( open ) i'll fly you to the moon and back

[initiates]

Date & Time: September 21st - September 30th, 11:59 PM
Location: The Hold, the Moon Base
Characters: Any/all.
Summary: The Transports are evacuating to the Moon Base. Those on the Moon Base try to settle in and figure out their next move. Setting info can be found here.
Warnings: Talk of nuclear warheads and reference to immense loss of life. Please contact the mods should any individual thread get graphically violent or anything else of the sort.
Note: Use date and location tags in your subject headlines! Such as "On the moon, 23rd onward" or "On the spaceship, 25th" or "down at the Hold, 29th."

The Hold is a flurry of activity, grim faced members of the Initiative group directing supplies and people with the subdued air of people facing their own doom, and wondering at how to process the knowledge. None of the Initiative appears unaware of what will happen; their eyes linger on the Transports, expressions pleading, hopeful, doubtful, or immeasurably sad in turn.

Every eight hours, the space ship is sent back up with a load of people and supplies. The pilots are worked until they can't; the AI stolen ages ago by the Initiative greets and corrals people and supplies at both ends, and in the middle step between.

The network continues to broadcast on narrow channels between the Moon Base and Exsilium, up until the time that all connections are lost, with the carrier located en route to Exsilium. The first airship will pass by without dropping anything, but it's too early to celebrate. At a six hour delay from behind, the second airship arrives, and with it, the dark promise of the Black Code's nuclear weaponry.

The six hour window allows for time for those left behind, either by choice or circumstance, to be pulled to the Moon Base with the successful activation of the Transport Pad. New characters will ultimately arrive with the remainder of those not yet on the Moon Base, all in time to witness the explosive contact of the nuclear warhead with the ground of Exsilium live on satellite.

But until then, there's only the hurry, the silence, and the potential for full out rioting should the Transports spread word to the Exiles inevitably left behind to face this fate.

Comments

[interspace]

[ She takes that as invitation. Turning away, Misha falls back, landing herself on an invisible seat, curls her legs up in front of her and lowers herself to the ground from there so that she sits next to Billy. ]

Not to mention we're going to be working on putting everything back in its place. That should help calm your mind a bit, right?

[oncearanger]

I know, but I know these projects never go smoothly, especially when altering timelines is a factor.

We've had successes before, but.

If we're wrong, all those lost lives are in the balance. That's a lot of pressure.

[He never stops his useless fiddling. That clock is now winding the wrong way.]

[interspace]

That's the thing about time travel. You can't let it get to you, Billy, we may have done this a thousand times before and we may end up doing it another thousand 'til we get it right. Law of averages, though, says we will get it right eventually.

We just won't get to see it like this.

[ She shrugs. Whatever the case, getting out of this universe is the only option: Misha knows for certain that she will never give up on that no matter how many timelines she burns through on the Initiative's dime. Giving up once is tantamount to giving up an infinite number of times and that just isn't allowed. ]

[oncearanger]

Right. As long as the machine still works...we have chances.

I just need to use them wisely.

[He stops the tinkering for a moment and drops his gaze, staring at his hands]

But I couldn't even leave my lab for most of the past week. I look at someone, and I know that they're about to die. How could I even say hello?

[interspace]

[ Misha gives him a halfway challenging look. ] How could you not? They were still alive then, no matter how much time they have left. Thinking about it that way's gotta drain your batteries like nobody's business.

[oncearanger]

I suppose it did.

And now, those people I couldn't face...they've died. Horribly painfully, if there was anyone who wasn't killed instantly.

I know I have to file it away and cope, but I can't exactly do it cheerfully.

[interspace]

[ She leans over, enough to put her elbow on Billy's shoulder while she checks out the watch he's fiddling with. At any sign of discomfort, she plans to lean back but it's worth a shot for now. ]

That'd just be rude. No, just... I don't know, keep doing your thing. Alone if that works, but you gotta be honest about it if that doesn't help. Even if everyone here wants to be a tough guy instead.

Then again, maybe I shouldn't be giving lectures, huh? You've been through this sorta thing before.

[oncearanger]

[He doesn't mind. No, he's looking at her and almost smiling.]

No, your lecture's fine.

I'm the one who's being foolish. Sulking doesn't help anyone, and if it's actively impeding my work...

[He holds up the watch. There's now a loose spring poking from it.]

