EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

[futurologists]

THE LAST HURRAH STATE OF WOODHURST Things are bad. There's more infected on the streets every day, ravenous since their would-be victims are all boarded up in their houses. Audentes members who are infected are likely feeling ravenous now, too, and some of them are far gone enough that they might need to be subdued. The city is in a state of panic, and the military has been given permission to use lethal force if necessary to stop people from leaving quarantine; keeping the virus contained is the number one priority of the federal government. As for the local government, all non-essential persons have been given leave until further notice for their own safety. The police department is still running, but they're in a constant war against the infected, forced to retaliate fatally more and more each day. They have no time to focus on any other crimes. Some citizens would be thankful if Audentes ran some "errands" for them — attempting to loot what's left of the stores, for example — or accompanied them outside as protection. Many people have family to see, some of them on the other side of the city, but it's nearly impossible to get there without a bodyguard of some sort. Someone could possibly make some cash this way, but there's something more important to do. MEANWHILE . . . The hospital, formerly chaotic, has devolved into outright bedlam. Theft and fights with the staff are increasingly common, and frenzied people are constantly demanding a cure the doctors don't have. Fortunately, it looks like Audentes does. Science-minded recruits have been hard at work creating a vaccine, which is widely available already, and a cure, which is rolling out slower. Administering the vaccine is risky, as it requires escorting people to the hospital without getting killed, as well as hoping the infected constantly wandering into the hospital have been taken care of. Administering the cure is even more so; it's highly recommended that the infected be unconscious before being given the cure. Even Bristol sufferers have to sleep! If not asleep, knocked out or otherwise sedated will do. It is absolutely not recommended for anyone to go at an angry infected with a syringe, but it's not like anyone's going to stop you... except maybe the infected. Escorts and security guards are necessary at the hospital. The police department has offered their services, with their main priority being the vaccine. Until everyone is vaccinated, the city can't afford to think of a way to safely administer a cure to the infected population, so anyone interested will have to do it themselves. Stock up on syringes at the hospital and get going! DR. PERCY For those more interested in seeking out the source of the virus rather than treating it, it's not difficult to surmise that "Doctor" Percy is hiding out in the sewers. Very deep in the sewers. He's apparently built a subterranean expansion: a series of winding, metallic tunnels with many forks and dead ends. Be careful when exploring, as you might run into one of Percy's robotic bodyguards before finding him. But once he is found, tucked away in a wide cavern . . . It seems he's preparing a hasty exit, with almost everything packed up and his human disguise dropped. Without it, he appears to be an alien of some sort, but not one that Audentes has run into yet. His skin is amber, smooth, and slimy. He has several pairs of wide-set eyes of different sizes, but no nose. His mouth extends far across his face, and below it is a wattle, not unlike that of a turkey. Peeling off him at all times are scales; apparently, he's shedding more than just his disguise. He's completely alone, without another Zymandis agent in sight, and not a particularly good fighter. Subduing or killing him would be easy, especially when it's several against one. When first encountered, he says nothing if spoken to, and only attempts to run. If attacked, he will summon several robot bodyguards -- seven-foot-tall bipedal constructs who only listen to Percy's commands, directed via remote control. They will fight to the death to protect their master, who will use the distraction to again try to run. It looks like the choices are clear: Audentes must choose whether to non-lethally subdue him or kill him. If subdued, what happens to him afterwards is still up in the air. Whatever your decision, it's highly likely you'll meet some resistance from the other members of the team, so get ready to argue. CYOA Each character will only be able to officially do one of the following choices. Confront Percy. Protect citizens. Spread the vaccine/cure. Other. For the sake of tallying, we ask that each individual character submit their choice separately rather than in a group. The Dr. Percy encounter will be open for 48 hours only, after which participants will receive the outcome, which will be based on their choices. The rest will be open for 7 days, will not receive a reply, and will only be used only for tallying purposes. Making a choice is not mandatory, but the choices will affect whether Audentes passes or fails the mission. You may of course thread out other options, but they will not count for the purposes of the pass/fail tally. Again, you may only officially choose one option per character. OOC NOTES Because this log is being posted late in the month, threads are eligible for March or April AC, but not both. Though the encounter with Percy will be a short one, the rest of this log will last two IC weeks. After that, characters will be immediately rifted away from Woodhurst without warning. THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE CURE: As the virus is not a degenerative disease, characters will suffer no lasting (physical) trauma caused by it. Side-effects from the cure may include nausea, weakness, vertigo, rash, brain fog, numbness of the face, insomnia, dizziness, fatigue, heart palpitations, or vomiting. This may last for anywhere up to four weeks. THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE VACCINE: Side-effects may include irritability and hunger for anywhere up to four weeks. Questions about Woodhurst can be submitted to this thread. Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time. All bounties listed with a 3/25 due date are now closed. There are two open bounties remaining on the Bounty Board, which will need to be turned in by the end of the mission on 8 April. ( 1 2 )

Comments

D. JUST AFTER THE PERCY SHIT GOES DOWN

[slapfight]

[Peridot returns to the school, mildly shell-shocked from the fight with Percy. She'd been riding high on the thrill of getting to confront him, but when she finally did, it'd been... horrifying.

