Mistletoe Prototol, as Holly knows, is an emergency shutdown meant to deal with that possibility - ever so rare and unlikely - that the artificial intelligences might get out of control and do something damaging to the reputation of Avatars LLC. It's an extreme measure, meant to be enacted only in the direst of circumstances, since it's guaranteed to shut down worldwide operations of Avatars LLC - not just the Avatars online game, but its many other virtual interests as well. It involves physically ejecting cable connections and disabling wireless networks - not merely a bit of code. Getting things back online would require a small army of technicians to hook everything back up.
There's the Ragnarok Protocol, as well, which doesn't officially exist, but that's even less desirable than the Mistletoe. In fact ... well, if Mistletoe works, Gangloti is most unlikely to mention it.
Randall looks at Holly expectantly.
Jason says to Holly, "Do it."
Holly explains Mistletoe to the others. "It won't shut down the AI's directly," she notes. "It isolates them. Collapsing the waveform of an advanced quantum computer core safely takes a lot more effort. If I authorize this, it means we'll be cut off until someone goes and reconnects everything. All of the players will be locked out as well, so we'll have no outside communications." Holly then looks to Jason, and says, "Plus, I don't know if it would actually work at this point. It's possible that there are already existing 'portals' between the systems for non-local data transfer, and I don't know that it would have any effect on the basement portal. It would ensure that we're unable to do anything though if an army of monsters comes through programmed to reconnect everything."
"You don't know that. If there are already portals, we could use them as readily as the monsters," Jason points out, "You're far too protective of your company assets, you know? But whatever. I've spoken what I think should happen and I'm just one of four."
Randall frowns. "Do this then, have Hel contact the FBI, and initiate Code Skynet. Then enact the Mistletoe Protocol. We need human backup on that side that knows what's going on and will take action."
Trudeau licks her lips, and turns to Hel's representatives. "Do you have outside communications available, or have they been compromised?"
"Various security measures have been compromised," Ganglat reports, and even as he speaks, another window appears, as a sort of "hyperlink asterisk" to his remark, showing a long list of security protocols and directives that are suspected to have been neglected or deliberately bypassed by Avatars LLC employees or other operatives. "Status indicates that outside lines exist, but given observed prior activities, probability is high of interception of communications."
"Okay, we need to talk to the White," Holly says. "If it's still controlling Tracer we should be able to."
Jason just shakes his head and throws up his hands. "Brilliant, you want to go try to reason with someone that thinks its a God," he mutters.
Ganglat reports, "Notice: Flagged process detected. System request has been issued to alter timeline of upgrade schedule and rolling zone displacement. No new schedule has been yet submitted, awaiting approval."
Randall frowns. "I don't foresee that going well either, Holly," he points out. "I think we're safest shutting it down and going through to restart just Hel. Can we do that?"
"Mistletoe is our only trump card, Jason," Holly says. "If we play it and it doesn't change anything, then we have nothing to bargain with." After Ganglat's announcement though, the woman seems to shrink a bit. "Fine. Initiate Mistletoe Protocol, Authorization Trudeau, G77-100-23-0, Failsafe Code is 'Climb Mount Tanaka'."
"It's not a question of restarting, but Hel will be the first system reconnected anyway," Holly says.
The young Hispanic police officer straightens up in his pirate captain's uniform. "Right. Plan B. C'mon, folks, we have battlements to storm."
"Right, plan B, then. Lets see what it does, if anything," Jason says as he stands, "So, what's plan B?"
"The system won't be able to receive the authorization for the upgrade now," Holly says, "unless the person with authorization is already here within the Diadem."
"If it's Blake, he's probably already here. I bet the guys grabbed him and brought him through," Jason notes.
"The infirmary people said he was carried off, so that's probably the case, yeah," Holly agrees.
"I'm making it up as I go along," Randall confides. "Get everything you want before we leave this place behind though."
Ganglat reports, next to a pop-up window, "Request for schedule change has been tentatively approved, but request has been flagged as inappropriate under current security situation by Hel. Schedule change deferr--" Gangloti cuts in, "Authorization confirmed. Enacting Mistletoe Protocol."
The police officer gives Holly a sideways look. "Mistletoe doesn't sound very Nordic."
Windows display error messages and garbage data, confirming that channel after channel has been shut off.
"All Mistletoe is really going to do is remove all of the player connections," Holly notes. "That'll clear one obstacle that the White needs, just.. I don't know if it will trigger things on it's own. Also, if the upgrade doesn't happen, we're pretty much trapped here. Once our rations run out, that's it."
"Attempt detected to commandeer security lines for inappropriate use," Gangloti reports, with an ever-so-slight tone of urgency. "Human authorization required to disconnect internal channels to enact security review."
"Not like we have much to begin with," Jason points out. "Just RIU ad what we carried in, plus the car. I guess we're at the point of no return. If this fails, well, then we're dead probably. And really, we never had much chance once we got sucked in here. Er ... what does he mean by that?"
"Authorization granted for disconnect," Holly tells the AI.
As soon as the sentence finishes - the apparitions vanish, without fanfare. They're gone.
Randall signs the Cross. "Mary Mother of God protect us," he whispers. "'kay. Plan B. We're going to try to force a portal into the real world."
Outside, the storm abruptly increases in intensity, the howling winds and crashing thunder sounding like the tantrums of a lesser god thwarted.
"That's it. We're completely isolated," Holly notes. "We won't even know if Mistletoe is enacted unless the PCs all vanish. And the name comes from the Norse myth about the god Baldur, Randall. His mother Frigga went to every plant and animal in the world to exact a promise that it would not harm him. But she didn't think mistletoe - a tree parasite - could ever be a danger so she ignored it. Then, of course, someone made an arrow out of mistletoe and used it to kill Baldur.."
"And to make things more fun, we're stuck inside a world where its 'God' was just thwarted. Guess who is the number one target now," Jason points out as he heads towards the deck exit. "If we're going to do plan B, it better be really soon."
Randall grins at Holly's story. "Fitting." He checks his police sidearm and that he's replaced the taser bolt he used to stun Tracer, then his cutlass, before heading for the door. Will its magic work in the real world? No, I'm being silly. Mara...
