Realistic or Modern // Ignite the Spark // open & accepting

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout


Location: Peace Park


Time: 23:58





Solara smiled softly, nodding her head. She took in this moment, listening to both people sharing their stories. The man, whose name was Richard, and the woman...both of them were willing to come with her. Their words made her heart ache with sadness. She knew that if she had been subject to such mental invasiveness, her first response would have been anger. Hell, her first response to the whole "new partner" dilemma was to run off to Tranquility alone. Her compulsiveness wasn't always a good thing. But seeing these faces now, the fresh emotion and liberation...she knew she could never truly regret being here. Despite whatever Shasta and Kais thought.


As she turned her head, she saw tears streaking the faces of Richard and the woman, whose name she had yet to learn. The true cruelty of PaxCor was something that she never quite moved past, especially hearing these firsthand accounts about a life suppressed. The Patch...it was such a horrible thing, masked under the cover of being something good. There was nothing good about robbing people of so much of their identities, of what made them who they are.





"I'm so sorry for everything you've gone through. You both have a place with us, with the Spark,"


Sola looked both of them in the eyes, making that human connection. She was about to put the other Pills in her pocket and get ready to guide them out of Tranquility when another woman appeared. She skirted the area at first, but then approached them timidly. Sola smiled softly, beckoning her over.


"Can I help you?" She asked, wondering if the woman would ask about the Pill.


Nearly thirty minutes had passed since Sola arrived at the bridge. She began to feel a certain antsy feeling creep in the back of her mind. This was longer than she usually took within the city. She wanted to leave soon, before any guard-bots recognized an anomaly in typical Tranquilian actions. She wouldn't have been the first Spark to get some battle scars within the city. It was something she wanted to stick around for. Looking at the faces of the other two in their group, she knew that they needed to get back to The Ruins soon. Neutralizing the Patch was something that struck Sola as maybe a mild trauma. She found that being at The Ruins, facing a hot meal and good night's rest, often helped.

 

[GetThree]

CLEO Thayer


Thayer Residence || 23:57


Find the Pill.


Cleo's eyes snapped open, chest heaving, beads of sweat sliding down the side of his face to his neck. For a few moments, he lay staring at the darkness. The room temperature was at a steady 21 degree celcius, but he felt hot and suffocated as if he was stuck in an oven. It wasn't the first time this had occurred, the sleepless nights stretched on and on for days every time he spotted the graffiti on the walls around Tranquility.


Find the Pill.


The voices in his head screamed. He hadn't noticed before, but they seemed to be growing louder the more he tried to ignore it. He had been seeing the splashes of colour on his mostly black and white surroundings more frequently, as of the last few months. It was growing unbearable.


Find the Pill. 23:30.


A glance at the clock told him he was already late. Cleo sighed, sitting up on his bed. What if he went there? The "Pill" could be gone. It would be a wasted journey. An even more perplexing prospect, however, was if the "Pill" was still there, waiting. If he found it, like the voices told him to. Then what? What would he do next? This was the kind of situations that Cleo disliked most. The kind where he would find out what will happen only if he tries it himself.


He stood up, pulling on a long sleeved grey shirt. Since it was impossible for him to sleep anyways, what harm could be done in walking around a little, right? So he headed out, to one of the only places in Tranquility that had no CCTV cameras - Peace Park.

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Doctor Marcus Hawthorne Glass


Keys Tower, The Spark


"Damn it! Nurse! Get me a fresh rag!" A voice called from behind a surgical mask. The man, Doctor Marcus H. Glass, was tediously trying to remove a multitude of bullets from a soldier's torso. Thankfully, the man was under sedation at the time or else his job would've been ten times more difficult to deal with. A small pile of bloodied rags piled on the floor next to him was further heightened as he tossed another one on its top. The nurse whom he sent to get more towels had returned with an armful, setting them on a small table beside him.


"Thank you miss." Marcus said as he grabbed a fresh towel from the pile, using it to wipe the blood off the wound and his utensils. After a few more tedious moments, he set, what he believed to be, the last piece of lead in the man's chest. Checking around inside the soldier's torso carefully, he determined there to be no more foreign pieces of metal embedded in his torso. Taking up a suture needle, he expertly threaded the wire through the hole and tied it off before setting to work. In a span of five minutes, the stitching was done, now all that was left was to bandage the entire torso, making sure to cover the entrance and exit wounds in his left bicep. The white linen was wrapped around repeatedly, stopping for just a moment to insert a pad with antibiotic ointment over the wounds.


