august 2019. welcome to the void.

[modblob]

Who: Everyone in Anchor.
What: Second Introductory Mingle
When: The Month of August 2019
Where: Around and outside the city.
Warnings: Please add any warnings in the subject lines.

Redshift: Welcome to the v͖͕̺̲̘̱̜͎o̴̦̣̠̦̘̹͞i̯̖d̛̪̬͈̱̦̝͍̕.

Click here to read what characters will experience when arriving in Anchor.

a. bright spots in the darkness.

The redout and accompanying power outage has been going on for over a week now - even though someone must have managed to get the generators up and running so things are a little less dismal, that doesn't mean that everything is fun and games. The generators are enough to power the essentials, like lighting, the MedBay, resident sat phones, sanitation facilities...basically just the things that make life livable instead of kicking the whole city back to the dark ages.

Sometime during the second week, though, around the end of July, residents might start to notice bright spots in the darkness, mostly around the Agricultural levels. Little bobbing blobs of bright blue or vibrant green or glowing red that move soundlessly through the night, poignantly noticeable because everything else is so dark. At first, and from a distance, they might look like your typical swamp gas fake ghost, little glowing smudges in the darkness. Could be promising...but it could be dangerous too.

If residents are brave enough to head up to the Agricultural levels in the darkness and investigate the source of the light, a mildly harrowing mission, they will find that the source of the glowing is...animals. Barely differing from the usual animals one might see in a daylight in the Agricultural levels, these animals prove to simply be nocturnal versions of the usual animals that might survive in the wild and who have made their homes in the faux forest and grasslands. And when everything else is dark, these creatures roam the night, letting off a curious and almost radioactive glow.

There are, however, a slightly wider variety of these animals, who are descendants of animals exposed heavily to radiation that mutated but did not kill them. While there are the usual deer and wild horses, foxes and monkeys, rodents and insects, there are also domestic creatures that seem to have thrived in their glow-in-the-dark forms where non-glowing ones were picked off by predators. Anyone investigating may find glowing kittens and puppies, domestic mice and rats, snakes that are open to being touched, and even a few more exotic domesticated pets like ferrets, hedgehogs, turtles and foxes. While these creatures are still wild, they are the descendants of domestic stock, and with a little effort and coddling, they might turn out to be passable pets, once they're scanned in the MedBay and found to not give off dangerous radiation.

It's not all puppies and kittens, though. Some of these seemingly predatorless glow-in-the-dark creatures are mutated, just like their regular counterparts, but to a more extensive degree. Keep a close eye out while you're trying to tame that adorable glowing purple kitten, because you might find yourself as the prey to a huge mutated lizard or spider, or maybe an oversized glowing wild warthog.

Nighttime exploring, after all, is for the brave at heart...and comes with pros and cons!

b. nightmare swarm.

As if the mutated glow-in-the-dark creatures in the Agricultural levels aren't bad enough, there's something new in Anchor to cause problems. A couple of weeks after the generator room was opened, strange apparitions start showing up in various places around the city. At first they're nebulous clouds that gather in places where there's strong evidence of past violence - in the upper levels of the city where there's serious fire damage, near the security station, hovering outside the armory or wherever there are burns and gouges into the stone walls of the city. But as the month wears on, the clouds start to take shape, and some of those shapes might be very familiar.

Starting at around August 8th, whenever a resident passes by one of these ominous clouds, it will start to coalesce into a solid form, the particles coming together into a concrete shape - the shape of fear. Whether the particles coalesce into the shape of a monster or villain from a character's homeworld or previous game setting, the nebulous representation of their worst fear, a person or thing from their past that evokes a terrible memory of trauma, or even just a generic horrific monster that would particularly frighten that particular person, it's something that is guaranteed to terrify. Essentially, they will turn into the worst thing that your character can imagine.

And these representations of fear? They're not ghosts, they're not digital afterimages, they're not apparitions or holos. They're real, or at least they feel real, they can do real damage, and they're almost impossible to kill. The best way to survive an encounter with the nightmare swarm? Run fast. Because they're generally confined to areas where the echoes of old violence linger, and the quicker you leave those areas the better. Get into whatever light you can, get somewhere safe, and the fear creature will dissipate back into a nebulous cloud, lying in wait for the next victim.

c. power up.

On August 2nd, the dust storm causing the redout and power outage will subside, and a stiff wind will take its place, washing away about two thirds of the red sand piled up on the dome. This fortuitous change in weather will make it possible to start work on getting the power back up. Residents will be able to exit the city through the usual channels so they can work on clearing the dust out of the various installations outside the city that transform wind and radiation and sunlight into power that keeps the city up and running. After they're cleared off, residents can start to get the power up by making repairs to the dust-damaged computer systems. Thankfully, once the power installations outside the city have been cleared off, an automated computer subroutine will boot up on some of the computer panels in the common areas of the residential quarters, with a user-friendly guide to repairing sand damage to the power system.

Mind you, the user guide assumes that residents have a lot of tools, supplies, and assistant bots that the current population doesn't really have on hand, so user-friendly or not, it's tougher than the system seems to think it is.

Thankfully, there is another option. Anyone with a particularly tech-savvy mind who's encountered the nightmare clouds might have picked up on it already, but the clouds are actually swarms of nanites. Released from the room that held the generators, these nanites were originally intended to conduct repairs on the city (there was a reason that room and those generators were so pristine!) that have been corrupted and are malfunctioning due to the ambient radiation in the city that has only increased since their creation. Anyone with even a basic knowledge of computers (and a very strong spine) could collect a sample of the clouds in one of the containment units from the labs or the R&D area, where the semi-functioning computer can be used to work out what's wrong with the nanites...and fix them.