"At least the White was asking for authorization," Holly says, looking through the logs transmitted before everything went dark. "It went to terminals in several timezones.. but I don't recognize these people as having the authority to initiate the upgrade. This must be the cabal that Blake belonged to."
Randall feels a twinge in the back of his mind, as if Mara had been alerted that he had been thinking of her ... but somehow the connection feels quieter, weaker, a little slow and sluggish to warm up to the moment, despite the urgency of the situation.
"Oh, when Baldur died it meant that winter started and vegetation died," Holly notes. "The other gods eventually brought him back to life to end winter. And eventually the connections will be restored."
"We just have to hope that the White won't make good on it's declaration that shutting out the system will result in the end of the world," Holly says.
The ship rocks. Down the corridor, the general can be heard - "Sun's Blight!" - uttering a fantasy-world curse, from the gun deck.
"Better check the periscope," Holly suggests to Randall.
Come on, folks, we don't have time to wax poetic here. We have to go," Jason repeats, then leaves the bridge. "RIU, what is the General seeing?" he thinks.
Mara, I'm going away, to the real world, Randall thinks as he strides down the corridor. Maybe after that, back into this world... I don't know where it'll be. I hope we'll find each other again someday but - be well. Live. He turns to Holly. "We're not going outside, we're going to the armory. I think... Weapons ready, folks."
RIU transmits an image of the exterior, through the ports - partially obscured by smears of magical catsup and mustard - of a horde of demons flying about and trashing the city with great vigor. There's a crowd of people down at the dock, banging on the doors of the ship - they can't be heard over the noise, but it looks as if they're begging for help, begging to be let in. Jason can feel a twinge of pity in RIU - as he spins away from the gun deck and rushes toward the doors to the boarding ramps....
"How many weapons to we have?" Holly asks as she follows.
"The NPCs are begging to be let in," Jason says, sighing. "If we let them in and they're controlled by White ... they may just attack us. You're the captain Randall, do you want me to have RIU let them in?"
A blur shoots by - or, more specifically, RIU - on his way to the nearest boarding hatch.
Randall frowns. "Hangar door. I'll have Mara open it. She can get out that way. By the time they get here... We won't be here anymore."
"We're abandoning ship then?" Holly asks.
"I'll go help RIU then. Meet you at the armory," Jason says, then changes course. Handy to have a link to the dragon, he just uses that to follow him.
Randall, meanwhile, feels a rumbling sensation - no, a low, almost purring sound carried to his ears - a reassuring noise from Mara, as if to say she understands. On his PDA, a camera view shows her perspective of the hangar's interior - the ornithopters, the aircar, her makeshift "nest" of loose bits of junk.
"We need to get into the real world, long enough to make sure Code Skynet gets out," Randall says. "After that, I'm going back in - to their base, so we can take care of Blake. But the safety of the real world comes first."
The ship rocks violently; anything not tied down goes crashing.
Mara, open the hangar door when RIU and Jason get-- Randall thinks, before he is forced to grab a nearby rail. "Whoa!"
Fortunately, none of the heroes is slammed into a low-hanging buttress, or other jagged protrusion. Jason manages to make it to the boarding hatch to catch up with RIU - who has paused, sensing that his master has reservations about him opening up the hatch to let in a flood of NPCs.
Randall pauses to activate the intercom for the benefit of Akiko and Sasha, and the General. "Meet us in the armory," he says. "Be prepared, we're jumping from the frying pan into the fire."
"Change of plans. Holly, Randall, get ready to depart through a forced gate. Once the people are onboard I'm going to launch the ship and get it out of this chaos. Maybe once the ship has launched off this rock they'll be safer, eh?" Jason calls out into his comm unit. "And surely one of the NPCs can pilot a ship, right?" He then stops at the door and sighs. "We have to trust they won't just attack us, you know," he tells RIU, "If they're AI controlled they can turn on us in an instant." There's another pause as he looks at the diminutive creature then offers him a weak smile, "I blame Randall for this. C'mon, lets let them in."
"I'll be waiting for you in the aircar, Jason," Holly replies. "And that vortex protocol may not work again - plus it takes time!"
*** Note to GW: Adjust Randall's last bit to specify that he uses the nearest convenient cluster of call tubes to warn everyone else, not his wrist PDA.
Randall stares at the call tubes, Jason's words replaying in his head. If we leave Jason behind, odds are slim that he'll make it through. "We're not leaving you behind, Jason. General, Akiko, watch the Armory. We'll be there as soon as we've got things secured. Jason, I'm going to get ready to lift the ship, just tell me when you've got everyone in." Mara, keep an eye on him!
The boarding hatch spins open, with RIU's help. RIU gives its master a proud look - They're being heroic! - and then turns and narrowly dodges as a wave of desperate citizens washes into the boarding corridor. "Help!" "Light save us!" "Oh, bless you, sir, bless you!" "Mama! Where are you?" Men, women, children of all stations rush in, clambering over each other.
"You have the world to save," Jason says, "Time for you to make hard choices, Randall..." Of course that gets cut off but he sudden swarm into the ship. "Gah, calm down! Just go straight down this corridor, down two floors, and into the galley, then hang on to anything you can! The ship will be leaving soon, so hurry!" he yells at the people charging into his ship.
Changing course, the police officer heads back up to the bridge, intending to get the ship lifted once Jason gives him the 'all clear'. He activates his wrist PDA. "Jason, keep your comm on."
Only Holly sticks to her original destination: the hangar.
"We're here in the arm--" Akiko's voice can be heard over the call tube, once Randall reaches the bridge. He can also hear the cacophony of refugees spilling into the central corridors. Getting past them might be a challenge now. "LOOK OUT!" the general's voice can be heard over the call tube, following by a wildcat's snarl.
Over the call-tube, there's a slashing noise, a clash of steel, and a stifled cry of pain from the general. An animal snarl echoes over the tube - Akiko must have reverted to Inari again - but then gives way to an angry cry of pain as well.
"Holly, give them some backup in the Armory," Randall says urgently over the intercom as he starts going through the engine warmup sequence.
Meanwhile, Holly has reached the hangar, which hasn't been overrun by refugees, demons, or psychotic wildcats, thank goodness. Mara looks up expectantly when Holly enters. The aircar is there where intended - and a quick check reveals that it hasn't been tampered with ... much. It seems that someone tried fiddling with the lock, using mechanical measures, but it failed to bypass the car's high-end electronic mechanisms. (It did scuff the paint a little, though.)