Soon enough, the Doctor fell back into a chair, blood covered scrubs still on his body as he tossed his surgical gloves and mask into a biohazard trashcan nearby. He watched silently as the man was wheeled off on his gurney to rest in a private area. "Third one today...Thank god that they were all successes." He muttered aloud. The nurse standing nearby just smiled and nodded. "Of course, Doctor, you are a valuable asset to us. I'm glad you're here, the survival rates of our people have gone up significantly." Marcus nodded at the woman. "Thank you, Hannah. You are dismissed." With a nod of the head, she departed the room, leaving the doctor alone. With a sigh, the man stood up from his chair and grabbed another pair of gloves, using them to drop the used towels into a laundry basket along with his scrubs. Stretching, the man revealed the outfit he had on underneath the scrubs, a dirtied white dress shirt with brown khakis. He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment. 'I look like shit. I should take a shower, but first, my tools need cleaned.' He thought before taking the tray with said tools on it's surface and dragged them over to a nearby sink to clean up.

 

[ambiguities]

Ryder Lawson







Kais walked passed Ryder, a look of enmity etched upon his face. Ryder refrained from letting out his surly remark as the male's shoulder nudged against his own. Instead he ignored him, listening to Shasta. Although the plan hadn't required any overuse of exertion, he didn't question Shasta's plan out loud, he pondered over it, his eyes narrowing in thought. Ryder opened his mouth to reply, but closed it, pressing his lips into a firm line. Turning away, he slowly retreated from the conference room leaving Shasta to himself. He sometimes wondered how he could keep calm at times like these. But naturally, it came with the job. If he were to have a wildly irrational reaction, so would everyone else. Nonetheless, he admired him for that.


Before he knew it, Ryder had exited the keys tower and stepped into the night once again. His eyes found it's way to tall walls of the Tranquility. Although the distance was vast, this structure stood proud. "I didn't know!" Ryder turned around looking for the source of the High-pitched declaration. He recognized the thin blonde-headed boy, who was surrounded by three other people. They were yelling profanities at him, scolding him in an unpleasant way. He was the Scout that was assigned duty today, wasn't he?


Ryder made his way over, his pace steady but alarming. "What seems to be the problem?" They stopped, turning to look at the newcomer. "He let Sola go, that's what the problem is! Shasta will be breathing down our necks from here on out thanks to him!" A young man, at least a head shorter than Ryder spoke up. The two other nodded in agreement.


"That is none of your concern. Sola is a big girl, she's more than capable of handling herself. As for Shasta," He paused, "He'll deal with it on his own."


"But-" Before he could them utter another word, Ryder cut them off. "He didn't know that Sola would make a reckless decision and go by herself. So ganging up on him will do nothing for her or for you." He said firmly as he glared at them, his eyes cold. "Now leave." The three backed away, their tails in between their legs as fear flashed upon their face. Ryder turned away before Damien could finish his meek expression of gratitude.

 

[Bhlow]

Rosemarie Hayward

Rosemarie started at the girl strangely, fazed be her smile, which in her scientific brain, she could not find a reason or a meaning for. She blinked for a few moments looking at her, trying to register and understand this new predicament, but finally gave way to for once, not understand the situation she was in, settling instead to promise to allow herself to analyse the strange behaviour once she got home.


The question the girl posed to Rosemarie, made her even more loopsided, as she considered her answer carefully, why was she asking her if she wanted help, instead of just giving her the pill? Rosemarie, finally found her voice in her mind that was spinning around in circles.


Rosemarie, said the three words, 11 letters that had been burned into her brain for months, preventing her from concentration on the three pillars of society, and as she said them, her brain counted the syllables, the vowels, consonants almost robotically.


"Find the pill".

 

[Skeleton]

Keanu Forrester


just outside of peace park



​

​

Keanu stood in the shadows of the buildings in Tranquility. The soles of his sneakers made a light tapping sound against the cold cement, his heart thumping a little faster than usual. In fact, he could hear it pounding in his ears. He tucked his hands in his pockets as he slunk through the dark, slightly slouched as to be less noticed.

He had seen the painting. He had seen the instructions. Find the Pill, Find the Pill, Find the Pill. It was all he could think about recently. Each night, he told himself that it wasn't worth trying. Today, it was different. If he had to numbly move through another procedure, hands mechanically cutting and sewing and stitching...well, he didn't know. He needed to find out, know why he was this way. He knew this was his only hope. He had heard the whispers. As soon as he left his shift at the Hospital #9, he moved to the place that was obscured by cameras. That bridge, it stuck in his memory. He used to walk there as a kid, looking for red clover, Trifolium pratense.

