Into a Rising Wind

[handsofwinter]

Winter holds the Nexus in its jaws, and its teeth sink ever deeper.

A month into the storm, the snow has yet to stop falling. The number of mouths to be fed has stopped dwindling, almost. Occasionally people go missing, and those who notice hope they’ve found a way back through their portals. It’s not enough to change the maths on their food supplies - all their supplies. Nobody is getting a full meal at a time, not any more. Isidor and Lyall have begun to enforce the rationing with iron hands. Both ignore the look that crosses Captain Kirk’s face when they upbraid a volunteer cook for being too generous – the look that lingers on Runa’s face if she’s close enough to hear. They’re doing what they must. They need a tight hold on their supplies if they want to get people through this. They need supplies even to send expeditions after more.

And expeditions are a difficult prospect now. Those who ventured into the storm and returned have brought stories that spread faster than Isidor hoped. The Crossroads Cafe has become a semi-official hub for those travelling outside or keeping watch on the bounds, a safe resting place kept warm by the combined power of Pokemon and Persona. In the long dark nights, people sit around the tables and share what they've seen, what they've heard from this scout or that refugee. Whispered tales of the creatures out there hunting in packs, hounding people from rooftops, even tearing open walls to reach them…

No-one goes out alone, now. Those brave enough to take the risk go in groups and arm themselves with the best weapons they can find. Sometimes they’re a risk to themselves. Not everyone knows how to handle that black market plasma pistol they picked up two days past. Not all of their team-mates keep their nerve when a figure looms out of the snows beside them. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s run afoul of monsters, and who of their own folly. Safer, but little less brave, are the people recruited to keep watch on that shifting line of torches. Just a precaution. The creatures don’t come past it, everyone says. But quietly, everyone doubts.

There've been bright moments, too. A strange alchemist comforting a lost child. An expedition team fighting their way home, back to back. Families brought safely through the snow by soldiers and wizards, by heroes young and old and sometimes surprising. A volunteer cook stepping up to prepare, if not quite a hundred thousand meals, then something that feels close. A young man saving the life of a stranger who'd threatened him. The past weeks have seen people who may never have known one another before come together to offer a blanket, or guiding words, or a helping hand in a search. Small moments, glowing reminders of how much good the people of the Nexus have on their side. But the Winter goes on, and the winds never get less bitter, and the smiles get more strained with every day.

Slowly the line of torches close on the Plaza, a noose no-one can afford to flee. Sheltered space is at a premium. Most of those who remain are settled as close to the centre as they can be. Whether in the big public bunker or the Cafe, people find themselves crammed all together, and tempers regularly fray among residents not too cold and exhausted for fighting. The more responsible Nexus-goers find themselves trying to duck out of (or break up) fights, or spending hours stuffing drafty accommodation with any insulation they can find. There’s snow to be shoveled from doors, pipes to be defrosted, bandages to be changed. Anything’s better than dealing with the problem of working bathrooms.

At one end of the Plaza headquarters, a makeshift screen has been dragged into place to give a semblance of privacy to Isidor’s desk. It’s painfully early in the morning, though the nights are so long and the days so dim beneath the storm clouds there’s little sense of time any more. There’s no-one around yet to wonder about the meeting going on. The only people present are Isidor, Lyall and a handful of senior volunteers – those who remain. Blaze-37 crouches by a makeshift fireplace, stacking the salvaged wood just right before she punches it lightly, setting it alight with the flames that ripple over her fist. The other robot, Ghost, is hovering over the desk playing flashlight for them, shining a pale beam over the maps and reports laid out there. Light, too, is a precious resource, as batteries die and outlets are lost to encroaching Winter. It’s the only reason those here have gotten sleep. They work until they have no light to work by.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Suou?” the Guardian asks when Isidor says they can begin.

“Officer Suou won’t be coming.”

That’s part of why they’re here, Isidor explains. The torches’ march has taken them past the Grand Library. The Crossroads Café is now on the very edge of the safe zone, along with all the people sheltering there. Katsuya’s magic is the only thing that will protect it. He can’t leave. It’s a turning point that only drives home the larger problem: they’re running out of time. They’re running out of everything. Most refugees are in some kind of shelter by now; what they lack is food to keep them alive and fuel to keep them warm. Isidor’s volunteers have counted heads and counted tins and counted everything backwards and forwards and the numbers never get better. Either they do something now, while they have the strength, or the meals will run dry in two weeks. Less, if anything goes wrong.

