My name is ivory. I play Iona Starling. And he has the riff of the shadow dragon from Dungeons and Dragons.
Snyders Return:Thank you for joining us. Nikki. Have there been any developments at the scene of the fire in the blue collar district?
Nikki-Beholder to No One:Well, even I witnesses have told me that there was no obvious cause of the fire inside the seemingly abandoned building. My sources at Trinity the ark hospital also said that many are coming in with severe lacerations and burns linked to the initial explosion. This is pushing ers to breaking point until fire investigators can get inside. There's not much more to go on at this point in time. Thanks, Vicki.
Snyders Return:In other news head of panda Lauria healthcare Dr. Tolbert, Leland has announced new technology is going to be trialled in hospitals across the city. This claim has been refuted by a well known medical journal from the Jackalope a Research Institute. more on this story in the hour. Your assets as you have caught them. Do you think they would be a fit for one of our programmes?
Dr. Henry Edwards:and quite possibly they are. They're promising material,
Snyders Return:although as with all promising material, it requires refinement be useful. Indeed, as Dr. Adams has found with her experiments, finding and utilising the right materials can be tricky. And I it is under this that I feel that Dr. Drake has slipped, shall we say? I am going to be out of town at my research facility. I want to be updated immediately. With any progress you have made you understand Dr. Edwards.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Indeed, sir, you will have
Snyders Return:good luck. I cannot bring the the great and the wonderful to the good people of the city. If I'm troubled by our own endeavours, shall we say? Do you have anything further for me? Dr. Edwards?
Dr. Henry Edwards:No, that will be all.
Snyders Return:Quite sir. And the screen just cuts off all black. And you are left sat alone in the conference room sufferable symptom?
Dr. Henry Edwards:Oh, I suppose those two will have to be useful for some. And with that he dials raffles number on timing refers?
Snyders Return:Yes. As always refers you're getting pretty close to this group. At why how close would you approach?
Rafa:So kind of until I start seeing a reaction?
Snyders Return:Yeah. So as you begin to close the gap, and you see one of them sort of, they seem to be checking over their weapons. And then there's all by the, the hood of the van. Yeah, so they sort of stood by the bike split by the hood was a guy for a ride but I'm going to buy the hood of the of the sort of the van transporter and then lift their head and sort of twisting and tilt it and kocot round into your general direction. And there's a very slow and purposeful but not aggressive movement of the hand off the assault rifle that they're sort of checking over and just touches on a sidearm. And it is this point your phone begins to ring.
Rafa:I kind of look at him. And I also kind of it's very awkward for me because my phone is kind of in my pocket. And he's kind of touching his side arm. I'm kind of reaching down in my pocket and I'm kind of like, looking at my pocket and I'm looking at him and I'm looking at my pocket. Get on, I'm looking at him. And I just like, be like, stretch my hand out and do like just a second, please, I kind of turn around, grab my phone and be like, dude, that's the worst timing you could ever have had. Congratulations. And even if
Iona Starling:I was crying I had on our face.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Really, what seems to be the issue?
Rafa:And guards kind of Well, I was trying, going up and wanted to talk to some heavily armoured people and attack vehicle and stuff. But yeah, what's what's up? What have you been doing? So we have that very weird, face off with a guard. It's a guy who's reaching to his holster, and I'm kind of awkwardly reaching into my pocket as at the same time that he is reaching for his gun. And even for me, it's going to be a very, like, stressful and awkward situation. Even that, even though I can kind of go around weird situations very easily. But yeah, I kind of be like, just just put one finger up and be like, one second. Turn around, grab my phone and be like, Yeah, dude. Worst timing ever.
Dr. Henry Edwards:You see, that's where I think your mistake. Be a good boy and put me on speakerphone with you.
Rafa:I knew I knew I knew it. Okay. Yeah, sure.
Snyders Return:Loud as it sort of Lexan to life, you get the attention of the rest of the team that is surrounding this van, who are now sort of slowly sort of shuffling around from the sides in the back of this van. Each of them now taking a keen interest. There's there's a driver who stays in the van. But he's looking very much intently across to what's going on just in close proximity to their location.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Dr. Woods, who is in command here?
Iona Starling:No, No, he's not. No, he's not.
Rafa:Are you saying that kind of loud?
Dr. Henry Edwards:Yes.
