( 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 The streets and buildings are abandoned, the tech old and outdated, windows broken out and dust filling the street.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

[sunborne]

i;; all aboard!
[ daylight is nervous during the train ride.

it's obvious by how he curls himself up into a ball, winglets folded up as to avoid whacking anyone on the head. it's obvious by how his optics are pale white from fear, dim and unfocused when he slips into deep thoughts. it's very obvious by how meddy hovers around him in concern, beeping gently as if not to spook him.

it's obvious he's nervous and he's trying to keep it hidden all the same. when he's out of his little funks, he attempts to engage with anyone he can by asking them a very simple question: ] So... One to ten... What do you think?

I think we're at a solid... seven. Yeah. A seven is pretty good with us. [ he pauses. ] Maybe an eight if I want to be really optimistic.

ii;; head is stripped just like a screw.
[ it's obvious that daylight is still suffering from the side effects of his attempted merging with the subconscious. there are times he freezes up, optics wide, before he moves again since his processor has slowed to a crawl. there are times he spits out static and white noise for almost a solid minute before he can reset it and speak normally again.

and then then there are the times his audiala act up. often in the worst of times too. ]

... Sorry. [ daylight looks sheepish here, winglets shooting down in embarrassment and humiliation for this won't be the first or last time he needs to ask this: ] Can you, um, repeat that for me? I couldn't catch that bit.

iii;; oh no.
... Has anyone seen Meddy?

[ daylight is looking around, alarm evident in his features. the moment the storm started to look dangerous - felt in the ache of his joints and the uneasiness of his emission field - daylight pulled back. he didn't want to force the others to lug around a ten feet tall bot around. they had so much to do as is so-

he's just returned to the train station to get away from the potential dangers of the storm, relieved to be back somewhere safe. but as he begins to take stock of his surroundings and who else is there, he's beginning to realise something (someone) is missing. ]

Has anyone seen Meddy? [ his voice becomes louder now, rising in panic. ] Guys? Meddy? They- They were right behind us.

iv;; not the smartest thing to do. (backdated events.)
[ the option for when daylight attempted to merge with the mass subconscious with very poor (yet perdictable) results. there are two suboptions to pick from.

a. when daylight is attempting the merge with some friends he made at the races, resulting in information overlord for both him and the poor native who agreed to do this with him. this is where the buildup to the event + fallout to said event can be played out.

b. when daylight finally comes back up online after he's been repaired by others. this is where others can do said repair with meddy's help or if you just wanna yell at day for the stunt he pulled despite warnings. ]

v;; wildcard!!
[ want to do something else? use this prompt or hit me up via my hmd or my plurk, prognostic, if you want to plot specifics! ]

i

[lonered]

[So even Keith can tell that Daylight is clearly nervous and tense. He makes his way over and sets a hand on the other's shoulder. Keith isn't the touchiest, but now seems like that sort of moment anyway.]

Be optimistic.

[Keith even offers a little smile. He looks tired. He also looks significantly older and taller and more scarred than the last time he saw Daylight.] I'd say a ten. We're all in this together, and we've got each other's backs, right? That's a pretty good place to start from.

[sunborne]

[ daylight sends a grateful look keith's way when he feels the comforting weight on his shoulder. it's silly but- but it's comforting. enough that the glow returns to daylight's optics, the colour shifting from bleached white to a more hopeful blue.

he manages a smile, trying to rekindle his hope. ]

Yeah! We're in this together and we're working together. That's a real good start for any mission and we... we have resources and abilities and stuff like that. We can do this.

[ they have to do this. they've got to save everyone here.

daylight tries to distract himself from thinking the ominous or else and a chance pops up when he finally realises that keith looks... very different from the last time they've met. ]

What happened?? Are you okay? You look- [ how to politely say 'messed up' to a friend? ] -like you've been through a lot.

[lonered]

[Not that silly. Heaven knows that Keith has taken a great deal of reassurance from similar actions. But Keith offers a smile of his own back, nodding.]

