BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS, IT MAKES YOU WONDER

[maskormods]

WHO: All imPorts!
WHERE: Nonah, Cape Canaveral, Heropa, Maurtia Falls, and De Chima.
WHEN: February 15th, 2016, all day long.
WHAT: The Soviet Coup begins!
WARNINGS: None so far; let us know if we should change this!



10:45 AM

Something is strange.

Regular imPorts may not be able to put their finger on what's strange immediately, but an odd tension hangs in the air, the feeling of expectation of something bigger. More astute imPorts - or ones that are currently employed in the government - may notice a distinct lack of soldiers patrolling their regular routes and police officers not patrolling the roads. Highly empathetic imPorts might feel that the average locals milling about move more urgently than usual, almost as if they have absorbed the military element that seems to be missing. If your imPorts' coffee shop is regularly attended by government workers, or if your character is used to seeing them marching around their military bases, they will notice nothing too sinister -- just that they're gone. If any choose to attempt to contact military or government officials in their respective offices or on their phones, they will find these officials absent, and they will not be picking up their phones.

Curiously, there are some familiar faces still active in each Porter City's City Hall; middle-management people (clerks and aides, PR people and consultants) that have otherwise quietly went about their business for some time now have quietly set themselves in the head offices, whereas most high-ranking officials have disappeared entirely. Any distinguishing features in these offices -- pictures of families, souvenirs, and other personal goods -- have been thrown out entirely.

There is something in the air, and it isn't love. It's erasure. It's re-writing history.

There are new bosses in town.

1:45 PM

As it turns out, imPorts didn't have to wait long for things to start happening. It begins with an explosion on an empty, closed-off bridge in Heropa. Just construction, the workers on the bridge assure onlookers, and they certainly look like they have the permits, uniforms and equipment to back it up. There were some huge problems with the structural integrity. We'll be fixing it up soon. But you might remember that very bridge had been in use only a week ago. If they attempt to leave the city through other means than the bridge, by interstate road or by any slick body of water, however, they will be met with armed and unusually vicious guards -- still in American military uniforms. They will NOT speak MUCH to you behind their mirror-reflective helmets. There's been a crisis, is all they will say. Exit or entry through these borders is currently prohibited. You might catch wind that other explosions have happened without hours of the bridge's destruction, along roads I-4, I-10, I-295, and I-95.

And that, perhaps, may seem legitimate enough as well... until the same thing begins to happen in De Chima, Maurtia Falls, and Nonah. At each of these locations, major bridges and interstate highways have been completely demolished -- again, underneath the guise of construction. Docks and ports are burned down and rendered useless. There are heavily armed soldiers planted at the borders of each city, each citing the fact that nobody is allowed out due to matters of national security -- which really isn't too far from the truth. You will hear sirens wail and black helicopters gutting the sky overhead.

They say you cannot leave the city, they think you are under lockdown. But they underestimated the local population. At the hour of 8AM, every morning hence, there will be scouting locals who are trying to help people evacuate the imPort cities. De Chima will be through unused Metro tunnels that lead you out of the city. Nonah will be with the help of local Judy Tannis, who is a marine biologist who had constructed a floating cover that looks like debris, and she can get you to South Carolina where you can flee to Mexico. Maurtia Falls has the extensive aid of criminal networks that will move you out through the woods -- just remember that they did you a favor. And Heropa will have a network of suburban soccer moms who will smuggle you to the point of the destroyed exits on the interstate roads and efficiently distract any armed guards so that you might get yourself across that broken road to freedom.

2:55 PM

At this point, even if imPorts are not particularly perceptive, they will notice at least one thing that's different: as the Soviets officially overtake the government buildings that tracks and researches Nanites and allow LACKEY to officially take control, all imPorts will feel a strange, buzzing sensation under their skin in addition to a sudden flood of warmth, as if feverish. It will not hurt, but it will leave them confused and dazed, stuck with a momentary chill in the wake of the heat's absence. For the next five minutes, they will have an odd feeling underneath their skin, like an itch that cannot be satisfied.

By 3:00 PM, this feeling will have abated entirely, and they will feel entirely normal once more.

5:00 PM

The Soviet Union officially announces its takeover. The corresponding IC Post for this can be found HERE.

6:45 PM

Of course, not all information is conducted through television stations; once cable proves to be desolate of any new information, imPorts may take to the Internet to attempt to find out how, exactly, the United States have decided to respond to this conflict. Those who had previously marched with entire fleets of American soldiers may note that while they were all shipped home, the American soldiers remained behind. Where could they be...?

