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meadowlarklogs2019-11-30 12:31 pm
EVENT LOG 007 | AFTERMATH
WHERE: New Beijing, a train, and then New Amsterdam.
WHEN: The tail end of the operation and the two days after: January 26th-28th.
WHAT: Finishing up the operation, hiding out, and going home.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Violence and unstoppable soldiers. More to be updated as necessary.
At the turn of midnight in New Beijing, the true risk to this plan comes to light. There was always a chance, always a point of awareness that Cassius wouldn't be able to buy his foot soldiers enough time. He knew that this could go poorly, so he was prepared for just that. He knew that the Displaced would, potentially, treat the UNA soldiers as personal enemies. They showed this face with their foolhardy desperation during the EMP's effects, and given an opportunity to assault a weaker, unexpecting bunch, they wouldn't hold back.
After all, not killing the soldiers hadn't been a suggestion made by Cassius showing some sign that he had a conscience or was worried about the death of citizens. No, killing the soldiers would make his job harder: and it did.
After scrambling the distress call for forty-five minutes, Cassius' efforts finally fail when the base finally gets the word out for reinforcements. Switching gears, Cassius sends along a word to the Displaced still in the base, letting them know that their time is running short. They need to get moving, and the UNA has wisened up to Cassius' tactics with the fabricated terrorist attacks on the other side of the city. If it were just one thing, the UNA may not have turned back, but their installed software quickly began to recognize many of the tactical patterns that Cassius employed: they weren't that different from the ones executed by radicalized Morningstar agents in other cities.
The lack of traffic in the city means the deployed soldiers return swiftly. Unlike the ones at the base, these soldiers are heavily armed and prepared for the worst. Even though Judas is definitely offline by the time they arrive, their systems remain operational for now. After all, Judas wasn't online as it was, as he was isolated from the world on a localized quantum server. The weight of Judas' impact on the UNA and its systems are still up in the air for anyone to guess. It's hard to tell what they might have been using him for, and just what weight his own additions had made on their current operations. What's clear is that these soldiers can still move, act, and attack, and there are hundreds of them rushing back in a steady stream of military might.
For anyone in the base, it's time to move. Being caught here probably will mean the end of the road for everyone involved.
◉ The soldiers who show up are not beatable. They will be working in formation and predicting most of what's coming their way, and given the numbers sent out, they will be unstoppable. Unsurprisingly, the larger the unit, the stronger their ingrained instincts happen to be. Think of these soldiers as the boss battle you can't even beat for an achievement. It's the one where you're meant to lose, if you engage at all.
◉ We're fine with any degree of Judas Hot Potato that goes on in the final stages of the base, and recommend that you all work that out on our event aftermath post.
◉ As for who finally hands Judas off to Cassius, we have sign ups at the aftermath post, too! The person who wins that doesn't need to be the person with the potato in the end; some creative juggling can go down for that stage, too!
◉ Anyone who dies on the base will need to be dragged out and taken to a medi-unit or they will be permadead. We are not asking for anyone to have their characters killed here! Everyone can get out safely and unharmed if they haul ass. Or even if they don't! Maybe they got lucky.
◉ Cassius will be wiping any records of the interlopers, making it so that their existence can't be traced. He'll be covering the surrounding areas of the base for a three mile radius. After that, everyone is on their own: they'd better have a plan of escape.
While Cassius will be covering the immediate area of the base, everyone will want to make sure that they don't appear suspicious as they hit the streets of New Beijing. The best place to hide? The lower levels of the city. Despite the frequent police raids, someone can move through the lower levels until they're close to their hotel. All they need to do is move up once they're just beneath their temporary residence. Discarding any unwanted goods along the way down there probably wouldn't hurt.
For anyone who's been injured by the soldiers or by their fellow Displaced, they'll want to stop and do some quick first aid on themselves. Hitting a hospital or clinic like this is risky. For the dead, it's not as if anyone has any choice, so their pal better cook up a good story for what happened along the way. The good news in all of this is that injuries and all, none of the hotels are likely to ask too many questions. The drones that do the room service aren't sentient, and the people who work the front desks simply aren't paid enough to care.
By 9 AM, all the news beats around the city refer to a series of attacks that rocked UN landmarks. While the attacks on the UN government buildings had the mark of Morningstar radicals from New Prague and New Johannesburg, they are not citing them as the individuals most likely to be culpable for these attacks. There is no information about what happened at the UNA HQ, though it seems unlikely that none of that information would have gotten out during the flurry of hasty exits.
Even so, it's likely a good idea that everyone lays low for the final couple of days in New Beijing. That doesn't mean that everyone needs to say cooped up in their hotels. Still, they'll likely want to be cautious while the city is on high alert for suspicious activity.
As for whoever has Judas, they'll get a message late in the evening of the 26th telling them to meet with one of Cassius' resources in the morning. Cassius won't be up for much conversation when the message comes in. Despite all previous communication, any messages sent to him now will be a dead end.
Eventually, it's January 28th and everyone will be headed back to New Amsterdam on a train. It feels as if there's almost a lack of closure, as Judas is most likely gone, the devices that were meant to hold him unable to go through customs. Unlike the previous train, this ride will be an non-stop express from New Beijing to New Amsterdam, and will be largely uneventful. The lack of stops along the way makes it impossible for any temporary havoc to break out. Even the Displaced who didn't pick up express tickets will find that their itinerary has been changed. While the more luxurious seats will remain the same and will offer a bed for anyone looking to rest over the long journey, everyone else's upgrade will treat them to neck pillows and thin blankets to help them stay comfortable.
