uprisenheart: (heart)
the heart ([personal profile] uprisenheart) wrote in [community profile] dualislogs2020-01-15 08:15 pm

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

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!
headandhand: pb: stephen campbell moore (travbot 1)

act two; the raid.

[personal profile] headandhand 2020-01-16 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
The overhead lights flicker back to life, and in the next moment, a large roll-back metal door to the side of the entrance is flung upwards, and a few dozen Iterations storm into the warehouse. At the front of the squad is a figure that looks like a human - a man with dark hair and glasses, plain clothes, and a wicked smile. As the Iterations move toward their targets, he steps to the side and lazily shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“And here they are, right where I said they’d be,” he says, entirely too satisfied with what must be his handiwork in the scene of Iterations causing mass mayhem now unfolding in the warehouse. “I told you they were predictable.”
headandhand: (hand)

finale; the aftermath.

[personal profile] headandhand 2020-01-16 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
[the iteration squad has captured or killed everyone they’ve been programmed to bother with tonight. time to pick up the pieces of what’s left and scurry on home!]
sociallychallenged: (1 3 3)

Sending out an S.O.S.

[personal profile] sociallychallenged 2020-01-16 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Last time he scoped out the place but went ahead and went in. This time? He chooses to let other people go in. He trusts Connor to catch all the questions, and he'll get a rundown later, ask around.]

[Hank's pulling off a disguise he got good at back in his red ice hunting days; the part of the sleeping drunk. He's wearing a puffy coat that's unlike him, spattered with some mud. He's holding a bottle with a bag around it, and he's got on a toque that somehow he's managed to cram all of his hair up into without it looking too puffy. It's great having the grizzled old guy look, sometimes. Because you can be every type of grizzled old guy ever.]

[Any pride in his get up is short-lived when, in feining being slumpt on the bench, he catches sight of Iterations. And they're moving towards the warehouse.]

[His gut roils, twisting up, and once they're just out of sight he shifts slightly to pick up his walky-talky.]

Connor, come in.... [Dead silence.] ...Connor!

[Come on, these things survived the power outage. Why can't this fucker work now.]

[He gets up and runs to find where he had Maggie lay down stone still in an alley. He crouches beside her.] Maggie, Maggie. We gotta help your other person, okay? I need you to bark real deep. Big bark. Three short barks, three howling barks, three short barks! Good girl. Come on. Make yourself sound a little different than usual.

[Surely Connor'll hear that if he can't hear the 2 way. He slaps his hands over his ears, too, because those barks sound like the panicked lookout dogs in those 80s cyborg movies. She does a good job.]
be_notorious: (053)

[personal profile] be_notorious 2020-01-16 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
"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.
notalive: (you can cry)

(directly after Hank's SOS)

[personal profile] notalive 2020-01-16 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[On edge, regretting ever having come here because what exactly did he expect to hear tonight, he's listening for anything from outside - movement, voices, anything his sharp android hearing can pick out - but what he doesn't expect is barking. He frowns at the sound of the dog somewhere outside, staring at the floor in concentration. Three harsh, booming barks.

Three more, each much longer, almost howls, one after the other.

Three more shorter barks.

He frowns all the harder...then suddenly jerks his head up, panic slackening his features.]


Hey! [He yells it at the masked figures, at the crowd at large - it doesn't matter if he's loud now--] They're coming - we gotta get outta here now!

Not through there-- [They're definitely coming from the front, where the barks came from - are iterations smart enough to surround the building? He really hopes not.] Any other exit, out the windows if you have to - go!

[And Connor, defying his own advice immediately, dashes straight towards the door closest to where he heard barking, irrationally hoping he won't be the only one holding them off.

He's fought worse. He's survived worse. He'll be fine.

