<Kaeru> -— Run: CROOKED BOW | Arc: THE AFTERMAN | Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eei6N3AIuM
<Glacon> Kaeru: Andrew Bird - Armchairs - length 7m5s - 868↑14↓ - 127,596 views - rmweav11 on 2011.12.01
<Kaeru> The range is quiet- metaphorically, rather than literally, as ranges tend to have a difficult time being very quiet at all. Not particularly busy, that is to say; the calm of midday hours where most are busy elsewhere.
<Odocoileus> Tally is at the range, cleaning her gun.
<Kaeru> Tally, confused frustration pokes at you as each small motion, each swipe, each attempt to clean the weapon comes back equal; as if no progress is made in the slightest.
<Odocoileus> She huffs in frustration and sits on the floor, cross legged. Maybe that will help.
<Soulless> Joshua is with Tally, the range.
<Kaeru> You can tell, Joshua, the same thing she can. No matter her attempts, it appears no progress is made, no dent or lessening in the dirt and buildup in the weapon.
<Kaeru> A thin cloth pressed into a crease comes away blackened, and then another corner of it does the same.
<Odocoileus> She tries to clean harder and faster
<Kaeru> This only serves to blacken the cloth and seems to have no effect on the gun.
<Odocoileus> She string curses in Vietnamese under her breath as she tries and tries
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> 4df+5 He flips a coin.
<Glacon> Soulless: He flips a coin.: 4 (4df+5=0, 0, -, 0)
<Soulless> (perception)
<Soulless> He tries to determine if there's an anomaly going on
<Kaeru> The coin is flipped! It lands on the floor and- doesn't bounce at all, oddly. Just sets down in a single motion, landing on tails, still from the second it touches down.
<Kaeru> Tally, you try and try, and to no avail- you close your eyes for only a moment in frustration and when you reopen them you find the cloth over your hand a pristine, clean, spotless white.
<Soulless> "We're frozen."
<Soulless> "Anomalously."
<Soulless> "Or the world is. Something."
<Soulless> He radios, if he can. «Anyone else around?»
<Odocoileus> She stares at the cloth and groans. "You are right." She sets down the gun and cloth on the table and sniffs the air a few times
<Kaeru> Your radio crackles oddly when you release the button. After a few moments, fading in among the lessening static, there's-
<Kaeru> music?
<Kaeru> Maybe you'd bumped the dial, changed it to a different frequency accidentally?
<Soulless> He tries another.
<Soulless> «Hello?»
<Odocoileus> She walks up to Joshua and looks a tad concerned. "Anything?"
<Soulless> "…No. Let's get out and try to find someone."
<Kaeru> Just static from this one. Then, when you speak and release the button, silence for a few moments before the telltale beeping tones of emergency broadcasts.
<Kaeru> But it cuts out before anything is said.
<Odocoileus> She nods and picks up her gun and holsters it. She starts to head out if the range as long as Joshua follows
<Kaeru> As you're walking out, you notice something on the corner of a countertop near the exit.
<Soulless> Joshua looks.
<Kaeru> Someone left their badge! But it's not someone you recognize- or a style you recognize. The format is all different from yours.
<Odocoileus> Tally looks
<Kaeru> But it's got a foundation logo in the upper corner, so it's probably alright, right?
<Odocoileus> "a visitor from a different site left it may be?"
<Soulless> He takes it with him.
<Soulless> "Let's go."
<Kaeru> You take it. It's smooth and new-looking, attached to an aqua lanyard.
<Kaeru> Nice look.
<Odocoileus> She nods and heads out the door. She looks around for any one
<Kaeru> You hear only footfalls nearby, idle whistling of the occasional passerby. Nothing seems odd, at all.
<Kaeru> Positively ordinary.
<Soulless> He heads to the passerby. "Hey."
<Odocoileus> Tally sniffs the air a few times and walks over to the passerby
<Kaeru> She turns, eyebrows up. Shifts one side of headphones connected to an player on her hip off of an ear- "Hmmh? Yeah?"
<Soulless> "Do you recognize this at all?" He offers.
<Kaeru> She takes it from your hand, gives it an odd look. Looks up at you, as if she thinks this might be a prank. "Uh, no? That's not standard format. Never has been. Foundation IDs haven't ever had pictures."
<Kaeru> She gives it back, hesitantly, suspiciously.
<Odocoileus> She tilts her head. "Can we see your ID?"
<Kaeru> She looks even more wary now, but pulls a lanyard off over her head, taking off her headphones first so they don't get tangled together. Holds it up.
<Kaeru> The same style and format as your own, task force and role indicated under name and small descriptors. A number in a corner and the foundation logo in the other.
<Kaeru> Eyebrows raised and looking more and more uncomfortable with this situation.
<Odocoileus> She smiles politely and she shows her own ID. "Sorry. To bother you."
<Soulless> He shows his own.
<Kaeru> "… Yyyy-eaahh…" She slowly puts her lanyard back on, followed by her headphones, and gives you both an odd, wary few looks before continuing where she was headed.
<Odocoileus> She looks up at Joshua. "Do you think we are over reacting?"
<Soulless> Joshua flips a coin again.
<Kaeru> Flip, flip. You can catch it, if you want, or let it hit the ground.
<Soulless> He lets it hit the ground.
<Kaeru> It lands, bounces, spins a bit. Lands on heads, when it settles.
<Soulless> "…Odd."
<Soulless> He returns to the gun range and flips a coin.
<Odocoileus> She follows
<Kaeru> Clink, clink, clink! Heads again!
<Odocoileus> She raises an eyebrow
<Kaeru> But Joshua, music's still playing quietly from your radio.
<Soulless> Joshua tries to go to the alarm channel again.
<Kaeru> Nothing but static.
<Odocoileus> Tally just stares at him confused. "It is probably nothing, right?"
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> Joshua lights his cig.
<Soulless> "Someone explain,."
<Odocoileus> "huh?"
<Odocoileus> "what are you doing?" She stares at him
<Kaeru> … Joshua, nothing but the static from your radio. Nothing but static.
<Soulless> "…And what does that mean?"
<Soulless> redact
<Soulless> Does Joshua get any response?
<Soulless> "I'm trying to see if I can get answers."
<Kaeru> No response.
<Odocoileus> "…from smoking.."
<Kaeru> An eerie silence.
<Odocoileus> She blinks
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> "We've been cut off."
<Soulless> He looks at Tally. "I'll explain later. But the Radio has nothing, and I'm not getting anyhting with the smoke." He wafts his cig away. "Unless someone refuses to talk with me."
<Odocoileus> She sits on the ground with a frustrated thump. She crosses her arms and huffs.
<Kaeru> Hey, roll perception.
<Odocoileus> 4df+5 Tally is frustrated
<Glacon> Odocoileus: Tally is frustrated: 3 (4df+5=0, -, 0, -)
<Soulless> 4df+5 perc
<Glacon> Soulless: perc: 9 (4df+5=+, +, +, +)
<Soulless> o
<Kaeru> owo
<Kaeru> Joshua. You notice something odd. To the right of a door nearby, just beside the doorframe where a name plaque might normally sit, is a logo. But it isn't a logo you might expect to see- no, not at all. You know that logo. That logo belongs to Promethean Industries.
<Soulless> Joshua heads there.
<Kaeru> The painted logo on the wall- it's certainly Promethean. Now that Joshua approaches it, Tally, you see it too.
<Kaeru> That really shouldn't be here.
<Odocoileus> She gets up and follows him.
<Soulless> He knocks on the door.
<Kaeru> … No response.
<Odocoileus> She tries to open it.
<Kaeru> You do so. Or, at least, you think you do. Because it doesn't actually move. You know you turned the knob, pulled it open, know it opened, but there it is: closed, all the same. A moment of blinking befuddlement is interrupted by it snapping open to your hand as it normally would, should have.
<Kaeru> But you're not crazy. You both saw it.
<Kaeru> Like a delay, a buffer in a video, lag in a live feed.
<Soulless> Joshua attempts to throw it open.
<Kaeru> No, it's open, now.
<Kaeru> It just took a moment…
<Kaeru> Maybe it didn't? Because that makes no sense.
<Odocoileus> She blinks and looks so confused as she heads inside.
<Kaeru> It seems normal enough, aside from the momentary flickering of lights that ends even before you have time to enter.
<Kaeru> You trail your fingers over a surface and find a thick layer of settled dust.
<Odocoileus> She looks around the room curiously and sniffs.
<Soulless> Joshua follows inside.
<Soulless> 4df+5 perc, can he understand what's going on here
<Glacon> Soulless: perc, can he understand what's going on here: 4 (4df+5=-, -, 0, +)
<Kaeru> It's- just a storage room. For weaponry to be used at the range.
<Kaeru> But oddly enough, a lot of it isn't as well stocked as you might expect. Dust covers surfaces, in places. Lights blink occasionally, dim.
<Kaeru> Then they brighten again- and the dust is gone from surfaces. So are the gaps in supply and stocking where things should be, filled as they should be again.
<Kaeru> Even the clinging dust on your fingers isn't there.
<Odocoileus> "what is going on here?"
<Odocoileus> "is time broken?"
<Soulless> "Something's broken alright. Dimensionally."
<Soulless> "Let's try to file a report in containment."
<Odocoileus> She nods and looks around a little before heading toward the door
<Kaeru> Someone walks by you, by the door, but doesn't seem to see either of you. Not too close, but not too far, silent and eyes forward. It takes you a few moments to realize they're wearing a non-foundation uniform- by then, they're around a corner and out of sight.
<Odocoileus> Tally sprints out the door.
<Odocoileus> She look for them and sniffs the air
<Soulless> Joshua follows.
<Kaeru> Where'd they go? You know what direction they were headed in, but they must've already rounded a corner.
<Kaeru> Feel free to roll an INT skill or History to try to see if you got a good enough look and know what kind of uniform they were in.
<Odocoileus> 4df+2 she try? (His)
<Glacon> Odocoileus: she try? (His): 0 (4df+2=-, +, -, -)
<Soulless> 4df+5 insight
<Glacon> Soulless: insight: 5 (4df+5=+, -, 0, 0)
<Odocoileus> Omega lul
<Soulless> 4df+6 no wait he has history
<Glacon> Soulless: no wait he has history: 4 (4df+6=+, -, -, -)
<Soulless> o
<Kaeru> well- it was only a short glimpse.
<Kaeru> But it appeared to be- maybe a technician's uniform? But not foundation, that's for certain.
<Kaeru> Not the right style, or colors, or anything.
<Kaeru> Maybe you could get a better look if you found them again-
<Kaeru> you know a general direction. Will that be enough?
<Odocoileus> Tally is running down the hall looking around the corner for them
<Kaeru> You can hear the soft footfalls of light sneakers, hear them change in their rhythm, skip, stop. Shuffle a bit, as if scurrying off to one side- they must have heard you coming after them!
<Odocoileus> Tally will quiet her foot falls by kicking off her shoes as she runs.
<Soulless> Joshua heads, following Tally.
<Soulless> He's not sneaky.
<Odocoileus> Can Tally use eagle eye
<Kaeru> Sure!
<Odocoileus> 4df+7 sniff sniff scurry she gonna find him
<Glacon> Odocoileus: sniff sniff scurry she gonna find him: 7 (4df+7=0, -, 0, +)
<Kaeru> You see the person! Just as they round a corner not far ahead, ducking away into a side room.
<Odocoileus> Tally quietly keeps up and slides around the corner and slinks into the room. She just hopes Joshua is close behind.
<Soulless> Joshua follows.
<Soulless> He keeps a safe distance for her to sneak.
<Kaeru> Roll perception, as you enter the room.
<Odocoileus> 4df+5 -3-
<Glacon> Odocoileus: -3-: 6 (4df+5=-, 0, +, +)
<Kaeru> You see- and manage to get out of the way of- what appears to be the handle of a broom swung at the back of your head. They must've been waiting behind the door- they stumble when they miss, and back up a few steps, eyes wide and afraid. A few seconds of staring. They look young, but their hair is done oddly, somewhat of an anachronism. His uniform is an older style, too, and- has a PI logo on the breast. Ruffled bedhead blonde and dark eyes,
<Kaeru> small in stature, a pistol on his hip and a tech's jumper.
<Odocoileus> Tiny lady is tiny and grabs the broom handle and yanks it away. She like an angry kitten fluffed up, "who are you why are you here? You are not supposed to be here!"
<Soulless> 4df+5 perc
<Glacon> Soulless: perc: 4 (4df+5=-, +, 0, -)
<Kaeru> He yelps and backs up, eyes only widening further. He's stiff for a second before seeming to snap out of it and fumbling at his hip for the pistol there-
<Kaeru> Manages to get at it, flicks it up to point forward, steps back one, two, three unsteady paces. "Don't- don't move!"
<Odocoileus> She pokes him in the belly with the broom and pulls out her gun quickly and aims it at him. "Dont you dare or I will make your head the new broom for this floor."
<Kaeru> He doesn't lower his pistol. "Hey-! He-y- d-drop it! I'll- I'll shoot! S-security will- get you- if- if you hurt me!"
<Odocoileus> "I AM SECURITY! DROP IT!" She looks terrifyingly angry. poke poke. Poke poke.
<Kaeru> He's backed up out of poke range.
<Soulless> 4df+4 persuasion. "Please listen. I think we're engaging in a dimensional anomaly that's merging our sites."
<Glacon> Soulless: persuasion. "Please listen. I think we're engaging in a dimensional anomaly that's merging our sites.": 6 (4df+4=0, +, 0, +)
<Kaeru> "You don't- f-fool me! I- You're not-" He looks over, terrified, to Joshua- pistol's aim flicking between the two of you- raises it again with more conviction after a momentary lapse caused by confusion- "That's not possible!"
<Soulless> "You're a prometheus, aren't you? You know about inexplicable stuff,"
<Odocoileus> She narrows her eyes.
<Soulless> "I know about inexplicable stuff."
<Soulless> "Let's try to hash this out so we can go back to how things should be."
<Kaeru> "Why should I- b-believe you?" He's shaking, just noticeably.
<Odocoileus> She stands in front of Joshua to protect him. She drops the broom and her gun. "No weapons now drop yours."
<Kaeru> He blinks in surprise, blinks again. Starts to say something- stops, then slowly lowers the pistol, still tense like a coiled spring.
<Odocoileus> "on the ground please."
<Kaeru> He shakes his head side to side jerkily.
<Soulless> "Well, here."
<Soulless> He shows his foundation ID. "This is Foundation ID stuff. I know I'm not supposed to be here. I don't even have a weapon. I'm a historian! A researcher!"
<Soulless> "If this were some military takeover, you think they'd bring me along? No, it's gotta be an accident."
<Kaeru> He glances at the ID. Back up at Joshua- then back at the ID, for longer this time, staring, staring at something. "Wh- what's- what's- y-your- th-e-" he tires again- "Wh-at's the issue date on- th-that card?"
<Odocoileus> "and…I don't have shoes.. I guess?" She motions to her bare feet and shrugs.
<Soulless> Joshua reads out August 1983.
<Kaeru> He raises his weapon again, obviously confused and out of his depth, just on the edge of panic at this point. Points it at Joshua. "That's not possible!"
<Odocoileus> Tally protect the Joshua
<Kaeru> Shaking, stops pointing the gun, runs hands through his hair, gripping, stressed. Eyes flicking back and forth across the floor.
<Kaeru> "… Doesn't make any sense-"
<Soulless> "What's the date to you?"
<Odocoileus> "put down the gun. You might hurt yourself."
<Kaeru> Frustrated, confused, he throws the weapon to the ground, leans against the wall behind him. Puts hands over his face, then runs them repeatedly through his hair, twitchy, panicky.
<Odocoileus> She walks over to him cautiously and squats down in front of him. "Deep breaths, twitchy man." She digs through her hoodie pouch and hands him a lemon with a small smile. "Calm down a little."
<Soulless> "It's alright. We're gonna fix this. I don't want this any more than you do."
<Soulless> "What date is it today, for you?"
<Kaeru> He stumbles, scrambles away when you approach. "- D-on't-!"
<Kaeru> "It's- N-november-" he swallows hard- "November t-twentieth-" he looks up at you, staring and afraid but defiant, intense. "Nineteen fifty three."
<Soulless> "…So a temporal error."
<Soulless> "I'm Joshua Lee. What's your name?"
<Odocoileus> She just squats there quietly curled up in her hoodie. "I am Tallulah."
<Kaeru> He hesitates. "… Noah. Savel."
<Soulless> "Well Noah. Is there anything you recall happening that is unusual?"
<Kaeru> He shakes his head. "Not before- y-you showed up."
<Odocoileus> She calmly peels the Lemon and starts to eat it.
<Soulless> "Alright."
<Soulless> "How did we show up?"
<Kaeru> "I don't know! You weren't there and then I- heard you chasing me and I- I don't know!"
<Soulless> "Alright, alright. Breathe."
<Soulless> "You a researcher?"
<Odocoileus> She tilts her head as she noms. "Sorry about chasing you."
<Kaeru> He shakes his head. "N-no. Just- just a tech."
<Soulless> "A tech. Alright. Do you know any researchers here?"
<Odocoileus> Tally gets up and looks around the room a little. Does this place smell familiar?
<Kaeru> No, Tally, it doesn't.
<Kaeru> Noah shakes his head. "N-not very w-well. Just- a-" he glances away- "A girl I- like. We're- not- supposed to be together, but w-well- and she's-" he stops, just looks embarrassed.
<Odocoileus> "you like this girl?"
<Odocoileus> She looks down at him and eats another slice of the lemon
<Kaeru> "Y-yeah."
<Soulless> "…That's fine, Noah."
<Soulless> ""Do you know where she is now?
