Chapter 1: Activation

[Zhuub]

  

Radha T'Iisby

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One moment and Radha was getting ready to join the crowd in calling out the ref's horrible judgement call, and the next she was in darkness. She blinked, but the world did not return when her eyelids opened. Radha remembered then the great storm that had knocked out power while she was staying with her great aunt Delni, and almost expected to see a bolt of lightning flash and illuminate the billowing storm clouds. Instead she saw nothing but darkness, as pure and dark as those moments between the lightning that summer night.

And then she could see again, all at once. Time had passed- everything around her and out on the field was ever so slightly different. She realized that she had been holding her breath, and after a moment turned to Jessie to say, "I think I might've-" but instead of her own words Radha heard only static. Glancing around and over her shoulders, she wasn't able to locate the source of the noise. Turning again to Jessie, Radha tried to start talking again but sound itself began to diminish.

She looked at the line of her jaw, the perfect lipstick, the stormy eyes. So this is what it felt like where no one in the world existed but the two of you?

By Jessia, she had to be in love.

"So you feel it too?" Radha asked, smiling warmly. She reached over to place her hand over Jessie's, and almost flinched away when she felt how incredibly tense the woman was. Maybe she had misunderstood? 

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HP 13 / 13 | AC 9

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Saves | Physical: 12 | Evasion: 13 | Mental: 12

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[Colin]

Down on the field one of the referees went running towards the players, waving her arms over her head to get the players’ attentions. At the same time the announcer came on the speakers, and gone was the excited, cheery voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have been directed to broadcast breaking news by the city government. Please direct your eyes to the scoreboard.”

The scores vanished from the large display, and a newscast from New Ry-Ur Today, one of the largest news companies on the planet, appeared in place. The olive-skinned newscaster, Angelia Dhamos, was known for an unflappable demeanor even during nerve-wracking announcements. This was the first time she had appeared on air looking downright nervous, her voice quavering slightly as she spoke.

“…ews! The unidentified vessels that have been under observation for the past week have begun moving in system at a high rate of speed, and are close enough at this time that the Planetary Space Agency’s orbital telescope has been able to acquire high resolution images.”

At the comment about images, the screen cut away from the news desk and high resolution shots of the vessels. The image on the screen is grainy but the oversize view makes its elongated pyramid profile clear. The top of the pyramid pointing toward the viewer is what almost seems like a maw or mouth into a dark interior, the sides extend to a square base that seems to taper down in size behind the ship into what could only be the drives. Darker spots pattern the pyramid faces giving some texture to the otherwise uniform colored mass. For several in the stands, the moment they saw the ships their throbbing minor headaches intensified in a heartbeat to what felt just short of a migraine. In Radha’s case, the pain from her old accident was overshadowed by a sensation that felt akin to her legs burning in flames.

Images causing almost-migraines was a disturbing enough thing, but was arguably minor against the text that scrolled across the vision of the seven.

Jaretul vessels confirmed. Activation commencing, broadcasting FoF identifier for potential friendly forces.

Almost on the heels of the text, a mezzo-soprano voice spoke, sounding like it was coming from all around and inside their heads at once, at a volume akin to someone yelling at a moderate volume. "Status change! Local ground forces detected, updating strategic situation!"

The vision text had competition for disturbing experiences.

 

[Basil_Bottletop]

Harry van Damme

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From his vantage point on his seat, surrounded by cheering fans, Harry almost missed the referee's actions. Her path across the pitch was intermittently blocked by the backs of heads or broad shoulders of the people in the row in front of him. He stood, but was a bit wobbly. Curiosity won out though, and he soon found his footing.

When the scoreboard changed to the world's largest news broadcast, Harry turned his head toward it. The rest of his body needed the stability of remaining still and he didn't risk shifted his whole self. The second wave of headaches hit him like a sucker punch. The intense pain, which he equated to nerve pain in some pack recess of his mind, caused him back to his seat again.

He put his head in his hands and tried to dissuade the pain with his palms pressed hard against his eyelids. He would have ignored the floating voice if he'd not been trying hard to evaluate what of his senses were completely out of his control at the moment. His ears were his livelihood, his greatest talent, and panic was already starting to creep into his mind as he thought he was losing all his faculties.