She lets that sink in. Nobody looks surprised: she’s confirming their worst suspicions and that gets a few flinches, but they understand. They talk, instead. By the time there’s a hint of daylight outside and someone knocks on the door for the first shot at rations, they have a plan. They need an expedition, bigger than any before. They need enough arms to discourage attack, the skills to get them to any buried supplies and the numbers to haul them back in quantity. Each of them walks away from the table with a mission in mind and an air of grim determination.

They have a job to do, and they’re going to need help.

((As before, so below: the main missions/subquests for the expedition prep are listed below. Tag any of them, threadhop, or post with your own character. I suggest putting your character’s name in the subject to help keep things clear. The OOC Post can be found here! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or one of the mods!))

Threads of Note

Scouting the Expedition | A Fistful of Torches | Scrapyard Sweep | The Home Front | Medical Attention | Isidor's Expedition Call | Main Expedition: The Raid

Comments

[readvondaniken]

It's nice to see a familiar face. Palmer stops in his tracks as he sees Prometheus, turning to greet the other man warmly. It's good to meet someone he can discuss his concerns with. It's been bothering him for some time that he can't go back yet.

"Well, I ain't got much of a choice," Palmer says as he turns to speak with Prometheus. "If I don't go back and my friends get killed, I'll be responsible for what happened to them. And those ice creatures have to be stopped. They can't be reasoned with. I tried." It was a reckless thing to do, but he feels better for having given them that chance.

[liverfree]

Palmer's answer is about what he expected. "Well, I still intend to join you. I am not in the mood to lose any of my friends, especially to such a terrible monster."

At least Palmer has a stable head on his shoulders. He smiles approvingly and says, "You know, I've always been a fan of trying to talk things out. At least you know something more about them." He rubs his chin. "The Thing... I do not think that will be an option. From the way Kinner has described it, it only seeks out life to consume it."

[readvondaniken]

Palmer nods, features brightening a little bit. "I expected to hear that. I'm glad I won't be going back to my world alone. The Thing is a dangerous monster."

He turns the subject over to the mysterious creatures. "Didn't learn much. I mean, they were smart enough to understand what I was trying to say, but they just laughed at me. The Thing's funny, though. It can take human form, so I reckon it can talk. It just won't talk to humans. You're right - it probably just sees us as food."

[liverfree]

"No, you have many friends who wish to fight the Thing with you." He'd prefer it if a couple of them -- Cricket in particular -- not put them in harm's way, but Prometheus will just have to work that much harder to make sure their plan of attack doesn't leave any of them vulnerable.

"The storm must give them enough of an advantage that they don't feel a need to explain themselves." That's... a good strategy, actually. Why reveal your intentions and expose a potential weakness? "But at least we know now that they aren't willing to negotiate, so we don't have to hold our fire or waste our breath."

As for the Thing, Prometheus shakes his head a bit. "It turns its prey's cells into versions of itself, yes? Perhaps it simply sees humans as organic material to harvest, and thus beneath it. There were many monsters like that on Earth. Creatures who could converse with humans but found them unworthy, for whatever reason."

[readvondaniken]

"I guess I was naive. Figured we'd both be better off if we worked together - we don't have that much worth stealing, anyway, and they have supplies of their own, so I thought I could make some kind of deal. They know how to survive out here better than we do. I also guess I thought it was some kinda misunderstanding we could work out."

He shrugs. He won't hold back next time, but it's too bad there isn't another way, and he still doen't know much about why the creatures are so hellbent on making people miserable. It's disappointing. If he knew why they were here and what they wanted, he figured they could negotiate.

"Kinner says that's what it does. Apparently Venom's willing to help, and he's a lot like the Thing - just don't compare them to his face. Maybe he can give a little insight into how it thinks."

[liverfree]

"I wouldn't call it naive. That kind of thinking often leads to less fighting." He smiles at Palmer kindly. The man needs some encouragement. "Don't let them get into your head. They may enjoy sowing discord as much as they like attacking us."

His smile turns to a look of distaste. Venom. He still doesn't entirely trust that goopy little symbiont. "Yes, perhaps. He actually eats people, though. Doesn't he? Or at least he used to."

[readvondaniken]

"I think he has rules about who he eats - he eats bad people, Kinner told me. He won't eat any of us. I know that much, though I don't know how broad his definition of "bad" is. But a creature who knows how the Thing might act could be valuable."

