exsiliumlogs | Other Worlds: V 2.0

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Other Worlds: V 2.0

Date & Time: May 21st, beginning at 0900.
Location: The Initiative Hold and all throughout Elmer's world
Characters: Anyone participating in the fighting, anyone staying behind.
Summary: Elmer's world is fought for and lost.
Warnings: Violence, death.

They reopen the portal at 0900, May 21st. The first scientist who stepped through was killed within thirty seconds; the rest who followed made it back through to Exsilium, albeit not unscathed. The portal was shut again by a panicked operator, although a second operator knew to keep the coordinates locked.

Within ten minutes, the alert had been sent out. There's no time to wait for the Transports to gather en masse; as soon as they have a sizable enough force to stand a chance at fighting through and clearing their gateway's location, the door is opened again.

Immediately inside the door is a desolate, grim scene. What had previously been the coast of Japan is now scorched earth, blasted sand, and little else. As the first point of contact for this world, it has undoubtedly suffered the worst. Here, the UE didn't stop at governments, financial centers, and capitols — the UE destroyed everything in sight. There are enough UE soldiers remaining in the broken country to give the Transports a difficult battle, although by now the bulk of their forces have moved on.

The Initiative will soon realize the necessity of opening more gateways, just as the UE had done. Transports will be deployed to London, Berlin, Paris, DC Washington, Moscow, Beijing, New York City, Hong Kong, Madrid. Through each of these windows, the destruction is staggering. Buildings are more husks than structures, everything that can burn is alight, and the death toll is off the charts. Blackened bodies seem to line every street, while pieces litter the ground among the rubble. There's no doubt that the UE has no need of the people of this world. They're after resources only, and anything and anyone already here is to be removed.

You can find UE soldiers everywhere. They move in coordinated squadrons of 20, and each of them carries a small arsenal. Even without their incredibly advanced and destructive weaponry, they're fearfully formidable. Each soldier, while still only human, is a genetically perfect clone, further enhanced by technological implants. They're all highly trained in physical combat. Even if you can disarm one of them, don't count on close-range attacks being any easier to handle. They've brought along cannons, small flying craft, and lightweight tanks. Each of these is the top of the line in terms of technology, geared toward destroying as much as it can, as quickly as it can. The United Earth is here to destroy, and they won't stop to wonder why their targets go from being civilians and scrambling, off-guard, comparatively primitive militaries, to trained and powered Transports.

For anyone staying at home, they'll find that any Initiative presence has withdrawn fully to the Hold. All Initiative employees are needed, and most of them in the med bays. The majority of the Initiative focus is on recalling and resurrecting fallen Transports, but attention is still needed for the living-but-wounded. Any Transports who stay in Exsilium and offer their help will have it immediately accepted; they'll be put to work in the medical wings, runnings supplies, or simply set at a machine and told to keep an eye on the numbers: Transport vitals, UE movements, and maps upon maps of changing statistics and colors.

At 1500, the Initiative will recall all Transport soldiers back to Exsilium and seal shut the gateway. The UE numbers are too great, their soldiers too powerful, and Elmer's world is lost.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Max gets there just before ten, having had to come from further away from the Housing building, but at least she remembers to shift into Alice before getting close to the Hold.

This feels ridiculous, because she should be where the fight is, helping people, in case she can make a difference, but information is more important than one more person in a fight.]

Any news?

[There are probably rules about smoking in the Hold, but she's lighting a cigarette even as she crosses the room to help herself to some of the coffee Saul made.]

[She catches him staring into his own cup — the unicorn mug Collette made for him — like he's trying to see the future through the water he's filled it with. When he looks up, he scowls. Normally, he'd tell her not to smoke, but he can forgive it in these circumstances.

Anyway, the scowl isn't at that.]

Are you kidding? Of course not.

[A pause, then:] Sue left.

[The nicotine is a relief, taking the edge off her nerves.]

Can't blame 'em, really.

[Not when everything's apparently going to hell in a hand basket. She's had crises before, and there's rarely time to disseminate information while trying to cover your ass.