"Ahhh.." Holly starts to swear, and then diverts to the Armory.
"Dammit!" Jason yells into his PDA, "We should have expected Sasha and her pet to turn on us." RIU, go invis and head to the armory. I'm not about to let Akiko get killed now. I'll close the boarding door when he last are on and join you!"
"Sasha tried tried to break into the car!" Holly reports as she hurries out of the hangar and back into the main corridor. "She's the only one who could have seen it. On my way to the armory!"
Fortunately for Holly, she's on the right side of the crowd of refugees, and manages to make it to the armory. Mara has a rougher time of it, as she squeezes her way through the corridor: nobody's going to be easily getting past her.
As Holly reaches the armory, the scene doesn't look good. The general is clutching his midsection, his left hand failing to keep the blood in its place, as he's backed against a wall, his sword out and moving about as if to dissuade unseen attacks. Inari is still on all four legs, but gashed, and she's taken up a defensive position next to the general. Neither Sasha nor Moonlight are to be seen.
"Awww, I hate invisibility," Holly grumbles, and works up an entangle spell.
Another pink octopus is conjured, and Holly tells it, "This time, try to ignore the fox and the man. Try to find the girl and the cat." Then she hurls it into the center of the room.
Mara sticks her head into the room at the same moment - but has the sense not to get in the way of that octopus!
"Main engine, ignition sequence in chambers one and two... Go!" Randall mutters to himself as he goes over the controls, trying hard to believe that Holly, Inari, and the General have things well in hands.
"NOT THE OCTOPUS!" Inari screams angrily, personal pain forgotten momentarily.
Tentacles explode outward, filling the armory. Amazingly, this time, the general and the oversized fox don't get hit. It's hard to tell what else might have been hit - except that there's a protesting mrowl, and a scream that's undeniably Sasha's.
"You can't succeed, sorceress!" Sasha cries. "The heroes of the Diadem have fallen to foul magic - and now the power of the Light is focused entirely behind ME to stop your fiendish plots!" She talks with a faintly "British-sounding" accent, as if she's trying desperately to sound heroic and in character.
Randall's PDA, meanwhile, projects a Mara's-eye-view of the unfolding mess in the armory - but mostly it just shows a bunch of tentacles at the moment.
"You were always using people before, Sasha," Holly notes. "And now you're in here, and have been used by Blake and now the White. Karma's a bitch, ain't it?"
RIU sends Jason a similarly tentacle-dominated view of the interior of the armory. The little (invisible) dragon scans back and forth, quickly taking in the status of the armory's defenders (Holly, a wounded general, a wounded Inari, and Mara), and trying to locate Sasha and her cat.
"RIU, see if you can see their heat signatures," Jason orders through the link as he fights with the boarding hatch. "If you find Sasha, stun her into the next century!"
Meanwhile, back at Jason's station - there's no sign of a stop to the flow of refugees. From what glimpses he can make, it looks as if he might very well have the entire population of Tara Tassa queuing up to board the ship. Meanwhile, he's buffeted by friendly grannies giving him pats on the head, cute kids hugging him, poor blind men accidentally bumping into him.... Individually, it would be amusing, but collectively he's in real danger of being trampled underfoot or crushed against the wall if this keeps up.
The 'pirate captain's' eyes fall upon his PDA as he checks for Jason's status, a window flagged 'Bike Camera View - Activity Detected'. Mara? What are all those tentacles doing-- wait. Never mind that, I don't want to know. Just keep an eye on folks there and be ready to freeze things. "Beginning gas injection into turbines A and B, bringing fans to speed - Jason, how's it coming with our passengers?"
A madman slips by Jason, momentarily muttering, "The Grey ... the Grey is sacrificed ... the Grey is in all of us ... the Grey is no more!" But then the disturbed man is swept away into the crowd.
"It's never-ending!" Jason calls out into the comm, "We're going to have to cut and just go soon. I don't know how much longer I can hold out down here. Not to mention some are babbling about the Grey is gone. I think the grey has dispersed itself into all of the NPcs, no longer a central consciousness! Just ... get the ship moving! I'll close the door after we're up!"
"Jason!" Holly calls into her comm. "Get to the armory as soon as you can. I think we need everyone together and your cursed keyring to trick a portal into opening."
"Dispersed what?" replies Randall over the comm. "You've got 30 seconds, tell 'em to get clear of the hatchway and find other ships. Fans are up and running, just need to open 'em up."
Jason yells at the hatch as he puts all fo his weight into trying to force it closed, "We're taking off! All of you get clear! Find other ships! We have to go!"
Somehow, Jason manages to use the force of the wave of refugees against the door, with thoughtful use of leverage, or perhaps just much-needed luck. Although there are heart-rending wails of anguish on the other side, the hatch closes, and the refugees currently on the ship mill about, trying to find empty spaces to spill into - or just standing, frightened in the corridor. A few souls, despite their predicament, aren't perfect in demeanor, and accuse each other. "Someone brushed against me!" "Welcome to the club, friend!" "My purse!" "Thief!" "Where's my baby?" "Mama, I GOTTA GO!"
Over the ship's intercom, Randall's voice booms. "Welcome aboard the Ozymandias. You're in safe hands, folks. Settle in, grab hold of the rails, and stand by for departure. We're leaving."
On the bridge, it looks as if all systems are go. Despite the rocking and jostling, the mustard and catsup, and the plague of demons, the Ozymandias has so far weathered it all admirably.
Jason growls then, yells, "*SHUT UP!* All of you, go to the galley *now*! We are *leaving! Money be damned, think about your life!" The hacker then stomps off (or at least tries to). "Need me in the bridge or engineering?" he asks Randall over the comm.
The 'pirate captain' flips a few switches, and then settles one hand on the wheel, the other on the fan thrust lever. Hinged blades on the fans fold out slowly, biting into the storm. "Ten. Nine. Eight." By protocol there should be a crew on hand to cast loose the lines, but he'll make do. "Find me a pilot among the refugees, bring him to the bridge, then we're heading to the Armory. Three. Two. One." Lift.
