Star Trek: Starbase 777 - derelict-streets

There were streets that felt endless in their length, pavement ruined and crumbling and overgrown. The fog covered the area like a heavy, burdensome blanket, drenching everything and everyone it could reach in misery and cold sweat. There was no sound, save for the strange, subtle hum.

The large old man's eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were narrowed. Just what in the hell was going on here? Something felt...disgusting. Sickening. Too quiet. He could hear his blood pumping in his own ears as he walked, trying to find someone, anyone in the dense, strange fog. "Hello?" He called in Klingon. (edited)

Four had been walking back from their stint in the forest trail when a fog rapidly enveloped them. The walls fell and Four's systems reacted with a sense of almost...comfort. The subtle hum reminding them of the Borg Scout Ship, and the sweat while cold was close enough to simulate what it was like there that Four could trick themselves slightly. They wondered for a moment if their Queen had given them a gift after a long day. They let out a sigh of relief as their golden eyes surveyed the area. They were still rather confused. This was the corridor of the Starbase they were stationed on. They then heard someone call out. Their translator worked and they moved toward the sound. It was Klingon, although they couldn't speak it. Hopefully they were able to converse in other languages. They called out calmly in Federation Standard. A bit of themselves hoped it was their imagination so they could keep the illusion of this being a gift. Just for a bit longer. "We are Errei'Arrain Four of Ten, Tactical Exchange Officer for Starbase 777. Are you able to converse in Federation Standard? We are capable of understanding you." Four called back as they walked toward the voice of the elderly Klingon. (edited)

Saros was just in the action of helping people evacuate. Logically, they were among the last ones to leave, but now... It was so quiet, and the Fog was giving him a cold sweat, making him long even more for Vulcan. They straightened themselves out as they swiveled their head and looked around. They had to keep their cool despite this...Very inhospitable environment that reminded Saros of old memories. Saros closed their eyes for a moment. Breathing in and out.. Hearing people, he opened his eyes and started to walk towards them. *Their implant was scanning around, going even crazier, cataloging the new environment. *"I am out here as well, Lieutenant Commander Saros,"

K'tehka turned around on a dime, quite dextrous in his old age, and peered at the two approaching forms. They were hazy through the fog. "Hello," He said, this time in Federation Standard, though the UT would pick up whatever he was saying regardless of what language he was speaking! "I am K'tehka. Son of Th'omon. I am a Civilian Occupant of Starbase 777, but it appears...something has gone awry." He was frowning.

Marrok had been walking back from his shift when suddenly he was enveloped by a rapid fog with no time to think of evacuation since he was too late, he had been daydreaming away again. Unease quickly grew as he was enveloped in the fog and drenched in cold sweat with no sound reaching him except for faint whispers or so he thought. "Hello? Anyone?" He called out, he didn't like this at all his uneasiness slowly grew into a slight sense of panic. Why was he feeling this way? It was just some fog.. cursed fog, maybe a science experiment gone wrong. He rubbed his temples hard trying to stay focused and remember his training.

Four nodded softly. Their own implants whirring as they began to log their experiences and triple check their backups in case anything were to happen. They then felt this...feeling. Four had felt this one before...the cold...the metallic cage that was a desecretation of the Queen's warmth...was this a trick? Was this a trap? Was Four being tested? Four's mind began to race before they shook their head. "Emotional Suppression Protocol 1.5, engage." Four spoke within their mind as they began to regulate their entire being. Although, these feelings felt...almost imposed upon them. Which, somehow made it worse, that they were too weak to stop it. They wouldn't give in so easily. They then call out toward Marrok-ion's voice. "We are over here! Follow the sound of our voice." Four then turned to K'tehka and the Lieutenant Commander. They bowed to them both before they spoke. "Something has happened that is atypical, yes. Our function is unsure of the next proceeding action. However, we believe it may be prudent to stay close and search for any other survivors. Whatever may be happening is irrelevant, and we cannot allow it to stop us from fulfilling our duties. We defer to you, Lieutenant Commander, and will offer any further advice, assistance, or statements from now on."

Marrok moved towards the two-man group he had heard the voice coming from, relieved he had found some company in all of this. Upon hearing that the stranger deferred to him he took a deep breath, he had to keep his calm and push off the uneasiness and panic he felt especially when others were around. He took yet another deep breath, breathing in the wretched, cursed fog. "Yes.. Of course, we should should stay close in case and look for other survivors, I doubt we're alone here." Marrok said in a monotone voice though the uneasiness he felt seeped into his words.

Peculiar. As they talked, some taste seemed to linger on the backs of their tongues. Not overwhelming, but noticeable.

