[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

[tropism]

[ he's read about the bombings. he has plans to attend the vigil, probably with sam anders. he cannot imagine what it was like to be in there - fear, terror, injury, all of those things that can eat you up. moreso, perhaps, if you're this connected. giorno sees that his powers will be needed here. that's good - there is something to be said about idle hands. at least he'll never be so bored that he'd end up in a state where all he ever wants to think of is home, when there are people to help here as well. it's a compromise he's not happy with, but he can live with it. ]

Lexa. Alright. What does she look like? How do I find her? When is this meeting?

[decommission]

[ His mouth opens, then closes, trying to pick what to answer first. He can understand the impulse, the need to keep busy. Even so, the kid's particularly straightforward about all this. Must've had all the usual questions answered on the Station, or someone else down here. ]

Lexa's tall. [ A hand raises above Steve's head - taller than him. ] Long brown hair. You can - [ another frown, the same hand above his head waving around ] ... try to connect with her, through the Nest. I could show you.

[ Through their link. Despite the length of time he's been with the Hive, there are others in the Nest more practiced than Steve with these abilities. But this is one of the easier tricks. If the kid's willing, Steve can lead him. ]

[tropism]

[ what else was he supposed to do? he was not interested in contemplating symbiotes; whatever it is that he has to learn about them will come to him in due time, like the way it had been with his powers; all he had to do is wait, and steve had already provided him with an opportunity; the rest will follow. while he was homesick, he sees no point in contemplating when he will go home, or whatever it is that he had left at home and whether or not his friends will still be alive when he comes back. his friends are strong, and should anyone destroy passione before he returns, he will make the perpetrators pay. he was not interested in being angry or being sad, although he definitely has those feelings in him considering how far away he is from his goal, all of a sudden; but that is an exercise in exhausting himself and giorno doesn't have the time for that, cannot allow himself to have that moment. does he miss his friends? yes, but his friends will berate him for not sticking to the mission and doing his best so that he can get back, and so giorno takes all that he can learn from steve.

no, what he wants is the clarity of purpose, and he has that here inasmuch as he has it back home. become stronger, help with the mission, and you might go home. and going home means destroying his enemies, rebuilding passione from the ground up; regardless of what option giorno chooses here, the end result is the same: his return will be marked by the destruction of those he despises. so long as the probability is there, that is all giorno needs to sustain him - hope and the feeling of absolute confidence in what he can do and what is yet to be revealed to him. in that, giorno is fairly simple. he understands inconveniences and compromises and the logic of not being frustrated by things out of his control. there is work to be done here, and he has plenty to catch up on; giorno has to do his part, otherwise he can't return, can't use his power to the fullest in order to bring passione to its knees; though he has absolutely no intention of letting any of the hosts learn how badly his soul aches at the thought of it.

giorno frowns at steve's offer, however. for once, trepidation appears on his normally composed face as he thinks about it. ]

I don't mind. Though, it is my understanding that not everyone approves of the connection - will it be alright if I just suddenly reached out to her? I'm new, after all. I'd rather not get into a confrontation.

[decommission]

[ At the shift in Giorno's expression Steve gives a slight tilt of his head, considering. ]

Most folks don't mind, so long as you're polite about it. [ There's a few, like Parker and Bucky that don't appreciate any sort of mind to mind contact, but most everyone else - including Steve himself, won't get too miffed over a short conversation as a precursor to a face to face meeting. He leans forward a bit where he's sitting, forearms resting on his thighs and his hands folded. ]

It's sorta like - looking down a hallway at a bunch of doors. You can kinda see who's got no trespassing signs. And for everyone else, you can just give a quick knock. [ A shrug. ] That's how I do it, anyway.

[ Not everyone takes that first step, some move straight to conversation. He wasn't too keen on the invasion at first either, but he deals with it now. Sometimes it's necessary to get a thought across quickly. A light exhale, and he continues. ] Anyway - see if you can reach me first.

[ The outer walls of his mind are protected, built over time brick by brick in rusty reds and cement grey. ]

[tropism]

[ amazing how that translates in giorno once he sees it, feels it against the quiet wave of his thoughts. steve's wall seemed 'solid' to him, and at first he didn't exactly know what to do with it. concentrating on isolating his thoughts, his presence in his mind, took almost all of his efforts. the question doesn't seem to be a matter of where the door is, but rather how loudly can he actually knock.

he feels a headache coming on. when he somehow ends up with the mental equivalent of stumbling onto his property, giorno stops before he ends up going further, accidentally. he feels a bit tired. ]

That was pretty bad. [ he can be a bit hard on himself, excuse him. ] It's so difficult to control powers that aren't exactly yours.

[decommission]

[ The brush of Giorno's mind registers in warm golds, bright in a moment before turning dull again, the edges of a burgeoning headache ebbing with his retreat. Steve studies his features, brow furrowing. ]

It gets easier after a while. [ The way he says that doesn't make it sound all too much like something good. ] Using these connections too much - it leads down a long rabbit hole.

