⇨ 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

[chronosynthesis]

"Perhaps what you found was the central transfer hub." To borrow the words of the Asura for a moment. "Where they can move to other sectors."

Like Ignatius'. "Where was the teleporter in our section?" North? South? The middle?

[anti_nonsense]

Rita doesn't respond to his taunting.

But as she fidgets, one feather does come loose from her shoulder, and she pinches its shaft and concentrates.

She concentrates on the trial she endured, the sickening memory of watching her heart carved out of her chest, the glowing red crystal inserted in its place... the feeling of her whole body burning up with heat and energy that could only come from Ignatius.

Then, she thinks to the explosion... How Ignatius mustered up enough power to cause it, but was unable to follow up on that action. It seemed like they bound him, perhaps altered his body, tore out his heart, suppressed him... but just before he was recaptured and rendered unresponsive, he entrusted some of his power to Rita. She can use her magic now... some of it.

She can't just hand this feather to him, though, so she flicks it away, letting it float to the ground. It's Lambert's job to clean up, after all. He should have an opportunity to get the message.

[fourthscribe]

Well, that's troublesome. Can she tell if it's because her magic is blocked, or that the implant itself isn't fully functional yet?

[whattaprick]

Pick it up Lambert does, with a huff and a roll of his eyes as he bends to the guise of sweeping up stray bits of produce away into the trash. His tail lashes once, eyes tightening, but that's all the reaction he gives as the recollection of pain hits him.

It'll take a moment to catch his breath, steady himself, before he looks up at Rita, eyes narrowed. He's missed a few days thanks to being bumped down to Theta, so his timeline is a little shaky, but he's not the one with the real memory issues...

"Well, since ince you're a Delta now, maybe you can answer something for me," he begins, idly shredding the feather between his fingertips before dropping it among the trash. Hopefully, that's good enough. "Some of my friends are missing a few memories. Techs said it was soul damage. Are there any trials that would cause that? Because obviously, they don't remember."

112

[hippocarnival]

Yuya's had a hard time figuring out how to approach Rita now that there's a wall between them, since she's gone to Delta. But he needs to try--there has to be some way they can still work together, right?

He approaches her openly. The glowing dots are hard to see in the light, but Rita's visor should tell her he's been through a trial, related to Creation that involved implants and injections.

"Uh--Rita?" He's probably not supposed to call her that.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita looks away while Lambert picks it up, and doesn't look back even as he continues.

What is he talking about...? Friends, missing memories because of soul damage? It's not something Rita knows anything about, but maybe the visor's database has something. She starts looking through records on the few people she imagines Lambert would call his friends, but...

She tilts her head, uncertain. The information here is bare-bones, but none of it suggests anything about those symptoms.

[anti_nonsense]

Fortunately, there's no protocol requiring Rita to correct Yuya. With the visor over her eyes, it's unclear if she's been watching him, and there's no change in her expression when he addresses her.

"What?" she asks.

Does Yuya know she's restricted in what she can talk to him about...? Considering this is the first time he's approached her since her promotion, he might have some idea, she supposes.

[hippocarnival]

"Uh, just--" He's got a guess, but he's not sure how to get around it. There's a clear look of urgency on his face, and he focuses on her in some attempt to figure out how to say this.

"What's the visor for?"

[periphrasing]

"Well, first off: You'll be pleased to know that Zangetsu does have some of his power back. We were roomed together the other night."

Peridot doesn't look quite so convinced about the other part. The idea that they outmatch the Technicians is a nice one, but...

"Knowing what we know about how most fae treat their changelings, my theory is that the suppression is more to keep us from escaping than it is to protect her lackeys," she says, sneering the last word. "For all our sakes though, I would much rather that your theory be the correct one."

[anti_nonsense]

Huh...? That's not the kind of question she expected.

"It's a tool we use to perform our duties," she says, glossing over pretty much all of the details. Not like she can afford to give a lengthy answer, or a helpful one.

[periphrasing]

"Nyeh?" she grunts, vision finally coming back to focus on him. The haze of panic over her seems to have cleared off momentarily. "Of course I did. It startled me right off of my bunk!"

[chronosynthesis]

"And if this place was equipped to prevent out escape at full power, they wouldn't need to suppress it. Two people were able to get out of the farm and into vents. They're not actually prepared for us having any sort of enhanced ability."

It's basically their biggest advantage right now, besides the mysterious benefactor. "We just need to make the most of it."

He pauses, considering. "Would you be able to disrupt the technical security? Hack it? They use teleporters to transfer between sections, but they do have authorization locks."

[bananaspeedrider]

Can't miss out on the fun this time

[hippocarnival]

"... Oh. Like watching us?" Is he scraping for topics, just a little! "Are you learning cool things in Delta?"

His gaze wanders around. He remembers in Eden her information transfer went one way, but the truth is it's more than he needs to tell her things. "Is it okay to tell you things?"

[betheman]

That's the spirit! A burst of determined emotion comes back in kind, and Gongenzaka carries on.

First- the hand drawn map, and in Rita's case more questioning. The image of her passing through doors where the tiny Gongenzaka cannot comes to mind; does she think she could gain access to this area?

