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redshiftlogs2019-09-04 09:06 pm
modblob) wrote in redshiftlogs2019-09-04 09:06 pm
Entry tags:
- !mod post: intro mingle,
- dragon age: cole,
- irredeemable: qubit,
- mcu: loki,
- mcu: peter parker,
- original: carlisle longinmouth,
- original: rey,
- poison: poison,
- red dead redemption: kieran duffy,
- samurai jack: scaramouche,
- ssss: onni hotakainen,
- ssss: reynir arnason,
- umbrella academy: ben hargreeves,
- umbrella academy: klaus hargreeves,
- warm bodies: julie grigio
september 2019. welcome to the void.
Who: Everyone in Anchor.
What: Third Introductory Mingle
When: The Month of September 2019
Where: Around and outside the city.
Warnings: Please add any warnings in the subject lines.
What: Third Introductory Mingle
When: The Month of September 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. turrets.
That power surge kicked off some sh... stuff, all right. It took a while for the systems to cycle back on, but two new areas of Anchor are now accessible and usable. One of them is nice and relaxing and safe, and we'll get to that one in a minute. The other one, addressed first, is not very nice and not very relaxing and definitely not safe.
The internal defense systems on the upper levels have come to life, and have targeted anyone within their range as a hostile entity. Get ready to run the gauntlet if you want to turn them off - you'll have to dodge lasers, bullets, and aggressive defense bots (that can be rewired and/or rebooted to assist characters instead of trying to murder them). The reward? Getting to the heavily protected (think many many murderbots and lasers) security control room. If you can make it, you'll be able to reboot the internal defenses, turning off the aggressive targeting and having access for the first time to surveillance of almost all of Anchor. Those areas your characters didn't know were there? Revealed. Those dense patches of jungle-like growth in the agricultural center? You've got a spotlight into their heart.
Though, huh, not all the cameras seem to be working. What's with those screens that show up from time to time that are nothing but static?
Oh well, doesn't really matter, does it?
The internal defense systems on the upper levels have come to life, and have targeted anyone within their range as a hostile entity. Get ready to run the gauntlet if you want to turn them off - you'll have to dodge lasers, bullets, and aggressive defense bots (that can be rewired and/or rebooted to assist characters instead of trying to murder them). The reward? Getting to the heavily protected (think many many murderbots and lasers) security control room. If you can make it, you'll be able to reboot the internal defenses, turning off the aggressive targeting and having access for the first time to surveillance of almost all of Anchor. Those areas your characters didn't know were there? Revealed. Those dense patches of jungle-like growth in the agricultural center? You've got a spotlight into their heart.
Though, huh, not all the cameras seem to be working. What's with those screens that show up from time to time that are nothing but static?
Oh well, doesn't really matter, does it?
b. hot springs episode.
One of the areas adjacent to the bar and intimacy lounge has been sputtering on and off ever since the power surge. One evening, with a loud crack and a humming sound that slowly dissipates, the lights come on and water starts flowing down the artificial waterfall into the fountain out front. The spa is back online!
The lobby is inviting and zen, with holographic walls that depict scenic locations (some of them very unlike Earth), with fountains splashing delicately on either side of the door. The attendants are slightly malfunctioning bots, but the most harm they'll do is bring you six towels when you ask for one, or a bucket of massage oil to work on those knots in your back with.
There are three areas in the spa, each of them fully-outfitted with towels, robes of all sizes, fuzzy slippers, the works. One has all the amenities of a Turkish bath, right down to the fantastically arched roofs and mosaics of Istanbul. One is designed not unlike a Japanese hot spring, though the spring is heated artificially rather than naturally. The springs are large enough to be communal in some areas and small enough to be private in others, varying in depth from deep enough to swim on one end and shallow enough to sit on the bottom on the other. All hot springs have a stone shelf around the edges where those who don't want to swim can sit. The last area is more Western, with steam rooms, saunas, massage tables, and mud baths for the adventurous.