There was no hiding his pain or his grief. He sat slumped over, sloppy and rumpled, trying to come out of this horror tunnel.

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HP 24 / 24 | AC 17

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Saves | Physical: 13 | Evasion: 12 | Mental: 12

[Aavarius]

David W.N. Kol

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Henley was effectively oblivious to the announcement to look at the screen. He certainly heard it, but he was preoccupied with the activity on the pitch below. It finally got his attention when play came to a halt as players, coaches, aids, trainers, and other assorted sports personnel milling about stopped to watch the interrupting broadcast. They were all looking one way, to the picture screen with the rocket ship and all the words on it.

Henley turned back to his mother, plopped down on her knees. She usually told him he was getting way too big to be doing that, but this time she put an arm around him, a quiet gesture of protection while her eyes remained on the picture screen. Henley could read in her features that something was wrong, but he didn't understand what.

When the news broke David felt a prickly briar rise up in his throat. It was fear. Jaretul was a word he had learned about in grade school, long ago having dismissed as a boogeyman of a bygone generation.

It was for the best that David was already sitting down this time. With no danger of falling over he groaned lightly as the newest wave of headache split his cranium open. He clutched his head with both hands trying his best to provide counter-pressure. While Amara and Henley, like the rest of the stadium, remained transfixed on the news broadcast, David descended into his own world of suffering and insanity.

This was not the time to lose his marbles.

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HP 21 / 21  |  AC 17  |  Physical 12  |  Evasion 12  |  Mental 12

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Status:  X

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[Kendris]

  

Maia Oberlun

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⠀⠀⠀⠀Maia was taking her instincts to heart as she buried the taser in the fabric of her dress, hurrying up the stairs to the exits of the stadium proper. The voice of the announcer barely registered, her mind set on finding a safe place away from all the people crowding the stands. As the news broadcaster finished her announcement, Maia had just reached the exit, but the pounding in her head compelled her to turn back. It was an urge she was not able to control; Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned on one foot to view the image on the screen.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Maia grimaced, both hands moved to cradle her head. The pain behind her temples overwhelmed much of her body as she rubbed the heels of her hands against her head, eyes fixed on the screen the entire time. She leaned her right shoulder against the concrete wall of the exit, slumping over as she tried to make sense of the the text making its way across her entire view. Jaretul? FoF? What the hell is Planetary Security not telling us? She did not have time to make sense of her thoughts before the strange voice resonated inside her ears and brain.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Whispering to herself, "Five things I can see, four things I can touch, three things I can hear, two things I can smell, one thing I can taste..." Saying the exercise out loud helped as she completed every step with the focus only one well practiced could. A sigh escaped from her as she finally dropped her gaze from the starship on the display. No way you are getting that vacation after this, Maia. One more sigh and Maia forced herself back upright. She had fled so quickly she had forgotten her purse and sweater underneath her chair. Missing a call from your boss in a situation like this will be the least of your worries soon, Maia. She shook herself before forcing herself forward, back down the stairs to her seat, making sure the taser was holstered back in her garter while she had some privacy in the exit hallway.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Reaching her seat, she was relieved, however slightly, to find all her possessions still there, if wet from the spilled beers. She dug through the purse contents, withdrawing her phone to check for any alerts. Probably should have left it on, you were officially still on call, weren't you? Too late now. The sweater she left on the ground. Soaked as it was, and smelling as it did from the drinks, she would never wear it again.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Better call, just in case..." she mumbled as her phone showed no recent contacts, and dialed the number for her station chief. If nothing else, at least he could get her a psych evaluation, assuming he answered and was concerned about her story. And didn't think she was screwing with him.

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HP 18 / 18 | AC 12 

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Saves | Physical: 12 | Evasion: 10 | Mental: 12

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[TiffanyKorta]

 

Jessie Mae

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When circumstance put her date just millimetres away from her face Jessie was more than happy to use this to her advantage. Never turn down a gift from the prophet as her mother always says. So she was more than happy to begin to lean in to enjoy a first date kiss when the announcement caused her to look in that direction, only getting a peck on the cheek.