In the armory, things look to be under control enough, and Inari dares to let out a breath and take a moment to lick her wounds - but then Sasha cries out, "The fate of worlds is at stake!" She laughs, and drops the faux accent. "Oh, Holly. Holly, Holly, Holly. You know, I never liked Blake. I can't remember half of what he did to me. But this is a very special place. I can't let you ruin it. It looked for a while like you guys were the way to go - but I guess I should have known better. Blake's gone and ... well, I've got a new patron. Now - I'm the hero. And I have all the power of this universe's deus ex machina I could possibly hope for...."
The ship rumbles, struggling against mooring lines that haven't been properly released - but the Ozymandias breaks free. Below, citizens scramble to get clear as the dreadnaught rises into the magical storm and the "demon hail."
"They invaded our world, Sasha," Holly notes. "That tells me all I need to know." She goes to the General to look over his wounds. "If we can get a portal open, it'll either lead to our world, or to the enemy stronghold," she tells him. "If it's our world, you won't survive for long, so.. what do you want to do, General? Everyone else in this world is like you now, I think."
The general says, "I won't go down without a fight - whether in this one or another. I will do whatever duty demands."
"RIU, use Sasha's voice and locate her position ... if you find her, determine if you can find her supposed 'helper' data streams," Jason tells his critter, "If you can ... I think its time we cut the puppet's strings."
RIU's frustration is palpable to Jason: The little dragon the room, but it seems that Sasha must have the heroic ability of "voice-throwing" (that is, the fantasy variety), as the noise doesn't help him pinpoint her location in the least.
"Dammit, I can't find her. Holly, do me a favor. Make your octopus wet with saltwater, I want it conductive. I may not be able to see her, but that doesn't mean I can't stun her through conduction since it is holding her," Jason calls into the PDA.
"How about this instead?" Holly asks, and picks up one of the open paint buckets and instructs the octopus to unwrap itself from Sasha's head before dumping the bucket over into the opening.
As Holly walks over to dump the paint into the conspicuous gap, a pair of razor-sharp claws - only somewhat impeded by the tentacles - slash out from another not-quite-so-conspicuous gap.
"We are airborne," Randall's voice says over the ship's com tubes as Holly carries out her painting operation. "If there are any qualified pilots or ship captains, please speak up now with your name and experience. Offer open for a limited time only!"
*** Note to GW: Holly just played Missed Me! turning the instant-kill attack from Moonlight into a Critical Fail ... hitting Sasha instead.
However, the octopus tentacles convulse, and the ship rocks at just the wrong (or right) moment. What looked like a certainly lethal attack on Holly instead misses her ... and it would seem that an invisible Sasha is caught between the claws, as they close in like a pair of shears.
Sasha cries out in pain, and she's now undeniably visible, thanks to blood as well as paint. What would have been certainly lethal for the diminutive Holly, however, seems to merely wound Sasha. Nonetheless, she seems to be at least momentarily stunned by the hit.
"Whoa!" Holly says, moving back out of range as quickly as she can. "So much for divine intervention!"
"There! Jason thinks to RIU. Locate White's stream, we need to sever it!"
As Randall is getting the ship lined up for Tara Lux, he catches sight of the attack. "Mara-- freeze the cat!" he calls out, reacting quickly.
Mara lets loose a volley of icy bolts, in a tight pattern focused on Moonlight, just as the wildcat emerges from stealth (a side-effect of making a sneak-attack, according to this universe's rules). The cat cries out angrily as she's beset by the icy barrage, and seems to be at least momentarily stunned - and a bit frosty.
Moonlight suddenly shakes it off, as if the icy barrage were a mere inconvenience, and then writhes, flexing feline muscles in a gambit to loose herself from the tentacled bindings....
"RIU, nuke that cat! We need her down before we can work on severing Sasha's link to White," Jason orders.
Sasha snaps out of her stupor, but still seems sluggish as she tries to writhe out of the tentacles. "You're going about this all wrong. The White needs a Player! You don't count! If you take me out ... you're all doomed! Just go with it - say the General made you do it! We just need a villain to be defeated to blame it all on, and I can rescue you and it's a big happy ending - and then the White can keep us happy. Don't ruin it!"
"Then stay still until we give you a proper villain to fight, Sasha," Holly says.
Inari snarls. "No happily ever after for you," and then her remaining comments aren't fit for print, and very insulting toward Sasha. She fades out of view.
The general, meanwhile, still seems to be doing little more than holding a defensive position and clutching his gut for the time being. His sympathies, however, look to be with Inari, judging from his expression.
Chaos reigns through the ship, as refugees spill through the corridors.
Into her comm, Holly says, "Randall, what's the hold up? We need you down here - the General has a serious wound!"
There are several thumps against the bridge doors. It sounds like the refugees have spilled into all the main corridors now.
"Calling for volunteers, someone's going to have to take this ship into the next port over," Randall responds over his wrist PDA. He switches to the intercom. "All refugees, settle down. We will be bound to Tara Lux as our next port of call, but I won't hesitate to load any unruly passengers onto the mass drivers and return them to Tasavalta post-haste if you know what I mean. I repeat, if you have experience piloting skyships, speak up now with your name and your experience."
There's a pounding on the bridge door again. "I say! By the authority of the Church of the Light, I say - put this ship back down! There are more people left behind and PLENTY of room on this craft. Here now!" Another voice, "Don't listen to that pompous old fool! Full speed ahead and out, and mind the vortex! Sounds like you're a young lad - I have plenty of years of experience with these things and - oof!" "Arrr! Ye be wantin' a captain for this here ship? I be a seasoned old sky dog, and I know these streams like the back of me own hook-hand! Yarrrr!"
Drawing his cutlass, Randall goes to the bridge door and opens it. "Pipe down, you all. I am Captain Grey Randall of the Ozymandias. I give the orders aboard my ship. As it happens, what I need is someone to take the helm." He pretends to hear them out, then selects the man who went 'Arr' to handle the helm.
There's no mistaking the hook hand. He's got a peg leg, too - rune-engraved, though, so it doesn't appear to affect his walking pace at all. "Much obliged ta ye, lad," the bearded man says. "I approve of yer taste!" he says, appraising Randall's piratey attire. His own is a bit more worse for the wear.
Over the communication tube, it sounds like lightning is crashing somewhere else on the ship, and not just outside. There's an anguished mrowl, and then a fwump.
