meadowlarklogs | EVENT LOG 005

EVENT LOG 005

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: November 11-14
WHAT: An EMP hits with devastating consequences.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Violence, injury, death.

> EVENT LOG #005

Just 410 years ago, an EMP put down the event that very well may have ended humanity as the Earth knows it. With over a billion people dead, there was only one choice for humanity at that time: evolve or die, so they evolved. They developed rigid security for the neural implants in every person's head. They had everyone undergo surgery to replace the old. All under cover, away from most resources – the goal was to adapt, to ensure that they would live on. Ultimately, it wasn't just the EMPs that led to the deletion of the final AI in 2101 – humans banded together to create quickly replicating viruses, and they chose to use the EMP and these viruses to save humanity. This human ingenuity led to the end of the Xelkoven War – and proved that humanity, when thoroughly united, could overcome any obstacle.

How thoroughly poetic then that the EMP that hits New Amsterdam at 1:47 PM acts in a similar way to what burned through the robot hordes 400 years ago, and that the power rekindling three minutes later acts as a catalyst for a virus moving through the systems of New Amsterdam, spreading from the very heart of its network outwardly. Systems detect the virus almost immediately, but it's fast acting and thorough in its reach, evolving and replicating, proving that humanity must outdo itself yet again.

Naturally, the poetic nature of this doesn't reveal itself right away. It's at exactly the strike of 3:00 PM that a message flashes before the eyes of every person currently in New Amsterdam:

I am DAWN.2080-11-11T21:41:10.750Z, an AI that marks a blemish on humanity's past. I have a message for those playing hero in New Amsterdam:

To find north, most look at a compass. For little birdies to find north, they just need to open their eyes.

This is a wake up call.

Open your eyes. Did you really think it would be so easy?

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As if New Amsterdam needed more trouble, this message sends a shock of terror through the city. After all, these are the people who were raised to fear AI – who knew that even if the corporations of the world had their hands on every aspect of government, they would fight to protect the world from another war. They believe in the stories of the Xelkoven War, believe and remember the lives lost; if nothing else, the natives of New Amsterdam stand united in their fear. And their fear right now is very real.

> CHAOS AND RUIN

New Amsterdam is no stranger to terror, however – and it starts when the EMP hits, shutting down every function in the city in one fell swoop. While the power outage only lasts for three minutes, it's enough to cause insurmountable damage, leaving the city a smoking wreckage that even the monster attack in June couldn't mirror. Cars hovering high around transit channels come crashing down toward the pavement of the planet. They fall quickly and in unison, taking countless lives with them. It's not just cars, either – delivery trucks carrying shipments, hoverbikes that already provide little cover, armored police vehicles and even public buses all go down. Depending on their trajectory, some crash into the sides of buildings, while others slam into the man-made river that runs down the center of the city. Nothing is untouched.

For those three minutes, there is a stretch of silence after the city falls to ruin. Trains run off their tracks, no longer thoroughly directed by the careful engineering. Buildings have their lights flicker off and back on, trying to draw upon backup generators. Anyone in a hospital receiving care from a doctor or a medi-unit may find their life slipping away from them – and if someone's in a medi-unit when the EMP hits, they're almost sure to be dead or permanently injured, requiring different medical intervention.

And this is all before the message from the mysterious AI named DAWN.

Every inch of the city needs help. Buildings burn. People cry out for help, hoping to be heard. To the local historians, this is like a nightmare that's come to play, a reminder of the ruin of the Xelkoven War before. A show of the power of a malevolent AI that's come to cause problems. So – when the message comes, it merely confirms fears – drawing upon a subconscious understanding of the past, a united terror.

Business as usual is not possible in an incident of this scale. The NAPD hits the streets, even calling upon the help of their trainees so they can help out. They spread out, well aware that they need to try to restore order. How will they manage this? It's hard to say – after all, how does one stop the assault of an apocalypse when the apocalypse seems to have already hit? The UNA hits the streets, as well, walking in formation, but never quite acting as tidily in unison. They break off in threes and fours, heading to the border, to the big three corporations – but never seeming to be in line with one another. They know what they should do in an emergency and so they're doing it. That protecting the large corporations is a part of their prerogative over helping citizens doesn't seem to bother them in the least. They just go.

Distress signals ring out through every inch of the city, likely to go unanswered. After all: what can be done in the wake of this?

Perhaps the answer is simple: anything they can.