Rafa:No, I mean,
Iona Starling:I mean, I own I'm not in charge of me. He's not in charge of me. Just Just so that's clear. Just so we're all aware of this. He's not in charge of me.
Rafa:Well, you weren't the one spoken about?
Iona Starling:wasn't the one spoken about when were you referring to the fact that like, the three of us are in charge, like you're in charge of the two of us or something?
Dr. Henry Edwards:He said, Who is in charge?
Iona Starling:Oh, you're Oh, I thought you said I'm so sorry.
Snyders Return:These guys in this body armour holding these quite sort of futuristic, almost looking firearms and assault rifles and headgear, sort of looking. You can tell they are looking at each other. And looking back at you, as this sound is emanating out and you're having a strange argument almost here in the street. Several 100 feet down the road there is almost a fleet of emergency services vehicles, dampening down a fire and taking casualties to hospitals. And the group, your group and this group around the van, like are they done? I'm waiting. I'm one of them steps forward is a wall Bay because you can't really see what's under the armour they step forward. And then in quite a deep tone, almost a growl, no dread words. I'm in command here
Dr. Henry Edwards:and to whom am I speaking?
Snyders Return:My name is hired and I work for Dr.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Adams. Ah, yes, Mr. Hyde. Excellent. As you know, I am Dr. Adams superior. So I will be taking command of the situation. What have you discovered so far?
Snyders Return:We're waiting for the emergency crews to finish so we can sweep the building we need to sanitise it before any press Get it in anywhere near it.
Dr. Henry Edwards:And you're in luck. You will not need to wait until emergency services have finished their work the young man who is with you and get you throughout the building, without any worry of having to deal with the fire or any other situations that might arise. This is
Snyders Return:no standard protocol. Dr. Edwards.
Rafa:Yeah, that is certainly not standard protocol protocol. Dr. Edwards. What does
Iona Starling:sanitise mean, what what does sanitise mean? In this case? What are you sanitising? With those, and she points towards the guns?
Snyders Return:That's right, which I respectfully wish to not involve the civilians. These are not civilians, these are non company assets, have not undergone our training doctrine. There are liability in the field. True.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Would you like to be the one to explain to Dr. Leyland why sanitization of the facilities could not be undertaken before assets escaped?
Snyders Return:Wait, you have a team tracking down surveillance footage to see if we can locate any assets who have evaded our teams so far?
Dr. Henry Edwards:Yes. And how well is that going for us so far? We do not know nearly enough about the good doctor Drake's work. to assume that we can simply mop this up on a civilian timeline. We cannot wait for more emergency services to be finished with their work. Nevermind the fact that they might uncover or contaminate specimens or experiments within the building. You can take up any complaints you have about my involving civilians with Dr. Leyland after the fact. And your complaint is certainly noted. But for now get the job done, Mr. Hyde.
Rafa:And I will kind of say Edwards and you in a fashion that is so serious and really uncommon for at least a face of Rafa that you have never kind of seen and be like, you owe me so many explanations to what's going on here. But for the sake of time, and I believe that things are kind of going wrong. Tell me just this. First, is it dangerous going in there and things coming out?
Dr. Henry Edwards:Let me put it this way. I don't know what my colleague has done in there. It could be dangerous, not only for you for the team you're speaking to, and the emergency services people who are about to go in there to try and save lives and the building. You have the option of working with my good associates and having their assistance or being stood aside. Cuz I assure you, you do not have nearly enough personal ability deal with the team of helix operatives.
Rafa:Well, we'll see about
Dr. Henry Edwards:a for now you will get answers later.
Iona Starling:My very drag, like roll her back. But she says quite simply, it's like, well, he's going on going.
Rafa:Well, we'll see about that. And we I hope you have a good one because you owe me a good explanation. And I need a drink about this after this. And I'll look at hide and be like don't under Don't underestimate me. Say
Snyders Return:I will help you don't underestimate us either.
Rafa:Good. I don't want any casualty for civilians. Do you understand that excellent.
Iona Starling:Roles again,
Snyders Return:a few of them. here that you're second growl, this, this deeper growl and they sort of begin to again, cautiously just lift their assault rifles towards you. And then hide sees this even though he's sort of face to face with you refer he's like button down
Rafa:you will also see children
Dr. Henry Edwards:accomplishing nothing
Rafa:you will also seen kind of around Rafa like an aura like kind of a ghost like form very very faintly but you're radiating from him and taking a very strong or you have a very strong sensation that something is this contained inside of him in this this ghoulish, ghoulish greenish more or less form he has
Unknown:sorry, do they
Iona Starling:react to it? That's what I'm wondering. No, no.