[ Like Cathaway. ]

[tropism]

[ he does remember cathaway. the way cathaway speaks in plurality, one name for a multitude of voices. it was alarming, an infinity of processes given a human form. ]

She is like a swarm made flesh, [ giorno murmurs. he wonders if that was a bit rude; swarms aren't exactly the most polite thing you can call someone, but that was the first thing that he thought of. it was also a good way to describe their nature, the way all of their minds were so intimately connected. regardless of careful they are in using their connections, every bit of improvement through practice probably adds to that feeling of becoming 'one'. there are uses for it, giorno is certain, but he'd rather not commit to that right now. is cathaway the end? a premonition of the future? or was it prince? ]

What else can you do? [ in terms of mental abilities, in terms of abilities in general. ]

[decommission]

[ Catheway's like staring down the edge of a diving board.

At the question he looks down at his forearm, rolling down the sleeve and his head bobbing from side to side. ] We've all got our own ability thanks to the symbiote. Different from all the head stuff. [ Different for each Host. Exposed, his pale skin is marred by thin, metallic veins mapped from wrist to elbow. Fingers curl into a fist, metal stretching across skin like a protective covering. He offers that hand to Giorno in handshake. ] Mine's this.

[ His metal fingers pick up the light. The material is malleable to his movements, no more stiff than a lady's fine pair of gloves when he opens his hand again, but it's also as hard as someone might expect a metal gauntlet to feel. Hard. ]

[tropism]

[ giorno touches his hand curiously, feeling the underside of his fingers as they turn stiff and cold, and then back again to his skin. the metallic veins remind him of mercury. it doesn't seem to hurt steve, and so giorno frowns at the change.

it occurs to him that he doesn't know his own abilities. he knows that gold experience is with him, and presumably with it comes all of the abilities that it can do, but now he wasn't so sure if there's ... room enough in him for both the symbiote and his stand. ]

That is fascinating, [ he says finally as he lets go. ] I suppose only time will tell what my other abilities are, unless there is a quicker way of forcing it out. [ a pause, and then he adds, ] Though in my experience, forcing it out never goes well. How did you find out about yours?

[decommission]

[ He studies Giorno, pulling his hand back again to let his sleeve roll back down. ]

Happened by accident - like a reflex, I guess. [ Someone trying to take out his kneecaps. In the moment he hadn't really understood why he didn't drop to the ground, but he wasn't about to question it in the middle of a fight. ] Took me a few days to figure out how to make it happen again. [ A slight shrug. ] Don't know how any of the others learned about theirs.

[ Ren, Angel, Sam - a lot of the other Hosts come from worlds where they were born with powers of their own, no need for a learning curve. ]

[tropism]

I suppose the symbiotes have reason enough to protect their hosts.

[ the mechanics are similar to his Stand, and giorno understands it a little bit more. he holds no animosity to a thing that only wants to survive, though he understands that he is the minority in thinking such things, and keeps that particular thought to himself.

his other questions are a bit more personal, and have to do with an anxiety that he has over his own brood - ] Do you like the Nest? Do you like your broodmates?

[decommission]

[ Oh... yeah, that is pretty personal - trips Steve up for a second, his eyebrows pulling together. ]

I don't understand a lot about the Nest. It asks a lot of you, all of you, if you're not careful. [ The price of using abilities, of seeking answers. His head cants to one side, lips parting for a brief second before any words follow. ] ... if the stakes weren't so high with this Enemy we're fighting and all, I don't know if I'd ever chose to hook my brain up to a bunch of strangers. [ Another shrug, his expression turning wry. ] But it's not all bad. The folks you're closest to, your broodmates - it's better to get to know them than to keep pretending you can't hear each other's thoughts.

[ It helps. ]

[tropism]

I think anything that allows you to be .... a little more than what is normal to you will ask a lot, regardless.

I agree, though - it's not all bad. I was just talking about this to a broodmate, but we spend a lot of time as people trying to get along with each other, and now we have our minds connected in ways that most people can't hope to be as intimate in their lives.

In some ways it's amazing. In a lot of ways it makes things more complicated than they should be, and certainly doesn't allow for any relative privacy.

[ giorno folds his hands over his lap, thoughtful. ] You will never be lonely this way, and that means a lot for some people. Well ... it certainly does, to me.

[decommission]

[ That's a hell of a lot more accepting than Steve had been of the mind-to-mind situation when he first arrived. He studies Giorno again. ]

Just - you know, be careful about who you let in, and keep track of how much of them you keep with you.

[ Their influence and emotions. ]

[tropism]

Of course.

It is a lot more convenient to work as a team when one knows each other's strengths and capabilities. [ a tilt of the head, and then he adds, ] But in exchange for being able to work as a unit, you have to be vulnerable; and most people aren't exactly too fond of that idea.

Personally, anything that will allow us to be more effective against our common enemy is a good thing in my books. But yes, I will be careful. [ .... dad. ]