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maskormenacelogs2015-08-15 10:11 am
restingstitchface) wrote in maskormenacelogs2015-08-15 10:11 am
Entry tags:
- !event log,
- harleen quinzel | harley quinn,
- hiro hamada | n/a,
- jaime reyes | blue beetle,
- jonathan crane | scarecrow,
- kang | n/a,
- knock out | n/a,
- laurie collins | wallflower,
- n/a | the midnighter,
- ruka | n/a,
- tadashi hamada | n/a,
- wanda maximoff | scarlet witch,
- † agent washington | recovery one,
- † akito/agito wanijima | fang king,
- † ana ramir | taranto,
- † anna | princess of arendelle,
- † athos | n/a,
- † aunt cass | n/a,
- † barnaby brooks jr. | n/a,
- † baymax | n/a,
- † beelzemon | n/a,
- † bela talbot | n/a,
- † bruce wayne | batman,
- † carl grimes | n/a,
- † cisco ramon | vibe,
- † claire dearing | n/a,
- † clary fray | shadowhunter,
- † commander shepard | blasto,
- † crocodile | mr. 0,
- † d'artagnan | n/a,
- † dave strider | knight of time,
- † death the kid | n/a,
- † dipper pines | n/a,
- † dorian gray | n/a,
- † edward elric | the fullmetal alchemist,
- † eggsy unwin | n/a,
- † ellie langford | n/a,
- † ellie williams | n/a,
- † euphemia li britannia | n/a,
- † flame princess | n/a,
- † francis urquhart | n/a,
- † garrus vakarian | n/a,
- † glitch | n/a,
- † gogo tomago | n/a,
- † haen hithiel | chatterbug,
- † handsome jack | n/a,
- † harry hart | galahad,
- † hazel lockwood | n/a,
- † heiji hattori | n/a,
- † hermann gottlieb | n/a,
- † hinami fueguchi | n/a,
- † ira gamagori | n/a,
- † isaac gates | felix,
- † jacob taylor | the protector,
- † james jesse | the trickster,
- † jang junseo | n/a,
- † jeff 'joker' moreau | n/a,
- † jesse pinkman | diesel,
- † joel | n/a,
- † john watson | n/a,
- † jonathan joestar | n/a,
- † kaidan alenko | sentinel,
- † kaito kuroba | kaitou kid,
- † kanaya maryam-lalonde | psychopomp,
- † kaneda shotaro | n/a,
- † karen starr | power girl,
- † karkat vantas | knight of blood,
- † kasumi goto | n/a,
- † kay faraday | great thief yatagarasu,
- † ken amada | n/a,
- † kitty jones | n/a,
- † klarion bleak | n/a,
- † krieg | the psycho,
- † kristin kringle | n/a,
- † lucifer | n/a,
- † lucy pevensie | the valiant,
- † mabel pines | n/a,
- † magicman | n/a,
- † maria thorpe | n/a,
- † marian hawke | andraste's mabari,
- † mary watson | chímaira,
- † mathieu carver | shadow,
- † matthew lin | abduxel,
- † max masters | the mighty one,
- † mewtwo | n/a,
- † michael jon carter | booster gold,
- † minato arisato | n/a,
- † mitchell hundred | the great machine,
- † motoko kusanagi | the major,
- † newton geiszler | n/a,
- † normie osborn | n/a,
- † nysrog | n/a,
- † olivier armstrong | ice queen,
- † peggy carter | miss union jack,
- † peter pan | n/a,
- † peter parker | spider-man,
- † peter quill | star-lord,
- † qubit | n/a,
- † riza hawkeye | the hawk's eye,
- † rose lalonde | seer of light,
- † roxy lalonde | rogue of void,
- † roy mustang | the flame alchemist,
- † sabriel | abhorsen,
- † sarah manning | n/a,
- † steve rogers | captain america,
- † tachikoma | n/a,
- † tara markov | terra,
- † teddy altman | hulkling,
- † teresa | n/a,
- † tetsuo shima | n/a,
- † the red plains rider | n/a,
- † thomas | n/a,
- † tiffany doggett | n/a,
- † tobias matthews | n/a,
- † tooru mutsuki | eyepatch,
- † touka kirishima | rabbit,
- † traci thirteen | n/a,
- † wally west | kid flash,
- † wasabi | n/a,
- † winry rockbell | n/a
Fearfest 2k15
WHO: YOU!
WHERE: De Chima University; exhibition center and campus grounds.
