May the odds...

[justabignobody]

Characters: Minglelog for anyone not involved in the event
Setting: During the first part of the event, in the media room or near any terminal
Format: Whatever!
Summary: As Ruana's chosen dogs set out to hunt and/or run, the rest of the tower watches.
Warnings: very possibly mentions of violence and character death? Will update as needed!

[Sometimes in the morning, strange events start to be broadcasted to the screens of the media room and the terminal, showing familiar faces, though some maybe in not quite so familiar get-ups. Looks like Ruana's game is just about to start!]

Comments

[megazero_to_superhero]

[At a different point in time from when Enoch encountered Zelda, David winds up in the void himself. Not for the first time, but no more welcome than before.]

[He trudges aimlessly through the void, chomping on his cigar and fuming to himself over the whole situation. As if being sapped of what powers he had weren't enough, he kept popping back into this void every now and then, and—]

[—wait. Who is that? David hadn't yet run into anyone else here in the Void. ... Huh, she looks a little familiar. Wasn't she there when they volunteered to donate power? And—that's right, she's one of the ones trapped in that blood sport arena!]

[David hurriedly makes his way over to the woman.]

Hey—hey!

[sageprincess]

[Zelda startles awake and reacts about as well as one can expect a person designated as prey in a blood sport to the unfamiliar, yelling man rushing towards her.

Which is to say not all that well. She fumbles backwards, trying to put distance between them which David is closing regardless. She didn't get a good look at the hunters, being too caught up in horror about her own role, and she can't quite recall if she saw his face on the elevator ride down or somewhere else.

All in all she's a very panicked young woman right now.]

Who-- Who are you?!

[megazero_to_superhero]

[Oop. Right, that wasn't the best way to approach someone being hunted by half the Tower ... David stops immediately and holds his hands up, well away from the Vanguard "Redding" rifle at his thigh. Not that the rifle has any ammo, but it at least shows he means her no harm.]

Easy! I'm one of da good guys.

[... Might not be the best choice of words given the array of people chosen to be hunters, but David blusters on.]

I'm da Darin' Little David. You're one of da people dey stuck in dat arena, or coliseum, or—whatever da heck it's s'posed ta be. Right?

[sageprincess]

Labyrinth.

[She corrects, rather absurdly, but then again people tend to do absurd things when they're frightened and their minds haven't yet quite caught up with reality.

At least... he seems earnest enough. Though he'll forgive her for maintaining a healthy distance. She does nod eventually, at least.]

... Yes. My name is Zelda.

[She hardly feels like the princess she is, undecorated and in this flimsy hospital gown.]

[megazero_to_superhero]

[The significance of Zelda's name is lost on David. That's what he gets for not taking a more active role in Tower happenings—though, he nods in understanding as he puts his hands down.]

Arright.

[He takes on a more "heroic" stance with his fists on his hips.]

Look—I dunno if I can pull it off, but I've been seein' if dere ain't a way we can get you guys out.

[sageprincess]

[She blinks, once, twice, taking in what he's saying... and then smiles. Though it's hardly a happy one.]

Thank you. Just... knowing that is a great comfort.

[They aren't being left for dead, even if she knows how difficult such a mission would be. Speaking of--]

I do not know how exactly to reach the labyrinth now; they caught on to the method we used last time. But... it is possible to reach the outer wall, at least. However, you must be prepared to face monsters on the way, and - it goes without saying - be wary for Jason or Ruana's presence.

[She can't exactly help from her position, but... she can at least give a break in-veteran's advice.]

[megazero_to_superhero]

[David listens intently, nodding once or twice. So—Zelda's been involved in a previous breakout attempt. As part of the rescue party, it sounds like. Was Ruana exacting revenge on Zelda by making her one of the "prey" this time?]

How'd you guys get down dere before? An' what'd dey do when dey found out?

[David's considering his options. Depending on who he can get on board for a rescue party and what happened to the method Zelda's talking about, a diversion might help keep the Admins focused off of the rescue party ... It's what Statesman would have done, he's pretty sure.]

[sageprincess]

[It's as good a guess as any for Ruana's motives. Zelda's been in the Tower for over two years now and she still cannot make sense of her.]

Someone adept with the kind of technology in this place opened a panel in the elevator and forced it to go down. I could not tell you how it was done - the technology in my world is not nearly so advanced - but I do know measures have been taken since then to prevent that method from working.

[This information she gives easily, but the answer to the next question is harder to voice. Those memories have been long buried.]

... Jason was the one who found us. The labyrinth was one of his experiments originally. He was... less than pleased with our meddling in his work, and killed us all instantly with a few button presses on a device. We never even had the chance to fight back.