Fvadt. Well, this was just fantastic, wasn't it. Vovvi slowed to a halt as they were all sealed off from the rest of the station, leaning over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Not quite fast enough. The fog swirled around her legs, and she felt a shiver rock up her spine as she exhaled a sigh, breathing out the fog. Shit, right— "Don't breathe it in!" she shouted over to the group, covering her mouth and nose with the collar of her shirt. Fuck's sake, the PA JUST said that...

Four looked over and saw their aunt. Ah, this is rather fortuitous. Four then felt...something at the back of their tongue. It was...awful. Too much, far too much. They coughed as they looked away and gagged for a moment. "Ugh..." Four tried to measure their breathing but they were unsure if it would even matter. "Nano-machines, foreign invader protocol, ascertain whether disease is within and annihilate it." Four gave the order as their systems complied before speaking allowed once again while they restrained their gag reflex. "Of course...Miss Rei'Nak, that does seem prudent...even if potentially ineffective..." Four replied as they tried to keep their collar over their mouth and keep themselves from inhaling too much. Although they doubted it would take all that much to truly cause any issues.

Ironically, Tal-terrh's vision wasn't affected much by the fog, on account of being blind to begin with. On the one hand, that meant he was immune to the initial creepiness of the fog. On the other, it meant that he was breathing it in for a while, not sure where there was and wasn't fog, the taste lingering on the back of his tongue, unpleasant and foreign. But he was used to stressful situations, and could feel other people here with him, could hear their voices. He wasn't alone. He would be fine.

K'tehka had heard the PA announcement not to breathe in the fog, which was great and all but there was no other air to breathe. He grimaced and followed suit of the Romulan woman who'd shown up a few meters away, covering his mouth and nose with his shirt, knowing it was likely already too late. But, what else could he do? "Why does it taste so disgusting? Is it some sort of chemical fog?" The old Klingon asked to the group, not really confident they knew more than him but you wouldn't know unless you asked!

Oh shit, right, don't breathe it in that's what the PA had said while he was off daydreaming he quickly held the collar of his jacket to his mouth and nose with his left hand, he didn't like having only one hand free. Well, he didn't like this fog either but at least he wasn't alone. Then a peculiar taste he hadn't tasted before appeared out of random. Was it the fog? Was the Klingon right? Could it be some kind of chemical fog, it didn't taste chemical to him. "Not sure." He eventually replied. (edited)

"What the? Where are we?" Maya mumbled to herself as she regained her senses and looked around to get some idea of where they are. This is definitely not the way out of the Holodecks. Or was she already in the Holodeck, and this entire thing was one of those scenarios where people think they got out of the Holodeck, but in reality, they are STILL in a holodeck program. She didn't remember going to the holodeck before, why would she-. Was this someone else's holodeck program... was SHE the holodeck program?! Wait- No. Not now! There are clearly other people here who are just as confused as she was, and she could actually taste... something? That was a nice comforting thought as she remembered to NOT breathe in the scary fog as everyone else stated. "I think I know a place like this from old horror movies... they call it, Flint."

"I hope we can at least minimize.. whatever this is." Her thoughts were racing. Poison gas? Something worse? She made her way over to the group, now thoroughly cursing herself for being foolish. Nonetheless, she straightened her posture. Even if she wasn't in uniform, she was an officer, and had to do her best to control the situation... What do they do now...?

Their attempts not to breathe in more fog were valiant, but given that it was everywhere around them... for how long would this strategy work?..

Four wondered as they then shrugged. They didn't allow themselves to think, nor did they allow themselves to give orders. They called upon their small unit tactics and stood in-between everyone. There was one security officer, and the rest were either Engineers, Intelligence, or Civilians. Four would have to defend their aunt and this group with their entire might. Four stood equidistant to everyone and took a readied stance. They were sure it would most likely not come down to a physical fight, and more so a psychological or medical one, but they had to prepare every contingency.

Their commbadges stayed quiet despite the outside call, leaving the trapped wanderers blissfully unaware of it.

"Fog bad? PA says... we should probably try masking up." Maya echoed the consensus everyone else had as she pulled her shirt up slightly to cover her nose and mouth. That's what she was told to do when poisonous chemicals are in the air from safety training if no gas masks are around. Okay, well its technically supposed to be a wet towel for smoke, but fog isn't smoke.. or is this actually smoke? Not like anyone has water on them anyways.

"Okay.." Vovvi was able to catch hold of her thoughts and tie them firmly together. "We need to figure out our priorities. What we want to do first. Since we were sealed off, we can assume it's not safe to go out of this area just yet..."