Not in America, it seems. Through the grapevine, imPorts may learn that the FBI has responded, and that the official statement of the American government is that they are attempting to begin negotiations. The safety of our citizens is our highest priority, they say. We will not sacrifice their safety in order to attack the Soviets. The situation is under control.

But looking out into the cities, seeing Soviet uniforms instead of American uniforms at every government institution, it certainly doesn't feel very under control.

What will you do, heroes?

Comments

Max Caulfield | OTA

[timecapture]

Heropa: [She'd felt a tenseness in the air all day, noticed the missing officials, and come 3:00, she'd more than begun to suspect something terrible. Come 5:00, she knew why. Those bastards. Max knew the kidnapping hadn't been it. They must have been planning something all along. How could she have missed it?

Lack of training in these matters, most likely. Even training regularly-ish with Jaime had only been improving her previously nonexistent fighting skills, not prepared her for a coup. But as scared as Max is now (and she is hella scared), she isn't giving up. There's got to be something she can do. She'd done an excellent job appearing to be a model prisoner, despite reaching out for help; perhaps that same strategy would work here.

Okay, it had been less strategy, more her desperately trying not to lose her shit. But whatever. She pulled it off once, she could do it again. Rather than run or hide, she would face it - and even if she still hates violence, there are other ways she can help.

But as far as Max is concerned, the people responsible for this can go straight to Hell.]

[pushtheboundaries]

[once the takeover is announced, Robert flies in to action.

...no, not really. first he swears for about three minutes straight, then he flies in to action, reaching out to his faculty. his defenses aren't nearly ready, they're barely even started; there's no way he can keep his school safe, but it has to go on.

as much as it can.

that done, once he's had another few minutes to calm down...at that point, he can't calm down. this is an exercise in fury and frustration, so Robert does the only thing he can think of;

he takes a walk.

it soon turns in to a run, a jog around campus as he tries to wear himself down physically to give his mind a chance to catch up. don't mind your Headmaster, Max, this is...mostly normal.]

Sabriel | OTA

[bindsthedead]

Maurtia Falls | 1:45

[Sabriel's out for a rather late lunch after her work with RISE- and immediately notices something's off. Mages are taught to be perceptive, and even if there's nothing supernatural about this, it sets her teeth on edge.

She tries talking to the soldiers, politely but firmly.]

If this is a matter of national security, why hasn't RISE been informed? We'd be happy to help with that sort of thing.

[But all her talking and cajoling gets her nothing, and eventually she takes her leave, looking for other imPorts- whether they're her fellow RISE members, or others, to see what they've learned.]

Nonah | 6:45

[As soon as she sees the news, Sabriel locks her doors and windows, and pulls down the blinds. Then she heads into her closet, and starts checking several drawers and cabinets around the house. The repeated disasters faced by imPorts in the entire year Sabriel's been here have left her with a desire to be prepared... along with an assortment of survival gear, a set of armor made from dragon scales, three swords, and a surprising number of knives.

Then she makes a list and heads out to do some shopping... And check in on her fellow Nonah residents.]

[Voice, Private]

[equinamity]

[It's about 1420 when Hawkeye calls Sabriel. She's a good contact in RISE, particularly when she herself has not been near headquarters. The police department has been of absolutely no help today--not a single familiar face. She'd been outright sent home at 0800, told there was too little work to do, told not to come back even after the "construction" issue.

Sabriel, in Marutia Falls, might have an idea if the blockades are spreading. That is the rumor that she's heard, but she'd prefer to confirm it from a reliable source.]

Sabriel? It's Hawkeye. What do you know of the situation?

The largest bridge out of Heropa has been taken out of commission. Major highways are being blockaded. [Unspoken: tell me Marutia Falls is in better condition.]

Manolo Sanchez | OTA

[matadorable]

1:45; Heropa

Manolo had been on the bus to Cape Canaveral when they were suddenly stopped by soldiers and told they weren't allowed to leave under any circumstances. There had been a crisis, apparently, but there was nothing outwardly wrong aside from the heightened security. But who wouldn't feel tense at the soldiers' rough demeanor, their guns, and the way they concealed their faces behind those helmets? Soldiers back home were generally more courteous to the civilians they were sworn to protect...

He really should have head back right away, but Manolo wasn't ready to go home without getting some answers. Still, pestering the soldiers felt a bit like poking a wasps' nest.

"Why do you think they'd need to keep us trapped in the city?" he asked the person next to him.

