lostcarnival | ⇨ POLARIS 2.0

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⇨ POLARIS 2.0

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh-" Huh. She sort of felt like she was getting a grab bag, herself.

Reira gives a slow blink, and a light shrug as she answers. "Mnh...everything still stings a little," she determines after a moment. "...I didn't know it was night-time already, actually." How long has she been on this bed??? It's a mystery.

"Yeah." Yuya doesn't know how long she's been gone, so he bites his lip in worry. He wants to ask what they did, but would she even know?

"They didn't post any results today, so you don't have to worry." Nobody's going anywhere for now. Not until they get out. "You should keep resting."

"Heh?" Wait what?! "They didn't post anything at all?!"

For all the excitement in her voice, she at least seems to heed the 'rest' request- she's still flat on her back.

Yuya shakes his head. "Maybe it got delayed a day? Uh, it's probably better if it doesn't come though..."

Since that correlates with bad things happening to those who can't keep up. And it might put those of them with marks in a worse position to help, too.

"Mnhhh..." She furrows her brows, considering it. "...Why would anything be delayed? Would any numbers even make sense if they did that?"

"Maybe it had something to do with what happened a few nights ago... you know, the shaking?"

That's a pretty reasonable guess since the shaking had to do with Ignatius. The Technicians didn't act rattled... but they never act like much of anything, so.

"Umn-!" Oh yes- She moves to sit up-

And very immediately flinches and yelps, lying back down again. Aside from apparently being in pain around the middle, it seems to be curiously rigid (at least with how she prepared to sit up). Not one to be deterred from her surprise, she carries on. "...That was when I almost fell off the bed."

And she thinks you actually Did, in fact.

Yuya flinches and moves to hold her shoulder more firmly against the bed. Rest, geez. He's not sure why she's getting so worked up about it.

"... Right. They probably won't actually tell us why, though." She just knows how she doesn't have to worry about the results.

She just wanted to sit!! What's so bad about sitting Yuuya, it's weird talking when you're flat on your back. ...Or a little weird anyway.

"...They don't tell us anything," she remarks plainly. "...No one ever tells me important stuff, so it's probably like that for them." It isn't meant to come out mean, but it's honestly what it feels like. Of course the Technicians aren't telling them things. All of them in the black suits are the 'reiras of polaris' right now.

Yuya expression twists wryly. "What important stuff do you think you're not being told?"

Okay, he can probably think of a few things he's not saying here, but in his defense it's from someone who needs a little more secrecy.

Reira just raises her eyebrows to that. "...The Technicians don't talk about what they do to people," is her first Obvious example. "...And normally, if I ask everyone in the Carnival about things, I'm too little to know."

So basically, important could mean...anything.

She just doesn't know, because she's never figured out what was necessarily being kept from her.

"I know the Technicians won't say anything important." He doesn't even know what they did to him, let alone anyone else.

He draws his hand back to cross his arms around hi knee, drawing in on himself a little. "But if you think people in the carnival are keeping important things from you, there's a reason for that, right? Why do you think you're not being told something... or if what you're not being told is something you need to know?"

This could just be Reira feeling entitled to something that's just personal, or isn't a secret being kept just from her anyway.

"Because that's what happens whenever something dangerous might be happening," she insists. "I ask about something, and everyone says 'you don't need to know'."

Reira frowns a bit. "...Last time that happened, even though I stayed out of trouble, the bad things still came to us." She's referring, quite specifically, to that party with Samyaza.

Granted she'd insisted on going to that, but still! It's not like she'd have been any safer not going!

Anyway. "...It's everyone though, so don't feel bad." Not that she thinks he feels bad now- it's a Preemptive Warning, is all.

Ironically, everyone who didn't go to the party and hid in the city avoided capture and that much trauma.

That's not very descriptive, though. "Do you mean whenever they make a plan to fix it?"

Yuya feels like the danger's been very clear. He's been open about it, pressed about it in a hope Reira would come to the conclusion it isn't good to be here on her own. That obviously hasn't worked out.

He doesn't consider his emotional problems that result from it to be on the same level as keeping information from Reira. So is it just not letting her help?

"I don't know." She's honest about that much anyway. "...I never even know when there is a plan. ...Stuff just happens." Reira's eyes turn to the ceiling, and she shrugs.