She wasn’t always the fastest unless fists started flying, but she quickly realised that something was going on above and beyond the invasion. And as far as she could tell both of them seemed to be affected, the paranoid part of her said it couldn’t be a coincidence, but she’d unpack that when the time came.

“People are going to start panicking soon…” she stood quickly and offered a hand up “We should get somewhere safe, and maybe try that kiss again!” she grinned trying to project fake levity and appear calm, even though her fighting instincts were already getting her ready for trouble.

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HP 21 / 21 | AC 17

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Saves | Physical: 12 | Evasion: 12 | Mental: 12

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[Zhuub]

  

Radha T'Iisby

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Heart aflutter, Radha tilted her head to the side and leaned in just as Jessie turned away. Blushing, she stared down at her lap. Had she really managed to be too forward? Her? She thought that Jessie had been leaning in...

She glanced up, and saw that Jessie was staring at the screen. Everyone around was, actually. And play had stopped? Radha tried to push through the nervous fog of emotions and steady her thoughts. What was coming over her today? She was such a mess. Time to see what was going on outside of her little bubble.

Radha turned to look at the screen, and was instantly transfixed by the visual of the ship. A deep dark primal loathing knotted in the pit of her stomach. She had been avoiding the news since the initial sightings, even if she couldn't avoid the discussions surrounding them. Her pulse began to quicken along with her breaths as she felt her leg pain intensify. She could feel the lockbox in her mind straining against the flood of sensation and knew it wasn't going to be enough this time.

Jessie stood, said something distantly, offered her hand. Radha reached for it, hand shaking. She tried to breathe a prayer of help to Jessia, Our Sovereign Lady, but only the first two syllables escaped her lips before the wave of pain crashed over her. "Jessi-" Radha breathed, before screaming just as she had when her accident first occurred all those years ago.

Tears streamed down her face as she tried to keep her balance with Jessie's grip, but all Radha really managed to do was fall towards the black-clad beauty. With the white-hot pain igniting her legs, Radha hardly recognized the text scrolling across her mind's eye. Someone nearby yelled,

"Status change! Local ground forces detected, updating strategic situation!"

 

Somehow it was even louder than her own screaming. If she had been more lucid she would've wondered what was going on. As it was, Radha felt small, helpless, and just wanted the hurt to stop.

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HP 13 / 13 | AC 9

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Saves | Physical: 12 | Evasion: 13 | Mental: 12

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[Arcticus]

 

Remy James Lacroix

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Remy stared at the scoreboard video, mouth agape. As a kid, he'd always imagined going out and traveling amongst the stars, interacting with other sentient beings, and exploring the galaxy. Truth be told, he still sort of believed that extra-terrestrial life existed, aliens, other humans, and the like. Never once did he think that he'd be right. Or that said space-beings would come to him.

His head was still pounding from the earlier migraine when he saw the words flash into sight. Seemingly projected into thin air from nowhere.

Jaretul vessels confirmed. Activation commencing, broadcasting FoF identifier for potential friendly forces.

 

Jaretul? Who the hell are they? he thought, even as another near-blinding wave of pain hit him.

He startled as a voice shouted out,

"Status change! Local ground forces detected, updating strategic situation!"

 

He turned to Tyse, half forgetting his previous embarrassment only moments before. He grimaced and asked in a louder than intended voice, "Please tell me you heard that voice just now.

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HP 15 / 15 | AC 14 

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Saves | Physical: 13 | Evasion: 12 | Mental: 13

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[Khakhan]

Tyse Rumanen

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Tyse wasn't sure how to respond to Remy, and that was before her head exploded. Or felt like it was exploding. Repeatedly. It was everything she had to not be sick right there. Her legs went wobbly from the pain in her head and she slumped into her seat, cradling her head in her hands.

Jaretul? Weren't they a myth? A scary story told to freak kids out. Right? But the words scrawling across her vision like real-life captioning were definitely not a myth. The ship on the screen would have to be really good special effects if it wasn't real.