<Kaeru> He shakes his head. "She's- s-supposed to be in- in archives around n-now but- I don't know," he admits quietly. Hey, roll logic, if you like, either of you.
<Soulless> 4df+2 no logic
<Glacon> Soulless: no logic: 2 (4df+2=+, 0, 0, -)
<Odocoileus> 4df+2 lol
<Glacon> Odocoileus: lol: 2 (4df+2=0, -, 0, +)
<Kaeru> You think maybe you should consider the fact that this guy is from the past, but you're not sure why, or what you'd have to worry about. Oh well.
<Odocoileus> She looks to Joshua.
<Odocoileus> She whispers something to Joshua. "We do not want to get too many people involved with this. At least here.."
<Soulless> "…Right."
<Soulless> "Can you take us to the archives?"
<Kaeru> His eyes widen, and he shakes his head emphatically. "N-no. No way."
<Odocoileus> "what if we pay you with valuable information from the future?"
<Kaeru> "No. No! I'm not taking you anywhere near Eudora!"
<Odocoileus> She raises an eyebrow.
<Soulless> "…Fine. Fine. Do you know anyone else?"
<Kaeru> He begins to respond, but is cut off by the muffled, distant crack of a fired shotgun.
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> "Tally. We investigate. Come on, Noah."
<Kaeru> He just looks paralyzed. Like he's doubting the fact that you're not here to hurt him- doubting everything you've said so far.
<Odocoileus> "please stay behind me for protection." She picks her gun up off the ground and smiles kindly at both of them. "Noah please stay close to Joshua. No one needs to be hurt."
<Odocoileus> She pokes her head out the door and looks around. Can she smell or hear which way the gun fire is coming from?
<Kaeru> To the right a bit, and forward down that hall- towards Engineering, it seems. You hear the telltale cracks of riflefire.
<Odocoileus> She heads on out first and his her gun raised as she makes her way towards the gun fire, quietly.
<Soulless> Joshua follows Tally!
<Kaeru> You realize after a few steps that Noah's footfalls stopped just a bit outside of the smaller side room.
<Odocoileus> She looks back
<Kaeru> He's standing there, looking off to his left- glances back at you- terrified- and takes off running the other direction.
<Soulless> He looks to follow Tally.
<Odocoileus> "Joshua.. can..you catch him?"
<Soulless> 4df+5 "Gonna try." Acrobatics!
<Glacon> Soulless: "Gonna try." Acrobatics!: 4 (4df+5=0, 0, -, 0)
<Soulless> 2df nooo
<Glacon> Soulless: nooo: 0 (2df=-, +)
<Soulless> That's a 6 now
<Kaeru> He could get himself hurt, if this is still primarily, temporally, your site. Then you realize what'd been bugging you earlier but you hadn't put together
<Kaeru> what-
<Kaeru> what happens if you go back in time and kill someone who wasn't supposed to die?
<Odocoileus> Tally breaks off to find out where they are shooting at. She won't aim to kill now but rather immobilize.
<Kaeru> Joshua, you can catch up to him, if you try. But what then?
<Soulless> He tackles him to the floor.
<Kaeru> He gives a startled cry as he's tackled. Struggles, tries to push Joshua off of him.
<Odocoileus> Can Tally see what they are firing at?
<Kaeru> Tally, the gunfire is still a ways off- you'd have to seriously distance yourself from Joshua. Are you willing to split up?
<Odocoileus> If it was closer she would have but knowing its aways off she runs back to Joshua
<Kaeru> You can see Joshua having pinned Noah, who is currently trying awkwardly to throw him off.
<Odocoileus> She walks over to Joshua and stands over Noah with her gun raised "whatever is going on we need to put it aside, because I want go back home. Do not run or I will have to resort to something I do not want to do."
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> Joshua ties him off.
<Kaeru> He struggles, kicks at you, Joshua- roll acro.
<Odocoileus> "please stop flailing."
<Odocoileus> She rubs the back of her neck
<Soulless> 4df+5 acro
<Glacon> Soulless: acro: 4 (4df+5=0, 0, -, 0)
<Kaeru> 4df+6 "Screw you!"
<Glacon> Kaeru: "Screw you!": 6 (4df+6=0, -, 0, +)
<Kaeru> 1d2 Joshua, his sneaker's heel catches you in the top of the shin.
<Glacon> Kaeru: Joshua, his sneaker's heel catches you in the top of the shin.: 1 (1d2=1)
<Odocoileus> She swiftly kicks Noah in the nuts as hard as she can. "I SAID STOP FLAILING!" She angrily whispers
<Kaeru> He gives a strangled yelp and curls in on himself somewhat. Well, he's not struggling anymore.
<Odocoileus> She drags Noah along angrily. "Let us go now Joshua. Are you okay?" She says in a much softer tone
<Soulless> "…Yes."
<Soulless> "Its jsut a bruise. "
<Odocoileus> She nods. "now. Where should we go?"
<Kaeru> There's a sound.
<Kaeru> You both can hear a deep, oddly resonating growling from behind you that sets your hair on edge, sends a shock up your spine.
<Soulless> He looks behind him.
<Kaeru> Nothing but stale air and shadows.
<Odocoileus> Tally hands over Noah to josh and stands between them and the noise. "Find a close by room and hide in there."
<Kaeru> … Is it a bit cold in here?
<Odocoileus> She is wearing a hoodie but can definitely feel if the air has changed. Does the air smell different too?
<Kaeru> Yeah. A bit like dust.
<Odocoileus> She is very tense now.
<Kaeru> You notice damage on the walls. Long since patched up, repaired, but you can see as it traces itself out.
<Kaeru> Marks of newer concrete where cracks and bullet holes were filled in.
<Odocoileus> She scans the walls and keeps her breathing steady as she stays close the two behind her.
<Soulless> (sorry famil;y needed me a sec)
<Odocoileus> She is visibly anxious.
<Soulless> 4df+5 Joshua scans for dangers
<Glacon> Soulless: Joshua scans for dangers: 7 (4df+5=+, +, +, -)
<Soulless> (perc)
<Kaeru> You don't see anything. But that wasn't there before, that repaired damage.
<Soulless> "…Time is fucky."
<Odocoileus> She nods.
<Soulless> 4df+6 history, he checks to see if his knowledge of the site is changing according to the events happening here.
<Glacon> Soulless: history, he checks to see if his knowledge of the site is changing according to the events happening here.: 7 (4df+6=-, 0, +, +)
<Kaeru> Noah coughs, raggedly, after a sharp breath- you realize there's a thin layer of sandy dust on the floor below your boots.
<Kaeru> Joshua, you think. You know this facility belonged to PI before the Foundation- but there's one thing you, for the life of you, cannot remember.
<Kaeru> Was it abandoned when the Foundation found it, or did they have to fight to take it?
<Odocoileus> She keeps listening. Are there anymore sounds of that growling?
<Kaeru> None.
<Odocoileus> "Joshua, what should we do?" She looks up at him concerned.
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> "…I don't remember… if the Foundation had to fight for this site."
<Odocoileus> "you would know better than I would."
<Odocoileus> "we need to figure that out and fast."
<Kaeru> The repaired areas continue to spread…
<Odocoileus> She looks down at Noah. "What were you working on at this site?"
<Kaeru> He coughs, sputters. "V-video feeds- working out the-" he coughs- "The kinks in live security."
<Odocoileus> "which way?"
<Soulless> "…I think…"
<Soulless> "What we do will decide it."
<Odocoileus> She tilts her head
<Kaeru> There's a moment of pause in your mind, Joshua. You see Noah's face from an odd angle. And you could swear he looks familiar.
<Soulless> 4df+6 history- from /where/?
<Glacon> Soulless: history- from /where/?: 6 (4df+6=+, 0, 0, -)
<Kaeru> Not from somewhere you've been- from a sketch. An image made, the likeness of someone seen on a mission. But what damn mission? You rack your brain-
<Kaeru> And when you realize, it's like a slap in the face. The mission with the stone cat- the red orb- there was someone there who helped the agents on the mission, wasn't there. Someone young, maybe mid-20s at the oldest. The set of his jaw, his dark eyes, his cheekbones- there's a resemblance there you can't shake.
<Kaeru> Maybe it's just one of those faces, though, right?
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> "Tally. We need to keep him alive."
<Odocoileus> She nods.
<Soulless> "He's gonna be helpful to us later on another mission."
<Odocoileus> "understood."
<Soulless> "Uh. By proxy."
<Soulless> "In the meantime, we need to figure this out."
<Odocoileus> "wait…" She look confused now
<Soulless> "Where's surveillance?"
<Kaeru> He makes a frustrated noise. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Struggles weakly. "I don't know! This place doesn't look familiar anymore!"
<Odocoileus> "just take a guess."
<Kaeru> You hear a gunshot. A single, cracking pistol round.
<Kaeru> His eyes widen. "No. Nonono- no, absolutely not. NO."
<Soulless> Joshua's eyes also widen.
<Soulless> "Okay. We need to investigate. Come on."
<Soulless> "You- come with us- stay safe. I think. You'll have a child. An excellent son."
<Odocoileus> "you hold on to him. Please. "
<Soulless> "Future shit. Don't worry about it."
<Soulless> "Yeah, lets go."
<Odocoileus> She takes point.
<Kaeru> "No! No- nono-" he looks terrified, hurt, sad. "I don't want that- I don't want to do that to a kid- I don't-"
<Odocoileus> "well we are not going to mess up the future that we know, which is pretty okay."
<Odocoileus> She readies her gun and goes to check out the gun fire.
<Kaeru> Wait a second.
<Kaeru> Roll perc.
<Odocoileus> 4df+5 she waits
<Glacon> Odocoileus: she waits: 4 (4df+5=-, +, 0, -)
<Kaeru> The marks on the walls. The repaired damage.
<Kaeru> It's gone.
<Soulless> 4df+5 perc
<Glacon> Soulless: perc: 4 (4df+5=-, +, -, 0)
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> "Someone is doing something, somewhere."
<Soulless> "We need to find them. Come on."
<Kaeru> You can head towards the sounds, if you want. The gunfire.
<Kaeru> If you want to move fast, though, you'll have to either let Noah go or leave him.
<Odocoileus> "Joshua…" She looks back at Noah. "We should protect him at all costs if you know who he is."
<Kaeru> Noah makes a distressed noise.
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> "Noah. You keep yourself safe?"
<Kaeru> His eyes dart back and forth. "I…"
<Kaeru> He looks up, sad and desperate and afraid. "His name. Do you know his- can you. Tell me his name?"
<Odocoileus> She hands Noah half a lemon and smiles at him sweetly as she unties him. "You live for him, Kay?"
<Kaeru> "… Is Eudora -?"
<Soulless> What was his name again?
<Kaeru> Well, in theory, you don't know. Only his callsign. After all, who names a kid Omen?
<Soulless> "…I don't know." He whispers.
<Soulless> He's real quiet.
<Soulless> "But love him for as long as you can, alright?"
<Kaeru> "Is- it-" he coughs, rubs his eyes- "Is it Mikah?" He speaks quietly, a tentative hopefulness.
<Kaeru> "Eudora said if she-" his voice catches in his throat, but he continues- "If we had- a son, she'd- want to name him Mikah."
<Soulless> "I'll…"
<Soulless> "Thank you."
<Soulless> "It may just be." He smiles.
<Kaeru> "… What for?"
<Kaeru> "…"
<Kaeru> "… Oh."
<Odocoileus> She pats Noah's head. "We need to get going."
<Kaeru> He reaches out, catches your arm, Joshua. Looks at you with intense eyes.
<Soulless> Joshua looks back, curious. "Yeah?"
<Odocoileus> She just keeps smiling politely.
<Soulless> He tugs.
<Kaeru> "If that's-" he swallows hard. "If that's my son out there with you, don't you let anything happen to him," he practically commands.
<Kaeru> "Don't you dare."
<Soulless> "…I'll try."
<Odocoileus> "I do not hurt children."
<Soulless> He tugs his arm away. "Come on, Tally. Let's go."
<Soulless> He sends a quick note to Orion, like a post-it. Need a word with you. About Omen.
<Kaeru> He sighs, sits down against the wall. Just stays there. Nods, more to himself than anything else.
<Odocoileus> She nods and waves good bye. "Eat the lemon it will calm your nerves."
<Odocoileus> She follows joshua
<Soulless> He heads towards gunfire.
<Kaeru> It stopped a while ago, but you remember where it came from.
<Odocoileus> She keeps moving with her gun raised.
<Soulless> He heads with Tally there.
<Kaeru> Roll PERC!
<Odocoileus> 4df+5 Aaaaaaaaa
<Glacon> Odocoileus: Aaaaaaaaa: 6 (4df+5=+, -, +, 0)
<Soulless> 4df+5 aaaa
<Glacon> Soulless: aaaa: 3 (4df+5=0, -, 0, -)
<Kaeru> Joshua, you don't notice it. But Tally? You hear the sound of running combat boots.
<Odocoileus> She hold up her hand and stops.
<Soulless> He stops.
<Odocoileus> She looks around and listens for wilhich way they are coming from
<Kaeru> They're up ahead, getting closer, but running perpendicular, you'd guess.
<Odocoileus> She keeps quiet as she moves along with them and continues to look for rooms to duck into.
<Kaeru> You notice a door that looks rather odd. It's subtle, but something off about it, as if it's not sitting quite right in its frame.
<Kaeru> You open it and it rattles on half-holding hinges, falling crookedly open to reveal only concrete beyond. Part of the door, a thin layer of the top half that widens nearer to the topmost edge, seems to be gone entirely, the concrete beyond sitting now where it would be if the door were closed.
<Odocoileus> Is there a hallway near by they they can travel down to get to em?
<Kaeru> There is- you can keep going that way, towards the footfalls. Getting close, now.
<Kaeru> There! You see someone run across the end of the hallway, security uniform- but not a foundation one.
<Odocoileus> She notes this and stops for a second. "These are not foundation personnel." She says quietly to joshua
<Soulless> Joshua nods.
<Soulless> He makes the motion of cocking a gun.
<Odocoileus> She nods a readies her gun. She proceeds forwards to where she saw the dude run past
<Kaeru> You follow. You can hear their boots retreating, running.
<Odocoileus> She looks concerned about them retreating.
<Odocoileus> "uh…"
<Odocoileus> She keeps moving.
<Kaeru> You see something like a blur, not unlike something moving very fast coming to a sudden stop. And you can't see, or hear, the person anymore. But you do hear something-
<Kaeru> the sound of a heavy door being thrown open.
<Soulless> He turns towards the door.
<Odocoileus> She runs faster and jumps a little out the sound.
<Kaeru> You see the flickering of lights, in the distance. A sound of rumbling, an icy cold. Then it's gone.
<Kaeru> It feels-
<Kaeru> normal?
<Odocoileus> Can she tell which way it went?
<Kaeru> Nothing went anywhere. The person you were following is gone. So are the cracks in the walls, the rumbling, the cold.
<Kaeru> You have a feeling Noah would be gone, too, if you looked.
<Odocoileus> She runs toward the sound of the door that opened
<Kaeru> You make it one step- two- three- and the world blurs.
<Kaeru> Like a smudge.
<Kaeru> It warps beneath your feet like liquid and throws your balance to the wind.
<Odocoileus> She stumbles a bit and holds her head. "What is this? Joshua?"
<Soulless> "…"
<Kaeru> You see someone, in the blur, a figure, reaching out towards a wall for balance- but then there's another- another wall, a strange motion-blur of their hand, and the space they were in is consumed by solid concrete that hadn't been there before.
<Soulless> Joshua tries to reach for the figure, or figures, or the wall?
<Soulless> 4df+6 histry, reviewing himself, any inconsistencies?
<Glacon> Soulless: histry, reviewing himself, any inconsistencies?: 6 (4df+6=0, 0, -, +)
<Kaeru> That wall wasn't there. For a moment, everything was fine. Something changed.
<Kaeru> Whatever was done, it didn't work. Something happened. Made it worse.
<Kaeru> Wait a minute, Joshua.
<Kaeru> You know this area. Without the wall, where the door sound came from- that's- just around where it's stored, isn't it? That device. The machine you built.
<Odocoileus> She is so dizzy and stumbles about
<Kaeru> Tally, you feel your vision falter. Blood seeps, warm, from cuts on your hands. Cuts from thorns and brambles and things you haven't been hurt by in a long while.
<Odocoileus> Her eyes widen and she tries she it off. Is it real blood?
<Kaeru> It is.
<Kaeru> Old cuts, real pain-
<Odocoileus> Mood. U:
<Odocoileus> She holds her hands and whimpers. "D-dont touch the walls."
<Kaeru> There's a shuddering, like the world taking a shaky breath-
<Kaeru> you blink, and the wall, the one that's not meant to be there? It's gone.
<Soulless> "…"
<Kaeru> The figure that'd been there before, she's gone, too. Doubtless crushed by the sudden existence of solid concrete.
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> ""We need to get to my old machine.
<Kaeru> You hear a sound, from that direction.
<Soulless> "It- it broke reality."
<Soulless> "Come on, Tally, come on!"
<Soulless> He grabs Tally's arm. "I'll- oh god your hands- we gotta go="
<Soulless> He books it.
<Kaeru> It's a voice. Deep and loud, an inhuman voice, the roar of something unspeakably old and incredibly furious.
<Kaeru> "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"
<Odocoileus> She is dragged along and winces. "God damn it."
<Kaeru> A cry of pain, a familiar voice-
<Odocoileus> "Joshua what broke reality? Do you know?"
<Kaeru> Joshua, you realize only when you grab Tally that your palms, your hands are stained blue with ink you don't remember touching.
<Soulless> Joshua looks at his hands.
<Odocoileus> "wHat is on your hands?"