[megazero_to_superhero]

[Darn—so that way has pretty much been sealed. No way to use that as a diversion. David continues to listen to Zelda's recap of the previous rescue mission, then glowers at the story of how easily Jason put an end to it.]

So—it's gonna be like dat.

[Of course the admins would have instant-kill methods at their disposal here ...]

An' I take it fightin' da monsters standin' guard would just get deir attention.

[And lead to the same bad end. Which would mean stealth is the only viable option ...]

[sageprincess]

It certainly delayed our progress.

[She frowns solemnly. Maybe if they had been quicker or stronger, they would have succeeded, but... what's done is done. She can only hope her experience can help others now.]

I am sorry I cannot offer more.

[megazero_to_superhero]

S'arright. Least I got an idea of what to expect if we can get down dere. Dunno who else but me's gonna be in dat "we," though.

[He readjusts the unlit cigar in his mouth thoughtfully.]

I'm thinkin' stealth might be da best way to get to you guys.

[sageprincess]

There are two men: a blond by the name of Enoch and a man with red hair named Reno. If you can get the word to them, it is likely they will find a way to help.

[Whether that be through manpower or experience. She nods in approval to David's plan.]

Stealth has a history of working more effectively than running in with blades raised. Even if the new collar fluid has given us access to our true abilities and not just a glamour duplicate, Ruana and Jason are still very powerful.

[And then is coming from the woman that spent seven years on the run from a man who literally had the power of the gods in the back of his hand. Of course she's going to prefer stealth.]

[megazero_to_superhero]

Enoch—yeah, I know da guy. Met Reno recently, too. I'll talk to 'em about dis ...

[David's voice trails off as he registers what Zelda said after dropping their names.]

—Wait. Wait, wait, wait, hold up. What's dis about new collar fluid?!

[... aaand if that isn't a testament to how out-of-touch David has been with happenings in the Tower, that is.]

[sageprincess]

[She blinks, once, twice. Oh, dear. Here she was thinking the word had gotten out a sufficient amount.]

The... fluid they put into our collars every two weeks. It has chemicals within it that suppress our true abilities, allowing the administrators to control us more easily. But recently, we found out how to separate those chemicals from what keeps us alive here, so now if you go into your check up with a note requesting it, you can receive the altered fluid.

[megazero_to_superhero]

[It's all good, Zelda! David's just been rolling critical glitches on his spot checks.]

So den—does dat new fluid only work on, um, "inborn" powers? Or will it make stuff like dis—[Here, David taps the chestplate of his powered armor suit]—real, too?

[He has a feeling it won't, since it probably wouldn't make sense for something made of film to suddenly become a real, physical copy of his gear ... but, it doesn't hurt to ask.]

[sageprincess]

Your armor has powers?

[She clarifies, and then quiets for a moment in consideration. She's not exactly at her best right now, and thinking about the full ramifications of his question is difficult, given the complicated nature of souls here. Eventually, however, she shakes her head.]

I am not entirely certain, but if it is not somehow connected to your soul, I do not think so. You may wish to speak to Aria to make sure, however.

[megazero_to_superhero]

[David nods, albeit hesitantly.]

Arright. Yeah, back home I'm what dey call a "Technology-origin" hero. Some heroes get deir power from magic or mutations, or from some crazy science experiment. Me, it's all fancy gadgets.

[After a beat, he adds,]

Who's Aria? An' where can I find 'em?

[sageprincess]

[She hums in interest at David's explanation (she has a ping for herotalk), and any other time, she would ask him to go into more detail. But there's no telling how much time she has before she reappears in that awful maze, so it's straight back to business.]

Aria is a retrieval unit, but she is friendly, I promise. In the gardens just below the dorms, there is a warp point to a secret room near the tree in the center. There will be several other retrieval and worker units within, but they will not harm you. Aria is the one with glasses.

[megazero_to_superhero]

[It's a good thing Zelda clarified that. David's only encounter with a retrieval unit was during the time the glamour failed, watching the one posted to follow Enoch tear apart Orcs like tissue paper. The initial mention of Aria being a retrieval unit elicits some surprise out of David, though his expression melts into a more understanding one as Zelda continues.]

Gotcha. I'll talk to her as soon as I can.

[Boy, all of this information he'd missed out on makes David wish he'd kept his ear to the ground much earlier, as it were.]

Would be nice if dat fluid can get me a real suit. I can do stealth—[Here he glances off to the side of the void with a pointed look]—usually. You know anybody else I could bring along dat's da stealthy type?