Of course it wasn't there.

He moved past the wide gates of Peace Park, dark hair tied back and blending in with the night. He saw a group of people, a pack of four. Three women and a man. One woman...had something different. The pendant on her shirt. It was shaped like a flower. He approached, too curious (almost mad) to know what was going on. In the woman's hand, she held tiny red pills. He waited in the shadows, listening quietly. He listened to what she said, about PaxCor, about himself. His heart pounded faster. The people in the circle, apart from the woman with the red brooch and another woman who had yet to take the pill, were crying and gasping. The information he was hearing wasn't doing anything. He wanted it to do something. He wanted to react. He couldn't wait anymore. Moving directly out of the shadows, he heard the other lady with short brown hair say: "Find the Pill."

"You're who I've been hearing about. That's the Pill, right? I heard what you said. I want it too," His words came out a tad faster than usual.

​

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout


Location: Peace Park





Sola blinked as she looked at the two people standing in front of her. The man that appeared out of the shadows seemed more eager than she was used to. She looked between the two, and dropped a second Pill into the palm of her hand. Stretching her arm out, she offered the Pills to the two newcomers.


As she waited for them to take the Pills, the anxious feeling in her mind grew. Typically, she delivered to three people at the most. The smaller groups made it easier to slip past the walls unnoticed. Tonight, there were already four people collected around her. Rushing the process was never a good idea, but neither was risking getting shot at. It was important to get out of the area before some guard drone made its way into Peace Park, and caused a commotion that they didn't need. Without any backup, this was particularly precarious.

 

[Skeleton]

Keanu Forrester



​

The pills laid in the woman's hand. They sat like little drops of blood on her palm. Keanu stared for a moment, his mind whirring. Something akin to fear bubbled in the back of his mind. He knew his world was about to tilt. He didn't know why, or how, or even how soon it would even happen. He took a deep breath. His mind began to calm. With a nod of his head, he picked up a pill and dropped it in his mouth.


At first, he felt nothing. It started like a warm feeling building from the back of his neck, a tingling pulse. It ebbed, growing stronger and stronger. It began to feel like a hot, prickling sensation. He clapped his hand to the back of his neck, right over his patch implant. It felt as though needles were shooting across his skin. He let his back hit the back of the bridge, leaning against it for support. Teeth clenched, he pressed his hands against his eyes.


He felt...everything. It began small. It was a feeling that looked blue and icy, something that twisted his soul. He thought of his father, his mother. He thought of the family that he never got to know. That blue feeling turned a burnt orange. It felt like a hot coal in the pit of his stomach. It made him grind his teeth more. He thought of PaxCor and what they had stolen from him. The words that the girl, he thought he overheard her say her name was Solara, spoke were given new life. They weren't just facts anymore. They were objects that filled him with true anger.


After the anger...was something that was soft yellow. He thought he knew what hope was before. Like hoping to find a red clover when he knew there would be nothing. No, that wasn't true hope. Hope is what he felt burning in his chest at this moment. He had to go. He had to join this. For himself, for his family. They could change things. Finally, the internal commentary that had roiled in him for so long made sense.


Blinking, he opened his eyes. His breath caught. Everything was blurry, he could only make out shapes and objects, and it was darker than it should be. He rubbed his eyes, but it didn't change anything. He turned in the direction of the woman, Solara. He couldn't see anything about her face, it was all so blurred together. He moved his arm to reach out to her. This must have been a side effect. The clinical training he had told him that this was most likely temporary.


"I...I can barely see. I think this will go away...but in the mean time, I will come with you. I'm sorry if I slow you down in this state, but I'm sure my vision will return soon. Don't leave me here,"

 

[Gabe]

Richard Davenport


Time Unknown - Peace Park


Richard looked at the guy's reaction. He hesitated at first, unsure how to act, but eventually he went to his aid. "Hey, calm down." he took a pen flashlight and aimed at his eyes, to see the pupil reaction. Completely dilated. "Hm, a side effect of the pill, most probably. Are you allergic to anything? Do you have some chronic disease that messes with your nervous system?" Richard was already trying a mental diagnosis. Since the pill disrupts the patch on the base of the spinal cord, it could have neutralized some part of his nervous system as well, mainly, the one that regulates the automatic functions on a superficial level. So the eye reaction is messed up, for now. "Yes, it's temporary, but you can't walk like that." He grabbed his arm and placed it over his shoulder, to support and guide him. Grabbing the supplies he laid on the floor, he turned to Solara. "So, are we going? I don't think staying in an open field is a good thing."

