『g』『a』『b』『y』 (
vns) wrote in
meadowlarklogs2019-05-14 11:27 am
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(no subject)
WHO: Gaby, V, Doctor Stephen Strange, Prompto Argentum and Dick Grayson
WHERE: A haunted house
WHEN: Early evening of October 22nd
WHAT: Finding a lost little bird
NOTES OR WARNINGS: No warnings, all communication to go here, so tracking it may help!
[ the message hits Gaby's personal inbox. the one linked to her real identity. her real life. when it comes in, she's shaken. Riko's still at work – she messaged Gaby to let her know that she'd be late, and though she's not late yet today, she didn't come home the night before. when she reads the words on the text, she can see why:]
Hello, "Gaby." I'm a friend who's been taking care of you. Unfortunately, I'm here to provide assistance once more. One of the Carriers got caught this time, only not red handed. His release was far easier, but I'd prefer that he's not dropped off at your door. Go to the location I've provided.
Oh, and bring your handy little mask for yourself. I don't know if Riko intends to chase this lead, but you don't want her to know about all the good you've been doing for the world.
And thank you, as always, for taking such good care of them.
[ when Gaby tries to write back, she can't. it comes up as a dead end. she alerts El and then sets her plans into motion. the location? one of the haunted houses, closed for maintenance reasons. the people to join her? Dick Grayson, Prompto Argentum and Stephen Strange. she knows better than to bring it to the attention of all the Displaced. she knows the kind of explosion that might happen. discretion and then leaving them to decide how to handle it afterward. no need to entertain threats against her girlfriend's life as if they are fine the way they are.
they enter through the back of the building that holds the house, finding that it's dimly lit. Gaby's handed out masks for everyone involved, and wears one herself. at the center of the house, V will sit; he's sedated but not drugged with the compulsory drug. just knocked out, possibly because he's not a threat.
his release? it wasn't dissimilar to what happened with Jake and Hei before. two individuals claiming to be from New Beijing. one is the same as last time, one isn't. they've "come to collect," and since V hasn't done anything criminal, there shouldn't be any questions. they advise the NAPD to keep him off the records.
she turns toward Prompto. ]
You go first.
[ and then a nod toward Stephen and Dick. ]
Spread out and see if anyone's still here. Feel for it if you can.
[ there won't be anyone, but two sets of footsteps carried V in, and they can find that in the very thin layer of "dust" – a part of the house's decorations – on the floor. it's something. ]
WHERE: A haunted house
WHEN: Early evening of October 22nd
WHAT: Finding a lost little bird
NOTES OR WARNINGS: No warnings, all communication to go here, so tracking it may help!
Oh, and bring your handy little mask for yourself. I don't know if Riko intends to chase this lead, but you don't want her to know about all the good you've been doing for the world.
And thank you, as always, for taking such good care of them.
[ when Gaby tries to write back, she can't. it comes up as a dead end. she alerts El and then sets her plans into motion. the location? one of the haunted houses, closed for maintenance reasons. the people to join her? Dick Grayson, Prompto Argentum and Stephen Strange. she knows better than to bring it to the attention of all the Displaced. she knows the kind of explosion that might happen. discretion and then leaving them to decide how to handle it afterward. no need to entertain threats against her girlfriend's life as if they are fine the way they are.
they enter through the back of the building that holds the house, finding that it's dimly lit. Gaby's handed out masks for everyone involved, and wears one herself. at the center of the house, V will sit; he's sedated but not drugged with the compulsory drug. just knocked out, possibly because he's not a threat.
his release? it wasn't dissimilar to what happened with Jake and Hei before. two individuals claiming to be from New Beijing. one is the same as last time, one isn't. they've "come to collect," and since V hasn't done anything criminal, there shouldn't be any questions. they advise the NAPD to keep him off the records.
she turns toward Prompto. ]
You go first.
[ and then a nod toward Stephen and Dick. ]
Spread out and see if anyone's still here. Feel for it if you can.
[ there won't be anyone, but two sets of footsteps carried V in, and they can find that in the very thin layer of "dust" – a part of the house's decorations – on the floor. it's something. ]
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Gotcha.