We can. And we're going to.

[Because this is what's in front of them, and they need to figure it out. So they will. A pause though at the question, and Keith manages to look sheepish for a moment.]

Yeah, I'm okay. It's sort of a long story. But uh... I went to bed one night and woke up the next morning with two years worth of memories, injuries, and growing. I don't really understand how, but it happened to Shiro and me at the same time.

[sunborne]

[ daylight can't help it.

he tilts his helm and his optics slowly fizz out and fizz in, the equivalency of a slow blink for him. that is quite an explanation to get. reminds him a bit of that story he heard while growing up in dust tumbles. a man who fell asleep and woke up the next day, changed and different.

that was a silly story that was told to entertain kiddos like him. this? not so much. ]

That is... That is a heck of a story, man. [ he frowns, still looking worried for his friend. ] You said something about injuries, right? They don't hurt, do they? Like no phantom pains or anything like that?

Do you need Meddy to do a checkup? Because Meddy can do a checkup.

[ well- at least it's enough to get him out of his funk. he starts to unfurl from his current bundled up position. even if that means keith has to watch out for errant limbs and winglets being stretched out to give the cables and joints a good yank. ]

i;

[abandonware]

[A2 is uneasy, but she's doing a good job of keeping entirely to herself and appearing cool and disinterested. She's sitting near one of the windows, a hand on her knee, glancing out into darkness, expression pensive. Pod floats nearby, silent, and it takes them both a moment to realize that the weird machine(?) is speaking to her.

She raises an eyebrow, half-turns her gaze back to the dark window before at least attempting to give him her full attention. His discomfort is registered and quickly filed away as "not her problem."]

What are you talking about?

[sunborne]

Oh! Sorry! [ only does he realise that he forgot to explain the scale of his. whoops. he knew something was missing from all that chattering.

he laughs now, feeling a little bit awkward now as he cranes his neck to catch her gaze. ] I mean... I... Umm... Right.

From a scale of one to ten, how successful do you think this mission is gonna go down for us? That's what I meant. [ he pauses, trying to remember what his number is. it was... what was his number again? a... six? no. no. it's not a seven. it's a- ] Seven. I think it's, um, a seven. That's how well I think we can do this. Given how many we are and how... we're all skilled and have some pretty nifty powers from Lady Astoria.

So yeah. A seven.

[abandonware]

[She absorbs this information in a silence that can only be explained as intimidating, waiting for his enthusiastic and well-meaning chatter to taper off into silence before she decides to say anything.

What she does say, after a pause:]

Three.

[Is she just being an asshole? Time will tell.]

[sunborne]

... A three. Oh.

[ oh indeed, day. that is- that is quite a score for the team to get, considering it's a collective thing and all.

ouch.

daylight's winglets flare out in anxiety before he remembers that there's not a lot of space in their current location. while he tries to fold them back up, he tilts his helm in consideration. ]

Can I ask why? Why a three?

II

[unimpeded]

[It's pretty clear that Daylight is in a bad way right now. Geordi can tell just by the way he looks, his senses telling him there's something off here.

He'd been trying to explain something rather simple, just idle chatter, but this diverts his attention.]

Daylight, what's wrong?

[sunborne]

[ he feels embarrassed to have to repeat it aloud but come on, day. it's geordi.

if there's anyone he feels like he can chat about this sort of stuff, and not worry about a breakdown in communication/explanations, it'll be him out of everyone here in the circle. ]

I, um, couldn't hear you. Audials are, you know, not up to snuff.

I'm pretty sure it's because my processors are kind of... maybe... definitely fritzing out right now. [ he taps his helm for emphasis and immediately regrets that choice of his. his visual feed fritzes out, obscuring his vision with static and screen tearing. ]

[unimpeded]

[Geordi's concern grows, and it's obvious he's worried. He's been having some trouble of his own thanks to the storm, but for now it seems to have subsided. Which naturally makes it his first thought.]

You think the storm's interfering with them?

[He's quick to step closer, holding out one hand.]