Alone at first, Vara'l wandered for a time. A arm clasped over his mouth and nose as he moved. Full uniform, something he'd elected to wear cause comfy. Eyes roving as he looked and walked about him for something that could be utilized as a mouth/nose cover other than his shirt or something torn for the purpose. That search abruptly ended as he encountered the group and internalised a sigh of relief, not being someone who happened to be too comfortable with being alone in some place like this! "Is everyone okay?" He'd asked once he was close enough.

Marrok had stood there for a while trying to gather his calm taking deep breaths into the collar of his jacket, he wasn't even sure it helped against the fog but decided against removing it from his mouth and nose. He looked over to the direction he thought the unfamiliar voice was coming from, ah, a new member of their little group. "Despite the circumstances yes." Marrok said squinting his eyes to make out the newcomer, yes, despite the circumstances. He still felt the same uneasiness and slight panic from before but he sure as hell didn't let it show for the moment, he had to stay strong.

"Rattled but okay..." Maya answered with a shrug, though a bit muffled as she was speaking through her uniform in some vain attempt to technically 'not breathe whatever the fog is' in before she turned over to Vovvi. "Sealed off from 777, but I'm not sure if we're even there anymore, Commander..." *Maya suggested as she looked around what she assumed to be Flint, Michigan.... she would definitely not be dipping her towels in the water, if she had any! *"I think we should start moving and try to find... something?? These streets ought to lead somewhere, y'know?"

"We are functioning as optimally as to be expected, Lieutenant Commander Vara'l." Four just continued to wait for a definitive order for their functions to take over. Their implants continued to shift and scan the area as they attempted to slow their breathing down. Just to potentially limit the exposure that they were putting themselves under.

The old man was tactically minded, and primed to agree with Vovvi. He watched and listened as the Starfleet Officers started organizing themselves. “I may be old but you can make use of me however you see fit. I would be willing to flank the group and keep my eyes and ears open for any stragglers or…whatever else we may encounter.”

"No need, sir." She really wished she was actually in uniform.. oh well. Her eyes bounced from person to person, searching the fog for... something. Someone, maybe.. This was the entertainment promenade, wasn't it? So.. Nevermind that now. Her focus should be on the task at hand. "I can take up the rear. I am a trained Security officer." Flotilla training never hurt anything, either. Unless you were Free State. Lol.

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K'tehka's expression didn't change. He couldn't fault an officer for not trusting a civilian to be a lookout. He would still keep his eyes and ears poised to gather information, however. "Of course," he said with a toothy smile, that was unfortunately hidden under his collar.

The streets stayed as still as they were, despite the large group of people accumulating there. It was... too quiet.

"Should we explore...?" The stillness was beginning to get to her.. "There has to be something around here."

Four continued to slowly swivel on their feet like a stopped romba idly shifting in a tube. Their scanners didn't pick up anything other than movement, so they worked on that. Their guard still up as they looked for any anomalies in the still smoke. "We are prepared to move, explore, and protect if that is our order, Miss Rei'Nak."

"Best to keep moving. We should bump into something at some point." Maya suggested with a shrug. "Hard to hit moving targets anyway."

K'tehka nodded. Yes, exploration could be good. If they could get their bearings, they might be able to figure out where they'd been transported or what kind of anomaly had overtaken the Starbase or whatever it was that was happening. "I will follow."

"Let's go then." Marrok said quietly but just enough for the rest of the group to hear, he slowly began walking in one direction, no idea where he was headed but somewhere. He didn't like this plan but it was the only plan they had, for now, the uneasiness was still present but the panic had somewhat subsided as he realised he was somewhat safe with the group even though they were in the cursed fog.

Four nodded and moved to a protective position in the center so they were close to their Aunt and everyone around them. "Yes sir, Lieutenant Commander." Four wasn't sure what Marrok-ion's name was but to be honest their name being Lieutenant Commander was all Four would realistically use. So, that was his name in all practicality for Four. They kept their scanners up for any movement and their posture defensive.

As they walked, the street stretched on. The dim streetlights towered over them like sentinels, their eyes half-blind, but providing just enough light for the group to move further along, determined yet directionless. The exploration was monotone. So monotone, that it could feel like they were walking in place. That is, until a sharp, putrid smell could be felt, coming from somewhere ahead of them.

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Four was relaxed. In their element even. Their movements stiff and assured. Their confidence if it ever existed was at an all time high. They sniffed the air and tilted their head. Another sensory input they wished to do without. Another cough and gag was expelled as they looked ahead. "That is rather strong...however taste and sensory input has been inflicted no matter where we were to varying degrees...this may be a trap or created by the anomaly...caution is advisable..." Four said to the group before they continued to walk toward the source of the pungent smell bit with a bit of caution. (edited)

Vovvi pinched her nose a little tighter. "Caution advisory noted," she said, holding a hand out to stop those— well, that wouldn't do anything, would it. She gently pushed forward into the front to possibly inspect the smell. "Does anyone have a phaser I can hold for a moment?" Just in case..