[the point is to find the displaced that got taken in, so he focuses on taking careful steps inside the house, hoping to read for any unnecessary scares that may otherwise surprise him.]
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that much found, he follows on in to report. ]
Unless he got away and left somebody else knocked out in his place, there's nobody here except us and him.
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[Anything that resembled another body, had clearly been a partially completed prop of the haunted house, upon closer inspection. While feeling for another presence wasn't a skillset he employed, before he'd arrived here or after- but he's familiar with doing a sweep. With making his steps soundless and taking in the fine details. He's confident that he didn't miss anyone, but he given how are they were of the situation- he can't rule out the fact that they aren't still paying attention]
What I did find was two sets of footprints. Distinct steps, no drag marks.
[So not one person dragging V in threw the door. It's not much, and he took a few pictures in case the tread marks would be worth anything- but it's something]
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But those thoughts, with the world just a barely-there haze on the edge of his consciousness, are far from his mental reach. V sits in the middle of the structure, an attraction gone eerily still with emptiness and inaction, unmoving. The only exception is the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes, lazily rhythmic.]
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Tell me more about those steps. Is that common? Did these men want to be found?
[ Gaby draws closer to V, pulling an object out of her pocket. it was a hunch after what happened before. she waves it underneath his nose. a kind of smelling salt – though less harmful than anything known 500 years prior. there isn't any risk inherent in this.
after she's done waving it under his nose, she steps back. allows Prompto to slip in. ]
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I think he's fine.
[he hasn't got much to add about anything else, but at least he can answer for v's seeming well-being.]
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there's no immediate cause for concern so he doesn't interject, he can run a full check back at the safehouse, but he's ready to step in if things go sideways. waits instead, eyes on V and listening to the developments in the conversation about his transporters. ]
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Not usually, no. A successful, discreet delivery is the only thing they usually factor in. Dead or alive only depends on the motive, and a little rough handling can be an incentive the idea is a ransom.
That's obviously not the case here. But drag marks can make the tread of the shoe harder to trace to a brand, though not impossible.
[A beat and he regards Gaby neutrally, without any sort of accusation- because for all he knows, she did her homework]
If they cared about staying hidden, how did we locate him?
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Old instinct to lash out bubbles up to the surface, but it’s thankfully kept tempered by a weak body and a less impulsive mind. And so, pupils trying to adjust to motion around him and the dim lighting, V manages a—]
…graced by strangers again. I don’t think I like this trend.
[He makes a sound that could be a very, very tired laugh. But beyond the initial confusion, he’s as unharmed as the others have noted.]
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[ she supplies this information with her arms crossed. her weight rests heavily on her heels, body rigid. the fact that he's fine is a relief, even if he can't make out their faces. ]
I have a lot to share with all of you. Including him. We owe it to him.
[ V. she means V. ]
But first. Any means we can get those treads and bring them with us, or will a picture have to suffice? I don't want to leave with nothing. El's already found the car, but I think it's safe for us all to assume that'll be a dead end.
[ or relative one.
she's been wrong before. this isn't her field of expertise, so what she thinks will happen and what will happen? sometimes in contradiction. often in contradiction. trained but in over her head since the end of June: that's the Gaby life. ]
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[it's clear by her words that something more is going on around this situation—but isn't that the usual, with morningstar and new amsterdam as a whole?]
[additional to what gaby says, prompto speaks up,]
Aren't there cameras out in the streets? Even without them, people are out having fun and taking pictures and videos. It might be a slim chance—and I don't know how to even go about it—but maybe someone's seen something in this area.
[he's just throwing the idea out there, let the pros do the pro-ing.]
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this is bigger than one man, he'd say if he were being kind. maybe it's even true. but the truth is his decision is exactly the size of one man - him - and his need to learn anything that might get them closer to out.
so his attention goes Gaby-ward instead. following off of Prompto's point: ]
If they have, and it seems likely, we might at least be able to cobble together some indication of behavior from whatever we can gather. If Dick [ a glance his way ] can accompany me to the station, I can also take as clear an image as possible of the people we're looking for from those who saw them. The officers who processed the release.
