february mod plot log

[savmods]

Who: Everyone
When: February 3rd to February 28th
Where: Thisavrou + New Worlds
Warnings: death, blood, violence, torture

thisavrou monthly info ( the tmi )

⋆ All information is current as of day 32 ( there are 100 days in a cycle, which started on January 1st).

⋆ The storm around Thisavrou is particularly volatile this month - plums of dark energy twist and turn. There’s an upsurge in the number of Outpost techs called in to work in an effort to monitor and research Thisavrou’s unruly cage. Weather on Kauto is a moderate 70°F / 21°C during the day and 65°F / 18 °C at night, and Chioni’s has reached record highs of 130°F / 54°C at peak hours.

⋆ Savrii Notices:

Region One grocery depots are offering fifty percent off of any item purchased between day 41 and 45.

Region Four’s population of Gorgóna are giving away free underwater training lessons on the 51st day.

⋆ Mission notices have been posted to TABs for anyone interested in earning a little extra cash. Available missions are listed below:

Day 39 (February 10th) - The locals of Region Three (R3) are in need of “pest” control assistance. Creatures called Tanglesnakes have infested the trees and are eating the natives’ homes! Anyone willing to remove them will be paid 100 sencs per Tanglesnake. However, catching them might be tricky; they are quite fast and are smart enough not to be lured by snacks or kind words of encouragement! They also have a tendency to curl around and trip up anyone after them, hence their name.

Day 47 (February 18th) - The waters of Chioni are boiling! Scientists stationed out on the third burg are asking volunteers to bring back samples for study. Anyone willing to risk the harsh climates of Chioni will be compensated with 250 sencs as well as travel expenses up to 80 sencs.

Day 55 (February 26th) - The majority of Savrii responsible for the Ingress Complex’s upkeep have suddenly fallen ill, which has left them short staffed. For those not too proud to pick up trash and put a little elbow grease into shining the windows, compensation will be given for the time. This mission pays 40 sencs per hour.

⋆ As a welcome gift to all the new visitors, Savrii will be handing out treats.

---

ingress travel info

⋆ Signatures are the base reason for traveling through the Ingress (aside from general exploration and monetary gain) and are used to discover the correct world visitors on Thisavrou wish to return to. Every visit through a different Ingress brings the technicians a little closer to finding it. The two worlds open for access this month only have a slight impact on the signature of each person who travels.

⋆ Missions are jobs or specific tasks listed on the TAB once new worlds are open for exploration. Be sure to check if Clearance Levels are required to accept some of these missions.

⋆Clearance Levels are given to visitors for the length of time they have been on Thisavrou (or traveling on the Moira). Each CL offers access to certain things or incentives that others will not have.

---

aueia

⋆ To welcome the new arrivals to Thisavrou, all visitors will be granted access to one of the worlds already known to the Savrii. Aueia (proper pronunciation here) is the native homeworld of a species some Moirans may already be familiar with: the migratory space whales. While isolated from the rest of the galaxy, the whales’ homeworld has been known to the Savrii for generations and viewed as a peaceful center of cultural exchange.

⋆ Although some disorientation is common enough with all Ingress travel, transit to Aueia is commonplace enough to make the trip relatively straightforward. A brief sensation of a fall and a wash of color (felt as much as seen), and visitors will find themselves stepping out onto the greeting dock. To leave, characters may make use of the same portal, or explore to find their own—there are multiple transit points scattered through the world, as well as a few maps designed for humanoid interpretation.

⋆ A gas giant encircled by a unique interstellar medium, Aueia holds three distinct zones.

The outermost layer, or "sea" of the planet, consists of a liquid shell inhabited by a diverse set of fluid-dwelling wildlife. A variety of tours go out regularly to explore the oceans, and platforms are set up along the boundary for those with interest in "beach" play. The fluid composing the sea is a pale green, and has no harmful effects on contact. However, human-analogous life forms will be advised against consuming the mixture, and may experience dizziness, indigestion, or mild hallucinations if they do.

The second, gaseous layer, composes the main range of habitation for visitors and other non-aquatic life. With an oxygen-rich atmosphere and a wide distance from the denser planet core, this region of the planet includes the Ingress dock and the majority of non-native living areas. It’s also known for its low gravity! A wide array of ships and settlements can be found floating through this layer of Auiea, including trade barges, explorers, and a wide variety of schools and learning centers. The lower one goes, however, the less stable the atmosphere, and pockets of dangerous or flammable gases have been known to gather near the boundary with layer three. Gliding equipment can be borrowed or rented at low cost for those who want to travel unassisted. However, visitors with no means of propulsion should take care—falling means a very long way down. On the other hand, you’ll have plenty of time to flag a passing flier to come grab you.