5:00; Heropa

With his plans for the day basically canceled, Manolo hadn't had much to do except hit up some of the coffee shops he'd started frequenting these days. Thankfully, he was on friendly terms with a lot of the owners in the area, and someone agreed to let him play for patrons for a few hours. At one point, he'd felt a bit ill and had wondered if he shouldn't just call today a wash, but it had cleared up quickly enough, and he'd thrown himself into his music to distract himself as much as it was to comfort other people who were equally unsettled by today's atmosphere.

When the television mounted on the wall finally gave some concrete news, the announcement of an invasion was somehow the last thing he'd expected. After quickly packing up his tips, he began to hurriedly make his way back home.

Any semi-familiar face he bumped into got the same distraught question: "Did you see it?!"

5:00; Heropa

[subourbon]

[Alison has been on edge since she saw the broadcast, and since she can't drink her nerves away, she's opted to try and see if fresh air will help. She's so emotionally brittle that she almost snaps when she hears Manolo's question from out of nowhere, but she softens when she recognizes his face.]

... oh. Hello, Manolo. If you're talking about the announcement, I think everyone's seen it by now.

[equinamity]

Hawkeye hadn't spoken to Manolo since their trip, and with tensions in Heropa so high she'd not had much time to contact him. She is a soldier, after all--an invasion triggers a very different reaction than the one she'd previously been encouraging others to take.

"Yes. First, a declaration of war. Now, a full invasion. They've not kidnapped us this time," Hawkeye replied, shaking her head. "They are holding us hostage."

Batman - De Chima - open

[chiroptophobic]

[ He was aware of what was happening soon enough, alert and patrolling, even though it was daytime. Something was up, and the presence of the batmobile on the streets, glossy and black and slick, was supposed to be a reassurance to De Chima's public in the absence of their own police force, their own military presence.

The car is silent, unless Batman is inclined to have it roar, in which case he throws the sound filters open, vents wide, and the car roars like a monster screaming.

He can be found at a crossroads, engine ticking over, the Batman observing the road in the front seat, or sitting with one finger to his pointed ear, listening to something on the network, or the radio.

And perhaps he's not in his car at all, moving to or from an observation point where he can get a good view of the river crossings. Even in the daytime, he moves from shadow to shadow, taking his own form where he can't be seen by the "workmen" compromising the bridges below. But other onlookers are just fine. ]

[aviate]

[There's a green batsignal in the sky.

This would have worked better if it actually was dark but Hal wasn't going to wait until that long. The sudden announcement of the takeover was concerning and he wanted to hear what Bruce had found as he was the one most likely to know what happened. There had been talk about how the communicators might have been compromised when the kidnappings had taken place and Hal wasn't going to take any chances. He had to go about getting Bruce's attention the old fashioned way. Hence the traditional batsignal.

Following the signal leads to Hal sitting on a roof of an abandoned building swinging his legs off the ledge.]

ronan lynch | ota.

[fuckwashington]

LOCKED TO J. KAVINSKY | 4:30pm

[Ronan is hunting.]

[That makes it sound way cooler than it is. Ronan is hunting a trumped up dickhead who thinks he's hot shit. Ronan is hunting a dead kid. Ronan should be paying more attention; if he were, he'd have put the signs together enough to guess that something is going on. But he's not, because Kavinsky is here.]

[De Chima isn't Henrietta, but it's close enough that Ronan can predict Kavinsky's movements. He checks a few local clubs, the schools with kids still milling about (perfect targets for a dealer). He checks the open spaces under inner city bridges where rich idiots like to run their expensive cars around.]

[He sees the car before he sees Kavinsky. It's parked off to the side, which means Kavinsky's near by. He picks up a rock and throws it right through the front window of that perfect, pristine white Mitsubishi Evo.]

a. DE CHIMA | 6:45pm

[America may not be declaring war on Russia, but Ronan Lynch is.]

[You see that Soviet officer guarding the nearby police station? Ronan does too. He also sees you, and he sees that the Russian officer sees you.]

[Look, Ronan doesn't trust Russia for shit. Considering recent experiences, he doesn't think anyone should. Maybe you're obviously an import, and the Soviet officer is walking toward you. Maybe he's just regarding you suspiciously. Or maybe he's left you completely alone, and Ronan's just itching to pick a fight. Regardless, a fight's going to be had.]

[All the nearby birds seem to be screaming. Ronan picks up a fire hydrant and rips it clean out of the pavement. Water explodes out of the ground as Ronan swears loudly and profusely.]

[Now's probably a good time to run.]

b. DE CHIMA | 8pm

[Oh my god what the fuck is that.]

