middleofsomewhere | So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

JUST Ā̸̛͇̹̈́͌͐͛̐̋͝Ǹ̵̠͍̲̘͈̮͈̺͔̤͙̳̓̔͑͌̒̓̃́̄̚͘Ớ̶̻̱̄̓͆͂̈́̄̔͋͌̽̀̕͘T̵͙͍͓̻̩͙̻͙̹͎̫̘͇̱̈́̌̓͝ͅH̶̭̻͇̰͈̯̦̹̦̗͐̒́Ẽ̵̡̡̘̳͉͇͚̼̗̣̩͎̞̏͒̈́̏͂̈͝Ř̴̠͋̐͘ NORMAL DAY

"Jinnjar citizens. Unfortunately, all train travel will be closed due to issues on the lines. Members of the Voidtrecker Express have been located around the city, and are deploying trickery to agitate and confuse us. We ask any volunteers at this time to help us locate any suspicious objects and people, and to restrain them.

For the f̴̘̯̰̦̺͖̔͌̋̃ũ̴̢̖̦͙̩̼̺̪͚͍̥͈̜̝͋̌̒̊̚ẗ̶̪̺͕̤̯̞̤͓̝́̑̄̎̊̕future of our city!"

A TL;DR notes version of days/prompts: (click to show)

EVENT BASICS:

DAYS 5 & 6:

By now, some people have broken out of their fake lives while some haven't. Tension is rising in the city as people are led to believe this is by the Voidtreckers, which some will believe due to illusions and messing with one's heads is believed to be one of their many tactics.
Some oddities are occurring with travel, and glimpses of how the city is made beginning to show. The streams of colour - the void - are getting brighter. Electronics are not working well. Some monster sightings are seen, but not to a large degree.
The prompts here are light to give characters and players time to ICly coordinate, as Voidtreckers are being more actively hunted. Some faces are known. You know who you are, troublemakers.

DAYS 7 & 8:

The world is really starting to go a bit wild now, with more things disappearing, animals on the loose and more monster sightings.
By the end of day eight most people have realised the truth though those who are very susceptible to mind control or very stubbornly wanting to believe in this world will still be trapped, believing this is the Voidtreckers doing.
There are monsters to fight, people to keep calm and a plan to make.

[ HOME SWEET...HOME? ] By day 5, the people of Jinnjar are in a state of anxiety more than before. There's those who realise they're not a part of this world, never were, while there's those who still cling onto this life. Health services say that the source of confusion comes from the colour trails that are brighter than ever in the sky, while the D-Force/Heroes have it confirmed - internally and publicly - that there are Voidtreckers amongst them.

The media shows pictures of potential suspects, some Voidtreckers, some not; a man with the same face as two others, one who made a show by creating ice in the middle of the street. Your face may be shown, but don't worry - they're asking people not to play vigilante.

That'll surely keep people behaved.

[ TRAVEL REVIEW. ] As if it couldn't get more frustrating, most of the trains are down. Air taxis are still available for short journeys, yet some people have the bizarre occurrence where they end up in the wrong spot, and even remember going in this wrong direction...but never say anything about it. Those using the tele-pads will also find themselves not always arriving where they should, or worse, suffering intense headaches, swirling colours behind their eyes, their thoughts jumbled for as long as ten minutes before it passes.

You might want to walk.

[ MAKING DO. ] Still, with all the chaos, many are trying to live. You have a life here, no matter what some other force is trying to make you believe,

For our HEROES: The cinema has rethought its showings due to the worrying happenings of the last few days. Clearly a boost in morale is needed and so they have pulled out some of the great films of the past. Action films that show heroes beating the bad guys, disaster films where the good guys beat the aliens, stop the natural disaster or thwart the secret agency looking to take down civilisation from the inside, at the last minute. Even the childrens films have taken on a pro-hero and triumphant air.

It's not quite distraction though, how could it be when every film has a warning before and after. REMEMBER TO REPORT ALL SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO DFORCE and WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE SHOW. REMEMBER TO WATCH YOUR SURROUNDINGS AS CAREFULLY AS YOU DID THE SCREEN.
Fun Park: It's for the kids, but one of the largest arcade parks has a special discount on everything to anyone who come visit. It's even advertised across the news: For half the price, get amazing fun and even better food! Kids younger than eight or from the orphanages get free access everywhere!

