[hatch log] pull plug, enter multiverse

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: The Station + Concordia
WHEN: DAY :025 - :026
SUMMARY: Somewhere deep in Station 72, a hatch happens; new hosts arrive on Concordia.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.

YOU WAKE UP and in a very real sense you are born again. You’re not the same person you were the last time your eyes were open. You’ll never be that person again - well, except for you, Jessica Jones. You know how this part goes, don’t you?

You might not know it right away, though. What you do know is that you’re laying down in a place very different than you were before. The walls angle around you, claustrophobic, and they emit a gentle white light that’s faint enough not to hurt your freshly opened eyes. For a moment you feel fine even if you didn’t before you went under. Whatever injuries you might have had, whatever agony you may have been experiencing, whatever fear dogged your heels, they’re all gone. It’s quiet. When you’re conscious enough to take stock of anything beyond that, you realize that you’re wearing your own clothes and that there’s a faint pinch at the base of your skull - notable as the only discomfort you feel. Reach up, feel along the tube running from the base of your neck to the compartment’s back wall. It pulls free without much fuss.

Then it’s not so quiet anymore. There’s the sensation of something more, something louder, something both big and broad and something intimately near to you. There’s the realization that you aren’t alone, that you won’t ever be alone again. You belong here. This is as correct as the murmur of something like muffled voices in the back of your head is somehow familiar, or how the press of emotion that sweeps over you now doesn’t necessarily belong to you but doesn’t feel out of place either.

You can sit up - barely -, and shift out of the pod. There’s a ladder at your feet, and a little cubby just before it with anything you brought with you, as well as a set of crisp, loose-fitting white clothes; while your injuries are healed, whatever you’re wearing is in the exact state it was before. You can hear a sound in the back of your head, a faint buzzing, something like distant waves or the murmur of a party behind a door. Drop down the ladder to the floor of the Nesting Deck and you’ll find you’re not alone - and the those sounds in your head are louder. Other people’s thoughts swim up: some of them seem clear, most of them are a jumbled mess. Some of these people call to you - their voices are louder, their feelings more clear, they feel right. Further, there’s an awareness that there are others like you - not here, not close, but somewhere: an indelible tug at the back of your mind.

Welcome to Station 72. All new hosts will have one day aboard the Station before being whisked off to Concordia to join the others. Get to know the other new hosts, and ask the guardians of the Station - Prince and Cathaway -, any burning questions you might have. By the time the day has passed, Carata will arrive on the hangar to collect you.



MEANWHILE IN CONCORDIA Angel slips into a coma on :025 at almost at the exact same time that some Hosts become aware of missing pieces fitting into place. Those hosts with new brood members waking up on the station will feel somewhere more complete; you might want to let everyone know you’ll be getting new roommates soon.

Everyone might be putting themselves and their broods back together in the wake of the explosion that left the nest down one host and injected everyone with renewed motivation to either find the people responsible or make sure nothing like what happened at Royal Street ever happens again. Things are progressing on multiple fronts, but on DAY 26 there’s an option to put some of those efforts on the back burner...

     ON THE STATION, the new hosts are herded onto a sleek, black brick-shaped transport. Carata, a woman young enough to almost be called a girl, carefully makes sure everyone is seated and strapped in. She’s all gentle, easy smiles and cheerful responses to any questions posed to her. When everyone’s safely aboard, the ship’s landing platform descends through the floor of the hangar. It snaps into place in the airlock and for a moment there’s a beat of perfect stillness, a shiver of anticipation. Then the transport is flung through the shaft, ejected into the wild black of space. There’s a nauseating lurch in your belly as it bursts through the delicate shell of the multiverse and snaps into real space above the blue and yellow marble of the planet Opia. Somewhere, thousands of miles below in the city of Concordia, your brood is waiting for you.

     IN CONCORDIA
IN CONCORDIA, as dark falls, Nirad announces he’s going to fetch Carata and the new hosts from their landing. Anyone’s welcome to accompany him on the hour long drive to the stealth transport’s landing zone. The rented bus - manned by that same (now very stoic) android - takes everyone to the outskirts of the industrial block. They arrive at a different parking garage just as the stealth transport drops out of the sky, shivering into sight as it touches down. The hosts on the ship step down and then the stealth transport lifts back off the rooftop and wrinkles out of sight. It’s unclear how many more time they’ll be able to get away with this.

