Breakout and Beyond: September Plot Log

[savmods]

Who: Everyone
When: September 9th-23rd
Where: Kauto
What: Escape from Dino Jail and taking the fight to the Savrii
Warnings: Probable violence and mental manipulation. Label your content.

the escape

Over the last few days—or weeks, for many—a number of preparations have been made. Some gathered resources. Others fashioned weapons or small bombs. A few pored over the schematics Mother provided, looking for a weakness in the field generator, while others took her offer of assistance more directly. Whether with information or training, tools or trades or promises, everyone has had a part to play. And on September 9, all of that comes to fruition.

It starts at the gate. Through careful observation of the supply groups, one team of insurgents has correctly identified when the gate will open: and prepared their very own dinosaur-mounted EMP. With the controls damaged and the gate locked open, the Savrii guards are met with a host of individuals armed with shock-sticks, home-made bombs, and one improvised laser—many of whom appear oddly immune to the pacifying effect of the intermediary present.

As terrifying as this proves to their morale, it seems possible the Savrii could turn the battle their way. They have superior weaponry. They have a single chokepoint to defend. They can and will call for backup as soon as the danger becomes clear. Still, there's one factor they couldn't have anticipated. One vulnerability of the dome field, pulled from the schematics by the more technically minded captives who spent time on the endeavor. This place wasn't a punishment, after all. The Savrii didn't want to inflict harm. Merely contain these dangerous people, for their own good. And so, the force field has a safety feature built in.

It decreases power, just slightly, in proportion with the biomass that comes in contact.

While the guards at the gate are busy with their fight, a brilliantly colored array of hazards break free from the forest grounds. Perhaps you're riding one of your new friends. Perhaps you're dangling dino-catnip just in front. It's possible, of course, that your dinosaur is motivated without help—possibly by the array of prey animals running in front of it. Regardless of the motives and the methods, when several hundred tons of dinosaur make contact with that wall?

The force field shatters.

Charge.

A World of Peace

The fact (and methods) of the "newcomers'" escape puts an end to any pleas for peaceful resolution. Within the hour, Thisavrou is placed under a state of emergency: transport locked down, all responders called in, and every combat force their peaceful worlds can gather called to defend against this menace. The Ingress Complex itself is sealed off entirely: a full-strength Artifixx force field raised to deflect (or destroy) incoming ships. Not that the storms outside the Ingress—or the cracks they've begun carving in the sky—look easy to navigate for even the best trained of pilots.

While those looking to fulfill their promise to Mother will need to find a way offworld eventually, events on Kauto are likely to keep Thisavrou’s Most Wanted busy for some time. The Savrii are in self-defense mode, ready to protect their world against those who refuse their gift of peace. Whether looking for a fight or trying to find shelter, travelers are most likely to encounter these groups as their hunters:

• Security. These Savrii have been taken from their usual work in Ingress Security or similar professions. More like police than soldiers, they are still armed and formidable. Each small squad will almost always be accompanied by a single intermediary, capable of both detecting nearby targets and enforcing the non-violence field on those who did not accept Mother's link. These groups may try to talk characters into surrender and prefer non-lethal force at first. But as the days go by, they are likely to recognize this is futile and be willing to take ruthless measures.

• Off-World Kill Teams. Those who traversed the wreckage of the true Midway hub, or participated in the extinction of Thiri have met these Savrii before. The ones who take dangerous away missions and purge worlds that have misused Ingress technology, these groups are versatile and ruthless. While less likely to be accompanied by an intermediary, they are more likely to have powers and advanced weaponry of their own. Regardless, they are specialists in their fields and fully willing to kill innocents for the greater good. Their skillsets range from fighters to hackers to assassins and more.

• Civilians. The majority of civilian Savrii are more likely to hide than to fight, but among their number are non-professional fighters who are more than willing to form amateur groups or go out alone to take down the dangerous invaders. Their mindset may center on protecting their homes or taking revenge for past encounters such as the Shadows. While the weakest of the groups, they're still capable of doing damage. However, not all civilians are hostile or afraid; those who had good relationships with their newer neighbors or who were personally aided may show sympathy. This could come in the form of food, supplies, or temporary shelter, though they won't stand directly against the authorities of Thisavrou.

Regardless of whether fugitives are are caught unaware or go out looking for trouble, one thing is certain: they are likely to do better if they work together. While Mother's link isn't the only method with which to fight the intermediaries, groups without at least one immune person may find themselves put down with ease. At the same time, even those who can resist intermediary manipulation may be overwhelmed by force.

Still, death is rarely the end on Thisavrou, and even now, the technology that allows for resurgence remains in your hosts' possession. Those killed fighting the Savrii may be seen again, and there is always the chance to rescue those who are captured. But would the reunions be happy ones?

Points of Interest

Where to go? What to do? Even without leaving Kauto, there's a literal world of possibilities. Still, the conflict at hand won't go away, and some of your peers have been preparing for it for some time. Between Mother's request, your own needs, and data gleaned from a Trojan implanted in the Savrii's systems, a few objectives might present themselves. And whether you're hunting, hiding, or helping, there are a few places you might want to keep in mind.

• Home

  As soon as characters were unknowingly brought into the Midway Hub simulation, Savrii agents were dispatched to enter homes and search them for any items of potential danger. Mundane possessions will still be there, including pac-discs for those who had them. Settling down for a night at home is likely to get people caught, but now is a great time to pack anything travelers want to keep. However, to find weapons and items taken during the simulation...

• Reclamation Depot

  Established just one month ago, this unremarkable complex is buried in the maze-like streets of Region Five. Rumors describe it as a research site: somewhere to examine hazardous materials and see how they could be turned to the societal good. You might better know it as an impound center. Specifically, where they put your weapons after throwing you into "detainment".

  Fortunately, research efforts haven't gotten far. Less fortunately? This is the first place all those reinforcements go. The facility contains a set of laboratories aboveground and a storage complex underneath, as well as an adjoining kennel for containing pets. Your companions won't have been harmed, but you can bet the Savrii will harm you trying to get to them.

• Network Hub

  The data recovered from the Trojan indicates one very important fact: that all of your data has been monitored from day one. Those interested in safeguarding their communications (or disrupting the Savrii's) may wish to make a certain site in Region One a priority visit. A towering skyscraper over a hundred stories in height, the communications tower that controls the TAB network is a masterpiece of engineering. It's also, predictably, guarded. Still, the amount of reinforcements on this site will vary strongly depending on how openly—or how literally—you broadcast an attack.