Not that she's ever been as unorganized as the Initiative, but the point stands.]

Good. Hopefully she can make a difference.

[Sue's powers, from what Max knows, seem well suited to battle.]

[He wants so badly to argue, to bring up the fact that Sue very well may die out there, and yes, he knows she'll just come back like they all do, but that's not the point. It's so easy to brush death off as no big deal when you're promised a restart — he's just as guilty as almost everyone he's spoken to in terms of shrugging and rolling his eyes and dismissing the topic completely. You come back. You're fine. It's fine.

But now that it's staring him in the face, it's not really fine.

But he also knows that Sue can handle herself. She'll be useful. She might save some people — hell, she will, if Saul's gut instinct is anything to go on. And it usually is.

Still, though.]

Yeah. What about you? Staying or going?

I'm not much use out there.

[Which isn't entirely true, there's something to be said for claws and teeth and spikes growing from bone, but if she takes a step back and thinks about it, if the United Earth is launching an invasion on a world, there probably isn't much of a dent she can make in that.

The technology is so advanced to what she's used to, who knows if claws could even make it through the armor those soldiers might have? And that's not even touching on long range weaponry they might have; she fights better in close combat, where she can tear into flesh.]

Anyway, figured you might need some help holding down the fort.

[As if her concern was for Saul, rather than for any information she might get from being here.]

[As if. Saul's still on the fence, and not just with Alice. The only person he knew before this whole thing started was Sue, so the considerate part of him hopes Alice doesn't take his slightly skeptical look personally.]

Good timing. The phone's been ringing off the hook since I got in and no one's sticking around long enough to leave any messages. People are desperate. Luckily, I've got it down to an art. Repeat after me: "I'm sorry, we don't have any information right now. We'll be sure to update everyone as it comes in." Then hang up.

[None of what he says really surprises her, and she briefly considers suggesting that they just turn off the phone, but that's probably irresponsible. And anyway, they do need to do at least something to reassure people, even if that's not much.]

Have you tried grabbing someone from the Initiative to see what they know?

[Because she can go do that, if he hasn't. She can be very persuasive.]

Honestly, I think they know about as much as we do. The people running around like headless chickens outside are useless. If you wanna go to the Powers That Be and try grabbing one of them, by all means, be my guest.

[He leans back in his chair, fixing her with a skeptical look.]

It might be wise to try that after things calm down a little. If they do.

[It might be an idea, even if she doesn't have the influence here she does back home, she might be able to get sometihng out of a higher up.]

They will.

[She takes a drag of her cigarette, letting the ritual of it calm her, blowing the smoke towards the ceiling.]

Either the Initiative wins and everything settles down as they try to fix what damange has been done, or they lose and retreat, close off the portals, and everyone goes back to hating our captors.

[But it will be calm, at least, even if they have to retreat.]

If you set off the smoke alarms on top of this mess, I swear to God, you'll be out of this job even quicker than you got in.

[JUST SAYIN'.]

They're de-activated.

[She smokes in here when none of you are looking.]

[Flatly:] That's safe. Anyway, if you really do want to keep your job here, I'd suggest dropping the attitude — if the Initiative has this place bugged or something and catches you calling them captors, guess what: we'll all be screwed out of jobs. Or worse.

[oops is his paranoia showing]

[She wants to snap at him, especially for the assumption that she wouldn't have been smart enough to check for bugs, but even if anger is so much easier than anything else, she forces herself to take a breath.

For a moment, as she rusb at her her brow, she actually looks stressed, like the flippancy, the attitude is just a cover for how much this is freaking her out (it is, partly, but letting him see that is a choice).]

I'm sure they'll cut us a little slack, all things considered.

[It's about as close to you're right as he'll get.]

[Oh, he checked for bugs, too. He always checks for bugs. But he's made his point.

When he speaks again, his tone is a little softer.]

You can never be sure of anything.

[She can be; she's made a life out of guessing people's motivations and manipulating them, and all of it requires a certain surety.

The only thing that surprises her any more is Donny and his psychopath of a sister.

That's not really something she wants to think about.]