"Moonlight - NOOOOOO!" Sasha screams, as the wildcat is hit by a barrage of lightning blasts from the little (but fierce!) dragon. Moonlight is surrounded by a clinging mist, and fades away - and, fortunately, sparing all within the armory from the scent of singed cat.
"I can tell you've got sailing in your blood. You've got the helm. You, and you, assist him, but remember that you'll be answering to me and mine if you try anything funny." Randall nods to the pirate and heads down quickly.
"I'm heading down to engineering unless you want me someplace else," Jason calls into the comm. "I can control everything on the ship from there thanks to the gauntlet. Even the weapons, I think!"
"Belay that, head for the Gun Deck," Randall replies. "I've got someone to manage the ship, we're needed elsewhere."
"If you're sure!" Jason calls back, then eyes the crowd ahead. "Well, this will be fun..."
Hey, watch those hands!" Jason complains as he rides over, around, and through the throngs of people. "What do you need em to do at the gunnery deck?" he asks in his comm as he's jostled about.
Fortunately, the gun deck appears to be free of refugees for the time being. Perhaps they have a healthy fear of Imperial weapons technology.
Over the comm, Randall responds, "Open a portal. If you want to take your chances, I'll get you medevac as quick as possible. Otherwise... We'll look you up after and try to get you out in as controlled a fashion as possible."
"No!" Sasha cries out. It seems genuine on one level, but on another, maybe there's just a tinge of melodrama that has just crept into her faltering voice. "You can't leave me ... not now! Not after all we've been through. I need you, Moonlight!"
Once Jason reaches the gunnery deck, though (starboard, to be precise), he can hear the commotion from the adjoining armory (the blast-shielded central area for holding more explosive munitions). That seems to be where everyone (aside from the refugees) is congregated - and he can see the conspicuous backside of a large ice-wyvern, to seal the deal.
"And how do you expect me to do that?" Jason calls into the comm as he darts through the deck and towards the armory, "Wave my hands and go wibble, fibble, foo, fah?" He pulls out that blasted cursed keyring, just in case he can use to to some how blow open reality. "Did you at least paint a keyhole or something?"
"Coming through - move aside you, settle down, sir, believe me, you don't want me to start measuring you for an artillery shell - yes, that was pretty much it," comes Randall's voice over the comm.
"Worry about that when we're all together," Holly calls. "We just need everyone in this room, close the doors, use the keyring to open them and hope there's a portal there."
Going over to the General, Holly intones, "By the Lords Aitch-em-oh and Bacta, I'm stuck on Healing, and Healing is stuck on you!" She then produces a big syringe full of glowing blue liquid from her robe, and tells the General, "This may sting a little bit," before jabbing it into his wound.
"Yah!" the general cries out, but then he blinks in surprise, as his wounds go away. "By the Stars! That's the first time getting poked with one of those things ever made me feel better!"
It looks like there's actually a considerable amount of the blue fluid left in the syringe, after apparently healing the general completely.
"Oh, thank goodness," Holly notes, putting the safety cap back on the needle. "I was afraid it might make you explode or something." To Sasha she adds, "Play nice, and I'll heal you too. You can be the Hero when the time is right."
Over the comm, Randall's voice can be heard soothing or intimidating refugeees at a ratio of about two to one, as he makes his way down to the gunnery deck to join the others. "Yes, ma'am, I realize you have important appointments not to be missed, but I suspect the person you were going to meet is also taking cover from the demonstorm. Now step aside please, and wait calmly or I'll make the arrangements to have you delivered at high speed to your meeting."
Swirling motes of light begin to spin around Sasha, as she continues melodramatically pledging her undying love, or whatever, for Moonlight, her need to save her friends and all these wonderful people in this new world. (She's back to the faux-British-sounding accent, by the by.)
"Moonlight - I can feel you! You've come back!" Sasha cries out as she looks up, as the motes begin to swirl together.
"No," Inari says, fading into view. "That's just me." SLASH.
The motes disperse. Sasha looks in shock, then coughs up blood. "Not ... supposed ..." And then she collapses. Inari fumes, perched on a twitching tentacle, as she looks with loathing down on Sasha's fallen form.
The ship quakes, as the aether-winds scream outside, and hot white lighting shatters the endless sky.
"Aargh! We need her, Inari!" Holly barks, and runs to the fallen girl to try and inject her with the rest of the healing spell.
"No!" Inari snarls. "Let her die! There are no PCs, are there? The White has to help the heroes. It has no CHOICE but to help us now! We're all that's left!" Mixed with her anger and hatred, there's a hint of fear in her eyes, as the ship rocks about at the mercy of strange elements.
"Holly, wait! At least let me try to cut her link to the White. We can't risk healing her while she's still a threat! Be reasonable!" Jason yells as he runs after the crazy woman.
The octopus tentacles timidly withdraw a bit, so as not to ensnare the onrush of heroes onto the scene. (Holly must have really outdone herself with that casting.)
"Yes, thank you sir, I appreciate your gratitude. No money is necessary, please keep it, you will need it for rebuilding," Randall's voice says faintly over the comm as he works his way through. "No, thanks kid, we don't need a ship's boy, but try in a few years when you've got a little muscle on those bones."
"Then do it FAST!" Holly yells.
The small woman has the needle poised against Sasha's neck, but doesn't plunge it in yet.
"Everything is changed," Holly mutters. "There aren't any NPCs now, so who knows what rules are still in effect."
"RIU, link screen," Jason shouts as he skids down on his knees and slides in next to Sasha. "All data streams set to display, then on my shoulders. Prepare for immersive dive!"
The ship shakes more violently, and all around the room, traces of green light begin to shine on the walls, while the metal darkens several steps. A ghostly version of RIU fills the seemingly expanding space.
Sparks fly from Jason's key ring. The octopus shudders, its form rippling.
The blast doors tremble and shake in their sliders. Mara, head through the door, inclines her serpentine neck to look at them in concern.
RIU, meanwhile, hastens to Jason's side, but it's hard to tell whether there's a little dragon wrapped around Jason's shoulders, or whether the ghostly gigantic dragon he's riding is the real one.