• Mediation Centers

  Simple buildings designed for a sense of comfort and peace, these structures can be found in all residential centers of Thisavrou. They serve as the workplaces of the intermediaries, the so-called glue that binds Thisavrou together—or, the mind-controlling oligarchs, if your new acquaintance is to be believed.

  Under the current crisis? They're a little understaffed. Still, if you're looking for the intermediaries, this is a better place than most to check. Just don't walk inside alone, or your friends might end up looking for you.

• Sewers

  With so many forces acting against them, where can travelers find shelter where they can rest, regroup and plan? A base of sorts may be found in the sewers where a team once sought the contaminant. With access to much of urban Kauto, enough distance from the surface to go undetected by intermediaries, and a few larger spaces to provide some breathing room, the sewers may not be a pleasant sanctuary, but they may be the place most able to give characters more than a moment's rest.

A Dinoriffic Note: While characters may keep their dinosaurs with them after the breakout, now that their prehistoric pals have reached adulthood at an artificially fast rate, they will find that dinosaurs are also designed to wean off dependence on their handler, and over these weeks, character-dinosaur pairings will grow farther apart. Although the dinosaurs will always have a softer spot for those who were around during their adolescent days, alas, these partnerships are not destined to be permanent.

---

[OOC: Please check out this OOC post for more information on character options and objectives! Additionally, this is the last chance for free exploration of the current setting, as events will push toward the arc climax after this log. If there is anything you OOCly want your character to have or do, please take advantage!]

Comments

Nathan Drake | OTA

[ascendit]

Wildcard: Reply here :) Feel free to hit me up at pohutukaryl or on my contact post if you want to plot.

The following prompts are set after item retrieval's happened, with the assumption that someone was successful, but I am totally down for wildcard prompts set before that.

any region

[ascendit]

[Not being immune to the intermediaries' influence, Nate asked others going to the reclamation depot to keep an eye out for his gunblade and junction device, helpfully providing them with a sketch of each. Now that he has them back, he's keen to protect those who don't fight, as they look for shelter or perhaps as they go home for their things.

[With his gunblade ready and his junction device a lump beneath his shirt, Nate stays a step ahead on this journey through the streets of Kauto, looking around with a street kid's awareness trained into something more efficient. He peers around the corner of a building, then looks back.]

Okay, it's clear. You ready?

[OOC: I'm okay with three way threads with someone needing protection and someone who's immune to the intermediaries, but these will be considerably slower as I cannot reply to them from e-mail.]

CW: limited symptom panic attack | sewers

[ascendit]

[His lack of immunity isn't the only reason Nate's staying out of any coordinated assaults: The idea felt a little too similar to Balamb Garden's assault on Esthar and the race to take their hold on time compression.

[And it's not only the idea that's feeling a little too similar. When asked about his previous world before the Moira and Thisavrou, Nate usually smiles and talks about the mercenary academy that took him in. He rarely talks about the war they ended up in, nor the situations like those he's finding himself in now by playing bodyguard for people and keeping on high alert every time he's above ground.

[Trembling, Nate sinks to the ground. His breath comes fast and shallow and not enough; he does not notice the sweat on his brow.]

any region except 4

[ascendit]

[Heights! Heights help calm him down. That's the problem, right? Not enough climbing since they got out of R6!

[His gunblade holstered onto his belt, Nate scales tall buildings or trees. Though he keeps a wary eye below in case of attack, his attention once he's up there is mainly drawn to the sky.]

Is that... getting worse?

Nova Barnett née cloney | OTA

[petridish]

Wildcard: Reply here :) Feel free to hit me up at pohutukaryl or on my contact post if you want to plot.

Region 1

[petridish]

[Returning home, Nova was furious about her armor being gone, and less angry about her shotgun - it was never her preferred weapon anyway. The molluscs she'd left in her pod crab's bowl were now rotting, which is a worrying sign: Yes, Kai likes to wander, and it always finds ways to feed itself when she's not around, but its bowl tends to be its first choice.

[The lack of new claw marks on the doorknob lends further proof to the theory that her pet has not been here for a while.

[So she leaves her apartment (with her Pac Disc back in her pocket), first calling for her crab down the hall, and then in the streets of Region 1.] Kai?

[Well aware of potential attackers, she keeps a thin orange blade manifested just above her left wrist as she goes.

[If she sees a face she recognizes, even from the network, she asks:] Have you seen a pod crab? Gray, four legs, about this high? [She holds her hand by her waist.]

Adrien | OTA

[prorenataa]

B - Kauto Region Two: The Orchard

[ Sonofabitch.

It had worked.

The damn Trojan had worked. His plan had worked and without crashing an interstellar spaceship this time. Take your wins where you can get them.

Adrien didn't say much. He actually had only spoken with maybe one other person since the reveal of the mental manipulation. He had refused the psychic bond offered by Mother, though he'd expressed his sympathies and ensured she had every bit of the information he had in his possession.

Beyond that, he stayed away from the fray.

At some point he was reunited with Courser, his Glock and his knives but he smoothly drifted away from any one group. He was aware of of vulnerability and as such, he stayed away from any of the key groups making runs at areas that might see heavy Intermediary involvement.

He went home.

Oh there were some bodies to drop and he didn't hesitate to drop them, leaving the corpses splayed out on various spots of his property as he disappeared into his home. He didn't expect that they would be here very long, before things came to a head. Until that point, he was just going to wait it out.

Quite literally sitting in his living room with a lantern and a mug of coffee as he read a book, Courser spread out at his feet. He had his supplies, if anyone needed discreet medical care, otherwise he was content to continue to sit this one out. ]

A - Kauto Region One Hospital

[ There was just something about that Caduceus. It was better than a red cross.

When Adrien wasn't back at his home, he came down to the hospital and stepped into his role at the ER as if he had every right to it. Sometimes it really was about attitude. Attitude, combined with desperate need as things got worse in the fighting, some authorities had tried to make a stink but the hospital administrator had told them to go pound sand; they needed the hands.

Not a ringing endorsement but good enough to keep Adrien out of official fingers, and if anyone began to get twitchy about dragging him off, he had more than one discreet escape route.

So it was entirely possible that someone who recognized his face might find themselves at his tender mercies here at the hospital. If not, well ... at least his presence there in aid of the Savrii civilians caught in the middle of this mess helped suit action to any words against the Savrii government.

