⇨ 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

Lambert

[whattaprick]

Late 110-Early 111

[whattaprick]

Perhaps surprisingly, Lambert shows up on the farm late in the afternoon of Day 110, looking tired but otherwise alert. Whatever has been done to him isn’t immediately obvious, but he’s moving stiffly and — from his expression— evidently with some degree of pain. Where his bodysuit molded around the thick muscle of his tail, it seems much thinner now, and oddly ridged and segmented, though it still seems to move independently.

Notably, he isn’t taking part in farmwork. Instead, he can be found doing small menial tasks around the farm, like using a power spray to hose down farm equipment or organizing scattered tools. He won’t be actively avoiding people, though his demeanor is subdued, and his voice has an air of forced cheer as he speaks up to whoever he might have ended up close to.

“Friendly advice: I can’t really recommend working in Theta, so you’d better not be joining me.”

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya's relief at seeing Lambert again lasts .3 seconds before he notices a change in his tail and familiarly stiff movements. By this point Syr has a more cooperative arm, but then there's still all the blue around his face, his eyes and hair, and they both know what that look resembles.

"Lambert," he starts slowly. "What happened?"

[whattaprick]

“I should be asking you that question,” Lambert answers, frowning as he looks Syrlya over. “Did they just ... plant you with pieces of Steven?”

[chronosynthesis]

"They transferred the seeds that the Rose Queen planted in Steven to me." Except his arm instead of his heart, which might account for it not completely disabling his body at least.

He looks at Lambert pointedly. His turn to explain.

[whattaprick]

"So you're their new gardening project. Sounds fun."

And by that Lambert means literally the opposite of fun. Speaking of unfun things... he moves to touch his neck reflexively, then winces.

"Took the wrong trial," is the short explanation he has to offer, before he shakes his head. "Don't worry about me. I--" And even if it wouldn't avail him if a tech were to come up to them right now, he still looks over his shoulder. He obviously has something to say.

LATE 110

[soft_focus]

Know who's been panicking, quietly? This kid. It's to the point where she lashed out just a bit at Yuuya over it- and while she might have Mostly smoothed that over later, the consequences remain.

It doesn't take words to get any reaction from Reira however- no, as soon as she sees him she runs over full tilt to latch her arms around for a hug.

"Y...You're not gone..!"

She's not yet caught the difference in tail.

Or quite cottoned on to the internal emotions going on, for that matter.

[whattaprick]

On an ordinary day, a seven-year-old tackling him wouldn’t make much of an impression. Then again, on an ordinary day, Lambert wouldn’t have had his entire spine replaced, and the seven year old wouldn’t have giant wing hands. He tries to turn to her as soon as he hears the patter of feet on dirt, but he’s sluggish. Reira throws her arms around him, and one wraps around the small of his back, right where it meets his tail.

Lambert doesn’t scream or do anything particularly dramatic beside go pale as a sheet, teeth immediately clamping together as his body goes completely rigid. It feels like someone leaned in and smacked a nerve, only the sensation travels right along up and down his back, and it’ll be a long moment before he can catch his breath to gasp out words.

“Nope,” he says, strained. “I’m right... here.”

[soft_focus]

Reira Noticed That

"Ah-" While it's not an immediate response, Reira is fortunately quick to move back as soon as she hears the strain in the other's voice. There's a very faint, whispering sort of sensation coming through her alongside it that speaks of pain and tiredness, and she awkwardly pulls her arms back with a gulp. "...Um.."

Yes, well. "...You disappeared while I was gone at my trial, and then you didn't appear yesterday, or this morning, so..."

She slowly looks to the tail. "...Did something..."

This is, rather frankly, the first real change other than Yuuya's 'freckles' that she's seen.

It's decidedly less pleasant.

[periphrasing]

You know what? So many of her friends are getting continuously fucked up by this place, Peridot might be growing numb to it. At Lambert's comment, she just lets out a brief but pained sounding groan, like she can't even get up the energy to be scared anymore.

"I think I might be drifting in that direction," she admits. Her productivity scores haven't really been the same since the incident with Steven. "Why? What did they do to you?"