Get your meet and greets in and stretch your legs; you have a few minutes before everyone piles into the van and takes the long drive back to the Bearings Apartment block where the hosts have rented out the entirely of Level 13. New hosts will find there are rooms there that as of yet unclaimed, and they’re free to begin making this their home in whatever ways they please. Get familiar with your new comrades, explore the city, or maybe just take a well deserved breather. Officially speaking, nothing much happens until--

     EARLY ON DAY 27

A NEW WINDOW POPS UP IN YOUR EXTRANET PANEL...

---

((OOC Notes: This is the hatch log for all new and recently returning hosts; any threads on the Station should be closed to newly awakened hosts or Station-based NPCs; a top level for Cathaway and Prince will be going live shortly. Any threads on Concordia can be open to both new and old hosts! For anything happening beyond these calendar dates, feel free to create your own logs and posts.

If you have questions about the mission specifically, direct them to the most recent calendar post HERE. You can find a more detailed overview of the hatching process HERE; you might also want to take a glance at the MISSION CONCORDIA BRIEFING. For all other questions, please hit up either the FAQ or MOD CONTACT pages.))

NAVIGATION • SETTING • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[greentech]

Day 25 - Good morning, campers!

[ Pidge wakes with a gasp, hands shooting up to imitate the outstretched gesture that she'd just been in. Or that she thought she'd just been in. She blinks in the dim light, fingers running over the walls of the pod as she tries to take in her new surroundings. What just happened? She could've sworn she was just in her lion. When had she had time to end up here? Maybe one of those alien ships had hit her, but this still didn't make any sense. This didn't look like Altean technology either, so she has very slim hopes that she's been picked up by the castle.

Of course, the fact that there's a tube running into her is a bit freaky. There's a feeling of trepidation as she runs her fingers in under her hair and finds it. What was going on? She gives it a tug, wincing slightly as it pulls free. That's when the noise hits her (she can't think of a better way to describe it). A chorus that's not quite clear, a sense that reminds her a bit of her lion, but is so much bigger and broader. Pidge shudders and tries to get a handle on the sweep of emotions that run through her and she clamps down on it. She has to think. She has to figure out where she is, what's going on, find her lion, and then hopefully get out of here and find the others.

She sits up, levering herself out of the pod and finds the ladder.

Polite of them.

She drops to the floor, relieved to find that her computer, helmet, and civilian clothing have all apparently arrived with her. Plus a set of some weird white clothes.

This feels like a cult. Am I in a cult? Maybe it's some weird space religion-

Of course, there's that tug that pulls at her mind and urges her to keep moving. That's far too familiar, far closer to what it was like when she was out looking for the lion, but here she's not sure what it's trying to tug her towards. Thankfully, she's not alone. She glances up as she hears someone else shift and drop out of their pod. ]

Hey! Where are we?


Day 25 - Starting over again

[Katie's tucked into an out of the way corner on the recreation deck, bag tucked over one shoulder and trying to take in the entire expanse of technology and new and exciting things around her. It helps keep her distracted from the fact that she's apparently been drafted (again) and now she's going to save the galaxy (in a different way). Everything is sleek and futuristic and different and definitely not Altean or human or anything that she's familiar with. It's way more like some sort of insect colony, honestly, and that's more than a little weird. She's trying to clear her head and get her thoughts in order (and at the back of her mind, there's always that murmur and ebb and flow, like some sort of distant ocean surf)so she's on the recreation deck, equipment in hand, and busily trying to take apart a few pieces of technology of varying tech levels.

Parts are scattered around her in a slightly haphazard manner and she's cross-legged, concentrating on trying to get the power source disconnected from a hand-held, holographic gaming device of some sort. Her tool slips and the part goes bouncing across the floor, rolling away from her as it pops out of her grasp. She makes a noise of exasperation - loud enough to be heard. It's entirely possible she doesn't expect anyone else to be around, considering the small number of people who 'hatched' with her. ]

Come on, you stupid-!