WHEN: Saturday August 15th, 4.45pm start.
WHAT: A registration at the annual technology fair, with a fireworks display!
WARNINGS: Non-consensual use of fear toxin, disturbing mental images, cannibalism and violence. Characters are going to be a psychological mess.
WHERE: De Chima University; exhibition center and campus grounds.
WHEN: Saturday August 15th, 4.45pm start.
WHAT: A registration at the annual technology fair, with a fireworks display!
WARNINGS: Non-consensual use of fear toxin, disturbing mental images, cannibalism and violence. Characters are going to be a psychological mess.
"A kind of light spread out from her. And everything changed color. And the world opened out. And a day was good to awaken to. And there were no limits to anything. And the people of the world were good and handsome. And I was not afraid any more."
- John Steinbeck, East of Eden.
Disunity had been the aim of last month's game. Secrets and lies and truths in fiction. Suspicions in minds. Doubts on tongues. Gossip block-printed in rags. Newspapers, from tabloids to broadsheets, had carried the news; some left-leaning publications had made a greater dinner of the expose than others. Scandalous magazines and imPort celebrity weeklies showed versions of the same 'exclusive', and many daytime shows pandered to the demographic who believed there was nothing to worry about if you had nothing to hide.
The last swearing-in of the summer has people gathering in the Exhibition Center of De Chima University, where certain imPorts have worked before. Spread out over the campus, every imPort will rub shoulders with the local students and faculty of the School of Applied Technology. Inside they will see a staircase with an events banner strung over the atrium. Outside there are modern interpretations of classical statues, on square plinths, and inside there's metal sculptures of scientific and technological principles. Rules discovered by those who studied the world they lived in; procedures and concepts of both organic and inorganic forces. Next to them are standing banners flapping in the breeze, tied to weights, to which blue, purple and silver balloons have been tied with thin string.
The Exhibition Center, located next to the park, is hosting the annual highlights of scientific progress this Saturday evening. The spacious Exhibition Hall that occupies most of the interior space serves as the focal point for the annual technology fair, and expects a smart-casual dress code. The focus of this evening is on medical technology and the benefits imPort involvement can bring. People are free to wander in and out of the building as they wish. The forecast is for a warm, clear evening, with no coastal wind or rain to bring cool relief. People are also free to wander around the center to explore rooms and corridors not locked and bolted to the crowd. Everyone is free to investigate for troublemakers or to cut through the crowd - or to see what isn't locked down and there for thieving. But try not to be caught by the security cameras!
If you climb upstairs or catch a lift to the upper levels of the Center, you will be able to access the grand and expansive glass floor that gives you a bird's eye view of the Exhibition Hall far below - if you've got the guts! There's a stack of supplies stored behind a large exhibition banner attached to the far wall, and you may peek inside to check them out. There's nothing that seems suspicious. A couple of anti-flammable canisters, containing nothing more suspicious than foam. Just try to enjoy the sights beneath your feet.
- John Steinbeck, East of Eden.
Disunity had been the aim of last month's game. Secrets and lies and truths in fiction. Suspicions in minds. Doubts on tongues. Gossip block-printed in rags. Newspapers, from tabloids to broadsheets, had carried the news; some left-leaning publications had made a greater dinner of the expose than others. Scandalous magazines and imPort celebrity weeklies showed versions of the same 'exclusive', and many daytime shows pandered to the demographic who believed there was nothing to worry about if you had nothing to hide.
The last swearing-in of the summer has people gathering in the Exhibition Center of De Chima University, where certain imPorts have worked before. Spread out over the campus, every imPort will rub shoulders with the local students and faculty of the School of Applied Technology. Inside they will see a staircase with an events banner strung over the atrium. Outside there are modern interpretations of classical statues, on square plinths, and inside there's metal sculptures of scientific and technological principles. Rules discovered by those who studied the world they lived in; procedures and concepts of both organic and inorganic forces. Next to them are standing banners flapping in the breeze, tied to weights, to which blue, purple and silver balloons have been tied with thin string.
The Exhibition Center, located next to the park, is hosting the annual highlights of scientific progress this Saturday evening. The spacious Exhibition Hall that occupies most of the interior space serves as the focal point for the annual technology fair, and expects a smart-casual dress code. The focus of this evening is on medical technology and the benefits imPort involvement can bring. People are free to wander in and out of the building as they wish. The forecast is for a warm, clear evening, with no coastal wind or rain to bring cool relief. People are also free to wander around the center to explore rooms and corridors not locked and bolted to the crowd. Everyone is free to investigate for troublemakers or to cut through the crowd - or to see what isn't locked down and there for thieving. But try not to be caught by the security cameras!