"Ach, disgusting!" K'tehka spat reflexively, trying to get the taste and smell out of his mouth and nostrils. His eyes narrowed and he moved forward, trying to see where the smell was coming from. He'd smelled putrid things before, usually the scent of death... Was it?

Not too far ahead, there was a sizeable lump of... something, on the ground, too obscured by the fog to be discernible. It was, however, completely motionless.

No phaser was fine. She tentatively crept forward to get a better look at the Something, swallowing bile in her throat. Gross..

Marrok almost gagged from the putrid smell good thing he was already covering his mouth and nose though it didn't help the situation much. He followed behind Vovvi also trying to get a look at whatever was ahead of them. "What is that?" He half said to himself in disgust, he kept his distance not wanting to get to close to it IF it was able to attack them or something, the whole situation was eerie.

"I don't think i've seen a security officer yet." The Romulan responded softly before he gagged slightly. Gagged, then spotted something...and elected to not speak fruther. Vara'l instead moving as he angled his approach toward whatever the lump ahead was so he was in position to intercede if needed. This something of a subconscious decision at this point, one that happened to be worth squat. If one happened to not have a fire arm, moving into a better position to fire one past someone..happened to be stupid. At least it was in his eyes when he realized he'd done so and idly moved back away from one of the groups flanks. "Dont know.." He murmured as he followed Vovi and those at the front. Did that and gagged some more. This smell reminded him of less than pleasant things.

tw // animal death It was a skinless, eyeless corpse of some four-legged, carnivorous animal; it's appearance was vaguely dog-like, with grotesquely protruding teeth and sharp claws. It was laying on it's side, completely motionless and breathless.

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Four walked forward and knelt down before the indeterminate pile of matter. They silently tilted their head as they didn't breathe in through their nose or much at all for that matter. Any form of breathing would cause their senses to be assailed by the seemingly rotting clump. They looked closer and noticed the features. It was a canine like corpse. "Seems to be the remnants of a canine like being...carnivorous..." Four was called a dog once. The misery for the first time before they raised their emotional suppression protocols hit them. They lowered their head and placed their hands over the clumps eye sockets. "May the D'ravasai shepherd you through the elemental schism...for you to return to where all life is born...to the Queen of all...and may you find peace, and perfection in that new iteration of your being..." Four raised their hand and stood. They waited for what came next, as they wiped off their hand reverently with a cloth they kept on them.

The new iteration of it's being snarled, head twisting with a crack, and rose to it's feet.

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Vovvi reached out to grab Four's arm, yanking them back toward her. "Nope," she said simply, taking many steps away back and away from the rotting creature.

Marrok had been cautiously watching the lump to try to understand what it was but he had no clue when suddenly it rose to it's feet, he jumped back quite skittishly, afraid almost. What the fuck, he thought. "I.. I uh believe it would be wise to get away from whatever that is." He said as steadily as he could as he cautiously took a few steps back.

“That is..not normal.” Vara’l said then as he backed up slightly. Backed up and then backed up some more. “Withdraw now, immanent potential threat.” He then added softly as he fixed the new entity in his vision. Did so and backed up more. “I agree, departure seems highly advisable at present.”

K'tehka was going to make a comment about how that thing looked like it wasn't a targ, but something else. When it stood up snarling and cracking eerily. "Worse than a targ... watch out!" He stood at a ready stance reflexively just in case the thing lunged at him or anyone near him. You can take a warrior out of battle but you can't take the battle out of the warrior, or whatever.

Four felt Vovvi grab their arm. They allowed her to drag them back but they weren't about to not defend themselves. They looked back at the dog and tilted their head. "Combat Protocol One: Engaged. Suus Mahna Addendum." Four said as their fists clenched and they were ready to slam the dog if it were to approach them.

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The snapping maw immediately started salivating as soon as it's head turned in the direction of the group. Movement somewhere between a stalking warrigul and a targ, it stood it's ground, growling and giggling all hyena-like. The behavior was almost... pack-like.

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“This is too much like-“ Vara’l paused a moment and then said. “Watch for additionals” As he cautioned people about it and idly wished he was wrong as well. This reminded him too much of more than just tactical programs and errata he’s reviewed or nature programs he binged. It reminded him of what he considered the closest thing to Hell he’d ever experienced, Not fun. “I think it’s time to be elsewhere.”

"Multiple people have said that, but I do not see anyone else moving," Vovvi said a little louder, having actively moved away from the creature while keeping her eyes on it.

Hearing the loudest voice, the animal's head snapped towards Vovvi, now full-on snarling... and assuming a wider stance.

