Event: Consolidation Theory, Part Four and Five

[snowblindmods]

Characters: red-marked characters and their new friends
Location: ???
Date: Morning 354, Morning and Day 355
Summary: A quiet morning and a confusing morning, or maybe they're both, or maybe they're neither.
Warnings: gore, psychological horror, warn for specifics in the subject lines

Part Four OOC Post
Part Five OOC Post

Comments

[tadashiwashere]

[The jolt of fear isn't something Tadashi has managed to control yet. He jerks back, jostling his shoulder despite the makeshift sling he's constructed out of his blazer. For one panicked moment, he fights himself to keep from limping back to his own cell, but there's an equal dread that comes with going back. The night before... hadn't been pleasant.

The result is Tadashi standing barefooted and frozen, looking like a wreck with the stitches keeping the worst of the scratches on his face closed.

Slowly, he realizes who shouted.]

...Zack? Hey -- hey, it's Tadashi.

[heroproceeding]

[ Part of him regrets yelling as he had to get his attention. The rest of him though? Feels at least a little relieved to see a friend, even in such a sorry state as he's in. He doesn't get any closer to the force field, knowing what it did to him last time. But he does attempt to stand a little straighter, a hand up in a vague, shaky wave. ]

Long time.. Long time, no see.

[ Even if a part of him sinks like a guilty stone. Whether Tadashi blames him or not, those feelings are hard to let go. Only time heals things over sometimes. Doesn't stop Zack from fighting for a weak quip. ] Though I guess this is really the last place.. either of us would wanna be meeting.

[tadashiwashere]

[ Out of all the terrible stuff that's happened in the past twenty-four hours, it's a weight off Tadashi's shoulders to see someone so familiar. He waves back with his good arm before stepping closer. They'd just ignore that he tried to run away a moment ago. ]

You're not wrong, but -- I'm still glad to see you. How long have you been down here?

[ He glances up, narrowing his eyes slightly as he tries to ascertain Zack's condition.]

[heroproceeding]

Dunno. It's kinda hard to keep track of time like this.

[ This might be referring to more than a few things. Like the fact that there's no light from the outside to be found. Or the way they'd woken up beat and bloodied as they were. Or the way they'd carted them away like-

Zack sucks in a breath suddenly. Shivers and looks away. It's impossible not to see the bandages scattered all over him though, colored with dried blood. Or the rips and tears in what used to be a white jumpsuit now dirtied with a mixture similar. And the shiner that left black and blue splotches around his left eye when he finally looks back fully with Tadashi closer. ]

You look like hell.

[ And he knows Tadashi wasn't here before. ]

[tadashiwashere]

It was one of the rougher nights.

[Tadashi is going to leave it at that. There's no use in going into detail, and he's fuzzy on a lot of it anyway. Mostly the pain is what has stuck around. The least useful memory out of everything.

Shoving those thoughts aside, he crosses the remaining distance and kneels down next to Zack. His legs ache in protest, but once he's nearer to the ground, it's a relief. It's easier to keep his balance with his fingertips brushing the floor.]

Anything you want me to look at? It looks like someone patched us all up last night, but if you want a second opinion...

[heroproceeding]

[ One of the rougher nights, huh. That's one way to put it- though as Zack scrapes around his brain again, he comes up with yet another blank. Knows there should be more. There really ought to be. Even back with Hojo, he'd-

Well.

He'd never wanted to think back to that and yet there he'd been, night after night of nightmares for months. In some ways, this should be a blessing for him not to remember... only there's this gut wrenching feeling that he needs to, that something really bad happened that's got some people looking at him like they do with a certain fear-

But that train of thought all but flies out the window the moment Tadashi steps into his cell. Never mind the questions he asks. Zack all but reaches out to suddenly try to grasp at his arm in disbelief, eyes huge. ] How? How'd you do that?

[tadashiwashere]

[Tadashi stiffens slightly when Zack grasps his arm, but the moment is short-lived. He's adjusting. Burying the events of last night deeper with every passing moment. If he wants to help people, he can't be held back by his own fears.

That being said, he shakes his head at Zack and it takes a moment for the words to come.]

I'm not sure -- Alfie showed me where the barrier is in his cell, but... I don't see anything. It must be bio-encoded.

[heroproceeding]

[ He can feel that stiffness though. Feel it and he remembers what Enoch said before. And Tadashi isn't wearing what they're wearing. Has the kind of wounds that tell of something else, even if he can't remember what.

It's enough for his hand to release him just as quickly as he'd grabbed him. To lower his gaze to the floor of his prison and frown. ]

Maybe... They sure have a lot of advanced tech, after all. All I know is that it zaps me if I try to get past it.

[ Doesn't answer Tadashi's question from before. Or maybe he just doesn't want to answer it. Even if he didn't go after anyone on purpose, he still... ]

[tadashiwashere]

[Sensing at least some of what's going on, even if he's not sure of the specifics, Tadashi throws himself into focusing on the barrier. He takes a step back, watching Zack questioningly to see if he's in the right place.]

Let's do some tests -- am I standing in it yet?

[Maybe it isn't sophisticated enough to read Tadashi to allow him through while also barring Zack's way.

Or, you know, Tadashi might get cut in half the moment it solidifies against Zack trying to exit.

Science.]

See if you can pass through it now.

[heroproceeding]

[ TADASHI, PLEASE DON'T TADEADSHI ON HIM ALREADY. NOT SURE IF HIS HEART COULD HANDLE THAT RIGHT ABOUT NOW.

Not that he's really paying mind to that idea. Not when he's... still eyeballing him a little bit. This feels... crazy. Not any kind of new level of crazy. There's been plenty of crazy to go around for a while now. But he still waves for him to stop when Tadashi stands right between it.

Slowly, Zack pushes himself to rise up again, sore muscles feeling like they're cramping from that effort alone. But he makes use of the wall and then he's up and then he's.. frowning still. But he makes baby steps that way despite how much it makes his everything sore. The toe of his boot meets it first and he lightly taps at it. Then tries to step into it only for him to be pushed back. Not hard. But with enough force for him to step back and catch himself. ]

No good.

[tadashiwashere]

[Tadashi's frown mirrors Zack's as he steps back as well. He puts a hand to his chin as he examines the empty space, experimentally sticking out a bare foot at one point to wave through the cell opening. When that doesn't satisfy him, Tadashi crouches to examine the base of one wall, pressing his fingers into any grooves he can find, searching for any sign of what could create a barrier. Finally, he peers up, checking to see if he's missed anything above eye level.

Nothing.

None of this makes sense at all.]

It's like there's nothing here. I don't even know what to look for.

[That's not a note of defeat in his voice, however. Just puzzlement. What program could this tech be operating under? And how can he bypass it?]