THE STORM

[enodiamod]

THE STORM

THE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

It was a dark and stormy night...

Shortly after 2AM, the sound of howling wind accompanies the rise of a bizarre storm and wakes up just about everyone in Enodia Station. Outside, the dark sky is overcome with swirling color like a frenetic aurora borealis and chaotic bolts of energy leap through the air with unpredictable ferocity, leaving scorched patterns and destruction in their wake. The raucous gale continues too and some residents claim to hear a whistling, melodic sound obscured within it. Barely audible but just there. Zeke Zelizer even insists they recognize the tune (it's obviously Help Me by Alkaline Trio!), though nobody else agrees or believes them. Perhaps more importantly, Noah Moon remembers hearing a similar melody just before the pulse. How strange.

Despite the presence of several backup generators, the storm also causes the Station to lose power soon after it starts, leaving the buildings dark and stuffy and increasingly hot on this summer morning. Occasionally, power returns long enough for the lights to flicker, but it never fully returns while the storm rages. Even the forcefield that surrounds the Station goes down and stays down. Electrical devices are similarly impacted, going dead in an instant and refusing to work properly, though some sporadically come back to life. Enoch Waldinger is able to use their phone to get a brief recording of the storm from a cracked window before the device gives up the ghost.

In the midst of this unfolding chaos, the directors make the call that everyone should shutter up their windows, stay put, hunker down on the lowest available floor, and wait this out. This message is passed along to everyone via a telepathic shoutout from Director Mora's assistant. While a few residents are working overnight shifts for Medical or Security and end up stuck in other buildings, this leaves most of the Station's occupants on the first floor of the Residential Building and forced into an unintentional sleepover. Get cozy, everyone! Some arrive dressed in their pajamas and wrapped in blankets, ready to try to get back to sleep, while others show up with candles, snacks, and the intention to start games for a proper sleepover experience. Either way, it's going to be a long night.

AROUND THE STATION

While most residents stay put, not all do.

Those that want to access other buildings to check on things there are directed to Lenz Polzin, who can create a portal to send them where they need to go. Probably. Who knows how this storm might impact anyone's abilities? Shortly after dawn, Director Madgy directly requests that Eden Chen and Annie Song be sent over to the Research Building to check in on the Liminal moles. With the power out, the forcefields that reinforce their cells are down and the last thing he wants is for the creatures to escape or wreck the place.

Those that want to go out in the storm itself will either need to sneak out from an upper floor or walk directly past members of the Security Division that are now stationed by the exterior exits. While Director Riddle hasn't instructed them to stop anyone that wants to leave, she has instructed them to strongly discourage this because of the danger outside and to let her know about anyone that heads out into the storm.

OUT IN THE STORM

Any character that wants to leave the Residential Building, either via teleportation or by heading out in the storm, will need to fill out the form below just to see how that goes. They're taking a risk, after all!

Any character that chooses to leave the Residential Building may or may not be able to get back. This will be clarified in their results. Players should keep this in mind when making the decision to leave.
<b>CHARACTER:</b> The character that intends to leave during the storm. <b>DESTINATION:</b> Where does the character intend to go? Are they heading to the Commercial Center to make sure their business has been properly secured or the Medical Building to check on a friend working the night shift? Do they just want to go outside and risk the storm to satiate their curiosity? <b>METHOD:</b> How does the character intend to get there? Are they being teleported, are they going on foot, or do they have some other method to get around? <b>ANYTHING ELSE?:</b> Anything else!

AFTER THE STORM

The storm finally begins to calm in the early afternoon. The wind quiets, the sky clears, and the inexplicable energy crackling through the air disappears. Heading outside, residents find that the buildings are damaged, but this is mostly limited to the char marks from that wild energy and the occasional broken window. Unfortunately, [Character F] finds that they didn't secure their windows properly; at least one room in their apartment is filled with broken glass and was thoroughly wrecked by the storm. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to get things back in order! Around the grounds, the natural world is similarly scarred and the area is littered with the debris of unsecured objects and damaged flora.

While exploring the grounds, Minty Payne encounters the bizarre bird that had been previously captured in the Riftlands. It briefly imitates them before screeching and starting to get aggressive. They scramble to recapture the bird by bribing it with a snack and leading it into a corner where it can be captured and are able to do so! Fortunately, this was the only Liminal creature to escape and the Liminal moles remain safely in their cages in the Research Building.

