SILENT HIL PLOT: FOG EDITION

[yardbird]

CHARACTERS: ALL OF YOU SICK-MINDED MOTHERFUCKERS.
LOCATION: THE TRANQUILITY: FOG-WORLD EDITION.
WARNINGS: SURE IS FOGGY HERE, HUH?
(Also, you know. Horror. In space. With Silent Hill. That's always a recipe for Friendship Is Magic, right?)
SUMMARY: WELL, YOU'RE PROBABLY JUST WANDERIN' AROUND
WHEN SOMETHING DRAWS YOUR ATTENTION,
YOU CRASH INTO THE GROUND AND THEN YOU WAKE UP
IN A PARALLEL DIMENTION...

OOC: Okay! To make this easier, I am going to split this up into two catch-all logs. This event takes place within the span of September 26 through October 3rd, so maybe include the day in the subject line. If you plan on shifting between the worlds in the middle of a thread, it might be a good idea to add a link when starting a new thread in the other log (but it's not mandatory. Do whatever works for you!).

Characters who wind up in the fog world will either find themselves simply waking up to it, or walking when suddenly it becomes strangely more difficult to navigate the hallways. Hmmm... the lock is broken, you cannot open it. What more, they will find that their devices aren't working properly. The video feed is mostly snow. Audio kind of works, though! So you're free to give that a whirl.

Those who were not drawn in by the siren call of Silent Hill will not be able to physically interact with any of the characters stuck in the fog or Otherworld. To those in the real world, they simply vanished, and may find traces of them via unclear radio static on the communicators or catch ghostly glimpses of the missing people wandering the ship. But that's it. Ooh, spooky...

Monsters can appear in the fog world, but there are significantly less of them. You're probably likely to only run into a few of them. Other than that, you're almost safe here. Almost. Things are just unsettling and foggy and doesn't look quite right. But you never know when things might transition into the Otherworld, so be careful.

By the by, now might be a good time to stock up.

For information/questions, refer to this post.

THAT LOG WITH LOTS OF NIGHTMARES AND OTHERWORLD STUFF GOING ON

Comments

sept 30 |

[firstofficer]

[ it is impossible to forget the fall, the crumbling of the planet's surface beneath him and of the captain's final, defiant shout. but no sooner had the rock broken beneath him, than Spock was able to find it. that thread within his mind- the fabric holding all things together, tying memory to fear, intertwining hopelessness and grief and guilt.

he is not healed. he does not feel distanced from the tragedy he has known, and that which he has relived- allowed to become not simply spectacle, but stage for those he has come to know. but there is a new awareness that spreads through his consciousness. an understanding that soon, will require his full attention. time, and devotion.

but neither are things he may offer at present.

Spock's feet find the floor without stumble, and despite the density of the fog that surrounds him, he is certain that he is on the Tranquility. that he has never left. instead, he had allowed himself to become compromised by yet undefined circumstance, and his negligence may have resulted in significant injury. his heart does not race, but his mind does. there will be time for it later- for this vast yawning emptiness that tightens his throat, and when that time comes, he will allow it to take him, and he will rise from it.

right now, he must find the others.
Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Sulu, Tony Stark, and Arya he had seen. and they are who he must locate. ]

[leaps]

[ sulu thinks that it's the fall that does it. he jumps and he misses ( fails, fails, fails ) and the planet swallows him and kirk both. it's a twisted parody of that first time, the two of them plummeting towards sudden death only this time nothing had saved them except--

except it jolts sulu out of it.

this isn't the enterprise and for one long, crushing moment the disappointment threatens to overwhelm him. he trips over himself, propelled forward by phantom momentum to land hard on his knees, gasping in pain. everything's scraped raw, palms and knees bloody from collision with the rock. he's willing to bet there's bruises on his face still, newfound scars forming even as he gets to his feet.

( spock's head is a force to be reckoned with. sulu's going to remember that. )

like before, like on vulcan, he shouts out, screams out for anyone at all because being alone in all of this is just not something he can stomach. ( kirk and spock, where are kirk and spock? not dead, please not dead, it can't have been real... ) ]

[firstofficer]

[ the sound erupts to his right, and while Spock has never been a creature of impulse, that is precisely where he goes. he recognizes Sulu's voice before he sees the man, and crosses the distance in a matter of seconds- long legs devouring the space that separates them.

he is a Vulcan. he is contained by nature and by nurture, by instinct and design. but in all of his years spent among human beings, he has come to understand that there are some matters in which words fail. standard is so imprecise a language. it leaves room for misunderstanding and doubt, but more than that- there are some needs that require more than the delicately structured reply. it is for this reason, that despite his personal reservations on the subject, Spock's hand finds the man's shoulder, and his weight drops to one knee. be steady. he wills. be still. be at peace. ]

Lieutenant Sulu.

[leaps]

[ he recognizes the gesture for what it is. it's spock offering comfort, because vulcans aren't the type for bear hugs. sulu hesitates a long moment, shaking and shivering his way into silence. he feels impossibly young, like a frightened child. it's unacceptable. he's a lieutenant in starfleet.

he takes a deep breath. ]

I thought I...

[ he stammers to a stop, uncertain. he isn't sure if he should say this to spock, say, i thought i was inhabiting your dying planet just a few seconds ago. it seems tactless. ]

[firstofficer]

It was through no fault of your own.