<Soulless> "I- Ignore it. I built something that broke reality. Come on."
<Soulless> He heads over to the machine, to the voice.
<Odocoileus> She follows
<Kaeru> You see the open door, the light within, smell the stone and moss and metallic tang of iron.
<Kaeru> TT2. You're a few paces away, still.
<Kaeru> -— Run: CROOKED BOW | Arc: THE AFTERMAN | Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eei6N3AIuM
<Glacon> Kaeru: Andrew Bird - Armchairs - length 7m5s - 868↑14↓ - 127,596 views - rmweav11 on 2011.12.01
<Kaeru> Topside is a dry and dusty afternoon, emptiness cut by the abrupt angles of the uppermost facility fences and concrete buildings and settled sands disturbed by the bootfalls of occasional patrols.
<Hankolijo> Trixie is topside, fixing a slightly faulty intercom in one of the guard posts. She's wearing a cap and her overall-shorts for working outside.
<War_> Kaari is one of those patrolling officers, marching across the dust with her KS over-shoulder and her military jacket fluttering behind her, tied at the waist.
<Kaeru> Trixie, there's a spark!- hey! Power's meant to be off to this while you're working on it, and it was, just a second ago, wasn't it?
<Kaeru> Kaari, stiff, stale wind tugs at your hair and clothes. You have a bad feeling. Your radio sputters small spits of static.
<Hankolijo> "Eek! Sonuva gun!" she lets out, startled, and picks up the radio which she had brought along - intercom being busted and all. She picks it up and tries to turn it on. "Hey, this is Trixie Wirt, isn't the power supposed to be off for this post?"
<War_> Kaari stops. Sniffs. Looks around.
<War_> Frowns a little.
<War_> Looks skyward - nothing weird? No clouds or anything?
<Kaeru> The radio crackles oddly. A response comes through, but it's broken up, staticky and too jumbled to understand. Too low-quality to know if you recognize the voice. But then it cuts out again, the response ended without anything properly understood or communicated- but the responder may not know that.
<Kaeru> Kaari, you look up to see a flatly clouded sky. You remember complaining internally at the strength of the sun at the start of your patrol- so it'd been out then. Fast cloudcover, you suppose?
<Hankolijo> Blink. "Um, you're breaking up. Could you repeat that?" She asks, peering back at the intercom.
<Taffeta> As Trixie and Kaari go about their business, a mousy woman in an oversize labcoat slips onto the scene, the only real noise she makes coming from a chunky looking… science thing strapped to her back, and the attached detector wand she's waving about.
<Hankolijo> Trixie does not notice this, preoccupied with her radio troubles.
<Taffeta> krikkikikliklik
<War_> Her brows knit into a deeper frown, and her hand goes for the radio at her hip. She's currently concerned with the possibility of some kind of massive electrical storm, right now.
<Taffeta> "Damn you, I know you were receiving five seconds ago…"
<Hankolijo> Is the woman close enough to be heard?
<Taffeta> She's not actively trying to hide out, yeah. She just seems to be the quiet sort, like most nerds on the base.
<Kaeru> Kaari, that's unlikely. You don't see any lightning, and it's all thin clouds, wispy and not threatening storms.
<Kaeru> Possible, but unlikely.
<Hankolijo> Trixie blinks and looks over at the woman, still waiting on a second response from her radio.
<War_> Kaari spins round, catches sight of the Nerd, and marches over.
<War_> "Something strange happening. Do you know what is going on?"
<Kaeru> Trixie, so far nothing.
<Hankolijo> She pouts and taps the radio - the most reliable fix in all of engineering. Then tries again.
<Taffeta> Kaari interrupts the weirdo attempting to sing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" at her gear in the hopes that it'll somehow get it to work again. She'll notice a couple of components in the backpack that seem… oddly familiar to her. Xyank resonator circuits, certain patterns in the way *those* diodes are laid out… does she work with time, too?…
<Taffeta> "I think-and don't quote me on this-I think I know what's going on. Problem is, I just-"
<Kaeru> Tap, tap. Static, then nothing else. Maybe try again?
<Taffeta> The detector wand honks. The woman groans and smacks it.
<Taffeta> "-I just don't know where it is."
<War_> She's frowning even /more/ now, somehow.
<War_> "Tell me."
<Hankolijo> Clearly, there's some interference going on. She heads out from the booth with the intent to either get a better signal - if not, well, she can always go and disable the power herself.
<Taffeta> "We're dealing with, ah. Interference of some kind. If you will. Not the usual electromagnetic stuff, that is small *small* peanuts compared to this, but causal."
<Kaeru> The breeze is stiff and dry, stronger now, Trixie. Maybe radio in again? Ask for a repeat?
<Hankolijo> She does as she steps out. "This is Trixie Wirt, do you copy? Something's messing with the signal." :<
<War_> Kaari, on a whim, checks her pocketwatch. The /same/ pocketwatch that tells time without fail.
<War_> Considering the last time something weird happened, she has hunches.
<Kaeru> Kaari, the pocketwatch tick, tick, ticks away peacefully.
<Kaeru> Roll perception, Kaari?
<War_> 4df+4 h
<Glacon> War_: h: 3 (4df+4=0, -, +, -)
<War_> h
<Kaeru> That's alright, you still notice it. Tick, ticking eases your worries slightly, but as you put the pocketwatch away, you hear a different sound.
<Kaeru> A more drawn-out sort of click, like a drag. You snap the pocketwatch back into view and it only ticks, just ticks, peacefully, normally.
<Kaeru> But- are you seeing wrong, or did the second hand already pass those few seconds when you'd looked before?
<Hankolijo> If her radio fails again, she starts waddling towards the entrance to the site. Probably passing by the two along the way, one would imagine.
<Kaeru> Trixie, you get a response. «We copy, Wirt. No interference on our end.»
<Hankolijo> Nevermind!
<War_> She /stares/ at the watch with an…intense sort of expression.
<War_> With a growing realisation, that vague feeling of relief just evaporates entirely.
<Hankolijo> "Huh. I hear ya loud and clear now - was the power cut from the intercom properly? I got um. Sparks just now."
<War_> "…not frozen. Looping…?"
<Kaeru> «Power is cut, Agent. It's been off since you were scheduled to begin your repairs.»
<War_> Actually.
<War_> 4df+6 it's /sci/ time i put this roll to use. identification of temporal anomalies!
<Glacon> War_: it's /sci/ time i put this roll to use. identification of temporal anomalies!: 6 (4df+6=0, -, 0, +)
<Hankolijo> "Huh…" She goes inside to check - does it appear to be cut now?
<Kaeru> Trixie, it- does… Huh.
<Kaeru> Kaari, something's definitely not right. But your watch is continuing on normally now, isn't it? Maybe just- a sort of momentary hiccup…?
<Taffeta> "Hold up, I think we're getting- got- something happened," the woman mutters.
<War_> Experimentally she closes it again, keeping it close to her ear to hear the ticking more clearly.
<Hankolijo> "Huh. I'm not sure what the case was, but it seems fine now. I'll get back to fixing it, then."
<Kaeru> Mystery Woman, your equipment clicks and pings and points you toward the site proper, away from the outskirts.
<Kaeru> Kaari, tick, tick, tick.
<Taffeta> "…Inside."
<War_> She slowly puts it back in her pocket.
<War_> "I am not liking this very much."
<Taffeta> "Hey, any of you, uh…" She seems to think for a moment for an appropriate word. "Nnnnnnnerds? That's what they say around this time, right?… Yeah, any of you nerds wanna go hunt down some time buggery?"
<War_> Kaari /stares/ at the woman.
<War_> /"Very much so."/
<Hankolijo> Trixie turns around, her ears tuned to hear words like 'nerd'. "Huh? Time what?" she calls out from inside the guard post.
<Taffeta> The woman cups her hands to her mouth to yell. "TIME BUGGERY."
<Hankolijo> Trixie peers out, blinking. "…What does that mean?"
<Taffeta> "TIME MACHINE BROKE"
<Taffeta> "Wait, shit, I can't refer-"
<Hankolijo> :|
<War_> "…good job."
<Hankolijo> "T-" she tilts her head. "Did you say 'time machine'?"
<Taffeta> "…Yeah!"
<Hankolijo> She raises the radio up again. "Um. Something's come up. Will report… Later. Um. Fixing the intercom will take a bit longer."
<Kaeru> «Co-» it cuts out. Weird.
<Hankolijo> She pouts again.
<War_> "So we are dealing with broken time." She then mumbles, only to be heard by Mystery Lady, "Good thing I am used to it."
<Taffeta> "Yeah, that makes two of us."
<Hankolijo> Trixie, meanwhile, collects her tools before waddling over. "When you say time machine, do you, um… Mean a machine that lets you… Travel in time?"
<War_> "Questions later! We should find the problem!"
<Taffeta> The woman twists a lock of hair around her finger. "Well, uh, that's… complicated but yeah."
<Taffeta> "Also yeah."
<War_> "Guess you could call it. A /time-sensitive matter."/
<War_> Kaari, at this point, realises she's been spending way too much time with Ezekiel.
<Hankolijo> Blink. "Oh, ha, I get it! Like, time." :D
<Taffeta> "Don't quit your day job."
<Taffeta> "Anyway yes time. Problems. Fix."
<War_> "Ha!"
<War_> "Yes. Let us get on with it."
<Taffeta> The woman points her wand at the direction of the site.
<Hankolijo> Kailee just sort of nods - she doesn't /really/ believe that someone could travel through time. Well, unless they managed to beat pacman, apparently.
<War_> (don't u mean Trixie)
<Hankolijo> Yes I do.
<Kaeru> And we're off! Follow your nose, mystery woman-
<Kaeru> or, well, your equipment-
<Kaeru> It points you towards the site's nearest entrance. Well, close enough that that's the best route, you'd bet.
<Taffeta> She heads inside!
<Hankolijo> Trixie follows!
<War_> Kaari brings up the rear, being Tol Security Gal.
<Kaeru> It's nice to be out of the dry, cutting winds. It's a bit chilly inside, though. A few security checkpoints you're all used to by now and a decent few stairs downward brings you right into the familiar common area.
<Hankolijo> Trixie takes off her cap, her hair a bit of a mess at the top, but she can't fix it without a mirror.
<NeonSkitty> One(1) Robotic Friend-Shaped Organism exists in the commons.
<Hankolijo> Trixie waves. "Hi, Hadley!"
<Kaeru> Hadley, you've been getting- weird readings. Random unprecedented glitches.
<War_> Kaari is unfamiliar with literally everyone in this room, somehow.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley stares at Trixie for a moment with a blank face, then blinks and shakes her head before smiling. "… Uh- Oh, hello agent Wirt!"
<Taffeta> The woman starts jabbing at things with her detector wand like she's hoping to stab an invisible dragon to death.
<Hankolijo> Trixie looks over to the woman. "Are we looking for something? What are we looking for?"
<NeonSkitty> "Whaaat's… Going on?" Hadley watches Misstery stab around, raising an eyebrow.
<War_> She opts to pace like a caged animal, back and forth, trying to spot some weird signs by sight alone.
<War_> She also has her pocketwatch out, checking for stutters and stops.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley makes a face, then knocks on the side of her head a few times. "Hm…"
<Kaeru> So far nothing, Kaari. But you're distracted by something-
<Kaeru> There's an unsettling sort of shaking, subtle but definite, a small rumbling in the walls, the floors, the ceiling. The shifting hiss of moving sand, the soft shushing sound as an interrupted trickle of it falls from above you to pool on the floor as if shaken off, dislodged, disturbed.
<Taffeta> "Mapping the potential gradient in the area. Seeing if we can-"
<War_> Kaari scuffs the pile of sand with her boot. "Um."
<Hankolijo> Trixie peers around. "Something is not normal. Also, what does 'gradient' mean in this instance?" >->
<Kaeru> That shouldn't happen. It brings up concerns about the stability of the facility-
<Kaeru> but it seems to have stopped.
<Kaeru> Only a moment…
<NeonSkitty> "Can… I help somehow? If you need, of course." Hads shuffles over to Strangelass, looking over her shoulder.
<Taffeta> "Like, the vector field. This thing basically- it mechanically implements the Anastasakos operator using LIGO telemetry we obtained back in- never mind."
<War_> "Sand is…not supposed to leak from ceiling, yes?"
<Hankolijo> "I see." She does not.
<Hankolijo> <-<
<Kaeru> No, Kaari. It is not.
<NeonSkitty> Can Hadley run a Logic roll to try to understand or help?
<Kaeru> There's a sudden whoosh-!
<Kaeru> -As the facility's air begins cycling again.
<Kaeru> Sure, Hadley, you can try.
<NeonSkitty> 4df+5 LOGIC
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: LOGIC: 5 (4df+5=0, -, 0, +)
<NeonSkitty> Compooting!
<Kaeru> Hadley, you think of the layout of the underground facility. And it shifts, and shifts, and shifts in your mind, as if the recorded blueprint is constantly updating- but updating to be larger, smaller, formatted differently, more detailed, less. Something's not quite right.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley makes a… Mechanical, grindy gasping sound.
<Taffeta> "So, uh… sand, that's a little beyond the pale for time stuff, uhh…"
<Hankolijo> "Hadley, are you okay?"
<Taffeta> "…ma'am do you need an epipen?"
<War_> "Little nerd lady. What is name?"
<NeonSkitty> She blinks and shakes her head- "… I think I've been hacked."
<Kaeru> Hey, mystery woman? You think time is being strange, don't you?
<NeonSkitty> "Or… Something. I'm experiencing a continuity error."
<Kaeru> What would happen if, say, the facility were to shift backwards far enough? Say, far enough that it shifted to before it was built, for instance?
<Hankolijo> "A cont… Has this happened before?"
<NeonSkitty> "No, never." Another shake.
<Taffeta> "That's… huh."
<Taffeta> "That's really very very very not good…"
<Taffeta> She continues to mutter to herself, seemingly oblivious to Kaari's question.
<Taffeta> "…we could be looking at some serious structural integrity concerns… what would the Pauli exclusion principle say about all this… sand just appearing… god, what's happened to the people in those rooms?…"
<NeonSkitty> "I… I think I need to run a diagnostic, soon. But that doesn't make any sense… I just did that last night. I shouldn't be experiencing glitches like this yet."
<Hankolijo> Trixie's quite focused on the robo issue right now. "Electronics were going nuts for a moment topside - perhaps this is related."
<Kaeru> Roll perception, folks.
<Hankolijo> 4df+2 blind dork
<Glacon> Hankolijo: blind dork: 1 (4df+2=+, -, -, 0)
<NeonSkitty> 4df+4 Roboteyes
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: Roboteyes: 6 (4df+4=0, +, +, 0)
<War_> 4df+4 h sorry am here
<Glacon> War_: h sorry am here: 6 (4df+4=0, +, +, 0)
<Taffeta> 4df+4
<Taffeta> 4df+4 h
<Glacon> Taffeta: h: 4 (4df+4=+, -, +, -)
<Kaeru> Kaari, it's closest to you- but Hadley, you see it, too. Still-Unnamed Woman, you hear it, but don't see where it comes from-
<Kaeru> Something catches your eye- more so, your ear. The clicking clatter of dice, fallen to the floor and coming to a stop near you. Brightly colored marbled plastic, one deep swirling blues and blacks and having ten sides, landing with '8' displayed on the upward face. The second is more thinly stripped marbling, deep scarlet reds like ruby or lava, six-sided and landing on a 3. Coming from- somewhere, nearer to one of the exits from commons, and
<Kaeru> landing, Kaari, not far from your feet.
<War_> "…"
<War_> She stoops to pick them up.
<Kaeru> They click together pleasantly in your palm.
<Hankolijo> Trixie, presumably, notices nothing. "Maybe we should get you to engineering?" She suggests to Hadley.
<Taffeta> Mystery woman glances around to look around for the clattering.
<Taffeta> "Wh-"
<NeonSkitty> "I'll… I'll do that later, something's clearly wrong. I should help."
<War_> "Dice."
<War_> She holds them aloft.
<Taffeta> "Seriously?"
<Hankolijo> Trixie frowns, and looks over. "Dice?"
<Taffeta> "Where'd they come from?"
<War_> "…not very sure?"
<NeonSkitty> Hadley just looks confused.
<Kaeru> Kaari, you don't think dice like that should exist here. Well, more relevantly, should exist now.
<War_> She quickly hides them from view by closing her fist around them.
<War_> "It is not a good sign either way."
<Taffeta> "I mean the building nearly damn came down on us, so I hardly think some dice are the worst of our problems…"
<Hankolijo> Trixie blink-blinks. "If that's the case, shouldn't we evacuate everyone?"
<Taffeta> The woman returns to poking around the entrances and exits with her wand, listening to the crackle and hoping it pings something.
<War_> She sidles up to NerdLady, speaks low for her to hear, "They are not from here."
<Kaeru> It doesn't- doesn't- does! Nearer to Kaari, near the exit the dice had landed beside.
<Taffeta> "That's a little insensitive."
<NeonSkitty> "Wait- What? The building nearly came down?!"
<Taffeta> "…Wait, you mean the- OH."
<Taffeta> "OH."
<NeonSkitty> "You all need to evacuate!" Hadley blurts!
<Taffeta> "And- yeah, you all seemed weirdly chill about sand raining from the ceiling. In a place that's buried under the desert."
<Kaeru> But Hadley, you don't detect any structural damage…?
<Kaeru> Or any sign of imminent collapse.
<Taffeta> "Probably stopped already, though, given everything else cleared itself up."
<NeonSkitty> She looks around in a panic, then blinks- "I… Didn't- How didn't I notice- Why aren't there any alarms…?"
<Hankolijo> Trixie nods in agreement with Hadley, but then looks towards her. "Hm? What… Oh. There were no alarms, were there."