I'll be back in ten minutes.

[She doesn't wait for a response before striding out of the room, and once she's out of sight she takes a moment to put out her cigarette, pinching the ends between her fingers and focusing on the burn.

From there it's a simple matter of tracking down a chain of Initiative employees that she's familiar with, finding out what she can from each one before moving on.

It's more like twenty minutes by the time she walks back into the office, but she looks satisfied.]

You want the long version or the short one?

Whatever.

[He sounds more dismissive than he intends to.

Which is probably why he looks so surprised when she returns looking the way she does.]

Long.

As far as anyone can tell, the United Earth found out what the Initiative were up to and locked onto the Transporter signal to open portals into Elmer Albatross' world.

[She's lighting up another cigarette as she starts talking, because between Asteria and Exsilium, Max is going to end up a chain smoker.]

They've been there a few days, systematically destroying government, financial and social institutions, and there's been little to no response from the world's assorted governments, simply because they were completely unprepared for an attack this size.

Japan's all but gone, the Initiative have opened portals to London, Berlin, Paris, DC, Moscow, Beijing, New York, Hong Kong, and Madrid, in order to try to drive back the United Earth forces. [There's a moment of silence as she rubs at her brow, trying to wrap her head around the scale of this.] I don't think they have much hope, from what the Initiative are saying, but anyone with combat expertise is being asked to go do what they can. Anyone else should report to the Hold to assist in the medical bays or to help monitor the progress of the battles.

[She looks at Saul, to guage his reaction to all that, before shrugging.]

Anything else you wanna know?

[Saul stares at her as she speaks, eyes widening. By the time she looks at him, they're as big as saucers — shocked, scared, overwhelmed.]

Jesus. The whole world? There's no way we can — if they've done that much damage already, why are we even...?

That was something I couldn't find the answer for. [She'd asked, but the most she'd gotten were shrugs, mumbled answers about hoping for the best, before she'd decided to focus on the more factual parts of what the fuck was going on.]

Either they really do hope the Transports can defeat an entire armed force, when none of them are trained to deal with this situation together. [Her people know how to work as a unit, fighting alongside each other, when it comes to it, and that makes such a difference.] Maybe they just want to do as much damage to the United Earth as they can, it's not as though Transports stay dead, after all.

[It's clear, from her tone, that she doesn't think they don't stay dead is an acceptable reason to throw people into a battlefield.]

Shit.

[He repeats this in a frustrated mumble as he reaches for the nearest notepad and begins furiously scribbling down the details. When he's finished, he stares at what he's written, then pushes the pad away in disgust.

Committing it to paper somehow made it even more real.]

Do they have a list of the Transports who went off to fight, or is that asking for too much organization?

[Max agrees with that sentiment, leaning against Medusa's desk as she watches Saul write.

This situation is insane, and it's clear already that it's going to be a nightmare to try to keep Transport-Initiative relationships positive.]

At the moment, that might be asking too much; though they do seem to be monitoring the movement of people in the field, so it could be possible to pull a list from there.

[Note to self: do that.]

[Forget the PR situation; this whole thing is a nightmare.

Saul nods, still writing.]

Yeah. Good. See if you can find anything out about that.

[His pen stops moving, and he looks up.]

Please.

[The way she huffs at him is entirely feigned, because it's the normal sort of reaction anyone should have to just being told to do something.

Max doesn't really give a shit.]

That might take a little longer, but I have my tablet on me if you need to get in touch.

[Not that she thinks he really will, but it seems sensible to make the offer.]

[She can huff all she likes — in his current mood, even that's not enough to earn an eye-roll from him. He just nods.]

Thanks.

Good luck.

[With whatever it is he's going to be doing for the next few hours while everything goes to hell.

She's not particularly concerned about his well being, but it's a polite thing to say.

And then she's gone.

About an hour later, Saul will get a file sent to his tablet with a list of all the Transports that have been recorded going through the portal, as well as a list of those that have been revived. There's no message attached, and he likely won't see 'Alice' again today, but she is trying to help, in her own way.]

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Other Worlds: V 2.0

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