MISSION: RELEASE THEM BACK INTO THE WILD

[initiates]

Date & Time: April 27th - May 1st
Location: Wollongong, Australia, 2464.
Characters: All voluntary transports + maybe a few drafted ones.
Summary: Make those stay-at-homes leave their nerdcaves! My god, do they even know what sunshine looks like???
Warnings: none planned, will be updated accordingly!

The city is old, dark, and very, very quiet. A good deal of the buildings are crumbling and old, but the ones that are actually inhabited glow like candles in the dusk the Transporter has dropped you into. All of these buildings are infested by wiring pouring in from every angle, ensuring that each inhabitant in his or her little block of a room has every modern convenience available in 2464.

There is no one on the streets, no public transportation, and even cars look scarce. But that doesn't mean there's no movement. Maintenance drones, controlled remotely, run deliveries or work repairs. Armed law enforcement drones patrol on rounds through the city, although their mechanized attention is mostly turned outward. Still, they might come to investigate a ruckus within the city limits. And if the persons causing the ruckus don't respond to peaceful attempts to get them to cease, the drones might attempt to subdue them with paralyzing technology and haul them in for a night in the city jail — another dark, unused place.

If you get hungry, there are entire warehouses dedicated to the production of foods. It can't be that hard to sneak in and collect a meal, right? Or you can hack into the system and order whatever you want, if you're good with that kind of thing. Or you can just scavenge—or fast for four days, maybe—if thieving and hacking aren't your style.

And somewhere around here, in those glowing, secluded towers, behind the legions of automated drones, live the reclusive citizens of Wollongong. The methods are up to you, as long as you can get them to come out and breathe the fresh air somehow.

[[ ooc; Mission details are here! This will run from 27th of April to May 1st, with those on the mission returning to Exsilium at the same time that the new arrivals show up. It's an optional mission, but if you'd like your character to go along that would ICly sit it out, feel free to say that the Initiative drafted them for this one.

There aren't any teams or structured threads to this one, so go wild! ]]

Comments

a

[silenceandcards]

[Kano may be looting around, but Keith is doing what he was told to do, with a knife in hand and cutting as many wires as he can find. He has no idea which one is actually for the internet and which ones aren't, but since he's supposed to cause destruction anyway he might as well cut them all. There have been a lot of blackouts and some fires because you really shouldn't cut wires that have electricity running through them. At least his burnt fingers heal really quickly now.

And this is what he's doing when he comes across Kano's picnic! He recognizes the hoodie but, as usual, doesn't really comment, stepping over the random whatsits that the kid threw around. He'll take a look later to see what Kano's actually doing, but he's spotted the increasingly familiar Place Where They Keep the Wires on a nearby building, and he's prying it open to cut the wire.

And this time, too, it sort of short circuits in his face because he's getting a bit careless. With a strange electric exploding noise, there is suddenly a little bit of smoke and a gangster trying to get the fire out of his hair and shirt collar walking toward Kano. Actually that's quite a bit of fire.]

[duplicitoussight]

[Kano's got his head down, unaware of the gangster nearby as he separates Shiny Thing A from Shiny Thing B when he hears a sizzle and bang, followed by the unpleasant smell of burning hair. Quick as a flash he turns around to see--

Holy shit.

For once Kano doesn't have a snippy retort at the ready. He grabs the closest liquid he has--some water--and tosses it at Keith NOT THAT IT HELPS MUCH.]

H-Hey! Get down, get down!

[silenceandcards]

[The water hits him in the face and seems to calm the fire for just a second but doesn't put it out. Keith looks surprised by that for a second before -- the fire is pretty painful jesus -- he's taking his jacket off and pressing it against his head, doing some vertical stamping out the fire trick. It takes a few seconds, but he'll eventually get it out and use the same jacket to wipe water off his face.]

Just fine. [He says, while missing like a patch of hair and having just had his head on fire.]

[duplicitoussight]

[For a guy who was on fire, Keith is awfully calm. Kano is hiding how freaked out he was but he's undoubtedly unsettled. The guy's brushing off being on fire like it's nothing...!]

Fine? That's an understatement, isn't it?!

[silenceandcards]

[He's quiet, because he's too proud of a gangster to let kids hear when his voice is strained. His hand was lingering gingerly over his burn, but he lowers it after a few seconds when he feels the pain easing.]

... Only takes longest the first time, apparently.