Every little bit could help, couldn't it? ]

B

[sketchycharacter]

[Being a fugitive isn't ideal, but he's been pursued before by better-armed people, so whatever, Nate can deal with it. Not everyone stays together once they escape Region 6, but when he realizes Adrien has gone off on his own, he can't keep from going to check on him on the way back from getting his things from home in the pacdisk.

He raises an eyebrow at the bodies lying around Adrien's place like scarecrows. Cheery.]

Just so you know, those guys are going to turn into a biohazard pretty soon. Which I figure you know, being a doctor.

[And yet, they're still there.]

chara | ota, will match whatever format!

[inconsequence]

9th; breakout; now it's over, it's out of my hands

[inconsequence]

The forcefield shivers with kinetic flares of gold as the weight and heft of several metric tons of organic mass start to impact it. The tension boiling in the air has begun to reverberate throughout the entirety of the impromptu detention center. A single shock prod is not much in the way of weaponry, but it certainly is adequate in a pinch.

And so it happens that behind the stampede of trembling dinosaur flesh, at the heels of the triumphant roars and the high-pitched splintering of the geodesic shielding utterly shattering beneath the sheer, overwhelming force of multiple collisions, there is at least one child right behind the mess of them. Their shock stick blitzes to life with an electric snap of igniting circuitry, and their eyes burn with a fevered purpose.

Any Savrii guards present will be wholly capable of pacifying a single child armed with an electricity-based stun baton, but let it not be said that they won't try.

After all, they are all simply obstacles, impeding the path to completion.

* In My Way.
They'll be smoldering with purpose right up until they prove easy enough to overwhelm in a pinch. Not that they're the sort to call for help, but any assistance probably wouldn't go awry.

Asriel Dreemurr | ota

[pleasereset]

[Reclamation Depot]



[Asriel has something he needs back. And when the time comes to break out, he immediately sets out for it.

He's gotta get his disk out.

He doesn't have a plan. It's... fine.

As it turns out though, not having a plan is... not a good plan. Trying to sneak in isn't really as easy as he has it pictured in his head. And before he can even get too close to the reclamation depot, someone spots him, rushes him, and scruffs him by the neck.

"What are you doing here-"]

Let go-!

[Asriel scratches the hand grabbing him, doesn't do much when the person is wearing gloves. So he swipes at them with fire magic.

It's a bad idea. The guard drops him, but one kick is enough to knock him to the ground and leave him scrambling and vulnerable.]

[Home Sweet Home]



Where is it...

[His former home may have been looked through, and it may not be a place for him anymore. The door is wide open - a little dangerous, for some armed Savrii to just walk in. All he can do now is pick through what's left, and...

What is next for them anyway? Maybe he could break into the Ingress, run away. Just... find someplace that isn't here. But that's never worked before, has it?]

There it is!

[He digs out a small T-shirt labeled "ASRIEL FAN CLUB" with his face in neon pink and orange. It's such a ridiculously cheesy thing, and he was always too embarrassed to wear it.

But it's a gift from someone important, and he'd never throw it away no matter what.]

I never should've taken it out of the PacDisk...

[yondu]

Reclamation Depot.

[Yondu isn't even remotely the savory sort or the type you bring home to mom there are definite limits to what he'll put up with.]

[And one hard limit is a strange looking goat kid being used as a football to prove some overgrown thug's point. I mean, sure he just used fire on the guy but that ain't no reason to go kicking a kid. A lot of 'em use fire. That's sorta a part of growin' up he guesses.]

[Yondu comes up fast behind him, silently despite every urge to start railing with a piece of his mind, and grabs the guy by the scruff of his shirt. Yanks him back hard. Time to give him a taste of his own medicine.]

Don't look, kid. [Yondu's only warning as he pulls out a knife.]

Frisk | OTA

[gainedlove]

Prison Break

Everything is chaos. Shouts, anger, roars of animalistic fury from throats both animal and not. The forcefield is shuddering, flickers of energy burning across the hard-light surface, and the Savrii are making one last desperate push to end the charge before everything falls apart.

Maybe you've been surrounded by guards ready to take you out, until one shouts out in pain and collapses spasming to the ground. Perhaps the urge to fight is being sapped out of you, until a small hand wraps around your own and pulls you away from the intermediary's influence. Or possibly you are trying to herd the stampede in the right direction, and need another pair of hands.

Either way, you've just found yourself an ally.

Cracking Apart

"No, 'm not--we didn't do that. Somethin' else did it, that's why we gotta work t'gether!"

"I'm not going to listen to listen to someone that sides with vandals and murderers! What do you even know, anyway?"

"No, please--!"

The slamming door in their face makes Frisk flinch back, and after a moment their shoulders slump. They've been trying to convince the few locals that will even listen to them about the danger the Ingress is posing to their world, but no one will pay them any attention. Frisk has tried stories, reasoning, pleading, but nothing works. It almost seems hopeless at this point. This last rejection is only the latest in a long string, and Frisk isn't sure when the next patrol might come by--they need to get back to safety soon.

Sniffling and rubbing at their eyes, they turn and start running down the street, the faded ribbon tying their hair back fluttering with their passage.

An Honored Pasttime

While not ideal, taking refuge among refuse isn't an unheard of thing for Frisk. Monsters, after all, had a long history of sifting through human garbage that fell into Waterfall, making use of the discarded bits and pieces to make something new. Frisk might not enjoy the task, but they are at least suited for it--even if the smell sometimes makes them want to gag.

Heading out to the more thickly piled sections at the outskirts of the small camp that has been built, Frisk searches through the piles of garbage for anything that might be useful--tools, materials, even food won't be left without some consideration. Their trusty old stick is useful to nudge things around and lift items they don't particularly want to touch, and an old, worn bandanna is tied up around their mouth in an effort to keep at least some of the smell out. Anyone approaching will recieve a glance and a small wave, as well as a soft greeting.

"Did you come t' look, too?"

[CLOSED] Rewrite

It's been a few days since the warehouse was raided, and most of everyone's items have been returned--weapons, odds and ends, and for a few the precious disks that held the keys to their very self. Frisk's identity disk has been back in their possessionf or some days now, but a nagging thought that's eaten at them since that argument with Chara about taking Mother's offer still nags and gnaws at their thoughts, keeping them from docking it on like they should. The intermediaries have proven already that they care little about the choice and free will of those taken by the Ingress, and having something that could easily bring someone under their will in their hands...

