[MINGLE] PLOT: Down the Tubes: Alarm

[sixthiteration]

WHERE: The bunker & elsewhere
WHEN: 1 September 2018
OPEN TO: ALL - MINGLE
WARNINGS: Please warn on threads
NOTES: Plot Details | Bunker Details | Bunker Map & Key
Threads may take place ANYTIME during the plot, including before, during and after the tubes have been opened, just please do not godmod tube arrivals without explicit permission. Related threads not in the bunker are welcomed, as are general bunker exploration/reaction threads that have nothing to do with the arrivals. Please reference the bunker key doc for what is and isn't available to explore at present.

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Deep under the mountain, tucked away in the newly-discovered bunker complex, there is a room where everyone begins. It is filled with equipment — Computer consoles, monitors — but the point of it all resides within ten vertical stasis tubes lined neatly along a far wall.

One of them has been cracked and lies dormant, dry. In six of the remaining are bodies, unconscious and floating in their familiar vari-colored scrubs, vital signs ticking calmly off on their respective readouts.

In the corner, near the cracked tube, the ceiling has shattered and tumbled inward, across the floor and over the largest console in the room — The one flashing 24 HOURS UNTIL STASIS FAILURE.

Comments

[spoileralert]

[ She almost tries to catch him, but he's... quite a bit taller than she is. This close he'd just knock her over. She does offer her help getting him upright, though. ]

I wish. You and a few other people have been down here in these tubes. We've been trying to get you all out before 'stasis failure' or whatever.

Which I guess probably means it's been more like 24 hours, but who cares, right?

[nifties]

[ ugh, fine. he reaches back inside and snatches the bag like it might grab him back if he's not careful. then turns back towards steph, shaking his head like a dog to try and clear some of the fluid from his hair and face. ]

I care, on account of I was stuck in that thing, yeah? Are we anywhere near Atlanta?

[spoileralert]

[ She pulls back when he starts shaking water all over the place. They can call it water all they like, but they don't know what all is in it. ]

Uh... define 'near'. We might be in North America?

[nifties]

Might be, eh? [ he looks around the room, but it doesn't give him any hints on geography, of course. that'll come. ] You sound American - Northeast? But I'm gonna take a wild guess: you're not from this place. No one is.

[ he sounds confident about that despite only just now getting his bearings. ]

[spoileralert]

Gotham, New Jersey. Got it in one.

[ She's trying to get in the habit of being less specific with where she's from. So few people here have ever heard of Gotham. ]

If you're up to it we can head above-ground. There's an inn with a fire going and dry clothes in your bag.

[nifties]

[ he files the location away though he's never strictly been there. it sounds familiar anyway. above ground. he did notice the distinct lack of windows. john unzips his bag and starts digging through it, making distasteful faces at his choices within. ]

An Inn, you say? I don't suppose our Innkeeper is a Native of this place either?

[ it sucks being right all the time, he's already tired of this. ]

Have you explored this place thoroughly then? [ he pulls out the peacoat and narrows his eyes at it. ] Or do you just not care what secrets this place holds?

[spoileralert]

No, no natives to speak of anywhere.

[ She starts edging in the direction of the pod back to the surface. It's down the hall a good ways, and they may as well get started moving. ]

Not super interested at the moment. [ She shrugs. ] We only found it a little while ago, and I checked out enough to know there wasn't anyone waiting to jump out at us.

[nifties]

What's more interesting than this place?

[ from what he understands, the mainland is the boring part. and it isn't going anywhere besides. who's to say this place couldn't become locked to them if they all leave it now? no, he wants to see what secrets it holds for himself, whether she's in or not. ]

How's this, luv? I'll meet you for a cuppa once I'm done here.

[ two seconds out of the tube and he's already got a job to do. go figure. ]

[spoileralert]

[ She shrugs. He’s got a good point. ]

I dunno. Normal life stuff? I guess I could stand to look around. It’s safer in pairs anyway.

[nifties]

There's normal life stuff here?

[ and she prefers it over this place? how dreadfully boring. john throws his bag over one shoulder after deciding he hates it, but it's his so he better look after it, and starts padding barefoot deeper into the bunker. he doesn't bother to wait and see if she'll follow. ]

Do you come here all the time then? It's lost its novelty for you, that it?

[spoileralert]

No, I just... [ She restrains the impulse to shrug again. ] I've been caught up in my own stuff. Don't worry about it.

[ She hopes that her tone communicates "drop it". ]

[nifties]

Who said I was worried about it? I don't even know you, luv.

[ he wanders through corridors - it really is spooky down here, not that he'd admit it. ]

Did you go in every room before you found me?

[spoileralert]

[ WELL GOOD. She follows behind him. ]

Just the main corridor. Like I said, I've been distracted.

[nifties]

Right. By things you don't wanna talk about but do wanna get back to. I remember.

[ he ducks into the first room they come across, entirely un-choosy about it. ]

[spoileralert]

Yes. That.

[ Her tone is entirely flat. If he doesn’t want to chat he picked the wrong companion. She follows, a hand lingering near her pocket full of knives. ]