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Daycycle 104 [ August 21-27 ]

daycycle 104

[Aug 21 - Aug 27]

Early Morning [0800 - 0900] — All Troubleshooters Report for Duty
There is no Mission assigned to any Specials today.

Morning & Afternoon [0900 - 1600] — Service Firm Positions
All Troubleshooters not assigned a mission should report to their Service Firm for their daily duties, unless specifically assigned a different shift.

At approximately 1400 today all power within the Wagon Wheel will shut down as part of a Nameless Secret Society Demonstration. The backup generators will be disabled. All citizens within the Wagon Wheel at that time will be stuck. Locked doors will remain locked. Elevators will stop. Lights will go out. Many opportunists will use this to create pure chaos. This demonstration will go on for the next five hours.

Evening [1600 - 2200] — Citizen Improvement
All Alpha citizens are encouraged to better themselves through Alpha’s wide variety of educational, entertainment and cultural opportunities offered each evening. Attending these sanctioned events are not mandatory, but is highly encouraged by The Computer. Citizens choosing not to take advantage of these opportunities, have a growing number of other options available to them in how to spend their hard earned credits and free time.

Tonight’s event will be at 2000 in Meeting Room B, Wagon Wheel Floor 25 and will be hosted by the Spontaneous Loyaly Demonstration Organizers. Learn how to put on a spontaneous demonstration in order to show your loyalty to the computer and Alpha Complex in an effective and memorable way.

Alpha Curfew Restrictions
All Alpha citizens should be in their quarters within the Wagon Wheel by 2200, unless they’ve been given permission from a GREEN or higher clearance level citizen. Sleeping Aid gas is dispelled each night in the Wagon Wheel at 2200 to assist citizens in getting a productive sleeping period.

Confession Booths
There are hundreds of confession booths available around Alpha Complex if a citizen would like to communicate directly with the computer. Please use these confession booths to report mission statuses, report treason or terrorist acts, unregistered mutants, confess your trespasses against Alpha Complex, request propaganda or speak with Your Friend, The Computer, at any time.

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"Oliver, it's nice to meet you," he says. The handshake is both short and firm and he tips his head a little, almost like someone lifts their hat in respect when they're meeting someone new.

"Steve Rogers. And you must have a lot of questions. I certainly did when I came out of that room," he glances for just a second behind Oliver, towards those pristine, white doors. Steve had spent a lot longer in there than Oliver had, refusing to believe the video. "I'm here to answer the ones I can, and to show you around the Complex, if you'd like."

With that, he makes a gestures towards the large double doors behind him.

What is distinctive about Steve however, is that despite his GREEN uniform, he acts and speaks nothing like the GREEN or VIOLET clearance level citizens Oliver had interacted with thus far. He's not prickly or bored or matter-of-fact. It could certainly be fake, but it actually seems like Steve is honestly trying to be helpful.

And now was the time to navigate the shaky ground he'd been given. He had to give the shadow of doubt to his words without ever actually saying or even implying he was saying something that would be disapproved of. If this man, if Steve, was looking for it, he would recognize at least something in the words that Oliver wasn't saying. If he didn't, then it would just be a normal conversation from a confused and potentially scared new recruit.

"A tour, yes," he agreed. "I'd like to be able to navigate without accidentally finding myself some place I shouldn't be." No, if he found himself some place he shouldn't be, it would be because it was just where he intended on being. But it would be good to see where the lines were drawn and he would keep his eyes peeled for the security systems.

Of course, it did mean that he wouldn't be able to use the excuse that he hadn't known where he was.

"I suppose my first question is how likely it'll be that I find someone I--" There wasn't quite a pause between the words, or even a hesitation, but there was the smallest emphasis on the next word. "--Think I know."

This was going to be exhausting. He was much better at running in and shooting at something until it was dead. That was how he usually solved problems.

"That's a good instinct," he says. "Though, the Complex also prevents you from going anywhere you don't have clearance for."

When they're out the door of the cloning services, Oliver will notice that the landscape doesn't change much, and they haven't actual gone outdoors. Instead, they're in a large, septic white complex. "Where we currently are, it's called the Technical Services Section," Steve says. "You probably won't come back here unless you're assigned to work here."

When Oliver asks his first question, Steve wants to tell him that his memories are most probably real, but he can't. Not here, while they're still under surveillance. He'll bring it up when they get to the Wagon Wheel.

"Not very likely, though it does happen." It was an unexpected question, actually, and Steve is curious as to why Oliver would ask something like that. "So far, there's only one or two dozen of us here. Everyone else was born and raised in the Alpha Complex. Are you ... expecting someone to be here?"

That was good to know, although Oliver assumed there were probably ways around that. It would depend on how tight the security really was. Whether there were cameras everywhere, microphones everywhere, people informing on other citizens. Really, he would believe just about everything at the moment. Or rather, he was expecting everything and waiting for certain things to be proven right or wrong.

He shook his head at Steve's question. "No. I just prefer to be prepared for any eventuality." So it was possible he'd see someone he knew, but not probable. That was equal parts good and disappointing. While he didn't want his friends and family here, he did want people to trust and if he didn't have them by nature of knowing them already, he was going to have to be even more cautious at first.

This man, for instance. He radiated good. That could mean a lot of things. It could mean that he followed the party line and did what he was told and was a good soldier. Or it could mean that he was more like Ray, a good heart who believed in doing the right thing. The former could be used and the latter could be recruited.

"And if they don't know me, I don't want to startle them with sudden recognition." He'd been looking back and forth from Steve to where they were going, so it wasn't suspicious when he looked back at Steve to gauge his reaction.

