hyperlinks | test:drive

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!testdrive

test:drive_01.

TESTDRIVE_01
THE ARRIVAL. You wake up, wet and bruised, in the water. You don't recall falling, but you recall a flash of bright light, and the next thing you know you're washing up on the shoreline. You can see two moons and a planet in the sky. Directly abovehead is a slash of oscillating lights that flash painfully bright with every passing second - and you witness a handful of silhouettes getting spit out of the lights, falling into the water with a loud splash. It's a surprising sight; just as surprising is the fact that you're not alone. A stranger you didn't notice approaching hauls you up onto your feet, checks you for injuries, and then you're lifted into a shuttle, where you're healed by the med techs on board. There are others like you who were pulled from the water and the sand, and they're in various states of healing. You're all soaked in seawater - and by the look of things, you're all equally at a loss about your situation. An automated message keeps repeating over the PA system in English: "You are currently in Caius Allied Territory. Welcome to Alexandrina." Where the hell are you? You're now in Alexandrina, and we hope you enjoy your stay. NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE. It isn't your lucky day. Something, somewhere along the line, goes incredibly wrong. Rather than keeping you at the shores of Alexandrina, the rift pulls you in and spits you out in a place that's a lot less watery and clear. The first thing you come to is the taste of dirt and grime, and the hustle and bustle of a city that doesn't have an off-switch. Overhead, there are high-rises and towers that go up further than your eyes can see. It seems neverending, and natural light struggles to filter through the metal. The shock only starts to fade away when you hear the sounds of a struggle not too far away from where you landed. Investigating will lead you to a group of Caia Maxus harassing a few Terrans on a back alleyway. The Terrans are trying to sidestep their way out of this (they'd rather not get involved in a fight), but the Caia Maxus far outnumber them and all escape routes have been blocked. No one else is stepping in to intervene. If anything, the rest of the onlookers seem to be encouraging the rough treatment. So now you get to decide: OPTION A \| YOU STEP IN LIKE THE HERO YOU ARE. You step between the two parties to try and avoid an escalation. You don't want to start trouble, or maybe you do and this seems like a good reason to fish for a fight. OPTION B \| YOU LOOK THE OTHER WAY. This isn't your problem really, so without saying a word, you head for the other direction. The Terrans weren't asking for help anyway, so maybe they could handle it. Best hope nothing will let you regret your decision. Choose wisely. You'll feel the effects of your choices sooner than you think. Regardless of what you decide though, the Hypatia Rescue Fleet 409 will locate you a few Terran hours later. They'll tell you they have no idea how you ended up in Koriba, that's never really happened before, but they're glad they managed to find you before anything major happened. THE NIGHT OF. It's a lot to take in. You're on an alien moon, looking out to a planet that looks a lot like Earth but isn't. You can see the storms swirling around, the deep blue of its own seas, as you listen to the crash and pull of the waves not far from where you stand. The stars are different here too - there are no constellations that you recognize immediately. Some of the older locals are lingering outdoors with you, and they nod at you as you make your way around the cottages. Are you headed to the beach? You might find a few couples having a moment there. Are you headed back into the cottages? If you peer into some of the windows, you'll find entire families sitting together, or parents tucking their children to bed. If you're headed into the woodsy areas that extend away from the beach, you might hear a rustling sound or two - from something too large to be another person. Careful where you walk tonight. There's a reason for lights out being a thing. WELCOME TO THE 409. It's the morning after your quick orientation into the Alexandrina settlement, and everything looks dewy and homey — until you start hearing loud splashes, followed by shots firing off nearby. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a bunch of eldritch horrors falling from the rift abovehead. They stand at roughly ten meters tall each, lumbering out from the water with angry screeching and flailing limbs. They're already kicking up a mess at the shorelines, and upending some of the makeshift outposts lining the beach. The locals are shooting at them to keep them away from the settlement borders. Most of them are adults, but some of the shooters are as young as fifteen or sixteen, and clearly used to the kickback of the firearms they're carrying. One of these shooters pushes you forward, tells you to get moving. Another hands you keys to a vehicle and points you in the direction of the fleet — every able adult needs to help in manning the patrol lines, they say. The keys fit into a hoverbike, which in turn is armed with blast guns up front. "Get up in the air and help the guys out," the stranger urges you. "We don't have as many men as we used, to. Get going, get going!" ...Maybe those bikes come with a how-to manual? On the bright side, at least you're not alone in trying to figure these bikes out. NOTHING WASTED, NOTHING THROWN. The beach is saved! You're drenched in monster blood, there's sand in places you didn't realize you even had, and your bike is in some form of damage after those first few crucial minutes of getting the hang of riding them. Now comes the cleanup, and your character is armed with large chainsaws and buckets. The creatures need to be chopped down to smaller sizes before they can be properly incinerated, and everyone's kindly asked to suit up and get to chopping! There are small stalls and tents lined up along the beach for various purposes to help with the process. There are refreshment tents for when the sun heat gets to be too much; there are portable incinerator ovens, which burn the creatures' parts down into fertilizer (no point letting it go to waste, hey!), there are shower tents for when you're done with the hacking and sawing, and at the far end of the beach, away from the gore and the carnage, is a beach barbeque bonanza. From the way people act, this is a normal day in the 409. So why not grab a saw, chop up some monster flesh, and have yourself a nice beef-flavored something? You've earned it today. HYPENET. C̪͇̜̞͇̲a̮̠̝͍̩̦n̪̣ a̦͖n̕y̯̪̪o̟̭͞n҉̩e͢ ̱̜̠͎̖̤h̘̝͔͓̳̪̠e̻̲̦̯ͅa̵r͈̜͙̣̜ ̧m̩͇ḙ͓͡?̩͈̲ͅͅ H̷͖͇͈̮e̲͖❚❚͓͈̥̤̺͔ͅ—͍ N͎̦̫̯͔̯o͖̖͎̠̣̮ ̹̝o̬̦̠̫̮ͅ❚̱͈̺̝̥͞❚͏ ̳❚͉͎͜ş ̨͚̲͓͚̣̫s̙̥❚̮͚̻͠f̟̪̲̳̕e̥̞̲̝̝͟—͈̖ Whoa. What was that? This is the first thing you hear as soon as you try connecting to the network. Something tells you this isn't something that happens often, but asking anyone who knows more about this place than you do isn't netting you any answers. The more people start looking at you like you're crazy, the more you're tempted to brush it off... Connecting to the network again will trigger its original default message: Welcome to HypeNet, DefaultUsername[xxxx]! You are now accessing the Hypatia Mass Network. You may input your personalized username and start chatting now! Time to get some answers. Maybe someone else must have heard it too, right? OOC NOTES. Welcome to the first TDM of HYPERJUMP! We're trying something different with the Koriba prompt, so please bear with us. Cast your vote here! Both options have their own sets of consequences that will affect the first intro log of the game, so choose your actions carefully! Additionally, the interactions in this test drive can be game canon if the parties involved agree to it. Everyone is also encouraged to use test drive threads for samples in your application. We are super excited to have you here, and we hope you like what you see. ♥