[whattaprick]

"Your room's right off the medical bay and they can experiment on you whenever they want," Lambert answers, succinctly. He won't spend a lot of time pitying himself, but he won't mince words about it either, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to indicate his back.

"They took out my spine and replaced it with something else, think I heard them planning to do more tomorrow. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll give me lasers to carve my way out of here."

[periphrasing]

Just kidding. Turns out she totally still has it in her to be scared! The color drains from her face, and she boggles in horror. She's not even specifically upset about the spine thing? She's a boneless alien who doesn't really have the disgust for such a violation hardwired into her. No, it's the idea of the Technicians having unfettered access for experiments that has her going white as a sheet. She's been so terrified of volunteering for trials, she hadn't even considered for a second that getting dropped to Theta could open her up to the very thing she has been trying to avoid.

"O-oh," is all she manages to stammer in response to that. Can gems faint? We might be about to find out.

[atouts]

"Theta?"

Childermass saw that on the board but, honestly, the different numbers and corresponding titles meant very little to him. It's not as though the technicians bothered to give him an overview after the bout of memory loss. That confused query alongside how he didn't even seem to realize who he stepped close to... probably doesn't bode well for Lambert.

"I take it that's bad." Now that's a very familiar face. A name escapes but he knows he's important, which is why he lingers longer after replying, staring, brow furrowing as he puzzles it over. "You're... Aren't you the Nightrider?"

There. That sticks out.

[whattaprick]

Here's the person Lambert is absolutely dreading to see, given everything, but he's not about to avoid Childermass. He'd been bracing himself for anger and unhappiness, so when he's met with confusion? That takes some of the wind out of his sails and he gawks at the magician for a moment, speechless.

No, he can't be--

"What did they do to you?" he blurts, reaching out to try and grab Childermass by the shoulders, going pale.

[atouts]

Childermass gives a start at being outright grabbed like that, though he's hardly quick enough to avoid it. Confusion gives way to surprise, if only for a few seconds, and then his face settles back into a much more familiar tiredness. He's been trying to figure out that answer himself.

"They don't know, either," he answers, reaching up to grab Lambert's wrist but not moving his hand. He just doesn't feel inclined to for some reason. "They said something damaged my soul... I'm not sure what that all means, only that I woke up with my memory out of sorts."

[hippocarnival]

"Lambert!" Yuya, when he sees Lambert early on 111, basically makes a beeline straight for him--equal parts worried and relieved. He stumbles just a little, exhaustion clear on his face, but somehow he's pushing his body past the pain.

He skids to a stop, looking him over. "You're back! Are you okay?!"

[whattaprick]

"Better than you," Lambert answers, automatically, which is obviously a total fucking lie because his tail's about as or thinner than Yuya's now, and he's holding himself rigid as a board. He doesn't reach over to steady the boy, just kind of looking him over.

"You aren't skipping out on anymore farm work, are you?"

[hippocarnival]

Yuya flinches a little, looking Lambert over. Yeah, He's not sure he believes Lambert's better off when he sees the state of his tail.

"I'm doing what I can." Which isn't much because he barely has the energy for it. But he no longer has contacting ignatius to keep him busy, and nobody else to give work to. "What'd they do?"

early 111

[anti_nonsense]

Rita tenses slightly as Lambert speaks to her, but there's no change in her expression. Of course, it's easy to keep up a neutral face when your eyes are completely concealed behind a visor.

"That's about the last thing you should be worrying about," she answers after a pause, seemingly trying not to look like she's paying that much attention to him.

[whattaprick]

"The higher you are, the harder you fall," Lambert answers, shrugging. It's half sass and half a genuine warning; it's a good thing seeing Rita again -- knowing she isn't out of reach anymore than he is -- but that doesn't mean that couldn't change at a moment's notice.

Based on his interactions with his own technicians, though, he's pretty sure she isn't supposed to be talking to him, so he'll go back to what he's working on, which at the moment is ... using water to hose down the receptacles they're supposed to be putting harvested food in.

His glance over lingers on the red glow from her chest, but he says nothing out loud, just raises a brow and carries on.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita doesn't respond for now. She opts instead to observe Lambert as he works, and through her visor's interface, pulls up what records she can find on him. Spine replacement...? There's a brief change in her expression, a disturbed look that lasts only a second before she resumes her neutral expression.