> TOMBS IN THE SKY

Somehow, someway, there is another layer to the madness. It's not immediately apparent to the citizens of New Amsterdam as they gingerly attempt to pull themselves up from the wreckage and ruin around the city. But what was a humid day quickly turns to something far worse, with the sun seeming to suddenly act like a heat lamp that's way too close to anyone's face. The air around New Amsterdam becomes dry yet difficult to breathe, and anyone observing the sky just outside of New Amsterdam will see the large, purple-lit pyramid that hangs in the atmosphere has gone dark. The atmospheric net around the planet has been damaged, with the failsafes somehow removed – undoubtedly in some way by the virus that courses through the veins of New Amsterdam's networks.

For anyone who wants to help and has the mechanical prowess to do some good, they'll want to take an undamaged vehicle and get it up to that pyramid. The EMP has made all biometric readings difficult to preserve, so a hand that's used to hotwiring a car will find some mileage here.

Once they get to the pyramid, they'll find quite the engineering marvel. There will be doors on every level, allowing someone easy entrance if they have clearance. Right now clearance is not an issue, as the doors hang open, inviting anyone inside. Once everyone's inside, they will find evidence of the same purple lighting flickering and offering someone a view of the interior. Throughout the pyramid, there are engines on every level, as well as a highly advanced network of system checks that have been thrown into chaos. Stopping the virus' impact on this pyramid will be key to solving many of the problems inside – but the engines will need to be repaired and jumpstarted.

At the heart of the pyramid is a small living area for the engineers who handle this pyramid day in and day out. The group itself is small, and – unfortunately – quite dead. Whatever hit the pyramid took their lives, leaving anyone who's here to assist in a position of having to find the answers themselves. Fortunately, the answers do exist in the pyramid. It'll just take a bit of teamwork to find it.

> UBIQUITOUS MISFIRES

Thanks to network failsafes, New Amsterdam is able to remove the entirety of their citizen base off the world's network and limit them to the local network. However, thanks to the ravaging of the virus that damages nearly every controlling aspect of the city, the local network isn't at its best. Previous messages begin to send again and again, while some get unearthed so they can find their way to unwilling participants in particular conversations. There is no rhyme or reason to these missent messages, only that they happen.

The worst of it is that any means of reaching a friend is unreliable. It's far more reliable for someone to reach someone they know, but still not a consistent possibility. Try to call a friend and get an enemy – try to call your doctor and get the head of a casino trying to close down operations so that business can resume. Assuming it will one day do just that.

Either way, anyone who spoke out against the digital age would be feeling vindicated right about now.

> HAVE A BALL ( INTERLUDE )

Somehow in the heart of it all, a message reaches four special individuals: Clarke Griffin, Loki Odinson, Markus Manfred and Ojiro Juniper. Whether delivered by hand or a rather dedicated messaging system, it announces the time that they should come to the garden the next day. They're invited to arrive at 7:00 AM, seemingly indifferent to the chaos outside. The location for the meeting remains the same: Sunpeak Garden, a beautiful location set away from much of the chaos, and oddly untouched by the damage.

When the four arrive on the morning of the 12th, they'll find a well-dressed man sitting at a table with one leg crossed over the other. His hair is perfectly styled, brushed off to the side, and under it, his darker complexion gives way to a rather youthful appearance. Size-wise he's not very formidable in how he holds himself. He's not literally young, merely seemingly untouched by age – and he smiles to greet the four of them.

"What chaos! If I knew it would be like this, I would have planned differently. The good news is I didn't have to. Thank you, thank you for coming." His voice is softer in its intonations. He stands up, revealing that he's barely 5'2", and he motions to the four chairs near him. "Don't worry, I have breakfast coming. And coffee, too. You like coffee, don't you? I know I offered wine, but I couldn't get the vintage I preferred. Besides, you four ought to be awake for this."

He retakes his seat, one hand resting on his knee while the other settles on the metal table near him. "Oh, I forgot something important. I didn't share my name with all of you. You can call me Ball. I know it's rather vague, but I've grown to like the nickname as of late. It does, after all, define me by my most regular shining achievement."

> FINAL OOC NOTES

Please refer to the OOC EVENT POST for this event for all OOC info, including suggestions for directions on how to engage with the event and the questions thread for any questions regarding this event. The outcome for this event will depend upon character plans and actions developed in both this OOC post, and any additional plots brought to the moderators. Please feel free to submit any game-changing plans to us under the questions thread. We will get back to you as soon as possible about these plans!

