i hope you're ready for a firefight ...

[uprisenheart]

WHO: Open to all Dualizens
WHAT: Another Heart meeting, a warehouse raiding, a Travis-bot-napping.
WHERE: A different run-down warehouse on the outskirts of town.
WHEN: Jan. 15
WARNINGS: Please use these in comment subject lines if applicable!

It's been a solid four months since the last time the Heart made contact with our intrepid band of kidnapped adventurers - plenty of time to think over what was said at the last meeting, to see for yourselves what sinister plans the Head has in store for everyone, to gather your own information. The well-meaning but shit-at-acting group of revolutionaries promised they'd be in touch, and today, they've made good on that promise.

Around mid-morning, there's another mysterious text message sent from an impossible number, and just like the last time, there are a number of hoops to jump through to get to the message and security precautions to make sure the message is erased without a trace. The message this time invites you to a different run-down warehouse in the far north end of town, tonight, when the streetlights spark to life.

Shortly before sunset, it begins to rain. It's a steady shower, not a violent storm like the night the mechanical doubles attacked, but the rain is piercing and cold, not quite freezing but not far from it. Hope you remembered your umbrella!

This empty, dusty warehouse is also dimly lit inside by a few flickering overhead lights, and once the last stragglers have entered for the meeting, the lights shut off as a burst of loud electrical humming echoes through the warehouse. All electronic devices inside the perimeter of the warehouse - yes, that includes your phones! - have been temporarily disabled, and will remain so until the overhead lights come on again.

Buckle in, everyone - it's time for the shitshow to begin!

Comments

act one; the meeting.

[uprisenheart]

Much like the last gathering, a number of black-clad and masked figures filter into the edges of the crowd gathered. At least this time, they’re using flashlights held underneath their faces for illumination instead of lit candles. The red-headed woman who appears to be the spokesperson for the Heart and one of its top leaders is the first to speak.

“Welcome, comrades,” she says, in that same pleasant tone, lightly French accented, with just a hint of smugness. “We’re so pleased to see so many of you have returned to speak with us. We have much to discuss.”

[be_notorious]

"Well, girl, if I'd known you were gonna make such a thing of it I'da dressed up! Haaah..."

Drifter laughs wryly because, come on, what is this even?

"So, cut to the chase. What's your plan, Sister. We ain't got all day, time's a wastin'." And he doesn't want to spend too much time in one place at once, thanks.

[uprisenheart]

Marie stares quizzically at him. "The plan has not changed since the last time we met. We need your help - we need to pool our resources, our knowledge and talents. None of you were willing to entertain the idea last time, asking for proof. So we gave it to you. Now we ask again for your help."

[be_notorious]

"I wasn't here last time. And that ain't much of a plan."

He spreads his hands.

"So you been learnin' about us, right? Come on. What do you think we'd be good at? 'Cause I'm gonna bet a whole heap of cash that you probably don't know yet."

[zwischenzugs]

Mello snorts. "An interesting bet from someone who sought us out to sell us custom-made weapons." Sorry, Drifter - looks like that cat's out of the proverbial bag now. "What else was it that you told the girl? That you have 'a little bit of experience with interdimensional portal tech'?"

By "the girl," he means Nick, of course. From a far end of the crowd, her voice rings out in protest: "Mello, don't. Just fuckin' don't." She's dressed in black like the rest of them, but without a mask. She has no reason to hide her face - currently set in an expression of clear distress. Mello waves her off and continues answering Drifter.

"Many of you are fighters - organizers, leaders on your respective worlds. You've fought wars like this before. Hell, some of you have even fought machines like this before. You are the plan."

[be_notorious]

Seemed like a generic evaluation. In his opinion? Smells pretty desperate. He doesn't even react to Nick's mention. He told her so she'd tell them. He knew what info he wanted them to have.

"Right. And I filled out a good order of those weapons. Did y'all ever actually practice with 'em or have you been findin' flashlights?"

Cause, seriously, they should have been practicing with them.

[notalive]

He's heard a couple times the adage, 'insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same results'. Maybe he can't define over and over as 'twice', but as the French-accented woman - Marie, Nick called her - speaks in the same mildly patronising way she did last time, he still thinks he's a little insane for showing up. Just a little.

"I was hoping that after last time you'd respect us enough to show your faces." He hadn't intended to be that antagonistic in the first few seconds, but it's hard not to. "Especially after you almost got us killed."

[uprisenheart]

"You are a breath away from being killed every moment you are here in this city," she replies, coolly. "Seeing our faces is irrelevant to this fact, and it has nothing to do with respect."

From the side of the group, Mello chimes in: "It's about caution - security." Unhurried, he makes his way to join Marie at the front of the crowd. "Even with the safeguards we have in place, it's not a hundred percent guaranteed that we're not being monitored. One of you could even be a machine - unlikely, but still possible."

[notalive]

It's hard to help the frustration. Sure, picking on their masks isn't the smartest choice or what they should be focusing on right now. But there's no hiding themselves if the Iterations come; the masks won't matter if they show up. And The Heart know exactly who they are. They endanger every one of them every time they bring them all together for a lecture about how terrorism is the way forward.

He decides not to point out that there is at least one machine there, I the form of Connor himself.

"But a lot of us are here without any of that, and besides - it's not hard to figure out who you invited and where we all live. You put us in danger just by inviting us here." He stares at both Marie and Mello, unimpressed. "We don't have anything but your word, but you don't trust us with what we've got no choice but to give you."

He shrugs, making it clear he doesn't expect any answer.

"So what do you want to discuss with us? Did anything change since last time?"

Did anything the people gathered here said the last time they were gathered have any effect at all?

[fuckregularpeople]

"Are you really?" Dr. Harrison says it so coolly, her tone encouraging. "What do you have to discuss with us? From what I understand, you've done sweet fuck-all since we last spoke to you. It seems you have nothing of consequence you want to share. Or am I incorrect? Please, prove me wrong."

[zwischenzugs]

"You understand nothing," Mello says, bluntly. "It wouldn't be a very clandestine operation we're running if you were able to see everything we've been up to, would it? No, there's been plenty of work we've been doing behind the scenes - just none of it we want to share until we have an agreement that you're willing to combine efforts."

[fuckregularpeople]

"You've done nothing to prove your integrity yet," Dr. Harrison replies, not at all rattled by Mello's bluntness. "Last you spoke to us, you asked for help and deliberately risked our lives to manipulate us onto your side, did you not?" She raises an eyebrow at the masked figure. "You withheld a chance to trust you believing we would not. That what information and ability you have to offer us will not impress us, something you desperately feel the need to do."

Her face softens. "We want to trust you. Show us we can."