Rafa:Well, it's it's, it's it's faint. It's just we all know that we have missed and this is kind of my radiation of my power when when it's activated kind of
Dr. Henry Edwards:is. So the more with those cards you have, the more your mythos bleeds into your appearance. Yeah. For other rifts. But sleepers aren't going to notice. Oh, yeah.
Iona Starling:Yeah, I completely I completely forgot the horns and the scams.
Snyders Return:Yes.
Iona Starling:So if they if I guess if I guess no, I can't see them their eyes can i because of the goggles. But usually, usually she checks if someone's in his because the first thing it always does is they always look at the horns. It was look at the horn. It always jumps right to the
Dr. Henry Edwards:seeing through the mist to discern from one is a ref there is Yeah,
Rafa:yeah. It's it's I think it's also very personal how you manifest kind of appearance lies your your mythos and rougher tense to be very discreet about it. But sometimes he does have, he does have more power, that he kind of keeps in check and and doesn't like to show people. But that's for another time.
Iona Starling:Like, so we can't know for sure if they're mists or not. Right.
Rafa:Only if you take the action,
Snyders Return:there are ways of finding out. Yeah, okay.
Rafa:All right. But certainly, since Dr. Edwards kind of told that them that I can get them in, it's kind of obvious that they at least have a notion about the mist,
Iona Starling:you'll see. Alright, here we go.
Rafa:Yeah. And well, after I, I say that you owe me a good bottle of wine. I'll just turn the call off, and we'll kind of go around. Alright, I'll go around in not that directly into the firearm under the direction of the building, but kind of into an alleyway and try to get as close as possible to the building and not be seen
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Snyders Return:Yep, again, people's attention is still very much on on all the the the activity further down the road you're able to slip and weave and move into a an alley a lot closer potentially than you're even expecting to you know, next door but you're not far from this structure that's that's being doused with water to try and sort of continue to put the fire out and you can see police officers faces as they're forming the guarding the barrier stopping sort of traffic coming through letting out the the ambulances and the game t teams. So yeah, you're able to sort of weave and find a, an alley pretty close to to where you need to get to.
Rafa:I'll try to find a door and asking highs. Just Where are we going? What are we looking for?
Snyders Return:Medicine side? That was your job?
Rafa:Yes, we're on trust you were inside. Hi,
Dr. Henry Edwards:team can instruct you on where they need to go. follow their lead. They know what they're doing. Is there?
Rafa:Do you want to get like into cargo area? Do you want to be like in the reception area? Do you want to go into a lab? Just tell me a room. Alright,
Snyders Return:there's a break room at the end of the science research section. If you can get us in there, then we will take it from there.
Rafa:You'll see that with my right hand I will reach for the door handle with my left hand. Easy. Easy. No for me, I'm touching.
Snyders Return:Yeah. He gives a signal to the team and you can hear them all cocking weapons.
Iona Starling:Okay. Immediately like like
Rafa:with my, my left hand, I will kind of reach for my nose ring. Just like give them you know, you know the typical like Bruce Lee move that he just brushes his nose and be like, action time. I kind of just just lightly brushing my ring with my thumb. There's like the you know, you know, when you you you have the that piano tool for tuning the piano goes tuning fork. Yo, yo, here, a very slight vibration or this thing. And I opened the door and we're at the breaching room, but
Snyders Return:because you are pushing instead of just opening and changing within a single room, you are somewhat pushing beyond your usual abilities. Is that fair in saying because you're not going within a building your own building to building? Yes,
Rafa:that is exactly correct. And I would prefer kind of take weakest point or something.
Snyders Return:I'm just gonna say stop holding back. Okay.
Iona Starling:It's like a like a big whoop. Like a
Rafa:stick. Oh, stop holding back. Okay, I will use
Iona Starling:a loose
Snyders Return:I'm, I'm open to to counter counter suggestions. But if you're you're using it in a in a way you potentially haven't done so before.
