❪ test drive: #2 ❫ THE OVERFLOW

[natha]

ORIGINAL POST

THE PROLOGUE     Many people in stasis seem to be medically sound enough to wake up, brother. Are the preparations ready to go? Yes, I've long prepared myself for this. Watching them everyday has been truly rewarding. ... Right. Yeah. Okay, let's get them ready to wake up. We should keep their minds active to ease the transition into consciousness. A simple VR program should do the trick, I think. I will boot one immediately. There! All systems are green. Their consciousnesses are linked. However, their minds appear to be too active... They may be over-stimulated, brother. Huh? How can that be...? Can we pull them out safely? Not from my end, no. This may be too large for us to fix alone. Do you think...? Yes, I think so... It will have to be done organically. Can you send out a message to our refugees? Of course, brother. I will send one swiftly. We must be sure to fix this before Darma returns. There is urgency in the Orbiters' request. Refugees currently in El Nysa are asked via mass message to please return to Thesa Station virtual reality area immediately. Zasere tells them that the next set of Refugees are scheduled to wake, but there's been an issue. On Thesa, refugees will find that the people in stasis are still apparently trapped in slumber. Most of them are complete strangers, but there's a chance you may recognize a familiar face or two. Normally, these people would wake up from their pods without issue, but due to a malfunction caused by the unforeseen force during The Descent, they have to go through extra measures to make this possible. Those in slumber require extra stimulation, something to keep their minds active. What better than a simulation of an area of El Nysa? Keeping their minds active requires an extremely involved simulation. Those subjected to the VR (prospective characters) will find themselves completely immersed in their new environment, believing themselves to be native Olympians. To wake up from the simulation, characters must work together to accomplish a certain objective(s) in the icy tundra. Characters in-game will be aware that this is a simulation, but this is good practice for properly interacting with El Nysa natives, isn't it? An AC-length log thread on this TDM may be submitted for Two (2) Natha REP points HERE. Please read the OOC note at the bottom of this post for the terms. PROMPT: WINTER CAME     The wind in the icy wasteland is bitter and frigid. You are wrapped up in a winter coat, but even still, the cold bites at your skin and leaves you yearning for a warm fire. Perhaps you're a merchant from the city, here to make a delivery, or you're a royal guard, sent to patrol the area. Who are you? The sky is the limit. One thing is certain — you won't snap out of your new identity until you finish a task. 1. Due to the vast diversity of the creatures on El Nysa and the fact that new ones are constantly being discovered, an important objective is to carefully chronicle different species. Unfortunately, to research these new species, they happen to need more than just a visual. More than just fleeting glances in over a snowy hill. Researchers are constantly looking for ways to secure... You guessed it! Blood and stool samples. The supplies for the former will be given. Supplies are offered in a small box; one per person. In this box is a small dart that will automatically procure a small touch of blood, and easily shaken off so the creature will be able to securely escape. As for the latter— well, they'll give you a plastic bag if that counts. Look, sometimes to get a job done, you have to get your hands dirty. Specifically, they seek samples from a newly recorded rare beast known as a Klep. Kleps spend much of their time hidden in caves, so hitting them with the darts will be tricky. They are also nocturnal, but you may be able to lure them out of the cave with fish as bait. When struck with a dart, you must grab the dart and escape immediately, as they will charge you, and killing such an endangered species is illegal. As for stool samples, well... Once you find a pile, you will have plenty of sample to work with. 2. It's cold, to say the least. Too cold to continue forward. Whatever you were doing, you must stop and seek shelter. Looks like your goal is clear, at least. Get warm. Not finding a way to sustain heat, whether it be seeking shelter, building a fire, cuddling up, or all of the above, will likely end in serious consequences. 