[It's a huge bird monster, running quietly along the side of the road. It seems to be carrying about four suitcases, while running behind Ronan, laden with a heavy-looking backpack.]

[Go team stealth.]

the me one! (cw sexual vulgarity)

[pillz]

[a hole appears in the mitsubishi windshield. a couple pedestrians look up, before they look down again and hurry on their way. ronan should probably notice something strange is afoot, but even if he doesn't, the citizens of de chima certainly do.

and now the poor mitsubishi has a hole in her pretty face. she's otherwise pristine and unmarked, of course. the license plate, THIEF, glinting wanly in the sun. it takes a moment longer for the villain to arrive on the scene. partly because of dramatic timing, and partly because kavinsky's across the street, watching, a little surprised at ronan's new throwing arm, analyzing the situation for a couple seconds.

okay, study time is over.]

You look different, Lynch, [he calls out. oncoming traffic honks at him angrily, but he ignores the cars and crosses into the street anyway. he pushes the sunglasses up on his forehead.] You finally let somebody in your ass and find the prize inside?

a.

[rathercommon]

[ And Kitty does run. But - she runs right for Ronan, holding her arms out - a skinny girl, nevertheless ready to grab his shirtfront to shove him back, to cut his power, to get him away from the Soviet officer who'll kill him. Or who'll get killed by him, and whose death will bring the full might and fury of the Soviet army down onto Ronan and all his friends. It's...a bad choice, really, because if she gets a hold of him and cuts off his power, that fire hydrant will come crashing down and hurt one or both of them. But even so she goes for it, hissing: ]

Ronan, no! Stop!

Kaneda | OTA

[rassera]

Heropa | 1:45

[The explosion didn't go unnoticed by Kaneda, stopping his bike on the way back from Lucky Cat Cafe. It seems to have gathered a bunch of onlookers, crowding around the man who is trying to usher them along. 'Just construction', he says, waving his hands to guide them to a detour.

It's hard to wedge his bike through, so with a snap of his fingers, it disappears, as he tries to make his way through the crowd to get a better look.]

Pardon me--so sorry, excuse me.

[As polite as he can make it, craning his head to try and see over the blockades. He can't exactly place it--but there's something wrong here. Call it intution or just a hunch, but--]

Funny, drove on this same damn bridge the other day. Didn't SEEM like it was busted up. But I guess it's got structural integrity problems now.

[To which he gives a sassy salute, starting to walk off.]


Nonah | 6:45

[Kaneda stands on the front stairway to Nonah 05, watching as the sun starts setting and the tension hangs through the air. It's cold out, as shown by the redness in his cheeks as he stands there, leaning against one of the lamposts as people rush past. He's oddly quiet, wind whipping at his hair as his eyes remain forward.

Soviet Uniforms. The very same ones he'd fought in New Zealand and Antarctica were now speckled across the city.

His city.

There's a gripping feeling of ferocity underneath that calm exterior as he stands there, feet planted firmly on the top step.

An unmoving guard dog for his house, his city, until it's time to act.]

Nonah | 6:45

[iamtetsuo]

[It's not too long before someone slinks out to join him. The overall air of something very wrong has been worrying at him all day, giving him this anxious, pent-up feeling of needing to do something but having no idea what. He doesn't say anything, doesn't ask anything, but stands not too far off, staring out at the city he thought he knew.

It figures.

He sounds bitter, sure, when he breaks the silence, but there's a rough edge to his voice that anger doesn't give.]

Still think going was worth it?

Carl Grimes | OTA

[112ounces]

HEROPA: [ Dad told Carl he's going to get LACKEY back from the military, to rather more reliable imPort hands. Carl isn't sure with the idea, but he supported his dad regardless of his doubts.

Then he hear the news. He felt the flush of the nanites.

He doesn't care about the other imPorts anymore, or even LACKEY. Dad is somewhere out there, and Carl is going to him back.

You might see Carl rushing out of his apartment in Xavier's School for imPorts and running down the stairs, or exciting the stairs when he reaches the ground floor. He looks normally dressed, hat included, except for the two holsters - one on his hip, the other on the small of his back. He got two knives - one completely normal trench knife (one Carol liked to use back home) pocketed in his jacket's pocket, and the other is one made out of human bone, hidden in his boot.

Carl is dressed to kill, and if anyone gets his way of getting Dad back is going to lose. ]

[pushtheboundaries]

[not unless they're half-ready for someone to do something crazy, already. he didn't know for sure it'd be anyone he knew, but the thundering of feet towards him has Callaghan - already prowling the grounds - on alert, and as such, when the boy bolts for the door?

he immediately makes to grab him]

Carl!