If characters are able to work this out and deploy repairs to the various swarms around the city, those nanites might be super helpful for fixing some of the malfunctioning tech around the city. Food for thought!

d. the wreckage in the wasteland.

Once the emergency situation with the power is sorted out, residents might become a little curious about what caused all the trouble in the first place. The dust storm was, after all, initiated by a loud crash landing outside the city. With the dust storm abated and the windows in the Observation Area cleared off, residents will be able to see the wreckage of a spacecraft crashed into the ground, several miles out from the city. Far enough away to make it impossible to see any identifying marks, but close enough to be a tantalizing mystery for anyone so inclined.

Adventurous souls will be able to suit up and trek their way out to the site of the crash in the battery Jeeps to see what's going on, risking the rough ever-changing terrain and the possibility of a red shift, to see what might be salvageable from the crashed ship, or just in pursuit of knowledge. Once those characters approach, they will find the hulk of a badly-damaged spacecraft, about as big as a medium-sized cruise ship. The hull is badly burned, with tears in the metal, and it will be obvious to anyone who's got any experience with space travel (or even anyone who's watched enough sci-fi movies) to see that the ship didn't do well on its slow fall through the atmosphere. The metal is melted and punctured, anything that might have extended away from the hull has been burned off and lies in tatters, and the sand around the crash site is littered with metal and plastic debris.

But the one thing that's still possible to tell from the wreckage? It probably came from Anchor.

The ship is pieced together from salvaged materials, the tech will be familiar to anyone who's been in the colony for more than a couple days, and there's even a few corpses of very familiar bots lying in the sand. Approaching a large tear in the side of the hull will reveal a way inside the husk of a ship, giving access to the ship's small crew quarters section. If explorers choose to proceed inside, they'll be able to dig through what few personal items remain and find personal tablet computers and sat phones with their hard drives corrupted but possibly salvageable with the right skillset and the right technology repaired back in Anchor. They will also be able to find a way down further into the ship, though it's dark and clouded with sand and...well, quite menacing.

Because it isn't just the darkness and the danger of the red shift coming while you're trapped down there, or the danger of the ship's hull cracking with the weight of the sand piled up on its shell from the dust storm...but looking into the darkness, there's a flickering bluish glow. Digital and glitchy, it flickers from wall to wall, with the faintest impression of a human form. A face. A hand. The movement of hair or clothing. And then there's the echoing sounds - soft laughter, snippets of childrens' rhymes, unintelligible whispers or mumbles.

Well. Enter at your own risk.

ooc: exploration info.

As you can probably tell, this final prompt is kind of a doozy! While the first level of the ship is available for anyone to explore with the information provided in the prompt, going further into the ship will require mod guidance, via an NPC.

Any questions can be asked in the mod questions thread below, and if your characters have progressed to the point of wanting to explore deeper in the ship, please hit up the NPC request thread with a link to where the NPC should tag in.

Have fun guys!

Navigation.

Comments

ben hargreeves 🐙 open

[benhargreeves]

A | BRIGHT SPOTS IN THE DARKNESS
[cw: possible (optional) discussion of past animal cruelty & trauma]

[ There are a lot of animals running around up in the Ag levels; some harmless and in need of scooping up and rescuing, some dangerous and still in need of scooping up and restraining. They're never going to solve this crisis with the generator or sustainably move forward in the future using this area for its intended purposes if there are animals running around everywhere.

And so, extremely reluctantly, Ben has agreed to help in the effort to catch the glowing animals and house them somewhere - either as pets for those who are willing or some other places where they can be contained and looked after. He is not enthused about this. In fact, by all appearances he is in a weird, quiet, or grumpy mood. The weirdest thing about it, perhaps, for anyone who might be working with him in one of these shifts, is that he doesn't seem to be happier dealing with kittens than he is with an actual mutated lizard that's practically the size of a komodo dragon. In fact, if anything he seems warier of the most domesticated and harmless of the animals. Any rodents in particular - mice, rats, guinea pigs - will cause him to go quiet and hang far back, waiting for whoever he's working with to step up. ]

B | NIGHTMARE SWARM
[cw: discussion of abuse; tentacles / body horror / gore; drug overdose & death]

1
[ Ben has seen one of these swarms in action before; it's just that, the first time he encountered one, it wasn't his own nightmare that manifested. He also did not see the part where it transformed from a cloud into someone's waking worst case scenario.

So he doesn't know to avoid it, when he walks past a cloud in a well-trafficked corridor near to the residences that has old gouges running deep into the walls. He gives the cloud a glance but barely notices it; he's attempting to perfect this new skill of typing on his device while walking. It isn't an image that makes him stop, but a sound. ]

Number Six!

[ The voice is crisp, accented, and horrifically familiar. Ben freezes immediately, rooted to the spot. It can't have been what it sounded like. Can't have been his father. His father is dead - has been for more than a month now. ]

I'm waiting, Number Six.

[ The feeling is not unlike if someone poured ice water down the back of his shirt. Every muscle in Ben's body is tensed as he slowly, slowly turns around and sees, right in front of him, real as can be, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, and yes, the worst thing he can imagine.]

