EMPTY CHAIRS AT EMPTY TABLES

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: Concordia - VEN DIAGRAMS HQ + BOUT IT OUT PARLOR + BEARINGS APARTMENT BLOCK
WHEN: Late Day :022 + Early Day :023
SUMMARY: The results of all your hard work - for better or worse. One win, one draw, one loss. Anakin Skywalker bites the big one.
WARNINGS: Violence, non-graphic character death.

IT’S BEEN A LONG DAY. Unfortunately, that’s not about to change any time soon. In the late hours of the evening, two things are happening: the final round of the Bout It Out expose between Kun-Kun and The Darkling is spooling up; meanwhile, the infiltration team at Ven Diagrams is working to retrieve information on H+H1 from the company’s security drive. Unfortunately, neither is going to reach the natural conclusion.

At the REGAL STREET GAMING PARLOR, emotions are running high. After a long day of simulation violence and the reveal of Kun-Kun’s new automaton fighting avatar, the crowd has been stoked to a few pitch. The music’s loud but the crowd is louder: cheering and booing, shouting for every landed or evaded strike. There’s an electric pulse of excitement in the air-- and then there’s a very literal one as an electromagnetic pulse rocks the Regal Street Parlor. The Bout It Out ring shorts and the entire parlor is pitched into total, window-less darkness. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for the crowd’s excitement to melt into panic. Pushing, shoving, shouting - a piercing shriek as one of Kun-Kun’s representatives is stabbed. The nearby hosts (Lexa, Sam Alexander, and anyone in their faux attachment) should be able to help Kun-Kun and his reps to safety, but the crush of the crowd tangles up everyone else. When a rudimentary bomb goes off in the center of the parlor, it catches plenty of people in the crossfire.

There’s a white hot flash. A pulse of heat. A sizzle of agony. It’s a pain that guts, that persists long after the flash of the bomb and extends all the way to the infiltration team at Ven Diagrams. It’s like a limb badly severed. Anakin Skywalker is killed by the blast and every host knows it before they’re aware of anything else.

Unluckily for the infiltration team, they won’t have much time to recover. News of the bombing hits Extraspace in a matter of seconds, which triggers Ven Diagrams - paranoid from the recent attack on their own properties - to lock down their headquarters. All systems are tightened and security clamps down before the infiltration team can access the private servers. If you’re somewhere you’re not supposed to be, now’s the time to get the hell out of dodge.

Retreat, regroup. Upon returning to the Bearings apartment block, the hosts will find that two of their previously comatose friends have woken up: Hux and Aoba Seragaki will probably need to be briefed on the current situation.

     I. THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS
In the Regal Street Gaming Parlor, a pulse flashes. Electronics sizzle. A fight reaching rhythm is shattered and darkness consumes the parlor in its entirety. There’s something like a collective inhale - and then the panic sets in. Screaming. Pushing. Elbows in the dark and a wave of bodies forcing their way toward wherever they think the exit is. Parlors like this one are supposed to be shielded from this kind of problem, but today that doesn’t matter. In just a few short moments of panic, a bomb - basic compared to the one that blew out the Ven Diagram warehouse only days ago - goes off.

There’s a buzz. An electrical hiss. In the wake of the explosion - in the wake of the agony of Anakin’s death -, the parlor’s fire systems go off flooding the upper and lower levels, the spectator balconies with flame retardant powder and coolant. The emergency lighting kicks on, throwing the carnage into stark fluorescent light. The probable intended victim has escaped, along with his entourage, but there are plenty of wounded - groans and weeping permeate the chemical stale air. In addition to Anakin, three people have been killed and two androids have been rendered into scrap by the explosion. Countless others could use help; maybe even a few other hosts have been wounded by the blast.

     II. MEANWHILE...
If you’re part of the infiltration team, you’ve officially overstayed your welcome. Security tightens to a chokehold; if you’re somewhere you shouldn’t be, it’s time to leave. An alarm blares through the development laboratories. The building is evacuated and then sealed throughout. The powerlifts cease operation. All networked systems go offline.

