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The streets and buildings are abandoned, the tech old and outdated, windows broken out and dust filling the street.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! |
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acatalepsy_logs2018-07-29 11:52 pm
no subject
Alright! Hold on to the harness, okay? Here we go-
[He's not as balanced as the large bundles of lumber she usually carries up the mountain on her return trips, nor as alert and capable of movement as her parents when she's let them sit on her withers, so just in case she stretches her arms out behind her in a somewhat awkward motion to grab onto him blind, offer a bit of security as she gets back on her feet with as gentle-as-she-possibly-can lurch forward.]
Got a good grip? I'll get you back to the base in no time-
[Tentatively, craning her neck to make sure he's situated behind her, she begins to walk as brisk as seems safe.]
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Stringing words together is too much of a challenge to hold a full conversation, so he spends a lot of time being silent. Eventually, he does speak up: ]
How much further?
[ A question not out of impatience; time is a difficult concept to grasp in the moment, anyway. But, despite her words, 9S knows he has to be a literal strain on her back. ]
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So she does her best at a fast walk, trying to move as smoothly as possible.]
Just a little bit more! Stay with me now-
[Concerned about what might happen if he lapses into unconsciousness, she cranes her head to see over her shoulder, lips pursed and brow furrowed.]
What's your name? I'm Konoha.
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His response comes belatedly; he's processing things slower, it's difficult to think. But it does come. ]
9... S. My name's 9S.
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[It's actually a very confusing name, but she just wants to say something a bit comforting, brows furrowed with worry. It's concerning to her how long it takes him to reply, so even though it's not the best idea... She picks up the pace.]
Where are you from?
[Just a bit farther-]
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Do you... mean that? No one's ever told me that before.
[ It's not really a name, even by android standards; most of them had one, but YoRHa wasn't granted such a luxury. His time spent among humans (and other beings, natch) only made it all the more evident how bizarre this was, met with confusion more often than not—and if she were anything like Hayame, whom he rarely found himself on the same footing with, well...
He's skeptical, but nonchalantly so.
Her following question gives him pause, but it's a tricky one to define. ]
Well... Earth. Pretty different from the one most know, though.
[ In his experience, anyway. ]
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[Does that count? She's trying to be nice here... He's sick. Or, she thinks he's sick. Something like that.
Her arms reach back to awkwardly keep a hold on him as she dodges around a large fissure in the street and hops over the more narrow part of it, trying her best not to jostle him as best she can.
Earth, but a different one???]
I'm from a place that's different, too. No one else knows jinba.
[So far...]
no subject
No, [ he starts, a touch dryer than intended through all the static muddling his voice. ] I'm an android.
[ Which feels like answer enough, but he hasn't a clue just how far behind any technological advancements Konoha's life is—far more than 9S would ever guess, so he doesn't wait for a reaction from her before pressing on. ]
I've—
[ He doesn't get far in his next statement. Although Konoha springs over the gap as gently as she can, she's still essentially travelling with a broken heap of metal and wires, and it's enough to shake something out of place. 9S lurches forward, and any further words come out as a janky set of undecipherable noises. ]
no subject
Konoha panics. Had she done something wrong? Had she broken him? Connor had explained to her that androids were made of metal, and metal could break, right? Afraid and feeling completely lost when it came to what to do... she can only think to hurry and get him back to the base as soon as possible.
So she tightens her awkward grip behind her on his sides, pulls him forward to brace him against her shoulders so that he won't bounce around as much... and breaks into a dead gallop. He's heavy, and she can't reach full speed, but at that pace she manages it far faster than otherwise.]
Hold on, hold on, almost there-
[... She might be talking more to herself than him, but.
The base comes in to view, and Konoha finally comes to a skittering stop in front of it, anxiously looking behind her and hurrying to her knees in order to either get him down or let him get off.]
Hey, 9S? Are you alright? We're here, you're safe-
[But was he broken?!!]
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It's not very graceful at all, but 9S lies there unmoving. Too bad he can't convey there's a reboot in process happening here, but in the meantime, enjoy the company of a lifeless robot, Konoha. ]
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Konoha can't twist her heavy body around in time to prevent him from falling off, but she at least manages to twist at the waist and throw her hand under his head to prevent him from smacking that on the concrete, wincing as she pinches her hand between his weight and the ground, but-
He's not moving. Or... breathing?
A well of even greater panic springs up in her as she frantically scrambles to get her hooves under her enough to resituate, to get close enough to press her ear to his chest, to try and feel air exhaling from his mouth. She even moves his blindfold to try and look at his eyes, but they're just... lifeless.
He was dead. Had she killed him? Was he going to die anyway? Should she have run faster from the get go? What do you call it when an android dies?]
