we’re ready to make you one of us.

[headandhand]

WHO: Open to all Dualizens
WHAT: When Roboclones Attack
WHERE: Anywhere in the city!
WHEN: The night of Oct. 19
WARNINGS: Please use these if applicable! And if you happen to end up dead by roboclone, please fill out the death form!

It’s an ordinary night in Dualis, until it suddenly becomes a very dark and stormy night in Dualis. There hasn’t been a single day of unpleasant weather since any of you arrived, but soon after the sun begins to sink behind the city’s skyscrapers and the neon lights intensify for the night, storm clouds begin to gather overhead and unleash a cacophony of thunder, a deluge of rain, and brilliant spikes of lightning arcing across the sky.

It’s a violent storm, to be sure, but surely severe weather is no challenge in such a technologically advanced city as Dualis, right? As long as you stay indoors, you can keep safe and dry until the storm passes.

Except … less than an hour after the storm begins, the power all across the city goes completely out. All buildings are dark except for the illumination cast by lightning across brick and steel and glass. All electronics - including phones - are dead, all biometric locks are disabled, and no attempts to call, text, or reach the internet or the network succeed. Eerily, the streets are silent and empty.

Under normal circumstances, such a widespread blackout would merely be odd and inconvenient, but tonight, circumstances are anything but normal. About half an hour after the blackout begins, something approaches you, wherever you are. In the dark, you’ll be able to make out that its shape is humanoid, but maybe its motions are jerky and mechanical. As it draws closer and you get a better look, by candlelight or flashlight or flash of lightning, you recognize the face staring back at you.

That face is your own.

The face, like the rest of the body, is likely some degree of incomplete, an incongruous jigsaw of metal and flesh, but it’s definitely yours. And this machine doppelganger’s mission is soon made apparent as it launches a targeted attack on you:

It’s here to kill you.

After nearly four hours, the storm subsides and the power is restored and the city falls back into its normal rhythm. Will you survive until then?

May the odds be ever in your favor, friends.

Comments

[morethanatrickster]

This Trickster god in particular enjoys recognition. For the moment, Loki was fine with their rescuee tagging along.

He smiles, though, looking over to Hank, still not really all that hampered by the rain. "There are more ways than electricity to lock a door, Hank. If there are few entries and exits, it's a worthwhile destination."

He glances down at the radio and nods. "And who are 'we all'?"

[sociallychallenged]

"Fuckin' A. That's what I like to hear." And it's an excellent fix to the lock problem. The copies don't seem to be magic by any mile. "And my partner is out there, too. Coworker. Partner. Fuck it. Another cop, it's complicated." And he's mad at him. He hadn't taken Hank shooting himself well. He doesn't know what made him think it'd be easier on him than it was.

"I also have my dog at the station. She's a robot, too. But she's mine, and I told her to guard the place."

Hank gestures for him to follow, forgetting Loki can teleport, but it is slightly further than two blocks. Their friend is sort of toddling along behind them, yelping when he realizes that he wasn't being rained on a moment ago and when they got too far out of range, he was getting wet again.

[morethanatrickster]

"I'm happy to be of service." While the reason behind that motivation was complicated, Loki was as interested in getting closer to the true purpose of this place as he was in making a good impression to insulate any less than savory opinion others from his world may bring of him, he also saw the benefit of ensuring everyone around here survived the night. They were all victims here, himself included. They were, by some serendipitous fortune, a team.

It was just the same Hank had neglected to remember Loki's skills of teleportation and conjuration. He was finding his abilities to be particularly troublesome since arriving, likely related to whatever force brought them all here. They tired him here, and the shield clearing their vision was starting to make his shoulders ache and a dull haze form behind his eyes. "Given the nature of the attackers, do you feel it's wise to put such faith in a robot," he asked, falling into close step behind Hank? He glanced back over his shoulder with a smirk at their rescuee. "Do try to keep up. It's a cold rain."

Their new friend yelped a further apology but quickened his pace to reap the benefits of Loki's barrier.

[sociallychallenged]

"The dog already's proven she doesn't like 'em. I don't see any sign of that changing. And Connor's an android, too. He had programming before and broke it out of his sheer strength and skill at being a pain in the ass." Hank sounds remarkably proud of him for that, too. "The fuckin' Head would be making a hell of a mistake to try and use him. Last time that happened he fucked over the people that did."

Well, they were the people that made him but he's pretty sure they went out of business after that.

The police station becomes visible and is eerily quiet, like no police station should be during a time of unrest. At least there's a good span of overhang, meaning Loki won't have to keep up that barrier for too long.

[morethanatrickster]

"Yes, but is she a construct of this place?" It seemed an important distinction to Loki. A sentiment program could only revolt against its programming so far, and a dog, artificial or not, was only barely capable of self-awareness unless he was vastly misunderstanding Hank's meaning of 'dog.'