     III. FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT
Back at the parlor, the evacuation continues. The parlor is half-collapsed, there are injured to tend to and local authorities to deal with. In a matter of minutes, the the parlor is swarmed by public security and medical personnel. If you’re able bodied, you’re welcome to assist with rescue efforts - or try to find a lead on who could’ve been responsible for this. Some evidence, some sign - anything to make this worth it. During this time those with Kun Adetokunbo will have the chance to make their case.

It’s a long, protracted clean up and triage; it’s absolutely possible that some of the infiltration team members might make it to the site of the explosion to assist or care for their friends. 

     IV. WE TEND OUR WOUNDED, WE COUNT OUR DEAD
In the early hours of the morning on Day 023, the hosts limp back to Bearings. Maybe it should be achingly quiet, but it’s not - there’s a murmur of activity in the mental air as Hux and Aoba muddle out of their way from out of their comas. From here, it’s up to to the hosts to recover, to discuss how they want to proceed, and come up with a way to recover from this setback - and from Anakin’s death.

---

((OOC NOTES: Here it is, your wrapup log for the event! You may have noticed that the Hosts didn’t succeed at the Ven Diagrams infiltration. We thought this was a better way than asking everyone to handwave a huge amount of plot or simply having the NPCs get the evidence. Don’t worry though - there will be other mysteries to unravel soon. Very soon, in fact.

There will be an NPC top-level for the escape with Kun-Kun, but otherwise you’re free to make your own top levels! If you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the event OOC post.

Thanks everyone!))

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( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[onemind]

[There's the barest flicker of something like resentment when Lexa takes the bandage from him, but it's minor - there and gone, sensibility overcoming the immediacy of some small, simmering anger. He takes the bandage back once she has the backing peeled from it.] Floran, his shirt.

Oh, right. [She shifts the emergency kit from her knees and helps peel up the edge of Callix's dress shirt. There's more blood here, sticky and bright red, but the wound itself looks mostly stopped up by the earlier paste. Kun-Kun smooths the bandage over it with another hiss of pain from Callix, a grumbled 'You're terrible at this.'

When he's done, his hands are smudged with blood - fingertips bloody. Kun-Kun wipes them on the leg of his athletic pants, some faint tremor still evident.]

I'm friends with Sheena Frey. Not through the organization, just-- friends. I can probably get you into contact with her.

[adamance]

That would help. Friends is the least we can ask for. [Not wanting to project sentiment upon her, Lexa holds back her thoughts that Sheena align with the belief that she would want to put a stop to this. Naturally, there is also the matter of the Flame, and helping this world progress without some of the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence, but the more violence that occurs, the more likely it will be that they won't meet their objective here.]

We had hoped to meet under better terms. I'm ... sorry for what you faced today. [The trembling of his hands is apparent. They will have to look into that later, and consider it a factor. Yes, it's nervewracking to deal with someone's wound, but she believes it's something else. Still, she knows better than to interrogate him.]

[headinjuries]

[ That's exactly what they needed. Mission accomplished?

Technically, but that doesn't really mean they're done here. ]

Are you guys gonna be okay to make it to a doctor from here?

[onemind]

[Universe, she's cold isn't she? Kun-Kun fixes Lexa with a blank look, then lets his attention fall to the boy. He clears his throat, a small noise, and wipes his hands on his pants a few more times before rolling up to his feet. That, at least, is smooth - athletic, even.]

We'll be all right. Won't you, Callix?

[The man in question raises his hand, palm red with blood. He grimaces out a grin.] Sure, why not.

[Kun-Kun nods, curt. The flash of emergency vehicles streak past the mouth of the alley way, a squeal of sirens.] Floran probably has your contact info already. I'll-- I don't know. I'll forward it or something. Or invite you to lunch. Something. You should get with security. Tell them about your friends inside.

[adamance]

[She would have preferred to have done the first aid herself, believing herself to be at least more competent than Kun-Kun. It's where she intended to show she cared, but there's nothing she can do for it now. Besides, she still doesn't know what gel he applied to the wound, and she wouldn't have been able to work around that.

(Though she intends to look it up after the fact.)]

We will. Be well and heal quickly.

[Some part of her is curious about how he got wounded, since it doesn't look like it was the blast. But that will have to be assessed later and separately, as they aren't meant to look like investigators. Besides, she isn't an investigator.

Lexa takes a step back.]