» VIBE CHECK: How is your character feeling about the storm? What are they hoping for when they roll up for the Residential Building sleepover? Are they dressed in cute pajamas or looking like a scruffy mess?

» THE HALLWAY: Many of the residents end up camping out in the hallway of the Residential Building's first floor, clustered into small groups to doze, talk, or even play silly sleepover games. Whatever gets them through the storm!

» IN APARTMENTS: It's up to those that have an apartment on the first floor whether or not they want to let others into their homes. Let everyone know your verdict here and open up your room to scenes if your character is willing to take others in!

» AROUND THE STATION: Not everyone chose to stay in the Residential Building. Those that didn't can fill out a form here to see how that went!

» AFTER THE STORM: Once the storm has passed, explore the grounds to inspect the damage or just try to unwind.

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

(CODE)

Comments

AROUND THE STATION

[enodiamod]

BRAVE THE STORM

[enodiamod]

BRAVE THE STORM: Rory

[coulee]

CHARACTER: a rory accompanied by a rufus
DESTINATION: mew'n'brew cat café (commercial center). the kitties need to be cared for, tyvm!!
METHOD: transit by lenz™️
ANYTHING ELSE?: f him up portals

BRAVE THE STORM: Rory & Rufus

[enodiamod]

Rory and Rufus are safely teleported to the Mew'n'Brew! ...Unfortunately, rather than finding themselves in the middle of the café, they find themselves in a locked and very dark storage closet that requires a key to open. That key is typically kept by the cash register. But they're resourceful guys! They'll find a way out!

Beyond the door, they can hear restless meowing.

BRAVE THE STORM: Taby (& co?)

[misapplied]

CHARACTER: Taby McLeod
DESTINATION: To the garden... to look at the Mole Hole... just in case! And then back to the residential building if they don't die :)
METHOD: Going on foot baybee
ANYTHING ELSE?: Possibly has Rhodes and/or Linus with them sorry they're all so stupid

BRAVE THE STORM: Taby (& co?)

[enodiamod]

Out in the storm, the force of the rushing wind pushes back against Taby and makes it difficult to stay on their feet. Even if they're with others, it's difficult to hear them over the gale. They're about halfway to the gardens and the mole hole when they get the sense that something is moving toward them from behind. Fast.

What do they do? Brace for impact and kinetic absorption? Dive to the side? Drop to the ground? There's no time to think.

Re: BRAVE THE STORM: Taby (& co?)

[quickpickled]

V belatedly Rhodes would have come along this terrible adventure and just like run to the side at Big Thing Approaching if that matters THANK YOUUU

BRAVE THE STORM: Taby (& co?)

[crawlwaller]

Linus definitely tagged along

BRAVE THE STORM: Sal & Rye

[artificialgravity]

CHARACTER: Sal and Rye
DESTINATION: They're going up to the roof to get a better look at the storm.
METHOD: Years of breaking-and-entering skills with an anti-gravity boost.
ANYTHING ELSE?: They probably didn't think this through.

BRAVE THE STORM: Sal & Rye

[enodiamod]

Getting to the roof is no problem. While the door leading up from the stairwell has been locked, there isn't anyone from Security stationed up there to even attempt talking Sal and Rye out of this decision and the lock can be picked or broken without too much difficulty given their experience. However the pair approach the problem, they're soon able to open the door.

Even from the doorway, the lights in the sky seem brighter and the wind feels overwhelmingly strong. It howls and rages and tears at the pair, as if it might just carry them away if it catches them from the right angle. The metal railing that encircles the roof is rattling violently and many of the things kept on the roof for social events (like grills and seating) have been scattered around or even swept away in the wind.

Do they continue out onto the roof?

BRAVE THE STORM: Annie and Eden 💪

[philomathean]

CHARACTER: Annie (and Eden)
DESTINATION: The Research Building per Director Madgy's request
METHOD: Teleportation, I assume!
ANYTHING ELSE?: She's staying in her human skin suit unless things break bad. I'm personally open to this going awry, even though it's a Volunteer slot.