[Immortal abuse was eventually going to happen. Congrats for being one of the first witnesses to the rewinding of time, Kano. Keith points to his head, where the burnt skin is starting to heal itself and hair is starting to grow back. Whatever turned to ash and fell off or stuck to the jacket Keith used is also coming back, bits of ash flying up and pasting itself back in place.]

[duplicitoussight]

[He's seen some weird things in his life. Medusae and virtual girls, red eyes and other things. But his level of weird isn't up to Exsilium's, or to the level that of some of the Transports. It's thanks to his eyes that he can hide most of his surprise. But he still can't help staring.

Enthusiasm is always a good disguise.]

... uwah! You didn't tell me you had powers too, Keith!

[silenceandcards]

[Enthusiasm is a good disguise. Or you can jump to the conclusion that rather than being immortal, you're just being constantly reborn and every day is your birthday. But Kano is not a pair of enthusiastic thieves.

Keith puts a hand against his head once all the burns fade, just to check. There's no pain so he figures it's all good now, though his shirt is still burnt and kind of smoldering. He makes sure those aren't burning anymore, too.]

I heal quickly's all. Nothing else. [translation: I'm immortal. nbd.]

[duplicitoussight]

[Now that the initial shock and danger has passed, curiosity takes over. He comes closer, looking over at Keith. Aside from his clothes, he seems to be in great shape. Like he'd never caught on fire in the first place.] You're fine, just like that? Nothing hurts?

[silenceandcards]

Just fine.

[He will let Kano look. He's sure that if he didn't realize his body's state at first by recovering from being shot, he would've stared, too.]

... Alchemy, remember?

[duplicitoussight]

... wait, wait you're one of the immortals you were talking about?

[That would have been nice to know, Keith!!] Ah, I thought you said alchemy wasn't an interest of yours!

[silenceandcards]

... It was an accident.

[You should explain that, Keith. Don't be a Jade. But it was an accident.]

[duplicitoussight]

[Okay. That was a funny answer. Kano's going to snicker to himself at that.] An accident? That sounds like a joke! Were you mixing a drink or something?

[silenceandcards]

The elixir was served at an Initiation. Nobody realized it, then we got shot and didn't stay dead.

[duplicitoussight]

[That was the most straightforward explanation to discovering immortality he's ever heard.]

I see, I see. So now you're how you are right now, an invincible man!

[silenceandcards]

[It is pretty simple compared to "one day I became a 2GB software cybergirl," at least.

He nods, though, to Kano's conclusion. He is invincible, you can say. No one can shoot him dead and you can't slit his throat or even crush him. Although if you diced him up and cemented him, he wouldn't get out of that. That would suck.]

Don't get weird ideas.

[duplicitoussight]

I wouldn't dream of it!

[But...] ... ah, but just a thought. If that's the case, you'd be a great decoy, wouldn't you?

[silenceandcards]

...

You wanna say that again?

[duplicitoussight]

[And like the dumbass he is:]

Sure. A great decoy?

[silenceandcards]

[Keith has some humor at least. Or else he wouldn't be talking so much. But he puts a hand on Kano's shoulder, leans in a little closer, and says quietly that the Australian oceans are apparently really good for swimming. Ever tried swimming in it with a barrel full of cement? He doesn't look or sound like he's joking.]

[duplicitoussight]

[Oh.

His smile becomes a little weaker. Keith's just. Kidding around. Just like he was! The guy wouldn't do that to a kid, mobster or not... right?

Nonetheless, he's going to backtrack. Fast.]

... hey now, it was a joke! I didn't mean it seriously!

[silenceandcards]

[Oh, Kano... Keith steps back and holds a hand up with two fingers extended, pressing the tips to Kano's forehead as if they're the barrel of a gun.]

Choose who you joke with better, Kano. It'll save your neck.

[duplicitoussight]

[This sort of thing feels familiar. His big mouth always has to get him into trouble. He raises his hands in surrender, trying to laugh it off.]

Of course, of course! You're the boss! I wouldn't think of pulling anything like that ever again.

[silenceandcards]

...

[Well, as long as Kano says he understands. Keith nods, satisfied, and moves that hand to pat the top of Kano's head once.]

[duplicitoussight]

[Now that he's avoided being tossed into a barrel...]

So... you must've had a lot of success in getting the shut-ins to come out.

[silenceandcards]

[It seems that Keith has run out of energy to keep talking. His response to Kano is to raise an eyebrow and tilt his head as if to ask what Kano means?]