A strong layer of electromagnetic distortion separates the habitable second layer from the third. Once crossed, both gravity and pressure intensifies rapidly, well beyond the tolerance of most beings. Standard materials dropped through this layer will crumple and compress before sinking out of sight behind the orange haze of the interior. Even more disconcerting are the shapes that can occasionally be seen within: odd, gigantic silhouettes brushing by the surface of their world. These deep-sea wildlife can’t cross the pressure differential on their own, but are widely regarded as one of the main hazards to any efforts to explore the lower zone. By visitors, at least-- the whales of Aueia are the undisputed masters of their planet, and the only species known to move freely through all layers of their world.

⋆ As a world visited regularly by the Savrii, Auiea has a relay station set up to enable communication through the Ingress. Some lag may be expected, but TAB functions should persist.

⋆ Clearance Information (Each person can take what is noted for their CL or below into this world.):

CL 1 - Clothing, swimming equipment.

CL 2 - Personal weapons.

CL 3 - Private transportation.

CL 4 - Small ships.

CL 5 - Extended stay or the right to build.

⋆Missions available:

Wildlife Preservation - The outer layer of Aueia is home to many creatures. Senc donations will be made to anyone that spends volunteer time cleaning up and caring for the wildlife here. (50 sencs per hour).

Object Retrieval - Samples, samples, samples. A sample (it doesn’t matter what it is) from each zone can be sold back on Thisavrou. Z-1 (100 sencs). Z-2 (200 sencs). Z-3 (300 sencs). Savrii will absolutely not purchase creatures that were hunted and killed. However, there might be visitors on Thisavrou interested in this.

(All sencs are awarded ICly when you come back through. OOCly, you keep track of what you earn.)

---

eosoros (cw: death, blood, violence, torture)

⋆ Ingress technicians have discovered an energy link to a new world. It has been marked as Exploration Class (EC’s) and all who go through will be given a drone to use for documentation. As with the majority of EC’s, this new world’s Clearance Levels will center around weaponry, and most missions focus on security, research, and object retrieval.

⋆ The Savrii are an inclusive group - when they open this world for exploration, all visitors are allowed to enter. They will be told that, as it has not previously been explored, it could be dangerous and for all to heed that carefully before entering. High-paying missions, listed below, will be offered to anyone willing to take them through and Clearance Levels will be posted and applied to TAB devices.

⋆ The ride through the Ingress might be disorienting for some, though many will notice that the temperature steadily increases as they move through the blue energy. Upon entering this new world, they’ll find that the energy dissipates as soon as the person steps out of it. Discovery of a way out of this place is found in Exploration. Broken up into what can only be described as increasingly terrible levels of horror, this world’s only exit (energy that takes you back to Thisavrou) is found at the end of the seventh sector. Each level can be experienced with the same partner or someone different every shift.

Level One - You are neither here nor there. The ground is a muted grey color, almost ashy, and each leafless tree is an exact copy of the one before it. In the center of each tree is a carving, the word - Go. Ambiguous in nature, it’s hard to tell if it means to go back the way you came or to continue forward. The choice is in the explorer’s hands. No matter what direction you walk in, the landscape never changes. Colorless and barren, but without any sense of impending danger. After a thousand steps, gait is of no importance, there will be an abrupt shift and the second level will begin.

Level Two - That same empty landscape is cut by large, violent storms so close together that there is no place for respite. The wind whips you about, debris flying through the air cuts and breaks, lightening scorches the dirt, and the screams of swept up travelers can be heard from inside the massive dark clouds. The third level starts when the electric heat of a burst of lightning can be felt on your skin.

Level Three - Up to your waist, black slush stretches out for what seems like an eternity. As you trudge through, you’ll feel hands grabbing at your ankles and legs, tugging in an attempt to pull you under. The moment the sludge crests the top of your head, the hands let go. This cycle repeats until you’ve crossed two miles of the putrid liquid, and the instant that you touch land, your entire body will vibrate and you’ll be in the fourth level.

Level Four - Groups of travelers, some who have been here for a long time and did not arrive from Thisavrou, stand around groups of giant boulders. No matter which you choose, the stone will be extremely difficult to push. Grooves in the dirt show that previous visitors have pushed boulders to the top of a small hill and left them there. Whether you push your boulder alone or have help (one stone gets one person through), when it reaches the top, you’ll vanish and enter the fifth level.

