multiversallogs | The City at Large & Mission Alpha

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The City at Large & Mission Alpha

Who: OPEN to all residents.
What: The ant-situation is changing!
Where: Throughout the city.
When: NOW. This thread will likely cover a few days.
Warnings: To be updated.

Dear Mission Alpha,

It is your undeniable privilege to bring back as many of the so-called 'crow pearls' as possible to the Temple. Any temple. No one important cares how you do it, just get it done. Try to be substantial about it, let's say more than 50, hmm? The actual task here is to deprive our deranged ant-friends of as many pearls as possible, but no one is going to be rewarded for stories like 'oh we absolutely threw two tons of pearls down the whirlpool, we swear on our broodmother's grave', okay? Okay. Peachy. Bring me the pearls, chop chop.

Your totally sweet gods have decided to lend you some ...boons I guess, however that goes, to aid you in your quest. Useful objects. For you, my gifted pilferers and negotiators:

A Skeleton Key - it will open any unwarded lock. It will not open warded locks. That means magical locks. No magical locks will be opened with this key. Unless the magic is broken first. Good luck with that.

Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card - I realize no one has bothered to build proper jail cells in Our City yet so it's more of a Fend-off-The-Local-Authorities-Free Card but that's not as catchy. Think of it as An Official Voucher From the Gods that says you're on Official Twelve Point Business and can't be arrested right now. Keep it for the Sheriffs as it might not have the desired effect the Militia.

Privacy Ward or App For Your CiD - Well you don't want to get caught leaking signals and communication everywhere, do you.

It is a week and some change after the ants first noticeably began their labour and it seems they have finished rebuilding their houses. It's hard to see exactly what is going on from the ground, but the brave few who have ventured into and up the hives or climbed neighbouring buildings get a good enough view. The rooftops are now crowned with organic spires, much like malformed and undernourished termite nests reaching for the heavens. They are not the best constructs, some of them have broken off or imploded, but the majority of the spires stand.

Then one morning, individual ants are seen climbing to the very top of their towers. They then sit still, mandibles locked and antennae arched. It's hours before any change becomes noticeable, and by then it's too late. The ants have sprouted strange fleshy fungal tentacles, all filled to the bursting with spores.

Soon there after, reports come in from all across the city about people acting out of character; some have become catatonic or violent after brief a period of sickness. Individuals have been seen entering the ant-occupied buildings to help defend the ants against intruders, others have attempted to climb high points in the city or thrown themselves in the rivers.

Once again the City is under siege, but this time the enemy is invisible.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

One bag of pearls dropped off. Gabriel is on his way out to see if he can gather more when the sound of a pen dragging over paper catches his attention. The sound is coming from a man seated with his back to a corner--it's a good tactical position, no one can sneak up on him, Gabriel has used it himself in the past--

He shakes his head. He's not thinking about that past anymore. He's not that man anymore.

But someone working furiously is a remarkable change from everything else going on in here. Gabriel's idle curiosity makes him drift closer. He stands there a moment until he realizes the other man is so engrossed in what he's doing he doesn't realize Gabriel is standing there.

He clears his throat. "Hi. What are you working on?"

Eddie picked the corner without a second thought, for that reason, regardless of necessity. He wanted to focus on the page, not on his surroundings. When Gabriel walks up, he doesn't seem to notice, but keeps on writing, until the other man speaks.

He doesn't startle, but looks up and is quiet for a moment, switching gears. That's when he smiles. "Hi," he says, with a sort of tired but still not forced cheerfulness. "We need to improve the outer perimeter if people are going to be able to get to the temple. Yeah?" He holds up several pages of neat little graph paper diagrams, in pen.

Considering the best materials available to him right now are pen and paper, there is a good amount of wishful thinking in here, as far as feasibility goes, but those ideas are marked by speech bubbles connected to stick-figure cartoon ants saying stuff like "NOT GONNA WORK! DRAT!"

However, there are actually good, useable ideas with available materials, and for some reason, the start of what looks like a word search, or some such thing.

"Yeah."

Gabriel leans in, intrigued at once. Diagrams. Drawings. Plans and ideas, clearly laid out, ink on paper. He studies them, his intuitive aptitude kicking in at once, processing.

