Robotropolis - Washed Out

[V for Vizetta]

Robotroplis had to have one of the simplest security control programs on the planet. Once you got in, you could control or monitor almost ANYTHING, a fact which made Anansi's job of keeping the security (mostly) off Lance and Julie a lot easier. In fact, except for the SWATbots, only a single Spy Eye had spotted them, and watched them (along with others) get led away by some white echidna.

Said Spy Eye never sent that data back to Robotnik, though. Instead, a certain little spider got it, saving about a minute of what it had seen, before making it crash into a wall.

She had then gone looking for the schematics for the gate, which she found, then destroyed the copy in the system, after saving one for herself... And it was about then she realized... she was feeling tired.

She shouldn't feel tired. She didn't have a BODY! In fact, the only reason she'd feel like this online would be...

Oh. Shit, how long had she been online? She knew after a couple hours she'd start getting drained, but she hadn't told anyone yet... But she didn't feel REALLY tired, just... slightly "winded". She could get back to Finitevus, give him the data, then just log off- Right... no body to go back to right now, which meant...

"I'm in deep shit."

With this realization in mind, Anansi quickl worked her wa back to the lab she'd found Fini in before, having to dodge security, as well as make parts of the system forget she'd been there, all of which was just making her more tired...

So when she finally got there, the only sign of her arrival was her "logo" appearring on a monitor in the lab.

[Jamie Lee]

Finitevus' fingers came to an abrupt halt over the keyboard he had been typing on, both slightly annoyed and slightly relieved by the logo's sudden intrusion. In a tired reflexive gesture he snatched his broken glasses from his snout and lifted a foot up to rub at his eyes... only to inadvertently kick himself in the face. Blinking, he quickly realized his mistake, and how utterly pointless the action was in the first place. Wrinkling his nose slightly he lowered his foot and replaced his glasses.

"Hello, Anansi."

[Topaz Mutiny]

As for a certain fox, he was currently trying to hide a sudden fit of the giggles, and was failing quite misrebly. This was probably due to the fact that his work on the Fake Chaos Emerald was running rather slowly, and so he was quite bored. Anansi had thankfully broken the dolldrums, but at the cost of laughing at Fini.

Which wasn't really THAT bad.

[V for Vizetta]

The monitor was silent for a moment, before the spider's voice came from it, sounding as if she'd gone for a run in the time she'd been away, accompanied by her appearing, as before, in the lower right corner of the screen, covering herself as he legs hung down somewhere offscreen.

She looked oddly... frazzled, her hair looking... unkept, to say the least, and she looked as if she was almost trying to catch her breath.

"Hey... doc. ... I found Lance and Julie, and kept the security off 'em... They were led off somewhere by a guy that... looked kinda like you, actually." The girl grinned.

[Jamie Lee]

Shooting an annoyed glare over at the boy, accompanied by a growl, he looked back at Anansi. "Lead off... by someone who looked like me?" he questioned, noting her oddly disheveled appearance. "Explain."

[Topaz Mutiny]

Probably the counterpart he mentioned earlier. Tails thought, resuming his secretive work on the FCE, though not without an occassional giggle or two.

After all, it wasn't every day you saw someone you know hit themselves in the face with their FOOT.

[V for Vizetta]

Anansi just smiled at the question, then dissappeared, to reappear sitting on top of a window that opened on the monitor. Giving up on keeping herself decent, she rested her hands on top of the window, seeming to lean on them a little.

"I... can do better'n that, doc. I can show you." With those words, she played back what the Spy eye had seen earlier, as it watched Dr. Zachary lead the assembled group he'd found away, leaving a tazmanian devil behind unconscious. About thirty seconds after the group left, the eye suddenly turned towards a wall, and flew at it, before the view turned to static.

"I... was losing control of that camera." That would be a good enough explanation... And somewhat true... She just didn't say WHY she was losing control of it.

[Jamie Lee]

Eyeing the spider with uncertainty, Finitevus turned his attention over to the video and studied it with great scrutiny. The snowy echidna standing there... He was wearing a cloak and his face was partially obscured by a filter mask, but the resemblance was there, and aside from his species, unmistakable. Right down to being a cyborg, the scientist thought, lifting one of his hands and looking it over. Granted he wasn't the right kind of cyborg, but all things considered, was it really that important?