[ although, they have someone right here... he won't, not to a man so recently disoriented and one of their own, but it's worth the question at least to ascertain how the collection ran. a faceless mask isn't likely to inspire much confidence, either. he's going to have to see their faces eventually.
pulling his mask up away from his face, Stephen turns his attention to V. ]
Did you meet them?
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And on to the more pressing matters]
If you have access to any kind of strong adhesive, one made of gelatin would work best for pulling without distorting the dust around it- we could lift the prints. If you don't- I did take several photos from a few different angles, and up close. We should be able to piece together shoe size and match it.
[Once they have a brand they have retailers and every ID that purchased them. From there it would be narrowing them down to whatever picture Strange or V can piece together. Unless they did truly want to be found- he doubts it's going to be that easy, but it's still more than the information they walked in here with.
A glance at Strange, wryly said] There's no need to insult. If we all think that's a worthwhile move, I'll 'accompany' you, no problem.
[Way to out him, Dad!! But once Strange turns back to V, so does he- more curious about potential answer than a slip up that's going to confirmed later on anyway]
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The ones who brought him here, then... V realizes that they might be the curtain in which many answers lie behind. It’s doubly frustrating (but not that unexpected) to know that he had been drugged (again) for the sake of obscuring any remembered details.
He frowns, eyes tracking to look at Stephen, the only one who pulls his mask down to reveal a face he can address.]
‘Meet’ is a liberal use of the word. I can’t tell you very much. I wasn’t exactly in the most lucid state at the time.
[There is one thing he can remember, though, his mind treating it as odd even though everything else was obfuscated.]
But they treated me delicately. Not like a prisoner, and not like cargo to be thrown around. Even when I was carried, it was... [He frowns, wishing that he could be more specific, but there’s nothing more to go on.] ...well. They were careful. Almost respectful.
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[ and sometimes there's no footage at all. sometimes it's hard to zero in on any identifying pieces of information. it's strange. by now, Gaby wonders why people haven't been taking pictures of these drop offs, but maybe they have and they don't go anywhere. can't go anywhere. social media scrubs are second nature in a world like this. ]
– but we know the nurse, at least, he was cocky. A bit dumb. Less than willing to show care and reverence.
[ all off a single gesture, but it was enough to almost get answers.
almost. ]
I'll tell you all this much. I don't know if they planned on handing you over to me early on, but it's clear that that's been the goal for a while. We had a hunch before they hit our homes. And now ...
[ she breathes out. ]
Well, I'd like to hear what you all think. I don't have what you need, Dick. I'm sorry. Pictures will have to do. And before you answer, it might be better if we get up out of here. Go somewhere more secure. I'd prefer to continue this conversation before we're in a room full of Displaced, so we can consider how to proceed. Does anyone have any objections to that?
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[there's a point there, one which prompto agrees with. the rest of her words have him moving, however, putting one of v's arms around his shoulders, helping the man up on his feet. an arm rests strong around v's back, keeping him steady.]
S'cool. [if v needs to get carried prompto can handle this js] So not homebase. [the safehouse. looking around, he nods towards both strange and dick, then poses the question to gaby.] Where to?
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then there's what V has to say. he listens closely when he's addressed, neutral frown about as much of a mask as the one that had covered it, but clearly intent on the information. seals it in with a grim nod.
so they're protected. that's not news, he's known as much since Gaby filled him in on the release of the first two jailed Displaced. but this close of an eyewitness account, the care he details.
Gaby's trying to move them on, but she's said something too specific to wait until later. he'll go, there's no sign that he won't, but he doesn't have it in him to hold his tongue, either. ]
You think these people had the power to protect you from the leak?
[ or is she saying something else? it's all floating around the edges of half-formed theories already spun. Stephen pulls his mask back over his face, a concession to wait until they're wherever they're headed for an answer if he must and a sign of readiness to go. only once that's done does he clench his jaw against the frustration of knowing, but never quite enough. ]
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[What he means is, the handling wasn't rough- Dick didn't have any injuries that he hadn't received from his surgical alterations- healed over and made uncomfortable by the unsettling realization that they'd been there long enough to heal without any memory of being placed into a position to acquire it. But it hadn't quite been this level of care, either. A little more rushed, trying to get everyone out and in public to be found and gone before they were all noticed- like the world's worst prison escape.