She can probably see why it's important. A large question mark briefly appears, followed by images of items Rita may be able to guess as 'taken on arrival'; the door image appears again, as well as the map...this time surrounded by question marks. Could she find out where their things are located?

[betheman]

Hey so, Soul-Chatter Tiny-Gon is just face palming.

Zangetsu...Zangetsu please-

Ah! A bolt of focus strikes when he realizes what Zangetsu is doing with the Mother. Iron. The Iron pulls into focus, with a sudden sense of urgency, and more than a few magnifying glasses as the idea of finding that iron comes to mind.

Excitement, and honest cheer, agreement, determination- The Mother is Fae no matter how it's cut! If they find that iron, no one could say no to using it against her!!

[periphrasing]

Peridot laughs.

"Yes. I have numerous methods at my disposal for dealing with such obstacles," she says confidently. "Before we were kidnapped to this place, I was actually working on a new method of interfacing with machines that would allow me to alter or disable them. And even if I can't manage to tap into that power here, it won't matter much. There isn't a machine in existence that I couldn't master."

[whattaprick]

“Childermass is even more of a featherbrain than he usually is,” Lambert is going on, in the face of a lack of a reaction from Rita. “He’s even forgotten how we got stuck here. Kind of lucky for him, huh?”

[chronosynthesis]

"Good. We'll need that expertise." Because Syrlya's solution was otherwise 'smash it'.

He shifts a little, but even under the weight of needing to sleep he feels himself invigorated. They almost have a plan--and that means they're almost ready to act.

"I'll find you, once Gongenzaka brings me what he learns from the Fae helping from the outside."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita doesn't offer a response to those questions. Instead, she tells him, "Fraternizing is against protocol. I can't talk to you unless it's necessary for work."

The truth is, Rita doesn't know if it's okay for Yuya to tell her things. At least, not out loud. But that still leaves them with an option... Idly, she reaches to her shoulder and scratches it, just where the feathers stick out from under her uniform. This worked with Lambert, so it better work now. She pulls one feather loose and focuses without looking at it, imbuing it with a message.

Her info-transferring power can work in two ways now. If she's nearby, Yuya can put his own message into an enchanted object.

In addition... she talked to Gongenzaka today. Sort of. He mentioned an 'ally'. Is that what this is about?

That's all she'll include before brushing the feather and flicking it away from her shoulder, as one might with a piece of lint. In the same moment, she'll give her wings a brief flap, as if merely trying to loosen them up after standing still for so long... to create enough motion in the air to direct the feather to him.

[soft_focus]

"That doesn't seem very 'productive' either," she replies, shaking her head slowly. She's not blaming Tyki of course. Tyki is probably bored out of his skull. But she does smile a little after that.

Surprise, guess who has empathy (kinda).

The smile drops as she continues though. "Everyone is just getting more hurt. I don't think there's a lot to learn from that."

[hippocarnival]

Luckily, Yuya knows Rita well enough to know she isn't frivolous. She's smart. So when the feather floats his way, he grasps for it, expression lighting up a little.

"Mmhmm--" he makes an affirmative sound, looking at the feather. If she's nearby, he can do that? So he tries to focus on putting the information in, hoping he'll be able to tell that it works.

Her name is Gild, someone who knows Ignatius well and is with the Summerland Fae. She wants to get them all out of here, but they need to help her. She has someone already inside, ready to move when they can give her the go ahead. And they need to find Ignatius for sure.

To do that they have a mark that grants magic from her. Fire, light, enhancements, and finding things.

Yuya has that mark, and he can give it to someone else.

If he feels it work, he brushes his fingers over the feather before looking back at Rita. More specifically, Rita's visor.

He leans forward a little holding the feather down and close to her hand as he points with his other hand to make her look elsewhere--at the trial postings. "So can I ask you about the trial?'

[periphrasing]

She nods. "Be careful spreading information on the Farm, when you do," Peridot adds. "I tried to use my powers to feel for cameras in there like I did in this cell, but there's an overwhelming number of devices present."

There's a brief pause, and then she speaks up again.

"Um... There is one more thing that I'm concerned about, that we should probably consider."

NIGHT 112

[betheman]

EDIT: I was just told that you wanted these in summary form, SO!

Evening 112, Gongenzaka will fire a number of notes in succession once Gild makes contact for the evening. They Contain:

> A note explaining how some of them are separated from them due to ranking/surgery nonsense, and also to make certain Gild is/was aware that for the most part they're locked in cells during the evenings.

> A note asking what the optimal time of day for Gild (and anyone with Gild) to work at would be, so they can plan around this.

> A note stating that numerous items of use were taken and confiscated when they were brought to Polaris; it would potentially be useful to find these, but can it be done without invoking her mark?

> Continuing off that, Gongenzaka notes that the Mother of Invention has a stash of iron she uses for experiments somewhere...

> ...And some are wondering if, should they be able to create an opportunity, Gild would feel confident enough to take out the Mother of Invention. ...Possibly with her own stash.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya nods. He kind of expected they were monitored everywhere, but so long as their hopes of escape were nothing more than vague estimates, it didn't seem like the Technicians felt the need to interfere. They probably hear it a dozen times.

Then she stalls and Syrlya raises a brow. "What is it?"