[White-Jet]

Ryuta felt the vibrations, realizing they were coming from the communicator given to him back in Neo Foli. Price seemed to have known something about this guy bragging about the significance of the seemingly original Ark of the Covenant. Considering the situation he was in, be it just letting the guy take the artifact or blowing his way through a battle he didn't want to be sucked into, he decided to be the throw-away pawn and kicks the lid off to see just how devastating the energy was towards him from a closer perspective.

[Vérité]

Borgia Saiban tensed, the enemies in the room all aimed weapons. The box dropped, suddenly showing a hologram. The hologram Was red and showed the Planet Earth. It appeared large floating vessels surrounded the planet. It shifted to a different focus. A caped being striding down a long stairwell, as on the side many humanoid figures cheer. But now, the energy from before was returning, shocking the room with it's power.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta frowns at the hologram being played before him, wondering what this could all mean. But before he had a chance to study it, the energy from earlier shot out of the artifact, causing the same, circuit-blowing onslaught. He quickly makes a dash for one of the darker tunnels and hides there to see whether the men were going to keel over or shut the lid before the energy becomes too overbearing.

[Vérité]

As the energy became unbearable, some of the men started to fall to their knees. However, Borgia Saiban held out his energy saber. It seemed to be striking the energy, and containing it. But it was apparent he was stressed. As he moved forward, he kicked the lid shut, and then dropped his saber. Panting, he now noticed Ryuta was gone.

Now, most of his men were recovering. Although some seemed mortally wounded. A few were choking, one was holding his head. The droid had been blown through a door into another corridor.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta seethes some pants during the time the energy was spewing out of control; he should have ran deeper into the tunnel, but figured Price wanted to get a good visual of what was going on below ground. When he saw the lid slam shut, he slides further into the shadows of the tunnel he hid behind, attempting to see what would happen next before deciding his next course of action.

[Vérité]

He just eyed the others watching him as they recovered. "What are you waiting for? Fan out, set a perimeter! I do not want this being leaving with the knowledge he's attained." Commanded the Grand-Master, Borgia Siaban, of the Illuminati.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta watched as the men began to spread out and search for his whereabouts, seeing it as a cue to leave. He cautiously moves deeper into the darkness of the tunnel until he could see nothing but darkness around him, then takes his F-Saber out and uses it as a flashlight to help illuminate any corners or dead ends he would find.

[Vérité]

"We were so close to unlocking the memory, why was it he could open it so readily..?" Saiban wondered. "We've tried both Reploid and machine, with no success.."

"Maybe there was something different about him." One said, recovering.

Saiban glared, stroking his chin. "Perhaps the droid's memory could relay some useful information."

[White-Jet]

As he wandered the catacombs for a way out, Ryuta began to ponder about the hologram that popped out of the artifact, why it suddenly appeared before the burst of energy that nearly agonized the men in the area, and whether it had some significance to what might happen in the future. The men obsessing over the artifact seemed just as baffled, if not frustrated with how it happened, but seeing as this was the first time they saw the artifact up close and personal, he didn't see any real reason to think beyond their schemes of killing him before he reached the nearest exit of the catacombs.

One thing's for sure, this adventure was starting to turn into something more worrysome than just exposing a political, iron-fisted replacement.

[Vérité]

Saiban quickly ordered one of his soldiers to carry the artifact, as they lifted it up already. They started to head for the door, where the droid had been thrown back. A few soldiers with weapons were watching wide-eyed and oblivious.

"Nothing to see, continue your sweeps!" He commanded.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta looked at the can of beans he took from a storage room, wondering if he should start eating now to conserve his energy, or wait until he gets a few more distances away from the men so's not to leave a glaring indication of where he's going. He was starting to feel hungry after the bombs he created, but not to the point of feeling nauseously weak.

He sticks the can back in his pocket, figuring, if he ends up going around in circles and winding up back in the hands of the cloaked men it would at least serve to sustain him should they decide to imprison him rather than kill him off. With no map telling him where to go, he was pretty much just as blind to the pathways as he would be if he wasn't lighting the way.

[Vérité]

"Excuse me, sir!" The old communicator started bleating, it wasn't lout enough to alert anyone. "This is Armani. Where are your coordinates?"

The soldiers continued the sweeps, eager to please Saiban who had disappeared with the artifact.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta eyes the walkie-talkie in his pocket before reaching in and pulling it out while keeping an eye out for any soldier that might hear or run into him, "If you would call being stuck in this maze of a catacomb proper coordinates."

[Vérité]

"Damn... Where did you find an entry-way? I've only heard rumors of a location in Abel City." Price asked, in the background, it appeared he was gearing up.

Some soldiers had 'rounded a corner, having two glow-sticks. It seemed that's how they moved around down here. It would illuminate around 5 to 6 feet, but from a long distance it seemed they'd need Night-vision, which they probably had.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta ducks behind one of the corners in the catacombs to avoid being caught in their sight.

"I took a backdoor and wandered around the more common areas of the catacomb until I came across the entrance," he muttered, "I can't really say much more without being spotted by the men occupying this area."

[Vérité]

"That isn't enough information.." Price said disappointed. "I can still discover a way to reach you." His transmission cut short as the soldiers continued their sweep.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta pockets the walkie-talkie and continues down the corner he had entered, attempting outrun the men while searching for an exit or something else that might give him more information on this Illuminanti group.

[Vérité]

"The Overseer really looked spooked," one of the guards noted. "What do you think happened back there?"

"Well, Grand-Master Saiban is Involved. It's definitely big, and we've got more intrusions inside the Catacombs. First, we had the Veteran assassin, now we've got some runt!"

As they neared the last location, they saw Ryuta's leg sweep past the corner as they brought light to the area. One of them signaled off to go flatten against the corner, as the other prepared to turn into the hallway.

"Halt." He commanded, moving into the corridor and firing an AP round into Ryuta's leg.

[White-Jet]

Being distracted by his other dilemmas, Ryuta wasn't paying attention to the approaching guards, and barely dove behind another corner after feeling something hit his leg. He presses his back against it while running his hand along the affected leg to check for any severe damages.

[Vérité]

The guard, both mesmerized and shocked that the bullet didn't knock this other down, fired off three consecutive more rounds into the other leg after a few seconds of lining up his shot.

"Damn it!" He shouted, upon realizing he had missed the first two shots due to the darkness. Soon Ryuta would be in complete darkness again, but he'd been hit twice.