It's time not to think too hard, and to ignore the trouble! Play laser tag, racing cars or get a high score on the dance mat!
Encroaching Dangers: Something new is beginning to happen, as the city continues to shift. It starts at night, those that stay out past when the streets go quiet might see a shadow, might hear a growl.

Rumours and reports start to spread about monsters on the street.

DAY SIX: HELP FROM INSIDE

[ AID. ] DIAGNET is full of videos but one that has started doing the rounds is of a small droid and a cat. It's not hard to see why it has gone viral, the cat and cleaning droid are chasing each other around an apartment, caught on a home security footage. The cat tries to catch the droid but every time it gets close the droid turns to chase it and the cat runs away. It has been uploaded with stirring orchestral music, which adds to the madness.

But... For those Voidtreckers who have already regained their memories that little droid seems familiar indeed. As do the sounds that punctuate the music.

beep beep beep boop | boop

boop boop beep | boop boop boop

boop boop | boop boop boop | boop boop boop | boop beep | boop beep beep | beep beep boop | beep beep beep | boop

boop beep boop beep | beep boop | beep beep boop beep | beep

boop boop boop | beep boop beep | boop beep beepp | beep | beep boop beep

boop beep | beep beep boop | boop | beep boop beep | beep beep | boop | beep | beep boop

Of course it might not be anything, just weird droid sounds that haven't been fully edited out of the video.

[ MOONDUST CAFÉ. ] It might be that they figured out the message or, it might be that a friend is dragging them to the cafe. But for those that make their way there, they will find the Moondust Cafe is a bustling cafe on the edge of a park, near local transport links.

For those that say the right words, a slightly bored looking teenager manning the counter waves them to a side door. "Best sit downstairs, service will be quicker."

Downstairs has a fair number of tables and booths and is lit by coloured lighting making everything look a little obscure. There's soft music playing, not loud enough to make it impossible to hear each other but enough to make it a little harder for evesdroppers.

Mingle, discuss. This is probably the closest to a safe space there is.

[ LOST & LOST. ] You may have spotted it already - that is, spotted what's missing. There's been the pets, the birds in the sky, a pen or apple or wrench from the garage. But now, with every single bad thing going on, more is starting to disappear. Machines stop working, from air conditioning, freezers, your Jinnjar MP3 player, to TVs and more.

And in some business buildings, even entire rooms are gone, their floors empty of more than the door you opened to find this out. Even the heroes seem worried and they quickly clear any affected areas, chasing away bystanders and sealing off whole wings of office blocks.

None of them have answers though, except that this must be the Voidtreckers doing. After all who else but that group could have power enough to do such damage?

DAY SEVEN & EIGHT: UNRAVELLING

[ OVEREXPOSURE. ] Everything is starting to escalate. The headaches are getting regular the more you're outside, buildings are starting to go missing around the outskirts. People see parts of the city flickering, and when they reach certain sections of the city, they find they can't go beyond it.

Life tries to go on, but as more areas of the city begin to be sealed off and considered dangerous, even those who are most stubborn about pretending everything is normal can see that is is not.

[ LET LOOSE. ] The breaking down of the city has caused a lot of chaos, but one of the biggest problems are that parts of the zoo have vanished. Walls, fences, enclosure roofs. Meaning that the animals inside are no longer confined and are now prowling the city streets. Real birds now fill the sky that the fakes left empty.

And they aren't all that's there. Twisted creatures are becoming more common on the streets of Diagad. Creatures that look almost like animals but warp and twist between them, one moment a bear the next it has horns and then it is a wolf. But no matter how they look those claws and teeth are bad news for everyone.

[ CRUMBLING, CRUMBLING. ] By day eight whole streets are disappearing. homes, houses. people need to be moved in closer around the congress sector. Colours crackle through the sky like lightning and the world shakes often.

It's not just the infrastructure but the memories of those in the city. Dreams have come realities and all but the most stubborn have begun to realise that this world is not their own. They are from another place. What is going on? Why are they in this city? Who are these people who are their 'family'?