((Feel free to have your character encounter Ben while nanite Reginald is still present, or immediately after when he's wandering around kind of dazed))

2
[ Ben grows a little more accustomed to what the nightmare clouds are capable of over the next week. He tries to avoid them entirely, the places they show up the most, and the shadows. But he is careless one day, and wanders by a spot that isn't on his mental to-avoid list.

Worse, still, the reason he is distracted is because he is walking with someone, talking to them - whether a stranger he has only just met or an older acquaintance. Either way, they will be in danger the moment the cloud coalesces into an extremely odd sight. There is a human-shaped figure - one that a keen eye might notice is the same height and build as Ben himself - but which looks like it has been molded out of a night sky - black and empty with tiny, distant, cold stars shining through. And then, from the stomach of this void-person, come pouring those too-familiar tentacles, whipping out, blood thirsty, ready to curl around anything nearby that is living and rip it limb from limb, or smash it to pulp against the nearest hard surface.

Fortunately, these tentacles aren't as fast or as strong as the real ones - but they still pose a very real threat. Ben has never been on the opposite side of his own power, before. And this vision - of himself, but erased, nothing but a portal through which violence pours and pours relentlessly - is such an old nightmare that it freezes him in place. ]

3
[ It's a bad night. Ben tries not to have them, but they do come, occasionally. Diego is sleeping and Klaus is somewhere with a friend from Hadriel probably, and Ben hadn't had the heart to disrupt either's plans. So, sleep-deprived and clumsy, he stumbles out of his living quarters, looking for somewhere quiet and bright to sit a while and try to banish the gloomy thoughts.

Only he isn't going to have much luck doing that, after he trips over the ankle of a body on the floor that hadn't been there a moment ago. He's too exhausted and already lost in his thoughts to connect this newest horror with those nightmare swarms. All he knows is that he sees Klaus's lifeless body on the ground, pale and not breathing, limbs at an awkward angle, and all the air rushes out of him.

He's seen Klaus like this before. He has so many memories of ambulances and CPR and hospitals and alleyways and good samaritans and close calls of every stripe. Ben just knows Klaus must have slipped, taken something, taken too much, and now it's too late. Ben hadn't been there with him when he happened. When he drops to his knees, whole body shaking, Klaus's body is rigid and his skin cold. Not dying, but dead. ]

Klaus - Klaus, no...

E | NETWORK

[ Come ask the newly (self-)appointed librarian for book recommendations, or offer to help out with old documents / alien languages!]

B - 1

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Pratt has no idea what's going on. He'd been walking with Princess Thug the wolf along one of the corriders, heading towards the upper level to see about taking down a deer for Cho's kitchen operation.

The weird cloud is .. weird but not immediately a threat and he doesn't see it coalesce into an actual form: a tall man, broad-shouldered with a fringe of ginger hair. The man reaches out one scarred up arm and hauls Pratt back.]

Where are you going Peaches?

[And for Pratt - time seems to stop. He's frozen, unable to think or even make a sound. The wolf doesn't react, gently biting Pratt's hand when he stands there unmoving for more than a minute.

Very, very slowly he turns to see exactly who he doesn't want to see: Jacob Seed. Right there. In the flesh. Just like how he remembered him. Just like how he'd shown up to Hadriel. He's here. He's here and he's going to kill everyone and he's going to play the song and he's probably going to make the wolf attack anyone Pratt has ever talked to and .. and... and...

If he hadn't been in Hadriel for a full year, he might have just stood there and waited for orders, reverted back to the loyal dog he was. But instead he turns and runs. As far away as he can get.

The distance won't save him, he knows that. But at least maybe he can warn someone. Who? He's not sure. Someone. Anyone. He nearly runs right into Ben, confused wolf hot on his heels.]

He's here. He's here he's here. We need to get away. Hide. We need to...

[Pratt sends a panicked glance over his shoulder, not immediately spotting Jacob and swallowing hard. ]

I don't know when he got here but he's here. Jacob.

[benhargreeves]

[ Ben hadn't been having the greatest morning, either - he is wandering alone, hands in his pockets, and hasn't run into anyone for the last twenty minutes. This place is so empty that at times he feels half like he is a ghost again. What he ought to do is find one of his brothers, find people to be around to shake himself from this funk...

And right as he has that thought, Pratt comes tearing around a corner, his wolf running along behind. Ben smiles seeing him, but only for a half-second. Then he notices Pratt is running, his face a mask of absolute terror. When they meet eyes and Pratt tells him that 'he' is here, Ben doesn't need to ask who. This is the exact scenario that he had made Pratt fear, before. He had promised if this day came, to help, and he steels himself to do so, heart-rate skyrocketing. ]

Where?

[ Pratt looks so scared and honestly? If Ben had had any hesitations about killing somebody he'd never met before on someone's word, those hesitations vanish at that moment. Unless Pratt is the best actor in the world, this isn't some ploy. The person he's running from is a threat to everyone here, and Ben doesn't intend to let that threat take root. ]

Is he armed - did you see?

[ Not that that will be a problem but it would be good to know in advance. Ben is looking in the direction Pratt had come running from, jaw tight in anticipation. The portal in his stomach is already stirring towards opening, knowing all the signals that a fight was coming, that there is blood to be spilled.

Even though Ben has encountered those nightmare clouds before, it doesn't enter into his mind as a possibility - yet, anyway. He grabs for Pratt's arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze and physically putting himself between him and the way he'd come from, as if to protect him. ]

Stay behind me, okay?

[theweakhavepurpose]

[It takes a few moments for Ben's words to even process in his brain, and he makes a few half starts at an answer before actual words come out.]