 

[Bhlow]

Rosemarie Hayward

Rosemarie looked at the woman for a considerate amount of time, this was what it was all leading up. She didn't know if it would meet her expectations, considering she didn't know what her expectations of the pill where and by the reactions of others she could not even begin to phantom what it would do to her.


Finally, Rosemarie picked up the pill from the woman's hand, at the same time as the man beside her, whom she recognised from her science department and put it on her tongue, turning on the neurotransmitter in her pocket at the same time with her other hand. It took her a moment to feel the effects, and as she did, she stood transfixed, looking behind the women in front of her and staring into the darkness as a heat came over her, and then she felt cold all of a sudden - with fear, or anger, she couldn't tell them apart. And then emotions began to smother her, and she gasped for breath. Incapable of speech or of describing what was happening to her, Rosemarie's vision began to blacken, before she crumpled to the floor, as she fainted.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout


Location: Peace Park





Stress began to bloom in Solara as she watched the scene unfold. The man with tied back hair had taken the Pill, leaning against the bridge to stay calm. He hadn't gasped or cried out, choosing instead to press his hands to his face. When he removed them, he said that he couldn't see. Loss of vision had never happened on one of her deliveries. She remembered Damien talking about it at one point or another. Before she could do anything, Richard was instantly talking to the man. He turned to her then, asking if they should get out of the open field.


Because the shadowy underside of a bridge is equivalent to an open field?


She tried to ignore the pinch of annoyance that she felt, and opened her mouth to speak. Suddenly, the other woman collapsed onto the ground. Solara reached out, crouching next out to her. Pressing a hand to her temple, she tried to figure something out. A prick of fear dotted her mind. She knew that any moment, a guardbot could be making its rounds in this area. Looking up, she looked at Richard and pointed toward the space on the wall near the tunnel.


"We need to get out of this area. Richard, I'm sorry to ask this of you. I know taking the Pill can be an exhausting experience...but are you strong enough to carry her?" looking over, she directed her attention to the other man. "Sir, I'll can help you walk since you don't want to be going into the tunnel blind."


Sola moved towards him. She didn't want to touch him without getting his permission, it might startle the man who already couldn't see.





"My arm is right here. You can hold on to it, I can help guide you now."


She stood with her arm outstretched, waiting. She tried her best not to sound impatient, but the need to get out of the area needed to be her top priority.

 

[Skeleton]

Keanu Forrester



​

Keanu was instantly irritated. He tended to decide very quickly whether or not he liked someone, and he was leaning towards dislike towards the man that told him to calm down. Richard, he heard his name was. Keanu thought that there were very few circumstances under which it was acceptable to tell a person to calm down, and then have that statement be effective. I take a Pill that's letting me feel things for the very first time, rest my shoulder against a bridge...and suddenly I'm the one that's not calm? Now, one of my first emotions is annoyance.


Keanu opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly Richard was at his side. He could still see dimly, and could tell that the man was shining a light in his eye. The guy talked quickly, asking him about disease, and then repeating what Keanu already knew. Keanu knew that Richard couldn't possibly know that he was a respected medical doctor, but the way this man acted still grated at him. Moving and doing things without pausing to see if Keanu was actually okay with it. Keanu was about to say something, when the Richard grabbed his arm and declared he wasn't fit to walk. The man pulled his arm across his own shoulder.


"Look, I'm having a hard time seeing. I don't have a leg injury," he snapped. "I'm a doctor at Hospital #9, I can handle myself."


Keanu jerked his arm away from Richard and rested his shoulder against the bridge. He knew this man was only trying to help, but that didn't stop him from being frustrated. He had spent a lifetime not getting angry. He was allowed to be frustrated now. He didn't like being told what to do. He also felt slightly overwhelmed at everything. He couldn't tell what was going on. What was happening with the other woman who was about to take the pill? He hadn't heard her speak in a while. Before he spoke again, Solara's voice cut through the irritation. She spoke in a tone that was less demanding, less grating. Her voice sounded smooth, calming to his ears. Instead of ordering him around, grabbing him, she told him that her arm was right there for when he needed it. He felt himself cool off, appreciating the way she talked.


"Thank you," he said. He took her hand instead. "This might be easier that me grabbing your arm. That might slow you down. My name is Keanu, by the way. Keanu Forrester. We can go, I'm ready."

