(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

[hostage]

[No, no. He recognizes this thing. He does this thing. Jesse reaches to brush her hair back and cup her cheek with his palm: look at him.]

Steph.

I think you're amazing. And you're so, so brave. And yeah, you make mistakes. Everybody does. And because you're doing all this big important stuff, sometimes the mistakes you make end up big and important, too.

But that don't make you bad. You hear me? Messing up sometimes doesn't make you bad. Even if you mess up big.

[controlledvariable]

[The touch helps; it takes a second, but she manages to look at him. It doesn't make it easier to deal with everything he says, but it's... a little easier to listen to, than when Saul says it, because Jesse isn't biased the same way Saul is.]

What if it's not mistakes? What if it's the things I choose to do?

[hostage]

[He wishes he could tell her the truth. If he could, maybe she'd listen to him, because she'd know that he knows what real evil is. But it's just as likely that she'd hate him, and then she'd never hear a word he said ever again.

Instead, he tries to phrase it carefully:]

I don't... believe you'd ever hurt anybody that didn't deserve hurting. Not on purpose.

[controlledvariable]

[Her gaze drops again.]

I killed scientists and technicians over in the United Earth; I could have taken the time to neutralize without killing them, but I didn't want to risk any of our people getting hurt. They're not bad people, they're just under the United Earth's control, and I didn't even hesitate.

[It's been months since then, but it's still weighing on her.]

[hostage]

If they're with the U.E., they're trying to kill us. It's us or them, Steph.

[controlledvariable]

They're victims, as well.

[She should be protecting them, not hurting them.]

[hostage]

We're not gonna be able to save 'em if they wipe us out first. You understand? It ain't the kinda situation you can talk out nice. When you're drinking the U.E.'s kool-aid, you're literally outta your mind.

Trust me, I know. I've used verstatsi. I know how they feel probably better than anybody. And being dead is better than that.

[controlledvariable]

[She winces, closing her eyes and just tries to remember how to breathe for a second.

Logically, Jesse has a point. It's how she justified it to herself before they went in there, but she's still struggling with it.]

What do I do if Batman turns up?

[hostage]

[He caresses her cheek, not really sure how else to comfort her.]

Do whatever you want. He wasn't here. He ain't in any position to judge. And you don't gotta answer to him if you don't wanna.

[controlledvariable]

[She closes her eyes, leaning into the touch a little.]

He'd take Batgirl away from me.

[And there's nothing she could do about it, not really.]

[hostage]

Ain't nobody in the world who can take Batgirl away from you, Steph.

[controlledvariable]

I keep trying to tell myself that, but I'm pretty sure she'd literally rip it off me.

[That's scary for more than one reason.]

[hostage]

You're always gonna be whoever the hell you are. That's just how it is.

[controlledvariable]

I wish I could believe that.

[But she can't.]

[hostage]

[Wryly:]

I wish I didn't.

[His hand drops away and he settles back down next to her.]

[controlledvariable]

[And it's her turn to wrap him up in a hug.]

You're not a bad person, either.

[hostage]

You don't have to do that.

[Reassure him, he means. He'll take the hug. He cuddles up against her, giving her a tiny smile.]

[controlledvariable]

Maybe I wanna.

[It's the least she can do, especially when she believes it.]

[hostage]

If I go telling myself I'm really good when I know I'm not, all I'm gonna do is make myself crazy. Then I'll just be Mr. White.

I don't want that. Do you?

[controlledvariable]

Jesse.

[It's firm, but not harsh.]

I get that, I do. But there's good in you already, and you can't see it.

[hostage]

Ah, Steph...

[It's the same tone of voice Mike used to use with him when he was being naive, defending Mr. White. She doesn't know, so he can't really blame her. It's just kind of sad.]

[controlledvariable]

See? That's what I mean.

[He's dismissing her, because he's too broken by everything that's happened and that he's done to see the good parts of himself.

(She realizes she's a hypocrite).]

[hostage]

But I'm okay with it. I don't need anybody telling me I'm a great person. I know what kinda person I am and I'm living with it.

[He looks at her again and he realizes maybe he's being selfish, saying all that. Maybe she's looking for something in him. Like maybe she won't be okay if she isn't convinced he's good.]

I mean, I'm not - I'm not saying you shouldn't like me. You do whatever you want. But I don't want you to worry about me.

...I probably shouldn'ta said anything.

[controlledvariable]

[Part of her wants to ask him how he lives with it, because she doesn't feel like she can. She has to, she has to live with what she's done and she knows that she'll keep doing what she has to, but that doesn't make it any easier.

It doesn't seem fair to ask, though, so what she does instead is just nuzzle against the crook of his neck, almost like an apology.]

I'm gonna worry about you no matter what, Jesse. That's what friends do.

[hostage]

Mmmmmmmnnnoooo.

[He cozies up to her, burying his face in her hair and kissing the top of her head. The rest is mumbled there:]

Friends have fun and feel good and do stupid things.