Yeah he'll have his rifle. I think he had it. He usually does.

[Pratt's mind is scrambled even at the best of times and he's struggling to stay lucid right now, pieces of himself falling apart and trying to push him back into line to be the obedient dog he'd been trained into.]

You don't understand he--

[Pratt moves behind him because in the state he's in he'd obey just about any order given to him without hesitation. But he freezes as soon as he's in place, because there's Jacob again, rounding the corner.

He certainly looks real, though he's half in shadow, but that's definitely the man who'd destroyed Pratt's life and his sense of self. With an evil glint in his eye Jacob tilts his head to look down at Pratt.]

There you are.

[And he reaches into his pocket for something.]

cw violence and gore

[benhargreeves]

[ Ben gives a quick, curt nod when Pratt warns him about the rifle. The news that this man is armed doesn't seem to daunt him. It won't be anything like the first time Ben has faced down a hostile stranger with a gun. Sure... it's been a lot of years and he doesn't have his siblings here, but that's life.

He proceeds forward, jaw set, not waiting for Pratt to finish his objections, his explanations. Jacob is a big bad monster to him, and Ben totally gets that. But this isn't his own big bad monster. If this had happened some other way there would be time to get all the information, come up with a smarter approach. That's out the window, now. The guy is here and armed and Pratt had been very clear about him not hesitating to kill people, and wanting the deputy dead in particular. Ben doesn't know Pratt super well yet, but he isn't about to let that happen. So he just repeats: ]

Stay back -

[ Then it is all happening so fast. There's a man in front of them and Ben's not sure what he had been expecting Jacob to look like, but this definitely isn't it. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up when Jacob speaks, not to him, but straight past him, to Pratt. Ben doesn't know the history, but he doesn't need to. This is fucked up and he can just tell.

He hadn't wanted it to go down like this. He was going to get Pratt to wait far enough away that he wouldn't have to see Jacob again or see what Ben was going to do to him. Probably this is going to scare him almost as much, Ben knows it, but he will at least not end up shot. It's just a shame, He was kinda hoping he and Pratt could get to be friends. That's probably not going to be an option after this.

As soon as Jacob reaches for what Ben assumes is some king of weapon in his pocket, his instincts kick in. As deeply as Ben resents everything his father had put him through, training him for the Academy, it sure did make him into an effective killing machine. He clenches his fists against the pain as the portal in his stomach opens, and then he isn't thinking or worrying any more. All Ben's concentration is swallowed up in directing the violence of those horrible creatures towards his intended target. Not at Pratt, not at the wolf. Just Jacob. He has to stay conscious and hold tight to control, so it is only Jacob they lash out and wrap around. Jacob they lift off the ground and bash into the ceiling as if he weighed nothing.

Ben has to keep that violence all pointed in one direction, and just that, and staying conscious through the pain (he doesn't even notice himself screaming) is all he can manage. Moderation would be asking too much. So the tentacles don't just let that one killing blow be enough. They slam Jacob into the ground even harder, and the sound is wet and crunching and terrible. Then they heave him into the air like a rag doll, twisting and contracting in key leverage points. It's basic physics, where to pull and how hard, to rip a human body in half. Ben knows the feel of it intimately, before it even happens.

Except when he is torn apart, Jacob explodes into a shimmering, dark cloud, and that definitely is not something Ben was expecting. The tentacles thrash, suddenly deprived of anything to hang onto. Ben feels them feeling around, something alive, something with blood, something to mangle... and slams the portal shut as fast as he can, breathing hard, swaying slightly on his feet. ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Pratt is about to babble something else about how dangerous Jacob is, but his eyes are riveted on Jacob and the way he reaches into his pocket. It's not a weapon he's going for, it's so much worse. Something that will turn Pratt into a weapon and Pratt goes rigid, his body starting to react to the conditioning even before Jacob gets the music box out.

But he never gets a chance as there's a horrifying sound and Jacob doesn't have a chance to go for his gun or even to attempt to fight back as he's being rended apart in an explosion of gore.

Pratt recoils, jumping back and falling over as he scrambles to get away from whatever is happening in front of him. He nearly runs. He wants to run. But Ben is screaming and no matter what had been done to Pratt, all the torture and conditioning and molding into an obedient second in command to an absolute monster - he is a caring person who genuinely wants to help people and he can't leave him to his fate.

He needs to get Ben away from Jacob and away from the tentacles that some disconnect in his brain isn't allowing him to realize are coming out of Ben.

Diving at Ben to knock him to the side and get him away from this isn't his smartest decision of all time, but he's trying. Very helpfully the wolf sinks her teeth into the back of Pratt's shirt and tries to drag the two of them to safety.]

[benhargreeves]

[ Ben didn't see Pratt coming. He doesn't know what it is that tackles him from the side; the impact is sudden and unexpected and he makes a soft cry of surprise as he is knocked over, loses his balance and goes tripping and stumbling to the ground. Then he sees it was Pratt, and gets that the other man tackled him. Only in Ben's mind, he thinks Pratt is attacking him, now.

Which hits him a bit like a punch to the stomach. It's a fair reaction. He knows that. He knows what he is. But damn, it still hurts, a lot. For a moment the sadness, the ache of it is too intense to say anything. But Ben pushes past it because he needs Pratt to understand: ]

Hold on- I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise-

[ He scrambles to get to his feet again, looking wide eyed between Pratt (and the wolf that is tugging on his shirt) and the place where Jacob was. Only it hadn't been an illusion. There is no gore, no entrails, no body at all. Just that familiar shifting cloud, and suddenly, Ben gets it. ]

Oh, shit. We need to get out of here, Deputy. That thing's not Jacob. We gotta go.