Enid | OTA

[itstheirworld]

12:00 - 2:24 | Maurtia Falls
[Needless to say as soon as Enid felt something was off (even more so than usual with being an Empath now) around lunch time, she did the one thing that came most naturally to her - ran stealthily as possibly back to her room to pack some extra things into her backpack before heading out the door again.

Then do what was needed next: find out if her gut feeling was right or wrong. And to do that, she opts to completely skip out on the rest of school and work and hangs out near the busier places, watching things and trying to pinpoint what is wrong with the picture. Sometimes even making a mental note or two.

As time ticks on with little answers, though, Enid finds herself more wary. There were few answers to be found in just watching things, after all. So occasionally she decides to stop regular looking people in passing who seem to be aware something is up but give off no particular bad vibes and ask them this:]

Hey. Have you heard anything?

2:25 - 5:00 | Maurtia Falls
[After hearing about the explosion of Maurtia Falls major exits, Enid is decidedly done with asking around as the demolition of these places is obviously a sign of nothing good. And call it plan B and C, but the next steps she takes from here is slipping into grocery shops to purchase extra food until her backpack is full and then making for the forest where she can hide out a while...

Find her anywhere between these points, or feel free to make your own scenario! She carries a knife and gun from home so be a little aware of startling her.]

Yayoi | OTA

[learntofly]

Nonah

[After the news broadcast, after finding out about what else has been happening in other towns all day, Yayoi steps outside. She lingers on the porch of N5 only long enough to reach down and tighten the laces on her A-T, and then she's off.

A quick wall climb launches her up to the roof of the building across from them, and she sets her wheels on the edge of the gutter to coast along until she hits the end and soars across the gap to the next roof down the block. She continues like that, racing across the rooftops and building speed without any real destination in mind. Just—going. Moving forward, focusing on the moves she's pulling off, anything to clear her mind in the midst of this new burst of chaos.

Every now and then she stops at the corner of some rooftop, glancing around to make sure she doesn't lose track of where she is while racing along on her aimless path.]

[rassera]

[And just before she leaves--

It seems like someone else is exiting N5, positioning himself against the railing of the porch.]

Don't stay out long, got it?

[It's not an order, really, but...a suggestion.]

riku | ota

[resipiscent]

[Riku knows something is off. The locals are... weird is the only way to put it -- the whole city smells different. Through the day he feels it stronger and stronger, and then 2:55 rolls around and he's convinced there must be some sort of apocalypse happening. Five minutes pass and so does the feeling, but the tenseness of the atmosphere remains.

He goes about his business today as normal despite the feeling under his skin, and he can be found for a while in each city through the day until he's finished.]

-

[It's around four that he exits the Porter building to return to Heropa. As he gets home the news broadcast is starting (did Sora forget to turn the TV off?) and he stops for that. As soon as it's finished he gets up and leaves the house again, communicator in hand. He's available on the network for a while, and then reaches the bridge. No one has any useful information (or they're all unwilling to share it), so he retreats to the side of the road to sit against the guard rail, watching who comes and goes.]

Tetsuo | OTA

[iamtetsuo]

This is in Nonah only.

2:55 PM

[Today is bad enough, with hell breaking loose, quarantines established. Today, America becomes far closer to the world he knows. The undercurrent of something about to happen is everywhere. It sets him on edge, makes him pace the house until the restlessness seeps deep into his psyche and sends him out into Nonah itself. In contrast to its usual self, Nonah feels anxious - the expectation he's usually so annoyed at on days like today turns darker.

He's wandering outside more or less at random, unable to take it anymore. Maybe he'll hat's when it hits him. All at once, it feels like something's deeply wrong. Tetsuo grabs at his arms, fingers clawing into jacket sleeves, looking anxiously around as if some answer will present himself. He hasn't been doing anything lately!! He's clean, been clean for months now, he's got his device on... but this isn't normal pain he understands. This isn't similar to the feeling when his headaches get bad; it's all over, ants crawling under his skin. Tetsuo shudders, staggering against a wall, eyes wide. Is it him-? What is this.

He'll scream out to anyone who seems to exhibit similar symptoms, genuinely spooked.]

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

That time in between

[Restless, he can't seem to decide between going back to the house or across the city. Tetsuo compromises by going to sulk in the arcade for a while, trying to focus on his project and ignore the outside world.

It doesn't work.

