❪ test drive #4 ❫

[natha]

YOUR STORY BEGINS     The Storm came. You only remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that. All you know, perhaps, is that it was cold. You don't know for how long you slept, but the dreams were short, at least. You remember the expanse of stars and the universe that came in view. Every world and solar system ever known was displayed in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You have also witnessed The Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. It was a dark, thick smog — ominous in appearance and ever foreboding. Your Earth and similar planets were immersed in The Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of it. That was when she told you what happened, and how you could help. You knew that you'd be living somewhere new, even though you never asked for it. The details here weren't clear, but you knew you'd made a deal with Darma. Not long after, you'll wake at Thesa Station — your body is still cold. It all felt like a dream, but somehow, you knew it wasn't — now, will you keep that promise you made to Darma? PROMPT: THE STORM     CW: death You were awake on Thesa Station. But at some point you, like many other new arrivals before you, wandered into the Observation Deck. Ordinarily, this is where images of The Storm are replayed to remind Refugees of the fate they have escaped. The Natha Orbiters' technology has evolved. They are aware of your gaps in memory. You may have doubts of The Storm even existing, or of your world's destruction. Though they do not wish reliving those last moments on anyone, they have created an experience that will do just that. Before entering the Observation Deck, you are warned that what follows will not be for the weak of heart. As soon as you step in, you will find that the walls around you begin to transform and expand. Welcome to the Planet Cespi, in the Circinus Galaxy. Unfortunately, we were not able to save this world from The Storm's Consumption. These are its last memories. You are surrounded by blue, grassy hills as far as the eye can see and a pleasant breeze. The atmosphere is thick with a sickly sweet smell. Before you lays the scene of a quiet village, with its residents going about their everyday lives. You aren't alone, either, with an equally confused stranger (or perhaps you know each other?) surveying the scene. Then the world grows completely silent for a full minute. You and your partner are unable to make a sound, verbal or otherwise. Without warning, a deafening roar fills your ears and forces you to double over in pain. The villagers run out of their homes in a panic, finding themselves in just as much pain and confusion as you do. Where there was no sound before, now there is too much for a normal human body to process. Look up. An expanding mass of energy is swallowing everything you can see. It consumes the earth, the atmosphere, the depths of space — and it is getting closer. Your only hope is to outrun it, if you can. The people in the village certainly try to, racing past you. Their fear is very real. Their bodies are very real. You may be able to run from it for a time, only able to catch glimpses of this dark and sinister force swallowing everything and everyone. The earth rumbles and separates beneath you. Electricity surges through the sky, and then through your very body. You fought hard, but it is impossible to outrun the Storm forever. You too will be consumed. Your death is quick, but not painless. What were you thinking, before you took your last breath? You awaken back in the Observation Deck, next to your new friend. PROMPT: TRAINING MODULES     While it’s all nice and well to familiarize oneself with Thesa Station, it is most advised that new arrivals venture out a bit. Not physically. No one is quite prepared for that yet. However, there will be several virtual reality training programs set for those who dare to be adventurous. For those who aren’t and don’t dare, well — good luck, all the same. Once seated and appropriately strapped in, the system will automatically whir to life. 1. When you enter the Natha's newest program, at first nothing loads. You might think this is an error as you look around in apparent total darkness, only able to see your own virtual body if you look down, but soon enough a voice comes to life as if speakers have turned on somewhere. Long ago, the lands of El Nysa were dominated by the ancestors of the dragons who now live among the people, tamed. It was pretty dangerous! How about a little history lesson? And then the simulation comes to life— a. The lush lands that blossom to life around you all at once are real enough to make you forget you're in a simulation — at least for a moment. Those refugees who have been to the planet in reality before will find themselves in territory as unfamiliar as those who are brand new, as this simulation takes place far back in history. Instead of sprawling cities and civilizations, the most you'll find is scattered villages, many of them no more than nomadic campsites at best. You've been outfitted to blend in with the natives and these simulated people won't react to you as a newcomer, but as a member of their village. Are you a doctor, or perhaps a warrior? Maybe you're even in charge! But