Confusion and anger are growing in the streets and it is perhaps time for the Voidtreckers to come out of the shadows.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You might get that chance, after all, Steve. Because until their backup gets here, there's not a lot they can really do. "Right now? We wait. We've. We've called in back-up," Soldat explains. "We don't even know exactly where this entity is. Or how to contain it. But the Voidtrecker scouts do. We just gotta. Gotta hold down the fort until they get here, keep people on the streets safe."

They wince, and add, "Keep the entity from dumping us all back into the illusion again." Because that is a fear. Their second-worst one. (The first worst one being that Steve and Misty aren't really real, that this is all fake too.)

Steve nods, because he doesn't love the idea of waiting, but if Bu- Soldat says there are scouts and help coming, then he trusts that. No questions asked. "We can do that," he says, nodding a little, even if the first part sounds much easier than the second, if only because he doesn't know how he got into any illusion in the first place, so fighting it might not be so simple.

But they've also broken out of it once. Which means they can do it again.

He glances over at Soldat, feeling torn, wanting to sit here and ask more, learn more, spend time with him, but knowing that if there's a job to do, they shouldn't put it off. "Should we get out there, then? Start taking stock?" Patrolling is familiar, at least, even if that last time he did it with this man, or someone like him, was seventy years ago.

Maybe. Soldat eyes the door reluctantly. "Technically. We've both got work in about half an hour. James thinks he's worked out how to share, so. Control should be better today."

They shut their mouth. They hadn't told Steve yet about the others in their head, but-- maybe he wouldn't notice. They continue, "Could call out, I guess."

Yeah, Steve noticed that. He's not sure what to think about it, but he noticed it.

He maybe should let it slide, make a dumb joke about how bad his acting really is, but even as he opens his mouth to do just that, what ends up coming out is, "He - could show you how to control the... uh, the metal thing?"

He has, admittedly, not tried to do anything fire-related since he came back to himself.

Damn. Okay, fine. They've told him everything else and he hasn't rejected them yet; might as well go all the way. "Or just take over and do it." They wave the flesh hand vaguely at their head. "He's still in here. James is. With the others." They look down at their knees, bring the hand back down to clasp both together. "I told you. I'm pretty broken, Steve."

"Oh," is the soft reply - not judging, not worried, just... maybe a little surprised. It's not what he'd expected. It's not - how he feels, he thinks, although there is a thoughtful look that definitely crosses Steve's face, as he tries to figure out if the other him is still in here somewhere, just... hiding.

He doesn't think so? But hell. Who knows. Maybe he'll pop back up. Even if Steve isn't sure how he feels about that.

What he does know is, "You're not broken," he points out, firmly, if quietly, like someone might hear him if they talk too loudly. "You're - I mean. Frankly, that sounds like a tactical advantage."

In this situation, at least. Although - Although Bucky - dammit, Soldat - had said, "Others? Are there - is it because of the train? And what happens to you?" How many people does he have rattling around in there?

What if they don't always agree?

A short, not-quite-hysterical laugh makes it out. Tactical advantage. Literally, sometimes. But also the last thing the other Steve saw before he left, the last piece of Soldat they hadn't shown him yet, that maybe drove him away. (No. It's not your fault, Asset, I know. Hey, you did what none of the rest of us could. ~~If Steve could not handle it, that is Steve's problem.~~ Shut up.)

"No. No, it. Mostly happened before the train. In the last place I was in, Beacon. Started off with Sarge. He's. He's the most like you'd remember, I think. Chatty, Brooklyn, army memories and science fiction. Then the Asset, it's the violence, the fear, the. The protection. Then the Bottomless Pit, who just wants to eat all the time. We mostly get along. Make it work."

They scrub at their forehead wearily. "Now there's James. I don't know if he'll stay after the mission is over, but he's there now. And not happy about any of this."

Steve just listens quietly, nodding, taking it in. It sounds... yeah, okay. It sounds a little messed up. A little like Bucky hadn't known how to reconcile what had happened to him, had... split, somehow. Had decided that Bucky and the Asset were two different people sharing one body.

