[Event] Introduction to the Nexus / MoI crash

[rp_help]

I.
    Within the fabric of the multiverse the differing possibilities of each branch are woven, overlapping but separate, converging and looping at times, but often wriggling apart by ever-increasing degrees until the substance of it is thick with possibilities. This fabric is five-dimensional, not recognizable in its true form to the beings that are forced to live within the constraints of linear time and three-dimensional space. Unknown to those who live out the events contained within it, the sense of it is only kept by the special properties of the interactions between universes—it would seem that each universe is independent, but the nature of this fabric is such that certain events—convergence events—tie each universe together in an indelible way.

This is not to say that these convergence events all take place in the same way in each universe. But there are key threads that cannot be unraveled from their neighbors, and though the players in a scene may not all be the same in each universe, the moments contained in these convergence points are so tightly woven that in some ways they may be indistinguishable from their neighbors.

II.
    An indelible part of those universes where Project Freelancer came to be is the fact that the Project could not succeed. It was based on flawed theories, illegal activities, biased science, no matter which lifetime this particular founder of the Project was living out. And so its failure, or more specifically that moment where its impending failure came to a head, became a convergence event. Like a network of strong magnets, the turning point brought the multiverse together in an intimately linked way. For this reason, when in one universe the ship Mother of Invention fired upon itself and began its descent into the atmosphere of the nearby planet, it sent shockwaves of destiny through the multiverse, bringing each doom destined for Project Freelancer into clear focus.

Much of the technology in the Project's facilities, both on the ship and the planet itself, were experimental. Dimension-hopping was one of the unsanctioned activities taking place under the Project's purview, though it was intended for fast travel through space within the same universe rather than through the multiverse itself. This didn't change the fact that once again, the Project was messing around with things that weren't entirely understood. The emotional states of the users of the dimensional portals had a huge effect on them—and the person effecting the portal didn't necessarily have to be actively using it, either. This wasn't known or considered when the Project moved one of its portals from its planet-side facility to the labs on the ship.

III.
    And so it was that the combined anger, fear, and desperation of the occupants of the ship at the time it crashed reprogrammed the portal in the ship's belly, and in turn created havoc in the transporter nexus that resided on the planet. Like an arc of electricity sparking from a Tesla coil, the wave of reprogramming touched every portal in the nexus. Every portal would now lead to the Mother of Invention in the aftermath of the crash. Worse than this, it caused the portals in the nexus to draw in users from other parts of the multiverse. They would enter the nexus unknowingly, simply hearing a ringing like crystal and finding themselves within it. Attempting to leave would simply send them to the Mother of Invention at a most dangerous time.

IV.

Timeline of events:
    

• Day 1: Residents of other times and places will find themselves on the planet containing Freelancer facilities in the teleporter nexus. Everyone who comes to the nexus will find that their cell phone, 2-way radio, comm device, or helmet radio can be used to communicate with anyone else who has arrived in the nexus at any point. Attempting to leave the nexus via any portal will lead to the crash site of the Mother of Invention. Recovery agents and guards will be evident all around the grounds, but things are chaotic. It will be impossible to locate the end portal the character arrived through to return to the nexus.
    

• Days 2-5: Things are calming down at the site, but time itself will seem to be undergoing an echo effect—recovery agents and guards will still be on patrol, but as time goes by they will seem to be in several places at once and though they may spot characters who arrive, they will be unable to apprehend them. The end portals that lead back to the nexus will be intermittently visible, but in a shivery way that will make it difficult to use them to return. When one manages to return to the nexus, they will find that they're unable to reprogram the teleporters. Teleporters now lead to various locations, however, rather than just the ship crash site—they also lead to various bases inhabited by simulation troops. Like the guards and recovery agents at the crash site, however, the simulation troops will not be quite able to interact with the characters who have arrived.
    

• Days 6-10: The shivers that are going through time and space now seem to be settling down, and the teleporters are increasingly responsive to attempts to reprogram them. By the time the ten days are up it's easy to cycle them between other Freelancer and UNSC facilities, and many technologically-savvy characters will be able to deduce the fact that there is a resonant frequency inherent to their own universe that can be programmed into a teleporter via their radio or comm device.

Comments

DAY 1 - Maine S9 pre-injury - OTA

[too_high]

[One moment, Maine was getting kicked out of a skyscraper window by his team leader, the next he's ... in a hallway? Filled with ... teleporters? He pulls himself up, shakes himself off, and immediately looks up. Nope he hadn't broken through the ceiling. Okay, no more worrying about how he got here; how does he get out? There's a mission going on and he's damned if he's going to miss out on this opportunity to prove himself. He walks through a portal and --]

[--winds up on a crashed MOI. A low growl of confusion rumbles in the back of his throat. Just what the fuck was going on here?]