One thing all of these areas have in common: the settings on virtually everything can be adjusted to taste. Not in the traditional way, either. The steams and waters can be tweaked to be soporific, can serve as muscle relaxants, can ease anxiety, and can even bolster moods. None of these effects are involuntary, and none of them are brought on by drugs - it's more an advanced mix of pheromones and harmless compounds that can affect a single person or a given pool or room. Also, the baths and hot springs have adjustable bubble settings. The water colors can change, some of them even allowing characters to dye their hair the color that's been selected for the tub without staining their skin. Bubbles of all kinds can rise up out of the water, from the foamy comfort of childhood bubble baths to hovering golden bubbles that chime when you pop them. Characters can choose from a variety of bath salts, scents, and oils - the spas were designed not just for relaxation, but for pure and simple fun.
The lobby is inviting and zen, with holographic walls that depict scenic locations (some of them very unlike Earth), with fountains splashing delicately on either side of the door. The attendants are slightly malfunctioning bots, but the most harm they'll do is bring you six towels when you ask for one, or a bucket of massage oil to work on those knots in your back with.
There are three areas in the spa, each of them fully-outfitted with towels, robes of all sizes, fuzzy slippers, the works. One has all the amenities of a Turkish bath, right down to the fantastically arched roofs and mosaics of Istanbul. One is designed not unlike a Japanese hot spring, though the spring is heated artificially rather than naturally. The springs are large enough to be communal in some areas and small enough to be private in others, varying in depth from deep enough to swim on one end and shallow enough to sit on the bottom on the other. All hot springs have a stone shelf around the edges where those who don't want to swim can sit. The last area is more Western, with steam rooms, saunas, massage tables, and mud baths for the adventurous.
One thing all of these areas have in common: the settings on virtually everything can be adjusted to taste. Not in the traditional way, either. The steams and waters can be tweaked to be soporific, can serve as muscle relaxants, can ease anxiety, and can even bolster moods. None of these effects are involuntary, and none of them are brought on by drugs - it's more an advanced mix of pheromones and harmless compounds that can affect a single person or a given pool or room. Also, the baths and hot springs have adjustable bubble settings. The water colors can change, some of them even allowing characters to dye their hair the color that's been selected for the tub without staining their skin. Bubbles of all kinds can rise up out of the water, from the foamy comfort of childhood bubble baths to hovering golden bubbles that chime when you pop them. Characters can choose from a variety of bath salts, scents, and oils - the spas were designed not just for relaxation, but for pure and simple fun.
c. joe's dirt.
So you've survived the security malfunction. You've washed off the dirt and anxiety at the spa. But the newly reactivated security stations throughout Anchor have revealed something odd. There's a blip in the power systems in one area of the agricultural level, like something is siphoning off power from the main lines. Tracking down the source in the deep tangle of underbrush won't be easy, and there may be a few mutated, fanged, clawed cattle that maneuver shockingly well between the trees, but eventually you'll come to a breach in Anchor's wall. At first it just looks like a crack, but it's large enough to squeeze through and there's the darkness of an open space behind it. A tunnel, leading down into the earth outside, well below surface level and thus largely safe.
Wires run along the roof and floor, though the tunnel itself is dark. Walk long enough and you'll come to a wider space, open enough for two or three people to move around comfortably at the same time. It's still dark, lit only by screens that show the same security feeds that are available at the stations throughout the city. And others. Angles on the surface that show Anchor from a distance, and other visuals that don't show Anchor at all, trained instead on massive structures or formations or lakes out on the surface somewhere. But there's something more disturbing: there are cameras set to record some people's rooms. And the only rooms that are shown are occupied.
Someone has been here, recently enough to track where new people have moved in.
On the floor in one corner, there's a crumpled photograph of a man some might recognize as Creepy Joe, happy and whole, with a little girl sitting on his shoulder. It looks like it's been stamped into the dirt.
Wires run along the roof and floor, though the tunnel itself is dark. Walk long enough and you'll come to a wider space, open enough for two or three people to move around comfortably at the same time. It's still dark, lit only by screens that show the same security feeds that are available at the stations throughout the city. And others. Angles on the surface that show Anchor from a distance, and other visuals that don't show Anchor at all, trained instead on massive structures or formations or lakes out on the surface somewhere. But there's something more disturbing: there are cameras set to record some people's rooms. And the only rooms that are shown are occupied.
Someone has been here, recently enough to track where new people have moved in.
On the floor in one corner, there's a crumpled photograph of a man some might recognize as Creepy Joe, happy and whole, with a little girl sitting on his shoulder. It looks like it's been stamped into the dirt.
no subject
Is that, like... is there something through there?
