Event: Quarantine

[animusmods]

Characters: any characters trapped in rooms during the event
Setting: dormitory level rooms
Format: any
Summary: An unexpected series of explosions has trapped residents in the dorm rooms with no power and no way to get out. Try to communicate with the outside, deal with being stuck in a small room with other people... Deal with the really strange things that seem to be happening, too.
Warnings: typical Animus horror event warnings

[There are several more explosions, and the sound of things falling and crumbling outside. The dorm rooms themselves don't collapse or cave in, but the furniture and trunks and nightstands may be rattled and knocked about. Eventually, the lights flicker and go out entirely, leaving everyone in the dark. There are small red emergency lights lining the floors, but they don't seem to have come on all the way, and flicker on and off eerily.

After maybe twenty minutes everything falls silent. However, if you try the door, you'll find you can't get out...]

Comments

[seekinganswers]

[The way he says that reminds her of someone she knew from her own world, and she chuckles a little before speaking up again.]

Depending on how long we're stuck here, we might be depending on your strength. [A pause.] I don't think any of us are really new to the Tower, but it's always helpful to have people around who are strong... it's inspiring, you know? It makes us want to try harder to match you.

[midgarhorizon]

Pff, I've been doing this stuff way before the Tower. It's just a job.

[He doesn't mean ill by that, he's just not used to thinking of himself that way, especially not recently.]

Anyone could do it.

[seekinganswers]

[See this face? It's the face of someone who's had experience dealing with people who won't just accept compliments. (Thanks Asch.) She shakes her head.]

You're half-right. Eventually, anyone could do it. But they'll need a strong example to get to that point, and that's you. [She smiles.] I'm not changing my mind on this, so you might as well accept it.

[midgarhorizon]

Oh? Heh...

[He can't really argue with it, not that he's feeling up to it.]

I guess you're right. Easier when you tell yourself it's just a job. Works a lot better that way.

[seekinganswers]

Really?

[She thinks about it. A job - yes, because a job meant duty and duty meant that there could be bad consequences for everyone if you failed. She nods slowly.]

Do you mind if I ask... what was your world like? [It's always interesting to hear about the places people came from - it helps her to understand them, she thinks. And it's not like they have a lot else to do while they're stuck in here for now.]

[midgarhorizon]

[That was far too much of an open wound right now. He's hesitating, turning his face away to think about it, before shaking his head.]

Sorry. Don't want to think about that.

[seekinganswers]

That's okay. Sorry... it was sort of an insensitive question.

[She's met enough people to know that it's sort of a sore spot for a pretty good handful of them. Just because now she was able to talk about her world without much more than a dull ache didn't mean everyone else could.]

[midgarhorizon]

S'allright. Questions have answers.

[That was a bit cryptic, but questions brought him back to what Riki had been saying.

Was it really possible that the guy was seriously interested in following the research?]

Didn't get a whole lot earlier.

[seekinganswers]

Yeah, Riki isn't a man of many words...

[The few words he did say were usually pretty interesting, though. Sheba is a little disappointed that they weren't able to talk longer.]

What did he tell you? I was able to ask him some things too, so we can probably get more information if we all share what we know.

[midgarhorizon]

Not too much. Just what'll happen if the Tower goes out.

[And do you reaaaaally want to talk about that, Sheba.]

[seekinganswers]

[Oh. Yes, that's something she'd like to avoid thinking about too much. She fidgets.]

...he talked to me about the glamour, and about what the Tower was like before we all came here.

[midgarhorizon]

[That was a good topic. A better topic. Much better topic.]

What'd he say?

[seekinganswers]

He said that until the glamour system was shut off for the first time, even he didn't know his appearance wasn't real... I wonder if it was like that for all of them.

[midgarhorizon]

[That... honestly surprised him, a little. It also could account for some of Riki's shift in attitude.]

Yeah, maybe. But someone must've known.

[seekinganswers]

Right, that's what I thought. Because someone had to program their appearances so they'd have them...

The question is, which of them knew it?

[midgarhorizon]

[Thinking was helping take his mind off of everything.]

Who got the illusions off in the first place?

[seekinganswers]

[...on the one hand, Xion helped with it, and Xion trusts him, it should be safe to tell him. On the other, she doesn't know if the administrators are still able to listen in on them up here; maybe it's best to be vague, because she doesn't want to get anyone in trouble.]

It's sort of a long story. Some of the residents planted some things around the Tower, and it interfered with the systems and dropped the illusions.

[midgarhorizon]

Heh...

[That was it, then.]

I getcha. Whoever was behind that.

[Meaning Dax. At least there was a strong chance he had known what the sabotage would do. The kids had told Reno some of it in secret.

His first instinct was not to trust any of the administrators now, even if they seemed to have less bad intentions than the others. Especially Dax. The discussion with Riki had been interesting, but there was that gnawing doubt Riki wouldn't go through with anything. And Dax- what had been his motives? Why? Out of all of them, only Zo didn't seem to have some sort of agenda going on, but that could be just because he was a kid.

And the explosions. Whoever had set them off... at this point he was more inclined to think it was Someone on the other side, but he wouldn't put it past some of the residents. If they had the means.

But then, if Riki was lying. If Dax had been lying. It left everything a huge, confused jumble.

Yeah. That wasn't going to get them anywhere.]

I wouldn't trust anything Riki says. Or anything Dax said. None of them has our best interest, here. Nothing's gonna happen for us long as we rely on them.

[seekinganswers]

Yes.

[It's a small nod - enough to confirm, but not to show any hint of her opinion on the matter.

She had never really known Dax; some had gravitated towards him during the questions and answers session back in February, but Sheba hadn't been one of them. It had been Riki who had answered most of her questions and Riki who had held her attention, at least after her disastrous attempt at reading the administrators' minds.

She's not sure they can trust any of them, but she was more inclined to think that Dax and Riki didn't have it out for them. Jason's mental defenses were painful; Zo's much moreso. But Dax and Riki had focused solely on keeping her out, not on hurting her for trying to find her way in.]

...we don't know enough about them to take everything they say at face value, [She says after a moment. It's almost an agreement.] Whatever their interests are, we don't have any way of knowing whether or not they'll really help us. I don't think they're malicious... but I do think the only way we'll ever get anything is to take it for ourselves.

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah. Exactly.

[His eyes narrow a bit in thought.]

We'll get outta this.

[Though, what he means is a little vague.]

[seekinganswers]

[Whether he means out of this room or out of the Tower, it doesn't matter - either one is a sentiment Sheba can agree with. She manages a faint smile.]

Yeah. They can't keep us here, not forever.