<Hankolijo> "…Huh."
<Taffeta> "Time is some funky shit."
<Hankolijo> "T-The radio systems /were/ malfunctioning. Perhaps so are the alarms?"
<NeonSkitty> "Is there something going on with the continuity of time?"
<Taffeta> "Anyway, this thing's pointing us this way…"
<Taffeta> "We think so! And the next break is over through-" She jerks her head in the direction of the exit.
<Hankolijo> "Are you looking for… Time holes?"
<War_> Kaari pockets the dice. She'll need to hand them over to Temp. Affairs if they're not from 'here'.
<War_> "I am not very sure /what/ is happening right now."
<War_> "It's all. Muddled."
<Taffeta> "Yeah, sure."
<Taffeta> "Timeholes."
<Taffeta> The woman snickers under her breath slightly.
<Hankolijo> >_>
<Kaeru> The equipment leads you away from commons, Mystery Woman. Towards- Dorms, maybe? That's what people usually go this way for.
<Taffeta> Onwards to the dorms!
<Hankolijo> Trixie follows along, confused - and tossing a worried look towards robogirl.
<War_> Kaari is bringing up the rear as usual, eyeing her watch, eyeing the ceiling.
<Kaeru> Hey, Trixie?
<Kaeru> What's that feeling? Like an odd tickling on your arm.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley rubs her eyes a little bit. "This is all confusing…"
<Hankolijo> Trixie peers down - what is that?
<Kaeru> Trixie, you look down to see. And- before your wide and staring eyes, as a long scar traces itself out on your forearm. Not a wound, and painless, just an odd and intrusive sensation as a wound both forms and seals and heals well all in one set of strange, strange seconds.
<Hankolijo> There's a pause, and she briefly stops. "What the ffffffffffffUCK JUST HAPPENED"
<NeonSkitty> "Huh! What's going on?"
<Hankolijo> "MY ARM JUST OPENED UP AND THEN CLOSED AGAIN."
<Kaeru> Well, not really.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley blinks.
<Kaeru> But-
<Kaeru> it seems like it had to have, right?
<Kaeru> Because that's how scars work.
<War_> Kaari bumbles over, wide-eyed. "What?"
<Kaeru> But it just- the scar just traced itself out, drew like a marker line onto your skin before your eyes.
<Kaeru> It hadn't even hurt.
<Kaeru> Just felt kinda weird. Like an itch.
<Hankolijo> "M-my arm it-" she blinks, blushes, and places a hand in front of her mouth. "Sorry. Um. I saw… My arm…" She tries to show it to them, but, well. That's kind of pointless, isn't it?
<Taffeta> The woman freezes. "Are you- are you okay?"
<Taffeta> "…I guess you are, you're not, like. Spurting blood everywhere."
<Kaeru> It's still there, the scar, Trixie.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley takes Trixie's arm and looks it over.
<Taffeta> "That's good, that's… usually a good sign…"
<Kaeru> But it wasn't there before. Maybe they wouldn't know that, but you do.
<Hankolijo> Oh, well, there you go, then. There's a scar.
<Hankolijo> "I-I never had this scar! And it just closed up!!" D:
<War_> Kaari looks very worried now. Casts a look at Mystery lady.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley frowns. "I think we should solve whatever's going on quickly."
<Kaeru> Yeah, maybe so.
<War_> "Fix problem before wounds are appearing and not healing."
<Kaeru> Because maybe next time that happens it won't end up fully healed by the time time gets itself figured out-
<Kaeru> yeah.
<Kaeru> That.
<War_> "Is now massive health hazard."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley nodnod.
<Hankolijo> Her eyes widen. "Y-yep, yep, let's keep going, chop, chop, haha."
<Hankolijo> O-O
<Kaeru> There's a heavy groaning, a tremor like a deep shiver in the very structure of the hall you stand in. Your boots fall on small pools of sand scattered occasionally about the floor, and you see small trickles of the same from upper corners and collecting below. Sand shakes and falls in little streams from the ceiling above you in places.
<Kaeru> Maybe it is time-sensitive, after all- in the literal sense of the phrase as well.
<Hankolijo> "Oooooh shoot."
<Taffeta> "Pick up the pace then, dorks, run-"
<War_> "Feels like this place is beginning to fall apart. Nerd lady, where are we going?"
<NeonSkitty> Hadley picks up whatever pace she wasn't holding!
<NeonSkitty> "Please guide the way, miss! You seem like you know what you're doing!"
<Kaeru> Hadley, something you notice causes you a moment of pause, skidding to a stop to try to be certain you detected it at all. A small moment of interference, but not a glitch. Something more familiar.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley blinks and stops, looking around.
<NeonSkitty> "… Hm?"
<Kaeru> But you hadn't caught, hadn't noticed or detected or felt that little interference in a while. Not since the agent at the source of it went on a mission and didn't come back-
<NeonSkitty> Hadley's face would drain of color if she actually had blood, but her expression gives it away.
<Hankolijo> "What is it?" Trixie stops as well, albeit reluctantly.
<NeonSkitty> "… Nova?"
<Kaeru> It's distant, almost unclear enough that you're not entirely certain.
<Hankolijo> Blink. "Agent Nova?"
<NeonSkitty> "Is that you? Are you here?!" Hadley starts to run again- "Please come back!"
<NeonSkitty> "I don't want to be alone again!"
<War_> "…who?"
<Kaeru> Hadley, you run! You can't quite tell if you're getting any closer, but you set a direction and keep moving.
<Kaeru> The rest of you? Your friendly neighborhood android just took off someplace.
<NeonSkitty> She do!
<Hankolijo> Well, shnikes. Trixie would run after her if she can.
<Taffeta> "Hey, lady, where are you…"
<War_> Kaari bolts afterwards
<War_> After Hadley
<NeonSkitty> Hadley's not a particularly amazing runner, but thanks to, well, not being alive, she's got unlimited stamina.
<Taffeta> Mystery woman sighs and runs after Hadley because everyone else is running after her too
<Kaeru> Hadley, roll DET!
<Hankolijo> Trixie is a bad runner and starts breathing heavily quite soon.
<NeonSkitty> 4df+2 :|
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: :|: 2 (4df+2=0, 0, 0, 0)
<War_> Kaari has Legs For Days
<Kaeru> You're focusing on that tiny interference, focusing- so it's not unlike listening intently to something quiet and having an airhorn set off in your ear. A wave of signals, empty signals that cut you off from databases you're used to accessing- it's like a hammer to your skull. Knocks you off your feet somewhat.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley stumbles hard.
<Hankolijo> All factors considered, Kaari probably flexes hard on Trixie in terms of speed.
<Kaeru> Hadley, it's not momentary. It's constant. Keeps going, like wave after wave. If it were sound, it would be drowning- blocks out all else, other signals, other detections and readings.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley loses focus, and falls forward with her hands over her ears.
<Kaeru> The rest of you are quickly able to catch up.
<War_> "What is happening?!"
<Hankolijo> "Hu-wah-Hadley!" Trixie would call out when she finally did, huffing. "What happened?" she asks as she drops down next to her, a hand on the robot's shoulder.
<NeonSkitty> "… I can feel Nova's signal- I think. It has to be, it feels so familiar. But it's so loud… I feel like my receivers are being scrambled."
<Taffeta> "I'm guessing if she's- y'know- not a- not a person, all the interference is going to mess her up."
<Hankolijo> "I-Is there a way to shut them off?"
<NeonSkitty> "It would separate me from the facility's network."
<Taffeta> "That might be better than the alternative if this keeps up."
<Hankolijo> She nods in agreement. "The facility is pretty much separated from the facility's network right now."
<War_> "Cannot risk someone being compromised either."
<NeonSkitty> "I've never been cut off before… I don't know what would happen."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley gets up to her feet slowly, shaking her head.
<Hankolijo> Trixie frowns and helps her stand up. "Shoot… Hey, n-nerd lady! There's still a way to fix all this, right?"
<Taffeta> "That's what we're trying to find out."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley's face is firm, but her eyes look exhausted.
<Kaeru> You all may realize that, with the path you've taken, you've ended up a lot closer to Engineering than you were.
<Hankolijo> "Well, let's get back to it, right? What's your… Thingy tell you?" >->
<NeonSkitty> "… Maybe the Scranton anchors were damaged, somehow."
<War_> "Watch was looping, even if short. Evidence of things happening that haven't happened yet. Things appearing that shouldn't yet."
<War_> "Like the scar. And dice."
<Taffeta> "Dunno. We moved a… little ways away from where we were so I'll need to do another scan…"
<Taffeta> The woman pokes around with the wand some more
<Kaeru> Mystery Woman, looks like you've gone in the right direction, even if it was accidentally!
<Hankolijo> "That's a possibility… Can you walk?" She asks the robit, still supporting her as best as she can with her own smol frame.
<NeonSkitty> "Of course, I haven't sustained any structural damage- I was just… Disoriented."
<Kaeru> Further that way seems to be more concentrated, according to your equipment.
<Taffeta> "Engineering bay."
<NeonSkitty> She nods- "Let's get going, then."
<War_> "Do you want me to be taking point?"
<Hankolijo> Nodnod! The girl still helps Hadley along because that's what ya do, unless she really does just walk on her own.
<Kaeru> Roll PERC. Hadley, -2 penalty, since you're still in Signal Hell.
<Hankolijo> 4df+2 what are eyes
<War_> 4df+4 h
<Glacon> War_: h: 2 (4df+4=+, -, -, -)
<Glacon> Hankolijo: what are eyes: 2 (4df+2=-, +, +, -)
<NeonSkitty> 4df+2 ;-; rippity rip
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: ;-; rippity rip: 0 (4df+2=-, +, -, -)
<War_> gh??
<Taffeta> 4df+4
<Glacon> Taffeta: 2 (4df+4=-, -, -, +)
<Taffeta> i'm
<NeonSkitty> Got dammit bobbeh
<Kaeru> Carry on.
<Taffeta> onwards
<NeonSkitty> ONWARDS!
<Hankolijo> Onwahds
<War_> Onwards!
<War_> Carry on my wayward sooonnnnn
<Kaeru> Hey, mystery woman (i stg introduce yourself so i can use your name)!
<Kaeru> Your equipment is freaking out a bit.
<NeonSkitty> Miss Tery is her name.
<Taffeta> The woman pulls the fuck up as it does. Krtrtrktrkrrkkrkrrkkkrkrkrkritkritrktirtkrk
<Taffeta> "Hold up, we're picking up something big…"
<Hankolijo> "What's the thingy saying now?"
<Hankolijo> "A big… time hole?" Trixie no
<War_> "Please stop saying the words 'time hole'."
<Hankolijo> <_<
<War_> "Time fucks with /us/ we do not fuck her."
<NeonSkitty> "That's… Not physically possible. Time doesn't have genitals."
<Hankolijo> Aaaand there's a big ole blush. "N-not what I m-meant… Also, her?"
<Hankolijo> <-<
<NeonSkitty> "… Ma'ams, could I please have your names? I forgot to ask, before, and I need to keep a record." She looks at Kaari and Mystery Lass.
<Taffeta> "…"
<War_> "…"
<Taffeta> "…My name is Dr. Sally Grissom."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley tilts her head.
<NeonSkitty> "I don't recognize your name."
<War_> "Kaarina Mäkinen."
<Kaeru> It's hard to recognize anyone's names, Hadley, right now.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley cannot!
<NeonSkitty> "I'll… Have to repair my memory cluster when this is figured out."
<Hankolijo> "Nice to meet both of you, but um. What's the deal with the not-time-holes?"
<Taffeta> "That's what we're trying to figure out right this second."'
<Taffeta> "I have a… hunch I know what, but I don't want it to be right."
<Taffeta> "You dig?""
<Taffeta> She looks around for the source of the disturbance with
<Hankolijo> "That doesn't sound good." .n.
<Taffeta> 4df+4 her big ol eyeeees
<Glacon> Taffeta: her big ol eyeeees: 4 (4df+4=+, -, 0, 0)
<Kaeru> You see a place where it seems to be concentrated- a direction- but-
<Kaeru> more clearly, something else from that direction.
<NeonSkitty> "Explain."
<Kaeru> Something all of you notice.
<Kaeru> You hear gunfire, muffled and distant. Crack, cracks of weapons fired and the click, clicks of bullets hitting concrete.
<Taffeta> "DOWN!"
<NeonSkitty> Hadley reacts… Slowly.
<NeonSkitty> "What?"
<War_> Kaari unshoulders her shotgun and bolts forwards, keeping low and following the sound if she can
<Hankolijo> "EEK!" Trixie does just that, ducking low
<Hankolijo> She is not a fightey girl
<Kaeru> Kaari, you round a corner to see a foundation security agent against a wall to one side of an open area, taking cover. She gestures frantically for you to do the same, holding a rifle up against her chest.
<War_> She takes cover as instructed, and if still within decent view would ask the agent for a brief rundown - how many assailants, stuff that can be easily conveyed with gesture.
<NeonSkitty> "What was that? What's happening? I'm having difficulty focusing!" Hadley tries to follow Trixie's example.
<Hankolijo> "Gunfire!" She says, sticking close to her. Damn it, should she just stick back? Should she try and get a look? Would she help or just get in the way?
<Kaeru> You can stay within view, covering on the other side of the opening into the larger room. She holds up three fingers, moves as if to begin to peek around the corner but snaps back into place when a shot goes off and hits the concrete across from the open entranceway.
<NeonSkitty> "… I don't know how to help like this."
<War_> Would it be reasonable for Kaari to let off a warning shot in the direction of the assailants? Big scary shotgun, might dissuade the idiots. Then again…outnumbered.
<NeonSkitty> Well
<NeonSkitty> That's not /entirely/ true.
<Kaeru> You're not sure how far they are, considering the security agent has a rifle, and whatever was fired appeared to be single-shot as well, but not quiet enough to be a pistol.
<Kaeru> You'd have to peek around the corner, but maybe you could.
<NeonSkitty> "This is the engineering bay, we're connected to my AI core."
<War_> She would do so with the utmost caution.
<Hankolijo> ~Damn it, Trixie, think!~ She racks her brain, then looks towards Hadley. "Huh?"
<Kaeru> Kaari, are you looking, or firing primarily?
<War_> Looking, first and foremost.
<Kaeru> Roll perc!
<War_> 4df+4 god please
<Glacon> War_: god please: 5 (4df+4=+, +, -, 0)
<Kaeru> You catch a glimpse before moving back out of the way of a few shots fired at you. You think you see two, but she'd said three, hadn't she? The security agent, that is. Taking cover behind various half-height objects- boxes, the like.
<War_> The next time she exposes herself to potential fire it's to let off a shotgun blast. No specific aim, she's trying to scatter them.
<NeonSkitty> "I have another chassis in my AI core, but I can't connect to it clearly like this."
<Kaeru> Kaari, roll arco or rng, your choice- either applies to this attempt.
<Hankolijo> She thinks. "What do you need to connect to it?"
<War_> 4df+6 both are the same! >:D
<Glacon> War_: both are the same! >:D: 6 (4df+6=+, -, 0, 0)
<NeonSkitty> "Nothing that we have on-hand right now… I just need whatever this… /Interference/ is to go away! It's like bees, buzzing in my head!"
<NeonSkitty> "Miss Kaari, can you please point me in the direction of the shooting!"
<War_> Kaari has detached from the group!
<NeonSkitty> Hadley feels around. "… Where did she go?"
<War_> She'd previously ran off to the shooty noises
<Hankolijo> "She ran inside… Dang it," she takes hold of Hadley's hand to help guide her. "Perhaps we should go look?"
<War_> You'll definitely hear a Kaari shrieking "DISENGAGE!" as a shotgun blast (supposedly) rips through the hall
<NeonSkitty> She shrugs- "Please lead the way!" Hadley stands up a bit, drawing her hand gun from its holster.
<Kaeru> Kaari, you manage to peek out, fire, and get out of the way before anything can hit you.
<NeonSkitty> "You were the only one engaging!"
<Kaeru> You hear shotgun pellets hit concrete and other materials.
<NeonSkitty> "I'm so lost…!"
<War_> Kaari is yelling this at the assailants for the record.
<War_> She doesn't know y'all are trying to follow.
<NeonSkitty> True, but Hadley's also terribly confused at everything at the moment.
<Hankolijo> Trixie stands up and approaches the ruckus - she peers around the corner when she gets there.
<Taffeta> Sally looks like she's trying not to melt the fuck down, behind the corner from Kaari.
<NeonSkitty> "Miss Wilt, do you know how to fire a gun?"
<Hankolijo> "N-no, not really, but…" Are there any engineering vehicles around near the entrance? Perhaps a forklift or the like?
<Kaeru> None. The main room is beyond; the security agents and Kaari are in the hall, sheltered on either side of the entranceway.
<Hankolijo> Frick.
<NeonSkitty> Can Hadley make a hack attempt to try to jack back into the facility's network through the interference?
<Hankolijo> A different thought crosses her mind - she lets go of Hadley's hand and checks the nearest intercom - is the thing functional at all?
<Kaeru> Hadley, highly unlikely. But you could- there's something different about the interference, like it's more natural now- you could try to isolate it, block it out somewhat, for now?
<Kaeru> Trixie, it looks like it is.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley will try that!
<War_> Kaari peeks to see if the shot scattered the other agents.
<NeonSkitty> What to roll'mst with?
<Kaeru> ENG will do, Hadley.
<Kaeru> Kaari, you don't get a good look- but a shot to the concrete across the hall from you tells you enough.
