to be infiltrated.

[Robin Stanton]

Robin eyes the air vent dubiously. It was almost too convenient that they'd place the shapeshifter into a room with an obvious way out. Clearly it must be a trap of some kind. And if it isn't then she can always bust out later and keep buying Vic some more time and see if she can find out anything else. Hell, there's a bunch of mutants clearly being controlled, probably by the telepath she'd 'talked' to and she can't just abandon them. So instead she settles in and with a lack of furniture to sit on she decides to pass the time with the classic 'bounce a ball against the wall' except she's the ball and instead of catching/throwing it she pops back out into being humanoid in between bounces. After a while she starts talking to the walls, assuming she's being listened in on.

"You know..." Thock-thunk goes the baketball-sized Robin.

"Usually somebody shows up to demand to know who I am and what I'm doing here." Thock-thunk.

"Did your boss already head home for the night?" Thock-thunk.

"Or are you hoping I'll get bored enough to just start talking?" Thock-thunk.

"Cause I gotta admit, it's kind of working." Thock-thunk.

[Narrator]

Robin might get the distinct impression that was what they were doing, but mostly because no one was coming to collect her. No one was talking to her now. Not even the telepath who'd been directing her to stop mucking about in their precious facility.

------------------------------------------

Victor likewise found he wasn't being disturbed, even after he kicked it up into gear and started making some level of noise. it was as if everyone had been distracted by some other task for awhile. Corralling Robin perhaps? Or something else?

[Victor Freud]

Victor wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If they were distracted by Robin, then his plan was working. If they were distracted by something else, then his plan was working. If this was all a trap and they were preparing to ambush him up ahead? ... he'd deal with that if it came to it. And come up with a new plan that'd work.

Eventually the ventilation system continued upward, and Victor had to rely on his utility belt again to get him out of it. A couple of strong washer-shaped magnets with a couple of feet of white twine tied to each one. It probably cost him no more than 50p to put together, but letting one return to a larger size and swinging it like a grappling hook he could throw it to clack onto a higher metal surface, then let it regain it's mass to serve as mobile climbing rope.

[Narrator]

Vertical climbing was indeed tricky, but Victor's creations worked like a charm.

He could see moonlight through the slats of hooded vent which he was more than capable of slipping through once he worked away the screening on it.

[Robin Stanton]

"Fine, you leave me here unsupervised?" Robin mutters eventually and walks to the door, turning her hand into one of those hand-drill thingies, using her other hand to crank it as she tries to drill into the wall or door where she suspects the locking mechanism to be. It's slow and she soon has to replace the drill-bit by turning the drill back into her hand, frowning at the fingernail on her index finger that looks like it's been chewed down tot he quick. She shifts her hand back into a drill, middle-finger serving as the drilling bit this time and goes back to work.

If there's one thing she knows how to do it's to be too resourceful, annoying and obnoxious to ignore for too long.

[Victor Freud]

There wasn't a single task that wasn't more time-consuming at this scale. Just getting to the vent took him ages, but once he was there? Then it was the arduous task of getting himself lined up with the screen, balancing on one of his magnets, and working to saw a hole big enough through the metal grating with his multitool. This was going to take awhile.

[Narrator]

Robin's drill hand would attract attention, but not of who she was trying to. After a few rounds of trying, the door simply unlocked and slid open.

On the other side wasn't the albinic woman, nor the multiple orderlies with the same face.

It was the telekinetic and frost mutants that helped subdue her, as well as several others huddled outside the door, looking it at her.

"Uhhhhh..... hey." The telekinetic greeted awkwardly.

[Robin Stanton]

"Sup." Robin says, holding up her drill-hand awkwardly, then shaking it and shifting it back into a regular hand. "You guys seem significantly more chill than earlier. Pun intended." she grins. This is not what she expected at all but she's not gonna hold any grudges over being attacked by, she assumes, some kind of telepathic sleeper agent Manchurian candidate kind of situation. As far as she's concerned, until proven otherwise, these mutants are the victims here, which make sit a little odd that they have enough freedom to stroll over and open her cell door.

[Narrator]

"Yeeeeaaaaaa..." He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing at his own arm. "About that....

We came to get you out cuz... something weird is going on. Didn't feel right to leave you."

[Robin Stanton]

"Weird how? Cause things were already pretty weird as a baseline in here, lemme tell you."

[Narrator]

"Weird....er?" He added, reaching up to push his long hair away from his neck. Robin would notice something resembling a cattle tag through his ear which read '10C'.

Apparently not happy with how passive the telekinetic was being, the frost mutant, whose short, spikey hair made it easy to notice they were labeled '3B, stepped in. "We want you to come back to the cafeteria. Something is wrong, and we think it's your doing. She's not talking to us. We cleared the hall of Tweedles, so it should be safe enough for you not to be harassed."

[Robin Stanton]

"Sure..." she says, a bit hesitantly but steps out to follow them none the less. "I'm Robin, by the way. Are you guys here voluntarily? Cause I gotta say, this does not seem like the kind of place you live in of your own choosing, ya'know?"

[Narrator]

"No one comes to Wonderland intentionally." 10B replied, walking in pace with Robin, as 3B lead.

"This is where you end up when no one else wants you."

[Robin Stanton]

"It doesn't have to be this way. It shouldn't be this way. Can you leave or do they have anything on you? Because I will do whatever I can do get you out of here. Just say the word."

[Narrator]

"How fortunate then. That's exactly what we want to know." 3B added shoving the cafeteria doors open after scanning a key card he stole from a Tweedle. Neither of them answered her question about having things on them.

Inside the cafeteria was roughly the same group of people from before, looking a bit battered and worse for wear. All eyes were again on Robin, but this time everyone had a clarity of vision that suggested they definitely had their faculties about them. Several of them were murmuring to one another, likely about the stranger in their midst.

"We get a new person in GenPop occasionally. Every month definitely. Sometimes every week.

And they definitely fight with the Tweeds. We all do at first. But all of them come in in tags and scrubs...

So where's yours?"

[Robin Stanton]

"I skipped processing on account of having jumped in through the portal without them noticing. Although they then immediately noticed me in the hallway." she chuckles, rubbing the back of her head.

"We were following someone being transported here because this whole 'We'll take care of your mutant problem' schtick sounded amazingly sketch. And, well..." she gestures at the room at large.