Level Five - The heat and smoke surround you. There is only enough space inside the tomb for yourself and whoever else might be inside. Flames billow up on all sides and the stone coffins are hot enough to burn. There are two ways to the next level - put the fire out or let the fire take you.

Level Six - It’s a fight to overthrow. Spread out are thousands of people in various forms of battle - verbal, physical, mental. There is someone standing at the ready to explain, if visitors dare to ask them. They’ll spin a tale of the imbalance of power and how the only way to move forward is to best someone else. The method is up to the visitor, and there is only one rule - be the person with the upper hand and you can continue on.

Level Seven - You are now standing at the beginning of a cavernous, sloping landscape. In the far off distance is a storm set at the top of a craggy mountain. The energy is a familiar shade of blue - you came through energy just like it. It’s a harrowing journey, a labyrinth of twists and turns. Most get lost and overwhelmed looking for the path that takes them to that storm. Those that make it, who step into the light, return back to the place they had come from.

⋆ TABs - Functions stop after going through the Ingress.

⋆ Clearance Information (Each person can take what is noted for their CL or below. Standard methods of transportation can be taken through by any CL holder.):

CL 1 - Small handguns only.

CL 2 - Rifles and shotguns.

CL 3 - Explosive type materials.

CL 4 - Vehicles with affixed weaponry.

CL 5 - Dangerous creatures.

⋆ Missions Available:

Security - Savrii of all backgrounds are looking to hire someone to take them to this new world and bring them back safely. The standard offered rate is 1,000 sencs, but most are open to negotiations.

Research - Technicians are looking for scientific aware minds to document and look into the effects of Ingress energy on this world. They’ll pay handsomely for the information. Anywhere between 200 and 500 sencs, depending.

Object Retrieval - Samples, samples, samples. A sample (it doesn’t matter what it is) from each level fetches a fair price. L-1 (50 sencs). L-2 (70 sencs). L-3 (90 sencs). L-4 (100 sencs). L-5 (150 sencs). L-6 (200 sencs). L-7 (350 sencs).

(All sencs are awarded ICly when you come back through. OOCly, you keep track of what you earn.)

---

OOC: For questions please go here. Don’t forget to respond to the Activity Check.

Comments

[handofrapture]

[The Big Sister is pleased to see the woman finally flinch away. She’s even more pleased when she takes a hurried step back and stumbles backwards with a cry. Maybe she’ll tumble over and crack her skull on the ground. It would serve her right. But instead, something halts the woman’s fall. The Big Sister stares uncomprehendingly as the woman freezes in midair, suspended still as if she were underwater. How was she doing that? Was it a plasmid? It's certainly not one the Big Sister has ever seen.

Confusion quickly gives way to curiosity—though neither overshadows the malice the Big Sister feels as well. She reaches out again, this time aiming to latch onto the now-floating woman’s ankle. If she’s weightless, it’ll be that much easier to drag her into the Big Sister’s waiting grasp.]

[alan_1]

[Rinzler responds in the affirmative, but his answer is still vague. Alan couldn’t accept his decision; that much is true. But Rinzler still fears that Alan will recode him, even now that they both know Rinzler’s initial decision is no longer possible. Does he fear Alan will recode him for some other reason? Perhaps even just on a whim?]

Do you understand why I found it unacceptable?

[notglitching]

[Another binary. Rinzler lags only a moment before ducking his mask in a second nod. For a moment, it seems he'll leave it there, but even the most basic projections can guess that Alan-one won't take any answer but a negative without proof.

Mask low. Programmer waiting. 'Do you understand why?'

...

It's funny, considering.]

Don't want me [—me, me, he won't let go of that until he's made to—] to follow Clu.

[alan_1]

[It’s not wrong. It may even be why Rinzler fears recode now; as far as Alan knows, the program is still staying by his admin’s side.]

That’s part of it. [There’s no delicate way to explain his reasoning. It was calculating and desperate, and as much as Alan wouldn’t have been able to accept the alternative, he knows he’s not proud of himself for considering edits at all. But they’ve made it this far, and Alan isn’t going to turn back because of his own discomfort with the subject.]

If you went back, Clu would have reset you. I thought… if it came down to it, if it was between edits and letting you be reset… [Alan hates the phrase he’s about to use, but it’s the only one that fits.] Edits seemed like they would have been the lesser of two evils.