If you climb upstairs or catch a lift to the upper levels of the Center, you will be able to access the grand and expansive glass floor that gives you a bird's eye view of the Exhibition Hall far below - if you've got the guts! There's a stack of supplies stored behind a large exhibition banner attached to the far wall, and you may peek inside to check them out. There's nothing that seems suspicious. A couple of anti-flammable canisters, containing nothing more suspicious than foam. Just try to enjoy the sights beneath your feet.
MEDTEC - the National Exhibition for AMERICAN Medical Technology
With the minutes passing by, with hundreds of figures in the crowd moving between the Exhibition Hall and the various function rooms, the event seems to pass without celebration or accident. That is no promise the evening will be uneventful.
REGISTRATION - 4.45PM - 8PM
The doors are thrown open to the crowd, who are free to collect their passes in advance from any available kiosk, or by digital means; electronic tickets on their phones to hard passes collected from the mailman or the University's box office. For those last-minute registrations, passes are available just inside the doors. Feel free to arrive early or wander in ten minutes before closing. It's all good!
MEDTEC - 4.45PM - 8PM
Get out on the floor. You are free to watch any of the displays local companies and R+D have to offer. This is a good time to watch the crowds or to slip out for a visit to the rest of the center. If you wander upstairs, you'll find locked corridors and rooms. But feel free to wander towards the glass ceiling that's above the Exhibition Hall.
Companies who provide to both civilians and the military are here - though you'll notice a lack of high-level technology for the latter. There's a hexagonal stage at the back of the Exhibition Hall that's standing ready for the imPort displays coming later. Please do not touch the tech if signs say not to. But don't think that means you can't try.
IMPORT DISPLAYS - 6.30PM - 8PM
The stage is lit. You may want to head over if you wish to see what your fellow imPorts have cooked up - or even to put on your own show! You'll get an explanation about the cash prizes on offer, and the scholarships. Or you'll wonder why you're watching this ass-patting when there's hardly an inch of space anywhere around the stage.
DRINKS AND NETWORKING - 8PM - 9PM
The Exhibition Hall is closed. The function room next door is thrown open for imPort milling. Make friends around the tables and order free food and drinks from the bar. Sit back, throw your feet up and take a load off. Lighten up! You're here to let your hair down. Please listen out for the public address that announces the upcoming awards show in Conference Room 2, and the fireworks display that's scheduled at 9:10pm outside. You'll get a good view of it from the park.
UNIVERSITY GROUNDS - 8PM
To those exploring the grounds outside the center. Have fun. The balmy night is perfect for walking around without a jacket. Feel free to sling it over your shoulder and enjoy the hot summer air. How the hell is it this warm, anyway? Don't jump in the fountain by the park, kids. Don't put bubble-bath or soap in it, either. Go past it and check out the park, or not. 7You may like to step back into the city. Just be careful of the traffic.
You are free to avoid the main roads for smaller side-streets, but that won't help you. The trash bins hold too much litter. You may wish to investigate them, but will find nothing. But much of the urban area and parkland is turned to a new, sinister purpose. There are minute bombs hidden in drains, or in flower baskets. In every miniscule place in the corner of your eye that escapes your notice. Timed devices primed to detonate in sync with the green and yellow fireworks overhead.
At 9.30PM, the earth will seem to split open and rumble. People screech and shriek about a range of hallucinations; from finding their loved one's body in the city morgue, to being the meal for a pack of monsters, to a flock of crows diving from the railings and rooftops to rip them apart. Those terrified of spiders see nothing but; on the floor, in windows, crawling up the walls. Some folk cough and splutter. Unable to breathe, they suffer a heart attack and can die on the spot. Others are given to a frenzy by the gas, and some experience flashbacks to hideous crimes - except they are the lunatic responsible for murdering children, or the killer stalking people through the streets at night.
It smells of pollution. It smells of fireworks. It smells of street food. There's the sound of blaring horns due to the traffic. There's the smell of fire, caused by the delirious rioting, and blood spilled by those around them, whom they cannot see. The gas enters cars, apartments and buildings with their windows open; the chaos echoes indoors as much as out. Those driven to a murderous lunacy pursue other victims of the gas through a twisted, nightmare version of their neighborhood, and violently resist any calls to cease and desist.