[ The gap had looked smaller from further away, but once they reach it Ben sees it is person-sized. Not comfortably, but he could get through, and he sees the wires continuing on, into the dark. He unslings his back from one shoulder, searches around inside for a little flashlight. When he pulls it up and aims the beam into the wall, he frowns. ]
Yyyyep. That's for sure a confirmed creepy tunnel.
[ And he looks over to Peter, a mute what should we do? ]
no subject
[There, that probably answers Ben's question. He also probably sounds a little more excited about this than he should be, but there's a MYSTERY, BEN!!!!!]
Okay, I'm thinking no flashlights. If there's someone in there creepin' around, I wanna get the drop on them.
no subject
Do you have to be so stoked about it?
[ Grumbling and helping anyway is just the Ben Hargreeves way. He doesn't hesitate to shut off that flashlight, tucking it into the pocket of his hoodie rather than putting it away, so he can get at it in a hurry. ]
Okay. I'm right behind you. Just - go carefully, okay?
[ And the two of them move into the tunnel together. Ben doesn't know if Peter's powers help with the dark, but he keeps one of his hands on the wall of the tunnel, feet feeling carefully in front of him even though he's not in the lead. Fortunately, the dirt floor is smooth, its angle is sloping steadily downwards. Ben can actually feel the air getting a little cooler as they walk, no sound but their breaths for a while. Occasionally, he feels himself stepping on one of those many wires leading them further and further.
After a bit, he dares a whisper: ]
Just how far do you think this goes?
no subject
He's maybe a little less cautious as he makes his way deeper into the tunnel, of only because he's relying on his spider sense to warn him if danger is coming. He doesn't let himself get too far ahead of Ben, though, because that would be rude. And probably dangerous.]
If there's someone down here trying to avoid getting caught, I'd guess pretty far.
[Which is vague, but hey. Eventually they do come to a wider spot in the tunnel, which is apparently the end of the line. I mean it obviously is, there are all kinds of viewing screens that are very much on. No other people, though. Which is a shame because Peter kind of wanted to punch someone, but hey.]
Holy shit! Ben, look at this!
no subject
Whaaaaaat.
[ Ben moves out from behind Peter, coming up to the screens, eyes flicking through them. Some locations are indoors, others are not. Some he recognizes, some he doesn't. The feeds are continuous and judging by the time that is given in small numbers in the corner of every screen, these are live feeds, not recordings. But they are being recorded, Ben thinks. They must be. Why else have all this.
Which is when he notices... ]
Wait.
[ His voice is tight, tense, all the humor from a moment ago gone. Ben's heart is beating hard as he moves in closer to one screen in particular. He recognizes the book that is laying on the desk just in view. Recognizes the distinctive mark on the corner of the desk where Klaus had spilled his stupid nailpolish and then not cleaned it up in time to not leave a mark. He recognizes his own jacket draped on the back of the chair. ]
That's. My room.
[ Ben taps the screen with his fingertip, feeling frozen and... completely numb. The kind of completely numb that comes just before feeling very, very, very bad. He looks around, sees other bedrooms on other screens, eyes taking in the way the numbers on the timestamp are constantly rolling, shifting. His limbs feel cold, all at once. ]
How long do you think this has been...?
no subject
Peter's reaction is less of a creeped out numbness and more of a quiet, seething rage sort of thing. He doesn't say anything for a moment, but he does rip the screen showing Poison's room off the wall and toss it on the floor. That's about all the fit throwing he does before he manages to reel himself back in, though. When he replies, his voice is calm. Like just ignore that ok Ben.]
Just... judging by how intricate this set up is, I think it would be safe to assume that this whole set up was here before we even arrived. At the very least this tunnel would have already been here.
[He goes quiet again, studying the screens more carefully. Aside from the creepy spying-on-people's-rooms feeds, there are others he recognizes from around anchor, but there are others that he's never seen before. He taps one of the screens showing a mystery outdoor location.]
Whoever set this up has access to cameras that the security stations don't, I'm gonna reroute these ones to the security stations. The rest of these... shit, um. We need to tell people that their rooms are bugged, get the cameras out of their rooms.
no subject
But Ben doesn't blame him for it. It seems apt. He doesn't know it is Poison's room, or any of the context there. For all he knows, Peter just chose a screen at random to vent his emotions on. The anger makes sense and the rest doesn't seem to matter right now.