3. You are stuck in a dilemma. On one hand, you are set to work for Olympia. One the other, you're not completely sure what is really expected of you, or who the man who gave you this mission truly is. You and your partner are meant to protect precious trade cargo for them. You were told that these were essential supplies for one of the outer colonies. They assured you it was mostly food. In loading the cargo onto the supplied wagon with your partner, however, you noticed something inherently off about it. The weight and even the sounds of some of the contents inside definitely don't sound like food. Moreover, some boxes are more obviously more concealed— draped in black sheets and reinforced on all sides. You've also caught wind of rumors that you are potentially being utilized to supply advanced weapons and other contraband to Wyver terrorists in the colonies. But what do you do? Refuse to make the delivery, and people in the colony will surely starve. Try to remove the weapons and only deliver the food, and you will be killed on sight for being too suspicious. Make the delivery as-is, and not only will Olympians die at the hands of terrorists in the future, but you will betray your country. Decide quickly... 4. There are many dangers associated with traveling in such an isolated, harsh environment. You must help each other to survive. Perhaps someone has fallen on thin ice, and requires a rescue. Maybe someone is on the brink of starvation, and you must share what provisions you have. When you come to, you will awaken in Thesa Station. All will be explained to you by Zasere or Sael via telepathic link. Your world is no more. The Storm has consumed it. We offer proof in the Observation Deck if you desire it, but it won't be an easy thing to stomach. We offer you a new life, in our planet of El Nysa. We just ask for your help in maintaining the vitality of El Nysa. What can we offer you in exchange for your help? PROMPT: STASIS UNIT     You have found the massive section of Thesa known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to access this part of Thesa Station, but refugees are warned that it may not be for the faint of heart. Here, in large pods that nearly cover every square inch of the space, are all of the people the Orbiters have managed to rescue. Your loved ones, your greatest enemy, your next door neighbor— you might find them here. These people are in a state of deep cryosleep. Due to the damaging effects of The Storm, their bodies are not yet ready to be awoken. PROMPT: GET REKT     The Orbiters have noticed that some of the refugees really miss their video games. The technology in El Nysa could be much worse, but it definitely leaves much to be desired. Which is why, after expressing relief that everyone awoke safely, the Orbiters have decided to provide a little fun in the form of video game competitions. Anything from old-timey arcade machines to state-of-the-art computers, consoles, and VR headsets (though you may be a little tired of VR right now...) is available, and yes, they have your favorite games! Enjoy PAC-MAN, Starcraft 2, or perhaps Dance Dance Revolution! Teach a friend how to play. Get unnecessarily angry and competitive. Most importantly, have fun. Keep fourthwalling to a minimum, please. Recommended playing: QWOP PROMPT: OMAGE     Upon receiving your mobile phone, you will be asked to set a username. Voila, you can now access the network! You can choose to send a message to the entire network, specific usernames, or you can try out the Orbiters’ service, Omage, which connects you to a random user. They thought this might be a good way for their new guests to make friends with each other... Connecting to server... Looking for someone you can chat with... You’re now chatting with [username]... Say hi! PROMPT: WILDCARD     You are welcome to write any scenarios in Thesa Station! Characters have been granted temporary access to the Observation Room, and are encouraged to study it carefully. FINAL OOC NOTE     Please give toplevel priority to prospective characters! Current characters wishing to thread these scenarios with other current characters are encouraged to create separate logs. However, threads between 2 current characters are not eligible for Natha Orbiter REP. These threads may be carried over as game canon if players choose! Players are encouraged to submit TDM threads as application samples, but they are not required. Please direct any OOC questions to the questions thread below! A TDM thread of AC length may be submitted HERE for 2 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS. Current players may submit their thread at any time, and prospective players may submit a thread after acceptance. Please note that threads must contain at least five (5) log comments from your character. A toplevel counts as a comment. Network threads are not eligible. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[beknight]