Rafa:Not publicly now. This is actually I didn't really think that I would use have to use it something like that so soon. But yeah, stop holding back. I do will use my rearrange layout power and my no lock doors, power. Something I didn't really get until now is how I artists weakness, tech, do you invoke it? Or do I invoke it?
Snyders Return:You can offer it as an option. And I can ask, ask you to, to invoke it. It can come from either party depending on what you want to achieve or what I think is relevant.
Rafa:Okay, now, it's just like, you know, I am kind of pushing my limits and something that can kind of go wrong. But
Snyders Return:yeah, so attention potentially weak sense of direction.
Rafa:Yeah, that is my one weakness tag for now. And it could actually be be used because it's another building, I'm kind of pushing my limit, maybe we will not be exactly in the room that I am trying to get into. Yeah, let's
Snyders Return:get that one in there.
Rafa:Okay, then we will use a one weakness. So that's one power stop holding back for you to be
Iona Starling:using still holding back second confession cheese,
Snyders Return:all right. Yet, it was mentioned that you need to make a choice of which of the outcomes you were hoping for, and significant no return or ultimate.
Rafa:you achieve exactly what you wanted to significant Mark fade crack burnt, burn all the power of text and replace one theme and I will not do that. I will burn all my, my lebaran powers. Alright, so yeah, if we find a lock door or kind of needle way out, that's going to
Snyders Return:suck, you may have to rely on your other member of your team, probably all the people you've just made friends with. Alright, so just describe since you you were able to achieve it, you had to pay a price slightly but so channelling your your powers in this new way what's it look like as you you invoke this power literally rearranging the city to your betterment.
Rafa:So you hear this this thing and as I reach for the doorknob, I usually get a layout from the building that I am currently into. Since I merging with Tim to our city that is kind of like like if I had the doorknob or a kind of electric scooter or and you see kind of the my body getting stiff for a moment. And me grabbing onto the door handle for a while like I would be thinking and focusing and then I just opened the door and kind of stumble into it. But the week and on the other side of the door is a place that shouldn't be there
Snyders Return:as you stumble through Rafa having redesigned the city momentarily to suit your needs, and you filter through the team iron Do you go through
Iona Starling:probably making sure your office Okay, especially if you feel like if you slump Dorothy, like showed any signs that are taken a lot out of them, she'd probably be there to help a Brit bracket.
Snyders Return:So, as the pair of you sort of, as referred, crosses the threshold and and you then sort of step through, you can hear what we're softly sort of padded combat boots, through the streets in the alleys to get to the door you're at now come rifling in footsteps as a sort of splitting fan out and start moving into the corridor ahead of you. And honestly, you sort of fell out into the corridor. Hide effectively issues one order at this immediate moment in time, you know what to do move out and you can see them sort of bring the assault rifles up on a as a split both sides of the corridor moving down and start to weave in and out of each of these doors and labs as they begin to search very particularly into each of the these areas.
Rafa:I will come Under my, my breath, and when you you help me Ayana. Oh, I hope renting anything wrong. This is going so Sideswipe sideways, I don't like it. Please take care of yourself if anything happens, just run, don't don't take care of me I can take care of myself. But just keep yourself safe. Okay. At Home With all the small small funds that are down, I was the one for you. This is this is nothing, I'm fine, just a bit wider of a leap. And I'm usually used to, but let's go. Let's see that those guys don't do anything. Too bad. Yeah. Okay,
Snyders Return:as you to help each other on owner you help refer to his feet and you begin to move into the corridor there is still it's not toxic, because of the fact that that sort of the roof is is damaged and it's sort of filtering up and away from you. But there is still sort of smoke hung in the air, there is still a warmth radiating out from the structure on all sides. You can feel and just sort of the edge of your vision you Sorry, that the edge of your sort of senses and your perception, you can hear a torrent of water being sort of sprayed and moved around a wall or a floor or a ceiling somewhere in the structure beyond muted calls from firefighters sort of moving into position and starting to look and call for. For any casualties to identify themselves. You can faintly hear the sirens from outside as they as they ring out. And you get a definite sort of sense of, of the the helix operatives and led by hide sort of sweeping office to office lab to lab this into every so often you catch a glimpse of one sort of coming into the corridor and putting something in a like a messenger bag a satchel as they sort of move between the buildings. What are you two doing?