Frisk doesn't trust themself to check their code themself, not after the last time they tried to manipulate it. But they aren't sure who to ask to help them, especially given how they've acted recently. It's while they sit in the midst of the sewer base pondering this issue that they hear a familiar rattling, and look up to see orange-red lights passing nearby. Scrambling quickly to their feet, they run over to Rinzler and reach for his hand to get his attention.

cracking open a cold one with the boys

[lavelly]

Lavellan witnesses the latest rejection, possibly unbeknownst to Frisk, and follows at a clip as they run off. He doesn't try to hide it--he's not out to stalk them--and catches up as soon as they start to break pace.

It's been a while since the cave, in the simulation. He feels like he owes them something. As he approaches, though, he suddenly hesitates, exuding apologetic chagrin.

"I suppose if you're trying to get on their good side, I should stay away, shouldn't I?"

After all, there's a fair number of Savrii who know exactly who he is.

Kazuhira Miller | Metal Gear

[warandpeace]

WILDCARD.
AT ANY POINT

OOC: Any additional starters will be in comments.

POST-ESCAPE - OPEN TO ALL

[warandpeace]

fortification.
OUTER SEWER HEAVEN - POST-ESCAPE - OPEN TO ALL

[Getting around is as hard as it's ever been. Never mind that he's having to do it in tunnels now. Underground, in a fortified location of sorts. The ground is uneven and there aren't exactly railings to cling to. It's not disability friendly.]

[But it's far from the intermediaries.]

[It'll take a while for Ahab and Ishmael to return with his items and for the network squad to enable safe communication. But for now he has a crutch and one leg and the stubborn will to help arrange a new command center of sorts. He needs help getting around, but mostly help from a few people he knows. Despite becoming more open concerning trust issues, self-sufficiency is driving him.]

[He can't quite inspire people the way he used to- he doesn't have the clout to tell them to work harder. But he can still note if someone's doing a good job with whatever they're working on.]

Magnus Burnsides | OTA | Pre-Planned Prompts

[ruffboi]

Feel free to message me on sizlaria or PM my journal if you'd like to plot something! This thread will be for any planned threads, but I'm happy to plot with anyone.

Lup & Taako - Quest For Steven (& Item Retrieval)

[ruffboi]

[Well, time to bust out of here. As soon as they're able to make a break for it, there's one priority that all three of them have in common, and that's getting their stuff back.

Magnus is riding on the back of Merle Jr., the most loyal and noble triceratops around, but Merle Jr. seems to be waddling pretty slowly and not following his directions to charge. This isn't really how he pictured this going.]

Well, guys? I think it's about time we got Steven back.

[Does Lup even know who Steven is. Also, they don't have any of their weapons.]

Elizabeth DeWitt || OTA || CW: Violence

[tearmeanewone]

[the escape]

[Some people might have some misgivings about establishing a psychic link with someone they'd just met, but Elizabeth was not one of those people. The offer of immunity to whatever effect the intermediaries had, whatever kept her from leaving, that sealed the deal before Mother had even stopped talking. The discomfort is nothing, and the latent rage? She's felt that in spades for days.]

[She can barely keep herself contained as the time for the planned escape nears. When it does, Elizabeth is ready-- armed with a shock stick and a length of pipe, she throws her own personal safety into the wind in favor of expelling every last scrap of rage she's held inside her. Forget superior weaponry, forget numbers, Elizabeth has unbridled emotion on her side.]

[The overall goal should be escape, and truthfully that's what she wants the most-- to escape and leave all of this behind her. The planets could save themselves, Elizabeth is done being a savior, she's been run too thin. But the second she sees her first intermediary, all of that flies out the window and all she can think about is how she was kept in this cage-- and how many wounds she's endured thanks to cages.]

[Elizabeth shrieks and lashes out at the intermediary with her baton, which he barely dodges. The second jab is more successful, and Elizabeth follows through with a swift backhand of her pipe. The intermediary goes down, and in the midst of all the chaos there's no one to come to his aid. Elizabeth steps over him and raises the pipe up with both hands, teeth bared, not a thought given to the fact that she's been down this road before and it literally killed her.]

Remember me? [Of course he doesn't. It doesn't matter. He's going to be dead in a second.]


[home]

[Goddammit. Of course her tears were still limited even outside of the barrier. No quick slip out of this nightmare, and from what snatches of conversation she catches amongst her fellow prisoners, she can't even take a craft outside of the barrier and leave from there. They're all being hunted, too.]

[Well. That's one thing she can handle.]

[Elizabeth starts to break off from the group. Her front is still sporting some blood from the battle, and she's only armed with her stun baton, but she needs to get back to her condo. All of her weapons are there-- plus the collection, the one thing she feels obliged to protect for the moment. Mother's child would have to wait, she needs to get back to her armory, limited as it is.]


[sewers]

[Once she stops moving, everything comes back to her, and Elizabeth finds herself unable to figure out how to feel. Shame for sliding back into that terrible mindset, so filled with anger that she couldn't show mercy or feel any compassion? That easy transfer of blame, that voice that said that once the guilty paid she would feel unburdened.]

[She knows how this ends. She will never feel unburdened. Like Booker said, she'll live with the things she's done for the rest of her life, however long that is.]

[Sitting against the wall of the sewer, Elizabeth's shock stick rests lazily in her grip as she watches the escapees without actually seeing them. Had they all kept themselves together? Kept their morality in one piece, or whatever sense of code they had? God. If she'd had her full abilities in place, she would have caused more disaster than just some blunt-force trauma. She might have wiped everyone out then and there.]

[But she doesn't cry about it. Elizabeth is quiet and stares at the escapees going about their business, looking almost lifeless as she does. What was the point of all of this? Why was she even still there?]


[reclamation depot]

[A little buzzy stick isn't going to do much in the long run, Elizabeth knows she needs firepower to back up what few things she can bring through tears. And thankfully she feels them around the depot as she creeps closer to get a better view of the guard perimeter and their movements. Elizabeth closes her eyes to feel them, familiarize herself for just a moment.]

[She turns to her partner-- because she knows full well she can't storm a whole facility alone-- to get their take on things.] I'm looking for four firearms, old-looking. What about you?


[or just wildcard it, I'm easy~]

Reclamation Depot

[deal_me_in]

My hand cannon, my scout rifle, my other rifle, my knife...

[The Exo ticks off a number of things on his fingers as he lists them, sounding a little more irritated as he progresses, but hey. He really wants his stuff back.]

-and definitely not least, my Ghost. Bastards took my Ghost.

[He shakes his head in that sort of 'oh-no-they-didn't' manner, and it might have looked a little less comical if not for the feathered reptiles he has with him, one perched on his hooded head, another hanging off a pauldron and one clinging to the end of his cloak, eyeing Elizabeth suspiciously, its winged arms raised slightly as it keeps its awkward balance.