they want your help, and they want it quickly: a dragon is coming. The dragon is larger than the mount-sized breeds that exist on El Nysa today — much larger. It's a good six stories in height, bestial, and angry. Maybe it's then that you notice the lands that surround you are littered with scars of scorched earth, some of them several yards across, and there's a reason these people don't live in one place for very long. But don't linger too long on the makeshift grave markers sticking out of the burnt countryside — the dragon is coming. b. If you're looking for something a little less violent, perhaps another area of the historic simulation will be up your alley. This one finds you on a cliffside, waiting among other villagers for an event the people are talking about in hushed whispers, some of which you can identify as prayer. When the white dragon raises its head up from the depths of the ravine, towering impossibly high over you and the others on the cliffside, it's no wonder most of the natives fall to their knees in awe and wonder. This dragon doesn't attack, only looks at the people on land with an ancient and strange wisdom. Then it speaks. Not in words, but the low rumbling sound that starts in its throat and becomes a full trumpeting bellow to the sky seems to have meaning, and somehow, you can understand its cry as it entreats the people to praise and worship. The natives around you are already starting to give offerings with their prayers, food and carvings and — blood? Is that someone's arm being offered up? That's different. 2. Let us now travel forward in time, shall we? a. The Olympian settlement around you is quiet — until the screaming starts. Guerilla fighters from Wyver flood the streets, knocking civilians aside and breaking down doors and windows when they find their way barred. They move methodically, advancing toward the nicer parts of town where the politicians reside and leaving terror in their wake. They're here for the politicians, people say. They're here to punish the people who made the decision to advance into Wyver in the first place. Blood for blood, as the saying goes. Where they'll be taking them once they have them is anyone's guess. A soldier emerges from a building, dragging someone in elegant clothing out by the hair. Looks like they've found one. Will you rescue them? Make a run for it yourself, lest you be mistaken for one of their targets? Or maybe they've already caught you and some other unfortunate Refugee who's been dropped into this simulation, and the two of you need to figure out a way to escape. b. CW: branding You find yourself in the midst of a bustling crowd gathered at the Temple of Thesa. Robed acolytes stoke fires on either side of the altar at the front of the temple, where miserable-looking people who seem to be from a village in Wyver await, bound in ropes. The priest, at the front of the crowd, picks up a metal brand from the altar and gestures for another acolyte to bring a prisoner forward. The crowd watches with interest as the prisoner is forced to kneel in front of the altar, their arm laid out flat on the marble surface. Another cry — "For the glory of Olympia!" — and the crest of the city is burned into the prisoner's arm. The crowd cheers, deafening the cries of pain. The priest ushers forward another prisoner, and then another. Is that a familiar face you see in the lineup, thrust into this bit of history by the simulation's whims? You have to do something. Or are you unlucky enough to find yourself bound? ...Well, hopefully someone else in the crowd has more scruples than this priest. 3. And now, the present. After all those enlightening scenes, the simulation finally brings you to a more quiet area of Olympia. You are deposited out somewhere in The Outlook, a place the very first group of refugees had to trudge through before they found their homes. You've arrived in the early evening — but sunlight is waning, and soon you'll be under a sky full of stars. Luckily, their old campsites aren't too overgrown. The intention here is to get you familiar with some of the local flora and fauna. What sorts of plants will you encounter? Do you find yourself under a Verillum Tree, suddenly compelled to be painfully honest and truthful in conversation with a complete stranger? Find yourself behaving erratically in the presence of Whistleweed? Or perhaps you'll have to break the spell of being trapped in a Vena Amoris' vines... with a kiss. PROMPT: STASIS UNIT     You have found the massive section of Thesa known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to enter 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: 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     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! An AC-length thread may be submitted for 2 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS after acceptance here. Please submit by February 18th. We will no longer be providing overflow posts. In an event where the post hits CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals or create their own catch-all post. These threads remain eligible for REP. There will be an application cap of 60, and no reserves. Please read here for more information. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[ukase]