[And there’s the root of it. Alan can’t claim that he wouldn’t recode Rinzler—not when he was presented with such an impossible binary choice.] It seemed like your code would be changed no matter what I did. I thought if I edited you, I could at least make sure that you stayed… well, you. [Not an automaton. Not a slave. Not someone doomed to die serving someone who would tear him apart on a whim.

Forcing edits may never have been the right choice. But given his options, Alan still isn’t sure he can say it would’ve been the wrong one either.]

[desynched]

[ Lena smiles. Ah, something she can explain. Mostly. ]

Well, by goin' backwards and forwards, I can kinda heal myself if I get hurt. If I wasn't hurt a few seconds ago, then I get hurt, I can just jump backwards.

[desynched]

It was a teleporting airplane. Get in and out of tight spots in a jiffy-- rescue civilians, do a quick supply drop, stuff like that.

[ Her smile turns a little rueful. ]

Wish I could help, but I'm retired.

[desynched]

You're the best!

[ Her treehouse comes into view just around the corner-- a large, curved front covered in bark with large windows. ]

Here we are. Chez Lena!

[grandpaladin]

Is this the part where I say to you, "No, you are"?

[And then he whistles, looking it up and down. Impressed.]

That... is fantastic.

[notglitching]

[Rinzler hasn't left his admin. It's his function: to stay by Clu, to serve Clu. And for all that Clu might not permit it, Rinzler would die for that if it were needed. For all that he hates the term, Rinzler was, and largely is, a slave.

Clu would have reset him. Rinzler had believed that too, had been utterly convinced when Clu approached him after that everything he'd gained would be pared down. And for all that that exchange had turned out very differently, he still wonders if it will happen. If he fails. If Clu breaks. His admin's promises have always held the weight of fact, but Clu has never made a promise quite like this before.

He doesn't tell Alan-one. Not yet. The logical corollary is, after all, easy to read: the danger will never be gone, so Alan-one will always need to change him. He doesn't know how Alan-one would take that. He doesn't know what Alan-one would do.]

Clarification request: you.

[gainedlove]

Oh! That's--that's real cool! I did that a lot too, but makin' a SAVE always healed me up, too. I dunno how, though...

[That had never really felt like their power that restored their HP.]

But it's always easier th' second time anyway, ehe!

[soldiergenes]

[ Snake may not be able to dissolve into smoke in order to avoid being seen, but there at least enough counters here that he could duck behind one as a last-ditch effort. He has no idea if there are any cameras monitoring his area. He hadn't seen any, but for all he knows they could be microscopic.

They'd apparently been on the same page when it came to taking photos, and Snake will try not to be disturbed by that, even though he's always a little weirded out when he and Liquid think along the same lines.

The helpful comment about the password causes him to roll his eyes as he moves away from the screen. ]

I was hoping we could find something about the work they're supposedly doing to locate our signatures, but this doesn't look like that.

[ Or at least there's nothing that's standing out to him, though he has an untrained eye. ]

Let's take a few more photos and then we should get out of here.

[takeitslow]

[Even if Peter can't let himself focus too much on Rinzler's actions in the midst of battle, it's still a surreal experience to watch the program work. Distantly, he knows Rinzler is a good fighter. He has since their first tussle. It's still odd to watch those graceful movements from behind, to have them directed at someone else.

It would make him wonder, just a little, how he survived some of those early fights if he didn't trust his speed to make up for his own lack of skill.

The slight admiration isn't enough to keep him from cringing at the obvious intent to kill. Rinzler is vicious in his attack strategy, something Peter knows all too well. He sees the second Rinzler's opponent makes the critical mistake, knows exactly when the outcome is determined.

Peter turns, in theory to deal with some fool quickly approaching with sword in hand. He doesn't need to watch Rinzler to know what will inevitably happen.

Peter lunges and drives his knife into a gap in the approaching man's armor, just between the shoulder and chest pieces. Logic says the man could easily bleed out from the wound. Logic says that from the right angle, Peter may have hit the heart. He can look away from what Rinzler is doing, but it takes astounding cognitive dissonance to pretend he's not doing the same.]

[saveyourserpent]

[Since the TAB isn't attached to Liquid's clothes right now, if he dissolved into smoke it would probably end up on the ground and be very, very obvious, so hopefully nothing happens. Although it might make a very nice distraction.

He's not gonna consider that kind of thing right now, though.]

I'd guess they'd probably put a little more security detail on something like that. Something I can easily pass by, but I can't just stay smoke forever if I intend to get anything done.