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Four stood protectively infront of Vovvi as they were being dragged by her. They raised their fists and tensed their legs as their golden eyes stared back at the dog like being. "Miss Rei'Nak, we suggest that you stay behind us. We shall protect you." Four said as they began their combat mantra. Their golden eyes stared as their pupils contracted. "Fire can be comforting...but fire can engulf...earth can bring foundation...but fall at the slightest crack...water can heal...but weather every brook...air can uplift...but can deceive the height you can reach...balance...calm..." The mantra repeated again as they waited for any sign of hostility or aggressive movement from its wider stance.

Vovvi kept all of her swearing internal, her gaze locked on the beast. Noting...it didn't have eyes.. "Four. Throw something behind it." she whispered.

"Don't be daft," came a gentle voice, in response to Four's demand of Vovvi. Tal-terrh knew none of these people, but he'd been listening to what they were doing, could hear and feel a lot about them. His footsteps had been silent, so his approach had largely gone unnoticed, appearing like a ghost from the mist. "Throwing something might work, but we should try backing away as quietly and as quickly as possible," he suggested simply. "Do not turn your back."

Perhaps coincidentally, but the defense statement was met with another giggle from the canine. Unable to fully close it's jaws, it ran it's black tongue over the sharp teeth, like a brush over a wooden fence. Listening. Waiting.

"We cannot be anything more than our functions." Four respond to Tal-terrh. Their pupils still were contracted as they stared at the threat. The thing that did not realize the danger it was courting. Four nodded to their aunt. They would fulfill the order they were given. Four took their commbadge off and threw it just a foot behind the dog. It clattered across the ground as Four continued to steadily walk backwards without their gaze moving from the dog. They continued their analyzation of it. Their scanners focusing on its movements but also at least gave an attempt for anything out of the ordinary or readings from the beast.

Fuck. Yeah. Right. Vovvi took many steps backwards, gingerly tugging Four along with her, because otherwise they would get their throat torn out or something. Quickly. Quietly.

tw // body horror The beast turned it's head towards the sound, expressing some brief interest in the clatter; but, just as quickly that interest died out. It turned back towards the group, and opened it's maw wide open - and there, sitting at the base of it's bisected tongue, was a pair of dark eyes, staring down the Town's prisoners.

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Marrok was still slowly walking backwards it took him a few moments to register what he was seeing but when he did he was bewildered. What was this thing? It was nothing like he'd ever seen before, was it some kind of species he'd never seen before? No it looked more like something from a nightmare. "So it can both see and hear us.. great." He quietly said hoping that it wouldn't attack and chew someone's leg off.

Vovvi glanced back over her shoulder to check for any exits, anywhere at all to go. Was it just infinite streets in every direction!? Fuck's sake.

"Indeed." Vara'l responded as he continued to back away with the group. "Its..just..staring." He breathed as he'd then looked around for somewhere for the group to hole up or for other entities engaged in herding tactics. Looked,walked backwards and occasionally glanced at the beast.

Four noticed the eyes as the maw of the beast widened open. They tilted their head as their own eyes focused in on its own. "Presence of ocular senses of Threat #01, established." Four continued to walk backwards and their extraction tubules began to jut out of their wrists as they waited for a reaction from the dog. They weren't scared, but certainly on edge. They needed to test it. See if a small movement would cause hostile action, or if it was just attempting to elicit fear. Four stopped their walk backwards. "Permission to test beast, Lieutenant Commander?" They whispered back to Vovvi.

"Denied. We are getting the hell out of here, Four." Go go go go go—

"What the Lieutenant Commander said,we are getting out of here, that's a order."Vara'l said as he turned slightly and then picked up his pace. Time to leave.

Tal's eyes darted around unseeingly as he took in the monster's presence, only feeling its wrongness beyond the giggling and the snarling. He was backing away from it along with everyone else, though he wasn't unwise enough to turn his back to it even slightly. Not that it mattered to him, personally; he'd be able to feel it coming, unlike most others, but he didn't want to invite an attack by showing weakness. That went for predators almost even moreso than it went for humanoids. "How does it see?" he asked, as he could not see himself.

"Eyes in its mouth," Vovvi reported, swallowing another wave of disgust and nausea. "Resting on a bisected tongue...ugh."

"Fascinating," Tal said, not feeling half the disgust Vovvi did... perhaps because he hadn't actually seen the thing, and didn't have enough of a reference to how any of those things looked to create some idea of an image for himself. He'd never heard of creatures with eyes in their mouth, it seemed a deeply impractical situation to be in as an animal- but then, he couldn't see even with his eyes open, so perhaps he wasn't in any situation to judge.