BRAVE THE STORM: Annie and Eden 💪

[enodiamod]

While Annie and Eden arrive precisely where they expected to arrive, just outside of the mole pup cage in the Research Building, the trip is somewhat longer than expected. After stepping through Lenz's portal, they don't immediately emerge in the new location as they typically would. Instead, they spend what feels like a long minute in pitch black emptiness with a single mote of shifting, flickering light. It's a brief delay...but a thoroughly unsettling one. Yikes!

Once they finally arrive in the Research Building, they find that the three mole pups are huddled up together, seemingly comforting each other as the wind howls outside and making no effort to escape. From the floor below, though, they can hear crashing sounds and Annie can feel the tremors of something huge and heavy moving around in the area of the mother mole's cage.

What do they do?

BRAVE THE STORM: Evan (open if someone decides to follow)

[hulled]

CHARACTER: Evan
DESTINATION: She heads outside--but not to sate her curiosity. She can hear something (do we consider animals to be 'someones'?) calling for help. She's not going to sit around and let them suffer.
METHOD: She'll leave on foot. She's dealt with all kinds of storms--even if this one is causing a sort of tingling caution in her bones.
ANYTHING ELSE?: Max and Scrap are inside--if someone would be kind enough to keep an eyeball on them.

BRAVE THE STORM: Evan (open if someone decides to follow)

[enodiamod]

Leaving Max and Scrap behind, Evan heads out into the storm. The animal she's hearing -- she can't quite make out what it is just yet -- is barely audible over the deafening wind but she can make it out just enough to continue following its voice. With each step, the wind pushes and pulls at her, trying to exert its wild will over her and making progress slow. She's heading in the direction of the trees and the pond, away from the cluster of buildings at the center of the Station.

Then a shadow passes over her. She looks up just in time to see a displaced metal table heading right for her.

What does she do?

AROUND THE STATION: Rufus, Rory, and 12 cats

[coulee]

"We could just make out."

Rory tries to lace his fingers behind his head but catches his elbow on something firm, soft, and hopefully shaped more like a bulk-sized bag of kitty litter than the back of Rufus's own head. It's a good reminder to fish out his most accessible flashlight, a little pocket-sized one, that he doesn't turn it on yet despite The Dark.

"Put on some Phil Collins, relive our Seven Minutes in Heaven glory days."

AROUND THE STATION: Rufus, Rory, and 12 cats

[kobalt]

Rufus has to stifle a laugh, which is something of a miracle given that he's been on edge since the weirdness of the storm has failed to let up. It doesn't help that he can't gauge whether Lenz meant to send them to the closet, and if he didn't, what other abilities are going to start going haywire in a repeat of the previous blip? He's trying to keep a tight, tight grip on his powers, which translates to the mother of all scowls... but here is Rory, making him swallow a bark of amusement.

"Hah," he offers. "I don't think your cats will be too happy if we stay here for seven whole minutes."

Because at least one of them is somewhere beyond the door, and it sounds very displeased.

AROUND THE STATION: Rufus, Rory, and 12 cats

[coulee]

Rory, who's decided he's a master negotiator on account of how often he seems to get his way (because it obviously has nothing to do with any fondness shared between the two men -- only his natural talent for sales), counters with a "Five." He jiggles the handle. "Which's about how many ways I could get us through this if I wanted to leave it in pieces." (He'd rather not.)

AROUND THE STATION: Medical Castaway

[nolitangere]

Cut off from the rest of the Station, certain intrepid Medical night shift workers get a little Tom Hanks with their bad selves. After helping to secure windows and equipment and move overnight patients to safe locations as needed, Jack exchanges his scrubs for a loincloth, applies a healthy centimeter of island grime to his entire body, and immediately grows a beard.

Just kidding. What he does is make a rubber band ball because he's so bored and isolated. He names it Gaspard. Jack is actually very worried (up to 93%!) about the well-being of everyone else, but it's not like he can do anything. Oh Gaspard, we're really in it now.

AROUND THE STATION: Rye & Poet

[artificialgravity]

The dark, empty halls are kind of a relief. And also kind of depressing. Especially with the sound of wind and everything right outside, hammering on the windows.

The social games and chatter could only hold Rye's attention for so long. Or more like... he couldn't really keep up the energy it took to smile and drink much longer. Eventually he just kind of gave up trying to make conversations work, and wandered off. It was easy letting one hallway lead him to another. And then another. The building isn't huge or anything, he thought, so it wasn't like he could get lost. If Sal wants to find him, he can. Eventually.