Cayde doesn't seem to pay notice or even act like anything's weird about all this. Truthfully he's a little sad that a majority of his feathered army have flown the coop, but he can only hope that they're doing him proud somewhere. Eating someone's eyeballs or something.

He sighs a bit as he eyes the depot.]

This should be fun.

Liquid Snake | ota

[saveyourserpent]

[A. OPEN THE DOOR]

Liquid regretted taking the 'gift' the instant he got it. The presence in his mind is all wrong, shouldn't be there, doesn't fit. Unfortunately, he's got to deal with it. And it does at least have quite a nice effect: he can fight now.

So he's not going to worry about the fact that someone's in his head who clearly shouldn't be. Instead, he's going to focus on leaving. So, along with the horde, there's something coming. It's like a t-rex, but fuzzier. One of many, perhaps, but it's coming.

And Liquid's riding it like it's a horse or something. He doesn't have much in the way of weapons beyond the dinosaur and his fists, but fuck it. He's got things to do.

Look out, straggler, he's on a mission.

"C'mon! Let's get the hell out of here!"

[B. SAME AS IT EVER WAS]

Liquid's house is just fine, except for the fact that all the weapons he's collected along the way are gone. Mundane items? Perfectly intact, whether in his pac-disc or in the house itself.

His guns, knives, various sharp pieces of wood and metal? Nowhere to be found.

Oh, this means war.

Not that anything else didn't mean war, but this particularly means war. Everything he owns gets shoved into the pac-disc, and then he storms off, leaving the treehouse he's been calling home for a while behind. He's got some stuff to get back, and, of course, a dog that needs rescuing.

No matter what, any Savrii he runs into are likely to get themselves punched in the face.

Or... maybe accidentally someone who isn't local. Sorry about that. He's pissed off, you see.

[C. WILDCARD]

[liquid's gonna die at some point only for the savrii to end up with his body. lemme know if you want in on this. otherwise, this is just some basic stuff we can probably take anywhere! come up with your own stuff or plot with me here or at agentkaz!]

Nathan Drake the Taller | OTA

[sketchycharacter]

visiting home;

[It's not the smartest move ever, but he has to stop in at their house, see what's even left there. To his surprise, it's most of their stuff, barring some weapons and probably some of Tony's tech. And then there's the pacdisk, which Nate promptly begins stuffing full of important things. Whatever happens, he's pretty sure they won't live here anymore.

The sound of someone approaching reaches his ears and he whirls around, reaching for a gun that he isn't carrying. Dammit.]

sewers;

[This is the worst hideout ever. But...it's safe, at least for now, so it gets the job done.

Nate can hold his own in a fight, but he's not a soldier and he doesn't have powers. He doesn't hide away, and wants people's weapons are reclaimed, he goes out to assist as needed, but he's got people who really don't want to see him killed. So for the most part he sticks around, checks on people he cares about, or even just those he vaguely likes.]

Hey. How are you doing? Contracted any horrible sewer mutations yet?

[But even in times of trial, the smartass remains.]

wild card;

[Hit me up on plurk at effervescible to plan or just toss something at me!]

sewers

[a_shadow]

[ Tex shakes her head with a slight smirk growing on her face. ]

And here I was promised additional limbs. I want a refund.

agent maine | ota

[bloodbathing]

[ In the many Regions of Kauto, the people opposing Agent Maine are comprised of two separate yet equally important groups: the security and off-world forces, who he systematically slaughters; and the utterly bizarre civilians, who halt the human murder train. These are their stories.

[ DUN DUN! ]

WILDCARD

[ reply here. starters in comments. hmu @ nostalgiabomb or on discord @ nostalgiabomb#1629 for plotting. ]

creature conundrum

[bloodbathing]

[ Cats. Dogs. Pigeons. Lizards. Whatever they are, there are far too fucking many. It's a goddamn sea of animals, and somehow, Agent Maine has found himself trapped in the middle.

[ Shouldn't be a difficult situation to get out of, right? The man is four hundred pounds of pure muscle on a seven foot frame. He should be able to just shove his way through the creatures.

[ But that's not factoring in the tiny old lady standing directly in front of him. The proud owner of the many, many creatures. She's barely over half his height, but oh, has she got stories to tell. Lots of stories. Excessive stories, all about her pets. Every. Single. One. And she's decided that Maine is the one who needs to hear them all.

[ Maine casts his companion a wide-eyed (and possibly red and watery, if the creatures are cats) look of what the fuck, because guess what? Short of physically removing the little old lady from his path, he has no idea what to do. ]

charles xavier | ota

[welcomeprofessor]

[ ｏｕｒ ｈｏｕｓｅ， ｗａｓ ｏｕｒ ｃａｓｔｌｅ ａｎｄ ｏｕｒ ｋｅｅｐ ]

[ In the chaos of the escape from the complex, one main objective for Charles emerges, beyond that of keeping an eye on his charges (those existing, and those he's managed to seemingly adopt through proximity since his arrival): to retrieve what they can of their existing life before this slow breakdown and establish something of a safehouse.

If the latter can be managed, at least. He finds it difficult to trust much of reality at all right now, or any system he'd ever taken for granted between the network or even living here at all. He is not immune from Intermediary influence: trading one unwanted voice in his head for another hadn't seemed like much of a deal to make at all, simply shifting the responsibility and calling it "choice" when neither really is.

Thus, he finds himself back at the mansion in that awkward, manual wheelchair that's already at the last of its life: he knows from experience that while they can handle somewhat rougher terrain than their mechanical counterparts, they're not made to withstand the chaos of escape, offroading, and subterfuge. (He would be lying to say that finding his primary mode of transportation isn't still something of a motivator here.) He's taken what company he can manage, who the group can spare and making sure--at least to the extent of his ability--that no one is being left to their own devices.

He's not losing anyone. Not this time. Not here.

Approaching the house, which looks still from the outside, from the back, he glances over to his companion(s) with a wary, tired expression. ]

Ready?

[ God only knows what waits inside. He gets fleeting feelings, flashes of thoughts that could be nothing more than residual energy or memories. Being separated from his abilities for so long makes pushing too hard to parse what he "sees" hazy and difficult. It's slow progress: slow progress that no one has time for right now. He'll have to make do. ]


[ ｗｉｌｄｃａｒｄ ]

[ Hit me up on plurk, discord, or by PM if you want to try something different or plot something else out! ]

pushes him in

[shiro2hero]

Ready as we're going to be.

