⇨ POLARIS 2.0

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Days 110 - 114
Where: Polaris
What: After a mysterious explosion shakes the station, the staff of Polaris struggle to maintain order while the test subjects fight for freedom with the aid of hidden allies. Productivity info is here.
Warnings: More graphic experimentation.

THEORY & CONCLUSION↴ At the midnight between Day 109 and Day 110, something happens. For most people, it won't be clear what - yet, they are shaken by it just the same. Violent tremors appear out of nowhere, rattling the entirety of the Polar station, violent enough to throw sleeping test subjects off their bunks. The source is unclear, but there is a sudden flurry of activity from staff as power flickers and is lost in various parts of the facility. Subjects, for the most part, will be left to their cells while they try to sort things out. The next morning, the staff are late picking people up. It's more like 6:30AM than the usual 6AM when they arrive to take people to the farm, which is a bit of tardiness that is entirely without precedent. Any questions about the incident the previous night will be waved off with the explanation of 'technical difficulties' that have been 'resolved.' ► DELTA: The three new Deltas will be left in their cells for even longer, waiting to be picked up, instructed that they would be escorted elsewhere instead of to the farm. Around 6:45AM some unfamiliar technicians will arrive and tell them that they are here to begin their processing into Delta. They are led into a previously untouched section of the station, where they are invited into a somewhat more intimate medical room to be asked some cursory questions and given a check up. Then, their suits will be removed, and they will be provided with their new uniforms, which they can apply like normal clothes. Delta life begins there. There will be a top level for the initial parts of their processing to be played out. Ultimately, however, they will end up being given a tour of the new Delta facilities, which amounts to a waterfront area that borders the new apartments they'll be staying in, as well a small supply shop where they can pick up an allotted amount of 'amenities' per day, based on their level of productivity and other achievements. This includes luxury items like food, pleasant smelling soaps, or other hygiene related tools. There are even small things like decorations or pictures of other places available, though they are fairly expensive. The first day will mostly involve the processing, a tour, and some basic training regarding the new tools they will be using, such as the mandatory visors and basic computer access. The next day, observation shifts in the farm will start, as will participation in trials. ► FARMING: The Farm will continue as normal, though it seems like there are fewer staff observing it at the moment. The ones that are there seem a little bit more tense than usual. Power is still down in some places, but the Farm is thankfully still active. Sometimes the productivity turn-in scanners might be a bit glitchy, so try not to panic if it measures fewer points than you're due. ► TRIALS: Trials are continuing as projected, though with the most broad of experiments already under way, they may be more selective. If you have an idea for a trial you can be sure to share it with the staff, and they will take it under advisement! Any information you want to provide is encouraged, they will say, especially if it involves notable traits about you or your fellow test subjects - or perhaps behavioral patterns you've noticed. You might even be rewarded!

Comments

[ringleaders]

There are no signs with words besides an indication of what sectors it can lead to. Right now it's set to go wherever these two just came from. Hovering over the device is apparently enough, mostly because it's still active from the two technicians that just stepped off of it.

So whoosh, he ends up in another teleport bay that looks very similar. The major difference is that the two technicians are gone. There is a closed airlock ahead of him.

[atouts]

"I remember back to the bathhouses. Shabon." Childermass says that certainly enough, so it clearly isn't all memories. "The end of our time there is harder to recall, then what's already happened... here."

He frowns over that, looking around them as if to indicate the farm. The farm, Polaris. He doesn't even know what this place is called, only that it's terrible, and to be fair, knowing the actual name probably won't matter in the future. If there even is a future.

"I've already been told about the Mother of Invention and the Huntsman," he adds, returning his attention to Lambert, "By... people. I forgot to ask their names." At this point, exhaustion shifts into him frowning some, annoyed. "I know about people but who they are have been difficult to place. I've spent more time with you, haven't I? More than anyone else I've spoken to so far."

[atouts]

And will he be able to throw out his sight and hearing through the construct? Basically, if it's in his hand there and then, he'd just be looking up at himself.

[ringleaders]

Yeah, it's probably sort of foggy, though, and if it gets really far away from him it'd trickle off to nothing. Within the sector, though, he'll have access.

[kingsroads]

Almost instantly, Strange gets off the teleport because holy shit, what was that. He'll poof to human for a few seconds to reset the metaphorical clock before doing the exact same thing he did before. Turn to smoke, wait for the airlock to open, book it.

[ringleaders]

Sadly, at this point, a few of the light goes from blue to red, and a robotic voice says:

'SECURITY BREECH DETECTED. INITIATING LOCKDOWN.'

And then the teleport pad turns off.

[kingsroads]

Well there's not much he can do now, is there. Strange will try to do anything to find an exit: smoke around, try to set something on fire, randomly press a button on the teleport pad, etc.

He'll use all three forms (smoke, fire, naked dude) in an attempt to find an exit.

[ringleaders]

Sadly, there isn't much to be done: his naked dude powers will not avail him. The teleportation bay is locked down tight, and it will be a matter of a few minutes before something acts on him.

The room starts flooding with that same, freezing vapor. If he's in his smoke form, it will force the molecules to return to a solid form, and if he's in fire form, it will put him out. Then all he has left is naked man powers, which aren't much use in the face of a misty cloud that induces some kind of rapid onset freezing. It won't kill him, but it might feel like that's what's happening.

It will render him comatose not long after, at which point he is collected by the security team. Then, he's going to wake up strapped down in one of those examination rooms, and interrogated about what he was doing and how.