Re: DAY 1 - Maine S9 pre-injury - OTA

[purrtylittlewires]

[Eventually he had to take a portal. That was clearly part of whatever objective the game had. So after he had exhausted his search, he stepped through one.]

[To a ship crash. Which...okay, that was a thing! It wasn't unreasonable, a lot games like it'd big, massive backdrop. Maybe he'd have to explore the downed ship, that'd be interesting. Also a pain in the ass, but it could be worse.]

[Theeeeen he noticed he wasn't alone.]

[And, well, Maine, there is certainly a Wash here. A Wash whose quite a bit older, which is obvious because he's dressed like a butler for some god awful reason. Who looks worn and like he could use a nap or fifty.]

[Looking at Maine like he's a ghost.]

[too_high]

[Maine looks Wash up and down, taking in both his fucking ridiculous outfit and the fact that,how the hell does he look older? Did Maine step through time? After a silent moment of taking in the sudden bombardment of seemingly unconnected things, he grunts.]

-- the fuck?

[justichthys]

[ Somehow or another, she's found herself standing in the snowy, broken wreckage of a crashed space ship. Okay. Sure. Aoko's seen weirder settings than this. Even the … armored? guards? combing the area don't deter her too much. (Wait, isn't there something familiar about all of this?) ]

[ … ]

[ There's definitely something familiar about the growling giant with the fishbowl helmet. Aoko (complete with a thick, navy blue scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, she is so prepared for this cold business) pokes her head out a little from behind the piece of debris she'd been hiding behind. ]

Uhm, hi there!

[ So, Agent Maine, how often is it that you find yourself being addressed by plucky teenage girls? ]

[notyourrookie]

There you are.

[His voice is taut when he finally spots the Meta, cold and angry. He's so close and he isn't about to let those goddam sim Soldiers fuck him over again. Once Epsilon is handed over he is getting out of here and not looking back.]

Get your act together. We're close.

Day 1 - CRAU (Kyriakos: Amnesia Game) Agent Washington - OTA

[purrtylittlewires]

[Well, here is a Wash. Sans the usual armor, and seems to almost be dressed like a butler or something. An awful lot of cream in that outfit, does he even like that color?]

[Oddness of dress aside, he also seems entirely unsurprised by everything that is happening right now. In fact, he seems more put upon than anything.] Iota? This one of yours? Why can't I remember responding to a Call? [He seems to be talking to the ceiling.]

[And waiting for the response.]

[When none comes, he sighs.] Poking thing until objective makes itself known it is...

[And now he's gonna walk around, poking everything, and studying portals, but not walking through any quite yet.]

[justichthys]

[ So, here's an unfamiliar soldier wearing a modified version of the War Master MJOLNIR armor, decorated in what just might be familiar shades of blue and cream. Their helmet is on, it's impossible to tell who might be behind it … but at the very least, it's easy to see that they're a girl. ]

[ And at not-quite six feet in height, she's short for somebody wearing full weight, fully powered MJOLNIR. Weird, huh? ]

[ What might be even weirder is that she's clearly staring. Helmet on, but it's that kind of intent, can't look away, can't see anything except for the object of their focus, stare — the kind that would prickle at the back of the neck of the most unobservant person in the universe. She thinks her hands might be shaking, because that's … it can't be … it can't be possible that she's really seeing him, can it? Not after all of this time. Not after everything she's been through, everything she's seen and done. She'd always held onto that hope, but this – this … this is— ]

[ God, no. Breathe. It feels like her mind is skipping and scratching like a dusty old record, and she's so torn between tackling him to the ground and running that for a long moment, she can't move a muscle. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

[Of course he noticed the staring. Pretty quickly, because it was very intent staring, and he looks over because he can't risk playing dumb in a game, not at the beginning.]

[He pauses. He knows the armor. But...with Oak, and Epsilon, any Echo could have copied and varied it. Especially after the AU game.]

...hello? [Was it a NPC?

Day 3 | North (Everyone Lives AU) | OTA

[shieldsniper]

[It's been a weird couple of days, North reflects. This dimension hopping business only the latest on a long list of things. But then, North has come to accept that weird is a way of life and once it comes for you, it's not letting go. Wash hadn't been kidding when he said the Reds and Blues had that effect, but North was finding that he didn't seem to mind as much. It made things more exciting.