He's not sure about this Bottomless Pit, but... well. Steve gets wanting to eat all the time. The serum sure does that to a guy.

He's concerned, yeah. But - but really, he thinks about it for a long moment, and honestly? If this is how Bucky wants to deal with what happened to him? Then that's how he should fucking deal with it. It's not like there are self-help books or even professionals equipped to understand how to help him. The horrors he went through are Steve's fault, but Bucky's the one who went through them, and he's the one who's come out the other side.

"I - uh," Steve manages, laughing a little, almost helplessly. "I bet he's a little confused, yeah. But if he - if this is his home, right? Then he can help us. And we can help him."

He isn't sure if he's talking to James now, in there somewhere, or if his words get relayed, or what.

"I'm not really sure he appreciates that right now," Soldat admits wearily. "Right now he's more feeling like we stole his home. I can ask him what he wants. Or. Hell, you can."

(Do you want to talk to him? ... MAYBE. Come on, then. Sarge can show you how. Why are you volunteering me?)

But grumbling or not, Sarge does give James a kind of internal shove, and Soldat's tired, stressed expression gets less tired, more stressed, and much more open. There's trepidation, fear, and actual eye contact-- it's clear this is a different person, even if there are similarities. His hand comes out to grab Steve's shoulder, gripping tight. "Steve. Steve, you really don't-- you remember being someone other than my brother?"

"I guess it would," Steve murmurs, because of course it would feel like they've stolen his home, given what it sounds like is going on.

Watching the way Soldat changes is... eerie, no two ways about it. So is staring into the face of James, because Steve might not really be his brother, but he knows the man like he was, has a lifetime of memories jostling around in his head, even if they feel fragile, like the closer he looks at them, the more likely they are to crumble away.

He doesn't flinch when James - because yeah, that is James - reaches out; he leans into the touch, even if his expression goes guilty and sympathetic, and he shakes his head. "I'm - sorry," he says, quietly. "I'm not him. I - kinda wish I was." Because they'd been family, and things had been good, and it's a life he'll never have, and it's a life he misses already. "But you can trust us. We want to help. Maybe your brother is really here, somewhere - I don't know," he has to admit. "Isn't the truth better, though, than lies?"

The fear doesn't go away, but some of it does kind of crumple into dismay. Loss, even. "No. It's. I don't know what truth is, anymore. I don't really exist? Except as some-- some fantasy?" (That's not true. You exist. Just. Now you're part of me, instead of part of this world.) "That's as good as not existing!"

(Buddy. Inside voice.) "Sorry, the other one-- he's talking." (They. WHATEVER! It's important, buddy. Not everyone is like you.)

He lets go of Steve to grind his palms into his eyes. (Hey. Maybe a hug will help. I think you can manage it. And Steve might need one, too.) He's not sure if he believes or trusts any of them, but he can't help but trust Steve. So he kind of topples forward and to one side until his forehead is on Steve's shoulder. Hug him, Steve.

It's hard, to look into that face, to hear those words. It's hard for a lot of reasons, some of them reasonable, some of them just twisting up in his guts, knowing they're unreasonable but unable to stop feeling them, all the same.

Steve's already opening his mouth to say something when Bucky - Soldat - James? - stumbles forward, and it's instinct, reaction at this point: Steve's arms come around him and hold tight, his whole body language changing as he goes from uncertain and apologetic to protective and comforting, all in a heartbeat.

"You exist," he says, soft but firm, as his fingers curl carefully into the other's shirt, trying to pull him close without smothering him or, y'know, crushing a rib or anything. "No matter what. You exist, and so does your brother. Your family. Even if I'm not him - he's not nothing. And neither are you." Of that, he is extremely sure.

He shudders a little at the hug, some part of this stupid body that isn't his anymore feeling an echo of trapped no too close, but he rides it out and leans into Steve, instead. Says a silent fuck you to feelings that don't actually belong to him, but the stupid other voices in what used to be his head. He leans his head in and wraps an arm around Steve and tries not to cry.