What does he say?

[whattaprick]

Something beneficial, huh? Lambert might kind of have an idea about what that’s about, and it also answers something he was wondering about. Also, bending over was a mistake and he has to take a breath to steady himself before he straightens.

“Might have some idea what that was. Something happened at the core. Killed and injured some of the technicians...”

[ringleaders]

The boundaries of the farm are walls. It's a 100% enclosed area.

[drrdrrdrr]

Amethyst is so deeply asleep when this next volley of arrows show up that she is asleep in the dream. They're bright enough to catch her attention anyway, though -- how? well, it's a dream -- and she catches one blearily in her mouth, and then pulls it out with one hand.

[kingsroads]

Strange wakes up, looks around, decides the situation is shit, and falls back on literally his last resort.

"Take me to the fae that caused the explosion this morning and I'll tell you where the Silver Mirror is."

This is not an actual answer as to what he was doing. Strange is going to be as tight lipped as possible about the specifics, just repeating that he'll trade that information if he can see Ignatius.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya reaches to put a steadying hand on Lambert's shoulder as he falters.

"Caused by something, or someone?" He thinks they're both navigating to the same possibility here. "What did you hear?"

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya's hesitance to try isn't quite along the possibility of failure, but he simply nods and angles his head to point down a path, drawing his hand back. "The orchard is a little more private."

Maybe, if one doesn't assume the possible cameras watching their every move. But if everything they do is observed, what good does trying to hide do anyway? Nobody's acted on this level of boldness so far, and Syrlya presumes that's because they've seen many failed attempts at freedom before and aren't too worried about low-level efforts.

[ringleaders]

A pair of steadying devices will be applied to the side of Rita's head - enough to keep her from moving accidentally, but not enough to stop her from pulling away entirely if she chose to. An injection goes into her spine to numb some of the pain. Circles of hair are shaped off to make way for the surgery, and the rest of it is held out of the way.

Then, a series of small holes and drilled into her upper vertebrae, and then a larger hole into the back of her skull. Cold spray is applied to sterilize, and then a read-made technological implant is pressed into the spaces created - she will feel, somewhat maddeningly, like something is crawling inside of her skull. The implant locks into place, with the kind of ease that comes from this being done all the time. In the end, it is visually unobtrusive on the outside - her hair will cover most of it, though the implant in the back of her head is the biggest part.

Then, a custom-made visor is lowered from the front, and applied over her eyes. It locks into place easily, and inside of the screen, she will see an elegant UI system displaying messages about 'cerebral sync initiated' and other such things. It will take a few minutes to process, but then the machinery pulls away and she's allowed to stand.

"The visor will display information about your current assignments, as well as geographical information about the station," the technician explains. "It ensures you won't get lost, and will always reach your appointments on time. It can be removed at night for hygiene and resting purposes."

Rita doesn't feel any different for the moment, besides the dull ache in the back of her skull.

[ringleaders]

The technicians look absolutely flabbergasted - at least as much as you can tell when their faces are partly covered with visors. They look at each other.

"That wasn't the question," one of them says. "And that information is not our priority."

They don't seem very interested in it at all.

[atouts]

Childermass will nod back to Syrlya and picks up the shovel he'd been working with in the field. Throwing that over one shoulder, he'll head off towards the orchard as casually as he can. Which is to say, looking miserable and not particularly inclined to go over there and yet... As one might expect from an imprisoned changeling, anyway.

He'll meet Syr over there, amongst the trees.

[kingsroads]

Now it's Strange's turn to look absolutely flabbergasted.

"It's an all-powerful fae artifact that could kill a True Fae. How the hell isn't it your priority?"

He's still not answering the question.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya will opt to take the path slightly different, just so it isn't as obvious they aren't going to conspire.

Once he finds Childermass again among the trees, he leans his back against one of them and holds his good arm out. He won't bother with any words before he focuses on pulling together magical energy, drawing strictly from the magic for his illusions.

It's purple, and starts to crackle over his hand. He raises his brows. "That's certainly more than I could manage before."

[ringleaders]

"Answer the questions we have asked, or face demotion to Theta," the technician says, just as firmly. "We will not engage in bargains with test subjects."

[whattaprick]

‘Harder to recall.’ There’s a rising urge to scream, but Lambert locks it down. This isn’t the time. There’s recognition in Childermass’s face, but not enough recognition, and shameful as it is to admit ... this makes some things easier, right now.

For now, there’s a choice to make, looking into Childermass’s face, hearing that question. Lambert only hesitates a moment before he snorts, gruffly brushing Childermass’s grip on his wrist away and crossing his arms.

“That’s because we’re both supervisors. You’re the Acquisitioner. We work for the Ringmaster.” Used to work. But Lambert isn’t ready to relegate her to the past tense just yet, and he goes on. “I don’t know what happened to make you lose your memory, but ... we were working on a plan to get out of here. I messed up. You can’t.”

[kingsroads]

"I suppose I'm demoted then."

Sorry technicians, he's not selling out the bae.

[ringleaders]

WELL FINE THEN WELCOME TO THETA, ASSBUTT.

[kingsroads]

BITE HIM, DICKHEADS

[whattaprick]

“They called it the Omicron. ‘Volatile materials under pressure.’” Lambert snorts, recalling it, and shrugs Syrlya’s hand off and straightening. Steadying isn’t what he needs right now. What he needs is anger.

“They were keeping it in the Core. But I think they’ve moved it since.”