(no subject)

Who: Everyone
When: July 1 and onward. See this post for info.
Where: Kauto + Chioni + Ingress Complex
Warnings: Potential violence. Please label warn-worthy content in your subject headers.

There's a burst of light in the sky when the Ingress breaks, a final flare followed by a shuddering that only those in the facility can feel. A flurry of panicked activity in the complex follows, ushering new arrivals to where they need to go in a hurry, with little time to give them the needed information, much less answer questions. The lights remain on, but dimmer now, life functions still operating but little else. On Kauto and Chioni below, the sky fades into an early twilight, followed by night, and day does not come again.

nerds save the world

Before the end of the day, all TABs receive an emergency broadcast notification outlining the situation. The speaker, a lead Savriite Ingress technician, does not invite panic but nor does he mince words. The Ingress is broken; their best efforts have failed to restore it. The time has come to turn to anyone who can help: scientists, engineers, those who have worked with advanced technology on any world. Formal qualifications don't matter when it could be the end of everything.

"Help us. Before it is too late."

Those who come will have the run of the complex and full access to the Ingress, as well as whatever tools are available and as much coffee as they can drink. People are encouraged to work in groups and share ideas, and a small number of young and nervous technical assistants will be on hand.

the land below

As Thisavrou is denied light and warmth, the weather becomes brisk and descends into bitter cold. Chioni is evacuated due to the effects on the already-harsh weather cycles there, although a skeleton crew of scientists remain behind. On Kauto, the arboreal Region Three and pastoral Region Two suffer the most from the temperatures and the snow that eventually begins to fall. Many crops are frozen over, and refugee citizens are driven from their homes to the Regions One and Five, where stored energy will keep dwellings warm. Save for those who choose to leave the underwater facilities, Region Four remains largely unchanged, but there are unverified accounts of strange aquatic animal behavior near the surface.

Overcrowding, limited supplies and a pervasive fear presents the opportunity for both heroism and foul deeds. Many come together to share resources, supplies and fellowship in what could be the end of worlds, while others take what they can from the unwilling or exploit the desperate. Sentient evacuees are followed by fauna from Region Three and unsettled lands beyond, in search of warmth or food or merely confused by the change in habitat. Some are unthreatening herbivores, while tanglesnakes and clownbees are more troublesome. Others are poisonous hunters, while still others are small, but dangerous when faced as a pack.

Just when all seems lost, light returns to the sky. The Ingress begins to function once more.

the coming days

As the temperatures rise, many demand answers, but most turn to the rebuilding of their lives first. Damage has been done that isn't so easily fixed, and even in the least-affected areas, remnants of the crisis show in the lack of fresh food, in the increased signs of criminal activity. Those who can help others through their own efforts of by organizing assistance are needed, but those with impure intentions are more likely to go unnoticed.

Eavesdropping on the streets may reveal a desire for vengeance. "Those intruders from last week. They're responsible for this, aren't they? What's being done?" But don't listen too closely, or a suspicious eye may be turned on you. "Aren't you one of the refugees from the Midway Hub? You should return to where you came from! All the trouble began when your people showed up!"

Life goes on. But life does not go on unchanged.

[quick ooc note: the Region 4 search & retrieval mission/RNG fight will be posted in a separate log.]

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The prick of interest at her hastily-chosen word reminds Yori that of course Rinzler will want to know all the potential risks. Not this moment, though, where anyone might hear. She's not quite that exhausted. "Thank you," she replies, and offers a self-deprecating smile as she accepts the help and pushes herself awkwardly upright.

Her apartment isn't on the same level as the main Ingress work, but the station lift is an easy few steps away. She maintains a light touch on Rinzler's hand just to see if he'll let her. "This way."

Once the lift seals behind them and begins to move, she feels secure enough to add, "Of course they had to invite everyone who might be able to help. I haven't seen any reason to expect trouble. Still, so many programmers so close to my apartment make it hard to think about sleeping for very long. I don't know anything about most of them."

Users are unpredictable even under the best circumstances, which these are not.

She doesn't mention Clu. Just the fact that Rinzler is here means she'll have a little warning if the glitched admin ever does turn up. It's enough. Better not to remind Rinzler if he happens not to be thinking about Clu for once.

The hand that lingers in his own is neither unwelcome nor entirely unexpected by now. Rinzler doesn't pull away, though the ready tension in his frame indicates more attention to potential hazards than contact. Once the door seals, he takes in Yori's explanation, offering an eventual nod. It's not as if he trusts these users either.

He isn't thinking of Clu—strictly from the basic assumption that Yori knows better than to expect him to be any use against his admin. Still, it doesn't hurt to be sure. Rinzler reaches for his TAB, releasing Yori's hand in favor of typing a quick line to his display.

No specific threats?

"No, everyone looked busy working." Too busy to pay unwelcome attention to a stray program. As they should be. She needs to hurry and get back.

It was easy to stop worrying over the Ingress and the usual traffic when Tron was next door or on Security duty. Yori's finding it harder in general now, though she doesn't want to bring that name up to Rinzler either. She's had a hard enough time convincing him he means more to her than a broken version of Tron.

The lift stops and she leads the way into the residential corridor. "Did I tell you I put up more stickers?" Yori remembers dimly she'd meant to. Rinzler went missing and then the Ingress went out...