[One big problem with his abilities, which means it's probably best to do this sort of thing with someone else. Even if that someone else happens to be his brother of all people.

This isn't likely to happen again, though, he's sure.]

Hm, I suppose getting out of here's a bit safer than just hanging around in here all day. Hell knows there's nothing really worthwhile in here anyway.

[soldiergenes]

[ With so little that they understand about this world, it makes sense to take every precaution, and that's why Snake isn't going to begrudge Angela her use of the staff. She seems to realize he's not completely comfortable with it and that's why she's used other methods to tend to him in the past, but there isn't time for that now.

The three of them end up linked together, a way to hold strong against any other attempts to pull them under. It'll be harder if they're not isolated, though being clumped so close together also makes it more difficult to move.

Given how Angela is struggling to juggle her staff and hold onto both Snake and the researcher, Snake finds himself relieved that all of his weapons are strapped to him. What he's less happy about is that all of his guns are going to be filled with this sludge and he'll need to clean them thoroughly once they're out of this mess. (He doesn't let the thought be an "if" in his head.) ]

Not any that we can see. We just need to keep going. [ For lack of any other direction, they can only push forward. They're on the same page: they can't just stay here and wait for someone to come find them. The chances of that seem slim. So he leads the charge, extending the muscles in his thighs and abdomen to push them through the waist-deep mud.

He tilts his head to look at Angela, the angle somewhat awkward, but it gets the job done. ] Just... don't let go. [ Eventually they're going to tire out if they don't find their way to solid ground, but Snake isn't going to think about that until it happens. One foot in front of the other, so to speak. ]

[desynched]

[ Back then, Lena had seen things very black-and-white. People were in trouble, and it was Overwatch's job to swoop in and save them like superheroes. Why sit on all of those resources and all of that talent if it didn't serve the greater good?

She'd been so young. She knows that now. But her desire to do good, her belief that Overwatch can still change the world for the better, hasn't changed. She couldn't change it even if she wanted to.

Lena looks at her hands briefly before looking up at him again.

Quietly: ] It matters to the people we saved. Including me.

I know it's not how the world works. There's pride and greed, people supportin' somethin' because it's popular to, complex laws and legitimate concerns.

[ She takes a deep breath. ] But if we hadn't broken the rules, I would've lost my home. Maybe lost all of London.

So, yeah, maybe it's stupid and reckless and short-sighted. But if I can help people, save someone's home, give someone hope, I will. I can't change who I am. You know that.

[desynched]

Well then this is the part where I say "no, you are."

[ Lena's smile brightens as she leads the way. The door is indeed a little small, sadly. ]

Isn't it? And I own it, since they make you buy it outright in Region 3.

[desynched]

Things get complicated real fast when you bring theoretical physics into it. [ She giggles. ] My friend understands my powers better than even I do.

[ Lena's house comes into view-- a treehouse with a curved front and large windows. ]

Here we are!

[mylawn]

[Jack isn't going to waste more time arguing with her about whether or not any of that is true. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, but even at the time he'd known going in to King's Row would be another nail in the coffin of Overwatch, no matter how many lives they saved. If the organization was on its way out, then doing what they could before they were dissolved was the only reasonable course of action, wasn't it?

He knows it's so much more complicated than that, and he's done enough sitting around and thinking about what he could have done differently. Better. There's no good answer, and Jack doesn't think he and Lena are going to see eye-to-eye anymore.

She'd convinced him once. He's not sure it's going to happen again. Still, it doesn't change one thing.]

I'll always be proud of you, Lena.

[That's something he can say despite everything else. Despite what he might feel about the things she's doing back home, or how she doesn't fully understand the real burden of leading an organization like Overwatch.]

You and Winston and Angela and Jesse--

[Genji. Mei. All the rest. Maybe Fareeha one day, too, if Ana ever came around. Jack as he was had held no illusions about being able to lead Overwatch forever. Before things started falling apart--really falling apart--he'd entertained the idea of a second generation inheriting what he and Ana and Gabriel started.

Overwatch was supposed to be theirs. Maybe that's why the recall hurts so much. Instead of a legacy, they've been forced into the shadows, prevented from doing the thing they were all meant to do. Lena carries on in spite of that, simply because she knows it's the right thing.]

I wanted it to be yours.

[All of theirs, the generation they'd inspired. And She'd inspired him, too, that day in his office--reminded him of what he'd spent the better part of thirty years fighting for. Even now, she's full of conviction, and it's hard not to envision some alternate universe, one where Jack Morrison didn't die and Overwatch didn't crumble. Ten years from now he'd step back and pass things off to a Strike Commander Oxton and know his legacy was in good hands.

