( world #2 - the storm. )

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players a storm approaches.This log is for everyone who signed up for The Storm investigation. Feel free to use the here to plot further on how you plan on approaching The Storm, and the issue. The mod questions thread is also open, if you have anything you would like to run by us. the investigation. It takes a day of preparation, and a day of discussion, before you are led further down into the tunnels. It's pitch black, but one of the BGs who you have become familiar enough with turns on a low light and continues further. You walk for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes, and then turn a corner into a large, open cavern. The BG explains that at one time, this had been an underground transportation system - old and unused for centuries, now, but still in working order. They file each of you onto a single car - it seems to be large enough to fit nearly a hundred, possibly more, bodies - so everyone has a space. The BG explains that they have already input the coordinates into the system, and that once they close the door, you will be transported to the last known location. The car will be programmed to wait for 72 hours, and then will return to this location. There is food and water supplied, and already packed, in the car. If you are not back in the car by that time, it will leave you behind. They then give their farewells, thank you for your help and readiness, and step away from the door - letting it close behind them. The car travels down a pitch black tunnel, and while the inside is dimly lit enough for the Circle Members to see each other and move around without hinderance, you can see nothing through the windows. It continues for a few hours at this rate - nothing to see, no idea where you are going. That is, until it seems to break through the surface, the track running through buildings and another, unknown area of the city. The streets and buildings are abandoned, the tech old and outdated, windows broken out and dust filling the street. The sky, like back in the city you knew before, is cloudy and grey. But these clouds are different - these clouds are dark in a way you haven't seen before. You travel for another half hour above ground before the cart comes to a stop, and during this time it happens twice. A low rumble, seeming to come from everywhere at once, and then a few heartbeats after, a disasterous flash of lighting - miles away, yes, but threatening and gigantic, brighter and more violent than you've ever seen lightning before. The crash shakes the ground under you, and the damage is immense. But the buildings are abandoned, the streets empty save for crates, old mechanical bits, dusty remnants of a society long forgotten by the Struxta you came from just a couple of days prior. This is The Storm you've been warned about. the storm. You have been asked to find out information that will help the BG's, and Struxta, to stop The Storm. From what you can gather, it does seem to be a naturally occurring weather phenomenon, as far as weather systems seem to work on this planet. However, rather than scattered thunder and lightning strikes, it seems to almost recharge and strike with epic proportions. It can damage, or destroy, buildings. It shorts out any and all items (and people) who depend on electricity in any form to function (Sorry Daylight and Conner, sorry to anyone who brought along technology) within a three mile radius. The 'darkness' the BGs were talking about does follow this storm, but they seem to have been referring to this electrical shortage that comes from the storm and it's strikes. If this storm does reach any of the still-occupied areas of the city, it will shut down the entire grid, as well as any of the robots, androids, or electrically based figures that exist there - essentially ending the life of every Struxta citizen that is effected. Plot, plan, theorize, and see if you can find a way to stop The Storm. If not, be back on the train car in 72 hours time, to return to the BGs and report what you have found. PROMPT IDEAS 1.) Discussions on the train - do you have any ideas for what to prepare? Any discussions you may want to have? You and your fellow Circle Members are caught here together for a few hours, driving into a situation you know very little about. What do you want to make sure you're prepared to handle? 2.) Scouting missions - the heart of The Storm is very much in the distance, and it is not moving quickly, giving Circle Members plenty of time to set out and check out the surrounding city. What you will find won't be much - this is a robotic ghost town in every turn of the phrase. Buildings have been abandoned for hundreds of years, covered in dust and left entirely undisturbed, except for the breeze that now seems to flit through this entire area. There are stores, warehouses, apartments, and buildings you can't even tell what they were used for, cleared out. Whenever, or whoever, lived in this part of Struxta had evacuated, quickly but efficiently. 3.) The Storm - The Storm is still a distance away from where the cart has dropped you off, enough that when your 72 hours are up, the heart of the storm and the lightning strikes shouldn't reach the car, or the track. This does mean that to do any closer investigation, you will need to go to The Storm itself. But be careful - the electrical output from these lightning strikes are dangerous, and can have all sorts of effects on both natural and mechanical beings. The wind, the closer you get to The Storm, will also pick up - making any kind of flying or air travel impossible. 4.) Planning - the car leaves everyone off at an old train station, which a large room attached. This room can be used as a kind of home base, as well as a meeting location. What do you plan on doing? Simply taking down information, or trying to take the storm head on? How do you plan on doing that? Will your abilities help? This room attached onto the train station is a safe location - no effects of The Storm will make it inside. Use as you would like!

Comments

[valuedstrength]

one: planning.