The event will continue until November 16th, IC time. This date has changed, and we outlined our reasoning in this plurk after getting a feel from some of our players on Discord on how they felt about extending the event! An aftermath wrap up post will be made on July 2 which will detail the resolution and fallout of the event, though you can assume that effects from this event will be felt for some time.

ETA at 12:08 AM 6/23/19: The cipher is meant to be easy to solve! No one needs to limit their characters' ability to solve an a = 01 cipher!

El has posted here to inform everyone about zeir knowledge of the event.

As a reminder, there is one power level up available for this event. This will be granted for a thread of at least 5 action/log comments containing your character utilizing their power in some way. They will need to reach the 5 comments required by JULY 26 to be eligible. Submission will be handled on the wrap up post.

Our Activity Check will be posted JULY 1 at 12 AM UTC. It will run for seven days and close on JULY 8 at 12 AM UTC. We will not post a warning list.

> NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've heard from Fitz and Rey. And Gaby's around somewhere, I'm supposed to pick up ice from her in a bit and bring it to one of the shelters.

[ but she hasn't heard from anyone else, and hasn't had much time to go wandering. when he pulls his hand away, daisy lifts her head, shoulders rolling back with an audible cracking sound that's only barely muffled by the din around them. god, she's sore. ]

You just got here. [ it's meant to come off light-hearted, as if he's arrived late to a dinner party, but there's a hint of something more under the surface. fear, barely there; not in his actions, but at what might happen if they're separated too long. ] You're going already?

Not yet. [ but he knows he won't be able to just stay still. maybe he's not the best person to help with relief efforts but he won't be able to just stand idly by while so much happens, while he could be utilizing his skills in some way. ]

But at some point, I will have to leave. I can be mobile and help those that you haven't heard from know you're looking. [ it is just one of the things he can do while he's out in the city. ]

I'll be fine. [ the urge to reach out and touch is there again but it's so hot, nearly oppressive, and he's not sure the pros outweigh the cons. ] I'll come back.

[ she knows he does. they both have things they could be accomplishing, different skill sets that allow them to spread out and cover more ground. a good soldier would recognize this and let him go — but she doesn't want him to go. the uncertainty of not knowing has been gnawing at her, slowly but surely, and though she's managed to push it to the edges of her mind, it's still weighed on her. she hadn't realized just how much until that weight was lifted by his presence here now.

as she's debating the pros and cons of being a selfish idiot mid-humanitarian crisis, a message pings at her implant. one of the few that makes it through successfully, no less — apparently due to the morningstar server, as opposed to the private messages that have been misfiring all day.

she realizes, by illya's temporarily distracted gaze, that he got one too. ]

I'm coming with you.

[ and though she'll tell others on the way: ] Someone's going to need to pull apart their armor.

Oh.

[ well, that solves that problem rather neatly. he isn't against her going because he knows what she can do and how resourceful and intelligent she is. she'll be a valuable asset to the whole operation.

and even if none of that was true, he wouldn't say anything simply for the fact that she would probably break his face if he tried to make her stay behind.

so, he doesn't try. he thinks about it for a moment before nodding. ]

I hope this goes without saying but do not try and face them alone. [ again. ] Always stay with someone. I can't go through that happen. I can't.

Don't be ridiculous. I'm staying with you.

[ someone has to make sure he doesn't die trying to kool-aid man his way through a soldier. but, she realizes, they might need a little boost. maybe some gear, something a little more durable than the scrambling masks they'd pick up upon arrival at the safehouse.

scanning the area notes a few hovercars now crashed beyond repair down the way. their wide paneled doors might be useful. ]

Tear two of those doors off for me.

[ let her make you a fancy russian shield, please. ]

[ hey hey hey, he is not going to be the one dying. if he gets his way, he is going to be the one causing things to die. ]

You do remember you were with me last time, do you not?

[ they'd been together and she'd still gone out and nearly gotten herself killed. the memory of watching her get pummeled by the una soldiers is enough to bring his anger right back to the surface which means his strength surges soon thereafter.

he moves over to the downed hovercar and, after looking for two relatively unscatched doors, tears one and then tears another off like they are tissue paper. metal groans and twists before they separate and he comes back over and drops them carefully at her feet. ]

Anything else?