But that would be another life, where things hadn't ended the way they did. Now, he wouldn't wish that burden on anyone.]

I can't fight for the things I used to.

[Tells himself he doesn't believe in it anymore. No room for anything but his mission. There simply isn't enough of him left.]

[alan_1]

[It’s a good question. It takes Alan a moment to put his answer into words.] The you who exists outside of Clu. [It’s the simplest way he can think to describe the program he had come to know before Clu had even existed on the Moira—and the program who had fought for his own autonomy when Clu was there.]

I know it’s your function to serve Clu. And I know I can’t change that. [However much he wishes he could.] But for as long as I’ve known you here, it hasn’t been the only thing that defined you. [The things that defined Rinzler on the Moira hadn’t always been pleasant. But they were Rinzler’s and he had learned from them. Rinzler had changed and grown, and as much as it hasn't been a smooth process, it's still an opportunity Alan can't imagine him having on the Grid.] I suppose… I’m afraid of you going back to a world where it is—and where you never have a chance to decide otherwise.

1/3

[notglitching]

[Rinzler is Clu's weapon. He doesn't exist outside of Clu—

  (lie)

...Rinzler shouldn't. It isn't right. He isn't meant to run independently—

  (—except he was before, he has since, and Clu left him the option.)

    Except that he'd wanted it—taken it—even before.

...]

[notglitching]

[It's a good answer. It's unsettling, to realize how good. Unsettling, and undermining, removing the solid ground on which to fight. Was it a fight? He thought so, but he doesn't want to go back, and for much the same reasons. He still won't let Alan-one correct him—he'll fight those edits, especially now.

Rinzler has to. He serves Clu. But that's not why, and that's... not all he does. It hasn't been for a while.

...]

[notglitching]

[The catch of (error) is small, a barely audible skip among the quiet whirring of Rinzler's sound. The muted flicker of his lights is, perhaps, a little more visible. It takes a long moment for the program to reply, but when he does, there's no flinch. No bow. No visible distress.]

Not going to be reset.

[grandpaladin]

Do they? Fortunate, you don't have to pay rent then, eh?

[He's laughing. And ducking sideways into the tiny door.]

[soldiergenes]

[ While an airplane that could quickly move in and out of areas has some obvious benefits, Snake could only imagine how something like that could malfunction. ]

Did it ever make it out of the testing stage?

[ Somehow he's guessing not, seeing how Lena's speaking in the past tense.

They reach the counter where they're accepting tanglesnakes and Snake hangs back so that Lena can turn in her catches. Retired, huh. It's not like he can judge; he'd tried to get out a couple of times himself.

Once she's done, he tilts his chin up, still interested. ] If you're retired, what do you do now?

[cadeuces]

[ The mention of nanites had left him wary, yes, and she'd decided against it unless absolutely necessary— it's only a relief that he doesn't begrudge her judgment of the situation. Angela's fingers drop down to curl into the laces low on his back to anchor her as the Savrite loops both arms about her own, staff twisted laterally to pull free from the sludge and hover above it. It's cumbersome for them to move as they are, but that's less for proximity and more for whatever is clutching at their feet and moving up their legs, pulling.

Except every step they take leaves the sludge creeping further up their bodies, and any attempts to dig their heels in and backtrack is met with a wall. Only forward, and any turn they take results in the same. If they get out of this (because for her, now, it's an "if") she'll volunteer to assist with the cleaning. He'll have more than earned it. For now, she's listening to his directions and he has a free hand. She nods her understanding. ]

You should take my gun. It won't jam. [ Sludge or no, it'd burn clean. He knows where her holster is to reach for it. Because yes, they're on the same page. And neither hold expectations that anyone is going to come along and save them. Angela puts her all into moving so he doesn't have to pull them along, but the researcher has a bit of drag to him— quickly remedied with a sharp look and a tug. He's no slight creature by any stretch and even Angela wouldn't expect anyone to drag her through this.

His reminder gets a huff out of her and she only tangles her fingers further against his spine. ] You won't need to worry about that, I promise. I won't be letting go.

[ Her voice quails the slightest with her words, clearly wigged out with whatever is in this sludge with them. The feel of grasping fingers and limbs is entirely too disconcerting and they're only reaching higher and gripping tighter as they go. God, it's already halfway up her ribcage, oppressive and tepid. ]