 

[Gabe]

Richard Davenport


Time Unknown - Peace Park


Richard was jerked off by the other guy. Keanu, was it? He didn't mind, though, he was more concerned over the fainted girl than everything else. "I might want some help with my equipment, though. Can someone help me?" He gently grabbed the girl and hauled her on his arms. "We can go, now." He felt his vision doubling, but he steeled himself. He needed to help those people, before helping himself. "I apologize for my behavior, I... I don't know a lot on what's happening with me." He held the girl tightly. "Let's go with haste, I don't know how much longer can I handle." Without further interruptions, the doctor was ready to go, as long as someone could carry over his haul.


((Richard is having a really good first impression, eh))

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout


Location: Peace Park





So, Keanu didn't get along incredibly well with the doctor. If things were to work out smoothly, they needed to function as a team. A group of five was more than Sola was used to. She probably would've been overwhelmed in this situation even if Kais was with her. Waiting for Keanu's answer, she thought for a moment about what would happen when they actually arrived in Spark territory. How would they react to her return? Coming back with four extra people would definitely be a point of interest. Shasta would probably rant about how dangerous that big of a group was, especially without backup. Her thoughts were speeding, but suddenly, a hand cut through her mental monologue.


"Thank you,"


With those words, Keanu had taken her hand instead of holding on to her arm. It was a gesture that she knew was purely for efficiency, but slightly surprised her nonetheless. She adjusted her arm and looked towards the wall. Nodding, she felt adrenaline pumping through her. They were going to make a break for it. She pointed towards the wall.


This was often a more tricky part of the evening. Ducking into the bramble to move the metal panel and grass covering was easy enough, but the timing had to be impeccable. If a guardbot noticed them moving towards the wall, there was a good chance that there would be a problem. If they kept moving towards it, it might open fire. PaxCor cared very little about losing the lives about those that deviated from the law. As soon as the group left the cover of the bridge, the cameras would pick up on them. They would have a finite amount of time to get out. Sola didn't have the weaponry with her to take out a guardbot. Mentally preparing herself, she began to speak to Richard and the woman who was still conscious.





"There's a tunnel that goes underneath the wall. It's covered by a metal panel and a woven camouflage. Follow me, do your best to move quickly. We'll move directly towards the space in between those juniper bushes," she pointed to the area in which they were to run.


Adjusting Keanu once more, she began moving towards the wall...out of the shadows of the bridge. The park opened, and Sola moved directly towards the tunnel. She crossed the more open area and plunged into the forest area. The darkness cloaked them, the strained light from the park barely reaching them. Moving to the juniper bush, she saw the familiar sheet of dark metal. Using the edge of her boot, she pushed it away to reveal the tunnel. Placing Keanu's hand against the wall, she turned to the group.


"This tunnel opens out into the woods on the other side of the wall. It's pretty dark in there and a bit of a drop, so slide down. Can one of you help Keanu? I'm going to stand guard a little bit farther out. I'll follow right behind all of you so I can close it back up again. Keep crawling, and the tunnel will curve upward. There's an identical sheet on the other side. If you press the bottom, it will move pretty easily and we can get out on the other side." Solara blinked, feeling somewhat hurried. "I'm sorry if you all feel rushed. I know this must seem like it's all happening so quickly. Once we get out, we can move at a more comfortable pace. Thank you all for coming with me, for joining us."

 

[RZA]

Veda Creed


Location: Peace Park


It’s just another game. Just another game of hide and seek with Vera.


She kept glancing over her shoulder, expecting a Guardbot to reveal itself. What am I feeling now? Inara thought idly, wiping her sweaty palms against her denim pants. The doctor’s bags were heavy, but it was comforting somehow. It brought her back to reality, slowed her breathing as the group of five made their way to the juniper bushes cloaked by darkness and trees.


Solara revealed the tunnel in one swift movement with the toe of her boots. She listened to her speech, there was a hint of something in her voice that Veda couldn’t place. It wasn’t fear, she knew that one, or at least she thought she did. These emotions… They’re too much sometimes…


She glanced back over her shoulder, the feeble park lights illuminated the bridge and the gentle waters beneath it. Would she ever be able to swim again? Would she be able to see Vera’s toothy smile once more? With a mental heave she shoved all those thoughts into the back corner of her mind and steeled herself.


“I’ll go first,” Veda said quickly, “I’ll go and help Keanu out when we get to the other side.”


