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[securityconsultant]

Murderbot hates planets. But its humans love them, and so, here the lot of them are - chasing after the ever-present 'hope' of alien remnants. The thing is?

Murderbot thinks they've actually found one, this time.

It's a strange cavern - clearly not natural. The walls are too smooth for that - by hand, not by creature. Still, as the humans chatter amongst themselves excitedly, their SecUnit keeps its eyes open and drones circling, the tiny spheres buzzing about the area and feeding it data as they press deeper. Normally this would be far, far more controlled, and far smarter of an exploration - but bad weather drove them underground in the first place, and coupled with a local quake...

They don't have much of an option but to press forward for the moment. (They do, actually. To stay put. But. Humans.)

Comments

[securityconsultant]

If he was volunteering...at least Murderbot knew that he was capable. Though it hadn't been called 'Rin' in some time. The name brought back a bit of nostalgia- but it frowned a little, looking back.

"Planetary survey turned survival - we've been cut off from the rest of the team. Underground like this, they'll have trouble finding us, so we've been trying to find a way back up - but then we came across this place." A hand reached out to touch the too-smooth walls. "It's unnatural."

Which is bad.

"A drone picked up an energy signature up ahead, but I don't know what to make of it. It's..."

A long pause.

"...it's not much different from the energy you're made from."

[trentequatre]

"...That's quite impossible." He raised an eyebrow, looking around at the walls.

"This world could have magic, feasibly, but a Servant existing this far outside of Proper Human History? To call that 'unlikely' would be a vast understatement."

[securityconsultant]

"Look, I don't know enough to disagree with you, all I'm telling you is what I'm picking up." Magic. Servants. The whole thing had seemed like a pipe dream but for Murderbot not being able to dream. "It's not something I want the others exposed to until I've gotten a chance to at least figure out if it's a threat to them or not."

[trentequatre]

"Then perhaps it's fortunate I happened along when I did. If it's a Servant, I'll handle it. If it isn't, perhaps I'll handle it anyway."

You know, like a helper. That loves murder.

[securityconsultant]

Good news; it's probably not something Murderbot thinks shouldn't be murdered!...especially if it's a threat. And if it is one and if it's too much for the SecUnit to handle, well, hey. Backup.

"...you have a sense of timing, I'll admit."

When was the last time it had backup it could rely on?

[trentequatre]

"Call it my good luck. I have some fortune on my side, now and again."

He even laughed under his breath, just a little.

"I could do with a touch of excitement. We've gone a few weeks with nothing utterly mad happening, and it's gotten boring."

[securityconsultant]

Avenger laughing is not a bad thing to see. Generally, it means someone they mutually dislike is going to pay. Of course, that isn't the situation here and now, but. Still.

"I wish that was the case. I have a new show to catch up on." Sure, it generally watches that sort of thing during travels, but - this one's long. And interesting. The adventures in it are purely fictional - just like how Murderbot likes it. Because when you get down to it...

Such things in 'real life' are anywhere from 'fun' to downright harrowing. Murderbot isn't sure what one this is, yet, but it does frown a bit as a dim light can be seen further down the tunnel. That must be it.

[trentequatre]

"At least it isn't so terrible to keep oneself busy now and then." Better that than nothing at all. "Perhaps I'll linger long enough to catch an episode or two myself."

Which was probably just Avenger-speak for 'I missed my friends', but it was what it was.

"...What can you make of that?"

[securityconsultant]

Murderbout would have liked to say that it'd be okay with that, but other than realizing it'd have to find a reason why it'd need to take one of the screens, but- right. They didn't care if it wanted to use a screen, they...were okay with that. Even so. It frowned, wishing it hadn't left the drones with the humans, but - keeping them safe was paramount. Which left it delying on its own, personal sensors - and that of the armor.

"Not much," it was forced to admit. Not as much as it wanted to, anyway. "It's like some sort of-"

The next step brought them both in to a great cavern, and the sheer size of it had it shut up. If there was any doubt before that this tunnel had been made by hands, weel, it was gone now; this was undeniably carved out, with structures and pillars working together to create what looked to be almost some sort of temple. Steep stairways led up either side - or were they seats? - and thin trickles of water fell down them in measured intervals. A single ray of light fell from above them all, presumably leading to the surface - but it perfectly illuminated a single altar in the center, where something was set - something that captured the light only to reflect, refract, and magnify it until it filled the rest of the cavern.

"...holy shit."

Murderbot's voice, rather than echoing, seemed nearly swallowed up by the area.

[trentequatre]

"I take it from your reaction that such things are uncommon here."

Though the answer was deadpan sarcasm, Avenger's eyes were fixated on the spectacle before them. Not nearly as massive as the Temple of Time, but...there was the same sense of the area having been built for a purpose most likely ominous in nature. Sinister? Maybe. But definitely ominous.

[securityconsultant]

"Intact remnants? Extremely." Worth a fortune, not that Preservation really cared too much about that, but - worse? "The humans are going to go crazy."

In the tone of someone who was NOT looking forwards to trying to coax them to leave as opposed to explore this place.

[trentequatre]

"Ah, the lack of self-preservation instinct sorts? Because I must say, this whole place radiates 'don't touch' in a way I rarely witness for myself."

A small shrug.

"We could always go back and cause a cave-in at the entrance to this place. Say it wasn't structurally stable or somesuch thing like that."

[securityconsultant]

"Xira's a geologist. They'd be able to tell." And compared to some teams, these weren't that bad - but bad enough that they'd be intensely curious about the area. "But that's tempting to do, anyway." They'd listen to it if it said there were reasons not to touch, but...it wasn't their leader, not by any means.

Their leader wasn't here. She was back at base camp. Murderbot made a frustrated sound, stepping forwards.

"...help me make sure there's nothing alive around here?"

[trentequatre]

"If you're certain."

Humans and their life-risking curiosity. How very exasperating.

"Lead the way, clearing the area seems a simple enough task. If we find anything, I am confident I can hold my own easily."

[securityconsultant]

Nice as it was to have someone who agreed with it, for once, it hardly made things any simpler. It wasn't just living things that they had to worry about, after all; the structure could have been weakened by quakes, whether the most recent one or not. Other pitfalls, deliberate or not. Murderbot was already planning on sending out its drones once it'd finished its initial recon and was back with the humans, but for now? This would have to do.

The fact that it was finding nothing at first didn't deter it. If anything, it made it more determined to find somethong wrong. But the place seemed strangely tranquil, even as it slowly made its way towards the center altar.