The network comes on painfully--the terminals crackle with energy like there was some sort of wild power surge going through the Tower. Every terminal turns on at once. The display is broken at first, but slowly it stabilizes, the display just behind Zo's shoulder. White-hot energy pulses from him--it looks like he’s forced the display on somehow. Monitors flicker in and out of view in the room; it seems to be some sort of control center composed of floating screens and input devices. The room is large, making it hard to see the ends from the display, but aside from Zo there are two others in the room.

Riki looks a bit worse for wear and, as opposed to his usual stoic demeanor, has an expression approaching furious. Most of Zo's energy seems concentrated around him like a barrier, and the monitors whirl around behind RIki now, following some sort of unspoken command. The world shifts abruptly, providing a different angle on the confusing situation.

The laughter that echoes around the chamber is deep, dark and somehow primordial. There’s another figure looking exactly like Riki, but the features are twisted, the indifferent disposition morphed into a terrible smirk. From his hand a wave of dark energy smashes into the room, sending whatever was still standing flying over.

"Come now! Is this the best defense system this place has to offer to one of its grand administrators? Cowering behind a child? Well, I do suppose considering everything about this world, it should not be the least bit surprising."

He took another step.

"So tell me, how did your little ants enjoy their trip into the central throne?"

The various scattered objects freeze in place as Riki draws in his screens; the screens seem to be made of the air itself, or something similar, and he alters and pulls at them as easily as if they were tied to him by a thousand strings. "Not your business," he growls. Another swipe of his screens and the objects morph, shifting into swords that fly at the false Riki. "Stop wearing my face."

Zo shrinks back against the wall. His barriers don’t fall, but he obviously doesn't enjoy the violence taking place.

"Not my business? I am darkness that makes up the Collective Unconsciousness! My primary sources of power, the three poisons that make up life, Anger, Ignorance and Vengeance are ripe in this world!"

Nyarlathotep raises his other hand and catches the swords, looking almost bored.

"Humans are strange...I came here because of the despair that fills every orifice of this tower...the desire for all of you to put an end to this, and now you would try to whisk me away?"

The swords melt into a puddle of metal on the floor, and suddenly he is besides Zo, trying to violently push him away.

Zo shrieks, clearly terrified, but his barriers cover him as they cover Riki, and they crackle with raw energy in their owner’s defense. Riki alters something on his screens and the metal rises up, forming itself into some sort of great mercurial beast that lunges at Nyarlathotep. "Leave the kid out've it, you attacked me first."

"Hahaha! What’s this? Feeling sentimental about another?" Nyarlathotep had barely even flinched from touching the other. "But is not your personal interest simply tied to the tower itself? I suppose even a monkey will brand its tools when backed in a corner..."

At his turn, the giant creature is lit aflame, crying out as the fire causes the skin to bubble, crack and expand. Soon it has enlarged into strands of burned mercury before a slap from the other Riki makes it fall into dust.

"Ha ha ha! Do you not know where the term, 'mad as a hatter' comes from? I've given humanity much fun with that element!"

At his turn, he summons forth a demon, as it moves forward, casting a spell in an attempt to poison both of the tower residents.

Zo flinches at the monster, but steps forward nonetheless--or rather leaps in a burst of childish energy. "Stop--stop it! Stop it!"

The screen turns white and crackles--it’s barely possible to make out the figures, let alone what’s going on, but whatever Zo's done tears the demon into six or seven pieces. Then the light gets brighter--there’s a different sort of crackle. It sounds like the monitor itself is breaking, because it is. The screen warps and fills with static before the video cuts out completely.

They can hear the battle still going on, however, Nyarlathotep speaking for one final time.

"Hmph! Regardless of how much you struggle, the end will be the same! Just like the worlds of the disembodied souls you siphon into recycled bodies over and over, this one will also meet its end! Now the question is, how much are you willing to risk?"

Another explosion cracks apart what sound remains. The feed cuts out.

[For all she'd told Shion she was fine a few days ago, the cough had started later that afternoon and everything else had come out of nowhere and hit her like a giant Heartless. She was so tired it was a bit difficult to get out of bed, and everything just seemed to be getting colder - though it was hard to tell with how cold everything already was. Meanwhile, her whole body felt like it was aching.

The voice coming across the feed is a very special kind of miserable, maybe a little worried too. She doesn't usually post on the network but right now she doesn't have the energy to drag herself throughout the Tower looking for people she knows.]

Do we know if the Tower is doing s-s-something...? I... [she pauses to cough] feel really bad, and I don't get w-why. I've never felt like this before.

[Guess who's never been sick a day before in her admittedly short life? Not to mention it's a Jason month if the food is anything to go by and she's seen the occasional other person coughing and such too - and the whole "spread of disease" concept is totally lost on her.]

Is it...over? Is everybody okay?

[Labrys was hesitant, speaking like she was either upset over something or just hadn't wanted to record video in the first place. The mechanical girl's red eyes didn't quite look at the camera, slightly downcast.]

Uh--listen, if anybody's got time, I could kinda use some help. If anyone knows stuff about fixin' machinery, could ya meet me somewhere? It ain't hard, I can tell ya what needs repairin' and all that.

[She paused as if considering whether to end it there or not.]

...And, uh...Hidetoshi? Can I talk to ya when y' got a minute?