When Oliver looks back, Steve’s eyebrows narrow. There could be a few ways to interpret that statement. In the end, Steve goes with the quesiton he'd want to know the answer to, if he’d just woken up.

“If they were re-created from history, like us, the memory glitches will be consistent with you or I.” Meaning, if you see someone here you actually know, they should remember the same things you do. “Our memories are something that Technical Services has been working on awhile now, but they haven’t been able to fix it yet.”

He hasn’t been doing this long — today was literally his first day — but Steve has interacted with most of the Specials by now. Oliver, despite his extremely successful facade of being a new Special trying to understand the world, was asking very different and very interesting questions, compared to everyone else. Steve would have to keep an eye on him.

But the tour continues.

As they keep walking, Steve explains Alpha's geography, and he’ll stop anytime Oliver has relevant questions. "The Alpha Complex is made out of four main sectors and the Wagon Wheel. Technical Services, where we are currently, is on the western edge.”

He goes to explain that the northern edge is the Armed Services Sector, which houses Alpha's armory, training facilities and military. In the eastern edge is Research and Development. And to the south is the Power Services sector, which houses the machinery that keeps the Complex running.

Which brings Steve to the last main building of interest.

"In the center of it all, and where we're headed now, is the Wagon Wheel. It's where most of us live and where your room will be. It's also where the Commissary is, which is where you'll be eating your meals. Tomorrow morning, that's also where you'll find out what job the Computer has assigned you."

Oliver had been assigned jobs before. Actually, he thought that Amanda Waller was more frightening than any computer was, so there was that at least. What remained to be seen was what the computer knew about his background. Did it know about his life as the Green Arrow? Military or protection forces. Working with Waller? Black Ops of some kind. He wasn't sure what it would make of Oliver Queen, the many times failed businessman and former socialite.

"Interesting," he replied, thinking about what it meant security-wise that the central power of the machine was in the south and not the middle. It meant that the thing either felt secure from outside forces period or else any threat was coming from the north and the south was its most secure spot. But as considered his surroundings, another, more terrible thought occurred to him. Damien Darkh had set up a refuge from the terror he was planning on inflicting. It didn't look anything like the internals that they were going through, but fresh air? Outside? That certainly was familiar. Darkh's refuge hadn't looked like it was underground.

He opened his mouth to ask one question, but quickly changed his mind. He couldn't ask what had happened in this supposed future to create a world like this because what little he'd seen said that he was supposed to believe that this was normal. He was supposed to be just another cog in the machine. So instead he'd ask a more pertinent question. "Are there any gym facilities? Working out helps me focus." Which was true. It also had the side benefit of keeping him in roughly fighting trim until he could figure out what was going on.

Of course, he was admitting a little to acknowledging a portion of his actual personality, but he doubted that it could be avoided completely. He could fake being relatively mundane, but he was pretty sure that he couldn't fake being a complete nonentity. So if he was going to have to reveal some things, he'd reveal things that led to practical results.

Steve smiles and shakes his head in slight disbelief. Working out helps him focus too. "If that's the case, we might be seeing more of each other in our off hours. Which is to say yes, absolutely. In the Armed Forces sector. There's a training complex with an obstacle course and a gym, which should be open to you. There's also a pool, or so I hear, if swimming is your preferred form of fitness."

A beat. "Armed forces is just north of us, if you'd like to see it. We could drop by before heading towards the Wagon Wheel."

It would delay Steve's ability to be a little more frank with Oliver, but he'd asked about the gym after all. Maybe it would help Oliver to see where the gym facilities were in-person.

"Obstacle course?" Oliver repeated, clearly indicating which was his preferred form of fitness. Swimming was fine, but he preferred something that was also trained his reflexes. Armed also implied weaponry and he was definitely keen to see where they kept that. It was also confirming his impression of Steve as a soldier. Or at least his cinematic impression of what soldiers were supposed to go through at boot camp, which could or could not be accurate. He'd had his own form of boot camp.

He nodded. "Maybe stopping by the gym would be a good next stop. Just to look at it." He wasn't about to stop for a workout, but if it wasn't on the standard tour, chances were that it was for a reason. Either because it wasn't interesting at all or because it was too interesting and anything that sounded military was bound to be interesting.

"While we walk, why don't you give me the usual talk you give." He was well aware that he probably wasn't asking the questions that most people asked, but most people hadn't been through this situation before. Although granted the last time he'd woken up in China and not told that he was a clone.

Steve’s lips curl into a smile. “Follow me.”

If Oliver asks, Steve will be frank with him. Armed Forces wasn’t on the tour because the Alpha Complex is too big. The only real points he hits up are the places Oliver needs to know about to successfully get through his first day. Everything else falls behind in priority after that.

“I can tell you a little more about the subsections as we walk. Most of the tour is in the Wagon Wheel. I can talk about it more when we get there.”

There’s purposefully two meanings to that sentence. Oliver will just have to figure out which one is the right one a little later.

At this point, they've walked down one of the main halls and out onto what actually feels like a street. Though if Oliver looked up and paid close enough attention, he’d be able to tell that the night sky wasn't quite real.

"Subsectors like this are between each of the main sectors. This way."

The rest of the details Steve have to offer are vague. Subsections were built in between each of the main complexes and now serve as residential and recreational areas for Citizens. Nightclubs, restaurants, anything you’d normally expect in a city. Except you must be BLUE or above to live here. That means not even Steve has that kind of clearance, so he’s a little fuzzy on the details.

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Daycycle 104 [ August 21-27 ]

daycycle 104

[Aug 21 - Aug 27]

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