An event-free ride probably won't mean much for the feelings stewing among the Displaced. Everyone is bound to be feeling something after everything that just happened, so there's still a lot of room for tension now that everyone's been crammed in close quarters on a non-stop train ride. Let's just hope it doesn't get too nasty in there!
◉ El will purchase all of the newcomer Displaced tickets for the way back. All of them will be traveling to New Amsterdam for new job opportunities in the wake of the city's losses, and will be directed to make a statement of intent to move to New Amsterdam permanently.
◉ El won't be purchasing that upgrade, though. If anyone thinks it's Cassius' doing, just blame it on Cassius.
◉ Everyone will be arriving in New Amsterdam around 4 PM with varying amounts of jetlag (or trainlag).
◉ Upon arriving, everyone will begin to see garrish advertisements for both Valentine's Day and Carnival.
Thanks for the great event, Larkers! We have a lot planned to spin out of this one, so we hope that you enjoyed what we cooked up here. Our OOC Aftermath Post is live, which is where we'd like you to direct all of your aftermath questions. We also encourage you to discuss any loose ends for the plot and plan anything else out that's needed!
Otherwise, we intended for this to be more of a low key log while everyone continues to thread out the event. Our next log will be up on December 13th featuring our new arrivals, giving everyone some time between now and then!
no subject
Of course.
( He lets Hope lead the way, having never asked which room she'd been staying in. Boundaries, he's been learning them. )
The soldiers that were sent as reinforcements weren't the same as the ones we all encountered in the first place. Is this more their blood, or yours?
no subject
Do you really want to know the answer to that question?
[Either one is pretty terrible, after all. Either she was wounded enough to soak through her clothes, or she murdered enough men to cause the same result. Or both.
The answer is both.]
I got out of there pretty fast after the reinforcements showed up. This is all from before that.
[By that point they're outside the room she's staying in, and she drops her father's hand she leads them both inside, shutting the door behind them and flicking on the lights.]
no subject
Hope knows Klaus does want to know the answer, and that he deserves it. What have they spoken about? Honesty? Maybe not above all, but honesty being here. Always and forever. )
I was a bit caught up in the reinforcement undertow.
( It's a room like any other. He doesn't relax, or sit, he simply turns, assessing Hope. More their blood than hers, he concludes. Which is that much more upsetting to her, he'd believe. )
I, too, made it out in one piece. Your uncle Kol?
no subject
[She stills briefly, only for a moment, as she shoots him off a message. Then she's moving to the bed to sit down and strip off her top layer. It'll be easier to assess any damage through the shirt she's wearing underneath.
Where she was hit is easy enough to notice. There's dried blood and a hole through the fabric at one shoulder, then again lower at her waist. The lower one clearly bled longer; she'd had to make a hasty exit and only then did she get the bullet out. At least the other one didn't go as deep so it was easy for her to get to.
The skin beneath has already closed over in both spots, though, as if nothing had even happened.]
no subject
He brings his hand up, pausing only briefly to get her permission. The top shot, having nicked her strap, didn't bleed as much, it seemed. She doesn't wince as his fingers graze the area which tells him she's healing.
Still quiet, he lowers his eyes, finding the second shot and excessive blood - also dry. His nose crinkles as he frowns, but he doesn't touch there. It's clear both wounds have closed. She survived. He steps back again, giving her space. He hasn't stripped any of his layers off. He knows his underclothes and shirt will be caked with blood. There's no reason to subject Hope to his own blood show. He is the parent here. )
Have you heard of the mission's outcome?
no subject
But she lets him check her over, staring at the opposite wall as she tries to keep her emotions pushed down as low as they'll go.
Eventually, she nods.]
I know we got Judas. I don't know who has it right now, though.
no subject
Then you've succeeded.
( But at what cost. )
Has Cassius made his presence known again?
no subject
[She pushes off the bed, then, heading toward the bathroom.]
I'm going to take a shower. [Her voice is flat, tired. Memories are starting to swirl in her brain, bloody and violent.] Give me fifteen minutes, okay?
no subject
( He needs to do the same, but he's not letting her out of his sight. So to speak. He's not following her into the bathroom. But, he stays, focusing on the network in front of him, scrolling through the odd ad. He hears the water running, makes sure Hope is still there, her heart still beating.
He too sends a message as he waits. Standing, he moves over to the mirror and raises his sweater. His torso and side are a deep, dried red. No doubt from the various beatings he'd endured.
When the shower turns off, he drops his sweater back down. No need to alarm her. )
no subject
She breathes slowly, the water nearly scalding hot, and she sits there in complete silence, the sound of running water to keep her company, until she finally forces herself to her feet so she can wash her hair.
She emerges from the bathroom, wrapped tightly in a huge towel, nearly a half-hour later.]
It's all yours.
no subject
She finds him staring out the window, arms crossed. When she emerges, he turns. )
I think I'll wash up in Kol and I's room. But, would you join me downstairs? For dinner? Say, in an hour.
no subject
[She's not hungry. She doesn't think she'll be hungry in an hour either, but this feels like something she has to agree to.]
Go ahead. I'm fine. I'll be there in an hour.
no subject
Once he steps away, he leaves her to get dressed.
He retreats to he and Kol's room, making quick work of his ruined shirt and washing any dry blood off under the stream of a hot shower. It's the first time he's been able to stand and breathe at being here, alive with Hope and also weaker than he's ever been. He too takes longer than anticipated, getting lost in his thoughts, playing through his last day alive - before.
About an hour later, he's pulled on a fashionable asymmetrical henley and pants, along with the boots he'd bought.
He makes his way back downstairs, preferring to wait at the entrance to the hotel's restaurant. )