[That was a bad impression to formulate given he had only completed this particular one four times. There were plenty more where that came from, and likely something he was missing.]

I'm finished when I say I'm finished.

[He glanced at the guy, raising an eyebrow slightly. He shook his head, wiping at the blood trying to drip off of his chin.]

You do you, pal. You want a show, go for it.

[beknight]

[ Four times. More than what anyone not him would do. Most people would say, that's crazy, but even those like him would have taken in the detail. ]

[ His glance to the blood on Rumlow's sleeve is impassive. ]

Don't mind if I do.

[ His body folds — becoming less of a presence. That's not a secret here, he's no socialite to obscure himself with vapidity and the distractions expected of a man of his class. No, Bruce is a predator. He doesn't often get to wear it like this, and sees no point in hiding it or downplaying it for Rumlow's sake. ]

[ukase]

[So now there was an audience? He watched the other guy for a single long moment, trying to decide if he was about to be mocked or actually just observed. He was used to having his actions watched after all; one didn't live a double-life with a bunch of spies not to learn the difference. Living with a bunch of predators was his life; he simply had learned how to be alpha wolf in his team.

He finally grunted, ran a hand through his hair to smooth it back from falling into his face. He stepped away to begin the simulation again, not bothering to throw himself at The Storm but raising his arms out from either side of his body and letting it roll over him and eventually drop him to one knee.

It was never a quick matter to experience death, to be picked apart one piece at a time and then slammed back together when it ended. He panted hard, shuddering and the bleeding renewed from his lip, but maybe - just maybe, he knew what he had to do. Likely the audience helped distract part of his brain focusing entirely on the simulation.

He looked back at the man folded down on the floor, forcing himself to his shaky knees.]

Well?

[beknight]

[ It's never a quick matter to experience death. Bruce has been out in the cold, naked. He's drowned and been revived. He's slowed his heart into its deep, meditative state, and explored that to offset chronic lack of sleep. Death is the edge, and to walk it again and again speaks of the person. Some balance well over that abyss. Bruce knows better — now that he's fallen and risen. ]

[ No mockery to be found here, just calm observation. He's still, like he's simply watching it rain outside. ]

Well?

[ Even, laced with subtle amusement. ]

Do I get a penny for my thoughts?

[ukase]

[He was still breathing hard, and his hands trembled from over excited nerves. He had no shame in it, aware that he was pushing himself fast to a complete collapse, but he was no longer frustrated, even if he mentally repeated his mantra. There was no need for other people to hear it; most couldn't appreciate the sentiment.

He set his hands on his hips, ignoring his fingers clenched and jumped, forcing himself to approach the other man. His knees nearly gave out a few times, forcing him to lock them with each step and giving him a wooden gait.]

Depends on what currency you consider a penny.

[beknight]

[ Another person might find it difficult to watch. But few people give Bruce the courtesy of letting him see their physical limits. Not once does he think, Rumlow wouldn't be able to kill him from where he is, whatever state he's in. He'd manage, if that was he was after. It's a consequence of that kind of single-minded pursuit — like a bulldog that won't let go. ]

Oh, I'm afraid whiskey won't cut it.

[ Amiable enough. Both Bruce's hands are out of his pockets, empty. There are knives in his sleeves, and he's always primed, but he isn't looking for clash right now. ]

I am a fan of candor. How about one question each?

[ukase]

[He hadn't climbed through the halls of the Triskelion armed with only a knife murdering anyone who wasn't HYDRA for nothing. He was all about the target objective, and he would pursue it relentlessly. Rumlow was all about the long-game, a reminder of his purpose. That didn't allow him to deny the guy in front of him was dangerous though. No one just sat around watching another man nearly kill himself without having seen enough shit in their lives.

He nodded, wiping at his bleeding lip again, accepting that booze wasn't the answer. Good, he liked a clear head anyway.]

Fine, one question. Was that yours? [And this one his?]

[beknight]

[ Don't you want to know which one of us is faster on the draw? That question leads to only one place. ]

If that one was yours.

[ But ultimately, that told either of them nothing, so it would be discarded. He hums. Like a yawn, to show teeth. The single eye of something awake, and lazily stretching its leather wings. ]

Do you come with a leash?

[ Any other day, from anyone else, it might have been debonair, a careless flirt. But it's quiet, said not like a secret, but like becoming aware of another presence in the room, when one thought one was alone. ]

[ukase]

[Rumlow actually wasn't particularly interested in a penis measuring contest, not in the state of mind that he was in now. He wanted focus and drive again, a meaning to his life after losing everything to an entity that he didn't entirely understand. He knew it was destructive, which could have been some kind of metaphor for humanity as a whole, but he wasn't that kind of thinker.

