(OPEN | Mutiny Log) Well it's been so long

[alittlesweptup]

Date & Time: Nov. 16 ~0300 through Nov.19th ~0230hrs, 3133
Location: Housing, Cafeteria, VR rooms, hallways etc (read: everywhere)
Characters: YOU!
Summary: Mutiny on the moon base! Vital systems are offline, mutineers are making PA announcements, and there’s conflict and turmoil brewing in the halls. Dun dun duuun!
Warnings: None yet (possible violence?)
Notes: Specify a date and location in your top comment. You may specify multiple dates/locations. A timeline for the plot and the IC PA announcements made during are available HERE.

[In the dead of night - or as close to ‘the dead of night’ as is possible to have in moon base - a small group of transports finally make the move they’ve been planning for weeks. Pre-determined teams, maintaining radio contact throughout, simultaneously take control of the Transporter Room and take multiple systems offline.

One moment things are normal; they next, they’re not. With a last message flagged as ‘maintenance’ left on the network, the network cuts out. A moment later, Transports across the base find themselves losing contact with the ground or shifting in their sleep and gently floating out of their beds from the force as the gravity drops. Lighting flicks over to emergency only: bathing corridors and rooms in a desolate, lonely red. Doors work - and then they don’t. Transports will find themselves confined to housing (and washrooms), the VR rooms, and the cafeteria; it’s plenty of space to be comfortable and largely covers most Transport’s basic needs (unless you’re fond of cheery light or having your feet on the ground in which case you may be out of luck).

Hours later-- Click-HHHSSSHK-click!

A woman’s voice speaks over the moon base’s PA system, echoing through the dark corridors and off the odds and ends gently floating through them thanks to the lack of gravity regulation. The voice is rich and accented, with a certain practiced ease to it - one that sharpens to a point the longer she talks:]

Testing. Testing-- are we good? Christ, I'm not echoing, am I? No?

All right good. Listen up, fellow transports. As you might have noticed, some of the base's general systems have gone offline: this, I assure you, is absolutely intentional. There's no need to panic.

So moving on from the understandably frustrating to the even more frustrating, I'm sure you all have also noticed the fact that we're currently all stuck-- starving and defenseless-- on the bloody moon. In a base that was, up until a few days ago, overrun with zombies. And before that, thousands of lives were bombed right out of existence, and before that, an entire world-- and before that we were all still being thrown at the United Earth for the sake of dying off repeatedly in a war we never stood a chance or had a say in. Transports have been treated like pawns since day one, and I'm sorry, but we don't deserve it.

If we're giving up our lives and our freedom, I'd say it's about time we earned ourselves a little equality.

We deserve a say in what goes on in this fight, and with that in mind, a few of us have decided to hold onto the transporter for a while. Just until the Initiative agrees to treat us like people instead of ammunition. Trust me, we’re not here to hurt anyone; none of this has to end badly. But it does need to end. Things have got to change. And if this is what it takes? This is what it’s going to be.

We need your help; please don’t make it any harder for us.

[The PA clicks off, pitching the base once more into complete radio silence.

Near the end of the first day, gravity regulation is re-established. The network is brought back online the following day, allowing everyone to communicate more freely. Lighting doesn’t come back online until the 18th and the door regulation isn’t normalized or operable until the 19th. Throughout the four days, the mutineers make multiple PA announcements.

In the mean time? Keep your friends close, come to the aid of your neighbors; help with reconnaissance and choose sides - are you neutral in this mess? Are you trying to help bring systems back online and root out the mutineers? Are you sympathetic to the mutiny and trying to sabotage those Transports standing for the Initiative?]

Comments

[fullmeasure]

[Mike doesn't comment on that until they round a corner. He reaches out, grabs Jesse by the upper arm, and pushes him against the wall. Not hard, but with enough force that'll get Jesse's attention right away]

Calm down. [said as though he's giving an order, but without the usual bite in tone] If you plan on using that thing, you'll end up doing a shit job of it with the way you are right now.

[hostage]

[Jesse grunts when he hits the wall, avoiding Mike's eyes.]

I'm fine.

[fullmeasure]

Yeah? Look me in the eye and say that, kid.

[hostage]

[He raises his chin and looks up at Mike.]

I'm fine.

[fullmeasure]

[Mike meets his look and snorts, honestly amused. That dark sort of amusement that comes in the midst of a shitstorm]

You need to learn how to lie better.

[hostage]

Whatever. You know what I mean. I won't fuck up.

[fullmeasure]

[Mike holsters his gun so he has both hands free. It comes up, and maybe even looks like it may take aim at the side of Jesse's head . . . but instead Mike rests it on the kid's shoulder]

I'm not saying you'll fuck up, Jesse. [he rarely uses his name, but this time it's warranted] But if you don't calm down, you'll end up doing something you'll regret.

[hostage]

[Jesse even flinches preemptively, anticipating a hit. But he relaxes when Mike holds him, and takes a deep breath. Not exactly agreeing, but...]

