here they talked of revolution, here it was they lit the flame

[initiates]

Date: October 1st
Location: The Observatory.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports arrive and are shuffled into the Observatory for the show of the year. Initial briefings are very brief this time around, and that Greeter just won't stop crying.
Warnings: new confused people and old sad people??

Your arrival here has been very unceremonious. One second you were somewhere else, and now, very suddenly, your feet hit the glowing white of the Transporter pad, and you're here. You aren't alone, either. There's a crowd of others around you, each seeming just as bewildered, angry, or confused as you might feel. At the head of the group is a woman in purple robes, with eyes red as if she'd just finished crying. She hurries over a quick overview of your intended purpose here, and gives direct answers when asked for them, but to most things she simply shows you how to access the tablet you've just been given. There, you can find the history of this place and a record of what your new cohorts have experienced — although it won't have Network access for another 8 hours. Someone stands on hand to give you a weapon, and though the armory is now greatly reduced, you should be able to find something to suit you.

You're shepherded down a walkway tunnel and into the Observatory, where you will find screens mounted on three sides of the wide room. The only lighting comes from dull red emergency lights, and the scenes of a dreary, rainy city from various cameras up on the screens; the largest of the screens opens up to a view of Earth from a good distance away -- this one isn't a screen at all, you might realize, but a window. As you watch, all screens in the room fill with light, impossibly bright. It consumes the buildings, the people, everything. There is no sound played, perhaps mercifully, only that white light -- and then nothing.

Through the large window, there's a pinprick of light over one of the landmasses on the blue planet. It grows to a tiny blossom and then dies away, but a cloud begins to mushroom outward in the same spot. It pushes the natural clouds out of the way, claiming that small portion of the world and wrapping it in a uniform gray.

Strings of numbers begin to fill the blanked out screens as the base's AI begins collecting data and calculations, but the show seems to be over. You're free to explore the base, visit and use any of the VR rooms, or discover your new room and roommates, but try not to step out of any airlocks if oxygen is a requirement for your system.

Welcome to the moon base, with front row seats to the grave of Exsilium.

[[ooc; reminder! The Network will be down for 8 hours after the wave of new Transports.]]

Comments

[hostage]

[He feels guilty as hell after that summary. Thank you, Saul. While he was talking, Jesse was pacing slowly in the background, looking anywhere but at either of them. Now that Saul's gone silent, he finally glances over. Then he shrugs and turns away again, rubbing at his eyes. What exactly is he supposed to say?]

[fullmeasure]

Cute, Goodman.

[except it wasn't. Mike watches Jesse pace, then gets up out his seat. The kid's going to give him whiplash if he keeps watching him do that. He grabs Jesse by the arm and directs him to sit. Much better]

Got anything to add, kid?

[hostage]

[He sits. Look, he knows better than to disobey Mike, even if he's unhappy.]

Not really.

[fullmeasure]

[Mike gives Jesse a long, long look, then nods]

Fair enough.

[5055034455]

So that's what's up.

[Saul sits, too. He's next to Jesse, sort of, but there's still considerable distance between them.]

Any questions?

[fullmeasure]

Dozens.

[which was a generous estimation, given the explanation]

But I'll save most of them for another time. Maybe when the kid isn't drugged. [and he shoots a look at Saul]

[hostage]

[Thank God for Mike. When he hadn't thrown Saul out, Jesse'd actually started to wonder if Mike had decided the whole sedate him blind plan might be a good thing. Jesse's relieved to find that's not the case. Because honestly if Mike had ordered it, Jesse would have gone along with it, but he'd also be hurt. Maybe Saul thinks he's crazy and can't make his own decisions, but Mike..?

Jesse looks between the two of them, though he lingers a little longer on Saul. If this was Mr. White, a fight would be erupting right about now.]

[5055034455]

[Saul holds up a defensive hand.]

Hey, that wasn't my call. I was in charge of the initial drugging so he'd get up here fast and safely, that's it.

[Technically. He might have suggested someone keep dosing Jesse until all was said and done, if need be. Of course he knew there'd be a need, but...

He holds Jesse's gaze for as long as Jesse looks at him, and continues staring even after Jesse looks to Mike.]