An okay plan, at least until Rye hears something he shouldn't have been hearing: the distinct strained whirring of a tiny motor. He peers into rooms, listening carefully as he got closer, until there's only one more corner to turn.

"The fuck," he says to a solitary plastic dinosaur.

AROUND THE STATION: Rye & Poet

[deepthot]

A strange sound escapes the toy, sudden, sharp, and high-pitched. Not the sound of a dying battery -- more like a violin sting piercing the quiet in a horror movie. If the violin player had tripped off a stoop while playing.

After a half-second of startled silence, the toy tries again. A tiny, tinny roar, and the whirring of a motor as it rolls forward, toward Rye. Exactly the sort of sound you'd expect a remote control tyrannosaurus to make. Except that there's no remote control, or controller, in sight.

Poet's not scared! You're scared!

AROUND THE STATION: Rye & Poet

[artificialgravity]

"The fuck!" Rye repeats, but this time there's a little more urgency as the dino wheels its way over to him. He jumps back a couple steps, ready for something truly fucked up to happen, like this storm somehow manifested a haunted ass tyrannosaurus that'd immediately result in him being possessed or killed or whatever.

His back hits the wall, he's cornered, and then—

It's still kind of just him and a weird toy in an empty hallway. Rye whips his head around, like any minute someone's going to jump out and be like oh shit I got you, you were so fuckin' scared. But nothing happens.

"They're gonna be pissed you're like, wasting batteries." Rye's not even sure if that's a thing they need to be worried about. Anyway, whatever, he reaches out to grab it by its plastic head.

AROUND THE STATION: Rye (after going outside) (open)

[artificialgravity]

Fuck this. Fuck everything.

Rye's alone again, but this time it's different. He spent some time pacing all over the building, doing the same fucking breathing exercises he was always told to, trying to not linger on the destructive thoughts... but actually? All of that is fucking stupid.

The hallway decorations slam into the ceiling, and then fall back onto the floor. Sal thinks he can just tell him to go away like he's just some kid. A cheap bench starts to shudder, and Rye watches as it crumples under the weight he's forced onto it. The legs collapse, the structure folds into the floor like it was made of paper.

He needs to know his power is still there. The weight and the weightlessness. It wasn't what Sal did -- it was different. Probably because Rye freaked out again. He's tired.

Rye leans against the wall, and slides down to sit on the ground.

AROUND THE STATION: Rye (after going outside) & Hypatia

[sticks_and_stones]

There's kind of a lot going on right now, and while Hypatia has been doing her best to put on a good hostess front, she's tired and a little concerned by the storm. And her colleagues. And the station as a whole. To clear her mind she's gone on a little walk with a cup of coffee, instructing Skittles to hold down the fort at her place, and it's on this little walk that she discovers Rye on the ground, post bench crumpling.

He looks miserable, and while a tiny part of her says she should leave him alone because she doesn't really know him, it's hard to just abandon someone that looks so defeated.

"Oh, hey," she starts, her voice quiet and gentle, as if talking to a wounded animal so as not to startle it. "Are you ok?" She doesn't ask about the destruction around him.

AROUND THE STATION: Rye (after going outside) & Hypatia

[artificialgravity]

"Oh, shit, uh—" It's not Hypatia's fault that Rye's startled anyway. The mangled furniture does a little hop as he restores it to normal gravity, but not much can be done about the damage or the scratches on the floor.

"I was... like, uh," he stammers, getting to his feet while looking especially awkward and lanky, all long legs and graceless hands. "Fine. It's fine. I'm, just, uh, it was an accident." It wasn't an accident.

AROUND THE STATION: Noah and Milo

[bubble_boy]

Noah is not stupid enough to go out in the storm (come on coworkers), but the agitation of just sitting still and not having a good idea of what destruction is happening outside has him incredibly restless. So, he is stupid enough to wander off from the relative safety of the more internal part of the building, searching for any damage, any problems waiting to happen outside, or, begrudgingly, colleagues outside, so that he feels somewhat useful.

He is still eating as he looks around, pausing to press his face against a window to look out into the storm. This is not good.