To say that Tori is a bit confused would be the understatement of the century.

Despite the kiss that she and Changkyun had shared, nothing seems to have changed. It isn't necessarily that he's acting like the kiss never happened, and he hasn't pulled away from her in any way. But without clear definition she's left wondering just what exactly they are to each other.

Just where do they stand?

Unfortunately, if Changkyun has picked up on her confusion, he shows no signs. And she's too much of a coward, is far too interested in him to push things. These last couple of weeks would have been torment if not for the welcome distraction of getting a handle on her new duties.

It hadn't taken long to learn how to utilize the navigational equipment. The technology is so advanced that it renders her job incredibly simplistic. Honestly, she's fairly certain that even a monkey could use the ship's navigational system. Nevertheless, she's grateful. Because of it, she'd been given plenty of time to study the captain's star charts, and the holo map that had started it all.

And now, merely days away from reaching their destination, she's ready.

She's learned all about the different planets outside of her own system, and their characteristics. She knows which ones are capable of supporting life, and which ones are not. She's memorized all of the coordinates too.

It's been difficult to study the treasure map in any real detail lately, given that she is meant to be studying it with Changkyun. She's been kind of half-heartedly avoiding him, embarrassed by the knowledge that he can hear her thoughts. She really doesn't need him to know that she's confused, doesn't want to push him away. If he really wants her as a girlfriend, surely he'll ask eventually.

For now though, she resolves to put her mind to other tasks.

When they finally arrive, the entire crew is on edge. Changkyun hasn't spoken to Tori in almost a week. At first, she seemed to need the space, but now he worries that maybe whatever is wrong isn't something that time alone will sort out. It's difficult to figure out what's been on her mind, however, because her thoughts are currently filled with anxiety over their next course of action.

The whole crew is anxious. Their thoughts keep screaming that at him, to the point that he has withdrawn. It's almost more than he can take to know that everyone, even Shownu, is worried about just how this will play out.

Seated around the CNC's table, the crew stares anxiously at their captain.

"I've gathered you all because, in just a few moments, we're about to make contact with Jupiter's anti-cyclonic storm wall."

Murmurs fill the room as realization spreads.

"I know that everyone is a little anxious, " Shownu continues, "after all, this is the first time we've done something like this. But it certainly won't be the last."

Several heads nod in acknowledgement. It's true. If they survive this, then there will likely be many more dangerous tasks. And everyone knows it.

"We all knew when we chose to follow this path that there could be danger, " the captain points out, "and there may come a time when this seems like child's play in comparison to what we face. We're chasing down treasure that has been lost to the ages, there's no telling what will await us from here on out. But I am confident that we can handle it, and I see no reason to believe otherwise. Today, the journey truly begins. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir!" Is the unanimous reply.

"Then let's get to it!"

The descent into the planet's atmosphere is easy enough. Tori watches, wide eyed, from the observation deck. No human has ever been this far before, and she is awed. To be seeing the gaseous surface of Jupiter in person is something she never even dared to dream of, and for a moment she isn't entirely convinced that she isn't dreaming.

Except...

The closer they get to the great red spot, the more anxious she feels. It churns in her gut like nausea. She hopes that Shownu and Wonho are right, and that the ship will hold. Because, honestly, she doesn't want to think about the alternative.

She braces herself as they approach the storm, as she's sure everyone else is too. And when the ship begins to shake violently, she almost turns away. But the view outside the observation deck's window is far too frightening, and even somewhat intriguing, to look away from. 

All she can see is the wind itself, swirling in a myriad of vivid color as the ship groans and shakes. At one point, Tori is nearly flung to the side after a particularly nasty tremor, but she catches herself with a hand splayed against the glass. Alarms begin to sound, deafening her ears and causing her stomach to clench with fear. Especially after the sound of a rather loud crack fills the air.

"We're almost there!" Shownu shouts over the ships P.A system. "Everyone just hang in there!"

And then, the worst comes to pass.

The turbulence increases, and Tori is thrown back. She stumbles, attempting to catch herself once more, but her footing is too unsteady. She is sent flying across the room, only to collide with the wall so fiercely that it knocks all the air from her lungs. Dizzy and dazed, she tries to stand once more. But her back aches where it struck the wall, and her head is spinning. The persistent throbbing in her skulls tells her that she must have hit her head as well, even if she can't even remember feeling her skull meet the wall.

She is barely cognizant enough to recognize the sound of the door as it whooshes open, but the hands that help her up are hands that she quickly recognizes.

