MISSION: GRAB THE EYEBALLTAUR

[initiates]

Date & Time: March 7th, 1994
Location: The MICA campus: Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Characters: Everyone
Summary: All transports are shipped back to 1994 to steal art from art students. Also, some of them arrive bodyswapped.

The Initiative has timed the incoming waves of Transports to the MICA campus for Freshmen Orientation, but even so, the flood of newcomers gets a few surprised glances. Looks like MICA's up for a major boom in attendance next year, wow. But do some of those freshman look a little old to you? …And do some of them seem to be freaking out a lot more than usual about being in Baltimore?

The cloaking devices, with holograms visible only to the natives, will be blending everyone in with the native 90s fashion senses, and all non-humans will find themselves getting much more tame curious glances than they might back on Exsilium, as they project a human appearance to natives around them. So at least there's that. Just try not to get arrested, hit by cars, or challenged to any break dance competitions as you grab and run off with bizarre works of art, alright? The weirder it looks, the more likely it probably is to be the power source the Initiative needs for the Transporter.

Oh, yeah, and sorry about the body-swap-around. Just deal with that as best you can, because the mission really must go on. Any harried and worried Initiative employee along on the mission that you might be able to find will just sputter a hasty not-really-explanative explanation and hurry away, trading frantic messages with the headquarters in Exsilium. They'll get this all sorted out by the time you get back, don't worry.

Comments

[ex_velveteened856]

[This day is harrowing, not to mention frustrating, and Ahiru can't help herself from worrying. Still, when she sees someone who very much seems as though he's searching for something, she can't help but be concerned. It doesn't occur to her that it could be somebody Oz knows.]

Looking for something? Maybe I can help!

[flecks]

Oz. [ That's the first thing that springs to mind and out of his mouth at seeing that familiar figure, but the realization comes a second later. No, this must be the girl who had switched bodies with Oz. He quickly covers his previous surprise with an apologetic look. ]

I was just looking for the library.

[ex_velveteened856]

[She shakes her head, her own expression shifting to an apology as well before she speaks.]

No, I'm sorry, I should have said. My name's Ahiru, are you friends with him?

Well, I could probably help!

[flecks]

We're from the same world. [ He smiles politely and he's intentionally not saying yes to that question. Oz might be intent on being his friend, but the sentiment wasn't exactly returned. ]

Ah, do you know where it is? [ And oh right, manners. ] I'm Leo.

[ex_velveteened856]

[That flies over her head, and she grins.]

It's nice having familiar people here with you, right? You must be glad.

[And then she lowers her head slightly, looking towards the ground sheepishly.]

Well, I don't know where it is, but... Maybe two people could find it easier than one!

[flecks]

[ Was he? Would it have been easier if there was no one he knew or would it have been harder? He's not actually sure. What he is glad for is Elliot despite everything, including his guilt. Elliot was alive and breathing here. That was enough for Leo.

So, he nods. ] Yes, I am.

And that's true, it's quite a big campus.

[ex_velveteened856]

It might look less suspicious if it was two people wandering around together instead of just one, too!

[And she still believes teamwork is always more valuable that singularity.]

Which way do you want to go to start out?

[flecks]

I suppose so, splitting up would cover more ground though.

[ Not to mention his reluctance to be around people right now, but he's being polite. He's also feeling silly because he was in the library before and he shouldn't have left, the campus is big enough to stupidly get lost on.

But okay, he'll pick a direction that's vaguely familiar to him, nodding his head in that direction to indicate it. ]