"These would work." Not the ones Eddie's already marked with his commentary--an astuteness that impresses Gabriel. "Seriously." He straightens up. "Have you showed them to anyone who could help?"

Eddie watches him go over the notes, not nervous that they won't be of interest, just wanting to see approval. Understanding the diagrams is pretty good, too. "Aw, shucks."

He glances around the area, then cants his head. "I'm sure I can gather up a few pairs of hands, once I have everything ready. I'm not looking forward to going out there, granted, but... hm. Any news from the outside?"

Gabriel shrugs. "It's... all right. As long as you stay away from the hives and out of the way of the ants and the people who are... doing whatever they're doing. Helping the ants, jumping in the river..."

That had been mildly disturbing. He was glad he wasn't touched by whatever had gotten to those people. He figured it was his healing ability protecting him, and he was grateful for it even if the conditions under which he'd gotten it now gave him pangs of guilt.

"I was one of the ones given an assignment. I've been out collecting pearls to bring back here for the cure."

"Yeah," Eddie says, cringing, fingers curling in show, but his reaction is not entirely for dramatic effect. Playing it up should be good enough to mask how much this bothers him, yes? "Just need to avoid all that. I was poking around in one of the hives, before the ants went all loopy." He holds a hand behind his head then spreads his fingers. Poof, mushrooms!

"And, after that close call, I've determined I'm of best use here, and I'm not only saying that because I lack any defenses whatsoever from infection." He smirks. "Are you in Cohort Ceidary Blue 523?"

"The ants are still 'loopy'." He smiles, a faint turn of his lips to mask how unnerving it all was, being in their hives, taking pearls. "The people are getting that way. But I was asked to help; I can't say no."

He's a hero now, you see, and they never say no.

"And yes, I am. I'm Gabriel Gray."

"If no one is out there working on the cure, yeah, we're all screwed." He slumps back into his corner and sighs, then gathers up all his notes, so he can feel proud of his work some more.

"Edward Nigma. Please excuse the lack of formality. My office is in such shambles, haha." He carefully sets down the notes. "So. Is there anything I might be able to cobble together that would help you on your heroic mission?"

"Hello, Edward." His mouth twitches slightly--amusement, not quite a smile--at the office comment.

But the question about helping his quest... that he takes more seriously. He cants his head, thinking. "I'm not sure. I've been tasked with retrieving these pearls. They need them for the cure. They're all over the city. I've had to break into some places. I've even had to go into a few of the ants' nests for them."

Eddie wiggles his fingers, hi.

"Okay, and what sort of places are you breaking into? What's easy to break into, for you, versus what gives you problems? Do you know how to pick a lock?" He doesn't exactly become serious, but is eager to help, and is focused, at least.

Gabriel takes a moment to consider those questions. "All kinds of places," he offers. "I can pick a lock if I have time to get a good look at it and work with it. Simple locks are easy. Deadbolts give me a hard time."

A thoughtful pause. "Figuring out where to look when I'm inside is a problem too. Tiny objects to find in rooms or buildings I'm not familiar with."

Eddie isn't on any of the teams, and he doesn't know about the Skeleton Keys, but that's okay, because now he's been given an excuse to get started. He flips to a new page in his notebook, and starts anew.

"Well. Great. Let me see what you're using, thus far. Aaaaand, yes, that's not exactly a common occupational skill. It's a shame I'm staying here." Scribble scribble scribble. "So, you've had better luck going after the ants for these things, then? Do you have anything with you to repel them?"

There's a moment's paused silence, and then Gabriel reaches around to pull something out of the back of his jeans. It's a small fabric roll, which he unfurls to reveal a set of watchmaker's tools. They're implements meant to work in tiny spaces with tiny things; with time to play with a lock he can figure out how to prod it into opening, in a lot of cases.

"I've used these on doors. As far as the ants, no--nothing to repel them. I just try to slip by them and hope for the best."

Eddie tilts his head as he examines the tools. He looks vaguely concerned for the well-being of such equipment, and taps his notebook a few times with a pen. "No wonder you're having trouble with deadbolts. That's easy to fix, though. I can put some stuff together for you. Moving on... vinegar screws up the scent trails of normal ants; they won't cross it. As for these guys, that would be up for some further experimentation. I wonder if we can get some Borax. Haha, that would probably make them a little angry."