Changkyun.

"The ship's taken a beating!" He shouts, trying desperately to make his voice heard against the myriad of alarms ringing through the air. "One of the thrusters has been damaged!"

Tori isn't sure what that means, but she has to admit that it sounds bad.

She leans upon Changkyun for support, allowing him to lead her from the observation deck and towards the CNC. A few of the others, those who wouldn't be able to improve the ship's chances of survival anyway, have gathered there. She vaguely remembers being told that this is the most secure room in the entire ship, and realizes that they are bunkering down, and putting all of their faith in Shownu and Wonho.

Jooheon, too, is absent. As well as Minhyuk.

"Everything is gonna be fine, " Changkyun tells her, "you'll see."

But somehow, in the heat of this moment, she isn't sure that she believes him.

And when the lights shut off, and the ship stops shaking, she realizes that they are falling.

"Brace for impact!" Changkyun yells, throwing his arms around Tori just a moment before all hell breaks loose.

The ship crashes hard.

Everyone in the CNC is tossed about like rag dolls, though Changkyun's body shields Tori from any major harm. The dizziness in her head grows worse, however, and by the time the ship lurches to a stop she can barely see straight at all. Even though the ship has fallen silent, and has come to a halt, she feels as if the world is still spinning.

"We're alright!" Kihyun shouts, rising to his feet far more quickly than the rest, and dashing to the door that leads into the cockpit.

Shownu is completely fine. Unlike everyone else, he'd been strapped into his seat.

For the most part, everyone seems to be okay. Once Hyungwon has caught his breath and calmed his heart, he begins to make the rounds and assess everyone for injuries. There are few scrapes and bruises shared amidst the crew, and Changkyun has more than his fair share. 

But even so, Tori, it seems, has the worst of it. A mild concussion, his diagnosis, but even she quickly comes around. He orders Changkyun to help her into a seat just as Wonho, Minhyuk, and Jooheon, come rushing into the CNC. They are sweaty, and out of breath, but unharmed.

The worst, it seems, is over.

"We need to split up, " Wonho suggests.

Everyone is seated around the CNC's table once more, alert and ready for action.

"The ship has taken a bit of damage, though less than I anticipated. But I'll need materials to patch her up."

"Will she make it to the next port for full repairs?" Shownu questions.

"Assuming we can find some scrap metal lying around, " Wonho replies, "then yeah."

"I'm a little peeved that you didn't think about that before hand, " Changkyun retorts. "What if there isn't anything we can use lying around?"

"Well, it's pointless to think about that at this point, isn't it?" 

Wonho's answer does little to ease Changkyun's ire.

"We also need to explore, " Shownu announces. "Let's not forget the reason we came here in the first place."

"I'll help look for salvage, " Tori announces.

"Me too, " Hyungwon adds.

"And of course I've gotta help, " Wonho says, "since I know exactly what we are looking for."

"I think I should help as well, " Kihyun points out. "My ability might prove useful."

It's true of course. If there is any salvage to be found, Kihyun's probability manipulation would be a great help in finding it.

"I think Tori should stay on the ship, " Changkyun argues. "Take it easy."

Honestly, she'd scared a few years off of his life when Hyungwon had revealed she'd gotten a concussion. But Tori simply frowns, and he can hear the wounded pride in her thoughts.

"I'm fine, " she insists, "and I want to help. I'm not a guest, I'm a part of this crew too. It's important that I do my part."

"I'll keep a close eye on her, " Wonho says, smiling.

But this doesn't assure Changkyun in the slightest.

"And I'll be there as well, " Hyungwon points out, "I'll make sure she doesn't overdo it."

And yet, Changkyun is still not appeased.

"I'll help find salvage too, " he speaks stubbornly.

"No, " Shownu commands, "I need you to join the exploration team. You and Minhyuk are the only ones who can possibly figure out what secrets this place holds. Jooheon will accompany the two of you for your safety."

Changkyun frowns, even as Minhyuk grins, but he can't argue with the captain's logic.

"So it's settled then, " Kihyun sighs.

"That it is, " Shownu concedes, hands slapping against the table as he stands. "Alright, let's get to work!"

"How's this?" 

Tori struggles to lift an enormous sheet of metal for Wonho's perusal. The exploration team has already left, and the salvage team has been hard at work for at least a good thirty minutes. Already they've managed to find quite a bit of salvage, no doubt thanks to Kihyun's ability. She shivers a bit as Wonho approaches, seemingly, she is the only one so affected by the cold.