If the Qorral in Perdition's Rest reminded her of Homeworld, then Percy reminded her of herself from before. It was like looking in a mirror with flaking scales. If she thought it would have earned her Diamond's attention, of course she would have done something like this. Look what she was willing to do with the cluster.

The fact that she can understand why someone would do something so awful and vile, even if she condemns that kind of attitude now is what frightens her, and she doesn't know if she can just hold this in. The rest had their minds on other things, so she only voiced her feelings briefly and left it at that.

Now here she is, back at the school. If nothing else, Mettaton should know what happened before the first announcements go up. Both she and the little Pumpkin dog following at her heels are uncloaked when they find Mettaton, and immediately Peridot tries to be professional about it.]

Percy has been dealt with. It's over. [she doesn't even have the heart to put that annoyed inflection on Percy anymore.]

[ex_mettacrusher33]

[It's certainly been a hectic day today.

With a cure and vaccine finally being distributed, Mettaton's been putting his hot, metal body to use; no matter how violent an infected teammate is, they won't like the taste of steel. Of course, there's still... a logical fear. Being completely feral and out of their minds means their willingness to kill has gone through the roof. The more someone wants to kill and directs that want at a monster...

Well. He deserves a break, is all. So he's taking one.

It's in the middle of this break that Peridot arrives with her news. He gives her a smile, noting her solemness and... living pumpkin (!). He's preparing syringes, setting them off to the side of the table he's at.]

Really? Then why is it that I'm still working? [Ha. Haha.

...]

You don't seem as excited to be the hero as you did earlier, Peri. [What happened, is the unspoken question.]

[slapfight]

Percy explained what he was doing. He acted alone, hoping to impress his superiors with his ingenuity and genius.

[she rubs her arm awkwardly, and Pumpkin, sensing her discomfort, presses her veggie body against her leg. the gesture seems to give her some resolve.] He just decided that an entire planet was an acceptable loss to test a new weapon. It's just the sort of cruelty we've come to expect from Zymandis, but...

[ex_mettacrusher33]

That's...

[A lot.

He puts down the next syringe, eyes glazed in thought. So this was a weapon. A test. It wasn't a mistake at all, like he'd hoped it was. He was hoping it was just an accident. A conspiracy, yes, and a horrible one at that, but... but someone wanted these results. They didn't want subservience that mutated into a horror show in some sort of fluke. It was never meant to be anything else. From start to finish, these results were intentional.

They did it to be impressive. For fun.

Mettaton's a fabulous actor. Any disgust swirling in his core doesn't show on his face. He moves away from the desk to put on hand on Peridot's shoulder.]

We stopped him, darling. You stopped him. It's going to be okay.

[slapfight]

[no, it's not going to be okay. she wants to break free of every impulse Homeworld ever instilled in her in the most violent way possible and be irrational and emotional and fight tooth and nail to be everything that a Peridot isn't, even more than she already is. all in the name of putting the gem she was far behind her.

but she can't, because she wants to be Peridot, and there are some things you just can't shake from your mold, and that's fine, because you make it yours. Pearl still has to dedicate herself to someone or something, Amethyst still prefers to fight over all things, and Garnet has a Ruby's ferocity and a Sapphire's foresight, even when she's the sum of both parts and something entirely new.

so she's Peridot. logical, precise, intelligent.

efficient.]

The whole process is efficient. [she echoes her own words, her heart not in the statement.] It's brutal, but the only way to test something like that is introduce it into a population. They don't care who they hurt- they just want the results. Anything else is just a waste of resources.

[she turns away from his gaze.] That's how Homeworld thought of other worlds, and I almost did the same thing once. And I was just as delighted by the prospects. I didn't care about all that life either.

[she grits her teeth, willing herself not to get emotional- not because it's not right for a Peridot, but because she doesn't want to appear weak. it doesn't work.] How are you supposed to look back on your life and realize that if one thing hadn't changed, you would have destroyed an entire planet, Mettaton. I don't understand.