"You'll have to stand back, sir, this is the gunnery deck. The hatches must remain shut, wouldn't want a magazine explosion to injure all these nice people. Not that such a thing is expected, even if this storm is rather fierce, of course." Randall manages to divest himself of the last refugees. His boots drum steadily on the deck as he hurries to join the others. There's Mara!
Mara, after me, get in! The 'pirate captain' picks up the pace as he dives through the door.
"Arrr!" comes a voice over the call tube. "There be rough sailin' ahead! All hands, grab hold of something solid, and be quick about it!"
Mara overcomes any misgivings she has over diving into a pile of octopus, and launches herself into the armory. Whether it's reflex or physiology, this is accompanied by a sudden jet-blast, resulting in mussed hair all around.
Randall calls out, "What did you just do, Jason? I do not remember the walls being this shade of dark metal before."
"It's probably the synecdoche effect," Holly says. "And remember, we won't know if it's syncing to the real world or to the enemy base until we go through!"
"Close the door!" Holly barks at Randall, after blowing hair out of her face.
The walls darken, taking on an antiquated "cyberspace" interface look, like something from movies of the previous century, and making it less obvious just where the floor, ceiling and walls are - through the door and everything outside of it still looks solid enough. The tiny RIU fades away, and the gigantic RIU takes precedence - even though that would mean the bulk of its form is extending down through the "floor" and a couple of the walls.
Randall grimaces. "Things just never stop around here, do they." He gets back up and starts hauling on the door. Is it to keep something out... or something in?
Tags and flags appear around those gathered in the room. The octopus is plagued by error messages, identifying it alternately as a spell trapping and as an NPC creature entity and as a conjured object. Sasha's tags identify her as a PC, of course, but there are a few error tags hovering around her concerning physical statistics: apparently the system isn't able to properly handle her present state and reconcile it with the accepted states of active PCs in this world. Perhaps the White just can't accept that its chosen champion is dying or even dead.
Pathways appear. At Jason's mere gesturing (and even that seems hardly necessary), tags shrink down or enlarge as he sifts through the data. There's the connection to Moonlight, her Guardian Beast. It appears that a Level-Up was interrupted in error; it would appear that Moonlight was about to evolve to Ascended form, whatever that means.
Tags indicate her game-recognized skills. Sure enough, she has all sorts of thief-type and subterfuge skills - sneaking, disguise, evasion, lip-reading, lockpicking, pickpocketing, wall-climbing, voice-throwing, etc. There's nothing that says "Chosen of the Light," per se, though her status as a Link (only mid-level) is registered.
Jason's eyes are narrow and he doesn't seem to notice the others in the room at all; no, his focus is severing White's tie to Sasha. His fingers glide over the luminous display of her tags as he thinks over just what Sasha said, about the white needed a PC. Jason's lips draw back into a scary smile as his fingers flick back to that 'PC' tag. "You'll thank me later," he murmurs, then simply tries to delete that tag.
He deletes it. It comes back. He deletes it. It comes back again. Delete/restore/delete/restore/delete/restore. My, but something seems determined to keep that tag there.
Seeing Sasha lie so still on the ground, the look of finality on Inari's face, Holly with a syringe of something vividly blue, Randall guesses what happened. Do I charge Inari with manslaughter? he thinks to himself crazily, while hauling the armory doors shut. What if whatever Holly's got there will bring her back to life, is it just aggravated assault? Self defense? He studies Jason's actions, trying to understand them.
The doors practically spring shut of their own accord, slamming shut with such force that it's a good thing there were no fingers or more important appendages in the way.
"Aww, you want to play, that's cute," Jason says as he gets a sinister gleam in his eyes. So, he starts rigging property trap actions in place, A restore of the PC tag trips a delete on the Link tag. Restoring the link tag deletes all her skills, restoring her skills goes back and deletes the PC tag. His fingers dance like a conductor orchestrating a symphony; no action on any of her her tags can occur without affecting adjacent properties. The weave gets worse as at least two of the actions cascade out at an exponential rate, the trap code rewriting itself on the fly to alter more and more of Sasha's game stats; creating instead an Avatar and Chosen of the Light ... to a walking, massive system error and any attempt at error correction only accelerates the cascade of failures.
The system can't seem to restrain itself. Even at the threat of making things worse, it seems as if the system is unwilling to give pause and consider the error of its ways. The tags are all reduced to senseless garbage, and finally several of them start self-deleting - except for some stubborn few placeholders, kept deliberately in place by Jason's process, so as to prevent the system from being able to replace them new, from scratch.
"She's still human in there somewhere," Randall says quietly, checking his fingers to make sure none of them got caught in the doors. "Whatever you just did, I hope it leaves us enough to bring back to the real world."
"That looks good enough to me," Holly says as she watches the cascading errors, and jabs the needle into Sasha's neck while depressing the plunger.
"And arrest her for aiding and abetting a Code Skynet," Randall adds with a wry grin.
The blue energies flow from the syringe into Sasha's prone form. There's a blue glow from within, from the nasty wounds dealt first by Moonlight on one side, then Inari on the other - but whatever strange magic Holly conjured up, it still works, even if so much of this world's "system" is working against the crew of the Ozymandias.
The rumbling is gone. The ship no longer rocks. But then, there's also none of the thrumming of the ship's engines. The illusion that has replaced the boundaries of the room does not contribute any new ambience to the pervasive silence. The occasional nervous twitch of the giant octopus tentacles and the breaths of the room's occupants, however, hint that the unseen walls are still there, in some form.
"Okay, let's see if our cursed item brings us good luck," Holly says next, looking from Jason to the closed armory door. "And maybe you should click your heels three times and say 'There's no place like home' just to be safe."
Jason shakes his head, blinking himself back to 'reality' such as it is. "Inari, you need to change back to Akiko soon," he says, "I promised we would get her home somehow. And if this gate opens ... it may be her way home." He sighs and pats the dragon on his shoulder, adding, "I don't know what will happen to you. Or us, really. This may be goodbye."
Sasha's eyes blink. Her chest moves. She twitches, and looks as if she's choking on something, while still lying prone on the floor.
"Relax, Sasha, you'll have a chance to die horribly again in a matter of moments," Holly tells the woman.
Inari looks away from Sasha, and nods to Jason. "If this is goodbye - then I bid you all speed. Let us hope we do not have to meet in this place again."