They backed away and it followed, it's neck held all the way up at an unnaturally straight angle, maw still open and the eyes still staring - no beast had such meaningful stare, no beast had such human-looking eyes, unblinking, burrowing into their gazes like some vermin, and--

Suddenly, somewhere in a distance, a recall whistle was heard. Two notes, a high one followed by a low one, it's echo stilling the air, and the canine, who froze in place with it's front leg still in mid-step. And just like that, it's maws closed as tightly as they could, throat briefly bunching up as it swallowed, before it just... turned around and left, trotting into the fog and disappearing in it like a nightmare forgotten.

What. Sure. Fine. Vovvi shook herself off, exhaling a shaky breath before looking around for their apparent rescuer.. she'd make note of that whistle for later, though, just in case.

Four looked across the way and didn't see their commbadge. They would have to get it replaced. "Combat Protocol 1: Suus Mahna Addendum, Disengage. Threat #01 has been logged and shall be observed for potential further appearances. Sound that caused retreat of previously cataloged entitiy also noted for further potential use." Four mumbled to themselves as they continued their work cataloging and they made sure to stick close to their aunt. If she were to get hurt...she wouldn't get hurt.

Marrok stood there he had stopped backing away as the thing had run off to the sound of a whistle, he let out a sigh out temporary relief from this madness. How had he gotten himself into this? It was like something out of a horror novel and he didn't like it one bit. "Let's keep moving and find a place out of here." He said determined, after all he wanted to find someplace out of here, out of this creepy fog so he gathered all the courage he could muster.

"But there could be someone else trapped in the..." How would they have known to call the dog off? Vovvi didn't see anything immediately, but she didn't like the idea of leaving someone behind very much. "Ah, I suppose.."

"Well, then, we should get out of this quickly so we can get them help as soon as possible, in my opinion." He hoped if there was anyone still left in this fog that they had found relative safety at least, and he wasn't about to go stumbling around in the dark fog than they needed to. (edited)

Four wondered but didn't want to object to a senior officer. They silently waited to see what everyone else said. They however felt there most likely was no way out, without further knowledge. The whistle had to have an origin. One that should be ascertained.

"Right." She did do one last good look, just to see if she could find the ~~hash-slinging slasher~~ mysterious whistler. In truth, she was still thinking about the creature. Swallowing its eyes.. ugh. She'd have to tell Veldan about it. He would probably think it was cool. Was he safe, she wondered...?

Hm. If she took a long, careful look where the beast had disappeared, something stood there in the fog. By the looks of it, it appeared to be direction signs.

Direction signs, huh. No harm in reading those, right? Vovvi approached them with Much caution to take a peek.

Most of the signs appeared to be either empty or scratched up. One of them, however, pointed to the left, and simply read "Park".

"It's a way to go," she pointed out to the others, cautious about raising her voice. "Otherwise we'll likely be wandering in circles forever.."

Four followed Vovvi and looked up at the sign. They tilted their head. "We agree. There may be others at this location. Our function dictates we must protect any potential forms of life or life around us." (edited)

"No time to waste then but be cautious." Marrok said as he looked up at the sign squinting his eyes to see if he could make out what the others said but to no avail, a part of him didn't want to go to the 'park' but what choice did he have if they wanted to find a way out of this God forsaken place.

Let's go, then..! Vovvi lead the way to the left, following the road there. Any progress was good progress, right?..

Anyone who followed would proceed to #overgrown-park .

Welcome back, Vovvi t'Rei'nak.

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She hadn't even had a chance to react. A glint of the blade, a moment of agony, and she tipped forward— knees connecting with the street instead of the wood under the gazebo. A harsh transition, one that made her almost dizzy. Back at the beginning, huh. Forcefully shoved back to her spawnpoint. Asshole. She reached down to gently probe the fabric around the wound, and her fingers came back green and sticky. Vovvi flinched, a dull ache, a burning sensation in her side, and struggled to catch her breath. The taste of the fog burned on the back of her tongue, now familiar. "..Fuck," was all she could manage, blinking back tears. Still holding the wound on her side, she finally managed to drag herself to her feet, pain following every movement of her body before fading into a dull echo. She needed to get the hell out of here, and fast.

High note, low note. High note, low note. Someone was whistling, the sound piercing the fog, a call for reply. Same sound- but a different whistler. Who could it be?..

Vovvi debated on answering. Surely only bad things could come from answering— fuck, raising her voice nearly got her killed, and did get her killed the second time. Her expression twitched indignantly as she searched for the source of the whistle, as well as a place to hide, if she could spot one.

As luck would have it, the street was barren. And there, in the fog ahead, a silhouette loomed, walking down the road in her direction - taller, broad-shouldered.

