(no subject)

[copesetic]

Who: 004 and you
When: A little past eleven pm on the 24th
Where: The Plaza
Style: Starting prose, but I'll match
Status: Open!

Its a strange sensation to walk through a door you knew lead one place and end up in another and it sets off all kinds of mental alarms for the German cyborg to suddenly find himself drenched in an unfamiliar place when he'd just been shuffling his injured way from a castle - and a nightmareish encounter - back to his car. Instead of on the stretch of dirt road that leads back towards Dresden, he found himself here, wherever that is.

He takes a quick stock of his surroundings, mentally reaching out to see if 001 had perhaps warped him somewhere. It wasn't an unheard of notion, but he's in no real shape to face whatever threat he's been sent here to face. Granted, 001 would usually tell them when he was going to teleport them, or there would be clear and imminent danger.

Well, that part could be correct, if the shape Albert's in is any indication, though Ivan would have been too little too late. Albert's scarlet uniform is still intact, covering his cybernetic parts save for his metallic right hand, but he can feel either fluid or blood leaking from his side and his right shoulder creates a painful grinding sensation when he moves it too far. He'll need to get to Gilmore soon if he can help it but by the look of the barrier in the distance, he may not get that chance. He reaches to his side to check just how badly he's leaking (or bleeding) but his hand brushes a small pamphlet of some kind sticking out of his belt, the cover proclaiming "Welcome to Vatheon!" in bright letters.

He takes several minutes to find a position he can defend himself from if need be, a bench against a tall brick wall down a side alley that still lends itself a modicum of visibility to the plaza, and takes a look at the brochure, wondering what in the hell Black Ghost is up to this time.

Comments

[hippocampectomy]

By the time it's that late, there aren't many people left out and Walter has realized that he is, in fact, not high. Figuring out that he's completely alone and nowhere near Boston has shaken him considerably. He sees Albert walking around and scoping out the area, and something about the way he looks suspicious of everything and so incredibly serious reminds him of Olivia.

He makes a beeline right over to him, hair matted down with salt and lab coat dried stiffly at odd angles.

"Excuse me - do you know where on Earth exactly 'Vatheon' is?"

The brochure might say they're on another world, but he doesn't want to believe it. Not yet.

[copesetic]

Albert hears Walter approaching well before he speaks and while the lab coat gets his hackles up, he doesn't make any threatening moves, not yet. Judging by the state of the man's attire and his tone of voice when he does actually speak, not to mention the words, this guy is more likely in the same predicament he's in. Unless it's a trick of course, but he'll play along for now.

"Well, according to this thing, we're not on Earth." He waves the pamphlet once for emphasis, not entirely certain he believes that information either. In his experience, aliens are more... well, otherworldly. This city looks distinctively Earth-like in architecture in spite of being under water.

[hippocampectomy]

Walter scowls at the mention of the brochure, shaking his head vigorously. What he read simply doesn't make sense, it sounds like this is a convergence point for many different realities. Two realities converging is danger enough, he can't even begin to imagine...

"No, that doesn't make sense at all. That brochure made it sound as if this is some sort of... gateway between dimensions. This area would be exceedingly unstable if that were the case. Unless, of course, there is someone controlling it," he muses, looking around suddenly. "...but no, even then, the logistics of managing such a thing would be absurdly difficult. Not to mention the chances of another world having architecture so closely resembling that of our own is slim to none."

[copesetic]

"You certainly seem to know your stuff. Is that your field of study, dimensional intersection?" Albert shifts a bit on the bench, trying to get more comfortable while still being on alert but the fluid from his side, slowly being absorbed by his uniform, he's fairly certain is hydraulic fluid from the system that allows his movement to remain smooth and unhindered by the heaviness of the metal most of him is now built from. It's getting harder to lift his left arm, the reinforced muscles losing much of their strength without the fluid to drive them. But he can't just get up and leave. Honestly he's not sure where he would even go for help. Doctor Gilmore isn't here. As far as he knows, nobody he knows is here.

Despite his growing tension and misgivings, Albert's voice remains neutral, even light as he speaks to the man in front of him. "Guess that lab coat isn't just for show."