He hears Peter's reply, but it takes a while for the words to actually sink in. He can't parse them at first. His thoughts have gone sluggish and icy and thick. Belatedly, rather numbly, he nods. Here longer than they were. Watching the whole time. Ben swallows. It's not a big deal. It's a problem they need to deal with, a mystery they need to solve. But it isn't a huge deal. Definitely not worth the amount of nausea roiling in his guts right now.
('Cause he ought to be used to this, right?).
Peter is talking more, and Ben catches bits - security stations and reroute and Peter sounds like he's got the situation well in hand. Ben crosses his arms tightly over his chest, and manages a tight nod. He's pretty sure whatever he's agreeing to is a good plan. Peter's smart and good. It must be a good plan. A plan he will help with as soon as he can shake off this... whatever and just. Be fine.
But he definitely doesn't look fine, isn't acting fine. He's standing well back from those monitors, hands gripping his arms, jaw set, completely silent. Ben tends towards the quiet side - less so with Peter now that the two of them have gotten closer - but this is way beyond the norm for him.
Finally, a thought manages to push its way through the haze and he actually articulates it, words coming out stilted and a bit odd: ]
There could be tapes. Archived. Can you - find out?
no subject
Unfortunately, that mask is cracking just a bit, if only because he's trying to maybe think too hard about all of this all at once. He's so caught up in his thoughts that it almost startles him when Ben speaks again.]
A-archives. Yeah, uh, yeah. If there's anything saved, I can find it.
[Having a specific thing to focus on definitely helps. He turns his attention to the computer console in the room and pulls up his search on one of the monitors. He's getting a whole lot of nothing right off the bat and lets out an annoyed little huff.]
Dammit, it's all encrypted. Uhh... This is gonna take some time, maybe see if there's anything else laying around in here? Not that this place is exactly covered in clues, but... I dunno, y'know?
no subject
He is pretty sure he's not going to find anything after about the first twenty seconds of searching, but he keeps at it, looking for anything hidden in the walls - any cracks, anything that might be a hidden switch or who the hell knows. When the walls yield nothing, he moves on to the floor. It's pretty much just ... dirt. Not even any footprints he can make out distinctly. Ben crouches down to gently lift the smashed screen that Peter had thrown down, propping it against the wall so he can search underneath it - but all he feels (at least, at first) are broken bits of the screen itself.
Peter had shattered it, when he ripped it from the wall. The outburst was so... unlike him. So, even though Peter is still doing computer stuff or whatever, Ben manages to ask: ]
Are you. Okay?
[ The pointedness of him asking it after moving that screen is hard to miss. He keeps feeling around in the dirt for all the little fragments of plastic and other materials, gathering them up. Maybe they would be useful to Peter in the lab or who knows.
Just as he thinks he's gotten them all, Ben feels something else in the dirt. Something bigger. Lighter. He turns his attention to what he's doing, unearthing it and then brushing the dirt off with his palm, squinting at the photograph. ]
There's a picture.
no subject
[His reply isn't harsh, but it does come a little too quickly. Like it's just something he's used to saying rather than something that is actually true. It's half because he's focused on trying to break into some of these files, but that in itself is part of his habit of hyper-focusing on work in an effort to not think about his issues too hard.
What Ben says next makes him pause, and he glances over his shoulder.]
A picture? Like a photo?
[Sure enough, that seems to be what Ben's holding in his hand. Peter steps away from the console to join Ben and take a look at the picture for himself. The man in the photo looks familiar. Really familiar. But also kind of different. Peter's only like half aware that he's taking Ben by the wrist and tugging him closer to the light of the screens so that he can make out the photo better. All of his brain power is focused on trying to remember where he'd seen this dude before, don't mind him.
When it finally does dawn on him, all the color drains from his face. Now it's his turn to get that creeped out numbness feeling]
Oh my God. I know this guy. This is-- this is Joe. [He taps the photo like THERE HE IS RIGHT THERE and turns his attention to Ben.] He was from Anchor, like, before all of us. This guy Drake and I found him out in the... the uh, I dunno, wasteland, I guess. Only he was all fucked up and mutated, probably from all the radiation out there. He said he didn't wanna come back here, I don't... I don't know what this means.