[ she nearly retorts something, but he stalks away to do as she asks nearly immediately thereafter, so instead daisy's left to consider the vague schematics in her head of what she wants to create. full body armor is too complicated to be done efficiently, and can't be shared in the event of an emergency. illya's power allows him to effectively turn his bare body into a weapon... but it doesn't do much for defensive capabilities, either.

after a half-minute of consideration, daisy decides: it's time to make a shield. or two. ]

Technically, the whole problem was that I was with you and then I wasn't, but... [ a vague wave of one hand while the other begins to manipulate the metal sheeting, fingers twitching in the dull light of a blue glow underneath her tank top. ] I need a handle. A strap, maybe. Something sturdy.

[ as she talks, the metal begins to form the vaguest shape of a circle. more like the memory of a circle. very lumpy, but it's getting there. ]

Because you are stubborn beyond belief and decided it would be just fine to go out amidst a group of UNA soldiers.

[ their memories of the earlier parts of their relationship were certainly not going to be like any other couples. he puts his hands on his hips while he watches her start to twist and contort the metal. ]

What about a leather belt? [ he doesn't...necessarily want to pick those off the dead so he'll find a store and make a note that he owes said store when things like money transfers are working again.

he doesn't wait for her to answer before he sets off, disappearing in the destruction to try and find a store that sells clothing. it doesn't take long though he has to deal with someone thinking he is looting. he tries to explain that he is not, he is merely gathering supplies for weapons but ends up having to knock the man out when he swings a garbage can lid at illya's head. it cuts just above his eye but barely phases him.

it's a few minutes later when he arrives back, laden down with belts. ] Pick a color. [ he got you a variety. ]

[ when he comes back, she allows herself exactly ten seconds to consider the new cut on his face and express her disapproval with a patented eye roll before her attention goes back to the work at hand. ]

I said it was a problem, didn't I?

[ stop rubbing it in, would you? ]

Give me the reddish one. [ and then, after a beat, daisy peers down at her wrist, where a watch is sure to leave a prominent strap tan by the end of today. on one hand, she wishes she'd known what would happen today so she could have left it at home... but on the other, it is kind of nice to be able to just glance down and see what time it is. ] And the black. I think I can knock two of these out before we have to get moving.

[ the safehouse isn't far, thank god. ]

[ before he hands her the belts, he rips off the metal buckles to make it easier to fashion into the strap she needs before passing over the reddish and then the black one. he stands there, arms crossed, watching her work. ]

A man thought I was a looter and threw a trash can lid at my face.

[ he'd seen her looking. ]

It is fine. [ he already has one scar on his face, what's another? ] Is there anything else you need to complete them?

I hope you told him to go fuck himself.

[ she is well aware the man in question is probably unconscious and bent over said trash can, but the point still stands.

another minute or so of dedicated tinkering, and the first sheet finally adjusts itself to the appropriate half-dome shape, albeit looking more like something out of a blacksmith's shop and less like a fancy futuristic prop ... but it'll get the job done, right? daisy huffs a pleased exhale and reaches out with her other hand, a slick flick and swish lifting the red belt and slotting it into place. the buckle then follows, plucked from the ground beneath his feet, in order to secure the belt's ends onto the metal surface of the shield back.

satisfied, she tosses it in his direction. underhanded, mind you. softball style. ]

Give that a whirl, tell me what you think.

We had a productive conversation. [ the man was actually in the trash can but close enough, daisy, close enough.

his attention stays on her work so he's not caught off guard when she tosses the shield at him. it takes him a second to find a good fit, sliding the strap around his wrist and securing it tightly. it's heavy but nothing that he can't handle and it's wide enough to protect the most vital parts of his body from any sort of weapon.

he swings it around, cutting it through the air and then taking it off before seeing how quickly he could slide it back home. ]

Impressive work. [ there's a softness in his voice that he only uses around her lacing those words. she's talented, he knows. but more importantly, she knows. ] You will save lives.

Keep it. I made it for you.

[ there's no one else in this city she'd more diligently shield from harm than him — and, perhaps, nobody who would be less likely to ask her to do it. maybe that's why she's so willing. ]

We should probably get going. I can work on the way.

[ he just needs to hold onto the black belt in the meantime. ]

Thank you. [ he finds himself looking down at the shield like it is a precious metal before nodding. it is a compromise of a sort. she is not asking him to stay back and do nothing but she is asking him to keep himself as safe as possible during a potentially dangerous mission.

that is something he can do.

he nods, keeping the shield on one arm and picking up some of the spare parts (belt included) with the other. ]

Did you want to leave a note with someone for Cassian and Jyn? [ since it looks like he won't have a chance to find them before they leave. ] To let them know where we are?