[hippocampectomy]

"I suppose you could say that it has been as of late, yes. The fabric of our reality is growing increasingly thin, soon we will begin to experience more and more side effects..." Walter trails off, looking toward the plaza again. Could the coral just be located in an area where the fabric between different realities was particularly thin? That would explain why people think it's a gateway between different planets. Seeing glimpses of the other side could certainly make one think that.

"At any rate, I don't believe this was constructed by aliens. Not for themselves at least. No, this was built for humans."

[copesetic]

"As if we didn't have enough to worry about," the sarcasm is palpable in his tone, but there's an undercurrent of mirth to it, the sort of tone you get when you've seen a lot of shit in your lifetime and have come to expect more of the same.

"If reality's getting thin though, as you say, then it makes sense we'd end up in some other dimension. Not to mention if they've got welcome kits like this," he indicates the brochure again. "Then it's probably been happening for some time. Maybe the humans that got transported here rebuilt the place into what they're used to, or the aliens did it for the humans to make them more comfortable."

Though he's not too keen on what that could imply. Albert leans back, unable to mask the grimace this time as his shoulder gives a teeth rattling grind when he attempts to move it. This is really not good. He's going to have to examine it and see if there's anything he can do himself to fix it. He tries to haul himself to his feet, but at this point he's lost enough fluids that he simply goes staggering forward off-balance under his own weight. Unfortunately, he may even fall on Walter if the man doesn't side-step or catch him. If he can hold up his full 300 plus pounds of metal and flesh.

[hippocampectomy]

"If it's thin enough for people to be pulled through so easily, I can't imagine that whatever creatures inhabit this reality would welcome us here. It would make more sense to try and close the tear. Perhaps their science is not sufficiently advanced enough to manage that, though, or perhaps they really do think that this coral is a - "

Unfortunately for both of them, Walter was so focused on his musing that he fails to move completely out of the way when Albert falls, succeeding in earning himself a nasty bruise in on his side as he tries to dodge the crashing cyborg. Walter being Walter, he's less focused on the pain than he is on the taste of whatever fluid flicked into his face as Albert fell. It's not blood, sweat, or seawater...

"Hydraulic fluid?"

[copesetic]

He tries to bite out some kind of apology, an explanation, something but he's too busy gritting his teeth against the sudden shooting pain through his shoulder, jarred in the impact enough to make an audible and distinctly metallic grind when he moves his arms again to get off of Walter. It takes some effort to lift his own weight. There's really no help for it...

"Yeah, I'm... not exactly normal."

Scheiße.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen."

[hippocampectomy]

"Quite alright, I have a friend with an arm replacement too!" The confusion and sadness from earlier has faded from Walter's face almost entirely in light of this new discovery. Had Belly made that technology public? Either way, he's itching to get a good look. His lab isn't here, but perhaps he could make due.

"I do believe I saw a medical clinic back in that plaza. You've likely torn or ruptured a hose. How many psi does your hose need to be cleared for? If it's low enough we could perhaps substitute some surgical tubing, if not we could at least clamp it to prevent further damage."

Oh, how exciting!

[fallenstar]

With Pyunma having arrived earlier, Jet had forwent retreating back to his apartment like he'd planned in favor of wandering around the city, hoping his wanderings would be rewarded with the appearance of another friend. Not that he really wanted any of the others to get trapped here as well, but if there were more of them, they might be able to find a way out.

Since it seemed the common place to show up was the plaza, he spent most of his time there. However, if he hadn't been looking for it, he might have missed the colorful uniform he spotted in one of the alleys; his smile grew as he approached and recognized the person sitting there. He pulled the towel he'd tucked away out and threw it on Albert's head as he came to stand in front of the older cyborg. "Geeze, took you long enough to get here."

[copesetic]

"Jet?!"

In hindsight he shouldn't be so surprised. It's rare that any of them face some sort of Black Ghost plot alone, but it's not Jet's presence here that startles Albert but the fact that he's actually smiling at him.

The last he'd seen the American they'd had a somewhat explosive fight over... well, if he were honest, it was over his own issues and hangups, most of which seem ridiculous in hindsight after the experience he's just been through. As Jet had said in their argument, he does have a tendency to punish himself, to make himself go without things he wants just for the sake of the suffering it causes him simply because he believes he deserves it, or because he's afraid he's not human, that he can't appreciate it properly.