Her apartment door has extra security installed, but she's pretty sure half the Users visiting could still get in with their eyes closed. Probably Rinzler too. He doesn't count, he's allowed.

She really needs to rest.

The door opens and she beckons Rinzler in.

Not really the question. Still, Rinzler takes the no at more or less face value—if anyone had given Yori reason for concern, he assumes she would have said so first. He lets the TAB display vanish as he steps out after her, shaking his helmet to the inquiry. Like in the room in Inugami? He hadn't known, and he's a little curious, but that's not why they're here.

Yori keys in her access, and he steps off to the side, checking lines of sight in both direction. The other quarters could present a blind spot, but he should be able to track most approaches at range. Or keep up a patrol? Moving too far from the door would pose a risk, but if there were no known threats, it might be better to avoid drawing notice. The door opens, and Yori—

—gestures.

Oh.

Rinzler lags a solid beat, mask tilting to [confirm?] before moving to follow her in.

It's a little distressing that Rinzler seems to expect to be left in the hall. Maybe she should have invited him more often? She'll process that when she has the time.

For now, she can only smile and tell him, "Welcome to my apartment. I hope you don't mind keeping watch from in here. I'd prefer that, unless you have other plans."

Her room is dim, but the small patterns of stars on the ceiling and the bright vaguely circuit-like lines on the edges of beds, chairs, and tables make it much more welcoming in her opinion.

She leaves the door security in Rinzler's expert care, moves directly to her bed and collapses efficiently onto it, burying her head in the crook of an elbow. The soft cushion is one of her favorite things about the entire system. No point wasting time.

"Try not to spook my neighbors," Yori remembers to say after a moment. "They're allowed in the hall, though not, of course, in my apartment." She waves a less than accurate hand at the wall where a transfer conduit is plugged into the station power. "Charge while you wait, if you're low."

She needs to stop assuming basic courtesies go without saying, because for Rinzler they don't.

Another small headshake. No plans. Rinzler glances up and around as he enters, pausing to ensure the lock engaged. The light-traced structures are a welcome instance of familiarity, but his stare lingers just as long on the points above. Small points of pigment, luminescing even in the absence of a real source. They'd been the only stars the two of them had seen, the last time Yori decorated a room this way.

Strange, that he still missed them.

Noise ticks out quietly through the space as Rinzler steps in a little further, offering a slight nod toward the instructions from the bed. He doubts Yori will see it, but he doubts just as much that she expects audio confirmation. The transfer conduit does get a glance—permissions noted—though he doesn't step toward it yet. His tolerances are higher than Yori's, and his skills much less called for in the current mode of system crash.

In a while, maybe. He'll recharge, or look around. He's curious about this place she's made. For now, though, Rinzler settles in a corner with clear sight lines to the door, the stars, and Yori's own dimming blue glow.

She ought to make sure Rinzler has what he needs, she ought to tell him how glad she is for him to visit any time he wants and not just in an emergency, she ought to thank him for spending so much time, she ought to tell him when to wake her so she can get back to work...but Yori's need for rest and the assurance of safety pull all the other processes down to stasis.

A scarce few moments later to Yori's perception, she blinks her way out of an indistinct but pleasant dream. She smiles sleepily at the telltale pattern of Rinzler nearby, habit from their time in Inugami.

The sight of the glowing clock opposite announcing station time jolts her up with a reminder of hours lost; the Ingress troubles allow nothing like a normal work shift.

Undeniably she needed the rest. She just hopes things are still as peaceful as she left them around the Ingress.

"I didn't mean to make you wait this long," she apologizes, rolling out of bed and fumbling for the light switch beside it. Pale blue orbs attached to the ceiling light up, a little dimmer than usual, at her touch. She blinks at the small mirror.

This is going to require a hairbrush. Yori scoops it from her shelf and begins work. "Do you like the new stickers?" she asks a little awkwardly, through a tangle. Not the most urgent of topics, but there will never be a better moment.

Yori rests for less time than she should, but longer than he thought she might. Rinzler fills the interval as he always has... and maybe with a few things more. He checks through the apartment. He inspects the security system and adds a few layers to the existing encryption. Mostly, he waits and watches. It's not nearly so unbearable as he's used to.

Certainly, it's not as long. He shakes his head, brushing off Yori's apology. He's glad she took what time she did. He steps forward, shifting to her periphery as she begins work with the tool, calling up his TAB where she can see it.

Yes.

No threats.

Yori turns a pleased smile toward Rinzler at the first response, nods to the second. It's a good thing she hasn't slept through any particular excitement.

"Thank you," she tells him with deep sincerity. "I hardly realized how tired I was anymore. I feel much better."

Hair is so much more work in the User world. Yori's used to it, but the tug as she untangles it isn't pleasant. She's a little self-conscious of the bright green tint to her hair, obvious in the light, but unlike some of the Savrii, Rinzler won't judge her for trying to stay by Alan-One.

She spares a hand to wave at the stickers. "I like them, too. The earlier batch were too dim, but these remind me..." She hesitates. Happier times isn't a very good summary of that school, except in one particular way. "Remind me I'm not alone."

In the dark, far away from Encom, Yori has felt very alone.

"Would you want any of these in one or two of your caches?" An inquiring glance. Rinzler so rarely admits to wanting anything. "I could drop by and arrange them. Or you can just have them, if you want to do it yourself. I bought extra in case you might."

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