This place is enormous. The ceiling is so high that it makes her feel incredibly tiny, and the gigantic pillars carved with intricate, alien designs do little to change that. In the faint glow of the emergency lighting, Wonho's face is only partially visible. But he nods, and she sees it nonetheless.

"That's great!" He enthuses, thumbs up and smiling happily. "With that I think I'll have enough to get to work repairing the ship!"

He laughs brightly as Tori continues to struggle, the sheet of metal is just far too heavy for her. And when Wonho takes over, lifting it with ease, she frowns.

"Show off, " she teases petulantly.

But Wonho only smiles.

"If you've got everything you need, I'm going to head back to the ship." Kihyun announces. "I ought to check on Shownu, see if there's anything he needs."

The captain had remained on board the ship in case the exploration team needed to get in touch with them. Changkyun, Minhyuk, and Jooheon had each been fitted with a hardsuit and a com device. Normally, according to Minhyuk, they'd have easily been able to communicate via their omni-cuff, but something in this place seems to be scrambling the tool's long range communications.

"I think I'll head back too, " Hyungwon says. "I could really use a nap."

If Changkyun were here, Tori thinks that he'd probably roll his eyes. But she can't begrudge him the desire for some rest, it has been a rather exhausting experience so far. She, for one, is far too excited to even think about sleeping. She wishes she'd been able to join the exploration team, would give anything to be able to see the things they must be seeing right about now. But she understands that she wouldn't have been very much help, and in fact, might have proven a hindrance.

"I should probably get to work on the ship. The Denali isn't going to fix herself, after all." Wonho concludes. "Maybe you should head inside for a nap as well."

He looks to Tori, who shakes her head in response.

"I'd like to poke around a bit more, " she answers. "I'm far too wound up to sleep anyway."

It seems like a harmless enough request, so Wonho nods.

"Just don't stray too far, " he tells her. "I'd hate for you to get lost."

"This place is creepy, " Jooehon whines.

For the better part of their journey the red-head has been on high alert, stiff and ill at ease. It's almost comical that the ex-Prism soldier is such a scaredy cat, and Changkyun is half tempted to scare him just for the fun of it. He's always been like this, for about as long as Changkyun's known him. Which, really, is the majority of their lives.

The two met in primary school, and have been fast friends ever since, even if no one could understand why. How did a senator's son and the son of a lowly foot soldier become so close anyway?

The answer is not nearly as complicated as many might assume. At a time when everyone was clamoring to be Changkyun's best friend, only Jooheon couldn't be assed to care. He'd never been impressed by the telepath's lineage, or money. And to Changkyun, that had made all the difference in the world.

"It's too quiet, " Jooheon complains, "and way too dark. Can't we figure out how to turn the lights on before we do anything else?"

The corridor that they've been travelling is indeed rather dark, but at the very least light enough to see their footing. Given how long this place must have been deserted, Minhyuk finds it rather impressive that the emergency lights are still operational. The small, dimly glowing balls of blueish light rest atop waist level pillars placed evenly along the edges of the path before them. It feels as though they've been walking forever, even if he knows that it's only been an hour at most.

Luckily, from the looks of it, they should be reaching their destination fairly soon. The holo-map that hovers above his omni-cuff tells him that the control room is just before them.

True to his omni-cuff's readings, the hall branches into a rather large room, this one devoid of all but a handful of emergency lights. Minhyuk struggles to see in this room, and Jooheon clutches painfully onto Changkyun's arm, whimpering in earnest. If the holo-map is correct, the console that controls the facility's primary power outlet should be nearby.

The technopath closes his peach colored eyes, and focuses his innate ability. As a technopath, he should be able to feel the console. Smiling, he recognizes it nearly at once.

By the Prime, he loves being a technopath.

He's half tempted to let Jooheon stand around whimpering for just a little longer, but instead decides to end the poor Dhee'li's misery and wills the power to return. For a moment, he wonders if such unfamiliar technology will even respond to his gift, but he is not disappointed. The lights are switched on almost immediately, revealing a rather terrified looking Jooheon and a mildly annoyed Changkyun, much to Minhyuk's amusement.

"This place is something else, " Changkyun muses aloud.

"I wonder what it was for…" Jooheon trails off, abandoning Chankyun's side in favor of poking about the devices scattered throughout the room.

"I wouldn't touch anything if I were you, " Minhyuk warns, casting his eyes to the side to fix Jooheon with an amused grin. "There's no telling what half of these machines do. Not until I examine them anyway."