However, he hadn't really expected to wind up at the Mother of Invention crash site. That was a long time ago, by his reckoning and he could have sworn he'd been dreaming. He'd mostly kept his distance from people, not entirely sure who to trust or how they would react to him (as he recalled he was listed as dead). Instead he'd tried working on his own teleporter, trying to find a way back to Chorus, back to the people that needed him.]

Of all the times not to have a phillips-head screwdriver...

[ooc: North comes from my Everyone Lives AU (found here). Largely canon compliant, he comes from around mid-season 12 (after Carolina appears and rescues everyone).]

Re: Day 3 | North (Everyone Lives AU) | OTA

[purrtylittlewires]

[If there's one thing Kyriakos has taught him, go for the weird, out of the way places, because there's secrets there. So he's been exploring the area pretty thoroughly since his arrival and has stumbled upon North.]

Oak?

[So, that would be Wash. Out of armor and dressed like a butler for some reason? He's looking over North thoughtfully, worriedly, but pauses.]

Or...no, your armor is the normal color, you probably don't recognize that name?

[He also seems a lot more...relaxed, probably, than the Wash North is used to. He still looks like he could use a nap, but there's a lot less....walls of defensiveness five ways to Sunday. More like two and a half.]

[shieldsniper]

Huh?

[North looks up from where he's been fiddling with the transporter and is taken aback, in more ways that one. He recognized the voice but he hadn't expected Wash. The last time he'd seen the other freelancer was, well, when the ship crashed. And he hadn't been in the best shape then.

All things considered, North probably should have expected it, given the aforementioned weirdness.]

Wash? What's with the get-up?

[notyourrookie]

[He's been trudging for what feels like hours. No sign of the Meta. No sign of Epsilon or the Reds and Blues.

He rounds a corner, looking for someone, anyone who should be here.

What he gets instead is purple armour so familiar it makes him ache, and a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He stares for a long moment, and then moves to turn away.]

Fuck no. I'm not dealing with this.

[Hallucinations. Not again. Not now.]

[shieldsniper]

[Unfortunately for Wash, North recognizes that voice and turns around and sees the familiar armour. Even though it's been months, for him at least, he still can't help but feel some sense of relief, some reminder that he's not alone in the universe.

Despite all the weirdness that's been going on.]

Wash! You wrapped up in all this to?

[Sorry Agent Washington, you have an North coming over to see you, and you are dealing with this.]

Day 1 - Leonard Church

[separationofchurch]

The hell...?

[It's not the most erudite statement but given the circumstances he can forgive himself. Just a second ago he was about to step off his commuter train and now, now he had no idea where he was. It certainly wasn't his neighborhood station. Which meant he wasn't getting home in the next ten minutes like he'd promised... or the next fifteen.

Allison was definitely going to be pissed.]

Re: Day 1 - Leonard Church

[a_better_tomorrow]

[ Stepping out of the de-facto briefing room to find herself surrounded by teleporters was unsettling to say the least. Because clearly, this was exactly what she needed right now.

Something else to go wrong. Hearing a voice from behind her though, had her turning.]

That's what I'd like to know.

[separationofchurch]

Did you just... walk out of that thing?

[Is that really just what he saw? That can't be right, it doesn't seem physically possible.]

Day 1 - Agent Washington - S8

[notyourrookie]

[He hates Sidewinder. Seems fitting then that this is where it's going to end. He's going to take Epsilon back, hand him over, win his freedom so he can finally, finally... well, he hasn't figured that part out yet, he'd never thought that he'd live long enough for 'afterwards' to be an issue, but he'll work something out. The point is that he'll have his record cleared and all of this will be over.

He isn't sure where the blizzard comes from, but it comes in quickly. There's a lurch and then a bright light and when he comes to and can see again, he's alone. The Meta's gone which is fucking worrying when you're working with an obsessive monster. Doc is nowhere to be seen either, but that's less of a worry. They got the information they needed from him. Who cares what happens to him now.

He heads off in what he thinks is the right direction, towards that recovery beacon, rifle in hand.]

Nothing could go wrong with this.

[purrtylittlewires]

[So, the uniform IS made for snowy weather. But Sidewinder is colder than wintery death wonderland that is Nyssa's realm, so he isn't looking to be out in the snow long if he can help it. Still, he's a stubborn bastard and like hell he's not gonna figure out what he's supposed to do.]

[At least, that HAD been his thinking.]