The gas hangs heavy on the air and fills the campus, engulfing the streets, entering the university buildings and student apartments. People around you are panicking, violent, delirious. You might experience what they do. You might hear the screaming, the illegible yelling and see cowering people talking of spiders, ghosts and scarecrows. You might rush indoors to help. You might meet friends who you wish to kill. Or you might run off in a manic state - unable to realize you're running into open traffic. Oh dear.
AWARDS - 9PM
Celebration time. The University has arranged a judging panel that has deliberated on the technology imPorts put on offer - this is the hour where your contributions to local society are being noticed and celebrated. Between the floor and stage, to the assembled chairs and technological displays dotted around the vacant exhibition hall, there's little standing room. You're free to stare down from the glass ceiling high above, or to stand at the back of the crowd below, but don't crowd the doors.
At 9.30PM, with the judges leaving the hexagonal stage so the Head of Applied Technology can present the first award, you might hear a loud hiss of air. A gas leak! The particles are colorless till they meet the oxygen in the room and form a grey cloud that fills every inch of space, from the upper echelons of the ceiling above the glass, to the chairs and the floor down below.
It doesn't smell, and the effects are instantaneous. All noises and images will twist and warp. You might find the neon lights burn as hot as sun-fire. You might see the room on fire and hear the horrific screaming of those trapped and dying in the ruined building you now find yourself in. Perhaps you smell ashes. Or perhaps you smell saltwater and brine - you're drowning! Or you might be one of the few. The brave. The unaffected. Look around and you will see some in the crowd clawing their faces to oust whatever they think is wriggling beneath their skin. They scream and they cry. Others devour their own skin, suffering from hunger - or they eat the flesh of others. They turn on each other. They turn on you.
If that's not enough there's a different show in store. You might be unfortunate enough to be on the glass floor when it kicks off. Enjoy it or don't. It's all the same.
FIREWORKS - 9PM
Ten minutes past the hour, as a loud bang echoes for each firework shot into the night, the sky over the park is filled with the sort of brilliance one would only see on the Fourth of July. You might ask what's a nighttime event without fireworks, anyway?
For that charming couple on their date, to the curious student, an extravagant display comes on the rocket-propelled tails of rockets and bombs and flares. Look to the sky and lose yourselves in the colors as they appear - crimson stars and butterflies, and the pink crackling comets that leave behind a tail of effects. A red geometric circle of lines and dots glitter and break apart into smaller circles, then scatter and disappear, their fuel and powder spent. Memories of the sight are left behind; the smoke barely visible overhead; the smoldering gunpowder - and the warm company of whoever you're with. Perhaps you're one of those unafraid to visit such events alone. Perhaps you have a brilliant memory and the sight has burned itself into your eyes. One display follows another till the last; the end of a 25 minute display mentioned over the public address and published in the brochure.
At 9.30PM, the fireworks fizzle out. The display is over. It should be over. Then there's one more show - a collection of rockets and flares colored in yellows and greens, the colors one associates with poison and sees in cornfields. The colors are sickly and nausea-inducing as they explode in the night sky. It's just another display, right? Then cracks appear in the sky itself! All the yellows and greens, blacks and blues run into the white, hollow emptiness.
Perhaps you believe those eyes in the firmament are real. Or you're part of the crowd who believes the entire sky is falling down. A stampede breaks out. The slow are trampled underfoot. Students, faculty and guests stand shock-still. Some are clawing at their eyes. Others cannot contain themselves and empty their lungs with unfocused wailing. From the sky fall shards of glass. A flood of color threatens a deluge, even as the smoke and particles of the toxic gas contained in those green and yellow fireworks are carried by the wind over the locality.
AFTERMATH - 12:30AM AND ON
There's a collection of police, emergency services and reporters in a boundary around the university area and affected streets. Safe on the edge of the gas cloud, they are evacuating the surrounding areas. Ambulances and stretchers are ready for the wounded; RISE and any relevant factions may be helping with the chaos - or caught up in it themselves.
You might be trapped within the gas, cowering in fear. You might irrationally run into the lights you see in the haze, not knowing what you are seeing or the faces that watch you scramble by, screaming illegibly. You might be directing others in the chaos. You might be one of the people driven manic by it all. You might emerge from the mist with blood on your hands. You might recall how it got there. You might not. But you won't forget this night, will you?