[ex_mettacrusher33]

[...this isn't something he wants to hear. He watches her fidgeting and internal torment with the awkward stare of someone watching a friend talk about their dying pet. It isn't that he doesn't care about Peridot. He loves her dearly and so quickly, as only a Monster really can. He just. Doesn't want to hear this.

"So what if a few people have to die," he asked, ages ago, on the cusp of betraying everyone he'd ever known and killing a human child for his own gain. "That's show business, baby!"

Mettaton has a habit of speaking in grander tones than anything really calls for. It's for his image, you see. What's more charming than silken tongues with an airy voice? It's warm and comforting, but it's also that same sort of hollow you get with any celebrity putting on a show. It's plastic. Fake.

When he kneels down to put both his hands on Peridot's shoulders, those affected notes ring even harder.]

You don't. You don't look back.

You don't torture yourself over what you did or what you could have done. You didn't do it. You stopped because you learned. Because you're a better person than anyone wants to give you credit for and all you needed was someone to remind you. [No, you're talking about yourself. Stop it.

He smiles. It isn't entirely real, but hey.

That's show business, baby.]

...You look forward. You learned and you look forward. Never look back.

[slapfight]

[that seems... wrong, somehow.

and yet, she doesn't have much to weigh it against, and she doesn't want to feel terrible, so it's like he's giving her permission not to. the first protest she tries to raise to make herself feel better for not fighting against "taking the easy way out" dies before she can verbalize it. maybe if Pearl were still here. Or Steven.

But she's only told Mettaton and Lance. no one else even knows.] And no one knows what I've done because of Homeworld... They couldn't! I haven't said anything, so the only person I'm trying to prove anything to is myself.

[no one else can judge her. underneath Mettaton's grip, she relaxes a bit. maybe she should be wary that he's making it seem so simple, but...]

[ex_mettacrusher33]

Precisely, Peri-pie. If you already forgive yourself, what does it matter what anyone else thinks? You know that you're a good person. You know that you're better than that now.

[His smile goes wider and somewhat more genuine.]

No one else needs to know anything more than who you are right now. [He outstretches a finger and taps her on the nose. No one needs to ever know the truth. They never need to know where you came from or what you did to get out. Isn't that the blessing of life?]

Haha. It's not lying if they never asked, eh?

[slapfight]

I do! I know it's not like that now. That's why I'm working with ALASTAIR instead of just trying to leave at the earliest opportunity. I don't have to owe this team anything- I'm doing it because I'm a changed gem who values life.

[she relaxes again- so much that when he boops her on the nose she just takes it. she'd left the sewers devastated, unable to condemn Percy for actions she, herself, had taken once, but that's over now! And so what if Percy never got his chance to fix things the way she did, and maybe if she had run into people different from Steven, she would have been in the same situation.

that didn't happen! the earth survived. she's fine.

it was just a thought.] It's so simple. Oh my stars, getting hung up on emotional things is so frustrating. I don't know how humans deal with that constantly overriding their logic.

[ex_mettacrusher33]

Eeeeeh. [Noncommittal hand-wiggle.] There's a place for it. Why, what would the world be like without a little love and kindness? Without people getting so swept up in the moment, staring blissfully into the eyes of their one true love!!

But really, now. What's the point in being so negative? Isn't it so much easier to just... be HAPPY? [No matter the cost?]

[slapfight]

[deep down, she thinks that's what Steven has been trying to teach her- an extreme form of it, to be sure, but still. why else would he think to watch a sunset and relax when the world was potentially ending around them?

and if that little song he taught her is true, there isn't anything that's worth more than peace and love on... well, some planet or another, not just Earth. that includes unnecessary fear and anxiety that no one but her would have to deal with.

and if she's the only one carrying it, then she can just drop it on a whim too. and focus on the positives.] Yes... Yes. We survived! We don't have to worry about any of that anymore. We'll go back to Oska and get new marching orders and all of this will just go away, anyway.

[ex_mettacrusher33]

NOW you're getting it!!

[Oh, doesn't she look so much better now? He sighs, happily, making to ruffle her hair again despite knowing full well she hates it.] It's all about putting things into perspective: the bad guy is dead. He's been punished for his hubris. We're curing the town and making sure that this never happens ever again.

We won, pumpkin!! Celebrate that, not your personal failures.

[Hm.]

So! Are we going to be helping with the curing efforts?

[slapfight]

There's no reason why we shouldn't. Holding people down and rounding up infected is easy for us. [she's feeling so much better and she's quick to just immediately jump into a topic that will keep pleasing her. Well, in a certain way. Mostly, she's only saying that to make her next statement seem less awful:] And then after that, we can do something that doesn't involve being chewed on by our teammates!

[that's what she really wants to do... once she's made sure Lance and anyone else she likes is well again.]