Jooheon opens his mouth, seemingly to argue, but ultimately thinks better of it. The technopath is right, after all.

Meanwhile, Changkyun has found plenty to hold his interest as well. In the middle of the large, blindingly white room, there stands a pedestal with a holo-display containing symbols that are very similar to the ones portrayed on the treasure map. He recognizes that jagged, and yet somehow elegant script easily. There are still a few characters that elude him. But with luck, hopefully this display will fill in the necessary context to help him finish his translation.

Swiping his wrist before the display, he sets his omni-cuff to download the data stored within. He smiles as the symbols pop up on his own holo-display.

"I think this place was a research facility, " Changkyun announces. "There are some characters that I still don't recognize, but what I can translate mentions genetic research."

"Genetic research?" Minhyuk queries, turning away from his console in surprise.

"Yes. Although it's not clear just what kind of genetic research. I'll need more time to study the text."

Jooheon paces, bored to death and a little on edge. Something about this place just spooks the hell out him. These walls have to have been abandoned for centuries now, given the disrepair that the place has fallen into. The white, nearly plastic-looking walls and the dimly glowing floors are still spotless, however. Despite the cracks and holes littered about, and the few damaged devices that spark menacingly.

It doesn't sit well with Jooheon. Something about this place has him on edge. As a soldier, Jooheon has long since learned to trust his intuition. And his intuition is screaming at him that they are not alone. That there is more to this facility than meets the eye.

Tori could swear that she hadn't ever stepped far enough away from the ship to lose her way. After all, the last time she checked the Denali was right there in her line of sight.

So where in the hell is she now?

The lights came on a few minutes ago and when she turned around, startled, the ship was gone.

She tries to remain calm, even though the anxiety churning in her gut is nearly nauseating. Should she try to retrace her steps? Or stay put and hope that someone will find her? She has no doubt that the crew will look for her, they wouldn't leave her behind. She's sure of it.

But her mind is quick to point out that something strange is going on here, and the idea of waiting to be rescued doesn't sit well with her. She does, however, remember her father's sage advice.

When she was young, her father often took her hunting with him. He taught her how to hold and shoot a gun, how to keep it clean and well cared for. He also taught her the basics of wilderness survival, and that if she were ever to become separated from him, to sit and wait. So she steels her nerves, and looks around for a place to sit.

Now that the lights have come on, she can truly admire her surroundings. The floor glows with a faint, bluish light, and the walls are just as clinically white as those aboard the Denali. They seem to be made from similar material too, something that looks a lot like plastic, even if she's fairly certain that it can't be plastic.

She finds a fallen column with little effort, and decides that sitting upon that is probably better than sitting directly on the floor. The pillars still standing have glowing rune-like characters etched into them, but the engravings on this one have gone dark. She wishes for a moment that she had Changkyun with her, because she's really curious as to what those symbols mean.

From her vantage point, she scans her surroundings. This room is mostly barren, devoid of furniture or decor. It looks more like a hallway in truth, and less like a room with any actual purpose aside from travel from one end to the other. Suddenly, it dawns on her what must have happened.

Unwittingly, she'd walked into a hallway with two doors, and the door must have shut when the power came on. Excitedly, she stands. If that's the case then the Denali could be just on the other side of one of these doors, and she's fairly certain she remembers which one it would be.

But, to her dismay, the door refuses to open upon approach. She doesn't see any buttons, no panel or doorknob. In fact, there doesn't even seem to be any evidence of a door having ever existed at all, as the floor is flush with the surface of what she knows must be a door. Even if it looks like nothing more than a wall.

As she pushes and prods at the would be door, an alarm begins to sound through the air. The abruptness of it startles her, the deep, menacingly digital noise sounds incredibly threatening. 

Tori watches, dismayed, as compartments within the pillars reveals themselves. Only to spit out a wave of rather intimidating looking robots, the likes of which she has never seen before.

And she has watched plenty of sci-fi horror movies.

Looking about frantically, she realizes that there is nothing she can use as a weapon. And it is clear from the look of these things that they are meant for combat. They are enormous, nearly twice her size, and geared for killing. Humanoid in shape, they all have a set of what appears to be guns mounted to their shoulders. And that's not even the worst of it. They are all sharp, and sickeningly gleaming angles with bladed hands. If the guns don't kill her, then they'll slice her to death. All it takes is one look for Tori to understand the trouble that she is in.

Right about now she really wishes that she'd gone back to the ship with the others.