With the minutes passing by, with hundreds of figures in the crowd moving between the Exhibition Hall and the various function rooms, the event seems to pass without celebration or accident. That is no promise the evening will be uneventful.
REGISTRATION - 4.45PM - 8PM
The doors are thrown open to the crowd, who are free to collect their passes in advance from any available kiosk, or by digital means; electronic tickets on their phones to hard passes collected from the mailman or the University's box office. For those last-minute registrations, passes are available just inside the doors. Feel free to arrive early or wander in ten minutes before closing. It's all good!
MEDTEC - 4.45PM - 8PM
Get out on the floor. You are free to watch any of the displays local companies and R+D have to offer. This is a good time to watch the crowds or to slip out for a visit to the rest of the center. If you wander upstairs, you'll find locked corridors and rooms. But feel free to wander towards the glass ceiling that's above the Exhibition Hall.
Companies who provide to both civilians and the military are here - though you'll notice a lack of high-level technology for the latter. There's a hexagonal stage at the back of the Exhibition Hall that's standing ready for the imPort displays coming later. Please do not touch the tech if signs say not to. But don't think that means you can't try.
IMPORT DISPLAYS - 6.30PM - 8PM
The stage is lit. You may want to head over if you wish to see what your fellow imPorts have cooked up - or even to put on your own show! You'll get an explanation about the cash prizes on offer, and the scholarships. Or you'll wonder why you're watching this ass-patting when there's hardly an inch of space anywhere around the stage.
DRINKS AND NETWORKING - 8PM - 9PM
The Exhibition Hall is closed. The function room next door is thrown open for imPort milling. Make friends around the tables and order free food and drinks from the bar. Sit back, throw your feet up and take a load off. Lighten up! You're here to let your hair down. Please listen out for the public address that announces the upcoming awards show in Conference Room 2, and the fireworks display that's scheduled at 9:10pm outside. You'll get a good view of it from the park.
UNIVERSITY GROUNDS - 8PM
To those exploring the grounds outside the center. Have fun. The balmy night is perfect for walking around without a jacket. Feel free to sling it over your shoulder and enjoy the hot summer air. How the hell is it this warm, anyway? Don't jump in the fountain by the park, kids. Don't put bubble-bath or soap in it, either. Go past it and check out the park, or not. 7You may like to step back into the city. Just be careful of the traffic.
You are free to avoid the main roads for smaller side-streets, but that won't help you. The trash bins hold too much litter. You may wish to investigate them, but will find nothing. But much of the urban area and parkland is turned to a new, sinister purpose. There are minute bombs hidden in drains, or in flower baskets. In every miniscule place in the corner of your eye that escapes your notice. Timed devices primed to detonate in sync with the green and yellow fireworks overhead.
At 9.30PM, the earth will seem to split open and rumble. People screech and shriek about a range of hallucinations; from finding their loved one's body in the city morgue, to being the meal for a pack of monsters, to a flock of crows diving from the railings and rooftops to rip them apart. Those terrified of spiders see nothing but; on the floor, in windows, crawling up the walls. Some folk cough and splutter. Unable to breathe, they suffer a heart attack and can die on the spot. Others are given to a frenzy by the gas, and some experience flashbacks to hideous crimes - except they are the lunatic responsible for murdering children, or the killer stalking people through the streets at night.
It smells of pollution. It smells of fireworks. It smells of street food. There's the sound of blaring horns due to the traffic. There's the smell of fire, caused by the delirious rioting, and blood spilled by those around them, whom they cannot see. The gas enters cars, apartments and buildings with their windows open; the chaos echoes indoors as much as out. Those driven to a murderous lunacy pursue other victims of the gas through a twisted, nightmare version of their neighborhood, and violently resist any calls to cease and desist.
The gas hangs heavy on the air and fills the campus, engulfing the streets, entering the university buildings and student apartments. People around you are panicking, violent, delirious. You might experience what they do. You might hear the screaming, the illegible yelling and see cowering people talking of spiders, ghosts and scarecrows. You might rush indoors to help. You might meet friends who you wish to kill. Or you might run off in a manic state - unable to realize you're running into open traffic. Oh dear.
AWARDS - 9PM
Celebration time. The University has arranged a judging panel that has deliberated on the technology imPorts put on offer - this is the hour where your contributions to local society are being noticed and celebrated. Between the floor and stage, to the assembled chairs and technological displays dotted around the vacant exhibition hall, there's little standing room. You're free to stare down from the glass ceiling high above, or to stand at the back of the crowd below, but don't crowd the doors.