"...Thank you."

It's still taking some getting used to, this idea of people wanting to help him rather than fear him or try to stop him.

"I could take some vinegar with me. The worst that happens is it doesn't work and then I can stop."

"Of course," Eddie says, casually, and gathers up his notes. He stands, a little awkwardly - sitting on the floor to work sucks - and is ready to head off to gather supplies!

"So! What sort of place are you from? Magic? Weird science? Boring, mundane reality?" He's chatty...

"The last," Gabriel says, falling into step beside Eddie. Actually it's more like comic book mutants but he can't really say that without giving himself away. He doesn't want the attention.

"What about you?"

Eddie pauses for a second. If Gabriel is also an ordinary human being, and heading out there on his mission, this is now a threat to Eddie's reasons for being justified in staying here. Saving face becomes a priority. "... Then why are you going out there? You don't seem stupid." This is the only serious expression he's managed in the whole conversation. It... could possibly be mistaken for concern.

Then he shrugs. "I'm from what I've gathered is a pretty boring universe. We had to make do with our own strangeness."

There's a wry twist of his lips. "I have to," he says, glancing over at Eddie. It's clear he doesn't take offense at the question, and is possibly grateful for the possible concern. "I just... do."

There's a longer explanation about redemption and penitence, about trying to tip the scales back after years of being a bad man, but these are not conversations Gabriel tends to have with other people. They're things that are inside him, ideals that guide him now.

"Funny. I guess I could say the same about my universe too. Oh, well."

"No, you don't." His frown deepens, but he lets it drop, after a pause, and some difficulty. His smirk is a bit forced, but after faking it for a moment, it looks real again.

"I lived in a city overrun with organized crime, undergoing this fascinating shift in its structure due to a guy with a ton of money, skills and free time deciding to be a vigilante. And that is pretty weird, but not hey, there are real vampires weird. Hmm?"

"That sounds interesting. And weird, yes." He shrugs. "My world... there were rumors of people with powers, like comic book superheroes. No one could prove it, though. And that still doesn't beat real vampires."

"It gets better. This other guy dresses up like a clown and pretty much holds the whole city hostage and messes up the underworld even more, just to screw with the first guy." He's cheerful again. This stuff is awesome! He has momentarily stopped walking toward wherever he was leading Gabriel.

"Then the clown guy seriously messes up the district attorney, and he goes nuts and starts flipping a coin to decide whether he should shoot people or not. This is all going on while no one actually has any super powers. They're ordinary people, pulling this off, right? Except for the fear gas, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that spraying people in the face with drugs counts as a power... So, do you mean rumors like "Uri Geller can bend spoons with his mind!" rumors, or what?"

"...Seriously?" Gabriel makes an incredulous face. "That's messed up. I thought my city was messed up but... no."

He shrugs. "They say people with the right genetic mutation can have just about any power. Flying. Time bending. Teleporting. Mind reading. Some doctor wrote a book about it. But it's all rumors, no one's come out and said they're one of these special people. There were rumors for a while, too, that they were being hunted by the government and other groups."

He pauses a moment. Puts on his best I don't even know face. "Guess I'll believe it when I see it."

"Seriously, and if I'd been permitted to stay only a little longer, I would have done spectacular things with the whole scenario." Long sigh. He gestures to encompass the room, his makeshift work spot, and all the craziness beyond these walls. "This is what I have to work with, now."

He begins to walk again, pausing after a few steps to make sure Gabriel will follow him. "I would expect any universe where that sort of thing doesn't exist will still get the same sort of claims. Mine certainly did. I'd also want proof."

"Really?" It's not mocking, his question. He seems genuinely interested. And yes, it's terribly disingenuous of him to pretend he's not one of the people he's been talking about, but that's just his way. He swears it's for good reasons these days, but it's still who he is.

"Yeah. People can say they can do anything. I'd want to go meet them in person and find out for myself." He does follow, falling into step beside Eddie. "I can understand people wanting to hide it, though. It's hard to be different."

The City at Large & Mission Alpha

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[[oh god, itallics everywhere. Sorry ><]]

[No worries, bb. :D]

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