Given the foe he'd just defeated, right now? He's never felt more human in his life. And he owes Jet the biggest apology. Only now isn't the time. Business first.

Albert lowers the towel from his head, turning it over in his hands. "Where is here, exactly? Is this Ivan's doing or some kind of Black Ghost plot? Or it could be something else entirely..."

[fallenstar]

Leave it to Albert to get straight to business, not that Jet blamed him, it's what he had done as well. Jet moved to lean against the wall across from the German. "I'd say it's that last one. Ivan hasn't said a word to me since I got here and this place is too...well, nice to be Black Ghost. Although, I did hear there are scientists behind it, so I'm not saying this place is safe either."

He'd learned quite a bit since coming here, but none of it seemed especially new or useful since they couldn't seem to do anything about it. He took a moment to take in Albert's appearance and he tensed. "You look terrible, what happened?"

[copesetic]

"Scientists," He says the word like an epithet, but from what little he's seen so far Jet's likely correct. This doesn't feel like Black Ghost's style. Usually they'd get right to the experimentation if they had them trapped like this. "Well, safe or not, looks like we'll have to endure it for awhile."

He scrubs the water from his hair, wincing a little when he raises his arm too high and he can feel the uncomfortable twinge in his shoulder plate. He'll have to get a closer look but he's fairly certain his copy's gunfire left him dented. "It's a bit of a story that I don't exactly want to tell out in the open like this." He gets to his feet, a little unsteady, but managing alright for the time being. "Did they get anyone else?"

It's not what he wants to say most, but that needs to wait until they're alone as well.

[fallenstar]

Jet knew Albert was injured when he'd taken off after Joe, but he was fairly certain it wasn't as bad as this; of course, the other cyborg had always been really stubborn when it came to his injuries. Maybe this was like Pyunma were they were from different points in their timeline.

When Albert stands, Jet's first instinct is to support the shorter man, but he hesitates when it seems he can manage. "008 beat you here by a few hours. Don't know how far you read, but time's kinda weird here, so if that doesn't seem possible, that's why." To put it mildly. Just the fact Pyunma had said Jet hadn't been missing at all proved that much, nevermind the fact they weren't in sync.

"Look, I know you're not one for jumping at a chance to trust some stranger, but I know a few people who could probably fix you up. This kid, Dirk, he patched me up pretty good when I..first got here." He realized half way through that he probably shouldn't have said that. What if Jet was further along than Albert as well? He probably wouldn't know about what Jet had done. It was probably better if he didn't know. "Anyway, I could call him up and see if he's available. The Doc's not here, so we kinda don't have a choice."

[copesetic]

He's not certain why it wouldn't seem possible for he and Pyunma to have been grabbed hours apart by whatever mechanism brought them here, and Jet's pause in mid sentence tips Albert off to the New Yorker keeping some details to himself. Still, Jet doesn't trust lightly so if he can vouch for this mechanic, that's good enough for Albert. "You're right. I'd appreciate that. I don't think I can just patch myself as things stand."

Following just a bit behind, Albert shoots Jet a sidelong look. "What were you fighting that you needed patched up when you arrived?"

[fallenstar]

Jet winced to himself, his mind quickly running through a gambit of lies he could offer. He didn't exactly want to lie to Albert, but he definitely didn't want to tell the truth either. "Nothing I couldn't handle, it wasn't that bad of an injury. Just annoying." He could have chosen a specific time he had been injured, like that time in Africa or even when he'd rescued Cathy, but he didn't want to risk telling that specific of a lie. Especially since Pyunma knew Jet was from past all that.

He pointed ahead of them at the building that they were approaching. "That's where I've been living the past week or two. I'd been in the hotel up till then, but when it didn't seem like leaving was going to be an option for a while, I decided to find something more permanent."

[copesetic]

Talking about permanency deepens Albert's frown further. Jet is a New Yorker at heart and he let everyone know it. If he'd gotten a place of his own here then there was definitely something wrong. He doesn't mention it right then, not through any sense of wanting to wait for privacy - it's late enough that there are very few people around - but because all this movement after a fight without getting seen to has taken its toll and he stumbles, catching himself on a fortuitously nearby hand railing. He makes no noise, just bracing himself on the metal bar until he steadies himself.