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

NIGHT OF;

[ ending up with a mouth full of brine and clothes full of sand isn't exactly new for a pirate, but all those little details that are just wrong about this place get under drake's skin for a moment. she is the woman who circumnavigated the world, and she's always looked for new horizons, but the wrong stars and even the weird taste in the air gives her a nervous energy. the information that the terrans gave her earlier that day wasn't enough to satisfy her — the holy grail fit her with all the information she'd ever need about a particular time and place, allowing her to blend in with the locals. this was — different. no, new. more than that, it was exciting.

those unfamiliar stars above set to annoy her for only a fleeting moment; sailors navigate by the stars, after all. being here for the forseeable future meant she had to get her bearings in this world, find out anyone who's made a star chart and map the rest on her own if she has to. all of a sudden, it was like she was alive again. no holy grail war, no master to tether herself to; just her own will to see what's on that horizon to drive her forward. riches? fame? new land? who knew!

for now, drake will make her way out to the beach, a flintlock pistol on her shoulder. ]

You out for an adventure, too? [ she calls confidently out to anyone she'll see not heading back to a cottage to rest, her red coat flapping at her thighs with her long strides. ] Join me; two's better than one.

409;

[ it takes drake thirty seconds before she gives up on the hoverbike. in any other circumstance, the fact that she is a rider-class servant would be enough to tell her everything she needed to know about how to drive it, letting instinct take over where knowledge would fail her. when she mounts the bike, she feels... nothing. no details come to her naturally, and she knows better than to waste her time futzing with it. being summoned to chaldea before arriving here fit her with a sense of urgency when it came to protecting humans and fighting for the sake of humanity.

a heroic spirit's body is more durable than a human's by a stretch, even when she feels much of that power is dampened in some way. even if her strength is lessened, she still has her many years at her back, feeding her instinct on how to navigate a fight like this. she'd boast that spriggans were more difficult than these enemies, but even drake can't deny that back-up in a situation like this is preferable to being on her own.

especially when she cocks her flintlock pistols and takes aim at one of the creatures, ready to send a few mana bullets into its face when— ] ... Dammit! [ nothing happens. she's out of them.

that's never happened before.

and the eldritch terror is getting closer. not even luck rank EX can save her now. unless, of course, help arrives. ]

WILDCARD;
( down for just about anything so feel free to throw something at me or pm me to hash out details! )

Edited 2018-08-01 03:18 (UTC)

[The ability to communicate over long distances without having to use an incantation was handy--more so because he didn't have to really think about it once he got the hang of it. The little buzz in his ear was worth it to try out something that strange--even if he thought it was going to eventually become too annoying and become something more of a liability.

Estarossa's impatience was unreasonably fragile.]

Estarossa: Hello!
Estarossa: I'm VERY interesting!

[At the same time, he was incredibly short-sighted.]

I. not in kansas anymore (b, unless you drag him)

[There's one newcomer here keeping his distance, leaning against a wall a fair ways away, gaze trained on the escalating incident but with nothing about his posture indicating he intends on getting involved. Arms folded, withdrawn and angry, he doesn't look frightened of the conflict so much as disgusted, eventually scoffing and shaking his head. He mutters to himself,]

You've gotta be fucking kidding me... Even aliens are like this?

[Like... this... whatever he means by that, probably the excessive violence, but never mind it. After a beat he actually glances away to catch someone else's eye and speak up more clearly:]

Tough break, huh? Are you going to rush in and save the day?

II. welcome to the 409

[The moment giant monsters start dropping from the sky, Junpei wants to walk into the sea and never return. He's not equipped for this, not even close, but all of his very important protests-

'This is a joke, right? Like a test? That we're all going to fail and die?'

-are ignored, and someone flings a set of keys at him and ushers him bodily away to one of the bikes. He fumbles and drops the keys immediately, hastily ducking down to grab them as one of the horrors screams something guttural and angry in the distance. Jesus.]

This— this has to be a two-man job! A little help?

III. hypenet

fivestar: sooooo even the internet is trying to kill us, huh? this place sure knows how to make a guy feel welcome.

[whine whine etc.]

IV. wildcard

[hit me.....up, with whatever]

Edited 2018-08-01 03:23 (UTC)

Ummmm.

_{[ Maybe he would have responded more confidently to somebody asking him to go on an adventure five years ago when he was a teenager and living on a hellmurder island— before he knew much about himself and found out how cowardly he really is. The word adventure alone used to bring such naive brightness to his eyes and he'd jump into the fray and deal with his wrecked nerves later. Now that he is matured and has become moderately less socially awkward and a little more educated on how to interact with people, he's more careful with his answers. ]}

Goodness gracious, I reckon you're right! It's not an everyday occurrence you get rattled and rolled and tossed plumb out of the blue onto some ominous moon.
_{[ why did it take him this long to realize it's not an everyday occurrence and that yeah, this probably is a great excuse for an adventure. ]}

By George, I wasn't quite gung ho to the max about adventuring, but with some coaxing I'm bound to cave in, so consider my interest tickled, m'am.
_{[ I said he was moderately less awkward, not completely.. ]}

(OOC: Lemme know if this ain't cool!)

Isn't that the point? A lot of us are inhuman.

[Vash earned a fairly pointed, confused look from Estarossa, who was standing over the corpse of one of the yet unchopped abominations from the beach.

While he normally preferred eating souls--Estarossa knew that he wasn't strong enough to face off an entire encampment just to sate that urge. Regular food would have to do until he could find a chance to get someone alone. Preferably, it would have been nice to corner someone who wouldn't be missed if they disappeared.

