⇨ 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

[soft_focus]

"Mnnnhhh..." Having experienced what her brother's failure can do, she doesn't look very keen.

But. "...Ok... ...s long as it keeps working, I guess.." Forgetting herself a moment she moves to roll over- only for the pain pattern to hit again. "Ssfff-t!"

[starseedling]

There are a couple technicians obviously watching, but neither of them moves to act, despite Yuya's calls. Instead, they seem to be keenly observing, as if this is somehow relevant data. Apparently dropping dead is an acceptable result at the moment.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya looks back over his shoulder at her, furrowing his brow.

"... It's because you want to help, right?" Why she's so concerned about knowing more.

What he really wants to ask about is the trial, but... it feels too fresh, now, even if she puts on a brave face.

[betheman]

Far less useless at the moment, is Gongenzaka- who seems to hone in on Yuuya's frantic shouts with impossible speed. More than likely he was just following the other around from a distance.

Regardless of why and how, it seems like it's resulting in a stroke of fortune. Gongenzaka charges over the minute he spies the source of the sound, eyes wide with shock. "Yuuya-!" He shouts, stooping down. "Yuuya, what happened..?"

Even as he says this, he focuses on Steven. Brining an ear close to hear for the (missing) vital signs, gently easing Yuuya himself away...

If Yuuya takes more than a few seconds to explain, he'll be explaining while Gongenzaka starts trying to give Steven chest compressions. There is no waiting, when someone drops 'dead'.

[hippocarnival]

Tears start to well in Yuya's eyes as Steven continues not to respond and the a Technicians just... stand there? He has a silent, hollow stare off with them as he steadily realizes they're not going to help.

Luckily, that's when Gon shows up and Yuya snaps his attention to him. "Gongenzaka! It's Steven, he's not--I think he's--"

Yuya chokes on the word, pretty easily pushed aside so Gongenzaka can attempt CPR. He doesn't let go of his wrist, though, like he's hoping for the pulse tp start up again.

[kingsroads]

"He gave me my magic back," Strange explains, looking down at Eruka. "Possibly he gave yours back as well."

Though, that begs so many questions. Why her? Did Ignatius even tell her the way he told Strange? And, most importantly, why does she seem to have a terrible grip on her abilities?

"Though considering how your magic seems to be faulty, perhaps something else is the cause of that." It's said as Strange vaguely waves towards Eruka's watery slime body. "Anyway, you're going to come with me to explore the vents."

[soft_focus]

It actually takes a moment, before she has an answer to that. "...I guess....sometimes," she decides, turning her head.

"...I think right now I just want to know so that I don't ruin it, now. ...So that when things are happening, I don't do something or say something wrong."

Reira does pause again, however. "...Mn. Are you ok?" She can't really identify the worried curiosity. Not when sensations are this weak at least.

[starseedling]

One technician looks at the other, as if asking a silent question: should they interfere? The other raises a hand, indicating no. They leave Yuya and Gon to it instead of getting in the way or offering any assistance resuscitating the child.

It takes a bit over ten minutes at that point, but finally, Steven will wake up. It happens incredibly suddenly, as if life has simply been switched back on inside of him - though it starts with a killer pain inside of his missing gem. He jolts back to consciousness, coughing and trying to clutch at his belly.

"Ow, ow..." is all he manages at first, between gasping breaths.

[hippocarnival]

"You won't mess anything up." Lambert would probably warn her a little better if he thought she would, so she probably doesn't need to worry.

He blinks slowly, gaze drifting down slightly. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Better when we get out of here."

[betheman]

Those technicians are ticking Gon off, needless to say. He doesn't end up asking Yuuya to badger them- if this had carried on much longer he would have (that or he simply would have snarled for them to act instead of standing about, useless an effort as that would be). Instead however, Steven chokes awake- and immediately, Gon goes from compressions to attempting to support the other as he curls inward.

"Steven," he barks- voice somehow kept level rather than loud, a slight waver of fear slipping in despite himself. "Steven- can you speak?"

He should probably ask 'are you alright' when he thinks about it, but the answer is likely 'no'. "...Do you know what happened?"

[soft_focus]

She doesn't quite look like she believes him on that either- but this time it's just too far from Yuuya's control. Too many have automatically acted as though her instinct would be trouble.

It'll be a while, before she truly believes not everyone feels that way.

Instead... "...Do you think we'll leave before they can make anyone else do trials? ...the ones where they don't even ask first, I mean?"

[amphibiopathic]

"They did something to me in a trial," Eruka snaps, apparently sufficiently stung to find a bit of spine. "And I'm not going with you anywhere! Who knows what they'll do if they catch us? I don't want to be boiled and pressed and frozen again!"

She takes a breath. She thought she'd felt something, but...

"He was caught like the rest of us. I don't even know where he is," she swallows. "How could he help us with a contract...?"

[hippocarnival]

Gongenzaka has supporting Steven, so Yuya continues to cling to his hand--at least once he feels the pulse again his grip relaxes and his shoulders slump with relief. "Hey, we're here Steven, we're here."

Does Steven himself even realize what happened?

[periphrasing]

The light of Steven summoning his shield seems to incinerate the surrounding technicians; motionless, reactionless, they disintegrate almost as if they were made of nothing more than shadows.

Peridot is still curled up defensively even after they disappear, shaking and whimpering.