Vovvi staggered back, her thoughts racing. Self defense, since there was nowhere left to hide. Moving too fast still made her side ache in protest. Nowhere to run. So... So... "Don't take another step! Identify yourself-!" Even if the figure was still a silhouette, it was already walking in her direction. It was bound to find her eventually, since she couldn't run or hide.

The silhouette stopped dead in it's tracks: "...Vovvi?" And, oh. She knows that voice.

She faltered. She did know that voice; it was almost comforting here in this.. twisted fog nightmare land, but she couldn't trust it. Not yet. Not here. Not like this. "Give me a sign that it's really you." A hint of a plea laced into her tone. A genuine want to believe.

His figure drifted out of the fog like a ship towards a lighthouse, the odd eyes staring at Vovvi with concern and caution; the stark white, and the ~~murderous~~ ~~cold~~ deep, warm grey. He raised his hands: "You are Vovvi t'Rei'nak," he uttered, as if to reassure himself as well. "An Intel officer and a friend, who really, really wants to feed me to a witch in a brig, and vents her frustrations to me via encoded messages. I like to reply in kind."

"Oh, thank fuck," it was more of a sob than a word, and it was stupid to blindly stumble toward him in a place like this— these things were built on fear, memories, feelings, but she wanted so desperately to not be alone it just... An attempt to recollect herself before she broke down crying resulted in a breath that trembled on the way out. "How did you— I can't — there's something in the fog, there's hallucinations of people, and monsters, and it.." How could she possibly tell if he was real? "I can't trust that it's.. you. I don't know. Someone just stabbed me, so you can imagine I'm a little wary.."

"You're okay," he said, hands lowering yet twitching restlessly, feeling the need to soothe, to calm, but the person in front of him was gripped tight in the clutches of fear-- and anguish. His brows furrowed at her confession, and then he noticed the wound in her side, and blood quite literally there, and Rojin couldn't help but grit out a heartfelt, "Fuck-- who did this?.." No. Keep calm. He sighed, not daring to come too close to her - he wouldn't forgive himself if Vovvi perceived him as a threat. "It's me. I don't know how else to prove it - but I could offer you my hand for a grab. Everything and everyone here is cold and mist-like. If I don't evaporate in your hands, it should be fine, right?"

6

"It was — he looked like your nephew, but he wasn't. The uniform was blank, he looked a little older.. Smug bastard," she spat indignantly. Vovvi had been just standing there and she'd gotten hurt for it. To prove a point? Spite? "His uniform when he stabbed me, it...changed. Something worse." Something so much worse. Something that still made her blood run cold. Cold and misty, huh. Vovvi hesitated, but managed to pull forward enough to be within reach (but not within knife reach), nodding. That would work.

The flash of sharp pain that ran through Jin like an electric current could be seen even in his prosthetic eye. "... I see." Dread trickled down his nape and back like cold water - and it wasn't the fog's fault. Despite the way he stilled, the way his spine straightened and grew stiff, he still took great care in extending his hand to her slowly, carefully, like he was offering a handshake.

His hand was warm with life, and Vovvi squeezed onto it like an anchor, the back of his palm smeared with slightly bloody fingerprints. Two staggering steps forward, closing the distance, and Vovvi nearly collapsed into his side, fixing her grip to support herself on his arm instead. Relief? Pain? She couldn't be sure. "Did you see anything?" Her eyes darted around even now, her voice soft— she'd learned her damn lesson, finally— "I was with a group, we got separated when I... died." The word felt wrong, but it was the only one she could think of that fit.

1

He was warm, solid, and clearly there, in the nightmare alongside her. Jin held her closer, shoulders releasing from the stiff, proper posing to instead hunch over his friend protectively. "You're okay, you're okay. I got you." He debated answering Vovvi's question - it could be felt in the silence that hung over them for a brief moment. "..There were some shadowy figures lurking around. They cowered away from me whenever I came closer to them, and scrambled to get away. You're the first real person I saw so far."

"Well, it's a good thing you're here to keep the monsters away." she joked light-heartedly, yet still scanned the fog for said figures. And for a very large, animal one. "You're some kind of beacon of light, maybe.. Lucky me." Hm.. "I don't think we should stay in one place for long. There is a.. how to describe it, a hound with no skin and eyes in its mouth wandering around. Even if we have to stay here to avoid him, at least going from place to place would help. Or, alternatively, the noise makes us more tempting targets. Who knows?" (edited)

"I guess I am," he replied half-heartedly. The detail of those shadowy figures bearing familiar features was left unvoiced. Instead he looked around as well, surveying the area with careful scrutiny in his eyes: "Do you remember the direction that you went in with your group?"