[it means that Peter is confused and pissed and kind of scared, but shhhh. He goes back to staring at the picture, his grip on Ben's wrist not tight enough to hurt, but it's definitely not getting any looser. sorry dude.]
no subject
(He'll probably unravel later, in an hour or two, but for right now, he's got it under control).
Ben looks at the picture along with Peter. It is unquestionably a clue - some real Agatha Christie shit - but he doesn't feel any closer to understanding just what the hell they've stumbled on here. He listens to Peter's explanation of where he's seen the man before and when Peter says he doesn't know what it means, adds: ]
I don't know either. [ Then, considering: ] It was in the dirt. Crumpled up. Not framed.
[ Ben's eyes are drawn back up to those screens. On the one showing his own room, he sees Klaus wander in, start rifling through his stuff. Who even knows what he's looking for. Definitely Klaus doesn't realize he's being recorded; if he did, would he care? Would he have felt that same cold wave of nausea and fear that Ben had?
He shuts his eyes, jaw tight, skin crawling. But at least, even how cold all his extremities feel and the quick terrible beating of his heart, his thoughts are no longer sluggish. And that means he has an idea. ]
Can we set a trap? Leave - the tunnel looking normal but. Set up a camera of our own. At the entrance. See who shows up?
[ They would only get one shot at it - once whoever is operating this place sees that smashed screen, they'll know their little creepy spying hidey-hole has been compromised. But unless they have a way of monitoring in here, they won't know anything's wrong until they make it all the way here. If they recorded the entrance to this place... might they get some answers? ]
no subject
Eventually he answers, huffing in frustration.]
We can-- we can try it. It would be pretty simple, all we really need to do is reposition a couple of the cameras that are already in this area. I wouldn't even need to rewire anything.
[As simple as it sounds, Peter doesn't seem too pumped about it. He approaches the computer console again and gets back to work trying to get into those encrypted file again while he speaks.]
I kind of have a feeling that they woulda known that their position was compromised as soon as the security systems all came back online, though. If someone's been watching us this whole time, they'd already know what we're capable of, right? They'd already know that we'd be able to find them here. They're gonna set up somewhere new as soon as they can, and it's gonna be somewhere that doesn't stick out as much as this place does.
no subject
Which is around when Ben's ability to cope runs right out. He should have considered it earlier, that there might be some kind of backup station, or that whoever has been operating here might try again. Peter is right. Logically he knows that. But Ben had just assumed, now they'd found this place, it was going to be over. They would remove the cameras like Peter had said, and the only awful thing was the knowledge it had been happening all along.
But from the way Peter's talking, they're still going to be recorded, and there's no possible way to stop it. Peter said it himself: these people know what they're capable of. Know what they'll do. They have no options, no control, no point in trying to resist. (At least, that is how it sounds to Ben.) ]
Oh. Okay.
[ It's not the end of the world. He had lived like this for 16 years. He can do it again. He has a lot of practice. So it should be easy.
Ben's knees are shaking really badly, and Peter doesn't look like he's about to be done too soon, so he goes ahead and just sits down on the floor, quietly. His entire body is numb and tingling with adrenaline, heart pounding hard; but on the outside he is very still. But he doesn't offer any more suggestions, or look at Peter. He knows him losing his shit right now isn't helpful, so the least he can do is do it as quiet and as contained as possible. The only thing that really gives him away as anything other than chill is the sound of his quick, shaky breathing. ]
no subject
Okay, so there are recordings of people's rooms, but I don't see anything from like, the labs or--
[And then he realizes just how Not Okay Ben is right now. The shaky breathing, the way he seems to have just shut down. This is not ideal. Peter sighs and crosses the room, taking a seat next to Ben and putting an arm around his shoulders.]
I'm sorry, man. I know this is a lot all at once, and it's frustrating and screwed up, but we're gonna figure it out.
no subject
It's okay. I'm good.
[ It is apparent that he is at least attempting to make the words convincing. They come out falsely light in a way that just shows how hollow they are.
Something about Peter's assurances strikes false, to Ben. Like he's just trying to comfort him by lying. Ben doesn't need that. He can deal with the truth. He's dealing just fine. ]
Figure what out?