[ He huffs softly. Amusement, gentle, and genuine. That too, comes from some buried place. Some vault which only Dick and Jason had the keys to. ]

[ Father. She says it because she wants to, and he accepts it because he wants to. ]

No, it won't.

[ Diana would find some way to tease him about it, and he can't say it's unwelcome. To the others, nobody knows his life well enough. He's talked about a son, and remained a man of secrets. ]

Here, I'm Alan Foster, you can take my last name if you want.

[lucubrare]

[ Cass nods. Cass Foster sounds good; she'll take it, gladly. ]

Is there... [ Another moment of grasping for words. ] Need? [ For them. The Bat-Family, as it were. Or are they just being detectives, collecting all the secrets and sharing few?

(She can't fathom them not being one, or the other, if not both at all times, but a community may or may not need caped policing, after all.) ]

[beknight]

[ He's not sure, Olympia has its crime, but the Guard are handling that — Bruce has his own threads he's following. There are things they do, but this city doesn't need them like Gotham needed them. ]

[ She lost Gotham too. ]

I'm saying yes.

[ Every story needs its detectives, doesn't it? Her own story merits investigating — she's the perfect psychological profile to work him, but David Cain isn't in the habit of infiltrators. If he wanted Bruce dead he'd come to finish the job himself. Anything else is pointless: Bruce is too resilient. ]

I'm a former bodyguard [ and although he's been vague about employers, he lowers his voice and smiles like they're sharing a secret, ] Bruce Wayne was among my clients. Now, I run a dojo beside Leslie Tompkins' clinic.

[ He smiles faintly. ]

Maybe we run it together.

[lucubrare]

[ A nod. Yes is the answer she'd been hoping for, because then there is structure. An understanding. She knows how to do this, how to handle being here now.

Suddenly, it's neither weird nor frightening. She has Batman, she is Batgirl, and even if they find Oracle floating in a tank - which is an upsetting thought but not as upsetting as the idea of Oracle being killed by some unstoppable world-consuming force - they have goals.

She grins at his conspiratorial whisper, and nods at the idea of running the dojo. ]

Yes! [ Wait. ] Reading. [ Her face falls. ] Difficult. Letters get...backwards. Out of place. Jump around the word.

[beknight]

[ She understands at once — more than that, she looks settled. That can't be taught, it is trust in his judgement. It comes with time, with knowing a partner's limits. ]

[ His brows draw in thought. Dyslexia would impede a detective, and until she learns to read, ]

Give me your phone later, I'll code something to fix that.

[lucubrare]

Practice, [ She promises, because she will. It will take time and it will be hard but very little hasn't taken time or been hard or both, so.

Cass can handle it. And she'll give him the phone later, so it will make it easier for her to read things. ]

Any other...rules? Warnings?

[ Things she should know about before she stumbles into them? ]

[beknight]

Practice, [ he says quietly, because he's not leaving her alone in it. ]

Be careful of the simulator. The rest, we'll get to.

[ They can talk about that much later, when they've found Oracle, and Cass had had something to eat, or explored Olympia below them. ]

[lucubrare]

[ Be careful of the simulator. Well, that's not new, but it is interesting that there is a simulator.

Another nod. Cass feels much better about everything already. Her hands leave her pockets and swing freely at her sides as she glances from pod to pod looking for the familiar redhead.

She's quiet the rest of their search - an easy, comfortable silence borne as much out of her stilted speech patterns and often limited vocabulary as it is out of knowing that they can communicate without it. Besides, there's things to chew over Like how many people are in these things.

Ten, maybe fifteen minutes later she stops in front of Barbara Gordon's tank and sadly taps the glass. Her friend doesn't wake, not that Cass expected her to, but still. ]

Will be different without her. [ For however long they're without her. ]

[beknight]

[ An easy, comfortable silence, body language relaxed around him. No chatter, like the two before her used to do. Only once does he wonder what kind of team they make, and what other memories he is missing like Diana is missing. ]

[ But knowing is better than wondering, and he's not going to be wondering for long. ]

It will be. [ Commissioner Gordon's daughter. ] It's been a while since I thought about expanding.

[ About others wearing the Bat or the Bird. ]

[lucubrare]

[ Cass turns from Oracle to look up at Batman then, before reaching forward and putting her hand against the side of his jaw.

Sorry is a strange word. It can be full and empty all at once. Meaningful and meaningless, depending on who is speaking, and who is listening, and what they are sorry for. So Cass doesn't use it; she does this instead. ]

Left Cain. Was...eight? [ Maybe nine. She thinks eight. ] Wandered. Volunteered to help Gotham. To help you.