At 9.30PM, with the judges leaving the hexagonal stage so the Head of Applied Technology can present the first award, you might hear a loud hiss of air. A gas leak! The particles are colorless till they meet the oxygen in the room and form a grey cloud that fills every inch of space, from the upper echelons of the ceiling above the glass, to the chairs and the floor down below.
It doesn't smell, and the effects are instantaneous. All noises and images will twist and warp. You might find the neon lights burn as hot as sun-fire. You might see the room on fire and hear the horrific screaming of those trapped and dying in the ruined building you now find yourself in. Perhaps you smell ashes. Or perhaps you smell saltwater and brine - you're drowning! Or you might be one of the few. The brave. The unaffected. Look around and you will see some in the crowd clawing their faces to oust whatever they think is wriggling beneath their skin. They scream and they cry. Others devour their own skin, suffering from hunger - or they eat the flesh of others. They turn on each other. They turn on you.
If that's not enough there's a different show in store. You might be unfortunate enough to be on the glass floor when it kicks off. Enjoy it or don't. It's all the same.
GOGO - 9.30PM - 10PM
At 9.30PM, you may think the metal warping around you is just another part of the hallucination. But it's real. The expo hall groans as the walls react to another power, and the displays twist as if a greater force is squeezing them and pulling.
Before too long, the smaller things rattle and jump back and forth across the room. Pens, instruments, small change, etc; even piercings will tug at the skin with increasing force until they may just rip out to join the rising storm of metal. You can stay and test your luck, dodging unpredictable attacks, or you can risk escaping into the night, out from underneath an increasingly unstable roof. Just pray the decoration in the hall doesn't crash into you as you flee.
At 10PM, the stress of the chaos is finally too much for the expo hall. The supports have twisted beyond recognition, the walls damaged by their own warping and displays crashing into them at force. There's a loud crack as one of the supports snaps under the weight of the glass ceiling and with a heavy shudder the whole network starts to unravel and sends the ceiling crashing down. Anyone on the second floor may be lucky enough to get out of the way before it drops, or perhaps they can grab hold of a railing that will creak under their weight.
Or maybe you are one of the unlucky ones who rides the glass from above, all the way to where it shatters across the floor.
At 9.30PM, you may think the metal warping around you is just another part of the hallucination. But it's real. The expo hall groans as the walls react to another power, and the displays twist as if a greater force is squeezing them and pulling.
Before too long, the smaller things rattle and jump back and forth across the room. Pens, instruments, small change, etc; even piercings will tug at the skin with increasing force until they may just rip out to join the rising storm of metal. You can stay and test your luck, dodging unpredictable attacks, or you can risk escaping into the night, out from underneath an increasingly unstable roof. Just pray the decoration in the hall doesn't crash into you as you flee.
At 10PM, the stress of the chaos is finally too much for the expo hall. The supports have twisted beyond recognition, the walls damaged by their own warping and displays crashing into them at force. There's a loud crack as one of the supports snaps under the weight of the glass ceiling and with a heavy shudder the whole network starts to unravel and sends the ceiling crashing down. Anyone on the second floor may be lucky enough to get out of the way before it drops, or perhaps they can grab hold of a railing that will creak under their weight.
Or maybe you are one of the unlucky ones who rides the glass from above, all the way to where it shatters across the floor.
FIREWORKS - 9PM
Ten minutes past the hour, as a loud bang echoes for each firework shot into the night, the sky over the park is filled with the sort of brilliance one would only see on the Fourth of July. You might ask what's a nighttime event without fireworks, anyway?
For that charming couple on their date, to the curious student, an extravagant display comes on the rocket-propelled tails of rockets and bombs and flares. Look to the sky and lose yourselves in the colors as they appear - crimson stars and butterflies, and the pink crackling comets that leave behind a tail of effects. A red geometric circle of lines and dots glitter and break apart into smaller circles, then scatter and disappear, their fuel and powder spent. Memories of the sight are left behind; the smoke barely visible overhead; the smoldering gunpowder - and the warm company of whoever you're with. Perhaps you're one of those unafraid to visit such events alone. Perhaps you have a brilliant memory and the sight has burned itself into your eyes. One display follows another till the last; the end of a 25 minute display mentioned over the public address and published in the brochure.