And just what was he doing with his legionnaires (which included Dash) anyway...

He might have allowed himself to slip further into thought on the subject if it hadn't been for two things - one, he still had work to do, and he wasn't interested in Robotnik finding him messing around. Two, Anansi's tired behavior was bothering him. And--okay, actually, there were three things. Three, she was still naked. Thus, he winced and turned his head to avert his eyes.

"Anansi, are you okay?"

[Topaz Mutiny]

Fortunately for Tails, he had regained all of his focus on his work when Anansi started talking. Other than having an ear cocked back towards the conversation's direction, Tails gave no indication that NAKED SPIDER LADIES EXISTED.

[V for Vizetta]

The spider noticed Finitevus' reaction to her still being undressed, and with unintentional slowness, brought an arm across her chest, holding onto the other arm to keep it in place. Her legs would keep the rest of her decent...

It seemed to take her a moment to register that Fini had actually asked her a question, which was odd, as usually, no matter how distracted, she would answer immediately.

"Hm? Oh... yeah, I'm fine..." Anansi smiled, although it seemed mildly forced.

[Jamie Lee]

Still not bothering to turn his head back, Finitevus frowned, lowering his digital eyelids halfway. "You know better than to lie to me."

[V for Vizetta]

Anansi flinched slightly, knowing she was more or less caught now, as she turns on top of the window, until she was facing the other direction.

"I'm... just tired is all. I was... I was up all night before this stuff happened." Another almost-lie, that she hoped the doctor would believe... because otherwise, she'd have to make an admission she didn't want to make. ESPECIALLY not to him... Besides, she still had a good... Two and a half, maybe three hours?

[Jamie Lee]

Chancing a glance back at the monitor and noticing she'd turned, the pangolin doctor repositioned himself, continuing to frown at her apparent exhaustion. "You're in digital form. You shouldn't be tired."

[V for Vizetta]

The girl seemed to take in interest in her crossed legs, although this was difficult to tell, considering her back was to the robopangolin. She knew he would just keep asking until she told him, and he really should have known sooner. Like, the first time she discovered this problem, sooner.

"... I've just been online too long without rest. I start feeling tired, that's all." I can still help out... don't get rid of me or something.

[Jamie Lee]

Finitevus frowned. Part of him wanted to scold her, and probably would have if conditions weren't so dismal. Well, there was little he could do about it at the moment, so for now it would have to wait until he could look into it later. That didn't mean her appearance and behavior wasn't still worth concern though.

"Hmmm," he hummed with dissatisfaction. "Did you at least see to it the information I requested was deleted and have that laptop destroyed? And what about Isis?"

[V for Vizetta]

Anansi nodded as Fini asked about the data and the laptop, but then paused.

"Yeah, I got rid of the data, and had a SWATbot "accidentally" crush the laptop into a cube... but I couldn't find Isis, or that thing she was with earlier. All I can figure is she ended up in one of those portals again, because I couldn't find her communicator signal, either."

The girl stretched, as if loosening sore muscles, before glancing over her shoulder.

"I can take another look for her if you want." Probably. It'd end up just making me even more tired.

Of course, to look over her shoulder, she had to shift so she was leaning on one hand... which chose that moment to flicker. Barely enough to notice for an organic eye, but enough to send her falling off the back of the window with a startled squawk.

After a silent moment, the girl's voice rang out again.

"I'm ok... good thing I can't... break anything."

[Jamie Lee]

Even if his eyes were still organic, little would have gotten by the pangolin's current scrutiny. "No, that won't be necessary. Isis is perfectly capable of handling herself," his eyes then narrowed. "Now, the full explanation, please."

[V for Vizetta]

There was no response from the spider for a moment, until she glanced around the window at the robotic pangolin, seeming to hide behind it.

"... ..." With a defeated sigh, Anansi leaned against the "back" of the window, her eyes closing, as if looking and Finitevus would just make this harder... which was probably the case.

