[network] @hexappeal; No one should brave the underworld alone... [open]

[sleight_of_fate]

[Rhys pushes his face up close to the camera, with snow and gray in the background. He sounds out of breath, even a little panicked, but also excited.]

Guys? It opened. You run the program, and it opens. The bunker, I mean.

[He turns his camera to the bunker door, which is currently closed.]

So, here's a quick rundown, because I just came out. I came out because one, there's no connection in there. Can't reach the network from inside. The battery drains fast, too.

For another thing, it's gross in there. Everything is covered in mold, the toxic kind. I was in there for a few minutes and I can feel it. It also glows, which is a nice touch. Not enough to be useful, just enough to be creepy.

[He takes a deep breath of the clean air, and rubs the bridge of his nose, letting the air out again. He peers back into the tablet camera again.]

I'll be outside to get messages for a few minutes longer, then I'll head in again. I'm gonna need to find a clean space for the night, or just tough it out. If I don't check in by late morning, then you'll know that it's really not safe in there, but otherwise I'll be back out after lockdown to coordinate with whoever else is heading down here.

[It's weird to be talking about his possible death so matter of factly. He hesitates, then offers a crooked salute to the camera.]

...good luck, guys.

Comments

@guardian; audio;

[phaseshifter]

[ Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh FUCK. It's even worse than expected. Angel can deal with darkness and mould okay, but. Not being able to communicate with people? A high likelihood of dying in there without ever seeing the sun again, surrounded by Glowy Bullshit??

It's too familiar and she's never wanted to run away from something as much as she does now. She doesn't want this, she wants anything but this -- ]

Oh, cool! Um, the... potential dying aside.

[ She sounds fine, of course. Not even a trace of distress. Her walls are all very firmly in place. ]

If we book it, we can get there by nightfall. So try not to stray too far from the entrance, okay? If we get there and find your body I'm going to be so effing mad with you.

@hexappeal; audio;

[sleight_of_fate]

Trust me, I don't want to go too far in there. I was only planning to feel my way along the entrance wall and see if the doors go anywhere. Even if it's just a closet or something.

If I can't find anything clean within a few feet of the entrance, then I'm just gonna sit by the door. Because this is gross and I'm not going in there.

[See? He's being super-cooperative. Which includes making his body easy to find if he does die, but MOSTLY TRYING NOT TO DIE OKAY!]

[phaseshifter]

That gross, huh. Shoot, I left my hazmat suit in my other pants...

[ Angel you don't wear pants. Your levity is fake and inaccurate.

Or something. ]

Chin up, friend. We might find bleach and rubber gloves in there? Maybe even a scrubbing brush. The whole thing could just be one giant janitor's closet.

[sleight_of_fate]

I'm sure we can figure something out.

[It's okay, Angel. Rhys will protect you. Even if just from the memories, and even if just by being there.]

And if we don't find something in there, we can definitely put out an All Points Bulletin. This place is going to be the New Hot Thing, so I'm betting we'll have other people bringing things, making suggestions, and showing up to brave the mold. We can probably run teams that way, so no one's getting all the exposure.

[He's actually good at planning things when he's not all messed up, believe it or not.]

[phaseshifter]

I hope it's not the new hotness, dude, I'd really rather not draw straws over who gets to be anomaly-bait. I'm pretty sure people are smart enough to not all converge on it immediately!

Maybe.

 

Pr...obably.

 

 

When the anomalies are inevitably summoned by twenty effing people showing up at once, I call dibs on being the sacrificial maiden.

[sleight_of_fate]

Hey. If I'm not allowed to be the heroic sacrifice, neither are you.

We get more done alive, right?

[He's very serious now. He was willing to do stupid sacrificial things so YOU don't have to, Angel. But if you're gonna be that way, he's just gonna have to make a pact with you.]

For now at least, you guys head here because I want company. That'll give us a day or two, anyway, to work it out, and we'll see how it goes. Okay?

[phaseshifter]

Don't take me so seriously, dude. You know how I am at only joking at the most inappropriate subjects possible.

[ Avoidance? Never. ]

Besides, everyone knows self-sacrifice is my romantic life partner. Get your own! Geez!

[bookofnope]

[He's got a lot of questions here but for now he's pretty hyperfocused - ]

... mold?

[Shut up you'd be traumatized too]

[sleight_of_fate]

[Rhys doesn't like mold, either. He's been kicked out of apartments because of it and knows very well how toxic it can be.]

Mold. Weird, glowing, nasty-ass mold.

...it doesn't burn, either. Just, uh. Sets off the fire sprinklers. Which apparently still work.

[bookofnope]

I know about the - wait, glowing?

[And not burning, which is also a change. A positive one. He often misses Steve and Rydia but that doesn't mean he's ever going to forgive them for that little adventure.]

And sprinklers - do you think the system is electronic?

[sleight_of_fate]

There's gotta be sensors somewhere, but it's dark in there. The only light I've got that works is my tablet.

[It's not an optimal situation and he can't use candles.]

I have a feeling we're gonna have our work cut out for us, but small steps, I guess. And probably going to need to rotate teams in. I'm kinda done for right now, though.

[He pushed full movement with a stab wound. He's gonna pay for that.]

[bookofnope]

No one is going to blame you. [By which he means he isn't going to blame you, Rhys, not with mould. Which is pretty big considering the kind of shit Beckett pushed people to do in the past. He is capable of learning!]