[He's there. Tense. Wary. Exhausted, but standing. This whole thing is too much. The intermediaries are one thing, but attacking actual civilians is... wrong. Wrong on a fundamental level. So of course he's going to beeline to where he can actually help something. Help someone.]

[Getting their things safely out of the house had been priority one. Priority two were friends and comrades -- which brought him here, to check on the professor. Figuring he'd be of a similar mind, no pun intended.]

Ready on your signal.

Pharah

[justice_from_above]

Fareeha hasn't had as much time here as some of the others, but she is industrious with the time she does have; when the attack comes, she's on the back of her now fully grown tapejara, herself wearing cobbled together goggles and protecitive layers against the wind. There's a glint of light against metal; an improvised hatchet, rudimentary, but hopefully effective. It's for close range, however, and right now she's using the tapejara as her weapon; its got an aggressive streak and while that was a trial to work with while she reared it in their prison, now she's letting it have a little more freedom to grab, nip, and gore to its delight.


Reclamation Center

Once Fareeha had learned where her armor was, that's where she went. It meant having to dismount and dismiss her ride for the time being, but they're still bonded enough that she's not worried about finding him again when she gets out.

For now, though; she needs your help; reinforcements like this aren't going to fall from one person, no matter how determined or well-trained she may be. She'll help you get your things, if it means she can get hers as well.

She peeks out from behind their cover, a low wall on the opposite side of the street, and ducks back down to turn to her companion.

"Five guards. Three left, two right. You want the fun bunch, or shall I?"

Home/Sewers/Other

Fareeha's main focus had been to get her armor; once she's out of the reclamation center and geared up, she's reunited with her tapejara and looking for others to help. Need an extra pair of hands ... or wings? Let Fareeha and her leathery airborne friend escort you to your home, or give you cover while you disappear into the sewers for a respite. Need to beef up your attack on a Meditation center? Fareeha's there for you too.

Reclamation Center

[kickeminthepistons]

It looks like somewhere along the way, a scrawny redhead started tagging along with Fareeha. The woman may not be as much of a walking meat shield as Krieg, but between the two of them?

"Oh, by all means, knock yourself out," Gaige insists, heading to the lower difficulty pair on the right.

She doesn't look thrilled about it, but can you blame her? She doesn't have a lot of muscle on her, and the fact that her improvised weapon looks like a hammer should say something about her area of expertise.

"Once we get our guns back, though? I get first pick."

Cayde-6 // Closed - Adventures with Darin

[deal_me_in]

[It has long been decided that this is not a fun situation to be in. That's probably a no-brainer and anyone who thought otherwise obviously had other issues to be resolved. Meanwhile? Cayde wants his stuff back.

It's inevitable that he loses track of which direction is what, and without his Ghost he has absolutely no idea which way would be the right one to go to find his Ghost, but he's going to give it his best shot. Besides, he's not completely unarmed. He's got several sinornithosauruses left of his flock and a makeshift knife. And a bottle of booze that he'd forced himself to save most of for a molotov cocktail.

With so many people making way into the reclamation depot, at least there's no shortage of diversions. The Exo's made it inside for what he considers should be a good way's in, but it's all guess work, and he figures the closer he gets to where they're keeping all their stuff, the more security they'll have to deal with.

He's currently against a wall, peering around the corridor before pulling his head back and making a 'shhh'-ing gesture to the winged birdasaurs clinging to his arm. Carefully turning, he pries open a nearby duct in the wall before holding his arm towards it as he whispers at the clingy blue-feathered one by his hand.]

Zavala, I choose you..!

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Whoever orchestrated this breakout, if Darin ever met them, he'd probably kiss them and then buy them a drink. Potentially in reverse order, but that wasn't very important at the moment. What was important, was getting the team's gear back. Darin volunteered for the mission for two reasons: first, with his powers returning, he was singularly the most resilient of the group. Second, after all that time cooped up in Dino country, Darin was just itching to cause a little mayhem. Left unchecked, Darin could go about the mission his way.]

[For the moment, he was keeping a low profile. Better to cause a scene after he had his weapon back. He'd made his way through the various facilities easily enough, avoiding security teams whenever possible. He had to be coming up on the reclamation depot soon, right?]

[Thats when he turns a corner and skids to a stop upon seeing a stranger prying open a duct and ushering a small bird, dinosaur, thing into the space beyond. Whatever was going on, maybe he could use this.]

Aren't exterminators usually called to pull nasty critters out of walls? Don't think I've ever seen one put them in before.

shiro | ota

[shiro2hero]

1) Lion House | Region 5
[Darin said he'd get their armor back. He's trusting him with that. Trusting him completely. His job is getting the house in order, getting the things packed together they'd all struggled and fought for. Between himself, Pidge, Allura and Fareeha, they had four discs to pack.]

[Once he gets to the house, still dressed in black, it's mercifully untouched. Maybe everyone was just worried there would be another laser blast from the ceiling. Heck, even the cow is still in the yard, like nothing even happened.]

[... actually entering the house hurts. Knowing this had been their second chance at being normal. Their chance to be something other than soldiers and warriors and just live... and now it's gone. He stops, for a moment, in the doorway to the darkened house, remembering that first day through the doors. Remembering telling Pidge she could paint her door anything she wanted. Waiting on the steps for Lance and Keith. Hunk so thrilled with the kitchen. How proud he'd been he could give this to them.]

Okay. Pidge needs her tech. Get anything personal of the others'. Everything from Darin's workspace.

Get food too, but not in the discs. We've got bags and backpacks somewhere. Make sure we'll have enough.



2) On the Move
[He'd left Purple the tyrannosaur back on the island, not wanting her to be involved in this. Which turns out to be a good thing. After hitting up Lion House, it's time to move on. To find a safe house or base of operation.]

[Either it's after Darin found them and restored their armor, or before. He'll either be wearing his usual black and white armor or typical loose black sweats. But regardless, he'll be moving with any companions away from Region 5.]

[Angela's house. That's the goal. It's far enough away from everything to where it might just be safe.]


3) Wildcard?
[Plot something else?]


((ooc note: shiro will be doing his best NOT to kill or injure the Savrii if he can help it so if we could keep that to a minimum in the threads, that'd be super appreciated!))

1

[alformthearm]

[This isn't exactly how he would have liked to have a look around the rest of the world that they'd been brought to, but at least they're no longer trapped. Well no, scratch that. They're still trapped, and now they're fugitives.