At 9.30PM, the fireworks fizzle out. The display is over. It should be over. Then there's one more show - a collection of rockets and flares colored in yellows and greens, the colors one associates with poison and sees in cornfields. The colors are sickly and nausea-inducing as they explode in the night sky. It's just another display, right? Then cracks appear in the sky itself! All the yellows and greens, blacks and blues run into the white, hollow emptiness.
Perhaps you believe those eyes in the firmament are real. Or you're part of the crowd who believes the entire sky is falling down. A stampede breaks out. The slow are trampled underfoot. Students, faculty and guests stand shock-still. Some are clawing at their eyes. Others cannot contain themselves and empty their lungs with unfocused wailing. From the sky fall shards of glass. A flood of color threatens a deluge, even as the smoke and particles of the toxic gas contained in those green and yellow fireworks are carried by the wind over the locality.
AFTERMATH - 12:30AM AND ON
There's a collection of police, emergency services and reporters in a boundary around the university area and affected streets. Safe on the edge of the gas cloud, they are evacuating the surrounding areas. Ambulances and stretchers are ready for the wounded; RISE and any relevant factions may be helping with the chaos - or caught up in it themselves.
You might be trapped within the gas, cowering in fear. You might irrationally run into the lights you see in the haze, not knowing what you are seeing or the faces that watch you scramble by, screaming illegibly. You might be directing others in the chaos. You might be one of the people driven manic by it all. You might emerge from the mist with blood on your hands. You might recall how it got there. You might not. But you won't forget this night, will you?
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Gogo! Hey, where have you been? Are— Okay, no, you're clearly not okay. What's—
[ He glances around for someone to call help, but spots the handprint in the metal instead. ]
...Gogo, what's going on...
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It's probably clear to him of all people that she's on something. And not just on it, but on way WAY too much of it. Upon closer inspection there needle marks on her neck and arm. Most of them professional and barely noticeable but one on her arm was ragged from struggle.
If her grip is any indication she is NOT strong enough to have bent the metal on her own, though it's clearly her handprint.]
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Okay. Okay, we're going to get you out of here. Whatever happened, we're gonna fix it, okay? Come on, just hang onto me, I've got you.
[ He's staying surprisingly calm for the fact that he's absolutely panicked. ]
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N-n-no...
[She's not the one in danger, everyone else is. Gotta...gotta get everyone out before she can't hold on anymore. The whole building sings to her senses. Metal. Metal everywhere.
The railing rattles a little in place and with a slight creak it bends about fifteen degrees towards them.]
C-ca-ca-...
[She chokes a little on air trying to get the words out. What was she saying? God, her head felt like cotton and the buzzing was getting worse.]
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[ He eyes the railing warily, not sure what exactly is going on, but that reeeeeally doesn't look like a good sign. ]
What? What do you need?
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She fumbles a hand up under her shirt, searching for the small emergency communicator Bart helped her build. She didn't think she'd ever need it, but in hindsight she is glad she hid it as well as she did. Crane had taken her comm, but he hadn't gone too in depth.
Not that she'd been able to get to it before now anyway.]
Ba...Bar...
[It's getting easier, a little, to focus. She thinks.]
C-call Bar- B...
[God, there are two of them. Why are there two of them? Which one does she need to call?]
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Barry? Do you need me to call Barry?
[ He fumbles his comm out of his pocket, nearly dropping it. Oh, huh, his hands are shaking. ]
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She leans on him to use her other hand to vaguely gesture at about head height for Bart.
Finally she finds the small communicator. Nondescript, neutral coloured. Designed to look like a basic wireless headphone but is actually way more high tech than that.
She needs help, she knows that. She promised she'd call if she ever needed help.]
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Gogo! Oh man where are you what're you doing I was starting to get worried I mean I've been set to run cross-country for like a week and haven't been able to get in touch with you which is sooo moded I mean d'you realize how hard it is waiting for stuff like this ugh patience isn't a flash thing we're kinda hardwired for the opposite of it but hey! You're totally messaging so your crash right? [...] Oh wait unless you're messaging 'cause you're not crash that'd... that'd be moded.
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...Bart? Is this Bart Allen?
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[AGH whatever. There's a quick pause on his end (less than a normal person second, so long as we're counting) before Bart's voice comes across a little more focused, a little more serious.] How'd you get this comm? [Bart focus, you at least partially recognize this guy's voice] Where's Gogo?
