⇨ 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

[atouts]

The Ringmaster can't die.

[ He's seen her 'die' before. It's just a thing she does.

The rest, though, is a mystery to him and somewhat distressing. He's pretty sure he's heard Mother of Invention mentioned before somewhere, as well, and it has him taking a step back from Reira, attention flitting back to her with fear plain on his face. ]

The Mother of... that's... isn't she from the Winter Court? We're in a Winter faerie's realm?!

[ For now, Reira's own question goes ignored. The very idea of being held by a Winter fae is what immediately arrests all his thoughts. ]

[soft_focus]

Well it's what everyone said, so if she isn't dead then the Huntsman still has her and we have to go save her.

[At any rate she didn't expect that level of...Fear. Even without empathy it's jarring.]

...Maybe..?

...ummm...Mr. Childermass, we should find out what you forgot so that leaving is easier...

[atouts]

[ Fear, unfortunately, takes enough hold that Childermass ends up staring at her like she's done something wrong. It's upsetting, not remembering, and it really isn't some child's fault but... ]

How am I supposed to find out what I've forgotten if I've forgotten it? It's forgotten. I can't know what I've forgotten.

[soft_focus]

Well, it's easy! [For her credit, she's taking this panic Really Well.

Probably because she has to go by facial expressions. And also because she's had pretty much everyone tell her off about how 'wrong' she is the entire time they've been here. She's grown somewhat numb to it all.] What do you remember? The last thing before you got here, today! Whatever comes after that is what you forgot- so we can just ask people about what happened in those times.

[atouts]

Those people... [ He looks off towards where the technicians are. ] They were asking me what happened and now I'm here.

[ Not exactly what she means, though, is it? He takes a deep, shaky breath and turns away, taking a few steps, then turning again, back the other way, pacing as he nervously rubs the knuckles of one hand. ]

There was the bathhouse. I remember that. We freed someone. He was on fire.

[soft_focus]

That's Mr. Ignatius! [Oh good, she can actually help piece things together. Even if he didn't start off answering what she asked, they're sort of getting there.] He's the faerie that we had with us.

...I don't know how it happened, but he got a bit bigger than when we started the vacation, and lost his tail, so I guess that's what 'freeing' meant?

...He tried to save some of us from the Huntsman- so a lot of us made contracts with him, for 'Until the danger passed'.

[...Hm.] ...I'm pretty sure it's not passed, for him and us. [No shit kiddo.]

[atouts]

We gave his heart back... [ As if that answers anything but it doesn't really matter right now, does it? They've all been captured anyway. Childermass purses his lips, face drawn in a worried expression as he looks around the farm again. ] He should have taken the chance to run after all.

[soft_focus]

...That doesn't seem like something he'd want to do, [Reira notes. She didn't exactly know him long, but she at least got to watch him be a mess in two pieces for a bit before both halves went back together.] ...It feels like if he says he would do something, he'd want to make sure it happens, no matter what.

[Which might not help, mind. But hey.

Reira follows Childermass' eyes around the farm, frowning up to him.] ...We'll help him too, when we escape, right? ...If he really is here with us, somewhere.

[atouts]

That doesn't change that it'd be the sensible thing to do, [ Childermass mutters that. His memory may be shot but it's increasingly easy to see no one would want to be trapped in this place. ] And how should I know if we will? I can't even recall how much danger we're in.

[ A lot? He's guessing a lot. ]

Or if he's here or if we can even help ourselves. [ But that's putting the cart ahead of the horse. He needs more information and if he has to get it from a literal child, fine. He looks back down at Reira. ] What's the board for? With all the numbers?

[soft_focus]

...I guess that's true. [On all accounts! ...She decides not to confirm 'a lot', while they're at it.

But hey.] We're measured on 'Productivity' here, [Reira explains.] People who do well, go 'up', and become Technicians. People who don't...

[She puffs her cheeks- biting her lips with the teeth she has now just ends in a bloody mess- and looks to the side.] ...I think they go somewhere else, but it's definitely not here, and that's not good.

[For anyone, really.]

Depending on how much you work, you get points- but people in 'Eta' level have to get more points than the other two groups above them, to do okay. And getting points is really hard, so a lot of people have to take 'trials' with the Technicians to get them...

[She coughs.] It goes...Eta, and then Zeta, and then Epsilon. ...If you're in Epsilon, you can get picked to go to 'Delta' with the Technicians.