Maybe I can help, if it's the electromagnetic radiation in the air.

[sunborne]

Maybe you can help? [ because that'll be great. ] It's probably a mixture of the storm and... um...

[ here, daylight looks... guilty?

ashamed, perhaps, is the better word. with how he ducks his helm and his winglets droop so low they're almost out of view. ]

And the fact I did a very dumb thing before coming here. Kind of. Maybe. Probably? Probably.

iii

[spaceforged]

[Purple light washes out, lit from within by stars as Shiro takes his human shape again. He'd immediately pulled back when he felt odd. The Lions have always been a mixture of tech and science. But he hadn't wanted to risk it.

He hisses, gripping his right arm.]

I didn't see them. We're a ways from the storm now. It should be safe enough to go back and search.

[In human form Shiro doesn't look at the same as their last interactions. He's battered and tired looking with snow-white hair, even his eyebrows.] I can keep searching even if you need to pull back.

[sunborne]

[ while he did get an idea of what happened to shiro and keith thanks to his earlier conversation with keith back on the train, it-it's still a shock to see how much they've changed. more so when it's a lot.

daylight visibly flinches, almost reeling away from the change from the mechanimal to shiro. his optics turn bright blue to pale blue, armour slicking down and pressing down to his frame underneath. oddly, his optics keep flickering up to shiro's head. something about the hair...?)

he tries to rally himself, reminding meddy that needs their help due to the storm. ] I-I'll help you. I'll go with far as I can because you can't go by yourself. I-It's not a smart idea to go out in this storm all alone.

[spaceforged]

Of course. No one should go alone. [He catches the look up at his hair and his smile turns wry. He's well aware of how different he looks. At least he hadn't aged. Or people would really be shocked.]

I'm alright, Daylight. We can talk about it later. [He turns and heads for the exit. Here his right arm (different from the old one and now goes all the way to the shoulder) still works. He can't count on that the closer they get to the storm.]

Do you remember the last time you saw Meddy?

[sunborne]

[ daylight has a lot of questions regarding shiro's new appearance - most of them a variation of holy frack are you okay, buddy??? or another version of that - but, for now, he keeps them to himself.

meddy needs to be his main focus.

he follows after shiro, his emission field pumping out nothing but fear and worry and concern for his missing companion. it's probably for the best that most humanoids or non-mechanoids are unable to pick up the fields of galateions. daylight is doing nothing to keep the anxiety and fear in check while he speaks, racking through his muddled processor for any information about his friend. ]

I think I last saw them proper when we realised the storm wasn't the place for us. When the strike came and I nearly went into a stasis again. [ right? right. he hopes that's right. ] I-I last heard from Meddy when we were making our way out of the city, to head back to the station. They were saying that I-I had to be careful where I stepped. So I didn't slip.

[ leave it to meddy to worry about daylight's wellbeing when they were at great risk too. ]

iii

[foundafamily]

[Firo had circled back to the station after helping a certain other bot. If other people were having issues, he wanted to get an idea of how many and who--partly for strategy, mainly so he could see if anyone he liked was affected.

He doesn't see all too many, but he does hear a not-happy Daylight.]

Meddy? Uh, where'd you last see him?

[sunborne]

Firo!

[ his winglets hitch up- in surprise and in relief at seeing a familiar face he's come to trust.

but then his expression screws up into something more pained, more worried while he tries to rush out his words in one breathless explanation to ensure everything is said. the storm has been causing havoc with his internal systems, and combined with his earlier tango with the mass subconscious going poorly? yeah. better safe than sorry when he's talking to someone. ]

They were behind us! We just came back from an attempt to scout out the storm and- The storm. It does something to us. [ 'us' being those who are mechanoid in nature, presumably. ] We had to pull back and- and I swear, Firo, I was certain that Meddy was tagging along behind me.

[foundafamily]

[He holds up both his hands--whoa, Nelly.]

Slow down. [Firo doesn't have a quick mind, Daylight, he needs time to catch up! He frowns as he finally kicks his brain into gear.]