I'm sorry, okay?

[fullmeasure]

Then you can be in charge of making sure it doesn't happen again.

[Mike turns to Jesse, giving him another long look. If the kid was that much of a problem, then he'd have to keep an eye on him]

[hostage]

[At least they're not fighting. Although Jesse still doesn't get what he did to earn looks like that from both of them. He doesn't understand how every single person here didn't want to try doing what he did. If everyone would stop treating him like he's about to go off the deep end, that'd be great.

Whatever. He's done with this. It's not even his choice what happens to him. Saul's going to keep lying and trying to calm him down, and Mike's going to look out for him like he always does. That's the way of the world.

He sighs.]

So are we gonna talk about the other thing now?

[5055034455]

[About to go off the deep end?

Saul would be pretty damn offended if he knew that that's how Jesse really feels. In his mind, he is looking out for that stupid kid. His attempts at helping are a little misguided, but he's trying.

Then again, he said it himself, didn't he?

I'm not Mike.

If not for the question, Saul might have spent the rest of this little therapy session staring at his hands.]

Which other thing?

[hostage]

I'm not the only one who saw her, right?

[Uh. Right?

Looking between the two of them again, maybe he's not so sure.]

[5055034455]

[That earns Jesse another disapproving stare, though this one is somewhat halfhearted.]

Again with the beating around the bush. You couldn't have just said, I dunno, are we gonna talk about Skyler? Something like that. Anyway, yes, we are. Starting now.

[fullmeasure]

[Mike is finding somewhere to sit. This is a sitting down kind of conversation]

Did she tell the two of you what she told me? About Shrader and her daughter.

[hostage]

[At least he doesn't have to broach that particular topic himself.]

She said I flipped. I gave up Mr. White and they were gonna arrest him and then he lost it and kidnapped the kid.

[5055034455]

We have to assume that whatever she tells us is true — for her.

[Saul's been thinking a little too much about alternate universes lately.]

Regardless, what we have is clear evidence that Walter is more dangerous than any of us thought. He's desperate, he's scared — that's a recipe for disaster.

[fullmeasure]

[Mike idly wonders this is where he says "I told you so"]

Sounds to me like it's already a disaster.

[hostage]

Yeah... I mean, from what she said, he killed his own brother-in-law. And probably me, too, if I was there like she thinks I was. So - So now we gotta deal with psycho killer Heisenberg the next time he shows up here? I mean, assuming he's not like already here somewhere.

[5055034455]

If he were here, I'd know.

[He sounds sure about that, even though he's not.]

And that's a maybe on the Heisenberg thing. Seems like who shows up when is luck of the draw — and there's no telling when he'll be from. Could be trigger-happy Heisenberg, could be mild-mannered Walter White, high school chem teacher. Could be someone we've never met before and who hasn't met us. We won't know until it happens.

[fullmeasure]

[Mike frowns, leaning back in thought. He didn't like the idea of some different version of Walter White showing up, because it would fuck with the kid, it'd fuck with the wife, and it'd just end up pissing him off. So, he gives the only "suggestion" he knows.

Except it doesn't really sound like a suggestion]

If he shows up and he's a threat, then he has to be dealt with.

[hostage]

[Jesse's gaze drops to his hands but he nods in silent agreement. You weren't expecting that, were you, Mike?]

[5055034455]

If he's a threat? Any Walter is a threat, whether it's Heisenberg or not.

[He doesn't want to tell Mike about everything that went down while Walt was here doing nothing, but maybe he has to.]

I have half an army of people willing to help, Mike. Just say the word.

[fullmeasure]

[when there's no argument from Jesse, Mike glances at him, eyebrows raised. That was new. He doesn't look away when he addresses Saul]

Yeah? And is your half an army going to shoot him in the head without asking any questions, Saul?

[hostage]

[Jesse's eyes remain lowered while he wrings his hands.]

The Bats won't like it if we're telling 'em to waste him. They don't work like that.

[5055034455]

[Saul almost says I'll do it, but stops himself.

Without looking at Jesse:] There are others. They'd do it. But that's part of the problem — even without the resurrection tech, there's still a chance he'd come back anyway. Another version of him, but still him.