<NeonSkitty> 4df+3 ENG
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: ENG: 0 (4df+3=-, -, 0, -)
<NeonSkitty> fuggin,,,
<Hankolijo> Bodacious. She takes her tools out of her pouch and pops open the control panel - her plan is to fuck with the connections and the volume controls - connecting to the intercom behind the enemies inside. May she roll engineering for this?
<Kaeru> Nope, yeah, that's worse, Hadley. You can barely connect to your core through all this- intermittently, inconsistently.
<Kaeru> Sure, Trixie.
<Hankolijo> 4df+6 Glacky pls let Trixie do things
<Glacon> Hankolijo: Glacky pls let Trixie do things: 5 (4df+6=-, 0, -, +)
<NeonSkitty> Hadley falls over.
<War_> "Fucking hell," she hisses
<Hankolijo> Oh, dang it, now Trixie feels bad about letting go of her. "Hadley!"
<NeonSkitty> "I'm… Okay…"
<Kaeru> You manage, Trixie. What are you attempting now that you're connected?
<Hankolijo> 4df+5 (PERS) "There is no need to fight! If we don't get into engineering all of us are in great danger!" She shouts into the intercom, loudly but in a somewhat quivering tone. "The entire site may collapse a-and all of us go with it!"
<Glacon> Hankolijo: (PERS) "There is no need to fight! If we don't get into engineering all of us are in great danger!" She shouts into the intercom, loudly but in a somewhat quivering tone. "The entire site may collapse a-and all of us go with it!": 4 (4df+5=+, 0, -, -)
<Hankolijo> …Permission to use Dorky Charm here if this fails?
<Kaeru> Sure. You startle them, you'd guess- and one responds- "Come out with your hands up! You're trespassing in a private military facility!"
<Hankolijo> 4df+5 "Something is very off here, I'm sure you know that! Please, just… Put away your guns! Nobody needs to get hurt!"
<Glacon> Hankolijo: "Something is very off here, I'm sure you know that! Please, just… Put away your guns! Nobody needs to get hurt!": 5 (4df+5=+, +, -, -)
<Taffeta> "Private military- we *are* the private-"
<War_> "Disengage! We are not out to be hurting you!"
<Kaeru> A long pause, silence. Then- "Okay, alright, we can talk!" The same voice. "I'm going to approach the entranceway! I'm leaving my gun on the floor-" you hear the clatter as it's dropped, footfalls approaching- "And my hands are behind my head. I expect not to be attacked! I have allies still armed!"
<NeonSkitty> Hadley turns her head up to watch from where she is.
<War_> Kaari has her shotgun in hand, poised to react at the drop of a hat if needs be.
<Kaeru> Hadley. If you could cut off from the main network, prioritize your core connection, maybe-?
<Kaeru> Kaari, you can't see unless you peek around the corner. But that means putting yourself in the line of fire, potentially.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley will… Try.
<Kaeru> Granted, nobody's firing right now.
<Kaeru> Hadley, roll eng.
<War_> She takes a risk and steps out, gun pointing towards the floor. "Do not shoot."
<Hankolijo> Trixie… Peeks into the line of fire.
<Hankolijo> >->
<Kaeru> There's someone there, standing in the middle of the room, unarmed. Hands behind his head, an older design of a security uniform on, helmet discarded to one side. Military cut brown hair and a lean build, hands behind his head, as he promised. Standing still, so as not to startle.
<Kaeru> There's a Promethean Industries logo on the breast of his uniform, clearly visible.
<Hankolijo> Trixie lets out a small huff of relief.
<War_> The KS remains aimed at the floor. "Who are you."
<Taffeta> Sally's eyes go wide as she peeks round the corner and she quickly tries to scarper off.
<Taffeta> NOPE
<NeonSkitty> 4df+3 ENG
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: ENG: 1 (4df+3=+, -, -, -)
<NeonSkitty> ;-;
<NeonSkitty> Poor robogirl has bad luckums
<Kaeru> f
<Kaeru> Everyone else might notice Sally trying to- well, scarper off.
<Hankolijo> Trixie does. "Um, Sally?"
<Kaeru> Kaari, he speaks calmly, professionally. "Major Johnathan Haage, Promethean."
<Taffeta> Sally has YEETED off around the corner
<Hankolijo> Trixie looks back, and decides to let Kaari deal with this encounter. She instead runs after the time girl!
<Hankolijo> They still need to fix the time holes!!
<NeonSkitty> Gross. >:|
<Kaeru> Sally, you run off! Tooltime!
<Kaeru> Trixie, you head that way too, so same for you!
<War_> She squints.
<War_> Utters a single 'fuck' - may as well be one of the last few she has to offer. "Fuckin' Prometheans, I knew it was looking familiar."
<War_> "How are you here. This is Foundation-owned facility."
<Kaeru> He scowls. "It's a Promethean Facility, I'll have you know. The question is how you're here."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley pulls herself back to her feet and tries to make her way to the ruckus.
<War_> "By looks of things, I have a few theories, Major."
<War_> "Not sure how much I can tell you."
<Kaeru> Hadley, uh, difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.
<Kaeru> "Find a way."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley will beep-boop her way through the difficulty! >:V
<War_> "Do not be ordering me around - rank among your people means nothing to me."
<Kaeru> "How about this meaning something to you?" There's a tiny metallic clink, like a paperclip hitting the ground behind him. "Don't try anything stupid."
<War_> "Would be saying the same."
<War_> Kaari's prepared, unbeknown to them. She packs flashbang rounds.
<War_> It's no longer buckshot in that shotgun.
<NeonSkitty> While she tries to make her way there, Hadley attempts again to disengage from the network again.
<Kaeru> Kaari, roll logic?
<Kaeru> Hadley, go for it.
<War_> 4df+1 i don't have logic, w e e p s
<Glacon> War_: i don't have logic, w e e p s: 0 (4df+1=0, +, -, -)
<War_> unfair
<NeonSkitty> 4df+3 ENG
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: ENG: 4 (4df+3=+, 0, 0, 0)
<Kaeru> War_, i'll give you a reroll with perc, since logically (haha) Kaari would know enough potentially
<Kaeru> Hadley! You do it! And man, that's weird.
<War_> 4df+4 watch glacon kick my ass real quick
<Glacon> War_: watch glacon kick my ass real quick: 4 (4df+4=0, 0, 0, 0)
<War_> spicy
<NeonSkitty> Hadley blinks.
<NeonSkitty> Then breaks into a mechanical sprint.
<Kaeru> You know exactly what that sound was, Kaari. Tiny metal, thin wire like a paperclip? His hands still behind his head- he could be holding something, couldn't he?
<Kaeru> Kaari, that was a pin.
<War_> She /bolts./
<NeonSkitty> How fast can Hadley make it to Kaari?
<Kaeru> Very. Granted, Kaari, if he's still holding it- deadman's, right? If it's what you think. But he's certainly holding a good few of the cards, here. Do you still bolt?
<NeonSkitty> Hadley stops behind Kaari. "Please step back, ma'am."
<War_> She moves for cover from the potential blast, not distance. "Stay out of the way!"
<NeonSkitty> "Combat negotiations are part of my programming. Please, allow me to attempt to do my job."
<Kaeru> The Major chuckles, hands still behind his head.
<War_> "I said /stay out of the way/ there could be a live grenade!" she snarls
<NeonSkitty> "I know."
<NeonSkitty> "I can't kill humans, miss Kaari."
<War_> "Then stay out of my way!"
<NeonSkitty> Hadley steps behind Kaari and watches quietly, mapping out a scenario in her head.
<War_> Kaari's just waiting for /something/ to go off, now. Hopefully while somewhere safe enough.
<Kaeru> Hadley, if he has a live grenade held behind his head, there's no way anyone can take him down without him having the chance to release the deadman's switch.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley pats Kaari's shoulder.
<NeonSkitty> Then speaks quietly.
<NeonSkitty> "… But there aren't any clauses in my AI shackles about unfortunate accidents."
<War_> She bares her teeth in a growl of frustration.
<War_> "It is not wise to be playing games, Major!" she shouts
<Kaeru> "I'm not playing games. Just making sure the situation is clear."
<Kaeru> "You are trespassing. And I'd like a bloody explanation from at least one of you."
<War_> "With a grenade?! You'll kill us both without answers!"
<NeonSkitty> Hadley listens. "May I attempt to mediate the situation?"
<NeonSkitty> "A grenade isn't going to kill me, after all."
<Kaeru> "I'd rather kill trespassers than let them roam the facility as they like."
<War_> "We can't risk telling sensitive information-" she hisses
<War_> "I cannot tell you exact things! What is happening is bigger than the both of us, Major!"
<War_> "And I am no fool."
<NeonSkitty> Can Hadley make a persuasion roll?
<Kaeru> Sure!
<NeonSkitty> 4df+3 PERS+Mediator - "Please, secure your explosive! We're trying to fix whatever is going wrong right now. We're not from this time, it seems- We just want to get back to where we're from."
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: PERS+Mediator - "Please, secure your explosive! We're trying to fix whatever is going wrong right now. We're not from this time, it seems- We just want to get back to where we're from.": 5 (4df+3=0, 0, +, +)
<NeonSkitty> Fucc dude.
<War_> Kaari gives Hadley a Look(tm)
<Kaeru> The major raises an eyebrow. "… What year is it, ma'am?"
<NeonSkitty> "I'm built to withstand high pressure and intense heat, and the shrapnel would only affect my outer layer at this range. It would be in all of our benefits to speak in a more civil manner." Hadley tilts her head. "Nineteen eighty four, I think." She's only running on local memory, now. This is weird. :c
<Kaeru> "…" He's quiet for a moment, then there's a shuffling, the movement of clothing. A small scrape of light metal picked up from the ground. And a clink, another, then a click. "Keep talking."
<NeonSkitty> "What year is it, for you?"
<Kaeru> "If we're being civil," he says simply, "Nineteen fifty one."
<War_> "This is so very fucked," Kaari whines
<NeonSkitty> "… I see. My name is Hadley Three-Three-Zero-One. I'm a field agent of the Foundation, this facility belongs to us by then." She looks back at Kaari. "Please keep your pants on."
<War_> "Wh-?!"
<Kaeru> "…" His brow furrows. It occurs to you you maybe should not have told him that.
<War_> "I told you this was /sensitive matter —"/
<War_> "Am I going to have to kill a fucker. I might just have to kill a fucker."
<NeonSkitty> "I'm only trying to alleviate the situation." Hadley looks at Kaari- "Like I said, I can't kill humans."
<War_> "You say the wrong thing you could indirectly fuck up things on a far larger scale!"
<Kaeru> Kaari, you notice something. Mostly because you're watching for it.
<NeonSkitty> "… That being said."
<War_> /"Including/ human lives!"
<War_> She stops
<Kaeru> You notice as small, old-looking damage marks trace themselves out along the walls. Old, patched-up bullet marks and cracks long since repaired.
<Kaeru> A facility both being damaged and having thirty plus years to deal with the damage, at once.
<Kaeru> You changed something.
<War_> She starts to look…panicked? That's…an expression for her??
<NeonSkitty> "I can assure you that it wasn't a violent takeover. There's no need for hostility."
<War_> "Everything we do," she says to Hadley, slowly, "Has an impact. Indirect and direct. We are interfering with the past - what we do here could change the future, /our/ future. Do you understand?"
<War_> She says this low enough to mask her voice from the Major.
<Kaeru> "Knowing our relationship with your Foundation, Hadley 3301, I'd doubt that somewhat."
<NeonSkitty> "I understand perfectly. In fact, I'm… Relatively sure I wouldn't exist if we weren't having this conversation right now."
<NeonSkitty> "Considering Promethean Labs came up with the idea to build me."
<War_> "Then do not tell the Major /anything."/
<NeonSkitty> She nods, speaking quietly to Kaari- "I will not. Please keep in mind, though, that he did put the grenade away." She speaks up now- "Things are different. But we need to get back to where we came from or… Who knows what could happen."
<Kaeru> "…"
<Kaeru> He clips the grenade back to his belt fully. "Ma'am. I fully respect your motivations, if what you're saying is true. But we both know I can't let you just roam the facility."
<NeonSkitty> "Of course not. If you would feel safer you could accompany us. But I would rather not permanently damage the timeline without even knowing /what/ was causing this, at the very least."
<War_> "God you need to stop bringing up the timeline -" she hisses
<NeonSkitty> Hadley turns and shrugs at Kaari. "It's better than time /hole/."
<Kaeru> He glances at some damage to the area around the frame of the entranceway. "I have a feeling we already may have."
<NeonSkitty> Hads follows his gaze.
<War_> "Yeah no /shit-"/
<Kaeru> There's some concrete repairs he's looking at. Looks back at you. Heaves a sigh. "I'm a Major," he begins simply. "I know the basics of time continuity. Which means I realize that, as of now, I am potentially the only one from my time aware of what you've told me." The repairs continue to spread.
<War_> "And you really shouldn't be."
<Kaeru> He looks down slightly, swallows hard. Exhales, looks back up, eyes steady and expression neutral. "So shoot me."
<NeonSkitty> "Without a small modicum of information, we'll get nowhere. I'm making sure to measure carefully."
<Kaeru> "My agents will know they're outnumbered. They'll retreat to regroup- and hopefully get to go home when you sort this all out."
<Kaeru> "This'll go down as a spat on the record. No ripple effects."
<War_> "I have considered it. But there could be hidden effects."
<Kaeru> "This facility looks wrong," he states. "Which means we're in your time, not mine. My agents will be able to testify seeing my death. I'm not young and I'm not married, never planned to be. No grandfather paradox."
<NeonSkitty> "…"
<Kaeru> "Would you rather risk having that damage take the site down instead?"
<Kaeru> He's rather calm, arguing for his own- practically, execution.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley looks at Kaari.
<War_> Kaari emerges. Shoulders the KS. "This is no trick of yours?"
<Kaeru> He shakes his head, taking a slow breath. He takes the grenade off his hip and tosses it aside so it doesn't get hit by a stray pellet. Swallows. "No trick."
<Kaeru> Kaari, he meets your eyes steadily. Hands at his sides, unwavering.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley looks back at major, then back to Kaari.
<Kaeru> He just takes a breath. "Do it. I'd rather die knowing I might be saving a lot of lives in the process."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley hands Kaari her gun. "Use mine."
<War_> She walks to the man. Hand on shoulder.
<War_> Draws the P220 from her H-harness and presses the muzzle square between his eyes. "Last chance, Major. You are sure?"
<NeonSkitty> It's a Sig Saur P220 handgun.
<War_> She has her own!
<NeonSkitty> Oh! Nevermind.
<Kaeru> He closes his eyes. "The devil you know, right?" He attempts a chuckle, but it's humorless.
<NeonSkitty> "… What's your name?"
<Kaeru> He sighs, speaks a bit quieter. "Johnathan Haage."
<NeonSkitty> "Thank you." She nods, and remains behind Kaari watching quietly now.
<War_> She pulls the trigger.
<Kaeru> It's oddly unsettling, killing someone willing to die. Someone who suggested it themselves. But you do. The shot cracks out and echoes against concrete walls, impact felt in the shoulder you hold. And, missing a decent portion of his skull, the Major crumples to the reddening floor.
<War_> She huffs a sigh and holsters the gun.
<War_> "We go. Now."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley jumps.
<NeonSkitty> Stares.
<NeonSkitty> "… Right."
<Kaeru> Maybe it's time to move. Because there's a startled shout from further in the room- and you remember the major saying his agents would retreat to regroup if they were outnumbered, but that doesn't mean they won't shoot first.
<War_> She starts to retreat back from the direction they initially came. "Move!"
<NeonSkitty> Hadley turns, and breaks into a sprint.
<Kaeru> Roll acro, both of you!
<War_> 4df+6
<Glacon> War_: 5 (4df+6=0, 0, -, 0)
<NeonSkitty> 4df+2 :|
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: :|: -1 (4df+2=-, 0, -, -)
<Kaeru> w o m p
<Kaeru> 4df+4 pot shots
<Glacon> Kaeru: pot shots: 5 (4df+4=0, +, 0, 0)
<Kaeru> 4df+4 pot shot x2
<Glacon> Kaeru: pot shot x2: 4 (4df+4=0, -, 0, +)
<Kaeru> well then
<NeonSkitty> RES?
<Kaeru> What's hadley's RES modifier?
<NeonSkitty> +3 RES alone, +5 with with Toughness base
<Kaeru> okay then that'd still fail on that roll tho :/
<Kaeru> 1d6-1 Kaari- a shot hits the back of your upper arm as you try to retreat.
<Glacon> Kaeru: Kaari- a shot hits the back of your upper arm as you try to retreat.: 2 (1d6-1=3)
<Kaeru> 1d6-1 Hadley, you get caught in the abdomen. Not for the first time, you're glad you don't have the same vulnerabilities as humans tend to.
<Glacon> Kaeru: Hadley, you get caught in the abdomen. Not for the first time, you're glad you don't have the same vulnerabilities as humans tend to.: 3 (1d6-1=4)
<NeonSkitty> Hadley stumbles as she catches the round in one of her ablative plates.
<Kaeru> There's a sound of footfalls retreating, heavy boots gaining distance. You're glad they couldn't have known that they weren't outnumbered anymore.
<War_> Kaari lets out an audible yelp of pain, moving to compress the hit she took. She's glad her jacket's not /on/ her, she really doesn't fancy patching up that jacket.
<NeonSkitty> "Are you okay?!"
<War_> " - fine -!"
<Kaeru> … What now?
<Kaeru> Your equipment-having time nerd is nowhere to be seen.
<War_> "We are needing to find the others! Do you know wh-ere they are -?"
<NeonSkitty> "I… I don't. I was disabled when everyone scattered."
<War_> "Engineering was mentioned. Did they go there…?"
<NeonSkitty> "Maybe- It wouldn't hurt to check!"
