snowblindrpg | [network] @ADMIN; Arrival

Let's see...lots of Prophet symbols, a shack with meat hooks, and a big ol' gate to the west, that's waiting for us to open it. We're currently trying to get the high school open- it looks like that's going to lead us to what we need to do, but everything in this area is a little cult-ey, unfortunately.

[ And yeah, Davesprite's around and responding, so Gabriel switches it to private. ]

There's a fireplace that wanted a blood sacrifice. Sounds like it gave us a code for the high school, but now the keypad wants someone with a Prophet symbol on their hand. We're on our way over there now.

Oh- there's also a house in the original residential area that some guys bombed open ages before I got here- apparently they saw a machine in there? Davesprite headed over there a couple days ago and heard an anomaly or something on the other side. We've been trying to find another server room- there was one in the Industrial area- to give us access to the nanomachines, and that might be it.

Seems important, anyway.

[ There's a pause as he thinks over what else Andersen missed out on, and- man, it's a lot. ]

Hope you're ready for more unpleasant surprises, 'cause that's hardly scratching the surface.

(reply from suspended user)

[ He's already on his way to organizing it. It unfortunately encompasses something he really doesn't want to go into, but Andersen will actually use the information. So he'll go with it. ]

A few things, but it's all basically a continuing pattern of things getting worse. There were a couple of days where half of us thought we'd turned into anomalies because something else had our 'light'. We got personalized anomalies during that time- they resembled people we knew. There was a time when people lost their emotions, and then started blindly trying to kill others- it was like when Jia Xu got killed. People affected told me it felt like a reflex. More recently, people lost control of their speech or their motor functions, or lost all sense of morality for a day. We were notified of a nanomaching malfunction right beforehand.

And- [ Sigh- although the sigh is more to cover him catching his breath. ] Steph told you about people getting kidnapped and brainwashed and- all of that, but that was the biggest thing by far. We were talking to Winter before it happened, and someone actually cut her off and deleted her post. I didn't get much of it. We all got a red Prophet symbol on our tablets and something about an evaluation being complete. That night, we were taken.

[ He switches it over to video, and Andersen will see the heavy, even line of a scar that's positioned horizontally just above his eyebrows. He doesn't look at the tablet, but instead tugs his collar to the side, so Andersen can also see the heavy line scar where his arm connects with his shoulder. ]

This was different, because it wasn't perception. We couldn't contact the Admin for almost a week, and she wasn't aware of what had happened. When I talked to her, she was upset at the 'surgeries' that were done and called them 'unauthorized'. We had to convince her to basically reset the Network, and open a trap door in that building. Andromeda was the one who helped us out with that, led us out of that place.

[ He's turned pale as he continued to talk about it. He still isn't getting into the really awful stuff- he can't, considering his previous conversation with Winter. But none of that is really all that necessary anyway. He clears his throat and tries to collect himself, finally looking back at the screen. ]

There was a computer on the top floor of that building, according to Enoch, and we suspect that was what was being used to run the 'conversion' program. So now we're thinking there's an active threat in the town, instead of just the millions of passive threats we have to deal with every day. No idea who or what it is, though.

(reply from suspended user)

[ While they were trapped in the cells, Gabriel had held onto the idea that it was all fake and things would go back to normal eventually. Unfortunately, the scar is a sign that's not the case.

He nods at the appreciation, and is probably much better off with Andersen not acting worried. They can both brush past it and move on. His shoulders relax a little as he continues. ]

Yep. It's basically invisible to us. Steph talked about trying to reach it- I guess she just kept walking around it and never seeing it.

Which is too bad. We were really set on burning the damn thing down.

(reply from suspended user)

[ Oops, that's something he hadn't even checked. The thought is clear on his face. ]

I don't think so. I'm sure someone else must've tried to contact her, but maybe you could give it a try. It'd be helpful to have access to the computer at the top, but- pretty sure we're being blocked off now. We talked to Winter again not too long ago, let me find the link.

[ It doesn't take long before he's sending that over. ]

If we're lucky, someone has screencaps of the conversation we had with her before she got cut off the time before. But I'm not sure who. Other than first-hand experience, I wasn't paying a lot of attention during that whole thing- or right after. I was looking after Al for awhile.

[ He probably doesn't need to give the explanation, considering how serious Andersen is taking this. But it was true that he basically gave Al priority over everything for a couple weeks. ]

(reply from suspended user)

Yeah. We were separated for- geez, about a month or two. But once we got together again, and met up with Steph, we've been pretty much sticking together like glue.

It's weird. I decided to travel with him for like, a week, when I first got here. But we've always got along well. We both appreciate science, I guess.

[ Or maybe it's the fact that Al could probably make friends with pretty much anyone, but Gabriel's not thinking about that right now. ]

(reply from suspended user)

[ Okay, that makes him laugh, which eases some of the tension left in him from talking about the cells. Honestly, if anything, Al bosses him around. He's asked for a lot of guidance from the kid. ]

Al? I can't even imagine how it'd go if I started trying to boss him around. Have you seen how stubborn he can be? Because it's pretty impressive.

(reply from suspended user)

I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be responsible for anything right now. Maybe ever.

(reply from suspended user)

[ Oh, dear. Way to press his buttons, Andersen. He immediately tenses up, and it's easy to hear in his voice. Joke's over. ]

Wasn't saying that.

[ A moment of clenching his fists, and then he continues on as if he wasn't even tripped up. ]

I mean, I actually took on a little. I'm running the Skills Database now. And it hasn't set on fire yet, so- that's better than my previous attempts back home.

(reply from suspended user)

[ He relaxes slightly as Andersen follows along with the topic- not that it's easy to tell over voice. ]

Skills that might help us here. Otherwise I'm just feeding a habit that should be left to starve.

[ He sends it on over. ]

When we end up hitting another wall and we need someone who knows another language, I want us to be able to reach them without a huge group of us talking back and forth, asking the same questions. And having an updated list of doctors isn't too terrible an idea, either. Right?

(reply from suspended user)

I think you're mostly referring to House, there.

[ Just saying. ]

But yeah, that's a pretty good idea. I know how to stitch people up- it wouldn't hurt if more people knew that, or even just basic first aid. Think Watson is in a constant state of overtaxing himself, but he'd be the best one for it, I bet.

(reply from suspended user)

Yeah, maybe. I'd do it myself, but I'm not sure how many people'd trust the info. You're right, though- I do like to keep busy. Keeps all the bad habits at bay.

[ And it's more fun to focus on than all the horribleness in this town. ]

But you know? I wouldn't call most of us reckless. Determined, maybe. This place just doesn't leave us with too many options. Turns out we've got to try everything.

(reply from suspended user)

[ It's a good thing Andersen didn't say that a few months ago (not that he'd have reason to). Gabriel freezes for a moment, a cautious look on his face due to trying to figure out whether Andersen is making fun of him or not.

He seems to settle on not, and he breaks into an slightly nervous chuckle. His eyebrows raise as he speaks. ]

I know a lot of people who would disagree with you there. And I'm pretty sure most heroes don't have body counts that reach up towards a hundred.

-also pretty sure you can blame Al for most of that.

[ The last part is said with a small smile. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, to have people mistaking him for a hero like Al. ]

(reply from suspended user)

[network] @ADMIN; Arrival

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