He hopes.]
notalive: (tonight i'm gonna bury that horse)

[personal profile] notalive 2020-01-16 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
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."
ferrokinetically: (pic#13486360)

Fighting Robots

[personal profile] ferrokinetically 2020-01-17 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
During the actual meeting Lorna keeps herself off to the side near the exit. The limited knowledge she's got about the Heart doesn't exactly scream 'trust this will go perfectly smoothly'. Actually, it screams stay close to the exit and be prepared for shit to go down. And wouldn't you know it? Shit going down is exactly what happens. When the lights go on she tenses and keeps watch as the Iterations start to move in. Suddenly she's exceptionally grateful she went all out with her black jacket with the metal studs, metal bracelets, and steel toed boots.

They say you're only paranoid if there aren't actually crazy robots out to get you and there are definitely crazy robots out to get them all. Who would have guessed coming to this meeting would be a terrible idea? Probably everyone. Everyone probably assumes it. But they came anyway. Which means she can't just run and leave the Iterations to run free. She was stupid enough to come here, so she owes it to others to stick it out and fight. Besides, who's better suited to fight robots than someone that can manipulate metal?

Two of the Iterations turn to face her as varying shades of green mist begin to circle around both her hands.

"Try me, please." Actually, it'll be nice to have something to take her frustrations out on finally.
fuckregularpeople: (dr. harrison: surprised)

[personal profile] fuckregularpeople 2020-01-17 10:37 am (UTC)(link)
"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."
Edited 2020-01-17 10:38 (UTC)
be_notorious: (080)

Friends are the Worst

[personal profile] be_notorious 2020-01-17 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Drifter gave the Heart some weapons, which turns out to be his biggest mistake 'cause a trickster knows that if you do a trick in front of someone too many times, they figure out where the coin goes. You gotta switch it up. Now, what he's gathering is? Nobody here switched it up, the coin fell out of their pants leg, and now they just look a damn fool.

A bunch of dead damn fools.

He heard the warning and he grabs what's leftover of his weapons. Some are on Heart members, those'll go to waste 'cause they didn't train enough before today and he damn well knows it. Maybe they should have spent less time on party gear and more on their training. Now they're all up shit creek.

Well, he's getting the fuck out of here.

Drifter isn't a man that usually holds back. He runs, he leaves other people to fend for themselves. In the past he's ignored his ghost. He's hid, had his ghost hide, came out afterwards and picked up the scraps because he can't just give himself up. You could have saved them. Please? Against overwhelming odds?

He stalls before he makes for the door.

At least his damn ghost can't say it's proud of him for doing what he's about to do. He honest to god should be ashamed. He'll think of it as preserving his allies from his client's stupidity. Drifter can make a good exit. He'll grab who he can and show them a good way out. Once he's gotten a few he has a plan to block the route. It's good to know you can generate some pretty serious lingering heat when you've got to.

He'll use the frantic mess of them chasing down those masked idiots to find his people and get the hell out of here. And maybe burn up what evidence that he can.
be_notorious: (023)

[personal profile] be_notorious 2020-01-19 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"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: (all our needs put together)

[personal profile] zwischenzugs 2020-01-19 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
"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."
zwischenzugs: (& i i i i i will pretend it didn't hurt)

[personal profile] zwischenzugs 2020-01-19 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
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: (038)

[personal profile] be_notorious 2020-01-19 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
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.
headandhand: (travbot 2)

[personal profile] headandhand 2020-01-19 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
The man observing from the side a short distance behind the pair of Iterations makes a clicking noise with his tongue and shakes his head at Lorna. "Sweetheart, they're not here for you. But I can guarantee that if you're determined to start a fight, they're going to be the ones to finish it."

The Iterations pause then, scanning Lorna, making an assessment as they wait for her next move. "You'll get out of this in one piece a lot easier if you just step aside and let them do their job," the man adds.
metamorphotic: (and he's got nothing good to sell you)

[personal profile] metamorphotic 2020-01-19 06:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Nick is - well, nervous is an understatement. She doesn't like the way Marie and Mello are handling this at all, but she has already made her argument against the kinds of theatrics this meeting is sure to entail, and she's been soundly overruled. She's still required to be here all the same, though she's doing so under obvious protest. She'll wear all black like the rest of them, but she's done wearing a mask. And she's decided to argue with the crowd this time, even if it costs her standing as a member of the Heart. She'll deal with the consequences later.

