August Event Log: Part I

[savmods]

Who: Everyone
When: August 9 and onward
Where: An unexpected destination
What: The newcomers go on a trip and end up far from where they expected
Warnings: Potential violence. Please label your content!

NOTE: PLEASE READ THIS OOC POST FIRST.

When the time comes for the travelers to go on the off-world trip that will help restore Thisavrou, they are not alone. Others who have settled on the planets longer and come to call them home are also prepared to travel; through the Ingress and do their part. Yet when the newcomers step through, whether they stepped through the Ingress seconds or hours apart, they will find that they have arrived at the same time, and only newcomers are in sight.

What awaits them is not a land of plenty. The land is barren, and dark storms in the sky resemble those held at bay by the Ingress complex—but much, much closer. Those who traveled on the Moira may recognize the landscape; though they have come through at a different point from the crash, they are on the Midway Hub. And there is no portal back. They are trapped.

hitting the road

Though some have been here before, the Midway Hub is not as they remember it. The storms fill the sky, leaving it dark and ominous even when they are not sweeping across the landscape—but they have clearly done so in recent times, and often. While never a lush land, large patches of ground an acre or more wide looking nothing more than utterly dead; the thistle that naturally grows is brittle, black and unable to be consumed even with the usual preparations to make it edible, and here and there animal corpses are found twisted into unnatural poses, but seemingly uninjured. These places are particularly concentrated near the broken Ingresses litter the landscape. While Midway Hub as a whole may seem naturally arid, these dead spots leave no hope that anything can possibly live there again.

The travelers have two options: stay where they are, or move on. While it might seem that they've been tricked into coming here and been left abandoned, those with the technological ability to do so may detect a sign of hope: a familiar energy source, far in the distance. Although none of the Ingresses they pass will ever work again, the faint energy shows that one still-functioning Ingress lies far in the distance, days away.

Although technological scanning or impressive memory of the landscape indicates that they are not separated from their destination by one of the gates that divide the land, they are also far from the shelter of the facility at the center of the Hub. Any attempt to travel in a direction other than that of the energy signal will result in a strange disorientation after several hours, bringing individuals back to their original path as though they've gone in circles. Meanwhile, though travelers will feel the need to slake their hunger and thirst through any natural water sources they discover, wildlife they can hunt for food and any supplies they have on them, if they don't find sustenance, they'll find that they will never pass out or reach the point of starvation. Instead, they'll be left alive and awake but feeling utterly hollow.

storm front

At regular intervals, the energy storms above descend onto the land, bringing not rain but violent clashes of negative energy and thunder so loud that nothing can be heard above it. The passing of the storms leaves some strange effects. The ground is warped and rotted by their touch, even solid stone degrading to a spongy surface. The air is tepid and oddly charged. Prolonged contact with air or ground will not supply energy, however — it drains it from organic and synthetic life alike.

Those who remember their last trip to the Hub, or simply explore in the right direction, may come across the cave complexes with their glowing surfaces and streams. The light is dimmer now, a sickly green, but drinking from the streams will still restore the energy lost, for a time. This time, however, the lethargy that inevitably follows is much more severe, and the drinkers are left with a raw, empty feeling leeching in from the wasteland around.

Those who are exposed to the storms, either by finding themselves in very close proximity or even closely observing them for too long as they approach, may lose their sight, or hearing, even much of the ability to feel touch — whatever sense they used in observation. What lingers in its place is a numbness. A hunger. And as time passes, the time between storms decreases; what seemed like hours between the storms becomes scarcely one, and their intensity grows.

wild life

Sentient beings are not the only ones affected by the storms; these creatures, attracted to sound and able to track by scent, and these panthers, which once looked normal but have been twisted by the storms into more monstrous forms, are numerous enough that travelers must be constantly alert for their presence. Though natural predators, the threat the creatures represent is not itself natural. They are also more aggressive. Some strange instinct drives them, not a need for food. While the panthers themselves can be caught and their meat cooked, it has little taste, offering nutrition but not satisfaction.

old familiar places

Although it's difficult to track the passage of time without day-night cycles, after what seems like more than a week of the travelers' unexpected trip, the storms abruptly come rushing in at the group of travelers, as if they're herding the group to move faster toward their destination and the Ingress energy that awaits them. The true nature of that destination becomes clear when debris appears on the horizon; the energy comes from the wreckage of the Moira, the interstellar ship that crashed here months ago.