<Kaeru> Hey, roll perc, you two!
<NeonSkitty> 4df+5 PERC 🤔
<Glacon> NeonSkitty: PERC 🤔: 5 (4df+5=0, +, 0, -)
<Kaeru> You see movement- and look out across the open room to see a figure in the entryway opposite.
<War_> 4df+4 ono
<Glacon> War_: ono: 0 (4df+4=-, -, -, -)
<NeonSkitty> …
<War_> im fuckin blind, got blood in my eye
<Kaeru> Blonde hair and slim build- Kaari, you see jack shit.
<War_> Blood ran into her eye totally. Blood and possibly brain matter.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley draws her pistol and shuffles in front of Kaari- "Hands up!"
<War_> " - huhwha"
<Kaeru> Hadley, it's unfortunate you're not networked. You feel like you could recognize people, if you were, but you don't, not for certain, without that connection.
<Kaeru> The figure has already ducked out of view.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley drops into a tactical crouch, creeping in the figure's direction.
<War_> "What are you doing?"
<Kaeru> It's a large room. Long way to creep, Hads.
<Kaeru> Hadley, you get a response, shouted from opposite.
<NeonSkitty> "Someone's there, you're injured. It's my job to protect you." She clarifies- "Please, step back into view!"
<Kaeru> "I've got a twenty-five pound portable computer in my hands," the voice shouts back, "I'm not raising shit."
<Kaeru> You know that voice, Hadley.
<NeonSkitty> "…"
<NeonSkitty> She tries to get the figure into view, jogging up a bit further.
<Kaeru> You'd have to go through the entryway opposite.
<NeonSkitty> She looks back at Kaari- "… Will you be alright to continue?"
<War_> "I am fine! Minor graze."
<Kaeru> "We haven't got all fucking day, aught-one, come on, I won't bite unless you want me to," says the familiar voice opposite. "Christ."
<NeonSkitty> She nods, and advances- "… Your voice is familiar."
<Kaeru> Head to TT, you two, as you approach.
Kaeru> Around a corner and down a hall- away from the gunfire, muffled now by concrete and distance. Sally, where are you headed?
<Taffeta> "Nope nope nope-"
<Hankolijo> Trixie is giving chase! "Waaaait! We still haven't fixed anything!" D:
<Taffeta> Sally is headed directly away from Promethean because a) they *put* her in this position to begin with and b) she does *not* want to have to deal with creating paradox by interfering in it.
<Taffeta> If Promethean is on-site then something terrible has gone wrongand chances are, time-wise. So things are getting much worse, much faster, and she doesn't think engineering is going to have the solution.
<Taffeta> …At least, not the engineering bay anyone can visit…
<teslatornado> Sally, is that fucking -
<teslatornado> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJL-lCzEXgI
<Glacon> teslatornado: Duran Duran - Hungry like the Wolf (Official Music Video) - length 3m42s - 10891↑309↓ - 939,898 views - Duran Duran on 2018.07.04
<Hankolijo> Trixie does not appreciate all the r u n n i n g today
<Taffeta> Sally comes to a screeching halt as she runs into…
<teslatornado> … Yeah, yeah it definitely is, it's fucking Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran, playing through a pair of TPS-L2 Walkman headphones, and the wearer is camped in the middle of the hallway, and it's that blond-haired fuck that brought you here.
<teslatornado> Ruben looks up. Blinks.
<Taffeta> "YOU!"
<teslatornado> "Me."
<Hankolijo> Trixie is somewhere behind. "Ruben!"
<Taffeta> "Time's fucked."'
<teslatornado> "Noticed."
<Hankolijo> She just sort of presses against the wall for a bit. Running bad.
<teslatornado> "Timepiece?"
<Kaeru> roll perc, the three of you, if you like.
<teslatornado> 4df+6 (PERC) I've got lots of that
<Glacon> teslatornado: (PERC) I've got lots of that: 4 (4df+6=-, -, -, +)
<Hankolijo> 4df+2 Like that'll help this poor girl
<Glacon> Hankolijo: Like that'll help this poor girl: 4 (4df+2=+, 0, 0, +)
<Taffeta> 4df+4 oweaux
<Glacon> Taffeta: oweaux: 4 (4df+4=+, 0, 0, -)
<Kaeru> Oh, you all see it at just about the same moment.
<Kaeru> You hadn't noticed it before.
<Kaeru> There's a poster on the wall- not larger than standard printer paper, text bold and emblazoned with an official US Government seal. It's slapped crookedly into place, as if in a hurry.WE CAN NO LONGER PROTECT YOU, it says along the top. In smaller lettering, a subtitle also bolded in all-caps black lettering, THE UNITED STATES MILITARY HAS BEEN DEFEATED. YOU ARE NOW ALONEThe very bottom of the poster says, almost subtly, quietly, GOD SPEED
<Taffeta> "I don't thiiiiiiiiiink s-what the fuck?
<Hankolijo> "…Eep."
<teslatornado> Ruben makes a face at that poster. "… That. Was on a security report."
<Taffeta> "More artifacts?"
<Hankolijo> ~Defeated by /what/?~
<teslatornado> He unfolds himself. Unplugs his Compaq from the nearby wall outlet and picks it up. "Yeah, but uh."
<teslatornado> "Not. From our continuity, I think?"
<Kaeru> Maybe there's a timestamp?
<Taffeta> Sally searches for a timestamp.
<Taffeta> "At least I *hope* not, no."
<Hankolijo> "Arti…facts?"
<teslatornado> Ruben gets up and inspects it. He thinks he remembers the original timestamp. But this is worth looking at. "See, this is why I wish the Foundation wouldd've given you fucking security clearance the first nine times I asked them to."
<Kaeru> There is one. August, 1989.
<teslatornado> Ruben holds his hand up in the general vicinity of the poster. Does the temperature change?
<Kaeru> Nope. Seems normal enough.
<teslatornado> He looks over his shoulder, at Trixie. "There was a security notice put up a few weeks ago about quantum-isolative events related to posters a lot like these."
<teslatornado> "1989, US government fell, God save us, et cetera, et cetera."
<teslatornado> "Problem being that is. Five years ahead of us."
<Hankolijo> She slowly nods. "…Should we um. Be worried about what happens in five years?"
<Kaeru> Problem being that you don't know if it's your continuity or not.
<Taffeta> "…best not to care, at this stage."
<teslatornado> "Well, that's the problem, isn't it?" Ruben looks from Trixie to Grissom. "No way of telling whether this is our hypothetical 1989, or some other instance of 1989."
<teslatornado> "But that'syeah. What Sally said."
<Taffeta> "People who try to change the future tend to… um. Incur. Repercussions for it."
<Hankolijo> She frowns, but nods never the less.
<teslatornado> "How are you by the way, Sally? I haven't seen you in - fuck, fucking months probably?"
<Taffeta> "You know what happens to people who listen to prophecies, right?"
<Taffeta> "Uhh, I've been… not outside. Very often."
<teslatornado> "… I'm sorry."
<Taffeta> "It's fine, I just… I don't really need to. Make more trouble than I already have."
<Taffeta> "Minimising exposure; prevention is better than cure."
<Taffeta> "All that."
<Hankolijo> "U-um, I'm very sorry to interrupt, but, um, what does your device say, Sally? Sorry."
<Taffeta> "Still, uh, doesn't seem to have prevented very much of anything at all, though, has it? Haaah.
<teslatornado> Ruben stretches a bit. Gives the flyer an experimental tug. "How very polite and valiant of you," he mutters.
<Taffeta> Sally pokes her wand around some more. "I think we're getting close to a nexus of some kind, though I could be wrong…"
<Hankolijo> "A nexus?"
<teslatornado> Ruben makes a 'hmh' noise as he turns back towards Grissom. "… Remind me how your timepiece prototype worked, again?"
<Kaeru> It comes right off the wall, Ruben. Just stapled in place.
<Taffeta> "Like, where all these events are coming from. Or going to."
<Taffeta> "Dunno."
<teslatornado> He starts walking around and looking at the flyer as he does so. Watching for the telltale frost formations on the paper.
<teslatornado> "Like some kind of. Hyper-localized big bang?"
<Taffeta> "Ish, yeah."
<Kaeru> Ruben, nothing. You're not sure if that's better or worse.
<Taffeta> "Except instead of a big bang, it's like… ten million people all killing their grandfathers at once."
<Hankolijo> Yet another slow nod. "I see. And what do we do when we find the nexus?"
<teslatornado> "Well, I guess," Ruben says idly, dropping the poster to the floor, "We're about to save a lot of future old folks then, aren't we?"
<Taffeta> "Guess so."
<Taffeta> "We, uh… I haven't got to that part yet."
<Taffeta> "But nature abhors a paradox. Something's got to be letting those paradoxes happen, somehow."
<Hankolijo> "…Oh." Blink. Then a shrug. "Um. Cross that bridge when we get to it?"
<Taffeta> "Basically."
<teslatornado> "Yeah, we'll have a better idea what to do when we see it." Ruben finishes picking up his Compaq, lifts it up and looks at the other two. "So. Let's get going?"
<Hankolijo> "Yep, yep!" She nods.
<Taffeta> Grissom straightens up and harrumphs determinedly. "Onwards."
<teslatornado> "Time's… Well, time is currently fucking itself raw but in a world where we followed the standard linear progression of time, we'd be wasting it."
<teslatornado> Ruben grunts. "Fuck it, let's just. Go do the thing. Time squad."
<Kaeru> You think you know which way to go. Sally, the distant gunfire has been quiet for a while. Maybe they left? But you could also get to where you're going a different route, you think.
<Hankolijo> Trixie follows wherever she is led - she likes the term time squad.
<Taffeta> Sally wants to swing faaaaar far far from the Promethean fuckery.
<teslatornado> Ruben, who doesn't have a Magical Time-Detecting Stick, holds formation behind Sally.
<teslatornado> "Oh, uh. Trixie? That's - oh I don't care. Don't. Try not to touch anything while we're desynced."
<Hankolijo> Blink. "Um. Alright?" She says. Why would she touch anything?
<Kaeru> There's a subtle but deep, trembling rumble that shakes the world around you. It comes from above- the muffled roar of aircraft engines at full and the eventual lessening of the rumbling before it's gone completely- as is the sound, eventually- tells you a story of a carrier taking flight.
<Kaeru> This is unusual only for the fact that you're entirely unaware of any scheduled missions or flights for today, let alone for this hour of today.
<Hankolijo> Trixie is well aware that today is not today.
<Taffeta> Sally is already paranoid about the site collapsing entirely under the coarse and irritating sand, so all this does is make her hustle much harder.
<teslatornado> "… There aren't any scheduled operations today. Uh." Ruben hustles after Grissom.
<Hankolijo> "I-I don't think there were any scheduled shoot-outs in engineering, either." >_>
<Taffeta> "Live fire drill, obviously."
<Kaeru> That, maybe.
<Kaeru> That or time is fucking pissed.
<Taffeta> It is probably the most pissed at Sally
<Taffeta> and for good reason
<teslatornado> "Possibly, but we'd. Have been informed, I think." Ruben continues onward. He probably also contributed to this, somehow, judging by the fact that she wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.
<Hankolijo> Trixie is entirely innocent and thoroughly spooked.
<Kaeru> You hear an odd silence. See small marks of newer concrete trace themselves out across the walls, old repairs from old cracks and bullet holes that weren't there before.
<teslatornado> Ruben's neck cracks a couple times as his head torques around to watch the cracks web out across the wall, fill themselves.
<teslatornado> Fill damage that wasn't damage.
<Taffeta> Oh no no no no
<Hankolijo> Trixie's just glad that it's not cracks on her that are getting filled this time.
<Taffeta> Sally refuses to acknowledge the evidence that Things In The Past Are Changing.
<teslatornado> "We should. Move faster now."
<teslatornado> "Considerably faster."
<Taffeta> "Must go faster-"
<teslatornado> "Because, if I have any guesses about what's going on and why that's happening, someone, somewhere, probably fucking Joshua, just did something stupid."
<Hankolijo> Trixie's in the back, so all she can do is agree and move as fast as they are. Well, probably a bit slower. R u n n i n g.
<Taffeta> "Come on come on come on-" Sally frantically checks the detector wand as she runs, holding it out in front of her to see if she needs to make a hard bank every now and then.
<teslatornado> Ruben sticks close, heaving his Compaq along as he goes. He's thinking, but time going forward is a bit beyond him, and getting caught out five years ahead was. Unexpected.
<teslatornado> 4df+6 (Logic) He uses his Galaxy Brain in combination with the month and change of temporal physics research he did just after Sally got here in order to try to resolve what could possibly have the entire site spread out across time like a pat of butter on fresh toast.
<Glacon> teslatornado: (Logic) He uses his Galaxy Brain in combination with the month and change of temporal physics research he did just after Sally got here in order to try to resolve what could possibly have the entire site spread out across time like a pat of butter on fresh toast.: 5 (4df+6=+, -, -, 0)
<Kaeru> You realize this thing isn't changing its direction indicated- it might be a ways off. You hear an unsettling cracking in the roof above you and the shifting of sand.
<Kaeru> Ruben, these events-
<Kaeru> seem to be oddly disconnected.
<teslatornado> Acausal?
<teslatornado> Seemingly happening without anything previously contributing to them?
<Kaeru> Some of them. Some.
<Kaeru> Like glitches. Little spikes, like jumping static or excess electricity from an overclocked battery.
<teslatornado> And that's… Not jiving with actual codified history.
<teslatornado> The ultimate square-peg-in-round-hole.
<Kaeru> The repaired areas only continue to appear…
<teslatornado> "… Something's stuck in its throat."
<Hankolijo> "I'm guessing the walls doing that is a very bad thing."
<teslatornado> Ruben glances back at Trixie. "Yeah, it's - I - I have a theory, I think, but it is very not good."
<Hankolijo> "…I have none. Nothing that doesn't involve the word 'time hole', at least. So shoot."
<teslatornado> "I don't think the issue is… Well, some of it. Isn't. It's that things are trying to go where there isn't a hole."
<teslatornado> "Like. Trying to fucking. Push a hotdog through the bun sideways."
<Hankolijo> "…Wait, are time holes a thing that exists?" She asks, then shakes her head. "So it's… Time basically going the wrong way… Through itself?"
<teslatornado> "No, it's. Something that already exists, that already happened, yeah? That's immutable, but. Something somewhere is happening that's. Trying to exist at the same time…?"
<teslatornado> "Maybe?"
<teslatornado> "And rather than fitting into place within causality it's trying to. Force itself through and over the original event…?"
<Kaeru> That's what it seems like, at least.
<Hankolijo> "The site from the fifties, the site as we know it, and the site five years from now… I see," she nodnods.
<Kaeru> And, of course- the site now.
<Kaeru> Your now.
<Taffeta> "It's trying to weld stuff together that… shouldn't be."
<Hankolijo> That'd be the site as she knows it. Yep. "So, we'd need to somehow… Put it back into place? Bring back just the site as it exists in our time?"
<teslatornado> "Presumably, this… Nexus, that doctor Grissom is talking about - that's. The point where the two events are rubbing together."
<teslatornado> "If I had to guess."
<Taffeta> She wiggles her hand. "Ish."
<Taffeta> "But ish is good enough."
<teslatornado> Ruben tips his head side to side. "Approximately."
<Taffeta> How close are they to that critical point?
<Kaeru> Ish is all you have.
<Kaeru> You're getting closer. You can hear conversations nearby.
<teslatornado> Ish is better than total temporal collapse.
<Hankolijo> "…How does one separate time? It's not like time has a physical form… I think. I don't know anymore. My head hurts." .n.
<teslatornado> Ruben lowers his voice. "Well. The fizzing sensation at the root of my penis tells me we're about to find out."
<Hankolijo> Well, good thing Trixie's walking in the back, because her expression is not one she would wish to share. "U-u-uh, right. Um."
<Taffeta> Grissom follows the wand, listening out to the conversations.
<Kaeru> Hey, wait.
<Kaeru> Sally, something odd happens.
<Taffeta> owo
<Kaeru> You're walking calmly when the world seems to blur, in a similar way to something moving fast coming to a sudden stop. You bump into something- someone?- about your own height and build, similar clothing perhaps- but you only get a momentary glimpse- someone who hadn't been there a split second before. You stumble and so do they, and you blink, shake yourself out of it- and they're gone.
<Taffeta> "H-hey, I-"
<Taffeta> Sally fumbles to straighten her glasses, then freezes as the implications of what just happen run through her head.
<Hankolijo> "Huh? Did something happen?"
<Taffeta> "O-oh god."
<teslatornado> Ruben looks at Grissom, and his face is big concern. Dinner-plate eyes and a frown so hard it opens his mouth a bit.
<teslatornado> "Uh?"
<Taffeta> "I think- I think I just ran into myself-"
<Hankolijo> "You… ran into yourself?" She tilts her head. "…isn't that, um. A paradox?"
<Taffeta> "As opposed to *all the other ones we've seen today?*"
<Hankolijo> "…a more paradoxy paradox? I'm not a time scientist!" .n.
<Kaeru> You hear a gunshot. A single, cracking pistol round.
<Hankolijo> Trixie jumps at it slightly.
<Taffeta> Sally whimpers.
<Kaeru> It's close by. Close enough that you look in the direction-
<Kaeru> and realize something.
<Kaeru> That damage, the repaired concrete that you'd seen tracing itself out?
<Kaeru> It's gone.
<Hankolijo> "…the walls. Is that a good sign?"
<Taffeta> "I- maybe? Maybe it is, I don't know, I-I-"
<teslatornado> Snorri. Blinks.
<teslatornado> Ruben blinks.
<teslatornado> I'm tired.
<Hankolijo> "Are we near the nexus?"