[Until he spots veeeeery familiar armor, and he stops, staring.]

[Hello, Wash, here's another you. Who looks like he could use a nap, but probably looking in a remarkably better state than you otherwise. Except for all that sudden tension, and seriousness on his face, like he's getting ready for a fight.]

[Which he is. Because last time he saw 'himself,' it was his own darkness trying to kill him, but that time, the Shadow wasn't in armor and he doesn't have near enough of his own abilities to take on that bullshit.]

Well, this is just perfect.

Absolutely nothing at all

[notyourrookie]

[He stops at the sight of the other man. Stares. Because that looks like him. Except for the clothing which is... he doesn't know what it is but it isn't armour and it isn't practical.

Why does this guy look like him? Not just similar, but almost identical.

Wash aims the rifle at him, just in case. Doesn't know what's going on, but he knows damn well that he'll fight if he has to.]

Who are you?

[justichthys]

[ Aoko doesn't know where she is. ]

[ … But that's okay. When you've lived the past half year in Kyriakos, you get used to finding yourself in impossible situations. Her uniform, complete with thick blue scarf tucked snugly around her neck, and cream-colored cloak with … cat eats? … on the hood, is enough to keep her warm-ish in the snow, and the pendant she wears should keep her safe. ]

[ Still, she perks up when she sees movement, raising a hand and waving it. Too late does she recognize what—who—she's waving at. Too late does she realize that it might have been a bad idea. Too late. She's committed now. ]

Hi! Uhm, hello! Excuse me?

[notyourrookie]

[This fucking weather. Once his record is cleared, he is going somewhere where it never, ever snows. No desert either. Somewhere with actual seasons.

He turns when someone calls out to him and stares. What the hell is that girl wearing?]

What?

Day...pick a day

[drivetosurvive]

[He's running. When is he not running? There's always something to do, somewhere to go. Has to keep going and looking and moving. And the next thing he knows, he barrels through a door that--that must have been a teleporter, because there's now a room FULL of them. It's jarring when he grinds to a halt, the microgravity emitters in his armor momentarily flaring to help him stop without flipping himself end over end.

This...is bad news. He can figure it out later, with some calm and patience. Things he thankfully has plenty of. But they should start from the beginning, and when he backtracks carefully through the doorway he came from, he finds himself--

at the snow and ice and smoking wreckage of the Mother of Invention.]

No. [He's got his pistol in hand, barrel up so he doesn't let any itchy trigger fingers get the better of him.] No, this isn't right. We can't be here. Phi! Status report.

To have traveled as far as we did to get here would require a lot more energy than any known model of teleporter would've been able to handle.

[Agent Vermont, in all his blue and red glory, attempts to make himself a slight bit more scarce.] Wonderful.

Day 1 - Theta Ai (Guns For Hire AU)

[trustandfireworks]

[He doesn't know where he is. One moment he was skating in the park, the next, there was a sharp noise that made him lose his balance and now he's... here. He doesn't want to be here, but when he turned around, all he found was a glowy green rectangle like the many others in the place.

He's tried calling Delta, Omega, all of his siblings except the twins who don't have their own comms. Nothing. Not even static. With each call, the fear in him grew and grew and now he's huddled by the green doorway, clutching his skateboard.]

If you get lost, stay where you are and we'll find you. [That's what Delta had taught him, so it's what he does. Until he can stand it no more. He must have been here for hours, no one's come and eventually he gets up, puts his helmet back on and faces the glowy gateway. Maybe he has to go back through it to get home. It's all he can think of.

Taking a deep breath and holding his board close, he steps through... and is hit with a blast of freezing air, finding himself on a snowy ledge near something that looks rather broken.

This is much worse.]

Re: Day 1 - Theta Ai (Guns For Hire AU)

[purrtylittlewires]

[Well, there's this guy whose wearing a...butler...outfit? Kind of weird.]

[But Wash, or as he prefers to think of himself, Puma, has been investigating his surroundings, returning to the portal to see if he could find out more when he sees...a kid.]

[A kid with a familiar helmet type, which is weird, but it's a KID, in a weird and dangerous situation. There's that unpleasant tight feeling he's getting far too familiar with. Kids shouldn't be in dangerous situations, but it keeps happening.]

[Still, he can do the rational, responsible adult thing, and he approaches.]

Hey, kid, you okay?

[shieldsniper]

[There's something about this kid that's familiar, but North couldn't really say why. Regardless, it's that familiarity that draws him over, and the fact that he's not about to let a kid freeze in such a dismal location.]

You lost?