[beknight]

[ Sorry is a strange word. It looks like a balm and can be anything but. He lifts his own hand to cover hers, the brush of it light. Bruce cannot be called a gentle man — it's a lie, or it is spared for a few. One turn deserves another. ]

[ His eyes are older than she knows, his body worn from working nights. He's not who he used to be; neither is she. ]

What made you decide to wear the Bat?

[ Was it him? Was it Barbara? ]

[lucubrare]

[ She lowers her hand once he does the same. Are the stories always the same, she wonders? The names of the dead, and the weight of the living afterwards?

She won't ask him that. Besides, he's asked her a question. ]

Started...with Oracle. Runner. Information. Bad...earthquake? Gotham fell apart. People...destroyed the bridges.

[ It was insane. She opens her hands. ]

Batgirl. Never alone, always...with you. Then, one, alone. [ As in Batman let her do her first mission solo. ]

Wanted...to die. You said: choose. I chose. Batgirl. Living.

[beknight]

[ Choose living when living feels impossible. Choose hope when all looks lost. The stories are so close together they look the same — they are the same. ]

[ Gotham hasn't seen this earthquake. Swallowed by the Storm before that, maybe, or she's well ahead of him. But if this is the future, is he really opposed to it? Another child shouldn't die on his watch. (He can be sure of that end, the work demands it.) And he can't bench her, nothing is worse than an idle mind, sharp skills and nowhere to put them. ]

No, never alone. I choose hope.

[ He'd thought he'd die, fighting Clark. The last great thing a knight of shadows could do. And he didn't. ]

[lucubrare]

[ He understands. Not that Cass had presumed he wouldn't, but there's a relief anyway, bubbling in her chest like escaped air. He understands, and he'll put her to work, and it'll be good.

Maybe he'll be a little less sad, too, but no banking on outright miracles right out the gate. ]

Hope is... [ A twist of the mouth. ] Floating...in a storm. Keeps you...alive. More than breathing.

[ She died fighting Lady Shiva, and then didn't stay dead - also due to Lady Shiva. They've had weird, weird lives. ]

[beknight]

[ His mouth twitches at the corner. ]

I have a friend you'd like to meet.

[ Maybe that'll hearten her, knowing there's someone there, in spirit if not in bodily presence. ]

Are you looking for anyone else, Cassandra?

[lucubrare]

[ A friend? Cass is immediately interested. Anyone that Batman wants her to meet must be interesting, it's like...a rule of the known universe. ]

No. [ She shakes her head. Oracle first, because she'd have understood how to explain to her what was going on, and how to find Batman, but Batman found her. It worked out even better than she'd managed to hope for on her way in here. ] Found you.

[ The rest of her adopted family - and Alfred, definitely Alfred - she can find later, on her own. It's not as important as learning more about this place. ]

[beknight]

[ Anyone else, she'd look for herself. He points. ]

Alfred is over there.

[ But they won't stop that way for the moment. He gestures her onwards, to Clark's pod. ]

This is him. He was awake, but he's back in there now. We're not sure what happened.

[ It's been a blow, for their three musketeers to go to two, but he still has Diana. ]

[lucubrare]

[ Cass commits the direction he points to memory. Later, she'll visit Alfred. For now...the friend?

Looking up at the face of the man trapped in the pod, Cass commits the man's face to memory. She'd like to thank him for being Batman's friend (maybe not with so many words). Friends are good. He needs those.

Also it brings to her attention something she didn't know was possible; that people can end up back in a pod, after waking. ]

Sorry. [ It must be stressful. It would be stressful for her. ]

[beknight]

[ He shakes his head. Better that they know it happens instead of not knowing. He's already making a time capsule for himself — instructions. Weapons caches. ]

[ But he wouldn't have known to plan ahead for a daughter. ]

He's dead, at home. Somehow they got him.

[ A warning, that more might come. ]

[lucubrare]

[ Ouch. That, somehow, is worse and Cass is acutely aware that there's more to it than just he's dead, but she also knows she isn't going to figure it out today.

Instead she swallows, and nods, turning towards Batman.

Always Batman. Never Bruce. ]

We'll take care.