Despite the trauma of impact, large sections of the ship remain surprisingly intact, though few of them are properly vertically oriented. If travelers are able to make their way inside the damaged sections of the ship, they'll find familiar territory, if they are one of those who traveled on the Moira, as well as shelter—something that's increasingly necessary as the storms seem to center over the ship, leaving little hope for survival outside. Useful items may be scavenged from the ship if they are willing to explore, but no personal items of any kind remain.

Strangely, the deeper travelers go into the crashed ship, the less familiar their surroundings will seem, regardless of their orientation. The inward-leading paths into the ship become generic metal, and as with the travel on the surface of the planet, they may find themselves back where they started. And no matter how far they go or how hard they try, they will find themselves unable to make it to the Ingress chamber itself...for now.

Comments

[soldiergenes]

[ It's right after Snake speaks that everything he's looking at, even with only the man's back to judge from, sinks in. The holsters at his hips, the splash of red that always seems to be there no matter what age he is, and those spurs...

But it's too little, too late. Even if Snake hadn't approached him, they're the only two here, and Ocelot would have noticed his presence before long. That doesn't mean he isn't going to heave a sigh of frustration at himself and the situation in general.

Having interacted with Ocelot at this age back on the Moira, Snake isn't too taken aback by his appearance. But what are the odds that they'd get stuck together now? Just his luck, really. Given that Ocelot's aware of what Snake has done in his past, it's hard to know what he feels toward him, but either way Snake doubts he'll be treated to his true reaction or intentions.

When called by his name, Snake's mouth twists downward in distaste. ] Never said you could call me that. [ The words are out before he can think better of them, and honestly, he doesn't have any regrets. He's survived Ocelot before, a few times over. He can do it again. ]

Let's just find the rest of the group.

[ The sooner he can get Ocelot out of his hair, the better. ]

[shashka]

[ he retains that same, affable expression, even as Snake's face falls. that was certainly a different reaction than his father had ever had. even when they'd technically been 'enemies', John had always seemed to enjoy their encounters. this Snake, on the other hand couldn't be clearer with his dislike.

excellent. ]

Really? After I heard that you and I were such good friends? [ obviously a lie. all he really knows is that they've met, David is responsible for the death of "Big Boss", and Venom didn't want him to antagonize him. and he's certainly not antagonizing him. he's nothing if not friendly. ] You're welcome to call me by my name, if you'd like. [ and he knows that the kid couldn't do that. after all, there were maybe... three people who'd ever called him "Adam", or even known the name.

he shrugs. ]

Are you sure? And here I was looking forward to meeting you after I heard so much about you.

[ the truth is, he is a little worried, about both Venom and John, and maybe even the rest of them. but, the trick was to never let your enemies know when you were at a disadvantage. ]

[soldiergenes]

[ Snake assumes that Ocelot is being sarcastic with that statement. Granted, he doesn't know exactly how much he's heard about their history with each other, but he should know enough to realize that they're nothing approaching friends, let alone good ones. He's trying to get under his skin, as Ocelot tends to do with just about anyone.

It's true, Snake has no idea what Ocelot's real name is. Doubtless there are other people from their world here who have that information, but does Snake really care? No, not particularly. A name doesn't seem to matter much under these circumstances.

On the other hand, he Mi>can believe that Ocelot was looking forward to meeting him, in his own sick way of enjoying things.

He can't expect Ocelot to leave him alone given their situation, which means that all Snake can do is start to work toward finding their way back to the others. He begins to survey the area around them, looking for any signs of which way they need to go. ]

All good things, I assume.

[ Look, he can be funny too. ]

[shashka]

[ cute. Ocelot's smile widens, as he observes the other man scanning the area. the similarities between him and John... they were next to impossible to ignore. of course, there are also plain differences, like the way the humour in his words didn't reach his eyes, or how they had looked at him with a deep loathing.

somehow, he found himself enjoying that as well. ]

Oh, only the best, I assure you.