[ Spock requires nothing else by way of explanation. Sulu's sense of guilt is oddly tangible, and not for the first time, the vulcan finds himself puzzled by the complexity of human emotion. his fear was a natural response to external stimulus, and he performed with uncommon valor and courage in the face of this. as a matter of professionalism alone, this is no response to feel shame for.

his hand lingers, a connection that perhaps anchors them both to the present, to reality. Sulu will require an explanation, more than that, Spock believes he will deserve one. his gross negligence has adversely affected those around him. this is his responsibility. it is only after his fingers squeeze that Spock forces himself to release his grip on Sulu, chagrined to realize it had been an instinctive act born of turbulent emotion. it is illogical to use physical contact as a way to convey the importance of information. ]

I believe a chemical agent within this fog affected my sense of reality and somehow allowed me to generate the scenario we had experienced. You and I have emerged. [ the coil within him, the tightening that Spock cannot define, is impossible to explain. ]

But I have been unable to locate the Captain.

[leaps]

[ maybe because it's spock saying it, and spock always knows, doesn't he? spock knows the right answers, has all of them stored up and packed away, ready to be dragged out in moments like these and he says it isn't sulu's fault, and it makes it a little easier to tug himself back together, to swipe a hand at his eyes like it's only the dirt that's bothering him, that he isn't--

it's his duty to perform admirably under pressure. that's his duty. and they're still under pressure, so he should still be performing admirably. it's easier to deal with when he frames it like that. ]

You think Kirk is still...in it?

[ it's not totally clear whether sulu's tlaking about vulcan or about something else. there had been a thousand different types of things lurking in that fog. sulu has bits and pieces of them rattling around his head. a long empty hallway, a woman crying, the creak and rattle of a wooden ship under his feet. kirk could be anywhere. ]

[firstofficer]

[ the space in Sulu's reply has his head lifting, as if in peering at the fog itself he may somehow be able to look through it. lift the illusion and allow the Tranquility's walls to return around them. his voice betrays nothing, but there is a subtle tightening to his mouth, one that mirrors the weight bearing upon his insides. Spock knows that it is a physical manifestation of mental duress. knows that it is illogical. but is unable to disregard the sensation regardless. ]

When I acknowledged the illegitimacy of the scenario, I was able to dispel it's effects upon my person and those that had become trapped within it- hence our emergence. The Captain was similarly dispelled, however should he remain missing, I am forced to postulate an alternative ejection.

[ Spock rises to his feet a moment later, does not extend a hand to the officer at his side, but does wait for him. the vulcan's hands move to his side, to the phaser on his hip- as it's removed from it's holster. ]

I do not intend to attempt exit without him.

[leaps]

[ kirk might be good at reading spock. sulu assumes he is, because they work so closely, the captain and the first officer, and kirk would have to be able to understand him, to read him at a glance. sulu though, sulu isn't on the advanced level of understanding vulcans. spock is still something impassive and confusing, something hard to figure out. it gives him pause, a moment where he checks himself, tries to gauge spock's emotional state before giving up.

it'll come in time. that's what sulu tells himself. ]

I don't either.

[ you don't leave without your superior officers. it's something that's long since become law for sulu. ]

[firstofficer]

[ one beat passes. it's enough for Spock to glance over him, assessing the damage. he is injured- the extent of which is may only guess towards. he is not a physician. however, he does not believe it unreasonable to presume that Sulu will make every effort to ensure the safety of his commanding officer- regardless of personal necessity.

Spock's hand lifts, the phaser offered between them, and the darkness of his gaze does not move from the man's profile. ]

[leaps]

[ personal safety is also a negotiable thing. there's time for medical bay after, he reasons. he can hold himself together until then, so long as everything important is functional. what's important is getting kirk, and getting out. everything that comes after that will be dealt with in good time. ]

No. You take it. I have my katana.

[ tucked into his boot, as was his habit. if he was wading into this, it might as well be with his weapon of choice. and spock should be well armed, because who knew if he was nursing worse injuries than sulu? ]

[firstofficer]

[ he is- less than pleased by the refusal- but his understanding of the human condition provides adequate compensation. Spock believes he would be less likely to sustain injury with a phaser in hand- that long range combat is preferable to close quarters- and that his own physiology grants him something of an advantage.

but Sulu is most adept with his sword, and beyond that, he remains a member of Starfleet. he is not without training. Spock watches his face for a moment, consideration for what he knows too well to argue, and brings the weapon back towards his chest. acceptance. ]

Communications appear presently disabled- a condition, I believe, of the current environment. [ it will make searching for the captain significantly more- difficult. ]

[leaps]

[ it's a comfort-based decision. he's better with a sword, even if it means getting in close, drawing within arm's reach of whatever comes against him. spock acquieces, which sulu's grateful for. with kirk there's always a litle wiggle room for defiance. sulu knows how hard to push. but with spock, that's harder to guage. he doesn't think he's capable of toeing that line with the finesse such a thing needs, not now. ]

Wwe can't override it, can we?

[firstofficer]

Exceedingly doubtful.

[ this would perhaps be the point at which he would hear Jim's voice. the tightening of his jaw and the set of his shoulders that would communicate initiating a plan he was less than pleased with. i don't like it, but. Spock however, does neither. the course of action from here is not favorable, but that will not change his, or the lieutenant's decision to act upon it. ]

We will proceed with caution. In approximately fourty-eight point six one hours you will attempt to remove yourself from the present location and seek medical attention before continuing to search. Am I understood?

[leaps]

[ it's not an unexpected order. spock would be remiss not to make it, sulu knows that. but he knows he can't-- it's not an order he thinks he can follow. ]

Respectfully, sir, I'm not leaving without you and the captain.

[ because what would that make him, to be safe and well cared for if spock and kirk were still lost in the fog? ]