[ The cloud is beginning to condense into a human shape again, and Ben's heart is racing, all this adrenaline and confusion and hurt. What is it going to become, next? Will Pratt listen to him, or is he even more scared of Ben, now? ]

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Pratt is one hundred percent not listening. Operating on instinct. this is why we train. But as soon as the tentacles are gone and he's on the ground next to Ben he seems to come back to himself at least a little, eyes full of concern.]

Jesus are you okay? What... Are you hurt?

[Because his entrails were kind of just full of tentacles and that can't be healthy and holy shit what was that?]

What do you mean it's not Jacob? It was.. he was right there! You saw him...

[But now he sounds unsure. Was he hallucinating? That would explain why Ben seems fine after he's pretty sure he just saw some Eldritch abomination burst out of him. ]

[benhargreeves]

[ Well now Ben is the one who is confused, because Pratt's not punching him or calling him a monster or screaming, none of the things he would have expected. His face is full of worry, his skin pale from the fear, and what the hell is even going on. They can sort out the details later, but the important thing is, Pratt's not trying to kill him, but that cloud thing definitely will be soon if they do not scram.

So Ben reaches down and helps to haul Pratt back to his feet, too, eyes constantly darting back to where that cloud is growing more and more solid. Ben's stomach drops when he sees what it is becoming. Because he's seen this, before. He knows who that shadowy form is. Himself, only not himself.

If only Pratt would hurry. Ben lets out a short, ragged sigh of frustration, gestures back to the now clearly not-Jacob thing and says: ]

He was, but look! Look at it now! It's some kind of- well I don't know what the fuck it is, actually, but it's shapeshifting into stuff we're afraid of and it's gonna keep attacking if we don't -

[ There's no time to finish the sentence, though, because the shadowy Ben has clenched his fists, about to open the portal, and Ben acts without thinking. He takes a leaf out of Pratt's book, sprints over and tackles that other version of himself. If Pratt hadn't noticed before, it'll be clearer, now, the resemblance between it and Ben. A resemblance that's only strengthened when the fight stops just being flailing legs and punching fists; when both of them get their footing and suddenly the corridor is filled with massive tentacles, writhing and twisting through the air, tearing at each other. The ones coming from the shadowy Ben form careen towards Pratt, with clear ill-intent, but Ben's cut them off, blocking their progress.

And throughout the struggle, Ben is screaming, ragged and awful, like every second he is being burned alive. Through it, he manages: ]

Run- just- run!

B-1

[deadlycurves]

[Diego's walking at a bit of a brusque pace down the hall when the voice that's been etched into the foundation of who he is causes his breath to catch in his chest, a stumble in his step that slows him to a freeze. He hasn't actually heard that voice in over a decade, but he never really forgot it. How could he, when it was the same one that constantly reminded him of every short-coming he had?

He cautiously rounds a corner, and it's Ben his eyes land on first. Shit. None of them deserved to deal with Dad like that, but Ben-- Ben deserved a lot of things, and nearly every one of them had been stolen from him when... well.]

Number Three, I see you've decided to join us. [Reginald snaps his focus toward Diego for a moment.

Diego instantly feels something in him try to shrink under the judgmental gaze of his father. He doesn't. Refuses. Stubbornly lifts his chin in something akin to defiance and takes measured steps forward.]

Come on, Ben. [He catches his brother's sleeve and tugs a bit, thankful that his voice is steadier than any other part of him feels just now.]

[benhargreeves]

[ If he were thinking straight Ben might question whether this is something like what he'd encountered with Peter. But that would require rationality and logic and both of those had flown out the window the second he heard that voice, saw that face. Ben doesn't consider this might be a trick or illusion. It's mysterious how he and his siblings had gotten here. Why couldn't it have happened to his father? Sure he'd been dead, but so had Ben. ]

Dad?

[ And even with how still he's standing, Ben's heart is racing. Fear seeping through him, permeating every inch. And amidst it, wretched, worst of all, hope. He'd reunited with Diego, with Vanya. Spoken to them after all these years. Seen their wonder and devastation at getting him back. Maybe, maybe, just maybe, after he'd died, after what had caused it, and after all these years, maybe his Dad would show just a glimmer of happiness to see him. Even the tiniest sliver of actual love. ]

You recognize me?

[ Before the specter of Reginald can answer, though, Diego is coming around the corner, interrupting, and for one moment Ben feels a stab of white hot anger towards his brother. Ben is so starved for that hypothetical tiny little scrap of affection, and Diego had ruined his chances for it.

Then Diego is tugging at his arm, and Ben pulls away from him, confused, hurt, angry but now not sure which one of them he is angry at. It's getting harder to breathe, he can feel himself panicking, but he can't seem to find the brakes to slam on. To Diego, he asks: ]

What're you doing?

[deadlycurves]

[Of all the reactions in the world that Diego might have expected, this certainly wasn't it. What? I-- [He frowns and stares in confusion at Ben, not understanding the anger rolling off of him in waves.] What, do you want to deal with Dad? Come on, you don't owe him two seconds of your time, Ben. He doesn't deserve it.