[ She starts to clamber to her feet to go retrieve it. ]


Day 26 - Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life

[ The ride down had been mostly uneventful and Pidge had managed to avoid losing her lunch (hey, she's survived Lance's piloting, after all). Once they're on the ground, she's down the ramp and onto the parking garage. Wow, this looked almost familiar. Not out of place from a city back home, honestly, if also still pretty darn alien. There's a rush of air from behind her as the transport lifts off and she glances up in time to watch it shimmer and vanish back into the night sky. Huh. Pidge adjusts her glasses with a little frown and asks, to no one in particular. ]

How do you think it does that?

[ She feels closer to.. .something. Her brood, apparently (she'd rather be a paladin, honestly). They're closer then they were on the ship and that reassures her, oddly enough. She has to pause and reconsider that. How much of that is her and how much of that is the symbiote they stuck in her head? And - oh, new people. Looks like the welcoming committee. She lifts her hand in a slightly awkward wave. This is all moving way too fast. ]


Day 26 - Home away from home

[ Pidge is so over long car or shuttle rides by now. She just wnats to find a bed and fall into it so she can keep trying to process what's going on around her. What's happening to her. She's looking for an unoccupied room, a bit bleary-eyed, and her methodology is fairly simple - knock on a door or ask someone who looks like they've been here longer than she has. ]

Excuse me - do you know where the unoccupied rooms are?

[ Forgive her if she interrupts something. ]

25

[tropism]

[ he'll be grabbing the tool that slipped from her hands. giorno eyes the ... mess ... that's on her table, not entirely sure what she's trying to do with it. ]

What are you doing?

[ giorno is still holding onto her tool, and if she tries to take it from him, she'll find that he's going to be annoying and make it difficult for her, because he can be a child. ]

[greentech]

[ Excuse you, Giorno, it is not a mess, it is a work space. Pidge glances up at him with a tight-lipped irritation of expression. She can feel his curiosity (and can feel that he's... right, somehow, that she's supposed to be close to him and that's just weird); despite that, she holds her hand out. ]

I'm trying to see if I can modify this projector so I can use it for something that's not gaming.

[ The irritation rolls off of her in waves. ]

Give me my screwdriver back!

[ She takes a swipe at it. ]

[tropism]

That's all very interesting, but don't you need some sort of permission?

[ before you break things is implied, he's not going to say it out loud but it's rolling out of him like waves of smugness. and speaking of smugness, swiping at him isn't making him feel like giving the screwdriver back, he just transfers it to his other hand deftly. ]

[greentech]

[ Oh god, it's like Lance, without any of Lance's redeeming qualities. ]

Why would I need permission? This is the recreation wing, isn't it?

[ Implied: that means I can do recreational things. Like take things apart. It helps her focus. Her irritation just blossoms into anger, in the meanwhile. She pushes to her feet and her not all that impressive height so she can glare. ]

Give it back!

[tropism]

They may not have made it with this kind of recreation in mind.

- alright, alright. I'm sorry.

[ he's only slightly sorry. in fact the screwdriver disappears with a flick of his hand, because giorno giovanna is rather good at pickpocketing and hiding things that he takes - or, well. borrows.

he then presents pidge with two fists, tightly closed. ] I'll return it if you pick the right one.

[ hope you like playing games, pidgey. (spoilers: it's in neither, he's buying time for it to .... transform, but she still has to choose one.) ]

[greentech]

[ Pidge does not, in fact, like playing games. Not these kind of games anyway. Not when she's already stressed out and irritated. ]

I'm not playing your stupid game.

[ She adjusts her glasses, still scowling. She's having a very hard time finding the humor in all of this, apparently. ]

It isn't yours to keep!

26 - home away from home

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Waking up yesterday and feeling like suddenly everything was right with the world - or at least, feeling a hell of a lot less empty than he had since he'd got here - yeah, it was a trip and a half. Sam knows that the world doesn't work that way, knows that it's the symbiote's doing, but knowing that doesn't change the way it makes him feel.

It'd helped a little that he'd had Clint right there, that Clint's going through the same thing and it's throwing him off in a pretty similar way. Sam's not sure what it says that it's become all but automatic for them to reach out to each other when shit's going down, but that... well, that at least stems from before they came here, and Sam can pretend it doesn't have anything to do with the symbiote and their mental link.

