Daycycle 13 [ DEC 26-31 ]

[computerized]

DAYCYCLE 13

[ DEC 26 - 31 ]

[OOC: This Daycycle will run for six ooc days instead of the usual 5 ooc days from Dec 26-31. ]

MORNING

Troubleshooter Team: Alec Hardison & Jason Wilcox

Mission:  There is an INDIGO corridor in R&D that we want you to inspect.  We’ll give you 5000cr each at the end of your mission just for walking from one end to the other.  Here are vouchers to let you walk through it legally.  Make sure you wear these telemetry suits when you go through it.  

All other Troubleshooters:  You are to report to your Service Firm positions for the day, until called on for Troubleshooter duty.

Intel:  The Humanists staged an attack last night and left many citizens temporarily blinded by pepper spray.  There is a 1000cr reward for any participants being handed over for punishment.

A special was attacked yesterday by an anti-Specials group.  Steve Rogers has asked to address all Troubleshooters in regards to this incident.

AFTERNOON

The afternoon is mostly uneventful.  Save for a Vulture pilot who crashes his copter into the Armed Forces mess hall at approximately 1423.  What is initially thought of as a treasonous act is quickly determined to be a Happitime overdose and is hushed up by the highers ups.

EVENING

The evening is launched with a very special and mandatory showing of the Teela O’Malley show.  The show begins by describing the state that humanity was in when The Computer took control.  People were a slave to their whims.  Alpha Complex is held up as a paragon of innovation and cooperation among people and technology.  In fact, many REDs watching the show may not recognize the Utopian society being depicted as anything close to the society they find themselves in.  It ends with a touching montage of citizens swearing their allegiance and thanks to The Computer that brings the legendary host to tears.  

Sleep aid gas is expelled at 2100.

Comments

[shrinkage]

He thumps and bumps, he's the anti-stealth man. Even without a metal suit, Ray is too big and too friendly not to make inordinate amounts of noise as he goes. It's surely never hard to find him, and never hard to get away.

"Hello? Scary blonde woman?" His head pokes out first, and the hall fills with the rest of him shortly after, muttering to himself about how he shouldn't be following people who still use spitballs as protest. When he spots her, he tries smiling again and heads right for her.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to, you know, make a scene or anything. I just thought maybe you needed someone to talk to?" Though as he nears Parker now, he doesn't sound all that convinced.

[whosalicewhite]

Parker can't help but bark a laugh. Scary blond woman? There's only one response to that, "That's the best you can come up with?"

If he wasn't so observant, he would be a fun play toy.

The laugh is like the cheese of a mousetrap. Not that Parker's planned it, but she springs just about as quickly as a mousetrap. For all her skinny waifishness, when she looks threatening, she is threatening.

"You tell anyone, I'll know."

[shrinkage]

"I'm not going to tell anyone." Is she new? Why does Ray feel like he's never noticed this woman before? He likes to pride himself in knowing the Specials on sight, have at least some idea of their names.

This woman is some kind of ghost, though.

"I just don't think a fellow Special should discount the authority of their own kind. Steve's helping us as a group. I think that deserves a little respect."

[whosalicewhite]

Being a ghost is Parker's job. It also helps that when off-duty, she wanders about in Infrared clothes.

"You don't want me to know you've talked. The spitballs are fun." He wouldn't like her when she's angry.

More importantly, "He is not my kind." She also believes Steve's working for forces as yet unknown, so having stuck to spitballs is Parker showing restraint.

"Neither are you." She doesn't much care what happens to those who are not her kind.

[shrinkage]

He's almost too flabbergasted to speak. Almost. He's certainly too flabbergasted to be as quiet as he should be, considering what he says:

"What are you talking about? You're like the rest of us-- you have memories of your real life. Memories a crazy Computer wants you to believe are glitches. Don't tell me you bought into that."

[whosalicewhite]

"I never believe anything I'm told." That's not true, but he doesn't need to know she can be rather gullible at times.

"I don't believe the computer, and I don't believe someone can move up so quickly without helping the computer."

What's that? A clear and concise answer? Really?

Wait, what might that be? A sharp object pressed into his side?

Yup.

[shrinkage]

Hey, look. She's coming toward him. Maybe they'll shake hands and agree to disagree or she wants to talk it out or--

Oh.

"Ah! What--" Ray's hand goes to his side, pressing against the small patch of wet red blooming there. "What are you doing?!"

And yet he's still not self-preserving enough to call for help or run away. But golly gee does this thing ever hurt. A tone sounds from speakers they can't see, the disembodied voice echoing:

"ＶＩＯＬＡＴＩＯＮ ＯＦ [_{ＨＹＧＩＥＮＥ ＳＴＡＮＤＡＲＤＳ}] ＤＥＴＥＣＴＥＤ. ＣＩＴＩＺＥＮ [_{ＲＡＹＭＯＮＤ ＰＡＬＭＥＲ}], ＴＨＩＳ ＩＳ ＹＯＵＲ [_{ＳＥＣＯＮＤ}] ＶＩＯＬＡＴＩＯＮ. ＹＯＵ ＮＯＷ ＨＡＶＥ [_ＴＷＯ] ＡＣＴＩＶＥ ＷＡＲＮＩＮＧＳ ＦＯＲ [_{ＨＹＧＩＥＮＥ ＶＩＯＬＡＴＩＯＮ}] ＡＮＤ [_ＯＮＥ] ＡＣＴＩＶＥ ＷＡＲＮＩＮＧＳ ＦＯＲ [_{ＲＥＳＯＵＲＣＥ ＷＡＳＴＥＦＵＬＮＥＳＳ}] ＲＥＣＯＲＤＥＤ."

[whosalicewhite]

What a stupid question. She is stabbing him. What else could he possibly think she is doing, for --

Loud disembodied voices out of loudspeakers are always a bad sign. It means authorities. It means someone has seen something she doesn't want them to see. It means that rather than make him hurt more, her weapon of choice is slipping back into her pocket.

It means she's going to make one thing clear: "You're on your own. I was never here."

[shrinkage]

"You're just going to leave?"

Ray's voice pitches higher, as his shoulders slump lower. The ouch is still plenty but his incredulity at the situation outweighs it.

"You stabbed me!"