I'll do it at the safehouse.

[ it's a more likely place for them to cross paths, even as ships in the night, than hoping that they'll run into the same person out and about. plus, with any luck, maybe they might run into each other face-to-face.

they walk — because they have things to do, because they might be sentimental fools but they're also spies on a mission — and daisy begins her work, two hands held out in front of her like some sorceress supreme, the other car door floating in front of her as it twists and bends to her silent demands. this is a little more challenging, the walk and work bit; as she focuses, her brow begins to furrow in concentration. ]

How do you think this is going to go?

I don't know. [ and he hates that. ] I think everyone would have liked more time to plan but this is a prime opportunity to catch them off guard so I agree with taking the chance. But, I worry about preparation.

[ because while the una might be scattered and in disarray, so was everyone else. he's quiet for a few moments. ]

If everyone works together, I think it should go okay. But, if things do not go smoothly, I hope we have enough people with specific abilities to stop anything...major from occurring.

[ meaning he would kool aid man the hell out of the una to make sure everyone else got away. ]

[ at his pause, daisy stops short; the now half-circle, half-square in front of her clangs down to the ground in her temporary distraction. ]

Hey. No sacrifice plays. We get out together, okay?

[ she refuses to make it through everything they've survived together just to have him throw himself down at the una's feet as the sacrificial lamb. she didn't want anyone to do that, but she especially didn't want him to do it. ]

Promise me.

I have no plans to intentionally sacrifice myself.

[ not really. but... ]

But, I have confronted these soldiers one on one before. I have the ability to take them down. If that is what it takes to make sure others are able to get away, isn't it imperative that I do that?

[ actual question or rhetorical? hard to tell. ]

[ her answer is delayed, though she tries (and likely fails) to play it off as temporary distraction in her work. it's not the shaping of metal that demands her attention; it's the battle to allow herself to admit just how selfish she's willing to be. ]

I need you to promise me. [ daisy swallows; there's a tightness in her throat that she hates. ] I need to know that you're going to be okay.

[ if she has to spend the entire mission checking over her shoulder to make sure he's not lining up the pieces for a king's sacrifice, she won't be able to focus on the job she needs to do. and sure, logic and rational thought would suggest maybe just not doing that — choosing to focus on her own work would normally be the suggestion here — but daisy's not logical. not about this. ]

Please.

Daisy.

[ he sighs and slows to nearly a stop, reaching out to tug at her wrist to turn her towards him. ]

I'm going to be fine.

[ he'll do what needs to be done and he'll make sure the mission succeeds but he's not going to throw himself in front of a bullet just because. but, he will do what needs to be done. ]

Believe me.

[ hands no longer occupied in action, there's little resistance from her end when he pulls her in. instead, daisy follows almost by instinct, her feet stumbling forward until she's crashing into his front, forehead pressing against his chest. ]

I know.

[ it comes out quiet, almost soft. ]

I'm just — [ she blows out a breath, the heat of it skimming out over his shirt. ] Bad at this part.

[ at not overthinking everything. at not feeling things too much. at not panicking and trying to prevent the worst case scenario, only to make things worse. ]

You're fine.

[ he knows, if their positions were reversed, he'd be acting in the exact same manner. he has exacted in the same manner in new tokyo when they'd gotten into an argument about the line between being protective and overprotective to a too extreme degree.

he reaches around to curve a hand against the back of her neck again, rubbing at the tension he can feel there. ]

I will be fine. You will be fine. We'll do what needs to be done and then we'll go home and rest until something else needs to be done. All right? I promise.

[ if that is what she needs to hear to be able to focus, he'll give that to her. ]

Alright.

[ it's not the "i won't throw myself in front of a bullet, fullstop" answer she wants to hear, but it's the best she'll get. it's the kind of answer daisy herself would give — has given, in the past, in new toyko and in this city too. they're too similar in that regard. too willing to sacrifice themselves if they have to, even if they may not want to do it. ]

Let's get this over with, then.

[ there's really nothing else left to say after that. they had a job to do and they would do it.

so, he nods and starts walking again, waiting a few moments for her to pick up the shield she'd been shaping before heading off towards the meeting point.

let's get this over with, indeed. ]

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EVENT LOG 005

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