And he was fine with those being their questions. As much as learning about another person might benefit him in future, moping at the blood continuing to soak his chin took priority.

At the question, he snorted and gave the other guy a once over. Could hold his own in a fight, he decided.]

I hold my own leash unless you've earned the right to hold it and better... letting me loose from it to do your orders.

[Well, since they were on the questions, he paused in scrubbing at his chin with a sleeve and considered for a moment.]

What makes you fight?

[beknight]

[ Loyal man. Bruce can appreciate that, he's not particularly interested at the moment in figuring out how to jerk that one. Everyone has leverage. Even him. ]

[ He tips his head, then, ]

Survival.

[ Every moment of every day, against whatever would have him, against whatever it brought down on him. He didn't have a chance at life, whatever wrought was snatched in fragments. ]

[ukase]

[Loyal to a fault until that sense of loyalty was broken, and then he was just a rabid dog turning on the hand that had once been his main sense of control. Part of why he was here was to obtain personal answers and control, to give himself purpose what with the structure not even existing here.

He raised an eyebrow at the reply, but he slowly nodded. It was an acceptable reason to fight.]

You must be on the defensive much of the time. Means you're constantly under attack somehow.

[He wondered how much of those attacks were personal and not from an outside source.]

[beknight]

I live in a rough neighbourhood.

[ Understatement of the year. One wonders why nobody in Gotham ever seems to move away. ]

[ukase]

Don't we all. Where's yours?

[He wondered if this guy would actually answer. He was over the one question quota after all, and they hadn't agreed to more than that. Seemed legit to be refused and then they could go about their business otherwise.]

[beknight]

[ He shakes his head — enough people know that it's not a secret, but Bruce has realised very, very few people recognise Gotham City. To someone used to lingering in the unseen, it's poor form to flash that card at once. ]

Another day.

[ The man is bleeding, and calculation aside, Bruce prefers sealed wounds to open ones. ]

First aid kit is at the end of the corridor.

[ukase]

[That was the end of that then, and he was perfectly accepting of that. Their little question period was obviously over, and he had found a small piece of what he had been looking for. The problem lay on what he was going to do about it.]

Nice talk.

[It was like talking to Rollins, only this guy was less willing to smash his skull into railing at present. Clearly they would need to get to know each other better.]

What would I need that for? Can't bandage here and no point tending to the mess until it clots.

[beknight]

Likewise.

[ He approaches to a polite distance, hands still empty. A little wry, ]

For future reference. I'm nice like that.

[ukase]

[Rumlow wiped at his chin again, watching the other guy with a sharp gaze. He wasn't of the opinion they would fight. They had no reason to.]

I was always told to watch out for the nice ones. They have something big to hide.

[beknight]

[ They have no reason to, and neither of them are much in the mood to start anything. But still, he makes the concession. It costs nothing. ]

Sound advice.

[ Since he hasn't exactly been the chattiest of people. But, there's one last thing, ]

Alan Foster.

[ It is a name. It doesn't matter that it's a lie, that it's told as easily as breathing. The truth of him is spelled out openly. ]

[ukase]

[He liked to consider that he had plenty of good advice. Some of it he might even share. Not right now, of course. Maybe over drinks or when his head wasn't quite ringing as much as he currently was.

He nodded his head to the name, accepting it easily. Names didn't make a person in his books; they were just identifiers.]

Rumlow.

[Alan hadn't earned his first name. It was a soldier thing.]

[beknight]

[ He nods, accepting it in turn. Bruce is familiar with enough soldiers, and even if he wasn't, it's nothing personal. ]

I'll be seeing you.

[ Keeping an eye on him. ]

[ukase]

[This guy was both familiar and unfamiliar in mannerism. Reminded him of people he used to work with who were undercover in more risky businesses. They always had something to hide, sometimes even from themselves.]

If you're lucky. Or unless my heart explodes ruining myself in simulations.

[He waved the other guy off, returning to his own business.]