Soon he's heading back out to the streets, getting his motorcycle, and tearing across the city with no direction in mind in particular. He needs the speed, get the anxiety and built frustration out of his system somehow. He'll be at that until he runs the thing out of gas, drags it telekinetically to a station, pays the last bits of cash he's got on him to fill it as much as he can...

Race him for a while? Meet up with him at the gas station?]

6:45 PM

[Finds him sitting angrily moping on the porch of Nonah 05, glaring bitterly into the streets. He'd wanted this hell for America, sure. He'd never deny that. But Tetsuo was too short-sighted in this aim; he didn't really think about what that would truly mean.

It meant America's going to hell... and they're all dragged with it. ]

This piece of shit country...

5:00 ; Closed to Starrware folks

[superposition]

[All morning, it was just another Monday. Mid-afternoon was when the office started buzzing with gossip. Clarissa from upstairs passes on a Facespace post about the surprise demolition work, and worries aloud about how's she supposed to pick up her kids. Ted (the annoying guy who keeps burning popcorn in the microwave) calls over everyone in the lab to show them a pixelated video of the Heropa bridge aftermath on his phone. All the roads have been blocked or simply blown up, nobody's being allowed to leave the imPort cities, and from the looks of it American troops are the ones enforcing the blockade.

Something's up, Qubit realizes early on, but what? What do they stand to gain by destroying their own infrastructure? Something's not right, but he can't immediately put his finger on what. A disguised Soviet attack doesn't even cross his mind. LACKEY is in US custody, after all.

Curiously, the mainstream news outlets are mostly silent about the whole thing... at least, until five. And at that point, it's impossible to miss. It feels like most of the company's here, crowding around the television in the break room, alternately murmuring and shushing each other. When the broadcast ends, it's greeted with dead, disbelieving silence... but only briefly, before the outrage begins.

For his part, Qubit (already standing by Karen, on purpose) runs a hand through his hair, visibly stunned. How? How did they pull something off on this scale without anyone noticing?]

... Well. Not the worst news I've ever heard, but it's up there.

[boobwindow]

[ She regrets not sneaking out the office when she had picked up demolitions from somewhere in the city. It had left her feeling unsettled throughout the day, but the longer she stayed at work the more she couldn't focus and found herself holed up in her office checking the network and local news and social media for anything that could explain what was going on in De Chima.

But it wasn't just De Chima, as she finally learns standing in the break room with her staff and co-CEO. Her coffee is still in her hands, though it's pretty lukewarm by now and she's barely sipped it the past hour.

She needs to do something, but where to start? This isn't restricted to one city. ]

They're not bluffing, are they?

Rincewind || Nonah | OTA

[wizzardly]

6:30pm and later

[If there's one thing Rincewind understands, truly gets, it's running. He's a master at it. After a somewhat frazzled attempt to lie to his television, the wizard has gathered his few belongings, roused The Luggage, and set out of his apartment. The moment he turns his back on the building, he's already fully come to terms with never seeing it again. No 'Maybe once things die down', no 'Just to make sure everyone is all right' - this is it, it's over, and he's all right with that. ...All right enough anyway, for him to stifle any stubborn protests from his conscience. This isn't his home, these aren't his people, and he doesn't owe anyone anything, right? Right.

Despite the reassurances from the newscast (which Rincewind couldn't help but bark a laugh at, because the sort of people who have to say "I'm not going to harm you" are always, always the people who will) the wizard is distinctly cautious as he makes his way through streets and sidewalks, alleys and parks, a tightly-crumpled pamphlet in his fist which says 'WELCOME TO NONAH~!'. He glances at it a few times as he moves along, eyes shifting, jumpy as a rabbit in a field of too-low grass. The brochure's map is crude, but he thinks he can follow it well enough to get to past city limits without using the main roads, go through the forest maybe. No use bothering with the soldiers if he doesn't have to.

The Luggage follows faithfully behind him, its pink feet marching at an even pace . It is seemingly unconcerned with today's developments, insofar as one can read the expression of something without a face.

Their journey comes to a brief pause around sunset as Rincewind finds himself faced with a large and somewhat menacing wrought iron gate, shut smartly with a large padlock. Past it is obviously private property, and the looming shadow of a large, ornate home which felt it and the woodland area behind it should be off limits to wizards and their travel accessories. Rincewind frowns, looking down the length of the fence. It goes on for quite a while, and he's sure this is the direction he needs to go if he's going to make it out of the city by morning. He's sure of it.

The wizard glances thoughtfully between the lock and the fingers of his hand. ..."Human Lockpick", that's what that ridiculous file of his said his power is. No real explanation on that, and it could all still be some strange lie, a mix-up. But then again... maybe if he...?]