I'm so sorry-
[Konoha doesn't know. Doesn't know how he died and doesn't know what to do, and tears start to run down her cheeks as she finally gives up and withdraws from his body, still sprawled on the ground. Hands come up to her face to try and muffle the coming sobs, but it's no use. She's seen the dead before... but she's never been right there.
Never been maybe responsible.
... Also never really figured out how androids worked, which. Would be a big help right about now.]
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Several minutes pass—perhaps too long for Konoha's liking—while 9S remains inhumanly still.
Luckily for her, eventually, he begins to show signs of life; with the blindfold raised up, she could spot how he squeezes his eyes shut before blearily cracking them, as if waking up from a long slumber, while curling his fingers into the palm of his hands. If she doesn't, he does slip out a low, almost pained sounding groan, though. ]
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She doesn't notice the first signs because her head is in her hands, trying in vain to muffle sniffs and sobs. It wasn't like she'd known him well at all. Just seen him around, just talked a few minutes ago... but his death might be her fault, either directly or through something she failed to do. He was dead, and she was alive in this awful place, and he'd never get home and maybe never would she-
It's easy to spiral into that sort of despair in the rubble next to a dead android.
A groaning android???
Finally Konoha pulls her face up, cheeks streaked with tears and sniffling still, afraid she'd misheard.]
9... 9S?
[HAD HE NOT BEEN DEAD???]
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Androids don't get groggy, so he appears suddenly awake, studying her face for a few moments before he begins propping himself up on his elbows, if a little uneasily. ]
... Are you crying?
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At which point she actually flings herself forward and pulls him into an embrace, bursting back into tears as she squeezes him to her (thankfully soft?) chest.]
I'm so glad you're alive!
[Konoha please be gentle with the just rebooted android...]
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[ That's all he gets in when she yanks him close, undignified yelp muffled by the fabric of her clothes. He's confused enough that he doesn't initially protest, but does end up trying to crane his head upwards. ]
Ko— Konoha... [ It really wasn't the ideal time for his body to do a forced shut down on him, but still... ] I'm okay. [ 9S sounds better, at least, with a voice back to normal. ] I just had to restart my operating system, that's all.
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I thought I killed you!
[She's still crying when she finally lets him go, sort of, trying to investigate and make sure he really was okay. (Better late than never?)]
You're really alright? Your head doesn't hurt? Nothings broken?
[Operating systems...]
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He isn't prone to suffocation like a human, but 9S does slip out a deep 'oomph' when she finally releases him, slumping back down on his own knees. Despite the bemused look on his face, there's a hint of remorse in there too—before he adjusts the blindfold back to its proper place, that is, but he isn't oblivious to how hard she's crying. (When they've never even met before...)
A touch belatedly, 9S slowly shakes his head. ]
Well– [ He then adds, as an addendum. ] –I'm sure something's broken, but that's likely more of a software issue than any of my parts. ... Probably. [ But, uh, anyway. ] I'll see for sure when I perform a more thorough scan—for now, I... don't think I'll be crashing again.
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[She tries in vain to wipe the tears off her face, reeling from the emotional whiplash of finding him in trouble, thinking she was helping, panicking to get him back quicker, being afraid she'd killed him, and then... finding out he was alive.]
But you're going to be okay?
[JUST TELL HER YOU'LL BE OK. IN PLAIN WORDS, SHE'S TOO DUMB FOR THIS.]
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Okay no, he isn't thinking she's an idiot—Konoha is far from the first he's met who were unable to wrap their minds around the idea of androids and how they functioned, but it's easy to forget to drop the jargon at times. So he gives her another brief stare, and then, a single nod. ]
Yeah. [ Plain and simple, finally. ] Yeah, I'm gonna be okay. You really don't have to cry over me...
[ He feels kinda bad she's gotten this upset over the situation, but perhaps it's because she doesn't understand. ]
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[Okay, she's getting the tears under control, both hands occupied in wiping them off her face, sniffling noisily.]
I'm just so glad you're alright... You have to be careful, storms can be really dangerous-
[A few more loud sniffs and she's mostly back under control, hands hovering as she tries to resist the urge to hug him again. They might have just met, but as far as Konoha is concerned... life and death situations are real quick bonding agents.]
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But this kind of dangerous?
[ It'd be interesting if it didn't nearly kill him. 9S shakes his head with a low sigh, and in the end, decides to push himself back upon his feet—if uneasily, with an unnatural jerkiness to his motions. ]
Nevermind... C'mon, we should get inside.
[ Or, well. He should, anyway. ]
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So Konoha nods firmly, quickly hauling herself back to her feet as well and hovering anxiously around him, offering support when it seems necessary.]
You're right. Come on, let's go-
[They'd be safer inside.
For now.]