[ Ben swallows. He doesn't need Peter pitying him. He'll just show that he understands the situation, the way Peter had explained it a while earlier. The words continue to come out a little mechanical and he's constantly distracted by the sound of his own voice as he's saying them. ]
You were right. They've been here so long. They already know everything about us. They probably have another location set up already as a backup. We won't find them again. No matter what we try, we can't do anything to stop them. We just have to live with it.
[ His shaking grows a little worse even as a tone of defiant insistence comes into his small voice: ]
I can live with it.
no subject
[He moves so that he's able to see Ben better while they're talking, because whooo buddy this is getting pretty not great and Ben isn't taking this well at all, daaaamn.]
They probably have another location set up, yes, that's totally likely. Could even be more than one. It might be hard to find them again, it might take time and we might hit a lot of dead ends, but nothing is impossible. We have the people and we have the resources to find whoever's doing this and stopping them. Now that we know it is happening, we can tell people what to look out for, get out privacy back. That's a huge first step. We don't have to live with this and we're not going to. This isn't the end of the world, it's just a weird hurdle that we need to get over.
[He should probably leave the motivational speeches to Captain America, but hey, he tried his best.]
no subject
Peter doesn't just reassure him that it's all going to be fine, which is good, because that definitely would not have worked. Instead he says that yes, they have less power right now, but they don't have none. This time, Peter leaves no doubt that they will take action to stop this and that they can take their privacy back. ]
We can?
[ Ben's voice is a mixture of hope and fear; he looks at Peter's fierce, determined face. He looks like he isn't afraid of anything and never has been. Ben knows that's not true, but it steadies him. It's not the face of someone who lets themselves just get accustomed to something so intolerable.
Shakily, Ben forces himself to admit (as if it weren't screamingly obvious from the complete meltdown): ]
I don't want to live with it again.
[ Well he definitely hadn't meant to say that last word on the end there, and also super does not notice that he has even said it. Oops?
But that paralyzing fear gripping him by the throat is loosening bit by bit. This isn't just how things are going to be from now on. He won't have to go back to living with the knowledge that every visible action of his is being minutely observed, recorded, dissected, for purposes he has no control over. So he shuts his eyes and focuses on taking slow, deep breaths, trying to convince his body he's in no danger. There's a pressure in his head like he's going to cry but no way is Ben going to let that happen. ]
Okay. It's not impossible. We're going to do something about it. We're not gonna let them... we're gonna stop them.
[ Ben opens his eyes again; his expression still looks small, and frightened, but that alarming blankness is gone from it at least. He glances over to the computer Peter had been working at; he definitely had not been a state to really hear what Peter had said about footage. He asks: ]
Did you finish with the encryption?
no subject
[Peter looks visibly relieved when Ben starts to come around. Like he could just hug Ben right now, that's how relieved he is, but he settles for a friendly clap on the shoulder before he pushes himself back to his feet.]
I managed to get through some of the encryption. There's a lot of footage of people's private rooms that was recorded. I can delete it no problem, but... mm, part of me thinks we should find out why they recorded the specific things they recorded? Like, did they find something they'd be able to use against us? But at the same time, I don't want to watch this stuff just in case it's uh... Y'know. like. Private.
[Like people bangin', he doesn't wanna see that. He really hopes the person who'd been recording stuff wasn't just a total pervert but at this point like who even knows.]
no subject
[ Ben is still gathering back his composure, and it's all too clear he isn't just fine all of a sudden, and isn't going to be any time soon. But he's not falling to pieces. He's holding himself together, enough to keep going. ]
Sign me up for the ass kicking. I would really, really like to be part of that step.
[ See, he made a joke. He's fine now. It's all good. Hopefully Peter will just... forget about that little moment he had just now.
Ben rubs a still-trembling hand over his face, thinking over the dilemma that Peter is posing. How do they figure out what the surveillance folks were after without watching through all that shit and ending up just as bad as them? Ben considers for a long moment, silent - but not the awful silence of panic he'd been mired in a few minutes prior. ]
Maybe... we put up a message about what we found here and give people access to their own files. Let them report back to us what sorts of footage got saved, and we can put together trends from that.
[ He knows he wouldn't want anyone else watching the footage of himself, even if there won't be anything all that remarkable on it. The strategy isn't a perfect one, though, and he knows it. ]
Or. We just watch our own, first, and see if that's enough to pick up a pattern.