Rafa:Let's look for people at least. Yeah, yeah, that's that's the that's that's the goal. And kind of kind of keep an eye on what those guys are picking up to see what the hell is going on here.
Snyders Return:You moving through this section and into this shorter lab area that do seem to be some some casualties and fatalities. Unfortunately, many of them are pretty heavily burnt or have effectively suffocated, sort of fixated from the smoke and are sort of where they fell, they are undisturbed the the black ops team the helix lab seems to seem to be stepping over. And as you're sort of moving from down the corridor or having a look in each lab, you notice that sort of computer hard drives have been removed. And certain bits of desk space have been sort of that haven't been damaged or blasted out of the way have been sort of swept and searched. New sort of picking up out of the the sounds of everything is happening in this sort of gloomy slightly hazy because of the smoke smoky atmosphere. The The only thing you can really hear clearly is the the movement from the helix ops teams as the sort of move about the labs and you can hear Hyde's sort of commands to them as he's sort of making sure they double check the essent sweep here and and move move all through. Once they've checked a room, it would appear that they don't intend on coming back to it.
Rafa:If they are trying if they are getting data on hard drives. I will for sure try to get into a room before they do and using my tools to download as much as I can for myself.
Snyders Return:Alright, go go toe to toe.
Rafa:Okay. This is really serious.
Snyders Return:You're trying to get there before you do, and you're trying to access information before they can acquire it. So I would say, go toe to toe is is this role for getting to the computer or for the entire scene, kind of, effectively the whole scene, getting to it, finding it and squirrelling it away securing it, so they can't have it
Dr. Henry Edwards:for everything you're trying to accomplish in order to succeed it your goal? Yes.
Rafa:Okay, then I will use kind of my entire training as a hacker man. And so that will be I'm in for getting into the service breaching device, which is my tool and leaving no trace for us then. Not knowing that I was there.
Dr. Henry Edwards:I will forget to use your power.
Rafa:Yes. And I will actually use my power tech furious, furious rage because I am pretty pissed. And I will do whatever I have to to get to that room before anyone else. I will get happy with that. Okay, that will be for go toe to toe. Here Carlos go toe to toe with more power.
Snyders Return:Yeah. Bye, guys. Whoa, we get to choose two of those and and tell us how how you achieve it.
Rafa:I will download everything that I can on that hard drive that may give me later when I review it some hints on what the hell's going on and maybe be able to confront Dr. Edwards with it and get them good. Up here are well, it's I'm not going in I don't know what what I could do. Going kind of against the skies because it doesn't really matter. Yeah. It's Yeah, it's kind of I just want to Yeah, to get the data used to prevent the rest. Yeah. It's just getting the data not being noticed. And yeah, everybody's happy. Kind of
Snyders Return:so why you have successfully sort of slipped into an office that they've not sort of rotated around to yet. And you are dealing with that. But I What are you doing while referees so busy on the computer?
Iona Starling:You probably knows that standing just without him outside. So she'll, she'll follow him in just just just keep an eye on him just just do her job. She's she doesn't want to go anywhere without him because then they'll be like oh, for now. she realises his goal and he's trying to also be stealthy about
Snyders Return:you. So while you are supporting Rafa as he moves into this lab and begins to sort of gain access to this, this hard drive this this hardware, you as you sort of move into this sort of garden almost position notice a room at the end of this small section of corridor. The door appears to have been blasted out as in into the corridor and to little bit damaged but it's it's one that the helix lab team has so far ignored as well.
Iona Starling:glances back of Rafa Horacio was at the computer right now. I read it like I'm going to go check this place out. Stay here. Don't leave without me. Shout very loud. If anything goes wrong.
Rafa:I kind of look a bit bamboozled at you and be like, okay, don't go far.
Iona Starling:I know Anna goes check out the room.
Snyders Return:Thanks for listening. You can find out more about the show, including our interview episodes via our link tree or at our website at www dot Snow's return.squarespace.com please consider leaving us a review. City of mist as a ttrpg by Sun. You can find out more about city mist by going to www dot city of mist.co music and sound effects for this episode from epidemic sounds.com. The intro and outro music were composed by Chloe Elliot. You can find her on Twitter at Khloe underscore with the flow. The logo was designed by Jessie Lowe. You can find her artwork on Twitter, at ACC in Novi underscore art. We're gonna use our help points and be ready to investigate next time on meddlers, monsters and madmen