Until then, he actually liked the taste of the weird animals. Opening his hand, Estarossa formed a buzz-saw made of darkness and reached over to one of the downed abominations to saw off one of its arms. Without bothering to cook it, he lifted it to his mouth to take a bite out of it.]

And-- [His mouth full.] It's no dragon but it's pretty good.

_{[ Junpei is standing across from somebody who almost mimics his pose entirely. Almost. He looks pretty pissed off himself, already run dry of his patience. Not to mention, his blood sugar was dropping, so everything was awful. Everything was terrible, the worst. By far the worst day of his life if somebody were to ask, honestly.
His luck doesn't change much when he hears somebody talking to him and he glances over at him, half lidded eyes filled with disinterest. ]}

Haaaaa. You want me to interfere? What do I look like, Ultr*man?
_{[ give him a few seconds, he's too shounen to just ignore this but it wouldn't be Gintoki without some complaining. ]}

[This is the last response Junpei is expecting, somehow, here on an alien planet-- pop culture references he actually knows. It trips him up, incredibly, so he just looks at this guy blankly for a second.]

Uh-- [how did you make that sound with your mouth] Not even close, but if you keep looking at them like that, they'll probably burst into flame. So... I just figured... y'know.

[That one person here was a decent human being, and it's obviously not himself, so.]

i. THE NIGHT OF.

[ The alien moon, the Earth-like planet, even the ocean storms seem familiar. How many planets did they come across with the same ecosystem? The same biodiversity? Shiro looks up at the alien moon feeling that old spark of wonder that propelled him to try for the Kerberos mission. The same need for adventure that pushed him to accept it despite the consequences...

The spark suddenly fades and he retreats from that memory, letting his eyes fall back down to the ocean. He listens to the waves, lets the rhythmic sound ground him back to the present. It’s then, as he’s contemplating his next move that he hears it - the soft pad of feet drawing closer. He stands in one fluid movement before turning to greet the new arrival. ]

ii. NOTHING WASTED, NOTHING THROWN. [ warning: ptsd ]

[ He’s no stranger to death. After nearly a year of fighting to survive in the gladiator pits, he knows the gritty after-horrors. Bloated bodies oozing putrid fluids that made it impossible to breath, the stench of death clinging to every pore even after he scrubbed himself raw. The feel of blood caked on his skin as the crowds cheer his name while dead bodies were dragged off the stadium and piled high. He knows death, was the instrument of it. Yet, after everything he's been through he's still woefully unprepared to deal with the loud crank of chainsaw as it revved up. The sound of metal sawing through bone, the flecks of flesh raining down around him as someone starts cutting down a monster... it's all too much.

He doesn’t know how he ends up on his knees, doesn’t realize he’s jamming his palms against his ears to drown out the sound, doesn’t feel the sweat that suddenly forms before his breathing begins to hitch, his eyes unseeing as his mind returns him back to the pits. ]

iii.WILDCARD

[ ooc; go ahead and put up a scenario and I’ll make it work! ]

1. Not in Kansas anymore [B]

[Oppression, hatred, murder--none of it was unfamiliar to Estarossa. Had he not been willing to destroy countless peoples' lives for the sake of his own race and in no small part because it was entertaining to him, he might have wondered why the strange neon creatures were harassing the humans and working themselves up to a riot. Estarossa, seated out on a bench with his arms spread out to take up as much space as possible and relax, looked like a bored audience member rather than a mere bystander. He didn't hide the fact that he was watching and how unwilling he was to help either side.]

This is pretty annoying. [Sighing through his nostrils, he ran his fingers through his hair, smiling as he pinched a bit of his hair and smiled at it from the corner of his eye. A whimper of resistance from one of the terrans caught his attention and he looked back to the confrontation, smiling through his annoyance.]

...Come on. Can't they stop being so noisy? They should just lie down and take it.

2. 409

[Naturally, it was Estarossa's inattention to detail that got him into trouble. The cocky sneer he wore when the creatures started pouring out of the air was snuffed out quickly when he failed to destroy the first one coming with a blast of his darkness. The stunned expression that replaced his sneer was just as quickly snuffed out by the sounds of his gagging when one of the creatures managed to close the gap, using his surprise as a chance to go for a quick kill.