But that extra information- that the displaced were always meant to be given to Gaby, or to Morningstar as a whole- that, someone else was watching them all, was trying to protect as many significant members of this branch as it could- it's definitely more important than his name being released for the second time. After all, if anyone had truly been listening- they would have sussed it out eventually, his commentary had more been a point to be made at Strange, than an actual attempt to cover it up.
So it gets no more notice than a slightly pinched expression that no one can really see beneath the mask, and careful consideration of the question]
No objections. If that's the case- [About her not having any of the tech he needs to do more than simply photograph the evidence-] then I believe we have everything that we're going to be able to find here.
[And with the way discussions have gone lately- he's all for everyone being fully aware of what they all know, and what they should do- before starting some kind of uproar.
He turns towards Prompto and V] You two good to go, as is?
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[—he offers dryly and with uneven syllables, hefted up to his feet, kept balance by an arm braced against his back. The world still shutters a little under each step as he presses forward slowly and experimentally with Prompto’s help, but results so far are not catastrophic — walking is doable, always promising.
Still, he has to shake his head a little at something the one man says, offering clarification.]
This is my second “drop-off”, so to speak. The starting point was me gracelessly stumbling around in a… [A secondary glance at his surroundings only seems to confirm the holiday.] …Halloween carnival of some kind, after being shuffled off a van. One thing led to another, and now I’m here.
[If there are deeper implications to that, the sort that V wouldn't be privy to, he remains unaware. But they seem to float about unsaid, seen in the tension of body language between the group.]
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[ Gaby makes sure to put down that distinction for them to pick up and run away with. she hasn't talked about it much because it doesn't look good, and someone with that power isn't someone she likes.
how does she even touch on that? ]
Before any of you say it – I know how it looks. I don't like it, either.
[ from her perspective – that of someone who isn't in league with them – they know she's helping them. not just any Morningstar agent. her. was it because they followed her home? followed her to the bar? is there even any point in relocating? who benefits from it?
and what does it say about Morningstar?
did someone sell her out, or did they know? ]
Now, come on. Follow me.
[ Gaby is smaller than most of the men here, but she walks with long strides that carry her back out of the haunted house into an alley. at the end of the alley, parked off to the side, is a black truck that she drove here. if anyone came with her, this is what they came in – there are tinted windows, not that they hide much. it's large enough to easily house everyone.
she uses her implant to unlock the truck, strolling up the rest of the way to slip inside the driver's seat. the other doors are unlocked for the others to join her. ]
I was thinking the new safehouse for this talk.
[ once everyone's inside. ]
Any objections?
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Yeah, we're good.
[he answers dick's question as they walk past him and follow gaby towards the truck. in goes the newcomer into the backseat, first, then prompto scrambling inside right after.]
I can't think of a better place to go to. [if they want privacy and to not be surrounded by the other displaced to have this conversation.] So long as it's safe.
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new, though, is that specificity. that she hasn't been compromised is clear enough - they'd know if her home was raided. Gaby's poker face is so-so at best, she couldn't have buried all that. and there's still Riko.
the safehouse, then. somewhere to hear what it is that she has for them, to lay out what they've found today and discuss in detail how the nature of their arrivals and today's mysterious handover might thread into whatever it is that Gaby has to say.
Stephen claims shotgun, because of course he does. ]
We're going to have to christen it eventually.
[ the new safehouse is both out of the way and suitably protected. where better? ]
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[So for the question of safety- that settles it, for him. Even if it's still in the process of being fully set up to be made functional- it's the most logical place for them to go. It's bound to be quiet, secure and allow a place for V to be looked at more carefully, and to have things explained to him properly about the place he's suddenly found himself, and the people he's found himself with.
And while Gaby's definitely handed over plenty of food for thought- with knowledge that she believes that someone had the power to protect her specifically. He wonders if that means that they considered her the only worthwhile investment- or if they had the same problems accessing the identity of the others as the UNA had before now? It's questions and trains of thought best left for the new location.
