[Day 2, Night - A House South of Town]

[direstnews]

[Written into the ground alongside one of the houses to the south of town tonight are a series of strange letters, forming a rough circle near the wall. A figure of approximately Loki's build, not there during the day's exploration, leans against the wall at the corner. The door to the house is open.]

[Some hours after the sudden switch from day to night, Loki stands in front of the door, a candle before him, a kitchen knife in one hand and a spoon in the other. He checks the mirror set carefully in the darkness, nothing yet visible in its surface. Then he strikes the knife with the spoon's handle, and he holds his breath - and he waits.]

Comments

[12npcs]

[But back home, it didn't seem to trickle in past the plates, sludge in around the circuitry.

Almost at once, your vision and hearing blur. Static takes over as one codec after another open themselves. People you know and people that you don't start talking. Some explaining, others reminiscing, most philosophizing.

All of them talking at once, but none drowning out the rest, your circuit come alive, trying to process all of it at once... From how taffy is made, to existentialism, to the first picnic...

It's almost too much, not enough time, your mind too frail to take it that some feverish haze takes the edges of the codec, blurring them into one voi-

Codecs Offline]

[allsneakandnoplay]

------Rose--! Sna-- Snake--?!

[--*

AAH


AAAAAAAAAAAH

Raiden goes dead still, standing there, trying to process and just not. Maybe he screamed? He's not screaming now. Just staring straight ahead at nothing.]

[nyanotech]

[The hand on his arm probably doesn't even register.]

Raiden?

[allsneakandnoplay]

[nooope. he mutters "Rose" again, "John." "Sunny." "Snake, Snake-- Snake, come in. Snake, do you copy?"]

[nyanotech]

Easy.

[Access ports, access ports . . . you can't all be wireless, can you?]

[allsneakandnoplay]

[There is a what looks to be multiple panel lines along his spine, though they are practically seamless. The least seamless is at the base of his neck, below his hairline.]

[nyanotech]

[Reeeeeaches up, resting fingers over that.]

Raiden? This may tingle just a little.

[allsneakandnoplay]

[still making alarmed, trying-to-calm grunting exhales...]

[nyanotech]

[A little like a fond hair ruffle, a little like knuckles rapping on the edge of an open firewall . . . and there's a static filled crackle hissing over the comm.]

. . . —s is the c-c-c-c— . . . —iden?

[allsneakandnoplay]

--!

[his head clears up at the startle -- presses his fingers to his temple]

What--?

[nyanotech]

. . . —reqncy iss— . . .


[Another hiss of static, like someone trying to tune a radio to the right station . . . and the snap of a signal finally coming into focus.]


Raiden?

[allsneakandnoplay]

. . .Sh. . . Shader? Is that you?

[nyanotech]

It is! ♫

It's good to hear your voice again. You've been unresponsive since that liquid hit.

[allsneakandnoplay]

Liquid...?

I got-- I thought I... what's happening?... Is this real?

[nyanotech]

It's real.

I don't know if you were forced offline or if you shut down in self-defense, but your systems look clear now. Try opening your eyes?

[allsneakandnoplay]

. . .

[opens it. . .]

[nyanotech]

[One of her hands is cupping his cheek. The other is still wrapped around the back of his neck. From the angle, he's . . . kneeling?]

That's better.
That's better.

[allsneakandnoplay]

[...?!

j-jerks his head back -- whoa still kinda out of it. I feel out of it??]

Whoa, hey--!

[nyanotech]

[Her hands slip away without protest, whatever connection there was between them breaking, lost

lost

as if it never was.]

Welcome back.

[allsneakandnoplay]

. . .

What happened...? What did you do?

[nyanotech]

Patched into your communication system. You sounded like you were trying to get hold of someone.

[allsneakandnoplay]

You patched in to my--! You make it sound so easy!

[nyanotech]

It's not like you have that high a level of encryption on it.

[allsneakandnoplay]

Some areas of my memory are slated to be wiped if someone compromises them.

[nyanotech]

What do you think I am, some kind of amateur?