She surveyed the area, searching for the same directional signs that she'd seen earlier. "Well.. as much as I can, given that these streets seem to go on forever. Left." Vovvi sighed, holding a little tighter to Rojin's arm. "I'm not too keen on going in the same area as the man that stabbed me, as I'm sure you understand. However, there were civilians in that group, so my best bet is to.. ah, "suck it up", I think the phrase is."

"I am not too keen on going there either, but finding someone else and sticking to a group could be a good tactic," he squeezed back, a steady, calm presence, despite everything. "Maybe we'll spot them, yeah? Lets just go and see what happens."

"Right." Left, actually, but. Bad joke. Bad joke, Vovvi. Shaking her head a little to scold herself, she lead the way towards where she thought and really hoped they'd gone last time.

As the two walked, they lurked by the borders of the fog, watching the prisoners with their white, beady eyes, yet not approaching.

"Fuck off," he muttered at one of the closest ones, canines flashing for the briefest of moments - one of his arms now resting on Vovvi's shoulder. "I think I see the gates of the park, but they're... closed? It's also foggy as all hell there."

Vovvi did not answer for a long moment, her gaze fixed on those scattered around the edges. Rojin warded them off, somehow— the metaphorical raising of hackles had caused some of them to shrink back into the fog, others still lingering. Staring. She could feel their eyes on her no matter how far she moved, hair on the back of her neck standing up. "Closed.." Vovvi exhaled, her fingers curling in the side of his shirt. Part relief, part distress. "We'll have to find some other way through, or see if we can open the gates.. I don't want to think about what could be happening to the rest of them if he was so quick to drive a knife into my side for getting impatient." (edited)

The shadow flinched back as if struck, clutching at their neck, shoulders hunched over - Rojin averted his gaze, before the phantom feeling of copper in his mouth could overwhelm his senses. "Maybe we can go around?" he suggested. "Parks usually have at least two entrances, if this one won't budge. Let me try..."

Vovvi lowered her eyes against the piercing eyes popping up everywhere in her field of vision, instead watching her own feet and Rojin's moving in tandem. She trusted him to guide them both. "Jin. You flinched," she said, "When I told you about the man. You know who it is. Are you going to tell me?.." It was not an insistent press on the obvious bruise, rather a genuine query that would be dropped if he didn't want to answer. (edited)

He let go of her to step closer to the gates and try to pry them open - unsurprisingly, they did not budge. He then noticed a heavy lock that was holding the gates shut, and grabbed onto it, trying to see if he could somehow crack it open. It wouldn't be the first time he performed such a trick. Her question, however, made the man freeze up. He didn't turn around to face her, didn't dare, instead letting his gaze fixate on the white-grey fog inside of the park. Somewhere in there, lingered an apparition with a familiar face. Silence hung heavy between them. Rojin broke it off by turning towards her: "Yes. It's my father."

2

"Understood." Vovvi did not press further, removing herself from Rojin's side so as not to burden him while he fiddled with the lock. She slid down against the gate. The closer they got to the park, the more the wound in her side burned— or perhaps that was just her imagination?

The lock did not budge; he let it go with a sigh, turning and walking back to the Intel officer: "Can't break through it, even if I try to pry it. Time to go around and see what's there?"

"Mmhm.." Vovvi wordlessly reached up, requesting a little support in getting back on her feet. Probably shouldn't have sat down, but she was just so... tired. She wouldn't be able to afford to rest. Not with all these things watching her. She was starting to see them everywhere now, even when she closed her eyes..

Effortlessly he helped her stand up, letting Vovvi grab onto his arm. She.. didn't look good. "Hey, look at me. How are you feeling?"

Normally sharp yellow was dull with pain and exhaustion; seemingly staring past Rojin instead of truly meeting his eyes, before finally snapping into place. It relaxed her. Just a little. Then it was gone, and she leaned against his shoulder with a trembling sigh. "Don't go anywhere," she answered. "You're the only thing that I know is real right now.."

2

"I won't," he promised. He made this promise to many of his brothers and sisters in arms; and so far, no fight, no torture, no imprisonment, or even the loss of his eye could break that promise. Some fuckoff mass hallucination nightmare won't either. "Let's go. I'll lead the way."

"Thank you." It was fitting he was the one she found in the fog, wasn't it. It very well could have been a hallucination— if they really played off of their fears, one of her worst was being stabbed in the back by an ally. No.. A friend. But he was here. He was here, and safe, and real, and Vovvi just let herself be half-carried along, the prickling pain along her side ever-present. She'd have to thank him properly once all this was over with, if it ever ended. Right now, all she could focus on was the eyes in the corner of her vision... Would she be able to rest without thinking of them?

1

The fog was vented out, safely lifting off of the affected decks. There would still be some time before those hallucinating recovered their full mental bandwidth, but they were safe at last.