((feel free to come across Rincewind and his Luggage at any point during their obviously doomed exodus! Heads up that he's super jumpy and will probably run if surprised.))

Somewhere in town

[marriedmedium]

[This takeover business has Sadie very on edge, and for once her usual drink isn't doing much to ease her discomfort. Nor do the next three drinks, and she considers that maybe a change of surroundings is due—if the situation is under control, she may as well see for herself, yes? And she can buy a few new bottles as she does.

Except possibly she's already had too much, which she wouldn't have believed except the odd-looking little man who passes her is being followed by an odd-looking little box that it self-ambulatory.

That isn't something she sees every day.]

Excuse me! [She calls out as she turns around, hurrying to catch up with the fellow.] I think there's something wrong with your box.

Sorey l Open

[historiology]

1.45pm; De Chima

[It's the explosion that initially tips him off. The sound of it, the ensuring rubble and the like. It's almost enough to remind him of the bridge to Marlind back home, how he'd needed to find and make a pact with Edna to help repair it. But she isn't here, and these guys decidedly aren't letting him near it either, or anyone else.

Of course, Sorey is new so he's not quite sure what to make of it. Things all seem official enough, but even so he can't help feeling uneasy. Picking up on the tension even with the locals. Not quite getting the same ill and upset feeling from malevolence but it's enough to worry him.]

Why can't we leave? I get there's safety, security, but I have friends elsewhere and I want to make sure they're okay.



2.55pm; De Chima

Ngh...what.....?

[He feels hot, almost feverish, in a way similar to that feeling he initially had after making the pact with Lailah, while his body was adjusting to it. But that sensation changes to more of a chill, an itch of sorts that has him decidedly uncomfortable for a few minutes. Pausing in whatever he was doing, wherever he was for that time and sort of hugging himself, a hand to his chest before he looks to his hands confusedly.

And that uneasy feeling only gets worse as he wonders just what happened then. What was going on with those nanite things? Was this normal? He's not sure, only having been here perhaps 24 hours at the most at this point.]

What was that....?

[He turns to whoever might be nearby, either while out and about or at his assigned housing.]

Did you just feel that?

5.00pm onwards; De Chima

[The Soviets? Ah. The ones supposed to have kidnapped some of the imPorts and now at war with the United States. So that might explain some of the events of the day, to say the least. Why De Chima and the other imPort cities are being blocked off like this.

He heads back out to the bridge, the blocked off areas they apparently can't get past. He's not actually attempting to leave, but he is considering, watching for a while. Almost as if he's studying the soldiers and guards but obviously this is quickly rather meaningless when they have their helmets covering their faces.]

Megaman.EXE | OTA

[megabytes]

2:00 - 2:54 | Heropa

[From the moment news gets out about the explosions and roadblocks, Megaman's on edge. It's unsettling, but there's nothing he can really put his finger on as to why. He's missing something and he can't tell what it is. He doesn't even have a guess that he's comfortable with.

It's not a pleasant experience. When things got really bad at home, he could at least make a guess at what was going on. Even here, where things that shouldn't happen do, there's usually at least some kind of clue he can find, some hint he can follow to an explaination.

This time, if there is one, he can't find it.

He goes through the whole day just steadily getting more and more anxious, popping in and out of the cyber world whenever he gets another idea he wants to research (he never finds an answer that works, and that just makes it worse). Sometimes he's only noticeable because a computer seems to be...using itself. Other times he's just a small, upset child, trying to find someone who can answer his questions.]

Do you have any idea what's going on?

2:55 | Heropa

[Anybody nearby can tell when Megaman feels that feverish buzzing kick in. He doesn't just get dizzy, or confused - he panics.

His health is a very big and easy to hit button, for a very good reason, and anything that's even remotely off is not something he reacts well to. Even when the heat fades, Megaman's panic doesn't.

His body is doing something it shouldn't be, something abnormal, something is Wrong...!]

[microbrobotics]

[ Hiro happens to be right there, furiously researching what's going on himself. He stops for a moment as he sees Megaman start to freak out. ]

-- Megaman?

Skye | OTA | Heropa

[morethan084]

(Catch all for the entire day)

[Skye hadn't felt completely calm since, well, her arrival back in November. Hell, even before then. However it had only been made worse once the first attack/abduction happened. Skye knew that wouldn't be the end of this, as it had been almost too easy for them to get the abducted imPorts back.