...That Connor guy was having trouble too. If it got bad out there, maybe Meddy collapsed the same way and couldn't follow you back. Connor could barely even move when I saw him.

[Poor Meddy :(]

If that's the case, obviously you can't go back out there either. Can you give me directions to where you were before?

[sunborne]

[ ( pour one out for the most exhausted companion drones to every function. )

the noise daylight makes is a combination of a fearful wheeze and a stifled scream at the fact poor meddy having gotten left behind and daylight didn't notice it. he immediately feels awful, tanks churning in fear and apprehension at what could be happening to meddy right now. not meddy. anyone but them- ]

No! I mean- Yes! [ he takes a deep vent, trying to calm himself enough that he could speak despite his processor glitches. it's hard to do. it's really, really hard to do at the moment. ] I... I know where I was before but-but... I'm coming with you, okay?

[ daylight stares at firo beseechingly, optics big and bright. ] Meddy needs me. I need Meddy. I can't lose them. Please- You gotta let me join in the search. I'll try to be careful, I swear.

iv; b

[theseuschip]

[ Simon wouldn’t particularly have suffered from never going near the races, actually, but it’s become obvious that they need all the information they can get their hands on. And apparently the library is deadlier than the races for all you have to do to get anything useful out of it.

...he really wasn’t expecting carnage in the street near the track, though. He’s never met the Circle member ahead, but it’d be hard not to have noticed a ten-foot-tall multicolored robot, so he recognizes him immediately. ]

Hey—

[ okay then breaking into a jog to approach please don’t be dead? ]

[sunborne]

[ daylight, unfortunately, is out for the count from where he lies crumpled on the street, unresponsive and unmoving.

there's a worrying amount of dark smoke and static sparks originating from his helm and dim optics, his frame occasionally twitching when a surge of purple-white electricity(?) courses and arcs around his frame. it doesn't look like he'll be responding anytime soon but-

someone (something?) is with him.

a little red-and-white drone is zipping circles around the still form of daylight and whoever is else beside him, beeping and chirring at him in a vain attempt to get him to wake up. when they realise someone else is around, when they realise simon is around, their helm snaps to his direction in surprise.

then they make a beeline for him, letting out a stream of beeps and trills his way. they make it very, very clear what they want him to do. ]

[theseuschip]

[ Oh. That’s... his support... robot, like the androids’ Pods.

Simon kneels next to Daylight’s crumpled body, suddenly fervently wishing Catherine were here. In fact, in all of his experiences with broken robot bodies, the solution was “take out the brain and put it in a less-broken robot”. Which really isn’t an option here. ] Shit.

[ But he’s the only Circle member around, so he looks up at Meddy for guidance- ] What happened? I mean... is he fixable?

[ His hands hover over Day’s sparking, fizzling helm, and you’ll just have to imagine the wary grimace he’s feeling in his soul at the prospect of electrocuting himself trying to fix another electrocuted robot. Would structure gel work on this? Simon hasn’t exactly tested it since he figured out he now bleeds the stuff, but whenever he’s seen it in action elsewhere, it always seems to do something... ]

[sunborne]

[ bweeeeeee, meddy answer simon in reply, letting out a low and frantic whistle and some beeps, trying their best to communicate that, yes, daylight is fixable. but only if they're quick about. as in really, really quick about it. does the new person understand binary basic? binary babble? meddy can only hope they understand any thing they're saying right now.

because, otherwise, all they're going to hear from poor meddy is a frantic series of beeps and trills from a very, very worried drone.

the most meddy can do besides 'speak' is flit about and point at the most important 'bits' of daylight that need to be stabilised, emphasising this with jabs and sharps noises they emit from their vocoder.

they seem mainly worried about daylight's helm, almost too hot to the touch, and something happening in his chest. light, purple-white, is spilling out from the seams of his frame and armour of his chest; it seems to be the source of the sparks and little bursts and zaps of electricity at the moment. ]