[They have time to think. This is a good thing as far as Steve's concerned. He knows they all mean well, but even he knows they need a plan. This is likely the best time to come up with one of the rough ones he likes so much.] Don't suppose one of you knows how to control the weather or lightning and thunder?

[A beat before he adds:] Serious question. I knew a guy who could.

two: scouting/the storm

[Steve swallows. This feels like a losing battle. He can't stand that feeling as someone who has never truly lost before. He takes a deep breath and releases it. The shield that's been attached to his arm this whole time is getting tapped by his knuckles.] The shield can take the hit. I can cover whoever can do something about that.

[That's all he can do and he knows it. God how he wishes Thor were here.]

three: wildcard.

[PM or toss something at me. I'm flexible.]

[theminotaur]

[ fun fact: abigail doesn't really want to be here. she was going to stay topside but she was #nervous and zari coaxed her downstairs to hang out with fender and piper (it rhymes with viper) and the rest of the cast of robots! from the creators of ice age. they seem to like her because of her midas touch but man, she would like to not be here.

but she looks up when steve speaks, crease sprouting between her eyebrows. ]

For real? In the real world?

[ WHERE MAGIC ISN'T REAL FOR THe RECORD ]

[valuedstrength]

[He nods. It's pretty clear he understands exactly how unbelievable that is.] Yep. Trust me no one was more surprised than me when things started getting weird. I learned it was easier to roll with it.

[theminotaur]

This is not the weird I am used to, [ abigail admits, even as she fiddles with some electronic thing she was given, neatly labeled parts turning to gold under her fingertips. ]

Robots aren't really a thing either. Last world made more sense, deserts are real. Arizona is a place.

[valuedstrength]

This is in the ballpark of weird for me these days. [Steve admits as he finally catches what she's doing. He takes a step forward curiously.] You're enhanced?

[theminotaur]

[ she shakes her head. ] This is from Astoria. Zari says gold is a good conductor so I've been.. conducting.

Is that what they call it-- [ her hand waves idly, indicating nothing in particular, but lbh. it's steve.. ] Enhanced?

[valuedstrength]

[Steve blinks for a second because what an odd gift, but then smiles. He's actually proud to see someone jump into using their abilities to help strangers especially after his conversation with Day. That tells him something important about Abigail: she's one of the good ones.] That's what they call it. How long can you keep that up?

[hackedhistory]

I know a guy who can generate lightning when he runs, but I'm not really sure that'd be the most useful here.

[Though Wally himself would be great. Someone who could run really fast, get in close and recover fast could get them a lot of information, plus another engineer would never really hurt.]

We have to find a way to ground the storm somehow that isn't the metallic city of robots. Something low tech that can handle the surge.

[valuedstrength]

[Steve's brow furrows as he follows what she's saying. He thinks he gets it? Maybe?] So what you're saying is that we need a lightning rod?

[hackedhistory]

Yes. Sort of.

[A beat.]

I mean, lightning attraction is kind of a hokey science - Ben Franklin with a key on a kite wasn't exactly practicing the scientific method and got lucky more than anything else. But lightning is basically two electrocharged clouds causing friction against each other and creating a spark - kind of like rubbing your feet against a carpet and shocking someone with it.

But, you know, huge.

[Take that image of the sky basically giving the earth an electroshock, and let's move along.]

Normally, lightning meets the earth, the earth diffuses the charge, and the electricity has nowhere to go, so it can't cause anymore damage. You get a bit of scorched earth or a tree catches on fire, but that's it. Lightning rods on houses are designed to use the metal to draw the charge, the charge follows a wire and finds it's way to the ground again without your house catching fire in between.

The problem with having a city full of metal is that metal conducts electricity and it's just going to keep going and going until it runs out of metal. So we need to design something that will diffuse the charge, before it reaches the metal. I don't think we're going to be able to channel it anywhere, it's ... too much power.

[valuedstrength]

[Steve hangs on her every word. He's learned a lot since coming to the future. He certainly learned a lot for a man in his time too. This is something he doesn't know. He appreciates her giving him the low down in a way he can understand. Unfortunately, he still doesn't think he can help for this particular issue.

Steve rests his thumbs on his belt buckle and sighs. He wishes Tony were here. This is his kind of problem too.] Thank you for explaining it. Do you think we could invent something to hold all that power or is that too crazy?

[hackedhistory]

In theory, maybe?

[This is where she's coming up a little short.]

I'm not an engineer. I can build it if given enough direction but the actual mechanics aren't really in my wheelhouse.

[She's a techie, but Ray usually did the heavy lifting when it came to inventing things.]