Then the shouting began, really making the migraine easy to get over. "I'm sorry. Never been much of a drinker." She tries to give Remy a response, rather than sit and gag repeatedly in front of him. What kind of terrible impression was she making, looking like her liquor got the best of her.

But he was hearing the voice too? That's just... weird. "You heard that too? Oh thank god, I thought I was drunk."

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HP 17/17 | Armor 11

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Physical 13 | Evasion 12 | Mental 13

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[Colin]

Text flashed in the bottom right of the field of vision of the seven, scrolling up and then fading after it’s read. As it started to appear, Radha’s pain abruptly vanished, and her legs felt better than they had in years, almost like they did before her accident.

Physical repair and augmentation: Complete.

Nervous system integration: Complete.

HUD initializing.

 

 

A circular, semitransparent loading circle appeared in the top corner of their visions, shifting to stay in position as they moved their gaze. A series of text flashes quickly under the circle as it goes to 100% before vanishing.

HUD initialization: Complete.

Activating Operative package.

Seven heads abruptly felt like they’d been hit by a sledgehammer out of nowhere, hard enough to drive bodies to their knees at best. Hearing and vision faded to the background, but it sounded like there were screams in the distance from all directions. Then began another series of strikes to the head in rapid succession, a blast of visual and auditory information flowing with each hit.

WHAM

Uploading Project Jaretul history, strategic, and tactical information.

WHAM

Uploading Operative training package.

WHAM

Uploading Operative Project information.

When it finished blood was dripping from their noses and ears, and the pain slowly faded to a memory as vision returned. Hearing was a bit slower, and more text popped up.

Minor aural system damage detected. Repairs in progress.

Hearing rapidly recovered to normal, if not a bit sharper than normal, as hands reached out to the individuals to help them to their feet. Voices from those around them were asking if they were okay, while it appeared the same scenario was playing out all around the stadium.

Unit designation: 4th Platoon, Whisky Squad

 

The female voice from earlier returned to their heads unbidden, and in the bottom left of their vision an identifier appeared at the same time. Blocks appeared mid-left in their vision, showing blue squares with numbers 1 through 8, with one of the numbers circled identifying their particular tag.

 

CRS Acacia - Ground Strategic Control - 36th Fleet, Task Force 225

”Four Whiskey, Acacia, I will be assuming ground control at this time. Please confirm successful activation, and stand by for orders."

Looking around would show identifier markers over seven other individuals, with a unit header. In their visions the 8 square began blinking yellow, and their minds filled in that it was a non-fatal casualty indicator. For that matter, they found themselves remembering a significant amount of information they hadn’t known prior to being slammed to the ground by pain.

 

OOC

All characters have had information about the Jaretul uploaded to their brains, along with weapons and equipment training memories with what looks like very advanced tech, that they definitely didn’t have a few minutes ago. Designations are as follows:

• W-1: David
• W-2: Harry
• W-3: Jessie
• W-4: Maia
• W-5: Radha
• W-6: Remy
• W-7: Tyse

Please ask questions about both the equipment thread and the Jaretul thread, as well as any other inquiries about what you know or don’t know! Serak and I will flesh things out as needed based on character knowledge.

 

 

[Zhuub]

  

Radha T'Iisby

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The screams died in Radha's throat as the pain ceased. Well, the pain in her legs at least. She opened her eyes and looked up into Jessie's face, vision swimming from her current migraine. By Jessia, she was going to look like a complete idiot. It probably looked like she was putting on a show of hysterics! Radha blinked apologetically up at Jessie, trying to find any sensible string of words to start explaining herself. But then, she realized that the movement at the edges of her vision wasn't from the migraine.

Small lines of text blinked in one corner of her eye, a small spinning circle in a different corner. She tried to look at them directly, but they remained just on the periphery of her vision. Once she stopped darting her eyes and chasing the text around, Radha realized she was able to make out what the words actually said. Jessie's face a stunning backdrop, she read the lines:

• HUD initialization: Complete.
• Activating Operative package.

 

Radha had never received what she considered a truly divine vision, but she had always imagined that it would be delicate and somber. Not like this. Not utterly overwhelming.