It's exciting, but Alfor doubts any of them want this kind of excitement. He'd feel better with a weapon, but at the very least, it seems like his other abilities have returned. Like Shiro, he trusts Darin to come through on his end in finding whatever the Savrii have stolen away. And not to be one to stay behind anywhere, Alfor intends to make himself useful as well.

Following Shiro to the house, the Altean king slows to a stop as he finally gets to see the home that they'd all been sharing. It looks so pleasantly normal, although the creature out in the yard is given a curious look. Going inside, even without the Black Paladin saying anything as he takes it all in, Alfor can see that it's difficult to be back here. This place had been their's; the paladins, Allura, Darin... They didn't know if they'd ever be able to get back. They'd made the best of things here, as others undoubtedly had. What would happen from here on out?

Alfor steps over to Shiro, resting a hand upon his shoulder. When their current plan of action is set, he nods, starting to move away.]

Any preferences on where I should start? You know this place better than I.

siegfried | ota

[gerechtigkeit]

[home again, kauto r5.

As soon as the barrier was broken, he'd made his way back home. There wasn't much he had left behind, but after trying several times to summon his armor and weapon and getting nothing in return, he'd gone to look for it. A while later, and he knows it's not there, frustration clear in his face as he stands by the door to his home.

There isn't anything here for him, but there is something of a pang of familiarity that makes him pause, if only because it reminds him of his home, back before he had died. It's a small reminder of a life he wanted to live, but didn't know how to choose to its fullest- but it is not one where he has regrets.

He makes his way back out and away from his house, only to notice someone else is standing there also.]

Ah. [He looks surprised.] Sorry, did you need something?

[pre-reclamation depot run.

If you're on your way to raid for weapons and belongings, you might just have a hand on your arm gently trying to get your attention before you go. Siegfried needs his things, but he's also concerned about the safety of the civilians here. The latter he can at least help with- and that's something he can do now.]

If you're going, I need my sword and armor. [Stated plainly.] You don't need to move it far- just from wherever it is. I can find it after.

[...did he just tell you to move his things outside the facility and leave them there? Is he nuts or what?

out and about.]

No, you can't- [A pause.] Silber, that isn't- [Pause again.] Please don't-

[This is the sound of a very disgruntled legendary warrior at the end of his rope talking to a grey tabby currently nestled around his shoulders and absolutely refusing to budge. When he goes to lift the cat off his neck and place it on the ground, it jumps on a nearby container and then right back onto his shoulder again. If he nudges it off, it simply burrows itself into one of the pauldrons of his armor. As if it knows this is annoying, the cat goes and affectionately rubs himself all over his new owner, purring loudly.]

What do you want? [He sighs, and the cat meows in response to him.] I don't speak "cat."

[It gently headbutts him in response before meowing again, and he grumbles to himself. Silber should have stayed at the house he was given, but he chose to follow after the spirit despite being told multiple times to go back. Now he has to try and avoid capture or fighting with an animal on his neck at all times.

Needless to say, Siegfried is kind of Done with a Capital D with this cat already.

like a hurricane.

Eventually, a kill-group catches up with him, and Siegfried has no choice but to fight. If what Mother says is correct, he has no doubt in his mind that they know who he is, and they'll all target his back first. There's a few of them with guns in hand, some others with weapons he doesn't recognize, and a very prominent leader amongst them.

Well, it's not the first time it's happened- and he's sure it won't be the last. Most of the time his enemies didn't know about his weakness, though. He has to be careful.

A split second later, he notices the leader of the group tilt his gun forward, and Siegfried moves, far faster than a man his size should be able to. He's not about to let them get a head start- not when it comes to trying to take him down. He slams the butt of Balmung into the leader's chest, using the momentum to turn and swing downward at the next target, bullets being sprayed at him from several guns and leaving marks behind, but nothing more than minor scratches. He can hear more shouts and there's suddenly heat on his back, the hero whirling just in time to take a swathe of flames right across his chest. It shoves him back, parts of him singed, but otherwise unharmed. For a split second he considers his Noble Phantasm, but tosses it aside just as quickly. He doesn't know his opponents well enough, and for all he knows, one of them might just be like a Servant- in which case he'd be not only putting innocents in danger with Balmung's ability, but it may prove to be useless against anyone here. He can't have that.

So Siegfried dodges another incoming attack on his back, moving forward towards one fighter in particular. This one seems hellbent on meeting with him in swords, striking down towards his head with a great amount of force. At the last moment, the knight ducks out of reach, dragging Balmung's blade from the ground and using both hands to hurl it into his attacker, circling with the body still in tow and the weight attached to anyone he can see.

The end result is a painful one. The few stragglers caught in his range go toppling up into the air like ragdolls, the rest of the group reassembling and almost immediately trying to get behind him. He can keep fighting like this with no problem, but eventually someone is going to strike his back, and then it's game over. He grits his teeth, charging back into the fray, determined to not let this be the end of him, here and now. Hoping, more than anything, someone else is getting the other civilians around this area to safety, and that the commotion will get other fugitive's attention to lend him a hand.

wildcard.

hmu with any ideas you'd like!]

pre-reclamation depot run

[seeingscarlet]

[Wanda stares at him flatly. That makes all of no sense.]

And how do you expect to find it when they can just put it back?

nill | DOGS: BULLETS & CARNAGE | ota

[culver]

our coats both smell of smoke, whisky, and wine [noncombatant area]

Nill understands that what they're doing is important. They were kept as prisoners, had part of their free will sapped away. It reminds her so much of what had happened to her in her own world--keep them complacent, make sure they don't fight back. It makes her feel sick to her stomach, and she knows that even after the self-defense training she'd received at the Institute, she wouldn't be much help.

So instead, Nill hangs back, doing what she thinks she does best.

The meals she prepares aren't large, but they're as filling as they can be and not lacking in flavor. The raiding parties had managed to round up a few medical supplies, so she busies herself patching up wounds of all shapes and sizes. She might not be great at sewing, but she's good enough to make a solid set of stitches. The kinfe and cotton bandages she'd had upon arrival on the Moira and the survival kit she'd found all those months ago come in handy for that. Even though Heine's wounds had always healed much faster than anyone else's, she'd always done her best to wrap his wounds and stem the bleeding when she could. Needless to say, the sight of blood and gore doesn't bother her as much as one might think.