He can almost believe it, too.

When they drop of the new Hosts, it's the same as the last time - Sam feels a pull towards them, the two that are Bellatrix in particular.

He flashes a smile at her, even though he can feel that low level sense of exhaustion, and he has to resist the urge to offer her his hand. He knows how his symbiote ability will react. Instead he tilts his head down the hall, starting towards the empty beds. ]

Yeah, sister, I got you. It's a lot, all of this.

[greentech]

[ This shouldn't feel so right and that's what has Pidge on her guard. Bit of a paradox. She shouldn't feel this at peace with people she's never met. She shouldn't feel like everything is OK when she's been tugged out of the familiar and dropped into a new, universe-saving mission. She adjusts her load of personal gear and glances up at Sam.

He's... definitely an adult. He might've been an instructor at Garrison, honestly. He has that look about him. She nods with a touch of wariness, trying to keep a tight lid on her thoughts. This telepathy thing is still weird. She doesn't want everyone knowing what she's thinking. ]

Thanks.

[ She pauses before figuring she should introduce herself. ]

You can call me Pidge. How long have you been here?

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ It's harder with broodmates, to keep his emotions to himself, but Sam's been practicing. Mostly for his own sake, but he’d be lying if he said it hadn't been spurred on by Barnes, and maybe a little bit by Parker. He doesn't want her in his head any more than she wants him in hers, even if he's mostly been avoiding her. He doesn't have time for her shit.

Sam can pick up on the feeling that Pidge doesn't want anyone in her head, but it's different than the sheer animosity from Parker or the layers of complication between him and Barnes. It's closer to the way he feels about new people, really, and that makes him keep on working to keep his mind clear, his emotions from getting too intense. ]

Sam Wilson. But I've gone by Falcon, too, and we got another Sam in Bellatrix and one in Castor, so I'll give you free reign on what you wanna call me. It’s been... Couple of weeks? Maybe close to a month. I'm still getting the hang of things.

[greentech]

I think "Sam" will be fine.

[ She actually cracks a bit of a smile at that. That's a lot of options, but she's happy to go with his first choice. Even if it might be a bit confusing. ]

I guess if I have to, I can call yoou Falcon or Wilson when the other Sam is around.

[ Not that it's a big deal. She sounds more amused than anything. And feels it, even if there's still that undercurrent of exhaustion and worry. ]

And yeah, sounds like it. This whole thing is... weird. I've already been pulled into saving the universe once. Having it happen a second time is a little disorienting. And a bit contradictory - why would it happen to me twice? Can't I just save the universe with my first crew?

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Even if he couldn't feel some of that amusement, he’d count getting her to smile a little a success. He shoots her a smile back before giving a one shouldered shrug. ]

You got me. I already did my thing, retired, came out of retirement to do the save the world thing with a new crew, and still somehow ended up here.

[ And had a big old messy family feud, got betrayed by someone he'd been too willing to trust, and picked up a few new teammates in there, but he doesn’t say it. There's a flash of emotion, somewhere between resigned and bitter, but he keeps the rest of it tucked in. ]

Guess there's always something more going on out there than we know about.

[greentech]

Well... I knew that. I just didn't realize it was going to be quite this... big.

[ She waves her hand in an encompassing gesture, meant to indicate the building, the stealth dropship, the planet, their weird station. Her universe got a little bigger a few weeks ago and now it's gotten a whole lot bigger. ]

I just wish they hadn't taken away my Lion. I mean, sure, it's not all of Voltron, but it would still be really useful to have!

home away from home!

[whowhatnow]

[The young man who answers the door seems the opposite of exhausted - there's a big smile on his face, his posture filled with a certain kind of casualness that really seems odd compared to some of the seriousness of the other broodmates.]

Unoccupied rooms? [He strokes his chin.] Uh...I think there's one down the hall...

[Hmm. He doesn't really remember.] I can try to show you, if you want? I need to get more familiar with this place, anyways...

[greentech]

[ Pidge blinks up at him for a moment, trying to get herself back on track. Well, he's definitely enthusiastic. Can't fault him for that (well, not yet, anyway). The prospect of a guided tour is actually better than just being pointed in the general direction of anything, so she offers him a smile. ]

Sure! I'd like that!