"...Even when I talked to Lambert, he said 'maybe the best thing right now is just for you to wait'. ...I know things will get fixed, and get better after a while," she continues. "...But it would be nice, if adults just said something whenever stuff happened."

Anyway. She's getting off topic, she's sure. "...But that's probably why they won't talk to us about the shaking, I think." The technicians, she means.

"... I don't think that's exactly why they aren't telling us about the shaking." Whatever is going on with the Technicians being tight lipped, it definitely isn't from the same well meaning position as people in the carnival have.

"You listened to your radio, right? Whenever something happens, that's usually where we'd plan with each other... and anything else is probably top secret militia work the rest of us aren't told about anyway."

He smiles a little, humorously when he puts a finger to his lips. "I know you want to help, but... I don't think as much is being kept from you as you're assuming."

And it's not good for Reira to stew in bitterness about an assumption even she says she doesn't really know for sure if it's true. Yuya's usually not much more in the loop.

Hey, she can dream. It's somehow nicer to think the Technicians actually give a slight care about things.

"...I'm still told it doesn't matter to me, if I ask on the radio," she remarks dryly. CHECK AND MATE, YUUYA.

Besides she's not bitter. She was just stating facts. "...'s not about helping anyway. I just want to know what's going on sometimes," she adds with a shrug.

"...I don't think anyone knows what's going on now."

They never know what's going on.

"When did someone tell you something doesn't matter to you?" He raises a brow, absolutely intent on making her dig up an example. He thinks the reality is probably no one considers seeking her out to tell her things, because she's seven.

And this is one of the lighter topics he's had tp think about in days.

Bah! She's going to puff her cheeks. "I don't remember, I don't ask anymore..." But, she's looking at Yuuya again anyway. "...Especially not here..." To be fair she did just finish saying that Lambert said her best option was to 'wait and see', which implies they had something of a talk about that.

Yuya's less concerned about Polaris, where they're all having to step more carefully. Even Eden they couldn't talk as freely, and Yuya sure didn't know most of that plan. He'd mostly been concerned about Gongenzaka's capture (and others, but especially Gongenzaka).

"You don't remember, huh..." Yuya doesn't sound like he buys that. "Then was it really that important? Just because someone didn't tell you something, it's not because everyone's keeping secrets from you."

That sounds like the start of trust issues and given Reiji's everything, they draw not going down that path. "Try not to think that badly of everyone. Normally we work together, and that's why we've been able to make it this far."

Hey now.

"I didn't say it was bad, I just said that's how everyone bigger than me is." Apparently it's just a fact of life now. "If someone thinks I'll get scared, or in trouble, even a little, they don't tell me."

...

"...So don't worry, because 'm not upset." She certainly seems sincere about it...even if it was cause for frustration earlier. (Then again, that was less not being told anything and less about the perceived lack of options over all. ...Which everyone was dealing with.)

"Okay, but if you don't remember when it actually happened you still shouldn't assume that's how everyone is being." Especially since he wouldn't be surprised if, based on how she was describing Lambert's words, it's more from trying to help.

Which he'd know because he's had pushback like that before, too. Sometimes you can't do much and it's frustrating, but he can't hold his weaknesses against anyone else.

"I know when, I just don't remember exactly what..!" Hey!

Of course as soon as she starts getting worked up to try and move again, she has to flinch-grimace and go back to being Extremely Flat while she pouts and turns her head away. "I'm not 'assuming' when people say things aren't for me to know!"

Yuya holds his hand out, but stops when she lowers herself down anyway.

"... Fine." He can tell she's not going to listen to him, again, so Yuya just turns back to look at the cell. He doesn't want to agitate her when she's in pain and whatever else from the trial.

"They'll probably make you work tomorrow, so you should sleep as much as you can." Before she tries to get up again.

"...M not tired." And it's true, she's not. Right now anyway.

Still. She stares. "...I really mean it," she eventually says. "...when I asked about stuff in Eden, everyone said 'it'll be fine, just stay out of trouble'. And then when I asked about stuff here people either said 'you have to do trials to get better' or 'I'm okay'... ...I didn't even know people were hungry," she mutters, frowning a bit.

"...'m not lying though." She can't quite tell what Yuuya is feeling, being at '10%' and all, but she doesn't want it to sit again. It felt bad enough, sickening enough, last time.

And she doesn't think a convenient explosion will wake them in the middle of the night this time.

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