Today she was proving right to be wary. The first sign that something was wrong was when she was in the local diner and heard whispers of something not being right. That some regulars were not there today. The explosion of a bridge was when the siren started to go off in her head and made even worse when they were taken to a 'safer' area.

The buzzing feeling under her skin was honestly nothing new for Skye, as it was a side effect of her power. Although it was, surprisingly, more intense than usual. She felt like she had been drugged, and it looked like others were feeling the same way. This was not good, at all.

The news sent a chill down her spine, the news anchor clearly being held hostage. It wasn't a complete shock to Skye, hearing what she heard, although it surprisingly seemed to be to some people. Nonetheless, Skye was pissed. She could only guess what this seminar would entail. And as far as not being harmed for not attending or being tardy? Yeah, she didn't believe that for a second. Which is why she doesn't hesitate to say it out loud.]

I could really use a gun right now.

[hostage]

[It's not that Jesse's stalking her. He's just been looking for her - and it's a small town, so he's finally found her. In contrast to their first encounter, Jesse's strangely calm when he approaches her, walking at a normal pace just a few steps behind her when he speaks up:]

A big one or a small one?

[The war's finally hit home. He had the same thought she did at first, that the buzzing in his skin meant he had seismic powers again, but he's put all the pieces together now. It's the nanites. Something's fucking with the nanites, just like in his vision of the maybe-real maybe-not future, where all imPorts were slaves and the nanites were used to subdue them. He hasn't forgotten.

So naturally his first instinct was to stock up on arms, given the unreliability of powers. He's got some of his blood, too, in several vials. Everything's in the backpack he's got on, ready to go.]

Newton Geiszler (& Hermann by extension, I guess) | OTA

[driftsintobuffetline]

[They're in De Chima the entire time; I tried for a general post, but feel free to run into them around Starktech, en route home, etc.]

De Chima

After a rather downplayed Valentine's Day, Newt and Hermann return to routine with morning coffee at the local cafe. It's quiet, but then it IS a Federal holiday, right? Maybe people are doing fun things, like extending their Valentine's Day or partaking of sales. In any case, Newt isn't very concerned to see a lack of people by the time they actually head to work.

It's so quiet in fact, that when things start to go wrong, it's so very eerie, like they've unknowingly been living in the calm before the storm.

Lunchbreak is interrupted by road closures, and Newt (an avid fan of real-time traffic updates, because he has no patience whatsoever) quickly discovers it's not just them. He and Hermann had no prior interest in leaving De Chima for the afternoon--they were just unlucky enough to be stuck in affected traffic--so they abandon their lunch plans and head back to their Starktech lab.

By the time the news hits, they're considering their options.

"Do you want to call Qubit or Joaquin?" he asks Hermann. Implied is that he'll call the other one. "And we should probably call Hiro, but he's got his Aunt and brother."

[mathemagier]

It's got him on edge- like everyone else, he imagines. Somehow the Soviets had infiltrated the United States with no one the wiser, and quietly assumed command. Was it a simple lack of personnel? It doesn't seem like it should have been possible. Hermann doesn't want to start thinking about internal conspiracies, but there they are.

He's stopped working in favor of rereading a transcript of the announcement. "5-day seminar," he reads with deep suspicion. "That sounds ominous."

Still, at least they have a heads up. They can demolish the roads, but they can't keep them here.

"I'll take Qubit- ah no, Mr. Sanchez has responded.." Tapping through a series of keystrokes. "Him and Joaquin are fine. No reported kidnappings so far."

Fuu Hououji | Heropa | OTA

[monster_san]

Fuu twisted her clasped hands behind her back as she went about the streets of Heropa. She wished that the Americans and the Soviets would at least credit the imPorts with enough intellect to know that routine roadwork did not involve conveniently destroying every route into a city. But she had declined to evacuate. She had considered it, but she had pretty much made her decision in Antarctica that she would help her fellow imPorts in spite of the dangers.

She paced the streets with a tall paper cup of tea, sipping occasionally as she watched the television outside of a shop window, reading the announcement's closed captions with growing alarm. Why couldn't they just be honest about what they were doing? Surely they didn't expect to be believed.

And the word again: weapon. Her grip on her tea tightened. Well, regardless of whose hands she fell into, she had no intention of behaving as one.

[ooc: Prose or brackets is fine!]

/waves

[equinamity]

Hawkeye stopped at the television, reading the closed captions along with the stranger. Jaw set, teeth gnashed, she hissed: "I am nobody's weapon, should they think they've freed me from such a burden."

Thinly-veiled fury radiates from her. There are few things that could bother her further. "They could stand to be reminded that the American government never treated us as objects."