[ She pauses and then offers her hand. ]

Uh, I'm Pidge.

[whowhatnow]

Good! [He puts on his best "tour guide" voice as he steps out from the doorway, momentarily closing his own door behind him.] Now, if you will please step this way, we shall see the exquisite experience that is...your room.

[And his voice drops back to normal - he reaches out to give Pidge a firm, short handshake.] Nice to meet you! I'm Nathaniel. Nathaniel Horn. Or just call me Nate, Nathan, "hey buddy", or whatever you want, I don't really mind.

[Introductions having been made, he starts to walk down the hallway, expecting Pidge to follow.] You're super new, huh?

[greentech]

Oh, boy. I can't wait.

[ If it was possible for there to be even less enthusiasm in her voice, there would be. She's not all that thrilled about living in another dorm-lite situation. The Garrison was already basically that. At least there had been more space on the castle. Still, she shakes his hand, because she's being polite. This is all brand new. ]

I like Nate. So I think that'll do fine.

[ She follows, expression quirked at his description of her as 'super new'. ]

I guess so. Popped out of this weird pod thing, get shoved onto a stealth ship, drive for hours, and here I am! Still don't know what they expect me to do now that I'm here...

[whowhatnow]

Nate it is.

[Alright, alright, a room for the new person. He can do that. Super easy. At her last few statements, he shrugs - explaining it is difficult, but he can do his best.]

Well, you do what the big buddy system that is our lovely parasite hivemind tells you to do. That is, to say, we're all just kind of one big parasite family doing crazy things on other worlds because we just have to.

[A pause.] You...have been briefed on the parasite thing, right?

[greentech]

Great.

[ Her tone is incredibly flat and her expression isn't much cheerier. She's heard some of this from the people up on the Station. That doesn't mean she likes it. She pulls a face in response to his question. ]

Yeah, they briefed us on the Station. I don't know how I really feel about it.

26

[frakkincylons]

[ there's some thudding at the lower, right corner of the door, as a small android on the other side makes lame attempts to open it at the knock, and some murmured fussing, as Sam picks Daniel up and scoots him along, before he can zip it open.

oh. hi there. ]

Yeah, um. I think the two in the northwest corner and still free. [ a point, directing her to those doors, and he glances back to her, towering at 6'3", as the little droid runs into his ankles a couple times. ] You're one of the new kids, right? I'm Sam. Or Anders, as we kinda have an overstock on Sams right now.

[greentech]

[ Pidge is used to most people towering over her. One of these days she'll actually have a growth spurt. At least in theory. Maybe she's doomed to be short for all time. ]

I'm Pidge- [ She ofers her hand with a little smile. At least everyone here seems friendly. She's a touch resentful of being called a kid, though. Probably because she is one. ]

And yeah. I just got here. Already met some of the other Sams.

[frakkincylons]

[ to be fair, he’s been calling all the new people ‘new kids’, as if they’re all showing up to kindergarten together. Including space dad. Sorry, space dad. ]

Pidge. Good to meet you. [ said with an earnest smile, as he shakes the hand offered. ] And unless we started multiplying again, I’m pretty sure it’s just the three Sams for now.

[greentech]

[ It's cool, space dad can probably handle it. She gives his hand a quick shake and drops her hand. ]

That's probably a good thing. It'd be kind of confusing if you were all Sam.

[ See, she has a sense of humor! ]

How long have you been here?

[frakkincylons]

[ He smiles, ducking his head with a small chuckle. ]

Hell, it's confusing enough already. Plus, it'd give the hivemind deal a whole new aspect of weird.

[ stepping out into the commons room, he gives a jerk with his head, signalling for Pidge to follow as he heads to those rooms he mentioned that are still unoccupied, set to helping her get situated, with the little android toddling along behind him as he chats. ]

A couple months, maybe? Time on the station gets kinda screwy, and we've been on Concordia just over a month, so it comes out to about that.

[greentech]

[ Oh. Wait. Pidge's attention shifts from Sam to the android as he steps out into the hall. Apparently she just noticed it. Her eyes widen and she takes a quick break from walking to give it a really thorough looking over. ]

Hey, this thing is cool-!

[ She glances up with an excited grin. ]

Where'd you get it? What's it do?