Veda didn’t wait for permission. She wanted out of this walled-hell. She needed a place where she could breathe freely. So she slipped into the tunnel, Doctor Richard’s bags heavy and awkward as she slid down into the cool darkness.


It was indeed, a bit of a drop.


She felt around with her hands, steadying herself and waiting for the vertigo to ebb.


“I’m down…” Veda called out, “You can send Keanu now...”


@Skeleton

 

[whitefoxkiller]

The messenger stood a discreet distance away, holding the data pad tight and waiting for the target. What he saw instead, was a whole group of people who were… acting strangely. A couple even looked injured, not bleeding, but injured somehow. He knew one among them was likely his target but he knew not to deliver the message to anyone he wasn’t sure was the target, so he waited until he could catch a glimpse of any one of these people wearing the red pin he was instructed to look for. Finally, he saw it resting on the one dishing out the orders.


Before he could approach, however, a guardbot came up from behind the group as one of the group members was climbing into what he saw was a hole in the wall. The messenger quickly drew his rain gun and fired at loosely the area where the guardbot was hovering. The gun was the highest quality weapon you could find, and was equipped with auto target, so you didn’t have to be much of a marksman to hit your enemy. The shot tore through the guardbot and it fell with a terrible grinding noise like the fans that kept it from overheating were tearing themselves apart. The messenger walked to where it fell and, aware he had the groups full attention, stomped on the guardbot camera to make sure it wasn’t still transmitting.


He looked at the group of people who were obviously former tranquility citizens and approached the one with the pin. “I’m here to deliver this.” he said cooly, handing her the datapad. As he turned to walk away he issued a quiet warning: “You’ll want to leave quickly.”

 

[Skeleton]

Keanu Forrester



​

Keanu heard Veda call out, saying that she was ready. Letting go of Sola's arm, he could barely make out the dark shapes of the tunnel and the wall. Crouching, he sat on the edge of the tunnel. Using his hands to feel out the sides of the wall. Slowly he slide downwards into the darkness of the tunnel. It wasn't very tall, and soon he was on his hands and knees. No one would be able to see anything down here. He heard muffled voice from inside the tunnel, but turned his attention to Veda.


"I can help move that guy's doctor bags. I may have a hard time seeing right now, but my hands still work. It must be heavy to be carrying that by yourself."





@Rissa

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v el


spark scout


Location: Peace Park Tunnel





Solara looked at the datapad that was now in her hand. It was a small rectangle, just bigger than her palm. She tucked it in her pocket, seeing the man who had handed it to her already left. Clearly he hadn't wanted her dead, otherwise that guardbot would have opened fire. Curiosity piqued her, but she knew she needed to get everyone down into the tunnel before doing anything else. She turned, seeing that Keanu and the woman carrying the bags had already made their way into the tunnel. Her eyes scanned the area, waiting for Richard and the woman he was carrying to move so that she could follow them and close up the tunnel.


As she waited, she heard a series of mechanical clicks and whirrs. Heart pounding, she turned her head slowly to see a second guardbot moving towards her. A new model than the previous one, it stood tall as it moved at her from the gates to Peace Park. It had a sleek design, its white polycarbonate body shaped like that of an unusually elongated human and "Pax Corporation" emblazoned across its chest in heavy blue letters. Its right arm was lifted up, tapering off into a gun shape.





"You have committed Violation 3.02 in the PaxCor Law...tampering with law enforcement robotics. Desist movement, or I will need to use force," The bot's voice was emotionless and mechanical.


Sola's breath caught in her throat. A second bot had seen her, but not the others. At least, not yet. Moving her shoulder imperceptibly to one side, she whispered to Richard.


"Get in the tunnel, now."





Turning back to face it, she blinked. She hoped that Richard was listening to her and making his way into the tunnel as she stood staring at the guardbot. It was moving closer to her. Her blood rushed, and she could feel her heart thumping in her ears. She stood frozen, waiting to hear the sound of the last two people to get in the tunnel.





As soon as they get in, I'll dive in after them. I can do this. The tunnel is right there.





She bit the inside of her cheek as she strained her ears to listen, her pulse racing as the bot advanced to where she was standing. Her timing needed to be perfect.

 

[RZA]

Veda Creed


Peace Park Tunnel


Veda was torn between helping the man named Keanu and climbing back up the tunnel stairs. She had distinctly heard the sounds of gunfire, muffled though they were. Veda cursed under her breath, wondering if leaving Tranquility was the right thing. It has to be, she thought, enslaving an entire society is wrong.