The need to put in effort and exert himself was envigorating. The sense of impotence when his darkness failed to crush one of the monsters' bodies lead to an interesting moment in which one of them managed to get a tentacle around his throat. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Estarossa felt faint until he woke up and managed to conjure up a buzz-saw of darkness in his palm, messily sawing the creature's arm off with a satisfying wrenching noise. Once he got a hang of his dwindled power, Estarossa released a blissful sigh and went to work cutting the creature to shreds with something that felt closer to desperation than ease. It could have been easier even with his lessened power but it was fun to use his tools that way.

The darkness his father had bestowed upon him had been watered down to a puddle but he could still shape it. The sneer he wore was confirmation--Estarossa understood the importance of using a scalpel in surgery instead of an axe. Forcing his darkness to move and writhe to compensate for its weakness was an interesting alternative to burning more energy for a bigger result.

The only thing Estarossa failed to notice was that he looked like an absolute freak, laughing as he chopped into monstrosities with the blackened buzzsaw he conjured in his palm. When he was done, he was covered in blood and viscera with a sneer of complete and utter satisfaction. He had to find more of those things to get that elated feeling again.]

That... was a damned good workout. I've gotta do that more often.

[He went so far as to interrupt someone in the middle of fighting one of the creatures--] Hey! Leave it be, I want that one for myself!

3. Wildcard Hit me up! I'll take whatever. :D

What about you?

_{[ What about you, he asks the person who is very obviously not interested in helping some other human beings out. Gintoki surveys the guy quickly to even see if he's armed, because if not, well— that could be a valid reason. If Junpei wants to do the same, he'll notice this guy looks straight out of the Edo period and there's a wooden sword at his hip. Yeah, absolutely wooden— a bokken. One somebody might would train with. ]}

Doesn't look like you give much a crap. My excuse is valid.
_{[ and what excuse is that... ]}

I need a parfait.

[Freshly coated in blood and guts, Estarossa strode past Drake with one hand open, clutching a serrated looking red sword in one hand. He grabbed at one of the creatures that tried to strafe towards Drake, gripping its arm to the point of drawing blood before shoving the sword's blade through its midsection. Purposefully, he dragged it to the ground so he could start lifting and plunging the twisted looking knife into its body over and over. It occasionally struck him in the face with its limbs, causing blood and bruises to rise up on his cheeks and chin but they were already beginning to vanish as black spots on his skin seemed to wash it all away.

Casually, as if he had bumped into Drake on the street, Estarossa looked up at her with a befuddled expression once all of his own blood was put back into his body where it belonged.]

...Was this one yours? You were so out of it, I decided to take it for myself.

[He is not, in fact, armed! He's just a skinny dude in a t-shirt and jeans, he's even less equipped than this cosplayer with a wooden sword. It's tragic.]

What kind of excuse is that...? Is that your excuse?

[That he wants dessert?? What.]

The night of
[ He had been on this beach for awhile after the days events had settled down. Things had been something of a haze; waking up on a beach, being roughly grabbed and thrown in some vehicle and then in a huge city? None of it really was making any sense to him. The outside world...that was supposed to be gone. Wiped away by a nuclear apocalypse that people too stupid to settle their differences other than with murder weapons had caused.

Now he was just suppose to accept that he had magically been whisked away to some far off galaxy or universe or wherever the fuck this was no problem? Nah. He didn't buy it. Something was off. Glitch never did trust things at first glance and even while this was something of a first of being outside and at ocean for one? Seemed too good to be true.

So he's just sitting by the water, moodily staring out at it and quiet contemplation. Wracking his brain for what was really up. He might not even hear you come up behind him.

But, later there's a noise he definitely picks up and he's already looking around like some kind of rabbit who's heard a predator creeping closer. Instinctively- ]

Hey, who the fuck's there? Might as well come out if you're not up to anything.

The 409
[ Yeah, see when he's shoved onto this vehicle and told to pilot it with some stranger, he's sitting there tense, awkward and more than a little annoyed. His brows are furrowed, mouth in an unpleasant grimace as he looks over all these ridiculous looking controls. Finally, the look shifts over to his partner, whispering angrily; ]

Holy shit, do you fucking get what any of this shit does? 'Cause I sure don't have a fucking clue.