It might also be useful to think of supply lines. If we go back to the old assumption that we can get anyone in this town to effectively work with something resembling organization.

[sleight_of_fate]

Hell, I've lived in worse apartments. I'm good, I swear.

[He's being flip, but he has been through some pretty awful places. He can do this.]

I'm hoping that a development this big will get people working together, even if they aren't crazy about it. I'd like to think getting out of here trumps petty shit. Not that I'm counting on it, but, well. You know. Can always hope.

@beyonce | audio

[thewarningafter]

Or you could go now and get to shelter that isn't going to poison you. Don't do this.

[Stephen hasn't realized yet that there isn't another option; he just sees someone hell-bent on pushing forward, willing to die to get there a day faster. And yeah, from the tone of his voice he's stressing the fuck out about yet another person going off and getting himself killed.]

@hexappeal, audio

[sleight_of_fate]

I could try and make it, but I'm still hurt and it took more than half the day to get here. I'd be really gambling, man.

[He sounds tired. He's not crazy about this, either. It's just that the situation is absolute shit.]

There might be some clear space, there's doors inside. If they were sealed like the main door was, they could absolutely be clean.

[He takes a pause, realizing that Stephen is stressed and that it's absolutely Rhys's fault.]

I'm sorry, man. I'm doing my best here. I'm gonna stick around to make sure I can keep sending back info, okay? My plan's definitely not to throw myself on the fire, here.

[No matter how fucked up he is.]

[thewarningafter]

Shit.

[Does more need to be said than that? It's a gamble either way, then, and if Rhys thinks he can't make it back to the shelter he came from, Stephen's not going to argue him into a trek that's just as likely to kill him as whatever's inside that bunker.]

Do you have any spare clothing you can use to help filter the air? It'll work better if it's damp.

[sleight_of_fate]

[Rhys is sorry he's putting you through this, Stephen. He's calm, thinking clearly...just ready for whatever happens.]

Yeah. I have extra cloth, extra water. And I've got my side covered so it's clean.

[It would be shitty to get through the night only to get an infection.]

Trust me, man. I'm like a cockroach. If I'm gonna go, it won't be easy.

[thewarningafter]

You say that....

If the network doesn't work in there, that might mean the nanomachines don't, either. Or the Admin's spiders.

[sleight_of_fate]

[Rhys lets out a small breath, and a weak smile.]

You're fussing an awful lot, man, for someone you don't even like that much.

[No need to deny it...Rhys knows where he stands, and anyway, this isn't about relationships, this is about Stephen freaking out. More gently, he continues:]

There's more people on the way, and I'm not going far.

I can tell you all the reassuring things I want, I know. Doesn't really mean much coming from me. But we're another step closer, and I'm not down, yet. And I've survived a lot of things, okay?

I'm using my head as best I can, here. Just give me a night. See where it gets us.

@Enoch, audio

[warriorscribe]

[He was kind of hoping it was still somehow Andromeda herself, that her last act had been to preserve herself somehow. The way forward just meant, well...she'd had less hope for herself than he did.]

There was likely no one sane left, but she still hoped someone could reach the town hall...

@hexappeal, audio

[sleight_of_fate]

{He sighs quietly. Rhys hadn't been nearly as optimistic, so he wasn't surprised that this was a last gift from her. For whatever it was worth.

He hopes it pays off, and he's going to do his best with it. He knows everyone else will, too. His gut feeling is that if there's an end, one way or another, it will be here or close to it.]

I don't know how much she knew about what was going on here, but...yeah. Seems like there was some kind of contingency plan. And she was an AI, so that...there were more possibilities in her world, you know? I don't know.

audio

[warriorscribe]

I suppose...if it had been her, herself, her killers could have abused that.

I still- I hope there's something left, somewhere, of both her and Winter.

[He had all but given up on his ability to follow through on the promise to bring them together again somehow, but it had always been his failing he'd been expecting, not a situation beyond all hope of succeeding. At least if it was only him, others who had wanted to do the same might still succeed.]

audio, cw: suicidal ideation

[sleight_of_fate]

We all deserve an ending.

[The words are somber, but also hopeful.

In his heart, Rhys is ready for the possibility that there's no escape here, just complete shutdown and whatever release comes with it, but he's okay with that.

He's already aware that there are worse things that that. He huffs a sigh, and leans against the snow-packed side of the bunker. It's actually kind of nice out here.]

I think we'll find out soon. It feels like everything's starting to move faster. Spiral down.

audio, cw: suicidal ideation

[warriorscribe]

...Some things aren't meant to end like that.

[It's one of the things he'd learned about himself here. A new way of seeing himself, the world, and where he might belong. That he might truly belong. And yet...there is a part of him that still wonders if his place is now here, to die with the town. If it wouldn't be better that way. If he's too broken for anything else.

It's why he argues. He can't fuel that.]

They deserve a happier ending than this. They've dealt with this for over a thousand years. We're farther than anyone. We have to find something.

audio, cw: suicidal ideation

[sleight_of_fate]

I know.

[It's tired, but gentle.]

If they're part of the system, hopefully we'll have that chance. Best we can do, until then.

[Sometimes you don't get everything. Sometimes victory is a raw, burnt, bleeding thing that only barely looks like a win. They'll just... Have to see.]