Randall chuckles at the joke, but the laugh dies away as he notices the choking. He goes over to see to Sasha, bringing his first aid training to bear. Airway, check!
Sasha's airway is cleared; apparently the miraculous healing of this world was sufficient for repairing damaged tissue, but was not so sophisticated as to clean out all of the blood that had filled places it shouldn't.
Jason extends his hand to Inari, even if she is in fox form. "I'm sorry I tried to throw you out of the aircar," he tells the fox, offering a wry, if a bit sad, smile. "It has been a pleasure having you aboard. Thank you, for everything."
Randall turns Sasha over so that she can cough the blood out. "She'll be fine, don't worry. Can you see what you can do about Akiko's flags before you click your heels, Jason?"
Inari looks at the hand, and then her form ripples, as she meets him halfway. She's a humanoid fox-creature again, but dressed in the outlandish "fantasy pirate" gear from Shipwreck. She takes his hand firmly. "And you. It's been quite a ride aboard your ship."
Inari looks over to Holly, and then to Randall. "And thank you as well. You could have easily left me behind, or worse. I didn't do much to endear myself to you in Blake's World. I owe you my existence several times over. I trust that Akiko is just as grateful."
"Hold on a moment," Holly says. "Jason, do you think you could hack into the system and trigger the upgrade protocol for just the people in this room?"
"Yeah, it wasn't all bad," Jason has to agree. Holly's question causes an odd look from Jason and he asks, "You want me to try to see if we can bring everyone in this room up to real world resolution? That's either brilliant, or completely crazy."
"It's an idea worthy of Jason," Randall agrees.
"I would ask, though ... do they want to be real," Jason says as he looks around those gathered. "Even if its possible ... I don't want to be the one playing God. Blake liked to mess with people, I don't. Not like that. Not without ... their approval."
"It'll increase our chances of getting a portal to the real world, I think," Holly notes. "And of surviving the transition, especially for the General, Akiko and Sasha."
"I'd like to be able to return to the real world without a cardiovascular failure, sign me up," Randall says, raising his hand.
The general nods. "I won't pretend to fully understand this - but I don't want to be a slave to the would-be gods of this world."
Jason sits down cross-legged on the floor. "Well, all right then," he says, "Randall, Holly, I'll need all the help I can get to pull this off. "And if I do this ... I will have less ability to alter the tags and the db information on anyone here. "The key is ... just keeping it isolated to this room, here and now."
"If Blake's notes were correct, the upgrade may break up the White, like Grey was broken up," Holly notes. "It's supposed to make the world more independent an self-managing. But we can't risk the invasion force being upgraded. I wish we knew if they were based in Empire controlled space or not."
Holly sits down, and cracks her knuckles. "Okay, one Boost coming up.." she says.
"What do you want me to do?" asks Randall as he finishes making sure Sasha will recover... and handcuffing her hands behind her.
"After the boost I will make what mods I can. I think I can restore Holly's magical powers to their peak and recharge both Mara and RIU. This will be the last time, though .. so if anyone has any upgrade requests on their tags before I try to flip the switch, tell me now," Jason says.
"I'd ask if I'd be able to play the piano after this," Randall jokes. "But I'm too scared the answer would be 'yes, even if you couldn't before.' Okay, listen - after we get out, my plan is to get the Code Skynet out, and get us medevac'd. But just in case we wind up in their military base instead... Can you get us something that makes us look like White's messengers, doing White's bidding, without us actually being controlled?"
Jason quirks a wry grin at Randall. "You never know, do you. Glad you didn't ask for me to improve your dating life; that would be impossible!" he teases, "And Randall, things are going to be crazy so record your alert message now and set it on a broadcast delay. That way if we pass out from transition, the code still goes out."
"What about you, Inari? General? Do you have any requests before I try to trip the resolution upgrade on everyone here?" Jason asks.
"Got it." Randall sets up his PDA for blip-transmission, keyed to go as soon as it's got a carrier signal, and to repeat. "Code Skynet, Avatars LLC research building. Officer Cranston, NYPD reporting. Normal comms have been shut down but AI-controlled entities may be present in the building. Armed and dangerous." He attaches data files in priority order.
"By Asimov's sideburns and The Three Laws, by Kurzweil's Oracle, by Torvald's Kernel, and by The Power of Greyskull," Holly intones, "grant Jason Edwards the wisdom of the Code!"
Inari looks thoughtful. "If you have the power to recharge points, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to recharge mine. If I'm gone and there's only Akiko, or if there's no magic on the other side, at least it's no harm done."
From within her robes, Holly pulls out.. an induction helmet! She hands it to Jason.
The general says, "I'm no spellcaster. I have no 'energies' to worry about. And ..." He pauses a moment, checking the tear in his uniform. "... I am in full health, I am happy to say. Thank you again, Sorceress Trudeau."
Jason hehs and slips the helmet on. "Okay, everyone, hold on why I do the last adjustments I can." Jason flips up his mini screen and with a practiced roll of his fingers, brings up the current stats for everyone present. One by one, he cycles through them, resorting each person's power points (if they have them).
As an afterthought, Randall adds to the initial burst message, "Medevac needed," and attaches a brief link to the article on the teenagers who returned from the amusement park.
Tags flicker over everyone's heads, showing their power point totals - with the exception of Sasha, whose tags are repeatedly refreshed with garbage. One by one, each tally is reset to its maximum possible value. (For the general, that means 0 out of 0, incidentally.) There is no fanfare other than the simple number change - it's not an "in-character" change, after all.
Looking skyward, Randall observes "I feel like I should yell 'Limit Break' or something."
Inari, having finished her farewells (and having received the power-point recharge, as she can see by looking at her own tag), changes shape, reverting to Akiko. She frowns, looking at her garb. "Huh. Well, I guess I'll stand out regardless, won't I?"
Randall grins to Inari, or rather, Akiko. "Don't worry, we'll have weirder things to explain." He nods to Mara and RIU.
Akiko looks askance to RIU and then Mara, and mouths a quiet, "Oh, yeah."
Holly recasts her spell, managing to upgrade Jason's induction helmet from 'consumer grade' to 'military grade', which means extra ports and flashing lights on it.