[interspace]

[ Misha pokes at the spring as if to slot it back into some mysterious cog where it belongs. She's not the engineer, that would be her mother or Kyle. No, she just likes touching things she shouldn't and sticking her nose in poor places. ]

Maybe try using it to fuel your work instead. I hear that works wonders. Sulky boy geniuses, huh?

[oncearanger]

How many have you known?

[That's a little closer to a smile. A little bit.]

[interspace]

My uncle, not sure if he counts. Not exactly a boy, and "genius" might be an insult at his level.

Still, the man can sulk if he wants to. Or even if he doesn't.

[ Misha tilts her head to rest against her shoulder while her elbow is still on Billy. It's a bit of a familiar position considering how little they actually know about each other, yet it's not so awkward for her. She knows far too much about far too many people, a little accidental familiarity is the least she's worried about when it can be mistaken for friendly personality. No, as long as nothing actually slips in what she says, then things are all right. ]

[oncearanger]

He's that incredible?

[Any discussion of genius has his attention. Billy seems comfortable where he is, though he is looking at Misha with more curiosity than dread now.]

And why was he sulking?

[interspace]

Pretty much. Might just be the currently smartest man on earth where I'm from.

[ This is a quick I'unno face in response to the question. ]

It's what happens when his arch nemesis does his inevitable disappearing act. People get hurt because Mitchell tries to get Hank's attention and then Hank has to deal with "being the cause" by not being able to contain him but that's practically impossible because Mitchell is... long story, actually. Never mind. Point is, he sulks because Hank feels like he has to know the answer to everything because he knows almost anything.

[oncearanger]

When you're used to being able to solve almost any problem...when people turn to you and you can't solve one, it's a threat. It's as if you're not yourself anymore if you can't solve the problem.

[This he understands. He nods, trying to think back on what he'd heard.]

I haven't utterly failed to solve this one yet, but it looks overwhelming from here. But that's why we're not on our own, isn't it?

[interspace]

You've got it. Hank's got his team back home, and we've got... well, and entire lunar base on our side here. Not to mention a time travel machine. We're well-equipped, if not ridiculously understaffed.

[ Billy earns himself a grin. ]

Now, what say you put the watch back in order? Unless that thing is some kind of, I dunno, time beacon and you're doing way more work than I thought.

[oncearanger]

We might be able to make it work.

[He's still not happy, and this will still weigh on him for a while. But he's recovered enough to get back to real work---and so he frowns at the watch.]

I wish. I wasn't doing something quite as ambitious: I was wondering if it was possible to combine the time-telling function with a communicator if I set up the proper broadcast equipment.

[interspace]

How do you mean? [ Her brow furrows. ] Shouldn't putting a clock in... anything be really easy with the tech around here?

[oncearanger]

Right.

It's mostly a space concern for what I want to do. I don't want to make the head of the watch bulky, but I want to fit those gears and hands in as well.

[There's some familiar silver and blue wiring being attached to the straps. He can fit some power in those folds, maybe.]

[interspace]

Maybe I'm just a product of my generation, but why not put in a digital face that'll simulate the hands and the rest of the face without adding all that much bulk to it?

[oncearanger]

That could work, but I don't want to tend to digital. Mechanical is easier to keep working in a supply-limited environment like this.

[He's still poking away, though he makes a noise of surprise when something seems to slot in perfectly. Yes---there. He hurriedly fixes that up.]

Were you able to bring most of what you wanted?

[interspace]

You make a good point.

[ Here she gives a one-shouldered shrug. ]

Didn't have much to start with, so yeah. I'm great at packing light.

[oncearanger]

I couldn't teleport an entire lab. I only have my blueprints and a few simple tools.

I guess I'll be furnishing the lab for the foreseeable future. Did you work out what you're doing?

[interspace]

Apparently DIY media rooms. The idea of anyone having the chance to be without a proper method to destress is terrifying when we're stuck in an artificial atmosphere with a bunch of supers.

Yours sounds pretty fun, though. Gonna run some cool experiments now that you've got an atmosphere like this to work in?

[oncearanger]

I'll be working on whatever I can that will reverse the deaths faster.

[What is this fun? He has no time for it. But he does understand the need for other people to do it.]

What's your plan for wearing them out? An obstacle course?

[interspace]

It's not wearing people out so much as giving their brains a chance to settle or work on less strenuous problems for a while. If it's something physical you need, apparently the simulation room can do some brain chemistry trickery so they can work out in there without smashing holes in the walls.

Nah, this is just good ol' fashioned party games.

[ It seems she's completely unapologetic for speaking if such frivolous matters while Billy is so focused on the people they're about to let down. ]