HOW DOES A RAGTAG VOLUNTEER ARMY IN NEED OF A SHOWER...

[maskormods]

WHO: Kidnapped imPorts and their rescuers!
WHERE: A submarine off the coast of Antarctica.
WHEN: January 29th.
WHAT: Kidnapped imPorts have their powers turned on as LACKEY is rendered defunct, and take control of their own fate! In the meantime, their rescue crew is hot on their tail, ready to free them from their underwater prison.
WARNINGS: Mentions of gore and cannibalism; probable violence and death. Please let us know if this needs to be changed! Got any questions? Ask them HERE!



It is January 29th, DAY NINE of the imPorts' kidnappings. Conditions remain mostly the same, but it would not be any surprise if it were to seem worse to the kidnapped imPorts, particularly if their spirits have begun to flag. Their accommodations are just as cramped as they started out as, and without any access to outside life or common luxuries, being stir crazy is the least of their worries. Any food that was not shoved through the slot on the door has been left out in the heat of their bodies to rot, and their washroom circumstances certainly haven't improved over the week.

And to make matters worse, there has been a cannibal -- one or more -- within their midst. Some kidnapped imPorts may have noticed body parts being unceremoniously shoved through the food slot, only to be devoured by Ken Kaneki. Needless to say, these aren't circumstances that anyone wishes to prolong.

Luckily for the imPorts, they'll notice something odd. LACKEY's voice, no matter who it was talking to, will suddenly begin to sputter unnaturally to a halt... and in a sudden surge, each and every imPort will find their powers returning. Just beyond their door are 45 guards inside of the submarine they are trapped in, but with over fifty powered imPorts more than capable of simply ripping the door off of its frames, it's a much less daunting prospect. What will you do from here? Will you kill them, or will you attempt to salvage their lives, though they made no attempts to salvage yours?

Regardless of your actions, help is on the way! The intrepid RESCUERS are en route to the imPorts' location, and not long after their powers have been turned on, they will be reunited, taken care of, and will finally see the sun once more.

Remember, you may play out out all stages of the direct rescue process in this log, including before and after freedom has been achieved!

Once the imPorts have been brought back to the Antarctic Base, they will be instructed to wait for American planes stocked with medical professionals to touch down on Antarctic soil. ImPorts' wounds will be tended to, and they will be flown directly back to their homes, where they will be given further medical care as needed. If they are in possession - or are friends with those in possession of - teleportation or transportation powers, they are free to make their own way home as well! The planes are simply there out of consideration for everyone who will need a more traditional way home.

Comments

[amadaman]

I couldn't tell you.

[He can hear the emotions in Kaneda's voice, and his guts twist with guilt. It's a familiar feeling. His actions hurt people. Even if he did this to help someone, it caused someone else pain because they cared about him. He knew that. He knew that.

He pulls out his Evoker, holding it against his chest, not quite aiming or firing it yet.]

I can't tell you. Not this time. They need this secret.

[rassera]

[It's hard knowing someone got hurt on your watch. Even more so that they agreed to it willingly. More so with Ken, who despite all the respect that he had for him, still felt protective over him.

He couldn't protect him this time.


But it's not that Ken got injured by someone lashing out. This was planned from the start, whatever it was. A back-alley, desperate blood transfusion, a possible lashing out to relieve anger, something else entirely that he doesn't want to think about...

All he could do now was trust that Ken knew what he was doing.]


I won't tell him.


[That's all he says. He doesn't even have to clarify who 'him' is.

Ken knows.



Minato won't find out. Not by his mouth, anyway. Some secrets are best kept.


And some secrets are best left unknown, too.]

Just hurry it up, alright? Can't stand looking at you like you had a fight with a chainsaw. [Despite not even facing Ken's direction, his hand waves flippantly. As if this is taking up some of Kaneda's oh so busy schedule.

You know, in the Antarctic.]

[amadaman]

You don't have to, [Ken says, and he finally raises his Evoker to his head. The muzzle knocks gently against his temple before he pulls the trigger, and Kala-Nemi appears relatively quietly before them. She hangs low enough in the air that she'll be mostly out of other people's sight.

Lowering his gun, Ken holds his hand out to her, and she moves at his will to touch a large, pointed finger to him. The glow of Diarahan is bright as usual, and when Ken looks back at Kaneda after she disappears again, there's some more light back in his eyes. Healed, even if the gross scar on his shoulder might make one think otherwise.]