Jason now draws a few deep breaths and cracks his knuckles. "Funny moment, this. I'm about to hack a universe and for a small part of it, well, everything and everyone will simply be ... real. Reality is such a funny thing, in the end, just a collection of atomic energy held together in a dance of mathematics. The music of the universe, I suppose ... and today, this place will sing," he tells them. "All right, RIU, time to perform the greatest hack of all time. Sync with me; we do this together ... time to pluck the strings of the universe," Jason tells the little dragon over their all too intimate link.
Randall nods at Jason, smiling. He knows that look on his friend's face. But it's different now that Jason has found RIU, no longer the loner against the universe. "Don't forget to make yourself real too, RIU," he says quietly. "I don't think Jason could bear to lose you."
Jason's hands hover before he begins and he then says, "Akiko ... I just thought of something. I might be able to separate you from Inari and return her as your Avatar. And if I can manage that, she would become real. Do you want me to try?"
Akiko's expression is conflicted. She half-smiles, and says, "Well ... yes, I'd love to have her back, but ... I mean ... is that going to make things harder for you? We're ... we're kind of in danger here and I don't want to make things harder ... I mean ... if things go wrong...."
"You're already about to meddle with the very stuff of the universe, why cavil at one step more?" Randall says with a grin. "Make it count, though, Jason."
"Every girl needs a pet killing machine," Holly points out. "I should see about getting one for Tracy.."
"I'm going to try, then. We owe her a lot too; she's saved us more than once. If it means she can survive, it's worth it," Jason says, "RIU, bring up Aikiko's stats and lets create a template to start reflecting things to..."
"If we're wishing for stuff, can you make me ten years younger?" Holly jokes to Jason.
"Okay, RIU, we should be able to isolate Inari's stats. Once isolated, we need to reflect them over to the new body, separating Inari back to being her Avatar instead of just part of Akiko. If Blake could fuse them, I can restore them," Jason instructs the diminutive dragon. Once more his fingers dance...
Randall lays his hand on Mara's shoulder as he watches Jason work. It's a deeply tangled web he's meddling with. I hope he can manage to work it all out...
As Jason goes to work, he manages to conjure up a biology/medical simulator subsystem. It's a good thing Akiko has her eyes closed, so she can be spared the embarrassment of all the holographic overlays that temporarily turn her into the "visible woman." An array of windows show a dizzying amount of information, more than any human being could hope to absorb - a simulation of DNA strands, cellular structures, and so forth.
Comparative screens appear - and it's evident for anyone with a bit of medical experience (or, apparently, the occasional computer geek who's just lucky at these things) that there's a peculiar cellular structure to Akiko's form. It's not quite right - not quite human, despite outward appearances.
Nonetheless, it looks like he's got all the working bits he needs. Should he so desire, Jason can trigger a "Summon Link" power, and attach that to the form of Inari that is, for whatever reason, embedded not merely in the tags floating around Akiko, but also hidden away in her body's cells.
"Reminds me of the Human Genome screensaver you stuck on my computer back in college instead of 'Biker Babes of Cyberspace'," Randall muses as he walks forward to examine the charts. "The jocks on my floor thought I'd gone nerdball on them and hassled me for a month."
"Biker Babes, Randall?" Holly asks. "When you were attending my course, were you picturing me in leather with neon tubing?"
"I'll plead the Fifth," Randall quips.
"That's how he did it; he linked the summon action directly to Akiko's structure, so the act of summoning her changes her body," Jason muses as he ponders for a moment. He brings up the starting diagram for the separate Inari and there works on its basic form. The one he chooses is from memory, the form Inari often chose for herself (and had used in her attack on Sasha), the oversized, stylized, fox form ... with one modification, he makes sure Inari retains her ability to speak to them, unheard of for an Avatar. "Now, if we shift this binding for summon over to the new body, this should allow them to both exist at the same time. And ... there!"
This time, there's some fanfare and "special effects," since Jason has triggered the "in-game" Summon Guardian Beast mechanism in the process. There's a shimmering of golden light, and Inari emerges. She blinks, somewhat disoriented - even more so as she looks over to Akiko (lost amidst the multiple overlays). "I am ... at a loss for words," she says, in the same "detached voice" way she always has. It sure seems like the real deal.
Randall applauds the maestro. "Now let's see if you can pull that off again... but for all of us," he says with a grin. "Try and resist the urge to give Holly a tail when you run the upgrade?"
Giant RIU rumbles low, turning its great head to look up and regard the newcomer. Its whiskers flick with amusement, and it looks, impressed, up at Jason.
The general sucks in his breath. "Truly, this is a frightening power. I am glad we are all on the same side."
"We voted. You're coming with us. With help, I was able to decipher just what Blake did to you two ... and now you're both back the way you should be. Which means ... an upgrade may preserve you, make you real, and keep your link with Akiko. We hope, anyway," Jason quips, looking extremely pleased with the results. He checks over things one more time, then closes the views on Akiko. "Right, so time to finish the upgrade here and bring the fight to whatever likes beyond..."
"I'm more hoping that our fight will be over on the other side and we can let someone else do the fighting once the call goes out," Randall admits. "But, we probably won't be that lucky."
The overlays vanish from Akiko's form, and she opens her eyes - then sees Inari and lets out a cry of joy. She throws herself at the fox, wrapping her arms around the great beast's maned neck. Inari, for her part, just makes a muffled, slightly indignant noise ... but can't hide the faint smirk.
Randall awwws and shares a look with Mara.
Holly works quickly, working up another Boost spell. This one results in little stick-on lightning bolt refrigerator magnets that attach to Jason's helmet.
Randall whispers to Jason discreetly, "For your information, she did this in class too with silly cut-and-paste graphic grades on the homework assignments. It was a major mood killer for trying to envision her in any kind of leather or neon."
"And now ... the final act; the culmination of the opera," Jason says in an all too melodramatic voice. "Time to go home for some, and a chance to experience freedom and live for others." He spreads his fingers once more and rolls them across the space in front of him. Whether you subscribe to the string theory of physics or not, an intricate and delicate look of strands appear before him. "Sing for us," he says and through this stylized rendering, Jason tries to direct and focus the complex equations and sub-routines to signal the upgrade to begin ... only with a slight alteration to the original plan; the upgrade is centered on a small room in an unbelievable ship that rides through the chaos storm and extend no further than it.
And then ... everything fades to white.