I won't regret a damn thing I do to these bitches.

[fullmeasure]

[Mike just rolls his eyes]

The hell you won't.

[hostage]

[Jesse bristles, getting more excitable, but he lowers his voice to a hissed whisper so his next words aren't overheard:]

After what they did to Steph? What they're trying to do to all of us? I mean, we are fucked here if they get their way.

[fullmeasure]

[he could honestly care less about this damn mutiny and what they're trying to accomplish; the only reason he gives a damn at all is because of what happened to Steph]

I'm just as pissed as you are, kid. And they'll get what's coming to them. [he'd make sure of that] But I know you, and I can already see how this'll play out later on. [that is, if Jesse does something stupid]

[hostage]

I won't fuck it up, Mike. I swear to god.

[He doesn't know how to say it any other way.]

[fullmeasure]

[Mike stares at him for a long moment, then nods]

I'm holding you to that.

[he squeezes Jesse's shoulder once, then lifts that same hand to lightly smack him in the side of the head - more of a light shove than anything - and steps back, giving Jesse his space]

[hostage]

[It hurts. Not the smack, but Mike doubting him. It's the same with all of them lately, isn't it? They don't think he can handle anything more. He's starting to wonder if they ever trusted him. Maybe he was just too stupid to notice this before.

Jesse turns away to continue stalking down the hall.]

[fullmeasure]

[Mike sees that in his face, and that's exactly the opposite of what he wanted to get across. Before Jesse gets too far, he reaches out to grab his arm]

Kid—

[he makes sure he meets Jesse's eyes] You're the guy on this, got it? You lead, I follow. [because if that doesn't show that he thinks Jesse can handle it, he isn't sure what will]

[hostage]

[He doesn't mean to hear Mr. White's voice in his head, but it's there. Empty praise about his skill, hollow promises about his very own lab, and what was all of that, in the end? Just a tactic. Mr. White learned along the way that telling Jesse he was in charge was exactly the way to control him.

No, no, no. But that's Walter White. That isn't Mike. Mike isn't like that.

Except Jesse's response is the exact same he would have given Mr. White. A quiet, halfhearted:]

Yeah. Sure. Got it.

[fullmeasure]

[that's not good enough. And fuck Walter White, for damaging this kid too much that even this doesn't do what it's intended.

Mike doesn't let go. Not yet]

I'm serious, Jesse. Don't give me that half-assed response.

[hostage]

[Jesse meets Mike's eyes again with a long, hard stare. He's searching for something. The truth, maybe. Or just... anything to hold onto. Some promise that this isn't like that.

Mike wouldn't do that. Mike wouldn't trick him. Mike doesn't play head games like that.

Jesse speaks louder this time:]

I lead, you follow. I got it.

[fullmeasure]

[Mike has manipulated Jesse in the past. If asked, he wouldn't deny it.

And he wouldn't deny that, in a way, he's doing it right now. But this is different; this is giving Jesse a focus, something that will hopefully calm him down so he doesn't end up doing something he'll regret afterwards. He didn't want all this to end, only to watch Jesse self-destruct again. Fuck if he was going to let that happen.

Whatever Jesse's looking for, Mike doesn't look away. And when he finally speaks, Mike nods, and gestures with the hand that releases him]

Lead on, then.

[hostage]

[Well, it worked. Kind of. If Jesse's any calmer, it's only because he's focused on something internal now. He turns to continue walking down the corridor, eyes now fixed pointedly ahead of him while he simmers in silence. He's planning to just let it go, the way he's been doing for the past month and a half. It's over. It's done. He's not even sure he really wants to know the answers to the questions he's been holding back.

But he can't do it. He can't be smart and keep his mouth shut. After a couple minutes he stops and swivels around to face Mike again.]

What'd I do wrong?

[fullmeasure]

[Mike stops short, surprised. And there's honest confusion on his face, because he has no idea what the kid means. And he has a feeling Jesse isn't talking about the whole mess with Walter and Skyler]

You're going to have to be a little more specific.

[hostage]

Why didn't you trust me? I woulda - I woulda been there.

[fullmeasure]

[Oh. Mike knows exactly what this is. It's a long overdue conversation he was hoping wouldn't come up. He sighs, and rubs a hand over his face]

Jesus Christ, kid. I know you would've been there.

[hostage]

[Jesse's face changes in an instant, just like that. That challenging glare vanishes and it's like he withers, head dipping and shoulders sinking.]

I just wanna know what I did. Why'd you trust him instead of me? That's all I wanna know.

[fullmeasure]

[there's a sharpness in his tone that wasn't there before] You think I trusted him over you? I've never trusted Walter. Never.

[Mike doesn't know whether to laugh or hit something, and rubs a hand over his face again. He doesn't want to know how long Jesse's wondered this, why no one ever set it straight while he wasn't around to. For fuck's sake]

You didn't do anything wrong. [he sounds tired, now] You hear me? Nothing.