"I... found out one flaw to me working online like this. After... about two hours, by my estimate, I start getting more and more tired, and my abilities to... well... do just about anything that isn't moving from system to system start weakening... After long enough... I start losing mental cohesion, which means I start losing cohesion in here. I don't know what would happen if I didn't get back to my body in time, but..."

The girl opened her eyes, looking directly into Fini's optics, a forced smile appearing on her face.

"I've probably got two, maybe three hours before that becomes a real issue."

[Jamie Lee]

Finitevus stared at the girl. After a moment he brought two fingers up and pressed them firmly between his eyes, closing them in the process. "I think I'm getting a headache," as he spoke those words, his other hand was curling itself into a fist, and his mechanical teeth bared. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he slammed his fist into the console. "WHY didn't you TELL me about this?!" he snarled, then caught himself, folding his now slightly puffed scales back in place and relaxing slightly - the angry glow in his eyes, however, remained. "WHAT were you THINKING?! Are you that STUPID?! I can't guarantee getting you back home by then!"

[Topaz Mutiny]

This time, Tails looked up at the angry outburst, wincing at the pangolin's fury. The fox looked back to his work, and redoubled his efforts on finishing the emerald.

[V for Vizetta]

With an audible whimper, the spider shrunk behind the window, trying to hide from the pangolin's anger.

"I'm sorry, doc. I didn't think I'd be trapped in ANOTHER DIMENSION when I hopped online." Anansi sighed, leaning against the window she was simultaneously trying to hide behind.

"If... if you CAN'T get me back in time... Just... find some use for my body, ok?" The hacker almost whispered this statement, her eyes on the "ground" in front of her.

"I just don't want to stop being useful somehow because of my own... stupidity."

[Jamie Lee]

Growling quietly to himself, Finitevus simply set both elbows down on the console and rested his head in his hands. As if there weren't enough problems to deal with right now! Now, after all the stalling he'd done, he had to wrestle with a time limit of all things!

"Don't even talk like that," the doctor snapped. "Why were Lance, Julie and Dash following that man? Do you have any idea?"

[V for Vizetta]

Anansi nodded, both at the "order" and his question, her eyes still on the "ground".

"It looked as if Dash had taken some damage when some SWATbots attacked them before I could call them off. If he's anything like you, he could probably fix it. At least enough for Dash to move around."

[Leda]

Speak of the devil. Or the devil's bitchy apprentice, at least.

@segajulie@ <Finitevus?> Julie's faint voice crackled over the radio waves. <Hey Doc, are you there??>

[Jamie Lee]

Speak of the devil indeed. Finitevus straightened slightly in his seat, the furious glow of his eyes finally fading back to normal intensity. With a quick motion he beckoned for the digital spider.

"Anansi, come over here," he ordered. Then, answering Julie; <Finitevus speaking. What is it?>

[Leda]

@segajulie@ <Doc! Doc, I've got some bi-- LANCE, I TOLD YOU TO BE THE LOOKOUT!! Moron. I've got some big news. We lost Isis, but we found Dash. He's getting some repairs done right now, or at least that's what we're hoping for. The guy that's fixing him looks like an uglier version of you.>

[V for Vizetta]

The spidergirl watched Fini for a moment after his beckoning her, then nodded, fading out of view on the monitor, before a simple spider icon appeared in Fini's vision, near a corner. Just being an icon was a lot easier, for some reason, than showing her body, so she was taking advantage of the fact.

"..."

[Jamie Lee]

... Uglier, the robo-pangolin thought with an indignant wrinkling of his nose. <... Hmm, I see. I have important news of my own,> he glanced over as the spider's icon appeared. <Both Anansi and my apprentice are here with me now. I've also managed to break the control Robotnik had over me... however, Robotnik isn't aware of that yet. More importantly, I have a plan to get us back home.>

[Leda]

@segajulie@ On the other side of the radio, Julie became elated. <Hey Lance, did you hear that? Fini knows how to get us home! What's the plan, and what do you want us to do once Dash can walk again?>

[V for Vizetta]

The spider girl was pretty quiet, her voice strained when she spoke, intending for only Fini to hear it, but most likely being audible to the female pangolin as well.

<Hurrying would be nice...>