[valuedstrength]

[He takes a breath and sighs audibly.] Another reason I wish my guy were here. He'd have solved this and invented something to pat him on the back by now.

[Steve isn't mad about it. He's learned to appreciate Tony's quirkiness because a killer robot hasn't come between them just yet.]

one

[lonered]

I don't think the Witch stuck any of us with that power. Sure would be useful though.

[Keith hears the comment, and honestly, it would be extremely helpful. For what it's worth, he doesn't question the fact that this guy apparently has storm-controlling friends... and the past tense makes him assume not someone he knew here.]

But I haven't met anyone who can do that. It looks like we might have to think outside magic for this one.

[But how do you stop the weather anyway.]

[valuedstrength]

[Steve nods. Magic was never his thing anyways. Thor always had a way of making things feel possible. Only one other person can make him think that so he defaults to the solution that guy would go with.] So we need technology to solve this? Do we have any guys who specialize in that?

[lonered]

There are some people from more technologically advanced worlds than others. I guess I probably count in that number, but I'm a pilot and a fighter, not a scientist.

[It's not the first time he's almost wished Hunk and Pidge were here -- except he wouldn't actually wish getting kidnapped by a witch on anyone, never mind on people he considers friends.]

And if technology could solve it... you'd think a place as high tech as this would have figured it out already. We might have an uphill battle.

[But they don't have a choice; just letting this happen doesn't feel like a viable option to Keith. They've got to figure out something.]

[valuedstrength]

[Steve frowns and tries to phrase this as kindly as possible. He doesn't want to punch down, but it's hard not to point out the obvious here.] Would they? They don't seem like the kind of group who is capable of a lot of free thinking these days. Not to mention their bodies have a built in weakness in this situation. I'm guessing that's why we were sent here.

[They at least can get creative under these circumstances.]

[lonered]

The BGs are capable of free thought just like the rest of us. They've retained their individuality. And the mass subconscious may lack that individuality, but the database of collective knowledge they pull from is pretty formidable. But it's worrying that it doesn't even seem to have any memory of storms like this.

[Keith shakes his head with a shrug.] But yeah. Technology in general has a built in weakness against that much electrical interference. So you're right. Here's us, and why we're here. But that also means technology alone is a tough solution. It's going to take every edge we've got, magical, technological, physical. And anything the natives can offer. Even those of us who are flesh and blood aren't lightning proof.

[Not that Keith thinks that will stop most of them from charging in if they can help. He's not going to let it stop him.] But we'll figure it out. We have to.

One

[smallprince]

Are you kidding me? [Tyrion could hardly believe that someone was capable of controlling the weather. Unless he was including the spirits and gods he had read about or knew that they were real. But a normal human being? That sounded like a joke.]

[valuedstrength]

[He shakes his head. Steve is completely serious here.] No, sir. If it helps, they called him the god of thunder so it fits that he had that much control over it.

[smallprince]

God of Thunder? [Tyrion raised an eyebrow. To him this sounded like someone who was similar to the servants of the Lord of Light.] Is he somekind of preacher who has followers? Personally I've never met a real God besides from Astoria.

[valuedstrength]

[He shakes his head and wisely bites back a very unkind comment about their kidnapper.] Nothing like that. He's an alien prince from another planet who shows up to help because he likes us. I guess the first time he came to Earth with his friends and younger brother they got mistaken for gods. Probably has something to do with his powers and theirs.

[smallprince]

[He had no clue what an 'alien' was but decided for himself from the rest of the answer that it was a different life from that existed in some far away world.

Apparently this was a life form was having lots of powers but at least the one who Steve spoke of was friendly towards humans. Well, that was a good sign.]

So you seem familiar with seeing people from different worlds? Before Astoria decided to take me from my world, I wasn't even aware that there was more than one world.
How does a prince from a different world looks like? Do they wear crowns too? [He tried to ask this question as casual as possible.]

two

[juniberries]

[Allura is not one to sit idly by when something is wrong, so she's quick to begin scouting the moment the storm approaches. She may have no physical shield, but she is wearing her paladin armour complete with her helmet, bayard at her hip, and a large, ghost-like abstraction of a White Lion keeping close, its form much larger than that of a normal lion.

It's a shield of itself, a protective barrier but with only as much energy as she can herself offer.

But her armour can withstand the vacuum of space. She's uncertain of lightning, however...]

This place seems like a ghost town.

[valuedstrength]

[Steve isn't very subtle when it comes to approving of her armor. It's beautiful. The rest he knows better than to question after dealing with Thor for so long. He'd feel underdressed if not for the fact he is the weapon with or without the suit. All that said, Steve's lip quirk up in amusement.] The only thing missing is the actual ghosts.

[He guesses because they're in the machines.]