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[ He glances over at her, still helping hold her up and keep her on her feet. She's still disoriented and. Well. Strung out. He also gives that railing another uneasy glance. At least it hasn't moved anymore. ]
I don't know what's wrong with her. I haven't heard from her in days, but I just found her like this, and she's— she's pretty messed up, dude. She was insisting she call you, but she can barely talk. Can you find us? We're near the judging for the expo, in the middle of the crowd.
puts head in hands over stupid grammar
Okay. [The sound's a little distorted, though with the mic and speaker Cisco's listening on, it's clearer than it would be with just the comm. After all, the device he'd given to Gogo is designed to work with picking up sound at higher speeds.] Okay. Right. I can be there in twenty with the crowd just-- just tell her that. I'll be there.
[Running in a crowd has never and will never be a speedster's strong suit. Just brushing against someone would be enough to send them flying, could break bones and bruise even the toughest skin. It never took much of a running start to shoulder into people and have them impact solid cement hard enough to crack it, after all.
But if there's one thing this kid's good at, it's quick stops and starts, it's twisting and turning and ducking under, between, and even sometimes over people and chairs and tables. He's not a bulldozer like Wally, and he doesn't have Barry's height and stature. He's short, scrawny, and actually able to do what he's trying to do here.
So, true to his word, just about twenty seconds after that, he's skidding to a stop in front of Cisco and Gogo, clad head to toe in his Impulse gear and just a little out of breath.]
Hey! [Huff puff huff-- wow Gogo really doesn't look good.] Hey-- [He's moving to Gogo's side in an instant, worry and distress clear on his face as his hands hover near her.] Dude, what happened? [Directing this at you, Cisco, since Gogo looks kinda like she'd been hit over the head with a semi truck.]
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I don't know. I haven't talked to her since Tuesday, even though we had plans, and I just found her over there...
[ He glances over at the bent metal railing she'd stumbled away from, her hand print still as clear in it as if it were modeling clay, not steel. ]
We gotta get her out of here.
[quietly threadjacks]
'pulse...
[Panic is curling up at the base of her skull, she can't breathe, and she doesn't know where she is.
The railing creaks alarming, bending towards them.]
YOU CAN'T THREADJACK YOUR OWN THREAD
Right, I-- I hadn't either.
[He swallows, glancing out to the growing chaos around them, eying the creaking railing a little warily]
I can't carry her. [He takes a breath, wrinkling his nose as he pretty much instantly regrets that.] I mean, I'm not strong enough to really do much. [He shrugs, giving a tense little grin to Cisco before sliding back into serious mission mode. Or, well, as serious as he can be.] Have you called anyone else? Gramps? I think she has some friends who can probably help too.
sure you can
You can't carry her? But— [ He sees the blur again. ] No, no, no... We really have to get out of here!
[ Cisco is rapidly losing his cool here. ]
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Sorry, fast not strong. [For a second, he can almost smell burning corn stalks, can hear deep, rumbling laughter behind him-- but when he glances over his shoulder, there's nothing but the mounting panic and haziness of gas.] But I can- just hold on.
[He squeezes Gogo's hand one more time before opening up the storage compartment in his glove, pulling out his comm, thumbs blurring over it as he goes through his contacts, scrolls the network and picks out people he's seen are from Gogo's world--]
It'll be crash I can get someone to come help they'll be able to get her out of here and we-- [He glances over his shoulder again, feeling his skin start to crawl] We can help with whatever's going on here.
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There's no telling what it hits, but there's a scream from that end of the crowd.
Gogo stops breathing momentarily, panic locking her lungs. It's happening, it's happening, she can't stop it, everything's going to break, people are going to die-]
Nonononononononono no no no no no no
[She clutches at the boys. Her power pulses out of her in a concussive wave, all metal within it's influence bending outwards away from her.]
Run...run run run runrunrun
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What is happening...
[ He glances around, then back to Bart. ]
I don't care if it's fast, just help me carry her out of here. Deal with finding someone else once she's out of the crowd!
[ But the exits are being swarmed with screaming people stampeding their way out, away from whatever real or imagined fears and dangers are surrounding them. At this rate, they're going to be directly in the way of the crush of panicking people, and that can't possibly end well, though Cisco's not entirely sure who it'd be worse for, at this point. ]
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I--
[Gogo's clutching at him, and he feels the metal in his gloves pushing against him, hears the screeching of metal denting around his ears. He stumbles back, just slightly, before the push is over, before he's left a little breathless from the sudden jolt of panic that had surged through him.]
I can't. [Any humor's gone, the gravity of the situation having fully set in, leaving him both looking and sounding legitimately worried.] I can't run with people, I can't even walk with people.