“C’mon,” Veda whispered, “We should probably get a move on. I have a bad feeling, though I’m not exactly sure what it is or what it means. Keanu right?”


She didn’t wait for his answer - she could hear more sounds and with a look to the entrance she saw shadows, probably Richard with the woman who fainted. Uncomfortable though it was she slipped her arms through the heaviest bag as though it was a backpack and handed the other one to Keanu. It was easier to crawl when both hands were free.


“I think we need to be quick… Follow the sounds of my voice and if you need any help let me know, I’ll be right in front of you, okay? Ready?”

 

[Gabe]

Richard Davenport


Time Unknown - Near the Tunnel


Richard felt the air escape his lungs. His eyes widened as the guardbot steeled himself near the group, shouting about breaking the law. After the inicial shock, he heard Solara telling him to get in the tunnel. He stopped first, looking at the guard, then at Solara. "Let's go, you can't be caught!" He whispered, to no avail. Solara was still fixated on the bot. So he carried out her orders, his heart pounding, clutching the girl at his back even more. What would happen if they were caught? Dead and gone? Maybe spend the rest of his life on some jail, waiting the day they have the mercy to off him? His mind was racing with the possibilities of this encounter, which made his head start aching. He gave up on the idea of calling her, and quietly went to the tunnel. "Someone needs to help her, else she's..." His whispered voice trailed off as he watched the girl.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout


Location: Tunnel





There was a rustling as Richard tried to argue with her. Solara tensed, gritting her teeth. He needed to get into the tunnel. If she followed him too quickly, it would risk more people getting hurt by the bot. She stood completely still, jaw clenched. Soon, she heard him slip into the tunnel with the woman. She breathed a sigh of relief, which was closely followed by a sharp stab of fear. The possibility of her getting hit was likely, and she felt her breathing pick up.





It's okay.


Solara took a slow breath, clearing her thoughts. Only three things were on her mind. Guardbot, herself, the tunnel. Bot, self, tunnel. Don't get shot in the process. It was advancing at a faster pace, metallically warning her not to move. She turned her body slightly towards the tunnel, seeing that everyone was safe within it.


One...two...


Three.


She jerked towards the wall, crouching and diving into the shrubs that shrouded the tunnel. The bot no longer had a clear shot. Keeping her body as low to the ground as possible, she collided into the shrubbery, branches dragging against her arms.


"Violation!" The bot's voice got louder.


Sola curled into herself as she hear the sound of bullets cutting through the air. She winced at the tinny ping of the shots hitting the wall and bouncing off. Sola turned and threw her legs over the side of the hole. She began to lower her body into the tunnel.


Almost there.


Suddenly, red hot pain bloomed in her right side. Just above her hip, fire traveled across her skin. Gasping, she slipped into the tunnel. Knowing she couldn't stop, she hurriedly used her left arm to drag the metal plate back over the opening. Adrenaline kept her body moving through the pain. When it was covered, she pressed her hands against the pain. It felt as though a bullet had just grazed her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she rested her back against the side of the tunnel.





Don't think about the pain. It's barely an injury.


She breathed out and moved forward. Internally, she hoped that no one had noticed the wound. She didn't want to be touched. Adjusting herself, she began to move with one arm wrapped around her midsection and followed the others through the tunnel.


"I'm right behind you guys," she responded, eyes squeezed shut to avoid the pain.





Kais and Shasta are gonna kill me.

 

[whitefoxkiller]

The messenger was walking away, holstering her gun and sending a notif to his employer that the target had received the message when he heard another shot. He cursed under his breath, wondering if he should go back. When he realized he wouldn't get paid if they died, he ran back, gun out of its holster once again.


The guardbot had grazed the shoulder of the woman he gave the pad to. She was now struggling to make it inside the tunnel. He lined up the shot and pulled the trigger and yet another guardbot fell the the ground. This time he'd hit the camera from the side. The messenger didn't say anything but gave the woman with the pin's back a look that was the look a nanny gave to a child when the child had done something stupid as she pulled a sheet of metal over the tunnel and disappeared into the night.

 

[RZA]

Veda Creed


Spark Tunnel | Time Unknown


Veda cursed again. There was no mistaking those sounds. Though she wished she could turn back and help Solara, she knew the woman had the capability to take care of herself -- she found four deviants in one night afterall. Veda couldn’t be sure, but it hardly seemed routine. Still, a guardbot was something to fear when in code violation. Fleshless, merciless machines that PaxCor employed to guard the streets of Tranquility. The red hot she felt earlier returned and she savored the fuel it gave her body.