Hypernet

glitch: hey so question, no one else is buying this right? Different planet and universe crap. This has to be some kind of mass hallucination.

Wildcard
[ Hit me with your best shot!~ ]

Edited 2018-08-01 04:36 (UTC)

[arrival]
( It's an unexpected event, something unexplained that even an android can't seem to figure out and that in itself is a problem before Connor even manages to sit up on the shoreline and take a look around. The beach could be considered normal enough and it's only when he looks up that Connor begins to realize the severity of what's going on here. Two moons. Two moons and what looked to be a planet in the sky. Earth certainly didn't have those before the unannounced flash of light and it doesn't take more than a few seconds for the conclusion that this isn't even the same planet to take hold. It may not even be the same solar system, there are no planets that he can think of that even match that kind of composition.

Now it's just the why and the how that Connor knows he has to figure out and he's not going to manage that by sitting in the sand and staring at the stars. He doesn't even register that someone is walking up behind him and when he's grabbed under the arms and hauled up there's a slow realization that perhaps whatever this is has knocked his abilities out of order for a short time. He holds his hands up a little as he allows himself to be pulled to the nearest shuttle. No-one seems to be answering the questions he's asking, they just patch up a small cut, cleaning away the blue blood as if they've seen it all before. Nothing yet is making sense; Hank would have laughed himself hoarse if he could see what was going on or the slight confusion that crosses the android's face as he takes a seat with a group of others. The LED at Connor's temple flickers yellow.)

This seems far too orderly to be a random occurrence. Is anyone here familiar with the Caius Allied Territory?

( Best to start with the basics. Connor knows if he can work out the easy parts then the rest will soon follow.)

[not in kansas anymore]
( From one place to another. At least this place is a little more like Detroit with it's high rise buildings and busy, bustling atmosphere. It may be on a whole different level to back home but there's enough similarities that Connor can find just by looking around. With it being so busy though, it means that answers and evidence won't be so easy to find. Everything will have it's own agenda and the possibility for multiple trails to lead on a wild goose chase is high.

Connor doesn't get much time to consider all his options when the sounds of a nearby struggle reach him. What is that about? A quick investigation shows a back alley with a pair of unknown species harassing others. It's a sight to behold; fighting or aggression isn't a new thing. It's just getting used to seeing and trying to determine things from beings that don't register that's strange. Still, Connor weighs up his choices - he could get involved or he could walk away. The whole scenario in front of the android reminds him of the dpd, of Detective Reed and cups of coffee going cold. This wasn't empathy; this was simply a logical decision as a negotiator to make.)

Excuse me, I don't believe this is necessary.

[the night of]
( Everything right now is unfamiliar and just like others Connor is trying to take it all in. He's standing outside, arms folded and gaze cast upwards as he watches the stars. He's been stood that way for an hour, watching them slowly move across the sky in unfamiliar constellations. Part of him is mapping them, trying to take note should anything important need that information later. The other part of the android simply wonders if anything can be recognized. The stars are unknown, the environment is unknown, even the people are unknown. Space refugees? Was that really what this was? If so, where were the others? He'd been with Lieutenant Anderson before this happened and there's been no sign of the other and there aren't exactly many bars to be checking.)

This makes no sense. ( Connor talks to himself, quietly and unconcerned if anyone hears him. When a nearby area rustles Connor walks over to take a look, catching a glimpse of glowing, sharp teeth. No-one needs to be a genius or an android to know what trouble looks like and he's always slowly backing away, brows drawing together in a small frown. )

Maybe it's time to go back inside. ( Despite saying it, Connor stays put for a hot moment, somewhat intrigued to see what is going to roll out of the woodland scrub.)

[hypenet]
( Technology never seems to change much, no matter how advanced it gets and Connor is sure to go through the offered manual before using his communicator. Best to start with the easy questioning before asking the hard questions.)

RK800: Does any of this mean something to someone? Even the smallest thing making any sense? This kind of travel is unheard of back at my place of origin.

[wildcard]
( Anything goes, feel free to PM.)

( negotiator's gonna negotiate.)