Right now, she's focused on the crowd gathering inside the warehouse. The rest of the group is preparing for their presentation, so Nick is alone, peeking through a side doorway, scanning the gathering for anyone she knows well enough to try to convince to leave, if she can. Maybe if fewer people are paying attention, Marie and Mello will reconsider their methods.
metamorphotic: (and then that feeling comes)

[personal profile] metamorphotic 2020-01-19 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[barking like that is never a good sign. even without knowing the specific code maggie's making, nick can tell it's not a good sign, and she draws the same conclusion as connor at about the same time. this is it, the possibility she's feared ever since she joined this rag-tag group of would-be revolutionaries - a raid. worse, she has friends here, people she cares about deeply, and now they're all in danger too.

she sees connor heading toward the door he's just discouraged everyone else to take as an exit, and she dashes after him, reaching for his arm once she's close enough.]


Connor, no! What are you doing?
metamorphotic: (he comes creeping back to beg you)

[personal profile] metamorphotic 2020-01-19 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Drifter had the right idea the first time - get the hell out.

Nick's doing her best to herd people toward the back exit, where the tunnels are that can be used for a clean escape. She's better equipped to fight off the Iterations, so she's decided to leave last, hold off the attackers as long as she can in her giant doll form, crackling bolts of dark energy forming in the palms of her porcelain hands -

But she sees Drifter heading back into the warehouse, grabbing people and leading them away, and that's great, but for all of his armor, Nick is afraid he's going to get himself killed anyway. Again. And who knows if this will be the time he won't come back? She turns human again and races toward him, dodging people and the debris now falling from the crumbling warehouse roof as the fight inside rages on.

"You need to go - get to the tunnels, the roof, whatever - just get out, OK?"
be_notorious: (067)

[personal profile] be_notorious 2020-01-20 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm plannin' to, don't doubt that. And you ought to, too."

He grabs her wrist. "Don't go under because of them." Because he can see now they're not worth it. They were a fools investment that he'd be more worried about if he hadn't ripped the chip from his brain.

"Come on, Darlin'! You been bein' a hero, but now you've gotta be a monster. Go hide from the townsfolk with the pitchforks. Don't get ever'thin' you've learned and earned die here tonight. An' it will, you know it."

He pulls a little.

"I can cover an exit pretty good and generate a whole lotta heat. I didn't have enough small arms ammo to take care of more than a couple of these things, and you're not gonna be able to manage it. You're in too deep! You gotta go!" He looks increasingly desperate as he's trying to convince her.

"Dyin' doesn't feel good! Trust me."
fuckregularpeople: (dr. harrison: chill smile)

[personal profile] fuckregularpeople 2020-01-20 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
"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."
Edited (grammar) 2020-01-20 04:33 (UTC)
exceptionalcrook: (d34)

[personal profile] exceptionalcrook 2020-01-20 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
Duke's skeptical. Nick's told him a little about what they're dealing with in the city here, and he has his doubts: Haven also had its factions fighting against a horrible force, and in his experience most of them didn't know what they were doing, his own friends include. But each had some information the others didn't, and that's why he's here: if there's a threat they're up against, he wants to learn all he can about it.

He'd been careful going into this. He's wearing a jacket with a hood that can obscure his face if he needs, he didn't bring his phone, and he's armed and ready just in case he needs it. Duke looks around the area as soon as he enters, making contingency plans, and that's when he sees Nick at the side doorway. He gives her a brusque nod and meanders around slowly around the room, speaking up when he loops nearby her.

"Fancy seeing you here," he murmurs. "Anything I should know?"

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