So he only follows along quietly after that, sweeping through the dust with his foot as he goes behind them, making sure to cover their tracks in the event that anyone else drops by later.
If the driver picks the music, he sure hopes Gaby's got something better on the playlist than the futuristic butchering of ABBA.]
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That this nameless party had the ability to protect this woman specifically? Well. Even to an outsider peering in, that looks rather strange, implying some manner of importance. But the how’s and why’s are beyond his own understanding, and honestly, he’s more than keen on letting it be explained to him than trying to puzzle it out on his own, if that’s what ends up happening.
And so, settled in the backseat, once everyone else is ready to go—]
‘Hie thee home’, or so it goes.
[aka let’s go]
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the ride there is simple enough. they pass over two neighborhoods before they touch down at the safehouse. as advertised, this neighborhood is less than cared for – multiple buildings are rundown, pieces of real estate that haven't been taken over because no one can care for the squatting problem. on the way there, they'll see numerous apartment buildings with food at their front door. this food becomes more common, more necessary, the closer they get to the safehouse. people nearby know that this is the forgotten section of a digital world. the people here shouldn't be invisible, and yet – they are.
there are indications that the city's infrastructure cares little about this section, as if it's been laid to waste. one day, a corporation will come in and force out the people, but they're appeased for now. as long as the Problem stays here, it can't be shuffled or forced elsewhere.
as it is, they end up inside of the garage, the door sliding shut behind them.
Gaby gets out, proceeds to a similar hatch to what's embedded in the floor of the abandoned grocery store, and yanks it open. the path down from there is the same, designed almost identically. she'll stand outside and wait for them to all shuffle inside, silent all the while. ]
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Okay, here we are—
[he reaches to open the door, over v's tired form, but accidentally miscalculates and gets the man to lurch out of the car suddenly.]
Ah!
[at least he's quick, his hands barely managing to grab at the scrubs before v meets the floor. they're kinda hanging here over the side of the car, inches from the floor.]
Hey, Dick!
[pull his foot or something oh my gods]
[sorry gaby, they can never be normal]
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he could help at this point, but Prompto seems to have stopped the initial trajectory, and do you know what?
he's tired.
turning back toward the hatch, mask kindly obscuring what's left of his general disdain, Stephen walks past Gaby and down into the safehouse.
you kids sort yourselves out, he'll deal with any casualties later. ]
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There's a moment where he blinks- like he can't believe this actually just happened- and then he's reacting quickly, moving forward to wrap an arm across Prompto's hips and then pulling them back up sharply- it's a lot of weight to try and move- but anything that gets them up away from the concrete enough to get their arms under them and use their own momentum to right themselves is good enough.
At least sorting themselves out should be easy- and enables them to make short work of joining the others.
Though don't think he didn't notice you just abandoned him to this mess, Mr. Strange. Strike no. 2. Petty revenge incoming]
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And less due to his weak body than the mere clumsiness of others (see: Prompto). V finds himself tumbling out of the van, then hoisted up by his shirt, hovering mere inches off the ground.]
Just-
[For the love of Sparda, just let him fall at this point, it would be less embarrassing.
But with Dick’s help, the moment is mercifully short. They’re righted, and V once again has his feet beneath him with a bit of readjusting. He straightens with a strained huff, giving both Prompto and Dick something of a look before following in the wake of Stephen’s lead.]
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the setup is exactly as expected, only with more divided rooms. the lights turn on to welcome them, and there are cots set up with blankets and pillows, ready for anyone to arrive. the kitchen and medical room are down past the open room with the cots, and the kitchen is larger, nicer. there is more storage here than there was in the previous safehouse. it's meant to be permanent. ideally, that's what it is.
Gaby doesn't tell them that there are drinks to be had. this is only temporary. ]
I'm sorry, V. If you need to sit down or lie down, take a cot.
[ she motions. ]
The rest of us need to talk. I don't like keeping secrets and perhaps most importantly I can see the problem in keeping this secret from the rest.
[ and lack of value. ]
But we need to discuss it. So, here's the message for all of you – save you, V. You aren't set up yet. Prompto can pass it along through the network later.