"If all this is true," he says into Steve's shoulder, "then this world is all illusion. And everything I remember as being my life never happened. My brother ain't my brother. My daughter isn't mine, my sister. My wife isn't-- she's going to disappear, at the end of this, just like you. Like me, maybe." How do you cope with learning you're the fictional persona a monster gave to a mind it didn't want to defeat it? Most of the others don't have to deal with this, because the other Voidtreckers don't disassociate as a reflexive defense mechanism.

"That's not true," Steve says, quietly, still holding on. He's going to hold on for as long as the man in his arms can stand it, really. It... might not be entirely for James' sake. There is a part of Steve that not only misses Bucky, but also misses James.

And maybe he's about to start talking out of his ass right now, but what he's going to stay is still something he truly: "All we have are memories, right? So if you remember things - if I remember things - then they really happened. And I remember."

See, Sarge knew Steve needed one, too.

James has no certainty that Steve would remember, after all this. (I'll remember. No matter what. I keep notebooks full of memories, and I'll write everything down. You, him, Misty, Kitty. Steve's right. You'll always exist.)

He clings for another moment, trying not to take comfort from the guy who hijacked his brain. Or whose brain he hijacked. Whichever. But it does help. "I'm not sure I want you remembering this," he says out loud, a little bitterly. "Soldat's right. You got your own. Your. Bucky, right?"

Steve doesn't think he could possibly forget - not without some kind of intervention, which, granted, he can't rule out. But otherwise? No. He won't forget.

Even if he frowns at the idea that they don't want him remembering, because, "Yeah," he says, a little unsure, lips tugging into a frown as he pulls back just enough to actually have a reasonable conversation, face to face. That doesn't necessarily mean pulling entirely out of arms' reach. "I guess I do, yeah. But what, you think I can't care about more than one a'you at a time? There's not a limit, pal."

James isn't sure what to say to that, and for a moment, he looks it. Then he gives a wry, wan little smile. "You always wanna save everybody. Jesus, you're exactly the same." He gives Steve's shoulder a little punch, light enough not to hurt, then pulls back. He can't take any more of this feeling, he thinks, knowing that he's gonna lose the guy all over again.

(Come on back inside. WILL IT HELP? ... not really. But at least you won't have to handle expression.)

That seems to be good enough, because without even needing Sarge's help, James melts back away from everything. It leave Soldat again, a little softer and a little vaguer, but also clearly apologetic. "I know this is hard, Steve. It's. But you can't let your Bucky down. He's gonna need you." Probably more than Soldat will, as awful as that feels to think.

"I feel like that's a compliment," Steve admits softly, knowing that smile is probably mostly a front, but hey. He'll take whatever he can get.

It's not like he's happy knowing that if he takes a hike or gets sent away or whatever, he'll never see this man - these men? - again, either.

It is still a little weird, watching the transition. Maybe it would've been easier with someone he knew less well, but - well. This is a face he's always known better than his own. Or, at least, he had.

"I won't," he says, soft but firm, because he won't. Goddammit, he's let his own Bucky down enough. Too many times. Once is too many times. He won't pretend there's not a roiling, twisting ball of guilt and self-loathing in place of his gut, every time he thinks about it. "But I'm here now. So let me do what I can here now, for you. Before it's too late."

He doesn't even know how to leave, if he wanted to. And he doesn't want to. Not yet, at the very least. "I guess we probably should call off work." If there's still work to call off of. "No reason we can't patrol instead, right?"

It's kind of a relief, having Steve know. Having Steve capable of making informed decisions. And making decisions they're actually pretty okay with.

And he hasn't gotten that uncomfortable, unhappy look on his face or turned away. Or stammered. Or... done anything all that bad, really. He knows everything, now, and he's still here. That's even more of a relief.

So they nod, and dredge up a slightly better smile. More real. "Okay. Yeah, let's do that. I can point out people I know are from the train while we're out. And I'm definitely not going to the training gym today."

Steve huffs out a little laugh, because, "Yeah, maybe skip training at the gym, too. But it would be helpful, if you point out the people you know." Because they're going to need allies, Steve figures. This is going to be a big operation, but if there is a whole train's worth of people... then they definitely might stand a chance.

He still doesn't know how long he's going to be here, but he plans to use every minute of it for something worthwhile.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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