...That's what they said, anyway... ...They change the board every four days though- if you're doing really good, you get 'Outstanding'. If you're just 'okay' then it's Satisfactory... ...and if you're not doing good at all, it's 'Below Expectations'. ...I think those people are punished, but I don't know how...

[The gist though is that it's a progress board, and that Childermass is in a kinda shitty position. No one really explained that Below Expectations was making them hungry though.]

[atouts]

And I'm in Eta.

[ Childermass says that grimly, knowing that much. He'd looked at the board before, if only because he was trying to figure this out. He feels the terror from realizing they were trapped by a Winter faerie crawling back up his throat, something about trials not sitting right. It makes his back hurt, his feathers itch, just wondering.

He should ask. He won't. He doesn't want to know, is the instinctive kneejerk reaction, and rather than asking he takes a deep, shaky breath and lets it back out. ]

I wish I knew what I did to even end up that low... So I have to work, more than the rest. I should be able to manage that.

[soft_focus]

Mnhhh...I think you started in that spot so.... [She has to think! But probably-] ...Lambert was in that group too, so maybe they didn't like how you answered all the questions when we got here.

[It's her best guess, because Lambert seems like the kind of guy who would do that. ...Then again, Syrlya was also in that group, and he definitely isn't that kind of person. ...Nor is Childermass???

Whatever, she'll hurt her head trying to guess. As it is.] ...I don't think just working will be okay in Eta, [She admits, quietly.]

...People bigger than me worked as hard as they could, and still got 'Below Expectations' after... ['Bigger than Reira' is pretty much everyone, but her point is more that Big Strong Adults were definitely not doing well.] ...but...maybe since some people went to Delta, you'll be able to do it with just work now.

[atouts]

I'll just have to figure something out, then, if that's the case... [ He doesn't like the sound of it but what else can he do? ] Though I'm not sure what you mean by 'went to Delta'. Is it another rank?

[soft_focus]

Mnh. The one above Epsilon. ...They said if you work hard enough and pass 'suitability tests', you can reach it. [Or so they said. She does frown however.] ...I don't know what the tests are, and I didn't see anyone else in Epsilon doing any special tests- just some of the trials that everyone does.

...But whatever Delta is, I think it's like being a Technician. [It's the gist she got, anyway, and the fact that they're not on the farm at all yet certainly helps. They'll find out later in the end.]

[atouts]

So they move up to serve a Winter faerie directly... [ Childermass doesn't sound happy about that, but he hasn't sounded happy about anything thus far, so no surprise there. He raises a hand up to rub his face, looking around again as if anything could have possibly changed since the last time. ] That's it, then. It's over.

[soft_focus]

[Um.

What. Reira blinks, and then blinks again-] ...Over? [She asks, before frowning.] ...What do you mean?

[atouts]

The Winter Court is full of nothing but monsters. Even when we do try to get away... [ And there will be a when. He'll go along. He'll try. It doesn't mean he has much hope in it, though. ] The best we should hope for is a true death, one we can't be brought back from.

[ Not the best thing to tell small children but it's probably crueler to lie at this point. ]

[soft_focus]

[Fortunately she's made of stronger stuff than to curl up and cry over That.

That or she's just grown too optimistic and familiar with the patterns of the Carnival as of late.]

...If you think of it like that, I guess that's true.

You can't get away if you don't think you ever will- you have to actually hope, and try.

[She blinks, and stares for a moment before continuing.] ...Everyone here has done impossible things before- I don't think it's fair, to say we can't do that again.

So we can definitely run away from the 'monsters' here.

[atouts]

[ Childermass can only shake his head and turn to go, saying as he does, ]

We've done impossible things before because we had our impossible ally. She's not here. We've run out of all our luck.

[ But if whatever slim chance of survival depends on points and work, well, he's moving on to start in a new spot, well away from the rest of the carnival people. Fewer people to speak to, fewer people to struggle with names over. ]

[soft_focus]

[Oof. She really has to wrinkle her nose at that.] ...Really..?

...it always felt like everyone else did stuff first... [It's all about your perspective at the end of the day, and having no details on any given scenario apparently left this effect.]

...I guess she always stopped the strongest one there, but that was so we could fix things after right? We wouldn't need that to run, right?

[Well, they probably would, realistically.]