<teslatornado> "It. Could be indicative of a resolution to the conflict. Changes to the, uh. To the site architecture have. Stopped."
<Taffeta> "We're getting… close, I think."
<Taffeta> "Close to the nexus. Close to the end of whatever this is."
<Taffeta> "All of it."
<Hankolijo> Nodnod.
<Kaeru> There are other shots, muffled, but not overly distant. Two, three, rifle fire, then nothing.
<teslatornado> Ruben visibly flinches at every shot. He steps to the side, away from the center of the hallway, hugging the right-side wall.
<Hankolijo> Trixie knows nothing and mimics him. .n.
<Kaeru> They're close. But that's it. No shots follow. You're not sure if that's good or bad.
<Taffeta> "…it's stopped…"
<teslatornado> "… Good."
<teslatornado> Ruben takes a moment to push himself away from the safety of the wall. He walks to Grissom and peeks over her shoulder at the readings on the wand.
<Hankolijo> Trixie doesn't because she doesn't know what the readings /are/.
<Kaeru> You can keep moving. You realize you're almost on the other side of the large room the PI agents had been in, and you'll be able to get past that area quickly and towards where you're headed.
<Kaeru> You hear voices.
<teslatornado> Ruben strains to hear them.
<Taffeta> Sally hustles past as fast as possible.
<Kaeru> You hear a female voice- asking a question, a bit shakily. Asking where someone is. Where 'they' are- but it's too far to be sure of who's speaking.
<teslatornado> Ruben… Breaks off from Grissom and Trixie. Tries to get closer to the voices, make out what they're saying.
<Kaeru> You hear a familiar voice. Automated- synthesized.
<Hankolijo> Trixie sticks with Sally!
<Kaeru> "I… I don't. I was disabled when everyone scattered."
<teslatornado> Ruben squints. He puts himself up against a wall and tries to peek out and see what's going on. That voice - familiar. Obvious. Only one person, one robot, who sounds like that.
<Kaeru> You see across an open area with evidence of gunfire. There's a body at the opposite end, an old security uniform, blood pooled beneath him. You can see Kaari and Hadley across the room through the opposite entryway- blood staining Kaari's clothing, spattered across her shirt.
<teslatornado> Ruben has only the vaguest idea who Kaari is, but he does recognize Hadley. This, though, is… Huh. Well.
<teslatornado> He peeks his head back into his wherever-he's-peeking-from and looks for where Grissom has gone off to.
<Kaeru> You hear a shout after you, from that room- "Hands up!"- but you're already out of view, you know that.
<teslatornado> Ruben blinks. He stops mid-step, lets out a sigh. Yeah, that's Hadley.
<teslatornado> "I've got a twenty-five pound portable computer in my hands," he shouts back towards his peep-site, "I'm not raising shit."
<teslatornado> Ruben stands there and waits.
<Kaeru> There's the sound of approaching footfalls.
<teslatornado> "We haven't got all fucking day, aught-one, come on, I won't bite unless you want me to."
<teslatornado> "Christ."
<Kaeru> She speaks up again. "… Your voice is familiar."
<Kaeru> Oddly hesitant, isn't she?
<NeonSkitty> OH LAWD SHE COMIN'
<War_> Kaari is waddling after Hadley, clutching a bleeding arm but covered in blood that's clearly not her own.
<teslatornado> Ruben pinches the bridge of his nose. Well. That's troubling. But it's not like he couldn't figure it out on his own. Different timezone, possibly different continuity - she's cut off from her AI core by thirty years one way, or five years another way.
<teslatornado> Probably not built to work through that kind of distance.
<teslatornado> Nothing is.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley peaks. 👀
<Kaeru> Ohey, it's Ruben!
<War_> "Oh. It is the toothpick computer scientist."
<teslatornado> "Oh, it's the proto-Slavic walking beef flank."
<War_> "Ha!"
<teslatornado> Ruben's standing there with a hand in his lab-coat pocket. The other one's still hefting the weight of the Compaq. "So time's fucked, but I think you already gathered as much."
<teslatornado> "Aught-one, how compromised are your internals?"
<NeonSkitty> "… I'm sorry- I'm fine. I've got a nine millimeter slug in one of my gut plates. I apologize if I scared you- I don't have access to my memory cluster."
<teslatornado> Ruben grunts. "Yeah that's compromised, come here."
<NeonSkitty> She nods, and approaches!
<teslatornado> "Fucksakes. You're desynced from your AI core, of course you don't have access to your memory cluster. Sit down here, give me a second."
<teslatornado> He goes about plugging in his Compaq to a nearby wall outlet, and then looking for a way to plug his Compaq into Hadley's… Well, her brain.
<Taffeta> Sally, meanwhile, has been stepping off towards the ~source of the mystery time~, meter beeping pretty violently at this point
<War_> "Do any of you have some kind of basic medicine skills? I am kind of. Bleeding."
<War_> "And it is a little sore."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley sitteth!
<Kaeru> Kaari, you know you saw that lady Sally for a second when you'd approached, heading off further away. Following the rapid beeping of her equipment
<teslatornado> "Got any bandaids?" Ruben says this plainly, taking a small cable and plugging one end into a crudely-inserted port on his Compaq, then searches Hadley's socially-acceptable regions for a matching link.
<NeonSkitty> The back of her neck opens up, exposing a few various ports.
<War_> "…no bandaids…" she mumbles distractedly. "Stay put-"
<War_> She takes off after Sally.
<teslatornado> Ruben shrugs. "I don't have a choice, I've gotta fix the robot."
<teslatornado> He links his terminal to Hadley, then scoots back over to his terminal.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley makes a…. /Face/, as she's hooked up to the terminal.
<teslatornado> 4df+9 (ENG:SCI + All My Friends) Ruben access Hadley's firmware and starts running a debug on her.
<Glacon> teslatornado: (ENG:SCI + All My Friends) Ruben access Hadley's firmware and starts running a debug on her.: 8 (4df+9=-, 0, 0, 0)
<Kaeru> Oh boy, that's weird. Talk about jumbled signals.
<Kaeru> That's what time-sliding gets a robot, you suppose.
<NeonSkitty> "…" O_O
<NeonSkitty> "Oh /fuck/…"
<Kaeru> Meanwhile, there's a heavy groaning, a tremor like a deep shiver in the very structure of the room you stand in. The floor sports small pools of sand scattered occasionally about it, and you see small trickles of the same from upper corners and collecting below. Sand shakes and falls in little streams from the ceiling above you in places.
<NeonSkitty> "… That's… Weird…"
<teslatornado> "Yeah, the site is chronologically destabilizing due to a conflict in the site's timeline."
<teslatornado> "At least," Ruben says, working to resolve some of the signal errors in Hadley's coding, "that's what the leading theory is."
<NeonSkitty> "Not that… I meant the- Plugging… Er- No, yeah. Right. Do we know what caused it?"
<teslatornado> "… Aught-one did you receive pleasure from having a cable inserted into you."
<teslatornado> "And no. But Grissom is on it."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley dodges. "Hopefully she'll learn something soon, maybe we can modify the Scrantons to help combat that in the future."
<NeonSkitty> "… Pun not intended."
<teslatornado> "Scrantons aren't built to deal with temporal distortion, but. Hopefully that's easily resolved."
<NeonSkitty> She nodnods!
<teslatornado> 4df+9 (SCI + All My Friends) Ruben works as he talks. Working to bring Hadley's IFF back online, at least.
<Glacon> teslatornado: (SCI + All My Friends) Ruben works as he talks. Working to bring Hadley's IFF back online, at least.: 10 (4df+9=-, +, 0, +)
<NeonSkitty> "… I disconnected because I was being scrambled."
<Kaeru> The temporal interference seems fairly constant, at least- in terms of severity, how much it effects her. You can get her back to mostly complete functionality.
<teslatornado> That's good enough for Ruben. Functionality is all he could ask for, given that he doesn't necessarily understand the potential difficulties involved in connecting a robot to its own AI core across thirty years of time-screw.
<NeonSkitty> "I thought I was picking up a signal from… Nova. I tried to chase it, but it became interference. I had to disconnect."
<teslatornado> Ruben stops. He looks at Hadley, and sighs.
<teslatornado> "We've talked about this, aught-one."
<NeonSkitty> "I… I don't make mistakes. not like that. I know it was theirs. But… Not here."
<teslatornado> Ruben stares at Hadley and squints a bit. Then he slowly closes his eyes and presses curled fingers into his eyes gently. Shakes his head. "Okay."
<Kaeru> You hear something, Ruben. Hads, you hear it too, now that you're more functional.
<Kaeru> Voices from the distance. Sally. Distressed.
<teslatornado> He goes back to his terminal and finishes up doing whatever's necessary. His ears prick up at the sound.
<teslatornado> "… Oh shit."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley turns to look, then stands upright! "… We need to go."
<teslatornado> His face is one of genuine concern. He stands up, gently tugs the uplink out of Hadley's neck, curls it up, pockets it. Breaks down his Compaq and nods.
<teslatornado> "We're on the move."
<Kaeru> It's easy enough to follow where they went.
<NeonSkitty> She nods, and starts to run in the direction of the sound.
<teslatornado> Ruben follows her.
<Kaeru> Head to tt2.
<Kaeru> Sally, you follow the clear path led by your equipment.
<Kaeru> You hear heavy footfalls chasing you- Kaari, you'll catch up fairly quickly!
<War_> "Still have not found problem?"
<Taffeta> "Coming up on it."
<Taffeta> "Soon, soon, very soon…"
<War_> "I hope soon. Getting a little dizzy."
<Kaeru> The beeping is practically one continuous tone by now.
<Kaeru> You're right about there-
<Kaeru> You're in a wing off of engineering, and you see a room ahead. A heavy door, no window, no way to see inside.
<Kaeru> It's there, isn't it? Whatever's causing this.
<Taffeta> Sally shares a glance with Kaari, and then rushes to get the damn thing open.
<War_> Kaari shrugs the KS from her shoulder and switches out the round, stowing the flashbang and loading buckshot instead.
<Kaeru> It swings open! On the other side is a rather large machine- Panels and screens, controls beneath, something between a gateway, a generator, and a reality anchor. It's odd, that's for sure.
<Taffeta> Sally looks… extremely alarmed.
<Taffeta> "Oh no. Oh no no no-"
<Kaeru> It hums and works and your shadow stops dead in the doorway even as you keep moving.
<Taffeta> "OH NO-"
<War_> "Doctor…?"
<Taffeta> Sally takes a deep breath and tries to center herself as she hopes and prays it doesn't do the thing she thinks it does.
<Taffeta> 4df+8 SCI+It's Doctor Grissom for timeywimey
<Glacon> Taffeta: SCI+It's Doctor Grissom for timeywimey: 6 (4df+8=+, -, -, -)
<Kaeru> Oh boy, Sally. Oh, boy oh boy.
<Taffeta> The understanding of what it is and what it does snaps into Sally's mind at once like a lightbulb blowing out of its circuit.
<Taffeta> With a single motion she reaches for the biggest, most critical-looking cable and YANKS-
<teslatornado> Ruben sprints onto the scene.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley Commeth!
<Kaeru> Ruben, you get there just in time to see Sally do- well, that.
<teslatornado> "Doctor Grissom, what -"
<NeonSkitty> "…"
<Kaeru> There's a flying of sparks. You watch as her previously frozen-in-place shadow blurs and fades back to where it should be.
<Taffeta> "HARDCYCLING."
<teslatornado> Ruben skitters to a halt clumsily, just beyond the threshold of the room with the Device in it.
<Kaeru> The machine sputters and hiccups, grinds to a halt in whatever it's doing.
<teslatornado> "- the fuck is that thing?"
<teslatornado> He approaches. Cautiously. Slowly.
<Kaeru> A slight chill you'd gotten used to in the air dissipates.
<Taffeta> Sally lets out a sigh of relief. "This- this thing."
<Taffeta> "This is what's been giving us grief."
<Taffeta> She mutters something in a language nobody quite understands.
<Kaeru> Hey, Kaari. You still have that radio on your hip, don't you?
<NeonSkitty> Hadley looks at the Thing.
<teslatornado> "… Gehsundheit." Ruben cautiously scoots past Grissom to take a look at the thing. He's not a temporal physicist, but.
<War_> She does!
<Kaeru> Everything's calm.
<Kaeru> Quiet.
<Kaeru> But Kaari, after a few moments, there's a strange cold sensation on your hip.
<War_> She looks down at said spot on her hip
<Kaeru> You look to see where your radio sits- and see crystalline, sharp frost growing fast enough that you can see the stabbing movement of little ice crystals as it spikes up from the plastic.
<teslatornado> 4df+6 (EDU:ENG) He gets up close and personal with as much of the machinery as he can, here in the meantime. Tries to understand. What's going on, how it does what it does, and what it might have been trying to do.
<Glacon> teslatornado: (EDU:ENG) He gets up close and personal with as much of the machinery as he can, here in the meantime. Tries to understand. What's going on, how it does what it does, and what it might have been trying to do.: 6 (4df+6=0, +, 0, -)
<Kaeru> No good.
<War_> " - what the hell?!"
<War_> She pulls the radio from her belt
<NeonSkitty> :|
<NeonSkitty> "What is happening?!"
<Taffeta> Ruben will recognise parts of it as being distinctly similar to some of the Timepiece's internals, though… distinctly different. This thing obviously has something to do with causality: sustaining paradoxes, venting that energy somehow?…
<Kaeru> Kaari, you know the signs of temporal misalignment.
<Kaeru> It didn't work.
<teslatornado> Ruben glances up, looks at the radio. Remembers the report, his own warnings from earlier. "Grissom"
<Kaeru> The world shakes and shivers, concrete cracking and splintering like glass, groaning under the strain and warping, crumbling, leaking dust and sand from walls and ceilings. Small fragments of splintered-off concrete fall to the floor from where cracks in the ceiling broke them away, clattering harmlessly to the ground. Occasionally, one lands on one of your shoulders, or by your feet.
<teslatornado> "Problem."
<Taffeta> Sally clutches at her head, yelping as concrete rains down around them. "This should've- it shouldn't-"
<Taffeta> "Why didn't it *work*???"
<teslatornado> Ruben pulls himself out of the machinery. A pebble-sized piece of concrete bops off the top of his head as he shakily makes his way to Grissom, grabs her by the shoulders.
<War_> "I. I don't -"
<teslatornado> "Grissom, focus or we're all going to die."
<teslatornado> "Help. Us."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley looks on confused.
<teslatornado> Then he turns back to the machine. Looks at the cable he saw Grissom pulling.
<teslatornado> Was it just unplugged, or is it. Fucked?
<Taffeta> Sally is hyperventilating, crouched on one leg as she stammers through broken chains of reasoning. "I- it should've- they should've collapsed, there shouldn't be any more- it should be fixed- my head-"
<Kaeru> Hadley, you feel the very fabric of your mind warp.
<Taffeta> It's been torn pretty roughly out of its socket. Likely possible to put it back but what Sally interrupted is still in question.
<Kaeru> Ruben, you feel a strange warmth in your side, flowing and soft, like slow-moving warm water under your clothing. There's a few seconds of pleasantly confused nothing before the pain hits you like a truck.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley lets out a wet shuddery groan.
<teslatornado> Ruben grabs the cable and attempts to socket it again. He's moving before the pain hits him, and when it does, he drops.
<Kaeru> Ruben, did you reopen a wound? No- you know this feeling, this pain, this injury. No- that healed a long time ago, there's only a scar now, you can't have pulled stitches or anything- but the seeping blood stains through your shirt and you know you aren't imagining.
<teslatornado> He lets out a howl, bloodcurdling, like a child who's broken a limb for the first time.
<NeonSkitty> She grabs her head and stumbles, looking over at Ruben.
<War_> Kaari is looking. Terrified.
<Taffeta> Sally is on the floor right now, out cold to all the world.
<War_> "No. No. No. No. Fuck -!"
<Taffeta> Everything hurts to see. Everything hurts to perceive. It's as if it hurts to even try and put things in an order, to put cause before effect.
<War_> Does. Can Kaari even figure out how to remotely fix the problem??
<teslatornado> 4df+5 (TGH:DET) Ruben tries to focus through the pain. This is wrong. It's wrong. This shouldn't hurt like it does, but it does, but that can't stop him, he can't die here, he can't
<Glacon> teslatornado: (TGH:DET) Ruben tries to focus through the pain. This is wrong. It's wrong. This shouldn't hurt like it does, but it does, but that
<teslatornado> 4df+5 (TGH:DET) formatting blep
<Glacon> teslatornado: (TGH:DET) formatting blep: 5 (4df+5=+, -, -, +)
<Taffeta> Pause.
<Taffeta> Just before everything tips over the edge-
<Taffeta> -tumbles over into a meaningless sea of happens and doesn't and before and again-
<Taffeta> -there's a loud, inhuman voice, and a smell of stone and moss and the roar of something unspeakably old and incredibly furious-
<Taffeta> "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"
<Taffeta> The world shudders again, as if it's coughing up blood, and when everything comes undone and done, before you all stands Kingmaker, holding Sally by the scruff of her neck.
<Taffeta> Unpause.
<War_> "What the EVERLOVING CHRIST."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley tries to look at him.
<teslatornado> Ruben is down. He's down, and he's screaming. It's torn flesh, it's hurt, it's all hurt, he can't see, breathing is impossible -
<NeonSkitty> She looks at Kingmaker, reaches down for her gun, then looks at Ruben.
<NeonSkitty> "…"
<War_> Kaari has moved to cover Ruben, using her bulk like a shield to stand in front of him.
<War_> Shotgun half-raised but with unsure intentions.