[ and with that, all of them – save V, as she said – gets a notification of an encrypted message, private on the Morningstar network. the message is the note up above, not revised in any way. that includes the cutesy quotation marks around her code name. as if any person who's reaching out like this has any room to judge. ]
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[there's a lot that could be said, but something stands out to him—which he ends up blurting out soon as he reads it.]
"Carriers"?
This is how you got tipped off about him. [...] —this person sounds like they're in charge.
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Prompto's right to single it out so quickly. it's the clearest lead they've had to what they are, who they are to anyone else, why it is that their presence in this world has gone un-threatened when everyone around them has suffered such losses.
carriers. there is something inside them, the thing that makes them one even though they're so many and so often divided. the glowing, the feeling, the power.
the rest of the content of the message is just as tantalizing. answers, but none of it enough to mean anything. clear as day and obfuscating as dusk. Stephen removes his mask, useless to them now, and all of his attention is on Gaby.
"as always". ]
Is this the first?
for sake of flow - a reply and then return to the same order as if Gaby wasn't slotted in
as far as they know, this power isn't out there. as far as they know.
in Gaby's eyes, the question has always been: why them? they talk about themselves like weapons, like machines, like soldiers. again – why them? it's not as if the corps or government give a damn about people enough to not use them. she's seen that with her own two eyes. no need to go outside. they already send people to waste away and barely subsist while working in the colonies, promised government support and a new life.
again: why them? ]
The very first. I don't like the familiarity, either.
[ the agitation seeps into her tone. Strange hadn't seen her the day that everything went public about Jake and Hei. he had only sensed her agitation, could see her frustration through the text. so – ]
I noticed that bit about the carriers, too. Sounds like you have a plague inside of you. But here's the thing – why you? I've seen some of you suggest that it might be out of some ethical need to protect this world, some pretty glittering way of covering their own tracks. It doesn't make a single lick of sense. They trick people into going to the colonies, and people starve out there. People starve here, go homeless because the housing market is fucked up. They don't give a damn, securing the conditions that maintain this. And then there's the fucking UNA – they're like machines. Terrors. Wouldn't you want them to have this power? Even if they aren't patient zero –
[ it's damn fucking close to a monologue. ]
So, what are you carrying and why? Because I'd like to fucking know.
[ her right hand moves into her hair, trying to pull some strands behind her ear. the action is shaky, unsteady. they can just dream, and she forgot whole conversations, whole bits of communication. and why? why do they get to fuck up this world even more? why do they get that choice? that power?
it's not resentment that she feels. despair? that might be it.
her hand drops from her hair, falling to her side, tugging at the bottom of her shirt like she doesn't know what to do with it. ]
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Gaby gets a bit of a look, for that plague thing- and the ensuing racket it's likely going to cause. It's certainly one of the connotations that spring to mind, when hearing this- and also another, softer. Who else, carries something within? Mothers]
Sure, we could have one of those. It certainly sells the idea that we're a biological weapon of some sort, that some people have adapted to. But people have noticed that their powers have shifted, changed over time. They haven't always been able to explain why. It could be we're just forcing that growth, accelerating it, and then-
[He leaves it hanging. Someone will be back to harvest it, and the truth of the matter is that they're as inconsequential to the whole thing. Not some way to save this world, or destroy it. Not some grand social experiment to paint a glittering narrative that doesn't exist. Just a means to an end, to be discard when it isn't needed anymore. Neither option is particularly pretty] The why could be anything too. Most of us come from a world very different from yours. Meat is an abundance, the climate is mostly stable, there's been no extra war, no excess of radiation- no sentient AI's. None of you may have the genetics necessary to do it.
We could spend all night speculating, we could put it forth to all of us, and it wouldn't offer any new insight. We don't know anything now that we didn't know before. We don't know why, and we don't know what. We know there's something, but we knew that from day one. That we weren't like the rest of you. The only bit of new information we have is that message, those foot prints, their more overt interest in their investment.
