janitorscloset | [Event] Introduction to the Nexus / MoI crash

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[Event] Introduction to the Nexus / MoI crash

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Somewhere around that, yeah. [ Clucks her tongue. ] The amnesia makes it hard to tell for sure, but I know that between the jungle and Kyriakos, I was away from home for years. [ And she remembers having her seventeenth birthday at home. ]

Which makes me ... [ mid-thirties. SOME NUMBER IN THE EARLY/MID-THIRTIES. ]

[ She lets the Puma-chan drop for now. For now. ]

...well, still. Eighteen was if I was really talented. I was probably closer to twenty.

[ … or maybe she won't drop it ]

Whatever you say, Puma-chan.

[ It's easier to see the girl she used to be when she smiles like this. It's … also easier to see how much she's grown and changed since then, of course, but at least some things were never truly lost. ]

[Oh my god.]

[He's gonna reach up and REALLY RUFFLE HER HAIR in revenge.]

[ HER HAIR DIDN'T MISS THIS ]

[ ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S TIED BACK INTO A PONYTAIL ]

Hey, hey! Watch it. [ At least this time she isn't freaking out and/or smacking him away. She just ducks back quickly, making a face at him. ] The helmet messes up my hair bad enough without you helping.

It's what you deserve, you cheeky shit. [And he can...swear in front of her. Because she's older, and it makes her Different.]

Hey, you're the one who started it.

[ She turns away to resume walking, tugging her elastic free with one hand so that she can fix her hair up. He … might notice the port. SURE DID END UP WITH ONE OF THOSE AT SOME POINT. ]

Let's find somewhere less open.

Sure, sure, so you sa-

[SCREECH]

[Grabs her shoulder and pulls back a bit to LOOK AT THE BACK OF HER NECK. He did not see it, he DIDN'T.]

[ WHY ]

[ There's a sharp in-take breath, and sudden tension. He's damn lucky he didn't end up with an elbow to the solar plexus for that, but she'd checked herself in time. Just. ]

Must you? [ She lets the breath back out again slowly, holding still. He may need to brush some hair aside to see the port properly – it's just above the old stab wound scar, which is itself just above the band around her neck. ]

What. Is this?

[He's grabbed the ends of her hair, away from her neck, but lifting it up.]

[ Wow, let's count the ways in which Cali does not like this. The only thing stopping her from shoving him away is—it's him. Even after all of these years, she still remembers letting him clean the scratches she's gouged into the back of her own neck. She breathes deep, hands clenched into fists by her sides. She is holding incredibly still. ]

Neural port. [ Exactly the same as his, except she knew better than to try to tear hers out. ] They only let me say "no" for so long.

[He...]

[He has to let go. Let go and take several steps back.]

That....fucking son of a bitch.

[ She spins on heel to face him, hand practically flying to cover the back of her neck protectively. ]

How didn't you know about that? If you knew about Sidewinder — [ Staring openly, as confused as she is spooked. She's as bristled as any skittish cat. ] You should know what he did to … what he did. [ "To me." She can't say it. But he should know, or at least have a basic idea. ]

I didn't want to remember another identity, and he never...he didn't talk about that, so I didn't....rrrrgh.

[And then he punches the wall.]

[And makes a pretty good dent.]

[ Unlike the Aoko of old, California doesn't flinch back, or even bat an eyelid. His knuckles can take it, and it's better he take it out on a wall than another person. ]

... [ It makes sense. Puma had enough voices without one more Wash, and why would Was talk about that stuff if he was trying to drive little Feather away? ]

Look. It happened. I knew most of the risks going in. [ She just hadn't anticipated how much he'd want to push and test and poke and prod. ] The implants at least were SOP for Freelancer. [ Some of the rest of it, not so much. ]

[ She wants to shove her helmet back on. Her fingers twitch, tightening her grip on it. Cover her expression, hide it away, keep the walls up. She resists the impulse with difficulty. ]

You were traumatized, and any psyche professional could see that, and he did it anyway.

[And he doesn't care about his reasons because fuck him, honestly.]

[Maybe just punch the wall a few more times.]

[ After two more hits, she steps in, grabbing his wrist. ] Keep swinging like that and you're gonna take the wall down.

You know what kind of man he was. [ Was. ] And I'm still here, aren't I? He didn't break me.

[Well...his knuckles are bleeding now.] I can just punch the wall behind that then.

Doesn't make it better. He...he shouldn't have ever been able to hurt you.

And bring the ceiling down on our heads? Or maybe some guards? Smart. [ For a moment, she just stares down at Puma's bruised, bleeding knuckles. ]

[ Then she gives him a quick tug, dragging him away from the wall. Just in case. ]

Hey. I'm still here. Stop acting like that isn't important.

I'd love some guards, honestly. [Violence is good for the soul.]

And it IS, it's just....rrrgh.

[ She huffs, unimpressed. ]

I'm sure you would. And if they had guns and armor, and your pendant didn't work, I'd be the one who gets to fight them. [ SHE SOUNDS. SO ENTHUSED. SO VERY ENTHUSED. ]

It's just what?

....

[He lifts up his hand.]

[And bleeding knuckles are healing.]

Well, that's working.

Another reason to hate him.

… [ Well, at least that's something. He'll be able to defend himself if they run into any trouble. ]

He was an asshole. [ She reaches down, quietly unclips her secondary pistol from its mag holster, and offers it to him. Look at her, bro, observing all of the proper gun safety procedures like it's as natural to her as breathing. ] In the end, he lost everything he'd ever had and everything he'd ever dreamed of.

[ Despite everything, she'd pitied him in the end. ]

[Yyyyyay? I think. But he can't complain about GUN.]

[Will take it.]

... [He huffs.] That was the impression I got.

[Because part of him pities the man as much as he hates him.]

[ Wash may have given Cali a lot of bad habits, but at least he helped her be responsible in the field! … Still, she finds herself grateful when he declines to comment on her passing him a weapon. She remembers her old distaste for weapons — honestly, she still feels her old distaste for weapons. ]

So … [ She shrugs, smiling crookedly. ] That’s that, for the most part. [ … Pauses, briefly, casting him a glance out of the corner of her eye. ] Freelancer is finished, but — more of it survived. Connie, York, and Delta are still alive. If any of the other lower ranked agents made it out, they kept their heads down well enough that I haven’t heard anything.

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