[benhargreeves]

[ Diego looks confused, and beneath it, maybe a little hurt. Looking at him, all the anger towards Diego bleeds out of Ben in a moment. But that leaves him hollow, fragile. Because Diego is right and Ben knows he's right. It comes rushing back to him, all the awful things their father had done - not just to him, but to Diego, to Klaus, to Vanya. That place he had locked her away, and the pills, and the lying. And with Luther, too. All those years and all that mistreatment...

Ben feels a tidal wave of shame, then, for his hesitation, for wanting that reconciliation. He wants to be like Diego. Sure. Full of rage. Diego had gotten out, gotten himself safe. He'd seen through the bullshit and done what needed done.

But even after all these years, Ben's first instinct had been so - naive. So easily-manipulated. The words from Vanya's book come back to ring in his head and Ben lets out a harsh, shaky breath, hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck, all hunched misery and hurt and confusion. He glances back, quickly, at where their father is standing, glaring, and then looks at Diego again, expression just - lost. ]

I- just thought... maybe-

[ He doesn't get to finish that question, because Reginald interrupts them with a harsh: ]

Silence! Number Two, leave. You are not needed here. Number Six, it is time for training.

[ Something about it strikes Ben, in the back of his mind, as not quite right. This couldn't be how his dad would react to seeing him alive again. Not that he would be warm, no. But he would be interested. Want to run tests, demand explanations. Instead he is acting like nothing has happened. Like they're kids still and everything is as it was.

But he's too emotionally compromised to think his way through it, and when Reginald mentions training, it is like the bottom of his stomach falls away. Ben freezes, silent. Words always leave him, in moments of crisis like this. He looks from Reginald back to Diego, wide-eyed, unsure what to do. ]

[deadlycurves]

[Ben isn't wrong of his read of his brother: He is confused. And hurt. But Diego's always been good about compartmentalizing when he really needs to. It may show on his face, or in his eyes, but he can put it aside to deal with later when it really counts. He thinks this definitely qualifies as one of those 'when it really counts' kind of moments.] It's- it's okay, Ben. We... we all wanted something he could never give us, once. [And Ben had died before he'd had as many years under his belt to grow further bitter toward the old man. But Diego never feels right pointing to Ben's death for a reason for anything, so he keeps that to himself, even if it's true, and might still somehow hang in the air between them, too. When Dad barks at Ben again about training, Diego sees the instantaneous tension in his brother's shoulders, notices the way he absolutely freezes, rooted to the spot.] You don't have to go, Ben... You don't owe him anything.

[benhargreeves]

[ Before he'd come to this place - before this precise moment - Ben hadn't quite realized how much he's been avoiding dealing with any of this. He had thought, naively, that he'd processed it maturely and put it away, that he was miles ahead of his siblings like that. The only one who got over it and moved on. But really, all he'd done was taken those messy, scared, awful feelings around their father and buried them, intact. Now, running into him like this, it is like the world has taken a shovel to that shallow grave. So much easier to lecture other people about their coping mechanisms. So much easier to be detached and mature and recovered when he was a ghost and everything was numb and separate.

His breaths come in shallow little gasps, and he wants so badly to believe Diego. Turns to Diego only, face pleading, wanting to be rescued. Logically, he could just walk away. Nothing is physically preventing him. But he can't move his legs. And Reginald does not stop. The words are familiar ones, to Ben. Etched into his brain the way water carves a path through stone over time, wearing away at it little by little. ]

You are an abomination, Number Six. We have discussed this. Evil lives inside you. It is a part of you and always shall be. Since it is sadly not possible to change your wretched nature, you must learn to exercise constant, perfect control. I have taken the time to craft a regimen that will teach you to do that. Must I remind you what will happen if you fail?

[ Ben hangs his head and gives it a tiny shake. He doesn't need to be reminded, doesn't want to be. Even with his eyes closed now, he is hyper aware of Diego's presence. That he is hearing this. Hearing the sorts of things their father would say when it was just the two of them alone. He'd only ever told Klaus, about this part. Never the others. Never Diego. And now, all Ben thinks is that he's going to hear it and understand how true all of it is, and always has been. ]

Containing that darkness is your responsibility, Number Six. Weakness is not an excuse. Come with me this instant or I shall have Pogo fetch Number Seven and bring her to the training room. Do you want that?

[ And then Ben isn't thinking about Diego, anymore. Doesn't remember that he is an adult and his father is dead and they are in the Anchor a million miles and a universe away from that old mansion. Ben's face crumples even as he struggles to hold in his tears and he shakes his head, hard. This wasn't a trick Reginald had had to pull very often - threatening to bring one of his siblings in and punish Ben by making him use his powers to hurt them. He'd never had to carry it out, but the mere threat of it had been enough to overcome his objections, to force him into compliance. ]

No.

[ This version of Reginald reaches out, sets a hand on Ben's shoulder to steer him firmly away from Diego, and he doesn't resist, coming along the way he'd always come along while he was still alive. He'd never rebelled, like Five, like Diego, like Klaus in his own self-destructive way. ]

[deadlycurves]

Ben? [He calls his brother's name when he can feel the internalized panic, see the quick shakiness to his breaths as he stands there, their father looming like a dark cloud over them the same way he had always done in their lives. When Diego speaks again, his words mingle with Reginald's, trying to speak over him, to make Ben pay attention to him instead.] He's wrong, Ben. You are not an abomination, you're my brother. I don't care what he says, you are more than the darkness he saw in you. You're-- [But Ben's turning away, trudging off with Dad the same way he always did back when they were kids. Ever the obedient little solider, seeking father's approval. Weren't they all? Some of them just ended up more rebellious about it later. Diego practically lunges toward Ben, tries to catch his fingers around his brother's wrist and pull him back--] Ben, no! You don't have to go with him, he can't do anything to you or Vanya or any of us any more. He's dead, remember?