[They can't rule out that they've already tried it on their own. He remembers a facility clearly, beneath the waves, spectres crying out their guilt, for forgiveness, a commentary on some sort of damning experiment that slowly tore them apart. It could have everything and nothing to do with this- but if the dreams set them apart in one way, it's likely everything they saw there- including the masses at the bridge, waiting to cross, scared to, the people who fought off a nurse- everything was for a reason. Likely happened, if not to them, then to someone.
It's a sterile assessment, in the face of the things laid out about this world, about how time has ravaged this version of Earth into something he barely recognizes. The problems he had tried to solve, in some small way, only made worse on a scale that's sometimes hard to fathom. But that isn't new information either. Without another trip into the dreams to skew some politician's minds- knowing they don't care for their own anymore than those of the past did- won't change it. Not like this]
I want all those same answers. We all want to leave here, with New Amsterdam better off for having had us. With some solutions to these things. But if we're going to do that, we have to be better. Smarter.
[Stop riling into a mob mentality and running in half cocked. It's just going to get rid of the evidence that's out there, let them know where they're looking or how. It's not any less frustrating for him, but it's not within him to act on nothing unless the immediate situation, such as a life being at stake, calls for it. At the moment- things are moving at the pace they always have, they have a little bit of time to make a better call. He's guessing that's why it's a smaller group first]
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The discussion of some unknown power makes him flex his fingers into his knee, seated as he is with his hands in his lap. His head is bowed down, looking at the floor, though his attention is still pointedly on their conversation.]
He makes a good point. [The man called a dick by the other, he means. And finally, V lifts his eyes up to Gaby.]
You ask why us, and to me, the answer is clear. Because it can be only us. If we possess some kind of… strange power, enough to where it makes you uneasy— [or so he would assume, taking in the small ticks of her body language, the fidgeting of her shirt] —then it’s because there was no other recourse.
People do not give up the ability to incite worldly change unless they think they’re not fit for it. Now, I know nothing about this world; but my assumption is that we’re simply special, and there is a thread of commonality in that uniqueness that you might… simply be unaware of. Whether it’s because we hail from different worlds and possesses something that this one does not, or if the transition to this world imbued us with whatever we are “carrying”…
[A shrug of a shoulder. Sure hopes it's not a plague, that's not that kind of power V likes.]
Impossible to say at this point. You all would certainly know better than I.
no subject
[ she means the compliment for V, and even looks at him when she says it. his words are good ones, pointing out something that she hadn't been able to parse out. many of the Displaced assumed the changes happened here – but is that truly proven? do they know? as Dick points out, they don't know a lot, and they all want answers for it. this doesn't answer anything, except that someone out there has a different title for them.
Carriers. fuck, they even capitalized the damn word. they knew what they were doing. ]
As it is –
[ her gaze sweeps over the room. her arms cross. ]
– we need a plan. Dick is right, we have to be smarter.
[ a beat. ]
I have to be. Last time I fucked this up — basically started a goddamn mini-war among your group. Maybe that's an exaggeration. It wasn't great. Your group needs to know this, but I'd like to follow these leads. The shoes. The car. Hell – even this location. Find out who owns it. Work with El and me. But –
[ another sweep of the room. ]
– if you'd prefer we throw this out there ASAP, fine. I'll go along with it. I worry about going all hands on deck. And I wonder ...
[ her lips purse forward. ]
Well, this might not be the day to worry about theories. We'll deal in facts. I'll throw that "I wonder" at you all another time.
no subject
We gotta turn all our assumptions into something more real.
[that much he knows everyone can agree with. he frowns, crosses his arms too.]
[WWI(gnis)D]
I'm cool with helping out with following what we have here. I feel like... facts and theories could both be useful, right? Just make a clear division of what is and isn't. [uhhh he looks around at the others] ...well, it's not much what we have to look at, but it's something, I think.
[he's here to provide full support!!]
no subject
it seems unanimous. he agrees. the last thing they need is to start another group-wide blowup and send the entire company of displaced barreling into the midst of evidence not yet plumbed. can't afford to screw this up, not when it might actually be worth something.
of course, there's the risk of this leaking before they have chance to get to the bottom of it. damaged trust, misplaced suspicions, neither of which will do them any favors. but when balanced against what it is they might gain the necessity of the risk outweighs its potential cost. he'll raise it later, when it comes to discussing logistics. ]
So we follow the trails. [ that's decided. but, searching for Gaby's eye now, because Prompto's right - ] If you're going to say something out loud, you better be ready to finish the thought.