Had her voice again been part of the screaming?

Was this the breaking of the first seal of the scroll that heralds the end of days?

Awash in information, Radha was slow to move when the assault to mind abated. Faces looked down, concerned, but she turned to find Jessie's. Blood streaked down her pale face where she had just so recently placed a kiss, stark and terrifying little lines. She reached out to touch the blinking three hovering above Jessie's face, only to find that it was a hallucination. Or was this part of her vision?

”Four Whiskey, Acacia, I will be assuming ground control at this time. Please confirm successful activation, and stand by for orders."

 

"I hear you, here I am." Radha said quietly, to the voice that did not seem so much like an angel's. To Jessie, she said "Are you going to be okay?" On some level, she knew that she already knew the answer to that question, even if she wasn't yet sure how. Jessie was Three. Three was green, and green was okay. Eight was yellow and not okay. "I think I need to find them, I think they need us." It was then she realized her voice was shaky, just like her hands. And much of the rest of her. Radha tried turning around to see if she could see where "Eight" was.

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HP 13 / 13 | AC 9

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Saves | Physical: 12 | Evasion: 13 | Mental: 12

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[Eric]

"Eight" isn't hard to find at all, because in addition to the blinking status indicator above his head, he's screaming at the top of his lungs. He is about fifty meters from Radha's position, but down in the mouth of one of the concrete concourse tunnels. For an unknown reason, he appears to be shadow-boxing with one of the otherwise nondescript walls.

"GOOD TO GO! YOU AIN'T GONNA GET ME SO EASY! COME GET SOME!"

He swings at the wall, misses entirely, and lets out a howl of pain as his right ankle buckles under the strain; he immediately crumples to the ground, but gamely tries to get back up.

 

[Kendris]

  

Maia Oberlun

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⠀⠀⠀⠀Maia had just pressed call when the text in her vision returned. She stared at nothing in particular while trying to make sense of what she was reading before she collapsed, dropping her phone onto the hard concrete of the seating area's floor. Gasping for breath between the impacts putting her to the ground and curling into a ball was as much as Maia could manage any longer. The smell and taste of blood was familiar, memories of a childhood that had been best left forgotten.

⠀⠀⠀⠀How long has it been? she found herself wondering after the impacts had stopped. It always surprised her how fast the the reel of her memories went by when it felt like she had been trapped for minutes, hours sometimes. Her eyes sprung open with the sudden recovery of her senses and the noise of those around her. Many of the spectators who had been around her were staring down at her, concerned looks written across their features.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Maia was acutely aware of how bad she must look with the the blood coming from her nose, the wet slick of it dripping down the side of her face and even seeping form her ears. Hands reached quickly under her arms and lifted her up to a standing position. "Thanks," was all Maia managed to mumble out while she tried to rub her face. The result of this only spreading the blood around and making it look worse. Turning to spot the man who had pulled her upright, she was surprised to see her father. Blinking and shaking her head, she looked again and did not recognize him. Breathing a sigh of relief before she tried to sort out the conversations around her, Maia ignored the many questions of if she was alright, but she caught someone who seemed to have seen everything, saying she had simply crumpled and started bleeding.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Is it a relief that I wasn't attacked, or... her thoughts stopped as she remembered what had just happened. Of course, she had been activated to defend from the Jaretul. It isn't worth worrying about right now, Maia, there are more important matters at hand.

”Four Whiskey, Acacia, I will be assuming ground control at this time. Please confirm successful activation, and stand by for orders."

 

⠀⠀⠀⠀Training for planetary security clicked into place quickly for her response as she ignored the world around her, the conversations and worries of those who had been witness to her collapse. "This is badge 2MO6Z station NR0021," Maia began, her hand going to press her ear on instinct, despite there being nothing to press. Looking around while she answered she spotted several indicators over other individuals, who looked like she imagined she must: bloody face, disoriented. "I-I think I am alright." Maia strained as she 'remembered' what was going on. The actual migraine might be done, but sifting through things was liable to give her another.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The blinking yellow eight drew Maia's attention as she began to search specifically for them. Whatever was happening might not be life threatening yet, but she needed to check on what happened.