"S-s-steven?" she stammers with surprise, boggling at him. Normally she's a pretty decent lucid dreamer, but she's having some difficulty shaking this particular nightmare. The shapes of technicians, all unnaturally tall, loom over them on the periphery. Peridot is unable to banish them from her mind.

[kingsroads]

Strange sighs, like this is something completely obvious and that Eruka's a complete idiot for not putting together what he literally put together earlier this morning.

"Faerie contracts aren't like a contract of labor. It's a contract of ownership. If he wanted, Ignatius could alter our very beings in a way that another fae couldn't." Strange pauses for a moment. When he speaks again, he's obviously trying to steel his voice and keep it calm.

"He passed his power to me. Of course, my circumstances are different than the rest of the carnival, but it's feasible that he could use the contract to pass power to others as well. It's only right that we use what he gave us to try and find him."

And then give it right back to him. Strange honestly has no idea if Ignatius is still alive. But if he is, he certainly needs all the help he can get.

[betheman]

On the evening of 114 Gongenzaka will pass on that they've got a plan for the morning- he suspects Gild was already filled in by another though.

He does however explain that he'll be hanging back to hold fort with the noncombatants- so he wants to clear something up about the limits of her boon- specifically, when she says 'Light', is that just in the sense of illuminating, or blinding? Or is it more flexible than that?

He notes that he is open to suggestions for it (in regard to Buffing The Fort itself) and also that he may pass it to someone with greater capabilities to use in the moment, should it become necessary.

[periphrasing]

Even if he doesn't actually kick her, she looks kind of offended by the gesture and sorta, reflexively baps him lightly on the thigh in retaliation.

"Right! Right, yes, I did," she hisses back quietly, "but we probably shouldn't discuss too many details in here because there are a lot of hidden devices and there's no way for me to tell what is or isn't a camera in here!"

Hint: She has her metal powers back.

[starseedling]

It takes a little while for Steven's body to loosen, his muscles started out uncontrollably tense. Finally, he manages to uncurl a little, resting back against Gongenzaka's hold. He's clearly confused.

"My... My gem? Something..." he starts, clutching his fingers over the dip in his suit. "I couldn't feel it anymore and... I couldn't feel me?"

It was like he'd been on two separate sides of being split in half, and neither side could function without the other. He remembers the afternoon being exhausting, how he'd felt sick... what had happened to him?

[amphibiopathic]

Blissfully oblivious as to how or why pyromanic magician believes Eruka stares at Strange, then swallows, holding out a hand over the ground.

"If he gave me back my magic, then I should be able to..."

She doesn't really think about it, or the cameras that could be watching them right now -- partly because it's that instinctive partly, because she doesn't actually expect it to work. But there's a push of magic, and under her fingers, an inky blot begins to form ... and a miniature Tadpole Jackson forms, looking profoundly confused at where they are. And also a fraction of his normal size!

[betheman]

"Your....gem?" Gongenzaka starts, blinking. Baffled, he briefly looks to Yuuya before he turns his focus to Steven again. "...How do you feel now? ...I, the man Gongenzaka, obviously cannot check your gem now..."

...Though as he says this, his eyes move to where the gem would typically sit. And squinting, he finds himself almost wondering if there could be something he's missing. They obviously did something but...what did they...

"...Steven...do you remember them doing anything to your gem?" Gongenzaka is in for an unfortunate surprise.

[hippocarnival]

"Your gem?" Yuya blinks slowly, confused... and then he looks down, his gaze following Steven's hand to a slightly indent in his sit. Oh. Oh god.

Yuya shudders, frozen with shock. There's no way they could have--could they? Did they? But Yuya thought, it was an important part of him...

"Oh no. Can--can you feel it now?" Is he okay now? Yuya's looking for at least that much assurance in the moment.

[starseedling]

He's feeling better, at any rate, but he feels really cold - like his body cooled off while he was 'dead' and hasn't had the chance to warm up yet. He shivers, closing his eyes with a sniffle.

"They took my gem out, when they made me do that trial..." he explains, his voice wavering. "I could still feel it, but... for a while, just now, it was like a couldn't." He shakes his head. It's something he's been worrying about a lot. "What happened to me?"

[starseedling]

Okay, that was a bit weird. His shield has never made anyone disintegrate before, but you know what? That's fine. He focuses on Peridot instead, keeping his shield steady with one arm and extending his other hand out to her.

"Yeah, it's me," he says, smiling the best he can. "From real life! I'm visiting your dream world." He looks back in the direction of the shadowy technicians. "...It's... not great this time of year, is it?"

He chuckles nervously.

[periphrasing]

"...I'm dreaming?" Peridot takes his hand and stands up, immediately moving to cling to his shoulder and huddle close to him. She peers around warily at her surroundings with this new information in mind.

"So you got some of your powers back... and I'm dreaming... Why can't I get them to go away, then!?" she groans, referring to the motionless technicians. "I've always been able to control my subconscious before, so why can't I get these freaks to stop staring at me!?"

[anti_nonsense]

Rita pushes away from the rail, straightening her posture. "What do you say we go take a look?" she suggests, her tone friendly despite her face not quite matching it. She takes a few steps toward the shop and then stops to see if he'll join her.

He'd better, considering this may be their best chance at covertly sharing information.