[seaborg]

Technically, what Pyunma's doing right now counts as "underwater scouting" and it also, technically, should be his forte. But even Black Ghost didn't plan much for entire cities hidden under the water. Speaking with Jet had helped him get oriented, but after getting information from the other cyborg, Pyunma had set off on his own. Finding a place to live, learning where everything is, that's something he doesn't need a comrade directing him to do, particularly not when this place seems to be so peaceful.

Pyunma is returning to the Plaza to find somewhere to get clothes that aren't his uniform, when he notices a flash of red and yellow off to the side. That's enough to have him looking twice, and when he realizes just who it is, he heads over at a jog. "004, what happened?" Last he knew, Albert was soaked but uninjured.

[copesetic]

"008, you're here too?" He supposes he shouldn't be surprised. If this is some sort of Black Ghost plot, they wouldn't have only grabbed him if they could help it. Still, he's glad to see his comrade. "I managed to get into a bit of trouble; Black Ghost sent a robot after me. I took care of it, though."

That's really all he cares to share of the encounter. Pyunma's his friend, of course, but the fact that the robot had Albert's own face and how it felt to face something like that... well, it's not something he's really ready to share right now. "How long have you been here?"

[seaborg]

"Here?" It doesn't seem likely, with how calm Albert is acting, but if it might be a possibility, Pyunma would prefer to know. So far this place has seemed peaceful, and it would be a shame to see that ruined.

He shakes his head. "Only a few hours. 002 said it's been a month for him. Did he find you?"

time paradox! lmao. I'll just. Pretend he hasn't seen Jet yet.

[copesetic]

"A month?" He frowns, mulling that over. "I guess they captured him first somehow. It would be easier, with all of us spread out like we were."

Damnit, he turns his back on Jet for one minute and then... well, he can't really be too harsh. He and Pyunma were taken too, after all. "How is he? And how are you, for that matter?"

It's an odd question to ask when he can feel just how much he's going to need repaired pretty soon. One would expect him to ask about a doctor or mechanic first, but if the robot that had been sent after him had been a ruse to distract him while they readied some way to transport him here, it's possible the other two had been through the same.

He doesn't care what the pamphlet says, he'd rather trust information from his team.

Intros are made of time paradoxes

[seaborg]

"Unhurt." In terms of emotions, that's more of a loaded question. He's still facing whiplash there, both from the added cybernetics and the even more recent destruction of the Dolphin, but even if he's heard mentions of people being from different times, it doesn't immediately connect that Albert might not know the events behind those. "Jet seemed glad to see me."

Pyunma has had more time to get the pamphlet verified, but he still is trying to figure out what he can on his own. "What were you fighting?" Pyunma doesn't know the full extent of Albert's damage, but he certainly looks like he's been in a battle.

fair enough

[copesetic]

"A robot." He knows Pyunma's likely just trying to do a threat assessment and see if whatever he'd been fighting had potentially followed him, but this is a subject he'd really rather not broach. He forces himself to his feet with a grimace after so succinct of an answer. "I defeated it, but it really did a number on me. Do you think there's anywhere safe to assess the damage?"

He won't hold his breath that there are any scientists friendly to their plight, or even if there were that Pyunma would know about them given that he'd only been here a few hours. Jet might know, if he's been here a month, especially considering his penchant for getting hurt on a regular basis, but Albert's not quite ready to see him.

[seaborg]

"There are hotels, and an island somewhere above the city. I believe there is a forest within the city, as well." He hasn't had the chance to actually visit most of those, in the short amount of time since he's arrived, but they're just as likely to be monitored as each other, and more private than a street right next to the Plaza.

He doesn't offer Albert a hand up, though he does take a small step back from the bench to give the other cyborg space.

[copesetic]

"I'd say the forest but..." He puts his right hand to his side and while he has no sensation in that one, he can feel the uniform coat absorb some liquid, either fluid or blood. "I think supplies will be easier to come by closer to civilization. A hotel seems as good as any place."

He looks at Pyunma to lead, assuming he knows where the hotel is if he suggested it in the first place. In the mean time, he has some questions. Albert's voice remains low, not carrying past their immediate vicinity. "So is it the remnants of Black Ghost at it again or is there something else I should know about? The pamphlet didn't mention them but that doesn't mean they're not here."