[ it's not a criticism or an attempt at an order so much as it is the suggestion that they don't have room for doubt or for wondering alone. if gaby's got a thought for the ring, throw it in. if it's worth bringing up, it's something she's going to want to say sooner or later.
they're not the full forum. they're standing here, in person, able to reason and have direct conversation. they can't take it and twist or follow it too far like might happen if this were 50+ people with words printed in their heads. it's safe to speak here. ]
no subject
[For him- it's as important to him to make that distinction clear- with, not for- as it is to chase the leads and gain actual information before putting it forth. Even if he generally, believes in a sense of transparency amongst the group at large- and would thus never vote for leaving them in the dark indefinitely- he's lead and worked with enough other heroes- and spent more than enough time wrangling his little brothers to know that the only way to stop someone from running off, dangerously and recklessly with half the information- is to not give it to them in the first place. He was there, for the event with murder gate. He's seen the post for the committees. He knows how high the tensions can run.
And any misstep can dry up the well of evidence. He's seen that too. He's relieved that thus far, they're all on the same page. That this entire evening- went as well as it had. They'd deferred to each other's expertise, valued everyone's word- that's important. That they're on the same page about this too, bodes well for continuing this investigation. For bringing things to the most solid conclusion that they can, especially once V will be able to move amongst the world more freely]
I'd share it, if you thought it might also give us a place to start. [If it doesn't- she might be right. That waiting is better. The next set of clues they could find- could wipe that theory clearly off the board. She's a native to this place, in this- he'll defer to her. She'd have a higher sense of what's useful]
no subject
[He waves a hand rather dismissively. V is not made of brimming positivity, difficult to pry it out of him when he's in such a state, but that doesn't mean he won't cooperate.]
I've been thrown into the same circumstances as all of you whether I like it or not. So, it wouldn't make much sense for me not to work with a group that already has far more answers than I. Consider me at your disposal.
[Practical, as always. He leans forward, elbows on his knees, looking over at Gaby.]
And I agree. All the information on the table now, so there aren't any surprises later. Don't you think that'd be for the best?
no subject
[ it's a fair point. some of the distinctions in there go unnoticed. bits about working with rather than for – Gaby doesn't expect anyone to work for her. she never has. but that's where her circumstances landed her in a position to care for rather than lead, when leading may have been the right answer.
at least she trusts her judgment. ]
Two things. First: someone leaked information about your transport to us in the first place. I don't know exactly how that went, but it was similar to how information got out in January.
[ she glances at V. ]
Ask them to fill you in on that one.
[ and then – ]
And now, we know someone's protecting me, ensuring that I'm here for you. How long did it take for them to work out that Morningstar is here for you? And why protect me, but toss aside a nurse like that? Unless there are more hands involved here.
[ so, she looks around. ]
I wonder if they wanted you kept safe. Not for any nefarious reasons, but because we had the resources to help you. If you extrapolate? That means there's no way home. Or they haven't worked that out yet. Or they're not allowed to send you there while they pursue other leads. But the safe theory is that you're meant to be working in tandem with us.
[ which, given the resources of whoever this is? that's truly fascinating. do they support Morningstar from afar? is that too much to hope? she thinks not, if they allowed the UNA attacks to happen, but then ... it may be that they can only intervene on smaller levels. ]
no subject
[he turns to v:] I'll tell you later.
[and continues listening to gaby. everything—from how v was transported out of the police station to how gaby was notified of his drop off speak volumes to how significant it is for both the displaced and morningstar to work together.]
[the idea of there not being a way home isn't exactly a comforting one.]
Whatever the case, assume our current status is not the end of the journey, but a step towards another goal. [he looks at dick, because he's the one prompto feels most reassured with.] We go back and try to figure out what started this and we should have a clearer idea of where we're intended to go.
[seems fair enough. he crosses his arms.]
...thanks for sharing this much with us, Gaby. [and helping them out, always, but it does go without saying.]