I: Not in Kansas anymore

[The unfamiliar landscape of the moon was disorienting enough, but this big, dirty city was even worse. Basically, she hated this place with her whole being already and she had only been there for about 20 seconds.

She hears the ruckus as she's staring up at the claustrophobic buildings, and glancing over at the source she can tell a pretty unfair fight is a-brewing. She strides over swiftly as she sees the lead Caian lift a fist, pushing through a couple of the Caians standing at the fringe to insert herself between the leader and the scared Terran.]

There are problem here, hombre?

[Her sudden appearance makes the Caian pause for a moment, but they soon conclude they don't like her tone when she calls them "hombre" and finishes their swing, connecting the blow with her cheek. She stumbles back, cursing not at the fact it hurt but that it is continuing to hurt. She's already become too used to the Nah Nohtek healing her immediately from such minor injuries, and having it gone was a literal pain...

This fact doesn't stop her from lunging forward with her own fist flying, her pent up frustrations coming to the surface making a good ol' street brawl seem like a great idea right now.]

II: The Night Of

[Red has never seen so much much water. Even on some of her trips off Mars she never seen so much water. She's smart enough to at least take off her boots and socks, roll up her pants, but she approaches the waves warily, hesitating at the edge of the wet sand, both worried it might be cold or something lurking in it. She has heard tales of those critters called jellying fish, after all...]

III. Welcome to the 409
[She does not appreciate being shoved and ordered like that, seeing as she was already trying to find a gun to use to help out, but she lets this slide since there was something more pressing going on. However, instead of being handed a gun she's tossed some keys that she stares blankly at, and when she looks back up to say to the fella these ain't a gun, he's already gone. She makes an irritated, impatient sound and looks around, holding up the keys and shouting:]

Anyone lookin' to trade keys for a gun!

[Are you sure he would have laughed? Or would he just be trying to twist his clothing so that the sea water slowly dripped out, letting out a storm of colorful swears? Perhaps it was just at the mess of his entire situation and being dragged around (and complaining the entire time) that it hasn't been before now that Hank finally notices Connor. Surprise and a sigh of relief washes his face, but it wouldn't quite be Hank if he didn't complain about something.]

Fuck if I know. If you can't tell then there's no way I can.

( As if summoned, Hank is suddenly there and Connor would be a liar if it wasn't a relief to see someone familiar in this strange place. He's not sure how it changes things in terms of going home, but Hank is still a detective and just about a friend. His input is valuable, even as a human. Between the pair of them they must be able to find something that doesn't bend the known laws of physics and allow them to go home.)

I should be able to tell. ( Is there a sense of annoyance in those few words? Definitely. Even the look on Connor's face right now is one where he's trying not to look as confused as he's feeling and failing at it. New place, very little intel, nothing to go off of, it's like a detective's worst nightmare. )

For a hostage situation it seems well-thought out, if not a little lax in places.

[And if Connor has no idea, this leaves with Hank with very little to work with, as he so eloquently has mentioned before. While he looks pissed, it's not towards Connor, just the entire situation before them. Just this is the type of nightmare kidnapping scenario they try to prepare you at the force, but you never are prepared for.

..okay maybe they hadn't prepared for something that looked right out of a sci-fi movie.]

Figured the same No one cartel of Red Ice dealers would go through the trouble of setting up this entire theater just to capture us. Shit...I might be starting to believe this is actually happening.

[That's worrying. Even more so when they begin the landing sequence.]

How much science fiction novels did they cram into your programs, Connor? Might start looking through those.

( Normally kidnapping scenarios didn't involve being scooped up off a beach or medically treated where needed. Even looking around, Connor takes stock of the fact that everyone seems to be in decent health. There are none of the injuries consistent with attempted escapes, no blunt force head trauma consistent with the butt of a rifle. Just a bunch of people all looking as confused as they are.)

It's too elaborate for a cartel, even if they had infinite money to spend on something like this it doesn't answer the question as to why. There would be more high profile people to be holding to ransom than us. ( The comment about it happening from Hank gets a look. Of course it's happening, it's certainly not a shared hallucination.)

I can't say they were part of my base programming. ( Should he tell the truth, or just commiserate? Best to just be honest, that way Connor knows they can start unravelling this whole thing.) Hank, the stars outside. They aren't ours.