I'm not going to hide it from him. I'm going to talk to the people involved, and we'll figure out an explanation.

[rassera]

[There's a firm grip on that railing when he says that, eyes trained down on that water, as if he could bore holes into it all the way down to the bottom.

A little bit of that Antarctic ice grips his heart for a moment, shaking it off the moment bad thoughts start to seep into him.


Just because he won't tell you doesn't mean he won't trust you.


And there's some comfort in that. It's not until the glow faces on the corners of his peripheral vision that he turns, arms folded and leaning against the railing.]

Yeah, sure like to see how you gracefully explain this one.

[amadaman]

[And Ken has already turned so he's facing Kaneda, and he meets his eyes, frowning slightly.

I'm not going to hide it from him. He'll explain to Minato because he's his guardian and his leader. Because Minato trusted him, and he had to answer to that trust.

And Kaneda...

He looks down at the ground beneath their feet.]

I can't give you any details. There's someone who depends on it being a secret. I'm sure they got hurt in their world whenever someone found out -- I didn't hear it from them, either. I just figured it out over time.

I did it because I wanted to protect them, so they didn't get hurt, or hurt other people on accident. That's why.

[rassera]

[A soft exhale escapes as he accepts that, nodding once before walking towards him. Ken was protecting someone too, in the end, and he could see that. He'd accept that.

A hand reaches out to place itself on the shoulder opposite of the one just healed, squeezing it tightly for one second.]

Alright.

[And that's all he says, starting to head back.

Or he would, except now he's turning around to point a finger.]

You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days, you know? And don't even think of using Kala-Nemi as one of those shock things they use in surgeries!

[amadaman]

Wait.

[It's out of his mouth before he can stop it, before he registers what Kaneda is saying now or that he even stopped. No, this 'wait' comes out the moment he saw him move -- move away -- and something deeper in his mind moved his body. When he realizes what he's doing, he's already grabbing the hand Kaneda was gesturing to him with.

For a moment, he stares dumbstruck at his own actions, then his mind catches up and -- fuck it -- he goes with it, stepping forward and closer until, when he leans forward, his forehead knocks gently into Kaneda's shoulder. Any closer and the blood on his shoulder would smear on to the other's clothes. Even healed, the closed skin underneath looks anything but normal; it's going to scar badly, a testament to how bad it was in the first place.

But now that it's healed, the adrenaline that was pumping to keep Ken awake isn't working so hard anymore, and it's now that Kaneda might start to feel it: how much Ken's body is trembling, both from the delayed shock to what he'd done, and from the fact that he was stupid enough to give away both of his jackets and the Antarctic chill is nothing to mess around with. But Ken holds on to Kaneda.]

Wait. I know I lied to you. I'm sorry... just, let me stay like this for a second.

[rassera]

[He'd accepted it. It'd taken a lot of swallowed pride and trust, but he'd accepted it. Ken had his own secrets, just like Kaneda had his, and no matter how much he didn't like it, there were some things that had to be kept safe, even from people you trust.

But the Wait. comes immediately after he starts to move, and only when he turns for that hand gesture does he feel one familiar small hand wrap around it. He feels Ken tremble beneath that hold, and how desperately he holds on. It's enough to cause him to stop, arm going limp as those words practically echo between them. And Ken moves forward, and Kaneda stays...

Only to have the boy's head pushed against his shoulder for comfort.

The embrace is surprising, even now with how close they'd gotten, but it's no less unwelcome as he moves to rest his chin on top of that messy mop of brown hair.

Let me stay like this for a second.]

You're something else, you know?


[But it's said softly, almost affectionate as a hand reaches up to hold the back of his head, hand going through that hair as it always did.]

[amadaman]

[It's hair that's sticky and starting to frost over, the chill of the air managing to freeze even the blood that's caked on it. It's mostly the warmth that Ken seeks, shaking and trying to stop his chattering teeth as Kaneda wraps around him. It's scary; this fight is over now, and they're just waiting to go home, but Ken still feels trapped in darkness. This is a tunnel, and he doesn't know the way out; he may be talking deeper into it for all he knows. This battle is over, but the war's just begun.]

Sorry, [he says again, just to have something to say. He wants to stay close and take in the sheer safeness of Kaneda's presence. It's over. The pain is still there, and he can already feel the difference in the way his arms move, but with Kaneda he can be safe. He squeezes his eyes shut and brings his other hand up to grasp Kaneda's jacket tightly.]

I promise. I promise I'm not doing anything to betray you.