[ it was odd. despite knowing he was responsible for the death of perhaps the only person who had ever really mattered to him, Ocelot didn't feel the same animosity towards Snake that he seemed to feel towards him. perhaps it was because he could recognize he would've been nothing more than a pawn. maybe it was because he could already tell that the other man was irritated enough by his mere presence that any anger he inflicted would be pointless.

or maybe it really was just plain curiosity, the desire to see the man that Zero had seen fit to name after himself, that John had helped train, only for him to...

but there were other things to focus on. ]

It's just the two of us.

[ and what fun they'd have together. ]

[soldiergenes]

[ "It's just the two of us."

Something in that statement flings Snake back into a memory, when he'd been strapped to a table and restrained in the middle of Shadow Moses. That had been years ago now, and he can't recall if Ocelot had said those exact words, but the sentiment there is the same. Ocelot speaks like a predator who's got all the time in the world to play with his prey.

What Ocelot may not realize is that Snake's all too willing to strike back, even if he's cornered. Just feel free to try something, pal. ]

And if we don't figure out which way we're supposed to be going, we're not gonna last long.

[ The environment all blends together, though, and there's not much in the way of landmarks, save for the broken Ingresses. He approaches one of them and looks it over. Had they passed this one before...?

Ocelot, at least pitch in with this instead of just standing over there looking smug. ]

[shashka]

[ he debates on just continuing to stand there, looking smug. not helping out at all and just letting his very presence irritate Solid Snake. but, as much as he takes a strange sort of joy in watching his newfound "friend", he is also somewhat concerned. while he can trust John (and Venom, if he's really being honest) to take care of themselves, a part of him still does worry, particularly in this strange place.

he'll be fine. he has to be.

and so, he finally moves, and joins Snake, a ghost of a smile still playing at the side of his mouth. as he examines the Ingress. ]

We should make a mark here. Make sure we're not just going around in circles.

[ of course, the question is... what would it be? both of them traveled lightly... ]

[soldiergenes]

[ Snake would be just as glad if Ocelot stayed put so that he could leave him behind, and he wouldn't even feel particularly guilty about it. Knowing Ocelot, he'd find some other way to get out of the predicament and survive. He was a cockroach in that way. Maybe not as much as Liquid, but close enough for it to be annoying.

Marking where they were was a good idea. It wasn't a particularly revolutionary one, but Snake couldn't protest it simply because he didn't like the person who'd suggested it.

There isn't much to mark with, though, and so Snake reaches out for a piece of the Ingress, curls his fingers around, and pulls away a panel from it. That should be enough to distinguish it from any of the others, he hopes.

He stands then and sighs to himself. At this point, all they can do is pick a direction at random and start walking. So that's what he does, making sure to move at a quick pace so that Ocelot will have to push himself a little to keep up. ]

[shashka]

[ now David, a cockroach is a poor example to use. certainly he's more elegant than that isn't he? no, Ocelot is far more like a cat in that he has nine lives. and he might seem like a decent enough man, but he's really secretly evil.

and look at him following his suggestion. if nothing else, that shows that Miller's pettiness hadn't rubbed off on him, which was a good thing. and certainly his attitude was better than Eli's.

he really did seem like John's son. not John and Eva's like Eli, but almost completely him. no wonder Miller had been so endeared to him.

he manages to follow at that pace, managing to keep up surprisingly well. ]

You'd think you might want to talk a little more to a future friend of yours, kid.

[ the same thing that John had once called him, though it might sound a little more sinister coming out of Ocelot's mouth. someone might say it's unfair that Snake judges him for things he hasn't even done yet.

but he knows himself well enough that whatever it is, it probably wasn't pleasant. (though why he's still alive is a good question). ]

[soldiergenes]

[ Cat or cockroach, it doesn't make much difference to Snake. Either way Ocelot is slippery enough to stay alive against all odds. Maybe he shouldn't be so aggravated by someone's mere presence, but he's pretty sure it's justified, after everything.

If he knew that Ocelot saw anything of Big Boss in him, Snake would have been unsettled by it. He's done a lot to distinguish himself from the man that he's a copy of, after all. ]

Thought you'd know by now that most Snakes aren't much for talking.

[ Liquid is the exception, okay. ]

Don't really have much to say to you.

[ His pace doesn't slow at all. He's power-walking, marching with purpose because the sooner they find the others, the sooner he can get away from Ocelot.

Also, he's the one who should be calling people "kid"! Geez. ]