She was crawling as fast as the bulky bag and her knees would allow. There was a ball of fire located deep in her gut, and it spoke to her, whispered that she needed to move. That she needed to move faster.


And so she did. Veda didn’t stop once, that gut feeling commanding her not to. On and on she went, periodically calling out and checking on her fellow deviant comrades. A wild grin broke across her face, I guess I always sort of knew I didn’t belong. A new feeling, one she couldn’t place at all bloomed from the center of her chest, and she rode that feeling through the rest of the tunnel.


A few minutes later, or maybe an hour, she wasn’t quite sure -- the tunnel began to ascend.


“We’re starting to ascend guys…” Veda called back behind her.


Veda slowed her pace just a hare, widening her eyes as best she could to see any upcoming obstacles. As the ascent grew stronger, Veda raised her hands ever so slightly, searching for the metal plate. She tried not to wonder what would happen if Solara wasn’t behind her. Veda thought she had heard a woman’s voice but what if it was just the other woman waking up? What if she -- her fingers hit metal mid-thought. She knelt in a low crouch, feeling along the metal plate with her hands.


“The exit is right here.” Veda said aloud. The metal cooled the palms of her hands as she pushed against the plate. A slice of moonlight shone through and then a patchwork quilt of stars and trees were awarded to her eyes. She peeked her head out of the tunnel, searching for movement. When nothing alerted her, Veda threw the bag out of the tunnel and climbed her way out. The view was spectacular, and unlike anything she had seen before.


Large trees, even larger than the ones in Peace Park surrounded her, and from the look of it, surrounded the entire city of Tranquility. She gazed out in wonder, realization finally hitting her that her life was changed forevermore. After tonight, nothing would be the same again. Veda felt like one of her students -- the need to relearn everything she was ever taught was apparent. She cut her wonderment in half when she remembered she needed to help Keanu out of the tunnel. Veda would bet she’d have plenty of nature gazing time from here on out.

 

[Gabe]

Richard Davenport


Time Unknown - Near the Tunnel


Richard ducked and started trudging faster when the shots rang across the whole tunnel. The deafening sound echoed all the way wile the doctor kept his head down, making sure to protect the girl on his arms the best as he could. After the sounds stopped, he felt his heart aching again. Afraid of making another mistake, he kept silent, walking as fast as he can to escape the claustrophobic tunnel.


After what it seemed like hours, the girl ahead said that the tunnel was going to ascend. Following the group, the first thing he felt was a fresh breeze of the Commonwealth. His eyes took their time to adjust even to the faint light of the moon. He sat down on the floor to catch his breath, placing the girl near him, her head on his lap. The first thing he felt on the floor was the cold dirt back against his hands. The ground was battered, as if hundreds of people made the same walk they were making right now. He looked around, trying to absorb everything he could to the forest outside of the city. The leafy trees under moonlight gave a mystical atmosphere to the place. The sounds of echoed and muffled steps on the tunnel gave way to the calm sounds of leaves on the deep night. Richard was mesmerized by the amount of space on the outside, and how pretty it was. He could almost say he was in another world, and in a way, he was.


"Is anyone hurt?" The doctor broke the silence."I have first aid kits on my stuff, so please, tell me if you're hurt. You can apply them yourself, There's bandages and gauze, anesthetics and healing sprays." He said, trying to get the unconscious girl back. "Hello? Wake up..."


(I love these open scenarios )

 

[GetThree]

CLEO Thayer


Peace Park Bridge || 00:22


There was no one there. He had expected it, of course. All through his journey here, Cleo hadn't seen a single soul. Still, the knowledge that he had missed the chance to find the Pill ate at him. A sudden loud sound rang in the air, originating from somewhere nearby. He could hear the feint whirring of a Guardbot. Another shot. A third. If he listened carefully, he could make out a yell. Instinctively, he felt himself back away from the source of unrest.


He barely heard the sound of a message on his ACD [Automatic Communication Device]. He slipped the small phone from his pocket. It was a message from Cyril : You're not in your room. Did you go out? Father will discipline you if he finds out. I won't tell him, so hurry back. At this time of the night, there might be Deviants outside.


Cleo breathed, looking back at the place where the gunshot had came from. He quickly typed back an assuring message.


Deviants.


The word made him uneasy. He should leave. Turn around, go back home and pretend this never happened. He shouldn't have come in the first place. But somewhere in him, he knew he would be back. Back to find the Pill.