[ Less data points, sure, but also, fewer people involved, greater secrecy, less chance of stirring up trouble.
Ben, leaning against the wall, gets back to his feet, too. He really is feeling fairly mortified, now, and even though maybe it's not the best time, says, voice strained: ]
Sorry - about that.
no subject
I like that idea, let's determine what we should do after we watch our own stuff. There's no need to get everyone all paranoid if we can avoid it.
[Peter imagines that footage of his room wouldn't be too interesting. He spends most of his time in his lab, and so far he hasn't found recorded footage of anything aside from people's personal rooms.
He hangs around close to Ben in case he needs a hand up, or just someone to lean on for a minute.]
It's okay, man. I mean it.
no subject
Okay. Okay, that's... a good plan. Have you got a VCR or whatever the computer equivalent of that is, so we can review the footage, like... somewhere else?
[ Yes, he kinda thinks the surveillance is on video cassette tapes. But the humor of that is a bit lost in the way he is rubbing at the back of his neck, body language still hunched and uncomfortable. He glances around the room, the dirt walls and the screens, this awful claustrophobic little hole, and adds: ]
I don't. Really want to be here anymore.
[ He heaves an unsteady sigh. Gives a little shake of his head when Peter says it is okay. It's not okay, none of this is okay. But lingering is only going to get him stuck in the mire again so he presses on: ]
And I'm pretty eager to rip the cameras out of the walls or wherever they're hidden, like. Now. Like ten minutes ago.
no subject
Omg VCR's, how precious. Ben is precious.]
Oh, yeah, I can make a copy or just pull the whole hard drive. That might be the easiest way to do this, actually. Either way, I can get it back to my lab easily.
[He gives Ben a reassuring shoulder squeeze and nods his head toward the exit.]
This'll just take me a minute if you wanna start heading out. I don't know about you, but I'm really starting to feel kinda cramped in here.
[He has a feeling that Ben is feeling pretty similarly. This hole isn't very big, he gets it.]
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But of course, it wouldn't really make anything better. Not in the long run.
Grateful for the suggestion - the permission, really - Ben shakily replies: ]
Yeah. I'll- I'll wait at the entrance.
[ There's only one way in or out. Peter will be safe enough, right? Ben is grateful for the few moments alone as he makes his way out the dark tunnel. No cameras here, for sure. No one seeing him. He lets himself pause, punches the wall just once. He doesn't have Peter's strength, and there's no danger to it - apart from his knuckles hurting a little after.
Ben is just outside the crack in the wall when Peter emerges, leaning his back against a tree, arms folded tight across his chest. If a killer mutant cow were to come at them now, he would have absolutely no guilt about venting some of these awful feelings on it.
But that doesn't happen and instead he says, before Peter can say anything at all: ]
We should get the cameras out. Before anything else.
[ He had been able to judge from the angle of the video the area where it must be hidden. Ben isn't going to be able to sleep or even sit still in his bedroom until that is done. It's something he might be able to accomplish on his own, but...
But the truth is, he wants to have Peter there to help. He wants to have a friend there. ]
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Yeah, absolutely. [Peter is wasting no time there, already heading into the trees to get the hell out of this shit forest.] Maybe we should hop on the network and at least just warn them that there are hidden cameras in their rooms? Then we can take care of the whole recording thing and figure it out from there.
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But maybe mutant cows can sense that energy off them because none of them come close.
It feels so much better to be out here where he can breathe, moving, planning. Not just giving up. How had he ever thought Peter was telling him to just give up? He's not that kind of person, and Ben admires that. ]
Yeah... we gotta. Even though it's gonna suck. Maybe - we can go to one of our rooms first, find the thing, rip it out of the wall so we can show people on the network, and they'll know what they're looking for?
[ It would also, Ben thinks but does not say, go some distance in proving that what they're saying is true. The last thing they need right now is for some argumentative person saying they are paranoid and they're not gonna bother searching for a supposed hidden camera that probably doesn't exist. ]
Do you want me to make the announcement?
[ If, on the off chance that the people who set up the surveillance don't know who has broken into their little hidey-hole lair, they'll for sure know whoever appears on the network talking about it will be behind it. Could that make that person a target? On the slim off-chance it does, Ben absolutely isn't going to let that happen to Peter. No fucking way. ]
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