Well... that gives her an excuse to loiter here, anyway. If he endured a recent operation, he's one of the subjects she ought to be keeping a close eye on.

But there has to be a way to talk to him, rather than just standing here... Rita looks over the tools they have available. The hose he's using, the receptacles he's cleaning... Maybe she can use her technique on one of those. Idly, she walks around, then stops for a while with her fingertips rested over the edge of a crate. She peers inside, as if to check and see how thoroughly it was cleaned, but before she lets go, she focuses on enchanting it.

There's much she needs to say, but there's only so much she can put in one object, and she'll try to cover some of the important stuff: how she'd like to talk, but she's forbidden to chat with others while on duty, and she suspects they'll be able to find out if she breaks that rule. She'll include mention of the visor she's equipped with, and how it provides her with a map of the entire facility. She'll tell him she made contact with Ignatius like they discussed, through some kind of weird soul connection... but after an incident two nights ago, she hasn't been able to reach him since. Finally, she'll mention that her enchantment can now go two ways, with others being able to add to the information imbued in an object. She'll try to keep this object 'writeable' while she's nearby, so Lambert can utilize it too.

At least, that's what he'll learn if he touches the thing. She continues circling the area idly, watching him work and continuing to say nothing, but silently hoping he'll notice where her hands lingered for those few seconds.

NIGHT 112

[starseedling]

The Mark actually ended up explaining a whole ton of things, that Amethyst's careful words and Gongenzaka's projections hadn't quite for across. It helps that Steven is naturally inclined towards the dreaming world. As tempting as it is to keep this comfort close, Steven knows that he shouldn't hold the Mark for himself. There are people that need that support more - importantly, people who didn't end up making a contract with Ignatius, and thus have received nothing in return.

Childermass had been kind enough to convince him to sign on at the time, and so he feels like he needs to pay it forward - and no one better than Lambert. Steven trusts Lambert's ability to get things done, and he knows that Childermass would appreciate him doing whatever he could to aid him. Also, Lambert can use whatever help he can get to escape the increasingly grim looking world of Theta.

With the bit of magic he's regained, Steven goes hunting for dreams. He's getting more and more practiced at seeking people out this way, which means that the reduction in power is something he can hope with. He'd had enough conversation with their archer friend that he knows what he needs to do, now.

He seeks out Lambert's dreams, inwardly preparing himself for whatever he might face.

[whattaprick]

Dreams tend to be uneasy things, in Polaris. If it isn't punishment-fueled nightmares for those who've underperformed, just seeing what happens to those who come back from trials might be enough to give anyone restless sleep.

This one, though, is a product of heavy sedation not being quite enough to ward off the memory of pain that feels all too familiar.

Steven will find himself in a cave -- cramped, lit with guttering torches, and foul-smelling -- with empty cots stained dark with what one can only hope is water or mold. But those are just details. What's more likely to arrest Steven's attention is the boy who looks around the same age he does, wrists binding him to a metal frame and a wooden gag in his mouth to keep him from biting his tongue -- whose legs appear to be shoved directly into the blazing fire at the center of the room.

In case it wasn't obvious, this isn't a good dream.

[starseedling]

Steven's initial reaction is, oh, gross, don't like that at all. Yet, when he actually sees what the dream is centered around, he can't help but lose any semblance of that cool. Instead, he lets out a quiet shriek dismay and launches right over there on wing.

"Auh- no, no no no-"

He tries to remember through his panic, that this is a dream and he can usually change things. He spreads his wings and gives them one powerful flap, trying to smother the flames with a blast of wind.

[whattaprick]

Steven is at least lucky in one fortunate aspect -- although Lambert remembers the sensation of feeling like he's been set on fire, there's no sense-memory of the damage that a real fire would have wrought to go with it. As the flames get extinguished, the fragile thread of the nightmare having little ability to withstand the will of a lucid mind shaping it, it reveals something odd -- from the hip down, the boy's entire lower body seems to have been shaped into smooth metal approximating the form of two legs, shimmering like liquid mercury.

The boy opens his eyes, staring at Steven vaguely, brow furrowed with confusion, and summons enough strength to tug weakly at his bond, lips working around the wooden rod still jammed between them.