[headinjuries]

[ Right. Everyone else is still in there, and if they're going to be okay out here going forth -

He's been trying to stay focused on what's in front of them, to push that buzz of thoughts and feelings from inside to the corner of his mind, but when he relents a little, tries to take a mental glance in that direction, he almost feels like the echoes from whatever's going on in there are going to knock him flat, and his eyes widen for a moment as he glances behind them.

What are they doing? ]

Yeah. [ Well, at least it was already crazy enough back there that looking a little freaked out about it won't look out of place. ] We need to find...everybody, before -

[ Before something. Before he doesn't know what, but they're clearly up to some shit in there and it doesn't feel good. He glances back to Kun-Kun and the rest. ]

Be careful. We gotta run.

[onemind]

[Kun-Kun nods, seems to take both their responses as more or less the end of the conversation, and instead turns his attention fully back to Callix. Floran though gives them a last reassuring nod:]

Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't forget you.

[adamance]

Thank you.

[It's not that she doesn't act with urgency. It's more that her urgency comes with an unnatural calm, leaving her turning and planting her hand on Sam's shoulder as they turn back to the parlor.]

( We should be cautious in returning. )

[headinjuries]

[ It's enough to get him to stop instead of bolting straight off, but he's fidgety. He wants to be moving. ]

( You think there might be another bomb? Or that someone's watching? )

[adamance]

( It may be a bomb. It may be someone displeased that we were willing to assist Kun-Kun. We have to assume that he was the target. )

[There is an underlying sense of "for now."]

[headinjuries]

( Right. )

[ But there's still a lot going in inside, that they really ought to be doing something about - ]

( But we are going back in, yeah? )

[adamance]

( Yes. I don't know what the others are up to, but it seems that it's not investigating. We will need to observe what we can. Don't intrude upon whatever it is that they're doing. )

[Could her judgment be any thicker? It's almost like she's embarrassed by them.]

[headinjuries]

( It feels like everything in there is totally FUBAR. )

[ He's a little skeptical about the "not intruding" part, because...whatever's even going on, he's not sure leaving them to it is going to clear things up any faster. ]

[adamance]

( Which is precisely why we can't intrude. )

[She's saying this more for his safety than her own: she knows that Kylo Ren has hurt someone in her brood, and the residual resentment is a large part of why he gave up on him so quickly.]

[headinjuries]

( But if they're in trouble - )

[ Get in. Get them out. Isn't that what they ought to be doing? ]

[adamance]

( Do either of us have the abilities to contend with that many people without drawing attention to ourselves? We can use their distraction as an opportunity to seek information. )

[There are many minds inside. She would rather not throw herself into that, especially when she knows she is not physically able to help.]

[headinjuries]

( ...no. )

[ But how many times has he jumped into trouble he didn't know if he was prepared for, and still had it come out okay?

...and how many of those times was he going to be stuck hanging around the planet and trying to avoid being noticed, after he made a scene?

Sigh. ]

( Okay. Fine. )

[ BUT HE WON'T LIKE IT ]

[adamance]

( Their brood is a troublesome one just the same. I've done my best not to involve myself in their conflicts. )

[Because there's at least ... Ilde doing something, a resonance of Steve, and Kylo Ren?

Yes, that's Castor all right.

No one wants to get into that.]

[headinjuries]

( Like...this is a regular thing for them? )

[ Because that totally makes it sound so very "been there, done that." ]

[adamance]

( That's my impression. )

[So. Essentially.]

[headinjuries]

( Uh. Wow. )

[ He is the worst kind of impressed. ]

[adamance]

( Needless to say, this isn't the first time they've made a public mistake like this one. I only hope the aftermath is confusing enough that people can't tell that something is happening. )

[Though hopefully they're just staring at one another intently while using their mental links.]

[headinjuries]

( "Mistake" is a pretty nice way of saying "disaster." )

[ Because he's pretty sure "mistake" does not cover...whatever is going on in there. ]

[adamance]

( It will be treated as a mistake.

Perhaps one we've made, even if we kept to the mission at hand. )

[Being blamed for their failures on Avera-9 will never be a thing she gets over. Ever.]

[headinjuries]

( Like, by the Nest? The ones who aren't here? )

[ He's heard nothing about how things tend to go when they get back. ]