When she isn't working herself to exhaustion bustling around the noncombatant area, Nill sits by the campfire, arms wrapped around her legs and chin on her knees, wings flitting idly behind her. She hopes, against all the reality in front of her, that things will come to a peaceful end and she can go back to school soon.

as we fill up our lungs with the cold air of the night [wildcard]

[hit me up on plurk @watchet if you want to do anything specific!]

i am very sorry

[nishizono]

[ oh thank god, food.

he's not trying to make a horrible impression right off the bat, but he is also really really hungry, and if he's taking two to three servings in one go, he's not going to apologize for it. he has scorch marks along one arm, soot along one side of his face; he has no visible injuries despite how ragged and beat up his clothes are looking currently.

even his hair smells faintly of gunpowder and smoke, but that's just symptomatic of the day's activities. (look, he heals. that's all that matters.) ]

Hey, do you have— Oh.

[ ...oh no. ]

Uh. Is there. Anything carbonated to drink?

[ oh no she's cute. ]

Wanda Maximoff | ota

[seeingscarlet]

i. dude, where's my ship?
[Wanda stops just out of sight of the complex and ducks into an alley. She can sense heavy reinforcements in the facility: scientists, security...intermediaries. The first two categories she can psychically overwhelm with ease, but the last, not so much. Not even with Mother's 'gift.'

She's never trusted any of their 'hosts,' not the captains and certainly not the Savrii. The entire time she's been on this enforced space road trip of horrors she's been very careful of when and where she uses the full extent of her powers.

This time the gloves are off. She turns to her partner.]

Are you ready? This won't be easy.

ii. wildcard
[Feel free to run into Wanda in the sewers, fighting off the Savrii, or helping get items from home. Hit me up at dontyousonicme or PM me if you want to plot stuff.]

i. dude, where's my ship?

[whosthemonsternow]

[South has stuck mostly with Maine and North, but now and then she gets a little sidetracked with chasing down an enemy and following the trail of soon-to-be dead targets. So when she finds herself away from them again, having to take cover for a moment to reload, she's not really surprised.

She is a little surprised when she finds herself not alone in that spot, reloading her guns systematically and eyeing the other person. She doesn't see weapons immediately, but maybe she just hasn't looked close enough, her helmet has either blood or mud- or both, on parts of it, makes her eyes cross slightly.

A hand wipes at the mess, smearing it over her visor more than cleaning it off but oh well. She's loaded and ready to go, smudges or not]

Hope you got something up your sleeve, cause I'm not sharing my guns. [She's just got them back, she's not parting with any of them anytime soon]

closed to rinzler

[callamities]

I’d be indebted to you if… I don’t mean to sound as if I’m making demands… No, no, that’s not right.

[If there’s one thing to be said about the sewers, it’s that Creators don’t tend to stick around any longer than they have to. And when they do, they tend to stick to the most well-ventilated tunnels, leaving large, but nearby tunnel virtually abandoned. It means it isn’t too hard to find privacy, especially if you need a place to… rehearse? That seems to be what Calla is doing, pacing in a tight circle as he practices lines in a one-sided conversation.]

I’s just that if I don’t get it back… it could result in my being permanently damaged and… And what? [A huff of frustration as Calla turns on a heel.] What’s in it for them?

[All the while, he’s staying vigilant for any sounds of approaching footsteps or voices. But if someone produces neither, it won’t be very hard to take him by surprise.]

[notglitching]

[For the first time in his memory, Rinzler does possess a voice. This has not made him any more inclined to talk to himself in sewage tunnels. Calla, on the other hand, remains incredibly easy to find.

And even easier to sneak up on.]

Nothing.

[The word is hard and scathing, backed by a low rumble as the enforcer's noise echoes in the stone space. Rinzler's lights can be spotted in the doorway to the nearby maintenance corridor: a few steps up, and partly occluded by a railing. His helmet is cocked at a sharp angle, watching the rehearsal going on below.

He's not sure whether this qualifies as an improvement.]

Logan | OTA

[el_paso]

wildcard

[ Logan will be spending his post-breakout and after-depot time as added muscle in their camp, and providing first-aid (or necessary aftercare) to those who need it. ]

locked to jean, while the mediation center & mother raids happen

[el_paso]

[ Frankly, it's a stupid idea to divide their forces. Necessity calls for it, but it's made him uneasy. Now would be a perfect time for the Savrii to attack, and overwhelm those left behind, which is precisely why he's staying put.

He's found himself a good perch at the outskirts of their base camp, looking out across the cavernous drainage canal that sped floodwaters from the city in wet months. The rifle on his shoulder feels heavy. For the moment, his TAB is quiet, and the canal, too- there's something dripping steadily in the distance, runoff from a grate, nothing sinister about that.

Then he gets a whiff of something, something aside from the concrete and pervasive damp. Familiar, mutant, coupled with the soft murmur of a beating heart.

Hmm.

Up where he sits, he throws a thought out:

You comin' up or what?

closed to rinzler;

[alan_1]

[It’s a long walk back to the group’s base in the sewers. There’s plenty of time for Alan to think over questions and conjectures—and then to think of them again and again, repeating in an incessant loop.

Frisk had been edited months ago, made loyal to a dangerous and tyrannical admin who clearly saw no issue with turning a child into a soldier judging by the upgrades to their disk. And Rinzler had known. He had known and he had covered it up or neglected to mention it or pretended it hadn’t happened. In the end, Alan doesn’t know what drove the program’s behavior—which is why they’re here now. That he fears the answer doesn’t temper the need to know for sure. To know where to go from here.

There are no proper rooms in the sewers, so a maintenance corridor off to the side is the best Alan can do for privacy. At least there’s a door to keep the conversation from carrying. He moves aside to let Rinzler in first and then closes it behind them.

As always, he gives Rinzler a chance to speak for himself before moving on to his own questions. The words are quiet and carefully neutral—for the moment.]

Is there anything you’d like to say about what I just saw?

[notglitching]

[It's a long walk, but Rinzler doesn't lag. Doesn't interrupt his user's silence. His sound echoes loud and harsh through the dim passages, but he follows Alan-one's direction, stepping through the passage and waiting as the door swings shut. Spine curved. Hands open. The mask turns toward his programmer, bowed low and waiting.

What for, he isn't sure.

When his user finally does speak... well, this much, Rinzler probably should have guessed at. "Are you going to say anything at all to explain yourself?" "Is there anything you'd like me to know first?" It's the same query as always, if in slightly different terms, and Rinzler's no closer now than ever to understanding what his user wants. Or Alan-one is no closer, maybe—to understanding how little difference words could make. Excuses are pointless, and nothing he could say would change what happened, here or then.

...still.

There's something.]

Asriel too.