[benhargreeves]

[ Diego's grip on his wrist is hard enough to be painful, but that little jolt of pain is enough to snap Ben out of his daze. That, and Diego's harsh words, the look of fierce anger and love on his face. The clouded, confused look in Ben's eyes dissipates somewhat and he takes a step away from Reginald, towards his brother. Then he takes another step, and another, until he is standing close by Diego's side. Closer than he normally would, but there's nothing normal about what's going on right now. ]

I- I think I know what this is.

[ He remembers what he'd seen with Peter, with Pratt. Those had been other nightmares, other fears. But as soon as the idea occurs to him, it makes sense. ]

It's an illusion. They've been popping up, around. Showing people - the things they're most afraid of.

[ And he can say it, because it is Diego, and because he knows Diego will understand. Even if Diego had never heard their father talk to him quite like this, make that particular threat before. Ben is sure there are things he'd said and done, with Diego, that Ben doesn't know about. There isn't much he wouldn't believe Sir Reginald Hargreeves capable of.

At that moment, the nightmare version of Reginald lunges forward, as if to grab Ben and pull him away forcibly this time. Even knowing it's only an illusion, and knowing just how capable he himself is of self-defense, and harming people without too much trouble, Ben freezes up. Hearing that voice again, saying his name, seeing that cold expression, the monocle, all of it, has made Ben feel very small and very helpless. ]

a-adjacent. i do what i want.

[substances]

I mean, they're not ghosts, so how bad can it really be?

[It's the eternal debate between the two of them - Klaus' impulsivity versus Ben's practicality. If they're not ghosts, then Klaus thinks it's perfectly reasonable to go up and investigate what the weird glowing streaks and blurs are up in the Agricultural area. After all, it's not like Klaus hasn't been up there a whole ton trying to figure out how to get access to the weed, so he knows the lay of the land pretty damn well.]

Seriously, man, I know that whole area, I've been up there like, every day. I know about four...dozen good hiding places in case something fucked up happens. And if you're there watching my back, what could go wrong?

[Klaus glances over at Ben, both of them crouched at the edge of the breezeway outside the housing, looking up at the mysterious glowing smudges up at the upper levels.]

Isn't the curiosity just killing you?

[benhargreeves]

How bad can it be? Seriously? Did you really just ask me that?

[ Ben had Not been in favor of charging in to investigate whatever new bullshit is happening. He's glad to be alive again, but the shitty thing about it is it means he could die, again, if he's not careful. But Klaus had said it was fine, he would just go on his own, and obviously Ben wasn't going to let that happen. So, grumbling and griping the entire way, he had followed along. ]

And anyway I resent that.

[ He knows Klaus isn't talking about him when he talks about ghosts like that, and he isn't even a ghost anymore, but Ben is still going to give him a hard time because that's what brothers are for.

When Klaus asks what could go wrong, Ben rolls his eyes and then widens them at Klaus significantly. It's like he is trying to quote every dumb horror movie right before things go horribly awry. Then Ben casts his gaze up again, at those moving glowing patches. He isn't going to let Klaus go on his own, and perhaps there is some strategy in it. Waiting for it to go away might just make things worse. At least this way they are going to danger, rather than sitting around until danger comes to them.

But it isn't curiosity. ]

No, but I've got a bad feeling yours is about to.

[ Big, dramatic sigh. ]

Okay, let's go.

[ And the two of them, moving together, head for the stairs leading up. They could hide, like Klaus said. And Ben knows, if push comes to shove, that his powers work in this place. They wouldn't help against radiation or poison or plenty of other dangers, but it's some defense, at least, if things get THAT hairy. ]

[substances]

Yes I really just asked you that! That is how confident I am that there's not going to be anything dangerous up there, seriously.

[Glancing over at Ben, he waves a hand airily, and then laughs brightly when Ben says he resents that.]

Oh come on, lighten up, you know I don't mean you when I say that.

[Ben is looking up at the glowing smudges, and Klaus turns so he can look at his brother instead, watching his face, trying to get a read on whether Ben is being completely serious about not wanting to go or if he's just being a pain on purpose. Sometimes, Ben is a pain on purpose, and Klaus knows that better than anyone.

He can tell, at least, that Ben isn't lying about not really wanting to do this, and that he's not curious about what the glowing lights are. Klaus can't really blame him, being attracted to shiny things has always been Klaus' particular realm of expertise. Ben is always the one watching his back, saving him, when those shiny things aren't exactly friendly. But he just can't seem to stop himself.]

We're not going to get killed. Neither of us is going to get killed. And if one of us is about to be maimed, I promise to jump in front so it's me, okay?

[Klaus winks at him, and laughs a completely humorless laugh at the dramatic sigh.]

And I call Five an old man. Have a sense of adventure!

[And with that, they're on their way, heading up the stairs, moving cautiously (in Ben's case) but quickly and without much real stealth (mostly in Klaus' case). It takes a while to get up there, because someone really has to get to work with the elevators. By the time they reach the Agriculture level, Klaus is breathing a little heavily, slightly winded, but he steps out of the stairwell and onto the breezeway, glancing down it in the direction of the Agricultural area.]

Do you want to take a break first? I'm winded, whoof.

[benhargreeves]

You're the one who's old.