<teslatornado> He concentrates. Focuses. Somewhere, deep down, under the fear and the pain and the animal instinct to flee, there's that iron band of determination, that stubborn refusal to give the Foundation the desire of claiming Unlucky Number Thirteen.
<teslatornado> It takes time, but. His breathing calms down, the screaming stops.
<NeonSkitty> "Put Grissom down."
<teslatornado> He lets out a dry, retching noise, coughs, a hand goes out, searches for support.
<War_> Kaari is close enough if he wants to haul his ass up by her frame.
<teslatornado> He does. He latches onto her, pulls himself up her leg, shakily getting himself to his knees. He grabs an edge of the machine, one foot down, other foot down, and he's standing again, despite the wound. Looks around, questioning.
<Taffeta> Kingsley is furious enough that it seems to physically *leak* from her decaying shell, through the cracks in her skull where matted hair gives way to the gleam of a shattered skull, through the bloody hole that once held a human voicebox. Whispers of sheer anger boil in the brains of everyone around her, whathaveyoudonewhathappenedwhatGAVEYOUTHERIGHTTODOTHIS,WHATMADEYOUSOARROGANT-
<teslatornado> Eyes settle on KINGMAKER. He blinks. Staggers forward past Kaari, towards her.
<Taffeta> She lets out a deep, rasping breath.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley draws her pistol.
<Soulless> Joshua heads inside.
<Soulless> He's bleeding ink from his hands.
<Soulless> He looks for the familiar voice.
<Taffeta> "Good evening, agents."
<War_> Kaari just looks. So confused. Scared, even, and that's a feat.
<Taffeta> Her voice sounds like it's trying and failing to squeeze itself into the shape of a human's.
<teslatornado> Ruben is a couple feet from her. He's bent double, a hand across his midriff, holding the jagged wound in his side.
<teslatornado> He raises his other hand. Gives Kingmaker a small wave.
<Soulless> He stares.
<teslatornado> "Y-ou're… Back…"
<Odocoileus> Tally heads on in.
<Taffeta> "I wish I wasn't."
<Taffeta> "I really, truly do."
<NeonSkitty> "Put Sally Grissom down."
<NeonSkitty> "Please."
<Taffeta> "As you wish."
<teslatornado> "… Don't blame. You."
<Taffeta> Kingsley drops her like a sack of soggy potatoes.
<NeonSkitty> "Let her fix this."
<Taffeta> "Are you calling what just-relatively speaking-happened there *fixing* it?"
<Soulless> Joshua checks his hands.
<NeonSkitty> "Then /you/ fix it."
<teslatornado> "… Not sure what. Happened."
<Taffeta> "Because I-and much of Ruben's torso-would politely disagree."
<Soulless> Are they bleeding or is ink just there?
<Taffeta> "And I *have* fixed it, agent."
<Odocoileus> Tally checks hers hands as well.
<Taffeta> "For now, anyway."
<teslatornado> "Trying. To fix it." He blinks. Looks at Kingmaker.
<Kaeru> Joshua, they drip ink, but you feel no pain, no source.
<teslatornado> Blinks again. Then lets out a rattling wheezing laugh.
<Odocoileus> "what…is happening?"
<Taffeta> She rubs her face, winces as skin tears and stretches too loose as she does.
<teslatornado> "… Three seconds too. Slow. Again."
<Soulless> Joshua tries to ignore the ink. He can't hide that shit right now.
<teslatornado> "Don't know. Wh-at. This thing is - doing. Or - was."
<teslatornado> "Was just. Here."
<Soulless> He just hopes no one asks later. He looks to Kingmaker. "…Thing?"
<NeonSkitty> Hadley looks confused.
<teslatornado> "Reverse-engineered from. Timepiece tech. Some k-kind of. Gate."
<Taffeta> "Thing. This, the machine." Kingsley gestures at it. "Did you build it?"
<Taffeta> "Who's responsible?"
<teslatornado> "Don't know."
<Soulless> "…I built it."
<teslatornado> Ruben blinks. Just now registers Joshua is in the room.
<Taffeta> "Then… I guess in a sense you've saved us for the time being."
<Odocoileus> "…"
<teslatornado> Lines connect. His brain lights up. The equipment proposal, blueprints, mysterious security clearance. Sustained paradoxes. Quantum instantiation.
<Soulless> "Have I?"
<teslatornado> He looks at Joshua and his face is dark, grim.
<Soulless> 4df+3 science- how?
<Glacon> Soulless: science- how?: 4 (4df+3=-, +, 0, +)
<Taffeta> "All the events on-site, all the conflicting timelines, those were attracted to it."
<Taffeta> "Like air bubbles under a sheet of plastic. Looking for an exit."
<NeonSkitty> Hadley looks over at Joshua.
<teslatornado> He turns back to Kaari. Lurches toward her.
<Taffeta> "Somewhere they'd be stable."
<Taffeta> "And, well. This was it."
<Soulless> "I see."
<teslatornado> Hands start fumbling with her web gear, toward the P220 holstered there.
<War_> Kaari grabs his wrist. "No."
<Soulless> He tries to hide his hands behind him.
<teslatornado> "Fuck you—"
<Soulless> "You're welcome."
<Taffeta> "But you're taking out a loan you can't pay."
<teslatornado> "THIS IS THAT SELFISH BASTARD'S FAULT."
<War_> "Stand down or I will make you, Doctor."
<teslatornado> "HE FUCKING COULD HAVE KILLED US ALL."
<War_> The grip tightens.
<teslatornado> "SAVED US MY ASS."
<teslatornado> "HE DESERVES. TO. DIE."
<Soulless> "…I already got bit." He smiles thinly to Kingmaker. "Alright then. So now we're in debt. What do we do now?"
<War_> "Contain yourself, doctor."
<teslatornado> "CONTAIN HIM."
<Taffeta> "This thing is, I doubt this machine wasn't built to handle this many all at once. The fact that it can at all is a miracle, I honestly don't know where you got the technology from."
<teslatornado> "BEFORE HE KILLS US ALL."
<teslatornado> "PUT A FUCKING BULLET IN HIS WORTHLESS FACE."
<Taffeta> "And… I don't know what we do."
<Taffeta> "We've opened the floodgates and we're waist deep in the water."
<War_> Kaari kinda just. Puts Ruben in a standing hold, arms pinned behind his back so he can't do anything.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley straightens up.
<NeonSkitty> She walks over to Joshua, and looks at him.
<Taffeta> "If you keep the machine running, you'll stop the worst of it right now. But sooner or later it's going to overload, and what happens then is what just happened. Except it doesn't stop."
<Taffeta> "And even I'm not going to be able to pull you out of it."
<teslatornado> Ruben looks at Hadley. "Aught-one, he has killed us all."
<teslatornado> "That selfish piece of genetic waste has signed our death warrants."
<teslatornado> "Break his fucking neck if you have any sense at all."
<War_> She rolls her eyes and scowls.
<Soulless> "…"
<Odocoileus> Tally is just standing there trying to fully understand wtf is happening.
<NeonSkitty> "… How did you make it?"
<Soulless> Joshua looks to Tally. "As a favor to an old friend, I had this machine built. The friend later ate a piece of my shoulder."
<Soulless> He looks to Hadley. "I didn't. I was given the blueprints already."
<Soulless> "Alright. So. What happens if we turn it off?"
<Odocoileus> She rubs the back of her neck.
<Taffeta> "The same thing happens. Causality collapses, time as we know it becomes something completely different, and you and the Foundation lose."
<Taffeta> "We're in zugzwang."
<teslatornado> "I will kill you."
<NeonSkitty> "Why?"
<War_> "You'll get fuckin' brig time if you keep acting out," she hisses.
<Taffeta> "We need to make a move, but every move we make just gets us further in the mess. You turn off the device, the paradoxes build up and time stops. You leave the device on, it can't bear the strain of constant paradox and time stops regardless. If we wait around, then…"
<Taffeta> She glances around. "…We'll say I know the one responsible for all this paradox to begin with quite well."
<Taffeta> "Ruben definitely does."
<Taffeta> "Is your eye okay?"
<teslatornado> Ruben turns toward Kingsley, and blinks.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley looks at Kingmaker and frowns.
<teslatornado> And in that exact second his eyes are closedd, she sees the Thing happen.
<Taffeta> Kingsley shudders visibly as Ruben seems to just-
<Taffeta> -wink out of existence.
<War_> Kaari looks down at Ruben, and being unaware of the Thing, lets him go with a shriek of alarm.
<War_> "What the fuck?!"
<teslatornado> There's the sound of a wet thud as Ruben - or the empty space under Ruben - hits the ground.
<teslatornado> Hadley sees… Something different.
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> Joshua stares, alarmed.
<teslatornado> She sees Ruben; vaguely humanoid, but his features stretched, blown out, godtrashed - his face has dragged down his neck to his chest, the skin of his arm hangs in a visually-distorted flap, connecting to his upper thigh.
<teslatornado> To everyone else, he's just.
<teslatornado> Not there.
<War_> She starts taking steps back. "What the fuck."
<War_> She looks up at Kingsley. "What the fuck.'
<Odocoileus> Tally looks terrified.
<Taffeta> "The ARM's been making moves. Ruben's been- the ARM contaminated him, and ever since you picked up Grissom, I'll guess he's also been going back in time, making changes that suit him, doing the same thing to nobody-knows how many others."
<Taffeta> "And that's been creating paradox."
<Taffeta> "So we can't stop it at the source. We can't vent it here. But we can't stop venting it, either."
<Taffeta> "Zugzwang."
<NeonSkitty> "… What if it never happens?"
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> "Can we prevent it from happening ever?"
<Soulless> Joshua takes out his journal.
<NeonSkitty> "Logically… That should be plausible."
<Taffeta> Kingsley laughs a little forlornly. "When would we have to go back to, to stop it from happening?"
<Soulless> What roll to devise a reasonable solution, perhaps to paradox a paradox?
<War_> "Now everything is making sense."
<War_> "You idiots and messing with the timeline with these machines and these, these. Argh!"
<NeonSkitty> "No- I've never messed with the timeline. This was out of my knowledge."
<teslatornado> Ruben opens his eyes, and he exists again. Sitting on the floor next to Grissom.
<Soulless> "These what?" What roll?
<teslatornado> "… Can't reverse a paradox with no point of reference."
<Kaeru> Ruben, there's-
<Kaeru> Ruben, wait a minute.
<teslatornado> :V
<Kaeru> A hand over your wound, instinctual, but instead of just the soft warmth of blood, there's something else against your palm.
<Kaeru> Something colder. Small and metallic.
<teslatornado> Ruben freezes.
<teslatornado> He tries to. Feel the shape of the thing against his palm. Is it… In the wound channel?
<Kaeru> No. It's pressed slightly against the wound- the cold is jarring- but it's. In your hand, almost.
<Kaeru> The shape is somehow familiar.
<Taffeta> Kingsley furrows her brow. "Did… something happened."
<Taffeta> "There's been an intrusion…"
<teslatornado> Ruben. Grabs onto it. "Something's. It."
<teslatornado> He barely registers the cold; at this point, he's started to dissociate a bit, probably, and it shows in the dead look on his face. Here it comes again. Another paranormal entity come to mess with him.
<Soulless> "…What?"
<Soulless> (Any roll?)
<Kaeru> It's lightweight, small in your palm, easy to pull away from its place against the wound. Slick with scarlet, a thin, fine silver chain looped through the gold circle of an ornate signet ring.
<teslatornado> He holds the freezing Something up in front of himself. Looks at it.
<teslatornado> "… The ring."
<Kaeru> The cold metal begins to warm in your hand.
<teslatornado> He lets the chain dangle from his hand, the ring bobbing and twirling in front of his face, visible to all.
<Taffeta> (No roll, the problem is… pretty outside context for Josh.)
<Kaeru> It's a fancy solid gold signet ring, two shield-like emblems designed with eastern dragons on either side. One central gold-tinted diamond, two rows of accent diamonds along the edges beside it.
<NeonSkitty> Hadley looks between everyone.
<teslatornado> Ruben stares at it some more. Eventually takes his other hand away from the wound. Drops the ring into it. "This… One of these rings. Was. Found at the site of the last temporal distortion."
<Kaeru> It's the same ring, Ruben. The same damn ring- the inscription is even the same.
<Taffeta> Kingsley chews on her lip anxiously. Her teeth go straight through.
<teslatornado> "In the common room, one of the Psi-7 agents found it. Along with, uhm. Posters."
<Taffeta> "It might be a lead, then."
<Taffeta> "Something's better than nothing, right?"
<teslatornado> "It's. It has. Some kind of code. In it. Or something."
<teslatornado> Ruben presses down on the central crystal, just as he did when Kaha was around, and twists it as he did when examining it with Kaha.
<teslatornado> Very careful, making sure to turn it no farther than he did before.
<Kaeru> It spins. Right up to where it did before.
<Kaeru> Click, click.
<Soulless> Joshua looks around.
<Kaeru> You could keep spinning it.
<teslatornado> Ruben… Cautiously keeps turning it. One click at a time.
<War_> Kaari is just. Slumped at a wall now, everything starting to hit at once.
<Kaeru> Click, click- Clink. It stops turning, Ruben.
<Kaeru> Nothing. But Ruben- something tells you, some intrusive instinct-
<Kaeru> Put it on.
<teslatornado> Ruben looks at Kingmaker. "I'm. About to do something. Stupidd."
<teslatornado> "If something bad. Happens."
<teslatornado> "I want you. To be the one who kills. Me."
<teslatornado> Then he puts the ring on.
<Kaeru> Ruben, your vision goes white. Bright white. Nothing- a void, a lack of anything distinct or visible. No sound, either. But then there is sound- the sound of wind- and a voice-
<Kaeru> A voice you could swear you recognize, but you can't place where from.
<Kaeru> "Took you long enough." Only you hear this, and somehow you know that. These words are for you. "Tell your decaying friend there I say hi. And that I have a feeling I might be able to get you out of this pickle you're in."
<teslatornado> Ruben blinks. "Uhm."
<teslatornado> "O. Kay."
<teslatornado> "Who."
<teslatornado> "I know. You?"
<Soulless> Joshua is quiet.
<Soulless> He's tempted to light up again, but doesn't want his hands visible.
<Kaeru> There's a sound of- cars? City noise, and flashes of buildings. Chinese on signs- bright neon- the front of a large, fancy sort of building- and a smile you can't see but you know is there. "Of course you do."
<teslatornado> "I do?" Ruben looks around, if he can.
<Kaeru> It's just flashes- then your vision goes dark, Ruben. Quieter, but all other sounds cut out- "Oh, and do tell that friend of yours I'm sorry about the building. No harm no foul, isn't that the phrase?" A chuckle-
<Kaeru> you blink, and your vision clears. Back to reality.
<teslatornado> "I'm - sorry, there's. A lot. Of things."
<teslatornado> "… Happen. Ing." Ruben looks around. Back home. Back in the site.
<teslatornado> He looks at Kingmaker. "… The voice. In the ring. It says hello."
<teslatornado> "And that it has a feeling. It can help."
<teslatornado> "And that I know them."
<Kaeru> Ruben, that last comment it made? You know exactly who that voice belongs to, don't you.
<teslatornado> He does.
<teslatornado> But he doesn't let on.
<Taffeta> Kingmaker falls silent.
<Taffeta> "…we don't really have a choice in the matter, do we?"
<Taffeta> She sighs, and twists a clump of greasy, moss-matted hair around one finger.
<Soulless> "…"
<Taffeta> "I've overstayed my welcome."
<Taffeta> "I should… probably get going before someone tries locking me up…"
<teslatornado> Ruben gets up unsteadily. Pockets the ring and stumbles over to Kingmaker.
<teslatornado> "… Moment."
<Taffeta> "Hm?"
<teslatornado> Ruben half-stumbles into Kingmaker and his face thumps against her shoulder. His arms flop outward and wrap around her upper torso and he pulls himself into a hug.
<teslatornado> Says something in a small, quiet voice to her.
<teslatornado> He lets her go a few seconds later and then nods. Shuffles back towards the Device and then kind of falls unceremoniously onto the floor next to Kaari.
<Taffeta> Kingsley gives them all a look-over and nods back, before stepping out of the door and around the corner.
<Taffeta> The room fills with the same wet, verdant smell of moss and stone, before it disappears as soon as it came.
<Soulless> "…"
<Soulless> Joshua looks to Kaari. "What the fuck."
<War_> Kaari looks.
<War_> Freaked the fuck out, for lack a better phrase.
<War_> "I hate this place," she groans
<War_> Pushes herself upright.
<War_> "We have people needing medical assistance. We must get medical team down here now."
<War_> She checks her radio - wait, it got flash-frozen, is it bust?
<Kaeru> Oh, absolutely.
<War_> "…need a new radio."
<teslatornado> "Intercom. Panel."
<teslatornado> Ruben says this directly into the floor.
<War_> She blearily looks around.
<War_> Spots it.
<War_> Goes over, calls medical. Cites the zone's area code, requesting medical assistance as soon as possible.
<Soulless> Is joshua still bleeding?
<Kaeru> Nope.
<Kaeru> Seems okay, now.
<Kaeru> Medical is called. Rushes to the area, quickly tending to those who need it.
<Soulless> Joshua hides.
<War_> Kaari has tuned out. Hasn't realized she's shaking slightly. The adrenal crash is hitting hard.
<Kaeru> Medics guide Kaari carefully, gentle and considerate, to go with them, assessing her wounds and getting her somewhere they can better treat her.
<War_> Vague mumbling in protest - just a bullet nick, after all - but is lead away
<teslatornado> Ruben is triaged without protest. He's oddly quiet and without fire as he's moved.
<Soulless> Joshua just stays away from medical.
<Odocoileus> Tally just gets her hands bandaged up.