I don't know Connor, you did infiltrate CyberLife and woke up all the androids. Then again, the way they kidnapped me was just have that asshole show up and pretend to be you. [He shrugs. Connor's right, logically there is nothing about this that screams kidnapping. It sounds more like a rescue effort, honestly. Even the gelatin excuse-of-food that was given to him in his package.]

Too bad. There's a few that pop up to mind right now. Maybe if we somehow get out of this, I'll take you to Detroit's only remaining library.

[Look Connor, what if you were just a figment of Hank's current imagination okay? His own mind garden...okay no, probably not. At the android's comment he frowns, placing a hand on his forehead.] Shit. I can't believe this.

[He stops as the ship finishes landing and can't help but add a question that's been bothering him for the past few minutes.]

...it does beg the question as to how they speak English if we aren't in Detroit anymore.

( Connor sometimes wonders about how that kidnapping must have gone down with the other RK800. But thinking back on it, it's the only time he's ever been tempted to tell someone to shut the hell up. I was going to say that same thing indeed. Connor takes a moment to straight his tie when he feels the ship land. Something tells him they're going to hear what's going on and they're not going to like it.)

If it makes you feel any better, we're both in the same boat when it comes to information here. ( See Hank? It's almost like sympathy! The mention of language stops whatever Connor is about to say and he pauses, turning the comment over to see what angle to attack it from. It sounds like they're talking English but if they're in a different place then there are a few possibilities, each one as strange as the next.)

It's possible that English is some common language even in this part of the Allied Territory. The probability of it is minuscule, but it's not completely impossible.

Edited (is* i can totally spell) 2018-08-01 08:33 (UTC)

[If ever asked, Hank would answer thusly; it as like you but with its sass turned up to 200%, going on and on about the mission and what he had been activated to do.

Oh and he probably really hated dogs. At least that's what Hank thought anyway.]
Don't you mean spaceship Connor?

[Please excuse Hank. It's Hank. He did appreciate the sympathy, really.]

Well if there's something I learned the past few days is the miniscule stuff ends up being true so if it means we're stuck in space who-knows-the-fuck-where and they speak English at this point I just won't bat an eye.

[He crosses his arms, visibly annoyed.]

Well...at least I'm not stuck here alone. Shit would have been boring without you, Connor.

( If the other Connor had hated dogs, Connor would have been so disappointed. Obviously it would have been a flawed android with some serious problems. Still, for all Hank's hard work at dad jokes, Connor gives the guy a reproachful look.)

No, I meant boat.

( Woosh, that's the sound it makes going over the android's head. The point about English is such a good one that Connor files it away for later. Hank doesn't seem overly concerned about it, apparently choosing the battles he wishes to fight for the day and Connor is going to try to follow suit. Brown eyes narrow as he tries to take in the scenery that's visible from the window. All he can see right now are small buildings hard to make out for the time being.

Wait, was that a compliment? That's enough to have Connor straightening his tie again. )

Likewise; your input would have been missed. ( Obviously it's time to return the favour; Connor knows you don't like complicated technology Hank.) Have you attempted to use your communications device yet?

[Hank just signs and rolls his eyes at Connor's reaction. Really? all that buildup and...]

Oh forget it. [Last time he jokes at Connor. Well today, anyway. As he looks down at his device, there's a brief look of panic before he looks back at the android.]

I uh...Connor I can barely program my phone, do you seriously think I even took a look at this thing yet? I'm pretty sure I'll somehow set it up to detonate or something worse.

[He knows his limits. Current limits include; technology.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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test:drive_01.

francis drake ⚓ fate/grand order

A

junpei | zero escape

night of... yes

Nothing Wasted

kansass

no subject

takashi shirogane | voltron: ld

Estarossa | The Seven Deadly Sins

no subject

409

no subject

Glitch | Original

connor | detroit become human

Option A

The Red Plains Rider | Sparks Nevada: Marshal on Mars

[Arrival]

no subject

What's his canon point btw

thinking before using the "emergency exit" or just general good end game.

Okay! As you can see I'm clearly playing hostile Hank okay no I'll just go along

I normally keep a few things static but the rest is totally open ♪

I'm open to it all paths too 👍

no subject

no subject