[ Pretty much however you calculate it, Klaus is definitely older than Ben, now. At least a year, with Vietnam and Hadriel put together. More if you only count the years that Ben was alive, though that doesn't seem really fair or accurate. Either way, he doesn't think that a lack of recklessness makes him old, thanks.

But comparing him to grumpy old Five had been a very effective way to get him to stop complaining, which Klaus probably knew before he'd said it. So there's no more dire predictions coming from Ben as they make their way up the stairs. When Klaus requests a stop to catch his breath, Ben stops, too. ]

Someone's really gotta fix those elevators.

[ They're really that in sync sometimes.

Ben fishes out his device and checks the radiation levels. He's read enough sci-fi to know that ominous glowing might be a not great sign. But the levels are not out of the usual range, and so he tucks it away in his pocket once more. Squints to try to see a little more clearly the shape of the closest moving glow. ]

It doesn't look like electric light... I don't think they're robots.

[ Something about the way they move, too. It's random, fluid, unpredictable. Ben pats Klaus on the shoulder, partly to reassure himself, partly to check if he's ready to continue on. When he is, the two of them move forward, Klaus in the lead a little, since he knows this area better than Ben. Ben, meanwhile, is keeping watch all around, behind them, listening intently for any signs of trouble. There are so many small noises in this place and it's hard to tell which ones might be danger. ]

[substances]

By ten months, geeze.

[Klaus says it in a gentle teasing tone, glancing over at his brother with a bright smile, and then he makes a genuine laugh when Ben says that someone's gotta fix the elevators. He clamps a hand over his mouth to stifle the sound, but his eyes are still bright with amusement.]

You know, I was literally just thinking that.

[While Ben checks for radiation, Klaus keeps an eye out for any signs of danger, and when Ben reaches over to pat him on the shoulder after saying he doesn't think they're bots, Klaus nods.]

Yeah they look like...alive. Right? I'm not just imagining that?

[While he whispers, the two of them start moving forward. The transition from concrete breezeway to grass makes it a little harder to stay as quiet, but Klaus manages it surprisingly well. He might not have, before Vietnam, before Hadriel, when he was high all the time and not thinking clearly, but now he does. It feels kind of good, he feels a little spike of accomplishment. Not quite enough to offset the cravings, of course, but still, it's something.

As they get closer, Klaus realizes that one of the lights, which had looked like it was pulsing like a glowing heart or something, is actually a bird. A blue, glowing bird.]

Holy shit. [It's breathed out, softly, and he reaches over to close his fingers into Ben's sleeve.] I think they're animals.

[benhargreeves]

[ Ben gives a little nod of agreement when Klaus says they look alive to him. It is what Ben had been thinking, in the back of his mind. Some part of him (the part connected to the creatures on the other side of the portal, most likely) recognized those kinds of movements. Potential prey. Which, yuck, and Ben pushes that thought down and out of sight. ]

They do. But it could be... a projection. Hologram. Who knows.

[ Ben stops moving forward at the same moment that Klaus does. It's become instinct in a way, moving along with him, stopping when he does, starting up again when he does. He feels Klaus's fingers gripping near his wrist, but his eyes are transfixed on that bird. It does not seem frightened of them, flying over to settle on a branch just a few feet in front of them.

Slowly, trying not to scare it off, Ben takes out the device again, checks the radiation again. He holds it out, moving very slowly, trying to get a closer reading on the bird. But nothing is registering. ]

Do you think they're really there?

[ This place likes its illusions, after all. All of Ben's wariness and sarcasm has fallen away, and he smiles faintly, looking at that small bird. From this close it is clear the bird's glow follows the color patterns of its feathers, different shades of blue, hints of greenish and whitish glow shining through in different spots. ]

It's beautiful.

[ Ben breathes it out, voice full of wonder. Klaus can make fun of him if he wants, he doesn't care right now. ]

[substances]

[Klaus is just as fixated on the bird as Ben is - it's beautiful, that doesn't escape him at all. Ben suggested they could be holograms, but Klaus doesn't think they are. There's something way too organic about the way they move, and up close that is much more obvious.]

Yeah.

[It's breathed out, softly, and he scoots a little closer to Ben while they watch the bird fluttering around, bouncing from twig to twig.]

Yeeeeahhh, I think they're really there, and dude, it's so pretty...

[He shakes his head, glances over at Ben again. The look on his face is priceless, Klaus wishes he could take a picture. He hasn't seen Ben look like that in a long time.]

You think...you think they're all real animals? Damn...

[benhargreeves]

I mean, would that be any weirder than any of the other stuff that goes on here?

[ On the scale of scientifically improbable to absolutely batshit shouldn't-be-possible, animals that glow in the dark is pretty low. Ben's gaze remains fixed on that restless, bouncing little bird, not noticing the look Klaus is giving him. There's something a little hypnotic about it, the way that small light moves through the darkness. ]

There are glowworms. Some kinds of jellyfish. Squids. It's not unprecedented.

[ Ben takes a small step closer, wanting to see the bird from nearer, but it startles and flies away. He blows out a sigh through puffed cheeks, shoulders sagging. But there are more lights visible further off. In the air, and on the ground, too. In greens and magentas and pale blue. ]

If we could touch one, we'd know if they were real or not.

[ Yes he is making this logic up as he goes, but he'd whined so much about not wanting to come here and now he wants to go further in, see more glowing animals, but he's not about to admit outright that Klaus was right to drag him here and he's happy he came. ]