And the situation with this 'Connor' seemed even more ambiguous. "He had programming before but broke free? How is that?" And at what cost, he thought but spared the question from his voice. In his experience, such rebellions were normally pricey. Of course, if the truth were told, he had only moderate knowledge of artificial intelligence. It wasn't a technology particularly commonplace in Asgard.

He was pleased and relieved in equal measure at the sight of the station, quiet as it was, but he didn't allow himself to relax yet. Anything could happen. "You mentioned before the station was abandoned. Were there any signs of struggle?"

[sociallychallenged]

"Nah, she's not. Neither is Connor. I'm with you on not trusting the robots from here."

Hank makes a vague gesture. "I don't get the whole.. intricacies of AI programming. That's not my thing. But AI advanced to the point that they kinda got sick of humans making them just to kick them around, and all the programs that told them to take it started fucking up. They didn't do that fuckin' sci-fi movie super computer revolt shit, either. Nobody tried to destroy the human race. They just acted like underappreciated people turning against the individuals that shat on 'em. And Connor-"

Well, Connor was complicated. A whole fucking story he barely understood. A Manchurian candidate that found his legitimate freedom and fought to keep it when it was almost taken away again. But Hank is a I have no time to explain why I have no time to explain kind of guy.

"Just a bunch of bullshit but trust me, he's fine. Nobody is more stubborn about doing what he damn well pleases." Besides, he taught him that badass dark-haired twinks are pretty reliable partners out in the wild and Loki's reinforcing the deal.

[morethanatrickster]

The more he heard of this Connor the more he was interested in meeting him, perhaps learning more about him. He knew something of rising above what was expected of you, and something more of being something more than you were born to be, or at least something else. As they neared the station, he readied his axes again, wishing he'd dagger instead. He was simply better with them.

Once they were under the awning, he dropped the rain barrier and a visible tension left his shoulders. They'd need to clear the building before he did anything like locking it down regardless. Hopefully, that would afford him the rest he loathed to admit he required.

"He sounds like a useful partner. Perhaps you can introduce us, once we've assured there'll be a chance." He looked to the building, then toward Hank's gun. "We'll need to assure we're alone before I lock the doors. I'll take point. You have range." Normally Loki would as well, but his reserves were already taxed and he'd need them.

[sociallychallenged]

"Ah. We'll make it. We'll be more fucking dubious than we were, but we'll make it." He figures that, even if the city doesn't leave this bizarre darkened state, Connor knows better than to die on him. Hank wouldn't take it well.

He opens the door and ushers their new friend in, back pressed against it as the victim makes his meager scurry to safety. Maggie the Doberman is indeed waiting, standing when he comes in and wagging a short tail, and he closes the door once Loki's in.

It's totally dead in here, just like Hank said. No receptionist. No cops. No one. Ridiculously empty for the city's so called police force, and that irks him.

"Holding cells are probably pretty safe, actually. And there are places to rest, even if they're not too comfortable. Let's head back that way."

[morethanatrickster]

He glanced toward Hank for a moment in annoyance, as though the comment about rest were solely directed at him and his sadly sub-par magic reservoir. He knew better, of course, and the annoyance was at his own inadequacy rather than any comment from his new friend. His magic set him apart, his magic was how he'd bonded with his mother, and it felt like it was leaving him.

He clenched his jaw, nodding and forcing a smile that touched his eyes through sheer force of will. "To the holding cells, then. It will be more secure to lock those at any rate."

[sociallychallenged]

Hank doesn't really understand what the look is for, as he's just sure everyone's going to be doubtful as hell. Of this place and of each other. But the look seems to dissipate quickly so he doesn't read too much into it.

The man is led back to the cell and put inside. He is keeping a wary eye on Maggie, and gives her a tentative, "N-nice doggie."

She stalls to look at him, then back at Hank and Loki.

"Maggie, I need you to guard this man. If another double comes in, I want you to run them off or hurt 'em enough that they can't get back here, alright sweetie?"

This time he'll suggest she leaves them alive if they show up. In the station they could be interrogated later. He stoops to pet between her ears after the hard words.

[morethanatrickster]

It's just as well Hank doesn't question the look. Loki would simply deny it and it would waste all of them a considerable amount of time. It wasn't that Loki was a proud creature...oh who are we kidding? He's probably the proudest creature Hank's met in quite some time. He's not going to be admitting anytime soon his abilities are hampered by whatever strange properties govern this place.

He watched Hank handle his pet, though he believed it would be more accurate to call her something like a partner, nodding once he was finished. He knew he could easily seal the doors, keep them from being breached, but he didn't know how long the spell would last, or if it was something he was going to need to maintain. If it were the latter, he admitted at least to himself, it wasn't going to be possible.

Still, weary or no, Loki would press on, because it was something heroes did, if his brother was to be trusted, and there were few in the city capable of defending themselves from these doubles. "We should clear the station. I'd be a shame to seal the enemy in with us."