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HP 18 / 18 | AC 12 

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Saves | Physical: 12 | Evasion: 10 | Mental: 12

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[Aavarius]

David W.N. Kol

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Amara cast a look over at her brother in between transitions in the news broadcast. What she saw didn't register the first time, and only after a second look did realization take hold.

"David!" she exclaimed, her voice getting high as it cracked.

David had slumped forward in his seat, largely prevented from falling onto the concrete by the smallness of the sitting space and his above average height. His ears and nose were bleeding, and his eyes had a vacant expression that suggested the light was on but nobody was home.

"Henley, stand up," Amara commanded her son. She didn't wait for him to comply before turning to grab hold of David's shoulders and attempting to haul his torso to an upright position. If David had taught her anything about emergency medicine it was to do something about ensuring a collapsed person could breathe.

Henley stumbled to his feet, confused about what his mother was getting irritable about. He thought it might have been him, but when he turned around to look at his uncle he put two-and-two together right away.

"What's wrong with Uncle David?"

I'm having a stroke, kiddo.

"David. Talk to me," Amara said after feeling for and, thank Jessia, finding a pulse.

"Is he okay?"

I'm having a stroke.

"I don't know, honey." Amara did a terrible job of keeping the despair out of her voice. Her face was wet with tears.

I told you, I'm having a stroke.

Somewhere, a hundred thousand lightyears away, David realized he wasn't actually moving his lips, saying anything out loud. He had completely disassociated from the obvious medical emergency his flesh and bones were experiencing.

And then, like a moment ago, something clicked into place and he was back from oblivion. This time, his brain was overflowing with context that hadn't been there before.

"Acacia, Whiskey-One. Activation successful and standing by." The response was automatic--David hardly knew he was saying it until the words were leaving his lips.

"...What?"

Amara wasn't about to let this one slide, not again. She didn't give a damn what David wanted.

"Hey!" she shouted over to some nearby sport spectators. "Somebody call a medic. My brother needs to go to the hospital right now."

"It's okay," David shouted back. "I'm just hallucinating!" He wrenched his arm free from Amara's grip and flapped it in the air to wave off the assistance.

"Ignore him! Get help. Now!"

David gazed across the crowd, saw floating numbers and other flashing symbology over the heads of a few. He knew it with cold certainty that he had well and truly gone mad. Voices in his head, a grandiose delusion about being a special operative, secret hallucinations about friends and enemies.

David did the only thing he could do: laugh.

Laughing mad.

---

HP 21 / 21  |  AC 17  |  Physical 12  |  Evasion 12  |  Mental 12

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Status:  X

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[Basil_Bottletop]

Harry van Damme

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Pain and chaos, both in his senses and in his aural surroundings. Without looking up from his hands, he could tell that the world around him at turned into something similar to what he felt internally. He felt a strange hand on his shoulder and he waved it off with the same level of conviction one might offer an annoying flying gnat. In the commotion, his gesture could have been seen as him urging the strange to get closer to him so that he could speak without raising his head.

It didn't seem to matter, the world seemed to glow abuzz even with his head low. His eyes bounced from feature to feature, and he forgot about whatever pain had overwhelmed him. For all he paid it mind, it was likely gone.

The voice in his mind caused him to raise his head for the first time. He heard it in his mind -which was a strange sensation itself- but he naturally thought it was someone standing nearby. Perhaps even the person that had put their hand on his shoulder. What he saw when he looked up was something else. The crowd was moving, not always in the same direction. Below him, on lower tiers of the bowl-shaped stadium, some others hadn't bothered to scatter. They had holographics around him like they were promoting the latest vodka in the worst kind of night clubs.

"Hullo?" He offered the voice in his head, in a sad attempt to regain some control. "Hullo, is someone there?" He looked to his right and realized that there was no one else sitting on the bench seating any longer. He was the lone hold-out. It was a reverse feeling that he'd had before the game as he watched people file in and slowly fill up the section around him.

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HP 24 / 24 | AC 17

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Saves | Physical: 13 | Evasion: 12 | Mental: 12