Palmer hasn't met Venom, but he's not about to judge, especially if the other alien is willing to help. And he needs all the help they can get, even if it means working with a space alien suspiciously similar to the Thing to do it.

[liverfree]

"Oh, he only eats bad people. How noble of him." The Titan rolls his eyes. "I've met him, briefly, and I don't care much for his attitude. Is he planning to come along, too?"

If Venom can provide some valuable insight into the Thing's behavior, he is likely worth including on the mission. But Prometheus will be keeping an eye on him for sure.

[readvondaniken]

Palmer gves a twisted smile. "Well...it's better than him just eating anybody like the Thing does, I figure. I'm guessin' you had a bad experience with him?" Palmer knows Kinner was scared of Venom, at least early on.

"I'll keep an eye on him, but I don't think he's any threat to us. At the very least, he doesn't seem to like Things all that much. He might be protesting too much, but I think hecan help us."

[liverfree]

"I do not like the way he speaks to Kinner," Prometheus replies, crossing his arms over his chest. Why, yes, he is very protective of his friend. He remembers what a bad state he was in when he first arrived in the Nexus. That impression sticks with someone who already cares a great deal about humans. "I'll say this for the Thing, at it least it doesn't poke fun of its prey before it consumes them..."

For a moment, some of that old-fashioned Titan anger seeps into his expression. But then he sighs and lets it go. "It's been some time since I've seen Venom. Perhaps he has learned to better behave himself around humans. At the very least, if he doesn't like the Thing, we won't have to worry about him switching sides." He frowns thoughtfully. "Do you think he could eat the Thing? Or would that cause him to be absorbed?"

[readvondaniken]

"Kinner's the one who had the idea to recruit him. He says that Venom isn't serious about eating him - but I can't say anything about Venom's sense of humor." Palmer's one for dropping bad jokes, but he doesn't joke about eating people. "I trust his judgement more than mine, at least about stuff like this. Venom's like me. He just likes messin' with people."

While Palmer hasn't met Venom, he knows a little about him. "You know, I'm pretty sure Venom would be offended if you suggested he'd swap sides. He can be a jerk, but I think he's on humanity's side. I'm not sure if he'd be able to eat the Thing, but he's not its friend, I'll say that much." Palmer wonders if the two creatures are something similar, but he won't ask.

[liverfree]

It was Kinner's idea. Of course. Prometheus runs a hand across his face. "I worry that he's simply so grateful at not being eaten by Venom that he tolerates far too much. But, fine. I won't argue against having him on the team." He won't like it, but he won't argue about it.

"Let him be offended, then. If he wants me to believe he is on humanity's side, then he can prove it with his actions." He gives Palmer a weary look. "I'll take your word for his style of humor. At any rate, we will need a strategy before we set foot on your world. And I'd prefer to have a few contingencies in place, as well, should anything go wrong."

[readvondaniken]

"I knew you were friends with Kinner, but I didn't know you were so close with him. He's an interesting guy. I've only met him a few times, but yeah, I think of him as a friend and I'm glad he offered to help." Palmer manages a small smile. "He's mostly a good judge of that kinda thing."

Palmer nods, focusing on the idea. "All right. Let me put together what 's going on so far. We need to approach folks on the team we're pretty sure ain't Things. The surviving dogs are probably infected, so we need to put them down. We've got someone in place on the outside to make sure it doesn't enter the Nexus. Marie, if you know her."

[liverfree]

"He was one of the first people I befriended in the Nexus." He smiles a bit at the memory. "You know, I'm not entirely sure that he knows what a Titan is? By my very nature, I outlast any mortal I befriend. But I do not want to see him suffer. Not after what he has already been through."

Maybe it's a selfish reason to agree to this mission, to protect his friends instead of trying to nobly eradicate a threat to Palmer's Earth. But Prometheus is not a hero. He is the one who aids the hero. That is his role, even now.

"I do know Marie," he replies, getting back to business. "She's a bright woman with her finger on the pulse of the Nexus. I have no doubt she'll keep the Thing from entering the Nexus." That just leaves those of them who are heading to Antarctica. "As I suggested before, the dogs should be put down without delay. We should set a time limit for approaching uninfected members of your team and putting them into position. As soon as the Thing knows we're onto it, it'll try its best to evade us. Or retaliate, if there's no way of escaping."